Father Chris Varghese recently walked from his home parish at St. Anthony’s in Manteca to St. Patrick’s in Ripon.

He joked about his six-mile trek in July as being his “penance” at Thursday’s Senior Summer Luncheon hosted by Sister Ann Venita Britto and her Ministry of Caring.

“I did it more for fun and exercise,” Varghese said.

Some 250 attended the special function sponsored by Raymus Homes – held in memory of the late family matriarch, Marie Raymus.

They came from places such as St. Jude Care Center, Prestige Assisted Senior Living in Manteca, Valley CAPS, Brookdale Senior Living, and the local United Cerebral Palsy, to name a few.

The Ministry of Caring served luncheon plates consisting of hotdogs cooked by Rick Jager along with macaroni salad and a dessert.

But it was the fun ad fellowship that once again made the event memorable.

Sr. Ann recognized those with August birthdays before distributing the door prizes made possible by the generosity of donors.

Students from nearby St. Anthony School also pitched in, serving up the lunch plates and handing out the door prizes.

Sr. Ann, meanwhile, has just a few senior luncheons – open to all regardless of religious affiliation – before passing the reins to Deacon Jeff Vierra.

Musicians Pete and Ruben once again livened up the atmosphere with their performance, getting folks to sing and dance.

To contact reporter Vince Rembulat, e-mail vrembulat@mantecabulletin.com.