TEMPE — After 26 years as principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Dr. Vincent Sheridan is retiring.

He began his career in Catholic education in 1972 at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School as a social studies teacher and baseball coach. After five years at the Chandler school, he became vice principal of Gerard Catholic High School in Phoenix.

Gerard shut its doors in 1989, but the memories live on. Sheridan spent 12 years there, patrolling the campus at lunchtime, and frequently seen chomping a cigar. “I’ll see you in my office,” was a phrase he was famous for among students.

Sheridan credits the late Fr. John Hanley, who served as principal of Gerard, for teaching him some valuable lessons about leading a school by being an active, visible presence.

“He did the lunch room,” Sheridan said. “And when he did the lunchroom, he had me walk that campus. You have to get out, get around, see the kids.”

Upon becoming principal of OLMC in 1989, Sheridan began supervising the lunchroom, where he became known for cracking a few jokes. The twinkling eyes and New York accent are part of the charm and both parents and students seem to love it.

“You got to have a sense of humor with kids. You got to have fun with them,” Sheridan said. “Otherwise, if I’m not happy, what does that say about my faith and everything else?”

Sheila Broglia is well-acquainted with the retiring principal’s sense of humor. She remembers getting to know Sheridan when he was an administrator at Gerard. All five of her children have attended OLMC during the last 17 years.

“He would tell my kids, ‘Your mom was so bad in high school. She was always getting into trouble.’ He was just teasing them and they’d laugh,” Broglia said. “He’d refer to that a lot, saying ‘Here comes trouble.’ It was a nice sense of familiarity, but of course, you could appreciate him a lot more as an adult than as a kid.”

In reflecting on what his legacy is, Sheridan pointed to the influence of the Catholic faith.

“Particularly with an elementary school, it’s part of the mission of the parish, the formation in faith. It’s part of that holistic view the Church has, working with the parish to instill Catholic values in the children,” Sheridan said. “At each school that I’ve been at — Seton, Gerard and here at Mount Carmel — I’ve had at least one student ordained a priest.”

Fr. John Bonavitacola, pastor of OLMC Parish offered his own view of Sheridan’s legacy to the school.

“I have worked with Dr. Sheridan for the past 15 years and he is as close to a good old fashioned nun as I could get,” Fr. Bonavitacola said. “His Catholicism permeates everything he does and his greatest legacy is that he is leaving us with a truly Catholic School in our teaching, service and worship. While it is hard to measure the impact he has had on thousands of students during his career, I know he treated each and every student with respect, kindness and love.”

In 2013, Sheridan was awarded the “Guardian of Hope” educator’s award at the annual Night of Hope gala benefiting Catholic schools throughout the diocese.

See also: Principal, whose career spanned four local elementary schools, retires

A product of Catholic schools herself through college, Mary Frances Malinoski found herself out of place during her first teaching assignment.

A product of Catholic schools herself through college, Mary Frances Malinoski found herself out of place during her first teaching assignment.

The public school was too large and the “politically correct,” Godless environment bothered her. Malinoski turned to Catholic school campuses and never looked back. Now, after 45 years in education, including 15 of the last 25 as principal in the Diocese of Phoenix, Malinoski retired June 3.

She spent the last six years at San Francisco de Asís in Flagstaff but before that served at St. Daniel the Prophet in Scottsdale and in the ‘90s was principal at Most Holy Trinity and the old St. Mary’s Elementary School in Phoenix.

“Once I began teaching in a Catholic school I knew I was home,” Malinoski said, the eve before her final day of school with the students. “Faith, Catholic traditions, high academics and service to others are the standards that have always kept me in Catholic education.”

That’s not to say that teaching methods didn’t adapt over the years. She recalled classroom days before the concept of a “prep period,” teacher’s aid, dedicated teachers for fine arts or physical education and before computers were necessary.

“Getting purple ink on your hands and clothes when copying papers was always a nightmare,” Malinsoki said. “While the use of technology has improved all areas of education, the demands and requirements at all levels have also increased.”

Class size, she said, has decreased. Today’s Catholic school students also have the luxury of leaning at their pace and style with teachers able to cater to students grasping material at different levels, she said.

“Students today are at a great advantage because we are able to identify areas where learning is a challenge and we have the resources to create programs to help them grow in confidence and knowledge,” Malinoski said.

She is taking many fond memories with her from lunchtime with students to school retreats, staff skits, friendly sports rivalry to ensuring one of the priests isn’t carrying contraband candy for the students.

“The fourth grade students had a tradition that every time I walked into their room, they would jump up and say a new cheer for me. That I will miss,” Malinoski said.

Fr. Pat Mowrer, pastor, acknowledged her efforts in enhancing the school’s Catholic character over the years, which padded its latest accreditation score.

Anna Hoffman’s youngest daughter was an eighth-grader when Malinoski arrived. Hoffman has worked with her since as parish manager and described the May 29 farewell sendoff as a heart-warming celebration and a bittersweet one. Each class offered a tribute via a memory or song with parents putting together a tribute video and teachers also lending a hand. It concluded with a traditional farewell blessing song gifted to anyone leaving the school.

“Everybody was showering her with love and appreciation and gifts,” Hoffman said. They also offered prayers for her retirement years.

“She was very dedicated to our school and put in countless hours to our school and our students,” Hoffman said, noting Malinoski’s level of professionalism, experience and dedication.

See Also: Dr. Vincent Sheridan, longtime OLMC principal, retires

TEMPE — After 26 years as principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Dr. Vincent Sheridan is retiring.

The ideas of forgiveness, freedom and fatherhood surfaced during the June 21 kickoff Mass for the Fortnight for Freedom in the Diocese of Phoenix.

The liturgy was part of a nationwide observance that calls for prayer in the 14 days leading up to the Fourth of July. It’s a way to collectively celebrate and pray for the protection of religious freedom while observing the feast days of several saints who faced religious persecution.

FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM

The Diocese of Phoenix invites you to spend time in daily reflection during the Fortnight for Freedom via its video series.

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Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted celebrated Phoenix’s opening Mass from Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. He highlighted the close connection between fatherhood and freedom. He quoted the hymn, “Faith of Our Fathers,” and reminded Massgoers — plus those tuning in via the televised and livestreamed liturgy — that Jesus can free His followers from fear and “other things that paralyze our soul or that shrivel our heart.”

The bishop said Jesus frees people from selfishness and individualism, the bishop said, emphasizing the communal nature of lines in the “Our Father” prayer.

“The Father frees us from our trespasses so we can forgive those who trespass against us. We saw this miracle of forgiveness at work during this past week,” the bishop said, recalling public statements relatives of the victims shared in court following the deadly shooting at a Bible study in South Carolina.

“No anger. No accusation. Just grieving hearts — broken — but refusing to return hatred for hatred or evil for evil. That’s freedom in Christ,” the bishop said.

He went on to quote the daughter of one of the victims who forgave the killer saying, “You took something very precious away from me… You hurt me. You hurt a lot of people. May God forgive you. And I forgive you.”

An unbelieving world looked on in amazement, the bishop said, to see Christians loving their enemies. This is religious freedom, he said.

The Fortnight for Freedom is a time to give thanks for the freedom that no one can take away, the bishop said.

“Oh yes, we can lose religious liberty… we may be harassed and threatened and called terrible names. We can be forced to flee with our children for safety as is happening from many coming to our Valley from Iraq or Syria or northern Africa, … but no one can take from us the freedom to follow our conscience. That’s what we have by God’s gift,” Bishop Olmsted said.

He urged Catholics to pray for three groups of people during this Fortnight for Freedom: those who suffer persecution for their faith, especially in Iraq and other middle Eastern countries, religious freedom in America and restored respect for rights of conscience and for the freedom to love children.

He went on to quote former NFL player Matt Birk, who once addressed Phoenix Catholics at the diocesan Men’s Conference. Birk said that football isn’t who he is. Being a father is the legacy he cares about.

“Being a shepherd of their hearts — that’s a major responsibility; that’s a job that’s too important to fail,” Birk told Columbia magazine, the monthly publication for some 1.8 million Knight of Columbus members worldwide.

Filling the first several rows of the cathedral alongside their spouses and children of all ages sat the Knights of Columbus council from Ss. Simon and Jude. Their monthly Mass as a council happened to coincide with the kickoff for the Fortnight for Freedom and with Father’s Day.

Grand Knight Keith Johnson said it can be a challenge to live as Christians, but found comfort in the fact that a person’s daily treatment of others is one way to bear witness to the faith.

“Since you fall short, that also keeps you humble,” Johnson said.

He also advised praying for others, especially for those who hurt you.

“We should do it, but it’s so difficult,” Johnson said. “It flies in the face of normal behavior.”

They came from all over the diocese, some 1,500 Catholic teenagers and young adults ready for a weekend of prayer, praise and talks geared toward evangelization.

The diocese’s inaugural bilingual “Youth Catholic Congreso” June 12-14 was an effort aimed at attracting young Hispanic Catholics and youth leaders for three days of fun and formation.

Guadalupe Vasquez, director of the Jovenes de Fuego youth group at St. Margaret Parish in Tempe, brought 40 teens to the Congreso.

“I brought them here to get closer to God and bring them that hope that they need,” Vasquez said. “No one said being Catholic is boring and so this is how we are getting them to be more active.”

Cuco Ortiz, a 14-year-old member of Jovenes de Fuego, said he attended the three-day event to grow in his faith.

“I came here today because of my relationship with God so I can have a better connection and get to know Him more and be more involved with the Church,” Ortiz said.

Fr. Agustino Torres, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, was one of the featured presenters during the Congreso. He was introduced to the crowd at the Phoenix Convention Center alongside one of the order’s founders, Fr. Stan Fortuna. A couple hundred of those who wanted to hear the Saturday morning presentation in Spanish followed Fr. Torres to the Diocesan Pastoral Center.

“It’s incredibly important to reach our youth,” Fr. Torres told The Catholic Sun. “They are open and they have a natural disposition for God, but they also have a great need for this message to be put in a way that they can understand.”

To that end, Fr. Torres presented the truths of Theology of the Body to the youth using his acoustic guitar, good humor and dramatic storytelling that included a demonstration of balloon juggling.

“It’s not just necessarily in a classroom setting. It needs to be an upgraded presentation of the Gospel to them,” he said.

Fr. Fortuna, in a talk peppered with Spanish, jokes and guitar riffs, stood on the stage at the convention center behind huge banners of Pope Francis and Our Lady of Guadalupe. He pointed out that only Jesus Christ can truly satisfy the human heart.

“If you want to settle for less, you can get a taco at Taco Bell. Or, you can go to Abuela (Grandmother). Please,” Fr. Fortuna told the crowd. “The bishops here and the whole diocese, they got a crazy love for you and they want you to know that.”

Carmen Portela, director of parish leadership support in Spanish, helped organize YCC 2015 and said she hoped the young people would think about their futures in light of what they’d learned at the Congreso.

“God didn’t make them for nothing,” Portela said. “He made them for a well-defined purpose and we want to help them understand that whatever plan God has for them.” Participants had an opportunity to hear a vocations panel discuss the consecrated and religious life.

Cristofer Pereyra, director of the Hispanic Mission Office, said he attended the Congreso with his 12-year old son and 14-year-old daughter. They weren’t too enthused about the prospect of a full day of catechesis, he said, but discovered the event went far beyond their expectations.

“It turned out to be not only a good and uplifting experience, and a good formation experience as well, but it was really an opportunity to encounter Christ,” Pereyra said. “My children got the idea that the faith doesn’t have to be boring. You can convey it in a natural way and it can even be a fun experience.”

The playground at Most Holy Trinity School is more than 50 years old, but hopefully by this time next year the school will have a safe and upgraded playground, thanks to a $20,000 grant from the Catholic Community Foundation, Phoenix Catholic Leadership Circle.

The grant will not only help upgrade the playground, but pay for professional development for physical education, an outdoor hand-washing station, and programs to encourage exercise.

“The benefit would be not only for the school, but the whole parish because they use it for religious education and youth group,” said principal Margaret MacCleary.
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Photos and recap of inaugural Grant Awards Ceremony

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Most Holy Trinity is one of four CLC grant recipients. In its first year of giving grants, the CLC gave $60,000 in a ceremony at Mount Claret Retreat Center May 14.

“We were surprised with what we were able to do in the first year,” said CLC co-chair Janine Campo. “$60,000 is more than we anticipated.”

The Catholic Leadership Circle began as a brainstorm in 2013 as a way to invite younger Catholics to participate in philanthropy. The average age of the members is between 35 and 45, Campo said. Membership in the circle requires an annual $1,000 donation, and each family in the Circle is allowed to vote on what organizations receive grants. Members are accepted at any time, and the $1,000 gift can be paid in installments.

“It’s a group of young people working together to find solutions for this diocese,” said Campo. “I think this generation wants to become more involved in helping.”

Nonprofit organizations whose values align with Church teachings and primarily serve in the Diocese of Phoenix can apply for grants. In February, members of the Circle were able to meet applicants and ask questions about their programs.

“We not only hear from the organizations directly, but there are opportunities to be able to go directly to help that organization,” Campo said.

MacCleary expressed her gratitude for the CLC grant.

“As our enrollment grows, our needs grow,” she said. “We’re really grateful and excited because they see and understand our need and that is a blessing.”

PRESCOTT — “I had a student who was in foster care,” said Kasey Shaver, administrative assistant for North Star Youth Partnership. “Her life was very unhappy. She thought if she had a baby who would love her unconditionally, she would be able to control her life.”

Shaver is the coordinator of a little-known program from Catholic Charities to help explain the complexities of having a baby, particularly for young, unmarried parents. Through “Baby…Ready or Not’’ eighth-graders learn first-hand what it means to be a parent by “having a baby.”

“After a weekend with one of our babies, she realized that was not what she wanted.”

After an hour-and-a-half orientation, the students are sent home with their baby to care for over the weekend, “so they really learn the impact a child has on them and on their families,” Shaver said. “We feel the weekend is most important because that is when their friends are going to malls and parties, but they have to stay home with their babies.”

Calling the babies “dolls” doesn’t do them justice. These are high-tech, computerized mannequins that behave as close to a human as is possible. No two are programmed alike.

At 3 p.m. the baby “comes alive.” It may whimper or coo or cry to have its diaper changed. From Friday afternoon through Monday morning, the babies replicate the activities of a real infant. They wake in the middle of the night and cry. They fuss to be held or rocked. The computer registers whether the baby has been treated roughly, left in the heat or its head has dropped too far. During de-briefing on Monday, Shaver says the students show a real appreciation for what it means to be a parent.

Shaver encourages boys to take the babies home to get a better understanding of what a mother goes through and what a father’s responsibilities entail. Students are encouraged to keep a journal about their thoughts and feelings during the weekend.

Shaver started the program six years ago and plans to contact those early participants to see how it affected their behavior and attitudes about dating relationships and pre-marital sex. “I tell all the students that having a baby is the most rewarding thing you could ever do. But not till you’re ready.”

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‘Baby… Ready or Not

The free, “Baby… Ready or Not” class is scheduled June 26-29. A July class could be scheduled if there is sufficient interest.

For more information contact Kasey Shaver at (928) 708-7206 or visit Catholic Charities at 434 W. Gurley St. in Prescott.

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— By Mary Dahl, The Catholic Sun.