Third-graders at Transfiguration Catholic School in Oakdale raised $2,137 from a second-hand sale last week to help pay for the education of children at Transfiguration’s mission parish in Guatemala. Teacher Colleen Mosley organized the annual fundraiser 12 years ago after going on a medical mission trip to San Lucas Toliman in Guatemala.
Top school
Providence Academy in Plymouth has been selected for the 2010 National Catholic High School Honor Roll. The biannual list of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the United States is chosen by a national advisory board comprised of Catholic college presidents and scholars. Schools are chosen for their academic excellence, Catholic identity and civic education. The Honor Roll is an independent project of the Acton Institute, an international research and educational organization.
Football coach resigns
Vince Conway has resigned as head coach of Hill-Murray School’s varsity football team. Conway coached at the Maplewood school for 32
years, including 13 years as head coach. Under his leadership, the school won two Classic Suburban Conference championships. Conway was named the Conference Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2006. He will continue working at the school as network systems administrator in the technology department. A new head coach has not yet been named.
New Eagle Scout
Daniel Madden, a parishioner at St. Michael in Stillwater, has earned Boy Scouting’s highest rank, the Eagle Scout award. Only about 4 percent of all Boy Scouts attain the rank of Eagle Scout, according to Scoutmaster Matt Hudachek. The senior at Stillwater Area High School earned 27 merit badges, and for his service project planted oak trees in Stillwater’s Northland Park.
Cadet colonel named
Dylan Thomas of St. Paul has been named the 103rd cadet colonel of St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights. At a recent ceremony, he was handed the Fleming Saber by Headmaster Thomas Mich to signify his selection as head of the Corps of Cadets. Thomas is the son of Mark Thomas and Maureen Chevalier.
Youth choir sign-up
High school singers may apply now for the 2011 National Catholic Youth Choir camp and tour June 14-28 at St. John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville. Catholic students entering grades 10, 11 and 12 in fall 2011 may apply at http://www.CatholicYouthChoir.org. Applications are due before March 7. Cost is $900 and includes tour expenses. Scholarships are available.
Christmas weekend Masses
With Christmas Day falling on a Saturday this year, some Catholics may wonder if attending Mass that day fulfills their Sunday obligation.
The short answer is, “no,” Father John Paul Erickson, director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship, said in an e-mail response to a query by The Catholic Spirit.
“Attending Mass on Christmas Day, this year, which happens to be a Saturday, does not fulfill one’s obligation to attend Mass on Sunday, any more than attending a wedding on a Saturday afternoon fulfills one’s Sunday obligation.”
But the reason behind this answer, he added, requires further explanation. Read Father Erickson’s full explanation.
