Archdiocesan news

Archdiocesan news briefs

Teamwork

St. Louis Cardinals mascot Fredbird and former Cardinals pitcher Kyle McClellan visited students at St. Mary Magdalen School in Brentwood Oct. 10. The visit was part of the Cardinals organization’s commitment to spreading the message of teamwork. The assembly included students from grades K-5. The theme was: “Be Active, Be Responsible, Be Yourself!” Shown at the assembly, from left, are kindergartners Alex Saettele, Mona Temporiti and Ava Fatzinger.

New director at Sts. Joachim & Ann Care Service

Sts. Joachim & Ann Care Service, an independent social service agency in the Catholic tradition which serves the needy in St. Charles, Lincoln, and Warren Counties in Missouri, has appointed Pamela Sue Struckhoff as its new executive director. She will assume responsibilities on Jan. 1, 2020, succeeding Deacon A. John Lipin, who suffered a major health incident in June.

Struckhoff earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2008, during which she worked at the Missouri Department of Social Services in Warren County. She earned a master’s degree in social work from UMSL in 2009, during which she held a graduate teaching position at the university and worked at BJC Hospice. She currently has a licensed master social worker certification and is in the process of acquiring licensed clinical social worker certification. Struckhoff started with Sts. Joachim & Ann Care Service in 2009 as a social worker in the Children and Family Development Program. She was promoted to director of program services at the Care Service in 2011. Struckhoff has overseen the process of accreditation for four program standards with the Council on Accreditation (COA), has overseen an areawide Homeless Count and created and implemented a Street Outreach Program in 2016.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Hope in the struggle

“Persistence, Resistance and Transcendence,” a conference on hope in the struggle against racism, will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Fontbonne University, 6800 Wydown Blvd. in Clayton. The keynote speaker is Jesuit Father Joseph A. Brown, a professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Included are workshops on preaching about racism, diversity programming in elementary schools, the struggle for racial justice in high schools and how to work effectively on racism in parishes and religious communities. Cost is $20 or $10 for students, which includes a continental breakfast and lunch. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. The program is presented by The Catholic Racial Justice Collaborative with several co-sponsors. Register at www.tinyurl.com/y5rn68e6.

Old Cathedral is 185 years old

A Mass commemorating the 185th anniversary of the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Louis, King (Old Cathedral) will be celebrated at noon Sunday, Oct. 27, at the basilica at 209 Walnut St. Downtown. Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Robert J. Hermann will be the main celebrant. The Old Cathedral was dedicated on Oct. 26, 1834. According to an account in “The Story of the Old Cathedral” by Father E.H. Behrmann, “nothing was spared to make this one of the most memorable days in the early religious history of St. Louis. Clergy and laity alike were caught in the festive spirit of this significant event and outdid each other in making the most earnest preparations for the dedication.” Father Behrmann noted that hand-woven ornaments were made for the altars, carpets, candelabra and furniture were brought from local homes to decorate the cathedral. Three companies of militiamen from St. Louis were invited and a corps of artillery were formed and drilled for the day. The military band from Jefferson Barracks also were scheduled to perform.

Coming Together for Peace

Archbishop Robert J. Carlson will lead an interfaith prayer service at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, on the football field at Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School to pray for an end to violence on our streets and healing in our community. The event was organized in collaboration with the Metropolitan Clergy Coalition (MCC). Other faith leaders from other denominations also will speak at the event. “Like you and many others throughout the Archdiocese and City of St. Louis, I have been troubled by the violence taking place in our communities,” Archbishop Carlson wrote in a letter. “There were 53 people killed in mass shootings in the U.S. in August alone and 18 children have fallen victim to gun violence across the St. Louis area over the summer months. People of faith and all people of goodwill cannot stand idly by while such violent acts against the dignity and sanctity of human life are taking place in our beloved city. Let us pray for the courage and grace to truly be instruments of Christ’s love and peace with all those we meet, without exception.” For more information, call Marie Kenyon with the archdiocesan Peace and Justice Commission at (314) 792-7062.

Relics on display for All Saints

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis will have more than 140 saints’ relics on display on Friday, Nov. 1, the feast of All Saints. Relics will be on display from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. in the All Saints Chapel, and docents will be available. In addition, the Saint John’s Bible will be on display, with a docent present from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Masses, including the Litany of Saints, will be celebrated Nov. 1 at 7, 8 and 10 a.m. and 12:05 and 5:30 p.m. The feast of All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation.

Italian Mass at Old Cathedral

The Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France (Old Cathedral) will host an Italian Mass at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3. Father Mirco Sosio, an Italian priest in residence at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, will be the main celebrant and homilist. After Mass, a verified relic of Padre Pio will be on display for veneration. The Mass also honors Bishop Guiseppe (Joseph) Rosati, the first bishop of St. Louis, who came from Italy and served as a missionary to St. Louis’ first inhabitants. Bishop Rosati oversaw the building of the Old Cathedral in 1834 and is buried in the cathedral’s crypt. The Old Cathedral museum also will be open after Mass.