April 6, 2015 - Cardinal and Local Leaders Kick Off 2015 Celebration of the Priesthood Dinner*

Braintree, MA (April 6, 2015) -- On Tuesday, March 24, local Church and business leaders came together at the Boston College Club to kick-off the fundraising effort for this year’s seventh annual dinner in Celebration of the Priesthood. The largest event of its kind, this annual dinner benefits the Clergy Health and Retirement Trust that cares for the health and well-being of the 628 priests in the Archdiocese of Boston. The Celebration of the Priesthood dinner provides the Catholic faithful with a special opportunity to join together as a community to honor and thank the priests who serve us all.
 
Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, is the chair for this year’s dinner to be held at the Seaport World Trade Center on September 17, 2015. With his leadership and a significant increase in committee membership, the goal to raise $1.8 million has begun. Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Seán O’Malley and Vice Chairman of the Clergy Health and Retirement Trust Rev. Msgr. Dennis Sheehan welcomed the committee and spoke to the incredible work that is accomplished through this event.
 
“Priests are at the heart of the church’s efforts at evangelization and are the leaders of our parish communities,” said Cardinal Seán O’Malley. “They are essential for the life of the Church and are our boots on the ground, healing wounds and devoting their lives to the service of all of us.”
 
The Clergy Health and Retirement Trust supports not only priests’ physical health but their emotional and mental well-being. In fiscal year 2014, support for the Trust enabled the staff nurse to visit over 230 priests receiving medical care and 140 priests living alone. In addition, the nurse provided 87 priests, their caring relatives, and healthcare proxies with coordinated care. The Trust also launched a comprehensive wellness program consisting of six seminars with more than 200 clergy in attendance, and provided quality care for the 56 residents living at the Regina Cleri senior priest residence. These senior priests represent 2,800 years of faithful service to our Church of Boston.
 
Last year’s dinner saw a record attendance of more than 1,600 people. This year’s dinner is expected to yield the same number of attendees with an even greater number of funds raised through the generosity of the Catholic faithful.
 
For further information or to make a contribution to the Clergy Health and Retirement Trust, please visit www.clergyfunds.org. 
  
About the Archdiocese of Boston: The Diocese of Boston was founded on April 8, 1808 and was elevated to Archdiocese in 1875. Currently serving the needs of 1.8 million Catholics, the Archdiocese of Boston is an ethnically diverse and spiritually enriching faith community consisting of 289 parishes, across 144 communities, educating approximately 42,000 students in its Catholic schools and 156,000 in religious education classes each year, ministering to the needs of 200,000 individuals through its pastoral and social service outreach.   Mass is celebrated in nearly twenty different languages each week. For more information, please visit  www.BostonCatholic.org.