OLL dedicates Moran Center
Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Northridge celebrated the dedication of its new Moran Center March 15. Named in honor of Msgr. Peter Moran, pastor, the building will provide meeting space for the parish's many ministries, including adult and children's religious education, faith formation classes and parish ministry groups.

The building is equipped with partitions that can be reconfigured into four separate meeting areas, each having its own A/V equipment, internet access and smart boards. All rooms will be named in honor of the Blessed Mother: three after her apparitions at Lourdes, Fatima and Guadalupe, and the fourth titled "Regina Coeli."

Parishioners praised the vision of the pastor who recognized the need for a facility combining expanded meeting space with 21st century technology. Parishioners Lee Figueroa, business manager, and John Parker, project manager, helped guide the project from dream to reality. During the dedication ceremony, Mary Janus and Sean Grady led a program of song, prayer and reflection.

Providence HS partners with USC's Keck School of Medicine
Last January, 36 students enrolled in Providence High School's Medical Focus Program were given a rare opportunity to learn from and work alongside professors and second year medical students during two weekend seminars at The Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.

Since summer 2008, Dr. Arjan Harjani, director of the Medical Focus Program at Providence, and Dr. Joel Schechter, assistant dean of student affairs at Keck, have been working to design a weekend program in which Providence students interact with the medical school's staff and students in the USC labs on campus.

"Our students have been given a social, academic and job-related advantage through this program with The Keck School of Medicine," said Harjani. "This provides them with a glimpse of what their lives will be like if and when they decide to go on to medical school."

Plans are for the pilot program weekend seminars to become an annual occurrence for Providence's Medical Focus Program students leading to greater interaction between the high school participants and the medical students, including the possibility of having the medical students run guest labs and lectures at the Providence campus.

St. Finbar draws area teens for youth ministry event
Over 125 teenagers from parishes surrounding St. Finbar Church in Burbank attended a recent youth event: Ministry to Ministry. Sponsored by St. Finbar's youth ministry, "Youth United Together" (YUT), the program specially designed for high school youth offered an evening of fellowship and faith sharing.

According to Alicia Hungerford, a St. Finbar youth ministry core team member and Notre Dame High School sophomore, the theme of the event, "Gaining back ground," focused "on the constant battle within the world and within ourselves of being called out of darkness and into the light." Students from both public and Catholic high schools attended representing St. Finbar, St. Robert Bellarmine and St. Francis Xavier, (Burbank), Holy Family and Incarnation (Glendale), and St. Patrick and St. Charles Borromeo (North Hollywood).

St. Bernardine students compete in 'Imagination' tournament
All five teams representing St. Bernardine of Siena School in Woodland Hills in the mid-March regional tournament of Destination ImagiNation advanced to the state level held in San Jose on April 4.

Destination ImagiNation teams independently craft a solution to one of five challenges over the course of the school year, within a limited budget. Every part of the solution is created by the youth team members using their own ideas and capabilities.

St. Bernardine's results from the state competition included: "Eureka," 3rd place; "Animal Crackers," 3rd place; "Delicious and Malicious," 5th; DI-rectors, 6th; and "Fantastic Four," 11th. "Everyone gave a great performance in their challenges," said Cheryl Moore, St. Bernardine school parent.

St. Genevieve HS/parish family bond during March travels
St. Genevieve High School's cast and crew of the 2008 fall musical production of "Singin' in the Rain" traveled to Plains, Georgia, in early March to perform the show at the behest of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter.

Staged in President Carter's high school auditorium, the show was well-received by the local residents of Plains and Americus who "loved it," according to a letter sent to the school written by Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter. In 2006, St. Genevieve students journeyed to Plains to meet the Carters and returned the following year to make a documentary about the town that raised a future president.

The St. Genevieve Youth Ministry hosted the parish's first annual "Youth/Family Day at Magic Mountain" on March 21. The event drew 122 youth and parent participants as part of the parish's planned Community Life activities to help parishioners "feel at home" even though they belong to a very large church family.

Crespi athlete hurdles past injury, earns track scholarship
After a breakthrough year in 2008, Crespi Carmelite track star, Mikio Island, was poised to return for his senior year as one of California's best hurdlers.

As a junior, he led the state in both the 110m high hurdles and 300m intermediate hurdles, finishing seventh at the 2008 California State meet in the latter and helping Crespi win a CIF track title. A talented wide receiver, Island was a big play threat for Crespi football during the first half of the season.

During a football game against Saugus, however, he suffered a torn ACL, which ended his chances of returning for his senior year of track. Still, his athletic efforts as a junior made him one of the area's top recruits. Island's rehabilitation is ahead of schedule, and recently he received a track scholarship to Boise State University.

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center gets new chief
Larry Bowe, a former administrator with Providence Health & Services operations in Oregon, took over his new position this week as chief executive of Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills. Previously the chief executive of the Providence Yamhill service area in Oregon, which includes Providence Newberg Medical Center, Bowe has been with Providence for nearly 14 years.

He comes to the 254-bed Providence Holy Cross just weeks after the medical center's victory before the Los Angeles City Council, which will allow construction of the new 136-bed expansion to resume. Providence Holy Cross, ranked among the top 5 percent of hospitals in the nation, is renowned for nursing excellence and for its trauma center, which next month celebrates its 25th anniversary.

"Providence Holy Cross is very fortunate to have a man of Larry Bowe's caliber take over the reins," said Kerry Carmody, the hospital's former chief executive, who late last year was promoted to chief operating officer for Providence operations in California.