Catholic Prayer Service

Church calendar: June 24, 2011

A service celebrating New Zion Baptist Church’s 65th anniversary is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at the church, 263 Grand Caillou Road, Houma.

An annual men and women’s day program is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Mark Baptist Church, 106 La. 1014, Napoleonville. The event’s guest speakers will be the Rev. Gregory Andrews of New St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church of Schriever and Denise H. Roberts of New Belmont Baptist Church in Labadieville.

A vacation Bible school for kids 6 to 12 is scheduled from Thursday-July 2 at Vision Christian Center, 4467 La. 24, Bourg. For information, call 594-8888 or visit vcc4square.org. To register online, visit groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/vcc4square.

A youth revival is set for 7 p.m. July 1 and 2 at 5741 Grand Caillou Road, Dulac. Tommy Dardar will lead the revival geared toward children 12 and up.

A Woman of God gathering is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 7 at the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux’s Pastoral Center, 2779 La. 311, Schriever. The event is free, but offerings will be accepted to help offset the costs.

David Thies and the Society of Adventures will perform a concert at 7 p.m. July 8 at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 204 Madewood Drive, Thibodaux. Thies is a musician and folk storyteller.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Montegut is holding a truck raffle. The raffle is for a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500ST Quad Cab 4x2 with a V-8 engine. The winner will be drawn at noon July 10 on the church grounds, 1113 La. 55. The truck value is $27,890. Tickets cost $100 and can be purchased through the church office at 594-5856. Winner need not be present. For information or if you would like to make a donation to the church fundraiser, contact the church office.

A special women’s day is scheduled for 2 p.m. July 10 at New Zion Baptist Church, 263 Grand Caillou Road, Houma. The guest speaker is Anita Haston.

A women’s retreat sponsored by Tabernacle of Love Church’s Women Walking in the Spirit of Love and Unity Ministry is scheduled for July at Lumen Christi Retreat Center, 100 Lumen Christi Court, Schriever. Registration costs $20. The retreat costs $133.50 per person. For information, call the church at 446-7770.

The drawing for the Genevieve Foundation’s St. Genevieve Catholic Church $100 per ticket Dream Home Raffle is Aug. 18. The three-bedroom, 2-1/2-bath home being raffled is located in Acadia Plantation subdivision, 128 Rue Celeste, Thibodaux. The Rev. Dean Danos, pastor of St. Genevieve, said the benefit is to reduce the church’s debt. Les Gomez of Gomez Design Group designed the home, Jarod Land Development Company donated the lot and Chris Ledet Homes, Ltd. provided the construction of the home. The drawing will take place at 3 p.m. and winner need not be present. The complete terms and conditions of the raffle can be found at www.thegenevievefoundation.org . Tickets can be purchased at St. Genevieve’s office, 815 Barbier Ave., Thibodaux, Community Bank, 200 E. Bayou Road, Thibodaux or Cherry Books, 1054 Canal Blvd., Thibodaux.

Bible study, prayer group help U.S. soccer ... - The Catholic Spirit

When the No. 1-ranked U.S. women’s soccer team goes on the road, members have multiple training sessions, physical therapy, media events and team meetings, but midfielder Heather O’Reilly still finds time for Bible study.

O’Reilly participates in a Bible study and prayer group with some of the women on her team and told Catholic News Service, “You find a lot of bonds that way.”

“It lets you connect on a different level because you see how it [faith] affects their everyday life in soccer,” O’Reilly told CNS in a telephone interview June 9, days before leaving for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany.

“After games or before games, some of the girls get together and pray. It brings people together. We share such a love of soccer, but also God and Jesus,” she said.

At only 26, O’Reilly already boasts an impressive record in the women’s soccer world. She was part of the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal team, played on the 2004 Olympic team and is one of the fastest players on the national team. With 29 career goals, she is the 14th all-time female goal scorer in U.S. history. In the beginning of 2011, she broke the U.S. Soccer women’s record for consecutive games played, at 63.

A former altar server

The former altar server at St. Bartholomew Parish in East Brunswick, N.J., will be playing in her second FIFA Women’s World Cup when the United States meets North Korea in Dresden, Germany, June 28.

Growing up in a Catholic family, O’Reilly attended St. Bartholomew School, East Brunswick High School and later the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied education.

O’Reilly told CNS that her Catholic faith taught her to always strive to be a good teammate.

“Even at the highest level, it’s important to be able to relate and connect with everyone on your team. You know, treat others as you want to be treated,” she said.

O’Reilly said she plans to spend some of her downtime between matches finalizing her wedding plans. “There are always details to smooth over,” she said lightheartedly.

She will marry Dave Werry during an Oct. 1 Mass at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill. The two met during their time as undergraduates at the University of North Carolina and the couple completed marriage preparation classes near where they live in New York City.

Gearing up for a game

O’Reilly said the biggest challenge for her during this World Cup will be to really want the ball at all times.

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