Good Shepherd Arts Center gets grant

The Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) has awarded a $2,460 grant to Good Shepherd Arts Center in support of the project “#ThisIsMyFerguson.” The arts center is organizing the art exhibit, which explores the question, “What do I treasure from (Ferguson’s) past, value in the present or passionately desire to see in the future of our community?” Local artists and writers have been invited to submit work. Local citizens are also being offered collaborative projects to engage them in the creation of art. The exhibit will run Saturday, Aug. 4, through Saturday, Aug. 25, at four venues: Good Shepherd Arts Center at 252 S. Florissant Road; St. Peter’s United Church of Christ at 1425 Stein Road; Ferguson Municipal Library at 35 N. Florissant Road; and the Urban League Ferguson Community Empowerment Center at 9420 W. Florissant Avenue. The show will open with simultaneous receptions at the venues, 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. For information about the arts center, visit www.goodshepherdarts.org. For information about MHC, visit www.mohumanities.org

Art/band center

St. John Vianney High School will construct of a new home for its art and band programs that is expected to be completed early in the 2018-19 school year. Vianney will renovate a building that is already part of the North Athletic Complex. “This is an exciting project for Vianney because it provides our students a great opportunity to expand their musical and artistic talents,” Vianney President Mike Loyet said. The building, which already includes a locker room, concession stand and restrooms, will turn an area previously used for storage into a pair of 2,400-square foot rooms for the art and band programs along with two restrooms. There will also be an outside patio area for students. It will be built with acoustically minded floors, walls and ceiling with two small and one large soundproof practice rooms that can split into sectionals. The new art room will more than double the space available in the current art room. It will include a large studio area, a separate room for a kiln as well as a room for pottery wheels.

New Ursuline president

The Board of Trustees of Ursuline Academy has selected Peggy Slater as its new president. Slater was selected because of a proven track record as an inspiring and empowering leader and deep knowledge of non-profit operations, fundraising, team development, strategy and mission, according to a statement from Michelle E. Murray, chair of the Ursuline Board of Trustees. Slater earned a master’s degree in business administration from Saint Louis University. Most recently, she served as the executive director for a ministry of the Sisters of Divine Providence. Prior to that position, she had been the COO of the YWCA Metro in St. Louis, the executive director of Good Shepherd Children and Family Services, senior vice president of Boys Hope Girls Hope, and executive director for the Miriam Foundation. “Ursuline has a long tradition of preparing young women to take their place in the world. With the recently added state-of-the-art Hartnett Hall and a staff dedicated to meeting the unique needs of each student, the opportunities for academic achievement and personal development are unlimited. I look forward to working with the entire Ursuline community to make this experience available to a growing number of students throughout the area,” Slater said.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Forum, Rosary

St. Francis Community Services and the archdiocese’s Peace and Justice Commission are planning an educational and advocacy forum on current immigration policies. The forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 26, in the Archbishop May Room at the Cardinal Rigali Center, 20 Archbishop May Drive in Shrewsbury. For more information, email [email protected]. A bilingual Rosary praying for immigration reform and respect for the rights and dignity of people will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 601 N. Fourth St. in St. Charles. The Rosary is preceded by Mass in Spanish at 6:15 p.m.

Sunday evening Mass

As of July 1, Assumption Parish will be the second parish in the South County Deanery to have a Sunday evening Mass. The parish, 4725 Mattis Road, is adding a 6 p.m. Mass on Sundays “to provide busy parishioners and other Catholics in the area the opportunity to make Sunday Mass their priority,” Father Thomas Keller, pastor of the parish, wrote in the parish bulletin. The decision on the Mass time was made in consultation with parishioners. Our Lady of Providence Parish, almost 5 miles away at 8866 Pardee Road, has a 5:30 p.m. Mass.

Retreat for young adults

The White House Retreat Center in Oakville will host the AMDG Young Adult Retreat from July 6-8. The two-night co-ed retreat will include six talks, silent prayer and spiritual direction. The weekend is designed for those aged 21-35. The price was recently reduced to $75 per participant due to a donation to the retreat center. To register, call (314) 416-6400, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m-4:30 p.m.

‘Guys and Dolls’

The Catholic Youth Apostolate’s Father William Scheid Players will perform the musical comedy “Guys and Dolls” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 20 and 21, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 22, at Incarnate Word Academy, 2788 Normandy Drive in Normandy. The group’s 39th season will feature several priests from the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Msgr. John Borcic, Father Terry Borgerding, Father John Brennell, Msgr. Norb Ernst and Father Bill Wigand. They’ll be joined by children, teens and adult performers from the archdiocese. Tickets are $12 in advance for reserve seating, $15 at the door. For more information or to access a ticket order form, visit www.stlouisreview.com/jFy or contact Ann Madden at [email protected] or (314) 605-7521.

Love and Life Mass and dinner

The Love and Life Mass and Dinner, an evening of faith, fellowship and fun in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of Humanae Vitae, a foundational encyclical on family, love and the sanctity of life, will take place Saturday, July 21, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. Archbishop Robert J. Carlson will celebrate Mass at 5 p.m., followed by a dinner catered by Pasta House and entertainment in Boland Hall. Cost is $12 for adults, $6 for children 3-11, or a maximum of $60 per household. RVSP by July 15. The event is sponsored by the archdiocesan Office of Natural Family Planning. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit stlouisreview.com/jLw or call Melissa Barnason at (314) 997-7576.

Father-son/ mother-daughter retreats

“Sons of Joseph,” an overnight retreat for fathers/grandfathers and sons ages 7 through 14 will take place July 27-28 at Marianist Retreat and Conference Center in Eureka. The retreat will focus on what can be learned from the relationship between Jesus and Joseph. It will include short talks, games, activities, a campfire, moon walk, prayer, Mass and a service project. The retreat will be led by staff members John Przybylowski and Jim Ford, and Father Leo Spezia, associate pastor at Most Sacred Heart in Eureka.

The conference center also will host a “Hearts of Mary Retreat” July 28-29 for girls ages 7 through 14 and an accompanying mother, grandmother, aunt or godmother. Participants will explore how to apply the love and virtues of Mary to modern-day life. The overnight retreat will include talks for adults and children, games, music, crafts, eucharistic adoration, confessions and Mass. The retreat will be led by staff members Julie Hickey and Jane Furey. Cost for either retreat is $80 per adult and $30 per child. To register or for more information, visit www.mretreat.org or call (636) 938-5390.

Papa Palooza

As lead-up to the World Meeting of Families in Ireland in August, the archdiocese will host the Papa Palooza at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary on Saturday, July 28, from 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event will include family games, Mass celebrated by Bishop Mark S. Rivituso, dinner, and an outdoor concert. Adult registration (17 and over) is $12.50, children’s (ages 3-16) tickets cost $5 and entrance is free for ages 0-2. Register online by July 25 at archstl.org/palooza.

Retreat for caregivers

The Henri Nouwen Society will offer a retreat from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday July 28, at Mercy Center, 2039 North Geyer Road in Creve Coeur. Both professional and family caregivers are invited for spiritual encouragement and community support, rooted in the wisdom of Henri Nouwen, a pastor, professor and spiritual writer who made L’Arche Daybreak (near Toronto, Canada) his home for the last 10 years of his life. The retreat is sponsored by L’Arche St. Louis. L’Arche communities are homes for individuals with mental disabilities and the people who choose to live, work, play and pray with them. For more information about Nouwen, his work, and that of the Henri Nouwen Society, visit www.henrinouwen.org. For information on L’Arche St. Louis, visit www.larchestlouis.org.

Award nominees sought

The Missouri Catholic Conference seeks to recognize a Catholic citizen from each of the four dioceses with the Citizen Recognition Award. These award recipients exemplify good citizenship in promoting Catholic values in the public policy arena and in their local communities and parishes, giving of themselves to better the lives of others. The Missouri Catholic Conference will invite the winners to its Annual Assembly on Saturday, Oct. 6, in Jefferson City. Nominations are sought to recognize parishioners who go above and beyond to promote scriptural values and services that reflect respect for the dignity of human life. Visit mocatholic.org or call (573) 635-7239 for an award recommendation form. The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Aug. 3.