The Laker/Lutz News

Troop 33

Pastor ready to ‘just pedal’ into retirement

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Officially, he’s the Rev. Monsignor Ronald Aubin.

Around Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, in Land O’ Lakes, though, he’s better known as Father Ron.

The Rev. Monsignor Ron Aubin led Our Lady of the Rosary through many changes during his 27 years as pastor. Here he is blessing ground for a new construction project. (Courtesy of Our Lady of the Rosary)

Aubin, who has been at the church for 27 years, has led the parish through two relocations, construction projects, rapid growth, the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic — and those are just some of the high-profile events.

There also are the more intimate — and more regular rituals — of being a parish pastor.

The First Communions he’s distributed.

The homilies he’s delivered.

The marriages and funerals he’s officiated.

And, the visits he’s made to nursing homes, hospitals and to the jail, to offer words of comfort and spiritual guidance to others, in a time of need.

Aubin was ordained to the priesthood on April 23, 1981, making this year his 40th as a priest.

He arrived at Our Lady of the Rosary on July 1, 1994, when the church was still located on the southwest corner of U.S. 41 and State Road 54.

Both of those roads were two lanes at the time, and there were very few stoplights, the pastor recalled.

The Rev. Ron Aubin, left, of Our Lady of the Rosary, received the title of monsignor. He stands alongside the Most Rev. Robert Lynch, then Bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

“There are two churches there now. One on the north side of the highway and one on the south side of the highway. Both were ours. Except the one on the north side of the street used to be on the south side of the street.

“When they widened the intersection there — widened (U.S.) 41 to four lanes, did the whole intersection, they were going to chop off the (smaller) church,” Aubin said. Instead, the building was sold to the Episcopal Church, which paid $1, and moved it across the street.

Our Lady of the Rosary had already relocated into the larger building at the intersection, which would later become home to Keystone Community Church.

Our Lady of the Rosary moved to its current campus at 2348 Collier Parkway, on Nov. 27, 1999.

The new construction at the site began with a church and an office, and over time, has included classrooms, an early childhood center and, most recently, a youth center.

“Everything on this property was done during my years here — thanks to the efforts of a good number of people,” the pastor said.

Aubin has already experienced some moments of personal joy. Some of the brightest moments came when three parishioners — Israel Hernandez, Kyle Smith and Bill Wilson — were ordained to the priesthood, the church leader said.

Over the years, the church also built some strong, longstanding ministries.

Father Ron, as he’s known around Our Lady of the Rosary parish, said he was raised in an environment ‘where Christ was the center of our lives.’ He said he was surrounded by Irish priests and nuns at church and in school at his parish of Immaculate Conception. ‘We jokingly referred to them as FBI — foreign-born Irish, as opposed to the CIA, conceived in America. That was my world.’

Its scouting program, which includes Troop 33 and Troop 34 — boasted 11 Eagle Scouts in a single ceremony two years ago.

Its Knights of Columbus Council 8104 is known for the legendary fish fry it hosts each Friday during Lent.

And, its food pantry operated by St. Vincent de Paul is a regular source of help for those in need.

Its membership also has grown considerably, too, through the years.

When Aubin arrived at the parish, it had 830-some families; now, it has well over 3,000.

It had a greater membership at its peak, but then the Great Recession hit, forcing young families to move, to seek employment, the pastor said.

“When you’re parents raising babies, you can’t sit back and wait for something to happen. You’ve got to go and find a job. There are some neighborhoods, I am told, that half of the houses were sold, in this area,” Aubin.

The Recession was challenging — but COVID-19 essentially shut everything down.

“There was just zero contact,” Aubin said.

“They couldn’t come here. We couldn’t go there.

“We couldn’t even go to the hospitals to visit people. We couldn’t go to the jail, the nursing homes — any of those places,” he said.

The parish adapted. Staffers with technical know-how stepped up to begin live-streaming Masses in Spanish and English.

The Rev. Monsignor Ron Aubin, better known as Father Ron, holds some gluten-free communion wafers, with an aim to be sensitive to parishioners’ dietary needs.

Staff reached out to parishioners to send in large photos of themselves that could be attached to chairs, so priests could look at the faces while saying the Mass.

The parish followed guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from the Diocese of St. Petersburg, in re-establishing in-person services.

Still, as the country reopens, Aubin expects that some who stopped attending during the pandemic, won’t return.

The trend toward disengagement began about a dozen years ago, Aubin said.

Before the Great Recession, the church had about 1,200 kids in its various programs, he said. Pre-COVID, they were down to 800. During COVID-19, the programs were virtually non-existent.

“I was at a meeting yesterday and other pastors were voicing the same concern. We really have to try to reach out to our young families,” Aubin said.

That disengagement is not something that Aubin — who attended Catholic schools and joined the seminary at age 16 — personally understands.

God, he says, has been “the ‘be all, end all,’ of my life.

“I can’t imagine this present world or the world to come without him. So, I want to share that gift with others,” Aubin said.

The pastor does understand, however, that reaching young people today is much different that it was during his youth.

Fortunately, Aubin expects the new leadership at Our Lady of the Rosary to bring fresh ideas and new energy.

The Rev. Justin Paskert, who will be the new pastor, is coming to the parish from his role as chaplain for the Catholic Student Center at the University of South Florida.

“I’m excited for the parish,” Aubin said.

“I love this place. There’s a certain sadness in leaving, but there’s also joy in knowing that it’s going into good hands. Father Justin will revive it and get it moving again.”

Aubin’s final Masses are this weekend, on June 26 and June 27.

His message will focus on his mantra through the years at the parish, based on a poem called “Just Pedal.”

In essence, it’s about keeping the faith and carrying on, even when the future is not always clear.

“Just pedal. Embrace the change,” Aubin said. “You just have to keep on moving. If you’re not changing, you’re dying.”

Published June 23, 2021

Troop 33 honors 11 Eagle Scouts

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An Eagle Court of Honor celebrated the accomplishments of 11 young men recently at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, in Land O’ Lakes.

Each of these members of Troop 33 received the rank of Eagle Scout: Evan Hernandez, Gabriel Vega, Michael Thibeau, Miguel Mockabee, Phillip Morrical, Spencer Huffman, John A. Turbessi, Cesar Arthur Castillo, Ethan Fuhrmeister, Louis Mooney Jr. and Matthew Gansemer.

The rank of Eagle Scout is the highest that a Scout can achieve in Boy Scouts of America.

These 11 Eagle Scouts were honored at the Eagle Scout Court of Honor, presented by Troop 33, at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O’ Lakes. On left, front to back: Louis Mooney Jr., Ethan Fuhrmeister, John A. Turbessi, Cesar Arthur Castillo, Phillip Morrical and Matthew Gansemer. On right, front to back: Michael Thibeau, Evan Hernandez, Miguel Mockabee, Spencer Huffman and Gabriel Vega. (Courtesy of Samantha Petzold/Boy Scout Troop 33)

A video message from Frank Tsuru, chairman of the National Eagle Scout Association, put their accomplishment into perspective: “Rare is there a time when 11 young men are awarded the Eagle award at one time, from a single troop,” Tsuru said.

Still, that accomplishment is just the beginning of what being an Eagle Scout means, Tsuru continued.

He said they will be tested in life.

“As a businessman, it’s easy to be swayed to cut corners, hide some things, or not be fully transparent, in order to get ahead in business. By maintaining the Scout Oath and the Scout Law as your guiding principles, you will maintain honor, truthfulness, and give all of the glory to God for your successes.

“At the end of the day, principle-centered businesses see more successes than business that does not embrace these core principles.

“I want to remind you that your job has just begun.”

Plus, Tsuru added: “I’m asking you to give back and make an impact on a younger scout.”

Families and friends gathered to mark the occasion, at a ceremony that was planned and conducted by Scouts in Troop 33.

It was a dignified event, which began with performances by Roses in the Sawgrass, a choral group that served as a prelude to the program.

Scout John Turbessi, who was among those receiving the rank of Eagle Scout, provided a trumpet call, and members of the Troop 33 Color Guard presented the colors.

There were numerous speakers, including the Hon. Judge Ralph C. Stoddard, who was there to represent Chief Judge Ron Ficarrotta of the 13th Judicial Court.

Judge Stoddard told the audience, “No one understands perhaps better than we do, the consequences of failed parenting, or the benefits of good parenting.

“Here, today, we’re here to celebrate you because of the wonderful things that you have done for these young men and for our community.”

He also read a letter sent by the chief judge: “In achieving the Eagle Scout status, you’ve demonstrated that you are worthy of honor, which we know that you share with your family and troop today.

“Because we understand that this was an arduous task and most worthy of celebration, we join you in commemoration of this achievement.”

Chris McBride, director of youth ministry at Our Lady of the Rosary, was the keynote speaker.

He reminded the Scouts being honored: “You’re not self-made guys. None of us are, here. Be sure to be grateful and to give back.

“Always check in with yourself and say, ‘How am I living? How is my life making a difference for others?’” he said.

Monsignor Ron Aubin, pastor of the church, said “Congratulations to all of our Eagle Scouts. You make Our Lady of the Rosary parish very proud this afternoon. I know your parents are proud. Your Scout leaders are proud. And, I am very particularly proud of each and every one of you.

“You have achieved a significant goal,” the pastor said.

He also told the audience about a book he read many years ago that helped him to realize that the happiest people are those who set goals.

“People without goals become listless. They experience discontent, maybe even depression. It is people who are setting reasonable goals and working toward those goals that find authentic joy in life,” the pastor said.

“I want to encourage you to set reasonable goals on a regular basis. Multiple goals. Goals that you might achieve in the next few months. Goals that might be in the next few years. And maybe even goals that are long-term.

“It’s with moving toward these goals, and striving toward them, that we grow,” he said.

The pastor also thanked the Scouts, noting several of their projects have enhanced the church grounds.

Bob Hall, Scoutmaster of Troop 33, thanked the 19 assistant scoutmasters, the parents and others for their support.

“I don’t want people to think of us as an Eagle factory. Our troop is not about producing Eagles. What we’re about is producing leaders, and putting good leaders into the community,” Hall said.

The Scoutmaster also reminded the young men being honored: “Even though we help you along the way, this is something that you did. Not something that we did for you.”

“The accomplishment is only reached by about 4% that try for Eagle.

“I’m proud of you guys. I’m proud of what you stand for,” Hall said.

He told the audience that the Scouts being honored have different ambitions, ranging from becoming professors, to pursuing environmental science, to becoming lawyers, scientists, computer hackers, a politician and even a sports car designer.

And, three of the Scouts are going to be assistant scoutmasters, Hall added.

“Getting Eagle, it’s in your heart. It’s not the badge that I put on your chest. It’s not the scarf that you’re going to be wearing around your neck. It’s not the certificate that’s signed by somebody famous. Eagle is something that you’re going to carry for the rest of your life.

“And, how you carry that torch is up to you,” Hall said.

In addition to the presentation of the Eagle awards, certificates also were presented from Judge Stoddard and Ben Strakos, of the Knights of Columbus.

Each of the new Eagle Scouts also offered a few comments. Some were funny, and some were touching — but all of them offered a sense of appreciation for the help they received along the way.

Afterwards, there was a reception for the Scouts and guests, followed by a special Mass.

Published December 11, 2019

Eagle Scout stats
Total merit badges: 290
Project hours (personal): 752
Project hours (total): 3,095
Donations (total) $47,519.9

Making a difference
Eagle Scout projects completed by members of Troop 33:

  • Ethan Fuhrmeister restored plantings and benches at the 9/11 Memorial Garden at Freedom High School. He was helped by community members, teachers, sports teams and sports clubs. He comes from a family in which his father, four cousins, two uncles and two great uncles are Eagle Scouts.
  • Evan Hernandez built a Butterfly Garden and Finch Aviary at the Florida Exotic Bird Sanctuary in Hudson. He is grateful to Patricia Norton for the opportunity to beautify the entrance of the sanctuary and provide a habitat for the 30 finches and attract local butterflies.
  • Phillip Morrical focused on creating multiple habitats and nesting boxes for the Florida scrub jay. He built six nesting boxes at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, in Land O’ Lakes. He also provided education to the local community about the plight of the bird and sold nesting boxes to local residents who wanted to help save it.
  • John A. Turbessi, a first generation Venezuelan-American, designed his service project to help Venezuelan families in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis there. He organized a food and supply drive, and with the help of the Our Lady of the Rosary parish community and others, he was able to send  boxes containing more than 1,500 pounds of food, first aid and personal supplies — helping 20 families and 89 people in the process.
  • Gabriel N. Vega enlisted the aid of others to help him construct a Rosary Garden at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, and to purchase a large Virgin Mary statue centerpiece.
  • Spencer Huffman did a project that linked into Gabriel Vega’s Rosary Garden. The two scouts divided a major request by a parishioner, that included a wish list of a 200-foot pathway for the 14 Stations of the Cross in “The Way of the Cross Garden.” The two projects were combined to produce an area of worship.
  • Michael Thibeau responded to Monsignor Ron Aubin’s vision for the landscaping surrounding the church’s newly constructed youth center. The scout took the pastor’s vision and combined it with his father’s landscaping expertise to create a representation of the Garden of Gethsemane at the Mount of Olives.
  • Miguel Mockabee created additional space for the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Pasco at Our Lady of the Rosary church that had been needing space for dignity and privacy of its clients.
  • Louis Mooney Jr. created a GaGa Pit at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church to promote more outdoor recreation for children of the parish and its youth ministry.
  • Cesar A Castillo did a GaGa Pit project at an elementary school in Tampa.
  • Matthew Gansemer helped to refurbish the food pantry for St. Vincent de Paul.

Published December 18, 2019

Creating an outdoor place to pray the rosary

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When Gabe Vega was a little boy, he was not the slightest bit interested in joining the Cub Scouts.

However, once he did it didn’t take long to overcome that initial resistance.

This is what the Blessed Mary’s garden looks like, at the completion of phase one of Gabe Vega’s Eagle Project. (Courtesy of Edwin Vega)

And now, the 16-year-old can’t wait to earn the rank of Eagle Scout — the highest honor a member of the Boy Scouts of America can achieve.

The completion of an Eagle project is one of the requirements necessary to earn that distinction.

And, Gabe — who belongs to Troop 33 based at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church — is well on his way to accomplishing that.

After conferring with various groups at the Land O’ Lakes church, Gabe decided to build a Rosary Garden.

His garden features a garden, with a statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as its centerpiece, and a seashell path surrounding that garden, which will have engraved pavers, representing the beads of a rosary.

In the Roman Catholic Church, a rosary is a set of beads that are used in a form of devotion, during which five (or 15) decades of the Hail Mary are recited, preceded by an Our Father, and followed by a Glory Be.

Stones line the border of the path, which will be covered with seashells before pavers will be installed to signify rosary beads. Shown here, Spencer Huffman bends over to place a rock on the edge of the path, while a number of other volunteers help, too. (Courtesy of Edwin Vega)

To get started on the project, Gabe and his father, Edwin, visited a rosary garden at St. Paul Catholic Church, 12708 N. Dale Mabry Highway, for some ideas. That visit came at the suggestion of Leo Gendreau, who recommended Gabe check out that garden and consider creating one for Our Lady of the Rosary.

The Land O’ Lakes High School junior also talked things over with Rich Thibeau, of Natural Designs Landscaping, who is the teenager’s coach for the Eagle Scout project.

“He helped me map everything out. The kind of rocks we needed. The kind of flowers we were going to plant in the garden,” Gabe said. “I went with the idea of having the rocks and the crushed shell, then selling the pavers to have the beads.”

The project has involved help from many sources, said Gabe, who lives with his parents, Edwin and Sheila, and his twin sisters, Rosie and GiGi, in Land O’ Lakes.

The Rev. Ron Aubin, pastor at Our Lady of the Rosary, gave the project his blessing and his support. The monsignor allowed Gabe to run an article in the parish bulletin explaining the project and announcing the sale of pavers.

The pavers that will represent Hail Marys, and will be used as stepping stones on the shell pathway, sell for $100 each.

A set of four smaller pavers will be joined together to represent each Our Father and Glory Be. Each of those pavers goes for $75.

Edwin is delighted by how well the project is being received, and supported.

A group loads rocks in a pickup truck to carry them closer to the Rosary Garden being created at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church. Working here, from left, are Sean Smith, Jim Pasek, Clayton Hagel, Matthew Thibeau and Tommy Ploor. (Courtesy of Edwin Vega)

“Everybody has been so nice and responsive,” he said.

“For me, this has taken on a life of its own, all of the support at the church. They’re spreading the word. They’re backing it up,” he said.

People have helped in all sorts of ways, Gabe and Edwin said.

The physical work has been done mostly by Gabe, his Scout friends and a few men from the church.

Contributions have come in through the sale of pavers, but also in many other forms, Edwin said.

For instance, the sod cutter needed to put down the seashell path was provided for free by Dot Geho, of West Coast Events and Rentals, and Joseph and Casie Lynn Holloway, of Holloway Farm Store, provided a free cement bench.

The statue of Mary, which now serves as the centerpiece of phase one of the project, was donated by Hal and Betty Montgomery.

“We had the Blessed Mother here (in the family’s family room) for months,” said Sheila Vega, Gabe’s mom.

Paver sales have been going well.

Sean Smith, left, and Gabe Vega carry a very large rock, with Evan Hernandez in the background. (Courtesy of Edwin Vega)

“This past Saturday is when we built the path. One gentleman came down and said he was going to buy one for each of his children, and he has six children,” Gabe said.

A woman called to say she would be buying a paver to honor the memory of her nephew, who was killed by a drunk driver.

Another woman, who initially thought she could only swing a $20 contribution had second thoughts and decided to go ahead and buy a $100 paver.

Building the first phase of the project — Mary’s garden — took two days.

“Day One was putting the boulders in and filling the hole with dirt. Day Two was putting all of the plants in,” he said, as well as installing the statue of Mary.

That part of the project involved help from a dozen scouts, and four or five adults, Edwin said.

“Those were big boulders we were moving,” he said. “We had to have a special cart. No one could lift it. It was so heavy.”

Gabe said that after a while, they came up with a better plan.

“Eventually, we just lifted them into the back of a pickup truck,” he said, and moved them closer to the site.

Building the seashell path, the next phase, took another day.

Eight scouts and a few adults helped that day.

All of the scouts, Gabe said, are close friends who he’s known since he was a Cub Scout.

This is the Rosary Garden, after the completion of the shell path. The final phase will be to install pavers, which represent the beads of a rosary. (Courtesy of Edwin Vega)

“It made it easy being the leader of them. The dynamic of it all was easy,” said Gabe, who is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program at Land O’ Lakes High.

The last phase will be to install the pavers.

Polar Engraving, which is engraving the pavers, is based in Naples. It was hit by Hurricane Irma, which has affected its schedule, Edwin said.

Overall, Edwin estimates the cost of the project to be about $10,000.

But, the value to the community, he said, far exceeds that.

Edwin expects the pavers to be ready before Thanksgiving, so they can be installed. Meanwhile, orders are still being taken for the pavers not yet sold.

Want to help?

If you’re interested in purchasing a ‘rosary bead’ paver engraved with your personal message, visit PolarEngraving.com/BoyScoutTroop33. If you have questions, call Edwin Vega, (813) 838-2400, or email .

Published Oct. 4, 2017