SISTERS OF ST. MARY OF OREGON JANUARY 7, 2017

After graduating from Oregon State University with my degree in Education, I entered the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon.  February 1980 was my entrance month.  One of the things that I found interesting was when a Sister would go through the dying process and pass away.  I have to be honest, I was uncomfortable with the idea of death in the early days of my religious life.  Thirty-seven years later, I am very comfortable with all aspects of the process and I understand clearly that we will all make that journey one day.

This morning, Sister Janice Boogard left us after a struggle with her health.  We all walked the journey with her, drove her to appointments, visited with her, prayed with her, and these past several nights, stayed at her bedside 24 hours per day until she made her way to our Lord this morning around 9:30am.

I heard a call over the intercom from Sr. Julie, our house superior, announcing that Sr. Janice had passed away.  Our tradition is to go to the room of the deceased and pray together with the body as the soul continues on the journey to God.  We gathered together and prayed the prayer of departure then sang together.  Each Sister says goodby as we prepare for the body to leave the convent and go to the mortuary where it is prepared for the funeral.

After you have lived several decades with a person there is a sorrow that accompanies the process even though you are happy they are free of the suffering they have endured. The feeling you have for their family members are deep as well as you have come to know them as a result of your association with the Sister and the families association with the community.  One of Sister Janice’s blood sisters was with her as she passed this morning which was very special.

I will write about her funeral next week.

CYO/CAMP HOWARD JANUARY 6, 2017–Cancelling games is one of the hardest things we do at CYO/Camp Howard in Portland, OR.  We know how much you want to play and we WANT YOU TO PLAY!  When the weather becomes a factor, and everyone is cancelling their activities, we take it all into consideration because ultimately, we want our players, coaches, officials and parents to be safe!

The athletic team here at CYO is working on contingency plans to help make up games where possible.  That is a gigantic effort which takes the participation of Athletic Directors, School facilities, coaches and team families to help make the games up.

In the meantime, be safe this weekend and we will see you at a gym near you very soon!

JANUARY 5, 2017–The power went out Wednesday night at 1:00 am.  The water was left dripping in key areas of the camp such as the faucet in the dining hall to keep the pipes from bursting.  Good news is that we use wersbo (flexible pipe) in some areas of the camp where pipes have a tendency to freeze.  If you look carefully at the photo below you will see it  is frozen water not running water.

The lumber has been ordered to fix St. John the Apostle.  After the snow and ice go away and it warms up a little bit, we will get started and make it better than new!

Stay warm!  Camp Brochures almost ready for 2017!

CYO NOV.19,2016 – The CYO Volleyball Championship weekend is upon us as teams prepare to battle it out on the courts all over the city for various division titles.  The CYO Championship SPIKE games will be held at Valley Catholic School beginning with third grade girls and the last games will finish in the early evening for 8th grade girls.  Stay tuned for team scores and photos as we get ready to play some CYO Volleyball! 

The 100 Foot SLIP and SLIDE was replaced session 5 NOT the Zip Line! 🙂

SPECTACULAR!  Another great camping season is in the books!  “Change” was the theme of the 2016 season and there was a lot of it.  A big Swing and zip line was added for the older kids.  Laser tag was a new program for 11 year olds and up.  A Cougar Award was handed out to a camper in every cabin every week!  No exceptions!  Programming was changed to allow for two choices per session.  FOB was moved to the afternoon when the kids are really tired instead of after lunch.  Tshirt sales were through the roof with the new cougar design.  The 100 foot SLIP AND SLIDE had to be replaced during session 5 due to the use it got!  Awesome!  Family Camp sold out and was a blast with Jason Kidd, Jolie Abraham Phanton and Heather Wycoff!  Fishing Camp practically fished the pond empty!  Lots of trout was eaten during the summer by avid fisherkids!

Stay tuned for a series of articles which will go into various aspects of the completed season!  Thanks for watching!

Valley Catholic and St. Anthony played a very enjoyable game for the CYO 2016 8th Grade Boys Basketball Title.  Valley Catholic ended the third quarter with a 16 point lead.  By the end of the game there was a four point difference and a lot of excitement and turmoil depending on which team you were following at any given moment!

With 25 seconds left in the game, it could have gone either direction as St. Anthony crept within 3.  Andy Alfieri sunk 2 crucial shots under pressure to put the Valiants ahead 52 to 46.  He added two more points immediately on another foul by St. Anthony.

FINAL: 54 – 49 Valley Catholic

Valley Catholic 8th Grade Boys win the CYO City Basketball Title March 13, 2016.

St. Anthony takes Second Place in the CYO 8th Grade Boys BXB Championship.

The Holy Trinity vs St. Anthony 7th Grade Boys basketball game began with a lot of back and forth action and several lead changes.

The Holy Trinity Fan Club is a force to be reckoned with!  A sea of Red, clever signs with slogans and commitment to their teams!  They are a presence and are commended for their spirit!

The spirit of the Holy Trinity Fan club was lit at the end of the third and beginning of fourth quarters in the game when #1, James Lang lead a scoring charge.  Number 24, Charles Pickard was a force through out the game, able to score from  anywhere near the basket whenever the ball was fed to him.

Lots of talent on both teams! A great game to watch.

FINAL: 46-26 Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity 7th Grade Boys win their third CYO Championship Title in three years. March 13, 2016

St. Anthony places second in the CYO City Basketball Championship March 13, 2016.

Holy Trinity Fan Club