CALLED TO ACTION
Archbishop gets pressed into service at the March for Life
Story by Moira Cullings / Photos by Jay Soldner
By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
A day before he was set to travel to the nation’s capital for the annual March for Life, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann received a surprising request.
Would he fill in for Bishop Daniel Thomas, chairman of the Committee on
Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who was no longer able to make the trip?
It would mean he would become the main celebrant and homilist at the ProLife Leadership Mass at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America on Jan. 23.
That evening, he would take the same role at the opening Mass for the National Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immacu -
late Conception.
Following that Mass, he would lead those gathered in eucharistic adoration. And finally, the archbishop would offer a prayer on stage before the March for Life on Jan. 24.
“I was surprised,” said Archbishop Naumann on being chosen, “but always grateful to be able to serve and to be able to celebrate the Mass at the basilica, so it’s a great honor.”
“It’s great because I didn’t have to
go through all the time of preparation that I normally would!” he added with a laugh.
Bishop Thomas was unable to make it to Washington because his sister-inlaw, the wife of his late brother, passed away unexpectedly.
“It’s really important that he’s with his family,” said Archbishop Naumann, “so I’m glad to make that possible.”
>> See “BIG” on page 9
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann was called on to be main celebrant and homilist at the Pro-Life Leadership Mass at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America on Jan. 23 when Bishop Daniel Thomas, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was unable to attend because of a death in the family.
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann joins tens of thousands of other marchers at the March for Life on Jan. 24. Marching with the archbishop are, from left, Kathryn White, archdiocesan foster and pro-life ministries coordinator; Debra Niesen, archdiocesan pro-life office consultant; and Angie Bittner, rural youth outreach coordinator.
Archbishop explains why he’s marched — for decades now
The theme for this year’s National March for Life in Washington, D.C., was: “Life: Why We March.” The leaders of the march wanted to pose this question to all the March for Life participants. The excellent speakers at the march rally were all asked to respond to the question.
A series of setbacks on state referendum ballot issues make clear that we pro-life advocates have a lot of work to do in order to change the culture. Changing a culture requires changing the hearts and minds of many voters. The pro-abortion playbook is to pour millions of outside dollars into states in order to run deceptive and misleading advertisements to win elections. They have also counted on pro-abortion mainstream media, not only to fail to fact-check their outlandish claims but to echo and amplify the misinformation. Culture is the fruit of the predominant beliefs and values of the individual persons who are members of the society. Changing a culture happens by changing the hearts and minds of a majority of individuals. An effective means of motivating individuals to reconsider their values is through the sincere and compelling testimony of credible witnesses.
ARCHBISHOP
JOSEPH F. NAUMANN
The speakers for the March for Life rally were asked to share why they personally march for life. Beverly Jackson, founder of Verity’s Village, a network of support for parents who receive a life-limiting diagnosis for their baby, received such a diagnosis for her child, Verity. She had been advised by doctors to abort Verity. Instead, Beverly chose life for Verity. She acknowledges that caring for a child with extensive special needs is not easy. However, she has also discovered how Verity is a true blessing to her and her entire family.
Dr. Catherine Wheeler, an OB-GYN who was taught in medical school that abortion helps women, performed abortions for several years. One day, in the midst of performing an abortion, she had an awakening to the horror of abortion that kills babies but also harms women.
LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS
She never performed another abortion and has become an advocate for life. Wheeler said that she marches because of the incredible beauty of each and every human life.
Josiah Presley was born on Oct. 7, 1995, in South Korea. Two months into the pregnancy, his mother had a surgical abortion. Several weeks later, his mother discovered that the abortion had failed. She decided to give birth. As a result of the attempted abortion, Presley has a deformed arm. After spending more than a year in foster care, Presley was adopted by a U.S. couple in Norman, Oklahoma. Presley marches for life because, as an abortion survivor, he feels that people are more open to his message. He hopes that his testimony will save lives.
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, also addressed the rally crowd. He concluded his talk by saying that the pro-life issue is personal for
him. In 1972, Johnson was conceived in the womb of an unwed teenage mother. His parents eventually did marry and gave life to three other children. Johnson is grateful that his parents chose life for him, but he thinks of other unborn babies who were not so fortunate. He wonders what contributions these lost children would have made to our society. Johnson marches for life hoping to advocate for the dignity and worth of every human life.
There were many other speakers with powerful messages affirming the sanctity of life. Both Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vice President JD Vance addressed the rally.
My time in Washington with the prolife pilgrims from the archdiocese prompted me to reflect on why I have for more than 40 years marched for life in Washington, St. Louis, Jefferson City and Topeka.
In 1984, I was appointed by Archbishop John May to serve as the pro-life priest coordinator for the pro-life ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. For the past 40 years, I have had the privilege to serve in pro-life leadership roles. At the same time, the archbishop assigned me as a parochial vicar for an inner-city parish in St. Louis. In these twin assignments, I was given the opportunity to advocate for the sanctity of human life and the dignity of every human being.
I march for life because I believe that the protection of children in the womb is the most important human rights issue of our time. A nation that has permitted more than 65 million of its own children to be killed is flawed and scarred.
Abortion is the ultimate example of what Pope Francis describes as a throwaway society. God cannot bless such a culture of death.
In 1984, the late Vicky Thorn had just begun in Milwaukee a post-abortion ministry called Project Rachel. Professional counselors had approached Thorn for help from the church in their efforts to bring healing
ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN’S CALENDAR
Feb. 1
Mass for ACTS weekend — Church of the Ascension, Overland Park
Feb. 2
Mass for ACTS weekend — Church of the Ascension, Overland Park
Feb. 3
Visit St. John XXIII Seminary, Boston
Feb. 6
Religious Alliance Against Pornography board meeting
View “Sound of Hope Movie” with foster care families — Glenwood Arts Theater, Overland Park
Feb. 8
White Mass — St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood
Feb. 9
World Marriage Day Mass — Sacred Heart of Jesus, Shawnee
Feb. 10
“Shepherd’s Voice” recording — chancery
Pastoral Council meeting — chancery
Feb. 11
Administrative Team meeting — chancery
to postabortive women. In their work with postabortive women, these therapists came to realize that only God’s grace could open the door of postabortive women’s hearts to be able to forgive themselves in order for them to begin to experience healing and peace.
By 1986, we had begun Project Rachel in St. Louis. Walking with postabortive women who deeply regretted the abortion of their child convinced me that mothers are abortion’s second victim.
Abortion not only kills babies, but scars mothers, fathers and all those involved with the abortion. I march for life in order to help postabortive women and men to experience the healing power of God’s mercy.
I march for life to support the thousands of staff and volunteers at pregnancy resource centers, who give their time, talent and treasure to serve pregnant mothers. These amazing healing ministries not only make it possible for a baby to survive, but help create a path for both baby and mother to thrive.
I march for life because Kansas has become a destination state for abortion.
In 2023, 15,000 nonKansans came to our
state to have their unborn children killed. What we are unable to do by law, because of a horribly flawed decision by the Kansas Supreme Court claiming to have discovered an unarticulated right to abortion in the Kansas Constitution, we must do with education, advocacy and love.
I march for life in order that our church will walk with pregnant mothers who are afraid because of many challenges and difficulties in their lives. I march for life so that we can surround every frightened pregnant mother with a community of love and support.
I march for life because Jesus did not promise his disciples that following him would be easy. What Our Lord did promise his disciples is that they will never be alone. We march for life with the One who described himself as the way, the truth and the life.
I march for life because Jesus defeated death on Easter Sunday. I march for life because Jesus promises those who follow him along the path of heroic love will experience abundant life and complete joy. I march confident that in the end, life will be victorious.
USM trading team invites outside investors
By Dean Backes Special to The Leaven
LEAVENWORTH — After allowing students to invest house money over the past four school years, the University of Saint Mary (USM) is expanding its Spires Trading Team to include outside investors.
The move will allow the liberal arts Catholic university in Leavenworth to educate even more students in the fields of investment trading and finance.
While assisting USM’s students in pursuit of career endeavors, outside investors may also have an opportunity to make money off of the trading team’s efforts. But first, USM must locate those outside investors.
“It does take a certain number of investments to pay [a student’s] tuition and room and board,” said Spires Trading Team coach, professor and program director Phil Watlington. “In the future, there’ll be just a flat amount (a $10,000 annual scholarship for team members) and that will allow us to bring in more students.”
For every $1 million invested, it is believed that the university can support one more student. Watlington said the program is so accomplished that USM faculty members themselves have inquired about joining the team.
“We teach [students] all about investing and portfolio management,” explained Watlington, who revamped the university’s accounting program before taking on the trading team. “They can also use what they learn personally.
“Of course, we help them find a job. I’d say maybe a third of our students aspire to work in wealth planning, personal finance planning and support areas around the industry.”
Watlington said the leadership team — which consists of leader Kevin Fox and consultants Harold Bradley and Andrew Black — provide oversight to a separate corporation established by the university where the trading team conducts its investing activities.
The Spires Trading Team takes on qualified second semester sophomores, juniors and seniors and students from any of USM’s courses of study. Watlington and company train students on the stock market, investments and risk management. Students also learn how to find trades.
For their efforts, students earn fullride scholarships that cover tuition, housing and meal plans.
“None of our students can actually put in trades,” Watlington said. “They feed them to us. Because of the type of trading we do, a slip of the finger can cost us a lot of dollars, so we control that. But we do trade with real money on the real market, and we do win and lose on real markets. So, it’s as realistic as it can get.”
In its early years, the Spires Trading Team consisted of five students who traded securities under Watlington’s watchful eye. The program has since grown to about 15 students and hopes to expand to 30 or more students in the
future.
Members of the Spires Trading Team have received numerous opportunities to network with their peers, industry experts and potential employers.
Team members often list experiences and skills that stand out on their resume while Spires Trading Team alumni often acquire employment with investment management firms, global banking organizations and mutual fund companies.
Currently on the Spires Trading Team, Luke Sessler entered USM with the desire to work in accounting. He has since added a second major in business administration.
“I would say to any of my peers, knowledge is this amazing thing right
now,” Sessler said. “And even if it’s not in finance, learning something new at this point in our life is spectacular.
“Learning about finance and learning how to control your own portfolio and build long-term wealth — build possible generational wealth — is an amazing skill. And it isn’t luck. It takes a lot of hard work, and it takes a lot of knowledge together to pass that wealth through your life.”
Spires Trading Team member Devin Watkins and alumnus Aaron Schafer are among the team members that have already landed positions in the field. Watkins works at Financial Strategies in Leavenworth while Schafer is employed as an analyst after starting off as trader at Kornitzer Capital in Overland Park.
Watkins started out in engineering but has since shifted to actuarial science, which is the science behind dealing with stocks and insurance products, along with holding a major in accounting.
“I love that it’s always changing,” Watkins said of the Spires Trading Team and the finance field. “I love that there is never the same thing every day. There is always new news coming out. There is always politics that deal with the stock market.
“There’s all of these different companies and, for me, I’m always enjoying learning. I feel like there is so much to learn that I’m never going to be not busy. So it’s like a really big challenge. I love that it’s a big challenge for me.”
Shafer, who was a member of the inaugural trading team during the 2021-22 school year, decided to stay in finance as a way to utilize his math degree and crunch numbers while also applying what he learned on the trading team.
His mentors at USM had a huge impact on him by providing Shafer with the groundwork needed to further his career in finance.
“I would sell the trading team as a learning opportunity,” Shafer said. “I would always encourage young people to pursue any opportunity to learn, and the trading team is a unique opportunity for USM students. It’s a good way to gain exposure to financial markets and concepts, and a great scholarship opportunity.”
For more information on Saint Mary Fund Investments and the Spires Trading Team, visit the website at: saintmaryfund.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SAINT MARY, HAYDEN PARKS
Spires Trading Team coach and University of Saint Mary accounting program director Phillip Watlington, MBA, addresses the team’s agenda during its weekly meeting.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SAINT MARY, HAYDEN PARKS
Trading team students Devin Watkins, a junior applied math major from Ozawkie (left), and Benjamin Brandt, a junior business management major from Overland Park, analyze market trends at the team’s weekly meeting.
Cathedral Gala to benefit renovation of main entrance
By Therese Horvat Special to The Leaven
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — People from across the archdiocese are invited to attend the second annual Cathedral Gala on March 8. Father Anthony Saiki, rector of the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle here, wants all Catholics of northeast Kansas to experience and claim this welcoming and beautiful sacred space as their church. Because while it is a parish, he explains, the cathedral is the “mother church,” the official church of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.
The March 8 gala will offer several opportunities to foster this sense of belonging. The evening will honor Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, who recently marked his 20th anniversary as leader of the archdiocesan church. Guests will have the opportunity to attend Mass and to make an on-site Jubilee Year 2025 pilgrimage within the cathedral. Festivities will include social time, dinner and a simple program.
The evening will begin with Mass at 5:30 p.m. in the cathedral, located at 14th and Orville, with Archbishop Naumann as the homilist and principal celebrant. The cathedral choir will provide the music.
Before or immediately after Mass, guests can pass through the designated Jubilee Year Holy Door and enter the daily Mass chapel of the cathedral and the Shrine of St. Maria Soledad. Doing this and fulfilling other requirements (praying for the intentions of the Holy Father, going to the sacrament of reconciliation and receiving Communion within eight days of the visit) will qualify as a Jubilee Year pilgrimage with the benefit of a special plenary indulgence.
Following Mass, there will be social time at 6:30 p.m. and dinner at 7:15 p.m. in the adjacent cathedral parish center. The program will follow with special recognition of Archbishop Naumann, who will also be the keynote speaker. It is expected that his remarks will reflect on his 20-year tenure as leader of the archdiocesan church and share his perspectives on the cathedral as the church of all Catholics in northeast Kansas. Attire for the event is formal.
The goal of this year’s Cathedral
Gala is to raise $120,000, which will go toward renovation of the steps leading up to the main entrance of the church. An individual reservation is $125 per person. Various sponsorship levels are available to businesses, organizations, other parishes, friends and supporters.
To make a reservation or become a sponsor, or for more information, visit the website at: www.cathedralkck.org/ cathedral-gala or call the parish office at (913) 371-0840.
“Maintaining this beautiful and historic church is incredibly challenging,” said Father Saiki. “As the neighborhood demographics have changed over the years, our parishioner base is not able to offer the support it once did. We are hoping to raise awareness of and support for the cathedral so that it can continue to serve the people of God in the archdiocese for generations to come.”
Topeka celebrates new Catholic radio station
By Catherine Halbmaier Special to The Leaven
TOPEKA — Parishioners here can now liven their commutes with a new Catholic radio show. For morning prayers, a daily rosary and other faith-filled programming, KSWZLP FM 89.7 (or “Topeka’s SWORD”) is active and looking for listener support. It’s been a long time coming, but the window for a new noncommercial radio station opened in December of 2023. The Glory to God Community applied for a license, and in May 2024, it was granted.
Low-power Catholic radio is nothing new to the archdiocese or the Glory to God Community. Nine years ago, St. Bernard Church in Wamego was granted a license for a low-power station to be based in St. George. A lay apostolate
was formed to manage the 100-watt station for St. Bernard for the first three years.
From the very beginning, the apostolate contracted with longtime Kansas broadcaster Lee Defendorf (also known as Lee O’Day) and his small LLC, “Glorium Deo Catholic Media,” for day-to-day programming of the station.
As operational manager of Topeka’s new station, Defendorf will continue the programming for Topeka and St. George. He personally tested the signal at different parishes in the city.
“I sat in different parking lots of the different Topeka parishes just to check,” said Defendorf. “I wanted to make sure you could hear it at every one. The signal was strong, I’m pleased to say.”
Much of the programming in Topeka and St. George is shared, and tagged as coming from “The SWORD Catholic
Radio Network.” In a short time, another LP station in Manhattan will be joining the network.
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann also expressed his enthusiasm for the new station in a letter sent to the Topeka pastors. In the part of the letter addressed to Defendorf, Archbishop Naumann wrote:
“Thank you for your work with ‘The Sword Catholic Radio’ under the call letters KSWZ-LP and for your assistance to the Glory to God Community in Topeka, as they begin operation of the new Catholic radio station in Topeka. . . . I am grateful to you for your efforts to evangelize the Topeka community by offering quality, authentically Catholic programming, promoting the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith.”
In a press release sent to The Leaven, Defendorf asked Topeka parishioners to consider supporting the station.
“All Catholic radio stations are ‘listener supported,’” Defendorf wrote.
“We get no money from the church. EWTN assists with programming, but it has been costly just getting equipment to bring in the network signal. To help us get on the air, one anonymous donor wrote a check for the equipment we needed. With pro bono help from an engineer from my past radio career, things have been coming together.”
“The Christmas holidays made it not possible to begin fundraising, and the operational bills are starting to come in,” Defendorf continued. “We need about $3000 right now for operating funds. If you can help us, any gift would be appreciated.”
Donations can be made by check to: Glory to God/Radio, 7440 S.W. Morrill Rd, Wakarusa, KS 66546. To tune in, the new channel is at 89.7 on the dial.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE
Father Anthony Saiki, rector of the cathedral, shows a visitor the first-class relic of Mother Maria Soledad that is now housed in Our Lady’s Chapel at the cathedral.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE
The second annual Cathedral Gala will be held on March 8. Festivities will include social time, dinner and a simple program. The goal of this year’s gala is to raise $120,000, which will go toward renovation of the steps leading up to the main entrance of the church.
Find purpose, faith and fellowship as a Villa volunteer
By Jan Dixon Special to The Leaven
OLATHE — Before volunteer Larry Collett retired, he decided to do something valuable with his remaining years.
“The most valuable thing I have is my time, and I decided to give it to others,” said Collett. In addition to his part-time work and his camping, the grandfather and member of Prince of Peace Parish in Olathe started screening visitors at Villa St. Francis in Olathe during COVID, and helped get residents to daily Mass, which eventually evolved into being a sacristan.
Now, it’s a bit more than that.
“I volunteer seven days a week, twoplus hours a day,” he said, “because there is always something to do at Villa.”
Villa St. Francis is a Catholic care center that provides skilled nursing, memory care, and short-term rehabilitation services for senior citizens of all faiths.
Since 1998, Craig and Sue Wohler have volunteered there. Initially, Sue volunteered in the sewing room when her uncle, Bishop Marion Forst, resided at the Villa.
“It was a way to visit him and help at the same time,“ she said. “I felt and saw a need and decided to keep helping after my uncle passed.”
The Wohlers, parishioners of St. Ann Church in Prairie Village, now assist with transporting people to and from Mass on Sundays.
Nearly every Sunday for the last 24 years, Margaret Kelly has baked and served cake to residents after Mass.
“I first volunteered many years ago on Christmas Day and discovered my love for the elderly,” said the parishioner of St. Agnes Church in Roeland Park. While she has continued to design curriculum and teach in Catholic schools, as well as travel widely and pursue other hobbies, Kelly happily gives a few hours each week to help.
“Volunteering at Villa Saint Francis is a blessing in so many ways.”
Edgar D’Souza volunteers his time and talent by drawing caricatures of residents. The Cordys and the Bernings assist with Mass. Linda DeCarlo, Karen Brinker, Carol Hackett and Mimi DeCoursey belong to the Ladies of Charity
organization and for many years have run a weekly gift shop at Villa. Proceeds from sales are given to Villa to make improvements, which enrich the lives of the residents and their families.
All who work or volunteer at the Villa believe in and put into action these core values — compassion, excellence, integrity, faith and respect.
“We have many wonderful volunteers who further our mission of putting the love of Christ into action,” said Shannon Morgan, director of human
NEW EAGLE SCOUTS
Aiden Schmidt, left, and Thomas Delantonas, right, members of Curé of Ars Parish and Boy Scout Troop 395, have earned the rank of Eagle Scout. For his Eagle project, Delantonas planned, designed and led others to construct a 12-foot wooden cross, with night lights, on a hill at St. Mary’s Home for Mothers, including installing decorative mulch around the surrounding area and playground. Schmidt planned, designed and led an effort to collect and deliver donations of over 1,400 pounds of nonperishable food items to Catholic Charities for his Eagle project.
I FIRST VOLUNTEERED MANY YEARS AGO ON CHRISTMAS DAY AND DISCOVERED MY LOVE FOR THE ELDERLY. . . . VOLUNTEERING AT VILLA ST. FRANCIS IS A BLESSING IN SO MANY WAYS.
MARGARET KELLY MEMBER OF
More volunteers are welcome to come share their time and talents at Villa St. Francis, however. No special skills are needed but a background check is required. Anyone over the age of 14 may volunteer and younger children are also welcome to volunteer with a parent. McIntyre said her own children — ages 15, 5 and 4 — love to help at Villa.
The residents at Villa St. Francis feel strongly about the volunteers. Karen H., a past volunteer herself, considers the ones at Villa to be the best. Don M. says it’s really about companionship and developing a personal relationship with those who spend time with you. And Camille N. believes “it creates a positive feeling seeing our volunteers come with smiles on their faces.” Through one-on-one interaction, the volunteers have helped bring love and joy to the residents. And the benefits to the volunteers are plentiful too. Long-lasting friendships with residents, staff, families and other volunteers have grown.
“They have given me much more than I’ve given them,” said Kelly.
resources for the care center.
At Villa, many hands really do make light work — an activity schedule for 170 residents requires the help of many.
Molly McIntyre, Life Enrichment Director at Villa St. Francis, feels that these longtime volunteers have had a huge impact on everyone there. The relationships built and companionship established have been long-lasting.
“Our volunteers are helping to meet the emotional and social needs of our family at Villa,” she said.
These longtime volunteers have made a difference.
“We view volunteers as essential to our ministry of providing excellent service to our residents: mind, body and soul,” said Brad Heidrick, CEO of Catholic Community Health. “Volunteers are a vital part of contributing to the mission of Villa St. Francis.”
For information on volunteering at Villa St. Francis, contact Shannon Morgan at (913) 747-0260.
USM flag football coach Amber Clark to receive Hallmark Cards Leadership Award
LEAVENWORTH — Amber Clark, head flag football coach at the University of Saint Mary here, will be honored with the Hallmark Cards Leadership Award at the 2025 Women’s Sports Awards presented by Burns & McDonnell on Feb. 4. This distinguished recognition, announced by WIN for KC on Jan. 15, celebrates Clark’s unwavering dedication to advancing opportunities for women and girls in football and her exemplary leadership both on and off the field.
Clark, a former track athlete at the University of North Carolina and a two-time gold medalist with USA Football’s U.S. National Team, has played an instrumental role in breaking barriers for women in football. Since joining the University of Saint Mary, she has been a trailblazer, coaching one of the first-ever NAIA women’s flag football
programs and inspiring countless student-athletes to pursue their passions in sports.
“Amber Clark exemplifies the very best of what it means to be a leader,” said Eric Mayes, managing director of high performance and national teams at USA Football. “Her passion and advocacy for expanding opportunities for women in football have left an indelible mark on the sport. Amber’s work continues to inspire athletes across the country while elevating the profile of women’s football on the global stage.”
The Hallmark Cards Leadership Award, one of six honors presented at the annual Women’s Sports Awards, celebrates individuals who embody exceptional leadership and commitment to advancing women in sports.
For more information on the 2025 Women’s Sports Awards, visit the website at: WINforKC.org.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAN DIXON
From left, Juanita Snyder, a member of Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park, and Linda DeCarlo, a member of Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, assist resident Annie with a jewelry purchase in the gift shop at Villa St. Francis in Olathe.
ST. AGNES PARISH, ROELAND PARK
During my husband’s years in business school, he learned about the power of the “nudge”: how to form a new habit by connecting it to a habit you already have. This practice changed my life, because (apologies to my dentist) the nudge is the only way I started flossing regularly.
He explained the nudge as we stood in our bathroom staring at the toothbrush holder. Since I was already in the habit of brushing my teeth twice a day, I simply needed to put the flosser in the space where I usually kept my toothbrush. That way, when I would automatically reach for the brush, I’d remember the nudge to floss first.
Miracle of miracles, it worked! So last night as I was flossing, I started to wonder: What if we carried over this nudge practice to our prayer lives, too?
Think about what already nudges you to pray: the daily news, a friend’s request, the sound of church bells or an ambulance racing by. Then, think about the routines you do without thinking. What could you pair with prayer, to give yourself an easy-toremember nudge at work or home?
When you open the fridge, say a quick prayer of thanks for
The power of a ‘nudge’ to pray
the gift of food. When you leave the house, bless yourself with holy water by the door. When you pass a hospital, pray for the patients and caregivers. When you hug your kids or grandkids, thank God for the gift of their lives. Daily life offers us a thousand simple ways to pray. Many people love to make New Year’s resolutions, but studies estimate that only 9% keep them. Learning about the power of the nudge can help us make — and keep — new habits. Friends have told me about laying out their workout clothes at night to remind them to exercise in the morning. Some families say a prayer in the car every time they drive past a church or cemetery. What if you looked at your daily
habits and added one nudge to pray?
If you brew coffee first thing in the morning, you could pray for the workers who picked the beans — or pray for the
spouse who shares the coffee pot with you. If you’re quick to click on a certain app, set your Bible next to your phone — or change the wallpaper on your home screen to remind you to pray.
I’ve made myself a few nudges like this over the years. During one season when several friends were going through difficult pregnancies, I
decided to pray every time I picked up a laundry basket, to remember those who were carrying heavy burdens. Once when I got exasperated with tripping over piles of kids’ shoes by the back door, I realized I could turn my annoyance into a sneaky prayer: to pray for each child as I straightened their shoes (and reminded them to straighten their shoes in turn).
This year, I’m taking a nudge from my husband again. During one Lent, he started reading the Mass readings via email every day, and it’s still the first thing he does when he picks up his phone each morning. Lately, I’ve been more likely to scroll through the news or social media, neither of which nudge me to pray the way that Scripture does. So I’m trying to build a new habit by putting my prayer book on top of my phone at night, to remember to pick it up first in the morning. How can you change your prayer habits with an easy, unmistakable reminder? If you need a visual cue, stick a note on your mirror. If you prefer an alarm, set a reminder on your phone. Notice where your strongest habits are, and build on a nudge to pray.
And who knows: You might even start flossing every day, too.
LAURA KELLY FANUCCI
Laura Kelly Fanucci is an author, speaker and founder of Mothering Spirit, an online gathering place on parenting and spirituality.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
Raising awareness of consecrated life
By Therese Horvat Special to The Leaven
KANSAS CITY Kan. — At the outset of Jubilee Year 2025 focused on the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” Catholics around the globe are being invited to observe the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life the weekend of Feb. 1 and 2.
St. John Paul II instituted this observance in 1997 as an opportunity to recognize, celebrate and prayerfully support men and women religious who have professed vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; made commitments to a stable state of life recognized by the church; and radically dedicated themselves in service to God, the church and the people they serve. The Catechism of the Catholic Church identifies the following different forms of consecrated life: eremitic (hermits); consecrated virgins and widows; religious life; secular institutes; and societies of apostolic life.
In the Midwest, a group named “Catholic Sisters of Kansas” is taking the lead to raise awareness of consecrated religious life and its legacy of ministry dating to the 1800s. This group currently includes the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, Atchison; Dominican Sisters of Peace, Great Bend; Adorers of the Blood of Christ, Wichita; the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth; the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia; and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita.
Sister Jean Rosemarynoski, president and member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, explained.
“Our congregations and many others have ministered to the economically poor, the sick, the uneducated, the orphaned, the homeless,
WHEN EACH OF US IS FULLY CHARGED, SHINING BRIGHTLY WITH HOPE, LOVE, COMPASSION, FORGIVENESS AND CARING, WE CAN BRING LIGHT INTO OUR DARKENED WORLD.
SISTER MARY ELIZABETH SCHWEIGER, OSB PRIORESS, MOUNT ST. SCHOLASTICA, ATCHISON
the hungry and those who seek a closer relationship with God. We want to share and continue this legacy of consecrated religious life in Kansas as we further connect with individuals, parishes, other religious congregations and the broader Catholic community.”
Sister Mary Elizabeth Schweiger, OSB, prioress of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, recognizes the power of their collective voices.
“As persons charged with the responsibility of witnessing Christ and bringing peace and unity into our world, we can make a difference,” she said. “We are not alone. We are in this together. We need to stay connected with one another to generate a light that makes for a broader vision. When each of us is fully charged, shining brightly with hope, love, compassion, forgiveness and caring, we can bring light into our darkened world.”
Members of the Catholic Sisters of Kansas envision the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life as a
Lourdes Virtual Pilgrimage is coming to Basehor
BASEHOR — Each year, Lourdes, France, welcomes millions of pilgrims to the Grotto of Massabielle, where the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
Catholics in northeast Kansas will have the opportunity to experience Lourdes in their own backyard this February.
The Lourdes Virtual Pilgrimage is coming to Holy Angels Church, 15410 Leavenworth Rd., Basehor, on Feb. 11 from 6-8 p.m.
The pilgrimage, hosted by Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers, will incorporate Lourdes water and include a prayerful visit to the grotto rock, a eucharistic blessing and candlelight rosary. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence.
For more information, call (402) 462-0305 or visit the website at: lourdes volunteers.org.
springboard for this profession of hope during Jubilee Year 2025. They are seeking to establish an intercongregational alliance among current and prior congregations with motherhouses in Kansas and/or that have served or continue to serve in the state. They are beginning to explore ways to connect with parishes by offering spiritual direction, conversation partners and prayer.
Individually, the congregations continue to offer centers for spirituality; work for peace and social justice; sponsor faith-based ministries; and perform other services associated with the founding charisms of their religious communities.
Nationally, there will be a virtual encounter of prayer for all members of consecrated life in the United States on Feb. 2, the actual World Day of Prayer observance. This is being hosted by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men; the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious; the Leadership Conference of Women Religious; the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins; and the United States Conference of Secular Institutes. A Zoom link will be sent to all members of the conferences.
Later this year, Oct. 8-9 will be celebrated as a Jubilee for Consecrated Life with the theme of “Pilgrims of hope, on the way of peace.” According to the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC), this special Jubilee Year event in Rome is born out of the desire of consecrated men and women to reflect on the urgent need for peace and to answer the call to be witnesses and prophets of hope and peace.
For more information, visit the websites at: kscatholicsisters.org and nrvc.net/home.
Michael Thomas and Kathleen Marie (Bogusz) Arndt, members of St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Jan. 25. The couple was married at St. Thomas More Church in Munster, Indiana, on Jan. 25, 1975, by Msgr. Robert B. Weis, with concelebrant Father Bernard Ciesielski, OCD. The couple has three children: Jessica Butler, Zachary Arndt and Ian Arndt. They also have seven grandchildren.
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INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
• The couple’s names
• their parish
• the date they were married
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• number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren; WHERE TO SUBMIT: Email: todd.habiger@theleaven.org.
SOLUTION
LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Religious orders from Kansas and Missouri gather at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas, for a Mass honoring consecrated life in this file photo. Catholics are invited to observe the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life the weekend of Feb. 1 and 2.
‘Be a light to the world’
By Kathy White
Special
to The Leaven
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tens of thousands of pilgrims — more than 300 from the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas — traveled from all over the United States to peacefully march for life on Jan. 24. This year’s theme was: “Life: Why We March.” And that was precisely the focus of Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann’s homily at the standing-room-only vigil Mass on Jan. 23.
Bishop Daniel Thomas, head of the Diocese of Toledo and the current chair of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, was scheduled to preside over the Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Due to a death in his family, Archbishop Naumann was asked to step in.
“It was such a blessing for [us] that the USCCB team would turn to our archbishop in this situation,” said Debra Niesen, lead consultant for pro-life ministries for the archdiocese.
“It was a special gift to our young pilgrims to see their archbishop lead in this way. Seeing him as the main celebrant of the vigil Mass made an impression on them that I am certain they will never forget,” she added.
First-time pilgrim Juanita Hernandez from St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee, was visibly moved by her experience.
“Watching Archbishop Naumann take care of all the people that stopped him on the march was life-changing,” she recalled, tears streaming down her face. “So many people stopped him —strangers — and he selflessly
gave them his full attention with joy and humility. Like they were the only people in the crowd. He is truly our shepherd. Almost like Jesus here on earth.”
Overland Park’s St. Thomas Aquinas High School sophomore Macy Hughes, and member of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish in Wea, was equally inspired by the archbishop’s commitment to serve.
“He knew the community needed someone to preside over Mass, and his willingness to step in shows his support of [his] people. Such leadership and commitment,” Hughes continued, “it inspires me to share the word of God and share the mission of the Catholic Church: to be pro-life.”
Quoting Pope John Paul II, Archbishop Naumann challenged the gathered youth to “Be a light
to the world as only young people can.”
Archbishop Naumann also reflected on the beauty of the basilica from his “perch” — the ambo where he stood to give his homily.
“This church is adorned with beautiful mosaic art,” he said. “But it is the beautiful mosaic on the floor of the basilica that is most impressive tonight. This gathering of people from so many different places and coming together to stand for life and to be a light in our culture. You are called to be witnesses to your peers.”
Angie Valenzuela, a junior at St. Thomas Aquinas and a member of St. Patrick Parish in Kansas City, Kansas, agreed.
“We are the future and the light. We have to be a light to others so we can all seek Jesus to-
gether. If there’s ever something someone wants to learn about our God at our church, I want to share what I know to help them.”
Archbishop Naumann warned the youth it’s not going to be easy.
“Jesus never promised the disciples easy,” he said. “We have to follow him all the way to Calvary.”
Daniel Moore, a sophomore at Hayden High School in Topeka and a member of St. Patrick Parish in Scranton, accepts the challenge.
“My generation has a very distorted image of love, which in turn makes them have this lie that abortion is OK and is a right even though it is not,” he said. “I think our generation needs more people telling them that families are good, and that life is valuable at all stages — from conception to natural death.”
Archbishop Naumann processes around the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., Jan. 23 the evening before the annual March for Life. About 5,500 people attended the National Prayer Vigil for Life Mass.
Overland Park’s St. Thomas Aquinas High School students admire the beauty of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception before the National Prayer Vigil for Life Mass. From left, are freshman, Lucy Chik, and seniors Danielle Droessler and Loren Perbix.
About 5,500 people attended the National tional Shrine of the Immaculate Conception annual March for Life.
Archbishop Naumann offers a blessing
Atchison’s Benedictine College students the morning of the March for Life. More 52nd National March for Life Jan. 24.
>> Continued from page 1
How did the archbishop prepare for such a prominent role on such short notice?
“Come, Holy Spirit!” he said. “I’ve done it before. I kind of know what the drill is, so that’s good.
“For every homily, you’re just asking the Lord, ‘Help me to say what you want me to say, what your words are for this group.’”
Archbishop Naumann has served on the Committee on ProLife Activities for seven terms and was the chairman from 2018-21.
He recalled the opening Mass in January 2020, when the basilica was packed.
“But when I came back the next year in 2021, it was a very small group because of COVID,” he said.
“It was kind of eerie to be in that big basilica. I think they only let in 200 or so people,” he continued.
“But at the same time, because of EWTN and Catholic television, we were able to preach a message to a huge audience of people that were joining through television.”
Archbishop Naumann also led the National Holy Hour for Life after last year’s opening Mass.
But this year’s situation was unique, since he submitted his resignation to Pope Francis last June, as all bishops are required to do when they turn 75, and he awaits his successor.
The march also came shortly after President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance took office on Jan. 20.
Archbishop Naumann shared a message for the new administration.
“I hope that [President Trump] will become very generous in his policy for legal immigration and open up opportunities for that and for worker permits so that we do know who’s in our country,” he said.
“What’s renewed our country throughout its history are immigrants,” he continued. “They come with a new fervor. We get used to the liberties that we enjoy.”
The archbishop expressed hope for the administration’s efforts to combat human trafficking and encouraged President Trump to uphold the dignity of human life.
“I hope that he and the vice president will do all that they can to protect the lives of the unborn,” he said.
As for his own time in Washington, Archbishop Naumann was eager to see the many young Catholics who flock to the march each year, beginning with the opening Mass.
“It’s encouraging to see these young people,” said the archbishop. “They camp out here all day just to be able to have seats in the basilica.
“So, it’s beautiful to see how important the Eucharist is to them and this particular Mass is to them.
“And as a bishop, that’s always very gratifying.”
Additional reporting by Jay Soldner.
National Prayer Vigil for Life Mass at the Basilica of the NaConception in Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, the evening before the
Debra Niesen, archdiocesan pro-life office consultant, Archbishop Naumann and Father Keith Chadwick, chaplain of St. James Academy in Lenexa, listen to the speakers at the annual March for Life rally in Washington Jan. 24 before the actual march began.
Arina Agnew, a parishioner at Holy Redeemer Parish in College Park, Maryland, and her 9month-old son Kieran, visit with the archbishop following Mass at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America on Jan. 23.
to the archdiocesan contingent about halfway through the march route. More than 300 pilgrims from the archdiocese attended the annual event.
students attend Mass at St. Dominic Church in Washington, D.C., More than 300 people from the archdiocese attended the
Canon, civil law collide over seal of confessional
By Gina Christian OSV News
NOTRE DAME, Ind. (OSV News) — Proposed legislation looking to repeal clergy-penitent protections in at least two states is in a head-on collision with the church’s primary legal code, one expert told OSV News.
Montana and Washington are among the states seeking to compel clergy to disclose abuse revealed to them in the context of the sacrament of reconciliation or similar confidential pastoral settings in other faith traditions.
Earlier in January, Washington state Sen. Noel Frame introduced a third bill to mandate clergy to report abuse revealed under the seal of confession or in pastoral counseling. Two previous bills sponsored by state lawmakers failed; the latest would mandate clergy who receive information about abuse in confession to report it to authorities, but would allow them to abstain from testifying in court cases or criminal proceedings.
On Jan. 14, Montana state Sen. Mary Dunwell introduced SB 139, which seeks to strike an existing provision that does not require priests or other clergy to report abuse if the information was revealed in such settings. Currently, Montana recognizes that such confidentiality can be required by “canon law, church doctrine or established church practice,” although SB 139 bill would eliminate that consideration.
In a Jan. 22 email, Dunwell told OSV News she had advanced the bill “to protect children and save them from a potential lifetime of emotional and mental scars,” adding, “This is about civil and criminal laws, not canon law.
Absolution is still possible without secrecy.”
Dunwell subsequently wrote in a Jan. 27 email to OSV News that she had revised the text of the bill after discussions with the Montana Catholic Conference and Bishop Austin A. Vetter of Helena, Montana. The amended text, which Dunwell sent to OSV News, states that “a member of the clergy or a priest is not required to make a report under this section if the communication is required to be confidential by canon law or church doctrine.”
The Montana Catholic Conference confirmed the change to OSV News, adding that “the bishops are satisfied with the amendment” and “plan to support the amended bill.”
Although the Montana bill was satisfactorily amended, legislative efforts to mandate abuse reporting by
confessors are fundamentally at odds with the Catholic Church’s understanding of the sacrament of reconciliation, said Father John Paul Kimes, associate professor of the practice at Notre Dame Law School and the Raymond of Peñafort Fellow in canon law at Notre Dame’s de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture.
Canon law holds that “the sacramental seal” of the confessional is “inviolable,” and therefore “it is absolutely forbidden for a confessor to betray in any way a penitent in words or in any manner and for any reason” (Canon 983.1).
Even when there is no danger of such revelation, canon law prohibits a confessor “completely from using knowledge acquired from confession to the detriment of the penitent” (Canon 984).
Moreover, canon law uses “extraordinarily strong” language regarding
the seal, describing its violation as “nefas” — a term that is “the worst possible thing you can call something in Latin,” said Father Kimes. “It’s horrible, despicable, unthinkable.”
As a result, “at the end of the day, this is an unresolvable conflict between civil and canon law,” Father Kimes told OSV News.
While civil law would assign the privilege to a party — historically, the penitent who has been accused — “in canon law, the seal (of confession) belongs to no one,” neither the priest nor the penitent, said Father Kimes. “It belongs to the sacrament.”
He noted the clash has a long history, with the first U.S. civil case in which the issue was treated, People v. Philips, dating back to 1813.
In that case, Father Anthony Kohlmann — who had been subpoenaed by a grand jury — refused to break the seal of the confessional by testifying against defendant Daniel Philips, who indicated he had spoken with the priest about receiving stolen goods.
New York City Mayor DeWitt Clinton, presiding over the court of general sessions, ruled that “it is essential to the free exercise of a religion that its ordinances should be administered — that its ceremonies as well as its essentials should be protected.”
Clinton stressed that compelling such revelations would violate constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, stating that “secrecy is of the essence of penance.” Forcing priests to reveal disclosures from penitents was to in essence “declare that there shall be no penance,” and if such measures were permitted, “this important branch of the Roman Catholic religion would be thus annihilated.”
Catholics in social ministry told to build community bridges
By Kimberley Heatherington OSV News
WASHINGTON (OSV News)
— The theme of bridge-building in community outreach and organizing spanned several presentations at the 2025 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering here, aiming to equip participants with practical and timely tools to transform their communities.
Organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with 20 national Catholic organizations, the Jan. 25-28 CSMG gathered in Washington at the same time as the new Trump administration issued a whirlwind of policy directives that impact Catholic social priorities.
Emilce Cuda, secretary of the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for Latin America and an assistant adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago, began the Jan. 26 plenary session titled “Salt and Light: Building Bridges by Organizing Hope” by telling attendees it is impossible to speak about hope without linking politics and the economy.
“Hope,” Cuda said, “is the dynamo that turns fear into [an] organizing community.” She explained that oppressed people, properly united, can afford the luxury of hope once their fear is converted into organized action.
Cuda added that debt — a relevant topic for the Jubilee Year, since an
important part of the biblical jubilee tradition included forgiveness of debt — corrodes hope, and remains a primary cause of both poverty and migration.
Cuda admitted that hope may sometimes seem in short supply, observing a current “air of unrest, because Catholic social workers feel that they are being called to supernatural effort.”
Wryly remarking that the days-old second Trump administration would be wise to regard the Catholic Church as “a repository of common sense,” Cuda then pointedly, with some amusement, explained why: “We have a lot of
history. Donald Trump is the 47th president; Pope Francis is the 266th successor of St. Peter. When George Washington was the first president, we were already on our 250th vicar of Christ.”
Cuda delved into the task of how to build community bridges — locally, and across the Americas as Pope Francis exhorted them in his letter to the CSMG shared the day before.
“The first thing is to have a solid foundation that can support the weight of the load that moves over the bridge,” advised Cuda. “That solidity is what we call solidarity; it is one of the four
Editor’s note
When this issue went to press, stories were breaking on the Catholic reaction to immigration initiatives from the Trump administration and the impact the pause on federal grants and loans would have on Catholic entities but were not yet available to us. Follow us on social media for these and other time-sensitive stories.
principles of the social doctrine of the church.” (The other three principles include the dignity of the human person; the common good; and subsidiarity — basically, handling challenges at the lowest level capable of doing so.)
This isn’t, however, accomplished in isolation. Solidarity, explained Cuda, “is the result of organizing community; it is not an individual act.”
“Solidarity requires the personal decision to unite in order to be saved,” she added. “And then, along the way, we see which was the strategy that made possible a good and abundant life as our Lord Jesus Christ tells us.”
Cuda emphasized that the “supernatural help of grace through theological virtues: faith, hope and charity” is also a critical bridge building tool.
“Without this divine help,” she said, “bridges cannot be built.”
Diana Marin of the Catholic Climate Covenant moderates a conversation in the workshop “Dialogue in Divisive Times: Finding Hope Amid Distrust and Misinformation” at the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington on Jan. 26.
OSV NEWS PHOTO/NANCY PHELAN WIECHEC
A confessional is seen in a file photo at the Memorial Church of the Holy Sepulcher on the grounds of the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington.
Bishops across Europe remember Holocaust victims
By Jonathan Luxmoore OSV News
OSWIECIM, Poland (OSV News) — Church leaders across Europe marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp with calls to remember German Nazi-inflicted sufferings and to counter a new rise in antisemitism and extremism.
“The memory of Auschwitz, and the moral obligation that Auschwitz must not be repeated, characterize the political culture of Germany and Europe,” said Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, president of the German bishops’ conference, emphasizing that this “makes human dignity and rights the basis of all political action,” which “however imperfect, binds the actions of states to legal principles and seeks to prevent and punish war crimes.”
The German prelate said in recent years he was “shocked to see” that “political movements and parties have been able to establish themselves in society that aggressively question the constitutional foundations of democracy and international law and often demonstratively disregard them where they govern.” He lamented that “in parts of the public and social media, the memory of Auschwitz has faded, there is a rhetoric of contempt toward minorities and those who think differently, and misinformation and lies are deliberately spread.”
The statement was issued as heads of state and government gathered Jan. 27 at Auschwitz-Birkenau in southern Poland to mark International Holocaust Memorial Day and remember the camp’s estimated 1.1 million mostly Jewish, but also Polish, Roma, Soviet POWs and other nationalities’ and social group victims.
After Germany invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, it occupied the country
until 1945, spreading terror on an unprecedented scale, which killed six million of Poland’s citizens, including three million of the country’s Jews.
Bishop Bätzing said he felt “deeply shameful” that, eight decades later, Jews were still suffering “prejudices and attacks,” particularly after attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, necessitating “state protection of Jewish institutions” and making the fight against antisemitism a “task for all citizens.”
Meanwhile, Pope Francis said the “horror of the extermination of millions of Jews and people of other faiths” during World War II should “neither be forgotten nor denied,” and he also recalled “many Christians, among them many martyrs,” who also died at Auschwitz.
“I renew my appeal for everyone to work together to eradicate the scourge of antisemitism, along with all forms of discrimination and religious persecution,” the pope said Jan. 26 after reciting
the Angelus prayer.
A total of 53 mostly Westernaligned countries were represented, mostly by presidents or premiers, at the Auschwitz-Birkenau commemoration, which was also attended by Britain’s King Charles III and the crowned heads of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain, as well as leaders of NATO and other international organizations.
“We Poles, on whose land — occupied by Nazi Germans at that time — the Germans built this extermination industry and this concentration camp, are today the guardians of memory,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said to reporters after the ceremonies in Auschwitz in which survivors of the camp participated with their family members.
Institutions from the United Nations to the European Union held their own commemorative ceremonies, with the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, saying Jan. 27 he
Amid Holocaust, nun saved hundreds of Jewish children
WARSAW, Poland (OSV News) — “I will not send away any Jewish child,” assured Mother Matylda Getter, superior of the Warsaw province of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary, founded by Father Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski in the mid-19th century.
On Jan. 27, as the world commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of German death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau — where 216,000 Jewish children, among 231,000 children from various nations, perished, Mother Matylda was being remembered as a beacon of hope in the midst of Nazi horrors and as one that saved hundreds of Jewish children.
Mother Matylda, called “Matusia,” or “Mommy,” because of her love for every person, kept her word. Her congregation’s mission was to care for children and seniors.
She was almost 70 years old when the Third Reich, or Nazi Germany, invaded Poland, starting World War II. But despite her advanced age, she became involved in the resistance movement
against the German occupiers.
Poles quickly began to organize ways to defend themselves. An underground army was formed and Mother Matylda, who was a soldier in
feared the world was currently “sleepwalking into a grim future where human rights and dignity are denied, stripped away or forgotten,” amid “hateful rhetoric” and “rising antisemitism on the streets and online,” as “discrimination and dehumanization” won out “over solidarity and compassion.”
However, a veteran Jewish theologian and philosopher told OSV News he doubted the numerous warnings would have “any effect at all,” as “broader and stronger anti-Jewish attitudes” grew across Europe amid recent events in the Middle East.
“Certainly, we should be pleased to hear politicians and church leaders remembering Auschwitz as a symbol of the Holocaust, and using this anniversary to warn against antisemitism,” said Stanislaw Krajewski, co-chairman of the Polish Council of Christians and Jews.
“Yet the only novelty at this latest act of remembrance,” he said, “is that war, militarism and rearmament are now happening much more obviously than 20-30 years ago — all the hazards and dangers Auschwitz represents for us are now more current than ever.”
Besides Jewish inmates, who comprised 90% of Auschwitz-Birkenau’s victims, up to 75,000 Poles, mostly Catholics, were also killed by German occupiers in the camp’s gas chambers and execution sites and 150,000 were deported there.
During the German occupation of the Polish territories between 1939 and 1945, defying German orders to impose the death penalty on anyone who helped Jews, help was given to Jews by 66 female religious orders in about 450 institutions (mainly monasteries), 25 male religious orders in about 85 institutions, and by more than 700 diocesan priests in at least 580 locations in occupied Poland. Historians have stressed, however, that those numbers may be underestimated as many clergy and religious took the story of their bravery to the grave.
the Home Army — the Polish underground resistance — and her Sisters organized care for war orphans and political prisoners, held secret classes and ran kitchens for the poor.
When the persecution of Jews began, Mother Matylda quickly realized that an important task was also to save her Jewish fellow citizens.
It is estimated that 120 Sisters from Mother Matylda’s congregation took part in the operation of saving Jewish children, with 22 of them awarded an honorific title of Righteous Among Nations, used by Israel to describe nonJews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews.
“Whoever comes to our yard and asks for help, in the name of Christ we are not allowed to refuse,” Matusia used to say. She would encourage her Sisters, saying that these children were so beautiful. When she was about to send another Jewish child to a particular orphanage, she would call the superior and ask: “Will you accept God’s blessing, Sister?” She trusted that God would protect them, showing a face of a leader in moments of crisis, wartime witnesses of her heroism noted.
Catholics would accept a common date for Easter, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s willingness to accept a proposal for a common date for celebrating Easter in the West and the East.
Noting that in 2025 the date coincides on the West’s Gregorian calendar and the East’s Julian calendar, Pope Francis said Jan. 25 during an ecumenical evening prayer service at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, “I renew my appeal that this coincidence may serve as an appeal to all Christians to take a decisive step forward toward unity around a common date for Easter. The Catholic Church is open to accepting the date that everyone wants: a date of unity.”
The service marked the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which focused on this year’s celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which gave Christians a common creed and a formula for determining a common date for the celebration of Easter.
OSV NEWS PHOTO/ALEKSANDRA SZMIGIEL, REUTERS
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda bows down at the Death Wall on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in Oswiecim, Poland, Jan. 27.
OSV NEWS PHOTO/COURTESY INSTITUTE OF NATIONAL REMEMBRANCE
Mother Matylda Getter, superior of the Warsaw province of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary, saved hundreds of Jewish children from extermination by the Nazis.
EMPLOYMENT
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Principal - Rockhurst High, a Jesuit Catholic college preparatory school in Kansas City, Missouri, with an enrollment of approximately 860 male students, is seeking a principal to assume duties on July 1, 2025. The principal is responsible for the academic and spiritual formation of faculty, staff and students, as well as supervisor for all areas of curricular activities. Both religious and laypersons are welcome to apply. Apply at site online at: job opportunities or email: hr@rockhurst hs.edu by Feb. 5.
Victim care advocate - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking to hire a full-time victim care advocate who would be responsible for providing outreach and trauma-informed care to known survivors and their families. Please visit “Employment Opportunities” on the archdiocesan website at: archkck.org for more information.
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Van drivers and aides needed - Assisted Transportation is hiring safe drivers and aides to transport general education and students with special needs to and from school and other activities in Johnson County in passenger vans. Drivers earn $16 - $20 per hour. Aides earn $15.50 per hour. Part-time and full-time schedules are available. Make a difference in your community by helping those in need! Call (913) 521-4955 or visit: assisted transportation.com for more information. EEO.
Administrative assistant - Come join our team! A small family-owned company located in Lenexa is looking for an assistant to answer phones; invoicing; product ordering; some shipping/receiving and to assist the owner. We need a team member who is organized; detail oriented; self-motivated; trustworthy; has a positive attitude and above all else, gives excellent customer service. Schedule flexibility. Send your resume to: YourCareer101@gmail.com
Faculty and adjunct faculty job openings - Donnelly College, Kansas City, Kansas, is a Catholic college offering higher education for those who may not other wise be served Faculty job openings - Nursing faculty. Adjunct faculty job openings - psychology adjunct instructor for nursing and clinical nursing adjunct. Adjunct faculty Lansing Correctional Campus - Psychology adjunct. Find job descriptions and details at: www. donnelly.edu/careers.
Caregivers needed - Daughter & Company is looking for compassionate caregivers to provide assistance to seniors in their home, assisted living or in a skilled nursing facility. We provide sitter services, light housekeeping and light meal preparation, organizational assistance, care management and occasional transportation for our clients. We need caregivers with reliable transportation and a cellphone for communication. We typically employ on a part-time basis, but will strive to match hours desired. Contact Gary or Laurie at (913) 341-2500 if you want to become part of an excellent caregiving team.
Administrative assistant - Holy Trinity Parish, Lenexa. The administrative assistant serves as the face of Holy Trinity Parish for those contacting the parish office. Key responsibilities include managing the front desk of the office, maintaining the parishioner database, scheduling facility usage and recording parish sacraments. The administrative assistant provides primary administrative support for the pastor and director of administrative services and supports other parish staff for the success of the parish. Must be a team player with strong organizational, administrative and communications skills. Applicant must have a working knowledge of the Catholic Church’s teachings and practices and understand the importance of being a welcoming face for the Catholic Church. Experience required with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Mail, Google Calendar, database systems, general office equipment and managing multiple tasks. Position is full time and qualifies for archdiocesan benefits, including health, dental, vision, life insurance and 401(k) match. A full position description can be found at: htlenexa.org/job-openings. Interested applicants should submit cover letter and resume to: lweber@htlenexa.org.
SERVICES
Custom countertops - Laminates installed within 5 days. Cambria, granite and solid surface. Competitive prices, dependable work. Call the Top Shop, Inc., at (913) 962-5058. Members of St. Joseph, Shawnee.
Cleaning service - We are a mother/daughter team with 20-plus years of experience. We do cleaning, organization, declutter, etc. Call Joan at (913) 2064403.
Memory quilts - Preserve your memories in a keepsake quality quilt, pillows, etc. Custom designed from your T-shirt collection, baby clothes, sports memorabilia, neckties . . . Quilted Memories. (913) 649-2704.
MIKE HAMMER MOVING - A full-service mover. Local and long-distance moving. Packing, pianos, rental truck load/unload, storage container load/unload. In-home moving and office moves. No job too small. Serving the KC metro since 1987. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, parishioner. Call the office at (913) 927-4347 or email: mike@mikehammermoving.com.
Tree trimming and landscaping - We provide free estimates and recent references. Five years of experience and fully insured. Call Charly at (913) 405-8123.
Double A’s Lawn Service Lawn mowing, mulching, gutters, leaf removal Brush removal & hedge trimming
Free estimates & insured Alex Spoerre (913) 488-5195
Concrete construction - Tear out and replace stamped, stained or colored patios and drives. Retaining walls, footing, poured-in-place safe rooms, excavation and hauling. Asphalt drives and lots. Fully insured, references. Call Dan at (913) 207-4371 or send an email to: dandeeconst@aol.com.
Free estimates - We do all things home improvement! Services include: interior/exterior painting, flooring, drywall, windows, kitchen/bathroom remodel, decks, etc. You name it, we can help. At Stone Painting, we put the customer first. We ensure a professional quality job at a competitive price. Call today for a free estimate. (913) 963-6465.
AKC Pros roofing, siding, gutters, insulation - Did you get tired of the door-knocking and constant calls from different roofing companies after the storms this year? Now that the dust has settled, let’s talk. If it’s new damage or old damage, just give me a call. I’ll walk your roof and we will decide together whether to file a claim. Locally owned and operated, licensed and insured. Call Josh at (913) 709-7230.
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Local handyman - Painting, int. and ext., wood rot, mason repair, gutter cleaning (gutter covers), dryer vent cleaning, sump pump (replace, add new), windows, doors (interior and exterior), honey-do list, window cleaning and more! Member of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913) 927-4118.
Garage renovations - Married couple from St. Paul Parish in Olathe. Haul off, clean-out, floor coatings, shelving/painting. Experienced, references available, insured. Call (913) 405-8123.
Haus To Home Remodeling - Let’s give that room a nice face-lift! Specializing in affordable room remodeling. From small projects to bathrooms and basements. Tile, paint, carpentry, wood rot, decks, drywall, etc. Free estimates. Call Cole at (913) 544-7352.
Popcorn ceiling texture removal
Call Jerry at (913) 206-1144. 30 years’ experience. Interior painting specialist. Member St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.
STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 579-1835. Email: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.
Father and Son Home Remodeling - We specialize in kitchen/bathroom and basement remodeling, from start to finish. We also do decks, covered decks, porches, sun-rooms and room additions! If you’re not sure we do it, just call. From my family to yours, thank you for supporting my small business. To contact me, call (913) 709-7230 and ask for Josh.
CAREGIVING
Need caregiving at home? Don’t want to move?For nearly 20 years, we have helped seniors stay in their home with personal care, med management and household assistance. We also specialize in dementia care with free dementia training for families, all at reasonable rates and terms. Call Benefits of Home Senior Care at (913) 422-1591.
Caregiving - We provide personal assistance, companionship, care management and transportation for seniors in their home, assisted living or nursing facilities. We also provide respite care for main caregivers needing some personal time. Call Daughters & Company at (913) 341-2500 and speak with Laurie, Pat or Gary.
Home care - Can provide home care for those needing assistance. CNA, 15 years’ experience, background check available from past employers. Call (913) 999-4340.
REAL ESTATE
We are local people who can buy your house - Big companies from all over the nation come here buying houses, but that’s not us. We are parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish and we enjoy giving you personalized service. We can offer you a fair price and are flexible to your needs. If I can help, call me, Mark Edmondson, at (913) 980-4905.
Looking to buy or sell a home? - Buy or sell a home with someone who understands your values. We are a Catholic-owned, faith-driven team of Realtors, dedicated to helping fellow Catholics buy or sell homes in our community. We bring integrity, compassion and a commitment to your needs. Let us be part of your journey. Call Kevin Holmes (owner) at (913) 553-0539.
We buy houses and whole estates - We are local and family-owned, and will make you a fair cash offer. We buy houses in any condition. No fees or commissions and can close on the date of your choice. Selling your house has never felt so good. Jon & Stacy Bichelmeyer, (913) 599-5000.
WANTED TO BUY
Will buy firearms and related accessories - One or a whole collection. Honest evaluation and top prices paid. Contact Tom at (913) 238-2473. Member of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee.
Wanted to buy
Do you have a car or truck that you need to get rid of? If you do, CALL ME! I’m a cash buyer. We’re Holy Trinity parishioners. My name is Mark. (913) 980-4905.
Wanted to buy - Antiques & Collectibles: jewelry, military items, railroad, sterling, OLD holiday/toys and more. Renee Maderak (913) 475-7393. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.
Wanted to buy Vintage baseball & sport cards Cash for cards Holy Trinity parishioner Call Matt at (913) 522-4938
PILGRIMAGES
Pilgrimages - Medjugorje is approved by the Vatican, receiving “nihil obstat” and encouraging people to go. The next pilgrimage date with visionary Mirjana Soldo as our hostess is March 12-20 and April 16-23, 2025. I am also available to speak to groups about Medjugorje. Call Grace at (913) 449-1806.
FOR SALE
Residential lifts - New and recycled. Stair lifts, porch lifts, ceiling lifts and elevators. St. Michael’s parishioners. KC Lift & Elevator at (913) 327-5557. (Formerly Silver Cross - KC)
The Leaven reaches approximately 50,000 subscribers.
Cost is $20 for the first five lines, $1.50 per line thereafter. To purchase a Leaven classified ad, email: beth. blankenship@theleaven.org
PRAYER AND HEALING SERVICE FOR THOSE TOUCHED BY ABORTION
Kansas City, Missouri, area
(exact location disclosed only to registered participants)
Feb. 1 from 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Have you lost a child or grandchild to abortion? Did you pay for an abortion? Were you her driver? Did everyone else tell you what to do? Did you feel alone in your decision? Did you marry someone who had an abortion in his/her past and it is affecting your relationship? God’s love and mercy are limitless. Find hope, help and healing at this prayer service. This prayer service is an outreach of Project Rachel. Call or text (816) 591-3804 or send an email to: projectrachelkc@diocesekcsj. org. All inquiries are confidential.
SANCTA MARIA SCHOOL’S EVENING UNDER THE STARS
Abe and Jake’s Landing
8 E. 6th St., Lawrence Feb. 1 at 6 p.m.
Join us for a dinner and dance fundraiser for Sancta Maria School, a small Catholic Montessori school in Eudora and a nonprofit 501(3)(c). The evening begins with cocktails at 6 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m. Semi-formal attire is requested. For more information or to make reservations, send an email to: raventmf@yahoo.com or call (785) 7270942. If you are unable to attend but would still like to financially support the school, you can write a check to: Sancta Maria School, 1623 Elm St., Eudora, KS 66025.
‘JOURNEY TO JOY’
Church of the Nativity
3800 W. 119th St., Leawood Feb. 1 at 8:15 a.m.
The day will begin with Mass, followed by the retreat from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There will be an opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation. Breakfast is included. The cost is $25. Register online at: kcnativity.org/journey or contact Patti Gehring by email at: pbgehring@gmail.com.
PANCAKE BREAKFAST
Our Lady of Unity Parish at St. John the Evangelist Church (basement)
2910 Strong Ave., Kansas City, Kansas Feb. 2 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Our Lady of Unity Parish Knights of Columbus are hosting a pancake breakfast. There will be sausage, eggs, drinks and all-you-can-eat pancakes. The cost is $6. Menudo is also available for $12.
ANNUAL PANCAKE BREAKFAST
St. Bede Parish
7344 Drought St., Kelly
Feb. 2 from 7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
The cost is a freewill donation. We will be serving pancakes, sausage and eggs. Takeout meals will be available.
WILLS AND TRUSTS WORKSHOP
St. Patrick Parish (hall)
1086 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kansas
Feb. 5 at 12:15 p.m. (Mass - optional) 1:15 - 2:15 p.m. (workshop)
St. Michael the Archangel Parish (hall) 14251 Nall Ave., Overland Park
The workshop begins after Mass and will be followed by a light lunch, snacks and fellowship, as well as a welcome message from the parish. Register online at: cfnek.org or contact Jane Schmitt at (913) 647-3060 or by email at: jschmitt@arch kck.org.
DISCOVERY DAY: CATHOLIC SCHOOL RECRUITMENT EVENT
Savior Pastoral Center 12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kansas Feb. 8 from 9 - 11 a.m.
Drop in to learn more about working in the Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Whether you are a college student, public school teacher, new to the Kansas City area or considering a career change into the field of education, this event is for you! Registration is required online at: archkckcs.org/register.
WHITE MASS
St. Michael the Archangel Parish (hall) 14251 Nall Ave., Overland Park Feb. 8 at 10:30 a.m.
There will be lunch (Jack Stack BBQ) and fellowship time following Mass. All physicians, nurses and allied health professionals are welcome and encouraged to attend. To register, notify us of the number of attendees by sending an email to: secretary@catholicmedkc.org.
ARTIST MEET-AND-GREET
St. Michael the Archangel Parish (hall) 14251 Nall Ave., Leawood
Feb. 9 after the 9 and 10:30 a.m. Masses
Sacred artist Brennan Kalis will be hosting an artist meet-and-greet. Come meet him, see his art, enjoy refreshments and sign up for unique art opportunities.
LOURDES VIRTUAL PILGRIMAGE
Holy Angels Parish 15410 Leavenworth Rd., Basehor Feb. 11 from 6 - 8 p.m.
Bernadette was an illiterate, 14-yearold peasant girl when Our Lady encountered her at the Grotto of Massabielle near Lourdes, France, on Feb. 11, 1858. Experience Lourdes with Lourdes water, the Grotto Rock, a eucharistic blessing, candlelight rosary and a plenary indulgence granted by papal decree.
PROJECT RACHEL RETREAT
Kansas City, Kansas
Location given after registration Feb. 8 from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Savior is no cost for this event. We will provide a continental breakfast, lunch and materials. To register, send an email to: projectrachelkc@archkck.org or call/text (913) 621-2199.
BREAKFAST WITH THE KNIGHTS
Divine Mercy Parish
555 W. Main St., Gardner Feb. 9 from 8:30 - 10 a.m.
The breakfast will include eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, pancakes and drinks. Join us for great fellowship. The cost is $6 for those over the age of 13; free for ages 12 and under. Proceeds are used for charitable works, such as scholarships and other giving throughout the year.
‘MEDITATIONS ON HOPE’
Church of the Nativity (Magi Room)
3800 W. 119th St., Leawood Feb. 15 at 8:15 a.m.
The Daughters of the St. Francis de Sales Association have been inviting women to practice virtues and holiness in everyday life for over 150 years. Come reflect with us as we share meditations on “hope” in the tradition of Salesian spirituality after Mass. All materials are provided. Coffee and refreshments will be served. To attend, contact Ruth Owens at: rowens4853@gmail. com; Barbara McClung at (816) 535-4531 or at: willabird1960@gmail.com. For additional information, visit the website at: www.sfdsassociation.org.
VALENTINE DANCE
Divine Mercy Parish
555 W. Main St., Gardner Feb. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
The Knights of Columbus will host a Valentine dance starting with a steak and potato dinner, followed by dancing with a DJ. The cost is $30 per person. Contact the church office for tickets at (913) 856-7781.
HOLY ROSARY RALLY
St. Joseph Parish
11311 Johnson Dr., Shawnee Feb. 16 from 3 - 4:15 p.m.
Please join us to honor the Blessed Mother and Our Lady of Fatima. We will pray the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the rosary followed by Benediction and the opportunity for attendees to enroll in the brown scapular. For driving instructions or future dates for the Kansas City monthly rosary rallies, visit the website at: www.rosaryrallieskc.org.
WIDOWED WOMEN OF FAITH
Perkin’s Restaurant (back room)
1720 S.W. Wanamaker Rd., Topeka Feb. 18 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Join other widowed women of faith for lunch and companionship. No RSVP is needed, just come. We meet every month on the third Tuesday and will continue all through 2025. Come join the fun! Questions? Send an email to: WidowedWomen ofFatih@gmail.com or call (913) 558-0191.
LINCOLN EVENT
National WWI Museum and Memorial 2 Memorial Dr., Kansas City, Missouri Feb. 20 at 7 p.m.
Join us for the presentation “Homerun History: Baseball and War” at the National WWI Museum, sponsored by the University of Saint Mary, Leavenworth. Register for the event online at: stmary.edu/lincoln.
OUR LADY OF UNITY DINNER-DANCE
Pierson Park Community Center 1800 S. 55th St., Kansas City, Kansas Feb. 22 from 6 - 11 p.m.
You are invited to the re-inauguration of Our Lady of Unity dinner-dance with a traditional Mexican dinner of pork asada, beef barbacoa, beef and chicken fajitas, Mexican green spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo with chicken, rice, refried beans, salad, bread, cookies and fruit. Drinks are sold separately. There will be a silent auction throughout the night. Dance the night away to the music of Fuerza DJ Jalapeño. Advance tickets are $60 each (includes one drink ticket). Seating is limited. Cash
and credit cards are accepted. For more information, call Sherry at (913) 207-0900.
CALLED TO LOVE AGAIN: DIVORCE SUPPORT
St. Joseph Parish
11311 Johnson Dr., Shawnee
Feb. 22 at 6 p.m.
Do you feel as if you will never heal? Wondering if you are ready for a relationship? Join us once a month for fellowship and formation. The topic will be: “Jubilee of Hope”
PRIEST RETIREMENT WORKSHOP
Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park Feb. 26 at 11:30 a.m.
Lunch will be provided by the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas followed by a presentation from noon - 1 p.m. on retirement planning and investments by Dan Hutchins, CPA, and estate planning by Casey Conneally. Register online by visiting the website at: www.cfnek.org/events/ priest-retirement-workshop.
ANNUAL ST. JOSEPH TABLE
St. Joseph Parish 11311 Johnson Dr., Shawnee
March 2 at 8:30 a.m.
The day will begin with a table blessing at 8:30 a.m., viewing of the table, and cash and carry of Italian cookies. The meal will be served from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Contact Christine Marion for questions at (913) 706-8860.
DEO GRATIAS APPRECIATION DINNER
Church of the Ascension 9510 W. 127th St., Overland Park
March 27 at 5:30 p.m.
The evening will begin with Mass at 5:30 p.m. with Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, followed by cocktails, dinner and program, and a final blessing. Deo Gratias honorees are: Distinguished Family - Marty and Beth Krebs; Distinguished Organization - Church of the Ascension. Register online at: www. cfnek.org/events/deogratias or send an email to: Mwade@archkck.org.
HOPE BALL
Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 2345 McGee St., Kansas City, Missouri March 29 at 5 p.m.
Get ready for an unforgettable night of elegance, joy and purpose at Hope Ball 2025. Purchase your ticket or tables or sponsor today. Ticket sales close on Feb. 28. All proceeds benefit Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph. Learn more online at: www.catholiccharitiesball.org.
DIVORCE SUPPORT GROUP
‘healing the divorced heart’ St. Michael the Archangel (Gabriel Room) 14251 Nall Ave., Leawood 1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m.
Those who have experienced a divorce understand, as perhaps few others can. We were sad, lonely, scared and angry, but we have found that with God, time and the support of others, healing is possible. For more information, visit the website at: www.stmichaelcp.org/divorce-support.
THE SHEPHERD’S VOICE
8:30 a.m. Sundays on 92.9 FM and KEXS AM 1090 Encore Monday at 11:30 a.m.
DAILY READINGS
FOURTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Feb. 2
THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD
Mal 3: 1-4
Ps 24: 7-10
Heb 2: 14-18
Lk 2: 22-40
Feb. 3
Blaise, bishop, martyr; Ansgar, bishop
Heb 11: 32-40
Ps 31: 20-24
Mk 5: 1-20
Feb. 4
Tuesday
Heb 12: 1-4
Ps 22: 26b-28, 30-32
Mk 5: 21-43
Feb. 5
Agatha, virgin, martyr
Heb 12: 4-7, 11-15
Ps 103: 1-2, 13-14, 17-18a
Mk 6: 1-6
Feb. 6
Paul Miki and companions, martyrs
Heb 12: 18-19, 21-24
Ps 48: 2-4, 9-11
Mk 6: 7-13
Feb. 7
Friday
Heb 13: 1-8
Ps 27: 1, 3, 5, 8b-9c
Mk 6: 14-29
Feb. 8
Jerome Emiliani; Josephine Bakhita
Heb 13: 15-17, 20-21
Ps 23: 1-6
Mk 6:30-34
JULIE BILLIART
1751-1816
Born in Picardy, in France, the pious Julie was allowed to make a vow of chastity at age 14 and did manual labor when her family suffered financial reversals. In her early 20s, she became paralyzed after an attempt on her father’s life; at 30, she was an invalid, dispensing catechism lessons and spiritual advice from her bed. Forced to leave home during the French Revolution, she settled in Amiens, where she co-founded the religious institute that later became the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. In 1804, during a parish mission, she walked for the first time in 22 years. From then until her death, she traveled constantly in France and Belgium to expand one of the great teaching congregations of the church.
What would you like to teach the world?
Iwas raised on music.
I remember my mom and dad harmonizing to Croatian songs in the kitchen. Dad making me laugh with ridiculous songs he’d make up. Mom wrapping Christmas gifts in the basement singing along to carols on 78 rpm records spinning on a tiny player.
Later, when we got a stereo, I was treated to a variety of LPs from Dolly Parton to the Mitch Miller Orchestra to Myron Floren. Pretty soon, I was a member of the Columbia House Record Club, clutching my 13 records or tapes for just $1!
The older I grew, the more music moved me . . . literally. I can’t recall not heading out on the dance floor at a wedding reception to do a polka or kolo, a Slavic circular line dance. While in school, I moved from listening and dancing to music to learning to play. It
FATHER MARK GOLDASICH
MARK MY WORDS
language of heaven — they’re MY sounds. All music is sacred, not simply churchy music, all of it: rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country, classical, jazz and ragtime. . . .
started with the Flutophone, progressed to a tabletop Magnus Electric Chord Organ, morphed into a short (and disastrous) experiment with a trumpet, then settled into a long-term infatuation with a prim, the smallest instrument in the tamburitza family, that I played for eight years with the St. John’s Catholic Club Tamburitzans. At present, I’m
failing miserably — but still trying — to master a ukelele.
One of my favorite stories of the late archdiocesan priest Father Ed Hays is “Hanna’s Harmonica,” found in his book “The Ethiopian Tattoo Shop.” The story revolves around Hanna, “a heavy-set, middle-aged, Black woman,” a member of St. Stephen’s Abyssinian Baptist Church. In this delightful tale, God the Father speaks to Hanna, drawn by her harmonica music that touches his heart. When Hanna expresses amazement, God explains, “Laughter and music are the
“Music is harmony, and whenever you play it or really listen to it you proclaim the mystery of my being. . . . Music is a way of return. Whenever you play music, or truly listen to it, you are in Me and I am in you.”
In this Jubilee Year 2025, music is one of the things that brings me great hope. Music is a universal language that levels the barriers that separate us. When I get saddened by the polarization in the world, I head to videos produced by Playing for Change, called “Songs Around the World.” They feature a “virtual journey around the globe” where musicians come together to perform a particular song. (These videos remind me of events like Live Aid in 1985 that united a slew
of bands and musicians to raise money for famine relief.)
Just for the heck of it, I wondered if there was an official hymn for the Jubilee Year. I Googled “Jubilee 2025 song” and, to my astonishment, there is one, and part of its refrain in English echoes this column: “Like a flame, my hope is burning; may my song arise to you.” Listen to it online or even download the musical score.
And here I was just going to recommend that you go back to 1971and sing The New Seekers’ song: “I’d like to teach the world to sing/ In perfect harmony/ I’d like to hold it in my arms /And keep it company./I’d like to see the world for once/ All standing hand in hand/ And hear them echo through the hills/ For peace throughout the land.”
C’mon now, don’t be shy, one more time, with feeling and commitment: “I’d like to teach . . .”
Have you forgotten the promise of the star? There is still light
Think Christmas was over weeks ago? Think again. The feast of the Presentation officially closes the Christmas season, 40 days after the Nativity, so there’s still one last chance to wish the world a “Merry Christmas!” It is also one final opportunity in our liturgy to reflect on a vitally important motif of this season: the consoling, redeeming, transformative presence of light. Think back to Luke’s account of Christ’s birth, the story retold on Christmas Eve. We found “the glory of the Lord” shining around the shepherds, even during their night watch in the fields. Then in Matthew’s Gospel, on the solemnity of the Epiphany, we learned of the Magi,
Deacon Greg Kandra is an award-winning author and journalist, and creator of the blog “The Deacon’s Bench.” He serves in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York.
who followed a star to find the newborn king in Bethlehem. And now we return to Luke’s Gospel and encounter the aged Simeon in the temple, who takes the baby Jesus into his arms and
blesses God, saying, “My eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people, Israel.”
We can’t escape it. Light has been everywhere.
Small wonder that this climactic feast has also been known for centuries as Candlemas, a time for blessing candles that will be carried home to remind us daily of the miracle of Christmas, the miracle of illumination, Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. In some churches around the world, candlelight processions remain popular and serve as a beautiful punctuation mark at Christmas’ end. This central message remains: We are
people of light. It can be easy for us to forget that the first tangible gift we receive as baptized Christians is a lit candle. “Receive the light of Christ,” we’re told. It is a flame that has continued to burn, whether we are aware of it or not, in the grace of the sacrament — no matter how life might try to snuff it out, quench it or lower its glow to something resembling little more than leftover ash.
These dark days of winter are a good opportunity to nurture the light of Christ in our hearts, to draw inspiration and hope from prayer, to carry the light from Candlemas and the flickering joy of this last burst of Christmas into our everyday lives.
We hear a lot about the “spirit of Christmas.”
Well, this feast cries out to us and asks us to keep alive something else: the spirit of Candlemas. Christmas was just the beginning. There is more.
We recall Christ’s presentation in the temple and that beautiful scene of an old man cradling new life, and we can’t help but think as he did, “Here is hope.” Here is light. To those who have forgotten the bright promise of a star: There is still light. To anyone who fears or who worries, or who wonders about what the future may hold: There is still light. Darkness doesn’t win. The light of Christ, the light of hope, prevails.
That is reason for us to smile and to say it one last time this season: Merry Christmas!
Holy Year shines headlight on journey of life, faith, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Whether one needs a fresh start or simply time for “recalculating the route,” the Holy Year 2025 is an opportunity for all Christians to set off on a pilgrimage, Pope Francis said.
“The destination is not just any goal, but a place of as much
sharing, fraternity and joy as possible in this world with its lights and its trials,” and where people are “open to the ultimate happiness in the company of Jesus, Mary and all the saints,” the pope told members of the Italian Automobile Club.
Pope Francis focused on the meaning of jubilee pilgrimages in his meeting with the club members Jan. 23 and in audiences that day with the Italian police who patrol the area around the Vatican and with leaders of the foundation that supports the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
DEACON GREG KANDRA
Father Mark is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989.
KCK state representative leaves legacy of integrity
As the 2025 Kansas Legislature churns forward, it is good to recall that service in public office is a great challenge. The heart and mind of the elected official is constantly under strain, pulled in competing directions. Elected officials face demands from the party, pressure from the news media, donor expectations and much more. What values drive decisions from our public servants when they are facing deep, difficult decisions? Do faith communities and faith play a part in the decisions of our civic leaders?
CHURCH AND STATE
No elected official in recent memory suffered more persecution, displayed more courage or demonstrated more intestinal fortitude in the face of adversity than former state representative Marvin Robinson of
Kansas City, Kansas. Educated in USD 500, Robinson attended Emporia State University and served in the Navy. Returning home, he dedicated himself to improving the lives of his neighbors. He is remembered as a humble but fearless street fighter for basic human necessities like electricity and heat in homes.
Robinson’s “crown jewel” of community service was his unwavering quest to preserve and improve the historic Quindaro Cemetery Ruins and Townsite in KCK.
Located on the banks of the Missouri River, slaves toiling under their masters in Missouri had long gazed across the water to Quindaro — in free state Kansas — as a final home and resting place. Robinson wanted to honor their memories and let no one forget.
After joining the Legislature in 2023, saving the deteriorating Quindaro was still Job No. 1 for Robinson, but other issues called. He initially sided with his party and voted no
on the Save Women’s Sports Act, which would ensure girls competed only against other girls in athletic competition.
Robinson told me that very weekend, members of his church community confronted him saying: “Marvin, what are you doing? You know better!” It was his defining moment.
“They were right,” recalls Robinson. “I was playing politics and lost my way. My church brothers and sisters helped me back on the righteous path to truth.”
Robinson changed his position, and voted yes on the Save Women’s Sports Act. His was the deciding vote in making Save
Women’s Sports the law in Kansas.
Voting his conscience exacted a personal and political price for Robinson. He was verbally attacked during a speech on the house floor. In what was widely described as political payback, the governor vetoed $250,000 proposed by the Legislature to improve Quindaro. He lost friends but gained new ones. Robinson died of pancreatic cancer within days of losing his primary race last August. His legacy of integrity and the role his church community played in his career is a model of statesmanship for Kansas legislators.
Deacons are on the front lines of the new evangelization
One of the most powerful moments during the ordination Mass of a deacon occurs when he goes up to the bishop and kneels before him.
The bishop then places the Book of the Gospels in his hands, saying: “Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach.”
What a powerful moment, as the bishop entrusts the new deacon with the staggering authority to be a “herald” or messenger of Christ, richly symbolized before our eyes in the liturgy.
Deacons serve the
Deacon Leon Suprenant is the co-director of the office of the permanent diaconate. He may be reached at: leons@archkck.org.
church through a threefold ministry of the word, liturgy and charity, always in close collaboration with
ORDAINED TO SERVE
their bishop. Perhaps we are familiar with the deacon’s liturgical ministry through our own experience of the wonderful deacons in our parishes. And most of us are aware that deacons, as living images of Christ the servant, are especially involved in works of charity and service.
But what about the
ministry of the word? How are deacons “heralds” of the Gospel? In response, let’s consider three points: (1) It’s not just about Mass.
Deacons do proclaim the Gospel at Mass and may be called upon to give the homily. That’s a significant responsibility, but it only scratches the surface of the deacon’s “ministry of the word.”
Deacons are members of the clergy, but they also typically have families, secular jobs and civic responsibilities like the rest of us. They must be heralds of the Gospel right here, right now, in the midst of the world.
(2) Heralds are messengers, not editors.
Deacons may have their own opinions on a variety of issues, from gardening and foreign policy to what the Chiefs should do in this year’s draft. However, as representatives of the church who have promised their obedience to Christ and to their bishop, they are first and foremost servants of the Gospel.
Therefore, whenever a deacon preaches, the faithful have the right to expect that his words are the Gospel truth!
(3) Signs of contradiction.
Just as Old Testament prophets were
rejected and proverbial messengers are shot, so also deacons can expect opposition as faithful heralds of the Gospel. They are on the front lines of the new evangelization, boldly calling the faithful to conversion and a new way of life in Christ. Today, in the midst of unprecedented attacks on our religious liberty, on the right to life of the unborn, the terminally ill, and the aged, and on the institution of marriage itself, the deacon must make Christ’s voice heard.
The rite of ordination, quoted above, says it all. May deacons be shining examples to us all of faith, conviction and Christian witness.
CHUCK WEBER
Chuck Weber is the executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference.
DEACON LEON SUPRENANT
Kids’ Kids’
CHRONICLE CHRONICLE
God rested after he finished the work of creation
By Jennifer Ficcaglia Catholic Courier
n the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth didn’t have any form.
Over the course of six days, God formed the earth and created everything on it. And at the end of each day’s work, he saw that all he created was good.
On the first day, God said, “Let there be light.” He separated the darkness from the light, calling the light “day” and the darkness “night.”
Bible accent I I
“Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other,” God said on the second day. He called the dome “the sky.”
On the third day, God gathered the water under the sky into a single basin so dry land would appear. The dry land he called “the earth,” and the water he called “the sea.”
Then God created plants that would bear seeds, and trees that would grow fruit with seeds in it.
On the fourth day, God created the two great lights and also the stars. The greater light ruled the day, and the lesser light ruled the night.
“Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky,” God said on the fifth day. “Be fertile, multiply and fill the water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
On the sixth day, God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”
God created both a male and a female and blessed them.
“Be fertile and multiply,” he told them, “fill the earth and subdue it.”
He gave the male and female dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and all living things that move on the earth. He gave them seed-bearing plants and trees with seed-bearing fruit for their food, and he gave the animals green plants for their food.
On the seventh day, God was finished with the work of creation, so he rested and made the day holy.
1. On which day were birds created?
On which day did God rest?
In Genesis 2, we read that God created the Garden of Eden for man to live in.
God told Adam, the man God had created, that he could eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden except for the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
In Genesis 3, we learn that the snake was the most cunning of all the wild animals God had created. One day, the snake asked Eve, the woman God had created to be Adam’s wife, if God really said she and Adam could not eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Eve told the snake what God had said: “You shall not eat it or even touch it, or else you will die.”
“You certainly will not die!” the snake exclaimed. “God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and evil.”
The snake tricked Eve into desiring something she wasn’t supposed to have. She went to the tree, picked some fruit and ate it. She gave some to Adam, and he ate too.
When God heard what had happened, he was very angry.
God punished the snake for tricking Eve by making it cursed among all the animals. And Adam’s and Eve’s punishment for disobeying God was to be banished from the Garden of Eden forever.
t. Ethelbert of Kent was an Anglo-Saxon who was born around the year 560. He ruled over southern England and was the first Anglo-Saxon king to support Christianity. When he wanted to marry Bertha, daughter of the king of Paris, he had to promise to allow her to practice her Christian faith. He also gave St. Augustine of Canterbury land for churches and a monastery so Augustine could evangelize the people of Britain.
Ethelbert became a Christian around the year 601, and he died in 616. We remember him on Feb. 24.
