Page 8 - Priorities #24 2003-October

“One of the notable things about Father Pius is that I don’t believe that he has changed at all in the 25 years since I had him as a teacher. He looked exactly the same then and had the same twinkle in his eye, quiet humor and soft voice.
“Then, as now, I enjoyed seeing Father Pius around the campus because he is always a cheerful and peaceful presence and has a friendly word for all who stop and speak with him.“
Andy Schilling, trustee and alumnus, class of 1978
(Continued from page 7)
But Father Pius persevered. A parishioner congratulated him after his first attempt
at preaching in English. A year later, the parishioner congratulated him again.“Father,” he said,“you have improved. I can almost understand you now.”
Father Pius chuckles at the memory
Years later, Father Pius is perfectly understandable as he returns to his favorite subject: the children. He attends the students’ dramatic productions and many of their athletic events.“This is a happy place,”he says.
He recalls a recent news item of an ex- convict speaking to elementary school children of his ordeal. A child asked him what he missed most when he was in prison, and
he said it was the sounds of
children.
“It touched me very deeply,” Father. Pius says. He, too, couldn’t imagine life without children.“That is why I keep teaching.”
Father Pius Scholarship Fund Is Growing
The Priory community celebrated Father Pius’s Golden Anniversary with a gala reception and dinner, attended by more than 135 people on Saturday, Sept. 6. He was honored again at a special mass and brunch on Sept. 7. Students commemorated the event at morning Chapel. On the actual date, June 21, he was in Hungary with family and friends.
Perhaps the most fitting honor is the faculty and staff’s dedication of all of their 2003-04 annual fund contributions to a scholarship fund bearing his name. What could better honor a man who says he can’t imagine his life without children in it?
If you would like to support the start of a Father Pius Scholarship next year, please send a check to Woodside Priory School and indicate “Father Pius Scholarship” on the memo line. You can also use your credit card—just call Gail Kimball at 650-851-6139 or email her at
gkimball@woodsidepriory.com. She will walk you through our secure contribution system. With your support, we will have our first Father Pius Scholar enrolled in fall ‘04!
—Carolyn Dobervich, Editor
—Gwynne Young
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