July 4, 2005 VOL. 43, NO. 13Oakland, CA

Catwalk of faith

Just what does faith have to do with fashion? For Amanda Howard, a student at St. Mary’s High School in Berkeley, it involved using her passion for design to help the needy. During the school’s Enrichment Week for students to develop new skills or pursue a special project, Howard designed and created 20 formal prom gowns for a “Spring Formal” fashion show.

She also held a silent auction at the end of the show, using donations from local businesses and her school’s parent association. Christian Brother V. Kenneth, served as the evening’s Master of Ceremony. The fashion show, reported to be impeccably choreographed, raised several hundred dollars to help a child in Nepal through the Sponsor a Child charity.

Around the Parishes

The All Saints Social Justice Committee in Hayward is conducting a fundraiser that should make the java junkies jump with glee. They are selling organic fair trade coffee for $10 a pound from northern Nicaragua to support the college scholarship program in Somoto, Nicaragua. For more information, contact Gregory Rienzo at (510) 888-1581. Larger quantities are available.

The St. Joseph Seniors, an active group at St. Joseph Parish in Pinole, recently enjoyed a day trip to Sonoma to tour the mission, the barracks, Vallejo’s home and the Sebastiani Winery. Their next outing will be a potluck picnic in Fernandez Park in Pinole on July 7. The day will begin with Mass at 11 a.m. and a short meeting in the church. Would you care to join them? Contact Bill and Susan Gahan at (510) 741-1756 for more information.

Who’s Reading What? The Newman Fiction Group at Holy Spirit/Newman Hall Parish in Berkeley, who just read Pearl S. Buck’s “The Good Earth,” will discuss “Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini in August; the St. Joan of Arc Book Club in San Ramon will talk about “Augustine, A New Biography” by James J. O’Donnell, beginning Aug. 1.

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Around the Schools

Congratulations to the third grade class at St. Felicitas School in San Leandro, whose class diorama project has leaped from their classroom to an exhibit in the children’s section at the San Leandro Public Library. The exhibition, on display since July 1, is expected to remain there for about a month. The 30 students each produced a different diorama that depicted a variety of subjects from neighboring Assumption Church to a well-known community elder, said proud third grade teacher Ken Kasalis.

Dominican Father Patrick LaBelle, a past president of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, is one of four new trustees at St. Mary’s College in Moraga. The other trustees are Russell Harrison, a member and past president of SMC’s board of regents; Meghan Birmingham Leader, vice president for business support services and chief information officer for Chiron Corporation; and Thomas O’Donnell, a member of the law firm Ferrari Ottoboni LLP who previously served as president of the board of regents. C. Raymond Larkin, Jr., who has served as a SMC trustee since 1998, was named chairman of the college’s board of trustees; and Robin John Driscoll, president of the Driscoll Family Foundation and a SMC regent, is the new president of the college’s board of regents.

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Among the Religious

Congratulations to the Augustinian community – formally known as the Order of St. Augustine – who are marking 25 years at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Castro Valley this month. In conjunction with the anniversary, Bishop Allen Vigneron will make an official parish visitation the weekend of Aug. 27-28 and will be the presiding celebrant and homilist at an anniversary Mass at 11 a.m. on Aug. 28, the feast of St. Augustine.

“Experience Monastic Life” is the theme for a week-long opportunity for women ages 18-50 to explore the nature of monastic life at Queen of Angels Monastery in Mt. Angel, Oregon from July 9 – 15. Participants will join the Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel for community prayer and experience other aspects of monastic life. The Sisters are also offering several possibilities for affiliation, including vowed membership, an oblate program and volunteer positions. For more information, write, call or e-mail Sister Marietta Schindler, OSB, at 840 S. Main St., Mt. Angel, OR 97362; (503) 845-6141; smarietta@juno.comor visit the community’s website at www.benedictine-srs.org.

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Names, News, Notes

The Mercy Brown Bag Program is inviting one and all to its 17th annual book review at 2 p.m. on July 7 at the Mercy Retirement and Center, 3431 Foothill Blvd. in Oakland. Marjorie Banducci will review “Under a Wing: A Memoir” by Reeve Lindbergh, the youngest child of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindberg. A $25 donation is suggested. Proceeds benefit the Mercy Brown Bag Program, which provides groceries to over 1,600 needy seniors throughout Alameda County. Refreshments will be served following the program. Call Joy at (510) 534-8540, ext. 369, if you plan to attend.

EWTN programming: July specials include Rome Reports featuring the latest Vatican events and news, July 12 at 2:30 p.m. and again on July 13 at 7 a.m. A 13-part series on the history of the Catholic Church in the U.S., from colonial times to the present, will be broadcast at 3:30 p.m. on July 11-15, July 18-22, and July 25-27. Loyola: The Soldier Saint on the life of St. Ignatius who founded the Jesuits, July 28 at 10 a.m. and July 30 at 5 p.m.. EWTN is carried on Comcast Digital channel 229; DISH Satellite channel 261; and Direct TV channel 422; in Alameda EWTN airs on Comcast channel 30 and Alameda Power channel 19.

Bay Area Seafarer’s Services, also known as The International Maritime Center in Oakland, is co-sponsoring a trip to China from March 9 to 25, 2006. Highlights of the journey include visits to the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, and a five-day cruise on the Yangtze River at a cost of $2250. A $200 deposit is needed before July 30 to reserve a spot. This is a fundraiser to support the outreach ministries of IMC, an ecumenical partnership of Episcopal, Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian and Lutheran churches that assists thousands of seafarers who visit the Port of Oakland. For more information, contact Robin Monroe by phone: (510) 547-0214 or e-mail: rhmonroe@sfbayfarer.orgor visit the website: www.sfbayfarer.org.

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