Father Unni receives his official BFD Chaplain’s pin by St. Cecilia parishioner Bob Atchinson as Commissioner John Dempsey looks on.
Photo credit: Courtesy of BFD

Father John Unni, pastor of Saint Cecilia’s Parish, was appointed Boston Fire Department’s (BFD) chief chaplain last week.

Unni will be replacing the retiring Reverend Dan Mahoney, who has held the position since 1964. Although the BFD is sad to see Mahoney go, they could not be happier about Unni’s new role.

“I am proud to appoint Father John Unni as chief chaplain of the BFD. The retirement of Father Dan Mahoney is a sad day for the BFD,” said BFD Commissioner John Dempsey “Father Unni has been the assistant chaplain since 2017 and has proven his worth. He has been a pillar of strength both at emergency incidents and in personal tragedies for many of our fire department families,” said Dempsey.

Unni was ordained in 1992 and has served Saint Cecilia’s Parish since that time.

He is a director at the Pine Street Inn and the Saint Cecilia House, where he has assisted the homeless as well as the elderly with low income. Beyond Boston, Unni sits on the board of Health Equity International, which provides aid to disadvantaged people in Haiti. Unni was also selected as a Barr Fellow in 2019 by the Bar Foundation, a program that recognizes Boston leaders’ accomplishments, and continues to build a network of civic leaders.

In a note to Saint Cecilia announcing his short departure for a sabbatical, Unni said, “I really look forward to spending some time in Italy and France, getting on a bike, making a silent retreat, and reconnecting with God, self, family and friends,” after which he plans to return to St. Cecilia’s in addition to his BFD responsibilities.

“This is not the “Irish or Italian goodbye”, or a sneaky way to leave the parish! I am planning to be back at the end of September and be present at the liturgies, baptisms and weddings that weekend of October 1st and 2nd,” said Unni.