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St. Cyprian honors veterans at mass
Clem Zaborowski of River Grove, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Korean War, carries the flag at the beginning of the Nov. 11 mass honoring veterans at St. Cyprian Church. | Curtis Lehmkuhl~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: December 16, 2012 6:35AM
RIVER GROVE — St. Cyprian Parish honored veterans during Sunday mass, celebrating Veterans Day.
Veterans were invited to the front of the church and were given a special blessing by the Rev. Dario Boscutti. A pancake breakfast followed.
“It was very well done, well planned,” Korean War veteran Bill Tarpey said. “Father Dario gave us a blessing. It was very, very emotional.”
This was St. Cyprian’s first year arranging the veterans mass and pancake breakfast.
“We were doing a pancake breakfast and we thought it would be a good idea to honor the veterans, as well,” St. Cyprian Family School Association President Mary Krewer said.
Krewer believes veterans are an excellent role model for St. Cyprian students.
“We find them to be a very important group because they have the same values we try to encourage in our children, such as courage and integrity,” she said. “We want them to see that being a veteran is not a bad thing, because they protected our country.”
Krewer said veterans from Elmwood Park, River Grove and Melrose Park were invited to Sunday’s mass. Many are parishioners or have a child or grandchildren attending St. Cyprian.
The pancake breakfast will benefit St. Cyprian, helping purchase new technology and equipment. McDonald’s donated some of the food and students’ fathers prepared the breakfast.
Veteran Bob Bilik felt a special connection to the mass because he attended St. Cyprian School as a child.
“I feel very blessed because I got my initial training here at St. Cyprian. It prepared me,” he said.
Bilik was in the Air Force from 1963-1998. He served in Vietnam and the first Gulf War.
“I want to thank all the veterans and remind them that our grateful nation appreciates our service,” Bilik said. “It’s nice that Veterans Day landed on a Sunday this year, and it wasn’t just another day of the week.”
