History of St. Gabriel's Relationship with The Center - A Family of Families

Dick Brissette had extensive contacts over many years with Fr. Halligan and Madre Miguel and later with Madre Cindy. He and his wife Carol often visited their daughter Catherine and her husband Tom Reidy here in McKinney. As a result of one of these visits Tom agreed to approach Fr. Greg to get approval to invite Fr. Halligan to talk at St. Gabriel. He agreed and Fr. Halligan came in the December 2002. It was at a talk that Father gave at one of the Masses that Perry Graham was hooked.  He met with Fr. Halligan after Mass was invited to come to Quito.   As Perry says, " I couldn’t  understand everything Fr. Halligan said in his talk (with his Bronx accent) but everything I did hear I loved."  

Dick Brissette suggested Perry and his two grandsons meet him in Florida and fly down to Quito with he and his two grand daughters. Perry came back greatly enthused and he and I (I was in charge of Outreach) and some other interested parishioners met with Fr. Greg where Perry convinced us all we should approve this as a new Outreach ministry. He then organized a trip to QUITO by approximately 17 St. Gabriel parishioners and Fr. Kelly who went down in 2004, the first of many visits both ways.