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January
9, 2006
VOL.
44, NO. 1Oakland,
CA
Christmas parade
The Cub Scouts of St. Peter Martyr Parish in Pittsburg
show their spirit during the city’s annual Christmas parade. The
scouts took home a third place ribbon in the band/other category.
 Holiday outreach Victoria DeMaria, Alyza Dietzel and Denielle LeBarre of Holy Rosary School in Antioch help sort toys donated to the annual Grannies Anonymous giveaway to families in need. The school also sorted and distributed food baskets for the St. Vincent de Paul Society and delivered cookies to the Rivertown Senior Housing Center, where they sang Christmas carols. |
 Toys 4 Tots Each class at St. Catherine School in Martinez filled a barrel for the U.S. Marine Corp’s Toys 4 Tots program. Eighth grader Kevin Mosby and Kindergartner Corey Burgstaller show some of the donations. |
Generosity
at Christmas
Parishes throughout the diocese remembered those less fortunate during
the holiday season.
In San Ramon, St. Joan of Arc Parish’s Giving Tree
program collected over $30,000 in cash and gift cards for several organizations,
including Bay Area Crisis Nursery in Concord, St. Mary’s Center
in Oakland, and the Danville Nursing Home.
Members at Holy Spirit Parish in Fremont collected over
2,800 Christmas gifts through their Share Christmas program for 20 organizations,
the Kmhmu community in Richmond and the day care centers in Sacramento
administered by the Sisters of the Holy Family.
High school youth at St. Theresa Parish in Oakland hosted
a Christmas party Dec. 22 for students at St. Anthony School in Oakland.
The teens helped the youngsters make gingerbread houses and Christmas
ornaments, donated stocking stuffers and other supplies, and brought the
food for the party.
The faculty and staff of St. Theresa School held a Christmas
hat decorating contest and raised $300 to buy gifts for residents of Elizabeth
House in Oakland.
Students at St. Patrick School in Rodeo have donated
900 pairs of gloves to the homeless through its “Cold Hands, Warm
Hearts” effort. Inside each pair the students placed a small heart
that says “St. Patrick Cares.” The students invited over 40
schools in Canada and the U.S. who share their name to join in the project.
The San Francisco East Bay Chapter of Kappa Gamma Pi provided
Christmas baskets and a cash donation to two families at St. Mary’s
Center in Oakland. Kappa Gamma Pi, a national honor society, has 110 members
in its San Francisco East Bay chapter.
Deacon Dave Rezendes, renowned for his annual Christmas
Lights Ministry, used this year’s display to make a statement
about religion in American life. Included in the 260,852 lights at his
Livermore home was a sign across his roof reading, “One nation under
God.” The majority of the estimated 87,000 people who walked through
the display voiced “overwhelming favorable comments” about
the bold statement, Rezendes said. He dedicated every light in his display
as a prayer for the safety of U.S. military personnel.
Praying
for peace
People of all faiths joined East Bay Catholics very early on the morning
of Dec. 30 at St. Joseph Church in Fremont for the
25th annual International Prayer for Peace. The year-end event,
which took place locally at 4 a.m., was held simultaneously around the
world at noon Greenwich Mean Time. The Fremont gathering, sponsored by
Pax Christi of Northern California, included nondenominational prayers,
music and candle lighting.
Interfaith dialogue
The four Catholic parishes in Alameda are offering a
special six-session joint study series starting next week that aims to
stimulate real conversation between Jewish and Christian – especially
Catholic – congregations. Called “Walking God’s Paths:
Christians and Jews in Candid Conversation,” the program will explore
the evolving history and relationships of Judaism and Christianity.
It begins on Jan. 18 and continues for six weeks.
The series is part of the observance of the 40th anniversary of the historic
declaration of Vatican II Council’s “Nostra Aetate,”
and will be facilitated by Rabbi Allen Bennett of Temple
Israel, Father Fernando Cortez of St. Albert Parish,
Father Tony Herrera of St. Barnabas, Father Rich Danyluk
of St. Joseph Basilica Parish, and Father Vince Cotter
of St. Philip Neri Parish.
The program will conclude with a joint Catholic-Jewish liturgical music
concert at St. Joseph Basilica, 1109 Chestnut St., on March 2 at 7 p.m.
Although the program is free and open to the public, advance registration
is required. Contact: Anne Marie Fourre at (510) 749-7158.
Father Quang Minh Dong will be installed
as pastor of St. Mary-St. Francis de Sales Parish and
rector of the Cathedral of Christ the Light on Jan. 22
at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary Church, 202 Jefferson Street in Oakland. Bishop
Allen Vigneron and Bishop Emeritus John Cummins will preside.
Bishop Allen Vigneron will meet with pastors and
pastoral council members, Jan. 17 at St. Isidore Parish gym in
Danville. For information, contact Nora Petersen, (510) 267-8351
or npetersen@oakdiocese.org.
Who’s Reading What? This month the Fiction Group at Holy
Spirit/Newman Parish in Berkeley discussed “The Book Shop”
by Penelope Fitzgerald; next month they will talk about “Wise Blood”
by Flannery O’Connor.
Happy 20th Birthday to St. Raymond School in
Dublin! When it opened in August 1986, St. Raymond was the first
new parochial school in the Oakland Diocese in 25 years. Initially classes
were held in portable classrooms for 111 students in grades kindergarten
to four. In 1994 construction was completed on the two-story building
in use today for its 314 students. Alumni and their families, former faculty
and staff, current students, school families, faculty and staff will celebrate
this milestone on Jan. 22 with a noon Mass at the parish church, 115557
Shannon Ave. A reception will follow with a nostalgic slide show, memorabilia
and school tours. RSVP requested online at www.st-raymond-dublin.org/school
or by calling (925) 365-0021.
Five gold stars go to the students at St. Catherine School in
Martinez who accomplished multiple service projects and showed
their concern for their community late last year. They raised $1,129 for
the UNICEF foundation by asking for spare change while trick-or-treating.
They also collected 11 barrels of food during a drive for the Contra Costa
Food Bank.
A team of six University of San Francisco architecture
students recently built a new colorful, arched entrance to the Adventure
Playground at the Berkeley Marina. The new gate features an eight-foot-tall
hammer and saw, holding up a large ruler with the words, “Welcome
to the Adventure Playground.” The students worked for more than
100 hours on the project as part of a course assignment. The Adventure
Park, which opened in 1970, allows children to build and paint their own
structures using materials donated by local contractors. It is only one
of three such playgrounds in the U.S.
What does a Sister do all day? How does she pray? Does
she cook and eat dinner with other Sisters? Can she just “hang out?”
How is her way of serving God different from mine? Or is it?… The
Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose invite young women
to spend a day with a Sister on either Jan.12, 13 or 14. Then join the
Sisters for Mass, brunch and a social on Jan. 15 at their Fremont Motherhouse.
To register, contact Sister Beth Quire at (510)449-7554 or SBQuire@hotmail.com.
Ramona Miller, OSF and Bill Short, OFM
of the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley will
lead a Franciscan pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome, May 28-June 7, explaining
the meaning of the sites important to St. Francis and St. Clare. There
will be time for private prayer and communal worship and enjoyment of
Italian culture.
Brochures about the pilgrimage are available at jnielsen@fst.edu, 510-848-5232.
Michael Radding is the new director
of programs at Catholic Charities of the East Bay. Radding,
a member at St. Joseph Basilica Parish in Alameda, worked
the last four years as director of program development for the Glide Foundation
in San Francisco. He has worked in the social services, mostly serving
homeless people, for 25 years.
St. Cecilia School in San Francisco is inviting all
alumni, friends, faculty and former faculty to return to the campus for
the 75th anniversary of the school on Jan. 29. The 11:30 a.m. liturgy
will be followed by a reception and open house. For more information contact
the school office at (415) 731-8400 or visit the website at www.stceciliaschool.org.
Got Good News? Be a parishioner-journalist and share
your news about wedding anniversaries, student achievements; parish outreach
projects, successful fundraisers and other happenings with Carrie McClish,
c/o The Catholic Voice, 3014 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland, CA 94610; phone:
(510) 410-1074; fax: (510) 893-4734; e-mail: cmcclish@oakdiocese.org.
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