BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) – Gone were the protesters, the acrid taunts and the haze of accusation.

When Bishop Richard G. Lennon celebrated Easter Mass on Sunday before a crowded congregation at St. Mary’s Church, the clergy sexual abuse scandal that has wracked the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston over the past year seemed far away.

Lennon did not mention the scandal, focusing instead on the Easter story of Christ’s rising from the dead.

“It is a mystery beyond our comprehension, that sin can be conquered, that darkness can be no more,” Lennon said.

Outside the church a child played, watched by his father, while a single police officer sat in a cruiser across the street.

The scene was dramatically different from a year ago, when Cardinal Bernard Law celebrated Easter Mass at Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross amid escalating reports that the archdiocese routinely shuffled priests between parishes even after learning of sex abuse allegations against them.

Protesters held signs reading “House of Rape” and “Cardinal Law Resign” as Law spoke of the need for hope, even as he acknowledged “those who bear the wounds of betrayal through abuse inflicted by others, especially by clergy.”

The protests would intensify over the next eight months, culminating in Law’s resignation in December. The Vatican named Lennon as his interim successor. While the wounds exposed by the abuse crisis are still fresh, Law’s departure and reconciliation efforts led by Lennon, have eased some of the acrimony.

For Catholics attending Easter Mass on Sunday, the past year’s turmoil has been both painful and an opportunity to renew their faith.

Seamus Molloy said Easter and its message of renewal and forgiveness is a fitting coda for the year. “It hasn’t shaken my faith in Christ or in the leadership of the church,” said Molloy, 44, of Dedham. “At the Last Supper, Jesus knew his betrayer, but he washed his feet and forgave him.”

For Keith Denham, the abuse scandal has given Easter a new meaning. “This year has certainly been as trying as any year has been for the church,” said Denham, 30, of Brookline. “But as with any year, Easter Sunday is a time of rejoicing for the church.”

For as many challenges the church has faced, it has made (Easter) all that more positive.”