February 28, 2008

Diocesan Catholic Youth Celebration Will Raise the Bar

The 2008 Diocesan Youth Celebration will be held on Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8 at St. Benedict High School. The celebration theme is Catholicism _ Raising The Bar; Jesus Did It, Can You?

All Catholic high school youth are invited to come for fellowship, fun and to gain a better understanding of how to live the fullness of Catholicism.

Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D. has asked Catholics in the Diocese of Memphis to be "people on fire with love for God and to live this as a way of life; always being conscious of being and acting as Catholic Christians." The goal of the DYC is to motivate the young people in the diocese to seek perfection instead of just doing merely what they have to do.

Registration at the door begins at 6 p.m. on Friday and at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The opening activities begin at 7 p.m. on Friday evening and end approximately at 10:30 p.m. Activities on Saturday will begin at noon. Bishop Steib will preside at the 4:30 p.m. Mass. Dismissal will be at 10 p.m. on Saturday night following dinner, a dance, and karaoke.

The keynote speaker for this year's celebration will be Anna Scally, president of Cornerstone Media. Scally is an inspiring workshop and youth rally speaker, youth ministry training consultant and disc jockey. She was master of ceremonies at various catechetical sessions for World Youth Day in Germany during the summer of 2005. She has also served at Catechetical sessions at World Youth Days in Denver and Toronto, and has made more than 2,300 public presentations at youth rallies and other events, including all major religious education conferences in North America.

For more information about the 2008 Diocesan Youth Celebration, call 901-373-1292, or send an email to Catherine.Mensi@cc.cdom.org or Tina.Warden@cc.cdom.org. Registration forms may be obtained at www.cdom.org, through the Office of Youth Ministries.

MSAACN Offers 2008 Spring Seminar

The fifth Beyond Temporal Nursing Seminar sponsored by the Mid-South Area Association of Catholic Nurses will be held on March 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at St. Francis Hospital Auditorium located at 5959 Park Ave.

Topics that will be discussed during the seminar include Health Care Reform, What Everyone Should Know about Socialized Medicine: Confessions of a Canadian Expatriate, The Impact of the War in Iraq on Health Care, and Sin and Sickness.

Contact hours will be awarded through the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing Continuing Education Program. Registration will be accepted at the door.

For more information, call Betty Wallin, MSAACN president, 901-861-1755 or Alma Abuelouf, Director of the Diocesan Office of Community Health Ministry at 901-373 1237.

Divine Healing Mass Planned for March 1

The 24 hour Chaplet of Divine Mercy Prayer Group is a local prayer group that began from a Eucharistic Experience through the intercession of St Faustina at St Ann Church. The group prays for the sick and the dying during the 24 hours of each and everyday. "Because of our prayer group, no one who ever dies will pass away without a Chaplet of Divine Mercy being prayed for them"` said member Jay Hastings.

" I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls." (Diary of Divine Mercy 1074)

The group has grown from its local roots to include more than 770 people praying in 19 countries. All pray, some fast each week, some are suffering souls (souls that offer their daily sufferings up for this ministry). The members pray over the sick and the dying with the 1st Class Relic of St Faustina and read from the Diary of Divine Mercy.

"For those we pray for, we have seen spiritual, physical and emotional healings. For others we help them to understand the meaning of the crosses and sufferings in their lives as they learn to embrace them and journey towards God," said Hastings.

"I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is My desire to give much, very much." (Diary of Divine Mercy 1578)

The Prayer Group is now "asking for much" by hosting a Divine Mercy Healing Mass on March 1 at 9 a.m. at Church of the Nativity, located at 5955 St. Elmo Rd. in Bartlett. The celebration will be led by Father Mike Morgera, Father Richard Coy and Father Victor Ciaramitaro, assisted by Deacon Chip Jones.

For more information, call Jay Hastings at 901-438-7772 or send an email to PJ7772@msn.com.

Students Give to Catholic Charities Food Bank

On January 31, Catholic Charities of Memphis visited St. Francis of Assisi School for a special Mass to celebrate the generous service of the students to the Catholic Charities Food Bank.

Msgr. Peter Buchignani, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church, celebrated Mass and told the students that they were "shining lights in the community."

Anne McInnis of Catholic Charities presented a plaque to St. Francis of Assisi School for its exemplary work in being domestic missionaries in their community, and to recognize the tremendous work of the school, parents, and especially students in helping the poor and needy in this community of Memphis by their partnership with Catholic Charities.

The plaque reads, "In appreciation for the generosity and donations to the poor and needy of the community" and was a true reflection of the St. Francis of Assisi Schools' student volunteer activity which resulted in over 4000 cans of food donations for Catholic Charities food pantry, numerous clothes, as well as toys for almost 800 families.

New Director of Nursing Named at St. Peter Villa

Angela Wrice Anderson has been named Director of Nursing for St. Peter Villa.

Anderson's career in nursing began more than 25 years ago as a nurse's aide in a nursing home. Anderson then became a Licensed Vocational nurse, and finally became a Registered Nurse.

When her family relocated to Memphis, she was hired as a Supervisor at St. Peter Villa, where she later assumed the position of Risk Manager Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Anderson is excited about an opportunity that enables her to "encounter diverse people, to face multiple challenges, and to mature personally and professionally." As Director of Nursing she plans to "encourage an atmosphere of collaboration, communication, and cooperation, along with the use of flexibility, dependability, and a sense of humor."

Anderson said she anticipates a journey that fosters "quality care, team spirit, and critical thinking skills."

For more information about St. Peter Villa, call Emily Garrett, Director of Public Relations, at 901-725-3568 or by email at Emily.garrett@villa.cdom.org.