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Show father Ualiiio folic honored at GoncQlohrafod Lines Friday : f ) ( - FATHER VALINE The Reverend J.H. Valine, O.P. will be honored in a Concelebrated Mass of Thanksgiving, honoring the golden jubilee of his ordination ord-ination to the holy priesthood priest-hood on Friday, February 23rd, at St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Milford. All his many friends and parishioners are invited to attend the mass at 12:00 noon, Friday, and the dinner and program in the social hall immediately following the mass. Most Reverend Bishop Federal, D.D., of Salt Lake City, will be in attendance, as will members of the Dominican Order, to which Father Valine belongs. Father Valine, who came from the Azore Islands in 1906, settled in California with his father and brother. His two sisters followed a year later. When his widowed widow-ed father remarried, another brother and three sisters were added, making a total of eight children. Fr. Valine worked a few years, then attended St. Mary's College in Oakland, California, graduating in 1916. After a year in Kent-field, Kent-field, California, he started his noviate in Somerset, Ohio. He spent two years in Springfield, Kentucky , studying philosophy and another an-other year at River Forest, a suburb of Chicago. He then spent a year in Freeborg, Switzerland, studying theology, and three more years in California studying theology. Father Valine was ordained ordain-ed in San Francisco in 1929 by the Most Reverend Bishop Bish-op Hanna, and began a series of assistant pastorships in California and Oregon. In 1941 Father Valine was transferred to Logan, Utah, where he built his first church. Next he built a church in Richfield, and it was there he began his park circuit, which he continues on a limited basis today. The circuit, which now takes him to Panguitch and Pink' Cliffs, outside Bryce Canyon, Can-yon, once included Zion's Canyon, Grand Canyon and Kanab, and has endeared him to thousands of tourists from all over the world. In 1947, he was sent to Milford to establish a church for the small congregation. He moved old barracks from Topaz Camp to Milford and joined them together to make the church, usingtinted glass instead of stained windows. In 1975 he gave the old church to the Milford Golf Association Associ-ation for use as a clubhouse, and began construction on the present church, which was dedicated in 1977. St. Bridget's recreation hall was built in 1948. He opens it not only to parishioners, but to the community. Youth of all denominations have enjoyed en-joyed his hospitality, and many hours of leisure time have been spent in this hall, which has always been available avail-able for community affairs. In 1962 he built a church in Kanab, and 1970 saw the completion of Pink Cliffs Church. Construction on the new St. Bridget's was still not complete when he celebrated cele-brated a midnight mass on Christmas Eve, 1976. A legend in his own time, Father Valine farmed the Milford Flat until a few years ago, and in 1965 purchased a donut machine. Father's do-nuts do-nuts were sold aboard passenger trains passing through Milford, in local stores, and on the steps of his churches as he traveled the circuit. He continues to make and sell them today. His circuit, which once amounted to 550 to 600 miles a week, now takes him only to Pink Cliffs, or in the winter win-ter to Panguitch. He considers con-siders himself semi-retired. semi-retired. He made two trips to the Vatican for his 75th birthday, birth-day, and seems to get younger young-er with each passing year. He passed his 80th birthday last December. He has contributed much to the community and to Southern South-ern Utah. Ironically, his first choir was a group of Mormons from St. George. They supplied a choir for mass at Zion Park for tourists. tour-ists. Mrs. DiFiore, who organized or-ganized that first choir returned re-turned with a group from (Continued on Page 8) HERE'S MORE ABOUT Father Valine Dixie College in 1977 to help dedicate the new St. Bridget's church. He has touched many lives, and all who wish to do so, regardless of their denomination, denomin-ation, are invited to participate partici-pate in this milestone on Friday. |