The Friends of Saint Brendan hosted the ‘Gathering for Good’ to celebrate the congregation’s 90th anniversary and at the same time undertake a very successful fundraiser to help meet goals set up by the Archdiocese of Boston to keep the church open and operating.

Hundreds of current and former parishioners, priests, and teachers took part in the event at Florian Hall, with the guest of honor being Dorchester native and St. Brendan School graduate Lawrence O’Donnell, the host of MSNBC’s nightly (10 p.m.) show, “The Last Word.”

John Parsons made a presentation from the Friends of St. Brendan to Lawrence O’Donnell on Friday night in Florian Hall.

The celebration featured a social hour, a buffet dinner, raffles, and an auction with numerous attractive items, including Celtics playoff tickets.

The archdiocese announced in 2020 that St. Brendan’s parish and nearby St. Ann’s parish would be consolidated under a new name, St. Martin de Porres parish. A year later, it said that St. Brendan’s Church would be closed, while the school would remain open.

However, after a strong appeal by parishioners, the church closure plan was paused in 2022. Since that time, congregants have organized to meet financial, maintenance, and attendance goals set by the archdiocese. A final decision on the church has not been rendered.

Organizers John Parsons and John O’Toole said preliminary totals show that they raised in excess of $200,000, and all agreed the event did well in celebrating the past and building momentum for the future. The Palm Sunday weekend began with Boston Archbishop Richard Henning visiting the church on Saturday to say a Palm Sunday Vigil Mass that drew more than 500 to the pews.

“We want to thank our supporters and community partners and the community itself for getting to that number,” said O’Toole. “It’s just been a series of events right now that are very encouraging for us. Our new motto is ‘Our best days are yet to come.’”

The event emcee was Mike Gorman, the president of St. Brendan’s School Class of 1961. He retired last year as the long-time announcer for the Boston Celtics, and using a familiar voice for sports fans, he added some big-time clout to his function for the night.

Gorman said he didn’t know that the church was threatened with closure until he got a call from the committee some time ago.

“I heard they were trying to take the church away from us,” he said. “I was an altar boy there for five years…I realized how much the church was a part of my life at a time that’s so important for a young man’s life. It’s so necessary to keep the church open and a priority in our lives, as it should be.”

Father Joe White, a priest from downtown who hails from Dorchester, said his family was involved in helping for the church’s 60th anniversary. He joked that his mother might still have some coffee mugs from that effort in the cellar. On a serious note, he implored all to attend church regularly and give of themselves more often.

“My prayer for all of you is to get your butts in the pews,” he said, as many laughed.

O’Donnell, who attended the church growing up, said he was honored to be featured at the ‘Gathering for Good.’ He brought family members, including his older brother, Michael, who, he said, “unfortunately” had to attend the public Kenny School because St. Brendan’s School hadn’t been formed yet.

“St. Brendan’s will forever remain part of our lives,” he said.

A historical review of the parish put together by Parsons and others and set up during the gala noted that the early parishioners, made up mostly of Irish American laborers, began meeting in an auto body shop on Granite Avenue following a large building boom in the area after World War I on what had been the S.S. Pierce estate.

The first Mass at the auto body shop was said in 1929, with some 1,650 in attendance. The current church building was built beginning in 1935, hence the 90th anniversary.

The very successful fundraising auction was hosted by Tom Tinlin to conclude the night, with several nice items going for great prices.

For more information, go to Friends of Saint Brendan.

Fred Flaherty, Paul Shannon, Mary Shannon, Peter McLaughlin, Jack McCarrick, and Michael Walsh.

Ellen Wyse, Jean Donovan, mayoral candidate Josh Kraft, Frank Baker, and Jim Wyse.

Gerard Adomunes, former proprietor of Gerard’s Restaurant in Adams Village, and Jane Cass O’Leary.

Kathleen Hinckley and Laureen Browning.

Councillor Erin Murphy and Nancy Kelly