St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church
Summer 2013 | Carlisle, Iowa
The Universal Beauty of First Communion By Fr. Jim Kirby Earlier this spring we celebrated the First Communion for five of the young people of our parish. Receiving Communion for the first time is a big marker in the lives of all young Catholics and I am reasonably sure that you probably remember your First Communion as I remember mine.
They come forI am always moved by the innocence and respect with which ward concentratyoung people approach their ing so hard on involvement with this great showing the propcommunal Sacrament. They come er respect, folded forward concentrating so hard on hands, bowing‌ showing the proper respect, folded hands, bowing and making the sign of the cross. Sadly, in time, after observing and following the lead of too many adults, they lose this sense of the Sacred in receiving the Eucharist. Every June for the past ten years I have traveled to Barinas, Venezuela to visit the beautiful orphan girls of Casa Hogar. We started scheduling our visit so that we can be there for the celebration of the First Communion of some of the girls. While I have found participating in any First Communion liturgy inspiring and faith filled, celebrating the girls’ First Eucharist is intimately personal for me.
First Communion at Casa Hogar
The faith of these young girls is really amazing. Here are young girls who have been dealt some horrific conditions, Continued on page 2
Beauty of First Communion including the denial of the constant love and presence of a parent. Yet despite having to endure such a terrible set of circumstances, these little girls possess a deep faith. Some years when we visit Barinas, First Communion is celebrated at the orphanage chapel, sometimes we make the short walk to the local parish church a couple of blocks away to celebrate the Sacrament. I am perfectly fine with having the local priest handle things, as my Spanish is pretty bad, however I am sometimes convinced to not only be the main celebrant for the Mass, but also do the homily…in Spanish. Back in 2006 relations between Venezuela and the USA were pretty tense. It was a time when things were a lot more sensitive, even in Barinas. Being an American and leading a group of American students and chaperones, was more than a little nerve-racking. The walk to the parish church contained a lot more anxiety as the suspicious, staring looks weighed heavy upon my fair complexion and blue eyes. The situation placed me more into a diplomatic role than the ordinary missionary role I was becoming accustomed ...the greatest to.
In 2006 being in Barinas became more than just coming there as missionaries, but it also took on the feel of being ambassadors of the United States. Of course this is always implied for each of our visits to Venezuela, however in 2006 it was more of a deliberate and conscious effort. So when the sisters emailed me and asked me to give the homily for the Mass celebrating some of the girls of Casa Hogar’s First Communion, it would be delivered to and heard by more than the friendly and loving ears of the girls of Casa Hogar, but also by the curious if not suspicious ears of Venezuelans who have also been assailed by some polemical American/ Venezuelan political rhetoric. The parish priest at the time was a young, overworked, but enthusiastic man, whose only English expression was “Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go.” He’d smile as he said it and throughout the Mass he would say it over and over again under his breath.
gift a father could give his daughter would be the gift of faith...the Eucharist is a symbol and source of that gift. Fr. Jim Kirby
The people of Barinas have always been above the fray and have always been kind and welcoming to our missionary groups. Even though the late, fiery and beloved president Hugo Chavez was famous for his anti-American rhetoric, his hometown of Barinas was always hospitable and welcoming to we Americans.
The parish, called Segrado Corazón de Jesús, is full of kind, spiritual and welcoming people. Even so I wanted to make sure I was always gracious and humble as I was, on that occasion, more of an ambassador than a cleric.
For the homily I felt I needed to reintroduce myself and explain who all the blonde people were sitting with the girls in the church that day. I talked about imagining what it would be like to be a father of one of the little girls, how beautiful it would be to be a father like that. I imagined that the greatest gift a father could give his daughter would be the gift of faith and how the Eucharist is a symbol and source of that gift. While my Spanish is pretty weak, I was able to practice enough where I was able to deliver it all so that most understood the overall sense of the homily.
Afterward there were smiles, hugs and photos and I have managed to celebrate First Communion with the girls of Casa Hogar annually ever since. Sometimes we celebrate First Communion at the parish church, sometimes at the chapel at Casa Hogar. Either way it is always a special day, full of faith and love.
special time it is for young people in the development of their faith. It also helps me understand that the influence and example of parents and adults of the community is intimately connected with the continued growth of a child’s faith. And that it continues to grow and strengthen at the time of First Eucharist.
Up until recently the little girls have had nothing pretty to wear for their big day, but their school uniforms. Through the generosity of some very special and loving people, they are now able to share a whole closet full of pretty white First Communion dresses.
Whether it is Barinas, Venezuela or Carlisle, Iowa, First Communion Day is something that should never be taken for granted, by those receiving, those preparing and those witnessing such a beautiful and rich Sacrament of our faith.
Sometimes their parents come for their First Communion, too many times they don’t. We take for granted our family involvement for such a big day. For the girls at Casa Hogar, family involvement is lacking and fleeting. With limited family fanfare, the girls are left with the one stable and dependable relationship in their lives, their relationship with God and in the love of Jesus himself. First Communion with the Girls of Casa Hogar and here at St. Elizabeth is something I look forward to every year. It helps me realize what a
SAVE THE DATE: 4TH
4th Annual
St. Lizzy Fest Saturday, September 7th Bigger and better than ever!
Moe Has a Heart for the Poor By Amy Bishop My first interaction with Maureen “Moe” Kauzlarich was in 2009, the first Sunday that Kevin and I attended Mass at St. Elizabeth. We had recently moved to Carlisle and as we moved into the pew in front of Moe, she warmly greeted us and introduced herself. It was just what we needed and we felt welcome at St. Elizabeth. This is a small example of the role that Moe plays at St. Elizabeth. She’s a smiling face and has a heart of gold. Moe grew up in Iowa as the oldest of seven children. Her father worked for Northwestern Bell and the family moved for his work eleven times during her childhood. As a result, she learned how to make friends easily and how to “bloom where she was planted.” She attended Catholic schools in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids and graduated from Dowling in West Des Moines. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa, Moe taught physical education for ten years at Christ the King and St. Joseph’s parochial schools in Des Moines. She has always enjoyed an active life of bowling, volleyball, and softball. She eventually left the teaching profession and went into sales for Electrolux and became a sales manager in Cedar Rapids. It was there that she met Rich Kauzlarich on a blind date. Rich worked as a union lineman. She and Rich married and were blessed with two sons, Kelly and Kevin. They decided to move to Carlisle, when Kelly was a baby and Kevin came along soon after. What many of us probably don’t know about Moe is that she is an accomplished skydiver and has completed over 700 jumps. She started jumping in college and found a love for the sport. She also became a skydiving instructor. She tells of a close call that she experienced in a free-fall jump with a fellow skydiver. She refers to the jump as “I saw the light!” They jumped together and had planned to pull their ripcords at different altitudes, but something went wrong and their chutes opened at the same time. Moe said, “I saw a streak of daylight and moved toward it.” She pulled her way through the canopy and eventually flew off to safety, completing the jump without incident.
Moe has continued to keep the needs of others front of mind, even through her own personal trials. For seven years, ran a coffee shop, Moe’s Joes. She enjoyed working with the public and loved the interaction with people. But the shop wasn’t keeping up with her needs and she needed to sell it. Twenty years ago, Moe started a sewing business that she still runs out of her home, making small toy parachutes for kids and then got hooked up with several NBA teams to make the small parachutes for distribution in their stadiums. That led to a deal with Nintendo to make the parachutes for a Pokémon promotion. For the last three years she has been making safe charge bags for lithium batteries. And she still makes some custom parachutes too. Life was going well for the Kauzlarich family, but almost five years ago, Rich became sick and his health deteriorated very quickly. Within a matter of months, he was confined to a nursing home and died four years ago. It was a difficult time for Moe, and she buried her husband one day, and took son Kelly to college the next day. Through this time, her faith
carried her and helped her support her sons. She knew what they were going through, as her own father had passed away when she was a young adult. She prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet and kept in mind that she was in the palm of God’s hands. And through it all, her family and St. Elizabeth friends were there for her. Moe has a heart for the poor and has been actively involved in the St. Vincent DePaul Society, where she currently serves at the president of our St. Elizabeth Conference. She said that nineteen years ago a woman came to talk with the parish about the work of the organization and she thought it was a great way to directly serve people. “It’s a vocation for me,” Moe said. “When you put yourself in the line of helping people in need, you can really make a difference.” The local conference is small, but does a lot of good for people in need in our local community, including conducting a monthly food drive for the Carlisle food pantry. She also works with the Carlisle Christians in Action (CCA) group to
provide Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets for local people in need. And Moe leads the annual Friends of the Poor Walk and the Phyllis Davis Linen Drive for the Des Moines district. Moe has continued to keep the needs of others front of mind, even through her own personal trials. She says, “Your relationship with God may not always be close, if it’s not tested.” She stays busy and is involved in a number of ministries. She is a greeter, a Eucharistic minister and takes communion to people at the nursing home. She is a member of the Stewardship Committee and participates in the Bible Study group at St. Elizabeth. And she leads a small prayer group that meets each month at her home. She’s happy to be Catholic and is excited to see our parish grow. She believes it’s a rare opportunity to be part of a small parish like St. Elizabeth. She strives toward holiness and says, “We all need to show mercy and kindness to others.”
LET FREEDOM RING! You may have noticed that St. Elizabeth didn’t have a float in the Fourth of July parade, but it doesn’t mean we didn’t participate. Many folks gathered at Meredith Christensen’s home to enjoy the parade and others were in the parade. However you celebrated, we hope you had a chance to reflect on the wonderful gift of freedom that we have here in the United Sates. God Bless America!
THE BLESSINGS OF EASTER
A NIGHT ON THE LAWN On a beautiful summer evening in July, the Stewardship Committee held an event that centered around a bonfire, food and good friends around the fire. While the evening started out a little warmer than you would typically want for a bonfire, by the time the sun went down, it was just about perfect. Add in Willie Shay’s crowdpleasing guitar music, and it was a perfect night. Watch for more fun events this fall!
Photos by Father Kirby
THE WORD OF THE LORD By Bill Griffin In his sermons, Father Tony Aiello has often spoken of the celebration of the Mass as consisting of the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. It has been my honor and privilege to be among those at St. Elizabeth who serve their fellow parishioners in both aspects of the liturgy as a lector and as an extraordinary or Eucharistic minister. I still have my New Roman Missal in Latin and English given to me in 1960 when the liturgy of both parts of the mass was still the exclusive provenance of priests. Only the clergy read the Word of the Lord in English and the rest of the Mass in Latin. As an acolyte, I held the paten as the priest laid the sacred host on the tongues of the faithful kneeling at the altar rail. The Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) proclaimed the “common priesthood of the faithful” (the laity) supported by the “ministerial priesthood” (the clergy) when it published Lumen Gentium Nov. 21, 1964. “Christ the Lord, high priest taken from among human beings (cf. Heb. 5:1-5) made the new people a kingdom of priests to God, his Father. (Rev. 1:6; cf. 5:9-10). The baptized by regeneration and anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated to be a spiritual house and holy priesthood, that through all the works of Christian people they may offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim the perfection of him who has called them out of darkness into his marvelous light (cf. 1 Pet. 2: 4-10).” *On the Royal Priesthood from the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church Lumen Gentium. Vatican II 21 Nov., 1964. www.ldysinger.com@magist/1962v+
Laity can exercise the “common priesthood of the faithful” by: (1) reception of the sacraments, (2) prayer and thanksgiving, (3) the witness of a holy life¸ (4) abnegation, (5) and active charity. *Part I-I The Common Priesthood of the Faithful and the Ministerial Priesthood www.catholicliturgy.com/index/cfm/fus+
Vatican II also transformed the liturgical practices of the Church, so that now the Mass is in the vernacular language of the people, with altar servers of both sexes, lay lectors and lay extraordinary or Eucharistic ministers, the host taken in the hand, and wine sipped from the chalice. So while the priest or deacon still reads the Gospel, it is the lay lector who now does the Old and New Testament Readings, greeting fellow parishioners with “Brothers and Sisters” as Paul begins his epistles. It is the lay lector who now serves as the human vessel of the Holy Spirit by his or her enunciation, clarity, phrasing, and pacing allowing listeners time to process and understand the Word of the Lord as illuminated by the Holy Spirit. As an extraordinary or Eucharistic minister, there is a joy and humbling honor in dispensing “the food of life” in communion, knowing that those receiving the Body and Blood of Christ are receiving the bread and wine of eternal life, a joy that brings smiles to all.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. The Body of Christ. Amen. The Blood of Christ.
Amen. Bill Griffin lived as child in Avon Lake and attended Carlisle Elementary until moving out of state after 5th grade. He returned to Iowa in 1978 and retired in June 2011 after 39 years of teaching middle and high school English in Vermont and English as a Second Language at Weeks Middle School and Hoover High School in Des Moines. His daughter, Rachel, graduated from Carlisle H.S. in 1990 and is now an ICU and Wound Care nurse in California. Bill began attending St. Elizabeth in 2007 and has been serving as a lector and Eucharistic minister since 2008.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2013
On May 5th, five young people at St. Elizabeth celebrated their First Holy Communion. The class was taught by catechists, Kevin Sinclair and Alec Striegel. Those celebrating their First Communion were Jackson Barry, son of Ben and Reagan Barry; Brady Birkenholtz, son of Eric and Jill Birkenholz; Cameron Kliegl, son of Jerrod Kliegl and Angela Carter; Ryan Petersen, son of Ron and Becky Petersen; and Reagan Roling, daughter of Jordan and Jill Roling. Congratulations!
The Letter of James: Today’s Wisdom By Ginny Striegel
Count it all joy, brethren trials, when you meet various sting for you know that the te of your faith produces steadfastness.
When the adult bible study class voted on studying the Letter of James, I must admit I was the skeptic thinking how 5 pages (in my Catholic Bible) or 4 chapters could take 10 lessons to cover? How wrong I was and how very much I learned. James is a book of wisdom or in today’s terms “how-to” stay on track in our faith. The Letter of James is addressed to the early church which was under persecution by the Romans and Jews. James is trying to keep the dispersion of the church together as one Body of Christ – just like today.
Today we have over 35,000 Christian churches in America alone – all claiming to be the Body of Christ – all selecting the menu of rules that they want to observe or picking and choosing what is relevant to us and our lives. We play God. James gives guidance so we can stay grounded in the faith that Jesus the Christ gave to us. So what guidance does James provide? Let me sum up what I God looks not to our learned.
outward appearance, but to our hearts.
We will all have trials and persecution of our faith in our lives, that is a given. We must ask God for wisdom or help in our faith, trusting that He will help us. Faith enables us to stay focused on what really matters – eternal life with God. We must be quick to hear and slow to speak. That means being slow to send back that email or better yet sleep on the issue over night and somehow with God’s grace I will look at the issue differently and respond differently as well. The simple analysis is we have two ears and one mouth. We need to listen to each other more and
James 1:2-3
speak less. Whether that is at work, with our spouse, children or parents, we need to really hear what they have to say. The second chapter teaches us to love the poor. As the poor reach out to others for their basic needs, we need to learn from them that in the same way we need to reach out to God for our every need. God looks not to our outward appearance but to our hearts. Like Mother Theresa, we must look within each person for Christ himself. In this way we are doing what Jesus asked us to do in caring for the poor, hungry and thirsty, estranged and the imprisoned. If our faith is truly alive we can’t help but act out the Word of God by our actions and how we love God. Our faith is not just a “head thing,” but alive in our soul and in the way we live our lives. Chapter 3 tells us that as parents and teachers we are held to a higher standard. We must be true to the Word of God. Again, like Chapter 1 much goes back to how we control our speech. For example – gossip and how much harm it causes. A great analogy for the harm of gossip is a feather pillow. When you gossip it is like opening a feather pillow. You can never catch all those feathers and put the pillow back together
– so too the harm of gossip. The nursery rhyme “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me” could not be more false. Broken bones heal, but the tongue exacts crushing damage and has knocked down more people than the have fallen to the sword, the Book of Sirach says. It is amazing that the small tongue at one moment blesses the Lord and the next curses our brothers and sisters who are made in the likeness of God himself. Even more to think about...the tongue is where we receive God Himself in the Holy Eucharist - It makes me think….I hope it does you as well. Chapter 4 highlights that our God is a jealous god. He wants us to put Him first in our lives. Continually throughout the Bible an adulteress is used as an analogy when we turn to gods of this earth like money, jobs, power, toys, etc. vs. what God wants for us. Only in truly submitting ourselves to God are we able to resist the devil. Remember the devil can tempt us, but he cannot make us sin. Nobody talks about the devil anymore, like he doesn’t exist. Oh….but he does and he wants nothing more than to take your soul away from God. Pope John Paul II taught that we practice practical atheism, meaning that we won’t say God does not exist, but our behavior says just that. JP II said that our loss of the meaning of sin in our lives is prevalent in our times. Just look around and you will see JP II is right.
The fifth chapter hit home for me. I must be patient for God’s timing, not “I want it now – right now.” If we truly believe in God’s providence, then we shouldn’t grumble that I didn’t get the miracle I wanted or I need to my children didn’t get remember that it is whatever I was praying God’s will, not my for. I need to remember it is God’s will, not my will and trust in will – and trust in Him. Him. Chapter 5 closes with the importance of prayer and the importance of the Sacrament of Confession. In suffering – pray. When cheerful – pray in thanksgiving. When sick – call for the priest to pray and provide the anointing of oil. Yes, the letter of James is 2,000 years old, but every bit relevant to my life today. I think it will be to yours as well. Read it. Ginny Striegel and husband, Ray have been members of St. Elizabeth since 1991. They have two children. Katie and Alec. Ginny’s activities in the parish have included: parish council, finance committee, RCIA coordinator, lector, Eucharistic minister and currently Adult Bible Study leader. She is the business manager for the Christ Our Life Catholic Conference. She is a graduate of the Des Moines Diocese Formation for Leadership Program.
A NEW GRAND KNIGHT The St. Elizabeth council of the Knights of Columbus recently elected Jim Derwin as their new Grand Knight, replacing John Greubel. And Tony Becker was elected the Deputy Grand Knight. The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest fraternal service organization. It was founded in 1882 by Fr. Michael J. McGivney. The order is founded on the principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. The Knights at St. Elizabeth are very active, raising funds for projects to help the church and community, holding fish fries during lent, cooking and serving breakfast for the parish and conducting a number of other service projects. Thank you, Knights!
USING OUR GOD-GIVEN GIFTS By Amy Bishop It can be intimidating to sing at Mass. I doubt I am all that different from others who play an instrument or lead music for Mass, whether here or at other Catholic Churches around the world. I have been a cantor now for about seven years, both at St. Elizabeth and at my former parish in Osceola. It didn’t come naturally for me. I don't really like attention and the thought of being on display was not exactly comfortable. One day, the organist at my Osceola church said, "Amy, you really should try being a cantor." And I will admit that it took me a while to say yes, even when it was clear that there was a need for additional people to fill the role. Why the reluctance? I think for many of us, we don't think that we have anything special to offer. Or we may not like the idea of being scrutinized by others and in a lot of cases, it can be just plain hard to take on another commitment in an already very busy life. But I couldn’t deny that I love to sing. I had always been involved in choir at school and in groups at church. And, as a young girl on the farm, I would often stand in an empty metal grain bin and sing – the acoustics made my voice echo and made it much bigger. It was one of my favorite pastimes and something I did just for me. I am reminded of a scene from the 1981 movie, Chariots of Fire, in which one of the main characters, Eric Liddell, a Scottish athlete, is reprimanded by his sister for not pursuing a future life of service to God as a missionary and instead, decided to focus on competitive running. He responded, “I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” For me, serving as a cantor gives me great joy. It took me a while to get to this place, as I had to get over the nerves and come to the realization that it wasn't about me. Every time I lead the singing at Mass I
remind myself that it is for God's glory and not mine. That has made a big difference for me and has allowed me to let my light shine, but for Him. I can say that I have learned to “feel God’s pleasure” when I sing. That’s what happens when you use a God-given gift, whether it’s at work, leisure or as a volunteer. At St. Elizabeth, we are blessed with some wonderful musicians. We are also blessed with many others who volunteer their time and talents to serve the parish in all kinds of ways, both big and small. I think of people like our organist, Jean Flaws and Bonnie Callan, who is one of the women who sets up the altar for Mass. I wonder how many others have And Bill Schumann who made beautiful oak plant stands and a talent – a gift they could share other wooden pieces for use at the church. And Sharon Ferguson with the parish. and the many women who plan and serve at funeral dinners. I could never list all of the people and the ways in which our parishioners serve God and His Church. I wonder though, how many others have a talent -- a gift that they could share with the parish. In big and small ways, we are all called to serve. Even when it makes us uncomfortable to put ourselves out there. Even when we don't think we have anything to offer. I can assure you that it feels great to take that step and let your light shine. I hope you will consider how you might be able to serve God with your talents. How can you let your light shine for Him? I can assure you that you will feel God's pleasure when you do.
If you have suggestions for future issues of the St. Elizabeth quarterly newsletter, please contact Amy Bishop. Call 515-989-2062 or email bishopk@mac.com