Parish Picnic 2009

Gray skies and rainy weather did not dampen the excitement and fun at the Annual Parish Picnic on Saturday, September 1, 2009. Volunteers from various ministries joined forces to make this picnic a very special one – a celebration of our parish’s 150^th Anniversary. After the 9:00 a.m. Mass, the strongest volunteers put their muscles to work and assisted our Maintenance Staff with setting up tables and chairs in the Monsignor Tarrant Hall. Others rolled up their sleeves and went to work decorating all the tables and preparing the food trays, coffee pots, and large beverage coolers. Thanks to the many hands of the volunteers, the preliminaries were done within a few hours.

At approximately 4:00 p.m. volunteers came together again to finish the preparations. Maroon and gold balloon centerpieces were delivered and placed upon the tables. Men of the Knights of Columbus set up the beer and wine area, and other volunteers prepared the cold and hot beverages. Large pots of water for the hotdogs were put on the stove to boil, the hero sandwiches were delivered, and the many desserts donated by parishioners were arranged on large platters.

The coming together of our faith community began at the 5:00 p.m. Mass in the Church, since the inclement weather prevented an outdoor Mass this year. It was standing room only as everyone joined together in prayer, song, and the celebration of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Monsignor Donald T. Bennett, Pastor, was the principal celebrant, and Father Jose P. Quilcate, Associate Pastor, concelebrated. Deacon George A. Mais assisted.

At the end of Mass, parishioners were invited to the School hall for a “Welcome Back from Summer” get-together and to share in the wonderful history that we, as a Parish, have had for the past 150 years. Everyone was treated to hotdogs, heroes, and potato chips. Music for dancing or just listening enjoyment was provided by a DJ, while children enjoyed snow cones, popcorn, and various recreational activities in the School basement. Boy Scout Troop 382 was on hand to present their contribution to the Parish’s 150^th Anniversary – a pamphlet entitled “St. Ignatius Loyola: Our Stained Glass Windows.” The boys researched and compiled the booklet, which was sponsored by Mary and Rick Powers in honor of Bette Meyer.

As the evening progressed, the crowd was surprised by the hidden talents of Monsignor Bennett and Father Jose. Monsignor Bennett led those on the dance floor in the “Twist”, and Father Jose gave a demonstration of how to “Salsa”. As part of the Parish Picnic’s tradition, brightly colored Hawaiian shirts were modeled by Monsignor, Father Jose, and Deacon George and then raffled off to three ‘lucky’ winners There was also a 50/50 Raffle and the drawing of winners for the annual “Special Friends of St. Ignatius School” Raffle. Judy Sebastiano then presented a homemade Anniversary cake to Monsignor Bennett, as all joined in the singing of “Happy Anniversary”, followed by a rendition of “Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here”. Monsignor then cut the cake for all to enjoy. Dancers continued to show their talents on the dance floor until it was time for the celebration to come to an end. It was difficult to break up the party. Everyone had a wonderful time!

The day was a very special one for the Parish. So many parishioners came together to give thanks to God for our beautiful Parish and to enjoy each other’s friendship, a tradition that has been with us for 150 years. We pray that God continues to bless our faith community and the work it does in God’s name here at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish and in Hicksville for another 150 years! All for the Greater Glory of God!!!

Below is the slideshow of the Picnic pictures. If the slideshow does not appear, click here...