Blessed are the ball players and the gardeners
WARWICK The Church of St. Stephen, the First Martyr put out the welcome mat last Sunday, Aug. 5, for the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
This was Dolans first visit to the parish as cardinal, who offered the 12:15 p.m. Mass followed by a blessing of Pennings Field, the parishs new ball fields and vegetable garden. The cardinal then joined parishioners in the celebration of their annual parish picnic on the church grounds.
Although Dolan directs one of the largest and most complex archdioceses in the world, serves as president of the American bishops and has made the Time Magazine list of The 100 Most Influential People in the World, anyone in his presence is struck by his humility, warmth and sense of humor.
There are so many of you here, quipped Dolan as he began his homily before the standing-room-only congregation. This to me is a two-collection crowd.
What inspires me During his talk, Dolan praised St. Stephens as a parish with a commitment to the faith and, most important, Sunday Mass. This is what inspires me, he said.
Dolan thanked the Pennings family for donating the large field to St. Stephens which will be used as ball fields and a garden to help feed the poor. He suggested, with a smile, that, hopefully, Rockefeller Center would consider a similar donation for St. Patricks Cathedral.
Shortly before the conclusion of the Mass, Rev. Michael McLoughlin, pastor of the Church of St. Stephen, the First Martyr, expressed the gratitude of the parish for the cardinals visit.
Parishioner Darrell Supak, chair of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, added that the Dolans visit was an extraordinary honor for St. Stephens because, with more than 400 parishes in the Archdiocese, it would take eight years to visit every church.
The Pennings Family then presented Cardinal Dolan with a gift basket from their farm and market. I hope its something to eat, he laughed. Immediately after Mass, Dolan, the concelebrants, deacons, altar servers and parishioners joined a procession to Pennings Field led by the color corps of the Warwick Valley Knights of Columbus and the Firefighter McPadden Pipes and Drums.
After blessing both the fields and the garden, Dolan warmly greeted numerous families and individuals and posed for photographs although it was an extremely warm day. He had yet to change into more comfortable clothing, which he did before heading over to the picnic.
By Roger Gavan