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"Good News" LETTER "WINTER", SCHOOL YEAR 2004-2005 ISSUE NO. 2
Newsletter brought to you by BOTCE; Board of Total Catholic Education. Articles or ideas for articles should be submitted to the EDITOR; |
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WELCOME TEACHERS' BABIES! 
Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Dee on the birth of your little daughter, Madelyn. Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Verst on the birth of their little baby girl, Patricia. Enjoy your time off with your new little ones. We look forward to your return.
5th & 6th GRADE REPORTS |
them as Jon's mother that Jon will be preparing to depart from Iraq by the time they sent the packages so they were kind enough to send the boxes of things to AJ Besik, the boyfriend of Karen Geiger - (Jon's sister) AJ is a Captain in the Army. Captain Besik just started his tour of duty for one year in Iraq and he comes from a small family so he will enjoy getting packages and letters. Thank you to all whom participated in the endeavor and for the many prayers for my son and his cousin Adam Klein. Please continue to pray for our soldiers and the people of Iraq.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK "FAITH IN EVERY STUDENT" January 31 to Feb 4. Sunday - Students thank parish at Mass. Monday - Students write letters thanking Parents for Catholic Education Opening Mass- teachers do everything. Mass at the Cathedral grade 8 Tuesday - Student Appreciation Out of uniform No homework. Computer fun, Hug coupons bingo at 2:15 Students were treated to a movie and a snack. Wednesday - Grandparent's Day mass OJ and donuts and coffee after Mass Thursday - Cafeteria staff, Secretary and Volunteer Appreciation Day. Friday - Teacher Appreciation Day; Main event is always the Students' Mass for teachers. There were donuts & special lunch for teachers from parents. LENTEN CHRISTMAS TREE? 
For anyone who has walked into the school recently and seen a Christmas tree, you are not seeing things. The objects dangling from the tree are not cigarettes, ornaments, nor even garbage as some adults have suggested.
They are cocoons. The children have wrapped up their Lenten sacrifice intentions on paper and wrapped them with string to make a cocoon. They will anxiously await Easter Morning when their hard work will Spring into love and burst into butterflies. |
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MRS. CUMMINS' CLASS By: Mrs. Cummins First and Second Graders have been hard at work this year improving their reading, manipulating numbers, and studying culture, communities, and even dinosaurs. Recently our class created two life-size models of dinosaurs. Students learned how to determine what dinosaurs ate and how paleontologists know what dinosaurs looked like. We are currently studying the life of Jesus and each student 
will be uniquely presenting these stories to the class through puppet shows, storyboards, songs, and dramatic performances.
Second graders are also hard at work preparing for First Communion, which will be on April 24th at 11:00 am Mass. We have a wonderful group of students this year and the Parish can be proud of them all! ESSAY CONTEST Several of our students entered The Cincinnati Post's "Dear Mr. President" Essay Contest this January advising the President as to what his most important agenda item should be as he began his second term in office. Fourth grader, Megan Cummins, placed second and won a $200 savings bond. SERRA AWARD By: Pam Wagner The Serra Award is an honor bestowed upon seventh grade servers from the Northern Kentucky area. This year we have five seventh grade student receiving this prestigious award. The Serra Award is received when seventh grade students have met certain criteria as servers. This criteria includes: fully learning the duties of preparing the altar and assisting at Mass; faithfully serving when scheduled to; and displaying exemplary personal conduct at the altar. The seventh grade servers who will be receiving the award are: Nathan Brugger, John Cooper, Jack Fessler, Miranda Lucas and Chelsea Schultz. Our seventh grade servers, who are being honored, will receive their award on March 15, 2005, at a ceremony held at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in |
Covington. The ceremony will be followed by a reception at Howard Hall. Their parents and families may proudly accompany servers. Congratulations to all of this year Serra Award recipients.
Thank your for your dedication, we appreciate you! SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADERS PARTICIPATE IN EXTRA SCHOOL EVENTS By: Christina Verst A number of students from the Seventh and Eighth Grades either have or are participating in academic events outside of school. Representing St. Philip at the Northern Kentucky Spelling Bee held February 17th was Aaron Dennis. On February 19 students Karah Webster, Julie Gieger, Nathan Brugger, Aaron Dennis, Tony Woeste and Jack Fessler participated in the National Society of Professional Engineers MathCounts Program John Cooper also prepared for the competition but was unable to attend. They were coached by Mike Feinauer. Sister Dolores filled in for Mike on competition day. The select students participated in these events: Diocesan Competition, National Reader's Digest Word Challenge, Creating Leadership Conference and Washington National Young Leaders Conference. The students have spent hours of their own time outside of school preparing for their participation in these events. They are to be commended for their extra effort. YEARBOOK NEWS By Mrs. Cummins The work on St. Philip School's first yearbook is progressing nicely. The book's title is Finding Our Way, which seemed most appropriate being the first year. Again, if anyone has photos they would like to contribute please send them into school for Mrs. Cummins. The cost of the yearbook will be $10 per book and we will begin taking orders later this spring. The delivery date for the yearbooks is in August so that we could be sure to include First Communion, Field Day, and Graduation pictures. OUR TRIP TO WASHINGTON, D.C.. By: Nathan Brugger On March 4, 2005 John Cooper and I, Nathan Brugger left for our great adventure. |
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John and I were chosen from the 7th grade class to attend the National Young Leaders Conference. We hoped to have fun, explore D.C. and develop our leadership skills. At 6:00 AM we loaded our bags into Mr. & Mrs. Cooper's car. We drove for 9 hours before reaching our destination, Washington D.C. On the eve of the 4th of March, we stayed at a Holiday Inn in Bethesida, MD.
The conference we signed up for was held from March 5th until March 10th. There were 10 different weeks the conference was offered. This week alone, there were 200 students from all over the country in attendance. We met and made a lot of new friends. We stayed at the 4-H center in Chevy Chase, MD. Each room had 2 bunk beds. There were 4 students to a room. My roommates were from Pennsylvania, Texas, and Illinois. Randomly we were each assigned to a particular group based on a specific leadership trait. For example, I was in the problem-solving group. John was in the character group. There were two such groups for each trait. Throughout the week we focused on a period in history. We had the WWII and the Great Depression eras. John's group focused on Colonial America. Throughout the week we visited sites, some 6 of which pertained to our particular time period. At the Smithsonian Museum our group visited the WWII area and the Great Depression. By Wednesday, each group was asked to put on a skit that focused on the period of history that they had been studying throughout the week. As a whole we visited the following: the Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Smithsonian Museum, the Capital Building, Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, and the Maryland Science Museum. In the Capital Building, there was a panel of people we could ask questions about law and government. These panelists worked as Legislative Directors, Legislative Correspondents, and Legislative Assistants. In the afternoon Wednesday, an alumni from the conference, Emily Saras, spoke to us as a group. She is 16 years old, and from Hopedale, Mass. She shared her views on leadership and her experiences in high school as class president. Later on Wednesday we went out to eat at the Hard Rock Cafè on our way to the Maryland Science Museum, where we spent the night. We used our sleeping bags that night. We visited the Planetarium and saw an I-Max entitled The Shackleton's Adventure. Shackleton and his crew attempted to cross Antarctica on foot for the first time in the late 1800's. So, what did we learn about leadership? We learned teamwork, patience, courage, tolerance, reliability, perseverance, and more. We learned that to be a good leader you must have a firm voice, one that is willing to take risks. We learned the need to set goals. Would we recommend this conference to future nominees? You bet. For those wondering if we got homesick, I know my mom would want me to say yes. |
But the truth is, we kept so busy we had little time to get homesick. I forgot to mention the we were not allowed to see our parents all week except Tuesday night when we had dinner with Mr. & Mrs. Cooper, who stayed in D.C. all week on their own vacation. Thanks to the teachers who nominated us and for the PTC support as well. We hope that what we learned will not only help us in our education and future. But we hope to be able to pass some of our knowledge and experience onto the students at St. Philip after Spring Break when we will give a more formal presentation on our trip. AFTER SCHOOL DAY CARE All About Kids (our current provider) in Wilder will once again provide care for our kindergartners, (11:30-3:15) or 6:00) and grade schoolers (3:15-6:00) here at St. Philip. Prices are the same as last year. $12 for grades 1-12 3 :15-6:00 $22 for kindergartners 11:30-6:00 $12 for kindergartners 11:30-3:15
Please call school if you know of anyone who might need this service. STUDENT MUSICIANS BY: Donna Woeste  A tip of the hat to our student musicians who added a little extra beat to the Catholic School Week
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Masses. They are Julie Geiger on guitar, Tony Woeste on drums and Joshua Brugger who played the tambournine and sticks. These students also assist with the Friday morning services.
A special thanks also to Chelsey Murray who played the flute for our Thanksgiving and Christmas Mass. She also offered to play for our Mission Service. You add a nice touch, Chelsey and it is great to have you with us. Brandon Rumker continues to play the organ on the third Saturday fro the 6:00 PM Mass. Anyone who could give him a little support by singing in the choir would be greatly appreciated. You do awesome work, Brandon-keep it up! I know of a few young, budding musicians who are taking lessons and I am looking forward to working with you. Two of our current musicians are in the 8th grade, so we will need you to take their place. Anyone else, who is interested in contributing to the music ministry here at St. Philip, please let us know. Thank you! TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM By: Pam Wagner St. Philip School's technology just keeps growing. We have enhanced the school's technology program by adding new hardware and software. We have also gotten the children re-involved with the school's web site. This year has seen the advent of a new Spanish program. With the help of a Beginning Spanish program, all of our students are learning the rudiments of the language. We are also researching the possibility of advanced Spanish programs to help the students continue their understanding in the future. With the help of Jill Fessler, we have received a grant from IBM giving the school a new IBM computer with flat screen monitor and a new IBM ThinkPad Laptop. The computer is being put to good use, as an administration computer. The laptop will be used by our 5th and 6th grade teacher, Jennifer Twehues, for in classroom learning. We are looking into finding a projector for Mrs. Twehues to use with the laptop; which will enable her to further the 5th and 6th grader's learning experience. This is an ongoing expansion of our technology program into the classroom. Our 7th and 8th grade teacher, Tina Verst, already uses the school's original laptop and |
projector, to enhance the students learning experience. We have seen the 7th and 8th grade students ability to follow along with a lesson improve, with the use of outlines projected from a PowerPoint presentation. We hope to expand this technology into all of the classrooms over the next few years.
The school's web class has begun again, which will expose students to the joy of web-page designs. With the help of our computer teacher, Pam Wagner and parent Pat Geiger, the students design and post pages to the schools website, www.stphilipky.org. We have also been thrilled by the return of some of our graduates, who use their knowledge gleaned from their years of attending web class, to enhance our school's website. The technology program isn't just about our students; it's also about enhancing the parents experience with the school. With the help of all our teachers, all parents can now view their children's grade on our website. Most of our teacher's here at St. Philip have worked very hard over the course of the year, to program and update the school's website with their students academic information. To access this part of the website, visit, go to St. Philip Teachers, which is in red. This will redirect the website to the teacher's site. From there you can follow the guidelines sent to you to access your child's grades. The faculty has also added a multitude of items about their classes to their website. In the Classroom portion of the site, teachers have added pictures of their students, classroom calendars and a multitude of activities that the students are engaged in. Finally, the technology program hopes to continue to grow, by researching new advanced Spanish programs, expanding  technology into the classroom with laptops and projectors. We are also working on the possibility of receiving twenty-three new computers and monitors over the course of the next two years. ST. PHILIP PARISH MISSION By: Father Cooney & Lori Mounce Certain friendly Gentiles singled out Philip (St. Philip, the apostle and the patron saint of our parish) as an intermediary in their |
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desire to meet Jesus (Jn. 12:20-23). Among other good traits Philip must have been a congenial kind of guy, someone people found approachable. Oftentimes a congenial personality can be very effective in motivating people.
So it was with Father Bill Reichel, O.F.M., a friar of the Saint John the Baptist Friary in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. He led St. Philip’s through a four evening parish mission, February 14-17, 2005. Evidently a goodly number of people appreciated and benefited from his approach which was spiritual, to-the-point, down-to-earth and humane. A dry sense of humor helped to keep things on track and light. Was it a matter of "breath-taking new information" or a much needed reminder of some of the basics of our faith? The latter proved to be the case as we heard of God's unconditional love, a need to reach out to the downtrodden, an inventory of our dreams, prejudices and fears, and an ethic firmly grounded in the teachings of Christ. St. Philip's had not had a parish mission for several years. Hopefully the mission accomplished several goals including adult religious education and an ever deepening of people's faith. All this was summed up in the title Fr. Reichel gave the mission, "Jesus is calling! Will you listen?" Many thanks to all the parishioners who attended one or more evenings, to the musicians, the lectors, the baby-sitters, the worship and altar society committees, etc. who helped to make the mission such a spiritual success. "JESUS IS CALLING! WILL YOU LISTEN" (FROM THE PRAYER CARD USED TO PREPARE FOR THE MISSION) Almighty God, we thank You for the gift of faith and the parish in which we worship as Your family. Pour out Your Spirit upon us during our Parish Mission. Help us to listen to Your call. Forgive us our human weaknesses. Bless our efforts to know and serve you better. Inspire us to share our faith with others. Heal us where we are in most need of Your mercy. Gracious God, renew our hearts and our minds as individuals and as a family, so that we may become more faithful witnesses to your Son, Jesus. Amen. PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL Present members of Council are:
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Members of Finance Committee:
We would like to remind parish members that Spring is the time of year when we need nominees to run for Parish Council. We will need two women, and 1 male. Finance committee will also be looking for a qualified interested person. Please contact Father Cooney if you are interested or have questions. May 14 - mark your calendar. We will be holding an official Burning of the Mortgage event after 6 PM mass on Saturday Night. We did it! We knew we could build it. Some doubted we could pay for it. We did both. Wow that is something to celebrate and pat ourselves on the back. Right now Parish Council is in the process of purchasing property from the Futschers. It's the hill behind Father and the Sisters' houses. BOTCE BY: Lorri Mounce 
Present members of Board of Total Catholic Education are: Bill Twehues, President John Fessler V. President Melony Trapp, Treasurer Lorri Mounce, Secretary Nicki Johnson, Judy Joering, Chrissy Hehman, Sr. Dolores Gohs. Next year we will have a tuition increase. Beginning August 1, 2005-May 01, 2006 the yearly In Parish- tuition rate will be $3,050.00 for one child. The rate for two or more children will be $3,450.00. School registration for new families was March 12. & 13. For an appointment call 441-3423 PARISH CCD Program By: Susan Doyle- Director We are happy to say that we had a huge turnout for our CCD program this year We have 18 children who are very consistent about attending each Sunday. Congratulations to our three boys who made Reconciliation in December and who |
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will receive First Communion in April. They are Aaron Doyle, Brandon Hartig, and Kent Bachman
Right now we are in the process of organizing our Annual Palm Sunday Easter egg hunt.
This year Ian Doyle and Miranda Lucas have helped out by mentoring and teaching the 1 &2 grade classes their CCD prayers and program. They were very inventive and used Duck, Duck Goose one day to stimulate the children by making them say a prayer instead of running when they became the Goose. Next year these two students will be preparing for their Confirmation and will not be able to teach. To prepare better for next year we are asking for adults to step forward as we will need additional teachers and we want to have a pre-registration Please Call Susan Doyle by May 8 at 781-9737 just to give us an idea of how many students to anticipate. PTC By: Jill Fessler This year's officer: Shelly Braun President Cathy Oldiges Vice President Jill Fessler Secretary Brenda Steelman Treasurer Denise Dennis Historian Stagette The 2005 Women's Stagette was held on Sunday Feb. 13th. This event sold out to a crowd of over 275. The estimated profit earned is $9,018.76. These funds will be used to support the school efforts by purchasing needed books and materials. The raffles included: Grocery Cart, a large combination table of prizes, basket raffles, Fun in the Sun, money doll, TV/DVD, artwork and afghan raffle, Pot of Gold, and wagons of toys. The meal was wonderful, lovingly prepared by Brenda Steelman and Theresa Frilling, plus many other helpers. The dinner was pork roast, green beans, baked potato bar and salad bar, not to mention a large selection of homemade desserts. The dinner line slowed down around the dessert table because it was difficult to make a selection (so many temptations, not enough time). It was a wonderful event! Equipment Grant Approved An IBM equipment grant was approved on Feb. 14th for one laptop and one PC w/ flat screen monitor. Jill Fessler prepared the grant, based on her volunteer hours and the use of www.TryScience.com website. A website developed in part by IBM to provide Science teachers with supplemental course material. |
Are you curious?...then Try Science. Click on "Experiments". These experiments can be done on-line or printed out and done either outside or in a classroom setting.
"Scream for Ice Cream" shows you how to make ice cream in a ziploc bag....check it out!
Sometimes we have a guest speaker at our monthly meetings. The March 9 meeting we had Maureen Rich of the Women's Crisis Center who presented an overview of the many programs and services they offer for both men and women and even pets at the crisis center. It was a very informative talk. Children's Spring Concert The St. Philip Spring Concert is scheduled Thurs. May 12th. Mark your calendar. Come and enjoy an evening of music and fun! March 31 will be another product survey. Women that are the head of the household, ages 20-55. It will take about 30 minutes. Call Brenda for appt. @635.3749 We made over $900.00 on our last survey. BOOSTERS Present officers of the Boosters: Jack Garlich - President Judy Joering - Vice President Mike Feinauer - Secretary John Garlich - Treasurer. Dan Schultz - Athletic Director Another St. Philip Tournament was completed with great success. This year it was February 23-27 Once again - our own gym...how sweet it its! Mitchel Fuchs and Tony Woeste were the students whose design became our tournament program cover. Very nice boys. April 16 Night at the Races April 27th Awards Banquet & Sign-ups for summer ball field concession workers . NEW AT PARISH CENTER By Judy Garlich You may have noticed the light poles at the edge of the parking lot. They do work when needed. Thank you to those who donated the materials and to those who installed them during the Christmas holidays. Behind the scenes, one may notice a huge scrubber being used to clean the floor in the Great Hall. A big thanks goes to a |
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husband and wife in our parish who generously donated. John Garlich says that it works well.
On another note, let us be patient while the parking lot is settling until the appointed time when it can be paved. Some men have been trying to fill potholes. There are a variety of ways one can volunteer at St. Philip. Know that you are appreciated. ANSWER THE CALL 2005 By: Mike Wagner "Answer the Call 2005," the Annual Catholic Men's Conference, will be held at Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., on Saturday, March 12, 2005. This is the eleventh year in a row that the conference has been held in Cincinnati, and it will bring together men from across the area who are Seeking God's Face for a prayerful, spirit-filled, life changing day. We will hear a number of inspirational speakers who will talk about their faith and how we men can grow spiritually and enrich our relationships in family, marriage, parish and the workplace. There will also be time for fellowship, singing, confessions and Mass. The outstanding line-up of speakers includes: Mr. Ken Blackwell, the Ohio Secretary of State, has earned numerous honors for his contributions to society. A graduate of Xavier University, Mr. Blackwell's public service includes terms as Mayor of Cincinnati, as well as in state, national and international offices. A widely recognized global statesman, he has received several honorary doctorates from colleges and universities and serves as a volunteer in a wide-ranging group of organizations. Fr. Mark Burger, Pastor, St. John the Evangelist parish, West Chester, Ohio, was recognized at the 2004 conference as one of the most impactful presenters. He will return to lead us into a deeper relationship with Christ and guide us through the Reconciliation Service. Fr. John Gordon is a priest in the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey who has spoken at a variety of conferences around the country. He completed his seminary studies at the North American College and the Gregorian University in Rome, and is currently a doctoral student at Fordham University. Fr. Gordon serves on the faculty at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. Mr. Matthew Kelley is an international speaker and author. Born in Sydney, Australia, he began his Catholic ministry in 1993 at the age of 19. Over two million people have attended his talks, seminars, and retreats. Mr. Kelley regularly appears on radio and television and he has gained acclaim as an author. Collectively his nine titles have been published in seven languages, selling more than 700,000 copies. |
Mr. Robert Rogers is the sole survivor in his family of his wife and four children when their van was washed off the highway in a flash flood in 2003. Robert, a Cincinnati native and graduate of St. Xavier and the University of Cincinnati, will present the importance of the family and the emotional, faith-filled story of his life after this tragedy.
Fr. Robert Spitzer, President of Gonzaga University, wears many hats. In addition to his role as President of Gonzaga, he is an author, speaker, teacher, and participant in community affairs. He has worked in an advisory role with over 300 companies such as Boeing, Toyota and Costco, and has made presentations in the public square, including to U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair's Cabinet in London. The program will conclude around 4:00 p.m. following a Mass concelebrated by over 100 local Bishops and Priests. Ticket price is only $30, including lunch. Please contact Mike Wagner at 441-6708 for tickets, or pick up a brochure in either vestibule of Church, fill out the registration form and mail it to the address on the form. (Note that no one will be turned away due to the cost! If you are unable to afford $30, please send what you can.) Plan to join men from our Parish and thousand of other Catholic men from all over the area to support one another and affirm their spiritual visions of Marriage, Families and Church. GENEALOGY CLASSES Three learning sessions are being offered on this subject at St. Philip. The first class was Dec 28 which included county records, websites and getting organized.. The second was Feb 22 and March 29 will be the third from 7-8 PM. Discovering your Family Tree will be led by Jill Fessler classes are free and not limited to parish members. Classes are held in the cafeteria. ST PHILIP SENIOR GROUP By: Gary Doering The Senior Group is an open membership. Main qualification is to be 55+. One is not limited by religion or parish affiliation. The group has a membership of around 34 oldies but goodies. We had a great Christmas party Dec 20 with $1.00 exchange gifts. There are a few trips in the planning for the future. Trip to Keeneland will be one. No dates yet. Information will be posted in the bulletin. We meet the 3rd. Monday of each month at 1:00 PM We meet, eat, play cards, dice and even Corn-hole. If this sounds fun to you, come join us in the Parish Center. |
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ALTAR SOCIETY NEWS By: Theresa Frilling Present officers of the Altar Society are: 
Theresa Frilling, President Gerri Cunnigan, Vice President JoAnn Muncy, Secretary Joan Frilling, Treasurer February is all most over and Easter is around the corner. It will be time to get church ready for the ceremonies. We had a cleaning day last year and it really went well. We are going to try to do it again this year. Anyone interested is welcome to help. We had men, teenagers, and women show up last year and all were kept busy. Most likely the cleaning day will be on a Saturday starting at either 8:00 or 9:00 AM. There will be a meeting of the Altar Society within the next few weeks. Watch the bulletin to see when we plan to clean church. We had a very good Christmas Raffle for 2004. The members and everyone who donated items and bought chances helped make another great success. Thank you one and all for the hard work and generous donations. We have been blessed with so many generous hearts. The Memorial Ribbons looked so pretty in church at Christmastime. There were approximately 153 ribbons - the largest number yet! We want to thank every one who enrolled their loved ones. There will be an attachment to the bulletin with a list of names so you will know the names, which will now be placed on the ribbons for Easter. We did receive a few names late and they will be added to the list. Watch the weekend bulletins to see when we are having any events that you may want to help with. May God bless us all in what we do to help keep God's house looking wonderful and a place where people like to come to pray. BEREAVEMENT COMMITTEE By Theresa Frilling There are a few changes this year in the Bereavement Committee. After many years of service, Dee Schroeder has stepped down as the contact person. Lynn Farris has stepped up to take her place. Also Marsha Gerhardstein has agreed to fill in for Mary McGrath for awhile.. Otherwise all other members have remained the same. A big thank you is given to Dee and Mary for all the work they have done and they both are still going to help the Committee when they can. We also want to thank all who helped with recent contributions. The note in the bulletin in November brought many plates, napkins, |
forks, spoons and cups. These are all necessary items which will help at the next funerals.
Again thanks to all who have helped with the funerals in the past. Everything has worked out because of everyone' generosity. FAMILY FUN NIGHT By: Peggy Hehman and Nicki Johnson 
What better way to raise money and to celebrate our parish families than to have a Fun Night on March 12 from 7-11 at the Parish Center. We had Pizza and games and all proceeds will help defray the expenses of the Vacation Bible School and to purchase better prizes for the Fun Land Booth for the festival. Food was enjoyed, with music, dancing corn-hole and good company $12.00 per family included 2 medium pizzas and a 2 liter or $8 per family included 1 medium pizza and a 2 liter of pop. Extra pizza could be purchased. There was also a combination raffle with over 30 prizes. RECYCLE NEWS BY: Theresa Frilling Aluminum cans have been coming in regularly. We have not taken them to the redemption place yet this year. Thanks to everyone who has been dropping them off at the Parish Center Gray container and the Black container up by the cafeteria dock. Every can helps us get more money for St. Philip School and helps our environment. Thanks for keeping the cans clean. That certainly helps with the handling and we get a better price. WORSHIP COMMITTEE Present Officers are: Pam Wagner, President Kathy Alwell, Vice President Ralph Cooper, Secretary St. Philip's Worship Committee has been hard at work, spreading God's love throughout our parish. Setting up special Masses and helping others share their talent at mass are only a few things this committee does. 
So far this year the Worship Committee has hosted the Anointing Mass on September 26, 2004. They had also organized a Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service with the communities' Christian |
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churches and the Thanksgiving Day Mass. Following the Thanksgiving Day Mass, the committee hosted a breakfast of donuts, coffee, juice and milk for all of the parishioners.
The committee is also responsible for the Advent Giving Tree, which supplies Christmas presents for needy children and families in the Campbell County area. The Worship Committee is also responsible for the recruiting and training of lay people to be involved with the mass. This includes St. Philip's servers, lectors and ministers. The servers are recruited from among the St. Philip parishioners who are in 5th grade through High School. The ministers received Thank You notes from the committee at Christmas. New lectors will receive training on Sunday, February 27, 2005. The worship committee meets every month to determine new and inspirational ways they can share God's love with the rest of the parish. CHRISTMAS PROGRAM "THE BARN" By Donna Woeste 
Big congratulations to all of the students who participated in the Christmas program. Each of you gets a high five for sharing your time and talents. What an amazing effort! To our high school students who came back to help us out (and they weren't even bribed!) - We appreciate you! (Ashley, Sean and David) Welcome aboard to the new families who participated. It's great to have you! A special thanks to the writer of "The Barn", Peggy Cooper and her side kick, Ralph, who was very creative with the programs and also worked diligently with the 3 kings. Joni Geiger had several contributions, but the greatest was the painting of "The Cob Web Cathedral," that hung above the stage. Bravo! Another husband and wife team, who gave us a hand, was Tammy and Nick Root. They worked patiently with the sound system and costumes. (Baa!) Anyone who has ever worked with microphones, chords, mixers, sound boards, tape recorders, cordless mic.'s, feed back and instruments know how nerve racking, temperamental and tedious this task can be. (Especially when using it all with children-Live!) You get an A plus! Thank you to the Frilling family who supplied the hay (or in other words, our back |
drop) and helped us load, unload and then load and unload the hay again.
To all of the parents, Sr. Dolores, and teachers who assisted in different ways-you made the work much easier. We even looked to our rapping, Sr. Leslie, for help in our moment of panic!! We felt that the 3 kings really needed some work on their rapping moves. She observed, and then assured us that Ralph had everything under control. (Is that a scary thought?!?!?) It never hurts to have a little moral support! To all of you, our audience, who came, we thank you! We tell the children to do their best in whatever role they play. This is their Christmas gift to their parents, but especially to their grandparents and senior friends (a.k.a. the greatest generation). This group of parishioners have sacrificed, supported and given so much of themselves in bringing Sr. Philip to where it is today. You have set the tone, paved the way and led by example and so we say "Thank you, Merry Christmas and we hope that you enjoyed the production of - The Barn." LONG RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE We have had two meetings and are trying to prioritize our needs. It has been two years since we met and we need to get back on track after building the Parish Center. We need 10 and 5 year plans. Anyone interested in joining, watch the bulletin for our next meeting probably after Easter. FIRST CORN HOLE-EUCHRE TOURNAMENT April 2 will be the date for our first corn hole/euchre tournament. This event will be a fundraiser to sponsor the Vacation bible school this summer. The idea is to keep the cost of the Summer Bible School program affordable for families who want to send their children we will have Pot of Gold and Bankers. Prizes will be awarded. You must be 18 and over. Pre-sale tickets are $5.00 person. Day of event tickets are $7.00 Call Joan at 859-240-1327 for information. |
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CUB SCOUT PACK 495 By Jerry Brugger 
In the last publication of the "Good News Letter" we welcomed a new group of Tiger Cubs. By the end of March, they will be advancing to the rank of Bobcat. Congratulations, Tyler, Timmy, Jonathon, and Zander. Two more have joined the Tiger rank, Simon Boschert and Zach Hehman. Simon and Zach have been participating at meetings with their brothers for quite some time now. Cub Winter Day was held at the Scout camp in Loveland. This year, Cub Mud Day would have been a better name for it. Brian, Chris, Danny, Josh, Owen, and Hank are living proof of that. The day was filled with outdoor events such as archery, marksmanship, earth ball, blind volleyball, obstacle course, and tug of war. The day ended with lots of happy, tired, and muddy boys. Our Wolves, (soon to be Bears) have been organizing some great field trips. One of the trips had something to do with a deep-sea salvage mission. I don't think that they actually went to sea, but they did meet the guy in charge of it. Aaron, Seth, Reis, and Hank really know how to keep Mr. Doyle on his toes. The Bears (soon to be Webelos) are advancing at a record pace. Owen, Josh, Danny, and Nathan are happiest when they get to use Mr. Boschert's power tools for wood working projects. Of course, the first lesson was safety. The Webelos seem to cover a wide range of subjects. They seem to go from cooking donuts to plaster casts of animal tracks to studying rocks and minerals. If you really want to know what they are up to, just ask Jonathon, Brian, Jacob, Mike, Chris, Josh Sands, Josh Seibert, or Mitch. The Pinewood Derby was delayed one week until January 27th due to snow. Things went smoothly after I figured out the problem with the automatic scoring system. Twenty-two scouts and one sibling participated. It is truly amazing how close the competition really was. Yes, less than one hundredth of a second made the difference between final positions. The top three from each rank will represent us in the District Race Saturday March 19th at NCC. Tigers, Tyler Futscher, Zander Rothgeb, and Timmy McDonald. Wolf, Reis Hehman, Seth Feinauer, and Aaron Doyle. Bear, Josh Brugger, Nathan Twehues, and Jarrett Beal. Webelos, Joshua Seibert, Mike Fessler, and Jonathon Clark. Scout Sunday was honored on February 20th at our 11:00 AM mass. All ranks of Boy Scout and Girl Scouts were represented. I would like to extend a special thanks to Fr. Cooney for being so accommodating. Three Boy Scouts from St. Joseph's Troop 86, Benton, John, and Nathan, helped guide the younger scouts and make the event a success. I am very proud of the reverent behavior of all participants. This is a true example of what scouting teaches. The Blue and Gold banquet will be held on March 31st, where many of our boys will be honored for their achievements. |
On April 30th the Webelos will be attending a Geologist camp at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
On May 19th we will hold our annual Fishing Derby and Cook out at Alexandria Community Park. We will be selecting a date soon for the Fun With Son weekend at the Scout Camp in Loveland Ohio. BOY SCOUT TROOP 86 By: Kate Geiger When our boys from Pack 495 graduate into boy scouts, they are joining Troop 86 in Cold Spring. Benton Clift Jr., Nathan Brugger, John Cooper, and Steven Geiger are all advancing in their respective ranks. Ralph Cooper just became the Scoutmaster and Benton Clift Sr. is an assistant scoutmaster. The boys have participated in summer camp, 5 mile hikes, camping in caves, Peterloon, merit badge challenge and many other activities. Its nice to know that Boy scouting is alive and well in Northern KY. PARKING/SAFETY ISSUES When school is in session during the week, from & 7:30-9:00 AM we are asking that you refrain from parking near the church door.(area near the wall to the handicap spots.) Parking left of the handicap spots is okay or by the fence. Parents need the space to make the loop when they are dropping their children off at the tree. Thank you for your consideration in this matter. FLAT STANLEY 
By: Kate Geiger Flat Stanley is a character in children's book. Jeff Brown wrote the books. A bulletin board falls on Stanley Lambchop during the night and flattens him. He begins to have adventures doing things only a flat person could do like travel through the mail in a manila envelope. After reading the books, young readers are encouraged to draw their own Flat Stanley, keep a daily journal of their adventures with him and then mail him to someone and ask them to do the same and send back photos and the journal of where they went and what they did. I would like to put a twist on this project. I would like to ask the youth of the parish to take Flat Stanley to their relatives and make him go on a journey through a time machine via the memory and stories of |
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their relatives. Be creative and have fun with this.
We want to have an oral history of our community for our 100th anniversary in 2010 and what better way than to go through the youth, their relatives and Flat Stanley. We've got to start right now. NOTE: Our first and second graders met Flat Stanley in a class project last year. Check out Flat Stanley's website to learn about the many people who are sending Flat Stanley through the mail. www.flatstanleyproject.com BISHOP BROSSART NEWS... Jan 9 French Mass St. Joseph Camp Springs Spaghetti dinner for softball Jan 15 Congratulations to Amy Gerhardstein for receiving 3rd attendant at Homecoming Feb 5 6th annual McGarr Euchre Tournament Feb 18 Men's Stag March 11 Penny War March 6 Ladies Stagette April 8-9-10 Senior Class Play "Pajama Game" Girl's varsity cheerleaders finished in 3rd place at the all A State Comp. Girl's' varsity basketball 15-9 Girl's' Junior varsity 17-3 Boys' varsity 16-5 Boys' Junior varsity 21-0 Redistricting - Next year BBHS will move to the 37th district with Calvary Christian, Campbell County, Scott, and Silver Grove. |
Vacation Bible School By: Pam Wagner St. Philip Parish Invites Children to Serengeti Trek: Where Kids Are Wild About God. This year our parish is crawling with excitement as we get ready to go on a Serengeti Trek, a special VBS program created especially for Catholic children in our community. Our parish's Serengeti Trek program will provide fun, memorable scripture-based activities for kids of all ages. Each day kids will sing songs, play teamwork-building games, share Watering Hole Snacks, take on a Daily Challenge to let God's love grow, experience electrifying Bible adventures, collect Bible Memory Buddies, and create Bible Point Crafts they’ll take home and use all summer long. Serengeti Trek is an exciting way for kids to learn more about their faith. The kids will be learning stories about Bible characters and what they did. Plus, kids will join nearly a million children in North America and take part in a hands-on mission project that will reach needy children in Africa. Each day concludes at The Mane Event - a send-off that celebrates the day. Family members and friends are welcome to join us daily for this special time at 11:30 PM. We hope Serengeti Trek will give our children a wonderful experience of fun and faith this summer. Serengeti Trek begins on Monday June 20 and continues through Friday June 24. Meet at the Parish Center, 1400 Mary Ingles Hwy. Melbourne, KY 41059 each day from 9:00 until 12:15. For information call Mary Beth Marshall at 781-6444 or Pam Wagner at 441-6708. |
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