03-20-15 Vol. 36 No. 30

THELEAVEN.COM | VOL. 36, NO. 30 | MARCH 20, 2015

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE MCSORLEY

From left, Bishop Miege sophomores Alyssa Yap, Luke McCool and Landry Weber work on a lab project.

Alumnus makes $500,000 gift to Bishop Miege

R

By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill@theleaven.com

OELAND PARK — There were five children in the Lacy family of St. Agnes Parish here.

All five went to St. Agnes Grade School and then on to Bishop Miege High School.

All five succeeded in college, in their careers and in their family lives.

The oldest, Steve Lacy, is now president and CEO of Meredith Corporation, which has pub-

LIFE’S PICTURES

lishing and broadcasting offices across the country.

He’s been married to Cathy for 33 years. The couple lives in Des Moines, Iowa, where Meredith Corporation is based.

Together, they’ve raised two accomplished children, Paul and Mary.

“I feel that I and my siblings got a really strong foundation that allowed us all to be successful,” said Lacy. “You’ve got to look back and figure out where that started.

“I think it started with our parochial school education where fundamental values are just in the culture.”

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann blessed two sonogram machines at the Advice & Aid Pregnancy Clinics in Overland Park and Shawnee.

Said one employee: “Of the women we did sonograms for last year, over 80 percent, after they saw the image, made a decision for life when they left.” Page 3

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 1

>> See “SOME” on page 4

THE BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE

The Bridge to the Future is a drive to meet Bishop Miege High School’s biggest future challenge: keeping tuition affordable. The Good Samaritan and Helping Hand scholarship funds were established as a shared partnership of responsibility. The donor bridges the gap between what the family can afford to pay and the limited financial assistance the school can offer.

For more information visit the website at: www.bishopmiege.com and click on Admissions – Financial Aid, or contact Patti Marnett at (913) 262-2701, ext. 226.

DREAM ON

Former Bishop Ward basketball player Chris Huey saw his college basketball career end five years ago with a collapsed lung. After getting back into basketball as a manager for the KU basketball team, however, Huey got a second chance at his dream. Pages 8-9

6/8/15 2:51 PM

2 ARCHBISHOP

THELEAVEN.COM | MARCH 20, 2015

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

Leaven finds ways to ‘nourish the mind and inspire the heart’

A

few years ago, a woman who has to travel often

because of her job told me she always takes The Leaven with her on her trips. She enjoys reading it during flights and said that its intriguing photos and catchy headlines often instigate conversations about faith with her fellow travelers.

My late Aunt Dolores, who lived in northern Indiana, loved receiving The Leaven and, sad to say, not primarily because of my column. She loved The Leaven’s inspiring stories about individual Catholics striving to live their faith.

Frequently, when making a parish visit, someone will comment to me on how much they enjoy The Leaven. During the listening sessions and focus groups for the visioning process, in responding to the question: What does the archdiocese do well? The Leaven was recognized for its quality and readability.

Another indication of the effectiveness of The Leaven is the frequent requests I receive from members of

Holy Week With Holy Week upon us, once again this year, I invite every member of the archdiocese to make a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas, for one of the Palm Sunday, Triduum or Easter liturgies. I will celebrate: 11 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral on Palm Sunday; the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:30 p.m. on Holy Thursday; the liturgy of the Passion of the Lord at 3 p.m. on Good Friday; the Easter Vigil at 8 p.m. on Holy Saturday; and Easter Sunday Mass at 11 a.m. I hope that you and your family will take advantage of this opportunity to visit our beautiful Cathedral of St. Peter and to join me in celebrating one of these important liturgies during the week commemorating the most significant events in all of human history. I am confident you will find edifying and spiritually enriching the beauty and care with which the liturgy is celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Peter.

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 2

ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN

the archdiocese requesting The Leaven’s coverage of some event, story or teaching.

Bishop Paul Schulte, the bishop of Leavenworth, launched a diocesan newspaper on June 1, 1939.

Throughout this year, we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of a Catholic weekly newspaper for Catholics in northeast Kansas.

For the first 40 years, our paper was called the Eastern Kansas Register. By 1979, the diocese had been moved from Leavenworth to Kansas City and had been elevated to an archdiocese for more than 25 years. Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker ran a contest to rename the archdiocesan newspaper.

Father Jim Ludwikowski, currently the pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Shawnee, received the whopping sum of $25 prize money for proposing the name The Leaven. It was a brilliant suggestion, because it reminds us of our history — that we were originally the Diocese of Leavenworth, and it evokes the biblical allusion of the transformative power of the Gospel, similar to the way a small portion of leaven changes the constituency of bread. (We ought to give Father Jim another $25 for coming up with such a

perfect name!)

In this day and age when so much of our lives are lived online, some people may ask: Why a weekly newspaper? Interestingly, a recent study by CARA (Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) revealed that while Catholics, like everyone else, are doing much more online, Catholics of all ages — even younger ones — do not go primarily to cyberspace to seek information about our faith and inspiration to help them live it.

Of course, this may change over time, as more quality online Catholic resources become available.

Currently, relatively few Catholics report using new media to acquire information about religion or spirituality. In fact, the same research supports that a quality Catholic newspaper mailed to parishioners’ homes is still the most effective means to reach Catholics of all ages.

I am also encouraged by how many people comment on this weekly column.

It is not easy to write an article each week, but I am convinced that it is one of the best tools at my disposal to help fulfill my responsibility to teach what we believe as Catholics, as well as how to apply the faith to the challenging circumstances of the 21st century.

Frequently, after visiting a parish or becoming acquainted with a particular ministry, I will suggest articles to The Leaven staff. There is so much good news, inspiring news, happening every day in the archdiocese that you are not going to find reported in the secular media.

With more and more ignorance and even hostility within our culture generally, and by the secular media specifically, toward Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, it is important for Catholics to have a reliable source for accurate information about the church and what we believe.

Personally, I enjoy reading The Leaven each

CALENDAR ARCHBISHOP

NAUMANN

March 29 Palm Sunday Mass and procession — Cathedral, Kansas City, Kansas

March 20 Mass — Fraternity of the Poor of Jesus Christ

March 31 Chrism Mass — Savior Pastoral Center

March 23 Mass — Kansas City Kansas Community College

ARCHBISHOP

Confirmation — Curé of Ars, Leawood March 24 Leavenworth regional priests meeting — Sacred Heart, Leavenworth Confirmation — Mater Dei, Topeka March 25 Maur Hill-Mount Academy Mass and confirmation — Atchison Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas Marian pilgrimage reunion — Savior Pastoral Center March 26-27 Visit to Kenrick Seminary — St. Louis March 28 Benedictine College Institute of Missionary Activity Symposium Mass — Atchison

week. I often learn things from The Leaven that I did not know about a parish or particular ministry within the archdiocese. The Leaven staff knows well how to tell stories through photos and the printed word that nourish the mind and inspire the heart.

In this era of the new evangelization, mailing The Leaven to all the homes of parishioners of the archdiocese is one of the best means available to strengthen the faith of those who may be wavering and confused. Most parishes ask parishioners to help defray the cost of producing, printing and mailing The Leaven.

I strongly believe in the importance of sending The Leaven to every home, not just to the most committed Catholics. If your circumstances permit it, I encourage you to donate even more than the suggested subscription amount to help us send The

KELEHER March 22 Confirmation — Church of the Nativity, Leawood March 24 St. Agnes penance service March 26 Confirmation — Queen of the Holy Rosary, Overland Park March 28 St. James auction dinner March 29 Mass — Federal prison camp Confessions — Nativity, Leawood March 31 Chrism Mass — Savior Pastoral Center “Seven Last Words” — Curé of Ars, Leawood

Leaven into the homes of those who most need it.

Bishop Paul Schulte in a letter in the first edition of the Eastern Kansas Register on June 1, 1939, asked Catholics to pray that the newspaper would yield much good “by way of giving to you truth in matters pertaining to the church and by serving as an inspiration to strengthen the faith of good Catholics and kindle anew the dying spark of God’s truth, even in the hearts of those who have fallen away.”

I thank Father Mark Goldasich, editor, Anita McSorley, managing editor, Todd Habiger, production manager, Joe Bollig, senior reporter, and all the dedicated Leaven staff for producing a paper week after week that continues to feed our minds with Truth and inspire our hearts with the power of God’s love alive and well in northeastern Kansas!

6/8/15 2:51 PM

SECOND FRONT PAGE 3

MARCH 20, 2015 | THELEAVEN.COM

Saving lives, one picture at a time

By Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

O

VERLAND PARK — Sometimes a sonogram image is literally the only thing standing between life and death.

That’s physical death for an unborn child and a lifetime of soul-killing grief for the mother.

Ruth Tisdale and the staff at the two Advice & Aid Pregnancy Centers in Johnson County see it all the time.

One memorable occasion happened in January, soon after the two clinics received their new high-definition ultrasound machines, donated by the Kansas Knights of Columbus.

A woman in the early stages of pregnancy, at about six weeks, came into the Overland Park office after visiting a nearby abortion clinic. In fact, she still had the clinic’s patient identification bracelet on her wrist.

“Because we are located so close to [two] abortion clinics, we have women who come here,” said Tisdale.

This particular woman was considering an abortion, but hadn’t made up her mind. First, she wanted a sonogram image.

“We were able to provide [the image] at no cost,” said Tisdale.

“This is very important. At the [abortion] clinics, they charge for sonograms.”

When she saw her unborn child on the screen, she was surprised.

“Really, is that the heart beat?” she said. “I didn’t know.”

Nothing is a greater persuader than the crisp, clear images on the ultrasound machine screen.

“Of the women we did sonograms for last year, over 80 percent, after they saw the image, made a decision for life when they left,” said Tisdale. “Some of them already know it’s a baby. But still, when they see the heartbeat, it’s different.”

The images also have an impact on accompanying boyfriends and mothers. Suddenly, they know on a deeper level that abortion means killing a child — their child or grandchild.

“As we share truth and educate women about what’s happening to them, their lives are really changed when they see [the image],” said Tisdale. “It’s not just an idea.

There’s a picture.”

The rise of the machines was celebrated on March 11 when Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann blessed the two new, donated machines at the Advice & Aid Pregnancy Clinics at 4601 W. 109th St. in Overland

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

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 3

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE BOLLIG

Gail and Tom Schmeidler, Knights of Columbus state culture of life co-chairpersons (left), and Dr. Brendan Mitchell, a member of the Church of the Ascension in Overland Park and volunteer clinic medical director, look on as Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann blesses the ultrasound machine at the Advice & Aid Pregnancy Center in Shawnee on March 11. The archbishop was assisted by Msgr. Gary Applegate. the Park and at 11644 W. 75th St. in Shawnee. “[These] sonograms help expand the ability of mothers who come here to make a good choice,” said Archbishop Naumann. “As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. These pictures are worth much more than that.”

“Once parents see the image of their child on the sonogram, it’s much more difficult for them to rationalize an abortion,” he continued. “So, we’re grateful to the Knights of Columbus for all they do to make these machines available and put them at the service of these incredible clinics.”

Advice & Aid Pregnancy Clinics have been offering ultrasonography since 2004. Last year, they

ULTRASOUNDS AND SONOGRAMS A sonogram is an image produced through a medical diagnostic imaging technology that uses ultrasound frequencies to produce images of whatever is inside a person’s body. The ultrasound frequency produces sound of about 20 kHz and cannot be heard by humans. The act of producing a sonogram is called ultrasonography.

realized their machines were nearing the end of their operational life and needed to be replaced.

Fortunately, the Knights of Columbus had launched a national Ultrasound Initiative on January 22, 2009. So far, the Knights have raised funds to purchase more than 500 ultrasound machines for crisis pregnancy clinics across the United States.

The Kansas Knights of Columbus have donated seven sonograms to crisis pregnancy clinics: one in Ottawa, two in Topeka, two in Wichita, and two in Johnson County.

“In early November [2014], Ruth Tisdale, the Advice & Aid Pregnancy Center director, requested help in funding two new ultrasound machines for their Shawnee and Overland Park clinics,” said Tom Schmeidler.

He and his wife Gail Schmeidler are the Knights of Columbus state culture of life co-chairpersons.

The way the Knights Ultrasound Initiative works is that either the state or a local council comes up with half the cost for the machine and the Supreme Council (the national headquarters of the Knights) comes up with the other half.

“We sent out a call for funds to almost 300 councils across the state, and the councils responded,” said Tom Schmeidler. “Within 30

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

days, we had enough funds where we could send in our application to the Supreme Council for matching funds. They approved the application in mid-December.”

According to Tisdale, the total cost of purchasing, transporting and installing the two new ultrasound machines was approximately $57,000.

“We were hoping for two machines, but we would have been thrilled to get one. Tom Schmeidler informed us that the Knights were committed to getting machines for both offices,” said Tisdale.

“The [ultrasound company representative] we worked with — who sold us ultrasound machines since 2004 — was so impressed,” said Tisdale. “He said, ‘Ruth, you have one of the most generous Knights groups I’ve ever worked with.’ And I said, ‘Yes, we do!’”

“We are grateful to the Knights for making this tool available, and we give thanks for all the children who will be saved and all the women who will not have to live with the terrible burden of realizing — too late — they chose the death of their child,” said Archbishop Naumann.

“In the words of the Scriptures we heard today,” he added, “thank you for choosing life for yourself and helping others make a choice they can live with for the rest of their lives.”

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.

6/8/15 2:51 PM

4 LOCAL NEWS

THELEAVEN.COM | MARCH 20, 2015

Some things haven’t changed, says benefactor >> Continued from page 1 Because Lacy attributes much of his success to his education, that’s where he’s chosen to give back a portion of the reward that success has brought him.

To that end, Steve and Cathy Lacy have made a $500,000 donation in the name of The Lacy Family Fund to Bishop Miege.

“Steve and Cathy are so generous and giving throughout the [Des Moines] community,” said Bishop Miege president Dr. Joe Passantino. “And yet, he’s also given to every single one of our annual appeals. And he’s contributed to all four capital campaigns.

“We’ve been very blessed to be the beneficiaries of his generosity.”

The Lacy Family Fund will be earmarked for Bridge to the Future, a drive aimed at keeping tuition affordable for all Catholic students who want to attend Bishop Miege.

“This is where I got the confidence that would allow me to believe I could do something,” said Lacy. “Enabling other young people to get that chance gives us tremendous gratification.

“We get a lot of reward from that giving.”

Bridge to the Future scholarships bridge the gap between what a family can afford to pay in tuition and the limited financial assistance the school can offer.

“His money was designated for the endowment,” said Passantino. “And our long-term goal is to establish an endowment large enough to sustain the program.”

The Lacys’ generous donation was announced at the Bishop Miege Foundation dinner, an annual event celebrating stewardship and recognizing the high school’s benefactors.

“I’m a tremendous believer in educational choices,” said Lacy. “I think the parochial school system fits a critical position in that it gets students ready to be successful, but gives them a pretty wide range of how to measure success.”

When Lacy returns to his alma mater, he’s impressed with all the improvements and updates throughout the campus, but he’s also happy to see some things haven’t changed.

“They have kept that faith-based respectful culture while the whole world

Three rules for success from Steve Lacy

S

teve Lacy can give back to his alma mater so generously because he’s been successful in business. He claims his success is due to a commitment to just three life rules that he likes to pass on to young people.

1. EMBRACE CHANGE In the early stages of your career, you really have to be very focused on doing extra to be noticed so you have a chance to move ahead. I’m sure you’ve been in a work environment where there’s a new piece of technology or a new system. The young person who grabs hold of that, learns it first and teaches everybody else becomes the go-to person everybody loves. So embrace change, grab hold of the new opportunity and then teach your coworkers who might be a little frightened of it. I think that is the smartest thing a young person can do.

Bishop Miege president Dr. Joe Passantino, left, thanks Steve Lacy for his generous contribution to Miege. around them has evolved,” he said.

Passantino agreed.

“Today, teens especially are bombarded with all kinds of messages that pull them away from their Christian values and the Gospel message,” he said. “The benefit of having those values reinforced throughout the day and in all their activities is so important.

“They’re not just well-prepared academically, but also prepared to defend their values and beliefs so they can continue on their faith journey.”

Lacy still remembers the tight community that defined his Bishop Miege experience.

“It was a very caring faith community,” he said, “where you were taught at a young age respect for your fellow students — regardless of where they came from or what they were good at.”

Lacy has continued that practice throughout his life.

“That underpinning of treating the other person with respect — even though they might come from another place or might be headed to a different direction — that really came from Miege 100 percent.”

What has changed about his high school said Lacy, like all Catholic schools, is the cost.

When Lacy attended Bishop Miege in the early ’70s, he remembers all Catholic students having access to a Catholic education — and tuition being less than $250 per year.

Passantino remembers that, too.

“Catholic schools were initiated with the idea to serve all Catholic families,” he said. “But with tuition rising so much, Catholic high schools especially are in danger of becoming schools that only those of means can afford.”

That’s why the Bridge to the Future is so important.

Bishop Miege currently has 120 students benefiting from the scholarships.

It hopes eventually to build an endowment large enough to serve 200 students a year.

“I think Miege is a special place,” said Lacy. “I think it’s worth some financial investment.

“I hope that, as the result of this program I’m just a small part of, there are some kids that just get a chance — the chance I had.”

2. PICK ONE THING You have to very carefully decide how you use your extracurricular time.

I suggest you try to find one thing that you really care about — just one, because you don’t have a lot of time and you don’t have a lot of money. Whatever it is — Big Brothers, Big Sisters, coaching football — really give it your all so you get the reputation at a young age that if you say, “I’m going to do this,” you actually do it. It has to be something you’re passionate about; then writing the check or spending the Saturday isn’t burdensome, it’s rewarding.

3. BALANCE RELATIONSHIPS You have to give an equal amount of effort to whatever relationship means in your life. That means you have to keep the balance between whomever you’ve chosen as a life partner, the decision to have children and how you set an example for them. And how you interact with your faith. It’s a three-way deal. If any one of those three things blows up, it impacts your career. Now, in all of our lives, there have been times when the job is out of whack with the commitment to our families, but then you’ve got to square that back up. You’ve got to work on all of those things at the same time.

Women’s conference seeks to empower, inspire

By Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

O

VERLAND PARK — For almost 20 years, the highly popular Men Under Construction men’s retreat has been packing them in, and one question has always come up.

“All you could hear was the women constantly saying, ‘Why can’t we have a conference, too?’” said Linda Spencer, a member of Church of the Ascension in Overland Park.

Spencer, who is married to MUC chairman Dan Spencer, wanted to do something about this.

But she couldn’t do it alone.

Then she met Kathy Jennison, another Ascension parishioner.

“One day, I went out with my daughter to a bridal shower, and there was Kathy Jennison,” said Spencer.

It was an “Oh my gosh, you, too?” kind of meeting. Both women wanted

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 4

SCHEDULE

• 7 a.m. Walk-in registration • 7:30 a.m. Mass with Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann • 8:15 a.m. Breakfast and vendor tables • 9:15 a.m. Welcome • 9:30 a.m. Immaculée Ilibagiza keynote • 10:45 a.m. Break/visit and vendors • 11:15 a.m. Teresa Tomeo keynote • 12:15 p.m. Concluding remarks and prayer • 12:30 p.m. Conference concludes

to develop a women’s conference, but couldn’t pull it off alone.

By putting their heads — and prayers — together, however, the two began to build a conference team. Many brought their professional skills to the project.

“We’ve been blessed to have several

women come forward and help, getting the website up and doing marketing for us,” said Jennison.

The women formed their own entity, the Kansas City Catholic Women’s Conference, with Spencer and Jennison as co-chairpersons. The event planners have been meeting since last October.

“I really believe women are at the heart and soul of the family and the culture,” said Spencer. “In my heart, I wanted to give women the correct information and answers for their ‘whys,’ and bring in speakers who can lift us up and affirm us, enable us to grow in knowledge and encourage us to shape our families and culture.”

The inaugural event, “Living in Truth,” will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on April 25 at the Church of the Ascension, located at 9510 W. 127th St. The event’s lineup of activities includes two powerhouse speakers.

Rwandan massacre survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza will speak about living a life of faith, hope and forgiveness in the aftermath of her terrifying experience.

Syndicated Catholic Radio talk show host Teresa Tomeo will speak about rediscovering the dignity of women.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will be the main celebrant and homilist at a Mass in the morning.

“We’re all daughters and children of God,” said Jennison. “We feed ourselves with physical food, so why not spiritual food? Events such as these empower us to have courage and use the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit to pass on our faith to the next generation. Our church will only be as strong as our next generation.”

The cost to attend is $25 for people who register early, but $30 at the door.

Priests and religious may attend for free as honored guests. For information and to register, go online to: www. livingintruthkc.com.

6/8/15 2:51 PM

LOCAL NEWS 5

MARCH 20, 2015 | THELEAVEN.COM

Columnist is ‘lord of the cycles’

By Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Oh, the agonies of being a columnist for The Leaven. Oh, to be haunted by the deadline while the mind is bereft of ideas.

It’s like the writer Gene Fowler said: “Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.”

Right. But while other Leaven columnists feel the heat, longtime columnist Father Michael Stubbs is as cool as the produce section. No bleeding there.

Why? Because he writes about the Mass readings. For ideas, all he has to do is open the Lectionary.

Lest there be any misunderstanding, Father Stubbs has to exercise some thought, effort and creativity in p ro d u c i n g his writing.

His columns don’t write themselves.

But even he will admit that he has one up on columnists who have to write more broadly.

And really — how hard is it to misquote the Bible?

“I have an advantage, say, over Father Goldasich,” said Father Stubbs, pastor for the past four years at Holy Cross Parish in Overland Park. “He has a weekly column as well. And he has full field to write anything he wants, which is a great deal of liberty, but is more challenging. I have some focus already and he doesn’t.”

Father Stubbs has been writing his weekly Scripture column for The Leaven since he was pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Onaga in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “[Then-associate editor] Anita McSorley asked a number of priests to write a guest editorial, to test us out,” said Father Stubbs. “She was looking for a priest to do a regular column. And then she invited me to continue writing a column.”

Father Stubbs chose to write about a subject he knew best: the Scriptures.

It didn’t hurt that he has a master’s in theology, emphasis in Scripture, from Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

If you’re a careful, longtime reader of Father Stubbs you’ll notice that the name of his column changes.

Now it’s “In the Beginning,” but it has also been “Second Thoughts” and “The Gospel Truth.” The name depends on which readings he’s concentrating on according to the liturgical cycle.

“I’ve been writing on the first readings,” he said. “Some years I concentrate on the first reading, some years the second, and some years on the Gospel.”

How many name changes has he made? He hasn’t a clue. Ditto for the number of columns. Keeping count isn’t really important.

But meeting deadlines is very, very important. In all the times he’s been writing, he has only missed one — one!

— deadline, and it wasn’t really his fault.

You see, back when he began he had

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 5

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE BOLLIG

Father Michael Stubbs takes a “Godzilla”-eye view of a paper model of St. Peter’s Basilica he keeps in his office. Father Stubbs built the model in Rome while a seminarian during the 1970s. Since then, he’s built “real” churches. to type his columns and send them through the U.S. Postal Service — a quaint idea in this age of email. One time, the mails ran slow and he missed.

“Talk about ancient,” he said.

Things really sped up when the local library got a fax machine. He bought a laptop computer in the mid-1990s when he went to Harvard and discovered the speed of email.

Writing according to the cycle of readings means he can work ahead, so going on vacation hasn’t been a problem.

Producing a column usually takes only a couple of days.

First, he checks the next reading.

Then, he checks his file of past columns to make sure he doesn’t repeat and to keep it fresh. And then he does a little research. Finally, he settles down and writes.

“I try to narrow down what I’m go-

ing to say,” he said. “Frequently, there are all kinds of things you can say and directions you can go. I decide which point I’m going to examine in depth.

Then, I sketch out a few ideas, do some research, and sleep on it. I don’t send in an article the same day I write it. Sleeping on it helps the writing process.”

There is an incredible richness in Scripture. Not only are there the literal and spiritual senses, there are various literary and historical approaches.

There are layers of meaning to discover, contexts to place, and applications to our own time. You cannot exhaust the topic.

Not all Scripture is the same. The Gospels are easier because they’re narrative, explained Father Stubbs. And then you have St. Paul — highly theological writings, with digressions and run-on sentences.

“I look upon my writing for The Leaven as having a different goal than preaching my homilies for Sunday Mass,” said Father Stubbs. “With The Leaven, I’m trying to be more didactic, more teaching — not so much to motivate and inspire, although that may happen anyway.”

As for the lede (that’s the first line), he tries to “hook” the reader by grabbing the reader’s attention, and tying what he’s teaching into his or her everyday life.

“Scripture is important to me,” said Father Stubbs.

And writing for The Leaven allows him to share that passion with more people than he could possibly reach on an average weekend.

All the more reason to keep his columns on the cycle of readings cycling on.

6/8/15 2:51 PM

6 LOCAL NEWS

THELEAVEN.COM | MARCH 20, 2015

‘Seven Last Words’ sets tone for holy days to follow

By Jessica Langdon jessica@theleaven.com

L

EAWOOD — Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher has been attending Curé of Ars Parish’s presentation of “The Seven Last Words of Christ” here for more than two decades now.

His Holy Week would not be complete without it.

“For the last 22 years, I have made it a practice to accept M s g r .

Charles’ invitation to attend Where: Curé of Ars Parish, 9401 Mission the ‘SevRoad, Leawood en Last When: 7:30 p.m.

Wo r d s ’ March 31 presentation at Curé,” explained Archbishop Keleher. “I have found the time spent listening to Jesus speak his final words to us as he was dying on the cross to be a precious time for reflection in preparation for the sacred Triduum to follow.”

The presentation — now in its 28th year — was performed for the first time at Queen of the Holy Rosary Church in Overland Park, Msgr. Charles McGlinn’s previous assignment before he arrived as pastor at Curé. There, he wrote meditations to accompany each “word,” and

‘Seven Last Words of Christ’

“

“I have found the time spent listening to Jesus speak his final words to us as he was dying on the cross to be a precious time for reflection in preparation for the sacred Triduum to follow.”

Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher coordinated them with the choir.

Keeping with the tradition of scheduling the “Seven Last Words” on the Tuesday of Holy Week, this year’s will take place at Curé of Ars at 7:30 p.m. on March 31.

Over the course of its history, the presentation has grown from one song and a handful of people to an event with a featured choir and a devoted crowd of returning attendees.

“It has evolved into what it is today — a full church and a treasured part of Holy Week for many people,” said

Ellen Tuttle, director of music.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann’s mother, Louise, has for many years loved this presentation and has attended with the archbishop.

Although commonly referred to as the “Seven Last Words,” the devotion is actually centered on seven separate Scripture passages, starting with “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” and ending with “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

Monsignor McGlinn explained that originally “it wasn’t real elaborate,” but was a bit like a Tenebrae service, a traditional Christian service celebrated at the start of the last three days of Holy Week, known as the Triduum.

“It’s a combination of prayerful reflection and uplifting music and a little theater,” he said.

To him, the evening ceremony sets the tone for the holy days ahead.

Candlelight and progressive darkness play an important role in setting the mood, but a highlight for many is the music.

The choir includes three tenors whose rendition of a song from Theodore Dubois’ “Seven Last Words” has proven to be very moving.

“It gives me chills,” said Msgr. McGlinn. “I’ve been doing this with them this whole time. It still gives me chills.

I can’t express it.”

Archbishop Keleher agreed, saying the “music that accompanies these re-

CD AVAILABLE An album featuring highlights of music from Curé of Ars’ “Seven Last Words of Christ” presentations from over the years is available.

“The Seven Last Words of Christ” CD costs $15 and will be available at the presentation. The album is also available through the parish, at Trinity House in Overland Park and in electronic format.

flections touches my heart.

“For instance, when Jesus tells Dismas, ‘This day you will be with me in Paradise,’ the accompanying music expresses Jesus’ message in a powerful and mystical way,” he said.

As a pastor, Msgr. McGlinn is accustomed to hearing the exuberant din of an active congregation leaving after weekend Masses.

So he finds the quiet spirit that fills the church when the presentation ends — and everyone files out in darkness and silence — very moving.

“This evening takes people on a journey into the tragedy and suffering of Jesus’ passion and death,” said Msgr.

McGlinn.

“It’s just wonderful way to really lead us into the Triduum,” said Tuttle.

“I can’t think of anything better.”

K E A T I N G Mud Jacking FOUNDATION REPAIR Cracked • Bowed • Settled Wall Repair v Wall Bracing v Waterproofing v Steel Underpinning

Kansas City (913) 262-9352

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 6

MUD JACKING

Raise & Level

v Patios v Drives v Garage Floors v Slab Houses LawrenceTopeka (785) 865-0006(785) 246-0128

6/8/15 2:51 PM

LOCAL NEWS 7

MARCH 20, 2015 | THELEAVEN.COM

RUNNING THE RACE

W

Building a path to the Lord

Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in Vince Eimer’s seven-part series on journeying through the Lenten season.

e all remember the story of the good

Samaritan.

But I am not so sure any of us have heard it with the same kind of force it had when first told.

The love a Jew would have had for a Samaritan would have been like the love a Ku Klux Klansman would have for an AfricanAmerican. There is a real bite to this story for a society in which almost everyone saw Samaritans as impure inferiors to be avoided, a group hated and despised for many centuries.

We are commanded to love our neighbor and told in this story that neighbor means everybody.

There are no exceptions. But is this even possible? Our faith teaches us that not only is it possible, it is expected. Talk about great expectations! Good news, though.

There is a school we all attend that can teach us how to love in this seemingly impossible way.

This school is free. It is in your neighborhood. The faculty, staff and students are all the same people. This school is your family and friends. We do not learn what love is and how to love in an abstraction that includes all of humanity.

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 7

VINCE EIMER Vince Eimer is the spiritual and retreat director of Christ’s Peace House of Prayer near Easton.

“

We are commanded to love our neighbor and told in this story that neighbor means everybody.”

We learn it in the midst of living our lives with the people we are closest to, the ones God gave us as family and the ones we chose as friends.

What are the lessons in this school? The first lesson is to have a friendship with Jesus, who is always within us. We love this

best of friends by trying to be like him. We learn who he is whenever we read the Gospels and see again what he does and says. He is our true role model. He gives us his all so that we can realize his life within us. He even loves those who do not love him. Remember how he asked the Father to forgive his torturers at the crucifixion?

That is the level of love he calls us to.

The second lesson is to take what we learn about love from Jesus and be that way with our families and friends. We place the needs of those we love before our own. We work hard to develop the virtues so we can be consistently patient, kind and generous. We start to see that the key to true love lies not in our feelings, which change as the winds blow, but in making the effort to always do what is beneficial for others.

Once we have become a person who habitually loves family and friends in this way, we will naturally find ourselves behaving in a similar way to whoever we meet because now Christ is living within us.

Bill and Joyce (Meyers) LaFavor, members of St. Agnes Parish, Roeland Park, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on March 20. The couple was married on March 20, 1965, at St. Benedict Church, Kansas City, Kansas. The couple will celebrate with a family dinner hosted by their children. Their children are: Julie Knoche, Olathe; Sheila Pitt, Lenexa; Colleen Olinger, Lenexa; and Bill LaFavor, Kansas City, Missouri. They also have eight grandchildren.

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

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

• Announcements must be typed.

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

Keeler Center looking for first Communion help KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Keeler Women’s Center here is looking to pair families that need help providing a girl’s dress/veil or boy’s outfit with volunteers who would enjoy making the first Communion ceremony memorable for a child. If you need assistance or would like to help, call Patricia Kowal at (913) 205-8788. Gently used items are also welcome.

6/8/15 2:51 PM

Dream on

Bishop Ward graduate Chris Huey gets a second chance at his dream as a player for the University of Kansas basketball team

By Todd Habiger todd@theleaven.com

L

AWRENCE — Five years ago, Chris Huey saw his dreams of college basketball glory die with multiple instances of a collapsed lung while he was a member of the University of St. Mary basketball team in Leavenworth.

On Feb. 21, that dream was resurrected when Huey — a graduate of Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas, and student manager for the University of Kansas basketball team — suited up against Texas Christian University.

The crowd of more than 16,000 at Allen Fieldhouse jumped to their feet, erupting in ear-splitting cheers when Kansas head coach Bill Self put Huey in the game with 35. 1 seconds left.

“Once [Coach Bill Self] called my name, I was trying to get my mind right to get in there,” Huey said. “Growing up in the area and having the fans getting on their feet one time for me was just an amazing experience.”

During his 35.1 seconds on the court, Huey, affectionately known by the team as Scarecrow, got a shot attempt off but missed.

“I remember Trent Johnson, who is TCU’s head coach, saying they don’t want to foul anymore. So once I got the ball, I tried to take it to the basket. Nerves just got the best of me and I couldn’t finish,” Huey said.

It was still a magical moment for Huey.

But in order for this dream to come true, he had to let another one go.

Chris Huey models his very own uniform in Allen Field House

Growing up Catholic Huey is a cradle Catholic and grew up in the Cathedral of St. Peter neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas.

He attended Catholic schools all his life, first at what was then known as Cathedral Grade School — now Resurrection School at the Cathedral — and then on to Bishop Ward.

Huey has fond memories of his Catholic school days and credits them with preparing him to take on the challenges that life would bring.

“The teachers at Catholic schools care about you so much,” said Huey. “They really work hard to make sure you’re prepared for everything — not just in school, but in life.”

The 6-foot-7-inch Huey started for the Bishop Ward basketball team, averaging 7.6 points per game and 2.8 rebounds his senior year. His play was good enough to earn him a partial basketball scholarship to the University of St. Mary.

“I chose St. Mary’s because it was somewhere I thought I would get a chance to play,” he said. “I thought it was the right fit for me out of high school. St. Mary’s was great to me.”

In one of his first practices as a member of the St. Mary’s basketball team, Huey suffered a collapsed lung, the result of a violent collision while playing at Ward. Several surgeries followed. During this time,

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 8

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

Kansas head coach Bill Self puts student manager into the game against TCU with 35.1 seconds left in the game. Huey is the first student manager to suit up and play in a game during Self’s tenure at KU. Huey relied on his faith and his family to get him through.

“I had so much support. Each of the times I was in the hospital, I had so many people come to see me,” he said. “I always had people there in my corner.”

And, of course, he had something else to fall back on as well.

“Faith was always big to me,” he said.

The dream dies After multiple surgeries and multiple rehabs, Huey finally made one of the toughest decisions of his young life.

He gave his dream of playing college basketball.

“It was tough giving up the game I love.

It was a tough decision to make,” he said. “I had to do what was best for me at the time.

Dealing with surgeries and stuff like that, although it wasn’t a lot of pain for me, it was just a process to go through over and over. I thought it was better to get away from it and try to enjoy myself.”

Giving up basketball also meant giving up the University of St. Mary. Although he enjoyed his time at St. Mary’s, without basketball as a consideration, Huey decided to make a fresh start.

“A lot of my friends were [at the University of Kansas] and I grew up a KU fan, so coming here was an easy decision,” he said.

For the first time in a long time, basketball wasn’t a part of Huey’s life. During his first year at KU, Huey focused on being a student and soaking up the college experience. And he loved it.

Huey might have thought he was done with basketball.

But basketball wasn’t done with him.

Return to the game After his first year at KU, Huey was approached by a fellow Ward graduate named James Cox, who was KU’s head student manager at the time, about working at KU’s summer basketball camps.

“I told him yeah, mainly because I needed money for the summer,” Huey said.

But working at the camp also ignited the old basketball flame. With his camp work giving him a decided edge over the competition, he applied to become a student manager. He was lucky enough to be one of the few selected.

The Scarecrow nickname would soon follow.

Huey says most people think he was

The Kansas basketball team swarms Chris Huey after Coach S given the nickname Scarecrow because of his slight frame — but that’s not the case.

In one practice, Huey was tasked with hitting one of Kansas’ big guys with a pad.

Assistant coach Kurtis Townsend didn’t think Huey was hitting him hard enough.

“The student trainer at the time told him I had a collapsed lung,” Huey said. “Coach

6/8/15 2:51 PM

Towns calling anothe Oz” so the Sca For ty as a team. B

LEAVEN PHOTO BY LORI WOOD HABIGER

n Allen Field House in Lawrence. Huey had “a dream come true” when he suited up and played against TCU on Feb. 21. floor with them,” Huey said. “It’s also cool to see that Coach Self thinks I can help the team. It’s cool going up against those guys — some of them future pros.”

The dream lives

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

s Huey after Coach Self presents him with his very own jersey and tells him he will suit up against TCU.

ause of case. d with h a pad. didn’t ough. old him “Coach

Townson is a big jokester so he started calling me Scarecrow, saying, “if I only had another lung,” a takeoff of the “Wizard of Oz” song “If I Only Had a Brain,” sung by the Scarecrow.

For two years, Huey dwelt in anonymity as a student manager for the basketball team. But this season, Coach Self needed

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 9

a tall body on the scout team to practice against his big men. Scarecrow got the call.

As a member of the scout team, Huey’s job is to practice against KU’s big men and mimic some of the best players in the Big 12.

“It’s really cool just to be able to help and to see what the game is like on the

After a season of trading body shots and elbows with the likes of Perry Ellis and Cliff Alexander, Self decided to reward Huey by letting him suit up for a game.

“Coach stopped me in front of the guys after we huddled up and asked me if it was a dream of mine growing up to play here,” said Huey. “Obviously, I said yes. Then he brought out a jersey with my name on it and said he wanted me to suit up.

“My heart just stopped for a second. I didn’t know what to say but ‘thank you’ a whole bunch. I was in a state of shock at that point.”

“He does a lot with our team,” said Self, “more than our other managers from a playing standpoint. He’s the biggest guy, so he guards and beats people with dummies.

I decided, since he’s a senior, that that would be a cool deal.”

So, on Feb. 21, Huey stepped onto one of the most famous courts in college basketball, Allen Fieldhouse — as a player.

As a manager, Huey sits behind the bench tending to the players’ and coaches’ needs. It was somewhat of an adjustment being a player.

“It was a little weird because in my mind I was still thinking as a manager,” Huey said. “During timeouts, it was weird not doing anything; standing in the huddle.

But just sitting on the bench was great. It’s a great view of the game and it was cool to sit there with the guys.”

His teammates were thrilled for him.

Following the game, Kansas guard Wayne Selden Jr. posted a picture on Instagram of himself and Huey together on the court with the caption: “To see somebody work so hard day in & day out and finally be blessed with such a great opportunity.

We sometimes take for granted the opportunities we are given but @c_huey24 showed how to be thankful for the blessings we receive. Today is your day, brother, shine on!”

Kansas forward Jamari Traylor echoed those comments at a press conference following the game.

“That guy works hard all the time. It’s good to have him out there and see him rewarded like that,” Traylor said.

After the game, Huey became a celebrity of sorts. He’s done multiple local TV and radio shows. He had an interview with a Syracuse, N.Y., newspaper, and did an interview with ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

“The whole experience — Coach surprising me and the game itself — it’s been a dream come true, but it’s been exhausting,” he said. “So much has taken place and it happened so fast, I almost have to take some time and sit back and think, ‘Did all of that really happen?’”

Huey said he’s never looked back and wondered what his basketball career could have been like if he hadn’t suffered a collapsed lung. But when pressed about whether he would trade his 35 seconds of fame for a four-year career somewhere else, Huey doesn’t hesitate.

“I’ll take my [35 seconds] here any day,” he said. “That may sound like a weird decision, but I’ve really enjoyed my time here with the team and couldn’t ask for things to end up a better way.”

6/8/15 2:51 PM

10 WORLD

THELEAVEN.COM | MARCH 20, 2015

Pope: Kids need values, hope from teachers; teachers need better pay

Pilgrims who walk Via Dolorosa don’t care if it isn’t Jesus’ exact route Christians from China carry a cross on the Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem, March 9.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Teaching is about giving young people, especially troublemakers, values and hope, and it is “an injustice” that today’s educators are paid so poorly, Pope Francis said. In a world where it is already difficult for kids to find a decent point of reference, they must find positive guidance from teachers, who “are able to give meaning to school, studying and culture, without reducing it all just to passing on practical knowledge,” he said March 14. “You have to teach not just about a subject, but also life’s values and habits” because when it comes to learning about a subject, “a computer is sufficient, but to understand how to love, to understand what the values and habits are that create harmony in the world, you need a good teacher,” he said. The pope’s remarks came during a meeting with members of an Italian association of Catholic teachers, educators and school administrators in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall. Addressing those in the audience as “colleagues,” the pope recalled his own experience as a teacher, saying teaching “is a really beautiful job” because it lets educators see their students “grow day after day.”

CNS PHOTO/DEBBIE HILL

By Judith Sudilovsky Catholic News Service

J

ERUSALEM (CNS) — Several pilgrim groups gathered in a sunny courtyard in Jerusalem’s Old City. They were preparing to follow a tradition reaching back at least to the fifth century: walking along the Via Dolorosa, through the cobbled streets of Jerusalem’s Old City.

The Via Dolorosa represents the route taken by Jesus on the way to his crucifixion, until he was laid in the tomb. Although the route followed for this devotion has changed over the centuries, the need and desire of the Christian faithful to walk in Jesus’ footsteps has not. The current route was probably formalized in the 18th century.

“To follow the actual footsteps of Jesus is pretty amazing. It brings his message even more into our hearts,” said Marilyn McDonough, 64, a Catholic from Santa Clara, Calif. “I keep thinking about all the suffering he did for us and what he went through mentally and physically. It is overwhelming for me to be here.”

At the same time, she said, she is aware that no one knows for certain the exact places where Jesus walked.

The restored 12th-century Chapel of the Flagellation that stands in the courtyard today was built on the location of a fifth-century church.

“If you take the whole area of Jerusalem, I know Jesus walked in this area.

Did he step in this very spot? Maybe not, but I know he walked in other spots, and if I walk around here I can feel it in my heart,” she said.

Nigerian pilgrims sang a traditional hymn; an Asian group stood in orderly rows, chanting a prayer and led by a pilgrim carrying a large cross. Groups from Eastern Europe and the United States stood in different corners of the courtyard, some listening as a guide presented religious and historical explanations of the place, while others bent their heads in silent or communal prayer.

Starting with the first station, in the courtyard of the nearby el-’Omariyya Muslim school, they would all walk

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 10

the same path, stopping to pray and reflect at the traditional 14 stations, with the final five located inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Some of the pilgrim groups walked the path carrying a cross as Jesus did.

On Fridays the Franciscans lead an official procession along the Via Dolorosa.

“Sometimes you will see pilgrims here from 4 a.m. and until late at night,” said Franciscan Father Eugenio Alliata, professor of Christian archaeology at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum. “Everyone sings and prays according to their tradition, in their own language. Jesus walked with a real cross, the pilgrims walk with a symbolic cross. Each one has his own cross to bear, and Jesus helps them to do that.”

There is no clear consensus among biblical scholars that this current Via Dolorosa tradition is the actual route taken by Jesus. It is based on the assumption that the Pretorium, where Pontius Pilate judged Jesus, would have been at that time the Antonia Fortress, built by King Herod.

With no hard archaeological evidence of where the Pretorium was, where Jesus’ trial took place and which path he took to his own crucifixion, scholars of biblical history base their assumptions upon what they know of the layout and social mores of the Roman-occupied city of Jerusalem of that time.

Some, like archaeologist Amit Reem, believe that one probability is that the Roman governor would have stayed in the palace of the Judean king during his stays in Jerusalem, and he would have judged Jesus from there.

The palace is thought to have been in what is today’s Tower of David Museum just inside Jaffa Gate.

Reem, who works for the Israel Antiquities Authority, recently finished 10 years of excavation work revealing the foundations and a drainage system of King Herod’s palace in one of the museum buildings.

“It can be fair to think that Pontius Pilate, the Roman representative of Caesar, stayed in Herod’s Palace while in Jerusalem,” said Reem, standing out-

side the ruins of the monumental steps leading to what is believed to have been Herod’s famous pools. The area was excavated in the 1980s by archaeologist Rene Sivan. Using an outdoor screen, the museum shows a virtual recreation of the palace pools according to first-century descriptions of the palace.

Reem noted that early Christians did not follow the current Via Dolorosa route. He said the Via Dolorosa was south of Jaffa Gate, starting from Mt. Zion, where Christians from the fifth and sixth centuries identified the Pretorium, leading from near Dung Gate to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

“Though we do not find any actual evidence that [Herod’s Palace] is the place where Jesus’ trial was held, it is a logical, theoretical estimation that it could’ve been here,” he said.

Father Alliata, however, is not convinced.

In his thinking, the Roman governor would have needed to stay near the place of most importance for Judaism to be on guard for any unrest during the Jewish pilgrimage holiday of Passover, when thousands of Jews, including Jesus, would ascend to the Temple Mount to give the required offerings.

That would place him in Herod’s Antonia Fortress which, according to Franciscan tradition, stood at the site of the modern Franciscan chapels.

“The actual Via Dolorosa [procession] never started at the Citadel of King David,” Father Alliata said. “It is possible that in history it was used as the Pretorium, but Christians never used it to determine the place of the Crucifixion.”

For most pilgrims, debates over the original route do not matter.

As his group prepared to leave the Franciscan compound and begin the procession, Benevil Rosa, a Catholic from Brazil, noted that walking along the path would help transform the love of Jesus into a spiritual reality.

“It brings the love into practice,” Rosa said. “What people feel in their hearts and what they do in reality is more important than the actual location.”

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa preaches during the Good Friday liturgy led by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 18, 2014. Father Cantalamessa, the official “preacher of the papal household,” has been preaching at the Good Friday service since 1980.

Preaching to the pope: Capuchin says it’s an exercise in humility VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The first time Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa climbed the steps up to the papal altar in St. Peter’s Basilica, he said, “it felt like I was climbing Mount Everest.” The intimidating climb 35 years ago was to fulfill a mandate from St. John Paul II, who tapped the Capuchin to preach to the pope and the public on Good Friday 1980. Now 80, Father Cantalamessa still preaches at the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in the basilica each year. And, as the official “preacher of the papal household,” the Capuchin also preaches to the pope and leaders of the Roman Curia on most Fridays of Advent and Lent each year. The superiors of a variety of religious orders took turns preaching to the pontiff and his aides during Advent and Lent until the mid1500s when Pope Paul IV appointed the first preacher of the papal household; his successors followed suit, always choosing a religious-order priest for the job. Pope Benedict XIV decided in 1743 to be more specific, decreeing that the preacher of the papal household always be a Capuchin friar. Last summer, Father Cantalamessa told an Italian Catholic magazine that he figured he had given 280 Advent and Lenten talks to the Curia and St. John Paul, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

With each meditation lasting about 30 minutes, he said, “I’ve been responsible for having taken up a good 140 hours of the last three popes’ precious time.”

6/8/15 2:51 PM

WORLD 11

MARCH 20, 2015 | THELEAVEN.COM

Pope announces Holy Year of Mercy

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

V

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis announced an extraordinary jubilee, a Holy Year of Mercy, to highlight the Catholic Church’s “mission to be a witness of mercy.”

“No one can be excluded from God’s mercy,” the pope said March 13, marking the second anniversary of his pontificate by leading a Lenten penance service in St. Peter’s Basilica.

“I frequently have thought about how the church can make more evident its mission to be a witness of mercy,” he said during his homily; that is why he decided to call a special Holy Year, which will be celebrated from Dec. 8, 2015, until Nov. 20, 2016.

The biblical theme of the year, he said, will be “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful,” an admonition that applies “especially to confessors,” the pope said with a smile.

Traditionally, every 25 years the popes proclaim a holy year, which features special celebrations and pilgrimages, strong calls for conversion and repentance, and the offer of special opportunities to experience God’s grace through the sacraments, especially confession. Extraordinary holy years, like the Holy Year of Mercy, are less frequent, but offer the same opportunities for spiritual growth.

The doors of the church “are wide open so that all those who are touched by grace can find the certainty of forgiveness,” Pope Francis said at the penance service, which featured individual confessions. It was part of a worldwide celebration of “24 Hours for the Lord,” in which Catholic churches were staying open for prayer, eucharistic adoration and confession.

At each of the dozens of confessionals in St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as in simple chairs scattered along the walls, priests welcomed people to the sacrament. The pope removed his liturgical vestments and went to confession before putting on a purple stole and hearing the confessions of others.

S

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 11

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

V

CNS PHOTO/STEFANO SPAZIANI

Pope Francis hears confessions during a Lenten penance service in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican March 13. During the service the pope announced an extraordinary jubilee, a Holy Year of Mercy, to be celebrated from Dec. 8, 2015, until Nov. 20, 2016.

May 23 outdoor Mass set for beatification of Archbishop Romero

AN SALVADOR, El Salvador (CNS) — Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero will be beatified in San Salvador May 23, said Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the postulator or chief promoter of the archbishop’s sainthood cause.

The ceremony, which moves the murdered archbishop a step closer to sainthood, will be in Plaza Divino Salvador del Mundo. The archbishop said Cardinal An-

Listen to the young, take seriously their radar for fakes, pope says

gelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, would celebrate the Mass.

“Romero, from heaven, wants every Salvadoran to walk the path of peace and justice,” Archbishop Paglia said March 11 at a news conference in San Salvador. The archbishop called the beatification a gift for the world, but particularly for the people of El Salvador.

Pope Francis formally recognized Feb. 3 that the slain Salvadoran archbishop was

killed “in hatred of the faith” — and not for purely political reasons. While Archbishop Romero’s sainthood cause began in 1993, it continued for years as church officials combed through thousands of documents related to his life.

The effort began moving forward under Pope Benedict XVI. In May 2007, he said: “Archbishop Romero certainly was a great witness to the faith, a man of great Christian virtue.”

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — Young people are honest and bold in identifying fakes, which is something church leaders should not be afraid of, Pope Francis told the bishops of South Korea and Mongolia.

“When we speak with young people, they challenge us to share the truth of Jesus Christ clearly and in a way that they can understand,” he said in the written message handed to the bishops March 12. The bishops met with the pope during their “ad limina” visits to report on what is happening in their dioceses.

Later in the day, Pope Francis, to the surprise of tourists, briefly entered St. Peter’s Basilica to greet the bishops again and speak to members of the Korean community who had joined them for Mass.

Noting how Korean laypeople brought Catholicism to the country and kept it alive for decades before the first priests arrived, the pope told the bishops they must help Catholics today recognize they have “inherited this glorious history” and take responsibility for helping build up the church.

In addition, he urged them to “be on guard against religious well-being,” lulled by a life that is comfortable into thinking that they do not have to stand up for their faith or that their faith does not require them to make sacrifices.

In his written message to the bishops, Pope Francis said that just as Korea’s Catholic martyrs — mostly laypeople who were unwaveringly committed to the faith and to charity — call the peninsula’s Catholics to continue caring for others, today’s Korean young people “challenge us to hear one another.”

The pope encouraged the bishops’ efforts to find “new ways to involve your youth so that they may have a voice and may be heard in order to share the richness of our faith and life in the church.”

Young people, he said, “test the authenticity of our own faith and fidelity,” because they “very quickly will call us to task if our lives do not mirror our faith.”

“Their honesty in this regard can be a help to us, just as we seek to assist the faithful to manifest the faith in their daily lives,” he said.

Pope Francis had special words of encouragement for the apostolic prefect of Mongolia, Bishop Wenceslao Padilla. The country has more than 3 million inhabitants and fewer than 900 Catholics.

“Though a small community in a vast territory,” the pope said, “it is like the mustard seed, which is the pledge of the fullness of God’s kingdom.”

6/8/15 2:51 PM

12 CLASSIFIEDS EMPLOYMENT Student recruitment/process manager - An educational ministry of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking an employee to manage student recruitment/processes for the new tax credit for low- income students scholarship program. Applicants must be practicing Catholics in good standing, be able to speak authentically about Catholic education, have a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five successful years of experience working with schools. The ideal candidate must be able to communicate effectively and compassionately with a variety of constituencies to include families seeking scholarship assistance. The individual must be self-motivated and extremely organized. Applicants must demonstrate competency in Excel and database management skills. Interested individuals should email cover letter and resume to: tcl@archkck.org no later than noon on April 7.

Security - Savior Pastoral Center has an immediate opening for a night and weekend part-time security person. On-site lodging is provided as the individual is required to live at the center. Position is responsible for security, caretaking and light custodial duties. Ideal candidate will have some security/custodial experience.

Work hours vary and average 15 - 20 hours per week.

Mail cover letter, resume and application (available online at: http://www.archkck.org/jobs) to Human Resources, Building Attendant Search, 12615 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, KS 66109, or send an email to: jobs@ archkck.org. A complete job description can be found online at: http://www.archkck.org/jobs. The deadline is March 31.

Finance and facilities manager - The St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center is seeking to hire a finance and facilities manager. Responsibilities for this full-time position include, but may not be limited to, the management of the center’s finances, information technology and human resources as well as oversight of the facilities and its grounds maintenance staff. Candidates should possess a thorough understanding of general accounting principles and practices, and a proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and Quicken/QuickBooks. The ideal candidate will have a commitment to the mission of the center, demonstrate a track record of career success and have the ability to work independently and meet guidelines. The candidate should also exhibit excellent verbal and written communication skills. Saint Lawrence is located in Lawrence and is the ministry to the Catholic community at the University of Kansas. Applicants are asked to submit their resumes by sending an email to: rdb@kucatholic.org. Initial review of applicants begins April 9.

Director - St. Agnes Church, Roeland Park, has an opening for the position of Early Education Center director. The director is responsible for overall leadership, administration and educational components of the preschool and child care programs. The day-to-day operations of the Early Education Center will be carried out in accordance with state licensing regulations, developmentally appropriate practices and principles of sound Catholic education. Supervises all preschool and child care staff and volunteers.

This position reports to the parish business manager.

The full job description can be found online at: www. stagneskc.org. Interested applicants can submit their resume by email to: gomez.mike@stagneskc.org.

Teacher assistant - Special Beginnings, Lenexa, is seeking full- or part-time teacher assistants at all locations.

We are looking for a teacher assistant candidate who has an excellent work ethic, heart for children, and a willingness to learn more about early childhood education.

Experience and/or education is a plus but we will train the right candidate. Teacher assistants will work with the lead teacher to care for and educate the children.

Primary responsibilities include assisting the lead teacher with: care and supervision of children, lesson plan implementation, parent communication, cleanliness and organization of classroom. Starting hourly pay ranges based on experience and education. Pay increases are based on job performance. Opportunities for advancement are available as the company prefers to promote from within. Apply by sending an email to chris@special beginningsonline.com or in person at 10216 Pflumm Rd., Lenexa, KS 66215.

Preschool director - St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood, is accepting applications for a preschool director. Applicants must have prior teaching and director level experience, a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in early childhood education. Must be self-directed, have strong organizational and interpersonal skills and be able to meet the state requirements for director of a 100+ child preschool. Must be a practicing Catholic. A complete job description, application and benefits information are available online at: www.stmichaelcp. org. Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter and resume by email to: lisa.ragan@stmichaelcp.org or mail to: St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Attn: Human Resources, 14251 Nall Ave., Leawood, KS 66223.

Education specialist - Growing Futures Early Education Center, Overland Park, has an education specialist position available. The education specialist is responsible for facilitating full and effective implementation of evidence-based instructional practices in accordance with Head Start Performance Standards (HSPS) and Kansas licensing regulations. For additional information and job requirements, visit the website at: www.growingfutureseec.org.

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 12

THELEAVEN.COM | MARCH 20, 2015 Campus ministry director - Rockhurst University is seeking a dynamic leader for the director position in campus ministry. The director serves as the leader of the programs, services and events of campus ministry within the context of the university that is Catholic and Jesuit. This person must have a minimum of a master’s degree (ideally in divinity, theology, pastoral ministry or related field) along with excellent knowledge and experience working with Roman Catholic liturgy, theology, church doctrines and teachings, Ignatian spirituality/ discernment/exercises, and ecumenical programming principles. For a complete job description, please visit the website at: www.rockhurst.edu.

Teachers - Sacred Heart of Jesus School, Shawnee, is seeking Catholic teachers for full-time music and parttime art, as well as a full-time para for the 2015-16 school year. Interested candidates should apply online at: www. archkckcs.org to be added to the applicant list. Resumes should be sent to Maureen Engen, Principal, Sacred Heart School, 21801 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, KS 66218.

Director of theological studies - The St. Lawrence Institute for Faith and Culture invites applications for director of theological studies. The successful candidate will teach a broad range of introductory courses, as well as elective courses in theology, to students at the University of Kansas. While the position is for a generalist, we welcome those conversant in the work of Aquinas.

Applicants should hold at least an MA in theology but a Ph.D. in theology, STD, or equivalent (ABD considered) is preferred. The Saint Lawrence Institute for Faith and Culture also provides formational and educational opportunities for Catholic faculty and staff at KU. For information, visit the website at: www.kucatholic.org/em ployment.html. Qualified applicants should send a cover letter, CV, a statement of teaching excellence and three letters of recommendation to: Patrick Callahan, Dean of Humanities, St. Lawrence Institute for Faith and Culture, 1631 Crescent Rd., Lawrence, KS 66044. Applicants are encouraged to submit materials by email to: pcallahan@ kucatholic.org. Deadline for applications is March 16.

Sales professionals - We respect your many years of experience; we value and need your wisdom. We only ask if you are “coachable”? If so, Catholic Cemeteries of Northeast Kansas has openings for sales trainees in our Johnson, Shawnee and Wyandotte County area cemeteries. An excellent earning of $40K to $50K+ in commission is legitimate income potential for the first year. Training allowance your first 30 days, then draw + commission with bonus opportunities. Med, life, dental, optical, prescription, 401(k) plans, etc., are some of the many perks our employees receive. Excellent opportunities for women and men interested in sales career and in helping people.

Advancement opportunities are available for hard-working and focused individuals. Must be willing to work some evenings and weekends when our client families are available to see us in their homes. Once you learn our formula for success, your schedule is determined by you. Please email your resume and contact information to: mcrahan@ cathcemks.org or fax to (913) 353-1413.

Assistant teacher/substitutes - Growing Futures Early Education Center, Overland Park, has a Head Start assistant teacher and teacher substitute positions available.

Competitive compensation and excellent benefits. For additional information and job requirements, visit the website at: www.growingfutureseec.org.

Nutrition services assistant/substitute - Growing Futures Early Education Center, Overland Park, has a nutrition services assistant and substitute positions available. Competitive compensation and excellent benefits.

For additional information and job requirements, visit the website at: www.growingfutureseec.org.

Accounting assistant - Part-time accounting assistant with 3-5 years bookkeeping or accounting experience.

24-32 hours per week in south Overland Park location.

Professional work environment. Responsibilities include A/P, payroll, account reconciliation and related accounting support duties. Must be proficient with Outlook and Excel and have attention to detail. For more information, visit the website at: www.affinis.us. For consideration, send resume with salary history by email to: recruiting@ affinis.us, or call (913) 239-1121.

Front office - Front office help wanted. A qualified candidate must be computer literate and skilled at Microsoft Office and QuickBooks. Individual should have a good aptitude and phone voice. Individual selected will be helping various staff members with scheduling, updating social media presence, answering phone and other duties. This position is full-time/part-time availability. Transportation required. Send resume by email to: contactus@sheerin scientific.com.

Bookkeeper - Bookkeeper needed for small business.

2-4 hours, one evening a week at I-435 and Metcalf area.

Must have strong proficiency in QuickBooks and solid understanding of accounting principles. Send email to: gpmonaghan@hotmail.com.

Technician - Small family-owned business in Lenexa is seeking a full-time installation and service technician for residential lift products. Basic knowledge of electrical systems, primarily low voltage. Mechanical aptitude, no physical limitations, able to lift 50-100 pounds periodically. Working knowledge of power and hand tools.

Training on the product and processes provided. Ability to drive a service van and follow a schedule and company procedures. Salary is negotiable based on knowledge and skill level; $15-21 per hour.

Teacher - Bishop Miege High School, Roeland Park, has an opening for an English teacher for the 2015-16 school year. Send letter of interest and resume by email to Mariann Jaksa at: mjaksa@bishopmiege.com.

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.

Drivers needed - Medi Coach Transportation is looking for caring and reliable drivers for nonemergency transportation. CDL is not required. Contact Jeff at (913) 825-1921.

Local handyman and lawn care - Water heaters, garbage disposals, toilets, faucets, painting, power washing,doors, storm doors, gutter cleaning, wood rot, mowing, carpet, roofing, etc. Member of Holy Angels Parish.

Basehor. Call Billy at (913) 927-4118.

Drivers - Special Beginnings Early Learning Center is seeking part-time drivers for its school-age program located in Lenexa. Candidates must be able to drive a 13-passenger minibus, similar to a 15-passenger van.

CDL not required, but must have an excellent driving record. Candidates would pick up children from area schools and then work directly with them when arriving back at the center. Experience preferred. Must have strong work ethic and the ability to work with children.

Insurance provided. Background check will be conducted. Great opportunity for retired persons or those seeking a second job. Job responsibilities include: ensuring safety and well-being of children who are being transported at all times, including loading and unloading.

Driving short, round-trip routes to elementary schools in Lenexa/Olathe area. Summer only: Driving short, roundtrip routes to two Lenexa city pools. Maintaining mileage log. Keeping interior of vehicle clean. Apply by sending an email to chris@specialbeginningsonline.com or in person at 10216 Pflumm Rd., Lenexa KS 66215.

SERVICES Complete plumbing and bath Master plumber for your entire home. Painting, tile install, bath remodeling. Onyx Collection Distributor.

Serving Johnson County for 20 years.

Member Ascension Parish; call Mike at (913) 488-4930.

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 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.teresakiddlaw yer.com. We moved! Come check out our new office in Lenexa. Please do not wait until life seems hopeless before getting good quality legal advice that may solve your financial stress.

Interior home cleaning Time is precious. Let us help you “reclaim your weekend.” Professional, tailored home cleaning. Same team of two, in business for 8 years. We specialize in the “move in, move out, clean” and monthly cleanings. Call Patty at (913) 940-9231 or Susan at (816) 506-9026.

Faith-based counseling to cope with life concerns - Kansas City area. Call Mary Vorsten, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, at (913) 909-2002.

Machine quilting - by Jenell Noeth, Basehor. Also, quilts made to order. Call (913) 724-1837.

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: mike@mikehammermoving.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.

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

Call (913) 227-4902.

HOME IMPROVEMENT Last year was a great year, thank you to all my customers! Spring is around the corner and we do decks, windows, doors, house painting (interior and exterior), wood rot, deck staining and siding. You name it, we can do it. No job too big or small, just give us a call. Insured.

Call Josh at (913) 709-7230.

Helping Hand Handy Man - Home maintenance chores available by the hour. Special rate for senior and singleparent households. Electrical, painting, wood refinishing, deck repair, yard work, shelving and organizing. Most home problems and needs solved. Member of Prince of Peace, Olathe. Call Mark Coleman at (913) 526-4490.

House painting Interior and exterior; wall paper removal.

Power washing, fences, decks.

30 years experience. References. Reasonable rates.

Call Joe at (913) 620-5776.

Lawn/Landscaping - Mowing, mulch, dirt work, sod, tree trimming, landscape rock, gutter cleaning, and power washing. Mention this ad for special pricing. Call (816) 509-0224.

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.

NELSON CREATIONS L.L.C. Home remodeling, design/build, kitchens, baths, all interior and exterior work. Family owned and operated; over 25 years experience. Licensed and insured; commercial and residential. Kirk and Diane Nelson.

(913) 927-5240; nelsport@everestkc.net 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.

Adept Home Improvements Where quality still counts!

Basement finishing, Kitchens and baths, Electrical and plumbing, Licensed and insured. (913) 599-7998 STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 491-5837 or (913) 5791835. Email: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

HARCO Exteriors LLC Your Kansas City fencing specialists Family owned and operated (913) 815-4817 www.harcoexteriorsllc.com Swalms Organizing - Downsizing - Clean Out Service.

Reduce clutter - Any space organized. Shelving built on site. Items hauled for recycling and donations. 20 years exp, insured. Call Tillar: (913) 375-9115. WWW.SWALMS ORGANIZING.COM. 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 Concrete construction - Tear out and replace stamped, stained or colored patios and drives. Retaining walls, footings, poured-in-place safe rooms, excavation and hauling. Asphalt drives and lots. Fully insured; references. Call Dan at (913) 207-4371 or send an email to: dandeeconst@aol.com.

REAL ESTATE Wanted to buy - I NEED HOUSES! I buy them as is, with no repairs. You can even leave behind what you don’t want. We buy houses that need foundation or roof repair. All sales are cash with no strings attached. Please call Mark Edmondson at (913) 980-4905. Holy Trinity Parish member.

For sale - Beautiful Victorian former parish house with shop.

Under $50,000. Historic Building on Main Street, and a two bedroom house with several lots. Priced very low. Must sell.

Call (785) 244-6565.

For sale - 3 BR ranch, wonderfully maintained. One owner home with walkout, two-car garage and fantastic backyard setting. 6815 Greeley Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. $117,500.

MLS 1911621, virtual tour online at: www.jcsandershomes. com.

CAREGIVING Caregiver - CNA home health care specialist provides TLC in the comfort of the client’s residence. Available 24 hours or part-time, affordable, excellent references provided. Nonsmoker. Call (816) 806-8104.

Caregiver - Caregiver with over 20 years experience wants to care for your loved ones. Energetic, strong and fun, can provide care and transportation for male or female. Excellent references. Call Vivian at (913) 292-4829.

>> Classifieds continue on page 13

6/8/15 2:51 PM

CALENDAR 13

MARCH 20, 2015 | THELEAVEN.COM

March The Kansas Daughters of St. Francis de Sales are sponsoring a Lenten day of reflection with Father Mariadas Sesseti, a Missionary of St. Francis de Sales, on March 21 from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Sanctuary of Hope, 2601 Ridge Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The cost to attend is $25, which includes lunch. To register, visit the website at: www.sanctuaryofhope.org; send an email to Ruth Owens at: rowens4853@gmail.com; or call (913) 4927250. For more about the Association of St. Francis de Sales, visit the website at: www. sfds association.org.

21

A memorial liturgy for deceased loved ones will be held March 21 at 8 a.m. at Curé of Ars, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood. Following the Mass, the bereavement ministry will hold its monthly support meeting in the Father Burak Room. The topic will be “New Growth in Grief.” For more information, call (913) 649-2026.

St. Patrick Church, 320 Boyle St., Scranton, will host a feast day dinner on March 22 from 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. The cost to attend is: $9 for adults; $5 for kids; and no cost for children age 5 and younger. There will also be a raffle for quilts and gift cards.

22

The Knights of Columbus at St. Peter Cathedral, 409 N. 15th St., Kansas City, Kansas, will host a St. Joseph Table and spaghetti dinner on March 22. The table is open from 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., and the dinner will be served from noon - 2:30 p.m. The cost to attend is a freewill donation. Proceeds will support outreach to the poor and church projects.

Jasper’s Restaurant, 1201 W. 103rd St., Kansas City, Missouri, is sponsoring Dining to Donate for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet on March 25. Jasper’s will donate 20 percent of all lunch and dinner sales to benefit the Sisters. To make reservations for Dining to Donate, call Jasper’s at (816) 941-6600 or visit the website at: www.jasperskc.com.

25

The Ladies of Charity of Metropolitan Kansas City and Rockhurst Library Guild are hosting an annual day of prayer with Father Steve Yavorsky on March 25 from 9 a.m. 2 p.m. at St. Thomas More Church, 11822 Holmes Rd., Kansas City, Missouri. The cost to attend is $35, which includes a continental breakfast and lunch. For reservations, call Mimi Powers at (816) 943-5011 by March 23.

The Christian Widow and Widowers Organization will host a potluck dinner on March 26 at 5 p.m. in the Formation Room at Most Pure Heart of Mary Church, 17th and Stone, Topeka. Barry Feaker will speak about the Topeka Rescue Mission. There is no cost to attend.

For more information, call (785) 272-0055.

26

Church of the Holy Cross, 8311 W. 93rd St., Overland Park, will host a soup and salad event starting at 5 p.m. on March 27. The cost to attend is $5 for adults; $3 for children ages 12 and under. Following dinner, there will be a musical on the Stations of the Cross beginning at 7 p.m., presented by Visitation Church. The cost to attend is a freewill offering. For more information, call Margi Foley at (913) 381-8145.

27

Volunteers are needed at Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, to teach English for 90 minutes each week. Materials and training are provided.

Training sessions are scheduled for March 27 from 9 - 11:30 a.m. or April 22 from 6 - 8:30 p.m. To register or for more information, call Keeler Women’s Center at (913) 906-8990.

Women’s Day of Reflection, sponsored by the Daughters of Isabella, will be held March 28 from 8 a.m.

- 12:30 p.m. in the social room at Holy Trinity Church, 9150 Pflumm Rd., Lenexa. All women are invited to come be a part of this Lenten opportunity to grow deeper in prayer and reflection. The guest speaker is Martha Tonn, an instructor at School of Faith. The program begins with Mass at 8 a.m., followed by breakfast, prayer, a welcome and the presentation. It ends at 12:15 p.m. The cost to attend is $10 per person;

28

$15 at the door. Checks can be made out to the Daughters of Isabella and mailed to: Pat Wineland, 8914 Renee, Lenexa, KS 66215.

For more information, call (913) 219-4731.

The Kansas City Catholic Women’s Workshop will be held March 28 from 9 a.m. noon at Savior Pastoral Center, 12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kansas. Enliven your women’s group and start being active in the new evangelization now. For more information, visit the website at: www.eventbrite. com; send an email to Susan at: draftz@ youngrembrandts.com; or call (913) 3672227.

The St. Thomas Aquinas rugby team will host a mouse race fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. on March 28 at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, 11411 Pflumm Rd., Overland Park.

The cost to attend is $30, which includes mouse money, as well as food and drinks.

The Knights of Columbus of St. Patrick Church, 94th and State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, will host ham bingo on March 28 at 6 p.m. in the parish center. The cost to attend is $20, which includes three tacos, dessert and a bingo card. For more information, call Fritz Vertz at (913) 515-0621.

A Passion Sunday Tenebrae service will be held March 29 at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Peter, 409 N. 15th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

The candlelit service will feature the Tallis “Lamentations of Jeremiah” and the Allegri “Miserere,” sung by the vocal ensemble Sursum Corda under the direction of Kevin Vogt.

There is no cost to attend. All are welcome.

29

April Experience the beautiful liturgies and the silence of the Benedictine Sisters monastery, 801 S. 8th St., Atchison, beginning with a Holy Thursday banquet on April 2 and closing with Easter Mass and dinner. For more information or to register, call (913) 360-6151 or visit Sophia Spirituality Center’s website at: www.sophiaspiritualitycenter.

2

Concrete Work

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

Harvey M. Kascht (913) 262-1555

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 www.benefitsofhome.com.

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.

ROOMMATE Roommate - Share my home in Olathe. Middle-aged Catholic female looking for Catholic female to share home and expenses. Quiet neighborhood, off street parking. Call after 6 p.m. (913) 782-1933.

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) 3275557.

For sale - First Communion dress/veils for 18-inch dolls, such as American Girl. Handmade, shoes, sleeping bag/PJs, robes and many more items. Call (913) 642-1836 for an appointment.

For sale - Two adjustable twin beds. Used together as king size or separately. Also used as hospital bed (side rails not included). Includes all bedding.

Asking $1,600 for both or $800 separately or best offer. Please call (405) 201-1313.

For sale - Tempur-Pedic (single) adjustable electric bed including massage. Remote control for ease of use. In excellent condition with less than 30 days of use. Pictures available. Call (913) 342-0490.

For sale - At Resurrection Cemetery, two easements in mausoleum. Contact A. Kelly at (913) 649-9691.

WANTED TO BUY 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, lighters, fountain pens, post card collections, paintings/ prints, pottery, sterling, china dinnerware.

Renee Maderak, (913) 631-7179.

St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee

MISCELLANEOUS Our Lady of Hope. Catholics with an Anglican and Methodist heritage. Formal and friendly. Visitors welcome. Mass Saturdays at 4 p.m., St. Therese Little Flower, 5814 Euclid, Kansas City, Mo. Fulfills Sunday obligation. Father Ernie Davis. Dr. Bruce Prince-Joseph, organist. For more information, send an email to: frernie3@gmail.com or call (816) 729-6776.

Want to help someone heal from an abortion?

Call Toll Free 888-246-1504

Wagner’s Mud-Jacking Co.

Specializing in Foundation Repairs Mud-jacking and Waterproofing.

Serving Lawrence, Topeka and surrounding areas.

Topeka (785) 233-3447 Lawrence (785) 749-1696 In business since 1963 www.foundationrepairks.com

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 13

6/8/15 2:51 PM

14 COMMENTARY SCRIPTURE READINGS

THELEAVEN.COM | MARCH 20, 2015

MARK MY WORDS

FIFTH WEEK OF LENT March 22 FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT Jer 31: 31-34 Ps 51: 3-4, 12-15 Heb 5: 7-9 Jn 12: 20-33 March 23 Turibius of Mogrovejo, bishop Dn 13: 1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 Ps 23: 1-6 Jn 8: 1-11 March 24 Tuesday Nm 21: 4-9 Ps 102: 2-3, 16-21 Jn 8: 21-30 March 25 THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD Is 7: 10-14; 8: 10 Ps 40: 7-11 Heb 10: 4-10 Lk 1: 26-38 March 26 Thursday Gn 17: 3-9 Ps 105: 4-9 Jn 8: 51-59 March 27 Friday Jer 20: 10-13 Ps 18: 2-7 Jn 10: 31-42 March 28 Saturday Ez 37: 21-28 (Ps) Jer 31: 10-13 Jn 11: 45-56

FIND THE LEAVEN IN THESE PLACES ONLINE

“I

Are you mooning about Easter?

t all depends on the moon.”

This statement always gets a laugh at RCIA class each year.

Inevitably, folks there will ask when they’ll be coming into the church. I explain that it happens at the Easter Vigil.

Next, they ask when Easter is . . . and I tell them it all depends on the moon.

They never believe me! But it’s the truth.

The date for Easter varies from year to year — yes, depending on the moon. Honestly. Here’s how it’s figured: We look to the vernal equinox. “Vernal” means “spring,” and “equinox” means that day and night are each exactly 12 hours long. This is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

According to the “Companion to the Calendar” by Mary Ellen Hynes (Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1993; 210 pgs.; $18), Easter is “the first Sunday after the first full moon after the equinox.

This can fall anytime between March 22 and April 25.” Even with this explanation, I still don’t think that some people believe me!

One of the things that I enjoy about the Catholic faith is that you never know it all.

For example, to the left of this column is a list of the Mass readings for the coming week.

On some days, there will be

FATHER MARK GOLDASICH Father Mark Goldasich is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989. a name listed there as well.

If the name is all in capital letters, it means that it’s either a solemnity or a major feast day. If the name is in regular type, it’s called a memorial, and the Mass prayers that day will refer to the saint being celebrated. If the name is in italics, that means it’s an optional memorial: The Mass celebrant can choose to celebrate that saint or not.

Each week for years now, I’ve dutifully done proofreading of that side of the page.

And, each week, there’s usually a saint or two in italics that I know almost nothing about.

Sadly, I’ve read over those names time and time again and done absolutely nothing to better acquaint myself with those lesser-known saints.

One of the things I’ve been concentrating on in 2015 is remedying that situation.

On March 23, for instance, we celebrate a saint with

a great name: Turibius de Mogrovejo. Why should we care, you might be asking yourself.

Well, for starters, he was one of the first canonized saints of the Western Hemisphere. And he’s got a great story. He was an esteemed law teacher at the University of Salamanca in his homeland of Spain. Eventually, he was named bishop of Lima, Peru.

Funny thing is: He wasn’t even a priest at the time.

At age 43, he was ordained a priest, consecrated a bishop and then shipped off to Peru.

Conditions there were horrific for the Peruvian people.

Greedy Spanish conquistadors had enslaved the people, forcing them to work in the gold mines.

Turibius was a perfect choice for the country.

According to Hynes, over the course of seven years, he traveled the 18,000 miles of his diocese to visit his people.

He learned their languages so he could better teach them and understand their struggles. He spoke out against the injustices of their oppressors and brought many people into the church. One of them was St. Rose of Lima. He was responsible for the construction of churches, hospitals, schools and roads. He crossed his diocese three times as bishop. He died at age 68 in 1606, giving everything he owned to the

poor before his death.

I’m ashamed to admit that I knew nothing of this wonderful saint until recently. So, what’s your “Saint IQ”?

In addition to Hynes’ excellent book, I’d recommend “Saints: A Year in Faith and Art,” by Rosa Giorgi (New York: Abrams, 2005; 780 pgs; $19.95). I bought myself a copy for Christmas because, to be honest, it was so cheap. I’ve not been disappointed.

This compact book — it’s slightly larger than a 4-by-6” file card — follows the liturgical calendar of the church.

Each page features a short biography of the saint of the day, including who he or she is the protector of or patron of, and the origin of the saint’s name. For example, our friend Turibius is the protector of missionary bishops; the patron of Peru; and his name is Celtic, meaning “of the tribe of the Taurini.” On the opposite page is a 17th-century statue of this saint from the Astorga Cathedral in Spain.

If you’re looking to grow in faith, studying the saints is an easy way. You might even start with those more obscure saints — those optional memorials — in the church calendar.

Getting more familiar with our guides, the saints, will put you over the moon, inspiring you long after the celebration of Easter is over.

www.theleaven.com

FACEBOOK

www.facebook.com/ theleavenkc

TWITTER @theleavenkc

YOUTUBE

www.youtube.com/ user/theleavenkc

WHO TO CONTACT ABOUT . . .

STORY IDEAS anita@theleaven.com CALENDAR NOTICES calendar@theleaven.com ANNIVERSARY NOTICES todd@theleaven.com EAGLE SCOUTS todd@theleaven.com ADVERTISING julie@theleaven.com

IN THE BEGINNING

The new covenant brings personal experience of God

M

ost of us have entered into contracts before.

They tend to be dry, impersonal agreements.

Everything is put in black and white. If one party does not fulfill one term of the contract, the deal’s off. And usually the contract is set up to last for only a limited period of time, and then it expires automatically. For example, you rent the house for a year.

After that, you can renew the contract or find another house.

The covenant that God promises to make with the house of Israel and the house of Judah in Sunday’s first reading — Jer 31:31-34 — contrasts strongly with such an arrangement. It intends to establish a deeply personal

POPE FRANCIS

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. relationship between God and the people: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” They will belong to each other.

Ordinarily, if one party violates the terms of the contract, that can lead to cancellation of the contract. On the other hand, the covenant that God promises to establish with the

Young people are honest and bold in identifying fakes, which is something church leaders should not be afraid of, Pope Francis told the bishops of South Korea and Mongolia. “When we speak with young people, they challenge us to share the truth of Jesus Christ clearly and in a way that they can understand,” he said in the

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 14

people of Israel is completely different. It assumes that God will forgive them: “I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.”

God will take into account the people’s imperfect nature.

It is through their experience of God’s mercy that the people will know God. It will be a knowledge not of the head, but of the heart: “I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts.”

This new relationship between God and the people of Israel will pervade the entire community. “All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord.” Consequently, new values and modes of behavior, based upon God’s will, shall permeate the community. Without reflecting on it, people will automatically act

written message handed to the bishops March 12. The bishops met with the pope during their “ad limina” visits to report on what is happening in their dioceses. Pope Francis said that just as Korea’s Catholic martyrs — mostly laypeople, who were unwaveringly committed to the faith and to charity — call the peninsula’s Catholics to continue caring for others, today’s Korean young people “challenge us to hear one

according to God’s will.

Most of us do not have to make a conscious choice not to rob a bank or murder someone. We act according to habit, habits formed by deeply engrained values and beliefs. It is the way we have been taught, the way we have been brought up.

But in the new covenant that God has promised, even that will not be necessary: “No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the Lord.” Through personal experience of God, all will already know in their hearts how to live. They will desire to do God’s will, out of love for God. In that way, they shall be God’s people: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

another.” The pope encouraged the bishops’ efforts to find “new ways to involve your youth so that they may have a voice and may be heard in order to share the richness of our faith and life in the church.” Young people, he said, “test the authenticity of our own faith and fidelity,” because they “very quickly will call us to task if our lives do not mirror our faith.”

— CNS

6/8/15 2:51 PM

COMMENTARY 15

MARCH 20, 2015 | THELEAVEN.COM

FAMILY MATTERS

Does your child know what a gift he or she is to your family?

A

s we were going through old pictures with our grandchildren, we

came across a picture of my wife Barbara and me all dressed up for our senior prom.

Very quickly, our grandchildren identified the two people as our daughter Amy and our son Tim. It was amazing to see the resemblance. It reminded me that one of the gifts of being open to life is that it brings more of our beloved spouse into the world. How awesome it is to see this reflection of our

DEACON TONY ZIMMERMAN Deacon Tony Zimmerman is the lead archdiocesan consultant for the office of marriage and family life. love for each other in our children.

Let’s face it: We have an important message to proclaim to the world about the beauty and richness that being open to new life brings to our families. We simply

cannot wait to proclaim this message until couples come to us for preparation for sacramental marriage. Trying to overcome years of the culture that surrounds us in regard to the beauty of life in a few marriage preparation classes is not enough. So, what is the answer?

It begins with consistently celebrating the gift that each child has brought into our family. Beginning when our children are young, we need to speak to them about what it was like when we first found out that they were going to become part of our family. Tell them about the excitement and anticipation that we experienced waiting for them to be born.

Tell them how we made room for them in our house, preparing a special place just for them. Tell them about how it felt to hold them in your arms moments after they were born. Tell them how your life and your family would not be the same without them. Tell them why you chose the name that you gave them.

With a little gentle encouragement, you will be able to get your children to share around the dinner table one special thing that they would miss if their sister or brother were not in their life. I guess what I’m saying is that so often the treasure that we have right in front of us in our family

is lost in the fast pace of today’s life.

How do I know that this can overcome our culture and change the world? I know simply by reflecting on how touched I was earlier today when Sam and Beth Meier brought their two sons, Samuel and Zachary, in to visit with their new little girl, Jane Frances. What a beautiful sight it was to see Zachary pull his sister down for a kiss and to see the joy on the faces of Sam and Beth.

For an older married couple, it reminds us of the joys we have experienced. For engaged or married couples, it inspires them to want to have this joy in their lives.

CHURCH AND STATE

Different faiths find common ground in Kansas Senate bill

A

s we approach the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing 95 theses to the door

of Wittenberg Castle Church, it is worth considering how history takes many surprising twists and turns.

The modern secular state was born out of a desire to end Europe’s post-Reformation religious wars, but now the militant secularism of the modern state is unifying long-estranged Christian churches in a fight for faith’s rightful place in public life.

Christians with much still dividing them are being driven into each other’s arms

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 15

MICHAEL SCHUTTLOFFEL Michael Schuttloffel is the executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference. by those who would turn the First Amendment on its head and make it an instrument of protection for the state against religion.

Freedom of religion is being defined down to mean nothing more than the freedom to worship in a private setting. The freedom to live one’s faith — individually and

corporately, as full participants in society — is being lost.

Legislation pending before the Kansas Legislature offers one small example of believers coming together across theological lines. SB 175 would ensure that religious student groups at public universities are allowed to require their members and leaders to share the group’s faith. Under the bill, the Catholic Student Union would continue to be free to require its members to be Catholic, the Baptist Student Association would be free to require that its president be Baptist, etc.

Who would force a Christian student group to have an atheist serve as its president?

Why, the guardians of free inquiry, of course.

Dozens of religious student groups in other states have been driven off campus because some universities have instituted “all-comers” policies, which require groups to accept all-comers as members and even leaders, regardless of whether they share the groups’ beliefs. While the U.S. Supreme Court says that such policies are constitutional only if they apply to all student groups, they are, in fact, being used to target religious students whose beliefs are out of sync with those of the budding community organizers running student government and their university administrator enablers.

In 2011, the University of Oklahoma Student Association announced a policy that would prohibit religious student associations from using

religious criteria for membership and leadership. The policy was ultimately rescinded, and last year Oklahoma’s Legislature unanimously passed the same legislation Kansas is now considering. Perhaps OU would have been better served worrying about some of its fraternities instead of whether a religious student group requires its president to believe in God. Believers from different faith traditions are increasingly finding common ground, thanks in no small part to antireligious hostility in government, academia and the culture at large. SB 175 offers some small measure of such common ground, as well as a dose of something increasingly uncommon in our politics: common sense.

6/8/15 2:51 PM

Join Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann for

HOLY WEEK

AT THE CATHEDRAL

PALMSUNDAY

HOLYTHURSDAY GOODFRIDAY

HOLYSATURDAY

March 29, 11 a.m.

April 2, 7:30 p.m.

April 4, 8 p.m.

April 3, 3 p.m.

EASTERSUNDAY April 5, 11 a.m.

Leaven 03-20-15.indd 16

6/8/15 2:51 PM