Christmas, 1989

Dear Friends,

Just a line to fill you in on what has been happening to me since a year ago.

In February I turned 62 years of age and promptly retired from my “legal aid ministry”. Though I stopped taking new clients, I continued with work already begun and still have a few cases yet to be wound up.

In 1989 I spent quite a bit of time filling in at St. Michael’s parish in Lowell, MA, where I help out regularly on weekends. I even lived there from early June to Labor Day, sleeping at home in Boston only once a week during that time, and trying to sandwich in my outstanding (i.e., still to be done) legal aid work as best I could.

On September 28 I moved from my apartment at Ditmus Court (public housing) to our Discalced Carmelite Monastery at 514 Warren Street, Brookline, MA. Then four weeks later, on October 26, the entire monastery moved here to where we are now at 166 Foster Street, Brighton, MA 02135-3902.

The building we occupy was at one time the Novitiate of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa, having been built by Cardinal Cushing for the Sisters in early 1960s. Thus it is well suited to our needs. Nevertheless, we have been in a state of “turmoil” because over 50% of the ‘re-habbing’ had still to be completed. It is now (December 15) just about all finished, Deo Gratias!!!

I apologize to all those who sent me cards with monetary gifts last Christmas for having failed to acknowledge and thank you for your generosity, as I had hoped to do by the end of January. However, I have not failed to remember all of you in my daily prayers and masses.

Asking God to grant you all a blessed and grace-filled Christmas and New Year, I remain, with much love in Jesus and Mary,