A Community of Faith, Sharing Religious Beliefs and Traditions

The Quest for Common Ground is pleased to present a series of posts this month during this joyful holiday season in the hope of providing our community of Southington, Connecticut, and other communities of people greater understanding of the diversity of relgious beliefs rooted in their rich heritage and traditional creeds. Freedom of religion is a cornerstone of the American credo that extends beyong tolerance and reaches out to understanding so that we may love one another as we love God.  It is, our faith, after all, which offers us the values of our most cherished beliefs and religious traditions which enrich our lives in this great country.  

Rabbi Shelley Kovar Becker
Gishrei Shalom Jewish
Congregation, Southington, CT

We begin today with a joyful reflection by Rabbi Shelley Kovar Becker of the Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation in Southington, CT.  Please feel free to share your comments with our community.                                                                                                    

By the time you read this, Chanukah, the 8-night Jewish holiday known as the Festival of Lights, will be over.  I am fortunate to celebrate with family and congregants, lighting the chanukiah (Chanukah menorah) and enjoying potato pancakes, known as latkes.  They are a traditional food of the holiday but jelly donuts may be consumed as well.  It is all about the oil so any fried food will do!

As a rabbi I have been asked many times this year about Thanksgiving and Chanukah falling so close together.  I am sure you have read about it and a search of the Internet will bring up the particular calendrical computations that produced the phenomenon. But in musing on the overlap of these two days, I offer this: Thanksgiving was the feast of gratitude the early settlers of America offered for the bounty of this new land that marked their survival over the hardship of their migration to the unknown and their appreciation for religious freedom.

Chanukah Menorah

For Jews, Chanukah, is a holiday that celebrates our surmounting the oppression of the Syrian-Greeks in the second century Before the Common Era.  Chanukah represents the few overcoming the many, the fight for self-determination over subjugation.

This year however, I am more focused both personally and professionally, on the resultant separation of the Jewish holiday from Christmas. For you see, Chanukah is not the Jewish Christmas and so I have an opportunity to teach that two great faith traditions celebrate joyous events both very different and very meaningful to each of us. I hope the understanding and compassion that can come from each holiday having its own fullness of time for observance signifies a wonderful new year to come.

- Rabbi Shelley Kovar Becker, Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation, Southington..

An Exciting Thanksgiving Journey

I received this very special Thanksgiving Story in e-letter form from a professional colleague of mine from Seiko Corporation of America of twenty years ago.  Lynn Dansker was always the consummate professional in her work, but there's much more than that in this simple story of love and giving.  -  ERF

Lynn, Cole and Joe Dansker

Dear Friends and Family,

Joe, Cole and I would like to wish you all a safe and joyful Thanksgiving.

We will not be sharing the holiday this year with our family, instead we are embarking on an exciting journey. We would like to share this story.

A little more than 3 years ago we looked into sponsoring a child through the Adoption Agency I used to bring Cole into our lives. They offer a Sponsorship program that offers children in several countries the opportunity to attend school. In many countries in order to attend school you have to be able to purchase a school uniform and shoes. Thousands and thousands of children (maybe more) do not attend school in these countries because they do not have the means to make such a purchase. We decided we wanted to sponsor a child and give him/her the gift of education.  

We chose Guatemala because the native language is Spanish and Cole has been attending a Spanish immersion school for the past 4 years. Cole always wanted a little brother or sister and we thought it would be a great opportunity for him to feel like a big brother and a way to practice his Spanish writing skills. The little boy that we have been matched with is named Selvin. He is the youngest of 4 children and to the best of our knowledge, no one in his family has attended school. He turned 8 years old last month, and lives in a hut with no floor and no refrigerator. Our annual donation pays for his uniform and shoes. To our great joy, Selvin has completed 3 years in the sponsorship program; beginning his 4th year in January when the children return from a 2 month Holiday break.

Selvin not only has to keep his grades to a high standard, he is only allowed to miss a few days of school each year and his parents must remain engaged in the program. If these 3 qualifications are not met, he would not be able to continue in the program. The fact that he has remained in the program for 3 full years is an anomaly. Most children do not, mostly because there are so many stresses on the family that it does not remain a priority.

We have kept in touch with Selvin and his family through the Agency and have shared letters, drawings, photos over the years. We are been allowed to send him books, pencils, crayons, paper, markers (anything that is considered a school supply) but no toys or clothes or anything that his family may need.

Cole turns 9 on Sunday and next Wed is the first night of Hanukah so Joe and I decided to give Cole a birthday/Hanukah gift that he will never forget. We have surprised him with a trip  to Guatemala to meet his “little brother” and his family. We leave this Saturday Nov 23rd and return on Nov 30th. We will be sightseeing for 2 ½ days and then we have plans to spend the next few days with Selvin taking him to the zoo, swimming at the hotel pool and other activities that he probably has never been exposed to. We will meet his family as well and will be escorted by the woman who runs the Sponsorship Program in Guatemala throughout our stay. Thank goodness she is Bilingual as my college Spanish is rusty at best!!! Cole will also serve as our translator on this journey. How exciting it will be to hear him converse with Selvin in Spanish!

We are THRILLED (and a bit nervous) about our adventure,  however we are looking forward to meeting our extended family in Guatemala!!

We look forward to sharing our journey with you through stories and photographs when we return.

On behalf of Joe, Cole and myself have a great Thanksgiving holiday! Be safe!

Lynn Dansker

Remembering Alfred George Fortunato

Alfred George Fortunato, September 6, 1931 - October 2, 2013

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the passing of Alfred George Fortunato, my brother, my life-long best friend and trusted confidant.  

Al was born when I was only two. My memories of every phase of our lives has spanned a long lifetime for both of us. Growing up together as third generation Americans in a family culture that reflected our Italian-American heritage, alongside of neighbors, school and team mates, many of whom became lifetime friends, we were part of the early twentieth century products of the largest melting pot of diverse heritages, essentially European.  

Close in age, we and our late youngest brother, Vinnie, (aka Jimmy), served in the U.S. Army simultaneously and with pride during the Korean War in the 1950's.  Returning to civilian life each of us raised families, between us and our younger sister, Ann Marie Rumpke, presenting seventeen grandchildren to our parents, Mafalda and Jimmy Fortunato. 

It was not unusual in those times to have close sibling relationships even in our mature years. Now, through the lens of a lifetime, I see the uniquely special bond in a relationship beyond comparison in our lifetimes. Today, I treasure Al's and Jimmy's memory. Ann Marie refers to we two surviving siblings as the bookends of a family that grew up in an environment that cultivated great interest in the arts, music and in the literary world. 

Just a few year's ago, I realized that Al and I never had a personal quarrel. If, as in a few instances, we had differences in our thinking concerning public policy, it never, never became personal or affected our fundamentally sound relationship.  In fact, our approach to differences strengthened our mutual esteem and we always kept in sight that we had the same fundamental aspirations for humankind. That played a great part in our shared mutual respect, esteem and love for one another that never wavered.  

The last decade of my brother's life was filled with health issues. His discomfort and anxiety stretched the limits of pain in his final year, but he never gave up. Nor did he ever stop caring and loving his family, his friends and the joy of his work in his chosen profession of publishing serious non-fiction using skills that spanned the gamut of historian, researcher, editor, wordsmith, author and profound thinker.   

With a firm but gentle voice, Al's words were always spoken and written with an ever-mindful focus on compassion, especially for those who seemed to be left out in the pledge of 'liberty and justice for all'.

His greatest assets were his fine mind, his integrity and his empathy with all living things. Al's gift of intellect, insightful logic and simpatico nature were core components of the elegance of his character. 

Al Fortunato, Captain and Center Fielder
Erasmus Hall H.S. Brooklyn, NY c 1947

His departure was shattering for all of us: his loving wife, children and grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins and a legion of friends and associates in the literary world and his younger days of baseball.   

After a year, sorrow and mourning have given way to a personal healing process for me.  I describe it as having lived through an increasing personal propensity for quiet periods of contemplative spiritual time, reading and study which came to reflect on my thinking and writing. Consequently,  I find myself filled with a spiritual energy has renewed a sense of gratitude for the joy and love we've had in our lifetimes.  

One step beyond, I have witnessed an increasing sensory phenomenon in the past six months. My meditative reflections of past interactions with Al, and recently with my brother, Jimmy, as well, present a spiritual connection or communion with them of a nature previously unknown to me. 

For the doubtful, I am not asserting that I talk to them or to the Holy Spirit in a physical vocal sense. I hear no 'voices'. But my heart is filled and my spirit is warmed by a new sense of the presence of each of them as I reminisce to our relationships in the past. 
   
Closing thoughts: Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is not here yet.  I live and love with both feet solidly grounded in the present while holding onto the wonderful memories and love of the past and my Christian beliefs in the future.

In His Spirit,

Ephraim Richard Fortunato

Meet Molly

This story came via the wonders of electronic mail today.  I liked it not only because it was inspiring but because, in itself, it is another  wonder for thoughtful reflection. I hope you like Molly' story, too.
                                                                                              - E. Richard Fortunato

This is Molly with her prosthesis

Molly' is a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Hurricane Katrina hit southern Louisiana.  She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled.
While there, she was attacked by a dog and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected, and her vet went to Lousiana State University for help, but LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes.  But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind.

He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different.  He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores,so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her.  She protected her injured leg.  She constantly shifted her weight and didn't overload her good leg.  She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.




Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee, and a temporary artificial limb was built.
Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there.  "This was the right horse and the right owner," Moore insists. Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood that she was in trouble. The other important factor, according to Moore , is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse.  Molly's story turns into a paradigm for life in Post-Katrina Louisiana.

The little pony gained weight, and her mane finally felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg. "The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life,"Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports.  And she asks for it. "She will put her little limb out,and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too.", Barca adds. And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca.  "It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse," she laughs.

Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay,the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people, and she had a good time doing it!  "It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life", Moore said. "She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others." Barca concluded, "She's not back to normal, but she's going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself.'

As the next photo shows, the ground surface that she stands on, which has a smiley face embossed in it. Wherever Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind.


If you liked meeting Molly feel free to comment in the space provided below this post or forward it to animal lovers you know.

It seems to be still another wonder how God's creatures reflect the character to which we aspire, though in different ways.

15-Year Old Life Scout, Matt Leary, Leads Community Service Project

 Cross-published In The Southington Citizen

Matt Leary, Life Scout

Boy Scouts of America: For God, Country, Self & Others

A breath of positive news inspires a needed ray of hope for good citizenship and patriotism. Such is the stuff of this story of a community service project and a group of Boy Scouts led by a Southington boy of 15.

Established more than a hundred years ago, the Boy Scouts of America is part of a global non-profit endeavor that promotes virtues such as character, citizenship and fitness in youngsters. The Scout Oath declares the central duties to God, Country, Self and others. Service projects undertaken for church, school and community are performed by boys enabling them to responsibly hone skills that prepare them for lifelong duties.

Illustrating the intrinsic value of community work generated by scouts is the story of Star Scout, Matthew Leary of Southington who led a team of eight Boy Scouts of Troop 3, Waterbury in a much needed Southington service project this month.  With the approval of his Scoutmaster, Bill Meo, and the Town Manager, Garry Brumback, Matt Leary chose, as his community service project, the clearance of the Laning Street entry to the Town of Southington’s 47 acre Griffin Open Space Parcel.

Laning St. entrance to Griffin Open Space area before clearance. From left: Jeremy Melenciano, Andrew Belske, Matthew Leary, Joseph DeCrisanti, Nick Gormley, Timothy Belske, Tom Sullivan, Anthony Belske and Town Manager, Garry Brumback.  Absent: Joe Mennillo.

Describing the project, Leary said: “The entrance to the open space trail became overgrown with brush, impacted by significant storm damage and illegal dumping, to the extent of blocking access to the trailhead”. The energetic crew of Boy Scouts and 5 adults expended 84 man-hours of volunteer service planning and performing the work. In addition to clearing the brush and debris, the Scouts swept the curb, cleaned the water catch basins and posted a ‘No Dumping’ sign at the entrance.

Griffin Open Space entryway after restoration

Neighboring property owners expressed support for the Boy Scouts volunteer work, but also indicated their disappointment with the project, fearing that it may attract dirt bikes onto the property, Leary said. On August 14, Matt was presented a letter of gratitude from the Town's Open Space Committee.

Scout Troops are organized by ‘patrols’ with older boys teaching skills to younger boys, building character, trust, preparedness and leadership while advancing through the ranks of tenderfoot, 2nd class and 1st class scout. Boys may then advance to Star, Life and the highest rank of Eagle Scout.

Matt became a cub scout at age 7 in Pack 218 in Waterbury where he ultimately earned the ‘Arrow of Light’, the highest award in Cub Scouts and was tapped for the Order of the Arrow, as was his dad in his boyhood. After completion of the service project this month, Mathew Leary passed his Board of Review, thus achieving the rank of Life Scout. His journey to Eagle Scout now begins with many merit badges to be acquired, leadership effectiveness skills and a new and more challenging project required.

Leary is a sophomore at St. Paul’s Catholic H.S. in Bristol who attended St. Dominic School through 5th grade and St. Thomas through 8th. He loves sports, has played Town of Southington baseball, soccer, and basketball in grade school years and high school.

Matt resides in Southington with his mom, Karen Matthews Leary, a physical therapist at the Consolidated School District of New Britain and at the Hartford Hospital, and his dad, John J. Leary, who is Director of Consolidated Accounting at Tronox in Stamford, CT who also is an elected town official serving as Chairman of the Southington Board of Finance. Mr. Leary has been in scouting himself continuously since his own boy scout days in 1978 at Troop 3, where he is currently an assistant scoutmaster. Matt's older sister, Lauren, is a freshman at St. Joseph University in West Hartford who attended the same schools as her younger brother. The family has been deeply involved at their parish Church of St. Dominic for years.

Matt Leary is in on the far right, standing, holding the Troop 3 flag. John Leary, Matt's dad is seen immediately to his right. John is Assistant Scoutmaster. Standing in back, center, is Scoutmaster Bill Meo.  

An accomplished swimmer, Life Scout Matt Leary is proficient at sailing, kayaking, canoeing, rowing and enjoys traveling and exploring. Matt enjoys golf, particularly playing with his grandfather, Dave Matthews. Matt likes science, investigating how things work, enjoys cooking at home and over an open fire while camping. Matt enjoys being a leader in Boy Scouts, teaching skills to younger boys. He’s a tad shy and reserved but has an acute sense of what is going on around him and is a very considerate gentleman. Matt does many chores around home: snow shoveling, lawn mowing, tree trimming, painting, and home repairs. Leary is proficient with a range of power tools. He enjoys working with his hands and using tools. Matt helps his great grandfather who is 96 years old with many household chores as he does at home. He spends time with his great-grandfather watching Yankee games and loves spending time with his 2-year old Golden Retriever, Lucy.

Activities that are not part of Matt's favorite pastimes? Answer:Reading and writing! Well, not just yet, anyway.

Afterword

With profound thanks to the Leary family for their time and input in bringing you this story, for their many contributions to our community through the years and their treasured family values.

Now, Scouts,citizens and friends, let's keep the campfires glowing!

Actual Troop 3 Campfire

Giving Back, Girls Fill 400 Backpacks with School Supplies

Smart Start: A Great Back-to-School Project for Giving Back Girls

By E. Richard Fortunato

Giving Back Girls Sort
Backpacks & School Supplies

Based in Southington, CT, about 18 miles southwest of Hartford, there's a group of mostly middle school and some high school girls who call themselves the Giving Back Girls.  It was actually started in 2010 by Erin and Emily Gibney, 14 year old twin daughters of Tricia Gibney, COO of The Arc of Southington. Inspired by the generous community service of their parents and so many in this generous community who help meet the needs of others who are less fortunate than most. Now in their third year, the GBG have grown to 23 girls, predominantly 7th to 10th graders, ranging in age from 7 to 15,

The Giving Back Girls are involved in several service programs during the course of the year. For example, there are “Fill the Truck” Food Drives held several times a year. The girls distribute flyers outside of the local Walmart requesting shoppers to help by making a food purchase to donate to help feed the hungry as they finish shopping. Food gathered is put on the truck and delivered by the Fire Department to Southington Community Services to help feed hungry families. 

Girls give hundreds of
hours to a "Smart Start"

The GB Girls run Bake Sales to raise money for the Food Pantry to buy food from FoodShare which are always needed to supplement food and cash donations. The help of GB Girls is increasingly significant and helps prevent food stocks at the Southington Food Pantry from falling short at times. 

Just this month the girls have collaborated with the Southington Community Services annual Smart Start Back-to-School Backpack program. Southington Community Services secures backpack donations for K to 12th grade kids whose families need a bit of financial help. The Giving Back Girls organize and do the work of sorting backpacks by size, age, gender and color, labeling them accordingly, filling them with school supplies such as pencils, pens, crayons, memo pads, markers, color pencils, pencil sharpeners, folders, fun books and fun bags.  

Backpacks and supplies are received from private donations and special drives, one of which is the “Fill A School Bus Drive” in which the Giving Back Girls participate. The girls hand out flyers listing needed school supplies to shoppers going into Walmart. Southington shoppers are very supportive, generously adding needed school supplies to their planned purchases. On the way out, the GB Girls assist them in getting donated supplies onto the school bus.  

The girls worked at the Southington Community Services warehouse filling the backpacks with supplies, organizing them according to age and gender guidelines. The goal was to fill 400 donated backpacks by Aug. 19^th, ready for pickup, delivery and distribution by SCS at Derynoski School on the next two days.  They met their objective and helped the Board of Education and SCS distribute over 400 backpacks to kids who really appreciated it.

Erin (L),and Madison organizing material
for the team of Giving Back Girls

Erin Gibney and a few others organized a system for filling the backpacks efficiently. “In a way,” Erin said, “My sister, Emily and I feel it’s training and experience for the younger girls who will be leaders in future years.”. SCS Director, Janet Mellon, said: “I am thrilled by the growing generosity and cooperation of the Giving Back Girls, the Board of Education, Walmart and other private donors.” This year, Dr. Carol Grant decided to promote the program, asking patients and friends to drop off donations of needed supplies at her office.  

The mission of this blog originally was to reach out to others for common ground, something our politicians and government at all levels still need to do to make this country's generosity more effective and efficient.  As time moved along, as the reader can see, my focus on what people in communities are doing to help their neighbors in their own communities. This mission has given me great joy in telling these stories.  Our children and their parents and grand parents need to look closely around them to see how many are actually contributing to the community either as volunteers or as donors in kind or in money.  There are so many helping to carry the burdens of others.  My hope and prayer is for many more who are sitting on the sidelines to join and be part of the community of responsible citizens.  Are you reaching out to help others or are you just watching the world go around?

Please comment below and share what you are doing to help your community or your country and forward this blog along to a friend. 

STEPS Never Sleeps: Prepared for Launch of 2013-14 Year

Growing Great Kids is the fundamental essence of the mission of STEPS which is about growing healthy kids who are educated to be the best that they can be, in an environment of trust and respect for others, self-respect, responsibility as good citizens with regard for property and the well-being of the community. . 

STEPS is an acronym for Southington's Town-wide Efforts to Promote Success. The Town-wide aspect of the STEPS movement is critically important to the success of STEPS.  

STEPS relies heavily on a commitment of a coalition that includes students, parents, grandparents, the Board of Education, Southington Youth Services, Health, Police and Fire Departments, Faith Communities, commercial and professional enterprises, community service, fraternal and civic organizations, the military, media and every citizen who cares about those who will shape the future of society.

Prevention Coordinator, Kelly Leppard,
works with a town-wide coalition and
collaborating agencies to maintain
a positive and effective pace for STEPS.

A preview of the STEPS agenda for 2013-2014 year:

- Funding - STEPS is chiefly funded by a five-year federal grant from Drug-Free Communities Support Program Office of National Drug Control Policy through application with SAMHSA, (Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration).  - STEPS will apply for the next 5-year grant cycle in February 2014. If approved in August 2014, STEPS will continue its work through 2019, with annual renewals. 

- New Board members will be announced this month. 

- This year, Asset Building Classrooms, (ABC’s), will continue with individual school and district-wide classroom activities directed by the designated STEPS Assets Champion for each school. 

- Third biennial round of surveys of 7th, 9th and 11th graders will be administered in March 2014 enabling STEPS and the B.O.E. to evaluate progress in reducing specific negative behavioral areas such as alcohol, marijuana and tobacco abuse. 

- Findings will be shared with the community to further engage the coalition.  (Four major tenets of SAMHSA are:  Behavioral Health is Essential to Health; Prevention Works; People Recover and Treatment is Effective.)  

Kelly Leppard and Evelyn Ciaburri
develop projects, ideas and keep
positive communications and action
going strong within the coalition.

- STEPS will continue to promote awareness of the Social Hosting state law, (which makes adults legally responsible for teen age drinking in their homes), Social Norming, Police Department's Medical Drop Box Workshop in September and continue building partnership with SPD in merchant education and compliance checks, (enforcement operations.)

- SPD will work with STEPS Drive-In Committee for Halloween Festival and other community projects. 

- Lt. Michael Baribault of the S.P.D. will join Town Council Chairman, John Dobbins and STEPS Youth Prevention Coordinator, Kelly Leppard, as presenters at the Connecticut Youth Safety Conference to be held on September 27, 2013 at Goodwin College.  

- This summer STEPS has stepped-up its efforts to partner with the media with the set up of a STEPS blog on Southington Patch, supplementing its website at www.southingtonsteps.org.  

- Fall efforts also include the use of popular family conversation cards, work on a town ordinance to effectively deal with substance abuse, Southington Safe Schools Tipline, awareness of Southington Serves and the Social Host campaign: Do not purchase alcohol for minors.

Vacation Bible School Message: "The Kingdom of God is Me"

"The Kingdom of God is Me".  That's what 4 to 10 year old Campers at the 2013 Vacation Bible School heard throughout their week of summer camp at the Church of Saint Dominic of Southington, CT.  That theme expressed with simplicity the joyful meaning of an exciting adventure:  God is Love. God's Kingdom is each and everyone of you.

"I thought I had stepped into the Land of Oz"

Invited to be a story teller to help start the fourth day of this year's VBS program, imagine my first steps into the entrance foyer of the church at 8:40 am last Thursday. I had the sense of virtually walking into the Land of Oz.

The place brimmed with the activity of 141 Vacation Bible School Campers from pre-K through fifth grade, eager to start their day of enchanted romping through an aptly themed “The Kingdom of God”.

With 91 junior volunteers, 6th to 11th grade, and 24 adult leaders moving briskly to their appointed posts, campers safely moved with amazing alacrity to their age-appropriate starting places.

Campers checking in before 9 am.

In a fun, joy and somewhat fantastic setting, the children rotated through designated play, pray, work and learning experiences in a lively upbeat tempo. Delicious snacks and social time offered kids a break that allowed them to kind of absorb the totality of the journey through the exciting sets and stages of the Kingdom of God, where momentary surrealism met divine reality.

Through the fairy land décor and the imagination, (wink-wink), of campers, the kids were witness and partners in the Social Justice component of service ... their collection of food for Southington Social Services. They knew that they were helping to feed the hungry by stocking the Southington Food Pantry during a slow time of summer.

“This is the 17th year of VBS at St. Dominic.”, said Religious Education Director, Theresa Kamradt. “Our theme was ‘The Kingdom of God is Me!’ We learned that God is King and that we, who serve God and one another, are in reality that Kingdom.”

St. Dominic Pastor, Fr. Ronald P. May was one of the morning storytellers who told the children a story each day about Queen Esther, King Josiah and King David.  I was at first somewhat non-plussed by the story I was to tell to kids aged 4 to 10: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. How could I, a person who is a lifetime senior to these young children, tell them this glorious story that is the crown jewel of our faith?  It would have to be simple, clear and include sound, tone and word images that were at once beautiful and appealing to the young creative imagination.  An Internet Search took me to Amazon's children stories of faith where I was able to order and instantly delivered to my Kindle a story of Easter for only $2.99.  Pushing my creative instincts I managed to tell the story of the Resurrection, omitting the Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks; after all it's August not Easter. With a few exaggerated vocal sound effects representing the rain, wind and lightning after the crucifixion and the rolling back of the great stone of the tomb, I was able to avoid my concern of frightening the children who seemed, instead, to be attentively entranced.  Whew!

Religious Ed Director Terry Kamradt
welcomes Chadder and Iggy the Dragon.

Getting back to other Kingdom activities, our Camp mascot, Chadder the Chipmunk, learned the lesson that spending time with people is more fun than spending time with his electronics.  Scatter was joined by Iggy the Dragon and a special appearance by Boomer the Panda after an absence from camp of 2 years.

Kamradt said, “The kids had a great time but the junior helpers are the key to success.” The mostly teens youth are valued role models, forming relationships with campers, rising to the great responsibility they are given while developing leadership training. "It’s a total win adventure for all, including those who attended the Sunday 10:00 am liturgy when the Campers offered a musical presentation of what they  had learned.

In writing the story of this spiritual junket I decided to do a bit of research about Vacation Bible Schools in America adding to what I have discovered about their being common in the northeast.

Turns out, the Barna Research Group, a noted private, non-partisan, for-profit research organization in Ventura, CA., indicates that two-thirds, (68%), of churches in America offered VBS last summer, a level that has been quite stable in recent decades with a notable high of 81% participation of churches in 1997. The Barna Group has been conducting and analyzing primary research for nearly 30 years to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.

Not the least of many reasons for the popularity and parental interest in Vacation Bible Schools in America is the all-consuming, fun learning nature of the experience for children. Meanwhile, the trend in participation points, hopefully, to a conclusion that there is an enduring commitment in the United States to the faith and spiritual development of children that correlates to the aspired purpose of their becoming spiritually developed adults, ready to take a meaningful place in their parishes and congregations in service to God and one another.

With roots going back to the antebellum period of the 1870s, summer bible schools continue to do their part in sustaining a valued culture for Americans of diverse faith traditions.

Frankly, I feel privileged to have taken part, albeit a very small part, in this year's VBS at my church. Moreover, the research and writing of this story has been equally pleasurable.

More photos after the jump.

STEPS Youth Dedicate 2nd Annual Tree to Southington Community

Trevor Rogers and STEPSYouth Group
Dedicate Autumn Flowering Cherry Tree
at Mary Our Queen Church, June 17, 2013 

Stepping up to community service once again was The STEPS Youth Committee as they dedicated a tree planted on the Mary Our Queen Church grounds on Monday, June 17, 2013. 

The tree, an Autumn Flowering Cherry Tree, (Prunus Autumnalis), was donated by Winterberry Gardens of Southington, thanks to the efforts of STEPS Parent Committee and Advisory Board member, Heather Bartley. 

Attending dedication: State rEP David Zoni,
Youth Prevention Coordinator, Kelly Leppard
Trevor Rogers, Town Council Chair, John
Dobbins, Austin Sullivan and Councl member
Chris Palmieri

Winterberry  Gardens spokesperson, Ashley Vescera said, “We are pleased to assist the STEPS Youth Committee with this year’s tree. The gift is our way of saying thanks for their community service and allows us to be a part of such a wonderful project.”

The tree planting idea has its roots in the first planting of a STEPS tree at Recreation Park in June 2012 by the STEPS Youth Committee. Their purpose to contribute something lasting to the community from the STEPS Youth.  It now appears to have  become a tradition of planting a tree in the community  annually. 

This year's project was spearheaded by STEPS Youth Council and Advisory Board member, Trevor M. Rogers, a Southington High School student. Trevor turned to his church where a group of garden lovers are in the process of developing a Meditation Garden. One of  the garden group, Dr. Carol Grant, said: “We plan is to design the garden with flowers, various plantings, benches and a few chairs along with pavers and bricks for people to come and enjoy as a quiet place of beauty, reflection and introspection on the joys of life and the love of God.” Grant said the STEPS tree will have a special place.

STEPS Youth, Advisory Board Members
and Dignitaries Celebrating the Tree Planting,

Fr. A. Waine Kargul, pastor of MOQ, was impressed with the symbolism of the tree to the mission of the STEPS movement: Growing Great Kids. Kargul drew the connections between the youth and trees. Kargul said, "It's great to see young people who realize that, like them, the tree has roots;  the tree grows and matures, getting stronger, spreading its branches and ultimately seeding other trees.” Kargul also noted the symbolic affirmation of the STEPS mission as it calls on the community to coalesce in nurturing our youth, teaching them to build their future, build assets that promote their education, moral values, character and good citizenship, while directing them away from the dangers of risky behavior in a culture that presents many challenges.  

Celebration of Pride and Honor for 10 Military Bound High School Graduates

It was a first in Southington. Ten members of the SHS Class of 2013 going directly into the U.S. Military Service after graduation were recognized at a special luncheon in their honor at the Southington Municipal Center on Friday, June 14th. The Southington Schools had invited families of the graduates and a diverse guest list representing the community to join in a wonderful send off to those who will be soon serving our country.

In recognizing the ten, School Superintendent, Dr. Joseph Erardi Jr. acknowledged the genuine thanks to them for their commitment to America. The military-bound graduates and their chosen branches of service are Grant Ford, U.S.Navy; Elijah Grenier, U.S. Air Force; Grace Jiminez, U.S. Army National Guard; Austin King, U.S. Navy; Eddie Klein, U.S. Army National Guard; Shawn Laucks, U.S. Marines; Matthew Maranda, U.S Navy; Ryan Perez, ROTC Navy at University of Washington; Matthew Sirois, U.S. Army;and Heidi Woodbury, U.S. Army National Guard.

The emotionally charged occasion accented the growth in the past several years of a close partnership between veterans in our community, the American Legion Kiltonic Post 72, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Marine Corps League and our Southington schools.

The presence and contributions of the veterans to the education of our children has surely provided a new spotlight in our educational system for our men and women in the armed forces and a closer view and tangible sense of history to our students.

Keynote speaker, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Garry Brumback, now Town Manager of Southington, served in the U.S. Army before his second professional career of 15 years in municipal management before arriving in Southington. Visibly moved by the moment, Brumback expressed his personal pride and respect for the graduates and his thanks to the people of Southington who have demonstrably brought the level of gratitude for military service to a new level in our town. Brumback noted that these brave young men and women have effectively signed a blank check, payable to the United States of America, up to and including the supreme sacrifice. Past Commander of American Legion Post 72,Steve Pintarich announced in his remarks that as each of these ten graduates will receive an overhauled lap top as a gift upon completion of their basic training.

Personally, I am privileged to salute these young men and women and join the community in saying thank you to them and God Speed.

In recognizing the ten, School Superintendent, Dr. Joseph Erardi Jr. acknowledged the genuine thanks to them for their commitment to America. The military-bound graduates and their chosen service branches are

Grant Ford, U.S. Navy; Elijah Grenier, U.S. Air Force; Grace Jiminez, U.S. Army National Guard; Austin King, U.S. Navy; Eddie Klein,U.S. Army National Guard; Shawn Laucks, U.S. Marines; Matthew Maranda, U.S Navy; Ryan Perez, ROTC Navy at University of Washington; Matthew Sirois, U.S. Army;and Heidi Woodbury, U.S. Army National Guard.

American Legion presents special
award of recognition to Grace Jimenez

The presence and contributions of the veterans to the education of our children has surely provided a new spotlight in our educational system for our men and women in the armed forces and a closer view and tangible sense of history to our students.

Keynote speaker, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Garry Brumback, now Town Manager of Southington, served in the U.S. Army before his second professional career of 15 years in municipal management before arriving in Southington. Visibly moved by the moment, Brumback expressed his personal pride and respect for the graduates and his thanks to the people of Southington who have demonstrably brought the level of gratitude for military service to a new level in our town. Brumback noted that these brave young men and women have effectively signed a blank check, payable to the United States of America, up to and including the supreme sacrifice. Past Commander of American Legion Post 72, Steve Pintarich announced in his remarks that as each of these ten graduates will receive an overhauled lap top as a gift upon completion of their basic training.

Personally, I am privileged to salute these young men and women and join the community in saying thank you to them and God Speed.

"Journey to Anatevka" comes to Southington, CT

What was life like for Tevye and his family when they arrived in turn-of-the-century New York, America? Come and find out!

“Journey to Anatevka”

Picnic and Movie Matinee

Saturday, June 22nd, 2013 at

First Congregational Church , Main Street, Southington, CT.

Bring Soup, Salad, and/or Sandwiches to the  Picnic Potluck at 12:00PM followed by“Hester Street” Film at 1:30 with guided discussion by Rabbi Shelley Kovar Becker.

Hester Street is a 1975 film based on Abraham Cahan's 1896 novella Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto and was adapted and directed by Joan Micklin Silver. The film stars Carol Kane, Steven Keats and Paul Freedman. In 2011, Hester Street was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

Hester Street, New York City, c. 1900

Hester Street tells the story of Jewish immigrants who come to the Lower East side of New York City in 1896 from Europe and who live on Hester Street in Manhattan. When Yankl first comes to the U.S., he quickly assimilates into American culture and becomes Jake. He also begins to have an affair with Mamie, a dancer. His wife, Gitl, who arrives later with their son, Yossele, has difficulty assimilating. Tension arises in their marriage as Jake continually upbraids and abuses Gitl, despite her efforts to assimilate.

Norfolk at Hester Street, NYC c. 1898

The film is noteworthy for its detailed reconstruction of Jewish immigrant life in New York at the turn of the century—much of the dialogue is   delivered in Yiddish with English subtitles—and was part of the wave of films released in the late 1960s and through the 1970s which began explicitly to deal with the complexities of American Jewish identity. In addition, Carol Kane's lead character posed a still-provocative synthesis as she discovers her own self-assertion on behalf of her right to maintain a traditional identity in an aggressively modern setting.

Now or Later: Drug Task Force Challenges Parents and Students to Look to the Future

Based on a Press Release from the Southington Drug Task Force.
 
The program will be presented on Monday, June 10, 2013 at the Joaeph A. DePaolo Middle School on Pleasant Street in Southington, CT. by the Southington Drug Task Force.

The 3-Screen film will encourage and challenge parents and students to proactively change their future. The program is open to the pubic. Admission is Free.

Members of several area community groups will be present to speak one-on-one with parents starting at 6:30 p.m. with a special movie from 7:15 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The program, made possible by a grant from the Substance Abuse Action Council, offers compelling information and stories, some tragic, on the hazards to which our young people are regularly exposed in today's culture.

Guest speakers, one-on-one meetings with parents and the film will address the cultural hazards that can negatively influence the future, ways to avoid and overcome Abuse of Prescription Drugs, Alcohol Poisoning, Cyber Bullying, Overcoming Obstacles and Bullying.
The goal of the Now or Later program is three-fold, according to task force member and program advocate, Trish Kenefick.

Encourage communication between parents and children.  Get children ready for school in the fall.  To keep kids safe! 

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"In a culture that is always promising and often delivering new and better ways of doing things, there are some things that cannot change, and others that should not change," Kenefick said in a press release. "Many rules are really only about timing: 'Is this a good thing for now or is this something that will be better later'?"

Should negative influences be the task of government and private agencies alone.  Or is it not time to provide our kids and parents the strongest case we can make for deterrence of endangerment of their future?

Noah's Incredibly Special Moment of Joy

Noah’s Incredibly Special Moment of Joy

Originally posted in The Parish Pad of the Church of Saint Dominic, Southington, CT.

Editor's Foreword

From the moment I read this remarkable personal account of Jennifer Philips, I recognized it as a deeply moving story of faith, spirituality and love.  I also knew it had to be shared with others and Jennifer enthusiastically agreed. Today is is posted in "The Parish Pad" newsletter of Saint Dominic Church of Southington, CT.   Visit the church website at www.saintdominic.church.com 

Jennifer's story is followed by an "Afterword" by her mother, Susan Piqueira, who has been a gifted occasional contributor to the The Parish Pad during its years as a printed publication from 1997-2009. Susan is also one of the first to have a story on the electronic version of the newsletter.

There's a poignant connection between a recent researched and  history of "Immaculata", the Statue of Mary in St. Dominic Church,  written by Susan Piqueira.  At the conclusion of this story scroll back an issue or two of The Parish Pad to the story of "Immaculata" -- E. Richard Fortunato

--------------------------------------------

“I just felt like praying in front of the Statue of Mary”

By Jennifer Philips

Statue of Mary
St. Dominic Church

It was about three in the afternoon on April 3, 2013, the Wednesday after Easter. I took my five-month old son, Noah, to church that day. I just felt like praying in front of the statue of Mary. There have been so many miracles surrounding this statue.

With Noah in his car seat, we were right in the front pew. No one else was there and the lights were off but there was still plenty of sunlight filtering in,

Of course, within five minutes, Noah started fussing so I took him out of his car seat and walked around with him. Standing in front of the statue, I had Noah touch Mary’s gown and her feet. Then, he looked up at Mary.

Noah Alexander Philips

Nothing could make him take his eyes off of her face. I was just watching his expression. Now, the bigger than life-size statue is high up. In order to see her face, Noah had to arch his neck way back. I figured that would become uncomfortable for him at some point. But instead, his eyes and mouth turned into a huge smile. He then acted shy and buried his head in my neck. But, right after that, he arched his head back and looked up at her face again. I never looked once looked up at Mary. I just watched him. Same thing. Huge smile and then he would bury his face in my neck. This went on as Noah repeated it about seven times.

Then, I took him to look at other parts of the church. When we came to the altar, his eyes immediately went to the crucifix. I then showed him the plants and flowers but, by that time, he was getting hungry so he was really fussing. I brought him back to Mary, and he immediately stopped fussing, looked up at her face, and another smile spread over his little face. Incredible. It really gave me goose bumps because you would think that this statue would just be an "object" to Noah, not a person. I never looked at Mary while he was smiling, but I do wonder what caused him to smile every time. And huge smiles. The kind he gives to us when he is waking from a nap and sees our faces. Just really beautiful. I just have not been able to stop thinking about that afternoon.

Afterword 

By Susan Piqueira

It’s important for you to know from me, Noah’s grandmother, that he’s going through a stage where he'll only smile for his mother and father. For the rest of the world, he “observes" and ponders whether he'll allow them to come close to him or not. It's like pulling teeth for anyone other than his parents to get even a tiny half smile from him. So, there is no way he'd let his whole face light up from ear to ear by just looking at an inanimate object - and then doing it over and over again … seven times!! I t would have been unheard of for our little Noah at the time to do that. My husband Phil and I believe that Noah was gazing into the face of Mary, in person! As our daughter says, “He's only five months new from heaven so he would definitely know her!“ It’s significant that Jenny never looked up to see exactly what Noah was seeing. Instead she was focused on his face in amazement. Although Jenny was part of this miracle, Mary was appearing for just Noah and didn't enable Jenny to see what he was seeing. This could all be just coincidence and if I didn't know Noah, I might think so as well - that we are making too big of a deal of this. However, for this little baby to crane his neck at a very uncomfortable angle while showing total joy in his face and to have repeated it seven times over is, well, surreal. We feel strongly that Noah experienced the presence of Mary in person - and wanted to share his miracle with all of you!

Editor’s Note : To understand the significance of this story to the fascinating origins of the statue, please scroll down to the recent story in the Parish Pad by Susan Piqueira, entitled “Immaculata”. There’s greater irony and mystery in the fact that Susan wrote her original story years before Noah was born!