A grassroots effort to support St. Brendan Church has gained momentum in recent months, as volunteers have channeled their hours, their skilled labor, and their dollars into an all-volunteer effort to keep the Gallivan Boulevard worship space open and busy.

Most recently, the Friends of Saint Brendan group held a drawing on March 8 that drew hundreds of people and raised an estimated $30,000. But much more needs to be done to convince the leaders of the archdiocese of Boston that the church and its premises can remain self-sufficient.

In 2022, it seemed likely that the church – one of two that make up St. Martin de Porres parish – would be closed through a process called “relegation.” But, after an urgent appeal from its congregation, the church received a reprieve from Cardinal Sean O’Malley just days before its doors were scheduled to be shut permanently. Instead, he assigned a working group to work up a financial plan that would keep the church open.

Last summer, parish leaders agreed to attempt a one-year effort to revitalize St. Brendan through increased attendance, offertory collections, and aggressive fundraising. With a July deadline looming, the friends’ group – a 501(c)(3) organization that is not affiliated with the archdiocese – is planning more fundraising events. If the goals are met and the church remains open, the group will be charged with continuing to maintain adequate attendance, offertory income, and fundraising for the next three years. 

“We’re approaching our 90th year and we have a long history,” said John O’Toole, one of the leaders of the Friends group who is also an alumnus of the parish school. “Our Cedar Grove community is tied deeply with St. Brendan’s. It’s not just a building to us. It’s the role it fills for the community from cradle to grave, from baptism to death, all these important life moments that take place in the parish.”

O’Toole’s sister, Beth Emery, is also leading the push for donations and programs that keep the church active and relevant. “What we realized through this effort,” she said,” is that so many people have deep roots in St. Brendan’s. So, we’re projecting what our activities are for next year, what things can we do to keep improving on our goals, surpassing our metrics, and achieving success and attendance. We want people to come back to the church — and they are.” 

There’s also clear evidence of a renewed commitment inside the church itself, where John Parsons— a longtime congregant and painter— has been donating his labor and time to brightening the space with fresh coats of paint. He has already repainted some of the church’s statues, including one that depicts the church’s namesake saint and another, a gift from the parish school’s classes of 1971 and 1972, that depicts St. Patrick. He has also made repairs to the altar and can be found most days hand-painting the names of donor families onto the walls of the church, part of an ongoing fundraising campaign. For $500, each name is painted in gold on a marble-ized wall near the altar.

“When I was four, I was in that church and that was the most awesome, beautiful place in my life at the time,” said Parsons, who grew up in the parish, attended the school, and became part of an “inter-parish family” when he married his wife, another St. Brendan’s native. “I think it’s the ground of my inspiration for a lot of paintings.”

Parsons said he can feel that his efforts – combined with those of scores of other volunteers – has energized the community.

“I hope the archdiocese keeps its word, because I think we’re holding up on our end admirably,” Parsons said. “I’ll go as far as to say that on paper it looks like the worst thing that’s ever happened to us, but I know it’s not. And in some ways, I would have to say that it’s part of a real revitalization here.”

Frank Doyle, a board member of the Friends group who serves as a liaison to the archdiocese, agrees. He says there’s an appreciation for the cardinal’s willingness to allow the church community to find a way forward.

“The church, in many ways is the anchor to the community; it certainly is here at Saint Brendan’s,” said Doyle, who has lived in the parish for 40 years. “More of the plan has to do with how to rebuild the connection with the pastor and the church and the community. To develop new ways of attracting and re-attracting people to the Catholic faith and our parish community.”

Doyle points out that St. Brendan is not the only congregation in the city facing hardships.

“There’s been a lot of things going on with the Catholic Church over the last 20 years which has for many reasons diminished the faithful or at least perhaps the commitment level of the faithful to the church. I think that all of us have a kind of responsibility to try and help rectify that or change it back to what the tenets of the faith are,” he said.

O’Toole adds: “What the parish offers is so important to this neighborhood. We’ve been through a lot, but we’re very resilient. And we’re really hoping to see this through.”

For more information on the effort to keep St. Brendan’s open, see friendsofsaintbrendan.org.