Honored for Congo service
Carrie Bergen, a junior at Oakland’s
Holy Names High School, has received the Jefferson Awards-Deloitte
Youth Service Initiative which recognizes student leadership
and volunteerism. Bergen accompanied her father to Africa last
summer where she worked at a hospital in the Congo with children
recovering from illnesses and the ravages of war. She also taught
English in a hospital-affiliated school offering rehabilitation
to school age children, many of whom are Tutsis who escaped
the war and genocide of Rwanda with their parents and are now
living in Congo. |
PICO founder honored
Jesuit Father John Bau-mann, founder of
Pacific Institute for Community Organizing (PICO), has received
the Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s Sister Margaret
Cafferty Development of People Award for his 36-year career
organizing faith communities across the country. Father Baumann,
70, lives in Oakland where he began community organizing in
1972. Many parishes in the Oakland Diocese are now part of community
organizing groups.
CNS PHOTO/BOB ROLLER |
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Commendation from county
Archbishop Allen Vigneron holds the commendation
he received Feb. 21 from Alice Lai-Bitker, president of the Alameda
County Board of Supervisors. The board honored the archbishop on his
appointment as the fifth archbishop of Detroit and commended him for
his leadership in building the Cathedral of Christ the Light during
his six years as bishop of Oakland.
Michael Mustacchi photo |
Supplies for Iraq students
Seventh grader Brandon Calantog and eighth graders
Jenna Becker and Dominique Formoso, students at Fremont’s Our
Lady of Guadalupe School, pack boxes of school supplies for children
in Iraq. The students had learned about the hardships suffered by
children their own age in the war-torn country and wanted to help.
The collected supplies, which filled 12 boxes, are being sent to a
village school in Iraq built by the U.S. Army. |
Exploring guardianship
What are the rights and responsibilities of being a
legal guardian to a dependent child or elder? These and other questions
about legal guardianship will be explored at a March 30 workshop, from
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the parish hall at the Cathedral of Christ the
Light, 2121 Harrison St., in Oakland.
The workshop, sponsored by the Legal Justice Center at the cathedral,
is open to guardians and prospective guardians and family members of guardians
as well as social justice advocates, social workers, religious leaders,
teachers, school administrators, lawyers and child care providers. There
is no cost, but reservations are required. Call: (510) 496-7216.
Curious about Latin?
Oakland’s St. Margaret Mary Parish is once
again offering classes in “Latin for Liturgy.” The seven-week
course in Church Latin will focus on understanding basic grammar, singing
chants and gaining a greater appreciation of the words of the Mass. All
are welcome to the class regardless of liturgical allegiance.
Classes will be held on Mondays, April 13 – June 1, from 6:45 p.m.
to 7:45 p.m., and on Saturdays, April 18 – May 30, from 8:45 a.m.
to 9:50 a.m. in the parish hall at 1219 Excelsior Ave. No classes will
meet during Holy Week or on Memorial Day. For more information, contact
Rebecca O’Hare at latin4all@sbcglobal.net or (510) 482-0650.
Around
the Parishes
A Lenten series on St. Paul, sponsored by the Franciscan
Spirit and Life Institute, is now underway at the Cathedral of Christ
the Light in Oakland. Conventual Franciscan Father Francisco Nahoe
offers “A Fresh Look at St. Paul” on Tuesday evenings at 7
p.m. The cathedral is located at 2121 Harrison St.
Cancer survivors, their families and friends are invited to attend a Lenten
Mass of hope and gratitude sponsored by the Catholic Community of Pleasanton
at 7:30 p.m. on March 25 at St. Elizabeth Seton Chapel, 4001 Stoneridge
Drive. Father Padraig Greene, CCOP’s parochial administrator,
will be the celebrant. A social with refreshments will follow the service.
For more information, contact Mary Merucci at (925) 846-8436 or Helen
Wirtenson at (925) 462-3798.
Congratulations to St. Leander Parish in San Leandro where the
Catholic Youth Organization is enjoying a banner year. The 5th
grade boys basketball team is the 2009 Southern Alameda County CYO league
champs while the 6th grade girls volleyball team captured the Metro League’s
6th grade championship. Honorable mention goes to the 8th grade boys basketball
team which finished second in the diocesan CYO playoffs.
Leaders of the Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Organization (CCISCO)
organized a town hall action meeting on Feb. 24 at Brentwood’s
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church to address a variety of education
concerns including a belief that students are not being adequately prepared
to enter college or the workforce once they finish high school. Proposals
introduced by CCISCO leaders included preserving core math and English
classes and encouraging ethnic minority students to enroll in Advanced
Placement courses that prepare them for college.
Berkeley’s St. Mary Margaret Parish, located at 2005 Berryman
St., is the site of a study day on immigration, “Recognizing
the Plight of the Undocumented” on March 23 from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. Hosted by the Western Dominican Justice Promoters, the day will feature
two speakers: Jayne Fleming, an international human rights lawyer
with Reed Smith LLP, and Colin Rajah, program director for International
Migrant Rights and Global Justice at the National Network for Immigrant
and Refugee Rights. Attendees will receive information from representatives
of local organizations that serve immigrants. A $20 per person donation
is requested, but no one will be turned away. Attendees are asked to bring
their own lunches. For more information, contact Sister Stella Goodpasture
at (510) 261-2349 or stellamsj@igc.org.
St. Joan of Arc Parish in San Ramon is sponsoring eight “group
build days” as part of its commitment to the East Bay Habitat
for Humanity which is building 54 homes for low-income families on
Edes Avenue in East Oakland. To date 26 homes have been completed and
turned over to homeowners.
St. Michael Parish in Livermore is starting a new ministry called
Seek, which brings together local Catholics in small Christian communities
to draw closer to God through Scripture, prayer, and sharing of human
faith stories. The first group meetings, which will last for six weeks,
began on Feb. 23.
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Around
the Schools
Congratulations to Antonio Pablo, a third grade
student at St. John School in San Lorenzo, who is one of three
winners in the Grade 3-4 category of the Catholic Telemedia Network’s
Catholic Schools Week 2009 Essay Contest. Students were asked to write
a short essay on serving others. The contest was open to students in the
dioceses of Oakland and San Jose and the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
St. Joseph School in Pinole observed Read Across America Day and
the birthday of Dr. Seuss on March 2 by hosting Ying Chang Compestine,
author of “The Story of Noodles.” During her visit she taught
students in kindergarten through second grade to use chopsticks and discussed
various ways to eat noodles. For students in grades three through five,
she gave a PowerPoint presentation about her childhood in China and what
inspired her to write. For middle school students she discussed her award-winning
book, “Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party,” based on her experiences
during the Cultural Revolution in China.
Zachary Massery, a junior at Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd
High School, was selected for the 2009 California All-State Honor
Band. The trombone player performed at the California Band Directors Association
annual convention in Fresno, Feb. 19-22. Approximately 1,500 students
from schools throughout the state auditioned for a spot in the band.
Allyson Little, a senior at Holy Names High School in Oakland,
has advanced to finalist standing of the National Merit Scholarship Program.
She now has a chance to compete for one of 8,200 National Merit scholarships.
Stephen Erdmann, a senior at St. Mary’s High School in
Berkeley, became an Eagle Scout during a Court of Honor service on
Jan. 11 at the lodge at Camp Herms. A member of Troop 14 in Albany, Erdmann
designed and supervised the construction of a fence around the flood zone
at Cerrito Creek Park at the foot of the Albany Hill at the Albany-El
Cerrito border.
Christ the King School in Pleasant Hill is one of the 200 top earning
groups nationally in the Safeway 10 percent Back to Schools Program and
received an additional $1,000 from Safeway for a grand total of $2,581.13.
The school will use the funds for its new Garden of Blessings, currently
under construction. The garden will serve as an outdoor classroom for
students to learn about plants and wildlife in addition to sustainable
living.
St. Martin de Porres School in Oakland is sponsoring a fundraising
event, March 17, at the historic Flood Mansion, 2222 Broadway in San Francisco,
from 6 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. St Patrick’s Day on Broadway will benefit
the school’s Fund for Educational Excellence. There will be a silent
and live auction and a buffet supper. Cost is $100 per person and tickets
can be accessed online at www.stmdp.org.
For more information or to make a reservation, call Julie Merrill at (510)
652-2220.
The cheerleading team at Salesian High School in Richmond achieved
an error-free performance and captured first place in the Jamz All Star
National Championships in Las Vegas, Feb. 22. This is the third national
title for the school. In the field of eight, the Salesian Pride was the
only team to perform without error. “Their ability to consistently
hold up performance etiquette and to work together brought the banner
home,” said Coach Kelli Caro.
Students, faculty and staff at Alameda’s St. Joseph Notre Dame
High School gathered for an assembly on Feb. 19 to commemorate Black
History Month. Highlights included a presentation on the Tuskegee Airmen
by Vice Principal Greg Fonzeno and a talk by former math teacher
Morris Soublet (Class of 1962).
Our Lady of Grace School in Castro Valley is inviting former students
and alums to the parish’s Stack Center, March 22, from 1:30 p.m.
to 4 p.m. to visit old friends, make new ones and help plan for next year’s
50th anniversary events. Bring old photos, newspaper clippings or anything
else associated with the school. Contact alumni@olgschool.org
or call the school office at (510) 581-3155 and leave your name, a contact
telephone and/or e-mail address and the year(s) you attended OLG.
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Names, News, Notes
Marjaana Seilonen has been appointed as executive
director at AlmaVia of Union City, an assisted living senior community
cosponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
A native of Finland, Seilonen has worked with seniors for the last 15
years and is a co-founder of Ordinary Women, Inc., a charitable non-profit
humanitarian aid organization focused on community-based projects in East
Africa.
Debra Pryor recently returned to her alma mater, Oakland’s
Holy Names High School, to speak at an assembly on Black History Month.
Pryor, who took her place in history by becoming Berkeley’s first
woman fire chief in 2004, is just one of three female fire chiefs in California
and the second African American fire chief in the country.
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