Saint Clement Eucharistic Shrine is a historic Roman Catholic shrine located on

Boylston Street Boylston Street is a major east–west thoroughfare in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. The street begins in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood, forms the southern border of the Boston Public Garden and Boston Common, runs through Back Bay, and e ...

in Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts.Official Website
/ref> It is dedicated to the

adoration Adoration is respect, reverence, strong admiration, or love in a certain person, place, or thing. The term comes from the Latin ''adōrātiō'', meaning "to give homage or worship to someone or something". Ancient Rome In classical Rome, adorat ...

of the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

. Saint Clement Shrine is a church of the

Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New England region of the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of ...

, and is host to the

Oblates of the Virgin Mary The Oblates of the Virgin Mary (Italian: ''Oblati di Maria Vergine'') is a religious institute of priests and brothers founded by Bruno Lanteri (1759–1830) in the Kingdom of Sardinia in the early 19th century. The institute is characterized by a ...

History

In 1922 and 1923, the Second Universalist Society of Boston purchased land at Boylston and Ipswich Streets in that city and built a church for its congregation, which had been founded in 1817 with Hosea Ballou as its minister. Records of the Second Universalist Society attribute the "Church of the Redemption" to the architect

Arthur F. Gray Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...

. When the congregation merged with the

Arlington Street Church The Arlington Street Church is a Unitarian Universalist church across from the Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Because of its geographic prominence and the notable ministers who have served the congregation, the church is considered to b ...

in 1935, the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New England region of the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of ...

purchased the building from the Massachusetts Universalist Convention in order to make it an auxiliary chapel for the nearby Saint Cecilia Parish. In 1945, Archbishop Cushing decided to separate it from Saint Cecilia Parish and designate it as a shrine for the adoration of the Eucharist, entrusting it to the

Franciscan Missionaries of Mary , image = Mariadelapasion2.jpg , size = 175px , caption = Blessed Mary of the Passion foundress of the congregation , abbreviation = F.M.M , motto = , formation = , founder = Hélène de Chappotin(Sister ...

. In the late 1960s, the Shrine was designated as a center for ministry to students. Since 1976, the Shrine has been in the care of the religious order the

, and the home of their house of formation "Our Lady of Grace Seminary".

Oblates of the Virgin Mary

The Oblates of the Virgin Mary, which was officially founded in 1827 by the Venerable

Bruno Lanteri Pio Bruno Pancrazio Lanteri, or simply Bruno Lanteri (12 May 1759 – 5 August 1830), was a Catholic priest and founder of the religious congregation of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia in northwestern Italy in ...

, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation dedicated to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

which trains young men to become priests and religious brothers. The Oblate community is located in the attached Our Lady of Grace Seminary, and members of the Oblate community participate in the masses; seminarians often assist the priests as lectors and

altar server An altar server is a lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian liturgy. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell, helps bring up the gifts, brings up the bo ...

Design and features

Saint Clement Shrine is built in the Gothic style. Against the back wall of the tabernacle is a

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

in the form of a triptych, which is used during Eucharistic adoration. On the right and left of the center panel of the triptych are angels holding censers, which are copies of images by Fra Angelico, the Italian

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

of the Early Renaissance. Below the angels are inscribed the Latin words "HIC EST PANIS QUI DE CAELO DESCENDIT / ECCE PANIS ANGELORUM FACTUS CIBUS VIATORUM", which translates to "This is the

Bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

which came down from Heaven / Behold the Bread of Angels, made the food of pilgrims." The texts are taken respectively from the Gospel of St. John (chapter 6, verse 59) and from the Corpus Christi sequence '' Lauda Sion''.

Sources

External links

Official Website of Saint Clement Eucharistic Shrine

Official Website of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary
{{Coord, 42.3470, N, 71.0897, W, type:landmark_region:US, display=title Roman Catholic churches in Boston

History

Oblates of the Virgin Mary

Design and features

See also

Sources

External links