Fr. Eamon Dignan: had hip replacement surgery last week. He is currently convalescing. Cards may be sent to St. Mary's Nursing Center, 21585 Peabody Street, Leonardtown, Maryland, 20650. Please keep him in your prayers during his recovery.

Special Charity of the Month: Support United States Black, Indian, Eskimo and Aleute Missions. The annual appeal is a vital part of the Church. There are 131 dioceses who receive assistance from the collection. The support goes to some of the neediest people across the United States, from the inner cities of the rural South and from the deserts of the Southwest to Alaska's cold wilderness. All of us concerned with evangelization and the social ministry of the Church know that National Collections are necessary for education, evangelization, foreign missions, home missions, retired religious, and people in need.

Special Mass: Although the actual date of the Roe vs. Wade decision was January 22, with the Right to Life March scheduled this year for Monday, January 24, it seems only appropriate that some special recognition and accommodation be made for those unable to attend any of the functions in Washington. Sacred Heart Church in LaPlata will, therefore, be celebrating a special Mass at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 24.

Married Couples: Want to make your good marriage a great marriage? Attend a Marriage encounter weekend. It is a private weekend designed for today's relationships. The next weekend is April 22-24 in Gaithersburg, MD. For information or to register, call 301-924-5683 or (toll free) 1-800-795-LOVE.

Congratulations: to Al & Chrystal Beauregard on their 45th anniversary which is Sunday, January 16.

Special Celebrations/Ways and Means: Our next planning meeting is on Wednesday, January 19, at 7:00 p.m. at OLHC. If you're interested in planning for our fun community gatherings, please join us or call Jude at 301-893-2403. Our next activity is during Lent, Soups after Stations, beginning Friday, February 11th.

Altar Guild: meeting to be held on Tuesday, January 18, at 7:00 p.m. New members are invited to attend.

Adult Bible: study group meets on Thursday, January 20, at 7:00 p.m.

Faith-Related Evenings: Father Robert Braunreuther, S.J., director at Loyola Retreat House in Faulkner, Maryland, will lead a group of those interested in discussing selected documents of Vatican II. Our text (if you do not already have one) will be: Documents of Vatican II, New Revised Edition, Austin P. Flannery, Ed. (William B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1984, ISBN 0-8028-1623-1). We will begin with the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (especially #s 1-21, 47-82, and 102-111). Please read this material in preparation for the first session, which will be on Thursday, January 27th from 7:30-9:00 p.m. Our meeting place is Deacon Barrasso's office, which is located in the basement of Sacred Heart Church in LaPlata.

Is Your Marriage in Trouble?: If your relationship has grown cold and distant, if you are separated or thinking about separation or divorce, we believe that Retrouvaille can help. Retrouvaille is a Catholic program designed to help hurting couples mend and heal their brokenness. The next weekend is: February 11-13, 2005. All calls and inquiries are confidential. For more information please call (410) 647-0350 or (301) 468-6764 or visit the website at www.retrouvaille.org.

Prayers are requested for: Fr. Eamon Dignan, Donna Devitis, Lynnette Proctor, Dorey Pagel, Kylis Savoy, Scott Grimes, Maria Workman, Baker, John Lohman, John W. Bell, Howard Bridges, Regina Lominac, Bill Walsh, Jean Ridgely, Ernestine Bragg, Sarah Knott, and Gert Gorman. Call the office to add a name to our list and also to remove a name when the crisis has passed. The weekly "prayer list" represents the concerns of the whole parish but it needs to be kept up to date.

Youth Group (8th-12th grade): A meeting will be held on Sunday, January 16, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Religious Education: There will be no classes on Sunday, January 16 and Monday, January 17 due to Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Classes resume Sunday, January 23 and Monday, January 24.

OLHC Youth Group Super Bowl Subs: The youth group will be selling subs for Super Bowl Sunday. Orders will be taken on January 22/23 and January 29/30 after Masses. More details will follow.

Catholic Standard's "Lit for Little Ones": book drive is back. Last year, more than 20,000 books were collected for the Southern Maryland Catholic elementary schools. This year the books will be donated to the libraries of Prince George's County Catholic elementary schools. Please donate new or gently used children's books or computer software by dropping them off in the box in the church vestibule. Collection of books will be from January 10th through February 16, 2005. Contact Laurie Enceneat at 202-281-2409 with any questions.

Our Lady's Little Christians: is happy to share the news with you that we are hosting a series of four training sessions for childcare providers and parents. These are all approved by the Child Care Administration for three clock hours of continuing education. Advance registration is required and the cost for each workshop is $25.00 All parents, parishioners, and catechists are invited to take advantage of this opportunity.

• Thursday, February 10, 2005, 6:00 -9:30 p.m. - Enhancing Self-Esteem Using Play-Based Techniques


• Tuesday, February 15, 6:00-9:30 p.m. - ADHD: What Every Child Care Worker Must Know


• Saturday, April 2, 2005, 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - Abduction Prevention Skills and Child Safety


• Thursday, April 28, 6:00 - 9:30 p.m. - How to Discipline Without Screaming and Scolding.

Please contact Barbara Breighner at 301-645-7112 for a synopsis of each workshop and for information on registration.

St. Peter's School News: H.S.A. General Meeting on Thursday, January 20th has been canceled. Look for H.S.A. information at the dinner during Catholic Schools Week (Jan. 27th). There is no school on Monday, January 17th (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) or Thursday, January 20th (Inauguration Day).

Database Administrator Needed: Education Parish Service, an education and formation program for Catholic adults, is seeking a part-time database administrator (24 hr/wk.). The database administrator will manage a donor database; produce reports; prepare correspondence; perform other duties as assigned. S/he should have 2 years' experience with Raiser's Edge; facility with MS-Excel, Word, QuickBooks; excellent organizational, communication, proofreading skills, attention to detail. Bookkeeping experience highly desirable. Competitive salary and benefits. Free parking, metro-accessible. Send a cover letter with resume by January 31 to Bonnie Waltz at EPS, 125 Michigan Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., 20017.

OLHC Committees/Groups: Please be sure your meetings, rehearsals, special events, etc., which are being held here at OLHC, are listed on the church calendar in the office. Thank you.