St. Didacus toy drive cheers sick children
St. Didacus School student council members, faculty advisors and Katharyn Sweeney, principal, received recognition recently from Maribel De La Torre, director of development, PADRES Contra El Cáncer for providing over 200 toys for children with cancer and their siblings during the Christmas season. The student council plans to provide additional support activities for PADRES during the upcoming Easter season.

CSUN administrator makes nun documentary
Karen Kearns, associate dean of Cal State University Northridge's Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication, recently completed a documentary film about the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and the renovation of their motherhouse in St. Louis. Inspiration for the film came after Kearns' 2000 trip to her native St. Louis, where she visited her cousin, Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Joan Lampton.

Sister Lampton told Kearns of the religious community's decision to go ahead with a monumental renovation of its motherhouse built in 1840. Kearns realized the ambitious revitalization project, undertaken in a time of aging religious communities, would make a fascinating film. The 55-minute documentary, titled "That All May Be One," focuses on the restoration of the sisters' house, now used as a retreat and conference center shared with the lay community.

While the documentary also deals with the death of six of the nuns during its five years in production, it has an uplifting message of hope, since "it looks at how the work of these sisters goes on even as their numbers dwindle," said Kearns. The film has recently been screened at CSUN and Mount St. Mary's College and will be entered in several film festival competitions.

St. Mel author publishes book on note-writing 'do's'
Kelly Browne of St. Mel Church, Woodland Hills, has written a book for people who struggle to write thank-you notes. Titled, "101 Ways to Say Thank You, Notes of Gratitude for All Occasions," the book published by Sterling Publishing Co. will be released Feb. 5.

Endorsed by Crane Stationery, "Notes of Gratitude" provides sample written thank-yous for nearly every occasion, including birthdays, baby/bridal showers, dinner parties, and college or job interviews. The book lists six essential note-writing "do's," and also features a thesaurus of adjectives and superlatives to make messages stand out.

"A meaningful thank-you note really does make a difference, not only in the life of the person you are thanking, but also in your own," said Browne, who has worked in the entertainment industry as an actress and producer.

Parish packs in audiences for 'Odd Couple'
St. Francis Xavier Church in Burbank had to extend its production of Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple" to a second weekend after selling out two mid-January performances. Co-directed by parishioner and veteran actor, Daniel Roebuck, the comedy marked the acting debut of fellow parishioners Jim Roope ("Felix Unger"), Chris Kenney ("Roy") and Sean Mannion ("Murray").

Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward improvements in Holy Cross Hall, including the addition of a new sound system and replacement of the stage floor and curtain. Bowled over by the sold-out response to the show, producers are planning to do annual productions since their first parish-wide theatrical event proved to be such a successful benefit and community-builder.