— Herald • Lantern - Dispatch 28 August '85

Fr. Francis Corkery Has A Heavenly Assignment

By TOM H.Y.YN STONE HARBOR - •"rnncis Corkery seems ike a typical summer •esident His daily routine, while cooping him busy in the nornings. usually includes come afternoon time on the teach. He enjoys receiving .isitors. many of whom are rom the Philadelphia irea. Unlike most other ceasonal residents, though. vrancis Corkery prefaces lis name with "Father." Not the kind that raises children, but the kind that cays Mass. as Father Corcery does twice daily for he sisters who spend part »f their summer at the V'Ula Maria By the Sea •etreat house, tilth Street ind 1st Avenue. • Corkery also hears confessions and assists in the -clreats. which are an integral function of the nouse He enjoys the peaceful, relaxing at i mosphere of living in such i i unique religious . " ;ommunity. I The villa, which is owned ;

and operated by the Im maculate Heart of Mary order, can accomodate about 200 sisters, which includes the staff of 38 The adjacent rectory can house six priests Although Corkery is the only full-time priest assigned to the retreat house, others frequently visit to participate in retreats or to enjoy a fewdays' vacation. While noting he enjoys his work. Corkery added that the location isn't too bad. cither. "If you like the beach, you can't beat this assign ment And I love the shore." said Corkery. who is spending his fifth sum mer as chaplain of Villa Maria. Another benefit of living at the shore is that Corkery is often visited by past and present students from his 20 years as a high school teacher. Ordained in 1962 at St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia. Corkery received master's degrees in both European and Russian history from Villanova and has taught at Cardinal O'Hara High

§ ( J I M lit -DDK WHAT I BOUGHT - Nancy Leavitt. of Goshen, lisplays the wind sock, shaped like a shark, that she purhased at Stone Harbor's sidewalk sale last week. Want •ne just like it? Sorry; Nancy said it was the last one in -lock.

Oori* Word > 4IDEWALK SALE — A Stone Harbor merchant com- j jletes another sale during last Saturdays sidewalk sale. f Meanwhile, a young shopping < in foreground) finds a a lisplay to his liking. v

)- School in Springfield. Pa., y for 20 years e Former and present i- students have made a habit e of visiting their instructor e when in the neighborhood "There's never a week p that goes by without me p seeing someone. Especially in early summer, it's an ? extension of A-20 (his / former homeroom)." he said > A recent promotion to I head of the social studies i department included assigning Corkery 's homeroom duties to another teacher However, a tradition that began among his homeroom students has prevailed. "The kids from my homeroom that come down for Senior Week would come over the last night of the week, that Saturdaynight. for Mass in the rectory chapel. It became kind of a tradition. This year, even though I don't have a homeroom anymore, about 20 students came over." he said. During his term as the retreat house's chaplain. Corkery has become quite knowledgeable in the history of the Immaculate Heart of Mary order Formed in Michigan 140 years ago as a teaching order, the I.H.M. sisters have spread across the country and into two South American countries. Their main concentration is in the northeastern section of the country, and they are still devoted to teaching. Corkery said. Their mother house is in Immaculata. Pa . site of Immaculata College Their Stone Harbor house also has a long history. The order purchased the land in 1937 to replace a similar dwelling in Cape May. which was threatened by water encroachment At the time, beachfront owners also could buy the piering rights to the beach in front of their lots Although that is no longer permitted, the beach is still part of the house's property, through a grandfather clause allowing, original owners to retain the beach part of their lots. Corkery said When the house was built. Corkery said it marked the southern end of development in this resort Now . the borough stretches 10 blocks past the home. Borough signs are posted at the beach at 111th a^d 112th streets, asking bathers to respect that block as a religious area. Corkery said that sisters on retreat often take the opSOCIAL SECURITY I). I WORK for a salary ! and have started a smail I business out of my home I already pay the maximum Social Security i FICA> tax I on my salary Will I have to pay even more due to the profits from my new bus- ' mess0 A. No. If you have wages I as well as earnings from self employment . the w ages count first for Social Security If it turns out that your | wages are less than' the Social Security maximum, you pay the self-employ-ment tax only on the difbetween your wages and the maximum or on your net earnings if less.

Father Francis Corkery Chats With Sister Anne immaculee Dorii ward

portunity to pray silently on the beach When approached by people, who usually ask "Are you a nun?", Corkery said that the sisters, who can't answer because they are praying, hope that no one thinks they are being rude. A favorite anecdote of Corkery's concerns a former student who was contemplating the sisterhood. She visited Corkery at the retreat house to get an idea of religious life. During a tour, he left her in the chapel, so he could find a sister he wanted to meet. While alone in the meditative atmosphere of the chapel, she could hear the laughter and frivolity of the nuns working in the nearby kitchen. Corkery said that the juxtaposition of hearing laughter in the chapel helped his former pupil make her decision. "She told me, after she decided to join the convent, that the two sides of life here — the quiet, prayerful atmosphere of the chapel, and the laughter of the sisters working together and enjoying themselves — that was what attracted her to the convent." he said

/A _ if t ^ 1 slv j fm I I'M TIRED — Even angels need a break, as April How ard. 4. proves during this pause in the Wildwood Babv l arade last week. She is the daughter of Mrs. JohH Howard of Philadelphia, and was visiting relatives in West Wildwood.

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