The Catholic Men’s Luncheon Club is accepting nominations for the diocese’s 2024 Catholic Man of the Year award, which will be presented by Bishop Earl Fernandes at the club’s Friday, Feb. 2 meeting at Columbus St. Patrick Church in downtown Columbus.
The club has presented the award since 1957 to one layman who, through his daily actions, words and prayers, exemplifies the “good and faithful servant.” The recipient will have the opportunity to share his personal testimony during the ceremony.
Nominations will be accepted through Sunday, Dec. 31. For details, nomination instructions and the required online nomination form, go to https://www.catholicmensministry.com/catholicmanoftheyear.
Dr. Sri to speak at two Columbus parishes
Dr. Edward Sri, a nationally known Catholic speaker and theologian, will be speaking at two Columbus churches this coming week.
He will present an evening Eucharistic mission at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6 at St. Andrew Church, 1899 McCoy Road, and will speak on “Advent with Mary” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7 in the opening event of a triduum honoring the Blessed Mother at Immaculate Conception Church, 414 E. North Broadway.
The triduum will continue at the church with Masses at 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and will conclude with a breakfast and a video series on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 9.
Sri has spoken several times in Columbus and is a frequent guest on Catholic radio and television. He is the author of several books including Walking with Mary: A Biblical Journey from Nazareth to the Cross.
Registration is required for both of his talks. For the Dec. 6 event, go to www.standrewparish.cc and for the Dec. 7 talk, go to www.iccols.org.
Notre Dame folk choir to appear at New Albany
The University of Notre Dame’s folk choir will present a concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12 at the New Albany Church of the Resurrection, 6300 E. Dublin-Granville Road.
The choir, founded in the late 1970s, has more than 60 members and serves the university as one of its principal liturgical choirs, singing every Sunday during the academic year at the noon Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
The choir works to bridge the gap between contemporary compositions of a post-Vatican II church community and the rich expression of traditional choral repertoire. For more information about the choir, go to https://folkchoir.nd.edu.
St. Elizabeth to host ‘Simbang Gabi’ program
The Filipino Catholic community of Central Ohio invites everyone to join in its traditional novena of Masses known in the Tagalog language of the Philippines as Simbang Gabi. The nine-day event is a spiritual preparation for the Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and pays honor to the Virgin Mary.
Simbang Gabi Masses will be celebrated at Columbus St. Elizabeth Church, 6077 Sharon Woods Blvd., at 6:30 p.m. from Friday, Dec. 15 to Friday, Dec. 22. Masses on the Saturdays of Dec. 16 and 23 will be at 7 p.m., with Bishop Earl Fernandes as the celebrant on Dec. 23. Masses will be in English with most songs in Tagalog.
Celebrants of other Masses will be Father Anthony Davis, pastor at St. Elizabeth; Father Hilary Ike, parochial vicar at St. Elizabeth; and Father Ramon Owera, pastor of Columbus St. Dominic Church and administrator of the Community of Holy Rosary and St. John the Evangelist in Columbus.
For more information, contact Irene_sze@yahoo.com or mindali58@hotmail.com.
Physician assistant program awarded $1 million-plus grant
The state of Ohio’s Choose Ohio First (COF) program has awarded Ohio Dominican University (ODU) a five-year grant of slightly more than $1 million to provide scholarship assistance to eligible students who are studying in ODU’s master of science in physician assistant studies program. The award has the potential of benefiting as many as 75 students.
ODU is one of 45 colleges and universities across the state that will collectively receive nearly $40 million during the next five years to support students in fields related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine.
It is specifically for students representing underserved populations. These include individuals who self-identify as being from a medically underserved area; are first-generation college students; come from a home where English is not the primary spoken language; identify as being economically disadvantaged; or are of African American or Hispanic ethnicity. Approximately 20 percent of ODU’s 2025 physician assistant class are in one or more of these categories.
Established in 2012, ODU’s Master of Science in physician assistant studies was the first program of its kind in the region. This month, the program will graduate its 10th group of students, bringing the total number of graduates to nearly 500. The program has a graduation rate of 97 percent, and 100 percent of graduates have passed the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam.
This grant is in addition to a previously announced $588,000 COF grant benefiting ODU undergraduate students.
First-year students are eligible to apply for the COF scholarship and can do so as they complete the admission requirements into ODU’s physician assistant program.
Dublin Singers to present Christmas concert at St. Brigid
The Dublin Singers will offer a free Christmas concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15 at Dublin St. Brigid of Kildare Church, 7175 Avery Road.
The group is directed by its founder, Mary Fran Cassidy, a longtime educator and musician at St. Brigid.
More information can be found at www.dublinsingers.org.