Back in June, St. Matthew’s parish celebrated its pastor’s 60th year as a priest, with more than half of that serving the parishioners of the Southborough church. The Community Advocate covered Father James Flynn’s big anniversary.
The story, also posted in the and Fifty Plus Advocate, makes clear that the 85 year old isn’t an out of touch relic:
Patricia Lally, a longtime parishioner, said when Flynn joined the parish in 1993, there were fewer than five dozen families and it was losing members. Today, she said, there are more than 600, and it’s all thanks to Flynn.
“In addition to Southborough, parishioners come from Northborough, Berlin and Holliston all because of Father Flynn,” she said. “He’s brought so many teenagers back to the parish. The thing that strikes me the most is he lives in the real world; he understands people and treats everyone so kindly. If you need somebody for support, he’s there for that.”
You can read the CA’s full story here.
The article reminded me of one of the first times I realized how strong the love some community members feel for Father Flynn is. Back during the 2020 lockdown, members of St. Matthew’s organized an Easter Day drive by parade to greet the priest they missed. You can read about that here.
Fr. Flynn is the best thing that ever happened to St. Matt’s. After Fr. Pat left, the church took a downturn. Fr. O’Donahue nearly destroyed it. Fr. Flynn was sent by the bishop to correct things. He certainly did. I’m afraid of the day he retires. He welcomed me back to the church, and has been a good friend. I’ve had many conversations with him, joked with him, and prayed with him. Again, the BEST thing that ever happened to St. Matt’s