December 6, 2016 // Uncategorized

Around the Diocese: December 11, 2016

Todays Catholic

Holy Cross Sisters presented with U.S. Army Civil War Campaign Medal 

NOTRE DAME — Although the American Civil War ended 150 years ago, the U.S. Army Civil War Campaign Medal was presented to the Sisters of the Holy Cross in 2016 in recognition of their service as nurses for wounded Union and Confederate soldiers. The presentation was made possible through a collaborative effort led by a retired Army lieutenant colonel, a congresswoman and the U.S. Army Center of Military History.

“The Civil War Campaign Medal, a rare honor awarded in recognition of the sisters’ selfless service, is a sign of our gratitude as a nation and a reminder of the price of freedom,” wrote U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski of Indiana’s 2nd District in a letter read by Ben Parsons, constituent liaison, at the Nov. 30 ceremony at the Congregation’s motherhouse on the Saint Mary’s College campus. “The compassion and care these Sisters of the Holy Cross showed for their countrymen reflect the very best not only of our state but of our entire nation. Their legacy lives on in the dedicated public service of this congregation that continues today, and these medals will serve as a lasting tribute to their brave actions.”

Sisters of the Holy Cross served as Army nurses on the hospital ship USS Red Rover, a side-wheel steamer, which sailed throughout the Ohio and Mississippi River Valley for the Western Gunboat Flotilla. The sisters were forerunners of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. Women of Holy Cross also served in military hospitals on land and cared for soldiers from the North and the South in Paducah and Louisville, Ky.; Mound City and Cairo, Ill.; Memphis, Tenn.; St. Louis and Franklin (Pacific City), Mo.; West Philadelphia, Penn.; Wheeling, W.Va.; and Washington, D.C.

The Center of Military History awarded 15 medals to the Congregation, which decided to share the medals — and the sisters’ legacy of compassionate caring and education excellence — with hospitals founded by the sisters following the Civil War, as well as with Saint Mary’s and other organizations connected with the Congregation. In addition to presenting the medal to the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Parsons presented the medals to other honorary recipients, including the Saint Mary’s Department of Nursing Science, Notre Dame, and Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, Mishawaka.

St. Therese Church to host Festival of Lessons and Carols Dec. 19

FORT WAYNE — St. Therese Church, 2304 Lower Huntington Rd., will host a Festival of Lessons and Carols on Monday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. There is no charge, but a free will offering will be taken up to benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Society of the parish. All are welcome.

“We have adapted this Festival of Lessons and Carols to reflect the season of Advent that moves into the celebration of Christmas,” said Beverly Rieger, St. Therese music director.

After the service and remarks by the pastor, a reception will be held in the nearby parish hall.

Stein earns scouting’s Eagle, ‘Ad Altare Dei’ awards

Boy Scout Gabriel Stein recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest accomplishment attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America. He joins a group of just four percent of Boy Scouts nationwide granted this position of honor. The requirements necessary to achieve the rank normally takes years to fulfill, but Stein did it in about five years.

A member of BSA Troop 349, sponsored by Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Fort Wayne, for the past four years, young Stein is the son of Timothy and Sarah Stein. They attend St. Therese Church.

Requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout include earning at least 21 merit badges. An Eagle Scout must demonstrate “Scout Spirit,” an ideal attitude based upon the “Scout Oath and Law,” service and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads and manages.

Stein’s Eagle project involved building a 20 x 30-foot road of 2-foot-square rubber mats at Aldersgate Church, on which children could ride tricycles. The project included constructing a storage shed to house the tricycles. Paint for the shed was donated and the church contributed money for building supplies. The matting came from a school that was redoing its playground and throwing old matting away. Stein completed the project last fall in about a week with the help his family, fellow Scouts and a few adults.

In addition to fulfilling the requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout while at Troop 349, Stein earned the “Ad Altare Dei” (“to the altar of God”) emblem as a member for one year of Troop 300, which met at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. The program was developed by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting for Boy Scouts of the Catholic faith and consists of eight sections paralleling the seven sacraments. Its purpose is to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person by encouraging him to actively live out his Catholic Christian faith. “There are service projects connected with the award and several learning sessions with adult leaders,” said Stein.

Stein joined the Boy Scouts at age 13 at the suggestion of his parents, who thought the BSA training program was good for young men. He agrees with that assessment.

“I plan to continue in scouting as an adult leader now that I’m age 18 and cannot participate as a youngster,” he said. “I most enjoyed the life skills training and all that is taught about camping and outdoor survival techniques as well as biking, hiking and rock climbing.”

Stein is a home-schooled high school senior and is currently taking classes at Indiana Institute of Technology. He hopes to obtain a degree in business management.