Parish News  

1st Annual FCC Football Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser!
August 1st, 2010 - 8:00 AM until 12:30 PM
OLPH School Cafeteria

FCC ¾ Parents,

We had a better than expected turnout for the 5/6 grade equipment handout. This is obviously a good news / bad news situation. We are now up to 20 players on the 3/4 grade FCC football roster. We have enough equipment to fit roughly 8 kids. If we can get another 8 or so outfits from St. Anthony's we will be getting close to reaching our goal. With such a late start there was nothing budgeted in either the OLPH nor the Holy Family Athletic Budget for a 3/4 grade team. We would definitely like to make this a permanent team which will take some investment.

When it comes to football I truly believe if there is a will there is always a way. In addition to the $50 participation fee, I would like to offer you the opportunity to participate in our pancake breakfast fund raiser this Sunday at OLPH. This is a 1st time fundraiser created for the 5/6 FCC Football team to help us cover our costs. But, if you would be willing print the attached coupons and sell all that you can, including to yourselves, we will earmark $4.00 out of every $5.00 ticket you sell to go towards the 3/4 grade program. The other $1.00 must go to cover the cost of the pancakes. This model is patterned off of the Applebee's program that most people are familiar with.

I would like for a ¾ grade parent to help me collect the money from the other ¾ grade parents. This is an excellent opportunity for this team to begin generating funds for its own program. Please keep in mind that the breakfast is this Sunday at OLPH. If we could get someone to call each Parish and ask for them to make an announcement, we may be able to pick up some walk in business.

Again, please print the attachment, cut the coupons out, sell the coupons and then repeat. Call all family members and invite them to come. I will need to get some idea of how many to expect by July 30, 2010.
Sincerely,

Greg Hublar
Head Coach, FCC 5th & 6th

 Main Event News

Summer Events For Children And Youth

Click on the links below for information about events for summer 2010

 2010 OLPH Walking Challenge

Walking is good for the body and soul! OLPH announces our 2010 Walking Challenge to take place during the month of May. Click here to view a flyer with detailed information about this year's challenge.

Calendar of Upcoming Events

2010 Adult Faith Formation Summer Intensive: Church History - From Pentecost to the Great Schism

On 10 Wednesday evenings this summer, join Fr. Eric Augenstein for an introductory course to the history of the Catholic Church. Each week's topic covers a major era in the first 1000 years of the history of the Church. The sessions are designed to stand independently - so if you cannot make all of the sessions due to vacations or other commitments, you can still come to as many as possible. The sessions will be held in Wagner Hall, the church basement, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, according to this schedule:

Click on each date to download Fr. Eric's notes for that week

For a complete, regularly updated parish calendar, click on the Parish Calendar tab at the top of the 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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