The Veterans Den Band plays to the delight of general audiences, church groups, seniors and fellow veterans locally.
Now, Pope Leo XIV is also listening to their songs.
Methuen’s Ed “Hoppy” Curran, who started the band more than 15 years ago, sent a copy of a four-song CD of religious music to the Pontiff through a local connection.
Father Joseph Farrell, who serves as Prior General of the Augustinian Order worldwide, recently presented it to the Pope and said Curran’s gift was “so appropriate and appreciated.”
“Pope Leo has a special devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel,” Farrell said, when contacted by MethuenLife. In fact, Farrell (whose assignments have included St. Augustine Church in Lawrence and Merrimack College) said Pope Leo went to visit the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel in the Augustinian Church in Genazzano, Italy, when he was elected Prior General of the Augustinian Order in 2001.
Pope Leo also made a visit there to pray May 10, 2025, just three days after elected as the first American Pope and member of the Augustinian Order.
“It’s just great to see the picture handing the CD to the Pope; it doesn’t happen every day,” said Curran, who served in Vietnam and is an advocate for all veterans.
The CD contains four songs – “Our Lady of Guadalupe,” “Ave Maria,” “Prosper the Work” and “Memorare.”
Retired Lawrence Fire Lt. Ed Murphy wrote “Prosper the Work” when St. Augustine Church in Lawrence and St. Theresa Church in Methuen merged to become Our Lady of Good Counsel 25 years ago. Murphy also put music to the classic hymn “Memorare,” honoring the Virgin Mary.
On the CD, Murphy’s granddaughter Emily Hohendale , 23, sings “Memorare” with her angelic voice.
“It’s pretty awesome to think that the Pope is going to be listening to songs Hoppy and I wrote,” Murphy said.
The Veterans Den Band was formed to sing patriotic music and keep the memory of fallen veterans alive.
As members of Our Lady of Good Counsel, the band members held a concert on Memorial Day to raise money for the St. Vincent DePaul Society at the parish.
“God wants us to help people in need and we’re doing it through our music,” Curran said.
In addition to Curran and Murphy, band members are Ed Hayes, Al Gagnon, Emily Hohendale, Tom Everson, Lauren Gagnon and John Hayes.
