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Little guy with big voice brings readings alive Parishioners at St. Clare's Church in Colonie can't get enough of Jackson Raimo's voice. At Mass, hundreds of them wait in respectful silence, following the small figure as he rises from his seat. Once at the lectern, he pulls out a plastic stool, steps up on it and adjusts the microphone. Then he speaks in clear, enunciated tones. At only nine, Jackson has made quite a splash as the youngest lector at the suburban parish. "I can't leave Mass without shaking 20 hands!" he said. Debut Impressed by Jackson's delivery in the role of narrator for the parish's Christmas pageant, Marge Milanese, former director of religious education, approached him with the idea of his becoming a lector. The fourth-grader at Veeder Elementary School made his debut soon after, reading at the Christmas Eve Mass, which is traditionally the most well-attended liturgy of the year. "I like going in front of crowds," Jackson told The Evangelist. "I wasn't nervous. When I'm doing readings, I feel good because I'm reading the Word of the Lord. The first time I read, I didn't look at the faces so I wouldn't get nervous. Now, I look at everyone's face, because I have the hang of it." Training Until Ms. Milanese's departure from the parish last month, Jackson worked with her on preparing for his role. According to his mother, Kymberly Raimo, they discussed what each reading meant, along with the right pronunciations and delivery to use while addressing the congregation. "I try to make it as clear as possible," he explained. "Longer readings I do very slowly, so I can get all the words right and people can understand me, too." During the week before Jackson is scheduled to read, Mrs. Raimo and he work every night to prepare for the big day. To study the text, Jackson uses a dog-eared, marked-up lector's workbook, the same one that St. Clare's adult lectors use to prepare. If the two come across any snags or questions, they are ironed out by the pastoral staff at St. Clare's. "I tell him, 'If you're reading and it's confusing to you, it's confusing for the other people,'" Mrs. Raimo said. 'Mesopotamia' Jackson isn't given preferential treatment just because he's young. He's often scheduled to read passages that older lectors consider quite harrowing, such as this year's second reading for Pentecost. Jackson worked hard to correctly pronounce mouthfuls like "Elamites," "Mesopotamia," and "Cappadocia." In June, the correct pronunciation of the tongue-twister "Baal-shalishah" was a distinct challenge. Rev. Edward Deimeke, administrative advocate for priests in the Diocese, resides at St. Clare's. He said that he was astounded the first time he heard Jackson. "This kid got up there as if he had been lectoring for 50 years," the priest said. "It was memorized, but not rote. It was proclaimed in a marvelous fashion. I sat there pretty much dumbfounded." Pastor's praise For Rev. Ronald Menty, pastor of St. Clare's, the decision to include Jackson among the ranks of parish lectors had nothing to do with his age. "The issue for lectors is how well they can proclaim the word of God, and that's not limited to age," he said. "Jackson does very well, and we want to encourage young people like him to get involved. Sometimes, we wait until Confirmation; but by then, they're looking at colleges and are too busy for a set schedule. If they're young and qualified and suited for the ministry, we say, 'Let's do it.'" The reaction of the parish at large to Jackson's role has been overwhelmingly positive, said Mrs. Raimo. At first, she was nervous about how older parishioners would react to such a young person at the lectern, but she needn't have worried. Father Menty said that "the people seem very supportive, and many are very enthused to see young people who take the ministry as seriously as Jackson does." Fan club In fact, the mere mention of Jackson's name at the recent parish picnic sent a table of elderly ladies into paroxysms of praise. One mentioned how she appreciated Jackson's clarity because of her bad hearing. Another said that she "wished he could read all the time." Mrs. Raimo was impressed at how easily Jackson was able to make children his age -- who might normally squirm during Mass -- "sit still and listen. They are definitely looking up and paying attention when he's around. I think that's because he's a peer up there, someone they can identify with." Jackson repudiates the thought that he might be too young for the lectern with a simple piece of logic: "If I'm too young, then why am I doing it?" Peers' view Other lectors have been appreciative and supportive of their young colleague. "One of them said I should be president," mused Jackson, "but I don't know about that." According to Mrs. Raimo, lectors sometimes tell her that her son is the one of the best they've ever heard, and that they've even picked up pointers on diction and delivery from the pint-size preacher. Mrs. Raimo shakes her head and smiles, recalling when Jackson was considered a "wild child" among the workers at St. Clare's nursery. But long-time parish legend Sister Clare Graham, FMSJ, would assure her that "Jackson will be fine. Don't worry about Jackson." "She was right," his mother said. (8/7/03) |