Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on March 2, 2013

LAWRENCE The theme of this years St. Patricks Day celebrations by the Rev. James T. OReilly Division Eight Ancient Order of Hibernians is 142 Years of Dedication to Religion, Heritage, Charity and Community.

They will honor these words when they present its 2013 Awards to three Lawrence natives two who are serving as men of the cloth and a lay man active in the community, through St. Patrick Parish and the Hibernians.

The Rev John Delaney, pastor at Sacred Hearts Parish in Bradford will receive the Richard Cardinal Cushing Award, and Francis A. OConnor Jr., will be named the 2013 Irishman of the Year at the Saint Patricks Day Dinner Dance on March 9 from 6 to 11 p.m.

Then, at the Hibernian St. Patricks Luncheon on March 15, Division 8 will present the John E. Fenton Citizenship Award to Brother Rene Roy of Central Catholic High School, for his distinguished community service to the greater Lawrence area. Both events will be held at the Lawrence Fire Associations Reliefs In, 1 Market St.

Delaney is a graduate of Central Catholic High School, College of the Holy Cross, University of New Hampshire and Tufts University. He entered Saint Johns Seminary in 1990 and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1995.

Before being transferred to Bradford, he was on the ministry team at St. Michael Parish in North Andover. Delaney is chaplain to the North Andover Police and Fire Departments, Chaplain for the Saint Claire League of Catholic Woman and is on the Board of Directors of the Trauma Intervention Program.

OConnor, who works for the City of Lawrence, is a graduate of Lawrence High and St. Bonaventure University.

He is commissioner of the Junior High Basketball Program at St. Patricks Parish. OConnor leads the Chess Club for the Lawrence public schools and the Lawrence Public Library. He has been a member of the Hibernians for the past 15 years and serves as division historian.

Brother Roy, a member of the Marist order, is a graduate of Central Catholic High School, Marist College, the University of Notre Dame and Mary Grove College in Detroit. He entered the Marist Brothers in 1959 and has served the Marist community in various capacities as a teacher, vocation director, administrator and pastoral assistant in West Virginia, New York, South Dakota, Illinois and Rwanda. He has been working at his alma mater since 2005. Brother Roy is also active with the Lawrence Kiwanis Club and St. Monica Council Knights of Columbus in Methuen.

To order tickets for the banquet and dance, call Robert Gauthier at 978-686-2786 and for the Hibernian luncheon, contact Jack Lahey at 603-898-7766.

Read this article:
Hibernians honor Delaney, Roy and O'Connor during Irish heritage month

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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