New preschool
Students at the new preschool at St. Catherine
of Siena School in Martinez practice forming a line during one of
the many activities offered in the full and half-day programs for
children ages 2 years 9 months to five years. The school, licensed
for 42 students, is housed in the former convent.
JOSE FAJARDO PHOTO |
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Blessing of animals
Franciscan Father Raymond Bucher greets one
of the 60 animals that were brought to San Damiano Retreat Center
in Danville, Oct. 4, for the annual blessing of animals on the feast
of St. Francis of Assisi. The animals included homing pigeons and
chickens as well as dogs, cats and other household pets.
Dominique Ghekiere-Mintz photo |
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Marian
Rosary Night
Right, more than 350 parishioners gather outside
Holy Spirit Church in Fremont for a candlelight procession and recitation
of the rosary, Oct. 4. The procession, led by float with a large statue
of Mary (left), followed the praying of the rosary in 50 different
languages and dialects in the church, each led by a parishioner in
their own language. Participants brought more than 65 Marian statues
and images to be blessed during the service, which is becoming an
annual event for the parish.
DEACON RICHARD YEE PHOTOS |
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Newly
ordained deacons
Bishop Allen Vigneron ordained three Jesuits,
Joseph Carver (left), Fernando Alvarez Lara (center) and Dat Tran,
to the diaconate, Oct. 18, at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in
Oakland. The three new deacons are students at the Jesuit School of
Theology in Berkeley, where they are earning the Master of Divinity
degree. Their diaconate ordination is the last formal step before
ordination to the priesthood. The order was established in 1540 by
St. Ignatius Loyola as the Society of Jesus. Today its 23,000 priests
and Brothers are popularly known as Jesuits. They minister throughout
the world. They are best known for their high schools, colleges and
universities and their activities for social justice and human rights
as well as intellectual research and work in evangelization. |
Students honor the dead
Fifth grade students at St. Jerome School in El Cerrito,
and their teacher, Mary Jo Mishork, have created a “book
ofrenda” for the Dias de los Muertos exhibition at the Oakland Museum
which opened Oct. 8.
“Maria y Nuestra Señora” |
The class’s exhibit, called “Maria y Nuestra Señora,”
honors 17-year-old farm worker Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, who died
while cutting grape branches in Stockton on May 14. The young woman, who
was pregnant, was working for a contractor in 100 degree heat without
shade and insufficient water.
“Maria was a hero to us because she gave up her teenage years and
left her family to come to the U.S. to earn money to send home to her
widowed mom in Mexico,” said Lysette Zaragoza, of her class’s
project. Nuestra Señora is Our Lady of the Farm Workers, Zaragoza
added, noting that Our Lady wears a veil of farm produce and roses and
“lovingly stands with farm worker Maria.”
The ofrenda, which means both “offering” and “altar”
in Spanish, is one of many artworks created by groups, artists and school
children in the community for the annual observance of the “Days
of the Dead” celebration at the museum, now in its 15th year.
Observed by people of Mexican heritage in the U.S., the Days of the Dead,
fall on the Catholic holy days of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’
Day, Nov. 1 and Nov. 2. Family members and friends gather to remember
and honor their deceased loved ones. They often build altars that honor
the deceased.
Lynn McGeever, an art instructor and chair of the visual arts department
at Hayward’s Moreau Catholic High School, developed the concept
for the school project that involved over 300 students from public and
private schools in the East Bay. Two classes and two teachers from Alameda’s
St. Joseph Notre Dame High School and four classes from Moreau
also contributed to the exhibition.
McGeever’s project, called the Books of Remembrances, is dedicated
to the late Cesar Chavez who was a strong believer in education, she said.
Students from the various schools created books, ranging from pop-up books
to altered books, which paid tribute to someone who inspired them or influenced
their lives. The art teacher then selected the best examples — over
100 books — for display in the museum.
In addition to the exhibition, which runs through Dec. 7, all are invited
to attend the popular Dias de los Muertos community celebration on Oct.
25 which includes craft activities, food, costumed performers, a market,
and a ceremonial procession into the museum gardens. Admission to the
event, held from noon to 5 p.m., is free.
The museum is located at 1000 Oak St. in Oakland. Visiting hours are Wednesday
through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Admission:
$8 for adults, $5 for students (with valid ID) and $5 seniors (65 years
and older). For more information, visit the museum’s website at
www.museumca.org.
Eradicating poverty
St. Mary’s Center in Oakland served as
a host of local observances of the United Nations Day for the Eradication
of Poverty on Oct. 17. With a focus on child poverty, the Center, known
for its service to older adults, joined the Children’s Defense Fund
in putting a spotlight on problems of young people of color — through
personal testimonies and presentations — who are winding up on a
“pipeline” to prison in increasing numbers.
Youth rally voters
More than 80 Richmond youth went door to door across
the flatlands of their city on Oct. 4 and 18 to register voters and encourage
residents to get out and vote. The youth, who represented various community
groups and churches including St. Cornelius School and St. Mark
Parish, both in Richmond, contacted approximately 900 Richmond voters
and registered an additional 43 new voters.
The non-partisan campaign sponsored by the Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting
Community Organization (CCISCO) focused on educating community residents
about the upcoming election, registering all non-registered citizens and
encouraging all Richmond citizens to vote in the Nov. 4 election.
Around
the Parishes
All are invited to St. John the Baptist Church in
El Cerrito on Nov. 1 for a celebration of 100 years of faith in the
community with a Mass of Thanksgiving at 5 p.m. The parish’s roots
go back to 1908 when Mary Buckely sold 75 acres of land to the San Francisco
Archdiocese for a future church. The land served as a gathering place
for local Catholics before the parish was established in 1925.
Corpus Christi Parish in Piedmont hosted “A Matter of Justice,”
one in a series of community issues dialogues sponsored by Genesis on
Oct. 6. Father Jay Matthews, pastor at Oakland’s St. Benedict
Parish, talked about truancy and its effects on society while parishioner,
John Claassen and others posed possible solutions and specific actions
to help make local neighborhoods safer.
St. Agnes Parish in Concord is preparing for the establishment
of Perpetual Eucharist Adoration in the parish by hosting a mission the
weekend of Oct. 25 — 26. Father Victor Warkulwiz, a member
of the Missionaries of The Blessed Sacrament who has visited hundreds
of parishes to talk about the spiritual benefits of this devotion across
the U.S. and Canada, will speak at the weekend Masses. The priest, who
resides in the Philadelphia Archdiocese, will make additional presentations
on the topic of prayer Oct. 27 and 28 at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. The mission
is open to all.
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Around
the Schools
More than a dozen seniors at Oakland’s Bishop
O’Dowd High School were recently named commended students in
the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program. They are: Zosha Adam,
Eileen Anzilotti, Maxwell Anzilotti, Jonathan Bernadel-Huey, Tina Bernadett,
Helen Ganski, Toby Gay, Colette Keane, Sophie Liu, Tyler Parrott, Arianna
Parsons, Karin Petrites, Annalise Reichert, Simone Sept, Jordan Ye and
Liam Zarri.
Students at Salesian High School in Richmond launched a food drive
earlier this month to help the Richmond Emergency Food Bank which has
critically low food supplies. Through the so-called “Feast-tastic
Four Food Drive” freshmen are donating tuna, sophomores are contributing
peanut butter, juniors are giving jelly and seniors are bringing cereal.
An award-winning video created by three seniors at St. Joseph Notre
Dame High School in Alameda debuted on public television on Oct. 13
as part of KCSM’s Spotlight! program. The video, called “Converse-ation,”
by Dashielle Nye, Jesse Swatling-Holcomb, and Gabe McDowell, uses
comedy and parody to show how youth often use fashion like Converse All-Stars,
to fit into the mainstream. The video, which earned the students $500
scholarships, won the best original screenplay/story adaptation at this
year’s Annual High School Filmmaking Festival sponsored by KCSM,
which is located on digital channel 43 and cable channel 17 in most local
communities.
Looking for classmates! Alumni of St. Patrick School and St.
Martin de Porres Regional School, both in Oakland, are planning a
celebration and are seeking to reunite with their classmates for a Mass
and reception. Contact Mary at (510) 532-5003, or Leticia at (510) 832-1757
and leave your name, address and phone number.
The alumni committee at Our Lady of Grace School (OLG) in Castro Valley
is also hoping to reconnect with its graduates in anticipation of next
year’s 50th anniversary of the first OLG graduating class. Every
OLG graduating class is invited to join in planned events, connect with
one another through alumni@olgschoolorg,
or assist in the forming of next year’s events. To help or for more
information, contact Principal Colleen Wahl at (510) 581-3155 or alumni@olgschool.org.
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Names, News, Notes
Many blessings and best wishes to Shirley and Ray
Devany, long-time members at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Livermore,
who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Oct. 17.
Congratulations also go to Madeline and Don Scullion, members at
St. Michael Parish in Livermore, on the occasion of their 50th
wedding anniversary.
Rawn Harbor, pastoral associate and liturgy director at Oakland’s
St. Columba Parish, will be the featured speaker at the Fifth Annual
Catholic Liturgy Music Workshop at Christ the King Catholic Church in
San Diego, Nov. 13 — 16. Harbor, a nationally-recognized liturgist,
composer and musician, will speak on “Praising God Through Psalm
and Song.” For more information, contact Robin Dillard at (619)
723-9219 or rdillard_4@yahoo.com
or Christ the King Church at (619) 231-8906.
The North American Forum on the Catechumenate will gather for its
2008 International Convocation on Christian Initiation Nov. 6 –
8 in Cleveland, Ohio. The event brings together catechists, pastoral ministers,
liturgists and theologians who are involved with the Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults. Session topics include evangelization, catechesis,
liturgy, liturgical music, children and initiation, young adults and initiation,
and initiation ministry in Hispanic/Latino communities. For more information
visit the website: www.naforum.org;
phone: (202) 687-8015, or e-mail: liturgy@georgetown.edu.
What’s new on EWTN? “Into Great Silence,” a documentary
by Philip Groning, is this month’s featured special on the Eternal
Word Television Network (EWTN). Filmed without narration and very little
dialog at the Monastery of the Grand Chartreuse in France, it focuses
on the every day lives of Carthusian monks and their vow of silence.
The documentary airs Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., Oct. 30 at 11:30 a.m. and Nov.
1 at 12 a.m. (Three hours.)
Also new is a children’s program called “The Friar,”
where young viewers learn about Christ’s parables and the lives
of the saints with the help of Father John. The series airs Fridays at
1:30 p.m. All times mentioned are Pacific Time.
EWTN is carried 24 hours a day on Comcast Ch. 229, DISH Satellite Ch.
261, and DirecTV; in Alameda on Comcast Ch. 30 and Alameda Power Ch. 26.
For more information or updates visit: www.ewtn.com.
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