Benefactors take over ailing Philly school

PHILADELPHIA — An independent group of benefactors announced an agreement Tuesday to take over a struggling Roman Catholic school from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, pledging to keep its religious identity while making it financially sustainable.

The arrangement, the first of its kind in the archdiocese, transfers responsibility for St. Martin de Porres elementary from the church to a lay board. Board members want to ensure St. Martin’s continued existence and affordability in North Philly, where many public schools are considered unsafe or deficient.

“We are not simply just giving support to a school, we are giving support to a neighborhood and the families who call this parish and its school home,” board Chairman Jack Donnelly said.

Church officials, who have shuttered more than 30 cash-strapped schools in the archdiocese in five years, applauded the agreement. Auxiliary Bishop Timothy Senior said he hopes it can be replicated at other strained schools.

Similar set-ups have saved schools in other cities.

Church leaders, voters talk on Va. gay adoption

RICHMOND, Va. — Hundreds of opponents and supporters weighed in on proposed regulations that would allow state-licensed groups to turn down prospective adoptive and foster parents because of sexual orientation.

The Virginia Board of Social Services set a 30-day public comment period after gay-rights advocates complained about new regulations that were approved in April that didn’t bar discrimination based on sexual orientation, political beliefs, age, physical disability and family status. Critics said the board stripped protections from the proposed regulations without much public notice, and that the board discussed the issue in closed session without public consideration.

The ACLU and other groups say the state should restore the protections. Some church leaders say organizations should not be forced to violate their religious beliefs.

Virginia allows married couples and singles to adopt or become foster parents, regardless of sexual orientation, but bars unmarried couples, gay or straight, from doing so.

Wire reports

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Former Flyer honored with Spirituality award

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Posted by The Morning Call at 03:52:17 PM on October 14, 2011

Keith Primeau, a former captain of the Philadelphia Flyers, was presented with the inaugural Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development Award on October 12 in a ceremony on the campus of Neumann University.

Primeau skated with the Orange & Black from 1999 to 2006, appearing in two All-Star games. He’s   remembered by fans for scoring the goal that ended the longest playoff game in NHL history, a five-overtime marathon against the Pittsburgh Penguins in May of 2000.

According to the University, the award is presented to individuals who exemplify the development of strong character through athletics and the embodiment of the good that exists in sports. Primeau has become a spokesperson about the dangers of concussions in hockey after the injury forced his premature retirement.

He appears on behalf of “Play It Cool,” a concussion prevention program that hosts education days for minor league hockey players across North America. A Neumann alumnus, Primeau has also agreed to donate his brain to the Centre for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy when he dies.

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MOORHEAD – Paul Guldseth knew that Park Christian School students were out doing service projects in his neighborhood. He just didn’t realize he was getting the full service.

Stepping onto his front yard Wednesday, he saw a crew clearing the last of several bags of leaves that had blown onto his lawn at 416 19th St. N.

“Look at these eager beavers,” the semi-retired Lutheran pastor said, as the 10th-graders then headed to his backyard to clear the leaves there. “That’s great! I enjoy having this done.”

Guldseth was one of many people in and around Fargo-Moorhead who benefitted from Park Christian’s annual service day.

Service to the wider community is an important lesson in a week that’s emphasizing spirituality, Principal Chris Nellermoe said.

Whether it was bagging sunflower seeds at Great Plains Food Bank, making cards for military veterans, mucking out a horse barn, or doing fall cleanup for neighbors, the students are “just trying to be the hands and feet (of Christ),” Nellermoe said.

The activities also pass on to students the importance of volunteerism and philanthropy, he said.

Monday was focused on reading Scripture and inspirational messages. Tuesday was for listening. Today includes a time for prayer. Friday, students will be urged to commit to applying what they’ve learned to their lives, Nellermoe said.

At the Great Plains Food Bank in Fargo, more than two dozen ninth-graders bagged bulk sunflower seeds for area food shelves.

“It’s fun,” said Alyssa Meyer, as she weighed bags of seed. “It helps, like, everybody. It’s helping the community.”

Teacher Krista Rankin said the students chose the food bank and set up their day of volunteering.

“It really gives them a chance to think outwardly, rather than inwardly,” Rankin said.

Back at the Guldseth place, Hunter Nickel had gotten into a rhythm of raking.

“It’s kind of fun to go out and help the people that can’t do it anymore … and to get out of school,” Nickel said.

---

Readers can reach Forum reporter Helmut Schmidt at (701) 241-5583

Tags: news, education, community

One of the locations in Midland best known for competition and the showing of trials and tribulations will transition tonight into a place for students to share faith and testimonies with their peers.

Around 2,000 people are expected to gather at Grande Communications Stadium for this year’s Fields of Faith event.

“It’s all about students challenging other students to read the word of God,” said Eric Boyt, who is an adult volunteer with Fields of Faith and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

The event will be led by student speakers, and will include keynote speaker Devon McDonald, former NFL linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals. Today, McDonald is an ordained minister and shares his personal life experiences with students through an organization called Sports World Ministries.

Midland organized its first Fields of Faith event in 2004 when more than 2,000 youth attended. Fifty youth were said to have made decisions to follow Jesus as their personal savior. Since then, the event has grown on a national level and been supported by Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Last year, the national movement gathered more than 150,000 students on 475 fields across the U.S.

Gates open at 7 p.m., and the event, which is free and open to the public, will start at 7:30 p.m.

To learn more about Fields of Faith, visit www.fieldsoffaith.com.

The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA) held an event on Sept. 22 for visitors to meet the curator of its first international exhibition of indigenous Australian art.

The exhibit, “Saying No: Reconciling Spirituality and Resistance in Indigenous Australian Art” explores how indigenous Australian artists are using contemporary art to assert their identity and culture. The collection of sculptures, paintings and ceremonial clothes reflects how the Aborigines maintained their identity through a history of government sanctioned land displacement, segregation and ethnic cleansing.

“HHH”, a photograph by artist Fiona Foley, is one of the standout pieces in the exhibit. Pictured in the background of the photo above, it portrays figures dressed in the style of Ku Klux Klan, but with black, rather than white hoods, and robes in bright, African patterns. The men in the photo have dreadlocks under the hoods, which have the letters HHH — Hedonistic Honky Haters — etched in the center. This provocative piece is an exploration of contemporary hatred and racism.

Laurie Combs, the founder and executive director of MoCADA, wanted to bring this internationally acclaimed exhibit to the museum to show the similarity between the experiences of the people of the African diaspora and the indigenous people of Australia.

“There is a lot of conversation going on, about African identify, worldwide,” said Ms. Combs.

The exhibit was curated by Bindi Cole, a native of Melbourne, Australia. Ms. Cole pointed out that spirituality is a way to repair one’s own identity, both as an individual and as a culture, when there is a sense of brokenness, and the selection of work is reflective of that. Ms. Cole was able to directly relate this to her own personal struggles in finding healing through her spiritual journey.

“There was a period in my life…where I felt broken and needed healing,” she said. “I looked to the indigenous people and saw how they used their spirituality to fix what was broken.”

Saying No, Reconciling Spirituality and Resistance in Indigenous Australian Art will be on view at MoCADA until Nov. 6, 2011.

STANWOOD — People come to the Carmelite Institute of Spirituality to grow closer to God.

They can stroll through the winding pathways of the Meditation Garden or spend a night of peace in the retreat house.

The mission of this place is to help people deepen their faith.

The community is part of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, a Catholic order that traces its origins back to the prophet Elijah, who brought fire down from heaven on Mount Carmel.

Carmelites were a group of hermits who went to live on the mountain in the 12th century. “Discalced” means barefoot — a sign of the reform that came in 16th century, said the Rev. Christopher La Rocca.

He is the priest of St. Cecilia Parish adjacent to the institute.

“Our goal is to help others love God with all their heart and grow in faith and prayer,” he said.

The institute has monthly events, called Days or Recollection, focused on learning about Carmelite spirituality.

Contemplative prayer is a key focus of this tradition. It can best be described, symbolically, as climbing a mountain to find union with God, La Rocca said.

St. Teresa of Jesus, the 16th-century nun who reformed the Carmelite order, called it a friendship with God.

Those looking for a secluded place to rest can rent rooms in the retreat house for a fee, and so can groups that need a place for a spiritual retreat. Anyone is welcome to take a walk in the prayer garden.

The Carmelites came to Stanwood in 1988, but Carmelite nuns have had a presence in the Seattle area for more than 100 years, La Rocca said.

Days of Recollection, led by the Rev. Christopher La Rocca, are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Carmelite Institute of Spirituality, 27008 78th Ave NW, Stanwood. The following topics are scheduled:

Oct. 29: Blessed is she who Believed: Marian Prayer and Spirituality in Carmel.

Nov. 19: Prayer, Purgation, Purgatory and Purity of Heart.

Dec. 17: Advent Pilgrimage to the Bethlehem of the Heart.

Suggested donation is $15-20. All are welcome. Bring a sack lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided. For more information, call 360-629-4032 or go to carmeliteinstitute.catholicweb.com.

STANWOOD — People come to the Carmelite Institute of Spirituality to grow closer to God.

They can stroll through the winding pathways of the Meditation Garden or spend a night of peace in the retreat house.

The mission of this place is to help people deepen their faith.

The community is part of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, a Catholic order that traces its origins back to the prophet Elijah, who brought fire down from heaven on Mount Carmel.

Carmelites were a group of hermits who went to live on the mountain in the 12th century. “Discalced” means barefoot — a sign of the reform that came in 16th century, said the Rev. Christopher La Rocca.

He is the priest of St. Cecilia Parish adjacent to the institute.

“Our goal is to help others love God with all their heart and grow in faith and prayer,” he said.

The institute has monthly events, called Days or Recollection, focused on learning about Carmelite spirituality.

Contemplative prayer is a key focus of this tradition. It can best be described, symbolically, as climbing a mountain to find union with God, La Rocca said.

St. Teresa of Jesus, the 16th-century nun who reformed the Carmelite order, called it a friendship with God.

Those looking for a secluded place to rest can rent rooms in the retreat house for a fee, and so can groups that need a place for a spiritual retreat. Anyone is welcome to take a walk in the prayer garden.

The Carmelites came to Stanwood in 1988, but Carmelite nuns have had a presence in the Seattle area for more than 100 years, La Rocca said.

Days of Recollection, led by the Rev. Christopher La Rocca, are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Carmelite Institute of Spirituality, 27008 78th Ave NW, Stanwood. The following topics are scheduled:

Oct. 29: Blessed is she who Believed: Marian Prayer and Spirituality in Carmel.

Nov. 19: Prayer, Purgation, Purgatory and Purity of Heart.

Dec. 17: Advent Pilgrimage to the Bethlehem of the Heart.

Suggested donation is $15-20. All are welcome. Bring a sack lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided. For more information, call 360-629-4032 or go to carmeliteinstitute.catholicweb.com.

STANWOOD — People come to the Carmelite Institute of Spirituality to grow closer to God.

They can stroll through the winding pathways of the Meditation Garden or spend a night of peace in the retreat house.

The mission of this place is to help people deepen their faith.

The community is part of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, a Catholic order that traces its origins back to the prophet Elijah, who brought fire down from heaven on Mount Carmel.

Carmelites were a group of hermits who went to live on the mountain in the 12th century. “Discalced” means barefoot — a sign of the reform that came in 16th century, said the Rev. Christopher La Rocca.

He is the priest of St. Cecilia Parish adjacent to the institute.

“Our goal is to help others love God with all their heart and grow in faith and prayer,” he said.

The institute has monthly events, called Days or Recollection, focused on learning about Carmelite spirituality.

Contemplative prayer is a key focus of this tradition. It can best be described, symbolically, as climbing a mountain to find union with God, La Rocca said.

St. Teresa of Jesus, the 16th-century nun who reformed the Carmelite order, called it a friendship with God.

Those looking for a secluded place to rest can rent rooms in the retreat house for a fee, and so can groups that need a place for a spiritual retreat. Anyone is welcome to take a walk in the prayer garden.

The Carmelites came to Stanwood in 1988, but Carmelite nuns have had a presence in the Seattle area for more than 100 years, La Rocca said.

Days of Recollection, led by the Rev. Christopher La Rocca, are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Carmelite Institute of Spirituality, 27008 78th Ave NW, Stanwood. The following topics are scheduled:

Oct. 29: Blessed is she who Believed: Marian Prayer and Spirituality in Carmel.

Nov. 19: Prayer, Purgation, Purgatory and Purity of Heart.

Dec. 17: Advent Pilgrimage to the Bethlehem of the Heart.

Suggested donation is $15-20. All are welcome. Bring a sack lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided. For more information, call 360-629-4032 or go to carmeliteinstitute.catholicweb.com.