Know Your Fellow Parishioner

Having a mystical encounter with the Blessed Mother was not what Marge Hagan expected when she traveled to Ireland in 1993 to attend a wedding in Sligo.  Afterwards, she agreed to accompany some Irish friends to the Knock Shrine in Mayo County. “I always loved Jesus,” explained the lifelong devout Catholic.  “But I was so attached to my own mother that I felt less devotion to the Blessed Mother.” That relationship changed when Marge stepped out of a car at…

As the Saint Damien Parish religious education program begins with all-remote learning this fall, parent volunteers Lorie and Brad Rice are optimistic. “We have a beautiful, new curriculum,” Lorie explained.  “Every grade will be learning the same thing at the same time, just at different age levels, so it should really bring families together.”  As the parents of eleven-year-old Anna and nine-year-old Rocco, the Rices gained insight into remote learning when the Ocean City public schools went to all on-line…

Say hello to Ursula Russo, the newest adult Catholic in Saint Damien Parish.   Ursula’s confirmation was delayed when the coronavirus pandemic shuttered the church during Lent. But in June, when masses resumed, she was received into the church.  Her sponsor was her daughter, Christine Leonetti.  In the Fall of 2019, Ursula entered into the process known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), a period of study and reflection that she called “stimulating” and “enlightening.” She was led through…

Every morning Ginny and Joe Sosnowsky dip into their collection of holy water, gleaned from their travels to shrines and basilicas, and bless each other. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord’s face shine upon you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord look on you kindly and give you His peace. “It is our way of remembering that God is the most important person in our lives,” Ginny explained. The blessings that the Sosnowskys…

Some people know her as the Haiti Lady who collects school supplies and shoes for children in need.  But, in fact, Gerry Barsotti loves the whole world. Gerry’s involvement with the Haitian community of Lamontagne Jacmel began through her son Domenic, who helped to install water purification systems in the remote village when he was in college. After college, he continued to volunteer with a non-profit organization based there.  With his encouragement and the blessing of Father Michael Rush, Gerry…

When Rosalia Gil faces a problem, she talks it over first with her best friend–God.  “Maybe later I will talk with my family,” she explained, “but God first.”  Living close to God has become a way of life for Rosalia and her family.  She is an altar server and lector at the Spanish-language Masses at St. Frances Cabrini Church and a weekday altar server at St. Augustine Church.  Her husband, Armando Flores, is a Eucharistic minister.  Her older daughter, Melanie, is also an altar…