Friday, September 3rd

Work started on Friday afternoon about 4 pm removing the three Crape Myrtle trees, cutting off the tops, sectioning them into pieces and placing them into a dump truck on loan from Mr. Randy Guy. The stumps were left to be removed on Saturday. Work on the three trees was completed in approximately 3 hours by 6 people.

Saturday, September 4th

On Saturday work began our workday at 8 am by removing the existing sod and the tree stumps, excavating the dirt in the walkways and patio area, setting in half of the barrier edging, and applying/tamping the first layer in the crushed rock. Work was completed by 5:30 pm by 8 people throughout the day.

Sunday, September 5th

On Sunday work began our day at 12pm by finishing the extra layers of crushed rock, applying the remaining barrier edging, and laying in some of the screeding sand. Work was completed by 5:30 pm by 7 people throughout the afternoon.

Monday, September 6th

On Monday work began at 8 am by laying the remaining sand, screeding the sand and laying the walkway and patio pavers. Work was completed by 5:30 pm by 10 people throughout the day.

12►

The 3rd Annual “Friends of the Poor” will take place on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 9am at Father Andrew White School in Leonardtown, MD rain or shine.

You can register on-line or the day of the race starting at 7:30am.

The Walk for the Poor began in 2008. Since 2008, the Southern Maryland District has raised over $36,000 from the walk. All money raised is used locally in direct service for people in need.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society assists people in need with food, utilities, rent, mortgage assistance, and medicine.

Please walk with us on September 18th, your participation will make a difference.

For more information visit http://www.walkforthepoor.com.

How To Volunteer
To volunteer, please contact Dakota Allen in advance by leaving a message at 301-997-0014 or via email. Pleas include your name and telephone number. Dakota will have daily limits and will respond asap.

Water and lunches will be provided for volunteers on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Volunteers should wear sturdy shoes or boots, old clothes and work gloves. A water bottle that can be refilled would be great too.

Any tools or equipment brought to the site should be marked with the families name.

Work Schedule
Work will begin this Friday, September 3rd, cutting down the three Crape Myrtle trees, sectioning them into smaller pieces which will then be loaded into a truck for hauling away. We are in need of another 4-5 men who own chain saws and other cutting devices (hand saws, pruning shears, etc) to assist on Friday. Younger helpers can assist in breaking down the branches into smaller pieces. We expect to be at the site beginning mid afternoon at the latest (3-4pm), working until completion.

On Saturday, September 4th, we plan to arrive on the site at 7:30 am to brief the plans for the day (once everyone is in attendance) then begin removing the sod in the garden area, and to prepare the site for the inbound base material, delivered by dump trucks. We will need a dozen workers with wheel barrels, shovels, iron rakes, and a few picks (throughout the day). The plan is to work Saturday (7:30am-5pm), Sunday (12:00pm-5pm) and Monday (TBD) setting the grade, laying the different base material, and preparing the patio for laying the pavers. We will do our best to keep all interested parties desiring to help up to date as much as possible.

Other general areas where we could use help are; individuals to run our first aid station for minor injuries (blisters, cuts and scratches), individuals to run a cleanup station (disinfectant wipes, paper towels and hand cleanser), and those who could help in preparing the sandwiches at lunchtime. Suggestions are welcome and encouraged.

Thanks for your support.

Work on the Marian Prayer Garden has begun. On the 25th Of August, Dakota Allen met with Mr. Mike Combs to work at laying out the perimeter markings for the garden. On the 31st, he met with Mr. Combs again to set the elevation for the garden. Below are some pictures.

Work on the Summer Appeal/Eagle Scout Marian Prayer Garden project will begin on Saturday, September 4th. A tentative work schedule is posted below. There will be weekly announcements both at Church and on this web site soliciting for volunteers, tools and equipment needed to complete the planned work and any weather cancellations if necessary.

For more information or to volunteer contact Dakota Allen at 301-997-0014. If unavailable to answer, please leave a message with your name, telephone number and availability for the next day.

IMPORTANT: Dakota asks that anyone wanting to assist PLEASE call the evening prior before showing up at the job site the next day unannounced.

There will be daily limits as to how many workers are needed, recommended ages of each worker (based on the tasks for the day), and certain amounts of food and water available each day. Suggested tools & equipment will also be listed as well for each day. If the maximum number of people is reached, we ask that everyone understand its for safety sake.

Thanks for your support.

Schedule:

Saturday, September 4, 8am-5pm
Sunday, September 5, 12pm-5pm
Monday, September 6, 8am-5pm (Labor Day)

Saturday, September 11, 8am-5pm
Sunday, September 12, 12pm-5pm

Saturday, September 18, 8am-5pm
Sunday, September 19, 3pm-5pm

Saturday, September 25, 8am-5pm
Sunday, September 26, 12pm-5pm

Saturday, October 2, 8am-5pm
Sunday, October 3, 12pm-5pm

The Southern Maryland Community Gospel Choir will perform its “Praise Is What We Do!” Concert at St. Aloysius on Sunday August 29th at 3:00 p.m. All are invited to attend this free concert.

The SMCGC is a non denominational gospel choir whose members include parishioners Redmond and Dionne Saul. This concert assists in fulfilling the choir’s mission to glorify and praise God through music. Newcomers are always welcome to attend practice on Monday nights at 7:00 pm here at St. Aloysius.

Small Group Bible Studies will be resuming in the fall, and now is the time to sign up. The following are scheduled:

The Great Adventure Bible Timeline: The Story of Salvation
Wednesdays, 7 – 9 PM, beginning 9/8, at the home of Ceci Price (301-475-2265)

The Gospel of Matthew: The King and His Kingdom
Sundays, 9:15 to 10:30 AM, beginning 9/19, in FAW Library (contact Ceci Price)

The Gospel of Matthew: The King and His Kingdom
Thursdays, 1:00 to 2:30 PM, beginning 9/16, in Rectory (contact Leonard Wathen)

That Man is You! The Revelation of the Father (Men’s Bible Study)
Thursdays, 6:30 to 7:30 AM, beginning 9/16, in KofC Hall (contact Leonard Wathen)

Singers, musicians and accompanists needed! We are seeking vocalists, drummers, bass guitarists and guitar players, piano players, organists and more. There is a role for all interested in encouraging the assembly’s song!

Thank you to all the cantors, psalmists and accompanists who have led us this year and this summer. More help is needed – please consider serving in these very important ministries!

Grateful Hearts, the adult choir, will come together in song after a summer break. Interested vocalists and musicians can join for a season, or for the year. Save the date: Wednesday, August 25, from 7:30-9:00 PM in the church for the first rehearsal.

Spirit Singers, grades 3-8, invites new members! Save the dates: Thursday, August 26 or Friday, August 27 in the church for auditions. First rehearsal will be Wednesday, September 1, 4:00-5:00 PM.

Cross Generation, for high school music leaders, will begin rehearsals in September.

For inquiries, to join a choir, or to serve as a cantor, psalmists, accompanist or instrumentalist, please email Abby Sweeney, Director of Music Ministries.

Hello, my name is Dakota Allen and some of you may know me here at St. Aloysius as a Youth Lector and Altar Server. I am also a Boy Scout in Troop 561 and I am on the verge of attaining the rank Eagle Scout, which is the highest rank in boy scouting. This has been a goal of mine for many years. My final step towards the rank is to complete an Eagle Service Project. An Eagle Service Project is a voluntary act of service intended to benefit an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America through a scout’s leadership ability.

For my project I have been planning for some time now with Fr. John in building a Marian prayer garden in between the Rectory and St. Aloysius. I have provided a drawing of the garden in the Church vestibule for your viewing. This prayer garden will be a quiet place for you, the parishioners, to come and pray alone or in small numbers. It will also be a quiet place to just relax from the stresses of life. The garden can also be a concluding place for a wedding. In addition, it will be a new home for our Blessed Virgin Mary statue which currently is in need of restoration. The garden will also honor our past for the 300th anniversary and will show our continued devotion to the mother of God. The landscaping includes many types of plants such as Knockout Roses, American Boxwoods, English Dwarf Boxwoods, 3 new Crape myrtle trees, Burning Bushes, and Variegated Liriopes. The garden will also have beautiful hardscape such as Desert gold slate and Cambridge cobble pavers in the form of a Celtic cross. In addition, the garden will include two teak benches at the front of the garden.

Prior to building any project, a scout is required to raise the necessary funds. The price of my project for St. Aloysius is estimated at $15,000, so I am asking for a lot of help. I am asking for your donations through the 2010 Summer Appeal which starts this weekend. This will help defer the costs greatly. Please donate what you can.

Next to the sketch of the garden in the vestibule will be a “fundraising thermometer” that will show how much money is raised so far as we strive to reach our parish goal. I will also be doing separate fundraisers to raise any additional funds not raised through the Summer Appeal. Your fundraising suggestions are welcomed.

One final item I would like to ask is for any parishioners who have experience in the fields of Landscaping, cement/concrete restoration, detail painting for the Blessed Virgin Mary statue, and possible access to heavy equipment and/or those who could donate some of their time to please stop by and see me after Mass. Flyers will be upcoming in future bulletins with this information as a reminder. I will be out front to answer any questions you may have. Let’s work together in bringing a beautiful garden to our parish. Thank you for your time and May God bless you.

On the 3rd Sunday of every month members of the parish’s St. Vincent de Paul Society stand at the doors of the church after all Masses collecting donations for our twinning or sister parish, Holy Cross Church, Botswana.

Here are some photos and correspondence from Botswana updating their progress: