July/August 2014

Broadcaster Al Kresta’s return to the Church

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Monsignor Steven J. Raica named fifth Bishop of Gaylord

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Meet the five new priests for the Diocese of Lansing

Priestly Discernment Dinner with Bishop Boyea and Overnight Discernment Retreat with Father John Linden Sunday, August 17, 2014 (3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

On Sunday, August 17, Bishop Earl Boyea is inviting any man who will be entering his junior year of high school or is older to a Priestly Discernment Dinner with him and many of the priests and seminarians in the Diocese of Lansing beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the Bethany House in DeWitt. It is a great occasion to come and meet men in the priesthood and some on the way to priesthood. It is also an opportunity to learn more about the joy of a call to priesthood.

For those wanting to stay and learn more there will be a discernment overnight connected with this dinner that ends on Monday, August 18 in the afternoon also at the Bethany House.

Pastors often accompany men for this event so it is encouraged that you ask your pastor about it if you are interested. Even if your pastor cannot come you are still invited.

For more details and to register, please contact the Vocations office at 517.342.2504 or jsessions@dioceseoflansing.org.

Also check out our website at www.dioceseoflansing.org/vocations

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Liturgical Calendar: Blessed Junipero Serra, priest July 1 | St. Thomas, apostle July 3 | St. Elizabeth of Portuga

contents

July/August 2014

Follow FAITH Pub on:

yourlife

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ork life w Oops ... I hit “reply all” conflict resolution My neighbor’s garden is taking over my yard special column Should I go to this funeral?

your marriage matters He says: “She gossips with her friend about our marriage.” She says: “I need to talk out my feelings.” What do they do?

yourfaith

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COVER STORY Broadcaster Al Kresta’s return to the Church ‘My God, I’m a Catholic!’

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in the know with Father Joe What’s the point of going to Church?

spiritual fitness Take time to discern God’s will

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special report Monsignor Steven J. Raica named fifth Bishop of Gaylord ordination 2014 Meet the five newest priests for the Diocese of Lansing my story Msgr. Vincent Howard – Still committed to ‘the most important work of my life’

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13 Ann Jacob MANAGING EDITOR The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing Volume 15: Issue 6 www.FAITHpub.com Most Reverend Earl Boyea PUBLISHER Rev. Dwight Ezop EDITOR AND CHAIRMAN

Cynthia Vandecar MARKETING MANAGER www.FAITHcatholic.com Patrick M. O’Brien PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Elizabeth Martin Solsburg VICE PRESIDENT/ EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Patrick Dally ART DIRECTOR Jillane Job EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

special report #BringBackOurGirls last word Keeping your promises

Jim Berlucchi | Doug Culp | Michelle Sessions DiFranco | Dcn. Tom and JoAnne Fogle | Marybeth Hicks | Rev. Charles Irvin | Rev. Joseph Krupp | Dr. Gelasia Marquez | Dr. Cathleen McGreal | Rose Robertson | Sister Ann Shields | Michael Spath CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Carlson Productions | Shane Folkertsma | Tom Gennara | James Luning (cover) | Don Quillan CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Bob Patten CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Most Rev. Carl F. Mengeling FOUNDING PUBLISHER Rev. Charles Irvin FOUNDING EDITOR For advertising information: Call 517.853.7600 For subscription information: Call 1.866.76.FAITH

FAITHTM (USPS 019993) is a publication of FAITH Catholic, Diocese of Lansing, 1500 E. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48906-5550. FAITHTM is a membership publication of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing and is published monthly except for February and August. To purchase a subscription, log on to FAITHmag.com. If you have a change of address, please contact your parish. Periodicals postage paid in Lansing, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FAITHTM, 1500 E. Saginaw St., Lansing MI 48906-5550. ©2013 FAITH Catholic. FAITH is a trademark of FAITH Catholic.

al July 5 | St. Maria Goretti, virgin and martyr July 6 | St. Aug.ine Zhao Rong, priest and Companions, martyrs July 9 | St. Benedict, abbot July 11 | St. Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin July 14

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work life Jim Berlucchi is the executive director of the Spitzer Center, whose mission is to build cultures of evangelization (www.spitzercenter.org).

forward. “I’m truly sorry for my remark. It was wrong and I was dumb. Will you please forgive me?”

Oops ... I hit “reply all”

Ask. Inquire what you can do to make it right. You might already have a solution to recommend, but you really want to meet the need of the person you’ve wronged.

Q:

I mistakenly hit “reply all” on an email in which I made a remark about someone that I really wish I hadn’t. What steps would you suggest for me to repair the damage?

a:

Do what’s right, and do it quickly.

Go to your co-worker, hand him your business card on which you’ve boldly

inscribed three As – AAA. First, humble yourself and admit that you acted badly.

It was not intentional, but wrong. Then proceed with

the three As. Apologize. Don’t beat the incident or yourself to death.

Just be sincere and straight-

Q:

My neighbor put in a lovely garden this year, but half of it has encroached over the property line into my yard. Is there anything I can do and still be a good neighbor?

a:

Recently, I read an article about an organization in Vancouver, British Columbia, called City Farmer, which helps residents set up urban gardens. It matches people who are looking for space to grow a garden with those who have a back yard or garden plot they would like to share. Although this sounds 4

like a great initiative, you seem to have the problem of “forced garden sharing.”

It is best to handle a difficulty or disagreement with a neighbor by confronting the issue, as soon as it arises, with respect and honesty. In your case, if the plants are seasonal, you can begin by praising her “lovely” garden and suggesting that the next time perhaps she could plant her garden a few feet inside the property line to avoid the plants spilling over into your yard.

If the plants are present year-round (after you have congratulated your neighbor’s good taste expressed in her lovely garden), you could suggest that she use

FAITH Magazine • July/August 2014 • www.FAITHpub.com

S. Kendrick

My neighbor’s garden is TAKING OVER MY YARD

Amend. Promptly explain or retract your comment in a brief email to the earlier recipients, and commend your co-worker for graciously accepting your apology.

conflict resolution Dr. Gelasia Marquez is a psychologist and family counselor.

a decorative screen as an attractive way of holding her plants and containing them so they don’t trespass onto your property.

If your respectful and honest communications do not produce positive results, you always have the right to fence your property. Prior to fencing your yard, of course, be sure to inform your neighbor of your decision. And don’t forget to smile.

St. Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church July 15 | Our Lady of Mount Carmel July 16 | St. Camillus de Lellis, pr

©DollarPhotoClub/GoodMood Photo

She gossips with her friend about our marriage I found out that Brooke told her best friend about a fight we had. I feel betrayed – isn’t this gossip?

HE says

Should I go to this funeral?

Q:

Funerals are so uncomfortable. I never know when it’s appropriate to go or what to say.

Are there some guiding principles to follow?

a:

I never know what to say …

There are no magic words that can make this difficult situation any easier.

What we might be tempted to say – it was their time, God needed another angel, they lived a long life, at least you had them for x amount of time, etc. – does little to bring comfort when someone’s heart is torn apart by death. “I am so sorry for your loss/pain/ heartache,” or just a hug, is enough. Our discomfort compels us to fill the silence when the real importance lies in supporting the bereaved. It is about embracing the corporal work of mercy to bury the dead, a work motivated by Christian love, and one that is essential to living the life of holiness and goodness as exemplified by Jesus.

The simple gift of your presence does more than any words ever could.

– Rose Robertson

I needed to talk out my feelings and my best friend has always been there for me. I think Mark needs to recognize the difference between gossip and confiding.

SHE says

What do THEY do?

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rust is essential to a marriage relationship and nothing destroys it quicker than a breach of confidentiality. Mark and Brooke have an obligation to protect, support and build up each other; to turn first to each other. Apart from some type of abuse or criminal action, each spouse should have an expectation that most actions, behaviors or personal character flaws are private to the relationship and will not be shared. Of course, if some type of abuse (physical or mental) is occurring, Brooke should tell a friend in confidence who can help her obtain the assistance she needs.

Clearly, men sometimes discuss private matters with other men, and women do likewise, but the discussion should not have the tone of portraying the other spouse negatively. Scripture reminds us that, “One who slanders reveals secrets, but your a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.”

(Prov. 11:13) And, “Those who guard their marriage mouths preserve themselves; those who matters open wide their lips bring ruin.” (Prov. 13:3) Deacon Tom No doubt we are creatures of habit and and JoAnne products of our environment, and when Fogle help prepare couples those around us engage in conversation for marriage. that rightfully belongs between spouses and not in the public forum (outside the marriage union), it is difficult not to join in – especially if that was the habit prior to entering marriage. It takes tremendous strength not to engage in gossip or discuss a confidence, but preserving the trust of one’s spouse is worth the effort.

Barring any abusive behavior, the bottom line is that confidentiality between Mark and Brooke is a necessity for a lasting relationship.

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Should I go?

As an adolescent, I remember being upset by the lively conversation at my grandfather’s wake. My mother explained that funerals provide a place for people to reconnect and share stories.

Funerals are essentially for the living. She said that regardless of how those present knew my grandfather – directly or vicariously – it was his life that aligned them in some way. Simply put, whether we know the deceased or an extension of them, our participation at his or her funeral supports the survivors and validates the existence of both the living and the deceased – it is about love, collective presence and prayerful support.

If we knew or were close to the deceased, this time also affords us a chance to begin dosing ourselves in the reality of their earthly absence and to say our goodbye.

I need to talk out my feelings

CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION ON Follow FAITH Pub

riest July 18 | St. Lawrence of Brindisi, priest and doctor of the Church July 21 | St. Mary Magdalene July 22 | St. Bridget of Sweden, religious July 23 | St. Sharbel Makhluf, priest July 24

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Q: Why did Father Joe throw the clock out of the window?

in the know with Father Joe

A: Because he wanted to see time fly!

B. Patten

If you’d like to submit a question for Father Joe Krupp to consider in a future column, please send it to: joeinblack@ priest.com. Father Joe is unable to personally answer questions.

What’s the point of going to Church?

Q:

Dear Father Joe: I am spiritual, but I have a problem with organized religion. Why can’t I just pray out in my back yard or when I’m sitting by the lake, rather than sitting in church and listening to a boring sermon?

a:

As a member of the Roman Catholic Church, I can assure you, it is not very organized.

OK, that’s a joke, let’s get right to your question.

I want to start off by defending religion as a concept. Look at the word “religion.” The origin of the word itself is the word religare,

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which means to bind or tie together.

Organized religion binds us together, reminds us that we are not on a journey toward salvation as individuals, but as a whole – collectively, we are the body of Christ, we are the Church. Each week, all around the world, hundreds of millions of Catholics gather together and worship God, feed the poor, encourage and pray with each other and reach out their hands to the world around them in order to make it a better place.

This happens so often and seemingly so effortlessly that we simply take it out of our equation when we look at what religion does.

Beyond that, however, religion meets a deeper need: our need for community. Each year, as a Church, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is identified by our Catechism as “the central mystery of our faith.” So, what is the Trinity? Among other things, the Trinity is defined as a community of persons or a community of love. This Trinity is the source of our existence. In other words, you and I were made by a community of persons for the community of persons. In living and worshipping in community, you and I imitate God. Beyond this, there are many ways that the communal element of faith changes us. I’d like to look at just a couple: First, community helps refine our love. Recently, I came across a few blogs where moms were talking about the dirty looks they get at church when their children are crying or being fussy during Mass.

I’m not married, I don’t have kids. As a result, I’m not “hardened” to the reality of kid noises. Because of that, I find it, at times, very hard to focus on Mass and “stay on task” when a child is being loud. Does that mean the mom or the baby has a problem? Generally no – it

St. James, apostle July 25 | Ss. Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary July 26 | St. Martha July 29 | St. Peter Chry

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Catholic Women’s Conference

Jesus isCalling My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)

Saturday, October 25, 2014 | 8:30-4:30 | Best Western Plus, Lansing $50.00 (After 9/25 – $60.00) | $40.00 Students and Seniors 62+ (After 9/25 $50.00) F E A T U R E D

Dr. Mary Healy

S P E A K E R S

Matthew Leonard

ValLimar Jansen

For more information, visit www.LansingDioceseCWC.org means I have a problem. Look at the reality: We have a person in church who chose life and not only chose to give life, but chose to bring her children to church so that they’ll live their lives well and in accord with God’s will for us. That, my friend, is a beautiful choice and is one that makes us all better. In this example, part of being in a community is me learning to love God by loving the child, honoring the mother and praying through the whole process. Inconvenient?

Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.

Community can keep us from hypocrisy and self-delusion. Most of us, left to our own devices, will find the time and energy to justify just about any action we need justified. If we have no person or persons in our lives to refine our ideas and challenge us, we will quickly fall into self-deception and stop growing as spiritual beings. We’ll become content in our thoughts and love, never letting change creep in the door. Community keeps us from this. It reminds us that there is much more to life, the world and eternity than one human person can arrive at alone.

What about boring sermons? Please know that I type this as someone who has been both a victim of boring sermons and, no doubt, a perpetrator of them, OK? Good.

My friend Father Geoff always points out that no one goes to their grandpa’s birthday party asking, “What am I going to get out of this?”

They go to the birthday party because they love Grandpa.

In the same way, our primary reason for going to Mass cannot be, “What am I going to get out of this?” Instead, it should be, “What can I give in the midst of this?” The radical gift of the whole experience

is this: When we surrender our need to make this about what we get from it, we’ll receive more than we could ever ask or imagine.

Finally, I invite you to think of this the next time you are trying to deal with a “boring Mass.” Ever work outside on a hot, sunny summer day? You slog along, get the tasks done and, later in the evening, you realize that your skin turned red; the turning red didn’t happen all at once, but your realization of it did. Sometimes, our spiritual life is the same way. We commit ourselves to going to Mass to worship God and nothing seems to happen. Later, we realize that we have changed. We realize that all that time in the Son (intentional spelling there) has changed our souls for the better.

So, there it is. I invite you to bless the community near you with your presence – join a community of believers who are bound together by their knowledge of and hunger for God, a community of broken, sinful, loved and loving people that work together to grow in holiness. We are called to worship the Community of Persons that is the Trinity in a community of persons that is our religion.

Enjoy another day in God’s presence!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Share your FAITH with your friends and followers on Follow FAITH Pub

ysologus, bishop and doctor of the Church July 30 | St. Ignatius of Loyola, priest July 31 | St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop and doctor of the Church Aug. 1 | St. Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop and martyr Aug. 2

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TAKE TIME to discern God’s will

Posing these questions to yourself in prayer, with guidance, helps put you in a place where you can begin, in a certain sense, to see your life from God’s perspective. That’s the process of discernment.

Jesus told his disciples, “... the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”

(John 14:31) By God’s grace and the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, that commitment of Christ can become yours and lead to clarity, direction and joy.

How does this process work? Give it a

Follow Sister Ann Shields on Twitter: @srannshieldssgl

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veryone asks themselves: What do I do with my life? We are free to choose whatever we wish, but, first, we should take time to ask the Lord in prayer: What do you will for me? How can I best use the gifts you have given me?

time frame – a year, maybe two, depending on circumstances. (Don’t make a vocation out of discernment!) Ask for help from a trusted teacher, priest or sister.

Commit yourself to daily prayer. Read one of the Gospels (Matthew is particularly good for this). Read slowly. Some days you may read only a few verses; other days, perhaps half a chapter. Stop when something strikes you. Spend time on it. Let the Word penetrate your mind and heart. The goal is to allow God’s word to become your foundation of daily living and your rock of truth on which to make important decisions.

Read a psalm every day, especially Psalms 1, 5, 8, 9, 23, 24, 25, 51, 119 and 139. Let the truth of God’s word make the long journey from the head to the heart. In other words, let God’s word speak, not just to your intellect, but to your whole being. Only then can you begin to have clarity.

spiritual fitness Sister Ann Shields is a renowned author and a member of the Servants of God’s Love. Questions can be addressed to Sister Ann Shields, Renewal Ministries, 230 Collingwood, Suite 240, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. You can order her new book, More of the Holy Spirit, for $12 at www.renewalministries.net.

SPIRITUAL EXERCISE On a daily basis: 1. Thank God for giving you life. He is your Creator.

2. O ffer to God your life, hopes and dreams.

3. T ell God you want to know his will.

Recognize that his will is the most loving direction you could possibly have. (He created you; he knows you intimately – more than you know yourself.)

Make a plan: 1. Have someone help you evaluate your strengths, weaknesses and aptitudes – the gifts God has given you.

2. Talk to people in different walks of life; ask them about the challenges and the fruits, the joys and the hardships.

One caution: God gives us free will.

Sometimes his call is very specific, but often he allows us to make choices in the process and he honors them.

Again, the most important thing is to seek his will daily, to love it and then be willing to follow it wherever it leads.

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Read more about discerning calls to a specific vocation, whether it be marriage, single life, the priesthood or religious life at www.FAITHpub.com under FAITH Magazine/Your Faith.

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St. John of Vianney, priest Aug. 4 | Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major Aug. 5 | Transfiguration of the Lord Aug. 6 | St. Sixtus II

I, pope and Companions, martyrs Aug. 7 | St. Dominic, priest Aug. 8 | St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, virgin and martyr Aug. 9 | St. Clare, virgin Aug. 11 | St. Jane Frances de Chantel, religious Aug. 12

MONSIGNOR STEVEN J. RAICA named fifth Bishop of Gaylord

“As I prepare myself to serve the people of God in the northern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula as a new bishop, I offer my praise and gratitude to the Lord Jesus whose presence in my life has enabled me to experience an abundance of life,” said Bishopelect Raica in a statement.

“My gratitude also goes to Pope Francis for entrusting me with this honor and great responsibility. The priests,

religious, colleagues in ministry and the faithful with whom I have been privileged to journey in faith here in the Diocese of Lansing have been true companions reminding me of the Lord’s love and mercy. I beg for their prayers that I may serve the Lord totally and faithfully in this new ministerial chapter of my life.”

Bishop-elect Raica was born Nov. 8, 1952 in Munising, Mich. to Mary (Tarro) Raica and

Priests from Michigan who became bishops elsewhere Bishop Joseph Rademacher Though he never was a priest in the Lansing Diocese, Joseph Rademacher was born in the parish of St. Peter in Westphalia in 1840. He was consecrated bishop of Nashville in 1883.

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ope Francis has appointed Msgr. Steven J Raica, chancellor of the Diocese of Lansing, as the Fifth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord.

The Holy Father’s appointment was announced on Friday, June 27 at 6:00am EDT at the Vatican.

The date of Bishop-elect Raica’s consecration and installation will be Thursday, August 28 at St. Mary Cathedral, Gaylord.

Steve J. Raica (deceased). He received a B.A in mathematics / secondary education, from Michigan State University, He completed his priesthood studies at St John Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, earning a master of divinity degree.

Bishop-elect Raica is an alumnus of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, having earned his doctorate in canon law, with a specialization in jurisprudence.

Bishop Michael Joseph Green

Born in 1917 in St. Joseph, M. Joseph Green was ordained a priest on July 14, 1946. Msgr. Green was consecrated as the first auxiliary bishop of the diocese at St. Mary Cathedral on August 28, 1962. He was the bishop of Reno, Nev., from 1967-74. After resigning there, he was pastor of St. Joseph in Adrian until his retirement in 1979. He died Aug. 30, 1982.

FAITH Magazine • July/August 2014 • www.FAITHpub.com

Msgr. Raica (second row, second from the left) at the 75th anniversary Mass of the Diocese of Lansing, Aug. 3, 2012.

He was ordained a priest in 1978 by Bishop Kenneth Povish, the third bishop of Lansing. In 1998, he was named a prelate of honor with the title “monsignor” by Pope John Paul II. His priestly assignments included serving as associate pastor of St Pius X Parish, Flint; pastor of Holy Bishop James Sullivan

James Sullivan was born in Kalamazoo and was ordained in 1955 in the Diocese of Lansing. He founded Liturgical Commission Publishings, which offers priests daily commentaries for the Mass and homilies. He was named auxiliary bishop in 1972 when Bishop Zaleski’s health was failing. He was appointed as Bishop of Fargo, N.D., in May 1985.

St. Pontian, pope and martyr and St. Hippolytus, priest and martyr Aug. 13 | St. Maximilian Kolbe, priest and mar

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Msgr. Raica displays the apostolic letter at Bishop Earl Boyea’s Installation Mass, April 29, 2008.

THE CATHOLIC DIOCESES OF MICHIGAN

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Archdiocese of Detroit

Diocese of Gaylord

Diocese of Grand Rapids

Msgr. Raica (back row, far left) with the FAITH Catholic Board of Directors, October 24, 2012

Family Parish, Ovid; and pastor of St Mary Parish, Charlotte.

From 1999-2005, he served as the superior of the Casa Santa Maria, the post-graduate residence for priests at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Since 2005, he has served as the chancellor and vicar general of the

Diocese of Lansing.

During his priesthood, he has been involved with the Church’s ministry to the hearing impaired, serving first as director of that effort in the Diocese of Lansing, and in recent years as the chaplain to the diocesan deaf ministry.

Since 2005, he has served as a member of the board of directors of FAITH Catholic, the publishing and communications arm of the Diocese of Lansing.

Bishop Paul Donovan Paul Donovan was born in Iowa, but attended St. Mary Cathedral High School in Lansing. He was pastor at Our Lady of Fatima, Michigan Center, and at St. Agnes in Flint, also serving as the head of the priests’ council, which advises the bishop. When Kalamazoo was created as a diocese in 1971, Father Donovan became its bishop, until he retired in 1994.

Diocese of Kalamazoo

Diocese of Lansing

Diocese of Marquette

Diocese of Saginaw

The Diocese of Gaylord is one of seven Roman Catholic dioceses in Michigan.

It was established on July 20, 1971 by Pope Paul VI. The 11,171 square miles of the diocese comprises territory that previously had been a part of the Saginaw and Grand Rapids dioceses. The area includes the 21 most northern counties of Michigan’s lower peninsula, which are mostly rural in nature.

Total population of the area exceeds 505,000, of whom more than 66,000 are Catholics.

Within its boundaries there are 80 parishes, 15 Catholic schools and many closely related institutions.

Bishop James Murray

James Murray was born in Jackson in 1932 and ordained a priest in 1958.

He was rector at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing for 25 years and chancellor for the diocese from 1968-98, when he was named the third bishop of Kalamazoo.

Monsignor Albert Koenigsknecht, M.M.

A native of Most Holy Trinity Parish, Fowler, Albert Koenigsknecht was ordained in 1945. In 1973, Msgr. Koenigsknecht was appointed apostolic administrator of the Juli Prelature in Peru. An apostolic administrator has the rank of a bishop without the privilege to ordain. He died in an automobile accident in February 1986 in Peru.

rtyr Aug. 14 | Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Aug. 15 | St. Stephen of Hungary, Aug. 16 | St. John Eudes, priest Aug. 19 | St. Bernard, abbot and doctor of the Church Aug. 20

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Msgr. Raica, shown left of Bishop Earl Boyea, at the 100th anniversary Mass of St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing, Dec. 9, 2013.

OUR LOSS IS THEIR GAIN!

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n Friday, June 27, 2014, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, named Msgr.

Steven J. Raica, the chancellor of our diocese, to become the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord. I often tease him that he has the mind of the bishop, such that when I lose my mind I know where to find it! Now what will happen?

Msgr. Raica is a native of the Upper Peninsula, where his mom and only brother still live, so he is now 2 ½ hours closer to his folks. He studied at Michigan State University, thus establishing his connections to the Diocese of Lansing. He became a seminarian for this diocese and studied at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit and then St. John Provincial Seminary in Plymouth. He was ordained a priest for Lansing in 1978.

During his education, he loved music and played the organ.

His degree from MSU was in mathematics education. He also knows Italian, American Sign Language and, of course, is more than passable in English! He studied in Rome and obtained a doctorate in canon law. This began a real love affair with Italy, its people and food. He is half-Italian and half-Polish. He enjoys traveling to Italy and to Poland whenever he is able to do so. He also headed up the Graduate House of Studies for U.S. priests in Rome, called the Casa Santa Maria, from 1999 to 2005.

To me, however, he is a priest, a friend and a man of good counsel. What is especially valuable is that he challenges me.

Even when I don’t like that, I recognize that it is good for me to have that voice, especially since he is always a calming force 12

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when many other things seem to be stirred up.

He has also filled in for many priests in parishes when there has been some difficulty. Invariably, the reports are of how gentle, considerate and solid he is in his pastoral abilities.

He has demonstrated his ability to be a keen collaborator. The office of bishop is not one to be sought, and he did not seek it. Many trials and crosses present themselves to the holder of this office, but his ability to engage others and from the bishop work with them will stand him Bishop Earl Boyea is the in good stead. fifth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing Msgr. Raica is now the fourth priest of our diocese to become a bishop. Michael Joseph Green was an auxiliary bishop of Lansing before becoming the Bishop of Reno in 1967; he returned to Lansing in 1974 and died here in 1982. James Stephen Sullivan was also an auxiliary bishop of Lansing before becoming the Bishop of Fargo in 1985; he died there in 2006. James Albert Murray became the Bishop of Kalamazoo in 1997 and now lives there as the emeritus bishop.

Msgr. Raica will be ordained a bishop at the cathedral in Gaylord on Thursday, August 28, 2014, the Feast of St. Augustine, the great Bishop of Hippo in Africa. This new bishop will be an intelligent, cultured, pastoral, gentle and faith-filled leader of the Church in the northern Lower Peninsula as their chief shepherd, the presence of the apostles and of Jesus Christ the High Priest.

The entire Diocese of Lansing offers him our heartiest congratulations and prayers.

Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary Aug. 22 | St. Rose of Lima, virgin Aug. 23 | St. Louis; St. Joseph Calasanz, priest

Ordination

The Diocese of Lansing was blessed with five new priests on June 14. Bishop Earl Boyea ordained Daniel Westermann.

James Rolph, Gary Koenigsknecht, Todd Koenigsknecht and Vince Richardson to the priesthood at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing. In the next few pages, meet the five newest priests for the Diocese of Lansing – and enjoy photos of their ordinations. You can also see more at www.FAITHpub.com.

2014

t Aug. 25 | St. Monica Aug. 27 | St. Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church Aug. 28 | Passion of St. John the Baptist Aug. 29

By Michael Spath | Photography by Tom Gennara

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DANIEL WESTERMANN, 25, JOINED THE SEMINARY AT 18. The Pinckney native was a parishioner at Christ the King in Ann Arbor.

Father Daniel Westermann What was the process that led you to pursue the priesthood? I thought about becoming a priest when I was much younger, somewhere around the second grade. However, through high school, I didn’t want to think about it. It was not until my senior year “Kairos” retreat that I started to experience the call again.

During a time of prayer at the retreat, I sensed the Lord inviting me to give everything. Then, out of nowhere, “priesthood” popped into my mind. Initially, I rejected the thought, saying, “No, Lord, not that!” However, after taking some more time to pray, I made an act of surrender and said, “Yes” to what the Lord was offering. In that moment, I experienced a great sense of peace and joy, which I had really been searching for.

After the retreat, I was quite nervous about telling my men’s group. However, the next time we met, one of the other guys, Jim Rolph, said, “Well, I think Jesus is calling me to be a priest.”

So I just had to say, “Me, too.” We went to visit the seminary in St. Paul together, and it just seemed right. Here I am eight years later on the brink of ordination with Deacon Jim. 14

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What has this journey been like the last few years as you’ve prepared to be ordained? As much as I was impressed with all the ways that the Lord was working in my life those months leading up to seminary, the last eight years have provided one opportunity after another for him to break any limitations I try to put on him. He continues to amaze me.

It really has been an adventure, and my “job” now is to help others grow in their relationship with Jesus, especially in the sacraments.

What message would you pass along to those who want to serve God but do not know how? I would encourage anyone who wants to serve God more to take time to pray and read the Scriptures. Just as we spend time with friends to get to know them better, so we need to spend time with the Lord, in order to get to know him better and come to know his will for us.

What has it been like preparing for priesthood while studying in Rome? I have been in Rome the last four years for my seminary formation at the Pontifical North American College. It’s been a great blessing to be formed for the priesthood in the heart of the Church. However, while my time here has been a gift, I greatly look forward to serving the people of the Diocese of Lansing.

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JAMES ROLPH, 25, IS AN ANN ARBOR NATIVE who attended Christ the King during his formative years.

Father James Rolph

but that they’re men who strive each day to grow closer to Jesus and to lead others to him through their ministry.

What was the process that led you to pursue the priesthood? When I first began thinking about the priesthood, I had no idea what the process was like. Thankfully, I was able to get in touch with our vocation director, who helps men thinking about the priesthood go through the process of joining the seminary and supports us as we go through.

I visited St. John Vianney during my senior year of high school, and during that visit knew that this was where the Lord wanted me.

The next fall, I began seminary as a true college freshman and embarked on the journey that has led me to the priesthood.

What has this journey been like the last few years as you’ve prepared to be ordained? The past few years have been such a blessing in order to prepare my own heart to serve as a priest. It has been a time to fall more deeply in love with Jesus and become more conformed to him. I know that I cannot give what I don’t have, so it’s so important for me to have a relationship with the Lord so that I can bring him to others and them to him.

Was there a single person who greatly influenced your decision to become a priest? I’ve been blessed throughout my life to know many holy priests who have helped show me who a priest is and what the priesthood is all about. These men, more than anything else, have made me want to be a priest because of the witness of their lives. They live a happy and fulfilled life as a priest, and I see their witness and think, “I can do that, too.”

They have shown me that priests aren’t perfect (no one is!),

What message would you pass along to those who want to serve God but do not know how? Do not be afraid! I never thought that God would call me to the priesthood, and when I began to feel called I was scared and thought I could never be happy as a priest. But I have found that following God’s plan for my life and doing his will has made me happier than I could have ever imagined.

Ask God what his plan is for you and listen with an open heart.

This means spending time in prayer every day, talking to God and learning to hear his voice. Then when you hear his voice and his call, respond with a generous heart.

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GARY KOENIGSKNECHT, 26, IS FROM MOST HOLY TRINITY IN FOWLER. He became a priest alongside his brother, Todd.

Father Gary Koenigsknecht

during vacation times. He has helped me to develop the habits that have already served me well as a deacon, and soon as a priest.

What was the process that led you to pursue the priesthood? I felt called at a young age, and the process then was choosing to respond as I got older. The idea was always in the back of my mind, even if I did not always want to think about it!

When I was in high school and taking the ACT plan test, I filled out the “clergy” bubble because the thought was on my radar. Eventually, my parents pulled me aside, as they did with all of my siblings, and asked if I had ever considered a religious vocation. Their encouragement helped me enter the seminary and begin formal discernment to see if God was indeed calling me to be a priest.

You will be ordained this summer; what are your emotions as that day draws nearer? I am very excited! I am eager to serve as a priest, and to jump into ministry. People from my home parish and my internship parish have been very encouraging, and their excitement only adds to my anticipation for ordination.

How did your brother impact your decision to become a priest and what has this experience been like sharing it together? People are always surprised to hear Todd and I never talked to each other about the priesthood. Only after our parents had spoken with both of us separately did we talk to each other.

Having my twin brother also prepare for the priesthood has been a great experience. We helped keep each other honest and faithful to our seminary commitments, especially to a life of prayer 16

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What message would you pass along to those who want to serve God but do not know how? I would advise people to look at where God has already called them, and then to live out that vocation well. If someone is married, then Jesus wants them to serve by loving their spouse and family well.

We usually do not have to look far in order to serve God. We can ask, “Am I serving God through my work? Am I intentionally inviting Christ into my daily activities so that I do them for him, rather than just myself? Do I speak about Christ to my family, coworkers, and friends?”

When we bring God into what we are already doing, we can be amazed about how he transforms our lives, simply by living out well the vocation God has given to us.

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TODD KOENIGSKNECHT, 26, IS FROM MOST HOLY TRINITY IN FOWLER. He became a priest alongside his brother, Gary.

Father Todd Koenigsknecht What was the process that led you to pursue the priesthood? Between my parents and the example of my uncle, Father Bill Koenigsknecht, and my parish priest, Father Ray Rademacher, I had great examples of both married life and the priesthood. I saw how both were ways God called one to give one’s self away and, in doing so, find joy.

Over time, I found myself more and more attracted to the priesthood and its particular calling to help others encounter Jesus. When I was in seventh or eighth grade, my mom asked me if I had ever considered being a priest, and that really helped put into words what God was saying in my mind and heart.

How did your brother impact your decision to become a priest and what has this experience been like sharing it together? His calling did not initially impact [my decision] because we never talked to each other about the call we were feeling from the Lord. We were talking to our parents about it separately, but not to each other.

After a while, my parents were the ones who called us into the

room together and that is how I found out Gary was feeling called.

That being said, though, it has been a joy to share this calling with my twin brother. We have always been close, but this has only deepened that. He has been a great source of encouragement and strength for me in growing in my relationship with Jesus and being faithful to the Lord in prayer.

It has been very helpful to be able to talk with him about the ups and downs of seminary formation and what the Lord has been doing these past eight years. I think we help spur each other on, which is also aided by a healthy dose of brotherly competition.

How has being a deacon and serving the Church the last few years influenced the type of priest you will be?

The Diocese of Lansing has many tremendous priests and I have been blessed to get to know many of them and see how they live their priesthood. A couple of things that come to mind: First of all, these men are joyful and it affects all they do.

Second, they pour themselves out for their people and they do so joyfully. Both characteristics are rooted in their relationship with the Lord and flow from it. That is the kind of priest I want to be.

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VINCE RICHARDSON, 26, JOINED THE SEMINARY AT AGE 19.

The Lansing native was a parishioner at Church of the Resurrection.

Father Vince Richardson What was the process that led you to pursue the priesthood? I had a good foundation in my Christian faith growing up, going to church every Sunday with the family, along with being involved with a charismatic, ecumenical Christian community called the Work of Christ. There, I developed a personal relationship with Jesus, a greater knowledge of the Scriptures and a desire to follow the Father’s will for my life.

While I desired God’s will, priesthood was not on my mind until my senior year of high school. On winter break of that year, a good friend introduced the idea of seminary and the priesthood to me, and, by this time, I had a good enough foundation to seriously discern this vocation.

This discernment continued throughout my first year of college, where I took the basic requirements for an engineering degree, and it culminated in a clear sign from God on Holy Thursday 2007.

What took place that Holy Thursday that made it clear to you? I found great clarity in praying before the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East 18

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Lansing. After the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, I was asking God for clarity. At that moment, I felt a deep drawing in my heart toward the Eucharist and these words: “Vince, I want you to be formed as a man and a father in seminary. I want you to take this step with me and let me lead you along the way.”

How has being a deacon and serving the Church the last few years influenced the type of priest you will be?

My first year of internship helped me realize the importance of Christian ministry to the sick and suffering. I spent a good amount of time visiting parishioners in the hospital and assisted at many different funerals. Through this experience, I realized the importance of the priest in bringing the hope of Christ to rather dark moments in people’s lives.

This past year, assisting at the vibrant student parish in Ann Arbor, I’ve come to understand the importance of addressing people’s experience of the Catholic faith. When preparing homilies and talking with parishioners, I’ve found personal testimonies to be an important starting point to draw others into a deeper commitment to Christ and his Church. Most people are at different points in their spiritual journey and it’s important to understand when ministering in the parish.

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Broadcaster Al Kresta’s return to the Church

‘MY GOD, I’M A CATHOLIC!’

Radio tower ilustration ©DollarPhotoClub/Anthonycz

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T’S 4:05 IN THE AFTERNOON and the familiar introduction launches from the studios of Ave Maria Radio: “With the New York Times in one hand and the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the other, Al Kresta is

ready for conversations of consequence.”

What follows next varies from day to day, but one thing is certain: Whether discussing the vagaries of pop culture, dissecting the ramifications for people of faith of a current political initiative or deconstructing a modernday opponent to Catholicism, host Al Kresta is there to fulfill a mission.

In fact, while Al’s career as a broadcaster, journalist and author have gained him national recognition in both secular and religious media, he describes himself first and foremost as a missionary.

By Marybeth Hicks | Photography by Jim Luning

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In 1997, Al joined Ann Arbor’s Ave Maria Communications, then a fledgling apostolate of Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monahan. “Tom brought me on as an editor with the goal of getting a Catholic radio station off the ground and, eventually, of creating and syndicating our own original programming. He also wanted to assure that the apostolate was self-sustaining.”

By 2003, “Kresta in the Afternoon,” the flagship drivetime program and its host were leading the apostolate toward independence and growth.

But the effort was taking a toll on Al, both physically and spiritually. “I had been feeling like I was in a spiritual logjam,” he recalls. “I was flagging. I had been working nonstop, I wasn’t taking care of myself, I was run down, and I also had this sense that I was in need of some suffering to just clear things out and open up again.”

Suffering would come. In February 2003, Al, his wife Sally and one of their sons contracted a strep infection that manifested in Al as necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as flesh-eating bacteria, an agonizingly painful condition that affected his left leg.

“It was my leg or my life,” Al says. “The doctors came in and told me they had to do surgery and I had 20 minutes to decide to do it, but if I didn’t do it, I’d be dead within two hours.”

Al went into surgery not knowing if he would be an amputee. When he awoke five days later, his daughter confirmed the amputation had been necessary.

“I wanted to use this opportunity for suffering well,” Al says. “I didn’t want to lose my leg, but I had strong consolation in the fact that this was intended to achieve something in my life that, for whatever reason, couldn’t be achieved in any other way.”

Within weeks of his surgery, the popular radio host determined to use his recovery as a period of intense prayer and contemplation, even removing the cards and flowers sent to him by countless friends and listeners in favor of an environment that enabled him to focus on Christ.

“I didn’t want to miss out on the monastic experience of focusing on what God wanted from me,” Al 22

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says. After five additional surgeries and 10 weeks in the hospital, he resumed his duties and began to adapt.

This wasn’t the first time Al was presented with a period of suffering that resulted in a deeper relationship with the Lord. “Ironically, everyone assumes that losing your leg has to be the worst thing that can happen to you,” Al says. “Losing a leg is something people can understand because everyone can imagine what it would be like to become disabled. But in this experience I was able to be a happy warrior. What I went through in the mid-1980s was much, much worse.”

Al refers to a three-year bout of depression that twice landed him in a psychiatric hospital. Triggered by anesthesia he received in 1982 for a simple surgery, Al experienced flashbacks to a dark and frightening encounter with drugs as a teenager.

At the time, Al worked as a manager for a chain of Christian bookstores. “I felt like a sham. I didn’t feel I could minister to others because I wasn’t able to say I believed it. Yet I knew I had an obligation to support my family,” Al recalls.

Though he felt abandoned by God, Al took the advice of a friend to attend a silent retreat at Abbey Gethsemane in Kentucky. There, living in the quiet rhythm of the monastic community for four days, he finally reconnected with God and began to feel the black cloud of depression disperse.

“Over the course of those days, I had three distinct impressions, one in a dream, and two while praying.

As simple as it sounds, all of my pain and suffering began to take on a meaning to me. ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ became meaningful to me. I realized, if Jesus himself has this experience at the moment when he was the most dependent upon his Father, then the experience that I had been going through for the past few years, when it felt like God was utterly absent, showed that the Christian story is fully aware that these things happen. If Jesus can say ‘My God ...’, that opens the door to the idea that this whole thing had meaning for me,” he recalls The search for meaning has defined Al’s spiritual journey from the time he was a teenager in East Haven, Conn. Although raised in the Catholic Church from his baptism in 1951, the pervasive culture of the 1960s led him to the vices of the day – “sex, drugs and rock and roll” – and, ultimately, away from the faith.

For several years, the young Al was an itinerant spiritual dabbler, following every fad belief system he encountered, from mysticism to New Age vegetarianism.

Finally, in the mid-1970s, while a student at

Michigan State University, he was confronted with the Christianity of C.S. Lewis and other major mainstream writers. At last, he concluded that the Bible told the truth about the person of Jesus Christ, and the triune God of all creation.

Together with Sally, who also converted to Christianity in this period of newfound biblical enthusiasm, Al continued a years-long quest for truth that ultimately led him back to his Catholic roots. “I had become a pastor of a small, independent church and was also working as a host at WMUZ,” the Christian radio station for Southeast Michigan. “Gradually, I began to have questions about issues of doctrine that no longer seemed right to me.”

In 1990, Al interviewed Father Peter Stravinskas for an hour-long segment Al had dubbed “Catholic Answers to Catholic Questions.” As he wrote in the conversion anthology Surprised by Truth, “An angry caller accused Catholics of ‘re-sacrificing’ Christ at Mass, in contradiction to [sacred Scripture]. Father Stravinskas did a masterful job of explaining … that the Mass is not a re-sacrificing of Christ … I saw that the Catholic view was the biblical view. Adrenaline surged through me as I heard the refrain resounding in my brain, ‘My God, I’m a Catholic!’”

In 1992, Al re-entered the Catholic Church. Two nights later, at the Easter Vigil, Sally and four of the couple’s children were received into the Church as converts.

Today, as members of Christ the King Parish in Ann Arbor, they have passed along their faith to their five children.

Meanwhile, at Ave Maria Communications, Al and a staff of a dozen employees produce and disseminate 30 hours of original radio programming each week, all of which is distributed to the EWTN radio network for its affiliates. They will soon launch a new media division that will produce content for evangelization.

But the missionary in Al knows first and foremost the joy of sharing the Gospel, which he has experienced since he encountered Christianity in the 1970s. “Not a day goes by that I am not buoyed by the gratitude of people who contact me to say how I had some positive spiritual influence on their lives,” Al says. “Never has that gotten old. Never have I taken it for granted. The joy is so persistent and beyond my own usual emotional ups and downs that I can only attribute it to the work of the Holy Spirit who is already at work in people’s lives before I ever open my mouth.”

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“All of my ... suffering began to take on a meaning to me. ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ became meaningful to me.”

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MSGR. VINCENT HOWARD Still committed to ‘the most important work of my life’

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hings have changed a lot since I was ordained,” says Msgr.

Vincent Howard, 96, the oldest priest in the Diocese of Lansing.

“But the one thing I want people to know – especially young men who might be thinking about the priesthood – is that through all those years, I really enjoyed it. I had fun. There was never a day that I regretted being a priest.”

Born in Ann Arbor on June 7, 1918, the fifth of nine children of Louis and Ava Howard, Father Howard (the title he prefers) recalls a happy childhood, despite losing his father at an early age. “I was right smack in the middle,” he says, “and I thought that was the best place to be because there were things the older children could do that the younger ones couldn’t do; and things the young ones could do that the older ones were not allowed. Being in the middle, I could go either way, younger or older.”

Even as a young student at St. Thomas the Apostle School, Vincent thought about becoming a priest. Ordained in 1947 in the Archdiocese of Detroit, Father Howard recalls his first placement as assistant pastor at the former St. Brigid’s on the city’s west side. In addition to daily Mass and weekly confessions, young priests were responsible for bringing converts into the faith with individual instruction. “For me, that was a delightful assignment because I was able to work with the youth of the parish. It was a lot of work, but I loved it,” he says.

Next were assignments at St. Theresa in Detroit, where Father Howard was involved with the Legion of Mary at both the parish and diocesan levels, and the Young Christian Workers, followed by St. Aloysius in the heart of downtown. It was there that Father Howard inadvertently found the role that would become his most enduring legacy.

“At the time, the rectory of St. Aloysius was on the eighth floor of the Chancery building.

Bishop John Anthony Donovan and seven other priests lived in the rectory, as well. One evening over dinner, I mentioned to Bishop Donovan that we should take a lesson from the religious orders in having a vocations director for the Archdiocese of Detroit,” says Father Howard.

“A few months later, Cardinal Mooney called me into his office and appointed me as the archdiocese’s first vocations director. He wanted me to live in the seminary and teach 24

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a class each day. The rest of the time I would go to the parishes and schools of the archdiocese to encourage young people to decide on a vocation to the priesthood and the religious life.”

In the years following, there was a marked increase in students applying to Sacred Heart Seminary and to some of the religious orders. The role of vocations director became a standard post in dioceses across the nation, and Father Howard was a founding member and early leader of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors.

During his years on the seminary faculty, Father Howard and other priests also became involved in the civil rights movement. “We did some amazing things,” he remembers. “We walked in the famous march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, with Dr. Martin Luther King. A year later, we also participated in the March on Washington, and we were present when Dr. King gave his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech. It was an exciting time.”

Because of his interest in the civil rights movement, Father Howard was later assigned to St. Catherine’s, an inner-city parish. “I was pastor there during the 1967 riots,” he says. “Talk about excitement. Shortly after, three of us who were inner-city pastors were assigned additional parishes along with those we already were serving. I think we were the first priests in the Detroit Archdiocese who pastored two parishes at the same time.”

Eventually, Father Howard was sent to St. Thomas the Apostle in Ann Arbor, his home parish, then part of the Diocese of Lansing, and, finally, was pastor at St. Elizabeth in Tecumseh until his retirement in 1988.

A few years before he retired, Father Howard began work on a log home on three acres in Chelsea, which he built almost entirely by himself, and where he still lives on his own. Even after more than 25 years of retirement, Father Howard remains committed to the priesthood.

“I have an altar up in my loft where I say Mass nearly every day,” Father Howard says. “Most days, I offer Mass for the priesthood and the priests of the Diocese of Lansing. The Church needs priests who are holy and lead people to Christ, so I pray for the holiness of the priests in our diocese.”

“I consider this as the most important work of my life.”

By Marybeth Hicks | Photography by Tom Gennara

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REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

#BRINGBACKOURGIRLS: Nigerians take part in a protest demanding the release of secondary school girls abducted from the remote village of Chibok, in Asokoro, Abuja,

SPECIAL REPORT: #BringBackOurGirls

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n April 15, 2014, nearly 300 high school girls were kidnapped from their boarding school in northern Nigeria by an extremist Muslim group called Boko Haram, a name meaning “Western education is a sin.” According to a New York Times article by Nicholas Kristof, the kidnapped girls were between the ages of 15 and 18, and included both Christians and Muslims. While approximately 50 girls escaped, the rest were reportedly going to be auctioned off for $12 each to become “wives” of militants, making this a chapter in the ever-growing human trafficking story.

As the parents of the girls turned to the United Nations and United States for help after becoming frustrated with the Nigerian government’s inaction, Secretary of State John Kerry assured reporters that the U.S. was “engaged and cooperating.” He went on to discuss efforts to disrupt Boko Haram and its financial backers, as well as ongoing efforts to train Nigerian authorities in counter-terrorism.

The Vatican response On May 8, 2014, the Vatican issued an urgent appeal for the release of the Nigerian girls. The Vatican’s chief spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi, called the abduction of the young girls the latest instance of the “horrible forms of violence” for which Boko Haram has become known in Nigeria.

Lombardi continued, “The denial of any kind of respect for life and for the dignity of human beings, even the most innocent, vulnerable and defenseless, calls for the strongest condem26

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nation.” He added, “We hope and pray that Nigeria, thanks to the commitment of all who are in a position to help, may find the way to end the situation of conflict and hateful terrorism which is a source of incalculable suffering.”

The reality on the ground Despite all of these efforts and denunciations, Boko Haram actually increased its aggression in the weeks following the mass kidnapping. According to Erin Conway-Smith in a report for GlobalPost, Boko Haram has been responsible for 147 deaths, 1,698 displaced families and 80 burned churches in northeastern Nigeria as of May 25. In short, the group appears to be responding to the international pressure over the kidnappings by escalating its big-city bombings and continuing its attacks on remote villages. Meanwhile, the families and countless others around the world are still waiting and hoping for the safe return of the kidnapped girls.

POPE FRANCIS ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING:

Human trafficking is an open wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon the body of Christ. It is a crime against humanity.”

– Address of Pope Francis to participants in the International Conference on Combating Human Trafficking, April 10, 2014.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has an Anti-Trafficking Program that seeks “to educate on human trafficking as an offense against the fundamental dignity of the human person; to advocate for an end to modern day slavery; and to provide training and technical assistance on this issue.” In the last six years alone, the USCCB has assisted more than 2,232 survivors of trafficking and more than 500 of their family members.

Current programs include: • Dignity of Work – provides employment services to individuals not eligible for such benefits when they sought to re-enter the legitimate workforce.

• The Amistad Movement – a human trafficking education and awareness campaign for immigrant communities.

• The SHEPHERD Campaign – a campaign to help Catholics learn more about human trafficking, as well as work with their parish community to address this issue.

• After Rescue – Evaluation of Strategies to Integrate Survivors of Trafficking – a partnership with Georgetown University for a research project to present a profile of survivors and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to stabilize, rehabilitate and integrate them into the wider American society.

• National Day of Prayer – the USCCB Committee on Migration designated Feb. 8 as an annual Day of Prayer for survivors and victims of human trafficking. Feb. 8 is the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, who was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery in Sudan and Italy.

For more information on the USCCB’s efforts to combat human trafficking, see www.usccb.org.

VIRAL PRESSURE? In this age of social media, a new phenomenon has emerged in the hopes of putting “viral” pressure on Nigerian authorities to recover the girls. A campaign entitled “Bring Back Our Girls” was launched on the White House website, Change.org, Twitter (#BringBackOurGirls), and Facebook to demand the return of the kidnapped girls. As of May 26, the Facebook page had received 205,288 likes.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether such campaigns will have any real positive effect on bringing these kinds of conflicts to a satisfactory resolution.

Catholic News Service

Million Number of people in modern-day slavery around the world

$32

Billion

Annual profit generated by the human trafficking industry

100,000 300,000 Number of prostituted children in the United States

80 50

%

HUMAN TRAFFICKING A DEFINITION The Polaris Project, a national resource center for human trafficking, describes human trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery where people profit from the control and exploitation of others. Victims include children involved in the sex trade, adults who are coerced or deceived into commercial sex acts and anyone forced into forms of labor or services against their will.

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Catholic News Service

BISHOPS FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

BY THE NUMBERS

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of human trafficking victims are female

%

of human trafficking victims are children

5 YEARS before human trafficking overtakes the drug trade in size

– Statistics from Polaris Project and Slavery Is Real

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yourcommunity things to do: Lansing Catholic Singles invites all midlife singles 30s-60s to their summer events: June 27, 7 p.m., bring your own picnic and seat and join us to watch MSU Summer Circle Theatre’s free play at 8 p.m.; July 19, 5:30 p.m., Mass with Jackson Catholic Singles at St. Mary Star of the Sea in Jackson, followed by dinner; July 25, 5:30 p.m., Happy Hour at Blue Gill Grill in Haslett, followed by a free concert at the Lake Lansing Band Shell at 7 p.m.; Aug. 9, a day at Lake Michigan and Saugatuck; and Aug. 22, a Lansing Lugnuts baseball game at 7 p.m. (Cost: $11. RSVP and payment due

by Aug. 8). For more information or to RSVP, call 517.321.7886 or email lansingcatholicsingles@live.com.

July 19, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., St. John Catholic Church in Howell will host its 5th annual Car Show at 2099 N. Hacker Road in Howell.

General admission is $2 per car. Show car entrance fee is $20. This event includes a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and a lunch and bake sale.

Proceeds will be used to reduce the building debt. For more information, call the parish office at 517.546.7200.

July 26-27, St. Joseph and St. John Church in Jackson will host their annual Polish Heritage Festival. Entry is free. July 26, 4 p.m., Polka Mass at St. Joseph Church, with the festival afterward until 12:30 a.m.; July 27, noon to 7 p.m., there will be raffles and drawings. Come and enjoy Polish food, music, refreshments, children’s games and bingo.

Aug.10, 8 a.m., Camino of St. James 8K/5K Run/Walk and Fun Races, St. James Catholic Church, 1010 S. Lansing St, Mason. Timed race featuring “Beat the Pancake Challenge.”

Fun free races for kids, with pancake breakfast to follow and 11:30 a.m. Mass. Proceeds benefit St. Vincent Catholic Charities. For more information, visit www.caminostjames.com.

Aug. 22-23, St. Michael Parish’s Annual FunFest at 345 Edwards St., Grand Ledge.

Friday, 5 p.m.-11p.m., euchre tournament, live entertainment with Soul Town, dancing, food and fun. Saturday, noon-11p.m., live/silent auctions, kid’s games, bounce house, Mass under the big tent, BBQ chicken dinner and more. For information, visit www.stmichaelgl.org Aug. 27, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., St. John the Evangelist in Davison will host a pre-school “Education Extravaganza.” The programs include Child Development, Montessori, Early Fives and Kin-

dergarten. Parents may register children, visit with teachers and explore the classrooms. More details about St. John preschool programs can be found at www.stjohnpreschools.com.

Midlife singles, 30s to 50s: register today for a life-changing REFLECT weekend retreat at the St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt, Sept.

5-7. Cost is $135/$160 for meals and double/single occupancy accommodations. Take a chance and get involved ... you won’t regret it!

Call 989.450.0993, email reflect.michigan@ gmail.com or visit www.ReflectRetreat.com for details.

Sept. 5-7, Church of the Resurrection, 1531 E. Michigan in Lansing, proudly announces its 80th Ox Roast Festival: Sept. 5, 5 p.m.–11 p.m.; Sept. 6, noon–11p.m.; and Sept.7, noon–5 p.m.

Sept. 13-14, Catholic Engaged Encounter of Mid-Michigan, at Bethany House in DeWitt, is a Christian marriage preparation ministry based on Catholic teachings and values emphasizing the relationship of couples in terms of their sacramental commitment. For information, contact Sue and Wayne Fransted at 810.588.418 or info@lansingcee.org or www. lansingcee.org.

Summer Scripture Days 2014 – Evangelization based on the Gospel of Mark will be the study of this year’s Summer Scripture Days. Join us as Bishop emeritus Carl F. Mengeling opens our eyes and hearts to grasp the love of Christ in our everyday lives. Attend Aug. 12-14 at St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt. Register before Aug. 2.

Space is limited. Brochures are available in your church’s vestibule or contact Diane at 517.342.2465 or darzberger@dioceseoflansing.org.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

FOSTER CARE PARENT ORIENTATION:

July 21-25, 9 a.m.-noon, St. Paul Catholic Church, Owosso will have Vacation Bible School. The theme is “Son Treasure Island.”

Cost is $10 per child or $25 for three or more children. For information or registration, call Deborah Marston at 989.7230.1400.

St. Vincent Catholic Charities, www.stvcc.org or 517.323.4734, ext. 1614 – There are 14, 000 children in foster care in Michigan – help change the life of a child by becoming a foster parent. Please join St. Vincent Catholic Charities for a cost-free, commitment-free informational session about becoming a foster or adoptive parent. Orientation sessions will be held: July 2, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.; July 15, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.; Aug. 6, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.; and Aug. 19, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. For information, contact Natalie Marshall at 517.323.4734, ext. 1614 or Stephanie Wilcox at 517.323.4734, ext.1601.

Aug. 4-8, 9 a.m.-noon, St. Mary in Chelsea will have Vacation Bible School. For information or to register, call the parish office at 734.475.7561.

Aug 18-21, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., St. Joseph Shrine, Brooklyn will have Vacation Bible School – Son Treasure Island – a week of treasure-hunting adventure in the Caribbean Islands. Registration forms are available at the church or family center.

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Aug. 9, 4:30 p.m.-11p.m., St. James FishN-Chips Festival, St. James Catholic Church, 1010 S. Lansing St, Mason. Join us for Mass at 4 p.m., beer tent, live bands, fish-n-chips, pizza, book and bake sales, kid’s activities, live and silent auctions and hot air balloon rides. For more information, visit www.festivalstjames.com.

Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County, www.csswashtenaw.org or 734.981.9781– July 10 and Aug. 14, 5:30 p.m., Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw, 4925 Packard Rd., Ann Arbor, will have a foster care orientation for those interested in becoming foster parents. For information or to RSVP, call 734.971.9781, ext. 448. There are no fees associated with becoming a licensed foster parent.

Livingston County Catholic Charities, www.livingstoncatholichs.org or 517.545.5944 – LCCC has orientation for people interested in learning about foster care the third Tuesday of each month, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., at its office, 2020 E. Grand River, Suite 104 in Howell. To make a reservation, call Beverly at 517.545.5944.

FAITH Magazine • July/August 2014 • www.FAITHpub.com

July/Aug. GOLF OUTINGS Aug. 11, noon shotgun start, ArborVitae’s Women’s Center will host its 3rd annual “On Par for Life” golf outing at Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor, followed at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails, dinner and live auction. Cost: $250 per golfer or $110 cocktails/dinner only. Register online at onparforlife. com or call Iris Proctor at 734.994.8863. All proceeds benefit ArborVitae and its mission to support women facing unexpected pregnancies and post-abortion grief.

Aug. 22, 11:30 a.m. registration, 11:45 a.m., lunch and 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties will host a Golf Scramble and Golf Ball Drop at Lakeland Hills Golf Club, 5119 Page Ave., Jackson. Cost: $50 per person or $200 per team. At 5:30 p.m., there will be hundreds of golf balls dropped from the Remax Balloon – ball closest to the hole wins first choice of three great prizes. Adrian-area contact: bcipra.ccjlhc@gmail.com or 517.263.2191. Jackson-area contact: kjansen.ccjlhc@gmail. com or 517.262.0466.

RETREAT CENTERS St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt, stfrancis.ws or 866.669.8321 – Sept. 19-21, “Beyond Survival” retreat is for women who have suffered abuse by any person. For information, please call the retreat center or Father Larry Delaney, 517.669.8321, to receive a brochure, to register or for information.

Weber Retreat and Conference Center, Adrian, webercenter. org or 517.266.4000 – July 13-18, Sun., 6:30 p.m. to Fri., 1 p.m., God’s Beloved: An Ecumenical Contemplative Retreat; July 28-Aug. 1, Mon., 2 p.m. to Fri., 1 p.m., Private Directed Retreats; Aug. 4-6, Mon., 3 p.m. to Wed., 1 p.m., Jesus, a Pathway to God; and Aug. 7, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Secular Sanctity: Contemplative Living in a Chaotic Culture.

July/Aug. CAFÉ EVENTS July 11-16, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., St. Michael Parish Bible Study, 345 Edwards St., Grand Ledge – “Praying with the Bible: Don’t just read the Bible, pray it!” – in St. Catherine of Siena Room. Presenters: Tom and Denise Zakerski. Attend one, some or all of the sessions.

For more information: www.stmichaelgl.org.

Aug. 1-2, Opportunities in the Sun – all 22 catechist topics will be offered, plus five enrichment topics at St. Joseph Shrine, 8743 U.S. 12, Brooklyn. For information or to register, contact Diane Dover at 517.467.2106.

St. Thomas Aquinas in East Lansing events: On June 19, July 17 and Aug. 21, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., Intergenerational Faith Formation and Fun in Father Mac Hall. All ages are welcome. On June 25, July 14 and 31 and Aug. 13, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., will be Films of Faith – a summer DVD series in the Bishop Baraga Room. For more information, call Deacon Al Weilbaecher at 517.351.5460 or al@elctholics.org

CATHOLIC CHARITIES Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties, www.catholiccharitiesflint.org or 810.232.9950 or 989.723.8239 When traveling this summer, remember Catholic Charities. Its community closets can use your travel-size toiletries. Items collected are distributed free of charge to clients and families in need. For more information, call 810.232.9950 in Genesee County or 989.723.8239 in Shiawassee County.

WE C.A.R.E CLASSES: Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties, www.catholiccharitiesflint.org or 810.232.9950 or 989.723.8239 – WE C.A.R.E. marriage preparation classes: July 11-12 at St. Robert Bellarmine in Flushing; and Aug. 9-10 at St. John the Evangelist in Fenton. Registration is $75. For information, call 810.232.9950.

Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County, www.csswashtenaw.org or 734.981.9781 ext. 421 – WE C.A.R.E. marriage preparation classes: July 18, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. and July 19, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at Catholic Social Services office, 4925 Packard, Ann Arbor; and Aug. 15, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. and Aug. 16, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at St. Joseph Parish, 9425 Whittaker, Ypsilanti. For registration form and information, visit csswashtenaw.org.

Livingston County Catholic Charities, www.livingstoncatholichs.org or 517.545.5944 – WE C.A.R.E. class: Aug. 19, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. and Aug. 21, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., at Catholic Charities’ office; cost is $75 and the registration form is at livingstoncatholiccharities.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/WeCarenew13-14.pdf.

8 Aug., Catholic Vocations Night – Knights’ Family Night to Celebrate Vocations – at Cooley Law School Stadium. For information, call Clifford Sim, Lansing Lugnuts, 517.485.4500, ext. 256.

Find Catholic events in your area: FAITHpub.com | CatholicEventFinder.com | MassTimes.org

Death of Reverend Francis Murray Rev. Francis Murray entered eternal rest on June 2, 2014, the 63rd anniversary of his priestly ordination. He was 87 years old.

Father Francis served as parochial vicar of St. Michael, Flint; St. John the Evangelist, Jackson; and the Church of the Resurrection, Lansing. He served as pastor of St. Ann, Gull Lake; St. Thérèse, Lansing; St. John the Evangelist, Jackson; and St. Mary, Manchester. He attained senior priest status in 1994.

Father Francis also served as the director of Catholic Social Services, Kalamazoo in the early 1960s and director of Catholic Social Services, Lansing from 1965 to 1970.

His funeral Mass was celebrated June 5 at St. John the Evangelist, Jackson, with interment at St. John Catholic Cemetery, Jackson.

May the soul of Father Francis, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in the peace of Christ.

Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres working in Lansing Sister Therese Vu arrived in the United States in 2002, and this spring, two more sisters joined her in Lansing. They are Sister Maria Vo and Sister Anna Tran. They are serving at St. Andrew Dung-Lac Catholic Church in Lansing.

They are members of the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres, and were sent by their superior as missionaries. The sisters share a pastoral ministry and apostolic care for the parishioners. Their journey to the United States was long, but they are certain they are assisting their fellow Vietnamese who have made Lansing their home. An in-depth story about the sisters will appear in a future issue of FAITH.

Mom Prom helps to support Habitat for Humanity Lynn Punnett, executive director for Habitat for Humanity of Lenawee County, met the guests arriving for the Mom Prom at Siena Heights’ Benincasa Hall in Adrian. The fundraiser is a multigenerational ladies night out with friends while helping Habitat build homes and communities.

At last year’s fundraising event, $7,000 was raised. This year, they raised more than $18,000. Robin Hinman, resource development director for Habitat, shared, “Women of all ages attend – some bring their mother and grandmother.” It draws women from a wide spectrum of backgrounds – with one goal – to help Habitat for Humanity.

If you are interested in volunteering for the women’s build project in Adrian, contact Habitat for Humanity of Lenawee at 517.265.6157.

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FAITH Magazine • July/August 2014 • www.FAITHpub.com

Diaconal ordination 2014 Robert Crowley Bacik and David Michael Fons were ordained

by Bishop Boyea to the transitional diaconate on Saturday, May 17. Deacon Bacik will serve at Immaculate Conception Parish, Milan, while Deacon Fons will serve at St. John the Evangelist Parish, Davison. Both continue studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit.

New Catholic children’s book to be published My Daily Rosary is a Catholic children’s book about a 6-year-old girl who is teaching the reader how to pray the rosary. Krysta Koenigsknecht wrote this book as a way for young children to be able to more easily learn and understand the rosary. Krysta is a parishioner at Most Holy Trinity Parish in Fowler. This will be Krysta’s first book. It is expected to be printed in late July.

Diocesan priests celebrating 50th and 25th anniversaries 50th anniversaries • Rev. Eugene Beiter • Msgr. Raymond Goehring • Rev. Duaine Pamment • Rev. Thomas Thompson • Rev. Benjamin Werner 25th anniversaries • Rev. Thomas Brennan • Rev. Louis Ekka • Rev. William Lugger • Rev. James Shaver

Catholic Charities awarded $10,000 grant Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties has been awarded a grant of $10,000 from the Jackson Community Foundation’s Unrestricted Community Needs Endowment Fund. “The grant will be used for the Jackson County Child Advocacy Center,” Sue Lewis, executive director, announced. “The Child Advocacy Center provides comprehensive services to children who have been sexually or severely physically abused,” Lewis said. “The Jackson Community Foundation has been one of our founding and key partners.

Their support has helped to establish a permanent home for the center, hire staff and pursue national accreditation, which ensures long-term sustainability. We served 137 children in 2013 and 43 children in the first quarter of 2014 – and that number will grow as our capacity increases.”

Keeping your promises

K

eeping your promises is a whole lot more important than you might think because breaking a promise damages – really damages – your character.

It not only changes how others regard you, it also ruins your own feelings of self-worth. After all, if you deliberately break your promise, what good are you?

Why should anyone trust you anymore? People will doubt your reliability.

T. Gennara

Keeping promises is particularly important inside marriage.

When I researched the statistics and the causes of adultery, I found there is gender equality when it comes to infidelity.

The percentages of men and women who commit adultery are roughly equal. The causes are both many and complex. This leaves us with efforts to keep our marriages strong and satisfying so that adultery is simply not sought.

Expectations are powerful and controlling. Marital couples need to talk about them and talk about them a lot.

“Did I marry expecting that my partner would make me happy, or did I marry in order to make my partner happy?”

The former is the seed bed of adultery; the latter can be the primary antidote last word against infidelity. Do we have the same Father Charles goals? Do we share the same core Irvin is the founding editor values? Do my feelings and emotions of FAITH control my decisions or do my convicMagazine and is retired. tions and values govern my choices?

Do we have shared convictions and core values?

Communicate, communicate, communicate! It’s the foundation of a healthy marriage. Real communication is not simply listening with our ears, but hearing with our hearts. If we do this, happiness results. Happiness isn’t something that one acquires. Happiness is a result, not an acquisition. So what brings happiness to marital partners? It’s all a matter of mating souls. Mated souls are happy, and it is that happiness that makes adultery simply out of the question.

So, if your marriage has had to deal with the pain of adultery, there’s bad news and there’s good news. The bad news is that what has been done has been done. History cannot be erased.

But worse yet is that many people live in their pasts and judge their futures by their pasts. They never stop beating up on themselves or others because they live in the past and judge everything by the past. They never get over it.

The good news is that our Catholic faith is a religion of hope, a religion that calls us to live in our futures and to live in hope.

Ours is a religion of forgiveness, a religion that’s all about what we can be rather than what we have been The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are all about overcoming what we’ve done and rising to live new lives in our futures.

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