St.
Leos’
Parish Community
Meet P arishioner Lisa Esquivel
Serving Our Faith Community, Depending on Jesus
F
or parishioner Lisa Esquivel, involvement here at St. Leo’s began when her second child, Addy, started the religious education program. “I taught her class from first through third grade and continued with my third child, Isaiah, all the way through fifth grade,” Lisa says. “It was very natural for me to help. I was never the teacher — I was the helper.” The Esquivel family joined as parishioners in 2009 when they first moved to Grand Island. Lisa and Tino have three children — Isaiah, Addy, and Tyler. “My faith life has grown so much since joining St. Leo’s,” Lisa says. “I have been able to surround myself with such faithful people. I have learned right along with the students while teaching Lisa Esquivel says her faith has grown religious education.” since being part of our parish family. Since she first joined the parish, Lisa has been involved in many ways. Along with teaching religious education, she has helped with Confirmation classes, serves as a member of the Stewardship Council, and also with the Lady of St. Leo’s Ministry. In addition, she and her family help out as greeters for Mass, and Lisa is also a lector and commentator. “I serve because I feel it is my duty to help and share what I know,” Lisa says. continued on page 5
Inside JULY 2022
2 Stewardship The Church is More than a Building — It is Our Spiritual Home 3 We Provide the Gifts, God Performs the Miracles 4 Outreach Ministries Offer Valuable Ways to Get Involved and Serve Our Neighbors 6 31 Club: Faithfully Dedicating Prayer to Vocations and Religious Life 7 Getting to Know the “Summertime” Saints
Stewardship
The Church is More than a Building — It is Our Spiritual Home
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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 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. 2
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
Miracles
We Provide the Gifts, God Performs the
Dear Parishioners,
I
t is human nature to try to neatly place things into categories. If we categorize the miracles performed by Christ, the two largest groupings might fall under the headings “Healing” and “Feeding.” This is exactly what we are about here at St. Leo’s. At the base of all our liturgies is the Eucharist, when we come together in communion with the Lord and with one another to be both fed and healed. Even one of Christ’s most famous miracles — the Feeding of the Multitude — involved both healing and feeding from a spiritual and a literal perspective. The reason the large crowd gathered was because Jesus’ reputation as a healer had spread and grown. He felt compassion for that crowd, which is another way of saying He loved them and felt sorry that they were hungry due to their willingness to sit and be with Him for so long. Recognizing it was late in the day and that many of them had not eaten, Jesus literally fed them — but that day, He didn’t stop with physical nourishment. He also fed them spiritually with His words, and simultaneously, healed their wounded hearts by preaching a message of hope and forgiveness in the midst of a dark and hardened world. The narrative of Christ taking a small amount of food and using it to feed thousands is familiar
to all of us. It is reported in all four Gospels. However, I would like to highlight one aspect of that miracle. It all started with one boy who was willing to share what little he had. Because the boy made the gift of his fishes and loaves, the Lord took it and multiplied it many times over, nourishing so many more people than what that little bit initially could. Isn’t that what we as a parish are called to do? We make gifts of our time, our talent, and our treasure as good stewards — but nevertheless, it is God who takes those gifts and performs miracles with them. Our goal is to give what we have so that Christ might use it, multiplying it to feed, to heal and draw a multitude of people closer to Him. The reality is that without the gifts, there can be no miracles, and without miracles, we are a hungry and broken people. Christ has come to renew, nourish, fulfill, and restore — and that, brothers and sisters, is what Christianity is all about. Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Donald A. Buhrman Pastor 3
A
Outreach Ministries Offer Valuable
s the United States Confercollection and giveaway. Coats, ence of Catholic Bishops blankets, and winter gear are tells us, the Corporal Works needed, along with volunteers of Mercy are ways we can help to help sort, repair, wash and, our neighbors “as if they were ultimately, distribute these Christ in disguise.” Here at St. items. It’s one of the St. Leo’s Leo’s, we have many ways to fill outreach events that makes the the Corporal Works of Mercy for biggest impact. those among us most in need. “This is an opportunity to There are so many opportuniliterally be Christ in person to ties to serve at St. Leo’s that it’s others,” Donna says. a shame not to get involved with St. Leo’s Outreach also parVolunteers gather at Habitat at least one. ticipates in a Habitat for Hufor Humanity Build Day. Here in our parish, Outreach manity Build Day. This is a fun Coordinator Donna Douglass is tasked with helping opportunity to get involved and make a difference determine the needs of those who visit the parish in the life of a family. and the greater community. Having served in this “We are all better people when we get out of role for more than 20 years, she’s also there to help our own wants and needs and do things to help people access assistance from other organizations. others,” Donna says. The Human Concerns Committee also coordinates The food collections are another important much of the outreach work at St. Leo’s. outreach project at St. Leo’s — from a monthly There are so many needs in our community. collection to special collections for Lent, Advent, Sometimes, serving these needs is as simple as and the start of the school year. Donna says these donating some clothing or household items to a lo- collections are a simple way to give back to those cal person in need. Donna will often put the needs in need. on the parish Facebook page and bulletin board. “The food collections are impressive,” she says. “This is the work that Jesus calls us to do,” “We have such a generous parish.” she says. “We are to care for our brothers and Fr. Anthony Madhichetti was a priest in the sisters and be a light to the world. We are just Diocese of Grand Island several years ago and is blessed that we have the opportunities to help now a director of schools in the Diocese of Nellore, others.” a very impoverished area of India. Fr Madhichetti One of the most significant projects needing has worked hard to build bathrooms, orphanthe most volunteers is the annual October coat ages, churches, and schools. We support his efforts
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“This is the work that Jesus calls us to do. We are to care for our brothers and sisters, and be a light to the world. We are just blessed that we have the opportunities to help others.” — Donna Douglass, Outreach Coordinator 4
e Ways to Get Involved and Serve Our Neighbors financially. Donations are always needed and accepted to support his work. Another opportunity to help is by labeling water bottles for the American Red Cross disaster teams. The labels have a welcome message to St. Leo’s and our Mass times. There are many other ways to serve those in need. You can become a Eucharistic Minister of Holy Communion and deliver to homebound parishioners or collect change for Catholic Relief Services during Lent. You may also support the Hope Harbor homeless shelter, make cookies for the American Red Cross blood drives, or donate to the Giving Tree at Christmas. You can also donate school supplies for the annual Stuff the Bus collection or donate formal clothing and jewelry for the YWCA mYnight Boutique.
Volunteers work together during the 2022 Habitat for Humanity Build Day.
If you would like to get involved in outreach, or to learn more about outreach opportunities in our parish, please refer to the bulletin, or contact Donna Douglass at 308-382-4753, ext. 13 or donna@saintleos.org.
Meet Parishioner Lisa Esquivel One of the biggest highlights of Lisa’s time as a parishioner was the Catholic HEART Workcamp trip to Minnesota in 2021. She accompanied two of her children on this endeavor, which involves mission work for teens. “It was so rewarding to watch my kids as well as all the other kids helping others and having fun and meeting new people that were there doing the same thing,” she says. Lisa says her faith has grown as a result of getting involved in our parish. She recognizes the importance of helping out in various ways, using her
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talents and time to give to God and His Church. “Since being involved with the Church, I have just started to depend on Jesus and the belief in Him to help me get through life,” she says. “He has a plan and I have learned to trust His plan.” Lisa’s advice to anyone looking to get involved at our parish is to start small like she did. Helping out in a small way can make a big difference. “It is very rewarding,” she says. “Our parish is so lucky to have the administration that we have because they are so welcoming and easy to work with.” 5
Getting to Know the
“Summertime” Saints S
chool is out, and summer is now in full swing. The days are longer, warmer and filled with plenty of fun summertime activities. This summer, as we take family vacations, gather with friends and loved ones for barbecues, spend time by the pool, and enjoy all of the usual summertime activities, we can also take the time to reflect on some of the saints who are associated with the summer. Family vacations are perhaps the most iconic of all summertime activities. Although there is no patron saint of vacations, there are a number of saints associated with traveling. One of the most popular is St. Christopher. According to his story, St. Christopher was an extremely tall and strong man who served Christ by helping people cross an especially dangerous river. That is why many people wear St. Christopher medals while traveling — to ask for his blessing and protection. For those of us who are taking road trips this summer, there is St. Frances of Rome, the patron saint of cars and drivers. While St. Frances died well before cars were invented, her story says that her guardian angel went ahead of her when she traveled at night and lit the road with a lantern to keep St. Frances safe. There are also saints we can look to when traveling by plane. St. Joseph of Cupertino was a Franciscan friar who is said to have frequently and miraculously levitated off the ground during intense prayer sessions. Because of this levitation, he is recognized as the patron saint of air travelers. St. Therese of Lisieux is also associated with aviators and flying.
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If you are going on a cruise this summer, you can ask for the intercession of St. Brendan the Navigator, an Irish monk who founded the Clonfert monastery and monastic school, and is the patron saint of mariners and sailors. He and his brothers sailed the Atlantic Ocean and evangelized on a number of islands, and may have even reached the Americas. Another favorite summer activity is swimming. Whether you choose a pool, a lake or the ocean, seek the intercession of St. Adjutor of Vernon, a knight who was captured in the First Crusade. His captors tried to force him to give up his faith, but St. Adjutor escaped by swimming to his freedom. For this reason, he is the patron saint against drowning, and for drowning victims, sailors and swimmers. The summer is also a time of amusement and enjoyment. One of the biggest national celebrations of the summer is the Fourth of July. For this type of summertime activity, we look to St. Barbara, the patron saint of fireworks. There are also a number of saints with feast days during the summer. The feast day of St. Anne, the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus, is celebrated on July 26. July 31 is the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who is also associated with stewardship. These are just two of the many saints whose feasts we celebrate this summer. No matter what kinds of activities we choose to enjoy during the summertime, let us remember to honor the saints who have gone before us, and give their intercession for us as we walk through our own journeys of faith.
31 Club:
Faithfully Dedicating Prayer to Vocations and Religious Life
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e all have a very great appreciation for our priests, deacons, and those in the consecrated religious life. In turn, we realize how vitally important it is to pray for more men and women to be open to God’s call to these vocations. The members of the Vocations Ministry Team recognized the need for more people to answer this call to religious vocations and started a group, the 31 Club, to pray for an increase in vocations. “Since months can have up to 31 days, we call it the 31 Club so we have someone praying for vocations each day of the month, every day of the year,” says Joyce Yosten, a longtime member of the ministry. As Joyce notes, the ministry began in response to the shortage of priests in our diocese. “We have been going for nearly 10 years,” she says. “Our shortage of priests is increasing with the retirement of more of our dedicated priests. I think it is so terrible when we have to close churches because of this. This is one of the reasons that I pray so much for an increase in vocations. A priest is so important in the parish to be there for the people.” The Vocations Ministry Team promotes all vocations including religious, married, and single life. The 31 Club prays specifically for religious vocations. Those who sign up are asked to commit one hour of prayer on the day they choose. This can be done at the church, at home, or whatever is most convenient for you. As St. John Vianney said, “The priest is not
a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the sacraments to himself. He is not for himself. He is for you.” This point is not lost on those who pray for an increase in vocations. When it comes to the administering of sacraments and the life of the parish, a priest is not something that can be replaced or substituted. The consecrated religious life also performed a vital role within the Church. From constant service to those in need to supporting the church and even the whole world through prayer, the consecrated religious life is crucial to the health of the continued on back cover
“Our shortage of priests is increasing with the retirement of more of our dedicated priests. I think it is so terrible when we have to close churches because of this. This is one of the reasons that I pray so much for an increase in vocations. A priest is so important in the parish to be there for the people.” — Joyce Yosten 7
2410 S. Blaine Street Grand Island, NE 68801 (308) 382-4753 | www.saintleos.org
31 Club
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church. Benedictines were credited with preserving Western culture through the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. With their message of balance, stability, hospitality, and moderation, the Rule of St. Benedict was key to maintaining the survival of Western civilization. In more recent times, religious have been teachers, starting schools to educate children, and filled many roles within the Church, dedicating their lives to prayer and service to others. “One of the things that is so great about this ministry is the flexibility,” Joyce says. “You can pray anywhere or any way. You can go to an hour of adoration, go to Mass or pray at home. It is great for those who are working or retired. This is
wonderful for our homebound parishioners to be involved and also our youth. It is something that you can do in any season of life.”
If you would like to sign up to pray for vocations to the religious life, please call the parish office at 308-382-4753 or contact Joyce Yosten at 308-383-0922.
LITURGY SCHEDULE Daily Mass: 9 a.m., Saturday: 5 p.m., Sunday: 8 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Confession: Saturday 4 - 4:30 p.m. Adoration: First Friday of the Month, 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Abide Adoration: Fourth Sunday of the Month, 7 - 8 p.m.
