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100th Grand Convention report cont.

Monday morning started with a mass at St. Joseph's Church in Yakima. The church was about three blocks away from tthe convention center. It was a lovely mass. Most Rev. Carlos A Sevilla, Bishop of Yakima, presided. Fr. Richard Deitch was the celebrant and homilist. Also present were the pastor from St. Joseph's Church; Monsignor J. Wayne Hayes, YLI chaplain for #127 & #169; two other priests/chaplains; and a Deacon Chaplain from Seattle #55

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St. Joseph Church was burned in the year 2000. It was restored by the parishioners and townspeople. The church meant a lot to the people of Yakima so the community rallied to their aid. Our bus driver was very informative.

The Grand Breakfast Monday morning took us on a celebration of the Lord's Prayer. The mayor of Yakima welcomed us. The Bishop was present for the breakfast. Pat Fontana, Grand 2nd Vice President, gave a talk on the magic of YLI. The youth from the Yakama Indian Nation made an appearance, performing dances in traditional garb. The finale was the "Our Father" to their native gestures. The centerpiece was a white ceramic book with gold edging and an apple motif. So sorry, our delegates did not win one to bring back for show-and-tell.

Monday evening, candidate's night was filled with the enthusiasm of the political arena in a Grand election. Districts and institutes rallied behind their candidates. A multitude of colors were presented at this gala event. We were there with our collars and wands. Members of our district helped us cheer for our candidate. It was awesome. Vicky Johnson from St. Francis #48 was running for Outside Sentinel. Her institute was garbed in her red, white and blue streamers. The magic of YLI was truly present at this gathering. An International Buffet was the food setting for the evening. The food was in great display welcoming the many guests to a beautiful meal. Candidates were asked to speak in random order. Our June, did an excellent job representing our institute and district. We can be truly proud of her.

The evening ended with a gathering of a number of candidates celebrating in the courtyard between our rooms. Since there were candidates, delegates and visitors at three different hotels it was difficult for visiting the candidates. Our group had the entertainment of the Hawaiian delegation, along with the spirit of the dance from the Irish leprechaun, Colleen Smith, running for Grand 2nd Vice President. Traffic was directed to our area with our lighted magic wands. A great evening was had by all.

Tuesday morning bright and early the delegates went to the polling room to cast their ballots. There were 184 eligible voters and all 184 ballots were correct and counted for the election. Carol, along with others on the election committee, took her job seriously as they directed voters to the registration table, watched the polling doors, and made sure everything went smoothly. It was a good experience; however, with three members of our district on the ballot and the Grand Director position contested it was suspenseful as they read the final vote.

The evening was fabulous with a celebration of the decades. The guests filled the rooms of the Convention center. Our filet mignon and chicken with asparagus dinner was cooked superbly. The company of priests from different institutes along with the Bishop was an added tribute to the success of YLI. The evening was topped with an enjoyable vocal, musical rendition of the music of a decade. A brother and sister team accompanied by past grand organist, Rosemary Falon, presented an outstanding program.

The district luncheon was great. We had a good size group from our district present. Our district was not as large as most of them; however, it was not the smallest group there either. We had a delicious pasta chicken salad with strawberry shortcake for dessert. We visited with other members of our district and quickly returned to the sessions to continue on with the work of the sessions. This concludes the report on social events and the evening activities. Next issue: info & tidbits.