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April
9, 2007 • VOL. 45, NO. 7 • Oakland, CA
Student scientist
Michelle Legasto-Eckard, an 8th grader at St. John the Baptist School
in El Cerrito, earned a 4th place ribbon in physical science at the San
Francisco Bay Area Science Fair. She made household paper from newspapers,
paper towels, and print paper and compared their strength and quality
to commercial paper. Through her experiment, she concluded that commercial
paper was stronger than household paper but paper made from recycled newspapers
was better to write on.
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 New mural Eighth grade students at St. Anthony School in Oakland sit in front of a new mural designed and painted on the gym wall of their school, depicting the school’s mascot and Our Lady of Guadalupe. Students (also seated) from St. Mary’s High in Berkeley created the mural under the direction of art/drama teacher Antone Olivier (far left). It was one of many community outreach projects done by St. Mary’s students during the school’s 10th annual enrichment week in early March. ST. MARY’S HIGH SCHOOL PHOTO |
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Visualize
the cathedral
Anyone who passes by the construction site for the new Christ
the Light Cathedral and diocesan Cathedral Center at the corner
of Harrison Street and Grand Avenue in Oakland might wonder what all that
cement will eventually look like. A scale model is now on display in the
lobby of the diocesan chancery building at 2900 Lakeshore Ave. and all
are welcome to come by and see this future worship site and resource of
the East Bay Catholic community.
Elizabeth
House
Ayelet Waldman, a New York Times best-selling author,
will be the guest speaker at “Where Hope Lives,” a fundraising
event for Oakland Elizabeth House on April 19 at the
Claremont Country Club, 5295 Broadway Terrace in Oakland. The event, which
begins with a reception and boutique at 11:30 a.m., also includes a live
auction by Steve Burke and a book signing by Waldman, whose works include
“Love and Other Impossible Pursuits,” “Daughter’s
Keeper,” and the “Mommy-Track Mysteries.” Tickets are
$60 per person. Proceeds benefit Oakland Elizabeth House, a transitional
residence for women who have experienced homelessness, domestic violence,
addiction or poverty. RSVP before April 13, (510) 658-1380.
Musical
schools
The campuses of local Catholic schools are alive with the sound of music!
For the past several weeks Catholic high school thespians have put on
or are planning musical performances ranging from the World War II-era
Rodgers and Hammerstein classic “The Sound of Music” to “Hair,”
the 1960s rock musical.
Audiences are still roaring with appreciation for Richmond’s
Salesian High School’s production of “The
Sound of Music.” The cast and crew of 25 students put on
over a half dozen performances from mid-March to April 1.
The thespians at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland
will present the rock musical, “Hair” later
this month. The production, suggested for mature audiences, consists of
8 p.m. shows on April 27, 28, May 4, 5, 11 and 12; 2 p.m. shows will be
on May 6 and 13. Ticket prices are $20 (general admission), $15 (senior
citizens) and $10 (students). Advanced ticket orders are recommended.
Call the box office at (510) 553-8600 or visit the BOD website: www.bishopodowd.org.
Student actors at St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda
gave audiences something to cheer about with their spring musical,
“As Thousands Cheer,” last month. The musical, set
in the 1930s, featured multiple storylines and songs by Irving Berlin.
Every student sang and many had multiple roles, making the musical quite
an event to stage.
Fans of musical theater can also savor the triple Tony Award-winning musical,
“Urinetown,” as presented by the Performing
Arts Department at St. Mary’s College in Moraga.
The musical, a funny tale of greed, corruption, love and revolution in
a time when water is worth its weight in gold, opens on April 26 at 8
p.m. at the LeFevre Theater on the Moraga campus. Reid Davis, an award-winning
SMC faculty member, is director of the production, which features a live
five-piece orchestra. Other performances are scheduled for April 27 and
28 at 8 p.m., a 2 p.m. matinee on April 29, and shows on May 2, 3 and
4 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 general, $10 for SMC students, faculty and
staff. For tickets call (925) 631-4670.
Looking for
a way to unclutter your life and protect yourself from identity theft
at the same time? If the answer is “Yes!” take yourself to
Community Shred Day at St. Bonaventure Church in Concord
on April 21 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Golden Bear Shredding Co. will
be in the parking lot to shred documents, ranging from old checks and
bank statements to income tax return papers and business records. The
cost of shredding the contents of a filled brown grocery bag is $5 and
a filled file box costs $10. There is no need to remove staples or paper
clips. Plastic bags are not recommended. Proceeds from the event benefit
the Bosco Yuvodaya Project, which assists street kids in Bangalore, India.
Corpus Christi Parish in Piedmont and its JustFaith
Alumni group are sponsoring a presentation on “The Climate Crisis”
on April 18 at 7:30 p.m. Paul Valva, who trained with former Vice President
Al Gore, will discuss scientific, economic, political and moral aspects
of the environmental crisis. The program includes a slide presentation,
question and answer period, and a brainstorming session on “what
can be done.” Corpus Christi is at 322 St. James Dr. in Piedmont.
The Respect Life Ministry at Danville’s St. Isidore Parish
is marveling at the generosity of parishioners and their friends who supported
its recent baby shower with 69 complete layettes. Each layette contains
the essentials every newborn baby needs from diaper bag to baby’s
first blanket and outfit. Many of the 21 items were handmade by St. Isidore’s
Knitting Group or their knitting associates at That Yarn Store in Dublin.
The layettes, along with boxes and boxes of diapers, were delivered to
Mary’s House in San Pablo, Birthright of Livermore, Birthright of
Concord and Valley Crisis Pregnancy Center of Dublin.
The Knights of Columbus at St. Raymond Parish in Dublin
will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of their council with
a 5 p.m. Mass followed by a catered dinner on April 28. Diners will have
the choice of prime rib or baked salmon with all the trimmings for the
price of $25 per person. To reserve a ticket, contact Matt Troiano at
matt_troiano2001@yahoo.com or Grand Knight Mike Krausnick at mkrausnick@comcast.net.
Two thumbs
way up for the 1st and 2nd graders at Queen of All Saints School
in Concord who participated in the Nets Are Nice service-learning
project. They used money they raised through their classroom store to
purchase insecticide-treated bed nets for African families at risk in
the fight against malaria.
Three 5th grade students from St. Philip Neri School in Alameda
held a bake sale at Lincoln Park to raise money for Operation Rice Bowl
as part of their Catholic Relief Services Lenten project. They baked brownies,
cookies and cakes and raised $54.83.
As part of its annual service learning project, the CYO boys' basketball
teams at St. Joseph Parish in Fremont raised over $3,234,
which they donated to the Ronald McDonald House, Tri-City Homeless Shelter,
Sister John Marie’s Pantry, and the Tamarindo Foundation. In addition,
one of the teams chose to donate their funds to assist another local CYO
program. Team members also collected winter coats for the Tri-City Homeless
Coalition and canned food to benefit the poor of the area.
Ke’Nyia Richardson, a senior at Holy Names
High School in Oakland, set the national indoor triple-jump record
during the National Scholastic Championships in New York City last month.
Richardson set the new record with a 44-feet, 6.75-inch leap on her sixth
and final jump. The previous record was established in 1991 at 43-11.5.
Richardson a senior, is set to continue her winning ways at UCLA this
fall.
Charles Guiam, a senior at Salesian High School
in Richmond, took first-place honors at the 2007 American Guild
of Organists/Quimby Chapter Competition for Young Organists. Guiam, a
senior organ scholar at Pinole United Methodist Church, played three pieces
and his composition based on a pre-selected hymn for a panel of judges
in Berkeley. The San Francisco chapter of the organist guild will send
Guiam to the regional competition in Orange County this summer.
The men’s varsity basketball team at Oakland’s Bishop
O’Dowd High School, which earned a place in the finals
of the Division III State Championship, fell to nationally ranked Artesia
High of Lakewood, 91-64, on March 24 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento.
Speaking of Bishop O’Dowd … the campaign
for student body officers is in full swing and the candidates are turning
to one of the latest electronic tools to make their case to voters. Students
running for office have created podcasts – also known as BODcasts
– of their speeches to allow fellow students to listen on their
computers, websites or portable media players like iPods or other
mp3 devices.
Emma Thatcher, a junior at Carondelet High School
in Concord and amateur film maker, was part of a team that produced
a documentary on the Rubik’s Cube subculture that was screened at
the recent South by Southwest Film Festival. The 15-minute film has since
been selected for the Tribeca Film Festival which starts later this month
in New York.
Meanwhile, Natalie Coughlin, a Carondelet High
School graduate, broke her own world record for the 100-meter
backstroke (set in 2002) with a time of 59.44 second, at the 12th FINA
World Championships in Melbourne, Australia on March 27.
Lloyd Sachs, a United Nations worker who just returned from Darfur, spoke
to students and faculty at Alameda’s St. Joseph Notre Dame
High School about his work. He interviewed persons affected by
the conflict, conducted needs assessments, established field offices,
and coordinated, monitored, and evaluated relief programs.
The “Belles” of St. Mary’s” women’s group
gathered March 24 at Berkeley’s St. Mary’s High School
for its 20th anniversary membership tea. Annual dues support the Belles
Endowed Scholarship Fund, established in 1987 by Mary Woodson and Eunice
Jackson, which now stands at $52,000. Five percent is given to a deserving
student each year. The group includes generations of St. Mary’s
mothers, grandmothers, wives, faculty and staff, and young alumnae, as
well as current students. The group’s oldest member is Lucille Boero,
89, of St. Theresa Parish. Her husband, sons, and grandson are school
alumni, dating back to the Class of 1933. For more information about the
Belles, contact Joanne Howe at (510) 559-6227.
Barbara
Garcia, a member of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Castro
Valley and a long-time advocate for disability rights, was recently
named Woman of the Year by Senate President Pro Tem Don
Perata (D-Oakland). Garcia is the coordinator for the Developmental Disabilities
Council within the Department of Public Health of Alameda County. She
worked as an educator and disability rights advocate promoting self-sufficiency
and independence for people with disabilities for 32 years. Garcia is
the wife of Deacon Jaime Garcia.
Russell Lopes, retired Berkeley Police Department lieutenant
and member at St. Columba Parish in Oakland, was recently
given an exceptional service award for over 30 years of service in the
police department. Lopes, who also received the award in 2001, came out
of retirement to work on several unsolved homicide cases, including the
1970 murder of Berkeley Police Officer Ron Tsukemoto.
Suzette Warren, secretary at St. Columba Parish
in Oakland, was honored March 24 as Christian Woman of the Year
by Epsilon Phi Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a historically
African American sorority.
Congratulations go to Bea and George Costa, members at
St. Leander Parish in San Leandro, who celebrated the
63rd anniversary of their wedding on March 20.
Mary and Angelo Maraccini recently celebrated their
50th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows at St. Francis
of Assisi Church in Concord. Father Jerry Brown,
former parochial administrator at St. Francis, presided at the service.
SPRED the Word XVI, a benefit supporting SPRED
(Special Religious Education Department) in the Oakland Diocese,
will be held April 21 at St. Mary Parish, 2039 Mt. Diablo Blvd., in Walnut
Creek. The event begins with liturgy at 4:30 p.m. and includes dinner
by Taquerie El Balazo, silent auction and raffle. Tickets are $25 for
adults and $12 for children. For tickets or more information, call (510)
635-7252.
Can You Help? A Friendly Manor, a day center in downtown
Oakland for homeless women founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph
of Carondelet, has compiled the following items on their wish
list: wash cloths, combs and brushes, safety pins, sugar, toilet tissue,
bandages, spray deodorant, air freshener, and bingo prizes. Call: (510)
451-8923.
Next Voice: April 23. Send submissions by April 11 to
Carrie McClish, 3014 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland, 94610; phone: (510) 419-1074;
fax: (510) 893-4734; e-mail: cmcclish@oakdiocese.org.
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