By Mary O’KEEFE
The Crescenta Valley Weekly is inviting the community to join in a celebration of life/Irish wake on April 1 at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church in Sadler Hall.
As the neighborhood paper we have close ties to those leaders who volunteered and dedicated their time to this community. Recently we lost many of those leaders and in the first part of this year local residents have seen the loss of many loved ones.
Both Robin [Goldsworthy] and I are of Irish descent and in our traditions the wake is a time to mourn and to celebrate the life lost. It is a time to not ignore the grief and sadness but to embrace the gifts that were shared by the one who has now passed – one last party to celebrate the deceased.
For me, we had a memorial for my father when he died that included the American Legion Irish Brigade pipes and drums; however, the wake was held at the nearby horse track Dad used to go to. It was a place where he took my kids and allowed them to eat junk food – something I did not allow. He had set aside some money and we brought for everyone there the last round of chips with canned cheese and other heart-stopping items. For my uncle, the family held the traditional Catholic funeral but then his wake was held at the American Legion where he had set aside money so he could buy the last round for all who attended. And my great grandfather’s wake was a barn square dance. It always seemed to lessen the pain of the loss when we all shared silly stories of those who had passed, life lessons that had been taught and how we will carry on their memories.
For Robin, it was the huge Boston Irish family support she received when her sister died. She doesn’t get to spend a lot of time with her Boston family but when she was in need they all were there for her. They celebrated together.
As CVW reports on so many of those who have died, we talk to family and community members and share in their grief, which is why we thought we would bring our Irish-American tradition to the community to share as neighbors.
“We have all suffered losses in the community so as a community we can celebrate those lives,” said Father Guy Leemhuis of St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church.
He added that COVID-19 had not only taken loved ones but had changed the way we mourned as it was more in isolation. This will offer an opportunity for those who lost loved ones to share in a more traditional way, surrounded by their community.
And of course there can’t be an Irish wake, or any Irish event, without music. Irish musician Ken O’Malley and his band will be performing at St Luke’s from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on April 1. O’Malley is well known throughout the Irish community and beyond. He brings the Irish culture to his audience in song and stories of his homeland. The Irish News described him as “without question, the single most enduring, influential and proficient of all Irish musicians in Southern California.”
O’Malley was born and raised in Ireland but made his way to America about three decades ago. He immediately found work playing at Molly Malone’s, the legendary Irish pub in Los Angeles, and never stopped playing. He has been part of bands like The Mulligans, Blended Spirits and The Twilight Lords.
While living in Dublin, at 15 he opened for the legendary balladeer Paddy Reilly at the Old Sheiling Pub. By the time he was 18 he was a professional musician. He has released several albums including “The White Seahorse” and “Women of Ireland.”
Although Irish wakes often involve a wee bit of the drink, this event will be more of a fruity punch event making it family-friendly. As are Robin and I, and is CVW tradition, almost everything circles back to community support so although there are no tickets to purchase anyone who can is invited to donate to the Fire House youth center.
There will be an opportunity to record some memories of those who have been lost; bring photos to share as well.
It doesn’t matter how long ago the loss has been; we invite everyone to join in the celebration of those lives and how their memories have made your life fuller.
And we all grieve differently and for different reasons. For some it is the loss of a loved one, for others it is the loss of the way of life, like moving from high school to college. We invite all to come and celebrate life.
St. Luke’s is located at 2563 Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta. The event is free on April 1, and is from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. with live music by Ken O’Malley from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The parking lot is off Cross Street with additional parking on the street.