The Prodigal Cart Returns To Father Weiss

By Steve Bigham

Father Bob Weiss of St Rose Church was all smiles this week after his golf cart was recovered from the woods somewhere behind Lexington Gardens.

The cart had been missing for 2-3 days after someone drove off with it during the St Rose Carnival late last week.

“We were using it to buggy lug stuff for the carnival. I left it behind the church hall Thursday evening. When I went to get it Friday it was gone,” Father Weiss explained. “We went around the whole grounds searching for it, but it was nowhere to be found. That’s when I realized somebody had taken it.”

At this point, the Newtown Police Department was called in, but an officer’s search efforts also came up empty. Father Weiss admitted his disappointment in knowing a person would just drive off with someone else’s property. Father Weiss suffers from a medical condition that requires the use of the golf cart to move about the church property.

On Sunday morning, a discouraged Father Weiss happened to be speaking about the lost cart during the noon mass when Father Larry Larson stormed into the church with good news.

“It’s been found,” Father Larson shouted.

With that, the assembly burst into applause.

This week, Father Weiss reported the cart to be in good running order, despite being a little dirty and missing its key. The cart was due to be up and running by the end of the week.

“I think some person took it for a joy ride. My own feeling is they probably put it some place else originally and then put it back where it could easily be found because we had already searched that area,” Father Weiss said. “I’m just grateful no one was hurt.”