Fond Memories of Father Scanlon
Alumni Share Fond Memories of Father Scanlon
Without Father Pete, Anne McPartland Dodd '75 and Charlie Dodd '74 might not have been married.
We asked alumni to share their memories of Father Pete Scanlon. Below are the responses, slightly edited for space and clarity. To post your comments on the Father Scanlon message board, login to the AlumniConnect community. Contact alumni-office@wpi.edu for login information and password.
As a member of the Kap (Phi Kappa Theta), I would say Father Pete was a regular fixture for many of us. It should be noted that his outgoing personality and social skills were much appreciated. I often remember him outside the fraternity house, sitting on the fence on those warm spring evenings. And many times he contributed to the dialogue between us and the girls from Becker, Anna Maria, or wherever, who were out looking for new social situations.
However one story still stands out. One Saturday I went to confession at Immaculate Conception, where he was the assistant pastor. Entering the box, I could see through the plastic louvers that he had the light on, which was a little unusual, and through the holes in the louvers, I could see that he was reading Sports Illustrated. When my confession was done, he gave me a penance to say, and as I was leaving he whispered for me to meet him at the altar rail. A couple of minutes later he came out, tapped me on the shoulder and took me to the back of the church where he introduced me to a young lady who was sitting there. After the introductions his comment to her was “He is going to call you and you are to tell your mother that I said it is all right.” Father Pete was always one to give us assistance in all matters of life!
--Tom Benoit '66
Father Scanlon was tremendously important to me, as one of the few women on campus in the early 70s. He let us use the Collegiate Religious Center to make home-cooked meals, he listened and understood the laments about being far from home in nearly all-male company, he conducted pre-Cana classes for Ginny and John FitzPatrick and for Charlie and me before our weddings. He was also critical in my wedding in a couple of ways.
When I went to the bridal shop to pick up my dress they wouldn't take an out-of-state check. Father paid for the dress and I wrote the check to him. He then drove eight hours to northern Maine to marry us. (Professor Sand was staying at the same motel on a separate trip and actually physically attended our rehearsal dinner in the restaurant—small world!)
I still have a 31-year-old photo of Father with Charlie and me signing our marriage certificate. It was a remarkable day in more than one way: 95 degrees in Houlton, Maine, at 7:30 at night. No air conditioning anywhere in town, so it was very lucky we were in the basement of the Church. Father Scanlon doesn't even seem to be warm in the photo.
He deserves all the praise you could possibly heap on him. He was a resource for our daughter, Emily, when she attended WPI and was extremely supportive to our daughter, Laura, when she attended (as he would say) “The Cross.” They are both graduated now, but believe me, I slept better knowing that he was watching over them. And it's true what he says: What happens in Worcester stays in Worcester. We never heard a word from him about their less-than-exemplary actions—if there were any.
--Anne McPartland Dodd '75 and Charlie Dodd '74
My lasting memories of Father Scanlon are of his Intersession course on wine appreciation. Something I’ve carried with me many years and many miles later!
--Scott Saftler '77
He was a huge presence (literally) who encouraged me to think about what I was doing at WPI and to reflect on the intertwined topics of academics, community awareness and religious beliefs. His voiced boomed in the basement of Alden Hall, echoing off the marble, making us all pay strict attention.
--Mark Cioffi '78
I remember Father Scanlon from my days at WPI. I hadn’t been much of a churchgoer, but I never missed one of his Masses on campus after my first one. He was one of the only priests I’ve encountered that talked directly to us and not above us. Never reprimanding during his sermons. Some of the Masses were well over an hour, and I enjoyed every one of them. I’ve missed his Masses since graduating. He was very personable and approachable. Very rare traits.
--Cynthia D. '86
I was in the music ministry for that accompanied Masses at Alden for seven years while I was completing two co-ops, a BS, and an MS in Chemical Engineering, so I had regular contact with Fr. Scanlon. I always appreciated his open-door policy, and he was a great help to me when I was having some issues. One shining moment came through when I was having some major struggles with classes (and Fr. Scanlon was not aware of it). He was giving one his sermons talking about struggling at WPI and he said, “Sometimes you may ask yourself if you really want to be a chemical engineer!” Given the small class size at the time (only about 25 of us), for him to say that I thought was either quite a coincidence or something that was Divinely inspired!
To me he was WPI's John Madden (Oakland Raiders Coach and NFL TV analyst) (I hope that Fr. Scanlon doesn't take offense!). He looked like him, and had the same commanding voice and mannerisms. He was our faith coach who helped us along our journey and was pretty no-nonsense and down to earth, but he also had a gentle side as well. His sermons were challenging, and he asked us to live our faith by reaching out to those who were hurting or who were “nerds” and to forgive those who hurt us. He wanted you to get outside your shell a little bit.
I will always remember Masses at the Newman Center during Lent at 10 p.m., which gave us all a break from our studies, and it was nice to end the day on a spiritual note. I will always remember the photo that he had in the Newman Center with his meeting with Pope John Paul II. For a while until he got to know me he called me Braintree (which is where I grew up in Massachusetts). He had pasta dinners to welcome the freshmen, which were always appreciated.
I remember once that someone was visiting with a baby in Mass one time (which was very unusual at a college campus), and the baby started crying. The baby's mom got up and was taking the baby out so that he or she would not disturb the sermon. Father Scanlon briefly stopped his sermon and asked her to stay because “babies represented hope.” That was the only time I have ever seen a priest specifically welcome what most people would have seen as a distraction as part of the flow of Mass. It was an important lesson for us college students to look outside from our own largely isolated experience and see life from a different perspective. As I remember, the mother stayed and the baby was relatively quiet after that.
--Mike Marando '90 ('92 MS)
Choosing a priest perform my wedding would be a tricky business, I knew. Then one day, my fiancée, who was working as a physical therapist in Boston, said, “Do you know Father Scanlon?” Turns out she was helping him with his PT after he had knee surgery. They got to talking, and he was all, “Oh sure, I remember Duane…”
After meeting with him several times over lunch, he performed a beautiful ceremony for us in September 2000, coming out to Andover to do it. Kerry and have been happily married ever since. We thank Father Scanlon for all of his wonderful advice and prayers. We may not get to see him often, but he’s always in our thoughts.
--Kerry and Duane Morin '91
Father Scanlon was one of those people that I will never forget. He was a mentor, counselor, and friend to me, and all of the students he dealt with. He worked with all of the students, not just the Catholic ones. He was very up-to-date and understood what we had to deal with as college students. I worked with him very closely as a special Eucharistic minister and an officer of the Newman club. I have also kept in touch with him by e-mail. He was a wonderful, understanding, and caring man, and taught me and other students how to be good people. He will be missed, and it will be impossible to replace him.
--David Andrade '92
My husband, Kevin Duprey ’91, and I carry many happy memories of the four fantastic years that we spent at WPI, and Father Scanlon is a big part of those happy memories. We always looked forward to our time with Fr. Scanlon—if it was attending Mass, a meeting, or an informal conversation, we came away with a better understanding of our faith and ourselves. Fr. Scanlon married us in 1994 in a very moving ceremony at Holy Cross Chapel. (There’s also a long story about home I almost didn’t make it to the church, but I won’t get into that now!)
I have kept a record of Fr. Scanlon’s weekly meditation e-mails elaborating on the readings for the upcoming Sunday. I plan on printing them and creating a booklet for each of my children, which I will give then when they enter college. In that way, Fr. Scanlon will help guide Elliot Ava and Alek the same way he guided Kevin and me in our college years!
--Teresa Cordeiro Duprey '92
From the moment I came to campus, I knew Father Scanlon. He came to our Freshman BBQ and got me involved right away in the Newman Club. By senior year I had a special project with Father. I was tasked with teaching him how to email. Now, ten years later, I still get his weekly meditations. He mastered the medium and realized the potential to reach out to even more students. I will always appreciate the time he gave us by listening and understanding. Great job, Father!
--Cyndi Fusco '96
I smile thinking of all of his names he gave people. I was “Ms. Alabama,” being the lone soul from Alabama.
I also remember Father Pete as the fire chaplain for Worcester when six firemen died. I remember seeing him and his concern for his firemen friends and his strength of character in guiding his flock through such a horrific time. I remember him being proud of being the only one at the nationally televised memorial service wearing his white priest robes. He understood the redemptive powers of faith so well that in the midst of death and mourning he was beaming a symbol of hope.
--Jennifer Forsythe '01
My first memory of Father Scanlon was seeing the towering priest outside greeting people at New Student Orientation. After I had lugged way too much stuff up to my room in Daniels, I went over to Harrington to check in and that’s where he shook my hand and introduced himself to me. I told him who I was and he proceeded to tell me who I was, my age, where I graduated from high school, and what my intended major was going to be. I was quite surprised that he had all of that information.
When I came to WPI I was a Catholic, but I didn’t practice as often as I should have. After my first term there, that had changed quickly and it was through the efforts of Father Scanlon. I went down to the Newman house for supper with the Father with a couple of people from my residence hall. He spoke of what the Newman club does on campus and what college life would be like for a young person out on his own for the first time in my life. This was something that I hadn’t experienced before. I began to discover myself and my religion through the various activities and events that I had attended. Father Scanlon would send out a weekly e-mail that revolved around the readings and his homily that he would give on Sunday mornings in Alden Hall. Never had one e-mail message had such an impact on a person as that. He related everything to life at WPI and in turn gave it a new meaning, every week.
Through my four years at WPI, I became active on campus in various activities, including the Newman Club, Orientation, and Student Government. I always attended Mass as most I could, even during the cold month of March for his informal Lenten Masses. I always showed up in shorts and sandals, regardless of the bitter temperatures outside because it was a quick walk up the hill for me. That was something that even to this day Father Scanlon brings up and usually jabs at me.
When I graduated from WPI and moved to Washington, DC, to take a job, I knew that I would miss campus life because it is drastically different from the real world. I knew I would miss certain friends and activities unique to good ole’ Worcester Tech. I would miss the people the most, including an old priest who still knew what it was like to be a young college kid emerging into a world of independence. And even though I rarely make it back to campus, when I do and I run into Father Scanlon, the first thing he says to me is invariably some remark about me wearing shorts and sandals in the snow.
--Christopher O'Malley '03
My first "encounter" with Father Pete was in the late 60's at Barlin Farms Retreat Center (owned by the Worcester Diocese). As I recall, Peter was chaplain up there, and he was on site while we held our retreat. I asked him to join in some of our sessions, which he did. Somehow in all this, the question of my faith came up, and I indicated I was Anglican Catholic (high Church Episcopal). Without batting an eye, Father Pete said to all of us, "Well, Hooker is a ‘back-door Catholic,’ we need to fix that...” He still comments on that from time to time!
I have been advisor to SAE at WPI since 1961. Father Pete was one of those who joined with some of us to form the first Greek Alumni Council back in the mid- to late 70s. He has been a close friend ever since those early days, and the good that he has done will be a lasting monument to his devotion and his dedication. The fact is that Father Pete was and is always there when he is needed. He has been more than a friend to all of us.
Of Scanlon it may be said: He gives everything he has to the things that he loves and is interested in, and this enduring monument, long as it may last, will not survive the good that Father Pete has implanted on so many young minds and hearts, the good that will go marching down the ages so long as human kind lasts.
--R. M. Hooker, PE, PhDMaintained by webmaster@wpi.edu