June 2022
Our Lady of
HOPE C AT H O L I C C H U R C H
Meet Seminarian Tyler Underhill: Emulating the Heart of Jesus
T
yler Underhill was in middle school when he first felt drawn to discern a vocation to the priesthood. “When I entered high school, this discernment became an even greater part of my life,” Tyler says. “By sophomore year I was taking trips with the vocations director of the diocese to visit Bruté College Seminary. I had my application to study for the Diocese of Evansville filled out my senior year of high school, knowing for sure I wanted to enter the seminary. I talked this over with my pastor, Fr. Gordon Mann, who was very supportive.” A lifelong parishioner at Our Lady of Hope, Tyler received all of his sacraments here at the parish and used to serve as an altar server — something he says helped influence his decision to pursue the priesthood, along with hours spent in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Tyler says our pastor at the time, Fr. Gordon, was very supportive of him when he was undergoing this discernment process. “I also had many good examples of
family and friends who encouraged me in my endeavors.” Now in his sixth year of seminary, Tyler is studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He started at Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis. The total seminary process before becoming a priest is about eight years, half spent in theology studies and Tyler Underhill of our parish is studying to half in philosophy. At the beginning of his be ordained to the priesthood in 2024. eighth year, Tyler will be ordained to the transitional diaconate, then in the spring of 2024, Tyler will be ordained a priest. “It is the heart of Jesus in which I have been formed in seminary thus far, and this is the heart of a pastor,” Tyler says. “In addition to the great priestly formation and practice I have received, there is the fraternal aspect as well. This is another big area of support and guidance in seminary. I have grown in many friendships over the years with men studying and committing their lives to the same A lifelong parishioner at Our Lady thing, and this has been a joy.” of Hope, Tyler received all of his Tyler says his time at Our Lady of
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sacraments here at the parish and used to serve as an altar server.
Our Lady of
HOPE
C AT H O L I C C H U R C H
Seminarian Tyler Underhill
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“It is the heart of Jesus in which I have been formed in seminary thus far, and this is the heart of a pastor.” — Tyler Underhill Hope helped him to foster his prayer life and learn from other parishioners. He is grateful for the support and prayers from our parishioners, who have been an example to him of a strong faith community. “Our Lady of Hope has had more vocations than any other parish in the diocese,” he says. “From the kindness that is echoed here, to the adoration chapel and the many hours of people praying, this parish has certainly helped me grow spiritually and has certainly impacted my decision to join the seminary.” Of the many priestly duties Tyler will eventually undertake, he says he most looks forward to celebrating the Holy Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. “To bring people into the encounter with Christ and His Church through the sacraments and to show people the goodness of God in their lives is essential in the life of a priest, as well as a very encouraging part in my own Now in his sixth year of seminary, Tyler is studying at the Pontifical North life,” he says. American College in Rome. He started his studies of college seminary at Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis.
Tyler is grateful to our parish family for supporting and praying for him during this time of formation. 2
A Note From Fr. Paul Ferguson Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Hope, I just want to drop the parish a few lines to say “thank you” for your continued support and friendship. The week before Holy Week, I received a letter from Bishop Joseph Siegel appointing me Pastor of St. Isidore Parish, Celestine and Dubois. The appointment is effective June 29, 2022. I want to thank my parish family of Our Lady of Hope for your generosity and love shown to me these last six and a half years. I know God called me here to journey with you these six and a half years. I feel grateful for the many grace-filled and loving moments we have shared. It will be difficult for me to leave because Our Lady of Hope has a special place in my heart. I know that God’s call to priesthood means that my life will be connected to many people and parishes — I will always have a special place in my heart and prayers for the people who are Our Lady of Hope. Let us keep each other always in prayer as we take new steps forward in our faith journeys, and may God continue to strengthen the bonds that make us one in the Body of Christ. May God bless all of you and may He shine His face upon you!
A Letter From Our Pastor
Embrace the Holy Spirit Dear Parishioners,
Y
ou’ve all heard homilies about Pentecost, which comes on June 5 this year. Pentecost was the day when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles while they were gathered for prayer in Jerusalem. Coming 10 days after Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, the descent of the Holy Spirit turned the apostles from a collection of fearful followers looking for some direction into a band of courageous witnesses ready to declare their faith in Christ to the whole world. You’ve heard that Pentecost is the birthday of the Church because that was the day when newly filled with the Holy Spirit, St. Peter preached the first Christian sermon, inviting his hearers to turn to Jesus as their Savior and their Lord. Those who accepted the invitation were baptized and “were added” to the Church (Acts 2:41). That day marked the beginning of the Church’s public mission, which continues to the present. But the Holy Spirit’s actions in the Church were not limited to the apostles in an ancient time. He remains active down to the present, guiding the pope and the bishops as they go about their work of sanctifying, teaching and ruling in the Church. The Holy Spirit acts in the sacraments to
make them effective signs of grace. We see the Holy Spirit’s work in the witness of the saints through whom He continues the work of salvation. The Spirit, moreover, acts not only in the Church as a corporate body, but also in the lives of individual Christians. We become temples of the Holy Spirit at our Baptism. Then at Confirmation, which is our own personal Pentecost, we receive the seal of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit unites us more closely to Christ, increases the spiritual gifts we have been given, and strengthens us to spread and defend the faith. Ultimately, Pentecost is more than simply a feast celebrating something that happened a long time ago. Of course, the coming of the Spirit we read about in Acts 2 took place just once. But the Holy Spirit remains active today, guiding the Church as a whole, but also working in the life of each individual Christian to make us holy. In Christ, Fr. Paul Ferguson Pastor 3
Our Lady of
HOPE
C AT H O L I C C H U R C H
Celebrating First H
Sacrament Draws Young Pa
T
he Sacrament of First Holy Communion is a special milestone that our second-graders were blessed to receive on April 24. After months of diligent preparation, the children were excited to faithfully receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time. The parents and catechists who helped prepare them for this sacrament had a great responsibility as well as a unique window into the children’s faith. In our parish, we have several First Communion classes — some second-grade children attended on Sunday morning while older children attended a class on Wednesday evening. The school children had their classes during the school day and were taught by Yvonne Evans, who has been preparing children for their First Communion for 56 years. “This is not just a school project or a Sunday morning project,” Yvonne says. “This is preparing the children for the rest of their lives. This takes help from the parents as well.” Yvonne started by preparing the children for their First Reconciliation. “I love for the children to realize that when they do things wrong, we forgive them and their parents forgive them,” Yvonne says. “Certainly, Jesus forgives them and He doesn’t remember what they did wrong after He has forgiven them. They’re excited to go to reconciliation.” Parents had a major role in helping their children prepare for First Communion. Yvonne sent home letters to the parents explaining what their children were learning and how they could help them prepare, as well as some take-home activities that they could do with their child. “Sometimes parents will come back and say that it has awakened their faith,” Yvonne says. “Children do that to us — they bring us to prayer.” Yvonne also encouraged the children to send a letter to their godparents, asking them to pray for them as they prepare for their First Communion. She had them act out stories from the Gospels, bringing the stories of Jesus to life for them. The children also studied the parts of the Mass. As Easter approached, Yvonne planned a Holy Thursday service for the school children and the second-graders had a special role as they participated in the
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Holy Communion
Parishioners Closer to Christ
service. The children also had a retreat on the day before they made their First Communion, bringing together all that they had learned and highlighting the importance of this beautiful sacrament that will nourish their souls for years to come. Yvonne sees this time with the children as a gift that has strengthened her own faith. Each year, she is struck anew by the innocence and faith that the children have and the great trust that they bring to their prayer. Although she teaches them for a short time, she always remembers her students in her prayers. “I tell them that this is not just for now, but for the rest of their lives,” Yvonne says. “I tell them that I will pray for them every day as long as I live, that they will continue to want to come to church and that when they get big, they’ll bring their family to church. I hope that we’ll always meet at Mass — it’s truly a celebration.”
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Our Lady of
HOPE
C AT H O L I C C H U R C H
Stewardship: The Four Pillars Y
ou’ve heard about the three Ts of stewardship, but what about the four Ps? The three Ts – Time, Talent, and Treasure – describe the personal gifts we offer to the Church. The four Ps are the Four Pillars of Parish Stewardship described by the renowned pastor Msgr. Thomas McGread. They are the hallmark of a stewardship parish – Hospitality, Prayer, Formation, and Service. Let’s take a look at each of them to understand how we can improve in each area. HOSPITALITY Christian Kindness “When I was a stranger, you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35). The Gospel teaches that whenever we welcome the least of our brothers or sisters, we welcome Christ Himself. That is why the first mark of a stewardship parish is hospitality. Being friendly is one of the first ways we can be Christ-like toward others. Modern Catholic parishes are often so large and have so many Masses that many parishioners don’t know one another. To create a sense of community, be sure to smile and greet others as you enter and exit the Church. Let’s try harder than ever to be a welcoming community. PRAYER Heart-to-Heart with God “Do not become so involved in the work of the Lord that you forget the Lord of the work,” a seminary professor once taught. In other words, don’t get so caught up with parish projects and outreach efforts that you forget to draw aside to spend time with God in prayer. Every great saint has taught that prayer is the most essential component in the life of the Christian. Through prayer, we nurture our most important relationship – the one that will last for all eternity. A healthy prayer life should include communal prayer such as Mass, as well as personal prayer and family prayer. The two biggest obstacles to prayer are lack of 6
time and lack of understanding of how to pray. We have to schedule time for prayer just as we would for an important appointment. And we have to learn how to pray from other people. Many saints have written spiritual books that describe different methods of prayer. FORMATION Continuous Conversion Pope John Paul II always emphasized ongoing conversion. From childhood through adulthood, our whole life must be a process of drawing closer to God. He never stops calling us forward to learn more and to examine ourselves more deeply. Very often our society values material things more than interior virtues. But as personal experience shows, when we finally acquire the car or house or “toy” that we wanted so badly, it doesn’t really satisfy. On the other hand, we don’t tend to desire spiritual virtues with the same kind of longing, but when we actually have them, we find them far more rewarding than material things. SERVICE Love in Action “Amen I say to you, whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). This Scripture was one of St. Teresa of Calcutta’s favorites. Each time she picked up a poor and hungry child, she knew she was ministering to Christ. While we may not view ourselves as saints, we too are called to such heroic service right within our own community. As St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “To be a saint is not the privilege of a few, but the duty of everyone.” We have many service opportunities right here within our own parish. If you have the willingness to serve and take the initiative to find where you are needed, you’ll find that there is no end to the families and individuals who truly need help. How can you reach out to them in love?
Extraordinary Ministers of
Holy Communion
Prayerfully Serving in Christ
I
n the vestibule where Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) go to sign in before the start of Mass, you will find hanging on the wall cross-shaped medallions for the ministers to wear, and a piece of paper that contains the “Prayer for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.” The prayer reads in part, “Free me from anything of vanity and pride that might separate me and the service that is mine from the heart of the Divine Mystery residing in this Holy Meal. May I, with Your constant assistance, truly wait upon You and Your people in this holy liturgy of praise and adoration.” Extraordinary Ministers are responsible for helping priests and deacons to distribute Communion at Mass, or for bringing Communion to parishioners who are homebound or in retirement homes. Being an EMHC is both a privilege and a holy responsibility. Here at Our Lady of Hope, we specifically ask our ministers to commit to living according to the teachings of the Catholic Church and to be involved in the Church community. While the medallions serve as an outward symbol of a minister’s role in the Mass, part of the preparation for this role is internal. “Serving as an Extraordinary Minister requires me to be more mindful of how I daily live my life — to remain
In the vestibule, you will find hanging on the wall cross-shaped medallions for the EMHCs to wear.
prayerful and aware of all that I do,” says Mary Haag, who has been an EMHC for over 20 years. “I feel that I need to live a more holy life in order to serve Jesus in this way.” Our Lady of Hope is in need of more ministers. In
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Serving as an Extraordinary Minister requires me to be more mindful of how I daily live my life — to remain prayerful and aware of all that I do. I feel that I need to live a more holy life in order to serve Jesus in this way.” — Mary Haag
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Our Lady of
HOPE
C AT H O L I C C H U R C H
315 N.E. Third Street Washington, IN 47501 812-254-2883 www.ccwash.org
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion order to serve, an EMHC must be a confirmed Catholic in good standing with the Church, agree to live a lifestyle in accordance with the Catechism, and have his or her name approved by the diocese. Training at the parish — both initial training for new ministers and refreshers for existing ministers — is typically offered in the fall. Yvonne Evans, our Pastoral Associate, is in charge of scheduling ministers to visit the homebound, and makes up the schedule for three months at a time. Typically,
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ministers are scheduled to bring Communion on Fridays to nearly 20 homebound parishioners and five nursing homes collectively. EMHCs have a unique opportunity to perform works of mercy through this ministry. “I ask the ministers to pray with the homebound and to share the Gospel reading of the day,” Yvonne says. “We have a book for each Eucharistic Minister to the homebound. It’s important to pray with them, to talk to them, and to hold their hand.”
If you feel called to participate in this ministry, please call the parish office at 812-254-2883.
