"The Fall of the Year"

 “Good-bye. Sweet flowers!
Through bright Summer hours,
You have filled our hearts with cheer.
We shall miss you so
And yet you must go,
For this is the Fall of the year.”
                 By Eileen Robena Field

Last Saturday in church, Fr. George Carrigg mentioned that it was two years ago that day that Fr. Larry Wetterholm had passed away. When we first began attending St. Christopher’s, Fr. Larry was in charge. We liked him very much. Fr. George mentioned that Fr. Larry asked him to help out for six weeks. “Here it is, 44 years later, and I’m still here”, said Fr. George when Mass was over.

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Remember that “Old Ironsides” will sail to Castle Island for the last time tomorrow (Fri., Oct. 17, about 10 or 10:30 a.m.) before she goes into drydock for repairs that may take two or three years. Come before 10 a.m. to get a good seat.

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What a nice time Hubby, daughter Sue, pal Eileen Burke, and I had at the Friendship Social on Sun., Oct. 5, from 4 to 8 p.m. The social is held with thanks to the generosity of the Utility Workers Union of America, Local 369, and its retirement group. I had met Dennis Walsh, the organizer of the event, last week at the Simon of Cyrene Breakfast at the Venezia Restaurant. Dennis told me he also wanted to thank Domino’s Pizza for its generous contribution. He also thanked City Councillor Frank Baker for his generosity.     
  
Dennis was helped by Maggie Desdunes in putting on this event for neighbors with all types of disabilities. Irene Duff, manning the check-in table, welcomed us to the social. Inside, we knew some of the workers, especially Elaine (Collyer) Monahan, her husband Kevin, and their son Kevin. Eileen Collins invited us to sit with her and our mutual pals, Evie Dunn and Caroline Innello. A lady named Margarita sat with us, also.  Our pals Mary Shea, Ginny Biagiotti, and Mary Jo Murphy sat at an adjoining table. Paul Barry and his son Joe came by and chatted.

The first “wave” of food was wonderful: all kinds of cold-cut sandwiches in rolls, followed by all types of desserts. (I had a small piece of walnut fudge that was absolutely delicious.) Soda was free. After everyone had eaten the delicious sandwiches, in came all the Domino’s pizzas, maybe 20 of them. The younger group of those with disabilities loved the pizza. So did we seniors!

Then, mostly younger people came out on the floor to dance to music provided by Joe “Gifted Fingers” Peters. He had everyone moving with his terrific choice of tunes. Then we were treated to the wonderful voice of Tony Faunces, who took the microphone and went out on the dance floor to sing and joke with the younger people. Everyone loved him and clapped for him. I was delighted to see Mary Shea dancing beautifully with one of the young men invited to the social. As we left Florian Hall, we took the flyer for next June’s Friendship Social. That date may be changed because that will be Dorchester Day. If I hear anything, I will print it in the paper.

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We left the social a little early because Hubby and I had to pack our suitcases for a trip, organized by Eileen Collins, to the Irish Village.  Before we drove home, we stopped at Papa Gino’s. I had heard that a cutout of Tedy Bruschi was in all the local Papa Gino’s, celebrating his long-time association with the company. (Tedy is my favorite Patriot player ever.) Hubby took photos of me with Tedy and then I took photos of him with Tedy. The manager to Papa Gino’s that evening came from behind the counter and offered to take photos of Hubby and me with Tedy. We have some great shots, thanks to the manager’s help.

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Belated news: I must mention that Hubby, daughter Sue, pal Eileen Burke, and I had a wonderful time in Lower Mills, thanks to St. Gregory’s Parish. Fr. Vincent Daily scheduled the Vigil Mass for the holyday, the Feast of the Assumption, at 5 p.m., on Thurs., Aug. 14. Following the Mass, most of the people in the church walked across the street to St. Gregory’s auditorium. Mary “Sis” Keeley, Pat Devilly, and Barbara Sullivan invited the four of us to sit at their table.  Very soon, Evie Dunn, Phyllis Hartford, Marie Schalmo, Marilyn Ferrara, Norma Conley, and Peggy Gorman were sitting at an adjoining table.

We saw Gerard and his crew bringing in the trays upon trays of food. We knew the food would be delicious because Gerard’s food is always good.  Fr. Daily came in and joined his buddies Paul Devin and Sean Roper in starting the music for the evening. Hubby has some great photos of the trio. We also saw our long-time friend Dolly Farquharson on the opposite side of the hall. Also there was our pal Agnes Minihan. It was great seeing both of them. Pat Moran and John Walsh, two of our friends from the luncheons at the Irish Cultural Centre, were sitting close by. Elaine Doherty, Jack and Jody’s mom, also joined us. Julie Hayes, St. Greg’s parish secretary, was walking around the hall, making sure that everything was going well. This was a great time for all. We fulfilled our obligation to attend Mass for the holyday and then we had a great time at the annual cookout.
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I was sorry to read, in St. Christopher’s bulletin that Most Rev. John Boles had passed away on Thurs., Oct. 9. Bishop Boles was an auxiliary bishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Boston. I had not heard about his passing until I arrived in church and saw the bulletin. I am sure that his funeral will be very well attended. He was well liked.
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On Sat. evening, Oct. 19, Hubby, daughter Sue, and I attended the testimonial for Tom Clifford. Tom’s TV show, “Ireland on the Move,” appears each Friday evening on local TV. I had met Tom a few years ago when he, his wife Agnes, and their daughter Rose sat with Hubby and me at one of the monthly luncheons at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton. When we arrived at the Irish Social Club in West Roxbury, we were fortunate to get a parking spot near the entrance to the club. We were surprised to see our friend from the Irish luncheon, Jim Collins, collecting the tickets. We knew that his wife Tess had to be close by. The next people I saw were Paddy and Peggy O’Malley, my pals from the County Mayo Association. I was so happy to see them where we could chat a bit. Then I saw my friend Michael McCarron in the club. (He is a great friend of Gregory and Sarah Ashe.) “Doc” Walsh was helping with the event. We also saw Kathi Sullivan, our friend from the Irish luncheons, at the club. We finally found Tess, busy with her fellow volunteers, in the kitchen, buttering mounds of Irish bread, which would be served during the intermission. Our friend Maura Hennigan, Clerk Magistrate of the Criminal Court, gave Tom a citation from the court. I had a chance to chat with her for a few minutes.

As I walked around the club to find Maura, I saw my traveling companions and long-time friends, Gregory and Sarah Ashe, with a younger woman. I didn’t have my glasses on. I walked over to see them and discovered that the younger woman was their daughter, Karen Doherty. We had a great time chatting. I discovered that this was the first time that Karen had ever been to the Social Club.  As I walked back from speaking with Maura Hennigan, I heard several people calling my name. They were former Mayor Ray Flynn and his lovely wife Cathy. They introduced me to their grandson, Braeden O’Doherty, who is eight years old.  Later in the evening, Ray was asked to sing “A Mother’s Love’s a Blessing.”

Seamus Mulligan, from Station WROL radio, was the emcee for the evening. (I love his Irish accent.) Sean Folan, who had an Irish program on local TV, videotaped the whole evening for his friend Tom Clifford, who received more citations, from the Boston City Council, the governor, and the Worcester AOH. Throughout the evening the lovely music was provided by Erin’s Melody and Margaret Dalton. (We even sang along.) In a tribute to Tom, dancers from the Harney Academy of Irish Dance staged a wonderful presentation and received a great deal of applause for their part of the program. Tom’s friend Noel Daly also sang to him.  It was a great evening for a man who has provided an Irish TV program for 30 years. 

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I laughed at this saying: “Nobody knows what I do until I don’t do it.”   


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