By Paul C. Canuel, retired priest of the Diocese of Fall River
FALL RIVER — While all the traffic and excitement on Wednesday afternoon, July 20, buffeted routes 195 and 103 in Somerset with a Presidential motorcade, something much more enjoyable was occurring in Fall River at 375 Elsbree Street.
As the thermometer crescendoed past 90° Fahrenheit, the priests living at Cardinal Medeiros Residence for Retired Priests (CMR) were summoned by the incessant sounds emanating from the Rainbow Ice Cream Truck, a truck owned and operated by Angie and Louie Clara, parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in New Bedford.
They had been sent there on a mission organized by Manny and Suzanne Rapoza from Fairhaven. Just last week Manny had retired from nearly five years as manager of maintenance at CMR, having previously served 14 years in the maintenance department at Our Lady’s Haven in Fairhaven. This was Manny’s way of saying goodbye and thank you.
The priests had just finished lunch when the tunes ”It’s a Small World,” ”When The Saints Go Marching In,” and ”Farmer in the Dell,” enticed them to come outside for desserts of watermelon bombs, ice cream sandwiches, cones, creamsicles, etc.
Lisa Breton, supervisor at CMR made sure to reserve some treats for the priests who were not present at lunch.
Thank you, Manny, for helping us beat the heat so creatively!
