Two new sisters
Oakland Bishop Salvatore Cordileone stands with
Sister Gloria Marie Jones, congregational prioress of the Mission
San Jose Dominicans, and two newly professed members of the congregation,
Sister Mary-Han Ncog Nguyen (left) and Sister Dulce Sari Aguilar Rodriguez
(right). The bishop presided at the multicultural Mass on the feast
of St. Dominic during which the Sisters professed their first vows. |
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Entrepreneurs for charity
Henry Taylor of the George Mark House in San
Leandro thanks Jack Saylor, 7, and his brother Charlie, 6, students
at St. Agnes School in Concord, for the $446 they raised for the House,
which cares for seriously and terminally ill children. The boys used
a $100 donation to build and stock a lemonade stand that brought in
the funds in three hours, July 18. Each customer received a copy of
a story about George Mark that appeared in the June 8 Voice. Monica
Saylor, a member of funeral ministry at St. Bonaventure Parish in
Concord, accompanied her sons to George Mark House for the presentation
of the check.
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Interfaith
prayer wall
Students and alumni of Saint Mary’s College
in Moraga brave record heat Aug. 29 to build an interfaith prayer
wall in the campus’ Legacy Garden. Between the stones they placed
wildflower seeds which they hope will scatter to the surrounding hillsides.
The 3-foot high wall extended about 20 feet and is expected to become
a gathering space for reflection, meditation and celebration.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. MARY’S
COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA
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Honored for compassion
Father Jayson Landeza, now on a year-long sabbatical,
was presented the Medal of Merit by Howard Jordan, acting Chief of Police
of the Oakland Police Department, for his service to the OPD.
The citation, dated July 6, noted that: “During these times you
have always demonstrated yourself to be a calm, caring and compassionate
pastoral presence in the midst of chaos. Whenever there is a need of a
chaplain’s presence you are one of the first to be called.
“Your service as chaplain has better enabled the men and women of
the Department to perform their duties in spite of the grief and tragedy
they may endure.”
Among his many chaplain duties this year, Father Landeza provided support
to police officers after four of the members were slain in March. He also
played a pivotal role in the development of a civic funeral for the men.
Gabriel Project training available
in S.F. Sept. 12
A daylong training in how to support women in difficult
pregnancies through the Gabriel Project will take place at St. Mary’s
Cathedral in San Francisco, Sept. 12.
Cathy McConn, founder of the Gabriel Project in Houston, will train attendees
in “every aspect” of the ministry, which provides spiritual,
material and emotional help during pregnancy.
The Gabriel Project uses signs, pamphlets, bumper stickers and a toll
free hotline to alert pregnant mothers that help is available. Callers
to the hotline are referred to the local Gabriel Project coordinator who
connects them to a trained mentor. The mentor is responsible for ongoing
contact with the mother throughout her pregnancy.
The conference will begin with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and
conclude at 2:30 p.m.
Volunteers from all dioceses in northern California are welcome to attend,
said conference organizers. Information is available from the archdiocesan
Respect Life Program of the Office of Public Policy & Social Concerns,
which is organizing the gathering. To register, call Vicki Evans at (415)
614-5533 or e-mail her at evansv@sfarchdiocese.org.
Mt. Diablo hike-a-thon
Catholic Charities of the East Bay is sponsoring
a youth hike-a-thon on Mount Diablo Oct. 17 to benefit its Emancipated
Foster Youth, and Youth Community Violence Prevention programs. The event
is open to youth ages 10 to 17.
The grand prize — a Sony 5.0 Webbie HD Camcorder with Swivel 2.5
LCD Display — will be awarded to the youth or youth group collecting
the most pledges of $150 each. Participants will be able to earn community
service hours and a free t-shirt.
Contact sbiagas@cceb.org or call
(510) 768-3147.
Around
the Parishes
Assumption Parish in San Leandro reports that
their Vacation Bible School was a tremendous success with a record 165
children attending Aug. 3-7. Coordinated by Brian and Siobhan Cushing,
with the help of many adult volunteers, the program offered daily Bible
lessons through drama, crafts and games. This year’s VBS included
a Kid-to-Kid Project supporting Building Futures with Women and Children,
a non-profit organization that operates two shelters in San Leandro and
two in Alameda for underserved homeless and abused women and children.
Congratulations to five members of St. Ignatius Parish in Antioch
who reached their 2nd Degree as members of the Knights of Columbus. They
are: Peter Degl’Innocenti, Leo Garcia, Steve Morris, Alex Solano
and Armando Vasquez. Congratulations also go to Rich Confetti,
who was selected as “Knight of the Year.” He will be honored
at a Sept. 19 luncheon at the Lone Tree Golf and Community Center in Antioch
along with the Police Officer of the Year and Firefighter of the Year
recipients.
The Ministry of Mother’s Sharing (MOMS) group of the Catholic
Community of Pleasanton will host a fall workshop for moms of all
ages. The six-week workshop, begins Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. at St. Elizabeth
Seton Church. Moms of all denominations are welcome. For more information,
contact Kim Rice-Masek, (925) 462-2088.
Good Shepherd Parish in Pittsburg hosted a Life Line health screening
for members of the local community on Aug. 26. This is the third time
the parish has hosted the screening.
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Around
the Schools
Bishop Salvatore Cordileone will celebrate Bishop
O’Dowd High School’s opening liturgy on Sept. 8. The 10
a.m. liturgy will be held outdoors in the Oakland school’s Quad,
the first time in nearly a decade that a liturgy has been held there.
The community of Moreau Catholic High School gathered at the Hayward
campus on Aug. 20 to celebrate the transition of leadership during a reception
for President Terry Lee and Lauren Lek, who was appointed
principal effective July 1. Lee previously held the dual role of president
and principal. Holy Names Sister Barbara Bray, superintendent of
schools for the Oakland Diocese, and Kathleen Radecke, assistant
superintendent of schools for the diocese, were among those attending
the event.
Catherine Cook has joined the faculty at St. Joseph Notre Dame
High School in Alameda as assistant principal of academics. Originally
from Canada, Cook has been a high school English, AP (Advanced Placement)
and ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher for over 10 years. She
previously held an administrative position at the Contra Costa County
Office of Education, helping students achieve their college goals. Cook
is in her third year of a doctoral program in educational leadership at
St. Mary’s College in Moraga.
Congratulations to Semhal Gessesse and Dana Morales of St.
Leo the Great School in Oakland, and Niko Wells of Assumption
School in San Leandro, recipients of the United States Achievement
Academy (USAA) National Journalism Award for 2009. The graduates are three
of six students nominated for the award by Joe Leo, technology coordinator
at both schools, for their commitment to each respective school’s
newspaper and/or yearbook.
Kathleen Parra, who graduated from St. Isidore School in Danville
in May, received the Young Ladies Institute Scholarship Award from the
Young Ladies Institute of the Valley . Parra is now a freshman at Moreau
Catholic High School in Hayward.
This summer, fifth-grade students at St. Jerome School in El Cerrito,
with help from their teacher Mary Jo Mishork and teaching assistant
Joan Olivero, exhibited their art work in the City of Oakland Craft
and Cultural Department’s “Many Faces of Frieda” show,
July 13-Aug. 28. All 22 students worked with artist-curator Rachel Anne
Palacios on the project that included drawing replicas of Frieda Kahlo’s
art, transferring the images to transparent shrink plastic to resemble
stained glass, and hanging the pieces from the branches of a painted tree
decorated with bright orange flowers and jewel-toned feather butterflies.
Since 1983, the YMI (Young Men’s Institute) American Council
#8 has presented a scholarship to a graduating 8th grade student of
St. Lawrence O’Toole School in Oakland. This year scholarships
were awarded to Hedda Nguyen and Luis Arturo Ramirez. The
scholarship checks were presented to the winners and their parents at
the council’s Aug. 11 meeting.
Andrew McIntire, a junior at Moreau Catholic High School in
Hayward and a parishioner at St. Bede Church in Hayward, participated
in Lance Armstrong’s “Livestrong Challenge” on July
12. McIntire rode his bike 100 miles and raised $1595 to help the fight
against cancer. Last year McIntire rode 65 miles and raised $1295.
Laura Johnston, a student at the Jesuit School of Theology in
Berkeley, is one of 15 Catholic students across the country to receive
a fellowship from the Fund for Theological Education. The ecumenical organization
annually grants more than $1 million in awards to undergraduates, seminary
and doctoral students across the United States and Canada who demonstrate
potential as future church leaders. Johnston plans to use her $10,000
fellowship to develop a summer project to issues outside the curriculum
of her master of divinity program.
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Among the Religious
The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose in Fremont
welcomed Hermana Julieta Puente at the first chapter of the Sisters
newly formed province in Mexico when she received the Dominican habit
in July. Two candidates, Laura Concepcion Ramirez Sanchez and Ursula
Abigail Perez Neri, were also welcomed into the congregation by the
new regional prioress, Josefina Rodriguez Silva.
Three permanent deacons and their wives share the same wedding anniversary
– Sept. 5. They are Deacon Noe Gonzalez and his wife, Silvia,
members at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Berkeley, who are celebrating
22 years of marriage; Deacon Tim Moore and his wife, Phyllis, who
are celebrating 39 years of marriage; and Deacon Burt Rigley and his
wife, June, who are celebrating a union of 55 years. The Moores and
Rigleys are members of the Church of the Transfiguration in Castro
Valley.
The Sisters of the Holy Cross will install their nearly elected
congregational leadership team on Sept. 27 in Indiana. Sister Joan
Marie Steadman, president, is a native of San Jose who has served
as associate director of health care ethics at Santa Clara University.
Congratulations to Joseph Macaluso of Christ the King Parish
in Pleasant Hill, who, after nine years of formation, professed final
vows of chastity and obedience to the St. Elijah Community of the Discalced
Carmelite Seculars.
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Names, News, Notes
Only 10 days remain in Casa Vincentia’s Annual
Gold Key Sponsorship Campaign, the organization’s major fundraising
event. Casa Vincentia offers a residence in Oakland and other services
to homeless and at-risk young mothers. For each $50 donation, donors have
a chance to win a grand prize of $1,000 and other prizes. The drawing
will take place on Sept. 27. For tickets or more information, contact
Barbara Jackson at (510) 729-0316.
Birthright of San Lorenzo, a crisis pregnancy center, recently
raised more than $640 through a raffle of tickets to the Aug. 3 Jonas
Brothers concert at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.
The Golden Gate Boys Choir and Bellringers (GGBC) held its annual
summer music camp at the Oakland Diocesan Youth Retreat Center in Lafayette
on Aug. 8. The camp included music instruction, choral rehearsal and athletic
activities. Members of the GGBC represent all cultural, ethnic and religious
backgrounds, including a number of participants from local Catholic schools.
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