THE CALLA FAMILY
The Calla family genuinely believes their sons, Jack and Guy, were meant to attend Saint Anthony’s High School. They cherish the years their sons spent at Saint Anthony’s and the wonderful families, staff, and administrators they met and bonded with. Their family’s path was destined to cross with the Mulroy family.
Guy and Lisa met during their first year at Hofstra University. Guy is the Clerk of the Suffolk County Legislature, and Lisa is an Assistant Dean at Suffolk County Community College, as well as an attorney and mediator. Both are actively involved in volunteer work in Smithtown and throughout Suffolk County. Their eldest son, Jack, graduated from Saint Anthony’s in 2019 and the University of Alabama in 2023, where he enjoyed playing rugby. Their youngest son, Guy, graduated from Saint Anthony’s in 2020 and the University of Alabama in 2024. Both sons are now thriving in full-time positions where they had previously interned before graduation.
Jack and Guy played football and baseball during their years at Saint Anthony’s. One of their teammates on both teams was T.J. Mulroy. T.J.’s twin sister, Julia, a vibrant 16-year-old young lady, was diagnosed with an aggressive, incurable kidney disease. A transplant was her only chance of survival.
Lisa met Shannon Mulroy in the bleachers at a Saint Anthony’s baseball game, where Shannon shared her daughter’s story. Shortly after their conversation, Lisa was screened as a potential donor. When she learned she was a match, she made the decision—one that gave her an instant feeling of peace. In the spirit of Saint Francis, seeing the beauty of life, Lisa gave Julia that gift in June of 2019.
Inspired by Julia’s recovery, Lisa’s husband, Guy, became a non-directed donor in September of 2020, during the COVID pandemic, when living donations were severely restricted. Coming full circle, John and Shannon Mulroy also each donated a kidney to two others in need in 2021.
“Our faith brought us to Saint Anthony’s and into the Friar Family, and love did the rest.”
THE MULROY FAMILY
When Julia and Thomas (TJ, as many call him) started high school at Saint Anthony’s, they were 14 years old and about to begin a new chapter in their lives. Choosing Saint Anthony’s wasn’t an easy decision—John and his family were alumni of another Catholic high school just a mile from our home. Little did we know that God had a different plan for our family.
A few months into Julia’s freshman year, our lives were turned upside down when she was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease called Focal Segmental Glomerular Sclerosis (FSGS). We heard three things no parent—or patient—ever wants to hear: there is no known cause, no FDA-approved medication, and, worst of all, no cure.
Julia’s health declined rapidly, and in less than two years, she was in end-stage kidney failure and had to begin dialysis. One day, while talking with Lisa Calla—TJ’s friend and baseball teammate’s mom—on the Saint Anthony’s baseball field, I asked if she would share a flyer I had painfully created, asking for help in finding a kidney donor for Julia. Without hesitation, she said she would—and that she would say a prayer.
Four months and one day later, Lisa saved Julia’s life by donating her kidney.
Our journey has been anything but easy, but we are forever grateful and incredibly blessed to have been led to Saint Anthony’s—where God connected us with Lisa and the entire Calla family.
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