Sister Marguerite leads the way at IPC

By Kieran O’Sullivan

Rising at 4 a.m. to catch the 6 a.m. shuttle to Washington, D.C., Sister Marguerite Kelly had but a few hours sleep, but she made it to the departure gate ahead of many half her age.

As executive director of the Irish Pastoral Center, Sister Marguerite saw immigration reform as the most important issue facing the thousands of people who get in touch with the IPC each year. Throughout the ILIR campaign this past year, despite a heavy work-load running the operations and programs of the IPC, Sister Marguerite never missed attending the rallies.

“Sister Marguerite’s commitment and dedication is remarkable, she is available to help when she is needed,” said Sheila Gleeson, executive director of the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers. “Under her stewardship, the IPC has set up a new program for seniors in Boston filling a very real need in the Irish community. The IPC has remained actively involved in helping young Irish immigrants by actively participating in the campaign for comprehensive immigration reform last year.”

The IPC was founded in Quincy 20 years ago when thousands of undocumented Irish immigrants converged on the greater Boston area seeking work. They left Ireland when unemployment rates soared. At the IPC, they got assistance on housing, immigration and employment.

The work continues today.

“Sister Marguerite stepped into big shoes after Sr. Veronica retired,” said Mark Mathers, chairman of the IPC’s board. “However she has guided the organization in her own distinctive style. Marguerite has shaped the IPC to make it more dynamic and relevant to the Irish community it serves.”

Under her guidance, the center has grown its programs. Today its new programs include a senior citizen program aimed at reaching out to Irish seniors in Massachusetts. The number of staff at the IPC has doubled and attendance at the monthly clinics and weekly senior events are steady.

For Sister Marguerite, the work is rewarding for many reasons.

“I love the variety of this ministry - interacting with everybody from the little toddlers and their moms to the seniors with their delightful stories and everybody in between,” she said. “I feel that what is most gratifying is working with our wonderful, dedicated staff.”

In her work, Sister Marguerite frequently meets with Irish immigrants who have one crisis or another in their lives. It might be a young man whose parent is dying at home, unable to be there because of his immigration status. Or it might be an Irish woman who is being exploited at work because she lacks the proper immigration status.

“Her kind disposition and openness to all people means that many approach her when they are in all kinds of trouble,” said the Rev. John McCarthy, the chaplain attached to the IPC. “She has been very much part of the advancement of many of our programs at the pastoral centre, including the new senior program which has been a huge success in the last year.”

Each week, Sister Marguerite spends time with Irish prisoners, many of them immigration detainees at area prisons. She establishes contact with their friends and families, in order to comfort to them. Sister Marguerite also works closely with the Mother-Toddler groups at St. Mark’s in Dorchester and in also Brighton.

Money needs

Funding is a constant challenge for the IPC, and Sister Marguerite is challenged with paying administrative costs attached to the running of the center. Though she knows it is necessary, fundraising is not something she enjoys doing as she’d much prefer to be spending the time with those who need her help.

IPC Board Chairman Mark Mathers had high praise for Sister Marguerite.

“Sister Marguerite can be seen acting as an ambassador at black tie events in the city but is more at home on the one-on-one interaction she has daily with those who need her care and advice,” said Mathers. “It is obvious to the board that Marguerite is clearly conscious that she is a disciple of Jesus Christ and that doing His will is her motivation in life.”