Welcome, it is July 24, 2008.

Mission Cooperative
Next weekend, July 27, we will conduct our annual Mission Cooperative Appeal. The Appeal will support the mission of Father Bill Ryan in southern Togo. Father Ryan is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. He lives in Atchanve, Togo and his mission encompasses a total of ten villages. Father Ryan's ministry includes visiting these villages to provide for the sacraments, evangelizing the native people, some of whom know nothing of Jesus Christ and overseeing a group of catechists active in the various villages. He also helps to provide for the physical needs of the people, like providing clean drinking water, so they are protected from disease.
Father Peter Ryan, S.J., Father Bill's brother, will speak on behalf of this mission in Togo. Father Bill is spending the summer here in Omaha at the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University. Having visited his brother's mission in Togo, he will share some of his personal experiences and help us to understand the great challenges these people face and how we can help provide for their spiritual and material needs.

The 30th Anniversary weekend events on July 12 & 13 were a resounding success. Over 200 attended the pig roast and street dance. We also had a large crowd for the picnic on Sunday afternoon. I would like to thank all who to contributed to the planning, organization, and execution of these parish social events. In particular, thanks to John Gencarelli & the St. Leo Young Adult Group (YACHT Club) for organizing the BBQ and dance. Special thanks to Joe & Betsy Bridgeford for taking care of all of the details involved in roasting and preparing the pork. Many people commented on how tender, moist and delicious the pork was. The dance music was provided by Mark Yosten and John Gencarelli. The picnic on Sunday was a grand event due to contributions of time and donated supplies by countless parishioners. Major leadership was provided by Julie O'Brien, Scott Porter, Kevin and Lori Salvatori, Laura Osborn, Les Schulte, Pat Reynolds, the YACHT Club and Cathy Ehlinger. As usual, the Knights of Columbus purchased and cooked the burgers, brats and hotdogs. I appreciate their continuing support of many parish events. Thanks to everyone who helped make the weekend an enjoyable and memorable event.
Finally, we must thank God for blessing us with the most beautiful weekend of the entire summer so far. All of our efforts would have been much less effective if we had not received such beautiful weather. God is good - all the time.

Thank You
A BIG Thank You to everyone who helped make this year's BBQ and parish picnic a successful and fun-filled weekend! Thanks to all of those involved, especially the Upstream Brewery for donating the kegs of beer and My-T Mart for donating ice on Saturday. Special thanks to Joe Bridgeford, Mark Yosten, and John Jadlowski for sharing all of your various talents with us. In addition, much appreciation goes out to the many groups of people that were behind the scenes - i.e. YACHT Club, Knights of Columbus, Connections, Parish Council, and the Women's Group. We couldn't have done it without you!
- Julie O'Brien, Social Committee

Thank You
Dear St. Leo Parish,
The June 27th storm left tree limbs in my yard and across my porch. I would like to thank the adults and 6 teenagers for all the work they have done clearing my yard. St. Leo Parish should be proud. The yard looks great and I sure appreciate it. God Bless you all.
-Agnes Stillmock

A Patriotic Celebration
The Saint Leo Handbell Choir would like to invite you to their summer concert, "A Patriotic Celebration." You will hear several classic American Hymns like you’ve never heard them before: America the Beautiful, Battle Hymn of the Republic, and more! The performance will take place in the main Church on Sunday July 20th at 2:30 p.m.

Extraordinary Ministers
Lectors Needed at St. Leo
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Lectors will be trained and mandated during the month of August. Training will be held at St. Leo on August 28 at 7:00pm or on August 17 at St. Columbkille and August 19 at St. Vincent de Paul. Please choose ONE of these sessions to attend. Mandation by the Archbishop will be held Thursday, September 11 at the Cathedral. All those to be newly mandated must attend one training session and the mandation celebration by the Archbishop. There will be a parish orientation session scheduled after the mandation liturgy.
If you feel you would like to serve the parish as one of these liturgical ministers, please call or email Kelly at the parish office buy July 31st to sign up (397-0407 or Kelly[at sign]stleo.net). Any Catholic who is a high school junior or older is eligible to be mandated for these ministries. We wish to extend a very special invitation to our youth and young adults! We will send you a complete schedule of dates and times of training and the mandation.

An Enchanted Evening
You are invited to spend an evening with your spouse, exploring ways to enhance communication and bring your marriage to a level you never thought possible-
Attend "An Enchanted Evening..." Marriage Retreat:
Father O'Brien Parish Center at St. Pius X
Friday, July 18th 6 - 10 pm
Registration: wine & cheese at 5:30 pm
Dinner will be served
The cost is $30 per couple
The facilitator, Mary Jo Pedersen, is known throughout Omaha and across the United States for her work with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. She has given numerous presentations and written books on the topics of Marriage and Family Spirituality, Parenting, and Faith Formation. She delivers a touching and powerful message that is sure to inspire your marriage and help you keep that sparkle in your eyes…when you look at the love of your life!
-Door Prizes will be given away throughout the evening~ Please register by contacting Patty Griffith at 558-1898 or by e-mailing her at: pattyg[at sign]stpiusxomaha.org

Fan of Scrapbooking?
Do you love to scrapbook? Use your creativity with our St. Leo Youth Ministry Program. We would like an album for all the digital photos taken during our "Connections" youth ministry events. Can you help us create pages for our photos, and build lasting memories? To donate your talent to this project, please call John Gencarelli at 397-0407.

COPING SESSIONS
Widowed, Divorced and Separated Programs for Adult and Children will be held at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, Wednesday evenings, at 7:00 p.m. beginning June 25, July 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30.
COPING SESSIONS for adults designed to help adult individuals work through the trauma of divorce, separation or the loss of a spouse through death. These sessions are open to individuals of all faiths. This peer to peer ministry of people caring for people is sponsored by The Beginning Experience Team of Omaha. Cost is $20.00. Scholarships are available; please ask if needed, we do not want anyone to stay away because of money. Pre-registration is not required.
"Who Am I Now?" for children ages 4- 15 will be held in conjunction with the Coping Sessions for adults. This program is designed to help children adjust to the changes in family life due to the death of a parent or the divorce or separation of their parents. The children are placed in age appropriate groups and guided in activities designed to help them express feelings about their experience. Cost is $10.00 for one child or $15.00 for a family. Scholarships are available; please ask if needed, we do not want anyone to stay away because of money. Pre-registration IS required.
For more information, contact the Pat Seier, Family Life Office, Widowed, Divorced & Separated Ministry Coordinator at 402-557- 5514 or email patseier@archomaha.org or Chuck at 402-895-9349 or visit www.omahabe.webhop.org.

Family Life Office Celebrates Marriage
The Archdiocesan Family Life Office is arranging the “Celebration of Marriage” to honor couples who in 2008 have the 5th, 25th, 40th, 50th, 55th, 60th or 60+ anniversary of their marriage. The celebration involves a special liturgy with the renewal of vows and a reception for the honorees and their guests. The celebration will be September 7 at St. Cecilia Cathedral at 2:00pm.
Archbishop Curtiss will preside. Each anniversary couple will receive a personal invitation and be asked to RSVP so that their names and parishes can appear in the program. To be included in this happy event, please email or call Amy at the Family Life Office at alwilson@archomaha.org or 551-9003 by July 31st to let her know that you would like to attend. Thank you.

Religious Education
If you have children in the public
schools and want them to have a religious education, please find registration forms for Sunday School (ages 3, 4 and Kindergarten) and the Wednesday Religious Education process (Grades 1-8) in the Commons, at the Parish office, or at the website, www.stleo.net. If children have not had any religious education and are Grade 3 and older, please call the office for information on programs available for them.

Beyond the Rainbow
Author George C. Pizzo has written a sweet tale,"Beyond the Rainbow" which is available free @ Omaha and La Vista Libraries. Visit him @ Beyond The Rainbow

Generations of Faith
These are things that Jesus asks of us as his followers. As the US Bishops remind us, "For Catholics, a special table-the altar of sacrifice, where we celebrate the Eucharist-is where we find the direction and strength to take what we believe into the public square, using our voice and votes to defend life, advance justice, pursue peace, and find a place at the table for all of God's children." From the Eucharistic table, we "Go forth to love and serve the Lord" and our neighbor.
Dear God,
Thank you for keeping our families and friends safe and in your care. We pray for all that you have made.
Please watch over all people:
The poor
Those who are sick or disabled
Those who are at war
Those who have died
And those who have lost loved ones.
We promise to do our best to help others, to respect all living things, and to serve you.
Please, God, Hear Our Prayer.
Amen
Written by Alex, Colby, Ethan, Garrett, Jasen, John, Sara, Shane & St. Leo Religious Education 3rd Grade Catechist Susie Jacobs-Hagen

School Registration
St. Pius X / St. Leo School is accepting registrations for all grades pre-school through grade 8 for the next school year. Please call the school office at 551-6667 for information.

Blood Drive, Saturday, August 2nd, 7 - 11:30am
Please consider being a blood donor and “Give the Gift of Life.” Please help us make our commitment to sign up 45 donors. Sign up today to reserve your donation time @ www.givebloodgivelife.org (search by sponsor code: 695), or in the commons, or call Chris Waldo, 214-1133. Thank you for making time to save a life!
Sponsored by the St. Leo KC and
the Red Cross.

Use the CARE Program
Recently a parishioner came in to buy over $1000.00 of CARE for Lowes, since they were engaged in a remodeling project. Since Lowes provides a 4% profit to the CARE Program, the school received over $40.00 in income from this one purchase.
This got us to thinking about the possibilities of purchasing CARE to benefit St. Pius X/St. Leo School not only for your regular weekly purchases, but also for those occasional larger purchases you make. These larger purchases offer a greater possibility of income for the school with very little effort. All CARE is available in the office.
The following are possibilities for the near future:
Pamper your mom with a card for Mothers Day from Bath &
Body Works, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Coldstone Creamery, Starbucks or Scooters, etc.
Take mom to brunch or dinner with a card from: Applebees, Granite City, Outback, Cheesecake Factory, Valentinos, etc.
Treat the graduate with a gift card from: Best Buy, Borders, Kohls, Penneys, Shopko, Younkers, Itunes, etc.
Pay for a pre-nuptial dinner with gift cards from: Granite City, Old Chicago, Bonefish Grill, Romeo’s, Olive Garden, or Valentinos.
Gas cards for your summer travel from: Shell, Sinclair or BP.
Buy your gardening supplies with a card from: Home Depot, Lowes, Shopko, Menards, Wal Mart, etc.
Surprise Dad with a gift card for Father’s Day from: Cabella’s, Bass Pro Shop, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Famous Dave’s, etc.
Say “thank you” to someone who watches your home while you are away with a card from: Applebees, Fazoli’s, Culvers, Carrabas, Chipotle, etc.
Use cards from one of the following restaurants for a summer family gathering: Valentino’s, Pizza Hut, Ruby Tuesday, Red Lobster, or Chilis.
Stock up on Fast Food Cards for your kids to use during the summer: Burger King, Arbys, Runza, Subway, TCBY, Wendys, etc.
Encourage Summer Reading with cards from: Barnes & Noble and Borders.
Prepare for House & Yard Spruce up projects with: Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, and Menards.
Purchase your prescriptions with cards from: Walgreens, Walmart, & Shopko.
Stock up with summer groceries with cards from: Bag-N-Save, Bakers, No Frills, Whole Foods, Wohlners or Wal Mart.
Purchase school uniforms with a card from: Dennis Uniform.

Youth Camp & Retreat Center Programs
The Elden F. Curtiss Youth Camp and Retreat Center, located on 100 acres of forest along the Elkhorn river near 245th and Q Street, will be hosting Summer camps for youth who have completed 5th-12th grades. Canoeing, Low Obstacle Course, Hiking, Archery, Swimming and other activities are woven together with Prayer, Faith Sharing, and Catechesis in a fun and exciting environment! If you or someone you know is interested in Camp Drexel, for 5-6th Grades, Camp Spiritus for 7-8th Grades or S.W.A.T. Week for 9-12th Grades, please see the webpage at www.archomaha.org/Education/CatholicFaithFormationOffice/YouthCamp/ youthcampandretreatcenter.html for the Camp Registration Form, or contact Tom Murray at 332-3384 or tpmurray[atsign]archomaha.org.

Thank You Notes
Here are a few notes that we have received in the office, thanking you, the parishioners for your kindness and generosity. We have some of the best parishioners around!!!!
Dear St. Leo Parish,
On Sunday, March 2nd, I was traveling on Blondo when I had an accident with my car. I drove into your parking lot to check the damage. I assume that services had just completed as I saw many cars leaving. I checked my car and saw that my front tire was flat and hanging over the rim. As I was looking things over, a young lady came over to me and asked if she could help. She went to her car and got her jack and came back to help me. As she was changing the tire, another lady came over and had me sit in her warm car. It was so cold and snowy that I was a little upset and forgot to get their names. I truly appreciated the help they gave m in my time of need. I told them my prayers were answered when I was sent two angels to help me. I didn't have any money on me to pay them, so I'm sending a check to the church in their honor. Thanks again.
Beverly
Dear St. Leo Parish,
Dear friends, I am so touched by your generous donation to the children of Rossbrook House. Your goodness will touch many lives, offering a safe place and positive choices. It is a gift to know that your parish holds our little ones in your hearts and prayers. Personally, it was a privilege and a blessing to be with you for your Parish Mission. Your faith is an encouragement to me.
Blessings,
Sr. Bernadette
Dear. St. Leo Parish,
Thank you so much for having the Chosen join you for two morning mass services this spring. We have been so encouraged to see such a number of people stand with us to see a brighter future for the children of Uganda.
Sincerely,
Ginger Darmon
Dear St. Leo Parish,
The family of Charles Howard would like to thank everyone, especially the Funeral Luncheon Committee for the lovely lunch you prepared and served for us.
Sincerely,
Margaret Howard & Family

Global Outreach
Host a Student and Assist Global Outreach in Rebuilding the Church in Eastern Europe... Global Outreach is a program in which high school students from Eastern Europe come to the United States to refine their English language and servant leadership skills as well as experience a year in a Catholic High School with an active Catholic family.
The GO program in Omaha currently needs host families for the 2008-2009 school year for GO students who will attend Skutt, Roncalli, or Gross High Schools. Other families in St. Leo's Parish who have hosted GO students are: Dave and Liz Sambol, 393-0686, or Dave and Mary Egan, 491-3031.
If you are interested and have questions you can contact either family or call Sister Marie Ostry at 455-2994 or email her at mostry62[at sign]hotmail.com.

Parish Bulletin Board
Check out our Parish Bulletin Board here for listings for daycare, things for sale and other want ads.

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If you are interested in helping maintain this web site, contact Ed at edcarlsen[at sign]tconl.com