12-18-09 Vol. 31 No. 19 by The Leaven

www.theleaven.com | Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas | Vol. 31, No. 19 December 18, 2009

Beads prepared Scout project puts rosaries in troops’ hands

By Joe Bollig

Leaven staff

ichael Mahr is going to give the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan some highly desired survival items. They’re easy to deploy and simple to use. They’re lightweight, durable, nonmetallic, portable and silent. They come in nonreflective tactical black. They are, of course, rosaries. Mahr, 16, is a Life rank Boy Scout with Troop 247. He hopes to send thousands of rosaries to American military personnel at home and abroad — but especially in Iraq and Afghanistan — as his Eagle Scout project. Originally, Mahr wanted a project that helped cancer patients, but his plans fizzled out. Then he got some help from his mother, Cathy Mahr, a secretary at Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish in Overland Park. In September, Cathy Mahr had been approached about setting up rosary collection boxes at the parish by Jenny Pilarz, a member of St. Pius X Parish in Mission. Pilarz was making and collecting rosaries for military personnel. There was always need for more, and it sounded like a great Eagle project, so she suggested it to her son. Michael Mahr agreed, and he began to lay the groundwork. Mahr looked first for military contacts and found two. One was Father John Gwudz, a chaplain at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina; the second was the husband of his former Cub Scout leader, who was serving in Afghanistan. “His chaplain said they would love for rosaries to come over there,” said Mahr. “My goal is to make 3,000 black rosaries,” said Mahr. “If they’re sent into combat zones, they have to be black so they don’t reflect light.” Mahr received pledges of $140 from the Queen Saints, a seniors group at the parish, and will probably get a donation from the Knights of Columbus. Naturally, Mahr won’t make all those black rosaries himself. He plans to organize workdays so volunteers can string beads. He intends to get help from Scouts in his troop, fellow parishioners, students at John Paul II School and the parish School of Religion, and the parish Divine Mercy prayer group. Mike and Judy Dowd, a couple in the parish who know how to make rosaries, will instruct the volunteers.

“My goal is to make 3,000 black rosaries. If they’re sent into combat zones, they have to be black so they don’t reflect light.”

Turn to “Scout” on page 7

Leaven photo by Joe Bollig

Michael Mahr needs about 3,000 rosaries in “tactical black” to put into the hands of soldiers in combat zones. But just about any color or style will do for the other places where American military personnel are stationed. Occasionally, even non-Catholics will pray the rosary, he has learned.

2 ARCHBISHOP

THE LEAVEN • december 18, 2009

Birth of a parish

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

Cultivate a spirituality of prayerful waiting this Advent

everal weeks ago, I wrote about a remarkable contemporary woman of faith: Immaculée Ilibagiza, a survivor of the 1994 Rwanda holocaust. I recounted how Immaculée, by opening her heart through prayer, survived the brutal killing of her parents and two of her brothers, the massacre of a million of her fellow Rwandans, and several months of hiding from the savage killers who terrorized her nation. She discovered in her prayer the need to beg God to liberate her from the imprisonment of her own hatred and desire for revenge. Through her writing and public speaking, Immaculée has become a great evangelist for mercy and reconciliation. In her second book, “Led by Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide,” Immaculée tells a beautiful story of what she describes as “a little miracle.” After the genocide, Immaculée worked for the United Nations in Rwanda. In the course of her work with the international recovery efforts in Rwanda, Immaculée became friends with a Nigerian couple who were Protestant missionaries. When the couple became pregnant with their first child, they returned to Nigeria. Six months after their departure from Rwanda, Immaculée received a letter from her friends with a photo of their newborn baby girl and a plane ticket to come to Nigeria for her baptism. In order to get to Nigeria, Immaculée had to go to Nairobi, Kenya, to receive a visa. Immaculée arranged her flight plans with a Thursday overnight stopover in Nairobi, allowing her an entire day to acquire her visa. When Immaculée went to the embassy in Nairobi on Friday morning, she was informed that the “visa officer” had been called away on a mission. She was

told that she would have to come back next week to receive her visa. Immaculée explained to the embassy official that she needed to leave the next day in order to be in Nigeria on Sunday for a baptism. Moreover, she only had enough money to stay in Nairobi one night, and her plane ticket was only valid for tomorrow. The embassy bureaucrat replied coldly, “You have a lot of problems, but you’re not going to get a visa. The office is closed until next week, so come back then or go back to where you came from.” Immaculée sat down on a bench in the waiting room, pulled out the rosary that her father had given her and surrendered her predicament to God in prayer. She describes her silent dialogue with God in this way: “Well, Lord, I need a miracle. You say in the Bible that all things are possible for those who believe. I believe You want me to be there for Abebi’s christening, so I am leaving this to You. I believe in You completely, and I believe that this visa will be stamped. Thank you so much for making it happen.” Immaculée sat in the waiting room for several hours praying. She clutched her rosary and prayed for all the people who had trespassed against her, forgiving each one of them by name. Then she requested forgiveness for anyone whom she had hurt and prayed for them by name. By now it was noon. She had

checked her passport several times to see if miraculously the visa stamp had appeared. The embassy official saw her sitting there and said to her rather curtly, “What are you still doing here? I told you the visa office is closed, and it’s not going to open just because you sit here all day.” Immaculée asked the woman if she could remain in the waiting room. The woman responded, “Suit yourself, but you’re not going to get a visa. It is impossible. No one is authorized to do it, and the office is closed.” Immaculée said that she continued to wait for God to show up and, in the meantime, she kept cleansing her heart by praying the rosary. After she had forgiven everyone she could think of, she prayed for each one of them again by name — sending a prayer and blessing to each one. Then she said that she thought of each blessing that God had given her during the past couple of years, thanking him individually for each one. Hours passed. Finally, the embassy official told her, “I’m sorry, miss, but we’re closing the office for the weekend. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.” After exiting the embassy, Immaculée sat on a nearby bench. She noticed the natural beauty around her, realizing there were many more things for which to thank God. She wrote: “I began thanking Him for the clouds, the sky, the humidity, the crickets . . . and anything else that I could see, hear or feel.” It was getting dark, and still Immaculée had no visa. She began to pray again: “I’m not doubting that You are going to do this, God. But I guess I’ll have to ask you to hurry it along a bit. Can we make a deadline for this visa — let’s say 7 p.m.?” At 6:45 p.m., a window in the

embassy slid open, and the woman who had been rude to Immaculée in the morning stuck her head out and waved for her to come over. She said to Immaculée, “I couldn’t believe it when I looked outside and saw you sitting there. Please give me the name and address of the people you’re visiting in Lagos.” Twenty minutes later, a car pulled up in front of the embassy. A tall, officiallooking man got out of the car and asked Immaculée, “Are you here trying to get a visa?” Immaculée acknowledged that she was. The man asked her to follow him into the embassy. He went to his office where he quickly stamped her passport while commenting, “My assistant doesn’t do people favors, so I don’t know what kind of magic you worked on her, but she pestered me with phone calls until I drove all the way down here to see you.” During the Advent season, the church invites us to cultivate a spirituality of prayerful waiting. In a sense, we are currently spending an indefinite amount of time on earth waiting to gain admittance to heaven. How we spend this time of waiting is extremely important because it will determine our eternal destiny. Immaculée’s method of waiting is worthy of imitation. During the remaining week of Advent, spend time recalling God’s many blessings, thanking him for each by name. Pray for those by name you have hurt by your sins and ask God to bless them. Finally, and most importantly, ask the Lord to free your heart from the imprisonment of anger by granting you the grace to forgive those who have hurt you. Ask God to bless them by name. It is this type of prayerful waiting that guarantees our visa will be approved for heaven.

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Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799)

Editor Reverend Mark Goldasich, stl frmark@theleaven.com

Senior Reporter Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

Advertising Representative Jennifer Siebes jennifer@theleaven.com

President Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann

Managing Editor Anita McSorley anita@theleaven.com

Production Manager Todd Habiger todd@theleaven.com

Reporter KARA HANSEN kara@theleaven.com

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SECOND FRONT PAGE 3

Baptism brings first priest to Valley Falls more than 150 years ago Milestones • 1854: The first settler in Valley Falls (then Grasshopper Falls) was Henry Zen (Senn), a Catholic. • 1857: The first birth was that of Johnnie Considine, who was born in June and baptized in September by Father Augustine Wirth, OSB, of St. Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison. • 1859: Some sources say the parish was organized shortly after Considine’s baptism. Other sources record 1858, but the official history says 1859. Mass was celebrated in people’s homes by a circuitriding priest. • 1872: The community stabilized with the arrival of the railroad, and the first brick church was built. Mass was celebrated once a month. The parish had 28 families when the church was built, but only 10 or 12 by 1898. • 1899: Mass was celebrated twice a month. The parish grew from 15 to 40 families in the next few years. • 1904: A parish school was founded and a house was bought for the first teachers, two Benedictine Sisters from Atchison. Leaven photo by Elaina Cochran

Ten new stained-glass windows were blessed by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann as part of Immaculate Conception Parish’s 150th anniversary celebration in Valley Falls. This window depicts the baptism of the Lord, the first luminous mystery of the rosary.

By Joe Bollig

• 1909: The parish received its first resident pastor. A parish house was bought and a cemetery was established.

Leaven staff

ALLEY FALLS — Church cornerstones don’t lie, but they don’t tell the whole story. Take, for example, the cornerstone of Immaculate Conception Church in Valley Falls. It dates the founding of the parish as 1859. Fair enough, because that’s what the official records say. One could say, however, that the birth of the parish actually began with the first settler birth, to a Catholic family, in then-named Grasshopper Falls about June 1, 1857. “The wind blew violently, the lightning flashed, the thunder roared, and the rain poured down in torrents, and ran into the tent, wetting the occupants. The next morning all hands drank to the health of the new-born child,” according to “History of the State of Kansas” by William G. Cutler. The birth of Johnnie Considine brought Father Augustine Wirth, OSB, from St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison to Grasshopper Falls in September 1857 to perform the first baptism in that area. A short two years later, the parish was founded. This first baptism and other historic parish events were commemorated at a 150th anniversary Mass celebrated Dec. 6 by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, who was also the homilist. The Mass was concelebrated by Father John Reynolds, who has been pastor there for four years; Abbot Barnabas Senecal, OSB, from St. Benedict’s Abbey; and former pastor Father Thomas Cawley, CM. A dinner was held in the parish hall following the Mass, and, in keeping with parish tradition, “St. Nicholas” visited the parish youth. A commemorative 150th anniversary history book,

• 1907: A new, cement block church was built to accommodate the growing membership.

• 1924: The church and school were destroyed by a fire that many believed was set by the local Ku Klux Klan, which had become very active. • 1925: Construction began on a new, brick church. The basement was used for Mass and baptisms by 1926, and the church was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 1926. Parishioners had done much of the site preparation and other work. • 1925-1952: The parish slowly paid off the debt from building the new church. Finances were difficult all through the Great Depression of the 1930s and the war years of the 1940s. Leaven photo by Elaina Cochran

Father John Reynolds, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Valley Falls, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann concelebrate the parish’s 150th anniversary Mass on Dec. 6.

• 1953: The 1950s saw a growth in population and good economic conditions.

The Tobias Studio in St. Joseph, Mo., was given the commission. However, because the shop is small, the windows were produced one at a time. The total cost was approximately $162,000 — paid for by donations, memorials and sponsorships. “Families [that contributed] have their names in the windows,” said Heinen. “One woman, who died in the late 1950s, donated her farm to the parish and said in her will that when such time [came that] the parish installed stained-glass windows, to dedicate one to [her family].” The windows themselves — which Archbishop Naumann blessed during the Mass — may have made history. Five of the windows depict the glorious mysteries of the rosary, and the other five depict the luminous mysteries. “We believe we’re the first parish, at least in Kansas, to have the luminous mysteries in stained glass,” said Father Reynolds.

• 1961: The parish was raising money to build a new school when it was informed that the Benedictine Sisters did not have Sisters available to teach. The school closed during the 1967-1968 school year with 60 students. Improvements were made over the decade to the school, which was used for religious education.

written by Lesa Brose, was on sale for parishioners, and parish artifacts — like Latin altar cards and a Latin Sacramentary — were on display. The anniversary was also an occasion to celebrate another tremendous milestone — the blessing of newly installed stained-glass windows. “We just got the last [of 10] windows installed on Nov. 21,” said Larry Heinen, parish council chairman. When the current red brick church was built in 1925, the parish didn’t have enough funds to buy all the windows. “They put in quarter-inch plate glass,” he said. “My understanding was that a fund was actually started, but when the Great Depression hit, they gave the money back to whoever donated, because everyone was pretty much broke.” Sometime during the 1960s, colored plastic panels were installed in the main windows. A decision was made just a few years ago to finally install stained glass.

• 2009: The parish celebrated its 150th anniversary and the completion of the stained-glass windows project.

St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Parish has 108 families and is a mission of St. Joseph Parish in Nortonville. The parish is equidistant from Topeka, Lawrence and Leavenworth, said Larry Martin, chairman of the finance committee. And although it faces the same challenges as other small, rural parishes, it is currently enjoying a period of growth.

4 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • december 18, 2009

THE LEAVEN • December 18, 2009

New book focuses on St. Joseph Church, Topeka

Photo by Father Reginald Saldanha

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann poses with the Ursuline Sisters following a Mass on Nov. 22 in which the Sisters were given the annual St. Philippine Duchesne award. The Ursuline Sisters of Paola merged this year with the Ursuline Sisters of Mount St. Joseph in Maple Mount, Ky.

Duchesne Award goes to Ursuline Sisters MOUND CITY — This year’s St. Rose Philippine Duchesne award didn’t go to a single individual. Rather, it went to a community of individuals: the Ursuline Sisters. The Ursulines were recognized during a Mass on Nov. 22 celebrated by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann at Sacred Heart Parish in Mound City. The concelebrant was Father Reginald Saldanha, the pastor. Members of St. Philip Neri Parish in Osawatomie and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in LaCygne were also present to honor the Sisters. The archbishop congratulated the Sisters, saying Sacred Heart parishioners could not have made a better choice this year. He also noted how the Ursulines were instrumental in the Catholic education and faith formation of so many people in that area. The connection between the Ursulines and St. Rose Philippine Duchesne dates back to 1818, when the saint spent two months with an Ur-

“It is for this Duchesne spirit embodied in their service that we chose the Ursuline Sisters of Paola as the worthy recipients of the Duchesne Award.” Father Reginald Saldanha, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Mound City suline community when she arrived in Louisiana after leaving her native France. Seventy-seven years later, an Ursuline community was founded in Paola, not too far from the area where St. Rose was a frontier missionary. After more than a century of service to Catholics in eastern Kansas, the Ursuline Sisters of Paola merged with the Ursulines of Mount St. Joseph in Maple Mount, Ky., this year. The Ursulines of Paola fulfilled

the saint’s vision of the expansion of Catholic education in east-central Kansas. At Sacred Heart and in other parishes, the Ursulines taught first Communion preparation, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults classes, and spent many summers conducting vacation Bible schools. When Sacred Heart Church was built in 1940 after the beatification of the saint, the Ursulines painted murals and the Stations of the Cross. “It is for this Duchesne spirit embodied in their service that we chose the Ursuline Sisters of Paola as the worthy recipients of the Duchesne Award,” said Father Saldanha. “In gratitude for their tireless efforts in education in every part of this region and for the boundless love they have generously shared with the people,” he continued, “we joyfully recognize our beloved Sisters.” A potluck dinner was held in the parish hall immediately following the Mass.

Topeka — St. Joseph-Sacred Heart parishioners Teresa Ann Thomas and Mary Christine Adams are not your typical authors, but then again neither is their joint project. On Dec. 18 from 3 to 10 p.m., the pair will host a book signing in the parish basement of St. Joseph Church. Located at 224 S.W. Van Buren, the church is one of two faith communities that form St. Joseph-Sacred Heart Parish in downtown Topeka. The event will feature wine and appetizers and serve as a kickoff for the newly released 224-page hardcover book, entitled “Spires for All Time: The Art and History of St. Joseph German Catholic Church.” The book contains 485 photos and chronicles the history of St. Joseph Church, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1971. Comprised of 12 chapters, the book focuses on an array of topics including the stained-glass windows, the former parish school, the German-Russian immigrants who formed the parish, as well as priests who have served the community. The book also includes a discussion of the church clock, a fixture of the downtown Topeka skyline as seen from nearby I-70. The clock is unusual for another reason. One set of clockworks controls the eight faces of the twin spires, and is, according to the authors, the only such clock in the world. Thomas and Adams spent the past 11 years conducting countless hours of research using a variety of sources including interviews gathered from parishioners, documents found at the Kansas State Historical Society and the local library, plus a box of minutes found in the rectory basement dating back 80 years. During the book signing event, the church will be open, allowing participants to compare the historical photos with the current look of the structure as well as read about the history of items such as the Stations of the Cross, the main altar, the side altars and the confessionals. For more information about the event or the book, call the parish rectory at (785) 232-2863 or send an e-mail to: stjosephtopeka@juno.com.

LOCAL NEWS 5

Vince Scheuerman, lead singer and songwriter of Army of Me, performs at a concert held Nov. 11 at St. Matthew Parish in Topeka. The concert was held to kick off the theology of the body courses for both adults and teens that will be conducted at the parish beginning in January. Scheuerman has shared the stage with acts like the Dave Matthews Band and Coldplay.

Rock & religion Rock concert kicks off theology courses

By Marc and Julie Anderson

Special to The Leaven

TOPEKA — Mike Mangione and Vince Scheuerman, the lead singer and songwriter of Army of Me, are not exactly your typical rock musicians. True, they may dress the part, often wearing jeans and T-shirts. And yes, they definitely know how to “rock out” on their guitars. But these two musicians truly march to the beat of a different drummer. Along with Mangione’s brother Tom, the two artists performed on Nov. 11 for some 300-plus people at southeast Topeka’s St. Matthew Parish as part of the parish’s efforts to spark interest in its upcoming theology of the body courses. The parish was one of only 13 venues in the United States toured by the two musicians this past November. So, what exactly do two secular rock musicians, one of whom has shared stages with acts like Coldplay and the Dave Matthews Band, have in common with the late Pope John Paul II’s theology of the body? And more importantly, what is the theology of the body? Theology of the body is the title of a series of 129 short talks delivered by Pope John Paul II during his general audiences between September 1979 and November 1984. The talks were designed to offer the world a comprehensive reflection on not only what it means to be fully human, but also how human sexuality can be a path to holiness, if understood properly in the light of the Gospel. In “Witness to Hope: The Biography of John Paul II,” author George Weigel said the late pontiff provided the world a radically different way of thinking about human existence, sexuality and marriage in what Weigel described as “one of the boldest reconfigurations of Catholic theology in centuries.” Weigel also said that the theology of the body was “a bit of a theological time bomb, something that would explode within the church at some indeterminate point in the future with tremendous effect,

Mike Mangione (foreground) performs with his brother, Tom, during a concert held Nov. 11 at St. Matthew Parish in Topeka. A secular rock musician, Mangione is also a Catholic whose song lyrics are permeated with images from Pope John Paul II’s theology of the body. Leaven photo by Marc Anderson

reshaping the way Catholics think about our embodiedness as male and female, our sexuality, our relationships with each other, our relationship with God — even God himself.” St. Matthew Parish is hoping to be part of that “theological time bomb.” Beginning in January, the parish will offer two courses on the theology of the body — one eight-week course for adults and one 12-

week course for teenagers. As part of its efforts to generate interest in the courses, organizers hosted the kickoff concert with Mangione and Scheuerman, both of whose songs are permeated with lyrics inspired by themes contained in the theology of the body. According to Jason Neff, a St. Matthew parishioner and the main person responsible for booking the two musicians,

both Mangione and Scheuerman are part of “a new breed of rock musicians.” Both men, Neff said, grew up on rock music, and both, as the result of going through some difficult challenges in their lives, came to love their Catholic faith. Now, Neff said, both men are trying to make a difference in the secular world with their music. Neff, who along with his wife Jamie, initially heard

the artists play at theology of the body retreats in Pennsylvania, said the first time he heard the men perform, he was hooked on their music. “I immediately signed up for their e-mail list. After hearing them perform for the first time, I wanted everyone in the church to hear them,” Neff said. When he saw the two announce they were going to team up with well-known Theology of the Body Institute instructor/speaker and author Christopher West to promote the theology of the body throughout the United States, he saw just the right opportunity. “I was probably one of the first people to send a reply to their e-mail about the tour,” Neff said. “I told them I didn’t care what it took, I wanted to be able to have them perform in Topeka.” And perform they did. During the concert in which both artists played two sets, Mangione performed songs from his recently released album “Tenebrae” (Latin for “shadows”), as well as songs from his album “There and Back” released in 2005. Among others, Scheuerman performed “Lost At Sea” and “Going Through Changes.” In “Lost at Sea,” Scheuerman shared the story of the anger he felt when a good friend of his was diagnosed with cancer. The song was, according to the musician, a prayer, but not a traditional prayer in which he was offering praise to God, but rather an extremely angry response to God. Knowing that changes are necessary in the world today, both Mangione and Scheuerman said they believe in the power of theology of the body to transform society. “Theology of the body teaches people how to live love. Love, lived out rightly, is such a beautiful thing, a freeing thing, said Scheuerman. “I think that we need to realize what real love is, what true love is, and there’s real transformation possible when we live out that love. “The power of that love will revolutionize our lives and our culture.”

6 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • december 18, 2009

Sleigh

You

Santa’s sleigh arrived on Dec. 14 at Santa Marta Retirement Community in Olathe. Award-winning ice carver Chet Surmaczewicz, the community’s executive director, sculpted a spectacular 7-foot by 5-foot by 5-foot sleigh out of 5,000 pounds of ice, located outdoors in the front drive of the community. Surmaczewicz began carving 350-pound blocks of ice at age 16 and then went on to work under a classical Japanese Chef Gardén manager and ice carver at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago. His past creations, among many others, include a 35-foot Eiffel Tower and a life-sized baby grand piano that he constructed for Liberace. His renowned ice carvings have been featured across the country — from the front page of the Boston Sunday Globe to a variety of television programs.

THE LEAVEN • December 18, 2009 Ben and Leona (Brown) Whittredge, members of Sacred Heart Parish in Emporia, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Dec. 26 with a family dinner at the parish center. The couple was married at Sacred Anniversaries Heart Church in Emporia on Dec. 27, 1949. Their children and their spouses are: John and Nina Whittredge, Donald and Beth Whittredge, and James and Dorothy Whittredge. They also have six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Dorothy and Normand Heon, members of Sacred Heart-St. Casimir Parish in Leavenworth, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec. 19. They will renew their vows at the 4:30 p.m. Mass that day, followed by an open house reception in their honor at the parish hall at the Sacred Heart site until 8 p.m. Their children and their spouses are: Wanda Sanborn, Cecilia and Glenn Hewitt and Alexander Heon. They also have five grandsons and three greatgranddaughters.

Father J. Daniel Schneider, MM

MARYKNOLL, N.Y. — Father J. Daniel Schneider, MM, of Rutherford, N.J., died Dec. 5 at St. Teresa’s Residence in Ossining, N.Y. He was 91 and a Maryknoll priest for 64 years. Ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 1945, Father Schneider’s first assignment was to The Field Afar, now Maryknoll magazine. He served as business manager of the magazine until 1949, when he became an assistant in Maryknoll’s public relations department. In 1955, he was assigned to Korea, Obituary first studying the Korean language and culture at Yale University’s Institute of Oriental Studies in New Haven, Conn. He served as assistant pastor at Pung Mun Ro Catholic Church in the city of Chong Ju, Korea, and in 1957 became pastor of Pu Kang Church in the province of Chong Puk To. In 1958, he returned to the United States to serve as director of Maryknoll’s public relations efforts until 1962. He then returned to Korea and took further studies in the Korean language at Yon Sei University in Seoul. He served as assistant pastor of Holy Family Church in Chong Ju (1963-64)

and as pastor of a new parish, Blessed Sacrament, in Nai Sou (1964-67). Named superior of Maryknoll’s Korea Region in 1967, Father Schneider moved to Seoul to coordinate and direct the work of the nearly 100 Maryknoll priests and brothers then serving in that country. Recalled to the United States in 1972, he did mission education and promotion work in St. Louis for two years and then began pastoral work at St. Elizabeth Parish in Kansas City, Mo. His work there, though, extended far beyond the parish. Father Schneider ministered as a team priest for Catholic Marriage Encounter and Catholic Engaged Encounter, as well as serving as spiritual director for 15 years to the Korean Catholic Community of the Greater Kansas City area — first at St. Elizabeth Church and later at Holy Cross Parish in Overland Park. He officially retired in 2001 and moved to Maryknoll headquarters in Ossining. Father Schneider was born on Dec. 18, 1917, in Columbus, Ohio, where he attended Holy Name School. He then moved with his family to Rutherford, N.J., and graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1935. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, and banking and finance from Fordham University in New York City in 1939 and entered Maryknoll that same year.

Day of reflection for RCIA candidates set for Jan. 30 Atchison — Sophia Center here, at 751 S. 8th St., will host a day of reflection for RCIA candidates and catechumens from 8:15 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Jan. 30. The focus of the day will be on deepening one’s understanding of

the commitment implied by the Lord’s Prayer. Registration is limited. For information or to register, call (913) 360-6151 or visit the Web site at: www.mount osb.org/sophia.html.

LOCAL NEWS 7

Scout sends rosaries to soldiers Continued from page 1 Color and reflection aren’t a problem for rosaries that will go to noncombat areas, so Mahr plans to set out collection boxes for used rosaries at places including St. Ann Parish in Prairie Village, Queen of the Holy Rosary, and the archdiocesan offices in Kansas City, Kan. His godparents, Ron and Paula Zishka, have set out a box at Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. Two of his great-uncles, priests who live in Kansas City, Mo., have also volunteered to help. He is also sending out bulletin notices to various parishes. Even broken rosaries will be accepted. “Bob Cunningham, from St. Agnes Parish [in Roeland Park], said he can repair rosaries,” said Mahr. Whether new or used, each rosary will be placed in a plastic bag with instructions on how to pray the rosary, a card explaining Mahr’s project, and a Web site Mahr has set up to receive requests for more rosaries and Mass intentions. “It feels good to give rosaries for the soldiers who are fighting for our country,” said Mahr. “Soldiers really want to have something like this.” If you would like to donate money, rosaries, or your rosary-making skills, contact Mahr at (913) 384-3169, or by e-mail at: rosariesfortroops@gmail. com.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Photos by Elaina Cochran

Faith was in full flower during a liturgy celebrating the miraculous image on Dec. 12, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Topeka. The roses presented during the Mass recalled the moment when St. Juan Diego unfurled his tilma, allowing the roses contained within to tumble out, and the image of Our Lady to be seen for the first time by Bishop Juan de Zumarraga. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann was the main celebrant and homilist; among the concelebrants was the parishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pastor, Father John Cordes.

Roses for Our Lady

Kindergartners Vanessa Ramirez and Osvaldo MartinezAcosta present flowers to Our Lady of Guadalupe during the feast day Mass Dec. 12.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dance

Eighth-grade dancers from Holy Family School in Topeka, Aishontis Sanders and Elena Adame, perform a traditional Mexican dance during the Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration.

Celebrate

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann consecrates the Precious Blood at the Our Lady of Guadalupe feast day Mass Dec. 12. Father John Cordes (right), pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Topeka, concelebrated.

Our Lady

Nayeli Galicia portrays Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Dec. 12 feast day Mass.

Remembering the moment

The roses brought up by schoolchildren during the Mass represented the roses that came tumbling to the ground the moment Juan Diego opened his tilma in front of his bishop.

10 NATION

THE LEAVEN • Decemmber 18, 2009

Senate vote on abortion in health reform called ‘grave mistake’ WASHINGTON (CNS) — The U.S. Senate’s rejection of a bipartisan abortion amendment to its version of health care reform legislation was “a grave mistake and a serious blow to genuine health reform,” according to the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago and three USCCB committee chairmen commented on the Dec. 8 vote in separate statements Dec. 9. Following several hours of debate on the Senate floor, senators voted 54-45 to table the amendment sponsored by Sens. Ben Nelson, D-Neb.; Orrin Hatch, RUtah; Robert Casey, D-Pa.; and at least five others. Cardinal George said he remained “hopeful that the protections overwhelmingly passed by the House will be incorporated into needed reform legislation. . . . Failure to exclude abortion funding will turn allies into adversaries and require us and others to oppose this bill because it abandons both principle and precedent.” Similar comments came after the vote from Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities; and Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, who heads the Committee on Migration.

Execution wrong no matter the method, says Ohio Catholic official COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNS) — When Ohio inmate Kenneth Biros was executed Dec. 8 with a one-drug lethal injection — the first person in the U.S. to be executed in this manner — the Ohio Catholic Conference did not specifically address the execution but instead reiterated the church’s opposition to all means of capital punishment. “The death penalty is wrong no matter what you use” to carry it out, Carolyn Jurkowitz, executive director of the Ohio Catholic Conference, told Catholic News Service Dec. 9. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Biros’ final appeals the day of his execution. The 51-year-old inmate was executed by one lethal injection, instead of the three-drug cocktail used in all other states, because Ohio adopted this execution method after a failed attempt to execute Romell Broom in mid-September. Death penalty opponents have argued that while they object to capital punishment taking place at all, at least the single drug is more humane than the threedrug cocktail, which involves a short-acting barbiturate that makes the inmate unconscious, followed by a paralytic and then a chemical to stop the heart.

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THE LEAVEN • December 18, 2009

Jobs varied for Franciscan at Nativity church

Investors ask health companies to show pay disparities NEW YORK (CNS) — Thirty Catholic and other faith-based investors are using their shareholder clout to urge 21 health-related companies to publicly disclose the compensation packages for their top executives and their lowestpaid U.S. employees, including the costs of health care. Shareholder resolutions were to be filed with a variety of health insurers, medical device makers and other companies identified by the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility as among the leading opponents of congressional action on health care reform. Specifically, the companies are being asked for a report comparing total compensation packages of highest and lowest paid employees in 2000, 2004 and 2009; analyzing any change in the relative size of the gap between the two; evaluating whether top executive compensation packages should be modified; and deciding whether the corporate board should continue to monitor the results of the comparison. “Given the historical lack of transparency in the health care industry related to costs, this [information] is not something that shareholders know today,” said Margaret Weber, who chairs the board of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and represents the Basilian Fathers of Toronto. “We think this information is vital to ourselves and other shareholders.” Laura Berry, ICCR executive director, said the growth in health industry compensation packages is one of the causes of “skyrocketing health care costs” and has resulted in “an accelerating pay gap between highest and lowest paid employees.” Because “many employers have shifted a greater share of the overall health costs onto employees and their families,” disparities can be “particularly egregious” in health industry companies “that are simultaneously fueling health care expenses, opposing needed health care reform in Congress and covering fewer and fewer Americans,” Berry added.

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By Judith Sudilovsky

Catholic News Service

CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz

ARCHBISHOP DOLAN PRAYS NEAR TOMB OF ARCHBISHOP SHEEN — Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York prays near the tomb of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in the crypt of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York after celebrating a memorial Mass for the archbishop Dec. 9. The Mass marked the 30th anniversary of the death of Archbishop Sheen, the famed television and radio evangelizer.

New Pax Christi USA document summarizes hope for peace By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Pax Christi USA is calling upon Catholics to reflect on ways to integrate peacemaking and embrace nonviolence in their everyday lives. The call follows a wide-ranging sixyear endeavor that the Catholic peace organization calls a People’s Peace Initiative. The effort involved dozens of discussions nationwide to express the challenges of peace in the 21st century. “How we define nonviolence and peace is really critical to all of us in the church in order to fulfill our requirements as Catholics as peace advocates,” said David Robinson, Pax Christi USA executive director. To engage Catholics in the pews across the country Pax Christi released a 48-page document, “Called to be Peacemakers: The Challenge and Promise of Peace in the 21st Century.” The document outlines numerous ways that violence is expressed in the world — including war, racism, unrelenting poverty and environmental degradation — and invites Catholics to begin to take Contact Lenses • Eye Glasses

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steps to reduce the influence of violence throughout society. The years-long process involved roughly 150 discussions across the country among local Pax Christi groups, diocesan ministries, particularly those working with minority communities, Catholic organizations such as the National Black Catholic Congress, and communities of men and women religious. Robinson said efforts were made to involve black and Hispanic Catholics, whose voices traditionally have not been integrated into peacemaking efforts. The document spells out a series of ills affecting the world, building from what the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. identified as the sins of racism, war and poverty, and acknowledges the example of Christ, whose practice of nonviolence in the face of oppression is told in the Gospels. “It is our encounter with Jesus that shapes our understanding of peace,” the document reads. “It is our experiences of the risen Christ in our families and communities that gives expression to that understanding and our faith as Catholics.”

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) — Supervising painters, welcoming pilgrims and helping to solve territorial disputes — it’s all part of a day’s work for the priest at the church marking where Jesus was born. Franciscan Father Jerzy Kraj — a 49-year-old self-described optimist —calls his job as guardian of the Church of the Nativity “an honor and a big responsibility.” In early November, when the Polish priest got the go-ahead for renovations on the Church of St. Catherine in the Nativity complex, many told him it would be impossible to have the work done in time for the first Sunday of Advent. Father Kraj brought in Polish volunteers and by Nov. 29 had a freshly painted sanctuary with energy-saving lighting. The Church of St. Catherine had not been painted in 10 years and the lighting was at least 50 years old, said Father Kraj, who is in his third year of overseeing Christmas preparations at the Church of the Nativity complex. Many of the preparations are traditional: Every year a statue of the baby Jesus is placed underneath the altar in the Church of St. Catherine and is revealed by the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem as the Gloria is sung on Christmas, he said. “We try to think of some symbolic decorations, to make some actualization from historical events. Last year it was a big Bible. This year we are trying to do something with mother-of-pearl and the star of Bethlehem, but we have time still; nothing is definite,” the priest said in late November. The Franciscans built the Church of St. Catherine in 1882, about 125 years after the ruling sultan of Constantinople declared they could not use the adjacent Church of the Nativity. The Franciscans regained their rights to worship in the Church of the Nativity in 1852, when the Status Quo agreement — regulating the jurisdiction of and access to key Christian sites in the Holy Land — was formulated. The traditional Christmas midnight Mass takes place in the Church of St. Catherine, and prayers later in the day are said in the grotto of the Church of the Nativity. Father Kraj said that often the Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks, with whom they now share rights to the Church of the Nativity, call on the Franciscans to help resolve disputes. “When they have problems they

CNS photo/Debbie Hill

FRANCISCAN GUARDIAN LEADS PRAYER IN GROTTO — The guardian of the Church of Nativity, Polish Franciscan Father Jerry Kraj, center, leads daily prayer in the grotto at the church in Bethlehem, West Bank, Nov. 26. He said the main role of the Franciscans at the site, which is traditionally held to be the birthplace of Christ, is to care for the spiritual life at the shrine. come to the Franciscan salon, and we drink coffee and we talk and try to [help solve the problem],” said Father Kraj, who also teaches moral theology at the Franciscan International Seminary in Jerusalem. “There is good cooperation,” he said about the current relationship among the three churches, although even recently there have been disputes about such things as who has the right to wash certain parts of the church. This year marks the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Franciscan order and the 700th anniversary of official confirmation from the sultan of Cairo allowing the Franciscans to have a presence in the Holy Land. Father Kraj, the oldest of nine siblings, began to feel his vocation as a teenager while studying in a private Franciscan high school near Krakow, Poland. At the age of 19 he joined the Franciscans and finished his studies in the Holy Land. When he was ordained in 1986, Father Kraj sought permission to remain in Jerusalem in the service of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, which coordinates the reception of pilgrims and sustains the Christian presence in the Holy Land. He has remained close to his family in Poland, and his parents, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year, came on their fourth pilgrimage to the Holy Land. “I know I will go visit them [family] for vacations but I know my life, my vocation, is in the Holy Land,” he said. The main role of the Franciscan pres-

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ence in the Church of the Nativity is to care for the spiritual life at the shrine, so the church does not become a museum but rather continues to be a place where God’s presence is truly felt, he said. The friars maintain an organized schedule of worship, with two morning Masses at the Franciscan altar at the manger in the Church of the Nativity grotto and a daily procession at noon, around which the friars arrange their daily schedules. As the Franciscan guardian in Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, Father Kraj said he has the opportunity to “enter into deep reflection with the mystery of the Incarnation.” “It is very important to me that we are celebrating in this holy place the Eucharist” because the same mystery of the Nativity is also in the Eucharist, he said. “The Virgin Mary, Joseph and the shepherds didn’t know [the baby] was Jesus; they had to believe it was Jesus, son of God. The same way we have the wine and bread on the altar and we have to believe it is the [body and] blood of Christ; to believe in the same mystery of the sacraments.” The Franciscans also take very seriously their service to the pilgrims who come visit the church, said Father Kraj, and it is a joy to see the pilgrims coming with open hearts. “Pilgrims come [to the Holy Land] once in a lifetime, and we must . . . give them the opportunity to feel as if they are in their home,” he said. “In Bethlehem we celebrate the Nativity all year; we have pilgrims celebrating every day.”

World 11

Pope urges religious freedom in Cuba, criticizes U.S. embargo VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Welcoming Cuba’s new ambassador to the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI once again criticized the U.S. economic embargo against the country, but also called on the Cuban government to expand religious freedom on the island. The pope told Ambassador Eduardo Delgado Bermudez Dec. 10 that he knows Cubans are suffering from the economic crisis, which “together with the devastating effects of natural disasters and the economic embargo particularly strikes poorer people and their families.” Pope Benedict said he hoped that the “signs of detente in relations with the nearby United States would signal new opportunities for a mutually beneficial rapprochement.” In his speech to the pope, Delgado described the embargo as “cruel and unilateral” and said that it “constitutes an act of genocide because it aims at making our heroic and generous people surrender out of hunger, sickness and poverty.” The financial crisis, the pope said, highlights “the urgent need for an economy that is built on solid ethical bases and places the person and his or her rights and material and spiritual wellbeing at the center of its interests.”

Bishops apologize for ‘depravity of abuse’ described in Dublin DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) — The Irish bishops have apologized as a group for clerical abuse of children and agreed to work with the government to set up a mechanism to ensure that abuse allegations are properly handled. The bishops suspended normal business at their winter general meeting in Maynooth to consider the findings of a special commission investigating the handling of clerical abuse in the Archdiocese of Dublin. That report, published Nov. 26, described a “scale and depravity of abuse” that “deeply shocked” the bishops, they said in their statement, issued Dec. 9. “The avoidance of scandal, the preservation of the reputations of individuals and of the church, took precedence over the safety and welfare of children,” the bishops said. “This should never have happened and must never be allowed to happen again. We humbly ask for forgiveness.” The bishops acknowledged that the culture of abuse and cover-up was “a culture that was widespread in the church” and that people felt “rightly outraged and let down by the failure of moral leadership and accountability that emerges from the report.”

12 CLASSIFIEDS Employment Bookkeeper – St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood, is seeking a bookkeeper for the church and school. Responsibilities include: processing accounts payable, payroll, and contributions, and preparing monthly reports for income and expenditures. A qualified candidate will possess strong interpersonal and organizational skills; 3 years experience in the field, with a bachelor’s degree in business or accounting preferred; and the ability to adapt to our internal accounting software. For a complete job description or to apply, visit the Web site at: www.stmichaelcp.org. Part-time musician - St. John LaLande Parish, Blue Springs, Mo., is seeking a part-time musician with strong conducting, organ and piano skills. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are also essential in working with musicians/volunteers at all levels of proficiency. Requirements include: keyboard expertise and sight-reading ability; knowledge of Catholic liturgy and music; and experience planning and coordinating all seasonal liturgies as well as funerals and marriages. Responsibilities include: conducting and accompanying established adult/bell choirs and other ensembles for rehearsals; directing and accompanying several weekend Masses and other celebrations, including holy days, holidays, and special liturgies throughout the year; conducting weekly cantor rehearsal; and ongoing recruitment of volunteer musicians. Salary commensurate with experience. To apply, submit cover letter, résumé, and references, via e-mail, to: mverstraete@stjohnlalande. com.

Financial representative - Due to the success and growth of the Knights of Columbus, we are adding financial representatives in the Kansas City and Emporia areas. This position is ideal for a determined, high-energy, high-expectation, professional, self-disciplined, independent individual desiring to serve others, yet earn a better-than-average income. We provide top-rated financial products to our members and their families and will provide excellent benefits and training. For more information or an interview, contact John A. Mahon, 307 Dakota, Holton KS 66436; or call (785) 364-5450. Help wanted - COBRAGuard is a nationally recognized leader in COBRA administration. We are expanding our business and are seeking qualified individuals to help with our tremendous growth. If you are looking for an opportunity with a growing firm, make sure you apply with us. We have openings in our call center, sales, IT, and accounting departments. To apply, visit the Web site at: www.cobraguard.net, follow the link to “Jobs”; or send an e-mail to: HR@ COBRAGuard.net. EOE.

Services Retired nurse - Looking to help a family over the holidays and possibly continue through the new year. Will provide child care, do housecleaning, run errands, and provide transportation to/from appointments. Reasonable rates; excellent references. Experience with seniors. Call Pam at (913) 579-5276. Computer help! - 20+ years of experience. I can fix slow systems, secure networks, set up a home server, establish Internet security, provide technology refresh, eliminate virus/malware issues, and do data recovery. Call Dan O’Boyle at (913) 707-5020. Initial first half-hour is free. Calligraphy - Wedding invitations, diplomas, certificates, announcements, favorite quotes, and other inscriptions. Experienced work. Call Sheryl at (913) 888-9328. Machine quilting - by Jenell Noeth, Basehor. Also, quilts made to order. Call (913) 724-1837. Granite, Cambria and Silestone countertops See our new showroom at 5820 Barton, in the heart of beautiful downtown Shawnee. Call The Top Shop, Inc., at (816) 898-8685 or (913) 962-5058.

THE LEAVEN • DECEMBER 18, 2009 Tutoring - Mamuric Studios is accepting students for tutoring for 2010. Tutor is currently working on her masters of education at Rockhurst University and has experience with students in the K - 12 grades as well as college-level students. Tutor also specializes in test preparation, study skills, French, Spanish, and music. Sessions are customized to fit the student’s needs and are fun and meaningful in context. For information, call (913)206-2151 or send and e-mail to: Klmamuric@yahoo.com. Husband and wife cleaning team - Reasonable rates; references provided. Call (913) 940-2959. Foley’s Lawn Care Lawn mowing Fall cleanups & gutter cleaning www.foleyslawncare.com (913) 825-4353 Serving Johnson County Tree service - Pruning ornamental 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. Leaf Removal & Fall Yard Clean ups Tree Services. Gutter Clean outs. Licensed/Bond/Ins/Refs Free estimates (913) 620-6063 Do you intend to leave a Catholic charity in your will? What are you waiting for? The Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas helps people with charitable intent to put their instructions into place. We help stretch your gift further and last longer for the people you love and the causes you care about. For a free, confidential consultation call (913) 647-0365 or for free estate planning information, visit the Web site at: www.cfnek.org.

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. Housecleaning - Good old-fashioned cleaning, hand mopping, etc. Years of cleaning experience. Excellent references. Call Sharon at (816) 322-0006. I make a great gift. Home Care Services - We provide care management, medication administration, transportation, companionship, shopping and other needs to the elderly and disabled at home. Reasonable rates. Full time or part time. Days/nights/weekends. Call Pamerick Home Health Care and speak with Mimi at (913) 488-5993. Caregiving - We provide personal assistance, companionship, care management, and transportation to the elderly and disabled in home, assisted living and nursing facilities. We also provide respite care for main caregivers needing some personal time. Call Daughters & Company at (913) 341-2500 and speak with Andrea, Sara or Gary. Do you or your parents need help at home? - For as little as $60 per week, Benefits of HomeSenior Care can provide assistance with personal care, shopping and many other daily needs. For details, visit our Web site at: benefitsofhome.com or call (913) 422-1591. Home companion - I will provide transportation, companionship, personal assistance, shopping and other needs to the elderly at home. Full or part time. Days, evenings, weekends. Call Steve at (913) 888-7403 or (913) 522-5765 (cell).

Home Improvement Custom-kitchen countertops - Laminate tops manufactured and installed within 5 days. Competitive prices, dependable work. St. Joseph Parish member. Call The Top Shop, Inc., at (816) 898-8685 or (913) 962-5058.

M-F 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Summer Months: Sat. 10 a.m to 3 p.m.

THE LEAVEN • DECEMBER 18, 2009 Woodbright - A very affordable alternative to refinishing, refacing or replacing stained cabinets and woodwork. The average kitchen only costs $500. 18 years experience. Call Woodbright at (913) 940-3020. 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. Bath, kitchen and basement remodels -Quality work; reasonable prices. 25 yrs. experience. Free estimates. JoCo area. Call Ralph at (913) 707-9589. 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. Electrician - Free estimates; reasonable rates. JoCo and southern KC metro area. Call Pat at (913) 963-9896. Adept Home Improvements Where quality still counts! Basement finishing, Kitchens and baths, Electrical and plumbing. Licensed and insured. (913) 599-7998 Brown’s Carpet - Installation and repair carpeting; vinyl and wood installation. Free estimates. 10 years experience. Serving the KC metro area. Call (913) 231-4961. 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 Swalms Organizing Service - Basements, garages, attics, and shop spaces organized! Items sorted, boxed & labeled; areas cleaned when finished! Clean out services also available. Great references and insured. For pictures of current projects, visit the Web site at: www.swalms.com. Call Tillar Swalm at (913) 375-9115.

Real Estate Villa for sale – Maintenance-provided ranch home, 2 BR, 2 BA, with sunroom in Shawnee at Town and Country Villas. $209,900. To view online, visit: www.VillasKC.com, or call Marisa with Kansas Land Brokers at (913) 915-9151. Home for sale - 9101 Central, Kansas City, Mo. Adorable 2 BR, 1 BA on a large corner, fenced lot! Onecar garage with opener. All appliances stay, incl. washer/ dryer. Carpet, furnace, hot water heater, gutters, garage and front doors all replaced within past 3 yrs. Priced $10K under appraisal at $90,000. First-time buyers may qualify for $8K tax credit. Wonderful investment property or for seniors interested in downsizing. Call Jan at (816) 363-6506.

Lake house – Beautiful and private Lake Kahola, less than 2 hours from the KC area. Only 10 miles off I-35 at Emporia exit. This home sleeps 10+ with a 2-car garage, plus a private boat ramp and dock. Located at the water’s edge on a quiet cove. Call Cy at (316) 262-0888.

Vacation

Dec.

Ski cabin in Winter Park, Colo. – 2 BR, 1 BA, on free ski shuttle route. $110/night. Call (913) 6423027. To view pictures, visit the Web site at: cabin. forcadeassociates.com. Ski vacation - Winter Park, Colo. 2 BR, 1 BA, sleeps 6. Fully furnished, fireplace, rec. center with pool & hot tub. $125/night; $750/week. Call Joe Frederick at (913) 385-5589.

For sale Bedroom set and Craftsman shredder - Like new! Maplewood double bed with mattress and box spring, double dresser, mirror, end table and lamp; $175. Craftsman leaf and limb shredder only used 3 times, $150. Call (913) 723-3601. Items located in Shawnee area. 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.

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 Will buy firearms and related accessories One or a whole collection. Honest evaluation and top prices paid. Contact Tom at (913) 238-2473. Member of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee. *** Wanted to Buy *** Antique and vintage costume jewelry Member St. Joseph Parish Renee Maderak (913) 631-7179

Miscellaneous Freedom from pornography - Men’s group and counseling; call Sam Meier, MA, LPC, at (913) 6470378. Women’s group; call Beth Meier, MA, at (913) 647-0379. Visit the Web site at: LoveIsFaithful.com.

Entertainment Kansas City’s New Year’s Eve singles extravaganza - Dec. 31 at Holy Trinity Church, 92nd and Pflumm, Lenexa. Doors open at 8 p.m. Dancing to the music provided by Zepster the DJ from 8:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Tickets cost $30 if purchased in advance; $35 at the door. The cost includes light sandwiches and appetizers, beer, wine, soda, and champagne at midnight. To purchase tickets, mail a check payable to Zepster’s A to Z Party DJ’s, before Dec. 21, to: P.O. Box 14321, Kansas City, MO 64152. For information, call (816) 292-2848 or send an e-mail to: zepster707@gmail. com. You don’t want to miss this one!

A memorial liturgy for deceased loved ones will be held at 8 a.m. on Dec. 19 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 “Spirituality and Grief.” For information, call (913) 649-2026. The archdiocesan monthly pro-life Mass will be held at 8 a.m. on Dec. 19 at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Church, 44 N. Mill, Kansas City, Kan., followed by a rosary procession to an abortion clinic four blocks away. Father Greg Hammes will be the celebrant. Eucharistic adoration is available for those not processing; Benediction concludes the services at 10 a.m.

The Lay Dominicans, St. Martin de Porres Group, will meet at 4 p.m., on Dec. 20 and on each third Sunday of the month at the Redemptorist Senior Center, on the corner of Linwood and Wyandotte in Kansas City, Mo. For information or directions, call Tom Smith at (816) 232-0374 or send an e-mail to: attpsmith@stjoelive.com.

The Johnson County Unos will gather for 4:30 p.m. Mass on Dec. 26 at St. Pius X Church, 5601 Woodson, Mission. Dinner will follow at Leona Yarbrough’s Restaurant, 11900 Shawnee Mission Pkwy., Shawnee.

Holy Trinity Church, 92nd and Pflumm, Lenexa, will host an all-city Christian singles New Year’s Eve dance from 8 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 31 in the parish hall. Tickets cost $30 if purchased in advance; $35 at the door. The cost includes light sandwiches and appetizers, beer, wine, soda, and champagne at midnight. To purchase tickets, mail a check payable to Zepster’s A to Z Party DJ’s, before Dec. 21, to: P.O. Box 14321, Kansas City, MO 64152. For information, call (816) 292-2848 or send an e-mail to: zepster707@gmail.com.

gle men ages 18 - 35 who wish to know what God is calling them to do with their lives. The retreat lasts from Jan. 1- 4 at Savior Pastoral Center, 12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kan. There will be Mass, prayer, recreation, and personal time with the archbishop, priests, and seminarians. There is no cost to attend. To register, visit the vocation office’s Web site at: www.kckvocations.com, or send an e-mail to: vocation@archkck.org.

Holy Spirit Parish, 11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park, invites all to pray the Rachel Life Rosary in the adoration chapel at 2 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month beginning Jan. 5. The Rachel Life Rosary is an intercessory prayer for victims of post-abortion syndrome and provides an excellent way to lend compassionate and loving support to those who have been affected by abortion.

5-6

Sister Micaela Randolph, OSB, will facilitate a retreat on lectio divina, the ancient art of prayerful reading, beginning at 10 a.m. on Jan. 5 through 2 p.m. on Jan. 6 at Sophia Center, 751 S. 8th St., Atchison. There will be time for sharing, silence, solitude and reflection. The registration deadline is Dec. 20. For information or to register, call (913) 360-6151 or visit the Web site at: www.mount osb.org/sophia.html.

The Johnson County Unos will hold their monthly meeting and potluck dinner at 5 p.m. on Jan. 8 at St. Pius X Church, 5601 Woodson, Mission. Bring meat casseroles, salads, vegetables or desserts — enough to feed 8 — or $5 to pay for your meal. Entertainment will be cardingo (a cards/bingo hybrid game).

Holy Spirit Parish, Overland Park, invites all college-age alumni to be a part of our 25th anniversary celebration! Join us for 5 p.m. Mass on Jan. 9, followed by pizza and fellowship in St. Elizabeth Hall. Reconnect with old Holy Spirit friends before heading back to school. To RSVP, send an e-mail to: hkinkade@hsschool.net.

Jan.

St. Thomas Aquinas High School will offer an eighth-grade placement exam at 8 a.m. on Jan. 9. Students are asked to bring two No. 2 pencils, a calculator, social security number, and $15 exam fee. No preregistration required. A pizza luncheon will be served following the test. A makeup exam will be offered on Jan. 23. For information, call Diane Pyle, admissions director, at (913) 319-2423 or send an e-mail to her at: dpyle@stasaints.net.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will host Quo Vadis, a retreat for sin-

Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish, 2014 N.W. 46th St., Topeka, will host

1-4

exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction and a Divine Mercy Holy Hour at 3 p.m. on Jan. 10. Fellowship will follow. For information, call (785) 246-1338 or (785) 246-1295.

The Catholic Charities Foundation of Northeast Kansas will host its 36th annual Snowball on Jan. 16 at the Crown Center Exhibition Hall at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Kansas City, Mo. This black-tie evening will feature cocktails, dinner and dancing. For reservations or information, call (913) 433-2046 or visit the Web site at: www. catholiccharitiessnowball.org.

Get set for a fun-filled night of trivia competition! St. Thomas Aquinas High School alumni, parents, staff, alumni parents and friends are invited to trivia night on Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. in the auxiliary gym. The cost is $15 per person. Register via the Web site at: www.stasaints.net. Reservations are required by Jan. 22. Bring your own beverage, appetizers or snacks to share. Prizes will be awarded for the best decorated team table, trivia winner and runner-up teams. Individuals and groups are welcome. For information, call Beth Hartung at (913) 208-3321 or send an e-mail to her at: bethhartung@sbcglobal. net. Volunteer are needed, too!

Sophia Center, 751 S. 8th St., Atchison, will host a day of reflection for RCIA candidates and catechumens from 8:15 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Jan. 30. The focus of the day will be on deepening one’s understanding of the commitment implied when praying the Lord’s Prayer. Mary Kay Whitacre will be the presenter. She has served in RCIA ministry for 25 years and is currently the RCIA coordinator at St. Thomas More Parish in Kansas City, Mo. Registration is limited. For information or to register, call (913) 360-6151 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb.org/ sophia.html.

Misc. A Holy Land pilgrimage in the footsteps of Jesus, is planned for June 1 - 14, 2010. Spiritual director Father Jorge Ramirez will lead participants on a tour through Bethlehem, Nazareth, Cana, and Mount Tabor and Cairo in celebration of the great mysteries of Jesus’ life. The cost is $3295 per person/double occupancy; $445 single supplement. The Cairo extension costs $795 per person, double occupancy. Space is limited. A reservation and $400 deposit are due by Feb. 15, 2010. For information, call Pilar at (913) 341-7779.

To purchase a classified ad: Send an e-mail to: jennifer@theleaven. com, or call (913) 647-0327. The cost is $16 per column inch, five lines or less. Each additional line is $1.50. Classified ads will also be posted online at The Leaven’s Web site: www. theleaven.com.

Wagner’s Mud-Jacking Co. Specializing in Foundation Repairs Mud-jacking and Waterproofing. Serving Lawrence, Topeka and surrounding areas. Topeka (785) 233-3447 Lawrence (785) 749-1696 In business since 1963

CALENDAR 13

Mary, Health of the Sick Guild has published a new cookbook to benefit the Sisters, Servants of Mary. The cookbook contains over 350 recipes, including ones submitted by the Sisters themselves. The cost is $12 (plus $2 for postage). Make checks payable to the Sisters, Servants of Mary and send to: 800 N. 18th St., Kansas City KS 66102. Cookbooks may also be purchased at the motherhouse at the above address. For information, contact Barbara Butler at (913) 362-0723 or the convent at (913) 371-3423. There are 14 men in the My House men’s groups that have broken free from pornography for over one year! Also, the My House women’s group is available for wives and loved ones who are healing from the effects of their loved one’s struggles. For more information, visit the Web site at: LoveIsFaithful.com. Were you injured while on active duty in the military? Do you have combat-related nightmares or are you bothered by memories of combat? A “veterans helping veterans” support group is forming in this area. If you are in need of help or are available to help, call John at (913) 909-3368. Catholic Charities is sponsoring Mother to Mother, a program that provides emotional support for mothers. Meetings with speakers on various topics are held once a month in Olathe. Mothers are also paired with a support/mentor mother. For more information, contact Carla Golden at (913) 7824077, or send an e-mail to her at: cgolden@ ccsks.org. “Kids Voice” is grief support for children ages 5 - 12 who are in families experiencing the pain of separation or divorce. For information, call Jean at (913) 262-9037. Spiritual direction helps us notice God’s action in our daily lives. By meeting monthly with a skilled spiritual director, we become more conscious of God’s presence and love. For information or to schedule a free appointment, call the Keeler Women’s Center at (913) 621-8749. St. Monica home school support meets monthly. For information and locations, call Stephanie Jacobson at (913) 766-0412. The Serra Club invites all men of the archdiocese to pray with them to increase vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Meetings are held at noon on every second and fourth Wednesday of the month at the Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kan. For information, contact Jim Conrad at (913) 432-4162, John Muehlberger at (913) 441-5061, or Bill Peters at (913) 8946967.

14 COMMENTARY

THE LEAVEN • December 18, 2009

THE LEAVEN • december 18, 2009

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

During the remaining week of Advent, spend time recalling God’s many blessings, thanking him for each by name. Pray for those by name you have hurt by your sins and ask God to bless them. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann See story on page 2

HBNW.

Turn HBNC into NSMJ

Seeing those four letters makes me both smile and shake my head. It’s a code that a friend of mine uses occasionally on his calendar at work. It’s something that all of us, if we’re honest, could put on our own work calendars.

HBNW stands for “Here, But Not Working.” Although physically present in the workplace, my friend acknowledges that his time is being spent on non-work pursuits. These include: talking on the phone; updating his Facebook status; chatting/gossiping with co-workers; playing online games; randomly surfing the Internet. Well, you get the idea. There’s no shortage of ways to be at work, yet not technically working. Very soon, many people could be writing HBNC on their calendars. That stands for “Here, But Not Celebrating.” This applies to the period of time from Christmas Eve until the feast of the baptism of Jesus (which is on Jan. 10 next year). Although this is known as the Christmas season, sometimes it’s nearly impossible to get people to even celebrate Christmas itself. By the time Christmas arrives, many seem relieved that it’s almost over!

So, why are so many HBNC? How can we be tired of Christmas before it even arrives? Well, an answer might be found in a song, “The Christmas Can-Can,” by a marvelous a capella group called Straight No Chaser. The lyrics say: “Christmas, Christmas time is here and Christmas songs you love to hear/ Thoughts of joy and hope and cheer/ but mostly shopping, shopping, shopping. . . . Heard this same song 20 times/ and it’s only Halloween.” The whole song is very funny . . . and very true . . . and also, in a sense, very sad. So, maybe this is the Christmas to replace HBNC with NSMJ — “No Stoppin’ My Joy! Here are some suggestions on how to do that: Primarily, Christmas is about relationships — about God’s love and friendship for us and about our love and friendship for one another. A primary symbol of that is the Nativity set. Do you have one in your home? If not, this might be something to put on your “last minute” Christmas gift list. It doesn’t need to be huge or elaborate; simply seeing that scene in our homes is a visual reminder of what all the celebrating at this time of year is really about. And if you do already have a Nativity set in your home, don’t put the baby in the manger until Christmas!

Another way to celebrate relationships in this special season is to recall your family history. As we hear about Jesus’ family in the Scripture readings, it’s the perfect time to trace our own history. Haul out old photos and videos, tell family stories to each other, pray for those in our families who have died — these are all great ways to keep the spirit of Christmas. If you’re like me, you may not have written to all the people on your Christmas card list or maybe you were surprised by an unexpected card from someone. Why not drop these people a note during the Christmas season or give them a call and brighten their day? Lastly, how about keeping your Christmas tree up and your Christmas lights burning at least until Epiphany and maybe even until the baptism of the Lord. Who knows? It might get your neighbors talking . . . and give you an opportunity to enlighten them and encourage them to join you in celebrating the whole season of Christmas. Be sure to check out next week’s Leaven for a reprint of a U.S. Catholic magazine article by Nick Wagner, entitled “The More Days the Merrier.” This piece will highlight “twelve ways to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, not including pipers piping.” Maybe we can all challenge ourselves to do, if not all of the things suggested there, at least a few to “retrain” ourselves in keeping the spirit of Christmas fresh beyond the day itself. HBNC? No way. This Christmas, it’s NSMJ!

Scripture Readings

the gospel truth

fourth WEEK OF ADVENT

Double meaning of ‘blessed’ deserves further study

Dec. 20 fourth SUNDAY OF ADVENT Mi 5: 1-4a; Ps 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Heb 10: 5-10; Lk 1: 39-45 Dec. 21 Peter Canisius, priest, doctor Sg 2: 8-14; Ps 33: 2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Lk 1: 39-45 Dec. 22 Tuesday 1 Sm 1: 24-28; (Ps) 1 Sm 2: 1, 4-8; Lk 1: 46-56 Dec. 23 John of Kanty, priest Mal 3: 1-4, 23-24; Ps 25: 4-5, 8-10, 14; Lk 1: 57-66 Dec. 24 Thursday 2 Sm 7: 1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89: 2-5, 27, 29; Lk 1: 67-79 Dec. 25 THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD (CHRISTMAS) Is 9: 1-6; Ps 96: 1-3, 11-13; Ti 2: 11-14; Lk 2: 1-14 Dec. 26 STEPHEN, FIRST MARTYR Acts 6: 8-10; 7: 54-59; Ps 31: 3cd-4, 6, 8ab, 16bc-17; Mt 10: 17-22

nce in a while after Mass, someone will ask me to bless a rosary or a medal or some other article of devotion.

What do they mean by that? Does “to bless” mean to set aside for a religious purpose? Does it mean to infuse mean in this case? with spiritual power? Does it mean to It appears that it means “God has ask for God’s favor — in this case, askshown favor” to Mary and to her uning God to use the article of devotion born child. Understood this way, Elizaas an instrument to convey that favor? beth’s greeting to Mary would correlate We might note that the English closely to the angel Gabriel’s greeting word “blessed” translates two different to Mary, “Hail, O highly favored one” words in the Greek text. The (Lk 1:28). The angel goes on first is a verb in the pasto clarify, “Do not be afraid, FOURTH SUNDAY sive voice: “Blessed are you Mary, for you have found OF ADVENT among women, and blessed favor with God.” Lk 1: 39-45 is the fruit of your womb.” God has shown favor to Often in the Bible, the pasMary by choosing her to besive voice indicates action by God, come the mother of the Messiah. That who, out of reverence, is not specificalis the blessing God has conferred upon ly named. This is called the divine pasher. “Blessed are you among women.” sive. If we convert that sentence to the And in the case of Jesus, what blessactive voice, it would read: “God has ing has God conferred upon him? God blessed you among women and God has designated him as the Messiah: has blessed the fruit of your womb.” “Blessed is the fruit of your womb.” We return to the question that I Elizabeth recognized Jesus as the posed earlier: What does “to bless” Messiah by calling him Lord: “And how

does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Thus, the blessing of the mother is linked to the blessing of her son. Mary is blessed, because Jesus has been blessed. And what about the third instance of the word “blessed” in the Gospel reading? “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” In this case, the English word “blessed” translates a Greek adjective that can also mean “fortunate, happy.” The word focuses upon the state of being fortunate, and does not point to any action which resulted in that state. It is the same word that begins the beatitudes found in Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels, (Mt 5:3-12; Lk 6:20-23). In that way, the word “blessed” links Sunday’s Gospel reading to another significant passage in the Gospels — the beatitudes, a focal point of Jesus’ teaching. That teaching shows us how we also can be blessed. Father Mike Stubbs is pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Lansing and has a degree in Scripture from Harvard University.

Catholic composer releases CD of Advent and Christmas responsorial psalms

Josh Christian Searle, a member of Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, has earned the highest advancement award in the Boy Scouts of America, the rank of Eagle Scout. Searle is a member of Troop 218, sponsored by Ascension. Searle’s service project involved the design construction of an Eagle Scouts and indoor putting green for Roses Estate Retirement Home in Overland Park. Paul Joseph Quigley, a member of Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, has earned the highest advancement award in Scouting, the rank of Eagle Scout. Quigley is a member of Troop 218, sponsored by Ascension. Quigley’s service project involved directing a team of Scouts in the design and construction of clothing racks to aid the annual Ascension Parish garage sale. All proceeds went to Catholic Charities. George Melookaran, of Boy Scout Troop 61 and St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Overland Park, has earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Melookaran’s Eagle project was to renovate an unused volleyball sand pit into a vegetable garden at the Salvation Army’s 3 Trails Camp in Independence, Mo. The children attending the camp will maintain the garden, consume the produce, and learn how to become responsible gardeners.

Local News 15

Home tour

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann gives a group of Catholic Education Foundation parents a tour of his residence on Dec. 3 and shows them a picture of himself from one of his earliest assignments as a priest. Nominated by the principals of their students’ respective CEF schools, seven parents were treated to a social hour, tour of the archbishop’s residence, Mass in the archbishop’s chapel, and dinner.

‘Bow Ties for Babies’ gala becomes an annual event KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Sept. 12, the Friends of Alexandra’s House hosted the first “Bow Ties For Babies” gala at the Kansas City Downtown Marriott here. More than 100 people attended and over $25,000 was raised. That response convinced the Friends of Alexandra’s House to make the gala an annual ben-

efit. Next year’s event has been set for Sept. 11, at the Intercontinental Rooftop Ballroom on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. Alexandra’s House is a free perinatal hospice for terminally ill unborn, newborn and abandoned babies. For more information, visit the Web site at: www. alexandrashouse.com.

Remember your recently deceased loved one by attending a Memorial Mass Saturday, Jan. 8, 2010 9 a.m. Prince of Peace Chapel, Resurrection Cemetery 83rd & Quivira Lenexa

CATHOLIC CEMETERIES 913-371-4040 Wyandotte County Mt. Calvary, Kansas City, Kan. St. John, Kansas City, Kan. Gate of Heaven, Kansas City, Kan. Johnson County Resurrection, Lenexa, Kan. St. Joseph, Shawnee, Kan. St. John, Lenexa, Kan. Mt. Calvary, Olathe, Kan.

lawrence — Brian J. Nelson, a Catholic composer living and working in Kansas and a University of Kansas doctoral student studying music composition, has just recorded a CD of responsorial psalms based on texts from the Lectionary. “Responsorial Psalms for Advent and Christmas,” released on Nov. 23, is a collection of psalms from the Catholic faith. “This album is very personal for Brian J. Nelson me. As a Catholic and a singer, the responsorial psalm at Mass has a special place in my heart,” Nelson said. “As a composer, I felt I could make a contribution by setting the psalms from the Lectionary for Mass for the Advent and Christmas seasons.” Musician Sunny J. Son on organ, cantors David Adams (tenor) and Sylvia Stoner-Hawkins (soprano), as well as members of the St. Lawrence Choir are featured on the release. “Responsorial Psalms for Advent and Christmas” is now on sale through the following: • CD Baby (download or CD): http:// www.cdbaby.com/cd/brianjnelson • iTunes (download only): http:// itunes.apple.com/us/album/responsorial-psalms-for-advent/id341519686 • Nelson’s Web site: http://www. nelsonmusic.com.

MT CALVARY – KCKS Guadalupe Q. Aguilar Dorothy Balint Ann L. Barvick John P. Baska Virginia Baska Dolores J. Cervantes Elaine I. Chisam Patricia A. Davis Rose Marie Davis John P. Delich Dorothy C. Forck Gabriel C. Gramillo Angela A. Hernandez Josue Eliseo VaqueraJaramillo Rose M. Kobe Anna M. Laskowski Nellie G. Martinez Frank J. Martynowicz Michael S. Miskec Carl E. Neff Herbert L. Porter Esperanza L. Pulido Therese Kobe Smith Mary A. Wolf RESURRECTION Shirley Carlos Margarita Carter Jackson Robert DeBrineChristy Conrad L. Cohorn Edward L. Dale Friedrich W. Dieker Giovanna J. Diorio Mary Ellen A. Doherty Donald N. Fleming Isabella Mariam Goitom Eunice N. Hansen Marie G. Harris Richard L. Hugunin Preston Inthapaseuth John J. Joyce C. Joseph Knipper

James D. Krisman Jerzy Lazarczyk Elliot Francis L’Esperance Connor M. Lehr Stephen Lierz Alice R. Leonard Louis C. Manganiello William K. Morrison Neil P. Murphy William J. Nunnink Matthew Louis Oberdorf Thomas R. O’Hare Lyla Marie Patterson Charles P. Powers Kenneth J. Reaume Henry E. Ritter Jr. Richard C. Rosberg Marie E. Seckinger Richard L. Sonnich Leslie K. VanDyke Zhongfen Zu ST JOSEPH John W. Gay Mary R. Henke Nancy A. DeGraeve-Jones Joseph E. McGuire Lillian M. McDonald- Reed Alice E. Richardson William C. Sewell ST JOHN – LENEXA Vera M. Kadietz MT CALVARY – OLATHE Eli James Feller GATE OF HEAVEN Freddie L. Finley Agnes R. Frost James J. Hamm James D. Sextro Mary F. Theroff

16 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • december 18, 2009

Young adult group feeds faith, fuels friendships By Kara Hansen Leaven staff

Overland Park — Ten years ago, four recent college graduates were looking for a way to deepen their faith while connecting with other Catholics their own age. But there was a problem. Little to nothing in the way of formal programs for Catholic young adults in the archdiocese existed at the time. So, the four — Jason Osterhaus, Daniel Bilbrey, Steve Soupir, and Emily Rielley — started their own. A decade later, the group is flourishing under the name Kansas City Young Adults (KCYA), with more than 200 participants. “There are about 200 people active in some activity at least once a month and 800 receive the weekly mailing,” said Osterhaus, a parishioner of Holy Spirit Church in Overland Park and the organizer of many of the group’s activities. KCYA’s offerings are expansive and meant to offer something for everyone. Bible and faith studies, social activities, eucharistic adoration, service activities, and prayer all take place regularly, as well as a weekly Mass specifically for the group. “When the group was first starting, Father Brian Schieber recommended that we do something more formal. We started a weekly young adult Mass and it has become the cornerstone of all we do,” said Osterhaus. Currently, the Mass is offered at 6 p.m. on Thursdays at Holy Spirit; starting in January, the time will be moved to 6:30 p.m. Those attending Mass go out for dinner at a nearby restaurant together following the liturgy. But Osterhaus said many of the group’s activities are more spontaneous and planned by the members themselves. “We really have very few set activities,” he said. “Lots of members meet in small men’s and women’s groups, to pray at the abortion clinic, and there are social events that come and go. Some people are really more comfortable with the social activities of the group; some are more interested in the spiritual activities and participate more with those. There’s something for everyone.” The format works for the young adults who attend — some driving from as far away as Liberty, Mo., or Topeka. “People find companionship and they like hanging out with others who are like-minded and close in age,” said Osterhaus. “They might not go out of their way to join the Knights of Columbus or the Altar Society at their parish, but they like the idea of hanging out with Catholics of their own age group.” Osterhaus said he estimated the average age of participants was 24-

Leaven photo by Elaina Cochran

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann chatted with Laura Huslig (left), a member of St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee, and Jennifer Scrugs, a member of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood, following a Mass he celebrated Dec. 10 with the Kansas City Young Adults group. 26 years old, with the youngest in the group being college-age and the oldest members in their 30s. KCYA also serves a valuable need at Johnson County Community College, the state’s largest community college and the third-largest college overall, with an enrollment of more than 34,000 students. There is no specifically Catholic presence at the community college, so KCYA is able to fill in the gap for some Catholic students there, said Osterhaus. It also helps meet the needs of young adults who are without their college or home faith community for the first time and are spending the majority of their time working and starting in a career. “At the time, my faith in practice was not much more than regular attendance at Sunday Mass, but I began to desire more meaningful friendships that were rooted in Christ,” said Bilbrey, a parishioner at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Kansas City, Mo. “I personally found unprecedented spiritual fulfillment and growth in these God-first friendships. “KCYA taught me that I could be in the world, but not of the world,” Bilbrey continued. “I also found that I could not be living my current vocation without ‘being on fire for the Lord,’ something KCYA was crucial in helping me develop.” Bilbrey said there can be a strong pull to become primarily career-driven for young adults, but he found KCYA helpful in keeping him grounded in faith.

“For any young adult who has ever wondered whether their career should continue to be the focus of one’s life, I can say with certainty that it does not have to be, and even ought not to be,” he said. “I would submit that God is putting out the call to grow into a deeper relationship with him.” Many young adults involved in the group are at an age where they are still discerning a vocation — whether to single life, religious life, or marriage. A Catholic young adult group can provide a community where faith is encouraged and discernment supported. “We have had a number go into the seminary and convents, and 40 marriages among members over the past 10 years,” said Osterhaus. Bilbrey was among those who found KCYA a helpful support in discerning a vocation. “KCYA introduced me to the concept of discernment of vocation. I do believe in my heart that it was God’s will for me to discern the priesthood first,” said Bilbrey. “Very soon after I began that discernment, [God] introduced me to the woman who became my wife of five years and counting. She also became involved in KCYA during our courtship.” Osterhaus said many of the group’s members naturally move on as they discover their true vocation, they get busy with starting and raising their own families, or their career takes them out

Leaven photo by Elaina Cochran

Jason Osterhaus, a member Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park, made the sign of the cross during a KCYA Mass with the archbishop. of the area. But many of those who participate in KCYA find while it fills a need for a specific period of their lives, it also teaches them lifelong lessons. “I learned that when you live for God, the rest of your life takes care of itself and flows from God in countless ways,” said Bilbrey. To be added to the weekly e-mail list and get involved with KCYA, contact Osterhaus, via e-mail, at: kcyoungadults@ everestkc.net, or by phone at (913) 5797393.

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