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Donut Man's Performance  A Slam Dunk

The adults who accompanied youngsters to one of several shows featuring  children's performer Rob Evans - THE DONUT MAN -  might not have expected to receive the extent of what they did by way of catechesis.  Evan's  unique presentation of the Gospel message offered something for all ages.

     " I learned a few things that I never knew before", confirms Shauna Dodge. As an example, the mother of two points to Evan's explanation that  'life without Jesus is like a donut... cuz there is a whole in the middle of your heart. '

Nicole Myshak photo, courtesy of the Atlantic Catholic             

For Dodge this simple analogy, as well as Evan's description of himself  as a "donut repair man", brought home the purpose of the show.  " I had no idea what he was all about" she admits of her understanding  prior to the performance. The parishioner  of St. Michael's Church in Spryfield believes her  6-year old son, Jake, came away from the Nov. 21 show at their parish  with the impression that it was fun to learn about Jesus  and the Bible. "it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon", she affirms.

Terina Oakley agrees. Also a mother of two, Oakley was motivated to bring her family because she hoped  the children would have the Bible explained to them. "I thought it would be a good learning experience for the kids" she says.  The member of St. Michael's Parish was not disappointed. "it was better than what I thought," she admits. "it was really good."   Oakley grinned as she reached for the stroller holding her son Michael:  "even the baby liked it,"  she laughs.   As if on cue, the 9-months old smiled.

Besides evoking laughter and much participation from  both  children and adults, the DONUT MAN led all  present to ponder many aspects of the Catholic Faith including the Mystery of Baptism, the role of the Holy Spirit as well as their  participation  within God's plan.

The performer did this in part through quizzing the audience and doling out donuts to those who answered correctly or to those who took part with particular zeal.

Jake Dodge's favorite aspect of the afternoon was when the children "jumped up and down", and 8-year old  Stephen Oakley was particularly happy to be the recipient of one of Evan's donuts. Stephen's thoughts  were concise   as he described the success of the events and the DONUT MAN's teachings about God: "it was fun and tasty", he summarized.

His mother explains that the performance exceeded her expectations and delved far deeper  into individual scriptural stories  than she anticipated: "i  didn't think it would be so detailed.", she says.

Evan's style was indeed thorough and provided much food for thought and consumption.   Through relaying an experience that contributed to his taking on the stage name  THE DONUT MAN, Evans explained that he , like the woman at the well, had an empty heart.  Providing an explication  of this scriptural passage, Evans says this: "lady with the empty heart" tried unsuccessfully to fill her heart "with being married".

Following upon this and other brief child-friendly expose's of biblical truths, The  Donut Man  was able to launch into his  interactive compositions that had lyrics like  "Jesus said that if you are thirsty and you need a friend, if you are thirsty and you are tired of sin, if you are thirsty I will give you water from Heaven and you will never be thirsty again".  To all such songs the children responded enthusiastically. They were keen to sing, clap and provide sound effects as well as hand motions as required.

Evans came to Nova Scotia through the support of the volunteers of Veritas Catholic Books and Gifts who sponsored three of his shows  within Halifax, Nov. 21 and 22, in honor of the store's 15th anniversary.
(Nicole Myshak).

The following comments were written by the three Parish priests who hosted the performances:

Rev. Ronald Cairns, St. Thomas More Parish, Dartmouth:
"By utilizing color, images, sound, music and movement, the Donut Man brought to life sacred history and the life of faith lived in the church.  The parents and children all enjoyed his presentation, a presentation accessible to all and clearly directed to directed to building up families.  Thank you to Veritas, on the occasion of its 15th Anniversary for the opportunity to share in this venture."

Rev. Rob Arsenault, CC,  Pastor, St. Michael Parish, Spryfield:
"Recently I had the pleasure of hosting "The Donut Man".  I found the ministry to be both entertaining and informative; more importantly, the young people of the parish found the performance fascinating.  If you are looking for a youth event that will both excite your people while at the same time provide a children's insight to the basic gospel message, then I would not hesitate to recommend the Donut Man."

Rev.  Johni Mathew, Holy Trinity Pastoral Unit, Lower Sackville, N.S.:
"Dear Lucian, It was such a pleasure to have the Donut Man in our pastoral unit.  He is a gifted individual who supports our vision of Intergenerational Catechesis.  Since his performance on Sunday, we have heard from numerous families sharing how much they enjoyed the show, and how surprised they were that even their older children participated."
"We would encourage others in the Diocese to bring the Donut Man into their parish, as he has a very special gift to share.  His method is very effective and an excellent way to Catechise families, and although his show is centered on children, his message is for any age.  Thank you for introducing us to the Donut Man, and we would have him back any time.  I wish you and your staff at Veritas continued Blessings from the Lord."

How to reach the Donut Man:
Email:  rob@donutman.com
Phone: (610) 747-0119
Website: www.donutman.com

Store Opening and Blessing

August 2008
With the store open, our volunteers and guests celebrated the Grand Opening of the store in its own time-honoured tradition.  With food and song, and a blessing from Archbishop Mancini, everyone reveled in the newest achievement of the Veritas bookstore.  Another great chapter in our story!

Moving In!

June - July 2008
Amongst a sea of chaos, and an endless wall of boxes, the new store finally came together last summer.  It couldn't have been done without the incredible help of our tireless volunteers, who devoted many hours of their time to get the job done.  What progress we made!