Fish Sticks, Generosity, Fully Alive
Today Martin Saints welcomed two special guests, Erik and Helen Nelson. Mrs. Nelson's father, Edward Piszek, used to make deviled crab at a bar in South Philadelphia, as a side job on weekends. One day in the 1940's, he made too much crab, and as an experiment, he threw the extra in a freezer. A week later it still cooked and tasted as if fresh. Out of that happy accident, he founded the Mrs. Paul's frozen fish empire, which he sold to Campbell's Soup in the 1980's. Ever since, the family's Copernicus Foundation has been devoted to philanthropy and paying forward the family's blessings.
Today the Nelsons visited Martin Saints and shared their family history with our students, regaling us with stories about all the good that can be accomplished when we are serious about sharing our time, talent, and treasure. During the Cold War, Mr Piszek’s charitable activities reached behind the Iron Curtain to help the sick in Poland. This lead to a friendship with Karol Wojtyla, the Archbishop of Krakow, now known to us as Pope St. John Paul II.
Today, that journey from South Philly to Poland and the Vatican brought the Nelsons to Martin Saints. They left two gifts behind at school today: a beautiful and rare bronze scale model of the Liberty Bell, and a check for $25,000. Our board president, Deacon Roberts, and our student council president, Felicity, warmly thanked the Nelsons for their generosity.
Starting a new school is not easy. It requires many collaborators: students, parents, teachers, parishioners, prayer partners, board members, volunteers, friends, and donors.
