C. Michael ’54 and Janet Richards ’55 Daley will be awarded the highest honor – the Vigor in Arduis award – at the upcoming Adopt-A-Student Foundation Gala to be held […]
C. Michael ’54 and Janet Richards ’55 Daley will be awarded the highest honor – the Vigor in Arduis award – at the upcoming Adopt-A-Student Foundation Gala to be held on Thursday, October 26th at the Boston Seaport Hotel. Mike and Janet Daley, proud alumni and high school sweethearts, are longtime supporters of Cathedral High School. Most recently, their generous contributions established the Daley Center for Campus Ministry at Cathedral High School.
“There is nothing more important that we do at Cathedral than accompanying our students on their unique journey of personal growth and faith formation. It is with great thanks, admiration and appreciation to Mike ’54 and Janet ’55 Daley that we have established the Daley Center for Campus Ministry,” shared Cathedral High School President Dan Carmody. “In the Daley Center, our scholars will engage in retreats, deepen their faith and relationship with God, learn the importance of self-reflection and grow as individuals with strong moral values at Cathedral High School.”
The Daley Center for Campus Ministry will live out the strong faith of Mike and Janet – critical to the couple from the very beginning. As a young woman from Savin Hill, Janet Richards would at times drive to school in her father’s ‘41 Buick. Consistent with her following of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Janet would often help transport the Sisters around the city. It was a flat tire during those rides, and the young man from Roxbury who came to the rescue, that marked the beginning of a beautiful courtship that led to the marriage of Janet and Charles Michael Daley.
For the Richards and the Daley families, Catholic education meant a path to success, a high school experience influenced and guided by the strong teachings of the Church, and an education that reinforced the strong family values both Mike and Janet grew up with. Cathedral, one of the few coed options in the city, was the perfect landing spot for them both.
Now, more than 60 years later, Mike and Janet have supported Cathedral as part of their life’s mission. With a strong belief that no life circumstance of disadvantage should ever hold a motivated student back, Mike and Janet are eager to provide transformational opportunities for all students of Cathedral High School.
“I loved Cathedral, and I loved the nuns who were such an important part of my experience. They were humanizing. You knew if you attended Cathedral you were going to be OK,” said Janet. “It’s a blessing for us now to give back in such a spiritually rooted, meaningful way.”
“We hope the Daley Center offers an opportunity for students to deepen their faith, connect with religion, and to prepare themselves to make a real impact on the world,” shared Mike.
Cathedral High School President, Dan Carmody, welcomes Mike and Janet Daley to visit the new Daley Center for Campus Ministry.
“I am very proud of my parents and their endeavors to establish a special place for the young people of Cathedral High School,” shared Mary Beth Grey, daughter of Mike and Janet Daley. “What I love most about my parents is that they never forget where they came from and Cathedral is a huge part of that legacy.”
To support the important work of the Daley Center, a full-time Director of Campus Ministry role has been added to Cathedral’s dedicated staff. Ms. Lindsey Hughes, the inaugural Director of Campus Ministry, joins Cathedral with over a decade of experience implementing campus ministry programing with high-school aged students.
“I’m so elated and thankful to be joining a community and a school with a mission as important as Cathedral’s,” said Hughes. “The chance to be able to work with such a deserving community of students is a privilege that I don’t take lightly. The Campus Ministry program will have a significant impact on the community – both inside and outside the walls of the school. I’m excited to help students cultivate their growth as people of faith and as servant leaders!”
Inaugural Director of Campus Ministry, Lindsey Hughes, outside of the Daley Center for Campus Ministry.
Sisters Andrea and Alexis ’24 are two of the first students to join the Campus Ministry student group. They have been leading the Cathedral community in prayer over the intercom each morning, sharing a daily scripture and leading a school-wide “Our Father.” “I think it’s really powerful to have our classmates hear prayer led by their peers,” said Andrea. “They may hear the prayer and think they are not alone, and that they can get through their day.”
When asked their thoughts about their senior retreat, the pair quite literally jumped for joy, smiling ear to ear, and bursting with excitement to hear more about this opportunity, about which they were hearing for the first time – but had been hoping for years.
To share in the celebration of C. Michael ’54 and Janet Richards ’55 Daley at the Adopt-A-Student Foundation Gala, please visit cathedralhighschool.net/gala
Cathedral students Andrea and Alexis, class of 2024, are two of the first students to join the new Campus Ministry student group as part of the Daley Center for Campus Ministry.
