Christ the King • St. Jude Thaddeus • St. Paul
SUMMER 2022
A Letter From Father
Introducing
Our New Parish Stewardship Newsletter
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am pleased to present to you our new parish newsletter! This newsletter will help us learn how the stewardship way of life is a disciple’s response to the call to know, love, and follow our Lord Jesus Christ. We will share stories that will help us better understand who we are as Catholics and individual members of God’s family. The upcoming issues will feature activities and events happening within our faith community and how these help change hearts, minds, and lives as through them we grow closer to Christ and to each other. In each article, we will see how Christ is at work within us and our community as we more intentionally engage the stewardship way of life. I hope that this newsletter will be a meaningful way to continue learning more about our faith. As we learn more about our faith and how
our fellow parishioners are living their faith out in our community, it will bear much fruit and inspire you to consider how you can be more involved in the life of our parishes — for some, perhaps this will be an opportunity to try new things. This newsletter will help increase communication as we feature events that are coming up and share a lot of information with you. Another important step in our stewardship journey will be our Annual Stewardship Renewal that will happen in November. The Renewal is our annual chance to ask ourselves how we prioritize the way we use God’s gifts in the Church. We will make written commitments to ourselves and to God concerning how we will be more devoted with our use of time (using our time on earth wisely; making time for personal prayer, family prayer,
and quality time with friends and loved ones); talent (using our God-given gifts to strengthen the Church through service to parish ministries and other activities), and treasure (the wise and just management of our financial resources; continued on back cover
What Does
S EWARDSHIP Mean? W
hat comes to mind when you hear the word “stewardship”? Do you think of it as just another way to talk about money? Do you quickly dismiss it as a notion that has nothing to do with being Catholic? Stewardship is actually a concept that is Scripturally-based and is vital to our life as Catholics. God tells us, in the very first book of the Old Testament, “Be fertile and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and all the living things that move on the earth” (Gen 1:28). What does that mean to us today? It simply means that God is telling us, “This is yours, so take care of it.” One of the first things God tells us to do is to be good stewards of the gifts He has entrusted to us! The Old Testament is not the only place where we can find references to stewardship. Indeed, of the 36 parables in the New Testament, more than half of them deal with time, talent, possessions, or money. Therefore, if Jesus spoke of stewardship that much, it should be a very important part of our lives!
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As Catholics, we refer to the three facets of stewardship as “time, talent, and treasure.” Although these are three concrete ways to express and measure stewardship, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops tells us that stewardship is part of discipleship. Stewardship is a way of responding to God’s call in every aspect of our lives. The Scriptures and Church traditions teach us one important point that cannot be overstated — that stewardship is primarily based on our need to give in gratitude, not on the Church’s need to receive. Of course, both the Catholic Church and our particular parish will always need money. However, we are not asked to give simply to defray costs and fund charitable programs. We are instead asked to remember our need to gratefully return a portion of our time, talent, and treasure to God, recognizing all that He has given to us. It is important to remember that stewardship is a way of life, and not a program. True Catholic stewardship involves an ongoing call to live
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as followers of Christ. It takes time to find and define personal goals. You can begin by examining your personal commitments to the parish. How do you live your faith in your daily life with your family and friends? How much time do you spend in daily prayer, going to Mass, or being involved in parish ministries and activities? What percentage of your income should you give back to God every week? What talents do you have that could be used to strengthen our parish family? In the coming months, we will be increasing and intensifying our education and communication on stewardship. We will be developing a better understanding of how stewardship is a way of responding to God’s call to discipleship. And with God’s help, changes will occur in each of our hearts as we devote ourselves to a stewardship renewal within our parish. Examine how you are currently responding to God’s call to stewardship. If God called you home tomorrow, would He proclaim, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”?
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ADORATION:
Making Time to Love and Be with Our Lord in Prayer
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or parishioner Debi Smith, spending an hour of adoration with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is an awesome opportunity to be in the Real Presence of God.” “It allows Him to fill you completely and nourish your soul,” says Debi, one of the coordinators of adoration at St. Jude Thaddeus. “It allows you to lift up prayers for the Church, the vocations of priests worldwide, and your own life.” Adoration is a way to set aside intentional time with our
“Setting aside intentional time to spend with Jesus Christ encourages us to connect with and spend time alone with Jesus. It lets us open our hearts and minds. It is like scheduling a time to spend with a good friend.” — Marie King Lord. Today, we live in a fast-paced, loud society — this can make it difficult to hear Christ speaking to us. But in adoration, you can sit in the silence and let His love and mercy wash over you, giving you new life and strength in Him. St. Jude Thaddeus Church offers adoration every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In order to have Eucharistic Adoration, at least one person must be present at all times as our Lord may never be left alone. Fr. Moreno prefers that at least two parishioners be committed per hour. There are currently 13 volunteers, but more would always be appreciated. There is currently only one person signed up for the 2 p.m. hour, so please prayerfully consider if committing to an hour of adoration is something to which you are being called. continued on page 5 CHRIST THE KING
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Meet the Griffin Family
Blessed to Enter into the Catholic Faith Together
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he Easter Vigil was a night of joy for the whole Griffin family. After a long journey of learning and preparation, Jason and Ann Griffin were blessed to see four of their six children received into the Church. Wyatt, 16; Jacob, 15; Keilleyanna, 14; and Kayla, 12 received the sacraments. “It was absolutely beautiful,” Jason says. “I kept hearing that the Mass would be long and intricate, and it was, but I wished it was longer. My least favorite part of Mass is when it is over.” The Griffin family’s journey together began when the family was leaving the Easter Sunday service at their nondenominational church in 2019. Jason remembers asking his kids if they understood what they were celebrating and none of them really knew even though they had been attending Sunday school. Jason realized that something needed to change if his kids were going to truly understand and embrace faith. The Catholic Church was his first thought. “I have family members that are staunch Irish Catholics and I’ve always been drawn to the Church,” Jason says. So, Jason called up a local priest and then he and his oldest son, Wyatt, went to Mass together. The experience impacted them so much that they went home and had to tell the rest of the family all about it. The effect of COVID-19 meant that they weren’t able to
(From left) Wyatt, Jacob, Keilleyanna and Kayla Griffin
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(From left) Keilleyanna, Kayla, Wyatt and Jacob Griffin
begin RCIA classes right away, but in 2021 they were able to attend RCIA with Fr. Moreno. “He was a wonderful instructor,” Jason says. “He entertained all questions, no matter how off-the-wall they may have seemed.” As Ann learned about the faith, she was surprised to find more connections in Catholicism than she expected with the Protestant church where she grew up. “Some of what my church did growing up was close to what the Catholic religion does, so it was interesting to see what was similar,” Ann says. Most of the kids were old enough to go through RCIA with Jason and Ann — the youngest two, Amber and Allison, were baptized in a Jacob and Wyatt Griffin
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Meet the Griffin Family
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small ceremony in 2021. The couple has been struck by how readily their children are embracing the Catholic faith. “At first, their favorite part of RCIA was the snacks,” Jason jokes. “But they’ve really taken the faith into their heart and they live the faith.” The two oldest boys are altar servers and the middle girls are going to be trained as sacristans. Jason and Ann are inspired by their children’s willingness to serve. Allison Griffin Amber Griffin The family’s journey is far from over and Jason and Ann look forward eagerly to the next steps and continuing to grow in their faith and as active members of their parish, Christ the King. As soon as they receive a ruling from the tribunal regarding their marriage, they’ll (From left) Jacob, Keilleyanna, Kayla be ready to receive the sacraments in full. and Wyatt Griffin To anyone considering RCIA, Jason offers nothing but encouragement. “Just do it,” he says. “It’s a very rewarding experience. When you learn Catholic doctrine and study early Christianity, it only makes sense to be Catholic.”
Adoration
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“Setting aside intentional time to spend with Jesus Christ encourages us to connect with and spend time alone with Jesus,” says Marie King, another coordinator for the ministry. “It lets us open our hearts and minds. It is like scheduling a time to spend with a good friend.” This ministry was started on Nov. 30, 2021. Many of the parish programs had been dissolved due to the pandemic and Fr. Moreno wanted to bring them back to life. Adding a day of adoration was a new ministry that he felt was very important. In order for a parish to be successful, it needs the prayers of the parishioners — and what better way to encourage those prayers than by offering adoration? “We supply prayer books and pamphlets that you can take in with you,” Debi says. “You could bring your rosary or Bible. You can kneel or sit in the silence and the beauty. It is your time to be in the presence of God and to feel it in your own personal way. There will be days that an hour of prayer doesn’t seem like enough.”
If you have any questions or are interested in signing up for an adoration holy hour, please contact Debi Smith at debimckinney56@gmail.com or Marie King at mpking40@gmail.com. CHRIST THE KING
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A Significant Moment in Our Prayer
The Presentation of the Gifts O
ccasionally, you might hear someone jokingly refer to “halftime” during Mass — the interval following the Prayers of the Faithful, as the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins. It can be easy, even tempting, to zone out as you sit, waiting for the collection basket to make its way to your pew. But if you pay attention, you’ll have the opportunity to enter into something deeper — a significant moment in our prayer. It’s mentioned by St. Justin Martyr, one of the earliest Christian writers, when describing the Mass in the second century, “Bread is brought up and wine and water…” This practice, of people bringing up the gifts, has been part of our Catholic tradition from the very beginning. Although we might think of this action as being merely practical, in reality, it serves a much deeper spiritual purpose. Each Sunday Mass, someone is chosen, whether an usher, or another member of the parish, to bring forward “the gifts” — bread, wine and, in many cases, the collection of money that has been gathered moments before, from the generosity of the congregation. These gifts not only symbolize, but also in reality, are the work of human hands. The bread and wine are fruit of God’s creation, which, through the effort of human hands, are made into the gifts that we present to the Lord. Certainly, the collection that is presented to the priest also serves to represent the work and sacrifices of the previous week. Sharing our monetary “treasures” is one of the ways that we embrace stewardship. It’s an opportunity to generously give back to the Lord, from the fruit of our work.
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In his book What Happens At Mass, Fr. Jeremy Driscoll, OSB explains, “We should not think of the collection of money at this point as some sort of banal, dirty but necessary affair. Money is our work. Money is hours of our lives. And now we give it away, we sacrifice it, for the work of the Church.” In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul instructs Christians to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). The physical act of carrying the gifts forward to the priest is meant to serve as a tangible reminder of the fact that we are all called to stewardship. We are all called to present to God our lives — our work, our talents, the struggles and victories of the past week — as an offering and gift to God. Those who bring forward the gifts
each week have the privilege and responsibility of remembering what their action represents — that we are called to give generously of our time, talent and treasure to God, who gives us His very self, at Mass. And for those sitting in the pews, tempted to “check out” for a few minutes, seeing the gifts being brought forward should serve as a powerful reminder to offer our lives back to God, through serving and honoring Him. So next week, don’t just sit back and wait for “halftime.” Come to Mass a few minutes early and approach an usher to ask if you and/or your family may bring up the gifts that week. Don’t be surprised if you start to notice a change in your heart and a desire to be even more generous with God in the coming week!
The physical act of carrying the gifts forward to the priest is meant to serve as a tangible reminder of the fact that we are all called to stewardship. We are all called to present to God our lives — our work, our talents, the struggles and victories of the past week — as an offering and gift to God.
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Care Ministry:
Bringing Christ to Those in Need
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missionary is someone who brings the good news of Christ to another. When Mary visits her cousin, Elizabeth, in the Gospel of Luke, she became the first missionary because she literally brought Jesus with her to share with her cousin. Elizabeth was filled with joy as she replied, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42). The volunteers involved in the Care Ministry are similarly missionaries for our parish as they bring the Body of Christ to those who cannot come to receive Him at church. The Care Ministry seeks to bring the Holy Eucharist to those who are unable to leave their homes to attend Mass. They also visit with these people and keep them connected to the parish community. This is a relatively new ministry for St. Paul. Sandy Thomas, Mary Jane Clark and Sharon Fletcher answered the call and were trained by Fr. Moreno in November. They began going out to visit the homebound parishioners in December. “When Father arrived in our parish, he saw a need for this ministry so he asked for volunteers,” Sandy says. “We did some training with him and he showed us how to use the book that we have. It is a short Communion service. We open with prayer, read the Gospel, read the general intercessions and pray the Our Father. They
(From left) Mary Jane Clark, Sandy Thomas and Sharon Fletcher
receive the Eucharist and we close with prayer. It is a beautiful service.” After the service, the members sit and visit with the parishioners, sharing the different things going on in the parish. They give them a weekly bulletin and see if there is anything that they may need. Being homebound can be isolating and lonely, but this ministry seeks to make sure that these parishioners are still a part of the parish family. “We are extending the presence of the Eucharist to people,” Sandy says. “They are a vital part of our parish. For so many years, they were very active in the parish themselves. One person that we visit was an usher for
many years. Another played the piano for the parish. They gave so much when they were able to, now it is so important to stay connected with them and give back to them.” The Care Ministry members visit the homebound on Sundays after church, usually starting around 10 a.m. Two members attend each visit together. “It is so rewarding to see their joy when we come visit,” Sandy says. “It is a great privilege to get to spend time with these parishioners and help keep them connected to the parish. They are so grateful, but truly I feel like they give me more than I give them.”
If you know of any homebound parishioners who would like to have the Care Ministry visit, or if you are interested in more information about becoming a volunteer in the Care Ministry, please contact the parish office at 940-569-1222.
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Christ the King • St. Jude Thaddeus • St. Paul 600 Davey Drive (940) 569-1222
| Burkburnett, TX 76354
| stjudeburkburnett.org
Introducing Our New Parish Stewardship Newsletter continued from front cover giving a proportionate amount of my income to my parish). As we strive to develop stewardship as a way of life in our parish community, the support and involvement of each individual parishioner are necessary to sustain the life of our parishes. All of you have a place here, and each of you have a role to fill in the life of your parish as we live our lives as disciples of Christ. May the Holy Spirit renew and refresh all of us as we work together to build our parish family through the use of our time, talent, and treasure. Your servant in Christ,
Rev. Joseph Moreno
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Thme talent treasure S T. J U D E T H A D D E U S
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