Culture

Msgr. Charles Anadore and Courtney O'Brien at her high school graduation party in 2004. Pilot photo/courtesy Courtney O'Brien

Clergy Trust

The 'lingering' legacy of the priests who shape our faith

Friday, September 18, 2026Culture

There are some people who quietly shape your understanding of faith long before you are old enough to recognize what they are doing.
For me, one of those people was Msgr. Charles Anadore.
Although, if you knew him, you probably called him Father Anadore. Despite holding the title of monsignor, he preferred simply to be called "Father" -- a small detail that said a great deal about the humility and quiet, effortless grace with which he lived his vocation.
I grew up at St. Agatha Parish in Milton, and when I was younger, I worked in the parish rectory, where Father Anadore lived and served as a senior priest. He was one of my favorite people in the whole world -- he always had an encouraging word, or a funny joke, or simply a kind smile. Looking back now, I realize he was one of the first people who showed me what it meant to be the "face of Christ" to another person.
Father Anadore had a wonderful gift for poetry and often ended his homilies with poems he called "Little Lines That Linger." And they did linger -- not just the words themselves, but the faith behind them and the man who shared them.
Father Anadore went home to God in 2008, but his influence on my life has never really left me.

I have been extraordinarily blessed to know amazing priests throughout my life -- priests who have shown me the heart and grace of Jesus in ways both profound and remarkably ordinary. And through them, I have come to understand the incredible impact a priest can have, not only on the people sitting in the pews each Sunday, but on families, communities and countless people they may encounter throughout a lifetime of ministry.
That is why the mission of Clergy Trust is so deeply personal to me and why I am so proud of the work that is done by my team on behalf of our priests.
There is something very special about the way we care for priests here in Boston. The Clergy Trust team comes to work each day focused on one thing: caring for the health and well-being of all our active and senior/retired priests. These men spend their lives caring for others. Our job is to make sure someone is caring for them.
Like all of us, priests face the realities of everyday life. They get sick. They age. They encounter unexpected health challenges. They need help navigating complicated systems and making decisions about their care. But their vocation also asks something unique of them: to always remain present to the people they serve.
The Clergy Trust helps take care of some of the everyday burdens so our priests can continue doing what they were called to do -- serving God and serving all of us.
Each year, as part of the video production for our Celebration of the Priesthood dinner, I have the privilege of witnessing interviews and hearing stories about the impact of our priests from across the archdiocese. I get to learn about how our priests serve their communities in ways large and small, often quietly and without recognition. I've listened to countless people describe the priest who was there when they needed him most.
Again and again, I am reminded how much good is being done every day by Catholic priests.
This September, Clergy Trust is asking Catholics across the archdiocese to "Give Thanks for Priests." For me, that invitation brings me right back to Father Anadore.
In fact, our 2026 Prayer Challenge that is currently underway features Father Anadore's own "Little Lines That Linger." Sharing his words with people across the archdiocese all these years later is an unexpected gift. The little poems I heard as a girl at St. Agatha's now offer an opportunity for all of us to pray together and remember the priests who have left their own lasting imprint on our lives.
I hope you will think about yours.
Maybe it is the priest who baptized your children or celebrated your wedding. The priest who buried someone you loved. The priest whose homily somehow found you on exactly the Sunday you needed it. Or perhaps, like Father Anadore was for me, it is simply a priest whose kindness and example helped you understand Jesus a little better.
Those are the priests I give thanks for.
This weekend, parishes throughout the archdiocese will participate in the September special collection benefiting Clergy Trust and the health and well-being of our priests. I hope you will consider supporting it generously.
It is one small way we can care for the men who have spent their lives caring for us -- and give thanks for the priests who have shown us, again and again, the face of Christ.
If you'd like to read Father Anadore's poems featured in this year's Give Thanks for Priests Prayer Challenge, visit: clergytrust.org/prayer-challenge.

COURTNEY O'BRIEN IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING FOR THE CLERGY TRUST.