Their school uniforms might be the same, but underneath is a person God gifted with a unique set of abilities and challenges to overcome.

Yet none of it precludes them from being able to attend a Catholic school. That was the core lesson for students in every grade level at St. Gregory during a Celebrating Differences event Jan. 8. It served as a kickoff activity designating the campus as the Diocese of Phoenix’s pilot school for the newly re-branded Arizona Catholic Schools Disabilities Fund.

The organization, which launched in the fall of 2014, exists to help local Catholic schools successfully meet the needs of students with any kind of physical or cognitive disability.

“Many of our diocesan teachers are so willing to learn more about teaching students with disabilities,” said Kathy Johnson, a reading resource teacher at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Scottsdale and part of the board of directors for the Arizona Catholic Schools Disabilities Fund.

She said teacher dedication already has many faculty successfully working with special needs students, but knows “there is so much more that we need to do and we are hoping that the ACSDF can be the support system that our special students and teachers want and need.”

Photos from ‘Celebrating Differences’ event

Pope Francis greets pilgrims with disabilities at Jan. 13 general audience

 

Understanding plays a huge role in that support system. That’s why St. Gregory students visited six simulation stations during the Celebrating Differences event. Each activity allowed them to better understand and even experience, to some degree, what it might be like to have challenges with hearing, vision, learning, fine motor skills or gross motor skills. Students also learned what it might be like to have autism.

More importantly, they learned how sometimes simple adaptations or additional time could help them accomplish the same task as those without a disability. Parents, the St. Gregory community and anyone else interested is invited to experience the same simulation activities Feb. 2 at the school.

Arizona Catholic Schools Disabilities Fund

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lisafischer@cox.net

P.O. Box 26638, Phoenix 85068

Celebrating Differences event for the community

Feb. 2 at St. Gregory School, 3440 N. 18th Ave.

Info: (602) 266-9527

“What I really want you to remember about today is that a person is a person first,” Kathy Smith, a member of the Arizona Council for Exceptional Children and part of ACSDF’s “cadre” of related professionals, told the students.

She reminded them to use expressions such as “a person with a hearing impairment” instead of “a deaf person.”

“The disability is just something about them like having curly hair or being tall or short,” Smith said.

Roughly 10-15 percent of St. Gregory students have been identified as having special needs. Maureen DeGrose, principal, said those needs include learning disabilities, medical issues, ADHD, autism and hearing impairments.

“The ultimate goal is student achievement,” DeGrose said. She is looking forward to professional development opportunities for teachers through ACSDF. “We have students with many needs and this is a wonderful opportunity to give all of our students the Catholic education they deserve.”

Lisa Fischer is the mastermind behind the Arizona Catholic Schools Disabilities Fund. She was born without the ability to hear, but still managed to graduate from Xavier College Preparatory. Fischer led the hearing impairment simulation station during the Celebrate Differences event and taught students how to count in sign language plus use its alphabet.

“Of all the disabilities the students have, 47 percent have dyslexia,” Fischer said. “Just about every school has someone.”

Whether it was dyslexia or another learning or cognitive disability, students donned an array of local Catholic school uniforms and joined Fischer at the State Capitol back in October. They watched as Governor Doug Ducey declared it Disabilities Awareness Month.

Fr. Tom “Tot” O’Dea, whose love of poetry permeated his life and ministry, died Jan. 2, at home in his native Ireland. He was 82.

Before crossing the Atlantic Ocean for the Diocese of Tucson, Fr. O’Dea was ordained a priest in Ireland on June 7, 1958 to serve as a missionary in Arizona.

And he wasn’t alone. He was accompanied on the trip by about a dozen young men; courted from the rolling hills of Ireland to the “lush” landscape of Arizona for ministry.

Fr. O’Dea served in various parishes in Tucson and later for the Diocese of Phoenix including St. Thomas the Apostle; Queen of Peace in Mesa; St. Anthony of Padua in Casa Grande; St. Francis in Superior; St. Patrick’s in Bisbee; St. John Vianney in Goodyear; St. Matthew; Christ the King in Mesa; and Holy Spirit in Tempe.

He retired in 2003 after serving as pastor of Ascension Parish in Fountain Hills, then returned to Ireland in 2005 where he served the parish of Ballynacally for the remaining years of his life.

A native of Newmarket, Fr. O’Dea attended St. Flannan’s College in Ennis, Co. Clare, where, at 13, he met his friend of 69 years, Msgr. Michael O’Grady.

“I often wonder why we bonded so well, we were very opposite in many ways,” Msgr. O’Grady said. “I lived for athletics of every kind. Tot preferred automobiles and tractors, but somehow we connected.”

Following high school, the two attended St. Patrick’s Seminary in Carlow.

“I was a bookworm, I had to be to get through. Tot was not a textbook advocate and I wonder if he even purchased them,” Msgr. O’Grady recalled. “He learned from conversations among the students; he had a really inquiring mind and thought outside the box.”

Not unlike those he ministered to and loved, Fr. O’Dea had his own crosses to bear, embracing the spirituality of the 12-step program.

“His cross became his grace,” Msgr. O’Grady said. “Every aspect of his ministry was based on the program, to him it was the ultimate Christian way.”

Msgr. O’Grady, who spoke at his longtime friend’s funeral, said the grief of the parishioners was palpable; the church was packed and a tent was set up to seat the overflow. Friends, parishioners and a local retired bishop came to pay respects.

“A man said to me, ‘he did so much for the people of this parish, he did nothing, just loved and respected us,’” Msgr. O’Grady said. “Tot would love the ‘nothing’ bit.”

That’s because Fr. O’Dea had a wonderful sense of humor, often summarizing his own prayer life as “one Our Father, once a day.”

Msgr. O’Grady expounded how really prayerful he was. Fr. O’Dea was known for his love of “textbooks,” which was every person he ever met and for little children whose company he delighted in.

In one lasting and final tribute, a friend invited the church to recite by memory Fr. O’Dea’s favorite poem, “The Lake Isle of Inisfree,” by Irish poet William Yeats.

“So many voices joined in. It was pure prayer as Tot would pray,” Msgr. O’Grady said.

He is survived by his brother Dr. Dominic (Dommie) from Toronto, sisters Evelyn Flanagan from Ballinasloe, Phyllis O’Halloran from Cashel, and extended family members. He is preceded in death by brothers, John and Patrick, and sister Irene Neylon.

He was buried Jan. 6, on the grounds of Christ the King Church in Ballycorick, Ballynacally following the funeral Mass.

Local Catholic high school fixture, Sr. Nancy Perlick, RSM, known for her quiet competence on and off the field, died Dec. 11, 2015. She was 71.

Sr. Nancy was an educator at Xavier College Preparatory for two decades, in addition to being the associate director of activities and athletics at the all-girls private school. She worked closely with Sr. Lynn Winsor, BVM, athletic director.

Never one for the spotlight, Sr. Nancy worked tirelessly behind the scenes on the girls’ athletic programs; coordinating all athletic events, invitationals, and tournaments hosted at Xavier.
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Memories and condolences

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“She was very kind, reserved, but extremely competent,” said Sr. Patricia Gehling, SSND, coordinator of ministry at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Scottsdale. “Sr. Nancy liked being in the background so the two of them were a great complement to each other.”

Sr. Nancy’s legacy is vast and wide; she helped design Xavier’s Petznick Field, she announced the home softball, basketball and volleyball games and planned the annual commencement ceremonies.

She also represented Xavier at Arizona Interscholastic Association meetings, wrote articles for national publications, interviewed prospective coaches, spearheaded game-day programs and wrote Xavier’s coaching handbook.

Originally from Chicago, Sr. Nancy was the oldest of three children of Gene R. Perlick and Joanne Olender Perlick. The family later moved to the Los Angeles area where she attended St. Paul’s High School in Santa Fe Springs.

After graduating, she entered the Sisters of Mercy in Burlingame in 1963 and professed vows in 1966.

Sr. Nancy received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of San Francisco in 1970, and served in healthcare for the next 25 years, including St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix.

Sr. Nancy received her master’s degree from the University of Washington in 1983, and worked 10 years as an administrator at Barrow Neurological Institute where the innovative programs and services she implemented still remain.

She served on numerous medical boards and committees, but never lost her love of sports and changed careers when she took a job at Xavier in 1995.

Sr. Nancy was a member of many athletic boards and committees, and a recipient of multiple national and state commendations and distinguished service awards.

In addition, she also served on several diocesan committees including the Council on Religious Life, Future Schools Task Force and as president of the Diocesan School Board. She was also a founding board member of Central Arizona Shelter Services.

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Sports writers reflect on Sr. Nancy

Don Ketchum on Xavier’s sports blog

AZCentral sports reporter Richard Obert

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All titles and affiliations aside, what Sr. Nancy will most be remembered for is her loving spirit.

Sophomore Sarah Goins said she vividly remembers Sr. Nancy. They met one year ago when she was registering, which she said was a frightening experience.

“But once I got to Sr. Perlick, she made me feel like I was the most important person there,” Goins said. “She was so welcoming and kind. I’ll always remember that.”

Sr. Nancy is survived by her sister Cynthia Hoffman, brother Terry Perlick, extended family, and her loving community of the Sisters of Mercy.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Dec. 18 at St. Francis Xavier Church, which was followed by a reception at Xavier College Preparatory Founders Hall.

Private burial was at St. Francis Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Mercy, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010, or to the Sister Nancy Perlick Scholarship Fund, Xavier College Preparatory, 4710 N. Fifth St., Phoenix, AZ 85012.

Attendance at a ceremonial groundbreaking was proof positive Catholics outgrew their worship space at the Franciscan Renewal Center — “The Casa” — in Scottsdale.

Nearly 400 community members joined the staff plus a bishop and Franciscan friars for a turning of the shovel Jan. 3. The current church only seats 300.

Overflow spills out into the narthex, lawn and patio each weekend. Those days should be over by next spring. The future church will at least double Massgoer capacity and have the ability to welcome another 200 guests during Christmas, Easter and other well-attended liturgies.

Capital improvements have been a mainstay on Casa grounds since the “Renewing Lives” Master Plan launched the campaign phase four years ago. The 17,050-square-foot church on the central-south portion of the 25-acre campus facing Lincoln Drive accounts for the largest portion — some $8.5 million of the $20 million campaign.

Key leaders and community members took turns posing for groundbreaking photos in space that is currently the parking lot.

“This is the most significant moment in our 65-year history, since the establishment of the Center in 1951,” Franciscan Father Joe Schwab, executive director, said regarding the groundbreaking. “We’re responding to community growth and erecting a building that will speak to the future.”

Program growth has more than doubled in recent years. Registration has nearly tripled since the Casa became a conventual church — meaning its space belongs to the convent of the Franciscan friars rather than the local diocese — in 2006. Both factors threatened to compromise the unique serenity so many find on Casa grounds. Community members refused to let that happen. They raised necessary funds to make the master plan a reality by August 2015.

Now, it’s just a matter of building Our Lady of Angels Church anew. The worship space will include a glass-enclosed narthex, art glass windows, reconciliation chapel, hospitality room and sacristies, a bell tower and significant sculptures.

Faithful communities build churches as places to give homage to the king of kings, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said in his homily. They’re places to put Him first and give Him the glory and worship that He deserves. They’re not made strictly for members to stay inside, however.

“We’re building here a place that allows us to go out in a different way because something new is within us that wants to shine through us, so that whoever sees you sees Jesus,” the bishop said.

A new 32-room guest lodge was completed last March as part of the master plan with remodeling of existing gust rooms and exterior renovations also finished. A multi-purpose Community Life Center is in the design stage and will be built behind the new church.

“We’re so grateful that Bishop Olmsted was able to come and preside over Eucharist at Mass and lead the blessing for the groundbreaking ceremony,” said Franciscan Father Peter Kirwin, rector. “And we’re delighted that the community participated fully in the blessing.”