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May 9, 2024By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press
WARREN – Ewa Pakaluk wanted to be a Christian.
So, her sister became a witch!
This is how Ruth Pakaluk, a seventh-grader, explained her role in the St. Thomas Aquinas School play, which she and her eighth-grade sister, Ewa, acted in last Sunday. (The Pakaluks, homeschooled students, are granddaughters of the Ruth V.K. Pakaluk for whom local pro-life awards are named.)
St. Stanislaus church hall was packed with children, youth and adults for Fabiola, a play based on Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman’s 19th century novel about early Christian martyrs.
Set in Rome in 303 A.D., the play shows Christians’ witness helping to convert some Romans, and tells of the end of that early persecution, said Lynda Collins, St. Thomas Aquinas’ drama teacher and the play’s director.
She said she had borrowed the book, and Ewa spotted it shortly before the performance and asked to read it.
“I read the whole thing in one week,” Ewa said. “A lot of our lines were actually in the book. It was fun just to bring it to life.”
She had originally wanted to be one of the Christians in the play, but didn’t care which one, she said. After other students got their roles, she had little choice. She was given the minor role of Prima, a crippled old Christian, since she didn’t want to play Jubala, an African “witch doctor” who dabbled in poisons and was a slave of the Roman lady Fabiola.
“I could not make up an accent” for Jubala, Ewa said. “I also didn’t want to be a witch; I’d much rather be a Christian.”
Enter Ruth.
“It was really nice of her to give me her role,” Ewa said. “Ruth really wanted to be St. Cecilia.”
“I did it almost as a sacrifice,” Ruth said. “I had the role of St. Cecilia, but then I gave it up to let Ewa have” a better role.
“No one wanted to be Jubala” except Joseph Rust, a St. Thomas Aquinas senior, Mrs. Collins said.
She marveled at how Ruth, who took that role, created an accent for her character, even writing out her lines phonetically, the way she would speak them.
And despite playing a witch doctor, Ruth lived for Christ.
“There were times when I got discouraged,” admitted Mrs. Collins.
“Just remember, when the Lord sends you many crosses it means he wants you to become a great saint,” Ruth told her.
“That’s when it’s all worth it – when you’re working with kids who love the Lord,” Mrs. Collins said.
“I wanted to do something that would bring honor and glory to God,” she said, explaining why she chose this play. “I wanted to bring dignity and respect to the theater, particularly what is good, true and beautiful.”
Mrs. Collins said all St. Thomas Aquinas students in grades 7-12 are required to take drama class.
Homeschooled students also take the class, said Steven Rust, principal.
Mrs. Collins said that, for this play, she had St. Thomas Aquinas students and homeschooled students, including sixth-graders, and a student from Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Still River.
“It’s nice to see the children study the lives of the early Christian martyrs and put on a dramatic presentation to share with the broader community,” Mr. Rust said.
“It’s nice to see a Catholic-themed play being done,” said Kate Ulibarri, mother of four students involved in the play.
She painted scenes on cloth panels for the curtains and built the wood set for the backdrop, with help from students, she said. She said she’d never done this but had painted a scene for the school’s Christmas dance and concert.
Mrs. Collins said Philip Flebotte, who is homeschooled, made several props, as well as playing different characters.
“The best thing about these plays and concerts and dances is” that they bring the community together – members of St. Stanislaus Parish, St. Paul Oratory and school families – Mrs. Ulibarri said.
“They’ve become like my family; they’ve been welcoming and kind, even though I don’t have kids in the school,” said Shirley Conn, of St. Paul’s. She said she has attended all the plays Mrs. Collins has directed, over several years.
“Each kid is so good at what they do; they take their parts very seriously,” Mrs. Conn said. “It’s so realistic” that it seems like it’s happening now.
“It’s a good representation of the martyrs,” said Mrs. Ulibarri’s son Christopher Ulibarri, a St. Thomas Aquinas 11th-grader who played Orontius, a spy for the emperor. “I learned a lot.”
What stood out for him?
“The courage of the martyrs.”
His brother, Caleb Ulibarri, a sixth-grader who played the martyr Tarcissius, another Christian named Pancratius, and a soldier, said he liked “the yelling and the funnier parts.” He also mentioned “the part where I die – I’m getting martyred” and said “it felt pretty good” to play a character who wanted to die for Jesus.
“It was the first time I’ve ever had a big role” in a play, he said.
Francesca Rust, the 10th-grader who played Fabiola, also said it was her first time having a main role.
“It was fun – a little nerve-wracking,” she said. “Once you get on the stage, everything comes together and it’s just fun. Everyone learned a little bit about the time of [Emperor] Galerius and early Christian martyrs.”
“The kids really learned about overcoming their shyness ... and they learned about persevering,” Mrs. Collins said. “The Lord asks us to serve. I consider this as service to the community.”
