April 22, 2007
Third Sunday of Easter

Parish
Worship
Christian Formation
Campus Ministry
Justice & Peace
Community Meetings, Retreats, Etc.
Finances
Readings

Parish

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

The massacre at Virginia Tech this past Monday has devastated us all, and our own community here at St Thomas has been personally affected. One of the victims is the sister and first cousin of UVA students, and Prof Kevin Granata and his family were parishioners here at St Thomas before he took the position at Tech in 2003. And many, many of our students have friends and family who were caught up in the horror. During the past several days, our undergrads have been clinging to each other for support; they feel a need to be with each other and talk things out.

Please feel free, if you feel so inclined, to sign the Book of Condolences we have outside the doors to church, which will eventually be sent to the Newman Community at Virginia Tech and at St Mary’s in Blacksburg.

In this violent world of ours, we need to break the cycle of violence. One person who has dedicated much of her life to doing this is Sr Helen Prejean, who came to national prominence with the publishing of her book Dead Man Walking, chronicling her ministry with prisoners on Death Row. She has spoken out tirelessly against the inequities and injustices of how Capital Punishment is meted out in the U.S. judicial system. Sr Helen is coming back to Charlottesville and to St Thomas Aquinas this week and will give a public lecture here at the church this coming Thursday evening, April 26th at 7:30 PM. Sr Helen always draws large crowds, so make sure you come early to get a good seat.

fr Brian, OP

All of the names on our prayer list are now posted on the Milagros. If you would like to add or take off a name, please call the Parish Office.

Finances

Parish Center Debt Elimination Campaign

We welcome Parker James Kuznar who through Baptism was received into our faith community.

Parish Activities

Medjugorje Evening of Sharing: Please join the pilgrims who just returned from Medjugorje at the end of March as they share their experiences. We will meet at 6:30 PM this Sunday in the Community Room (lower level by the elevator), immediately following the 5:15 PM Mass. Refreshments will be served.

Movie Showing - Dead Man Walking: Tues, April 24, 7PM there will be a movie showing of Sr. Helen Prejean's movie Dead Man Walking, a film that looks at the death penalty. This event is taking place in the CSM Student Center and is open to EVERYONE.

Blood Drive - Give a little & Save a Life! Sun April 29, 8:30AM – 1PM in the St. Thomas CSM room. Sign ups in the Link April 21,22 & 28, or by e-mail at jpf3p@virginia.edu, phone 243-8801, or online at www.vadonor.com Sponsor code: aquinas. Walk-ins are always welcomed!

Habitat For Humanity: Our parish community is beginning a Habitat House this year. We are looking for volunteers who would be interested in
organizing the project. If interested, contact Mike at youth@cstone.net.

Are You in Need of a Babysitter? CSM will provide a responsible student. For info contact Katie Hildreth: kmh7f@virginia.edu. Families set the rates/hours.

Worship

Contact Marta - 293-8081x18 marta@stauva.org
Brian Sousa - 293-8081x19 music@stauva.org

Medjugorje Evening of Sharing: Please join the pilgrims who just returned from Medjugorje at the end of March as they share their experiences. We will meet at 6:30 PM this Sunday in the Community Room (lower level by the elevator), immediately following the 5:15 PM Mass. Refreshments will be served.

Movie Showing - Dead Man Walking: Tues, April 24, 7PM there will be a movie showing of Sr. Helen Prejean's movie Dead Man Walking, a film that looks at the death penalty. This event is taking place in the CSM Student Center and is open to EVERYONE.

24-Hour Eucharistic Adoration: Come Let Us Adore Him! Every Wednesday/Thursday in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel. If you are able to commit to an hour before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, contact Lori Donlon (293-3873/lorianned@gmail.com).

Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help: on Wednesday, after the 5:15 PM Mass. All are welcome.

Music Lessons: Anyone interested in taking piano, organ, or voice lessons is encouraged to contact Brian Sousa for more details.

Religious Education/Youth Ministry/Lifeteen

RE Contact Trish Madden – 293-8081 reled@stauva.org
YM Contact Mike School 293 8081x16 youth@stauva.org

www.st-thomas-aquinas.org/Youth..htm

Registration: EE, EDGE, LIFETEEN & Confirmation for 2007-08 will be held in St. Thomas Hall on April 22 from 9-11:30AM & after the 5:15PM Masses and April 29 after the 9,11:30 & 5:15 Masses.

Children’s Liturgy of the Word: for grades K-3 at 9 AM Sunday Mass.

1st Communion Parents: Correction from parent handout: Rehearsal for 1st Communion Liturgy will be Wed, May 2.

EE/EDGE/LT: Class April 22, last class April 29.

Summer Trips - SIGN UP NOW! LIFE TEEN Camp (Covecrest): June 25-30, Service trip to Cincinnati, Ohio: July 7-14, Steubenville Atlanta: July 19-22. Vacation Bible School & Middle School Camp - July 30-Aug. 3

Monday Night Live: April 23: Take a "Wii" break and hang out in the Youth Room. 7-9PM. April 16: Movie night, featuring "The Chronicles of Narnia." 6:30-9PM. April 30: Putt Putt Golf! (On Rio Rd.) 7-9PM. Bring $.

Cinco de Mayo Party: Sat, May 5, 7-9PM in the Youth Room.

Salvation Army: We need families to sign up to cook and serve dinner from 4-6 PM on the following dates: April 29, May 13 & June 10. If interested in helping contact Patty Wilson at Pwilson@aol.com.

Relay for Life: High School & Middle School youth are invited to join the St. Thomas team, May 12-13. Contact Nate: ngsmit@gmail.com.

Congratulations To Our Newly Confirmed: Mary Chiarella, Lauren Chilton, Lauren Colomb, James Connally, Dylan Cope, Colleen Cozart, Helen Cushman, Patrick Decker, Kevin Dubovsky, Melissa Estepp, Jericho Flores, Brendan Ford, Emily Fox, Meredith Gould, Abby Heider, Emma Hurd, Veronica Hylton, Cameron Johnson, Makenzie Johnson, Ian Lamb, Veronica Lowry, Joseph Malazita, Elizabeth Manzella, Isabelle Marshall, Scott Masselli, Jane Mattimoe, William Mattimoe, Andrew McCullough, Brian McEldowney, Mark McEldowney, Mac McGraw, Caroline Micciche, Robert Michel, Eleanor Gray Mullen, Cesley Musngi, Tara O'Donnell, Kristina Pietro, George Pisano, Christiana Quinn, Nick Ragosta, Bridget Reiser, Tyler Sawyer, Eric Schaefer, Margaret Scott, Nicholas Smith, Quin Sweeney, Erin Thorpe, Lindsay Veazey, Pia Vitales, Elisabeth Wagner, Alice Wright.

ADULT EDUCATION

Easter Vigil 2007, Congratulations to:

The Newly Baptized and Confirmed
Melisha Bissram, Leslie Johnson, Kenneth Sean Nitcher, Janet Norvelle
Lynn Sanders, Philip Whitman, Jr.

Those Received into Full Communion with the Catholic Church & Who Have Received Confirmation
Drew Chartrand, James Clark, Louisa Collier, Elizabeth Erickson, Clarence Lamar Garren, Wendy Hammond, David Keppel, Pamela Messina, Stephanie Miller, Laura Mitchell, Roger Mitchell, Ryan Rakness, Kimberly Reisinger, Jessie Grace Roberts, Kenneth Roberts, Martha Sanusi, Angela Smith, Janet Sturtevant, Sarah Tullo

Those Received into Full Communion with the Catholic Church
Marina Sanusi, Olivia Sanusi, Juliette Sanusi

Previously-Baptized Catholics Who Have Received Confirmation
Kevin Berents, Melissa Danberg, David Farmer, Sarah Isham, Nelson Rangel, Sally Stroiney-Russell

Interested in becoming Catholic? Know a non-Catholic who would be interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith? Contact Fr. Dominic (frdominic@stauva.org) for further information.

RCIA: Wed, April 25, 7:30 PM in St Thomas Hall. Topic: “Parish Life, Christian Service.”

Adult Confirmation: Are you baptized Catholic but never received the Sacrament of Confirmation? Contact Fr. Dominic (frdominic@stauva.org) for info. about confirmation for adults.

Catholicism 101: A study group on our Catechism with video presentations by Fr John Corapi, meets selected Saturdays at 10 AM in the Community Room. Next sessions will be "The Eucharist: Source and Summit" on 21 April and "The Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist" on 5 May. For info contact sackandpam@comcast.net.

Sr. Helen Prejean: will be speaking on the death penalty, at St. Thomas, in the church Thurs, April 26, 7:30 PM. Sr. Helen will be available after her talk to for a book signing.

Women's Little Rock Scripture Study: Please join us for prayer, study, discussion and fellowship as we take up a 4-week study of "Touching the Mysteries: Scripture and the Rosary". Sessions begins on Tues, April 24, 9-11 AM in the Community Room at St. Thomas. For info call Patty Gazewood 973-6802 or email gazewood@earthlink.net.

Justice & Peace
Contact Mary Kirwan-295-1885 W, 295-7950 H kirwanm@adelphia.net
Bridget Davis-964-1127 bnfdavis@cstone.net

Haiti: used soccer shoes (all sizes) and new socks are being collected. A collection box will be under the Haiti table until 4/22 & will be sent 4/28.

Haiti Challenge:As Fr. Brian announced on his return from Haiti, St. Michel's school now needs a bit over $5,000 to complete the project. Mark your contributions: "Haiti Challenge". Thank you very much for your love and generosity.

Haiti: Longaberger Basket/Product sale: Sat, April 28 & Sun, April 29 after Masses in St Thomas Hall. 70% of sales benefit St Michel’s in Haiti and 10% benefits an orphanage for the severely handicapped in Bosnia

Food Collection: Thank you very much for the donations to the Emergency Food Bank! During Lent St Thomas Aquinas donated over 150 bags of food! This month we will be having a grocery bag collection for Holy Comforter food pantry. See this week’s bulletin insert for details!

Books for Prisoners: We are continuing to collect magazines, dictionaries, religious material and good books of fiction for local and state prisons. Collection boxes are located in the Catholic Student Ministry Room. Thank you for your support!

Blind Parishioner Needs a Ride to Sunday Mass: Please call the parish office if you can help.

PRO-LIFE

Pray to End Abortion: in front of Planned Parenthood on Hydraulic Rd, Wed.-Sat., the days when abortions take place. Contact Nicole: nicole@verners.com or Scarlett at 296-8070.

Campus Ministry

UNDERGRADUATES(CSM)

Kevin Simowitz: kjs5e@virginia.edu
Fr. Luke Clark: lukeop2828@hotmail.com

See our website! For a calendar of all our upcoming events and info to contact Team members:, http://www.student.virginia.edu/~catholic/.

Tuesday Supper: Come join our free weekly dinner at 6:00 PM in St. Thomas Hall, whether you have ever been before or not! This is a great first time activity. Please e-mail Lauren at Laurenwalter@virginia.edu with any questions.

Fireside: Every week, we have a small student Mass in the Student Center on the first floor at St. Thomas. Please join us for a relaxed atmosphere for a personalized Mass at 9:00 PM on Thursday night.

YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY

A ministry for young professionals & graduate students ages 21-35 Contact: Rhoda Hernandez - rhodahernandez@gmail.com

Attention grad students and young adults: if you are interested in being more involved with YAM or added to the email list, please contact Rhoda.

Bible Study: Join us as we continue to study about the Acts of the Apostles on Thurs, April 26, from 6-7:30PM in the Community Room. We will not be meeting during Holy Week.

First-Sunday Lunch Out: After the 11:30AM Mass on Sun, May 6, we'll meet by the sacristy and head out to lunch at a nearby restaurant. Come on out and meet some folks in YAM!

Salvation Army Food Bank: Needs help organizing its food bank. Our group will go on Sat mornings,10:30-12:30; other times are also available. Contact Beth at eab7f@virginia.edu.

Charlottesville Catholic School

Phone: 964-0400. Web site at www.cvillecatholic.com

Community Meetings, Retreats, Etc.

Coordinator of Christian Formation:Incarnation, seeks a full-time Minister of Christian Formation Pre-K–10 Grade, including Adult Education & oversight of the Nursery/Childcare. Contact Church of the Incarnation for info.

CCS Gala Auction: Don't miss the fun & excitement of attending the CCS 11th Annual Gala Auction at JPJ Arena, Fri, April 27, 6:30 PM! The catalog & raffle tickets are now available online at cvillecatholic.org/auction. Share the fun by inviting friends, family, and co-workers to join you at the auction, or buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of the fabulous live auction items (you do not need to be present to win), or simply peruse our online catalog. Questions? Call CCS at 964-0400, or e-mail Thank you for supporting CCS and Catholic education!

CCS Golf Tournament: Registration forms for the Gene Corrigan Golf Tournament, May 7 at Spring Creek, are available in the Golf Tournament Registration section of the CCS website & in the CCS lobby. Team slots are filling quickly, so be sure to register as soon as possible ($800 per foursome). Sponsorship opportunities are available & many levels offer team entries. For info visit www.cvillecatholic.org or contact CCS at development@cvillecatholic.org, or 964-0400, ext. 301.

Dominican Retreat: April 27-29, in McLean, VA Topic: “The Cup of Life, Celebrating Singleness Retreat for Women”. For info Call Kerri 703-405-9666 or Dominican Retreat 703-356-4243.

American Cancer Society Women's Golf Challenge: teams forming now! Monday June 4th at Old Trail, $125.00 per person, includes fees, cart and meals. Contact the ACS Office, 978-7423 for details.

Pilgrimage to Italy: Sept 19-29, 2007. Visit Siena, Florence and Rome with Fr. Brian and fellow parishioners. $300.00 deposit due by June 15th. Detailed flyer in link. For info. or to register, contact Marta Brannon 293-8081x18 or marta@stauva.org

Office of Pastoral Planning: seeks a research analyst to be responsible for collecting, organizing and analyzing data for planning purposes and other materials and resources as needed in order to communicate with diocesan employees, pastors, and parishioners. The selected candidate must be a self-starter, be detail oriented, able to set priorities and meet deadlines, and have excellent oral and written communication skills. A Bachelor's Degree in Planning, Geography or a related field is required. Additional information on this position is available on the diocesan website (www.richmonddiocese.org). The closing date is April 30, 2007. Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest and diocesan application to dmahanes@richmonddiocese.org, or mail to D.G. Mahanes, Director of Human Resources, Catholic Diocese of Richmond, 811 Cathedral Place, Richmond, VA 23220.

Free Weekend Retreat for People Facing Serious Illness: for men & women at the Dominican Retreat House in McLean, VA, May 25-27. A team of doctors, nurses, priests, sisters & helpers will be present around the clock. This is a non-smoking weekend. Registration closes May 14. Call: 703-356-4243 or Doug Sebek:703-860-4929.

A 6-Day Pilgrimage to Mexico City: to celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe Anniversary “Queen of the Americas” is scheduled for Dec. 9-14. The cost is $1880 per person and is deluxe all- inclusive. Includes air from Dulles, Roanoke Richmond, Norfolk or Charleston, WV, three daily meals, All fees, airport taxes, guide, driver, and hotel gratuities, Travel Insurance. Sightseeing per itinerary in Private Motorcoach, Escorted English-Speaking guide, 5 Nights 5-star hotel, Entrance fees, and Local Taxes. Deposit $450 each, final payment Aug. 1, price Based on 2 per room and the Single Supplement is $399. For Reservations & brochures, contact John Tagnesi, Ph 1-888-544-4461 or email: jtag1964@verizon.net.

Readings for the Week of April 22, 2007