On September 25, 2024, Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary will be celebrating the opening of the formation year with the Annual Lawn Party. This marks the 43rd year we are on the lawn, under the tent, where supporters can meet all the seminarians – returning and new – and where alumni can return to Weston, Massachusetts and connect with their brethren.
The evening will include the presentation of the Pacem in Terris Award. 2024 Recipients are: Rev. Msgr. Francis D. Kelly of the Diocese of Worcester and former rector of the Seminary, and James J. Mahoney, Jr. of Dedham.
We hope you can join us for a wonderful evening of friendship! For more information on the Lawn Party: https://psjs.edu/lawn-party.
Pacem In Terris Award
Pacem in Terris is the signature encyclical of Pope St. John XXIII issued on April 11, 1963. The encyclical was delivered to the Universal Catholic Church and to all people of good will with a shared message on establishing universal peace in truth, justice, charity, and liberty. It is a solemn recognition of the personal dignity of every human being.
In 2023, in appreciation of the 60th Anniversary of the encyclical, Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary established the Pacem in Terris Award. Recipients of the award exemplify the spirit of Pope St. John XXIII with the way in which they live their life as well as their active support of the mission of Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary. Through their actions, they demonstrate generosity, humility, kindness, fidelity, and charity in support of the Seminary’s mission to form mature men in service to all people throughout the world.
2023 Recipients
Anna-Marie Ferraro
Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, OFM Cap.
2024 Recipients
Reverend Monsignor Francis D. Kelly, P.A.
James J. Mahoney, Jr.
Reverend Monsignor Francis D. Kelly, P.A.
Pacem in Terris Award Recipient
Msgr. Francis D. Kelly is a priest of the Diocese of Worcester in Massachusetts. Fittingly for a Pacem in Terris recipient, his doctoral dissertation at Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. was on “Catechesis of International Peace.”
In his 61 years as a priest, Msgr. Kelly’s commendable work has taken him from Worcester to Weston, to Washington, D.C., to Rome, and back again to Worcester. His accomplishments include serving as rector at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston for 11 years (when it was then Blessed John XXIII National Seminary), serving as executive director of the department of religious education at the National Catholic Educational Association in Washington, D.C. for 12 years, and working in Rome for 25 years, including eight as superior at Casa Santa Maria, the house for English-speaking priests pursuing graduate studies at the Pontifical North American College. In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him the first American in nearly 50 years to the College of Canons at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. The 25 Canons spend their days praying and celebrating Mass. When the uncertainties and rise of the COVID pandemic in Italy necessitated a return home to Worcester, Pope Francis made Msgr. Kelly a Canon for life. He remains the only American Canon at St. Peter’s.
Msgr. Kelly is the author of three books on religious education and meditation. One of his books, The Mystery We Proclaim, grew to serve as the foundation for the multi-state Totus Tuus (“Totally Yours”) program, a week-long summer catechetical Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, and Eucharistic worship. The book has also been used by graduate schools. On the cover of Msgr. Kelly’s more recent fourth book, Priests for a New Era: a Ministry of Service and Hope, Jesus is pictured washing Peter’s feet, to serve as a reminder that Jesus showed the apostles that he was all about service, humility and helping people. Msgr. Kelly hopes this publication inspires the modern priest so he may confidently navigate the current world in which we live.
Msgr. Francis D. Kelly embodies the core of the Pacem in Terris spirit. An article written for the Catholic Free Press newspaper in Worcester once quoted him as saying “The key to becoming a good priest isn’t complicated… ‘Friendship with Jesus Christ,’ he said. ‘It’s as simple as that.’”
In his retirement, Msgr. Kelly regularly delivers conferences and lectures on spirituality at Southgate Residential Complex in Shrewsbury where he is in residence.
James J. Mahoney, Jr.
Pacem in Terris Award Recipient
James J. Mahoney, Jr. has always lived his life grounded in service. Whether rising as an investment manager and entrepreneur, raising a family, or engaging in his community, Jim strives to make the lives of others better. His forty-year investment career includes founding HLM Management Company, a Boston based institutional investment firm. Jim is also actively involved in non-profit organizations serving the Church and his community to include hospitals, local town organizations, his alma-mater Boston College, and organizations within the Catholic church. Jim is a former trustee and Development Chair at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary. In this capacity, he was very instrumental in the progressive fiscal health and marketing success, both locally and nationally, of this unique institution.
By taking care of his clients and his community, being mindful of their concerns and successfully guiding them towards achievement, Jim demonstrates to us how God is paramount in his life. Nowhere clearer is this seen than with his family. Jim has been married to his wife Sarah Ann for 56 years and is blessed with five children and fourteen grandchildren. The keystones of Pacem in Terris are on fire in Jim – generosity, humility, kindness, fidelity, and charity.
Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary is honored to present Jim Mahoney with the Pacem in Terris award.
