Vt. Bishop Matano Pays a Visit

To Sts. Donatian & Rogatian

By Martha Slater

When Father John Milanese of Randolph’s Sts. Donatian & Rogatian Catholic Church received a phone call from Bishop Salvatore Matano of the statewide Archdiocese of Burlington last Saturday, it was a pleasant surprise at the end of a stressful week.

On Sunday, Aug. 5 between 10-11 a.m., the majority of the huge wooden roof trusses that topped the sanctuary section of the parish’s new church building on the corner of Rte. 66 and Hebard Hill had collapsed. The reason for the collapse, which also caused the wall facing Route 66 to bow outward, has yet to be determined. Father John had spent the week meeting with the builder and insurance officials and feeling thankful that no one was hurt during the collapse.

Bishop Matano’s call came at about noon on August 11. After expressing concern for Father John’s parishioners, he offered to come to Randolph to say the 4 p.m. Mass that day, and Father John was pleased to accept.

"I was surprised and delighted," he noted. "It was an honor. When he spoke at the Mass, the bishop gave a powerful message of encouragement and support for the people, and as always, it was peppered with his sense of humor. He also stayed afterward to greet
everyone as they left."

Bishop Matano was accompanied to Randolph by a seminarian and by Father Dan White, director of vacations for the Archdiocese of Burlington. Following Mass, the three visitors and Father John drove out to the building site and toured the entire structure in progress.

"The bishop expressed delight with the way the new church was laid out," Father John reports. "He thought it was planned out well."

Father John also pointed out that when the bishop comes back to Randolph to consecrate the completed building, the present parish name of Sts. Donatian & Rogatian will be suppressed and a new parish will be formed with the title of Our Lady of the Angels. The date of that consecration has yet to be set, due to the delay in construction caused by last week’s problem with the roof trusses.

____________