St. Benedict Cathedral Newsletter — January 2021

St. Benedict

Cathedral

New Year Offers New Opportunities for Growth as

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Disciples of Christ

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here is something undeniably exciting about the hope and optimism that come with the beginning of a new year. Following the season of preparation during Advent and the joyous celebration of the birth of Christ, we are invited to pause once more and reflect upon our goals and dreams for the coming year. As a parish, we look forward to continuing to provide the faithful of St. Benedict Cathedral with many opportunities for spiritual growth.

“Fundamentally, our desire is to grow in grace as disciples of Jesus,” says Fr. Godfrey Mullen. “Practically, I’m hoping that will include a renewed emphasis on formation for all our parishioners, learning more about The New Year presents us with for spiritual growth Jesus and loving Him more in our daily living. opportunities at St. Benedict Cathedral.

Depending on the progression of the pandemic, we also hope to revive so many of our practices of hospitality, giving time for people to reconnect with one another.”

With the recognition that faith formation is greatly beneficial to all parishioners — old, young, lifelong Catholics and brand-new ones — St. Benedict will offer various formation events geared toward learning more about the Church and getting to know Jesus on a deeper level.

Along with faith formation, hospitality will continue to be a strong priority at the cathedral this year.

“The parish has been focusing on hospitality for six years,” Fr. Godfrey continued on page 5

Inside JANUARY 2021

2 Examining Our New Year’s Resolutions Through the Lens of Stewardship 3 A New Year, New Challenges, New Opportunities 4 St. Benedict Cathedral School Gears Up for Catholic Schools Week

Celebrating Education Rooted in Faith 6 The Great Catholic Educator: St. Thomas Aquinas 7 The Tuesday Morning Maintenance Crew Cares for God’s House

Examining Our New Year’s Resolutions Through the Lens of

Stewardship

It all comes down to one basic point — if we acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from God, then we are supposed to be good stewards of those gifts, use them for the benefit of others, and return our talents tenfold to the Lord.

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very January, we all step forward into the New Year with new ideas, goals, and resolutions.

But after the initial sparkle of the New Year has faded, it can be easy to forget our once-fervent resolutions. However, we might find that it’s a bit easier to keep our New Year’s resolutions if we look a bit beyond our physical selves. By also involving our spiritual lives, as well as the lives of others, we can add a lot more meaning to our resolutions.

Renowned Catholic author Matthew Kelly says, “We’re all trying to be better versions of ourselves,” and that’s basically what any resolution is about.

Stewardship is essentially the same thing — if we embrace living a stewardship way of life, we become better versions of ourselves. We can use our time and talent to make improvements in our lives, in the lives of others, and in the life of the parish. It all comes down to one basic point — if we acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from God, then we are supposed to be good stewards of those gifts, use them for the benefit of others, and return our talents tenfold to the Lord.

One idea to help incorporate stewardship into your New Year's resolutions is to make two distinct resolutions each year — one at the beginning of the liturgical year, and one at the beginning of the calendar year.

We can think of the first Sunday of Advent as the Church New Year, and we can make our own spiritual resolutions at this special time each year.

Then, for the new calendar year, we can make 2

resolutions for our health and well-being. In both cases, we can commit to these promises much in the same way we make our commitments during our annual Stewardship Renewal. We can make these resolutions, write them down, and share them with someone. Once you’ve written it down and shared it, you are now holding yourself accountable.

We are both physical and spiritual beings.

Taking care of the physical side of things is a good start, but if we ignore the spiritual side, what kind of progress are we truly making? Even if you already regularly pray, you can add five more minutes to your prayer time each day to take a step forward in your faith. Even if you read the Bible once a week, you can take a spiritual leap and make it twice a week. One way to make a good resolution is to consider joining or increasing your involvement in one of the parish’s prayer, faith formation, or outreach ministries.

Making resolutions requires us to truly reflect on the areas in our lives that we’d like to improve, while also ensuring that our priorities are in order.

Remember, there is no need to take a giant leap all at once. So, as we begin a new calendar year, remember that even the smallest steps forward in faith can go a long, long way as you continuously renew your relationship with Christ.

A Letter From Our Cathedral Rector

A New Year, New Challenges, New Opportunities My Fellow Parishioners:

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t is a new year, and it is my prayer for all of you — and for me, as well — that we can take new steps on our faith journeys, and seek new ways to live out discipleship and stewardship.

Pope Francis once commented on his perspective of our modern approach to life. He said, “Certainly, possessions, money and power can give a momentary thrill, the illusion of being happy, but they end up possessing us and making us always want more, never satisfied. I have learned that the most important thing is to put on Christ in your life, place your trust in Him, and you will never be disappointed.”

The pope has been called “the world’s parish priest.” As we pray for one another in this New Year, may we all ask the Lord to help us appreciate Pope Francis’ approach to life, his simple way of seeing things, and his very basic way of appreciating things.

I would hope that we see this year as a time for opportunity, a time to deepen our relationship to Christ, and for that matter to one another.

If we really wish to change our lives and the lives of others, there are two easy ways to do it. We are blessed with many opportunities in this parish to pray, but as much as it is important for us to take advantage of those, we also need to develop a strong personal prayer life. Recall the young Samuel, who was not quite sure what to do with his life, or what direction to go. When he finally settled on that one important prayer, “Speak, Lord, for I am listening,” Samuel gave us the

hint as to what we need to do.

Prayer is a two-way street, and part of that is taking the time to listen to God. The second important way is to exude joy. Christ certainly called us to do that. Pope Francis has had much to say about joy, as well. The Holy Father says, “Joy cannot be held at heel; it must be let go. Joy is a pilgrim virtue. It is a gift that walks — walks on the path of life, that walks with Jesus… proclaiming joy, lengthens and widens that path.” We must seek that joy and then we need to share it. That is truly our call. Joy translates quite easily into “love your neighbor.”

Yes, there may be challenges ahead in 2021, but we must focus on the opportunities, and then exert the effort to benefit from those opportunities. Happy New Year!

Peace,

Very Rev. Godfrey Mullen, OSB Cathedral Rector

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St. Benedict Cathedral School Gears Up for Catholic Schools Week Celebrating Education Rooted in Faith

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he last week in January is always a really special time for Catholic schools all across the country. In fact, it's a weeklong celebration of an education rooted in our faith — the annual

Dress-up days are a highlight of Catholic Schools Week.

Catholic Schools Week is a special celebration for students, teachers and parents alike.

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Catholic Schools Week. Our St. Benedict Cathedral School students, staff, and faculty will celebrate the week from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6.

Being a part of a Catholic school is always a joy for Principal Kari Ford. Catholic Schools Week gives her and all of the staff, faculty, and students a chance to reflect on the many blessings of being part of the school family.

“I really enjoy being able to celebrate with everyone at the school the benefits of Catholic education and faith-based learning during Catholic Schools Week,” she says.

Mrs. Ford emphasizes the benefits of the school, like smaller class sizes, a rigorous faith-based education, a small student-toteacher ratio, and the emphasis on teaching the whole person.

Catholic Schools Week will look a bit different this year due to COVID-19 precautions, but some favorite events, like the themed

dress-up days, will remain.

With less opportunity for inperson events this year, Mrs. Ford asks parishioners to pray for the students, staff, and faculty at the school.

“We also ask parishioners and families to share the good news and information with family and our school,” Mrs. Ford says.

“We want people to help spread awareness of what we are about and our mission.”

Chuck and Natalie Hedde feel blessed to have the opportunity to send their children, Clark and Haven, to St. Benedict Cathedral School.

“Chuck and I wanted our children to experience a faith-based education, in an environment of inclusion,” Natalie says.

After some friends of the Heddes had great things to say about the school, Chuck and Natalie knew it would be the right place for Clark and Haven. continued on page 5

Students participate in an activity during a retreat in 2019.

Students engage in a fun game during the 2019 Catholic Schools Week celebration.

St. Benedict Cathedral School “We love the family atmosphere, the commitment to Christ-centered quality education, and the team approach taken by all of the educators at St. Ben’s,” Natalie says.

The Heddes encourage all parish families to visit St. Benedict Cathedral School. They believe families will find what they are looking for at the school.

“The education our children receive at St. Ben’s is not only right for our family’s core values, but it also meets the needs of Clark and Haven as individuals, and that is invaluable,” Natalie says.

continued from page 4

The ultimate goal of St. Benedict Cathedral School is to help parents pass on the Catholic faith to their children. No one is denied entry to the school based on finances if the family actively participates in the life of St. Benedict Cathedral Parish.

To learn more about St. Benedict Cathedral School or to schedule a visit, please contact Mrs. Kari Ford at kford@evdio.org.

“I really enjoy being able to celebrate with everyone at the school the benefits of Catholic education and faith-based learning during Catholic Schools Week." — Kari Ford, Principal

New Year Offers New Opportunities for Growth as Disciples of Christ continued from front cover says. “While that helps welcome people to Mass, to service, to prayer of other sorts, it also becomes a model for how we are to live our lives. In other words, genuine hospitality for Christ in our decisions, our activities, our priorities is an extremely important part of living life as a Catholic. By being welcomed, we learn to welcome Christ.”

In some ways, welcoming people into new ministries was compromised this year due to the COVID-19 crisis. However, our new Executive Assistant for the parish, Angie Wellmeier, has been able to increase parish oversight of stewardship commitments and ministry participation.

Following an extended time of near-isolation for many of us, restarting our ministries has provided us with a unique opportunity to evaluate and improve upon parish activity, and parishioners are feeling a renewed sense of excitement about the connection and community that come with participation in our ministries.

A new year is always a fitting time to step back

and take stock of our lives and where we hope to be 12 months from now. As Catholics, this process includes a prayerful discernment of how Christ might be calling us to enrich our faith by living as intentional disciples in 2021.

“While New Year's resolutions are common with many people, our progression in the work of conversion, discipleship, and stewardship is lifelong,” Fr. Godfrey says. “The new year, especially as we celebrate the Diocesan Patronal Feast of Mary, Mother of God, provides us with hope — a whole year unfolding before us, like the life of Jesus unfolded in the sights of our Blessed Mother.

“A passive view of that gift of grace needs to be invigorated by faith which gives courage, so that we might rightly step forward with all the good gifts God has given us — whether that’s giving our talents to particular ministries we’ve long been part of, or trying some new ministry, as we strive to build the Kingdom of God," he adds.

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The Great Catholic Educator:

St. Thomas Aquinas

Thomas' greatest works arise from his total focus on knowing and understanding God, and revealing as clearly as possible the Truth of God to others. He showed that faith and reason are not in conflict, but exist in harmony.

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efore Thomas Aquinas was even born, a holy hermit told his mother he was to be more learned and holy than any other person of his time. As a young boy, he was devoted to prayer and meditation, and his intellectual gifts were quickly recognized. When he was about 11 years old, he was sent to the University of Naples, and about five years later, he became a Dominican friar.

Thomas' parents were Italian nobility and were not enthusiastic about Thomas' choice of vocation. They went so far as to have his brothers capture him while he was en route to Rome, and they held him prisoner for two years in an effort to destroy his vocation and his virtue. After the family made one particularly heinous attempt at breaking Thomas' faith and spirit, he begged God to give 6

him integrity of mind and body, and he was miraculously given the girdle and grace of purity for the rest of his life. This gift almost certainly was essential to the remarkable clarity of his intellect.

After he regained his freedom, Thomas received the best education that was available during a time in human history that arguably represents the best the world has ever offered to scholars and philosophers.

His greatest works arise from his total focus on knowing and understanding God, and revealing as clearly as possible the Truth of God to others. He showed that faith and reason are not in conflict, but exist in harmony.

Thomas' Summa Theologica uses philosophical principles presented in scientific form to systematically explain

Christian theology. It was his last work and was left unfinished.

Thomas stopped writing after he experienced an unusually long vision on Dec. 6, 1273. When he was urged to finish his Summa, he stated that he could no longer write, for the secrets he had been shown during his vision made all he had written "seem as straw." He died three months later.

Thomas composed more than 60 works.

His powers of synthesis were truly extraordinary.

He was able to sift through all that he read, distill the truth, and summarize his conclusions simply, clearly and briefly. His writing is of such genius that it transcends style and art in the beauty of its truth. His works are as relevant today as they were to the 13th century. His principles offer a remedy to such evils as socialism, communism, nihilism, as well as pantheism and spiritism.

Thomas was canonized in 1323, and was declared a Doctor of the Universal Church in 1567. In 1879, Leo XIII declared Thomas Aquinas “the prince and master of all scholastic doctors," and in 1880, Thomas was designated as patron of all Catholic universities, colleges and schools throughout the world. We celebrate St. Thomas Aquinas' feast day on Jan. 28.

The Tuesday Morning Maintenance Crew Cares for God’s House

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f you own a home, you know the work that goes into maintaining it. Whether small upkeep or large repair projects, it seems there’s always something that needs a little extra time and attention.

And when you’re not caught up working on those projects, there’s almost always something that could use an update.

The maintenance of our parish home and school is no different. Our physical grounds require near-constant attention and care to keep in working condition, as well as to create a beautiful and peaceful space for our community to worship and our students to learn. Each Tuesday morning, a dedicated group of volunteers gathers to ensure that happens.

“We go in on Tuesday morning, we meet about 9 a.m., Each week, members of our Tuesday Morning Maintenance Crew help our community drink coffee, and we go to Kelley, with a variety of maintenance projects. in the office, and see what she’s got on the schedule,” says Flavien enjoys using his skills and experience parishioner Flavien Elpers, who coordinates the to serve the parish in a behind-the-scenes role. volunteer crew.

“It’s just sort of me — I’m a country boy and The volunteers help with whatever needs to I like working with my hands," he says. "The be done, from trimming bushes and painting, to other stuff just isn’t me. I’m a worker, and that’s moving furniture and changing lightbulbs. They what I want to do, so this role fits me better than don’t work on the boiler, heating, or cooling, but anything. beyond that, if it has to do with maintenance at “I did maintenance and field service work for the parish or school, they likely have a hand in it. the company I worked for and I learned a lot “We do a little bit of everything,” Flavien says. through them,” he adds. “The other stuff we just “Whatever is on the list, we have no problem doing.” try it, see if it works, or try something else.” continued on back cover

“Anybody can come — you don’t have to have certain skills. I think you need to get involved in your church to feel like you’re part of it. If you get involved, you understand more of what’s going on." — Flavien Elpers 7

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The Tuesday Morning Maintenance Crew Cares for God’s House continued from page 7 For Flavien, becoming involved in the parish through service has given him a chance to get to know his fellow parishioners and become more invested in the parish community.

“There’s a big change, in that you feel like you’re part of the Church,” Flavien says. “Otherwise, you just go to church and you put your donation in and walk out of church and you leave. But now, I feel like I’m part owner in it, involved in it.

“You meet people,” he adds. “I’ve met a lot of other people and they’re just great people, good to work with. I look forward to every Tuesday — we joke and cut up the whole time.”

Flavien encourages other parishioners to consider becoming involved in the parish, as part of the Tuesday Morning Maintenance Crew.

“Anybody can come — you don’t have to have

certain skills,” Flavien says. “I think you need to get involved in your church to feel like you’re part of it. If you get involved, you understand more of what’s going on.

“But if you don’t want to get your hands dirty, you don’t want to join the Tuesday crew — because you’ll get your hands dirty!” he says with a smile.

If you would like more information, or to become a part of the Tuesday Morning Maintenance Crew, please contact Flavien Elpers at 812-867-5780 and leave a message.

LITURGY SCHEDULE

Saturday Vigil: 4:30 p.m. | Sunday: 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

Daily Mass: Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 a.m.

Confessions: Tuesday through Friday 8:40 - 8:55 a.m., Saturday 9:30 - 10:00 a.m.