Grapevine the St. Francis
March 2018
DISCOVERING CHRIST: A Renewal of Awe and Wonder BY MARCI HOULE, Coordinator of Adult Catechesis & Evangelization
Recently in RCIA we spent an entire evening asking ourselves the question, “Who is Jesus?” The previous week when I informed the group that this would be our next topic, they thought I was joking at first. I smiled and laughed and reminded them that "yes, this seems a little bit basic, but visiting the foundations of our faith is never a waste of time!" After our discussion that night, however, I began to think to myself – how is it that we’ve managed to get ourselves into the mindset that Jesus Christ is such a “basic” part of our faith that we don’t really need to talk about Him that much? On the one hand, yes, Jesus is a household name, and there is a very small percentage of the world who doesn’t know who He is, or at least know of Him, and that’s an amazing accomplishment for someone who’s been “dead” for 2,000 years and kept to a relatively small area of the planet near Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Galilee; isn’t that awesome enough? But on the other hand, no, we shouldn’t be thinking of Him as basic, no matter how familiar His name feels to the modern world. There’s no way we could ever finish understanding Him, and no way that we’ll ever know everything there is to know about Him. No matter how many times we read the Gospels, no matter how many times we receive the Eucharist, and no matter how many times we speak His name – the personal relationship that He is offering to us will never be finished growing, adapting, enlightening us, and evolving. Asking ourselves “Who is Jesus?” is a question that should not just be commonplace or elementary, but extraordinary, exciting, and discomforting! I want to bring back that awed feeling that I know we felt as children, when we found out that there was a man who
once walked on water, a God who came down from heaven, and a Spirit that sits on our hearts in the shape of a tongue of fire. Uncomfortable, just plain weird sometimes, but electric. Alive. Here at St. Francis, we’ve been taking some steps toward making this change already. From our devotions in certain liturgical celebrations to our events, retreats, and small groups, currently our discussions and experiences of Jesus and His effect in our lives are pretty familiar. But now it’s time to take another step—one that is a little more deliberate, a little more intensely focused— on exploring the possible answers to the supposedly simple question, “Who is Jesus?” This year during Lent, we’re inviting our various ministry leaders to run a "beta-test" of the program ChristLife. This program has the sole aim of “providing a place where we can invite others to discover Christ,” to become captivated by who He is, and to delve deeper into how our personal relationships with Him change and influence how we interact with the world. With the intention of introducing it parish-wide in the summer or the fall, we hope this program will truly change the way we are building a Church of missionary disciples by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and reaching the poor here at St. Francis and beyond. Please pray for us, encourage our ministry leaders, and consider joining their ranks. Let us all work as a team to help each other consider who Jesus is, who He is in our lives, and why that isn’t something very basic at all!
A NEWSLETTER OF ST FRANCIS CATHOLIC CHURCH • 861 WILDWOOD LN, GRAPEVINE TX • SFATX.ORG
FROM THE PASTOR Thank you for reading our newest edition of The Grapevine. We had a beautiful and joy-filled Christmas this year and I pray that your new year is full of blessings and love.
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 //
I'd like to thank all those who made Christmas a beautiful season. There are a countless number of people who work behind the scenes to make Christmas so amazing here at the parish. Everyone, from our altar servers to the Choir, did a great job. We could not accomplish much at St. Francis without our volunteers, and you are truly appreciated. Soon after Christmas, we had our Father-Daughter Dance, which was a wonderful time. It is a special bonding event and we have some fathers and daughters who can really "cut a rug"! We look forward to next year's dance. Our High School Young Church had their annual Confirmation Retreat in January for our young people who will be receiving their final Sacrament of Initiation. I'd like to thank Edmund, Tim and all of those who volunteered to make the Confirmation Retreat a huge success. It is a powerful opportunity for our youth to get away on a retreat—some for the first time—and come to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ. We are now in the Holy Season of Lent, which is the special time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is an opportunity for us to pull back from the world a little and hunger for Christ. I pray that your Lent is a special one. Make sure you have a good plan for Lent, as nothing good happens without a good plan! If you have already broken your Lenten promises, then just get back on-board and keep going; and if you have not had a good Lent yet, please start now, as there is still time! I look forward to the celebration of Easter with all of you. Please check us out on Twitter, Facebook and our website for updated information on all the happenings of St. Francis. In His Holy Name, Fr. Flynn Pastor
JOIN OUR NEW FACEBOOK GROUP!
While we continue to have a public Facebook page which can be viewed by anyone, our new private group is specifically meant for parishioners as a forum for us to build each other up, pray for one another, answer common questions about the parish, promote parish events/ministries, and grow together as the community of St. Francis of Assisi. Join at: facebook.com/groups/stfrancistx
Parish happenings PARISH HAPPENINGS
Winter at St Francis
Annual Father Daughter Dance
Several hundred fathers and daughters enjoyed crafts, photobooths, and dancing at the annual event that celebrates their love for each other. Volunteer
Appreciation Event
Without the many volunteers at this parish, very little would be possible! We enjoyed treating them to a "Hollywood Glamour Party" this year, with a night of food, drinks and dancing to thank them for their service. V Encuentro The Spanish & English choirs of St. Francis were blessed to sing at the diocesan V Encuentro Celebration on 11/5. More info on this event: sfatx.org/v-encuentro
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI • 2018
HOLY WEEK & EASTER Holy Thursday (3/29) 7:00 pm
Liturgy of the Eucharist, Washing of Feet, Transfer of Blessed Sacrament & Adoration until midnight
Good Friday (3/30) 2:00 3:00 5:30 7:00
pm pm pm pm
Good Friday Reflection by Fr. Flynn Stations of the Cross Via Cruces Liturgy of the Word, Communion & Adoration of the Cross
Holy Saturday (3/31) 10:30 am 8:00 pm
Blessing of the Easter Bread (Chapel) The Easter Vigil: Easter Fire, Liturgy of the Word, Sacraments of Initiation & Liturgy of the Eucharist 1
Easter Sunday (4/1) MASS TIMES:
8:00 am •10:00 am •12:00 pm 2:00 pm (Spanish)
No 8:30 am Daily Mass on Holy Thursday or Good Friday, no adoration on Good Friday, no confession on Holy Saturday, and no 5 pm & 4:30 pm Masses on Easter Weekend.
LENTEN ACTIVITIES EVERY FRIDAY 5:00 - 7:00 pm 7:00 pm 7:45 pm
KofC Fish Fry Stations of the Cross Stations of the Cross (Spanish)
MONDAY, MARCH 5 7:00 pm
the St. Francis
Reconciliation Service
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OUTREACH IN ACTION THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, OUR OUTREACH HELPED MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER BEFORE!
$52,042 ASSISTANCE
financial
GIVEN, INCLUDING RENT, UTILITY & BILL ASSISTANCE
$85,000+ 309 families assisted
Gifts &
Giftcards
DONTATED TO ADOPTED FAMILIES AT CHRISTMAS
AT THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS
Thank You! We are so very thankful for our parish family and all they do assisting us with bringing a joyous Thanksgiving and Christmas to all our adopted families! We assisted over 750 individuals, which wouldn't be possible without your generosity.
WE ARE EXCITED TO HELP FAMILIES IN NEED THIS EASTER AS WELL!
We are gathering pre-made Easter Baskets containing candy and small toys, and we are always in need of items for our food pantry. Please see the list in the bulletin or contact the parish office to help!
YOUTH MINISTRY
Preparing for Confirmation: ST. FRANCIS SPIRIT RETREAT 37
A Reflection by Kimberly Blan Going into the Confirmation Spirit retreat, I didn't know how much God was going to touch my heart over the next three days. That weekend Edmund, Tim, and the Core team leaders would come up and give their testimonies on how God has affected their hearts and their lives. I was so glad my small group leader, Mrs. Melissa, gave each of us notebooks, because I was writing in it like crazy!! After a couple of talks, we would split off into small groups and discuss each of the talks and ask each other which was our favorite, which part stood out to us the most, and how we could implement that into our daily lives. I really enjoyed this, because it was great to hear what others' thoughts were, and it also allowed us to become closer as a group. What touched my heart the most was Saturday night, after we celebrated Mass, we had Adoration with praise and worship. While I was praying in front of the Eucharist, my heart was suddenly filled with immense peace and joy—I couldn't help but have this big smile on my face. I'm so thankful for this retreat and cannot wait to help out next year!!
Save the dates!!
BIG EVENTS/TRIPS:
STEUBENVILLE LONE STAR // June 22-24 HIDDEN LAKE & COVECREST // July 1-8 (Register online now at: sfayoungchurch.com)
SUMMER FUN:
SUMMER KICK-OFF PARTY BARGE // June 1 BBQ PARISH COOKOUT // June 9 MOVIE NIGHT // June 14 PAINTBALL // June 28 DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT // July 23 FEED OUR KIDS // Aug 6 LAKE DAY BBQ // Aug 16
SUMMER FAITH SERIES:
3 PART BIBLE STUDY // June 6, 13, 27 VOLUNTEER AT VBS // June 18-22 DISCIPLESHIP 101 // July 25, Aug 1, Aug 8 This schedule is tentative. Stay tuned for the final schedule and updates: sfayoungchurch.com
Ministry spotlight "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11). Jesus often used parables and imagery to explain difficult concepts to his disciples, and what better image for our faith than the Good Shepherd? St. Francis parish is blessed to help the youngest among us understand this image, and the other Truths of our faith, through a program called Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The goal of the program is to share the love of Christ with the children of our parish in a way that encourages a life-long relationship with God. "It's a Montessori method of teaching the faith to children ages 3-12 that gives them the opportunity to use hands-on activities to explore and discover the mysteries of our faith and to fall in love with God, while meditating on Scripture and learning about the Liturgy," notes Laura Nelson, coordinator of children's catechesis here at the parish. "The beauty of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is it’s love and respect for the child and for the Holy Spirit at work within them. We don’t dismiss the child nor their ability to have a living relationship with God." The program, which is currently available to children in our parish age 4-7, is facilitated by CGS catechists, adults who proclaim Scripture and present materials to the child so that they may further meditate on the Word of God. CGS catechists receive extensive training in this methodology and grow in their own knowledge and love of God in the process. "In future years we will be expanding this program through age 12. Adults (and older teens) can participate and support this ministry by serving the children during their time together or by helping to make and maintain the many materials needed for this program to expand." Laura continues, "Being a CGS catechist is a truly enriching growth experience. It’s often true that a catechist begins their CGS journey 'for the child' but continues to volunteer for themselves." For more information about CGS or how you can become a catechist, visit sfatx.org/cgs. There you will find videos depicting the method and hear first-hand how the program affects the families, children, and catechists who participate.
Catechists OF
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
GREETERS
Have you ever been greeted with a welcoming smile and a hello as you have entered for Mass on the weekends? Well if so, it's likely you have witnessed a critical ministry here at St. Francis parish in action! "Greeting necessitates taking the initiative in extending yourself. It is humbling. I appreciate the need to be acknowledged," says Maureen Malone, one of our SFA Greeters, who offer a welcome to those parishioners and visitors who attend Mass here each weekend. "I thoroughly enjoy being a greeter and welcoming the new and established parishioners to our beautiful church. I especially love it when we get visitors and they comment about being greeted and that we are there to answer any questions," Pat King continues. This ministry is not time-consuming, but is extremely vital to our parish as we look to live out our mission. The greeters simply arrive for Mass 20-25 minutes early, then open the doors, offer bulletins or song sheets, and say hello to those who enter. "You never know if that is the only friendly smile or greeting a person might get that day," states Mary Elwood, coordinator of the Greeters. "I have had newcomers tell me that they felt at home when they came because of our ministry. Greeters welcome everybody into our community of Christ." "It is with great gratitude that I have been given the honor to represent our parish," says Susan Davis."I have had the opportunity to meet so many people that I would have never known otherwise. I can honestly say that this ministry is a true blessing to me and I give thanks that I am able to participate." For more info or to join this ministry in time for Easter, when we will have extra visitiors, contact Mary at melwood1111@verizon.net. the St. Francis
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MINISTERIO HISPANO
VIA CRUCIS EN ESPAÑOL
Es la meditación de los momentos y sufrimientos vividos por Jesús desde que fue hecho prisionero hasta su muerte en la cruz y posterior resurrección. Literalmente, Vía Crucis significa "camino de la cruz". Al rezarlo, recordamos con amor y agradecimiento lo mucho que Jesús sufrió por salvarnos del pecado durante su pasión y muerte. Dicho camino se representa mediante 15 imágenes de la Pasión que se llaman "estaciones". Te animarás a cargar con las cruces de cada día, si recuerdas con frecuencia las estaciones o pasos de Jesús hasta el Calvario.
Preparémonos para celebrar la PASCUA DE RESURRECCION. Acompañando A NUESTRO SEÑOR.
Aquí en la Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís, meditamos las estaciones de la Cruz cada Viernes de Cuaresma a las 7:45 p.m. y el VIA CRUCIS viviente del VIERNES SANTO lo tendremos a las 5:30 p.m. en el Gimnasio de la Parroquia. Jesús y María te esperan.
Señor Jesucristo, colma nuestros corazones con la luz de tu Espíritu Santo, para que, siguiéndote en tu último camino, sepamos cuál es el precio de nuestra redención y seamos dignos de participar en los frutos de tu pasión, muerte y resurrección. Tú que vives y reinas por los siglos de los siglos. Amén. — JUAN PABLO II —
SAVE THE DATE!
JUNE 18-22
4 years - 5th grade $35 (includes t-shirt)
sfatx.org/vbs
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
STAFF Q&A DENISE BROOKS
Probably one of the most recognizable faces on the staff, Denise has spent over 30 years in music ministry. We are blessed that St. Francis parish has been her home for most of that time. A bit about her: Describe your role AT THE PARISH. I’m the Director of Music & Liturgy, which means I oversee the music groups, direct the choir, and prepare music/liturgies for weekend masses, Christmas, Holy Week & Easter, weddings, funerals, Taize Prayer, etc. Tell us a bit about your family AND BACKGROUND. I have been married 39 years to my husband, Marc. My 16-year-old nephew has lived with us for 3 years, and is an honor roll sophomore at Subiaco Academy in Subiaco, AR. I am a graduate of Indiana University with a BA in Criminology. Ironically, I was a music major until senior year, when I decided I didn’t want to teach music. Who knew? What ARE 3 WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF? Driven, passionate, organized. What is your favorite Book? I just finished John Adams by David McCullough and am currently reading Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow to get the Federalist perspective. favorite MOVIES? Only OLD movies…. Inn of the Sixth Happiness and Quo Vadis are 2 favorites, and it wouldn’t be Christmas without the 1951 British version of A Christmas Carol. favorite FOOD? Any ethnic food, but especially Moroccan, Italian & Creole. favorite PLACE? Istanbul. what do you do on your day off? We have a music studio in our home, and we get together with friends for jam sessions. If you could have lunch with anyone? Pope St. John XXIII, to talk about Vatican II: "How did you shepherd such a transformation of the Church?" I’d like to know all the details! WhAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I took our St. Francis choir to sing the Latin High Mass at the Vatican in 1995. I met Pope (St.) John Paul II, shook his hand and spoke with him. Who knew I’d be shaking hands with a saint?
PRESCHOOL UPDATE
CIS OF A AN
SS
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ST. FR
SCHOOL NEWS
P RESCHOOL
For the last several months our Preschoolers have been learning about sharing and stewardship. We started collecting food for the Outreach Program. The children enjoyed taking their items to the Outreach Center themselves. We celebrated our own sharing with our Thanksgiving Feasts. The Pre K 3 and Pre K 4 children were especially thankful for their time together! We closed out 2017 with our Pre K 3 and 4’s singing some old favorite Christmas songs at our Advent Program. 2018 has the Preschoolers learning about Winter, snowmen and our 5 senses! Each class made a Special Projects for our Annual Silent Auction. Everything turned out simply beautiful…from our 2’s handprint flowers to the 4’s wonderful handmade Alphabet. The Blessing of Throats the children received as we started February was especially meaningful to the children. We are also getting ready for next school year’s Registration. We will start taking registration forms on March 1st for our present families and parishioners. Please call or email the Director, Ms. Karen Bedore at 817-481-2685 ext 230 or kbedore@sfatx.org to schedule a tour. MORE INFO: sfatx.org/preschool
Catholic Schools Week 2018 Eighth graders loading up the pantry collection for Catholic Charities. HTCS Basketball is in full swing! Our 6th, 7th, & 8th grade girls teams and the boys 7th grade team are undefeated. The boys 6th & 8th grade teams are in 4th place. Go Crusaders! The Lego Robotics season just ended. We had three teams participate this season: Blue, Gold, and Silver. Our Blue and Silver teams moved on from the first round of competition, and our Silver team moved on from the second, but didn’t make it to the Worlds. They finished the season 25th out of 450 teams.
Reading Buddies! 4th & 8th Grades
Educating Beyond Academics! the St. Francis
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St. Francis Families What is a favorite scripture passage for your family? The Bread of Life Discourse in John Chapter 6. We discuss it often, as everything in our Catholic Faith rises and falls on whether Christ meant what he said about his body and blood. It is not ours to understand fully the mystery of the Eucharist, but rather to confess in the words of Peter when Christ asked the Twelve if they also would leave him over this hard teaching: “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Tschirhart Family Tell us a bit about your family. Lisa and I (Jeff) have been married 21 years and have 4 children here, and a little one in heaven that we’re all dying to meet. I am an attorney (keep it quiet) and real estate broker. Lisa is an accountant by education and a St. Francis preschool teacher by the grace of God. Lane (20) served in NET Ministries last year after high school, and is a freshman at Franciscan U in Steubenville, OH. We may have to abduct him to pry him from that amazing campus. He says his calling right now is “to love more.” Cole (18) is in the Army National Guard Reserve, currently in AIT (specialty training) at Ft. Huachuca, AZ. He wants to fight injustice and will no doubt win a war single-handedly after he gets a Commission through ROTC at Texas A&M or Texas Tech. Both Lane and Cole are Eagle Scouts and were altar servers; Cole is now a Eucharistic Minister. Both continue to be open to the priesthood, and we thank God for that. Tate (16) is an altar server and active in SFATX youth ministry. She is an athletic freak, winning three varsity letters at Colleyville Heritage as a freshman. She’s also a brainiac, artistic, musical and funny. However she made her first “B” ever last semester, and her room is a disaster, so we’re getting rid of her. Keely (11) is our resident family Saint. Every family should have one! She is a St. Terese groupie. If this were the 70’s she would have a poster of the Little Flower on her wall instead of David Cassidy and be playing Gregorian chants on 45rpms instead of “I Think I Love You!” She organizes our rosaries and I saw in a recent writing when asked if she had one wish granted: “That everyone in the world would be Catholic.” Yeah, we might keep her! (if her room stays clean.)
Do you have any fun or interesting family traditions? We put up a 7’ cross in our front yard every Good Friday (with spotlight) and add a shroud on Easter Sunday. We keep it up 50 days through Pentecost. We are now adding a Christmas Manger in December through the Epiphany. We also pray (with sign of cross) every time we eat out - just a little way to evangelize our neighbors and community. It also keeps us from eating like animals (I think). What is one way your family prays together? We love the Divine Mercy Chaplet. We get comfortable on couches and organize a table with candles and the Divine Mercy image, then take turns leading each decade. Also, we try to pray the vocation prayer (“Father you call each one of us by name…”) at dinner. Our kids each learned a part when they were young. We also listen to Catholic Radio (910AM; 850AM Spanish). If you don't already, start - you will truly fall in love with your Catholic Faith! What do you love most about the parish? SFATX preaches the Truth of the Faith, with love and firmness. Also there are so many wonderful ministries, parishioners, and educational resources/staff that EVERYONE has an awesome opportunity to deepen their love and understanding of the Catholic Faith. Father Flynn is simply an amazing gift - we won’t have any excuses when we meet Christ at our judgment! What mass do you typically attend and what parish ministries are your family involved in? We typically attend the 4:30pm Sunday Mass. We live just 2 minutes away, so no excuse when we are late! We also participate in Scouting, Faith Formation, Altar Serving, Eucharistic Minister, Lector, Pre-School Education, Young Church, Adoration, and Serra Club. How would you describe our parish if you were to explain it to an outsider or fallen away Catholic? Where Truth is clearly taught in Christ’s Love; you can literally live your life around the Parish life.
only senior in her class at school who knew her confirmation date. What is a favorite scripture passage for your family? To whom much is given much is expected. A pressing need to do more for others led us to service ministries in our parish. So for us a favorite is "So here I am Lord I come to do your will" (Hebrews 10:9).
Hobday Family Tell us a bit about your family. We (Dick & Bernice) have been married for 51 years. We have two sons, two daughters and two children in heaven. Northwestern Bell Telephone Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota was the meeting place. Dick’s career led us to New York, New York; Denver, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; New Orleans, Louisiana and finally on to Trophy Club, Texas. Our current occupation is “Retired”. Our greatest blessing has been our children and 10 grandchildren. Sunday is our family day - we attend Mass, followed by a breakfast, lunch, or dinner together. This is our traditional family affair. This started in Omaha where we all resided with all four in either high school or college and has continued with the two children who are living near us in Texas. In high school the boys were taught by the Benedictine Monks and Jesuits. The girls were taught by the Servants of Mary. Everyone including Dick graduated from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and Bernice from the University of Minnesota. Dick is a “Cradle Catholic” and Bernice is a “Converted Catholic” of 51 years. Do you have any fun or interesting family traditions? Family and traditions have always been a focus for our family; the most important tradition being our Catholic faith. Birthdays, baptismal dates, patron saints days, and confirmation dates are all recognized with a call or a short text message of congratulations. Our oldest granddaughter related that she was the 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.
What is an interesting fact about your family that people may not suspect or know? After we retired, we decided we should begin taking grandchildren with us on our religious pilgrimages. Our grandchildren have traveled with us to the Holy Land, Rome, Assisi, San Giovanni Rotondo, and our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. Genealogy is an outlet for Dick and has led us to discover our heritages. We are Irish, English, Finnish and German. Dick’s Irish channel goes back to year 1390 and Bernice’s Scandinavian channel back to 1566. Amazing right? We were able track our first granddaughter‘s fraternal family back to St. Margaret of Scotland. She adopted St. Margaret as her confirmation Saint. What parish ministries are your family involved in? We have served in almost every ministry in the parish. The Marriage Ministry has been a beautiful blessing in our lives. It gave us the privilege of working with some of the finest Catholics in our community. In our damaged and suffering world we worked side by side with the Holy Spirit to help create holy and healthy marriages and families: the hope of the world. In 1998 Father Ken asked us if we would coordinate the Marriage Sponsor Sacramental process at St Francis. After three Pastors, four Family Life Directors, five marriage prep books, 141 sponsors, 531 couples sacramentally prepared and nineteen years later, we have become Sacramental Preparation Coordinators Emeritus! Bernice coordinates the Hospitality Ministry, along with many faithful volunteers, serving funeral receptions and dinners for other services when priests are visiting. We also serve as Eucharistic ministers and as a Knight, Dick has organized the recitation of the Rosary before all Masses at St Francis. We hope between the two of us we have had the privilege of doing it all and sharing His generous gifts. What do you love most about the parish? We have enjoyed the people we have shared moments with and we are proud to say St Francis is our parish home. Thank you for being that community, haven and home for us. the St. Francis
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Staff Blog Samplings
Oh, No You Didn’t!
was proclaiming the Word of God as her own. And, when children have told me how excited they are to receive Jesus for the first time in the Eucharist, they are sincerely expressing their joy at being one with Christ.
*Warning: This post includes a rant and a firm stance on a soapbox. You have been warned.*
Wondering how to do this with your own child? Here are some tips to help you lead your child to Jesus:
Laura Nelson Coordinator of Children's Catechesis
If you ever want to get my goat, all you need to do is say something like, “Well, they’re just children. They can’t be expected to care about their faith.” Um, excuse me? Did you just say that children aren’t capable of loving the Lord? Well, I hate to break the news to you but Blessed Lucia Santos, and Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto were just children when Our Lady appeared to them in Fatima, Portugal 100 years ago. They not only believed in her and her message, they’ve led millions of other people to Jesus through Mary by sharing Our Lady’s message despite obstacles and hardship. Because of those children and their great love of Jesus, the world has changed for the better. And they’re not the only examples of children with great faith. St. Maria Goretti was a young girl who died rather than give in to mortal sin at the hands of her attacker. There are many more holy children that have been documented and even more that haven’t. The Church has recognized the faith of children since its early days. After all, Jesus told His Apostles to “let the children come unto me” not because they were cute and entertaining but because He knew that their hearts were open to His love. He even encouraged His disciples to be more like children in their faith so that they could enter the kingdom of heaven. I have the privilege of coordinating the children’s catechesis program at our parish and I have seen the great capacity for faith that children have. When parents have low expectations for their child’s interest in matters of faith, I try to charitably encourage them to expect more and give their child more credit! Children have an openness to God that adults have often lost. They have a way of piercing through the trivial to get to the heart of God’s message. In fact, over the years, I’ve seen more and more children grow in their love of Jesus because we give them the opportunity to know Him and to love Him in a way that a child can. When a three year old told me spontaneously that “Jesus makes food for the whole world,” I smiled and said, “Yes, He does.” (Then I fainted from pure joy!) When a four year old quoted Isaiah to her Dad by saying, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,” she
Teach them names. Just as you did when they
were a baby, you should point out things on the altar or in church and give them the names of those things. If you don’t know the names of the items on the altar, start with the altar table itself, the tabernacle, and the priest. Later you can move on to the paten, chalice, cruets, and the rest. Knowing the names of these things helps your child maintain interest as well as follow along with the Mass better.
Talk about Scripture. Read the Mass readings
together before Mass and give yourselves time to think about it and ask questions. “What did they mean when they said that?” “What did it feel like to be that person?” “What is Jesus trying to tell me with these words?”
Teach them to pray. I’m not talking about
memorized prayer although that’s important too. Teach them to listen to scripture and respond to it with their heart. After reading Scripture out loud and pondering it together, ask them if they have anything they’d like to say to God about these words. Then, let them say it without cutting them off or correcting them. This is just a starting point for you and your child. After you get them interested, follow their lead by answering their questions and asking them questions in response. Soon, you’ll all be closer to Christ and participating better in the Mass. So, don’t try to tell me that kids can’t understand God’s love for us or that they’re not interested in knowing Him. I know better. And now, so do you! *End of rant.* This post is from 6/6/17 on catholicmom.com.
Tripping & Falling
I can’t in good conscience say they’re wrong anymore. They’re probably right. They might tell you about the piano recitals, about dancing, about various awards, Marci Houle about the teaching I did, the Youth Groups I led, the solos Coordinator of Adult Catechesis & Evangelization I had, the Masses I sang at, the stories I created, the art A contemporary of mine once remarked that there’s no that I drew, the parish and community-wide events that such thing as an accidental Catholic. I co-created, the hours of service I gave, the reputation I At the time, this statement made me chuckle, made me had as one of the only out-of-the-closet Catholics at our roll my eyes, prompted me to mutter “speak for yourself, school - not the freak, but simply untouchable. These kiddo,” at my colleague, who in turn smiled and rolled are all truths of my life, out there for all the world to see. But still, to myself and to my friends and to my family her eyes at me. and to my faith, I’ve always denied that I had made my At the time, from my perspective, I have been an choice on purpose; still I stood by the excuse that my accidental Catholic all of my life. I didn’t particularly mother had made this choice for me, the excuse that I care when I was raised Catholic, I didn’t have any had tripped, and fallen, into who I was, into who I was ulterior motive to be a lay minister or a theologian or turning out to be. I was blind to the truth right in front a member of the religious when I went to a Catholic of me. I was blinded by false humility. college. I was just… here. And here was fine, because I’d experienced no particular trauma, I hadn’t been The reason why my colleague rolled her eyes at me? particularly challenged, and it was comfortable. A quiet They were right. I was wrong. Absolutely, unequivocally place to hide, an excuse for avoiding everyone else who wrong. spoke differently, acted differently. It worked There is no such thing as for me, and I never questioned, never had to articulate, to myself or anyone else, why I was an accidental Catholic. here. No such thing as an accidental… anything. I At the time, from my perspective, I have may have been born into this, I may have been been an accidental… anything, all of my life. bred into this - but I could’ve left, at any point, I wasn’t super passionate about my choices in all along. I did not. And that was a choice. My high school or college. I was in band because choice. it was convenient, and less boring than gym. You in turn, dear reader, have had - or will I was a writer because it was convenient, and have - a series of moments which prompt you less boring than class. I was a singer because I to make your choice. A series of moments had to fill up a space, I was a whiz kid because I in which you will live and breathe what you traipsed along with a friend, I was in leadership believe in, which will speak to and spell out courses because I signed up on a fluke at the last who you are, and which will reveal the very minute, I worked a dozen jobs over the years foundation of your soul: a series of moments because being poor left me with no other choice, in which you are declaring the root of your I went to college because you’re supposed to, convictions, the goal of your life’s days. and it sounded entertaining enough, and sitting What will your root, your goal, be? Will it be in a classroom was all I had ever done. I didn’t following your passions? Will it be Christ? For do anything out of true desire, but because it was expected or because I happened to be there, and many today it will not be. For many today, as it was for because I couldn’t be bothered to find a different path me, it will be a refusal to acknowledge that they’ve made to take - I couldn’t be bothered to find out if a different any choices at all. For the longest time I thought like this, only half-heartedly believing that I wasn’t alone, path to take even existed at all. most certainly believing that I was small, believing that This is how I remember my life. Others around me I was weak, believing that my choices didn’t matter. might remember differently. I. Was. Wrong. Are you? the St. Francis
Grapevine
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TAIZÈ PRAYER
ROSARY LEADERS
A Meditative, Candle-lit, Ecumenical Prayer Experience
MORE INFO: sfatx.org/taize We invite you to experience the peace of contemplative prayer at an upcoming Taizè Prayer. Held at 7pm on the third Thursday of every month for the rest of 2018 (except April), this meditative, candle-lit prayer experience allows the mystery of God to become tangible through the beauty of simplicity. I really enjoyed the prayer service last Thursday evening. The music, lighting, and icons were beautiful and added to the experience. I am looking forward to the next one!
NEXT TAIZÈ PRAYERS:
March 15 • May 17 • June 21 July 19 • August 16
I cherish my experience in Taizè and look forward to it each month, and am sorrowful when I can’t be there. I’ve had to miss two months in a row and am resolved to make my schedule revolve around this day from now on!
10TH ANNIVERSARY
of the Family Rosary at St. Francis Parish
In Lent of 2008, then Pastor Fr. Ahn asked the Knights of Columbus to begin leading a Rosary for the intention of "St. Francis Marriages and Families" 30 minutes prior to two of the weekend masses. The Knights have faithfully continuted this tradition for 10 years now, expanding the ministry to every Mass on every weekend. Thank you to the men who have led our parish in this prayer ministry!
Herm Barringhaus Dennis Gaynor SK Pablo Guerrero SK Glenn Hendry SK Richard Hobday SK Scott Immel Greg Jones Dwayne Koehler SK James List Rakesh Malhotra SK Eric McKuzes Jim McManic SK Guillermo Munoz SK George Patterson SK Kevin Pichon Tom Pruit SK Don Ritter † Don Schutt El Tabangcura SK Mark Thornsburg
Tony Velasco Brian Ward SK Jack Winter