By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Judges' vote winners the first night, Leo Hanon of St. Katharine Drexel Parish and his amateur partner, Teresa Armand, pose with their mirrorball trophies.
Hanon�s interpretation of �Tango D�Amour� with partner Teresa Armand won them the judges� prize in the first of what organizers hope will be an annual fundraiser for St. John Vianney College Seminary.
The competition brought more than 400 people over two nights � March 2 and 3 � to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall in Miami, where they enjoyed a buffet dinner prepared by the seminary�s own chef, Ramon Ventura, and watched 10 couples perform a dance each, from waltz, foxtrot and swing to tango, merengue and bolero.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Popular vote winners two nights in a row, Bill Jackson and Cheryl Whapham, of the lay ministry office, pose with their mirrorball trophies.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Rose and Frank Litwin, parishioners of San Isidro in Pompano Beach, facilitators in the lay ministry program and members of the board of The Friends of St. John Vianney Seminary, dance a waltz to start the evening.
Two winning couples were selected each night: one by popular vote, the other according to the judges� scores of their dancing skill. On the second night, the judges awarded a three-way tie to: Marcia Perez of Good Shepherd Parish and her partner Nelson, who danced a Viennese waltz; Hector Gonzalez of St. Agatha Parish and his partner, experienced amateur Toni Pallatto of Our Lady of Lourdes, who danced the cha cha cha; and Tony Sierra of Our Lady of Lourdes and his partner Pamella Slusher, who danced a samba.
On both nights, the popular vote winner was Cheryl Whapham, director of the office of Lay Ministry and Adult Faith Formation, and her partner Bill Jackson. Gerry Wood of Epiphany Parish in Miami and his partner, Rawls, won second place in the popular vote the second night.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Susan Fernandez of St. Agatha Parish and her partner, Lee Fraum, dance a merengue.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Tony Sierra of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Miami and amateur partner Pamella Slusher dance the samba. They were in a three-way tie for first place on the judges' scorecards the second night of the competition.
�This is Dade County. We can sell votes,� joked Sharon Utterback, a member of the board of The Friends of St. John Vianney Seminary, the group that spent the past four months organizing the event.
The Friends was started in 1990, �when I was in the seminary,� said Father Roberto Garza, St. John Vianney�s rector. The goal of the Friends is to raise funds for whatever the seminary needs, particularly capital expenditures such as a new air conditioning unit for St. Raphael�s Chapel, or the restoration of the artwork inside.
�We need it especially given the financial climate not just in the archdiocese but in general,� Father Garza said.
Aside from raising money, his goal was to make the seminary better known among South Florida�s Catholics. �A lot of people don�t know that there is a seminary, or they�ve heard of it but they don�t know where we are,� Father Garza said.
Yet most of the priests working in the archdiocese today � including Archbishop Thomas Wenski � are alumni of St. John Vianney.
�This is my first time (as a judge),� said Father Rolando Garcia, pastor of St. Agatha Parish and a judge both nights. �But I�m so happy because this is for the seminary where I studied 34 years ago. Anything for the seminary and the seminarians.�
�I think this is a wonderful idea,� said Father Alejandro Rodriguez Artola, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena and a professional ballet dancer in his pre-priesthood days who served as one of the judges the first night.
�Anything that creates excitement and gets the parishioners from throughout the archdiocese together for some family fun and enjoying each other�s company � and on top of it help the seminary � how can you go wrong?� Father Rodriguez Artola said.
He added that one of his criteria in judging the dancers would be whether they were enjoying themselves. �If they�re not enjoying it, it�s not worth anything.�
Of course, other judges had other criteria, often less rigorous.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Popular vote winner Cheryl Whapham of the lay ministry office poses with her mirrorball trophy and Archbishop Thomas Wenski upon her return to work March 5.
- A free �Spring Concert� April 14 at 7 p.m.
- A Mass on Aug. 4, the feast of its patron, followed by a light reception.
Whapham, who had no dancing experience whatsoever, said she agreed to take part in the competition to get out of her comfort zone and �as a way of showing our support to the clergy,� who themselves are very supportive of lay ministry. Four of the other amateur dancers also are part of the lay ministry program.
�We really appreciate our clergy and we appreciate our seminary,� Whapham said.
�Aside from everything, I am serving the Lord. I can never say no to the Lord,� said St. Agatha�s Gonzalez, who had studied dance briefly in high school.
�It�s a beautiful way to serve the Lord,� said Father Patrick Charles, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes who also served as a judge on both nights. �In this case, everybody wins. If the seminary wins, everybody wins.�
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Father Alejandro Rodriguez Artola, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Miami, holds up his score as Father David Zirilli, vocations director, and Father Rolando Garcia, St. Agatha's pastor, wait their turn.
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