St. Brigid’s hosts Italian Festival

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The Rev. Robert A. Rochon, priest at St. Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church at 1231 Plainfield St. in Johnston, uses words like “compassionate, family, community endeavors” when he describes such events as Sunday’s annual Italian Festival.

Moreover, the goings-on inside St. Brigid’s filled-to-the-brim parish hall were yet another example of just how active – and growing – the church has become in recent years.

And, people like Millie Santilli and Louisa Iannotti, the parish’s public relations dynamo, were saying Sunday: “To think that we almost didn’t have this [Italian] Festival.”

The event was originally scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 22 at Cranston Country Club. However, as was the case during what Iannotti called the “winter that everyone wants to forget,” the event was postponed because of a snowstorm.

And to compound matters further, the country club was booked with several events last Sunday – and that sent the ambitious St. Brigid’s Social Ministry scrambling.

Old man winter created another problem, especially since the Social Ministry – which is being chaired by Santilli, the assistant director of the Johnston Senior Center, and is gearing up for the parish’s 100th anniversary celebration in September – had already scheduled a Cosmic Bowling Day for last Saturday at Town Hall Lanes on Atwood Avenue.

But nothing, proud parishioners like Rhonda and Richard Boehm will tell you, could stand in the say of any St. Brigid’s Social Ministry event.

In fact, it took people like the Boehms – and ladies like Cindy Galipeau – and more than a dozen other St. Brigid’s parishioners to others to serve Sunday’s all-you-can-eat Italian meal, which was prepared and donated especially for St. Brigid’s by Marchetti’s Restaurant on Park Avenue in Cranston.

“David [Marchetti] and his wife have been parishioners at St. Brigid’s for years, and they’ve been very good to us,” Santilli, said. “And all of today’s raffles were donated.”

Marchetti’s sent along a menu that included salad, sausage and peppers, chicken parmesan, meatballs, pasta and, of course, Italian bread and butter, as well as a cider toast after the blessing.

Sunday’s Italian Festival has been what Rochon called a “terrific tradition here at St. Brigid’s in recent years.”

“It’s more than just a fantastic food fest,” added Richard Boehm, a ranking battalion chief in the Johnston Fire Department. His wife owns and operates Cakes by Rhonda in Cranston, which provided all the cupcakes decorated with Irish and Italian colors. “It’s a special fundraiser that brings people in the parish together.”

For Iannotti, Santilli and Galipeau – along with ladies like Doris Haskins – the Social Ministry has become a large part of their lives and the lives of many others, including Rose DeLuca, Sandy McCarthy, Josie Gemma, Anna Richards, Angela Pecchia, Kathy Maccarone, Nadine Corona, Angela Fillipone and Sandy Cerrito.

Cindy Galipeau and her husband Ron – who’s retired and has a unique hobby of making candleholders from old wine and beer bottles – have signed on to chair the centennial celebration.

And, as they’ve done recently, the Galipeaus on Sunday issued “an open invitation” for people to join in planning the event. Anyone interested should call 401-944-6778.

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