HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1987-07-01, Page 1SHOWING THE FLAG Father David Ladislaus Przedwiecki displays
the Canadian flag that will fly from St. Peter's Church on July 1.
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Ames -
Serving South,Huron, North Middlesex
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One Hundred and Sixteenth Year
ovocate
& North Lambton Since 1873
EXETER, ONTARIO, July 1, 1987
Price Per Copy 60 Cents
New home in former area church
The friars fly the fags
A Canadian flag will be flying from
the former. Si. Peter's church on
Highway 4 outh of Exeter on July I.
The Stars and Stripes will be hoisted
beside the Maple Leaf on July 4. Thus
will a contingent of American
members of the Franciscan Friars of
Mary Immaculate proclaim that the
century -old building, closed and aban=
doned for 10 years, once again houses
spiritual life. The six friars drove up
from Bedford, N.H. and moved in on
June 24 to found the first Canadian
Marytown on the site.. -
The flying of the two flags this week
is doubly symbolic. The American
friars will welcome their first Cana -
MAKING DO
Franciscan friar Bro. Bob Eck changes shoes in his temporary sleeping quarters behind
the pews in the old St. Peter's Church. Six friars have moved in to esioblish a monastery:
Mail strike causes
cash flow
The mail strike is having an
adverse effect on the Exeter PUC's
cash flow. Manager Hugh Davis in-
formed the June meeting of the com-
mission that at present $41,000 in bill-
ing is outstanding. Last year in the
same period the figure was $11.000.
Davis said the discount period has
beep extended until the end of June
for out-of-town bills, explaining "we
hate to penalize someone when so-
meone else is the cause of the grief".
The Huron -Perth Roman Catholic
Separate School Board is also ex
periencing grief. A letter from the
Dublin office outlined a continuing
problem with mail service. The board
has been paying an average of $40 in
penalties per bill because statements
invariably arrive after the discount
period. However, they were baffled
when an arrears notice mailed May
26 was delivered the following day.
Davis recommended that the PUC
accede to the board's request for an
extension of the discount date. He said
this privilege is already extended to
Bell Telephone, the department of
highways. the ministry of the environ-
ment, the Ontario Housing Corpora-
tion and both Exeter Public School
and MIDI'S. Commissioners approv-
ed a motion ,giving the separate
schools the same extension.
Davis allayed Commissioner Harry
De Vries' concern that seniors might
ask for similar treatment by pointing
out that ' s niors are the cream of our
customers". Secretary Marilyn
Sillery spoke up to say that many pick
--up their PUC bill at the post office and
head straight over to the PUC to pay
11.
Davis told commissioners that
lightning "does strike twice in the
same place. A 50 -foot pole carrying a
27,010 volt line and a low -voltage 4,160
line located at Highway 83 and the
railway tracks to serve the canning
factory was hit during a recent elec-
trical storm. Thispole,was a replace-
ment for one hit by lightning last.
year.
More
on the
inside
problem
"This is getting costly", Davis said.
as thepole replacement will be ap-
proximately $1,000, and three lightn-
ing arrestors will be an additional
$6-700 each.
The lightning this time also entered
the street lighting system and caus-
ed considerable damage. This Will
push up the town's maintenance
charges.
Davis is meeting with a lightning
expert this week to see what can be
done to protect equipment and pre-
vent similar occurrences in the
future.
Other demands on the budget in-
clude changing the transformer..
banks at the Big 0 and Exeter Pro-
duce to give both companies addi-
tional load.
The pointing of the brickwork on the
PUC building was also more exten-
sive than anticipated, and the hedge
at the back made the setting up of the
scaffolding more difficult. The acid
wash will be applied on Sunday when
there is least danger of people and
cars from drift.
in a discussion about providing.
water service to the industrial land
along Highway 83 purchased by Ex -
ter, commissioners agreed to provide
water service to the lot lines at no
charge to property owners by exten-
ding the main along a proposed ser-
vice road. Any additional costs for
boring would be paid by the property
owners. The PUC will ask the town for
a pro rata share of any profits when
the water service, storm and sanitary,
sewers and a road are installed and
the lots sold;
The PUC will proceed with a water
distribution system rehabilitation
needs study which will examine such
factors as location, size, age, condi-
tion and consumption of the Exeter
water and sewage systems. Davis ex -
pec& that a MOE grant of 53.percent
will pick up part of the cost of the
study, leaving I he PUC to pay $6,392.
The commission will also act on the
Please turn to page 3
* Blyth ploy given
good review 7
* Better records lauded
at Biddulph 10
* Playhouse officially
opens July 1 6A
* GB priest given
farewell cosh 7A
* Jack Riddell aids
pork producers 16A
AREA GRADE S GRAD
PHOTOS THROUGHOUT
r
dian postulant this month.
Father David Ladislaus Przed-
wiecki OF M, who heads the third
order Franciscan community, was in-
vited by London Bishop John Sherlock
to continue the tradilon orworship in
St. Peter's by restoring the building
for use as a novitiate and house of
studies.
Before moving to Canada, Father
David was also in contact with Sister
Delores Brisson, who is, in charge of`
the St. Francis and -St. (Tare guest
houses for the homeless on Wharn-
cliffe Road. The friars duties will in-
clude assisting Sister Delores in her
work.
They are already in her debt. The
friars were greeted with a big
welcome sign when they pulled their
rented 22 -foot L' -haul containing all
their collective possessions•and the
furnishings for the church up to the
hack door. Sister Delores had smooth-
ed their arrival by organizing a work
crew of nuns to clean up the dust.
debris and dirt that had accumulated
overthe past decade when the only in-
habitants of St. Peter's were birds
and other wildlife. (St. Francis would
not have begrudged those tenants
their squatter's rights.
Another gift from the thoughtful
sisters was six cots complete with
sheets and pillows waiting for the
weary travellers in the space at the
back of the pews.
"We just flipped cin the electricity -
and we were home", -Father David
enthused.
The friars are cheerfully coping
with their rather primitive temporary
living conditions. A make -shift kit-
chen has been set up in the foyer.
Visitors are ushered in ivith a warmth
as real as the immediately pro[erred
-cup of coffee hot out of the
microwave:
The fact there is no water supply on
the property posed a problem. but not
for long. Faith in God's provident*'
was not misplaced, Neighbour Barry.-
Knip, a member of a Dutch Reform-
ed congregation. soon parked a
tanker truck of the essential liquid
beside the church. Father David's
eyes twinkled as he quoted from Mat-
thew 10:42""Whoever gives to one oI 1 say to you, he shall not lose his
these little ones even a cup of cold reward". Ile calculates that 5.0(K)
water because he is a disciple, truly. Please turn to page 3
AT PRAYERS Franciscan Brothers Joachim Munn (left) and Marian
Zywczyk worship in St. Peter's Church, now a monastery chapel.
MODEL — Father David Ladislaus Przedwiecki, head of a group of
Franciscans establishing a monastery at St. Perer's Church, stands
beside a statue of St. Maximillian Kolbe, who died in Auschwitz. He •
holds a reliquary containing some of the saint's whiskers. ,
Record number established
with 23 scholars at SHDHS
It's amazing!
That was the comment of South
Huron District High School prinic-
pal Bruce Shaw when he announc-
ed Monday that 23 graduating grade
13 students had attained Ontario
Scholar status.
The principal continued, "While
DAVE DOUGALL ,
it's amazing, it's probably not unex-
pected considering this year's stu-
dent council and intramural reps
were so enthusiastic instilling an ex-
cellent school spirit."
Shaw concluded, "This has to be
a. record and is more than double the
yearly average. Normally a prin-
cipal could be concered with stan-
dards, but past records show our
students going on to university have
done very well. More than JO per-
cent of this year's class are heading
to university"..
Winners of the Moncur Scholar-
ship as the top male and female
students were Dave Dougall with a
percentage of 92.4 percent and Ruth
Ann Essery with a mark of 92 per-
cent. Dave is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
James Dougall, RR 3 Exeter and
Ruth Anne is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Bill Essery, RR 1,
Centralia.
The two top students placed in the
same order in grade 12 and Dave
Dougall headed his class in all five
years of his high school career.
The other 21 Ontario Scholars
listed in alphabetical order are
David Balsdon, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Gary- Balsdon. Exeter; Ken
Boersma, son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter
- [3oersma, RR 1. Exeter: Christine
Coates. daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
- Paul Coates. RR 1 Centralia; Peter
Cook, son of Mr. and Mrs. Doug
Cook, Hensall : John Farwell, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Farwell.
Zurich; Dave Gratton, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Don Grattan. Grand Bend;
Denis Hartman, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Ray Hartman. RR 3. Zurich; Kolty
Johns. daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed
Johns. RR 3, Exeter; Tim Long, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Long, Exeter;
Patti Love, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Jim Love, Grand Bend; Mary
Martens. daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Arnold Martens, RR 2, Grand Bend;
Angela Miller, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. .Joseph Miller. RR 1
Dashwood; Jeff Miller. son of Mr.
and Mrs. Earl Miller, RR 1
Woodham; Brigette Newton,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dave
Newton, Exeter; Lee O'Rourke.
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Don
O'Rourke, RR 3, Dashwood; Sheila
Regier, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Karl Regier. RR 3, Zurich; Stacy
Sommerville. daughter of Mr. and
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David Balsdon
Ken Boersmo
Denis Hartman Kelly Johns
Peter Cook
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Lisa DePloncke.
Tim Long
Patti love
Mrs. 'Phomas Sommerville. Cen-
tralia: Kristen Stephan. daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. John Stephan. Zurich:
Darren 'Finney. son of Mr. and Mrs.
Dwayne 'I'inney. Exeter and Marc
Winters, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry
Winters, RR 3 Exeter.
RUTH ANN ESSERY
Christine Coates
Mary Martens
Brigette Newton lee O'Rourke
Sheila Regier
Stacy Somerville
Kristen Stephan
John Farwell
Angela Miller
Darren Tinney
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Dove Gratton
i
Jeff Miller
Marc Winters