Cathie Koster

I came to Seaford and to St. William’s at the end of May in 1950, as a very young person. I came from a wonderful parish, Our Lady of Sorrows, in Corona, where I spent most of my life up to this time. As a child and as a young adult I was very active in parish life and hold many fond memories of those times.

I have come a long way since those days and there have been many changes in my life that in my wildest imagination I could not have anticipated. It is hard to believe that 47 years have passed. That is a lifetime for some. It was more than that for my husband.

I have so many memories of these years…my life in St. William’s parish. Let me share some.

In 1950 St. William the Abbot was a beautiful country church about to burst in growth and population. Monsignor Flinn was Father Flinn and Bishop Daly was Father Daly.

The Grande Dames of the parish were an elegant group…Mrs. McGarty, Mrs. McGrath, Mrs. McDonald, Mrs. Reisert, and Mrs. Molloy, to name a few. These ladies were charming and vibrant. They gave loving attention and care to the altars in the church, as well as shaping the social life of the parish. They chaired the activities of the Rosary Society and were the core group, adding the "feminine touch" to other parish activities. The Rosary Society was indeed active, and an equally enthusiastic Holy Name Society played a strong role in the parish.

Plans for a parish school were in the making as the area and parish grew. All societies and parishioners worked together with Fr. Flinn to see this dream become a reality.

Fr. Flinn and the Ursuline Sisters opened the doors of St. William the Abbot School in September of 1954. The school flourished and grew under the love and guidance and hard work of Fr. Flinn, the Sisters and the staff. Enrollment was so high that classes were held in the convent basement. School activities for our children were not limited to classroom learning. There were clubs and sports and scouts and a marching fife, drum and bugle corps with a complimentary group of twirlers.

Altar boys met on Saturday mornings and practiced their Latin responses.

The convent was filled with our wonderful Ursuline Sisters. The Sisters even gave home to a very luck dog, Metzie. Seventh grade students vied for the opportunity to walk Metzie at lunchtime. Oh, for the life of a convent dog!

Bazaars were held even then and were an important fund-raising event. In conjunction with the bazaar, we had raffles, often for an automobile/boat combination. Teams were formed to drive and display to sell chances on this grand prize at shopping centers, banks and neighboring parishes. Many novice drivers can tell of interesting experiences maneuvering the auto/boat into strategic parking spaces.

Fr. Flinn was elevated to Monsignor and the entire parish celebrated with him. We have been most fortunate to have had with us many fine priests. They have shared our good times and times of sorrow and have permanent places in our hearts. Many of our priests have gone on to serve our God, our Diocese and all of us in other capacities, but they never forgot life at St. William the Abbot parish. We saw, with pride, Bishop Daly, Bishop Mugavero and Bishop Ryan rise to new heights. At one time, St. William’s was home to three Monsignors.

Several of our Ursuline Sisters have gone to serve the people of God in prestigious positions. All of our Sisters have a special closeness to this parish and always welcome news of St. Williams.

The parish society functions were our social life. We had dances, card parties, communion breakfasts, luncheons and teas. We held fashion shows, picnics and potluck suppers. We had plays, trips and a bowling league. They were always a sell-out; always a social success and sometimes we made a profit. We volunteered and we volunteered and we volunteered and we loved it.

When Msgr. Flinn retired and Fr. Leavey came to St. William’s to be our new pastor we celebrated again. His untiring work, leadership and love is the force behind this great parish. His foresight and strength amid all the changes and struggles has resulted in the great St. William’s of today.

A Parish Council was formed and a School Board elected. Bingo was introduced to cover the ever rising expenses. The people gave their usual cooperation and support to our new pastor who proved to be open and encouraging to the needs of his people. We have active participation of lay people in our celebrations with lectors, Eucharistic ministers and deacons, and now, girls are accepted as altar servers. We have adapted to new ideas.

We were privileged to share in celebrating with Msgr. Leavey in some of his special anniversaries, although he is always reluctant to be the center of attention.

How all the people of Seaford celebrated St. William’s Golden Anniversary! A special event was planned for each month of the year. My favorite was our big parade. It was the greatest parade in the history of Seaford. Each parish organization participated, as did the school, many civic and religious groups and neighboring parishes. We had floats and marching bands (7!), fire departments and antique autos. The Rosary Society float was constructed with love and expertise by Mr. Phillip McGarty, a long-time parishioner. It was a scale model of our beautiful church and a work of art. The ladies of the Society formed a Living Rosary and proudly marched behind the float.

The death of our beloved Monsignor Flinn saddened the parish. He left a wonderful legacy and uncountable good works and memories.

The years have gone all too fast. The changes are many but they come with growth and the great parish of St. William the Abbot is alive and thriving. I, for one, thank our God for sending us new, young capable priests and for the new, young parishioners to continue the loving spirit of worship and celebration.

Long live the parish of St. William the Abbot!!!

I pray that my children and all the children of this parish share the love and the spirit and are filled with good memories of their lives in St. Williams.

Cathie Koster

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