Center for Ignatian Service receives grant
Saint Louis University’s Center for Ignatian Service has received a one-year $1.3 million grant from the Thomas R. Schilli Foundation to build upon the work the center has done in its inaugural year. Housed in SLU’s College of Philosophy and Letters, the center directs a service-learning program designed to provide a networked educational pathway for students enrolled in grades first through eighth at under-resourced schools in St. Louis and to offer SLU students community engagement options that will fulfill requirements in SLU’s core curriculum. The center’s vision is to enable diverse student populations to work together as part of their educational journeys. The new grant enables the center to increase the number of SLU students in the program and to expand by including St. Louis area high school students. The growing program answers the call to be a good neighbor in SLU’s community and to help students discern what it means to serve and to lead in ways that foster a lifelong commitment to serving others. To learn more about the center, visit
www.slu.edu/philosophy-and-letters/center-for-ignatian-service.
Anthony D’Agostino joins Peter & Paul Community Services
Anthony D’Agostino has been named CEO of Peter & Paul Community Services, effective June 5. He succeeds Steve Campbell, the organization’s first CEO, who is retiring after holding the post for more than 36 years.
D’Agostino joins Peter & Paul Community Services after leading St. Patrick Center for three and a half years. During his tenure, the organization created new homeless services programs and transformed others. Prior to his leadership role at St. Patrick Center, D’Agostino was CEO at Criminal Justice Ministry, a local nonprofit organization serving those released from prison.
Peter & Paul Community Services is an independent nonprofit organization that provides emergency, transitional and permanent supportive housing, complemented by supportive programs and social services delivered by staff and through vibrant community partnerships, including with St. Patrick Center. Peter & Paul Community services began in 1981, when a group of concerned volunteers responded to a neighborhood issue of homelessness. Several faith communities formed partnerships to better organize, including the Catholic parishes of Sts. Peter and Paul and St. Vincent de Paul and Trinity Lutheran Church.
Execution date set
The Missouri Supreme Court has set an execution date of Aug. 1 for Johnny Johnson. Johnson was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing 6-year-old Cassandra “Casey” Williamson near Valley Park and has been on Missouri’s death row since 2005.
Michael Tisius is scheduled to be executed by the state of Missouri on June 6. Tisius and Johnson would be the third and fourth people executed in the state this year. The Catholic Church opposes the death penalty in all cases because it disregards the sanctity and dignity of human life. To contact Gov. Parson regarding planned executions, you can call his office at (573) 751-3222 or email him by visiting
governor.mo.gov/contact-us/mo-governor.
New children’s book
Local Catholic author Maurice Prater has written a new children’s book, “Kiss Me Goodnight,” published by Divine Providence Press. Illustrated by Cecilia Lawrence, “Kiss Me Goodnight” is about the innocent love a family has for one another and is rooted in sacred scripture and tradition. Prater has worked for the Church in the ministries of communications and development since 1999 and is the advancement director for the Missionaries of the Holy Family, a religious order of Catholic priests and brothers. To learn more, see divineprovidencepress.com.