We look forward to gathering our members for our September Quarterly Meeting on Wednesday, September 18th at Llanerch Country Club.
A new book is out on the connection John and later Sr. Pauline McShain formed with an Irish woman educated at Immaculata and Villanova on McShain scholarships. The book by Alice O’Neill McLoughlin is titled “More Precious Than Gold: My enduring connection with John McShain–the Man Who Built Washington.”
John McShain was the prime builder for a number of landmark structures in Washington, DC, including the Pentagon, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He credits the Jesuits and Ignatian Spirituality in shaping much of his life. After his death, Sr.Polly continued to correspond with the author and met her many times at Rosemont College and Killarney House in Ireland. Click HERE to purchase a copy of the book.
About the Book
A quote from the Minister for Heritage Malcolm Noonan at the book’s launch event: “This is a story of two very different lives connected through a common bond of curiosity, of striving for something better, and of a deep love for Ireland, her heritage and nature. As Alice says later in the book ‘I have always been a person who values positive human relationships.’ It’s that openness, that empathy, that compassion which helped to align the stars in this remarkable story. It’s a story that weaves a broad pattern of a blanket that cloaks Ireland and America.”
A short quote from Bishop Ger Nash who launched the book in Wexford on 26th July 2024: “There are many strands in this book that Alice has so wonderfully crafted. It is a story of opportunity given and opportunity taken. It is a story of generosity and farsightedness. It is a story of faith –in people and in the providence of God.”
6.00 – 7.00 PM: Cocktail hour, live Irish music, light dinner
7.00 PM: General Meeting; New Member Induction; Guest Speaker
9.00 PM: Conclusion of formal program
Llanerch Country Club
950 West Chester Pike
Havertown, PA
$50/person
Email fssp.philadelphia@gmail.com.