February 7, 2008

Lenten Soup and Study Series Offered at Ascension

For the fourth consecutive year, the Church of the Ascension will host a Lenten "Soup and Study" series led by pastor Father Robert Marshall. The sessions will held on five consecutive Monday evenings from February 11 through March 10 at 7 p.m. at the Church of the Ascension, located at 3680 Ramill Road.

This year, the topic will be The Psalms. Perhaps the most popular and most frequently read book of Sacred Scripture, the Psalms provide great insight into the spirituality of the people of ancient Israel and _ by extension _ into the faith of the early Church.

Prior to each evening's session the parish will sponsor a simple meal of soup and bread beginning at 6 p.m. Participants may register for course credit toward catechetical certification. There is no charge for the program, but participants are asked to pre-register by calling the parish at 901-372-1364.

St. Peter Church Sponsoring Lenten Study Group

Following last year's Lenten discussion series, Chocolate for Lent, this year St. Peter Church will feature Amazing Grace for Lent. The series will focus on the 2007 film Amazing Grace, the true story of William Wilberforce, whose faith inspired him to work for the abolition of the British participation in the slave trade 200 years ago. The series opened on Ash Wednesday with a screening of the film. Amazing Grace is available for rent or purchase at local video stores.

On the next four Wednesday nights, February 13-March 5, following 6 p.m. prayer and a simple supper, Father Tom Condon, pastor of St. Peter Church, will lead a discussion on the themes from the film, along with film clips and Scripture passages. Since this is an election year, it's a good time to reflect on how faith influences political choices. It's also an opportune time to think about Wilberforce's spiritual journey as the 40th Anniversary of the Assassination of Martin Luther King will be observed this year.

For a listing of weekly topics and a downloadable study guide for this series go to the St. Peter Church web site at www.stpeterchurch.org .

St. Peter Church is located at Third and Adams, downtown. For more information, call the church office at 901-527-8282.

Valentine Dinner to Benefit World Youth Day Pilgrimage

Red Balloons, candles, and roses will set the scene for the annual St. Valentine's Dinner on Thursday, February 14 in the Holy Rosary Family Room. Two seatings are offered for a special Valentine's Day dinner at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Dinner will consist of prime rib au jus with a horseradish sauce, warm fruit salsa, sautéed green beans, roasted red potatoes, and New York style cheesecake. Coffee and tea will be served and wine will be available for purchase. Babysitting will also be available and includes crafts and a hot dog dinner.

The dinner will benefit the Holy Rosary 2008 World Youth Day pilgrimage to Sydney, Australia. Through the WYD experience, these young people will join other youth from around the world to make a pilgrimage in faith, meet, and experience the love of God. The young people will have an opportunity to rediscover their baptismal calling and the centrality of the sacraments of the Eucharist and reconciliation, and so discover their calling to witness the Gospel in the modern world.

For reservations or more information, please contact Katelin Walker in the Holy Rosary Parish Office at 901-767-6949

Trivia Night Fun for All at OLPH

The Family Life Commission at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Germantown recently held the fourth Annual Trivia Night on January 19. The evening included 34 teams of six players.

Brother Ignatius Brown, F.S.C. from Christian Brothers University was the host for the evening and challenged the teams with ten rounds of questions in the categories of Food and Drink, Early Television, The Bible, A Multiple Choice Quiz, Ad Slogans, Sports, Music, Geography, History and Presidents.

Participants also had a chance to win door prizes and to bid on items at the silent auction. At the end of the evening, prizes were awarded to the teams coming in first, second and third place as well as to the team finishing up in last place.

Finishing in First Place with a score of 78 points was Father J. Edwin Creary, pastor at OLPH Church, Brother Kevin Ryan (CBU), Kathy Foppiano, Stan Schulz and Michele Riolo.

The Second Place team finished with a score of 74 points and consisted of team members Verlinda Henning, Brett Fleming, Michael Huggins, Michael Hans, Frank Cifaldi and Mark Lee.

The Third Place team ended the night with 73 points and consisted of team members Walt Fisher, David Crowder, Andrea Townsend, Jarred Drewry, Steve Brewer and Russ Ellis.

Last Place finishers were Renee Goodwin, Janet Hunt and Joel Hunt with a score of 30 points.