A Glorious Evening with the Ever Gracious Fr. Vatzelis

by Carole Anne Scott

The years from 1984 to 1991 when Rev. George D. Vartzelis served as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish were characterized by the graciousness that was Father's hallmark. He brought a penchant for perfection to everything he did, whether it was a banner draped across Roslindale Village proclaiming Sacred Heart's first-in-a-long-time parish mission, the slogan and the readings carefully chosen for a special retreat, the details behind the Easter Vigil, or the table settings at the Rectory with no jars allowed in sight and all items properly decanted. His style, elegance, grace, thoughtfulness, warm wit, and ability to recruit the right person for the right task remain legendary in our parish annals and in our hearts.

Of special significance to the Editor and Staff of this newsletter is the fact that Rev. Vartzelis was the "Founding Father of Heart Beats." It was his idea to have a parish paper that would be sent free-of-charge, to every household falling within the geographic boundaries of Sacred Heart and it was his enthusiastic support of our fledgling efforts that somehow made us believe that we could actually succeed.

After his time in Roslindale, Father went on to serve at St. Thomas Aquinas in Nahant and then at St. James the Great in Wellesley. To each parish, he brought a spirit of renewal and an enthusiasm for volunteering, turning over many tasks to laypeople, all under his supervisory eye. Advancing age and a few setbacks to his health caused Father to retire from the hectic work of serving as pastor and eventually brought him to Youville House in Cambridge, a beautiful 95-unit, assisted-living residence, located in a totally rehabbed building that once was a school for practical nursing.

Established in 1895 by the Sisters of Charity in Montreal (also known as the Grey Nuns) and named after their foundress, Saint Marguerite d'Youville, the complex originally consisted of a small hospital for the terminally ill. The lovely eleven-acre, wooded site is now comprised of Youville House, Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, Spaulding Outpatient Rehabilitation Center, and Youville Health Associates, which specializes in providing primary care services to seniors.

In one of those interesting twists of fate, thirty-year Roslindale resident, Kathy Foley, happens to serve as the executive director of Youville House. She suggested to her friend, "Heart Beats" typesetter Terry Curran, that the paper's longtime staff members assemble one evening for dinner at Father's new home. Truly a night to remember, the dinner took place on Wednesday, June 13.

A lovely private table was painstakingly set in the atrium, which features tropical plants and carp swimming in a fountain. The food was truly magnificent. A particular favorite of all seemed to be the Butternut Squash and Apple Soup. Kathy Foley confided in me that "The cooks who are so awesome love to strut their stuff." They certainly outdid themselves that evening.

Father Vartzelis was his usual witty self as he regaled us with stories of his current life and reminisced with us about our shared past experiences. No matter which past parishioners we mentioned, Father remembered them all and often added a story about them to the ones we had already told. Filling us in on his current life, he mentioned that he is a very early riser. Kathy seconded that, saying that he is usually out of the building before she arrives in the early morning.

Amazingly, despite his age and the fact that he had some serious health issues last year, Father is still willing and quite able to drive his car a considerable distance. He uses it to visit St. Patrick's Parish in Stoneham where he often helps the pastor Father William Schmidt by saying Mass. (Longtime parishioners undoubtedly remember Father Schmidt who was a priest in residence at Sacred Heart during the 1990's while serving at the Chancery.)

When he isn't at St. Parick's, Father Vartzelis may be found in Lexington or Weston, offering Mass. Commending him on his continued service to the Church, I mentioned how extraordinary it seems that he is still willing to help out like that, instead of staying home at Youville enjoying himself and partaking in the many and varied activities it offers to its residents. In response, Father said simply, "But, Carole Anne, I am a priest." In his case, that is, in and of itself, a sufficient explanation for his good deeds.

After the many-coursed gourmet meal and the opening by Father of the presents we had brought him, he and Kathy took us on a tour of the facility. We were impressed by the spacious "Country Kitchens" where residents can gather to watch TV together and to prepare their own snacks and by the wonderful sitting rooms on each floor. Not at all institutional in its appearance, Youville House looks just like home, only cleaner!

The evening and our tour ended with Father Vartzelis showing his quarters to us. His is a studio apartment furnished with beautiful works of religious art, including a magnificent painting of Our Lady and a statue of his namesake St. George the Dragon-slayer, elegant Oriental carpeting, and art objects from all over the world. Our time together flew by all too quickly. As each of us exited his apartment, we stopped to say good-bye.

Serving in the role of photographer, I was privileged while snapping the pictures to overhear the conversations. Each person had something special for which they wanted to thank Father. For one, it was Father's kindness in returning to Roslindale for the wake of a spouse; for another, it was his encouragement of her that enabled her to use the gifts that she never realized she had; a third woman spoke of how he had insisted that she read at a special Mass and by doing so, had enabled her to overcome her fear of public speaking; still others spoke of past good times; and all offered sincere and heartfelt thanks for that particular evening's great time. No one really wanted to leave and reluctantly the group made its way down on the elevator and continued to chat with one another in the lobby before heading home.

Quite appropriately, the June issue of "Heart Beats" had made its appearance hot off the press that very day. We were able to give a copy to Fr. Vartzelis to read and left a few for the other priests in residence and for the staff.

All present also thanked executive director Kathy Foley for orchestrating this wonderful event. Kathy mentioned that Fr. Vartzelis often eats out with friends and rarely dines at Youville House. One evening when seeing him in the dining room, she quipped, "I had better put on my hard hat. The roof is going to fall in." To which, Fr. replied, "You are so funny, Kathy Foley." He is around so rarely that it took quite a few days on the job before she even spotted him at the facility. Prior to working at Youville, Kathy had no idea that Father was a resident. Running into him at her new workplace was a most pleasant surprise.

Speaking of Father fondly, Kathy referred to him as "a true gentleman" and stated that when he enters the room, "he radiates kindness." As a parishioner of Sacred Heart, Kathy too has many fond memories of our former pastor. The mother of four children, she is particularly grateful to him for the way that he ran the parish's religious education programs. She states that although her children were in public school, they were treated just like the parochial school kids and were given the same opportunities to participate in the Nativity procession, act in the Passion play, sing in the Youth Choir, or belong to other parish activities.

Thoroughly enjoying her post at Youville House, Kathy mentioned that she wasn't even looking for a job when this one came along. Fortuitously, when she started at Youville, she had just received her college degree, a requirement of the position. Acting always with a sense of humor and in a spirit of tolerance, Kathy often is called upon to mediate disputes. Whenever a resident comes to her saying, "We have a terrible problem," she wisely turns the statement around by adding, "You mean we have an opportunity for improvement?" As you may have surmised, the problems are almost always quite minor in nature.

Over the course of her time at the facility, Kathy has seen so many success stories. Often the elderly enter with a diagnosis of "failure to thrive." Sometimes just the comfort of knowing that assistance is provided with showering or the reassurance of having an emergency call system with help available at the push of a button is enough to turn the diagnosis around. For others, the facility's many and varied social events, including daily Mass, weekly recitation of the Rosary, visiting musicians playing in the courtyard, recreational therapy, and all the other activities offered go a long way toward perking people up.

Like Father Vartzelis, many other residents are still extremely active. One woman organized an art show featuring her work and that of other residents and their families. A retired professor still corrects papers at MIT. Another man still teaches a course at Harvard.

All of this proves that despite health setbacks and advancing age, with the right spirit, a person can stay vital, alert, helpful, and active. Father Vartzelis is a model to us of the gracious values-oriented compassionate living that his new home espouses in the spirit of St. Marguerite d'Youville and her Grey Nuns. May we all be so blessed, and be the blessing to others that Father Vartzelis is.