Past Events

Native American History: First Light Flashback

In order to commemorate Native American Heritage Month, Annawon Weeden, Mashpee Wampanoag member visited The Pastoral Centre on November 15th to educate and entertain the audience with a performance of his show 'First Light Flashback'. The presentation depicted every era from pre-settler, to colonization, the King Phillip wars, slavery and whaling up until contemporary times. 'Wampanoag' means 'People of The First Light' due to their geographic location as the furthest eastern tribe.

If you missed the event and would like more information visit firstlightfoundation.net

The Know-Nothing Movement & Its Roots in Black 47

On October 17th we were delighted to have historian/archivist John McColgan present an insightful talk on The Know Nothing Movement. The US political party, by name of the American Party, flourished in the 1850’s, holding anti-Catholic, xenophobic and anti-immigrant views. To them, the rising tide of immigrants, primarily the Irish in the East and Germans towards the West, posed a threat to native-born Protestants. His speech garnered great conversation amongst the audience of how the close-minded views of adherents of the Know-Nothing Movement can sadly still be seen today. John has been a city archivist since 1995 and is also one of the new members of our Board here at the Irish Pastoral Centre.

Kitchen Canary: Reading & Book Signing

Joanne Parsons, author of 'Kitchen Canary' visited us on October 6th to speak about her popular novel and the family history that provided the inspiration behind it. The book, which won 1st place in 'Historical Fiction Novel' at the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, tells the tale of two young sisters from Galway who came to Boston in the 19th century. During that time, Irish domestics were often referred to as Kitchen Canaries and considered property of their employers. There was a great discussion afterwards as attendees shared their own family stories passed down through the generations in what made for a great discussion.

Guest Speaker: Jim Wahlberg

The Irish Pastoral Centre was delighted to host Director Jim Wahlberg at our new offices on September 26th for a screening of his film "The Circle of Addiction-A Different Kind of Tears". The film illustrates the challenges those grappling with addiction face but also highlights the fact that there is hope in recovery. Jim gave a very frank and compelling talk about his life to date and what led him to his current work producing these films in his fight against the opioid crisis. Attendees were also be given the opportunity to speak about their own experiences and ask Jim questions. Jim's appearance marked the launch of our new program "DAMHSA" (Drug, Alcohol and Mental Health/Substance Abuse Awareness program). 'DAMHSA' is the Irish for dance and is pronounced Dauwsa.

This is just one of the ongoing events we are holding in our new space to help tackle the stigma around drug addiction and provide a safe space for people to talk openly about it.

Check out some photos of our recent Community BBQ!

The Irish Pastoral Centre's 2019 Community BBQ was held on June 26th in Neponset Park in Dorchester. We were joined on the day by the new Consul General Leisha Moore and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross who delighted the crowd with a beautiful rendition of Danny Boy. Everyone enjoyed the delicious BBQ lunch in glorious sunshine and were entertained by traditional Irish music as well as games and raffle prizes. Thanks to all for coming out and we look forward to seeing you again next summer!

IPC Annual Golf Tournament 2019

Was held in the beautiful grounds of George Wright Golf Club in Hyde Park on Monday, June 10th. The day began with a round of 18-holes of golf and was followed by a lunch and raffle at the club grounds as well as an awards ceremony. Thank you to those who attended and the generous volunteers and sponsors who so kindly donated their time and money in support of our mission. We hope to see you back on the course next year!