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Show Traveling Catholic Priest To Be Honored by Milford Thursday has been declared as "Father Valine Day" by Mayor Ray Young in the community of Milford. i Father Joseph H. Valine, 78 is not only priest of St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Milford but also travels to several other congregations, Including Panguitch, registering about 400 miles on his car each Sunday, Father Valine feels that if people have the desire and feel the obligation to attend mass on Sundays, he has the obligation to make mass available. In his 35 years in southern Utah, he has built several churches and has put more than two million miles on half-a-dozen cars without so much as a flat tire meeting the needs of parishioners. A typical summer weekend to meet the demands of the local people and the tourists season In southern Utah include mass in Milford Saturday night Each Sunday he divides his time between Bryce Canyon, St Dominic's Chapel just outside the canyon and St Christopher Church in Kanab. In years past he has also held services at Panguitch Lake at the Frank Kovachevlch Ckbln; this has not yet been Included in his summer schedule for this year. During the winter months he holds meetings In Panguitch at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Donald C. Clarke. Although he has lived over three-quarters of a . century, Father Valine is known- by Milfordites to "do the work of 20 men." His energy and endurance is only matched by his enthusiasm. In 1941, Father Valine, a native of Portugal, answered the call of his superiors and was sent to Utah from Pittsburgh, Pa. He was assigned to Milford in 1947 and has been there since. Father Valine thinks of himself as "just a country pastor," Father Valine loves to cook, and creates dinners for special occasions for his parish in Milford. He spends six days a week, and has done for the past 15 years, in his parish kitchen preparing 12 to 15 dozen doughnuts a day to peddle to the railroaders at the station, the local grocery store and the restaurant. "Everyone Is waiting patiently for me each day when I start my delivery route," which start at 5:45 a.m. each morning. "And how they complain on the Sabbath when I don't preform this ritual!" the doughnut-toting priest mused. Father Valine gives full credit to "Mrs, Pillsbury's mix" for the delicious flavor of the doughnuts but accepts personal jvalse from the appreciative dunkers for the done-to-perfection goodness of the golden brown, treats. His kitchen Is equipped with a doughnut-making machine and the other needed utensils to help make his task more efficient and pleasant, "The money I make from this project only amounts to seven or eight dollars a day, which I give to the Dominican Order to help educate our boys in the seminary program," he stated. Monday through Saturday his doughnuts, ready smile, generosity, cheerfulness and friendliness all set Father Valine aside as a Very Important Person. He makes the parish recreation hall, which he tailored to size with his saw, available for any worthwhile function from a dinner-dance to a Ping-Pong tourney. It is used for meetings by the local Weight Watchers and Alcoholics Anonymous. Father Valine just returneo home from a trip to Rome. A petition given to the Mayor was petitioning him to set a day aside as "Father Valine Day" was signed by a cross section of the Milford Community and did not have one Catholic signature on it. Passers of the petition planned It this way to show the good father that in a town, predominately LDS, with congregations from Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Church of God, and others they all appreciate the contribution he has made to the community and southern Utah. |