By Ricky Rieckert
Dear readers,
I’m going to finish my 2-part series about Blessed Sacrament Parish in North Aurora this week, with a story about Sister Rose Marie Weber.
I stated in my previous article, Sr. Rose was born in Aurora, along with five brothers and three sisters. I knew a few of her brothers through the years. Her brother Elmer, whom, I had met for the first time at the Knights of Columbus #736 on E. Galena Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue, was a retired Aurora Policeman.
Sr. Rose was something else. She was hard core and I’m glad I didn’t have her in grade school. In addition, I assume she didn’t like me much.
The new Pastor, Fr. Max Lasrado, called my shop about a clogged kitchen sink in the rectory.
You would never guess who was there, in place of Fr. Max. Yes, Sr. Rose was there because Fr. Max was gone that morning.
Upon meeting me, in work clothes and showing me the sink, I realized she didn’t know who I was.
She was so much more polite, the whole ball of wax. In fact, after showing me the basement, she said she had some business to take care of, and that Fr. Max would be back shortly.
I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. So I said to her, “Sister, how’s your brother Elmer doing”?
Within seconds she realized who I was and started yelling and pointing her finger, and said, “Now I know who you are!”
I laughed like crazy. I finally got the best of her.
When Fr. Max returned, I told him all about Sr. Rose and we chuckled. Bless her Soul.
Clergy night at Blessed Sacrament was started by Al and Art Bohr and a few other knights at the #736 Council on E. Galena Boulevard, many years ago to honor and show appreciation to the priests and deacons in the Rockford Diocese, usually on the first Monday night in May.
The dinner was served to them, for no charge, but brother knights had to buy tickets. There was a cocktail hour, dinner, introductions, raffles, and some words of wisdom before ending the night.
When the building was sold to the Warehouse Church in the 1990s, clergy night ended.
Elmer Weber, and his wife Lee and family, were able to get permission to use the hall at Blessed Sacrament, from Fr. Max, and restarted clergy night, with a delicious pork chop dinner.
We even had retired Bishop Arthur J. O’Neill attend all of the clergy nights until his health declined. Bishop O’Neill was bishop when I was in grade school. Being a youngster, I thought of him as the pope, or the president.
When I took my fourth Degree Exemplification (Patriotism Degree) at St. Mary’s in Rock Falls / Sterling, Ill. in the 1980s, we were waiting for the bishop. He was a half-hour late for the mass, at 1 p.m..
We heard screeching tires, a few blocks away from Church. Then a car pulls into the lot, and Father Robert Balog and the bishop get out of the car.
Fr. Balog was the bishop’s driver, and said that the bishop thought he had enough time for nine holes of golf.
Besides also seeing him at clergy night in the 1990s, my fiancé Susan and I sat with him for the dinner at the Knights of Columbus Illinois State Deputy’s Banquet at the State Convention in Springfield, two years in a row.
Bishop O’Neill was very polite, highly-educated, and so down to Earth, that you could talk to him about anything and just enjoy being with him.
Bishop O’Neill loved scotch and the Knights new it. At the clergy night, the Knights would give the Bishop raffle tickets for the booze raffles. The Knights would always hold onto the other half of the Bishop’s ticket for the scotch.
So when they called the scotch ticket number they always chose the Bishop’s ticket. At first there would be silence, and then the Bishop would say, “I won again! I win the Scotch every year.”
I think after a while, he knew what was going on.
During the next few years of clergy night at Blessed Sacrament, Bishop O’Neill’s legs were giving out, and he was unable to attend, but Bishop David J. Malloy, the present Bishop attended the event.
Sadly, Bishop Arthur J. O’Neill ended up passing away April 27, 2013. May God grant him eternal life. We lost a great Irishman.
Elmer Weber passed away also, a few years ago. Elmer was a great man also. Since Elmer’s passing, there has been no clergy night, in the Aurora area.
I have talked to Fr. Max on a couple of occasions and he is all aboard for hosting clergy night in the future, when we can get a kitchen crew and organizer in place.
Have a great week.