AUBURN - A night of celebration and remembrance was enjoyed by nearly 250 friends and family Sunday as the St. Francis of Assisi Church celebrated its 100th anniversary. The dinner dance was one in a series of events held this year to commemorate St. Francis' centennial.

“I hope this is a night that you will be able to reflect and reminisce upon the great memories that we all enjoy,” said John Camardo, one of two co-chairs of the event along with his brother-in-law, Bob Bruno, who is married to the former Donna Camardo.

Camardo then thanked his fellow volunteers on the committee for their work in making the evening a success. And he paid special thanks to his father, Joseph Camardo, for being “the glue” that brought everyone together for the event.

The senior Camardo made sure to thank the small army of church members who did their part, such as Joe and Mary Ann DeMaio, who baked more than 500 cookies and then put all of the other sweets together on overflowing plates so each table had plenty to share and take home.

Recalling fond memories was made easy for both past and present parishioners, and their friends through two large-screen televisions that showed a slow montage of photographs, both in color and in black-and-white - bowling teams, parade floats, school pictures, weddings, and much more.

Now a resident of the Utica area, the Rev. Ralph Fraatz thanked his “extended family” for “graciously inviting me back for this auspicious occasion” before telling of his pleasure at seeing a picture of the Our Lady of Lourdes shrine at St. Francis on the back of the program.

“It reflects the spirit of the passion,” said Fraatz, noting the parishioners brought the large stones themselves for the mason to “fabricate into that monument, which, in my estimation, is the finest shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in New York state.”

On one occasion, someone had splashed some paint on the shrine, which was built in 1956. As he walked up through the pool of water cleaning the stain, Fraatz was startled to see not a single crack in the masonry.

“It was because it was not mortar that put it together. It was your dedication and your devotion as fine Catholic people,” Fraatz said. “It endures because of your goodness.”

There was plenty of enjoyable entertainment. Paul Saltarello and Rocco Cambareri got applause playing and singing such well-known Italian favorites as “Mamma.”

Saltarello dedicated the song to current St. Francis pastor the Rev. Eugene Dobosz's mother and “all of the mothers here tonight.” The song, sung heartily by Saltarello in both English and Italian, tells of “the warmth of your gentle embrace.”

Dobosz then stood and thanked the duo.

John Camardo also recognized the “sweat and hard work” of previous generations who had made the church such an important part of Auburn's history, such as when the Rev. John Robotti - the first pastor at St. Francis - was able to raise $14,000 to build the first church on Clark Street, a huge sum of money in a time when struggling immigrants had little to give.

Camardo stressed it was important to always remind those who may have forgotten, “of the hardships that our forefathers and mothers endured in building this parish.”

“It's hard to imagine. Our grandparents came to this country with no money, but they found work, they educated themselves, they grew their families, and they supported their parish,” he said.