february 2022
Inside
2 How Can We Model the Faith for Our Children?
3 A Letter From Our
Pastor: The Word of God: How Do We Hear It? And How Do We Respond to It?
4 Blessed Brian
Home and Hospital Orphanage Provides Loving Care to Children in India
6 Valentine’s Day
The Feast of a Christian Martyr
7 Highlights of Our 2021 Stewardship Renewal
7023 W. 71st Street Overland Park, KS 66204 www.queenoftheholyrosary.org
Funeral Luncheons:
Providing Loving Service to Families in their Time of Need
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s a parish family, we are called to take care of one another in times of need. Here at Queen of the Holy Rosary, the Funeral Luncheon Ministry is always ready to serve those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Jane Croskey, who helps coordinate the funeral luncheons, feels blessed that she can ensure that the grieving family has one less thing to worry about. Jane has been part of the Funeral Luncheon Ministry for about six years. When her fellow parishioner in charge decided to step down from coordinating, Jane and a friend stepped up to take on the job of planning the luncheons and shopping for the food. “Another gal and I looked at each other and said, ‘How hard can this be?’” Jane says. “It turned into more than we (From left) Rosemary Byard, thought it would.” Jane Croskey and Delores Oswald While many details require attention, Jane has serving with the found the work to be a blessing to the families, and Funeral Luncheons Ministry that she feels blessed in return. When a funeral is being planned, Jane reaches out to the family to find out what they would like served for the luncheon. Then, Jane and Carol McTarsney make a trip to Sam’s Club to purchase the food they’ll need. Sometimes, Jane will call in an order with a catering company. On the day of the funeral, a team from the ministry arrives, prepares the lunch, and serves it. Another group comes in afterward to clean up. “Truly, we see a lot of smiles and laughter because people are remembering their loved one and telling stories,” Jane says. “It’s a nice closure for the family.” When Jane talks with the families, many of them say just how nice it is to visit with family, especially when they haven’t seen some family for a long time. When the Funeral Luncheon teams are there to take care of all the small details, the continued on back cover
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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).
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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 — www.catholicparents.org — which links parents to numerous 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.
A Letter From Our Pastor
The Word of God: How Do We Hear It? And How Do We Respond to It?
Dear Parishioners,
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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. William Bruning Pastor
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Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h
Blessed Brian Hom I
n December 2004, a tsunami hit India and devastated the coastal areas. More than 10,000 people died, and more than 5,000 were reported missing. Many thousands of children were left orphaned. Fr. Tom Aduri, Mother Teresa of Calcutta (Topeka) Pastor, was a newly ordained priest from India. Parishioners wanted to help, and it was determined that an orphanage was needed. Parishioners agreed to donate 10 percent of their building fund to the orphanage. The orphanage primarily housed boys, so Holy Spirit parishioners John and Terry Gillcrist stepped up to build an orphanage for girls and their brothers. In June 2012, the Blessed Brian Home opened in Porumamilla, India. About 70 orphans live there and receive schooling up to junior college. Fr. Tom’s brother and sister-inlaw, Ravi and Roni Chita, run the home with his mother’s help, too. In August 2021, the Blessed Brian Hospital also opened to serve those in Porumamilla. Less than two percent of those in India are Catholic. Many are Hindu, and there are also Muslims. India follows a caste system, with those on the low end finding themselves often in extreme poverty. It seems in Porumamilla that this is changing a bit
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Orphanage Provides
because of the impact of the Blessed Brian Home. The community is becoming cleaner, and there is development taking place. Fr. Bill Bruning serves on the board for the Blessed Brian Home —
he has traveled to Porumamilla twice and hopes to return sometime this year. “The children there are so joyful,” he says. “They have been through so much pain, yet they are so grateful, and it’s really beautiful.” continued on page 5
“The children there are so joyful. They have been through so much pain, yet they are so grateful, and it’s really beautiful.” — Fr. Bill Bruning
me and Hospital
Loving Care to Children in India Other parishes in the area also support the orphanage in various ways. Prince of Peace in Olathe started the Prince of Peace feeding program. Each year, about 33,000 pounds of food are given to those in need in Porumamilla and the surrounding areas. This is funded solely by parishioners at Prince of Peace. Holy Spirit Catholic Church also supports the work of the Blessed Brian Home. In December, the School of Religion students here at Queen of the Holy Rosary and their families prepared soups that were sold via free will donation. All the money collected benefited the Blessed Brian Home. “The students wanted to use this project to support this work,” Fr. Bill says. “It will help them get a global sense of being Christian and lift up our Hindu brothers and sisters.” Another facet of this work is microloans given to women to start a small business. The loan can help them get on a path to financial stability. “Fr. Tom Aduri’s vision has made all of this happen,” Fr. Bill says. “God has worked through him and all the supporters to realize this dream.”
If you would like to learn more about the Blessed Brian Home and Hospital, or to support this good work, visit blessedbrianhome.org. 5
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Valentine’s Day 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 over-commercialized 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 canceled 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 Rome, who sentenced him to be beaten and then executed by beheading. He suffered this martyrdom on Feb. 14, around the year 270 AD.
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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.
Highlights of Our 2021 STEWARDSHIP RENEWAL
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his past autumn, our Queen of the Holy Rosary 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 here at Queen of the Holy Rosary. • There were 251 commitment cards received from 24 percent of parish households. • There were 1,871 prayer commitments — the stewardship of time — made in the Stewardship Renewal. There were 225 households that made prayer commitments. • There were 938 ministry commitments — the stewardship of talent — made in the Stewardship Renewal. Of these, 225 were new ministry commitments, while 713 were re-commitments to parish ministries. • There were 220 offertory commitments — the stewardship of treasure — made in the Stewardship Renewal. The average pledge was $2,868. We thank all those who participated in our 2021 Stewardship Renewal here at Queen of the Holy Rosary. 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!
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Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h
7023 W. 71st Street Overland Park, Kansas 66204 (913) 432-4616 | www.queenoftheholyrosary.org
Funeral Luncheons
continued from front cover
family can relax and enjoy their time together. They don’t have to prepare their own home for visitors, and may instead just head downstairs and spend time together. During COVID-19, the ministry was unable to serve for a while, so they made some adjustments to how they served. Instead of a buffet, they served lunch from the kitchen, wearing masks and gloves, and offered wrapped utensils. However, Jane expects they will be going back to the buffet soon. The Funeral Luncheon Ministry rotates through four groups and there are about 13 members in each group. Jane says they are blessed to have so many volunteers. Our whole parish is blessed by the service of this ministry.
If you are interested in serving with the Funeral Luncheon Ministry, contact Jane Croskey at 913-522-5221 or croskeyjane@gmail.com.
WEEKEND MASS
Saturday: 4:00 p.m. | Sunday: 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m.
DAILY MASS
Tuesday - Friday: 8:15 a.m.| First Saturday: 8:15 a.m.
