VIRGINIA AOH NEWSLETTER
Summer, 2008
NO
SUMMER STATE MEETING
This is the Summer, 2008, Virginia AOH
Newsletter, the fourth edition of our State Newsletter.
As
always, if you have suggestions as to topics you would like to see covered,
please let me know. Also, please give me your feedback, good and
bad, about the Newsletter. We publish four times a year. I am gratified
by the increase in the number of submissions and the quality of the original
submissions.
THE LADS: A group of
Northern Virginia AOH members (All AOH members are welcome.) meets every
Wednesday, rain or shine, for lunch. The group usually meets at Kate’s Irish
pub & restaurant, Springfield, Virginia, at 12 Noon. Please call Mike
Tivnan (703)494-4779 or Joe Boyle (703)646-5576 to make sure the venue has not
changed as The Lads takes trips occasionally.
All Virginia AOH Newsletters are archived at http://www.aohvirginia.org
Ed
Moran, Editor
HOME:
(703) 820-2854
FAX:
(212) 214-0427
EMAIL:
kerryman@att.net
|
1.
CHAPLAIN 2.
PRESIDENT 3.
VICE-PRESIDENT 4.
SECRETARY 5.
TREASURER 6.
PAST PRESIDENT 7.
PARLIAMENTARIAN 8.
INSURANCE ADVISOR 9.
CHARITIES AND MISSIONS 10.
ORGANIZER 11.
PRO-LIFE 12.
HISTORIAN 13.
CATHOLIC ACTION 14.
FREEDOM FOR ALL
IRELAND 15.
POLITICAL
EDUCATION 16.
IMMIGRATION 17.
BUY IRISH 18.
IRISH AWARENESS 19.
FINANCE 20.
HIBERNIAN OF
THE YEAR |
21.
NEWSLETTER
EDITOR/PUBLICITY 22.
CONVENTION
CHAIR 23.
WEBMASTER 24.
DEGREES AND
CEREMONIALS 25.
VETERANS
AFFAIRS 26.
FAIRFAX COUNTY
BOARD 27.
PRINCE WILLIAM
COUNTY BOARD 28.
COLONEL JOHN
FITZGERALD DIVISION (ARLINGTON) 29.
MSGR. BRADICAN
DIVISION (ANNANDALE) 30.
FATHER WILLIAM
CORBY DIVISION (FAIRFAX) 31.
LT. COLONEL
JOHN A. DOWD USMC
DIVISION (WOODBRIDGE) 32.
FATHER EDWIN
KELLEY DIVISION (MANASSAS) 33.
GEN. THOMAS
MEAGHER DIVISION (FREDERICKSBURG) 34.
COLONEL THOMAS
CUNNINGHAM, JR. DIVISION (ASHBURN) 35.
FATHER JOHN
MUNLEY DIVISION (WINCHESTER) 36.
MAJOR JAMES H.
DOOLEY DIVISION (RICHMOND) 37.
JOHN CARDINAL
O’CONNOR DIVISION (WILLIAMSBURG) 38.
ST. PATRICK
DIVISION (TIDEWATER) 39.
FATHER JOHN
LYNCH DIVISION (ROANOKE) |
1.
S T A T
E C H A P L A I N
Rev. George E. Zahn
St. Paul’s Church
909 Rennie Avenue
Richmond, VA 23227-4808
(804) 329-0473
NO REPORT
2. S T A T E P R E S I D E N T
Pat
Naughton
(804)
360-2969
At the AOH National Convention in New Orleans all eyes
were on the Virginia delegation. The Brian Boru degree team from Virginia
presented the Round Tower Degree. Our degree team has been in existence
for a relatively short time and has become one of the best in our Order.
We should all be proud of their accomplishments. Make sure you take the
next opportunity to take the degree from this team or witness their work.
For the first time in a long time the national
president's office was contested. Some may think that this position has
little impact at the local level. The national president represents our
Order at national and international affairs and makes monetary decisions.
This can affect the local Division.
After the national convention we will focus on the
2009 State Convention. Plans are in the works to hold the meeting and
social at Saint William of York in Stafford. Rooms will be arranged at a
nearby hotel. This should keep the cost down and allow more people to
attend. Please forward any ideas for the convention to Bruce Denault, bruce.denault@egginc.com.
There are several Irish/Celtic festivals happening in
the state this summer. I hope to see many of you at these.
In Friendship, Unity, and
Christian Charity,
Pat Naughton
3. V I C E—P R E S I D E N T
Rich
Aleksy
(703)
369-3189
NO REPORT
4. S E C R E T A R Y
Chuck Curran
NO REPORT.
5. T R E A S U R E R
Joe
McCarthy
(540)
888-3664
I have been receiving a steady flow of liability
checks since the April meeting. According
to my records the following divisions still owe money to the state treasury:
Lt. Col. Dowd - Liability assessment
Gen. Meagher - per capita
St. Patrick - Liability assessment
Maj. Dooley - Liability assessment
Cardinal O'Connor - per capita and Liability
assessment
Fr. Lynch -
Liability assessment
The amounts owed towards the liability were in the
handouts at the state meeting. I have
not received any form 11s from those owing per capita.
Yours in the motto, Joe McCarthy, VA State Treasurer
6. P A S T P R E S I D E N T
Dan Brennan
(757 471-7274
NO REPORT.
7. P A R L I A M E N T A R I A N
Arthur
Grimley
(703) 971-6831
NO REPORT
8. I N S U R A N C E A D V I S O R
Dave
Zerby
(540)
374-1982
Just a word of caution: be careful and watch the people around
you. As I was coming out of Potomac
Center at Potomac Hospital, someone picked my pocket and my wallet was
gone. Within two hours, some person or
persons were in Alexandria using my credit cards.
Anyway, have fun, be smart, and have a good time this
summer.
9. C H A R I T I E S A N D M I S S I O N S
John Rickard
(703)368-4795
NO REPORT.
10.
O R G A N I Z E R
Rich
Aleksy
(703)
369-3189
NO REPORT.
11.
P R O—L I F E
Larry
O'Brien
(703)
978-5651
PRO-LIFE
STAND: STAND WITH US ONCE A MONTH AND
PRAY FOR THE UNBORN
“Speak
up for those who cannot speak for themselves…defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9 (cf Ps 82:3-4)
“For
you created my innermost being. You knit
me together in my mother’s womb…Your eyes saw my unformed body.” Psalm 129:12-16 (cf:Is 44:224; Acts 17:
24-25; Psalm 100:3; Job 10: 8-12).
Misconceptions about the Physical Damage of Abortion
The
cacophony of misconceptions about abortion brings to mind the character Gilda
Radner portrayed on TVs Saturday Night
Live from 1975 to 1980. This
character was Emily Littella, an elderly woman in dowdy attire, who would squint
at the camera and unleash a tirade about some issue from current events. Being hard of hearing, Emily invariably got
her facts a little skewed: “What’s all
this fuss about the Supreme Court decision on the deaf penalty?” Littella would carry on about conserving our
natural racehorses, sax and violins on TV, the eagle rights amendment and youth
in Asia. Every week the anchor sitting
next to her would eventually lean over and correct Emily: “It’s the death penalty,” etc. Emily would challenge her once or twice, but
finally gave up and would concede the point by saying “Oh, that’s different,
isn’t it?” She would then turn back to
the camera, gather her frumpy sweater and her dignity about her and say, “Never
mind!”
What’s
all the fuss about? Safe extortion or
rowing and wave? While Emily Littella
may have put it better, or at least the writers would have, Roe v. Wade is no
laughing matter. Nor are the many
misconceptions funny. We’ll focus on
only one aspect of abortion, and that is that abortion is safe. You’ve heard the adage that if a lie is
repeated enough, it may be accepted by some as being true, especially to the
one telling the lie.
Women
who have aborted have significantly higher rates of breast cancer later in
life, according to the Journal of the
American Medical Association, Nov. 1993, and breast cancer has risen by 50%
in America since abortion became legal in 1973.
Almost one in twenty women suffer during an abortion with laceration to
the cervix, which results in an almost 50/50 chance of miscarriage in a woman’s
next pregnancy if it is not treated properly during that pregnancy. A high incidence of cervical damage from
abortion procedures has raised the incidence of miscarriage 30-40% in women who
have had abortion. If the uterus is
perforated, the urinary bladder can be perforated, which can result in
peritonitis. If the uterus is
perforated, the intestines can be perforated, which can cause nausea, vomiting,
abdominal pain, blood in the stool, peritonitis, and death, if not treated
quickly and properly.
After
an abortion, a woman is 8-20 times more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy,
which is a pregnancy that occurs outside the uterus. Ectopic pregnancies increased 300% since
abortion was legalized, according to the American
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
In 1970, the incidence was 4.8% per 1,000 births; by 1980 it was 14.5%
per 1,000 births (Aborted Women: Silent
No More; David Reardon, 1987). Women who
have had two or more abortions have twice as many first trimester miscarriages
in pregnancies that follow a vaginal abortion.
We
have a duty to be advocates for the unborn and to respond to all of the
misrepresentations about abortion.
Anyone who is indifferent or passive about abortion, doesn’t join us in
the Pro-Life Rally and March, or join us in saying the Rosary together at an
abortion facility may have ice water in his veins.
Outsourcing AOH Pro-Life
If
Brother Ed Moran and this writer continue to be the only Virginia AOH members
who participate as AOH marchers at the Pro-Life March and Rally and the monthly
Pro-Life mass at St. Rita’s and following the praying of the Rosary with other
Catholics at an abortion facility, we will have to give serious consideration
to outsourcing Pro-Life to local parishioners in that area, the Knights of
Columbus and other active groups.
Otherwise, being eclipsed by our Maryland AOH brothers and their wives
who had at least a dozen people and a banner is quite embarrassing. Speaking with brother AOH members who
traveled from New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and other significant
distances, compared to only two from Virginia, suggests that time should be the
arbiter. If there is no increase in
participation at next January’s Pro-Life rally, we should fold up our Pro-Life
tent and go our separate ways on it.
Time will judge us by whether we stand against abortion with only words
or if we back them up with substantive action.
Eventually,
and the day will come, when people will look at the barbaric Roe v. Wade and
conclude like the Dred Scott Decision that all life is sacred, black or white,
born or unborn, and that both decisions were exceptionally bad Supreme Court
decisions, incongruous with the intent of the Founding Fathers. Until then, we’ll have to pray, work hard,
rally, march, write and wait to have some of the politicized justices who
legislate from the bench be replaced and see long-awaited and more objective
majority rulings. When we do, we’ll
witness all of the frivolous arguments and decisions crumble like a house of
cards and hear the collective cries of “never mind!”
St. Rita’s Catholic Church is at—
3815
Russell Road
Alexandria,
VA
(703)
836-1640
Resources
In
November 2006, The American Spectator
ran a three-page article by Tom Bethell providing a brilliant description about
the history and difference between anti-life embryonic and adult stem cell
research. For a free copy of this
article and to subscribe to the newsletter, write Virginia Right to Life, Inc.
(VRTL), P.O. Box 1261, Springfield, VA, 22151 (see www.vrtl.org). This newsletter is quite informative about
pro-life issues. For a mere $10
annually, which is the membership fee, you can receive this quarterly
newsletter. $10 is generally the amount
you see when you first start squeezing the handle on the gas pump
nowadays. This is a completely
volunteer-run organization.
www.abortionfacts.com: Complications You Can Have with Your Abortion
12.H I S T O R I A N
Bruce Denault
(540) 446-9123
Biographies
of our namesakes continue with a military theme and with the biography of Major
James H. Dooley, patron of the home Division of our State President, Pat
Naughton.
MAJOR
JAMES H. DOOLEY 
|
Born |
|
|
Died |
November
16, 1922
(aged 81) |
James Henry Dooley was the son of Irish immigrants John
and Sarah Dooley. He was born in Richmond, Virginia, on January 17, 1841 and
was one of nine children. His father, John Dooley, Sr. was a successful hat
manufacturer. The Dooley family was prominent in the community and the parish
of St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church.
He attended Georgetown College (now Georgetown
University) and was the first student to rank at the head of his class during
each of his four years, graduating in 1860. Soon after, James and his brother
John enlisted in the Confederate Army, joining their father's unit, the First
Virginia Infantry. He was wounded at the Battle of Williamsburg during the
Peninsula Campaign in May, 1862. He was captured and confined for a short time.
He later worked in the Confederate Ordnance Department in Richmond. Although he
never attained rank in the army, in later life he was referred to by the
honorific "Major."
After the war, he completed a Master of Arts degree at Georgetown
and returned to Richmond. During the postwar years when Richmond was beginning
to rebuild its business district, he began his career as a lawyer. He married
Sarah ("Sallie") O. May of Lunenburg County, Virginia, in 1869.
Dooley was elected to the Virginia General Assembly and served from 1871 to
1877.
In 1880, he became a board member of the Richmond and
Danville Railroad, which expanded into a multi state system of over 3,000 miles
which, in 1894, became the basis of the Southern Railway. He headed the
Richmond and Allegheny Railroad Company, which built tracks along the towpaths
of the defunct James River and Kanawha Canal, served as a director of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, and was a leader in the founding of the Seaboard
Air Line Railroad. He was also involved in steel companies and banking.
In 1893, Major Dooley had a palatial brick mansion built
overlooking the James River in the western portion of the Richmond area which
he and his wife named Maymont. The Dooleys also maintained a mountain retreat, Swannanoa, in the Blue Ridge Mountains at
Rockfish Gap near Crozet, Virginia.
According to Richmond's Maymont Foundation, "Major
Dooley's leadership of various civic endeavors runs as a continuous thread
through the history of Richmond, from the early 1870s through the early
1920s." He was a board member of St. Joseph's Orphanage, served on the
board of the Medical College of Virginia and, in 1919, gave the funds for the
construction of the Dooley Hospital (now part of Virginia Commonwealth
University.
Major Dooley died in Richmond at the age of 81. He first
was buried with his former Confederate comrades in Hollywood Cemetery, and
later reinterred with his wife Sallie in a mausoleum at Maymont.
The Dooleys, who were themselves childless, left a record
3 million dollars to the St. Joseph's orphanage, a charitable organization
which continues its work in family and children services in modern times as
"St. Joseph's Villa" on the North Side of Richmond. Mrs. Dooley gave
a half million dollars to build the Richmond Public Library
as a memorial to her husband.
Their home, Maymont, was left to the City of Richmond as a park and
museum subsequent to Mrs. Dooley's death. Today, Maymont Park is a major
Richmond attraction on the James River, with a museum, formal
gardens, native wildlife exhibits, nature center, carriage collection, and
children's farm and petting zoo.
13.C AT H O L I C A C T I O N
Jack
Devaney
(703)
278-8352
Spanish Assistance in the Revolutionary War
The Spanish established Jesuit Missions in Virginia, 1570-1572. The Indians
killed or drove off all who came.
Spanish soldiers fought throughout America during the American
Revolution. 4000 Spanish Soldiers died as prisoners of war at Yorktown
Hispanics funded substantial money to the American Continental Army, Congress, and
General George Washington to help win our independence. Hispanics fought British troops throughout
the Americas during the period of the American Revolution.
BELLA - The DVD and Movie
Are you tired of the same old stuff?
Here is a change of pace. Do you
want to see how a commercial kitchen really works? Do you want to see family values stressed and
held together? This is a film for you.
Nina, a young, unmarried waitress at a Mexican restaurant, finds herself
pregnant and without work after coming in late several days because of morning
sickness. Jose, the restaurant's chef, is taken by Nina's plight and becomes
her sole confidant, even though Jose is barely hanging on for himself.
Jose helps her walk through her decision on what to do with her pregnancy.
In the process, he bears secrets from his own mysterious past which reveal his
tenderness and passion for her and the child she is carrying.
Here is a chance to really look at the world of today and see how it is
and perhaps how it could be.
The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15th.
This feast has a double object: (1) the happy departure of Mary from this
life; (2) the assumption of her body into heaven. It is the principal feast of
the Blessed Virgin.
The dates assigned for it vary between three and fifteen years after
Christ's Ascension. Two cities claim to be the place of her departure:
Jerusalem and Ephesus. This was discussed in the 5th Century. St. Gregory of Tours is the first to have
discussed the concept for the church in the 5th century. It became church law in November 1, 1950, the
second time “ex cathedra” proclamation has been used in the church.
14.F R E E D O M F O R A L L I R E L A
N D
NO REPORT. (Chairman position open)
15.P O L I T I C A L E D U C A T I O N
NO REPORT. (Chairman position open)
16.I M M I G R A T I O N
NO REPORT. (Chairman position open)
17.B U Y I R I S H
Hugh
P. O'Brien
(540)
786-4214
How is your
collection of Irish music doing these days ? Do you already have a large number
of records , tapes, and/or Compact Discs filled with familiar names like
The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, Phil Coulter, Frank Patterson or
others of more recent times, e.g.,Celtic Woman , Gaelic Storm and our own
local tenor, Mark Forrest? You may be
running out of storage space but I have two selections
to recommend that have added greatly to my listening pleasure and may do the
same for you.
The first is called " Irish Rhapsody " and is an
Instrumental medley of traditional Irish songs such as " The
Irish Washerwoman ","The Minstrel Boy", " The Last Rose of
Summer " and "The Rakes of Mallow"(you may remember
this was the accompanying music to John Wayne's dragging Maureen
O'Hara across the meadows in "The Quiet Man").
I first heard this Irish Suite, arranged by composer / conductor Leroy
Anderson some fifty years ago when it was on a 78 RPM record and was
pleased to find it available on a CD. Combined with the Anderson work are
a few numbers from operetta composer Victor Herbert and that most
famous Irish tune from County Derry," Danny Boy".
The disc was produced by Naxos (DDD 8.555016; www.naxos.com) and provides an hour of musical
enjoyment from the sprightly to the sentimental.
.
The second CD that I commend to you is not strictly Irish but is
performed by that popular trio, The Irish Tenors, John McDermott,
Finbar Wright, and Anthony Kearns . It
is more. for your meditative moments and is titled " Sacred - A
Spiritual Journey". There are 15 selections ranging from Gregorian
Chant (" Salve Regina" ) to well known
Christian hymns ("Amazing Grace" and "Hail
Glorious Saint Patrick " ).
To quote the three singers," We want this music to bathe and refresh the
troubled soul, to feed and entertain the hungry spirit , to enthuse and
fortify the fervent heart with the beauty and intensity of glorious melodies
and stirring truths...:" I trust that some of you may be so
affected and want to acquire this musical offering. To order, contact www.theirishtenors.inf
18.I R I S H A W A R E N E S S
John
O’Hara
(703)
217-5527
NO REPORT.
19.F I N A N C E
Rich
Aleksy
(703)
369-3189
Once again,
once again NO REPORT. (3rd
time in a row)
20.H I B E R N I A N O F T H E Y E A R
Rich
Aleksy
(703)
369-3189
NO REPORT.
21.N E W S L E T T E R E D I T O R/P U B L I C I T
Y
Ed Moran
(703) 820-2854
Please see
"Introduction."
22.C O N V E N T I O N C H A I R
Bruce
Denault
(540)
446-9123
The General Meagher Division has made much progress in
preparing for the 2009 AOH State Convention.
We have all the facilities we need and the full cooperation of St
William of York Parish. We can host the
convention for both the AOH and LAOH as well as support a banquet with
entertainment, an installation of Officers and a Tower Degree. We have several
ideas for an ice breaker, to include a social event at the National Marine
Corps Museum.
We request a proposed Agenda from the State Board and
any and all information from the State LAOH Board to assist us in our planning.
A representative from the LAOH to sit on our committee is also requested.
23.W E B M A S T E R
Mike Creegan
(703) 221-4692
I know that I’m starting to sound like a broken
record (old technology) but I am still only getting input for the website from
a couple of Divisions. The State Board has been paying iPower to host our
website and it should be used to support the activities of our Divisions. It
should be a one stop location to find out what our Divisions are doing around
the state. It can make people aware of your fund raising activities and Irish
cultural events. All that it takes is an email to me with all the details or, if
you have one, a flyer with the details.
We’ve just completed the process to renew our annual
contract with iPower effective July 12th. Below are the statistics
for our website covering the first five months of the year. As you can see, our website receives quite a
few visits. Advertising your events on the website could generate more public
interest. Additionally, we have established a relationship with the Irish Echo
and can have our events listed in their online edition. In addition to the
Irish Echo, numerous websites in the U.S. and Ireland have established links to
our website. This generates more hits, and more hits mean more people are
viewing the notices posted to the website.
|
Month |
Unique visitors |
Number of visits |
Pages |
Hits |
Bandwidth |
|
Jan-08 |
276 |
368 |
1561 |
3026 |
16.58 MB |
|
Feb-08 |
281 |
358 |
2210 |
5251 |
31.79 MB |
|
Mar-08 |
505 |
608 |
2587 |
4541 |
41.11 MB |
|
Apr-08 |
420 |
650 |
2375 |
3956 |
40.96 MB |
|
May-08 |
479 |
671 |
2406 |
3528 |
41.72 MB |
We still have the bulletin board and Blog associated
with the State website. However, it’s not being used. I am the only one posting
announcements to the bulletin board. But, this is a resource for the State and
County Boards as well as all of the Divisions. I’m afraid that if we don’t
start to have interest and use of these resources by our membership, we will
have to discontinue them. For many months now, I have received hundreds of
notices of registrations submitted by people who are clearly not Hibernians.
These notices just pile up in my email in box and consume too much of my time
to review and then delete.
Both the bulletin board and Blog can be accessed using
the links found at our website www.aohvirginia.org.
Lastly, please provide me with input concerning your
Division’s activities, it’s free advertising!
24.D E G R E E S A N D C E R E M O N I A L S
J. J. Kelly
(703)
455-1507
The Brian Boru Major Degree Team prepared for the
exemplification of the Major Degrees in New Orleans during this year’s National
AOH Convention. As a result of the
generosity of some of our team members, we have obtained some new equipment, to
include period helmets and tunics.
In April we exemplified the Major Degrees in Bowie, MD
for a large number of candidates from MD, DC and VA. We are in final
negotiations for another exemplification in Ocean City, MD, currently scheduled
for November 14-16. All comers are welcome.
We continue to hold fundraisers to help defray the
cost of getting the team to New Orleans. All contributions are graciously
accepted! And we continue to need
additional team members.
25.V E T E R A N S’ A F F A I R S
Dan
Brennan
(757)
471-7274
NO REPORT.
26.F A I R F A X C O U N T Y B O A R D
Dan
Rhoades
(703)
532-6385
The Fairfax County Board
bemoans the demise of the Saint Brendan Division (Fairfax County #1). The Saint
Brendan Division was under the stewardship of Arthur Grimley, current
Parliamentarian, prior to and at the time of its downfall.
27.P R I N C E W I L L I A M C O U N T
Y B O A R D
Russell
Keating
(703)
392-3997
NO
REPORT. (4th TIME IN A ROW!)
28.COLONEL JOHN FITZGERALD DIVISION (ARLINGTON)
James
Rogers
(703)
413-3062
We held our Division barbecue in June
and had the idea of holding another in September and inviting all the
Hibernians in Northern Virginia, offering some entertainment, and broadening
our usual circle of fellowship.
Peace.
29.MSGR. BRADICAN DIVISION (ANNANDALE)
Gene
Bransfield
(703) 820-2464
NO REPORT.
30.FATHER WILLIAM CORBY DIVISION (FAIRFAX)
ED
CARLS, II
(202)
431-3899
In keeping with a long standing tradition started by the
AOH at St. Mary’s, several members of the Division not only participated in but
also played leading roles in the Memorial Day ceremonies on the cemetery
grounds of The Old St Mary’s Historic Church. The church was built by Irish
immigrant railroad workers in 1858. American flags were placed on each grave
and the tricolor was placed on graves of those with Irish surnames (A majority
of those in the cemetery). Following
the Mass the color guard, with piper, lead the celebrant through the graveyard
for a blessing of the graves. Patrick O’Brien, son of Gregory O’Brien, one of the most famed pipers of
Northern Virginia was the piper. One of
the graves blessed in the ceremonies is the resting place of Ona O’Brien, wife
and mother of the pipers. Another grave is that of Pvt. Kidwell of the 8th
VA Infantry, CSA.
The Father
Corby Division, AOH presented the award of a trip to Ireland to Mr. Mike
Mooney, AOH member and owner of Kate’s Pub in Springfield. Mr. Mooney’s good
fortune was the result of a drawing held at the annual St Patrick’s Day Dinner
Dance.
The Father
Corby Division donated $100.00 to the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s
Capital. Donated $179 clothes to St Mary’s Church. Donated $200 To the Stefan Home,
a house for needy pregnant women. Donated to the Sisters of the Holy Cross at
Notre Dame for emergency repairs to their plumbing systems. Donated $125 to the
Columbian Squires and Roses. Donated the
$1,000 John Devaney Scholarship to Angelica Perez de la Rosa. Miss De La Rosa 
is a civil engineering student at Virginia Tech and a
staunch Catholic.
Miss
Angelica Perez
de la
Rosa
Our
beloved Chaplain, Father Eyprien Hondje has completed the first steps
toward obtaining a green card from the Immigration and Naturalization Service
as he continues his conflict management doctoral studies at George Mason
University.
The Father
Corby Division is sponsoring a stage at the 5th Annual Irish Folk
Festival on Saturday, September 27th, 2008. The Festival will be
held at Van Dyck Park, 3730 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax from noon to 6:00pm. Three
stages will showcase traditional Irish Music and Dance. Billy Comiskey and
Brendan Mulvihill are scheduled to perform. The festival is organized by the
O’Neill-Malcom Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann (CCE). Admission is
free.
31.LT. COLONEL JOHN A. DOWD USMC DIVISION (WOODBRIDGE)
Jack
Murphy
(703)
497-4495
The Charity Golf Tournament was held on June 23rd
at the Montclair Country Club. We had 64
golfers which wasn’t bad for a rescheduled date. It was also a nice day to play and be a part
of a tournament.
32.FATHER EDWIN KELLEY DIVISION (MANASSAS)
Jim
Conroy
(703)
369-0480
NO REPORT.
33.GEN. THOMAS MEAGHER DIVISION (FREDERICKSBURG)
Bruce Denault
(540) 446-9123
Regrettably, I must inform you of a crisis that has
surfaced in our Division. Our Financial Secretary/Treasurer has moved to
Illinois. In the conduct of a “turn
over” audit, several discrepancies were noted. There are no financial
records for this calendar year nor was there any indication that any Division
Assessments to our State Treasury had been paid. More importantly, nearly
$1,000 had improperly and illegally been withdrawn. I personally went to
our bank and met with the Branch Manager.
Together we audited the account and re-established signature cards.
In an attempt to recover the funds, I drafted a
letter, signed by the Officers of the Division, informing our former Financial
Secretary/Treasurer that his membership as a Hibernian has been terminated and
that he has until September 1st to re-pay the Division or face
possible legal action. This letter was
sent by certified mail, one copy by first class mail and I will hand deliver a
copy the first week in July when I am in Illinois.
Our treasury has been reduced to less than $500. Our Division has nearly $800 in financial
obligations, our Assessment and $650 to St. William of York School. We had also intended a small stipend for our
Delegate to the National Convention.
Solvency of our Division is now our #1 priority.
To accomplish this we intend to:
·
Immediately pay
our Division Assessment (due by February 15) to the State Treasurer and pray
our Delegate at the National Convention can still be seated despite our
delinquency.
·
Contact St
William of York Parish and School and inform them of our situation in general
terms. We will make good on our promise
of $650, but it will be delayed.
·
Defer the stipend
to our Delegate until we are more solvent.
·
Host a coffee and
doughnut breakfast at St. William of York Church one Sunday each month.
We are working with the bank to ensure that in the
future NO transaction in or for our
account will be honored without two signatures. Whereas the two-signature
requirement is specified in our By-Laws, the bank had recognized any single
signature as long as it was on our signature card.
We are not sure of the impact this will have on our
Division hosting the 2009 State Convention.
We need the agenda for the convention and the requirements from the LAOH
before we can determine that.
Upcoming
Events
The General Meagher Division will host a Coffee and
Doughnut Breakfast the fourth Sunday of each month at St William of York
Church.
There is NO meeting in July. Our next meeting
will be August 19th. Hugh O’Brien, however, will be traveling to New
Orleans in July as our Delegate at the National Convention.
During July, also, there will be a meeting of the
Convention Committee. The date and time
is not yet established.
From now until the end of the year, we have the
International Fall Festival at St. William of York and another Fall Festival at
St. Mary’s. (September-October) To wrap
up the year, in December, we have Sgt. Kirkland Memorial, the Fredericksburg
Christmas Parade and our election of new Officers.
Goals
1. Continue to
promote and support Catholic education in the Fredericksburg area.
2. Continue our
efforts to recruit Catholic men of Irish descent, hopefully increasing our
division size by 20%
3. Continue to
be an ever increasing presence in our community, promoting Irish awareness and
education.
4. Work with
other Catholic organization h the Fredericksburg area to promote and support
the need for Catholic High School facilities in central Virginia.
34.COLONEL THOMAS CUNNINGHAM, JR. DIVISION (ASHBURN)
John O’Hara
(703) 217-5527
NO REPORT.
35.FATHER JOHN MUNLEY DIVISION (WINCHESTER)
Jack Rogers
(540) 877-3023
Brother James
Scully passed away on Wed. May 21st.
Jim was a charter member of the Munley division and had been in poor
health for the past few years. Six
members of the division served as pall bearers. The division participated in our parish
Family Fun Day, manning a Moon Bounce for five hours on a hot Sunday
afternoon, except for when a squall or two came through and blew out the Moon
and drenched the members.
The
men and women of the Division assisted at the Weekend-in-the-Park portion
of Winchester’s 81st APPLE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL.
The division earned $1,300 during the two-day park festival.
We shall
be having a major parish-based social on Saturday, 23 August. Mass will be at approximately 5:00 pm
followed by a cookout featuring Chef Jack.
Contact me for more details.
36.MAJOR JAMES H. DOOLEY DIVISION (RICHMOND)
Joe O’Brien
(804) 349-4301
Once again,
again NO REPORT. (3rd time in
a row)
37.JOHN CARDINAL O’CONNOR DIVISION (WILLIAMSBURG)
Jack Cummings
(757) 229-7368
NO
REPORT (4th TIME IN A ROW)
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will shortly
be launching a rocket and robot probe to explore for Hibernian life in
Williamsburg.
38.ST. PATRICK DIVISION (TIDEWATER)
Mark Monaghan
(757)471-6557
NO REPORT.
39.FATHER JOHN LYNCH DIVISION (ROANOKE)
Matt Duffy
(540) 989-6067
NO REPORT.
We feature books, fiction and nonfiction, of interest to the Irish and Irish-Americans.
For the latest
news and reviews of Irish books, go to http://www.readireland.ie.
Send them your email address to get on their mailing list. They send
reviews at least once a week. Also, http://www.dufoureditions.com is
a good source of Irish-themed books.
In the last few
decades there has been an explosion in excellent literary output especially by
Irish and Irish-American women. While many of us are still reading the older
traditional Irish literary works (You have read "Ulysses" by James
Joyce, haven't you?), it is important to keep up with current
Irish literature. One such excellent work is "The Gathering" by
Anne Enright, (November, 2007). It was the winner of the Man Booker prize.
Irish and Irish-American women have finally found a venue to share with
all of us their insightful understandings of life.
Previously
reviewed: 
Kate's Irish Pub &
Restaurant. Rating: 5 shamrocks (highest rating), 6131
Backlick Road, Springfield (in the Concord Centre, next to Fischer's
Hardware), (703) 866-0860, www.katesirishpub.com.
Open 11:00 am-2:00 am, everyday. Last
visited: Wednesday, 2 January,
2008.
Annie Moore’s Pub.
Rating: 5 shamrocks (highest rating), 3555 Electric Road,
Roanoke (at the corner of Colonial Avenue), (540) 904-5466. Open 11:00 am-11:00 pm, Monday through
Wednesday, and 11:00 am through 1:00 am Thursday through Saturday. Last visited:
Saturday , 22 December, 2007.
Rare Olde Times. Rating: 5 shamrocks (highest rating), 10602 Patterson Avenue (Route 6), Richmond VA 23238-4702, at the corner
of Pump Road & Patterson Avenue, in the Canterbury Green Shopping Center on
the North side of Patterson Avenue (Route 6), (804)750-1346. Irish music nightly. Website:
www.rareoldetimespub.com
ED MORAN
kerryman@att.net
Telephone: 703.820.2854 (U.S.A.)
Fax: 212.214.0427 (U.S.A.)
3705 SOUTH GEORGE MASON DRIVE
#2618
FALLS CHURCH, VA 22041-3728
U.S.A.