Catholic Renewal Center conference

The archdiocesan Catholic Renewal Center is hosting a fall conference Friday and Saturday, Oct. 15-16, at the Cardinal Rigali Center in Shrewsbury. Participants will catch the vision of Pope Francis of the Church being a “field hospital” for all those in the battle. Speakers include Sister Nancy Kellar, SC, and Jim Murphy, both of whom have been involved in Catholic Charismatic Renewal for decades. The conference will include Mass and reconciliation, praise and worship music by Shepherd’s Voice. For information or to register, contact the Catholic Renewal Center at (314) 801-8688 or online at archstl.org/renewal.

All Saints celebration

Families are invited to a celebration for the feast of All Saints, hosted by the Daughters of St. Paul, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday Oct. 30, and Monday, Nov. 1, at Pauline Books & Media, 9804 Watson Road in Crestwood. Children are invited to dress up as their favorite saint and have photos taken with the sisters. Each participant will receive a special gift. For more information, call the sisters at (314) 965-3512 or visit their Facebook page at PBMSTL.

Guided reflections

Mercy Conference and Retreat Center has created COMPASS themed-kits. Each of the themed kits arrives personalized for the recipient and includes three guided reflections, a candle, and handcrafted item with an accompanying soul-word as a keepsake. The kits were created in the spirit of Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, who stressed the importance of connectedness to God as people care for themselves and their loved ones. Eight themed kits are available as a self-paced retreat-in-a-box. These kits are Resurrection Story, The Heart of Catherine McAuley, Traversing the Depths, Reflection and Refraction, Stones and Boulders, The Garden Gate, Delight in the Light and Placid Stillness. In development is a special edition kit, Heart of the Caregiver, for caregivers of all types, and Wisdom for the Journey, a mini kit. For information or to purchase a COMPASS kit, visit www.mercycenterstl.org/ compass-kits.

Hall-of-Famers

The St. Francis Borgia High School Cheerleading Program, Borgia’s cheerleading coach Sandi Gildehaus, the St. John Vianney Soccer Program, former Christian Brothers College High School and St. Louis University basketball player Larry Hughes and sports broadcaster and DeAndreis High School graduate Mike Claiborne are among 13 individuals and five school programs to be honored by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Sunday, Nov. 14 at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis. A noon reception will precede the ceremony, which will commence at 1 p.m. Other honorees include Andy Van Slyke, Louis Cardinals; Charlie Brown, University of Missouri football; Steve Savard, sports broadcaster; Jack R. Watkins, Jr., Missouri Valley Conference; Frank Viverito, St. Louis Sports Commission; Barbara Berkmeyer, golf; Mike Russell, Lutheran North football and baseball coach; MICDS football program; Celeste Knierim, softball coach; Lafayette Wildwood High School Girls Swimming and Diving Program; Jim Bidewell, Portageville High School basketball coach; William Greenblatt, sports photographer; and the Lindbergh High School boys cross country teams, 1972-1979.

Volunteer opportunity

Volunteers are needed to assist in the annual Give Thanks program which provides more than 300 St. Patrick Center clients with all the supplies and food to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Volunteers assist with distribution on Monday, Nov. 22. All volunteers must wear masks, social distance and follow other safety measures. To sign up or for more information, contact Katie Joseph at [email protected] with the subject line “Give Thanks.”

Also sought at St. Patrick Center are lunch service volunteers to assist with packaging hot casseroles into disposable containers and serve Shamrock Club clients. Sought are four volunteers maximum each weekday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All volunteers must wear masks, social distance and follow other safety measures. Sign up at bit.ly/3mj8K4A.

Virtual assembly

This fall, the Missouri Catholic Conference is once again hosting its Annual Assembly in the form of a collection of episodes of MCC from the Capitol covering a broad spectrum of issues important to the Catholic faith. This spectrum is highlighted in the varying episodes of MCC from the Capitol; topics include pro-life concerns, refugee resettlement, race relations, the history of the Church in Missouri, Catholic health care, the affordable housing crisis and more. Included is a video message from Archbishop Rozanski of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Check out the 2021 Virtual Annual Assembly at bit.ly/3EULylv.

Citizen Recognition Award

Each year the Missouri Catholic Conference recognizes a Catholic citizen from each diocese who has exemplified good citizenship in promoting Catholic values in the public policy arena and in their local communities and parishes. The recipient from the Archdiocese of St. Louis is Christine Dragonette, director of of social ministry at St. Francis Xavier (College Church) Parish. Dragonette and College Church parishioners are dedicated to helping vulnerable populations in the community.

End-of-life issues seminars

The Roman Catholic Foundation will present The Conversation: A Catholic Perspective on End-of-Life Issues on Saturdays this fall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at several locations across the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The free seminar will include presentations on principles of Catholic bioethics, Catholic funeral and cemetery planning, estate planning and advance directives and charitable gift planning. Dates and locations include Oct. 16, St. Francis Borgia Regional High School in Washington; Nov. 6, St. Joseph in Cottleville; Nov. 13, St. Joseph in Imperial; Nov. 20, St. Gabriel the Archangel in St. Louis. To register, visit rcfstl.org/conversation-fall2021.

Electronics recycle event

The Sacred Heart Green Team is sponsoring an electronics recycling event at Sacred Heart Church, 17 Ann Ave in Valley Park, from 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Oct. 16. Electronics, computers, cell phones, appliances and other equipment will be accepted. While many items are accepted at no cost, fees will be applied to some items. See mrcrecycling.net/recycling-fees for more information.

Sock drive continues

The Knights and Ladies Auxiliary of Peter Claver Central Committee’s Sock Angel’s campaign continues through October. The campaign seeks donations of new socks for people in need in the local community. The committee is working hand in hand with local parishes to place a donation box in vestibule areas. People also may donate $5 online or with a check or cash to the campaign. The Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, founded in 1909, is the largest Black fraternal organization in the Roman Catholic Church with members throughout the United States. In 2020, the first Sock Angels drive collected 20,000 pair of socks with participation from various Catholic parishes throughout St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The socks were donated to local organizations such as Marygrove as well as many nursing homes. For information, visit www.sockangel.org.