Rev. Joseph J. McLaughlin’s Jubilee joy was contagious on June 25, 2026. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood brought us together in grateful praise and thanksgiving for his lifelong ministry to the people of God.
Why did this event take place at Holy Family Home? Father explained his reasons beautifully during his homily:
Family ties: His close cousin, Sr. Margaret Charles, is a Little Sister of the Poor presently serving as Mother at our Chicago Home.
Parish blessings: During his many years as a pastor, the Little Sisters brought immense blessings to his parishes during their annual Church Collections.
The Gospel call: Most of all, because Jesus tells us in Luke 14 that when we give a feast, we should not invite those who can repay us. Rather, we should invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, and we will be blessed. The Residents and Little Sisters of Holy Family Home fit that call perfectly!
The Jubilee Liturgy
Father McLaughlin was the main celebrant for the beautiful Jubilee Mass. Our Chaplain, Rev. James Sullivan, concelebrated, and Rev. Mr. Jack Galaszewski, from Father McLaughlin’s former parish, served as Deacon.
Ninety-five-year-old Resident Dorothy Gomez served as Lector alongside Sr. Margaret Regina, a Little Sister who was recently transferred back to her hometown of Philadelphia. Father’s sister, Loretta, sang in the choir and presented the offertory gifts with Cathy Moffit, a longtime friend of the family, as well as an employee of Holy Family Home.
The magnificent music ministers were organist Tom Bateman and cantor Christina Amodei. These former parishioners of Father McLaughlin, they traveled all the way from New Hope, PA, and down from their shore vacations just to play for him.
A Surprise from Chicago
After the Final Blessing, Sr. Maria Catherine read a surprise letter that Mother Margaret Charles had e-mailed from Chicago so she could be part of the celebration.
With her trademark wit, his cousin shared fond memories of their journey together. She recounted how proud she was at his ordination, recalled him concelebrating her First Profession in Queens and her Final Vows at the motherhouse in France, and shared how deeply she has admired his intelligent, dedicated priesthood over the years.
A Packed House and Full Hearts
The assembly was a vibrant mix of Residents dressed in their “Sunday best,” Holy Family Home staff, Little Sisters of the Poor, Missionaries of Charity, and Father’s close family and friends. Father McLaughlin and his sister Loretta had both insisted that the affair be completely all-inclusive.
The impact of the day was felt by everyone:
Bob, an apartment Resident who is very hard of hearing, noted that he couldn’t hear a word—but he didn’t have to. He could tell by the faces on the altar and in the pews that everyone was praising God!
Joanna from the care unit felt deeply uplifted. Having been hurt by church scandals in recent years, she was filled with joy to experience such a positive presentation of the priesthood in our church.
Following Holy Mass, an exquisitely catered dinner was provided for our entire Home, including all three employee shifts. Father, his family, and his friends shared this banquet with the Little Sisters and Residents right in their dining area. St. Jeanne Jugan was surely smiling down from heaven, saying, “Yes, making the Residents happy is what counts! Well done, Father McLaughlin!”
The gratitude was overflowing:
Mac shared how grateful she was to be included, adding, “That dinner must have cost an arm and a leg. Those people were so kind to include us.”
Dorothy loved how Father took the time to visit and speak with every single person, even in the care unit.
Mike was thoroughly impressed by the respectfulness of the young servers.
Everyone loved the food, and the joyful atmosphere made the dinner taste even more delicious! This Jubilee was truly a glorious, uplifting hymn of praise to God for the gift of the priesthood.
The Story of Father McLaughlin’s Chalice
For his guests, Father shared his curriculum vitae and the history of his chalice. The story, summarized below, concludes with a lighthearted remark by his mother and made the celebration even more meaningful.
Designed by Father McLaughlin during his seminary days, his beautiful ordination chalice is modeled after the 12th-century Abbot Pelagius Chalice in the Louvre. It holds deep personal history, crafted entirely from melted family jewelry, including his own class ring from St. John the Baptist Boys’ High and his father’s, from North Catholic.
The chalice is intentionally designed to symbolize a spiritual journey upward toward God:
The Base (Gift of Life): Dedicated to his parents’ patron saints, St. Joseph and Our Lady of Loretto.
The Node (Gift of Baptism): Features four symbolic lambs representing Christ’s Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, in which we all participate through our Baptism.
The Cup (Gift of Priesthood): Inscribed in Latin with the words, “Our Father . . . hallowed be thy Name. Give us this day our daily bread.” These two parts of the Lord’s Prayer represent priestly ministry: praising God on behalf of His people and bringing them the Eucharist.
The Paten (The Throne of God): The matching plate features the divine name in Hebrew, surrounded by the angelic song, Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus.
The underside of the chalice bears a blessing from his parents alongside their engraved signatures. At his very first Mass reception, a sharp-eyed guest noticed that the engraver had forgotten to cross the “t” in the word “Mother.”
Father’s mother quickly smiled and replied: “That’s no mistake—nobody crosses Mother!”
