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EDDTORO/SHUTTERSTOCK A young man reads the Bible in New York City’s Central Park in 2008. In his Sept. 5 Angelus address, Pope Francis said spending time in silence with the Gospel is like “medicine” for one’s spiritual life.
Pope Francis: Find time for the Gospel every day
BY COURTNEY MARES
Catholic News Agency Pope Francis said Sept. 5 that silent prayer with the Gospel is the “secret to spiritual health.” “Do we remember to listen to the Lord? We are Christians, but sometimes with the thousands of words we hear every day, we do not find a few seconds to let a few words of the Gospel resound in us,” the pope said in his Angelus address. “Jesus is the Word: If we do not stop to listen to him, he passes on. ... But if we dedicate time to the Gospel, we will find the secret to our spiritual health.” Speaking from the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the pope told the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square that spending time in silence with the Gospel is like “medicine” for one’s spiritual life. “Every day a little silence and listening, fewer useless words, and more of the Word of God,” Pope Francis recommended. He said that it is a good thing to turn to the Lord with prayer requests, but above all, it is important to listen to the Lord.
“Jesus asks this of us. In the Gospel when they ask him what is the first commandment, he answers: ‘Hear, O Israel.’ Then he adds ... ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart ... and your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12:28-31). But first of all, he says, ‘Hear, O Israel,’” the pope explained. Pope Francis said that today many people have “an interior deafness” that Jesus can touch and heal. This “deafness of heart” can lead to a deadening of awareness of the needs of those around us, he said. “Taken up with haste, by so many things to say and do, we cannot find time to stop and listen to those who speak to us. We run the risk of becoming impervious to everything and not making room for those who need to be heard. I am thinking about children, young people, the elderly, the many who have less need for words and preaching, and more to be heard,” Pope Francis said. “Let us ask ourselves: How is my capacity to listen? Am I touched by people’s lives? Do I know how to spend time with those close to me?” The pope said that this especially applies to priests, who need to be attentive to listening to the people in their parishes. He said it also applies to family life, where there can be a temptation to speak without really listening. At the end of his Angelus address, the pope prayed for the people of Afghanistan that they may be able to “live with dignity.” “In these troubled times that see Afghans seeking refuge, I pray for the most vulnerable among them. I pray that many countries will welcome and protect those seeking a new life. I pray also for the internally displaced persons and that they may receive assistance and the necessary protection,” the pope said. “May young Afghans receive education, an essential good for human development. And may all Afghans, whether at home, in transit, or in host countries, live with dignity, in peace and fraternity with their neighbors.” The pope also prayed for the victims of Hurricane Ida, one of the most powerful storms to ever make landfall on the U.S. mainland.
Catholic Cemeteries names new director
Deacon Steven Hill was named director of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Omaha on Aug. 6, replacing Deacon Dan Keller, who retired recently. Deacon Hill brings 35 years of management and financial experience, most recently as finance director for St. Patrick Parish and Archbishop Bergan Catholic School, both in Fremont. Before that he held several financial services positions in the Chicago area. He and his wife, Linda, moved to the Gretna area in 2018. They have two married daughters and two grandchildren. Deacon Hill also serves on the Archdiocesan Investment and Administrative Committee and is a member of the finance committee for his parish, St. Charles Borromeo in Gretna. He was ordained a deacon for the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, in 2016 and served at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Naperville, Illinois.
Vocations holy hour set for Sept. 20
The Catholic faithful are invited to join Archbishop George J. Lucas for a Holy Hour for Vocations Sept. 20 at St. Margaret Mary Church in Omaha. The event begins at 6 p.m. with light refreshments and snacks and a presentation by Deacon Mike Conzett on “The Importance of Supporting Vocations and Discerning the Permanent Diaconate.” The holy hour begins at 7 p.m., led by the archbishop and Father Ralph O’Donnell, St. Margaret Mary pastor and Father Frank Baumert, senior associate pastor of St. Thomas More and St. Joan of Arc parishes in Omaha.
Prayer service for survivors of abuse
A Prayer Service for Healing from Abuse will be held Sept. 27 at St. Mary Church in Norfolk. The service, to pray for survivors of abuse and those who love them, will begin at 7 p.m. and will be led by Archbishop George J. Lucas. Similar services were held in 2017, 2019 and earlier this year. Hopes are that they become annual events, said Mary Beth Hanus, director of the archdiocese’s Victim Outreach and Prevention Office. Anyone injured by clergy or any form of abuse is welcome, she said. Refreshments will be served in the parish hall following the service. Contact Hanus at mbhanus@ archomaha.org or 402-827-3798 with questions or for more information.
Campus ministry resource published
As high school juniors and seniors discern their college plans, Catholic students considering Nebraska public colleges or universities have a new resource to aid their decisions. The recently-published Nebraska Catholic Campus Ministries Directory outlines the Catholic ministries available on those campuses to help them grow in their faith. These include Newman Centers and other Catholic ministries – some providing residential housing – which offer Mass, retreats, Bible studies, mission trips, service opportunities, community-building events and more. Print and digital versions of the directory have been sent to Catholic parishes and high schools throughout Nebraska and parts of Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota. The directory was published by Omaha’s St. John Paul II Newman Center in cooperation with the state’s three Catholic dioceses.
Archbishop to lead annual pro-life event
The annual Vigil for Life is set for Sept. 25 at St. Mary Church in Bellevue, led by Archbishop George J. Lucas. All are invited to help build the culture of life through prayer, beginning with Mass at 8 a.m., followed by exposition of the Holy Eucharist and a rosary procession to pray before the nearby Bellevue abortion facility. A reception will follow at the St. Mary Parish Center. The event concludes at 11 a.m.
For more information, contact St. Mary Church at 402-291-1350, email rectory@stmarysbellevue. com, or visit omahavigilforlife.org.
No archdiocesan directory this year
Due to unanticipated circumstances including the loss of key staff members, the Archdiocese of Omaha Directory will not be published this year. Its publication in future years will be determined according to the evolving priorities of the Communications Office of the archdiocese. Much of the information in the directory can now be found on archdiocesan websites. To find a priest or chancery staff member, visit archomaha.org/directory/. For parishes, go to archomaha.org/find-aparish/. For Catholic schools, see lovemyschool.com/find-a-school/.
ARCHDIOCESE OF OMAHA
Archbishop George J. Lucas 2222 N. 111th St. Omaha, NE 68164 402-558-3100 • 888-303-2484 Fax: 402-551-4212 Chancellor Deacon Tim McNeil 402-558-3100, ext. 3029 Vicar for Clergy and Judicial Vicar Father Scott A. Hastings 402-558-3100, ext. 3030
COURTESY PHOTO
Innovation Center dedication
Archbishop George J. Lucas joins junior Shawn Pelchat (left) and seniors Mary Miller, Keegan Shanahan and Jeff Treu along with other students and staff at the Aug. 27 dedication of Daniel J. Gross Catholic High School’s new Innovation Center. A robot named Apollo (foreground), designed by Pelchat, helped cut the ribbon at the ceremony. The $1.95 million, 10,000-square-foot facility was designed as a flexible learning space and represents the first phase of several upgrades planned for the Bellevue school’s academic wing.
BY SUSAN SZALEWSKI
Catholic Voice Msgr. Melvern Wiese, an archdiocesan priest for 64 years, has been lauded as a man who was as big of heart as he was in stature, a true gentleman. Msgr. Wiese died Aug. 11 at MSGR. MELVERN Franciscan WIESE Healthcare in West Point. He was 90. “He treated everyone with kindness and gentleness,” said retired Father Gerald Gonderinger, a friend and the homilist at Msgr. Wiese’s funeral, which was held Aug. 19 at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Church in Clarkson with interment at Clarkson Catholic Cemetery. Msgr. Wiese, a Howells native, was ordained by Archbishop Gerald T. Bergan in 1957 and was named a monsignor in 2006. He served in about a dozen parishes across the archdiocese and taught theology, and some Latin, to students in five high schools. “He was not a flashy person,” said Father Gonderinger, “but he got along well with everyone.”
He was “always a gentleman, always a priest.” During their nearly 15 years of friendship, “I never saw him angry. … I never ran into anyone who was upset with him,” Father Gonderinger said. He loved being around people, his friend said. “He could carry on a conversation with anyone.” Early in his priesthood, Msgr. Wiese served as assistant pastor at St. Ludger Parish from 1957 to 1962; St. Philip Neri in Omaha from 1962 to 1966; St. Bernadette in Bellevue from 1966 to 1968; St. Peter in Omaha in 1968; and St. Mary in Hubbard from 1968 to 1969. As pastor, he served at St. John the Baptist Parish in Petersburg from 1969 to 1973; St. Peter de Alcántara in Ewing from 1973 to 1975; St. Ludger in Creighton from 1975 to 1986; St. Wenceslaus in Dodge from 1986 to 1997; Sacred Heart Mission in Olean from 1997 to 1999; St. Mary in Leigh from 1999 to 2007; and Ss. Cyril and Methodius from 2007 until his retirement later that year, when he became chaplain at St. Joseph’s Retirement Community in West Point. He also taught part time at the former St. Ludger High School in Creighton, the former Notre Dame Academy and Archbishop Ryan High School in Omaha, the former Sacred Heart High School in Emerson and St. Mary School in O’Neill. Msgr. Wiese attended Conception Seminary in Conception, Missouri, before finishing studies at the former Mount St. Bernard Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. He earned a master’s degree in divinity from Creighton University in Omaha in 1976. Msgr. Wiese was preceded in death by his parents, Ben and Eleanor Wiese; and brother, Wilfred Wiese. Survivors include brother and sister-inlaw, Maynard and Janet Wiese of Columbus; sister and brother-in-law, Dianne and Dennis Nadrchal of Fremont; sister-inlaw, Marjorie Wiese of Howells; and many nieces and nephews.
THE ARCHDIOCESE OF OMAHA CATHOLIC VOICE
Volume 119, Number 3
ARCHBISHOP GEORGE J. LUCAS
Publisher DAN ROSSINI Editor / general manager MIKE MAY Associate editor SUSAN SZALEWSKI Feature writer JOHN DONAHUE Advertising representative LINDA STEHNO Business / circulation specialist
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One man’s life of service
How God led Tony Espejo from the military to the police force, to the community and back to Church
BY RON PETAK
For the Catholic Voice A passion discovered and a faith renewed. Those words may best define the journey Tony Espejo has traveled for the better part of the last three decades.
From gang officer for the Omaha Police Department to organizer of youth sports to advocate of Catholic education, Espejo has dedicated his life to making a difference in Omaha’s Hispanic community. It wasn’t always so for the South Omaha native. Graduating from Daniel J. Gross Catholic High School in 1989, Espejo, like so many young men at that age, lacked focus and direction. His time as a student at Creighton University was short-lived, as were his days at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Espejo then made a life-changing decision by enlisting in the Marine Corps at age 20. “What a rude awakening,” he said. “It’s where I grew up. I got my priorities straight. I had to in order to survive there.” After four years in the Marines, with its demands of discipline and responsibility, Espejo was a changed man. He set his sights on becoming a police officer in his hometown. Despite hundreds of applicants for very few jobs, Espejo liked his chances; he was a Spanish-speaking native of South Omaha. But he failed to make the cut in his first three attempts to join the force.
“I was thinking about quitting and giving up, (but) one Friday afternoon the acceptance letter was in the mail,” he said.
A REAL DIFFERENCE
That was 2000 and it didn’t take a sworn officer of the law to notice the changes to the 20th and Q streets neighborhood where he grew up. Gangs and graffiti, he said, “were all over the place.” In 2004, Espejo got a chance to make a real difference in South Omaha when he was assigned to the Omaha Police Department’s gang unit. But a year into his assignment, he said, he realized the gang problem was entrenched in South Omaha. It was then he asked himself, “How do I really make change?” Espejo turned to what he knew – athletics. The former football and baseball player at Gross Catholic started a free athletics program with the Latino Peace Officers Association. He put into practice what he heard at a gang seminar: “If kids play together at 11, it’s harder for them to kill each other at 16.” The program started with 90 players on six soccer teams in 2005. By 2019, 5,800 boys and girls ages 5 to 18 participated at no cost in soccer, baseball, flag football and CrossFit (strength and conditioning) under the Police Athletics for Community Engagement (PACE) flag.
EXAMPLE OF GOOD
Espejo, who retired in July from the police department, said a critical factor in making the program a success was the fact he was like the youngsters he set out to help. “I spoke the language (Spanish) and I was from the neighborhood. Deep down, these kids just need an example of what good looks like,” he said. Among that initial group of soccer players was Abe Ledesma, who met Espejo 16 years ago as a 14-year-old while kicking a ball around at Gifford Park in east-central Omaha. “A cop showed up (and) every time you a saw a cop you just panicked because we didn’t know any better,” Ledesma said. “He comes up to us and starts talking to us. He was friendly. He was cool. He wanted to know if we wanted to put a team together.” Ledesma, who had never been on an organized team, took Espejo up on his offer and remained in the program until he aged out at 18. More importantly, he took to heart the lesson of giving back to his community: Today he’s the PACE soccer coordinator.
SOMETHING MISSING
Despite the successful work he was doing in community athletics with PACE, Espejo still didn’t feel fulfilled. “I was super tired, super weak – there’s something wrong, I’m missing something. Something needs to carry me through this,” Espejo recalled. “I said to myself, ‘I need God back in my life.’” It was Good Friday 2013. His wife, Laura, and their two children were out of town on vacation, so Espejo did what he did so many years ago at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Omaha – he went to church. It was a place he hadn’t been for 20 years. “I went to St. Robert (Bellarmine Church in Omaha) on Good Friday and the place was packed. Everybody is standing in the back, every seat is full. “I happened to walk by an aisle in the back and there was a little old lady sitting there and she had a spot next to her. I said, ‘Is that spot taken?’ and she goes ‘No, we’ve been waiting for you.’
“I was all in. This is where I’m supposed to be,” Espejo said. He talked to his wife, a non-Catholic, about the pull back to the Church. At the suggestion of a friend, he spoke with Father Damien Cook, then pastor at Christ the King Parish in Omaha. Father Cook said he sensed the Holy Spirit at work. “Just to observe how much he came back to his Catholicism was just a beauty and a joy,” said Father Cook, now pastor at St. Philip NeriBlessed Sacrament Parish in Omaha. “He came back to Mass on Sundays and then started doing more and more within the community.” The Espejos, who now attend church together, soon enrolled their children at Christ the King School. They’re still attending Catholic schools to this day.
PASSIONS CONVERGE
In time, Espejo’s two passions – improving the lives of the children of his South
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MIKE MAY/STAFF Tony Espejo, left, reviews the action Aug. 27 with Jeff Gassaway, flag football coordinator, during the Police Athletics for Community Engagement (PACE) flag football clinic for boys and girls ages 8-14.
Omaha neighborhood and his commitment to Catholic education – converged at his high school alma mater. Though he didn’t realize the value of a Catholic education while he was a student at Gross, Espejo, now 50, said that’s not the case anymore. “If I went to public school, my life would have been absolutely, totally different,” he said. “Because I went to a Catholic school, that faith foundation was emphasized. It took many, many years for it to finally come back out for that divine intervention.” As a member of Gross Catholic’s board the last three years, Espejo wants to build the school’s endowment to ensure families in South Omaha have an opportunity for an affordable secondary Catholic education.
A gradual, grace-filled road to religious life
BY SUSAN SZALEWSKI
Catholic Voice There was no Saul-like, on-theroad-to-Damascus moment for this Paul.
No flash-of-light, fall-to-theground instant when he suddenly encountered Jesus. For Paul Hotovy, the road leading to Aug. 15 – when he became Brother Paul and professed his temporary vows as a Salesian of Don Bosco – was a gradual one. It was built on a solid Catholic foundation his family established, he said, and with the example that family members and others set for him. It was a foundation that he was able to return to after he started losing interest in the faith during high school and college. He fell back on that faith, Brother Paul said, when in his 20s he knew he had to live out the beliefs he was presenting to high-schoolers – or be nothing more than a hypocrite. After his profession of vows at the Marian Shrine in Haverstraw, New York, Brother Paul, 32, will continue formation to become a priest, taking philosophy and theology classes at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, and living nearby in community with other Salesians. He was well prepared when he entered the Salesians of Don Bosco in 2018, said Brother Tom Dion, coordinator of pre-novices at a Salesian community in Ramsey, New Jersey, where he first met Brother Paul. “He came to us as a very talented person who already had teaching experience,” as well as a deep desire to follow God’s will, Brother Tom said. “He’s really excelled in our formation program, and we’re just very happy having him as part of our program. I’ve been really proud to watch him go forward and deepen his relationship with God and deepen his vocation.”
FAMILY PRAYERS
Brother Paul, the fourth of six children, was homeschooled before attending Mount Michael Benedictine School in Elkhorn. His family’s parish is St. Leo the Great in Omaha. Particularly influential to his vocation, Brother Paul said, was the family’s faithful observance of night prayers together. That practice started small when their children were young, by just sharing what they were thankful for that day followed by a Hail Mary and Glory Be, said Steven and Marguerite Hotovy, Brother Paul’s parents. The prayers grew as the children grew, they said, to include an act of contrition, the Prayer of St. Francis, Mary’s Magnificat, the Memorare, as well as prayers to St. Michael, St. Raphael, St. Gabriel, and more. “That practice really was important for my faith,” Brother Paul said. “It was just the family aspect of practicing the faith together. It wasn’t just Mass on Sundays. We had this communal moment every day when we prayed together. I honestly think, in hindsight, that was actually a very powerful thing.” The Hotovys said they saw hints as their son was growing up that he might one day embark on a religious vocation. Those signs weren’t always overt, his father said, but they noticed their son’s sense of detachment, a unique encounter he had with the Blessed Mother, and at least one incident when he expressed a desire to become a priest. Brother Paul said he grew up with a reverence for priests. “I remember as a kid – like 10, 11, 12 – I’d go to Mass on Sundays, and the priest was somebody I’d look up to. There was a lot of reverence around the priesthood. I also had a great-uncle who was a priest (the late Msgr. Myron Pleskac of the Diocese of Lincoln), and he was a really good priest.”
LEARNING, DISCERNING
Brother Paul graduated from Mount Michael in 2007 and in 2011 from the University of Notre Dame, with a bachelor’s degree in history. He earned a master’s degree in teaching through Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education, a program that gave him teaching experience at Pensacola Catholic High School in Pensacola, Florida, while he completed summer classes at Notre Dame. For five more years, Brother Paul continued to teach and minister to youths – works that aligned with the ministry of the Salesians and their founder, St. John Bosco. That time included going back to Nebraska, St. Leo and his alma mater, Mount Michael, where he was a resident assistant. Brother Paul’s years of teaching and helping youths were also a time of discernment. A pivotal time came during his five years at Pensacola. “The one really helpful thing for my vocation was being asked to help with retreats and give witness talks about faith and prayer and relationship with God,” he said. “And in that, I kind of realized my hypocrisy when I was trying to formulate this talk to help the young students take their faith seriously, but I wasn’t doing that myself. “I didn’t know as much about the faith, I wasn’t really practicing the faith, and it didn’t really have a lot of bearing on the decisions I was making outside of maybe going to Mass on Sundays. So helping with retreats sort of exposed how much I really tried to practice my faith. And I’m the type of guy who wants to practice what he preaches.” Being surrounded by good people helped, Brother Paul said, including the religious sister who was principal at the Florida school and fellow teachers “who were much stronger Catholics than I was,” in addition to his older brother Mark back home, who had stepped up his faith life.
Then 24 or 25 years old, Brother Paul headed back to confession, started going to Mass more frequently and read the Bible and other spiritual books. He had been dating “a really good young woman” and was thinking about marriage. But as he discerned in his new life of faith, he discovered an ever-increasing lure toward priesthood and religious life. “Which means I broke up with my girlfriend,” Brother Paul said. “It was tough,” he said. “Luckily we’ve stayed somewhat good friends since,” and his former girlfriend is now happily married. “Certainly the Lord provided for her and provided for me,” Brother Paul said.
For about two years after the breakup, he didn’t actively explore his calling. “I wasn’t dating anybody,” he said. “I just kept praying, studying, reading books and what not.” He spent two years in Omaha and at Mount Michael, where he found silence, prayer and a spiritual director.
COURTESY PHOTO Brother Paul Hotovy of the Salesians of Don Bosco is surrounded by family after professing his temporary vows at an Aug. 15 ceremony in Haverstraw, New York. Family members from left: sister, Judith; brother, Joel; parents, Steve and Marguerite; Brother Paul; and brothers Mark and Chris. Absent was a younger brother, Alex.
COURTESY PHOTO With his parents alongside him, Paul Hotovy professes temporary vows as he becomes Brother Paul Hotovy of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The moment was powerful and emotional for all three of them, said his parents, Steve and Marguerite Hotovy of St. Leo the Great Parish in Omaha.
PROVIDENTIAL ENCOUNTER
Then he met Father Dominic Tran, vocations director of the Salesians of Don Bosco, who had been taking classes at Creighton University, residing at St. Leo and offering Masses there on the weekends. Brother Paul said he was hanging out near the sacristy after Mass at St. Leo, helping his brother Mark, who was the sacristan, when Father Dominic asked their names and bluntly asked them: “Have you thought about becoming a priest?” Mark was dating someone at the time and wasn’t considering the priesthood, but his brother answered truthfully: “Actually, I have.” Marguerite Hotovy called the encounter with Father Dominic “incredibly providential.” It set off a couple get-togethers with the vocations director, the gift of a book on St. John Bosco, some emails and a visit to a Salesian community in New York. The next summer, Brother Paul volunteered at a Salesian camp for youths in Chicago and was given a further chance to taste life in a religious community. “Those were really good experiences for me,” Brother Paul said, “and ultimately I felt God calling me to join the Salesians.” He said he felt a passion for their mission of teaching and working with youth. His path toward priestly ordination will continue with two years of study at the seminary at Seton Hall, followed by two years of teaching at a Salesian school, followed by four years of studying theology.
MOMENTS OF GRACE
During Brother Paul’s years as a candidate in the pre-novitiate program in New Jersey, “he really jumped into the program and gave it his all,” Brother Tom said. Brother Paul stood out for his sincerity in wanting to know God’s plan for him, discovering that plan and wanting to learn more, Brother Tom said. “God has led him in a direction, and he’s followed.” Brother Paul said he’s grateful for the people who’ve helped him along the way, including his parents, late grandmother and other relatives. “I definitely see in hindsight, in different moments of my life, God’s grace,” he said. “There’s been a lot of people he’s placed in my life who’ve had a really powerful impact on me as a person, as a Catholic, as someone discerning religious life and the priesthood.”
14 talents
Kingdom Assignment multiplies good works
“Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.” – Matthew 25:21
By SUSAN SZALEWSKI
Catholic Voice Something happened. A well is being dug in South Sudan to bring fresh water to the people living there, with the promise of more wells to come. A poor, malnourished family in Mexico has received money for food and health care. A seminarian in India will have the cost of his education and formation paid for. A student whose family could no longer afford tuition at St. Columbkille School returned to school this year, thanks to anonymous donors.
These works are just a sampling of the initiatives that 14 people helped bring about after stepping out in faith and accepting an assignment last spring to use $100 to help bring about the Kingdom of God. A lot of prayer, discernment and a display of God’s well-attested multiplication skills followed. But first, a look at how it all started: The Kingdom project began as most grand ideas do – with divine inspiration – this time sparked by a book that caught a deacon’s eye and Jesus’ parable of the talents. The deacon, David Krueger of St. Columbkille Parish in Papillion, had no idea where the seed money would come from. But God provided, beginning with a $30 check that normally wouldn’t have come his way. From that $30, the money grew bit by bit, mostly from odd jobs Deacon Krueger took on. A few months and many prayers later, he launched “The Kingdom Assignment” (inspired by the book of the same name by Denny and Leesa Bellisi) at a eucharistic holy hour May 18 at St. Columbkille Church in Papillion, days before Pentecost. The participants were asked to report back at another holy hour Sept. 7, the vigil of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
MORE PROJECTS
Other results from the Kingdom experiment that were revealed that night: A wooden table, crafted by one of the participants with an inlaid rosary and miraculous medal, will adorn the entryway at St. Columbkille Church; costs were covered for an Alpha group, allowing young adults to explore their faith; parents are getting materials and support to bring their adult children back to the Catholic faith; kitchens are being equipped for people with developmental disabilities; the “Culture of Pentecost” will be furthered through Ablaze ministry; people are feeding military families in need; and a couple will hand out anonymously $100 a month to various people in need. The Kingdom Assignment started humbly with the first $30, but it reaped more than $30,000 in return, Deacon Krueger estimated. That’s a conservative estimate, he said. Participants are continuing to ask for donations and are contributing their own money into their projects. “I guess $30 to over $30,000 is a decent return,” the deacon said, but more important is the spiritual return. “People were ignited. People were on fire,” said Ken Landolt, who witnessed the participants’ testimony and messaged his friends who couldn’t attend the Sept. 7 holy hour. “You could tell that when they told people they were spreading ‘the good news,’ but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable,” he wrote. “They were true disciples and didn’t even realize they were disciples. “Humble and kind,” is how Landolt, of St. Wenceslaus Parish in Omaha, went on to describe the participants. “The word anonymous was used a lot.” Deacon Krueger said he was struck by how much prayer went into each assignment.
DIFFERENT TIMING
Most of the participants didn’t know what they were getting into when they ventured forward in May. Praying before the Eucharist and a large screen image of St. Peter stepping out of a boat toward Jesus, they were asked: Who among us will step out of the boat? Who will come forward? Some jumped from their pew. Others approached more tentatively. On their way toward the altar they were instructed to pick up an envelope, which had been brightly decorated by young students at St. Columbkille School. Many of the volunteers appeared stunned to find the money inside.
Then their mission was explained. Some participants were inspired to get right to work. Others agonized for weeks over what to do with the $100, praying to the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary for guidance. Bob Roegge, of St. Columbkille Parish, finished his assignment in just a few days. Not coincidentally, Roegge said, days before the holy hour in May, his granddaughter told him of a classmate who would not be returning to the school in the fall because of financial difficulties. “So that caused me to think a little bit,” Roegge said. He approached the principal at St. Columbkille, Brandi Redburn, and learned there were several students whose families could no longer afford tuition, which was $2,550 per student. But registration was closing, and he needed to move quickly. Roegge put the $100 he received toward tuition and asked others to help. For three days he posted a signup sheet in the narthex of St. Columbkille Church for those at the morning weekday Mass to join his cause. In that time he raised $2,850. “I found there were some very, very generous people in our congregation,” said Roegge, who insisted on not knowing who benefited from his project.
WEEKS OF PRAYER
Peggy Wright, Joyce Stranglen and Jeanette Sterba and the other women of their prayer group at St. Columbkille spent weeks praying for what to do with the group’s $100. “We spent a good month, if not two, waiting to be hit over the head by the Holy Spirit,” Stranglen said. “And when nothing happened, we thought maybe he’s waiting for us to do something.” So the women began brainstorming about people in the community who could use some help, throwing out several ideas. But one stood out: an organization called Sheltering Tree that builds affordable housing for people with developmental disabilities. The women found out that a Sheltering Tree community, with two apartment buildings, is being constructed in Papillion. After learning how residents like to gather in the kitchens for smoothies or fresh-baked cookies, the women decided that they wanted to fully equip the two kitchens with pots, pans, towels, baking sheets, blenders, vacuums – the works. Now they’re fundraising for that cause. Kathy Pflug, of St. Thomas More Parish in Omaha, also didn’t immediately discern what to do. She explained her dilemma via Zoom at the Sept. 7 holy hour because she and her husband, Marty, were both quarantined at home after he contracted COVID-19. Both appeared on a screen as they spoke about their separate projects. Earlier in May, standing at the foot of the altar with $100 in her hand was “terrifying to my introverted self,” Kathy Pflug acknowledged, “but exciting because I knew I would encounter Jesus and he would let me know what he wanted me to do with the money. “Day after day I fretted and prayed,” she said. “I felt our Blessed Mother would intercede for me and that whatever it was I was supposed to do would be something close to my heart.”
MARY’S HELP
For many years, the mother of 10 said, something had weighed heavily on her heart: “the anguish, despair and fear connected with some of my children being away from God and his Church. I knew that many, many other parents, grandparents and family members also are suffering.” One day, as she was walking, she prayed the Rosary, asking Mary if this was the direction to go for her assignment. “I didn’t get very far into the Rosary when a friend, whom I hadn’t seen in months, stopped her car and called my name. As we talked, she said it must be a God thing that we were talking, because she never drives up that street. As we caught up on our lives and our kids, she commented that I had been a help to her when her kids were struggling with their faith. I took this as confirmation from our Lady that I was to continue to help others who are struggling with the same issues as me.” Pflug used her $100 to purchase copies of a book she wished she’d had years earlier, “Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church” by Brandon Vogt. She and her husband are now starting a group at St. Thomas More for parents and others that focuses on praise and thankfulness, “knowing that God has our loved ones in his hands and under his watchful eye.” She said she hopes the group will flourish and spread to other parishes.
MORE MULTIPLICATION
The Kingdom Assignment continues with the many ongoing projects, and with new recruits as well. Two more people stepped forward Sept. 7, one who insisted on using his own $100 as seed money. God’s work that was accomplished through those who stepped forward is counter to what most people would propose, Deacon Krueger said. Looking at a list of possible projects, a committee or group might say: “These are all great ideas. Now let’s be realistic and see which ones we can do,” he said. “The Holy Spirit never got an MBA … but simply wants to work through his people and to do things for them, and to grow and to do more.”
SUSAN SZALEWSKI/STAFF Jacqueline Lusson, now 7, discovers a $100 bill tucked in an envelope, her “talent” to be used to further the Kingdom of God. With Jacqueline is her father, Jacob Lusson, at a May 18 prayer service at St. Columbkille Church in Papillion. They and other family members, all from St. Columbkille, used the money to help a family in Mexico that has been suffering from poverty and health problems.
BY KIMBERLY JANSEN
For the Catholic Voice
“Remember the Unborn.” LIFE Runners don bright blue shirts printed with this slogan “to encourage, embolden and educate people … to defend life from conception to eternity,” said Pat Castle, founder of the worldwide pro-life movement and member of St. Matthew Parish in Bellevue and St. Columbkille Parish in Papillion. The jersey invites conversation, Castle said, and as a result, creates an opportunity to prevent abortion and help men and women heal from abortion. According to Castle, there’s a play on the word “remember.” “We’re remembering the unborn in terms of memorializing them, but we’re also remembering the unborn, so they’re not dismembered,” he said, referring to the reality of abortion. In July, LIFE Runners sponsored a trip to Tanzania at the invitation of Archbishop Paul R. Ruzoka of Tabora, a city in the north-central part of the east-African country. On the first part of the trip, which lasted a week, a group of six LIFE Runners visited the archbishop, two convents with orphanages, a seminary run by the Spiritan Fathers, the Ifucha Divine Mercy Shrine and the Serengeti wildlife region. Four LIFE Runners then spent another week climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, located near the northeast border of the country with Kenya. While in Tanzania, Castle encountered another population threatened by dismemberment: albino children. According to the United Nations, one in 1,500 children in Tanzania are born with albinism, a condition marked by lack of skin pigmentation, frequent blindness and vulnerability to skin cancer. Castle said these children are endangered even further by a local superstition that albino body parts contain magical properties. “Witch doctors think that by including a piece of an albino kid’s body in food or drink, it will bring good fortune,” he said. Castle explained that children have been dismembered and even killed for their fingers, toes and limbs, prompting the Tanzanian government to sponsor “safe havens” for their protection. Joined by his wife, Angi, his daughter, Paige, and three other LIFE Runners, Castle visited one such haven: the Matumaini Children Home run by the Providence Sisters for Abandoned Children. Although the facility is often called an orphanage, only nine of the 32 residents are actual orphans. In most cases, Castle said, parents surrender their children voluntarily to the sisters’ care with an opportunity to bring them home for a visit once a year.
The LIFE Runners were captivated by the residents’ joyful spirit as they sang and gave visitors smiles and high-fives, despite the armed guards outside, a reminder of their precarious situation. The children “were just lights,” Angi Castle said. “It was a really special place where life is being protected every day.”
SIMPLE, HAPPY LIFE
The landscape of Tanzania reminded the Americans of what life must have been like in biblical times. They marveled at people tending their gardens, selling fruits and vegetables, shepherding animals and bathing in roadside streams. Paige Castle, a senior at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, noticed the contrast between the average Tanzanian’s approach to life and a typical American’s desire to accumulate material goods as a means of finding happiness. “I think (the Tanzanians) had life figured out,” she said. “They have so little and yet they were so rich in faith and joy.” Bernadette Costello, a member of St. Gerald Parish in Ralston, agreed. “We’ve been conditioned so differently, but I feel like they live as intended,” Costello said. “I was so close to Christ when I was there.” Costello also enjoyed the Tanzanian cuisine. “They eat simply, but they know how to spice things up so everything tastes delicious,” she said. “You don’t have to add ketchup or ranch, which they don’t have.”
COUNTERING SECULARISM
At first glance it may seem unusual for Pat Castle and his fellow LIFE Runners to share their pro-life message in a country where abortion remains illegal, except to save the life of the mother. However, “there is money flowing into Africa to change culture,” he explained, referring to Marie Stopes International, a non-governmental organization providing abortion and contraception in dozens of countries around the world. Father Desiderius “Dezzy” Katabaro, national chaplain for LIFE Runners in Tanzania, confirmed the “influence of secularism” in his country. “Here in Tanzania, we cannot deny the so-called western values that are propelled under the guise of development and technology that most of the time don’t respect the principles of natural law and divine law,” Father Dezzy wrote in an email. “The message of pro-life here in Tanzania is timely and highly needed to bring especially the youth back to the divine meaning of the gift of life.” Castle recalled a similar conversation with Archbishop Ruzoka as they discussed the growing LIFE Runners chapter in the Archdiocese of Tabora. “He told me, ‘You bet we promote (the pro-life message) and talk about it, but we love the creativity where the kids can wear their witness,’” Castle said. In fact, Castle noted that nearly a third of the 17,000 LIFE Runners worldwide are under the age of 22. “If we get a child in a shirt that says, ‘Remember the Unborn,’ the chances of them walking into an abortion facility are really low,” he said. “The chances of them encouraging a roommate or peer to choose life are high.”
‘CATHOLIC’ EXPERIENCE
As the LIFE Runners team reflected on their trip, they were overwhelmed with gratitude, especially for the hospitality and experience of the universal nature of the Church. Even after traveling for years with the United States Air Force, Castle called the trip to Tanzania “one of the most universal ‘catholic’ experiences of my life.” Accompanied by Bishop Joseph L. Coffey of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, the group attended Mass each day, even on the Serengeti – a protected region in northern Tanzania for wild game such as elephants, giraffes and lions. Castle said their gratitude for the Eucharist increased when they learned that Father Dezzy pastored 28 Catholic “outposts” in the Archdiocese of Tabora and could only visit each one monthly to celebrate Mass. After returning to the United States, the group continues to remember their Tanzanian hosts. They’re raising money for two specific needs in the Archdiocese of Tabora: an altar for the new Ifucha Divine Mercy Shrine and a water storage container for the Matumaini Children Home. Castle explained that Tanzanians often walk miles daily to transport water that is collected during the rainy season and rationed for the remainder of the year. During their visit, the LIFE Runners personally experienced the lack of water as they used a bucket for bathing and washing clothes. “Often times in (American) culture, we don’t feel the reality of ‘Give us this day our daily bread,’” Castle said. In Tanzania “we really got to appreciate God’s gift of life and his provisions with a spiritual dependence on him.” Castle encouraged all people of faith to consider joining the LIFE Runners’ team. “We know that 78% of post-abortive mothers have said that if one person had encouraged them or they saw an encouraging sign, they wouldn’t have aborted their child,” Castle said. “That’s why we wear (the jerseys) out into the world.” “Everyone is qualified,” he said. “Running is optional.”
To learn more about LIFE Runners, visit www.liferunners. org. To contribute to the altar or water storage projects, email exec@liferunners.org.
COURTESY PHOTO Four LIFE Runners hold up their “Remember the Unborn” banner at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in northeast Tanzania after reaching the 19,341-foot peak the morning of July 12. From left are Bernadette Costello; LIFE Runners founder Pat Castle; Bishop Joseph L. Coffey of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA; and Dolores Meehan, co-founder of Walk for Life West Coast.
LIFE Runners take Mount Kilimanjaro
BY KIMBERLY JANSEN
For the Catholic Voice In the mountaineering world, climbers often leave stickers in designated spots along well-traveled routes. “The culture is very secular in mountain climbing, so they might put a marijuana leaf,” said Pat Castle, founder of LIFE Runners, a worldwide organization that promotes the sanctity of human life. When a small group of LIFE Runners recently summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in northeast Tanzania, however, they left “Remember the Unborn” stickers for other travelers to see.
“Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, even atheists are vulnerable to the Holy Spirit at 15,000 feet,” Castle said, in reference to the fear and uncertainty climbers face at such high altitudes. “There’s an opportunity for tilling, watering and planting (spiritual seeds) getting ready to summit a 19,000-foot mountain.” Castle and his companions viewed the climb as an extension of their mission trip to the Archdiocese of Tabora in Tanzania the week before. “We evangelized the porters, the guides, anybody we crossed with our gear,” Castle said, referring to the pro-life slogan printed across the LIFE Runners’ winter coats. On a walk to the camp bathroom, LIFE Runner Dolores Meehan of San Francisco, California, responded to a derogatory comment from a European hiker who took issue with her jacket. “She educated him, loved him and gave him new insights,” Castle said. On the flip side, Castle rose early one morning and met an African ranger reading Scripture at basecamp. The LIFE Runners invited him to join them for the Liturgy of the Hours, and he became a LIFE Runner on the spot. The idea for the climb began with an invitation from Bishop Joseph L. Coffey of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, who had attempted Mt. Kilimanjaro twice before – reaching the summit only once. According to Castle, the successful summit rate is 40%. Bishop Coffey proposed the adventure as a “spiritual pilgrimage” in addition to a physical challenge. Bernadette Costello was intrigued by the opportunity, even though she had never even taken a hike in the Rocky Mountains. “I don’t like my faith to be stagnant,” Costello said. But “I didn’t know what I was getting into.” Castle, who had run up Pikes Peak in Colorado and completed multiple marathons, hesitantly agreed to join. The six-day journey is always a challenging one, said Castle. However, as the group neared the mountain’s summit on July 12, the endeavor took a dangerous turn when a blizzard brought life-threatening temperatures and next-to-nil visibility. “My body got to the point where I didn’t know if I could take another step, and we still had two hours to go,” Castle said. Costello said she offered the physical suffering of exhaustion, extreme cold and heaviness due to low oxygen as a prayer for a friend in need.
One of the times she fell on the ice became a particularly spiritual experience, she said. “As I fell, it was as if Jesus was with me falling, and his cross was over me,” she said. “In that moment, it was like he let me know (my friend) is going to be OK.” With the help of guides from the local Chagga tribe, the group did reach the summit, and they held the LIFE Runners banner at the top. Castle feebly offered the LIFE Runners’ cheer, “All in Christ,” and barely heard his teammates return in labored voices, “For pro-life.” “It wasn’t super loud, but God can amplify it,” he said.
Bellevue parish building a strong devotion to the Holy Eucharist
BY MIKE MAY
Catholic Voice For many children, special time with Mom or Dad may mean baking cookies, playing catch, a trip to the zoo or a Saturday morning donut run. But for the Brandon kids, it’s often a trip to visit someone waiting for them at St. Matthew the Evangelist Church in Bellevue. They are among the approximately 100 parishioners who regularly visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for eucharistic adoration in their newly-constructed church’s adoration chapel. The parish holds adoration with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament weekly from 7 p.m. Thursdays through 8 a.m. Saturdays. And the parish is aiming to eventually offer perpetual adoration, said parishioners Donna Buell and Phil McEvoy, who are organizing the effort. “It’s been such a blessing for our parish,” Buell said. Parishioner Lisa Brandon said eucharistic adoration has been a great faith-building practice for her four children, ages 5 to 13. “We go on ‘adoration dates,’” she said. “We say, ‘Who’s going on a date with daddy for adoration this week?’ … Sometimes my husband (Mike) and I have adoration dates, too.” She described these times as opportunities to teach their children about and help them experience the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. “It’s so good for my kids just to be still before Jesus and to be able to go to him with all their desires, their fears and their hopes, and just to share having that outpouring of themselves, then to be able to listen to what God is whispering to them.” “That’s why we go; we’re spending time with Christ in adoration, because it truly is Jesus,” Brandon said. And her children are accepting that “with that beautiful child-like faith.” “It’s so important for kids to be in his presence,” said Buell. “Our hearts are desiring Jesus, and to be in his presence is transforming. And to capture kids’ hearts when they’re younger, I think, is so important.”
EXPRESSED DESIRE
The impetus to begin regular eucharistic adoration came from a parish survey, in which numerous people expressed that desire, McEvoy said. In 2017 the parish began 24-hour first Friday adoration with exposition. “There were a lot of people doing the Rosary before Mass,” Buell said, “and out of that came this desire to have adoration. Mary always brings us to Jesus.” In time, adoration grew to be weekly, she said. “I just started asking the people who were doing the first Fridays if they’d want to do it every Friday, and a lot of people said yes.”
Church norms require that someone be present at all times when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, so filling each time slot with the recommended two people required Buell to actively invite people to take part. “I thought, how hard can that be? If Jesus wants it to happen, it will happen,” she said. “So as we got going, it kind of snowballed,” McEvoy added. And that was early 2020, right before the COVID pandemic. Despite the temporary halt to public Masses, weekly adoration continued uninterrupted, Buell said.
NEW INSPIRATION
Late last year, St. Matthew Parish celebrated the long-awaited completion and dedication of its new church. The building has inspired even more people to spend time before the Lord in the church’s beautiful new adoration chapel. At this time the parish also expanded adoration hours to its current Thursday through Saturday schedule. One of those drawn to spend time in adoration was Johnny Hula, a University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) junior. “It’s a really beautiful place for adoration,” he said. During this past Lent, Hula, who was working from home at a college internship, was drawn to the beauty of the new church and began going there during lunch breaks to pray the Stations of the Cross. He eventually stepped into the adoration chapel to experience the Lord’s presence. “It has given me a deeper reverence for the Blessed Sacrament, the Mass and the sacraments in general,” Hula said. “As Catholics, we believe that Christ wants to be truly present with us through the sacraments, and that’s a really cool thing. “And that’s been one of the greatest blessings – a deeper reverence and a deeper relationship with Christ.” Hula, who now lives at the St. John Paul II Newman Center near UNO, is continuing his practice of eucharistic adoration in the center’s oratory.
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament offers people the opportunity to personally encounter Jesus and receive his graces. At St. Matthew, people are allowed, and even encouraged, to prayerfully and reverently touch the monstrance that holds the Eucharist, McEvoy said. “We try to get people to be like the lady in the Bible who was hemorrhaging – she just touched Jesus’ cloak and she was healed – and not just to sit back or kneel, but to go up there and touch the monstrance … to put your physical, mental or spiritual concerns there, and watch them go away.” “You can say, Jesus, here’s my issues. You know what they are. I’m done with them, they’re yours,” he said. Even though the Eucharist is only exposed during specific hours, people are encouraged to obtain an access card from the parish office and come to the church anytime for adoration, Buell said. And the goal is to be able to offer the opportunity to kneel before the exposed Blessed Sacrament 24-7. To promote the devotion, Father Leo Rigatuso, pastor, regularly emphasizes the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist during his homilies. “What we’re here for is Jesus,” he said. “He is the Savior. We need to stay focused on what we’re doing and where we’re going.” “There’s so many things going on (in daily life) … it’s so easy to get sidetracked. So to keep us mindful of what this is (Jesus in the Eucharist), everything is centered around Jesus and the time spent with him – everything we do flows from that.”
MIKE MAY/STAFF Donna Buell and Phil McEvoy are working toward establishing perpetual eucharistic adoration at their parish, St. Matthew the Evangelist Parish in Bellevue.
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St. Matthew’s new church fulfills parishioners’ dreams
BY MIKE MAY
Catholic Voice For nearly 23 years, St. Matthew the Evangelist Parish has been setting up chairs and a portable altar in the school gym for weekend Masses, and taking them down again to be stored for another week. That all ended last Nov. 4 when parishioners joyfully celebrated the dedication of their new church by Archbishop George J. Lucas. After years of hoping and waiting to build their church, the project got a kickstart in 2017 from an anonymous parishioner, who paid off the $218,000 debt that remained from the construction of the gym 20 years earlier. That cleared the way for serious discussions and planning for construction of a church to begin, said Father Leo Rigatuso, pastor. The architectural firm Jackson-Jackson & Associates was hired to develop designs. “The thing we liked about them was they started bringing people together in small groups … to be participants in this process,” Father Rigatuso said. And the design that emerged was in the traditional style, with the altar and tabernacle as the central focus, Communion rails, stained glass windows, exposed wooden ceiling beams, Stations of the Cross, statuary and other time-honored touches. “And we wanted it to be very open (so that) when you step into the room you get that ‘awe’ factor,” said Rick Holdcroft, parishioner and facilitator of the parish’s building steering committee. “I’ve had people every weekend comment on the design of the church,” Father Rigatuso said. “They like the traditional look.” With seating for 700, the church was designed to take into account nearby residential growth, which is expected, he said. About 100 new families have already joined the parish in the past year, Holdcroft said. The building features a 28-seat adoration chapel sep-
MIKE MAY/STAFF
The new St. Matthew the Evangelist Church at 12330 S. 36th St. in Bellevue was dedicated by Archbishop George J. Lucas on Nov. 4, 2020.
MIKE MAY/STAFF
The interior design includes seating for 700 and a 28-seat adoration chapel located behind the sanctuary with a tabernacle that opens from each side.
arated from the sanctuary by a glass wall with a tabernacle that opens from each side. Also included are a new parish office and space that can be finished as a social hall in the future. The $8.6 million project began with a Sept. 9, 2018, groundbreaking, and immediately stalled due to an unusually rainy fall. Construction, with Boyd Jones Construction as general contractor, began in earnest the following spring and was completed in late 2020. The parish, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, was created in 1996 when the archdiocese assumed control of then-Cardinal Spellman School, naming it and the new parish St. Matthew the Evangelist. Cardinal Spellman School was built in 1963 by military personnel to serve families associated with Offutt Air Force Base.
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