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Upcoming Events
Our WINTER 2008 HEARTS FROM HOME is underway and schools are signing on.
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Viva SAINT RITA'S HIGH SCHOOL/Chicago
from Adam McGrath, Saint Rita's Director of Public Relations
St. Rita High School’s Spirit Day was held on Wednesday, December 5th, aiming to raise over $1,200 for the ComPadres. In November, Fr. John Barkemeyer, home for a two-week leave, was the celebrant of St. Rita’s November all-school Mass, and he reminded the school community of the great things their support accomplishes, and how much it means to the men and women serving their country in the Middle East. Last year over 500 students donated the $2.00 fee for St. Rita’s ComPadres Spirit Day, for which they could dress in casual clothes. This year the scho ol hopes to collect even more funds for Fr. Barkemeyer and ComPadres.
ComPadres recently relocated its contact to St. Rita of Cascia High School, and any contributions to ComPadres can be addressed to Fr. Tom McCarthy, who serves as the organization’s spiritual director, at 7740 S. Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60620.
Hearts From Home/Fall '07
Here are the schools that gave to our soldiers this time around. We note this time around that there are a few NEW schools on our list, names we haven't seen before -- and we're grateful for that development.
To see what these schools provide, click HERE.
Brother Rice High School
Mount Carmel Mission Club
Our Lady of Tepeyac High School
Saint Albert the Great School
Saint Cajetan
Saint Francis Xavier School
Saint Francis Xavier of LeGrange
Saint John Vianney School
Saint Rita High School
Saint Rita Knights of Augustine
Viva TROOP 11 of Saint Francis Xavier/Wilmette!
MaryClare Birmingham, one of our Wilmette Compadres, describes the October event . . .
The Boy Scouts of Troop 11 feel a special connection to Father Barkemeyer. He is an alumnus of their school, Saint Francis Xavier in Wilmette, Illinois. Whenever Father John is in town, he stops in to talk to the students about his work. But when he made a visit last year just before he left for Iraq, dressed in his Army fatigues, it made a most powerful impression. The Scouts decided to find a way to support Father John in his work, so they reached out to the ComPadres.
The boys hit upon the idea of a fund-raising bike ride to Great Lakes Naval Station as a perfect fit for their Scouting ideals. It would offer an active outdoor challenge and serve American troops. The ride was publicized as open to the public and the Troop collected registration fees from riders. The chaplains at Great Lakes welcomed the initiative and enthusiastically helped with the planning. The event was named The CCC Ride for the ComPadres -- CCC stands for Chaplains Comfort and Care!
The Ride was a huge success. Approximately 50 riders took part, starting out from Maple Park in Wilmette, where Father John’s parents, Hank and Germaine Barkemeyer, dropped signal flags to start the race. Riders of all ages and abilities participated in the 20-mile ride along the North Shore, led by an amazingly fast foursome of local men. Scout Nate Roberts impressed all by keeping pace with the lead group the entire way, reaching the finish line in just over 90 minutes!
As the weather had changed from overcast to rainy over the course of the ride, the riders were surprised and pleased to find a welcoming party at the finish line. The Boy Scout troops of Great Lakes and North Chicago had put up a tent and were handing out grilled hot dogs and hot chocolate with their congratulations. Chief Navy Chaplain Robert Crall arrived to join the celebration.
The CCC Ride for the ComPadres was a big success in achieving its goals. Besides raising over twelve hundred dollars, it brought the Boy Scouts and the community together in an energetic demonstration of support for U.S. troops. Many thanks to all the riders, the Great Lakes Naval Station chaplains and the local Boy Scout troops, the Troop 11 adult volunteers who helped organize the event, and especially the Boy Scouts of Saint Francis Xavier Troop 11!
Viva RICK GREENFIELD and SUNGARD!
Rick Greenfield and the folks at SunGard came up with two fundraising approaches. During the month of September, SunGard employees could 1) choose to purchase items from a tasty assortment of ice cream, candy, chips, and nuts, and 2) purchase a $2 Compadres sticker, which would entitle the bearer to wear jeans or casual clothes for the day. Father John and the soldiers in Al Anbar Province will benefit greatly from the generosity of SunGard employees.
For more on SUNGARD, go to www.sungard.com
Hearts From Home/Winter '07
Our Winter "Hearts From Home" provided a much needed boost to Compadres efforts, and we are extremely grateful. I'm sure our soldiers will be more grateful still.
Note that a school from Tulsa, OK (yes, Tulsa) is part of the honor roll this time. Saint Joseph School of Homewood repeats their generosity, having also donated in November. All of our schools again represent all the near and far reaches of Chicagoland.
To see what these donations provide, click HERE.
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Cascia Hall Preparatory School
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Tulsa, Oklahoma
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Immaculate Conception School
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Chicago
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Mount Assisi Academy
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Lemont
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Queen of the Rosary School
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Elk Grove Village
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Saint Helen School
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Chicago
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Saint James School
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Highwood
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Saint John de la Salle Academy
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Chicago
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Saint Joseph School
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Round Lake
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Saint Joseph School
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Homewood
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Saint Michael School
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Orland Park
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Saint Symphorosa School
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Chicago
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Saint Zachary School
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Des Plaines
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Visitation School
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Chicago
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Hearts From Home/Fall '06
Our November "Hearts From Home" initiative was a big success. KUDOS to the schools (and one Hot Dog brigade) that generously donated. As of now, over $6000 has reached the Compadres, with more to come.
As you scroll down the list of our donating schools, you can see names of schools from both city and suburb, from the far corners of Chicagoland and neighborhoods closer in. To all of these schools (and one Hot Dog brigade) a warm-hearted thanks from the Compadres. May their Christmas hearts be a little warmer this year.
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Arbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
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Chicago IL
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Brother Rice High School
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Chicago IL
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Epiphany School
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Chicago IL
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Holy Trinity High School
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Chicago IL
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Mount Carmel High School
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Chicago IL
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Sacred Heart School
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Chicago IL
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Sacred Heart School
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Winnetka IL
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St. Albert the Great School
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Burbank IL
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St. Angela School
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Chicago IL
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St. Benedict School
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Blue Island IL
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St. Cajetan School
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Chicago IL
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St. Catherine of Alexandria School
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Oak Lawn
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St. Francis Xavier School
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Wilmette IL
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St. James School
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Highwood IL
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St. John Fisher School
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Chicago IL
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St. Joseph School
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Homewood IL
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St. Rita of Cascia High School
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Chicago IL
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St. Thomas of Villanova School
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Palatine IL
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St. William School
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Chicago IL
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And last but not least...
The Northwestern University Hot Dog Brigade of Wilmette
GO...
to our "Accomplishments" page to see how your participation supports the work of Army Chaplains in Iraq and lets our troops know they are never far from our hearts and minds.
Articles in the media
During his first overseas deployment in 2005,Father John wrote a series of 26 articles that were published every few weeks in one of Chicago's daily papers, the Daily Southtown. Many of them are reproduced below. They depict the courage, the fear and frustration, the hope and the faith, that Fr. John saw every day in the soldiers he served. Read one or two... we think you'll come back for more!
(all articles are in PDF format, if you do not have the Adobe PDF Reader, download it here for free )
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