Dove of the Day - April 20, 2025

Featured on S4 Ep153: Grace, Faith, and Community: Reflecting on Holy Week

Dr. Eileen Reilly

Dr. Reilly has spent decades dedicating her career to caring for Boston’s unhoused population with empathy and compassion. At just 26, she co-founded Women’s Lunch Place, a day shelter for women facing homelessness, with kindness at its core. Her vision of dignity for all was reflected in small but meaningful details, like serving meals on real china and creating an inviting space built on hospitality.

After leaving the shelter in 1986 to attend medical school, Reilly specialized in psychiatry, driven by a desire to heal psychological wounds. She has since returned to Women’s Lunch Place as a psychiatrist, providing mental health care to some of the city’s most vulnerable women. Beyond clinical treatment, Reilly takes a profoundly humane approach to her work, offering comfort, understanding, and even moments of respite over coffee or a meal. For her, these connections go far beyond what’s "billable" and reflect a deeply personal mission to bring peace and support to her patients' lives.
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While homelessness remains a persistent challenge, Dr. Reilly continues to find fulfillment in the progress and healing she helps facilitate. Her unwavering dedication is a testament to the power of compassion in transforming individual lives and strengthening communities.

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