03-25-11 Vol. 32 No. 32

www.theleaven.com | Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas | Vol. 32, No. 32 march 25, 2011

WHY NOT US?

Leaven photo by Susan McSpadden

Above, the Goveas pose for an informal portrait. Clockwise, from left, are: Ryan, 1; Michael, 13; Nicky, 11; Stacy; Elizabeth, 2; Bo; Megan, 17; and Ellen, 2.

Couple hopes to change the world, one family at a time baby a year later when their oldest child was 15.

Stacy calls the system — which is based on 10 minutes of prayer, 20 minutes of reading and 30 OVERLAND PARK — Bo and Stacy Govea, parents minutes of chores each day — “a blessing.”

“It’s worked for us,” she said. “The fruits from this of six, are blessed. So blessed that they feel called to system have been unbelievable share and reach out to other famifor our family. So if somebody else lies.

More about 10-20-30Go! gets to share that, that’s great.”

They’ve developed a faithSee the Web sites at: Their pastor at Overland Park’s based parenting system called 10www.102030go.com or Church of the Ascension, Msgr.

20-30Go! Families Functioning www.facebook.com/102030GO, Tom Tank, has seen it work for Faithfully. or call (913)220-9097. other families in the parish, too.

It’s been a labor of love — part “Those using it consistently are of a very personal journey for their family that included having twins with health com- noticing a change in the spirit of their family life — plications almost three years ago, and then another less hassles and more personal responsibility,” he

By Lajean Rau-Keene

Special to The Leaven

runnin’ revs

Tired of fish?

The Runnin’ Revs took to the basketball court on March 7 to at Bishop Miege High School.

Check out the highlights.

BEATING THE ODDS In a few weeks, the Goveas will be celebrating the third birthday of their twin girls, Mary Ellen and Mary Elizabeth. That these happy, busy toddlers will be blowing out candles again is somewhat of a miracle. When Stacy was pregnant, doctors weren’t sure the babies would make it.

The girls had a potentially deadly condition called Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). Stacy

Turn to “parenting” on page 4

Confession Wednesday

Check out these recipes from The Leaven’s resident chef, Jennifer Siebes.

8-9

said. “I think it is a very creative approach to parents helping young people grow as responsible people.”

Confession is available at any church in the archdiocese every Wednesday during Lent from 6-7 p.m.

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2 archbishop

THE LEAVEN • March 25, 2011

THE LEAVEN • March 25, 2011

SECOND FRONT PAGE 3

Stewardship conference set for April 1

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

H

Joseph, like Mary, makes the perfect intercessor for many

oly Week is fast approaching, less than four weeks away. I am pleased to extend an invitation to everyone in the Archdiocese to come to the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kan., for one of the Holy Week liturgies.

The cathedral schedule for Holy Week is as follows: Palm Sunday April 16, 4 p.m. Vigil Mass April 17, 9 and 11 a.m., 5 p.m. Masses Holy Thursday April 21, 7:30 p.m. Mass of the Lord’s Supper Good Friday April 22, 3 p.m. Celebration of the Lord’s Passion Holy Saturday April 23, Easter Vigil, 7:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday April 24, 9 and 11 a.m. Easter Masses I will be the celebrant and homilist at the Palm Sunday 11 a.m. Mass, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday and the 11 a.m. Easter Sunday Mass. For the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, I will be the celebrant and Archbishop Emeritus James Keleher will be the homilist.

Many people in the archdiocese have never seen our beautiful cathedral. I encourage you to make a pilgrimage to the cathedral for one of the Holy Week liturgies.

Remember our Springtime for the Soul initiative continues with confessors available in churches throughout the archdiocese from 6 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday of Lent. Do not let this Lent go by without receiving the special grace and peace that the Lord offers us in the sacrament of reconciliation.

Among the many things for which I am in my mother’s debt is giving me St. Joseph as a patron. In part, I was named Joseph because my father died before my birth. My mother reasoned that St. Joseph was a good foster-father for Jesus, so he would also be a good spiritualfather for me. She was right.

We celebrated the solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of Mary, this past Saturday, March 19. In the office of readings for this feast, there is a selection from a homily given by St. Bernardine of Siena in which he states: “There is a general rule concerning

mind while he and Mary were frantically searching for Jesus: “How am I going to tell God I lost his Son?” St. Joseph is a great patron for parents as they labor to fulfill their awesome responsibility of being the first teachers and the primary ones to form the faith in their children (God’s children) that he has entrusted to their care.

St. Joseph is also a beautiful patron for all the special graces granted to any priests as we strive to fulfill our responhuman being. Wherever the divine favor sibility of being true spiritual fathers to chooses someone to receive a special those whom God has entrusted to our grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God pastoral care. Joseph, who shouldered adorns the person chosen with all the such a huge responsibility as the protecgifts of the Spirit needed to fulfill the tor and guardian of the Holy Family, will task at hand. be sympathetic to interceding for the “This general rule is especially verigraces we need to fulfill the demands of fied in the case of St. Joseph, the fosterour vocation. father of our Lord and the husband St. Joseph is also a great patron for of the Queen of our world, enthroned the young, and really anyone who is above all the angels. He was chosen by struggling to understand God’s will in the eternal Father as the trustworthy their lives. St. Joseph was incredibly guardian and protector of his greatest perceptive in understanding God’s plan treasure, namely, his divine Son and for him, as well as heroic in doing God’s Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this will with his life. The Gospel tells us the vocation with complete fidelity until at angel instructs Joseph in a dream to take last God called him saying: Good and the pregnant Mary as his wife. It is in a faithful servant, enter into the joy of dream that Joseph is instructed to flee your Lord.” with Mary and Jesus to Egypt because These words of St. Bernardine took Herod wants to murder the Prince of on special meaning for me, since the Peace. Again in a dream, Joseph is feast of St. Joseph also marked the 7th informed it is safe to return home to anniversary of the Mass welcoming me Nazareth and there build a life for Jesus to the Archdiocese of Kansas City in and Mary.

Kansas. I beg St. Joseph daily to ask his With all those dreams, you might foster-son, Jesus, to give me the gifts of think Joseph would the Spirit I need to be afraid to go to fulfill the responsisleep at night. Jobility that God has The Cathedral Schedule seph was obviously entrusted to me. for Holy Week a man of prayer I was also struck Palm Sunday who was able to

by St. Bernardine’s April 16, 4 p.m. Vigil Mass discern God’s plan, observation that JoApril 17, 9 and 11 a.m., 5 p.m. Masses even through the seph was chosen by mysterious meour heavenly Father Holy Thursday dium of dreams. to be the “guardApril 21, 7:30 p.m. Mass of the No matter how ian and protector” Lord’s Supper bizarre the request of God’s “greatest from a worldly treasure, namely, his Good Friday viewpoint, Joseph divine Son.” Parents April 22, 3 p.m. Celebration of the follows God’s will are rightfully very Lord’s Passion completely. We can choosy regarding to ask St. Joseph to whom they entrust Holy Saturday help us understand the care of their April 23, Easter Vigil, 7:30 p.m.

God’s plan for us children. What inand to give us the credible respect God Easter Sunday courage to follow manifests toward April 24, 9 and 11 a.m. Masses his will wherever it Joseph by entrusting may lead.

Jesus into his care!

Some people One of the think of St. Joseph as a mystical real esoptions for the liturgy for the feast of tate agent who can help one sell a home.

St. Joseph is the passage in St. Luke’s Personally, I have never been fond of Gospel describing the anxiety of Joseph what seems to be a superstitious practice and Mary when they were uncertain of of burying St. Joseph upside down in the the whereabouts of Jesus for three days ground to seek his intercession for sellduring the return journey from their aning a home. On the other hand, I believe nual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Imagine absolutely if we honor St. Joseph in our the question going through Joseph’s

Archbishop Naumann’s weekly calendar

March 25 Mass — Maur Hill-Mount Academy, Atchison

March 26-27 Pastoral visit — St. Dominic, Holton, and St. Francis Xavier, Mayetta March 27 Encuentro Mass — Savior Bishop Ward benefit dinner March 28 Mass, dinner and meeting with Pastoral Council

By Kara Hansen Leaven staff

CNS photo/Damir Sagolj, Reuters

CNS photo/Asahi Shimbun, Reuters

CNS photo/Jo Yong-Hak, Reuters

Japanese rescue workers remove a body from the tsunami wreckage in the town of Otsuchi, Japan, March 14. Officials said that 12,000 people in Otsuchi’s population of 15,000 were missing following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Medical staff use a Geiger counter to screen a woman for possible radiation exposure at a public welfare center in Hitachi, Japan, March 16.

The woman tested negative for exposure .

A man prepares dinner in a makeshift shelter at a temple in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture, in northern Japan March 16. About 30 survivors gathered in the temple and were living together after their homes were destroyed.

Archdiocese will aid Japan Special collections go to meet most urgent needs

March 29 Case Review Task Force meeting Confirmation — St. Catherine and Didde Campus Center, Emporia March 30 Confirmation — Sacred Heart, Shawnee

Archbishop Keleher’s weekly calendar

March 27 Confirmation — Atchison parishes March 30 Confirmation — St. Leo, Horton, and St. Mary, Purcell

homes, Jesus will bless our families in beautiful ways.

Non-Catholics frequently object to our devotional practice of asking the intercession of the saints. They wonder: Why not go directly to Jesus? Certainly, as Catholics we often do just that.

However, Jesus himself has instructed us: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). There is special power when we unite with others in prayer. In our Catholic tradition, we have always realized that our prayer group need not be confined to this world, but also can include the saints in heaven.

It is not that God needs the saints to talk him into doing some good for his children on earth. However, God seems to delight in honoring the saints and holding them up to the church on earth as examples to imitate by responding to their intercession for others.

After all that St. Joseph did for Jesus at the time of his birth and when he was growing up in Nazareth, do you really think that our Lord would deny anything that his foster-father might ask of him? Besides Mary, I can think of no one better than St. Joseph with whom to approach Jesus.

Find us online @ www.theleaven.com

By Kara Hansen Leaven staff

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The effects of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan have left many Japanese with nothing.

But a special collection to be taken up in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas the weekend of March 26-27 will go toward meeting the most urgent needs that a natural disaster creates, even in a First World country — the need for food, shelter, and clean water.

All funds raised will go to Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which is working with Caritas International to assist recovery efforts in Japan.

CRS is the charitable arm of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and has responded to other humanitarian emergencies in the past on behalf of American Catholics, such as the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Caritas is a global network that provides assistance to the most vulnerable on behalf of Catholics around the world.

Many will remember parishes across the archdiocese taking up a similar collection for Haitians last year. According to CRS, those funds were used to address primary needs such as food, food storage, water, sanitation, and shelter for the people of Haiti.

Of the $127 million CRS received for Haiti from the United States, more than $50 million was received from special collections. The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas alone raised $613,668.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann is hoping for another strong response from Catholics to help the Japanese.

“CRS funds directed to Ja-

CNS photo/Yomiuri Shimbun, Reuters

A woman walks past snow-covered rubble in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture, in northern Japan, March 16. Officials expected the death toll from the March 11 earthquake-tsunami disaster soon to rise above 10,000. More than 400,000 people were made homeless. A special collection will be taken up the weekend of March 26-27 in the archdiocese to help recovery efforts. pan will be used for the immediate humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable and will support the local Catholic Church in its ongoing mis-

sion,” wrote the archbishop in a March 15 letter to parish priests requesting this special collection.

For those who might have

missed the opportunity to donate at their local parishes, donations can also be made online at: www.archkck.org.

Want to help someone heal from an abortion?

Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799)

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — It’s a day that promises to be all things to all people.

The Region IX International Catholic Stewardship Conference will be held April 1 at Savior Pastoral Center, 12601 Parallel Pkwy., in Kansas City, Kan. “Everyone who comes to the conference is at a different place on their stewardship journey,” said Lesle Knop, executive director of the archdiocesan office of stewardship and development. “Some people have been involved in stewardship for years, and others will be newcomers. They will learn from experienced stewardship leaders from throughout the nation on how to make stewardship come to life in their own parishes and families. For each person who comes, they will gain something relevant to them at that point in their journey.”

The keynote address will be delivered by Father Jim Golka, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in the Diocese of Grand Island, Neb. “The love of Jesus pours out from him, which is how we all should be,” said Knop about Father Golka. “He is so funny! I imagine people will come away feeling all the joy this priest brings to his own parish.”

Following the keynote, participants will attend three onehour breakout sessions of their choice. Topics include hospitality and prayer, formation and service, the pastoral letter on stewardship, and others.

Region IX includes Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.

Knop said people active in stewardship from all areas of the region were working together to put on the conference.

“There is a great team of leaders in Region IX who are working hard to make sure this is a hospitable and exciting conference,” said Knop. “We are delighted to be part of the region, and I’m grateful to my peers for their hard work.”

Parish booths will be available for viewing during breaks throughout the conference.

The day concludes with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann at 3 p.m.

The fee is $90 per person.

For more information or to register, visit the Web site at: www.dcdiocese.org/steward ship.

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) 7211570; fax: (913) 721-5276; or e-mail at: sub@theleaven.com.

Postmaster: Send address changes to The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. For change of address, provide old and new address and parish. Subscriptions $18/ year.

Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, KS 66109.

4 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • March 25, 2011

THE LEAVEN • March 25, 2011

Parenting is made easier when kids are held accountable Continued from page 1 was flown to Salt Lake City for emergency surgery. It was successful, but her water broke, too early for the babies to be born. After several very scary weeks, “the Marys” were born via emergency Csection at 25 weeks.

Against all odds, both made it. But they were very premature. On their third night, the doctors woke Bo and Stacy to say they didn’t think Elizabeth was going to survive. The Goveas flew their three other kids to Utah to meet their sisters.

As hundreds back home prayed for them, Elizabeth’s condition began to improve.

Eventually, Stacy moved into a Ronald McDonald House and Bo went home to their older children and his job as an insurance executive. But the family struggled with Mom gone and the girls so fragile. Bo took more time off work. He visited Stacy and the twins often.

When the girls could finally travel, Elizabeth was transported directly to Children’s Mercy Hospital, where she stayed for another month. Ellen got to come home but was on oxygen and a feeding tube. Between caring for the twins and keeping up with the three older kids, life was chaotic.

Bo met with his boss, who asked if he was ready to come back to work 100 percent. Bo said no and resigned. His wife and children needed him.

He decided he would open his own insurance agency, something that would take some time. Then he and Stacy found out they were expecting again. Ryan was born a little over a year after the girls.

(They now group the kids into “G1” and “G2” for “Generation 1” — Megan, 17; Michael, 13; and Nicky, 11 — and “Generation 2” — Ellen and Elizabeth, 2; and Ryan, 1.)

“When we went from three to six overnight,” Bo said, “you can imagine, there’s just a lot going on. We’ve always done chores and stuff like that, but we knew we needed a system. And that’s when we came up with this.

“You have to be the change you want to see in your family,” he said. “We really believe that we have to be pursuing God such that we’re modeling that for our children. Because we learned that ‘do as I say, not as I do’ doesn’t work, that’s point No. 1.

“And point No. 2 is that you have to provide structure and tools for the kids.

This is not perfection. It’s really an opportunity for them and for us.”

THE POWER OF PRAYER The idea for 10-20-30Go! originated with Bo. The idea came to him in his quiet time. He realized the family needed something that was rooted in Scripture, with spirituality at its center.

He and Stacy had seen the power of prayer. They believed it had saved Elizabeth. Two years earlier, they had experienced a “personal conversion” at a Christ Renews His Parish retreat at Ascension.

It had affected them deeply and they had made changes in their lives.

And they were affected by a couple of e-mails they received when they were in the hospital in Salt Lake City.

“They were almost identical, and they were sent about an hour apart,” Bo said.

“It was basically, ‘I wish I could crawl in bed with you and make the pain go away.’ They felt helpless. We realized there is going to be a time when our kids are going to be in a situation when they’re grown up and out of the house and we can’t ‘fix it’ — we can’t do any-

Coming soon • Cards for preschoolers, not just school-age children • New themes, beyond the “virtues and values” set (the sacraments, the Ten Commandments, Lent, etc.)

• An online version that will work with cell phones.

An update on the twins The girls are healthy and doing very well. (Read more in the Leaven’s Oct. 24, 2008, issue at: www.theleaven.com.)

Neither girl has a severe disability. Elizabeth is still on a feeding tube, but therapists are working with her in the hopes of her being able to eat on her own. She has mild cerebral palsy.

Nicky Govea checks out his 10-20-30Go! chore chart. The program calls for 30 minutes of chores each day.

Accountability cards, one per week for each child, are a place to keep track of the prayer, reading and chore requirements. On the back is a word of the week and a Scripture passage. thing for them. The only thing they’re going to have to rely on is their faith.”

Bo hadn’t pursued a personal relationship with God until the retreat at Ascension.

“I knew I didn’t want my children to wait until they were 33 to have one,” he said.

ACCOUNTABILITY-DRIVEN The system starts with “accountability cards,” one per week for each child.

The front is a place to keep track of the prayer, reading and chore requirements.

On the back is a word of the week and a Scripture passage. Sometimes there is a “Go!” challenge — a way to put the Scripture passage into action.

Putting Scripture passages on the cards is something Bo did with Megan in mind, with the intention of spurring conversations with the teenager who initially told her dad her prayers were personal. He took a cue from devotional books to create an opportunity for contemplation and, he hoped, sharing.

Posted in the home are a chore chart — assigned chores rotate from week to week — and a prayer chart, a place for everyone to acknowledge people they should be praying for.

Prayers had helped the family so much, they wanted to return the favor and teach their children to think about others’ struggles.

“When we were in Utah, it was unbelievable the response in our community,” Stacy said. “People would talk about how kids would come home from school and they would say, ‘How are the twins?’ and they would stop and they’d all pray for us and look at our blog. It was awesome, because there are a lot of people in your community that need prayers, and it brought those families together.”

Underpinning 10-20-30Go! is a performance-based behavior management strategy Bo learned in business.

It’s called PICNIC (positive immediate and certain/negative immediate and certain). Parents can use positive or negative reinforcements.

The Goveas call this a “children’s accountability system,” and it’s designed to put the responsibility in the hands of the kids in the family.

As they complete their 10-20-30 each

day, they bring their cards to their parents to sign, which presents an opportunity to talk about the word of the day, the Scripture passage, and anything else on the child’s mind.

“The purpose of the card,” Bo said, “is to communicate, educate and hold the children accountable.”

At the end of the week, there’s positive reinforcement (allowance) or negative reinforcement (not being allowed to go out with friends).

“The card became the bad guy,” Bo said. “It wasn’t Mom or Dad saying, ‘Well, we think you did this or you didn’t do that. They’re responsible to bring it to us, and it’s our signature on it. In the past when chores were forgotten, it all fell back on me or, more often, on Stacy.

She ended up picking up the slack. We need this to drive behavior.”

Msgr. Tank agreed.

“Parenting today is very difficult, given the challenges of the culture and the expectations that are created for our young people,” he said. “Helping our children to feel affirmed and worthwhile is crucially important, but equally important is challenging them to be responsible for their lives, their actions and each other.”

Megan said she likes how the family works together more now.

“We all hold each other accountable,” she said. “We all just make sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to do. . . .

Obviously, I don’t do it perfect every day, but I still keep it in my head. Because I know it’s there and that everyone else is doing it.”

The system is just a structure, Stacy emphasized. Nobody is asking for perfection, and parents can change it to make it work for them. She said she loves hearing about what other families do — for example, giving television or game time each day for complete cards.

The Goveas give their children a weekly allowance based on their age.

What percentage of that allowance they

get depends on what their card looks like.

Chris and Rose Kopecky of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood have been using 10-20-30Go! with their children — Samantha, 8, and Sabrina, 7 — for about nine months.

“Our goal was to not have to remind them about every chore, every day,” Rose said. “We liked the fact that it drives accountability, without ‘nagging’ them to do specific things. We’ve found the times when it hasn’t worked as well is when we, the parents, haven’t been consistent with it.”

“We love the Scripture and the key word on the back of every card,” she said. “It leads to great conversation over Sunday night dinner as we talk about that week’s verse. Often there is a direct correlation to something happening in our lives.”

TAKING THE LEAD The Goveas first shared the system with families they knew, then made plans to produce 10-20-30Go! on a larger scale.

Friends helped with the design and the Web site. Some invested money to help them produce the first kits. These partners are sharing in the profits today.

What started with handwritten index cards and clunky dry-erase boards has become a ready-to-use kit. The Goveas have sold more than 300 of them in 35 states.

“We really think you can change the world one family at a time,” Bo said.

On the back of his business card appears this quote from Pope John Paul II: “As the family goes, so goes the whole nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”

Stacy thinks it’s no coincidence that the idea came from a father — not a mother, as many have assumed — and that it came to him in prayer.

“I think that God is calling men to step up and be the leaders,” she said.

Bo said he feels called to share what God has done in his life.

“I really feel that God has encouraged me to push this thing forward,” he said.

“I think everybody has something special that they’re supposed to do, but we allow fear to say, ‘I can’t do this.’

“Stacy and I ask ourselves all the time, ‘Are we fit to do this? Are we qualified to do this? Why us?’

“And the answer is, ‘Why not us?’”

LOCAL NEWS 5

Campus ministry forms future parish leaders, believes director

By Marc and Julie Anderson Special to The Leaven

Topeka — Officially, she has been a wife, mother, mental health therapist, a high school assistance counselor and, until 2002, an advertising and design professional.

Unofficially, Patti Lyon has also been a roofer, painter, Web designer, fundraiser and, most importantly, a friend and mentor to those she serves in her day-to-day activities as director of the Catholic Campus Center at Washburn University in Topeka.

“Where I am now is a culmination of everything I did in the past,” Lyon said.

After an unexpected layoff from her ad agency job in 2002, Lyon was looking for some sort of sign from God as to what she should do next.

“I had been going to adoration and saying, ‘Lord, I don’t know what I am supposed to do,’” she said. “The thought kept coming back to me that I was to get involved in youth ministry.”

When an ad appeared in The Leaven for a campus minister at the Catholic Campus Center at Washburn University, Lyon took it as the opportunity she’d been waiting for. Although she had no theological degree or formal catechetical training, Lyon was active in her parish, St. John the Evangelist in Lawrence.

She was not only a eucharistic minister, but also a member of the arts and environment committee, on the Octoberfest committee, a sponsor for someone who joined the church as an adult and, in general, a volunteer the parish could call upon as needed.

Despite her lack of formal training in theology or catechesis, Lyon got the job.

Practically the first call she made was to then-Father Vince Krische, who was the director/chaplain of the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas.

“I thought there was no need for me to start completely from scratch,” said Lyon, and, indeed, Father Krische’s help in getting started was immeasurable.

But Lyon’s first challenge was to get up to speed. She started off by enrolling in the center’s catechetical classes taught

by Mike Schlerschligt and become certified to teach them. She then attended the Frank J. Lewis Campus Ministry Institute in San Diego.

She also sought guidance from Father Jerry Volz, who at the time was director/ chaplain of the Didde Catholic Campus Center in Emporia.

“Father Jerry served as my mentor and helped me reflect on my theological interests,” Lyon said.

Since 2002, she has gone on to study the theology of the body, received certification as a spiritual director through the Mercy Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and become certified as a catechist through the Maryvale Institute. On Oct. 4, 2009, Lyon was professed into the Secular Franciscan Order and is a member of the emerging Brother Jacoba Fraternity in Lawrence.

When Lyon first came to the Catholic Campus Center in 2002, the center’s future looked bleak and uncertain. Very few students on campus knew the center even existed, attendance at Mass was extremely low, and the center itself, housed in a converted house built more than 50 years ago, had suffered over time.

But Lyon believed God had called her to the center to serve a specific mission, one she would come to realize had three distinct parts.

First, Lyon said, she believes she is at the campus center to educate students in

Leaven photo by Marc Anderson

Patti Lyon, director of the Catholic Campus Center at Washburn University in Topeka, greets David Brandon White at the entrance. Although White’s education was interrupted by active duty in the military, he’s always found a home at the campus center.

Campus center wish list • New kitchen floor tile • Monthly facility maintenance • Laptop computer • Projector for use with laptop • Computer • Electrical wiring and lighting of the center’s exterior sign • Automatic external defibrillator the Catholic faith. She also believes the students’ faith lives should be sanctified through the sacraments as often as possible. Finally, Lyon said, she feels called to instruct the students in Catholic social justice teaching.

“All of the programming I do here with the students falls into one of those three main areas,” she noted.

Events and classes at the campus center throughout the past eight years have included Scripture studies, courses in the theology of the body, adoration in the center’s Holy Spirit Chapel (dedicated in the fall of 2007), student-led cooking days at the Ronald McDonald House in Topeka, and regular Sunday night Mass.

Masses, Lyon said, have been in large part due to three priests of the Topeka Region willing to serve the center. One priest who has been a large supporter of both Lyon and the center is Father George Seuferling, a retired archdiocesan priest who, like Father Volz, once served at the Didde Catholic Campus Center.

“Patti does a phenomenal job,” Father Seuferling said. “She’s a spiritual director and a very special person, not to mention very holy. She’s dedicated to the ministry and makes huge sacrifices for the center.”

Two of her strengths, Father Seuferling said, are her ability to welcome others as Christ would, as well as to be a good steward of the center’s resources.

“She does a phenomenal job with what she has available to her,” he said.

In addition to classes, events and the celebration of the sacraments, Lyon and the students have worked on the center’s roof repair, torn walls apart, painted every room of the center, mowed the lawn and shoveled snow. Funded through the Archbishop’s Call to Share campaign,

the center’s budget of around $80,000 is something Lyon is always cognizant of as she encourages the nearly 100 students to be good stewards and do as much for their center as possible.

“This ministry would not exist if not for good stewardship, and that is something I try to pass on to the students,” Lyon said. She often reminds the students, in fact, that the blessings they have enjoyed are the direct result of others making sacrifices.

When asked what she finds most rewarding about being a campus minister, Lyon sums it up in two words: the students.

“These students are going to be the leaders in their parish. I try to encourage them to become involved in the center,” Lyon said. “I remind them that successful parishes don’t just happen. People have to be involved in a variety of ministries. . . . I train them to be sacristans, lectors, musicians and eucharistic ministers.”

David Brandon White is a case in point.

In the fall of 2002, with no prior firsthand knowledge of Catholicism and feeling somewhat intimidated by the prospect of going to a parish, White walked into the campus center and met with Lyon. White said the Christian hospitality she afforded him made him feel at home immediately.

“She had absolutely no idea who I was,” White said, adding, “She truly exemplified the concept of Christian hospitality in welcoming the stranger in a foreign land.”

Although the center did not have classes for adults wishing to become Catholic, Lyon helped him enroll in classes in one of the city’s parishes, Christ the King.

Throughout the school year, White participated in as many events as he could at the center and eventually made his profession of faith in the Catholic Church in April 2003.

After White took a detour from his academic career for a five-year stint in the Army, he returned to Washburn. There he was surprised to learn that Lyon still remembered him.

“She remembered me five years later, even though she barely knew me,” he said. “That struck a chord within me.”

White said Lyon introduced him to

Getting to know Patti Lyon Age: 55 Title: director/campus minister Place of ministry: the Catholic Campus Center at Washburn University in Topeka Educational background: Bachelor of Arts in education (formerly Kearney State College, now part of the University of Nebraska at Kearney); Master of Science in clinical psychology (formerly Central Missouri State University at Warrensburg, now the University of Central Missouri); two years of study in journalism at the University of Kansas Hometown: Kearney, Neb. Family: two sons — Paul, 27, and Patrick, 24 Favorite food: “Anything chocolate” Favorite saints: St. Francis of Assisi and St. Teresa of Avila Favorite Scripture passages: “I have come so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

(Jn 10:10) and “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live.” (Dt 30:19) Two of the best pieces of spiritual advice she’s received: “Be still and know that I am God” and being present to another is one of the most important gifts you can give someone. people and helped him reintegrate back into the center.

Back now from active duty in Iraq, White said he is taking advantage of every opportunity Lyon and the center offer him.

“I’m just going to jump in and do all of it,” White said, adding that Lyon’s presence and the importance of the campus center’s ministry upon his life cannot be understated.

“Campus ministry is extremely important to me,” he concluded, “and Patti and the center helped me to take the first step, just with their presence.”

6 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • March 25, 2011

THE LEAVEN • march 25, 2011

University of Saint Mary to hold annual SpireFest gala

Rita (Koch) and Ernest Haug , members of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Seneca, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary anniversaries with a Mass of thanksgiving at the church on March 27. The couple was married on March 31, 1951, at Sacred Heart Church in Baileyville.

Their children and their spouses are: Jean and Jim Heinen, Axtell; Joyce and Dennis Henry, Seneca; Margie and Kent Heinen, Seneca; Marion and Brenda Haug, Seneca; Mary and Roger Strathman, Baileyville; and Patty and Keith Haverkamp, Seneca.

A son, Joseph Haug, is deceased. They also have 21 grandchildren and 14 greatgrandchildren.

Leavenworth — All University of Saint Mary friends and benefactors are invited to support student scholarships and attend SpireFest, the university’s single biggest annual scholarship fundraiser, at 5 p.m. on April 16 in McGilley Field House on USM’s main campus here, at 4100 S. 4th St. The 2011 edition of SpireFest will continue the theme debuted at last year’s event —“Saint Mary Has Talent,” a competition that will both entertain and shine the spotlight on local performers.

The gala also includes cocktails and dinner along with the talent show. Attendees can vote for their favorite acts and help fund much-needed and much-appreciated scholarships in the process. Tickets are $100 per person or $1,000 for a table of 10. For tickets, call (913) 758-6137 or go to the Web site at: www.stmary.edu/ spirefest.

Tom and Therese Tomasic, members of St. John the Baptist Parish in Kansas City, Kan., will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with a party hosted by their children on March 26 at St. John’s Hall. The couple was married on March 31, 1951, at St. Peter Church, Kansas City, Kan. Their children and their spouses are: Tom Jr. and Denise Tomasic, and Lauren Raphel. They also have three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

One-person play to explore end-of-life themes Leaven photo by Elaina Cochran

everybody’s irish on st. paddy’s day

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann takes part in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Topeka on March 7. The archbishop shared a ride with Father Bill Bruning, pastor of Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Topeka.

Open house art exhibit set for April 1 at Savior Pastoral Center KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Religious-themed oil paintings by Jason Jenicke, a Kansas City, Kan., native now living in Kentucky, will be featured at a First Friday exhibit on April 1 from 5-9 p.m. at Savior Pastoral Center here.

“Jason Jenicke’s work is a perfect example of an artist who uses his talents to glorify God and to pass on the faith,” said

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann.

The open house exhibit will include hors d’oeuvres and beverages. The exhibit will be on display during business hours through the end of June.

Jenicke earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Kansas in 2001, where he became involved in the

St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, attending daily Mass and classes to deepen his knowledge and understanding of Catholicism.

The exhibit of Jenicke’s work is sponsored by the Catholic Fine Arts Council, formed in May 2009 by the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas.

leavenworth — Marillac Center here will host “Deep Listening,” an engaging, one-person play that uses stories, gentle humor and simple songs to explore the reality of “looking death in the face.” The performance will take place on April 16 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the O’Shea Conference Center on the campus of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, at 4200 S. 4th St. Lisa Wagner-Carollo, founder and director of Still Point Theatre Collective, a company that combines her interests in ministry and theater, will give the performance.

A freewill offering will be collected.

To attend, call (913) 758-6552 or send an e-mail to: retreats@scls.org.

She’s off

Above, Sister Patricia Johannsen, SCL, held her hands open and arms extended to receive the blessings of Sisters, associates, family and friends gathered in Ross Chapel of the Sisters of Charity convent in Leavenworth for a sending ceremony on March 20.

Sister Patricia will leave for Southern Sudan in mid-April and will be on mission there for three years, training teachers.

Anniversary policy

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

Sister Patricia received the mission cross from Sister Eileen Hurley (right), SCL councilor, during the sending ceremony.

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Father Greg Hammes, associate pastor of Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood, barrels through a sea of Serra AllStars on his way to making a tough basket.

Young ref

Ryan Vanice, a first-grader at St. Ann School, Prairie Village, gives his grandpa Dave Dover a hand with the referee duties.

few passes to priests during game play — although there is no video evidence to prove the allegations.

At halftime, several items were auctioned off, including a Camp Tekakwitha session, two Bishop Miege basketball camp sessions, a KU banner signed by Danny Manning, KU framed art with Bill Self’s autograph, and a framed autographed photo of Marcus Morris.

The Nigro Brothers conducted the auction and donated several books on Rome.

The money raised from the auction and donations helps seminarians with their expenses.

The next Runnin’ Revs game will be held April 25 at Hayden High School in Topeka.

s d-Fence

s

Father Scott Wallisch, associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee, works some tough defense on Nathaniel Mack, of St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

you stink

Father Mike Mullen, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Kansas City, Kan., gets razzed by referee Dave Staudenmyer on his shooting percentage from the free-throw line.

s Sharpshooter

Serra All-Star Pete McKiernan, of Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kan., takes a shot over the defense of Father Shawn Tunink, associate pastor of Most Pure Heart of Mary, Topeka, while Brother Leven Harton of St. Benedict’s Abbey, and Father Peter Jaramillo, pastor of St. Mary-St. Anthony and Holy Family parishes in Kansas City, Kan., trail the play.

s

Go Revs

Joanie Muehlberger, of St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee, cheers for Father Scott Wallisch and the Runnin’ Revs team as they were announced March 7 at Bishop Miege.

s

T

he Harlem Globetrotters have nothing on the Runnin’ Revs. The Revs, a group of basketball playing priests from the archdiocese, took down the Serra All-Stars by the score of 56-54 on March 7 at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park.

The Revs definitely had God on their side in this annual vocations awareness classic — not to mention a few crooked referees. The All-Stars were informed that fouling or impeding a priest would be a sin they would need to confess before getting back in the game. The refs were also alleged to have deflected a

s

Runnin’ for vocations

Golden voice

Father Andrew Stobl, associate pastor of Prince of Peace Parish in Olathe, serves as the play-byplay announcer for the game.

10 nation

THE LEAVEN • March 25, 2011

Religion, diplomacy essential to each other’s goals WASHINGTON (CNS) — Religious ideas and the people who represent them are indispensable tools in the pursuit of peace, justice and the common good, said the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Miguel Diaz, in an address at The Catholic University of America. Diaz, a theologian who taught at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota before his appointment to the Vatican, said religion needs diplomacy and diplomacy needs religion as each pursues the common good. Making note of “the globalization of God and religion’s growing influence in international politics,” Diaz quoted politicians and a philosopher, and used examples of paintings from the Doge’s Palace in Venice to illustrate his point. The paintings include religious figures such as St. Mark and an Old Testament priest in settings portraying government rulers and the virtues necessary for the common good, he explained. “Diplomatic halls today may not contain the kind of explicit religious and mythological imagery found in places like the Doge’s Palace in Venice,” Diaz said. “But there is no doubt that religious ideas and actors remain indispensable tools in the pursuit of peace and justice and the good that must be commonly constructed.”

Review of Philadelphia grand jury report is ‘Herculean’ WASHINGTON (CNS) — Six days after a scathing grand jury report was released alleging past sexual abuse by clergy and other church personnel in the Philadelphia Archdiocese, attorney Gina Maisto Smith got to work examining reams of archived archdiocesan paperwork. Smith, a former sex crimes prosecutor in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, was hired by the Philadelphia Archdiocese to review personnel files of the 37 priests named in the grand jury’s report.

After an initial review, Smith recommended that Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali place 21 priests on administrative leave. The cases concerned allegations ranging from sexual abuse of a minor to other incidents involving what the archdiocese termed “boundary issues” — discussions or behavior by a clergyman that might indicate a pattern leading to later abuse. The priests’ placement on leave is not a final determination, according to the archdiocesan communications office. Smith told Catholic News Service from Philadelphia’s archdiocesan offices that the large number of cases she reviewed in a short period of time was a “Herculean effort” only possible through the support of archdiocesan officials who made sure she had access to everything she needed — every file, folder and document.

THE LEAVEN • march 25, 2011

Irish church: down in numbers, but still vibrant

Arizona Senate rejects immigration crackdown

By J.D. Long-Garcia

Catholic News Service

PHOENIX (CNS) — The Arizona Senate voted down five immigration bills March 17 that proponents argued would crack down on illegal immigration even further than last year’s S.B. 1070, which is still hung up by court challenges.

Meanwhile, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert March 15 signed a series of bills that have been described as a state equivalent of comprehensive immigration reform being sought at the national level.

They step up enforcement, but also create a guest worker program that itself is likely to face court challenges.

Among the bills Arizona’s legislators rejected were those that would have required hospitals to verify patients’ legal status before admitting them for nonemergency care, required schools to collect data on immigration status and challenged the 14th Amendment’s provision for birthright citizenship.

“All of the most problematic bills were defeated soundly on the Senate floor,” said Ron Johnson, executive director of the Arizona Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s bishops in public policy matters.

“Clearly we have significant immigration problems facing this country, but these bills do nothing to solve them,” he said. “They actually make things worse for a vulnerable population.”

After the vote, Republican State Sen. Rich Crandall explained his opposition to the bills.

“If you ask anybody what we need to do solve the immigration crisis, they tell you, ‘Secure the border,’” he said. “Well, these five bills had nothing to do with the border.”

State Sen. Ron Gould, a Republican and sponsor of the two bills that dealt with birthright citizenship, said the next step is to take the measures to a ballot proposal.

“We’re supposed to be representing the people,” he said.

In Utah, Salt Lake City Bishop John C. Wester lauded the efforts “to adopt humane solutions in the face of the federal government’s failure to act on immigration reform.” He particularly praised Herbert’s willingness to sign immigration bills despite extreme opposition, but said he feared the bills would be unenforceable and unconstitutional.

“While I commend the Utah

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A few dozen protesters rally against proposed legislation dealing with illegal immigration March 17 outside the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix. Senators voted down five proposed bills, including one so-called “birthright” measure that took aim at automatic citizenship for children of illegal immigrants born in the U.S. Legislature for recognizing the value immigrant workers provide to our state and the need to provide legal status for the workers and their families, legal status may only be granted by the federal government,” the bishop said in statement. “One may hope that Utah’s political strategy of passing a law first and seeking federal approval after will be successful. However, on a human level, this political strategy poses severe risks for vulnerable immigrants within our state.”

For example, Bishop Wester said, different effective dates of the laws mean that “for the next two years undocumented immigrants will be pushed further into the shadows while awaiting a chance for legal status.”

He reiterated the position of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the National Immigration Law Center and others that “piecemeal immigration reform at a state level does not and cannot adequately address the needs of those who seek to live with basic human dignity and respect within our borders.”

In both Arizona and Utah, demonstrators for and against the immigration legislation gathered outside the state’s respective Capitols.

In the Arizona group was Faustino Santiago, a parishioner at St. Anne Parish in Gilbert, who questioned the bill that would have required schools to

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get immigration information. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1982 that lack of legal immigration status may not be used to prevent children from getting an education at public schools through the level of high school.

“Taking away children’s education is the worst,” Santiago told The Catholic Sun, newspaper of the Phoenix Diocese. “I don’t understand it. This country is powerful precisely because of its education.”

Santiago said he agreed with the U.S. bishops; meaningful immigration reform had to happen on the national level. Members of his parish are anxious, he said, and not just those in the state illegally.

“Even if you’re not undocumented, you know someone who is,” he said. “It’s been hard on the entire community.”

Kathryn Kobor, one of a handful of supporters of the restrictive bills, said she backed the measures because “it’s a matter of public safety.”

“It’s just plain common sense,” she said. “You can’t have that many people come in.”

One interdenominational group had been holding a vigil outside the Arizona Capitol for the past 18 days. Despite having Protestant members, the group gathered around images of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

After the bills were voted down, she said the group would continue to pray, though perhaps at a different location.

EVACUEES FILL GYMNASIUM FLOOR — Evacuees fill the floor of a gymnasium in Yamagata, Japan, March 18. Residents from the vicinity of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant were being sheltered at the gym, as officials and workers struggled to contain a worsening situation at the badlydamaged nuclear facility.

Japanese bishops set up center for operations in Sendai ROME (CNS) — Japanese church officials are setting up an emergency center to coordinate humanitarian aid operations in Sendai, the area most devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Bishop Martin Tetsuo Hiraga of Sendai and the diocesan chancellor, Father Peter Shiro Komatsu will be the director and vice director of the center, and a Caritas worker will be stationed there to coordinate aid work, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. Clergy and laypeople from other dioceses may also join the work.

The center is expected to operate for six months, UCA News reported.

Father Komatsu said gasoline is the most needed commodity.

“Since there is shortage of petroleum and roads are blocked by debris, we have difficulties [reaching] affected areas outside Sendai city,” he said.

Father Komatsu said March 17 that he had begun contacting several downtown parishes to find rooms for the displaced quake victims and added that the church might offer shelter to relief workers.

The diocese had not yet received information about the coastal churches

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due to disrupted telecommunications.

Father Daisuke Narui, executive director of Caritas Japan, also attended the mid-March meeting.

“The biggest buildings in Sendai withstood the very strong earthquake.

The greatest damage was caused by the tsunami. The panorama of destruction is striking. Now we’ll have to roll up our shirt sleeves. People are expecting our help,” he said.

Father Narui said he was encouraged by the enthusiasm of Japanese youth offering to help the displaced.

“Young people are continually coming to Caritas from all the dioceses to offer their availability as volunteers to bring aid to the areas most affected by the disaster,” the priest told Fides, news agency of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. “This is an important sign that gives us hope for the future.”

“Today the dominant feeling is fear,” Father Narui said. “The biggest concern is that of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. It is a ghost from Japanese history coming back to haunt us. But it must be said that the people are not indulging in panic; instead, they are reacting with poise and dignity.”

DUBLIN (CNS) — While the Irish Catholic Church might not be as numerically strong as it was in the past, there is still a great vibrancy in Irish Catholicism, said Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin.

“The church is not on the way to extinction. It is carrying out a vital role in society,” he said March 15 at a seminar on church-state relations.

“It is easy to point to areas where the church failed its people, failed society, failed its mission and, sadly, failed its most vulnerable . . . but the balance of the activity of the church in Irish society is one where the message of Jesus produced goodness and care and deep reflection on the meaning of life and of society,” he said.

“Alongside its failures, the church over the years has never been absent from the most alienated sectors of society,” he added.

In the political sphere, he said, the church does not have all the answers, but Catholics “cannot simply adopt politically correct positions.”

While not referring directly to the new Irish government’s plan to hold a constitutional convention to bring forward legislation on same-sex marriage, the archbishop said that marriage between a man and a woman is “a fundamental good in society” and deserves protection. He said “constitutions should be and must be changed to address challenges in society, but not at every whim.”

Underlining the need for renewal in his Dublin Archdiocese — Ireland’s largest with about 1.1 million Catholics and almost 1,500 priests — he said “a renewal of structures alone would be sterile.”

He said in the midst of shock and shame about the clerical abuse scandals “the church is robust.”

“Parish communities are renewing themselves. Priests are carrying out their ministry with enthusiasm in difficult times. Laypeople are taking their part in the structures of the church,” he said. “All of this should not be forgotten.”

world 11

Iraqi archbishop speaks of ‘near-genocide conditions’ DUNDALK, Ireland (CNS) — An Iraqi archbishop spoke of “near-genocide conditions” for Christians in his country and said those fleeing violence were straining resources in other parts of the country. Archbishop Bashar Warda of Irbil, Iraq, said part of the problem was the country’s “weak constitution, which tries to please two masters.”

He said March 16 at a news conference sponsored by the Catholic charitable agency Aid to the Church in Need: “We are living in a region which cannot decide if it is for democracy or Islamic law.” The conference, at a pastoral center for the Archdiocese of Armagh, Northern Ireland, was to present the agency’s new report on persecuted and forgotten Christians. Archbishop Warda criticized “neighboring governments feeding insurgents with money and weapons to destabilize the Iraqi government” and said the rest of the world’s governments had “turned their backs on us, as if the human rights abuses and near-genocide conditions Iraqi Christians experience are temporary.”

Archbishop Warda said that since the U.S.led occupation of his country began in 2003, more than 500 Christians had been killed in religious and politically motivated violence.

Priest leads grass-roots effort to stop child abuse, pornography VATICAN CITY (CNS) — For 20 years, Father Fortunato Di Noto and his colleagues have been working to protect children from pedophiles and pornographers. The fact that some church leaders have protected abusers makes Father Di Noto very angry. “Woe, woe, woe to those who cover up these things. When God cries for these children, a church that covered up these facts will not be able to stand,” he told reporters March 16. The Sicilian priest is the founder of Meter, an association that began in his parish in Catania after an 11-year-old girl was attacked and other children came forward with stories of abuse. Meter is now a nationwide organization that staffs a telephone hotline for reporting child sex abuse and child pornography and operates several centers where concerned parents and victims of abuse can receive counseling and assistance. Father Di Noto said his group is interested in uncovering and stopping abuse wherever it happens, and he believes Meter is just one local example of how the Catholic Church as a whole is taking child sexual abuse seriously as both a sin and a crime. “I know a few bishops have mishandled some cases, but this has not compromised the entire church,” he said.

12 CLASSIFIEDS Employment Wyandotte Pregnancy Clinic - Is seeking to fill the following paid positions immediately: licensed sonographer, part time, 8 hours per week; data entry, part time, 16 hours per week; administration/client services, afternoons and Fri. until noon, 20 hours per week. These positions will play an important role in helping our clients choose life for their unborn child instead of abortion. Join the excitement in making a difference for the life of the unborn and their mothers. For information or to apply, call Donna at (913) 287-8287 or send an e-mail to her at: dkelsey@ wpcnetwork.org.

Youth minister - The tri-parishes of St. Philip Neri in Osawatomie, Sacred Heart in Mound City, and Our Lady of Lourdes in LaCygne are seeking a youth minister to develop a comprehensive program that empowers and motivates the youth of the parishes. Must be an active, practicing Catholic; have knowledge of Catholic teaching, a strong work ethic and good communication skills. Part-time position; competitive salary. Mail resume with two references

by April 15 to: Father Regie Saldanha, P.O. Box 4, Osawatomie, KS 66064 or send, via e-mail, to: frregie@stphilipnerioz.org.

Principal - Archbishop O’Hara High School, located in Kansas City, Mo., has provided quality Catholic education since 1965. The school currently enrolls 400 students and is seeking an enthusiastic and visionary Catholic school principal to guide our high school program. The ideal candidate should show a strong ability to communicate well with staff, students and parents; possess marketing and recruitment skills; and have a collaborative leadership style.

The qualified candidate must be an active, practicing Catholic in good standing with the church; have a minimum of 3 years teaching experience; a master’s degree in education, administration or a related field; and an administrative certificate from the state of Missouri (or the ability to obtain one). Applications are available by contacting the diocesan school office at (816) 756-1858 ext. 274, or on the Web site at: http://jobs.diocese-kcsj.org/jobs/?cid=4&jid=118. Application deadline is April 8.

Business office manager - 170-bed, non profit, long term care facility is seeking a business office manager with at least three years experience in LTC billing. Experience in Medicare billing is a must.

Financial and supervisory experience a plus. Fax resume to Villa St. Francis at (913) 829-5399 or call (913) 747- 0283 for information. EOE. Financial representative - Due to the success and growth of the Knights of Columbus, we are adding financial representatives in the Kansas City area.

This position is ideal for a determined, high-energy, high-expectation, professional, self-disciplined, independent individual desiring to serve others, yet earn a better-than-average income. We provide top-rated financial products to our members and their families and will provide excellent benefits and training. For information or an interview, contact John A. Mahon, 307 Dakota, Holton KS 66436; or call (785) 364-5450.

Services Career preparation services - Is your college graduate having trouble landing their first job? We can help! Resume critiques, mock interviews, and more from a real-world hiring manager. Call (913) 850-3874; send an e-mail to: scain@standoutcareer services.com; or visit the Web site at: www.standout careerservices.com.

Need help with QuickBooks®? - I provide setup, customization, and maintenance; quarterly and/ or yearly accounting; and support for your certified public accountant. I can help with balancing monthly statements and providing profit and expense tracking. Call Ann at Evans Consulting LLC at (913) 4069778 or send an e-mail to: Annevans401@gmail.com.

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

Housecleaning - Old-fashioned hand mopping and more. A thorough and consistent job every time.

References from customers I’ve served for over 17 years. I have a few openings. Call Sharon at (816) 3220006 (home) or (816) 214-0156 (mobile).

Medical supplies and equipment - Home from the hospital and needing supplies and equipment? KC Home Medical Supply has what you need. Come see our retail store, or call Ed at (913) 385-2020.

THE LEAVEN • MARCH 25, 2011 Housecleaning - Do you need a reliable, thorough and honest housecleaner? I offer reasonable rates, 10+ years experience, a flexible schedule and references. Member of the Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish, Overland Park. Call Kim at (913) 832-2589.

Bankruptcy - When debt becomes overwhelming, seek professional help. Experienced, compassionate Catholic attorney Teresa Kidd. For a confidential, no obligation consultation, call (913) 422-0610; or send an e-mail to: tkidd@kc.rr.com.

Machine quilting - by Jenell Noeth, Basehor.

Also, quilts made to order. Call (913) 724-1837.

Lawn Care Mowing * spring clean-ups * fertilizing Free estimates Insured, excellent references Call Tony at (913) 620-6063 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.

Foley’s Lawn Care Mowing Landscape maintenance Spring & Fall cleanups Residential & commercial Free estimates www.foleyslawncare.com (913) 825-4353 Serving Johnson County

Caregiving Caregiver - Catholic lady with over 30 years experience has availability for elderly care. Excellent references. Johnson County area. Call (913) 579-8914.

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 and based in Lenexa. Call Benefits of Home-Senior Care at (913) 422-1591 or visit our Web site at: 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, Sara or Gary.

Home Improvement Tim the handyman - Small jobs are my specialty! Faucets, garbage disposals, toilets, light fixtures, ceiling fans, handrails, window screen repair, bush trimming and garden tilling. Free estimates.

JoCo only. Call (913) 859-0471.

Wood treatment and refinishing - We strip, refinish and treat woodwork. Restoration of pews, altars, stairways, cabinets, desks, paneling and more.

Work in churches, homes and businesses. Insured and guaranteed. Family owned. Call (816) 241-1900.

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.

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.

Woodbright - A very affordable alternative to refinishing, refacing or replacing stained cabinets and woodwork. The average kitchen only costs $500. 18 years experience. Call Woodbright at (913) 940-3020.

Clutter getting you down? Organize, fix, assemble, clean . . . we do it all! For a free consultation, call your professional organizing handyman, Kevin Hogan, M Ed, today at (913) 271-5055. Insured; references. Visit the Web site at: www.koatindustries.com.

Roof repair or replace – Insurance work welcome. Free inspection. Quality work; reasonable rates. Call (913) 206-4524.

THE LEAVEN • MARCH 25, 2011 Electrician - Free estimates; reasonable rates.

JoCo and south KC metro. Call Pat at (913) 963-9896.

Real Estate

Clutter problems? Embarrassing garage, basement, attic or any room? Let me help you get organized! Items sorted, grouped, boxed and labeled; areas clean when finished. Great references and insured. Twenty years experience! Handyman repairs also available. To view “before” and “after” pictures, visit my Web site at: www.swalms.com. Tillar Swalm (913) 375-9115.

Prairie Village - 4404 W. 94th St. Open March 27 from 1 - 3 p.m. True 5 BR, 3 BA perfectly maintained home. Large bedrooms and built-ins throughout. Great lot, side-entry, two-car garage, and many updates.

Kenilworth subdivision. Curé of Ars Parish. $325,000.

Collette Fultz, Reece & Nichols, (913) 205-8225.

The Drywall Doctor, Inc. - A unique solution to your drywall problems! We fix all types of ceiling and wall damage — from water stains and stress cracks to texture repairs and skim coating. We provide professional, timely repairs and leave the job site clean!

Lead-certified and insured! Serving the metro since 1997. Call (913) 768-6655.

EL SOL Y LA TIERRA *Commercial & residential * Lawn renovation* Mowing * Clean-up and hauling * Dirt grading/installation * Landscape design * Free estimates Hablamos y escribimos Ingles!!

Call Lupe at (816) 252-3376 STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Call for free estimates. Cell: (913) 579-1835; phone: (913) 491-5837; e-mail: smokey cabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

Thanks to all my customers for a great fall!

We’re looking for indoor work. We can do bathroom, kitchen, and basement remodeling. Includes floors, cabinets, doors, windows, sheetrock, painting, and wood rot. You name it – we can do it; just ask. We’re reasonably priced and fully insured. Call Josh at (913) 709-7230.

Interior painting, tiling, kitchen, bath and basement remodeling – 20 years experience. Excellent references. Quality work at a reasonable price.

Call Rob at (913) 206-4524.

Olathe - 1541 W. Loula. Darling 3 BR, 2-1/2 BA, twocar-garage home located in west Olathe. Crown molding throughout; all bedrooms have walk-in closets; huge pantry, spacious kitchen; two-story family room; newer frieze carpet, many newer windows; deck; fenced yard with six-foot privacy fence; storage shed; great colors inside. St. Paul Parish. $165,000. Collette Fultz, Reece & Nichols, (913) 205-8225.

Westwood home - Updated and energy efficient.

3 BR, 1 BA, new kitchen with GE appliances and granite, bath, siding, windows, HVAC, tankless hot water heater.

Full basement. 4716 Adams St. Near KU Medical Center, the JO bus route, and St. Agnes Parish. Call (913) 4492201.

Overland Park home - 3 BR, 3 BA, maintenancefree ranch near 135th and Quivira. $280,000. For information, call Nestor Zuluaga with Remax Realty Suburban, at (816) 728-1213.

For Rent

Lake Wabaunsee home - Available June and July.

Seeking a retired or semi-retired couple to rent our beautiful home, right on the water in the gorgeous Flint Hills, only 45 minutes from Topeka. 2 BR, 3 BA on three levels with extra kitchen and family room on walkout level. Fully furnished. Located on deep water with excellent fishing. References needed. No smokers; pets negotiable. Call (785) 449-2181.

For Sale Max’s Rosaries - Custom-made locally for all occasions – baptism, first Communion, confirmation and graduation. Rosary bracelets and beaded earrings too.

Repairs also. Member of the Church of the Ascension, Overland Park. Call (913) 839-3106.

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.

Two burial plots – At Mount Calvary Cemetery, Kansas City, Kan. Next to the road on high ground; two concrete vaults and openings included. Lot 248; section 11; spaces 7 & 8. Call Bill at (913) 724-2753.

Vacation Lake house - On the Gravois arm of the Lake of the Ozarks. 2 BR, 2 BA, screened-in porch; on a large, gently sloped lake lot with a great view and dock. $550/per week rental with two-week minimum. For information or pictures, call John or Pam at (913) 764-9480 or send an e-mail to: pkbrulez@gmail.com.

Colorado ski vacation - Winter Park. 2 BR, sleeps 6. Fully furnished, fireplace, rec. center with pool & hot tub. Bus to ski area. $125/night; $700/ week. Call Joe Frederick at (913) 385-5589.

Lake of the Ozarks rental - Osage Beach; million-dollar view; fully furnished; 2 BR, 2 BA; sleeps six. No smoking, no pets. For special rates or pictures, call Steve or Sheryl Roederer at (913) 244-2022.

Ski cabin in Winter Park, Colo. – 2 BR, 1 BA, on free ski shuttle route. $110/night. Call (913) 642-3027. For pictures, visit the Web site at: www.tillmancabin.com.

Take a trip to Italy with Father Jerry Volz!

This 10-day excursion includes: nine nights of firstclass hotel accommodations, select meals, a tour of Vatican City and an audience with the pope, the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, an excursion to Naples and the Isle of Capri, Sunday Mass at Montecassino and much more. The trip runs from June 13 - 23. For information, visit the Web site at: www.saintmatthews.org or call Father Jerry at (785) 232-5012.

26

The annual Greenway auction, a benefit for Xavier Elementary and Immaculata High School, will be held on March 26 in the McGilley Field House on the campus of the University of Saint Mary, Leavenworth. There will be a dinner, live and silent auctions, and live music. For information or to purchase tickets, call (913) 682-7801 or visit the Web site at: www.greenwayauction.org.

The charter presentation for the newest Serra Club for the state of Kansas will be held on March 26 at St. Benedict’s Abbey church, Atchison.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will celebrate Mass at 11:30 a.m. There will be an installation of officers and an induction of charter members ceremony. A lunch will follow at the abbey. For information on joining Serra or to RSVP, call Tim or Susan Draftz at (913) 367-2227.

Lenexa duplex - 3 BR, 1-1/2 BA, fireplace, hardwood floors, dine-in kitchen and deck. One-year lease. $825 per month. For an appointment, call (913) 7686447.

Interior and exterior painting and wallpaper removal - 30-plus years experience. Quality work; excellent references; reasonable rates. Senior discount. Member of St. Ann Parish, Prairie Village. Call Joe at (913) 620-5776.

Adept Home Improvements Where quality still counts!

Basement finishing, Kitchens and baths, Electrical and plumbing, Licensed and insured.

(913) 599-7998

March April

Residential lifts - Buy/sell/trade. Stair lifts, porch lifts, ceiling lifts and elevators. Recycled and new equipment. Member of St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood. Call Silver Cross KC at (913) 327-5557.

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*** I buy coins, older watches, silverware, slot machines, old rifles and shotguns, stoneware crocks and jugs, old furniture from basement or attic.

Call Chris at (913) 593-7507 or (913) 642-8269

Childcare Summer nanny available - Catholic, collegebound St. Teresa Academy graduate is seeking to nanny full time this summer in the Overland Park or Leawood area. Has reliable transportation and references. Call or text Alexa Fowlkes at (816) 813-4603.

Misc.

Donate a vehicle. Make a difference. Donate your vehicle to Catholic Charities to support those in need. Your tax-deductible donation of a vehicle helps children and families served by Catholic Charities and is an environmentally wise way to recycle your vehicle.

Cars for KC Kids is a partnership between Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and Catholic Charities of Kansas City - St. Joseph. Call 1 (866) 430-9499 or visit the Web site at: www.cars4kckids.com.

A healing Mass in honor of St. Peregrine, patron of those suffering from cancer or other serious illnesses, will be celebrated at 9 a.m. on March 26 at Holy Spirit Church, 11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park. The sacrament of the anointing of the sick will be offered. There will be special devotions and a blessing with a first-class relic of St. Peregrine. For information, contact the parish office at (913) 492-7318 or Marge Hattrup at (913) 492-7682.

27

The Daughters of Isabella, Little Flower Circle No. 503, will host a covered-dish luncheon at noon on March 27 at Rossiter Hall, 204 S.W. 8th St., Topeka. A business meeting will follow.

28 The Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will

offer “Cleaning and De-cluttering,” a presentation by Chiquita Miller of the K-State Extension, from 2 - 3:30 p.m. on March 28. Learn how to make spring cleaning projects easier. For information or to register, call (913) 906-8990 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb. org/kwc.

29

Advice and Aid Pregnancy Centers, Inc., is seeking volunteers. A volunteer information meeting will be held from 7 - 9 p.m. on March 29 at 11031 W. 75th Terr., Shawnee. For information or to RSVP, contact Mary Newcomer at (913) 962-0200 or send and e-mail to: volunteer@adviceandaid.com.

1

Savior Pastoral Center, 12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kan., will host its First Friday exhibit from 5 - 9 p.m. on April 1, featuring religiousthemed oil paintings by Jason Jenicke, a Kansas City native now living in Kentucky. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served. The exhibit will be on display through June.

Sophia Center, 751 S. 8th St., Atchison, will offer a one-day retreat entitled “A Discerning Heart: Paying Attention to God” from 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. on April 1, presented by Sister Maureen Conroy, RSM. For information or to register, call (913) 360-6151 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb.org/sophia.html.

1-3

Sophia Center, 751 S. 8th St., Atchison, will host a retreat entitled “Three Experiences of Darkness: Spiritual Desolation, The Dark Night, and Depression,” presented by Sister Maureen Conroy, RSM, from 7 p.m. on April 1 until 3:30 p.m. on April 3. This retreat will be very helpful for spiritual directors, pastoral ministers, therapists and health care practitioners. For information or to register, call (913) 360-6151 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb.org/sophia. html.

The Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) lay formation group will host a Lenten retreat from 6 p.m. on April 1 until noon on April 3 at the Franciscan Prayer Center, 2100 Noland Rd., Independence, Mo. For information or to register, call (913) 626-2123 or (913) 220-0610.

2

The 15th annual joint diocesan healing Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on April 2 at Curé of Ars Church, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood. Bishop Robert Finn, Bishop Emeritus Raymond Boland, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher will concelebrate. The sacrament of the anointing of the sick will be administered. Those wishing to receive the sacrament are asked to preregister by calling (913) 649-3260; leave the correct spelling of your name. The church is handicap accessible.

Sanctuary of Hope, 2601 Ridge Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will host “Listening to God through Our Dreams,” a one-day retreat presented by Sister Antonella Bayer, CSJ, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on April 2. The cost is $20. For information or to register, call (913) 321-4673 or send an e-mail to: julie@sanctuaryofhope.org.

2-3

The Ignatian Spirituality Center of Kansas City will host “The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Daily Spiritual Living,” a two-day workshop presented by Father Timothy

Gallagher, OMV, from April 2 - 3 on the Rockhurst University campus. The cost for the workshop is $125. Reservations are required by March 28. For information or to register, visit the Web site at: www.ignatiancenterkc.org, or send an email to: info@ignatiancenterkc.org.

5

The Atchison Region Serra Club will meet from 7 - 8:30 p.m. on April 5 in the ACES chapel. The evening will begin with Mass dedicated to praying for vocations. For information, call Tim or Susan at (913) 367-2227.

5&7

Donnelly College, 608 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kan., will offer “Financial Goals for Financial Success” from 10:40 - 11:40 a.m. on April 5 and “Budgeting: Life’s Balancing Act” from 10:40 - 11:40 a.m. on April 7. Both financial programs are free and open to the public.

7 The Sophia Center, 751 S. 8th St., Atchison, will offer “The 19th Amend-

ment: What Women Went Through to Gain the Right to Vote,” a presentation on women’s suffrage by Sister Cecilia Olson, from 1 - 4 p.m. on April 7. Learn about the struggles these valiant women went through to gain the right to vote.

For information or to register, call (913) 360-6151 or visit the Web site at: www. mountosb.org/sophia.html.

The Altar and Rosary Society of St. Agnes Parish, 5250 Mission Rd., Roeland Park, will host its annual card party and luncheon on April 7 in the parish center.

The doors will open at 10 a.m.; lunch will be served at noon. The cost is $10 per person. To RSVP by April 1, call Margot at (913) 831-9588.

8-10

The Daughters of Isabella will host their 10th biennial convention from April 8 - 10 at the Ramada Inn, 420 S.E. 6th Ave., Topeka. The theme is “Embracing Our Sisterhood in the Light of Faith, Hope and of Holy Love.”

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will be the guest speaker at the banquet on Saturday evening. For information or to register, call Debbie Kurtz at (785) 331-9359 or Betty Little at (785) 286-0486.

9

Members of Mary Health of the Sick Guild of the Sisters, Servants of Mary will host a retreat day, beginning at 10 a.m. on April 9, at the convent, located at 800 N. 18th St. in Kansas City, Kan. The day will include a talk by Father Joseph Arsenault, silent adoration, lunch, the sacrament of reconciliation and Mass at 3:30 p.m. Beverages will be provided; guild members are asked to bring their own lunch.

CALENDAR 13

10

Bishop Ward High School, 708 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kan., will host its annual hall of fame induction celebration and dinner on April 10 at the school. A reception will begin at 4:30 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony at 5:15 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m.

To RSVP by March 31, call Amy Nelson at (913) 371-6901 or visit the Web site at: www.wardhigh.org/halloffame.

16

The University of Saint Mary, 4100 S. 4th St., Leavenworth, will host its annual SpireFest, a scholarship fundraiser, at 5 p.m. on April 16 in McGilley Field House. Tickets cost $100 per person. For information or to purchase tickets, call (913) 758-6137 or visit the Web site at: www.stmary.edu/spirefest.

Misc.

The annual Jared and Matty 3-on-3 coed basketball tournament will be held from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on April 30 at Rockhurst High School, 9301 State Line Rd., Kansas City, Mo., The cost is $60 per team. For information or preregistration materials, call (913) 2449725; send an e-mail to: jriordan@prukc. com; or visit the Web site at: http:// kcatholicchallenge.com.

The Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., offers personalized spiritual direction.

Spend time in prayer and reflection with other women. Individual monthly appointments are available. All offerings are free; donations are accepted.

For information or to register, call (913) 906-8990 or visit the Web site at: www. mountosb.org/kwc.

A support group for women dealing with any type of addiction, at any stage of recovery, will meet from 6 - 7 p.m. on Tuesday evenings at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan. For information or to register, call (913) 906-8990 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb.org/kwc.

The Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., offers free massage therapy from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Thursdays and from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. every third Monday of the month.

Experience the healing of body and spirit that can come from a professional massage therapist. For information or to schedule an appointment, call (913) 906-8990 or visit the Web site at: www. mountosb.org/kwc.

Calendar items must be received nine days before the publication date. E-mail submissions are preferred; send to: jennifer@ theleaven.com. Submissions may be mailed to: 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109.

14 COMMENTARY

THE LEAVEN • March 25, 2011

THE LEAVEN • march 25, 2011

Mark my words

Catholic Press Association Award Winner 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Quote Week

of the

“The fruits from this system have been unbelievable for our family. So if somebody else gets to share that, that’s great.”

Stacy Govea, cocreator of the faith-based parenting system 10-20-30Go! See story on page 1

I

Do unto others

Don’t knock the disciplines of Lent

have a knack for finding the best stories . . . after I need them! Take this one, which would have been great for last Sunday’s Gospel about the Transfiguration:

Once there was a nurse who worked on a pediatric floor. To put the kids at ease before listening to their chests, she would plug the stethoscope into their ears and let them listen to their own hearts. Their eyes would always light up with awe, but she never got a response equal to that of four-year-old David.

After she gently tucked the stethoscope into his ears, she placed the disk over his heart.

“Listen,” she said. “What do you suppose that is?”

David drew his eyebrows together in a puzzled line and looked up as if lost in the mystery of the strange “tap-tap-tapping” deep in his chest.

Then his face broke out in a wondrous grin and he asked, “Hey, is that Jesus knocking?” (Adapted from an e-mail; no author was cited for the story.)

Last Sunday’s Gospel reminded us of the transfiguration of Jesus, when he took Peter, James and John with him up a mountain. There, as he’s talking with Moses and Elijah, these disciples get a momentary glimpse of who Jesus really is: the Son of God. In a sense, Jesus opened the door of his heart to his disciples.

While this was meant to strengthen their faith and prepare them for Jesus’ eventual death, there are other lessons to be learned from the transfiguration as well.

By virtue of our baptism, we all have God dwelling within us, a spark of the divine. However, sin obscures that spark

and prevents it from being seen. Lent is the time for clearing out whatever is blocking the Light. That’s where the three traditional disciplines of Lent come in — prayer, fasting and almsgiving, or doing good for others.

At the transfiguration, the voice from the cloud tells the disciples to “listen” to Jesus. That makes sense, because you can’t come to know someone without really listening. Especially during Lent, give Jesus a chance to talk to you, rather than monopolizing the conversation. I often put my folded hands right up to my lips as a not-so-subtle reminder to be quiet before God and just listen.

The next discipline for Lent is fasting.

Like most people, I start Lent with the best of intentions on Ash Wednesday. But Lent is more than just a day; it’s a season.

And that’s where it gets really tough: to live out my resolutions, no matter the cost. Fasting always forces me to confront my heart, which wants to rationalize away any difficult sacrifice.

Let me give you an example: One of my Lenten resolutions is to watch one hour of TV a day. I did great on Ash Wednesday, but then came Thursday, when some of my favorite shows are on.

Let the rationalization begin. I started to question just what “an hour” means.

Surely, watching the news doesn’t count; “the hour” should just deal with shows I enjoy. (And there’s no way that the news is a fun experience.) What about shows I’ve recorded? If I zip through the

commercials, that should only count as maybe 45 or 50 minutes of “actual show,” thus giving me an additional 10 or 15 minutes to play with. And by “one hour” didn’t I really intend to say “one show”?

That would then make it OK to watch an entire movie or basketball game and still be faithful to my Lenten promise. Naturally, “TV” does not include watching shows on the computer, right? Happily, with God’s grace, I’ve let common sense prevail and have come to the conclusion that one hour means one hour. Period.

No hedging!

Fasting from something obviously frees us for something else. That’s where that last Lenten discipline of almsgiving comes in. My “less TV” time now gives me the opportunity to write notes to others, do spiritual reading, call neglected friends or have a meal out with them, chat with neighbors, clean out clutter and donate items to others, etc.

In a nutshell, then, prayer helps us to listen to God; fasting clears away the debris that weighs us down and obscures the spark of God within us; and almsgiving lets Christ’s love and care be experienced by those in need around us. It gives us a glimpse, too, of what our true nature is: We’re called to be saints, reflecting Christ’s bright light into the world.

Take a little bit of time this week to reflect on (or make!) your Lenten resolutions. How are you doing? Have you given up on them or rationalized them to the point of ineffectiveness? Take a few moments right now to quiet yourself and simply listen to your heart. Become aware of that familiar and distinctive “tap-tap-tapping.”

And, taking a cue from little David, let’s recognize that sound for what it truly is: Jesus knocking, reminding us of how close he is to us . . . and asking to be let out into the world.

second thoughts on the second reading Third week of lent March 27 third sunday of lent Ex 17: 3-7; Ps 95: 1-2, 6-9; Rom 5: 1-2, 5-8; Jn 4: 5-42 March 28 Monday 2 Kgs 5: 1-15b; Pss 42: 2-3; 43: 3-4; Lk 4: 24-30 March 29 Tuesday Dn 3: 25, 34-43; Ps 25: 4-9; Mt 18: 21-35 March 30 Wednesday Dt 4: 1, 5-9; Ps 147: 12-13, 15-16, 19-20; Mt 5: 17-19 March 31 Thursday Jer 7: 23-28; Ps 95: 1-2, 6-9; Lk 11: 14-23 April 1 Friday Hos 14: 2-10; Ps 81: 6c-11b, 14, 17; Mk 12: 28-34 April 2 Francis of Paola, hermit Hos 6: 1-6; Ps 51: 3-4, 18-21b; Lk 18: 9-14

I

Scriptures use water as a metaphor for life

s water the new oil? Some predict that the scarcity of water will eventually supplant the dwindling supply of petroleum in the Middle East as the driving factor in that region’s politics.

At present, control over oil fields in Iraq fuels much of the fighting among the various ethnic groups in that country.

Similarly, the unrest in the Arab world has received the attention of many countries in Europe, primarily because they depend upon the oil third sunday that flows from that of lent part of the globe.

Rom 5: 1-2, 5-8 But that focus may shift as the supply of usable water decreases.

Water has always been a valuable commodity in the Middle East. It can make the desert bloom. It sustains life for human beings and livestock. That is why it has always played such an important role in the culture and imagination of the people who live there. More than anything else, it symbolizes life.

Sunday’s readings focus their attention upon water. The Gospel reading, Jn 4:5-42, offers us Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. The first reading, Ex 17:3-7, tells how Moses struck the rock to provide water for the people of Israel as they journeyed in the desert. And what

about the second reading?

While the second reading does not present us with any direct image of water, it alludes to water in this sentence: “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” God’s love is described as a liquid. Our hearts similarly are described as receptacles to hold that love.

This figure of speech links the second reading to the others.

What are the characteristics of a liquid? It is not rigid, but instead takes the shape of the container that holds it.

Similarly, God’s love adapts itself to the needs and circumstances of the human heart. Furthermore, a liquid tends to permeate any material, as anyone who has had to deal with a leaky roof knows.

It is hard to keep out the rain. Similarly, when we come into contact with God’s love, it is hard to resist. We can soak it up, as a sponge soaks up water.

columnists 15

The phrase “the love of God” is ambiguous. It can mean the love that we have for God or, conversely, the love that God has for us. I take it to mean the love that God has for us, because of the prepositional phrase which modifies it — “through the Holy Spirit” — which indicates that God’s Holy Spirit is acting as the agent. This fits in with the rest of the reading, which emphasizes God’s initiative toward us: “It is precisely in this that God proves his love for us: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God’s love has been poured out into our hearts, because Christ’s blood was poured out for us by his death. A witness of the crucifixion might have described Christ’s blood as dripping from the cross rather than pouring, but the verb “drip” would lessen the event’s meaning.

The verb “pour” accurately reflects the abundance of grace flowing from Christ’s sacrifice. That is why it appears in the account of the institution of the Eucharist: “This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, to be poured out in behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt 26:28).

Father Mike Stubbs is the senior parochial vicar of Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa and has a degree in Scripture from Harvard University.

“G

Is your faith forming your politics?

od created man in his image, in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them” (Gn 1: 27).

If you had to pick a Scripture passage to sum up Catholic social teaching, this would be it (or at least in the top 10). Our fundamental Catholic belief in the innate dignity of the human person stems from God’s revelation that we humans, despite our best efforts to cover it up with our sins, are made in God’s image.

Christ’s revelation of the Trinity tells us more about this image. Namely, that among himself, God is not alone but, rather, is a community. This community is so perfect that God is both one

while at the same time three persons, and his image manifests this reality with the creation of male and female (the same in nature, but different; only realizing their perfection when together).

From the revelation of God’s triune nature we come to learn an important thing about ourselves: We humans are made to be in community. We are thus, by nature, political animals. Because we find our good by being with others, we each have a personal sense

of how to best achieve the common good: our politics. Perhaps this is why politics make us so passionate, even to the point of dying for a cause. Politics speak to the core of what it means to be human, just as much as our sexuality speaks to our core. It is only by understanding God’s plan for both that we can flourish as humans.

The social teachings of the church are a kind of political morality. Just as sexual morality keeps us from all kinds of trouble and best enables us to be emotionally fulfilled as humans, so political morality keeps us from social harms and helps us to prosper as a community.

Because of our fallen nature, our feelings now seek to rule us. Where there’s passion, there is great propensity for disastrous error. Such is the danger for our politics. When we

strive to keep all of our politics in harmony with the sum total of Catholic social teaching, we work for justice.

When we break away even in some small way, we open the door for corruption.

The spiritual acid test here is to ask yourself: “Is my faith forming my politics or are my politics forming my faith?” So this Lent, ask this question and give your faith priority. For it is only our willingness to trust in God’s revelation of our destiny through Jesus Christ and his church that we can achieve the best possible lives here and then put them aside for something even better in the hereafter: the perfect politics of life in the Trinity.

Bill Scholl is the archdiocesan consultant for social justice. You can e-mail him at: socialjustice@archkck.org.

From the super

Sometimes the fruits of our ministries blossom before our eyes

D

ear friends of Catholic schools,

One of my favorite Lenten activities is to attend Stations of the Cross at our Catholic schools. Praying the Stations is a great way to end any workweek, and praying with children truly adds a special dimension. In addition to the beautiful reflections on the passion of Jesus, praying with our students reminds me of my own days in Catholic schools, as well as the current experiences of my grandchildren.

We have so many wonderful traditions in our church. We in Catholic schools strive not to simply preserve them, but to fully embrace them, so that our students not only know about them, but also they know them in their hearts.

Sometimes it can be difficult to measure how successful we have been with the “knowing in their hearts” part.

We often do not see our students when they are adults, so we rely on data that tells us that Catholic school students do, indeed, practice the faith as adults in greater numbers than those who have not attended Catholic schools.

However, once in a while, we are

blessed with actually seeing our ministry bear fruit. Recently, our associate superintendent of Catholic schools, Karla Leibham, returned from interviewing prospective young teachers at a local university’s career fair. She came back “on fire” over the incredible display of faith these hopeful teachers displayed. What impressed Karla was that the individuals are products of our Catholic schools and want to come back to teach in one because of how important it is to them to teach, witness, and continue to growth in the faith.

Karla shared a card she received from one such teacher candidate. The future teacher wrote: “My student teaching experience with [teacher] at [school] was more rewarding than I

could have ever hoped. Not only did [she] teach me . . . ways to infuse the Catholic religion into every lesson . . . she also brought me closer to my own faith. From her example, as well as the entire staff, I realized what it truly [means] to be Catholic [and teach in a Catholic school]. I would love nothing more than to call [the schools in the archdiocese] home.

The next time I am at Stations, you can be sure that I will be praying for this young woman and her mentor teacher and staff and thanking God for his goodness! ¡Vaya con Dios!

Kathy O’Hara is the superintendent of archdiocesan schools.

as the church prays

W

Each sacrament has an element of sacrifice in it

e recognize, of course, that the Eucharist involves sacrifice.

It is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, which he makes present for his church through the action of the priest, that the church may offer his perfect sacrifice to the Father, its members joining their own sacrifices to it as well.

All of the other sacraments are connected to the Eucharist. This means each has an element of sacrifice within it. The heart of the Christian life lies in sacrifice.

In baptism, we sacrifice our independence from God, as we become his adopted children through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In confirmation, we sacrifice our own wills, to be guided instead by the

gifts of the Holy Spirit.

In the anointing of the sick, we offer our own bodies, asking that God will heal us, but praying especially that he join our sufferings to the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

In holy orders, a man sacrifices his industry, and even his own person, to be configured to Jesus Christ, who, through the ordained minister, governs, sanctifies and serves his people, the church.

In holy matrimony, a man and a

woman both sacrifice their lives for one another, for the sake of their mutual happiness as well as their salvation. As parents, they sacrifice themselves in order to provide for their children.

And then there is the sacrament of penance and reconciliation. How exactly is this sacrament an actual sacrifice?

Well, consider the simple fact that it is not possible for us to compartmentalize our lives, leaving God out of some parts, keeping them only for ourselves.

We so often try to isolate from God that reality of our lives which is sin. We try to quarantine our sin, even as we sincerely seek to serve God, as if there is a part of us we can keep cordonedoff from him.

But God wants us completely, every part of us. We know that there is mercy and forgiveness for those who confess

their faults before the Lord, but we still try to hang on to our disorders. We like to think that as long as we’re scoring at least 90 percent in the grace department, we are still getting an A. But it simply doesn’t work that way. Even 99-percent obedience is still disobedience, and God wants our complete obedience.

So when we go to confession, we are asked to offer a sacrifice. We are led to say to God, reflecting on how unhappy our sins make us, “Here, Lord, you take this. I really can’t handle it, and I really don’t want it anymore. I offer it to you.”

And he gladly takes it from us, and leaves in its place, an abundance of grace.

Michael Podrebarac is the archdiocesan consultant for the liturgy office.

16 local news

THE LEAVEN • march 25, 2011

More than fish Try these recipes to liven up your Lent

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By Kara Hansen

re you already tired of tuna fish casserole and grilled cheese sandwiches for Lenten family dinners? If you are staying in on a Friday night and need some inspiration for some new meat-free recipes, you are in luck.

Advertising manager Jennifer Siebes may be an outgoing and dedicated member of The Leaven’s staff by day, but her real passion lies in the kitchen. A mother of four who previously owned her own catering company, Siebes is a true foodie. Here she shares four tried-and-true recipes to take your Friday night meal up a notch.

“I tried to offer two easy options for busy families — Santa Fe salad and quiche — and two recipes that take a little longer for those who enjoy spending more time in the kitchen,” said Siebes. “I also tried to pick recipes that would please all ages, from little children to adults.

In keeping with the true intention of fasting, I also tried to select recipes with primarily inexpensive and modest ingredients.”

Recipes are made to serve at least four people.

Red and White Manicotti (serves 4-6)

This dish is as appealing to the eyes as it is for the stomach, with its combination of traditional marinara and Alfredo sauce. Jarred marinara sauce also saves time on a busy evening.

Pick-a-Flavor Quiche

(serves 4) Family members can personalize their own quiche with a variety of fillings. Almost anything you have on hand works in a quiche. Serve with fresh fruit, a small salad or hash browns.

1 ready-made, refrigerated pie crust 3 eggs, beaten 1 ½ C milk ¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper 1 Tbl. flour 4 oz. shredded cheese (Swiss, cheddar, Gouda, etc.)

2 diced green onions Fillings: mushrooms, diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts, asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, crabmeat, or shrimp.

Whisk milk, salt, pepper and flour into beaten eggs and set aside. Cut pie crust into four quarters. Press into greased custard cups and place into a casserole dish containing an inch of water. Add desired fillings. Top with cheese.

Pour egg mixture over fillings; bake in a 375° oven for 40-45 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Smokey Shrimp Soup (makes 8+ cups)

This is a hearty tomato, potato and cheese-based soup with a slightly smoky flavor. If there are non-fish eaters in your family, simply serve them the soup prior to adding the shrimp in the final step.

2 med. potatoes, peeled and diced 2 ½ C vegetable broth (can substitute chicken broth outside of Lent) 1 med. onion, chopped ½ C celery, chopped 8 oz. shredded American and cheddar cheese (or 8 oz. diced Velveeta) 2 C milk, warmed 12 oz. can tomato puree 4 oz. can diced green chiles 1 tsp. black pepper 1 Tbl. liquid smoke ½ lb. small or medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked Simmer potatoes, onions and celery in broth until tender. Add tomato puree and green chiles. Blend in a food processor (or blender) until smooth. Return to a double boiler set on medium-low heat.

Add milk, cheese, liquid smoke and pepper. Whisk until cheese melts and soup is smooth. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking until hot, about 1 ½ hours. Add the shrimp during the last 10 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan or Romano cheese and dried parsley.

Santa Fe Chopped Salad (serves 4 – 6)

To make this a kid-friendly recipe if your children do not enjoy salad, use the toppings without the lettuce. Try topping a plate of tortilla chips with shredded cheddar cheese. Melt in the oven and top with the black bean salsa and sour cream.

Black bean salsa 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed 1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained 1 can corn niblets (or 1 C frozen) 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles ½ red onion, chopped 1-2 green or colored bell peppers, chopped 1 avocado, diced ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. ground cumin * juice of one lemon or lime 2 heads romaine lettuce 1 C shredded cheddar cheese sour cream and tortilla chips for garnish Southwestern Ranch Dressing ½ pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix ½ pkg taco seasoning ½ C mayonnaise 1 C milk Combine vegetables, spices and juice in a large bowl and toss. Wash and tear lettuce; divide among plates. Top with black bean salsa and cheddar cheese; drizzle with dressing. Garnish with sour cream and tortilla chips.

1 box (8 oz.) manicotti noodles 3 C ricotta cheese (12 oz. container) 2 beaten eggs 2 C shredded mozzarella cheese ½ C grated Parmesan cheese 1 pkg. (9 oz.) frozen chopped spinach 1 jar (28 oz.) marinara pasta sauce Boil manicotti noodles according to package directions. Thaw spinach in the microwave and squeeze out excess liquid. Pour marinara sauce into a 9 x 12 casserole dish.

Mix beaten eggs, spinach and three cheeses in a large bowl. Put cheese mixture into a one-gallon zip-lock bag. Remove excess air, snip off one of the lower corners and pipe filling into manicotti shells as if using a pastry bag. Place stuffed shells into casserole and cover with Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with dried basil or oregano and additional Parmesan cheese if desired. Cover with foil; bake at 350° for 40 minutes.

Basic Alfredo Sauce (3 cups) ¼ C butter 2 garlic cloves, chopped ¼ C flour ½ tsp. salt 2 cups milk, heated ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese dash of nutmeg Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add milk slowly, whisking until smooth.

Add Parmesan cheese and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly, about 3 – 4 minutes.