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Mary Quilici Aumack
Executive Director Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County aumack @ cfoscc . org
I have been making vinegar for more than 20 years . In our pantry sits a big crock full of red wine vinegar and its “ mother .” The mother is the starter , like yeast in bread dough . The mother lives and grows , and converts wine into vinegar . It ’ s a simple process . To start , you need a piece of “ mother ” from someone else ’ s barrel or crock . You combine that with a few bottles of red wine and just let it sit . Every once in a while you feed it , with plain red wine . That ’ s it . Well okay , some people say you should add water occasionally , but I side with the purists . It ’ s simple . And yet , it ’ s so much more . The vinegar adds subtle flavor and texture to my cooking . I give it as gifts , or in empty wine bottles for friends who
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appreciate good vinegar .
The story of the history of my vinegar parallels the story of my parish . My mother came from Sheryl Pelzel , who got her from Jack Panighetti , who got her from Frank Velo , who got her from his mom Mary , who got her from her mom . The common thread was the Italian Catholic Federation ( ICF ), Branch 184 at Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Los Gatos . No one knows the exact origin of the vinegar mother , but we ’ re pretty sure “ she ” is over 100 years old .
Some years , we sell bottles of my vinegar at the Saint Mary Country Fair , telling the story and making money for ministry .
In addition to occasional feeding , the mother needs a cool dark location , and no exposure to air . If the barrel or crock gets too low , she can die from exposure . At one time we thought mine was the only living , remaining vinegar from this precious strain . So we set to work , spreading the wealth . I now know of at least four more thriving barrels .
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Is the analogy too simplistic and obvious ? Perhaps , but I ’ m going to say it anyway .
This is like our faith , our stories , our values , our dreams for our children , our legacy . These stem from gratitude for the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist . They propel us to action . They need to be fed , to be kept alive . We do this through worship , dialogue , and community .
We also do it by clearly articulating our wishes for the future and documenting them . How do we want to be remembered ? How can we provide support for these “ mothers ,” these institutions and programs through which we have been fed ?
One way is through planning a gift as part of your overall estate plan . Sometimes we think these gifts need to be very large . Any gift is precious , important and appreciated . You can plan a gift to endowment , providing FOREVER VALUE to your parish , school or other ministry . Or , you can plan a simple outright gift . Both are important and needed .
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If you have already remembered your parish , school or another ministry through your end of life planning , please let us know , call or email us at ( 408 ) 995-5219 , or scipioni @ cfoscc . org , so that we can include you in the Society of Saint Joseph and our upcoming Mass and celebration October 14 .
Another way is through prayer . We pray for grace , for simple paths to help preserve these ineffable gifts through which we are continually inspired and made stronger .
I encourage you to take an active approach to your legacy . BE the “ mother .” This is what will inspire and sustain us .
Mary Quilici Aumack welcomes your comments and ideas , ( 408 ) 995- 5219 . For more information regarding the Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County please visit , www . cfoscc . org .
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