MAY 2022
CARE PROGRAM:
Living Out the Gospel and Connecting Our Cultures
C St. Monica Catholic Church 6131 N. Michigan Rd Indianapolis, Indiana 46228-1298 MASS TIMES: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday: 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday: 5:30 p.m. Saturday: 10:30 a.m. Saturday Anticipation Mass: 5:00 p.m. Sunday: 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. (Spanish), 3 p.m. (Spanish), 6 p.m. Mass in French, 2nd Sunday of each month: 4:30 p.m. VER AL DORSO PARA ESPANOL
(317) 253-2193 www.stmonicaindy.org
aring for our immigrant and refugee parishioners and neighbors has been a natural step for our parish. While St. Monica officially adopted the CARE program in 2019, our parish had already seen and begun ministering to the needs of immigrants in our community. It started with recommendation letters for the immigration process, then parishioners began offering rides and meals to immigrant families in need. In 2019, our parish turned this ministry into the Catholic Accompaniment and Reflection Experience, or CARE Program. CARE, a program of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and our diocese, stems from Catholic social teaching, which guides us towards deeper continued on page 6
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he word “talent” often conjures up images of stage performers in the spotlight, captivating awestruck audiences with their impeccable musical or acting skills. While these talented performers are certainly deserving of applause, most people sit hidden in the shadows, staring on in amazement while feeling overlooked — and perhaps wishing to possess such talents themselves. But even when we feel overlooked and untalented, God knows better. As Christians, we are all called to dig deep and trust that we are uniquely blessed with valuable talents and abilities, even if our talents aren’t so obvious or don’t garner applause and accolades. Along with “time” and “treasure,” “talent” is one of the “three Ts” of stewardship. Exploring our natural inclinations and preferences, especially when guided by the intricacies of our unique personalities, can
unearth God-given talents. “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same spirit,” writes St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians. “There are different forms of service, but the same Lord.” Some people have the gift of working peacefully with children. Equipped with patience and gentleness, they are able to guide young souls to the Lord. Yet, others shudder at the thought of a classroom full of 5-year-olds, and instead seek the quiet solace of behind-the-scenes tasks — cleaning the church, sewing altar cloths, or stuffing envelopes. Our interests and abilities are varied, and our volunteer options are endless, as we are called to give our talents back to God in loving service. Examine your heart and prayerfully discern your gifts, then direct those gifts towards serving the people of God. H. Jackson Brown, Jr., author of
Life’s Little Instruction Book, once said, “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it is going to be forwards, backwards, or sideways.” If our gifts of talent are not guided by the discipline of prayer, just like an octopus on roller skates, we will get nowhere fast! Yet, if we keep our eyes on the goal of heaven and serve the Lord with joyfulness, our efforts will produce a bountiful harvest. In the words of St. Paul to the Corinthians, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully.” The next time you sit quietly in the shadows behind a glaring stage spotlight, rest assured that your talents are no less impressive in the eyes of God, and will always be “applauded” when directed to the service of His people.
You Are Invited to Take Part in Our Parish Survey Bringing the Future of Our Faith Community into Focus This spring, all St. Monica parishioners are invited and encouraged to take part in our parish survey. We will be sending out a postcard with instructions for completing the survey online at www.stmonicaindy.org/. Copies of the survey will also be available in the Narthex. A box for completed surveys will also be in the Narthex. Help us bring the future of our St. Monica community into focus by taking part in our survey! 2
A Letter From Our Pastor
T HE M O NTH OF MARY: A Time for Celebration and Joy
Dear Parishioners, n the Catholic Church, a particular devotion is designated for each month. May is one of two months when we honor our Blessed Mother Mary. Now is a good time for us to think about and renew our devotion to the Mother of God. Perhaps we can add a few more Marian prayers to our daily routine or pray the Rosary more often -- it can be a powerful daily prayer. If daily prayer has not been a part of your daily routines, May is a good time to start the spiritually important practice and habit of daily prayer. Our Blessed Mother is important to our faith and our Church. Her willingness, in her humble humanity, to serve in a way that allowed the Lord to take human form made our salvation a possibility. Conceived without Original Sin, she put her complete trust in God. This faith and trust in God helped her to live her life free from sin. When her life ended here on earth, she was assumed into heaven by the power of God and crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. We worship only our Lord Jesus Christ, but we honor and venerate his mother Mary as our mother, as a saint, an intercessor, and in many other ways. We honor God when we remember the role of Mary in our salvation. Devotion to Mary always leads us to Jesus Christ Himself. A common phrase in our faith tradition is “to Jesus through Mary.”
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Mary was joyous when she said “yes” to God. That same joy is available to us. It is the kind of joy we need to seek, so that we, too, will say “yes” to the Lord. Let us be grateful to Mary for bringing us her Son. This is why we celebrate the annual May crowning of Mary. We honor Mary as the Mother of Jesus and our Mother. Through Mary, we are given an invitation into the Catholic fold. Her feminine presence and the safety of her motherhood may help us enjoy spiritual growth. Another way to encourage our individual spiritual growth, and that of our parish community, is to attend our upcoming Parish Mission, which will be held later this month. Please see the announcement in this newsletter for details. I invite you to join me and your fellow parishioners in this spiritual opportunity. Serving you as your pastor is a blessing and a joy for me. I pray for you daily. Please pray for me. May God bless you and keep you always. Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. John P. McCaslin
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OU R PA R I S H COU N CI L : Fostering a Spirit of Unity throughout Our Entire Faith Community
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ach of us is made in the image and likeness of God, with our unique talents that can be put to use to glorify the Lord and serve His church. We all need to take the time to pray and ask the Lord the words of the church hymn, “Servant Song,” “What do you want of me, Lord?” Greg Daniels asked the Lord that question, and he felt called to the Parish Council, where he has served for about three years. A member of St. Monica for 27 years, Greg serves as Chair of the Parish Council, alongside seven other members. “If you open yourself up to God, He will show you where to go,” Greg says. “The time is never going to be perfect for taking on a ministry or getting involved with a new ministry. You need to go out on faith and ask for God’s guidance to serve our community with your gifts.” Greg enjoys being involved in the Parish Council. He looks forward to working with Fr. John McCaslin to lead a Parish Council project to set up five commissions to oversee the parish ministries. The commissions are worship and prayer; stewardship and engagement; Catholic education; youth and family life; and social justice and evangelization. “The project’s goal is to work collaboratively with the commissions to help align parish ministries,” Greg says. “This will help us better bring people together and enrich diversity.” The main goal of the Parish Council is to unify
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St. Monica, no matter a person’s race or what Mass they attend. We want to all be united as one family of St. Monica parishioners. Fr. John values this goal and that makes Greg proud to be a member here. “We are known for our diversity, and Fr. John is passionate about bringing that to life,” Greg says. In particular, Greg appreciates that the Parish Council members are also diverse and that its members are committed to productive meetings. It’s a dedicated group that works well together. Greg has always felt so welcome at St. Monica. He wants to make sure everyone who enters the doors of our parish feels that way. Having been raised Catholic in the Atlanta area, local priests often came to his childhood home for meals and other events. “The priests were like our family,” Greg says. “I have the same feeling here at St. Monica.” The Parish Council meets on the third Wednesday of the month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. They are open to adding members. “We want to leave St. Monica a better place for those who join in the future,” Greg says.
If you would like to learn more about joining the Parish Council, please contact Greg Daniels at 317-339-3549 or gregsunny1.gd@gmail.com.
O U R L A DY O F G U ADAL UPE CHA PEL R E A C HES COMPL ETI ON Sharing Our Talents to Honor the Blessed Mother and Her Son
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n December 12, Catholics celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. At St. Monica, we hold a special devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe within our parish. When the Blessed Sacrament Chapel was relocated to behind the altar, the former space was chosen to become a chapel honoring this apparition of Mary. For many years, progress was slowly but surely made on the beautiful glass mosaic. However, just as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted many parts of our lives, the work on the Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel was no exception to that. Originally, families of the parish were going to help with this mosaic work, but due to the challenges of the pandemic, the work was done by Kathy Stoll-Smith. Claudio Toto’s leadership role in finishing this beautiful chapel began a few years into the project. “I wasn’t involved in any of this until last year,” Claudio says. “By this time, our business manager and the parish secretaries had been talking to Fr. John about finishing the project for the chapel. They even made a plan of their ideas but there were no people to finish it. Before our fall retreat for Cristo Renueva Su Parroquia Continuation Committee, I needed a favor from Fr. Vinny. He jokingly replied, ‘Of course, but only if you are in charge of finishing the Chapel of the Virgin of Guadalupe!’ And it was by the providence of the Holy Spirit that I became involved in this project.” “I have been very blessed to be involved in this parish and it is through that, I have met many people, especially men and women whom God has changed their lives here and want to share their talents,” he adds. Claudio involved the Cristo Renueva Se Parroquia Continuation Committee and started to get more support from the parish. Many volunteers helped with all aspects of finishing this project — from installing tile, donating the marble, cleaning, and even painting the image of St. Juan Diego. “Many of these volunteers worked a lot of hours after their own workday, even until very late at night,”
Claudio says. “Some donated money, and thanks be to God, it was finished before the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.” Finishing the chapel was a work of dedication and a labor of love for everyone involved. “In Mary, we see the faith that she transmits to us with humility and obedience, to be able to serve our neighbor just as she served her cousin Elizabeth by inspiration of the Holy Spirit,” Claudio says. “It is the parish that is the door through which we all come looking for comfort, strength, a spiritual thirst. And through Christ, we find a home to continue in our journey of faith. Serving in the parish has strengthened me more in faith.” Claudio invites everyone to come and spend time in prayer in this beautiful chapel. Our Lady of Guadalupe is waiting for her children who want to approach her Son with her — all are welcome. 5
S AV E THE DATE!
PARISH MISSION “IGNITE YOUR FAITH” MAY 15, 16, AND 17 Fr. Ron Hoye, C.M. Vincentian Priest, presenting WHAT IS A MISSION? It is a mini-retreat designed for busy people to step back a bit, slow down, and simply reconnect our life with God. It is a time of spiritual refreshment and invigoration. It is something we all need! WHO IS THE MISSION FOR? It is for everyone! The mission experience is one of story, laughter, reflection and prayer. It is an excellent opportunity for anyone who is struggling in or questioning their faith, or desires a spiritual boost or spark. HOW LONG IS IT? The mission is 50 minutes! This time frame accommodates most schedules.
CARE PROGRAM
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respect for one another and calls us to act in charity and justice. Anne Corcoran, retired pastoral associate and active member of the CARE team at St. Monica, takes a simple approach. “Catholic social teaching is in every word of the Gospel,” Anne says. “The two greatest commandments are all about love and seeing God in every single person.” When the program started in 2019 and sign-ups for volunteers were placed in the narthex of the church, 25 parishioners immediately signed on. There are six ways a parishioner can support CARE — accompany someone to a court appointment, pray for specific needs, deliver a meal, visit or call someone to check in, be a translator, or donate money. Whenever there is a specific need, an email is sent out to anyone who signed up to help in that way. Volunteers have found that when they accompany someone to a court appointment, the immigrant is treated differently and having a support there gets better results. In one instance, a man was deported, leaving his pregnant wife and four children. St. Monica CARE volunteers provided meals and support until she was able to get back on her feet. “They’re so grateful and you really do build a
relationship,” Anne says. “It starts dissolving barriers like crazy when you spend time with someone.” Each CARE volunteer is able to respond to a need whenever and however it fits their schedule. Having more volunteers makes light work of many needs. Parishioners work together when they accompany someone in need. While initially it can feel uncomfortable to spend time with a stranger, especially with language barriers, there are many small ways to dip a toe in and slowly expand your comfort zone. “I think volunteers feel really good because they can do a little thing that fits into their life,” Anne says. “However, it’s extremely significant to the people they support.” As the CARE Program grows in our parish, there will be more opportunities for reflection and education, and some new opportunities will arise for supporting immigrants as well as unaccompanied minors and their foster families. Participating in any small way allows us to serve as Christ’s hands in our own community. “This work changes the way we relate to each other in the neighborhood, community, and parish,” Anne says. “Through patient grace from God, it is making people more connected across cultures.”
If you would like to get involved with the CARE program and sign up for an email list, please call the parish office at 317-253-2193. 6
