UPCOMING EVENTS:

Dec. 3-11— 7:00 pm Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Dec. 8—Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Holy Day of Obligation)

12:00 pm, English Mass 6:00 pm English Mass 7:30 pm Spanish Mass OFFICE CLOSED

Dec. 12—Our Lady of Guadalupe 5:00 a.m.—Las Mananitas 3:00—Procession (Mass follows) Dec. 16—24—Las Posadas Dec. 21—Blessing of Christmas Tree at 8:30 am English Mass 5:00 pm—Christmas Program , CANTICLES IN CANDELIGHT

CHRISTMAS MASSES:

Dec. 24—5:00 pm, English 7:00 pm Spanish

SOLEMNITY OF CHRISTMAS MINI-CONCERT—30 MINUTES BEFORE MIDNIGHT MASS

Dec. 25—12:00 am English Midnight Mass 8:30 am English Mass 10:30 am Spanish Mass Dec. 24 thru Jan. 1—OFFICE CLOSED Dec. 31—5:00 pm English Mass 7:00 pm Spanish Mass 8:00 pm Adoration SOLEMNITY OF MARY THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD (Holy Day of Obli-gation)

Jan. 1—10:30 am Spanish Mass 12:30 pm English Mass Feb. 1—DSF Sunday Feb. 18—Ash Wednesday March 17—Annual Altar Society La-dies’ Luncheon

NEWSLETTER December, 2014 Volume 1, Issue 5

Family Prayer For Generosity - Generous Lord, help us to be givers, not takers. Help us to experience the joy of giving. May

we look for every opportunity to give of our time, our talents, our money, our possessions, our thanks, compliments, healing

words, hugs, smiles, a helping hand, or a listening ear. Bless us, that we may be wise stewards of your many gifts. We pray this

through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Greetings Parish Family!

Much good has been seen in recent months from our community and I hope this newsletter will help you see goodness and reflect on God’s goodness to us.

Most recently our Bazaar, which was very successful provided a great time for all. Again, thank you to all who were involved this great event!

We have had great news from Honduras. If you recall Fr Paul Ker-sey came and appealed for his mission in the Diocese of Comaya-gua. He is part of the seminary program there and I found he was in need of a Tabernacle. I saw it was fitting to put the one we had in storage to use. So I had it sent to the seminary there. I want to thank again all of the Gibbs family for accomplishing this task of cleaning it up and getting it down there. Much joy was felt when it arrived there. Fr Paul recently sent me a letter I want share with you, accompanied by pictures of the Tabernacle and seminarians in formation. Please pray for all of the Seminarians in formation there and know that goodness of God is there in special way because of a gift of St Katharine. We can be assured of a building up of the faith of many Men discerning Gods call in the Eucharistic Presence of our Lord.

My prayers are with all of you and your extended families as we flow into the season of Ad-vent!

Peace and all God’s Blessings

Fr David

- - - - -

Dear Fr. Dave:

You must have figured that I had forgotten about everything, but I've been up to my eyebrows since getting back. Nevertheless, we have put the tabernacle, which has turned out very nice, in the chapel. I have sent some pictures of it along with the young men who are in the first year of preparation.

Next year it looks like that we will be having 12 or 13 men for this year, and those in the pic-tures will be moving on to philosophy.

We also have a pre-vocation house of studies which will have 13 young men.

We wish to thank you very much for your kindness and support. Be assured of our prayers for you and St. Katherine's.

Again, thanks,

Rev. Paul B. Kersey, Jr.

Comayagua, Honduras, C.A.

CELEBRATING SAINT NICHOLAS

Saint Nicholas is one of the saints who exemplifies the spirit of generosity that is such a part of the Advent sea-

son. This fourth century Bishop of Myra lived in what is now Turkey. He was a kind and

generous person and was known for doing good deeds in secret.

There is one story about a man who could not provide the dowry of his three daugh-

ters to be married. However, Saint Nicholas threw a bag of gold coins in the window of

the man’s house three nights in a row. The bags provided enough coins for all his

daughters to marry.

There are also stories of Saint Nicholas giving gifts to children including the poplar cus-

tom of a visit from St. Nicholas. The visitor came in bishop’s robes and a long white

beard questioning children about their behavior, encouraging them to prepare for the

coming of the Lord at Christmas, and distributing toys and candy to them. The candy

cane is usually shared during the Advent/Christmas season in honor of St. Nicholas be-

cause it is shaped like a bishop’s staff.

Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children everywhere. We celebrate the Feast of

St. Nicholas each year on December 6.

In Norway, Germany, and Switzerland, children put their shoes outside their doors on the evening before the

Feast of St. Nicholas. The next morning, their shoes are filled with candy and gifts.

Put a twist on this tradition. Buy some shoes for older children in need. Fill them with candy and gifts, and take

them to the nearest collection site for Christmas gifts.

FAITH VS. RELIGION Faith is a one-on-one relationship with God, a higher creative Spirit! For us that is the Trinity, Father, Creator, pure Faith; Son, Jesus, pure Love. Holy Spirit, pure Hope. Faith is personal and does not need support by others! Faith is a defined covenant be-tween you and God! (Please read Hebrews 11:1-3) Religion is a group or communal response to God’s call; where you have a relationship with others and a group relationship and response to God. We make a covenant with others with God in the center! We pray, practice, and serve God and each other in union with the church! (Please read Galatians 3:26-29 & 4:1-7) We are Jewish /Christian /Roman Catholic. Jewish because we share in the Old Testament (Hebrew scripture); we follow the 10 Commandments given to us by the One and only God of Abraham! Christian because we be-lieve in and follow the teachings of Jesus, the only Son of God, found in the New Testament (Christian Scrip-tures). Roman Catholic because we practice our faith in unity with the Holy See in Rome, celebrate the Holy Mass and the 7 sacraments! (Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church) (Please read 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 ) By understanding who we are, we can learn, live, and love all people and things with the knowledge that they are gifts from God, our Creator and Parent! (Please read James 2:14-26) Please take some time to read these Bible verses during Advent and meditate on the gifts and blessings God has given you! During this time of Advent and Christmas season, let us be thankful for the gift of Christ. Let us be uni-fied in our love and caring for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us reach out to all God’s children in peace an charity. Let’s keep Christ in Christmas! With peace and love, Your Brother in Christ John T. Groce

Bautismos:

Jimena Begtancourt Felix F. Eguia

Valentin E. Ferro Arely G. Garfias

Eileen J. Montoya Sandra M. Mozqueda

Jatsiry Navarrete Daniel L. Orduno

Kenia Pedraza Paola Serrano

Breanna Sierra Dayana Sierra

Yureydi Lizet S. Barbosa Katelynn S. Tuck

Stock H. Bronikowski Levi A. Garcia

Siana M. Guerra Monzerrat Lopez

Alexia G. Moreno Jacob R. Rodriguez

Alejandro Rodriguez Efrain De Jesus Saucedo

Anahi Y. Tijerina Estefany R. Pineda

Jarellie G. Aguado Joselina J. Aguado

Alexandra A. Figueroa Ruby A. Espinosa

Irais Garcia Sarahi A. Garcia

Elizabeth Gonzalez Christian J. Hernandez

Ean Hernandez Kylee A. Heu

Alexander Manueles Antonio M. Nieto

Jayden I. Martinez Isabella M. Mata

Giselle A. Ortiz Marlon G. Quintanilla

Mireya Reyes Athzell F. Sanchez

Marcos Saucedo Liam A. Torres

Julian Vazquez Rayanna M. Gonzales

Robert Gonzales Samuel R. Martinez

Luke D. Tomczak

Welcome to new members of the St.

Katharine’s family:

Leonell &Alejandra Sosa, Daniela, Leonel, and Alexandra

Jaime & Esmeralda Gurrola, Jaime

Matthew & Renee Garcia, Strella, Gabriella, and Marcus

Alvaro & Ludivina De la Luz, Steven, Brianna, and Va-lerie

Jose F. & Sidvonia Manzano, Daisy, Jovani, Eric, and Alonso

Alicia Alvarez, Amauri

Floriberto & Maria Hernandez, Jesus, Alexander, and Er-ick

Isidro & Yolanda Herrera, Montserrat and David

Domingo & Alma, Valerie, Brayan, and Brandon

Julio & Rubi Castillo, Adrian

Ramon Carrillo, Edwin

Danny & Nita Calvit

Guillermo & Angela Cortes, Guillermo, Adrian, and Es-meralda

Rafael & Hortencia Hernandez, Princess

Francisco & Raquel Sanchez, Dolores and Francisco

Hermenegildo & Brisa De los Santos, Raymondo, Stepha-nie, Maria and Lizbeth

Michael & Hilda Martinez, Angela

Azael & Feliza Reyez, Cristian, Diego and Mireya

Raul & Griselda Alba, Violeta, Raul and Justin

Jorge Grimaldo

Paulin & Claudia Luevano, Edgar N., Juan, Joan and Ed-gar L.

Juan & Maria Leon, Alyson and Aron

Octariano & Marina Huerta, Gustavo and Francisco

Esteban & Fausta Landaverde, Eduardo and Stefanie

Jose & Monica Salazar, Ariana and Jocelyn

Francisco & Nancy Juarez, Miah and Romeo

Leonel Leanos

Miguel & Yadira Salgado, Soleil and Aliyah

Blas & Jorena Jimenez, Blas, Jr., Sandra, Eduardo, and Edgar

Alberto & Mercedes Contreras, Leonardo and Moises

Dora Canales Young

Domingo & Ludivina Martinez

Carlos & Sandra Chavez, Sandra and Francisco

Raul & Veronica Patino, Francisco and Fredy

Jose & Alejandrina Garcia, Daysy and Janell

Fernand & Clemencia Jimenez, Adelina and Fernando

Jose & Gloria Alvarez, Karina and Elena

Valentin & Angela Mendoza, Alejandro, Ashley and Val-entin

Jaime & Blanca Lopez, Lizeth and Omar

Weddings Omar Salazar & Herlinda Carrillo—8/2/14

Luis Alvarado & Christina Rodriguez—8/9/14

Yovani & Ilen Gonzalez—8/9/14

Dwayne Hajek & Lois Wesolick—9/27/14

Emeric Zientek & Kathy Verm—9/27/14

Craig Pfeffer & Carina Bernal—10/11/14

Emilio Reyes & Florencia Morantes—10/18/14

Deaths:

Robert Williams—6/29/14

Abrahan Trevino Torres—8/6/14

Gertrude F. Brzymialkiewicz—9/7/14

Michael F. O’Connor—9/15/14

Leon W. Martin—10/18/14

Julie Kwiatkowski—11/13/14

Robine Kilanowski— 11/20/14

Allen Pitre—11/22/14

“ST. KATHARINE’S KNIGHTS” YOUNG ADULTS GROUP CLEAN POND ON CHURCH GROUNDS

On Saturday, October 31, the Young Adults Group from SKD worked on the pond in the front of the church grounds. Lead by Chris Zolli and Fabian Yanez, the party of seven cleaned out the weeds and vegetation from the pond, trimmed the trees and bushes around the area, and planted fresh flowers at the statue of Jesus that stands above the pond. The indus-trious group donated some of the flowers, while others were provided by Ms. Georgie Gibbs. While the boys did most of the heavy work, the girls prepared the flower bed, planted the flowers and also washed the statue. The energetic group dubbed the pond the “Water of Christ” lake.

The Young Adults recently adopted the name “Saint Katharine’s Knights” in recognition of the support they receive from the Knights of Columbus. The organization is open to all young adults in the parish, and has social, civic, and religious activities.

The Young Adults who participated in the work day were Erika Reyes, vice-president of the group, Maria Aleman, T.J. Bueno, Miguel Bueno, and Ricardo Sanabrie.

Jessica Espinosa

Erika and Maria finish planting flowers and install

solar lights around the bed.

A job well done! TJ, Chris, Maria, Miguel, Erika, Fabian, and

Ricardo…”SAINT KATHARINE’S KNIGHTS”.

THE DEADLINE FOR THE MARCH 2015

NEWSLETTER WILL BE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY

6, 2015

CANTICLES IN CANDLELIGHT

A Cantata for Christmas by Joseph M. Marlin

5:00 p.m., Sunday, December 21, 2014

Presented by the English Choir of St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church

With Fabian Yanez leading the way, the Young

Adults begin cleaning out the pond.

THANK YOU to Harry Conte, Jack Gibbs and Fabian Ya-

nez for providing the photos used in this newsletter.

DREXEL’S DRIFTERS

On October 24th, Drexel’s Drifters enjoyed a spooky

evening in Navasota to attend Legends and Lanterns.

The gentleman on the right is just one of the colorful

characters they learned about.

On Monday, November 17, the Drifters went to The

Brookwood Community for a morning of shopping,

followed by a wonderful lunch. If you’re interested in

joining this lively group of seniors, call Barbara Bezub

at 979-826-6973.

CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAS

We had a very busy October. From leading the

rosary before each of the English Masses Octo-

ber is dedicated to the rosary), to hosting a

reception for the Cardinal and the Confirmation class. On

October 12th , we celebrated National Catholic Daughter

Day with a corporate communion at the 8:30 a.m. Mass,

followed by lunch and our meeting at the Hempstead Sea-

food and Steak Restaurant. The SKD annual bazaar kept us

very busy on the 19th as we worked at the Country Store and

Doll Booths. CDA ended the month by handing out fliers

and white ribbons to show our support and to encourage oth-

ers to support Morality in Media’s WRAP campaign against

pornography.

November found us manning the dessert booth at the

Knights of Columbus Quilt Show on November 8th to help

them raise money for their charitable works. We also lead

the rosary before the English-speaking Masses the weekend

of the 8th and 9th in honor of CDA weekend.

Our Annual “Taste of Texas” Cook-Off will be on Saturday,

January 17th at the K of C Hall. If you are interested in en-

tering your team in the competition, contact Patsy Marburger

to get your name in the running. But even if you don’t cook,

plan to come out for a lot of fun and good food.

The Catholic Daughters meet the 2nd Sunday of every

month at 2:00 p.m. in Bldg. B2. If you are interested in find-

ing out more about CDA, you are invited to attend a meet-

ing.

Cheryl Thomas

Christmas Shopping?

Keep St. Katharine Drexel Church in mind when you need religious goods. Whether you are shopping for

yourself or a gift for a loved one, remember our Religious Store in the church office. We carry everything from

Bibles and catechisms to baptismal clothes, rosaries, candles, statues, medals, etc. Books are available in

English and Spanish. We have crucifixes of all sizes, necklaces, and scapulars. If you don’t see what you’re

looking for, perhaps we can order it for you. Our shop is open Monday thru Friday from 9:00 am ’til 5:00 pm,

during regular office hours. For more information, call the church office, 979-826-2275.

St. Katharine Drexel Parish Religious Education Board (PREB)

Did you know that our parish has a religious education board? Recently this board was enlarged with new members in or-der to assume new and expanded responsibilities. One of the main purposes of the new board is to provide leadership in the area of catechesis and evangelization and to assist our Pastor and the Director of Religious Education (DRE) in ensuring that religious education and formation at our parish is faithfully aligned with the archdiocesan requirements. These require-ments are contained in the Catechetical Framework For Lifelong Faith Formation (CFLFF) document recently promulgated by Cardinal DiNardo as well as the Archdiocesan Sacramental Preparation Guidelines. This catechesis extends to the entire par-ish and all age levels from pre-k to adult. Currently the PREB meets monthly. We have elected officers and are currently setting goals, priorities and action plans for assessing the current state of our religious education program in order to rec-ommend any needed changes, improvements or enhancements. The PREB will also make recommendations for the annual parish religious education budget and provide reports of board activities as needed to parishioners. Current PREB members are: Fr. David, Deacon John (chairman), Joe Velasco (vice-chairman), Martha Arellano (secretary), Lucille Pavlock (ex-officio), Fabian Yanez, Magdalena Barbosa, Maria Guerrero, and Dora Mata. For further information please contact any of the board members.

Dcn. John Pelletier

PARISH MISSION STATEMENT

We, the people of St. Katharine Drexel Church, inspired by the legacy of

our patron, strive to welcome all people, provide assistance to those in

need, and celebrate our beliefs through the sacraments and God’s

word. In the strength of our diverse backgrounds, we seek to continue

our own formation and to evangelize our community, so that we may

become united as sisters and brothers in Christ.

KATE’S KITCHEN

The 13th Annual Kate’s

Kitchen Turkey Dinner was

a great success, thanks to

the many cooks, volunteers,

donations, and, of course,

the Knights of Columbus

members who helped.

We netted $3,456.67, serv-

ing 400+ dinners. The pro-

ceeds will be used to pur-

chase much-needed items

for the Church. These will

be donated in the name of

Kate’s Kitchen and its vol-

unteers.

Thank you for supporting

our annual fundraiser.

Cooks and volunteer servers

ALTAR SOCIETY

The Altar Society meets every third Wednesday at 7:00 pm at the home of Barbara Bezub. All women of the parish are welcome to join us in fellowship and in our efforts to help St. Katharine Drexel Church.

Each year, our organization hosts an annual catered luncheon with entertainment, The next luncheon will be held on March 17, 2015; the entertainment will be the Sowell Family Pickers. More details to come.

In addition, we provide a scholarship for a deserving graduate annually, and have a Mother’s Day bake sale. Our members are also responsible for launder-ing the church linens.

Recently, we sponsored the silent auction at the Knights of Columbus Quilt show; it was a good time for all.

Shirley Acock

“MEET OUR LEADERS”

THE FINANCE COMMITTEE

The Finance Council is a group of parishioners whose goal is provide fi-

nancial consulting to Fr. David. Our task includes long range (multi-year)

planning, including how to best service our current loan on the property

and buildings; Annual planning, where we work through the budget process

to estimate future income and expenses to determine the financial health of

the parish, and monthly monitoring where we review the actual income/

expense compared to our estimate and make adjustments as required.

The finance council Chair is Janie Plummer, a retired CPA, who moved

from the Austin area to Hempstead with her husband Doug in 2004. They

have three daughters, six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren (with

another on the way). She enjoys family, friends, and gardening. Other

members include Lawrence Falk, who moved to the Waller area in 1963

and began attending Mary, Mother of God Church upon his arrival. He is

an accountant at KBR in Houston and enjoys raising cattle. Mary Ann

Garrett, who has lived in the Waller area with her husband Harold for 45

years. During those years they attended Mary, Mother of God and St. Martin de Porres. Mary and Harold have three children and four

grandchildren. She is a realtor and works in the family business. She enjoys traveling, all crafts, and gardening. David Kaminski moved to

the Waller area in 1979, shortly after his marriage to Catherine. They have four children. He is the Piping Design Manager for IHI Engi-

neering and Construction. His family attended St. Martin de Porres since 1979. David enjoys working in the yard and serving on the Waller

ISD Board of Trustees. Deacon John Pelletier moved to the Chappell Hill area in 2008 with his wife Ellen. Before moving to the country

they spent 33 years in Houston. He and Ellen have two children. Deacon John is a retired engineer from Shell Oil Company. He enjoys

current events and social trends, theology, Church history, and Houston Texans football.

David Kaminski

Our cooks and volunteer

servers

Seated: Mary Ann Garrett and Janie Plummer. Back row: David Kaminski, Dcn. John Pelletier, Fr. David, and Lawrence Falk.

Respect Life Committee News

The Respect Life Committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month unless otherwise noted in the bulletin.

On September 25, St. Katherine’s supported the Waller Pregnancy Care Center by sponsoring a table for the banquet at Camp Allen in Navasota. The banquet was a great success, and all proceeds went to the support of the center and its pro-life activities.

Sunday, October 5th was Respect Life Sunday, and the committee passed out bookmarks to parishioners after each mass. In addition, a diaper and wipes drive occurred and items were sold after mass to benefit the pregnancy center.

Our committee will be collecting items between now and Christmas to make Christmas boxes for expectant mothers and mothers with babies who attend center activities.

The committee also hopes to increase its scope of activities in the future. If you have any ques-tion about our meetings or would like more information please call Carrie Gourley at 936-648-1779 or Valerie Petocz at 832-677-0259.

Carrie Gourley

RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is rooted in an ancient tradition of bringing people into the Church through a process of ongoing conversion. Those invited to the process are children of catechetical age (7 years and older) and adults who have not been baptized; baptized in another faith; or baptized Catholic with no Catholic religious education and have a desire to complete their initiation through the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation. If there is a desire to enter into the RCIA process, contact the parish office. Lucille Pavlock

Adult Confirmation

Formation for adult confirmation is offered for adults 18-99+ years who have not completed their initiation into the Catholic Church through the Sacrament of Confirmation. For more information, please call Lucille Pavlock at 979-826-2275.

Lucille Pavlock

THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

Prior to our Confirmation Celebration, twenty seven of our youth and

their parents attended a Confirmation retreat to prepare them for this

great Sacrament. A special thank you to our young adult team for pre-

paring these students; to our adult speakers for preparing the parents;

to the KC’s for providing lunch for the day; to Maria Salazar Guerrero

for preparing the dinner; and to Fr. David for giving his time to cele-

brate Mass and Adoration with us.

On Wednesday, October 8, 2014 these youth and three adults cele-

brated the Sacrament of Confirmation with His Eminence Daniel Cardi-

nal DiNardo. Congratulations to our Confirmandi!

A special thank you to all the ministers for their roles in the Eucharistic

Liturgy; to the parents and sponsors for supporting the confirmandi;

and to the Catholic Daughters for hosting the reception that followed

the celebration. (Too many people to mention) Thank you all for a job

well done!

Lucille Pavlock

Spaghetti Dinner

Special Thank You to all those who supported the Unashamed, High School Youth. We were able to raise $652. Here are some

pictures of the youth who decorated, cooked, cleaned, and served. Again thank you to all.

Youth Information

Those who wish for the High School Youth to help out in event or activity in and out the parish please contact Fabian Yanez via

email fabianyanez19@yahoo.com.

Middle School Youth

The Middle School Youth participated in their first retreat November 8th. Nine Middle School Youth attended this retreat and

were the first Middle School Youth to attend an Archdiocesan Retreat as we begin to assemble a Middle School Youth Group.

Fabian Yanez

Chick Fil A and Raising Canes

Thank you to Chick Fil A in Fairfield who donated 60 sandwiches and 60 bags of chips for our November retreat. Also thank you

to Raising Canes who gave us Certificates for a free kids meal to those who registered for the retreat. Your donation is greatly

appreciated and was of great help to our Retreat.

Back Row: Fr. David, Cardinal DiNardo, Dcn.

John Pelletier, Fr. Juan. Front row: Andres

Ocampo, Jose Martinez, Jesus Zamora, Omar

Contreras, Martin Contreras, Maria Hernan-

dez. (Not in picture) Patsy Marburger and An-

geles Tapia

YOUTH NEWS!

Confirmation Class 2014

Congratulations to the Confirmation Class of 2014, who received their confirmation this October, and lived their confirmation

retreat in September. They have learned much from their catechists and the retreats. I hope to see all of you back to help out

at the parish.

Bazaar

Thanks to all the youth that came out and helped at the bazaar. With the youth helping out in the kid activities everything

came out great.

Youth Nights

The High School Youth, The Unashamed, have begun meeting every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. At first only 6 youth

came but now the number has grown to about 15. On these nights, these young people will learn about a topic that our

church asks us to teach them, than afterwards, they get time to socialize and be teens. All high school youth are welcome to

come and enjoy our youth nights..

FIFTH ANNUAL BENEFIT QUILT SHOW The local council of the Knights of Columbus held its fifth annual BENEFIT FOR LOCAL CHARITIES on Saturday, November 8, at the KC Hall in Hempstead. The successful BENEFIT featured a Quilt Show in the afternoon and chicken fried steak dinner in the evening. All profits from the benefit go to local families with special cases.

The feature presentation of the show was Ms. Cynthia England, a renowned quilter from Dickinson, Texas, who is famous for inventing the “picture piecing” technique for making quilts with exquisite detail and attractive artistry. She has won “Best of Show” twice at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. After giving classes to about 50 local quilters on Friday, Ms. England demonstrated her ingenious technique during the local Quilt Show on Saturday.

The Quilt Show was hosted by three area quilting guilds: The Scrappers of Pine Island, the Quaint Quilters from Hockley, and the

Piecemakers from Hempstead. Linda Cole, Kay Saathoff and Jo Anne Leland served as chief advisors for the affair. The dazzling

display of bedding included about 60 quilts, all from the surrounding area.

The Grand Prize first place was won by Melissa Newcomb’s

“Compass Rose”, while Laura Bettis’s “Love My Trooper” cap-

tured second place, and Pat Jameson’s “Amish Lady” was third.

Viewers’ Choice first place went to Dorothy Yeats’ “Hunter’s

Dream”, and Viewers second place went to Melissa Newcomb’s

“Compass Rose” . The Best Antique Quilt was Pat Jameson’s

“Flower”, the Best Patriotic Quilt was “The Patriot” by Pat Mos-

ley, and the Most Colorful Quilt was Bonnie Levandowski’s

“Springtime”. The Best Hand-quilted Item was Jackie Hillman’s

“Grandma’s Bed”, the Best Machine quilted entry was “Braid in

a Day” by Aurora Ayala, and the Best Other Quilted Item was

Jackie Hillman’s “Texas Beauty”. Sisters Samantha and Cathe-

rine Franklin won the Youth first place with their “Three Horses”

quilt, and also captured the Youth second place with “Purple

Tiger”. The judges for the quilt show were Zoe Nonemaker, local

columnist, Gloria Koenning, Meals on Wheels executive in Hempstead, and Judy Zach, well-known area citizen.

Lourdes Melchor with assistants Cynthia Uvalle and Blanca Molina from St. Katharine Drexel parish provided lunch and supper

meals on Friday, as well as the lunch menu on Saturday, all with a deliciously delicate Mexican flare.

With the help of the local American Legion color guard commanded by Charlie Miller, Boy Scout Troop 195 conducted a retire-

ment ceremony for about 50 US flags . The solemn ceremony started with a eulogy read by Paul Thornton, followed by the prepara-

tion and burning of the old flags, and ended with taps. Lea Rollins and Robert Capt were the leaders of the Scout contingent, which

is sponsored by the Waller Volunteer Fire Department. For the third year in a row, all veterans present were given a lap quilt, com-

pliments of the Scrappers Quilt Guild. This year the ladies gave quilts to 11 veterans.

For the afternoon entertainment, The Fishers of Men choral group performed a series of gospel, folk and patriotic songs. The sere-

nade was followed by a salute to veterans, with all veterans and their wives invited to dinner at no charge. The chicken fried steak

dinner was prepared on site by Harold Garrett and Perry Pratt, plus a crew of ladies from St. Katharine Drexel parish. A variety of

homemade desserts was available throughout the event, provided by the Catholic

Daughters of the Americas.

Jack Gibbs, Benefit Committeeman

Sisters Samantha and Catherine Frank-

lin, daughters of Dan & Lee Ann Frank-

lin, show off their award ribbon for the

quilt “Three Horses”. They also had

another winning quilt, “Purple Tiger”.

Winners Dorothy Yeats, Laurie Bettis, Shirley Newcomb (for sister-in-law Melissa Newcomb), Aurora Ayala, Pat Mosley, and Bonnie Levan-dowski. Not shown is Pat Jameson.

Parishioners Lourdes Melchor (center), with assistants Blanca Molina and Cyn-

thia Uvalle provided lunches with a Mexican flavor.