From the Associate        Rev. Lu-Anne Conner
Thirteen eighth-graders were confirmed by Bishop Beckwith at St. Paul's in Paterson on Sunday, May 4.  Our confirmands were active participants in the life of the parish this past year, and their experiences in class and in service to St. Elizabeth's and beyond helped each of them to make an informed commitment to their faith and to the life of the Church.  Below you will find a brief biography of each of them, and I encourage you to read them and take note of the many and varied ways that each confirmand has contributed to the mission and ministry of St. Elizabeth's.    

Please pray for Andrew, Cameron, Raymond, Alison, Meredith, Sarah, Rachel, Timothy, Lauren, Diana, Peter, Andrew, and James as they continue in their process of becoming adult members of St. Elizabeth's.   

The Rev. Lu-Anne Conner 

Introducing the 2008 Confirmation Class 

Andrew Crane Deodato, son of Kris and Jackie Deodato, was born on July 19, 1994 in New York City.  He was baptized at Church of the Epiphany in New York on July 16, 2000.  He has a younger sister, Elizabeth.  His sponsor this year was Mike Marchlik.  He enjoys social studies, martial arts, and is learning to play the guitar.  He plans to continue his ministry as an acolyte next year. 

Cameron Hastings Dial was born in Glen Ridge, NJ on June 14, 1994 to Lesley and Rob Dial.  He was baptized at St. James' Church in Upper Montclair on October 16, 1994.  He has an older sister, Courtney.  Larry Kyse served as his sponsor this year.  He is a goalie for his league hockey team, and also plays the guitar.  He served as an usher and also helped to cook and serve dinner at St. Paul's Men's Shelter this year.   

Raymond Victor Gonzo was born on October 12, 1994 to John and Angela Gonzo.  He was baptized on April 2, 1994 at Trinity Church in Cliffside Park.  He has a younger brother, Nathaniel.  John Hartnett was his sponsor this year.  He is a fan of the New York Yankees.  He looks forward to exploring opportunities for service at St. Elizabeth's next year. 

Alison Awtrey Graham, daughter of Catherine Chriss and Tim Graham, was born on February 9, 1994 in Oakland, CA.  She was baptized at Christ Episcopal Church, Alameda, CA on May 22, 1994.  She has two younger sisters, Elizabeth and Meryl.  Her sponsor this year was Jane Watson.  She enjoys painting, tennis, piano, volleyball, and soccer.  She was a lay reader and also helped to prepare the sermon for the service led by the Confirmation Class in April.  She is considering teaching church school or being a nursery attendant next year. 

Meredith Airgood Johnson was born on September 29, 1993 in Bridgeport, CT to Robin and Steve Johnson.  She was baptized at Christ Episcopal Church in Trumbull, CT on December 5, 1993.  She has a twin sister, Sarah, and an older brother, Sam.  Susan Reilly was her sponsor this year.  She enjoys math, reading, and soccer.  She served as an acolyte this past year and plans to continue as an acolyte next year. 

Sarah Elizabeth Johnson, daughter of Robin and Steve Johnson, was born on September 29, 1993 in Bridgeport, CT.  She was baptized at Christ Episcopal Church in Trumbull, CT on December 5, 1993.  She has a twin sister, Meredith, and an older brother, Sam.  Her sponsor this year was Susan Reilly.  She enjoys English, math, soccer, and reading.  She served as an acolyte this past year and plans to continue as an acolyte next year. 

Rachel Morgan Kilinski was born on June 7, 1994 in Ridgewood to Denise and Donald Kilinski. She was baptized at Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Ridgewood on August 27, 1994.  She has two younger brothers, Alex and Sam.  Karla Tombaugh served as her sponsor this year.  She enjoys math, science, and cooking.  She was a prayer leader at the service that the Confirmation Class led in April, and also helped to cook and serve dinner at St. Paul's Men's Shelter.  Next year, she would like to teach Church School, be a nursery attendant, and host Hospitality Hour. 

Timothy Charles Marchlik, son of JoAnn Vislocky and Mike Marchlik, was born in Ridgewood on August 24, 1994.  He was baptized at St. Elizabeth's on November 20, 1994.  He has an older sister, Tory, an older brother, Zach, and a younger brother, Sam.  David Harper was his sponsor this year.  He enjoys music, social studies, and sports.  He preached the sermon at the service led by the Confirmation Class in April, and he plans to continue his ministry as an acolyte next year, along with being a lay reader 

Lauren Elizabeth Munhall was born in Ridgewood on September 30, 1994 to Jim and Susan Munhall.  She was baptized at St. Elizabeth's on January 8, 1995.  Her sponsor this year was Bob Brundige.  She enjoys math, lacrosse, and reading.  This year she served as an acolyte and also helped to cook and serve dinner at St. Paul's Men's Shelter.  She plans on continuing as an acolyte next year, and is also interested in teaching Church School, being a nursery attendant, and serving as an usher. 

Diana Emily Price, daughter of Doug and Jackie Price, was born on May 12, 1994 in Ridgewood.  She was baptized on July 16, 1995 at St. Elizabeth's.  She has an older brother, Ted, and two older sisters, Lynne and Karen.  Sally Falck was her sponsor this year.  She enjoys singing, film, cooking, writing, and social studies.  This year she was a member of the sermon preparation team for the service that the Confirmation Class led in April, and also served as an usher at that service.  Diana looks forward to serving as an usher and a nursery attendant next year. 

Peter Christopher Rosasco was born in New York City on January 1, 1994, to Susan Sherrill and Victor Rosasco.  He was baptized at St. Paul's Church in Paterson on May 1, 1994.  His sponsor this year was Forrest Jones.  He enjoys hockey, wrestling, math, science, and music.  This year he served as an usher, and read a lesson at the service led by the Confirmation Class in April.  He is considering being an usher next year, and possibly joining the adult choir. 

Andrew George Goulian Stewart, son of Victor and Carol Stewart, was born on July 20, 1994 in Ridgewood.  He was baptized at St. Elizabeth's on November 6, 1994.  He has two older brothers, Victor and James.  His sponsor this year as Don Chappell.  He enjoys football, lacrosse, social studies, and history.  He served as an usher this year, and plans to continue as an usher next year. 

James Richmond Temple, son of John and Mary Hayes, was born on February 17, 1994 in Bronxville, NY.  He was baptized on May 8, 1994 at Christ Church in Bronxville.  He has an older sister, Ashley, a younger brother, Reid, and two younger sisters, Katie and Caroline.  Steve Johnson served as his sponsor this year.  He enjoys science, math, lacrosse, and soccer.  This year he was a reader and a prayer leader at the service led by the Confirmation Class in April.  He also served as an usher and acolyte.  Next year he plans to continue as an acolyte.

Pastoral Care News 

If you, or a friend, or member of your family goes to the hospital... 

Visiting parishioners who are hospitalized is a priority for clergy and lay chaplains.  Currently, no hospital notifies us when you register.  Even if they ask to which church you belong, they use that information only for their internal records.  It would be a great help to us if you or a friend or family member let us know when you are going to be in the hospital. 

If you are at home but unable to come to church, we would very much like to bring communion to you.  There is a special, and very brief, service for communion at home which uses bread and wine consecrated at a regular service at St. Elizabeth's.  John Hartnett and I have celebrated this service with a great many of our parishioners at their homes or hospital rooms, and we offer it as a reminder that nothing separates us from the love of God, nor does absence remove us from the fellowship of the congregation.

LAC

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Adult Sponsors for Next Year's Confirmands:  Just Say Yes 

Each member of next year's 8th grade Confirmation Class will have a Sponsor who is an adult, not a member of their family, and active at St. Elizabeth's.   

I have two hopes for the Sponsor-Confirmand partnership.  First, I hope that every young person at St. Elizabeth's will have an adult in our community outside their immediate family, and in addition to the clergy, with whom they can have serious conversations, especially about issues they might be reluctant to raise at home.  A Sponsor is not a substitute parent, but an additional trustworthy adult.   

My second hope is that the Sponsor will help the Confirmand to develop a sense of membership in the congregation in their own right and not simply as an extension of their parents.  A Sponsor is a mentor in full membership in a church and in a mature understanding of the commitments of an adult Christian. 

The incorporation of Sponsors is part of our plan to make Confirmation not so much the last year of Church School as a transitional year from being in the congregation as a child to being in it as an adult.  Students will choose between a number of roles with adult responsibilities, and the Sponsors will help serve as coaches and mentors in that work.  So if someone asks you to be a Sponsor, please say yes!  For more information about being a Sponsor, including some very specific suggestions of ways to support the member of the class whom you sponsor, please call me. 

LAC