The Columbus Serra Club will present its 61st annual altar server awards and honor winners of its inaugural priestly vocation essay contest at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 26 in Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral, 212 E. Broad St.
Bishop Earl Fernandes will present medallions and certificates to the honorees. The server awards will be presented to two eighth-graders from each diocesan parish and are based on criteria such as reliability, reverential manner and interest in the server’s role.
For the essay contest, eighth-grade boys were challenged to write a composition of 500 words or less on whether God is calling them to be a priest. Reviewers of the essays looked for prayerful self-examination on where God might be leading the writer. Ten winners were chosen, with the writers of each receiving $1,000 in tuition assistance to a Catholic high school.
The club needs new members, especially some with a background in education, to help evaluate essays this year and in years following. For information on joining, email carl@faehnle.com or call or text (614) 584-4659.
Madrid to speak to luncheon club
Nationally known Catholic author, speaker and radio personality Patrick Madid, a central Ohio resident, will speak to the Catholic Men’s Luncheon Club on Friday, June 7 on “Ten Recent Discoveries That Point to the Existence of God.”
The meeting will be at Columbus St. Patrick Church, 280 N. Grant Ave., after the church’s 11:45 a.m. Mass. No reservations are necessary. A $12 donation to cover the cost of the lunch is requested.
The club will take its annual summer break in July and August. Its next meeting will be on Friday, Sept. 6, with Don Schlegel of the diocesan Catholic Record Society speaking on the organization’s 50-year history.
If you are interested in sponsoring one of the club’s monthly luncheons, contact Pat Foley at foleyp513@gmail.com.
Special Masses to be celebrated at St. Patrick
Several special Masses will be celebrated at Columbus St. Patrick Church, 280 N. Grant Ave., in May and June.
Masses of thanksgiving for newly ordained diocesan priests Father Tyler Carter and Father Michael Haemmerle, both of whom are from the parish, followed by receptions, will take place on Sunday, May 19. Father Carter’s will be at noon and Father Haemmerle’s at 3 p.m.
There will be a sung Mass in the Dominican Rite for the Feast of Corpus Christi at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 30. This will be part of the ongoing Triple Jubilee of St. Thomas Aquinas. A plenary indulgence related to the jubilee may be obtained for visiting a Dominican church and following the other conditions for such an indulgence until January 2025.
Father Thomas Blau, OP, of the St. Patrick Priory will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving for the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 1 with a reception to follow.
A farewell celebration for departing pastor Father Stephen Alcott, OP, is set for Saturday and Sunday, June 8 and 9. He will be preaching at all Masses and a reception will follow each Mass.
Father Paul Marich, OP, will be installed as pastor at a Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 29 celebrated by Bishop Earl Fernandes.
Eucharistic retreat scheduled at Maria Stein
A retreat with the theme “Eucharistic Joy” will take place from 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 31 to 11 a.m. Sunday, June 2 at the Maria Stein Retreat Center, 2365 St. Johns Road, Maria Stein in Mercer County.
Father Bill Marquis, OP, a Dominican friar stationed in Texas and a former theology instructor at Ohio Dominican University, will conduct the retreat, whose theme coincides with the celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi on June 2.
Mass will be celebrated on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday and Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available throughout the weekend.
Accommodations will be available on-site. The cost of $290 per couple or $210 single occupancy includes dinner on Friday, three meals on Saturday and breakfast Sunday.
The payment and registration deadline is Friday, May 17. To make a reservation or for more information, contact Jenny McAndrew at (614) 832-3862 or jennymc4life@yahoo.com.
Resurrection to display refugee-themed art
The New Albany Church of the Resurrection, 6300 E. Dublin-Granville Road, will be displaying 34 refugee-themed paintings that are to be auctioned off in June to benefit the local Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) organization.
The paintings are part of the Columbus Crossing Borders Project, an art exhibit and documentary film created to inspire critical thinking, compassion and support for the millions of people who have been forced to flee their homes due to war, climate, violence and persecution.
With no room to be territorial, the 34 participating artists worked together to resolve whatever challenges arose as they crossed their neighbors’ borders. The result is a cooperative and diverse community of artists who have created a visual tribute to resilience, strength, determination and survival.
The documentary provides a visual journey of the exhibit alongside first-person accounts shared by refugees who have made the United States their home. Both the exhibit and film have been seen by thousands pf people in galleries, schools, community centers and theaters across the United States.
The auction is live and may be viewed at Columbus Crossing Borders Project Art Auction (auctria.com). Bidding will close on Saturday, June 22.
Contributions asked for Sacred Heart billboards
Tim McAndrew of Columbus, a longtime promoter of the Divine Mercy Chaplet through his Laity for Mercy website and Divine Mercy newspaper, is hoping to raise enough money to have four billboards honoring the Sacred Heart placed around Columbus in June.
The cost to pay Lamar Advertising for the space is $550 or $1,000 per billboard, depending on location. McAndrew said he has raised enough so far for one billboard, which will be on Morse Road.
Each billboard will have the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the words “June is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus” and “Jesus is King of mercy.”
The deadline for donations is Monday, May 20. All donations are tax-deductible. Anyone wishing to donate is asked to write a check to Laity for Mercy and send it to McAndrew in care of Laity for Mercy, 5133 Collins Way, Grove City OH 43123.
DeSales class plans 50th reunion
The Columbus St. Francis DeSales High School Class of 1974 will host its 50th-anniversary reunion on Friday and Saturday, May 31 and June 1.
It will begin with an informal gathering on May 31 at The Varsity Club, 278 W. Lane Ave., Columbus.
The following day, the reunion class will lead the Class of 2024 into its commencement ceremony at Alumni Stadium, 4212 Karl Road, preceded by a continental breakfast at the school at 8 a,m. Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP to Sarah Evans-Jacobs at (614) 267-7808, extension 429.
The reunion banquet will be from 6 to 10 p.m. that evening at Carfagna’s Restaurant, 1140 Gemini Place Towne Center, Columbus. The cost is $50 per person and must be paid in advance.
For more information. call Tibs at (614) 507-9099.
Children’s choir to present Cathedral concert
The internationally recognized Columbus International Children’s Choir will present a concert at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 22 as a send-off in preparation for its performance at the 13th World Choir Games in Auckland, New Zealand, from July 10 to 20.
More than 300 choirs from more than 40 nations are expected to take part in the event, which organizers describe as the world’s largest choir festival. It takes place every two years in cities around the world, including in Cincinnati in 2012.
Founded in 1998, the choir has won prizes at many international competitions, including a gold medal at the 10th World Choir Games in Tshwane, South Africa.
It has performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Great Wall of China, Ireland and Canada and locally at the Ohio Theater with BalletMet, the Columbus Symphony and Opera Columbus. It hosts and sponsors the Central Ohio Singing Competition, which offers the stage for the best Ohio youth talents.
There is no charge for the concert, but donations to help pay for travel to New Zealand are welcomed and appreciated.
Franciscan to host conference on nature of man and woman
Franciscan University of Steubenville will host a conference on “Man, Woman, and the Order of Creation” from Thursday to Saturday, Oct. 24-26. Co-sponsored by the university and the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) in Washington, the event will explore the nature of the human person, created male and female.
The conference will seek to bring clarity to the question of “Who is man and who is woman?” by addressing the scientific, philosophical and theological foundations that allow for a coherent understanding of male and female. Participants also will benefit from a thorough discussion about the implications of this reality — man and woman’s identities, their differences and their distinct God-given missions.
Speakers and panelists will include Francis X. Maier, senior fellow of the EPPC’s Catholic studies program; Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, fellow and director of the EPPC’s bioethics and American democracy program; Dr. Paul Vitz, senior scholar emeritus at Divine Mercy University in Hopewell, Virginia and professor of psychology emeritus at New York University; Dr. Angela Franks, professor of theology at St. John’s Seminary in Boston and senior fellow at the Abigail Adams Institute; Father Christian Raab, OSB, professor of systematic theology at St. Meinrad (Indiana) Seminary and School of Theology; Dr. Greg Bottaro, psychologist and founder of the CatholicPsych Institute; Dr. Hilary Towers, licensed professional counselor; Noelle Mering, author and EPPC fellow; Dr. Maria Fedoryka, professor of philosophy at Ave Maria (Florida) University and others.
For more information and to register, visit franciscan.edu/man-woman-and-the-order-of-creation.