Grapevine the St. Francis
June 2018
Have you ever been hiking? A traveler hiking through mountains and forests can get a wonderful impression of things as they go by: a tree, a stream, or a wild animal. But it’s only from a high vantage point that we can see the bigger picture, and the relationship of the stream to the mountain, and the valley to the tree. The journey of life can be this way too. We go through life taking things one at a time as they come to us. We may find we only stop to reflect on the bigger picture when we face a fork in the road or a major crisis. Things right in front of us seem the most important and we think we know them very well. Things further away seem less important and we see them vaguely. And maybe the bigger purpose or plan of life, we have no clue at all. Jesus says “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) We believe that Jesus has the big picture for life. He knows the way. He IS the way. We also believe that following Jesus in the Church should be simple. Sometimes its hard to know: What’s most important? What’s the bigger picture? Where do I start? What is next? Where do I fit? Who are my people? We believe every person deserves a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. Once you encounter Jesus, you’ll start following Him and growing. Eventually, He’ll invite you to start serving in ministry and mission. This is called the Path of Discipleship. We want to make this path simple and clear. We call the three steps: Encounter, Grow, Serve. That’s why we are creating the Membership Series. Think of it as a roadmap for your faith journey, the Church, and life.
Membership 101: Start Here This two hour dinner and presentation held four times a year is specifically for new members of St. Francis parish or those who still feel disconnected. Also called the Newcomers Dinner, we’ll tell you what it means to be a member of our Church, the many ministries and resources we have, explain the Membership Series, and give you a roadmap to help you on your faith journey. We encourage people to join a Connect Group and experience Discovering Christ after this step. Membership 201: Next Steps We encourage people to attend this class who have had an encounter with Jesus, possibly through the Discovering Christ program, but are wondering what is next for them. We’ll cover the three basic habits of a disciple all of our Church members commit to: daily quiet, weekly worship, and monthly growth. We will also talk about the importance of community, and help you find a small group perfect for you to connect with. We encourage people to join or form a Discipleship Group after this step. Membership 301: Find Your Purpose After Discovering Christ and joining a small group, members are encouraged to attend this one day class, which will use the program Called and Gifted from the St. Catherine of Sienna Institute. This intensive workshop designed to help you discover the gifts in your life that God has given you will include presentations, an assessment, and an interview with a mentor to help you discern your gifts. We’ll also help recommend ministries in our parish we think would be a good fit for you. Membership 401: Find Your Mission After the previous classes, joining a small group and discerning your charisms, members should attend this class. We will cover the Church documents Redeptoris Missio and Evangeli Gaudium and discuss Jesus’ mission, missionary discipleship, the mission of the Church, and the mission of our parish. You’ll prayerfully discern where God is calling you to influence and reach those outside the walls of our parish. You’ll also learn about developing a missionary spirituality. We encourage people to attend a parish mission trip after this class, preferably with their small group.
A NEWSLETTER OF ST FRANCIS CATHOLIC CHURCH • 861 WILDWOOD LN, GRAPEVINE TX • SFATX.ORG
FROM THE PASTOR Welcome to the next installment of The Grapevine, our parish newsletter.
OFFICE HOURS Monday - 9:15 am - 8:30 pm Thursday (closed for lunch from 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm)
Friday Sunday
9:15 am - 12:00 pm 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
CHURCH HOURS Monday - Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
8:00 am - 8:30 pm 8:00 am - 6:00 pm 8:00 am - 6:00 pm 7:00 am - 5:30 pm
MASS SCHEDULE WEEKENDS (nursery/guardería) Saturday Vigil 5:00 pm Sunday 8:00 am 10:00 am (en español) 1:00 pm 4:30 pm WEEKDAYS Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
8:30 am 8:30 am 6:00 pm 8:30 am 8:30 am
St. Francis of Assisi Church
861 Wildwood Lane Grapevine, Texas 76051 817.481.2685 // 817.488.3169 (f)
sfatx.org //
Lent and Easter were beautiful, and I want to thank everyone who made the celebration of The Triduum so wonderful. It was a time of fruitful contemplation of the mysteries of the passion and resurrection of Christ. I pray that you will carry the spirit of Easter in your heart and let it be a reminder of how much Christ loves you, especially in times of difficulty. We are now in Ordinary Time. However, Ordinary Time should be anything but ordinary. In Ordinary Time, we switch the liturgical colors from the celebratory white to green, the color of growth. In this season, we take time to live the small parts of our lives with extraordinary heroism. It is in daily living that we become saints. Make sure to not waste this season of growth, and give thanks for the ordinary in your life. We are also going to be starting our capital campaign, with the motto “Our Faith, Our Family, Our Future.” We have an exciting and aggressive plan to renovate our current facilities and build a new formation center with an adoration chapel. These initiatives will set the parish up for an even brighter future. I hope you will prayerfully consider making a contribution to “Our Faith, Our Family, and Our Future" in the coming months and years. There will be many things going on at St. Francis parish this summer, many of which are highlighted in this newsletter. Don’t forget to check the website regularly for everything that is happening. In a special way, I hope to see you at our upcoming Parish Picnic and BBQ Cook-off on June 9. We will have a great band, lots of games for the kids, and of course, lots of BBQ to eat! God bless, Father Flynn Pastor
TAIZÈ PRAYER
A Meditative, Candle-lit, Ecumenical Prayer Experience "I can’t believe I just went for the first time and how much I regret all I’ve been missing! I felt like I was conversing with God; a true two-way communication in His real presence. What a beautiful and spiritual experience it was!"
NEXT TAIZÈ PRAYERS:
June 21 • July 19 • August 16 September 20 • October 18
MORE INFO: sfatx.org/taize
Parish happenings PARISH HAPPENINGS
STAFF ROLE CHANGES Friday, June 15 • 7 - 8:30pm Family Life Center Not everyone finds church meaningful and important outside of Sunday. Our church is big, and it can be easy to get lost in the crowd. It is even harder to make connections with people as everyone darts out the door after mass to get home. We’ve realized that most people at St. Francis of Assisi who really feel that church is making a huge impact in their life all have one thing in common - they are all intentionally connected to other people at our church. This is why we believe doing life together is easier in circles than rows. It’s not enough to have strong commitments and convictions. You also need strong connections. You need an environment where you are encouraged and supported in your convictions and your faith life. When life gets hard and you feel like you’re doing it alone, it can be easy to drift away. Life is better connected. You need community, and someone in community needs you.
We want to help people at our parish connect with others who want to connect. So we’re planning to host our first ever Connect Event!
At St. Francis of Assisi, our Department of Evangelization and Catechesis has gone through a few changes in the last two years. In March our coordinator of adult evangelization and catechesis, Marci Houle, decided to pursue a different ministry path. As part of this transition, Edmund Mitchell, who was directing the department and coordinating high school Young Church, decided to transition out of high school ministry into a more full-time role as director of the Department of Evangelization and Catechesis. Scott Immel went from part-time to full-time as coordinator of RCIA to assist Edmund in covering adult evangelization and catechesis. Tim Jara moved from coordinator of middle school ministry to coordinator of youth ministry, including HS Young Church, and has hired Sam Ford to work under him as coordinator of MS Young Church. For more details on these role changes and who to contact for what in this department, visit sfatx.org/ role-changes. Thank you for your continued support of our department!
A Joyful Easter Octave
The Connect Event is where people meet and connect with others to start a Connect Group, or a small group of people in the same stage of life and same part of town who meet regularly to share christian community. Groups are asked to initially commit to meet together for eight weeks. This time is spent getting to know each other and walking through a short study series on christian community. At the end of the eight weeks, group members decide to either continue with the group, or wait and join a different group at another time. No pressure, no questions asked. When you come to the Connect Event, all you’ll need to know is what area of town you’re from and what night of the week you’d like to meet on. The Connect Event is a short and fun two-hour cocktail party where you won’t feel awkward because everyone is there for the same reason you are! Come alone or with your spouse. Childcare is available on request.
We’d love to have you at our first Connect Event on June 15 at 7pm! RSVP at sfatx.org/connect Interested in hosting a Connect Group? Find out how you can help start and host a group at sfatx.org/connect as well. The St. Francis Choir and Spanish Ensemble have been asked to assist at the National V Encuentro, which will be held at the Gaylord Texan from Sept 20-23, 2018. Thousands of Catholics are expected to attend. We wish them luck and know they will represent us well!
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MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT
Becoming Catholic: God created us in His image, but He also gave us characteristics that make us uniquely different. My journey through the RCIA program at St. Francis and coming into the Catholic church is uniquely my own and it was incredible! I began attending Mass every Saturday with my boyfriend, Michael, and his family. It was shortly after I began regularly attending Mass that I knew I wanted to become more religiously active and come into full communion with my faith and relationship with God. I came to Michael and told him I wanted to join the Catholic faith and he was excited, supportive, and so happy for me. His parents, Bob and Nancy Hasbach, were also hugely supportive and were able to provide me with a wealth of
knowledge! A few months prior to beginning my RCIA journey with Michael as my sponsor, he proposed to me in Central Park! I knew when we were to be married how important it would be to both of us that we were married in the Catholic church. It was a very busy and exciting time for both us as I not only went through RCIA, but all of the marriage prep work as well. This process not only strengthened my relationship tenfold with my (now) husband, but with God as well. The wisdom I have obtained during the last 8 months has brought me into a steadfast relationship with our God. I have been enlightened to become a better person in my relationships and in my everyday life as a more loving, forgiving, and caring child of God. I just feel that I see things now with a new
DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS St. Francis is proud to have several youth and adult Discipleship Groups already gathering regularly to learn about Jesus, what it means to be His disciple, and how He calls each of us to live discipleship in our daily lives. The
A Reflection on the RCIA Experience by Lisa Hasbach
set of eyes and have found a new level of patience and understanding that I may not have exhibited as well before. The Catholic Church can and often is misjudged due to the lack of knowledge and understanding of the faith. The RCIA course provides the answers to all of the confusion and misconceptions that non-Catholics may hold. I had a few friends and even family members question my decision in wanting to make the commitment to convert to Catholicism, however I had many more people that gave me their encouragement and offered their prayers all along the way. I am so thankful for my instructors, Joseph, Pedro, and Scott who offered us their time, their wisdom, and their caring and loving hearts. I am so grateful for Father Flynn who I received my 3 sacraments from during the Easter Vigil, and one week later, officiated as Michael and I received the sacrament of marriage. It was beyond the best week of my life and I wish I could relive it over and over again. Lastly, I wouldn’t be where I am today without my sponsor, my husband Michael, who came to every class with me, answered any questions I had, and supported me all along the way. The sacraments I received changed my life. They have strengthened my identity with Christ and his call for us to be faithful and faith-filled. I find great joy knowing that as one part of my journey concludes, my life long journey begins. I am already working with St. Francis to become even more involved and have received an opportunity to help out as a marriage coordinator, providing future couples with the information they will need in order to be married in the Catholic church. If anyone is longing for a place to belong, or for a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith, I would highly encourage you to come to the RCIA classes and learn what it is all about. God has taken me into his arms, I have become one His followers, and for the rest of my life I will know His love, joy, and peace. groups are an accountability system for each other, as each member strives to grow in prayer, personal relationship with Jesus, and a deep desire to witness to the way God is moving in their life to those in their schools/work places, families, and community. Pictured from left to right are Kimberly Blan, Maia Jordan, Juliana Blan, Kathleen Gilliland, Lisa Baas, Madi Jones, Melissa Glass, and Meredith Conrad, who are part of a D-Group which not only meets regularly for discipleship but also visits Woodbridge Health & Rehabilitation in Grapevine about once a month. While there, they go room to room of the Catholic residents and pray with them. For more information on Discipleship Groups at St. Francis and how you might get involved, contact Edmund Mitchell at emitchell@sfatx.org.
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN NEWS The decision to proceed with a campaign was a collective choice made by the parish council, finance council, and Fr. Flynn. Ultimately though, the decision came from you, our church family. During our recent planning study, the majority of participants indicated they favor a capital campaign and will offer financial support.
St. Francis of Assisi is excited to be moving forward with a capital campaign to address the following capital projects: • Renovate the Family Life Center • Refurbish the Sanctuary • Address maintenance needs including bathroom renovations, adding confessionals, a counseling room, additional office space, and resurfacing the parking lot • Construct a new multi-purpose facility
In the coming weeks and months, you will learn much more about the campaign and the different ways you can help the cause. If you are interested in volunteering, please email us at campaign@sfatx.org. In the meantime, please pray for the church leaders and volunteers who will work diligently to ensure a successful outcome. Capital Campaign Prayer
Lord Jesus, create in us a new heart. Pour your Spirit upon us so that we may do the will of the Father. Nourish us with your Eucharist and heal us of sin. May our efforts to serve the parish of St. Francis of Assisi be a sign of our love for you. St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us. Amen.
YOUTH MINISTRY All incoming 7th - 12th graders are invited to join Young Church this summer for camps, conferences, social events and prayer opportunities! See the schedule to the left and visit sfayoungchurch.com/ summer for all the details!
IN COLLEGE OR COLLEGE-AGED?
Plan to join St. Francis College Squad for lots of summer activities, including a trip to Billy Bob's Texas and Dinner with Fr. Flynn, along with weekly Mass & Breakfast and bi-weekly Mass & Bible Study. For all the details including the full schedule, visit sfatx.org/college.
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MINISTERIO HISPANO
La liturgia es el conjunto de signos sensibles, eficaces, de la santificación y del culto a la Iglesia. Es el conjunto de la oración pública de la Iglesia y de la celebración sacramental.
Celebremos el Tiempo Ordinario
TIEMPO ORDINARIO
Crecer. Crecer. Crecer. El que no crece, se estanca, se enferma y muere. Debemos crecer en nuestras tareas ordinarias: matrimonio, en la vida espiritual, en la vida profesional, en el trabajo, en el estudio, en las relaciones humanas. Debemos crecer también en medio de nuestros sufrimientos, éxitos, fracasos. ¡Cuántas virtudes podemos ejercitar en todo esto! El Tiempo Ordinario se convierte así en un gimnasio auténtico para encontrar a Dios en los acontecimientos diarios, ejercitarnos en virtudes, crecer en santidad…y todo se convierte en tiempo de salvación, en tiempo de gracia de Dios. ¡Todo es gracia para quien está atento y tiene fe y amor! Artículo de catholic.net.
PASCUA
El Tiempo Ordinario tiene su gracia particular que hay que pedir a Dios y buscarla con toda la ilusión de nuestra vida: así como en este Tiempo Ordinario vemos a un Cristo ya maduro, responsable ante la misión que le encomendó su Padre, le vemos crecer en edad, sabiduría y gracia delante de Dios su Padre y de los hombres, le vemos ir y venir, desvivirse por cumplir la Voluntad de su Padre, brindarse a los hombres…así también nosotros en el Tiempo Ordinario debemos buscar crecer y madurar nuestra fe, nuestra esperanza y nuestro amor, y sobre todo, cumplir con gozo la Voluntad Santísima de Dios. Esta es la gracia que debemos buscar e implorar de Dios durante estas 33 semanas del Tiempo Ordinario.
CUARESMA
Ordinario no significa de poca importancia, anodino, insulso, incoloro. Sencillamente, con este nombre se le quiere distinguir de los “tiempos fuertes”, que son el ciclo de Pascua y el de Navidad con su preparación y su prolongación. Es el tiempo más antiguo de la organización del año cristiano. Y además, ocupa la mayor parte del año: 33 ó 34 semanas, de las 52 que hay.
NAVIDAD TIEMPO ORDINARIO
La liturgia es la manera de celebrar nuestra fe. No solo tenemos fe y vivimos de acuerdo con ella, sino que la celebramos con acciones de culto en las que manifestamos, comunitaria y públicamente, nuestra adoración a Jesucristo, presente con nosotros en la Iglesia. Al vivir la liturgia, nos enriquecemos de los dones que proceden de la acción redentora de Dios.
ADVIENTO
Conozcamos más nuestro Calendario Litúrgico
STAFF Q&A SCOTT IMMEL
A long-time parishioner and catechist for our RCIA program, Scott has taken a more formal (and growing) role as a staff member over the past couple of years. We are blessed to have him on our team! Describe your role AT THE PARISH. I am the RCIA Coordinator (& Catechist) and Tribunal Advocate, and also serve as an acolyte and a senior member of the Pastoral Advisory Council. Tell us a bit about your family AND BACKGROUND. I have been married 18+ years, have five grown children (three live in California, two in Texas) and five grandkids. We are soon to be ‘empty-nesting’. I have a BS in Biology and BS in Psychology from St. Mary’s College of California, and a JD from Western State College of Law at Argosy University in Fullerton, CA. What ARE 3 WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF? Intense, Caring and Responsible What is your favorite Book? The Bible, especially John’s Gospel and Paul’s letters to Corinth and Hebrews; Tolkien’s Trilogy (read it 50+ times!); C.S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters favorite MOVIES? Fiddler on the Roof, Casablanca, Lord of the Rings, The Passion of the Christ, The Sound of Music and West Side Story favorite FOOD? Joe's Crab Shack's BBQ Crab favorite PLACE? "The Scotland" and Austria What is your favorite scripture? Matthew 25: 32-46, it’s the Judgment of the Nations. I like it because it’s the blueprint of our salvation...”what you did to one of these, the least of my children, you did to Me.” what do you do on your day off? Golf. WHAT IS SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOU THAT PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW? When I was in high school, I won a “Twist Contest” and was awarded the honor of appearing onstage with Chubby Checker at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in CO, doing the twist with him in his performance there. Also, when I was 16, I climbed the four highest peaks in New Mexico in a single day (three of them were within one mile of each other)! WhAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Playing a role in the creation of my children.
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SCHOOL NEWS
P RESCHOOL
MORE INFO:
sfatx.org/preschool
Our little ones have had the opportunities to learn about kindness, friendship and stewardship along with their academic curriculum this year. From stone soup, to modeling the piety of the saints we discuss, to collecting dental health items for the Outreach Program, we have a rich and unique way of growing our social skills as a Preschool family. We also find time to celebrate with special activities each month! We all look forward to Dr. Seuss’ birthday by reading some of our favorite books. After our visit from Teddy O’Toole, we jumped right into the Easter Season! This was followed by our discovery of spring with all its rain, bugs and butterflies. All students performed in the “Spring with Jesus” Musical, which was followed by “Go Western Week,” complete with a Cowboy Lunch and roasting marshmallows. We rounded out the school year with our May Crowning and Splash Day activities. We are in the middle of next school year’s registration. Classes are for children 18 mos. – Pre K 4 and are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-2pm. Please call or email the Director, Ms. Karen Bedore, at 817-481-2685 ext. 230 or preschool@sfatx.org to schedule a tour.
Holy Trinity Catholic School has had a busy spring! Besides our annual Gala, which was a "roaring" success, our 7th graders capped off their study of Texas History with their Dead Texans Report and the Austin visit tradition. Our Home and School Association also planned a special week for appreciating our faculty and staff! They kicked the week off by escorting all the faculty and staff in on the red carpet after receiving royal crowns and flowers! For more information on Holy Trinity, vist holytcs.org or email admissions@holytcs.org.
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St. Francis Families What is a favorite scripture passage for your family? Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my Shepherd and there is nothing I shall want.” The Lord has brought us through some very tough times and every time things start to get difficult, this Psalm gives us great courage, strength, peace, and the fortitude to face the challenge at hand.
Malhotra Family Tell us a bit about your family. We (Judith and Rakesh) celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary last November. We met at a party and after a long courtship (6 years), got married a month before Rakesh moved to the USA for graduate school. We have been blessed with twin 21-year-old sons, Nikhil (Nick) and Sameer (Sam). Nick is a junior at Baylor University Nursing School in Dallas and Sam is a junior at the Baylor University in Waco studying Electrical Engineering. He is also in the Army ROTC. Rakesh’s job moved us from Florida to New Jersey (where Nick and Sam were born) to South Carolina to Georgia to North Carolina to Wichita Falls, TX and finally to Grapevine. Another job move loomed, but we were not willing to uproot our family and start all over once again. Rakesh left the corporate world in 2010 and since then we have owned a staffing company, which not only provides income but also allows us to make a difference in peoples’ lives. Rakesh’s journey to become a Catholic spanned a very long time; finally in 2013, he was welcomed into the church at the Easter Vigil. Not only was that a phenomenal experience, but it was even more joyful because Nick and Sam were altar servers at that Mass. What is an interesting fact about your family that people may not suspect or know? Rakesh is probably the only convert to Catholicism who went to CRHP (both receiving and giving) before going to RCIA and receiving the sacraments. While the fire was lit even before going to CRHP, that weekend had such a profound effect that that fire burning in his heart turned into a raging inferno.
Do you have any fun or interesting family traditions? Traditionally, we break the Good Friday fast after the stations of the cross by eating hot cross buns that have been made by dad (store bought are not acceptable to Judith, Nick and Sam). As a family, we always attend the Easter Vigil and Christmas Eve Midnight Mass, and then call our overseas family members afterwards. What is one way your family prays together? In addition to saying grace before all meals – whether at home or out – we pray the Rosary and Divine Mercy as we walk along Lake Grapevine. What better way to enjoy God’s handiwork in all its glory. What do you love most about the parish? SFA is such a warm parish and we felt at home right from the first time we set foot through its front doors. The welcoming community, the clergy, generous outreach to the needy, selfless volunteers, ample opportunities to get involved in a variety of ministries – what’s there not to love? And the wonderful choir makes attending Mass that much more joyful and meaningful. What mass do you typically attend and what parish ministries are your family involved in? We attend the 8am Mass. Nick and Sam were altar servers and EMs before leaving for college. They are very active members of St. Peter’s Catholic Student Center at Baylor, where both are 4th degree Knights of Columbus, ushers, and EMs. Both Judith and Rakesh are EMs. Rakesh is a 4th degree Knight of Columbus, rosary leader before the 8AM Mass, and is on the Pastoral Advisory Council. He is also a member of Chaplain Kapaun’s Men, a small group of men who meet at the church at 7AM every Saturday to pray the Rosary, the Divine Mercy, and grow more in our faith through video and book study. How would you describe our parish if you were to explain it to an outsider or fallen away Catholic? Come visit the parish where you will encounter Christ through a warm, faith-filled, welcoming community and listen to powerful, engaging homilies that not only are enlightening and educational about our faith, but also extremely meaningful for the times we live in.
Lebon Family
Tell us a bit about your family. We (Kristin & Justin) were married October 6, 2007 (Justin wrote that from memory!). Since then we’ve had three boys and lived in three states: Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Tommy is 9 and is working towards a black belt in karate. He plays baseball and loves to read. Jack is 7 and loves indoor rock climbing. Both of them are students at Johnson Elementary. Kolbe is a 3 years old and just learned to ride his bike without training wheels. He loves his teachers and friends at St. Francis Preschool. Kristin is the Elmer’s that keeps our family sticking together. She’s always volunteering at the school or the parish when she’s not shuttling people between activities. Justin is a Chief Dispatcher at Southwest Airlines, and he’s also a C-130 pilot in the Texas Air National Guard. We moved to Grapevine to be closer to St. Francis and the parks and trails near the lake. Do you have any fun or interesting family traditions? During Lent the kids do a sacrifice bean jar. When they make a sacrifice they put a bean in the jar. On Easter morning the beans are gone and the jar is (hopefully) full of jelly beans! During Advent we do a manger on our mantle. Every time the boys do something kind for someone or offer something up, we put a small piece of hay in the manger. It’s usually enough to welcome Baby Jesus on Christmas. We save our Christmas cards from friends until Easter every year. Each night during Lent, we pick a card and say an Our Father and a Hail Mary for that family and their intentions. Kristin makes In every issue, we will feature 1-2 families from our parish. Each of these families contributes to what makes St. Francis a thriving community. We are honored they call us home. To nominate a family to be featured, contact dmilliken@sfatx.org.
(amazing) homemade pizzas every Friday night and we all watch a movie in the living room together. What is an interesting fact about your family that people may not suspect or know? We’ve lived in several states following Justin’s military career. We have friends serving all over the world who stay in touch and send notes to our kids. Kristin is the oldest of eight kids. Our middle son, Jack, was born in Mississippi while we were stationed at Columbus AFB. His brothers constantly tease him that he’s not a true Texan, even though we got him back here as soon as we could! :) We love riding bikes as a family. We like to ride as often as possible for picnic dinners by the lake. What is a favorite scripture passage for your family? Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” We’re a military family and my job means long trips and lengthy deployments. This verse has reminded us that Christ is the center of our lives. Even if I’m on the other side of the world, the Mass readings are the same, and the boys and I can all talk about them when we FaceTime. What is one way your family prays together? We say morning and night prayers together as a family, and we (try to) say a decade of the Rosary together each day. During our evening prayers we say what we’re thankful for that day and we each mention our prayer intention for the night. What parish ministries are your family involved in? Kristin helps with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and she serves on the board for St. Francis Preschool. Tommy is an usher and loves passing the baskets around; drop in a fiver next time you see him at your pew! What drew you to St. Francis and what do you love most about the parish? It’s smaller, accessible, welcoming to families and very down-to-earth. We love Fr. Flynn's homilies. Since we have moved frequently with the military since being married, we have never really been actively involved in a parish until Saint Francis. We feel very blessed to be a part of this growing wonderful community. How would you describe our parish if you were to explain it to an outsider or fallen away Catholic? St. Francis is a group of down-to-earth, folks-next-door people doing good for each other and the community, with the grace of the sacraments to help them.
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Staff Blog Samplings
AVENGERS: DISPAIR VS. HOPE Tim Jara Coordinator, Youth Ministry
Yep, this is an article about Avengers: Infinity War and the meaning of life. Watching the movie surprisingly inspired within me some pretty big thoughts – particularly about the nature of Christian hope. If you haven’t seen the movie, look away now. Spoilers ahead! If you’re still reading this, I’m assuming you’ve seen the film. And if you just saw it for the first time, can you believe what just happened? I guess if you read the comics you could have seen it coming, but not me – no way. I just walked into that movie theater expecting the Avengers to win again. The good guys always win! But when the final scene ended and the credits began to roll, I remember feeling frozen and confused, shocked, and a little bit horrified. How could that be the end? More than half of the avengers just died – gone. Just like that. And Spider Man? Are you kidding me? He was so young. Bruce Banner’s voice was ringing in my ears: “What is going on?” As people began to quickly fade away – literally - into the wind, confusion was all I could express. The thought of Thanos actually “winning” (or at least the perception of him winning), left me with two very polarized thoughts. One was a not-so-superficial despair, and the other was a very potent and persistent hope. The crazy thing is they happened in my head all at once, each battling within me for the throne: “could this really be the end?” (despair) and “this can’t actually be the end, there must be more” (hope). Thank God for the after-the-credits scene! I think this is an experience we all go through when tragedy strikes. This battle between overcoming despair and finding hope. I can also imagine that Jesus’ disciples may have felt the same way on Good Friday. Think about it. Imagining the sight of the cross on that
day, I can sense a similar shock to my system. What just happened? Jesus…died? I can hear the words of the disciples on the road to Emmaus ringing in my ears: We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel (Luke 24:21). Can you sense that familiar tension between what they experienced and what they were hoping for? Weirdly enough, I try to embrace being in that middle-place of waiting; that tomb which is so full of anticipation despite the darkness. I believe this is the place where hope becomes truly Christian. It’s in this place of waiting on the edge of your seat, hoping no matter what that there is more to come; it’s there that we go from Christianity as a concept to Christianity as faith, hope, and love in a real and living God who is somehow still saving the day – even when it looks like all hope is lost. Easter teaches us that even when all does seem lost, God has a plan in mind to bring us back to Him and give us life. When you’re struggling to find hope, when you’re disappointed, when you feel like there is no way to win, I invite you to consider trusting Jesus and His plan to repair what sin has done badly, and to supply for what has been left undone. Maybe then, we can say with St. Paul: “we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us.” - Romans 5:3-5 Jesus, I ask for the gift of radical hope. Please stir up within me unshakable confidence in your goodness and unfailing love. Show me the parts of my heart that I have not yet surrendered to you. I give you permission to be with me in my suffering, and to be guide me through the darkness to the light of your resurrection. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen.
Be Holey?
Laura Nelson Coordinator, Children's Catechesis
Recently I heard a priest talk about holiness. His definition of the word really stuck with me. He said, “Holiness isn’t about perfection, it’s about being open to God.” Whoa. To me, that was a game-changer. Since then, those words have rolled around in my head and in my heart. I’ve been chewing on this idea and the more I ponder it, the more I’m filled with hope. As a young Catholic, I lived with a mistaken view of sainthood. I looked at the statues and images of saints and assumed that they were just as two-dimensional as their likenesses. They all seemed to have very somber expressions with eyes cast heavenward and hands held in a prayerful position. They didn’t seem to have struggles, or doubts, or even personalities. As a lively teenage girl, I can tell you that those images were less than appealing. It wasn’t until I was being confirmed that I began to learn about some of the saints. I loved the fact that St. Lawrence, while being grilled to death for his martyrdom, actually told his executioners, “Turn me over. I’m done on this side.” Now that was a guy that I could relate to! Boldly courageous and with a sense of humor! Since then, I’ve gotten to know more saints and their stories. I’ve grown to know them not as perfectly posed statues but as real people with real struggles and weaknesses that really loved God. Over time, getting to know the saints has given me a desire to become one and a glimmer of hope that it might be possible.
succinctly stated in layman's terms what holiness actually was, not only did a lightbulb of understanding go off but I also started having hope that I could be holy too. If holiness is about openness to God, I can do that. Openness I can manage. Perfection I can’t. Because I’m a visual person and prone both to bad puns and sometimes worse metaphors, I came away from that priest’s talk with an image of Swiss cheese in my head. If I could just be “holey” like Swiss cheese, I could be holy like a saint. After all, the holes of Swiss cheese never close up and saints never close their hearts to God. Both are always open and ready to receive whatever comes at them. And maybe, like Swiss cheese, the older I get, the more “holey” I could become. So when you’re struggling to wrap your head around how little, imperfect you can become a saint, think of Swiss cheese. Without it’s holes, it would just be any other cheese. But, with it’s holes, it’s special. When you think of holiness, what comes to mind? Do you even strive for holiness or does it seem too unattainable? Does this idea of holiness and openness help you to view holiness as something you might just be able to attain? Originally published on 5/1/2018 on catholicmom.com.
But, somehow, I never made the connection that the holiness of the saints wasn’t about their perfection. It was about their openness to God. So, when that priest
OUTREACH IN ACTION
K N A TH YOU!
St. Francis Outreach would like to express a huge thank you to all those who supported us with extra food and gift cards over the last months as we were stepping in to help GRACE clients after the devastating fire in their Food Pantry. We appreciate it!
SUMMER NEEDS
This summer, we will especially be in need of extra snack and lunch items as school is out, gift cards for perishable food, and last but not least, utility assistance as energy bills peak during the hot summer months. Thank you for your generosity! the St. Francis
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Saturday, June 9 6-10 pm $10/person $20/family PICNIC INCLUDES: Burgers & Hotdogs • BBQ Tasting • Potluck Sides Iced Tea & Lemonade • Beer & Wine Games for Kids • Live Music • Fun for the Family parishioners, please bring a potluck item to share: A-E - Vegetable • F-M - Fruit • N-R - Dessert • S-Z - Salad/Bread MORE INFO:
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