Wilmington, Del., Oct 17, 2009 / 11:27 am
In July 1999, when Tony Cecere was approached by then-pastor Father Roy Pollard to start a group for seniors at St. Mary of the Assumption, in Wilmington, Delaware, Cecere wasn’t sure how the idea would materialize. A decade later, however, it has far-exceeded his expectations.
“You go to church and as you leave you say 'hi' and 'bye,' but we wanted to give seniors the chance to really socialize,” said Cecere, who then served as the parish's director of social ministry. “I thought maybe we’d have some soup and sandwiches, work on some crafts, watch some TV. But it really didn’t happen that way at all.”
That October, Cecere, along with a committee of six, organized a luncheon for 42 senior parishioners. The group then decided to convene for monthly luncheons and “from there we just multiplied,” said Shirlee Steenkamer, now the group’s co-chair along with Phil Donohoe. “We knew we didn’t want to just stay around and play cards and bingo.”
On Oct. 7, the senior group, known as the Sages of St. Mary’s (the name “sages” means “old and wise”) celebrated a decade of food, fellowship and service with a special Mass and catered luncheon. The pastor, Father Charles Dillingham, was the chief celebrant of the Mass, which was concelebrated by three other priests. Father Dillingham called the Sages, which now has more than 300 members, “a shining jewel of faithfulness” for the parish.