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St. Gerard's
mourns loss of 'people’s priest'
By Beth Erickson
Citizen Staff
He was there
after every mass, standing at the bottom of the steps, waiting
to greet his parishioners as they streamed out the two back
doors of St. Gerard Majella Church.
 He might
shout out a booming hello to a little boy who had made his First
Holy Communion two weeks earlier, then shake hands with a young
mother holding a tiny baby he would baptize later that day.
He might
offer a sympathetic hug to a young man who had recently lost his
father, or high-five a high school hockey player whose team had
made it to the state tournament.
He might
inquire about a woman’s sister who had been battling cancer, or
ask a couple about their son who was serving in Iraq.
And in each
case, he knew every one of their names — not just their faces.
He knew their stories, knew what made them laugh, and what made
them cry. He knew, because he cared.
“I
didn’t become a priest for a title, but to do whatever work
there has to be done,” Father Bernard McLaughlin said in March
of 1999, as he prepared to celebrate the 40th anniversary
of his ordination. And for Father Mac, as he was affectionately
known, that work was looking after his people. Longtime
parishioner Dave Keyo once described Father Mac as the “people’s
priest.”
“He just
genuinely loves people,” Keyo said in 1999, “and he is loved so
much in return.”
After a long
period of failing health, Father Mac, 74, passed away July 27,
leaving the St. Gerard’s community mourning the loss of a man
they considered a member of their family.
“Father Mac
was truly a ‘father’ in every sense of the word to his parish
family, particularly the youth, and to hundreds of others that
we don’t even know,” said Mike Mahan, adding that he “accepted
us and others unconditionally, with all our flaws and
imperfections.”
Mahan said
Father Mac “always did what was right” and that he “spoke from
his heart,” even when officials and people in authority
disagreed, referring to the sex abuse scandal that rocked the
Archdiocese of Boston in 2002. Father Mac was an outspoken
critic of the church’s handling of the situation, and was among
the first to call for Cardinal Law’s resignation.
“At the time
of the church crisis,” Mahan said, “[Father Mac] brought our
church community together. There is no question he lived his
life as Jesus taught him. Humility and integrity made up his
fiber. He never ‘stood back’ when he had the chance to ‘stand
up’ for what was right.”
In fact,
Father Mac’s reputation for doing the right thing had been
noticed by Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, who appointed
him to the State Ethics Commission in 1994.
 “Father
Mac’s approach to the [church] crisis was to discuss it openly,”
Michael Cahill recalled. “He held regular weekly forums for
parishioners to discuss the crisis and encouraged them to get
involved to petition for change. Father Mac’s leadership at this
critical time was cathartic and sustained St. Gerard Majella
parishioners during a very difficult time.”
“His open
and honest approach to the crisis kept the seats full every
Sunday,” Terry Reddington said, adding that his family was
“blessed” to know Father Mac. “He did not tell us what he
thought we wanted to hear, but what was the best advice for us
based on his years of helping others. We knew that we were
welcome to bring him our joy, our despair and our hopes and he
always lifted us up.”
Parishioners
also say that Father Mac had an uncanny way of knowing when
someone needed help. Within a year of arriving at Saint Gerard’s
in 1996 — a time of economic prosperity — Father Mac
established the Neighbors in Need Fund, saying that
despite media reports to the contrary, “many people in our
community are suffering.”
Father Mac’s
empathy for people, however, extended far beyond any parochial
boundaries. In 1984, then Boston Mayor Ray Flynn appointed him
the chairman of the Commission on the Homeless.
Father Mac
is also the founder of Crosssroads, a family shelter in East
Boston, where he served as pastor of Holy Redeemer Church. Even
after he arrived in Canton, the bond with his former
parishioners remained, with many visiting him in Canton every
Sunday.
“He always
wanted to be connected with his parishioners,” noted Ellen
Reynolds, Father Mac’s secretary at St. Gerard’s. “He wanted to
know what they thought, how they felt and what was going on in
their lives. He truly cared about each and every one of them.”
When asked
to share her thoughts about Father Mac, Judy Mahan said the St.
Gerard’s family “could write a book about this extraordinary
man.”
“We are
grateful and honored he is coming home to St. Gerard’s for us to
show him how much he was loved,” she said, “and to say our
good-byes.”
***
Father
McLaughlin will lie in state at St. Gerard Majella Church today
from 3-8 p.m.
July 31, 2008
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