Archdiocesan News Briefs | Feb. 17, 2012

Printer-friendly versionSend to friend

Sr. Pitlyk

Dominican profession

St. Louis native Sister Marie Therese Pitlyk was one of seven women who made their perpetual profession with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville, Tenn. The profession took place July 25, 2011, at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville. Sister Marie Therese, the daughter of Judy Pitlyk and the late Leonard Pitlyk, is a former member of the old St. Thomas the Apostle Parish (now part of St. Rose Pililippine Duchesne Parish) in Florissant and a graduate of Rosati-Kain High School She has a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Dallas and a bachelor's degree in interdiscipinary studies (education) from Aquinas College in Nashville. She currently teaches at St. Catherine of Siena School in Kennesaw, Ga., in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

40 Days for Life kickoff

The 40 Days for Life kick-off rally will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, Lindell Boulevard and Newstead Avenue in the Central West End. Featured speaker is Sheri Krotzer of Students for Life of America. A prayer procession to Planned Parenthood will follow the rally. The 40 Days for Life campaign, which calls on participants to pray, fast and perform community outreach for an end to abortion, will take place Feb. 22-April 1. For more information, visit coalitionforlifestl.com.

Generous donor

Fontbonne University has received a $250,000 gift from an anonymous donor to benefit the university's department of communications disorders and deaf education. The donation will be divided among three department programs: the Eardley Family Clinic for Speech, Language and Hearing; 12 annual communication disorders and deaf education scholarships over the next five years; and the biannual Family Augmentative and Alternative Communication Family Theater Camp. Fontbonne, a Catholic coeducational university sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, offers undergraduate majors in deaf education and speech-language pathology, as well as graduate programs in early intervention in deaf education and speech-language pathology.

Hoops winners

Chaminade College Preparatory School recently won St. Vincent Home for Children's 62nd Annual Eighth-Grade Boys Basketball Tournament. Players are Joe Bellon, Mike Lewis, David Hermeling, Sam Proost, Joe Mattingly, Roderick Campbell, Tyler Cook, Andrew Bozesky, Isaac Olson, Jimmy Murphy, Jayson Tatum, Taylor Jeffries, Jacob Bai. The team is coached by Mike Derkits.

Lenten program

A six-week Lenten Bible Study on the Book of Revelation will be held at 7 p.m. Thursdays, Feb. 23-March 29, at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, 442 S. DeMazenod Drive in Belleville, Ill. Father Tom Ovalle, OMI, and Mark Etling will lead the discussion. Cost is $30. For information and registration, go online to snows.org/revelation or call (314) 241-3400, ext. 6440.

Young adult retreat

The archdiocesan Office of Young Adult Ministry is hosting a "Hearts on Fire" retreat for young adults Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24 and 25, at St. Mark Parish in Affton. The retreat is open to young adults ages 18-39, single or married. The retreat will include an introduction to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, presentations from young Jesuit priests and scholastics, Mass and the opportunity for Reconciliation. Suggested donation is $15, which includes a light breakfast and lunch. Nursing infants are welcome to accompany parents. For more information, visit apostleshipofprayer.org/hof2012saintlouis.html or contact Brian Miller at (314) 792-7083 or by email at brianmiller@archstl.org.

Microfinancing gala

Microfinancing Partners in Africa is hosting its fifth annual African Gala and Dinner Saturday, Feb. 25, at Sunset County Club, 9555 Geyer Road. The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with appetizers and a silent auction, followed by a 7:30 p.m. dinner, program and oral auction. A "Fabulous Finale" concludes the evening. Individual tickets are $125. Microfinancing Partners in Africa was founded in 2006 by Sister Antoinette "Toni" Temporiti, CPPS, to partner with the people of Africa in lifting themselves from poverty by providing access to funding and education for entrepreneurial activities. Proceeds from the gala will benefit programs in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. For information or to purchase tickets, visit microfinancin gafrica.org or call (314) 776-1319.

Mission Congress

The Pontifical Mission Societies will hold the third annual St. Louis Mission Congress from 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Saturday, March 31, at Our Lady of Providence, School Cafeteria, 8874 Pardee Road in Crestwood. Archbishop Robert J. Carlson will be the keynote speaker. Other presenters include Msgr. Francis X. Blood, archdiocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies; Mrs. Marilyn Price, coordinator for Medical Mission Trips to Honduras at Our Lady of Providence Parish; and Sister Ruth Emke, SSND, former missionary to Sierra Leone and Ghana. There will also be opportunities for participants to reflect and share their own mission experiences. Registration fee is $10. The fee and registration form (at stlmissions.org under Mission News) are due by March 15. For more information, call (314) 792-7655 or email suespavale@archstl.org.

Tuition aid news

The Archdiocese of St. Louis is accepting applications for the Catholic Families Tuition Assistance Endowment Fund and the Parish Employee Endowment Fund for the 2012-2013 school year. Families applying for either fund must obtain a "FACTS" application from the parish in which they are registered. To be eligible, families must be Catholic and students must attend an archdiocesan or parish elementary school or an archdiocesan or parish high school. Private elementary and secondary school students are not eligible. The due date for the application is Sunday, April 1. All applications must include a copy of the family's 2011 Federal Income tax Return. For more information, call David Shelton at (314) 792-7305.

New exhibit

The St. Louis University Museum of Art is hosting the exhibit, "Spirit and History: Paintings by James Hasse, SJ, and Judge Nathan B. Young," that will continue until Sunday, March 4, at the SLU Museum of Art, 3663 Lindell Blvd. in Midtown St. Louis. For information visit sluma.slu.edu or call (314) 977-2666.

Day of reflection

Single women are invited to the School Sisters of Notre Dame campus in south St. Louis County for "Noticing God's Nudges," a day of reflection, prayer and conversation, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 10, at 320 E. Ripa Ave. The cost is $5, which includes a continental breakfast and light lunch. Registration is due March 2; contact Sister Susan Renner, SSND, at (314) 633.7013 or srenner@ssndcp.org.

Plenty of spirit

The cheerleaders at St. Vincent High School in Perryville are winners of the "Rock Your Spirit Competition" sponsored by Perry County Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. The team was awarded a $550 prize, which will be donated to the school's gym renovation project.

Centennial Gala

Rosati-Kain High School will hold its Centennial Gala on Saturday evening, March 10, at the Chase Park Plaza. Tickets are $125 per person or $1,000 for a table of 10. RSVP by Feb. 22; call (314) 533-8513, ext. 213.

Parish missions

Holy Infant Parish will sponsor a mission, "Are You Running With Me, Jesus," at 7 p.m. Monday - Wednesday, March 5-7, in Holy Infant Church, 627 Dennison Drive in Ballwin.Leading the mission will be Father Gary Braun of the Washington University Catholic Student Center, Dominican Sister Carla Mae Streeter of Aquinas Institute of Theology and Deacon Dennis Chitwood of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Soulard. For additional information, call (636) 227-7440.

St. Peter Parish will sponsor a Lenten mission Sunday-Wednesday, March 4-7, at the parish, 243 W. Argonne Drive in Kirkwood. Sessions are 9:15-10:a.m. Monday-Wednesday in Ursuline Hall and 7-8:15 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday in the church. The Thomas More Center for Preaching and Prayer will lead the retreat. For information call the parish at (314) 822-1347.

Hahns to speak

Catholic apologists Scott and Kimberly Hahn will present a series of talks on Saturday, July 14, at St. Elizabeth Parish, 2300 Pontoon Road in Granite City, Ill. The program will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person, including lunch. The program is sponsored by the parish Holy Name Altar Society. For tickets or information, call (618) 877-3300.

Eucharistic miracles

A display about 126 Vatican-authenticated eucharistic miracles will be held at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, 1919 S. Seventh St. in south St. Louis, from 2-7 p.m. Saturday, March 10 (except during the 5 p.m. vigil Mass), and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11 (except during 9:30 a.m. Mass). For information call The Body of Christ Outreach, (636) 928-0384.

Steps To Wholeness

Steps to Wholeness for the Divorced and Separated, a six-week program for healing the hurts of divorce, will be held from 7-9 p.m. Fridays, Feb. 24-March 30, at Immaculate Conception Parish Center, 2300 Church Road in Arnold. For more information or to register, call Carol at (636) 282-3014. Child care is available.

New A.D.

DeSmet Jesuit High School has selected John Stewart as the new director of athletics, effective July 1. Stewart, a 1977 DeSmet graduate, will succeed current athletic director Kevin Fober. Stewart, who played basketball at DeSmet, was an assistant basketball coach there in the 2009-2010 season and this spring will be assistant baseball coach. Stewart, formerly senior business manager at Anheuser-Busch InBev, is a member of Queen of All Saints Parish in Oakville.

Calling all volunteers

More than 30 St. Louis nonprofits be on hand from 1-3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 15, at the third annual St. Louis Youth and Family Volunteer Fair at the Magic House children's museum in Kirkwood to recruit youth and family volunteers. This is a perfect way to earn service hours, according to organizer Simone Bernstein, including summer volunteer opportunities and flexible options. Admission to the event is free with one non-perishable food donation per person, to be donated to local food bank. For information contact simone@stlouisvolunteen.com or (314) 503-5853.

The 'Second Half'

The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows,in cooperation with Aquinas Institute of Theology and the Apartment Community at Our Lady of the Snows will present the first in a series of talks on "Spirituality for the Second Half of Life," from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at the shrine, 442 S. DeMazenod Drive in Belleville, Ill. Sister Carla Mae Streeter, OP, will be the presenter. Cost is $20, lunch included. Registration is required; call (314) 241-3400, ext. 6440, or go to snows.org/aquinas.

New board members

White House Jesuit Retreat has announced two new members of its board of directions, Joe Cavato and Charles Meyer.Cavato is with Development Resource Group and Meyer with 1926 Investment Advisors. Each was appointed for a three-year term. White House Jesuit Retreat is located in south St. Louis County, on 80 acres overlooking the Mississippi River. For information call (314) 846-2575.

Heart Speaks to Heart