The Diocese of Columbus plans to offer a Mass in solidarity with Pope Francis’ Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Blessed Virgin Mary at noon Friday, March 25 at St. Joseph Cathedral, 212 E. Broad St.
Msgr. Stephan Moloney, the diocesan administrator and vicar general, will preside at the Mass, which will be celebrated on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.
Bishops throughout the world are participating in the consecration and praying for an end to the war.
Church in postmodern world will be subject of talk
Msgr. James Shea, president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, will speak on the topic “From Christendom to Apostolic Mission: Preparing the Church for the Postmodern World” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 30 in the Jessing Center at the Pontifical College Josephinum, 7625 N. High St., Columbus.
Msgr. Shea was involved with the project that produced a book by a similar name that former Columbus Bishop Robert Brennan gave to all the diocese’s priests last summer as a vision of missionary discipleship.
Reservations are not required for the free talk. For more information, visit www.pcj.edu or call (614) 985-2274.
Greater Columbus Right to Life announces oratory contest
Greater Columbus Right to Life (GCRTL) will be part of the 2022 Ohio Right to Life oratory contest. Judging will take place Wednesday, April 27 at the GCRTL office, 4900 Reed Road, Columbus. Contestants can participate in person or remotely.
The first-place winner will receive $100 and represent central Ohio in the state oratory contest. Prizes of $75 for second place and $50 for honorable mention also will be presented.
In addition, winners will receive complimentary VIP tickets to meet Dr. Steve Hammond, a former abortion provider turned pro-life advocate, at the GCRTL annual banquet. The winner of the Ohio contest will participate in the national contest in Washington.
The event is open to high school juniors and seniors (or the equivalent) who live, attend church or go to school in Franklin, Delaware, Morrow, Union, Madison, Fairfield, Pickaway or Licking counties. Students residing outside of these areas who do not have a local contest in their community also may be eligible to participate.
Students are eligible whether they are homeschooled or attend a public, private or charter school. Students in non-traditional programs or pursuing dual post-secondary enrollment also are eligible.
Contestants will be asked to research, write and present a five- to seven-minute original speech on being pro-life, focusing on abortion, infanticide, euthanasia or stem-cell research.
Applicants must register online by 5 p.m. Friday, April 22 at www.gcrtl.org/oratory. They then will be contacted to schedule a time to present their speech.
For more information, call (614) 445-8508.
St. Catharine talk will look at disciple-making
Jason Simon, president of Evangelical Catholic, will speak from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 30 at Columbus St. Catharine Church, 500 S. Gould Road. His topic will be “Remember, I Am With You Always: Disciple-Making in Troubled Times.”
Anyone interested in evangelization and discipleship in the Church is encouraged to attend.
To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/remember-i-am-with-you-disciple-making-in-troubled-times-tickets-289857731277?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.
Evangelical Catholic created the REACH MORE mission process to help lay disciples become disciple-makers. It is partnering with the Diocese of Columbus to launch the process.
Seasons of Hope offers grief-sharing sessions
Seasons of Hope bereavement ministry will offer a six-week, in-person grief-sharing session from 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays, beginning March 20 and concluding May 1, at Columbus Immaculate Conception Church, 414 E. North Broadway. The group will not meet on Easter, April 17.
The ministry is sponsored by North High Deanery churches. The sessions are for anyone suffering the loss of a loved one and looking for friends to share in the grief and healing process. Appropriate COVID protocols will be followed.
To register, contact Karen Droll at (614) 582-8848 or ksdroll@gmail.com. Registrations will be taken through Sunday, March 27.
Father Dailey continues men’s club talk series
Father Stash Dailey, diocesan vicar for religious and pastor of Columbus Holy Family Church, will present the second talk in a four-part series on “Rebuilding a Christian Culture” at the Catholic Men’s Luncheon Club meeting on Friday, April 1.
The meeting will follow the 11:45 a.m. Mass at Columbus St. Patrick Church, 280 N. Grant Ave. Reservations aren’t necessary. A $12 donation is requested to cover the cost of the lunch and meeting. Free parking is available on the Columbus State Community College lot across from the church.
Father Dailey will speak about “Sacred Scripture: A Word Spoken, Rest Received and Lived.” The next talk in the series, “Our Lady as Mother and Queen: Living the Life of the Church,” will be presented Friday, May 6.
The first talk, on St. Joseph, is available on the club’s website, www.catholicmensministry.com. The entire series is sponsored by the Nos Lumine and Attollo organizations for Catholics in business, St. Gabriel Radio AM 820, Egan-Ryan Funeral Service and the Bottoms Up diaper drive.
Back in His Arms Again sponsors dinner in April
Back in His Arms Again, an organization that supports families who have lost a baby, will host its annual dinner at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, April 28 in the social hall of New Albany Church of the Resurrection, 6300 E. Dublin-Granville Road.
Featured speakers will be Shawn and Kambra Malone, who founded the organization after losing a child. Admission is free. To reserve a seat, become a sponsor or make a donation, visit www.backinhisarmsagain.com.
Church of the Resurrection sets immigration program
New Albany Church of the Resurrection, 6300 E. Dublin-Granville Road, will host “God’s People Coming Together: An Evening of Witness, Reflection and Prayer on Immigration” at 7 p.m. Monday, April 4.
The event will feature speakers from Ethiopia and Venezuela. After their talks, the speakers will be in the church’s gathering place, along with representatives from Little Dresses of Love ministry, the parish ministry to El Salvador and Community Refugee & Immigration Services.
For more information, contact Brad Romantic at (614) 855-1400 or bromantic@cotrna.org.
St. Charles school hosts Black history event
Columbus St. Charles Preparatory School’s sixth annual Black history and culture event will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 5 at the school, 2010 E. Broad St.
Keynote speaker will be Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, associate professor of history at Ohio State University. Jeffries also will be part of a panel with former state Sen. Ray Miller and Kyle Strickland, deputy director of the Roosevelt Institute in New York City.
Theme for the event will be “Black Civic Engagement: Yesterday and Today.” The presentation will include an art exhibit featuring work by St. Charles students.
Aquinas alumni resume luncheons
Columbus Aquinas High School Alumni Association will resume its monthly luncheons at 11 a.m. Monday, April 4 at the TAT Ristorante di Famiglia, 1210 S. James Road, Columbus.
Subsequent meetings are scheduled at the restaurant at the same time on May 2, June 6, Aug. 1 and Oct. 3, all Mondays. The group will meet at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 12 at Columbus St. Charles Preparatory School, 2010 E. Broad St.
For more information, contact association president Louis Nobile Jr. at (614) 451-4477 or (614) 313-5889.
Happy Trails Traveling plans New England trip this summer
Happy Trails Traveling of Newark will conduct a trip to New England in June led by longtime Catholic tour guide Linda Woolard.
Dates for the trip are Wednesday, June 22 to Tuesday, June 28. It will include a Mass at St. Mary Church in New Haven, Connecticut, where the Knights of Columbus was founded by Blessed Father Michael McGivney in 1882, and to the McGivney Pilgrimage Center, formerly the Knights’ museum.
Another stop will be the Our Lady of Grace Monastery in New Guilford, Connecticut, where cloistered Dominican nuns reside.
The motorcoach tour also will visit Boston and “Old Ironsides;” Salem and Cape Ann, Massachusetts; New Haven; and other towns and attractions.
Departure will be from Newark. The cost is $730 per person sharing double occupancy. A $75 deposit is due on signing, and the balance is due by Friday, April 15. Single or triple rooms also are available.
For more information, contact Woolard at (740) 323-3105 or lindawoolard@windstream.net. Checks can be made payable to her and sent to 636 Fox Run Circle South, Newark, OH 43055.
Pentecost weekend retreat planned at Maria Stein
“Let the Fire Fall,” a Pentecost weekend retreat, will take place from 7 p.m. Friday, June 3 to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 5 at Maria Stein Retreat Center, 2365 St. Johns Road, Maria Stein.
The shrine features one of the most documented holy relic collections in the United States.
Cost of the retreat is $185 for an individual or $250 for a couple, including accommodations for two nights, dinner Friday, three meals Saturday and breakfast Sunday.
RSVP to Roxy Rubinic at (614) 323-8811 or roxy@cathetix.com by Saturday, April 23 to reserve a spot, or mail a check payable to Laity for Mercy to 5125 Collins Way, Grove City, OH 43123.
Newman Center schedules open house
Columbus St. Thomas More Newman Center, 64 W. Lane Ave., the Catholic campus ministry for Ohio State University, will host an open house from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 28.
The evening, intended for high school seniors coming to Ohio State in the fall and juniors considering OSU, will begin with vespers and include student and parent testimonials, tours, refreshments and a free T-shirt for students. Those interested in attending should RSVP at www.BuckeyeCatholic.com.
ODU to add data science major
Ohio Dominican University (ODU) will launch a bachelor of science in data science major during the fall 2022 semester. The major will help address a workforce shortage resulting from industry growth and an expanding talent gap.
It will equip students with knowledge, tools, techniques and experiences related to querying, cleaning and analyzing data, and using industry staples such as Python, SQL, R and Tableau. Ethical and professional issues surrounding collection, analysis, use, sharing and presentation of data will be addressed. Students will be prepared for careers in banking, insurance and retail, which use data to drive decision-making.
Students pursuing ODU’s data science degree will have eight required courses and must select one of seven focus areas: accounting; computer science; economics; finance; mathematics; risk management and insurance; and sociology.
Five of the eight required courses will be offered online through ODU’s partnership with Rize, an education company seeking to prepare college students for careers in fast-growing fields.
The bachelor’s program joins an existing certificate in data science program that began in the fall 2021 semester. Students can complete the five-course, 15-credit program in one year and may choose to take courses all online or in a hybrid format.
Traditional undergraduate students majoring in a business- or STEM-related field also can pursue the certificate to enhance their bachelor’s degree.
For more information, visit ohiodominican.edu/DataScience.
ODU attempts to become Laudato Si’ university
Connie Gallaher, president of Ohio Dominican University (ODU), on Tuesday, March 15 signed a pledge to join the Vatican’s seven-year journey to become a Laudato Si’ campus.
The initiative calls on all sectors of the Catholic Church, including educational institutions, to implement sustainability practices and promote ecological education. It is inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, which calls for pursuing sustainability as a way to lift up the earth and its inhabitants.
ODU has formed a committee of students, faculty and administrators to develop a plan to advance the encyclical’s goals and explore how best to incorporate them into the life of the university.
The goals include responding to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor and vulnerable; fostering ecological economics; adopting sustainable lifestyles; developing and offering ecological education; promoting an ecological spirituality; supporting local communities; and promoting community resilience and empowerment.
ODU’s Center for Dominican Studies is leading the initiative.