e-News Report - Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington

e-News Report
Week of November 13, 2013
Report for Region - Northwest VT
Welcome to the Vermont Catholic e-News Report, produced by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington. This news report is
designed to keep you informed of important news happening in your geographical loca on within the Diocese of Burlington and
the Church at large.
Region - Northwest VT News
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
SOUTH BURLINGTON—St. John Vianney Parish will host a formation course for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, the
Montessori-based method of faith formation for children. The course will be for Level I (ages 3-6) catechists and will begin the first
Saturday in January (Jan. 4). Part I will include the first Saturdays of the month through May. The sessions will take place in the church
hall from 9 a.m.- to 4 p.m. Part II is scheduled for the fall with dates to be determined. For more information or to register, call Lauren
Patterson at 802-864-4166 x204 or e-mail her at [email protected]. For more information about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd,
go to www.cgsusa.org.
100th birthday congratulations
Congratulations to two Vermont Catholics marking their centennial year.
Clara Manor, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in Richmond, turned 100 on Nov. 6.
“My mother is the quiet parishioner who doesn’t preach her faith; she practices it,” said June Taylor.
Manor used to provide food for funeral receptions at the church. “She’s a feeder,” her daughter said, noting that Manor watches Mass
every day on television. “Mass is very important to her.”
Mary V. Cunningham, a parishioner of St. John Vianney Church in South Burlington, formerly of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church,
will be 100 on Dec. 7. “She has been an inspiration for our whole family,” said her niece, Nancy Petty.
Cunningham taught business and is “one of the most saintly people I know,” Petty said. “She is very devout, especially to the Blessed
Mother and very close to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. She’s a remarkable lady…with a very positive outlook on life.”
Christmas activities
BURLINGTON—Christ the King School’s bake sale, tree/wreath sale and nativity display will be on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m.-5
p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 8, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. with a blessing of the nativities at 2:45 p.m. If you are interested in sharing your nativity
for the weekend, contact Jon Hughes at [email protected] or 862-6696 ext. 107.
Swanton dig
SWANTON—Mater Christi School fifth grade social studies teacher, Nicole Hall,
began a unit on early Americans by discussing archaeology and artifacts with
her students. As the unit progressed and the students began to learn about the
different Native American groups and tribes, a dig in Swanton came to mind.
She and Betsy Martin, the other fifth-grade teacher, began looking into the
possibility of a field trip to the area.
On a chilly day in late October, the teachers with their students and parent
volunteers found themselves at the dig, which is located on Route 78 in
Swanton. Project Director Gemma Hudgell gave some background on the dig
explaining that some roadwork needed to be done, but that according to The
National Historic Preservation Act, the area must be investigated
archaeologically before road construction can take place.
Mater Christi School fifth graders and their teachers
listen to an archaeological presentation at the dig site
in Swanton.
The students were told that the archaeologists are tracing 7,000 years of
occupation dating to early American settlements. Hudgell showed the students
fragments of pottery and weapons and said that the dig aims to discover more about the northern part of the Champlain Valley in
regard to environmental changes and how people used the land.
Next, the children were given the opportunity to pour dirt through a screen, looking for tiny pieces of hard material that might have been
parts of pottery or tools.
Although several of the children mentioned that their favorite part of the field trip was seeing a snake and a red-topped spider, all
agreed that they had learned a lot about artifacts and how archaeologists work.
Grandparents Day
BURLINGTON—Grandparents joined their grandchildren for the annual
Grandparents and Special Friends Mass and Celebration on in October at Christ
the King School. Father Richard O’Donnell, pastor of Christ the King/Anthony
Parish, asked the students at the standing-room-only Holy Mass why they loved
their grandparents, and he was told everything from “my grandmother makes
the best cookies” to “they give the greatest hugs” to “they let me do things my
parents won’t.” Everyone agreed, however, that their grandparents, and other
special adults in their lives, made them feel special and loved.
Tarrant Initiative
WINOOSKI—The Tarrant Institute of Innovative Education at the University of
Vermont has entered into an agreement with St. Francis Xavier School in
Winooski, creating a partnership that will provide support for the students and
faculty of the school. “This is an amazing opportunity for St. Francis,” said Principal Jesse Gaudette. “Our students and teachers will
benefit tremendously from the support and guidance provided by our partners at the Tarrant Institute.”
The Tarrant Institute of Innovative Education at the University of Vermont
partners with schools to enhance the educational experience of middle school
students through technology integration in the curriculum. The Institute offers an
array of services, which are individualized based on school needs. The services
include professional development for educators, and there is potential funding
for hardware.
Gaudette said that he and his staff have been energized by the meetings with
members of the Tarrant Institute and are eager to take the next steps in the
partnership.
“Our library media specialist, Kathleen Finn, is thrilled at the prospect of
developing an integrated learning center here at St. Francis with the help of this
initiative,” said Gaudette, “and the professional development opportunities
offered to our staff are tremendous.”
The Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education is supported by a gift from the Richard E. and Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation through the
University of Vermont. The mission is to support technology integration in middle schools as a means of increasing student
engagement and decreasing drop-out rates in Vermont.
Craft fair
GEORGIA—The Ascension Church annual craft fair will take place at Georgia Elementary School on Nov. 30. For more information,
call Louise St. Amour at 893-7297. Holiday bazaar
Craft fair and holiday bake sale
WINOOSKI—The St. Francis Xavier School craft fair and holiday bake sale will take place at St. Francis Xavier School, 5 St. Peter St.,
on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. There will be Christmas shopping, a holiday raffle and pies, breads and other baked goods for
a Thanksgiving feast. For more information, call Tina Zuk at 578-3466.
Rockets
BURINGTON—In October, rockets soared into the skies over Callahan Park
near Christ the King School as part of fifth graders’ STARBASE experience.
Each student built his or her own rocket and had the opportunity to launch and
catch it during “re-entry.” STARBASE, a learning program provided and run by
the Vermont Air National Guard and the Department of Defense, aims to get
children excited about science, technology, engineering and math learning
through hands-on learning and teambuilding.
Christmas bazaar
EDEN—The 25th St. Gabriel annual Christmas Bazaar, has been relocated
Fifth graders show their rockets after the launch.
from the North Hyde Park Fire station to St. Gabriel Church hall on Route 100,
Eden. There will be hand made crafts and flea market tables at reduced prices. There will also be a bake sale and raffle. The event will
take place Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Christmas bazaar
SOUTH HERO—The annual Christmas bazaar at St. Rose of Lima Parish on Route 2 will take place Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m.-3
p.m. at the church. For more information, call Jeanette Mann at 734-2005.
Christmas bazaar
FAIRFIELD—The St. Patrick Parish Christmas bazaar will take place at St. Patrick Parish Hall, 116 Church Road, on Saturday, Dec. 7,
from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. It will feature crafts, homemade baked goods, unique tree ornaments, fresh Christmas wreaths and raffle tickets.
Santa will visit from 11 a.m.-noon. There will be homemade pizza for lunch served at 11:30. For more information, call Pat Reynolds at
524-3811.
Christmas bazaar
EAST FAIRFIELD—The St. Anthony-St. George Parish Christmas bazaar will take place in the Fairfield Community Center, 124
School St., on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, call the parish office at 827-3203.
Christmas bazaar
MILTON—There will be a Christmas bazaar at St Ann Church, 1 Main St., on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be craft or
tag(less) tables, decorated fresh wreaths, a variety of homemade soups at the luncheon, a silent auction and raffles, and homemade
bake goods including breads, donuts, pies, baked beans, cookies and candies. For more information, call Celeste Lang at 893-4012.
EarthKam mission
MORRISVILLE—Students at The Bishop John A. Marshall School studying
earth and physical science participated in the latest International Space
Station EarthKam mission.
Using this educational outreach program from the school's new technology
lab, students studied forecasted orbital patterns and requested specific digital
images of various landforms. Based on their abilities to follow the ISS ground
track, properly input absolute locations and predict weather patterns, students
successfully uplinked requests and received their images from the space
station.
Wedding anniversary
COLCHESTER—Roland and Clairette Berard celebrated their 60th wedding
anniversary at Our Lady of Grace Church on Oct. 6. They have been
parishioners since 1958.
Working on their projects are Catherine Close, Lillian
Bertrand and Elexia Hodgdon
At the 8:30 a.m. Holy Mass they received a special blessing from Father Peter O'Leary, pastor, and he presented them with a Papal
Blessing.
In the afternoon there was an open house in their honor in the church hall
where they were warmly greeted by their family and friends.
They were married on Oct. 10, 1953, at St. Rose of Lima Church in South Hero,
by Father Walter Miller.
They have lived in Essex since 1958 where they raised their 12 children. One
son, Vincent, died in1981. They also have 29 grandchildren and 10 greatgrandchildren.
From left to right are: Greg, Rose Marie, Becky,
Anne, Rachael, Coleen, Jeff, Rolenda, Mary Anne,
Angel and Steve and with Clairette and Roland
Berard sitting in front.
DONATION—Daniel Guerino presents a check for $4,000
donated by Catholic Financial Life to Father Peter O’Leary,
pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church in Colchester, at the
annual roast beef dinner at the church.
Service learning
BURLINGTON—Mater Christi School in Burlington is beginning its 14th year of supporting a service-learning program for its seventh
and eighth graders. The purpose of the program is to educate the youngsters in the area of volunteer work. Its goals include providing
reasons for doing volunteer service work, discovering the volunteer opportunities that are available in the Burlington area and
interacting successfully with others when engaged in the volunteer work.
Recently the eighth graders completed the second phase of their service-learning program. Perfect weather helped make the long
walks and outdoor work pleasant. Each student, as a member of a small group of peers and a teacher, worked at two nonprofit
agencies during the course of the day. The agencies that provided sites for the students and their teachers were COTS, the Burlington
Boys and Girls Club, Day Station, Mercy Connections, the Intervale gardens, St. Joseph’s Home, Building Bright Futures, Ronald
McDonald House, Sisters of Mercy and Mater Christi School. The Salvation Army and King Street Youth Center also provide sites and
are looking forward to greeting the MCS seventh graders in March when these students will be introduced to the program and perform
the first phase of the “Reaching Out” program.
Some of the activities in which the youngsters were involved at these sites included making cookies, muffins, stuffing envelopes,
packing children’s story book kits, raking leaves, playing bingo, cleaning and gleaning gardens, performing a concert, washing walls,
making sandwiches and helping the elementary school teachers in their classrooms.
Follow–up to the program includes reflective journal writing and posters depicting some aspects of the experience.
FIRE SAFETY
Morrisville firemen J. J. Staples and John Bailey Jr. spoke to
The Bishop John A. Marshall School’s pre-kindergarten and
kindergarten classes about fire safety in October. The firemen
demonstrated fire equipment on the fire truck as well as the
safety apparel worn by firefighters.
Winter gifts
BURLINGTON—Each year, the Mater Christi School families donate gently worn coats, snow pants, and other winter wear to COTS.
This year, the school added blankets to its Winter Wear project. This could take place because several years ago, Hampton Direct,
Williston, through its CEO and founder, Steve Heroux, gave the school 250 blankets to be used as fund raisers for the school. By 2013,
there were approximately 50 of the royal blue blankets left, so the decision was made to give half to Spectrum and the remainder to
COTS. To personalize the gift to COTS, the fifth graders at MCS wrote notes to each potential user of the blankets; the notes were
then attached to the blankets. Cots’ staff members said that the blankets were desperately needed and delivered just in time to greet
the onslaught of Burlington’s cold weather.
Breakfast with Santa
Joseph's House annual Breakfast with Santa fundraiser will be Saturday, December 7, 2013 at St. John Vianney Community Center,
160 Hinesburg Rd., South Burlington, VT. With two seatings at 8:30am and 10:30am, this event will feature activities for young
children like cookie decorating, face painting, storytelling and much more. Come get your picture taken with Santa and make this
Christmas a special one for your young ones. The cost is $10/ea, with children 1 and under free. Registration and more information
can be found on their website - www.josephshousevt.org - make sure to register by December 5th.
News Around the Diocese
Bishop Matano to leave Vermont,
will lead Diocese of Rochester
On Nov. 6, Pope Francis announced that Bishop Salvatore R. Matano of Burlington, Vt., will be the ninth Bishop of Rochester.
Bishop Matano, has shepherded the Burlington Diocese since November 2005. Named coadjutor of the diocese in March of that year,
he automatically succeeded Bishop Kenneth A. Angell when he retired.
His installation Mass will be Jan. 3 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester, N.Y.
Mass of Thanksgiving
The faithful of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington are cordially invited to attend a Mass of Thanksgiving to be celebrated by His
Excellency, The Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano, the Ninth Bishop of Burlington, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception,
the Patronal feast of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington Monday, December 9, 2013 at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception 20 Pine Street, Burlington.
~ Reception to follow ~
Devotions will be offered prior to Holy Sacrifice of the Mass from 6-7 p.m.
Challenge grant
St. Francis Xavier School has kicked off a $50,000 challenge grant as part of its 2013-2014 Annual Appeal.
‘‘A core group of benefactors has offered to match every dollar we raise, ending Jan. 31, 2014, up to $50,000,’’ explained Principal
Jesse Gaudette. ‘‘They are doing this in honor of our pastor, Msgr. Richard Lavalley, who used his own money to fund our first
challenge grants a few years ago. Monsignor will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood this year.
We wanted to honor his years of service to this diocese and to Catholic education in Vermont by providing this opportunity to
support the school he loves.’’
Msgr. Lavalley was ordained on May 16, 1964, and, according to Gaudette, always has been involved with Catholic education in
Vermont. He has served as the pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish and School for more than 22 years and previously was a teacher
and principal at Mount St. Joseph Academy in Rutland. He is also the chaplain of Norwich University in Northfield and a board member
at Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington.
‘‘Msgr. Lavalley has given his entire adult life in service to the people of Vermont, especially in the area of Catholic education,’’ said
Gaudette. ‘‘Dedicating this effort to help the children of St. Francis Xavier School to this wonderful priest is a privilege.’’
The Annual Appeal for the school is used to bridge the gap between what tuition brings in and the actual cost of educating the
students.
St. Francis Xavier School was founded in Winooski by the Sisters of Providence in 1862.
Women’s retreat
The second annual Women's Retreat of the Diocese of Burlington will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at the
Catholic Center at the University of Vermont. The theme is ‘‘Prayer, Our Daily Bread.’’
For more information and to register, contact the Office of Catholic Formation at 658-6110, ext. 1131 or e-mail
[email protected].
Sacrament of Reconciliation
The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered during Advent in every parish of the Diocese of Burlington on Dec. 4, 11, and 18 from
6:30-8 p.m.
Stunt Nite
Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington will present Stunt Nite, four unique musical comedies featuring the talents of students.
This is a Rice tradition celebrating 84 years.
The shows will be presented on Tuesday, Nov. 26, with a 4 p.m. matinee with tickets at $14 and an 8 p.m. performance with tickets at
$17.
The shows will take place at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, 153 Main St., Burlington.
For tickets go to www.flynntix.org or call 86-FLYNN; go to www.rmhsvt.org for more information.
Pilgrimage
There will be a pilgrimage to Fatima and Lourdes with Barcelona from April 27-May 6, including 16 meals and tours daily. The cost of
$2,899 double; $3,449 single, includes airfare from Burlington. Seats are available until Nov. 27. To receive a brochure, call Flora Bell
at 802-372-4245.
All Saints Day commemorated
The Bishop John A. Marshall School commemorated All Saints Day on Nov. 1. The day began
with Holy Mass at Holy Cross Church in Morrisville celebrated by Bishop Salvatore R. Matano,
Bishop of Burlington with Father Daniel White, vice chancellor, and Father Francis Privé, pastor
of Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish. Following the Mass, students individually presented
information about their chosen saint to their families and friends in a school assembly.
Pictured at right receiving a blessing from Bishop Salvatore R. Matano,
Bishop of Burlington, are (left to right) second graders
Lily Carpenter dressed as St. Rose of Lima and
Isabella Handler garbed as St. Anne.