Parish News  

Parish Retreat March 11-13, 2010 

The 2010 OLPH Lenten Retreat for the Parish will be held March 11-13. The theme is "Called by God, Equipped by Christ." The deadline to register is Friday, March 5. Please see here for more information and a registration form.

Lent and Triduum 2010 Schedule

Marriage Retreat in March 2010

For information and registration forms for the Joy-Filled Marriage retreat at OLPH on March 20, 2010, click here  

Aid for Haiti through Catholic Relief Services

The Catholic community in the United States is responding immediately to the people of the Haiti where a massive earthquake struck near the capital of Port-au-Prince on January 12. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and was still recovering from deadly 2008 hurricanes when the quake struck. It is difficult to absorb the misery and devastation they are experiencing at this moment. The Catholic community in the United States is reaching out to our brothers and sisters in Haiti in significant and immediate ways. Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, is mounting a major emergency response to this disaster and has made an initial commitment of 30 million dollars for immediate use in the relief effort. Please keep those who are suffering in your prayers.

In conjunction with CRS, all parishes in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis will be taking up a second collection to support the people of Haiti. The collection at Our Lady of Perpetual Help will be taken at all Masses on January 23 and 24. Checks can be made payable to OLPH, then the parish will write one check for the total amount collected. 100% of the money collected will go directly to CRS. Archbishop Daniel has asked that a portion of the money collected in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis be directed toward the rebuilding of the Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and the seminaries of the country, all of which were destroyed in the earthquake. Donations can also be made through the Catholic Relief Services website.

Congratulations, Bishop Paul Etienne!

Over forty members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church traveled with Fr. Eric to Cheyenne, Wyoming, for the ordination and installation of their former pastor as Bishop of Cheyenne. Pictures from the Ordination Mass can be found at here  and here.  More pictures and articles will be posted as they become available.

Funeral Liturgy Planning Information

The funeral liturgy is an opportunity to commend a person's life to God, to comfort family and friends, and to celebrate our belief in resurrection and our hope for eternal life. At the time of death, family members are often faced with making many decisions while also trying to grieve and spend time with one another. Making your own funeral plans in advance allows you to select readings and songs that are meaningful to you and also takes some of the pressure away from family members at the time of death. To assist you in making plans for a funeral liturgy, a planning form has been developed as well as a list of suggested readings and music. These forms may be used in conjunction with preplanning that is done with a funeral home. One of the most important steps in setting forth your wishes for your funeral liturgy is making sure people know that these plans exist and where they can be found. For more information or assistance in filling out the planning forms, please call the parish office. The funeral liturgy planning forms can be found here. 

"How does one become Catholic?"

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church offers a very fine process of helping those who are not Catholic to learn and discern if the Catholic faith is what they seek and want. The process is called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and is a school year model of formation meeting weekly from September thru April, with the Easter vigil being the norm for joining the Church. The RCIA incorporates adult learning principles and invites participants to listen to the Catholic Church "Faith Story" and compare/contrast it to their own life experience. A calendar with dates and topics are available upon request for you to look at.

Flexible options may be available for previously baptized inquirers who have been married to a Catholic spouse or raised their children in the Catholic faith for several years. What are you waiting for? Give us a call and tell us your story today.

If you are interested in the RCIA, please call the Parish Office at (812)-945-2374. You may also contact us by email: tyost@olphna.org. We look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions you may have.

Read our Parish Newsletter, Perpetual Motion, on our Parish Bulletin Page

Check out the following information about our Parish:

Scroll down for more information on events and activities happening in our parish.

Parish E-mail Distribution Lists:

Through our internet and e-mail service, OLPH has the capability of using a Listserv to develop e-mail distribution lists, and this spring our Pastoral Council adopted a policy to lay out how to best utilize this means of communication. These lists will allow us to easily and quickly send out information on certain topics to everyone interested in that ministry. Because we want to respect the privacy and wishes of our parishioners concerning what type of information they would like to receive, we have developed a common form as a way to receive e-mail addresses as well as the consent to use these e-mail addresses for church communications. This initial group of e-mail distribution lists includes a

More lists may be added as parish groups express interest in using this form of communication. If you are involved in any of these ministries, or even if you would just like information about what is going on in these ministries, please download the Parish E-mail List form, complete it, and return it to the parish office.

Are you or someone you know interested in becoming Catholic?

The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is the norm for people inquiring about becoming Catholic. The RCIA incorporates adult learning principles and invites participants to listen to the Catholic Church’s “faith story” and compare it to their own life experience. Topics covered include a tour of our worship space, the Mass, Catholic prayer, Mary & the rosary, reading & interpretation of scripture, eternal life, the saints, structure & organization of Church, Jesus Christ, the Seven Sacraments, Lent, and the RCIA Rites appropriate for Lent. The RCIA will meet weekly on Wednesday evenings beginning September 9, 2009 and ending April 28, 2010. Candidates will enter the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil (April 3, 2010). An interview with the RCIA coordinator is required prior to participation. Please call Tom Yost at 945-2374 to schedule your interview.   

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Check out the latest National and World news from a Catholic perspective on the Catholic News Service.

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Capital Campaign Follow-up 2007-2010

Legacy for Our Mission Capital Campaign:
For Our Children and the Future 

In the Spring of 2007, Our Lady of Perpetual Help conducted a capital campaign to benefit the mission and ministry of our Archdiocese and our local parish. The campaign is quite successful and we are very grateful to all who are making contributions. Our current pledge total is $1,183,903. Thank you!  

If you are new to the parish, we invite you to learn about our parish mission and ministries and how this capital campaign is helping us accomplish our mission. If you are still considering making a pledge, it is not to late and we could still use your help. Either way, please call the parish office so we may answer your questions and assist you. This capital campaign encompasses a three year period beginning the Spring of 2007. 

You can learn more about our capital campaign by checking out our original case statement on this website. You can also learn about the progress we are making through regular announcements in our church bulletin, school newsletter, parish newsletter, and displays in our church and school pedway entrance.

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Capital Campaign Case Statement 2007–2010

Our Lady of Perpetual help Church has been a vital Catholic Community in northeast New Albanysince 1950. Our purpose and mission throughout our history has been to nurture a faith-filled community, which inspires and empowers all people to follow Jesus Christ. We strive to carry out our mission by living the Gospel, celebrating meaningful worship, and calling one another to prayer, Christian service, and fellowship.

Our charter members and families that followed in those early years of parish life made many sacrifices and laid a firm foundation that all of us enjoy today. They began our CatholicSchoolwhich has provided a quality faith-filled education to thousands of students for over fifty years. They built the present church and Wagner Hall that has gathered thousands of people for meaningful worship and community fellowship for almost forty years. Because of their initial gratitude and generous contributions, we are all inspired and empowered  to follow Jesus Christ today.

Ten years ago our parish met the need to expand our school by building a new gymnasium, adding new classrooms, upgrading our library and technology learning centers, and renovating the kitchen and cafeteria. Less than five years ago our school completed another much needed renovation to the old wings that included new air handling system, new plumbing, electrical upgrade, window replacement, and various other improvements. Because of our on-going gratitude and generous contributions, our children have a better environment to be inspired and empowered to follow Jesus Christ.

Our present church building and Wagner hall have had relatively little done to them these past forty years except regular maintenance and the addition of air conditioning. Our church and Wagner Hall are primary places where we fulfill our mission to celebrate meaningful worship and call one another to prayer and fellowship. It is time to give these areas much needed attention.

The priority repairs and improvements for our church and worship space include:

 The priority repairs and improvements for Wagner Hall and our fellowship space include:

Other important upgrades to our parish facility that need attention include:

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Legacy for Our Mission Capital Campaign: December 2009 Update

In the Spring of 2007, Our Lady of Perpetual Help conducted a capital campaign to benefit the mission and ministry of our Archdiocese and our local parish. The campaign is quite successful and we are very grateful to all who are making contributions. As of November 30, 2009: total pledged: $1,178,158.93 and total received: $907,903.26.

Projects completed so far through the campaign our a new sound system in church, new computers in our school and parish offices, a new faculty restroom, upgrades to Wagner Hall and its kitchen, repair of the Church Bells, replacement of the church skylights, renovations to the church vestibule, a new handicapped-accessible restroom in the church, and new church doors. The final project to be completed in 2010 is renovations to the music area in the church.

If you are new to the parish, we invite you to learn about our parish mission and ministries and how this capital campaign is helping us accomplish our mission. If you are still considering making a pledge, it is not to late and we could still use your help. Either way, please call the parish office so we may answer your questions and assist you. This capital campaign encompasses a three year period beginning the Spring of 2007.

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