May 22, 2006VOL. 44, NO. 10Oakland, CA

Greetings from Concord
Father Richard Mangini (right), pastor of St. Bonaventure Parish in Concord, greets Pope Benedict XVI during the priest’s recent visit to Rome for the installation of his cousin, Cardinal William Levada (center). Cardinal Levada, former archbishop of San Francisco, is head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Author in our midst
Father Andrews Amritharaj, who lives at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in San Leandro while teaching theology at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, has a new book for the spirituality seekers among us. “Be Still – Bear Fruit: Living Our True Nature” delves into the meaning of prayer and provides guidance on how to develop a deeper relationship with God. The book is available through Sadhaana Publications at (510) 387-0050 or bstill2know@yahoo.comfor $14.95.

Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday Blessings to FESCO (Family Emergency Shelter Coalition) in Hayward, which is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. Catholic parishes in Hayward, Castro Valley and San Lorenzo are among the church and community organizations that provide financial and volunteer support to FESCO, which operates an emergency shelter for families in Hayward, a transitional housing program and a variety of supportive services that include counseling and parenting education for families.

Around the Parishes

A round of applause goes to participants in the youth ministry program at Good Shepherd Parish in Pittsburg who pitched in big-time at a recent polenta-sausage bingo party sponsored by the parish Italian Catholic Federation (ICF). The youth serve the food, cleaned up and brought a gracious spirit to the event, reports Janelyn Russo, orator for ICF #72. She identified the do-gooders as: Chessca Dolores, David Billeci, Jennifer Vassallo, Alysia Stewart, Jenna Luna, Kaitlyn Howard, Johanna Salvador, Michelle Hernandez and Matt Matejcek. Debbie Lawson is the youth ministry leader.

A bus left from St. Leander Church in San Leandro on May 12 with 39 children and their caregivers and traveled to one of five women’s prisons in central California to reunite the youngsters with their incarcerated mothers as part of the annual Get on the Bus event that included children brought to the prisons by various dioceses throughout the state.

The web home of St. Isidore Parish in Danville has undergone a refreshing makeover. Its crisp new look features a striking icon of Saints Isidore and Maria de la Cabeza by artist Robert Lentz.

Other highlights include a commentary by the pastor, Father Gerry Moran, links to a staff directory, a Google map to the parish for the directionally-challenged, and to the comprehensive weekly parish bulletin. Parishioner Dorothy DeMonteverde helped Father Moran with the upgrade. According to the pastor, during April 534 visitors read the bulletin online and 418 visitors peeked at the Mass schedule, also posted at www.st-isidore-danville.org.

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Around the Schools

Two thumbs up for Celisse Tan, a first grader at Holy Spirit School in Fremont, who won honorable mention in the Alameda County Water District Poster Contest. Her drawing, which will be on next year’s water district calendar, shows the importance of water conservation. The contest drew entries from over 1,700 students, including several other Fremont students.

Speaking of the Fremont school … Holy Spirit will be celebrating its 50th anniversary Sept. 9-10. Highlights will include a Mass on Sept. 10, followed by a reception and open house. Graduates, former faculty members and parents are urged to save the dates. For details, call (510) 793-3553.

St. Felicitas School in San Leandro is hosting a retirement dinner June 10 for three special members of the teaching staff: Marilou Ramirez, who has been teaching at the school for 38 years; Sister Jean Louis Diskin, who has taught for 30 years, and Sister June Horning, who taught for 12 years. Dinner tickets are $35 each and can be purchased at the church or school office.

Twenty-one members of the Class of 1955 of St. Cyril School in Oakland met together in Danville, April 29, for a reunion that brought together some classmates who had not seen one another in 50 years. Their principal, Dominican Sister M. Claire Maher, sent greetings from her retirement convent in San Rafael.

Reunion Alert: The class of 1956 of Presentation High School in San Francisco will gather for their 50th anniversary reunion on Sept. 26. For more information, contact Aggie Roensch Malanca at tomagco@yahoo.comor (925) 283-4477.

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Among the Religious

The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas urged Congress to pass compassionate immigration reform legislation during a May 4 press conference in Washington, D.C. Presidents of the 25 regional communities of the Sisters of Mercy were joined by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, the Catholic Alliance for the Common Good, and CLINIC (Catholic Legal Immigration Center) in their plea for human immigration reform that addresses the factors underlying cross-border migration.

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Names, News, Notes

Actor Delroy Lindo, MTV news correspondent Sway Calloway, radio personality Katie O’Shea, jazz artist Terrence Brewer, and Wells Fargo executive Dale Marie Golden were honored May 18 in a “community heroes celebration” by Covenant House – Bay Area. The event celebrated individuals who make a positive difference in the community.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter is the recipient of this year’s Franciscan International Award, presented by Franciscan Retreats in the name of the entire Conventual Franciscan Order. It is given to men, women and organizations that represent the best values of Catholic tradition.

Scam website: Catholic Charities USA is letting internet users know that a website with a similar name to its own has no connection to any Catholic Charities agency or organization. “Let me be clear, the website www.catholic-charities.net is not affiliated with Catholic Charities,” said Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA. “We urge anyone who wants to support Catholic Charities not to make donations through that site.” Catholic Charities USA is also posting a disclaimer about the scam site on its own website: www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.

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