St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church Newsletter — March 2021

Vincen de Paul Saint

catholic church | seward, nebraska Being a Voice for the Voiceless Inside this Issue 3 March: The Month of

Mary and Joseph

4 Parish Council

Helps Pastor Fulfill Our Stewardship Mission

6 Highlights of Our

2020 Stewardship Renewal

7 Helping Hands

Ministry: Being the Hands and Feet of Christ

Through the Pro-Life Ministry

F

or members of our parish’s Pro-Life Ministry, being “pro-life” means far more than just taking a political stance or fighting for a cause. It means savoring God’s precious gift of life, and being a voice for those of His children who have no voice.

“I just think of how much despair it must cause Christ when the life of an unborn child is taken — especially of a baby who is so innocent and unable to have a voice,” says Alissa Hoxmeier, who coordinates the Pro-Life Ministry at our parish. “I know how close those unborn babies are to Our Lord, and that their lives have been wrongfully taken.”

Normally, the ministry coordinates various pro-life efforts for our parish family to participate in, and also connects our parishioners to pro-life events in our diocese and the local community.

“My hope is to give parishioners the opportunity to be more involved in prolife activities,” Alissa says. “I would love to brainstorm new ideas for connecting with the elderly and coming together in prayer for different pro-life matters.”

Each January, they organize transportation for our parishioners to the Walk continued on page 2

MARCH 2021

Vincen de Paul Saint

catholic church | seward, nebraska

Being a Voice for the Voiceless Through the Pro-Life Ministry for Life in Lincoln. At this event, participants take a courageous public stand against abortion by peacefully holding pro-life signs and praying as they walk through downtown Lincoln.

“Considering what is going on in our nation and world, I think now is as crucial a time as ever to be pro-life,” Alissa says. “Our culture tends to lead us away from being pro-life and we need to resist that, and stand up for what is true and just. It is our calling to deeply love and honor the lives of those around us that God willed into being, whether in the womb or at any stage of life.”

Also in January, the ministry usually hosts volunteers from Heart of a Child Ministries, an organization that “brings the heart of the unborn child” to youth through ultrasound technology. With the support of pregnant volunteers, professional sonographers, masters-level social workers, and speakers, they offer powerful pro-life, age-appropriate presentations for students in kindergarten through high school in both Christian and public settings.

In the past, they have done presentations at our parish school, as well as for our God Teens group.

Each October, the ministry partakes in the Life Chain, which is organized by the Seward County Pro-Life Council. At this event, participants come to the courthouse square on a Sunday afternoon and hold a pro-life sign for an hour.

Sadly, due to the COVID-19 situation, the ministry hasn’t been able to hold as many events as usual. In light of this, Alissa has some helpful

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Spiritual Adoption Prayer Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my heart and my Jesus, Mary

and

soul.

Joseph,

strengthen and protect all families.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I beg you to spare the life of the unborn baby which I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion. advice to share regarding how we can still be prolife while remaining at home, amid families.

“There are always things you can do to be pro-life,” Alissa says. “For example, we can value the gift of life in our homes by spending more time in prayer and quality family time. We can cherish the children we have, pray a family Rosary for the unborn, or say the Spiritual Adoption Prayer.”

Ultimately, those who give their time, talent, and treasure to promote the Gospel of Life will find themselves abundantly blessed in return.

“When you place yourself in a position to have a voice and use that voice for truth and beauty, you allow your heart to be transformed,” Alissa says.

If you would like more information regarding meeting times, dates and upcoming activities, please see future parish bulletins.

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A Letter From Our Pastor

March: The Month of Mary and Joseph Dear Parishioners,

I

n the month of March, there are two important feast days.

On March 19 is the feast day of St. Joseph and on March 25 is the Annunciation. During this year dedicated to St. Joseph, these feast days give us an opportunity to reflect on both Mary and Joseph.

The Scriptures tell us that Mary was betrothed to Joseph when the Angel Gabriel announced that God made her to be the mother of our savior. The announcement brought concern to Joseph as he wondered how this could be. The Bible tells us that in a dream, Joseph was told by an angel to have no fear of taking Mary as a wife. The angel said this child came to be through the Holy Spirit, and is Son of God. This month we take time to reflect on the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph and their desire to do God’s will. Then circumstances surrounding the Annunciation remind us that life events happen that confuse us.

Even Mary’s response to Gabriel is, “How can this be, since I do not know man?” The impressive nature of her response is wonder rather than denial. She states, “How can this be?” rather than, “This cannot be true.” Her wonder concerning how this will happen never affected her confidence in God’s plan for her. She simply accepted the unusual plan with

“Let it be done unto me according to your will.”

Joseph is called a “righteous man,” indicating that he was a faithful observer of God’s law. He was not only interiorly committed to God’s law, but he practiced it in everything he did. He was a holy man that desired to do nothing that would offend God. His response to the announcement of Mary’s pregnancy was according to God’s law. In the Gospel of Matthew, the fifth chapter teaches about adherence to God’s law.

Jesus does not change one letter of the law while challenging us to live it in a deeper way. The letter

of the law states the command, and Jesus teaches the fulfillment of the law with the virtue that underlies the law. Joseph understands this subtlety in his response of love towards Mary on announcement of her pregnancy.

The angel intervenes and calls Joseph to recognize that God’s ways are not ours, and commands him to take Mary as his wife. As a righteous man, Joseph does not question but faithfully fulfills the angel’s command.

The month of March provides us in the liturgy two opportunities to reflect on openness to God’s Word and fidelity to God’s plan.

We are God’s children living in a fallen world. The events of daily life are sometimes confusing and difficult. Acknowledging that we are God’s children living in a chaotic world helps us acknowledge our need for the wisdom and power of God. During this month, let us ask Mary and Joseph to pray for us, that through their powerful assistance, we may be faithful and righteous children of God, giving a witness to others of the power and glory of God.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Msgr. Robert Tucker Pastor

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Vincen de Paul Saint

catholic church | seward, nebraska

Parish Counci

H

ere at St. Vincent de Paul, we are blessed to have a pastor dedicated to helping parishioners grow closer to the Lord. Indeed, Msgr. Robert Tucker does an outstanding job of nurturing our spiritual growth! Along with Msgr.

Tucker, both staff and volunteer parishioners are working faithfully to help make the pastoral vision for our community a reality. You may already know some of them — the parish office staff, our associate pastor, and the directors of various ministries, to name just a few. Another invaluable group working behind the scenes to make our parish a wonderful place to call home is the St. Vincent de Paul Parish Council.

As Msgr. Tucker affirms, the benefits of having a Parish Council to help guide the development of a faith community are clear.

“It’s a matter of Church law that there is a parish council,” he says. “The Church as St. Paul talks about it is a building made up of living stones, so the members of the parish need to be active. It’s not just a matter of coming and receiving Commu-

Our Ste St

nion and going on your own way. So there is a need there, and the Church wants the people of the parish to take an active leadership role. A priest may have expertise in lots of different areas, but not all of us do, so it’s important to tap into the abilities and expertise of the members.”

Nine parishioners serve on the Parish Council at a time. Each year, three members rotate off the council upon the completion of their three-year term, while two new members are elected by their fellow parishioners and one new member is appointed by Msgr. Tucker. This past December, parishioners were asked to vote for the new council members through the ballot box at the parish or by phone, due to the pandemic. We are pleased to welcome Tim Fitchner and Jessica Dominy to the Parish Council this year!

Those who serve on the Parish Council often learn that there is more going on in the parish than they had previously realized.

“I’ve heard numerous people say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that all these things were going on’ or ‘We continued on page 5

“I want to emphasize stewardship within the council. Having gone to these stewardship conferences in the past, I’ve always heard that the stewardship committee needs to be the head of the work of the church. If we look at the three areas of stewardship — time, talent, and treasure — the work of the council is looking at these three areas of parish life. So what I want is to get the Stewardship, Parish, and Finance Councils to work intimately together.” — Msgr. Robert Tucker

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il Helps Pastor Fulfill

ewardship Mission tewardship didn’t know that these kinds of decisions had to be made,’” Msgr. Tucker says.

“So, it opens people’s eyes when they see what goes on in the Parish Council. I think that the council members want to help out the priests, because they know there is too much for a priest to do, and they know we need some support.”

This year, Msgr. Tucker plans on restructuring the council to allow for better collaboration between our Parish Council, Finance Council, and Stewardship Council.

“I want to emphasize stewardship within the council,” he says. “Having gone to these stewardship conferences in the past, I’ve always heard that the stewardship committee needs to be the head of the work of the church. If we look at the three areas of stewardship — time, talent, and treasure — the work of the council is looking at these three areas of parish life. So what I want is to get the Stewardship, Parish, and Finance Councils to work intimately together.”

As Msgr. Tucker looks to the future, he is excited by the opportunities that will continue to come to St. Vincent de Paul as this dedicated group of parishioners, guided by the tenets of a stewardship way of life, works together with him to help make our parish a wonderful place to worship and grow in the faith!

“A lot of the activity in the church has kind of died down over the last year [due to the pandemic], so it’s going to be the role of the council to kind of get activities going again,” Msgr. Tucker says. “I think it’s going to be different. There will be a need for people to get involved. There will be a desire for them to get

back and involved in the life of the church, and it’s going to be the role of the council to work on that.

That’s my reason for combining the Parish Council, Finance Council, and Stewardship Council into the St. Vincent de Paul Council. It will give council to me and direction to the work of the parish.”

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Vincen de Paul Saint

catholic church | seward, nebraska

2020

Highlights of Our

Stewardship Renewal

s me i T ll A t A y ra P hurch l Catholic C St. Vincent de Pau

ing

T

his past autumn, our St. Vincent de Paul parish leadership conducted the 2020 Stewardship Renewal. The Stewardship Renewal gave our parish community the opportunity to discern how we are using our gifts of time, talent and treasure in service to the parish and in return to God. This month, we are happy to share with you some of the highlights of the Stewardship Renewal.

■ There were 122 commitment cards received from 31 percent of active households.

■

nt Card 2020 Commitme & Treasure

e, Talent My Offering of Tim

First & Last Name

Email

st Name

Spouse: First & La

Spouse: Email

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Address

There were 1,116 prayer commitments — the stewardship of time — from 94 percent of participating households.

■ There were 376 ministry commitments — the stewardship of talent — from 75 percent of participating households.

Of these, 66 were new ministry commitments, while 310 were recommitments to parish ministries.

■ There were 89 offertory commitments — the stewardship of treasure — from 73 percent of participating households. The average pledge was $2,573.

Phone

Spouse: Phone

We thank all those who participated in our Stewardship Renewal. If you did not have the opportunity to fill out and return a commitment card, we invite you to consider the ways you may share your gifts of time, talent, and treasure with God and the parish community!

Helping Hands Ministry: Being the Hands and Feet of Christ

I

t’s a phrase we often hear — the encouragement to “be the hands and feet of Christ” to others. But what does it really mean? And as members of the Body of Christ, here on earth, how do we live this out?

For a group of parishioners here at St. Vincent de Paul — those who are part of the Helping Hands Ministry — this call is one they take seriously, actively seeking to help others in tangible ways.

“The ministry is set up to help in situations where it would be difficult to hire someone — small jobs, errands or temporary assistance — for someone who had surgery and needs help cleaning their house for a week, or needs help grocery shopping or picking up their prescription,” says parishioner Mary Henley, who started and coordinates the ministry. “We do rides to doctor’s appointments or wherever you need to go. It’s just helping out with small tasks for those who are physically unable or don’t have family or friends nearby.”

The ministry began a couple of years ago after Mary felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit on our parish retreat.

“I’ve worked in healthcare and I’ve always taken care of people, and I felt the Holy Spirit saying, ‘Now what are you going to do with that?’” Mary says. “At the retreat, they were saying, ‘What’s your talent?’

That was the first time I started thinking of this as a talent I can use to help others.”

It wasn’t long before Mary joined forces with fellow parishioner Sandy Shaw, offering assistance to those in need of a little extra help, and connecting other volunteers with those needing assistance.

The heart of the project is letting people know that their brothers and sisters in Christ are there to help them — and are happy to do it.

“People will say, ‘I’ve asked them so many times

A little helper with Helping Hands Ministry delivers groceries to parishioner Gladys Roebke.

to help me, and I feel like a burden,’ or ‘I don’t want to ask again, so I thought I would ask you guys and see if you could help me out,’” Mary says. “There are so many people who are happy to help.”

Since she is a relatively new parishioner, Helping Hands has also been an opportunity for Mary to get to know members of the parish she might not have otherwise met, and she’s grateful for the ways it’s connected her children with the community, as well.

“I’ve definitely connected with more parishioners through this,” Mary says. “You get to know so many more people.

“One of the best things that has come from this is that I will bring my kids to run some of the errands,” she adds. “They get to feel useful and see continued on back cover

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Vincen de Paul Saint

catholic church | seward, nebraska

152 Pinewood Avenue | Seward, NE 68434 (402) 643-3421 | stvincentseward.org

Helping Hands Ministry that this is what the Church does — it’s not just going to Mass on Sundays. We’re actively doing things for people, and they get to see somebody being grateful.”

Mary encourages those who need groceries delivered, help with a project, or a ride to reach out and contact the Helping Hands Ministry.

“I hope people feel relief that they can call on somebody and not worry about feeling like they’re asking too much,” Mary says. “We’re people who signed up to do this. It’s not too much. I hope they have a feeling of comfort that they can ask for these things and we’re so happy to do it. It’s what we

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want to be doing.”

She also hopes that her fellow parishioners who are looking to get involved will contact her to offer their particular talents in service.

“You can start small and build from there,” Mary says. “It’s always taking the first step that’s the hardest. Just listen to God, you’ll know if it’s the right time. If God’s speaking to you, it’s going to feel right.

“Something that I heard a long time ago was, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you were the answer to someone’s prayer?’” she adds. “Wouldn’t that be cool? You could be that person.”

For more info on the Helping Hands Ministry, if you have a task you need help with,or would like to volunteer your service, contact Mary Henley at 402-968-9091, or Sandy Shaw at 402-643-0681.

LITURGY SCHEDULE Daily Masses: Monday thru Friday at 7:00 a.m., Saturday at 8:00 a.m.

Sunday Obligation Masses: Saturday at 5:30 p.m., Sunday at 8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m.

Confession: Monday thru Saturday: 20 minutes before each daily Mass, Saturday: 4:30 to 5:20 p.m., Sunday: 7:30 to 7:50 a.m. & 9:30 to 9:50 a.m. Other confession times available by appointment.