The Kingdom Began in Puerto Rico - a podcast by HTI Open Plaza

The late Msgr. Neil A. Connolly served as a parish priest for close to 60 years. After his ordination at age 24, he spent eight weeks in Ponce, Puerto Rico, taking part in a pioneering New York Archdiocesan language-immersion program in Spanish. The young Irish-American priest quickly adapted to an environment that was predominantly Latino. His priesthood would be defined by the South Bronx and Puerto Rican migration as he learned to both serve and be part of a community that struggled for a decent life. Passionate about issues of social justice, Fr. Connolly was a champion for lay leadership and community organization. While vicar for the South Bronx in the 1970s, he co-founded and was chairman of South Bronx People for Change, a Church-based, direct-action membership organization. Community organizer Angel García has served as its Executive Director.

 In this episode of OP Talks, Dr. Michael E. Lee, Director of Fordham University's Francis & Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies, talks to García about his recent book 'The Kingdom Began In Puerto Rico: Neil Connolly’s Priesthood in the South Bronx' (Fordham University Press, 2021). In this history of faith and community building, García chronicles the work of Rev. Connolly from 1958 to the 1980s.

Reflecting on Fr. Connolly’s ministry in the Bronx, García says, “When one thinks about it…you’ve been an altar boy, you’ve gone to these traditional churches [and] seminary preparation. And then you come here, and you’re looking for the church, and they say, ‘It’s right here. It’s a bodega. This is where the church is.’ And Fr. Connolly essentially surrendered himself to that.”

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