In paradisum dedicante angeli…
Surrounded by his loving family, one of the most generous and good hearted men in Boston died today. Please ask God to look with mercy on Jack Shaughnessy, Sr. and to lead him home to heaven in perfect peace with his wife, Mary.
I first met Jack last year at a luncheon arranged by his old friend Sr. Jeanne. Jack’s love for the Church and his deep faith were as readily apparent as the stories he told of how much he missed his dear Mary, how proud he was of his children and grandchildren, and the constant refrain, “You know, Monsignor, I am just so blest.” And though he had some “Job-like” experiences in his life, they deepened his faith and his trust in the Lord.
Jack was always talking about Saint John’s Seminary and how we were full and how only the finest young men were studying for dioceses all over New England. Many of you have met him in the past year and would have your own stories of how much he loved us.
It was just a short time ago that I informed Jack that he would be the first recipient of the Archbishop John J. Williams medal by which Saint John’s would seek to recognize his unwavering commitment to and generous support of the seminary. In his usual humble way he suggested that someone else would be more worthy of the award but his extraordinary support of the Seminary makes it clear that he was and is the best choice.
The medal will be presented posthumously to Jack at our January Benefactor’s Banquet and on that night I am sure he will be smiling down at us, taking his typical pride not so much in himself as in the Church which he loved and so generously supported throughout the years.
Say a special prayer as you go to sleep tonight for Jack Shaughnessy, whose friendship and love of this holy house have been such a blessing to us for so many years.
in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres,
et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem.
