Vincent L. & Mary K. Barnes Fund
The Vincent L. and Mary K. Barnes Fund is our most recent Named Fund. We are in the process of writing an article to honor their family. In the meantime, please enjoy the following history written by Mary Barnes for the Centennial book for St. Ignatius Parish in 2007:
I came to Portland in 1952 to work for Fr. Erwin Toner, S.J., editor of The Oregon-Jesuit, which was a separate publication at that time. I had known Fr. Toner when I lived in Spokane some years before.
Vincent was a life-long member of St. Ignatius. He, his brother, Joe, and sister Marguerite, had all graduated from St. Ignatius grade school. The family had always been active in the parish.
Vince was a member of the Holy Name Society as long as it existed and was an usher. At one time Holy Name men took turns counting the Sunday collection after the morning Masses (there were no evening Masses then.) Sometimes our children helped by counting the coins and rolling them in their proper paper containers. The Holy Name men also had Bake Sales. Vince was one of those who called the ladies of the parish for donations. Bernice Wusz’s pastries and Cathy O’Keeffe’s lemon pies (often still warm) were items that sold quickly. We both worked on the annual Italian Dinners. Desserts used to be homemade cakes, until that was no longer allowed, and there was always a very nice variety of cakes donated by the ladies of the parish.
A major fundraiser at one time was the annual St. Ignatius Auction. Bud and Nora Shaffer were two of the tireless workers who got good donations for that and saw that everything ran smoothly. One year, Vince bought a ping pong table and our children and grandchildren have played many games on it. It’s still in the basement and it also serves well for wrapping presents and cutting out sewing items.
Our four children: Gerard, Michael, Margaret, and Ann all graduated from St. Ignatius School. During that time, delicious hot lunches were available for the children, prepared by Nela Kaser, Catherine Nathan, and Marie Corso. An annual spring time event at the school was a Mother’s Tea. The eighth graders served. There was a program by the students and they made gifts for their mothers. They also gave mothers a tour of the classrooms.
Both of our sons were Mass servers. It was considered a privilege to be asked to serve Midnight Mass. Fr. Howard Luger used to tell the boys to be sure to wear dark socks - not white ones. One year when Fr. Michael was here, there was a children’s Mass earlier on Christmas Eve in the hall, and afterwards hot chocolate was served.
Mike and Carol’s two oldest daughters, Stephanie and April graduated from St. Ignatius, and Miriam is now in the 4th grade. Margaret is a member of St. Ignatius parish, and serves on the School’s Foundation Board.
When I came to St. Ignatius, Fr. Henry Schultheis, SJ, had just left to become Provincial and Fr. John Hanses, SJ, was the new pastor. Since then we have had many wonderful Jesuit priests to serve us and for that we can all be grateful.
Vincent Barnes passed away in April 1997 before this article was written. Since the article, Miriam Barnes (Mike and Carol’s daughter) graduated from St. Ignatius in the Spring of 2012. Mary Barnes passed away peacefully last year on July 29th, 2017. We are forever grateful for the dedication that Vincent and Mary Barnes gave to our Parish and School Community.
I came to Portland in 1952 to work for Fr. Erwin Toner, S.J., editor of The Oregon-Jesuit, which was a separate publication at that time. I had known Fr. Toner when I lived in Spokane some years before.
Vincent was a life-long member of St. Ignatius. He, his brother, Joe, and sister Marguerite, had all graduated from St. Ignatius grade school. The family had always been active in the parish.
Vince was a member of the Holy Name Society as long as it existed and was an usher. At one time Holy Name men took turns counting the Sunday collection after the morning Masses (there were no evening Masses then.) Sometimes our children helped by counting the coins and rolling them in their proper paper containers. The Holy Name men also had Bake Sales. Vince was one of those who called the ladies of the parish for donations. Bernice Wusz’s pastries and Cathy O’Keeffe’s lemon pies (often still warm) were items that sold quickly. We both worked on the annual Italian Dinners. Desserts used to be homemade cakes, until that was no longer allowed, and there was always a very nice variety of cakes donated by the ladies of the parish.
A major fundraiser at one time was the annual St. Ignatius Auction. Bud and Nora Shaffer were two of the tireless workers who got good donations for that and saw that everything ran smoothly. One year, Vince bought a ping pong table and our children and grandchildren have played many games on it. It’s still in the basement and it also serves well for wrapping presents and cutting out sewing items.
Our four children: Gerard, Michael, Margaret, and Ann all graduated from St. Ignatius School. During that time, delicious hot lunches were available for the children, prepared by Nela Kaser, Catherine Nathan, and Marie Corso. An annual spring time event at the school was a Mother’s Tea. The eighth graders served. There was a program by the students and they made gifts for their mothers. They also gave mothers a tour of the classrooms.
Both of our sons were Mass servers. It was considered a privilege to be asked to serve Midnight Mass. Fr. Howard Luger used to tell the boys to be sure to wear dark socks - not white ones. One year when Fr. Michael was here, there was a children’s Mass earlier on Christmas Eve in the hall, and afterwards hot chocolate was served.
Mike and Carol’s two oldest daughters, Stephanie and April graduated from St. Ignatius, and Miriam is now in the 4th grade. Margaret is a member of St. Ignatius parish, and serves on the School’s Foundation Board.
When I came to St. Ignatius, Fr. Henry Schultheis, SJ, had just left to become Provincial and Fr. John Hanses, SJ, was the new pastor. Since then we have had many wonderful Jesuit priests to serve us and for that we can all be grateful.
Vincent Barnes passed away in April 1997 before this article was written. Since the article, Miriam Barnes (Mike and Carol’s daughter) graduated from St. Ignatius in the Spring of 2012. Mary Barnes passed away peacefully last year on July 29th, 2017. We are forever grateful for the dedication that Vincent and Mary Barnes gave to our Parish and School Community.