Newport Beach reception benefits aging religious

LOS ANGELES — At a March 24 reception at Newport Beach Vineyard & Winery, Support Our Aging Religious, or SOAR!, honored Terrance and Betty Barry and Sherry Alberoni Van Meter for their leadership in the Catholic community.

Proceeds from this event benefitted SOAR!, which offers grants to meet the immediate needs of aging Catholic sisters, brothers and priests across the United States. The event’s chairs were Patrick D. Powers and Sister Kit Gray, CSJ.

Mr. and Mrs. Barry have been active members of the Catholic community in Orange County, California for more than 50 years, where the Barry Family Foundation has supported the Diocese of Orange and many local charities, as well as many humanitarian efforts outside of Orange County from Haiti to Northern Alaska.

At the reception, the Mr. Powers also awarded the Gold Palm of Jerusalem to the Barrys, which is the highest honor of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a Roman Catholic Papal order of knighthood of the Holy See.

Mrs. Van Meter, a veteran of the entertainment industry, has been involved in charitable work, community efforts and church activities for the past 30 years. She was one of the original Mousketeers on the “Mickey Mouse Club” in 1956.

At the reception, Sister Grace Duc Le of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Los Angeles accepted a $15,000 grant from SOAR! that will provide accessibility renovations to ensure the safety and health of the elderly Sisters at the Motherhouse.

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