Published February 27, 2004
Carnival at cathedral raises funds for youths in Magadan
The students in the religious education program at Holy Family Cathedral know how to throw a good party. And the one they threw Feb. 15 was for a very good cause.
Kids were tossing darts at balloons, cotton candy was whipped up as the customer waited, and for a dollar you could throw a whipped cream pie at your favorite religious education teacher. There were hot dogs, a magic show, a cake walk and even a piñata.
And all the proceeds from the "Mission Carnival" held at the parish education center will benefit the archdiocese’s Mission to Magadan and the new Church of the Nativity that will be dedicated July 3 in the Russian Far East city.
"I am touched deeply by the young people of Holy Family who are so faithful to us here in Magadan," said Father Michael Shields, pastor of the Church of the Nativity, in an e-mail to the Anchor. "From my priestly heart, thank you, thank you, thank you."
Cathedral religious education director Theresa Lutes said it is the second year the annual carnival has benefited Magadan. The event raised almost $2,900 this year.
Each of the 225 students in the religious education program had the opportunity to help in the preparation for the event, she said.
On the afternoon of the carnival, students in fifth grade and above ran the booths, while younger ones contributed by playing nonstop for most of the afternoon.
Lutes estimated almost half of the 225 attended the carnival, and credited the parish religious education teachers with "a tremendous effort."
Patrick O’Brien, 5, was happy to point out his contribution at the fishing activity, which was decorated with handmade fish.
"I made this shark, and this one, and this one," said Patrick, who attended with parents Pat and Grace O’Brien and baby brother Riley.
Meanwhile, over at the pie throwing event, the older kids seemed to enjoy good-naturedly belting confirmation teacher Dave Van Tuyl with plates full of whipped cream.
"Come on," Van Tuyl encouraged them, "the people in Magadan are depending on you."
Jennifer Newsham and Anthea Carns, both 15, were making animals out of balloons.
"We’re raising money for a great cause," said Carns.
And having fun doing it, agreed Newsham, who said the night they practiced making balloon creations "was the most fun CCD we’ve ever had."
Father Shields — a priest of the Anchorage Archdiocese who has been in Magadan since 1994 — said the monetary gift "will go to help support and build up youth ministry here in Magadan."
"Some of the kids that gather on Saturday have little to eat at home," Father Shields said, "so we begin our Saturday with a ‘feed-in.’ It’s very popular."
Father Shields added that the students at Holy Family will be remembered in prayer by the youth in Magadan every Saturday.
The archdiocese has been involved with Magadan since Christmas of 1990, when Archbishop Francis Hurley, now retired, celebrated the first public Mass ever in the city. Father Shields was with him then and later returned to be pastor of the city’s first Catholic parish, Nativity of Jesus.
Magadan was built as a hub for the slave labor camps of the Stalinist era, and when the camps closed in the 1950s, many of the survivors remained in the area.
The Church of the Nativity of Jesus Parish, with about 200 parishioners, is still the only Catholic parish in Magadan, a city of about 115,000. But the parish now has a mission parish in Ola, a small fishing community about 40 miles up the coast.
The new church was used for the first time at Christmas 2003, and includes a Mercy Center that will be used for outreach, education, and a soup kitchen.
When the church is dedicated in July, a group of Anchorage youth are planning to be in attendance. Lutes said she and John Burger, from St. Benedict Parish in Anchorage, are planning to accompany the high-school students.
"The first few days we’ll be helping with preparations for the dedication," Lutes said. Then, the students will do outreach in the community, and finally Father Shields will conduct a retreat for the youth.