2023 Executive Director Update

We greet all of the Labor Guild community with hopes that all have passed restful holidays in preparation for the new year 2023! There are plenty of exciting developments for the Guild, including our chance to introduce young and energetic staff and a website that has been nearly entirely rebuilt in the interests of sharing information and registering students for our Labor School classes.

A few days before Christmas, I found myself being asked to track down both a catering manager (odds of contact: not good!) as well as a senior administrator for My Brother’s Keeper, a not-for-profit that shares a parcel of land with our Congregation of Holy Cross residence adjacent to the Stonehill College campus. As I am familiar with the loading dock at My Brother’s Keeper, I entered among the many Santa’s Elves and other volunteers busily packing their gifts for area children to obtain an enthusiastic reference for Andrew Staiti, our new Office Manager! 

Long-time indescribably valuable Manager Mary Gendrolis is generously training Andrew to assume this cornerstone position at the center of our organization. She is delighted to be able to spend even more time with her grandchildren in the area. What a privilege to note the presence of our new Boyle Fellow, Bruce Tran! Bruce arrives with a handful of degrees from UMass – Boston and a strong presence with the South Asian Workers’ Center. We welcome both Andrew and Bruce, who will introduce themselves elsewhere in this edition of Labor Life.

Please take a moment to review the biographies of our 2022 Cushing-Gavin Awardees, who are also included here: Sister Tess Browne, SCN, Nicole Decter, John Folcarelli, and Myles Calvey. I found the experience of meeting the recipients and preparing them and those close to them for our remote zoom presentation in December deeply rewarding. 

We are so very close to launching our new website, with so many “bells & whistles” that I hesitate to begin describing them. Over the past months, long-time marketing and web consultant Matt Ulvila of 3thought has patiently explained the critical improvements that will facilitate Labor School course selection, registration, and tuition payment. One cannot help recalling Gene Wilder’s character in Young Frankenstein as so much work approaches completion, yet Matt remains thorough in his explanations. More to follow!

There are many examples of outreach programs and grant opportunities that the Guild assumes or partners in, with the benefit of reaching beyond the original parameters. We recently concluded a Workplace Safety and Worker Well-Being grant with partners MassCOSH and the Mass Nurses for the Catholic Health Foundation. 

As some funds will be carried over due to savings in the zoom presentations, we are proposing to develop a further partnership with some of our providers and the Labor Assistance Professionals, who are ably assisted by both Hugh Boyd and Frank Callahan. 

Also on the near horizon, Labor School Faculty Member and Arbitrator Mike Loconto will represent the Guild in Washington, DC, as the Catholic Labor Network sponsors a seminar on arbitration and Church teachings. So good to note that this is part of the USCCB Social Ministries Gathering (the national Bishops conference) taking place in person again. Bon voyage and safe travels, Mike!