02-22-13 Vol. 34 No. 27 by The Leaven

theleaven.com | vol. 34, no. 27 | february 22, 2013

Above, Pope Benedict XVI enjoys a spectacular view of the Centro Cadore Lake in Domegge di Cadore, in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains. This photograph, along with those on pages 8-9 of this issue, represent the work of Italian photographer Stefano Spaziani, a renowned celebrity photographer, who began covering Pope Benedict about two years into his pontificate.

The LONG VIEW

Papal photographer looks back on his years with Pope Benedict story b y joe b ol l ig

p h o t o s b y S t e fa n o S pa z i a n i

OME — He has taken portrait photographs of celebrities and cinema greats, including the irascible Gerard Depardieu, glamorous Jacqueline Bisset and even Batman (well, Michael Keaton, from the 1989 film). But Stefano Spaziani gave up all

Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate — while much shorter than his predecessor Pope John Paul II’s — nevertheless made a lasting impact on Catholics worldwide. Page 3

that glitz and glamour for an even more exciting subject: Pope Benedict XVI. Becoming a papal photographer was an opportunity, Spaziani explained in an interview with The Leaven last weekend — not a plan. One day he received an assignment from a newspaper to take photos of Pope Benedict XVI.

>> See “resignation” on page 8

Join The Leaven’s own Joe Bollig as he blogs the coming conclave from a unique perspective — his office in Kansas. Find him at: theleavenkc.wordpress.com, on Twitter at: @the leavenkc, or on our website at: www.theleaven.com.

Take advantage of the special Lenten schedule and receive the sacrament of reconciliation at almost any parish in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas from 6-7 p.m. on the Wednesdays of Lent.

2 archbishop

theleaven.com | february 22, 2013

Life will be victorious

Feast day coincides with poignant time in the church

ebruary 22 is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. This ancient feast might seem odd to us. Why do we have a feast for a chair?

In the ancient world, the great teachers usually gave their students instruction while seated on a chair. The chair became the symbol of their authority as a learned and competent scholar and teacher. The word “cathedral” finds its origin in the Greek word for “chair.” A cathedral is the church where the bishop’s chair is located — a symbol of his teaching and preaching authority. In St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, there is a magnificent depiction of the Chair of St. Peter adorning the wall behind the main altar. It is a reminder of the primacy that was given to Peter by Jesus himself and the great gift the successor of St. Peter is to the church. In the 16th chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Then, he asked them the much more important question: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter replied: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” Jesus responded to Peter’s confession of faith: “Blest are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Jesus actually gave Simon the nickname Peter, which

Confession Initiative

archbishop Joseph F. Naumann As part of the observance of the Year of Faith, every member of the Archdiocese is invited to consecrate themselves to Jesus through Mary in the method originated by St. Louis de Montfort. The consecration is ideally to be done on a feast of Mary, preceded by 33 days of prayerful preparation. I suggest that you make this consecration or reconsecration on the feast of the Annunciation, which this year is celebrated on April 8. Therefore, we will begin our 33 days of preparation on March 6. To prepare for the consecration, I encourage you to purchase a copy of “33 Days to Morning Glory” by Father Michael Gaitley, either at your local Catholic bookstore or online.

means rock. The conferral of keys in the ancient world was a conferral of authority and power. In our culture, fathers show great confidence in their sons when they entrust them with the keys to the family car. Jesus entrusted to Peter the keys of the kingdom, the keys of the church. This feast of the Chair of St. Peter holds a special importance at this moment in the life of the church. Next Thursday (Feb. 28), Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation of the Petrine office will take effect. The conclave of cardinals to elect a new pope will convene in the middle of March. Incidentally, the word “conclave” comes from the word for “key.” In the Middle Ages, sometimes it took as long as three years

This past Wednesday, we began our Lenten Confession Initiative: Gaze upon the Face of Jesus. Every Wednesday in all of our churches with a resident pastor, the sacrament of penance/reconciliation will be available from 6-7 p.m. I urge every Catholic to take advantage of this sacrament during Lent. The best way to grow in holiness is by allowing ourselves to be transformed with God’s grace by our frequent and sincere encounter with the mercy and love of Jesus through the sacrament of penance.

for the College of Cardinals to elect a new pope. If the cardinals could not reach agreement, they would disband for months or even more than a year, before they would reassemble to choose the next pope. As a result, the custom developed of locking the doors of the assembly of cardinals, not permitting them to leave until they had fulfilled their duty of electing the next pope. In recent history, the College of Cardinals has been able to come to a two-thirds consensus on its selection of a new pope within a week. This is an incredibly significant moment in the life of the church. The selection of the successor of Peter is an extremely important decision that will have a tremendous impact for years on the life of the church and the world. Again, I ask every member of the Archdiocese in your personal prayer to pray that God will bless Pope Benedict in his final days of serving the church as the successor of St. Peter. Pray that the Lord will bless the one whom we have called Holy Father for almost eight years, as he relinquishes the responsibilities he has shouldered so ably for the church and begins a new chapter of his life — one of prayer and reflection. Pray also for the College of Cardinals that it will be docile to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the selection of the next pope. Let us implore Our Lord to raise up the individual who is best prepared to shepherd the universal church. When he returned from the conclave that elected

Benedict XVI, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago was asked by reporters what he was thinking as he stood behind the new pope on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square. Cardinal George said that his eye focused on the obelisk in the center of St. Peter’s Square. This same obelisk was located in the middle of the Roman Circus, where St. Peter and many other early Christians were martyred by Roman soldiers who had been ordered to do so by the Emperor Nero. The obelisk may have been the last physical object Peter gazed upon in this world. Cardinal George said that he began to think: Where is Nero? Where is Caesar Augustus? Where is Attila? Where is Napoleon? Where is Hitler? Where is Stalin? Where are any of these extremely powerful men of their time and their successors today? What impact do they have on the world today? Cardinal George then thought: But, I know where Peter is. I know where his successor is. The successor of Peter has continued now for 2,000 years to affect profoundly millions and millions of Christians. What a grace to have the office of Peter still guiding and leading the church today. Let us pray fervently for God to bless the church with another extraordinary successor of the Apostle St. Peter. Let us pray for a pope who will be well prepared to lead the church in the task of the new evangelization!

calendar archbishop

Naumann Feb. 22 Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy immigration forum — KU School of Law, Lawrence Feb. 23 Benedictine College Scholarship Ball — Sheraton Crown Center, Kansas City, Mo. Feb. 24 Pastoral visit — St. MarySt. Anthony, St. John the Baptist and Holy Family, Kansas City, Kan. Rite of Election — Cathedral of St. Peter, Kansas City, Kan. Rite of Election — Good Shepherd, Shawnee Feb. 25 Confirmation — Mater Dei, Topeka Feb. 26 Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas board meeting and social Feb. 27 Donnelly College board meeting Feb. 28 Catholic Scripture study talk on high priestly prayer — Holy Trinity, Lenexa Confirmation — St. Matthew, Topeka

archbishop

keleher Feb. 21 Confirmation — Queen of the Holy Rosary, Overland Park Feb. 24 Confirmation — St. John the Evangelist, Lawrence Feb. 25-27 Bishops’ prayer meeting — Indianapolis Feb. 28 Confirmation — Divine Mercy, Gardner

second front page 3

february 22, 2013 | theleaven.com

Pope Benedict XVI Pontificate marked by teaching, call to return to faith

B y J ohn T havis and F rancis X . R occa

uring his almost eight-year pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI impressed the world as a teacher, guiding Catholics to the sources of the faith and urging modern society not to turn its back on God. Citing his age and diminishing energy, the 85-year-old pope announced Feb. 11 that he would be resigning effective Feb. 28 and would devote the rest of his life to prayer. As pastor of the universal church, he used virtually every medium at his disposal — books and Twitter, sermons and encyclicals — to catechize the faithful on the foundational beliefs and practices of Christianity, ranging from the sermons of St. Augustine to the sign of the cross. Having served in his 30s as an influential adviser during the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council, he made it a priority as pope to correct what he saw as overly expansive interpretations of Vatican II in favor of readings that stressed the council’s continuity with the church’s millennial traditions. Under his oversight, the Vatican continued to highlight the church’s moral boundaries on issues such as end-of-life medical care, marriage and homosexuality. But the pope’s message to society at large focused less on single issues and more on the risk of losing the basic relationship between the human being and the Creator. He consistently warned the West that unless its secularized society rediscovered religious values, it could not hope to engage in real dialogue with Islamic and other religious cultures. In his encyclicals and in his books on “Jesus of Nazareth,” the pope honed that message, asking readers to discover the essential connec-

Photo by Stefano Spanziani

Pope Benedict XVI greets the faithful as he leads his “urbi et orbi” message (“to the city and the world”) from the central balcony of Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican in 2007. tions between sacrificial love, works of charity, a dedication to the truth and the Gospel of Christ. The German-born pontiff did not try to match the popularity of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, but the millions of people who came to see him in Rome and abroad came to appreciate his smile, his frequent ad libs and his ability to speak from the heart. Although he did not expect to travel much, he ended up making 24 trips to six continents and three times presided over World Youth Day mega-gatherings, in Germany in 2005, in Australia in 2008, and in Spain in 2011. Talking about aging last March when he met the 85-year-old Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Havana, Pope

Benedict told him, “Yes, I’m old, but I can still carry out my duties.” On a historic visit to the United States in 2008, the pope brought his own identity into clearer focus for Americans. He set forth a moral challenge on issues ranging from economic justice to abortion. He also took church recognition of the priestly sex abuse scandal to a new level, expressing his personal shame at what happened and praying with the victims. The pope met three times with former U.S. President George W. Bush, including a formal visit to the White House, and the two leaders found wide areas of agreement on pro-life and family issues. When President Barack Obama was elected, the pontiff sent him a warmly

worded telegram and a promise of his prayers, but when they met at the Vatican the next year, the pope spoke clearly about the church’s objections to the administration’s policies on several life issues, including abortion and embryonic stem-cell research. Pope Benedict was 78 and in apparent good health when elected April 19, 2005, but was said to have told his fellow cardinals that his would not be a long papacy like that of his predecessor. In an interview with the German author Peter Seewald in 2010, Pope Benedict said: “If a pope clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically and spiritually capable of handling >> See “Christianity” on page 4

Important events in the papacy of Benedict XVI April 19, 2005

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 78, elected pope and takes the name Benedict XVI.

Dec. 22, 2005

In a meeting with top aides at the Vatican, Pope Benedict insists the teaching of the Second Vatican Council must be read in continuity with the church’s tradition.

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

Sept. 12, 2006

In a speech about faith and reason at the University of Regensburg, Germany, Pope Benedict cites a historical criticism of violence in Islam, setting off consternation and protests.

April 16, 2007

The first of what would be a three-volume work, “Jesus of Nazareth,” by Pope Benedict goes on sale and is an immediate commercial success.

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

May 27, 2007

In a letter to Chinese Catholics, Pope Benedict criticizes government restrictions on religion and urges reconciliation among the country’s Catholic communities.

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. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, KS 66109.

4 pope Benedict XVI

theleaven.com | february 22, 2013

Christianity a religion of love —not rules, said pope

Writings encouraged personal relationship with Christ

>> Continued from page 3

>> Continued from page 4

the duties of his office, then he has a right and, under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign.” As inevitable as his election seemed after Blessed John Paul died in 2005, his path to the papacy was long and indirect. Joseph Ratzinger was born April 16, 1927, in the Bavarian town of Marktl am Inn, the third and youngest child of a police officer, Joseph Sr., and his wife Maria. Young Joseph joined his brother Georg at a minor seminary in 1939. Like other young students, he was automatically enrolled in the Hitler Youth program, but soon stopped going to meetings. During World War II, he was conscripted into the army, and in the spring of 1945 he deserted his unit and returned home, spending a few months in an Allied prisoner-of-war camp. He returned to the seminary late in 1945 and was ordained six years later, along with his brother.

main mission as the successor of Peter: “In our days, when in vast areas of the world the faith is in danger of dying out like a flame which no longer has fuel, the overriding priority is to make God present in this world and to show men and women the way to God.” The idea that God is disappearing from the human horizon and that humanity is losing its bearings with “evident destructive effects” was a theme Pope Benedict saw as common ground for dialogue between Christians and Muslims. He voiced the church’s opposition to a potential “clash of civilizations” in which religion was seen as a defining difference. But sometimes his words drew as much criticism as praise, particularly among Muslims who felt the pope was unfairly questioning the foundations of their religion. In a lecture at Germany’s University of Regensburg in 2006, the pope quoted a Christian medieval emperor who said the prophet Mohammed had brought “things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” Following protests in the Islamic world, which included the burning of churches in the Palestinian territories and the murder of a nun in Somalia, the pope said he was sorry his words had offended Muslims and distanced himself from the text he had quoted.

n a meeting with young people in 2006, the pope said witnessing the brutality of the Nazi regime helped convince him to become a priest. But he also had to overcome some doubts, he said. For one thing, he asked himself whether he “could faithfully live celibacy” his entire life. He also recognized that his real leanings were toward theology and wondered whether he had the qualities of a good pastor and the ability “to be simple with the simple people.” After a short stint as a parish priest, the future pope began a teaching career and built a reputation as one of the church’s foremost theologians. At Vatican II, he made important contributions as a theological expert and embraced the council’s early work. But he began to have misgivings about an emerging anti-Roman bias, the idea of a “church from below” run on a parliamentary model, and the direction of theological research in the church — criticism that would become even sharper in later years. In a 2005 speech that served as a kind of manifesto for his young papacy, Pope Benedict rejected what he called a “hermeneutic of discontinuity and rupture” in interpreting Vatican II as a radical break with the past. The pope called instead for reading the council through a “hermeneutic of reform” in continuity with Catholic tradition. In 1977, Pope Paul VI named him archbishop of Munich and Freising, and four years later Pope John Paul called him to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where he wielded great influence on issues such as liberation theology, dissent

July 7, 2007

Pope Benedict issues an apostolic letter, “Summorum Pontificum,” permitting wider use of the pre-Vatican II Mass.

Photo by Stefano Spanziani

Pope Benedict XVI arrives for an ecumenical service with the Christian community of Taize in St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 29, 2012. from church teachings and pressure for women’s ordination. Serving in this role for nearly a quarter century, then-Cardinal Ratzinger earned a reputation in some quarters as a sort of grand inquisitor, seeking to stamp out independent thinking, an image belied by his passion for debate with thinkers inside and outside the church. As the newly elected pope in 2005, he explained that he took the name Benedict to evoke the memory of Pope Benedict XV, a “courageous prophet of peace” during World War I, and said he wanted to place his ministry at the service of reconciliation and harmony among peoples. The new pope spent most of his energy writing and preaching, in encyclicals, letters, messages, homilies and talks that eventually numbered more than a thousand. Surprising those who had expected a by-the-book pontificate from a man who had spent more than 23 years as the Vatican’s chief doctrinal official, Pope Benedict emphasized that Christianity was a religion of love and not a religion of rules. During the 2010-11 Year for Priests, Pope Benedict held up the 19th-century French St. John Vianney as a model of clerical holiness who struggled against the indifference and hostility of a militantly secular society. He convened a Synod of Bishops on Scripture in 2008, in an effort to move the Bible back to the center of individual spirituality and pastoral

April 15-20, 2008

Pope Benedict visits Washington, New York and the United Nations, meets victims of clerical sex abuse for first time.

July 12-21, 2008

Pope Benedict travels to Sydney for World Youth Day.

planning. He opened a Year of Faith in October presided over a synod focusing on the new evangelization and a revival of Christian faith in the secular West, one of the priorities of his pontificate. Some of Pope Benedict’s most memorable statements came when he applied simple Gospel values to social issues such as the protection of human life, the environment and economics. When the global financial crisis worsened in 2008, for example, the pope insisted that financial institutions must put people before profits. He also reminded people that modern ideals of money and material success are passing realities, saying: “Whoever builds his life on these things — on material things, on success, on appearances — is building on sand.”

ope Benedict’s outreach to traditionalist Catholics brought him some opposition and criticism. In 2007, he widened the possible use of the Tridentine Mass and began introducing touches of antiquity in his own liturgies, including the requirement of kneeling when receiving Communion from the pope. Then in 2009, in an effort to reconcile with the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, he lifted the excommunications of four of the society’s bishops who were ordained illicitly in 1988. A storm of criticism erupted because one of the four, Bishop Rich-

ard Williamson, had made a number of statements — widely available on the Internet, but unknown to the pope — denying the extent of the Holocaust. The Vatican scrambled to distance Pope Benedict from the bishop’s views and reaffirm the pontiff’s commitment to Catholic-Jewish dialogue. The pope himself wrote an unusually personal letter to the world’s bishops, defending his efforts to restore church unity by reaching out to traditionalists and expressing sadness that even some Catholics seemed ready to attack him “with open hostility.” At the same time, he clearly acknowledged mistakes in Vatican communications and said the Holy See would have to do a better job using the Internet in the future. Instead, the mishaps continued, and for most of the year preceding Pope Benedict’s resignation, press coverage of the Vatican was dominated by the so-called “VatiLeaks” affair, a scandal over confidential and sometimes embarrassing confidential documents that had been provided to the press, allegedly by the pope’s own butler, Paolo Gabriele. A Vatican court found Gabriele guilty in October and sentenced him to 18 months in jail. Pope Benedict, meeting his former aide outside his cell in the Vatican police barracks, pardoned him just before Christmas. The pope’s 2009 letter to bishops also summarized what he saw as his >> See “Writings” on page 5

Jan. 21, 2009

With Pope Benedict’s approval, the Vatican issues a letter lifting the excommunication of four traditionalist bishops belonging to the Society of St. Pius X.

pope benedict XVI 5

february 22, 2013 | theleaven.com

ater that year, visiting a mosque in Turkey, he turned toward Mecca and prayed silently alongside his host. This interfaith gesture generated considerable good will, and over the succeeding years, Pope Benedict continued to meet with Muslim leaders. Pope Benedict also visited synagogues, in Germany in 2005, in New York in 2008 and in Rome in 2010, and his strong condemnations of anti-Semitism won the appreciation of many Jewish leaders. The pope considered Christian unity one of his priorities, and he took steps to improve dialogue with Orthodox churches in particular. The most visible sign was the pope’s decision to accept the invitation of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to visit the patriarch at his headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2006. Two years later, the pope invited the patriarch to give a major address at the Synod of Bishops. The Vatican also arranged the resumption of theological talks with the Orthodox in mid-2006 and began new forms of cultural collaboration with the Russian Orthodox Church. The fate of Christian minorities around the world was one of the

May 8-15, 2009

Pope Benedict travels to Jordan, Israel and Palestinian territories.

CNS photo/Ali Jarekji, Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI takes in the panoramic view from Mount Nebo May 9, 2009, in Madaba, Jordan. The place where Moses glimpsed the Promised Land before dying is marked by a modern sculpture of the prophet’s serpentine staff. Pope Benedict was making a weeklong pastoral visit to the Holy Land. pope’s major concerns, especially in places like Iraq and other predominantly Muslim countries. The pope strongly defended the right to religious freedom in his speech to the United Nations in 2008. In early 2007, the pope turned his attention to China, convening a meeting of church experts to discuss ways to bring unity to the church and gain concessions from the communist government. A papal letter to Chinese Catholics a few months later encouraged bold new steps to bridge the gap between Catholics registered with the government-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association and the so-called underground communities, whose leaders were frequently harassed or imprisoned by the authorities. The pope’s letter also issued a broad invitation to government authorities for dialogue on the appointment of bishops and other

Nov. 4, 2009

Pope Benedict establishes personal ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with the Catholic Church.

July 15, 2010

The Vatican releases streamlined procedures for handling accusations of clerical sexual abuse and removing those found guilty from the priesthood.

topics. A number of bishops were subsequently ordained with both papal and government approval, before the government returned to the practice of choosing bishops without the Vatican’s approval.

ne of the most important documents issued under Pope Benedict, and with his explicit approval, was a doctrinal congregation instruction on bioethics in 2008. The document warned that some developments in stem-cell research, gene therapy and embryonic experimentation violate moral principles and reflect an attempt by man to “take the place of his Creator.” The pope’s own writings frequently explored the relationship between personal faith in Christ and social consequences. His first encyclical, “Deus Cari-

May 1, 2011

Pope Benedict beatifies Pope John Paul II.

March 23-28, 2012

Pope Benedict visits Mexico and Cuba.

tas Est” (“God Is Love,”), issued in 2005, reminded all people that God loves them and called on them to share that love in a personal and social way. It won high praise, even from quarters typically critical of the church. Two years later, his second encyclical, “Spe Salvi” (on Christian hope), warned that without faith in God, humanity lies at the mercy of ideologies that can lead to “the greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice.” His third encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate” (“Charity in Truth”) was released in 2009 and said ethical values are needed to overcome the current global economic crisis as well as to eradicate hunger and promote the real development of all the world’s peoples. Several months ago, the Vatican said Pope Benedict had completed work on another encyclical, this one on the virtue of faith, and its publication was expected in the first half of this year. The Vatican has not said whether or not the letter would come out before the pope’s resignation takes effect Feb. 28. His three-volume work, “Jesus of Nazareth,” published between 2007 and 2012 in several languages, emphasized that Christ must be understood as the Son of God on a divine mission, not as a mere moralist or social reformer. The books argued that while Christ did not bring a blueprint for social progress, he did bring a new vision based on love that challenges the evils of today’s world — from the brutality of totalitarian regimes to the “cruelty of capitalism.” Although he was expected to reverse a trend set by Pope John Paul, Pope Benedict did not slow the Vatican’s saint-making machinery, but he did immediately announce he would not preside over beatifications. The pope’s decision was meant to highlight the difference between a beatification and a canonization, but, in effect, the pope’s decision lowered the profile of beatification liturgies. Pope Benedict did make two exceptions to his new rule: the first to beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman during a September 2010 visit to England; and the second to beatify Pope John Paul in May 2011. While Pope Benedict asked Vatican experts to be more selective in picking candidates for sainthood, he ended up canonizing 44 new saints. Pope Benedict named 90 new cardinals; 67 of those he named are still under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote in the conclave to elect his successor. As of Feb. 28, the day his papacy ends, Pope Benedict’s appointments will represent just over 57 percent of the 117 cardinals under 80 that day.

Feb. 11, 2013

Pope Benedict informs a group of cardinals that he will resign effective Feb. 28.

6 local news

theleaven.com | february 22, 2013

Playing for God’s team

n Father Ron Cornish passes on pros for the priesthood By Jessica Langdon jessica@theleaven.com

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — An outstanding athlete in baseball, basketball and football at Bishop Ward High School here, Father Ron Cornish scored the interest of the New York Yankees with his pitching. But the young Kansas City, Kan., native graciously declined the opportunity to take a swing at a professional baseball career. He was going to play for God’s team instead, and enter the seminary. Even though thousands of baseball fans never cheered him on in a major league stadium, longtime friend Msgr. Michael Mullen, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Kansas City, Kan., has a feeling Father Cornish actually touched many more lives during almost 45 years as a priest. “He was a coach, a teacher, as much off the sports playing field, as on it,” said Msgr. Mullen in his homily at Father Cornish’s funeral. Father Ronald Joseph Cornish died of heart failure on Feb. 15 at Olathe Medical Center, just two days after his 71st birthday. Between his first assignment at Assumption Parish in Topeka and his final assignment at Prince of Peace Parish in Olathe, Father Cornish served as associate pastor and pastor at several parishes, chaplain and counselor at Immaculata High School in Leavenworth, and as a teacher at Savior of the World Seminary in Kansas City, Kan. “He loved the people in every parish where he was,” said longtime friend Msgr. Thomas Tank, pastor of Church of the Ascension in Overland Park. The people Father Cornish served — from kids to seniors to non-Catholics who still flocked to his Masses at Villa St. Francis skilled-nursing facility in Olathe — loved him, too, his sister Loretta Hentzen added. “Everybody loved Father Ron,” she said.

Deep faith Although Father Cornish, who underwent several major heart surgeries in recent years, retired from active ministry in 2008, he still celebrated several Masses each week and assisted parishes as needed. He told Msgr. Mullen at the hospital the day before he died that if he were not ill, he would be attending a course on the Catechism of the Catholic Church as part of the Year of Faith. Msgr. Mullen believes Father Cornish’s deep faith took root in his

Parishes served 1968-1971 — Associate pastor, Assumption Parish, Topeka 1971-1973 — Associate pastor, Curé of Ars Parish, Leawood 1973-1981 — Savior of the World Seminary 1981-1984 — Pastor, St. Lawrence Parish, Easton 1983-1984 — Chaplain, Immaculata High School, Leavenworth 1984-1988 — Pastor, Sacred Heart Parish, Baileyville 1986-1988 — Administrator, Sacred Heart Parish in Sabetha and St. Augustine Parish, Fidelity 1988-1989 — Associate pastor, Sacred Heart Parish, Tonganoxie 1989-1991 — Pastor, Sacred Heart, Tonganoxie 1989-1991 — Counselor, Immaculata High School, Leavenworth 1991-2001 — Pastor, St. Dominic Parish, Holton; St. Francis Xavier, Mayetta; and Our Lady of the Snows, Potawatomie Reservation 2001-2008 — Senior associate, Prince of Peace Parish, Olathe 2008 — Retired, assisted parishes as needed

tight-knit, generous family. Born on Feb. 13, 1942, he was the middle of Nicholas and Julia (Gergick) Cornish’s seven children. Father Cornish attended Holy Family School in Kansas City, Kan., and graduated from Bishop Ward High School in 1960 (the school re-

cently inducted the alum into its hall of fame). Despite a baseball scout expressing interest, he headed next to St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, where he earned his bachelor’s in philosophy and master of divinity degree. On June 1, 1968, Archbishop Edward J. Hunkeler ordained Father Cornish and two other men as priests at the Cathedral of St. Peter. Father Ron Livojevich went to Holy Family and Bishop Ward with Father Cornish and sees him as a quiet man who “did a lot of good in his life.” Everyone liked to be around him, he said. They’d just had lunch together — along with several friends — a couple of days before Father Cornish died. “He had a subtle humor — some people would say deadpan humor,” said Father Livojevich, now retired. “All of a sudden he’d slip something in that would just make you laugh.” But he also had a sense of compassion that drew people to him.

Genuine, humble He enjoyed answering phone calls at Birthright, which offers support to women facing unplanned pregnancies. “I think his sensitivity to people was so obvious,” said Father Livojevich, “and yet he never broadcast it, never boomed it.” He knew the severity of the heart

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problems he faced, and yet he embraced every day. Father Frank Burger, now parochial administrator at Mater Dei in Topeka, has known Father Cornish since they were classmates at St. Thomas Seminary. He believes his friend trusted that whatever happened was God’s will. “I think he’s very much a man of faith and humility,” said Father Burger, who had also just seen Father Cornish during the lunch gathering. “He was just a very good person to be around from the very beginning to the very end.” Father Cornish was part of the same Jesus Caritas priest fraternity group as Msgr. Mullen and Msgr. Tank, along with several other priests. “He was a very humble person, very unassuming, a very genuine individual,” said Msgr. Tank. “He had a real concern for the hurting or the marginalized.” One of his most prized possessions was a quilt that young people in a ministry called REACH — Religious Education and Activities for the Community Handicapped — made for him. “He really was deeply touched by that,” said Msgr. Tank , noting that Father Cornish was dedicated to serving that group over many years. Father Cornish was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and helped out with Beginning Experience, a ministry that reached out to Catholics who were widowed and divorced. Msgr. Mullen overlapped with Father Cornish in the seminary, but they really bonded when they taught at Savior of the World together in the ’70s. Since that time, they had often vacationed together and had in fact just returned from staying with Ward classmates of Father Cornish’s when he took ill. “As we left there,” said Msgr. Mullen, “Father Ron said he’d felt the best he had in years. . . . It was precious time together.” Thinking over a lifetime with her brother, Hentzen recalled how he had made a point to celebrate every baptism, marriage and other event possible within the family, she said. “I just cannot tell you how much we’ll miss him,” she said. Father Cornish was preceded in death by his parents, brothers-in-law, James Hentzen and Gerald Bock, and a nephew, Christopher Hentzen. He is survived by siblings Larry Cornish and wife Jeannie; Loretta Hentzen; Rita Bock; Don Cornish; John Cornish and wife Phyllis; and Jim Cornish. He also had many cherished nieces and nephews and greatnieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial was scheduled to be celebrated Feb. 21 and Father Cornish is to be buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Kansas City, Kan.

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local news 7

february 22, 2013 | theleaven.com

‘Bible’ miniseries aims to make ‘emotional connection’ By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service

ASHINGTON (CNS) — It took the combined clout of an actress best known for playing an angel and her big-ratings executiveproducer husband, but Roma Downey and Mark Burnett have pulled off the making of a 10-hour miniseries, “The Bible,” that gets its premiere Sun., March 3, on the History cable channel. The miniseries runs 7-9 p.m. Central time each Sunday in March through March 31, Easter Sunday. Downey’s career role was playing the angel Monica for nine seasons in the TV drama “Touched by an Angel.” Husband Burnett, whose U.S. TV hits include “Survivor,” “The Voice,” “The Apprentice,” “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” and “Shark Tank,” added his Hollywood muscle. “He doesn’t take no for an answer. When he hears ‘no,’ he just thinks of a new opportunity. When it was a tough sell, he just persevered,” Downey said of her husband. “He’s just like [St.] Paul, very courageous.” Unlike other biblical films and TV miniseries, “The Bible” splits its 10 hours evenly between the Old and New Testaments. Another difference, according to Burnett: “For example, in a lot of older biblical films, it looks like a lot of the disciples, Jesus, the Romans, stepped right out of a dry cleaner. Not a speck of dust on them. And the lighting didn’t feel real.” He surmised that such films were made “over the years [by] people with great hearts for service and faith, but with very little budget and very little experience, and sometimes the result isn’t optimal, and it’s not the best movie or show. . . . History Channel provided us with a great budget, and I knew we wanted to make this emotionally connective, and very real for today’s audiences.” Burnett and Downey were interviewed by Catholic News Service

Pauline and Roy Wilcox, members of Church of the Ascension, Overland Park, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Feb. 16. The couple was married on Feb. 14, 1953, at Blessed Sacrament Church, Kansas City, Kan. Their children and their spouses are: Royce Ann and Mel Smith, Mission; Laina and Sheff Olinger, Dallas; Greg and Danielle Wilcox, Overland Park; and Chris Wilcox, Prairie Village. They also have seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A family dinner was held at Pierpont’s at Union Station, Kansas City, Mo.

CNS photo/Joe Alblas, courtesy Lightworkers Media

Roma Downey portrays Mary in a scene from the television miniseries “The Bible.” Downey and her husband Mark Burnett produced the miniseries that will run on cable’s History Channel 7-9 p.m. Central time each Sunday in March through March 31, Easter Sunday. prior to an invitation-only screening Feb. 5 in Washington. The day before, they were in Dallas, showing a 45-minute grouping of miniseries scenes to about 60 U.S. Catholic bishops. Downey singled out “Cardinal [Donald W.] Wuerl [of Washington], who has been a great supporter and adviser to us for the last year or so,” said Downey. She and Burnett added later there were about 40 theological and biblical advisers who helped before and during filming. “We had a very great and warm reception,” Downey said, adding she had told the bishops that, while growing up in Derry, in Northern Ireland, “I went to a convent school and was educated by the Sisters of Mercy; the girls fondly named them the ‘Sisters of No Mercy,’ and it got a big laugh in the room.” “The Bible” used the same special

effects team that won a special-effects Oscar for the period film “Gladiator.” It borrows a page from “Gladiator” and “The Passion of the Christ” in its depictions of violence and brutality. While some violence takes place offscreen, the fighting between the Israelites and their opponents, including the Roman occupiers of Jesus’ time, sliced, diced, thrust and gouged their way to victory or conquest; what’s not visible on the screen is still made plain by the sound effects. Even for Christians such as Downey and Burnett, “it’s very daunting to take on the Bible,” she told CNS. “We only had 10 hours to tell the story. We wish we had ten hundred hours. “We had to break it down. We wanted to make an emotional connection with the audience, to draw the audience in and tell the stories from a very

human point of view. That meant we had to tell fewer stories.” Downey portrays Mary, the mother of Jesus, in “The Bible.” “We had a younger actress playing Mary during the Nativity and so on,” she said. “And in the early stages of the script, she was referred to as ‘Young Mary,’ and in the later stages the script referred to ‘Old Mary.’ And I said, ‘Well, you know, that’s gotta change.’ So, we rewrote that, that it would be ‘Young Mary’ and ‘Mother Mary.’” “Oh, vanity, it’s a terrible thing, you know?” she chuckled. “I certainly tried in my career to make choices that would be pleasing to God,” Downey said. “One of our central intentions in making this series was to make something that would glorify God.”

Patsy (Funck) and Tom Cotte, members of Sacred Heart Parish, Emporia, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a special dinner at Lidia’s Restaurant in Kansas City, Mo., with their children and grandchildren the weekend of Feb. 16-17. The couple was married on Feb. 16, 1963, at St. Matthew Church, Long Beach, Calif. Their children and their spouses are: Lisa and Bruce Hoisington; Lara and Ramsey Cotte-Belt; and Sarah and Josh Williamson. They also have six grandchildren.

D’Ann (Strahm) and Gene Niehues, members of Sacred Heart Parish, Sabetha, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Feb. 23. The couple was married on Feb. 23, 1963, at Sacred Heart. Their children and their spouses are: Lana and Ryan Wells, Fairview; Jarrod and Kim Niehues, Sabetha; and Heidi and Heath Lawson of North Bend, Wash. They also have eight grandchildren. They will celebrate with family and friends at a later date.

Tom and Virginia Engel, members of St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Feb. 25. A surprise party was held for the couple on Feb. 16 at the American Legion. Their children and their spouses are: Mike and Dianna Engel; John and Debbie Engel; Sharon and Chris Roberts; David and Christy Engel; and Katie and Mitch Anderson. They also have eight grandchildren.

Resignation catches papal photographer off-guard

Spaziani has witnessed and recorded most of Pope Benedict’s papacy — traveling with him on occasion and enjoying access available to only a very few.

>> Continued from page 1

t Pope Benedict rides on the “Batolina” a historic gondola, from St. Mark’s Square to the Basilica della Salute in Venice during the pontiff’s pastoral visit to Venice in 2011.

s The pope arrives in St. Peter’s Square via his popemobile for an evening service and passes in front of the display of an elaborate Nativity scene.

s Pope Benedict XVI prays at the end of a torchlight procession on Good Friday in front of the Colosseum in Rome.

s Spaziani gets a quick moment to chat with Pope Benedict XVI during a walk in the countryside.

Success! After several failed attempts, Spaziani’s son Rocco finally gets to show his kitten Giuggiola (Jujube) to Pope Benedict.

In the past few years, Spaziani has seen how the burden of the office has sometimes weighed heavily on the aging pontiff.

Look for Stefano Spaziani’s work online at: www.stefanospaziani.com and at:

“From that day, I was fascinated by the figure of the pope and I have not stopped photographing him,” he said, “becoming a devotee.” After two years of steady work, he received permanent accreditation from the Vatican, which allows him to photograph the pope at all public events, even traveling with him, when possible. From this front-row seat, Spaziani has witnessed and recorded most of Pope Benedict’s papacy — but, like the other photographers, his exchanges with him have been limited to small talk. “We are allowed to say hello and exchange a few small words,” explained Spaziani, “and the pope is always kind to us photographers.” It has been Spaziani’s privilege to see Pope Benedict in a wide range of situations — intimate and spectacular, joyful and sorrowful. In these past few years, especially, some the burden of the office has sometimes weighed heavily on the aging pontiff. “There are painful times to remember — just days of unpleasant news that has hurt the Holy Father,” Spaziani said. “But I prefer not to talk about it.” There have been lighter moments, too. One of Spaziani’s favorites involves his son’s cat. “My little boy longed to show his kitten to the pope, but it was not easy to find a favorable opportunity,” Spaziani said. During a summer vacation in the mountains where the pope was, the photographer at last saw his chance. Spaziani rounded up his family — including the cat — and headed for high ground. “The pope had a habit of going out for a walk in the evening,” said Spaziani. After several attempted “stakeouts” failed, the pope stopped one evening to visit a small church. “We were able to wait at the exit, where a small crowd gathered. The pope, seeing my little boy with the cat in his arms, came up and, with great sweetness, stroked the kitten and blessed my son.” Spaziani had his camera ready: It is a treasured shot. Pope Benedict became visibly tired over the course of his papacy, said Spaziani, particularly over the past year. But the photographer never thought he would resign — and never wanted to think about it. Like everyone else, the news caught him by surprise. “A friend called me,” he said, “but I immediately thought it was a joke. “But then I knew it was all true.” Even now, said Spaziani, it doesn’t seem possible. But by the end of February, Pope Benedict will no longer be pope. “I thought that only a great man can have so much courage, and I’m sad to think of what pain such a decision must have caused him,” said Spaziani. The departure of Pope Benedict will close a chapter in Spaziani’s life as well, and he knows he will miss him. And he knows that covering a new pope will take some getting used to. But when asked whether, after 30 years of photographing celebrities, he might go back to that, his answer was quick — and conclusive. “I am now a papal photographer for life,” he said.

s The majesty of the church is on full display at this Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in 2012.

www.facebook.com/ Stefano.Spaziani.Images

10 local news

theleaven.com | february 22, 2013

Vatican promotes archdiocesan livestream lectures By Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — An archdiocesan lecture series offered online for the Year of Faith is getting some worldwide play. The Vatican II Lecture Series — scheduled for Feb. 19 and 26 and March 5 and 12 at Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park — will also be livestreamed over the Internet. The presenters are Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher,and Augustinian Father John Melnick of Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kan. The series has even generated interest across the United States and in places as far away as Singapore and Malaysia, thanks to promotion on the Vatican website’s official calendar for the Year of Faith. “The Vatican website has set up a special place for the Year of Faith, called annusfidei.va,” said

Tim Chik, director of the Savior Pastoral Center. “On that site they have a listing of the official events of the Year of Faith, done by the universal church and various episcopal conferences and dioceses.” About six months ago, the archdiocesan office of evangelization and Catholic formation applied for the lecture series to be placed on that official Vatican event list. “[The series] was specifically targeted to one of the goals of the Holy Father, which was for the faithful to learn more about the Second Vatican Council,” said Chik. The listing can be found online by going to: annusfidei.va, clicking on “events” at the top of the menu bar, and then clicking on the heading “Experience the Riches of Vatican II.” Future lectures in the series will also be posted on this website. To host a streaming site, contact Matt Karr by email at: ecat@ archkck.org, or Tim Chik at tchik@ archkck.org.

Vocations office reaches out to every region of the archdiocese

e are blessed with many vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated religious life in the archdiocese. Presently, 30 men are studying for the priesthood and three are approaching ordination to the priesthood this spring. A vocation is literally a calling, and many are responding to the call. Our vocations office supports the archbishop in reaching out to our elementary schools, high schools and colleges, encouraging young people to be open to the words of Jesus, “Come, follow me.” Our children are invited to imitate the humility, generosity, gratitude, readiness and courage of Our Blessed Virgin who responded to the angel Gabriel — “May be done unto me.” The archdiocese recognizes the vital role parents have in helping to foster vocations. Programs facilitate ways parents can create conversations with their children about the priesthood and religious life. “Parents talk with their kids about dating and college, and the risks of drugs. There is a conversation that I sense is sometimes getting skipped in our Catholic homes. The conversation is about religious vocations,” said Father Mitchel Zimmerman, director of vocations for the archdiocese. Father Zimmerman encourages everyone to take a few moments to meet our

seminarians online at: www.archkck.org/ diocesan-priesthood/seminarians. You will be impressed with their holiness and how energetic they are for the Catholic faith and the future of the church. The vocations office also helps young women discern a calling to the consecrated life. Many communities in our archdiocese offer inspiring examples of women who have found joy in a life given to God. The Sisters, Servants of Mary, the Apostles of the Interior Life and the Little Sisters of the Lamb are among those you have read about in The Leaven. The Benedictine Sisters in Atchison and the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth are among those inviting young women daily to the religious life. Your gift to the Archbishop’s Call to Share will help our vocations office continue to reach out to every region of the archdiocese with the joyful message of Jesus Christ and his church, inviting men and women to hear and respond to God’s calling.

local news 11

february 22, 2013 | theleaven.com

Runnin’ Revs set for another season of faith-filled fun By Sheila Myers Special to The Leaven

OELAND PARK — If you like exhibition basketball, you don’t have to wait for the Harlem Globetrotters to visit Kansas City. Come watch the Runnin’ Revs take on the Serra All-Stars March 4 at Bishop Miege High School here. Though Father Mitchel Zimmerman, archdiocesan vocations director, admits the Revs have a height advantage over the eighth-grade boys on the Serra AllStars team, this is no rout. “They show us no mercy,” said Father Zimmerman. “The kids play hard. They are really good and have great basketball skills.” Despite the All-Stars full-court press, however, the Revs manage to win every year — by just a few points. That could be because Dave Staudenmyer, a longtime CYO official who referees the game, bends the rules in favor of the Revs, like giving the Revs extra free-throw shots until they make the basket. If you’re not a stickler for play-bythe-book basketball, then this familyfriendly event is a crowd-pleaser. CYO executive director Peter Piscitello said Staudenmyer knows how to work the audience, with the Miege band and cheerleaders out front. And the announcing skills of Father Andrew Strobl, associate pastor of Prince of Peace and chaplain at St. Thomas

Leaven file photo

Father Greg Hammes drives through a sea of Serra All-Stars in an attempt for two points. The Revs will take on the All-Stars March 4 at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park and April 22 at Hayden High School in Topeka. Aquinas High School, rival those of Dick Vitale. The annual event also raises money for the seminarians; items are auctioned off and freewill donations are solicited at halftime. This year’s auction prizes include the always-popular

59th U.S. NATIONAL ROSARY PILGRIMAGE

LOURDES, FRANCE June 27 – July 06, 2013

(Also visiting St. Jean de Luz & Gavarnie) Accompanied by clergy, medical staff & volunteers to assist the needs of the pilgrims

Departure from Kansas City

Join Us for the 17th Annual

Healing Mass & Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick

Local contact: Mark Riddle, email: mriddle05@gmail.com or Lourdes Pilgrimage Office of Catholic Travel Toll free: 1-877-276-7279 email: lourdespilgrimageoffice@comcast.net Website: www.lourdes-pilgrimage.com

10 a.m. on March 2, 2013 at Curé of Ars, 94th and Mission Rd., Leawood, KS

Celebrant will be Bishop Robert Finn Homilist will be Archbishop Emeritus James Keleher The anointing of the sick in both dioceses will be administered to Catholics whose health is seriously impaired by illness or old age. All are invited to participate. The ceremony will follow the Lourdes pilgrimage format. Among those who may be anointed, the ritual mentions, in particular: • Those undergoing a surgery whenever serious illness is the reason • Elderly people when they have become noticabley weakened even if no serious illness is present • Sick children if they have sufficient use of reason to be strengthened by the sacrament We are asking those who wish to receive the sacrament at Mass, to register by mail using the form below, or call 913-649-3260 and leave your name. Name cards are made for those receiving the sacrament.

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e have the newest and nicest funeral home in Wyandotte County, right across the street from St. Patrick’s Church. Personalize a Funeral, Cemetery or Memorial Service all from one office, instead of driving all over town making plans. We even accept many pre-arranged plans from other funeral homes. To receive a free Personal Planning Guide, call or stop in today.

KU and K-State sports memorabilia and a spot at Camp Tekakwitha, plus a new item that Piscitello hopes will generate some high bids: a spot at a Catholic baseball camp run by former Royals first-baseman Mike Sweeney. The baseball camp, for boys 8 to 15, is

a $300 value and provides participants a chance to work with major league baseball players, including Sweeney. The basketball game, which draws Serra Club members, families and friends of the players, and parishioners cheering for their favorite priest is designed to promote vocations to the priesthood. “The main obstacle with vocations is to present priests as real persons in the hearts and minds of young people,” said Father Zimmerman. “It’s hard for people to become priests themselves if they only see priests behind the altar. So the game lets everyone see that priests are pretty cool.” Not to mention good athletes, said Father Zimmerman, who has played with the Runnin’ Revs since he was ordained nine years ago. “At 38, I’m thinking about retirement from the Revs,” he said. “But some priests play well into their 50s, so I may have another 10 years.” About eight to 10 priests and seminarians play for the Revs. The All-Stars are comprised of two players from each Johnson and Wyandotte County parish. “Some parishes send their best player; others send the nicest,” said Bill Maloney, one of the event coordinators. “It’s up to the parish.” The Revs also play the All-Stars of Topeka later in the “season” — this year at Hayden High School at 7 p.m. on April 22.

12 classifieds Employment School principal - St. Charles Borromeo Parish seeks a principal committed to Catholic education with strong leadership, communication, and motivational skills. St. Charles School is a parish school serving approximately 310 pre-K to 8th-grade students with a staff of 40. St. Charles is located in suburban Kansas City, Mo., north of the river. Candidate must be a practicing Catholic, have a master’s degree in educational administration, teaching experience and preferably three years administrative experience. Applications may be made to the Catholic schools office on the website at: http://jobs. diocese-kcsj.org/?cid=4&lid=118. All applications must be received by March 1. School principal - St. Rose Philippine Duchesne School, Garnett, is seeking a dynamic, experienced Catholic school principal for the 2013-2014 academic year who embraces the Catholic faith and possesses spiritual leadership skills blended with strong instructional leadership and managerial skills, as well as excellent interpersonal skills. In addition, experience with current best practices (MTSS, PBS, DI, Common Core) in schools is expected. St. Rose School serves 40 students in grades K-8, employs 4 full-time teachers, and is looking for a leader who possesses the interest/skills to significantly expand enrollment. Principal applicants must be practicing Catholics and hold (or be eligible for) an administrative license from the Kansas State Department of Education. Interested individuals should complete the principal application available on the website at: www.archkckcs.org. Applications are due by March 8. Questions may be directed to Dr. Kathleen O’Hara, superintendent of schools, Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, at (913) 721-1570, or send an email to: kohara@archkckcs.org. Facility manager - St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood, is seeking a professional, detail-oriented individual to be responsible for all aspects of facilities management for the parish campus, including custodial, maintenance, purchasing, and facility staff management. Duties will encompass the parish education center, church, rectory and grounds. 3 to 5 years of similar facility management experience is required. This full-time position includes the archdiocesan benefits package. Complete job description and contact information are available on the website at: www. stmichaelcp.org. Part-time valet driver - Responsible for interacting in a courteous and friendly manner with guests, residents and staff. Assists residents with valet services, parking services and miscellaneous activity. Must be able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. CDL preferred but not required. Various hours including Saturdays. Apply in person at Santa Marta, 13800 W 116th St., Olathe, or at our website at: www.santamartaretire ment.com/careers.htm. Substitute teacher - Holy Trinity Catholic School in Paola is seeking a long-term substitute for 3rd grade for the 2012-13 school year, beginning late March. Interested applicants should complete the teacher application available on the website at: www.archkckcs.org and email/mail a letter of interest and resume to Principal, Josh Cavender, at: mrcavenderhts@gmail.com or call (913) 294-3286 for more information. Part-time summer nanny/child care provider - In northwest Olathe home for our two children, ages 6 and 7. Own transportation and clean driving record required. Children may need transported to some summer activities. Great summer opportunity. Call Megan at (913) 601-1764 or send an email to: meganpribyl@ hotmail.com.

theleaven.com | february 22, 2013 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. bankruptcylawinkansascity.com. 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 Electrician - Free estimates; reasonable rates. JoCo and south KC metro. Call Pat at (913) 963-9896. Spring Cleanup Lawn mowing. Leaf removal. Tree and shrub trimming. Local Parishioner Call Tony at (913) 620-6063 Free Estimates/Insured/References Quilted Memories - Your Kansas City Longarm shop is open in downtown Overland Park! Machine quilting services. Custom designed memory quilts from your T-shirt collections, photos, baby clothes, college memorabilia, etc. We specialize in memorial quilts – wrapping you in your cherished memories. For information or to schedule a free consultation, call (913) 649-2704. To see samples, visit the website at: www.quilted memoriesllc.com. ALL AREA CATHOLICS WELCOME Christ the King Parish Federal Credit Union 5417 Leavenworth Rd., Kansas City, Kan. Good Car Loan and Share Loan Rates (913) 287-8448 or (913) 980-2192 Hours: 7 - 9 p.m., Mon., Wed., Fri. MEDICATION SETUP & MANAGEMENT RN support visits for filling weekly pill boxes & managing medication. Affordable and convenient. To learn more, call Home Connect Health Services (913) 627-9222 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). 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.

for sale Residential lifts - Buy/sell/trade. Stair lifts, porch lifts, ceiling lifts and elevators. Recycled and new equipment. Member of St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood. Call Silver Cross KC at (913) 327-5557. For sale - 2 side-by-side individual full body crypts (#30 & #32) in Gate of Heaven Mausoleum, Kansas City, Kan., Queen of Heaven Court, Level “D.” Current selling price at this level would be $12,000, reduced to $7,500. Must sell. Contact Cathy M. to make an offer at (913) 485-7076.

Home Improvement

Bookkeeper - Growing professional office seeks high-volume bookkeeper. Duties include processing vendor invoices and paying bills. QuickBooks and Excel proficiency is required. Must be adept at multi-tasking. Send resume to: UPS Store, 12120 State Line Road #374, Leawood, KS 66209.

Spring is here! I do decks, fences, siding, windows, doors, roofing, exterior house painting and can cover all your landscaping needs. I bid and do the work, and am fully insured. Serving the Leaven parishioners for 12 years. Call Joshua Doherty at (913)-709-7230.

Director of youth ministry - Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in North Little Rock, Ark., is looking for a full-time director of youth (7th-12th) and young adult ministry. Candidates must be Catholics in good standing with the church and preferably have a bachelor’s degree. Please email your resume to Father Tom Elliott at: FatherT@FatherT.com by Feb. 28.

Helping Hand Handy Man - Home maintenance upgrades and chores available by the hour. Special rate for senior and single-parent households. Electrical, painting, wood refinishing, deck repair, yardwork, small to medium tree trimming, gutter cleaning, shelving and organizing. Most home problems and needs solved. Member of Prince of Peace, Olathe. Call Mark Coleman at (913) 526-4490.

Services 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. 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.

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) 579-1835. Email: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa. House painting - Interior and exterior; wall paper removal. 20 years experience. Reasonable rates. Call Joe at (913) 620-5776. Perfect Roof - Free estimates; roofing repairs if needed. Hail and wind damage inspections. Insured and reasonable. Call (816) 288-1693.

All commercial and residential mowing. Services also include powerwashing, gutter cleaning, foundation dirt, retaining walls and spring seeding. Call (816) 509-0224. 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. Tim the Handyman - Small jobs, faucets, garbage disposals, toilets, ceiling fans, light fixtures, painting, wall ceiling repair, wood rot, siding, desks, doors, windows, and gutter cleaning. Call (913) 526-1844. 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. 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 KC blinds and design - (913) 488-7605. Blinds, shutters, draperies, fabric, pillows, bedding, valances and cushions. Visit the website at: KCBlindsanddesign. com. 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. 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. Roof repairs - Over 25 years experience on all types of residential roofing. Fair pricing, excellent references; no job too small! Call Mark at Rector Roofing & Repair: (913) 957-3682 or email to: rectorroofing@ gmail.com. Exterior painting, drywall projects, wood rot repair, bathroom and kitchen remodels, and tile work Quality products. 20 years experience. References. Call (913) 206-4524. Brick mason - Available year-round; installation and repair of all types of masonry work — brick, stone, tile and flat work. 19 years of residential/commercial experience. Free quote – KC metro area – small and large jobs accepted. Call (913) 485-4307. Yes, we renovate kitchen/bathroom cabinets and install new floor tile. Adept Home Improvements Where quality still counts! Basement finishing, Kitchens and baths, Electrical and plumbing, Licensed and insured. (913) 599-7998

Caregiving 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 visit our website at: www.benefitsofhome.com. Live-in caregiving - Full time, with negotiable time off. Room, board and salary. Call (913) 579-5276.

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 - Catholic woman with 30 years experience is available to care for your loved one in their home. Spent the past 3 years exclusively caring for one client. Excellent references available. Prefer part time. Call (913) 579-8914.

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.

FOR RENT For rent - Private Location with woods, 2 BR, 1BA, country kitchen. Large rooms, private patio. $595 per month. Shawnee Mission. Contact Ken at (913) 4846942.

REAL ESTATE For sale - 2 - 3BR, 1.5BA ranch on full basement in Ottawa. 1-car garage. Fenced. Move-in ready. $99,950. Visit the website at: http://www.bettybirzer.com or call (785) 418-5701. Reece & Nichols TNC. (785) 242-3182. For sale by owner - 2-story, 4BR, 2BA, 2-car garage, deck, hardwood floors, FP, newer HVAC, roof and more. Near St. Peter’s, Bishop Ward and public schools. $109,950 OBO. Please call (913) 461-9307. For sale by owner - 3-4BR, full basement, 2-car detached garage, new CA, furnace, roof in 2005. Walking distance of All Saints, Central Middle and Whittier. $65,000 cash only. Call (913) 927-8848. For sale by owner - 3-4BR, full basement, 1-car detached garage, new CA, newer furnace, roof in 2005. Walking distance of All Saints, Central Middle and Whittier. $65,000 cash only. Call (913) 927-8848. For sale by owner - 55 + community close to The Legends, Kansas City, Kan. Ranch style with full basement. 2BR, 2BA, no maintenance. Large kitchen, hardwood floors. $150,000. Call (816) 520-1793.

vacation Ski cabin in Winter Park, Colo. - 2 BR, 1 BA, fully furnished; sleeps four. View of Continental Divide from deck. Close to points of interest and activities. $115/ night. Call (913) 642-3027. For pictures, visit the website at: www.tillmancabin.com.

wanted to buy Antiques wanted I buy old pocket & wristwatches; sets of silverware; souvenir spoons; advertising signs; coins; and Native American turquoise jewelry, arrowheads & rugs. Call Chris at (913) 593-7507 or (913) 642-8269. Will buy firearms and related accessories - One or a whole collection. Honest evaluation and top prices paid. Contact Tom at (913) 238-2473. Member of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee. *** Wanted to buy *** Antique/vintage jewelry, paintings, pottery, prints, sterling, etc. Renee Maderak (913) 631-7179 St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee

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calendar 13

february 22, 2013 | theleaven.com

February The Knights of Columbus, Council No. 2332, will host a classic rock dance party from 7 - 11 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Shawnee. Riptide will be performing classic rock, soul and blues from the ’60s and ’70s. The cost is a $5 donation. Adults only. For more information, contact Keith Winterhalter at (913) 631-2173 or Gary Van DeBerghe at (913) 226-4407.

The Mary Health of the Sick Guild of the Sisters, Servants of Mary will hold its first meeting of the year following the 9 a.m. Mass on Feb. 24. The Mass and meeting will take place at the convent, located at 800 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kan. Anyone interested in joining the guild is invited to attend.

The Daughters of Isabella will meet at 1 p.m. on Feb. 24 in Rossiter Hall at Assumption Church, 8th and Jackson, Topeka. Nickel bingo will follow the meeting. Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will offer “Spending Wisely While Living on a Budget” on Feb. 25 from 1:30 - 3 p.m., presented by Chiquita Miller of K-State Extension. To register, call (913) 906-8990.

Father Tom Hesse will celebrate Mass and devotions for the sanctity of human life on Feb. 27 at Sacred Heart Church, 312 N.E. Freeman Ave., Topeka. Confessions will be heard from 6:15 - 7 p.m. Mass will begin at 7 p.m. with a talk on the subject of life, the Blessed Mother, or the church. The prayer time concludes with eucharistic adoration and Benediction. All are welcome. This event occurs every fourth Wednesday evening of the month, excluding March.

“Discipline: What to do instead of spanking” will be offered on Feb. 27 from 9:30 11 a.m. at Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan. For more information, call (913) 906-8990. This is presented by Nona Boyd and offered in partnership with the Wyandot Center. A Lenten presentation of the face of mercy will be given by Michael McGlinn at Queen of the Holy Rosary Church, 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park, at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 27. It is a one-hour renewal through story, song and prayer. There is no cost to attend. A course in the sympto-thermal method of natural family planning begins at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 at St. John the Evangelist School, 1208 Kentucky St., Lawrence. On-

line registration is required by visiting the website at: www.ccli.org. For more information, call Shannon or John Rasmussen at (785) 749-1015 or the Couple to Couple League of Kansas City at (913) 894-3558. The regular luncheon meeting for the Serra Club of Kansas City, Kan., will be held at noon on Feb. 27 at the Hilton Garden Inn, 5th and Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kan. Father Brandon Farrar will be the guest speaker.

club will host its annual St. Patrick’s Day corned beef and cabbage dinner in Bishop Forst Hall, 615 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan., on March 2 after the 4 p.m. Mass. The cost is $8 for adults; $4 for children. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the rectory office at (913) 3711408, Dave Gregory at (913) 371-3522, or Frank Lipovitz at (913) 621-0298.

March

St. Joseph Church, 11311 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, will celebrate its 21st annual St. Joseph Table and pasta dinner on March 3 in McDevitt Hall. Home-baked breads, cookies, pies and cakes, candies, fruit, wine, floral arrangements, and religious articles may be purchased from 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. A pasta dinner will be served from 11 a.m. 3 p.m. Freewill donations will be accepted. Proceeds will benefit the needy in the parish community. For more information, contact Christine Marion at (913) 2686677.

Church of the Holy Cross, 8311 W. 93rd St., Overland Park, will host a soup and salad dinner at 5 p.m. on March 1, followed by a musical on the Stations of the Cross at 7 p.m. The performance is presented by Visitation Church. For more information, contact Margi Foley at (913) 381-8145.

Boy Scout Troop 394 will host a pancake breakfast on March 3 from 7 a.m. - noon at the social hall of Good Shepherd Parish, 12800 W. 75th St., Shawnee. The cost to attend is $5. Presale tickets will be available at Good Shepherd and Sacred Heart parishes, Shawnee, after Masses on Feb. 23 - 24.

The third annual Lorraine M. Kolich memorial bowl-a-thon, hosted by Sister Rosie Kolich of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, is scheduled for March 1 from 5 - 10 p.m., and March 2 from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. at St. John Catholic Club, 414 Barnett, Kansas City, Kan. The cost to attend is a donation of $20 for three games. For more information, call the club at (913) 371-9690.

The St. Mary Altar Society, Purcell, will host a spaghetti luncheon from 11 a.m. 1 p.m. on March 3. Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, dessert, and drinks will be served. The cost to attend is a freewill donation.

Gluten-free eating, a nutrition presentation offered in partnership with K-State Extension Services, will be offered at Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., on Feb. 28 from 9:30 - 11 a.m. For more information, call (913) 9068990.

Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish, 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park, is hosting a fundraiser for the Honor Flight Network of Kansas City on March 2 from 6:30 - 10:30 p.m. Live music will be provided by Harvest Moon. The cost to attend is a freewill donation. Honor Flights fly local veterans, free of charge, to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect on the war memorials.

Father Dennis Wait will offer a Lenten retreat on March 2 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Sanctuary of Hope Prayer and Retreat Center, 2601 Ridge Ave., Kansas City, Kan. The retreat will focus on becoming still in order to sense God’s presence and know the gifts he wants to give us. Spiritual direction and reconciliation will be offered, and lunch will be provided. The cost is $20. To make a reservation, contact Julie at (913) 321-4673 or send an email to: julie@sanctuaryofhope.com. The St. Mary - St. Anthony Parish men’s

St. Patrick Parish, Corning, will host a pancake breakfast at the Corning Community Center on March 3 from 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. Pancakes, sausage and eggs will be served. A country store with hand-crafted items and baked goods will be available. The cost to attend is a freewill donation. A Runnin’ Revs Fun Night will be held on March 4 at Bishop Miege High School, 5041 Reinhardt, Roeland Park. Area priests and seminarians will challenge 8th-grade and high school youth from Catholic schools in a fun game of basketball. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Donations will be accepted to benefit seminarians. For more information, visit the website at: kckvocations.com.

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

The Serra Club of Johnson County will host its monthly meeting at Curé of Ars Church at 7 p.m. on March 7 in the Father

Burak Room. All are invited to pray and work for vocations. For more information, contact Janice Arth at (913) 515-3975. The sponsors of the Justin Johnston Memorial Scholarship will host a concert by Allen Asbury and the Brooks Brothers on March 8 at 7 p.m. at St. Francis de Sales Church, 900 Ida, Lansing. The cost is $10 for adults; $5 for students. For tickets and reservations, contact the parish office at (913) 727-3742 or Carol and Katie Peterson at (913) 772-8871. Proceeds go toward the Justin Johnston Memorial Scholarship. For more information about the scholarship, visit the website at: www.justiceforjustin. org.

St. Aloysius Church, 615 Wyandotte, Meriden, is hosting a soup supper and silent auction to benefit Paula Korber DeBacker on March 9 from 4 to 7 p.m. Homemade chili, and chicken noodle and broccoli cheese soups will be served with relishes and dessert. The cost to attend is a freewill donation.

A retreat for members of the Mary Health of the Sick Guild and the men’s group will take place at the Sisters, Servants of Mary Convent, 800 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kan., on March 9 at 10 a.m. The day will include a talk by Father Andrew Strobl, silent eucharistic adoration, lunch, a question-and-answer period, Stations of the Cross, the rosary, the sacrament of reconciliation and Mass at 4 p.m. The Cathedral of St. Peter Altar Society will host a women’s Lenten day of reflection on March 9. Sister Therese Steiner, a member of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, will present, “A Woman’s Journey of Faith through Scripture — St. Thérèse and the Little Way.” The day will begin at 8:15 a.m. with Mass and will conclude at noon. The cost to attend is $10, which includes a continental breakfast. For registration information, contact Patty McKiernan at (913) 281-2918. Internationally renowned singing superstar Tatiana Cameron, Tajci, 12-17 will perform throughout the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas the following dates and times: March 12, 7 p.m., St. John the Baptist Church, 708 N. 4th St., Kansas City, Kan. March 13, 7 p.m., Prince of Peace Church, 16000 W. 143rd St., Olathe. March 14, 7 p.m., St. Matthew Church, 2700 S.E. Virginia Ave., Topeka. March 16, 7 p.m., Mother Teresa of Calcutta Church, 2014 N.W. 46th St., Topeka March 17, 2 p.m., Sts. Peter and Paul Church, 411 Pioneer St., Seneca. For more information, visit the website at: www.idobelieve.com.

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14 commentary

theleaven.com | february 22, 2013

mark my words Scripture Readings second WEEK OF lent Feb. 24 second SUNDAY of lent Gn 15: 5-12, 17-18 Ps 27: 1, 7-9, 13-14 Phil 3:17 – 4:1 Lk 9: 28b-36 Feb. 25 Monday Dn 9: 4b-10 Ps 79: 8-9, 11, 13 Lk 6: 36-38 Feb. 26 Tuesday Is 1: 10, 16-20 Ps 50: 8-9, 16bc, 17, 21, 23 Mt 23: 1-12 Feb. 27 Wednesday Jer 18: 18-20 Ps 31: 5-6, 14-16 Mt 20: 17-28 Feb. 28 Thursday Jer 17: 5-10 Ps 1: 1-4, 6 Lk 16: 19-31 March 1 Friday Gn 37: 3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28 Ps 105: 16-21 Mt 21: 33-43, 45-46 March 2 Saturday Mi 7: 14-15, 18-20 Ps 103: 1-4, 9-12 Lk 15: 1-3, 11-32

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Doing Lent right is ‘heart’ work

ast Sunday evening in my office, I found a take-out box filled with pretzels. They were handmade by our fourth-grade religious education kids. It’s somewhat of a tradition for them to do this on the First Sunday of Lent. The class makes a whole slew of pretzels during class, and then distributes them after the last Sunday morning Mass as people leave church. Nearly 20 years ago, I wrote a column about why pretzels are a Lenten food. Just to review, during the fasts of the Middle Ages, people weren’t permitted to eat eggs, milk or fats. Since pretzels contained only flour, water and salt, they were eaten instead of bread during Lent. Pretzels were first made by German monks. The German word “bretzel” comes from the Latin word “brachium,” meaning “arm.” And doesn’t the shape of a pretzel’s “crossed arms” look like someone praying? When I opened that take-out box, I had to laugh. Some were almost perfectly formed pretzels, others had long droopy arms, still others were teensy, and some were just shapeless blobs of dough. Personally, I think that Jesus would have loved them . . . as I did.

Father Mark Goldasich Father Mark Goldasich is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989. There’s a little known story about how Jesus actually chose the Twelve Apostles. Originally, he thought about putting a notice up on a post in the town square, but that didn’t seem thorough enough. So, Jesus decided to hold an Olympics from which to choose his most intimate friends. People came from all over, and the competition was fierce. Jesus judged all the events. First came the prayer event. People had practiced, and it showed in the speed with which some ripped through the words. Others said their prayers with great precision. Some used big, fancy words; others expressed lofty ideas in drawn-out sentences. In the end, though, Jesus chose no winner because the prayers were just, well, words.

Next came the worship event. Again, folks were prepared. Some wore spectacular garments and used lots of incense. Others sang a lot and used elaborate gestures. But again, Jesus chose no winner, as it all just seemed showy. Last came the teaching event. Wow, this group was impressive. Some used colorful posters, while others droned on in long, well-ordered talks. Sadly, no winners were chosen. The delivery seemed more important than any message. With a heavy heart, Jesus ended the Olympics and came away with no apostles. Exhausted, he ambled down to the lake to cool off and relax. Then, a miracle happened: He saw some people fishing. Now there were people, Jesus thought, who put their hearts and souls into what they were about! And so, he chose them. (Adapted from “No Heart” in Paul J. Wharton’s “Stories and Parables for Preachers and Teachers.”) Those fourth-graders’ pretzels from last Sunday would not have won any baking contests. I’m also reasonably sure that Rold Gold or Snyder’s have no need to feel threatened. However, Jesus would have scooped up those imperfect pretzels and their

bakers because those treats were prepared with love. Those kids put their hearts into their creations. There’s a great Lenten lesson there. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about two books that were to be my daily Lenten guides. One contains a practical activity to accomplish each day; the other, a daily writing assignment. Well, Ash Wednesday rolled around without my doing either the writing or the activity. I was devastated. I wanted a perfect Lenten record . . . and I’d already blown it the first day. Happily, I didn’t give up. I simply started on “Ash Thursday” and offered God this already imperfect — but heartfelt — Lent. This season is about heart work, not perfection. Though prayer is nice and spiritual reading and classes are valuable, and giving up stuff is admirable, all of those must be done with heart. Simply going through the motions doesn’t cut it. What the Lord wants is our hearts. Peek at your Lenten disciplines this week with a critical eye. Are they routine or are they practices that will lead you to a deeper love of God, neighbor and self? Put your heart into this Lent. After all, practice makes imperfect!

In the beginning

Abram’s ‘sleep’ foreshadows Gospel events

nfants deprived of sleep can feel very cranky. Prisoners deprived of sleep can break down under interrogation. Sleep is necessary to restore our bodies and our spirits. It gives us new life. Sleep plays an interesting part in Sunday’s first reading: Gn 15:5-12, 17-18. Under instructions from God, Abram has sacrificed some animals and cut them in two. Then, as evening falls, something strange happens: “As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.” The Hebrew word “tardemah,” which is translated here as “trance,” is not the usual word for sleep. Significantly enough, the same word occurs earlier in Gn 2:21: “So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one

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. of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.” This sentence describes the creation of woman as a kind of surgical procedure. In both cases, a deep sleep or trance proceeds a life-changing event. In the first, God makes a covenant with Abram, whose name eventually becomes Abraham. In the second, the first man, whom we sometimes call Adam, enters into a marriage

covenant with the first woman, Eve. Genesis explains that covenant in this way: “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.” The trance that Abram experiences in Sunday’s first reading anticipates the deep sleep that overcomes Peter, James and John in the Gospel reading: “Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep” (Lk 9:28b-36). Once again, their deep sleep proceeds a life-changing event. They witness the glory of Christ in his transfiguration. At the same time, they do not understand what they are seeing. Peter impulsively blurts out a comment that reflects that ignorance: “‘Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ But he did not

THE PRACTICAL CATHOLIC “This is America. We don’t just make things you want, we make things you didn’t even know you wanted — like a spoon-fork, spray cheese and jeans made out of sweat pants.” You may have seen the commercial quoted above for Prilosec OTC. The ad, which features Larry the Cable Guy, really hits the nail on the head in our consumer-crazy world. We are constantly barraged with messages about things we didn’t even know we wanted (or existed!).

know what he was saying.’” This slumber anticipates the sleep that the disciples will experience while Jesus is praying in the garden at the Mount of Olives the evening before he is crucified: “When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples, he found them sleeping from grief” (Lk 22:45). Once again, their sleep proceeds a life-changing event. Sleep can be restorative. But too much sleep can interfere with life, prevent us from experiencing it fully. In the Scriptures, sleep can also symbolize spiritual drowsiness, a lack of energy and consciousness. We are called away from that, to be fully awake, alive in God. “Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Eph 5:14).

This past week one of my Lenten practices has been to go a day without looking at ads. Wow, that is harder than it sounds. Trying to avoid advertisements has made me much more aware of how many times we’re assaulted by them — not only on the radio and TV, but on the Internet, on billboards, and in the magazines we read. Ads keep us in a constant state of discontent. Sometime during Lent, treat yourself to a day without ads. You’ll be amazed at how much this practice will add to your quality of life. — M.G.

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theleaven.com | february 22, 2013

Celebrating Sisterhood

Benedictines mark 150th anniversary with special Mass at Mount By Sara Stacey Special to The Leaven

still to come

TCHISON — The old college chapel here, where schoolgirls once gathered, saw women religious from near and far come to celebrate on Feb. 10. Some were returning to the monastery that had housed them while they attended Mount St. Scholastica College. Others were from nearby communities. But all had a connection to the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica Monastery in Atchison. Prioress Anne Shepard welcomed the guests who had joined them for one of the signature events of the order’s yearlong celebration of its 150th anniversary: a Mass and lunch on the feast of St. Scholastica, foundress of the women’s side of the Benedictine order. “Our theme this year is ‘With grateful hearts,’” she told the gathering, “and we are most grateful to you for being here with us,” with a special nod to Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, celebrant of the Mass. The archbishop started off his homily by comparing the Sisters’ 150th anniversary with the anniversary of a family or married couple: The event gives all an occasion to recall the good times and to renew their vows for the future. “It’s amazing to recall the faith, and boldness, and courage of those first seven Sisters who first came to Atchison 150 years ago in the midst of our nation’s Civil War,” he said, “to be God’s instruments in beginning a rich history of witness, of service to the children and the families of Atchison and the surrounding area.” But what they and their successors accomplished was even more amazing still. “It is truly remarkable how much God has accomplished because of the faith and the trust of those first seven young Sisters,” he said, from the generations of students the college attracted, to the daughter houses the Mount has founded in Mexico, Brazil and California. “When you reflect on how many lives have been enriched — not only in a material sense but, more importantly, in a spiritual, an eternal sense . . . because of the faith of those founding Sisters — it is as miraculous as when Jesus blessed the five barley loaves and a couple of fish to feed thousands,” he said. Despite never being attracted to community life himself, said the archbishop, “since my priestly ordination and even more so in my years as

The following is a list of future celebrations honoring the Benedictine Sisters of Atchison’s 150th year: April 14 Citywide picnic on the lawn at Mount St. Scholastica, 801 S. 8th, Atchison Sept. 15 Celebration in Kansas City for family and friends at St. Pius X Church, 5500 Woodson Ave., Mission Sept. 22 Fellin Lecture: Judy Valente, PBS reporter and author, at Benedictine College, Atchison Oct. 13 Celebration at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Seneca Nov. 17 Night of Dreams benefit auction and dinner

Photo by Rox Stec

Sister Anne Shepard, prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, presents Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann with a plaque featuring the image of St. Scholastica as a token of appreciation. a bishop, I have become more and more convinced of the importance of the religious life — not just for the members of the communities, but for the life of the church.” “Religious life,” he said, “when lived with joy and enthusiasm, is an instrument that God uses to renew his entire church.” The Gospel reading for the feast of St. Scholastica features the story of Martha and Mary — the sister who worked, and the sister who sat at the feet of Christ. That reading, said the archbishop, speaks the truth about what’s at the heart of the religious life. “There is need for only one thing,” and that is choosing to listen to Christ, he said. “Martha missed the point of hospitality,” he continued. Hospitality means doing what-

ever the guest most desires, and what Jesus desired was for Mary and Martha to sit and talk with him. Martha was doing what she thought Jesus wanted, perhaps because she wanted him to think highly of her, said the archbishop, acknowledging his own desire to be well-liked to the audience’s chuckles. Prayer is the gift of the Benedictines to the church, continued Archbishop Naumann. “It is in listening to the Lord that we discover what the Lord wants from us” and how much he loves us, he added. “Prayer gives us the energy to spend our lives in the service of the One who first loved us,” he concluded. As a token of the prayers and appreciation of the community, Sister Anne presented the archbishop with a plaque

with the image of St. Scholastica. After the Mass, Sister Glenna Smith, president of the Federation of St. Scholastica, shared with a smile her reason for traveling all the way from St. Benedict Monastery in Bristow, Va., for the occasion. “I came to party,” she said with a laugh. “I really did come to celebrate with these Sisters,” Sister Glenna continued. “They are a gift to the Benedictine world, and have been for years and years.” While each monastery in the federation is independent, they do share gifts and resources. “They are very gifted and very generous,” Sister Glenna said of the Mount community. Sister Jacinta Conklin and Sister John Paul Bauer, from

St. Joseph Monastery in St. Marys, Pa., the first Benedictine women’s house in America where the original seven Sisters came from, were also on hand for the occasion. They came to deliver their archives to Sister Marie Louise Krenner, retired archivist at the Mount, and were invited to come for the Mass to represent the first house of Benedictines. Sister Jacinta had been a student at Mount St. Scholastica College for a year for monastic studies. “It’s so cool. I always said it was my second home,” she said happily. Sister Thomasita Homan, who wrote the “Beanie Blessing” famous at Benedictine College’s Beanie Banquet new student initiation, entered the Mount in 1956 at the age of 17. When she asked the prioress what the community could offer her, she was told, “Not much. Just a group of women who will join hands with you seeking God.” That is exactly what being a religious woman is all about, said Sister Thomasita — and getting to celebrate with other religious women was something she had been looking forward to. Planning for the yearlong celebration of the 150th anniversary began five years ago. An event is planned to celebrate with each constituency that has impacted the religious community. But the one on Feb. 10, explained Sister Thomasita, “is very close to our hearts.”