02-13-09 Vol. 30 No. 25

WWW.THELEAVEN.COM | NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF KANSAS CITY IN KANSAS | VOL. 30, NO. 25 FEBRUARY 13, 2009

PRETTY, not PROVOCATIVE Pure Fashion makes its Kansas City debut

| Story by Joyce Mitchell | Photos by Elaina Cochran

P

RAIRIE VILLAGE — Modesty doesn’t have to be synonymous with frumpy.

But with the skimpy wardrobes of today’s celebrities setting the bar, modest teens can easily feel out of step with the latest fashions.

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Mavec of Leawood, for example, admits she likes reading Teen Vogue. But she doesn’t like the seductive overtones of the magazine’s clothing ads.

Turn to MODESTY on page 4

Paige Gorman, a member of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Gladstone, Mo., gets her hair done at Sopra Salon in Prairie Village.

Sopra is normally closed on Sundays, but owner Cindy Johnston agreed to open her salon at no cost for the girls who are part of Pure Fashion, a faith-based program that encourages girls to live, act and dress in ways that reflect their status as children of God.

TRIPLE PLAY Valentine’s Day marks only the first of three weddings this year in this Valley Falls family.

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TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN?

Twelve-year-old Jordan Scharnhorst is undertaking Pope John Paul II’s new evangelization — all on his own!

Help us complete our article on Father Gerardo Arano-Ponce. But keep it short and send it to: anita@theleaven.com.

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2 ARCHBISHOP

THE LEAVEN • FEBRUARY 13, 2009

THE LEAVEN • FEBRUARY 13, 2009

SECOND FRONT PAGE

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

Join Catholics across northeast Kansas in lighting lamps of hope

Pope Benedict, in reflecting on hope, observes that one of the errors of modernity was a belief in creating a perfect world. He notes that, for some, this misplaced hope in a perfect world results in replacing the biblical hope in the kingdom of God with a hope in the kingdom of man.

In part because of many scientific advances and our increased mastery over certain elements of nature, a conviction emerged that it was possible to fashion political and economic structures in such a way as to create an enduring heaven on earth. Pope Benedict points out that one of the errors of this false hope is that the social order is simply the result of dispassionate scientific calculations, while ignoring the importance of the ethical and moral choices made by the individuals.

It is not possible for one generation to hand on a perfect, enduring world to the next generation because the free choices of those in the next generation are the most important element in determining the state of the future. Certainly, the choices that we make today will either

limit or expand the opportunities for the next generation, but they will not predetermine their destiny. The truth of our freedom — to choose the good and the noble or the bad and the degrading — means that each person and each generation must make moral choices that have real consequences.

In addressing our current economic challenges, some seem to believe that if only those in national leadership make the right decisions all of our current problems will disappear. Certainly, economic policy decisions of President Obama and the Congress will have a significant impact on the economic opportunities available to us, but each of us also has the power to make choices that affect not only our well-being but the well-being of our community.

Since my arrival in northeast Kansas almost five years ago, I have been impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit of the people of our region. I have been edified by a “can do” attitude within the church and community. For example, I find it refreshing that the people of our parish communities generally do not look for the Archdiocese or someone else to solve their problems, but have the confidence and determination to develop their

own solutions.

At the same time, I have found the people of the Archdiocese extraordinarily generous in trying to assist those who are disadvantaged or suffering. Catholic Charities’ annual Snow Ball is just one example of the amazing traditions within the Archdiocese to help those who are suffering and struggling. The success of this year’s Snow Ball in the midst of our current economic problems was truly remarkable.

This year’s theme for our annual Call to Share campaign is hope. Call to Share is the most important single effort each year to pool our resources as the Catholics of northeast Kansas in order to bring the love and hope of Jesus to many who are suffering or struggling.

Our hope as Christians is not in economic or political structures or even scientific advancements, important as these may be. Our hope is in a God who loves us so much that he chose to immerse himself fully into our human condition.

It is the hope, expressed by St. Paul, in the unconditional love of Jesus that anguish, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and the sword do not have the power to separate us from Jesus (Rom 8: 35). It is a hope that includes the wisdom of the parable of the talents (Mt 25: 14-30), making clear that the Lord expects us to develop, grow and use prudently the gifts that he has entrusted to us.

It is a hope that Jesus himself described when he told his disciples: “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is

not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more important than they? . . . So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek.

Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides” (Mt 6: 25-27; 31-33).

It is a hope in the infinite love of God that liberates us from being paralyzed by fear and worry as well as energizes us to make moral choices in using whatever gifts God has entrusted to us to glorify him and to help others.

The following is an excerpt from the prayer that I offered at this year’s Snow Ball: “Give us the joy for making an investment that no market fluctuation can threaten, no adjusted valuation can alter, no economic cycle can diminish. While many economic indicators are trending down, our gathering tonight signals the compassion indicators are surging up.

While many fear to invest in the stock market, our Snowballers are bullish on investing in the human market. While many have become skeptical of bailouts, those gathered here tonight are eager to offer others a hand-up. While others may spend their energy cursing the darkness, we gather tonight to light lamps of hope.”

I am confident that your generosity to this year’s Call to Share will help us light the lamps of authentic hope again this year.

Photo courtesy of the Heinen family

The Heinen family of Immaculate Conception in Valley Falls will be throwing a lot of rice this year, as three of the Heinen children — all practicing Catholics — will marry three equally active Catholics in the church. The happy couples are (from left): Jami Kramer and Nathan Heinen, Misty Heinen and Jacob Prater, and Hallee Heinen and Bradley Edwards.

A TRIPLE VALENTINE Valley Falls siblings plan for three church weddings in one year

By KARA HANSEN Leaven staff VALLEY FALLS — When their daughter Hallee announced her engagement last May, Dan and Marietta Heinen were understandably ecstatic.

The Immaculate Conception parishioners were no less excited when son Nathan announced his engagement just a few months later, on Aug. 4.

And then again, when daughter Misty called home to announce her engagement on Aug. 5.

“After we got over the shock, we were thrilled,” said Dan. “They are each marrying great kids.

“This is going to be a busy year for us, but my wife is loving the planning and we’re having a great time.”

Dan and Marietta’s two oldest children, Doug and Wendy, are already married, with families of their own. The couple expected their three younger children to settle down at some point — they just never expected it would be all at once.

“All of us had our own relationships and had been dating . . . for varying amounts of time,” explained Misty, “so it wasn’t like we planned for it to happen. It just did!”

While it is no doubt unusual for three siblings to get engaged in the same year and married in the following year, it is rarer still for all three young adults to be active Catholics — and marrying the same.

“We have three practicing Catholic kids marrying three practicing Catholics,” said Dan. “We feel really blessed in this day and age.”

The wedding dates will be staggered, explained Hallee, to give the family some “breathing room” in between each wedding. “ I t i s e sp e c i al l y f u n b e c au se each of us is getting married in a different season of the year,” said Hallee.

Misty, who is a campus minister at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, is scheduled to marry fiancé Jacob Prater on Feb. 14 at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Ames.

She met Jacob through the Catholic campus center there.

“Jacob and I met at church, and church has been an important part of the development of our relationship,” said Misty.

Hallee and her fiancé Bradley Edwards plan to marry at Corpus Christi Church in Lawrence on July 11. The couple plans to live in Hiawatha following their wedding.

Nathan will marry his fiancée,

“

Our kids were part of the Catholic community here growing up, and they have always had that community behind them. They are each carrying a strong background of faith into their marriages,

“

T

he theme of last year’s pastoral visit to the United States by Pope Benedict XVI was: “Make all things new in Christ, our hope.” Pope Benedict’s second encyclical letter was entitled “Spe Salvi – On Christian Hope.”

Dan Heinen Jami Kramer, on Sept. 19 at Immaculate Conception Church in Valley Falls.

“Our faith plays a big role actually — from praying together to getting married in our hometown church and raising our children in the Catholic church and community there,” said Jami.

Dan said he was grateful for the role models and examples of faith provided for his family through their parish.

“Our kids were part of the Catholic community here growing up, and they have always had that

community behind them. They are each carrying a strong background of faith into their marriages,” said Dan. Since the Heinen family is making three times the usual number of wedding plans, all are nothing if not busy. But that has not kept them from enjoying the uniqueness of their situation along the way.

Misty, Nathan and Hallee have stayed connected throughout their engagements — comparing notes and sharing developments.

The marriage preparation classes, in particular, said Hallee, made for some lively discussions, since all three couples attended different marriage prep programs.

And with each of the siblings participating in one another’s weddings as well, it’s been great being able “to share it together and understand how exciting this time is,” said Misty.

But wedding plans aside, each of the Heinen youngsters is proud to carry a strong model of marriage into their own relationship.

“Mom and Dad have given us a beautiful example of marriage, and so it is only appropriate that we would want to follow in their footsteps and be married in the church,” said Misty.

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4 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • FEBRUARY 13, 2009

THE LEAVEN • FEBRUARY 13, 2009

Modesty program will culminate in spring fashion show

Celebrating fathers all year round Leaven staff

“

“

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beautiful with what God gave them,” said Johnston.

“We’re trying to show girls how makeup can be used modestly and demurely,” added Jennifer Hiss, who handles media relations for Kansas City Pure Fashion.

The fashion show is scheduled for

April 26 at Mission Hills Country Club and will feature clothes from local boutiques. Details regarding the event can be found on the organization’s Web site at: www.purefashion.com; a link for tickets to the Kansas City show will be available by March 1.

LEAWOOD — Once a month, a group of Catholic men and their children meet at Winstead’s for breakfast — just as the restaurant is opening, usually well before the sun is up.

But it’s not just the biscuits and gravy that gets them out of bed so early on a weekday morning.

It’s the opportunity for Catholic fellowship, prayer, and time together that All Pro Dad offers its participants.

“All Pro Dad is open to all dads and children at St. Michael’s,” said Barrie Couture, a parishioner at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood and one of the founders of the group there. “It’s a chance for us to focus on being good husbands and effective fathers, along with some nice fellowship.”

Each time the group meets, members start with a prayer to St. Jude, the group’s unofficial patron saint. The group then prays grace before the meal, shares some “housekeeping” items, and then settles in to enjoy the day’s speaker.

“We have looked for speakers who are Catholic dads — not all, but most,” said Couture. “They have talked about everything from family life to how faith works in their lives to how to balance work and family time.”

Speakers have ranged from former Royals baseball player Mike Macfarlane to an investment banker. A raffle follows the speaker, in which all kids in attendance have the chance to win something donated by an area business. As the meeting wraps up, fathers leave to drop their children off at school and head to work.

Mark Nasche has been attending All Pro Dad with his children — Nicholas, Megan, and Emily — since the group first got started in December 2007.

“They love going and getting a chance to eat breakfast with Dad somewhere,” he said. “They get really excited about the drawings

2-2/3 cups pretzels, crushed 1 ½ sticks butter, melted 1 large strawberry Jell-o 1 large pkg. frozen strawberries, thawed 12 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 ¼ cups sugar Small Cool Whip

Scout earns Eagle Leaven photo by Elaina Cochran

Former Kansas City Royals All-Star catcher Mike Macfarlane talks to the All Pro Dad group of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood. The dads and their kids meet monthly at Winstead’s for an early morning breakfast and a talk from guest speakers. every time for prizes. I enjoy it because they enjoy it.”

Nasche said while the opportunity to eat breakfast before beginning a hectic day is definitely a bonus, what he enjoys most about the meetings is the closeness it builds with his children.

“I spend time at my office working a lot, so it’s nice to have time carved out to spend with my kids,” he said. “And it’s been a great way to see other guys in the parish I don’t always see regularly.”

Parish administrator Chris Arth said that while there is also another active men’s group at St. Michael, All Pro Dad has filled a specific niche in the parish community.

For more information on All Pro Dad, visit the national Web site at: www.allprodad.com. If you are interested in starting up an All Pro Dad program in your parish, contact Barrie Couture at (913) 915-3083 or send him an e-mail at: bcouture@everestkc.net.

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Here is the correct recipe: Judy’s Favorite Strawberry Salad

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Correction

Continued from page 1 “These don’t speak to me as a teenaged Catholic,” said Olivia, who is a member of St. Ann Parish in Prairie Village and is a student at Notre Dame de Sion High School, Kansas City, Mo. Fortunately, Olivia and 18 other teens in the Kansas City area have been introduced to Pure Fashion, a faith-based program that encourages girls to live, act and dress in ways that reflect their status as children of God. The group meets monthly for a total of seven sessions — each is led by college-age women who serve as mentors to the younger girls.

The program teaches dignity, explained 15-year-old St. James Academy student Kayla Nguyen, and how “to carry yourself in a way that respects yourself.”

This young member of Prince of Peace Parish in Olathe usually prefers T-shirts and blue jeans, but she realizes that her casual attire won’t work in all situations.

Pure Fashion has boosted Kayla’s selfconfidence and caused her to consider the importance of first impressions.

“Dressing provocatively doesn’t help you” attract the right kind of attention, she concluded.

St. Ann parishioner Linda Brossard and her eighth-grader Jessica have had a hard time in shopping malls of late: The Chloe Wake (above) and Tierra Cowan get latest styles often show more skin than makeup applied at Sopra Salon in Prairie either of them feel comfortable with. But Village as part of a makeover for Pure Jessica, who likes singing and acting, is Fashion. looking forward now to being on stage in a new capacity — as a runway model at the culminating event of the seven sessponsor, and contacted area Catholic sions: a fashion show later this spring. high schools seeking participants. The Pure Fashion’s clothing guidelines Atlanta-based program is now up and (available at www.purefashion.com) rerunning in more than 20 cities in the mind girls to avoid tight clothing and to United States. pay attention to how Because fashion clothes hang on the also applies to hair body. Fashions that and makeup, the don’t meet the stangirls spent their dards can be incorJanuary session at porated with a bit Sopra Salon in of creativity, the Prairie Village. site advises. For exSopra is normally ample, a favorite closed on shirt that on its own Sundays, but ownCindy Johnston, would be too reer Cindy Johnston owner of Sopra Salon vealing could be agreed to open layered with a tank her salon at no top. cost for the good Olivia’s mother is co-chair of this decause. Nor did she have any trouble but of the Pure Fashion movement in rounding up stylists and makeup Kansas City. artists willing to give up a Sunday afChristine Mavec first learned of the ternoon. program through Regnum Christi, its “We want to help [the girls] feel

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“I think dads have a different focus in this group. It’s a really fun and kid-like atmosphere at the monthly meetings,” he said. “It’s a real coming together as part of our parish family and one more activity to help instill a sense of community in our kids.”

Because All Pro Dad is a national group of Protestant origin, when Couture brought the idea to St. Michael several years ago, he knew it would have to be adapted for Catholic use.

“We liked the idea a lot, but wanted to see it adapted to fit our Catholic faith,” said Denise Ogilvie, director of Christian education and liturgy for St. Michael.

The group was approved, with the understanding that Catholic content — prayers and speakers — would replace the orignal thrust of the organization. It has since become an important ministry of the parish.

“I think anything that keeps families together and tries to connect faith to everyday life and helps them go out into the world to build God’s kingdom is a great message and one that we’re happy to have in our parish,” said Ogilvie.

SHAWNEE — Stephen Fix, a member of St. Joseph Parish here and Boy Scout Troop 351, has earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

The award was presented in a court of honor in November 2008.

For his Eagle project, Fix designed and conStephen Fix structed a new shot put pit on the Mirocke Field at the St. Joseph Education Center, Shawnee.

Senator holds adoption event TOPEKA — On Valentine’s Day, Feb.14, Sen. Sam Brownback will host an event to celebrate adopted children and their parents.

The event will be held from 2-4 p.m. at Washburn University, 1700 S.W. College Ave., in Washburn B (on the first floor of the Washburn Memorial Union).

The event will also feature information for prospective parents. Several area adoption agencies and adoption advocacy organizations will be on hand to answer questions and assist families with information.

If you are interested in adopting, or are in the adoption process, Brownback would appreciate hearing your thoughts, experiences and challenges. Constituent caseworkers will also be on hand to help answer questions about how Brownback’s office can be of assistance.

6 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • FEBRUARY 13, 2009

THE LEAVEN • FEBRUARY 13, 2009

LOCAL NEWS

7

Sister Mary Edwin DeCoursey, SCL

New HR head plans to ‘build on foundation’ ship,” said Jerry Mayne, chief financial officer for the archdiocese.

“With Susan and Donna leaving relKANSAS CITY, Kan. — Hiring into atively close together, it created an a department in the midst of transiopportunity to put together a more tion would be a daunting prospect for centralized and complete departmany people. ment.”

For Kathy Thomas, it’s exciting.

Thomas said she has been able to “I’m the type of person who always step into her role more easily thanks wants a challenge and to the work previously doesn’t like to get into a done by Carroll and rut,” said Thomas, the new Harrity. director of human re“Both Susan and Donna sources for the archdiolaid a great foundation and cese. served very successfully in Thomas was hired in their roles for so long,” said August 2008, succeeding Thomas. “I’m coming in director of administrative only to build on the founservices and longtime emdation they have pioneered ployee Susan Carroll, who here.” retired from the archdioThomas’ role as human Kathy Thomas cese last spring. With resources director comDonna Harrity’s recent rebines several responsibilitirement from the archdiocesan ties. She functions directly as the hugroup insurance office, it seemed an man resources director of the church appropriate time to restructure the offices located at the chancery, adtwo departments. ministers benefits to all archdiocesan Now from her position as human employees, and acts as a consultant to resources director, Thomas will overindividual parishes and organizations see the group insurance office as well across the archdiocese. as HR operations.

“Acting as a consultant for all “The new organization is more of a parishes means I might have contact traditional one, with human rewith the parish priest, parish adminissources and benefits together as one trator or bookkeeper to help them department under the same leaderwith questions about employment

By KARA HANSEN Leaven staff

Catholic Charities expands ministries with ACTS funds

Villa St. Francis nourishes soul and body

N

ourishment of soul and body, compassionate care, and an extensive range of services rank high on the list of what makes Villa St. Francis a special place for residents.

Located in Olathe, Villa St. Francis is sponsored by the archdiocese and provides skilled nursing and rehabilitative care for the frail and elderly.

Catholics value the fact that Mass is offered daily in the Villa chapel. A priest sacramental minister and Sisters are on-site to offer spiritual opportunities to all residents of Villa St. Francis. A beautiful new statue of St. Francis, donated by a friend of the facility, greets visitors at the Villa’s

I

n addition to providing much needed funding for our basic needs (light bills, rent and insurance), the Archbishop’s Call to Share funding has helped us to enter into two new ministries in the last 24 months.

The first is our rural outreach ministry. Kate Smith and Kelly Kuhn are modern day “circuit riders” who travel each week to parishes in Miami County and Jackson County working to assist families in crisis connect with available resources. Perhaps they need assistance with a rent or mortgage payment, an overdue utility bill or counseling for a child or marriage that is struggling. This new ministry has been so successful that we hope to be able to expand to other areas within our 21county archdiocese.

The second ministry is Shalom House, a 25-bed emergency shelter for homeless men in Wyandotte County.

For many years, Shalom House operated as a Catholic Worker House and relied on volunteer staff and leadership.

However, the death of their long-time director, Mary Kay Meyer, placed Shalom House on tenuous footing, and Catholic Charities was asked to step in and provide assistance. With funding from Call to Share we have been able to add one paid staff position to Shalom House, ensuring that its doors will continue to be open to men in need. Our hope is that over time we will have the resources available to provide these men with other needed services, including counseling, job skills training and transitional housing.

entrance.

“A commitment to great food is another plus for our residents,” said John May, administrator. “We go the extra mile to provide nutritious, tastefully prepared food and respect resident choice in meal selection.”

The Villa has a person-centered philosophy with a team approach.

Staff members are assigned consistently to the same units to help develop close relationships with residents.

The homelike environment fosters friendships among residents who help each other, which makes them feel valuable day after day.

The nursing facility offers memory care, rehabilitative therapies, post-

surgery care and wound care. Shortterm rehabilitation allows individuals to return to their home environments.

The facility also provides weekday adult day care for persons in need of structured programming and individualized care.

Villa St. Francis serves people of all means, with a special concern for the poor. Funds from the Archbishop’s Call to Share help offset the shortfall in Medicaid payments for nursing facility care.

“Without ACTS,” May said, “we would be challenged to maintain the high levels of quality care and the range of services we provide for our residents.”

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matters, benefits, employee relations, or employment laws,” said Thomas.

“It is rewarding to serve in a consulting role and support people doing their best to serve our parishes and schools.”

Thomas came to the archdiocese with a 20-year background in human resources. At both of her previous places of employment, she was involved in significant transitions, either for the company or in her department.

“I think it’s helpful to bring that experience here and to use my skills and training in a new environment where benefits are important to so many people,” said Thomas. “I hope to understand all the complexities of our benefits program and communicate that well to the archdiocesan employees.”

Mayne said Thomas’ broad background is a tremendous asset in her role at the archdiocese.

“We were looking for someone who was not only a human resources professional but someone who had been responsible for writing policies and creating programs as well. Kathy had that in her experience,” Mayne explained. “I think she will really help us become more of a resource center for other organizations in the archdiocese.”

LEAVENWORTH — Sister Mary Edwin DeCoursey, 86, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth, died on Feb. 2 at the motherhouse here.

Patricia M. DeCoursey was born April 4, 1922, in Kansas City, Kan., one of four children. She graduated from St. Peter Grade School and Bishop Ward High School, Kansas City, Kan. On Sept. 1, 1941, after two years at St. Mary College in Notre Dame, Ind., she entered the religious community of the OBITUARY Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth and, as Sister Mary Edwin, made her profession of vows on March 4, 1943.

After professing her vows, Sister Mary Edwin completed her undergraduate education at the University of Saint Mary, Leavenworth. She taught at Holy Name School in Topeka for one year before going to Washington, D.C., to attend The Catholic University of America. She received a master’s in 1946 and a doctorate in philosophy in 1948.

During her tenure in the philosophy department at the University of Saint Mary from 1948-1992, Sister Mary Edwin served as assistant professor, professor, and department chairperson.

Lightening the load

From Jordan’s book of prayers Christ our Savior, Give us your Salvation.

Bestow upon us Your Kingdom.

Come O’ Savior For your Kingdom, Will be far greater, Than any riches or wealth.

Be far more loving Than the world we know today.

Lord Jesus, Save us.

Amen.

Young writer/artist sheds weight of the world by spreading the Word Story by Jill Ragar Esfeld

O

LATHE — Prince of Peace parishioner M i c h e l l e Scharnhorst knew there was something different about her son the first time he sat down with a group of children to draw pictures.

The other little boys were drawing robots and Pokemon.

Jordan drew heaven.

“It was a magnificent drawing,” she said. “He was so little. I knew that wasn’t normal, because I had an older child, and I knew what kids at that age drew.”

Last year, as Jordan turned 12, he began expressing his faith in words as well as drawings. Once or twice a week, he would get an inspiration and sequester himself at the nearest computer to write a prayer. After six months, he’s still writing.

Jordan often amazes the adults around him with his spiritual maturity and clear connection to God. Gwyn Heidrick, his School of Religion (SOR) teacher at Prince of Peace, for example, has even shown his prayers to others.

“When I tell people about him and share his prayers,” she said, “they have the same kind of reaction: ‘Is this for real?’

“And I say, ‘Oh, if only you could know him.’”

Out of the ordinary To all outward appearances, Jordan is a regular suburban kid in a typical Catholic family. A sixth-grader at Pleasant Ridge Middle School, he plays football, loves video games and looks forward to summers when he can hang out with friends.

Sandwiched between a little sister who sometimes annoys him and an older sister who dotes on him, he is guided by good parents who are supportive, but in no way controlling.

The Scharnhorsts have allowed Jordan to travel his path, running interference only when absolutely necessary — like when he was eight years old and feeling overwhelmed with the weight of the world.

“Jordan has always been very, very compassionate,” said his dad, Todd.

“When we have our prayer time, he will

Jordan’s Favorite Bible Passage Rom 8: 30-31

mention everyone in the family but then he’ll consistently go to the soldiers in Iraq or the homeless.”

“When he was in second grade,” his mother added, “we had to stop letting him listen to the news because he would take worldly concerns and really internalize them.”

In an effort to relieve his anxieties, Jordan’s grandmother, Jackie Wulf of Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Topeka, made him a Something-forJesus-to-Do box.

The message on the box read as follows: “Don’t attempt to resolve this problem; it will be addressed in His time, not in your time — just forget about it.”

Each day, Jordan would write his concerns and put them in the box.

“To this day, he has kept that box in his room,” his mother said.

As Jordan grew, so did his spirituality and curiosity about matters of faith.

Because he began to ask questions that stumped his parents, his mother bought him a copy of “The Jesus Encyclopedia.”

“My girls were not at all interested in that book,” she said. “Jordan, however, would read it for hours. To this day, that is his most coveted possession.”

Jordan also reads the Bible routinely, for enjoyment.

“Sometimes [after Mass] he’ll come home and get the Bible out,” his mother said. “We won’t say anything, but we notice he’s looking things up.”

When asked if there is any part of the Bible he likes best, Jordan is surprisingly specific: a passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans (8:30-31).

Jordan is fascinated with Dr. Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist who has written about the universe and incorporated God in his writings. “I know that the earth is so perfect, only God could have made it,” Jordan says. His fascination with the universe shows in his artwork (at left).

Catholic inspirations Jordan identifies with St. Francis of Assisi and already knows that Francis will be his confirmation name. But he can’t explain why he feels this connection any more than he can explain the surprising maturity of his faith or why he feels

compelled to write prayers.

His SOR teacher has come to accept that Jordan simply has an innate understanding of all things religious.

“A few weeks into class, I noticed he was always able to answer questions very

thoughtfully and accurately,” she said.

“So I asked, ‘Jordan where do you learn all your religion?’ And he said, ‘You know, I don’t really know. I just get it.’”

“As I’ve gotten to know him now, I can tell you that’s true,” said Heidrick. “He

just gets it.”

Jordan truly enjoys Mass and loves his Catholic faith. He says it allows him to connect with God in a way he wouldn’t be able to through any other faith tradition.

“Every time I walk up to Communion, I remember this is the actual body of Christ,” he said. “I don’t take that for granted, because it’s very important.

“And I really learn by processing all the information from the homily and trying to find the meaning of prayers.”

But Jordan also learns from the examples of those in his life.

“My grandma is in a wheelchair,” Jordan explained. “She is very spiritual and she reminds me so much of a saint because she just cares so much for everyone. Plus she’s like a really hard-core Catholic.”

Wulf laughs at being labeled hardcore, but admits she’s always felt called.

Several years ago, she was in a severe car accident and incurred injuries that left her wheelchair-bound. The experience, she said, tested her faith.

“Probably two years of my life I was pretty depressed, trying to figure out how to come back from all that,” she said. “It really strengthened my faith, because I turned to God.” When Jordan gave Wulf a book of his prayers for Christmas, she was touched.

But when she read them, she cried.

Jordan is more of an inspiration to her, said Wulf, than she could ever be to him.

“Through the eyes of a child — that’s how he inspires me,” she said. “He is a typical kid. But when he writes prayers and that kind of thing, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s in a different place. I truly believe he is blessed by the Holy Spirit.”

Hope in God

The phrase most often used by family and friends to describe Jordan is “wellrounded.” The difference between he and other kids, said his dad, is in how he spends his free time “He engages in karate. He plays football and does really well. He plays the Xbox and does the things that most boys do,” he said. “But he also sits down and has his quiet time and writes the prayers and reads the Scripture.”

Heidrick agrees.

“He fits in with the other kids very Like his grandmother, Jordan’s parwell,” she said. “He’s got the best sense of ents were surprised by the prayers humor and he’s well liked in class.

Jordan composed. They never suggested “He’s very humble,” she continued. that he write down his thoughts. He just “He feels the need to share, but not to came to his mother one day and said, “Do boast.

And I just think he’s a great role you want to read what I’ve written?” model for kids.

“After I read the first one, I said, ‘Son, “We talk a lot in class about finding a you have a gift,’” she recalled. “I was so way to share your faith in a public school happy that he was finally able to verbalsetting, and he’s given a couple of examize what went on in his head.”

The prayers flow easily from Jordan’s ples of how comfortable and natural it is for him to do that.” pen, but when asked to describe Though he loves the time he spends his process of writing, he composing his prayers and illustrating struggles for the right his faith, Jordan words. admits that he “I don’t really doesn’t really know how to exlike to write. plain it,” he said.

English is not “I forget a lot of his favorite subthings, but when I ject and neither hear something is art.

He loves that gives me the science and excels idea for a prayer, I rein math. member that.

His role model, “I usually get my first right next to St. sentence and then think Francis, is Dr. Michio about how that relates to Kaku, a theoretical anything that could be the physicist and co-founder next part. Sometimes I can of string field theory. write one in two minutes Jordan has read several and sometimes it takes 20 of Dr. Kaku’s books, minutes.” which are written on a Jordan addresses his doctorate level. They proprayers to God, Jesus and vide him with a different the Holy Spirit, and his themes usually center on While other kids were drawing sort of inspiration.

“I want to be like him either praising God or sal- their favorite cartoon characwhen I grow up,” he said. vation for the world. ters, Jordan always focused his “He wrote this book Jordan believes he is attention on drawing things of a about the universe, but called to pray for the more heavenly nature. he incorporates God in a world. lot of it. And I know that the earth is so He never asks God for specifics beperfect, only God could have made it.” cause “God knows what he needs to do, If you ask Jordan about the possibility and he knows what he’s going to do.” of a religious vocation in his future, he is Jordan believes God loves us “definitequick to respond, “I want to be an astroly” and he is certain that all God wants physicist.” from us is that we “love each other, care But then he thinks for a moment and for each other, serve God and keep his adds, “I really don’t know. I just want to commandments.” see what the future holds for me.”

When he’s done writing, Jordan says Evangelizing the world is a tall order, he feels hopeful for the world. but Jordan feels he’s up to the task.

“I feel good that I’ve done something “It doesn’t scare me,” he said, “bethat contributes to the church, and it cause I know I have a lot of hope in God.” makes me feel very happy — relieved, like,” he said.

An expression of faith

“And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Since he’s been able to put his thoughts on paper, Jordan’s mother has noticed that he seems more at peace. But his anxiety, she said, has been replaced by a sense of urgency.

“Now he feels a sense of need to spread the word,” she said.

“I want to share my prayers with as many people as possible,” Jordan explained, “because I want to spread God’s word — spread the Holy Spirit.”

10 NATION

THE LEAVEN • FEBRUARY 13, 2009

Blair urges new alliances for economic, security issues SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (CNS) — Today’s global economic, environmental and security challenges can be addressed suconly if deBRIEFLY cessfully veloped and developing nations form unconventional alliances based on shared values and use justice as a force to bring people together, according to Tony Blair. The former prime minister of Great Britain spoke Feb. 3 at Catholic-run Seton Hall University in South Orange. Blair told an audience of 2,000 students, faculty, alumni and guests that commitment to justice, freedom and democracy is reflected in “not just what you say, but the motivation with which you say it and act on it.” These values are not only right in themselves, he said, but are the practical key to effective action. Blair, prime minister from 1997 to 2007, is currently the special envoy to the Middle East on behalf of the Quartet, a group comprised of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia. In 2008, he established the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, dedicated to promoting understanding among the major faiths and of the role of faith in the modern world.

Muslim women see plusses, challenges in US society WASHINGTON (CNS) — Laleh Bakhtiar said her English translation of the Quran would not have been published if she had not tackled the seven-year project in the United States. “No place other than America could this have been possible,” said Bakhtiar, 70, whose translation of the holy book of Islam from Arabic into English was published last year. “I’ve known women in other countries who’ve tried and have gotten nowhere” because the government has quashed their efforts, said Bakhtiar, the first Muslim American woman to translate the Quran into English.

The Iranian-born woman is the author of 20 books and a former lecturer at the University of Chicago. Her translation of the Quran replaces insulting, exclusive language with words inclusive of women and non-Muslims. Bakhtiar, who moved to the United States as a baby, attributes her success in the U.S. to the freedoms — including religious freedom — enshrined in the Bill of Rights. But being a U.S. Muslim woman does not come without challenges, said several Muslim women. Establishing an identity as a strong woman and faithful Muslim in an often ignorant American society can be difficult, they said.

THE LEAVEN • FEBRUARY 13, 2009

Official tells non-Muslims not to defy Islam

Chicago’s cathedral damaged in early fire

By MICHELLE MARTIN Catholic News Service CHICAGO (CNS) — While parishioners stood and stared with tears in their eyes and firefighters continued to pour water on the roof of Holy Name Cathedral, Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago told reporters the cathedral would “bounce back” from an early morning fire Feb. 4.

“Chicago has bounced back from fires before,” said the cardinal. “We will bounce back from this.” He spoke to the media after taking a brief tour inside the cathedral.

The blaze, which was of unknown origin and took firefighters two and a half hours to battle, was under control by 7:30 a.m. CST and reported to be out a half-hour later, according to WGN-TV in Chicago.

Fire officials reported there was significant water damage inside.

Firefighters had punched holes in the roof to battle the blaze. There apparently was extensive damage to the cathedral’s roof and attic. Archdiocesan chancellor Jimmy Lago told the Chicago SunTimes that the cathedral would likely be closed for months for repairs.

The fire apparently started in the attic area between the decorative wooden ceiling and the roof, in the area over the altar at the east end of the building. Because it broke out above the ceiling, the fire also was above the sprinkler system.

“The cathedral looks like the cathedral,” the cardinal said, explaining what he saw when he went inside.

“Until you see the icicles on the pews and the water on the floor and the water coming out of the electrical fixtures.”

The five “galeros” — red hats belonging to the former cardinal archbishops of Chicago — were still hanging over the altar, Cardinal George said, although he could not say whether they had been damaged by water.

CNS photo/Dave Crenshaw, Eastern Oklahoma Catholic

PRIEST, IMAM SHARE LIGHT MOMENT — Msgr. Patrick Gaalaas, pastor of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish in Tulsa and vicar general of the Diocese of Tulsa, and Shiekh Mohamed Elghobashy, an imam and member of the Islamic Society of Tulsa, smile as they discuss future topics for meetings of the Institute of Interfaith Dialogue in November 2008. The group of Catholic and Islamic leaders meet monthly to discuss a broad range of religious topics.

SCHIP bill called ‘first step’ toward health coverage for all

By NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) — Joined by representatives of Catholic Charities USA and the Catholic Health Association, President Barack Obama signed into law Feb. 4 legislation reauthorizing and expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP. Obama called the $32.8 billion bill — one of the first signed during his presidency — “only a first step” and a “down payment on my commitment to cover every single American.”

Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, who attended the signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House, praised Congress and Obama “for acting so swiftly on this vital law.”

“Without SCHIP, vulnerable children of low-income families would not receive the care they need to be strong and healthy citizens and productive individuals in our society,” he added in a statement.

Kathleen Curran, CHA’s senior director for public policy, represented CHA at the signing ceremony.

The legislation continues coverage through 2013 for 7 million children

SINGAPORE (CNS) — The Catholic Church in Singapore, where most Catholics are Chinese, has incorporated the lunar new year festival into church life.

The Asian church news agency UCA News reported that during the 15-day celebrations many parishes decorate their church with red banners. Blessed oranges also are distributed during special Masses held Jan. 26, the beginning of the lunar new year this year.

The Chinese regard red as an auspicious color and oranges as a symbol of good fortune.

Father Stanislaus Pang, a diocesan priest, pointed out the spiritual aspects of the celebration.

“During the Chinese new year Mass, we give thanks to God for the gift of the new year and also for the gift of Chinese culture,” he said.

“The distribution of oranges, which are produce of the earth, is symbolic of the Father bestowing his blessings upon us for the new year,” he told UCA News.

Many Chinese parishioners also give the priests in their parish “hong bao,” Chinese red envelopes containing

money. This year, at the Church of St. Bernadette, the custom also took a new form. Special red envelopes were distributed at Masses for parishioners to donate money to their church renovation fund.

For the festival, Catholic bookshops also sell specially printed “hong bao” bearing biblical phrases.

If the new year period coincides with the start of Lent, as it did in 2008 when the eve of the lunar new year coincided with Ash Wednesday, the archbishop has permission from the Vatican to allow Catholics to fast and abstain on another day instead. Many Chinese hold family reunion dinners on that night.

But the heightened spirit of family and community is not as strong as it once was, according to a news report in The Straits Times. The Englishlanguage daily said the lunar new year is still widely celebrated among the Chinese here, but many young people are losing interest in it because of weakening family ties and the feeling that such customs are oldfashioned.

Bishop’s Holocaust claims ‘strongly rejected’ by pope VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican said a traditionalist bishop who has minimized the full extent of the BRIEFLY Holocaust must disavow his positions before he will be accepted into full communion with the church. A Vatican statement Feb. 4 said Pope Benedict XVI did not know about the controversial statements by British-born Bishop Richard Williamson when he lifted the excommunication of him and three other traditionalist bishops ordained illicitly in 1988.

“The positions of Bishop Williamson on the Holocaust are absolutely unacceptable and are strongly rejected by the Holy Father,” the statement said. In order to function as a bishop, Bishop Williamson must distance himself from his previous statements in “an absolutely unequivocal and public manner,” the Vatican said. In a statement meant to deflect the increasing public outcry over the papal decree lifting the excommunication, the Vatican said the decree did not change the juridical status of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, which still has no canonical recognition in the Catholic Church. The society was founded by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who also incurred automatic excommunication when he ordained the four bishops against papal orders. The society has not accepted the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council and its concepts of religious freedom and ecumenism.

UN statistics reveal extent of world hunger VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In his 2009 Lenten message Pope Benedict XVI said the spiritual practice of fasting also should lead to concrete action on behalf of the hungry. “Fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation in which so many of our brothers and sisters live,” the pope said in the message released at the Vatican Feb. 3. The Vatican invited Josette Sheeran, executive director of the World Food Program, to its press conference presenting the message. The following are statistics on world hunger from the World Food Program and the Office of the U.N. Secretary-General: In 2008, the number of undernourished people in the world rose to 963 million (more than the combined populations of the United States, Canada and the European Union), up 40 million from 2007. Hunger and malnutrition are the No. 1 risk to health worldwide, greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

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Church in Singapore blends new year festival into faith

11

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whose families make too much for them to be eligible for Medicaid; expands coverage for another 4.1 million uninsured children; and makes legal immigrant children and pregnant women eligible for the program without the previously mandated five-year waiting period.

The federal side of the program will be funded primarily with an increase in the excise tax on tobacco, with the tax on cigarettes going from 62 cents to $1.01 a pack.

Catholic Charities, CHA and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have been longtime advocates of expanding SCHIP and including legal immigrant children and pregnant women without a waiting period.

“Improving access to health care for low-income children has been a major priority in Catholic Charities USA’s efforts to reduce poverty in America,” said Father Snyder in his statement.

Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity who is CHA president and CEO, said the SCHIP legislation was “a victory for children as well as the Catholic health ministry’s advocacy efforts to provide sufficient resources to preserve SCHIP and restore funding for legal immigrants.”

CNS photo/Tim Chong, Reuters

DANCE TROUPE PREPARES TO PERFORM — A lion dance troupe listens to instructions from an event official before their performance on Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese new year, in Singapore Feb. 1. Many Catholic parishes in Singapore, where most Catholics are Chinese, decorate their churches with red banners, as that color is considered auspicious, and participate in other traditions — such as passing out oranges — related to the lunar new year. The festival runs for 15 days.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (CNS) — Amid a dispute over the use of the word “Allah” in a Malaysian Catholic newspaper, a government official has warned non-Muslim leaders not to “challenge the sacredness of Islam.”

Mingguan Malaysia, the Sunday edition of the Utusan Malaysia daily, reported the remarks of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi warning non-Muslim leaders not to raise issues that anger Muslims.

Zahid made his remarks at a ceremony at a mosque in the capital territory.

For the past few years, the Herald, a Catholic weekly, has been engaged in a dispute with the government over its use of Allah for God in its section printed in Malay, the national language of Malaysia. The Home Affairs Ministry has said that Allah refers exclusively to the god of Islam.

Zahid said such problems would not arise if all parties recognize that Islam is the official religion of the country.

The official said he suspects “a certain agenda” in the Herald controversy, since non-Muslims are forbidden from proselytizing Muslims in the country.

“Do not play with fire. Do not challenge the Muslims. We will do anything to protect our holy religion,” he was quoted as saying.

UCA News said the newspaper report also cited comments by a Catholic government official, Bernard Dompok.

According to the Sarawak Talk Web site, Dompok urged the Home Affairs Ministry Jan. 24 to stop “harassing” the Herald. Calling it an unnecessary controversy, he said the ministry should just let the courts decide on the matter since a hearing is pending. The High Court has set Feb. 27 for the hearing.

Dompok noted that the term Allah is widely used by Christians in Indonesia and in Arab countries. The usage of Allah among Malaysian Christians became more pronounced after the import of Indonesian Bibles.

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12 CLASSIFIEDS ■ EMPLOYMENT Bishop Miege High School - Is seeking teacher applications for full-time math; full- or part-time biology/chemistry; and full- or part-time English teacher for the 2009 - 10 school year. Send cover letter, resume, transcript and credentials to: 5041 Reinhardt Dr., Shawnee Mission, KS 66205, or for an application, call Lorraine at (913) 262-2701, ext.

235.

C a f e t e r i a m a n a g e r - St. Joseph School, Shawnee, is seeking applicants for a cafeteria manager for the 2009 - 10 school year. St. Joseph is a K - 8 school with an enrollment of 565 students. Twothirds of the student body purchase lunch on an average day. The manager supervises seven employees. Interested applicants should send a letter of interest to: Cafeteria Manager Application, 11505 Johnson Dr, Shawnee, KS 66203. Requests for information or application may also be e-mailed to: sjoseph@archkckcs.org.

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

O v er n i g h t s le ep st a ff p o s i t i on s - Two parttime positions — one works two nights weekly; the other works three nights weekly. For three female mentally retarded and developmentally disabled clients in their Overland Park home. Sun. - Thurs. nights from 6 p.m. - 7 a.m. Great for a college student, or if you are looking to supplement your income. Female applicants only. Call Amy at (913) 221-9158.

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

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

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Maintainance-free living - In a well-maintained area! Active HOA with excellent property mgmt.

Ranch home with two-car garage, full bsmt, and fenced patio. Bldg. exterior, driveways, roof, lawn and snow care provided. Pools and tennis courts on complex. What more could you ask for? $174,900.

Close to shopping and highways. Oakshire Townhomes, Overland Park. To see, call Rosemary Connors, Reece and NIchols Realty, at (913) 6691229.

Beautiful Lenexa home for sale - Newer, twostory, 4 BR, 3-1/2 BA home in desirable west Lenexa neighborhood near St. James Academy. 2500+ sq. ft. Many upgrades; tasetfully decorated; great floor plan. Must see! To view, call (913) 745-5948.

■ MISCELLANEOUS

I want to talk to others who have lost their sense of taste. Due to a surgical procedure, I am experiencing this condition and would like to learn how others are coping with this condition. Call Rose at (620) 432-8733.

■ WANTED TO BUY

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

(913) 593-7507 or (913) 642-8269. *** Wanted to Buy *** Antique and vintage costume jewelry Member St. Joseph Parish Renee Maderak (913) 631-7179

■ ENTERTAINMENT

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

TO PURCHASE A CLASSIFIED Send an e-mail to: jennifer@theleaven.com, or call (913) 647-0327. The cost is $16 per column inch, five lines or less. Each additional line is $1.50.

Classified ads will also be posted online at The Leaven’s Web site: www.theleaven.com.

Feb. 14

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

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

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

Queen of the Holy Rosary, Overland Park, will host an “Evening in Paris” dinner and dance on Feb. 14. Doors open at 6 p.m.; dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., with dancing to follow. The cost is $22 per person, and reservations are required. To purchase tickets, make your check payable to Queen of the Holy Rosary and mail to the church office at: 7023 W. 71st St, Overland Park, KS 66204; attention Sheryl Lickteig. Include your phone number for confirmation. For information, call Patty at (913) 384-4644.

An event to celebrate adopted children and their parents will be hosted by Sen. Sam Brownback from 2 – 4 p.m. on Feb. 14 at Washburn University in Washburn B (1st Floor of the Washburn Memorial Union), 1700 S.W. College Ave., Topeka. If you are interested in adopting or are in the adoption process, here is your chance to share your thoughts, experiences and challenges. The event will also feature information for prospective parents. Several area adoption agencies and adoption advocacy organizations, including Catholic Charities, will be on hand to answer questions and provide information.

15

Gaudeamus igitur! Let us be joyful! Sanctuary of Hope, 2601 Ridge Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will host “Meditation with Music & Movement,” a concert featuring Our Lady and St. Rose gospel choir and The Ebony Chorale, from 2 - 4 p.m. on Feb. 15. For information, call (913) 321HOPE (4673) or visit the Web site at: www.sanctuaryofhope.org.

St. Bede Parish, Kelly, will host its annual pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 15. A freewill donation will be collected.

The Daughters of Isabella, Little Flower Circle No. 503, will celebrate their annual birthday dinner during the regular monthly meeting at noon on Feb. 15 at Rossiter Hall, 204 S.W. 8th St., Topeka. Bring a covered dish to share; the circle will provide meat. Members only.

16

Father Mitchel Zimmerman, archdiocesan vocation director, will host a Venite et Videte retreat for high school men on Feb. 21 - 22 at Savior Pastoral Center, 12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kan. The retreat will include prayer, talks and discussion about how God talks to young people, and sports and games. The cost is $25, which includes overnight lodging and meals. For information or to register by Feb. 16, visit the Web site at: www. kckvocations.com .

17

M-F 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Summer Months: Sat. 10 a.m to 3 p.m.

Bishop Miege High School, 5041 Reinhardt Dr., Roeland Park, is accepting applications for the 2009 - 10 academic year. We will have counselors available during our registration night from 7 - 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 17 to assist parents and students. All applications are due to the school by Feb. 19. For information,

call (913) 262-2700 or visit the Web site at: www.bishopmiege.com.

Father Marion Charboneau will celebrate the monthly archdiocesan prolife Mass at 8 a.m. on Feb. 17 at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Church, 44 N. Mill, Kansas City, Kan., followed by a rosary procession to an abortion clinic four blocks away.

Eucharistic adoration is available for those not processing, with Benediction concluding services at 9:45 a.m.

19

The Singles of Nativity will host a movie night on Feb. 19 at AMC Town Center Theaters, 119th and Nall, Leawood.

We will meet at Panera Bread Co. across the parking lot from the theater at 6 p.m. for a quick bite to eat before the movie.

For information, send an e-mail to: social@son-ministry.org.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will celebrate a March for Life reunion Mass at the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, 1631 Crescent Rd., Lawrence, at 5:15 p.m. on Feb. 19. All are welcome to attend.

A healing Mass, sponsored by archdiocesan charismatic prayer groups, will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 19 at Curé of Ars Church, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood.

Father Mark Mertes will preside; fellowship follows.

19 & 21

The St. Thomas Aquinas High School performing arts department will present “Get Smart” by Mel Brooks at 7 p.m. on Feb. 19 and 21 in the theater. Tickets cost $5. For information or reservations, call Kim Harrison at (913) 319-2433 or send an e-mail to her at: kharrison@stasaints.net.

20

A singles dance will be held on Feb. 20 at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 2206 E. 23rd St., Lawrence. The doors open at 7:30 p.m.; dancing will start at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $6 for women; $7 for men. Must be 21 years of age. For information, call (785) 842-2699 or (785) 5508667.

21

Benedictine College, Atchison, will host its annual scholarship ball on Feb. 21, honoring Nell Hill’s Mary Carol and Dan Garrity and Matt and Ann Anthony with the Cross of the Order of St. Benedict. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Century Ballroom at the Westin Crown Center Hotel, 1 E. Pershing Rd., Kansas City, Mo., followed by dinner and the program at 6:30 p.m. Black tie optional. For reservations or information, call (913) 360-7401 or visit the Web site at: www.benedictine.edu/ scholarshipball.

A memorial liturgy for deceased loved ones will be held at 8 a.m. on Feb. 21 at Curé of Ars Church, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood. The bereavement ministry will have its monthly meeting following Mass in the Father Burak Room. For information, call (913) 649-2026.

A new session of Marriage for Keeps will begin on Feb. 21 and meet each Thursday evening through April 7 at 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan. Marriage for Keeps is for married couples who want to participate in a fun night out. Our “nocost date nights” consist of weekly complementary dinners and marriage education sessions in a small group setting.

Couples who participate are eligible to receive up to $100 worth of gift cards. Free child care is provided. Space is limited, and registration is necessary. For information or to register, call (913) 621-5255, ext.

111, or send an e-mail to: mfk@ccsks.org.

St. Francis de Sales Parish, Lansing, will host a German-style Mardi Gras dinner and dance from 6:30 - 11 p.m. on Feb. 21 in the St. Joseph Dining Hall on the University of Saint Mary campus, Leavenworth. The cost is $50 per person. Free babysitting will be provided. For information or tickets, call St. Francis de Sales at (913) 727-3742.

The alumni association of Donnelly College will offer a free financial lecture, by financial expert Steve Modrcin, from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Feb. 21. The lecture is open to the community and will be held in the college’s first floor meeting room.

For information, contact Roger Berg at (913) 621-8744 or send an e-mail to him at: rberg@donnelly.edu.

The C a t h e d r a l o f S t . P e t e r , 431 N. 15th St., Kansas City, Kan., will host its annual Mardi Gras dinner and dance Feb 21. Come dressed in your favorite carnival costume and be a part of the parade.

Tickets cost $10 per person; advance purchase only by Feb. 18. For information or tickets, call Charlotte Fide at (913) 2811135, Janet Leverich at (913) 321-0070 or the parish office at (913) 371-0840.

Kansas City Metro Catholic Singles (KCMCS) will host a Mardi Gras dance from 7:30 - 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 at the Lenexa Community Center, 13420 Oak (93rd & Pflumm), Lenexa. Music will be provided by “Carl the DJ.” The cost is $20 in advance; $25 at the door. Beer, wine, soda and heavy hors d'oeuvres are included. For information or tickets, send an email to: info@SinglesKC.org.

Sacred Heart Parish, 21801 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, will host a winter dance and raffle at 8 p.m. on Feb. 21 in the multipurpose room of the school. Tickets cost $15 and include one raffle ticket and drinks. Everyone is asked to bring an appetizer to share. Additional raffle tickets will cost $1 each.

The Knights of Columbus, Council No. 2332, Shawnee, will honor Linda Leeper as citizen of the year at their annual banquet on Feb. 21 in their hall, located at 11221 Johnson Dr. Tickets cost $20 in advance; $25 at the door. Dinner will be provided by the Hereford House. For information or tickets, call Rich Hathorne at (913) 248-8278 or send an e-mail to him at: richhathorne@hotmail.com.

The Knights of Columbus at Christ the King Church, 53rd and Leavenworth Rd., Kansas City, Kan., will host a chicken and sausage gumbo fest from 6:30 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 in Davern Hall. The cost is $8 for adults; $4 for children. For information or tickets, call John at (913) 287-9876.

21 & 28

Sister Antonella Bayer, CSJ, will facilitate “Treasures of the Triduum,” a retreat for RCIA groups, from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Feb. 21 and again on Feb. 28 at Sanctuary of Hope, 2601 Ridge Ave., Kansas City, Kan. The cost of $20 per person includes lunch. For information or to register, send an e-mail to: julie@sanctuaryofhope.org or call (913) 321-4673.

22

Father John F. Rossiter will be honored with a Mass of celebration for his 50th anniversary of priesthood at noon on Feb. 22, at Mater Dei Parish, Assumption Church, 204 S.W. 8th in Topeka.

Father Rossiter was ordained Dec. 20,

CALENDAR

13

1958. He retired as pastor of Assumption Church in July 2006, but has continued to serve the parish. A reception will follow from 1 to 4 p.m. in Rossiter Hall at the church. The Catholic community and the public are invited.

27-1

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

28

“How to Grow in Holiness Through Knowing Christ,” a retreat sponsored by the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women and led by Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher, will be held from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 at Savior Pastoral Center, 12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kan. The call to sanctity for everyone is a fundamental teaching of Vatican II, and the Catholic Church has unique means to bring your soul to union with Christ. The cost of $35 includes a light breakfast. To RSVP, mail a check to: Terry Barnes; 9012 Pawnee, Overland Park, KS 66206. For information, call Barnes at (913) 383-1411 or (913) 491-5149.

Misc.

You can help your marriage! Do you feel alone? Are you frustrated or angry with your spouse? Do you argue or have you just stopped talking to each other? Retrouvaille helps couples through difficult times in their marriages. The program does not require you to air your problems to others.

The focus is on giving you the tools and time to work through your feelings. For confidential information or to register for the upcoming Retrouvaille weekend on Feb. 27 - March 1, call 1 (800) 470-2230 or visit the Web site at: www.Retrouvaille.org.

Divorced? Widowed? Beginning Experience Weekend gently helps people move through their loss to a new beginning in their lives. The next weekend for the Kansas City area will be Feb. 27 - March 1. For information or for registration material, call John at (913) 219-3465 in Kansas City, Sue at (785) 331-2216 in Lawrence, or visit the Web site at: www.beginningexperience.org.

The Catholic Charities “Mother to Mother” program in Olathe is looking for volunteer support/mentor mothers to serve partner mothers who are often young, single and living at or below the poverty guidelines. We especially would be interested in volunteers who speak Spanish. A minimum investment of four hours per month is required, which includes a monthly meeting held in Olathe on a Monday night. Training is provided. If you are interested in volunteering or know someone who could benefit from our program, contact Carla Golden at (913) 7824077 or send an e-mail to her at: cgolden@ccsks.org.

Support women in crisis pregnancies!

The Wyandotte Pregnancy Clinic will host a volunteer information/training session from 9 a.m. - noon on Feb. 28 at the clinic, located at 3021 N. 54th St., Kansas City, Kan. At this meeting you will learn about a variety of volunteer opportunities and how you can help. No experience is necessary; training will be provided. You decide where you can help us continue our mission. There’s no commitment of how long you volunteer. To register, call (913) 287-8287.

14 COMMENTARY

THE LEAVEN • FEBRUARY 13, 2009

THE LEAVEN • FEBRUARY 13, 2009

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

Catholic Press Association Award Winner 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Archbishop Edward O’Meara Award Winner 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799) Published weekly September through May, excepting the Friday the week after Thanksgiving, and the Friday after Christmas; biweekly June through August. Address communications to: The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. Phone: (913) 721-1570; fax: (913) 7215276; or e-mail at: sub@theleaven.com.

E

An elderly man made a daily trek to a nursing facility where his wife was a resident. She was housed in a special unit reserved for Alzheimer’s patients.

The journey was difficult for the man, as he himself was frail and walked slowly with the aid of a cane. His failing eyesight meant that he could no longer drive, forcing him to ride the bus each day, in all kinds of weather, to get to the nursing center.

He was a well-known fixture to the staff at the facility and often stayed to patiently feed his wife a couple of times a day. He was unfailingly pleasant to the other residents and outwardly grateful to all those who cared for his wife.

One day, the old man was invited out to lunch by a neighbor. He declined, noting that he would be at the nursing center at that time. The neighbor scoffed and said, “Couldn’t you miss one day? Doesn’t your wife have Alzheimer’s? Why do you even go to visit? Does she even know who you are?”

“No, she probably doesn’t,” sighed the old man sadly, “but, you see, I still know who she is.”

What wisdom — and love — reside in that elderly man. As heartbreaking

as I’m sure it was for this man to know that his wife no longer recognized him, it ultimately didn’t matter. Love does what is right, no matter what the conditions or the costs. And one never has to explain or be ashamed of any deeds done out of genuine kindness.

Perhaps this elderly man can serve as an inspiration for us as we get ready to celebrate a little-known, but muchneeded, observance on Feb. 17: Random Acts of Kindness Day. According to “The Book of Days” by Guen Sublette, a “worldwide, loose network of modest do-gooders,” called the Kindness Movement, arose in the early 1980s. It was a response to the phrase — “practice random acts of kindness and acts of senseless beauty” — first penned by Anne Herbert, a Berkeley, Calif., writer. You’ve no doubt seen these words plastered on bumper stickers or posters over the years.

It seems to me that our world could use a good dose of kindness right about now. We appear to have mastered multiple ways to hurt or depress one another; we still have a long way

to go in finding ways to consistently and creatively encourage, support, and love one another. Performing random acts of kindness is certainly a good start and can have a tremendous impact, over time, on our hearts and on our perception of things.

While there are no official rules governing what actions qualify as acts of kindness, they are “generally anonymous” and spontaneous. I’ve found they’re also fun to do and immensely satisfying. They lift the spirits of not only of the receiver, but of the doer.

Honestly, though, it’s not the delight or satisfaction that you feel when doing random acts of kindness that is most important. Like that elderly man in the story, we do them because we know this is what love does, this is what Jesus expects of us as his followers.

Random Acts of Kindness Day can serve as a dry run for the upcoming season of Lent, which begins on Feb. 25. That penitential time of year has as one of its goals the development of a more compassionate heart. And isn’t that what kindness does? Joseph Joubert, a 19th-century French Catholic philosopher, said it best when he wrote: “Kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve.”

Don’t let Feb. 17 be just another day. Get out there and unleash some kindness . . . and watch how quickly it spreads.

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.

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THE GOSPEL TRUTH

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Jesus breaks the laws to make us whole

SIXTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME Feb. 15 SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Lv 13: 1-2, 44-46; Ps 32: 1-2, 5, 11; 1 Cor 10:31 — 11:1; Mk 1: 40-45 Feb. 16 Monday Gn 4: 1-15, 25; Ps 50: 1, 8, 16bc-17, 20-21; Mk 8: 11-13 Feb. 17 The Seven Founders of the Order of the Servites, religious Gn 6: 5-8; 7: 1-5, 10; Ps 29: 1a, 2, 3ac-4, 3b, 9c-10; Mk 8: 14-21 Feb. 18 Wednesday Gn 8: 6-13, 20-22; Ps 116: 12-15, 18-19; Mk 8: 22-26 Feb. 19 Thursday Gn 9: 1-13; Ps 102: 16-18, 19-23, 29; Mk 8: 27-33 Feb. 20 Friday Gn 11: 1-9; Ps 33: 10-15; Mk 8:34 — 9:1 Feb. 21 Peter Damian, bishop, doctor of the church Heb 11: 1-7; Ps 145: 2-5, 10-11; Mk 9: 2-13

Conscience rights: from choice to coercion

Reverse the random acts of violence very now and then, a story really strikes a chord in your heart. This is one of those for me:

T

ypically, a town will have one neighborhood where low-income people live, where the houses look dilapidated, where crime flourishes.

leper in Sunday’s Gospel has violated Everyone knows what boundary that ban, in the hope that Jesus will marks that neighborhood off, even heal him. Out of mercy, Jesus also viothough it does not show up on a map. lates that ban: “He stretched out his Since in many towns that boundary hand and touched him.” happened to be the railroad track, it By touching the leper, Jesus made gave rise to the expression, himself unclean. It was not “to live on the wrong side of only a question of running the SIXTH WEEK the railroad tracks.” In any risk of contracting the disease.

OF ORDINARY case, many people believe By touching the leper, Jesus TIME that you take a risk in crossmade himself ritually unclean, Mk 1: 40-45 ing the boundary. just as if he had touched a And Jesus was willing to corpse, a pig, or any other untake that risk. He reached out clean object. to those who lived on the margins of By taking upon himself the uncleansociety — to tax collectors, to prostiliness of the leper, Jesus was putting tutes, to those whom most people himself in the leper’s place. It comes as would shun. We see a good example of no surprise, then, that Jesus ends up in that in Sunday’s Gospel reading, Mk the deserted places where the leper 1:40-45. had been relegated before his healing: Two thousand years ago, because a “He remained outside in deserted leper was considered unclean, the Law places.” of Moses banned him from living in the Jesus has begun to avoid the towns community: “He shall dwell apart, because of his reputation as a healer: making his abode outside the camp” “He (the leper) spread the report (Lv 13:46). In approaching Jesus, the abroad, so that it was impossible for

15

GUEST COMMENTARY

MARK MY WORDS President MOST REVEREND JOSEPH F. NAUMANN

COMMENTARY

Jesus to enter a town openly.” This may sound ironic, in view of Jesus’ desire stated only last Sunday in the Gospel reading, of visiting other towns besides Capernaum: “Let us go to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” It is almost as though Jesus’ success as a healer has deterred him from his goal of bringing the good news to all the people.

But this temporary setback is quickly overcome. If Jesus cannot come to the people, then the people will come to Jesus. Even though Jesus has taken up residence in the deserted places, the people seek him out: “He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.”

By taking on the uncleanliness of the leper, Jesus healed him. This healing looks forward to Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. By taking on our sins, Jesus also heals us. Jesus reaches out to us and touches our hearts. Jesus puts himself in our place, and we receive life. What Jesus did for the leper in the Gospel story, he also does for us.

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

hallmark of free nations is the recognition of the individual’s freedom of conscience.

Tyrant states do not protect conscience; they strangle it.

A

The right of conscience is as old as Western civilization. Over 2,400 years ago, Sophocles’ fictional Antigone was esteemed for following her conscience in burying her brother in defiance of the king’s edict.

The first recorded claim of conscience rights for medical personnel is the 4th century B.C. Hippocratic Oath: “I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients. . . . I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion.”

The right of conscience is recognized in the U.S. Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the World Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics, and, in 47 states, laws protect the conscience rights of healthcare providers.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls conscience “man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths” (no. 1776).

Given the universality and history of the right of conscience among free peoples, it is shocking that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others have sued to overturn regulations implementing long-standing federal laws enacted to protect the conscience rights of healthcare professionals and institutions.

In attacking the recent regulations, the ACLU is taking aim at three federal laws. Congress enacted the “Church Amendment” immediately after the Roe v. Wade decision to ensure that healthcare professionals and hospitals would not be coerced into involvement

Want to help someone heal from an abortion?

Call Toll Free 888-246-1504

in abortions or sterilizations. The Coats Amendment was enacted over a decade ago to nullify the attempt by the medical accreditation council to coerce medical schools into training Ob-Gyn residents in abortion procedures. Since 2004, the Weldon Amendment has prevented governmental discrimination against healthcare entities on account of the entity’s refusal to “provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.”

Despite all their talk of “choice,” the abortion industry and its supporters are determined to eliminate the choice of medical professionals and entities to not become accomplices in killing unborn boys and girls. Despite all their talk about “privacy,” the abortion industry and its supporters are determined to trample on healthcare professionals’ innermost zone of privacy, that “secret core and sanctuary” known as conscience. It is no longer enough, in their eyes, that women and girls can obtain potentially abortifacient drugs in virtually every pharmacy in the United States or that women and girls

can have abortions on request in every city where there’s a profit to be had. They will not rest until every pharmacy, hospital, healthcare provider, and taxpayer collaborates in the culture of death.

In the coming weeks, we may see an unprecedented assault on conscience rights: Taxpayers could be forced to fund organizations that promote and perform abortion overseas, including UNFPA, the enabler of China’s abusive population control policy; taxpayers may be required to fund contraceptives and abortifacient drugs at ever-higher levels; taxpayers may be required to fund abortions for the low-income and uninsured; and healthcare professionals and institutions may be forced to violate their consciences or quit providing services.

We must pray and act to stop the assault on conscience.

Susan Wills is assistant director for education and outreach at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities. To learn more about the bishops’ pro-life activities, go to the Web site at: www.usccb.org/prolife .

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

16 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • FEBRUARY 13, 2009

SPLITTING

HAIRS Photos by Lisa Donart The American Cancer Society got a boost from St. James Academy in Lenexa when the school raised more than $1,300 for the organization during Catholic Schools Week Jan. 25-31. The “prize” was a head-shaving for a representative of the winning class. A freshman win sent event organizer Keith Chadwick under the clippers. Student Council president Jordan Bichelmeyer raised a bit more money by auctioning off the remaining heads of the other class representatives.

▲ FROM ’FRO TO NO

Sign language instructor Marisa Hurd had the honor of shaving senior Sesinyos Haileselassie’s head.

▼ THE WINNER

Freshman Keith Chadwick, the event organizer, paid the ultimate price for raising the most money by having his head shaved first by Linda Long of the American Cancer Society.

▲ YEP, IT’S GONE

Sophomore River Scott expressed shock as he began to reconcile himself to premature hair loss.

▲ ENJOY THE SHOW

The student body at St. James enjoyed what turned out to be a hair-razing experience.

▲CLIPPED

Clockwise from the lower left corner, River Scott, Adam Summers, Sesinyos Haileselassie, Jordan Bichelmeyer, and Joe Kelling watched as Derek Feist got his head shaved by Mike Lyons.