It's a Small World

Over the last several years I've become good friends with an elderly gentleman at my parish, St. Pius X. Although well into his 80s, he's a dignified man who's always impeccably dressed in a nice suit, and he carries himself with class at all times.

I'm a Lector, and he's a Eucharistic Minister and usher at the noon Mass each Sunday afternoon. We've had occasion to speak many times before Mass. I know his wife has been ill for a long time, but my son and I have seen him and his wife a few times at Dutchess Restaurant on Black Rock Turnpike. He told me he was an educator during his professional life before he retired over a quarter of a century ago.

So it came with great shock as I was perusing the Flame 1976 yearbook when I came across Benjamin Guerra's photo in the Barlow faculty section of the book. Since my homeroom was in Wolcott-Smedley, I didn't know Mr. Guerrera or, if I did, it was in passing.

This afternoon, Ben Guerra was an usher and Eucharistic Minister at the 12 o'clock Mass. I told my son that he had been a teacher at Warde when I attended the high school. I couldn't wait to see him after Mass as he was distributing the weekly bulletins to the parishioners.

"How are you?" I asked him. "I'm fine," he said, as usual with a broad smile across his face.

"How is your wife doing?" I wondered. "She's doing alright. Thanks for always asking about her," he said.

"Did you teach at Andrew Warde High School?" I eagerly asked him.

"Oh, yes. I was there for 21 years," he told me. "I retired in 1979. I think I started in 1958."

Later in the afternoon, I spent some time at Tony Procaccini's home reviewing some material which needed to be scanned for the reunion Web page. I just had to ask him if he remembered Ben Guerra.

"He was my Spanish teacher," said Tony, the chair of this year's event. "I had him during my last year."

What a small world!

Ben Guerra is a wonderful human being. He is devoted to his wife, always upbeat and positive, and is still active in his parish almost 30 years after retiring from Andrew Warde High School. Even though I didn't know him when I was a student at Warde, I admire him for being a true "gentle man."

Odds and Ends ... Our class reunion announcement appears in today's Connecticut Post. It has all the information about our August 19 reunion at Testo's, including how to register and submit payment on the Web site. Check it out.

Paul