Katherine Craven’s credo: ‘Let’s make things work’

By Greg O’Brien and Thomas Mulvoy
November 7, 2014
Greg O’Brien and Thomas Mulvoy

If you drop the name “Katherine Craven” into any discussion with key players in academic and public service circles in Massachusetts, the air is quickly filled with words like “model public servant; sound judgment; unquestioned expertise; tireless work style; advances the public interest; impeccable credentials; boundless energy; impressive creativity.” And while “saintly” doesn’t make the list, one admiring associate calls her “a Joan of Arc” for her “intellect, forcefulness, and ethical approach to her goals in life and at work.”

Mayor Martin Walsh: Firmly rooted in Dorchester and Connemara

By Bill Forry
November 7, 2014

For a few hours, Marty Walsh was just another Yank on holiday, enjoying the sights and sounds of Clifden, one of Co. Galway’s loveliest and liveliest towns. Boston’s 47 year-old mayor had just enjoyed a sailboat ride and a quiet lunch with his partner Lorrie Higgins and two other traveling companions on a brilliant Saturday morning in Connemara.

The Boston Irish Honors 2014: “A moment to embrace and celebrate our shared heritage”

By Peter Meade, 2014 Boston Irish Honors Event Chairman
November 7, 2014
Peter Meade, 2014 Boston Irish Honors Event Chairman

I am delighted to chair the fifth annual Boston Irish Honors luncheon.

This event is a welcome moment to embrace and celebrate our shared heritage by honoring men and women and families who embody the best qualities of the Boston Irish.

A pilgrim’s progress: Being Catholic

By James W. Dolan, Special to the Reporter
November 7, 2014
James W. Dolan, Special to the Reporter

Of late I have been grappling with a new theology that seeks to reconcile evolution and advances in scientific knowledge with Christianity. I did so with some trepidation, concerned that what I might learn would undermine the faith upon which I depend.

A few months ago I met a BC High classmate at a school event. A Jesuit and former university president, he had spent many years in the Middle East. After a lively discussion, I sent him an email asking for a list of books he could recommend. I received a list of 32, most of them dealing with science and religion.

Telling our stories – that’s the idea

Ed Forry
By Ed Forry
November 7, 2014

If you are Irish and Boston-bred, the annual Boston Irish Honors luncheon hosted by the BIR can truly be said to be a “feel-good” event in the annual autumn calendar.

The idea we had when the honors was first conceived was to search out and tell the stories of families and individuals whose lives can be described as exemplary – that is, sterling examples of what it means to have been brought up in Irish homes from among our common ancestral community.

Reconnecting, and the joys of memory

By Bill O'Donnell
November 7, 2014
Bill O'Donnell

 Prior to our first visit to Ireland in years last month, I decided to formulate a plan of engagement, or in so many words, how to meet old friends, see familiar places, and experience Ireland north and south as we knew it, and how to do that while giving a nod to my acute osteoarthritis and the constraining limits to my mobility. I could only walk short distances and could not stand for more than a few minutes. A far cry from my three- and four-hour history walks through Dublin, Belfast, and other place in earlier years. I obviously needed a plan.

A fresh coat of paint for Dorchester’s landmark tank

By Bill Forry
November 7, 2014

A team of union painters have just completed a four-month project to re-paint the National Grid gas tank on Dorchester Bay. The workers for the John W. Egan company — all members of the Painters District Council 35 based in Roslindale— touched up fading swatches of Corita Kent’s iconic rainbow design, which remains the largest copy-written piece of art in the world.

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