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by Sister Angela Callanan
The Presentation Sisters annual retirement gala event is in its 28th year. The title itself inspires thoughts of the sisters who taught in the Catholic school, giving themselves totally to that ministry without counting the cost or thinking about retirement or healthcare benefits. But now we’re in a new era and we can’t forget their needs. The Broadway-style gala took place on Saturday, March 16, 2019, at St. Pius V parish hall in Buena Park, California. The outline for the evening was broken into shorter bites interspersed with breaks for the buffet line, the silent and live auctions, and the welcome. The show, “The Late Nite Catechism: Easter Series,” well-known in the local dinner playhouses, drew a crowd of 305 attendees. The one-woman star ‘sister’ made the show fun and likable, and, the nicest thing, the jokes, the humor, the punchlines kept the audience laughing the time away! Honoring St. Patrick, the first classic piece was Father William Goldin’s ex-pressive rendition of “Hail Glorious St. Patrick” with Bishop Kevin Vann, bishop of the Diocese at the piano.
The mood, the crowd, the show honored the Presentation Sisters from beginning to end. Mr. Paulo Morales, Cypress city councilor, captured the attention of all with his message and experience on the value of the Catholic School education. Paulo started the evening on a very positive note quoting the prophet Isaiah, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me.” That same spirit sustained Nano Nagle and continues to sustain the Presentation Sisters who live her charism and have lived it in imaginative and creative ways in their ministries for the past 300 years.
In absentia, Israel and Amy Rodriguez receive the “Nano Nagle, Not Words but Deeds Award” for Louie & Theresa Chavez. Bishop Vann & Father Nguyen present the award.
On behalf of all the Presentation Sisters, Sister Angela Callanan welcomed all and gave special recognition to the honorable and amazing guest, Bishop Kevin Vann, bishop of the Diocese of Orange, and thanked him and the other priests for their presence. Mr. Louie and Theresa Chavez from St. Irenaeus parish, who both served on the Presentation Sisters retirement committee for 25 years, were honored with the Nano Nagle: Not Words But Deeds award.
The silent auction, not an original idea, but this time with over 50 donated baskets, fulfilled the mission of the committee and earned a big contribution toward the goal for the event. The live auction on a different level was nothing short of inspiring with alluring gifts waiting for the highest bidders. The week’s stay in a condo in Williamsburg, Virginia, was the top thriller, followed by a week in a condo in the Island of Maui.
The menu was very gratifying and included a delicious salad, steak and salmon with a luscious mouth-watering gravy, a selection of glazed vegetables, and creamy mashed potatoes to complete the meal. Last, but not least, was the drawing for the great prizes to be won and the crowd love it when a Presentation Sister draws the winning tickets. No Presentation Sister had a winning ticket.