Sister Immacolata throws the first pitch at the restored baseball field across the street from St. John the Baptist church in Landeck, which was dedicated to her on Sunday morning.
Emily McBride | The Lima News
DELPHOS — After Sunday morning Mass at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Landeck, an unincorporated village on the outskirts of Delphos, parishioners walked across the street to the closed Landeck Elementary School for a baseball field dedication and naming of Sister Immacolata Field, honoring parish manager, Sister Immacolata Scarogni, who has been battling thyroid cancer.
“The dedication was to show appreciation for everything Sister Immacolata has done for this community for the last six years. She’s really been the force that has energized the community,” said Father Dennis Walsh, the parish’s pastor.
She did this despite spending the past year and a half shuffling back and forth to Cleveland Clinic for chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
Walsh gave a special blessing for athletic facilities, including the field and all the people involved in athletic events, including the players and coaches before Scarogni threw the first pitch.
The dedication was a well-kept secret and came as a complete surprise to Scarogni.
“I am beyond surprised. I am never speechless, but I was today,” she said. “I’m so shocked my name’s up there.”
“The funny thing is, they had it covered in a blue tarp, and I’d been asking for that tarp to come down for months, saying ‘That tarp doesn’t look nice, so pull it down.’ When Sister Mary Edward Spoher and I pulled it down today, there was my name on it with my community!”
While continuing to project a positive, upbeat, and capable disposition to others, cancer has taken its toll and made life more difficult for Scarogni.
She shared how her faith has expanded and deepened through her cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“I’m very blessed to be part of these three communities of Delphos, Landeck and Spencerville,” said Scarogni. “As a Sister, you pray for people who are sick all the time. But now that I’m the one, when somebody tells me to pray for them when they’re sick, it’s constantly on my mind and heart to pray for them. As much as I can say cancer is terrible, it also has been a blessing for me because I can connect with so many more people who are ill. I feel an even deeper bond with them than I did before I had the cancer. Parishioners call me to come over to their house if they want to talk and receive communion, knowing that I understand their struggle.”
“Before, when people told me about their health issues, I understood with my mind. But now I understand with my heart and body.”
“Cancer as a disease has been destructive in my life,” but as one of many patients currently being treated at the hospital, “I’ve also connected to people at Cleveland Clinic,” Scarogni said.
“I understand when they talk about the side-effects and the illness and concerns about their future. So, it really has become a blessing that I feel more deeply connected to God’s people.”
The creation of the baseball field was a parish effort. About three years ago, Delphos City Schools chose to merge the two elementary schools, enrolling all students at Franklin Elementary and closing Landeck Elementary.
“A lot of the facilities were unused. It’s always been church-owned property, so some members of the parish approached us about putting a shelter house up. That went up a couple of years ago. The field and baseball diamond were in bad shape, so they next asked if they could work together to put the baseball field back together so the kids here could be active in the community and have a place to play,” said Walsh.
Ed Paxton stepped up to lead the baseball field renovation, adding grass, the baseball diamond, bases, netting, and poles.
“It’s been a three-year process,” said Ed Paxton.
According to Scarogni, Paxton was “instrumental” and “headed up this project with many other parishioners and people outside the community, and it’s really been a team effort.”
“We’re raising money so that over the next two months we can add lights to the field. If we have enough money, we’ll add in benches and lighting and do more activities,” Scarogni explained, as area businesses have already made donations and ball field banners are planned to recognize donors. She said she envisions the Landeck, Delphos and Spencerville communities to use the field and eventually rent it to teams, like Little League. (Individuals who would like to donate to continue the baseball field renovation project should make checks payable to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, adding “ball field” to the memo line).
According to Mary Lou Paxton, Ed’s wife, “Sister Immacolata’s just been a Godsend to this parish. She’s just a super person. Everybody around here has nothing but good to say about her. She’s just one of a kind.” Sister Immacolata’s struggle with cancer has led to “a whole lot of prayers,” she explained. “There have been times that we all have tried to get her to slow down and take things a little easy, but she doesn’t know the words ‘slow down.’”
“I love what I do. It’s never been a job,” Scarogni said. “I’m even more energized to fight through the cancer, to fight through my treatments, because I love what I’m doing. When I wake up, it’s never a day of labor; to me it’s a day of joy and of ministry. The people I serve and what I am doing are what’s getting me through, and, of course, my faith.”
