a column of benevolent gossip

• Mail call —

  “Padre” Chris Doering,
  Padre Chris Doering when he isn’t running.
  former pastor at Our Lady of Victory (W. Agatite), now in army chaplaintraining, sent an update to Clips: He has moved to Ft. Bragg, N.C., home of the Airborne and Army Special Ops (green berets): “I met with the 82nd CAB Chaplain, C.H. Trotter for PT one morning.” (Father Chris is now talking in code like a G.I.) “Trotter is an appropriate last name because he loves to run. I wish I could say the same! He said, ‘Since we have to get you ready for jump school [parachute school], how about we do a 5-mile run?’ I felt like a bull running with a racehorse! Luckily he slowed down to my pace. When we finished he said I should do fine when it comes to the 4-mile runs they do at jump school. “I have been staying with another Chicago priest who is a chaplain here at Ft. Bragg as well, Father Matt Foley [former pastor of St. Agnes of Bohemia, S. Central Park]. He is Div. Special Troops Battalion chaplain. The commander of the DSTB and Father Foley ran 18 miles this morning! (Ft. Bragg is airborne, I’m chairborne.) Please remember the men and women in the armed forces in your prayers.”

• School pride —

  St. Michael’s (Orland Park) is proud of teacher Nancy Ramig. Last summer she took astronaut training! It included high-performance jet simulation, scenariobased space missions and water survival training. Ramig was one of 220 teachers from 17 countries and 44 states who won a scholarship to Honeywell Educators Space Academy in Huntsville, Ala.

• Parish potpourri —

  St. Mary Cub Scout Pack 140’s pirate float took top honors in the Buffalo Grove, Labor Day Parade. It beat out more than 150 others. More than 60 Cub Scouts and leaders in pirate gear rode on the float or walked the parade route. . . . Father Tom Franzman was back at St. Celestine’s Parish BBQ (Elmwood Park), offering rides on his vintage fire truck. . . . St. Ann Parish (Lansing) has launched a contest for parishioners in its bulletin: “What are the top 10 reasons for coming to Mass on time?” Stay tuned. . . . Father Dom Grassi reports a family of possums nesting in the rectory garage took him literally when he said, “All Are Welcome!” . . . Bart Hisgen and Cynthia Miller from St. Leonard Parish (Berwyn), were home for a visit this summer before returning as Comboni lay missionaries to Northern Peru.

• Light a candle —

  Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the pope, has just launched a site that allows you to light a “virtual” candle for someone and put your prayer on line.
  Aid to the Church in Need’s warm idea, at: www.lightingacandle.org
  At www.lightingacandle.org there are even options for joining an existing vigil and praying together for the intentions of the church. I read prayer intentions from Australians, Colombians and Zambians. More than 700 folks from 35 countries visited the site the night I logged in. After a time, your candle “burns down” and new ones are lit. It’s free, yet you can donate to this papal charity that cares for persecuted and suffering Catholics around the world. Learn more about Aid to the Church in Need at www.churchinneed.org.

• Getting just desserts —

  Colleen Kelly Mast
  The American Catholic Press presented pro-life/chastity advocate and radio personality Coleen Kelly Mast with their 2010 Henry Hyde Award. The Gratiam Dei Award was presented to State Senator Bill Brady of Bloomington for Catholic leadership and service.

• In the vineyard —

  Benedictine Sister M. Francesca Seelos, the former Kathy Trovato, received her black veil June 11, at St. Scholastica Priory in Petersham, Mass. She had been a parishioner at St. Joan of Arc (Evanston) and the Monastery of the Holy Cross (S. Aberdeen). . . . Parishioners of St. Nicholas (Evanston) recently showed support for women religious who have touched their lives by signing notes of gratitude to 10 religious communities that served their area. Soon they added letters to 15 other communities with handwritten mentions of specific schools or sisters who had helped shape their faith over the years!

Send your benevolent gossip to Church Clips, Catholic New World, P.O. Box 1979, Chicago, IL 60690-1979; or e-mail to dmadlener@catholicnewworld.com.