Summer 2018, No. 3
Vineyard VOICES
A magazine about ministry for
from the
alumni of Saint Meinrad.
A Diocesan Priest on Loan to the Missions: A Conversation with Msgr. John Kozar
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Christian Mocek
(Deuteronomy 31:4-8)
When the prophet Moses commissioned Joshua to lead the Israelite people, he told Joshua in front of all of Israel to, “Be strong and courageous … The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Moses knew it required courage drawn from a deep and unwavering faith in the providence of God to lead God’s people. As servant leaders of God’s people, Saint Meinrad alumni know this to be true from experience. What follows in these pages are three stories about courage in ministry. At last year’s Alumni Reunion, we honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award someone who is a courageous leader and advocate for the poor. Msgr. John Kozar, a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, graduated from Saint Meinrad College in 1967. After his priestly ordination in
by: Christian Mocek 1971, he quickly went on to a career in the global missions. As current president of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, he heads an organization serving those caught in the middle of some of the world’s greatest conflicts. While he was here at Saint Meinrad, we caught up with him and sat down to discuss his work. The next two columns, one by a current Alumni Board member and the other by a recently ordained priest, are about courageously finding God in difficult times. Whether that is preaching about difficult topics, as Fr. Scott Woods explores, or finding ways to feel close to the ones you love – even when they are far away, as Diane Valentine writes. Courageously preaching the truth, courageously serving the poor, and courageously seeking God’s presence in the face of suffering are hallmarks of ministry in the vineyard of Lord. May the words that follow help us continue to be strong and courageous in a world fraught with difficulty. For the Lord will do for us just as he did for Joshua: He will never leave us nor forsake us. F
VOICES Vineyard from the
This online publication can be viewed at http://alumni.saintmeinrad.edu/voices FEATURES 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .From the Editor
3-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A Diocesan Priest On Loan to the Missions: A Conversation with Msgr. John Kozar 6-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alumni Reunion 8-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Written in my Heart 10-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Preaching on Hot Button Issues Produced by the Alumni Office and the Communications Office at Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Office of Alumni Relations alumni@saintmeinrad.edu
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A DIOCESAN PRIEST ON LOAN TO THE MISSIONS:
A Conversation with Msgr. John Kozar During last year’s Alumni Reunion, Monsignor John Kozar, president of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, graciously agreed to a Q&A session about his incredible work. The Catholic Near East Welfare Association Msgr. John Kozar (CNEWA) is an agency of the Vatican that provides funds to ensure that Eastern churches and devoted religious sisters — who run clinics, schools, orphanages and other sanctuaries — have enough money to do their vital work. Q. What has been most fulfilling about this work for you? Is there a particular program you oversee that you are most proud of?
As the president of Catholic Near East Welfare Association, I feel particularly privileged. First of all, I’m nominated for this by the Holy Father, and my mandate is to reach out on his behalf and on behalf of the universal Church to Eastern Catholic churches. These are churches that are in areas of great suffering, even outright persecution and martyrdom, so I feel that is a great privilege to be able to represent the Holy Father and to learn about these very cherished ancient churches, about which I knew something, but not too much. One area of my work that I take particular pride is the work we are doing in Israel. When we think of Israel, we typically think of the Arabs that are Christian or of Palestine. But there is a huge group of domestic and immigrant workers – over a hundred thousand
by: Christian Mocek
of them – that are overwhelmingly Catholic. They are from the Philippines, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sri Lanka, and we've really committed a lot of resources to helping them. They were sort of orphans, and I feel particularly good because they’re very faithful Catholics and they had no one caring for them. Q. What are some challenges that you have faced in your travels? How do you prepare for these international trips?
There are many challenges. There are fanatic Islamic movements. There are separatist movements. There are militias, things like that, all over the very broad Middle East. India has serious problems with fundamentalist groups. These groups raid a Christian village and burn it down. There are also laws against conversion. We have to be very delicate about the evangelization that takes place, so I have to be very, very delicate in my public presence. When I go on these pastoral visits, I have offices in nine other countries, so I rely very heavily on the people on the ground and their partners for language help and the latest security alerts. There are also religious sensitivities between various churches or church groups they keep me aware of, as well as any political boundaries. We don’t get into politics, but it is important to know if there are words I shouldn’t say or places I shouldn’t visit. Q. Looking back on your work in the last several years, have there been lessons that you’ve learned or maybe even bigger than that, maybe the Church has learned?
Looking back, I’m now six years in this role and I was 10 years with the Latin missions around Voices from the Vineyard | Page 3
Msgr. John Kozar, left, talks with displaced Iraqis at the Martha Schmouny Clinic in Ain Kawa, Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, in April 2016. (Courtesy John E. Kozar/CNEWA)
the world. The Church is always much larger than we think. We tend to compartmentalize it. Most of us are Latin tradition. That’s the breadth of our experience. We know very little, if anything, in some instances, about the beauty and tradition of these Eastern churches. They’re ancient. They go back to the time of the apostles. In India, for example, two churches there trace to St. Thomas the Apostle. There’s a certain humility that you’re called to. The biggest thing I’ve learned and I have it reaffirmed everywhere, is that even if his name is not known, the message of Jesus, the son of God dying for everyone and rising, permeates. The message of Jesus resonates and uplifts. In particular, I find this from the poor. I’ve been in remote tribal areas where they have no religion, but they’re drawn to this person of Page 4 | Voices from the Vineyard
Jesus. I go there theoretically to support the teaching, and I come back having been taught. Q. You’ve probably been to a lot of areas that you never expected you’d ever see. Is there any experience that really surprised you, where you found yourself like, “I never knew I would ever be here”? Yes. I would say I’ve been surprised in a number of instances. Sometimes, very pleasantly, and maybe sometimes, initially disappointed. I’ve been with the Gumuz people in Western Ethiopia. They never saw a white person until a few years before I came. They’re still semi-naked and live by fire and scavenging for rats and birds. They were absolutely drawn to this message about Jesus.
They had a big fire for me and they were drinking some kind of hooch, homemade, and I was a special guest and they sang beautiful hymns and walked me up to a little hut, where they sang alleluia. It was beautiful.
Q. I know you work with a lot of things like schools and seminaries. Can you talk a little bit about some of the good that CNEWA does in that regard? We help a lot of the Church presence directly with formation. For example, almost all of the seminaries in our world, in the Eastern Church world, we support them, sometimes to 100% of the cost, so it’s a direct investment.
We also invest in other formation programs for sisters, especially as novices. Even something as humble as a $60 allotment for a novice allows them to make their habits, buy their prayer books and their rosaries. That’s a beautiful way of supporting them, of walking with them, and they hold us then in high esteem. We don’t deserve it, but when I visit I’m like their uncle. I’m like their godfather. It’s very humbling that we’ve been able to invest something. Priests, after they’re ordained, have no continuing education programs. We’ve been able to help make that possible to elevate them spiritually, scripturally, however it might be. Even for bishops, helping them in the administration of their diocese. We don’t tell them what to do, but “How can we help you?” Q. Let’s step back now and think back to your time here at Saint Meinrad, when you were a
student. You probably never foresaw yourself in the role you are in now, but what about your formation at Saint Meinrad have you carried with you?
My missionary background really began here. I happened to be president of the Mission Club and that really excited me. And we used to raise money for the missions with little projects, and I represented Saint Meinrad at a national convention at Notre Dame. That was really big time for me – it really lit a fire. When I was in theology, I worked a summer in Peru, and then I really caught this foreign mission thrust, and all through my first 30 years as being a parish priest, I always kept a connection with our mission in Peru. Eventually, I was head of the mission office, and then I was given a national job as head of the Propagation of the Faith for the United States and then I started traveling to missions all over that world. I owe so much of my missionary calling to Saint Meinrad. When I was a student, Saint Meinrad started their mission in Peru. Even Archabbot Bonaventure (Knaebel) went there and some others. And when they would come home, I would be particularly interested, so all of these things together have played a huge role in me arriving at this place in life. F
Msgr. John Kozar - A priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Msgr. Kozar attended Saint Meinrad High School and College from 1959-1967. He attended St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore for major seminary and was ordained to the priesthood in 1971. In 2011, he was appointed president of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and the Pontifical Mission for Palestine. In that capacity, he has overseen the Catholic Church’s aid to Christians in the Indian subcontinent, the Near East and Middle East. His term has coincided with much of what has been termed the “Arab Spring,” a time of special political sensitivity for Christians living in North Africa and the Middle East. Since then, Msgr. Kozar’s work with the CNEWA has necessitated increased effort at remedying the persecution of Christians and other minorities occasioned especially by conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Voices from the Vineyard | Page 5
90th Annual Alumni Reunion
Click here to register!
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Schedule SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2018 2:00 – 11:00 p.m. - Early Arrivals Registration 5:00 p.m. – Vespers with the Monastic Community 5:15 – 6:15 p.m. – Supper, Newman Dining Room
7:00 p.m. – Compline with the Monastic Community 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. – Reception in Alumni Commons 8:00 p.m. – Movie Showing, St. Bede Theater
MONDAY, JULY 23, 2018 9:00 a.m. – Graduate Theology Program Alumni Reception, Alumni Commons
1:15 – 2:30 p.m.– Keynote Workshop (continued)
10:00 a.m. – Golf Scramble (Christmas Lake Golf Course, Santa Claus, IN)
5:00 p.m. – Vespers
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. – Workshop: “Leaving the Upper Room: How the Church Needs to Reach Out to the Millennial Generation,” Fr. Dave Dwyer, St. Bede Theater
6:00 p.m. – Anniversary Class Banquet and Class Photos, Newman Dining Room
11:45 a.m. – Lunch, Newman Dining Room
5:30 p.m. – Reception in Alumni Commons
8:30 – 11:00 p.m. – Anniversary Class Gatherings (respective spaces are available throughout the Reunion) and Socializing at the UnStable and Alumni Commons
TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2018 8:30 a.m. – Morning Prayer, St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel
2:30 p.m. – Choir Practice 2:00 – 2:45 p.m. – Confessions in St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. – Presentation: “Confronting the Challenges of Life and Ministry: The Virtues of Courage and Hope,” Fr. Mark O’Keefe, OSB, St. Bede Theater
3:00 p.m. – Alumni Reunion Mass in the Archabbey Church and Reunion Photo Presider: Archbishop Peter Wells
9:00 a.m. – Guided Tour of Saint Meinrad
5:00 p.m. – Vespers
11:00 a.m. – Alumni Association Meeting, St. Bede Theater
5:30 p.m. – Reception in Alumni Commons
11:45 a.m. – Lunch 1:15 – 2:30 p.m. – Presentation: “Come Away by Yourselves: Finding Rest in Prayer,” Br. Francis Wagner, OSB, St. Bede Theater
6:00 p.m. – Alumni Reunion Banquet, Newman Dining Room 8:30 – 11:00 p.m. – Anniversary Class Gatherings (respective spaces are available throughout the Reunion) and Socializing at the UnStable and Alumni Commons Voices from the Vineyard | Page 7
WRITTEN IN MY HEART It’s been said, “Memories are moments in time.” What about spiritual moments, the ones that so indelibly give us signposts of God’s presence? The day after Ash Wednesday, with the Dr. Mary Diane imprint of ashes fresh Valentine on my forehead, I traveled to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage. I left behind my daily routines and Billy, my husband. He cannot travel, homebound since last year.
by: Diane Valentine, PhD, MTS Our pilgrim group met at 5 a.m. and boarded the bus while Jerusalem still slept. There was a spiritual anticipation, one of identifying with the suffering of Jesus along the route millions of pilgrims had made. Along the ancient path were occasional lights, and the time of day gave an unobtrusive reverence for our journey while a drizzling rain splattered on the limestone pavements. We gathered along the Via Dolorosa, prayed and quietly sang at each station, allowing the familiar words to impart the reality of where we were. I clung to the olive wood cross for Billy, to hold that “way of suffering” for him. We walked under a stone arch marked “Holy Sepulchre” and crossed the courtyard to enter the church to reach our destination and finish the stations. No singing as we joined hundreds of pilgrims in the church, each group making its way to the various altars and sacred places.
“The small, simple, olive wood cross, made in Bethlehem, became a holy treasure to share with my husband, spiritual moments written in my heart.”
To help us stay connected, I sent him emails and photos. This communication didn’t seem to be enough and I wondered how I could share the deep movements I was experiencing, the spiritual moments that drew me closer to God.
We climbed the steps to Calvary and, as I knelt under the Altar of Crucifixion, I pulled out the olive wood cross and placed it there. My heart was full of emotion that God would send his Son to be a sacrifice. Words to describe were absent. I tucked the cross back in my pocket and felt as though Billy would receive a blessing from this symbolic act. This small cross had been to Calvary where Jesus said, “It is finished.”
The inspiration came when our guide offered an olive wood cross for each pilgrim to carry during the Stations of the Cross. Immediately, I was impressed that this cross could go where Billy could not.
I thought I had completed this journey with the cross until I came to the Stone of Anointing. Almost involuntarily, I drew it out and laid it on the stone, the place where tradition says Jesus was anointed for burial.
Dr. Mary Diane Valentine MTS ’13 (’10-13) serves as director of administration at All Saints Parish in St. Peters, MO. She currently serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Page 8 | Voices from the Vineyard
How humbling for our Savior, “becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) Suffering and death are not the entire story. Jesus rose from the dead and his tomb, the Holy Sepulchre, located in the Aedicule, is where our pilgrim group had Mass that morning. The cross left my pocket again and I laid it on the marble plaque over the tomb where I was privileged to kneel momentarily.
“He is risen,” my heart sang silently and hoped Billy would feel that exhilaration. Being in the place of the empty tomb was the pinnacle of carrying the cross to places where Billy could not be. The small, simple, olive wood cross, made in Bethlehem, became a holy treasure to share with my husband, spiritual moments written in my heart. F
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PREACHING ON HOT-BUTTON ISSUES
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” These are the words of Jesus, as reported by Luke (12:49). “To Set the Earth on Fire” was also the theme of the 2017 Notre Dame Preaching Conference Fr. Scott Woods sponsored by the Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics. The four permanent deacons with whom I minister at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Findlay, Ohio, invited me to join them at the
by: Fr. Scott Woods
Another similarity between the Dome up north and the Hill down south are the relationships both have with the Marten Family, which has generously supported the study of homiletics and the formation of preachers at both institutions for many years. Thanks to the Martens’ investment in the Church, preachers from around the world came to Notre Dame to learn how to set the earth on fire by our preaching,
My participation at the conference, which featured top-notch speakers and helpful workshops, affirmed the initial formation I received at Saint Meinrad. We who have worshipped in St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel have had the flame of faith stoked within us by some wonderful preaching we’ve heard.
“I believe the people of God should hear about the pressing issues of our time and place from the ambo instead of Facebook and Twitter, Fox News and MSNBC, Breitbart and The New York Times alone. conference this past summer. They had gone before and thoroughly enjoyed it, and I have to say, I’m glad I accepted their invitation.
Like the Holy Hill, the campus of the University of Notre Dame is a special place. It’s big and beautiful and abounds with tradition. It doesn’t take long before you feel at home at what a friend of mine – who’s a Notre Dame fanatic – refers to as “the holy land.”
We who have listened to up-and-coming homilists reflect on the Living Word in practice chapels, and strived to identify their focus and function statements, have had the flame of faith stoked within us by some wonderful teaching we’ve received. We, who while deacons, preached in parishes in the local churches of Evansville, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Owensboro have had the flame of faith stoked within us by the patience and kindness of the faithful who endured our best and worst moments at the ambo on ministry weekends!
Father Scott Woods is a priest of the Diocese of Toledo and graduated from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in 2015. He currently serves as Associate Pastor at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Findlay, OH. Page 10 | Voices from the Vineyard
On September 13, the Church observed the Memorial of St. John Chrysostom. The one known for his “golden mouth” knew it was his sacred responsibility to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, and that he did – even to the point of dying in exile. It’s our sacred responsibility also – to set the earth on fire. I sometimes remind parishioners that I’ve not been sent to them to win a popularity contest. While it’s nice to be liked, I know that’s not what I’ll be accountable for when this preacher appears before the Eternal Word for judgment. I also tell parishioners that rather than sending a letter to the bishop if and when I upset them, they should be sending one if I never leave them feeling frustrated! Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable, as Chrysostom did, is not difficult to do these days. All it takes is daring to address any moral issue, which is usually interpreted as a political statement. However, I’m more and more convinced that, while there may indeed be a price to pay for the bold proclamation of the Gospel, our sisters and brothers are waiting and longing for it.
I believe the people of God should hear about the pressing issues of our time and place from the ambo instead of Facebook and Twitter, Fox News and MSNBC, Breitbart and The New York Times alone. Matters of pressing public importance like immigration, health care, racism, and care for our common home can also be addressed – and more importantly – from the rich treasuries of sacred Scripture and sacred tradition. A few times now, after addressing hot-button issues like the death penalty, parishioners have told me after Mass, “That was a difficult homily to hear.” I reply, “It was a difficult homily to preach, too!” I also explain that I’m preaching to myself even more than I’m preaching to them because I’m not where I need to be yet either. Together we are the pilgrim Church. Together we’re waiting on the living and effective Word of God that pierces the heart more surely than a two-edged sword to challenge us, correct us, encourage us, and strengthen us in our bold proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ that sets hearts and the earth on fire with Divine Mercy. F
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Find Jesus at the door of your heart
and you will discover paradise. —St. John Chrysostom
Interested in hearing more stories like these? Do you know alumni who should be featured? Please share your feedback and suggestions with Christian Mocek, director of alumni relations, at cmocek@saintmeinrad.edu or (812) 357-6501.
200 Hill Drive • St. Meinrad, IN 47577 • (812) 357-6501 • www.saintmeinrad.edu