It was early in the 1960s that a 20-year-old Robert Orabone first signed up to serve as an usher at the 10 a.m. Mass at St. Ann’s Church in Providence. More than half a century later, Orabone can still be found by the church’s doors each Sunday at 10 — although now he can be found assisting in quite a few other places as well, ranging from the parish Religious Education and Youth Ministry programs to the annual Christmas Bazaar. It was for this remarkable lifetime of service that he is being honored with a Lumen Gentium Award in the category of Parish Service.
“It started with just the ushering,” recalls Orabone. He admits that it required a bit of good-natured pressure before he considered serving in other capacities as well. “We had a religious sister — Sister Ferencha — who was active in the parish at the time,” he says. “Thank God for her pushing me to do more — the Holy Spirit was really working directly through her. Since then, there’s never been a shortage of ways for me to help out.”
Perhaps Orabone’s most significant contribution to parish life is his work with the young people of St. Ann’s. He and his late wife Janice were both heavily involved with the church’s CYO program, with Bob receiving the Diocesan Office of Youth Ministry’s Man of the Year Award in 1983.
Orabone has also served the parish youth as a teacher with the parish’s Religious Education program.
In addition to his work with the children, Orabone has also helped parish fundraising efforts through his work with the Holy Name Society.
For Orabone, volunteering has been more than a means of giving back — it has helped him discover a greater sense of community. “I’m an only child, and I don’t have any children of my own, so it’s a pretty simple life,” he says. Of all the ministries Orabone volunteers with, perhaps the one which gives him the greatest sense of connection is the St. Ann’s Lunch in the Park program.
“You can make such a difference just by sitting in the park with some sandwiches,” Orabone says. “They can’t all go to the soup kitchen, so we started bringing the food to them. Then over time they’ve become like a second family to me.”
At the time of the pandemic, Orabone had been enrolled in the Diocesan Online Catechist Certification Program, which he hopes will help him further refine his ability to serve St. Ann’s. “It’s so easy to serve the Church,” Orabone says. “Anyone can serve their parish. You just need to be willing to listen to what God needs from you.”
