Gregorio Sablan: “God's blessings come to us in many forms. One of the ways the people of Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands have been…”

“God's blessings come to us in many forms. One of the ways the people of Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands have been most blessed by God is through His minister, the Reverend Monsignor Louis Antonelli. In September, Pale Antonelli will celebrate his 92nd birthday. For 37 of those years, he has served on the island of Rota, first as pastor of San Francisco De Borja Church in Songsong Village, then as pastor of San Isidro Church in Sinapalu. Throughout these years, Monsignor Antonelli has presided over countless masses, baptisms, catechism classes, counseling sessions, weddings, and funerals. He has ministered to hospital patients, prison inmates, the sick, and the elderly. But in addition to being a man of the spirit, the beloved Pale Antonelli is a man of the Earth. His herd of cattle, about 100 head, and the grazing lands he has cultivated for them are widely recognized among Rota's finest, a product of nurture and careful breeding. It is a long way from Sheppton, Pennsylvania, where Pale Antonelli was born, to the island of Rota. God's ways are unfathomable. But we are all grateful that God's ways brought Pale Antonelli to the Northern Mariana Islands.”