Fr. Bradley was born June 3, 1944, in New York City, the first of three children. He graduated from Iona University, New Rochelle, NY, in 1966, and was ordained on June 24, 1972, in Fribourg, Switzerland, at the Cistercian Abbey of Hauterive. 

 

Father Matthew Bradley arrived in Scituate in 1977, where he formed the first Foyer of Charity in the United States.  For more than 40 years he welcomed retreatants from Scituate, from neighboring towns and cities, and from across the nation. They came to hear the teachings of Jesus, and to reflect on and deepen their faith in a climate of silence, prayer and community. Fr. Bradley prepared local students for the sacrament of confirmation. He celebrated the sacraments of baptism, first communion, and marriage; visited the sick, officiated at funerals, and even guided some committed Christians to the priesthood. He was a pastor, a scholar, and a friend. He shared with our community his wonderful homilies, deeply perceptive guidance, and great gift of storytelling.

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After several years of parish work in Vancouver, British Columbia, and further graduate studies in England, Fr. Bradley was led to the Foyer of Charity in Chateauneuf-de-Galaure, France.  Father George Finet, a priest of Lyons, France; and Marthe Robin, a paralyzed laywoman who became one of the greatest French spiritual figures of the 20th century, helped Fr. Bradley to find his mission, and he prepared himself for the work of founding a Foyer of Charity in America. He led the Foyer of Charity in Scituate from its inception until his death in 2018.  He was the center of a loyal and devoted community that supported his ministry and brought light and strength to all those whose lives he touched.

 

To rekindle the fire of love that is dying out in the world – Marthe Robin