August 21, 2009
Worth Mentioning
Spirit of TEC awards given
The TEC Conference honored 53 individuals from 23 dioceses with the 2009 Spirit of TEC Awards, including Tom and Sara Kessens from the Diocese of Evansville.
Nominees are selected by the local TEC communities, to honor those who have committed service to the youth and young adults of the Church, contributed to the TEC ministry in a significant way, and who give witness to the Paschal Mystery in their daily lives.
TEC is an acronym for Teens Encounter Christ; it is a Catholic movement of spirituality for older adolescents and young adults, focusing on the Pastoral Mystery.
Sacred Heart, Vincennes, planning celebration
Sacred Heart Church in Vincennes is celebrating its one hundredth anniversary this year. A special Mass is planned for Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m., with Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger presiding, former pastors returning, and local dignitaries invited to be present.
Helping Hands across America
Students from the University of Southern Indiana will participate in a nationwide event, Helping Hands Across America, on Thursday, Nov. 12.
The objective of the event is to set a new Guinness World Record for the most non-perishable food collected nationally in a 24-hour period.
Free organ concert at St. Meinrad
St. Meinrad Archabbey will host a free organ concert that is open to the public on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 3 p.m. CDT, in the Archabbey church.
Hillary J. Sullivan is native of Indianapolis, pursuing a master of music degree in voice and a master of music degree in organ and church music from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
She graduated with distinction from the IU School of Music in May 2007, earning a bachelor of music in organ performance and a bachelor of music in vocal performance. She has studied organ with Marilyn Keiser and Todd Wilson, and has participated in master classes with Robert Clark, Roberta Gary and Stefan Engels.
The program will include compositions by J.S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Olivier Messiaen and Jehan Alain.
Early sign of priestly vocation
Father Gerald Schweitzer can tell you the exact moment he knew he would become a priest. He was in the second grade and his class was preparing to receive First Holy Commun-ion. “Sister Francine said when we received for the first time, we should go back to our pews and pray quietly to ourselves. The Lord would then speak to our hearts,” Father Schweitzer recalled.
“After I received, the fellow sitting next to me had to remind me I was supposed to be quiet so I folded my hands and waited.”
At that moment, the child receiving the Body and Blood of Christ for the first time heard God say he would like the boy to one day become a priest.
“If there was a moment of revelation, an initial awareness of God, it was that second-grade experience,” Father Schweitzer said. “From that time on, becoming a priest was always on my mind.”
For the complete story and more news from the Diocese of Gary, log on to the website of the Northwest Indiana Catholic at www.nwicatholic.com.