March 26, 2007VOL. 45, NO. 6Oakland, CA

Honoring decades of service to SJND
Tony Aiello, who retires in June after 37 years as principal of St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, will be honored on May 12 at a gala tribute that includes the dedication of the new Anthony V. Aiello Science Center. The event begins at 1 p.m. in St. Joseph Basilica and concludes with a reception in the SJND quad. The school has established an endowed scholarship fund as a permanent tribute to Aiello’s ministry. To make a contribution to the scholarship fund, contact Rebecca Bischoff at (510) 814-7116 or rbischoff@sjnd.org.

Spiritual e-cards

If you have been seeking spiritually-focused electronic greeting cards, it’s time to pay a visit to the web site of the Redemptorists of the Denver Province at www.redemptorists-denver.org. There you will find a selection of “e-cards,” many of which invoke the prayers and spirituality of various Redemptorist saints like St. Gerald Majella, the 18th century Redemptorist Brother and patron saint of mothers and the unborn.

One of the e-cards for Mother’s Day includes a beautiful painting of the Madonna drawn by St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists, when he was in his 20s. Speaking of the Redemptorist founder, the mosaic above the altar inside the Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Rome is the featured image of an Easter e-card.

Holy Spirit/Newman hosts lecture on anti-Catholicism

Jesuit Father Mark Massa, professor of theology at Fordham University in New York, delivered the first annual Bishop John Cummins lecture on Catholicism and contemporary American culture at Holy Spirit Parish/Newman Hall in Berkeley, Feb. 28. He discussed the new wave of anti-Catholicism that appears in leading opinion journals and media where Catholic belief and practice are sometimes ridiculed.

He counseled his 300-member audience not to dwell on the ridicule but rather to appreciate the uniqueness of the Catholic vision and life.

“Catholics are different and that difference can contribute to a vital spiritual life and to an enriched public and civic participation for Catholics,” he said.

He said that seeing the connections among all creation and God can help Catholics be people of forgiveness and mercy. Bishop Emeritus John Cummins attended the lecture.

Around the Parishes

The choir at Oakland’s St. Paschal Baylon Parish is sponsoring an ecumenical Gospel workshop this week that will culminate in a special Lenten/Easter Gospel concert on Palm Sunday, April 1, at 4 p.m. Singers from around the Bay Area are welcome to attend the five-day workshop, which consists of four rehearsals and one concert. Tim Poston, a nationally-known composer, organist and choir director, will lead the workshop. Rehearsals will be held at 7:30 p.m. on March 26, 27, 29, 30. Registration for the workshop is $30 per person or $25 per person if registering as a group. Financial aid is available. For more information, contact Valerie at (510) 636-0335. The rehearsals and concert will be held at the church, 3700 Dorisa Ave. The concert is open to the public.

St. Joan of Arc Parish in San Ramon is helping to solve poverty one Easter egg at a time. This past weekend (March 24 and 25) the parish sold fair trade chocolate eggs and handcrafted rabbit boxes after all Masses. Proceeds will help disadvantaged chocolate producers and artisans in developing countries to earn a fair price for their labor, gain access to credit and training, and help develop a market for these and other fair trade products. For more information visit: www.agreatergift.org/Kitchen/ChocolateFood/Divine/ChocolateEggs.aspx or www.agreatergift.org/Gifts/Easter/GiftEasterDecor.aspx.

St. Catherine Parish in Martinez recently began offering mothers of small children a First Friday Adoration in the church from 9 – 10 a.m. On Good Friday, April 6, instead of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament there will be Stations of the Cross for the moms and other interested parishioners. The pre-school through second grade age youngsters will take an active role in the devotion. The Adoration will resume on May 4..

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Around the Schools

St. Mary School in Walnut Creek recently received a $2,500 Teach Award from Best Buy stores for integrating interactive technology into the curriculum. The funds will be used to enhance the school’s art/technology program developed by Kim Bonney, art teacher, and Loretta Edmonson, technology coordinator.

Good news in the form of acceptance letters to Moreau Catholic High School recently arrived for 31 8th graders at St. Clement School in Hayward. Two thumbs up for Matthew Chen who received the Brother Gary Stone scholarship, one of two honors given to students who scored the highest on the admittance exam. Chen is the first student at St. Clement in eight years to win the scholarship, according to the elementary school’s weekly newsletter.

New principals have been appointed for the 2007-2008 school year at schools in Alameda and Berkeley. Vikki Wojcik, currently vice principal at St. Elizabeth School in Oakland, will be the next principal at St. Philip Neri School in Alameda and Catherine Deehan, a teacher and assistant administrator at St. Raymond School in Dublin, has been named principal at the School of the Madeleine in Berkeley.

Congratulations go to Julia Brown, a senior at St. Mary’s High School in Berkeley, who is a finalist in the National Achievement Scholarship Program. One of 1300 students nationwide to achieve this honor, Brown has been awarded a $2,500 scholarship. David Castillo, a senior at De La Salle High School in Concord, is also a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Vanuyen Pham, a 5th grade student at Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Fremont, has been selected as a winner in Fremont Symphony Orchestra’s 2007 Young Composers Contest. Her musical selection is among those to be orchestrated and played by the Fremont Symphony Orchestra on March 30 in the Ohlone College Gymnasium at 10 a.m. and again at noon.

Ashton Purvis, a freshman at Oakland’s St. Elizabeth High School, had a record-breaking performance March 9 at the National Scholastic Indoor Championship (NCIS) track meet in New York City. The speedy sprinter set a record of 7.49 in the 60 meter event and 23.55 in the 200 meter race, breaking her own two previous records in the 200 meters of 23.97 and 23.63. Purvis’ older sister, Julian, a junior at SEHS and reigning 100 meter hurdles champion, placed third at the NCIS meet in the 60 meter hurdles at 8.47.

Miranda Wilson, a senior a Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd High School, threw a personal best 45-feet 7-inches in the shot put to claim second place in the event at the NCIS meet. Wilson, who is headed for the University of Miami, placed third in the event last year.

The O’Dowd girls 4x400-meter relay team (comprised of junior Brazile Clark, sophomore Lia Rivers-Birt, junior Shane Mullany Banks, and senior Jennifer Hinds) finished 6th in the event with a time of 3:54.53. The 1600 sprint medley team (Clark, Rivers-Birt, senior Megan McFarland, and senior Jackie Lynch) claimed 5th place in their event with a time of 4:07.16.

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Names, News, Notes

Many blessings and best wishes go to Rita and Walter Schneider, members at St. Raymond Parish in Dublin, who recently reached their 60th year of marriage. Health problems delayed the anniversary celebration but the family, which includes eight children, nine grandchildren and a newly born great-grandchild, is hoping to gather later this spring to honor the couple. Rita Schneider is a former advertising representative for The Catholic Voice.

Congratulations to Pauline and James Young, longtime members at Berkeley’s St. Mary Magdalen Parish, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on March 3. Father David Farrugia, pastor, presided at a Mass of Thanksgiving for the couple who renewed their wedding vows. Following the Mass, 90 family members and friends gathered for a celebration. Leftovers from the meal – enough to feed 20 families – were sent to a local program that provides meals for the homeless.

The Hearst Art Museum at St. Mary’s College in Moraga is one of 19 museums across the country to have been awarded accreditation by the American Association of Museums (AAM). The highest national recognition a museum can achieve, accreditation recognizes a museum for its commitment to excellence and high standards.

Next Voice: April 9. Send submissions, by March 28 to Carrie McClish, 3014 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland, 94610; phone: (510) 419-1074; fax: (510) 893-4734; e-mail: cmcclish@oakdiocese.org.

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