Births
Brian and Daniela Delaney announce the birth of a daughter, Cassandra Belle Delaney, December 8 at Greenwich Hospital. She weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long. Cassandra was warmly welcomed by her brothers Harrison, 4, and William, 19 months.
Her maternal grandparents, Elissa and Vincent, reside in Yonkers, and her paternal grandparents, Connie and Bill, reside in Mountainside, N.J.
Engagements
Whipple — Bergan
Mr. and Mrs. George A. Whipple of Rye are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Clare Hope, to Robert Bergan, son of Robert and Anne Bergan of Exeter, New Hampshire.
The future bride is a graduate of Williams College and Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Whipple is currently in her first year of an internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
The future groom, also a graduate of Williams College, is currently a second-year graduate student at Columbia Business School.
A September wedding at Resurrection Church in Rye is planned.
Double the Love
For sisters Ariella and Danielle Reidenberg, their New Year’s resolution was a cut above. They each donated a ponytail of hair to Locks of Love, the non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to disadvantaged children under 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss.
This was Ariella’s fourth donation and Danielle’s fifth. Ariella is a Rye High senior; Danielle is a RHS grad who is now a senior at Muhlenberg College.
Local Students Bead It for Ugandan Women
For Brianna Scully and Lily Wittwer, helping others is an important part of life.
Last year, the girls learned about Bead For Life, a non-profit organization that raises money for Ugandan women. The group sends jewelry made by impoverished women to people who host “bead parties”. The jewelry is sold at the parties, and the money raised is put directly back into programs that provide food, supplies, income, and school fees. Scully, a Rye High School student, got involved after attending a friend’s bead party.
“I was inspired and intrigued by the organization,” she said, “and immediately knew that I wanted to host my own bead party with my friend Lily.”
Wittwer, who attends School of the Holy Child, already had some experience, having hosted her own bead party last year. “It was such a success, I was motivated to do it again,” she added.
“It feels great to help these hard-working women,” said Scully. “They need our business in order to survive. To know that a 16-year-old girl from Rye can impact someone’s life in another part of the world in such a big way is very moving.”
In the future the girls, who raised over $1,600, hope not only to continue having bead parties of their own, but to inspire others to do the same. For more information, go to beadforlife.org.
— Photo and text by Miranda van Dijk
Resurrection Welcomes New Pastor With Formal Installation Mass
Monsignor Donald M. Dwyer, an amiable priest with a penchant for humor and a firm commitment to the Roman Catholic church, officially took his place December 11 as the Pastor of Resurrection Church. A formal installation mass was led by Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan with many concelebrants.
Msgr. Dwyer, who replaced the late Monsignor Boyle, is a Bronx native who was ordained in 1979. He came to Resurrection after serving Our Lady of the Assumption in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx, for 16 years.
There was a full display of magesterial pageantry at the mass with an impressive choir. A luncheon chaired by Mary and Tom Julian followed with 400 in attendance.
“This day reaffirmed my belief that the good people of Resurrection are warm, friendly, and generous with their time and talent,” said Msgr. Dwyer.
“May God Bless our wonderful parish!”
After thanking all who had a hand in the celebration, Msgr. Dwyer concluded, “I am most grateful to Msgr. O’Donnell and the priests of the parish for their support and assistance.”
— Photo by JoAnn Cancro, text by Victoria Dillon