The Annual Summer Workday at Agape on June 13, 2026, was quite a community day, with four of Mary and Charlie McCarthy’s children here with three grandchildren. Mary and Charlie co-founded Agape with Suzanne, Brayton and Steve and Nancy James in 1982.
Mary, Timmy, Bernadette, Erin all came with homemade soap and sourdough bread, their laughter, and smiles, with photos of Dad on display and memories racing.
Our daughter Teresa was here, and one of the McCarthy’s Bernadette, exclaimed: “I haven’t seen you since your baptism, 40 years ago.” Bernadette’s Dad, Charlie, baptized Teresa 40 years ago in Brockton MA, where we launched Agape in 1982. What a watershed day this was, and for Olivia, Teresa’s daughter, who painted rocks with Julia and McKayla, grandchildren of Charie and Mary, and who regaled Bobbie Sue, Mike Cahill’s daughter, with movie reviews. Our crew stacked mound and mounds of wood, planted vegetables, covered compost and more. Brayton and Suzanne are admiring the wood pile all day, with a sense of community never ending and the great circle of love that binds us all.
The Spicer-Hankle Family from Somerville joined the rock painters, and a beautiful array of peace rocks were left here at Agape, photos of which will follow soon. Thank you mom and dad, Christopher, and Emily, for bringing the beloved girls, Nori, Petra, and Adira.
What a day, with Sirius Community in strong attendance, along with Jeanelle, Nathan, Jeanelle and Teresa, from Agape’s Mission Council, Prateek, Jeanelle’s husband, Linda Reimer, co-founder and friend of over 40 years, from the Sirius Community, planting and working in the sun all day, and the intrepid Doris and Dave Koziol of Just Faith, and Maria Termini from Boston with news of her new book, details of which will be forthcoming, Frankie Bradley who grew up at Agape and keeps coming, Sam Leuschner and Brian Ashmankas with new baby Merriam, all of whom we forgot to take a photo of and hope someone did.
Thank you, all unmentioned helpers, but especially INTERN NUMBER ONE AND ONLY: IAN SMITH FROM IONA UNIVERSITY, Ian the ubiquitous, was seen ranging the land, supervising with Brayton and the go-to guy for every conceivable need.
One of the highlights of the day, and of the week, was the visit of MICAH JAMES, son of Steve and Nancy James, Agape co-founders, along with Mary and Charlie McCarthy. Micah brought a friend from Haiti with him, and the work crew was complete with their great smiles as Micah and Guy returned to Springfield, MA to watch Haiti play in the World Cup, and Micah returns to Ashville, NC tomorrow.
Agape is alive and well and the spirit of the woods, and the voice of many faith traditions present, instilled in us a sense of hope in the future.