01-21-11 Vol. 32 No. 23 by The Leaven

www.theleaven.com | Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas | Vol. 32, No. 23 january 21, 2011

Family man

Pastor taught many that ‘you’ve got to love them all’

By Joe Bollig

OPEKA — The whole life and 53-year priestly ministry of Father Francis J. Krische can be expressed in a single word: family. Father Frank, as he was almost universally known, was one of seven children in a very devout, very close family. He might have followed in the footsteps of his uncle, Father Otto Krische, a Franciscan, and become a member of a religious order. Instead, he become an archdiocesan priest, probably to stay close to family, said Msgr. Vincent Krische, one of Father Frank’s younger brothers. But the gregarious Father Frank’s idea of family didn’t end with his relatives. Family was his parish, and family was his community. That community, in kind, turned out in full force Jan. 17 to honor him — so much so, in fact, that the archbishop himself commented on it. “The incredible outpouring of affection and respect for Father Frank Krische demonstrates more powerfully than words,” said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, “the impact upon so many of the life of one good and faithful priest. I hope the young men present for Father Frank’s wake and funeral are inspired to think about the possibility that God may be calling them to serve his people as a priest.” Among the multitudes that Father Frank called friends were governors and homeless people, children and seniors, homemakers and businesspeople, Catholics and non-Catholics — just about everybody and anybody. A nephew’s spouse said she couldn’t go anywhere in Topeka without someone asking if she was related to Father Frank. A Protestant minister once said, “I love Father Frank!” “He was such a good role model for compassion, and he could see good in everyone,” said Father Bill Bruning, pastor of Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Topeka. “He’d say, ‘Catholic means universal. That means everybody’s coming, Billy. You’ve got to love

them all. You’ve got to welcome everybody.’” On Jan. 12, Father Frank celebrated Mass for the students, faculty and staff at Hayden High School — something he really enjoyed. That afternoon, he died of a heart attack while sitting in his chair at home. It was a good death.

From a family’s heart Father Frank’s family belonged to St. Joseph, the ethnic German parish in Topeka. His parents were very devout and prayed together, including family rosaries. One thing his parents (and grandparents) prayed for was priestly vocations from their family. “In our family, priests were held in high esteem,” said Msgr. Krische. “We had a great uncle, an uncle, and three cousins who were priests, and a great aunt who was a Benedictine nun at Clyde, Mo.” Father Otto Krische, OFM, was a major influence. “My favorite uncle became a priest,” Father Frank said in a 2007 interview with the Topeka Capital-Journal newspaper. “He really appealed to me as a role model.” Father Frank’s departure at age 13 for the high school seminary at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, was a great family event. “Everyone was so proud,” said Msgr. Krische, who was six at the time. “We’d tell everybody that our brother was going to be a priest. We almost ordained him before he left. We missed him a lot. Mom had to pack a lot of clothes in his trunk because he’d only come back for Christmas and the summer. We thought he was the cherry on the sundae.” Larry Krische remembered that it was a thrill for him to take care of big brother Frank, the seminarian. “One summer — I don’t remember which one — he broke his leg,” said Larry Krische. “I was the go-to person Turn to “young priests” on page 5

2 archbishop

THE LEAVEN • january 21, 2011

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

Beatification honors priest who literally changed the world

he National Football League playoffs dominate fans’ attention this time of year.

Sometime in the last 25 years, the almost universal practice developed that, after scoring a touchdown, each player must have his own specially choreographed celebration ritual. In recent years, this practice has expanded so that now when a defensive player sacks the quarterback or makes an exceptional defensive play, they also feel compelled to have this little moment of self-indulgent celebration. I have always found these celebrations a bit distasteful. They seem to be, frankly, very self-congratulatory! Now, I can understand a player’s elation at having made a big play and a need to express his exhilaration, but so many of these “rituals” communicate: “Look at me! Look at what I have done! I am the greatest!” Some years ago, the NFL, in an effort to exercise some control over what were becoming more and more excessive displays, banned group celebrations. In one of the final regular season games, the Chiefs got penalized because several players, rather than just one, jumped up into the stands celebrating a touchdown. This seems odd to me. The league has banned celebrations that at least acknowledge whatever success has been realized was the fruit of a team effort, not just one individual. My thoughts about these “end zone antics” contrast with my reaction to the recent announcement that Pope Benedict XVI has approved the May 1 beatification of Pope John Paul II. Recently, I had the opportunity to view the DVD, entitled “Nine Days That Changed the World” — a documentary on how Pope John Paul II’s first visit to Poland altered the course of 20th-century history, setting in motion the events that would lead to the collapse of communism — not only in Poland, but in all of Eastern Europe, and eventually in Russia itself. I also read this past month George Weigel’s “The End and the Beginning,” the second volume of his definitive biography of Pope John Paul II. Our late Holy Father in his teaching often spoke about what he termed “The Law of the Gift.” John Paul believed,

Archbishop Naumann’s weekly calendar

Jan. 21 Pro-Life Mass at Topeka Performing Arts Center, then march to Kansas Judicial Center for Rally for Life because we are made in the image of God, it is in our nature to want to give our life for the good of others. John Paul II was convinced that authentic happiness was only to be found in living out this principle of spending our life in the service of others. This was not just theory for Pope John Paul II. This was the “law” that guided his own life. In reading Weigel’s biography of our late Holy Father, I was struck again by how the future pope survived almost miraculously the Nazi occupation of Poland. Perhaps, even more incredible, the young Karol Wojtyla, after having witnessed the deaths and suffering of so many innocent people, did not become embittered and cynical, but rather discerned in this context a vocation to the priesthood. In Poland, the church had been forced into an unhappy arrangement. In order for the Communists to allow new bishops appointed by the Holy Father to be able to exercise their pastoral ministry, the government insisted on the ability to veto what they deemed unacceptable appointments. After the previous archbishop of Krakow had died, the Holy See had proposed the appointment of seven candidates to succeed him. All seven of them were vetoed by the Communists. Karol Wojtyla was one of the auxiliary bishops for Krakow at the time and he had been elected to serve as archdiocesan administrator until a new archbishop was appointed. Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, the primate of Poland, did not propose Karol Wojtyla to become the new archbishop of Krakow until seven other candidates had been rejected. We will never know exactly why he did not propose him sooner. Some speculate because Karol Wojtyla was so young. Others opine the primate may have thought he was not strong enough to bear up under the pressure of the job. Some speculate Cardinal Wyszynski knew that his first proposed candidates would almost cer-

“My Catholic Way” radio taping Jan. 21 Vigil Mass for March for Life — Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C. Jan. 22 Adoration and pro-life rally with Kansas youth — Washington, D.C. Jan. 23 Meeting with national pro-life leaders Vigil Mass — Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C. tainly be vetoed by the government. What is even more fascinating was that key Communist officials wanted Karol Wojtyla because they considered him an intellectual whom they thought they could manipulate and control. It would seem the Holy Spirit can even use Communist government officials to achieve his purposes! Archbishop Wojtyla became a remarkable shepherd for the Archdiocese of Krakow, fearlessly insisting on the right to build new churches in order to provide for the spiritual and pastoral needs of his people. When Karol Wojtyla was elected pope to the world’s surprise, he became communism’s worst nightmare. To not allow the pope to return to Poland, the Communist officials feared would provoke a revolution. John Paul II, in his nine-day visit to Poland, gave back to the Polish people their cultural identity. The Communists, through the government-controlled media, attempted to minimize the impact of the pope’s visit. However, since nearly the entire country turned out to see the Holy Father, they recognized the Communist lies, revealing the fear of the government of the Polish pope. The Polish people realized how many shared

Jan. 24 Adoration, Mass and rally for Kansas pilgrims — Nativity Church, Washington, D.C. March for Life, Washington, D.C. Jan. 25 Vespers and dinner with newer priests at residence Jan. 28 Mass — St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Overland Park Support Our Seminarians dinner Jan. 29 Meeting with board of directors for the Association of Catechumenal Ministry — Savior Pastoral Center Jan. 30 Meeting and Mass with Samuel Group — St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center the common conviction that the government in Poland must change. At one point in subsequently discovered documents, the Communist leadership in Poland and Russia identified Pope John Paul II as their most dangerous ideological opponent. There remains speculation that the Communist leadership actually orchestrated the unsuccessful assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. John Paul II did something much more difficult and extraordinary than scoring a touchdown or sacking a quarterback. He lived “The Law of the Gift,” placing his many gifts and talents at the disposal of God for the good of his people. The life of this good and holy priest literally changed the history of the world. Yet, Pope John Paul was never about seeking attention or recognition for himself. He was more like the baseball player who after hitting a home run, points to the heavens acknowledging whatever successes he enjoys are a result of the great gifts God has entrusted to him. Next time you see a football player do his personal celebration ritual, think about Pope John Paul II and “The Law of the Gift.” Think about a real hero who changed our world for the better.

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THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 21, 2011

SECOND FRONT PAGE 3

Called to serve

Couple named honorary chairpersons for the Archbishop’s Call to Share By Kara Hansen Leaven staff

LOUISBURG — When George and Etta Karnaze were first asked to serve as the honorary chairpersons of the 2011 Archbishop’s Call to Share, they were not too keen on the idea. “When Lesle Knop called me and asked me to consider supporting Call to Share this way, my initial reaction was we would prefer not to — we would rather continue to do things privately,” said George. But after the idea had a moment to settle and the Karnazes got over their initial surprise, George and Etta responded as they always have over the years when the church has asked something of them — with a yes. “We were very honored and humbled to be asked to do this,” said Etta. George said he has experienced the benefit of the Archbishop’s Call to Share directly, since he is supported through it in his studies to become a permanent deacon for the archdiocese. “We need to support Call to Share in any way we’re being asked to,” said George. “We told Lesle we would do whatever the stewardship office asks us to do.” Every year, pastors are asked to submit nominations of couples from their parish for consideration as honorary chairpersons. The nominations are reviewed by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and the Clergy Advisory Committee for the Archbishop’s Call to Share. “This year, their unanimous recommendation — the Karnazes — reflects the committee’s concern for the impact a couple can have on their community by living their lives gratefully and responsibly — lives of Catholic stewardship,” said Lesle Knop, executive director for the archdiocesan office of stewardship and development. The Karnazes were honored by Archbishop Naumann at the annual Crosier Society Mass.

The Archbishop’s Call to Share honorary chairpersons for 2011, George and Etta Karnaze, were chosen because of their strong support of the archdiocese and its mission. “George and Etta Karnaze have responded humbly and quietly to the call to serve their parish community throughout their lives in the small town of Louisburg, Kansas,” said Archbishop Naumann. George has worked for the First National Bank of Louisburg for 35 years, serving the last 15 as president. Etta works for the University of Kansas Med-

ical Center in Kansas City, Kan. They have two children — Christopher, 30, and Kelly, 28. “Both George and Etta have been consistent sacrificial supporters for the Catholic Education Foundation; for A Future Full of Hope, our last archdiocesan capital campaign; for the Archbishop’s Call to Share; and for various ministries in support of the mission of the

church, as well as for their parish and many community and worthwhile civic causes,” said Archbishop Naumann. George is a member of the first class of laymen studying to become permanent deacons for the archdiocese in April, and has served in various areas of financial ministry at Immaculate Conception Parish in Louisburg. The Karnazes believe in the importance of their faith and in the Archbishop’s Call to Share in helping others experience Christ. “Whether someone is giving a small contribution or a large one, they will all go to help the archdiocese, and anyone can reap the benefits personally by giving to others,” said Etta. George agreed. “I would encourage everyone to consider participating in Call to Share in whatever way they can,” he said. “Everybody is touched by what Call to Share does; everyone can reap the benefits. It’s not just about money; it’s about giving your time, talent and treasure. All God is asking is to share what he has given us.” That commitment to their faith is what made the Karnazes a natural choice to be this year’s chairpersons, said Knop. “George and Etta are quiet and faithful servants who have made a difference for their parish and community,” she said. “I think the humility and sincerity that George and Etta have shown in their support of the Archbishop’s Call to Share, the church, and their parish are commendable. Their example is inspirational.”

And the winners are . . . The archdiocesan office of stewardship and development’s Call to Share ministry photo contest now has its winners. Fifty dollars in prize money will go to Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, for its photo of St. Benedict’s Center children, and $25 each will go to El Centro in Kansas City, Kan., and to Immaculata High School, for student Katlin Spain’s entry.

First Place:

St. Benedict’s Center, Kansas City, Kan., Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas

Honorable Mention: El Centro, Kansas City, Kan. Honorable Mention: Katlin Spain (Immaculata High School, Leavenworth, photography student)

Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799)

Editor Reverend Mark Goldasich, stl frmark@theleaven.com

Senior Reporter Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

Advertising Representative Jennifer Siebes jennifer@theleaven.com

President Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann

Managing Editor Anita McSorley anita@theleaven.com

Production Manager Todd Habiger todd@theleaven.com

Reporter Kara Hansen kara@theleaven.com

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4 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • january 21, 2011

Summer Dreaming

Prairie Star Ranch in Williamsburg will host a wealth of activities this summer By Jill Ragar Esfeld

Special to The Leaven

Williamsburg — There may be snow on the ground, but kids from all over the archdiocese are already looking forward to summer. Many have established a Camp Tekakwitha tradition of gathering with friends to share fun, live faith and form bonds that last a lifetime. As the camp in Williamsburg gears up for its 15th season, moms in-theknow are counting the days until registration begins. “It’s marked on all of our calendars — January 31, 9 a.m.!” said St. Michael the Archangel parishioner Joyce Feder, whose children have attended the camp for eight years now. When the Leawood Catholic was asked what she would tell other parents considering the camp for their children this summer, Feder said simply, “It will be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made.”

New and improved Greg Wellnitz, a theology teacher at St. James Academy in Lenexa, has recently been named the new director of programming and operations for the camp. (Look for a story in next week’s Leaven.) “He’s a great guy,” said camp director Dana Nearmyer. “The kids love him, and he’s really articulate in the faith.” The camp will also be dedicating its new chapel in March. “That will be a really enriched worship space,” said Nearmyer. “The kids have always loved Mass there anyway; it’s so vibrant.” Nearmyer said the new chapel will have four air conditioning units instead of the one that barely cooled the former chapel. So this summer’s campers will be worshiping in complete comfort. Also new this year, as it is every year, is the camp curriculum. “We write the curriculum fresh every single year,” said Nearmyer. “We’re starting to work on that now.” The activities kids have grown to love will be the same — from rock climbing, horseback riding, canoeing, and high ropes challenges to archery, swimming

and lots of great music. “After going to camp for eight years, you think it would be mundane,” said Feder. “But the kids are dying to go.” Camp Tekakwitha lets kids trade their high-tech, over-commercialized world for one centered on nature and God, where they can grow in strength, self-confidence, friendship and faith, she said. “It’s wonderful for them to take that time off and enjoy the beauty of nature and learn about their God,” said Feder. Families find that campers return home filled with the Spirit and eager to share their experiences. “It really has a profound, positive, faith-forming effect on our family,” said Feder. “And it’s so wonderful to have your faith come in through your children.” “The Holy Spirit is in the house,” she added. “They bring him home with them. And it really gives them a lot of energy and faith throughout the year.” “They get to experience Jesus in a very unique way,” said Nearmyer. “They’re with college [counselors] that are really on fire for their faith, and they’re learning while they’re doing extraordinarily fun activities.”

Family tradition Sarah McNerny, also from St. Michael the Archangel Parish, has five children ranging in age from 10 to 20.

Her three oldest have been hooked on the camp for many years. “We’ve done everything from the get-go,” she said. “They’ve been through all the different levels — even the X-treme.” The two youngest are looking forward to starting their camp adventure this summer. McNerny appreciates the camp’s reinforcement of the Catholic principles she teaches at home. “These guys know exactly where to come at them, at their level,” she said. “[The campers are] also able to share with each other and with the adults there. It’s a safe environment.” Familiar elements of the camp environment include eucharistic adoration, rosary, Scripture study, Mass and reconciliation — and these faith activities are often as exciting and memorable as the outdoor adventures. “One of the kids came home once and said, ‘Mom, I got to have reconciliation with the bishop!’” recalled Feder. “And you know, for the kids to have face time with our bishop? That’s incredible.” Best of all, camp experiences can last a lifetime. “My oldest is 20, and she’s made some of her best friends for life at Tekakwitha,” said McNerny. “They go to different colleges, but they keep in touch to this day.” “Their camp counselors keep in touch with them, too,” she added.

Camp Tekakwitha fills up quickly, so register early! Registration begins on Jan. 31 for campers entering 7th thru 12th grades this fall. Registration begins on Feb. 7 for campers entering 5th/6th grades this fall. Online registration will begin at 9 a.m. on each of these dates. Campers can register online on Jan. 31 by going to the Web site at: www.archkck.org. Mail-in registration starts on those days as well and cannot be postmarked any earlier. For questions regarding camp registration, download the camp registration packet at the link below. For more information, visit the Web site at: www.archkck.org (click on the link “CAMP KATERI TEKAKWITHA REGISTRATION 2011”). Do not call the church offices regarding camp questions. Messages regarding registration can be left on the camp information line at (913) 647-3054 after registration begins. The quickest way to get a response to any questions regarding camp registration is by sending an e-mail to: camptekreg@gmail. com. Parents agree that the camp’s staff of administrators and counselors are the keys to its success. “The directors there, they really have something special,” said Feder. “They just share their love of God so openly. And the counselors do, too. “I think it’s one of the best experiences I could recommend for any child,” said McNerny. “Find a way to get your kids there and then support them when they come home.” Feder agreed. “We just feel it is a blessing straight from God that our children are able to go to the camp each year,” she said. “At Camp Tekakwitha, it’s cool to be Catholic,” she added. “They celebrate it!”

THE LEAVEN • january 21, 2011

LOCAL NEWS 5

Young priests found Father Frank a great mentor Continued from page 1

Father Francis J. Krische: 1931-2011

for getting him water and putting the radio in the window so he could listen to sports.” Father Frank’s vocation was seen as a great gift to his family and an inspiration to his younger brother Vincent, who also became a priest. “After [Father Frank] was ordained, Mom and Dad always made [us] kneel so we could receive a blessing,” said Larry Krische. “And when Msgr. Vince was ordained, the two of them would give the special blessing. Even after Mom and Dad passed away, we kept that up. “The biggest thing I noticed after Frank passed was that Msgr. Vince gave us the blessing, and he was by himself.”

Heart of a pastor Father Frank served as parochial vicar (associate pastor) and pastor at 11 parishes, but almost half his priestly ministry — 24 years — was spent at Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish in Topeka. He learned of his appointment while on pilgrimage to Rome through a telephone call from the late Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker. One who got to know him well was Bill Hund, principal of Most Pure Heart of Mary School from 1979 to 2010. They visited every morning when Father Frank unlocked the church for Mass. “He was the most visionary, the most kind, the most insightful man I’ve ever known,” said Hund. “He was always very supportive of me. He let me run the school, and he’d help with any difficulties I had. I loved his spiritual direction.” Father Frank had the common touch, a way of connecting with average folks. “He learned to tell a joke after almost every Mass, and the people loved it,” said Hund. “People saw Father Frank as the pastor who knew how to work with every parishioner.” Father Frank arrived to find that Msgr. Thomas Culhane, his predecessor, had left a well-run, well-organized parish, said Cathy Mies, parish secretary and parish coordinator from 1978 to 2008. “He said it took him six months to discern what he was called to do at Most Pure Heart,” said Mies. “And one day, somehow it came to him that stewardship was what Most Pure Heart needed.” Good stewardship meant not only hitting financial goals, but also a bighearted embrace of the life of faith. He loved the parishioners. He loved the people who came to him needing help. He especially loved all the kids at the school. He and Hund would have lunches with students, and Father Frank taught the children a song many (now grown older) still know, “I am a child of God.” He placed a big emphasis on teaching the kids, and the parents, about the sacraments. He was no micromanager, said Mies. He let people do their jobs, and he was always there to help them and back them up. He was always in charge — slowly. “He was not a person to make decisions quickly,” said Mies. “If you asked him a question, he’d sometimes say, ‘I have to think about it,’ and you’d think, ‘Hey, we’ve got to go to press with this bulletin!’ It would have to wait. He had to think and pray about it, and consult his parishioners, and then he would

Father Frank Krische enjoyed being around children, from school-age children to the littlest in his parish.

“He was the most visionary, the most kind, the most insightful man I’ve ever known,”

”

Bill Hund, principal of Most Pure Heart of Mary School from 1979 to 2010 make a decision.” Father Frank gave wonderful homilies, said Sister Ann Moylan, SCL, minister to the sick and dying at Most Pure Heart. With his big, deep, booming voice he hardly needed a microphone. Hospital patients knew when Father Frank was on the scene because they could hear him down the hall. Sister Ann was a kindergarten teacher when Father Frank asked her in 1995 to start a ministry to the sick and dying. He was always so kind and patient with those who were ill, she said. Sick as they were, he’d often leave them laughing. Sometimes they’d be in denial until they heard from Father Frank that the end was near. “He told a parishioner who was dying that he’d be in heaven soon and, when he got there, ‘to find me a hole in the front door and pull me through,’” said Sister Ann. “And then they prayed together in German.”

Heart of a mentor Archbishops learned to trust Father Frank, so his parish became a sort of “finishing school” for new priests. “He was probably the most laid-back man a guy could live with, and a great teacher by his role modeling,” said Father Bruning. “He really wanted you to succeed, to see you grow in your priesthood. He was always quick to say that you did a good job. He’d say, ‘You’ve done a good job, Billy.’” Much of Father Frank’s mentoring was informal. Father Frank was a great listener and, at the end of the day, he and Father Bruning would relax in front of the TV and he’d say, “How was your day, Billy?” He also let his associates take risks, like the time Father Bruning started a youth summer enrichment program called Camp Polycarp. “He said, ‘Give it a try; just don’t let it go in the red,’” said Father Bruning. Another priest he mentored was Fa-

ther John Reynolds, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Nortonville, Immaculate Conception Parish in Valley Falls, and Corpus Christi in Mooney Creek.” “He was a good pastor and a loving man,” said Father Reynolds. “He had a big heart and a deep love for his priesthood and his parish ministry.” Father Frank was both generous and nurturing. “He had a way of making you feel at home,” said Father Reynolds. “The rectory was also your house, not just the pastor’s house. It had a nice, homey feel to it.” He was always there for a young priest, even years later. “He was very good to talk to,” said Father Reynolds. “Even until recently, I’d call him. He was one of the guys, if I had a question about a pastoral situation, I’d call to get some perspective.” Moreover, Most Pure Heart of Mary rectory also became a bit of an IHOP, or International House of Priests, because Father Frank would also mentor foreign priests. He later helped support schools, parishes and orphanages in Guatemala, Ghana and India. Today, in Ghana, there is a Father Frank Krische School. Father Frank had his priorities straight — and he made sure his associate pastors did, too. As a newly ordained priest, Father Bruning thought he was going to change the world, he said. One day, he came into the parish office after Father Frank told him to take a day off. “He looked at me and said, ‘What are you doing here?,’ and I said, ‘Well, I’m here to do some work,’’’ said Father Bruning. “He said, ‘Come into my office.’ Like a loving father, he said, ‘Billy, you should take the day off and go see your parents. There are days I wish I could go home and see [mine], but they’re gone now. You won’t have them forever.’” “So I went home that day,” said Father Bruning. “It’s been five years since my mother’s death, and I’m so grateful that he taught me that Christianity is about relationships — with Jesus and each other.” Father Frank’s legacy might be the love he taught others how to give. “Twenty-four hours before he died, we talked on the phone,” said Father Bruning. “He said, ‘Billy, you’re doing a great job. I’m proud of you.’ That’s the last thing he said to me. What more needs to be said? It was the greatest gift he gave me.”

TOPEKA — Father Francis J. Krische, 79, pastor of Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish here for nearly half his priesthood, died at his home on Jan. 12. The pastor known universally as “Father Frank,” with a deep, booming voice and heart big enough to love the whole city, died of a heart ailment. He was a priest for 53 years. Father Frank was born on Dec. 23, 1931, one of seven children of Anthony and Pauline Marie Krische. His father was a machinist at the Santa Fe Railroad shops, and the family belonged to St. Joseph Parish. He attended St. Joseph Grade School from 1937 to 1945. He was only 13 years old when he left home for the high school seminary at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, which he attended from 1945 to 1949. The future priest attended St. Benedict’s College in Atchison from 1949-1953, and then graduated with a bachelor’s in philosophy from Conception Seminary in Conception, Mo., in 1957. Archbishop Edward J. Hunkeler ordained Father Frank a priest at St. Peter Cathedral in Kansas City, Kan., on April 6, 1957. Father Frank celebrated his first Mass at St. Joseph Parish, Topeka, on April 21, 1957. His first assignment was as parochial vicar (associate pastor) at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Kansas City, Kan., from May to November 1957. His other assignments included: • Associate pastor at St. Mary Parish in Kansas City, Kan., from 1957 to 1958. • Associate pastor at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Kansas City, Kan., from 1958 to 1961. • Associate pastor at St. Agnes Parish in Roeland Park from 1961 to 1963. • Administrator, and later pastor, of St. Michael Parish in Wheaton and St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Onaga in 1963. • Pastor of St. Columbkille in Blaine in 1966, in addition to St. Michael and St. Vincent de Paul parishes. • Pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Wamego from 1968 to 1970. • Pastor of Holy Name Parish in Kansas City, Kan., from 1970 to 1979. • Pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Kansas City, Kan., from 1979 to 1983. • On July 16, 1983, Father Frank began his longest assignment as pastor of Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish in Topeka, where he served until his retirement on July 13, 2007. After his retirement, Father Frank continued to exercise his priestly ministry and assist his brother priests by celebrating Masses, hearing confessions, baptizing, and anointing the sick at Topeka parishes and hospitals. He celebrated Mass for the students, faculty and staff at Hayden High School the morning of the day he died. Father Frank was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by four brothers — Jim Krische of Chicago, Msgr. Vincent Krische of Lawrence, Larry Krische and Bob Krische of Topeka — and two sisters, Joan Boos and Lois Phillips of Olathe.

6 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • january 21, 2011

New record

Catholic Charities Foundation of Northeast Kansas’ 37th annual Snow Ball, held Jan. 15, has set a new record — $1,673,885. Above, Mel and Pat McAnany, Snow Ball presidents, thank the Snow Ball guests for their generosity. The funds raised from this black-tie gala help provide the most basic needs, such as food and utilities, to children and families. More than 1,750 guests enjoyed an evening with a cocktail reception and formal dinner, followed by dancing to The Karen Davis Project and Four Fried Chickens and a Coke.

‘Brother, let me be your serva

B By Joe Bollig

y now, most Catholics in the archdiocese have heard something about the new Roman Missal, with changes in how we worship at Mass, coming our way in late 2011. But that’s not the only big change com-

ing down the pike this year.

History will be made when the pioneering class of perma-

nent deacons for the archdiocese will be ordained on April 9 at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood. Although the concept of permanent deacons may seem new or even odd to a lot of Catholics in northeast Kansas, other parts of the United States and the world have had permanent deacons for more than 40 years. Indeed, deacons aren’t new. There have been deacons in the church since apostolic times, although in various forms. For example, all priests are first ordained deacons — albeit transitional ones — before they are ordained to the priesthood. But the vocation of deacon is not just a stop on the road to priesthood — the diaconate is a vocation in its own right. At the Second Vatican Council, in fact, it was clearly identified as one of the three orders of Catholic clerics — the others being priest and bishop. Often, deacons have jobs and families like regular laypeople, but not always. To get a better understanding of who deacons are and what they do, the archdiocese sponsored a workshop for priests of the archdiocese on Jan. 13 at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kan. Deacon William T. Ditewig, who presented the workshop, was ordained a permanent deacon in 1990 in Washington, D.C. He served for a number of years as executive director of the Secretariat for the Diaconate for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and is

now a professor of theology and director of graduate programs in theology at St. Leo University near Tampa, Fla.

It’s about service There are several passages in Scripture that tie caring for those in need with living according to the covenants God establishes with humans, said Deacon Ditewig. “[One is] the whole notion of the ‘suffering servant’ in [the Book of] Isaiah, and later Christ the suffering servant,” said Ditewig. “Why is this important? Because all of the literature from the Second Vatican Council and beyond talks about deacons and their being icons of Christ the servant.” Indeed, that is how the deacons of the early church were utilized — as servants. They were the ones whose responsibility it was to tend to the needs of the widows and the orphans. One great symbol we have of the ‘suffering servant’ is Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. This was a lesson not just about doing menial tasks with humility but a pouring out of oneself. The early church saw a great diversity in both types of ministry and types of ministers. As the roles of deacons, priests, and bishops evolved and became more distinct, the deacons came to be more closely associated with service to the bishop.

Deacons are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. Among the original seven deacons was St. Stephen, the first martyr. CNS photo/ courtesy of

the Vatican Museums

“There was a great diversity of function for deacons, and [it] included functions of administration, judicial

functions, and liturgical,” said Deacon Ditewig. Deacons did “social justice” work — administering charity, for example — while priests fulfilled the sacramental needs of the faithful. For many years, priest and deacons were seen as the “two arms” of the bishop, said Deacon Ditewig.

Candidate looks forward to celebrating the sacraments By Kara Hansen Leaven staff

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — When Tom Mulvenon is ordained a deacon in April, there isn’t much he’s not looking forward to about the experience. But if you had to pin the Holy Trinity, Lenexa, parishioner down to one thing, it would be celebrating the sacraments. “I’m most looking forward to the sacraments I can help with — celebrating baptisms and weddings and being a part of that for families,” said Mulvenon. “But I’m a pretty flexible guy. I’m willing to take on anything.” Becoming a deacon has been a long time coming for Mulvenon. “I was helping with Project Andrew (the vocation awareness program) 15 years ago and Archbishop [James] Keleher and Msgr. Ray Burg-

Editor’s note: Leading up to the ordination of the archdiocese’s first class of deacons, The Leaven will be doing brief profiles of all the candidates. er first talked with me about the possibility then,” said Mulvenon. “They were interested in building support for having permanent deacons here in the archdiocese.” Mulvenon said he felt the academic component of the diaconate formation program was solid and has prepared him well for his future role. The spirituality preparation has also made a big impression on him as well. “I have a lot more inner peace since beginning the formation process,” said Mulvenon.

Profile

Name: Tom Mulvenon Parish: Holy Trinity, Lenexa Age: 62 Family members: Wife, Jan; Adult children, Curtis and Beth. Occupation: Controller for Nazdar Favorite food: That which is shared What I’m looking forward to most about being a deacon: Sacramental service to others Something people might be surprised to learn about me: Jan and I are Royals season ticket holders. Favorite saint: St. Joseph — namesake, and he does what is asked of him without complaining. If I could visit a period of church history, it would be: I am curious to see how the future will unfold. Favorite book (nonreligious): “Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett Hobbies: Family vacations, especially hiking in national parks

ant, let me be as Christ to you’ Myth & Truth Myth: The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) restored the diaconate. Truth: The Catholic Church has always had deacons, but how the deacons have ministered has evolved. The council renewed the use of the permanent diaconate. Myth: Bishops from the Third World were the primary advocates of the permanent diaconate. Truth: The majority of proposals for a renewal of the permanent diaconate at the Second Vatican Council came from Europe. In fact, European bishops had been talking about it since the 1840s. Myth: Deacons aren’t needed because laypeople can do their jobs. Truth: The role of deacons goes beyond merely their functions. But, in fact, there are a few things that deacons can do that laypeople cannot — witness weddings, preside at funeral services and preach at Mass, for example. Myth: The diaconate is not a real vocation, like the priesthood. Truth: Even if a deacon has a job and family, he is still a deacon 24/7, and fulfills that role as part of his vocation.

Return of a golden age The golden age of deacons ended around 325 A.D. In later centuries a change in canon law decreed that all functions of the deacon were considered “extraordinary.” That meant that the diaconate was

clearly subordinate to the presbyter (priest) and merely transitional. In other words, except for very rare cases, no one became a deacon without the intention of going on to becoming a priest. But the idea of a permanent diaconate was not entirely lost. There were discussions during the Council of Trent (1545 – 1563), for example, of renewing the permanent diaconate with all its ancient function and status. The Protestant Reformation, however, kept successive popes from undertaking the renewal.

It took Pope Paul VI in 1967, in fact, to finally initiate the changes in canon law, implementing the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, for the renewal of the permanent diaconate to take place. Some important things, however, took place before the council, which sowed the seeds for the its decisions. The German bishops had been talking about the renewal of the diaconate since the 1840s. Late in the 19th century, German bishops established organizations for charitable works, called the Caritas, which carried out the very sort of work done by deacons in the early church. When the Nazis came to power in the 1930s, the church was one of the party’s early targets. Eventually, thousands of Catholic priests (as well as Protestant ministers) would be rounded up and sent to concentration camps for “reeducation.” Ironically, the “Priestblock” at Dachau concentration camp quickly became an incubator for renewal as priests from throughout Europe were brought together by their imprisonment. This, and the experience of World War II, shaped the worldview of the bishops who attended the Second Vatican Council. In 1947, Pope Pius XII described the matter and form of the three orders of clergy — deacon, priest and bishop — in the apostolic constitution “Sacramentum Ordinis” (“On the Sacrament of Order”). And during the 1957 Eucharistic Congress, he spoke favorably about the renewal of the diaconate. Also, while the priest-survivors of Dachau wrote of their experiences, a German layman named Hannes Kramer approached his bishop in 1950 and told him he felt called to be a deacon. The bishop said the time wasn’t right for this, but he suggested that Kramer continue to explore this vocation. Kramer and other laymen formed “deacon circles” and began to study, pray, and do charitable works in areas of great social need. By the Second Vatican Council, there were approximately three dozen deacon circles in Germany and France. “As the council began in 1962, the notion of charitable service — diakonia (in Greek) — that is sacramentally linked to word and worship, are seen as three essential constitutive elements of the church,” said Deacon Ditewig.

The council saw the renewal of the diaconate as only one element of a larger program of reform in the church, he said. Many difficult issues about the permanent diaconate were thrashed out at the council, but many questions remained, particularly practical ones. On June 18, 1967, Pope Paul VI issued the motu proprio “Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem,” the general norms for restoring the permanent diaconate. Shortly after, bishops in various countries began to ask Rome for permission to ordain permanent deacons. The first men — who were members of the deacon circles — were ordained in Germany in 1968. Many other countries followed suit, including the United States in 1969.

Deacons here and now The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas can benefit from the experience of other dioceses in terms of diaconal ministry, said Deacon Ditewig. Originally, the council fathers thought that deacons would be relatively young men, but in the United States the average age of deacons is rising. Many of the deacons are well-educated and employed in secular jobs, although a good percentage of them are at the end of their secular work careers. There are about 17,000 deacons in the United States — about half the world’s total. The role of the deacon is to be a witness — to transform the world by representing Christ in those areas of greatest need, said Deacon Ditewig. In his comments at the end of the day, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann said he looked forward to deacons ministering in the archdiocese. “One of the gifts that the permanent diaconate will be to give us is additional, well-formed ordained ministers for service of God’s people,” he said. “To have these ministers bring Christ in a very unique way . . . will be a great gift,” he added. “I think one of the things I look forward to is [seeing] how our deacons will help us to see how we can be more of a servant church to those on the margins, those who are forgotten.”

Deacon ordination will be the fulfillment of a dream By Kara Hansen Leaven staff

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Becoming a deacon has been a dream over 25 years in the making for Michael Hill. The St. Paul parishioner from Olathe first learned about permanent deacons while living in Iowa in 1985. The diocese Hill and his wife lived in at the time utilized permanent deacons. “I ran into one of the permanent deacons one day and we ended up talking for two hours,” said Hill. “I was really interested, but then we were transferred here for my wife’s job, and there was no permanent diaconate at the time.” Times change, however. When it was announced a few years back that candidates for the first class of permanent deacon candidates for service in the archdiocese were being sought,

Hill jumped at the chance. He quickly finished the written part of the application. But there was one more step required: He needed a written recommendation from his parish priest. “I thought, ‘This is when it’s either do-or-die, if my parish priest thinks this is a good fit for me or not,’” said Hill. “I called the rectory and expected to leave a message, but Father Peter [Jaramillo] answered on the first ring. I explained to him why I was calling and he kind of chuckled and told me he had been in the adoration chapel praying for the grace to ask me to consider becoming a deacon.” Now, Hill is looking forward to whatever his first assignment as a deacon will bring. “I told the archbishop he knows my talents and gifts and to send me to serve wherever he sees fit,” said Hill.

Profile

Name: Michael D. Hill (David) Parish: St. Paul, Olathe Age: 53 Family members: Wife, Virginia Occupation: Project manager and LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt - Consultant Favorite food: Italian What I’m looking forward to most about being a deacon: Helping people become more knowledgeable about what the Catholic Church teaches. Something people might be surprised to learn about me: I am an adoptee. Favorite saint: St. Thomas More, because he stood up for the church when King Henry was trying to usurp papal authority and remained true even though it cost him his life. If I could visit a period of church history, it would be: Early Middle Ages (476-800) Favorite book (nonreligious): “Collapse” by Jared Diamond Hobbies: Travel, golf, reading

10 nation

THE LEAVEN • january 21, 2011

Stained-glass windows offer art, education, inspiration WINOOSKI, Vt. (CNS) — Some people have PowerPoint presentations to illustrate their topics; Msgr. Richard G. Lavalley has windows. The pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in Winooski is not referring to anything computer-related but to the dozen and a half stained-glass windows in the church. “I use them all the time. I’m always pointing to the windows” to illustrate a homily, he said. Stained glass, as an art form, reached its height in the Middle Ages when it became a major pictorial form and was used to illustrate the narratives of the Bible for a mostly illiterate population. And even though stained-glass windows are not necessary to educate today’s literate and technologically savvy American Catholics, they still play an important role in the life of the church and continue to be created to foster the faith, to inspire and to comfort.

NBC highlights Virginia parish’s efforts to help Haitian village ARLINGTON, Va. (CNS) — Remote Medor, Haiti, was thrown uncharacteristically into the spotlight during a recent medical clinic hosted in part by a delegation from the Haiti Committee at Arlington’s Our Lady, Queen of Peace Parish. For two weeks in December, the small village in Haiti’s central mountains was taxed for space and food as dozens of medical workers and builders descended upon the area — some literally parachuting from an airplane — to provide assistance to thousands of Haitians. Lest the volunteers had forgotten their cameras, crews from NBC’s “Dateline,” led by reporter Ann Curry, were there to pick up the slack. The network aired a one-hour program on the medical mission Jan. 9 as part of the network’s coverage marking the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake that hit the country last January. Our Lady, Queen of Peace has “twinned” with the people of Medor and the local St. Joseph Parish since 1997, visiting numerous times and providing financial support for many projects.

Mass celebrated for victims of Tucson shooting By Bern Zovistoski

Catholic News Service

TUCSON, Ariz. (CNS) — More than 800 people filled St. Odilia Church and its nearby parish hall Jan. 11 to pray for the victims of the shooting spree outside a Tucson supermarket Jan. 8. Roxanna Green, the mother of slain 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, a member of the parish, looked on as Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas spoke at a special Mass to heal the community, remember those who died and console the victims and their families. President Barack Obama and members of his Cabinet and Congress were expected to attend a much larger memorial service the following day at the University of Arizona’s basketball arena, McKale Center. But the St. Odilia Mass, televised locally, was the first of the formal religious services to memorialize the victims. Many of the people who attended were St. Odilia’s parishioners, but others had no connection to the church. Law enforcement officers, many in civilian clothes, could be seen throughout the congregation. The opening song, “Amazing Grace,” was led by the parish children’s choir, of which Christina was an enthusiastic member. “The memory of that Saturday morning will haunt all of us for a long time,” Bishop Kicanas said in his homily. “May it also prod us to treasure each moment with loved ones, to find ways to work together, despite our differences, to enhance our community. “May it also move us to commit our efforts to rid our communities of violence and all that causes and encourages it,” the bishop said. The bishop said “we are grateful for the world’s concern, their solidarity, and their love. “Everyone takes pride in the bravery of Tucsonans subduing the suspect, the first responders who instantly reacted to assist those hurt, and the medical staff at University Medical Center.”

(CNS photo/Mike Segar, Reuters)

WOMEN STAND NEXT TO SIGN NEAR CATHOLIC CHURCH — Women stand next to a spray painted sign across from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church prior to the funeral for nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green in Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 13. Christina was killed in the Jan. 8 shootings that left six dead and wounded 14 others in the rampage, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Half a dozen priests and several deacons participated in the liturgy. United Methodist Bishop Minerva Carcano of Phoenix spoke at the end of the Mass. She had hosted an ecumenical prayer service at Catalina United Methodist Church earlier that day which Bishop Kicanas attended. Twenty people were shot, six fatally. The most critically wounded survivor was Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. She was holding a meeting with constituents when she was apparently targeted by the gunman. The suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, was tackled and subdued by people at the scene after firing 31 shots and attempting to reload his Glock 9 mm handgun, Tucson police said. Among the dead was U.S. District Judge John M. Roll, who had attended Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church just before stopping by to speak with Giffords, a longtime friend. “We are a community in grief,” said

Bishop Kicanas. “We are a community in tears. We are a community struggling, questioning, wondering how such a tragic event could happen. “How could God allow such violence to be done to the innocent? How could God permit the pain and suffering felt by so many good people? Has God abandoned us? Has God looked the other way?” he asked. “Our all-good God never wills evil, never inflicts harm, never injures or hurts,” the bishop said. “Rather our gracious God comforts and consoles us when such tragedies strike. . . . Our God stands by us, walks with us, holds us in the palm of his hand.” Listing the first names of the deceased victims, Bishop Kicanas said: “[God] knows Christina, John, Gabe, Dorwin, Phyllis and Dorothy by name. They are God’s sons and daughters, beloved in God’s eyes. He receives them and welcomes them home.”

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THE LEAVEN • january 21, 2011

Missioners rebuild education in Southern Sudan By Paul Jeffrey

Catholic News Service MALAKAL, Southern Sudan (CNS) — Sister Ninet D’Costa served in a variety of educational posts in her native India. And then, thankful for recovering from a serious illness, she told God she wanted to be a missionary. Her congregation sent her to Rome for immigration studies, and there she heard an appeal for help from the church in Sudan. Sister D’Costa, a member of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, ended up heading for Malakal, a muddy town along the contested border between the North and South of Sudan. Ahead of her proposed departure, she and others planning the new mission received discouraging information. “They told us there was no security in Malakal, no food, no health facilities. But in Malakal, they did have one thing, the poor, and because of them we were committed to go,” she told Catholic News Service. Sister D’Costa arrived in Malakal in 2008 as a pioneer member of Solidarity with Southern Sudan, an international network of religious orders and congregations supporting the church in what may become Africa’s newest country following a referendum on independence held earlier in January. Solidarity currently has 22 full-time members and two short-term volunteers living in Southern Sudan. They come from 16 congregations and 18 countries. Solidarity’s work is supported by 170 congregations or orders. The group has its roots in a 2004 visit to Rome by a Sudanese bishop who met with the justice and peace coordinators of several congregations. With his country’s long civil war about to end, the bishop invited the church workers to come to Southern Sudan to help rebuild the church and war-torn society. Sudan’s episcopal conference soon followed up with an official invitation to the superiors general of religious con-

CNS photo/Paul J effrey

NUN WORKS WITH STUDENT AT SCHOOL — Sister Ninet D’Costa, a nun from India who is a teacher trainer and member of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, works with a student Nov. 22, 2010, in the Bander Boys School, a government-run primary school in Malakal, Southern Sudan. gregations. A delegation of six representatives traveled to Southern Sudan in 2006, visiting every diocese to listen to what the church needed. “We returned with a list of needs from car batteries and shock absorbers to schools and clinics,” said Sister Cathy Arata, a School Sister of Notre Dame from New Jersey. As religious leaders in Rome reflected on the delegation’s report, they decided to focus on providing training in education, health and pastoral services. When Sister D’Costa arrived in Malakal, three religious brothers came with her, but conditions were so harsh that none of them lasted long. Sister D’Costa stayed with a group of Comboni sisters, which she said made adjustment easier. The Indian nun has since been joined by others. Sister Elizabeth Ryan, a member of the Faithful Companions of Jesus, had never encountered a pit latrine before she came to Malakal late in 2008. She admits any romantic ideas about mission were quickly eroded by the differences from her native Ireland.

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The Solidarity team in Malakal is helping to jump-start the area’s educational system. The team is building a modern teacher-training facility with four classrooms, a lecture hall, computer and science labs, a library, preparation rooms and offices. In the meantime, however, they have little with which to work. “We came here with lots of plans, but we quickly forgot about those. We had prepared PowerPoint presentations, but here there’s no power. There are no books, let alone science or computer labs. We’ve had to provide our teachers with pencils and paper and dictionaries,” Sister D’Costa said. Malakal’s schools had taught in English, but the government in Khartoum decreed that all education must take place in Arabic. Since then, the semi-autonomous southern government has ordered all education to take place in English, but switching back will take a while. Few people in Upper Nile State speak English. Few English books are available, although church officials hid some away when the northern government was burning English texts.

world 11

Church firmly, quietly opposes firearms for civilians VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Catholic Church’s position on gun control is not easy to find; there are dozens of speeches and talks and a few documents that call for much tighter regulation of the global arms trade, but what about private gun ownership? The answer is resoundingly clear: Firearms in the hands of civilians should be strictly limited and eventually completely eliminated. But you won’t find that statement in a headline or a document subheading. It’s almost hidden in a footnote in a document on crime by the U.S. bishops’ conference and it’s mentioned in passing in dozens of official Vatican texts on the global arms trade. The most direct statement comes in the bishops’ “Responsibility, Rehabilitation and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice” from November 2000. “As bishops, we support measures that control the sale and use of firearms and make them safer — especially efforts that prevent their unsupervised use by children or anyone other than the owner — and we reiterate our call for sensible regulation of handguns.” That’s followed by a footnote that states: “However, we believe that in the long run and with few exceptions — i.e. police officers, military use — handguns should be eliminated from our society.”

Government must admit killing civilians in Sri Lanka BANGALORE, India (CNS) — The Sri Lankan government must acknowledge that it killed thousands of civilians in the past five months of the country’s civil war, said a bishop from the affected region. “The truth about violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, such as [forced] disappearances, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture, bombing and shelling of civilian’s spaces . . . must be publicly acknowledged,” Sri Lankan Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar told a special government commission established to counter widespread criticism of gross human rights abuses in the final stage of the war, which ended in May 2009.

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12 CLASSIFIEDS

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 21, 2011

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Home Improvement Clutter getting you down? Organize, fix, assemble, clean . . . we do it all! For a free consultation, call your professional organizing handyman, Kevin Hogan, today at (913) 271-5055. Insured; references. Visit the Web site at: www.KOATINDUSTRIES.com. Interior and exterior painting and wallpaper removal - 30-plus years experience. Quality work; excellent references; reasonable rates. Senior discount. Member of St. Ann Parish, Prairie Village. Call Joe at (913) 620-5776.

Villa St. Francis

16600 W. 126th Street • Olathe, Kansas 66062 Phone: (913) 829-5201 Fax: (913) 829-5399 Daily Mass in the Chapel at 10 a.m. • Medicare and Kansas Medicaid certified • 24 - hour nursing care • Dementia/Alzheimer’s unit • Physical, occupational and speech therapist on staff/ Rapid recovery • Nutritious Home cooked meals • Private and Semi Private rooms • Beauty and Barber Shop • 24 hour snacks Affiliated with the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas

Adept Home Improvements Where quality still counts! Basement finishing, Kitchens and baths, Electrical and plumbing, Licensed and insured. (913) 599-7998

Real Estate Price reduced!! Winchester land - 40 acres: 10 timber, 30 prairie grass; two ponds with good fishing; good deer and turkey hunting; located 1-1/2 miles off highway; beautiful building site; excellent schools; only 40 miles from Kansas City. For information, call (913) 683-4488 or (913) 362-3024.

Vacation Ski cabin in Winter Park, Colo. – 2 BR, 1 BA, on free ski shuttle route. $110/night. Call (913) 642-3027. For pictures, visit the Web site at: cabin.forcadeassociates.com. Colorado ski vacation - Winter Park. 2 BR, sleeps 6. Fully furnished, fireplace, rec. center with pool & hot tub. Bus to ski area. $125/night; $700/ week. Call Joe Frederick at (913) 385-5589. Lake of the Ozarks rental - Osage Beach; million-dollar view; fully furnished; 2 BR, 2 BA; sleeps six. No smoking, no pets. For special rates or pictures, call Steve or Sheryl Roederer at (913) 244-2022.

Misc.

Woodbright - A very affordable alternative to refinishing, refacing or replacing stained cabinets and woodwork. The average kitchen only costs $500. 18 years experience. Call Woodbright at (913) 940-3020.

Donate a vehicle. Make a difference. Donate your vehicle to Catholic Charities to support those in need. Your tax-deductible donation of a vehicle helps children and families served by Catholic Charities and is an environmentally responsible way to recycle your vehicle. Cars for KC Kids is a partnership between Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and Catholic Charities of Kansas City - St. Joseph. Call 1 (866) 4309499 or visit the Web site at: www.cars4kckids. com.

Electrician - Free estimates; reasonable rates. JoCo and south KC metro. Call Pat at (913) 963-9896.

Wanted to buy

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.

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.

STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Call for free estimates. Cell: (913) 579-1835; phone: (913) 491-5837; e-mail: smokey cabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa. EL SOL Y LA TIERRA *Commercial & residential * Lawn renovation* Mowing * Clean-up and hauling * Dirt grading/installation * Landscape design * Free estimates Hablamos y escribimos Ingles!! Call Lupe at (816) 252-3376 Thanks to all my customers for a great fall! We’re looking for indoor work. We can do bathroom, kitchen, and basement remodeling. Includes floors, cabinets, doors, windows, sheetrock, painting, and wood rot. You name it – we can do it; just ask. We’re reasonably priced and fully insured. Call Josh at (913) 709-7230. The Drywall Doctor, Inc. - A unique solution to your drywall problems! We fix all types of ceiling and wall damage — from water stains and stress cracks to texture repairs and skim coating. We provide professional, timely repairs and leave the job site clean! Lead-certified and insured! Serving the metro since 1997. Call (913) 768-6655.

***WANTED*** I buy coins, older watches, silverware, slot machines, old rifles and shotguns, stoneware crocks and jugs, old furniture from basement or attic. Call Chris at (913) 593-7507 or (913) 642-8269

For Sale American Girl-type solid wood doll furniture - Heirloom quality, built to last a lifetime. Many types of beds — trundles, daybeds, canopy, bunk, and fourposter. Tables and chairs, clothes bars, and beautiful bedding. Custom orders welcome. Call John Hember at (913) 631-4060. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee. Residential lifts - Buy/sell/trade. Stair lifts, porch lifts, ceiling lifts and elevators. Recycled and new equipment. Member of St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood. Call Silver Cross KC at (913) 393-2042.

Childcare Preschool open house - Calling all 3- to 5-yearolds and their parents! St. Joseph Early Education Center, 11525 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, will host an open house from 5 - 7 p.m. on Feb. 3. For information, call (913) 631-0004.

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 21, 2011

Jan.

The singles group of Curé of Ars Parish, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood, will host a Winter Wonderland dance from 7:30 - 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 in the school cafeteria. The cost of $15, payable at the door, includes hors d’oeuvres, desserts, wine, beer, soda, and bottled water. The Altar and Rosary Society of St. Agnes Parish, 5250 Mission Rd., Roeland Park, will host a day of recollection from 9 a.m. - noon on Jan. 22. Father Harry Schneider will offer a presentation on Divine Mercy. The day will include a rosary, Mass, a continental breakfast, the presentation, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and Benediction. Men and women are encouraged to attend. Freewill donations will be accepted.

The Boy Scout Troop of St. Ann Parish, 7231 Mission Rd., Prairie Village, will host its annual all-you-caneat pancake breakfast from 7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 23 in the parish hall. Tickets will be available at the door. The Daughters of Isabella, Little Flower Circle No. 503, will meet on Jan. 23 at Rossiter Hall, 204 S.W. 8th, Topeka. A covered dish luncheon will begin at noon, followed by a meeting at 1 p.m. St. Bede Parish, Kelly, will host a spaghetti luncheon from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Jan. 23. A freewill offering will be collected. The Knights of Columbus of St. John the Evangelist Church, 2910 Strong Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will host an International breakfast from 8 - 11 a.m. on Jan. 23 in the parish hall. The cost is $7 per person; there is no charge for children under age 5.

Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will offer “Time Management for Women: Balancing Family, Work, and Everything Else,” presented by Chiquita Miller of the K-State Extension, from 1 - 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 26. Space is limited; reservations are required. For information or to register, call (913) 906-8990 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb.org/kwc.

The Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will offer “Food Rules: Keep Them Simple,” a nutrition presentation offered in partnership with K-State Extension Services, from 9:30 - 11 a.m. on Jan. 27. For information or to register, call (913) 906-8990 or visit the Web site at: www. mountosb.org/kwc.

The Ignatian Spirituality Center of Kansas City, located at the Finucane Center on the campus of Rockhurst University, will host a one-day prayer workshop from 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Jan. 29. Begin practicing personal reflection, a foundation stone of Ignatian prayer. The cost is $40; scholarships are available. Reservations are required. To RSVP, by Jan. 24, send an e-mail to: info@ignatiancenterkc.org or call (816) 523-5115, ext. 212, and leave a message. Start the new year by learning the sacred practice of meditation. A mini-retreat, entitled “Art, Prayer and Practice of Meditation,” facilitated by Tom Jacobs, will be offered from 9 a.m. - noon on Jan. 29 at St. Joseph Medical Center, I-435 and State Line Rd., Kansas City, Mo. This contemplative prayer practice is a reminder to stop and listen to God’s voice inside and then move forward to serve. The cost of $25 is payable at the door. Preregistration is requested. For information or to register, call Jacobs at (816) 619-3499 or send an e-mail to him at: tbjacobs@earthlink.net.

30 The Altar Society of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, 411 Pioneer St., Seneca,

will host a pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Jan. 30. A freewill offering will be collected.

The Keeler Women’s Center, 2220

“Blood Money,” a documentary about the abortion industry, will be presented by the Roos for Life at 7 p.m. on Jan. 31 in the large theater of the student union on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus. All students and members of the public are welcome to attend this free showing. There will be a discussion session following the film.

The Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will offer “Journaling for Personal Growth.” This group, for women only, will meet from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. every second and fourth Monday of the month, beginning Jan. 24. No previous writing experience is required. For information or to register, call (913) 906-8990 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb. org/kwc.

We’ve been asked . . . How much does social security pay toward funeral costs? Upon your death, your surviving spouse or dependent children receive a flat $255 to be used toward funeral expenses. This is one reason why it is so important to plan in advance. We offer secure advance funeral funding options that can guarantee the funeral cost at today’s price.

800 SW Sixth Avenue Topeka, Kansas 66603 Phone: 785.354.7706 Fax: (785) 354-1236 www.brennanmathenafh.com

For information, call Dominico Nguyen at (816) 519-7700.

Feb.

Sophia Center, 751 S. 8th St., Atchison, will host “Listening With Your Heart,” a one-day retreat for single women ages 18 - 50, presented by Benedictine Sister Marcia Ziska, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Feb. 5. There is no cost, but advance registration is required. For information or to register, call Sister Barbara Smith at (913) 360-6219; send an e-mail to her at: vocation@mountosb. org; or visit the Web site at: www.mount osb.org/sophia.html. The Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women (ACCW) will host its quarterly meeting and annual retreat on Feb. 5 at Sacred Heart Parish center, 122 E. Warren, Gardner. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by the retreat at 9:30 a.m. There will be featured speakers from the archdiocesan pro-life office, Marian’s Mantle, and Respite, honoring St. Agatha, the patron of cancer patients. The cost is $15. To RSVP by Feb. 1, mail a check to: Susan Draftz, 806 N. 4th St., Atchison KS 66002. For more information, visit the Web site at: https:// sites.google.com/site/accwkck. The Ave Maria Village of the Militia of the Immaculata will host a oneday mission, beginning with Mass at 9 a.m., on Feb. 5 at Redemptorist Church, 3333 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo. The day will include a presentation on “Mary, Mother of God, Model of Fidelity,” lunch, reconciliation, and Benediction. For information, call Christine Rossi at (913) 268-0208 or send an e-mail to her at: queenofpeace27@yahoo.com.

A spaghetti dinner to benefit the Sisters, Servants of Mary will be held from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Feb. 6 in the parish center of St. Patrick Church, 1086 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kan. A suggested donation of $8 for adults and $3 for children is appreciated. The Sisters, Servants of Mary are women religious who provide in-home nursing care, free of charge, throughout the metro area. They live solely off the donations of their benefactors and fundraising efforts. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. For information, call (913) 371-3423.

18-20

Stress in Your Mar-

CALENDAR 13

riage? Retrouvaille is a program for married couples that feel bored, disillusioned, frustrated, or angry in their relationship. Some experience coldness, others experience conflict. Most don’t know how to change the situation or even communicate with their spouse about it. For confidential information or to register for the upcoming February program, call 1 (800) 470-2230 or visit the Web site at: www.retrouvaille.org.

Misc.

Project Rachel will offer a free, confidential, six-week post-abortion healing session, beginning in late January in Overland Park. Location and details of the program will be provided during the registration process. For information, call Pat at (913) 621-2199 or send an email to her at: projectrachelkc@archkck. org.

A support group for women dealing with any type of addiction, at any stage of recovery, will meet from 6 - 7 p.m. on Tuesday evenings at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan. For information or to register, call (913) 906-8990 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb.org/kwc. El Centro, Inc., will offer classes in financial literacy, home improvement, and home buyer education. The classes are free and open to the public. All classes are held at 650 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kan. Participants are asked to preregister. For dates and times of classes, call (913) 677-0100. Do you or your loved one need support to break free from pornography, infidelity, or lust? The My House Men’s Group provides prayer and accountability for sexual integrity. Sam Meier, MA, LPC, is available for men’s groups and counseling; call him at (913) 647-0378, or send an e-mail to him at: smeier@ archkck.org. The My House Women’s Group provides hope and healing for women who are dealing with their loved one’s struggles. Contact Beth Meier at (913) 647-0379, or send an e-mail to her at: bmeier@archkck.org. Calendar items must be received nine days before the publication date. E-mail submissions are preferred; send to: jennifer@theleaven.com. Submissions may be mailed to: 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109.

14 COMMENTARY

THE LEAVEN • january 21, 2011

Mark my words

Catholic Press Association Award Winner 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Quote Week

of the

“He was probably the most laid-back man a guy could live with, and a great teacher by his role modeling. He really wanted you to succeed, to see you grow in your priesthood. He was always quick to say that you did a good job. He’d say, ‘You’ve done a good job, Billy.’” Father Bill Bruning, pastor of Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Topeka See story on page 1

Help me, B-4 I play again

or the life of me, I don’t know why I even bother. It’s the same story, year after year. I begin with high expectations, only to have them dashed time and time again.

You know what I’m talking about. Yep, that’s right: It’s bingo! For the past 10 years, on the second Saturday in January, after the evening Mass, Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie converts its multipurpose room into a bingo hall. Surprisingly, no matter what the weather is like, people can’t seem to stay away. The game that we are familiar with today traces its roots to a December 1929 country carnival outside of Jacksonville, Ga. A New York toy salesman by the name of Edwin Lowe was heading toward Atlanta when he stumbled across this carnival, which was closed up . . . except for one tent. People were packed inside, around a horseshoe shaped table filled with numbered cards and beans. A man was pulling small, numbered wooden disks from an old cigar box and calling out a number. When people had it, they’d place a bean on that number on their card until someone filled a row. When that happened, the person would call out “Beano!” and win a Kewpie doll. Lowe noticed that people were practically addicted to the game. When he got back to New York, he invited some friends over. And, as in Georgia, people went nuts over it. One woman, so excited as the last number that she needed was called, ended up yelling out, “Bingo!” instead of “Beano!” And the rest is history. Lowe began to mass produce the game, and his toy company took off.

Several months after bingo hit the big time, a priest from a struggling parish in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., heard about the game and saw it as a way to ease the church’s financial woes. He bought several sets of Lowe’s game (each came with 12 to 24 cards) but, on this larger scale, it produced too many winners each time and cut down on the funds raised. So Lowe went back to the drawing board and approached a retired mathematician, named Carl Leffler, to come up with many more non-repeating number groups. Leffler invented 6000 different cards . . . and lost his sanity in the bargain. (It’s rumored that he actually created 6,001 cards, the last one being a guaranteed non-winner; that’s the one I always pick out.) This past Jan. 8, over 315 people made their way to Sacred Heart for bingo. Food was available for purchase, but the main course was bingo. As it’s played at the parish — and maybe this is one of the reasons it’s so popular — each game has more than one winner, often up to eight. Winners receive a brown paper bag, or sometimes a black garbage bag, with a surprise prize inside (worth at least $5). I don’t know this from personal experience; I’ve only seen the bags delivered to others around me. I never knew that there could be so many variations of the game: four corners, vertical only, blackout, and letter shapes (like an “X” or a “T”). We even have a special one at Sacred Heart, called “horizonial.” It was supposed to

read “horizontal” but, years ago, a typo appeared on a sheet listing the order of the games, and so we’ve kept it that way ever since. Most humiliating — to me — is “loser bingo.” During the evening, a couple of games are played only by those who haven’t won anything. We “losers” stand and remain standing . . . as long as the caller doesn’t say a number that’s on your bingo card. If you’ve got the number called, you sit down . . . and become an even bigger loser. This year, though, I actually lasted through one or two numbers before I had to sit down! So, why do I put myself through this torture each January? Well, for one thing, this bingo night is a fundraiser to help send kids from the parish to summer camp at Prairie Star Ranch and to pay for various youth activities. I also attend because: • My mom, relatives, and assorted friends usually come to play and would disown me if I didn’t show up. • It’s my “duty” to test out the chili, hot dogs, nachos, baked potatoes, popcorn, candy, etc., that they serve throughout the night. • I provide the comic relief for attendees and lift their self-esteem. No matter how bad their luck might have been, they leave knowing that “they’re not as big a loser as Father Mark.” A couple of years ago, a visiting missionary, Sister Margaret Anne Meyer of the Medical Missionaries of Mary, happened to be at the parish on a similar bingo night. Her words capture well the evening’s spirit: “To see the church transformed into a lovely banquet hall and place of recreation for all ages, especially the young and old and young married couples, was a true experience of Eucharist for me.” I have just one thing to say about Sister’s observations: Bingo!

word to life The third week of ordinary time Jan. 23 third sunday in ordinary time Is 8:23 — 9:3; Ps 27: 1, 4, 13-14; 1 Cor 1: 10-13, 17; Mt 4: 12-23 Jan. 24 Francis de Sales, bishop, doctor of the church Heb 9: 15, 24-28; Ps 98: 1-6; Mk 3: 22-30 Jan. 25 THE CONVERSION OF PAUL, APOSTLE Acts 22: 3-16; Ps 117: 1-2; Mk 16: 15-18 Jan. 26 Timothy and Titus, bishops 2 Tm 1: 1-8; Ps 96: 1-3, 7-8, 10; Mk 4: 1-20 Jan. 27 Angela Merici, virgin Heb 10: 19-25; Ps 24: 1-4ab, 5-6; Mk 4: 21-25 Jan. 28 Thomas Aquinas, priest, doctor of the church Heb 10: 32-39; Ps 37: 3-6, 23-24, 39-40; Mk 4: 26-34 Jan. 29 Saturday Heb 11: 1-2, 8-19; (Ps) Lk 1: 69-75; Mk 4: 35-41

Even a sliver of light can vanquish the darkness

here’s been only one time in my life when I was in total darkness. It was so dark that I put my hand one inch in front of my face and could not see it, not even a shadow or an outline, nothing. I knew my hand was in front of my eyes because I could feel my breath hit the skin and because my brain Third sunday in had sent signals to ordinary time my hand to raise it Mt 4: 12-23 to this position. But these were the only indications. It was an eerie experience to have my eyes wide open and see absolutely nothing. This occurred in a cavern beneath the earth’s surface in central Texas. The tour guide had instructed each of us to find a place to sit down, and we were

strongly urged not to move around. Then he turned the lights out. Pitch dark. Wow. The guide let us sit in the darkness for a minute or so, and then began to tell the story of creation from the Book of Genesis. When he got to the “let there be light” part, a tiny sliver of light, like a white laser beam, pierced the darkness and landed on a rock formation. This miniscule

“The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.”

Mt 4:16

amount of light washed away the immense darkness. The power of light over darkness had never been so palpable to me. This week’s readings speak of another people in darkness who see a great light. Matthew’s Gospel quotes the prophet Isaiah: “The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen” (Is 9:1). Matthew says that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy, that he is the light that dispels the darkness. The darkness that Jesus dispels is sin and death. His piercing light reveals our sin, just as that tiny beam allowed me to see my hand again. But his light does more than reveal. It heals, forgives and continues to shine upon us, leading us into everlasting light.

THE LEAVEN • january 21, 2011

columnists 15

From the super

Do public school parents know what they’re missing?

ear friends of Catholic schools,

God willing, O’Hara grandbabies — numbers 11 and 12 — will be born in April. In addition to the usual joys of grandparenting about which you may know or hear, I have been fascinated by watching the growth of the children through the lens of an educator. I marvel at God’s creation when I observe the development of these small human persons who are his children. However, I also learn a lot about the parents of today from watching my kids and their friends raise their children. Having this perspective helps me stay in touch with the hopes, fears, expectations, and anxieties of young families. Of course, not all families are the same. Recently, I was pleasantly surprised by a conversation relayed to

me by one of our priests. Not long ago, this priest was visiting with parishioners after Mass. He was approached by a woman who shared with him her excitement with the parish elementary school. This mother told the priest that she finally decided to switch her children to the Catholic school when she was told by the teacher of her second-grade daughter that the little girl should not sing “Jesus songs” at recess anymore because

this was not appropriate for a public school. Even though she had two older children who were established in the public school, the mother decided it was time to change. The priest told her that he was pleased to hear this, but asked her a few questions. One question was about cost. The mom explained that she was pleasantly surprised at how comparable the cost was when she considered all the various fees now charged by her public school district. Then the priest asked about her older child who has special needs. Again, the mom conveyed how this child was flourishing in the environment of the Catholic school. She commented on how accommodating the teachers were and how much her child now loved school since the family made the change.

Next, the priest asked about the academic quality, and the mom once again stated that she was very pleased with the academics. Finally, her pastor asked if the faith formation was what she had expected. She told him it was better than what she expected and concluded by saying, “If I had realized what my children were missing, I would have enrolled them in our Catholic school long ago.” Of course, not all Catholic families whose children attend public schools have unpleasant experiences, but what is compelling to me about this mom’s story is her final remark. Why switch to a Catholic school? You may not know what you’ve been missing! ¡Vaya Con Dios! Kathy O’Hara is the superintendent of archdiocesan schools.

Do unto others

Give church a chance to explain its immigration position

is dad was poor, his mom was poor and he was born in a smelly barn surrounded by animals and dirty sheepherders. After a genocide, and through no fault of his own, his family became fugitives from the law and had to flee to Egypt. With our current immigration dilemma, I wonder how we Americans would have treated the Holy Family. Would we want to find a way to welcome them or would we have tried to find ways to arrest and deport them back to Bethlehem or Nazareth? After all, they broke the law. After all, Joseph must have worked to support the

family during its time of exile, perhaps even taking work that an Egyptian might have done. Concerning some modern-day issues, the Catholic faith speaks clearly: It separates right from wrong. Abortion is such an issue. However, regarding many issues, the Catholic Church gives guidance, but doesn’t provide policy prescriptions. And there can be legitimate disagreement among Catholics. Immigration is such an issue. However, there are some moral boundaries that limit and define where a disciple of Christ can go on this issue. I never

stop being shocked at some of the attacks that fellow Catholics have leveled upon our Catholic Charities, Hispanic ministries, and even our bishops whenever the church tries to either help immigrants or advocate to improve the lives of their families by fixing our nation’s immigration laws. Because many of these Catholics are either misinformed on the issue or don’t know the church’s teaching on immigration, a lot of anger is defused once they learn. As Catholics, we must take the time to be informed on the immigration issue and how faith informs the debate. One great place to start is to go to the U.S. bishops’ Web site at: justice forimmigrants.org. There you’ll find both the church’s teachings and the relative facts about what is going on right now in our country. As well, the archdiocesan office for social justice is cosponsoring an immigration conference. This conference

will begin with a 5 p.m. Mass concelebrated by Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and Bishop George Murry of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, on Feb. 4. The conference continues at 9 a.m. on Feb. 5 at St. Francis Xavier Church, 5400 Troost, Kansas City, Mo. Bishop Murry will be the keynote speaker, and the day will include sessions to meet immigrants and the agencies that serve them. If you feel strongly about the immigration issue and are a person of good will, if you are open to learning more about immigration and, most importantly, the people behind the issue — fathers and mothers wanting to keep their families intact and safe — please prayerfully consider attending the conference. Questions? Contact me, via e-mail, at: socialjustice@archkck.org. Bill Scholl is the archdiocesan consultant for social justice. You can send an e-mail to him at: socialjustice@archkck.org.

as the church prays

Sacrificial, communal aspect of Mass cannot be separated

he U.S. bishops have asked us to prepare for the use of the new edition of the Roman Missal, which will begin this Advent. Part of that requested preparation includes a renewal of our knowledge and appreciation for the Mass itself.

So let us review, at least briefly, what the Mass really is. The Mass is the gathering of the people of God by the Holy Spirit. We are one body in Christ because we share in the one same Spirit. The Holy Spirit holds us together in communion with one another, making present the very

nature of the church. The Mass makes Christ present. The Second Vatican Council reminded us that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and in the ordained ministers of the liturgy. Christ is present in the Scriptures, that when the readings at Mass are read, Christ himself, the Wordmade-flesh, speaks to his church. Christ himself is also present in the assembly of the faithful, the “two or more” who gather in his name. The Mass is a sacrificial offering. It

is Christ’s very sacrifice for us on the cross, made truly present to us in the Eucharist. This same sacrifice he gives to his church, to offer to the Father, again and again, in his memory. By virtue of our membership in the mystical body of Christ, it is a sacrifice in which each one of us is called to make an offering of ourselves. The Mass is a sacramental banquet. The altar is both, and at the same time, an altar of sacrifice and a table of holy Communion. The sacrificial and communal aspects of the Mass cannot be separated, nor can one overshadow the other. The act of receiving the Eucharist, properly and with reverence, completes our participation in the sacrifice of the Mass. Hence the importance of being prepared to worthily receive the Eucharist, to show our communion with God and with one another. When we have fractured that communion, the

sacrament of reconciliation heals that fracture. The Mass is the heart of the church’s life and mission. From the words of the dismissal, we are told to go back into the world to love and serve God, which of course means also loving and serving our neighbor. The Mass nourishes us with the power to function as Christ in the world, doing everything he wishes us to do. Finally, the Mass anticipates our joy in heaven. Our “holy” Communion here on earth prepares us for that “wholly” communion with God and the saints in heaven. We sometimes forget this aspect, don’t we? This is what the Mass is, altogether. Michael Podrebarac is the archdiocesan consultant for the liturgy office.

16 Pope John Paul II

THE LEAVEN • january 21, 2011

Pope John Paul II to be beatified By John Thavis

Catholics talk about Pope John Paul II

Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI approved a miracle attributed to Pope John Paul II’s intercession, clearing the way for the late pope’s beatification on May 1, Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope Benedict’s action Jan. 14 followed more than five years of investigation into the life and writings of the Polish pontiff, who died in April 2005 after more than 26 years as pope. The Vatican said it took special care with verification of the miracle, the spontaneous cure of a French nun from Parkinson’s disease — the same illness that afflicted Pope John Paul in his final years. Three separate Vatican panels approved the miracle, including medical and theological experts, before Pope Benedict signed the official decree. “There were no concessions given here in procedural severity and thoroughness,” said Cardinal Angelo Amato, head of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. On the contrary, he said, Pope John Paul’s cause was subject to “particularly careful scrutiny, to remove any doubt.” The Vatican said it would begin looking at logistical arrangements for the massive crowds expected for the beatification liturgy, which will be celebrated by Pope Benedict at the Vatican. Divine Mercy Sunday had special significance for Pope John Paul, who made it a church-wide feast day to be celebrated a week after Easter. The pope died on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005. With beatification, Pope John Paul will be declared “blessed” and thus worthy of restricted liturgical honor. Another miracle is needed for canonization, by which the church declares a person to be a saint and worthy of universal veneration. The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, summed up much of the sentiment in Rome when he said Pope John Paul would be beatified primarily for the spiritual gifts of faith, hope and charity that were the source of his papal activity. The world witnessed that spirituality when the pope prayed, when he spent time with the sick and suffering, in his visits to the impoverished countries of the world and in his own illness “lived out in faith, before God and all of us,” Father Lombardi said. Brigida Jones, a 26-year-old Australian Catholic visiting the Vatican from Melbourne, echoed the spokesman’s sentiments: “I think he did so much while he was alive, and you’d just see him on television and get this sense of peace — obviously he was holy.” Father Lombardi said the Vatican was preparing to move Pope John Paul’s body from the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica to the Chapel of St. Sebastian in the basilica’s upper level at the time of beatification. The chapel, on the righthand side of the church just after Michelangelo’s Pietá, is easily accessible and spacious, an important factor given the steady stream of pilgrims who come to see the pope’s tomb. Father Lombardi said Pope John Paul’s casket would not be opened at the time of the relocation, and that it would remain closed after it is placed beneath the altar of the chapel. To make room, the Vatican will have to move the tomb of a previously beatified pontiff, Pope

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

Pope John Paul II will be beatified on May 1, Divine Mercy Sunday. Innocent XI, to another area of the basilica, he said. In 2005, Pope Benedict set Pope John Paul on the fast track to beatification by waiving the normal five-year waiting period for the introduction of his sainthood cause. That seemed to respond to the “Santo subito!” (“Sainthood now!”) banners that were held aloft at Pope John Paul’s funeral. Even so, church experts needed years to review the massive amount of evidence regarding the late pope, including thousands of pages of writings and speeches. The process began with the Diocese of Rome, which interviewed more than 120 people who knew Pope John Paul and asked them about his actions and character. Studies were conducted on his ministry, the way he handled suffering and how he faced his death. In 2007, on the second anniversary of the pope’s death, the Rome Diocese concluded the initial inquiry phase. The documents from the investigation were placed in four chests, which were latched, tied with a red ribbon, sealed with red wax and delivered to the Congregation for Saints’ Causes for further study. In November 2008, a team of theological consultors to the saints congregation began studying the 2,000-page “positio,” the document that made the case for Pope John Paul’s beatification. After their favorable judgment, the cardinal and bishop members of the sainthood congregation met in late 2009 and voted to advance the cause. On Dec. 21, 2009, Pope Benedict declared that Pope John Paul had lived a life of “heroic virtues.” That meant he

could be beatified once a miracle had been approved. The reported cure of the French nun was carefully investigated by the Vatican’s medical experts over the last year after questions were raised about the original diagnosis. Vatican sources said that, in the end, the experts were satisfied that it was Parkinson’s, and that there was no scientific explanation for the cure. In 2007, the nun, Sister Marie-SimonPierre, spoke to reporters about her experience. A member of the Little Sisters of the Catholic Motherhood, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2001 at the age of 40. In watching Pope John Paul deteriorate from the effects of Parkinson’s disease, she said, “I saw myself in the years to come.” When the pope died in 2005, and as Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre’s condition began to worsen, all the members of the Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood in France and in Senegal began praying to Pope John Paul to intercede with God to heal her. By June 2, two months after the pope died, she was struggling to write, to walk and to function normally. But she said she went to bed that night and woke up very early the next morning feeling completely different. “I was sure I was healed,” she said. Not long afterward, she had recovered enough to return to work in Paris at a maternity hospital run by her order. Several times during the last two years, rumors have surfaced about delays in Pope John Paul’s beatification cause. Various reasons were reported, most having to do with incomplete documentation.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Vatican officials, Catholic leaders around the world and ordinary people on the streets and in St. Peter’s Square were more pleased than surprised by news that Pope John Paul II will be beatified May 1. Portuguese Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, retired prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, said, “finally” more than once during a brief conversation Jan. 14 just minutes after Pope Benedict XVI signed a decree recognizing the miracle needed to beatify Pope John Paul. “This is what the whole world was waiting for,” said Cardinal Saraiva Martins, who was the head of the saints congregation when Pope John Paul died and when his sainthood cause was opened. “I can’t help being happy. This is the crowning moment of a work I began,” he said. The cardinal said the written work of Pope John Paul is so vast and the time before his beatification so short that the best “spiritual preparation” Catholics could make would be to “thank God for Pope John Paul’s example of holiness and recommit ourselves to follow his example.” Jim Nicholson, a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, who also attended Pope John Paul’s funeral, said the vast crowd that day was a testament to the pope’s exceptional qualities “of leadership and hope.” In a phone call from his Washington law office, Nicholson told CNS he was “extremely pleased” for the pontiff, whom he frequently described as a “hope-filled freedom fighter.” During his 2001-2005 role as ambassador, he got to know Pope John Paul pontiff personally and said he greatly admired his “adherence to hope, faith and prayer, coupled with courage and clever actions.” Giovanni Caponi, a souvenir-seller who has a stand on the boulevard leading to St. Peter’s Square, said the news will be good for business. From a sales point of view, “John Paul is our most popular figure. No one greater exists. He’s No. 1,” said Caponi. Kaitlin Benedict, a 21-year-old Catholic from Eden, N.Y., said she thought the decision to beatify Pope John Paul just over six years after his death “is a little fast. I was surprised. Usually these things take decades and now they’re just changing up tradition. But if they feel so strongly . . . ,” she said, her voice trailing off. Brigida Jones, a 26-year-old Australian from Melbourne, said Pope John Paul “was probably one of our best popes; he was a people’s pope.” The young woman said, “I think he did so much when he was alive, and you’d just see him on television and get this sense of peace — obviously he was holy.”