Kodiak Mirror

Preacher Tells Personal History

A this-is-my-life story was told by Rev. John Moletti at the Rotary luncheon Tuesday at the 49 Room, which was followed by a film, "Light On Democracy" which was supplied by the local post office.

Rev. Moletti said he was born in 1913 in Colorado, one of two sons. His father was an immigrant from Alsace-Lorraine in France, and his mother, a Missouri girl, married his father at the age of 15.

Describing the difficulties of graduating from high school during the depression, he said his total earnings for one summer and fall was one silver dollar for helping install a store window. He said he drifted purposelessly a year or so. He mentioned also that although his father was a nominal Catholic, young Moletti himself was not even inside a church until he was 12 years old. At this later point in life Rev. Moletti said he decided he was wasting the life God had given him, and he decided on the ministry. From 1934 until 1941 he studied and went to college with that aim, and then attended a seminary from 1944 to 1948.

Before coming to Kodiak in 1953 he had served in churches in Pennsylvania, Oregon and California. He forgot to mention that he is married, having become so on July 21, 1935 in Everett, Wash., and he also forgot to mention six begotten children.

Rev. Moletti told of a little of the work of the Community Baptist church, founded in Kodiak in 1940, which in its history has had 31 denominations represented among its three types of memberships.

There were 1200 persons in attendance Easter Sunday, Rev. Moletti said, and a total of 800 last Sunday.

Next week all Rotary members will bring some article wrapped up for a blind auction, the money raised to be used to help pay for the Rotary scholarship offered a local student.

New student member John Reft was introduced. Guest was Tom Renshaw.