March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Call is out for Volunteer Cemetery Angels

Mount Pleasant Roman Catholic Cemetery on Ohio Street in Bangor, bisected as it is by Interstate 95, is one of this city’s most visible cemeteries. People who regularly travel that route may not know parts of Mount Pleasant are in sad need of repair.

But members of St. John’s and St. Mary’s parishes in Bangor and St. Teresa’s parish in Brewer are well aware of the need to improve the appearance of this family resting place that lies in the midst of our city.

Sylvia Curran Smith of Bangor has joined others to help restore the cemetery that receives no operating funds from the Diocese of Portland and relies solely on endowments, investments and fees charged for plots and burials to meet its expenses.

Those who care about this landmark have formed the Volunteer Cemetery Angels to work for the betterment of Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The nonprofit organization will work closely with the cemetery board.

There are many ways to help with this monumental task. Not only is there work to be done on the grounds and grave markers in the older sections, but the cemetery office has no computer, printer, copier or fax to handle its daily business.

It may be hard to believe, but if you request copies of documents from Mount Pleasant, those “documents” must be obtained from the site. A census of names on markers would help ensure the accuracy of that information.

“We are a brand-new organization whose aim is to support and improve Mount Pleasant Cemetery,” Smith reports. Membership in the Volunteer Cemetery Angels is free, and there are several categories of membership.

For example, if you help with the cleanup and beautification of the cemetery, you will become one of “The Beautifiers.” If you donate $10 to the organization, you will be one of “The Benefactors.”

“The Clericals” will volunteer in the office when the need arises. “The Guardians” will identify markers needing repair, contact relatives of the deceased, or adopt a site which has no one to care for it.

“The Heralds” will spread the word — by whatever means — about the project and its progress. “The Historians” will research the cemetery origins and compile family histories.

“Our historian committee is looking for information relating to the early days of the cemetery and the families buried there,” Smith said. “We would like to profile several generations of families,” complete with information of historical value and note. The group is also looking for photographs of the cemetery.

Fund-raising activities include a raffle for two limited-edition angel sculptures, an angel throw, and two angel-theme books. Tickets are $1 each or seven for $5, available from committee members. The drawing is May 18 at St. Mary’s.

The Volunteer Cemetery Angels meet at 7 tonight at St. John’s Catholic Church on York Street. They would love to have you join them. Topping the agenda will be plans for a spring cleanup at 9 a.m. Saturday, weather permitting.

The Angels are asking volunteers to meet at the cemetery office with rakes and trash bags, and strongly recommend wearing boots. The rain date is next Saturday, April 19.

If you have never visited Mount Pleasant Cemetery, you should, especially if you are a history buff. There is much to be learned about our community from walking along its roads and down its paths, and much to be done to ensure that history is not lost.

We salute the Volunteer Cemetery Angels and wish them well. If you are interested in the project, call Smith at 947-9960.

“April school vacation has just thrown us for a loop,” said Marla Saliba, president of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program of Eastern Maine Advisory Board, of plans for its major fund-raiser, the seventh annual Celebrity Waiters Dinner and Auction, at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 18, at Jeff’s Catering and Conference Center in Brewer.

Planners are scurrying around seeking waiters for the event, which will be hosted by WABI-TV personality Jim Morris, with Will Rogers of Realty Executives serving as auctioneer.

“What happened is that three or four of our most loyal waiters will be away because of school vacation,” Saliba said. “We really need help, and we have only two weeks to go.” Volunteer waiters include University of Maine hockey players.

This year’s theme is sports, so wait staff will be outfitted in favorite sports attire for the RSVP Celebrity Waiters Triathlon. Auction items include sports collectibles donated by Maine and national teams. Items for the auction are still being accepted.

All proceeds benefit more than 800 retired volunteers who participate in RSVP programming in our area. “We need waiters, desperately, but we also need people to buy tickets and come to the dinner,” Saliba said.

Anyone who can volunteer as a waiter, or wants tickets, may call Linette Poirier at Kelly Services, 947-0814; Delores Fournier at KeyBank, 945-0600; or Saliba at 990-0022.

The Standpipe, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.


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