St. Patrick’s Day is traditionally observed with solemnity in Gerard McAleese’s native Ireland, but you wouldn’t guess that by the reveling of his customers in Downtown Portland each year, celebrating the holiday at Kells Irish Pub.
EUGENE — As a seminarian 19 years ago, Dominican Father Daniel Rolland ministered for a time at the University of Oregon’s St. Thomas More Newman Center.
Today he is back, learning by doing in his first pastorship.
EUGENE — “The Lord hears the cry of the poor, blessed be the Lord,”…sang the people gathered as Archbishop John Vlazny’s blessed the new Eugene Community Service Center operated by Catholic Community Services of Lane County.
Faith Café, an ecumenical effort feeding the homeless and working poor in Washington County, receives support from Operation Rice Bowl.
Each Lent for decades, U.S. Catholic families have been stuffing money into the small fold-out paper bowls to support Catholic Relief Services, the overseas aid arm of the U.S. church.
The Chrism Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop John Vlazny and the priests of the Archdiocese of Portland on Monday, March 29, at St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (NW 18th and Couch streets) at 7 p.m.
Catholics in western Oregon have now given more than a half million dollars for earthquake relief in Haiti. The tally as of last week was $522,000. The money goes to Catholic Relief Services, one of the main service providers on the island.
Meanwhile, Holy Trinity School in Beaverton raised almost $4,000 to help aid those in Haiti through Tigard-based Medical Teams International.
Karl Hellberg wears body armor to work.
Now, this 41-year-old federal special agent is relying on the Catholic Church to keep his faith secure.
“I feel like I have been guided by divine providence through my life, through all the things that happened to me,” says Hellberg, who will become Catholic this Easter at St. Mary, Star of the Sea Parish in Astoria.
ST. BENEDICT — In a balcony, a gray-haired monk quietly regaled guests with stories. Some seminarians showed worshipers to seats while others prayed on their knees. Visitors gazed around the full house of prayer.
The scenes froze as a bell tower roared to life and the blessing of a new monastic leader began.
“Boys, you can only stand in the key for three seconds.”
“What’s the key?”
“Boys, you can’t get five fouls in a game.”
“What’s a foul?”
These are actual early-season exchanges between coach David O’Brien and some of the 10 sixth graders on his St. Andrew Nativity School CYO basketball team.
SALEM — It takes most of us decades to figure out happiness comes in softening to the will of the Almighty.
Catholic singer-songwriter Julie Hoy is giving youngsters a head start on that central act of discernment in her first book, a story for children that is meaningful for adults, too.
