This Side Up

Bright side to a change in seasons

By John Howell
Posted 10/4/16

Fall comes in bright colors, blowing leaves and morning frost.

There was none of that this weekend where “dreary” was the word to describe the weather, yet there was an invigorating change in …

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This Side Up

Bright side to a change in seasons

Posted

Fall comes in bright colors, blowing leaves and morning frost.

There was none of that this weekend where “dreary” was the word to describe the weather, yet there was an invigorating change in seasons. I felt it as I tried to find a space in the gravel parking lot of Hillsgrove United Methodist Church Saturday at noon. The lot was full and so was the church. The door to the basement meeting room was open, and as I approached I could hear excited voices, although deciphering what anyone was saying was impossible.

People were gathered in clusters, sharing stories and holding out cell phones to show pictures of friends and family. A group of women seated at a table turned the pages of a church ledger remarking on the precise script recording donations from a Sunday collection when 10 cents was considered a reasonable tithe. The ledger had to be from the early 1900s. I didn’t see a date.

I spotted Clarice Gothberg. She hasn’t changed. She was intently engaged in a conversation, and without asking I knew she had a big role in organizing this Hillsgrove reunion. She had compiled a list of important events dating back to 1879 when a Sunday school became the genesis for the church that was built and opened nine years later. She also had a hand in getting out the word to former parishioners and planning the two-day event.

There was that feeling of celebrating good memories and good times that evening at St. Kevin Church. The place was packed in tribute to Father Robert Marciano, “Father Bob,” who after 36 years is retiring from the Rhode Island National Guard.

Unfortunately, I arrived too late to hear Col. Mark Rowan’s homily, which had everyone laughing. But I caught Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian’s remarks that had the same effect, especially his observation that now that Father Bob is leaving the chaplaincy at the National Guard, the animal shelter could use a chaplain.

At the end of the service, parishioners and friends from his career in the military circled around him to get pictures and share stories. And, as I have learned, while Father Bob has a spontaneous quality, he has carefully considered and written down what he says from the pulpit. I suspected he had done the same for his closing remarks and we went to gather them.

Such careful planning and attention went into the Firefighters Memorial Service held the following morning at Station One in Apponaug. As chaplain of the department, Father Bob delivered the invocation and the benediction. Later that morning, Bishop Hendricken High School inducted its newest members to its hall of fame in an event that again celebrated the contributions and achievements of community.

Such a rich harvest continued Sunday afternoon at the Crowne Plaza, where events celebrated the work of Sister Joan Hawkins, who taught and later served as principal of St. Francis School, and Archpriest Fr. Gomidas Baghsarian, who is retiring as pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church. There were many of the same faces.

I found Father Bob at Sister Joan’s dinner celebrating her 60 years as a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph. He first met her when she was his kindergarten teacher. At the other end of the Crowne Plaza where more than 600 people were assembled for Father Gomidas, I found Avedisian. He would be bringing the city’s greeting to a man who has participated in his inaugural ceremonies.

Such connections and contributions, whether in our churches, schools, or institutions such as the National Guard or the Fire Department, knit the fabric of community. While the weather was dreary, it was a bright and colorful weekend of celebration, a reminder that with a change of season also comes opportunity and fresh ideas.

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