may 2022
The
Altar Linens Ministry:
Cleaning with Great Care and Reverence
O
ur Catholic faith teaches us that during the Consecration, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. There are several linens on the altar that are used during the Liturgy of the Eucharist — 2 Stewardship these include altar cloths, corporals, purificators, The Church is More than and lavabo towels. Because these linens may cona Building — It is Our tain any particles or bits of His Body and Blood, Spiritual Home cleaning them requires care and a certain process. Volunteers within the Altar Linens Ministry see 3 The Month of Mary: A Time for Celebration that the altar linens that touch and clean the and Joy Precious Body and Blood are cleaned and cared for properly. 4 Meet Parishioners “We must soak the linens first and then we Frank and Jane Croskey dispose of the water that now contains the Body and Blood directly into the ground,” says A Lifetime of Joyfully Carol Cleary, Co-Chair. Sharing in Faith and The linens are then laundered as one would typically wash towels or tablecloths. Once Stewardship clean and dry, they are ironed, folded, and pressed. Due to the pandemic, the Precious Blood has not been distributed, so the number of 6 The May Crowning purificators — the cloths used to wipe the rim of the chalice — is greatly decreased. Each Celebrating the Coronation of volunteer is assigned one month out of the year to clean the altar linens. They pick up the Mary altar linens that need laundering weekly and bring them back to the church once they are finished. 7 The Lectors Ministry: Blessed to Proclaim the Word of God Co-Chair Marilyn Kidder says helping with this ministry is a small but important task. “I don’t think many people know that this job needs to be done,” Marilyn says. “It isn’t a difficult task and it is a small time commitment, but it is one worth doing.” 7023 W. 71st Street “What drew me into this ministry many years ago was that it was something Overland Park, KS 66204 I could do on my own time,” Carol adds. “There was no requirement to be
Inside
www.queenoftheholyrosary.org
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Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h
Stewardship
The Church is More than a Building — It is Our Spiritual Home
W
here do you go to church? We’ve all answered that question hundreds of times before. But have you ever stopped to think about what it truly means? “I go to our parish,” is the usual response, and rightly so, because we do “go to” the church to celebrate Mass together. But as Catholics and as stewards of God’s gifts, the Church is much more than a building within which we worship. The Church, as we understand it, is the universal body of believers, the society that Christ established to help us grow in holiness, to bring us closer to Him through the giving of our time, talent, and treasure, and to lead the world to the truth. Before Jesus ascended to the Father, He commissioned the disciples, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:19-20). That is the Church’s mission in the world today — to make disciples of all nations, to bring all men to Christ. Our parish plays a key part in that. As members of our parish, we are local representatives of the universal Church. Together, as members of this parish family, we work to carry out the Church’s mission on a local level. We worship the Lord
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at Mass, offering Him our praise and thanksgiving, and then we go forth on a mission to make disciples — to encourage our fellow parishioners in their lives of faith and to bring unbelievers into knowledge of the truth. In addition to being a “local representation of the universal Church,” the parish is much like a family. We are communal beings, and we are created to live with others. So, as Catholics, we are members of the Church and, on a more immediate level, of the parish. As such, we gather together for the Eucharistic meal and we grow in faith together throughout the week, supporting one another through our participation in many parish ministries, through prayer, and through the friendships that many of us share. In a letter written to parish priests throughout the nation, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops explained the important place of the parish in the lives of Catholic faithful: “The parish is a privileged place to announce the Word of God. It includes a variety of forms and each of the faithful is called to take an active part, especially with the witness of a Christian life and the explicit proclamation of the Gospel to non-believers to lead them to the faith, or to believers to instruct them, confirm them and encourage them to a more fervent life.” So, we ought to feel truly blessed to be a part of this parish family. We ought to make a conscious effort to be actively involved, to build relationships with our fellow parishioners and to celebrate the Mass together as often as possible — most especially every Sunday. We are then bound to grow closer to others, to grow deeper in faith and closer to Christ. Then, together as a parish family, we are bound to proclaim the Gospel to others, inviting them to a life of discipleship, thereby, building the kingdom of God.
A Letter From Our Pastor
Dear Parishioners,
I
Mary:
The Month of A Time for Celebration and Joy
n the Catholic Church, we designate a particular devotion for each month — and May is when we honor our Blessed Mother Mary. Thus, this is a good time for us to think about and concentrate on our devotion to the Mother of God. Perhaps we can add a few more Marian prayers to our daily routine — the Rosary is an excellent choice! Of course, that assumes that daily prayer is part of our daily routine — which it should be. Our Blessed Mother is important to our faith and our Church. Her willingness to serve in a way that allowed the Lord to take human form made our salvation a possibility. Because of her complete trust in God, she lived her life free from sin, and after her life, she was assumed into heaven by the power of God and crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. She is, of course, not divine. We worship only our Lord Jesus Christ, but we honor Mary as a saint, and also in many other ways. We honor God when we remember the role of Mary in our salvation. Devotion to Mary always leads to Jesus Christ Himself. Mary was joyous when she said “yes” to God. That is the kind of joy we need to seek — and we, too, must say “yes” to the Lord. Let us be grateful to
Mary for bringing us her Son. This is why we crown her on our Catholic version of Mother’s Day. Through Mary, we are given an invitation into the Catholic fold. Her feminine presence and the safety of her motherhood may help us grow. For most of us, this time of year is a month of growth in relation to nature. It is difficult not to have May as one of our favorite months for so many reasons. May is a beautiful time. We are called to make it even more beautiful, and we can do that as we serve and love one another. I am deeply blessed to be your pastor. I may say that often, but it is true. My priesthood has been a blessing and serving you all has made that blessing even more significant. I pray for you daily. Please pray for me. God bless you and keep you always. 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
Meet Parishioners
H
aving been parishioners at Queen of the Holy Rosary for 48 years, Frank and Jane Croskey have witnessed their own stewardship commitments evolve over the decades. When they first became parishioners, their children were little — Jane was a stay-at-home mom, giving her the time to be involved and to help out around the parish. As their two girls grew and started school, Jane went back to work in the education field. While this made it more difficult to be as involved, participating in parish life was still important to Frank and Jane. “After retirement, it opened up all kinds of extra time we never had before, so we decided to become more involved,” Jane says. Frank volunteers two days a week in the office and Jane is involved with the food kitchen, funeral lunches, adoration, and fish dinners. For the Croskeys, once again becoming more involved in their parish family was a natural transition. “Becoming involved did not really push us outside our comfort zone,” Frank says. “We both worked in the education field — Jane as a teacher and me in administration.
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Fran
A Lifetime of Joyfully Sharin
Frank and Jane Croskey
We were used to being involved in activities at school, so it was a natural transition to continue to work with our community. This time our church community.” Jane was brought up Methodist and it was not until going to college and meeting Frank that she started to attend a Catholic Church. She has now been a member of the Catholic Church for 53 years. Having been raised Catholic, Frank’s involvement in parish life started young, when he served as an altar boy. Now, they have two
grown and married daughters and four grandkids. There are many aspects of involvement that they enjoy, but Jane especially loves getting together with a group of about six women for a Rosary walk on Saturday mornings. For Frank, the biggest part of his role in the office is to answer the phone and direct the callers. This has made him realize how important the church community truly is. The callers have all different kinds of needs and requests that the church will continued on page 5
“I think if you want to get involved in the church, there is something for everybody. You don’t have to do a lot of things, but just do what you are comfortable doing.” — Frank Croskey
nk and Jane Croskey
ng in Faith and Stewardship
fulfill, and it shows how important the work is that the church does. Another aspect of involvement for Frank and Jane is getting to know other parishioners and to grow in fellowship with them. One big way they were able to do this and grow in their faith life was by traveling to the Holy Land. “About five years ago we went to Holy Land, and for us, that was life-changing,” Jane says. “We spent a week over there with some parishioners and Fr. Bill, and that was our ‘aha’ moment — with all the readings you do from the Bible and then to go and see the places where it happened. That was huge.” For Frank and Jane parish involvement is important not only because it helps you grow and helps you
feel closer to Christ, but also because it allows you to serve and help others. “I think if you want to get involved in the church, there is something for everybody,” Frank says. “You don’t have to do a lot of things, but just do what you are comfortable doing.”
The Altar Linens Ministry somewhere or do something at any particular time. I pick up the linens when I am able to and return them when it is convenient for me. And I am still serving the parish in an important way.” While not officially a part of the Altar Linens Ministry, a similar task within the parish is laundering the altar server’s albs. “In the past, I have assisted with laundering and ironing the robes before Christmas and Easter,” Carol says. “It is another important job that needs to be done that parishioners don’t often think of.”
continued from front cover
“What drew me into this ministry many years ago was that it was something I could do on my own
time. There was no requirement to be somewhere or do something at any particular time. I pick up the
linens when I am able to and return them when it is
convenient to me. And I am still serving the parish in an important way.” — Carol Cleary
Presently, there is a great need for assistance with this necessary duty for the parish. For more information or to volunteer to help with this task, please contact Cathy Mahr in the parish off ice at 913-432-4616.
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Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h
The May Crowning
Celebrating the Coronation of Mary
F
or many Catholics, May Crownings of statues or icons of the Blessed Mother have become rites of spring. Like flowers blooming or Mother’s Day, this annual Marian devotion reminds us that the cold of winter is behind us, and it ushers in a month during which the Catholic Church pays special homage to Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of God. Generally taking place during the first weekend of the month, May Crownings bring children — often, recent First Communicants — out in their Sunday best to participate in processions and adorn statues of the Blessed Mother with crowns of flowers or actual gold crowns. Additionally, the children often place roses at her feet, and Catholics carry out similar practices in their homes by placing roses around statues of the Blessed Virgin, or even adding ornamentation to images of Mary. But where did this practice come from, and how did it develop into the tradition that we currently know and love? The Coronation of Mary had been a popular subject in European art and literature for centuries, but the tradition of the May Crowning can be most accurately traced back to the late 16th century. Perhaps inspired by the practice of adding ornamentation to Marian icons that had been carried out by some Eastern churches, Pope Clement VIII added two crowns to the icon of Mary with the Infant Jesus in the St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome. The crowns were eventually lost, but were replaced by Gregory XVI in 1837 in a rite that was to become the standard practice for crowning. While the May Crowning is not an official liturgical celebration on the Church calendar, it is an important practice in honoring Mary as the Queen of the Universe, and its imagery is especially influential in the faith formation of children. As Liz Kelly writes in May Crowning, Mass, and Merton and Other Reasons I Love Being Catholic, “One of the defining aspects of being Catholic is devotion to Mary. I favor no Marian celebration more highly than May Crowning, the feast that recognizes Mary as queen of heaven and earth. To a person of any age, this is a mighty big title, but to a child of five or six or seven, it expands to enchanting, magical proportions. How many queens does one get a chance to meet in a lifetime, much less crown?” This year, make a special effort to honor the coronation of Mary through participation in a personal or public May Crowning devotion.
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Please join us for our May Crowning events: May 6 at 8:15 a.m. All School Mass and May Crowning with the John Paul II students May 7 at 5:15 p.m. First Saturday Eucharistic Procession and May Crowning
Mary, Queen of Heaven pray for us!
The Lectors Ministry:
F
Blessed to Proclaim the Word of God
or a while, parishioner Lee Crutchfield contemplated the idea of becoming a lector. He was already serving the parish as an usher, and the lectors who proclaimed the Scripture readings had caught his attention. One day, he attended a Mass and the lector was a young man with some speech difficulty. “I was inspired by the young man,” Lee says. “He was very slow and deliberate in how he delivered the Scripture reading. I was so impressed by how he did it and how I could focus on what he was saying. I wanted to try that.” Lee has now been a lector for about a year and he has coordinated the ministry for about six months. Being a lector has impacted how Lee experiences Mass. To prepare, the lectors use a workbook that reviews all three readings at Mass so that they understand how the readings are connected, even though they will only proclaim one or two of them at Mass. The workbook walks the lector through the pronunciation of difficult words so that he or she is prepared to read them aloud for the congregation. “My Mass experience has been changed because I’m preparing for it,” Lee says. “I don’t always have time to spend reading the Bible during the week, but using the workbook helps me understand the meaning of the readings. I feel like I’m more a part of the Mass than
Lector Annie Barney proclaims the Word of God at Mass.
just sitting out in the congregation. Usually, I’ll prepare for the readings even if I know I’m not scheduled, in case someone needs a sub.” When Lee prepares to read, he practices the reading aloud at home and then reads it to his wife. “The strange thing is, I feel totally different when I get up before the
congregation,” Lee says. “I think I really feel the Spirit.” You don’t have to have any experience in public speaking to learn to be a lector. Lee meets with new lectors one-on-one or in small groups after Mass to show them how to use the microphone and how to read the Prayers of the Faithful. The continued on back cover
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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
The Lectors Ministry
continued from page 7
workbook they use gives tips on how to effectively read the Scripture and helps with pronunciation. “It’s not as hard as you might think it is,” Lee says. “It’s something when you stand up there and look out at all those people, but you get used to it.” Lee currently coordinates a rotating schedule of about 15 lectors. He tries to schedule two for each Mass and he is always looking to train new lectors. “If you’ve thought about it, you should try it,” Lee says. “It’s an experience that is very, very rewarding. You’re getting more back than you give.”
If you have thought about becoming a lector and would like to learn more or be trained, please contact Lee Crutchf ield at 913-492-5697 or 913-244-5545 (cell).
WEEKEND MASS
Saturday: 4:00 p.m. | Sunday: 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m.
DAILY MASS
Monday - Friday: 8:15 a.m.| First Saturday: 8:15 a.m.
