Dorchester finds strength in faith, family
Parishioners young and old from St. Brendan and St. Ann parishes in Dorchester hosted a “Theology on Tap” event recently at the Eire Pub, where both Republican President Ronald Reagan and Democratic President Bill Clinton had visited years ago. It’s a place where so many working class and patriotic Bostonians consider themselves to be reflective of mainstream American values. I was invited to be the guest speaker and told the crowd some funny and moving stories about personal experiences I had over the years with people like Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Jackie Robinson and Ted Williams:
“As the son of a dockworker and an all-night cleaning lady, like many of you, I can identify with people of all backgrounds, rich or poor, black or white, women or man. Those are the values that you and I were taught growing up in a strong Catholic home and caring and patriotic community.”
“I heard more interesting and funny stories than I have ever heard in my life,” said Jack Fahey of West Roxbury, a Senior Park League Hall of Fame baseball player. Ellen McDonough of Dorchester made the point, “What an education it was listening to so many informed citizens talking about faith, family and community.”
My wife, Kathy, joined in on the group discussion by telling the story about a long sit-down meeting she had with Mother Teresa and several young homeless mothers and their young children in Dorchester and again at our residence in Rome.
Father Brian Clary, who is the pastor of St. Brendan and St. Ann parishes expressed how much he appreciates the parishioners of the combined parishes bringing people together in supporting the Church.
“They are dedicated and loyal Catholics and determined to keep the values of our faith strong. We have a lot of young families who could not be more committed to their Catholic values,” he said.
Eire Pub owner John Stenson said it best when he made this heartfelt comment, “Dorchester is a great community with loyal residents who believe in their neighbors and Church.”
The Dorchester community and the Catholic Church will remain strong and vibrant because we share the values of faith, love and loyalty to each other.
But after the program, a patron sitting at the bar watching the Red Sox on TV said to me, “I enjoyed listening to the discussion and all the stories. We don’t hear positive discussions like that on TV anymore. Everything about politics and religion is so negative. Extremist groups are controlling our elections.”
It was a special night in Dorchester, listening to the parishioners led by organizer Kathleen Joyce. The program was short in duration because the parishioners had to go home to their families.