Celebrating Father A's 46th Birthday!

Our parish secretary usually plans the parish celebration for our pastor's birthday. She was going to be on vacation that week and she asked if I would take care of the party. I said sure-it just meant putting an ad in the bulletin for a potluck, ordering the cake and putting out the gift basket. I knew I could get some school parents to help serve it. I asked a friend and parishioner to help me out. Well, it was much more than I bargained for and the crowd overflowed to the outside patios of our parish hall.

We had two serving lines and every table including our school lunch tables and picnic tables were used. It was a mob of people!!

People filled the balcony!

 Entertainment was next on the agenda!
The Filipino teen dancers were up first and then my school choir!
We opened with "Take Me Out To The Ball Game!"

We threw out boxes of Cracker Jacks! The crowd loved it.

We made up our own cheer for "Father A!" Give me an A! A is for an Astonishing Priest!

We also sang "Church Days" our own words to the tune of "School Days".....Kneeling and praying and genuflecting sung to the tune of the incensor.................

We ended with the Sound of Music-Farewell, So Long and again we created our own version to fit Father Ariel who was leaving that Monday for his home visit to the Philippines.

Father A enjoying the entertainment.

After us we had some country singing from one of our winter visitors who surprised us by just walking in with his guitar and up on to the stage.
We closed the entertainment section with the Filipino dancers. Two special dances were the "Fan Dance and the "Couple Dance". 

They did a dance on this wooden bench barefoot. Several times, "Ms. Dot" our school nurse, would jump to the other side of her husband as he pulled her over. Only once, she got very close to the edge and almost fell off. It was a very beautiful dance!

Some of our students enjoying the entertainment.

 Father A was presented with a Filipino cake with one candle and another cake with his favorite motorcycle on. His students were there to watch him blow all the candles out.

Our Filipino Dancers who practiced weeks ahead of time and did an outstanding job!

The party is still being talked about. I think next year-I will gladly pass the job onto someone else. I will gladly sit outside on the picnic bench!