Podcasts about bc high

Kyle and Owen are joined by BC High head coach Marcus Craigwell who delves into the challenges and strategies of managing a successful high school lacrosse team. They discuss the differences between New Hampshire and Massachusetts lacrosse seasons, the impact of spring break on practice schedules, and the importance of putting in the hard work. Marcus shares his experiences with winning and losing championships, explaining how emotional and intense these games can be for both players and coaches. The episode also highlights the importance of having a strong youth program and the role of consistent coaching in building a successful lacrosse culture. Other key topics include managing player roles, handling recruitment, and integrating club and high school lacrosse priorities. The conversation ends with a discussion on improving the game, including innovative suggestions for referee involvement and fitness.   Topics 01:04 Guest Introduction: BC High Coach Marcus Craigwell 01:48 The Emotional Impact of High School Championships 08:42 Building a Winning Team and Philosophy 16:35 The Importance of Youth Programs 23:34 Building Trust and Setting Expectations 23:56 Success Stories and Trust in Coaching 24:35 The Importance of Discipline and Order 28:35 Handling Social Media and Player Recruitment 31:02 Balancing High School and Club Lacrosse 37:11 Developing Coaching Styles and Player Growth 40:03 Challenges in Scheduling and Competition 47:43 Final Thoughts and Improving the Game

A midseason review of New England high school baseball with beat reporter Pat Donnelly. Dan and Pat discuss the performance of Catholic conference schools, standout teams, and key players. Topics include the unpredictable top 10 rankings, the competitive nature of the Catholic and Bay State Conferences, dominant individual performances, and predictions for state championships.  Topics 00:30 Catholic Conference Teams Overview 02:18 Xaverian's Strong Season 03:49 BC High's Challenges and Comebacks 06:01 St. John Shrewsbury's Performance 07:56 Braintree and Bay State Conference 09:39 Taunton and King Philip Highlights 13:21 Newton South's Turnaround 14:39 Mid-Season Questions and Predictions 20:21 Brody's Recovery and Future Plans 21:03 State Championship Predictions 23:18 Three Up, Three Down Segment 24:00 Catching a Foul Ball at a Major League Game 27:32 Unusual Baseball Moments 34:05 Judging a Ballpark's Quality 36:19 Conclusion and Credits

"That Only Happened Because We Met at BC High." | Jake Cohen '04 & Rick Goulding '04 by BC High School

Kyle and Owen discuss the upcoming MIAA Division 2 and Division 1 lacrosse seasons. The show kicks off with a review of the top teams in Division 2, including an in-depth analysis of Redding Memorial and their standout players, as well as game strategies. Transitioning to Division 1, Kyle and Owen spotlight powerhouses like St. John's Prep and BC High, discussing their rosters, coaching philosophies, and potential to dominate the field. The episode wraps up with predictions for the final four teams in both divisions and a look at some key matchups to watch. This episode is a comprehensive guide for lacrosse enthusiasts eager for the MIAA season.   Topics 00:20 Season Kickoff and Game Recap 00:32 MIAA Division 2 and 3 Preview 01:04 Westwood and Redding Lacrosse Teams 06:03 Billerica Lacrosse Team Insights 10:53 Duxbury Lacrosse Team Analysis 13:52 Marshfield Lacrosse Team Overview 17:40 Hingham Lacrosse Team Breakdown 21:42 Longmeadow Lacrosse Team Dominance 24:11 Legendary Coach and NE10 Lacrosse 24:34 Top Division 2 Lacrosse Teams 25:44 Standout Players and Teams 27:25 Division 1 Lacrosse Insights 27:55 St. John's Prep Dominance 32:10 BC High as a Challenger 35:48 Xaverian's Rise 38:28 Lincoln-Sudbury's Passion 41:50 Acton-Boxborough Rivalry 43:41 Andover's Potential 46:02 Predictions for Division 2 and 1

Dan and guest Pat Donnelly preview the upcoming Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) high school baseball season. They discuss key teams and players to watch, with a focus on top teams like BC High, Xaverian, St. John's Shrewsbury, and others. The episode also features a preseason top 10 team ranking and a comprehensive all-MIAA team roster. The podcast concludes with a fun 'Three Up, Three Down' segment featuring humorous and speculative MLB predictions.   Topics 00:51 Recap of Last Season's Highlights 02:31 Top Teams to Watch This Season 04:56 In-Depth Team Analysis 15:57 Preseason All-MIAA Team 20:23 Top High School Outfielders to Watch 22:02 Standout Catchers Making Waves 22:44 Rising Two-Way Prospects 24:18 Predicting the MIAA Player of the Year 25:21 Three Up, Three Down: MLB Predictions 25:44 Fun MLB Predictions and Scenarios 31:31 Broadcast Innovations and Ideas 38:01 Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts

I'm a boots-on-the-ground leader. I think of St. Ignatius, who said, “It's deeds, not words,” and Bill Belichick who said: “Do your job!” -Grace Cotter Regan You've heard of Boston College, right? Well, there's a high school not too far away that bears the same name. Founded in 1863, the schools were initially created as a 7-year educational experience for the children of Irish Catholic immigrants. Separated into (2) distinct schools in 1927, Boston College High School had never had a female president until 2017. bchigh.edu. In the spotlight, Grace Cotter Regan. Appointed as the first female president of the 1400 student boy's school, she has spent the last five years as a change agent on a mission to advance Jesuit education. In this interview, the proud mother of two says she felt called to the role. Her father had been at BC High for 50 years as a beloved student, teacher, coach, athletic director, and guidance counselor. In fact, Grace was born on the day her dad started working at Boston College High School. Situated at Columbia Point, BC High is an urban campus located beside UMASS/Boston and the JFK Library. “It feels like a university campus,” says Grace. Our motto is: “We find God in all things. Our gospel values drive everything we do.” She's responsible for enrollment, advancement, finance, and external relations, including fundraising with an alumni network that is 16 thousand strong. BC High's former students are a constant source of inspiration to the student population, with graduates who have gone on to become athletes in the NFL, NHL, NBA, Major League Baseball, 4-star generals, politicians, visual artists, stage and screen actors, and Olympic Gold Medalists. For a 23-minute glimpse into the life of a trailblazer in her field, just hit that download button. #jesuit #education #leadership @bchigheagles

The BEAST is almost ready! This week's MassNZ Pod includes: - A lot of talk on our scouting reports. Process, and more. - Where's the physicality? What are scouts looking for? - The boomerang effect is strong. - In-depth analysis of the power rankings. - The Ed Burns Coffee Pot starts this weekend. Teams discussed: Pope Francis, Reading, Hingham, BC High, Belmont, Attleboro, Medford, Billerica, Gloucester, Woburn, Canton, Agawam, Nauset, Marblehead, Bedford, Stoneham, Tri-County, and more.

The guest is Steve Healy, coach of the D1 Massachusetts State Champion team, BC High. He discusses the celebratory trip to Fenway Park, reflections on their championship season, and the commitment of the players. Topics include high school baseball coaching tactics, the differences between high school and AAU baseball, and the current structure of the MIAA state tournament. Healy shares his views on player development and college recruitment, the benefits of the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association, and his coaching philosophy.    Topics   00:29 Celebrating the Championship Win 01:59 Reflecting on the Championship Season 05:16 Tournament Structure and Intensity 08:05 Player Development and Recruitment 10:36 Coaching Philosophy and Experience 12:50 Challenges in College Recruitment 15:16 Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association 16:16 Professional Networking and Membership Benefits 16:48 Scholarship Programs for High School Students 17:06 Joining the National Federation and Rule Changes 17:42 Annual Coaching Clinic Overview 18:38 Keynote Speakers and Presentations 19:17 Intimate Setting and Networking Opportunities 21:13 Mental Approach to the 2025 Season 23:50 Three Up, Three Down Segment 24:10 The Uniqueness of Baseball Fields 26:31 The Excitement of Baseball Beyond the Game 29:12 The Significance of No-Hitters 31:43 Conclusion and Wrap-Up

On this episode, co-hosts Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam are joined by Red Sox draft pick Shea Sprague, a Hanover, Mass. native (and BC High) alum who the club picked in the 13th round. Sprague talks about the chance to play professionally for his hometown team, his favorite memories from going to Fenway Park as a kid, expectations for his pro career and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Base Path Podcast, host Dan Guttenplan is joined by MIAA analyst Pat Donnelly to preview the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) state championship weekend. They discuss the matchups and key players for Divisions 1 through 5, including standout teams like BC High, St. John Shrewsbury, and Seekonk. The conversation also covers potential MIA Player of the Year candidates, highlighting performances and injuries that could impact the finals. Additionally, the show features a 'Three Up, Three Down' segment with producer David Yas, where they debate the merits of recent innovations in baseball such as the shift ban, the automatic runner on second base in extra innings, and in-stadium light shows. Topics 00:22 Overview of the MIAA Championship Weekend 01:04 Division 1 Championship Preview 08:22 Division 2 Championship Preview 11:24 Division 3 Championship Preview 13:21 Division 4 Championship Preview 15:42 Division 5 Championship Preview 19:39 Three Up, Three Down: Baseball Innovations 30:17 Closing Remarks and Farewell  

Blind Mike and Gus are in studio as Kirk discusses the possibility of Dan Hurley coaching the Lakers. (04:20) Mut calls in to talk about tonight's game and Dan Hurley. (09:40) BlindMike.net is down. (11:10) Preview of tonight's Team KMS game. (13:20) Kirk remembers a time he thought he had the force. (15:40) Kirk had a lively conversation at Mel's Record Shop. (18:40) Gus messaged Kirk about having an interview for the Pardon My Take internship. (21:40) Gus thinks he can be extra hands for PMT. (31:20) Kirk asks Justin if he has any basketball questions heading into tonight. (32:40) Gus answers the accusations that he has been showboating on the basketball broadcasts. (34:40) Steve from Gloucester wants in on Team KMS. (42:40) Shark Minihane props for tonight's game. (51:20) Jeff D. Lowe calls in with a prediction for Justin's debut. (58:25) The Drips talked with Beanbag Ron about Team KMS. (01:00:20) Billy Football commented on Team KMS heading into Monday's matchup. (01:04:30) Chris Klemmer takes Field Day seriously. (01:06:50) Gus wishes he went to BC High after a teacher was indicted on rape charges. (01:10:00) Big Ev ranked the best fast food fries. (01:21:00) William Friedkin hates Al Pachino. (01:25:30) Justin mixes up Blue Chips and CHiPs. (01:28:30) Alec Baldwin and his family announce a new reality show. (01:35:30) Kevin From Bristol won't add anything to Team KMS. (01:40:05) There's drama in the B.O. Boys world. (01:41:50) Menners thinks Kirk has changed.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/kminshow

Dan Guttenplan sits down with MIAA analyst Pat Donnelly to preview the state baseball tournament. Pat shares insights from the regular season, including standout teams like BC High, St. John's Shrewsbury, and Westford Academy, emphasizing the importance of strong pitching. The episode delves into potential candidates for MIAA Player of the Year. They also analyze tournament brackets for all five divisions, making predictions and discussing possible upsets. In a fun concluding segment, Dan and Pat engage in a Major League Baseball ballpark fantasy draft, picking their favorite ballparks. Topics 00:51 Key Takeaways from the Regular Season 01:45 MIAA Player of the Year Nominations 02:47 Player Profiles 12:36 Division 1 Bracket Breakdown 16:58 Division 2 Bracket Breakdown 19:14 Division 3 Playoff Predictions 20:41 Division 4 Contenders and Predictions 23:06 Division 5 Insights and Picks 24:47 State Finals Schedule and Coverage 25:27 Three Up Three Down: MLB Ballpark Fantasy Draft

Not only is Jerry York a Hockey Hall of Famer and the winningest coach in college hockey history, but he's also one of the most well-respected and universally liked individuals in sports.Coach York spent 50 years behind the bench at three different Division I schools, including 28 seasons at his alma mater, Boston College. He closed his illustrious coaching career with an NCAA record 1,123 victories to go along with five national championships.He's one of only three coaches in NCAA history to lead multiple programs to a national title. York lifted Bowling Green's first national championship in 1984, then brought four titles to Boston College, including three in the span of five years from 2008 to 2012.York was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019, becoming only the fifth NCAA coach to be inducted, and the first to coach exclusively at the college level. He's also a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and the BC Varsity Club Hall of Fame.York grew up with nine siblings in Watertown and attended BC High before a standout hockey career at Boston College. He posted 134 points in his three varsity seasons, leading the Eagles to the 1965 Beanpot and a runner up finish in the NCAA Tournament that same year.

Dave Wilson spent a decade as a successful golf professional and now works as a career consultant for the PGA of America, helping to better the lives and careers of PGA Professionals.The son of Irish parents, Dave grew up in Quincy, MA and began caddying at Wollaston Golf Club in middle school. He continued his loops at Wollaston throughout his time attending BC High before earning a Ouimet Scholarship. His college choice was Penn State, graduating from its PGM program in 2012.Wilson's career as a PGA professional has taken him to some of the most prestigious golf courses both nationally and beyond, including Spyglass Hill in Pebble Beach, Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand, The Country Club in Brookline, Hole in the Wall in Naples, Florida, Somerset Hills in New Jersey, and eventually Hyannisport on the Cape, where he was the head pro beginning in 2018. Dave has served as a board member for The Fund for the last three years and is a member of the Club Relations Committee. We're extremely grateful for his dedication as a mentor in the game of golf, and for his promotion of our life-changing scholarship opportunities to young men and women in Massachusetts.

Rick Goulding '04 and Phil Perry '04, Patriots Insider, delve into the nostalgic realm of the BC High cafeteria delights, dish out nuggets of wisdom for aspiring media students, and talk a little bit about the future trajectory of the New England Patriots.

Rick Goulding '04 sits down with his classmate, Jon Reed '04, Chief Sales Officer at Elevate Aviation Group, to chat about their high school years together. Jon shares his story about the challenge he faced during his senior year, his career highlights, and how he got involved in the aviation industry. He also reflects on the community he had during his time on Morrissey Blvd.

Rick Goulding '04 sits down with Faber Vice Captain, Brady Lane '24, and Day Vice Captain, James Conley '24. Brady and James discuss the House System from their perspective and how it has strengthened their leadership skills and friendships across campus.

Rick Goulding '04 sits down with BC High's President, Grace Regan. Rick and Grace have a "state of the school" discussion, and they chat about recent updates made around campus, the value of the house system, BC High's strategic plan, what to expect for the year ahead, and so, so much more.

Host Rick Goulding '04 talks with Principal Adam Lewis P'28 about the success of the House System, his excitement for the 2023-2024 school year, his plans to form the BC High leaders of tomorrow, and so much more!

Karson and Lana visited BC High for parents night and Barrett is already making an impression on his teachers..

Karson and Lana visited BC High for parents night and Barrett is already making an impression on his teachers..

In this final episode of Season three, Siobhan Kiernan from the class of 2021 speaks with Sean O'Connor from the class of 1992. As a fundraiser and member of the Holy Cross Annual Fund Team, Siobhan talks with Sean about his accomplished career in fundraising. Today, he continues to make a difference as the Chief Development Officer at the National Audubon Society. Their conversation gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to support the nonprofit organizations that we love. The Holy Cross mission of serving others is central to the work that they do. As people foreign with others, their careers modeled the idea of doing well while doing good. Interview originally recorded in August 2022. --- Sean: When I'm being reflective of the relationship between the effort and the work that I've applied my daily profession to the outcome, it completely aligns with my worldview of actually helping other people and helping organizations and helping the world. Whether it's through art, or healthcare or science or human rights or conservation, I feel pretty good about that. Maura: Welcome to Mission Driven, where we speak with alumni who are leveraging their Holy Cross education to make a meaningful difference in the world around them. I'm your host, Maura Sweeney, from the class of 2007, Director of Alumni Career Development at Holy Cross. I'm delighted to welcome you to today's show. In this final episode of Season three, Siobhan Kiernan from the class of 2021 speaks with Sean O'Connor from the class of 1992. As a fundraiser and member of the Holy Cross Annual Fund Team, Siobhan talks with Sean about his accomplished career in fundraising. After a year in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Sean accepted a role raising funds for a small Catholic school on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Thanks to the support and encouragement of some Holy Cross alumni, he accepted a position with CCS fundraising, which brought his fundraising overseas and greatly expanded the scope of his work. Today, he continues to make a difference as the Chief Development Officer at the National Audubon Society. Their conversation gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to support the nonprofit organizations that we love. The Holy Cross mission of serving others is central to the work that they do. As people foreign with others, their careers modeled the idea of doing well while doing good. Siobhan: Hello everyone. My name is Siobhan Kiernan and I am a 2021 Holy Cross grad, and current member of the Holy Cross Fund Team. And I'm joined here with Sean O'Connor. Hello, how are you? Sean: Hi Siobhan. Good to see you again. Siobhan: Yeah, you too. Where are you zooming from? Sean: I'm zooming from Goldens Bridge, New York, which is Northern Westchester County near Bedford and North Salem. Siobhan: Nice. Oh my gosh. I'm zooming from New York City, so... Sean: Oh wow. Whereabouts? Siobhan: In like little... I'm on the Upper East Side right now. It's where I grew up. Sean: Oh, that's right. I grew... For a while. I lived on 83rd and third when I did all this. Siobhan: Oh yes, we talked about this. Sean: Yeah, right. Siobhan: Oh, that's awesome. Are you from New York? Sean: No, I actually grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts where there's a school called Holy Cross, is there I think. And I in that way was born at St. Vincent Hospital and then grew up really in Holden, Massachusetts, which is just north of Worcester. And I went to Wachusett Regional High School. And I know your next question is why I don't have an accent, but for some reason I dropped the Worcester accent. When I went to Holy Cross, actually, ironically, I think my accent started to go away. Siobhan: They ironed it out of you. Sean: They must have ironed it out of me, yes. I could put on the Worcester accent, but only under severe pressure. Siobhan: That's so funny. I've been told that I don't have a New York accent either. Sean: No, you don't. Siobhan: So I guess there's something about Holy Cross and taking out accents. So you kind of really just started this, I guess, but why Holy Cross? I mean, I know you're from Worcester, but some people I know probably wouldn't have wanted to go to a school in their hometown. So why did you stay, and what about Holy Cross made you want to go there? Sean: It is a family school. For me, my grandfather was class of '31 and my father was class of '66. My uncle was class of '62. I think even have one of my other father's relatives went there. And so I always had heard about Holy Cross. And I lived on campus, I didn't commute even though I was about 10 miles away from Worcester, or from home rather. But it was obviously one of the most important decisions I made as a young person. And then probably, in truth, is probably the best school I got into when I was applying for colleges. That was another part as well. Siobhan: No, but that worked out. The one thing I love about Holy Cross is that you can feel very much away even if you are local. Sean: Right. Siobhan: I have friends who lived off campus and I remember I always lived on campus and my thought process was, you have your whole life to live outside the gates of Mt. St. James. Why would you want to go now? Sean: Right, for sure. But I enjoyed it. It was great. Siobhan: Yeah. So what was your time on campus? What did you do? What did you major in? What activities did you like to do? Sean: I was a history major, and I took my academics semi-seriously, I think. I'm a lifelong reader and I probably am still interested in history and read a lot of William Durant history surveys when I'm on the plane on a tarmac or something like that. So I still enjoy learning, but I spent a lot of time on extracurricular activities. I didn't play sports, and maybe once in a while would play a soccer pickup game if one existed. But I was involved in the radio station, I was the station manager for a year. Siobhan: Oh cool. Sean: And a DJ. And then I was involved, I think in one of the campus activity boards, I think my senior year. Is it called SS or something? I'm trying to remember then what the acronym was. Siobhan: Or is it CAB? I mean, today I think it's probably the equivalent. Sean: Something like that. I would put on concerts at Hogan. I did one concert. I think I almost got kicked off campus because I did not go through the proper channels of getting permits and things like that. So I learned a lot at college about doing things like that. We had a band called The Mighty, Mighty Boss Tones playing in the basement, which was a fun, legendary show. And then when I was at the station, radio station, we did a kind of benefit concert for the Worcester Coalition for the Homeless in Worcester. There was a band named Fugazi that we brought up to Worcester and did a show, which is fun. So we did some fun stuff connecting Worcester where I grew up to Holy Cross. I was also a resident assistant in the Mulledy basement. So yeah, it was a fun four years. Siobhan: Wow. So you mentioned you were a history major. I'm always curious, because I did economics, why history? And did you have a favorite class? Sean: I kind of go back and forth between really US history and European history or world history. And I did take an African history class, which is pretty influential. Professor David O'Brien was my advisor and he's kind of a labor and Catholic historian. And I still am interested in labor history. I can get really geeky I suppose, about history. I just really do enjoy it in terms of understanding patterns and issues and big issues that we're facing now as a country, and what are the historical analogs, and what has happened in the past that informs where you are right now. And all my family were English majors or our English majors. I think my daughter is an English, is going to become an English major, not a history major. My son was a poly sci major at Bucknell and a film major. But history is, I just enjoy it. And I go back and forth. I probably read more non-US history these days, but it's an escapism too for me. Dealing with everything else, it's kind of fun to read about the Age of Enlightenment or something like that, and just learn about different thinkers and different parts of history that you weren't aware of. And then if you get really excited, you can go deep on those things and get really geeky. Siobhan: I took one history class in Holy Cross, and I found that I almost felt like an investigator, like a detective, which as an economics major it is... That's a different way of thinking. So actually I have a lot of respect for the history department. Cause you very much have to tell a story, and really unpack documents and things. And I think that's... Sean: Yeah, for sure. Siobhan: And you mentioned your professor. I always love to hear about, because the school is so small and the community is so great. Is there anyone that comes to mind who had a meaningful impact on you at Hogan? Sean: Academically, David Chu, who is my accounting professor, and I just didn't do as well in accounting, but that taught me a lot about the importance of studying, actually. There was a professor Whall when I took my early survey class in history, which kind of awakened me to academic writing in a different way. And I lifeguarded at the pool, so got to hang out with the late Barry Parenteau who just passed away. And that was fun times there. And then some of the student life people, I think Dean Simon, I'm trying to remember his name, but he was the one that I worked with a little bit in my senior year. He was the Student Life Dean, if I remember correctly, out of Hogan. And then actually career advisors towards the end. I think one of the more influential people in my career, if we segue into that section, is this John Winters, who is there as a career advisor who really got me on the pathway of where I am right now. Siobhan: Oh, fabulous. Actually, that was a great segue. That was actually my next question was going to be, could you just take me through from commencement to where you are? Sean: Sure. Siobhan: Your journey. I did look into your bio a little bit and you had a very vast career so far, but I want to hear about it from you, your whole journey. Sean: So when I got out of school, I remember second semester, senior year, gosh knows what you're going to do. But I think I interviewed, think at some advertising agency, Leo Burnett, that has historically hired Holy Cross grads and did not get the interview. But I was able to go to Chicago for that all day interview, which was kind of fun. Get to stay in the fancy hotel for the first time. And then when I got out of school I ended up going to Jesuit Volunteer Corps. So I did the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in the northwest and was stationed, or placed, I guess is the language in Auburn, Washington, which is between Seattle and Tacoma. And my placement, or my job, the volunteer job was working at a residential youth shelter for physically and sexually abused kids. And I was doing that for a year. And so my job was to take to care of them, drive them to school, make them dinner, take them on field trips, and then talk to them. And then, learning what it meant to be a social worker and would write about my day and my interactions to help the therapists and the psychologists who are helping them connect the dots about what issues they were facing. They were typically there for a couple of weeks. It was transitional short term, before they might have been between foster placements or they might have been just removed from the home. And the state was trying to figure out what to do with them. So it was a very eye-opening experience, making $20 a week living in a community in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. But that moment I was actually really interested in understanding how nonprofits were financed. I was like, all right, so how did they actually get the money to do the work? How does it actually work? So I was able to understand a little bit about the particular organization I was volunteering at. It was called Auburn Youth Resources. And they would receive a lot of money from the King County, which is the local county outside of Seattle. But the philanthropy piece, that people would give them money was relatively small. And anyways, it was, it's an opportunity for me to think about that. I wanted to do good but also do well. And I think a lot of this has to do with Holy Cross, but also that my parents or both teachers. My brother's a teacher, my sister's a teacher, my other sister who went to Holy Cross works in nonprofits as well, she was class of '95. So I think that, my family upbringing and combined with Holy Cross in terms of its ethos of men and women for others, I think really kind of pushed me into this career, which wasn't really a career back then. I don't know if you want me to keep going, but when I got back from the year of volunteer work and I came back to the East Coast, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I lived in Worcester, outside of Worcester. I thought I wanted to move to Boston where, because I was nearby that was a big city, or move to Washington DC where a lot of my roommates were and friends. But John Winter in the Career Center said, did you ever think about development? And I said, what's development? And we talked more about it, what that actually meant. And he connected me with a guy named Pat Cunningham, who I think is class of '85. And Pat Cunningham worked in New York City, and at the time he worked for the Archdiocese of New York. And the program there was that they were trying to help small Catholic parochial schools become sustainable. So small Catholic schools in New York City were always a big deal for helping teach kids and families who didn't have a lot of money, but get a good education. The outcomes were terrific. Typically, a lot of the kids went on to college. But the financial model was becoming challenging, because the religious communities who would tend to teach at those schools was diminishing. So they would have to hire lay teachers, you don't have to pay a Sister as much as you have to pay a layperson. So I think that caused like, oh my goodness, tuition is not covering the cost. And so they were trying to figure out a way could they raise money? Like private high schools, like St. John's in Shrewsbury or St. John's in Danvers, as BC High or Notre Dame Academy, they tend to raise money from their alums or parents. Pat Cunningham's job was to figure that out with some parochial schools in New York. There was a philanthropist who just passed away a couple of years ago, a guy named Richard Gilder, who was a Jewish, who founded a company Gilder, Gagnon, & Howe. Anyways, he believed in Catholic education and funded a lot of these schools. He believed in the outcomes and giving back in the community. And so he was essentially underwriting director and development positions. So the salary that a director of development would require. So there was an opportunity for me to work at a school called St. Columba Elementary School, which is on 25th between eighth and ninth without any experience at 23 years old. Siobhan: Is it still there? Sean: It is still there. But unfortunately, the school is closed and is now probably a private or a charter school. It Is the school... Had a couple famous alums, Whoopi Goldberg, graduated from... it's the school Whoopi Goldberg graduated from St. Columba, and as well as a singer from the sixties and seventies, Tony Orlando went to St. Colo. He's a guy who sang Tie A Yellow Ribbon and Knock Three Times. You ever hear those songs? No. Knock three times on the ceiling. Siobhan: Maybe. Sean: Yeah. I don't want to sing it. So what I had to do is work with the sisters and figure out a way to help raise money. And I learned a ton. It was fun. I started talking to some of the colleagues who were doing the similar work in the city, and we created a consortium of colleagues, I think we called it ourselves development, gosh, I forgot what we called it. Ourselves like Development Resources, Development Resource Group, I think DRG maybe. In any case, we would meet and just try to do some brainstorming and figure out how to solve problems. And we actually got some funding to actually help our little mini consortium. And I was there for about a year. It was fun. Siobhan: And then I know that you also did some foundation work, correct? Sean: Yeah. So after what? So I was doing that for a year, and then I had heard about this big company called CCS Fundraising and it's called... At the time it was called Community Counseling Service. And it's still around. It's a big, big fundraising company. And at the time, back when I was there, it's probably quadrupled since I was working there. Any case, we didn't have any money at St. Columba for professional development. So there was this big conference in New York called Fundraising Day in New York. And it is held every, it's the third Friday of June every year. So it's like a one day, it's one of the biggest fundraising conferences in New York. But to go to it, you know, it's like $600 or something like that. And we didn't have any money at St. Columba to do that. And so there was a scholarship opportunity. So if I wrote an essay to the committee that they would send scholarships out. So I wrote an essay to the committee and they underwrote my admission. So I was able to go to the event. And at the event I ran into an executive at CCS Fundraising and talked to him. He encouraged me to apply to CCS, which I did. And then I got a job with CCS Fundraising, which really did change my career for the good. And they sent me all around the world and helped train me in fundraising. And it was great. I was there for a long, long time. And that's where I did do some foundation work. So to continue on that, so when I got to CCS, I went to Yorkshire, England to do some work for the Diocese of Leeds and raise money there. So essentially CCS as a company that would get hired by nonprofits to actually help them raise money. Siobhan: Like a consultant. Sean: A hundred percent like a consultant. And it's weird because you'd be 24 years old or 25 years old and you're a consultant. And I remember a lot of my family friends is like, what do you know? You're just a kid. And there was a lot of truth in that, because I didn't know what I was doing. But the way the model worked at CCS was that they would train you, and there was actually different levels of consulting. And actually modern consulting firms like McKinsey have a similar model where you have the partners who are the thought leaders, and the business development people who actually find the clients. And they just need people to do the work. And those are the directors, the associate directors who essentially just took direction from the leadership. And in the case of going to the Diocese of Leeds, my charge was to work with parishes and coordinate, manage, design and execute what I would call mini-campaigns for each of those parishes. So I would go to the priest, I would orient the priest on the plan, we'd recruit a leadership team and go out and raise money. It was a very, very difficult assignment, but I learned a lot about resilience and persuasion and problem-solving and persistence and all that stuff, because it was a very intense five or six months. But it was fun. Get to live in Yorkshire in the middle of the winter when you're 24, 25 years old. That was great. Siobhan: I was going to say, that also just sounds really cool because you kind of get to dabble in so many different types of advancement. I know in development, I remember when I first learned about it, I was like, oh, that's like for schools. And I'm like, wait, no. There's fundraising for hospitals and political campaigns and nature organizations, which I want to get to eventually. Sean: And human rights organizations or arts and cultural groups. I think that that's a really good point, Siobhan, because where I got really lucky was that I, and it really serves me well right now at this stage in my career that I have a very diverse set of experiences and what we call multi-sector kind of experience. I'm not just a higher ed fundraiser, I've done every single type of nonprofit fundraising. And when you do that, you get to see where the commonalities are, and what the challenges are. Everything from a museum on Japanese sculptor named Isamu Noguchi, or to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Long Island, with Dr. Watson, who just basically discovered DNA. So I've been very blessed with having been exposed, and working with very different kinds of organizations. And I know that at this point in my life, there's not a lot of people who have that kind of experience. And so that kind of becomes my professional marker, I guess. So the person who's done a lot of big complex organizations, but also a lot of small organizations too. Siobhan: So I have two questions on that. The first is, it's a soft question. In all of those different types of fundraising, which was your favorite, I guess what kind of fundraising was most enjoyable for you? Sean: I do the arts and cultural world because I find the board and the people to be very interesting and fun to work with. It is perhaps the hardest sector to work on because a lot of what we do is 400 billion is given away by people and corporations and foundations every year. And the top sector, it's religion, is probably the largest recipient of philanthropy, healthcare and education come in pretty close after that. So you're going to get a lot, it's not saying it's easier to raise money in higher ed, in healthcare, but in some ways it is because in healthcare it typically centers around solving a problem or the so-called grateful patient. "Dr X saved my life, I'm going to give him all my money or a lot of my money" and higher education is "professor Y saved my life and got me on the right path, so I'm going to give money there." Arts and cultural tends to be not necessarily the top priority people. It could be second or third or maybe sometimes fourth. And so it's harder sometimes, but I find it to be more interesting. And then in terms of my most enjoyable experience, probably when I worked in London again in 2000, when I got to do some work with the International Accounting Standards Board, which sounds very boring, but the job was very exciting because what the job was, was to raise money for an organization that was trying to harmonize accounting standards around the world. Siobhan: Oh, cool. Sean: I got to travel around Europe to actually interview executives on their willingness to support this cause, this kind of new plan. And it was just fun working on that kind of scale. One of the great things about this, that I've enjoyed about my career is that I have to learn about every kind of thing. I'm not an expert on accounting, but I have to be able to have a conversation about it. I'm not an expert on art museums, but I have to be able to at least have a conversation about it. And here at Audubon, I'm not an ornithologist, but I have to be able to talk about climate change and the importance of eelgrass in San Francisco Bay. Because what I'm doing is representing these organizations, and serving as the middle person between philanthropy and good causes. And that's on thing I think my profession's about. It's not about asking for money, in a weird way. It's really about creating an environment where you create opportunities for people who have money, who want to give away money, to do it in a way that they feel comfortable doing it. Siobhan: No, I feel the same way, especially in connecting with alums. It's not about asking them for money. It's about what did you love about Holy Cross and how can you support that again? Sean: Exactly. Siobhan: But you mentioned Audubon. And I just, so again, with advancement just being so vast, if I'm being honest, I didn't know that such an organization existed. When I saw that that's where you work, I was like, oh my God, of course that would exist. Sean: I'm going to have to do more work then, Siobhan to make sure you hear about this. Siobhan: But it makes sense. Birds are so important, and the environment is such, no pun intended, but a hot topic right now. But how did you, I guess, find that organization and what brought you there? Sean: Yeah. Siobhan: Is that one of your passions too? Is the environment something that strikes... Sean: It is, I think certainly climate change and birds over time. The truth is that they found me and reached out to me. And then, right now at this stage of my career, I think when I was a little younger... And I have some advice about careers too, but, and this is what I share with people, is that you really do want to go to a place where the people, you kind of vibe with the people that you're going to work with. I think mission is very important, but as you're building a career, it's very important to find people that believe in you, give you the resources to be successful in where you can learn. At Audubon, at this stage of my career, because I have a leadership role, I can control some of those things. I can control the type of culture I'm trying to create with my team, and which I think is very, very important for fundraisers. For fundraisers to stay, is actually understanding what makes motivates fundraisers and what motivates development. Because I think a lot of this is, there's some similar aspects I think to a really good fundraising personality. But Audubon, I think the reason why I'm here is because they wanted to grow. And one of the things I've learned about my career recently is that there's some people who are comfortable in a status quo environment. And then there's some people who just like to build things. And I'm certainly in the ladder, and part of this is because of my consulting background. I like to solve problems, and figure out a way to grow. I know that sounds like every organization wants to do that, but not necessarily. Because I think in order to do that, there has to be an alignment between the board and the leadership of the organization, and actually a really good case of why growth is needed. And then of course they need to invest. So you need to spend money to raise money. All those elements were in place when I was talking to Audubon about five and a half years ago with leadership. So if I see alignment between the Chair of the Board and the CEO, and if they kind of align with the Chief Development Officer or the person who's in charge of raising money, that's when really great things can happen. Because this is never, in my view, a money issue. There's plenty of money in this world right now. This is always a strategy problem. How are we getting the money? How are we telling our story? Do we have the mechanical pieces in place? Do we have the right people? Are they trained? Do we have the right leadership in place? Those are the things that staff ultimately control. And if they are in the right spot, and doing it the right way, the money should come. It's very difficult to get all that stuff figured out. And that's really, at the end of the day, that's what the work is. Is that I think good fundraisers have a vision for what the word will look like or feel like. At any given day, I know what kind of meeting I'm trying to design between a board member and my CEO, and I know what I want them to say and I know who I want in the room. So I'm always trying to get to that point. Not as easy as it sounds, because it just takes time to get all those things in place, and to make sure that the conversation's happening. And making sure you have answers to all the questions that funders want. So for instance, at Audubon we're... Bezos gives a wait a lot of money for climate, we spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to make that approach happen the right way. I don't want need to digress, but that's a lot of it how I think of it. Siobhan: No, and that's awesome. Actually, so I have a few questions that are going in different directions, so I'll see if I can loop them all together. So the first one is, I guess, what keeps you in this work? What drives your day? What kept your passion in the work that you're doing? Sean: Well, yeah, there were times, I remember in 2000, 2001 during the first dot com boom, I remember I would've been about 30 or so, there was a lot of people in my peer group trying to go to dotcom and early in internet stage companies. And I did talk to some people, this is after I got back from London. And I remember talking to some, what I would call philtech. Phil, P H I L technology, so philanthropy technology companies that were starting at that time and ultimately did not pursue them. And then on occasion, during the late two thousands or before the 2008 recession, could I parlay this experience into some kind of for-profit thing? I think ultimately, what kept me is, which is what you hear when you hear people give career advice when you're younger is, and I think there's a lot of truth to this, is if you actually like what you do and eventually you become good at it, then everything else takes care of itself. So I really do like what I'm doing, and I've become pretty good at it. And so then everything else takes care of itself. And being intentional about the different moves you make. And because designing a career is... I'm not saying it's a full-time job, but you cannot approach that casually. You have to be attainable about it. And what I mean by that is that whenever you go to an organization, and it doesn't really matter what sector we're talking about, but certainly in the fundraising sector, you want to understand not only how you're going to be successful there, but what will it lead to? What if you're successful at XYZ organization, will it give you an opportunity to grow within the organization or maybe even go to another organization, that type of thing. Depending on what you ultimately want to do. You don't have to become a Chief Development Officer. You can become the best frontline fundraiser in an area that you really, really love. And that's the great thing about this sector is that there's a lot of different diverse job functions. You have the development operations side, which is very much oriented towards tech people and people who are data-driven. The foundation relations kind of world, which really solid writers do well in that sector or that section of the work. And then frontline fundraisers are really usually a kind of sales salesperson orientation. Siobhan: I was going to say, as someone who is on the soliciting end of things, I feel like I'm a salesperson for Holy Cross, which I love because as someone, and you get this as someone who benefited from the product, it almost makes the job easy. But I was curious, so as someone, you weren't on both ends of the spectrum, so the soliciting side, which we've said isn't all about asking for money, but sometimes it comes down to, okay, here's my wallet. And then also the giving away of money. How would you, I guess, compare those roles? Because right now, as someone who's just starting out, I find the idea of grant giving and the other side of the work to be intriguing. Sean: It is intriguing. So my experience and foundations, I did some work with the MacArthur Foundation and the Gates Foundation, both those opportunities, I got to obviously work closely with them to understand more how they work. And over my career, I've got to work closely with some foundations. And over my career, I've probably felt the same thing that you're feeling, oh, it would be fun to get away money. But it's funny, they kind of have the same challenges in some ways because they... And I think that that actually helps you become a good fundraiser with foundations. To kind of boil this down, everyone has a job and everyone has to do things. So if you're a foundation officer, you have to do things, you have to give away money. And it is hard to give away money, because you're going to be evaluated on how the partnerships that you developed, did you squander the money or did you give the money away smartly? And if you gave the money away, did you do a good job following up in a and actually evaluating their efficacy? And that is hard. And there's a lot of pressure. And so if you orient yourself as a, now I'm going on the solicitor side, if you orient yourself to, I'm going to make this person's life easier, then you're talking to them like a person and you're creating a partnership. How can I help you with your job, or what you have to do? We're a good organization, we're going to communicate with you, we're going to spend your money the right way. Then it's a great thing. So you're not really asking them for money, you're really creating a partnership. And I think that that makes all the things in the world. But then if you think about designing strategies for a billionaire who wants to, some billionaire from Holy Cross calls you Siobhan and said, Siobhan, I want you to run a foundation for me and figure out... I want to give away money to human rights organizations and arts organizations in South America, and I'm going to give you a budget and you figure it out. So what would you do? You would probably start creating a network. You would go travel and see some, understand the issue. Go to South America, go visit museums, create a network of people, and then start to give away money. Yes, that would be fun. That would be really fun. But going to a big foundation and running a program, you do have to be a subject matter expert. Oftentimes, not all the time, because now there are a lot of foundations out there that I've been encountering that will hire a friend, someone they trust to actually help them with their foundation. I met this foundation recently where, all of a sudden they found themselves with a whole lot of money and they wanted to create this foundation because that's what the estate had directed them to do. And they're going to find the person that they trust. And so sometimes that person's not a subject matter expert, but they're a trusted advisor to the family. But if you're a subject matter expert in human rights, you're coming at it from a different direction. You're an academic that goes into a foundation. But I do think it's a growing, obviously a growing field as the wealth inequality continues to increase. I'll just give you a little tidbit on, this is one of my favorite facts. When I started in the business, mid-nineties, I would always go to the Hudson News in Grand Central and buy the Forbes 400, which would come out, I guess it would come on the fall. I'm trying to remember when it did. But I always loved that because I would go home on the train and just read it, and learn about the families who had wealth. And I quickly learned that not everybody, wealth and philanthropy are not the same thing. People with money and people who are philanthropic, there's like a Venn diagram in the middle. But to be the four hundredth, wealthiest person on that list, right back in the mid-nineties, the net worth was 400 million or something like that. It's a lot of money. What do you think it is today? Siobhan: It's more. Because I feel like... I was going to say, I feel like, because nowadays, and maybe it's because I work in fundraising, a million dollars doesn't seem like that much money anymore. Sean: Something like 1.7 billion. Siobhan: I was going to say at least a billion dollars. Sean: So why that's extraordinary. Not only how much it's gone up. Might be 1.4, but I know it's something like that. There's a whole lot of people below that. We don't even know who those people are. Siobhan: Wow. Sean: They're not necessarily publicly known. So the amount of people... It used to be rather, you used to be able to understand where the wealth was. And now I think you just don't, A very interesting world we live in now in terms of the relationship between wealth, philanthropy, and our business. There's a lot of new philanthropists coming on board that are coming out of the nowhere, partly because they're just not as well known. It's just more. There's more opportunity. That's why we're not really at a wealthy, it's not about money, it's about strategy. Siobhan: I was also going to say, I find... At least I can relate to least the capacity because sometimes, you use all the data that you have and you assume that someone has this profile, but you could either be over assuming, but then you could also be easily under assuming too. There are probably people that you don't think they would give maybe over a thousand dollars. But if you go about it, as you were saying, strategy, if you talk to them, if they're into music and you talk to them about the new performing arts center, you might inspire their generosity more than if you're talking to them about a new basketball court. Sean: I think that that's a hundred percent right. And I think, that's why I think it sounds a little old school. I think research can be a little overdone. I love research by the way. I think that my research team, they call me an, I'm an honorary researcher because on occasion, if I'm sitting in front of the TV or something like that, I'll go deep on some name and I just love finding these little nuggets of information. I'll send our director of prospect research these random emails. I said, look into this, look into that. Because at least at Audubon, I'm looking into people who care about climate, who care about birds, who care about... Siobhan: Again, that is so unique. Sean: Well, there's one, if you look on... Here's one of the cool things about birds besides the fact they're cool. If you go to... The Fish and Wildlife Service did a report on one of the most common outdoor activity, obviously gardening is actually probably the top. Birding is actually second or so. They estimate over 40 million people at one point in their life have gone out and watched birds, whether it's in their backyard or something like that. It's an awful lot of people. Siobhan: It is a lot of people. That's a fun fact. Sean: Yeah, it drives our work for sure. And we're doing this cool thing. This is kind of a little bit out of sequence, but we have this thing called Bird Song, which is this project we're doing. In fact, you can look on Spotify, and this has been in the New York Times. A music supervisor, a guy named Randall Poster who works with Wes Anderson and Martin Scorsese approached Audubon, and he got the bird bug over the pandemic because he was at home and listening to birds. He approached all of his musician friends, people like Jarvis Cocker and Yo-Yo Ma and Yoko Ono and Karen O and Beck to do songs inspired by Bird Song. And so he has 180 tracks. He's also asked his actor friends like Liam Neeson and Matthew McConaughey and Adrien Brody to read poems that are about birds, including a bird poem written by another Holy Cross alum, Billy Collins, who is a poet who wrote a poem about sandhill cranes in Nebraska. He has Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes reading that poem. Anyways, there's going to be a big album, a box set release, and all the money's going to go to Audubon. Siobhan: That's awesome. Sean: Birds are having a moment. Siobhan: Birds are having a moment. It's a bird's world and we're just living in it. Sean: It is. That's a good way of putting it, I'm going to borrow that. Siobhan: You can totally, as long as you give me copyright credit. Sean: I'll absolutely give you copyright, and all the royalties. Siobhan: Exactly. And I do want to just be cognizant of time, but as the podcast is about Holy Cross's mission and how it influenced your life, and I know you did talk about this a little bit at the beginning. I just wanted to hear more about how Holy Cross impacted your life and your work, and maybe Holy Cross' mission in addition to being men and women for others. Sean: I found a profession that I think in the beginning it might not have made sense, but I have to tell you now, at my age, there's a lot of people, a lot of friends who went to all lacrosse and other places are some ways jealous of this career because... So I have this ability to do well and do good. Use persuasion techniques or skills that could be implied to advertising or banking or some other sales job. But when I'm being reflective of the relationship between the effort and the work that I've applied my daily profession to the outcome, it completely aligns with my worldview of actually helping other people and helping organizations and helping the world, whether it's through art or healthcare or science or human rights or conservation. I feel pretty good about that. And I also feel very fortunate because I don't think I'd be in this profession if it wasn't for Holy Cross, partly because combined with how I was raised and also Holy Cross reinforcing some of those values and elevating them. And then, really the specific moment when Jonathan Winters actually said, hey, you should look into this job. And really made the connection between me as a recent alum and an opportunity with another Holy Cross person. So if Pat Cunningham's listening to this podcast, and I reach out to him once in a while, was a very influential person in terms of where I'm at right now, and I'm very grateful for that. So it's a fun profession. I encourage, I do a lot of connecting with other Holy Cross grads that have helped people. And there's a lot of Holy Cross people that I've met who are in this business, and you try to get together. Because I think there's a really interesting theme here in terms of what we do. And a lot of us are doing, in pretty good organizations, doing really, really good work. So celebrating that as a profession would be fun to do. I actually, Danita Wickwire, who is class of '94 joined my team recently. Which is incredible, because I told her, she reminds me a little bit of why I'm in this profession. Because if you go into this world of fundraising, it's hard to keep up with everything. But then, because she's here and because of our common history at Holy Cross, it's nice to have her because we were able to align around that a lot. And I think she participated in one of these podcasts as well. And she's a really, really influential and important leader in this space as well. Siobhan: Oh, that's awesome. She is an outstanding volunteer and name in our office. So our office is a big fan of Danita, she's great. Also, what I really like too that you said is, I don't know, I find that the job doesn't really feel like work and it's comforting to hear that doesn't change. Sean: It doesn't really. No, it doesn't change. I mean, listen, it's not saying it's easy all the time, but it's certainly fun. Siobhan: And then I guess you kind of touched upon this, but for someone starting out in this work, what is some advice you would give? And then I guess also, looking back on your journey that got you here, is there anything that you would've done differently? Sean: I don't think I have any regrets about choices I've made, also philosophically don't believe in that because I don't think it's helpful. But I think in terms of advice, I do think, and I know this sounds slightly cynical, so I soften this a little bit, but I really do feel it's important to go to a place where your boss and your colleagues believe and align with how you think about this work. I think often, sometimes I see folks make a mistake going to an organization for the mission only, and then what ends up happening sometimes, not all the time, is that the expectations aren't there. And then it can really be a hard place to be. One of the hardest things about this business is... It's a very optimistic, enthusiastic person, but I also know how hard this is and things can go wrong, and you might not have control over certain things. And so educating non-fundraisers, or orienting them about how this work actually unfolds happens with experience. So I'm able to do that with a little bit more ease than I did when I was younger. But be very intentional about your career. If you have a lot of the elements in place, that's great. If you're able to grow, that's great. Don't go for the money, so to speak, or for the mission, make sure everything else is in place. That's my advice. Siobhan: That's very deep. I think that's applicable to anything too. Sean: It is. But I remember, I give a lot of career advice and sometimes I see people, it looks really good, but you got to ask all the right questions, make sure you're asking the questions so you have it all figured out. Siobhan: Yeah. Then I guess, is there any type of organization that you haven't worked with yet that you'd want to? You said you've worked with most of them, but is there anything that maybe in your journey that you've seen... Sean: I was in Columbia last week, the country, because we do a lot of work hemispherically, so I was in Bogota and Cali. I really enjoy, where I think this is headed, and maybe it would be fun, is like this orientation about raising money in other parts of the world. I've done it before, I've done it in England, and it's different in every country and it's evolving and this cultural barriers of this and all that stuff. But I like the way the globalization in terms of how we're thinking about the NGO, bottom up. And also the importance of diversifying our space. Our profession has to be more intentional about how to do that and create space and opportunities for people of color and other backgrounds because there's a lot of history and reasons why it is what it is. And we have to continue to try to figure out ways to open up doors and opportunities that are just not going to happen naturally. You have to be forceful about that. So any place that is in that space. You know what, the weird thing about this space, and I talked to Ron Lawson about this, who's a Chief Operating Officer of a coalition, homeless coalition in New York. It's in a weird way, it's really hard to raise private philanthropy for some social justice issues like homelessness and hunger. Hunger, not as much as it used to be. But I'm always curious about why that is. And there are some organizations that kind of outperform. There's so much money that's given away and there's some sectors that are just not there yet. And that would be fun to understand more why that's happening and help with that too. Siobhan: Cool. I just wanted to see where you were headed next. Sean: I don't know. Siobhan: Nonprofit. Sean: Yeah, it's fun. I'm glad you're in this space and you should keep in touch, Siobhan, it'd be fun to see where your career's going to take you. Siobhan: I was going to say, I'll have you on speed dial. Sean: Good. Awesome. Siobhan: Awesome. And before I let you go, I just wanted to end on a fun little speed Holy Cross round. Sean: Sure. Siobhan: Very quick. Okay. What was your freshman dorm? Sean: Mulledy Siobhan: What was your hardest class? Sean: That economics class with Professor Chu. No, actually accounting class with Professor Chu. Yeah. Siobhan: Nice. Best professor you've ever had? Sean: Probably Professor Chu Siobhan: I see him sometimes, so I'll be sure to let him know. Sean: I think he just retired actually. I thought I just saw that he's retiring soon. Siobhan: He is, but he has his little research. Sean: Yeah, you can tell him that. Tell him, gave him a shout-out. I think I was, it might have been... That was his first year he got here, I think. Siobhan: Oh, that's so funny. Senior dorm? Sean: Carlin. Siobhan: Oh, nice. Sean: Yeah, Carlin Siobhan: Favorite spot on campus? Sean: I guess I liked the radio station. That was a great place to escape. Siobhan: Oh, cute. First meal you think of when you think of Kimball. Sean: Ah, that's good. Probably just like chicken fingers, I guess. They actually existed, I think that they did. Or that Turkey. There's like some kind of Turkey meal that was good there. Siobhan: Oh my goodness. The Thanksgiving Turkey dinner slaps. Best restaurant in Worcester. This is good because you're a local. Sean: Yeah, well the best restaurant right now that I was just like, wow, this is a pretty good restaurant. There's that sushi place on Park Avenue is really, really good actually. And then when I was there, I guess Arturo's was a great Italian place, but that's not, I think that's closed now. Best Breakfast place is probably Lou Roc's on West Boylston Street, which is a really, really good diner. Siobhan: Good to know. Everyone always talks about Miss Worcester's, I'll have to... Sean: Miss Worcester's is good, but Lou Roc's is a little further out, but it's excellent, excellent. Yeah. Siobhan: Oh, fabulous. All right. Your go-to study spot? Sean: The Library right side, as you're walking on the right side. Yeah, not the left side. Siobhan: Okay. And if you were going to campus right now, where are you going first? Sean: I am going to check out this new performing arts center which is the coolest looking building in Worcester, I think. Siobhan: Right? It kind of looks like an airport, but in a good way. Sean: It's a very cool, it's one of the coolest architecture buildings I've seen. And it's certainly one of the coolest things in Worcester. I think it's awesome. I want to go inside it. Siobhan: And then last question, your fondest Holy Cross memory. Sean: Fondest Holy Cross memory? Oh, I don't know. I really enjoy fall at Holy Cross. That's what I enjoyed the most. Yeah, and I like fall in Worcester. Yeah, for sure. Siobhan: That's a good answer. Sean: Yeah. Siobhan: Especially fall at Holy Cross is beautiful. Sean: Yeah, like a football game in the fall. That's probably it. Siobhan: Nice. Wow. Thank you so much for chatting with me. Sean: Thanks Siobhan. Siobhan: Taking the time out of your today. Sean: That was great, thanks. Thanks for the opportunity. Maura Sweeney: That's our show. I hope you enjoyed hearing about just one of the many ways that Holy Cross alumni have been inspired by the mission to be people for and with others. A special thanks to today's guests and everyone at Holy Cross who has contributed to making this podcast a reality. If you or someone would like to be featured on this podcast, then please send us an email at alumnicareers.holycross.edu. If you like what you hear, then please leave us a review. This podcast is brought to you by the Office of Alumni Relations at the College of the Holy Cross. You can subscribe for future episodes wherever you find your podcast. I'm your host, Maura Sweeney, and this is Mission-Driven. In the words of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, "Now go forth and set the world on fire." Theme music composed by Scott Holmes, courtesy of freemusicarchive.org.

One of the favorites heading into the MIAA D1 state tournament is Boston College High. The team's new head coach, Steve Healy joins us to discuss the potential pairings, and which teams he'd like to see — and avoid — in the tournament.

Episode 3 - The boys highlight some recent NHL news from the past week including Pat Maroon's 2-year extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Austin Matthews potentially missing time due to injury, our thoughts on the NHL's All-Star weekend in Vegas, Jack Eichel being cleared for full contact, Connor Bedard's filthy between the legs goal, and the announcement of the Bruins hosting the 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park. They also recap the Bruins performance the other night and touch on the likely Brad Marchand suspension, Patrice Bergeron's injury, and Tuukka Rask officially announcing his retirement. The boys also recap their trip to Monday's first round Beanpot match-ups at the TD Garden and preview next Monday's championship game. This week's special guest features Quincy's own Mikey Adamson as he reflects on his playing career thus far at BC High, Dexter, and in the USHL as a member of the Sioux City Musketeers. He also talks about his commitment to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and his excitement about beginning his college career as a member of the UMass hockey team. Also featured this week is the Women's Olympic hockey tournament and the United States potential run at Olympic gold. In closing, the boys visit Coco's Gambling Corner and highlight this week's marquee match-ups in the NHL and give you their best bets to put some coin in your pocket. Produced by @Hedgebettor

The first-ever three-guest and parent pod! Rick ('04) gets together (virtually) with Mike ('11), Anthony ('16), and Alan Iofreddo (P '11 and '16) to talk about the BC High story from a family perspective, Kairos, the importance of faith, what it's like to work on a ranch (what?!), the Iofreddo family takeover of Austin, Texas, and much more!

In the second edition of Back to the Board, host Rick Goulding '04 sits down with June Matte P'15, '17, Managing Director of PFM Financial Advisors LLC and a newly minted Trustee. June shared her BC High story, her thoughts on the future of secondary education, what she hopes to bring to BC High’s Board of Trustees and much more!

Database administrators (also commonly called database managers, DBAs or DBMs) are often operating behind the scenes, outside of the spotlight. However, DBAs are critical team members and it's important they promote their value within their organizations. That's what today's host and guests are here to discuss. Listen in as guest host Ashley Sweeney, Technical Solutions Engineer for Blackbaud talks to Sunshine Watson, Donor Database Manager for Valleywise Health Foundation, and Carlene Johnson, Database Administrator for BC High, about how they shine as DBAs and make sure their value is recognized. They also discuss the importance of networking and continuing education.   Topics Discussed in This Episode: How Sunshine and Carlene shine as DBAs Helping others understand what you do and how you help them Making sure you have a seat at the table Tips for showing your value to leadership Making the case for professional development to your manager The value of networking and user groups   Resources: Sunshine Watson Carlene Johnson Confessions of a Nonprofit Database Administrator Confessions of a Nonprofit Database Administrator, Part II   Quotes:  “Just being able to be a fly on the wall sometimes helps me so I can do my job better.” –Sunshine Watson “When I'm paying attention and listening, I can hear the pain points.” –Carlene Johnson “Because of networking, I was much more easily able to land a position that had the kinds of things I was looking to work on.” –Carlene Johnson

Rick Goulding '04 talks with Tanner Gildea '15 about his recent work with the Biden campaign, his BC High story, growing up Gildea, jumping the Border Street bridge in Cohasset, Luxembourg, and much more!

Brandon sits down with NBC10Boston and the Boston Globe's Jake Levin (@JakeTLevin) to talk about the past week of High School hockey in Massachusetts. They talk about the great rivalry between Falmouth and Barnstable, the latest on AJ Quetta of Bishop Feehan, BC High's continued dominance, Marshfield vs Hingham, Hanover's first loss to Scituate, and how Hopkinton is dominating across the board in all sports. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/brandon-hall/support

Brandon Hall is joined by Brendan Connelly (@BConn63) of the Boston Herald, WATD, and My Hockey Live and they talk about games from the past week such as Newton South's thrilling OT win, a battle in the Catholic Conference between powers BC High and Xaverian, Covid hockey happenings, and potential changes to the Super 8 Tournament for next year. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/brandon-hall/support

In the first edition of a brand new segment, we are calling "Back to the Board," host Rick Goulding '04 sits down with Stephen Fulton '83 P'25, '26, Deputy Director of Boston Catholic Charities and a newly minted Trustee. Rick and Steve talk about Steve's onboarding process to the Board of Trustees, what he hopes to bring to the board, and the role his own BC High experience plays in all of it.

Rick sits down with Joe Goode '84 to talk about his BC High story, his time as a White House Correspondent, his career path, the media landscape today, and much more! Check it out!

Chapter 1: Campaign trail update Six days left until the US election! We caught up with Mike Armstrong in West Virginia, one of the states hardest hit by the pandemic.  GUEST: Mike Armstrong, Global News National reporter Chapter 2: Real estate supply boom underpins strong sales figures We’re seeing lots of action in real estate right now, but something that’s not getting much attention is the number of new listings. September set an all-time high for the total number of properties up for sale, and not just since last year, it’s the highest ever with over 3,200 units up for sale.  GUEST: Dane Eitel, founder of Eitel Insights Chapter 3: This year’s most sought after Halloween decoration Have you heard fireworks going off already? This is the last Halloween that people will be able to set off fireworks in Vancouver freely before the ban comes into place. Plus, can you guess what the most sought after Halloween decoration is this year? GUEST: Niki Reitmayer, CKNW Mornings contributor Chapter 4: BC high schools test run esports! GUEST: Jordan Abney, Executive Director of BC School Sports Chapter 5: Cases spiking in Fraser region We’re at another critical juncture in the fight against COVID-19. Cases are spiking and Halloween this weekend could be a huge problem if people aren’t careful.  GUEST: Henry Braun, Abbotsford Mayor Chapter 6: BC doctors encourage people to ‘mask up’   The Doctors of BC are launching a new campaign encouraging people to ‘Mask Up’.  GUEST: Dr. Kathleen Ross, President of Doctors of BC See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 3 of Back to the Point kicks off with BC High's President, Grace Regan. Rick and Grace discuss how the school dealt with the arrival of COVID-19 last spring, the planning and conversations that took place this summer to prepare for the 2020-2021 school year, BC High's ongoing efforts to address the issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion in the community, and much more.

Scott Thomas joins the Backyard crew all the way from sunny San Diego. A long time coach and leader at University of San Diego - and BC High teammate of Alex - we talk about our favorite lifts, the East Coast vs West Coast differences in rugby, and more. Pull up a chair and join the convo!

Rick Goulding '04 grabs some early morning coffee with Mary Farrell, a teacher of thirty years at BC High. They cover BC High over the years, the important difference between knowledge and wisdom, the rise of the BC High sailing team and so much more!

Rick Goulding '04 gets together with the Gosnell boys. Scott '15, Jake '17 and Joey '17 stop by the pod to talk about their time at BC High, what they have been up to since graduating, the incredible legacy their late father left behind, and their work with ALS ONE.

A trip around the rinks of Massachusetts with Jake Levin, as Brandon and Jake talk about the recent Framingham vs BC High game, Duxbury vs Canton, Marshfield and Hanover's tie, Holiday Tournaments, the best of the North section, and finally, Bruins overtime woes. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/brandon-hall/support

This week Jim and Gord kick it off with a recap the BC High School championships and all-star game, looking back on what programs in USport have taken steps in the right direction this past season, whether or not Mac has surpassed Western in the OUA, the future of the Grey Cup and Vanier Cup being viable + much more

. Produced by Adam Cordick and Braydon Stachel

Patrick Shaughnessy '94 catches up with Rick Goulding '04 to share his story. They touch on a lot: how he became involved with the IDD community, his career, his time at BC High, his work at Best Buddies, and even his recent engagement.

BC High School football plays NFL football. Why doesn't it play CFL football? And if BC high school football did play CFL football, would that help the BC Lions fan base grow?

In this fourth episode, Olivia sits down to catch up with Boston College High School students and friends, Gavin Larnard and Max Loeb. Gavin and Max, a rising senior and now rising college freshman, discuss their experiences in youth ministry, a program they started at BC High for teens to be exposed to the faith, their travels to Haiti, and how they evangelize on the soccer field, basketball court, and in their everyday high school lives.   Listen in for humor, inspiration, and a new take on living the faith as a teenager from these two young men who are striving for sainthood in their daily lives through radical service, love for all they encounter, and fire for Christ. What did you take away from listening to Max and Gavin’s story of reaching to the heights? Let us know @ToTheHeightsCTV!

Keith McGilvery '01, anchorman on Fox News 61's morning show, calls from Hartford, CT to talk about what it's like to be on television from 4 AM to 11 AM every day, his journey from BC High, through Fordham, and into the news, how the BC High community has stepped up in his life recently, and much more!

Check out the latest podcast with Chestnut Hill Technologies Managing Partner, Jack McCarthy. Jack is a long time sponsor of the podcast and a lifelong BC Sports fan. Hear about his journey growing up on the South Shore of MA, going to BC High, and then Boston College while competing on the diving team! Learn about Jack's favorite BC Sports Moments and how he started Chestnut Hill Technologies. All that and more, take a listen!

Brandon Hall and Jake Levin discuss the MIAA Ice Hockey playoffs thus far, including all the action in D1A, D1, D2, and D3. Upcoming matchups in D1A include BC High vs. Arlington, and Pope Francis vs. Hingham; D1 St John's Prep vs Andover, Billerica vs Winchester, Duxbury vs Barnstable, CM vs Franklin; D2 Boston Latin vs Triton, Tewksbury vs Danvers, Canton vs Norwood, Westwood vs Medfield; D3 Newton South vs Dracut/Tyngsboro, Lowell vs Lynn, Ashland vs Bourne, Coyle Cassidy vs Hopkinton --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/brandon-hall/support

Michael Dyer went to BC High where he always struggled with his identity. He felt he never fit in. Drugs and alcohol were an easy solution at the time. Now, he is sober. Alcoholics Anonymous and thanking God are now Michael's answer.

This week’s special episode of the MyHockey Live podcast features a panel discussion and interviews from the MyHockeyLive studio show at the MIAA from Selection Saturday. Guests include MHL’s Mark Igo, Jake Levin, Brandon Hall, and Joey McDermott, as well as coaches John Flaherty from BC High and Dan Shine from Arlington Catholic, the Boston Herald’s Jim Clark and Brendan Connolly, and the Boston Globe’s Dan Shulman. Stick around for this jam-packed episode of the My Hockey Live podcast. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/brandon-hall/support

Rick Goulding '04 catches up with Ian Cain '00 to cover what he's been up to since he left BC High. Ian takes us from his earliest experiences working on a campaign, through some of his work in the business world, to now starting his own company and serving on Qunicy's City Council.

Rick Goulding '04 and Director of Enrollment, Erika Vardaro, spend some time learning more about her path to BC High and then do a deep dive on the inner workings of the admissions process at BC High.

Invest Alongside Boston's Leading Angels: Learn About Our Syndicates A Renaissance man still lives in our times. He’s been a priest, a Harvard prof, a non-profit exec and he’s now a founder.  The startup Larry Sullivan helped found has built a platform on which C-level executives implement strategic initiatives. The proof of the pudding is that Chiefofstaff.com’s platform has been adopted by some of the biggest names including Deloitte. Larry is a charming guest. His vast knowledge and dry humor made for a really fun podcast! Highlights include: Larry speaks nine languages, plays rock on a faculty band and is a devoted husband, father and grandfather. com is a B-to-B SaaS platform to help C-level execs implement strategic plans. I was surprised to discover that poor implementation of strategic plans is a top worry for CEOs of large enterprises. Larry was a beta tester for the platform when he was CEO of a large foundation. The results were so impressive that Larry joined founder Bob Epner at the startup. Platform gives managers with strategic responsibility actionable items every day. The platform ties in to the enterprise’s management software. There are no comparable platforms that compete with Chiefofstaff.com. McKinsey sees a gap in this space. Harvard Business Review study found that failure to deliver on strategic plans was the top worry for CEOs. Competition is from software designed for other uses. Chiefofstaff.com is the only software custom-designed for the C-suite. Initially thought about selling direct to large enterprises then realized that it was far more effective to go through partnership channels such as major consulting firms like Deloitte. Due diligence with Deloitte was a day at the dentist for a whole year. Learned that the business proposition for their partners was to use the platform to present the strategic plans to their clients. Chiefofstaff.com helps the partner get the engagement and makes it easier to deliver the strategic plan. Hard behind Deloitte are other major consulting firms. Finally reaching the end of the long dales cycle. Larry has raised money across a broad range of activities, his advice to fundraisers is to build a rapport with the investor so that she or he understands what drives you and your company. People who have suffered the problems addressed by the platform tend to be the most open to investing in the company. Sal, given his decades of experience in small companies, did not initially see the need for Chiefofstaff.com. The Harvard Business Review article was an eye-opener. The company developed a formal process to channel the advice of the senior executives who invested because they understood the pain point being addressed by Chiefofstaff.com. The Harvard Business Review article, based on a very robust study (8,000 senior leaders tracked for 8 years), also found that executives had little confidence in information provided across functional units (less than 9%) versus information provided directly within the business silo (80% reliable). Chiefofstaff.com was designed to address this disparity. Larry was drawn into the priesthood by the prospect of working in war-torn areas of the globe. Worked as priest for 16 years. Larry got “heart disease” while at the University of Chicago doing a PhD in comparative religions; he met and married a doctoral student in anthropology. Created their own “kin unit”. Larry left an endowed professorship at Harvard to create a program in world religions at Notre Dame. A unique opportunity for a Roman Catholic. Had to win the hearts of the world’s largest university faculty of theology. Later he was invited to head up the Fetzer Institute, a large non-profit with activities in 40 countries. Picked up Latin, Ancient Greek, French and German at BC High. Knowing nine languages opens up unexpected possibilities of connecting with people and ideas. In summation Larry expressed astonishment at the chain of events that had to have occurred for us to be sitting here able to contemplate the Big Bang that occurred 14 billion years ago. It leads him to be grateful and appreciative of the similarities and differences of people around him. Larry ties this to the work of Chiefofstaff.com.

On this week's My Hockey Live Podcast, Jake and Brandon discuss the recently completed MHL Cup, Serino Classic, and Pete Frates Winter Classic, the game between BC High and Xaverian, the top teams in MIAA Boys' Division 1, 2, and 3 as well as upcoming MHL broadcasts. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/brandon-hall/support

Rick Goulding '04 grabs some time on Christmas Eve morning with his classmate, Ryan Walls, who is a writer and producer on ABC's 'Modern Family.' They discuss the process of writing the show, what it's like to have your ideas bomb in a writer's room, how Ryan got involved at BC High, and a lot more!

Rick Goulding '04 spends some time with current senior Grant Ward. They cover Grant's departure from and return to BC High, his experiences in the Dominican Republic and with the Lazarus Project, where he's thinking of heading to college next year, and much more.

Rick Goulding ‘04 gets together with Tucker Antico ‘15 to talk about his passion for the weather, how it flourished at BC High, and how it’s taken him from Columbia Point to chasing down tornadoes in the Midwest.

Rick Goulding '04 and Principal Steve Hughes sit down to celebrate Mr. Hughes's time at BC High as a student, coach, teacher, Vice Principal and Principal. They discuss his earliest memories of the school, his approach to the vocation of teaching, his thoughts on character and leadership, his advice for his successor, and much more.

Tom Reilly is one of the founders of Brook Retreat. He is a recovered drug addict and alcoholic. Tom was raised in Kingston, MA, graduated from BC High and dropped out of college. By the age of 22, he was homeless and a hopeless heroin addict. A miracle brought him to a 12-step program and the rest is history!

Rick Goulding ‘04 sits down with President Grace Cotter Regan P’12 to discuss her BC High Story, what’s happening this semester on campus, and her vision for BC High’s next chapter.

Wellesley natives Mike Vasil and Henry Weycker joined host Tommy Cassell to talk all things baseball. Vasil, who just graduated from BC High, will be a freshman on the University of Virginia baseball team this year while Weycker, who has one year left at Wellesley High, will be a freshman next year on the Virginia Tech baseball team. The two talked with Tommy about high school playoff baseball, Vasil foregoing the MLB draft, deciding whether to go to public or private school and even played a little baseball trivia at the end. Cassell’s Corner Each week, Tommy Cassell of the MetroWest Daily and Milford Daily News will talk with a high school sports figure from the MetroWest and Milford areas. A new episode is released every Wednesday. Follow Cassell on Twitter at @TommyCassell44 or by email at tcassell@wickedlocal.com You can subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or any other podcast provider. Don’t forget to rate and review. And if you aren’t a podcast listener, every episode of Cassell’s Corner is available on our websites. 

Matt Walsh has a pretty unique perspective on the blockchain and cryptocurrency space. If you know Matt it's likely as "the Fidelity guy" on some crypto panel in Boston or New York, or from today's news that the crypto-focused venture firm he left Fidelity to found - Castle Island Ventures - is now writing checks and open for business. Before founding Castle Island Ventures Matt was a Vice President at Fidelity focused on the crypto-asset and blockchain space. He worked as a management consultant at Arthur D. Little before that, and later in the strategic initiatives group at Clear Channel Radio (now iHeartRadio). Matt is a proud graduate of Boston's own BC High - where he was of course called "Walshie" by "Fitzy" and "Sully" - going on to attend Babson and the Fuqua School of Management at Duke. Our conversation began as usual with his personal story, and went on to cover the adventure of being the crypto evangelist at one of the world's most highly regarded financial institutions. You'll get his thoughts on where the best opportunities are in the crypto space right now, and on why Bitcoin still may be a bargain.

Hear from BC Hockey Coach, Jerry York! Learn about his childhood growing in Watertown MA and how he started playing hockey. Hear about Coach York's playing days at BC High, and BC and how he transferred to coaching. We recap Coach York's entire coaching career and talk about the future with the Eagles! Plus, what does Coach York do during his free time? All that and more, to advertise on the podcast just email lightscamerasportsads@gmail.com

Guest: Peter CowleyTitle: Fraser Institute Study Author

The moments that resonated most from the 2015-16 BC high school sports season? They weren’t all about the championships. Varsity Letters counts down its 10 top highlights as Howard Tsumura is joined in the studio by guest host Patrick Johnston.

Howard Tsumura wraps up the 2015 Girls' season and looks ahead to a big weekend for the Boys.

Summary of today's show: There are several living legends among the priests of the Archdiocese of Boston and Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell welcome one of them today. Fr. Walter Waldron has been a priest for 48 years and pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Roxbury for 29 years. Fr. Walter tells our listeners about seeing the Second Vatican Council firsthand, putting the lessons of the Council into practice in the inner-city in the 1970s, and then serving a parish that's like three parishes in one for nearly three decades in a neighborhood many have written off. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell Today's guest(s): Fr. Walter Waldron, Pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Roxbury Today's topics: Pastor Profile: Fr. Walter Waldron 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show and started with the startling news that Fr. Mark was taken by ambulance to the hospital from his rectory yesterday. He fell down a few steps and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.Fr. Mark said the neck brace they put on had four settings: tall, medium, short, and no neck. He was highly insulted that they had it on no neck. Last night, Fr. Mark was able to go to a special Mass at Regina Cleri, where Fr. Bob Oliver is also recovering from an accident and a broken hip. Scot said it's been a busy week preparing for the live, interactive town hall meeting on CatholicTV Monday night with Cardinal Seán. He said it's never been done before over all the different media: TV, radio, and the Internet. He encourages everyone to tune in via WQOM or CatholicTV. On Monday's The Good Catholic Life we will have one of the panelists, Kim Daniels, to talk about how we got to this point. The town hall meeting begins at 8pm. Scot said today's guest is one of the legends of the priesthood in Boston and he's been looking forward to this conversation. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Fr. Walter Waldron. Fr. Walter said he grew up in Milton and went to school there. He had two brothers and two sisters. One of the gifts in his life has been his family and extended family. He realizes how much all those cousins mean to him and made him what he is today. His vocation came from his family and the community was very Catholic. He went to St. Agatha School. He wanted to be a lawyer, teacher or priest. He went to BC High and considered being a Jesuit. When Fr. Walter's father was at BC High in the 1920s and he considered becoming a Jesuit. His grandfather had a work accident that prevented him from working and so his father was counseled he should stay to support his family. So it comes full circle to him. Fr. Walter said Fr. Riley, who was a younger priest in charge of the altar servers at St. Agatha's, was an influence on his vocation too. He said there were no priests in his family. Fr. Walter said he ended up deciding he would end up encountering more people in the diocesan priesthood than if he joined the Jesuits, who at the time specialized in education. He went to Cardinal O'Connell Seminary for two years out of high school. He went to St. John's Seminary for two years and then went to the North American College and was ordained in St. Peter's. He was there in the early Sixties and was there during the death of Pope John XXIII and election of Pope Paul VI. Scot asked what it was like being in Rome during the Second Vatican Council? Fr. Walter said it was very exciting, partly because some of the US bishops stayed in the North American College and had interaction with the seminarians. Some seminarians were even able to sneak into the sessions in St. Peter's. He and his classmates were on the side of those who were most forward-looking. During his time in Rome, he wasn't able to come back from Rome, but his family did come visit once before ordination. He took a ship over with the other seminarians. He recalled how the seminarians were all seasick at first, but he loved it so much that he came back by boat rather than fly. Scot asked Fr. Walter is he learned the old and the new liturgies. He said he was trained in the older missal. There was no transition while he was there. Fr. Walter was ordained in 1964 and has had only three assignments in those 48 years. He was first assigned to St. Margaret in Beverly Farms. He remembers saying to the people that first Sunday, “I'm so glad to be here in Beverly Hills.” He was there for two years. Then he was a parochial vicar at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross for 18 years. He had asked Cardinal Cushing to be assigned to work in the city and to live in an apartment among the people. Cardinal Cushing said no, but offered him a position at the cathedral. He made many friendships and is still involved with some of the groups from them. He loved living in the city and came to learn the movement of the city. He has remained in the city, going to St. Patrick's parish in Roxbury in 1984. Fr. Walter wanted to live in the city because of the priests he knew in Roxbury at the time. He liked the life they lived and how they had freedom to interact with people. He talked about how he was mentored and affirmed by Msgr. Russ Collins. Fr. Mark said the monsignor was a real innovator in our archdiocese. He helped form a group called the Boston Urban Association of Priests. They were very vocal about public policy and even endorsed a candidate. They thought they were reading the signs of the times. Scot said it was a tumultuous time in Boston with the busing crisis. Fr. Walter said it gave him an identity with the people that were there. He came to understand their difficulties and pain and how far they felt from the mainstream of Boston. It was an eye-opener for him. Scot noted that the Boston Urban Priests helped the Pine Street Inn form itself. Fr. Walter said there was a place called the Dawes Hotel that was pulling out of the business of serving the poor, and no one wanted to take over the ministry. They took over the place and re-named it the Pine Street Inn. They didn't know they were supposed to ask the cardinal first. They had some advisors on how to help people who were addicted to alcohol. They had only one employee and each priest would take a night to be there. Scot perceives that time as a time for the Church asking herself what she was to be in this town and in this world. What do the condiments of Vatican II mean in practical matters? There was a lot of adjustment. Fr. Walter said there wasn't a model to follow. Fr. Walter at the time took on a foster kid and moved out of the rectory into an apartment. He was then called in by Cardinal Medeiros. He told Fr. Walter that he knows what he did and only wanted to know that he was taking good care of him. He had the foster kid for four years. Scot asked what it was like to move to St. Patrick's in 1984. He didn't want to move out of the cathedral after being there so long. In fact, he'd just been asked to be the chaplain at Walpole State Prison and he said no because it would be the same population day after day. So when St. Patrick came up, he took it. He's attracted to variety in his priestly ministry. Scot said you couldn't get more variety in St. Patrick's. Fr. Walter said they just celebrated their 175th anniversary. They had three languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese Creole. He feels like he's already in charge of three parishes. In 1989, the Boston Globe did a big three-page article on him in the newspaper. It showed how he had a presence on the streets, a consistent presence over a period of time. After a while he wasn't a stranger there and people came to know he was interested in all communities. He showed how they could come together as one parish with three communities. Fr. Walter said for a long time they had three parish councils. He didn't think it made sense o he established a supercouncil. After a while they formed one parish pastoral councils for the last 5 to 10 years. It's helped him to learn better the other language groups, to know them on a personal and a professional Catholic level. Scot said half of the parish are newcomers to the country. 85% of all parishioners are from Cape Verde. He said much of the ministry must be helping people adjust. Fr. Walter said the question has been whether to focus on people's background and culture or do you try to acculturate them? They've found a balance. They've been able to do a lot of outreach in the native languages, mainly through a lot of sisters who spoke the language. There's a commonality between the pastoral staff and the people who came here. Cape Verde is traditionally Catholic and so there's no difficulty in attracting them to the Church. Like in the past, so much of their lives focus on the Church. Fr. Mark asked if the Church is sanctuary. Fr. Walter said “sanctuary” is a loaded word, but Fr. Mark said he didn't intend it that way. Fr. Walter said they've always had good relationships with civil authorities. He's never been faced with a person asking for sanctuary from immigration issues. Scot said growing up, Roxbury was never portrayed in a positive light in the news. He asked Fr. Walter to describe it. He said it is home for people. He tells priests that they have to come in recognizing that they are people just like you. People are sometimes afraid to come to Roxbury, but he encourages them to come. He said the safest part of the city on a Sunday morning is Roxbury because everybody's in church. It's hard to drive the image of the shootings in the street from people's minds. But it's not an everyday occurrence. There are people who are interested in raising their kids, keeping their homes neat, and living their lives. Fr. Mark said he regularly says Mass with the Carmelite Sisters in Dudley Square. Fr. Walter calls them the spiritual powerhouse. He'd never before met cloistered sisters, but he found them to be just like the rest of us. He said a number of religious orders work with St. Patrick's so they make a big deal in February for World Consecrated Life Day. Now they have the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance in the parish. Fr. Walter said their desire is to live a life as close as possible to St. Francis' life 800 years ago. They wear a rough habit, they sleep on the floor, they eat only what they've begged that day. They are very good at reaching out to others. They've only been there two year,s but everyone knows them. Fr. Walter said they are living in one of their buildings, but have a broader vision than the parish. Several of them have learned Creole in order to say Mass and do confessions in the language of the people. When they first came they came over the parish to offer to help. They've established a monthly holy hour for vocations to the priesthood. One of the brothers of the FPO is being ordained to the priesthood tomorrow. Br. Michael Sheehan will be ordained by Cardinal Seán at the Cathedral. After the Mass, they will have a reception at St. Patrick's. He will continue doing the work of the order in the community. Fr. Walter said they are like worker-priests whose work is for the advancement of the Church, being out where the people are and making sure there's a normal interaction with them. They are concerned the people are not only Catholic in name, but in practice too.They want the folks to see the Church as an essential part of their lives. Scot asked what is one of his biggest joys as a priest. Fr. Walter said being a priest and being fortunate to be in a life he just loves. He loves it as much today as he did the day he was ordained in St. Peter's. He said he's heard stories of priests burdened by the stress of their priesthood. He doesn't recall a moment he felt that way. He said it's the joy of being with the people and being astounded at how they take him into their homes and family. He remembers a couple of years ago after some surgery and seeing how concerned the people were for him. 3rd segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel. Scot said we tend to think of John the Baptist as preparing for way of the Lord during Advent, but we should think of him at all times because he's always pointing us to Jesus. Fr. Walter said he was an evangelizer and it's believed to have belonged to a spiritual sect of Judaism that was looking to reinvigorate the faith for the coming of the Messiah. Fr. Walter said it is traditional in Judaism for a boy to be named after the father or an ancestor. But we don't know why Zecharaiah wanted to name him John. It shows the importance of names in Scripture. Jesus renamed Peter, Saul was renamed Paul. Fr. Walter said this is true today. It's common for recovering addicts to give up the name they used while they active, they went back to their real name or a nickname they had as a kid. Scot said Popes take on a new name. Cardinal Seán grew up as Patrick O'Malley, but took on the name Seán when he became a religious. Fr. Mark said he was struck that John is about humility and his birth, which references much of the Old Testament, has lots of triumphant images. In the Gospel, John says that he must decrease while Christ increases. He was humble and our Lord was heralded through humility. Scot related that Zechariah couldn't speak because he doubted the news from the angel Gabriel that he and his wife would have a son in their old age. Scot said the entirety of John's life pointed to Christ.

Summary of today's show: With regular Tuesday co-host Fr. Chris O'Connor celebrating his 40th birthday today, it had to be time to do a priest profile of Fr. Chris. Scot Landry talks with Fr. Chris about his childhood growing up in Dorchester's St. Margaret Parish, attending parochial schools and then Boston College High; going to seminary, including a year in Rome at the Pontifical North American College; and after ordination being selected for further studies and a ministry forming other men for the priesthood at St. John Seminary. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's topics: Priest Profile: Fr. Chris O'Connor 1st segment: Scot said today is Fr. Chris's 40th birthday, Scot will never forget it because he was born on the exact same day as Scot's wife, Ximena. Fr. Chris was born at St. Margaret's Hospital in Dorchester, which was also located in his parish of St. Margaret's, which is now Blessed Mother Teresa Parish. Fr. Chris talked about going back as a priest to help in the maternity ward of St. Margaret's after his ordination. Fr. Chris is the oldest of three with a sister and a brother. He grew up in St. Margaret's and Fr. Peter Uglietto, now Bishop Uglietto, was the pastor. Fr. Tom Conway and Fr. Joe Hennessey were also there during his childhood. Fr. Chris said the parish is the central identity of people from Dorchester. When you asked someone they were from Dorchester, you were automatically asked what parish. He said their sports rival was St. Peter's Parish, although they also competed to see how many priests and religious they would produce. Fr. Chris remembers that Fr. Conway had brought Mother Teresa to his parish where she prayed for vocations and within a year Fr. Chris was in the college seminary. They also recalled stories of Fr. Chris' childhood in the parochial school. He believes part of the decline in the vocations to the priesthood is connected to decline in the number of religious because the sisters in the schools promoted vocations very strongly. Some of the sisters who taught him in school would share stories of heroic priests, would tell boys that they should consider the priesthood. They also taught the faith in ways not seen today: learning the Psalms by heart, for instance. They also taught the importance of the Eucharist. They also had customs like May processions, which formed an important part of the faith. Fr. Chris said the parish was mainly Irish and Polish, which happened to be his background. There is a whole Polish enclave in Dorchester, with Our Lady of Czestochowa parish in the neighborhood. When he was coming into his adulthood, he also started to see the first influx of families from southeast Asia. 2nd segment: Fr. Chris said both his parents were graduates of Catholic schools and they wanted him to go to Boston College High School. He had many good Jesuits etchers who formed him. Meanwhile, they had moved to Quincy and Sacred Heart Parish, which also produced so many vocations. Fr. Chris said he was helped to graduate by the underhanded tactics of his teachers in giving him a leg up on tests and the like in their tutoring. He graduated from BC High in 1990 and it was still primarily a Jesuit faculty. He recalls so many characters among the priests there. Being around so many priests throughout his youth and adolescence made the abuse crisis especially painful because he had so how hard the priests worked and how they were smeared by association with those who faltered. Unfortunately, now priests are far removed from young men these days because of the fallout from the scandal. Getting to know priests as real men helps boys picture themselves in that life, while only seeing them from afar makes them seem like other. Fr. Chris didn't become a Jesuit because he didn't want to end up in a classroom for his whole priesthood, but ironically he ended up teaching at the seminary. He went to the college seminary and he said there were many pivotal moments of formation there. He was in seminary for 8 or 9 years total. He attended the Pontifical North American College in Rome and at the time it was much more difficult to stay in touch with family and friends back home. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York was the rector of the seminary at the time, and even then he radiated the joy of the Church. Cardinal Law did allow Fr. Chris to return to Boston to finish his seminary training and he was ordained in 1998. He had asked to serve in an inner-city parish with a school when he was asked for his preferences. He wound up at St. Mary Parish in Chelmsford, which was not inner city nor had a school, but it was a very large and active parish. It was so far from Dorchester, it was like being back in Rome. He served there for three years and he helped form a junior youth ministry program to complement the regular youth ministry that had been so successful. After Chelmsford, he was selected for further studies in philosophy at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He earned a Licentiate in philosophy in three years. He lived in an active suburban parish there while studying. He'd studied philosophy in the minor seminary and he was fairly successful in returning to it. He was happy to have had several years of parish experience seeing questions and wonder in people's lives so he could explore those questions in the classroom through a philosophical lens. Scot asked what it was like to study at Catholic University in DC, where there are so many religious orders, the US bishops conference, the National Basilica, and more. Fr. Chris said there were many prominent scholars at CUA, plus elected Catholic officials who would come to speak very often. They would have visiting priests come in to lecture as well as prestigious professors. Fr. Chris said very often the secular study of philosophy attacks the faith, but at Catholic University, faith and reason are presented as compatible. He said young people going to study philosophy need to make sure their school is open to the honest pursuit of truth. Speaking of favorite philosophers, Fr. Chris said St. Augustine is at the top of his list. His thesis, however, was on the philosopher John Rawls. He examined Rawls' assertion that people of faith should not bring that faith into their actions in the public square. Scot said the last four years in seminary is major seminary where you get a Master's in theology. Before that they need a bachelor's degree and study pre-theology. This course includes metaphysics, which considers the big questions of life. They also study ethics, epistemology (study of how we know), ecclesiology (the study of the Church). He also teaches that at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization, which forms lay people. Fr. Chris has become vice-rector at the seminary, which added administrative responsibilities to his workload. The request that Fr. Chris study theology, especially ecclesiology, came from the current rector, Bishop Arthur Kennedy. Scot and Fr. Chris discussed what ecclesiology is. Fr. Chris is working toward his doctorate in theology. He is thinking of writing his dissertation on the role of the bishop as the principle of communion in the diocese. On the topic, he talked about how the coming pastoral collaborative in the Archdiocese will affect our understanding of what a parish is and the nature of the Church. Scot said Fr. Chris's favorite questions for guests is who are their favorite saints. Fr. Chris said one of his favorites is St. Maximilian Kolbe. In the Franciscan church where Kolbe was a priest before being deported to Auschwitz is a painting of the saint. Nearby is a plaque that says Pope John Paul II prayed there often when he was archbishop of Krakow. Scot asked Fr. Chris was the 40th birthday means to him. Fr. Chris said he has reflected on his own mortality, which good Catholics should do on occasion. In another sense, it's just another day. He considers that as wonderful as this life is, there is a greater life to come in heaven. He said people worry that priesthood is a lonely life, but he's never been lonely. He's open to the many people that Christ brings into his life. Fr. Chris gives thanks to God for his family, who love him at his highest moments and weakest moments. He gives thanks for so many good lay friends, who challenge and encourage him. He appreciates the seminary faculty, nine solid priests who are all on the same page and supportive. He's thankful for the seminarians. He wishes he had been as good as a seminarian as they are today. He wishes they could all be serving in parishes today as priests. He is also thankful for The Good Catholic Life, although he had at first been hesitant to take on another responsibility. Fr. Chris said one of his favorite shows was when they interviewed Fr. Joseph Fessio on Pope Benedict's book last Lent. It was very cerebral and exhilarating. Fr. Fessio gave insight into how then-Fr. Ratzinger was like as a professor.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell Today's guest(s): Dr. Mary Grassa-O'Neill, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, and Jim Walsh, Associate Superintendent for Finance and Administration Links from today's show: Today's topics: Catholic Schools Week: Wrapup Summary of today's show: In our last show of Catholic Schools Week, Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell welcome Mary Grassa-O'Neill and Jim Walsh from the Catholic Schools Office to give listeners more examples of how Catholic schools around the Archdiocese celebrated, including students performing in Chinese at Boston College High and a human rosary at Holy Family in Rockland. They then discussed the success of Catholic schools in Boston, including the first rise in enrollment in decades and tools for principals and pastors to use to better ensure financial viability and strategize for future success in ensuring every child who wants an education steeped in the Catholic faith can have one. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark discussed the Super Bowl on Sunday then discussed the meeting of the Cardinal's Cabinet. Fr. Mark said the meeting was very forward-looking. Fr. Mark said it's also the Feast of St. Blaise and he's been blessing many throats today. On the day after the Feast of the Presentation, on which the candles are blessed, the candles are used for the blessing. He offered the same blessing to anyone who hadn't been able to receive it today. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Mary and Jim to the show. Scot asked Mary for her highlights of the week. She said it's exciting because there are so many activities. She said it begins with the special themed Masses, many of which take place in the parishes last Sunday and others which have them each day. BC High had a program this week called “Chinese Idol,” in which students performed in Chinese, to encourage them to continue to learn Chinese and learn Chinese culture. They were accompanied by an all-strings orchestra from Beijing. They offer nine levels of Chinese instruction and send students to China each year. She said we have to do more in our schools to prepare students for engaging Asian cultures in the future. Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy in Neponset also had a big Chinese celebration. Meanwhile, Holy Family School in Rockland did a human rosary, with each student being one of the prayers. St. Agatha's in Milton had a standing-room only Mass that had over 600 students plus more from the community. Trinity Catholic in Brockton had the mayor and public school superintendent come in to read to the children and they had career days. That is a big school as well with 560 students on two campuses. Mary said the National Catholic Education Association provides suggestions, but schools come up with their own ideas. Quincy Catholic Academy students learned about filmmaking and made stop-motion movies. Other schools take educational field trips. Scot said there seems to be three purposes: school spirit, highlight the Catholic identity, and market the schools to potential students. Jim said it's also an opportunity to celebrate the sense of community. Many honor and give tribute to the religious orders that founded and staffed those schools, teaching about former principals and teachers, for example. They welcome in former students as well as parents and grandparents to see what's going on in the schools. Fr. Mark talked about the connection between the pastors of the parish and the schools. Mary told a story of one child with cancer at St. Mary in Melrose who had chemo but was afraid to come back with no hair so the pastor, Fr. Sullivan, got a local barber and five classmates (with permission of their parents) and they all shaved their heads in solidarity, Fr. Sullivan too. Scot said Catholic Schools Office has three main themes: Strengthening Catholic identity, enhancing academic excellence, and giving vitality to finances. Mary said academic excellence is critical because it's using God's gifts to their fullest. Fr. Mark said not all students are Catholic and we have a mission to educate everyone. Mary said 82% of students are Catholic, and non-Catholic students know they will be asked to participate in the Catholic life of the schools. Scot said Jim also participates in Catholic Schools Week as a parent with children at Xaverian Brothers in Westwood and St. Catherine of Siena in Norwood. He talked about how his own kids took part in events at their schools. He said they had open houses for potential students and their families next year. 3rd segment: Mary told a story of how the students and teachers of St. Catherine's in Norwood lined the streets during the funeral procession of a soldier who died in Afghanistan. The students held their hands over their hearts and waved flags silently to give comfort to the soldier's family and promote the Gospel ideal of laying one's life down one's friends. Jim said there are 123 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese, 89 of them are Archdiocesan parish or Archdiocesan-related schools. Some schools are separately incorporated or owned by religious orders. All of the schools participate in archdiocesan events. The five Catholic colleges also participate and cooperate with the Catholic Schools Office. Mary said there are many Catholic school leaders and the team at CSO help focus on Catholic identity, excellence in academics, and a strong and viable business plan. She said one example of a Catholic school that's taken their help to heart is St. Agnes in Arlington. They had an assessment of their business plan and completely redesigned it so that the parish no longer has to provide financial support to the Catholic. The CSO undertook a study of the business plans and finances of all the Catholic elementary schools and came up with a snapshot of each school and a tool to help monitor and track how the school is doing over time. It gave a whole new vocabulary to pastors and principals because they're not usually trained in business. In the past, the Archdiocese would sometimes hear of a school in distress at the last minute and this tool helps the CSO to monitor schools and give assistance long before the situation gets desperate. Scot asked Jim how the CSO helps schools that are in the danger. He noted that school enrollment in Catholic schools is up for the first time in decades. Jim said schools have generally fallen into three zones, red, yellow and green. They've used this “dashboard” tool to help schools under the metrics that drive the viability of schools, keeping in mind the competitive environment for private schools. The CSO has had several workshops to teach school leaders to understand the metrics and develop a strategy. For example, they're showing schools to strategize their funds to increase ongoing income as opposed to single-time gifts. Scot said a key to a successful Catholic school is the principal and asked how they look for a good fit for each school. Mary said they have helped 45 schools find a new principals in the past few years. They help the school define the job requirements and what they're looking for, hold parish meetings, help form screening committees, and provide other assistance. Mary said our principals are very talented, especially when you see the results. Catholic school students are far outpacing their public school peers in achievement of all kinds. Yet the principals are being compensated, in general, at well below market rate. Scot said a part of the success is getting the word out about the value of Catholic education. Mary said we have to promote our own good news. Catholic school students graduate at a 98% rate, ethnic minorities do better than their public school counterparts, and Catholic school students attend college at a higher rate. Part of the reason is that our people really care about Catholic education, invest a lot of themselves, and focus on what it is they're trying to accomplish. Jim said he's proud of a number of initiatives and recommendations that have taken place in recent years. One of the first was the opening of Trinity Catholic Academy in Brockton. It has a stable enrollment base and many pastoral, educational and social service programs such that the school is often the best thing happening in those kids' lives. He then spoke of Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy which has 1,300 students on four campuses in Boston's inner city. They've now create a Xaverian Brothers-sponsored Catholic high school in Lowell, which is now at capacity with a waiting list. Jim said these intiatives help build the Church in urban areas, but also help stabilize neighborhoods. He cited the example of the St. Peter teen center at Pope John Paul II that provides a place for children well into the night. Mary said Catholic schools provide benefits that surpass your expectations including learning in a Christ-centered environment that promotes a sense of teamwork, community, and caring. 4th segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. Job spoke, saying: Is not man's life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of hirelings? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages. So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. If in bed I say, “When shall I arise?” then the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle; they come to an end without hope. Remember that my life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again. Gospel for February 5, 2012, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mark 1:29-39) On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them. When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him. Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee. Scot said in these readings, suffering is very present. In the first reading we only hear part of the story of Job, in which people doubted Job's faithfulness because he was so blessed. So the blessings were withheld and remained faithful to God. In the Gospel there was much suffering as well and those sufferers came to Jesus and were healed. Fr. Mark said the message of Job is incomplete. The completion of the message of sacrifice and the problem of pain is in the healing message of Jesus. Mary said the first reading makes her think how love of God and faithfulness comes from within. Scot said in the Gospel Jesus healed people one on one. He didn't heal whole crowds at once, but brought his love to the individual. Jim said when we are praying, our prayer sustains us in those difficulties. Often when we pray, we can recognize those who come into our lives as an answer to prayer. Our prayer life sustains us. Fr. Mark said Jesus is the busiest person around. He's got three years to do everything and people are flocking to him, but notice how the Gospel writers say he rose and went to prayer. He always found time to pray. There's no one busier than our Lord, but he finds time to pray.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Carlos Suarez from Christ the King, Our Lady of Lourdes, and St. Edith Stein Parishes, Brockton; and Fr. John D'Arpino from St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Bridgewater * [George Martell's photos of the presbyteral ordination Mass](http://www.flickr.com/photos/bostoncatholic/sets/72157626770315180/) * [The Pilot story on the ordination Mass](http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=13386) * [Christ the King, Brockton](http://ctkp.org/) * [Our Lady of Lourdes, Brockton](http://ourladyoflourdes-brockton.com/) * [St. Edith Stein, Brockton](http://stedithsteinparish.org/) * [St. Thomas Aquinas, Bridgewater](http://stthomasaquinas.com/) **Today's topics:** Meeting two of the newest priests in the Archdiocese, Fr. John D'Arpino and Fr. Carlos Suarez **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Carlos Suarez and Fr. John D'Arpino talk with Scot and Fr. Chris about their first weeks as newly ordained priests, their experience of the ordination Mass, celebrating the first Masses, and moving into their new parish assignments. Also, their own journeys of discerning  their vocations to the priesthood. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. chris back to the show. He has been looking forward to this show since May 21 when 6 men were ordained for Boston. Fr. Chris has been to other ordinations as well, including the Dioceses of Worcester and Springfield, where men who studied at St. John Seminary will serve. On Friday, they also had a catechetical certificate graduation. The program educate catechists to know more about their faith in order to work in parishes and share the faith. In Scot's experience, when a newly ordained priest is assigned to a parish, it re-energizes that parish. Fr. Chris said it's a reminder that the Church is ever ancient and ever new, always young. On Pentecost, we're reminded that the Holy Spirit re-energizes us. That your first love is your greatest love is true for priests as well: There will be no parish like their first parish. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Fr. Carlos and Fr. John to the show. Scot asked Fr. John what it was like during the ordination ceremony after his years of formation. Fr. John said during the moment when Cardinal Seán asked him to pledge his obedience was a highlight for him. He remembers how peaceful he was during the whole ordination and was able to pray. The one moment that sticks out for him is the prayer that the priest prays during the Lamb of God and he suddenly realized he needed to say it. ALso during the Litany of the Saints, it touched him to think of praying with everyone in the cathedral, but also everyone who has come before. Scot asked what it's like to lay on the floor before the altar during the litany of the Saints. Fr. John said it's a humbling experience to receive those prayers of all the people. We are unworthy, but we accept it as a gift from God. Scot asked Fr. Carlos for his brightest memories of the ceremony. He said the imposition of the hands by all the brother priests was a powerful moment. He felt the communion of the priesthood as each one prayed for him. He felt a fraternity and affection from each of them. Fr. Chris asked Fr. Carlos what he was thinking about as he headed to the cathedral. He said it was overwhelming in prayer to think about all the graces he was receiving from God. The concentration on the logistics of the day helped to put aside the stress and just enter into the Mass. Scot said the closest equivalent for laypeople was their wedding day and many of them have to stress over details. Fr. John said he was lucky that he didn't have to deal logistics. He just had to show up at the cathedral and then the reception. Being on retreat for the week right up to the ordination helped him to focus on the most important part of the day. Fr. Chris said one of Cardinal Seán's gifts is preaching his homilies. Fr. Carlos said the Cardinal capitalized on the news about those who expected the Rapture and end of the world that weekend. He started with some humor, but then talked about how the Mass is a rapturous experience for people. Fr. John said he liked how the Cardinal talked about the upper room, the place of the Last Supper but also where the Apostles and Mary were gathered for Pentecost. It was a reminder that the ordination is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Scot asked Fr. John if there was anything about the ordination that surprised him. He was surprised at the amount of joy from the other priests during the Sign of Peace, even from priests he'd never met. It struck him that they are a family and now brothers in the priesthood. Fr. Carlos said he didn't expect the impact of things, especially during the prayers of consecration, recognizing the awesomeness of the moment,. Fr. John chose Fr. Brian Kiely from St. Patrick, Natick, who was his pastor during his assignment to the parish over the past two year.s It was a recognition of his love for the priesthood and that he is one of the best priests he knows. Fr. Carlos chose Fr. Michael MacEwen from Immaculate Conception, Marlboro, for similar reasons. Fr. Carlos had a lot of family fly into Boston from across the country, which was a great gift for him and a support to him in his vocation. **3rd segment:** SCot asked Fr. Carlos when he first heard his calling to the priesthood. He knew from the time he was six that God was calling him to be a priest. He would come home from Mass and play at being a priest. As he grew up and the immensity of God's calling was daunting and he started to push back. He looked into other interests and other fields of study. Around the end of senior year of high school, his faith life took off. The next year he went on a vocation discernment retreat and there was a great sense of peace and a sense of coming home. He explored both religious life and the diocesan priesthood. He graduated from Boston University in 2003 and entered seminary after. He had initially looked at the Salesian order because of his great love for youth ministry, but God made it clear that He wants him to live it through parish life in the Archdiocese of Boston. The Salesians are great, but it was clear God wasn't placing him there. Fr. Chris asked Fr. John about whether he looked into religious life. Fr. John had been exposed to the Benedictines during college and looked int o that life, but realized that he wasn't called to the monastery. He had a sense of giving back to the Church in Boston, which had given him so much of his faith. His vocation began with serving daily Mass in his parish in Lynn and that's what led him to entering the diocesan priesthood. He attended BC High and the retreat experience they offer there helped him. It's a weekend retreat in which the retreat team shares how God has worked in their life. They are encouraged to bring the prayer experiences of the retreat to the rest of their life. Faith became personal and not just a set of rules. Fr. Carlos did not go to any Catholic schools. Scot asked how attending secular schools helped him. Fr. Carlos said one of the great gifts at BU is the Catholic Center. At a secular university, living Catholicism must be an intentional act. It made the faith come alive. Belonging to a community helped strengthen him in his discernment of his vocation. Fr. Chris asked what other priests have been influential. Fr. John said his first pastor, Fr. Ed Malone, was a model of loving the priesthood and serving the people of the parish. The Jesuit priests at BC HIgh radiated the love of Christ. The monks of St. Anselm College were witness of joy and hope and helped him see Christ in his life. Fr. Carlos said there were many pastors, but the pastor of his parish growing up in East Boston was Fr. John Kilmartin, who died about 1-1/2 years ago. In the midst of his suffering, he served the people with joy. Scot asked about the final years of discernment at the seminary. Fr. Carlos said his first 15 minutes at the seminary led him to ask, What am I doing here. But as the years went by he felt a great joy and peace that he was doing what God called him to do. Fr. John agreed with experience. He found joy in growing into this idea of being father to the people he was serving. Fr. Chris said that there's a saying that every priest has one homily he preaches. Fr. Carlos said the basic message he wants to convey is the message of hope. People are often seeking joy and peace in so many other things. He hopes others find the real peace and joy that God wants. Fr. John said he preaches on the fact that we have hope because God loves us in a personal way. In that love and hope, we can find help and grace through any difficulty. **4th segment:** Fr. John said Cardinal Seán's homily reminded that the priest at Mass is both Priest and Victim. He is the sacrifice and the one who offers the sacrifice. Fr. Carlos said his first Mass was at his home parish at St. Joseph-St. Lazarus in East Boston. Being the celebrant at this altar was a beautiful moment that he's still trying to process even 2 weeks later. He asked Fr. Bob Oliver to preach at his first Mass, who had been his faculty adviser and a professor at St. John's and a role model of the priesthood. Fr. Chris asked Fr. John about his first Mass. He said during the elevation he was struck by how real the moment was, unlike any of the practices Masses he had done. He was blown away to think that he held the Creator of the Universe in his hands. And then after distribution of Communion, sitting back in his chair, to be at peace and be amazed at what just happened. Scot asked what it's like to be the principal celebrant at your first Mass. Fr. John said it's a blur, but he was absolutely present. He was nervous and wanted everything to be right. But he was able to present to it and can now recall it and look back on it. Fr. John said Fr. Peter Fournier, a recently ordained priest from Fall River who is a friend.  Scot asked Fr. John about his new assignment. The pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas is new so Fr. John is moving in on June 17. But he did meet some parishioners at the ordination Mass. He was also at freshman orientation at [Bridgewater State University](http://www.bridgew.edu/) yesterday, which is part of his responsibility. Fr. Carlos was assigned to three parishes. He's finished his first week. He's one a 3-week rotation of the parishes each Sunday. He said it's amazing how the Holy Spirit has helped him work in three parishes. He finds the people warm and welcoming. Scot asked him about the sacramental work: He's heard confessions and done anointings and celebrated daily and Sunday Masses. He enjoys meeting people after Mass and getting to know them. Fr. Carlos said there are 4 main languages in his parishes, including English, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, and Spanish. Fr. Carlos speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Arabic. He hopes to learn the Creole languages. He's learned that Brockton is a diverse and energetic place, especially among the youth. There is a lot of energy in the parishes. Fr. John said he was thrilled to be able to do college campus ministry. It's a real sign of how important it is to help young people. They're not just the future of the Church; they are the present of the Church. Fr. Chris asked about their favorite saints. Fr. Carlos said [St. John Bosco](http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-john-bosco/) for his zeal for youth and [St. Maximilian Kolbe](http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-maximilian-kolbe/) for his martyrdom in which he gave his life for others. He said he hopes to inspired by the notion of the idea that his life is to be sacrificial on behalf of his people. Fr. John said he is inspired by [St. Ignatius of Loyola](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07639c.htm) for how he was a soldier, but then he was drawn to his faith; St. Maximilian Kolbe, having been to Auschwitz himself and to think of being at the site of martyrdom and to see how Christ animated his priesthood. Fr. Chris said he is inspired by [St. Therese of Lisieux](http://www.sttherese.com/), finding the way to love in all that we do. Loving the Lord and your neighbor in such a way as it's found in the little things we do every day. Also, Bl. John Paul II, is fortitude, courage, and intelligence. And [St. Francis of Assisi](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06221a.htm), in his willingness to give of himself and to point to the beauty of the natural world. **5th segment:** Scot asked Fr. Carlos how he has experienced the Holy Spirit in a new way. Certainly, the celebration of the Mass, but also in his acting as a priest. In his preaching, he sometimes feels that God is working through you to touch someone's life. Scot asked Fr. John what advice he has for men listening to the program who are discerning God's calling. He said that no matter what you are called to there will be challenges and don't be discouraged. Develop a habit of prayer. In listening to God's calling you in your heart through silence and attention, you can be sure it's God calling you and not your own will.  How do we try to pray in a busy life? The most important thing to do is to set time aside. If you want to be serious about it, then make the time. Set aside a space in your home that is set apart for prayer. Go to a Church to pray. Read Scripture and ask God to speak to you through it. Fr. Chris spoke of the promises that the priests made, including the gift of celibacy. Fr. John said it's a reminder that it's an image of Christ himself, who lived a life of poverty and obedience and chastity. The priest takes on that image of Christ. It reminds us that in heaven there is no giving and taking in marriage. By being celibate, the priest shows our future in heaven. Fr. Carlos said every vocation requires a sacrifice. In marriage, we pledge exclusivity to one person. In priesthood, the Church is his bride. The people of the church are his spiritual children. That desire is fulfilled through a sacrifice to God. If God is calling you to do something, then he will fulfill you in everything  you do. Scot added that praying to God for grace in anything that comes into our life is fruitful. We don't go alone; we have Jesus and the holy Spirit to help fulfill us. Fr. Carlos said we don't have to do it alone. God gives us the grace to live out the vows He's invited us to take. His advice for those discerning their lives is to not be afraid. If God is calling you, then that is what will give you the greatest happiness in life. That is what will most fulfill us. Offer your natural fears to God in prayer and you will see fears settled and joys unfold. Fr. Chris echoed the advice not to be afraid. He said entering the seminary is not making a lifetime commitment. Seminary is for coming and seeing if God is calling you to the priesthood.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell  **Today's guest(s):** Fr. John Phalen, CSC, President of Holy Cross Family Ministries * [Holy Cross Family Ministries](http://hcfm.org/) * [Congregation of Holy Cross](http://www.holycrosscongregation.org/) * [Brothers of Holy Cross](http://www.holycrossbrothers.org/) * [Family Rosary](http://familyrosary.org/) * [Family Theater Productions](http://www.familytheater.org/) * [The Story of Fr. Patrick Peyton, CSC](http://www.hcfm.org/FatherPeyton.aspx) **Today's topics:** Father John Phalen of Holy Cross Family Ministries, the Family Rosary, Family Theater, God's Children Now retreat **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Mark talk with Fr. John Phalen about praying the rosary as a family including practical tips for praying with children. They also discussed the upcoming Family Rosary day for families on June 4 at BC High and the status of the cause for canonization of Fr. Patrick Peyton, the famed Rosary Priest. Also, this Sunday's Gospel reading on the road to Emmaus. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes back Fr. Mark. Fr. Mark says in the past week he's been doing end of the academic year duties, including his last class with seminarians at St. John's for the year and last with the permanent deacon class. He teaches marriage & family and a class on the temporal goods of the Church and is just starting an introduction to canon law class. Scot said May is one of the two months of the year the Church dedicates to the Blessed Mother. (October is the other.) One of the ways we live the devotion to the Blessed Mother is the rosary. In Easton, Mass., is headquartered Holy Cross Family Ministries, founded by Fr. Patrick Peyton, known as the Rosary Priest. Fr. John Phalen, the current president of the ministry, will join us to discuss praying the rosary as a family. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Phalen to the show. Fr. Phalen is a past president of the Mariological Society. Scot asked Fr. Phalen why Catholics need to turn to Mary for a robust faith life. He said Mary was the first Christian and the first among the saints. If we want to conform our lives to Christ, we should go to the one who knew Him the best. She is the one who contemplated His face the most, who spent the most time with Him in her life. Here in the Northeast, we connect May with flowers, but this month we also celebrate Mother's Day, so it is appropriate. Fr. Mark asked about her role as intercessor. Fr. Phalen said Mary is a special intercessor. He said that on a trip to Uganda, he found a parish called "I Saw You" Parish. The pastor said the ground was the king's property at one time and it was forbidden trespass. When trespassers were brought before the king, the accusation was "I Saw You" and they would be condemned to death. The only person who could intercede with the king was the Queen Mother and she would sometimes intercede, asking for him to comply as a favor to her. People in the parish understood the role of Mary as intercessor  by this Queen Mother role. Mary helps us by going to her Son an interceding for us with her prayer. She is like us completely, being a human being who gave birth to her savior. Scot said he recalls Fr. Peyton's saying "The Family that prays together, stays together." Why is it great for families to pray the rosary together? Fr. Phalen said the rosary's prayers are very simple: Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. If they need the mysteries, there is simple guides available. Saying the Hail Mary over and over helps us to contemplate the mysteries. The Rosary is simple so everyone can do it. Grown adults can participate on their own level, but in the presence of other members of their family.  Fr. Mark said there are many families that try and give up because of how the kids squirm. Fr. Phalen says keep trying, but do it in small bites, like just one decade at a time. Keep coming back to it. Model it as a something you want to do it and then hold it out as something they can do when they're grown up enough to do it. It's been proven that the Rosary lowers blood pressure and calms you down. But sometimes we make the perfect the enemy of the good and we expect a complete rosary right then and there. Gradually, they will become accustomed to it. Fr. Mark asked about the balance between listening to the words of the Hail Mary and reflecting on the mystery. We don't want to just whip through the words. Fr. Phalen says he's usually trying to get people to slow down and enunciate the words. As for repetition, Bishop Sheen used to say that if you love someone, you will say you love them over and over again. We're different people from moment to moment and so we're not repeating ourselves because we're saying it as a new person to a new person. I love who you are now as I am now. We also have repetition in the Mass: Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord have mercy. Holy, Holy, Holy. It's not enough just to say it once. Scot asked when are the best times for families to pray the Rosary together. Fr. Phalen says dinnertime is great because the family is all together, so pray before or after the meal, relating it to the meal and the unity achieved around the dinner table. Ask the children for their special intentions. Besides the spiritual benefit, the children and parents learn more about what is going on in their hearts and minds and lives. **3rd segment:** Scot asked the best way to offer intentions for family rosaries. Fr. Phalen said it will help to break up the whole rosary by punctuating each decade with specific intentions, while offering general intentions for the whole rosary. Should each family member have their own or share one rosary? Fr. Phalen said some families keep a bowl of rosaries. Others have a set of hooks with a rosary for each person. Then there's the orsary our mothers gave us: Our ten fingers. Fr. Mark asked about good sources of mysteries: Fr. Phalen said there is the book of "[Father Peyton's Rosary Prayer Book](1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0898709822)". There's also his own book "[Living the Rosary: Finding Your Life in the Mysteries](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594712646/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1594712646)." When he was in seminary, he would return home to visit his parents. He would spend time at night on the dock on the lake, and he would find the Glory of God in the world and receive a sense of God's presence. This moment stays with him now, especially every time he contemplates the mystery of the Transfiguration. His aim in the book is helping people connect the moments in their lives to the moments in the mysteries that will helps us in our prayer. Scot asked about the Luminous Mysteries that Bl. John Paul II offered to the Church. Fr. Phalen said one of his most profound remarks was that the Rosary marks the rhythm of life. This was from his [Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae_en.html). He said that the rosary was the prayer of the laypeople. It was created in the Middle Ages in imitation of the monks' prayer the 150 Psalms of the Liturgy of the Hours. Because they couldn't read, the people needed the assistance of an image of a mystery to help them pray. In the churches and cathedrals the artwork taught the people of the moments of the lives of Christ and Mary and the saints, just like the mysteries of the rosary. So the [Luminous mysteries](http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/rosary/luminous.htm) pick up the time from the ending of the Joyful Mysteries to the beginning of the Sorrowful Mysteries. But Pope John Paul did it in a humble way by proposing it and not imposing it so the people could take it up or leave it. But Fr. Phalen's experience is that the people do love it and are praying it. In his letter, Bl. John Paul said: >The Rosary is by its nature a prayer for peace, since it consists in the contemplation of Christ, the Prince of Peace, the one who is “our peace” (Eph 2:14). Anyone who assimilates the mystery of Christ – and this is clearly the goal of the Rosary – learns the secret of peace and makes it his life's project. Moreover, by virtue of its meditative character, with the tranquil succession of Hail Marys, the Rosary has a peaceful effect on those who pray it, disposing them to receive and experience in their innermost depths, and to spread around them, that true peace which is the special gift of the Risen Lord (cf. Jn 14:27; 20.21). **4th segment:** One of Holy Cross Family Ministries most important works is supporting the spiritual life of families. They have coming up on June 4 at Boston College High School an event from 8am to 5pm. Register at familyrosary.org. Bring family members of all ages, from the youngest on up. There are workshops planned just for the small children. There will be a track for teens led by Fr. Bob Reed of CatholicTV. There will be a Spanish-language track for the whole family. Greg and Lisa Popcak will speak to families as well. The theme is God's Children Now -- Living and Learning Together. There will also be workshops on topics such as bullying, using the Internet and more. The day will end with the Rosary and a Mass celebrated by Bishop Daniel Reilly of Worcester. * [Gregory and Lisa Popcak's ministry: Pastoral Solutions Institute](http://www.exceptionalmarriages.com/index.htm) For the last few years have taken place at Stonehill College in Easton, but they wanted to move closer to Boston to be more central. Some day they want to hold it in Fenway Park with 30,000 people praying on the field. The cost is $7 per person and $40 max per family, if registered before May 15. Price goes up to $10 each and $50 per family after May 15. Lunch is included. Fr. Phalen gave an update on the cause for canonization of Fr. Peyton. The paperwork was sent to Rome last July, the closing of the major local work. Now the Vatican is reviewing all the materials and once that is done, then possible miracles will be considered for beatification. Right now, they are looking at possible miracle, but can't say too much about it right now. Fr. Mark said the amount of work that goes into such investigations is amazing. It is very meticulous work. **5th segment:** Looking at this Sunday's readings for Mass. * [Gospel reading for Sunday, May 8: Luke 24:13-35](http://www.usccb.org/nab/050811.shtml#gospel) >That very day, the first day of the week,  two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them,  “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him,  “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning  and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted  what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread. What strikes Scot is how sad the disciples are in the death of Jesus and how they didn't understand all that happened. Fr. Phalen said they are so down, it reminded him of Red Sox fans. They are down every year, even when their team is doing well for now. The disciples' hopes had been dashed. Then Jesus Himself criticizes them for being foolish and explains everything to them. Fr. Mark says he's truck by how an extraordinary day it was. Jesus just rose from the dead and chose to spend the day walking with two guys on the road to Emmaus. And the He explains all of Scriptures in the greatest lesson ever given. And now we don't even know both of their names.  Scot said God's grace had an effect on them as Jesus spoke because their heart burned. And they didn't want it to end and invited Christ in because Christ does not force himself on us.  Fr. Phalen said there is a great Eucharistic reference here as they recognize Jesus in the Eucharist, the breaking of the bread. For ourselves, after a crisis, sometimes we can say, wasn't it necessary for it happen because God knew better than I. Scot noted that going back to Jerusalem from Emmaus is 7 miles uphill and they ran it away after a long day's walk. They must have been so excited.  Fr. Phalen said we can recognize Christ in our accompaniment of one another, especially gathered around the Table of the Lord, and it gives us great hope. That will conclude today's presentation of The Good Catholic Life. For recordings and photos of today's show and all previous shows, please visit our website: TheGoodCatholicLife.com. You can also download the app for your iPhone or Android device at WQOM.org to listen to the show wherever you may be. We thank our guest Fr. John Phalen. For our co-host, Father Mark O'Connell, our Production team of Rick Heil, Anna Johnson, Justin Bell, Dom Bettinelli, and George Martell, this is Scot Landry saying thank YOU for listening, God bless you and have a wonderful weekend!

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell**Today's guest(s):** John Monahan, host of CatholicTV's ClearVoice, recounts his journey from Dorchester to local TV news to the new Catholic newsmagazine show; talks about it's like to chase breaking news stories; and he gives tips for being a more effective communicator in business, job interviews, and even for priests giving homilies. Also, the Mass readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. * [John Monahan's biography](http://monahan-communications.com/#/bio/4541336885)* [ClearVoice on CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com/ClearVoice.aspx)* [ClearVoice in iCatholic magazine](http://www.catholictv.com/magazine/magazine.aspx?magazineID=65116)**Today's topics:** Former Fox25-Boston TV news reporter John Monahan's journey to CatholicTV's new magazine show, "ClearVoice". Also, this coming Sunday's readings for Mass.**A summary of today's show:** John Monahan, host of CatholicTV's ClearVoice **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Mark. Scot notes today is Red Sox opening day at home. He suggests listeners turn up WQOM, turn on the TV and turn down the volume there. Fr. Mark went to the funeral of Msgr. Daly, who had served 36 years at the seminary. He was the rector of the seminary when Fr. Mark was there in 1986-1990. He said Cardinal Seán was there as well as 60 priests. Fr. Mark said it was a beautiful turnout.Scot notes that homilist at priests' funerals is a friend of the priest. At this funeral, Msgr. James McCune was the homilist. At the end of priest's funeral, all the priests gather around the casket and sing the Salve Regina as they accompany the casket to the hearse.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome John Monahan to the program. Scot notes that John's voice is familiar to CatholicTV and Fox25 viewers. John grew up in Dorchester in St. Brendan's parish and went to BC High School. Studied communications at UMass Amherst. After graduation he worked at Boston University on a half-hour news show for a cable-access news show.He wanted to move to California to pursue his career in broadcast journalism. He brought resume tapes to about 10 stations in California and Oregon. He got a call from a station in Monterey, California. Fr. Mark asked how much John's natural voice opens doors? He said the voice has never been a big part of his success. TV news is so subjective that you can't guess what will grab a station manager's attention. His first job in Monterey was doing the farm report because he looked like he grew up on the farm and a Midwesterner.He never intended to move back to Boston. He had wanted to move up to a larger market than Monterey and had been focusing on Los Angeles and San Francisco. His agent sent out tapes and he happened to get a call from the station manager at WB56. When the manager found out he went to BC High across the street, he had the job. He was there for 3 years, starting out on a morning show. He moved to Fox 25 and was there for 4-1/2 years.Scot asked what his favorite stories were. John said he liked the feature stories, digging down deep and getting to know a person and telling their story. He also loved covering breaking news, the heat of the moment. He covered the infamous "shoe bomber" story, the terrorist on the plane who had tried to blow up the plane and the plane was diverted to Boston. Scot asked what it's like to cover breaking news? Is it competitive or collaborative?He said they want to get the story, but there is collaboration. You help someone else so they're not completely left behind, but you don't put your own story in jeopardy. He loved working in spontaneous situations.Fr. Mark said sometimes when he knows the story, often a reporter will blow up a small kernel into something awful. John said the reporter is always trying to find the conflict in the story, the juxtaposition, to entice the viewer and draw them in. Some stations do this to a greater degree than others. The news used to be more objective, but the competition is so fierce today.You prepare yourself for horrendous situations by preparing yourself and eventually learning to stay somewhat detached. Often there is black humor to help themselves deal with it. Scot asked if there's any kind of post-traumatic stress. John recalls a story about a Christmas tree that caught fire and killed the babysitter and three kids. He can't forget the screams of the mother on hearing what happened.Fr. Mark asked if its hard as a Catholic to cover some of the news that relate to his faith. John said he tries to put the story in its most objective light. You can't control what the anchors say, but he can control the content of the report.**3rd segment:** How did ClearVoice start? John had been talking with Fr. Robert Reed, director of CatholicTV, about the show for a while. ClearVoice is a newsmagazine show. The difference from a news show is that a news show is events of the day. A newsmagazine is more in-depth, more lighthearted, not so much about the current events. They had the CBS Sunday Morning show in mind, in-depth profiles of people and lighthearted segments.They've had 19 shows so far. He was particularly happy with the shows about Christmas time. The March for Life was a big story for them as well. They interviewed former Sen. Rick Santorum recently as well as chastity speaker Jason Evert last week.John is impressed by CatholicTV and its high quality. The environment is much nicer than when he worked in news. They have amazing technology. Their set is a wall of 24 high-definition televisions. You don't see sets like this even in secular stations. It can be one big screen or 24 individual screens or any combination.ClearVoice is aiming at a national market, not just the Boston area. Catholic TV now serves 25% of the United States and 75 cities. It's the second-largest Catholic TV network after EWTN.They get reports from Rome each from [Rome Reports](http://www.romereports.com), [H2O](http://www.h2onews.org) and [Catholic News Service](http://www.catholicnews.com), which CatholicTV has an arrangement with. Kevin NElson, the executive producer of the show, goes through all the content to choose the right stories. They broadcast on Thursday nights.John's co-host is Christine Caswell, who is also a veteran of Boston TV news. They'd known each other as acquaintances in their previous careers. Her day job manages the interns at [Boston University's school of communications](http://www.bu.edu/com/), which is how Fr. Reed got to know her.John hopes that ClearVoice becomes even more relevant to the news that is going on the week of broadcast. He's also looking for more in-depth features. He'd love to have Cardinal Seán on the show. He has a lot of admiration for Archbishop Dolan in New York. But he'd also like to interview regular local people, like the guy who plays the flute at noon Mass at Mission Church.This is the first newsmagazine on any Catholic network in North America. John said it says a lot about CatholicTV and where Fr. Reed wants to take it. It indicates the future growth of the network nationally and internationally.All the recorded shows are available at CatholicTV.com.**4th segment:** John now has his own communications consulting firm where he advises corporations on communications skills. Scot asked what are some of the ways to overcome the fear of public speaking?John said preparation is important. He was in Chicago early in his career and he still nervous about being on-air. He met this anchor who was cool as cucumber on air. When he asked the man how this guy wasn't nervous, and he told John that of course he's nervous. In fact, everyone is nervous, but many people turn that around and turn it into energy and excitement. If you've prepared enough, including practice what you're going to say, you own the words. You write it out by hand to help you remember it.Scot asked what high-level businessmen are asking for help with? John's biggest skill is taking a lot of information and boiling it down to the essential nuggets. He also helps them translate written speeches into a conversational tone and make them into a good narrative. Give it a beginning and an end that reach the same point to bring everything full circle.Fr. Mark asked what makes a good homily as a communicator? John said it's about intertwining a story with the message. Facts alone are difficult to digest, but people remember a story. Fr. Mark said some priests can't land the plane; you think they're ending the homily and then go off again. John said sometimes they don't even know they're doing it. But then keep a phrase or idea in mind so that when you get to that, you know to wrap up and end.Scot said that you have to prepare the close as much as you prepare the open and the content. John said the speaker should finish in a way that people remember what you said.Fr. Mark said he's never begun a homily with "In today's Gospel..." because by the time he says Gospel they're asleep. John agreed that you have to have something memorable to grab their attention.John mostly works with mid- to upper-level management, also sales groups. He also helps train with media management. He recently worked with Stonehill College.He also has tips for communicating during job interviews. Have a beginning, middle, and end. Who are you? What's your background, your skills, your traits? Then offer a summary. And finally anticipate what kind of questions you'll get from the interviewer and practice your answers. Scot noted that many people are humble and shy about talking about themselves so they aren't used to it. John said to find a friend or family member to act out the interview.**5th segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark will look at the Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. This the story of Lazarus from the Gospel of John* [Sunday's Mass readings](http://www.usccb.org/nab/041011.shtml): Ez 37:12-14, Ps 130:1-8, Rom 8:8-11, Jn 11:1-45 or 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45>The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was.Then after this he said to his disciples, +Let us go back to Judea.”>>When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life;  whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”>>He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”And Jesus wept.  So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?”>>So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him,  “Lord, by now there will be a stench;  he has been dead for four days.”  Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”  So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice, >“Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth.>>So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.Scot said the Church wants us to reflect on this just before we attend to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus during Holy Week. John is struck by the faith of Mary and Martha.Fr. Mark said Jesus is weeping because He understands the human experience and pain and suffering. He knows that death hurts those who are left. Scot said he didn't realize before that Jesus was risking His own life going to Bethany. Fr. Mark said we remember Thomas as the doubter, but here he is the one who stands up and says, "Let's go with him to die with Him."The four days in the tomb is significant because of an ancient belief that the soul stayed with the body for three days, so St. John is conveying that Lazarus is really and truly dead.St. John is also recalling the Book of Genesis. God speaks and creation happens. Here the Word of God speaks and He conquers death. His Word is so powerful that something so impossible can happen.It's easy for us to know Jesus is divine, but when Jesus weeps for Lazarus and for the mourners, it reinforces His humanity.Jesus delays and Lazarus dies. So Lazarus' suffering glorifies God and that is a lesson for those who suffer and believes God is delaying.Jesus also challenges Martha if she believes that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. This is a question presented to all of us.

  **Today's hosts:** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor, vice-rector of St. John's Seminary **Today's guests:** Bishop Robery Hennessey, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Boston, and Sinisa Ubiparipovic, a seminarian studying at St./ John's Seminary. **Today's topics:** The Light Is On For You, Lenten confessions, a seminarian from Yugoslavia, the St. James Society and South America * [St. John's Seminary](http://www.sjs.edu) * [The Light Is On For You](http://www.thelightisonforyou.org) * [St. James Society](http://www.socstjames.com/) **A summary of today's show:** Bishop Robert Hennessey reflects on the beauty of the Sacrament of Confession and the message of God's forgiveness it contains. He also notes the wonderful success of The Light Is On For You, a confession initiative during Lent and Advent. Seminarian Sinisa Ubiparipovic talked of his journey to seminary and his recent travels to South America with the St. James Society, while Bishop Hennessey recalled his years with the Society, the important work they do, and the important fruit it continues to bear for the Archdiocese. **1st segment:** Fr. Chris O'Connor joined Scot on the show for the first time. He shared some of his background that brought him to the seminary. He grew up in Dorchester and Quincy, went to BC High, attended St. John's Seminary College, went to Rome for a year, returned to finish his studies, spent some time in St. Mary, Chelmsford, received a doctorate in Philosophy from Catholic U in DC.  St. John's has had a renewal in recent years. It has almost reached capacity with seminarians and continues to grow. Many of the men entering were inspired by the example of Pope John Paul II. Bishop Arthur Kennedy, the rector, has provided great leadership and expanded their mission to become a regional seminary. It also offers a series of lay leadership and ministry formation courses. There is a master of arts in ministry program to form parish ministers. They also offer catechetical certificates. On Thursday at 11am, Cardinal Seán and Bishop Kennedy will announce a new lay formation program during a press conference at the cathedral, followed by the St. Patrick's Day Mass. **2nd segment:** Bishop Robert Hennessey joined the program. He was ordained a bishop on December 12, 2006. Prior to that, he served the Church in various ways, including the St. James Society. He grew up in South Boston at St. Augustine's parish. He attended St. John Seminary and then served in several parishes and then went to Bolivia for several years with the St. James Society. He then served Most Holy Redeemer in East Boston, the largest Spanish-speaking parish in the archdiocese, as pastor for 12 years. Then he was appointed as bishop. Two years ago he was appointed to lead The Light Is On For You, a Confession initiative for Lent and Advent. Confession is not just for Lent, Bishop Hennessey said, but frequent confession is good for us. It is a great place to find out, not that we're bad, but that we're loved by God. Even if we disappoint God or anger Him through our sins, we are still beloved of Him. Fr. Chris asked the bishop which Scripture passage he would say is the best to talk about Confession. The bishop loves the Prodigal Son, mainly because the young man was able to admit his faults, but also before he could tell his father that he was no longer worthy to be his son, the father cut him off with his loving forgiveness. We cannot say we are not worthy to be loved by the Father, because His love is a free gift of His grace and His very nature. Scot said that it is not just the story of the Prodigal Son, but also the story of the Loving Father. Bishop Hennessey said that the father was keeping watch for his son, because we know he saw the son coming back from a distance. In Pope Benedict's book, "Jesus of Nazareth", he says it's not just the Prodigal Son, but the Prodigal Son*s*, because it is both sons who disappoint their father and who need forgiveness. * [Jesus of Nazareth](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586171984/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=catholicnetrevie&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1586171984) Bishop Hennessey said that the adage is true: Confession is good for the soul. He is always amazed in hearing confessions that people are willing to share with him those intense moments of their lives and feels great being an instrument of that forgiveness of God. Scot observed that the Sacrament of Penance is not used as frequently as it used to be, citing a recent study: 14% of Catholics go several times a year or more, 12% once per year, 30% less than once per year and 45% can't remember their last confession. * [Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice among US Catholics, CARA study](http://cara.georgetown.edu/sacraments.html) Bishop Hennessey said he thinks people just got out of the habit. In his childhood, he remembers that everyone went to confession on Saturdays. That was the only thing going on in the Church on Saturdays. But now, the vigil Mass puts a limit on how long the priest can be in the confessional. A part of the reason is we're not providing as many opportunities for confession. This is why they chose Wednesday for The Light Is On For You because Saturday from 3-4pm is so busy in our modern lives. Fr. Chris agreed that part of the lack of use of the sacrament is because so many people no longer have a sense of sin. But there is something very powerful about hearing the words of absolution. Oscar Wilde once said, "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future." Scot recalls a powerful analogy by the author and speaker Matthew Kelly in his book "Rediscovering Catholicism" comparing confession to getting your car washed and detailed. * [Rediscovering Catholicism: Journeying Toward Our Spiritual North Star](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1929266081/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=catholicnetrevie&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1929266081) Kelly's analogy is that after a car wash and detailing, you avoid every mud puddle and try to keep the interior spotless, but over time, the dirt inevitably comes and trash accumulates and you stop trying as hard to keep it clean. Likewise after confession, we are careful to avoid sin, but then we begin to allow venial sin into our life and as those venial sins pile up, we become desensitized even to mortal sin. So frequent confession keeps us sensitized to sin. Bishop Hennessey likes the analogy because the spiritual cleansing of confession is for our interior life, like the detailing of the car. Fr. Chris noted that Cardinal O'Connor had said that no sin can be more powerful than the power of the Cross. **3rd segment:** Discussing now The Light Is On For You. It began in some other dioceses, and Cardinal Seán brought it up in a meeting of Boston's bishops several years ago, asking Bishop Hennessey to lead it. TLIOFY started in Lent 2010 and it has been received well by priests and parishioners. He had assured them that this was not something that would require meetings. They just had to be in their churches on Wednesdays. A key is that it is every parish at the same time so that the people know they can go anywhere, wherever they are, Wednesdays 6:30-8pm. The best estimates (because the seal of confession forbids taking counts) is that more than 30,000 people went during the Wednesdays in Lent last year. Fr. Chris said that having a regular scheduled time of confession is helpful because of our very busy scheduled lives.  Bishop Hennessey said some worried whether priests would support this, because it would not work without their support, but his experience is of almost universal support. He got two complaints from priests last year, and one of them called him back after Easter to apologize because of how wonderful it was. The other turned out not the be angry at all, but reported that he was in the confessional until after 10pm hearing confessions. Scot noted that there was a concern that we were asking priests to add yet another duty to their already stretched lives. They were also concerned whether anyone would show. Fr. Chris said he was meeting a priest for dinner at a Wednesday last year, but while the priest was waiting outside the chapel for Fr. Chris to finish, he started to hear even more confessions from so many people who were waiting. Scot said some people call it the forgotten sacrament, which may indicate that as a Church we don't embrace it as frequently as we should. Bishop Hennessey said that in his 12 years as a pastor, he learned firsthand the difficult schedules that pastors have, but also that administering the sacrament of confession was a beautiful part of his vocation appreciated by all priests. For people who think their sins are just too big or too complex for some young priest to hear them, Bishop Hennessey said it's not about the priest's experience, but it's about receiving God's mercy and encountering His infinite loving forgiveness, which is medicine for the soul. Scot said we wouldn't be reluctant to tell our doctor what our symptoms are if we really want to be healed of whatever ails us. Plus, a priest of almost any experience will have heard just about everything. Bishop Hennessey said it was a joy to hear people bare their souls so he could offer them the words of forgiveness they were seeking and the penitent often thanked him for lifting their burden. Fr. Chris noted that the sacraments offers both forgiveness and grace and the grace gives assistance to avoid that sin again in life. If someone has not been to confession in a long time and feels unsure of what to do or say, that's okay because the priest is there to help them and wants to help them. Scot said that in the story of the Prodigal Son the father throws a celebration for his son who has returned, and God rejoices whenever we return to Him in the sacrament of confession. The website of The Light Is On For You has tremendous resources for examination of conscience and to learn more about the sacrament of confession and God's loving forgiveness. All the prayers are there, print them out from the website and bring them with you to the confessional. * [The Light Is On For You](http://www.thelightisonforyou.org) * [Pilot Parish Finder](http://www.pilotparishfinder.com) * [Pilot Parish Finder (iPhone app)](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pilot-parish-finder/id406816873?mt=8) * [Confession (iPhone app)](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/confession-a-roman-catholic/id416019676?mt=8) **4th segment:** Sinisa Ubiparipovic was born in Yugoslavia, in Bosnia in 1987, his family moved to Germany temporarily, and in 1999 came to the United States. They lived in Lynn, which was a culture shock because he grew up in a small village. He worked at St. Joseph's church as a youth and the pastor there encouraged him to become a priest, but he refused to consider it. He studied accounting at Bentley College, lived a typical college lifestyle, and traveled throughout Europe encountering all kinds of people. But no matter who he talked to, he noticed that everyone was looking for happiness, which led him to wonder where that desire comes from. He concluded that there must be an answer to the desire for true and eternal happiness. When he went to see Pope Benedict in New York City, he saw all around him the incredible diversity of the Church, like the incredibly rich diversity of peoples he had encountered in his travels. That's when he applied to the seminary. As part of his studies last year for spring break, he went with a group from St. John's to Peru to work with the St. James Society. Sinisa had never been to South America. The first day they arrived, they were sent to parishes and he ended up at the parish furthest from the mother house for the society. This parish had 40,000-50,000 parishioners and all were extremely poor in a dirty, dusty shantytown. Nevertheless, the people had a sense of faith and a sense of hope for life beyond this life. Fr. Chris said the experience made him aware of how blessed we are as Americans, even to have clean water from a tap. The sheer poverty you encounter, yet also people filled with life and joy. People had very little, but were extremely happy because they had the Lord. It made him aware of where our focus should truly be. Bishop Hennessey was pastor of a parish in Bolivia for many years as a member of the St. James Society. He recalled that when the people prayed, "Give us this day our daily bread," they meant it in a literal way. The people wanted more out of life, but there was also a contentment in daily life. He was led to the missions because as a young priest he was blessed with a great pastor in Plymouth, Fr. Dan Lynch, who had served in the society. Fr. Lynch spoke about the fraternity among the St. James priests, who become closer in their bond of priesthood because they are serving in an alien culture with a different language, even though they may be physically distant from one another. When Bishop Hennessey was in Bolivia, the nearest priest was sometimes stationed several hours away. The St. James Society was founded by Cardinal Richard Cushing in the 1960s responding to a call by the Pope for dioceses to be generous with their priests to the missions. And now as we struggle to have enough priests for our people, we are receiving many priests from the places to which we had sent our priests in those years past. Fr. Chris asked Bishop Hennessey what sort of Lenten practices he saw in South America that we could adopt here. He saw an emphasis on confessions. There are also penitential groups that get together regularly for corporal works of mercy, but also literally to carry the image of Our Crucified Lord through the streets of the city for hours at a time. Bishop Hennessey said the Archdiocese of Boston is stronger for all the immigrants that have come to us in recent years and we are reaping the rewards as a Church. Fasting and almsgiving are disciplines for Lent that help us to remember the needs of others. What should we be doing to support the missions through our Lenten disciplines? The Lenten almsgiving boxes ("rice bowls") are still quite effective. Even little bits of money, gathered together, go a long way. As a young man studying for the priesthood, Sinisa takes to heart the admonition that every priest is called to be a missionary, whether at home or abroad. He hopes that as a priest he can be a bridge to salvation through the sacrament of confession, even if he can be that conduit just once for one dying penitent soul. Cardinal Seán is asking every Catholic to be a missionary by praying for and inviting home Catholics who are away from the Church. Bishop Hennessey sees that The Light Is On For You as the best way for Catholics to come home, by getting a complete fresh start.