Cardinal Law's $3 Million Gift Tops Off New LaBerét Center Building in South Boston

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — LaBerét Center tops off new Shaughnessy Family Center in South Boston with a $3 million Archdiocese gift. The ceremonial construction milestone on July 22 drew Cardinal Bernard Law, Mayor Thomas Menino, City Councilor Jimmy Kelly, and state housing director Jane Wallace-Gumbel, who represented Governor Jane Swift. Capital campaign co-chair Jack Shaughnessy disclosed from the podium that Cardinal Law had contributed $3 million — the campaign's largest single gift — and had declined to have the building named in his honor. Wallace-Gumbel acknowledged she had initially doubted that state-aided public housing funds could support a community center before the Swift administration came on board. Sister Mary Adele Robinson, executive director of the Catholic Charities-affiliated center founded in 1907, noted the fundraising drive is not finished: a challenge grant matching all gifts over $100 remains active with its backer undisclosed.