November 14th, 2004
Beacons of Light
Blood
& Cranberry Sauce
As odd as this combination sounds, it’s my chance to thank all
the people who participated in our Blood Drive and in our Thanksgiving
Food drive. Once again close to 80 people came forward to give the gift
of life by donating a pint of blood. Thank you for sharing your life
in such a practical way. I always feel much closer to God too, when
I give blood. For I realize that Christ gave his blood to save us. I
get to be like Jesus when I give my blood to save others.
This year’s Thanksgiving food drive was unlike anything we’ve
seen in years. So much food came in that we ran out of space to sort
and store it -- we’re using the priests’ garages for extra
storage now.(Notice that I didn’t say “too much food”
-- we need every bit of it.) Thank you to all who were so generous at
this time of year.
At
College?
At St. Brigid’s we like to stay in touch through
e-mail “letters from home.”
Once a person has an e-mail address at school (or if he/she uses a personal
address), please let us know what it is so we can include them when
we write.
Here's a handy college link so you
can send this info online.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
November 7: Our Vincentian
Deacon
October 31: Candy
Good...Saints Better
October 24: Flu Shots
October 17: Aaron &
Hur
October 10: Heritage Celebration
October 3: Is it safe?
September 26: Up and coming...
September 19: New Year Resolutions?
September 12:Our New Priests
September 5: Got Two Hours?
August 29: In My Humble
Opinion
August 22nd: Hot Asphalt, Cool Church
August 15: A Big Assumption
August 8: Do It Anyway!
August 1: Parking Lot Joys!
July 25:"Doh!"
July 18: Taking Church Home
July 11: Seven Eleven
July 4th: Independence Day
June 27: God Bless Father
George
June 20: Our New Priests
June13:Missing you
June 6: Farewell Father
Leonard
May 30: Going & Coming
& Going
May 23: P.O.P.S.
May 16:
Celebrating Our Parish
May 9: Facing the Future
May2: Resurrection Sequel
April 25: Chapel Design
April 18: Oh what a week!
April 11: Easter Life!
April 4: Palms & Passion
March 28: Plenty Good Room
March 21: More Passion
March 14: Reconciliation
March 7: A sequel from Mel?
Feb 29: Come to
Life!
Feb 22:
An Adventure to Life
Feb15: A rose
by another name?
Feb 8: If at first...
Feb 1: Our Patron Saint
Jan 25:A View From Inside
Jan 18: Our School
Jan 11: Baptism with Fire
Colums from 2003
Columns from 2002
The
hundreds of children who attend St Brigid/Our Lady of Hope school and
the thousands of alumni who once were part of the school community know,
with great affection, the love, care and family atmosphere that is wrapped
around the education at our school. The education is a really good one
too, but there’s something more about being a student or alumnus
of the school. It’s that sense of belonging that comes with being
part of the church. It’s a sense of safety in an otherwise dangerous
world. It’s the knowledge that each person is truly valued and loved.
Parents of children in our school
make a choice and a sacrifice to send their children here. It’s
worth it. Their children benefit in so many ways from being part of this
school community. But over the past years it has concerned the leadership
of the school that tuition costs are growing at a rate that makes a Catholic
Elementary School education impossible for some families.
So the school -- its parents, its
alumni, and the parish communities of St. Brigid and Our Lady of Hope
-- is embarking on a campaign called the Beacon Fund (Brigid's Education
and Community Network) which will raise funds for the long-term support
of our school. These funds will be used for curriculum development, for
keeping our instructional materials and technology current, and most importantly,
for stabilizing tuition for all students and provide scholarships for
students who would otherwise not be able to afford our school.
In a short while you will receive
a brochure in the mail explaining more about our hopes for the Beacon
Fund and it will include an invitation to make a financial gift to support
the school into the future. I wanted to give you this preview here because
I know that this is the time of the year when our mailboxes get flooded
by requests for donations -- and yes there are so many worthy causes.
But this request is a very local one -- it’s another way that our
parish community can make a big difference in the lives of children in
our community. Please make a choice in your charitable giving to support
our school in this way.
You are Person
