BERLIN — For more than 50 years Tony Ziccardi has lent his musical stewardship talents to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church and continued to do so after the parish merged with St. Edward in Pine Hill on Nov. 4, 2009 to form St. Simon Stock Parish.
He was a member of the merger core team and worked closely with Father Joseph Ferrara who was pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and was named priest convener. But in July 2010 Father Ferrara was reassigned and Father James Dabrowski was named pastor of the newly-formed St. Simon Stock Parish.
The parish has about 1,600 registered families and boundaries that include 26 square miles.
Father Dabrowski said he really depends on Tony for “parish history and getting to know the parishioners. He senses what the trends are going to be. He’s indispensible.”
St. Simon Stock is not as well known as some saints. Tony said he was a 12th-century hermit who was born in Kent, England and who became a Carmelite monk when the order established its first monastery in England.
According to tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock in 1251 and gave him an apronlike brown piece of fabric to wear over his cassock as part of his habit.
The miniaturized version of the apron, two stamp-sized holy images joined by brown ribbon, has been worn by millions of Catholics over the centuries.
The brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a sign of dedication and devotion, Pope John Paul II said in 2001, marking its 750th anniversary with a letter to the Carmelites and Discalced Carmelites. The pope said he has worn the scapular “over my heart for many years.”
Tony took over as musical director when the position became available, allowing him to put his musical knowledge to good use. Tony used to play every week at the Sunday Masses and about 16 years ago, in an attempt to get more young people involved in music, he helped form the junior choir. He is co-director with his wife, Mary.
“The choir started with one Mass a month,” he explained, then six years ago the choir went to twice a month. “These children are amazing. They often take leadership roles and are also cantors. The response from the parishioners has been overwhelming.”
Tony noted that the parish also has an active youth lector program with a total of 25 youngsters involved. “They’re well-trained, and sometimes they read better than the adults,” he said with a chuckle.
The parish has some 50 active ministries with Tony, president of the Pastoral Council, leader of such ministries as Liturgy Committee, Art and Environment, and Music, among others. His wife, Mary, helps with Art and Environment, especially with the change of seasons.
A ministry that Tony endorses is palm braiding “because it’s a lost art and we’re trying to keep it viable.” About 20 people get together on Palm Sunday, he explained, and they braid the palm so it may be distributed to those coming to Mass.
The Baby Blanket Ministry, popular in the parish, makes blankets available for every infant baptized at St. Simon Stock, Tony said.
Ministries that will soon be established are Ecumenical and Inter-religious Outreach, Senior Ministry, and Evangelization, he said.
He pointed out that Sue Ann Jeral is in charge of the Lifelong Faith Formation. Adult catechisis comes under her leadership, he said, along with several other ministries: Special Needs, a reach out program for caretakers helping those with special needs; prayer service and healings; an outreach program for social justice; and the St. Vincent DePaul Society.
Sister Rose Caritas works on faith and justice issues. She also works ministry to the sick, bereavement, nursing home, and compassionatecare. “Everything of that nature comes through her,” said Tony.
A new community activity that has just begun, Tony noted, is Zumba exercise and dance. Vicki Sigwart is the Zumba instructor which runs once a week at Mt. Carmel and weekly at St. Edward.
“The people who participate,” Tony said, “aren’t charged for the program but they do give donations. We’ll be using that money to buy defibrillators which is another outreach project for St. Simon Stock.”
For more information on stewardship contact Deacon Russell Davis, Office of Stewardship, at 856-583-6102.