blogtcs.com

I got a press release from Xavier College Preparatory last week about the school’s effort to bring Christmas to soldiers whose service to their country has separated them from their families at Christmas. I since learned that other Catholic high schoolers also reached out to them.

It was all through the efforts of Bridget Alcocer from Phoenix, who started the Santa for Soldiers program four years go.  

Xavier students took a break from note-taking and test-taking earlier this semester to write 800 Christmas cards to the soldiers. Stephanie Woodward, a senior and member of the student council, organized the project as a school-wide service opportunity.

“I wanted us to reach out to soldiers to thank them, give our blessings and prayers for a safe return, and acknowledge their bravery and courage,” Woodward said. 

“The soldiers are so far removed from us and are doing such a difficult job, that some may feel they are forgotten,” she said.  “We have received gracious replies from troop leaders telling us how absolutely uplifting it was to receive such kind letters from people they had never met. They told us it calmed their nerves from the bombs in the background.” Read the end of this entry …

  

 

 

The steeple of Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral where Mass is broadcast live.

Unable to make it to a Christmas Mass this year?

That’s okay.

Now, Skyline Productions, the same people responsible for the TV Mass broadcast live from Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral every Sunday, is helping to put this year’s Christmas Eve Mass with Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted online.

Homebound Catholics won’t have to miss the communal celebration of this important day if they tune in to the live stream. Skyline Productions tested the feed during last weekend’s Mass. If that test and viewership on Christmas Eve proves successful, the ultimate goal is to stream the Mass live every week online.

Keep in mind that the quality for the Christmas Eve service and any future online liturgies, depends on your computer and Internet service.

Skyline Productions has been producing the TV Mass for the Phoenix Diocese four years ago. It’s been airing live statewide on cable channel 9 and KUTP Channel 45 for a few years.

Last March, the Annunciation Mass at Ss. Simon and Jude was beamed live worldwide thanks to the invitation of Eternal Word Television Network.

The Christmas Eve Mass will be streamed Dec. 24 from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. MST.

I got my Maggie’s Place newsletter, the Delivery Room, in the mail over the weekend. I can’t remember if it’s a monthly thing or a quarterly publication, but the “Christmas 2008″ issue made me feel a little bit better about a couple of things.

A puzzling United States. Where does Idaho really belong?

First, it made me realize that I’m not the only one whose sense of U.S. geography needs some brushing up. The second page article mentions that the Mary House, the first home for Maggie’s Place outside of Arizona, opened this fall. In a reflection by one of the staff members, she recalls her first thoughts after being asked to move to Idaho and open the home.

“A couple of my first thoughts were ‘Where exactly is Idaho?’ and ‘Is there really a need for us there?”” She admits that the first question is embarrassing for herself and her educators, but the second question is definitely a “yes.”  

That question is embarrassing for myself as well. The image to the left is where I placed Idaho while working on a puzzle I stumbled across when it was Pope John XXIII School’s “Site of the Month.” I discovered the Idaho-shaped hole bordering Washington just after capturing this screen shot and put Idaho (the red state on top) in its proper place.

The newsletter also made me look forward to its next home opening even more. It broke the news which I leaked (with permission) last month that they’re expecting to open another house of hospitality for moms facing a pregnancy or life with their newborn alone.

Their account of how the yet-to-be-named house came about is a lot more inspiring though. Apparently, the Maggie’s Place community prayed daily for wisdom and guidance on where to expand and asked for St. John’s intercession. Staff is now working on converting an existing house in Cleveland, Ohio to a Maggie’s Place home.

Stephanie Preach was named Gatorade's Arizona Player of the Year.

Stephanie Preach, a setter for the Xavier College Preparatory varsity volleyball team, was recently named as Gatorade’s Arizona Volleyball Player of the Year. The 5-foot-8 junior recorded 983 assists and 253 kills along with a .437 hitting percentage this season according to a Xavier press release. It was that performance that helped the team win its second consecutive state title in Class 5A Division I competition.

“Stephanie is probably the most complete player I’ve ever coached and I’ve coached a lot,” head coach Tim McHale said. “She’s played out of position and been dominant, and she’s dominated at her own position. She walked in the first day of her freshman year and she was the best player in the gym then, and she still is today.”  

Like many athletic awards, the presenters also examine the student’s academic records and extracurricular activities. On Preach, Gatorade found her 3.48 GPA and Key Club involvement very favorable. Preach has also volunteered at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Andre House in downtown Phoenix.  

To learn more about the award and the selection process, click here.