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Enosburg Falls couple celebrating 78 years of marriage

Posted on by Cori Urban

Phyllis Lumbra was a girl of 14 when she had her eye on a certain boy. But her gaze shifted when she first saw Charles Lumbra, the boy’s cousin, while visiting a neighbor.

Charles asked her to go to a dance, and her mother agreed because the neighbor was going too. “And we kept right on going,” she said, explaining that they continued dating.

They were young when they married in 1946 at St. John the Baptist Church in Enosburg Falls. It was a small wedding, followed by breakfast at her mother’s home in Bakersfield. Supper was on the farm in Enosburg with Charles’ family, and the day was topped off that evening with dancing in the Bakersfield town hall.

The honeymoon came later — a weeklong visit to Connecticut where his brother lived.

The couple — who used to enjoy dancing, especially square dancing — “danced our life away,” Phyllis said happily. They liked the 2-step and the waltz, too, and country bands.

Phyllis, 95, and Charles, 99, spoke about their long life together during a visit with a reporter and Father Dan Jordan, their pastor at St. John the Baptist Church — not far from their Enosburg Falls home.

“They are wonderful people. They are always happy,” Father Jordan said. “They are very generous in so many ways and still support the parish.”

During his visit, the pastor presented the couple with a special certificate from the Diocese of Burlington recognizing their 78 years of marriage; and he gave them both communion. “They are a sign of faith, hope and love having been together for 78 years,” he said.

They attribute their long marriage to clean living and hard work. “When we went somewhere, we always went together,” Phyllis said. “And we agree on just about everything.”

When they were able, they always went to Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday morning; now they watch the early morning Mass on television together every Sunday. “Going to church makes you want to do what you’re supposed to be doing,” Phyllis said.

They often pray “the beads” (the rosary) together in their living room, she added.

Charles was born on a farm and spent many years in farm work, but he also worked as a car salesman for a short time in Connecticut and worked in Vermont for a furniture manufacturer. Phyllis, who converted to Catholicism when she was married, cleaned houses and was a factory worker.

The couple has one son, three granddaughters and two great grandsons.

“We get along good,” Charles said, looking at his wife.

He enjoys her cooking — especially the desserts, and they like to watch television together — usually the news — before going to bed early. They used to like going shopping — he pushed the cart for her. “We’d just roam around, we might not buy anything,” Phyllis said, but they enjoyed seeing people and going out for a quick meal.

Asked what he loves most about her, he replied, “Everything.”

Asked the same question about her husband, Phyllis said, “He’s agreeable.”

“You have your ups and downs” in marriage, Phyllis said. “When we were first married, we didn’t have a lot of money. One time my brother-in-law came for supper and I didn’t have money for meat, so we had canned vegetables.”

She canned what she could, and they survived on what they had.

But what they always had in abundance was love. “It’s been quite a run,” Phyllis said.

—Originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

 

 

 

Development, Communication Department update

Posted on by Submitted Article

The Diocese of Burlington is grateful for Ellen Kane’s eight years of service as executive director of development and communications for the diocese as well as the Vermont Catholic Community Foundation.

We wish her the best of luck as she transitions to a new job.

Holly Thayer has accepted the position as interim development and communications director. Holly has worked for the diocese for the last four years, beginning as an intern during the summers while in college, then joining the department as a coordinator, manager, and now interim director.

Holly knows every aspect of the job as well as the staff.

You can reach Holly at hthayer@ vermontcatholic.org or 802-658-6110 ext. 1214.

The Vermont Catholic Community Foundation Board of Directors will be announcing a new interim executive director soon.

In the interim all questions regarding the foundation can be emailed to vccf@vermontcatholic.org.

—Originally published in the April 13-19, 2024, edition of The Inland See.

Musing from Monsignor McDermott

Posted on by Msgr. John McDermott

‘Infinite Dignity’

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

While the eclipse received most of the local attention this past week, there was another significant event that took place in Rome the same day as the eclipse. On Monday, April 8, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the endorsement of Pope Francis, issued a declaration on the dignity of the human person entitled “Dignitatis Infinita” (“Infinite Dignity”).

While some media outlets highlighted sections which might be considered controversial, the document is a concise summary of the Church’s stance on the inherent value of each person — from conception to natural death — as well as a call for all people of good will to recognize current threats to this God-given dignity. I strongly encourage everyone to take the time to read this document — it is not excessively long — in order to learn for ourselves what it actually says and not rely on others to tell us what it says. At the risk of ignoring my own advice, however, I will highlight for us a few elements of great importance.

The first is the idea of the ontological dignity of each person, meaning the fundamental and most basic level of dignity. The documents states, ontological dignity is the most important kind of dignity which “belongs to the person as such simply because he or she is willed, created and loved by God. Ontological dignity is indelible and remains valid beyond any circumstances in which the person may find themselves” (n. 7). This ontological dignity can never be lost and is not dependent on any political, societal, or personal authority.

Next, in light of the revelation of Jesus Christ and our redemption purchased by His death and resurrection, “the Church believes and affirms that all human beings — created in the image and likeness of God and recreated in the Son … — are called to grow under the action of the Holy Spirit to reflect the glory of the Father in that same image and to share eternal life” (n. 21).

It is only when individuals understand these fundamental teachings based on the truths revealed by nature and revelation that the rest of the document makes clear sense.  As the document emphasizes: “The Church insists that the dignity of every human person, precisely because it is intrinsic, remains ‘in all circumstances.’ The recognition of this dignity cannot be contingent upon a judgment about the person’s ability to understand and act freely; otherwise, it would not be inherent in the person, independent of the individual’s situation, and thus deserving unconditional respect. Only by recognizing an intrinsic and inalienable dignity in every human being can we guarantee a secure and inviolable foundation for that quality. Without any ontological grounding, the recognition of human dignity would vacillate at the mercy of varying and arbitrary judgments” (n. 24).

Noting these fundamental concepts, the document then highlights current threats to this infinite dignity. Among the issues are poverty, war, the plight of migrants, human trafficking, sexual abuse, violence against women, abortion, surrogacy, euthanasia and assisted suicide, the marginalization of people with disabilities, gender theory, sex change and digital violence. The document teaches that each of these areas poses a threat to the ontological dignity of each person. Each area would be a worthy topic for a lengthy class or course, so I encourage us to delve deeper into the Church’s teaching on these topics. The topics presented are not meant to be an exhaustive list, but a reminder that basic human dignity is threatened from many sides, and we must be alerted to defending human dignity always.

Let’s take the time to read, reflect, and study this and other Church documents so that we know what we believe and understand the why behind the what.

Peace in Christ,

Monsignor John J. McDermott

Diocesan Administrator

The way to find happiness

Posted on by Submitted Article

In his message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations this year, Pope Francis acknowledges the fact that every vocation – from marriage to consecrated life and priesthood – involves a call from God embracing our entire existence.

Realizing that every path in life is a call from God is worth pondering.

“Each year, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations invites us to reflect on the precious gift of the Lord’s call to each of us, as members of his faithful pilgrim people, to participate in his loving plan and to embody the beauty of the Gospel in different states of life,” Pope Francis wrote. “Hearing that divine call … is the surest way for us to fulfill our deepest desire for happiness. Our life finds fulfillment when we discover who we are, what our gifts are, where we can make them bear fruit, and what path we can follow in order to become signs and instruments of love, generous acceptance, beauty and peace, wherever we find ourselves.”

I’d like to reflect on two aspects of this message – that God is calling each of us to participate in His loving plan and that our acceptance of His plan is the surest way to find personal fulfillment.

When we speak of someone having a “calling” we generally assume this means a call to priesthood or religious life. But this is a narrow understanding of the concept of vocation.

God has a plan for each of us; He is calling each of us to a specific vocation, which may or may not involve full-time service in the Church.

Realizing that God has a plan for us – and discerning what this plan is – is essential to our personal growth as we mature from childhood to adulthood.

As the pope says, it’s a matter of discovering who we are, what our gifts are, and where we can make them bear fruit.

Do we take into account that our personal gifts have been “received”?

This is what St. Paul was trying to teach the Corinthians when he said, “What do you possess that you have not received? But if you have received it, why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Looking back on my own vocation, I realize that as a youngster I didn’t look at my abilities and blessings as gifts given to me by God. I didn’t even understand that God had a plan for my life – I thought that life was all about my plans!

I began volunteering with the Little Sisters of the Poor and the elderly – not because I felt God calling me to religious life or because I was committed to improving the lives of elderly people in need – but simply because I thought community service would “look good” on my college applications.

In just a few weeks, however, I discovered qualities within myself that I never knew existed – gifts like love and empathy for the elderly and joy in making them happy – and I came to the conviction that caring for the elderly – giving my life for them – was my God-given purpose and my mission in life.

Discovering who I was, what my special gifts were, and where I could make them bear fruit, led me to experience a sense of personal fulfillment and lasting joy. Despite life’s inevitable ups and downs, this joy and purpose have never waned; they have endured for almost 40 years.

Even when I was quite self-absorbed and ignorant of His ways, in His kindness God came to meet me where I was and to make himself known to me. This encounter, though completely unexpected, was very real.

When I look back at my own vocation, I often think of the words Pope Benedict XVI addressed to young people during his inaugural homily on April 24, 2005: “With great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life!”

—Sister Constance Veit is the communications director for the Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States and an occupational therapist.

Mercy Sunday Musing from Monsignor McDermott

Posted on by Msgr. John McDermott

He is risen, alleluia! He is truly risen, alleluia!

My dear family in Christ,

As we celebrate the second Sunday of Easter, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday, we are also preparing ourselves to experience the total eclipse of the sun on Monday, April 8. For about 5 minutes in the afternoon, the moon will pass in front of the sun and bring darkness to the beauty of a spring day. As I was thinking about all the hoopla surrounding the eclipse and the impact this will have upon Vermont, I realized it provided the perfect introduction to my musing this week.

Think about it. The sun will be covered and darkened, our world will be cast into a premature night, and we will have to wait patiently for the return of the light. This provides a nice image of our faith lives.

The sun represents the love and grace that God is constantly pouring forth into our lives. Just as the sun’s light brings light and life to our world, so does God’s love and grace keep our souls alive. Without the sun, our world would grow dark, cold, and lifeless. Without God’s grace, our faith lives would grow cold, dark, and lifeless. If we think about the eclipse as the presence of sin in our lives, we can consider the impact sin can have upon our lives of faith.

A partial eclipse can be likened to venial sin in our lives. We are not completely cut off from God’s love, but our actions, attitudes, and behaviors cause us to live in a world that is not as clear as it is intended to be. While not shut off from God’s love, these sins impact us and can lead us further and further into darkness.

A total eclipse is an apt image for the impact of mortal sin in our lives. While God’s love is still trying to fill our lives, our sin completely blocks the grace. We need to remove the “moon,” if you will, to enjoy the “sun” once again. Fortunately for us, the darkness of this eclipse will only last a few minutes, and even more fortunately, there is no sin that Jesus can’t forgive if we but ask for mercy.

So, on this Divine Mercy Sunday, we bring to the Lord all our sins, large and small, and ask that He wipe them away. While the eclipse is an event to be experienced and enjoyed, sin needs to be cast out of our lives so that we do not live in the valley of the shadow of death but live in the light of the Lord’s resurrection, the light which casts out all darkness and death itself.

In Christ our Light,

Monsignor John J. McDermott

Diocesan Administrator

Andrew Neddo of Neddo Family Vineyards in Barre to be next Vermont Catholic Professionals speaker

Posted on by Cori Urban

One of the owners of Neddo Family Vineyards in Barre will be the speaker at the next meeting of Vermont Catholic Professionals.

Andrew Neddo of St. Monica Parish in Barre said it’s important for Vermont Catholic professionals to network: “Many Catholics feel that they’re alone in the workplace, and building a Vermont Catholic professionals network allows us to see that we are not alone but are actually plentiful and can be economically powerful and helpful to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.”

The April 17 presentation will take place at the Bishop Brady Center, 55 Joy Drive, South Burlington. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m.; the presentation will begin at 9.

The mission of Vermont Catholic Professionals is to join Catholic men and women and those with shared values from the business and professional communities to encourage intellectual discussions, to foster professional and faith-based relationships, and to inspire service and charity to the community in Vermont.

In 2016 Neddo earned a bachelor’s degree in business from what is now Northern Vermont University with the goal of returning to work on his family’s farm to help bring it into the future for more generations.

He is the sixth generation to work on the farm, which has been in the family since 1882.

His business degree allowed him to see how other businesses are run, managed, and marketed — information he can use “for the future betterment of our farm and future endeavors outside of dairy,” he said.

“Working the land is what we are called to do as humans,” he said. “It allows me to work alongside and with God in His creation and to be aware of God’s presence in everything.”

Today the farm’s main operation is dairy farming, but grape vines and fruit bushes/trees were added beginning in 2003. Small grains have been grown since 2017; a beef herd was added in 2020.

The winery was founded in 2013, and the sale of wine began in 2016.

For more information and to register for the Vermont Catholic Professionals meeting, go to vermontcatholic.org/vcp. Breakfast foods and beverages will be provided.

—Published in the April 6-12, 2024, edition of The Inland See.