Father Thomas Barry, 74, has gained valuable business experience by helping to revitalize a run-down area of Hartford. The pastor of St. Patrick’s Church in Farmington, Conn., was ordained in 1967 and was trained in canon law. He also taught a course in Roman Catholic Polity at Yale Divinity School for five years. Prior to his current parish assignment, Fr. Barry spent a sabbatical in Rome that left him “energized” for his pastoral work — a large part of which he devotes to youth ministry. He spoke to Legatus magazine staff writer Brian Fraga.
Your chapter chartered last December. How has your Legatus experience been so far?
It’s been going very well. The members are very enthusiastic. We meet for Mass in my parish church, and we’ve had some great speakers. The members are not only committed to the mission of Legatus, but they are seriously working to extend the membership.
How did you hear about Legatus?
Archbishop [Leonard] Blair asked me nearly two years ago if I would be willing to serve as the chaplain, and I told him of course I would. Before that, I had some brief knowledge of Legatus. A seminarian who had been a member of Legatus was assigned to assist me at my parish at Holy Week a year ago. He spoke of Legatus as a great organization.
What benefits do you believe Legatus has for its members?
What has already happened is that being in Legatus, being in attendance at the meetings, has strengthened the members’ Catholic faith. I can see that at work right now. It’s also an evangelization mission and moment not only for the members, but also for their work in their parishes. In addition to that, I know the members have reached out to other parishioners, inviting them to become members and they have spoken about the impact that Legatus has had on their spiritual lives in a very brief period of time.
What do you do as president of the MJB Corporation in Hartford?
The MJB Corporation is a non-profit organization that works in the ghettoized areas of the city of Hartford to develop abandoned properties with the view to stimulating an opportunity for minority businesses to grow and to train workers for other jobs in our economy. It has helped put me in contact me with many business people in the Hartford community, and I have discovered that there is a tremendous amount of willingness to help out on the part of significant members in the business community.
How was your sabbatical in Rome?
I was in Rome in the late summer and fall of 2010. I had originally studied in Rome. It was, in a way, returning to my spiritual roots because being in Rome, being around the Holy Father, being at the North American College with young people studying for the priesthood, it was a reinvigoration of my faith.
How do we get more young people involved in the Church?
We pay attention to them and we let them know that they have a part to play in parish life. So often, I think pastors don’t pay attention to the young people in their parish. I’ve found that they respond when they feel they’re an integral part of the parish community. My experience is that they do respond positively when you reach out to them.
How did you discern your vocation to the priesthood?
It was a process, but I started out as an altar server. My father especially was very involved in our parish. His involvement attracted me to the possibility of being a priest in the Church.
BRIAN FRAGA is Legatus magazine’s editorial assistant.