St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church hosts parish picnic

The helicopter was bigger than the parishioners of St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church had thought it would be, but the golf ball drop still went off without a hitch. The church's parish picnic, its first social event in about a year, began on March 18 with a helicopter dropping low over the parking lot to deposit golf balls as close to a target flag as possible. 

"I have to say I was a little bit skeptical," Father Robert Dziedziak said. "I had never seen a ball drop before."

Prizes were given out to the owners of the golf balls closest balls to the flag, as well as a $10 consolation prize for Lenny DiStefano, whose golf ball fell farthest away. Parishioners mingled between the ball drop and the tolling of the bells at 6 p.m., when Dziedziak led a prayer service. He followed it up with a few jokes that got the parish laughing. Before parishioners turned back to their picnics, Women's Guild President Sue DiNatale presented Dziedziak with a cake and card from the whole parish to celebrate his one-year anniversary with the church. 

Parishioners returned to their picnics and caught up with friends they hadn't seen in a while, or wandered into the church to bet on the raffle baskets put together by the Women's Guild.