De Smet basketball
Kent Williams is the the new varsity basketball coach at De Smet Jesuit High School, school officials announced Aug. 30. He will also oversee all basketball operations, summer basketball camp programs, and teach physical education. Williams most recently served as assistant basketball coach at SIU-Edwardsville. He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where he was the only player in SIUC basketball history to lead the team in scoring all four years (2000-2003). He was also named Prairie Farms Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2002 and 2003. After graduation, he played for the National Basketball Development League, where he was the league leader in 3-pointers. He has coached at the University of Tennessee and Missouri State University and served as supervisor of basketball operations at Purdue University.
UPCOMING EVENTS
St. John's Bible
The Daughters of St. Paul will host the St. John's Bible Tuesday, Sept. 12, through Thursday, Sept. 14, at Pauline Books and Media, 9804 Watson Road in Crestwood. A docent will be available each day at 3 p.m. to discuss the first hand-written, hand-illuminated Bible of its kind in 500 years. In addition Father Laurence Kriegshauser, OSB, local professor and author will speak on "Praying with the Psalms"at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12. The sisters will give a short presentation on Lectio Divina on Wednesday, Sept. 17, following the Rosary.
Infertility ministry
The archdiocesan Office of Natural Family Planning's Enkindle Ministry will host "Maintaining Hope," an evening for couples struggling with infertility, from 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, at the NFP Office, 11700 Studt Ave., Suite C, in Creve Coeur. The gathering is for couples who wish to share their journey of trying to conceive a child. RSVPs are requested. For more information, contact the Office of Natural Family Planning at (314) 997-7576 or [email protected].
Concert in O'Fallon
PJ Anderson will perform at the Assumption beONE Concert Series from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, at Assumption Church, 403 N. Main St. in O'Fallon. Anderson is a Christian singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tenn. He was the first performer in the beONE Concert Series which began in 2016. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door or at www.stlouisreview.com/jbD. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets also may be purchased by calling Bryan in the parish office at (636) 240-3721 ext. 240. Discounts available for youth ministry members, seniors, and groups of 15 or more. Seating is not assigned, but reserved ticket holders will be seated in the front section of the church. General admission tickets may be upgraded to reserved. For information about Anderson and his music, visit www.pjandersonmusic.com.
Motorcycle flag escort
Folks traveling south on Interstate 55 might run into a traffic jam between Arnold and Perryville on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 16. Beginning at 8:30 a.m., with kick stands up, the final leg of the Wall-2Wall Motorcycle Flag Escort will carry the POW/ MIA and American flags to culminate a five-day, 900-mile trip from the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C., to the future home of a full-sized, black granite replica of the Vietnam Wall at Missouri's National Veterans Memorial in Perryville. The full-sized replica, which is expected to be finished in November, is the only one of its kind in the U.S., providing a central location for veterans and others to remember and honor soldiers lost serving their country in Vietnam. The ride will carry flags that flew over the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C., with the motorcycle escort making overnight stops in Strasburg, Va., Charleston, W.Va., Evansville, Ind., and Arnold before arriving at their new home in Perryville for the flag-raising and dedication at about 11 a.m. Sept. 16. For information about the ride, contact Jim Rosenberg at [email protected], or visit www.americaswall.com/riders
A ripple of hope
A program on "Life in a Jar: the Irena Sendler Project" by Jack Mayer will be held at noon Sunday, Sept. 17, at the Cardinal Rigali Center, 20 Archbishop May Drive in Shrewsbury. Sendler was a Polish Catholic social worker who rescued 2,500 Jewish children during the Holocaust. The story remained unknown for 60 years until three high school girls from a rural school in southeast Kansas stumbled upon a reference to the rescue and made it part of a history project. A panel discussion will include Liz Cambers Hutton, a member of the project and a high school history teacher; Brian Vetruba, who has led students in studying the Holocaust; and Karen Aroesty, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League. The event is co-sponsored by Jefferson College, the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and the Archdiocese of St. Louis and is part of the college's Ripple of Hope Committee events.