Issue of October 9, 2005

UPDATE

Hey, former students:
How’s your memory?

Root around in the attic. Check those old photos. Ask your grandparents.

What are we looking for?

History. Lots of history.

The Catholic New World is taking part in an effort to showcase the long and rich history and achievements of the Catholic Schools of Cook and Lake counties.

Since our Catholic schools were first built more than 150 years ago, the men and women they educated have made a deep impact. Many have become important in the area and nation.

We’re seeking photographs from generations ago to help enhance the future by highlighting past successes.

If you have such old photos, please make copies and send them to School Days, The Catholic New World, 640 N. LaSalle St., Ste. 390, Chicago, IL 60610. Do not send originals.

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St. Bede school leader honored

Richard E. Guerin, principal of St. Bede the Venerable School, has been named a 2005 Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the U.S. Department of Education.

Guerin, principal since 1975, was selected by his fellow principals in a process conducted by the National Catholic Education Association, said archdiocesan Superintendent of Schools Nicholas M. Wolsonovich. Guerin said, “I am fortunate that I have been able to make a difference in so many lives and lucky to still feel energized and gratified every day by the job that I do for our children.”

Vincent Ferrandino, NAESP executive director, said, “This honor represents our deep appreciation to a few of those who are committed to the academic, social and emotional development of school children, both in the nation and overseas.”

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Blue ribbons for pair of schools

Two archdiocesan schools, St. Alexander School in Palos Heights and St. Damian School in Oak Forest, have been named by U.S. Department of Education as “No Child Left Behind–Blue Ribbon Schools.”

The program recognizes schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students achieve at very high levels. The two Chicago Catholic schools will be honored by the U.S. Department of Education at a ceremony in Washington D.C. later this fall.

“We are very proud of our students and faculty for their hard work and dedication to spiritual growth and academic excellence,” said Patricia Lynch, principal of St. Alexander School. Marilyn Buran, St. Damian’s new principal, said, “It is a thrill to be recognized … for the second time.” The school received the Blue Ribbon award in 1991.

NEWS

New Orleans students receive

word: come back this winter

Response here to appeals by Loyola University/New Orleans has been “great,” said Jesuit Father Kevin Wildes, the school’s president, during a visit last week.

But even Wildes didn’t realize how generous Chicago would be until Shawn Donnelley, a board member at the New Orleans school who runs a consulting firm for charitable foundations here offered to match all contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $250,000.

Donnelley, head of Strategic Giving Inc. and a 1991 Loyola/New Orleans grad, made the offer during a Sept. 28, “town meeting” with alumni and some of the 283 students who will be staying in the Chicagoland area through the end of the year.

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Schools, parishes offer prayers, money, supplies

By early October, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago had collected more than $100,000 for hurricane relief and admitted 107 students displaced from the Gulf Coast by the storms.

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Charities offers help to victims

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago provided emergency assistance to 450 evacuees who have come to Chicago in the wake of the storm. Because Catholic Charities has eight emergency assistance centers in Chicago and its suburbs, our agency was able to begin assisting evacuees as soon as they reached the Chicago-area.

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Bishops’ Synod on Eucharist under way

Archbishop William J. Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, asked members of the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist to discuss how they deal with Catholic politicians who want to receive Communion, but do not vote in full accordance with Catholic teaching.

The former archbishop of San Francisco, taking advantage of an hour of “free discussion” at the synod Oct. 3, said the issue had “caused some divisions” among U.S. Catholics during the 2004 presidential elections, and he hoped to hear how other bishops would approach the problem.

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Vicariate V center will form leaders,
build community

The newly opened Center for Parish Formation in Vicariate V is being developed to more closely connect the church to the local community.

A dedication Mass was celebrated by Bishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, episcopal vicar for Vicariate V, one of the six geographical administrative areas of the archdiocese. Joining Bishop Garcia at the Sept. 6 Mass at St. Simon the Apostle Church were representatives from area parishes, community groups and church leaders.

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Anti-poverty effort promotes reform
of immigration laws

When Irma Abrajan and Theresa Figueroa stepped to the microphone to share their stories Sept. 22, they offered their lives as examples of how undocumented immigrants live: at the mercy of employers who know their workers can’t complain and a justice system that grants them few legal rights.

The two women, both from Mexico, offered their testimony at a reception for members of 22 organizations that received grants from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development this year. The campaign is the U.S. bishops’ domestic anti-poverty program, which supports non-profit groups that work to empower poor people to change the structures that perpetuate poverty while educating Catholics about poverty in America.