July/August 2018

PARENTING JOURNEY:

How can I keep my child safe without being over-protective?

GROW+GO:

PAUL’S ‘AHA MOMENT’ CHANGED HIS LIFE

Work together to build God’s kingdom

+

SPECIAL REPORT:

50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae

at Kerygma encounter

Msgr. Gerald Vincke from the Diocese of Lansing named as bishop of Salina, Kansas 1

YOU

ARE MADE FOR

HAPPINESS

DIOCESE OF LANSING ASSEMBLY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2018

EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION 9:00 A.M. TO 11:30 A.M.

INSPIRING SPEAKERS

1:00 P.M. TO 4:30 P.M.

ALL DIOCESAN MASS 4:30 P.M.

Join thousands of Catholics from across our Diocese at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing and the Breslin Center in East Lansing as we gather in prayer, witness and worship to celebrate the reason God made us – for happiness with Him in this life and the next!

PRESENTING SPONSOR:

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WWW.MADEFORHAPPINESS.ORG

T. GENNARA

FROM THE BISHOP

PRAY THAT MORE YOUNG MEN WILL HEAR GOD’S CALL LAST MONTH, FAITH MAGAZINE included a page of statistics about the number of diocesan priests serving in our parishes. As you read, we have fewer diocesan priests than we once did.

This month, I want to carry on that conversation and mention some of the other wonderful priests who serve in our parishes. We are blessed with religious order priests and those who come to us from other dioceses who also serve in our parishes. And we receive wonderful service from our senior priests. Now, to be fair, only the diocesan priests are bound to our diocese for their entire ministry. But even there, we have some diocesan priests who serve in special ministries in our diocese and around the world. Plus, I don’t believe there is any diocese in the United States that relies only upon their own diocesan priests.

FOR ALL VOCATIONS. AS JESUS SAID 2,000 YEARS AGO AND WOULD REPEAT TODAY, “THE HARVEST IS GREAT BUT THE LABORERS ARE FEW. PRAY THE LORD TO SEND MORE LABORERS INTO THE HARVEST.”

Carlson Productions

PRAY

So, where do we stand in terms of our service as priests to the wonderful people of the Diocese of Lansing? Our diocese is blessed with 58 senior priests. We have 65 pastors assigned (diocesan, religious order and foreign). We have 20 associates assigned (again diocesan, religious order and foreign). We also have 36 priests assigned to other ministries, mostly in our diocese but a few elsewhere. Thus, we have a body of 179 priests serving our diocese. There are also a handful of other priests studying at one of our universities and assisting in ministry temporarily in the diocese and another handful of retired religious priests.

Now, having said all this, it is correct that many of our clergy are at an age where they could retire within the next 10 years. Also, there is no guarantee that the religious order priests or those serving here from other countries could not be called away from our diocese at any time.

Still, we are very blessed with the men serving us in our parishes and other diocesan ministries.

It is also true that we need more young men to respond to the call to the priesthood. As Jesus said 2,000 years ago and would repeat today, “The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Pray the Lord to send more laborers into the harvest.” So, my sisters and brothers, pray. But pray that more will hear God’s call, because I am convinced God is calling but we all have difficulty hearing that call. Perhaps, many of you could help this along by encouraging a young man you see at Church to consider the priesthood. I don’t mean here to slight the call to marriage and to the consecrated life, let alone our call to live out our baptism, but this call to the priestly ministry is particularly urgent in our day.

With our very small families, many parents are reluctant to see their sons respond to such a call. Perhaps grandparents have to step in to encourage grandsons to think about this service to God and his Church.

In the meantime, we continue the process of clustering and merging parishes to make the administrative work simpler for the pastors. This also serves to facilitate greater collaboration between parishes and staffs.

One final request: Let your pastor know how much you appreciate the priestly ministry he exercises. We priests are all sinners, but the ministry we share is pretty awesome. Thanks be to God that he does not wait for perfect priests!

BISHOP EARL BOYEA

is the fifth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing @BishopBoyea

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FROM THE EDITOR

FAITH HELPS

DISCIPLESHIP

If you want to learn something, teach it

For personal reflection or small group discussion Marriage Matters

T

HERE IS AN AGE-OLD SAYING that says, “If you want to learn something, teach it.” I was reminded of this fundamental truth when, as a seminarian intern serving at St. Joseph parish in St. Johns, I found myself teaching fifth grade religion in the parish school. Teaching young people is an especially exciting challenge because one never quite knows the questions they may pose – especially in religion class.

T.Gennera

I had finished teaching my planned lesson for the day, and so I thought it would be fun to allow the kids in my classroom to ask me questions that they thought were important. One of the students raised her hand and I called on her. With the sort of bluntness that only a fifth grader has, she asked, “Why do we have to have religion class FATHER in school?” It’s not often that I am at a loss for words, but given the DWIGHT EZOP setting, her honest question stopped me dead in my tracks for a few is the editor of moments. There are many things that our seminary training prepares us FAITH Magazine for, but I have to say that I wasn’t expecting to get a question like that and pastor of on that particular afternoon.

St. Mary Parish, As I engaged her in a bit more discussion, I discovered that the subtext Charlotte and of her question really had more to do with wondering why she had to St. Ann Church, keep learning about her faith. She was a bright student, consistently at Bellevue the top of the class in religion, and she wanted to know why she needed Email: editor@ to keep learning about a subject that she felt she had mastered.

FAITHpub.com.

The truth is that each one of us should be lifelong learners, especially when it comes to learning about our faith. As we grow through the course of our lives, we encounter a vast array of experiences and people that can either be supports or challenges to us. When it comes to times of challenge, especially when we are adults, I think we can be on shaky ground if we are only relying on the concepts of faith as we learned and understood when we were children, or whenever we last attended confirmation class. Just as our lives are dynamic – we constantly grow and change – so too, our faith is meant to be dynamic. Our faith – and the relationship with God which faith helps us to express – is meant to grow and deepen throughout the course of our lives. All of this happens through an ongoing, lifelong mix of prayer, reflection, regular attendance at Mass, study, reception of the sacraments, and the open and honest sharing of our faith that helps to nourish and strengthen our relationship with Jesus Christ and the Church.

The arrival of summer and a more relaxed schedule is a great opportunity to seek out some resources that will help each of us to grow in faith. What a blessing it is that we live in a day and age when a rich diversity of resources is available to us in so many ways, making them easier to access now more than ever.

Wondering where to start? Take a few moments and chat with the parish director of religious education or youth minister. The staff member or volunteer who coordinates the RCIA should be able to make some connections. Perhaps there is a parish coordinator of adult faith formation. A chat with your pastor or parochial vicar could open a world of possibilities. The key is this: don’t be afraid to ask, and don’t be afraid to learn more about your faith. A deeper understanding of faith, a deeper friendship with Jesus and a more intense love for the Church awaits each of us. And so, our journey in FAITH continues.

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• Consider the balance you and your spouse strike between work and family life. Have you ever discussed what your family needs versus what you want?

Work Life • Do you find it hard to maintain the presence of God in your life during your workday? Reflect on this passage from James: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (4:8)

Ordination • Newly ordained Father John looks back and reflects on the many promptings of the Holy Spirit that contributed to his call to the priesthood. How can you be more ready to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your life?

Cover story • Paul Fahey recently encountered his faith in a new way. Are you humble enough to let the Lord bring you deeper into the mysteries of the faith?

Father Ray • Father Ray is very thankful for the help and companionship he has received from kind people and for the ability to still say Mass. Is there a senior priest from your parish to whom you could reach out?

FIND MORE ONLINE GO TO FAITHPUB.COM TO FIND ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND RESOURCES

INSIDE July/August 2018

COVER STORY PAUL’S ‘AHA MOMENT’ CHANGED HIS LIFE AT KERYGMA ENCOUNTER P. 18

YOUR LIFE

YOUR FAITH

6 marriage matters

9 discipleship 101

Called to be apostles

He says: ‘We are struggling financially and I think I should get a second job.’ She says: ‘It’s more important to spend time with the kids.’ What do they do?

7 parenting journey How can I keep my child safe without being over-protective?

work life

How can I keep God in my workday?

8 goodlife What do you do when you have outgrown your friends?

10 grow

Work together to build God’s kingdom

11 go ‘God wants to get our attention’

12 in the know with Father Joe I really don’t understand the Trinity

14 special report

50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae

YOUR STORIES

15 ordination 2018 Meet the newest priest for the Diocese of Lansing

FOLLOW FAITH PUB SHARE YOUR FAITH WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS

22 feature story ‘It’s wonderful!’

Father Ray - still serving as one of our senior priests

PLUS

24 special announcement Msgr. Gerald Vincke from the Diocese of Lansing named as bishop of Salina, Kansas

30 popewatch

P. 15

5

YOUR LIFE

MARRIAGE MATTERS

HE SAYS:

We are struggling financially and I think I should get a second job I want the best for my family, so I want to take on a second job. Stacy will be home in the evenings with the kids.

SHE SAYS:

It’s more important to spend time with the kids

Work is an important part of our lives. But being away from WHAT DO your family because you’re THEY DO? working long hours can be as much a problem as not working enough.

STEVE AND BRIDGET PATTON

hold master’s degrees in theology and counseling and serve as family life ministers for the Diocese of Sacramento.

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Yes, work is important. Indeed, St. John Paul II, who worked long and hard his whole life, wrote that work is not only a necessary thing, but that through it “man also achieves fulfilment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes ‘more a human being.’”(Laborem Exercens, 9) But he also wrote with passion about the importance of protecting and nurturing family life: “The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family.”

(Familiaris Consortio, 75)

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GETTY IMAGES

We're getting by, and the family time is more important. We don't need an extra car or fancy vacations, and it’s more important that Mark spends quality time with the kids.

When balanced properly, work and family life will complement and not compete with each other. A healthy family life will nourish one’s ability to work, while the income and fulfillment one receives from his work will nourish his family life.

To find such a balance, Mark and Stacy must distinguish what their family really needs from what they want. It could help for each to write out their respective views of their family needs versus wants on a two-sided ledger.

They may have some reasonable differences of opinion about what these needs versus wants are, and likewise which items can and can’t be eliminated or delayed. And they should pray and talk their way toward a

shared view with care and mutual respect. But one thing should be clear: “Adequate kids’ quality time with dad” should be on the needs side of both of their ledgers.

There’s a sweet story making the rounds on the internet that delivers a punch about the importance of a father’s time: A little boy asks his overworked dad how much he makes an hour. Dad gets angry, but tells the boy how much. The boy then asks his dad to borrow that amount of money. Dad, now even angrier, asks, “For what?!” The boy answers, “I want to buy an hour of time just with you.” Dad, of course, starts weeping.

Mark and Stacy need to work together to make sure their children never feel the need to pay for their parents’ time.

YOUR LIFE PARENTING JOURNEY

YOUR LIFE WORK LIFE

How can I keep God in my workday?

Q

I really want to be more mindful of God throughout my workday, but it’s a challenge.

Any recommendations?

A

OVER-PROTECTIVE?

W

HEN OUR DAUGHTER KAITI announced that she was going to walk the Camino de Santiago, we were excited yet apprehensive (The Way [2010] is a movie about this pilgrimage). No traveling companions could be found, so she completed the pilgrimage alone.

Parents never outgrow concerns for their children’s safety, although eventually they must relinquish control.

T. GENNARA

DR. CATHLEEN MCGREAL

is a psychology professor and certified spiritual director.

The balance changes over time. For infants, safety depends on the parents, who put them on their backs to sleep and “babyproof” the house. But as children begin exploring the world, they push the boundaries of safety. Learning to walk leads to skinned knees, but it’s a necessary step toward autonomy. As children grow, parents need to reassess the balance that fosters independence but also enhances safety. Providing our reasoning models the decision-making process itself.

Be cautious, not overprotective. A modern translation of a Proverbs verse is, “The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence.” (Prv 14:16) The level of autonomy that is appropriate is dependent on the child’s age and maturity, as well as on the context.

Allowing a 12-year-old to stay at home alone after school is often reasonable, but allowing an 8-year-old to do the same would be inappropriate, and in some states illegal.

The May 1905 issue of Ladies Home Journal noted, “Statistics say that more than one-half of the children born into the world die before reaching maturity.” Now, with the advent of antibiotics, vaccinations and medical technology, our expectation is that every child will reach adulthood. Turn to prayer when concerns about safety grow overwhelming; Pray Joshua 1:9

• They start the day with a set time and place to pray. They offer up their schedule, meetings and tasks to God, visualizing in advance with the Holy Spirit and JIM BERLUCCHI asking for his inspiration. The is the executive Angelus is a noontime favorite as director of the well, or the Examen prayer.

Spitzer Center • They make use of tasteful, for Visionary and often discreet physical Leadership. reminders – a rosary or small crucifix in pocket, or a necklace with a cross. Some have modest religious images in their immediate work area or on their desktop if it’s allowed by their employer. Others place an image on equipment they’re using.

• They try to exercise Christian and human virtues – patience with difficult customers, a kind remark to a co-worker, not giving up on a difficult task, deciding not to complain, being humble rather than proud or pushy. They keep a sense of humor and don’t take themselves too seriously.

• They put forth their best effort. They have high standards of professionalism. They take good care of their tools and equipment. They show up on time and work diligently throughout the day.

• They make a conscious effort to love the people they meet and work with. They pray for them.

They’re cheerful and considerate. They offer to help and are willing to sacrifice for the greater good. They know how to apologize. They don’t gossip. They’re aware that every soul has a guardian angel – not visible to the human eye but glorious in splendor and ever-present.

T. GENNARA

How can I keep my child safe without being

It is a challenge, indeed. Work, like prayer, demands concentration. It’s filled with deadlines, tasks to be completed, frequent distractions and no short supply of aggravations.

The people I know who maintain presence of God at work seem to have developed these habits to sanctify their work days:

This is a long list, but any small step is a good step.

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”

(Jas 4:8)

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YOUR LIFE GOODLIFE

E V A H U O Y N E H W O D U O Y O D T A H W

OUTGROWN YOUR FRIENDS? SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE A WONDERFUL TOOL – until it begins to feel like a tether. When high school friendships are no longer up to date, but you are friends on Facebook, here are a few suggestions on how to put a little distance where needed when you come home to visit.

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1.

Pray about your role in the relationship(s). Remember, we are called to be God’s instruments. He may be placing you in their life for a reason. Be open to God’s will.

2.

Be honest. If you are OK with an occasional catch-up over coffee, be honest about having limited time when you’re visiting home. Let them know that visits every time just aren’t feasible.

3.

If you decide you are ready to terminate the relationship, let them

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know you love being in the loop online, but life is keeping you pretty busy right now.

Suggest staying in touch on Facebook for a while until your time is more flexible. A natural distancing typically occurs over time.

KEEP IN MIND:

All friendships aren’t meant to benefit us – sometimes we are called to bless others by giving of our time and providing a listening ear. Loving as God loves us requires us to evaluate our expectations of others and acknowledge God’s nudge when it is there.

BY CYNTHIA KAAN

YOUR FAITH DISCIPLESHIP 101

GETTY IMAGES

Called to be

APOSTLES

I

N 2018, FAITH CONTINUES TO OFFER the column, Discipleship 101, based on Sherry Weddell’s books, Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus (2012) and Fruitful Discipleship: Living the Mission of

Jesus in the Church and the World (2017). Sherry is a leading voice in the Catholic world in the field of forming missionary disciples – engaged Catholics who strive to grow as disciples of Jesus and go evangelize, sharing the Gospel with others.

Most Catholics don’t know that Pope Pius XII was a great champion of the term “lay apostle.” In his address to the Second World Congress, Pope Pius XII referred to “lay apostles” 23 times. In fact, he observed that, in 1957, “‘lay apostle’ is one of the terms most widely used in discussing the activities of the Church.” 1 Five years earlier, in 1952, Pius XII had spoken of his intense desire for huge numbers of both priestly and lay apostles: We would love to have vast phalanxes of apostles rise up, like those that the Church knew at her origins ... and next to the priests, let the laity speak, who have learned to penetrate the minds and hearts of their listeners with their word and love. Yes, bearers of life, penetrate, in every place – in factories, workshops, fields – wherever Christ has the right to enter. Offer yourselves, see

yourselves among your own kind, in diverse centers of work, in the same houses, closely and tightly united, in one thought and desire only. And then open wide your arms to welcome all who come to you, anxious for a helpful and reassuring word in this atmosphere of darkness and discomfort. 2 The pope was calling the laity to be magnanimous. The virtue of magnanimity is the aspiration to do great things, to bear great fruit for God and his Kingdom. Pope Pius XII knew that St. Thomas Aquinas called magnanimity the “ornament of all the virtues.” 3 The magnanimous person has the courage to seek out what is truly great and become worthy of it.

When I first encountered the idea that aspiring to this sort of holy greatness was considered to be a virtue by the Church, I had difficulty taking it in. Saints do great things for God. But aren’t ordinary lay Catholics supposed to be humble and not presumptuous, to minimize our abilities and significance, and avoid big expectations?

As we have observed hundreds of times in the Called & Gifted discernment process, even the idea of having charisms and being anointed for a mission unnerves many lay Catholics, especially those who are older. Believing that God might do something genuinely important and supernatural through them seems to lack humility. Over and over in the course of helping laypeople discern their charisms, they have told me of their deep belief in the virtue of living small and expecting little of God. As one particularly charming 84-year-old Scot told me in a lilting brogue, “I couldn’t have charisms! It wouldn’t be humble!”

We must recognize that humility is magnanimity’s necessary partner, the attitude before God that recognizes and fully accepts our creaturehood, and the immeasurable distance between the Creator and his creation. But in Catholic thought, humility never stands alone. Without magnanimity, we don’t see the whole of our dignity as human beings. Magnanimity and humility together enable us to keep our balance, to arrive at our proper worth before God, to persist in living our mission, and to persevere in seeking our eternal destiny despite apparent frustration and failure.

(Fruitful Discipleship: Living the Mission of Jesus in the Church and the World, Sherry A. Weddell, Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 2017, pp 28-29.)

SHERRY ANNE WEDDELL created the first charism discernment process specifically designed for Catholics in 1993. In 1997, she co-founded the Catherine of Siena Institute, an affiliated international ministry of the Western Dominican Province, and currently serves as Executive Director. Sherry has developed numerous unique formation resources that are used around the world.

1. P ope Pius XII, Guiding Principles of the Lay Apostolate, Second World Congress of the Lay Apostolate, October 5, 1957, emphasis added (online at https://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/ P12LAYAP.HTM, as of May 5, 2017).

2. Pope Pius XII, “Christians, Bearer of the Life of the Risen One,” Homily for Easter Sunday, 1952, Compendium on the New Evangelization (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2015), p. 14.

3. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II-II, q129, a4, Objection 3 (online at http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3129.htm, as of May 5, 2017).

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meet people right where they are and share the way Jesus has worked in our life. Our faith doesn’t begin with facts and doctrine. It starts with the story of how he has loved us.

Finally, we need to let the Holy Spirit guide us. If we work together, steeping our efforts in prayer, we can be assured that we can do what he’s asking.

Sometimes, our work is simply planting the seeds of his love and then stepping aside so he can finish the work. We have been called; now it’s time to respond – together!

GETTY IMAGES

GROW

as a disciple of Jesus

WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD GOD’S KINGDOM “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two.”

(Mk 6:7)

W

HEN MY KIDS WERE LITTLE, one sentence that could guarantee a wrinkle in my patience was, “I do it myself!” I

appreciated their independence, but sometimes they chose the most impossible tasks for a toddler to try solo, and they always seemed to do it when we were in a hurry. They just didn’t understand the importance of asking for help.

Our faith doesn’t begin with facts and doctrine.

It starts with the story of how Jesus has loved us.”

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This passage from Mark’s Gospel reminds me of that very same lesson I tried to teach my kids so many years ago – we don’t have to do it ourselves.

God sent the apostles two by two. The “original evangelization” was so important it took a pair or a team. The “New Evangelization” is just the same.

We are all called to live the Gospel and to share the Gospel by combining our gifts with those of others to do the work he has planned for us. Lucky for us, the instructions Mark wrote about are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them.

We need to work together, sharing our talents, knowledge and skill to build his kingdom here on earth. We need to trust in God’s provisions and his plan. He loves us too much to leave us stranded or ask us to do an impossible task. We are called to

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PRAY EVERY DAY: Spend some time in prayer asking the Father what his mission is for you. How is he asking you to use the gifts and talents he’s blessed you with and who can you team up with to use them?

STUDY THE FAITH: For some practical tips on how to spread the Gospel message, spend eight important minutes watching the Father Mike Schmitz video called, “Is shyness your excuse?” You can find this at ascensionpresents.com.

ENGAGE IN PARISH LIFE: Begin by sharing the love of Christ with the person in the pew next to you.

Pope Francis reminds us that the most powerful tool in evangelization is a smile.

SERVE OTHERS’ NEEDS: The heart of the Gospel message calls us to love and serve our neighbor, so find a partner and set off two by two to feed the hungry, comfort the lonely and offer comfort to the afflicted. Your service can be as simple as a casserole and a game of cards with a lonely parishioner, or as involved as becoming a regular volunteer at a soup kitchen or crisis pregnancy center.

SHERI WOHLFERT

is a Catholic school teacher, speaker, writer and founder of Joyful Words Ministries.

Sheri blogs at www.joyfulwords.org

GO ‘God wants to

evangelize

get our attention’

Heather Marsh is the coordinator of youth ministry at St. Elizabeth Parish in Tecumseh and Clinton. God calls Heather to boldly share her faith in and outside of her ministry work.

WITNESS My best friend was originally an employee of mine at another job.

God worked through our friendship, and she joined youth group and then post-confirmation class. She’s now a chaperone and a leader for our Core Team, the teen leadership group for the parish. One way she’s returned that witness is that she sees the beauty of our faith through brand-new eyes, which is so great for me to experience. We go to Mass together, and support each other in our journeys. This year, her younger sister chose her as her confirmation sponsor, which means a lot. When my friend went through confirmation prep herself, she didn’t realize the beauty of the faith and all it offered. Thanks to the way God worked through our friendship, it has become really important to my friend that her life is a witness, and the gift she received is passed on.

INVITATION I remember a specific prompt from the Holy Spirit to invite a young man to get involved in the Church. I started by asking him to go on the mission trip. It took three months for me and the teens to talk him into going. Invitation requires persistence! After the mission trip, we kept asking him to youth group and conferences. But he wouldn’t always come.

But there came a point where he was not only showing up, but he also became the person who was doing the inviting. He brought many people back into the Church by sharing his story. He’s a dynamic man who was, prior to this, in a very dark place dealing with depression. Those invitations meant I needed to meet him where he was at and not let go of hope – it wasn’t a one-and-done deal. He’s now a campus ministry scholar at Siena Heights University, and God is doing amazing things in his life.

ACCOMPANIMENT One of my former youth group members, Jake, is now in seminary. When he was in 10th grade, I gave a witness talk, and I cried as I spoke. Something inside of Jake said, “I couldn’t care less about being here, but she’s there crying – there must be something to this.” He decided to investigate what was going on. He started to pay attention in class, pray and dig deeper. By becoming involved in the Church, he met people who were also on fire for the Lord. He began to wonder if he was called to the priesthood. I’ve tried to support him from that first talk to this day. We walked, talked and prayed through some of his discernment together. Accompaniment is a necessary part of the journey because we can’t do this alone. This year, Jake graduated from college seminary, and will be at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the fall.

PRAYER Many times I have been at eucharistic adoration and the Holy Spirit has urged me to pray over someone I don’t know. Often, I’ll be praying with someone, and God will bring something to my mind to share with them. The truth about prayer is that God wants to speak to us, and he wants to remind us that he’s real and here and listening. The high schoolers call this “getting smacked by Jesus.” He’s getting our attention! But sometimes in prayer we aren’t quiet enough to listen – we live in a loud and chaotic world. This reality that God wants to get your attention in a really good way is powerful, and hearing his voice in prayer ultimately brings people into closer relationship with him.

BY MARY GATES | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM GENNARA

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I really don't understand the

TRINITY

YOUR FAITH IN THE KNOW WITH FATHER JOE

Q

DEAR FATHER JOE: Recently, at Mass, the priest told us it was Trinity Sunday and talked about how important the Trinity is. But honestly, I still don’t understand it. Can you help me understand the Trinity?

A

Well, that’s a tall order, but I assure you, I will do my best!

The key thing to remember about the Trinity is that we are always more wrong than right whenever we talk about it. It is so outside of our experience that we don’t really have a means to describe it. Any effort we make to describe it will ultimately fail, to some extent. Because of this, we simply do our best to say “This is the Trinity” by using images and models that we humans can wrap our brains around.

I think the best thing to do is offer the official definition of the Trinity, then break that definition down to try to make it understandable, and finish by looking at how this belief can change our lives.

So, let’s start with an official definition. I’ve thought a lot about this and checked out a lot of sources, and it seems to me that the clearest official explanation comes from The Council of Toledo in 675 AD. They wrote a lot about the Trinity, but let’s focus on these: We confess and we believe that the holy and indescribable Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one only God in his nature, a single substance, a single nature, a single majesty and power.

We acknowledge Trinity in the distinction of persons; we profess Unity because of the nature or substance.

The three are one, as a nature, that is, not as person.

Nevertheless, these three persons are not to be considered separable, since we believe that no one of 12

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them existed or at any time effected anything before the other, after the other, or without the other.

OK. That’s a lot. To break it down, we look at the words “holy” and “indescribable.” These two words right away give us the sense that we can’t quite wrap our vocabulary around it. God is Other – that’s a core idea of our faith. Even with that, it comes down to the idea that the Trinity is: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – three distinct persons that are one. The words “created” or “before/after” do not apply to them: they are outside of time.

Personally, I think the key to understanding the Trinity involves looking at the goal of marriage. St. Pope John Paul II gave us this idea. He talked about the Trinity as a “community of love,” and

T. Gennara

tied it to the sacrament of marriage. Think of it this way: when two people attempt marriage, they are attempting to become one; not figuratively, but literally. When this married couple joins together sexually, they FATHER are enacting with their bodies what the JOE KRUPP sacrament of marriage is doing with their is a former souls: making them one. The expression they comedy writer share with their bodies is a commitment and who is now a fuel for the work of becoming one heart, soul Catholic priest. and mind; each person will spend the rest @Joeinblack of their lives in a covenant commitment to get lost in the other – to remove the “I” from their love and become totally of the other. In the sacramental marriage, each person completely empties himself or herself into the other, and this creates a dynamic between them; creating spiritual, emotional and even physical life.

This is an extraordinary mystery, and we humans can only pull it off with God’s help. (Side note: this is why marriage is a sacrament that occurs in a sacred place!)

Take some time and ponder that wondrous and life-giving idea of marriage and know this: we get that idea by looking at the Trinity.

In the relationship of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, you have three persons who are constantly emptying the entirety of themselves into the other: the Father into the Son and Holy Spirit, the Son into the Holy Spirit and the Father and the Holy Spirit into the Son and the Father.

This is a dynamic, ever-moving, ever-creating thing that we call the Trinity.

The Trinity is, in the words of the Catechism “The central mystery of our faith.” (CCC 234) It would be a shame if, at this point, we stopped. Our belief in the Trinity should absolutely transform our lives because it is not just a concept that we try to explain, it is the focus of our worship and the model for our lives.

The Trinity is the focus of our worship. We stand in awe of this reality. We know we could never do it: we are too sinful, too selfish, too interested in things that don’t matter. As a result, we simply cannot imagine love so pure, so focused, so creative.

The more we ponder the Trinity, the more it should drive us to our knees in wonder and awe. This is why we celebrate Mass: to worship. At the core of all good worship is the simple idea: You, Lord, are great and vast; I am small and breakable.

The Trinity is the model of our lives. We who hold to this ancient belief understand that we must imitate the Trinity in all our brokenness. We pour ourselves out for God and for others.

We hold nothing back in our love and service. We sacrifice, we make our lives about more than us. We see that, being created by a community of persons, community is where we will always be most human.

So, this is all I can do in the space I have been given. Please take this simple offering and let it be a seed in your heart for a deeper and more challenging way of worshipping God and of loving and serving each other. May God make our love like his.

Enjoy another day in God’s Presence!

Ave Maria University Seeking Volunteer Football Scouts: Do you enjoy high school football? Would you like to help young Catholic men have an opportunity to attend an authentic Catholic university and play football? If so … Ave Maria University (AMU) could use your help! AMU is developing a scout network in Michigan to help identify Catholic football players from all schools (public / private / Catholic) in this area.

Generous scholarships are available.

For more details, please contact Dr. Gary Jackson, Michigan Scout Coordinator, at gjackson@ avemariafoundation.org or 734-516-9615.

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for the reconsideration of the Church’s position on birth control.

In response, Pope St. John XXIII established the Pontifical Commission on Birth Control in 1963 to study questions of population and birth control.

After Pope St. John XXIII’s death in the same year, Pope Paul VI expanded the size of this commission.

In 1966, the commission overwhelmingly (64 of the 69 members) proposed that the pope use his authority to approve at least some form of contraception for married couples with the implication that artificial contraception might not be intrinsically evil. The commission argued the use of contraceptives should be treated as an extension of the already accepted method of naturally calculating the infertile periods of the woman in order to intentionally avoid pregnancy and thereby regulate births.

However, a minority within the same commission issued a separate report opposing the majority’s position. They argued that changing n July 25, 2018, the Church will celebrate the 50th anniversary the Church’s of the papal encyclical, Humanae Vitae. The encyclical was teaching would written by Blessed Pope Paul VI in 1968. It focuses on God’s plan constitute an for married love and the transmission of life. admission that the Holy

BY DOUG CULP Spirit had failed to protect the THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT Church from a very serious error, which had led to Church leaders to In 1930, the Anglican Church condemn thousands of what were signaled for the first time its ultimately innocent human acts. acceptance of birth control within Two years later, Pope Paul VI marriage at the Seventh Lambeth explained in Humanae Vitae (6) Conference. Within a couple that the commission’s findings of decades, most of the other did not relieve him of the duty to mainline American Protestant exercise his own due diligence in denominations had followed suit. considering the questions before Then, in 1960, with the the Church – a requirement that introduction of the first oral was all the more necessary given contraceptives, a call was issued that the commission itself was

Special Report:

50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae O

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divided in its final conclusions. In the end, the pope rejected the commission’s recommendations in the encyclical, while explicitly allowing natural family planning.

THE ENCYCLICAL In Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI emphasized that married love involves the totality of the spouses. In marriage, each is called to give his/her very self unconditionally to the other in a love that is faithful, exclusive and fertile, i.e., married love is ordered toward parenthood.

In addition, because natural law reveals that the marriage act is inseparably both unitive and procreative, an act which has the effect of impairing the capacity to transmit life would contradict natural law and, thereby, eternal law, the very wisdom of God directing all of creation to its proper end. For this reason, artificial birth control, sterilization and abortion “are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children.” Each of these contravenes the laws of conception which permit us to be “the minister of the design established by the Creator.”

At the same time, the pope asserted that responsible parenthood could delay the begetting of children “for serious reasons and with due respect to moral precepts.” However, this “must be done within the limits of the order of reality established

by God.” In other words, this must be done by working with “the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system.”

The key distinction between this approach, what we would now refer to as natural family planning, and artificial means of birth control is that this natural approach remains open to God’s design.

YOUR STORIES

2018

ORDINATION THE DIOCESE OF LANSING WAS BLESSED with a new priest on June 9. Bishop Earl Boyea ordained John Machiorlatti to the priesthood at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing. In the following pages, meet our newest priest for the Diocese of Lansing and enjoy photos of his ordination. You can view more photos at WWW.FAITHPUB.COM. PHOTOGRAPHY

BY TOM GENNARA

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How did you know you were called to the priesthood? I began receiving promptings from the Lord when I was in second or third grade. The idea of priesthood came into my head and wouldn't go away. At the time, I didn't think anything of it (I didn’t know what it was), but looking back I can see it for what it was ... the beginning of God calling me.

Before entering seminary, I worked for the U.S. Army Office of the Judge Advocate, European Command, in Heidelberg, Germany. The seed planted back stateside manifested itself in a way that was again preparing me for the next step, which was a willingness to say yes – to look into this particular vocation of priesthood.

But it didn’t happen overnight. For some reason, I felt compelled and prompted by the Holy Spirit – approximately three times a day, while taking a break, I would walk around the base praying either the rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I think it was the work of Mary over several months to slowly prepare me for the encounter I would have with a priest in the confessional when he asked me if I ever consider the priesthood. I believe the Lord was getting me into a place where I would finally be open and willing to surrender to his will for me.

Q

INTERESTED IN PRIESTHOOD? CONTACT FATHER JOHN LINDEN AT 517.342.2507

Father John Machiorlatti

2018

ORDINATION

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Father John Machiorlatti was

raised in East Grand Rapids and has six brothers and sisters. He is assigned to St. John Church, Davison.

FAITH Magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

Who influenced your decision to become a priest? My mother was very influential. She would regularly go on retreats and bring back different audio cassettes on different topics and would share them with me. Also, my mother was a long-term survivor with cancer. By watching hewr, I learned to be courageous with my faith, and saw on a day-to-day basis what the Lord could and would do for the ones who followed him.

When I was growing up, I knew a couple of priests who were holy, kind and gentle. Then when I was studying in East Lansing and adopted St. John Student Center, I got to know Father Mark Inglot and Father Joe Krupp. I didn’t know it at the time, but these two priests and their lived examples were preparing me to be more open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary

Q

What advice do you have for discerning a vocation? Be patient with yourself and give God time to make clear to you what he wants. Most of us spend years running from God doing our own thing.

I think you should try to give God at least as much time as you spent running to listening patently for his words. It is not as if he is not talking, but for most of us (I include myself here), we are just so bad at listening.

Then trust that he will reveal to you the next step he is asking of you and be willing to say “yes.”

Q

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PAUL’S ‘AHA MOMENT’ CHANGED HIS LIFE at Kerygma encounter Readers met Paul Fahey in the 2008 teen issue of FAITH Magazine. Back then, Paul told us that he wanted to study theology in college Why am I prou d to

and become a youth minister.

Meet Michael be Catholic?

Sulliv this year’s Fathe an, winner of r Charles Teen Essay ContIrvin est.

Unlike some teens whose

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plans change as they hit

What Psal een did on summerm6t vacation – Played for the pope at World Youth Day.

campus, Paul never wavered.

Today, he is the director of

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What’s it like to be a priest?

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A day in the life Father Mark Ingloof t

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religious education at Most Holy Trinity Parish in Fowler.

Paul had an “aha” moment the summer after graduation when he went to his fifth Steubenville Youth Conference. “I had avoided confession on all the other conferences, but at this one, it was like the speakers were talking directly to me. The Holy Spirit put this huge call on my heart to go to confession. I did, with some fear and trembling. I walked out of the confessional 20 pounds lighter and a different person. I understood I had to do things different. This is probably when I opened myself to receive the grace I was given in confirmation years earlier,” he says. Following the conference, Paul entered Aquinas College. He recalls, “I fell in love with learning about the faith and realized I wanted to work for the Church and help students as much as I could; I quickly decided I wanted to study theology. Faith became my driving force and my relationship with Jesus grew.”

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THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, CATECHESIS, AND YOUTH MINISTRY is generously supported by your DSA dollars.

“The Kerygma Encounter has made me more passionate about what I teach because it adds a layer of depth and meaning that wasn’t there before

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YOUR STORIES COVER STORY

PAUL GRADUATED WITH his theology degree in 2012 and married Kristina. He became director of religious education (DRE) at at Most Holy Trinity in 2014. He says, “Being a part of this community has been a huge blessing. The parish community is outstanding and allowed both my wife and I, who now have four children, to grow in our faith. I have learned an incredible amount about faith from teaching it. And the students have taught me how to teach by how they grasp the lesson. I need to constantly tweak how I present something.”

Paul recently had another "aha" moment. He attended a Kerygma Encounter Retreat in May of 2017. “I left that day chewing on ideas that were both challenging and intriguing. I had a lot to ponder,” he says.

Kerygma Encounter is a oneday retreat designed for catechists and DREs; it is one component of their catechist formation.

The day features four main talks focusing on the heart of faith: Who is God?; Who is Man?; Why Jesus?; and union with God. The focus of each session is to help those in catechetical roles understand God made humans to be in relationship with him and actually share in God’s divine nature. Each talk is followed by silent prayer and time to seek answers to questions that surfaced.

For Paul, the question was about the concept of our sharing in God’s divine nature. It "wasn’t part of my catechetical experience. This

The encounter has helped me understand it’s not by my effort that I become holy but rather by leaning more and more into my relationship with Christ and the sacraments that God makes me holy.

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FAITH asked Tim Carpenter, director of religious education for the diocese, about how catechists and parents can work together to educate our children in the faith.

was a new and shocking idea. God became man so we might become God? That teaching was more than scandalous to me. The retreat gave me the opportunity to break this concept open, pray about it and ask as many questions as I needed.

I realized God wants more than relationship. He wants us to partake in his very nature. We are being remade through grace to participate in God’s divinity.

“I’d never heard these ideas presented in such a systematic, cohesive way. It really ties everything together and deepens the meaning of our beliefs, like how the sacraments are ways God gives us himself to remake us into his image. Or how living the moral law becomes possible, even easy, the more we allow Christ to remake us into his image. And the purpose of prayer is for God to transform us into his image. I realized all these concepts are tied to specific things I teach. I studied theology in college and had been teaching awhile, so there was a moment of humility when I thought, ‘How did I not know

this? How did I miss this?’”

After leaving the encounter, Paul basically scrapped his prepared lesson for an upcoming confirmation class in order to incorporate what was shared at the retreat. He continues: “Confirmation doesn’t make sense by itself. It’s when God sends the Holy Spirit to remake us so we can become like him on earth. This is what confirmation is all about.

“The Kerygma Encounter has made me more passionate about what I teach because it adds a layer of depth and meaning that wasn’t there before. Maybe it was there but not as explicit. It’s reoriented how I teach, how I understand.” Paul is hopeful that his students’ understanding of faith will click sooner than his did. Paul was confirmed around the eighth grade and active in youth group, but it wasn’t until after his senior year in high school that he began to grasp what faith was all about.

“When I first started learning about my faith, I had a lot of apologetic zeal about being right.

I realize how judgmental I used to

• Catechesis needs to be an experience. It needs to be great content presented in a beautiful way. The content itself is beautiful, so the method in which it’s conveyed needs to be beautiful so that it addresses the human heart, the human soul.

• Parents are laying the foundation. And that is not an intellectual foundation. It is that God exists and that you can trust him. Essentially that’s what parents are going to model.

• At home, we model it by talking about God as if he’s a real person. We talk about God in a way that shows we trust him. We put on display our trust in God’s providence that he is orchestrating something and we’re a part of it.

• Pray with your kids on a regular basis. And then be ready to answer questions. Tell them you don’t know. Look up answers. Send them to people who do know. If parents do that with their kids and they send them to religious education, the catechist will be able to be successful.

be; life has taught me to be more empathetic. I love Pope Francis and his explanation that the Church is a field hospital and we are to be about loving people and bringing them the mercy of Christ.

“My faith brings me a deep sense of peace despite the chaos of the world. Faith is something you can root yourself in to experience a joy and happiness not found in the secular world, where joy and happiness are shallow; with God it is deeper. Maximilian Kolbe, my favorite saint, modeled this. As a prisoner of Auschwitz, he lived the worst the world can give and yet, by all accounts, he was a person of peace.”

The Kerygma Encounter centered Paul's faith, “The encounter has helped me understand it’s not by my effort that I become holy but rather by leaning more and more into my relationship with Christ and the sacraments that God makes me holy.”

BY ROSE ROBERTSON PHOTOGRAPHY

BY JIM LUNING

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PRAY PRAY FOR THE SENIOR PRIESTS IN OUR DIOCESE.

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BY ROSE ROBERTSON PHOTOGRAPHY

BY TOM GENNARA

‘i t's wonderful!’

Father Ray - still serving as one of our senior priests

WITH A HUGE GRIN and hearty laugh, Father Raymond Urbanek quickly describes his status as a senior priest: “It’s wonderful! I can celebrate Mass and then go home. I don’t have to worry about finances, signing people up for committees or listening to complaints.

The hard part for me now is preparing my homilies. Between my illness and age, my concentration isn’t what it used to be.” With a twinkle in his eye, he adds, “My homilies have gotten shorter, which probably makes people happy.”

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THE OFFICE FOR PRIESTLY LIFE AND MINISTRY is made possible by your generous support of the DSA.

Seventy-eight years young, Father Ray suffers from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and emphysema. His oxygen tank is his constant companion and yet, he keeps a full schedule. He says, “The first miracle of the day is I can get over to church. I say Mass every Thursday morning, Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Someone helps me into the sanctuary, where I sit on a stool through the whole Mass; our deacon, John Marsh, assists me. On Saturdays, I also hear confessions.”

Father Ray belongs to the parish senior group and enjoys potlucks with them once a month. Great Lakes Hospice assists him with health care needs several times a week, while parishioners frequently drop in for visits. One couple has adopted him: “Their last name is Angell and they are angels to me. They take me out to eat, help me run errands, go to events in Lansing – and once a week they come change my linens.” Father Ray reflects on the constraints his medical condition places on him, “Sometimes I get down because I can’t give more, but I am just not capable of it.”

Recalling his full-time ministry, he says, “My favorite part of being a priest was when I’d get called in the middle of the night to go to the hospital or a home to anoint someone. That is when I felt most alive. I never grumbled. I truly enjoyed doing it. Now, I can’t drive anymore, I need to take my oxygen tank, so it’s not possible.” Father Ray also misses going to the nursing homes to say Mass, anoint or simply take Communion.

Ever an optimist, he chooses to see the positive. “I am happy, though, because I have plenty to keep me

going,” he says. I’m proud that, even with my medical condition, I can still celebrate Mass and get around.”

Father Ray has been getting around as a priest for some time. Entering a Benedictine monastery after high school graduation, he was ordained a priest for the order in 1968. “I always had a feeling I was meant to be a priest. Other careers crossed my mind, but entering the monastery and being ordained was always the most prominent. I have enjoyed being a priest for 50 years, and I’d do it all over again,” he says.

For 20 years, Father Ray served as a monk with the Benedictines, only able to preside at Mass on the weekends when he was sent to a parish. “I wanted greater contact with the people and opportunities to use my vocation more often, so I transferred to the Diocese of Lansing. I was a sacramental minister in Montrose before going to St. John the Evangelist in Fenton. After three years, I became the pastor of St. Mary in Mt. Morris. Eight years later, I was appointed pastor of Holy Family in Ovid. I liked moving around to different parishes. The only negative part,” he chuckles, “was moving all my stuff!”

Over those ministerial years, Father Ray learned how important it was to not be hypocritical. “You can’t tell the people one thing and then do another,” he says. He also found value in structuring his homilies to dispense realistic examples. “I always gave them something practical to do to carry the message into their lives. I feel I have been good at explaining our faith, why we do things the way we do and how to live it.”

Living amongst the parishioners has brought Father Ray, a humble man, to understand that people are basically good. He says: “We hear all this junk on TV about what’s going on and it clouds our opinion. I think people mean well toward others. Everybody is struggling to make a living, be faithful to one another and to the Lord. There is more good going on in the world than we realize.”

Father Ray encourages people to remember other senior priests. “Visit them once in awhile with a card or a call and maybe take them some food. And on the holidays, don’t forget they are around. I really appreciate it when people do these things for me.”

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Msgr. Gerald Vincke from the Diocese of Lansing named as bishop of Salina, Kansas

FAITH Magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

Bishopelect Jerry Vincke chats with chancery staff following morning prayer on June 13, 2018, in Salina, Kan. Bishopelect Vincke was announced as the 12th Bishop of the Salina Diocese.

KAREN BONAR / THE REGISTER.

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KAREN BONAR / THE REGISTER.

Pope Francis has named Reverend Msgr. Gerald Vincke as the Bishop of Salina, Kansas.

Bishop Earl Boyea said "The Diocese of Lansing is very happy to join in the celebration of the nomination of Monsignor Gerald Vincke as the 12th Bishop of the Diocese of Salina, Kansas. The priests of our diocese as well as myself will deeply miss our brother priest as he moves into this new ministry. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has honored not only Msgr. Vincke but our diocese with this appointment.

"We offer to Pope Francis our love and gratitude. Certainly, the good people of Holy Family Parish in Grand Blanc, Michigan, will also miss their pastor since they recognize in him the very gifts which the Holy See finds will provide loving leadership to the Diocese of Salina. He is a fine priest, a man of deep faith in Jesus Christ, and a gentle soul. Our loss is most sincerely their gain."

Msgr. Vincke was born the ninth of ten He is a fine children in Saginaw, Michigan, on July 9, priest, a 1964. His mother still lives at the family farm.

He attended New Lothrop High School man of deep (was a football wide receiver) and Ferris faith in Jesus State University (an editor of the school Christ, and a newspaper), obtaining a degree in public gentle soul. relations and marketing. He completed his philosophy studies at Thomas More Our loss is College in Crestview, Kentucky, and then most sincerely his theology studies at the Athenaeum their gain.”

Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, and at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan.

He was ordained to the priesthood on June 12, 1999.

He served as parochial vicar at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Ann Arbor from 1999 to 2001 when he became chaplain at Bethany House, our retreat house for youth. He attended Creighton University for spirituality courses in the summer of 2001. Additionally, he became the director of seminarians and vocation director in 2003, becoming full-time in these positions and relinquishing Bethany House in 2004. He was appointed to the North American College as a spiritual director in 2010, where he served until 2015. While in Rome, he completed the requirements for the S.T.L. (Licentiate in Sacred Theology), with a focus on spiritual theology, in 2015. His tesina is entitled: “Following the Path of St. John Vianney for the New Evangelization with Evangelii Gaudium as a Guide.” In 2012 he was made a monsignor by Pope Benedict. In 2015, upon his return to the Diocese of Lansing, he was assigned as the pastor of Holy Family Parish in Grand Blanc, Michigan. In addition, he currently serves on the presbyteral council and the College of Consultors of the Diocese of Lansing.

The Catholic Funeral ... Factually!

T

Very personal decisions influenced by your faith and beliefs

he Diocese of Lansing Cemeteries and the Gorsline Runciman, Hill, Brown and Reigle Funeral Homes are committed to providing educational opportunities to our community parishes. Below are dates, times and locations of our educational programs.

JULY 18 Church of the Resurrection, Lansing 7-8:30 p.m. Rev. Steve Mattson, Presenter

JULY 31 Good Shepherd Church, Montrose 7-8:30 p.m. Rev. Gordon Reigle, Presenter AUGUST 14 IHM, Lansing 6-7:30 p.m. Rev. John Byers, Presenter AUGUST 21 Holy Family, Grand Blanc

3 Programs: 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Senior Group 3-4:30 p.m. Staff 6:30-8 p.m. Parish Community

Msgr. Jerry Vincke, Presenter

SEPTEMBER 5 St. Michael, Grand Ledge Two Programs: 1:15-3:45 p.m. Senior Group 6:30-8 p.m. Parish Community

Rev. Jim Eisele, Presenter OCTOBER 9 St. James/Cornelius and Cyprian at St. James, Mason 7-8:30 p.m. Rev. Kusitino Cobona, Presenter NOVEMBER 13 St. Martha, Okemos 6-7:30 p.m. Rev. Mike Murray, Presenter DECEMBER 10 St. John Catholic Church, Davison 6-7:30 p.m. Msgr. Andrew Czajkowski, Presenter

We invite you to attend by calling 517-484-2500 for your reservation.

2 018 K N IGH T S FA M I LY N IGH T to celebr at e vocat ions F R I D AY, A U G U S T 1 0 , 2 0 1 8 AT C OOLEY LAW SCHOOL STADIUM Last year, roughly 2,000 Roman Catholics from around the Diocese of Lansing enjoyed a game with Bishop Boyea!

Thanks to everyone who participated!

For more information, visit lansinglugnuts.com. To be added to the email list, contact: Eric Pionk, Lansing Lugnuts group sales manager, 517.485.4500, ext. 256.

YOUR COMMUNITY THINGS TO DO

RETREAT CENTERS

July 11, 18 and 25, 7 p.m., St. John the Baptist, Howell will have “Basic Catholic Teaching Marriage Prep.”

To register, contact the parish office at 517.546.7200.

DOMINICAN CENTER AT MARYWOOD, GRAND RAPIDS, 616.514.3325 or DOMINICANCENTER.COM/ • July 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m., “Creative Transformation: Imagination – the Alley into Spiritual Growth”: In this workshop, you will play with imagination as you grow deeper in relationship with God. Cultivate a deeper love for self through creative writing and visual journaling.

Techniques to create your visual journal will be demonstrated.

Feel free to bring your own journal to the workshop. No artistic experience required. Cost: $20, includes materials.

July 13-15 in Ann Arbor and Aug. 10-12 in Lansing: Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat for men and women who are suffering from guilt, sadness, anger or post-abortion stress. The retreat is hosted in a supportive, confidential and nonjudgmental environment. To register for Ann Arbor, contact Beth Bauer at 734.879.0427 or toheal4give@outlook.com; to register for Lansing, contact Della Seeley at the New Life Center Office at 517.993.0291 or nlcrachelsvineyard@gmail.com.

July 20-21, 6-8:30 p.m., gate opens at 5 p.m., Knights of Columbus, Gaines, Council 12186 will host its annual rodeo – with family friendly entertainment put on by a professional company. Admission is $12 for adults, $5 ages 5-18 and free age 4 and under. Proceeds will help to support local pantries and the Church. For information, contact Mike Gentry at mgentry000@aol. com.

July 21, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., St. John the Baptist, Howell will have its annual Car Show, which includes: a silent/ auction, 50/50 raffle, car show entrant raffle, awards, live music, food and family fun. Admission: Show Car entry is $20; general admission is $5 per car load. For information, contact the parish office at 517.546.7200.

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July 24, St. Agnes, Fowlerville will have a trip to Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek. Cost is $35 and includes: roundtrip bus transportation and money in free slot play or to use toward dining or gift shop. The bus will leave St. Agnes’ parking lot at 10 a.m. and will return at 5:15 p.m. Before the bus leaves, a complimentary breakfast will be served in LPC-A/B at 9 a.m. A reservation is required to participate; contact the parish office at 517.223.8684.

July 26-29, Most Holy Trinity Parish, Fowler’s Festival. A schedule and

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ST. FRANCIS RETREAT CENTER, DEWITT, 866.669.8321 or STFRANCIS.WS • Aug. 14-16, “Summer Scripture Days – Experience God through the Book of Psalms”: Understanding and Praying with the Psalms. Cost for three days’ lodging, meals and materials is $175. There also is the option to commute. To register, call or visit the website.

WEBER RETREAT AND CONFERENCE CENTER, ADRIAN, 517.266.4000 or WEB.ADRIANDOMINICANS.ORG/PROGRAMS/ PROGRAMS.ASPX • July 16-20, attend a private directed retreat to reflect peacefully, rest in God's presence and get refreshed and restored. Experience the serenity and clarity that come from listening to God's Holy Spirit within you, guided by daily spiritual direction to help you process and clarify your insights. Cost is $425 and includes: private room, meals and daily spiritual direction. Commuter rate is $225. To register, call or visit the website. registration forms are available at www.mhtparish.com by clicking on the parish festival event image.

Events include: a classic car show; Las Vegas tent and Adult Social tent with food/drinks; 5k race; volleyball tournament; inflatables, children’s games; and raffle drawings for cash prizes totaling $6,000. For information, contact the parish office at 989.593.2162.

All Faith Ministry for Disabilities and the Diocese of Lansing’s Disabilities Ministry will host two special needs Masses at 2 p.m. on July 29 and Aug. 26, followed by refreshments at the St. Francis Retreat Center Chapel, 703 E. Main St., DeWitt.

Please RSVP to Cathy Blatnik by July 24 and Aug. 21 at 517.381.1410 or lcblatnik@juno.com. Everyone is welcome.

Aug. 3, 5-11 p.m. and Aug. 4, noon11 p.m., St. Michael Parish, Grand Ledge’s annual Funfest will have live entertainment, kids’ games, concessions, live and silent auctions and more. For more information, visit the parish website at www. stmichaelgl.org.

Aug. 3-5, St. Casimir, Lansing’s Corn Roast Festival. Please join

us for great food, our famous corn on the cob, beer tent, live band, dancing, raffles, children’s games and more. Be sure to purchase your raffle tickets: $10 ticket to win $2,000 in cash; $10 ticket to win a Big Screen TV; and $1 ticket for cash prizes. For more information, call 517.482.1346.

Aug. 19, St. Agnes Parish, Fowlerville will host its 26th annual Funfest. A day of fun activities for everyone, including: live auction, chicken dinner, rock climbing wall, extreme air jumpers, silent auction, children’s games and hourly 50/50 drawings. The celebration will culminate with a jackpot raffle drawing at 3 p.m. For information, please call Liz Heslip at 517.223.8684.

Sept. 8, 8 a.m., registration and 9 a.m., presentation, a senior health fair, “Navigating the Golden Years: Understanding your Medical, Financial and Housing Decision as you Age,” will be held in St. Thomas Aquinas’ school gym, 915 Alton Rd., East Lansing. It is free, but registration is required. Contact Margaret Grima at 517.342.2555 or mgrima@dioceseoflansing.org.

Register by Aug. 30.

LOCAL NEWS

JULY/AUGUST CAFÉ EVENTS Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m., Blessed Solanus Casey Talk at St. John the Baptist, Howell: Msgr. Ron Brown from the Archdiocese of Detroit will be the guest speaker. His presentation will be about “Saints in the Catholic Church,” with specific stories about the path to sainthood for Blessed Solanus Casey. Q&A will be available afterward.

Families are encouraged to come and learn about this important cause for canonization. Msgr. Ronald Browne is judicial vicar for the Archdiocese of Detroit and, since 2014, Archbishop Vigneron’s delegate for the cause of Father Solanus. He worked on the miracle investigation that was completed earlier this year.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF JACKSON, LENAWEE AND HILLSDALE COUNTIES, JACKSON: 517.782.2551 or ADRIAN: 517.263.2191 or CATHOLICCHARITIESJLHC.ORG Sept. 10, 6-9 p.m. and Sept. 11, 6-9 p.m., a WE C.A.R.E. marriage preparation class will take place at Queen of the Miraculous Medal, Seton Hall, 606 S. Wisner St., Jackson. Both classes must be attended.

Cost is $75 per couple. Registration forms are available on the website: catholiccharitiesjlhc.org. Pre-registration with payment is required.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SHIAWASSEE AND GENESEE COUNTIES, 810.232.9950 (FLINT) or 989.723.8239 (OWOSSO), WEBSITE CCSGC.ORG Field trip opportunities are available for schools and youth groups. To learn how you can serve those in need at Catholic Charities Center for Hope, call 810.265.7025, ext. 714.

As you travel this summer, please remember Catholic Charities needs travelsized toiletries for its Community Closets, which are distributed free of charge to clients and families. For more information, call 810.265.7025 in Genesee County and 989.723.8239 in Shiawassee County.

Back-to-School Roundup: Please don’t forget children CCSGC assists.

It is accepting gently used uniforms, school clothes, back packs, pens, pencils, crayons, markers, glue sticks, rulers, notebooks and folders. For information, call 989.723.8239 in Shiawassee County and 810.265.7025 in Genesee County.

CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES OF WASHTENAW COUNTY, 734.327.9717 or CSSWASHTENAW.ORG The Washtenaw Child Advocacy Center provides and coordinates multidisciplinary services for children who have been sexually abused and/or severely physically abused, in addition to offering counseling for their non-offending family members.

You can support the WCAC by donating new printing/construction paper, bottled water or a water cooler, packaged (healthy) snacks or subscriptions to children’s magazines. If you would like to volunteer, the WCAC needs someone to answer phones and/or supervise children waiting for appointments. Training is provided. To support the WCAC, contact Cathi Kelley at 734.544.2905. Learn more at www.csswashtenaw.org/wcac.

LIVINGSTON COUNTY CATHOLIC CHARITIES, 517.545.5944 or LIVINGSTONCATHOLICCHARITIES.ORG July 16, 5-7 p.m., if you are thinking about becoming a foster parent, please attend this Foster Care Information Meeting for persons interested in learning more about foster care. To attend, RSVP by calling Carrie to reserve a seat at 517.545.5944.

This is a recurring meeting on the third Monday of every month.

ST. VINCENT CATHOLIC CHARITIES, 517.886.1150 AND 517.323.4734 or STVCC.ORG For summer, donations of tickets and gift cards to local baseball games, movies or other local activities are always welcomed to help provide normalizing activities for the children in St. Vincent Children’s Home. For more information, call 517.323.4734 ext.1356.

HOLY CROSS SISTER MARGARET MARY LAVONIS CELEBRATES GOLDEN JUBILEE Sister Margaret Mary (Margie) Lavonis, CSC, who currently serves as a communications assistant for the congregation’s Communications Office, worked in campus ministry and served five years at the University of Michigan. She will be honored during a jubilee celebration for her 50 years of consecrated life as a Sister of the Holy Cross.

PRIEST ASSIGNMENTS Bishop Boyea announces the following pastoral assignments - effective July 1, 2018 unless otherwise noted.

•R ev. Robert Bacik, diocesan chaplain for the Knights of Columbus.

• Rev. Paul Erickson, state chaplain for the Knights of Columbus.

• Rev. Phil Sessions, to senior priest status, effective July 31, 2018.

2018 JUBILARIANS The following priests are celebrating their 50th anniversary of priestly ordination: • Rev. David Harvey • Rev. William Koenigsknecht • Rev. James Lothamer, PSS • Rev. Douglas Osborn • Rev. Raymond Urbanek • Rev. Louis Madey The following priests are celebrating their 25th anniversary of priestly ordination: • Rev. William Ashbaugh • Rev. Brendan Walsh 27

LOCAL NEWS

ON THE PATH TO SAINTHOOD … and connected to the Diocese of Lansing T

HE CAUSE FOR CANONIZATION is in progress for Servant of God Father Joseph Walijewski, a priest from the Diocese of

La Crosse and the uncle of Father Mark Inglot, pastor of St. Thomas and St. John Student Center in East Lansing. On May 27, Father Mark traveled to La Crosse to join Bishop William Patrick Callahan of the Diocese of La Crosse in celebrating Mass to mark the completion of the investigation of Father Joseph Walijewski’s life. The documents collected will be delivered to Rome.

Father Joe was born in Grand Rapids in 1924 to poor Polish parents. Despite economic hardships, the family kept the faith. According to Father Mark, this faith was the source of Father Joe’s energy and true joy. “He had an energy that came from God himself, because he never seemed to tire. He was always there for the family, although he was down in South America founding cities and missions. He was a very important part of our family, and our family was important to him.” He came home for events – including Father Mark’s ordination, and even bought him his chalice.

Father Mark says it is “very humbling” to have an uncle who is up for canonization. Father Joe died in 2006, but even years after his death, hundreds of people daily visit his tomb in Peru. “He was a holy 28

FAITH Magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

man,” he says. “He was an inspiration to everyone in my family and he was one of the reasons I am a priest today.”

After struggles with academics – especially languages, because Polish was his first language – he was told that he could not continue to major seminary in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Father Joe promised God that he would give five years to the missions if God would help him find a seminary. After much searching, he found the Diocese of La Crosse, which needed Polish-speaking priests for their farming community. He was accepted and ordained in 1950.

Father Joe made his promise known to the bishop, who allowed him to serve in the missions.

“Instead of five years, it turned into 50,” Father Mark says.

Father Joe’s service as a missionary marked his life until his passing in 2006. He had a deep compassion and concern for the orphaned, the poor and the marginalized. “He really did have the heart of a missionary,” Father Mark says. After his ordination, his uncle served as a missionary in Bolivia, where he built a mission parish, Santa Cruz, which also became the city of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Then, he went to Peru to aid the poor, and founded an orphanage and another parish. Both Pope St. John Paul II and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) visited Father Joe in Peru.

He was a great believer that the way out of poverty was education. “The orphanage provides for all their needs, but in addition to food, clothing, shelter and education, the biggest thing they give them is Jesus,” Father Mark says. “‘Love them back into health’ – that's what Father Joe used to say.”

Father Mark had the opportunity to visit his uncle shortly before his death, as well as attend his funeral: “I was shocked at his funeral and the impact he made on so many people.” More information on his life and his path to sainthood can be found at www.FrJoesGuild.org.

THE DEDICATION OF FLINT TO MARY, MOTHER OF FLINT On Sunday, May 13, the Catholic Community of Flint came together at St. Mary Church for the dedication of the city of Flint to Mary. Bishop Boyea presided at the Mass, which was standing-room-only. Father Tom Firestone, pastor of the Catholic Community of Flint, said: “We should never take for granted that we are one Church. It is a struggle to be one Church, but with the prayers and intercessory power that Mary, Mother of Flint holds for us, we will continue to grow in grace. Our Lady gave us the person of Jesus Christ, and continues her mission. Now let us proceed with our mission. May Mary, Mother of Flint bless our endeavor in bringing Jesus Christ once again into our lives, our city.”

2018 THEOLOGICAL STUDIES PROGRAM GRADUATES

FRONT ROW (L-R): Kevin Wiley, Scott Knight, Chester Pesmark, Bert Schomberger (coordinator of lay ministry); MIDDLE: Phil Guyeskey, Ernie Bodine, Todd Dahlberg, Patrick McGuire; BACK: Father Jonathon Perotta, Peter Hansen, Dcn. Randy Desrochers, Bishop Boyea, Father Dave Speicher

On June 6 at St. Mary Cathedral, Bishop Boyea presided at the annual Mass for 9 laity who have completed all 12 classes in the Catholic Theological Studies Program through Siena Heights University and the Diocese of Lansing. These men have completed degrees or certificates in theology this year, which were presented at the reception afterward. As Bishop Boyea said, “God, send your Spirit upon them to help them be the agents of the fire of your love.” For information on this program, contact Bert Schomberger, coordinator of lay ministry for the diocese, at 517.342.2521.

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CREDITS

PARENTING JOURNEY:

How can I keep my child safe without being over-protective?

GROW+GO:

The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing JULY/AUGUST 2018 VOLUME 18: ISSUE 6

www.FAITHpub.com Most Rev. Earl Boyea PUBLISHER

Rev. Dwight Ezop

PAUL’S ‘AHA MOMENT’ CHANGED HIS LIFE

Work together to build God’s kingdom

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SPECIAL REPORT:

50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae

at Kerygma encounter

Lansing’s Msgr. Vincke named as the new bishop of Salina, Kansas 1

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EDITOR AND CHAIRMAN

Pope Francis greets members of the Assembly of Indigenous Peoples after the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on May 30.

CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH JESUS AND HIS CHURCH WWW.FAITHCATHOLIC.COM

Patrick M. O’Brien

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POPE WATCH WHAT POPE FRANCIS HAS BEEN SAYING AND DOING RECENTLY

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Pope Francis’ Monthly Prayer Intention for August For those who have responsibility in economic matters: That any far-reaching decisions of economists and politicians may protect the family as one of the treasures of humanity.

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New movie offers compelling look at Pope Francis

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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 FAITHpub.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. ©2017 FAITH Catholic. FAITH is a trademark of FAITH Catholic.

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In his new film entitled Pope Francis – A Man of His Word, writer and director Wim Wenders makes clear his desire to allow the audience to really encounter the pontiff.

As the name of the film implies, by walking with Pope Francis while he faces the problems of today’s world, the viewer is able to see the pope as a man true to his word. The goal is for the audience to see that Francis truly does practice what he preaches, and strives to live in the footsteps of his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, in his care for the poor and weak of society.

The film, which was released in May, shows Pope Francis, not deterred by the many problems the world faces today, as a man courageously and passionately dedicated to speaking out about global problems and then, as a man of his word, walking with all people toward the peace and charity of Christ.

FAITH Magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

T. GENNARA

Mike Jones

In a recent homily, Pope Francis spoke of how the sacrament of confirmation “invokes a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit” and renews the promises made at baptism. He continued, “Just as Jesus received the outpouring of the Spirit at his baptism in order to carry out his messianic mission, the Church prays that we, too, may receive the gifts and fruits of the Spirit that enable us to help the body of Christ grow in unity and missionary zeal.” We receive the gift of the Spirit through the laying on of hands and anointing with chrism at our confirmation. He encourages us to use this gift and “open our hearts ever more fully to the creativity of the Spirit who makes all things new.”

Membership Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing 1500 E. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48906 Want to receive FAITH Magazine? Visit FAITHPUB.COM Follow FAITH Pub The Way to Happiness Is Jesus Find out more at DIOCESEOFLANSING.ORG Find a Catholic Church at MASSTIMES.ORG Serving Ann Arbor, Flint, Jackson, Lansing And Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Shiawassee and Washtenaw counties

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