01-31-14 Vol. 35 No. 24

theleaven.com | vol. 35, no. 24 | january 31, 2014

CNS photo/Leslie Kossoff

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann (center) joins Abbot James Albers, OSB (on his right), Benedictine College president Steve Minnis (on his left) and eight busloads of Atchison’s Benedictine College students as they lead the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., Jan. 22.

On the march More than 600 from archdiocese participate in the 41st annual March for Life

By Marc and Julie Anderson Special to The Leaven

W

ASHINGTON, D.C. — They came by car, bus and plane.

Some had come many times before; this year marked the first for others.

Some came as part of official diocesan-led pilgrimages; others in school groups. Some came as families; others, all on their own. They faced snowstorms, flight delays, car and bus breakdowns and single-digit temperatures to get there.

Nevertheless, this year’s March for Life saw veritable army of people at the annual pro-life rally protesting abortion — and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas was well represented.

Held Jan. 22 — the anniversary of the Roe v.

Wade decision that made abortion legal — in Washington, D.C., the 41st annual march drew hundreds of thousands, the vast majority of

them being high school and college students.

More than 600 were from the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

The honor of leading the march went this year to a school of the archdiocese — Benedictine College of Atchison — which took eight busloads of students.

Prior to the march itself, archdiocesan pilgrims participated in several related events, including: the opening Mass of the National Vigil for Life held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; a Mass for more than 800 Kansans celebrated

by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann; and Life is VERY Good, an evening of prayer, eucharistic adoration and music featuring two-time Grammy nominee Matt Maher.

According to nearly all of the archdiocesan pilgrims interviewed, the common message they took away from the entire experience was a powerful one of faith and hope, but, most of all, a message of love for every human life.

For Evan Sutherland and Angela Hocken>> See “everyone” on page 8

Leaven photo by Marc Anderson

Topeka Hayden senior Angela Hockenberry proudly displays her sign in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. This was Hockenberry’s first trip to the March for Life.

2 archbishop

theleaven.com | january 31, 2014

Got help?

Life will be victorious

I

Youth assessment’s first fruits are impressive indeed

was very proud to be in Washington, D.C., last week with hundreds of primarily young people from the archdiocese, participating in the annual March for Life.

As was reported in last week’s Leaven, Benedictine College alone brought eight busloads of students and was given the distinct honor of leading the march.

The young people that were part of our archdiocesan pilgrimage arrived in Washington on Monday.

That night at St. Dominic Church in D.C., we had a beautiful time of eucharistic adoration. I wish you could have seen the faith and devotion of our young pilgrims. The next night, our group participated in a special evening of education and prayer in Arlington, Va., where many of the pilgrims went to confession. The night concluded again with eucharistic adoration.

On Wednesday, the day of the march, I celebrated Mass with over 800 pilgrims from Kansas at Nativity Church.

Then, our young people braved the frigid temperatures to attend the rally and March for Life. A couple hours after the march, our young pilgrims boarded their buses for the grueling 20hour bus ride home.

In last week’s Leaven, there was an article about 50 young people who on Jan. 4 participated in Renew Year Heart retreat at Sacred Heart Parish in Emporia. A few weeks ago, The Leaven reported about the Dec. 30 opening of the Reach KCK youth center (Blessed Sacrament campus). Approximately 400 youth participated. Both of these events

second front page 3

january 31, 2014 | theleaven.com

If not, a new Leavenworth program can help you find it

By Jessica Langdon jessica@theleaven.com

L

archbishop Joseph F. Naumann included a time for eucharistic adoration and both were made possible by the funding provided by all the parishes in the archdiocese through their contributions to the new youth formation assessment.

The assessment will also provide $350,000 annually to make additional scholarship grants available to students attending any of the seven Catholic high schools in the archdiocese (Bishop Ward in Kansas City, Kan.; Hayden in Topeka; Immaculata in Leavenworth; Maur Hill-Mount Academy in Atchison; and the three Johnson County schools — Bishop Miege, Aquinas, and St. James).

The youth formation assessment will also provide $4 million over a 10-year period to Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kan. The grants to Donnelly will be evenly divided between scholarships and capital improvements. Donnelly College is the only Catholic diocesan-sponsored college in the nation that serves primarily students who are the first in their family to attend college.

This new youth formation assessment was part of a plan developed more than two years ago by a special task force of priests and lay leaders in consultation with the Presbyteral Council, the archdiocesan Pastoral Council, the Finance Council, and a special advisory council.

The task force was charged with reviewing a proposed all-parish capital campaign that was mainly focused on a greater commitment in serving and engaging the youth

Want to volunteer?

Leaven photo by Joe McSorley

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann kicks off the opening of ReachKCK (Blessed Sacrament campus) on Dec. 31, 2013. Reach KCK was made possible by the funding provided by all the parishes in the archdiocese through their contributions to the new youth formation assessment. of the archdiocese.

In addition to making a significant donation as the sponsoring entity to Donnelly College that will be leveraged to acquire other major gifts from the broader Kansas City community, the youth formation assessment is helping ensure that young people throughout the archdiocese have access to high quality youth programs, as well as assisting with keeping our Catholic high schools economically accessible for all families. The assessment was adopted in lieu of every member of the archdiocese being asked to contribute to a capital campaign.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas has a proud history of supporting Catholic education and investing in our youth. The youth formation assessment is the most recent manifestation of the continuing commitment of the people of the archdiocese to pass on the faith to our young people. From what I observed at the March for Life, the

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EAVENWORTH — A family that needs help paying the rent would tell you in a heartbeat that the situation is an emergency.

But a solution for them — and so many people in need — is never as simple as dialing 911 and waiting for help to arrive.

Sometimes even figuring out the right place to call is an obstacle in itself.

That’s why Sister Vickie There’s just Perkins and one true qualithe Sisters fication volunof Charity of teers must meet Leavenworth to lend a hand at are launchWelcome Central ing Welcome in Leavenworth.

Central — a They must be program that interested in and will provide care about peopeople in need ple living in povin the Leaverty, said Sister enworth comVickie Perkins, munity, longSCL, who is leadtime residents ing the program and newcomand directing its ers alike, a staff of volunroad map of teers. sorts to the Background checks will be services that conducted. could help To find out them. more about volThe “clearunteering, coninghouse” is tact Sister Vickan initiative ie by phone at of the Sisters (913) 530-4535, of Charity — or by email at: with collabvperkinsscl@ oration from gmail.com. many churches, agencies and volunteers from across the community.

Staffed by volunteers, it officially opened on Jan. 27, and provides individuals and families up-to-date and accurate information about social service resources available in the city, plus assistance in applying for those services. Job skills training will be available as well.

“While there are numerous local services for those living in poverty, many people don’t know what services are available or have difficulty accessing services,” said Sister Vickie. “Our goal with Welcome Central will be to help them understand what’s available, navigate challenging systems and make important connections.”

While the Leavenworth area, like so many communities, has people living in generational poverty, some other factors specific to the area also contribute to the need, said Sister Vickie.

First, the community has several prisons. Sometimes, people — even whole families — will move to the area to be close to a loved one in jail.

People might also move to the community with someone stationed at Fort

calendar archbishop

Naumann Jan. 31 “Support Our Seminarians” benefit dinner Feb. 1 “Trust One Greater” — Benedictine College, Atchison Feb. 2 Mass celebrating Karen Lombardi’s consecration as a virgin — St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center Consecrated life celebration — Savior Pastoral Center Feb. 3-6 Catholic Leadership Conference ongoing formation for bishops — Orlando, Fla. Feb. 6 U.S. Conference of Catholic

inauguration of ReachKCK, and the Renew Year Heart retreat, this commitment to

Bishops Communications Committee videoconference Feb. 8 Kansas Catholic College Student Convention — Topeka Feb. 9 St. Gianna physicians retreat Mass — Savior Pastoral Center Kansas Catholic College Student Convention Mass — Topeka World Marriage Day Mass with the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph — St. Therese, Parkville, Mo.

archbishop

keleher Feb. 1 Mass — St. Sebastian, Fla. Feb. 8 Mass — St. Sebastian, Fla.

our young people is bearing good fruit.

Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799) President: Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann

Leaven photo by Jessica Langdon

Sister Vickie Perkins, scl, is making social services more accessible to the people of Leavenworth through a clearinghouse called Welcome Central, which opened on Jan. 27. The program is designed to educate people on the types of services available and to help them apply for them. It will also provide clients with the skills they need to get and keep jobs.

Welcome Central: At a glance

Leaven photo by Jessica Langdon

Erin Carroll, a Heartland Charity volunteer from Rochester, N.Y., prepares to work with clients of Welcome Central in Leavenworth. Coming from a city with a robust public transportation system, Carroll is especially pleased to help with that component of the program, which will provide clients with regularly scheduled transportation to and from the grocery store.

Leavenworth. If that relationship ends or a deployment occurs, an individual or family might need resources to help them stay afloat.

So there’s no shortage of needs.

The seed for Welcome Central was planted in 2010, when the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth community converged — as it does every six years — to map out its course for the next six years.

“Over and over, people said, ‘Why don’t we look at Leavenworth?’” said Sister Vickie. “‘We’ve been here 155

years. Let’s take a look at Leavenworth.’”

And so a task force was assembled to examine the various needs of the community.

Another team reached out to the 70 churches listed in the Leavenworth area and asked what standing programs each was already involved with.

The networking paid off.

Help agencies entered the conversation, as did representatives of the target client base — individuals and families facing poverty.

“I’ve worked with those living in pov-

Editor Reverend Mark Goldasich, stl frmark@theleaven.com

Production Manager Todd Habiger todd@theleaven.com

Reporter Jessica Langdon jessica@theleaven.com

Managing Editor Anita McSorley anita@theleaven.com

Senior Reporter Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

Advertising Coordinator Julie Holthaus julie@theleaven.com

What it is: A clearinghouse that will provide information to people in need about available services, assist them in applying for services, and offer training and activities to build skills to help people out of poverty.

It will also offer regularly scheduled trips to the grocery store for those in need of transportation.

Hours: Welcome Central is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: 314 Delaware, Leavenworth (Welcome Central shares office space with the Youth Achievement Center.)

Additional information: Clients will sign in with a volunteer. Coffee and refreshments will be available.

Volunteers will assist clients in order of arrival. There is no fee for Welcome Central’s services.

erty most of my life, so I think I know,” said Sister Vickie. “But I wanted to hear it from them.”

Addressing needs What they discovered was sort of surprising.

Although there is no shortage of needs in the Leavenworth area, there is also no shortage of services to meet those needs.

“What really seems to be the case is a >> See “Volunteers” on page 4

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) 721-5276; or e-mail at: sub@theleaven.com. 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.

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Agency matches babies and parents nationwide >> Continued from page 16 St. Joseph, keeps a very low profile. It doesn’t have a sign outside its office and it doesn’t advertise.

“When we first opened, the Kansas City Fire Department begged us to get our name in the phone book so they’d know where to locate us in case of fire,” said Sister Dolora.

Instead, they rely on their nationwide network of extensive contacts, which Sister Dolora began to build during her crisis pregnancy and prolife work in Wichita and the Kansas City area. And because there are only the three of them, the agency can make decisions and move quickly.

Adoption professionals, attorneys, social workers and hospitals all over the country call them — especially when there is a need to place a baby quickly.

“Those who work with birth parents are looking to folks like us for parents of adoption,” said Sister Dolora. “And that’s why we’re able to expedite the services that we do.”

Adoptive couples wait an average of seven months, although sometimes the wait is a lot shorter. There is no shortage of children, so an adoptive couple will be successful if they are willing and able to meet the criteria.

“A lot of people can be very particular,” she continued. “If you tell me you want a baby born between May and September, and you want it to be a Caucasian baby girl, and don’t want the mother to have smoked or taken drugs, that narrows the scope of availability.

But for the couple that wants a baby for the baby’s sake, there’s not a shortage of babies.”

Adoptions can be expensive in terms of time and money.

A couple has to be willing to drop everything at a call, go to another state,

Parents need to search souls, have patience

By Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

H

ow long is the wait to adopt children?

Various sources name anywhere between a few months to a few years.

But for Thomas and Angela Charles of Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood, they had barely finished the paperwork when the call came.

“When we started the adoption process in 2007, we anticipated waiting a year or two,” said Angela. “We ended [up] waiting a couple of months. We’d just finished our paperwork and were matched almost immediately.”

Today, the Charleses are parents of twin boys in kindergarten and are seeking to adopt again.

“We didn’t specify gender [with the boys],” said Angela. “We figured if we were having a biological family we wouldn’t be able to specify gender. So, we didn’t. We have two boys now, so we’re thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have a girl?’ So, let’s just see what God brings us. We’ll be overjoyed either way.”

Every prospective adopting couple needs to do a little soul-searching before taking the leap. Questions about gender, race, special needs and expectations all need to be addressed.

Angela recommends talking to oth-

be willing to stay there for at least a week, and pay fees and expenses related to the actual adoption.

“It is expensive to adopt,” said Sister Mary. “Our fee is rather small — $4,500 due at the time of application. But by the time they’ve completed the pro-

Thomas and Angela Charles were matched with their twin boys even faster than they were expecting through the St. Joseph Adoption Ministry. Angela was even able to be present when Patrick and Joseph were born. The couple hopes to adopt again. er adoptive parents before committing, and, above all, to practice patience.

“Have patience with yourself and each other as a couple, because you’re each struggling with the process in different ways and at different times,” said Angela. “There is a lot of paperwork and background checks.”

“At times, you’ll look at your friends becoming pregnant and it seems quite

cess, it could be $35,000 — for attorney fees, travel, and living expenses.”

The married couples they work with must be financially, mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually able to parent. Usually, they adopt because they have fertility issues.

simple, and you’ll wonder why you have to go through all this,” she continued. “But on the other side of it, the gift that comes out of the adoption process far surpasses any momentary frustration.

“All of that seems so small and petty when you have the babies and are holding them, and you know that they are your children.”

Invariably, adoptive parents encounter challenges and unexpected twists. Their patience and expectations will be tested.

Adopting is, after all, a walk in faith.

But it’s totally worth it.

“I believe in children having good parents,” said Sister Dolora simply.

Volunteers are ‘people who genuinely care’ >> Continued from page 3 clearinghouse [is needed] so that people can find where to go — know where the agency is, what hours they’re open, what they need to take with them because agencies have different requirements,” said Sister Vickie.

Moreover, Leavenworth doesn’t have a public transportation system, so even a trip to the grocery store can be difficult to arrange.

So Welcome Central will also provide regularly scheduled weekly trips to grocery stores from the center.

The only requirement for people who come to Welcome Central — which shares office space with the Youth Achievement Center at 314 Delaware — is that they have a need, said Sister Vickie.

“If you have a need, let’s come in and see if there’s something we can do about it,” she said.

From there, a dedicated team of volunteers will try to find a way to address it.

Volunteers bring can-do attitude One such volunteer — although here just for a few weeks — is Erin Carroll of Rochester, N.Y. A recent graduate of Nazareth College in Rochester, she came to Kansas as

Leaven photo by Jessica Langdon

Sister Vickie Perkins, SCL, left, talks over plans for Welcome Central with Sandy Simmons, a volunteer at the new clearinghouse in Leavenworth. Volunteers will staff the center, and part of their role will be to communicate with one another and share information to help match clients with services. a Heartland Charity Volunteer with the Sisters of Charity. She hoped to volunteer in a place she’d never been.

“Welcome to Kansas,” said Sister Vickie, excited that Carroll’s time in Kansas coincided perfectly with the launch of Welcome Central.

“I’m just really excited to learn more about the people in need and be of help in any way I can,” said Carroll.

And that’s just the attitude that has

truly impressed Sister Vickie so far in all the volunteers.

In meetings and training, she took note of their good questions and willingness to work — especially because this isn’t necessarily your average volunteer role.

“It’s not ‘OK, well, you check this box and then you move on,’” said Sister Vickie, who explained that the volunteer staffers will communicate with one an-

other and share ideas and resources they know of to try to help clients as much as they can.

“They’re really willing to do the hard work of figuring out how to make this happen,” she said. “They’re people who genuinely care.”

Sister Vickie knows there won’t be a perfect cookie-cutter answer for every circumstance. She’s sure they’ll run into questions they don’t know the answers to and situations they aren’t yet aware of.

Staff will carefully document new issues, as well as ways they were able to help clients.

Above all, they’ll provide a listening ear.

And Sister Vickie hopes that once the program gets settled, there will be opportunities for groups to come in and add some educational and fun activities for clients — such as knitting lessons from a group at the Episcopal church.

She is thrilled with the way the community has come together.

Sandy Simmons, a retired teacher and member of Leavenworth First United Methodist Church, is an active volunteer in the community.

As she helped ready the office for its opening, she looked forward to making a difference in a new way.

“We’ve had such a need for a clearinghouse for folks to access the services they need,” she said. “This should fit the bill.”

LOCAL NEWS 5

January 31, 2014 | theleaven.com

‘Maintenance Catholicism’ called failed policy

By Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — There’s no sugarcoating it. The situation of young adult ministry in the Catholic Church can be described in one word: crisis.

“The number of Millennials according to Pew Study research — those between the ages of 18 and 25 — who are active Catholics going to church at least once a month is 10 percent,” said Gordon DeMarias, founder and executive director of St. Paul’s Outreach.

“It’s approaching single digits,” he continued. “This is a crisis.”

If this keeps up, the priest shortage won’t matter, because there won’t be anyone to serve.

“Cultural Catholicism, nominal Catholicism, maintenance Catholicism is a dead retention policy,” said DeMarias, quoting author Sherry A. Weddel.

There is hope, however, in the new ministries, methods and ardor of the new evangelization, he said.

Exciting things are happening now.

DeMarias was one of the speakers at the “Outreach to Young Adults” daylong workshop, held on Jan. 16 at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kan. It was the first of seven new evangelization workshops to be given this year as part of the “Proclaim It!” aspect of the ongoing archdiocesan Faith Initiative.

“Young adult work in the church is hard, for a number of reasons,” said DeMarias.

Teenagers and young adults are relatively easy to find during their junior high, high school and college years because they are preparing for the sacrament of confirmation or are in a somewhat constrained environment and can access campus ministry offices.

“But once people leave college, it’s hard to even get in contact with [young adults], because they are not gathering any place in the church,” said DeMarias.

Catholics must respond to this

Anniversary policy

Leaven photo by Joe Bollig

The lack of participation by, and retention of, young adults in the church constitutes a crisis, said Gordon DeMarias, founder and executive director of St. Paul’s Outreach, during a workshop about the evangelization of young adults. At the workshop, SPO Kansas Mission director Matt Karr presented an overview of Kansas City area and Atchison efforts. need by embracing Pope John Paul II’s call for a new evangelization, he said. It’s the church’s essential mission and deepest identity, he added. “[Pope John Paul II] said that the time has come for the church to commit all of her energies to a new evangelization,” said DeMarias.

“There is a new state of affairs in our church today, and no one is permitted to remain idle,” he continued.

“No believer can stand on the sidelines. Every faithful Catholic Christian needs to be engaged in this work of the new evangelization.”

The “new state of affairs” is a culture that has forgotten God, he said.

It is the “culture of death,” a culture that has become “toxic” in many ways for Christians.

Before he became pope, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger called for new grass-roots movements to take up the call to a new evangelization, said DeMarias.

Some of these movements are by and for young adults.

One of those new, grassroots movements is Saint Paul’s Outreach, which DeMarias founded as a Catho-

lic campus outreach ministry 25 years ago in St. Paul, Minn. The ministry is now active in seven states and at four colleges and universities in the Kansas City area alone.

The mission of St. Paul’s Outreach, said DeMarias, is to change lives by helping people undergo a deep conversion to Christ. Despite the challenges of young adult ministry, it is bearing fruit and there is reason for hope.

“I hope what we impart is hope, and not despair,” said DeMarias. “It’s hard. The ground is hard. The challenges are hard.

“But God’s grace and power is at work. And Our Lord is searching the world for men and women like yourselves who are willing to courageously and generously say ‘yes’ to his invitation to be workers in vineyard, to be missionaries in his new evangelization.”

Matt Karr, Kansas Mission Center director for St. Paul’s Outreach, also spoke at the workshop, giving an overview of the campus-oriented ministry in the morning, and leading participants in some brainstorming and prayer in the afternoon.

Lincoln Series to focus on the Lincoln family Leavenworth — The University of Saint Mary here will delve into the Lincoln family at USM’s 16th annual Lincoln Event, “Abe’s Descendants: A Journey through the Lincoln Family Album.”

A lively program will be presented

by Topeka-based Civil War historians and lecturers Dr. Herschel Stroud and Jacque Stroud at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17, which is Presidents Day. The event is free and will be held in Xavier Theatre on the USM main campus in Leavenworth, located at 4100 S. 4th St. Seating is limited. For more information, visit the website at: www. stmary.edu/ lincoln.

“Once again, the University of Saint Mary is very pleased to host its annual Lincoln Event,” said university provost Dr. Bryan Le Beau. “And in keeping with the event’s longstanding tradition of providing informative and interesting presentations, we are excited by what our presenters — Herschel and Jacque Stroud — will offer.”

Kale and Juanita Bonebrake, members of Sacred Heart Parish, Emporia, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Feb. 8.

The couple was married on Feb. 8, 1964, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Concordia.

Their children are: Kristine Wilburn and Kevin Bonebrake, both of Emporia.

• The Leaven prints 50, 60, 65 and 70th notices.

• Announcements are due eight days before the desired publication date.

• Announcements must be typed.

Send notices to: The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, attn: anniversaries; or send an email to: Todd@theleaven.com.

Sister Ann Winifred McGarry, SCL leavenworth — Sister Ann Winifred McGarry, 93, died Jan. 20 at the motherhouse here. She faithfully served the people of God as a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth for 75 years.

Margaret McGarry was born on March 5, 1920, in Butte, Mont., the youngest of nine children born to James and Annie McGarry.

She graduated from Immaculate Conception Grade School and Girls Central High School. She entered the religious community of the Sisters of Charity on Aug. 14, 1938, and, as Sister Ann Winifred, made her profession of vows on March 2, 1940. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Saint Mary, Leavenworth, and taught in elementary parochial schools for 43 years.

A former student, Steve Locati, now a partner with Locati Architects in Bozeman, Mont., wrote the following about Sister Ann Winifred: “Sister Ann Winifred was my 6th-grade teacher. She was always quick witted and surprisingly fun and had a spectacular sense of humor.

Though strict, she was always fair and, in hindsight, did a spectacular job of keeping me and my cohorts in check. Looking back, Sister Ann Winifred is one of those individuals whom I will always remember with a smile.”

In 1983, Sister Ann Winifred decided it was time for a change. She took a position at St. James Healthcare back in her hometown of Butte. She spent 10 years in the medical records department, followed by 15 years as the information desk receptionist.

Due to health issues, she retired to the motherhouse in 2009.

White Mass for Catholic health care professionals

Food drive

Prince of Peace School in Olathe collected over 8,200 donations in a student council-sponsored food drive for Olathe Catholic Charities Food Pantry.

The theme for the food drive was : “We are Cantastic Sports Fans.” Each donated item counted as a vote for a favorite Kansas City professional sports team. Sporting KC won out over the Chiefs and the Royals. Pictured are: (back row, from left) seventh-grader Patrick Callahan, seventh-grader Carter Melchior, and eighth-grader Olivia Stoehr; (front row, from left) eighth-grader Morgan Taylor, seventh-grader Kyndal Park and eighth-grader Sydney Stricker.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Sts. Cosmas and Damian Guild of the Catholic Medical Association-Kansas City will host the fifth-annual White Mass for health care professionals at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 15 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church here, located at 3934 Washington. Bishop Robert Finn will be the principal celebrant, joined by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann.

For more information or to RSVP, email Dr. Josh Mammen at: jmammen2@kumc.edu.

6 Local news

theleaven.com | January 31, 2014

Vatican letter 7

january 31, 2014 | theleaven.com

From fraternity, justice blossoms

“C

atholic” means universal.

We are one, worldwide church. In a few days, audiences worldwide will turn their attention to the upcoming Olympic Games as we are reminded of the strength of the human spirit we share with one another. Our beloved Pope Francis reminds us of the fact that, although we are ever increasingly global “neighbors,” we must continue to work to become “brothers and sisters.”

Catholics in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas share this wonderful, worldwide diversity.

Pope Francis on Jan. 1, in his first message for the World Day of Peace, said that “every man and woman has a desire for a full life, longing for fraternity which draws us to fellowship with others and enables us to see them as brothers and sisters to be accepted and embraced.”

“Without fraternity,” he continued, “it is impossible to build a just society. We should remember that fraternity is generally first learned in the family.”

A just society is one of the most powerful Gospel messages. When there is justice, there is hope. Resources provided by the Archbishop’s Call to Share appeal are vital to proclaiming the Gospel to minority communities in our archdiocese. The office for social justice, for example, leads and encourages Catholics to grow in their friendship with Jesus Christ by working for a just society, informed by the church’s social teaching amid the challenges of modern society.

The La Luz Center for Immigration Legal Assistance is supported through Catholic Charities, which receives

funding from the Call to Share appeal.

The center provides legal services to low-income, foreign-born families. This assistance often means the difference between life and death for those fleeing persecution and reunites families separated by many years and thousands of miles. Hispanic ministry is the archdiocese’s response to the Hispanic presence. It seeks to bring all Hispanic Catholics into enthusiastic participation in the life and mission of the church, while strengthening the unity of the one body of Christ.

Our archdiocese has such a rich Native American heritage. A devotion to St. Kateri Tekakwitha is responsible for establishing Native American ministries in Catholic churches all over the United States and Canada, including our Camp Tekakwitha at Prairie Star Ranch.

Pope Francis invites us to believe a simple and beautiful idea: The church is a story of love and we are a part of it.

The church, he says, is not an organization, but a mother. We, by the power of the Holy Spirit, “all together, are one family in the church who is our mother.”

In this family, fraternity is born. And from this fraternity, justice blossoms.

CNS photo/Max Rossi, Reuters

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI (below) coupled with the election and public’s fascination with Pope Francis (above) has been a boon for news outlets of every kind, but especially shows the importance of the Catholic press, which can correct oversimplifications, misunderstandings and distortions in secular coverage of the church.

Eventful year raises the profile of the Catholic press

By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service

V

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ATICAN CITY (CNS) — Few probably know it outside the ranks of the craft, but February is Catholic Press Month, when the church in the United States and Canada recognizes the importance of Catholic media and members of the Catholic media reflect in a special way on their service to the church.

These are not easy times for Catholic journalism, which no less than its secular counterpart has been deeply unsettled by technologically driven changes in how readers and viewers receive and share information.

The disruption seems bound to continue indefinitely, and there is no consensus about where it will lead.

Yet Catholic Press Month 2014 should be an occasion for new hope. The last year has witnessed developments within the church that offer Catholic journalism major opportunities for greater influence, among the faithful and the public at large.

On Feb. 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would become the first pope in nearly 600 years to resign.

Those who were at the Vatican press office that morning remember how quickly it filled with seemingly all the accred-

CNS photo/Paul Haring

ited journalists in Rome, many of whom rarely covered papal events. Approximately 5,600 journalists were accredited to report on the conclave that elected Pope Francis March 13.

As it turned out, that papal transition was just the beginning of the Vatican’s longest stretch of global media attention since the pontificate of Blessed John Paul II, and perhaps since the Second Vatican Council half a century before. The attention shows no sign of ending soon.

Pope Francis’ colossal popularity has been a boon for news outlets of every kind. Practi-

cally whatever he does excites curiosity that translates almost instantly into higher television ratings or more online page views.

Yet interest in a pope does not necessarily translate into interest in the church as a whole. Much secular coverage of Blessed John Paul focused on his unique work as a charismatic, world-traveling evangelist, and on his role as a protagonist in the struggle for freedom in Eastern Europe.

Pope Benedict’s announcement that he would step down initiated a period of intense

coverage of the church’s traditions, practices, institutions and teachings. What were the problems within the Vatican that had reportedly prompted the pope to resign? What would it mean to have two living men who had both served as pope? Such questions reflected an interest in the church that transcended the actions of any single leader.

Pope Francis has used his popularity to draw attention to a range of concerns, especially the plight of the poor. But, with his ambitious agenda of Vatican reform, his denunciations of “spiritual worldliness” among

the clergy and his frank critiques of church personnel and institutions he deems insufficiently merciful or pastoral, the pope has kept the secular press unusually focused on the internal life of the church at every level.

Here is where the Catholic press can make a special contribution in at least two ways.

For the benefit of its Catholic readers and viewers, it can provide an explicit corrective to oversimplifications, misunderstandings and outright distortions in secular coverage of the church.

At the same time, the Catholic press can indirectly inform the many people — including a great number of Catholics — who get their news of the church primarily from secular media. Because secular journalists, logically enough, turn to Catholic media for information and guidance when they write about the church, the better their sources, the better their reporting ultimately will be.

The latter role is a more modest one for the Catholic press, and fulfilling it will do even less to solve the business challenges that almost all its outlets face today. But in both ways, members of the Catholic press are uniquely well positioned to help the church take advantage of an extraordinary opportunity to reveal itself to the world.

‘Everyone came together to stand up for what we believe in’ >> Continued from page 1 berry, both seniors from Topeka’s Christ the King Parish, that message was first heard at the opening Mass of the National Vigil for Life celebrated by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities.

Sutherland, a home-schooled student, said Cardinal O’Malley’s homily touched his heart and reminded him of the true message of love inherent in the movement itself.

“Cardinal O’Malley explained how the pro-life movement is, by its very nature, pro-mother. We are there to support mothers and their unborn children,” he said.

Although Hayden High School did not send an official delegation this year, Hockenberry, a senior, was among those in D.C., having traveled with family. It was her first time to the march and first time witnessing and participating in such a large Mass.

The opening procession included hundreds of seminarians, deacons, priests, bishops and cardinals, she said. And the church was packed with thousands of laypeople, the majority of whom were high school and college students. The crowd was so large it spilled into side chapels, the crypt church and the aisles of the massive basilica.

“It was awesome,” Hockenberry said, adding she couldn’t believe the numbers of people who showed up to stand up for what they believe in.

“It was amazing, and way beyond my expectations to be part of such a faith-filled experience,” she added. “Everyone came together to stand up for what we believe in — that everyone has the right to life.”

Kyle Lavin, a member of Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park, agreed — right down to his use of the word “awesome.”

“I don’t know how else to describe it,” admitted the St. James senior.

For Allie Crank, a member of Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park and a senior at Notre Dame de Sion in Kansas City, Mo., the message of love resonated in a different way.

“One of the speakers at the Matt Maher concert talked about being pro-life. To be fully pro-life, she said, you have to respect all forms of life. I thought that was kind of neat because sometimes you forget to take time out of your day to see how other people are doing, and that’s a simple way to be pro-life.”

“I’m definitely going to try and be more caring about other people and value all aspects of life,” Crank continued, “and I will encourage my family to do the same.”

Getting involved was also something that students talked about, including Jensen Conner.

Currently a junior at Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kan., Conner was making her second trip to the march and said she was definitely inspired all over again.

“It’s eye-opening to see how many people come from all of the different states,” she said. “It’s an

experience that everyone should be able to do at least once in their lives. . . . It’s a pilgrimage that I sacrificed some things for, and I know others did, too.”

“I think what I’ll take home with me,” added Conner, “is to share my views on pro-life and to stand up for those who cannot speak, by being more helpful in school with pro-life work or at the church — maybe volunteering at the county pregnancy center.”

Maddy Moore, a 17-year-old junior from St. Gregory Parish in Marysville, who was making the pilgrimage for the first time, said that she learned a lot on the trip.

“I thought it was an awesome experience. I loved it,” said Moore.

“I actually learned about the history of the Roe v. Wade decision [through the trip]. I hadn’t known any of that before. Neither woman in that case or the other case (Doe v. Bolton) actually had an abortion.”

Going home, Moore said, she was going to get more involved in her faith.

“The one thing that really, really got me was when we had Mass at St. Dominic’s Parish. The priest talked about how we can come together to these things, but we need to give our whole lives to God,” she said. “That was big for me, knowing that I need to do more.”

Matt Butko, a sophomore and a member of St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee, said the overall experience was for him powerful, moving and gratifying. The view from Capitol Hill truly impressed him. As it was his first time at the march, once he reached the top of the hill, he made certain to stop and turn around to see the crowds.

“It was so cool because I couldn’t see the end of all of the people,” he said. “The thoughts that went through my mind were just pure shock of how many people made the journey to express their views.

“The feelings in my heart,” he added, “were happy and sad — happy because that many people showed up and sad because we’re marching to get a law changed that allows such horrible things.”

Another first-timer was Stephen Akers, a junior at Maur Hill-Mount Academy in Atchison. Akers just moved to Kansas this past summer from Nebraska. In his former diocese, so many young people go on the pilgrimage that space is usually limited to upperclassmen. He was thrilled to be able to participate in the archdiocesan pilgrimage.

Describing the experience as “positive,” “upbeat” and “energetic,” Akers said the snow and freezing temperatures did not bother him one bit — nor did it seem to bother most people.

“People were just so energetic to be marching,” he said. “You did not notice the weather. I was out there. I could have gone for a couple more hours. It was great.”

The view from Capitol Hill also inspired him.

“I was at the very front, and I took a picture with my phone.

There were people solid for at least a mile. Most of them were youth, which is awesome. We are going to win this. We are going to change Roe v. Wade.”

CNS photo/Larry Downing, Reuters

Pro-life activists lie down in front of the White House during a snowstorm in Washington Jan. 21. The action took place a day before thousands were to take part in the annual March for Life.

CNS photo/Jonathan Ernst, Reuters

March for Life participants make their way up Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court building in Washington Jan. 22. Thousands took part in the annual event, which this year marked the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion across the nation.

CNS photo/Leslie Kossoff

A woman prays outside the U.S. Supreme Court building during the March for Life in Washington Jan. 22.

CNS photo /Bob Roller

CNS photo/Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier

Seminarians from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington walk through the snow en route to the subway Jan. 22 to get to the National Mall for the annual March for Life.

Ronald Chauca of Chicago is bundled up as he makes his way across the National Mall before the March for Life in Washington Jan. 22.

Topeka rally draws abortion opponents to the Capitol

By Marc and Julie Anderson Special to The Leaven

Above, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann processes into the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with hundreds of seminarians, deacons, priests, bishops, archbishops and cardinals for the opening Mass of the National Vigil for Life.

Leaven Photo by Marc Anderson

At right, a group representing Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park brave the cold to take part in the march. Although skies were sunny all day, temperatures barely reached 20 degrees.

Photo courtesy of Paul camarata

T

OPEKA — On the same day as the national rally and March for Life in Washington, D.C., Jan. 22, local rallies and marches were held across the nation.

At the state Capitol in Topeka, more than 1,500 opponents of abortion from across Kansas — including the entire student body of Hayden High School, Topeka’s only Catholic high school — gathered to protest.

Dozens of state legislators, the governor, a congressman and a senator were all in attendance. And prior to the march and rally, hundreds of Catholics gathered for a Mass at the nearby Topeka Performing Arts Center. Celebrated by Father Andrew Strobl, the archdiocesan director of evangelization, the

Leaven photo by Joe McSorley

From left (in letter jackets), Hayden juniors Kirah Lohse, Kalie Arnold, and Audrey Meier take part in the local pro-life rally in Topeka that coincided with the national March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22.

Mass drew some 1,200.

After the rally, Hayden freshman Christina Hockenberry, 15, shared the experience with her mother Lisa in a brief essay about what she had learned.

“The last thing on my mind,”

she wrote, “was: Will our generation change the hearts of those who believe this is OK? And I thought of what one man said, ‘History is on our side. This will be the generation that ends abortion.’”

Leaven photo by Joe McSorley

From left, Jody Madden, a Hayden graduate and theology teacher, and seniors Brock Falley, Nathan Heideman, Josh Russell and Xavier Ramos take part in the Topeka pro-life rally.

More than 1,500 opponents of abortion from Kansas — including the entire Hayden student body — joined in the march.

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theleaven.com | january 31, 2014

Cardinal defends publication of Blessed John Paul’s private notebooks

Effort looks to curb sex trafficking at Super Bowl

By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service

W

ASHINGTON (CNS) — A lot of “positive feedback” has been reported from hotels expecting an influx of visitors for the Feb. 2 Super Bowl with regard to efforts to curb human trafficking — primarily sex trafficking — surrounding the event.

The report comes from Margot Morris, program director for the Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment.

It has been Morris’ job to reach out to hotels big and small from Connecticut to Philadelphia as fans check in with football on their mind — and traffickers check in with easy money on their mind.

“In New Jersey, we got 78 percent positive feedback from the hotels,” Morris told Catholic News Service in a Jan. 27 telephone interview.

Morris spoke of a “hierarchy” of positive feedback. Some hotel managers, she said, responded, “Thank you for speaking at us. It’s a really busy time,” and offered to put anti-trafficking information by the employee bulletin board area. “On the other hand, we had very encouraging managers who said, ‘I can’t believe I wasn’t aware of this issue. I’m going to have my staff training as soon as possible.’”

To help those hotel managers, the Tri-State Coalition conducted training for hotel staff in November at Rutgers University’s law school.

Dominican Sister Pat Daly, the coalition’s executive director, said the organization has been planning for this ever since the National Football League awarded Super Bowl XLVIII two years ago to MetLife Stadium in the New Jersey suburbs of New York City.

“We didn’t want to vilify the NFL, we didn’t want to vilify the hotels,” Sister Pat said. “It’s a business — a high-profit business, an influx of short-term tourists are coming to the area. Unfortunately, it’s a great opportunity [for traffickers] to gain a lot of profit.”

Morris told CNS of one new wrinkle

By Jonathan Luxmoore Catholic News Service CNS photo/Roadside Attractions

James Earl Jones and Vanessa Hudgens star in a scene from the movie “Gimme Shelter.” The movie tells the powerful story of a teenager faced with desperate choices when she finds herself pregnant and homeless in New Jersey and how meeting people who cared changes her.

Shelters for unwed teens inspire new film CNS photo/Eduardo Munoz, Reuters

Pedestrians are reflected on windows displaying the Super Bowl icon Jan. 27 as preparations continued for Super Bowl XLVIII in New York. Margot Morris, program director for the Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment, says a lot of “positive feedback” has been reported from hotels expecting an influx of visitors for the Feb. 2 Super Bowl regarding efforts to curb human trafficking — primarily sex trafficking — surrounding the event. in the hotel outreach effort, this one to independently run budget-priced hotels and motels that dot the New Jersey landscape.

“It’s a soap campaign. It was established by a survivor, Teresa Flores,” Morris said. “We deliver basic human trafficking info and posters of local, missing children. The bars of soap that they give out for free have a hotline number on it.”

Hotel operators have been taking the soap bars, and some have even prominently displayed their anti-trafficking training certificate, Morris said.

The Tri-State Coalition is the largest Catholic investment group in the New York region, Sister Pat said, adding her hopes that its outreach will make an impact. “The difference in heightened awareness [of trafficking] and within the industry is a deterrent in itself,” she said. “I hope with all this awareness being raised now, traffickers will be less inclined to bring their girls to the area.”

At a Jan. 27 hearing on sex trafficking at the Super Bowl by the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, subcommittee chairman Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said: “The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports that more than 10,000 exploited women and girls were trafficked to Miami for the Super Bowl in 2010. This must not happen again!”

Smith talked about the Department of Homeland Security’s “Blue Lightning” training initiative adopted by many airlines; through the program airline personnel learn how to identify potential traffickers and their victims and to report their suspicions to federal law enforcement.

“With minimal modifications, the training is also easily adaptable to bus drivers and station operators, train conductors, trucking associations and other transportation industry professionals,” he said.

ARLINGTON, Va. (CNS) — Every day, Kathy DiFiore, who helps young unwed mothers in need and their children with shelter and support, tells God that she wants to do his will. “And if I’m not doing what he wants, he has a right to pick up his divine two-by-four, hit me over the head a couple times and I’ll pay attention,” she said. DiFiore’s conviction that God repeatedly was asking her to share the stories of the mothers she works with eventually led to the movie “Gimme Shelter,” now in theaters. The movie — starring Vanessa Hudgens, Rosario Dawson, Brendan Fraser and James Earl Jones — tells the powerful story of a teenager faced with desperate choices when she finds herself pregnant and homeless in New Jersey and how meeting people who cared changes her. The movie was inspired by real events that took place in DiFiore’s shelters, which have been providing assistance to unwed mothers on the East Coast for more than 30 years. Called Several Sources Shelters, the network includes a shelter for homeless women. “I like everything involved with helping them solve their problems, bringing God into their lives, helping them to focus on motherhood, one baby at a time,” she said in an interview with the Arlington Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Diocese of Arlington.

“It is all about quality and not quantity.”

Vatican reporter calls Pope Francis ‘pope of mercy’

By Anna Maria Basquez Catholic News Service

A

RVADA, Colo. (CNS) — Veteran Vatican reporter John Allen Jr. took up the old journalist “man on the street” challenge by a priest in the poorest part of Buenos Aires when he sought the truth about how Pope Francis came to be known as a bishop of the poor.

Allen has covered three popes in his career and was recently hired as associate editor of the Boston Globe after years of writing for the National Catholic Reporter weekly newspaper.

He recounted the story in a recent talk about Pope Francis’ first year before a crowd of nearly 500 people at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community Church in Arvada, in the Denver Archdiocese.

Allen visited the place where Pope Francis chose to live for his 12 years as archbishop of Buenos Aires.

“Rather than living in the archbishop’s palace, he chose to live in a very spartan apartment in the heart of the city where the poor lived,” the journalist said a mid-January presentation.

“When I say spartan, I don’t just mean that in the language of real estate professionals. This was the kind of place that you had to leave the stove on 24/7

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january 31, 2014 | theleaven.com

over the weekend, because they didn’t have enough money to leave the heat on over the weekend.”

He also visited the slums of Buenos Aires — called the villas of misery — where the future pope, then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, spent much of his time.

He asked the pastor there about Pope Francis being the bishop of the poor, saying, “To what extent is that reality or to what extent is that [public relations]?

He replied, ‘Look, why don’t you just go out in the street and ask the people.’”

“On that dare, I went out on the street,” Allen said, “and I polled about five or six people and asked, ‘What do you know about Bergoglio?’ . . . Before they even vocalized an answer, they all went into these tin shacks they lived in that they called their homes and they came back out with these prized pictures with Bergoglio baptizing their children, or confirming their nephew or sitting in their living room when their husband died because he spent his time there.”

“That’s where he drew the oxygen in his lungs,” Allen added, “to think about what kind of church he wanted.”

And also, said Allen, to think about what he wants people to see when they see the Catholic Church — service to the Gospel rather than power and privilege.

In his talk, Allen outlined three areas where he believes Pope Francis will have the most impact — leadership as service, the social gospel and mercy as the core Christian message in this era.

He said he was using three measurements to look at the pontiff’s impact — popular appeal, media appeal and his impact on the culture of Rome.

When it comes to social gospel, Allen said, Pope Francis has done several interviews so far as pope, and he has said it was not necessary to talk continually about church teachings on abortion, gay marriage and contraception because those are already well known.

“In some quarters I think this has been misunderstood,” Allen said.

“There are some who believe what this signifies is the church is somehow pulling back from the ‘Gospel of Life.’ That perception is so widespread. There is no retreat. There is a determination to lift up other elements of Catholic teachings that he believes have not gotten a commensurate level of attention.”

That the pope has widespread popular appeal is a fact, he said. “In every region of the world in which public opinion can be scientifically surveyed, Pope Francis has approval ratings that politicians or celebrities would sacrifice their children to pagan gods to attain,”

he joked.

He noted a Pew survey recently found that 96 percent of American Catholics “have a favorable impression of this pope.”

Allen said Pope Francis is expected to come to the United States in September 2015 for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

He said each of three popes he has covered are complex men but have had a signature phrase that gets to the heart of what they are about.

For Blessed John Paul II, “it was ‘Be not afraid.’ It was this invitation to the church to recapture its boldness, its missionary self-confidence after the years of introspection and self-doubt that followed the years of the Second Vatican Council.”

Pope Benedict XVI’s phrase was “reason and faith . . . that reason and faith need one another. . . . To be healthy, these two things need one another,” Allen said.

With Pope Francis, it is “the Lord never tires of forgiving,” he said.

“I believe that Pope Francis ultimately is going to be remembered as the pope of mercy,” because he wants the world when it looks at the church to see mercy, Allen said.

W

ARSAW, Poland (CNS) — The former personal secretary of Blessed Pope John Paul II has approved the publication of the late pontiff’s private notebooks, despite a request in his will that they should be burned.

“In writing his will, the Holy Father knew he was entrusting these notebooks to someone who would treat them responsibly,” said Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, who not only served as the pope’s personal secretary throughout his almost 27year pontificate, but was his secretary in Krakow, had been a student of then-Father Karol Wojtyla in the seminary and was ordained to the priesthood by him in 1963.

“I had no doubt these were such important items, testifying to the spirituality of a great pope, that it would be a crime to destroy them,” Cardinal Dziwisz told a Jan. 22 news conference in the southern Polish city to announce the release of the notebooks by the local Znak publishing house.

However, the planned Feb. 5 publication of the notebooks has been widely criticized in Poland as an act of disloyalty toward the late pope, who said in his will, published at his death in April 2005, that he counted on his secretary to ensure his wishes were observed after his “years of cooperation and help, full of understanding.”

An expert on the Catholic Church’s communist-era role, Father Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski, urged Poles to boycott Znak and said publication of the notebooks would be “very hurtful” in “consciously violating the pope’s will.”

“In European culture, a final will is always binding, as long as its realization isn’t against the law and morality — this is required not just by legal statutes and good manners, but also by respect for the dead,” the priest told Poland’s TVN television.

“This public act of disobedience is a form of anti-witness and can’t be justified by any explanation that it’s for the good of the church. Does a clergyman

CNS photo/Archdiocese of L’Aquila handout via Reuters

A reliquary with the blood of Blessed John Paul II is seen in this undated photo released by the Archdiocese of L’Aquila, Italy, Jan. 28.

Thieves reportedly stole a relic of the late pontiff from the church of San Pietro della Ienca, 85 miles east of Rome.

Relic of Blessed John Paul II reported stolen CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters

Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz prays at the tomb of the late Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican May 3, 2011. The cardinal has approved the publication of Pope John Paul II’s private notebooks that the late pontiff asked to be burned upon his death. serving as a secretary know better than St. Peter’s successor?” he asked.

In a statement, Znak said Cardinal Dziwisz had acted “out of respect for John Paul II” in not destroying the “two simple notebooks,” covering the years 1962-2003, which contained the pope’s “most important personal questions.”

It added that the 640-page book, “I Am Very Much in God’s Hands,” would reveal Blessed John Paul’s “care for his dearest friends and collaborators, and the church entrusted to him,” and allow readers to “know Karol Wojtyla’s weaknesses,” and “accompany the pope at moments of his greatest closeness to God.” The former pope will be canonized April 27 at the Vatican.

Znak’s director, Henryk Wozniakowski, described the notebooks as “a publisher’s dream,” adding that Znak was ready to collaborate with “all the biggest world publishing houses” on foreign-language editions.

However, a Catholic Polish Radio commentator called the publication “no more than a marketing ploy.”

“The pope left a great deal behind him, illuminating his views and beliefs in every area, and these notebooks

merely confirm what we already know,” the commentator, Malgorzata Glabisz-Pniewska, told Catholic News Service Jan. 27.

“Having given so much of himself to the world, John Paul II had a right to keep something private. He taught us the good of the individual, however interesting to others, must always take priority over the good of society,” she said.

Cardinal Dziwisz, 74, said in the foreword to the new book that he had “faithfully followed the Holy Father’s will” after his death by “distributing all his possessions, particularly his personal mementos.”

However, he added that he had not “had the courage to burn the notebooks” because they “contained important information about his life” and provided “the key to his spirituality.”

Speaking at the January news conference, Cardinal Dziwisz said he would use his share of profits from the book to complete a 13,000-square-foot complex being built at a cost of $40 million in memory of Blessed John Paul in Krakow. The complex will include a basilica housing blood and other relics from the pope.

Quebec to vote on euthanasia bill

By Deborah Gyapong Catholic News Service

O

TTAWA, Ontario (CNS) — Quebec’s euthanasia Bill 52 will come to a vote in February, and the province’s bishops say it “goes against the most basic human values and contradicts the very purpose of medicine.”

“Bringing about a patient’s death is not a medical act,” the bishops said in a Jan. 23 statement.

“To cause death to a sick person is not to care for him,” the bishops said.

“A lethal injection is not a treatment.

Euthanasia is not a form of care.”

The vote could come soon after the Quebec National Assembly reconvenes Feb. 11. The commission tasked with a detailed study of the bill “rushed through going through the articles to finish the amendments,” in

January, said Nicolas Steenhout, executive director of Living With Dignity, a coalition of people and groups opposed to euthanasia in Quebec.

Although dozens of amendments have been proposed, Steenhout said, the bill would still allow euthanasia, or the deliberate killing of patients.

“The feeling people on the street are getting is this is now something that is good,” he said. “They really aren’t informed of the problems in the law and the risks the law would bring, especially compared to what is going on in Belgium and Holland.

“People think there is abuse going on elsewhere but it will never happen in Quebec,” Steenhout said. “I think that is a very dangerous impression to leave people with.”

The bishops said that, if the legislation is passed, “the act of causing death would be considered a form of ‘care’ that could be offered and ‘ad-

ministered’ to the terminally ill.”

“We already have the right to refuse overtreatment. We already have the right not to have our lives artificially prolonged by being plugged in to all sorts of equipment,” they said. “These are givens: We do not need a new law to guarantee them.”

Steenhout noted that the legislation indicates a person must be at end of life before he or she can be euthanized, but it fails to define what “end of life” means.

“That causes huge risks, leaving the words completely open to interpretation and abuse,” he said.

The amended bill also defines “medical aid in dying,” as the administration of substances or drugs at the patient’s request to relieve the patient’s suffering “by causing death,” Steenhout said. It means “a doctor is going to administer a poison to someone and they will die.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Thieves reportedly stole a relic of Blessed John Paul II from a country chapel 85 miles east of Rome. Italian media reported Jan. 27 that the relic, a piece of fabric soaked in Blessed John Paul’s blood, had disappeared over the preceding weekend from the church of San Pietro della Ienca. The church is located near the city of L’Aquila, in the mountainous Abruzzo region where the late pope frequently went on brief vacations.

One of the volunteers who takes care of the church, where Blessed John Paul often prayed, discovered that intruders sawed through bars over one of the windows and made off with the relic as well as a cross. The local “carabinieri” military police were reportedly searching the surrounding woods with dogs, in case the thieves had discarded the relic there. Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, who served as Blessed John Paul’s personal secretary during his pontificate, gave the relic to the chapel in recognition of the late pope’s many visits. The fabric was reportedly soaked in Blessed John Paul’s blood following the attempt to assassinate him in 1981.

Mexican priests support self-defense groups APATZINGAN, Mexico (CNS) — Father Gregorio Lopez Geronimo wears a bulletproof vest while celebrating Mass.

A bullet hole marks the wall of his office behind the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in this city of 99,000 residents, where armed self-defense groups have formed to fight back against a drug cartel accused of causing chaos in the western state of Michoacan. The priest even ordered hundreds of clubs, which he wants members of a citizen group he’s coordinating to carry in an attempt to take back the streets — peacefully, he insists. “We’re talking out because someone has to do so,” Father Lopez, the diocesan vicar, said while attending to multiple foreign correspondents in his office, which is adorned by photos of him meeting Blessed John Paul II. Priests such as Father Lopez have played prominent roles in recent months, offering spiritual, moral and material support for self-defense groups, which have surged in the region around Apatzingan over the past year and taken at least 15 communities under cartel control. With the media converging on this corner of Michoacan — where the soldiers and federal police were sent to disarm the groups and re-establish order earlier in January — priests such as Father Lopez have prominently been featured in their coverage. Their candor contrasts with other prelates in troubled parts of Mexico, who have preferred to stay silent on the issues of crime and drug cartels.

12 classifieds

theleaven.com | JANUARY 31, 2014

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Financial representatives - Due to the success and growth of the Knights of Columbus, we are adding a financial representative in the Kansas City metro, Lawrence, Topeka and the Seneca - Sabetha area. Ideal for a determined, high energy, high expectation, professional, self-disciplined, independent individual desiring to serve others, yet earn a better-than-average income.

We provide top-rated financial products to our members and their families and will provide excellent benefits and training. Please contact John A. Mahon, general agent, for more information or an interview by sending an email to: john.mahon@kofc.org, by phone at (785) 408-8806 or at 1275 Topeka Blvd., Topeka, KS 66612.

Resident housemother - Nativity House KC has an immediate opening for part time and full time housemother positions. Candidates must be practicing Catholics, at least a high school graduate, have a valid driver’s license, practical experience in working with teens and young adults and be willing to help young women with crisis pregnancies. They must be a model for constructive and healthy living spiritually, physically, financially, and mentally. Please send cover letter and resume by email to Barbara Belcher at: barbarab@nativityhousekc.org or mail to: Nativity House KC, P.O. Box 4124, Kansas City, KS 66104.

Garage door and opener sales and service - 24-hour, 7-day-a-week service on all types of doors. Replace broken springs, cables, hinges, rollers, gate openers, entry and patio doors, and more. Over 32 years of experience.

Call (913) 227-4902.

Tim the Handyman - Small jobs, faucets, garbage disposals, toilets, ceiling fans, light fixtures, painting, wall ceiling repair, wood rot, siding, decks, doors, windows, and gutter cleaning. Call (913) 526-1844.

CLUTTER GETTING YOU DOWN? Organize, fix, assemble, install! “Kevin Of All Trades” your professional organizer and “HONEY-DO-LIST” specialist. Call today for a free consultation at (913) 271-5055. Insured. References.

Visit our website at: www.KOATINDUSTRIES.com.

Housecleaning - Old-fashioned cleaning, hand mopping, etc. A thorough and consistent job every time.

References from customers I’ve served for over 17 years.

Call Sharon at (816) 322-0006 (home) or (816) 214-0156 (mobile). Serving the 913 area code area.

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

Free consultation and bid. Safe, insured, professional.

Cristofer Estrada, Green Solutions of KC, (913) 378-5872. www.GreenSolutionsKC.com.

Mike Hammer local moving - A full-service mover.

Packing, pianos, rental truck load/unload, storage container load/unload, and in-home moving. No job too small. Serving JoCo since 1987. St. Joseph, Shawnee, parishioner. Call Mike at (913) 927-4347 or send an email to: mikehammermoving@aol.com.

Bankruptcy consultation - If debts are overwhelming you, seek hope and help from compassionate, experienced Catholic attorney, Teresa Kidd. For a free consultation, call (913) 422-0610; send an email to: tkidd@kc.rr. com; or visit the website at: www.teresakiddlawyer.com.

We moved! Come check out our new office in Lenexa.

Agua Fina Irrigation and Landscape The one-stop location for your project!

Landscape and irrigation design, installation and maintenance.

Cleanup and grading services It’s time to repair your lawn. 20% discount on lawn renovations with mention of this ad.

Visit the website at: www.goaguafina.com Call (913) 530-7260 or (913) 530-5661 MEDICATION SETUP & MANAGEMENT - RN support visits for filling weekly pill boxes & managing medication. Affordable and convenient. To learn more, call Home Connect Health Services at (913) 627-9222.

Home Improvement

Services Brick mason - Brick, stone, tile and flat work. 19 years of residential/commercial experience. FREE QUOTES - KC metro area. Small and large jobs accepted. Call Jim at (913) 485-4307. www.facebook.com/faganmasonry.

Quilted Memories - Your Kansas City Longarm Shop - Nolting Longarm Machines, quilting supplies and machine quilting services. We specialize in memorial quilts - Custom designed memory quilts from your T-shirt collections, photos, baby clothes, college memorabilia, etc., neckties etc. For information or to schedule a free consultation, call (913) 649-2704. Visit the website at: www.quiltedmemoriesllc.com.

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

Custom countertops - Laminates installed within 5 days. Cambria, granite, and solid surface. Competitive prices, dependable work. Call the Top Shop, Inc., at (913) 962-5058. Members of St. Joseph, Shawnee.

Concrete construction - Tear out and replace stamped, stained or colored patios and drives. Retaining walls, footings, poured-in-place safe rooms, excavation and hauling. Asphalt drives and lots. Fully insured; references. Call Dan at (913) 207-4371 or send an email to: dandeeconst@aol.com.

House painting Interior and exterior; wall paper removal.

Power washing, fences, decks.

30 years experience. References. Reasonable rates.

Call Joe at (913) 620-5776.

STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 491-5837 or (913) 5791835. Email: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

Swalms Organizing Service - Reducing Clutter - Enjoy an Organized Home! Basement, garage, attic, shop, storage rooms - any room organized! Belongings sorted, boxed and labeled, items hauled or taken for recycling, trash bagged. For before and after photos, visit: www. swalmsorganizing.com. Over 20 years of organizing experience; insured. Call Tillar at (913) 375-9115.

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

Adept Home Improvements Where quality still counts!

Basement finishing, Kitchens and baths, Electrical and plumbing, Licensed and insured. (913) 599-7998

Heating and cooling repair and replacement - Call Joe with JB Design and Service. Licensed and insured with 20 years experience. Member of Divine Mercy Parish. Call Joe at (913) 915-6887.

ALL THINGS WOOD ROT Windows and fiber cement siding.

New windows, decks, basement remodel or kitchen update. Insured and only the best crews.

Serving Johnson and Wyandotte for over 2 decades.

Call Frankie to set up a free estimate today at (913) 209-9926.

The Drywall Doctor, Inc. - A unique solution to your drywall problems! We fix all types of ceiling and wall damage — from water stains and stress cracks to texture repairs and skim coating. We provide professional, timely repairs and leave the job site clean! Lead-certified and insured! Serving the metro since 1997. Call (913) 768-6655.

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

Caregiving Have a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease? Inquire about our fresh, unique approach to care. ComfortCare Homes, a local, family-owned care option, opened its first home in 2005. We have now grown to four homes located in Overland Park and Leawood. All of our homes are located minutes from highways I-35 or I-435, allowing easy access from anywhere in the Kansas City metropolitan area including Lee’s Summit, Shawnee, Liberty and Olathe. To learn more or take a tour, call Courtney Minter at (913) 609-1891 or visit the website at: www.

ComfortCareKC.com.

Caregiver needed - Caregiver/s needed for a stroke/ handicapped elderly lady. Split shifts available: Mon. Fri., 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Any questions or if interested, please call Teresa or Vicki at (913) 721-3261 or (913) 449-1457.

Concrete Work

Any type of repair and new work Driveways, Walks, Patios Member of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish

Harvey M. Kascht (913) 262-1555

K E A T I N G Mud Jacking FOUNDATION REPAIR

MUD JACKING

Cracked • Bowed • Settled Wall Repair v Wall Bracing v Waterproofing v Steel Underpinning Kansas City (913) 262-9352

Raise & Level

Lawrence (785) 865-0006

v Patios v Drives v Garage Floors v Slab Houses Topeka (785) 246-0128

Caregiving - We provide personal assistance, companionship, care management, and transportation to the elderly and disabled in home, assisted living and nursing facilities. We also provide respite care for main caregivers needing some personal time. Call Daughters & Company at (913) 341-2500 and speak with Laurie, Debbie or Gary.

Caregiving - CNA home health care specialist provides quality home comfort and care for the elderly. Available anytime. References. Affordable/seasoned/nonsmoker.

Call (816) 521-1336.

Looking for high quality home care? - Whether you’re looking to introduce care for your family or simply looking to improve your current home care quality, we can help. Our unique approach to home care has earned us a 99% client satisfaction rating among the 1,000-plus families we have assisted. We are family-owned, with offices in Lenexa and Lawrence. Call Benefits of Home Senior Care, Lenexa: (913) 422-1591 or Lawrence: (785) 727-1816 or www.benefitsofhome.com.

vacation Colorado vacation - Winter Park; 2 BR, 1 BA, furnished.

Mountain biking, golf, hiking, and fishing. $125 per night or $700 per week. Call (816) 392-0686.

for sale For sale - First Communion dress sets for 18” or American Girl dolls. Includes dress, veil, shoes, tights, and cross necklace. Full line of doll clothes and accessories in south Johnson County. Will mail anywhere if needed. Call Patty at (913) 345-9498.

For sale - Two separate burial plots at Resurrection Cemetery, Queen of Heaven section. Asking $2,200 each. Vault also available for $800. Call (713) 569-9898 or send an email to: thomas_conry@att.net.

Residential lifts - Buy/sell/trade. Stair lifts, porch lifts, ceiling lifts and elevators. Recycled and new equipment.

Member of St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood.

Call Silver Cross KC at (913) 327-5557.

For Rent For rent - 2 BR condo. Fireplace, fenced patio, basement, garage, pool and clubhouse. Gas and water included. In a great location with easy access to I-435 or Highway 69.

Great for families or singles. Call (913) 231-8574.

wanted to buy Wanted to buy - Antique/vintage jewelry, lighters, fountain pens, post card collections, paintings/prints, pottery, sterling, china dinnerware.

Renee Maderak, (913) 631-7179.

St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee Antiques wanted - Old canning jars, pop bottles, pharmaceutical bottles, old boxes of ammunition, old cash register. Call (913) 593-7507.

Will buy firearms and related accessories - One or a whole collection. Honest evaluation and top prices paid.

Contact Tom at (913) 238-2473. Member of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee.

calendar 13

JANUARY 31, 2014 | theleaven.com

January A pasta dinner and bingo will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 at St. Patrick Parish, Kansas City, Kan. The cost to attend is: $8 for adults; $4 for children under the age of 12; or $20 for a family. For more information, contact Fritz Vertz at (913) 515-0621.

31

February The German-American Edelweiss Society will hold a sweetheart dance on Feb. 1 from 6 - 10:30 p.m. at St. Anthony Church basement, 615 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Raffle tickets will be sold for prizes. The cost to attend is: $18 for adults; $10 for young adults ages 12 - 20; $5 for children ages 6 - 11; and free for children age 5 and under. Come enjoy the music of Willie Kirst’s band and have a good old German time.

For more information, contact Tom Roberts at (913) 721-3299.

1

St. Mary Parish, St. Benedict, will host a soup day on Feb. 2 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Chili, vegetable beef and chicken noodle soup, relishes and pie will be served. The cost to attend is a freewill donation.

2

Solemn vespers and Benediction will be held on Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. at St. Michael the Archangel Church, 143rd and Nall, Leawood. Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony will be sung by resident archdiocesan choir Sursum Corda. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will begin at 1 p.m. All are welcome.

A spaghetti dinner to benefit the Sisters, Servants of Mary will be held Feb. 2 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at St. Patrick Parish cen-

ter, 94th and State Ave., Kansas City, Kan. The cost to attend is a donation of $8 for adults; $3 for children. Carryout meals will be available. The event will also feature a variety booth. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. For more information, call (913) 371-3423.

Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will present the Keeler Film Series on Mondays at 1:30 p.m.

Films about women and films with subjects important to women will be shown.

The Feb. 3 film will be “Taking Root: The Story of Wangari Maathai”; Feb. 10, “Real Women Have Curves”; Feb. 17, “Norma Rae.”

3

A Taize prayer will be held on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. in Annunciation Chapel on the campus of the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, 4200 S. 4th St., Leavenworth. For more information, visit the website at: www.marillaccenter.org or call (913) 680-2342.

6

Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will present “Credit Management after the Holiday Crunch,” in partnership with Heartland Habitat for Humanity and Wells Fargo Bank on Feb. 6 from 9:30 - 11 a.m.

The Kansas Catholic College Student Convention will be held Feb. 7-9 7 - 9 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Topeka. Registration will start at the hotel at 4 p.m. on Feb. 7, and the convention will begin at 6 p.m. KCCSC is an annual gathering of young Catholics from universities and colleges across the state, to worship God and deepen faith through Mass, eucharistic adoration, prayer, speakers, a dance and downtime. For more information, call (620) 343-6765 or send an email to: kccsc2014@gmail.com.

The Daughters of Isabella, Holy Trinity Church, Lenexa, invite you to their 6th annual Valentine’s dinner, dance and silent auction on Feb. 8. The silent auction begins at 6 p.m., and the buffet dinner at 7 p.m. in the Quigley Center, 9201 Summit, Lenexa.

Seating is limited to prepaid admissions only; cocktail attire. Must be 21 years of age. The cost of a reservation is $32.50 per person or $300 for a table of 10, with checks made to Daughters of Isabella. Reservation deadline is Jan. 30. Mail reservations to: Janet Sherman, 10444 Garnett, Overland Park, KS 66214. For more information, call Louise at (913) 661-1720 or send an email to: lalloydks@yahoo.com.

8

The Holy Name Society at Holy Family Church is sponsoring a Valentine’s Day dance on Feb. 8 from 7 - 10:30 p.m. at Monsignor Mejak Hall, 513 Ohio, Kansas City, Kan. Music will feature The Don Lipovac Orchestra. The cost to attend is $10, and tickets can be purchased in advance by calling Mike Waliczek at (913) 342-1785; Richard Schutte at (913) 669-3677; or the church office at (913) 371-1561.

St. Stanislaus Parish, Rossville, will host an afternoon of bingo on Feb. 9 from 2 - 4 p.m. in Dekat Hall. Sandwiches and homemade desserts will be available. Proceeds will benefit the St. Stanislaus building fund.

9

Padre Pio Academy will host an open house on Feb. 9 from 3 - 5 p.m. at 5901 Flint, Shawnee. For more information and directions, visit the website at: www.padre pioacademy.org or call the school at (913) 268-3155.

A rosary rally in honor of Our Lady of Fatima will be held Feb. 9 from 3 - 4:15 p.m. at St. Joseph Parish, 11525 Johnson Dr., Shawnee. The joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries will be prayed, followed by

Benediction and the opportunity to enroll in the brown scapular. For dates of future rallies, visit the website at: www.rosary rallieskc.org.

“Coping With Life Alone” is a grief support program that meets each week for eight weeks. The program helps those who have lost a love relationship — due to death, divorce or separation — move through the experience of grief and loss into a future with renewed hope. The sessions focus on topics of the grief process, changes in family and other relationships, trust, and coping with memories of your deceased spouse or dealing with your ex-spouse. The next program will meet on Sundays, Feb. 9 - March 30 from 1:30 - 4 p.m. To register or for more information, call Cathy at (816) 540-4644 or (816) 392-6655 or visit the website at: www.beginningexperience.org.

The Hrvatski Obicaj Tamburasi (Croatian Traditions Tamburitzans) will perform a concert at 1 p.m. at Christ the King Church, Davern Hall, 3024 N. 53rd, Kansas City, Kan. The cost to attend is a suggested donation of $10, which will be donated to St. Joseph Orphanage in Croatia and deducted from a purchase of Don Wolf’s book, “Croatian Love Story.” Wolf will present a slide presentation focused on Croatian immigrants to Kansas City, Kan., at 2 p.m.

March Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish, 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park, will host its annual dinner party event on March 1 from 6:30 10:30 p.m. The theme is: “Happy Days at the Happy Days Diner.” There will be special guests and a variety of music from the ’50s and ’60s. The cost to attend is $15 for dinner, entertainment and bar drinks. For more information or to purchase tickets, call Patty at (913) 384-4644.

1

14 commentary Scripture Readings

theleaven.com | january 31, 2014

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 2 Sm 15: 13-14, 30; 16: 5-13 Ps 3: 2-7 Mk 5: 1-20 Feb. 4 Tuesday 2 Sm 18: 9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30 – 19:3 Ps 86: 1-6 Mk 5: 21-43 Feb. 5 Agatha, virgin, martyr 2 Sm 24: 2, 9-17 Ps 32: 1-2, 5-7 Mk 6: 1-6 Feb. 6 Paul Miki and companions, martyrs 1 Kgs 2: 1-4, 10-12 (Ps) 1 Chr 29: 10-12 Mk 6: 7-13 Feb. 7 Friday Sir 47: 2-11 Ps 18: 31, 47, 50-51 Mk 6: 14-29 Feb. 8 Jerome Emiliani; Josephine Bakhita, virgin 1 Kgs 3: 4-13 Ps 119: 9-14 Mk 6: 30-34

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simply stewardship

mark my words

fourth week of ordinary time

R

Open up the Catholic treasure chest

eading can be a valuable pastime . . . and not just figuratively speaking.

Let me explain. Several days ago, as I was searching for a particular book on a lower shelf in my house, I noticed that a smaller book had apparently fallen down and gotten shoved to the back where it couldn’t be seen. I pulled out the volume, blew a little dust off of it and smiled.

The book had been given to me a number of Christmases ago. The gift-giver had picked it up at an estate sale and thought I’d enjoy it. Written by Don Holt, the book is called “Praying with Katie.” Its subtitle captures the gist of this small book: “God, My Cat, and Me.” Although I’ve only started it, it’s right on the money for anyone who has a cat (like me) and has tried to pray with one around.

I’m not going to talk about its subject matter, however, but about something that I’d forgotten about the book. It’s littered (courtesy of the gift-giver) with special “bookmarks”

Father Mark Goldasich Father Mark Goldasich is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989. every few pages. These bookmarks are green, about 6 inches long and have a picture of George Washington on the front. What a hoot. So now, while reading, I not only get some food for thought and prayer, but a financial reward to boot.

I’m on the topic of reading as a treasure because February is Catholic Press Month. It’s a yearly encouragement to grow in our faith by stimulating our brains.

So, here are some quick questions: Other than The Leaven and your church bulletin, what Catholic reading material do you have around your house? Do you have a Bible? Do you ever read it?

Or if you’re someone who primarily reads online, have you bookmarked any Catholic sites or are there Catholic e-books in your library?

For many people, I suspect, the answer to these questions is probably “no” or maybe “not too many.”

When I was growing up, I was exposed to a lot of Catholic publications, as early as my Catholic grade school years. One of the first that I can remember was a comic book, called Treasure Chest — how appropriate — which was distributed a couple a times a month during the school year. Nothing spurred more excitement in class than the words: “The new Treasure Chest is here!” The comic book had a little of everything: from letters to the editor to short stories to jokes and puzzles.

It made reading and learning both a pleasure and a lifelong habit.

By the way, the editor of Treasure Chest was a man by the name of James J. Langdon. Who could have guessed that many years later, I’d be the editor of The Leaven and his daughter

Jessica would be one of our reporters here! What a small world.

I’ve been thinking, though, about how to make Leaven readers aware of the treasure chest of Catholic materials out there. While some parishes have libraries or Catholic materials available in the vestibule, many people on a busy weekend may not take the time to check them out. For that reason, I’m going to devote at least a couple of columns in February to sites that I regularly mine for ideas on interesting Catholic books or periodicals. Probably a number of magazines regularly come into our homes (due to school fundraisers!) that we find time to read.

I’d like to make sure that at least one of those has a Catholic flavor. Or alongside your latest best-selling novel on your nightstand, it would be great to see a book on how to grow somehow in your faith.

I’d love to write more, but darn if “Praying with Katie” — my “treasure chest” for big kids — isn’t calling my name!

In the beginning

Presentation of Jesus fulfills Malachi’s prophecy

G

eorges Sand was a woman. So was George Elliot. But those were not their real names.

Occasionally, an author will publish under a pen name, for various reasons.

Years ago, when patriarchal society disapproved of women authors, a pen name enabled a woman to conceal her identity. That is the case here.

The author of the Book of the Prophet Malachi, which gives us Sunday’s first reading, Mal 3:1-4, probably was not really named Malachi either. The Hebrew word means “my messenger.” It describes the role that the author was fulfilling — namely, God’s messenger.

It also helps to conceal his identity.

The word “malachi” appears several times in the Hebrew text. We translate

commentary 15

January 31, 2014 | theleaven.com

Father Mike Stubbs Father Mike Stubbs is the pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Overland Park and has a degree in Scripture from Harvard University. it as “my messenger,” but it is also the pen name of the author.

“Lo, I am sending my messenger (Malachi) to prepare the way before me; And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.”

Why did the author wish to conceal his identity?

The Book of Malachi strongly criticizes the priests

Pope francis Like the good Samaritan, who stopped on the road to help a person in need, travelers along today’s communication highways should offer support to those they encounter there, Pope Francis said.

“The digital world can be an environment rich in humanity; a network not of wires but of people,” he

in charge of the temple in Jerusalem and other persons of authority in Israel. The author wished to remain anonymous in order to protect himself from reprisals by them.

Malachi is prophesying that God is preparing to enter into the Temple, in order to set it straight and cleanse it of the impurities that the current rulers have allowed.

Centuries later, Christians would interpret Malachi’s prophecy to refer to the coming of the Messiah.

Specifically, the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple would fulfill the words of the prophecy: “And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek.” That explains the choice of this text for Sunday’s first reading, when we celebrate the feast of the presentation of the Lord.

Similarly, Christian in-

said in his message for World Communications Day. Modern means of communication, especially the Internet, offer “immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity,” he said. Because of that, he added, the Internet is “a gift from God.” “Communication at the service of an authentic culture of encounter” is the theme of this year’s World Communications Day, which most dioceses

terpretation identified the messenger in the text as John the Baptist, who prepared the way for the Messiah. His fire and brimstone preaching reflects the style of the messenger in the Book of Malachi.

John the Baptist serves as a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. He closely resembles the prophets of the Old Testament, while announcing the arrival of the Messiah.

Appropriately, the Christian arrangement of the books of the Old Testament places the Book of Malachi at the end, right before the New Testament.

In that way, the Book of Malachi, with the messenger whom we identify with John the Baptist, immediately precedes John’s appearance in the Gospels. He is preparing the way for the Messiah, to enter into his Temple.

will mark June 1, the Sunday before Pentecost. The message, released Jan. 23, was dated Jan. 24, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journalists. “Good communication helps us grow closer, to know one another better, and ultimately to grow in unity,” the pope said.

— CNS

I

Cold winter provides a lesson on stewardship

t’s been a very cold winter and I have grown especially grateful for the heat and warmth of our home.

The reason simple heat emanating from the vents at home is getting a special nod today in this column is because the power went off where we live out in the country on a really blustery, bitter-cold morning and it taught me a lesson about stewardship.

“Don’t open the refrigerator,” my husband reminded me, as I donned a sweater.

Within minutes, the house seemed colder, darker and

Lesle knop Lesle Knop is the executive director of the archdiocesan office of stewardship and development. You can email her at: lknop@archkck.org. quieter as the wind howled outside. It’s amazing how we take for granted our comfort until the source of that comfort is taken away.

Suddenly conscious of the cold, my sympathy for the homeless grew as fast as the temperature on the thermostat dropped.

When the electricity was

turned off, we soon felt the loss of heat and light and began to worry that the food in the fridge might spoil, or that the batteries in our cellphones might die when we had no way to recharge them.

“What if the kids can’t get in touch with us? They’ll be worried,” I said.

“They’ll be OK,” said my husband.

“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Lk 12:48 Truly, my husband and I are blessed with much — good health, a happy family, our jobs and comfortable

places to live and do business. In fact, I think we have been entrusted with even more — those innumerable gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The Scripture passage from St. Luke reminds me that I have a great obligation to give back to God for all the gifts I have received.

So often, I take my gifts for granted . . . like heat.

Stewardship is a way of life that brings God into the center of our lives with the trust, confidence and knowledge that our creator and giver of all gifts is always available to hear us and answer our prayers.

The Christian steward realizes that absolutely everything we have is a gift, and that we are called to return some of our gifts to God,

sacrificially and proportionately to the gifts we have received. I can and should do more to help minister to those who are suffering.

Indeed, those of us with much are obligated to return much, and those of us with more are obligated to return even more. Jesus is the one who reminded us that we would have nothing if the Father in heaven had not given it to us.

The life of a Christian steward is a journey and a continual process of growth in faith, hope and love. From Jesus, who gave the greatest gift — his own life — that we might be saved, we learn that we have nothing to worry about.

Even without electricity on a cold winter day.

Church and State

S

At which point does justice require intervention?

eemingly forgotten these days is the not insignificant fact that this country almost went to war only five months ago.

In early September 2013, an attack by the United States on Syria, in retaliation for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s use of chemical weapons on his own people, appeared imminent.

In the end, it didn’t happen. And while the Obama administration’s handling of the situation did not exactly cover the nation in glory, it did, if only for a moment, stimulate a needed conver-

Michael schuttloffel Michael Schuttloffel is the executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference. sation about armed intervention into humanitarian crises.

The 20th century saw a quantum leap in the destructive power of military weaponry, which multiplied exponentially the horrors and carnage of war. Today, continuing advances in military technology — like the U.S. Prompt Global Strike

program, which is developing hypersonic weapons able to attack any location on Earth within an hour — raise the chilling specter of more killing accomplished in ever more terrifying fashion, with ever less “skin in the game” on the part of civilian populations that might restrain policymakers’ delusions of grandeur.

Yet the revolution in military technology also holds out the tantalizing prospect of being able to thwart evil while minimizing civilian casualties.

On the other side of Asia from Syria, 31-yearold Kim Jong-un rules over the largest gulag on Earth, North Korea. The stories that have emerged from that dark place beggar the imagination: hundreds of thousands, and perhaps

millions, dead from famine during the 1990s; hundreds of thousands imprisoned in massive work camps where conditions approximate Dante’s ninth circle of hell. Even children are not spared the starvation, rape, torture and murder that is the lot of those not worked to death.

As you read these words, the people of North Korea are suffering torments that the civilized world simply should not be able to accept.

If the geopolitical and technological landscapes were someday to change such that intervention became feasible, would it be just? If not, under what circumstances can military intervention ever be just?

How bad must things be? If Hitler had been otherwise peaceable, would an inva-

sion of Germany to stop the Holocaust have been just?

Is there a point at which it becomes unjust not to intervene?

In a world of nanotechnology and cyberwarfare, and terrorist organizations operating in ungoverned spaces, the application of just war principles is only going to become more complicated. Accordingly, the moral reasoning necessary to make wise and just decisions cannot be postponed until after the crisis is at hand.

Deep thinking about these challenging questions is needed. It should proceed with a strong presumption for peace, and with a mind to, and a heart for, the two simple words emblazoned on a stone memorial at Dachau: NEVER AGAIN.

16 local news

theleaven.com | january 31, 2014

‘A walk in faith’ Adoption ministry helps build families

Leaven photo by Joe Bollig

Pro-life experience led Sister Dolora May (right) and Sister Mary Healy (center), Sisters of St. Joseph, to found the St. Joseph Adoption Ministry in Kansas City, Kan., in 2001. With Sister Peg Driscoll, SCL, the trio used nationwide contacts to match children with prospective parents. It’s still just a trio, although Sister Peg is no longer with the agency. Sherry Clayton (left), LSCSW, joined last April and now does the home studies on a part-time basis.

By Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — The call from the Chicago hospital was urgent and so was the need: A newborn baby had been abandoned by its troubled mother.

Unless an adoptive family could be found quickly, the baby would enter the state foster care system, the social worker told Sister Dolora May, CSJ. Sister Dolora’s mental switches flipped to “code blue” mode. Quickly, she roused a Missouri couple and soon had them speeding north to Chicago and the newest member of their family.

“Adoption is a walk in faith, it really is,” said Sister Dolora. “It’s a blessing to couples and certainly it’s a blessing to the child. But it’s a walk in faith. You don’t know the child you’ll get, and you don’t know when you’ll get it.”

“For us as providers, it’s also a walk in faith,” she continued. “We never know the calls we’ll get.”

Sister Dolora and Sister Mary

Healy are joined by only a couple of others on this walk of faith called St. Joseph Adoption Agency. With no fanfare and barely any notice, they’ve placed 184 children in 12 years.

The agency does its work from a tiny, nondescript office in Kansas City, Kan., with only three people (one part time) and on a “half a shoestring budget,” said Ron Kelsey, archdiocesan consultant for pro-life ministry.

“We’re three chipmunks,” said Sister Mary.

Sherry Clayton, a licensed specialist clinical social worker, has been part of the three-person team since April 2013. She does the home studies.

Sister Dolora and Sister Mary, both members of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cleveland, Ohio, have been there from the beginning.

Both Sisters have hospital backgrounds, which provided them with the knowledge base for their adoption work.

Sister Mary, with a master’s degree in business administration, worked in hospital administration for 35 years. She also worked for the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (now Unbound) in Kan-

sas City, Kan. Now, she keeps the adoption agency’s books and helps with paperwork.

Sister Dolora is a registered nurse and has a master’s degree in health care administration. She worked with Dr. Thomas Hilgers at the Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha, Neb., and taught natural family planning in Wichita. She helped open a crisis pregnancy center in 1985 and saved babies right out from under the nose of the late Wichita abortionist, Dr. George Tiller. “[We would] be out there on the sidewalk and [clinic personnel would] be throwing stink bombs at us and those kinds of things, but that was just part of the pro-life ministry,” said Sister Dolora.

From 1993 to 2001, she managed four crisis pregnancy centers in the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area. “[In 2001,] I left the crisis pregnancy centers and Sister Mary had retired from CFCA in February,” said Sister Dolora. “We were sitting in the living room at home, and our religious counsel asked us what we would do. Adoption came up.”

Both Sisters had a heart for adoptions, so it didn’t take much persuasion to get them moving in that di-

Contact

The St. Joseph Adoption Ministry can be contacted by calling (913) 299-5222 or 1 (800) 7521737, or by email at: jadopt@sbc global.net. Its website is: www. catholicadoptionministry.org.

rection. Quickly, they determined that opening an adoption agency was the way to go.

While most adoption agencies tend to operate in a fairly limited geographical area, the St. Joseph Adoption Agency adopts nationally (except in New York state). And before an international treaty took effect, they did international adoptions.

“The little dark-haired girl was born in Maine,” said Sister Dolora, pointing to a photo of a child who now lives in London. “Her father has a Ph.D. in economics, and her mother is an attaché to Queen Elizabeth. She’s doing very well. We were invited to her baptism in Canterbury Cathedral.”

The St. Joseph Adoption Agency, which is a ministry of the Sisters of >> See “Agency” on page 4