Celebrating Irish American Heritage Month

This Article is not about that, it is just about a 800+ member local Irish organization, Division III of the Ancient Order Of Hibernians [AOH] in Pearl River.

The primary purpose of the AOH is to promote Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity among its members, to uphold and sustain loyalty to the government of the United States of America by the members of the organization living here in America; to aid and advance by all legitimate means, the aspirations and endeavors of the Irish people to complete and absolute independence; and to foster the ideals and cultivate the history and traditions of the Irish people throughout the world.

Every reader should know that while I have been a member of the John Cardinal D'Alton Division III Ancient Order of Hibernians in Pearl River for more than 4 Decades, I am not a spokesperson or chronicler of the organization, just an appreciative beneficiary of its kindness.

In this Article, I would simply like to share my story of Division III in the years from around 190O to 2000+ more or less. Division III aways was and is very very supportive of our Special Needs population in our community, but this is just about a glorious period in which there was no limit to that support

I was the President of Camp Venture in the 70's. Camp Venture had come into Rockland's life in the 60's, a Not-For-Profit Service Provider inspired and created by the Mother of an intellectually disabled son and it changed forever the care of all intellectually/developmentally disabled people in Rockland County. The Mother's name was Kathy Lukens and she was of Irish blood.

By the 90's, when I was in the 3rd decade of my Presidency, Camp Venture was bursting out of its boots in an effort to bring more services to more folks. At the same time, two Hibernians, Denis troy and Paddy Hogan, were rising in the ranks of leadership in Division III and aspired to fulfill the AOH's traditional sacred core mission, which they successfully did, and reach out beyond that to help the new era of the care of our intellectually/developmentally disabled. Camp Venture became a mission target to its great fortune.

In so doing, these two tireless energetic idealists, in full partnership with the membership of Division III, brought the AOH and the entire Rockland community into a more enlightened era, a renaissance of an enlightened compassionate purposing of the Irish performing arts in our community for a noble purpose. The movement was not just about raising money, it was all about inviting people with very Special Needs into the community family. As an example, I was stunned when I asked the AOH if the folks in Venture, ARC and Jawonio, all Service Providers, could march in the St.Patricks Day Parade and was told ABSOLUTELY YES ! So from the decision, every year, more than 50,000 people see and cheer for people who previously were not welcomed.

The attachments below gives the reader a taste of the remarkable happy explosion of talent working for an inspiring noble purpose.

While all the Irish and AOH in Rockland have a remarkable record to be proud of vis a vis its Parade, its Hibernian House, the GAA, the internationally successful Irish Schools of music, dance and singing in Pearl River, the Feis and all the Pubs & restaurants, I always recall how this body of Irish Catholics reached beyond its core mission to make the lives of people of every religion, race, national origins, political persuasion and level of disability better.

My favorite memory is how Division III dealt with Venture's difficult mission to find community residences [GROUP HOMES] for the folks leaving the New York State Letchworth Village under the State policy of "Deinstitutionalism".

It was a real challenge in those days to convince a neighborhood that a "GROUP HOME" would not devalue the worth of their property or be a threat to their safety. Division III not only welcomed Venture's "GROUP HOME", into its neighborhood in Pearl River but named it "HIBERNIAN HOUSE II". I don't know if anything like that was ever done anywhere in those times of change.

In keeping with Denis Troy's devotion to this population he joined the Board of Directors of Camp Venture and served it well for many many years

As fate wold have it, my Presidency continued to 5 Decades and at no time after these years was I disappointed by the AOH and I was always moved by its devoted support.