DORCHESTER -- It all began with a family legacy.

In 1974, Robert L. Marr and Daniel F. Marr Jr. founded the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester as a memorial to their father, Colonel Daniel Marr, who died in 1969. When Marr Jr. died in 1991, he left an endowment to the Archdiocese of Boston. The money was to go to scholarships for members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester to attend Catholic schools. Cynthia Marr and her late husband, Robert, later founded the Robert and Cynthia Marr Charitable Foundation, establishing another endowment for scholarships. The Catholic Community Fund, a philanthropic fund of the archdiocese, is responsible for managing the endowments and making sure that the scholarship money goes to its intended recipients.

Since 1992, 2,200 students have received almost $1.7 million in Marr Scholarships. Forty-nine of those Marr Scholars, representing 11 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Boston, were honored at a reception at the Colonel Daniel Marr Boys and Girls Club in Dorchester on Oct. 1.

"All of us, all of you, can rise above adversity, embrace your own unique superpower, and deliver for the world," Cynthia Marr told the scholars, "because when you connect with your superpower, you can dream without fear, and you can make use of that great potential within you to deliver on those dreams."

In her remarks, Cynthia Marr found an unlikely comparison for the benefits of Catholic education: Spider-Man.

Spider-Man learned how to use his superpowers to do "the right thing at the right time for the right reason, even at his own personal expense," she said, the same type of personal growth that is taught in Catholic schools.

For "the necessary ingredient" to make the Marr Scholars' dreams come true, she shifted her metaphor to water. At 211 degrees Fahrenheit, water is simply "very hot water." At 212 degrees, however, it becomes steam, "which can power locomotives and drive change."

Right now, Marr said, the students are at 211 degrees, following their dreams by attending Catholic schools.

"But what happens at 212 degrees?" she said. "That's where the magic happens. When you push yourself just a little harder, when you dig just a little deeper and unleash the potential that resides within you, that's when things start to boil. It takes courage and determination, but it all begins from within."

She told the Marr Scholars to take small steps toward their goals and told their parents to support and encourage their children as much as possible.

"As you pursue your own successes," she said, "remember that within the journey lies an even greater calling, the power to do good for others while doing good for yourself."

In his remarks, Daniel F. Marr III recalled an interaction he had at the last Marr Scholarship reception in February, when a young girl came up to him and said, "My mom and dad said I should come up to you and say thank you."

"You're very welcome, and congratulations," he replied.

The girl told him that she was happy because her parents said they were proud of her.

"Like this little girl," Daniel Marr III told the Marr Scholars, "I hope all of this year's scholars are very happy and take pride in knowing you have made your families proud."

The invocation at the reception was delivered by Father John Currie, pastor of St. Patrick, St. Peter, and Holy Family parishes in Dorchester and Roxbury. Father Currie himself grew up attending the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester, and joked that he "caused a lot of trouble" there in his youth.

"I'm sitting in a room tonight and really appreciating the community aspect of Boston Catholic schools," Eileen McLaughlin, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Boston, said in her remarks.

McLaughlin said that Catholic education in Boston is not just the work of archdiocesan officials, but priests, school leaders, and "parents who choose to sacrifice in order to send their children to Catholic schools."

She added that Catholic education teaches students how to "become a force for good in the world."

"I'm very grateful for your generosity and the example you've shown us," she told the Marr family. "And for all of you, thank you for committing to Catholic schools."

The Marr Scholars at the reception were asked to reflect on three questions: "What makes the school you attend such a special place to you?" "What makes a Catholic education important to you?" And "How does it feel to be recognized as a BGCD Marr Scholar?"

"I feel very acknowledged as a scholar," said Conor Olson, who has been a student at Boston College High School in Dorchester for six years, "and I feel like everyone else at my table also feels pride, and we feel like we are loved by our parents as well."

At BC High, Olson learned French and got to visit France as an exchange student, "which was insane," he said.

"Getting this scholarship means a lot," said Sienna Gomes, a student at Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree. "It brings a lot of motivation, knowing that there's people out there that are willing to put their money toward Catholic education."

Gomes has attended Catholic schools since she was in preschool.

"It has been very, very helpful," she said.

The evening's alumni speaker was Meyanni Araujo, a 2024 graduate of Providence College and a former camper at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester. She fondly remembered her time playing sports and going on field trips with the clubs.

"I was also given a great support system, scholarships, and opportunities to further my education," she said. "The Boys and Girls Club made sure that I was able to network, meet new people, and make great connections with others."

A Marr Scholar, she attended Pope St. John Paul II Catholic Academy in Dorchester, and graduated from Cathedral High School in Boston in 2020. She then went to Providence College to study elementary and special education, and now works in the early childhood program of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester.

"I am extremely excited about this opportunity and to also give back to all my students, just as everyone else did for me here at the club," she said.

She told the Marr Scholars that they could achieve whatever they imagined if they put their minds to it.

"Education is extremely important and the key to success," she said. "Without the club and this scholarship, I wouldn't be in the position I'm in today. You are all lucky to be here today. I can't wait to see what you accomplish in life. You are the future."