St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Newsletter — February 2022

Saint CATHOLIC CHURCH The Parish Pastoral Council: Investing Time in God and Our Parish Community

Contents: 2 How Can We Model the Faith for Our Children?

3 A Letter From Our

Pastor: Exciting News on Horizon as 2022 Off to a Great Start

4 Afghan Family

Support: Helping Refugee Families in Need throughout Our Community

6 Stations of the Cross

and Lenten Dinners Join Our Parish Community on Fridays this Lent

7 Valentine’s Day

The Feast of a Christian Martyr

FEBRUARY 2022

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t 7:30 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month, Fr. O’Brien and Fr. Robert sit down in the Parish Hall with the St. Francis Xavier Parish Pastoral Council. This group is made up of a variety of people that represent the parish. There are men and women of all ages — some are parents and some aren’t — as well as English and Spanish-speaking parishioners.

“Our role is to advise the priests when they bring topics, questions, or concerns before the council,” says Annie Ortiz, a member of the PPC. “We represent the voice of the people and are engaged in parish life. Because we are involved, we bring broader opinions from people that are in different stages of life to the priests.”

Annie is in her third year on the PPC and served as Chair last year.

Steve Nelson serves as the current Chair. Members are selected based on continued on page 5

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How Can We Model the Faith for Our Children?

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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).

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, 2

and spending time in family prayer. And there are several authoritative resources online that can help parents in this task, including Catholic Parents Online at www.catholicparents.org. This website links parents to numerous other 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

Exciting News on Horizon as 2022 Off to a Great Start Dear Parishioners,

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e are off to a great start to 2022 at the parish. Our stewardship efforts continue to bear fruit in the spiritual lives of our people, and also towards the growth of our parish. We recently crossed two milestones. We are over 900 registered households (922 to be exact), and we have paid down our debt to under $1 million. These are positive signs of the strength of our parish and show great potential for the future.

Speaking of the future, Lent is on the horizon. As we have in previous years, we’ll be offering the Stations of the Cross devotion each Friday along with a Friday evening dinner following Stations. The only exception will be the celebratory nature of March 11, the fourth anniversary of the dedication of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. It falls on a Friday of Lent, so it will be a little different. Stay tuned for more details.

Also helping us plan for the future is the Parish Pastoral Council. Led by Steve Nelson, the PPC offers me critical advice and direction as we plan for the years ahead and work to tackle present issues.

Should we start a Catholic school? How should we best handle COVID? What should we do with the old St. Francis Xavier church after St. John’s opens their new building and moves out? How are we doing on our 10-year mission and vision plan? Those are some of the big questions the PPC is working to answer. I am grateful for every member and their dedication in coming to our early Saturday morning meetings!

Finally, we’re pleased to offer an update on our new friends from Afghanistan who have come to Stillwater. First and foremost, pray for these men, women, and children. They have been uprooted from

their homeland and brought to the United States for their own safety.

These last months have been difficult.

What a gift God has given us to be able to help them. Stillwater is a great place to be, and they find that out day by day. These individuals and families are a gift to this community, and their generosity has made it possible to make a home here at our parish. A special thanks to Mike FitzGerald of Stillwater Catholic Charities and his team. They have done an amazing job thus far.

Have a great month ahead!

In Christ,

Very Rev. Brian O’Brien Pastor, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church

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AFGHAN FAMI

Helping Refugee Families in Nee

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n late August 2021, the United “OSU is leading the way in the States Armed Forces withdrew nation with this type of support,” troops from Afghanistan.

Mike says.

Before the withdrawal, there were Mike has enjoyed getting several weeks of chaos as many to know the families who have Afghan people tried to leave for settled so far in Stillwater. Coming the United States — and nearly to the United States with very 100,000 Afghan people are in the little, the families need a lot of process of resettling in the United support and items to cover the States. As you can imagine, necessities. The First Baptist leaving your home country and Church Fellowship Hall collects everything you know in haste is and stores donated items. The an extremely stressful situation. refugees can come in and “shop” So, Stillwater Catholic Charities for what they need, from bedding is working to help the families get to kitchen essentials. Donations settled with everything they need, of household items are needed — and here at St. Francis Xavier, please see the following link for all we are in a position to help. items currently being collected — Mike FitzGerald, Operations global.okstate.edu/afghan-project/ A volunteer in Stillwater pulls Manager at Stillwater Catholic index.html. personal care supplies in Charities, part of Catholic “We had a group of Mennonite preparation for an Afghan family.

Charities of Eastern Oklahoma, churches in Illinois bring more says the organization will help about 40 families, than 20 mattresses with box springs, 40 vacuums, amounting to 150-200 children and adults. The and teapots,” Mike says. “I’m blown away by people’s people and families have been coming here from generosity.”

Tulsa over the past few months. The refugees People can also donate directly to this work will be housed in apartments at Oklahoma State by donating to “Catholic Charities Refugee University (OSU). This work of mercy is made Resettlement.” These funds can help with the possible through many partnerships across monthly food distribution, toys for the children, or if religious organizations, businesses, and nonprofits. one of the refugees has a medical issue. Donations “It’s a beautiful thing to see all of these groups can be mailed to our parish, or they may also be coming together to help these people,” Mike says. dropped in the collection.

“The group that has come together to support the Mike feels blessed to be part of the resettlement refugees is non-denominational.” effort thus far. People at our parish have opened OSU is serving as a major partner in this effort, their hearts to help, and Mike has been blown away helping the refugees with bus transportation, by the gifts of time, talent, and treasure. classes in English as a Second Language, and “The congregation at St. Francis Xavier is possible employment. fantastic,” Mike says. “They are truly serving as the 4

ILY SUPPORT:

ed throughout Our Community hands and feet of Christ’s merciful love.”

Those who have helped in some way from St. Francis Xavier have seen a glimpse of what it’s like to serve those who are genuinely in need. Mike has had the opportunity to interact with the refugees regularly.

“To me, personally, it is a huge blessing to do this work,” he says. “There’s nothing like having your core beliefs validated daily and being absolutely

humbled by all who donate to people in real need.”

The Afghan families are all thankful to have their own spaces, as they were previously living in a hotel. They are enjoying the opportunity to be outside and walk.

“They are all just really thankful and down-toearth,” Mike says. “They look forward to finding a job and getting settled here. They are truly seeing that this is a country of opportunity.”

To learn more about the needs of the Afghan families, please visit global.okstate.edu/afghan-project/index.html. If you have any questions, Mike FitzGerald may be reached at mfitzgerald@cceok.org.

The Parish Pastoral Council the annual Stewardship Renewal or through recommendations from parishioners on the council. Terms on the council are three years long, but Father O’Brien can ask a member to renew their commitment for another three years.

“What’s so wonderful about this ministry is the opportunity to see Fr. O’Brien even more in a leadership setting,” Annie says. “When you are a good leader, you are a good follower.

Father always wants to engage and inspire the council and he listens to our comments, questions, and concerns about matters he brings up to us. There are times the council disagrees but it is a safe place to be respectful and disagree.”

continued from front cover

As they consider the parish’s mission to “encounter, go, and grow” the members of this ministry are especially challenged to “walk the walk.” In order to be a voice for the community, they need to be active in parish life. Sometimes that means putting yourself out there to encounter and engage others.

“I have the opportunity to also serve as a teacher with our children’s ministry,” Annie says. “It gives me additional perspectives to listen to the parents and hear their needs and desires for the parish. Even further, it’s a chance for me to model to the children the importance of investing time in the parish community because I believe in the faith.”

If you have any questions about our Parish Pastoral Council, please contact Steve Nelson at sawmillhollow@gmail.com.

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Stations of the Cross and Lenten Dinners JOIN OUR PARISH COMMUNITY ON FRIDAYS THIS LENT

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n Pope Francis’s 2021 Ash Wednesday address, he quoted Joel 2:12, which says, “Return to me with all your heart.” He tells us Lent is a time to return to the Lord. We can’t say we will pray later or do a good deed next week — the time is now.

“In this life, we will always have things to do and excuses to offer, but right now, brothers and sisters, right now is the time to return to God,” Pope Francis said.

Here at St. Francis Xavier, let’s use this Lent to return to the Lord with our whole hearts.

One way we can do that is by attending the Lenten Stations and dinner, held each Friday in Lent, except for Good Friday. A meatless dinner is served after the praying of Stations in the Parish Hall. Various parish ministries and families prepare the meal, which is funded by free-will donations.

Praying the Stations will undoubtedly help us grow in faith, says Fr. Brian O’Brien.

Stations of the Cross are prayed at 11:30 a.m., 6 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., they are prayed in Spanish.

“The Stations of the Cross devotion unites us with the suffering of Our Lord,” he says.

“We walk in His footsteps and those of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

The Lenten Dinner is a parish tradition going back many years. Gina Agnew is leading the dinners this year, and she loves the opportunity for fellowship. After the separations and isolation of the pandemic, this year, the dinners will be a welcome relief. There were Stations last Lent, but no dinners. At dinner, people can see old friends and make new ones, and the children can have a little fun together.

Fr. O’Brien says we should also invite our non-Catholic friends and family to attend.

It’s a short and easy way to introduce an important part of our faith. We can ref lect

on what our Lord experienced before His crucifixion.

“This devotion builds the faith of our people and allows us to invite others into the life of the parish,” he says.

Please join us for Stations of the Cross on the Fridays of Lent at 6 p.m., with dinner to follow, 7:30 p.m. in Spanish or 11:30 a.m.

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Valentine’s Day The Feast of a Christian Martyr

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andy, f lowers, 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 overcommercialized 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 continued on back cover

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Valentine’s Day

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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. 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.

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