February 2022
oncept Monthly
Newsletter
I m m a c u l a t e C o n c e p t i o n C a t h o l i c C h u rc h
Meet Parishioner Rhonda Schnipke:
Faithfully Extending Hospitality to All in Our Community
W
henever Rhonda Schnipke Conception because of the more has moved to a new traditional feel. It reminds her of church or joined a new ministry, the parish, St. Michael’s, where people have always welcomed her. she grew up. She always returns the favor by “I feel like I am sharing Mass at being hospitable to anyone who is home with my parents,” she says. new to our community. “That was part of the draw here.” “I have moved so much between Rhonda became a licensed college and work, so I was developfoster parent in June 2020. She ing relationships constantly,” Rhonda also stays very involved in many says. “All along the way, people have ministries at Immaculate Concepmade me feel welcome. When you tion. For many years, she used are a single person moving to a new her talents on the Finance Councommunity, you have to create famcil, and she serves as a lector. ily in other ways. Church has always Rhonda also volunteers for the been one of those ways for me.” Oktoberfest event, usually using Ever thankful for all the hospitality she’s Rhonda moved to Willoughby experienced from everyone at Immaculate her money-counting skills. Periodiabout 14 years ago to take the Conception, Rhonda Schnipke loves and cally, Rhonda volunteers with the position of senior finance manager appreciates the family she’s made here. St. James Painesville and McKinley at Avery Dennison. She grew up in Meal Ministry, preparing meals for Kalida, Ohio, where her parents still live. Rhonda those in need. In addition, she taught Confirmahas three younger brothers. tion classes for several years. She also helps with Upon moving to Willoughby, Rhonda visited sevthe Social Committee events like Breakfast with eral Catholic Churches but settled on Immaculate Santa and the annual Clam Bake. continued on page 5
37940 Euclid Avenue
Willoughby, OH 44094
440-942-4500
www.immaculate.net
Immaculate Conception CATHOLIC
T
PAGE 2
CHURCH
How Can We Model the Faith for Our Children?
he Church has made it clear that parents are primarily responsible for the spiritual and cognitive development of their children in matters of the faith. As the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, Lumen Gentium, states, “Husbands and wives find their proper vocation in being witnesses of the faith and love of Christ to one another and to their children” (Chapter 4, Section 35). The Catechism of the Catholic Church further emphasizes this vocation, by pointing out that the moral education and spiritual formation of children is not only the right, but the responsibility, of their parents: “The right and the duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable... Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children” (CCC 2221, 2223). But how can we as parents create an environment in the home conducive to spiritual and moral development? As busy adults, how are we to disseminate the knowledge and understanding of the tenets of the faith to our children in the way that a trained and experienced catechist can? Furthermore, how do we strike a balance between teaching our children in the home and not interfering with the faith formation and sacramental preparation they are currently receiving through their parish school or religious education program? The answer to all of these questions is stewardship. Indeed, it is important that we reinforce the lessons that our children learn in school and at religious education classes by talking to them about the faith, reading Sacred Scripture with them, and
spending time in family prayer. And there are several authoritative resources online that can help parents in this task, including Catholic Parents Online at www.catholicparents.org. This site links parents to numerous other websites and documents that can help them in talking to their children about the faith. But the best way that we can teach our children is by serving as a living example to them of how to live as disciples of Christ. If we want our children to grow up as strong Catholics and to display a lifelong commitment to their faith, then it is important that we ourselves live a committed faith life. This includes an ongoing commitment to our own faith formation as adults and active participation in the sacraments. It also includes the giving back of our time, talent, and treasure in service of our community in thanksgiving for the gifts that God has given us. Parenting can be a tough vocation, and children deal with many influences in their lives that exist in stark contrast to the values that their parents often hope to instill within them. Fortunately for parents, the stewardship way of life provides a simple and effective model for teaching our children in matters of the faith. By living as stewards of God’s gifts and reaping the spiritual rewards that accompany this lifestyle, we are tangibly showing our children that sharing of our gifts and talents leads to a life of happiness and spiritual fulfillment. In doing this, we give them a good opportunity to follow in our footsteps and make their faith a top priority for the rest of their lives.
PAGE 3
A Letter From Our Pastor
The Word of God: How Do We Hear It? And How Do We Respond to It? Dear Parishioners,
A
few short weeks ago, we completed our Christmas season. We are now in what we call Ordinary Time — but before long, we will begin Lent. This is one of those rare years when Ash Wednesday is in March — so, Lent does not, of course, begin in February this year. The Gospel of John begins with the statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We speak often of the Word in the Church. As most of you are aware, the first part of our Mass is called the Liturgy of the Word. What does that mean to us? Basically, there are four parts of our celebration of Mass: Introductory Rites; Liturgy of the Word; Liturgy of the Eucharist; and Concluding Rites. My focus in this reflection is that second part — the Liturgy of the Word. The main parts of that are a First Reading, a Responsorial Psalm, a Second Reading, the Gospel, and a Homily. We draw on Holy Scripture from the Bible for the readings. As Catholics, we do not consider that these readings are about God, or about the Church, or about our faith, or a history lesson, or a nice story from long ago. We consider them to be God speaking directly to us. Thus, our attentiveness to what is being proclaimed is important. Are we listening? Do we hear? And then,
do we respond in our lives? All of those should be facets of how we approach the Word of God. For us, the Word of God is the living Word. God is speaking to us as a community, and He asks us to be faithful to His Word. If we pay attention and truly listen, God can nourish our spirit, and Christ can be more real and present to us. The Homily, the Responsorial Psalm, the Profession of Faith, and the Intercessions develop the Word further and complete it. The Profession of Faith is our acceptance of God’s Word. However, the question for us is, how do we respond to the Word? Does it change our lives? Does it bring us to the conversion necessary to live lives of stewardship and service? It is not easy, I know. Being able to listen, to hear, and then to act requires time, practice, commitment, and a desire to fulfill all of this. That is one of my prayers for us — that we can hear the Word, and that we can bring it to life in our own lives and in the lives of others. Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Michael Troha
Immaculate Conception CATHOLIC
PAGE 4
CHURCH
Entering into Lent H
How We Can Make the
ow might we make the most of this solemn, sacred season? There are three main aspects to Lent in which the Church asks us to engage — prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We don’t need to take on many things in order to make this season worthwhile, but it is important to consider how we might deepen our faith lives during this time of year. Perhaps we might be inspired to take each aspect of Lent to heart, and pick something we can do within each category, so to speak, in order to truly enter into this sacred season. Each one — prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, provides us an opportunity to grow spiritually and prepare for Easter. Prayer Let us start with prayer. In order to grow our personal and communal prayer lives, we need not spend the entire day in the chapel. Rather, perhaps consider adding one new devotion to your prayer life. For example, if you aren’t already spending time each day in prayer, maybe it’s time to start spending five minutes each morning with the Lord while enjoying your breakfast and coffee. If you usually start your day by opening your computer and phone to check messages and emails, start instead with a morning prayer or Scripture, offering your day up for the Lord
and whatever may come. If you already have a regular prayer routine, perhaps you might consider adding a daily Divine Mercy chaplet at 3 p.m. during the hour of mercy, or a family Rosary after supper cleanup. Fasting While we often think of food when it comes to fasting, there are other ways we can fast during Lent. Fasting means abstaining from something in order to grow spiritually. This could mean giving up Facebook or cutting down on internet use. Perhaps you might consider fasting from watching your favorite TV
PAGE 5
Most of This Solemn, Sacred Season series and instead watch daily Mass. Another idea of fasting is giving up takeout or delivery and instead using that extra money to give to the poor. Almsgiving Giving alms may be the less obvious of the three but is no less important for growing spiritually. Giving alms can mean a number of things. Perhaps this means giving a bit of extra money to charity during these 40 days. It might also mean visiting with a grieving friend, listening, and helping out those in need. You might also consider stepping out and helping in a new capacity, whether in a new ministry or volunteer effort.
Lent affords us a wonderful opportunity to renew our spiritual lives. While it may not always seem so easy, it is necessary to use this time to prepare our hearts and lives for Easter. We might be tempted to simply look ahead to the joy of Easter without considering the sacrifice of Lent, but in that way, we would be missing out on the chance to grow, learn, give, and pray. We cannot have the Resurrection without the Cross. Lent is a reminder not to be filled with sadness and dread over our sacrifices, but to take up practices that help us engage in our spiritual lives, purify ourselves with God’s help and rejoice when Easter comes around.
Meet Parishioner Rhonda Schnipke “I love that at Immaculate Conception, there are so many ways to get involved,” Rhonda says. “It’s not just a place where you come one hour on Sunday, and that’s it.” Rhonda also participates in the Women’s Prayer Group, and she was part of a book group called Adore that met last Advent. “You just never know what relationship you might develop,” Rhonda says. “It can extend beyond your weekly attendance at Mass and have a significant influence on your life overall.” Possessing a love for travel — both in the United States and abroad — Rhonda hopes to return to traveling once again when the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. Rhonda has a goal to visit all 50 states before she turns 50. She would also love to visit Germany and Australia. In addition, Rhonda loves to hike and bake. Ever thankful for all the hospitality she’s experienced from everyone at Immaculate Conception, Rhonda loves and appreciates the family she has made here.
“
continued from front cover
Rhonda Schnipke and her mother, Sandy — Rhonda grew up in Kalida, Ohio, where her parents still live.
You just never know what relationship you might develop. It can
"
extend beyond your weekly attendance at Mass and have a significant influence on your life overall. — Rhonda Schnipke
Immaculate Conception CATHOLIC
CHURCH
Highlights of Our
2021 Stewardship Renewal
T
his past autumn, our parish leadership at Immaculate Conception conducted the 2021 Stewardship Renewal. The Stewardship Renewal gave our parish 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 314 commitment cards received from 43 percent of active households. • There were 1,764 prayer commitments — the stewardship of time — from 92 percent of participating households. • There were 851 ministry commitments — the stewardship of talent — from 71 percent of participating households. Of these, 141 were new ministry commitments, while 710 were re-commitments to parish ministries. • There were 262 offertory commitments — the stewardship of treasure — from 83 percent of participating households. The average pledge was $1,775. 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!
PAGE 6
PAGE 7
Valentine’s Day
C
The Feast of a Christian Martyr
andy, flowers, romantic dinners, and excuses for wooing are the common traditions we associate with the once-pagan holiday known as Valentine’s Day. Dangling cupids, candy “message” hearts, and faux long-stemmed roses clutter every card store, waiting for that last-minute purchase. The question is — how did this overcommercialized holiday really begin? There are a few stories surrounding the history of Feb. 14 and St. Valentine himself, all dating back to the Roman Empire. The 14th day of February was a day set aside to honor the goddess Juno, queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. The following day, Feb. 15, began the feast of Lupercalia — a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. As part of the festival traditions, there was a name drawing among the young people. The names of young Roman women were written on slips of paper and placed into a jar. Each young man would draw a young woman’s name from the jar, and the two would be partners for the duration of the festival. Sometimes the pairing lasted an entire year, and often, the couple would fall in love and later marry. At the time, Emperor Claudius II was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns, and he was having a difficult time recruiting soldiers to join his military leagues. Claudius believed that soldiers were reluctant to join because they did not want to leave their loves or families. With this in mind, Claudius decreed all marriages and engagements cancelled in Rome. During this time, St. Valentine was a priest in Rome, and he and St. Marius secretly married young couples. For this, St. Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of continued on back cover
Immaculate Conception
37940 EUCLID AVENUE WILLOUGHBY, OH 44094
CATHOLIC
CHURCH
NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
CLEVELAND, OH PERMIT 362
440.942.4500 | WWW.IMMACULATE.NET
F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 2
Valentine’s Day continued from page 7
Rome, who sentenced him to be beaten and then executed by beheading. He suffered this martyrdom on Feb. 14, around the year 270 AD. Before his death, it is said that St. Valentine left a note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it “From Your Valentine.” Although the truth behind the St. Valentine’s legend is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and, most importantly, romantic figure. It is no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France. Over time, Feb. 14 became a time for lovers to exchange sweet messages, making St. Valentine the patron saint of lovers. The date was often commemorated with the sending of poems and simple gifts. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that Feb. 14 was the beginning of the avian mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine’s Day — should be a day for romance.
