At the age of 92, Bill McNamara is vibrant, inspirational, and healthy in spirit, body, and mind. Family, community ,faith provide his strength. His trademark qualities of sincerity, discipline, steadfastness, and rich, gentle humor touch all who know him. Born in Boston, MA, Bill lives in Islip, NY with his wife Angela. They have been married for 67 years and are the loving parents of eight, grandparents to twenty three, and great-grandparents to six. As friend and fatherly adviser to countless others, the commitment and counsel Bill offers to his extended family provide roots and inspiration.
His covenant with country and family has been consistently demonstrated in significant accomplishments. A graduate of the United States Naval Flight School, Bill served as a World War II pilot and Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. During his 37 year career in retail management, he advanced to department store senior executive, and shared his knowledge with others as a college business professor.
Bill’s spiritual journey has been informed through education and enlivened by personal epiphanies. His social justice “knowledge” evolved through proactive advocacy as he touched the pain of human experiences in many roles: president of St. Vincent de Paul conferences; parish social ministry coordinator; Catholic Charities Director in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY; founding member of the Woodstock Business Conference; and Chairperson of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development Allocations Committee. Bill was the recipient of the Catholic Charities Caritas Award. In addition, a Parish Social Ministry Center was named in his honor.
As an author, Bill's published books include: Touch the Pain (The Servant Church in the 21st Century) in which he shares personal social justice experiences and challenges all to serve the poor and disenfranchised with compassion; and I Want to Be Holy where Bill provides a spiritual legacy for his immediate and extended family of sojourners, sharing his own journey in a series of meditations and Encounters. In addition to these two books, Bill authored Truth, Love, and Change (social justice according to the Gospel of Luke), wrote regular articles in diocesan publications, and developed several social justice curriculums.
His prayerful perspectives on community, justice, and the challenges of living as a disciple of Jesus are powerful and will "touch your soul.
