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2009 Irish Hall of Fame Inductee: Pat Egan

Pat Egan

By Kathy McGee Burns

Egan Family Rules

Go to church every Sunday (and be on time)
Go to College (and they all did)
Vote in every election (and try to make that a Democratic vote)

When I arrived at Bridey Egan’s home to interview her, I was delighted to see a very large, 3-story, white-washed stucco twin Victorian with six bedrooms. I could just imagine it burgeoning with the laughter and frolicking of the family of 12 Egans in their younger years. The inside was full of family portraits, mementos and a lot of memories. We sat around the kitchen table and talked about her late husband, Pat, who will be inducted into the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame on Sunday.

In the townland of Clydagh, a rural area, south-west of Headford , County.Galway, lies the farm in which the Egan family called home. This community is nestled on the north eastern shore of Lake Corrib, the second largest fresh water lake in Ireland. The parents, Thomas (called Kenny Egan) and Nora Walsh Egan raised seven children there. Patrick was the oldest. He attended Clydagh National School, which is now150 years old. In May 1948, at the age of 24. he came to America, settling in Bryn Mawr with his Aunt Sarah McMahon. He wanted to better himself and had no desire to be a farmer. This was after the war years and immigration had opened up. He took menial jobs to get started and soon became a lineman for Suburban Water Company.

Typical of a young, single Irishman, he attended the 69th Street dances. This is where he met and fell in love with the beautiful Mayo girl, Bridget Feeley. She and her sister, Frannie, had come to Fishtown on a lark, never intending to stay. Bridey’s encounter with Pat Egan certainly changed the mind of the daughter of Michael and Margaret Feeley of Ballyhaunis.

Pat and Bridey were married for 57 years and had 10 childre: Mary, Peggy, Noreen, Tom, Bernadette, Anne, Michael, John and Joe, and Frances. They lost a daughter, Patricia, at the age of 10 weeks. They settled in Ardmore and became parishioners of St. Colman’s.

Patrick Egan was involved with the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) from 1948 to 1954. He played for Galway and captained the team. In the early days, there was very little local competition so the team traveled to various states, including New York and Washington. His son, Mike, told me that as much as he loved Irish sports, he was very much Americanized and encouraged his sons to play football. He was also an avid Phillies fan. The family regretted that Pat was not alive to see the Phil’s win the championship last year. Knowing him, they said, he was probably calling the shots in Heaven.

There was a lot of Irish culture in the Egan home—plenty of Irish music and the beloved Sunday radio shows. Pat was a member of the Galway Society from 1948 to 2007. He was president many times over.

A stone mason most of his life, he rebuilt the steps of St. Colman’s Church. In 1994, he was featured on the TV show, This Old House, and was considered an expert in the lovely work he did. I saw some of his beautiful designs, which are on the front porch of his home. After his death, someone wrote a note to Bridey saying that they would think of Pat every time they climbed the steps of St. Colmans.

The only other Egan to come to America with Pat was his brother, John. They were best friends and fellow Phillies attendees. John was the youngest of the Galway Egans and served as best man at his brother’s wedding.

Patrick Egan was grateful to all the Irish who helped him when he came to the Phila-
delphia area and he in turn helped many others. Michael Egan told me that his father was intelligent, honest, hard working, tough, dignified, a gentleman and a caring human being. Although he had a limited formal education, he was well read. He devoured several newspapers each day, loved crossword puzzles and had a fabulous vocabulary. His love of knowledge made him adamant about each of his children getting a college degree. Pat realized the vast opportunities that this country presents and the surest path to taking full advantage was a good education.

Bridey said how much fun he was. That’s why she married him. John Egan said that they were a devoted couple, very much in love.

Mike shared some funny stories. One of Pat’s passions was Monday night bowling,
so much so that the family joke was if Mom died first she can’t be laid out on Monday night. Dad wouldn’t be able to make it!

The other story was about Pat’s strict curfew rules, especially for the older children. Some young man had brought one of the girls home past curfew. Pat chased him down the driveway, caught up with the lad and said,” Don’t come back if you can’t get my daughter home on time.” They never saw that guy again and thankfully he relaxed his rules after the first six children.

When Bridey and I were finished talking, she shared some of the many cards she received after Pat’s death. I think these sentiments people wrote clearly defines Patrick Egan:

“We have memories of enjoyable conversations, friendly exchanges, and assistance with community efforts.”

“His elegance, gentleness, religious commitment and work effort will continue to inspire us.”

This is the measure of a good man.

November 13, 2009 by Guest

News, People

2009 Irish Hall of Fame Inductees: Sean and Johanna McMenamin

The McMenamins

By Kathy McGee Burns

“Take, if you must, this little bag of dreams.
Unloose the cord, and they will wrap you round.”

These are words written by William Butler Yeats, a poet, dramatist, Nobel Prize winner and a Sligo man, buried beneath Benbulben. His words have great meaning for Sean and Johanna McMenamin, 2009 Hall of Fame inductee.

Johanna Kilroy McMenamin, is from Sligo, youngest of eight children born to Nora and Luke. Her town, Bellaghy, was a small market town with a main street and a railroad line which separated it from Charlestown, County Mayo.

And Sean is the oldest of 6, a Mayo man from Killadangan, 3 miles from Westport. This is an old Druid town and the burial site of the mythical King of Killa Dangan, his servant, Thulera, the twin sons of O’Malley and a one-legged Englishman named Cox. The area is demarcated by a circle with five randomly standing, pointed stones. Sean said that from his front door you could see Clew Bay and from the back, Croagh Patrick. The McMenamin parents were P.J.( a farmer) and Maggie (a nurse).

Johanna attended Lowpark National School and the Maris Convent for Girls and she shared this experience with her best friend of 60 years, Attracta O’Malley, who now lives in Philadelphia. Attracta remembers Johanna as very shy and well loved by her teachers.

Sean was educated by the Christian Brothers and eventually attended Westport Technical School where he specialized in construction trades. After graduation, Sean had the wanderlust and moved to England to serve his apprenticeship. In the winter of ’66, when the immigration laws were tightening, Sean decided to come to America. Would it be Pittsburgh or New York? That’s what Sean had to decide. While coming to grips with this dilemma, he traveled to Philadelphia to visit his cousin, Austen McGreal and his wife, Margie. This is where that bag of dreams starts to fill up. Austen said, “Give Philadelphia a try!”

Sean has always believed that his life was full of many twists of fate.
In the meantime, Johanna had come here in 1962 to join some of her family and was working with Attracta at General Accident Insurance Company. She was busy having fun with all of her new friends, attending dances at Connelly’s, 69th Street and The Irish Center.

Two weeks after Sean settled into his new home, his friend Hughie O’Malley took him to the Irish Center. On the very day that the Mayo Men’s Club began to accept women members and became the Mayo Association, Sean joined. He had also been drafted into the Army, an event he welcomed. As fate would have it again, he was assigned to Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey, as a MP, Stockade Guard Commander. In August of 1966, on a Sunday night, he and his friend, Tommy Moffit, went to the Irish Center to join Tommy’s sisters, Attracta and Kathleen and their friend Johanna Kilroy. Yes, it was love at first sight! The cord to the bag of dreams was starting to unloosen.

They spent a lot of time double dating with Attracta Moffit and Tom O’Malley. As a matter of fact the two couples married two weeks apart in 1968.
Sean and Johanna have been married for 41 years. They are such a lovely couple, sweet, caring and giving. They are totally devoted to each other and through their love and respect for traditions, they have devoted themselves to the needs of the Irish Center.

Sean was President of the Mayo Association in 1972; treasurer of the Mayo Association; secretary of the Gaelic Athletic Association; and president of the Irish Center. One of his greatest achievements and loves is the library. He and local historian Billy Brennan found an empty room on the second floor of the Center, plastered the walls, laid the floors, electrified the circuits, painted, carpeted, and stacked it with books. Their joint love of Irish history and literature has left us all with one of the greatest attributes of the Irish Center. They have collected many treasured books and publications. Students from various universities have often used that 50-year-old library for research.

Johanna, like Sean, has been a 40-year member of Mayo, quietly working behind the scenes, supporting the activities of the members and her more visible husband. She and Attracta worked diligently to get an airport at Knock. She was involved with the Philadelphia Ceili Group in the early 60’s. Many a fundraiser was successful because of the generous touch of Johanna.

The McMenamins live in Cheltenham and have raised 4 children: daughters, Margaret, married to Jimmy Kilkenny (Kaylee, Kiera, and Maura); Noreen, married to Steve Diehl (Johanna and Patrick); Eileen, married to John DiTore; and son, Sean.

They are two special people, who fate brought together, and wrapped its bagful of dreams round them. We are so very lucky to know them and be honoring them on the 15th of November.

November 13, 2009 by Guest

News, People

Hibernians Present O’Hanlon With MacBride Humanitarian Award

While it was the occasion of his wedding anniversary, Editor-in-Chief of the Irish Echo newspaper Ray O’Hanlon stood without his wife at the podium to accept the Ancient Order of Hibernians Sean MacBride Humanitarian Award. The award was presented in Philadelphia at the annual president’s dinner presided over by AOH National President Seamus Boyle.

The award is named for Dr. Sean MacBride, the Irish statesman and Nobel Peace Prize winner whose name is attached to the MacBride Principles on Fair Employment for Northern Ireland. MacBride, who died in 1988, had a long and distinguished life. He fought for Irish independence, was at one point chief of staff of the IRA, later became an Irish government minister, and helped found a number of international organizations, including Amnesty International.

Ray O’Hanlon had been selected as the MacBride recipient based on balloting conducted among National Board members and State presidents of both the AOH and LAOH. The purpose of the prestigious Sean MacBride Humanitarian Award is specifically stated in the AOH National Constitution: “To memorialize the human rights contributions made by Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Sean MacBride and to recognize the efforts of others who make similar contributions in the cause of peace, justice, and the economic well-being of the Irish people…” (Article XXVII).

Ray O’Hanlon has been a most significant force in reporting on the many generations of the Irish Diaspora in the United States, the experiences of the new Irish who have recently immigrated to America, and the ongoing challenges of transforming the North of Ireland.

Having immigrated to the United States in 1987 from his native Ireland, he immediately became recognized as a major voice of the Irish-American press. In 1988 Ray began working as a journalist at the Irish Echo and, coincidentally, was immediately assigned to work on the MacBride Principles campaign. As a direct result of his careful research, Ray quickly became a major promoter for the passage of MacBride legislation in many states. The MacBride Principles gave Irish-American advocates for the North, such as the AOH and LAOH, a solid opportunity to educate legislators regarding the real reasons for conflict in the Six Counties.

Ray became associate editor at the Irish Echo in 2007 and has since risen to the post of editor-in-chief. Over the course of his career in journalism, Ray has reported from three continents, has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows on both sides of the Atlantic, and has found the time to author a book on a subject dear to his heart, The New Irish Americans, which was published in 1998 and subsequently received the Washington Irving Book Award. Amazingly, on the very day that The New Irish Americans was published, May 1, 1998, Ray was sworn in as a United States citizen.

Ray’s writing has consistently reflected the ideals and cultural concerns of Hibernians, always assuring that both the AOH and LAOH have received proper recognition and that our viewpoint has been clearly and fairly represented in the Irish Echo. On more than one occasion O’Hanlon has described the Hibernians as, “The bricks and mortar of Irish America.”

O’Hanlon spoke of MacBride as a man who spoke “Truth” which is important to all of us in the Irish community. Speaking about the Irish-American media O’Hanlon pointed out that “we exist because our (Irish Americans) stories continue to be told. And he concluded by telling a well impressed audience that when it comes to the Irish-American community “The story is still not fulfilled.”

November 3, 2009 by Guest

News

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Speaks on Church Reform

By Diane Dugan

On a cool October night when the Fightin’ Phils were facing down the Dodgers in the game that would clinch the National League title, members of Voice of the Faithful/Greater Philadelphia and interested members of the public gathered in the Church on the Mall in Plymouth Meeting to meet with Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Democratic lieutenant governor of Maryland.

Since leaving office in 2003, Kennedy Townsend has served on a number of non-profit boards and currently is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Public Policy. Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), an international organization of 35,000 founded in 2002 in response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal, had invited Kennedy Townsend to discuss some of the issues in her 2007 book, “Failing America’s Faithful: How Today’s Churches Are Mixing God With Politics and Losing Their Way.”

The eldest daughter of Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy and a lifelong active Catholic, Kennedy Townsend began writing her book about seven years ago because, as she says, she had seen the relationship between church and politics change. Religion has come to be associated with the political right-wing, and by focusing so much on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, and stem-cell research—which are “important, but not the only issues”—the Catholic Church has risked appearing “too partisan.”

She feels that the election of Barack Obama has helped the Catholic Church, explaining that the Vatican actually likes a lot of his positions (e.g., global poverty, climate change), and that he’s enormously popular in areas of the world where the Church wants to succeed. (A case in point is Africa, whose Catholic bishops just delivered a scathing denunciation of corrupt regimes in Angola and Uganda.)

“Reading the tea leaves” in her journeys around the world, Kennedy Townsend says, she perceives a shift going on in the Vatican, its recent aggressive bid for traditional Anglicans being what she calls a “desperate gasp.”

Kennedy Townsend was raised to believe in the importance of giving back, her parents often quoting St. Luke’s “To whom much has been given, much is expected.” She told of being taken to the Senate Rackets Committee hearings as a child when her father was investigating the corrupt Teamsters’ union, and the physical threats to her and her siblings as a result of his work. And she shared one of my favorite “Bobby” anecdotes: RFK speaking to a crowd of African-Americans in Indianapolis on the night of Martin Luther King’s murder, about the pain of losing a beloved brother to a violent death, and the necessity of meeting violence not with more of the same, but “with love, and wisdom, and compassion.” While many American cities erupted in riots that night, there were none in Indianapolis. These and other experiences taught her two things, she says: that doing good often comes at great personal cost; and that our God must be one of compassion and love.

Kennedy Townsend spoke movingly of the critical importance of the Church throughout her life, not just in terms of spiritual consolation but also its long, admirable record in support of human rights and social justice. She acknowledged that “the Roman Catholic Church has had problems with me” because of her stands on various issues, denying her speaking engagements at Catholic schools in her home diocese of Baltimore. Professing herself a big supporter of VOTF and their work (their mission is “Keep the Faith; Change the Church”), she feels reform-minded Catholics need to focus on positives, citing current Church involvement in issues like health care, climate change and immigration.

Internally, however, there’s much work to be done. Kennedy Townsend made a comparison between the role of Poland’s Solidarity movement, which laid the groundwork for the eventual collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, and that of the laity. The laity have a responsibility, she says, to create alternatives, such as the election of bishops and economic transparency. There are many ways to make a difference.

Two of the biggest mistakes the Church has made in recent times, Kennedy Townsend thinks, were the encyclical Humanae Vitae (banning the use of artificial contraceptives) and the clergy sexual abuse scandal. Both events had the unintended effect of making many faithful Catholics rebel. She closed by urging her audience to “write to the Pope! He’s been listening to the right wing; get him used to hearing from the left.”

October 29, 2009 by Guest

Food & Drink

Margaret M. Johnson’s Teatime Fruitcake

This fruitcake comes from Dromoland Castle (Newmarket-on-Fergus).

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 cup (4 ounces) raisins
1 cup (4 ounces) sultanas (golden raisins)
2 ounces red glace cherries
1-1/2 Tablespoons dark rum
1-1/2 Tablespoons sherry
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup self-rising flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or mixed spice (see note)

The day before baking, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the water to a boil.

Stir in the raisins, sultanas and cherries, and cook for 3 minutes.

Drain the fruit and transfer to a small bowl.

Stir in the rum, sherry and vanilla.

Let cool for 30 minutes, then cover and let stand for 24 hours at room temperature.

On the day of baking, preheat the over to 300 degrees.

Line a 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan with waxed paper. Butter the paper.

Beat the 1/2 cup of butter and the sugar with an electric mixer until light an fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
With a wooden spoon, fold in the flour and spice.

Stir in the reserved fruit mixture.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 65 to 70 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Invert the cake onto the rack, peel off the waxed paper, and wrap the cake in aluminum foil.

Let sit overnight at room temperature before cutting into slices.

Serves 8 to 10.

Note: To make mixed spice, put 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 crushed cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon whole cloves, and 1 teaspoon allspice berries in a spice or coffee grinder. Process until finely ground. Add 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg and 2 teaspoons ground ginger. Mix thoroughly, stirring by hand. Store in an airtight container.

Source: Tea & Crumpets, by Margaret M. Johnson (Chronicle Books, 2009). Reprinted with permission of the author.

October 29, 2009 by Guest

Music, People

Review: “Dig With It,” a New CD from Randal Bays

By Frank Dalton

Under my window a clean rasping sound

when the spade sinks into gravelly ground:

my father, digging. I look down.

By God, the old man could handle a spade,

just like his old man.

My grandfather could cut more turf in a day

than any other man on Toner’s bog.

The cold smell of potato mold, the squelch and slap

of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge

through living roots awaken in my head.

But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

Between my finger and my thumb

the squat pen rests.

I’ll dig with it.

—From Digging, by Seamus Heaney

Nobel Prize winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney knows that unlike his father and grandfather, he is no farmer. His often-quoted early work ‘Digging’ is meaningful for Randal Bays, whose own working man father “had a hard time watching his son go down the road towards the life of a musician.”

Randal is an American fiddler who has mastered the genre of Irish traditional music to a point where he now plays as well as any native. He has a number of successful recordings to his credit and has played and toured with many of the great names of the music, like fiddler Martin Hayes, button accordionist James Keane and guitarist/singer Daithi Sproule.

Randal’s amazing skill at the Irish style has been honed by more than twenty-five years of fiddling and listening, and the sharing of many a late-night session with the finest traditional musicians. Last winter Randal sat down in the studio again and recorded “Dig With It”, an impressive collection of jigs, reels, hornpipes and marches, and two beautiful slow airs.

The opening track on this thoroughly enjoyable CD, “Master’s Degree March,” is an original composition, as is the reel “Friday Harbor.” The remaining tunes are mostly traditional, or every bit as good as traditional, having been originally crafted by the likes of legendary tunesmith Ed Reavy, fiddler James Kelly, and East Galway fiddler and accordion player Tommy Coen.

“The Blue Whale” is the work of Willie Bays, who appears on that track with his proud father. The accompaniment on the CD is tasteful and unobtrusive throughout, supplied by Canadian musician Dave Marshall (guitar, tenor banjo). Randal himself displays not only his great prowess on the fiddle, but also his talent on the guitar and harp.

The Cork Examiner (Ireland) has called Randal Bays “a rare beast, a master of the fiddle”, while here in America Fiddler Magazine says he is “among the best Irish style fiddlers of his generation.” Randal has clearly earned recognition on both sides of the pond as a musician of uncommon talent.

October 13, 2009 by Guest

News, People

“One of the Greatest Experiences of My Life”

All the Marys in Dungloe--that's Philadelphia's Mary second from the right, second row.

Emily Weideman didn’t expect to win when she entered the Mary from Dungloe competition last year. A program sponsored by the Philadelphia Donegal Association, Mary from Dungloe is a pageant open to young women of Irish descent who compete for the international crown in the town of Dungloe (pronounced Done-low) in County Donegal every summer.

But she entered, won the right to represent Philadelphia in Dungloe, and in the essay she shares below, apparently had the time of her life.

A little about Emily: The Montgomeryville native is an area coordinator for Holy Family University and holds a BA in political science from Arcadia University and an MA in global security from Keele University in Stoke-on-Trent, England. She studied in Dublin, Ireland while an undergrad and interned in Dail Eireann in 2004. She does volunteer work for the Irish Immigration Center.

By Emily Weideman

I was crowned the Philadelphia Mary from Dungloe back in November, 2008, so I thought I was more than ready to head off to Dungloe for the International Mary from Dungloe Festival in July. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the experience of being a Mary. I can now say that I have fifteen amazing friends with whom I shared one of the greatest experiences of my life.

The Mary from Dungloe Festival in Dungloe, County, Donegal kicked off on Saturday, July 25, but it was the Introduction of the Marys on Wednesday, July 29 in the Main Street that started the week for fifteen young women representing many counties in Ireland, the six Northern counties, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bayonne, and Philadelphia. At the head of the group was the 41st Mary from Dungloe, Una Rooney, from County Armagh.

The sixteen Marys spent five days together traveling throughout Donegal, with stops at Glenveagh National Park, Gweedore, Ballybofey, Donegal Town, and of course many appearances in Dungloe. The Marys also made a quick afternoon trip to County Fermanagh to visit the Belleek Pottery Factory. We greatly enjoyed it—each of us was presented with Belleek jewelry as a keepsake of the week in Dungloe after the crowning on Sunday night.

A favorite stop for all the Marys was a visit to the Angle Day Center in Dungloe, a day facility for the handicapped. One of the escorts (all the Marys have an escort), Mark Gallagher, provided the music and the Marys spent the morning dancing and singing with the Angle’s patients.

On Thursday night, the Saw Doctors had Dungloe and all the Marys dancing away at their concert on the Main Street in town. The music and weather were fantastic. The evening culminated with the Saw Doctors joining local band, The FlyBys, on stage at the Midway Pub after the show. On Friday, The Fureys had the Marys and escorts dancing to such songs as “One More for the Road” and “My Father’s House”. Amazing music was also provided by Gary Gamble, Philomena Baddeley, Georgette Jones, the Glasgow Mary, Lisa McHugh, Daniel O’Donnell, and many other amazing artists all week long.

The week seemed to fly by and before we knew it, we were on stage Sunday night giving our public interviews. Questions included ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’, ‘What was your favorite moment from the week?’, and my personal favorite, “What exactly is a cheesesteak?” All of the Marys gave wonderful interviews and the party pieces were superb.

Finally, the Marys were on stage waiting for the 42nd International Mary to be announced. After a carefully designed pause by the Compare, Gerry Kelly from UTV, 25-year-old Kate Ferguson of Derry was named the winner. We were all overjoyed.

Kate is a trainee solicitor who lives in Dublin and just completed working with the Ryan Commission which was set up to investigate child abuse in Irish institutions. She is set to begin her final legal apprenticeship and once it is complete, will be a fully qualified lawyer. . .who plays a mean clarinet (she played the “Derry Air” as her party piece).

While all of the Marys were thrilled with Kate’s win, the true highlight of the week was sharing the experience and creating lasting relationships with one another. The group became very close and, along with Carol Kiernan, the Marys Coordinator, created lasting memories. We all plan to visit one another and we’re already talking about a reunion. I am sure that the 2009 Marys will remain great friends for a long time to come.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Philadelphia Donegal Association for the opportunity to represent them, as well as the City of Philadelphia, at this year’s Festival. It was an experience like no other and I will remember it fondly for the rest of my life. Thank you for all of the support throughout this year!

On November 28, 2009, the 2010 Philadelphia Mary from Dungloe will be selected at the Donegal Ball hosted by the Donegal Association of Philadelphia and held at the Commodore Barry Club. Young women of Irish descent and between the ages of 18 – 27 are invited to join in the evening by competing for the Philadelphia title and the trip to have the experience of a lifetime in Dungloe. For more information and the application, please visit the Donegal Association’s website, www.philadonegal.com.

October 9, 2009 by Guest

News

A New Way to Help St. Malachy School

By Kathy McGee Burns

“I have faith in myself
I have faith in my teachers
I can learn if I study hard
I will learn because I will study hard
I respect others and seek their respect
I have self-respect
I have self-control
I love myself
And loving myself I will be myself
And know myself
I am the one who is talking.”

This is the creed said every morning, after prayers, by the students at St.Malachy School in North Philadelphia. Many of these students are from public housing, most are poor, and most aren’t Catholic. On Fridays, they go to the church for a weekly service, not for Mass, but to experience the splendor and richness of that lovely old church. Father John McNamee, the now retired pastor, often says that sometimes the students need beauty even more than they need bread.

St. Malachy School, named after the 12th century Irish Bishop from Armagh, was opened in 1860, in North Philadelphia, shortly after Irish immigrants and the Sisters of Mercy founded the church, once called “the church in the woods” because of its location outside the 19th century city limits. Its purpose was to educate working-class immigrant children and many Irish-Americans in the Philadelphia area can trace their roots back to St. Malachy’s. My own great-grandparents, Timothy and Bridget Clancy Callahan, were members of the parish and they baptized seven daughters at the church. My grandmother, Mary Josephine, along with her sisters, attended the school.

Among Philadelphia’s schools, Catholic and public, St. Malachy’s has been a remarkable success story. Of its approximately 200 students, 99% are African American and 1% are Latino. Twenty five students graduate in the class of 2009 and and are all going on to excellent schools, including LaSalle, Roman Catholic, Merion Mercy, Hallahan, Charter School for Architecture & Design, and Central. And there’s no selective admissions policy at the school.

St. Malachy’s manages this miracle without taking any money from the Archdiocese. The school runs strictly on donations, some of it from the descendants of those immigrants who founded the school more than a century ago.

This year, a number of local Irish organizations have formed a committee to help coordinate funding for the coming year. It intrigued me that so many busy people decided to take the time to ask their friends and associates to support a school in North Philadelphia. So I asked!

Jim McLaughlin, president of the Irish-American Business Chamber and Network said he is involved because he thinks its important to maintain a Catholic educational presence in the inner city. Keeping a beacon of light alive reflects the Church living its values to both students and neighbors.

Anne O’Callaghan, executive director of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, an immigrant resource organization, told me that she thinks that the best gift we can give children is a good education. Inner-city Catholic schools that were once the salvation of Irish immigrants and are now providing a unique, faith-based education that breaks the cycle of poverty. She cited a study that found that 100 percent of St. Malachy’s graduates go on to graduate high school, compared to only 54 percent in the city’s public schools.

In the last 25 years, St. Malachy’s School has empowered thousands of students to realize their potential, forge brighter futures and allow them to enjoy the lifelong benefits of a holistic experience. Anne believes that it is a privilege to contribute to provide this opportunity to children who would otherwise be denied this advantage.

Theresa Flanagan Murtagh, immediate past president of the Donegal Association and member of many organizations, says she welcomes the opportunity to work together with these Irish leaders for a common goal, to support a very worthy cause, and help a parish which was initially founded by Irish Immigrants. She and her husband, Paul, are committed to supporting schools that not only produce academic excellence but also build Christian values and promote Catholic faith.

Rich Brennan, AOH Division #1(Dennis Kelly) credits the spirit of his late Great Aunt, Sister Mary Basil, who taught at St. Malachy’s, for inspiring him to volunteer. Rich attended St. Joseph’s University where he learned and now practices the teachings of the Jesuits: Cura Personalis (total care of the entire person) for the (greater good) Magis. He believes that there is a wonderful opportunity to work beside others who support its mission and assist with achieving its goals. Rich is a great example of the success of Catholic education and the desire to give back to others.

Ed Keenan was drawn to the committee by his experience as a longtime St. Malachy’s volunteer and his devotion to Father McNamee, who is known as Father Mac. Ed told me he loves St. Malachy’s because he feels at home there. It is a “welcoming” place, the most Catholic, that is, “universal” church that he has ever attended.

And me, well, I sense Mary Josephine Callahan there and I think she would want me to share the fruits of my education, success and upbringing—the same things St. Malachy’s provided for her when she was a student there in 1886.

So we, the Committee, are asking you to help support the work of St. Malachy’s School by becoming a sponsor of the major fundraiser of the year, a concert by “Mick Moloney and Friends,” which is usually a standing-room-only event scheduled this year for November 1.

There are several sponsorship levels:

The “Father Mac” Sponsorship: $5,000
Official underwriter of concert and reception
Full page recognition in event program
Name on inside cover of event program
On-site event signage recognition
Verbal recognition at the event
Reserved front row seating at the event

The Emerald Sponsorship: $2,500
Official underwriter of printing
Full page recognition in event program
Name on inside front cover of event program
On-site event signage recognition
Verbal recognition at the event

The Shamrock Sponsorship: $1,000
Official underwriter of event program
Half-page recognition in event program
Name on back cover of event program
On-site event signage recognition

The Claddagh Sponsorship: Up to $500 Level
Official friend
Business card logo in event program
Name on back cover of event program
On-site event signage recognition

To become a sponsor, contact Jim Martin at 215 850 4084 or jimart40@mac.com, or Kathy McGee Burns at 215 872-1305 or mcgeeburns@aol.com

October 9, 2009 by Guest

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