Our History
ECHO of Cape Cod has a rich history that began more than 50 years ago, when Bishop of Fall River James L. Connolly tasked Fr. Thomas Mayhew with establishing a program where young people would be invited to learn about Christian living and God’s love for them. ECHO was thus founded by Fr. Mayhew in 1968, and became active in the Fall River, Attleboro, and Taunton areas of Massachusetts. In 1970, the program was brought to Cape Cod by Fr. Francis B. Connors and Fr. Edward E. Correia. The acronym of ECHO was a suggestion from Msgr. John J. Oliveira, who was inspired by this quote from Benedictine spiritual writer Columba Marmion: “Joy is the echo of God’s life in us.”
In the last 50 years, over 12,000 teens have participated in over 300 ECHO weekends on Cape Cod. The ECHO teams who have led the weekends include more than 100 priests and countless deacons and sisters who have served as spiritual directors, and more than 60 adults who have served as weekend facilitators. The retreats have taken place at St. Francis Parish Center in Hyannis, the LaSalette House in Brewster (now Ocean Edge), Briarwood Retreat Center in Monument Beach, and ECHO’s current home for retreats, the Craigville Retreat Center in Centerville.
While some changes in the retreat structure have been made over the years, what remains unchanged is that an ECHO retreat is a transformative experience for young people and adults alike. The program has enabled thousands from Cape Cod and beyond to journey together in spiritual growth and foster friendships connected by faith.
Participating Priests in the ECHO program 1970-2023
Fr. George Alemeida
Fr. Jack Andrews
Fr. Gary Ault
Fr. Bill Babbitt
Fr. Fred Babiczuk
Fr. Roland Bedard MS
Fr. Marc Bergeron
Fr. Joseph Blykosz
Fr. Marcel Bouchard
Fr. Bob Brennan SSCC
Fr. Jason Brilhante
Fr. Jeff Cabral
Fr. Rene Caissey MS
Fr. Marcos Alexandre Caldeira
Fr. Jim Calnan
Fr. Ray Cambra
Fr. Robert Campbell
Fr. William Campbell
Fr. Marek Chmurski
Fr. James Clark
Bishop George Coleman
Fr. Francis Connors
Fr. Ed Correia
Fr. Tom Costa
Fr. Bill Costello
Fr. Paul Dalbec MS
Fr. Phil Davignon
Fr. Dick Delisle MS
Fr. David Deston
Fr. Robert Donovan
Fr. Bill Drapeau
Fr. Michael Dufault
Msgr. Edmund Fitzgerald
Fr. Ron Floyd
Fr. Benedict Folger
Fr. Peter Fournier
Fr. Tom Frechette
Fr. David Frederici
Fr. Gilles Genest MS
Fr. Matthew Gill
Fr. Tim Goldrick
Fr. John Gomes
Fr. Martin Gomes SSCC
Fr. Ken Gumbert OP
Fr. Jack Harrington
Fr. Edward Healey
Msgr. Daniel Hoye
Fr. Chris Hughes
Fr. Terry Keenan
Fr. Stan Kolassa SSCC
Fr. Matthew Laird
Fr. Dick Landry MS
Fr. Roger LaRouz MS
Fr. Maurice Lavasseur
Fr. Laurie Leger MS
Fr. Dennis Loomis MS
Fr. Tom Lopes
Fr. David Lupo SSCC
Fr. Martin Manahan
Fr. Greg Mathias
Fr. Mick McCullough P
Fr. Jim McLellan
Fr. Tom McMorrow
Fr. Jim Medeiros
Fr. Bob Mosher SSC
Fr. John Murray
Fr. Mike Nagle
Fr. Jim Nickel SSCC
Fr. Dan Nunes
Fr. Jim Nunes
Fr. Bill O’Donnell
Fr. John Oliveira
Fr. Andre Patenaude MS
Fr. Bill Penderghest SSCC
Fr. John Perry
Msgr. John Perry
Fr. Chris Peschel
Fr. David Pignato
Fr. Craig Pregana
Fr. Bob Powell
Fr. Tom Rita
Fr. Bill Rodrigues
Fr. Joseph Rossi
Fr. Dick Roy
Fr. Paul Rynne
Fr. Owen Smith
Fr. Pawel Swiercz
Fr. Bill Sylvia
Fr. Dan St. Laurent
Fr. Alvin Te OFM
Fr. Marc Tremblay
Fr. Laurent Valliere
Fr. Joe Viveiros
Fr. Richard Wilson
Fr. Tom Washburn OFM
ECHO Retreat Facilitators (Rectors and Rectoras) 1970-2023
Sharon Acton
Tim Acton
Susan Anderson
Deanna Barrows
Sonny Barrows
Mary Becker
Joe Bentley
Susie Brown
John Cabral
Keith Caldwell
Bill Campbell
Kathie Cannavo
Cathy Carpenter
Marlene Corey
Joe Daigle
Ellen Driscoll
Jack Driscoll
Heath Eldredge
Mary Farley
Barbara-Anne Foley
Rick Frazier
Art Frost
Ruth Frost
Katy Fuller
Mary Fuller
Jean Giddings
Debbie Golden
Steve Goveia
Frank Green
Jan Guidi
Kathy Harmon
Jack Hill
Ed Lariviere
Marilyn Lariviere
Mike LeBrun
Ray LeBrun
Scott LeBrun
Chuck Lindberg
Maryellen Loucks
Judy Lyons
Patti Machado
Bob Magner
John Malloy
Yvonne Malloy
Sara McDavitt
Donna McGonagle
Tom McManamon
Alex Moore
Mary Mortensen
Bobbi Paradise
Dick Paradise
Mary Piersall
Betsy Quirk
David Ryan
Donna Sassone
David Sauro
Judy Sullivan
Peter Sullivan
Cheryl Thornton
Joe Tierney
Heather Wesp
