thanks for the suggestions, all...the leak had stopped for a bit this AM but is now started again, though in less copious amounts than before. Judging from the size of buckets I am using and the   amount of time I have emptied them, I am figuring I have dumped at least twenty gallons of water than have leaked in...the ceiling now   has damp cracks outlining the square around the light fixture. This can't be good. I am wondering how disrupted my life will be then this gets repaired.
I am a renter (Own in Boston? That's a laugh! Unless you bought ten years ago or have a nice hefty income--this apartment would probably sell for about $300K or more)
I think there may be an emeregency maintenance number somewhere but I do not have it to hand. I do not have the manager's cell phone number handy either, just the office, but I will go look again