SINGING THE SONG
Paul and Margaret Chisholm Who sings the song of Catholic education today? Who writes the words and fashions the tune? There’s a whole diverse chorus, no doubt, comprised of students who achieve beyond expectation, teachers who inspire lovingly, parents who sacrifice heroically and friends who support generously. Paul and Margaret Chisholm are no strangers to any of these roles. First hearing the tune from parents who valued Catholic education, they each came of age in the 1960s, a time understood by many as “The Catholic Moment” in America. A young, vibrant Irish-Catholic from Massachusetts was president; religious teaching congregations of Sisters and Brothers were at their all-time membership height; and Catholic elementary and secondary schools reached enrollment peaks not equaled since. Those Catholic schools had evolved from stepping stones for largely Irish, German, and Italian-immigrant cultural assimilation to launching pads for leadership, economic success, and prosperity -- all while offering a moral core centered in Gospel values. Catholic schools were quite a gift for those who could afford them! And many could, thanks to parish support and to a workforce comprised chiefly of nuns, priests, and brothers. Nonetheless, a $150 annual tuition could be a financial stretch for some! Back in that day, a community of 32 Xaverian Brothers once called 99 Crystal Street home. Along with dedicated lay men and women who helped staff the school, they “sang the song” for Malden Catholic from 1968 through the ‘70s. Their one-time 2nd-floor bedrooms are now MC admissions, development and business offices. Their dining room, community room, and chapel, which had doubled as a worship space for the school, were ultimately part of the demolition and renovations that heralded expansion and the 2018 arrival of a Girls Division. For the past five years a small, converted office has served as a temporary chapel, meeting the basic liturgical needs of the school. That’s about to change! The melody of Catholic education has been something of the musical score to the Chisholm’s lives. Margie, growing up in Somerville with two sisters and two brothers, enjoyed the educational benefits of Matignon High School and Emmanuel College. She and three siblings attended Saint Catherine School in Somerville. Her brother Tony then went to BC High, and Mary Catherine and Judy, joined Margie at Matignon. Judy’s boys JP and Tim Walsh attended MC. Paul and his brother Richie, growing up in Roslindale, attended Sacred Heart School; then Paul took 14
advantage of the offerings at Catholic Memorial High School and, later, Boston College. Paul’s brother, Richie, would become longtime Principal at Catholic Memorial. Margie recalls, “Paul and I first met at a mutual friend’s party during our senior year and later reconnected when we were both working part time at Jordan Marsh (long-departed Boston department store... swallowed up by Macy’s).” Right after their college graduation, they both relocated to North Carolina for graduate school, Paul at Wake Forest for a brand-new MBA program and Margie at UNC Chapel Hill, to pursue a degree in library science. Paul was looking for more rigor in his program, so they both decided to move back to Boston where Margie worked at New England Telephone/AT&T as a service representative, and Paul took a position also at New England Telephone/AT&T as a telecom/data consultant. They married in 1972. Margie laughs, “We were SO young!” Paul completed his MBA at Babson, and Margie earned her Master’s degree at Lesley College while raising her family. They lived for four years in Somerville, then moved to West Medford in 1976 soon after their first son Jamie was born. Sons Robby and Brendan followed! Jamie is now Senior Director of Corporate Affairs at Draft Kings, Robby is the Principal of the Condon School in South Boston, and Brendan is the Chief of Staff for the Chancellor at UMass Chan Medical School. The family worshipped at St. Raphael Parish, where the boys also attended school, before Robby (MC’95) and Brendan (MC’99) made their way to Malden Catholic. The boys had a great run at MC. Paul and Margie have many happy memories of special MC teachers and student friends of the boys, but in recalling those stories, they are always cautious not to go too far into detail, as they often end with someone landing himself in “detention”! The theme, though, is something like “West Medford meets Charlestown, the North End, Revere, and the rest of the world” in that interesting, diverse mix of backgrounds and personalities that has always been the hallmark of an MC Man. Paul admits that he could easily have declared several of his son’s MC friends as “dependents” on his income tax because they were always at his home. Margie’s professional interests and expression of ministry found fertile ground at St. Raphael School, where in 1987 she began service as a librarian and later enjoyed other roles as campus minister and Director of Mission and Identity. She still stays connected with St. Ray’s in advisory and volunteer capacities. Among those
