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January 7, 2008 • VOL. 46, NO. 1 • Oakland,
CA
Outreach to South Africa
Dominican Sister Sheila Flynn, who works with families
affected by AIDS in Kopanang, South Africa, receives a donation from second
and third grade students at St. Felicitas School in San Leandro during
her December visit to the school.
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Celebrating the dream
A Bay-Area-wide celebration of the life and legacy of
the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be held, Jan. 11,
at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough Street in San Francisco, beginning
at 7:30 p.m. The spirit-filled evening will include youth choirs and dance
ensembles and the newly formed Combined Adult Gospel Choir of the Bay
Area under the direction of Rawn Harbor, liturgy director
and pastoral associate at Oakland’s St. Columba Parish.
Harbor will receive the MLK Spirit Award for his contributions to the
field of gospel music and the development of youth and adult choirs throughout
the U.S. A “love offering” will be taken in support of local
youth choirs.
Christmas blessings
Through three special holiday programs run by Catholic Charities of the East Bay local volunteers and donors helped to brighten the lives of numerous families during the Christmas season. Joybells gave toys to 550 children. Through the Christmas Turkey Giveaway, 1571 turkeys were given to East Bay families and 45 families enjoyed a special Christmas celebration because of the Adopt-A-Family program.
Over 250 members at St. John Vianney Parish
in Walnut Creek welcomed 38 homeless guests in the Winter Nights
Shelter Program at the parish, Dec. 10 – 17. Parishioners helped
their guests in a variety of ways including cooking and serving three
meals a day, tutoring the children as they did their homework, washing
clothes, and assisting with job searches. A project of the Interfaith
Council of Contra Costa County the rotating shelter program is
supported by congregations around the county, providing a safe and warm
place for homeless families during the cold winter season.
Members from St. Ignatius Parish in Antioch showed their
support for the hungry in their community by donning their walking shoes
or pledging their financial support for participants in the 2007 Hunger
Walk. They pledged more than $1,400 in support of two high-profile participants
– Father Robert Rien, parochial administrator,
and Passionist Father Thomas Bonacci, who lives at the
parish. The parish raised a total of $3,200 for the walk.
Members of the Filipino communities of Antioch, Pittsburg, Clayton and
Concord gathered at St. Bonaventure Parish in Concord
last month to hang colorful Philippine Christmas lanterns in the church.
This marked the first time that these delicate and handcrafted Christmas
lanterns, known as “San Fernando, Pampanga lanterns” were
exhibited in the church. They are often displayed in Filipino homes.
The Newman Nonviolent Peacemaking Group at Holy Spirit Parish/Newman
Hall in Berkeley will present the film, “The Narrow Path,”
at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28 as part of its commemoration of the birthday of the
late civil rights leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The film, featuring
Jesuit Father John Dear, celebrates the lives of Rev. King and other seekers
of nonviolence including Mahatma Gandhi, Dorothy Day, Oscar Romero, and
Thomas Merton.
Oakland’s St. Margaret Mary Church, at 1219 Excelsior
Ave., offers a Blessing of Expectant Mothers every first weekend of the
month – at 5 p.m. on Saturday and 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The 18-member squad of cheerleaders from Salesian
High in Richmond were part of the half-time entertainment during
the Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The cheerleaders earned
their spot at the bowl game by winning three first-place awards during
a national competition in Las Vegas. The Salesian boys basketball team
was also in Orlando and won the KSA Holiday Tournament there.
Students at St. Joseph Elementary School in Alameda raised
$1,088.80 in a coin drive for those who suffered losses in the recent
southern California fires. The funds were sent to the Diocese of San Bernardino
to be used by any Catholic elementary schools that may have been damaged
in the fires.
At St. Patrick School in Rodeo students collect non-perishable
food items for Share-Manna Basket in Pinole each week. This year they
held a contest to see who could bring in the most canned food in one week.
The kindergarten class won with the eighth grade class close behind. In
all a total of 2,045 cans were brought in during the five-day contest.
Students at St. Felicitas School in San Leandro have
also been making a difference by helping others in need. The third grade
class recently went on a field trip to the Jones Convalescent Home in
San Leandro and sang Christmas carols to the residents; the seventh grade
boys basketball team prepared food and served clients at St. Mary’s
Center in Oakland; the student council participated in the “adopt
a family outreach” involving the school’s families; and the
second and third grade classes donated their own money to a program in
South Africa that helps children who have been orphaned by AIDS.
Students at St. Joseph School in Pinole commemorated
Pearl Harbor Day last month by raising a U.S. flag that had flown over
the U.S.S. Arizona, one of the ships sunk in the attack. The flag, which
belonged to parishioner Jack Meehan, was unfurled after a brief lesson
on the significance of the day and how the attack brought the U.S. into
World War II.
Calling all Queen of All Saints Grammar School alumni!!!
If you attended QAS at any time over the past 59 years, you are invited
to join a group of alumni for pizza and beer on Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. in the
school hall. Come and visit with old friends, reminisce and help other
alums begin planning for the 60th anniversary of the school’s opening.
Bring your old pictures, newspaper clippings or anything associated with
QAS to share. The Alumni Association would like to develop some ongoing
alumni activities. RSVP by Jan. 12 to msw4@sbcglobal.net
or call (925) 685-8700. Be sure to leave your name, a contact telephone
and/or e-mail address and the year(s) you attended QAS.
Forty-two families affiliated with St. Vincent’s Day Home
in Oakland enjoyed a special Christmas, thanks to the generosity
of students at Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd High School
who collected hundreds of food and toy items during the annual food and
toy drive, Dec. 3 – 11, sponsored by the school’s campus ministry
program.
Congratulations to the powerhouse football team at Concord’s
De La Salle High School which picked up its first state championship
Dec. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson. The Spartans capped their
undefeated season (13-0) by defeating the Centennial-Corona team 37-31
in the California Interscholastic Federation Division I state bowl game.
World AIDS Day Update from Oakland’s Holy Names High School:
students raised more than $600 in cash and collected 200 bottles of shampoo,
conditioner, and body wash for residents of Rita de Cascia, a residential
program for women and children affected by HIV and operated by Catholic
Charities in San Francisco.
The City of Hayward recently recognized Bernadette
Attletweed, a longtime member of the diocesan St. Joseph
Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, as an outstanding volunteer
for her more than 30 years of service in the deaf community. She was among
43 volunteers honored during a special awards dinner at Centennial Hall.
Mark Your Calendars! The English-Speaking Cursillo of the Oakland
Diocese will host two three-day weekends in 2008. The Men’s
Cursillo Weekend will take place Feb. 15 – 18 at Holy Redeemer Center
in Oakland and the Women’s Cursillo Weekend from March 6 –
9, also at Holy Redeemer. For more information contact Nita Volker, (925)
828-9442 or Carolyn Steele, (925) 648-4890.
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