St. Peter Catholic Church Newsletter — June 2021

JUNE | 2021

CONTENT PAGE 2 Don’t Take a Vacation From Stewardship

This Summer

PAGE 3 Keeping Christ at the Center,

This Summer and Always

PAGE 4 The RCIA Process: Sharing God’s Love,

Mercy and Truth

PAGE 6 Technology That Keeps Us Connected

to Our Faith: There’s an App for That!

PAGE 7 Financial Report

CATHOLIC CHARITIES FOOD PANTRY VOLUNTEERS Serve as Christ to Those in Need

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the pandemic. It is anticipated that the hen our parishioners who regular schedule will return soon. volunteer at the Catholic The volunteer duties include helping Charities food pantry greet clients with stocking pre-packed boxes for with a smile, and go about helping clients, as well as sorting donations, those in need with genuine welcome, checking expiration dates, and whatever they are helping the organization needs to be done to help the pantry run fulfill its mission of “extending to all smoothly. the healing and empowering presence “They help the community and give of Jesus.” back to the community and give back The food pantry volunteers at the to people in need,” Erika says. “Our Catholic Charities location at 620 Maine volunteers are some of the best in the Street help with one of the vital services Although pandemic community and do a wonderful job. They provided by the organization — and they restrictions have altered procedures, the loving work build rapport and make the clients feel do it all in the love of Christ.

“During the last fiscal year, the that goes into volunteers’ welcome. I hear that from the clients. food pantry served some 22,000 clients efforts has not changed. They are greeted with a smile and sent and about 6,000 families,” says Erika Sutton, off with a smile, and we like that feeling they give.”

Catholic Charities helps those in need of all faiths.

Community Services Supervisor at Quincy Catholic “We are here in the service we do because of Charities.

Clients may receive food once a month, and have our faith,” Erika says. “With the volunteers coming done so this past year under a revised system due to in, they can help with our need of giving back and continued on back cover

ST. PETER

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Stewardship DON’T TAKE A VACATION FROM STEWARDSHIP THIS SUMMER

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veryone deserves a vacation.

After nine busy months of school, kids get to enjoy the summer to relax and regroup before beginning a new grade.

Employees, after diligently working long hours and dealing with stressful situations, deserve time away from the office to enjoy their favorite getaway.

No one would argue that we need to mentally refresh our minds and bodies from time to time so that we can come back rejuvenated and ready to do our best.

Taking a break from some things, however, is not a possibility.

Take stewardship, for example.

Imagine saying to yourself, “Well, this month I think I will not pray, I won’t share any of my talents with anyone in need, and I will hoard my treasure.” What would doing this accomplish? You certainly wouldn’t feel refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to be at your best. Instead, feelings of greed, selfishness and spiritual unrest may occur. Stepping back from being a good steward just doesn’t make sense.

So, now that summer has arrived in full force and our leisure time each day has increased, how can we remain good stewards?

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It is likely that the regimented opportunities available during the school year are no longer available. Youth ministry and parish religious education formation may also be on summer break.

So, where do you turn? How can you keep your faith alive?

First and foremost, don’t stop praying. The slow-paced days of summer are a perfect time to quiet ourselves for a few moments and try to reconnect with God. Why not take a moment of your free time each day to read the Gospel or a spiritual reflection while lounging in a hammock?

Next, try to participate in an outreach program over the summer. Think of the life of Christ — everything He did on Earth was an act of service.

Now, think of the gifts God has bestowed on you. He wants you to share them with others like He did, and summer gives us the time to do just that.

If you like working with kids, you can volunteer at the Vacation Bible School by helping to decorate, organize or being a team leader for the younger children.

If you are handy with tools, you may call Habitat for Humanity to see how you can help build a

home for a family in need.

Or, if you are musically inclined, you might share your singing or instrumental gifts with a local nursing home. Maybe you are good in the kitchen — if so, you could offer your culinary skills to a local soup kitchen or food bank.

If you are a strong student, you could offer tutoring services to neighborhood kids to help prepare them for the next school year.

No matter what gift God has given you, there is a way to share it.

Getting paid for volunteering sometimes happens. And, if you have a summer job while on break, you’ll get a paycheck for sure. Have you ever taken an opportunity to think about sharing the first fruits of your check?

As a young adult, returning a portion of your paycheck to God is an important thing to consider.

Giving a portion back to Him is a way to say “thanks.”

Whatever you do this summer, don’t take a break from being a good steward. Remember that the time God gives you is a gift.

What you do with it — whether on vacation or not — is meant to give Him glory.

A LETTER FROM OUR PASTOR

KEEPING CHRIST AT THE CENTER, THIS SUMMER AND ALWAYS Dear Parishioners,

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e are approaching that time of year when things normally seem to slow down, with muchanticipated breaks from school and vacations on the horizon. Of course, everyone needs to rest at times, but is completely letting up really a good thing to do from the perspective of stewardship?

After all, do our spiritual needs cease for a quarter of the year — the summer season? How about our sense of community and our community needs? Are we not as anxious to see a light in the darkness, and embrace a sense of hope, in the summer months as during the rest of the year? Stewardship is a year-round activity. It is a daily activity. It is not something from which we can take a vacation.

Our Church celebrations certainly do not cease during these months. Easter officially did not end until Pentecost on May 23. That is followed by Trinity Sunday and then the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), falling this year on June 3. Corpus Christi is a more joyous recreation of the Last Supper we celebrated on Holy Thursday.

The center of our liturgical celebrations is, of course, the Eucharist. You are probably aware that the very name Eucharist comes from the Greek word, eucharistia, which means “thanksgiving.”

So, on the one hand, we can see that important aspects of our faith, of our Church, continue during these summer months. The fact that an important Church feast — Corpus Christi — launches this time is worth noting.

More important, though, is this reminder that the Eucharist should be at the center of our Church lives.

It is a relatively basic formula — the Eucharist is the center of our lives, because Christ should be the focus of our lives.

The Eucharist is at the heart of our parish lives.

The Eucharist is at the absolute core of our stewardship beliefs. Our parish mission is stated with many words, but it might just as easily be affirmed from a stewardship view by stating, “The stewardship way of life has its center and source of strength in the Eucharist.”

So, as we enter these summer months, let us never lose sight of what our principal focus should be — Christ through the Eucharist. Now is as good a time as any to rededicate ourselves to the Mass, as good stewards, to emphasize our Catholic faith.

In Christ,

Rev. Msgr. Leo J. Enlow 3

ST. PETER

CATHOLIC CHURCH

THE RCIA PROCESS:

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hose who journey through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults process, or RCIA, soon realize that it is about a whole lot more than just simple catechesis. It is also about Christ’s infinite mercy touching souls, His truth permeating minds, and His love reaching hearts.

“When I was going through RCIA last year, my grandson was diagnosed with leukemia,” Holly Allen says. “One of the sponsors in our class, Bob Musolino, really helped me in dealing with the stressful situation, encouraging me to keep the faith. He gave me his prayer book that he always carries with him. Bob holds a special place in my heart. He had a cross made and gave it to me on the night of my Confirmation, as well.”

Truly, our RCIA process is a beautiful expression of what it means to be a parish family with wide-open arms.

“I loved the guidance and wisdom I received in RCIA,” Holly says. “I appreciated meeting the other RCIA members and having such great discussions with them. I also enjoyed learning all about the Mass.”

Members such as Holly often come to the door of their first RCIA class after a long, difficult journey of soul searching. At times, the decision to become Catholic takes tremendous courage, and those who would like to enter the process need a parish to call “home” before they can make such a daring step in their lives. Being a welcoming, hospitable parish with a flourishing RCIA process helps them along the way.

“I feel I fit in with the other women at St. Peter’s, and I don’t feel lonesome when I come here,” Holly says.

Because Holly had been already been baptized, she only needed to receive the Sacraments of First Confession, First Communion, and Confirmation when she joined the Catholic Church last fall.

“I went to a Protestant church as a kid,” she says. “I loved Sunday School but I thought the rest was so boring that I would fall asleep on my father’s lap. However, at one point, my parents

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Sharing G

Tony Rhodes and family — (from left) Abbey (daughter), Tony, Carter (son) and Katie (wife).

stopped going to church, but then they returned after my mom got cancer. After my Dad passed away in 2018, I started floating around to different churches, but none of them felt quite right, and I didn’t feel at home at any of them.”

However, Divine Providence had amazing plans for Holly, and she wound up at a lifechanging Cursillo weekend in 2019.

“All of my life, I had heard that Jesus loved me, but that weekend I finally, truly felt it,” she says. “I knew that God really loved me, and this

God’s Love, Mercy and Truth realization made such an impact on me that I started considering becoming Catholic. Then, one of the leaders at the Cursillo weekend helped me get set up with the RCIA program at St. Peter’s.”

Now as a Catholic, Holly has been experiencing God’s grace in extraordinary ways.

“Before I became Catholic, I had such a hard time with forgiveness, and I can honestly say that I didn’t even really know what it was,” she says. “I tried to achieve forgiveness in my heart when I was at my old church, but I just wasn’t able to. Now I am able to forgive and I don’t have the same hard feelings that I used to because I have let God in my life.”

On the other hand, many converts such as Tony Rhodes have been inspired by their family members to come “home to Rome” and join the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church for good.

“I had been going to church with my family for quite some time when we decided to take our children out of public school and enroll them at St. Peter’s Parish School,” Tony says. “I soon made the commitment to attend Mass so that

our kids would not have to see only one parent at church every week. My daughter, Abbey, now 17, is the main reason I decided to become Catholic. Her faith is so strong, it amazed me. It intrigued me and made me want to have some kind of connection to God as well. Abbey was my inspiration.”

Recently, Tony went through the RCIA process and received the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation.

“The most challenging aspect of my RCIA journey was trying to understand how other people have faith in God,” Tony says. “This was one of my goals going into RCIA — to find out how others kept faith in God and knew about Him so that I could find my own faith as well.”

Now that he has taken a “leap of faith” and officially become Catholic, Tony has experienced many rich blessings in his life.

“I feel a much better connection with my wife and my two kids,” he says. “For years, I attended Mass without any real intention. Now that I have made a commitment and honored it, I feel much closer to them and enjoy our experience together much more.”

“All of my life, I had heard that Jesus loved me, but that weekend I finally, truly felt it. I knew that God really loved me, and this realization made such an impact on me that I started considering becoming Catholic. Then, one of the leaders at the Cursillo weekend helped me get set up with the RCIA program at St. Peter’s.” — HOLLY ALLEN If you would like more information about our RCIA process, please contact the parish office at 217-222-3155.

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ST. PETER

CATHOLIC CHURCH

TECHNOLOGY THAT KEEPS US CONNECTED TO OUR FAITH: There’s an App for That!

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et the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven.”

These words from Pope Francis weren’t delivered during a homily in St. Peter’s or in a speech from St. Peter’s Square — nor were they written in a papal bull or apostolic letter. Rather, they were delivered in an instant to millions of Catholics around the world through the pope’s very own Twitter account.

The technology of communication has perhaps changed more in the past century than in the previous 20 combined. And with these developments, the Catholic Church — led by our Holy Fathers, from Pope St. John Paul II through Pope Francis — strongly encourages that the faithful adopt and adapt these resources for the all-important task of spreading the Gospel throughout the whole world.

Just as St. Paul used every convenience at his disposal to spread the Gospel throughout the far reaches of the Roman empire, today’s evangelists are using every resource available to them.

Examples of Catholic figures using the new media with great success abound.

Only a few months into his pontificate, Pope Francis took the Vatican’s social media efforts to a whole new level. In spring 2013, the Vatican released The Pope App, which featured quotes, news, images and videos of all the Holy Father’s latest doings.

Having since been relaunched as the Vatican News App, it continues to offer the latest news and

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information from Pope Francis and the Holy See. Following the pope’s lead, bishops, priests and apologists have taken the technological gifts at their fingertips and are utilizing them to spread the Gospel throughout the world in a variety of ways.

One great example is Bishop Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, whose Word On Fire Ministry has produced wildly popular YouTube videos discussing everything from controversial Church teachings to movie reviews from a Catholic perspective. Word On Fire also released the critically acclaimed Catholicism DVD documentary series.

Independent Catholic bloggers and Web-based media are also widely established and provide their audiences and readership with Catholic news and cultural commentary.

Throughout America, parishes, Catholic schools, dioceses, and even the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are utilizing these tools as well, creating first-rate websites, maintaining Twitter and Facebook accounts, and more.

All of these resources are geared toward a wide variety of audiences, from the un-churched and fallen-away Catholics to active parishioners.

Being knowledgeable of the new media tools available to us as Catholics is a great way to be more effective in our universal call to evangelization.

Take some time to see what media resources our parish and diocese are using, and be sure to pass them along to those in your sphere of influence!

FINANCIAL REPORT Income Regular Church Support Other Sources of Revenue Investment Income Tuition Income Other Income Annual School Fund Total Income Expense Payroll Expenses Contractual Services Utilities Insurance -Property & Liability Repairs and Maintenance Equipment and Funiture Supplies(tech., textbooks, maint., classroom, office, etc) Professional Fees Construction Expenditure Charitable Contributions Religious Education Expenses Parish Organization Expense ACSA Expense Other Expenses Total Expense Net Income

July - March 2021 July - March 2020 $1,552,316.52 $149,481.71 $19,382.05 $966,905.22 $33,126.45 $44,500.00

$1,626,203.94 $136,716.05 $15,519.66 $975,842.21 $65,710.04 ($11,113.95)

$2,765,711.95

$2,808,877.95

1,816,075.95 21,754.93 68,607.48 23,667.84 29,428.50 5,890.27 157,436.32 6,311.01 $0.00 $0.00 $4,241.34 $38,772.87 $95,634.00 $84,574.51

1,803,665.67 55,700.24 57,544.56 22,319.06 93,977.98 89,102.55 125,820.73 9,647.56 $50,096.00 $4,096.14 $11,046.29 $42,892.77 $0.00 $28,642.19

$2,352,395.02

$2,394,551.74

$413,316.93

$414,326.21

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2600 Maine Street Quincy, Illinois 62301 www.cospq.org

CATHOLIC CHARITIES being part of something that is truly meeting Jesus’ mission to help the poor.”

The food pantry is stocked both through donations from Quincy parishes, but also through the Central Illinois Foodbank and the Midwest Food Bank in Peoria. The pantry receives commodities from these organizations and also can purchase items at a very low cost. The pantry also participates in Feeding America, which provides food through Sam’s Club and Walmart each week. Cash donations come in from the community, as well.

Besides the food pantry service, Quincy Catholic Charities also provides professional counseling; Intact Family Services, a state-contracted service to mitigate further child abuse and neglect, done on a

continued from front cover referral basis from the Department of Children and Family Services; MedAssist to help with prescription drug issues; Mobile Food Pantry, a refrigerated truck that delivers food to pre-registered individuals and families in rural areas.

It is anticipated that volunteer orientation sessions will be starting up soon. Information will be shared with St. Peter Parish when Erika has it available.

Volunteers from our parish customarily have signed on through our stewardship program.

When Erika receives their information, she sends letters inviting them to an orientation session. The requirements include completing the diocese’s Protecting God’s Children course, as well as having a background check.

Anyone who would like more information about volunteering at the food pantry may call Catholic Charities at 217-222-0958.

MASS SCHEDULE Weekend Masses Saturday: 5:00 p.m., Sunday: 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 a.m.

Weekday Masses Mon-Sat: 8:00 a.m., except for Wednesdays: 8:30 a.m.

Reconciliation Saturday: 7:30-7:50 a.m., 3:30-4:30 p.m. or by appointment