7%342/8529^2/3,).$!,% %8//(7,1 - The Bulletin Newspapers, Inc. · 2020. 11. 4. · Page 2 The Bulletin November 5, 2020 Prayer to the Blessed Virgin (Never known to fail!) Oh, most

The site of Jamaica Plain Glass that Primary plans to build on.PHOTO BY RICHARD HEATH

Primary revises plansfor 3326 Washington

RicharRicharRicharRicharRichard Heathd Heathd Heathd Heathd HeathStaff Reporter

A year after filing itsSmall Project Notification fora five-story, 47-unit buildingat 3326 Washington Street,and eight months afterCOVID-19 stopped any fur-ther actions, Primary Devel-opment came back on Oct. 26at a second Boston Planningand Development Agency(BPDA) hearing with sub-stantially revised plans.

A lot has changed in thepublic process too; this meet-ing was held virtually and hadthe usual mix of technical dif-ficulties that frustrated even

the normally unflappableBPDA project manager AislingKerr.

Callers were annoyed too.One wanted the meetingstopped and rescheduled.

“The meeting is alreadylimiting participation,” hesaid.

What didn’t change wasthat the same people opposedthe development.

After two July meetingswith the BPDA, Primary re-leased a supplementary filingon Sept. 28 that triggered thesecond Article 80 meeting.

3326 W3326 W3326 W3326 W3326 WashingtashingtashingtashingtashingtonononononContinued on page 2

The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a chicken coop in West Roxbury and this larger structure on Market Street in Brighton.COURTESY PHOTO

Chickens finally home to roost in West RoxburyJefJefJefJefJeff Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf SullivanananananStaff Reporter

The Zoning Board of Ap-peals (ZBA) met on Tuesday,Oct. 27 and heard cases forprojects in West Roxbury,Roslindale and Brighton.

Most notably, or at leastmost uniquely for a ZBA meet-ing, the Board approved a newchicken coop in West Roxburyfor six chickens at 27Montclair Ave. Readers mayremember a serious contro-versy at the West RoxburyNeighborhood Council(WRNC) three years ago whenresidents on Corey Street triedto get approval for theirchicken coop after the fact ofinstalling it, as some neighbors

had taken issue with the instal-lation.

Variances required for theproject include keeping of poul-try is a forbidden use, rear yardmaximum occupancy by acces-sory buildings cannot exceed 25percent and application of di-mensional requirements for ac-cessory buildings in side or rearyard. Owner and proponentFrancesco Peri said the coopwould attach to the rear of hisgarage, added there would beonly hens in the building.

ZBA member Mark Erlichsaid the plans appeared ad-equate, or as adequate as anyother plans for chicken coops hehas seen before.

“I suppose adequate wouldbe the best word,” he said with

a laugh.Mayor’s Office of Neighbor-

hood Service West RoxburyRepresentative Jack Duggansaid his office, as well as theWRNC are in support. At-LargeCity Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George and District 6 CityCouncilor Matt O’Malley bothsupported the proposal.

ZBA Secretary Mark For-tune said there was one letter inopposition, citing concerns re-garding avian flu.

Also in West Roxbury, theZBA approved a proposal formulti-family housing at 4Anawan Ave. The proposal is foreight units with eight parkingspaces. The variances requestedare to provide zoning relief forinsufficient floor-to-area ratio

(0.5 allowed, 1.1 proposed)excessive height in stories (2.5allowed, 3 proposed), rearyard insufficient, multi-familyuse forbidden, and insufficientparking (16 required, eightproposed).

Attorney John Pulgini saidthat there was not too muchopposition to the project inWest Roxbury.

“We had done several abut-ters meeting and worked withresidents with respect to di-mensional setbacks and thingslike that and they were pleasedwith where the proposal wasafter those meetings,” he said.

District 5 City Councilor

ZBAZBAZBAZBAZBAContinued on page 6

Msgr. Frank Kelley

Msgr. Kelleysteps downas pastorMarMarMarMarMary Ellen Gambony Ellen Gambony Ellen Gambony Ellen Gambony Ellen Gambon

Staff Reporter

Msgr. Frank Kelley has leftan indelible imprint on SacredHeart’s parish and school andRoslindale itself during histhree decades as pastor. Duringhis tenure, he has worked toknit together a diverse commu-nity that has seen rapid expan-sion.

Sitting in the parish libraryon Oct. 30, he reflected on histime as the church’s spiritualleader, his 52 years in the priest-hood and the legacy he willleave behind. He noted that heis not retiring but will be reas-signed as a head priest at an-other Boston church, as yet un-known, where he will pass onhis knowledge.

KKKKKelleelleelleelleelley Sty Sty Sty Sty Steps Doeps Doeps Doeps Doeps DownwnwnwnwnContinued on page 10

Volume 20, Issue 45 NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Page 2Page 2Page 2Page 2 The Bulletin NoNoNoNoNovvvvvember 5, 2020ember 5, 2020ember 5, 2020ember 5, 2020ember 5, 2020

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin(Never known to fail!)

Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt.Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor ofHeaven, Blessed Mother of the Sonof God, Immaculate Virgin, assist mein this necessity. Oh Star of the Sea,help me and show me herein you aremy mother. Oh Holy Mary, Motherof God, Queen of Heaven and Earth,I humbly beseech thee from thebottom of my heart to succor me inmy necessity (make request). Thereare none that can withstand yourpower. Oh Mary, conceived withoutsin, pray for us who have recourse tothee (three times). Holy Mary, I placethis cause in your hands (threetimes). Say this prayer for threeconsecutive days and then you mustpublish and it will be granted to you.

—S.G.H.

Miracle PrayerDear Heart of Jesus, in the pastI have asked You for manyfavours. This time, I ask youthis very special one (mentionfavour). Take it, dear Heart ofJesus, and place it within Yourown broken heart where YourFather sees it. Then, in Hismerciful eyes, it will becomeYour favour, not mine. Amen.Say for three days, promisepublication and favour will begranted.

—S.G.H.

3326 Washington continued from page 1This was the first of what

will not be the last post-Coviddesign change for Boston de-velopments.

The Supplement stated it inthe opening paragraph.

“The ongoing challenges ofpost-COVID-19 and its long-term impact on our cities andour way of life necessitatedthese changes.”

The number of rental apart-ments has been reduced from47 to 43 but the number of af-fordable units remains at 11(23 percent), three of whichwill be at 30 percent Area Me-

dian Income (AMI).The second significant

change is the original 2,600-square-foot ground floor com-mercial space has been elimi-nated.

Noting in particular thatnext-door Exodus Bagels wasone of the first victims ofCOVID-19, Primary’s JennyShen said this caused them torethink its ground floor.

“Even before the pandemic,there was a loss of retail onWashington Street,” she said.“We walked up and downWashington St and we didn’t

think adding a retail space wasa good idea. It could stay va-cant for a year or more.”

Instead, Primary has comeup with a flexible ground floorliving space concept that canbe converted to commercialuse when the economy im-proved.

Marie Mercurio was one ofthe 41 callers in the virtualmeeting and she agreed withShen.

“I know from personal ex-perience that with retail vacan-cies the way they are, bothlenders and investors may be

reluctant to finance thisproject,” she said.

“Primary might also run therisk of defaulting on its loan ifthe space sits empty for mul-tiple years. I like the flexibil-ity to convert a market rate unitto commercial in two years.”

Wyatt Komarin of Primarydiscussed the changes in theliving spaces. “The post-Coviddesign of living space is thetopic I want to talk about to-night,” he said. “This is a de-sign for livability. There’s 25percent more flexible space,workspace within the unit.This could be for childcare, aden or office. Half of the unitsnow have private outdoor bal-conies with planters for grow-ing flowers or vegetables. Thebalconies have been increasedfrom the last design.”

Shen added that apartmentlife has changed.

“This year has asked ourapartments to do more,” shesaid. “These changes reflectedthose design changes in ourliving spaces. We don’t knowwhat the future will look likeright now.”

Komarin described the evo-lution of the design.

“We’ve improved and en-larged the set backs,” he said.“They’re larger, more privateterraces. A larger lobby formore social distancing aswell.”

Primary is the designerwith Spaulding-Tougias as ar-chitect-of-record.

“There will be no commer-cial space but double heightwindows on the street lookingin to the Turnpike Gallery,”Komarin said.

Shen added that the site his-tory has not been forgotten

“There will be a historygallery of the schoolhouse, alarge gallery visible from thestreet.”

According to the supple-mentary filing, the TurnpikeGallery will be used as alounge and gallery. It willhouse physical artifacts, archi-tectural drawings and a historyof the neighborhood.

Komarin said that the af-fordable rental units will be amix and scattered throughoutthe five-story building,

“Three are 30 percent AMIand four each at 50 percent and70 percent AMI,” he said. Hesaid market rents would range

from $2,700 to $3,600 depend-ing on the unit size.

With a handful of excep-tions, notably Tim Reardon andMarc Ebuna who spoke enthu-siastically in support, none ofthis was acceptable to thosewho gave testimony at themeeting; it was as if they didn’thear it.

There were lengthy argu-ments over affordability per-centages but largely opposed bythe ad hoc Friends of the Turn-pike Schoolhouse, led by JennyNathans.

“The Friends are concernedabout working class people.”she said, “About housing forworking class people. We wantmore two-bedroom units.Change the IDP formula.

“The mitigation for theschoolhouse is insufficient,” shesaid. “We want no demolitionuntil you have a building per-mit.”

Nathans then raised the fi-nancial contribution first raisedat the November Article 80meeting: $5,000 for a nationalregister nomination and $10,000for an anti-displacement survey.

George Lee pressed for the$10,000 anti-displacementdrive.

“$10,000 is little pocketchange,” he said.

Komarin reminded callers ofthe high number of affordableunits which will be funded with-out subsidies.

“The 23 percent affordabilityis far and above any contribu-tion you could argue,” he said.

Shen added, “We can dosome of these things but not allof them.”

“The biggest communitybenefit is the lobby museum,”she said.

In a message to the Bulletinthe next day, Primary said thatconstruction costs were almost30 percent more expensive thanwhen Plan JP Rox was ap-proved in 2017.

“As far as entitlements andcommunity process, we arewell into six figures to pay staff,consultants, legal and propertytax. It’s extremely expensive toget a building permit in Bos-ton.”

Primary told The Bulletin itwould discuss with BPDAwhether to build out the mu-seum or donate an equivalentamount to a BPDA participa-tory fund.

Page 3 Page 3 Page 3 Page 3The BulletinNoNoNoNoNovvvvvember 5, 2020ember 5, 2020ember 5, 2020ember 5, 2020ember 5, 2020

Steven Palladinodies in prison

JefJefJefJefJeff Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf SullivanananananStaff Reporter

West Roxbury residentand convicted Ponzi schemerSteven Palladino has report-edly died receiving medicaltreatment while in custody.

Palladino was serving outhis sentence at the Massachu-setts Corrections Institutionand had apparently beenbrought to a local hospital toreceive medical treatmenton a l ong- t e rm med ica lcondit ion. I t was at thishospital where he appar-ently passed. There is cur-rently no word on the causeof death at the time of pub-lication.

Palladino pleaded guiltyto the ponzi scheme in 2014and was sentenced to 10years in state prison. Hewas then ordered to servetwo years in federal courtafter he pleaded guilty to25 counts of criminal con-tempt in the U.S. DistrictCourt in Boston in 2015,after he had violated courtorders.

Those orders were im-posed as a result of the Se-cu r i t i e s ExchangeCommission’s c ivi l casewhere he had i ncu r r edthousands o f do l l a r s i nc red i t ca rd cha rges and

cash advances – includingcharges at high-end restau-rants and department stores– and did not deposit theproceeds of said cash ad-vances into an escrow ac-count established by thecourt.

His son GregoryPalladino was sentenced totwo years in the SuffolkHouse of Correction and fiveyears of probation. His wifeLori Palladino, who admit-ted to keeping false account-ing books of the companyViking Financial, got a two-year suspended sentence andfive years of probation.

It is believed that $12million was ultimately de-frauded from investors, andnot more than 10 percent ofthat money has been foundto return to investors.

Steven Palladino


Needed: a paean to theCOVID-19 vaccine

Letters to the Editor

My Kindof Town/Joe Galeota

Granted, it’s too early to talkabout the distribution of aCOVID-19 flu vaccine; per-haps it’s too early to evenspeculate about its actual cre-ation. But when—and I’m tooscared to say “if”—it comes,we’ve got to pay tribute to itand to the hard-working scien-tists who created it.

Admittedly, “paean” is astrange word. It means a fittingtribute, usually in poetry. Butit is pronounced, identically ac-cording to some pronunciationguides, to another word that hasa derogatory meaning, “peon.” The latter means someone verylow on a totem pole of society,either in feudal times or in ourmodern times.

Let’s get back to “paean,”which can be musical. Whilejust about every female namehas a song mentioning her nameas a source of admiration (ex-cept for Sue vis a vis “RunAround Sue” and Donna vis avis “Donna, Donna, thePrimadonna”), there are also anumber of musical tributes toinanimate objects.

There are “Grandfather’sClock,” “This Diamond Ring,”and “Grandma’s FeatherBed”—all from differing musi-cal genres—that come immedi-ately to mind extolling inani-mate objects.

Even the air has been re-spected with songs dedicated toit: “The Wayward Wind” and“The Autumn Wind.”

Dances have been simi-larly acclaimed: “The Twist”and “The Macarena.”

There are songs that praisethe seasons: “When Fall Comesto New England” and “ThoseLazy, Crazy, Hazy Days ofSummer.”

There are tributes to riv-ers: “Ol’ Man River” and “TheBeautiful Ohio.”

Some songs praise build-ings: “This Old House” and“YMCA.”

There are songs in whichprecipitation is the theme:“Raindrops Keep Falling onMy Head” and “I Wish It WouldRain.”

There are songs abouthome: “Green, Green Grass ofHome” and “HomewardBound” and even songs about

much-despised prisons: “SanQuentin” and “Folsom Prison.”

Some songs praise com-munities: small such as“Luckenbach, Texas”; a littlebit larger, “Abilene”; and verylarge, “New York, New York.” Other songs laud areas: “OldCape Cod” and “Red RiverValley”; others have highpraise for states: “CountryRoads” (West Virginia) and“Oklahoma.”

There has been music ex-tolling methods of transporta-tion: for instance, boats:“Proud Mary" and “Sloop JohnB”; about cars, “Little DeuceCoup,” and “Hot Rod Lin-coln”; about trains, “WabashCannonball” and “Atchison,Topeka, and the Santa Fe.”

Praise has been lavishedon the moon, “AlleghenyMoon” and “Blue Moon overKentucky,” as well as on thesun, “Let the Sunshine in” and“Here Comes the Sun.”

Let’s hope that the cre-ative members of music allover the world as well as ourown ASCAP community(American Society of Compos-ers, Artists, and Publishers) areputting their minds together tocreate a wonderful song—per-haps even a hymn——that wecan sing for years to come, naydecades, as we recall the vic-tims to the pandemic and ourresiliency to it as well as to thescientists who accomplishedthe herculean task of stoppingit.

We’ll be waiting.

DROPPING EXAMSIS NOT THE ANSWER

To the Editor:As I read last week’s Bos-

ton Bulletin (Exams tempo-rarily eliminated for examschools), I was saddened andangered to hear that the ap-pointed Boston School Com-mittee has voted to temporarilysuspend the use of exams at thecity’s three exam schools. I be-lieve the city has no intentionof ever returning to exams.

The new method of entryinto these three schools in-cludes both grades for 20 per-cent of the seats and 80 per-cent basically by virtue of zipcodes of students. This allsounds like politics all overagain. Also, correct me but Ithought redlining was a badthing but here we are in 2020talking about upping admis-sion to the two Latins and theJohn D. O’Bryant in certainneighborhoods using zip codesand lowering admissions inother neighborhoods and zipcodes.

Tell me if I am wrong. Isn’tthis what the real estate indus-try was accused of doing by di-viding neighborhoods basedon race 60 years ago playing avery racist game withhomeowners?

As someoneinvolved in the anti-busingmovement back in my youngerdays in the Seventies, I re-member Judge W. ArthurGarrity’s desegregation courtorder that ended up forcingchildren onto buses on thebasis of race in order to makesure every school had the ap-propriate number of childrenbased on their skin color.

His order had nothing to dowith making sure every Bos-ton public school provided itsstudents with the best books,best teachers; in short, the besteducation possible regardlessof neighborhood or studentskin color. However, thatwasn’t the judge’s responsibil-ity. His job was racial balance,not equity of education. Andthat was all he accomplished.

Jumpstart to today. If thereis any perceived racial dispar-ity stopping more children ofall races getting into exam

schools, shouldn’t we be look-ing at what is happening in theclassrooms of our elementaryand middle schools citywide?

Why are East Boston andthe Codman Square ofDorchester underrepresentedin the student bodies at thethree exam schools? Why isthe opposite true over in WestRoxbury? Could it be thatsome Boston neighborhoodschools are providing studentswith less than they deserve?Does the Boston PublicSchools need to invest more inplaces like East Boston orCodman Square inDorchester? Statistics seem topoint in that direction.

We do a disservice to Bos-ton children by eliminatingexam schools. Also, what isnot discussed is the dropoutrate at the exam schools forchildren from various neigh-borhoods. This again wouldpoint a finger at those elemen-tary and middle schools thatfeed into all our high schoolswith or without entry exams.

In conclusion, I saw twonewspaper photos taken con-cerning exam schools. Onephoto showed a student-age fe-male holding a placard thatread, “Accept me for mybrains - not my zip code” andthe second photo showed ayoung woman with a placardthat read: “BPS = 14% white,BLS = 44 % white,by...chance?”

The real answer to thequestion isn’t dropping examsbecause you don’t like the ad-mission stats at exam schoolsand it shouldn’t matter whatzip code you live in. Our examschools are there for all ourstudents regardless where theyattended elementary or middleschool. Our job is making surethe education provided in theclassroom is the same inevery classroom in the entireschool system regardless of zipcode address.

Sal GiarrataniEast Boston

THE DIVISIVE ONETo the Editor:As of this writing, it is not

known if the current US Presi-dent, frequently referred to as

the “divisive one,” will re-main in office. If not rein-stated however, it appears wehave a local politician readyto adopt the title of the “divi-sive one.” I’m referring to aquote made by City CouncilorArroyo and recorded by theBulletin reporter in the Oct.29, 2020 issue of this paper.The article, “Social JusticeForum” brought up the sub-ject of neighborhood organi-zations and “Arroyo men-tioned that, in groups wherepeople of color were primarilypresent, “racial justice was is-sue number one, two andthree. But in neighborhoodgroups where almost every-one was white, they talkedabout development.” Taken incontext, it is obvious to thereader that the Councilor’smission at this forum was tobelittle white residents’ at-tempt to address significantand blatant flaws in the zon-ing process of local propos-als for the large apartmentbuildings in Hyde Park. Thefirst sentence in his quote canbe accepted as appropriate,though probably not correctas will be explained in thisletter. But he could not re-strain his divisive impulses toutter the second sentence inhis quote. As referred to ear-lier, this is a syndrome whichalso afflicts the sitting U.SPresident. Let me remind theCouncilor that some of thoseneighborhood organizationswhich he indicates preference,have persistently addressed de-velopment proposals in effortsto stabilize quality of life in theadjoining neighborhoods.These laudable efforts in op-position to some large egre-gious proposals on streets suchas River Street and AmericanLegion and Cummings High-ways have been well docu-mented in this paper.

Those “neighborhoodgroups where almost everyoneis white” have been opposingCity Hall and developers fromillicitly putting up large apart-ment buildings as of right andthus evading their obligation toinclude a percentage of afford-able units.

The Councilor claims thissubject of affordability to bea priority for him yet we can-not get him to move. As hisquote indicates he’s annoyedby the topic of developmentsfrom such groups. May thiswriter suggest he actually dis-play some effort to assist saidgroups in rectifying thesegross improprieties. That iswhy he was employed by theresidents of Hyde Park and,once fixed, these groups canfocus their attentions else-where.

Craig MartinHyde Park

Novena to St. ClareAsk St. Clare for three favors,1 business, 2 impossible. Saynine Hail Marys for ninedays, with lighted candle.Pray whether you believe ornot. Publish on the ninthday. Powerful novena. Say“May the Sacred Heart ofJesus be praised, adored,glorified, now and forever,throughout the whole world.Amen.” Your request will begranted, no matter howimpossible it may seem.

—S.G.H.

St. Jude’s NovenaMay the Sacred Heart of Jesusbe adored, glorified, loved andpreserved throughout the world,now and forever. Sacred Heartof Jesus pray for us. St. Jude,worker of miracles, pray for us.St. Jude, helper of the hopeless,pray for us. Say this prayer 9times a day. By the 9th day yourprayer will be answered. It hasnever been known to fail. Pub-lication must be promised.Thank you St. Jude. My Prayerswere answered.

In gratitude for helping me.

—S.G.H.

Legal Notice


Food pantries in Boston, like the Rose's Bounty in West Roxbury, are seeing a large uptick in demand goinginto the fall and winter months.

COURTESY PHOTO

Food pantries experience explosionin demand face holiday worries

MarMarMarMarMary Ellen Gambony Ellen Gambony Ellen Gambony Ellen Gambony Ellen GambonStaff Reporter

With the COVID-19 pan-demic, local food pantries haveseen an exponential rise in de-mand as people have sufferedfrom unemployment, illness andloss of family contact. The pan-tries, in turn, have been facingtheir own challenges, from order-ing issues to a lack of physicalspace, and the need is expected tomount with the upcoming holidayseason.

In some cases, local officialsand area businesses have steppedin, providing funding and food.But all pantry organizers agreethat money and volunteers arecritical to keep up with the de-mand as COVID-19 rates arespiking.

In Roslindale, RosemaryBraverman has been running theRoslindale Food Pantry for thepast 26 years. She originallystarted as a volunteer.

“I used to just be the personwho got the food,” according to

Braverman. “But when the direc-tor stepped down years ago, noone else wanted to do it. I felt likeI had to step up, even though Iprefer a behind-the-scenes role.”

The food pantry, which runsout of the Roslindale Congrega-tional Church at 25 CumminsHwy., normally served 50 fami-lies every Saturday before the pan-demic. That number exploded toabout 200 families once COVIDhit.

FFFFFood Pood Pood Pood Pood PantriesantriesantriesantriesantriesContinued on page 7


Ricardo Arroyo’s Office and Michael Flaherty’s Office went onrecord in support of the project, as well as Roslidnale Office ofNeighborhood Services Representative Joseph Coppinger.

In Brighton, the Board voted unanimously to approve four ad-ditional stories at 421-425 Market St. for more housing on top ofexisting commercial, creating a mixed-use building with 23 units.The proponents are seeking variances for multi-family dwelling asa conditional use, FAR excessive, building height excessive, rearyard insufficient, screening and buffering insufficient and offstreetparking and loading requirements insufficient.

Attorney Jeff Drago of Drago and Toscano said owner HenryChin has been going through the city process for abutters meetingsas well as the Boston Planning and Development Agency’s (BPDA)Article 80 Small Project Review Process.

“This project was approved by the BPDA Board in August of2020,” he said.

Drago said in meeting with the community, it was felt that somesort of retail should remain in that space, but nothing that wouldneed any parking.

“It would be more walk-in traffic, and so we were thinkingsomething like a yoga studio, bakery, or something more for theresidents who live there,” he said.

ZBA Secretary Mark Fortune said there were 89 letters of sup-port and one letter of opposition, which he said was concernedabout traffic. Boston Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood ServicesAllston Brighton Representative Conor Newman and District 9City Councilor Liz Breadon were in support of the proposal, aswell as the Brighton Allston Improvement Association.

In Roslindale, neighborhood opposition to one project saw theZBA vote to deny a proposal for two townhouses at 3-5 Meyer St.A developer was proposing to knock down the two-family homesitting there now and replace it with two townhouses. Variancesfor the project include two or more dwellings on the same lot notallowed, a dwelling shall not be built to the rear of another dwell-ing, lot frontage and front yard insufficient, and improper locationof a main entrance.

Attorney John Pulgini represented applicant Joe DeSipio, saidthey have two addresses because the townhouses will take up twolots. He added each dwelling will have one garage parking space apiece, with on-street parking for visitors.

Pulgini said the main entrance will be facing perpendicular fromthe street and one townhouse will be behind the other. He addedthey have also had four meetings with neighbors and abutters.

“They were very respectful conversations with the abutters, theywere always respectful and courteous, however, with four revi-sions to these plans, we just couldn’t get a consensus and get agree-ment with the abutters,” he said. “I included seven letters of sup-port. However, in the effort of full disclosure, none of those lettersare from contiguous abutters. Direct abutters yes, contiguous abut-ters no.”

The Mayor’s Office spoke in opposition to the project, as wellas District 4 City Councilor Andrea Campbell’s office, as well as20 letters from resident in opposition and 430 signatures in oppo-sition to the project.

ZBA continued from page 1Council wants BPS to equalizecurriculum standards

JefJefJefJefJeff Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf SullivanananananStaff Reporter

The Boston City Councilmet recently and voted to callfor a hearing with the BostonPublic Schools (BPS) Districtto try to implement consistentcurriculum standards for allschools in the district.

At-Large City Councilorand Chair of the Committeeon Education Annissa Essaibi-George said it seems that thecurriculum and degree ofrigor varies greatly across theBPS’ schools.

“It’s clear to me that weneed to think about our cur-riculum holistically and dis-trict-wide,” she said. “Weneed high-quality schools inevery neighborhood that arewell-resourced to meet theneeds of our complex district.Our students should not haveto have wildly different expe-

riences because our schoolsare lacking certain resources.Our students should have awell-rounded education at ev-ery level and every school sothey have opportunities to ex-plore who they are and whatthey can do in this world.”

Essaibi-George said thatstandardizing the curriculumat earlier levels like pre-K andelementary school gradescould lead to more studentsachieving better outcomeslater on.

“When we think about therecent exam school debate, wemust keep in mind that pro-viding high-quality educationto our pre-k and elementarystudents will set them up fora lifetime of success, whetheror not they attend one of ourexam schools,” she said.“Those are the critical yearsfor developing the fundamen-tal skills for lifelong learn-

ing.”Essaibi-George said all

schools should have decent of-ferings of not only qualityreading and math skills, butalso for art and social learningas well, as the skills needed tolearn are not developed simplythrough reading and solvingmath problems.

“We also must ensure thatwhen our students graduatehigh school they have somedegree of personal financialliteracy, can swim, understandhealth and wellness needs andare ready to be adults in theworld,” she said. “There is somuch more work we can do toensure that our schools areequipped to provide a holisticeducation to all our students.”

At-Large City CouncilorJulia Mejia said that she hasexperience in the BPS educa-tional system, as she has had achild in the district for the lastfive years.

“This is exactly the type ofleadership we have beenyearning for and I’m happy tosee that we’re going to finallyaddress issues around some ofthe inequalities that have ex-isted and persisted in the BPSfor far too long,” she said.

Mejia said she is happy tohelp elevate the voices of par-ents and students who have of-ten been left out of the conver-sation.

“I’m really happy that theexam schools have given us anopportunity to have this veryimportant conversation and Ilook forward to engaging, or-ganizing and bringing parentsinto the fold so we can finallyhave some restorative jus-tice,” she said.

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Legal Notice


Food Pantries continued from page 5“And since COVID, we also

go to the Longfellow House anddeliver 150 meals every Mondayto the seniors there,” she added.The food pantry is entirely run byvolunteers who pick up the food,box it and give it out to recipients,the same as other food pantries.

Altogether, it gives out morethan 25,000 pounds of food froma number of sources, Bravermanexplained. Wegman’s in ChestnutHill, Target in Roslindale and StarMarket contribute food twice aweek, while a local bagel bakeryand Roche Bros. make a weeklydonation. This is on top of foodprovided by the Greater BostonFood Bank (GBFB), which sup-plies all food pantries.

“The Target gives us abouttwo vans full of food a week,” shesaid. “The Wegman’s gives lotsof fresh bread, pastries, fruit, andprepared salads that we give to theseniors in the Longfellow House.”

These local donations werehelpful because of ordering chal-lenges with the GBFB, which wasinundated with requests.Braverman later learned she hadto order between 8,000 and10,000 pounds of food a weekbecause of a shift in the orderingpolicy.

“It’s costing me a fortune -$600 a month – because now Ihave to rent a big truck,” she said.“And it’s hard to find volunteersto unload it because the truck isso big and our site has so manystairs.”

For more information, pleasec o n t a c [email protected].

In West Roxbury, Rose’sBounty has been running a foodpantry since 2015 at the StratfordStreet United Church, which con-verted to a drive-up duringCOVID-19. But it also has facedits share of obstacles, accordingto board member Larry Costello.

“We are so happy to have ahome at St. Stephen’s, but thechurch’s electrical system hasn’tbeen updated since it was built in1953,” he said. “We didn’t havethe capacity to refrigerate the per-ishables.

“From April to September of2019, we distributed more than110,000 pounds of food from theGBFB,” he continued. “But dur-ing the same time frame this year,it was more than double that –249,076 pounds.”

In response to the needs offood pantries, in June, the Com-monwealth of Massachusetts an-nounced the FY 21 Food Secu-rity Infrastructure Grant Program.The program’s mission is tostrengthen food deliverymeasures.Costello, with the sup-port of state Sen. Mike Rush andRep. Ed Coppinger, applied to theprogram and won an $18,300grant, which Rose’s Bounty willreceive this month.

The funds will be used to cre-ate an insulated cooling room withadditional refrigerators and freez-ers, as well as to upgrade the elec-

trical infrastructure.Darra Slagle, Rose’s Bounty’s

executive director, said that “oneof the lights in the darkness” dur-ing COVID has been the way thatthe pantry has worked to connectpeople.

“We have been reaching outto homebound neighbors,” shesaid. “We’ve also been buildingconnections with Ethos, the Ital-ian Home and Councilor MattO’Malley’s office to reach peoplewho need food.”

Although there has been tre-mendous community support, onething Slagle lamented is that, be-cause school has been virtual, thepantry has been short of studentvolunteers, who provide “enthu-siasm and muscle.”

She also said that Rose’sBounty will not be able to provideThanksgiving turkeys, but willoffer all of the other fixings.

All of the food pantries arefeeling the strain right now, Slagleadded.

“I don’t think any of us cankeep this up at the pace we’re go-ing at right now,” she said.

For more information aboutRose’s Bounty, please visitwww.rosesbounty.org. Rose’sBounty serves residents of WestRoxbury, Roslindale, Hyde Park,Mattapan and Jamaica Plain.

The Hyde Park Food Pantryhad to find a new site twice, ac-cording to director Joe Consalvo,at a time when it was of its great-est service to neighborhood resi-

dents.“I’ve been running it for 16

years now,” he said, noting thathe took over when his predeces-sor, Bob Consalvo, stepped down.“I totally got roped into it, but itbecame a family affair with mykids volunteering.”

Earlier this year, the HydePark Community Center, or “theMuni,” where the food pantry ishosted, had to close because ofsubstantial water damage.

“There were leaks in the wallswhich caused mold issues,”Consalvo said. “Robert Hickey,the Muni director, was able tocontact the Boston Prep CharterSchool, so we were really lucky.They donated the use of the lowerlevel, and we were able to distrib-ute several tons of food fromthere.”

When the school planned toreopen, the food pantry got movedto the former King’s Chinese Res-taurant at 1203 River St. for sev-eral weeks this fall.

Consalvo this week returnedto a totally refurbished site, thanksto funding provided by MayorMarty Walsh and the Boston Cen-ter for Youth & Families. It re-ceived its first food delivery onMon. Nov. 2.

“Marty Walsh single-handedly saved the Hyde ParkFood Pantry,” he said. “We arecoming home to a brand-newspace.Now we will even have ourown entrance on the lower levelof the building.”

Consalvo has about 10 volun-teers. Before the pandemic theyserved between 325 to 340 fami-

lies about 3,600 pounds of food aweek. Now he orders 13,000pounds of food per week.

The GBFB’s policies initiallymade it difficult to get food, heexplained, because the orders hadto be placed at midnight. The othersites experienced this as well.

“My daughter would be onlineat 11:59 p.m.,” Consalvo said.“When she clicked at midnight,the food would already begone.Now I get 8,000 pounds onthe first Monday of the month and5,000 on the third Monday.”

Consalvo is looking ahead to-ward Thanksgiving. But he ac-knowledged it will be differentfrom years past.

“We always provided the tur-key and everything from soup tonuts,” he explained. “Peoplewould be lined up all the way upRiver St. But this year I think wemay just be giving out vouchers.”

For more information, [email protected].

A Hyde Park bakery will beparticipating in a Thanksgivingfundraiser called “Pie in the Sky.”Boston Baking Inc.is contributingits apple and pecan pies to thecause, in partnership with JamaicaPlain nonprofit Community Serv-ings and sponsor Whole Foods.The 26th annual community bakesale helps feed chronically andcritically ill neighbors acrossMassachusetts. For a $30 dona-tion at www.pieinthessky,donors will receive their choice ofapple or pecan pie, which coversa week’s worth of healthy mealsfor one Community Servings cli-ent.


DeathsDOHERTY

Helen M. (Barrows) For-merly of Roslindale, passedaway peacefully on October 30,2020, with her loving family byher side, at the age of 92. She wasthe devoted wife of the late Ri-chard L. Doherty. Predeceasedby her son Robert J. Doherty andher daughter Mary Lou Doherty,she leaves behind her sons Ri-chard P. Doherty and wife Bar-bara Barrett of Dedham, KevinW. Doherty of Vermont, andSteven J. Doherty of Florida. Shealso leaves her granddaughterKerry A. (Doherty) Teixeira, hus-band Kyle and great-grand-daughter Kenadie of RI, andgrandsons Michael B.Morris ofWest Roxbury and Ian F. Dohertyof Colorado, along with manyother grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews, niecesand friends. Funeral from theWilliam J. Gormley FuneralHome, 2055 Centre St., WESTROXBURY, Thursday, Novem-ber 5th at 10am. followed by aFuneral Mass in Holy NameChurch at 11 o’clock. Visitinghours Wednesday, 4-8 pm. Rela-tives and friends invited. Inter-ment Mt. Benedict Cemetery. Asan expression of sympathy, do-nations can be made to TheCorrib Charitable Trust at theCorrib Pub & Restaurant, 2030Centre St., West Roxbury, MA02132. For directions andg u e s t b o o k ,www.gormleyfuneral.com Will-iam J. Gormley Funeral Service617-323-8600.

FOSTERBobby G. Beloved Husband

and Father Bobby Gerald Foster,or more affectionately, Fos’, wasborn in Wellsville, Ohio on No-vember 1, 1934 and died on Oc-tober 22, 2020. His father Oscarand mother Maxine had fourchildren: Mary Lou Gurley (de-ceased), Bobby Gerald Foster,Barbara Jean Porter, Betty AnnWyatt (deceased). James“Jimmy” Young (deceased) washis half brother on his mother’sside. Fos’ had six half siblings onhis father’s side, most of whomstill live in Ohio: Larry Foster,Lavon Foster, Willy Foster (de-ceased), Carl Foster, ShirleyCarter, Jeri Lee Mahone. Fos’graduated from Wellsville HighSchool in 1954 and was a starfootball and basketball player.Because of his great skills as apunter, his nickname was “TheToe”. In fact, Fos’ was the modelfor a statue, which stills standsin Wellsville today, of a playerkicking a football. Straight outof high school, Bob joined theAir Force and then went into theNavy where he spent 3 years inRota, Spain and became fluentin Spanish. Bob was a uniquerenaissance man in that he had ahigh level of both technical andartistic skills. He retired aftermany years as a tool designer forGeneral Electric Aircraft En-gines. He always loved architec-ture and attended the Boston Ar-chitectural College. As a talentedmultimedia artist, Fos’ couldpaint or carve anything. His art-work hangs in the homes of fami-lies and friends. Bob was also aprofessional drummer. He loved

Wally’s Café in the South Endand used to bring his bongos tosit-in with the band. He is sur-vived by his beloved his wife of36 years, Maria Latimore, sonBobby “Blue” Ameer Foster anddaughter Amara Maxine Foster.Funeral from the Davis FuneralHome, 89 Walnut Ave.,ROXBURY. Funeral Servicewill be private. Friends are in-vited to join remotely at 12 noonusing the link on Bob’s webpageat www.DavisofBoston.com

INDECKBarbara (Swerdlick) Passed

away Thursday, October 29,2020 at 80 years of age at He-brew Senior Life, Roslindale,MA. Born in Malden, MA, Bar-bara raised her family inStoughton, MA. She was the de-voted daughter of David &Lillian Swerdlick of Swerdlick’sKosher Meat Market, Malden,MA. She leaves behind her be-loved children, Michelle Indeckof Stoughton, MA, Steven &Risa Indeck of East Taunton, MAand Marla & Adam Soreff ofPelham, NH. Her grandchildren,Debrah, Matthew, Alex,Cameron, Jacob & Asher. Hergreat-granddaughter NoraLillian. Also, her brothersHoward Swerdlick of CA and hislate wife Gail, the late EdwardSwerdlick, sister-in-law SandraSwerdlick of Malden, TheodoreSwerdlick & sister-in-law AnnNechtem of Marblehead. Due toCovid 19 restrictions, privateFuneral Services will be held. Inlieu of a formal Shiva, we askthat you celebrate the life of ourmom. In lieu of flowers, dona-tions may be made toAlzheimer’s Association, 309Waverly Oaks Road, Waltham,MA 02451 or Hebrew SeniorLife, 1200 Centre Street,Roslindale, MA 02131.Schlossberg Family’s Chapel onthe Hill (781) 828-6990www.schlossbergchapel.com

LaCASCIAJosephine M. (Badessa) A

Life Well Fought Family Matri-arch, Josephine M. LaCascia(Badessa), 86, of Wellesley Hills,formerly of West Roxbury,passed away peacefully on Oc-tober 29, 2020 after a 50-yearfight with rheumatoid arthritisthat could never stop her fromliving an amazing life. She wasborn in Boston, MA to the lateJohn Badessa and Giovanna“Jenny” (Berenato) Badessa onNovember 29, 1933. Josephinegrew up in Dorchester, MA andgraduated from Dorchester HighSchool for Girls and theKatherine Gibbs School in Bos-ton before moving to WestRoxbury where she proudlywould utter the phrase “you cannever take the Dorchester out ofthe girl.” She married the lateJohn A. LaCascia in 1960. Theylived together in West Roxburyfor 15 years before relocating toWellesley Hills. Josephine is sur-vived by a loyal and faithful sis-ter-in-law, Anna Fioretti ofMedford, MA and her lovingchildren Joseph LaCascia and hisspouse Aleta; Christine LaCasciaand Janice LaCascia-Mahoneyand her spouse Brendan

Mahoney. She is also survived byher adored grandchildren Ava,Nia, Sophia and Olivia. We willall miss her immensely.Josephine began her career as ahigh-powered legal secretary inBoston in the 1950’s. She wasalso the former President of theJunior League of the Women’sItalian Club of Boston. As a styl-ish, well-travelled woman shehad many friends and suitors butthen met her future husband andone true love of her life. “Jack”and “Jody” were soon married in1960 and started out on their lifetogether and the building of theirloving family. When her hus-band passed away at a young agedue to cancer, she carried on asa widowed single mother ofthree, taking over the familybusiness, West Roxbury AutoSchool which under her manage-ment became New EnglandDriving School, the largest driv-ing school in the Boston area.Thousands of teenagers in Bos-ton went through this “rite ofpassage” with her and knew herfondly as “Mrs. L.” She contin-ued to receive greetings and mes-sages from them through socialmedia until the end. Shestruggled through tough timesand went on to become an advo-cate for the rights and empower-ment of women in business. Herpastimes were family, grandchil-dren, friends, outings and poli-tics. She loved to document herancestry and family history andthe get-togethers that she haddoing this. She loved her Sicil-ian heritage. She spent much ofher final years on social mediaencouraging people to vote andto get involved in political debateand discussion. Known to herchildren as their lovable “gypsy,”she kept moving forward in herlife, never looking back and en-during through a long-term battlewith rheumatoid arthritis that shewould never let hold her down.During her 50-year battle withthe disease, she managed a busycareer and her illness while con-tinuing on as the main supporterof her children, seeing them allthrough college and successfulcareers of their own. In lateryears, she notably worked as asecretary for the Town ofWellesley Selectmen’s office andDeland Gibson InsuranceAgency in Wellesley, Hills untilher retirement. A visitation washeld at the George F. Doherty &Sons Funeral Home, 477 Wash-ington St. (Rt. 16),WELLESLEY on Sunday, No-vember 1, 2020. Interment pri-vate. For directions and onlineguestbook, gfdoherty.com.

McDONALDMargaret C. (McMahon) Age

94, of West Roxbury, MA diedOctober 30, 2020 in Fort Pierce,FL. She grew up in Mission Hill,daughter of Richard & Nellie(Sheehan) McMahon. Survivedby her children, Janet Sennottand husband Peter of Boxford,MA, Kenneth McDonald andwife Karen of Mansfield, MAand Kathleen Orton and husbandBryan of Ft. Pierce, FL with

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DeathsDeathsDeathsDeathsDeathsContinued on page 9


whom she resided. She was the mother of the lateJames (Benny) McDonald. Grandmother ofShelley Salvatore, Meagan Castell, MatthewMcDonald, Bryan Orton, Robert McDonald, DavidMcDonald and the late Corey Sennott and StephenMcDonald. Predeceased by her siblings, EthelLarsen, Frederick McMahon, Helen Donovan, andRichard McMahon. A Celebration of her life willbe private. Arrangements are under the directionof Haisley Funeral & Cremation Service, FortPierce, FL. An online guestbook may be signed atwww.haisleyfuneralhome.com

MESITIMarilyn of Roslindale, formerly of Dorchester,

passed away on October 22, 2020 surrounded byher family after a long valiant battle with cancer.Devoted mother of Louis John Bonilla and TheresaBonilla, her dog Cinna and her dear sister ElaineMesiti of Roslindale. Loving daughter of the lateJohn C. and Theresa A. (Cannata) Mesiti. A gradu-ate of UMass Boston with her Masters degree inPsychology, Marilyn applied her many skills andeducation at the East End House in Cambridge, asan English teacher in the Boston Public Schools,and Fernald State School. Marilyn is warmly re-membered as a passionate gardener, her love forcooking and baking, sharing and helping neigh-bors. No Funeral Services will be held at this time;a celebration of Marilyn’s life will be held in 2021.Joseph Russo Funeral Homewww.Russofuneralhome.com 617-325-7300.

MILLERIsabelle Died peacefully at the age of 100 on

Saturday, October 24, 2020 at her home alongsideher family. She was born on May 31, 1920 to thelate Saul Wilson and Ella Nora (Dones) Wilson.She is survived by her sons, Robert Miller (Penny)and Kevin Miller, 5 grandchildren, 10 great-grand-children, and 6 great-great-grandchildren, as wellas a host of family and friends. Private Service &Interment, Saturday, October 31, 2020. Family &invitees only, 9:00 a.m.to 12:00 p.m.

O’BOYVirginia M. (Winn) of West Roxbury, passed

away peacefully at home October 22, 2020. Age92 years. Beloved wife of the late James M. “Jim”O’Boy. Loving sister to the late William, Kenneth,Herbert, George, and Paul Winn, Sister Barbara

Deaths continued from page 8Winn S.N.D., Margaret Kelley Ferry, Ruth Melchin,Alice Jane Coughlin and Lillian McKenzie. Othersurvivors include several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. Funeral from theGormley Funeral Home, 2055 Centre Street, WESTROXBURY. Burial at St. Joseph Cemetery, WestRoxbury. For directions and guestbook, pleasevisit:www.gormleyfuneral.com Gormley FuneralService (617) 323 – 8600.

QUINNRichard F. of Hyde Park, passed away peace-

fully on October 29, 2020. Born in Boston on March31, 1935. Devoted son of the late James and Mary(Farrell) Quinn. Dick proudly served his countryin the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Hewas eucharistic minister, altar server for daily Massand funerals, always there to help at St. John’swhenever there was a need. He often led the rosaryand attended Bible studies whenever St. John’s hadthem. He was the face of St. John’s and he alwayshad a smile on his face. A true devoted man of faith.Devoted godfather of Martin Joyce and his wifeLisa of Winchester. Funeral from the William J.Gormley Funeral Home, 2055 Centre Street, WestRoxbury. Interment Mt. Benedict Cemetery. In lieuof flowers, donations in Dick’s memory may bemade to St. John Chrysostom Church, 4750 Wash-ington Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132. For di-rections and guestbook, please visit:Gormleyfuneral.com William J. Gormley FuneralService (617) 323-8600.

WALSHJames P. Jr. of West Roxbury, formerly of Ja-

maica Plain and Arlington, October 31, 2020. Be-loved husband of Anne C. (MacVicar) Walsh. Lov-ing father of Christopher P. Walsh of West Roxburyand Brian P. Walsh of West Roxbury. Brother ofMarybeth Walls of Raynham, Patricia Burgoyne ofWaltham, and Linda Browne and her husband Danof Billerica. Also survived by many nieces andnephews. Visiting Hours at the William J. GormleyFuneral Home, 2055 Centre St., WEST ROXBURY,Thursday, November 5th from 5-7pm. Relatives andfriends invited. In lieu of flowers, donations maybe made in his name to Dana-Farber Cancer Insti-tute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168.For directions and guestbook,www.gormleyfuneral.com William J. Gormley Fu-neral Service 617-323-8600.

COLLEGE PREPPROGRAM AT BOSTONUNIVERSITY ACCEPTINGAPPLICATIONS!

Boston University UpwardBound is currently accepting ap-plications for their college prepa-ration program from 9th and 10thgraders. Upward Bound serves 86Boston Public High School Stu-dents by providing academic in-struction, tutoring, social enrich-ment and personal support. Thisincludes MCAS English, Mathand Science prep, along with SATprep. The program is free and nowhas openings. The priority appli-cation deadline is December 1. Students attending Brighton HighSchool, The English High School,Community Academy of Scienceand Health, Margarita MunizAcademy and Snowden Interna-tional High School at Copley orattend a Boston public school andlive in Dorchester, East Boston,Mattapan, or Roxbury can apply.Program services include an aca-

demically intensive six-week sum-mer program (and live at BU whenlocal and university guidelines al-low) and an afterschool programof tutoring and academic coursesduring the school year. For an ap-plication and more information onthe program contact us at 617 353-5195 or [email protected]. You canalso go to www.bu.edu/ub.

ANNA’S PALS NIGHT OF RE-MEMBRANCE AND LIGHT

November is the month ofgiving thanks. This year, withhealth scares, infection fears, andfinancial insecurities, manypeople are struggling to find areason to be thankful.

Our annual Night of Remem-brance and Light will be a monthlong event this year. Although wewill not be able to gather togetherat Jamaica Pond, we will be ableto pass the light virtually. Theyear of 2020 has brought manychallenges, let’s take this oppor-tunity to share positive messages

and brighten someone’s day. Geta virtual candle at https://g o . r a l l y u p . c o m /candlelighting and share somepositivity!

Back by popular demand,Anna’s Fudge. For those of youwho knew Anna personally, youknow about her love of cooking,baking and most importantly,making fudge! She invented herown secret recipe and we haverecreated that for you. The fudgeis prepared in small batches, isavailable in full and 1/2 poundpackaging, and is the perfect giftto share this holiday season.

We ALL now know the ef-fects isolation has had on us andour children, imagine the worryof your child’s health compound-ing that. The Anna’s Pals beachhouse will make a difference inthe lives of these families.

Let’s band together, spreadsome cheer, and support Anna’sPals!

Around the Neighborhood

METCO Accepting 2021-22 Applications Online!

METMETMETMETMETCOCOCOCOCOContinued on page 10

The Metropolitan Councilfor Educational Opportunityhas opened its online applica-tion process for the 2021-22school year. Boston familieswho wish to enroll their

school-age children in subur-ban public schools can applyonline at metcoinc.org/applybetween October 2 and Novem-ber 30, 2020. Other applicationcycles will be offered in the

new year.For more information and/

or assistance with the appli-cation process, please call


617-427-1545 or go tometcoinc.org.

METCO is the highly ap-plauded, historic school inte-gration program that wasfounded to invite Boston chil-dren of color to enroll in pre-dominantly white suburbanschools, breaking down barri-ers to educational opportunitiesand creating racially diverselearning environments for stu-dents of all backgrounds.

The METCO applicationprocess, modernized in 2019 toincrease efficiency, equity andtransparency, allows parents tocomplete an application fromany online device. Upon veri-fication of student eligibility,students will be entered into a

METCO continued from page 9lottery and have an equal op-portunity to be referred to sub-urban schools connected withMETCO. Parents can track theprogress of their applicationthroughout the application pro-cess.

METCO CEO MillyArbaje-Thomas points out thatMETCO is making a differencein a world plagued by racialdiscord, saying: “In the wake ofthe horrific racial incidents thatshone a light on systemic rac-ism in America this year,METCO is working with evengreater passion with suburbanschool partners to introduce ini-tiatives that promote racial jus-tice.”

She noted that METCO his-

torically has reduced racial iso-lation in suburban classroomsby enabling students to buildlife-long interracial friendshipswhile preparing to become glo-bal citizens. Research showsthat shared experiences is theykey element in reducing racialbarriers and METCO providesthat at an early age. Graduationrates and college attainmentamong METCO students arefar above state averages andlifelong friendships are forgedbetween diverse students.SIGN UP FOR METCO:metcoinc.org/apply GET AS-SISTANCE AND MORE IN-FORMATION: metcoinc.org 617-427-1545

Kelley Steps Down continued from page 1“Being in a parish and con-

necting with people, that’s whatattracted me,” he said of hisdecision to become a priest.“As seminarians, we went to achurch for a few weeks, andthat’s when I said, ‘I can do thisand I really enjoy this.’”

After his ordination in 1968,Kelley began his career at St.Ambrose Parish in Dorchester,where he served for sevenyears.

“That was all through bus-ing,” he explained. “It was avery complicated time of life.But the people were great, andI began to learn how to be aparish priest.”

At the same time, he servedon the board of the Pine StreetInn, becoming its chair. Duringthe 1980s, he took a year off toattend Notre Dame to earn amaster’s degree in pastoral the-ology. Upon his return, he wasassigned to St. John’s Parish inPeabody, where he learned thedynamics of shepherding a sub-urban parish.

“The time at Peabody reallystarted to make me think aboutmy life in terms of building achurch,” he said. He then wentto Quincy for about seven yearsbefore coming to Sacred HeartParish in 1991.

“By then I had a good senseof being a pastor and what Iwanted to do,” he said. “This

has been the most difficult andcomplicated assignment I’vehad because of the racialchanges, the ethnic changes andadjusting to all of that and tokeep building up a church.”

One of the challenges hefound is that each culture hasits own perception of God andhow He should be worshipped,from the length of the Mass tothe way the church is arranged.

“Little did we know that wewould have people from over40 countries and ethnic groupsin the parish,” Kelley noted.“All of them are Catholic. Theyall are very active believers. Butthey all see life differently.

“The American Catholics,whether they’re Irish or Ger-man or whatever, are very fo-cused on making money,” heexplained. “But the LatinoCatholic looks on it and says,‘They don’t do any service.’That’s not true, but some don’tsee it the same way.”

One of the greatest recentachievements during his time aspastor has been the creation ofan international club. Once amonth, a member will talkabout how he or she was raisedas a Catholic, among other is-sues.

Once there was a hearty dis-agreement over whether a localchurch was Catholic because itdoesn’t have kneelers. When aCaribbean friend told an Afri-can colleague that she neversaw a kneeler until she came toAmerica, she was asked if shewas Catholic, according toKelley.

“I stepped in and said,‘Look, there are very differentways of being Catholic,” hesaid. “That’s a revelation tothem.

“Catholicism is sort of likean accordion,” Kelley contin-ued. “It can expand or contractaccording to the cultural andethnic situation it steps into.”

One achievement of whichKelley is most proud is the Sa-

cred Heart School’s adoption ofa STEM curriculum 10 yearsago, which stresses science,technology, engineering andmath.

“In most Catholic schools,the education is a certain qual-ity, but it’s all vanilla,” he la-mented. “It’s very strong onEnglish and religion and onvalues and on character devel-opment. And it’s kind of weakwhen they get into the sci-ences.”

At the time, Kelley learnedthat only high schools wereteaching STEM. But the mostcritical learning period is be-tween grades one and three.

“Usually schools have theirscience nights, and you get thesame 50 parents,” he continued.“The first year we did this, I goin and we have 300 people inthe hall. What happened is thekids had been talking about theproject for the whole year, andthey dragged their whole fam-ily to see what they did. If youcan change a curriculum, youchange not only the students butalso the parents.”

In May of 2019, 700 peopleattended the STEM night, andthe event filled every class-room, the gymnasium, the caf-eteria and the hallways. Thisyear, if not for COVID-19, theprojects would have includedbuilding an actual bridge, as wellas essays on the history ofbridges and their relationship tofaith.

Creating the community ofat least 1,100 people each week-end before COVID-19 has likelybeen Kelley’s other greatestachievement. Among those are atleast 80 parish leaders who servein various capacities both in thechurch and school as well as in thecommunity.

“My leaving isn’t going to beas traumatic because there is a coreof leadership that is going to pickup the ball and run with things,”he said. “Nobody’s going to comein and tell them they can’t do it.”

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7%342/8529^2/3,).$!,% %8//(7,1 - The Bulletin Newspapers, Inc. · 2020. 11. 4. · Page 2 The Bulletin November 5, 2020 Prayer to the Blessed Virgin (Never known to fail!) Oh, most