Happy Friday and I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful day!
Just a few items to report.
1. Funeral Mass for Lenny Mercurio. A reminder that the funeral mass for Lenny Mercurio, our dear, dear friend and colleague, is being held tomorrow, Saturday, September 11, at 11:00 a.m. Masks must be worn by everyone. There will be masks at the main entrance of the church should you forget yours. Also, there will be a basket for those who wish to provide cards to the family. This will also be placed in the main vestibule of the church.
2. Collection for Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund: We will be taking up a special collection the weekend of September 25 and 26 to help aid the victims of the earthquake that shook the nation of Haiti on August 14 of this year. Envelopes will be placed at the entrances of the church. Thank you for helping our friends in need.
3. Blessed Sacrament again passes along their deepest gratitude for our generosity in supporting their food pantry. The food pantry is also greatly in need of toilet paper and paper towels. (If you've noticed, these items are starting to run "scarce" in the stores again.)
4. Our Parish Picnic is being held on Sunday, September 26, following the 12:00 noon mass. Should be a BLAST! Reserve a spot by September 21. If you cannot sign-up online at the St. Mark website, please write up your name, number of people in your group, and send your check payable to "St. Mark Picnic" to the rectory office. (Price: $12 per person or $25 per family.) We will make sure the documents and money get to the Social Committee Team. As a matter of fact, I need to write out a check this very minute to sign up !!!!!!!
5. September 11, 2021 - 20th Anniversary. Let us remember our fellow Americans who died on that fateful day, and may God bless their families and friends who still grieve their loss. There is a beautiful prayer written by Pope Benedict XVI in the bulletin this weekend honoring the victims.
6. God bless Agnes Miller on her retirement from St. Mark School. Please feel free to join Mrs. Miller and her family at the 12:00 noon Mass this Sunday for a special blessing on her retirement.
7. Welcome, Tony Procaccini, who will be our guest organist this weekend!
8. Coins for our Cause: The Knights of Columbus have placed at the front vestibule of the church a can to collect any "spare change" you may have. The money helps support Bethlehem House. Thanks for helping our neighbors in need.
I think that's everything for now. We've been very sad here at the office. All of us keep wanting to pick up the phone and dial Lenny's number to ask him to do something, or ask a question. Just cannot believe our dear friend has passed.
Best regards,
Paula (and Joan too)
P.S. This story is funny now, but it wasn't this past Wednesday, when I left work and went home to put an eggplant casserole in the oven to cook for dinner. Turned the oven on bake at 350 degrees and went to sit down in the family room. Within two minutes I hear "pop, pop, pop, crackle, crackle." I jump up to see what is wrong. I walk back into the kitchen and the oven is sparking. I immediately turn off the oven and I yell up to Michael to come downstairs. By the time he reaches the kitchen, black smoke is billowing out of the oven and flames are dancing inside the oven and creeping out the sides. I dialed 911; Michael grabbed the fire extinguisher and started to spray the flames. I gathered the animals and got them outside.
I am here to tell you your Stratford tax dollars are hard at work. The police and fire department were at the house within minutes. They had to spray the flames three times before they were completely extinguished. Luckily for us, the fire did not go into the "walls" of the house; they were completely contained in the oven and our house is saved. The Mollica's received a verbal A+ from the Fire Marshal for preparedness. We have fire extinguishers on every floor of the house, within easy reach. All the smoke detectors have current, active batteries and all alarms went off. We got the animals out of the house as well as ourselves.
Now, if any of you will remember, only nine days ago we had new kitchen cabinets installed. All of them are now completely covered in the dust from the fire extinguishers, some are covered in black soot, and the entire first floor of the house is filled with the fine "dust" as well. None of the cabinets are scorched by fire so no replacement necessary (yippee). When it rains, it obviously pours! But we are covered by insurance and a professional cleaning company is on their way over to clean things up.
Takeaway lessons for everyone: Have your fire extinguishers on hand and within easy reach. Make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are current, with fresh batteries. And DON"T ever turn on the oven and leave the house to run an errand or go outside to garden or shovel snow, It was incredible how quickly "sparks" turned to "flames."
Ladies, the obvious lesson here is, NEVER COOK! Order take-out every night for dinner.
To add insult to injury, Michael was sitting on the deck earlier this week, having a glass of wine. He comes into the house and says to me, "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but a hummingbird was just at the feeder and then flew to the wisteria blossoms."
Someone upstairs in the big house is really messing with me this summer !!!!!!!!!