Women Scarce In County Politics

Albina Pakashus 
Jan. 30, 1995 
Albina Pakashus, Of North Street, Luzerne, Died Monday At Her Home.

Thursday, February 02, 1995 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 4C 





`Singing Nun' will be featured at Scranton school fund raiser &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sister Mary Beata Gerrity, R.S.M., the only professional American ``Singing &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Nun," will bring her singing and comedy talents to Bishop Hannan High
School, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Scranton, on Sunday, February 26 at 3 p.mShe will be the featured performer
at the afternoon "Ireland on Review" fund raising concert, sponsored by the
Bishop Hannan Parents Club. Also appearing with her at the Bishop Hannan
concert will be Irish musicians Joe Hayes, from County Cork, Ireland, and
Billy Hickey, along with the award-winning Fedelma Davis Gallagher Irish Step
Dancers of Stroudsburg and Scranton. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She has performed at the Waldorf Astoria and various Catskill Mountain
resorts, shared a stage with Tony Bennet and Vic Damone at a benefit concert
at Tavern on the Green, and even plays to audiences at some New York City
nightclubs. And, wherever she performs, she wears the religious habit that she
received 35-years ago when she entered the Brooklyn Regional Sisters of Mercy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sister Mary Beata, a classically trained singer with two music degrees, is
equally at home performing Gershwin, Irish, Italian, German and Hungarian
songs, along with religious, inspirational and contemporary music. In 1983,
she completed a master's degree in music education at Marywood College in
Scranton, after studying there for several consecutive summers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I have nothing but good feelings for Marywood and the Scranton area," she
says. "It's a very special place." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Her six albums are given air-play on Irish radio shows throughout most of
the country, and in Ireland, England and Canada. She performs as a guest
soloist, and also has two of her own bands, one comprised of several of her
former students. She is a well-known entertainer at festivals, outdoor
concerts, benefits, cabarets, variety shows, dances and weddings, and has
appeared on numerous TV and radio programs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sister Mary Beata has performed throughout New York, New Jersey,
Connecticut and Massachusettes, and her Scranton appearance will be her first
in Pennsylvania. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She often uses her entertainment talents to help raise funds for various
organizations and causes. The fees she earns from her many professional
appearances are used to support her own religious community, including her
special interest in providing for the community's retirement needs. When she
is not performing, she serves as liturgist and organist at St. Thomas More-St.
Edmund parish, Breezy Point, N.Y. She formerly served as music department
chair at St. John's Prep, Astoria, N.Y., from 1981 to 1991. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The "Ireland on Review" concert is being presented by the Bishop Hannan
Parents Club to raise funds to help support the school. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Along with the concert, the Parents Club is also sponsoring raffle tickets
at a cost of $1 each, or five tickets for $6. First prize is an Armani
sculpture valued at $600, compliments of Diane Augustine Gifts; second prize
is a "Weekend for Two at Pocono Manor," valued at $460, compliments of
Cronin's Irish Cottage. Drawing for the prizes will take place Feb. 26,
following the performance. Tickets are available from any committee member, or
from the school. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tickets for the "Ireland on Review" concert are $10 and are available at
Cronin's Irish Cottage, Stirna's Restaurant, Manley's Corner Store, George's
Home Lunch and Bishop Hannan. Ticket information can be obtained by calling
346-4643, or 342-4448, evenings and weekends. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`singing Nun' Will Be Featured At Scranton School Fund Raiser 
Sister Mary Beata Gerrity, R.s.m., The Only Professional American ``singing 
Nun," Will Bring Her Singing And Comedy Talents To Bishop Hannan High School, 
Scranton, On Sunday, February 26 At 3 P.m.

`singing Nun' Will Be Featured At Scranton School Fund Raiser Sister Mary Beata Gerrity, R.s.m., The Only Professional American ``singing Nun," Will Bring Her Singing And Comedy Talents To Bishop Hannan High School, Scranton, On Sunday, February 26 At 3 P.m.