October 15th
Harvest Fest Success
What a great day we had! Permit me to thank, again, all of you for supporting the fundraiser itself. To all of you who bought tickets and raffles, and to all who prepared the baskets and the Grand Raffles, especially M&V Limousines, Peter and Susan Brandel for donating tickets to Mabella and The Engeman Theatre, to Wheatley Hills Golf Club for donating the foursome and lunch, and to all who donated services like the pony from National Riding Academy, and the puppies from Selmars Pet Land. Thank you all!
Kathy Bottner and her husband, Bob, worked so hard to provide family photos to all of you. Karen and Chris Rohrecker and their high school volunteers painted the faces of all of the children (and some adults as well!). Allison Czeczotka and her mother served cotton candy to the very last scoop, while Frank DiMaggio Landscaping and Mary Beth and Ian Van Bourgondien provided all of the pumpkins. And, of course, we thank the Commack EMTs and Ed Nordstrom, who, for the whole day, engaged the children with their demonstrations.
The Knights of Columbus and The Men's Roundtable cooked and served the best food we've ever had at a Harvest Fest - sausage and peppers, hot dogs and hamburgers, and fajitas! And that coleslaw, wow ;) And, of course, a very big thank you to Kevin Cleary and Sand City for donating all of the beer! So good!
I do hope, also, that you enjoyed the music! The Uncle Charlie Band is led by my friend, Charlie Libassi, accompanied by his percussionist, Eli Maniscalco. I hope you will agree that their music helped to create the happy atmosphere - can't go wrong with the classics! I thought the live music of guitarist, vocalist, and light drums brought life to the party, but more importantly, allowed us to enjoy conversation with one another.
And lastly - together with the Parish Staff (especially Mary Rose Gallipeau who, with infectious joy, MC'd the event) - I want to thank, in a special way, the members of the Harvest Fest Committee. While it would be impossible to name the many people who worked alongside the committee, the primary organizers of the event were Tony and Janice Biancardi, Anthony and Debbie Leva, Mark and Anna Trolio, and Patti Tillwitz, assisted by Lucrezia and Bill Vecchio, Lorraine and Tom Bentz, and Heather Kid. And all of them were led by the careful planning and execution of Roseanne Simone and her husband, Nick. That team of parishioners and friends really saw to the success of the Harvest Fest this year. And while it was not easy, it sure seemed as if everything fell into place effortlessly. Well done!
Flowing Freely Again
The irrigation work is halfway finished. The old and damaged sprinkler systems of the convent and parish offices have been completely replaced. Now, the crew will be making their way toward the school building to replace that system, which is the most in need of repair. The irrigation system by the church building is newer, obviously, and is in good working order. It does not need to be replaced.
Again, this work is costing the parish a bit of change, but we were given an excellent quote by the company doing the work, and it is fine work. We're very pleased with them so far.
Thank you, again, for your financial support of the parish. We've got a large campus here. But it's full of life. And the work we do to keep our facilities up and running will no doubt bear fruit in the friendships that are formed here to serve for the building up of the Church in the world.
Faith Formation and Adult Education
We're kicking off the lesson portion of the Faith Formation Program here this week for all levels (1-8). Please remember the program in your prayers. You mustn't think of it as an extension of Sunday Mass, wherein you might presume its success. Rather, the men and women (mostly women) of the Faith Formation Office, together with the Teachers and Facilitators, are doing the difficult work of evangelizing the world. It will mean embarrassment at times, and the constant temptation to discouragement. It also means they are subjecting themselves to harsh words and criticism by the very families and children they are trying to help. But with your prayers, they will be able to stand beneath the cross of this ministry, with Our Lady, with humble fidelity to the call they share with her, namely, to be the mother of Christ, to give Him birth, even now.
Please know, also, that Mark Trolio is kindly offering an Adult Education series on the 4 Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Mark is an excellent teacher with years of experience. He is soft spoken and easy to understand. His classes are as enjoyable as they are informative. You will walk away from each class knowing more about the Scriptures. You will always learn something. And your faith will be deepened.
And Sister Dorothy (Sister Dotty) has generously volunteered to host evening sessions of study on the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. I do hope you will give yourself the opportunity to strengthen your faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and to feel free to invite anyone in your life who may have questions about that central mystery of our Faith. All of the materials (and the small group format itself) are provided by the Diocese who is offering this course in conjunction with others throughout the country for the "National Eucharistic Revival."