St.

Ritas 75
th
Anniversary Banquet
Submitted by Roland and Fay Cailliau
Following the sod-turning ceremony beside the church, parishioners and
guests retired to St. Stephens School gym for supper and an evening of
entertainment. They entered a world of butterflies, for a wide variety of
representations of these delightful creatures formed the decorating theme.
The butterflies served as a memorial of those parishioners who have died
in Christ.
An excellent beef supper was prepared and served by Rose Tollefson,
June Hardman, Arlette Kohlman and Eugene De Guzman, with the help of
many others. Nearly 200 present and past parishioners and special guests
enjoyed the wonderful meal.
Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Roland Cailliau, led the gathering
through a brief history of St. Ritas Parish.
Interspersed throughout this recollection special guests came forward to
give their congratulations and best wishes. Mrs. Helen Kabat, who taught
at St. Stephens School when it first opened and for many years thereafter,
shared her memories of the parish and of Father Gendre. His Grace
Archbishop Gerard Pettipas chronicled the history of the archdiocese and
that of the larger community and how St. Rita fit within these events. Later,
Father Robert Filion, one of St. Ritas former priests, shared some of his
fondest memories of the community.
Sisters Gloria Seifried and Louise Vanderploeg, representing the School
Sisters of Notre Dame, also brought their best wishes for the parishs 75
th

Anniversary. A special treat for all was a letter from our dear friend, Sr.
Delia Calis, read to us by Sr. Louise. Sister Delia, who was a member of
our parish for 10 years, is now working with novitiates in Ghana, Africa.
The last word was given by St. Ritas current parish priest, Father
Abraham Srambical. He mentioned how impressed he was with this
parishs growth in their faith journey, and how this had been made possible
by all the past parishioners.
Draws for a Building Fund raffle were then made. The first prize, a
beautiful hand-crafted wooden desk and hutch built by Larry Kohlman, was
won by Noreen Matheson. A lovely hand-made quilt, second prize, was
won by Sandra Robins. The $250.00 cash third prize winner was Wayne
Dana.
The evening finished off with a family dance; music provided by local
band Pontiac Moon. A multitude of hours in the preparation, execution and
clean-up after this event were donated by a large segment of St. Ritas
faithful, without whom the event would never have been possible.