The two people that would adopt me would be my adoptive parents, Catherine Haverty Boulton and George Boulton. They had learned about me from a nurse, who took care of me and Sadie (my biological mother), I am sure, where I was given birth, at a Waltham maternity home. So that nurse knew the Boultons-my mother, knew my father. They had already gone through a tragic happening in their own lives. Their only daughter, Margaret Mary, had died at birth. That was always a great sorrow to my mother. I understand my father baptized the child immediately after birth.

Fr. Hasenfuss, our pastor, said my parents would have to talk to Archbishop Cushing. My uncle drove her up and she talked with the archbishop. He said, "No, he can't enter the Archdiocese of Boston." He asked, "Where does he go to school?" She said, "Boston College." "Oh, Boston College! The crowd up on the hill-they can take him!" -meaning the Jesuits, "the crowd on the hill." I had never thought of the Jesuits. I thought that I could never make it in the Jesuits. But I talked to Fr. O. A. Reinhalter. He said, "Why not?" I said, "I don't know." He contacted the provincial. He said, "No problem." I asked myself, "What am I getting into? The Jesuits?" I knew I wanted to become a priest. I thought, "Well, I guess I'll try it." I went through all the interviews. One of the things that I regretted having to give up when I entered the novitiate on July 30, 1949 was my summer job at Fenway Park and Braves Field as an usher. I had to leave the ball parks behind!

Then March 10, 1973. I went before another committee for certification, and this was in Atlanta, Georgia. I went with two other men, friends of mine, ministers. The three of us went before the committees the same day, and we all made it. I dressed in my clerics, as ordinarily I would present myself on a formal occasion. I took off my jacket and said, "Here I am, ready to go!" Well, we had quite a session. One of the supervisors said, "It sounds like you are running a seven-day-a-week program." The minister that I'd been working with, Ed Sprenger, happened also to be on this national committee. As I was readying my response, to my surprise I heard Ed say, "Let's remember, David is a celibate Catholic priest. He's not married, doesn't have a wife or family. He has more time to work on his program. But it's not a seven-day-a week program." That took care of that. After several other challenging questions, the meeting ended with the announcement that I had passed. I was now fully certified to supervise and direct programs of Clinical Pastoral Education. What a great joy!

It's my experience that I've been faithfully companioned by God all my life, from the time that I was named David-"Beloved of God"-to the present moment as I minister to Jesuits here in Campion Health Center. I've also come to see a pattern in my life. When I've been in need, I've found the inner strength to reach out. Inevitably, people have reached back. I believe that these people, these events have embodied God's ever-faithful, ever-caring love for me. I believe, too, that the dark, hard times have eventually yielded more light, life, and love. So much paradox, so much mystery! I believe that God has blessed me with an abiding faith and hope. I'm enormously blessed to be a Jesuit and part of the Society of Jesus. I have felt chosen all along the way. I feel that God has chosen me through others, chosen me through the Society of Jesus, chosen me through life's surprises. I'm grateful.

Due to death or sickness some of these selected readings have been read by someone other than the author. This page contains one such replacement.