01945 Summer 2019 WEB

SUMMER 2019 | 27
make it a point to listen to what people
had to say. It takes three years, I think,
to take the direction you've identified as
a goal. Before I came here, there were
no goals or objectives written down. I've
changed them three times since then.
Goal-setting is so important."
Fr. Steele takes a lot of pride in
how he has restructured the Catholic
education program in the parish, a source
of accomplishment shared by those he
works with in the parish.
"There are more than 1,200 people in
the program," McNulty said. And, said
Daily, he's made a difference.
"He's built a real sense of community,"
she said. "There are so many things to do
here, and he is willing to educate anyone
who comes through the door. He'll take
you any way you are. If you walk into
Mass late, he'll welcome you."
Fr. Steele, a 1968 Saugus High
graduate, has had varied life and
educational experiences. In 1969, he
was among the many at the Woodstock
rock festival in Bethel, N.Y. (he is
quick to point out, however, that he
refrained from partaking in the many
"refreshments" the festival had to offer).
He received degrees in philosophy
and sociology from Merrimack College
in 1972, and worked for a spell with
the Department of Health, Education
and Welfare in the Social Security
department.
He said he thought he might want to
be a priest as he was leaving college, but
a friend told him to experience life before
making a decision. What changed his
life, he said, was working with the poor
in Appalachia.
"You don't know how blessed you are
until you see what life is like for some of
those people."
By the time he went into the
seminary, he was sure. He had studied
at both Northeastern and the Boston
College School of Social Work, and
received his Master's Degree in Divinity
from St. John's Seminary in 1977 — the
same year he was ordained by Cardinal
Humberto Medeiros — and Pastoral
Theology a year later.
Even after being ordained, he continued
studying — this time at the University of
San Francisco Jesuit Graduate School to
receive an advanced degree in religious
education. He also attended the Institute
of Catholic Educational Leadership, and
the Sabbatical Program at the Pontifical
North American College's Institute for
Continuing Theological Education in
Rome.
His experience at Star of the Sea was
not his first in the area. He served as
a deacon at St. John the Evangelist in
Swampscott, and remembers Msgr. John
P. Carroll as a friend and mentor.
While in Wakefield, Fr. Steele was on
duty in 2001 when Michael McDermott
burst into Edgewater Technology and
killed five employees in a shooting spree.
For his response and counsel to fellow
employees and families of victims, he
received the Sen. Paul Tsongas Award for
Exemplary Community Service.
Perhaps as a result of all his
experiences, he's encouraged and
motivated young people in his parish
to commit to service. And, high school
seniors who attend the religious
education program, and who complete
four years of service, will receive $1,000
scholarships.
He loves what he does, and where he's
done it, but embraces the challenges the
new assignment will bring.
"I think there's always time for a
change in parish community," he said.