Under the Arch     November 28, 2005     Volume VII, Number 13

GANNON TO HOST CHILDREN'S MEMORIAL SERVICE SUNDAY, DEC. 11

        Gannon University on Sunday, Dec. 11 will host the local observance of National Children’s Memorial Day.

The ceremony will be held on the steps of Gannon’s Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel, 512 Peach Street, and will begin at 6:45 p.m. with the registration of names to be remembered, followed by a candle lighting ceremony, music, readings, and poems. An informal fellowship will follow the ceremony.

In the event of inclement weather, the service will be moved indoors. Those who cannot attend the ceremony at Gannon can join in spirit by lighting a candle wherever they are at 7 p.m. that evening.

            The program at Gannon is being organized by members of the Erie chapter of The Compassionate Friends (TCF), a national, self-help organization offering support to families grieving the death of a child.

Members of the local chapter will be joining hundreds of similar memorial services around the world. Tens of thousands of families, united in loss, annually light candles for one hour during The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting, traditionally held the second Sunday in December.

Candles are first lit at 7 p.m. local time, just west of the International Date Line. As candles begin to burn down in one time zone, they are lit in the next, creating a 24-hour wave of light.

With the theme, “that their light may always shine,” the event is now in its ninth year, with each observance larger than the prior year.

For more information on the local event, contact the Erie chapter of The Compassionate Friends at 814-871-5624. The web site for TCF can be visited at www.compassionatefriends.org.

OUR EVENTS

• Thursday, December 1 – Gathering in Praise: Ecumenical prayer service celebrating Advent. Offered at 11 a.m. in the Waldron Center.

• Saturday, December 3 – Gannon University Christmas Party: To be held at Rainbow Gardens. The reception is scheduled for 6:15-7 p.m., the buffet dinner will begin at 7 p.m., and the dance is scheduled for 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.

• Sunday, December 4 – Gannon University Social Work Club Christmas Dinner: The annual dinner will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Hammermill and Waldron. All attendees will be treated to a full Christmas dinner and presents. For more info call ext. 7263.

• Sunday, December 11 – Winter Commencement: Scheduled for 2 p.m. in Hammermill Center. Edward M. Gabriel, president and CEO of the Gabriel Company, will deliver the keynote address. The Graduation Mass will be offered at 11 a.m. in the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel.

• Sunday, December 11 – Mid-Knight Pancake Breakfast: scheduled for 9:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the cafeteria. Call ext. 5800 to volunteer to help at the event, which is designed to give students a break from studying for final exams.

• “Our Events” is intended to serve as a random sample of campus events. For a more complete listing, refer to Eventcal.

THE PRESIDENT'S SCHEDULE

Tuesday, November 29 – Meeting with Gannon Greek Representatives; Festival of Trees. Wednesday, November 30 – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Speaker, Cornell L. Moore. Thursday-Friday, December 1-2 – Meetings with federal officials. Saturday, December 3 – Gannon men’s and women’s basketball vs. Hillsdale; Gannon University Holiday Dinner and Dance. Sunday, December 4 – Gannon Social Work Club Christmas Dinner and Wellness Fair.

CURRENT BIRTHDAYS

Patrick O’Connell. Rick Prokop. Patricia Schlosser. Ralph Griffin. J. Thomas Simmons, Jr. Daniel Morales. Kathleen Gausman. Marion Gallivan. Thomas Boyd. Kimberly Grove. Briana Fields. Wendy Bowen. Patrick Pontzer. Stephanie Williams. Renee Thibodeau. Sherry Komorek. Marilyn Dombrowski. Annmarie George. Lauren Foltz. Cheryl McIntosh. Melanie Dash. Vincent Fetzner. Paula Barrett. Heather Turner. Gary Garnic. Karen Weston. Barry Brinkman. Ronald Lombard. Julie Brieger. Gary Carver. Donna Green.

HEARD ON CAMPUS

• Brown Bag Lunch: Nash Library presents: “New Books for the Holiday Season,” A Brown Bag Lunch. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Marion Gallivan and Deb West will discuss some of the new fall book releases ready for the holiday break and available in the Nash Library. Feel free to bring your lunch; desserts and beverage will be provided. Gallivan also will discuss children’s books that make great gifts too.

• The annual Mid-Knight Pancake Breakfast will be held Sunday, Dec. 11 from 9:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the cafeteria. The breakfast is designed to give students a break from studying for final exams. Volunteers and fun door prizes for students are needed. If you want to volunteer or donate a prize, contact Angela Jones at ext. 5800.

• Gannon University’s Schuster Gallery cordially invites you to view its current exhibit of paintings, “Father and Son,” featuring the work of Vitus J. and Michael J. Kaiser. The gallery is located on the third floor of Nash Library and is open during regular library hours. The exhibit will be on display through Dec. 9. For more information call ext. 5467.