Marists All September 2000
ISSUE # 56
From DON (Damian Eugene) SCHMIDT (’53): The years have passed and copy after copy of Marists All has arrived and been read from cover to cover. Guilt has mounted for not having written to contribute to this wonderful vehicle of God’s grace. To hear what God has wrought through each person who has written is truly awe-inspiring. My own association with all that is Marist dates back to the fifties. This year I am celebrating a special 50th anniversary of Marist relationship.
As I write, I am attending the Marist Institute of Spirituality at Marist College for the first time. To see and hear former colleagues – confreres – is a very special treat. I have also had the privilege of attending the canonization of St. Marcellin Champagnat in Rome last year. Both occasions have impressed upon me the importance of that thread of Marist spirit which binds us all together. Even though the years have separated us, a single encounter brings floods of memories of our shared past, and reconnects.
As Brother Damian Eugene I worked at Holy Trinity in Poughkeepsie, Molloy, Mexico, St. Mary’s in Manhasset, Christ the King, and finally in Spain. Since then I have taught Spanish in the Bellmore Merrick School District, retiring in 1995. An urgent request for help from a dear friend drew me back to the classroom for a short ten-week period. Being in front of the classroom one more time was an experience that I treasure. The students and faculty provided a new opportunity for me to touch them and to be touched.
A visit to the Esopus cemetery has given me a chance to renew contact with old teachers, companions, and, yes, even a student. I marvel at the memories that ensue walking down each row of headstones. Thoughts and fond memories of saintly men who were so instrumental in my formation and have aided me in my near four decades of teaching, spring forth, along with prayers of gratitude for exemplifying the true Marist spirit of doing good quietly.
On July 31, 1971, I married Mary Frances Maggiore. This year will be our 29th anniversary. We share our love for children by our teaching, almost seventy-five years combined. Mary still teaches and I am retired for the second time. Yet there’s never a dull moment. I could go on, but suffice it to say that the Marists All letters are opened immediately and read with relish. Keep them coming! You do a phenomenal job!
STRAGGLERS As all readers of this newsletter know by now, we are in the process of pruning our mailing list, and as we do so, we keep receiving word from stragglers stating that by all means they wish to remain on the Marists All mailing list. If there are any more of the stragglers out there, would you please come forth quickly!
From TOM CORCORAN (’69): I had the privilege of attending the celebration honoring those Brothers who were marking a jubilee year, the year 2000 Marist Jubilee Celebration. It was a wonderful event and an opportunity to renew many friendships and acquaintances. The Brothers of the Roselle Catholic community, led by Br. Vincent Damian, did an outstanding job of hosting a truly memorable event and of honoring the Brothers celebrating their special day.
I heard a number of Brothers and former Brothers mention Marists All and how they enjoy receiving it regularly. I would appreciate it, if you could include me on the mailing list. I left the Marist community in 1979 and went to work for Macy’s in the department of Human Resources. Many years and assignments later, I’m now completing a four-year appointment as Vice President for Human Resources at Herald Square. It has been an interesting and rewarding twenty years with a company second only to the company of Marist Brothers that I was so privileged to spend ten years with. I frequently remember you and the many Marists responsible for my college education.
From JOHN “Okee” O’CONNELL (’58): I am alive and well, but an older guy with two new titanium hips! Still doing the work of the Lord in public education, currently in western Maryland, as a superintendent. I am married 31 years to Sandra Joan Smith of Poughkeepsie; she is the “wind beneath my wings.” We have a son with our two grandkids in Edgewater, Maryland, and daughters in Tucson and Waynesville, Maryland. Please keep Marists All coming. Thanks.
From JOE (Joel Gilmary) STRANG (‘53): After reading M.A. this month I e-mailed a few old friends whose e-mail addresses were with the write-ups. I am happy to say that they all replied. Looks like the way to connect with Marist friends is online. I just returned to California after a week’s vacation in New York. I drove out to Bellport and left a note for the three monks that I believe are still there. I need to get hold of a current Marist directory to know who is where next time I come to the East Coast. I came back early so that I could attend graduation for my students at Heald College School of Business and Technology. I was pleasantly surprised to receive an award for my dedication to my students. Guess the old Marist spirit has stayed with me. As my employer is a business college, we only have a two-week vacation in the summer, so I begin a new quarter next week, teaching English and Microsoft Word. I am contented with my job, beginning my third year, and hope to keep teaching full time as long as I can.
From MIKE FLYNN (’65): Please keep me on the mail list for Marists All. I have enjoyed every issue since the beginning, and will be sending you a letter up-dating my “profile’ sometime soon. I am the newly-named chairman of the advisory board for Camp Marist, so I have “stayed in touch” through my annual visits to Center Ossipee during the summer! Thanks for all your effort with Marists All!
From JACK (Timothy Joseph) CRAVEN (’48): Many thanks for the wonderful work you do keeping the Marist spirit alive. Your efforts are much appreciated. Many of the names appearing on the pages are strange to me, but none of the publications I receive has more meaning to me than does that which you and your colleagues do such a masterful job in producing.
At 72 I have taken on the most challenging of the roles I have played in my near 50 years as an educator: Director of Education for the Diocese of Boise, Idaho. Much of the challenge flows from the size of the diocese, which is more than the size of New England, some 84,000 square miles. Enclosed is a copy of an article which recently appeared in our diocesan paper; it speaks to my new duties and summarizes my involvements of the past 30 years in education here in the west. (Ed: We adapt the article)
On April 10th Bishop Michael Driscoll appointed Jack Craven as Director of the Office of Education for the diocese of Boise. “I am delighted that Jack is coming on board,” said Bishop Driscoll. “We are blessed to get a man of Jack Craven’s caliber to go forward with the education ministries of the diocese.” During his career Craven has taught language arts, been a counselor, high school administrator, and director of curriculum.
A native of Massachusetts and member of St. Mary’s parish in Boise, Craven holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Marist College and a master’s degree from Fordham University. He has done significant graduate work at several other universities around the country. He has been involved in civic, professional, and church organizations, and for five years was on his parish’s parochial school committee, serving as its chairperson for three years. Currently Jack is president of The Arc (L’Arche) of Ada County, which provides for the needs of physically and mentally handicapped people in a five-county area of Southwest Idaho. He got involved in Arc at the birth of the youngest of his five children. The youngest has Downs Syndrome.
While the principal of Boise High School from 1975 to 1985, Jack established the Boise District Evening School for dropouts and served as its director for nine years. In 1985 he became director of curriculum and instruction for the Boise public school system, a position he held until his retirement in 1994. In the fall of 1995 he joined the staff of Bishop Kelly High School, where he helped with staff and curriculum development.
In 1996 the pastors of the Catholic parishes in Ada County asked Jack to study the Catholic schools in the area. The study was broadened to incorporate religious education in parishes from kindergarten to grade 12. Based on the results of that study, the pastors felt a need to train catechists, so Jack established the Faith Formation Program in 1997. More than 40 people have obtained their catechist certification through the program, which has grown into a very successful adult education program and lecture series. As many as 5000 people will benefit from the program by the end of this year. Bishop Driscoll said, “I’m very excited about Jack’s experience and the good work he has done with the Faith Formation Program.”
Craven said that his immediate goal in his new position is to make contact with the clergy of the diocese. “I’m convinced that our priests are a critical element in the success of any diocesan program. The two greatest challenges for the Office of Education Ministries are the geographical and the cultural differences. My long-term goal is to bring uniform Catholic education services to all parts of the diocese.”
From CATHERINE CHERRY: Even though I am only part of the Marist extended family, and in Canada at that, I love to hear about all those I have met over the years, especially at the summer Marist Family Institute of Spirituality. All the stories of Marists and former Marists are so encouraging. Grace is meant to spread. Please keep the issues coming. Thanks. I will write for Marists All when I return from the Institute.
From RAY (Raymond Lawrence) LANDRY (‘56): This July the Institute of Spirituality in Poughkeepsie again provided a wealth of meaningful experience and thought. However, for me the most memorable event of the four days was totally unplanned and unexpected. In search of a souvenir shop at the Culinary Institute of America, Don Mulcare and I made a hike to the former St. Andrews-on-Hudson, once a Jesuit seminary. The Culinary was closed for vacation and renovations, but as we talked with a security guard about the former Jesuit seminary, we learned of the Jesuit cemetery on the property. The guard was kind enough to unlock the gates to the cemetery, and we had the opportunity to visit the burial place of the renowned and revered Teilhard de Chardin. This was a genuinely touching experience for me. The little I know of Chardin causes me to honor him for his awareness of the earth, its workings and its transcendent beauty. I had not even known that Chardin was buried there. Perhaps for next year’s institute a volunteer pilgrimage to Chardin’s grave could be an optional activity.
All I can now say is: thanks Don Mulcare for your companionship, the opportunity to exercise, and the thrill of being able to call to mind and briefly celebrate the life and achievements of a person who has contributed so significantly to our appreciation of our earth and our God.
While I’m on the thank-you motif, I’d like to express my gratitude to Barney Sheridan, to Larry Keogh, and to everyone else responsible for running the gathering in Poughkeepsie. In 1998 I attended this institute for the first time for the sole purpose of re-connecting with old friends, especially with Brother Luke Driscoll. Over the past three years, I have received far more than I had ever hoped for.
From BR. ALBERT PHILLIP (’51): A note to let you know that I enjoy Marists All. After teaching in Laredo and in Brownsville for 13 years, I helped the Diocese start a low-income housing program in Mission, Texas. Since then I have been initiating various social projects such as a rural potable water supple corporation, a low income credit union, and a nonprofit corporation to do ministry near Brownsville. This is where I’m located now. Thanks again for your dedication to this worthwhile ministry helping people keep in touch.
From ED WILLIAMS (’62): Although I have not responded to your requests till now, please do keep me on the mailing list of Marists All. I read each issue as soon as I receive it, and I enjoy hearing about former colleagues and friends. Lots of good memories are stirred up with each issue. One of these days I will write and let you know where life has taken me. Thanks for all the work you have put into the newsletter.
From DON MULCARE (’57): Shortly after arriving at Marist College for the Marist Family Institute of Spirituality on July 6th, I was asked, “Why are you attending the Institute?” Actually, I had asked myself the same question. Over the years as the Institute was announced through Marists All, my interest grew to the point that 2000 seemed like the fullness of time. And it was 40 years since I had left Marist College.
I hoped the institute would fill in many of the gaps in my knowledge about Marist friends. Christmas cards, letters, and occasional meetings provided a limited spectrum of news. And Marists All came on the scene and provided more of a steady stream of information, but still I had questions to be answered. The Institute allowed face to face contact with long time friends, new friends, and people known only through Marists All.
At times it is difficult to recognize an individual after a separation of 40 years. Some have not changed significantly; others have. There was David Kammer instead of a master of novices. Dave was a new person altogether. I could easily recognize his appearance, his voice and gestures, but he was no longer “the Master.” Our conversations ranged on topics that would never have been part of a master-novice interview.
Two other Agnesians, Don Schmidt and Frank Casey, and I took a side trip to Esopus, which gave us a chance to talk with Br. Leonard Voegtle and Br. Thomas Coyne. Br. Leonard was a St. Agnes faculty member in my high school days. Br. Thomas was in the class ahead of me at St. Agnes and also in Tyngsboro and at Marist College. It was great to see them. Don, Frank and I stopped by the Esopus Cemetery. One or the other of the three of us had known most of the Brothers in repose, and we remembered something about each of them.
The weather for the stay in Poughkeepsie was perfect. There were few clouds and the temperatures were cool and crisp. We had plenty of time to walk the grounds, look for landmarks of our scholasticate days, visit the Hudson, and talk to Marist Family members. Many of the participants were close to the same age and were in the process of changing careers. My own retirement is three years away. We had a great opportunity to exchange information about opportunities and obstacles, like “ageism” that prevents very talented people from continuing work at which they excel.
Much of my free moments were spent with Ray Landry. Ray gave one of the formal presentations, but our informal talks clearly illuminated the Marist Family spirit. Most of the participants have served in people professions such as education and social services, continuing along the trajectories launched during Marist training. All bear signs of the Marist charisma; all are deeply Marist.
Br. Rene Roy demonstrated the flexibility of the Marist vocation as he told of serving in Native American communities and in the Rwanda affected by the genocide. And Br. Stephen Minogue brought his special touch to the Marist mission in Liberia. Needless to say, Africa needs help. Both Brothers are organizing aid.
My overall impression of the Institute was very favorable. The presentations were substantial. They have given me new perspective on spirituality that remains active as I write. The Institute will perhaps be closest to me as I remember the faces of assembled Marists singing the Salve Regina, “Ever Forever,” and the hymn honoring Saint Marcellin Champagnat, all of which link us back to so many familiar experiences. Many thanks to the organizers, especially to the Sheridans and the Keoghs. I plan to return to Poughkeepsie again next year and hope to see more of the readers of Marists All.
DANIEL JOSEPH KIRK: October 1928 -- August 1984
Dan Kirk was a dedicated teacher, an exceptional educator. He was a quiet and generous person who labored to change unjust conditions around him. His greatest contribution was in affecting the lives of those he lived with, those he taught, and those he worked for in his comparatively short life of 56 years.
Dan was a member of the Marist Brothers for over twenty years, group of 1945. He graduated from Marist College with a BA in 1950, and went on to St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York, for a Masters degree and for a Doctorate in Psychology. He taught with distinction in several Marist high schools, but the major portion of his career was at Marist College where he was a faculty member for over twenty-five years. His main enterprise there was to institute and consolidate the Psychology Department. He developed the department by careful recruitment of personnel and the establishment of both required and elective courses. He was responsible for pioneering an internship program in psychology that attracted national attention. Dan introduced graduate education at Marist. In 1972 he succeeded in getting the first Master’s Degree, one in Community Psychology, passed by the college and approved by the State of New York.
One colleague uses the example of his mastering the art of skiing as typical of his persistence. He was simply undaunted by the coldness of the weather, the difficulty of a hill, the lateness of the day; he would try and try again until he mastered the moves.
Dan demonstrated special concern for the less fortunate. He was an effective worker for the poor and for those suffering from mental problems. He served on various community boards where he often found himself in the leadership position. He played an early role in bringing attention to those who formed minority groups, either because of race or because of disability. He provided leadership in organizing local housing and good programs for migrant workers. He advised state authorities to release from cruel confinement harmless mildly retarded people into local neighborhoods where they could lead productive, self-satisfying lives. He secured property for the creation of the Dutchess County Mental Health Center. He staged the first Marist College Conference on Retardation in 1974, which has evolved into an annual research conference.
Dan’s concern for people led him to build a home for his elderly parents and himself on the college campus where he could continue his teaching and yet be a presence for his parents. He also cared for his older sister who, after several years serving as a nurse in surgery, had to be permanently institutionalized.
In the early 1980’s Dan Kirk developed a melanoma that eventually led to his death on the 9th of August in 1984. He is remembered each year through the Sabina and Daniel Kirk Psychology Lecture Series named after his parents, and in the Kirk Endowment which he donated to Marist College. The virtues inculcated in the days Dan was with the Brothers -- especially the virtues of humility, simplicity, and modesty -- remained with him and were clearly reflected in his life. They allowed Dan to endure setbacks, denials, and disappointments. He could not accept ostentation and insincerity; he saw them as enemies of truth and humility, virtues rooted in his character......(Adapted from a tribute by Gus Nolan in Br. Joe Belanger’s “Marist All Saints”)
A VOLUNTEER to the MARIST MISSION in LIBERIA
by Tony Cantu, a 1975 graduate of St. Joseph Academy, Brownsville, Texas, and faculty member there since 1982, who is said to be totally involved in the life and spirit of SJA
My experience in working with the Brothers in Liberia for a month has had a profound effect on me. Some of the images and memories continue to haunt me; they probably will never leave me. Liberia is coming out of a civil war that ended in 1998. The country is still reeling from the effects of that violence. There were many victims: buildings, industry, the infrastructure, the people, the children. The Marist Brothers decided to return to Liberia a year ago to renew their presence.
The brothers live in an area called Gardensville about 10 miles outside Monrovia, the capital. They have a nice cement house on a dirt road. There are four Liberian Marist Brothers and one American brother, Denis Hever. There are two other Liberian brothers who are finishing their studies in Kenya. The house is the former convent of the Adorers of the Precious Blood from Illinois. Five of their U.S. sisters were murdered by the rebel forces in 1992. The chapel is named Holy Martyrs Chapel in their memory and in memory of Marist martyrs from other parts of Africa.
I volunteered to do some work with the brothers and see if I would like to go back to be a presence with the Marist community and with the people. There are some conveniences that you learn to live without. The city is without electricity unless you have a generator; we have one. There is no postal system nor are there many telephones. Communication with the States is very limited; my family found this very frustrating. We had running water because we had a well. Many people don't have these basic necessities.
Skin color was never an issue; obviously, I was white, and the people were black. The neighborhood children called me “white man” until they learned my name, and I called them “black children.” Our neighborhood is very poor. The house across the dirt road from us was made of tin and woven pieces of palm; three families live in one room. The house next to us was bombed out – no windows, no doors, all open. Families live there. Because it is so hot, everyone is outside until bedtime, including us.
The brothers teach at St. Michael’s Elementary and High School. The school has no electricity nor are there books. Everything is dictated or written on the chalkboard. Paper and pens become precious commodities. Learning does take place; the brothers are conscientious and work hard. These kids, though, struggle with the basic necessities. One kid told me he didn’t do well on a test. I had talked to him several times and had a good sense about him. I proceeded to give him the teacher-student talk about how smart he was, that he needed to do well, and all that. Without batting an eye he said, “Brother Tony, it is hard to concentrate when you haven’t eaten in two days.” What a shock!
I met kids who had seen more than anyone should ever see. One child was beaten so severely with a rifle butt that he still has scars; he would not fight on the side of the rebel forces. Many saw friends and family members killed right in front of them. Remember a lot of these kids were anywhere from seven to fourteen years old when the war started.
The people live from day to day. The brothers do as much as they can. They find odd jobs around the house for people to do. Brother Denis has created a health plan for folks that work at the house. We own a van, and it is always full. Since most of the kids don’t have money for a taxi to get to school, they are at the house early to get a ride. Not only do the brothers teach full time; they also volunteer at different places. The Marist presence is very important.
In Liberia if you are white, you are either a priest or a brother and rich. I threw them for a loop by saying I was none of these! I was proud to explain that I was a lay Marist volunteer. One day one boy asked if I was coming back. I told him I didn’t know. I said that if I did, I would live in community with the brothers and would not have the financial resources I had then. He looked at me and said, “But at least you would be here with us.” Living and working in Liberia for that month taught me what it means “to walk with the people.” Will I go back? I don’t know yet. I do know that, regardless of the decision, my life will not be the same. .....(Adapted from a two-page article circulated with the province newsletter.)
From JIM O’BRIEN (‘54): In June Rose Ann and I moved to North Carolina, and we were not able to attend the July meeting of the Marist Family Institute of Spirituality. We hope that all went well at this year’s gathering. We plan to be there in 2001! We received Marists All #55, very good stories. I still plan to write an article for the newsletter soon. We are both in good health and enjoy living near the ocean.
From BOB JOYCE (’65): Like many others I have enjoyed reading the newsletter that I have received second-hand from Jim Guldner. Please add me to the mailings. I’d enjoy hearing from old friends. It has been 35 years since I left the novitiate during the middle of my postulant year. I remember three wonderful years in the juniorate, two in Esopus and one in Cold Spring. I enrolled at St. John’s University where I earned a BA in Education. I received my MA from Queens College and then returned to St. John’s for a PhD in Education. I have spent the past 32 years teaching mostly 4th and 5th grades in the Lynbrook Public Schools. My teaching has included special subjects such as Math, Science, and Computer. Hopefully I have positively affected the youngsters who have passed through my classroom doors.
I met my wife Nancy as a junior in college; we married in August of 1970. We have spent 30 wonderful years together, and God has blessed us with three wonderful children; they are our pride and joy. Jeremy graduated from Notre Dame in 1998 and is a CPA for Price Waterhouse in NYC. Josh is a junior at Notre Dame and Jonathan is a sophomore there.
I have kept in contact with Ed Gerrity and Jim Guldner. I have also run into Mark Moran, Fred Brand, John Wesp, and Bill White. I have enjoyed Marists All and the wonderful work I see many of Marist finest are doing.
A reminder: GMC PICNIC, Mt. St. Michael, Saturday, September 16th
Editors’ note: We have an accumulation of a number of promises made by people who have pledged to write for Marists All. Some are probably too busy. Some may have overlooked their promise. Some just keep putting it off. May we send encouragement.
Again, the Editors: We had settled on eight pages for this issue, and had prepared them and printed them up; then we received additional correspondence to enable us to include these two additional pages nine and ten.
DECEASED: Bob Englert (’60) died Sunday evening, August 20th, after a long illness with cancer. We had been kept apprised of Bob’s condition by Dan St. Jacques (’51) who is a cancer care volunteer at Mercy Medical Centre on Long Island. Bob’s wife Merril and daughter Jenny live at 42 Orchard Street, Lindenhurst NY 11757. ....May all of our friends rest in peace.
From HELEN TOBIN: This summer at the Marist Family Institute of Spirituality we had two very special presenters --- Brother Rene Roy and Brother Stephen Urban. Both men had us fascinated and horrified at the same time, as they told about the conditions existing in our Marist missions in Liberia and Rwanda. These men lived under conditions that we can’t begin to imagine!
Brother Stephen spent eight weeks in Liberia during the monsoon season. In that country, one of the smallest and easily the poorest in Africa, the Brothers have no radio, no phone, no newspapers, and no mail – neither does anyone else. Talk about isolation! The Brothers do have a decent place to live and are fortunate to own a generator which they are permitted to use between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. each day; there is no electricity. Their diet consists of fish and rice (Ugh), occasionally some chicken.
Brother Rene lived in Rwanda for four years in the aftermath of a devastating period of genocide. There, too, the poverty is beyond our imagination. The Brothers run a grade school and high school there. Brother Rene showed a video where all the children were neatly and cleanly dressed. However, they own only two shirts and two pairs of pants, which are in sad shape by the end of the school year.
In both Liberia and Rwanda the biggest need is for textbooks. How can children be taught what they need to know in today’s world without textbooks? There is also a great need of books for just plain reading: novels, magazines, etc. They can also use simple games, such as chess, checkers, scrabble.
Those of us who were fortunate to attend Catholic school should well remember bringing nickels and dimes to help the missions. However, when you have dear friends who have personally lived under such deplorable conditions, the missions take on a whole new meaning. At least they do for me. Our Brothers in the African missions desperately need our help; may we be inspired to open our hearts and our wallets to help as best we can. And as you clean out your closets, basements, and attics, should you discover any textbooks or other useful items, get in touch with one of the Marist communities. The Brothers have the necessary contacts to see that the books and the other helpful things reach their destinations. Of course, our prayer for the Brothers’ safety and success is most important and will be appreciated more than we will ever know.
From JOE (Gabriel Francis) HORES (’49): It’s good to see a new crop of younger guys writing for the newsletter. I saw Joe Bel’s letter to the editor in the May issue of the “Catholic Worker.” Keep up the good work; keep the show on the road.
From FRANK RIZZA (‘67): I just finished reading Marists All #55. I was disheartened to hear about the tornado damage in Esopus, but glad that no one was hurt and that the buildings are not seriously damaged. Most of the names in the newsletter are not familiar to me, yet I do see some that ring bells. For example, this month I see the names of Andy Zoccoli and Matt Bianco; does Matt still play drums? I would love to get in touch with Fred Bauer again. Anyone know his address? Last I heard he was in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. Fred was in Esopus with me in 1966-67.
One thing that amazes me is that almost ALL of us work in the helping professions. Shows the kind of spirit we Marists have, perhaps what drew us to the congregation in the first place.
From RICHARD LAPIETRA (’50): The reunion of the classes of 1950/51, June 22/23, was like pages of Marists All come to life. I experienced the feelings and memories that so many readers have reported in page after page of that remark-able publication. How satisfying to see so many well-remembered faces and to share so many wonderful memories. Many thanks to Bill Lavigne for spearheading the preparations from far-off West Virginia and to Marist College for its generous hospitality personified by Gerry Cox. Particularly touching was the invitation by the Brothers of the Esopus and the Poughkeepsie provinces to join with them for lunch on the 23rd as they began their inter-provincial convocation. This was the second reunion of these two classes, the first ten years ago. Perhaps we ought not wait another ten years?
From GUS NOLAN (’48): Update on the Esopus Summer Camps. In the last issue Brother Leonard Voegtle reported on the terrible condition a tornado wrought on the Esopus property. I thought it would be fitting in this issue to report on the summer camps of 2000. Brothers Don Nugent and Frank Klug, who are involved with the program, provided the data below. I am grateful for their help.
Here is a list of the camps that were held:
Transfiguration Parish / Chinese Retarded Young Adults
Retarded Children / 2 camps Retarded Adults
Deaf People / Retarded Children with Cancer
Sacred Heart Parish / Inner City School Children with HIV Virus
Molloy Freshmen Orientation Program Blessed Sacrament Choir Program
Volunteer staffs came mostly from Marist schools, as well as Fordham Prep, Bishop Ford, and Marist College. Twenty-five Marist Brothers work weekly sessions, helping in the kitchen, doing clerical work, maintenance work, etc. This is the 26th summer, though the actual first year is difficult to determine. Much has been done to recover from the tornado, thanks to many contributions. The roads, lawns, and fields are mostly cleared, except fort the road to the boat house; but the woods particularly will have to wait for frozen ground before heavy equipment can get to them. Piles of logs and some rather devastated woods greet the visitor’s eye on much of the property. Clearly, the Lord has decreed a “new Esopus.”
Source: Original Marists All Site
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