feb/mar/apr
2022
The Prayer Line Ministry:
Interceding and Supporting Those in Need
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n the First Letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul writes, “First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone” (1 Tim. 2:1). The power of praying for one another is something that not only impacts the person being prayed for, but the person praying for someone. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Since Abraham, intercession — asking on behalf of another has been characteristic of a heart attuned to God’s mercy” (CCC, 2635). The parish community of St. Jude’s comes together to pray for others through the Prayer Line Ministry. “Prayer Line is a means of communicating prayer intentions of the parish,” says Joan Cahill, who serves as the coordinator of this ministry. “We have about 300 people who receive the emails that we send out with prayer requests.” This ministry is so important to the parish because it builds community through prayer and compassion for one another. “Everyone needs prayers and everyone needs hope and community,” Joan says. “This also gets the word out to the community that people are in need. We pray for them and I also see parishioners reaching out to each other during their times of need. I see people giving each other
support through this. We all need that support. “Sometimes we get powerful answers to the prayers and sometimes we never hear the answer,” she adds. “What I hear most often from people is that they felt the prayers. It brought them peace and comfort as they have gone through difficult times.” The emails with prayer requests are sent out any time a request is submitted. This way, timely prayer requests, such as those for a medical appointment or job interview, are sent quickly and those receiving the requests can pray for them immediately. continued on page 5
Stewardship of Time:
The Foundation of Our Faith Lives
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professor stood at the head of the class with a big glass jar. He put six big rocks in the jar with the rocks up to the edge and then asked his students, “Is the jar full?” They replied, “Yes.” The professor told the students, “No, it’s not.” He then pulled out gravel and put it in the jar. He then asked, “Now is it full?” The students once again replied, “Yes.” The professor responded, “No, it’s not.” He reached down and pulled out sand, which he poured into the jar with the same responses. Then, he reached for a pitcher of water and poured it in, all the way to the brim. Then he asked, “Now is it full?” And the students replied, “Yes.” The professor then asked, “OK, what did you learn from this?” One student responded, “No matter how many things you’ve got in the jar, there’s always room to put a little more in.” The professor told the class, “No, that’s not the lesson. The lesson is, if I didn’t put the big rocks in first, they would have never fit!” Most Catholics may ask how this can apply to our own prayer lives. Essentially, every person must decide what the “big rocks” are in his or her life. And prayer should be one of those big rocks in the jar. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has told us stewardship is part of discipleship and is a way of responding to God’s call in every aspect of our lives. We refer to the three facets of stewardship as “Time, Talent and Treasure,” and when we consider the importance of these three Ts of stewardship, the “time” component comes first by design. Stewardship spirituality is about trying to become more generous with our Time, Talent, and Treasure. And there’s a reason why “Time” is first. We need to take time to talk to God and take time to be quiet and seek to listen as He expresses His love for us and wants us to know His inspiration in our life. There are many different forms of prayer. From weekly prayer such as the Mass, to daily personal prayer, such as a daily Rosary. Morning and night prayer are also
important disciplines to maintain. Set aside a comfortable place in your home where you can find silence. Focus on a spiritual image and take time to center yourself with Scripture or other spiritual reading. For many, spending large portions of the day in silent prayer is not possible. But make it a priority to find moments of quiet throughout the day, and find ways to incorporate prayer amid your busy schedule. When you get into a vehicle, pray — before a meal, after a meal, if you’re faced with a tough decision. Just pray! Just as in any human relationship, communication is a central aspect of a vibrant relationship with God. Prayer is fostering this communion of love with God. He loved us into existence, and He wants us to enter into a loving conversation with Him. We’ve got to talk to Him. And we must listen to Him. He will take care of everything if you just trust Him. He’s knocking at the door and waiting for us to open it in prayer.
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A LETTER FROM OUR PASTOR
The Word of God:
How Do We Hear It? And How Do We Respond to It? Dear Parishioners, 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
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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. In Christ,
Fr. Peter Marshall Pastor
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THE CHILDREN
Forming Our Young Catholics and
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Cherub Church
Baptism with Fr. Peter
f you’re looking for ways to help your littlest Catholics engage with their faith, look no further! St. Jude’s Children’s Ministry offers a variety of programs to assist parents and to bring the faith alive to children at their level. Christie Denzer, Coordinator of Family Ministry, is excited to be building these programs back up after a long hiatus. “We offer programs specifically for these young kids,” Christie says. “It’s a special place for them where they are welcome. They get to move around and touch things while they’re learning about their Catholic faith.” These programs have been around for a long time but initially had to take a break for the construction around the campus. Once the construction was finished, they started back up, but soon everything was paused again with the onset of COVID-19. In October, the programs kicked off, now in the new Family Ministry wing. Christie is building up her network of adult and youth volunteers who make the programs successful. During the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass, Nursery is offered for children up to about 2 years old. No sign-up is needed, parents can drop their children off at the Nursery before Mass and pick them up after. “This way, parents can simply be present at Mass and not be chasing a toddler around,” Christie says. For children ages 3 through 6, we offer Cherub Church that runs, as does the Nursery, through all of Mass. The lessons offered in Cherub Church were developed by a parishioner who works as a preschool teacher. The children start with a prayer and a Bible story, sing songs, play a game or hear another story, and do an art project. The lessons all tie into the liturgical year. No sign-up is needed for this program either. Children ages 5 through 9 are invited to Children’s Liturgy of the Word. At the beginning of Mass, the catechists gather the children and, in another room, give a lesson on Scripture that is at a level the children can understand and relate to their own lives. “These kids are full of life, energy, and fun, and they’re
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N’S MINISTRY:
d Building Our Community of Faith inquisitive,” Christie says. “Everyone who has attended so far has been happy and excited.” Each of these programs is run by adult volunteers who are assisted by youth volunteers. The programs run during the school year and take breaks for holiday weekends. Of course, faith formation starts early — with Baptism. Families that would like their child baptized should be registered parishioners and take a one-time Baptism preparation class with the deacon. This class is offered every couple months on Sunday morning before the 10 a.m.
Mass. Baptisms are held on the first and third Sundays of the month. Please contact Christie to sign up. What makes the Children’s Ministry so vibrant is the dedicated volunteers. Volunteers usually take on about one Sunday each month and more volunteers are always welcome. “It builds up the community within our church,” Christie says. “It gives the youth a chance to do service. It keeps our families engaged and coming to Mass, and it allows them to be focused and present at Mass.”
If you would like more information about the Children’s Ministry or to volunteer, please contact Christie Denzer at 317-786-4371 or familyministry@stjudeindy.org.
The Prayer Line Ministry
continued from front cover
“We don’t hold any prayer meetings; we only send out the emails,” Joan says. “This is easier and more flexible for parishioners such as the homebound or parents with young children. People can add these requests to their daily prayers or pray when it is convenient for them.” Praying for others is an act of selflessness and helps us to grow in humility, thinking less about ourselves, being more in tune to others’ struggles, and being grateful for our own blessings. It encourages us to think more about others. If you would like to join the Prayer Line email list or to add a prayer request, please email stjudeprayers@googlegroups.com or joanecahill@gmail.com, or call Joan Cahill at 317-919-3201.
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Highlights of Our
2021 Stewardship Renewal
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his past autumn, our St. Jude parish leadership 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.
We thank all those who participated in our 2021 Stewardship Renewal at St. Jude. 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!
There were 548 commitment cards received from 50 percent of active households. There were 4,746 prayer commitments — the stewardship of time — from 84 percent of participating households. There were 2,045 ministry commitments — the stewardship of talent — from 78 percent of participating households. Of these, 710 were new ministry commitments, while 1,335 were recommitments to parish ministries. There were 484 offertory commitments — the stewardship of treasure — from 88 percent of participating households. The average pledge was $2,399.
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Mass Coordinators and Sacristans Fulfilling an Essential Role for Our Priests and Parishioners
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hen we attend a sporting event or concert, we often don’t think about the people who set everything up. Without their careful work, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to enjoy the main event. Just like how the stagehands set up for a play, the St. Jude’s Mass coordinators and sacristans prepare for Mass. Mass Coordinators are responsible for all aspects of preparation for the liturgy, while Sacristans are high school-aged men and women who assist with the behind-the-scenes aspect of Mass setup. Once adequate experience and capability are demonstrated, a Sacristan may be “promoted” to a full Mass Coordinator. Betty Lou Rowe has been serving as a Mass Coordinator and also coordinating this ministry since Joan McKinley passed away in July of 2017. Joan had been doing this work, so when she passed, Betty Lou felt it was a good time for her to step up. “We didn’t know how much she did,” Betty Lou says. “Everything was flawless because of her and the work she did.” When Joan passed away, there was a time of grieving for the parish and the priest at the time, Fr. Steve Banet. As an usher, lector, and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Betty Lou felt called to learn the tasks and take over as Mass coordinator to ease the transition. Pastoral Care Specialist Patti Collins also
Some of the Mass coordinators and sacristans — Ava Schoettle (front); (middle) Cheryl McAllen, Mary Kendall; (next row) Betty Lou Rowe, Marie Frey; (back row) Buddy Schlenz
stepped up to do a lot of this work. “That’s the beauty of this parish — when someone needs something, people look for ways to help,” Betty Lou says. This is a ministry that keeps busy, so Mass coordinator is the perfect title. The job description is to make sure everything is set and ready for weekday or weekend Mass. The Mass coordinator arrives early, checks the altar and the number of consecrated hosts in the tabernacle. They set up the bowls 7
for the priest and make sure the chalice is ready. They also check in with the various ministry members for Mass and find a replacement, if needed. Betty Lou usually handles the 7:30 a.m. Sunday Mass. if needed, she will assist at other weekend Masses, too. “We want everything to be seamless,” Betty Lou says. “We don’t want the priests to have to worry about anything. They need to be able to focus on saying the Mass and the congregation.” continued on back cover
5353 McFarland Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46227 (317) 786-4371 www.stjudeindy.org MASS SCHEDULE Weekend Mass Saturday Anticipation — 4:00 p.m. Sunday — 7:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m. Weekday Mass Tuesday/Thursday — 6:00 p.m. Wednesday/Friday — 8:30 a.m. Holy Day Mass See Bulletin Sacrament of Reconciliation Tuesday/Thursday — 5:00-5:45 p.m. Saturday — 3:00-3:45 p.m. Anytime by appointment
Mass Coordinators and Sacristans Betty Lou has come up with procedures, so when there are visiting priests, things are done the way they want. Each priest does things a bit differently. An educational consultant for Indiana University, Betty Lou has talents in being organized and keeping everything in check — that’s why this ministry is a great fit. “This ministry is mostly behind-the-scenes, so not many people know what goes into it,” she says. “We all have a role to fill at the parish, and I feel this is my calling.” Betty Lou most enjoys arriving at church when it’s quiet, then watching the Mass from the back, knowing everything is ready to go. She values getting the hosts prepared for the consecration, knowing how important that is. She would encourage other parishioners to get involved in the Sacristan
continued from page 7
and Mass Coordinator Ministry, and she conducts comprehensive training for new members. “This ministry plays an important role in creating an environment that is spiritual, welcoming, and prepared,” Betty Lou says. “We want Father to be able to do his part well and celebrate the Eucharist with us.”
If you would like to become a sacristan or Mass coordinator, please contact Betty Lou Rowe at 586-596-8036 or blrowe21@gmail.com.
