PATRICIA BLISS IN APPRECIATION: Al, Margaret Parisian Embraced ‘Call To Serve’

Editor’s Note:  These are excerpts from Principal Patricia Bliss’ remarks Saturday, March 19, on presenting the 2011 St. Mary’s School Distinguished Partners in Education to the Parisian family.

St. Mary’s School has been blessed with many wonderful benefactors over the years. 
The Distinguished Partner in Education Award was developed as a means to publicly show our appreciation to those who have supported our mission, our philosophy and our ideals, with gifts of their time, talent and treasure. 
We all know how valuable time is and we know that to share your time with someone is one of the greatest of gifts that one can give.
Those of us who have St. Mary’s at the core of our lives believe that our success is reflected in our children. We encourage all to be visible witnesses of Christ by instilling a sense of responsibility and service to his or her community and sensitivity to the call for a just society. 
The Parisian family has embraced those same ideals.  The call to serve was modeled by Al and Margaret Parisian, as they helped out at St. Mary’s Church through bake sales, the parish festivals, and as an usher; at St. Mary’s School in the PTO, Bingo, and to help out at lunch time; or the Oneonta community, with Meals on Wheels and Election Day bake sales. 
Those are a few of the ways  Mr. and Mrs. Parisian were an integral part of the Oneonta community.  It is a partnership between family, church, school, and the community.  We support one another through good times and bad.  And this sense of community service is ingrained in the whole Parisian family.  It is part of who they are. 
And when tragedy struck the Parisian family when son Ricky, a state trooper, was killed serving the community he loved, the family turned their grief into faith and increased sense of service to church and community by starting a foundation to support the many needs of the people of the greater Oneonta community. 
And St. Mary’s School is one of the many groups that are supported by this foundation.  Over the years, The Parisian Foundation has provided funding for the art, music and technology programs at St. Mary’s, as well as funding for equipment for our phys-ed classes, our playground and ball field.  
And so this evening, we, the community of St. Mary’s School, along with your family and friends, want to thank you for your gift of time, talent and treasure. 

“To share your time with someone is one of the greatest of gifts that one can give,” said Principal Bliss in presenting an engraved clock to Al Parisian.