Bonded by Faith

The fiery power of the Holy Spirit and family love spanning decades were evident as Elle Caraccioli, 16, was accompanied by her great-grandmother and sponsor Beverly Mason, 90, to be confirmed by Bishop Michael G. Duca at St. Patrick Church in Baton Rouge on Jan. 30.

Caraccioli’s bond with Mason grew as a young child, staying after school at her great-grandmother’s house until her mother, Sheri Caraccioli, picked her up after work. Time flew as they did fun activities and talked.

So Mason was the natural confirmation sponsor choice for Caraccioli.

“She was so excited and grateful to be doing this with me,” said Caraccioli, a junior at St. Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge.

“I was surprised and very happy,” Mason said.

Caraccioli said she is inspired by her great-grandmother’s persistence. Mason prays the rosary every morning and night and sometimes at night she would be joined by her great-granddaughter.

“She never missed a day. It said to me, ‘Keep going,’ ” said Caraccioli. “Whenever I feel lonely, the reason I keep going is because of her. I feel God’s presence and feel like I can get through anything.”

Growing up in Ville Platte during the Great Depression and World War II, Mason said matter-of-factly that faith was the glue that got people through hard times.

The second of nine children, Mason said that both her parents were school teachers and money was scarce, but joy wasn’t.

“We had so much fun. We didn’t even know we were poor,” she said. “We were happy talking with each other, jumping and chasing each other around and swinging.”

She said such moments of faith and family were a refuge during hard times.

“You know, it was so different. We didn’t have television, no news except that what was on the radio,” Mason said.

But the realities of war still seeped into the sleepy community.

“There was a lot lives lost in our small community. There was a lot of sadness,” Mason said. “Faith held us together. I don’t know what would have happened without it.” 

Yet, Mason is appreciative of the lessons learned from those experiences.

“I have a lot to be thankful for about those days. It teaches you a lot. It teaches you to take nothing for granted,” she said.

Thinking back on her children’s confirmation in Alabama during the 1960’s, Mason noted a traveling priest confirmed all five children in a small chapel at the same time “because he didn’t know when the bishop would be coming around.”

And this pluck runs through the DNA of the women of Mason’s family and prompted Caraccioli to pick her great-grandmother as her confirmation candidate.

According to St. Patrick Religious Education Director Melissa Harshbarger, there were concerns that Mason might not be able to walk up to the altar with Caraccioli and wouldn’t make it to the ceremony at all.  

“We discussed having a stand in and we talked about letting them sit as close to the altar as possible and also having Elle’s mom (Sheri) sit with them in case she needed to help Beverly walk up,” said Harshbarger.  

When it came time for Caraccioli to be confirmed, a determined Mason let her family know “it will be okay” and with little assistance stood by Caraccioli’s side as she was sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“I had tears when she walked up there with Elle. I was ushering them to let them know when to walk up, so I had a very close up view, and it was a sweet, sweet moment,” said Harshbarger.  

She was happy Caraccioli and her peers were able to be confirmed after all the road blocks and changes due to COVID-19.

To celebrate the event, Caraccioli, her mother, grandmother and Mason ate lasagna together at Caraccioli’s mother’s house.

Mason said Caraccioli is respectful, humble and gifted and she has big dreams for her, especially regarding her faith.

“I hope her faith continues to grow and she appreciates the things she did as a child, just like I do,” said Mason.