THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 21, 2022 ~ The Advocate Asks ~ Page 3 Deacon Francis and Joanne Gaffney discuss their lives as married faith leaders, including the prestigious award they both won for longtime service to the Catholic Church Editor’s Note: For this week’s interview, we sat down with Deacon Francis M. Gaffney and his longtime wife, Joanne M. Gaffney, who are trained volunteer leaders in the Saugus Catholics Collaborative. Earlier this month (Oct. 2), they were among more than 120 local Catholics from across the Boston Archdiocese who received 2022 Bishop Cheverus Award Medals, which were presented by Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley at the Cathedral in Boston. The award is intended to honor local Catholics for longtime service to the Church, particularly those who do so without public recognition. Cardinal O’Malley described the Cheverus Award as honoring the “unsung heroes and heroines” of the archdiocese. The prestigious award is named for Bishop Cheverus, who was the founding Bishop of Boston and led the Diocese from 1808 until his return to France in 1824. He died in 1836 as the archbishop of Bordeaux. Deacon Frank and Joanne celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Aug. 25. They have lived in their Glen Park Avenue home since 1968.They have four children (three who are Saugus High graduates), seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Deacon Frank was born in 1939 in South Boston, lived in Chelsea and moved to Saugus in 1968. Frank is a 1956 graduate of Chelsea High School. He is a 1961 graduate of Northeastern University with a B.S. in electrical engineering and a M.S. degree in engineering management. He is a Licensed Professional Electrical Engineer in Massachusetts. He is a U.S. Army veteran – 1962 to 1964 – 1st Lieutenant; he Q: Please tell me about this medal you each got from the church and what it means, why it’s important, how you looked upon it before you were a recipient. Joanne: We didn’t know who nominated us, and it turned out it was Bishop O’Connell, and that meant a lot to me – that he would recognize the work that we’ve done. And you know, Deacons don’t get paid, so we just volunteered all of these years. We feel, in some ways, we’re slowing down as we age. I think we are. But over the years, we have done a lot. And we’re blessed to be acknowledged. We did 40 years of marriage prep programs, and It is unusual for a married couple to be named joint recipients of the prestigious Bishop Cheverus Award Medal for longtime service to the Catholic Church. But Deacon Francis Gaffney and his wife, Joanne, proudly displayed their medals during a recent interview in their Glen Park Avenue home. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) served at Fort Gordon, Georgia, Fort Monmouth, N.J., and with Armed Forces Southern Europe, NATO, in Naples, Italy. He was ordained as a Permanent Deacon in 1988. Deacon Frank served at Sacred Heart Parish in Lynn for seven years and at Immaculate Conception Parish for 11 years and now at Blessed Sacrament & St. Margaret’s in Saugus – now the Saugus Catholics Collaborative – since 1995. He earned Senior Permanent Deacon status in 2014. He worked at Boston Edison Co. from 1961 to 1988 and for the Town of Danvers from 1989 to retirement in 2008. He is an Honorary Life Member of Knights of Columbus – 3rd & 4th degree. He has been a member of the Saugus Faith Community – formerly Saugus Clergy Association – since 2008. Joanne was born in 1943 in Chelsea, lived in Revere and moved to Saugus in 1968. She is a 1961 graduate of St. Rose High School in Chelsea. After her marriage to Deacon Frank, she moved to Naples, Italy. She worked for the Archdiocese of Boston from 1988 until retirement in 2009 as Assistant Director of Hospital & Prison Chaplaincy. Some highlights of this week’s interview follow. 425r Broadway, Saugus Located adjacent to Kohls Plaza Route 1 South in Saugus at the intersection of Walnut St. We are on MBTA Bus Route 429 781-231-1111 We are a Skating Rink with Bowling Alleys, Arcade and two TV’s where the ball games are always on! PUBLIC SKATING SCHEDULE 12-8 p.m. Sunday Monday Tuesday $9.00 Price includes Roller Skates Rollerblades/inline skates $3.00 additional cost Private Parties 7:30-11 p.m. $10.00 Price includes Roller Skates Adult Night 18+ Only Wednesday Thursday Friday Everyone must pay admission after 6 p.m. Private Parties Private Parties 4-11 p.m. Saturday 12-11 p.m. $9.00 $9.00 Everyone must pay admission after 6 p.m. Sorry No Checks - ATM on site Roller skate rentals included in all prices Inline Skate Rentals $3.00 additional BIRTHDAY & PRIVATE PARTIES AVAILABLE www.roller-world.com we did an awful lot in the other parishes before we came to Saugus. So, it just means a lot. We were very shocked, very surprised that we were recognized. It really meant a lot to us. It really meant a lot to me because I worked for the archdiocese for 21 years. So, I have a great love for my church. It felt very nice to be honored. Q: Deacon Frank, do you want to share your thoughts about this? Deacon Frank: I got the letter. I didn’t read the full heading, but it did say Deacon Francis and Joanne Gaffney. I almost threw it away, and I really wasn’t that interested in what it had to ASKS | SEE PAGE 4
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