southerncross.diosav.org - The Back Page

Celebration in order

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 10:00:20 -0500

Saint James Church, Savannah:
The Mass in celebration of the
Feast of Saint Joseph on
March 19, was the occasion
for Sister Camille Collini CSJ
to renew her vows marking
her 50th Jubilee.
From left to right:
Sister Camille, Sister Virginia Ross, CSJ,
Sister Donna Jo Loeper, SSJ,
and Sister Jackie Griffith, SSJ.

By Sister Jackie Griffith, SSJ, Director, Catholic Social Services

As Sisters of Saint Joseph we trace our origins and spirit to six women who came together in 1650 in war-ravaged LePuy, France with great desires for union with God, among themselves and with their neighbors. Encouraged and aided by Jesuit Jean Pierre Medaille, they were among the first to create religious life for women outside cloister.

Our mission is to live and work so that all people may be united with God, with one another and with all creation. We live a
profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction.
There are over 7000 Sisters of Saint Joseph in 23 Congregations
serving in the United States. Visit our Web sites at —
www.sistersofsaintjosephfederation.org, www.csjsl.org and
w.ssjphila.org.

Saint Mary’s Home honors two, receives gift

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 09:39:46 -0600

At its annual Appreciation Dinner, Saint Mary’s Home, Savannah, presented Mercy Awards to Pam O’Quinn and Dr. Sanford Rosenthal. According to Sister M. Alvin Seubott, rsm, Administrator of Saint Mary’s Home, “Pam is a dedicated and talented individual who has volunteered her time to work tirelessly over the past many years, not only as a board member but also assisting with the hands-on special challenges the bookkeeping of a non-profit organization entails.” Dr. Sanford Rosenthal for the past 35+ years has been taking care of the “eyes” of the children and sisters at Saint Mary’s Home. Sister Alvin characterizes him as “compassionate, kind, patient, dependable, professional, knowledgeable and always available.” Saint Mary’s Home has also received a generous donation in the amount of $2,000.00 which was made possible by Jan and Jerry Jester and Jerry's friends, co-workers and members of USW International Union Local #1803 at International Paper in Augusta. Jan, who is an alumna of Saint Mary’s Home, and her husband have been involved with Saint Mary's for many years. Saint Mary’s Home is a residential home for school age children who need out of home placement and operates under the Diocese of Savannah, which serves the 90 counties of South Georgia.

Welcome / Orientation held for new pastoral workers

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 10:39:11 -0500

Photo by Gillian Brown

The 2006 Welcome / Orientation to the Diocese of Savannah was held September 29 at the Catholic Pastoral Center. Bishop J. Kevin Boland welcomed 29 priests, religious and lay personnel from six deaneries to the diocese. In addition to individual briefings on diocesan policies and procedures, attendees were given an extensive tour of the Pastoral Center and had the opportunity to meet with staff personnel. The visitors were also treated to a low country boil lunch. Based on comments from the newcomers, this year’s orientation was judged to be both beneficial and enjoyable.

Sacred Heart CYM kicks off new school year

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:30:30 -0500

Sacred Heart Parish, Warner Robins, held its annual Catholic Youth Ministry kick-off on August 20 at Houston Lake Country Club in Warner Robins. Approximately 88 teens from Sacred Heart, Saint Patrick (Kathleen) and Holy Spirit (Macon) Parishes participated. Special guests were Father Mike Ingram of Holy Spirit and Chuck Frost, Diocesan Youth Director.

Who are these sisters?

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 09:45:14 -0500

This photo hangs today at Sisters’ Court, Savannah, the apartment complex on 38th Street and Abercorn which was formerly the home of the Little Sisters of the Poor. It represents a gathering of women religious from at least four different orders, recognizable from the distinctive habits they wore. The diocesan archives would like some help in identifying the sisters. What was the occasion that brought so many together? What was the approximate date? And who are the sisters assembled here? If you can help, drop us a line at the Southern Cross, 601 East Liberty Street, Savannah, GA 31406, or send an e-mail to southerncross@diosav.org.

Golden Jubilee Father William Leahy celebrates 40 years of priesthood

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 15:17:12 -0500

Father William Leahy celebrated the 40th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on July 23 at Holy Redeemer Church, Eastman. Father Leahy has been pastor of Holy Redeemer and Saint Mark Church, Eastman, for the past 5 years. Bishop J. Kevin Boland joined in the celebration.

Saint Michael School, Tybee Island

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 15:37:02 -0500

When one of the teachers from Saint Michael School, Tybee Island, found out that Bill Friday, a parishioner who lives across the street from the school, had not yet planted a garden for reasons of health, plans were put into motion. Father P. James Costigan plowed and mulched the garden plot, students purchased bedding plants, and all third and fourth grade students learned a thing or two about growth. All year in their religion classes the students have been discussing and reading about how to put their faith into action and their teacher seized this opportunity to translate all those lessons into real life. As each child helped to organize the rows for planting and put in and covered the plants, they discussed and realized what “loving your neighbor” really means. Margaret Keck, the teacher, guided and watered as the students planted a beautiful area to be reaped and enjoyed by Bill and Mary Friday. Pictured from left are: are Craig Holt, Tyler Fields, Margaret Keck, Jacob McKaskle, Zanki Desai, Phyllis Whitten, Erik Garcia, Meredith Venneman, and Troy Jandura. Right: Father Costigan, Steve Saunders, and Principal Greg Keck review the significant increase in the test scores of Saint Michael's students. Keck attributes the scores to smaller class sizes and the individual attention given to each student.

Father Costigan was pleased to announce that money had been allocated for completion of an updated computer lab and implementation of a new math program.