St. Jerome Church
St. Jerome Parish
 632 Bridge Street
North Weymouth, MA. 02191

The Beacon


Archives - June 2003


St. Jerome Eighth Grade Graduation
St. Jerome School Fun Day
Parishioners Volunteer for St. Jerome Spruce-Up
Milton Hospital's "Virgin Mary Window"

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St. Jerome School Graduation

June 6, 2003


For a third consecutive year, St. Jerome School graduated a relatively large class of eight graders. In the year 2003, twenty-two (22) happy and proud students were honored for their accomplishments in achieving a significant milestone, and cheered on by family and friends to embrace the upcoming challenges of high school. A combined Eucharistic celebration/graduation ceremony for the St. Jerome School Class of 2003 was held at our parish church on Friday, June 6 at 6 PM. At the end of the Mass concelebrated by Father Thomas Wyndham, our Pastor, Father Ed Doughty, and Father Peter Martocchio, the graduates, accompanied by their parents, family and friends, were awarded diplomas by Father Wyndham and Mr. Michael Sansone, Principal of St. Jerome School. In an inspiring and colorful liturgical ceremony amidst the royal blue garb of the boys and the complementary dazzling white worn by the girls, the scheduled speakers shared their fond memories and evoked the traditional graduation themes of gratitude, friendship, separation, change, faith, hope, love and courage. The speakers also emphasized the importance of motivation, hard work and other ingredients and strengths that we all tap at one time or another in this life, not the least of which is our faith and our relationship with God as pointed out by Father Wyndham and Mr. Sansone.

Father Wyndham began his homily by giving thanks to the students for who they are, who they have become, and for teaching us and making us better people through our interactions with them. He singled out the class of 2003 as a shining example of the advantages for life of a Catholic education. He challenged the students to be the best person that each can be. This determination coupled with God's help will not only help them to fulfill their personal goals and dreams, but also serve to remind them of their calling as Catholics to make the world a better place. On behalf of the graduates, Father Wyndham thanked everyone who played a role in their education, especially the teachers whose dedication makes a catholic school education what it is and the parents whose sacrifice and contributions to the school made this excellent education possible for their children.

The graduation ceremonies began with the Salutatorian's welcome, given by Christopher Costello. Chris reminisced about his younger days when he looked forward to the day when he would be "one of the big kids", that is an eighth grader at SJS. That day has come and gone by all too quickly according to Chris, who singled out the teachers and the parents in thanking everyone who showed up for this special day. Chris also quoted the contemporary British poet T.S. Elliot i.e. "to make an end is to make a beginning."

Mr. Michael Sansone, Principal of SJS, followed up with his own remarks. He looked out at the congregation and said that they reminded him of what St. Jerome is all about---FAMILY, including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc. He also thanked the parents on behalf of the teachers for their involvement and ongoing support of the school that goes way beyond fundraising. He reminded the new graduates that they are in the early stages of a long journey with no promises, no free rides, and no guarantees; however, the basic values they learned at SJS should serve them well as they take on new challenges.

Mr. Sansone's remarks were followed by the conferring of diplomas and awards by Father Wyndham, Mr. Sansone, and Dr. John McGrann, assistant to the Principal. SJS 7TH graders Rhianna Flannagan and Melanie Madeira assisted them. Of the twenty-two (22) graduates, six (6) will be attending Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree: They include Brendan Burke, Christopher Costello, Sara Giannandrea, Caitlin Godfrey, Ian Moriarty, and Bryan Sisson. Fontbonne Academy in Milton was the choice of five (5) girls: They are Christina Crisman, Amanda Delorey, Christina DiVito, Madeline Sands and Jenna Snow; Eight (8) boys-Ian Bond, Charles Demarkles, William Devine, Gary Finnegan, Paul Gabriel, William Gardner, Christian Lindberg, and Kevin Mele-will attend Boston College High School. Two (2) girls, Kelli Ellis and Brittany Madeira, will be attending Notre Dame Academy in Hingham. One student, Michael Clark, will be going to Catholic Memorial in West Roxbury.

The recipients of the St Jerome Parish Scholarship Awards were as follows: Michael Clark, Charles DeMarkles, Kelli Ellis, and Madeline Sands. Amanda Delorey was awarded the John Fitzgerald Scholarship. The Father Dever Scholarhip Awards went to Christopher Costello, Amanda Delorey, Kelli Ellis, Sara Giannandrea, and Brittany Madeira. The John Madden Scholarship winners were Ian Bond, Christopher Costello, Kelli Ellis, Paul Gabriel, and Madeline Sands. Christopher Costello was also presented with the Principal's Award by the principal of Archbishop Williams. Students earning scholarship awards from their respective high schools included Christopher Costello, Charlie Demarkles, William Devine, Kelli Ellis, Paul Gabriel, Billy Gardner, and Kevin Mele. Congratulations and best wishes to all the winners of awards and scholarships.

This year's valedictorian, Kellis Ellis, delivered an emotionally powerful speech summarizing her experiences at St. Jerome, with emphasis on this past year that included taking numerous tests, searching for a high school, the basketball program, the trip to Washington, DC and all the excitingly, wonderful things that made the eighth grade an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. Kelli remembered how she had looked forward to this past school year, and she was not disappointed with the outcome. Kelli, like the previous speakers, expressed the heartfelt thanks of her peers to their parents and teachers. This year's graduation ceremony featured for the second consecutive year remarks from a spokesperson for the St. Jerome Alumni Association. This year, it was SJS class of 1987 member Jennifer Lammers, who not only closed out the evening with the perfect touch, but inducted twenty-two (22) new privileged members in the St. Jerome Alumni.

The altar servers were Katie Delorey, Eileen Demarkles, Lydia Rose Sands, and Marquita Snow, all siblings of the new graduates. Marie Johsnson accompanied singer Donna McNutt at the organ and piano.


Volunteer Work

June 7, 2003


Saturday, June 7, 2003 was the first of what will hopefully be many occasions for volunteers from St. Jerome parish to put their precious time and numerous talents to work.

On the weekend of May 17/18, 2003, St. Jerome's Buildings and Grounds Committee's Chairman, Tim Donovan, brought to the attention of the parishioners the Parish Facilities Survey Report and a brief overview of its contents. It was aptly dubbed the "Honey Do List". It was also pointed out that, although much of the work is extensive such as new windows needed at St. Jerome School, there are numerous tasks in the report that can be accomplished by us, the multi-talented parishioners. We can save ourselves countless expenses and in turn take great pride in the knowledge that we are taking control of the future of our parish.

Tim and Barbara Donovan met with five volunteers at 9:00 a.m. Saturday. With some preplanning, much enthusiasm and willing spirits, they gave up a couple of hours in their busy lives and went to work.

The tasks started at the Lovell Street side of the school with weeding, trimming, raking, and sweeping. Efforts were also aimed at the wall along Bridge Street and the old stairway that lead to the original St. Jerome Church. Some weeding and raking can go a long way toward improving the appearance of our St. Jerome property. The work ended at 11:30 a.m. partially because of rain and we ran out of brown refuse bags. Someone was trying to tell us it was time to stop.

It was just the beginning. There is plenty to be done both outside and inside. If you have some time to spare, and would like to know you have helped out by giving our church, school, rectory and grounds some much needed attention, please signup at the back of the church or call Tim or Barbara Donovan at 781-335-3986. We will accommodate your schedule.

Saint Jerome School Fun Day


June 10, 2003



view the pictures

This is the best day of the year if you ask the children. A day when schoolwork is not mentioned and teachers and students have a common goal: have fun. Parents come together to coordinate much time and countless talents to make it all happen. Needless to say, it was a wonderful day.

It starts with bingo in St. Paula's Hall. Prizes are donated so that practically every child receives a prize. That's a lot of prizes. This includes grades K-2 through the Seventh Grade. Next, there are games in the church parking lot. This year included two inflatable amusement devices. One was a bungee cord run. The other was a slide. Both were big hits. There was the doughnut-on-the-string game. There were various relay racing games, an obstacle course with cones, hula-hoops, basketballs and inflatable tubes and the rolling refrigerator box races. Then there was the kickball game between a few brave parents and the sixth and seventh graders. Yes, we were out numbered, but we were better dressed. We were wearing red, white and blue bandanas and pink or purple-feathered boas, while our opponents wore cowboy hats, clown shoes and noses. The final score was the fashion-statement makers a "few" and the funny looking cowpokes "many".a"

Pizza, cookies, soda and popcorn were on the menu for lunch followed by a visit from the snake lady for grades K-2 to grade four. She educates the children on various reptiles such as snakes, turtles and lizards allowing the children to actually handle the animals if they would like. This is an informative activity for children and teachers. Mrs. Madden, Mrs. Puleo, Miss Powers and Mrs. Santry actually held one of the large pythons.

While the snake lady was entertaining the younger children, the music D.J. was turning up the volume for the older students and the gym was hopping.

The effort put into this one day is truly remarkable. There is the decorating of the gym to reflect the theme for the day: "Friends around the World", the setting up games, coordinating the arrival of amusement devices and food, as well as the serving of the food and drinks, and the rounding up of the donated prizes, snacks, drinks, and ice. Then there is the cleanup, putting away and disposing of all of the above.

This undertaking could not happen without the many willing people who give of their time, talent and energy. The day was well organized, creative and fun which does not happen by accident. Jayne Osgood orchestrated this day. She has been putting together Fun Days for several years and obviously knows what works. Everyone involved showed enthusiasm and good cheer with the goal being to make it a day the children will remember fondly. The goal was clearly accomplished.



MARY'S MILTON MESSAGE

      click for larger image
The image in the window at Milton Hospital

June 22, 2003
By Richard Ruel, Editor of e-Beacon


First of all, you should all know that the Boston Archdiocese has conducted no formal investigation to date into this phenomenon that you have all heard about by now on television, radio, newspapers, and from eyewitnesses who visited the Milton site. As quoted in a Boston Globe editorial dated Saturday, June 21, 2003, Archdiocesan spokesman Reverend Christopher J. Coyne said the following about what some call the "Virgin Mary Window" at Milton Hospital: "We are being very careful to make sure that whatever we say is helpful to people of good will and good faith. Anything that brings people to a deeper faith in God is a good thing." Before I go on, I also recommend that you read the Globe editorial that I just quoted. I realize that some of you may be skeptical of the Globe when it comes to matters of faith and Catholicism, but this editorial is informative, wholesome, upbeat, and even offers a historical context to and perspective on the matter of signs and miracles.

I will not pretend for a moment to be an expert on this sort of thing, just an observer like everyone else. I did go to Milton Hospital on June 14 with my family, and we observed the following:

1. What we saw far exceeded our expectations. When you first see the window from a distance, it is clear that it is the image of Mary holding the baby Jesus. It could not be anything else. The image is striking, clear, and very distinct. Photos don't do it justice. The image in the window could not have been more obvious to me if it had been the Statue of Liberty, the American Flag, etc. I heard someone on the radio say that Catholics are culturally predisposed from all their religious schooling to seeing Madonnas and other religious images. I don't think you have to be Catholic to know this image when you see it. Nearly every Christmas, the US Post Office, a secular agency by the way, issues a stamp of Mary and the Christ Child. This image, regardless of one's religious disposition, has become an icon in North, Central and South America, Europe, and many Asian and African countries. By the way, when you get closer to the window, the image of the child becomes even more pronounced.

2. There were hundreds of people there representing all races and ethnic groups. Some of them came from very far away. With all the people wandering about, including many children, the atmosphere was surprisingly quiet, reverent, and even prayerful. It certainly was not carnival-like. Some people touched the wall of the building and prayed. Some prayed the rosary. Others piled flowers and letters that created a makeshift shrine.

3. The most common and accepted explanation is that the image was caused by overheating of doubled-paned glass that led to trapped moisture and discoloration. I, for one, can buy that. I spoke to an engineer and a contractor at the site. They pointed out the crack in the cement above the window, which they explained was responsible for the trapped condensation and the image. However, they were stumped by two questions. Although they thought they knew the scientific cause of the image, they could not explain The image of Mary holding the baby Jesus (what are the odds in a million that moisture could cause that specific image, one so strikingly obvious?) and 2. What did the image mean? Some of us concluded that it was a sign, but for what purpose? And what was the intended message of Mary? To complicate matters, a window on the other side of the building had an image that some thought resembled an embryo. We could see the embryo image quite clearly.

4. As the Globe editorial Miracle in Milton points out, this phenomenon is "one in a long line of sightings of Mary and other religious figures dating back hundreds of years." Some people have used the words "apparition", "vision", and "miracle" to describe this. I'm more comfortable calling it a sign. The miracle for me was this-- when I touched the wall and prayed, I said the Hail Mary and then thanked Mary and Her son for this comforting sign of God's presence in an otherwise crazy world. I don't recall asking anything for myself (that's the miracle) or for anyone else, although I told my daughter to ask for something---that she grow taller to improve her basketball game.

5. The Milton Hospital administration and security have handled this very nicely and should be commended for doing so. You've probably heard that they have limited visiting hours---now 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM daily.

6. Of course, I've met skeptics, and that's fine. One said to me, "so you're a believer". My response was that the image in the window was an easy sell, that there are dogmas, teachings and issues about our Catholic religion that require much higher leaps of faith---God's presence in the Eucharist, the Trinity, the Resurrection, Heaven, loving one's enemies, coping with the recent church scandals, etc. to name but a few. I'll deal with the challenge of figuring out window any day. To put it in perspective, it may be nothing more than a timely, welcomed and helpful sign from God to help us move forward in our faith and to give us something at a time when it is most desperately needed and appreciated. And that's a whole lot to be thankful for!

So what do you think? If you have seen it already, we'd love to hear from you. If you haven't seen it, we recommend that you ride up to Milton and see it for yourselves. If you want to share your thoughts about this with your parish community, click the link "How to contact us" on our home page. Go to the bottom, and click the name of Phil Girard. An addressed e-mail will appear; then write your response. We will display it on our website. If you want to remain anonymous, tell us so. If you are unable or unwilling to respond online, you can leave your written comments with Peg in the rectory or in The Beacon Box in the rectory.