THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS DECEMBER 31, 2021 LOCAL NEWS 7 BY CHRISTINA GALEONE
CFP CORRESPONDENT
About four or five years ago, retired educator Betty George attended a Christmas luncheon for a local club that she belongs to. For its Christmas charitable giving, the club made a donation to Urban Missionaries of Our Lady of Hope. Its members then toured the Worcester nonprofit's Little Store. But while the tour was brief, the positive impact the nonprofit and its comprehensive thrift store had on her was lasting. Earlier this year, when the Needs Committee member for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's Blessed Sacrament Parish Conference participated in a SVdP meeting at which the need for furniture for low- income families was discussed, she remembered the Little Store. Mrs. George proposed a partnership with Urban Missionaries that would benefit both the people served by their SVdP chapter - known as a conference - and the nonprofit. What I'm trying to establish is the philosophy behind it; we call it neighbors helping neighbors, she said of the recent partnership, adding, They liked the fact that we might be helping the people down the street. The informal partnership between the Blessed Sacrament conference in Worcester and Urban Missionaries consists of the conference collecting and donating gently used clothing and household items to the Little Store. The nonprofit estimates the value of each collection of donations. Then, accordingly, it issues Little Store vouchers, about every other month, to the conference. Mrs. George and other members then distribute the vouchers to the people they serve. They can use them to get furniture, clothing, household items, books and more. In the fall, the conference held a fill- the-truck collection drive. It really was a big, big success; we were thrilled, Mrs. George said. I know my parish well. A lot of people wanted to donate to Urban Missionaries. Tom Murray, the conference's president, is equally grateful for the success of the partnership. It's been beneficial to us, he said, noting that one couple they were able to help had been transitioning out of homelessness. He added, We were able to provide them with enough to furnish their apartment. Buoyed by that success, the conference members continue to ind ways to give a hand up to the people they serve. They've recently arranged, through MassHire, to offer free online job search workshops. They've also made the workshops available to members of other SVdP conferences who can use the information to advise the people that they serve. Just as that Christmas visit to the Little Store had an indelible impact on Mrs. George, the good work that the Blessed Sacrament conference has been doing has had a positive effect on Susan Treveloni, the president of St. Vincent de Paul Worcester, who oversees all the conferences in the Central District of Massachusetts. She appreciates the relationship that the conference has established with Urban Missionaries. It's great, she commented. It's a good relationship, whereby you've got two Catholic nonprofits coming together and working together. That's always a good thing.
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GRACE to the Finish nears goal
TANYA CONNOR CFP
In October, the Blessed Sacrament Parish Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul held a fill-the -truck collection for goods for the Urban Missionaries of Our Lady of Hope in the parish parking lot.
BY TANYA CONNOR
THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS
More than $411,000 was raised this month - by numerous people at multiple sites - for a building memorializing a college student and a priest, organizers reported. GRACE to the Finish II, the Dec. 17-19 fundraiser for the new center for St. Mary Parish and Our Lady of the Valley Regional School in Uxbridge, was to last 62 hours, zero minutes, and three seconds - in honor of the second anniversary of Grace Rett's world-record-setting indoor rowing time. The 20-year-old OLV alumna, who boldly proclaimed her faith, died in 2020 in a motor vehicle accident while on a training trip in Florida with the College of the Holy Cross Women's rowing team. The Grace Rett Athletic Complex and Education Center is to fulfill her dream for her elementary and middle school to have its own indoor athletic space. The building is to include a basketball court and classrooms. Though much money was raised by Grace to the Finish II, equally important to us is the inspiration, and Grace's legacy, said her father, Christopher Rett. The legacy of Father Dennis J. O'Brien is also being carried on in the center, which is scheduled to be dedicated in January, said Edward Reynolds, OLV principal. Father O'Brien, who took up residence at St. Mary's when he retired in 2017, died unexpectedly July 17. Friends and former parishioners wanted to memorialize him by naming part of the center for him. Mr. Rett said $100,000 of the $411,000 raised by the second annual Grace to the Finish was for the Father O'Brien wing. More than $3.6 million of the overall goal of $3.8 million has been raised, he said. Religious sisters are to be honored along with Father O'Brien to reflect Father O'Brien's love of and commitment to the religious orders that helped form his faith and empower his ministry, according to Mr. Reynolds. The Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Sisters of St. Joseph, who taught him, and the Sisters of St. Anne he worked with at Holy Name Central Catholic High School in Worcester, will be represented. We're trying to inspire parishioners from where Father O'Brien served to consider making a gift in his honor, because he was devoted to Catholic education, Mr. Reynolds said. Grace's sister, Brianne, is also an inspiration, according to their father. Among fund-raising efforts for GRACE to the Finish II was what she did at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, where she is a student. When asked in a radio interview about her relationship with God after her sister's death, she said that relationship is stronger, their father said. I think that's why the athletic director wanted to focus on her story, Mr. Rett said. He said that the fund-raising and awareness-raising included a talk Brianne gave to fellow students, an article about her and bracelets she designed which honor Grace. Other efforts included Holy Cross rowing team members and others on indoor rowing machines, hoop-a-thons and a read- a-thon by OLV students, indoor golfing, gift card raffles, an online auction and a musician and businesses donating proceeds to the cause.
Parishioners remember Father Ridick as being kind, caring and wonderful
Longtime parishioners fondly remember Father George J. Ridick as a shepherd who fostered community when two Worcester parishes were merged. Father Ridick, 76, retired pastor of Sacred Heart-St. Catherine of Sweden Parish in Worcester, died Dec. 21 in St. Vincent Hospital. He wanted us to be a community right from the beginning when he came to St. Catherine of Sweden Parish, said Theresa Gallagher, who'd been a parish council member there, and is now a member of Sacred Heart- St. Catherine of Sweden. To form community, they restarted parish bazaars, had breakfasts, and went mountain climbing, she said. Another thing he wanted to do - he wanted to make sure we'd be a pro-life parish, she said. He had parishioners - including the youth - listen to speakers at a pro-life rally in Boston (and shop while there) and line the streets of Worcester with pro-life signs as part of the Life Chain. When we merged our parishes we all had reservations, but he made our parish stronger, said Cathleen Grant, choir member, religious education teacher and Ladies Guild member at Sacred Heart-St. Catherine of Sweden. And, she said, He healed a lot of hearts that were still raw from dealing with the after affects of the scandal. She said: He was really a shepherd to us. He shared himself wonderfully with us. He was unstinting in his love and in his guidance in every way. He's larger than life - a great heart, a kind and caring wonderful priest and friend and mentor, said Lynn Lorusso, another Sacred Heart-St. Catherine parishioner. I worked with him for 11 years (as) administrative assistant. He helped me grow spiritually, personally. How much I admired his devotion to God and his priesthood, said Patricia Reardon, Sacred Heart-St. Catherine of Sweden food pantry manager, who worked with Father Ridick the whole time he was at Sacred Heart. I will feast forever on memories of his great humor and the nicknames he bestowed on his parishioners. She said it meant a lot to people when he made them feel special. He was always impressing upon us how we would meet the Lord when we die, and that God would choose the time, Ms. Gallagher said. I said to myself, 'He's been wanting to meet the Lord.' What a gift he chose for Father George to (die) at Christmas. Father Ridick was born in Worcester on Jan. 29, 1945, the son of George J. and Angela C. (Bender) Ridick. He graduated from Classical High School in 1963 and from Assumption College in 1967, where he was an All- America basketball player. He prepared for the priesthood at St. Mary Seminary, Baltimore, from 1969 to 1973. He was ordained on June 2, 1973, at St. Casimir Church by Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan. Following ordination, he was assigned as associate pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Worcester. In October 1976, he entered the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps. He returned to the Diocese of Worcester and was named temporary administrator of St. Denis Parish, Ashburnham, in June 1983. In July 1983, he was appointed temporary associate of Our Lady of the Angels Parish. In October 1983, Father Ridick was assigned to the Lithuanian College/ Gregorian University, Rome, where in May 1986, he was awarded a master's degree in clinical religious psychology. He was assigned as associate pastor of St. Roch Parish, Oxford, on June 27, 1986. On June 1, 1988, he was named pastor of St. Catherine of Sweden Parish, Worcester. On June 30, 2007, he was named pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Worcester, while remaining pastor of St. Catherine of Sweden Parish, Worcester, and later was named pastor of the newly established Sacred Heart-St. Catherine of Sweden Parish located at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. He was inducted into the Worcester Public Schools 2015/2016 High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He led the Classical High School Tigers to two District 3 playoffs and one championship. He was named to the All-City team. An entry in the Class of 1963 Classical yearbook called him possibly the greatest basketball player ever to emerge from Classical High. He retired in June 2018 and had been living with other retired priests in Southgate at Shrewsbury. In an interview last January, Father Ridick reflected on his 45 years in the priesthood. Every day was different, he said, and you had contact with people throughout their lives and in so many important moments of their lives from birth until death and in sickness in between, marriages, setbacks, victories and accomplishments. You were part of people's families through the years. You celebrated them with sacraments, you celebrated them with activities in the parish and in the community, and you just encouraged each other to do better as we continue through life's journey. It wasn't always easy. Sometimes, as a matter of fact, the harder it was, the more you knew you were needed. He is survived by his brother, James G. Ridick and his wife Nancy (Foley) of Worcester; nephew Timothy Ridick; his nieces Kate Ridick and Kris Sullivan. He is predeceased by his sister, Georgiana Ridick. Bishop McManus was principal celebrant of his funeral Mass on Tuesday. A committal service and entombment followed in St. John Mausoleum.
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