Dear Members:
It has been a year since I reported to you on the work of the Catholic Lawyers’ Guild. In my last report I informed you that the Board of Directors voted to create a Governance Committee to review our corporate documents. The purpose of the review is to assure the members that the corporate governance is transparent, welcoming and genuinely open to new members of all ages, providing ample opportunities for all to increase their role in the governance and activities of the Guild. We also seek to get our governance documents in line with the requirements of the Archdiocese and current corporate law.
The Honorable Maura Doyle, Clerk of the Massachusetts Supreme Court and the Vice President of the Guild, is chairman of the Governance Committee. The members of the Committee are: Carolyn Carideo, Adrienne Camire, Michael Farrington, Michael Gillis, John Hanify, Paul Hedstrom, Beirne Lovely, David McGowan, Paul McNamara, Ex Officio, and Honorable Elaine Moriarty. We expect the Committee to complete its work later this summer.
A Membership Committee will launch in July. The committee will detail the spiritual, educational and networking opportunities within the Guild for new lawyers as well as lawyers long at the Bar. Each member will be asked to play his or her part to grow the membership.
I am happy to report that Cardinal O’Malley wishes to use the Red Mass podium as an opportunity to expand his comments on the necessity to deal effectively with our outdated immigration laws. The proper treatment of the immigrant population here in our own town and in our own lives need not wait for legislation. The Cardinal’s teaching will be invaluable. In furtherance of this important topic, the Cardinal has extended an invitation to Ambassador Kenneth Hackett to be the Red Mass luncheon speaker. Ambassador Hackett, prior to being named the US Ambassador to the Holy See, was head of the worldwide Catholic Relief Association. From both positions he is a very knowledgeable person to speak to the immigration crisis.
The Red Mass will be celebrated on October 26, 2014 with a Mass celebrated by the Cardinal at 11:30 AM at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross followed by a luncheon at the Seaport Hotel at 1:00 PM. Please save the date on your calendar and look for a formal invitation to arrive by mail in a few weeks.
A new initiative of our chaplain, Fr. Mark O’Connell, is a series of family gatherings at the Archdiocese’s Pastoral Center in Braintree. The format has included the celebration of Mass at 10:00 AM followed by a light brunch and a round table discussion. Members are welcome to come for Mass, for the brunch, for the discussion, or any combination thereof.
Our most recent session took place on June 8 , when the topic was “Divorced and Remarried Catholics and Holy Communion, a primer for the Synod of Bishops.” These events are replacing the traditional Spring Lecture, usually held in the month of May. Back in December, we talked about how Pope Francis is challenging us, and in March, we spoke about the reputation of the Catholic Church.
Later this summer, after the Governance Committee has completed its work, I will be appointing a Nominating Committee for the election of officers and directors. This is part of the new Governance Committee initiative. Since under our governing statute we are a Director-governed organization, the nominating committee will seek from each of you the names of candidates to ensure the broadest possible participation of members at the Board level. Hopefully you will consider offering your own name for service on the Guild’s Board.
All in all it has been a very active year! I am sure with the implementation of the ideas and ideals of the Governance Committee, the Guild will be a tool in helping members to balance their Faith and Professional lives.
Please take a moment to view our new and improved website at www.clgb.org. Carolyn Carideo deserves our applause for this improvement to our website. The latest inclusion is a video of the Memorial Tribute to Justice Joseph R. Nolan, Sponsored by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, at the John Adams Courthouse in Boston. We welcome your suggestions on how to further improve our new website, so don’t hesitate to email us with your thoughts at clgboston@gmail.com.
Remember, hold the Red Mass date; October 26 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
Sincerely,
Paul J. McNamara
President
