From left: Lauren Berry, Mary Ellen Berry and Gerrie Carey.
Submitted Photo
Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17. It is not an official holiday, but is celebrated by those who are Irish and those not Irish. Scranton holds an annual Saint Patrick’s parade, and this year it is being held on March 8, 20205. The Brian P. Kelly race will be held before the parade. A Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral will begin at 10 a.m.
The St. Patrick’s Parade Day Association of Lackawanna County has conducted the parade since 1962.
According to Britannica, St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He was born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century. He was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but returned about 432 CE to convert the Irish to Christianity. He died on March 17, 461, having established monasteries, churches and schools.
“The Society of Irish Women is an organization formed more than 24 years ago by a group of women who desired to network and gather to celebrate their Irish heritage. All these years later, the group continues to celebrate and champion woman through the same premise of networking and community outreach while embracing Irish culture which culminates with a dinner on March 17th. After attending several annual dinners, I decided to join the society in 2008. Since that time, I have been blessed to forge lasting friendships and have many heartfelt memories through our continued commitment to the community,” said Barbara Partyka, president Society of Irish Women.
She has also held the office of treasurer, vice president and president-elect.
There is 150 members of The Society of Irish women with 45 new members.
There wasn’t a president in the first year, but in 2000, during the 2nd year, Evie McNulty and Jill Miller were co-presidents.
Gerri Carey, her daughters Mary Ellen Berry and Collen Berry along with her granddaughter Lauren Berry are four generations in the Society of Irish Women.
Collen and Gerri go to meetings and chairing committees. The whole family marches in the parade and goes to the annual dinner.
Lauren Berry sang “God Bless America” when she was 9 at the dinner and sang it again with her sister Cami Berry in 2014.
The group holds various events throughout the year in addition to monthly meetings. There is the Top O’ Morning Brunch. Event-goers enjoyed a breakfast buffet, live music, raffles and a bagpiper. Cocktails and Calendars are held in October.
The group will participate in the raising of the Irish flag at the Lackawanna County Courthouse on March 2 and will march in the St. Patrick’s Parade in Scranton and attend the St. Patrick’s mass.
The Society of Irish Women holds an annual dinner on Saint Patrick’s Day. There is a guest speaker. This year’s speaker is Scranton native Quinn Hemphill.
She graduated from Scranton High School. She was Ms. Knight and performed in numerous theatrical performances under the direction of Jenny Brotherton. She starred as the title character in Annie.
She went on to Syracuse University’s acting program where she graduated summa cum laude in acting. At Syracuse, she toured as the title character in Miss Electricity as part of the Bank of America Children’s tour. She also made her SAG feature film debut, in the supporting role of Amber in the “Mental State” She was selected for the Aaron Sorkin Scholar Program where she was introduced to Hollywood by Aaron Sorkin.
After graduating from Syracuse, she secured professional representation and moved to Los Angeles. In April of 2023, she was cast as Callie Howard in “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” It was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and included actors Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
Her current role is in the feature film “Gothic Slayers. It will premiere on Apple TV on March 4.
She is the daughter of Matt and Liz Hemphill and the granddaughter of the late Scranton Mayor Jimmy Connors and Susie Connors.
Quinn resides in Atlanta Georgia with her husband Dr. Jake MacDonald.
Past speakers have included Ann Compton ABC News, Ellen McDonnell of NPR Radio, Judy McLane Star of Broadway, Megan Morgan of Titleist Golf, accomplished authors Jaclyn Fowler, Barbara Taylor, Mary Jordan and Hillary Clinton to name a few.
The Irish Society of Irish Women give back to the community, The group sponsors the telecast of the parade mass on CTV, volunteers to assemble corsages with the Shamrock Foundation and sponsors bingo at the Gino Merli Veteran Center. This year, the group had a multi-month collection of toys and necessities for toddlers, children and young adults served through Patty Lee’s Marvelous Mission.
These are the current officers: Kate Schneider, president-elect; Tammy Jackson, vice president; Barbara Kearney, corresponding secretary; Tiffany Hebert, recording secretary; Kara Gow, treasurer; and Karen Savage, historian.
“This year as president has been amazing. It takes a village to pull off a dinner of a few hundred of your closest friends. I have the very best of support in the officers, committee chairs and members of the Society. Everyone goes above and beyond to ensure that March 17th is a grand event,” said Partyka.
The annual dinner will be held March 17 at the Radisson Hotel, 700 Lackawanna Ave., Scranton.
The dinner costs $90 per person and is open to men and women. For information, call 570-209-2921.
