April 26, 2016 // Uncategorized

Around the Diocese: May 1, 2016

Todays Catholic

Eagle Scout awarded

GRANGER — Gregory Bycraft, 16, of Boy Scout Troop 572, Granger, was honored Saturday, April 16,at Knollwood Country Club.

Bycraft earned the Eagle Scout Award while overcoming the challenges of an Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis, an Autism Spectrum disorder.

To achieve Scouting’s highest honor Bycraft earned 50 merit badges — 29 more than required. Bycraft served in a variety of leadership positions in his troop and led a service project at Love Creek County Park in Berrien Center, Michigan, with a team of 26 scouts and adults. He built and installed eight bat nesting boxes which will help local bat populations recover from losses due to white nose syndrome.

Additional achievements include National Youth Leadership Training, the World Conservation Award, the Catholic Committee on Scouting Ad Altari Dei Award and membership in the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s honor and service society.

Bycraft is a sophomore at Saint Joseph High School, and has been a member of Troop 572 for 5 years. Troop 572 is chartered by the Granger Lions Club, and meets at Christ the King Lutheran Church.

Faith and Canvas

FORT WAYNE — The Confraternity of Penitents will offer a Faith and Canvas class Friday, May 13, 6:30 to 9 p.m. at 1702 Lumbard St. The class will be held monthly on the 2nd Friday of the month. Each class is $45 and includes all materials, wine, light snacks and instruction by local artist Tim Luncsford. No previous painting experience necessary.

Each class includes a brief Scripture reflection on the theme of that month’s painting. The theme for May is a stylized chalice.

Class size limited to 10. Advance registration required by calling Sandy Seyfert at 260-433-1236. All proceeds benefit the Confraternity of Penitents Mary’s Glen Development Fund.

Rock and country music concert raises funds for St. Joseph School

GARRETT — Todd Herendeen will perform a benefit tribute to the greats of rock and country music in a concert for the St. Joseph School’s Carpenters With Wings memorial tuition assistance fund Sunday, May 1, at St. Joseph School, 301 W. Houston St. Doors open at 4 p.m., show starts at 5 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for children 5-17 and children under 5 are free. Family tickets are $40 and all tickets are $5 more at the door. Admission includes a meal of Timmy’s barbeque sandwich and beverage. Door prizes awarded at intermission. Call the school at 260-357-5137 for tickets or information.

Respect Life dinner draws from all denominations

SOUTH BEND — The St. Joseph County Right to Life held the ninth annual Respect Life Prayer Dinner at the Kroc Center on Tuesday, April 12. The dinner drew a crowd of nearly 240 Catholics and Protestants from the pro-life community.

Attendees were led in prayer by religious leaders of all denominations, including Father Bill Meininger of St. Pius X Parish. During the dinner, music was provided by Joe Higginbotham and Ann Fuchs of St. Bavo Parish and members of the Notre Dame Liturgical Choir.

Mike Spencer, Midwest Regional Director of the Life Training Institute, delivered a keynote address calling upon priests, pastors and congregations to address the evil of abortion and bring it out into the light within their church communities.

St. Joseph County Right to Life also acknowledged the value of young voices speaking out in support of life. Awards for the sixth annual Youth Essay Contest were presented to the following middle and high school students: Joseph Garcia, seventh grade, home school; Catherine Nolan, eighth grade, Corpus Christi; Thomas Garcia, ninth grade, home school; and Emma Barrett, ninth grade, Trinity School at Greenlawn; who was asked to read her essay at the dinner. Winning essays can be read at www.prolifemichiana.org.

Angela Athletic and Wellness Complex breaks ground

NOTRE DAME — Saint Mary’s College recently broke ground for the new Angela Athletic and Wellness Complex. When complete in the fall of 2017, the complex will be more than twice the size of the current Angela facility. The project will add 61,000 square feet to the floor plan, creating a total of 105,000 square feet to support the needs of students and College’s eight Division III sports. Construction is scheduled to start in mid-May, some time after Commencement.

The groundbreaking marks the successful conclusion of a $25 million fundraising effort to renovate and expand Angela and the athletic fields into a state of the art complex.

University of Saint Francis to offer summer institute on beauty

FORT WAYNE — The University of Saint Francis will offer a summer institute for high shool students entitled Beauty Will Save the World, June 12-17. The institute seeks to broaden and enrich the theological understanding of high school students not yet graduated through the various ways beauty reveals God in our world.

During the summer institute the students will learn about and explore different methods of prayer, including the Liturgy of the Hours, the Jesus Prayer, Lectio Divina and Sacred Meditation. There will be sessions with an iconographer and they will be exploring and volunteering in organizations that serve the poor and suffering. Students will learn about the beauty of the body and human sexuality as God intended. Religious men and women and laypersons will talk about their various vocations.

The fee for attending is $360 per student and includes room and board, supplies, activities and transportation. Scholarships are available.

More information, registration and scholarship applications are available at www.philosophy.sf.edu/summer-institute.

Veggie Tales designed for Canstruction

FORT WAYNE — On April 15, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School students and teachers gathered at Glenbrook Square Mall to build their Canstruction entry. Canstruction is an annual competition among local schools that benefits Community Harvest Food Bank. The entries are formations made entirely of canned foods and other foods. This year’s theme for the canned food entries was cartoons.

The Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School entry was titled “The Veggie Tales of St. Elizabeth” and included Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, Laura Carrot, Archibald Asparagus and Mr. Lunt the Gourd.

A group of seventh graders helped to design and build the canned foods formations, which teaches STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) concepts, according to teacher-advisor Jodi Jump. Other teacher-advisors included Deb Brough, Michelle Voigt and Kristin Spoltman. The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School seventh graders taking part were Sarah Busch, Catherine Bougher, Lucy Bryan, Justin Stuczynski, Jacob Schroeder, Talia Keiffer, Mackenzie Lee, Andrea Moloci, Olivia Powers and Christopher Svitek.