Fathers Forliti ’54 and Kennedy ’69 Share a Common History

Reprinted from Traditions, Summer 2022
September 28, 2022

Fr. John Forliti ’54 and Fr. Patrick Kennedy ’69 are both celebrating major anniversaries this year. Forliti has been a priest for 65 years and Kennedy for 45. We sat down to talk to them about their combined century-plus of experience, and especially their time as chaplains at Cretin-Derham Hall.  

Fr. John Forliti: We met when we lived together in the same house from 1985-89. I was at St. Thomas at the time, as Vice President for Student Affairs. We got to know each other pretty well then, and he hasn’t changed much. 

Fr. Patrick Kennedy: Still passionate. Understanding. Thoughtful. 

FJF: Put a little plus next to all of those. He was a good cook, I’m a good cook, we took turns cooking. 

FPK: I’m being very serious when I say this: one of John’s greatest gifts as a human being, which works really well with being a priest, is his hospitality. It’s always around food. He has said that it’s just another sign of what we do at the Eucharistic table, where we’re nourished and strengthened and encouraged to live good lives. He makes a profound point about how important it is for people to eat together and communicate together. And then they go out and nourish other people. 

FJF: When I first came to CDH I was asked to come up with a retreat idea. I created a food retreat, called “Eucharist: Love in the Food.” We’d discuss the theology of food. Then I would demonstrate how to make pasta from scratch and the kids would pair off and make ravioli. Then we had the meal, time for conversation and connection. Finally, I explained what “Love in the Food” meant. If you go to church to receive Communion, and you can’t see beyond the host to the love, then you need to cook for people. So you know what it means to put love into food. 

FPK: When I say to people that I’m the chaplain at CDH, the first or second question is always, ‘How’s Fr. Forliti?’ And I always say, ‘Excuse me, I’m the chaplain, I don’t even know if Fr. Forliti is still alive, but if he is I’ll pass on your greetings.’ 

But in all seriousness, that’s what I hoped would happen with me. Whatever I did, as limited as it was, that I would make a difference when I was in the room. I hoped I would make an impact the way he had. 

FJF: I was chaplain here for 14 years. I think what matters is what I call Hallway Ministry. Just being around. Nowadays there are fewer priests than when I was growing up, so they’re busier, so sometimes those informal relationships don’t happen. I wanted to connect with as many students as possible, so they felt comfortable with priests then hopefully that would translate to feeling closer to Christ and closer to the church. 

FPK: John is an inspiration for me. He’s been through the crucible of priesthood in a variety of ways and he stays positive. He stays hopeful. He continues to wonder. He continues to think things through. He’s not afraid to speak up when he thinks he needs to. He’s the real deal. 

I think you wonder sometimes if you have made any difference in anybody’s life. But I’m helping out at Assumption right now, and there’s usually one or two people that come up to me and say, “I saw your article in Traditions,” or, “I was at CDH when you were there, and I really appreciated what you said.” There’s a continuation of the relationship. It’s like I said that people always ask about John even though he hasn’t been here for a while. That tells me that the impact happens. 

I recently met a young man in the liquor store. I was there buying altar wine — not really. I didn’t recognize him, but he recognized me, because he graduated from here a few years ago. You don’t think anybody’s paying attention to anything, and then all of a sudden you realize they really are. 

FJF: When you’re a priest, you’re a symbol of something much bigger. The thing about a symbol is that it can either be seen negatively or positively. My hope is that for all students, Catholic or not, they would see that I was a priest who was human and and feel free to talk. 

FPK: Receiving a Catholic school education, and having those relationships as a student, was so important for my development. I was at Cretin during the Vietnam War and in a lot of ways it looked like people were kind of separating from the Church. I remember learning that no matter what’s going on, it’s not only a problem to be solved, but it’s an opportunity to grow, and that God would always be there. There were a lot of seeds planted that have continued to bear fruit in my life. I can trace that all back to my educational experience early on.

Fr. John Forliti's Five Principles to Bring Joy to a Meal

1. Go to the table with a smile. 

2. Go to the table with with a story to share. 

3. Take a moment to thank God and whoever cooked. 

4. Offer to help next time. 

5. Do the dishes.