Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 28, 2011

3


Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 28, 2011 

From the desk of Phyllis Chapman:

Civic Club Installs New 
Leadership


DR. JOHN HULL TO BE ORDAINED AS A CATHOLIC DEACON, 
JUNE 11 AT LOS ANGELES CATHEDRAL

St. Rita Catholic 
Community in 
Sierra Madre eagerly 
anticipates the 
ordination of Dr. John 
Hull, one of their 
parishioners. Hull’s 
ordination as a Roman 
Catholic Deacon will 
take place at 9 a.m. on 
Saturday, June 11, at 
Our Lady of the Angels 
Cathedral in downtown 
Los Angeles. Limited 
tickets are available 
through the St. Rita 
Parish office. 

Hull will become the 
third deacon ordained 
in the parish, since 
the reinstitution of the 
permanent Deaconate 
ordination in the 
Roman Catholic Church in 
the 1960’s, after the sweeping 
changes of Vatican II. 

Hull and his wife, Marylee, 
will join Deacon Manuel 
and Griselda Valencia as 
the parish’s third Deacon 
couple. They will all 
minister to the spiritual 
needs of the 1135 families 
of this faith community, 
under the direction of the 
pastor, Monsignor Richard 
Krekelberg. Hull’s early 
mentor, the parish’s beloved 
first deacon, Ernie Nosari, 
passed away in 2005. 

The Hulls, Sierra Madre 
residents since 1992, have 
four children, the youngest 
attending Alverno High 
School. John Hull has 
taken an unusual route to 
the Catholic faith and its 
deaconate. Formerly an 
ordained Christian minister 
in another denomination, 
as well an Adjunct Assistant 
Professor of Practical 
Theology at Fuller Seminary 
in Pasadena, Hull felt called 
to reexamine his faith 
journey in recent years, and 
joined the Catholic Church 
in 1999. 

Dr. Hull reflects, “I grew 
up as a Christmas and 
Easter Christian, then faced 
the tumultuous college 
environment of Ohio State 
at the height of its unrest, 
where I drifted away from 
Christianity altogether. 
After college, seemingly 
chance circumstances in 
Boston introduced me 
to my wife Marylee, and 
simultaneously brought me 
back to Christianity in my 
own St. Paul-like conversion. 
I then felt called to serve, 
began study for a Masters in 
Divinity in 1976.

“After ordination, I 
ministered in the American 
Baptist Church until 1984,” 
Hull recounted, “when 
I returned to study for a 
second Master’s degree, this 
time in Urban Ministry at 
Fuller Seminary here in 
California. After graduation, 
I pastored two LA churches 
until 1992, when I assumed 
an administrative role at 
Fuller, entered their Doctor 
of Divinity program, then 
taught there at the seminary 
for a decade.”

During his tenure at Fuller, 
Hull began formal study 
to become a Catholic in 
1998 under Deacon Nosari, 
becoming a Catholic at 
Easter, 1999. As he felt 
called again into the active 
ministry, Deacon Manuel 
Valencia and his wife, Chela, 
mentored and advised Dr. 
Hull and his wife, Marylee, 
encouraging them to move 
forward as a couple, into the 
Deaconate ministry.

The opportunity to enter 
the ordained, permanent 
Deaconate ministry is open 
to active, practicing Catholic 
men ages 31-60, married 
or single. Hull comments, 
“Very few deacons are paid 
by the church. Most hold 
full time ‘secular’ careers 
outside the church. It is 
our particular mission and 
ministry to bring the ‘outside 
world’ perspective to our 
pastor.”

 In 2006, the Hulls enrolled 
together in the Los Angeles 
Diocese’s Diaconate training 
program, and have dedicated 
nearly every weekend 
together to the program’s 
study for John’s ordination 
over the past two years. They 
will serve St. Rita’s together.

In the interim, Hull felt 
“a stirring in my heart to 
get back to doing direct 
Christian ministry, in 
choosing hospice ministry to 
the dying and their families.” 
He recently accepted a full 
time ministerial position at 
Mission Hospice in South 
Pasadena. Marylee, his wife 
of 36 years, an MIT-trained 
scientist and engineer, 
currently teaches science at 
the Oxford School, a private, 
international high school in 
Rowland Heights.

The Hulls will continue their 
ministry in several areas of 
St. Rita parish, including the 
Liturgy of the Hours service 
held weekly on Thursdays 
at 5:30 p.m. in the parish’s 
small Oratory chapel, their 
ministry to the visually 
impaired CLIMB residents 
at their Sierra Madre facility 
and Marylee’s position on the 
St. Rita School board, where 
their youngest daughter 
attended elementary school. 

Their joint hope and ministry 
is to foster and further 
ecumenical conversation 
and outreach, focusing their 
unique spiritual journey and 
path on the commonalities 
of John’s Catholic faith 
and Marylee’s Protestant 
tradition and heritage. 

Msgr. Krekelberg reflected 
on Hull’s upcoming 
ordination, “When I first 
came to St. Rita Parish, John, 
in his characteristic humility, 
shared his personal history 
of religious experience and 
ministry with me. I knew 
from that moment that John 
and Marylee would play 
an important role in the 
unfolding of our own parish 
story. Because the deaconate 
formation program takes 
at least five years, I knew 
it would be a highlight of 
our transition into St. Rita’s 
second century. We all rejoice 
that John has answered God’s 
call to this ministry, via a 
long searching path, full of 
spiritual steppingstones.” 

 

In honor of Hull’s ordination 
and the Deacon couple’s 
commitment to minister to 
the St. Rita community, a 
Mass of Thanksgiving will 
be celebrated by Monsignor 
Krekelberg, on Sunday, June 
12 at noon, assisted by both 
Deacons. 

It will be followed by a 
reception in O’Malley 
Hall. All are welcome, 
and no reservations are 
required. The Hull family, 
representatives from Fuller, 
St. Rita and the local clergy 
will attend the ordination as 
well as the St. Rita events on 
June 12.

St. Rita Church and 
O’Malley Hall are located at 
318 N. Baldwin Avenue, at 
Grandview, in Sierra Madre. 
For more information, please 
contact the St. Rita Parish 
office at 626-355-1292. 

 
It was the top of the evening 
when Colleen J.McKernan 
was installed president of 
Sierra Madre Civic Club for 
2011-2012 at their Installation 
Dinner on May 19. She 
chose as her theme the four 
leaf clover signifying “Love , 
Faith, Hope, Luck.” 

 Board of Directors installed 
with her by Installing Officer 
Marcia Bent were,; Carol 
Cerrina, Susan Clifton, Alice 
Clark, Chandy Shair, Gwen 
Robertson, Maria Decker, 
Ruth Torres, Ellen O’Leary,. 
Pat Alcorn and Nan Carlton. 

 Marlene Enmark presented 
an inspirational message for 
the new board. Joan Spears 
and Linda Wochnik chaired 
the festive and gourmet 
evening.

 High praise and lovely gifts 
were presented to retiring 
President Carol Cerrina and 
her Board for the past year, 
a highly successful year. 
Among funds raised by Ways 
and Means Co-Chiars Karma 
Bell and Jean Coleman 
was $15,600 the amount of 
their big philanthropy give-
away. This was pro-rated by 
Philanthropy Chair Jane Zamanzadeh 
and her committee 
and donated to seventeen 
local causes researched and 
voted by the membership. 
Also, an additional $4,500 
was presented in Education 
Awards to four graduating 
high school seniors chosen 
by Leslee Hinton and her Education 
Awards Committee.

 McKernan, besides her service 
in Civic Club, is an active 
community volunteer 
and operates a successful Sierra 
Madre business, Foothill 
Homecare Partners, providing 
a vital service for seniors. 
She will conduct the club’s 
first meeting of the new year 
Thursday, June 9,7:30 p.m., 
in Memorial Park Hart Senior 
Center. Plans for the 
coming year will be the main 
business on the agenda.

Colleen McKernan

Congratulations Chris and Donna


Mountain Views News Contributor Chris Bertrand and (left) and Casa Del Rey co-owner 
Donna Rey, were recently chosen as “Fabulous Women of Influence” by The Magazine. 
The honor was bestowed upon women in the San Gabriel Valley who are nominated because 
of their influence in their respective communities. Also honored this year was Joan 
Whitenack (not pictured) of the Foothill Unity Center. Photos courtesy of The Magazine

Sierra Madre Police Blotter

During the week of Sunday, May 15th, to Saturday May 21st, the Sierra Madre Police 
Department responded to approximately 273 calls for service. See crimereports.com for 
updated information.

Tuesday, May 17th:

4:48 PM- Petty Theft, 500 blk. Lotus Ln. A resident reported that a hedge trimmer was 
stolen from her property. The victim stated that a man had been staying at her house and 
when she asked him to leave he took the hedge trimmer without permission.

Friday, May 20th:

2:12 AM- DUI Alcohol/Drugs. Sierra Madre Blvd. and Kersting Ct. An officer stopped a 
24 year old El Monte motorist for a Vehicle Code violation and determined that the driver 
was under the influence of alcohol. The driver was arrested and transported to Pasadena 
Police Department for booking. 

12:20 AM- Robbery, 200 blk. Sierra Madre Blvd. A victim reported seeing a suspect walk 
into her backyard where he took recyclables from her trash bin and put them in his truck. The 
victim confronted the suspect, who punched the victim and drove away with the recyclables 
in a light gray 2008 Honda Accord, license #6PRA516. The suspect is Jeffrey Stephenson, 48. 

3:26 PM- Make Annoying Telephone Calls, 600 blk. Oak Crest Dr. A former boyfriend 
made annoying phone calls and sent text messages to the victim who had ended the 
relationship.

Saturday, May 21st:

8:19 AM- Grand Theft, 500 blk. W. Sierra Madre Blvd. This case involves a victim in her 
80’s receiving a bogus telephone call asking her for money. The suspect identified himself as 
a police officer and told her that her grandson had been arrested in Haiti and needed money 
to bail him out of jail. The elderly victim complied and wired $5500 dollars through Western 
Union to Haiti. The victim later discovered that her grandson was never arrested and that 
the call was a scam. 

1:23 PM- Use Another’s Personal Identification to Obtain Credit/Etc. The suspect(s) 
stole the victim’s banking account information and tried to cash three forged checks. The 
suspect(s) also used the victim’s debit card to steal $907.00.