FATHER NORBERT A. MERSINGER CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY By Marianne Peri Sack Father Norbert Mersinger was born and raised in the St. Louis area, one of the ten children.  Of these 10 children, four chose religious lives – two became priests and two became nuns.  The 50th anniversary celebration of his priestly ordination was held at St. Martin of Tours Church on Sunday, April 17, 2005.  A Mass was held at 2:00 P.M. with many of his seminary classmates in attendance followed by a reception in the school cafeteria for his family and numerous friends.      Father’s first assignment was in 1955 as associate pastor of St. Martin of Tours, followed by assignments as associate pastor at St. Casimir, St. Mary, Good Shepherd and St. Gregory.  In 1972, he was made pastor at Sacred Heart in Ozora, Missouri followed by assignments at Most Holy Name of Jesus and St. Thomas More as pastor.  In 1999, St. Thomas More Parish closed and Father Mersinger retired in residence at St. Martin of Tours the first church he was assigned to as a priest.   SACRED HEART VILLA BAR-B-QUE AND AUCTION By Marianne Peri Sack   The Sisters at the Sacred Heart Villa held their annual Bar-B-Que and Silent Auction on Saturday, April 23.  The unseasonable cool and rainy weather outside did not impede the fun, socializing and enjoyment of delicious food inside the Villa cafeteria and adjoining areas.   There was something for everyone – raffles, cakewalks, face painting and various other events.  The silent auction gets bigger and better every year.  There were various theme baskets, gift certificates for dining, entertainment and other items, sports memorabilia, jewelry, home accessories, American Girl dress, Language Little Doll, personal service items and many more interesting choices.      FIAO GOES TO THE MOVIES By Marianne Peri Sack It seemed that everyone in St. Louis was going to see the movie “The Game of Their Lives” partially filmed in St. Louis and about local heroes that participated in the 1950 Soccer World Cup in Brazil.  The game turned out to be the greatest upset in the history of the World Cup when the United States team beat the favored English team. The Federation of Italian Organizations (FIAO) bought out the entire April 23, 7:15 p.m. performance at the elegant Chase Park Plaza Theater.  Members of the organization and friends quickly purchased the tickets and filled the house that evening. The premiere was held at the Esquire on Sunday, April 16, and Hill 2000 also bought out a Friday, April 22, showing at the Chase. People strained to see themselves in roles as extras and cheered for Gerald Butler who played goalkeeper Frank Borghi, a favorite in the Italian community of St. Louis. It was certainly a feel-good type of movie that uplifts the viewers’ spirits.            FIAO PRESENTS YOUNG ARTISTS’ COMPETITION By Marianne Peri Sack The Federation of Italian American Organizations of the Metropolitan St. Louis (FIAO) held its fifth annual Young Artists’ Competition on Sunday, April 24, 2005, in St. Ambrose Church.  This year’s competiton included both piano and strings in two different levels for each.  The finalists were selected from audiotapes submitted earlier in the year.   The winners in Piano were Level I Amelea Kim and in Level II Susan Stanley.  The winners in Strings were Level l Michelle Godbee and in Level II Tessa Gotman.  Each received a cash award of $500.00.   Tessa Gotman received an additional $500.00 as best overall performer.  All finalists received a cash award for $100.00.  The artists’ ages ranged from 9 to 19 years. The audience sat quietly mesmerized by the amazing talent and composure of these young ladies and gentlemen as they performed so professionally.  Pastor Father Vincent Bommarito welcomed the audience to St. Ambrose and Eleanore Berra-Marfisi was the Master of Ceremony.  FIAO Board Member Sam DiGirolamo addressed the attendees before the performances began.  The competition was the brainchild of  THE dedicated Project Director Charlie Garavaglia who is also the St. Ambrose choir director.      Phyllis Tirmenstein, who made the concert possible through grants from Roland Quest Foundation and the St. Louis Community Foundation, presented the awards.  Businesses and individuals have also contributed to this competition and Tirmenstein continues to finance the project with matching funds up to $5,000 a year.   The judges were Ivy Allen, Conductor Florissant Valley Symphony Orchestra and President of the Gateway Festival Orchestra and William Schatzkamer, Professor Emeritus at Washington University Department of Music.