Dear Friends,
I hope and pray that you had a wonderful and peaceful Advent and Christmas, and I hope you are all looking forward to a wonderful year ahead.
Much has changed since my annual letter to you in September. On the national stage, we saw a historic and contentious presidential election which continues to be contentious well after the election. Whatever your political affiliation, please pray that our elected officials govern in a civil and constructive manner “bound by faith and committed to justice.”
We are enjoying our new chaplain, Father Chris Palladino. Father Chris, a canon lawyer, is adjutant judicial vicar for the Metropolitan Tribunal. He continues to provide us with wonderful quarterly masses at the Pastoral Center followed by brunch and timely reflections. The next mass will be the first Sunday of Lent, March 5, 2017, which will be a wonderful way to kick off the Lenten season. For those of you who have not attended any of these in the past, the Pastoral Center is located at 66 Brooks Drive in Braintree, just off Route 93/128, near the South Shore Plaza. There is no fee for the event. You will leave wondering why you haven’t attended one of these in the past. Families, friends and spouses are welcome and encouraged.
Since September, we have enjoyed two ice cream socials at Regina Cleri, most recently on January 25, 2017. The retired priests are extremely grateful to have us there. They greatly appreciate our company and fellowship, and they really like ice cream! We are hoping to continue this ministry with additional ice cream socials as well as a possible reception with the retired priests after work. It is the least that we can do for these men who devoted their entire adult life to the Church and for our benefit. It is a joy to spend time with them.
Co-vice presidents Maura Doyle and Adrienne Camire are busy planning receptions in the spring for newly admitted lawyers as well as young lawyers. We look forward to these events and hope that as many of you as possible will be able to attend. We are still in the process of scheduling a night at Father Bill’s in Quincy during Lent. Lent is a great time for all of us to give back to those who need us the most. If anyone wishes to assist in an event or has an idea for an event for the guild, please contact me. We welcome your ideas and participation.
The Red Mass was held on October 30, 2016, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. It was followed by a luncheon and talk by our featured guest, former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See and former Mayor of Boston, Raymond Flynn. Ambassador Flynn is the third of the three local Ambassadors to the Holy See to address the guild at the Red Mass. His experience as Mayor, Ambassador, contributor to The Pilot, as well as radio commentator and other positions provides him with a great amount of knowledge and experience which he graciously shared with the full house that attended. Thank you, Cardinal O’Malley, for presiding at the mass. Thank you, Bishop O’Connell, for your words and prayers at the luncheon. Thank you also to Father Saltzman and the students from Harvard Law School, as well as the other local law schools, who attended. It was great to see the future of the guild at the mass and luncheon.
Congratulations to Henry Luthin, the more than worthy recipient of the Joseph Nolan Award. Henry is a stalwart of the guild. For more than thirty years, he has spent his professional and personal life working for the church, most notably in promoting life from conception to natural death. Congratulations, Henry. We could not be more proud of you.
I hope you will continue your support of the Guild, and it would be great to have you involved with our events. As I asked in September, welcome, will you join us? The vibrancy and relevance of this guild is directly related to the participation of its members. We hope that the events we are planning will further engage our membership, and we welcome your participation in these events. We are open to new ideas and new events that you, our members, would like to see and in which you would like to participate. If you have an idea, feel free to contact me at mgillis@gillisandbikofsky.com. I and the board welcome new or traditional activities which help our members grow in faith and fellowship. The board of directors welcomes the opportunity to work for the betterment of us all.
Thank you for your support and participation. I look forward to seeing you at a CLG event.
God bless,
Michael K. Gillis
President, Catholic Lawyers’ Guild
