04-16-10 Vol. 31 No. 34

www.theleaven.com | Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas | Vol. 31, No. 34 april 16, 2010

Leaven photo by Joe Bollig

Msgr. Michael Mullen stopped by Anne Duggan’s class to see the kindergartners participate in a rousing round of “skip counting.” Unfortunately, his puppet Critter was unable to join him.

Call him

‘Mister Catholic Education’

By Joe Bollig Leaven staff

Leaven photo by Joe Bollig

Msgr. Mullen was “surprised and humbled” to be named a NCEA distinguished pastor.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A few years ago, a kindergartner came home from his first day at St. Patrick School here and told his mother all about his inaugural educational experience.

“Did you like going to school?” his mother asked.

“Oh yes,” said the boy. “God came to our classroom.”

Certain her son was mistaken, the mother suggested that someone wrote “God” on the blackboard or said something about God. “No,” her son insisted. “God visited us. He wore black clothes and he took our picture.”

As it turned out, that was no theophany — that was Msgr. Michael Mullen, the pastor.

If that little boy was wrong, he wasn’t wrong by much. The striking but friendly pastor has long been not only “alter Christus” at the altar, but also a daily factor in the lives of the nearly 300 students plus faculty and staff at St. Patrick School.

“As a pastor, I see education as a very important ministry of the church,” he said. “As pastors, we are priest, prophet and servant — prophet in the sense that we study the Scripture and we try to share the truth of Christ. And one of the very best instruments we have for doing that is in our Catholic schools, where Christ is the center of the

curriculum and the life of the school. Everything takes its reference from there.”

Msgr. Mullen was honored for his years of devotion to Catholic education when he was one of 10 priests to receive the National Catholic Educational Association’s “Distinguished Pastor of the Year Award” on April 6 at the Hilton Minneapolis Hotel during the association’s annual conference.

On hand to witness the award were his sister, Barbara Gunderman; archdiocesan superintendent of schools Kathy O’Hara; associate superintendent Karla Leibham; assistant superintendent for special needs Karen Kroh; St. Patrick principal Mary Staley; Resurrection School principal Ann Connor; Resurrection resource teacher Lynda Higgins; and school parents Skip and Joanne Wheat.

“We have a lot of great pastors in our archdiocese who are very supportive of our schools, and Msgr. Mullen is a perfect representative of a pastor who loves and supports Catholic education,” said O’Hara. “He sees the value of Catholic education, and he encourages families to make the sacrifices so their children may attend our schools.”

No distant figure ruling from the rectory is he.

Msgr. Mullen is down in the trenches — doing everything from signing contracts to comforting a teary student having a bad day.

Turn to “no one” on page 5

2 ARCHBISHOP

THE LEAVEN • april 16, 2010

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

T

Archbishop regrets accident for more reason than one

wo weeks ago, I drove to St. Louis to pick up my mother to bring her to Kansas City for Holy Week and Easter. I had just entered St. Louis County when traffic on the interstate came to a halt because of an accident ahead.

him what happened. I suggested that he speak to the witness who had viewed the entire incident.

With my cell phone, I tried to call the friends whom I had planned to meet for dinner that night. I got their voice mail and left a message that I would not be I was in the far left lane and had just able to join them. The young man, who about come to a complete stop, when I hit me, asked if he could use my cell was stunned by the impact of a car hitphone. ting the rear of my Trailblazer. I am not I gradually began to realize my precertain if I hit my head on the sun visor dicament.

My car needed to be towed. or the steering wheel. When I looked I had to find a ride to the seminary for up, my car had pivoted to the right and the night and figure was rolling across out how to get back to three other lanes of ‘The Shepherd’s Voice’ Kansas City the next traffic. I was unable to day. Consequently, programming notes accelerate and the car I was not exactly was difficult to steer.

The archbishop’s guests on his raexperiencing warm Miraculously, I made dio program on KEXS 1090 AM in feelings toward this it across the highway April include: young man who had · April 18 - Students from Benewithout being hit or disrupted my plans. I dictine College, Atchison hitting anyone else. somewhat begrudg· April 25 Students from St. LawOnce I had come ingly allowed him to rence Center at the University of to a stop on the right Kansas use my phone. I noshoulder, I got out of The program airs at 10 a.m. on ticed that the young my car and surveyed Sunday and is repeated at 8:30 man was carrying a the scene trying to a.m. on Tuesday and 3:30 p.m. on bouquet of flowers. figure out what had Thursday.

I presumed he had happened. Another been hurrying to take car had pulled over the flowers to his girl friend. I thought: on the right shoulder. The driver asked “I sure hope she was worth it!” me if I was all right. He said that he had It took a couple of hours to get my car seen the entire accident. He volunteered towed.

I called one of our seminarians, to remain as a witness.

Mark Ostrowski, who was kind enough The car that had struck me was parto pick me up and take me to the tially in the far left lane and partially on seminary, where I had planned to stay the shoulder of the highway. The front the night.

Mark and one of the police of the car was completely demolished. I officers were both Benedictine College was amazed to see a young man emerge graduates. They enjoyed a little minifrom the car. Traffic was completely Raven reunion. stopped so he was able to run across the I was fortunate in so many ways. My lanes to the right shoulder where I was injuries were very minor. The scrape on standing. my forehead gave me what my mother He immediately apologized for hittermed “the Gorbachev look.” The semting me and asked if I was all right. I asinary was able to lend me a car, until sured him that I was not seriously hurt. mine could be repaired.

The insurance In a short time, a police officer arrived company was very accommodating, on the scene. He first checked to see if doing everything possible to restore my either of us was seriously injured. The car as quickly as possible. In fact, as you young man, who hit me, was obviously are reading this week’s Leaven, hopequite upset. The officer, attempting to fully one of our seminarians is driving calm him down, counseled: “Cars can my car back to Kansas City. be replaced. The important thing is no As I reflected on this whole episode, I one is seriously hurt.” could not help but marvel how everyone You could see the officer was perhad been so remarkably kind and helpplexed by how my vehicle was on the ful (e.g., the witness, the police officers, right shoulder and the other car was our seminarians, the insurance agent, on the far left shoulder. I explained to

etc.). There was only one person with whom I was disappointed: me!

In my reaction to the other driver, I had failed to live the great commandment: to love as Jesus loved. One of the police officers had told me that they were surprised the young man had survived, much less walked away from the accident. Yet, I was more preoccupied with the inconvenience to my own life, than with the fact that this young man had “a near death experience.” The Lord had provided me with a unique opportunity to share his merciful love with another and I had blown it.

I thought about the Little Sisters of the Lamb. They are so skilled at recognizing God’s providence everywhere, especially in adversities and inconveniences. I thought of Immaculée Ilibagiza, the Rwanda genocide survivor whom I had met this past year.

She had forgiven so generously those who had killed her parents and two brothers.

I thought of Divine Mercy Sunday.

Jesus came into the world and endured Calvary so that I could receive his Father’s mercy. In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus commissioned the apostles to be his ambassadors of mercy in the world.

Mercy is the gift that we have received from God. It is a gift, which once received and accepted, we are obligated to share with others. Here, I was a bishop — an apostle — and I had neglected to forgive another in my heart.

Fortunately, I had the young man’s name and address. On Good Friday, I wrote him a note informing him that: 1) I hoped his physical injuries were not more serious than they appeared; and 2) I was praying for him. I wrote that I thought both of our guardian angels should be up for the “Angel of the Year” award. God had protected us both from serious harm. I suggested that God had shown us his mercy because the Lord has something special that he desires for both of us to do in this world. I wrote that I hoped this experience would open the door for him to draw closer to God. I wished him well and assured him of my prayers.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to write the note, but I wish I had responded more immediately to the opportunity the Lord provided me to share his merciful love. I trust God will give me other chances. I hope not quite so dramatic! Regardless, I pray the next time I will respond more like Jesus.

This experience was a grace for me, because it reminded me that I have a long way to go on the path to holiness.

Archbishop Naumann’s weekly calendar

April 16 Lunch with pastors and principals regarding School of Faith April 17 Opening prayer and remarks at Gospel of Life Convention — St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Overland Park April 17-18 Pastoral visit — St. Joseph, Wathena; St. Benedict, Bendena; and St. Charles, Troy April 18 Samuel Group discussion — St. Lawrence Campus Center Confirmation — St. Lawrence Campus Center April 19 Confirmation — St. Francis de Sales, Lansing April 20 Guest speaker at Omaha Priests’ Day — Omaha, Neb. April 21 Adoration/Benediction — Immaculata High School, Leavenworth Confirmation — St. Ann, Prairie Village April 22 Kenrick/Glennon Seminary board meeting — St. Louis April 24 Confer ministry of acolyte on KenrickGlennon seminarians — St. Louis

Archbishop Keleher’s weekly calendar

April 18 Confirmation — Florida April 20 Confirmation — Queen of the Holy Rosary, Wea April 21 Mass — St. Agnes Parish, Roeland Park Confirmation — Holy Cross, Overland Park April 24 Confirmation — Chicago

TOUCH OF HEAVEN Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799)

Senior Reporter Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

President Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann

Production Manager Todd Habiger todd@theleaven.com

Editor Reverend Mark Goldasich, stl frmark@theleaven.com

Advertising Representative Jennifer Siebes jennifer@theleaven.com

Managing Editor Anita McSorley anita@theleaven.com

Reporter KARA HANSEN kara@theleaven.com

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THE LEAVEN • April 16, 2010

SECOND FRONT PAGE 3

Leaven photo by Joe Bollig

Leaven photo by Joe Bollig

Leaven photo by Joe Bollig

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann pauses before praying a blessing at the entrance of the new St. James Church.

The archbishop anoints wooden beams in the new church in Wetmore with the oil of chrism.

The archbishop blesses the basement classrooms and storage rooms of St. James Church on April 10.

Home at last New St. James Church dedicated in Wetmore

By Joe Bollig Leaven staff

WETMORE — They didn’t have to say anything. Their faces said it all.

Lit with joy, parishioners entered the new St. James Church in Wetmore for the first time on April 10 for the dedication Mass.

After 40 years of worshipping in the provisional space of a converted school, they finally had a “real” church of their own. Their exodus was over.

They were finally home.

“We’re very excited, and it means a lot to us to have something designed and dedicated for Mass,” said Bill Burdick, parish finance committee chairman.

“People were so energized and excited about the project,” he continued. “When we were building it and coming to the end, people came by on almost a daily basis to check the progress. You almost had to keep them away because they were so excited about it.”

Ground was broken for the new church on Sept. 5 last year. Parishioners dug out the basement themselves with a backhoe and carried away the dirt in farm trucks. The church was built by Frank Engelken, general contractor of F&L Construction of Centralia. He finished the last details the day before the Mass.

The liturgy began with an honor guard of fourth-degree Knights of Columbus, with members drawn from various assemblies from Seneca to Atchison, leading the clergy and people up the steps to the front door.

Parishioner Lynn Grollmes handed a wooden box with the

Leaven photo by Joe Bollig

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann was the main celebrant at the dedication Mass on April 10. Concelebrants were former St. James pastor Father Kent O’Connor (left), and current pastor Father Balachandra Miriyala (right). Abbot Barnabas Senecal, OSB, from St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison is not pictured. front door key to Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, who, in turn, handed it to the pastor Father Balachandra Miriyala, who opened the door.

The church, with a seating capacity of 320, was nearly full. Some people watched the Mass via closed-circuit television in a temporary overflow section in the basement.

The main celebrant and homilist was Archbishop Naumann. He was joined at the altar by Abbot Barnabas Senecal,

OSB, of St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison; former pastor Father Kent O’Connor, now pastor of Our Lady of Unity in Kansas City, Kan.; and Father Miriyala. Msgr. Gary Applegate was master of ceremonies.

In his homily, Archbishop Naumann congratulated Father O’Connor for beginning the new church project and Father Miriyala for finishing it. He thanked parishioners for their hard work and faithfulness in building the church.

The archbishop also talked about the symbolism of a church dedication, and of the church itself.

“In our Catholic tradition, we strive to built beautiful churches,” said the archbishop. “And we do this not as some act of pride, because we want our churches to look better than anyone else’s, but we do this because of what takes place here.” “[A Catholic church] is not just a gathering place,” he

continued. “It’s not even just a prayer room. It is a place where God makes himself present to us in a unique and most powerful way.”

“It doesn’t matter how our church compares to someone else’s church, but it is the best expression we can make of our desire to show our love, our honor, our gratitude to God for making himself so available to us,” he said. “And our churches

Turn to “Parish” on page 16

4 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • April 16, 2010

More than soccer

Camp lets athletes grow in their faith and in their sport

By Jill Ragar Esfeld Special to The Leaven

OVERLAND PARK — A unique sports experience will be available to young athletes this summer when the Catholic Soccer Camp (CSC) takes to the field at the Overland Park Soccer Complex here.

This is the Be a host family year third for Youth will be comthe camp, ing to the Catholic w h i c h Soccer Camp from was held around the country on the and even internacampus tionally. Families are of Beneneeded to host campdictine ers and provide them College transportation to and in Atchifrom the camp. You son last don’t have to have a year and child attending the at Francamp in order to be a ciscan host family. If you’re University interested, call (913) in Steu549-4871, or send b e nv i l l e , an e-mail to: antonio Ohio, its soave@hotmail.com. first year.

A n tonio Soave, a parishioner of Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park, is the head coach of the camp and said its objective is to combine high-quality soccer instruction with Catholic faith.

To that end, the weeklong camp will feature two guest coaches from Italy — Massimo Carli and Luigi Dusatti. Both Catholics are as excited about sharing their faith and culture as they are about teaching soccer skills.

“These guys are coaching right now with some of the better teams in the Italian pro league,” said Soave.

“They’re also pro scouts.”

Trust Soave to know the best when it comes to soccer. He began playing 40 years ago.

“I was 5 years old [when I started playing]. I grew up in Michigan, just outside of Detroit,” he said. “At that time, it was primarily ethnic-oriented soccer. Most of us were sons and daughters of people from Europe.”

Soave was a high school AllAmerican and got a Division I scholarship for his first year in college.

“Then I went to Europe and trained with a pro team called Lazio,” he said.

After playing soccer with various Italian teams, Soave completed his degree in international relations and foreign policy and went into international business consulting. He has managed to combine that with other business interests in soccer throughout his life.

In addition to being part owner of three separate pro soccer teams, and a partner in a World Youth Soccer Academy at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla., Soave also hosted a soccer television show called “The Soccer Academy.” It debuted in 2003 and is still on the air in 22 countries and several cities in the United States.

“The Soccer Academy,” which was filmed in locations ranging from Syria and Jordan to Italy and Spain, combined soccer instruction with information about various cultures.

“We started it with the objective of helping to spread peace through greater cultural understanding and using soccer as a backdrop,” said Soave.

Dana Nearmyer, consultant for evangelization and Catholic formation for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, is a close friend of Soave, both on and off the soccer field.

“He’s an inspiration,” he said.

“He is an exemplary role model for young people as an outstanding international business person with an international soccer pedigree.”

But Nearmyer is most impressed with his friend’s commitment to blending his Catholic faith with everything he does.

“He’s involved in international business mergers in Brazil, Italy and in the Middle East, and yet he intersperses all of these dealings with his prayer life,” he said.

Indeed, Soave has a philosophy that believes the key to success is being in constant communion with God. This is one of the lessons he wants to impart to youth this summer.

Catholic Soccer Camp The Catholic Soccer Camp for youth 7-17 years of age will be held July 26-30 at the Overland Park Soccer Complex. For information on schedule, cost and overnight accommodations, visit the Web site at: www.catholicsoccercamps.com, or call (913) 549-4871.

Catholic Soccer Camp also welcomes area people who would like to volunteer to help with the camp. If you’d like to get involved, call (913) 549-4871.

To that end, one important aspects of the camp is frequent, short “prayer breaks.”

“Every 20 to 30 minutes we break for prayer, whether it’s a camper leading a prayer, or a coach leading a prayer, or a simple ‘Our Father,’ ‘Glory Be,’ or a ‘Hail Mary,’” explained Soave. “I think it’s important because it maintains a communion with God throughout the day.”

“If you break for 10 minutes or 15 minutes, the players get ‘cold’ — they’re muscles get a little tight,” he continued. “I think the game and training methods are more conducive to shorter prayer breaks.”

It also helps players stay focused on God throughout the day. Each afternoon, campers will have an opportunity to attend Mass together.

Soave hopes participants will grow in their faith as much as they grow in their soccer skills.

“It’s something he wants to witness and model to young people,” said Nearmyer “I’ve been at various levels of soccer, coached teams and coached camps, and played in different parts of the world,” said Soave, “but I really get the most satisfaction now in spreading a good message to kids.”

“I am proud to continue the legacy of service my grandfather and father began in 1946.”

Appointments Father John A. Riley, chancellor, reports the following assignments made by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann: Father Ric Halvorson, pastor of Holy Trinity Church, Paola, is appointed archdiocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, effective April 6. Father Halvorson succeeds the late Father Norbert Lickteig who served as director for 38 years.

Father David Garavito, Diocese of Zipaquirá, Colombia, is appointed parochial vicar of Holy Cross Church, Overland Park, effective March 31.

Memorial Mass for Korean chaplain set for April 25 A memorial Mass for Maryknoll Missioner Father J. Daniel Schneider, chaplain to the Korean Catholic community of Johnson County, will be held on April 25 at 1 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Church, 75th & Main, Kansas City, Mo. Father Daniel died Dec. 5, 2009, at Maryknoll, N.Y. Mass will be offered by Father Luke Byrne, SJ, and will be followed by coffee and doughnuts.

Father Lambert Zulkie, O.Carm.

Darien, Ill. — Father Lambert Zulkie, O. Carm., died at the age of 80 on April 9, at St. Patrick’s Residence in Naperville, Ill. Father Lambert was born to Charles John Zulkie and Helen Therese (Borek) Zulkie on May 11, 1929, in Chicago.

Father Lambert’s ministry focused obituary mainly on parish work, serving as associate pastor first at St. Joseph Parish in Leavenworth in 1988. In 1991, Father Zulkie moved to St. Therese Parish in Cresskill, N.J. In 1994, Father Zulkie was assigned to St. Patrick Parish in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Afterwards, he was transferred to St. Therese Chapel in Peabody, Mass., and later to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Darien, Ill. In June 2002, Father Zulkie retired to the Carmelite Carefree Village in Darien, Ill., where he remained until his move to St. Patrick’s Residence in Naperville, Ill.

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THE LEAVEN • april 16, 2010

LOCAL NEWS 5

Catholics donate close to $60 million to Haiti WASHINGTON — A special collection for Haiti in Catholic parishes nationwide has raised $58.7 million to date.

On Jan. 13, one day after a devastating 7.0 earthquake destroyed much of Haiti’s capital, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, chairman of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), appealed to Catholics across the country to help Haiti through parish collections.

“I cannot even begin to say how thankful we are to all the people who have so selflessly given to help the people in Haiti,” Archbishop Dolan said. “It is an amazing example of love and faith in action.”

In their appeal the bishops explained that “[f]unds will be used to support the efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services . . . as they respond to immediate emergency needs for such necessities as water, food, shelter and medical care, as well as to the long-term need to rebuild after widespread destruction, and to meet the pastoral and reconstruction needs of the Church in Haiti.”

A majority of the funds collected will support CRS’ continued humanitarian relief. Funds also will be used to rebuild and support the church in Haiti.

Haiti collection over a half million in the archdiocese The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas reports a collection of $599,453.83 to date toward Catholic Relief Services Haiti Relief from 110 parishes.

“CRS, with over 300 staff on the ground in Haiti, started helping people immediately,” said Archbishop Dolan.

“They have been providing food, temporary shelter, hygiene kits, water and sanitation services around the clock for tens of thousands at parishes, makeshift camps, and other sites throughout Port-au-Prince. In the long run, CRS will be there with the Haitian people to help them rebuild.”

Beyond the special collection, generous support of more than $60 million also has gone directly to CRS from individuals, groups, colleges, foundations and corporations.

“Together with a portion of the proceeds from the special collection, these additional funds will allow CRS to help save many lives and bring back hope,” Archbishop Dolan said.

“A key goal is to help the Haitian church get back on its feet,” said Archbishop José H. Gomez, coadjutor arch-

bishop of Los Angeles and chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America.

Working closely with the Catholic Church in Haiti, the U.S. bishops will help the church to rebuild its structures and programs through the subcommittee. Funds already have been provided to re-establish the Catholic radio station in Port-au-Prince as a way to help Catholics stay connected. The bishops are now working to reopen churches and provide temporary housing for priests.

“Life in Haiti revolves around the parish communities,” said Archbishop Gomez. “Reconstituting parishes is vital to bringing back some sense of normalcy to people’s lives. We are starting with temporary rectories, but foresee chapels, schools and community centers to follow.”

The subcommittee, which has a long history of providing support for the church in Haiti and throughout Latin America, is also providing temporary shelter for seminarians, since the seminary was completely destroyed. A longterm project will be to rebuild it.

“Fortunately, CRS, with its expertise and large presence in Haiti, can be a source of valuable assistance and advice to the local church in its work to rebuild,” Archbishop Gomez said.

CNS photo/Bob Roller

A man walks past Sacred Heart Church in Portau-Prince, Haiti, that was destroyed by an earthquake in January. To date, Catholics have donated close to $60 million to Haitian relief efforts.

‘No one more deserving,’ says St. Patrick principal Continued from page 1 “Msgr. Mullen is a true spiritual leader and educator,” said Staley. “He’s always that consummate Catholic educator who does so much for the students and staff.”

The pastor of any decent-sized parish is busy enough, even with the help of an associate, but Msgr. Mullen somehow manages to defy time and space to benefit his school.

He celebrates Mass twice a week for the students, teaches a weekly seventhgrade vocations class, has a monthly “doughnuts and discussion” session with the eighth-graders, does sacramental preparation, conducts daily morning prayer for teachers, attends school council meetings, conducts evaluations, and on and on.

He’s even on the board of Bishop Ward High School and is co-director of

seminarians for the archdiocese.

If you wanted to simplify his job description, you could do no better than kindergartner Isabella Brazo.

“He teaches us about God,” she said.

“He teaches us a lot about God,” added classmate Aiden Patrick helpfully.

“He teaches us about God, and he’s funny,” said Anika Smith. “He has a furry puppet, Critter.”

Critter, crafted by Velma Peine at his former parish of Sacred Heart Parish in Ottawa, is Msgr. Mullen’s sometimesmischievous alter ego. Although there was no course in puppetry in the seminary, Msgr. Mullen has found Critter to be a useful instructional tool. Over the years, he’s acquired about seven puppets.

Msgr. Mullen is himself a product of Catholic education, from the former St. Peter Cathedral School in Kansas City, Kan., to graduating from Bishop Ward

in 1954, and then on to the seminary.

On top of that, Msgr. Mullen has been involved in Catholic education in one form or another for his entire priesthood — 48 years.

After he was ordained, he was a parttime religious education teacher and chaplain at Immaculata High School in Leavenworth.

Then he served as a faculty member from 1965 to 1987 at Savior of the World Seminary in Kansas City, Kan. He also at taught at Maur Hill Prep School in Atchison, where he was part of the high school seminary program until 1990. Finally, he has served for years on the archdiocesan vocations team as director of seminarians.

In 1995, he became pastor of St. Patrick Parish and began his work at the school. He has also been on the board of Bishop Ward for 14 years, serving as chairman for six.

“To me, it’s very important that the formation [begun in grade school] continue into high school,” said Msgr. Mullen. “One of the very first sermons I gave here when I came in 1995 is that Bishop Ward is ‘St. Patrick High School.’ What I mean is: Let a growing junior high student continue that formation into high school.”

The news of Msgr. Mullen’s honor caused excitement and satisfaction in the St. Patrick School community, from the kindergartners to parents, who chatted about it as they picked up students after school.

“No one is more deserving [of the award],” said Staley. “No one loves Catholic education more than he. Monsignor is so passionate and so positive about Catholic education, and everything in life. This is why he received the award.

I think it’s God’s way of acknowledging him in a special way. He’s a good man.”

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6 LOCAL NEWS John R. and Janet A. Arnold, members of Holy Trinity Parish, Lenexa, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on April 24 after 5 p.m.

Anniversaries at the Father Quigley Center across the street from the church. The couple was married on April 23, 1960, at Church of the Resurrection, Pittsburgh. Their children are: Jessica Charpentier, Julie Kish, Jay Arnold and Jill Arnold. They also have nine grandchildren.

Linus and Anita (Sudbeck) Haverkamp, members of St. James Parish, Wetmore, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on April 17 with a dinner for family and invited guests at St. James Parish hall in Wetmore, followed by Mass.

There will be an open house reception at 7:30 p.m., followed by a dance. Hosting the event will be their children and their spouses: Connie and Greg Maltby, Overland Park; Kevin and Ellie Haverkamp, Wetmore; Lori and Mike Perkins, Sacramento, Calif.; and Donna Haverkamp, Lawrence. They also have six grandchildren. The couple was married on April 18, 1960, at St. Mary Church in St. Benedict.

THE LEAVEN • april 16, 2010 Melvin and Noreen (Hasenkamp) Steinlage, members of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Seneca, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on April 18 with a dinner for family and invited guests following the 11 a.m. Mass at the church. There will be a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. in the parish hall. Hosting the event will be their children and their spouses: Mike and Nancy Steinlage, Seneca; Mike and Donna Scott, St. Benedict; John and Lisa Renner, Valley Center; and Jaeson and Renne Thornton, Weston, Texas. They also have 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. The couple was married on April 23, 1960, at St. James Church, Wetmore.

Margaret (Harris) and Robert Heath, member of Christ the King Parish, Kansas City, Kan., celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on April 15. The couple was married at St. Mary Church, Kansas City, Kan.,

by Father T.K. O’Connor. Their children and their spouses are: Mark and Sherry Heath, Joseph and Peg Heath, and Karen and Roger Hunter. They also have six grandchildren.

Nadine and Edward Taphorn, members of St. Gregory Parish, Marysville, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on April 25 with a 10:30 a.m. Mass at the church. A dinner will follow at noon for family and friends. A reception will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Hosts will be their children and their spouses: Kevin and Janet, Omaha, Neb.; Mike and Donna, Clay Center; David and Amy, Manhattan; Brian and Brenda, Kansas City, Mo.; and Jeff and Marcie, Greenfield, Ind. They also have 19 grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. One great-granddaughter is deceased. The couple was married on April 23, 1960, at St. Gregory.

William and Irene (Bramlage) Sandmann, members of St. Gregory Parish, Marysville, will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary on April 24. The couple was married on April 24, 1945.

Their children and their spouses are: Robert and Deborah Sandmann, Frankfort; James and Lynette Sandmann, Beattie; Mark Sandmann, Frankfort; and Jeanne Sandmann, deceased. They also have four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Training for Respite volunteers set for April 24 KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Training for Respite volunteers to help caregivers will be April 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the McDonald-Keleher Room in the education center of St. Joseph Hospital here, at I-435 and State Line Rd. Respite volunteers relieve those caring for a family member in their home. The family caregiver receives up to four hours of personal time once a week or several times a month. Volunteers do not do housework, cook meals or give medication.

Volunteers are insured against liability after completing the six hours of training by professionals.

Make reservations by April 21 by calling Aletha Adams at (913) 362-7798.

Annual Polski Day to be held on May 8 KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The 26th annual Polski Day celebration will be held May 8 at All Saints Church here, at 8th and Vermont. The traditional Polski Day Parade begins at 11 a.m. at 18th & Central and heads down Central Avenue to Vermont and ends at the church. A special Polish Mass will be held at 4 p.m. on May 8 at All Saints.

“Polski Day festivities include activities for babies to seniors, and 100 percent of the funds raised benefit All Saints Church, formerly known as St. Joseph-St. Benedict Church,” remarked Cathy Kolenda-Smith, Polski Day committee member. “Polski Day has always been a day to celebrate our Polish heritage and support the church.”

Celebrate Our Religious Enthusiastically

“Blisters for Sisters” 4th Annual C.O.R.E. Walk-a-Thon Saturday, May 1, 2010

Church of the Nativity, 119th & Mission Rd., Leawood Registration: 7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Walk: 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Mass: 10:00 a.m.

Lunch: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Sponsored by: The Serra Clubs of Greater Kansas City and St. Joseph

www.blistersforsisters.org Come Join in the Fun and Bring Someone with You. All Are Welcome: Young, Old, In-Between . . . Families, Friends, and Fellow Parishioners Just complete the Registration Form below and mail it along with your check to:

Beth Tilling 13023 S. Pratt Road Lee’s Summit, MO 64086 Make Check payable to: C.O.R.E. Memo: Blisters for Sisters Name_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address___________________________________________________________________________________________________ City__________________________________________________________________ State________ Zip__________________ Phone______________________________________________________ e-mail____________________________________ Will you stay for Mass? Yes Will you stay for Lunch? Yes

No No

Each participant in the walk (adult or child) needs to be registered. You can make additional copies of this or you can obtain extra copies from our website.

Registration includes: T-shirt, walk and lunch with the Sisters.

Suggested Donations: $10 per person 22 or under (Students, please come even if you can’t make a donation) $25 per adult; $35 per family (2 or more) All proceeds go to the ministries of the Religious Orders that serve Greater Kansas City and St. Joseph.

Story by Jill Ragar Esfeld Photos by Susan McSpadden

The Physician Club

B

efore Tim Rodriguez entered Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kan., he and his parents had a meeting with school president Father Michael Hermes, who asked the youngster two questions.

“He asked me, ‘Do you want to go on to college?’ and ‘Do

you want to grow in your faith?’” recalled Rodriguez. “To both of those questions, the answer had to be yes.”

Now a senior, Rodriguez, a member of Christ the King Parish in Kansas City, Kan., has gone beyond that initial “yes.”

He’ll be entering a pre-med program at Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Mo., next fall and plans to be a psychiatrist.

He’ll be taking a strong faith with him.

“Bishop Ward definitely prepares you for life through faith,” he said. “I want to go into medicine not because of the money or the title. It’s because I have a genuine desire to help people.

“I feel like the faith-based programs at this school have helped me realize that.”

Faith-based programs may have helped Rodriguez realize his goals, but another kind of program is helping him

reach them. Rodriguez is a member of the Ward’s St. Luke the Physician Club.

Doctor in the house Named for the patron saint of Catholic doctors, the club meets one Wednesday a month. Students open the meeting with a prayer and then review medical case studies and discuss careers in health care

with Curé of Ars, Leawood, parishioner Dr. Brad Stanley, a practicing urologist in eastern Jackson County.

“Dr. Stanley returned a postcard from Bishop Ward and checked off the box where it asks if you want to volunteer and get more involved with our school,” said Father Hermes. “We had lunch soon after that and he offered to volunteer as a mentor for our pre-medicine club.”

“It is collaboration,” said Truman Snow, Bishop Ward’s science department co-chair. “Dr. Stanley wanted to donate his expertise and time, and Father Hermes was hoping to open up new avenues to Ward students.”

Stanley grew up in Kansas City, Kan., and wanted to give Ward students more exposure to the idea of going into medicine.

Each month, he brings in topics he feels will help students get a clearer picture of what a medical career entails.

“He brings in a case that he actually works on and goes through the process of diagnosing the patient with us,” said junior Jacob Jaksetic, a member of St. Patrick Parish in Kansas City, Kan., who hopes to be an anesthesiologist.

“He brings cases from other doctors he works with, too, so we’re not always guessing it’s a kidney problem,” added fellow parishioner John Batliner, a junior who hasn’t decided on a career, but is leaning toward medicine.

Stanley said the meetings consist of discussion of common patient problems and diseases that doctors see during a typical day.

“I present them in a ‘grand rounds’ for-

mat with interaction from the students to try to make the diagnosis and discuss treatment options. Videos of surgery are popular,” he added.

The real deal As unappetizing as it sounds, mixing lunch with surgical visuals is working.

Stanley said he started a year ago with 12 students and now has about 25.

And these students truly admire their mentor.

“He’s a really cool guy,” said Jaksetic.

“He’s laid back and you can tell he really loves his job. That’s what makes it fun — he likes his job and he likes to talk about his job.”

Last month, five members went on the Physician Club’s first field trip to St. Luke’s East. There, they observed a robotic prostectomy.

Joining Rodriguez, Jaksetic and Batliner, were senior Anthony Moran from the Cathedral of St. Peter Parish, who hopes to be a chiropractor, and Geoffrey Kump from St. Patrick Parish, a future neurosurgeon.

The students scrubbed up while the patient was prepped for surgery. Then they entered the operating room and got a close-up, personal look at the procedure.

“The students were engaged and asked a lot of questions,” said Stanley. “And nobody passed out!”

Moran was particularly thankful for that.

“I didn’t know how I would take it,” he said. “I didn’t know if I would pass out or

Dr. Brad Stanley, a practicing urologist in eastern Jackson County, stands with Bishop Ward’s Physician Club: (from left) Jacob Jaksetic, Geoffrey Kump, Anthony Moran, John Batliner and Tim Rodriguez. The group got to observe a robotic prostectomy.

If you’d like more information on Bishop Ward High School, the Science Lecture Series or St. Luke the Physician Club, visit the Web site at: www.wardhigh.org.

Ready for the future Rodriguez feels confident that Bishop Ward has helped him get ready to meet the challenges ahead.

“If you want to go to college and past college into medical school, you can definitely be prepared for it here,” he said.

“All our teachers push us to strive harder to achieve what we want to do.”

Kump admitted he felt a calling to be a neurosurgeon, but was intimidated by the grueling path that leads to his goal.

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go into medicine because of the long length of time and everything,” he said.

His experience in the Physician Club and his teachers changed that attitude.

“The Physician Club shows how amazing it is and really makes me more interested,” he said. “I feel that I’ve been prepared more than I could have been at any other school.”

“We have great teachers like Mr. Snow,” he added. “He’s pushed me to my limit dealing with science. We’re all taking advanced math classes, too. I feel ready for college.”

Moran, who works in a chiropractor’s office now, also feels well-prepared to someday be the head of his own practice.

“For me, it all started with these teachers,” he said. “Since freshman year, I’ve had a good relationship with them. They get to know what you’re interested in and they push you toward what you need to do to get where you want to be.”

And the teachers had some backup help, according to Moran.

“I understand that I wouldn’t be where I am today or have the opportunity to go to college without the guidance of my parents and having someone I can talk to, like God, to help push me there,” he added.

Faith and science

be woozy from it all, but it was good.

“On the way back, on the bus, I was thinking, ‘Maybe I should change my mind and go into something like surgery.’”

Rodriguez agreed.

“It was pretty cool,” he said. “We were just a few feet away. It was interesting because we got to see how the surgeon would use the robot to do his maneuvers.”

Futures in science In addition to the Physician Club, Ward has a Science and Medicine Career Lecture Series, developed by the school’s science department to expose students to leaders in the science field.

“We’ve had heads of different medical universities come in and talk to us about if you want to go into this field, this is what

you have to prepare for,” said Jaksetic.

“It’s really for anybody who has even a slight notion of going into the science field.”

At Bishop Ward, that can mean a lot of students.

“We fill a whole room and have to bring in extra chairs sometimes,” Jaksetic said.

Snow, who is coordinator and mentor for the Physician Club program, gets the students to the meetings and offers them help concerning classes, grades and school applications.

Together with Father Hermes, he is a strong force behind Ward’s emphasis on the sciences.

“I feel that it is vitally important for students to study science,” he said. “With all of the recent discoveries in the sciences, especially medicine, it is vital to know science.”

Dr. Stanley talks with the Physician Club before heading into surgery.

Father Hermes agreed.

“Bishop Ward has a long tradition of producing doctors, nurses, and all kinds of scientists for the good of the world,” he said. “This new initiative is to help today’s Cyclones who are interested in the sciences and medicine get a head start.”

It is all about preparation. And Ward students are learning that the path to a science career begins in high school.

“Students considering a field in medicine need to concentrate on the basic sciences in high school so they are prepared for the college level courses,” said Stanley. “Acceptance to medical school is dependent on a high GPA in those undergraduate courses.”

Indeed, St. Albert the Great, the patron of Catholic scientists, is the patron of the science department at Bishop Ward. And students here are always mindful that science and faith work together.

“We don’t separate our faith from our intellect,” said Father Hermes. “By integrating the two, we, then, for example, look at human life as sacred and the human body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.”

“With this approach, our students learn not to check their faith at the lab door,” he added. “Rather, they learn to align their work as scientists and doctors with their faith in God.” Father Hermes’ philosophy has definitely influenced Bishop Ward students.

As Kump looks toward the long road to neurosurgery, he is confident his faith will see him through.

“I feel like I have a calling, and the religion classes here have opened my eyes to that,” he said. “I know my decisions will be assisted by God.” Thanks to St. Luke the Physician Club, students like Kump will continue to be inspired by a Catholic doctor who has a strong faith at the core of his science.

“Dr. Brad Stanley has made such a generous gift to Bishop Ward,” said Snow.

“His dedication is making a tremendous difference for a number of our students.

He’s a brilliant example of the type of person they can become.”

Father Hermes agreed.

“We are so grateful to Dr. Stanley for mailing back that postcard,” he said.

10 NATION

THE LEAVEN • april 16, 2010

Priests need prayers, not blame for abuse by others WASHINGTON (CNS) — With a reminder that “the wrong actions of some do not justify the vilification of all,” Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington urged prayers during the Easter season both for victims of child sexual abuse and for faithful priests tainted by the actions of a few.

“Priests who harmed children violated the heart of their ministry and have harmed not only our young people and our community of faith, but also the vast majority of their brother priests who faithfully live out their promises to serve Christ and his people,” the archbishop said in an op-ed piece published April 4 in The Washington Post. He sounded a similar theme in his homilies during Holy Week and at Easter and in an Easter Monday letter to Catholics of the Washington Archdiocese. Before a Good Friday service April 2 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Archbishop Wuerl joined about 30 members of Voice of the Faithful who were conducting Stations of the Cross outside the cathedral in a protest of clergy sex abuse of minors.

Catholic men urged to be clear about role in family, life goals COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CNS) — Speaker Tim Gray told a Colorado Springs audience that men face two key problems today: a lack of goals or clarity in their roles in family life, and passivity that comes without a mission in life. “Without a plot, the story of their home lives can be a bit muddled, and if you aim for nothing, you usually hit it every time,” said Gray.

“Men need to know what to aim at. If men are to lead their families, they need to know where they are leading them to, and that is the first — but all-important — step.” “Men without a mission can fall into the cultural trap of being spectators in life instead of active agents,” said Gray, president of the Augustine Institute in Denver. He was one of several speakers who addressed 1,200 men from Colorado and surrounding states at the second annual Rocky Mountain Catholic Men’s Conference. Gray discussed a question in “Summa Theologica” in which St. Thomas Aquinas described men as becoming emasculated “by being overly accustomed to comfort, leisure, pleasure and play.

Whining and complaining are signs of such softness that undermines manliness.”

Closed Catholic churches get new, varied uses

By Nancy Frazier O’Brien Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — When Sherry Charlesworth was looking for a new location for her embroidery business, her primary criteria were size and location. But the spot she found had an unexpected history.

Beginning in May, Charlesworth’s Monogram Shoppe will be housed in the former St. Mary Church in Little Valley, N.Y. It won’t look much like a church, with even the stained-glass windows coming out. But it will nevertheless hold the history of a parish established in 1874.

Elsewhere in the Diocese of Buffalo, the former St. Frances Cabrini Church in Collins Center, N.Y., retains its stainedglass windows and even a confessional and some of the pews. But the basement where chicken dinners were once served now houses a state-of-the-art audio and video recording studio, and a vibrant ministry called Quiet Waters brings in local Catholic young people and adults for concerts and summer camps, live theater based on rosary meditations, home-schooling conferences and other events.

“For us, it was huge that it was a Catholic church,” said Tracy Tremblay, the president of Quiet Waters who bought the property three years ago with her husband, Phil. “It would not have the same kind of aura” if they had bought another type of building, she added.

The two former churches are among 75 closed in recent years by the Diocese of Buffalo and sold to a wide variety of buyers. As dioceses around the country consolidate parishes, hundreds of churches, rectories, schools and church halls are being quietly sold — although most have not been as successful at it as the Buffalo Diocese.

More than a third of the properties have been sold to other religious organizations, including two that became Buddhist meditation centers and one that is now a mosque, weekend school, Muslim prayer hall and community center.

The buyers sign covenants restricting use of the buildings for the next 50 years.

They are not allowed to use the property as an abortion or family planning clinic,

CNS photo/courtesy Archdiocese of Boston

This 2009 file photo shows construction to convert the former St. Aidan Church in Brookline, Mass., and an adjacent building into 59 units of mixed-income housing. It is also the former parish church of the Kennedy family and the church where John F. Kennedy was baptized. fortune-telling establishment, charter school, unsanctioned Catholic church or as a nightclub, bar or restaurant that serves alcohol. They also are prohibited from any use “which would bring discredit, ridicule, criticism and/or scandal upon [the property’s] history and tradition or upon the Catholic Church.”

Keenan said Buffalo Bishop Edward U. Kmiec’s primary concern has been that any sales “benefit the community in which they are located.”

The towns of Hinsdale and Sheridan each bought a local Catholic church. The former St. Helen Church in Hinsdale is becoming a museum and the church hall a food pantry, while Monroe Bishop, the town justice, and his wife, Jo Ann, are converting the rectory into a residence.

In Sheridan, the former St. John Bosco Church properties will be used as a town hall, court and offices.

At the former Assumption Parish in Portageville, the church — with stainedglass windows intact — is now a 175seat catering hall, while the rectory has become the four-bedroom Heaven Sent Bed and Breakfast.

In a strategy called “preservation by relocation,” parishioners at Mary Our Queen Parish in Norcross, Ga., are raising money to buy the former St. Gerard

Church in Buffalo and ship it, marble block by marble block, the 1,000 miles to the Atlanta suburbs.

Relocating the 98-year-old church from Buffalo will cost an estimated $15 million. Estimates of what it would cost to build a church of a similar style at today’s prices top $40 million.

Other former church properties in the Buffalo Diocese are being used as a religious arts museum, an antique store, an artist retreat facility, office space, social services centers and private residences.

Conversion of former parish properties to housing has been a major emphasis in the Boston Archdiocese, where 63 parishes were closed in 2006.

The Planning Office for Urban Affairs, an archdiocesan agency whose founding preceded the parish closings, has created 2,400 units of affordable and mixed-income housing for more than 10,000 people, with another 300 units in development.

The former St. Aidan Parish in Brookline, Mass., for example, has been turned into a development that includes 20 affordable rental units, 16 first-timehomebuyer units and 23 market-rate condominiums. Retained on the site was a 150-year-old copper beech tree with a half-acre canopy.

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THE LEAVEN • april 16, 2010

world 11

Hitler may have wanted to steal Turin Shroud

Cash, status lure youths to drug trade in parts of Mexico

thought by some to have been obsessed about certain objects related to the life of Christ, including the Holy Grail and the Holy Lance of Longinus.

The Savoy family wanted the Vatican to take the shroud during the war, but Pope Pius XII thought that was not a good idea. Instead, in near total secrecy, the Vatican arranged for the cloth to be brought first to Rome and then to the Montevergine abbey near Avellino, where it was hidden under the main altar.

In 1943, as fighting raged in southern Italy, Nazi soldiers arrived at Montevergine and conducted a thorough search of the abbey premises. The monks withdrew in prayer around the altar, and a Nazi official gave the order not to disturb them.

“In this way, the holy relic was not discovered,” Father Cardin said.

The shroud, which bears the image of an apparently crucified man, is on display April 10-May 23 in the Turin cathedral, where it is kept permanently.

The Italian monarchy was abolished in Italy in 1946, and the shroud was formally given to the Vatican in 1983.

APATZINGAN, Mexico (CNS) — Father Javier Cortes vividly recalls being approached recently with an unusual request by a group of teenagers in this agricultural town 300 miles west of Mexico City. There, La Familia Michoacana, a quasi-religious drug cartel, dumped four human heads at a prominent public monument during Holy Week as a warning to its rivals. “Some young people said, ‘Father, I’ve come so that you will bless me because I’m going to kill Zetas,’” he said, referring to the gang of rogue former soldiers and police officers that La Familia members consider their mortal enemies. Father Cortes, who is rector of the local seminary, rebuked the plan and refused to bless the killing spree. Such violence has become common, however, and has contributed to more than 19,000 deaths since President Felipe Calderon took office in December 2006 and promised to crack down on violent drug cartels. The violence increasingly is claiming young lives as well.

Authorities blame the cartels and gangs affiliated with them for massacres such as the January murder of 15 youths at a birthday party in Ciudad Juarez and the Palm Sunday murders in Durango state of 10 young people who were returning to their communal farm.

By John Thavis

Catholic News Service ROME (CNS) — The Shroud of Turin was hidden in an Italian Benedictine abbey during World War II in part because church authorities feared Adolf Hitler might want to steal it, according to an official at the monastery.

The shroud, which many believe to have been the burial cloth of Christ, was transferred secretly from the Turin cathedral in 1939 to the abbey of Montevergine in southern Italy, and returned to Turin in 1946, after the war had ended.

Officially, the reason later given for the transfer was fear that the cloth could have been damaged if the city of Turin were bombed. But Benedictine Father Andrea Cardin, director of the Montevergine library that holds the relevant documents, said church officials also seemed to fear that the Nazis wanted to take possession of the shroud.

Already in 1938, church leaders were alarmed when, during a visit by Hitler to Italy, Nazi officials asked unusual and persistent questions about the shroud and its custody, Father Cardin said in an interview published in April by the Italian magazine “Diva e Donna.”

That worried the Vatican as well as the Italian royal family, the Savoys, who at the time were the owners of the shroud, Father Cardin said. Hitler was

CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec

The Shroud of Turin, revered for centuries as the burial shroud of Christ, is seen in 2000 in St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Turin, Italy, during a public exposition. Recent evidence suggests that Adolf Hitler might have wanted to steal the shroud.

Kenyan church leaders withhold support of country’s constitution

CRS project teaches church leaders peace-building skills in Sudan NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) — Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ relief and development agency, recently introduced a $4 million program to promote peace-building in Sudan through church agencies.

“Peace-building in Sudan is very central to us . . . when the country prepares herself for the coming general elections and next year’s referendum by the southerners,” Paul Nantulya, the agency’s regional technical adviser for peace-building, told Catholic News Service.

A recent conference in Juba, Sudan, for church leaders was among the first efforts under the program. He said it shared strategies for promoting peace

in a country that has experienced years of armed violence among various factions and the government.

The effort is being undertaken as the country prepared for its first multiparty election in 25 years. Voters will select a president for the country, a president for the government of southern Sudan, state governors and representatives to the national, southern Sudan and state assemblies.

Under the initiative, CRS will support community-based projects and back church peace initiatives. Plans also call for working with key parties to promote implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government and rebel forces

planning?

in the south and a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in Darfur, Nantulya explained.

“As a church body of the U.S. Catholic bishops, we have decided to accompany the church in Sudan on its road toward peace-building in the country,” Nantulya said.

Much of the effort is focused on training, so local leaders can share peacebuilding skills among Christians as well as the wider community, he added.

The conference in Juba, called the Sudanese Church Leaders Forum, brought together more than 60 people from Christian churches to discuss how they can best support the peace process in the country.

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) — Kenyan religious leaders said they will reject the proposed new constitution during a referendum in June because it would legalize abortion and keep in place Islamic courts, opening the prospect that Islamic law would become part of the nation’s laws.

Cardinal John Njue of Nairobi, chairman of the Kenyan bishops’ conference, and Rev. Peter Karanja , general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Kenya, vowed April 6 to mobilize Christians to reject the constitution at the polls. “We must not legislate laws that contradict what God has forbidden, and the Bible is very explicit that you should not kill,” Cardinal Njue said of the constitutional provision that would legalize abortion. The cardinal said the Kenyan bishops’ conference would release a formal statement outlining their stance on the constitution when bishops meet later in April.

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Kitchens, baths, basements and additions - Best prices and quality work. Timely and responsive. Call Ralph at (913) 927-0267.

Roofing - Best prices. Call us first for savings. Call Ralph at (913) 927-0267.

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! Insured and serving the metro since 1997. Call (913) 768-6655.

Where quality still counts!

Basement finishing, Kitchens and baths, Electrical and plumbing, Licensed and insured.

(913) 599-7998

Homeowners - New laws require all contractors working on any home built prior to 1978 to be lead-based certified. Protect your family’s health. We are a licensed, insured, lead-based-certified contractor. If you want an honest, courteous, conscientious, dependable, timely and cost-effective contractor, call In-Land Construction Services LLC at (913) 839-8500 or send an e-mail to: in-landconstruction@ comcast.net. Prices will never be better for all your construction or repair needs! Mention this ad and receive a 10% discount off any project or repair over $300. If you choose, any or all of the discount can be donated to Catholic Charities on your behalf.

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

For Rent

Tile and painting - Complete tile and paint repairs and renovation. Ceramic, porcelain, certified limestone tile master. Complete interior paint services and drywall texture finishes. Over 20 years experience. Fully licensed.

Service 7 days a week. Contact Mike at (913) 488-4930.

Member of Church of the Ascension Parish, Overland Park.

Living at its best on a budget! - 1 BR apt., with rent based on income; all utilities paid; no voucher needed. Section 8 assistance. Great location, only 5-10 minutes from The Legends in Kansas City, Kan. Edwardsville Court Apartments Highrise, 531 S. 4th St., Edwardsville. Call (913) 441-6007.

EHO. Handicap accessible.

Member of Sacred Heart Parish. Call Matt at (816) 876-6619 or send an e-mail to: mattcomputerfix @gmail.com.

Tile setting done right for less! - Kitchens, baths and floors. Also laminate or hardwood flooring. Responsive and quick. Free estimates. Call Ralph at (913) 927-0267.

Real Estate

Housecleaning - I will clean your house the old fash-

Detail construction and remodeling - We offer

Organized! For a free consultation, contact Kevin, your professional organizer/handyman, at (913) 271-5055.

Insured/references. www.KOAT industries.com.

Computer repair/virus and spyware removal /PC upgrades - Microsoft certified; 10 yrs. experience.

ioned way – hand mopping, etc. 20+ years experience, excellent references, free estimates. Call Sharon at (816) 3220006.

a full line of home remodeling services. Don’t move — remodel! Johnson county area. Call for a free quote. (913) 709-8401.

Husband and wife cleaning team - Reasonable rates; references provided. Call (913) 940-2959.

Masonry work – Quality, new or repair work. Brick, block, and chimney/fireplace repair. Insured; second generation bricklayer. Call (913) 829-4336.

Bankruptcy - When debt becomes overwhelming, seek professional help. Experienced, compassionate Catholic attorney Teresa Kidd. For a confidential, no obligation consultation, call (913) 422-0610; or send an e-mail to: tkidd@ kc.rr.com.

Machine quilting - by Jenell Noeth, Basehor. Also, quilts made to order. Call (913) 724-1837.

Tree service - Pruning trees for optimal growth and beauty and removal of hazardous limbs or problem trees.

Free consultation and bid. Safe, insured, professional.

Brad Grabs, Green Solutions of KC, (913) 244-5838. www.

GreenSolutionsKC.com.

Counseling - Confidential and affordable individual, marriage and family counseling and outpatient substance abuse treatment. Call JB Strong, MA, LCPC, AAPS (913) 7221118 or visit: www.outpatientalcohol drugtreatment.com.

Lawn Mowing Senior and referral discounts.

Insured and bonded.

Local parishioner. Free estimates.

Call (913) 620-6063.

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

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 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: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity Church, Lenexa.

Tim the Handyman - Insured; free estimates. Carpentry: new and repair deck, doors, windows, siding, screens.

Plumbing: faucet, garbage disposals, toilets. Electrical: switches, outlets, ceiling fans, light fixtures. Light landscape: fill dirt, trimming, planting, garden tilling and mulching.

Serving Johnson County. Call Tim at (913) 859-0471.

Vacation Family fun in South Dakota - Enjoy a family or group fishing vacation in Pierre, S.D., with former KC Royals pitcher, Tom Bruno. Tom’s guide service, Major League Adventures, will provide your party with a world-class fishing experience and memories to last a lifetime. For information, visit the Web site at: www. majorleagueadventures.com or call (970) 214-2891.

Lake of the Ozarks rental - Osage Beach; milliondollar 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.

Adept Home Improvements

(913) 341-7584.

Clutter Getting You Down?- Let Us Help You Get

For sale by owner - 4-plus BR, 4 BA, decks, many closets, high ceilings, hardwood floors, steel siding, wide doorways. Just two blocks from St. Joseph, Shawnee. For information or pictures, send an e-mail to: applepiano@ gmail.com or call Mary at (913) 268- 3714.

Two-story, 4 BR, family home - On a cul-de-sac within walking distance of St. Thomas Aquinas High and JCCC. Updated, open kitchen and family room, finished lower level, office/sitting room off master. Spacious fenced yard with deck and patio. Compare price, $219,000. $8,000 potential tax credit. 11535 Bradshaw. Call Rosemary at Masters GMAC at (913) 661-9744.

Two-story family home - 4 BR, 4-1/2 BA with lots of space, an open floor plan and granite kitchen. Finished walk-out basement with office, full bath and storage. Great deck and yard. 7411 Richards, Shawnee. Backs to Good Shepherd School. Priced to sell. Contact Chris at (913) 2696096 or send an e-mail to: creedyfly@gmail.com.

For sale 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.

For sale – Companion crypts, side by side, on level C in the Prince of Peace Chapel at Resurrection Cemetery, Lenexa. The price of $12,000 includes opening and closing.

Call (913) 381-8362.

For sale – One mausoleum crypt in the chapel at Mount Calvary Cemetery, Kansas City, Kan. Call Pete J. Curtis at (913) 677-2585.

Invacare power wheelchair - Pronto M9, Sure Step, electric battery. Original price $10,000. Never used. Will accept best offer. Member of Ascension Parish, Overland Park. Call (913) 390- 9641.

Childcare Licensed parents day out program - For special needs children, ages one-year to kindergarten. I am a member of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish in Overland Park. I have many years of experience in the field, and excellent references. Call Mary Catherine at (913) 7095884.

Nanny - Looking for good family. Full-time days, Mon. – Fri. Overland Park area. Over 10 yrs. experience.

Good references; CPR certified. Call Monica at (913) 4499852.

Childcare - Loving grandma with 27 years experience is willing to care for your infant in her home. Prefer part time but will consider full-time care. Member of St. Patrick Parish, Kansas City, Kan. Call Shirley at (913) 299-9765.

Looking for a responsible, reliable babysitter who your children will enjoy spending time with this summer? I am 16 years old, have taken two babysitting classes, have experience, references and transportation. I live in Overland Park and attend Bishop Ward High School. Call Declan at (913) 897-7030.

Wanted to buy ***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

Kansas Land - Buy or Sell 1 (800) 557-9151 www.KansasLandBrokers.com

Escape to the country! - MLS listing #1663258. Just a 30-minute commute from Olathe is a 16-acre, 3 BR, 2 BA, getaway. 1700-sq.-ft. ranch house, 2400-sq.-ft. steel barn and one-acre pond. Two creeks, lots of timber and wildlife.

West of Ottawa and only 8 miles from Pomona Lake. New furnace, air, water heater, light fixtures, paint and more.

Contact Mary Ann, Reece and Nichols, at (785) 418-4402.

Member of Sacred Heart Parish.

Tomahawk Creek Condominiums at Town Center Square, Leawood - Luxury living at a bargain price! 1 BR, 1 BA; cheaper than rent, plus all the amenities of condo living. $100,000; 3-1/2% down, plus potential $8,000 tax credit. Call Rosemary, Masters GMAC, at (913) 661-9744.

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.

Roommate Roommate wanted - Furnished apartment near Shawnee Mission Pkwy. and Metcalf, Overland Park. $400 per month. Call (913) 579-5276.

Entertainment DJ Irishman - Colm Delahunt is available for parties, weddings, graduations, and any other function.

Playing all your favorite hits from the Village People to U2. Call (913) 548-6765 or visit the Web site at: www. djirishman.com.

THE LEAVEN • APRIL 16, 2010

17

April

The Jared and Matty Memorial Basketball Tournament, a three-on-three tournament, three-point challenge and free throw contest, will be held on April 17 at St. Ann Parish gym, 7231 Mission Rd., Prairie Village. Proceeds will benefit the vocations efforts in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph in memory of Matty Molnar and Jared Cheek, seminarians killed in 2005. For information or to register, visit the Web site at: www.kccatholicchallenge.com.

Father Tony Lickteig will celebrate the archdiocesan monthly pro-life Mass at 8 a.m. on April 17 at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Church, 44 N. Mill, Kansas City, Kan., followed by a rosary procession to an abortion clinic four blocks away. Eucharistic adoration is available for those not processing; Benediction concludes services at 9:45 a.m.

The third annual Gospel of Life Convention will be held on April 17 at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, 11411 Pflumm, Overland Park. For information or to register, visit the Web site at: www.

RespectLifeMissouri.org or call Ron Kelsey at (913) 647-0350.

A memorial liturgy for deceased loved ones will be held at 8 a.m. on April 17 at Curé of Ars Church, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood. The bereavement ministry will have its monthly meeting following Mass in the Father Burak Room. The topic will be: “Stress Management During Grief.” For information, call (913) 649-2026.

The rugby team at St. Thomas Aquinas High School will host a pancake breakfast fundraiser from 7:30 - 10:30 a.m. on April 17 at Bash Riprock’s, 16521 W. 159th St., Olathe. The cost is $8 for adults; $5 for students. Tickets can be purchased in advance from any of the rugby players or by calling Mary Stephan at (913) 438-9222. Tickets will also be available at the door.

18

The Knights of Columbus, Unity Council No. 709, will sponsor an international breakfast from 8 - 11 a.m. on April 18 at St. John the Evangelist Church hall, 2910 Strong Ave., Kansas City, Kan. The cost is $6 per person; children under five eat for free.

20

The Topeka Catholic Singles will have their monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on April 20 at Planet Sub, 2130 S.W. Wanamaker Rd., Topeka.

A healing Mass, sponsored by archdiocesan charismatic prayer groups, will be held at 7:30 p.m. on April 20 at Curé of Ars Church, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood. Father Anthony Kiplagat from Prince of Peace, Olathe, will preside. Fellowship follows.

The Johnson County Unos will gather for bingo from 1 - 3 p.m. on April 20 in the Father Burak Room at Curé of Ars, 9301 Mission Rd., Leawood.

22

“Vegetarian Cooking — Getting All the Nutrients You Need,” a nutrition presentation offered in partnership with K-State Extension Services, will be held at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Avenue, Kansas City, Kan., from 9:30 - 11 a.m. on April 22. For information or to register, call (913) 906-8990 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb.org/kwc.

24

Sacred Heart Church, Emporia, will host its annual bid and bite auction on April 24 at the school. The theme is a casino night, which includes dinner and silent and live auctions. For information or to purchase tickets, visit the Web site at: www. shbidbiteauction.blogspot.com.

Holy Family Parish, 513 Ohio Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will host its annual fuel dance on April 24 in Mejak Hall, featuring the Don Lipovac Orchestra. Dinner will be served at 6:15 p.m., followed by dancing from 7 - 10:30 p.m. Wear your Western attire! The cost is $20 for adults; children eat for free. For tickets, call JoAnn Lipovac at (913) 299-2792.

The Curé of Ars Parish singles group will host a spring fling dance from 7:30 - 11:30 p.m. on April 24 in the school cafeteria, 9303 Mission Rd., Leawood. A suggested donation of $15 includes beverages and hors d’oeuvres. Music will be provided

by Carl the DJ. For information, call (913) 648-2919.

Holy Trinity Parish, Paola, will host its annual auction, “Bella Noche,” at 5 p.m. on April 24 at the Miami County Fairgrounds.

The evening will include a Mexican dinner and live and silent auctions. Tickets cost $20; $180 for a table of 10. To RSVP, call the church office at (913) 557-2067. For information, visit the Web site at: http://hts paola.com/auction.htm.

St. Francis de Sales Parish, Lansing, in conjunction with Worldwide Marriage Encounter, will present a half-day marriage enrichment program from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on April 24 in the parish hall. Take time for just the two of you to focus on the strengths of your marriage, to learn new tools to keep you tuned in to each other and to learn new ways to increase your passion.

The cost of $15 per couple includes lunch.

Child care will be available for an additional $5. Register by mailing a check, payable to St. Francis de Sales, to 900 Ida St., Lansing KS 66043. The registration deadline is April 19. For information, call Ralph or Jan Lewis at (913) 400-7173.

The Johnson County Unos will gather for 4:30 p.m. Mass on April 24 at St. Pius X Church, 5601 Woodson, Mission. Dinner will follow at 6:30 p.m. at Applebee’s, 6800 Johnson Dr., Mission.

The Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women will hold its quarterly meeting at 8:30 a.m. on April 24 in the rectory basement of Sacred Heart Church, 122 E. Warren, Gardner. Changes to the NCCW and ACCW by-laws will be discussed. All women of the archdiocese are welcome to attend. For information, contact Susan Draftz at (913) 367-2227, send an e-

mail to her at: sdraftz@prolifeamerica. com, or visit the Web site at: https:// sites.google.com/site/accwkck/home.

24-25

The music department at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, 11411 Pflumm, Overland Park, will host its annual “Parade of Stars” dinner theater at 6:30 p.m. on April 24 and at 5:30 p.m. on April 25. Performers will include soloists, small ensembles, the STA Chorale, the “Swingin’ Saints” choir, and the Concert Choir. Tickets cost $20 per person and are available for purchase via the Web site at: www.sta saints.net. Reservations are required.

25

St. Joseph Grade School, Topeka, will host a reunion and Mass at 8 a.m. on April 25 at 227 S.W. Van Buren St., Topeka. A reception will follow in the old school. For information or to RSVP, call (785) 232-2863.

The Leavenworth region of ACCW will host its quarterly meeting and luncheon at 12:30 p.m. on April 25 in the Leintz Community Room, 4701 10th Ave., Leavenworth.

Bring a covered dish. The meeting will follow the luncheon. Remember to bring ditty bag items, used cards and stamps, pennies for seminarians, and a friend. For information, contact Judy Brose at (913) 727-4528 or send an e-mail to her at: brosej2002@ yahoo.com.

A Pure Fashion Show will be held on April 25 at Indian Hills Country Club, 6847 Tomahawk Rd., Mission Hills. A silent auction begins at 1 p.m., followed by the fashion show and reception. This year’s show will feature a presentation by Leah Darrow, former contestant on “America’s Next Top Model.” She is now a Christian model and national chastity speaker. Tickets cost $25 and are available on the Web site at: www. purefashion.com. For information, call Becky at (816) 333-0623 or send an e-mail to her at: beckydieterman@aol.com.

The William T. Fitzsimmons Assembly, fourth-degree Knights of Columbus, will host an all-you-can-eat Salisbury steak dinner from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on April 25 in Father Davern Hall at Christ the King Parish, Kansas City, Kan. The cost is $6 for adults; children eat for free. Carryout dinners are available. Proceeds will benefit archdiocesan seminarian and memorial chalice funds. For information, call George and Helen Sims at (913) 721-1371.

26

St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, will host a golf classic at Dub’s Dread Golf Course, 12601 Hollingsworth Rd., Kansas City, Kan., on April 26. There will be a 1 p.m. shotgun start. The cost of $150 per golfer includes greens fees, cart, lunch, dinner, beverages and a T-shirt. For information or to register, call (913) 631-5983.

27

“Living in Full Swing,” a day of enrichment for anyone interested in taking purposeful risk and making a change in their lives, will be held from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on April 27 at Marillac Center, located on the University of Saint Mary campus, 4200 S. 4th St., Leavenworth. The program

CALENDAR 13

will teach practical strategies for maintaining habits that contribute to, rather than compromise, performance and well-being.

The registration fee of $50 includes lunch and a book. Scholarships are available based on financial need. To register by April 16, call (913) 758-6552; send an e-mail to: retreats@scls.org; or visit the Web site at: www.MarillacCenter.org.

28

“Time Management for Women: Balancing Family, Work, and Everything Else,” a program for women presented by Chiquita Miller, in partnership with K-State Extension, will be offered from 1 - 2:30 p.m. on April 28 at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan. For information or to register, call (913) 9068990 or visit the Web site at: www.mount osb.org/kwc.

30-5/1

The Queen’s Ladies of Queen of the Holy Rosary Church, Overland Park, will host an overnight retreat at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kan., from April 30 - May 1. The theme is: “Remarkable Women of the Bible.” The cost is $65 for a shared room or $80 for a private room. For information or to register, call Patty at (913) 384-4644.

1

May

A Virtus class in Spanish will be offered at 10 a.m. on May 1 at All Saints Parish, 811 Vermont, Kansas City, Kan. For information or to register, call the parish office at (913) 371-1837, Gabriela Torres at (913) 371-8101 or visit the Web site at: www. virtus.org.

Misc.

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) 6770100.

The Singles of Nativity, for all singles 35 and better, welcomes newcomers to its weekly Bible study on Sundays at 9 a.m. in the Nativity conference room, 119th & Mission Rd., Leawood, followed by 10:30 a.m. Mass. For information, send an e-mail to Randall Stevenson at: gaelwynn@yahoo. com.

Sacred Heart Parish, Gardner, will host a pilgrimage to EWTN in Irondale, Ala., from Oct. 18 - 21. The cost of $235 per person includes transportation, lodging, all breakfasts and two dinners. For information, contact Rose Lozano at (913) 219-7043 (cellular) or Elaine Dale at (913) 856-8064.

14 COMMENTARY

THE LEAVEN • April 16, 2010

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

Archbishop Edward O’Meara Award Winner 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003

Quote Week

of the

“We have a lot of great pastors in our archdiocese who are very supportive of our schools, and Msgr. Mullen is a perfect representative of a pastor who loves and supports Catholic education. He sees the value of Catholic education, and he encourages families to make the sacrifices so their children may attend our schools.”

Kathy O’Hara superintendent of archdiocesan schools See story on page 1

Scripture Readings Easter season April 18 third SUNDAY OF EASTER Acts 5: 27-32, 40b-41; Ps 30: 2, 4-6, 11-13; Rv 5: 11-14; Jn 21: 1-19 April 19 Monday Acts 6: 8-15; Ps 119: 23-24, 26-27, 29-30; Jn 6: 22-29 April 20 Tuesday Acts 7:51 — 8:1a; Ps 31: 3cd-4, 6, 7b, 8a, 17, 21ab; Jn 6: 30-35 April 21 Anselm, bishop, doctor Acts 8: 1b-8; Ps 66: 1-3a, 4-7a; Jn 6: 35-40 April 22 Thursday Acts 8: 26-40; Ps 66: 8-9, 16-17, 20; Jn 6: 44-51 April 23 George, martyr; Adalbert, bishop, martyr Acts 9 1-20; Ps 117: 1bc, 2; Jn 6: 52-59 April 24 Fidelis of Sigmaringen, priest, martyr Acts 9: 31-42; Ps 116: 12-17; Jn 6: 60-69

Y

Let’s ‘peace’ the world together

ou’d think once Easter was over, things would calm down. Actually, the opposite is true. Now, there are confirmations and first Communions, weddings, baptisms, graduations, Mother’s Day — all these in addition to the regular duties and demands of life. It’s easy for all of us to feel overwhelmed, stressed out, beat.

When those feelings bubble up in me, I turn to this little story for comfort and perspective: Once upon a time a wealthy businessman came across a fisherman sitting idly by his boat. Disturbed at this, the businessman asked, “Hey, why aren’t you out there fishing?”

“Because I’ve caught enough fish for today,” was the reply.

“Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?” asked the businessman.

“What would I do with them?” said the fisherman.

“You could earn more money and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish,” replied the businessman. “You could then purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you’d have a fleet of boats and be rich like me!”

“Then what would I do?” asked the fisherman.

The businessman answered, “You could sit down and enjoy life!”

With a broad smile, the fisherman replied, “And just what do you think I’m doing right now?” (Adapted from a story found in “Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, & Quotes” by Robert J. Morgan.)

Last Sunday we heard one of my

favorite Gospels (Jn 20: 19-31). I can’t tell you how many times I feel like those fearful apostles, locked in a room away from the crowds. Suddenly, the risen Jesus appears “in their midst” and the first word out of his mouth is “Peace.” The effect of that word is immediate: “The disciples rejoiced.” Then Jesus wishes them peace again. The same thing will happen in that Gospel a week later when Thomas is finally with the group: Jesus will stand in their midst and wish them peace.

Peace. Just saying this word brings a sense of comfort. If you have peace in your heart, you’re a contented person, much like that fisherman in the opening story. Peace brings perspective. Peace helps us align our priorities.

It’s no accident either, that John’s Gospel mentions that the risen Jesus stands in the midst of the disciples. This is as true for us today as it was for them 2000 years ago. When we’re feeling put upon, scattered, and worried, one of the first things we forget is that we’re not alone in the struggle. Most of us are privileged to have family and friends around to support us. But even if that’s not the case, one person is always right there with us: the risen Jesus. And the gift he brings is peace.

Sometimes, though, what I know to be true in my heart takes longer for my head to understand and believe. At those times, I grab a cup of coffee or a glass of iced tea, plop down on the couch and imagine Jesus sitting there with me.

I have an informal talk with him and pour out my worries and frustrations . . . and then I ask for his peace.

Usually that peace comes through recognizing all the blessings that are already there in my life. Often I’ll pull out a rosary at this point. Rather than saying the traditional prayers, however, I’ll do a litany of thanksgiving instead. With each bead, I call to mind someone or something I’m grateful for. Before long, even though the “rosary” is done, there’s still plenty of blessings I haven’t yet mentioned. This awareness brings not only perspective, but humility and peace.

Most of us tend to live like that businessman in the story: We’re never content; we’re constantly in motion, trying to fill ourselves up with “more,” hoping to find peace and fulfillment at some point in the future. The fisherman has a better idea: Sit down, remember what you’re already blessed with, and appreciate life now. It will make you a contented person.

Peace is a powerful Easter gift, a blessing we all need. But as someone once said, “Good fortune must serve more than the fortunate.” It’s our good fortune to have the risen Christ in our midst. Especially in this Easter season, let’s shake off our fears, unlock the doors, and make sure that we serve our fractured world by sharing Christ’s peace with it.

the gospel truth

F

John’s mysterious detail puzzles scholars

ilmmakers are constantly searching for ways to make their creations more believable.

The latest trend favors 3-D movies, which project imsucceed in catching 153 large fish. ages right into the viewer’s The precision of that number — 153 — stands out sharply. The inclusion of face. Consider the boxthat detail has long intrigued Chrisoffice hit, “Avatar,” which tians.

Does the number 153 mean nothappeared this last ing significant in itself, but only serves as a way to add Christmas. third SUNDAY OF

to the sense of realism, a There is nothing new EASTER detail to make the scene about this search for added Jn 21: 1-19 more concrete? Or, can we realism. It even precedes the see the number 153 as a key invention of the motion picto unlock the door to a deeper meanture. Even when storytellers had to rely ing? Many have followed this path, upon the written word, they were lookwhich leads to a variety of different ing for ways to make their stories more interpretations. The highly symbolic believable. Sometimes, authors would nature of John’s Gospel itself, which include details that would not advance presents signs pointing to another realthe plot or shape a character, but only ity, encourages the reader to take that make the story more concrete. direction.

There is a possibility of that hapLet us briefly consider a few of the pening in Sunday’s Gospel reading, theories that have been proposed: Jn 21:1-19. The reading recounts the Some have suggested that 153 miraculous catch of fish. represents the number of members beSimon Peter and some other longing to the early Christian commudisciples have been fishing in Lake nity of the Beloved Disciple, the comGalilee. Despite their best efforts all munity from which originated John’s night long, they have caught nothing.

Gospel. After all, Jesus had assured the Then the risen Christ appears to them disciples that instead of catching fish, and instructs them to try again. Upon they would now catch souls. In the case complying with Jesus’ request, they

of the beloved disciple, the count had reached 153.

Other scholars have looked at the number 153 and imagined more intricate theories. Perhaps the number 153 resulted from the combination of other numbers, themselves possessing mystical significance. One scholar pointed out that 3 x 50 + 3 = 153. Surely, that could mean something! St. Augustine of Hippo proposed another equation: 1+2+3 . . . +17=153. According to St. Augustine, “10” would stand for the Ten Commandments, “7” would stand for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

There is another factor that complicates the picture even more. In both the Hebrew and Greek languages, the letters of the alphabet double as numerals. Consequently, the number 153 can stand for a word. Equations of numbers leading to the number 153 can stand for a series of words — a whole sentence. The possibilities are countless. This is such an opportunity for Dan Brown.

I could go on, but you get the picture. For now, the meaning of this little detail, the number 153, will remain a mystery, until the coming of the kingdom of God, which will make all things clear.

Father Mike Stubbs is pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Lansing and has a degree in Scripture from Harvard University.

THE LEAVEN • april 16, 2010

commentary 15

simply stewardship

I

Learning multiculturalism from a steward’s perspective

’ve been thinking about multiculturalism lately.

I’m taking a graduate course in multicultural education at a nearby university this semester. My professor is bright, considerate of her students’ varied experiences, and organized, which makes for time well spent.

As in any class, the reading and writing assignments are beneficial, but the true learning comes during class discussions when cartoon “light bulbs” visibly blink above the students’ heads.

Class discussions about English as

the “official language” in the United States, about the various theoretical approaches to effective education of diverse cultures in a community — about gender, race, ethnicity and all the ways we tend to separate ourselves from one another — make some brains (mine) work harder.

I can’t help but think about the “catholicity” of our church and the beauty of the many faces that share our faith. Or marvel at the many languages that speak the same prayers, sing the same psalms. I am in awe of God’s plan for our salvation.

The class has helped me appreciate even more the extent to which the church influenced the shaping of America’s ideals. As a melting pot, the nation wasn’t always magnanimous toward immigrant populations. In centuries past, our beautiful mother, the church, was largely responsible for educating many groups of poor, non-English-speaking immigrants that America’s established, mostly Protestant, society shunned. Life-giving grace bestowed by charity and love built the communities that became America.

How does this impact my understanding of stewardship? Social justice issues that cause emotions and voices to rise in the body politic should unite us as Catholics. As much now as ever in our nation’s history, the education of our children in our faith, care for the elderly and infirm, access to human services by those in need, the preserva-

tion of religious and economic freedoms — these issues matter.

In class this semester, I am learning to open my eyes and my heart and see the world from others’ perspectives.

The manner by which we stereotype members of groups creates barriers to faith and understanding.

From a social justice perspective, as taught by the Catholic Church, what should be my disciple’s response?

Christian stewards recognize the responsibility to give back at every opportunity with increase to the Lord.

In holy Scripture, Jesus teaches us to care for one another. When it comes to multicultural education, his teaching is still the best. What’s more, enrollment is always open and free.

Lesle Knop is the executive director of the archdiocesan office of stewardship and development. You can e-mail Lesle at: lknop@archkck.org.

cef centered

Strong women make strong supporters of Catholic schools

T

his is the first of a two article series on “inspiring women.” Fasten your seat belts as I know you are on the edge of your seats. And, please, no backseat driving from the female persuasion.

I ask you to close your eyes and think about the women in your lives. OK, I said close your eyes!

For me, there are several women who stand out. Each of these “inspiring women” has at least one thing in common.

I will start with my mom, who loved her five children like no other. Mom was a competitor and, if ever someone was negative toward one of her kids,

especially on the ball field or basketball court, you could count on experiencing her wrath. The wrath would come with some love. Mom was a convert, but figured out quickly the importance of a Catholic education.

My sister, Sue, is the next woman who comes to mind. She made many personal sacrifices and did a remarkable job of keeping our family together and helped Dad raise my youngest brother and sister after Mom died at an early age. She also was heck-bent to send her two children to Catholic schools.

My wife and partner in crime for 30 years, Patty, is next on my list.

(I am doing this in chronological order, so don’t yell at me for being third, honey.) Making sure our family was “faith-based” and ensuring that Catholic school was the focal point of our children’s education was one of the missions of this inspiring woman. I am forever grateful to her for figuring out ways to make sure a physically challenged kid could fit at the respective Catholic schools she attended.

Are your eyes still closed?

And last, but certainly not least, is a new acquaintance of mine, Angela. She is a very proud single mother of three who currently works one full-time job and two part-time jobs to keep her kids in Catholic schools. When I met with Angela, she had recently fallen from a ladder and was on crutches. Because

of her accident, she was not able to work for at least six weeks. She was distraught and concerned that she was not going to be able to keep her kids in Catholic schools. She let me know, in no uncertain terms, that public schools were not an option.

I know you as readers are very smart! What is the common thread for my “inspiring women”? You got it: a Catholic education.

In many family situations, this can be the difference between success and failure. For many, this is the best way to break the cycle of poverty!

Look forward to part two of this short series on May 11. You can now open your eyes!

Michael Morrisey is the executive director of the Catholic Education Foundation.

word of life

L

Resurrection is not matter of opinion, says pope

ast Wednesday at his general audience, Pope Benedict encouraged all Christians to be bold witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He said, “The Resurrection is the greatest of God’s mighty acts in history; mysterious beyond all imagining, it is also a real event attested by trustworthy witnesses who in turn became messengers of this good news before the world.”

Why emphasize that the Resurrection was a “real event”?

To answer that question, I think it is important to have insight into a key dichotomy in our culture between a public world of facts and a private

world of values that is identified by Lesslie Newbiggin. Newbiggin was a missionary for most of his life in India.

However, he spent a number of his later years writing on the topic of the conversion of Western culture.

He writes about this dichotomy: “The public world is a world of facts that are the same for everyone, whatever his values may be; the private world is a world of values where all are free to choose their own values and therefore to pursue such courses

of action as will correspond to them” (“Foolishness to the Greeks,” p. 466).

So what belongs to the world of facts? Those things that are taught in our schools. Things like Western history, grammar, physics, the world is round, and that there are nine planets in our solar system (or eight, depending on when you went to school).

These are things that we are expected to learn, commit to memory, and be prepared to answer on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, SAT, or ACT. They are facts and on them we all must agree.

Unfortunately, religion in our culture does not belong to the public world of facts on which we all must agree. Religious belief falls into the private world of values. In this private world of values, every person is free to choose as he or she wishes.

This brings us back to the pope as-

serting that the Resurrection is a “real event.” In other words, the Resurrection, along with the revelation of God’s purpose for our lives, does not belong in the private world of values! The Resurrection and God’s revelation of the purpose of humanity belong in the public world of facts! They are true! Of these truths, we are called to witness by our actions and words.

To learn more about the purpose of God’s plan in our lives and how to share it with others, please consider attending our Maryvale open house on April 24 at Savior Pastoral Center.

More information can be found at the Web site — www.archkckecat.org — or by contacting me at (913) 721-1570.

Matt Karr is the consultant for the office of evangelization and catechesis. He can be reached at: ecat@archkck.org.

16 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • april 16, 2010

Parishioners gather outside of the new St. James Church in Wetmore prior to its dedication on April 10.

Parish comes together to make church a reality ners], and 98 percent came back in favor of a new church,” said Ron Burdiek, remind us of our own dignity as well.” finance committee chairman and projFollowing the Mass, Archbishop ect coordinator. “When we asked for Naumann blessed the five classrooms, pledges, 98 percent sent money, and common area, pastor’s overnight room, now it’s up to 99.5 percent.” bathrooms, and storage rooms in the This was a turnkey project, meaning church basement. A dinner the general contractor did was held in the parish hall most of the work. However, after the blessings. parishioners and former The new St. James parishioners contributed Church is a wood-frame in various ways. Even nonstructure faced with red Catholics in the community brick. It has a short steeple contributed. over the main entrance.

“In the beginning I wonAt the front, on the north dered if we would get enough side, is a white steel-frame money, and I had a lot of worbell tower with the origiries,” said Father Miriyala. “I nal 1895 bell, brought over told them to keep within the from the older church. limits of the budget. But the The 50-by-90-foot church people were so excited, so I is oriented east to west, with was also excited, seeing their the entrance to the west. energy.”

The sanctuary is handicap The cost of the project was accessible, with ramps to about $465,000, of which the front door and a ramp $310,000 has been raised. in the breezeway at the back Burdick said the remainder on the north side. The basewill be paid off in three years. ment is handicap accessible “It looks really good at this from the parish hall, as well point,” he said. “We are rural, as through a walk-out on the and have an agricultural-based south side. economy. Once we make comThe church has a total The octagonal window over the altar, which depicts the calling of St. James by mitments, we stick to them.” of 9,000 square feet, evenly Christ, was dedicated to former St. James pastor, Father Kent O’Connor.

Tim Rowland, a former divided between the sancparishioner now living in tuary and the basement. from the Missouri Leaded Glass Com- Platte City, Mo., donated his work in The church features a cathedral ceil- pany. drawing the plans for the church. This ing with faux wooden beams. The inteThe octagonal window over the altar, project was unusual in that it is probrior is painted white with blue-gray carably the only archdiocesan project that which depicts the calling of St. James pet. The altar has white tile with black by Christ, was dedicated to Father Kent did not have an architect. tile trim. At the back is a gathering “I don’t think that there has been a O’Connor. Two back-lit windows flankspace, reconciliation room, cry room parish that came together, cooperated, ing the altar are dedicated to the memand bathrooms. A breezeway connects ory of Alan Bloom, a 16-year-old parishand finished in this short a time frame,” the church to the parish hall. said Rowland. “I think it says a lot ioner who died in a car accident about Parishioners cut down and refinabout the people in the parish. There’s a year ago. ished the pews themselves, which were The remaining windows, which will be an outstanding will and determination bought from St. Michael the Archangel installed as inserts, are already paid for here.”

Parish in Leawood.

Members of St. James Parish, with but have not been finished. Other parts to The Stations of the Cross, which also be finished later are a drop-ceiling in the only slightly more than 70 households, came from Leawood, were so badly see this new church as a symbol of their basement and landscaping. damaged that they were almost deemed Parishioners wanted to remodel desire to pass on a strong faith to their unusable, but artisans from St. Joseph, their former church or build a new children.

Mo., restored them. Two statues are on “This will be the third church I’ve church for many years, but there was a order from Italy. lot of uncertainty about the future, said gone to Mass in in this parish,” said Several liturgical furnishings, inTim Henry. “This is something I’m givFather Miriyala. It was determined that cluding the altar from the old church, remodeling or adding onto the existing ing to my kids for their future, and for built in the 1950s by Benedictine church, a former school building that all our kids. For our community, it’s monks from Atchison, were brought had been remodeled in 1969, would be worth the sacrifice to keep [the parish] to the new church. The tabernacle going.” very costly. was placed on the old altar. Don Tank“We sent out a survey [of parishioContinued from page 3

ing built a new wood ambo; Jason Tanking built a new wood altar. Regis Feldkamp, from Seneca, built a new ambry for the holy oils and frames for the stained-glass windows.

The church now has three stainedglass windows of the planned 15,

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