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The seventh grade Spanish class at St. Thomas Aquina School created counting books in Spanish. Many chose to use Christmas as the theme. They visited Mrs. Clarey’s Kindergarten class and shared their counting books.

The seventh graders also worked with their kindergarten partners on colors and shapes.

Santa’s Elves Make New Friends

The first graders at St. Stephen School wrote letters to Santa in December. Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Leppien made sure to get to the post office and send the letters to the North Pole. A few days later, replies from the North Pole were waiting for the children in their classrooms. However, the letter weren't from Santa! Santa was so busy getting ready for Christmas that he asked his elves to respond.

The first graders were so excited to receive letters from Santa's real live elves! They learned a lot about Santa's elves, but still had some questions...so they wrote back to the elves. They heard back from the elves a second time - just before Christmas. The elves even included a special candy cane treat for the first graders this time, baked fresh from the elves’ kitchen!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to St. Stephen School reading specialist Anne Gardner, who received a grant to begin a postal system at St. Stephen and to Nouvel faculty member Lisa Moore who received a grant for an air-powered rocket project for her physics classes. These grants were awarded through the Saginaw Community Foundation.

Saginaw Area Catholic Schools was also the recipient of a grant enabling our schools to purchase technology for all core classrooms in the system and the training for teachers to utilize this amazing technology.

Nouvel Seniors Plan Party for Francis Reh Students

The Nouvel Catholic Central High School senior class participated in the Francis Reh Academy holiday festivities right before Christmas break. This was the second time the class of 2011 has participated in such an event. The festivities included the planning of classroom parties for the kindergarten and first grade classes. The senior party planners coordinated such activities as: musical chairs, Christmas cookie decorating, and arts and crafts. Each senior student was given the opportunity to provide a small Christmas gift for a young student at Francis Reh who was then their buddy for the holiday party.

The children’s faces truly lit up when they saw "Santa’s Elf" walk into their classroom carrying gifts for each of them. Senior Zac Badgerhouse dressed the part to help deliver the gifts to the children. Each student was thrilled to find a coloring book and a set of crayons as they opened their gifts. The senior students truly find this to be a rewarding experience. The smiles and laughs filling the classrooms were heartwarming to the students and fun was had by all. - Haley Hendrick, Class of 2011

Moms Are Special Guests

The Young Fives class at St. Thomas Aquinas School had Muffins with Moms day last Friday. Moms were invited into the classroom to have a breakfast of muffins, fruit, and juice. If a child's Mom was unable to come, he or she could invite a grandma or aunt. The kids had a great time showing their Moms around the classroom and having breakfast with them.

Kindergarteners Learn Good Nutrition

St. Stephen School kindergarten students went on a field trip to Old Country Buffet in the beginning of December. This was a culminating activity for a nutrition unit. The kids toured the back rooms to see where the food is made and stored. They then enjoyed a yummy lunch from the bountiful buffet.

Bishop Cistone's Christmas Greeting for 2010

Bishop Cistone will celebrate three holiday Masses, including Midnight Mass at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Saginaw. His Christmas Mass schedule includes the following times and locations:

• 6:00 p.m. on December 24 at St. John Vianney, 6400 McCarty Rd, Saginaw.
• 12:00 a.m. on December 25 at St. Mary Cathedral, 615 Hoyt Ave., Saginaw.
• 10:00 a.m. on December 25 at Immaculate Conception, 708 Sanderson St., St. Charles.

Obituary for Fr. Lawrence M. Pashak

SAGINAW – The Rev. Lawrence (Larry) M. Pashak, 74, pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Freeland, died Saturday, December 11, 2010 at home in his rectory.

He was born on Aug. 12, 1936, in Beaver Twp., the ninth child of Nellie J. (McNally) and Henry B. Pashak. He attended St. Valentine School in Beaver Twp. and received his secondary education from St. Joseph Seminary in Grand Rapids. He went on to further priestly formation at St. Mary Seminary in Orchard Lake and St. John Provincial Seminary in Plymouth. Father Pashak was ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1963 by Bishop Stephen S. Woznicki at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Saginaw.

For his first priestly assignment, Father Pashak served as assistant pastor at St. Anne Parish in Alpena, where he also ministered as a teacher and counselor at Catholic Central High School. He later served as assistant pastor at St. Hyacinth Parish in Bay City and assistant pastor at the Cathedral in Saginaw. In 1967, he was assigned as pastor at St. Philip Neri Parish in Coleman and St. Anne Parish in Edenville, where he remained until 1971 when he took leave of the Diocese to pursue a year of graduate studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Upon the completion of his studies, Father Pashak returned to the Diocese to serve as pastor at St. Mary Parish in Hemlock and its former mission of Guardian Angels in Nelson while also working as the vice chancellor of the Diocese. From 1977 to 1980, he served as chancellor of the Diocese. He then was assigned as pastor of St. Mark Parish in Au Gres (1980 – 1988) and St. Hyacinth Parish in Bay City (1988 – 1994). He had served as pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Freeland since 1994.

In addition to his diocesan assignments, Father Pashak also served as chaplain of the Knights of Columbus on the diocesan and state level. He also was the chaplain for the Michigan State Police. Father Pashak enjoyed various hobbies including "chief cook" at family gatherings, taking care of the flowers around the church and going on casino bus trips.

He survived by four sisters and a brother: Patricia O’Connor, Henrietta Wurdock, both of Bay City, Mary Lucille Thiel of Midland, Cecelia Doan of Charlevoix, and Paul (Janet) Pashak of Bay City, two sisters in-law: Trinidad Pashak of Texas, Marie Pashak of Bentley, many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. He was predeceased by five brothers: James, Denis, Vincent, Jerome, and Henry Pashak Jr. and three brothers in-law: Clarence Wurdock, Raymond O’Connor, and Ralph Doan Sr.

The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 17, 2010 at St. Agnes Church, 300 Johnson St., Freeland. The Most Rev. Joseph R. Cistone, Bishop of Saginaw will preside. The Rev. James W. Bessert will preach the homily. A private burial will take place at later a later time at Calvary Cemetery in Kawkawlin.

Visitation will take place from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15, 2010, at St. Hyacinth Church, 1515 Cass Ave., Bay City. The Transfer of the Body to Lie in State will precede the visitation time at 1:00 p.m. with the Rev. Ronald F. Wagner presiding. At 7:00 p.m., Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus will lead at Rosary & Chalice Presentation.

Visitation also will take place from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 16, 2010, at St. Agnes Church, 300 Johnson St., Freeland. The Transfer of the Body to Lie in State will precede the visitation time at 1:00 p.m. with the Rev. T.J. Fleming presiding. A Vigil Liturgy will take place at 7:00 p.m. with the Rev. Ricky M. Varner presiding.

A final visitation time will take place from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., prior to the Funeral Mass, on December 17 at St. Agnes Church.

Arraignments have been entrusted to the Ambrose Funeral Home of Bay City.

National Vocation Awareness Week to Be Celebrated January 9-15

WASHINGTON — The Catholic Church in the United States will celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week, January 9-15.

The week begins on the Church’s celebration of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which falls on January 9 in 2011.The feast marks the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry.

Vocations week celebrates vocations to the priesthood, diaconate or consecrated life in particular. During these days families and the parish community are urged to nurture the faith of their children to prepare them to respond to whatever God’s call is for them.

"National Vocation Awareness Week gives parishes across the country a chance to promote vocations through prayer and education," said Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis, chairman of the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). "It is our responsibility to encourage young people to be generous as they discern the possibility of a call to service in the Church. Parents, families and parish communities must be involved in this work, since vocations recruitment is everyone’s responsibility. All need to foster a culture of vocations."

Father Shawn McKnight, executive director of the USCCB Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations (CCLV), noted the many voices that can communicate God’s call.

"Just as Jesus needed to hear with his human ears the voice of the Father, so our young people need to hear words of encouragement from parents, other family members, friends and the parish. God’s call comes through the Church in this way."

To support efforts during Vocations week, a special prayer card and suggested prayers of the faithful and bulletin-ready quotes, are available from the USCCB vocations website ForYourVocation.org or PorTuVocacion.org.

"One reason some young people do not consider a call to the priesthood or consecrated life is the fact that they were never asked," said Sister Mary Joanna Ruhland, RSM, Associate Director of CCLV. "There are many ways to help young people see the beauty and joy of these vocations. Catechists are in a key position to do so. Materials to assist them can also be found on the USCCB website."

The observance of National Vocation Awareness Week (NVAW) began in 1976 when the National Conference of Catholic Bishops designated the 28th Sunday of the year as the beginning of NVAW. In 1997, this celebration was moved to coincide with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

Religious Leaders Voice Shared Commitment to Protect Marriage

WASHINGTON — Leaders of some of the largest religious communities in the United States have come together to express their commitment toward the protection of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

In an open letter released today, entitled “The Protection of Marriage: A Shared Commitment,” leaders from Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Evangelical, Jewish, Lutheran, Mormon, Orthodox, Pentecostal and Sikh communities in the United States affirmed the importance of preserving marriage’s unique meaning.

“The broad consensus reflected in this letter—across great religious divides—is clear: The law of marriage is not about imposing the religion of anyone, but about protecting the common good of everyone,” said Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, newly elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and one of the letter’s signers. “People of any faith or no faith at all can recognize that when the law defines marriage as between one man and one woman, it legally binds a mother and a father to each other and their children, reinforcing the foundational cell of human society.”

The release of this letter comes the same morning that oral arguments on the Proposition 8 case are set to begin. In August, Judge Vaughn Walker had ruled California’s Proposition 8 to be unconstitutional, based in part on the claim that defining marriage as between a man and a woman lacked any rational basis at all, and instead reflected nothing but religion-based hostility to homosexual persons. This ruling has been appealed and its hearing is scheduled for today, December 6.

“Today is the moment to stand for marriage and its unchangeable meaning. We hope this letter will encourage just that,” Archbishop Dolan said. “The Protection of Marriage: A Shared Commitment” is being circulated nationwide. Downloadable PDF versions of the letter can be found at www.usccb.org/defenseofmarriage/shared-commitment. A backgrounder on the statement can be found at http://www.usccb.org/comm/backgrounders/shared-commitment.shtml

Full text of the letter and signers can be found here.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Novena begins today

Each December, parishes across the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw participate in a Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas.

Download the Novena booklet and join us in prayer this year from Dec. 3 to 12.

Action Alert: Support Needed for DREAM Act

Next Wednesday, December 8, the United States House of Representatives is scheduled to debate immigration legislation that would allow for students brought into this country at a young age to apply for full citizenship. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, along with its sister immigration organization Justice for Immigrants, is supporting this bill and asking for your support as well.

More information about the DREAM Act, along with a message for your U.S. congressperson, can be found at the Catholic Legislative Advocacy Network. Please take a brief moment to read about this important legislation and contact your elected official in Washington to support the bill.

Additional information about DREAM may be found by clicking here.