JAN 2022
In This Issue: 2 New Year’s Resolutions 3 Start 2022 with a Clean Spiritual Slate 4 The Thursday Evening Bible Study 6 Highlights of Our 2021 Stewardship Renewal 7 St. Gianna Beretta Molla: A Saint for Life
HOLY FAMILY CATHEDRAL MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Office Volunteers: Faithfully Sharing Time and Talents to Make Our Cathedral a Welcoming Place
O
ur parish office is certainly a busy place, and there is always something to do — from mailing letters and answering the phone or door, to helping with recording sacramental records. The various odds and ends of operating Holy Family Cathedral are supported by a small, but devoted group of office volunteers. “It’s been more than 25 years since I started volunteering here at the parish,” says Rod Notzen, parish office volunteer. “I first started volunteering because they asked one Sunday for people who could type to help with counting money on Monday mornings. Before long, one of the other counters volunteered me to help even more in the parish office and I decided to do it.” Over the years, Rod has been blessed to get to know many of the people who visit the parish office. In addition, he has helped make connections between the faithful and priests they had known long before, and he has guided people to the Outreach program. continued on page 5
“It’s been a blessing for me to help in the parish office for Msgr. Gier, Fr. Jovita, and now Fr. Kastl,” Rod says. “They all bring a different dynamic to the parish office, but it makes it fun to come and help as I am needed.” 8TH STREET & BOULDER AVE • TULSA, OK 74119 • (918) 582-6247 • TULSACATHEDRAL.COM
HOLY FAMILY CATHEDRAL
Stewardship: NEW YEAR’S
RESOLUTIONS
T
he New Year has arrived, and we have all been busy making — and trying to keep — our New Year’s resolutions. Many of us choose resolutions geared toward health and fitness. After all, possessing good overall health is critical to our wellbeing. Others may try to avoid a particularly bad habit — maybe you need to quit smoking or stop swearing. Still, many of us plan things we have always wanted to do, but never get around to doing. As the days of January continue onward, however, many of us find the inspiration of keeping our good-intentioned resolutions to be fading fast. By the end of the month, most of us have given in to our temptations and returned to our old ways. We are only human, right? Discouraged by this yearly failure, many of us don’t even bother making New Year’s resolutions anymore, especially if we feel like we won’t succeed. Maybe our failures lie in both how we make our resolutions and what resolutions we actually choose. What we need to understand is the root of our resolution. For example, if you resolve to eat less candy to drop those recently added holiday pounds, is the root of your resolution a selfish one — wanting to look better since you overindulged? Or, are you genuinely seeking to stop giving in to each sweet tooth craving by practicing mortification — giving up of a personal pleasure to glorify God? If the root is a selfish one, only to benefit yourself, then it is often difficult to keep in the long run. However, if we are trying
to glorify God, our mission is much more important and worth keeping. Tying your New Year’s resolutions into the principles of stewardship — giving of your time, talent and treasure back to God — is a great way to ensure that the root of your resolution is right on track! For instance, resolving to pray each evening before going to bed glorifies God, brings you peace before slumber, and allows you to grow in your relationship with Christ. The root is pure. Your desire to keep it will be stronger and make it easier for you to keep. In the same way, resolving to return your talents to God by helping others in need is an excellent choice in creating a selfless resolution with the right root. Furthermore, resolving to re-evaluate your finances is also extremely important, and the beginning of a new year is a great time to do it. Are you giving back to God out of gratitude for all He has given you? Or are you merely dropping a dollar or two in the collection basket just to feel good about yourself? If you are not where you would like to be as a good steward — either with sharing your time, talent or treasure — you can resolve to do better. The New Year is a perfect opportunity to start anew and become the good steward that God desires each of us to become. And when we choose selfless things that build His kingdom instead of ours, we are sure to not only stay on track, but to succeed!
Tying your New Year’s resolutions into the principles of stewardship — giving of your time, talent and treasure back to God — is a great way to ensure that the root of your resolution is right on track! 2
JAN 2022
A Letter from Our Rector
Start 2022 with a Clean Spiritual Slate Dear Parishioners,
M
any of us were taught in school that the month of January gets its name from Janus, the ancient Roman god of doors and gates. His image was always carved or painted with two faces, one looking forward and the other backward. This reflected, of course, that you can go either out a door or in through one. From this very specific function, his role was generalized to include all beginnings and new endeavors. Because of Janus’ place in the Roman pantheon, it seemed natural to the Romans to name the first month of the civil year after him. (The Church year began back with the First Sunday of Advent, you’ll remember.) And although we no longer worship the pagan gods of the ancient Romans, the name has stuck down the centuries. But we’re not immune to the human instinct that moved the Romans to name the first month after Janus. His double countenance, facing forward and backward, reflects how we approach the coming of each new year. The last week of the old year finds the newspapers and TV programs giving a glance back at the past year (“the 10 best, or worst, movies of…” and such) along with predictions of what the new year will bring. My personal favorite is always “the 10 worst predictions” for the year just ending. Just like the secular world does — Janus-like — we both look back at our own successes and failures, happy events, and sad ones, during the year just ending, and forward to the new year as we prepare our resolutions. When we reflect back on the blessings we’ve received, our hearts should be filled with gratitude — and blessings there have been, no matter how difficult the year has been. But for most of us, there have been failures and failings, too. That calls for repentance, and perhaps a trip to the confessional — but God, who makes “all things new” (Rv 21:5), will then give us a clean spiritual slate with which we may begin the new year.
I’d also like to challenge you to include your grateful response to God as you make your resolutions for the new year. You don’t have to wait until you fill out a commitment card to decide this is the year when you’re actually going to attend Mass once a week in addition to Sunday (or begin worshiping every Sunday if you haven’t been doing so) or to pray the Rosary every week or to begin regular prayers with your family. Include in your resolutions how you are going to get involved in some ministry in the parish or some service to the community, and then do so. Decide to become more faithful in your financial stewardship if your treasure commitment is less than it should be. Look forward to the new year and bring Christ and His Church to the center of your resolutions. Then see what a good year it will be, with God at the center! Have a happy, and holy, New Year. Sincerely yours in Christ,
Very Rev. Gary D. Kastl Rector
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HOLY FAMILY CATHEDRAL
The Thursday Evening Bible
DRAWING CL
T
he Bible can be one of the most intimidating aspects of the faith. After all, there are 73 books telling everything from the story of creation and fleeing into the desert to Jesus’ life and death and the establishment of the early Church. For attendees of Deacon Jerry Mattox’s Thursday Evening Bible Study, the Bible is one of the most captivating and exciting parts of the faith. While some Bible studies follow a curriculum, Deacon Mattox and the group follow their wonder and delve deeper into certain subjects or stories. Surprisingly enough, most consistent attendees are converts to the faith — their previous religious experiences or lingering questions provide a fascinating lens through which they ask questions and
ponder Scripture. “One of the coolest things about Deacon Mattox’s Bible Study is his consistency,” says Helen Maxey, a weekly attendee of the study. “He loves to delve into the group’s questions and when he does not know the answer, he comes prepared the next week after conducting thorough research on the question. He really tries to leave no stone unturned when it comes to people’s curiosity of the faith.” The group meets weekly from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Halpine Room at Holy Family. Each week they begin with evening prayer and then dive into where they left off the previous week. Deacon Mattox uses the liturgical season to guide their goals when possible. With
“One of the coolest things about Deacon Mattox’s Bible Study is his consistency. He loves to delve into the group’s questions and when he does not know the answer, he comes prepared the next week after conducting thorough research on the question. He really tries to leave no stone unturned when it comes to people’s curiosity of the faith.” — H elen M axey
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JAN 2022
Study:
OSER TO THE WORD TOGETHER the exception of a break during the summer months, holidays, and other special events, this group regularly meets each week. In fact, it is that consistency that makes this Bible study so appealing to Helen and her husband, Tim Hankins, who have been steadily attending Deacon Mattox’s Bible Study going on four or five years. “When we are making plans with friends or family and they suggest Thursdays we always decline” Helen says. “I always say ‘I’m sorry, it’s Deacon Mattox’s class on Thursdays and we are already booked.”
So if the idea of joining a Bible study like this piques your interest, Tim and Helen want you to know the door is always open. They promise the experiences will not only deepen your faith but also provide another opportunity to engage in the greater community. “Most Catholics know the basic breakdown of the Bible,” Tim says. “They know about the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Gospels. From the knowledge I’ve learned attending weekly, now I can have a conversation with my Baptist friends.”
You are invited to join us for the Thursday Evening Bible Study, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Halpine Room at Holy Family. For more information, please contact Deacon Jerry Mattox at dcn.jerry.mattox@gmail.com.
Office Volunteers
continued from front cover
“Occasionally, someone will come to the door and ask desperately to be let into the cathedral to pray,” Rod says. “It happens only a few times a year, but I know their desire to pray and be in His presence is incredible. These people come at their lowest and to help them find peace by quiet prayer is a blessing.” In fact, one of Rod’s favorite memories of volunteering in the parish office happened over 15 years ago. A woman and her husband stopped by during office hours — the woman was dying from cancer and wanted an opportunity to simply pray inside Holy Family Cathedral one last time. So, Rod let them in and the couple prayed for some time. It just so hap-
pened that organist Ernest Neal was also in the cathedral practicing, so Rod took the opportunity to ask the couple if they had a song request. Ernest deeply moved the couple by performing Ave Maria that day and the woman passed just two days later. For Rod, having to the opportunity help in such poignant circumstances truly makes his time spent volunteering worth it. “It’s been a blessing for me to help in the parish office for Msgr. Gier, Fr. Jovita, and now Fr. Kastl,” Rod says. “They all bring a different dynamic to the parish office, but it makes it fun to come and help as I am needed.” 5
HOLY FAMILY CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR
2021 Stewardship Renewal T
his past autumn, our Holy Family Cathedral leadership conducted the 2021 Stewardship Renewal. This Stewardship Renewal gave our Holy Family community the opportunity to discern how we are using our gifts of time, talent and treasure in service to the parish and in return to God. This month, we are happy to share with you some of the highlights of the 2021 Stewardship Renewal. • • •
•
There were 175 commitment cards received from 33 percent of active households. There were 1,741 prayer commitments — the stewardship of time — from 93 percent of participating households. There were 787 ministry commitments — the stewardship of talent — from 79 percent of participating households. Of these, 427 were new ministry commitments, while 360 were re-commitments to parish ministries. There were 137 offertory commitments — the stewardship of treasure — from 78 percent of participating households. The average pledge was $3,217.
We thank all those who participated in our 2021 Stewardship Renewal. If you did not have the opportunity to fill out and return a commitment card, we invite you to consider the ways you may share your gifts of time, talent and treasure with God and the parish community!
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JAN 2022
St. Gianna Beretta Molla: A
Saint for Life
A
s disciples of Christ, the Lord of Life, we are called to respect and defend the life of every human being, from conception until natural death. In today’s world, a pro-life mindset is not only largely unpopular but sometimes even dangerous. However, the facts remain the same — the gift of life determines our humanity, and as Catholic Christians, we are responsible for its protection. With the strong examples of people such as St. Gianna Beretta Molla, we are able to witness the value of being a people of faith, a people living to build up a culture resting on Christ’s values – a culture of life. From early childhood, Gianna lived an exemplary Christian life. She attended daily Mass with her mother and her brothers and was a faithful member of Catholic Action, a lay apostolate dedicated to worldwide evangelization. Gianna often wrote beautiful prayers to the Lord, promising to follow His will no matter the consequences. As a teenager, Gianna understood the importance of obeying God’s will and made a series of resolutions to always follow His guidance. “I wish to die rather than commit a mortal sin,” young Gianna once wrote. Yet, continued on back cover
Caring for the life of her unborn child meant the loss of her own life, but such knowledge never weakened her respect for life in the least. Gianna knew that her child’s life was just as valuable as her own, and she needed to care for both of them. 7
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St. Gianna Beretta Molla at the time, Gianna was not aware of what God had in store for her life. Throughout her life, Gianna constantly prayed, “O Jesus, I promise You to submit myself to all that You permit to happen to me, make me only know Your will.” As her life progressed, Gianna would live such prayers in a radical way. In 1961, as the mother of three and pregnant with her fourth child, Gianna was diagnosed with uterine cancer. To preserve her health and life, doctors suggested Gianna undergo a radical hysterectomy — a surgery that would undoubtedly save her life, but consequently terminate her pregnancy. Gianna decided to wait for God’s direction. Doctors removed portions of the tumor, but knew that complete eradication would require a full hysterectomy. However, Gianna was determined to keep her uterus intact and determined to give birth to her unborn baby. Knowing the serious dangers ahead, Gianna instructed her husband a few days prior to delivery, “If you must decide between me and the baby, have no hesitation:
continued from page 7
choose — and I demand it — the baby, save him.” As it turned out, Gianna’s tumor had progressed so far that a few days after she delivered her fourth child, she passed away — a martyr for her child! Caring for the life of her unborn child meant the loss of her own life, but such knowledge never weakened her respect for life in the least. Gianna knew that her child’s life was just as valuable as her own, and she needed to care for both of them. Gianna ultimately lost her life because she wasn’t willing to sacrifice her child for her own sake. What a strong woman! Though this seems radical, we are all called to respect the lives of the unborn just as Gianna did, and Gianna’s fate only secures for us the reward we will receive if we work to build a culture of life, just as she did. In April 1994, Gianna Beretta Molla was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II, and in May 2004, she was declared a saint. Because St. Gianna lived as a defender of life, she now enjoys eternal life with the Almighty God! Let us heed her example and build a culture of life!
