01-30-09 Vol. 30 No. 23

WWW.THELEAVEN.COM | NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF KANSAS CITY IN KANSAS | VOL. 30, NO. 23 JANUARY 30, 2009

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Rallylife T Leaven photos by Marc Anderson

OPEKA — The entire student body of Hayden High School here turned out for the annual Rally for Life on Jan. 22, commemorating the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. Representatives of the high school’s pro-life club joined hundreds of other participants in the rally held in front of the Kansas Judicial Center.

The rally drew some 1,500 demonstrators from all over the state, including representatives from other Catholic high schools in the archdiocese. Amy Meyer, the Kansas director of the Silent No More campaign, was a featured speaker, giving a powerful witness to the damage her four abortions have done to her life. Now a national pro-life advocate, Meyer said not a day goes by that she doesn’t regret them.

Scottie Anderson, a senior at Topeka's Hayden High School, carries a banner bearing an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe during the rally. Our Lady of Guadalupe is often associated with the prolife movement and has become known as the protector of life.

Kelsey Murray (left) and Paige Anderson, juniors at Topeka's Hayden High School , were among some 1,500 who demonstrated in front of the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka on Jan. 22.

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HELP THE LEAVEN CELEBRATE February is Catholic Press Month. Help The Leaven staff celebrate by sharing with other readers how one of our stories touched your heart, changed your life, or just made you proud to be a Catholic.

Please send your submissions to: anita@ theleaven.com, or mail to: Anita McSorley, The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109.

MARCH FOR LIFE Leaven senior reporter Joe Bollig joined thousands of pro-lifers at the annual March for life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22.

IMPORTANT NOTICE Due to space constraints, The Leaven will no longer list Lenten fish fries in the calendar each issue during Lent. However, a full page of archdiocesan fish fries will appear, all ready to be clipped and saved, in our Feb. 20 edition. E-mail submissions to: todd@theleaven.com, or mail them to: Todd Habiger, The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kan. 66109. The deadline is Feb. 8.

2 ARCHBISHOP

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009

SECOND FRONT PAGE

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

Look for God even in your failures and disappointments

E

ach year, the bishops of Region IX (Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa) make an annual retreat together at the beginning of January.

With the backlog of correspondence and other work after the Christmas holidays, I am always conflicted about the advisability of making a retreat at that time. There are always, seemingly, a million reasons why it would be more prudent to stay home in order to attend to the many pressing pastoral issues.

Yet, by the grace of God, for the past 11 years — except for the January 1999 pastoral visit of Pope John Paul II to St. Louis and the Jan. 7, 2004, announcement of my appointment as the coadjutor archbishop for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas — I have made my way to Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, Calif.

Once I am there, I am always glad that I came. Of course, being in Southern California for a week in the dead of winter is not exactly hard duty! Yet, even more than the pleasant climate, I realize how much I need to spend time with the Lord. Singing the Liturgy of the Hours

with the monks of the abbey makes me aware of how often I rush through morning and evening prayer. I discover each year my need to slow down the pace of my prayer.

It is also a blessing to be with my brother bishops. During most of the retreat, we maintain a spirit of silence. But each day before supper, we have a half hour to visit. I am always edified by the zeal and dedication of the other bishops.

I enjoy their wit and humor. We laugh a lot during that short time. At the same time, as I hear some of the challenges my brother bishops are facing in their dioceses, it makes me very grateful for the priests and people of our Archdiocese.

I also rediscover each year how the time for the retreat in many ways is ideal. It is such a blessing to begin the year with an extended prayer time. The retreat provides an opportunity to ponder and give thanks for the blessings of the past year. It also gives me a chance to

recognize and acknowledge my many sins and failures. During the retreat, I ask the Holy Spirit to guide and direct my decisions and actions for the coming year. Most importantly, the retreat is an opportunity to begin the new year with an extended time of prayer, invoking the Lord’s blessing upon priests, people and pastoral priorities of the Archdiocese.

Our retreat director, Father Richard Tomasek, asked that we reread the spiritual classic, “Abandonment to Divine Providence” by Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade, SJ. Father Tomasek’s conferences throughout the retreat all centered on the theme of accepting and embracing God’s will in our lives.

Generally, it is easy for me to embrace God’s will when it appears to correspond with my hopes and plans. Yet, the challenge of leading a life disposed to God’s will is our ability to accept that will when it seems very contrary to what we, with our limited wisdom, consider best.

There is something very liberating when we begin to look for God’s grace in our disappointments, our failures, our sufferings and even our humiliations. In truth, it is often at these moments that we will find that God is working most powerfully in our lives and using us to touch the lives of others in ways that we could never have imagined.

One of the key insights of Father de Caussade was what he termed the “sacrament of the present moment.” The person who practices abandonment to God’s will is striving constantly to live in the present and to recognize in the most ordinary and seemingly trivial circumstances the opportunity to love God with all of our heart and soul.

Like the spirituality of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the teaching of Father de Caussade is eminently practical. These great spiritual mentors unlock for us the potential for holiness present in the ordinary activities of our lives.

I am always grateful for the days of retreat. It is a grace to have this time each year for spiritual renewal and refreshment. Still, it is always a joy to return to the Archdiocese and begin again the real adventure of striving to live the insights gained or rediscovered during retreat in the normal activities of everyday life.

Pray for me that I can embrace God’s will, especially when my own plans are interrupted. Pray for this grace for yourself, as well to be able to enjoy the liberation that comes from being able to recognize the Lord’s presence even in the disappointments and difficulties of the present moment.

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FLYING HIGH Rural pastor loves his model airplanes, but loves the priesthood more Story and photo by Bob Hart

Father Rick Storey shows off some of the model airplanes he’s collected over the years. He said the best thing is the memories associated with acquiring each of his collectibles.

T

alk about a calling.

Rick Storey, working as a funeral director in his 20s, had been kicking around the idea of going to the seminary for several years when he received a sign.

“I was at a Protestant funeral,” he recalled, “and the preacher was talking about how the deceased was in hell, and how we all needed to take heed. [The pastor] had asked the man if he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior, and the man said he wasn’t ready to discuss that yet. He died the next day.

“And the preacher was saying — to this man’s family and friends — that he was in hell.”

“And so I lef t,” recalled Fat her Storey. “I left the church and I sat outside while the funeral was still go-

ing on.”

He thought about all the things he felt the preacher could have said — should have said — to the bereaved.

He thought about what he would have said had he had the chance.

And he decided it was high time he got of f t he sidelines and into t he game.

“It had come and gone and come and gone,” he said, of his calling to the priesthood.

“I don’t always get things until you hit me with it five or six times,” he added. “But this was just peaceful, obvious, definite.”

Already accustomed to helping people in times of need, the young man from Wea left the funeral that day, bound for the seminary.

THE STOREY FILE Name: Father Richard (Rick) Storey Assignment: Pastor, St. Patrick, Osage City; St. Patrick, Scranton; St. Francis of Assisi, Lapeer Number of years ordained: 4 Hometown and parish: Holy Rosary, Wea My favorite food is: Lobster My favorite book to recommend is: “The Appeal” The last good movie or video I saw was: “Ordinary People” As a child, my favorite toy was: We were seven children. . . . We made up our fun.

The most important lesson the priesthood has taught me is: To be humble.

The thing that has surprised me most about life as a priest is: That your schedule is never your own.

It would surprise people to learn that I: Collect model airplanes.

Favorite TV show: I’m lucky to make it through the news awake.

Favorite Web site: I am just starting to e-mail on a regular basis . . . baby steps on favorite Web site Favorite band or musician: Meat Loaf Dream vacation: Anywhere in Europe Worst job I’ve ever had: Being a waiter Best job I’ve ever had: Is this a trick question?

Turn to PASTOR BELIEVES on page4

Raise & Level ¬

Patios Drives Garage Floors Slab Houses

Locally Owned & Operated

Kansas City (913) 262-9352

Piers Driven to Load-Bearing Strata or Bedrock

Lawrence (785) 865-0006

Topeka (785) 246-0128

Editor’s note: The Leaven was so flooded with responses to our request for “Father Storey” stories, space constraints prohibited us from printing them all. Instead, we had to pick representative ones to appear in our print edition. All of the responses, however, can be viewed on our Web site at: www. theleaven.com.

Father Rick Storey is the most down-to-earth priest that we ever knew. He always has the time for his people.

Anyone that can pay off a debt in four years when it is over three hundred thousand dollars is a remarkable person. He was so remarkable with the tragedy in Scranton recently (the murder-suicide of three young children by their father). He will always be remembered in our prayers. We don't want him to leave this area.

When I would call home or come home to visit my parents, my dad would always tell me about Father Rick’s sermons. My dad was inspired by his words from God. My dad was right: Father Rick has a talent, a blessing about the words of our Lord.

My dad was called home to our Lord in November of last year. Father Rick said the funeral Mass and, again, he had the right words for a man who was truly his friend.

Lyle and Laura Reves

Tom Chavez

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4 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009

Pastor believes funeral liturgy best represents ‘who we are’ Continued from page 3

On the road “I didn’t go to the seminary until I was 28, but I guess I always knew in one way or another that’s where God was calling me,” said Father Storey.

Now with four years in the priesthood under his belt, and as the pastor of three parishes, Father Storey spends much of his time in the car, heading from one location to another — hospitals in Topeka, Emporia, Ottawa and Olathe; area nursing homes and assisted living facilities; and of course, his three churches.

“People here are very laid-back and gracious,” he said. “They’re grateful to have a priest, and they’re flexible when schedules demand. When I get an emergency hospital call on a Saturday or Sunday and have to cancel a Mass, they understand.”

In fact, a parishioner passed away just 20 minutes before Father Storey sat down to visit with The Leaven. He had been out to see her — most recently to administer the sacrament of the sick — several times in the previous week.

“There is nothing more beautiful in our faith than the funeral Mass,” said Father Storey. “There is nothing more comforting, nothing more assuring.

The greatest hope we have is in that liturgy.

“As Catholics, we don’t only think it — we believe it.

“It’s hope. It’s resurrection. It’s who we are.”

His nine years as a funeral director in Louisburg helped prepare him for this ministry to the terminally ill and their families — the part of the priesthood he considers his specialty. But he’s also learned to balance books (proudly eliminating parish debt) and take on all the other demands that go with being a pastor.

“It was scary at first, a little intimidating,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot, but even now, there are times when you think, ‘How will it all ever get done?’

But you know what? You just keep going, and somehow it gets done.”

On wings When he needs a break from the hectic pace, Father Storey sometimes takes time to look at his collection of model airplanes.

“They’re really about the memories associated with them,” he explained.

“The places I’ve been and the people I’ve met. If the planes all burned up in a fire tomorrow, that would be fine, and I’d go on.”

In fact, Father Storey never set out to amass a collection in the first place.

“I saw one particular airplane when I was in high school, and it just caught

SOCIETY OF ST. PIUS X 5

Pope lifts excommunications of four Lefebvrite bishops

By JOHN THAVIS Catholic News Service

More from our readers I first became acquainted with Father Rick when my father-in-law was passing away. I’d never really paid much attention to him before, was not Catholic, but was very observant that weekend. Such compassion. And, my father-in-law was so calm and so accepting of his death. I wanted to know that peace.

I decided to join the Catholic church, that same weekend. I gave myself about a month to think things through. Father Rick taught the classes and I loved every one of them. Not only did I learn a great deal, but we had fun and lots of good laughs and some great food.

Father Rick is always ready for a good meal and good times together.

I’m so glad that he came through my life and I think the world of him.

I'm grateful that he’s helped me become a Catholic!

Nancy Lang

band took his last breath. Father was there when our family needed him. Father will always have a special place in all our hearts. When I had a heart attack, again as I was waking up, Father was there praying with my family.

No matter what happens, Father Rick can always say the right things at the right times. He makes things so peaceful and comforting when you feel the world is falling apart for you. I know God sent him to our community to help us make it through tough times. Again I say, he is wonderful.

Father Rick firmly believes we must be a community who takes the stewardship of our treasures seriously. During his tenure, we have completed several maintenance projects at the three parishes and we have a debt-free parish hall for communal gathering. He truly inspires us to give of our time, talent and treasures.

Especially comforting is his hearty greeting of “How are you doing?” I believe we are doing very well with him as our shepherd and steward.

Elaine Henrie Sandy Duncan

When asked about Father Rick, I say, “Wow, what a genuine person.”

He is what you see. Honest, and faithful to all of us who are lucky to be in his parish. The hugs you receive from him are so real and, although he is very busy, each of our concerns are as if it’s the most important item on his agenda!! Our constant reminder from him to pray for priests, let’s acknowledge that he (like all the priests) needs our help.

We are blessed to have him here.

My husband and I met Rick years ago when he was working for Runyans Funeral Home and we owned Louisburg Floral Design and Gifts. What a great personality.

Everyone in Louisburg absolutely loves him. He always had a big smile, kind words to say and a glowing, friendly, positive warmth spilling from every pore of his body!

After his trip to Rome, he was different — he was now filled with the glow of God! Wherever he is or goes, that parish has received an extra blessing from God. We sincerely miss him here in Louisburg and would love to have him as our new priest!

Father Storey is totally awesome. He makes us want to be more holy. He has increased the comradeship of our church communities. I don’t know where he gets his energy. He keeps going like the Energizer bunny! We love him.

David and Donna Lee

Michael and Mary Pruitt

Janet Holthaus

Every day in every prayer God is thanked for my knowing Father Richard Storey, who helped me become a Catholic three years ago in St. Patrick Church in Osage City.

As a non-Catholic, interested in Catholicism since 1945, becoming a Catholic with Father Storey’s instructions and the RCIA meetings, I am truly blessed.

Father Storey gave me sacraments later in 2006 before my lifethreatening cancer surgery, and he has helped me through another since then.

Father Storey’s care and compassion for each of his parishioners at any time for any reason are quickly and compassionately given.

All of Father Storey’s parishioners, now and in the future, should thank God that he is their priest, and have prayers for him and his hard work for the church and for each parishioner.

Maxine Breuel

Father Rick Storey is a wonderful person and priest. I first met Father Rick when he came to St. Patrick Parish in Scranton in July 2004. My husband had been diagnosed with brain cancer and had maybe seven months to live. Father Rick helped my husband and our family through those seven months. He was always there when something was going bad: I think he had ESP. He was with our family at my husband’s time of death. Father was there as my hus-

my eye,” he said. “It’s die cast metal with hand painting, and the detail on it is impressive. So I bought it, with no intention of ever collecting them. But then I saw another one in an antique store . . .”

Although he’s purchased very few of

I believe two things stand out about Father Rick. He is both a good shepherd and a good steward. Being pastor to three separate parishes is no easy task for anyone, and it is made more difficult by the distance he must travel just to ensure that he tends to the individual needs of each parish and parishioner. This is something he does very well and I would think at times to the point of exhaustion.

the planes himself, the collection now numbers more than 40 (“maybe a few more at my parents’ house,” he allowed), thanks to gifts from parishioners and other friends over the years.

“Some of them are worth some money, some not. But they’re all of val-

We are Rick’s aunt and uncle and also his proud godparents. Of course, it came as no surprise to us that he makes such a great priest: He has been practicing for years.

When all his cousins would get together, they would play Mass. Rick always got to be the priest, give the sermons and try to take up the collection — not an easy task for an eight-year-old. You see, God had plans for him at a very young age.

Peggy and Dick Skuce

ue because people were thoughtful enough to give them to me. There are people who are really into this model airplane thing — clubs and conventions and eBay. I don’t get into any of that. I just treasure the memories.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI has lifted the excommunication of four bishops ordained against papal orders in 1988 by the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The move was considered a major concession to the archbishop’s traditionalist followers.

The Vatican said the decree removing the excommunication, signed Jan. 21 and made public three days later, marked an important step toward full communion with the Society of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1970.

It said some questions remain unresolved with the society, including its future status and that of its priests, and that these issues would be the subject of further talks.

“The Holy Father was motivated in this decision by the hope that complete reconciliation and full communion may be reached as soon as possible,” a Vatican statement said.

The head of the Swiss-based society, Bishop Bernard Fellay, had requested the removal of the excommunication in a letter Dec. 15. Bishop Fellay wrote that he and the three other bishops illicitly ordained in 1988 were determined to remain Catholic and accepted the teachings of Pope Benedict “with filial spirit.”

The Vatican said the pope had responded positively to the request in order to promote “the unity in charity of the universal church and succeed in removing the scandal of division.”

In a letter published after the Vatican announcement, Bishop Fellay said his society was eager to begin talks with the Vatican about the causes of the “unprecedented crisis” shaking the church.

“During these discussions with the Roman authorities, we want to examine the deep causes of the present situation and, by bringing the appropriate remedy, achieve a lasting restoration of the church,” he said.

The decree removing the excommunications, issued by the Congregation for Bishops, underlined the hope that this step would be followed by full communion and that all members of the Society of St. Pius X would demonstrate “true fidelity and true acknowledgment of the magisterium and the authority of the pope.”

The move came after one of the illicitly ordained bishops, British-born Bishop Richard Williamson, provoked Jewish protests with assertions that the Holocaust was exaggerated and that no Jews died in Nazi gas chambers. He spoke in a TV interview recorded last November but aired in mid-January.

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said emphatically that the Vatican did not share Bishop Williamson’s views, but that it was a completely separate issue from the lifting of the excommunication.

CNS photo/Catholic Press Photo

Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre presides at the 1988 ordinations of Bishops Richard Williamson, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Bernard Fellay and Alphonso de Galarreta in Econe, Switzerland.

Archbishop Lefebvre and the four new bishops were excommunicated after participating in the ordination that had been forbidden by Pope John Paul II. Archbishop Lefebvre, who died in 1991, founded the Society of St. Pius X. “Saying a person is not excommunicated is not the same as saying one shares all his ideas or statements,” Father Lombardi said.

The removal of the excommunication was a key condition of the Society of St. Pius X in its on-again, off-again talks with the Vatican over reconciliation. In 2007 the pope granted another of the society’s requests, widening the possibility for use of the Tridentine rite, the form of the Mass used before the Second Vatican Council.

Archbishop Lefebvre rejected several important teachings of the Second Vatican Council, including those related to religious liberty, ecumenism and liturgy. The Vatican statements did not mention the council’s teachings, and Father Lombardi had no comment on whether the society was asked to adhere to them.

The Vatican action came the day before the 50th anniversary of Pope John

XXIII’s announcement of the Second Vatican Council. Father Lombardi said it would be wrong to see the lifting of the excommunication as a rejection of Vatican II. “On the contrary, I think it is a beautiful thing that the council is no longer considered an element of division, but as an element in which every member of the church can meet,” he said.

In addition to Bishops Fellay and Williamson, the decree removed the excommunication of French Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais and Argentine Bishop Alphonso de Galarreta. The Vatican said in 1988 that Archbishop Lefebvre and the bishops he ordained had incurred automatic excommunication for defying papal orders against the ordination.

Bishop Fellay called the pope’s action a “unilateral, benevolent and courageous act” and described it as a victory for Catholic traditionalists

worldwide. But he said he had made clear to the Vatican that the society still has problems with Vatican II. He said, quoting from his Dec. 15 letter: “We are ready to write the creed with our own blood, to sign the antimodernist oath, the profession of faith of Pius IV, we accept and make our own all the councils up to the Second Vatican Council, about which we express some reservations.”

Bishop Fellay added in his communique that “we are convinced that we remain faithful to the line of conduct initiated by our founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, whose reputation we hope to soon see restored.”

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris, president of the French bishops’ conference, welcomed Pope Benedict’s action as a “gesture of mercy and openness for strengthening church unity.”

France is home to nearly half of the 200,000 members of the Society of St. Pius X. However, the cardinal rejected suggestions the move would make it easier for Catholics “to be Catholic while making selections in church teaching, doctrine and church tradition.”

“I rejoice every time the church is able to suspend a penalty — it’s an opportunity, an open door allowing Christians to rediscover the fullness of communion with the church,” he told the archdiocesan Notre Dame Radio Jan. 24. “People who, for the most part, present themselves sincerely as defenders of tradition also give themselves a magisterial power to distinguish good from bad tradition. But such an act of discernment can only be an act of the church, not of some particular group within the church.”

French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard of Bourdeaux said Pope Benedict knew “the drama a schism represents in the church” and wished to “go as far as he could in extending his hand.” Cardinal Ricard is a member of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei,” which oversees the reconciliation of Lefebvrite Catholics with the church.

“The lifting of the excommunication isn’t the end but the beginning of a process of dialogue,” Cardinal Ricard said in a Jan. 24 statement. “It doesn’t regulate two fundamental questions: the juridical structure of the St. Pius X fraternity in the church and an agreement on dogmatic and ecclesiological questions. But it opens a path to travel together, which will doubtless be long and demand better mutual knowledge and esteem.”

Some French Catholics have criticized Vatican policy toward the society. In 2006, Catholics and bishops from eastern France protested the creation of the Good Shepherd Institute in the Archdiocese of Bourdeaux for receiving traditionalists. Protesters also said they feared church unity could be damaged by relaxing restrictions on the Tridentine Mass.

6 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009

Church offices asked to trim budgets Leaven staff KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In the current economic climate, most companies are looking for ways to cut costs, and the Catholic Church Offices here are no different.

Chancery employees were informed on Jan. 14 of a hiring freeze, effective immediately, on archdiocesan positions.

The freeze applies not only to new hiring, but also to posts left vacant by departures and retirements.

“We’re essentially putting out notice that we’re going to respond to the current economic issues,” said Jerry Mayne, chief financial officer for the archdiocese.

“We’re going to take a hard look at open positions to see if we can fulfill those responsibilities and duties without having to hire new personnel.”

Each department has also been asked to decrease expenditures by 5 percent during the remainder of the current fiscal year, exclusive of salaries and benefits.

Also, the mileage reimbursement rate was reduced to 45 cents per mile.

“We’re asking departments to defer items in their budget that are not critical, or to permanently skip them alto-

“

geting processes so as to achieve the best possible outcome for each dollar spent in their specific ministry.”

The cutbacks came after considerable discussion, said Father Pennings,

by Archbishop Naumann and members of the Administrative Team. Nor were they taken lightly, he said.

“Some of the issues surrounding the recent decisions had to do with our desire to practice prudence in the use of our resources during these difficult financial times,” said Father Pennings.

“We can’t predict if contributions will track as they traditionally have and we know that demands for services will often increase during economic recessions.”

“Although many experts say that religious charitable giving often holds fairly strong even in trying financial times,” he added, “we want to make sure we have the necessary resources to continue to effectively carry out the mission of the archdiocesan church.”

Mayne concurred.

“We’re seeing many other businesses and industries responding in a similar fashion and it’s incumbent upon us to respond, given the general condition of the economy overall,” said Mayne.

“

By KARA HANSEN

We need to be good stewards of what has been entrusted to us.

Jerry Mayne, chief financial officer for the archdiocese

gether,” said Mayne. “We need to be good stewards of what has been entrusted to us.”

An across-the-board salary freeze was also announced for the new fiscal year, said Mayne. And managers are asked, in preparing their budgets for the new fiscal year, to trim them 5-10 percent, exclusive of salaries and benefits.

“As it pertains to [the] impact on archdiocesan departments, it may mean delaying [the] start-up of some new projects that were scheduled to begin soon,” said Father Gary Pennings, chancellor. “It means that managers will need to scrutinize expenditures more closely and be more creative in the bud-

“At the same time, we have to continue delivering services to the people who depend on us.”

Father Pennings said he felt the decisions on expense controls for the chancery offices would ideally help ensure that services and ministries would be able to continue providing their same quality level of assistance, even during an economic recession.

“One of the reasons we took these actions now is to avoid, hopefully, having to take even more drastic actions in the future that might adversely impact the level of services rendered,” said Father Pennings.

“The steps taken to date should not have any adverse effect on the level of services provided,” he said, “and should help ensure that the chancery staff will be available to continue the level of service that is needed.”

Father Pennings also noted that the new financial directives were aimed primarily at the chancery offices, not the archdiocese as a whole.

“Each parish will have to make its own decisions concerning its staff and budgets. Some parishes may decide to use the action taken at the chancery as a model for their own use,” he said.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann’s February calendar 1 Pastoral visit — Sacred Heart, Tonganoxie

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Adoration and Benediction — Bishop Miege High School

Dinner with papal nuncio to United Nations — Benedictine College

Administrative Team meeting

Vespers and reception for consecrated religious men and women — Savior Pastoral Center

Donnelly College board meeting

2-4

Adoration & Benediction — Religious Education youth at Holy Trinity, Lenexa

Bishops’ bioethics workshop — Dallas

5 Mass, Good Leaders-Good Shepherds — Savior Pastoral Center

7-8 Pastoral visit — Queen of the Holy Rosary, Overland Park

10 Administrative Team meeting Finance Council meeting Gaudeamus benefit dinner — Archbishop’s residence

12 Kenrick-Glennon Seminary board meeting — St. Louis

13-15 Knights of the Holy Sepulcher weekend meeting — Naples, Fla.

17 Confirmation — Sacred Heart and St. Catherine parishes and Didde Catholic Campus Center at Sacred Heart, Emporia

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19 Mass and breakfast with Catholic legislators — Topeka St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center meeting Mass and reunion for the March for Life pilgrims — St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center

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Alec R. Smith, a member of Holy Angels Parish in Basehor and of Boy Scout Troop 169, has earned the Eagle Scout Award.

For his Eagle project, Smith organized a group to build a 1880s-style storefront display for the Basehor Historical EAGLE SCOUTS Museum.

Tom Grannell, a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Gardner and of Boy Scout Troop 494, sponsored by St. Paul Parish in Olathe, has earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

For his Eagle Scout project, Grannell planted memorial trees on the grounds of Sacred Heart Church.

Patrick James Hallinan, a member of Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa and of Boy Scout Troop 122, recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

For his Eagle project, Hallinan designed and led his fellow Scouts in building a large merchandise display area to handle the large number of donated items offered by TurnStyles, the Overland Park thrift store run by Catholic Charities.

LOCAL NEWS

Joyce and David Dehaemers Sr., members of Curé of Ars Parish, Leawood, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Feb. 7 with a Mass at the church, followed by a family dinner.

The couple was married on Feb. 7, at Blessed 1959, ANNIVERSARIES Sacrament Church in Kansas City, Kan. They have five children and nine grandchildren.

Get back to the basics: Spend spring break at a monastery CLYDE, Mo. — The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration here will host their annual Spring Break Monastic Experience for college students interested in a more nontraditional celebration of the spring rite.

Students can choose from one of several five-day sessions scheduled March 7-11, March 14-18 and March 21-25 at the monastery. Each session takes place Saturday through Wednesday. Cost, which includes room and board, is $25 per person.

Hosted for single women age 1830, students will participate in the Sisters’ daily prayer schedule, share meals and stay in the monastery’s guest house. Students will work with a group of Sisters each morning, then have free time in the afternoon.

They’ll also attend sessions involving prayer life and how to incorporate Benedictine practices into their daily lives.

“Those who participate aren’t necessarily women discerning a call to religious life. Many who participate are simply looking for a way to get back to the basics of life,” said vocation director Sister Ruth Elaine Starman, OSB. “So this is an affordable opportunity in more ways than one.”

For more information about the Spring Break Monastic Experience, contact Sister Ruth Elaine at (660) 944-2221; send an e-mail to: vocation@benedictinesisters.org; or click on the Web site at: www. benedictinesisters.org.

Ilene (Haughton) and Paul Burris, members of Sacred Heart Parish in Emporia, celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Jan. 25 at the American Legion in Emporia.

The event was hosted by their children and their spouses: Elaine and Walt Henrie, Susan and Larry Haag, Michael and Tami Burris, Toby and Kim Burris, Janna and Ken Elfrink, Scott and Crissy Burris, and Rick and Kate Burris. They also have 15 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

ANNIVERSARY POLICY: The Leaven only prints 50, 60, 65 and 70th anniversary notices. Announcements are due by 5 p.m. eight days (Thursday) before the desired publication date. Announcements must be typed.

Priests Personnel meeting Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas meeting

25 Ash Wednesday Mass — St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center

26 Adoration and Benediction — Immaculata High School

Catholic Radio taping Conference Call— U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Marriage and Family Committee Mass and dinner — John Paul II Convent

Kansas Catholic Conference

Confirmation — Sacred Heart-St. Joseph, Topeka

28 Benediction at Men Under Construction — Holy Trinity, Lenexa

World Marriage Day:

Held annually on the second Sunday in February. February 8th, 2009 please join the Family Life Office of The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and many others around the world in honoring the lifelong commitment of all husbands and wives.

T

Pastoral visit — Holy Family, Eudora

here are many examples of committed couples who have journeyed through many years of marriage. We know they have often been sent to their knees in prayers of need and prayers of thanksgiving. We know they have withstood the hurricane storms of struggle and sorrow and emerged stronger and deeper in love. They have delighted in the love that sustains them and the God that pours out his graces on their efforts.

O

Archbishop James P. Keleher’s February calendar 8

15

25

Confirmation — Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Topeka

Mass and Confirmation — U.S. Disciplinary Barracks

Ash Wednesday

10

Mass — Federal prison

Mass and Lenten luncheon for chancery staff

Gaudeamus benefit dinner — Archbishop Naumann’s residence

16-19

28

Bishops’ prayer group

Retreat with the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women

11 Prison Mass and dinner

21 Confirmation — St. Francis, Chicago

7

ften, a young couple “in love’ thinks this euphoric version of love will carry them through all hurdles of life. Yet, it is the self-giving love, the letting go of the “I” so that the concern for the good and the well-being of the other that is the true face of love. Love is about the fruit of the relationship which is shared faith and values. It is about children, being best friends, supporting and respecting each other, growing and nurturing the relationship. It is about accepting life’s challenges and rising above them and delighting in and being thankful for the goodness of God’s graces that knit your life together.

E

very day is filled with joys and challenges in marriage, and we must ask “what have you done today for your marriage?” May God’s richest blessings be upon you and your marriage. Thank you for your model of love and sharing your marriage with us.

-The Family Life Office of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

A MARCH TO REMEMBER Archdiocesan pilgrims join forces at the National March for Life

Many groups of marchers wear color-coded caps or scarves to identify each other in the crowd. Here, archdiocesan pilgrims sport “Marian Blue” as they leave the National Mall. The route of the marchers took them in a loop around the U.S. Capitol and in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Story and Photos by

Joe Bollig

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann celebrates a vigil Mass for the Kansas pilgrims in the Notre Dame Chapel of Trinity Washington University.

Bishop Paul S. Coakley from the Diocese of Salina concelebrated.

Priests, deacons and acolytes gather in the crypt chapel of the National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception before the vigil Mass, held Jan. 21, in Washington, D.C.

ASHINGTON, D.C. — The marching mass of 250,000 people slowed to a near stop, which gave Caitlin Fox, a student at St. James Academy in Lenexa, an oppor tunity to sur vey t he scene spilling across the National Mall.

“I ran into a group of women from New York,” said Fox, a member of Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park. “[One said] she was amazed by how many young people were there.”

But from Fox’s perspective, it was another generation’s commitment to the cause that came as a surprise.

“I was amazed by how many old people were there,” said the 17-year-old.

W

Pro-life nation Fox and more than a hundred fellow pilgrims traveled half a day and a night in a two-bus convoy organized by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas to attend the annual National March for Life on Jan. 22 in Washington, D.C. The march commemorates the 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, which made available abortion on demand. Some 50 million unborn children have been aborted since those landmark decisions.

The archdiocesan pilgrims were mostly students from St. James Academy, Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kan., Immaculata High School in Leavenworth, and Maur Hill-Mount Academy in Atchison. Some hailed from parishes in Ottawa, Shawnee, Overland Park, Leawood, Marysville and Wamego.

Other students from the archdiocese

made their way to the march in other buses or airplanes, including those from the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Benedictine College, Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park, and St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park.

This National March for Life was the largest event most archdiocesan participants had ever experienced. When the crowd finally began moving down the mall en masse, the marchers were impressed to see a cross section of the pro-life movement in all its tremendous diversity.

One archdiocesan pilgrim remarked that the crowd was “like America itself” — converging on the capital for the 36th annual March for Life.

“It was really cool to be around so many people, all out there for the same reason, from all over the country,” said Juliana Alvey, a student at Bishop Ward High School and a member of Our Lady of Unity

A 19-hour-long bus ride leads to this moment of prayer, as archdiocesan pilgrims participate in Archbishop Naumann’s “satellite” vigil Mass on the eve of the march on the National Mall.

It was a tight fit for more than 100 archdiocesan pilgrims, who travelled to and from the march on two nonstop tour buses.

Parish in Kansas City, Kan. She noted that not only were there young and old represented, but people from every race. Some individuals held signs indicating professional affiliations, like “Nurses for Life.”

Also, others held signs identifying their faith affiliations: Orthodox for Life, Presbyterians for Life, Lutherans for Life, and New York Rabbis for Life. But the majority — judging from the profusion of rosaries, Madonnas, and parish banners — seemed to be Catholic.

“I saw all those people, and I realized sometimes people stereotype pro-lifers — like they’re these really Christian people who stay home and don’t get out,” said Alvey.

“But when you go [to the March for

pro-life movement when it pulled away from Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kan., on Jan. 20.

A couple of them watched President Barack Obama take the oath of office on the tiny, snowy screen of a portable TV or on a laptop computer with a wireless Internet connection. Others listened to the ceremony on the radio.

When it was over, some of the pilgrims quietly discussed the new president’s strong pro-abortion record, his promise to sign executive orders revoking pro-life policies of the Bush administration, and pledges to sign the Freedom of Choice Act. The advent of the era of President Obama was regarded with ambivalence, even by the pro-lifers who said they voted for him.

Life],” she continued, “you realize that the pro-life movement is everyone. You can’t stereotype them. They’re everyone.”

Everyone, yes, but clearly the pro-life movement had a youthful cast, said Megan Wagner, from St. Patrick Parish in Atchison and a student at Maur Hill-Mount Academy.

“I noticed a lot of young people there.

That gives a lot of hope for the future, because the young are the future,” she said. “I believe if we can get a lot more youth [into the pro-life movement], the future will be pro-life.”

Pro-life in a new era The bus carrying the archdiocesan pilgrims literally drove into a new era for the

Many and diverse groups were at the March for Life.

Here, a group of Eastern Orthodox Christians gather around one of its clergy for prayers during the march.

Although they celebrated the fact that the nation had elected its first AfricanAmerican president, they recognized the challenges his policies presented to the prolife movement.

This cause for both rejoicing and concern was noted in the homily by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, who was the main celebrant at a Mass for all Kansas participants on Jan. 21 at Notre Dame Chapel at Trinity Washington University.

“It has been an eventful week in Washington with the inauguration of our new president, Barack Obama, our first president of African-American descent,” said the archbishop. “President Obama’s election signifies a mortal blow to the racial prejudice that has scarred our nation since its inception.”

The archbishop said that, despite profound disagreements with the president on fundamental moral issues, Catholics could and should rejoice that his election symbolized the crossing of a cultural threshold.

Even so, he urged the Kansans to continue the fight for life.

“In many ways, the challenges in front of us seem daunting,” said the archbishop.

“We know we’ve lost ground in both chambers of Congress. We have a president who has already indicated he will use his executive powers to advance abortion.”

For this March for Life, the archbishop called upon his listeners to be like Gideon’s band of outnumbered warriors or David as a youth against the giant Goliath.

“Although our weapons perhaps appear as inconsequential as David’s slingshot, we look upon the Goliath of the abortion industry as a target so large that our pebbles cannot miss,” said the archbishop. “We are confident that the Lord will guide our humble efforts as he guided the pebble of David’s sling in order to achieve his victory.”

A public witness The archdiocesan pilgrims rose early the day of the march to join more than 20,000 others at the youth Mass and Rally for Life in the downtown Verizon Center.

When it was over, they joined a growing river of people who emptied onto the National Mall. There, they listened to various speakers — and cheered wildly for Archbishop Naumann when he was announced.

The basic route of the march was a loop around the Capitol, passing the Supreme Court, by way of Constitution Avenue, First Street N.E., and Independence Avenue.

The marchers were upbeat, despite

some hostility from the locals as they went about their work, or tried to.

“While we were walking to the Verizon Center, one lady [seemed] really mad that we were there,” said Hanna McCort, a student at Maur Hill-Mount Academy, who was elbowed by a local trying to get through.

“She was elbowing her way through the crowd, saying she had to go to work,” she said.

One young man reported seeing a woman in a window holding up a sign that read “Go Home.”

A few people yelled insults from street corners or passing cars.

“It kind of made me mad that they’d just drive by and yell, and didn’t give us a chance to respond,” said Alvey.

“That’s frustrating, but it made me realize that we’d been heard,” she continued.

“If they feel the need to say something, then obviously we got their attention, which is what we were trying to do.”

Next came a surrealistic experience.

As they neared the south end of the Capitol, the police halted them. Two long, black limousines with police escort and black SUVs raced onto the Capitol grounds.

The rear limousine flew the vice presidential flag.

One boy from the archdiocesan group said he had to make a quick decision: Take a photo or hold up his sign. He held up his sign.

With the afternoon shadows rapidly lengthening, the archdiocesan pilgrims loaded their buses for the long, nonstop journey home.

As many testified on the way home, this was only the beginning of their pro-life advocacy.

The march was over. But in a sense, it has only begun.

10 NATION

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009

U.S.-Vatican relations mark silver anniversary VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican and the United States quietly celebrated a silver anniversary in mid-January, marking 25 years BRIEFLY of formal diplomatic relations. The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See observed the event with a symposium and a dinner, where about 50 guests raised their glasses in a toast to a milestone that today seems inevitable, but once seemed unthinkable.

The U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, Mary Ann Glendon, who was to leave her post six days later to return to a teaching job at Harvard, drew appreciative laughter at the dinner when she read from an 1865 letter that described Rome as the perfect listening post. At that time, the secretary of the U.S. legation to the Papal States wrote to his superiors in Washington and asked for a bigger budget so he could give “small but frequent entertainments” to other diplomats and the monsignors heading Vatican departments.

“European diplomacy is carried on by dinners and parties — you gather information this way to be obtained in no other manner,” he wrote. A glance around the embassy's banquet tables found clerical and diplomatic guests nodding in assent.

Parish sends chalice home with families to pray for priests FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (CNS) — Parishioners of St. Kilian Church in Farmingdale not only pray for vocations at every Mass, they take their petitions home with them. Each Sunday since February 2008, one family has taken home the chalice used during the 9:30 a.m. Mass to serve as a focal point in their home for prayer for vocations during the week. The program, called the Elijah Cup, was started in Atlanta by the local chapter of the Serra Club, an international organization that promotes and fosters vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. Before entering the seminary, Father Joseph Fitzgerald, now associate pastor at St. Kilian, used to live at the Atlanta parish that initiated the first Elijah Cup. “It had a huge impact on my own vocation,” Father Fitzgerald told The Long Island Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Assigned to St. Kilian after his 2007 ordination, he asked the Serra Club for permission to start a similar program at his new parish.

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009

Group to unveil ‘St. Francis Pledge’ on climate change

Archbishop Jean Jadot, 99, dies in Belgium

By MARK PATTISON Catholic News Service

BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNS) — Retired Belgian Archbishop Jean Jadot, former apostolic delegate in the United States, died Jan. 21 at his home in Brussels. He was 99 years old.

A career Vatican diplomat, Archbishop Jadot represented the Vatican in the United States from 1973 to 1980.

After leaving Washington, he served as pro-president of the Secretariat for Non-Christians, now called the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He retired in 1984.

Announcing the archbishop’s death Jan. 21, Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Mechelen-Brussels said Archbishop Jadot was not well-known in Belgium, since he spent so much of his life outside his homeland, but he was wellknown in the United States.

The cardinal said that while full U.S.-Vatican diplomatic relations were not formalized until 1994, Archbishop Jadot helped pave the way.

“At a moment when the eyes of the whole world were on the White House, this man of the church returned to the house of the Father,” the cardinal said. “May Archbishop Jadot continue to watch over the American nation, which was close to his heart.”

Born Nov. 23, 1909, in Brussels, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1934 and was named an archbishop in 1968.

Archbishop Jadot’s seven years as apostolic delegate in the U.S. included two key church events in the bicentennial year, 1976: the International Eucharistic Congress held in Philadelphia in August and the national Call to Action conference in Detroit that October.

In a letter to Cardinal John Dearden of Detroit, Archbishop Jadot called the two gatherings complementary. The eucharistic congress “was more centered on the transcendent thrust of Christian life,” while the Call to Action meeting “focuses more strongly on the social dimension of our religion,” he said. “It will serve to renew our awareness of the responsibilities we have in a changing world.”

WASHINGTON (CNS) — During the Easter season, the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change plans to publicly unveil a “Catholic Climate Covenant,” a new initiative to make U.S. Catholics more aware of what they can do to stem climate change and its effects.

It will be unveiled with a public event on Earth Day, April 22.

The covenant includes “The St. Francis Pledge to Protect Creation and the Poor,” modeled after St. Francis of Assisi, whose “Canticle of the Sun” praised God’s creation in the form of, among other things, earth, water and creatures.

The pledge is “a solemn commitment made by Catholic individuals, groups and institutions to honor God’s creation and serve the poor,” according to the pledge’s preamble. The pledge’s five points ask Catholics to: • Pray and reflect on the duty to care for God’s creation and protect the poor and vulnerable.

• Learn about and educate others on the causes and moral dimensions of climate change.

• Assess “how each of us — as individuals and as organizations — is contributing to climate change,” both in terms of consumption and conservation.

• Act “to change our choices and behaviors contributing to climate change.”

• Advocate for Catholic principles and priorities in discussions and decisions about climate change, especially their impact on the poor and vulnerable.

Last year, the Senate considered a bill that would have sent public proceeds generated by a “cap and trade” approach to emissions to poor people in the most vulnerable developing countries to help them adapt to a changing climate, but there was not enough support to cut off debate and allow a vote on the measure itself.

CNS photo/Donovan Marks, courtesy of National Cathedral

CNS photo/Jerry Lampen, Reuters

REPRESENTATIVES OF DIFFERENT FAITHS ATTEND INAUGURAL PRAYER SERVICE — Washington Auxiliary Bishop Francisco Gonzalez, Rabbi Haskel Lookstein of New York and Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America and director of Center for Islamic Studies, attend the inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington Jan. 21. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden began their term as their predecessors have, with the prayer service at the Episcopal-administered cathedral.

PALESTINIANS SALVAGE BELONGINGs — Palestinians salvage belongings from the rubble of a destroyed house in the village of Johr El-Deek in the Gaza Strip Jan. 21. Palestinians were taking stock of the damage and death following Israel’s 22-day offensive in Gaza.

Follow God’s will to hold on to values, new president urged

By PATRICIA ZAPOR Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) — Scripture readings, prayers and songs, many with a theme of following the will of God in service to the country and the world, launched President Barack Obama’s first full day on the job during an interfaith prayer service Jan. 21.

After a day and a night of celebrating the inauguration, Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden and members of the Cabinet began their term as their predecessors have, at the Episcopaladministered National Cathedral.

The Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada, urged Obama and Biden in her sermon to remain centered on values that have guided the nation in the past: compassion, faithfulness, hope, truth and love.

The 90-minute prayer service included readings, prayers and songs led by two Catholic bishops, several rabbis, the president of the Islamic Society of North America, a Hindu leader and representatives of a dozen Christian churches.

“We, the nation that you serve, need

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you to hold the ground of your deepest values, of our deepest values,” said Rev. Watkins, the first woman to preach at the quadrennial prayer service.

In a sermon that quoted from the prophet Isaiah and Mahatma Gandhi, from a recent statement by Muslim scholars, from poet Emma Lazarus and diplomat, lawyer and writer James Weldon Johnson, Rev. Watkins noted that “in the days immediately before us, there will be much to draw us away from the grand work of loving God and the hard work of loving neighbor.”

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Francisco Gonzalez read from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans (12: 9-13, 18).

Musical selections ranged from the national anthem and Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” to the classic hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”

Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl read a prayer for the nation. It asked “that we may always prove to be ourselves a people worthy of this trust and pleased to do your will.”

It asked God to “save us from violence, discord and confusion, from arrogance and greed, and from every evil way.”

Christians in Gaza express fear of emboldened Hamas

By JUDITH SUDILOVSKY Catholic News Service JERUSALEM (CNS) — Christians and moderate Muslims quietly expressed concern about what their place in the Gaza Strip would be now that Hamas remains strong after a threeweek Israeli offensive.

Several businessmen who spoke to Catholic News Service questioned the outcome of the war, which began with Israeli bombardments Dec. 27 and ended with separate unilateral ceasefires — declared by Israel Jan. 18 and Hamas Jan. 19.

“Hamas is still in government and there are guns everywhere,” one businessman noted, hinting that Israel’s offensive to destroy Hamas’ power base was a failure.

Hamas, an Islamic fundamentalist militia and political party that states as its goals the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel and the creation of an Islamic state in all of historical Palestine, remains armed. News reports said Israel failed to destroy the Hamas network of underground tunnels into Egypt.

At first Christians cautiously told CNS that although they were concerned about the future, until now the Christian community had not been troubled by Hamas. But as the conver-

sations continued, they recounted how unknown extremists had killed a member of a Baptist church in 2007 and there had been numerous violent attacks against Christian institutions and businesses, such as Internet cafes, viewed as Western.

All those interviewed by CNS expressed concern for their safety and insisted on complete anonymity.

“There is a lot we want to say but we are afraid,” several said. If European countries would offer them political asylum, they said they would accept it.

One woman, asked if the recent three-week war would make Hamas stronger, replied, “I hope not.”

She said she had no qualms with Hamas as a national force fighting for Palestinian rights but found its religious rhetoric, which made the conflict a struggle between Judaism and Islam, problematic.

Living near a mosque, she said, she often heard inflammatory statements over the loudspeakers, with the imam cursing Jews and Christians in the same breath.

It is not only scary but also dangerous, she said.

“It started in the mosques [when Hamas took over] and now it is going into the schools,” she said.

Concrete Work Any type of repair and new work Driveways, Walks, Patios

WORLD

World issues dominate Vatican hopes for Obama VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican has struck a positive tone as it opens relations with the adBRIEFLY ministration of President Barack Obama, emphasizing hopes for cooperation on issues of peace and social justice, and — for now — downplaying differences on moral questions like abortion.

Pope Benedict XVI sent an Inauguration Day telegram congratulating the new president and supporting Obama’s resolve to “promote understanding, cooperation and peace among the nations.”

The Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, compared the swearing-in of the first African-American president to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and said it ushered in a new era of expectation and participation. But beyond these optimistic public declarations, what are the Vatican’s top concerns at the start of the Obama term? What are its highest hopes and its deepest worries? In interviews over recent weeks, Vatican officials said their expectations were highest on international questions of war and peace — most specifically, the Israeli-Palestinian war. What is expected of the Obama administration, they said, is a decisive initiative to restart the peace process and move it toward a definitive solution.

Politician introduces bill to scrap law against Catholics LONDON (CNS) — A British politician has introduced a bill to repeal some of his country’s last remaining laws against Catholics. Evan Harris, a Liberal Democrat member of Parliament, said the bill would abolish the sections of the Act of Settlement of 1701 which prevented British monarchs from either becoming a Catholic or marrying a Catholic. The bill will be debated for the first time in March.

Harris does not intend to repeal the requirement of a British monarch to be an Anglican. But he believes a monarch should be able to marry a Catholic and he seeks to amend that section. Harris said in a Jan. 20 press release that “although the current discrimination does not have a wide practical effect . . . it is an ongoing symbol of the lingering second-class status of Roman Catholics.” The law had been unsuccessfully challenged twice in recent years by Catholic politicians. But last year, the government indicated its willingness to review the law. Besides allowing monarchs to marry Catholics, the bill would scrap discrimination against women in the line of succession.

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12 CLASSIFIEDS ■ EMPLOYMENT Immaculata High School - Is accepting applications for a full-time biology/health teacher for the 2009-10 school year. Contact Mike Connelly at (913) 682-3900, send an e-mail to him at: mconnelly@ archkckcs.org, or send resume to: Immaculata High School, 600 Shawnee, Leavenworth, KS 66048.

P r i n c i p a l - St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, Gladstone, Mo., established in 1999 and currently enrolling 265 students, seeks an enthusiastic and visionary principal to guide our preschool — 8th grade program. The ideal candidate will have a strong ability to communicate well with staff, students and parents; possess marketing and recruitment skills; and have a collaborative leadership style. The qualified candidate must be a practicing Catholic in good standing with the church; have a minimum of 3 years of teaching experience; possess a master’s degree in education, administration or a related field; and have an administrative certificate from the state of Missouri (or the ability to obtain one). Applications are available by contacting the school office at (816) 756-1858, ext. 274, or by visiting the Web site at: www.diocesekcsj.org/schools.

Opt i ca l t ech/ vi sion t herap is t - Looking for a mechanically inclined person with good dexterity.

Optical experience preferred; training available. We will also train you as a vision therapist to work primarily with children. 4 days/week; no benefits.

Start at $8-12/hr., depending on experience. E-mail resume to Dr. Bazin at: bbazin@visiondevelopment. com. For more information, visit the Web site at: www.visiondevelop.com.

Fa ci li t y ma n age r - St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood, is seeking a professional, detailoriented individual to manage our existing education facility and new church to be dedicated June.

The successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of facilities management of the parish campus, including janitorial, maintenance, purchasing, and staff management. Three to five years of facility management experience required. This is a permanent, full time position and includes the archdiocesan benefits package. For a complete job description and contact information, visit the Web site at: www.stmichaelcp.org.

O r g a n i s t / m u s i c d i r e c t o r - Christ the King Parish, Fort Smith, AK, is seeking a full-time director of music ministries. The successful candidate will teach music in our pre-K thru 6th grade school as well as oversee our church choirs. Competitive salary, benefits, and retirement. Bachelor's degree required. E-mail resume, references, and inquiries

by Feb. 28, to Father Tom Elliott at: FatherT@ FatherT.com.

■ SERVICES Cleaning lady - Honest and dependable service.

Can schedule for weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly visits. Reasonable rates. Call Sandy at (913) 788 -7676 or (913) 956 -1626.

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009 * All lawn services * snow removal * hauling * Save up to 25% on your 2009 lawn care by booking early. Call now for a free estimate. Family owned by local parishioners. Licensed, bonded and insured.

References available. Call (913) 620-6063.

C aregi v in g - 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.

Machine quilting by Lyn - I also do T-shirt, photo, and memorial quilts too. Located in Overland Park. Call Lyn at (913) 492-8877.

Pres erv e y ou r memori es by t el l in g y ou r li fe story! I can type your memoirs from handwritten or recorded notes. Also provide secretarial services.

Call All About Words at (913) 438-5922.

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.

Mountain Mov ers I nc. - Big or small, we move it all. Insured movers specializing in antiques. Call Dennis Higgins, owner, at (913) 285-3399.

Bankruptcy - When debt becomes overwhelming, seek professional help. Experienced, compassionate Catholic attorney Teresa Kidd. For a confidential, no obligation consultation, call (913) 4220610; or send an e-mail to: tkidd@kc.rr.com.

Do you need help caring for an elderly family member? Contact Benefits of Home – Senior Care and let our social work expert help you build a plan of care. We provide assistance with homemaker and personal care services, in the comfort of your home. To speak with our social worker, contact Benefits of Home at (913) 422-1591.

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009 Electrician - Free estimates; reasonable rates.

JoCo and southern KC metro area. Call Pat (913) 963-9896.

Cus tom-kit chen coun tertops - 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.

Damaged sheetrock repaired – WyCo and JoCo areas. Ceilings, painted or textured. 25 yrs. experience; insured and reliable. Call (913) 631-5241.

STA ( Su re T hi ng A l w ay s) Ho me Re p ai r 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.

Organizing & handyman services - Basements, garages, attics and shop spaces organized! Your items sorted, boxed & labeled; areas cleaned when finished! Wall repair, interior painting, tile work, handicap bars and ramps. Great references and insured. For pictures of current projects, view my Web site at: www.swalms.com. Call Tillar Swalm at (913) 375-9115.

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.

Beautiful Leawood home for sale - 4 BR, 2-1/2 BA. 11909 Manor Rd. Close to Nativity School and Church. Call Sue Bernica, Coldwell Banker Advantage, at (913) 620-3144.

Beautiful Kenilworth home for sale - 4 BR, 31/2 BA, hardwood floors, full basement, office w/ outside entrance, landscaped yard. Kids walk one block to Curé of Ars School, Leawood. $249,500.

For appt. to view, call (913) 302-2861.

Av e Ma ri a , F lor i d a - Luxurious, 2350 sq. ft., 2 BR+ den home in a prestigious, gated, golf community. Large pool/spa, plantation shutters, plus many recent upgrades and magnificent views. Call Jerry at (239) 784-5381, or take a virtual tour at: www.circlepix.com/P2AUKD.

■ WANTED TO BUY

*** Wanted to Buy *** Antique and vintage costume jewelry Member St. Joseph Parish Renee Maderak (913) 631-7179

■ FOR RENT A p a r t m e n t f o r r e n t – 1 BR, 1 BA. $495 per month, includes utilities. One-year lease. 10911 W. 59th Terr., Shawnee. Near St. Joseph Parish. View at: www.shawnee-rentals.com, or call (913) 6497596.

■ HOME IMPROVEMENT

Ski week (2/28 - 3/6) – Condo in Winter Park, Colo. 2 BR, 2 BA condo with kitchen; sleeps six. Fully furnished, fireplace, rec. center on complex. Inn at Silver Creek. $500 per week. (913) 649-7596.

Ti m t he Ha n dy ma n - 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.

■ REAL ESTATE

*** BUYING *** Coins — Sterling — Watches I buy coins, old watches, sterling silverware, postcards, photographs, military items, political campaign pins, Zippo lighters, fountain pens, toys, slot machines, old signs & tins, quilts, Indian rugs, beadwork, baskets, pottery and 22-gauge rifles.

(913) 593-7507 or (913) 642-8269.

Have you considered starting a donor-advised fund or family foundation? The C a t h o l i c Foundation of Northeast Kansas can help. We assist people with giving plans from trusts to gift annuities. If you are trying to stretch your philanthropy dollars further, contact the Catholic Foundation for ideas and guidance. For a confidential meeting, call (913) 647-0365 or visit the Web site at: www.cfnek.org.

House painting - Interior and exterior; wallpaper removal. 20 years experience. Reasonable rates. References. Call Joe at (913) 620-5776.

Vacation rental - 3 BR, 2 BA condo in south Fort Myers Beach, Fla. Overlooks canals, boats, back bay. Two blocks to beach and golf course. Available two wks to a month. View at: www.ftmyersvacations. net. Hibiscus Point, unit 521, or call Coldwell Banker rentals at (239) 4633151 or owner at (239) 498-6376.

■ VACATION

Ski cabin in Winter Park, Colo. – 2 BR, 1 BA, on free ski shuttle route. $110/night. Call (913) 6423027. For pictures, visit the Web site at: cabin. forcadeassociates.com.

S k i v a c a t i o n - Winter Park, Colo. 2 BR, 1BA, sleeps 6. Fully furnished, fireplace, rec. center with pool & hot tub. $125/night; $750/week. Call Joe Frederick at (913) 385-5589.

■ ENTERTAINMENT Di sc j ocke y - For your wedding, kolos, nightclubs, corporate parties, teenage celebrations, holiday parties, sock-hops, ethnic, birthdays, holiday parties, hip-hop/rap, golden oldies. Member of St. Therese Parish, KCMO. Call Zepster’s A to Z Party DJ’s at (816) 741-4777.

TO PURCHASE A CLASSIFIED 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.the leaven.com.

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.

V i l l a St . Fr a n c i s Skilled Nursing Facility 170 beds

16600 W. 126th Street • Olathe, Kansas 66062 Phone: (913) 829-5201 Fax: (913) 829-5399 Daily Mass in the Chapel at 10 a.m.

• Medicare and Kansas Medicaid certified • 24 - hour nursing care • Dementia/Alzheimer’s unit • Physical, occupational and speech therapist on staff/ Rapid recovery • Nutritious Home cooked meals • Private and Semi Private rooms • Beauty and Barber Shop • 24 hour snacks Affiliated with the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas

Jan. 31

The Family Ties ministry (families tied together through adoption and infertility) of Good Shepherd Parish, Shawnee, will host a trivia night on Jan. 31 in the church community center.

Tickets cost $12.50 per person; $100 for a table of eight. The doors open at 6 p.m.; the game begins at 7 p.m. For tickets or information, send an e-mail to Sarah at: fourhawkeyes@kc.rr.com.

Tom Jacobs, a former Benedictine monk, retreat facilitator, recording artist and storyteller, will offer a mini-retreat on contemplative prayer meditation from the Judeo-Christian tradition from 9 a.m. to noon on Jan. 31 in the Rose Room at St. Joseph Medical Center, I-435 and State Line Rd., Kansas City, Mo. Daily practice of this prayer enhances relationships, renews energy, creates flexibility for forgiveness, and deepens union with Christ. To register for the mini-retreat, call Jacobs at (816) 619-3499. The cost is $25 per person.

A “Winter Wonderland” singles dance will be held from 7:30 - 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 in the cafeteria of Curé of Ars School, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood. The cost of $15 includes snacks, beer, wine, and soda.

The Johnson County Unos will gather for the 4:30 p.m. Mass on Jan. 31 at St. Pius X Church, 5601 Woodson, Mission.

Dinner will follow at Perkins Restaurant, 11200 W. 87th St., Lenexa.

The ACCW (Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women) will host its quarterly council meeting from noon - 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 at Most Pure Heart of Mary, 3601 S.W. 17th, Topeka. All women of the archdiocese are invited. Father Richard McDonald will offer a reflection entitled, “Christ For Today’s Women.”

The Ladies of Assumption of Assumption Parish, Edgerton, will host a chili supper and bingo on Jan. 31. The evening will begin with a 5 p.m. Mass followed by supper and bingo. A $5 donation is requested. For information, contact Jean Norris at (913) 893-6630 or Laura McCarthy at (913) 882-9750.

The Ignatian Spirituality Center of Kansas City is offering a prayer workshop from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 in the Finucane Jesuit Center at Rockhurst University (located in the basement of Greenlease Library at 52nd & Troost, Kansas City, Mo.). This workshop will explore some of the pathways to God that St. Ignatius of Loyola discovered. The cost of $30 includes lunch. Financial assistance is available. To register or for information, contact Father James Blumeyer, SJ, at (816) 523-5115, ext. 214, or send an e-mail to him at: jblumeyer@sfx-kc.org; or contact Joe Cirincione at (816) 501-4109, or send an e-mail to him at: jcirincione@sfxkc.org. The application deadline is Jan. 29.

Feb. 1

St. Mary Church, St. Benedict, will host its annual soup supper from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Feb. 1. The menu includes chili, chicken noodle and vegetable beef soups, and relishes and pie. A freewill offering will be collected. Proceeds will be used to provide support, education, and advocacy for families living with disabilities.

The Knights of Columbus, Council No. 843, at St. Pius X Parish, 5500 Woodson, Mission, will host an o m e l e t breakfast from 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Feb. 1. A freewill donation will be collected.

Proceeds will benefit the John Paul II scholarship program.

A spaghetti dinner to benefit the Sisters, Servants of Mary is scheduled from 11 a. m. - 4 p.m. on Feb. 1 at St. Patrick Parish center, 94th and State Ave., Kansas City, Kan. A suggested donation of $8 for adults and $3 for children under 10 is appreciated. There will also be a variety booth, a raffle and a bake sale. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door.

For information, call (913) 371-3423.

St. Joseph Parish, 3rd and Van Buren, Topeka, will host exposition, Benediction and a Divine Mercy Holy Hour at 3 p.m. on Feb. 1. Fellowship will follow. For information, call (785) 2461338 or (785) 271-8010.

3

“Love and Logic – Who’s in Control of the House?” A free, three-part parenting series will be offered from 1 - 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 3, at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan. For information or to register, call (913) 621-8749 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb.org/kwc.

Offered in partnership with the Wyandot Center.

5&6

The Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, Atchison, and the social justice office of the archdiocese invite you to attend the 11th annual Guilfoil Justice Day from 6:30 - 9 p.m. on Feb. 5, and from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Feb. 6 at Curé of Ars Church, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood. The topic is “Human Trafficking, Modern Day Slavery: Awareness, Advocacy, and Action.” All sessions are free; however, donations are appreciated.

No registration is necessary. For information, call Sister Gabriel Kocour at (913) 360-6200 or send an e-mail to her at: GKocour@gmail.com.

6

The Johnson County Unos will hold their monthly meeting and potluck dinner at 6 p.m. on Feb. 6 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.

7

Mary Kay Whitacre will facilitate a retreat, entitled “The Lord’s Prayer: A Retreat for RCIA Groups,” from 8:15 a.m. 4 p.m. on Feb. 7 at The Sophia Center, 751 S. 8th St., Atchison. The cost is $50 per person; $40 per person for groups of eight or more. For information or to register, call (913) 360-6173.

The eighth-grade students at Holy Name School, 1007 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Kan., will host a taco dinner and raffle on Feb. 7 in the cafeteria. The cost is $5.50 for adults; $3.50 for children under 10. Proceeds will be used to defray graduation expenses. For information, call the school office at (913) 722-1032.

The Mothers of Young Children group at Curé of Ars Parish, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood, will host its annual Valentine family fest from 3 - 5 p.m. on Feb. 7 in the school cafeteria. There will be refreshments, crafts, games and a concert from kid-friendly rock band Dino O’Dell and the Velocirappers. The cost is $5 per person; $20 per family. Donations of diapers, wipes and formula for St. Benedict’s Special Children’s Center will be greatly appreciated. For information or to purchase advance tickets, call Jo Yun at (913) 236-0041 or Jenn Miller at (913) 3810188.

8

The annual Frank Ladek memorial bowling tournament will be held on Sundays from Feb. 8 - March 1 at St. John’s Catholic Club, 4th and Barnett, Kansas City, Kan. The entry fee is $15. To sign up or for information, call (913) 3719690. All are welcome.

11

St. Thomas Aquinas High School, 11411 Pflumm Rd., Overland Park, will celebrate an inaugural Mass of Remembrance at 7 p.m. on Feb. 11 in the chapel. We will be honoring students, alumni, parents, siblings, grandparents, faculty, staff, and other loved ones of our community who have passed away. To RSVP, visit the Web site at: www.stasaints.net. A reception will follow in the Commons.

14

Holy Family Club, 513 Ohio, Kansas City, Kan., will host a Valentine’s Day dance and dinner, featuring the Don Lipovac Orchestra, on Feb. 14. An Italian dinner by Jamie McCarthy will be served at 6 p.m., followed by dancing from 7 - 11 p.m. This is a family-oriented event.

Tickets cost $20 for adults; $5 for children.

For information or to purchase tickets, call Richard Schutte at (913) 669-3677, Matt Palcher at (913) 371-8225, or Mike Waliczek at (913) 342-1785.

Queen of the Holy Rosary, Overland Park, will host an “Evening in Paris” dinner and dance on Feb. 14. Doors open at 6 p.m.; dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., with dancing to follow. The cost is $22 per person, and reservations are required. To purchase tickets, make your check payable to Queen of the Holy Rosary and mail to the church office at: 7023 W. 71st St, Overland Park, KS 66204; attention Sheryl Lickteig. Include your phone num-

CALENDAR

13

ber for confirmation. For information, call Patty at (913) 384-4644.

The Daughters of Isabella and the Knights of Columbus at Holy Trinity Parish, 91st and Pflumm, Lenexa, will host a Valentine dinner, dance and silent auction on Feb. 14 in the Quigley Center across the street from the church. All those 21 years of age and over are welcome to attend. Tickets cost $30 each, $300 for a table of 10, and include wine, beer, and soft drinks. The evening will begin with Mass at 5 p.m., followed by the silent auction at 6:15 p.m., dinner and dancing. Space is limited and prepaid reservations will be accepted until Feb. 5.

For information, send an e-mail to: lalloydks@yahoo.com. To purchase tickets, mail a check, payable to Daughters of Isabella, to: Louise Lloyd, 11433 Rene St., Lenexa, KS 66215. Include your name, address, and phone number for confirmation. Tickets will not be mailed.

27-1

Sophia Center, 751 S. 8th St., Atchison, will host “The Dream and The Journey,” a retreat by Sister Therese Elias, OSB, from 7 p.m. on Feb. 27 through 4 p.m. on March 1. The cost is $180; advance deposit of $10. For information or to register, call (913) 360-6151.

You can help your marriage! Do you feel alone? Are you frustrated or angry with your spouse? Do you argue or have you just stopped talking to each other?

Retrouvaille helps couples through difficult times in their marriages. The program does not require you to air your problems to others. The focus is on giving you the tools and time to work through your feelings. For confidential information or to register for the upcoming Retrouvaille weekend on Feb. 27 - March 1, call 1 (800) 470-2230 or visit the Web site at: www.

Retrouvaille .org.

Misc.

It’s not too late to make a new year’s resolution to grow more deeply in love with y our spouse! The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend will be held from Feb. 13 - 15. For information or to register, call (913) 469-8453, or visit the Web site at: www.neksme.org.

Divorced? Widowed? Beginning Experience Weekend gently helps people move through their loss to a new beginning in their lives. The next weekend for the Kansas City area will be Feb. 27 - March 1.

For information or for registration material, call John at (913) 219-3465 in Kansas City, Sue at (785) 331-2216 in Lawrence, or visit the Web site at: www.beginningexperience. org.

■ Calendar items must be received nine days before the publication date. E-mail submissions are preferred; send to: jennifer@the leaven. com.

14 COMMENTARY

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009

Editor REVEREND MARK GOLDASICH, STL frmark@theleaven.com Managing Editor ANITA McSORLEY anita@theleaven.com Senior Reporter JOE BOLLIG joe@theleaven.com Production Manager TODD HABIGER todd@theleaven.com Advertising Representative JENNIFER SIEBES jennifer@theleaven.com Reporter KARA HANSEN kara@theleaven.com Circulation sub@theleaven.com Intern Seán T.D. Kane

Catholic Press Association Award Winner 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Archbishop Edward O’Meara Award Winner 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799)

B

One day, due to some cosmic hiccup, three people from the sports world suddenly found themselves standing before God. The first was Bill Self, head basketball coach of the Kansas Jayhawks. God congratulates him, especially on the thrilling national championship game against Memphis in San Antonio. Then God asks Bill, “What do you believe?”

Bill reflects for a moment and then answers, “I believe in hard work, giving a good example to the young men on my team, and staying true to family and friends. I’m blessed to be a coach, and I always try to do the best for the fans, the players and the university.”

God smiles at this answer and offers Bill a seat to his left.

Then God turns to Michael Phelps and congratulates him on all of his gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.

Then he asks Michael, “What do you believe?”

After hesitating for a couple of seconds, Michael says, “I believe that passion, discipline, courage and honor are the fundamentals of life. I believe in pushing myself to become the best I can be. I’ve been blessed and, win or

lose, I always try to be a good sport, both in and out of the pool.”

God is moved by Michael’s honesty and offers him a seat to his right.

Then God turns to George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees, and says, “And, George, what do you believe?”

Without missing a beat, George replies, “I believe you’re in my seat!”

(Adapted from a forwarded e-mail . . . with apologies to Mr. Steinbrenner.)

Even though I’ve told the above story a lot, I don’t really like it — it hits too close to home! There have been plenty of times in my life that I’ve had a “George moment,” when I thought that God was in my seat.

As a result, I sometimes feel burdened by my many efforts to “run” the world. But for me, there’s a simple cure: a visit to a library or bookstore.

Once inside, think of the millions and millions of words contained in those books and the vast array of topics they cover. Even if I read constantly — 24/7, for my whole life — I could only get through a fraction of the material available in just that one place. A sin-

gle trip enables me to humbly give God his throne back, grab a book, find a seat and put the mind that God gave me to work and READ. Every February we celebrate Catholic Press Month. It’s a time to take pride in the many Catholic newspapers, books, magazines, pamphlets and newsletters that are available to help us grow in faith. From breaking news to Bible studies, from books on prayer to pamphlets on how to deal with grief, from daily meditations to challenging moral analyses, there’s a world of Catholic learning out there.

Our hope at The Leaven each week is to give readers a taste of, and a hunger for, the rich and diverse Catholic world that we live in. We strive to make things as interesting and inviting as possible, but you’ve got to do the rest: Sit and read.

Let Lettie B. Cowman, who worked as a missionary in the Far East with her husband at the beginning of the 20th century, inspire us during this special month with these words she wrote: “The more we read, the more we believe; the more we believe, the more we hope; the more we hope, the more we pray; the more we pray, the more we love; the more we love, the more we labor.”

May your reading of The Leaven have a similar impact on your life. And take comfort in the fact that, not having to run the world (that’s God’s job) gives us plenty of time to read.

Published weekly September through May, excepting the Friday the week after Thanksgiving, and the Friday after Christmas; biweekly June through August. Address communications to: The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. Phone: (913) 721-1570; fax: (913) 7215276; or e-mail at: sub@theleaven.com.

FOURTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME Feb. 1 FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Dt 18: 15-20; Ps 95: 1-2, 6-9; 1 Cor 7: 32-35 Mk 1: 21-28 Feb. 2 THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD Mal 3: 1-4; Ps 24: 7-10; Heb 2: 14-18; Lk 2: 22-40 Feb. 3 Blaise, bishop, martyr; Ansgar, bishop Heb 12: 1-4; Ps 22: 26-28, 30-32; Mk 5: 21-43 Feb. 4 Heb 12: 4-7, 11-15; Ps 103: 1-2, 13-14, 17-18a; Mk 6: 1-6 Feb. 5 Agatha, virgin, martyr Heb 12: 18-19, 21-24; Ps 48: 2-4, 9-11; Mk 6: 7-13 Feb. 6 Paul Miki, martyr, and his companions, martyrs Heb 13: 1-8; Ps 27: 1, 3, 5, 8-9; Mk 6: 14-29 Feb. 7 Saturday Heb 13: 15-17, 20-21; Ps 23: 1-6; Mk 6: 30-34

he forecast for tonight is cold, bitterly cold, with a sharp northwesterly wind making the 22 degree temperature at midday feel more like single digits.

T

The dusk gathers quickly on this overcast winter day and the streetlights are already cycling on as a volunteer unlocks the front door. It’s 4 p.m.

By 4:30 p.m., the guests have started trickling in. The men are bundled in an odd assortment of outerwear and are leaning into the wind as they make their way up the street from the bus stop. It is with a sigh of relief that they step through the door of Shalom House and into the warmth and the light.

It’s not really a house, but rather an

old converted mechanics shop that has stood on a quiet street in Kansas City, Kan., for more than 20 years. Its unassuming exterior attracts no attention and most passersby don’t even know the building’s purpose, and yet the guests find their way here every night.

They are all men, ranging in age from their late teens to years past counting. They represent the entire spectrum of ethnicity and background, but like a band of brothers they are bound together by a common thread — the need for safety and shelter.

And that is what they find at Shalom House. Some may stay only a

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Jesus subdues demon, establishing his authority

A

ll teachers, at one time or another, have had to deal with a disruptive student, one who speaks out in class or in some other way interferes with the process of learning.

dresses Jesus by name. He further claims to know Jesus’ true identity, the Holy One of God. By using that title, he Those teachers might take comfort is not making any attempt to honor in the fact that Jesus also had to deal Jesus. On the contrary, he is asserting with disruptive behavior as he was control over Jesus. This is a hostile acteaching. We see that happening in tion against Jesus.

Sunday’s Gospel reading, Mk In the ancient world, 1:21-28.

FOURTH WEEK knowledge about a person, esThe story takes place in OF ORDINARY pecially the person’s name, the synagogue at Capernaum, TIME was thought to lead to control on the Sabbath. Jesus is Mk 1: 21-28 over that person. We have speaking and has definitely something analogous when, impressed the crowds: “The in our efforts to protect ourpeople were astonished at his selves from identity theft, we keep seteaching, for he taught them as one cret our PIN and other personal inforhaving authority and not as the mation. Knowledge of those things can scribes.” lead to control over a person’s life. In All of a sudden, a man speaks out, an exorcism during the time of Jesus, who is described by the Gospel as bethe exorcist would often employ the ing possessed by a demon: “What have demon’s name against him, to gain you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? power over the demon.

Have you come to destroy us? I know In the Gospel story, the demon is who you are, the Holy One of God!” engaged in a preemptive strike against This is clearly an attempt to saboJesus by revealing Jesus’ identity. tage Jesus’ lesson. Beyond the disrupAdmittedly, the name “Jesus of tive nature of the outburst, notice the Nazareth” would have been common specifics of the man’s words. He ad-

knowledge. On the other hand, “the Holy One of God” would have been a hidden aspect of Jesus’ identity, not yet even known to Jesus’ disciples.

As a supernatural being, the demon would have had access to that information about Jesus. The demon also believes that this information about Jesus will provide control over Jesus and aid the demon in his battle with Jesus.

But the demon is wrong. Just as Jesus’ authority made him a better teacher than the scribes, so also his authority leads to victory over the demon.

Notice that the Gospel story never mentions the content of Jesus’ teaching. That does not matter as much as his authority as a teacher, which, like his authority as an exorcist, stems from his identity as the Son of God. Unlike the demon, the crowds may not have access to Jesus’ secret identity, but they clearly recognize that Jesus is a force to be reckoned with: “All were amazed and asked one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.’”

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

day or two; others for a week or more.

All of them will tell you that Shalom House is the “best” place in town and many say they would rather be on the street than at another shelter.

You understand why when you step through the door. At first glance, you see humble and well-worn furniture: sofas that sag, chairs that wobble and a bay of bunk beds that are uncomfortably close together.

But then it hits you — the spirit of the place — and you know immediately that you are standing on sacred ground. This is a sanctuary and you can sense God’s mantle protecting it.

By 5:30 p.m., more volunteers have arrived to share food and fellowship with the men. Every day of the year a different group comes to prepare the evening meal. It’s “cook’s choice.”

Whatever the volunteers choose to provide, the guests eat with gusto and gratitude. No one ever goes hungry.

After dinner, the men perform KP duty, laundry is handed out and beds

Want to help someone heal from an abortion?

THE GOSPEL TRUTH

POSTMASTER : Send address changes to The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. For change of address, provide old and new address and parish.

Subscriptions $18/ year. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, KS 66109.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Into the warmth and the light

Three chairs for Catholic Press Month ecause this paper is coming out on Super Bowl Weekend, I‘ll start with a sports story that you might have missed.

15

INSIDE CATHOLIC CHARITIES

MARK MY WORDS President MOST REVEREND JOSEPH F. NAUMANN

COMMENTARY

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But sometimes, the best reason has more to do with you than it does with us.

Feel as good as you can, as long as you can.

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Ask for us by name.

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If you would like to volunteer at Shalom House, please contact Mary Kay Drees, director of volunteers for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, at (913) 4332080.

are assigned. By 8 p.m., the volunteers have gone and most of the guests have headed to the sleeping bay. The morning will come too early, and they will be back out in the cold to face another day.

If you have a roof over your head tonight and a bed to sleep in, give thanks to God for his rich blessing and pray for those who do not have even these most basic of things.

Jan Lewis is the executive director of Catholic Charities.

16 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • JANUARY 30, 2009

Call to Share helps schools office deliver services

T

his is a snapshot of what we do in the office of Catholic schools. All of this service is made possible, in part, by Archbishop’s Call to Share (ACTS) funds. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve and for the resources to offer the best service possible to our schools.

The office of Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas offers support and service to 44 schools within the archdiocese, covering these topics: • Catholic Identity • Strategic/Development Planning • Legal • Financial/Budgeting • Curriculum and Assessment • School Accreditation and Teacher Licensure • Principal/Teacher Recruiting • Special Education

Highlighting Perfect Wings Our Perfect Wings staff conducts staff training and student observations at the request of principals. This year, more than 700 faculty members have been trained or participated in in-service programs on topics related to how to best serve children with special needs. In addition, more than 50 students have been observed. Our office also facilitates the Special Education Committee, which is comprised of teachers and administrators from schools throughout the archdiocese. We publish a Perfect Wings newsletter on topics of interest for schools and meet with the various public school staffs to stay current with services and procedures necessary for our students to receive services from them.

Aquinas hosts first Mass of Remembrance on Feb. 11 OVERLAND PARK — St. Thomas Aquinas High School here will celebrate the first Mass of Remembrance on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Aquinas High School chapel.

The school will be honoring students, alumni, parents, siblings, grandparents, faculty, staff, and other loved ones of the Aquinas community who have passed away. For the first Mass of Remembrance, the school will collectively remember all deceased loved ones in its community. Each year thereafter the annual memorial Mass will honor loved ones who have died within the past year.

People are invited to enter the name and date of death of loved one(s) into the permanent Saints’ Book of Remembrance. This book will be kept outside the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the high school for regular submissions, or people may contact the office of advancement at (913) 319-2425.

At the Mass of Remembrance, the school will light candles for all deceased loved ones.

To register for the event, go to the Web site at: www.stasaints.net. A short reception will immediately follow Mass in the Commons.

Leaven photo by Elaina Cochran

Providence finishes emergency services expansion KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Right on schedule, Providence Medical Center here has completed construction of its $10 million dollar emergency services department expansion and is now treating patients in the new space.

The expansion has nearly tripled the size of the Providence Emergency Services department, enlarging it from 8,000 square feet to approximately 23,000 square feet.

“The new department is welldesigned and much more spacious,” says Janie Schumaker, Providence Emergency Services director. “We can better serve our patients and the community with features such as private patient rooms and a larger waiting area.”

The completed project includes: • Additional treatment areas • More accessible entrance and new waiting room • 29 private patient care areas (Originally there were 17 semiprivate treatment areas.)

• Radiology suite, featuring digital, high-resolution technology

• New stretchers and monitoring equipment • Four Rapid Medical Evaluation rooms, which allow staff to utilize this new triaging system, a proven best practice method (Providence is the first hospital in Kansas to provide this emergency care model.)

• Four fully-equipped resuscitation rooms, which provide lifesaving accessibility to support the hospital’s accredited Chest Pain Center • The latest in emergency preparedness equipment and facility design to comprehensively respond to a citywide disaster • State-of-the-art emergency medical services lounge, including Internet and computer access, cable television, comfortable chairs, a snack bar and private restroom.

The Providence Emergency Services department also recently installed the latest emergency department information system called the T SystemEV ® Version 2.6 from T-System. It assists the staff in delivering more efficient, streamlined patient care.

Correction In the Jan. 23 issue of The Leaven, Father Reginald Saldanha was mistakenly identified as Father Arul Carasala.

Father Saldanha was recently incardinated into the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, along with Father Peter Jaramillo and Father Marianand Mendem, and it was he that was photographed with them. The Leaven regrets the error.

Donnelly offers financial lecture series KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Donnelly College’s Alumni Association here is offering a free, monthly financial lecture series. Lectures are open to the community and will be held in the college’s first floor meeting room.

Faculty member and financial expert Steve Modrcin will be leading the series, scheduled to take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon on the following dates: Feb. 21, Mar. 21 and Apr. 18.

Each of the lectures will focus on a different finance-related topic.

February’s session is set to focus on personal finance, March will cover financial planning, and the final session will address retirement planning.