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Catholic recalls 'Father' figure

Homes headed by single mothers were a rarity when Jerry Crouth was attending St. Aloysius School and singing in the choir at St. Peter's Church in Rome, N.Y., in the 1940s and 1950s. But after his father died, his mother was left to work in a hospital and raise the children alone. 

Fortunately, Mr. Crouth - now a father of seven and grandfather of 16 - found a positive paternal role model in the form of assistant pastor Rev. Robert Collins.

"Father Collins was a great priest who was devout in his faith as well as being a real man who loved to laugh and play sports," said Mr. Crouth, now a parishioner and choir member at St. Mary's Church in Ballston Spa. 

"Not only was Father Collins an outstanding spiritual advisor, he also coached our baseball and basketball teams and organized a sodality glee club that introduced me to music that was different from what I heard in church. He encouraged me to sing show tunes as well as hymns. 

"In addition, he had a marvelous sense of humor that endeared him to all of the kids," recalled Mr. Crouth. 

The influence lingered. Mr. Crouth hosts the "Jerry's Sentimental Journey" radio show on WABY-AM and sings barbershop tunes with the Racing City Chorus in Saratoga Springs.

Estimating that Father Collins was in his late 20s or early 30s when he arrived at the parish, Mr. Crouth couldn't imagine what his teen years would have been like without the presence of this particular priest. 

"I never got a chance to say goodbye to Father Collins because he was killed instantly in a terrible car accident after I graduated from high school, but to this day I have happy memories of him saying the Mass verbally while simultaneously signing the words for deaf parishioners," Mr. Crouth stated. "He left an absolutely beautiful legacy - one I'm proud to share with my wife, Vivian, and our children." 

(AH)

(06/18/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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