14 Sept 2020

Meeting highlights were a debate over the value of continuing to volunteer for the bingo kitchen as well as reports on the recent state AOH meeting and our division’s road cleanup.

                          

This documents the the monthly meeting of the Father Kelley Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians held electronically on video via Zoom.

DISCUSSION

1. Meeting is called to Order

At 8 p.m. by the Division President John Masarick. The meeting began 30 minutes later than normal because the room used by those attending in-person was in use earlier by another group.

• Recitation of the opening prayer & Pledge of Allegiance:
  • Our Father                                   x
  • Hail Mary                                     x                                         
  • St. Michael the Archangel        x
  • Glory Be                                    x
  • Pledge of Allegiance                 x

• Roll call of Officers for Fraternal Year 2019:

Position	Name	By Exception: (P=Present, A = Absent E= Excused)
President	John Masarick	p
Vice President	Thomas Masarick	p
Chaplain	Fr. Ed Guilloux	E
Recording Secretary	Brian Tumulty	p
Financial Secretary	Richard S. Aleksy	p
Treasurer	Richard W. Ring	E
Standing Committee	Joe Cahill	p
Marshall	Bart Emanuel	E
Sentinel	Dan O’Leary	E
Immediate Past President	Richard W. Ring	E

Also attending online were Neil and Hugh O’Brien, Kevin Byrne, Patrick Sullivan, Dan O’Leary, Mike Riley, Pete Hawkins, Greg, and Brian Tumulty.

Joe Cahill, Greg Rebbert, John Masarick, Tom Masarick and Rich Aleksy attended in the Knight’s basement.

• Reading of minutes from previous meeting:  Minutes from the July and August meetings were published on the division website. Unanimously accepted.

•  Reading of communications and correspondence: None

Date	From	Subject	Discussion

• Presidents Report:  

The coronavirus has affected many Brother Hibernians, their families, friends and members of our community. Please help our brothers, their families, friends and neighbors by donating money and or food to the Bethanie pantry, House of Mercy or other similar organization.

From the VA State President’s Report, August 25, 2020

The State Board has selected a Brother to receive the 2019 Hibernian of the Year award.  This award goes to Brother Fred Burgess of the Fr. William Corby Division.  As a retired Coast Guard Captain, Brother Fred has continued to display his service to our country in performing various acts of charity for his community and has upheld the principles of the AOH Order 

National Director, Brother Ed Halligan from Pennsylvania will be representing Virginia, MD and D.C. 

Continue your efforts and that of your members to reach out to Brother Hibernians within your Division to simply “see how they are doing” during this COVID-19 pandemic, 

Just a reminder that we are all membership and advertising managers for the AOH – please share pictures/writeups of Division activities for State and National purposes.  Send along to PSP Bill Halpin and State Webmaster Pat Shea for posting purposes.  

Virginia State contributed $200 to the Willing Warriors.  

Virginia State provided $250 in support of the “Pre-Born Black Lives Matter” 

You are asked to review the details about your Division on both the State Website as well as the National Website and update accordingly

— Jay McCarthy, AOH Virginia State President, 703 477-5934 Vigor2@aol.com

These Halloween traditions all have Irish origins from Irish Central, Oct. 30, 2019:

Halloween originated in Ireland as the Celtic festival of Samhain around a thousand years ago, which is why so many of Halloween traditions – regardless of where you are in the world – are Irish! Halloween was originally a pagan ancient Irish festival called “Samhain,” meaning “end of summer.” 

The Celts believed that on the eve of Halloween dead spirits would visit the mortal world. They lit bonfires to keep evil spirits away and dressed in disguise.

Samhain was seen as the end of summer but also the beginning of another year. It was also the one day of the year when spirits could walk the earth. The community would gather together and light huge fires to ward off bad fortune for the coming year and any evil spirits.

Some believe that people extinguished their fires in the hearth at home before they left and would reignite them using an ember from the bonfire, for good luck. The day after the bonfire the ashes were spread across the fields to further ward off bad luck for the farmers for the coming year.

It was also traditionally believed that the bonfire encouraged dreams, especially of your future husband or wife. It was said that if you drop a cutting of your hair into the embers of the fire the identity of your first husband would be revealed.

A jack-o-lantern made from a turnip.

There are two schools of thought on why the Irish carried a Jack-o-lantern. One is that the tradition is from the ancient Celts. In order to carry home an ember from the communal bonfire, the people would hollow out a turnip so they could walk home with the fire still burning.

The other version is a little spookier. Jack-o-lanterns date back to the 18th century. It is named after an Irish blacksmith, called Jack, who colluded with the Devil and was denied entry into Heaven. Jack was condemned to walk the earth for eternity but asked the Devil for some light. He was given a burning coal which burnt into a turnip that he had hollowed out. Some Irish believe that hanging a lantern in their front window would keep Jack’s wandering soul away.

When the Scot-Irish emigrated to America, they adapted the tradition and used pumpkins instead as it is more difficult to find turnips.

Costumes. The community would gather around the bonfire and many would be dressed up in elaborate animal skins and heads.

The idea was that the evil spirits would be scared off by the fires. Then if the spirits happened to be wandering the earth and bumped into one of the Celts they might they were spirits themselves, because of their disguises, and let them go free. This is where our tradition of dressing up comes from. 

Trick or treat originated centuries ago. In Ireland, the poor would go from door to door at rich people’s homes and ask for food, kindling, or money. They would then use what they collected for their celebrations on Halloween.

Blind-folded cabbage picking. Blindfolded local girls would go out into the field and pull up the first cabbage they stumbled upon. If the cabbage had a lot of clay attached to the roots their future lover would have money. If the girl ate the cabbage the nature of their future husband would be revealed, bitter or sweet.

Anti-Fairy Measures. Fairies and goblins were believed to collect souls as they trawl the earth on Halloween night. The story goes that if you threw dust from under your feet at the fairy they would release any souls they kept captive. However, over the years this legend was changed.

Farm animals would be anointed with holy water to keep them safe through the night. If animals showed ill health on Halloween they would be spat at to try to ward off the evil spirits.

Colcannon. This is the traditional dinner to have on Halloween night before you head out for an evening of fun and mischief. It is a simple dish made with boiled potatoes, curly kale (a type of cabbage) and raw onions.

Traditionally coins were wrapped in pieces of cleans paper and slipped into children’s colcannon for them to find and keep. Sometimes people also hide a ring in the colcannon. Whoever finds the ring will be married within the year.

Halloween Colcannon Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 3 tbsp. milk or unsweetened/plain soy milk
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 2 cups chopped cabbage or kale
• 2 tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup chopped onions or green onions

Method:

Cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until tender. Drain, reserving water.
Place the hot potatoes in a large bowl.

Add chopped cabbage to the reserved potato water. Cook 6-8 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, fry the onions in the butter or margarine.

When they are cool enough to handle, mash potatoes with a hand masher or fork.

Add the fried onions and cabbage.

Add milk, salt, and pepper and beat until fluffy.

Barmbrack. From the Irish name “Bairín Breac,” this is a traditional Irish Halloween cake which essentially a sweet bread with fruit through it as well as some other treats. Shop-bought barmbracks still contain and ring but if you make it at home and add your own treats it’s even more fun.

Each member of the family gets a slice and each prize has a different meaning:

• The rag – your financial future is doubtful
• The coin – you will have a prosperous year
• The ring – impending romance or continued happiness
• The thimble – you’ll never  marry

Halloween Barmbrack Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups chopped dried mixed fruit
• 1 1/2 cups hot brewed tea
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon marmalade
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Method:

Soak the dried fruit in the hot tea for 2 hours, then drain and gently squeeze out excess tea.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch Bundt pan. Stir together the flour cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda; set aside.

Beat the egg, sugar, marmalade, orange zest, and tea-soaked fruit until well combined. Gently fold in the flour until just combined, then pour into the prepared Bundt pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Allow to cool in the pan for 2 hours before removing. Continue to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Press the objects of choice into the cake through the bottom before serving.

Read More: How the Irish ward off evil spirits at Halloween

Snap apple. There are many games that are played on Halloween night and snap apple or bobbing for apples is one of them.

An apple is suspended from a string and the children are blindfolded and their arms tied behind their backs. The first child to get a decent bite of the apple gets a prize. Bobbing for apples is when some apples are dropped into a basin of water and the children have to go in headfirst and try to get a bite.

The apples are associated with love and fertility. It is said that whoever gets the first bite will be first to marry. It was also thought that if the girls put the apple they bit, while bobbing, under their pillow that night, they would dream of their future lover.

Shaving the friar. This old game was particularly popular in County Meath. A pile of ash was put down in the shape of a cone with a piece of wood sticking out of the top. Then each player takes turns trying to dig the largest amount of ash without the pile collapsing.

All the while competitors chant:

“Shave the poor Friar to make him a liar;
Cut off his beard to make him afeard;
If the Friar will fall, my poor back pays for all!”

Read More: Thirty scary Halloween words in Irish

* Originally published in 2016.

• Chaplain’s Report:  No report

• Propositions for membership: Report on candidates for membership Initiation of the candidates (Lesson of the Motto):  None

• Report of the committee on the sick:  Joe Cahill — No report

Prayers Requested By:	Requested For:
Rich Aleksy	Helen Johnson, the 91-year-old mother of Nancy Emanuel, passed away. Please keep the family in your prayers

1. Bills and Claims: Financial Secretary — Rich Aleksy

None

Date	Submitted by		Amount
		Old Town Sports Pub/ golf tournament	250.00
		Dunkin Donuts/ road cleanup	25.98
		Tickets for the raffle	290.07
TOTAL MONTHLY BILLS & CLAIMS	$566.05

1. Report on the Standing Committee:  No Report

1. Report on Special Committees:

Committee	Chairman	Report / Discussion
Events/Calendar	Greg Rebbert	Twelve brothers attended the road cleanup. We had a great turnout. Our division purchased a hole sponsorship marker for the Old Town Sports Pub golf tournament   Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day will be held at the Old Town Sports Pub. We will start there at 7:15 and walk around downtown Manassas   Manassas Fall Festival was canceled   The Veterans Day Parade is also canceled.   Patrick Sullivan quipped that maybe people would be allowed to march if they wore football uniforms. The was no reaction, so Patrick explained, “I guess no one gets the joke that all these players are playing ball and you can’t get out there to march. Never mind.”   Greg picked up on Patrick’s point by noting that restaurants are allowed to serve customers outside, but added, “It’s not our call.”   Last year we had a deceased members Mass combined with the Knights of Columbus; the president said we will go to the Mass but not sit together; 5:30 Mass on Nov. 7; Greg will find out more; Greg suggested we could sit in the same block of seats; John said we will check with Father about getting a section reserved.   Rich Alesky said he thinks the Hibernians should go ahead and have the Mass for deceased members.   Greg said the Mass is at 5:30 on Nov. 7.   Dan said the AOH golf tournament is Sept 28 in Fredericksburg and OTSP is October 2 and the Hibernians sponsor a hole for that.
Freedom for all Ireland	Tom Masarick	Tom read a statement from the Speaker of the House: “The Good Friday accord is the bedrock of peace in Northern Ireland, an inspiration for the whole world, whatever form it takes. Brexit cannot be allowed to impair the Good Friday Agreement, including the stability brought by the invisible and frictionless border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. The UK must respect Northern Ireland protocol as side with EU to ensure the free flow of goods across the border. This depart I like the best if the UK violates that international treaty, and friendship undermines the Good Friday accord, there will be absolutely no chance of a US UK trade agreement as to the Congress. The Good Friday Agreement is treasured by the American people and will be strongly defended by the United States Congress.”.
Historian	John Holohan	No report
Immigration	Rick Ring	No report
Trip to Ireland	J.P./Greg	Patrick Sullivan said it will be difficult to sell tickets this year and maybe we should consider online. He would be surprised it we sell 500 tickets. Patrick asked it we should be trying to think of something creative like perhaps an online campaign or something other out of the box way of selling these tickets.   Greg said it is a good idea and noted that the church bulletin is sent out online. Greg suggested that JP talk to Father Roos about getting it into the bulletin. “I agree with you,” Greg said. “Desperate times. Desperate measures.”   Dan said maybe the division could sell tickets at the WaWa, Harris Teeter or even Food Lion.   Pete Hawkins suggested we add another six months on the deadline to take the trip. ‘Pete suggested people use their personal Facebook pages. Dan said there are still Farmers Markets and maybe we can use the money from the Fall Festival to buy a booth. Last year we sold about 112 to 150 at the Fall Festival.
Parade	Vince Fitzpatrick	No report
Pro-Life	Mike McManus	No report
Webmaster	Brian Tumulty	President John Masarick said the division has two websites, the old one and the new one. He asked if either is linked to the state site and the National site.   Webmaster Brian Tumulty said is using the website created by our state AOH by Patrick Shea, who is the state webmaster. The division website on the state website. That’s why we abandon the old site.
Political Education	Vince Fitzpatrick	No report
Veteran’s Affairs	Mike Riley	Irish Veterans Museum in County Cork commemorates American involvement from the Civil War through the war in Afghanistan. It includes artifacts from the World Trade Center and a Medal of Honor on display.   Dan highlighted an article headlined Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish.
Hunger Project	Bart Emanuel	No report
Project St. Patrick	Rich Aleksy	No report
Charities	Rich Aleksy
Bylaws Committee	Rich Aleksy
Trustees Report	J.P., Greg, Doug
Bingo	Tom Masarick	Thank you to Rick Ring, JP McCusker and Vince Fitzpatrick for doing the September Bing kitchen.   October will be team 4; donation to the division depends on the sales; food is simpler; hamburgers, hot dogs and sloppy Joe’s;   Patrick Sullivan and his wife have resigned from team 4   Joe Cahill said we get a portion of the $100 we previously got; we are guaranteed a minimum of $50 now and a portion of the proceeds. Anything above that has to be a result of more than $100 in sales.   Patrick Sullivan said it’s not fair and he doesn’t like the reduced fee.   Joe Cahill said the reduced payment also applies to other volunteer groups.   John Masarick said this was a good discussion and we need to move on. We need to discuss this for next year’s budget.   Greg Rebbert said we need to know the impact for next year.
Audit	Vince Fitzpatrick Jerry Partsch Patrick Sullivan
Club Room	Tom Masarick	Closed for another month.
Bereavement / Monuments Committee	Tom Masarick	After the last meeting he spoke to several brothers. The point was made that the families of deceased members may have different preferences.
Music	Jerry Laffey	No report
Spring festival	John Holohan	It was canceled

Dan O’Leary said he has reached out to Old Busthead to see if the beer tasting can be held and at the Old Town Sports Pub for January. It’s always been held the last weekend before the Superbowl.

1. Receipts of the Meeting (Income): Financial Secretary — Rich Aleksy

He will meet with the treasurer later this week and he has $64 from the bingo kitchen.

Date	Submitted by	For	Amount

1. Report of the Treasurer: Richard Ring

Rick Ring was  not be at the meeting on Monday, due to another obligation. In a note, Rick said I have given a check to Greg Rebbert, in the amount of $250, for the OTSP Golf Tournament.  I also have a receipt for $25.98 from the road cleanup.

Starting Monthly Budget Balance For August 2020 = $15,946.11           

August 2020 Deposits (INCOME)  = $0.00      

August 2020 EXPENSES = $0.00          

Ending Monthly Budget Balance For August 2020 = $15,946.11 

            Check #         Check Item   Check Amt:  Date of Chk

            None                         

Closing Bank Statement Balance                     $15,946.11   

Closing Bank Register Balance                         $15,946.11   

Bank register is reconciled

Date Updated: 01 September 2020      

1.  Unfinished Business: none

1.  New business

President John Masarick that during September, we’re supposed to announce the nominating committee. He’s asked some brothers to descend on the nominating committee and waiting for a response. Anyway, current officers he would like them all to consider moving up. Anybody that’s not in the chairs that would like to be in the chairs should consider holding an office. An email will go out this week to let you know who’s on the nominating committee.

Dan O’Leary asked if anyone plans on attending the Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Old Town Sports Pub. He suggested we might carry an Irish flag and an American flag. John Masarick said he is still planning on going with his wife. Patrick Sullivan said he could do a barbecue at this house. John said outside would be okay. There are seven people in the room tonight. The remainder of the participants are online.

1. Adjournment Motion & Closing Prayer

Prayers were offered.

1. Closing Ode:  none

1. 19. Adjournment: Time: 8:59 pm