03 30 18 Vol. 39 No. 32

THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 39, NO. 32 | MARCH 30, 2018

T

he Lord rises

forth from his tomb, as heaven rejoices and the powers of darkness tremble in fear!

May we, too, rejoice with the heavenly powers, and deepen our faith during the Easter season,

THERE WILL BE NO LEAVEN NEXT WEEK

LEAVEN PHOTO BY LORI WOOD HABIGER FROM ST. JOSEPH CHURCH IN WATHENA

and always.

+ JOSEPH F. NAUMANN Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas

+ JAMES P. KELEHER Archbishop Emeritus of Kansas City in Kansas

MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

I

From the first, women have been critical to church’s mission

n the Passion narrative, Mary and the women disciples are the heroes.

All of the apostles, except the youngest, John, betray, deny and/or abandon Jesus during his passion and crucifixion.

On Holy Thursday night in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter, James and John fall asleep after Jesus asked them to watch and pray with him. Our Lord is seeking not only their prayerful support, but also encouraging them to fortify themselves spiritually for the impending crisis that will shake the foundation of their world.

It is also the women on Easter morning who come to the tomb to anoint and care for the dead body of Jesus.

They are the first of the disciples to discover the empty tomb.

Mary Magdalene is the first to have an encounter with the risen Jesus. Our Lord asks her to go and tell his disciples that he is alive. Women were the first heralds of the Resurrection.

Women continue today to be important leaders that are the heart of our parish communities. Our parishes would collapse, or at the very least be severely crippled, without their talented and dedicated female leaders.

Women comprise half of my Administrative Team at the archdiocese.

They not only lead large departments but they are key advisers to me.

Our superintendent of Catholic education, our executive director for stewardship and development, our chief financial officer, our director of accounting, our legal counsel, our human resource director, our adult evangelization director, our communications director, our managing editor of The Leaven, our director for deaf ministry and our pro-life director are all female.

Moreover, in those instances where men are ostensibly in leadership roles, they are supported by remarkable women.

This is certainly true for me. I shudder to think what my life would be like without Dianna

Archbishop offers baptisms for children of larger families

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN Bagby, my executive assistant, Diane Clement, administrative assistant, and Marilyn Baker, who is the executive housekeeper for my residence.

I would be lost and much less effective without these amazing women supporting my ministry.

Probably, the most well-known and admired Catholic internationally in the last 50 years was Mother (Saint) Teresa of Calcutta. Within the United States, one could make a good argument for the late Mother Angelica to be dubbed the most influential Catholic.

The Eternal Word Television and Radio Network that she founded continues to be a tremendously powerful force for evangelizing, educating and encouraging American Catholics.

Many significant sociological changes not withstanding, women continue to be the heart of the family. The family, of course, is the foundational human institution.

Societies, nations, communities and churches depend on strong, healthy families.

This past Saturday (March 24) for the second year, thanks to the faith, zeal, creativity and hard work of four young women, more than 200 women under the age of 35 participated in Given KC. It is a conference designed to help young Catholic women embrace their God-given talents and to live out more fully their feminine genius!

The opportunity to give an invocation and offer some words of support and encouragement

at the beginning of the conference actually was a tremendous grace for me, helping to renew my hope for the vibrancy of the future church.

Unfortunately, a misguided secular feminism has spun a narrative that Catholicism is repressive for women and impedes their human flourishing. These are the same voices that praised the sexual revolution as a moment of great liberation for women. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

While watching the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, I saw several times an advertisement celebrating an important moment in the life of a young couple. The ad was not highlighting an engagement or marriage, but rather a couple moving in together!

Our culture that has normalized cohabitation has experienced marked increases of: 1) single parenting (most often by women); 2) the number of abortions; 3) risk for divorce should they eventually marry; and 4) venereal diseases. All of these consequences and many more have been harmful to women.

Sally Read — a nurse and award-winning poet — in her book, “Night’s Bright Darkness,” chronicles her conversion from atheism and secular feminism to Catholicism.

After being led to discover a spiritual home in the Catholic Church, literally the last place on the planet where she ever thought she could feel comfortable, Sally wrote: “No one ever argued me down from any of my liberal or progressive positions, but the logic of the Christ’s love was penetrating deeper and deeper into my heart.

To show his personal support for those couples open to raising larger families, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann has offered to celebrate the baptism of the third or greater child of any family (by birth, adoption or blending through valid marriage) interested. Please contact your parish office for more information.

Additional information is also available from the archdiocesan office for liturgy and sacramental life at (913) 647-0330 or by email at: liturgy@ archkck.org.

I was aware of being known as I never had been before. He knew me beyond the limits of my life and certainly beyond the limits of my self-knowledge. He knew me as an eternal soul, but also as a physical and sexual being. It astonished me, even then, to think I had ever thought of the church as sexually repressive. In Western post-feminist culture, with its obsession with pornography and extreme sexual acts, normal women, in the eyes of some men, are diminished, certainly boring, almost rendered obsolete. The church made me feel the reverse — fully human, fully a woman; sensual and potent in my very ordinariness.”

This Easter, I wish to express my deep gratitude to all the women of the Archdiocese.

Thank you for continuing the tradition of the faithfulness and zeal of Our Lord’s first female disciples. Thank you for your love for Jesus and his church. Thank you for your remarkable capacity to be servant leaders within our church.

May you, like the women on Easter morning, experience the joy, the hope and the love of the risen Lord and be his heralds in the world.

ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN March 30 Good Friday service — Cathedral, Kansas City, Kansas March 31 Easter Vigil — Cathedral, Kansas City, Kansas April 3 Wyandotte regional priests meeting Administrative Team meeting March for Life young adult Mass and dinner April 4 Curia meeting Confirmation — St. Joseph, Shawnee April 5 Adoration — Bishop Miege High School, Roeland Park Confirmation — St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood April 7 American Heritage Girls adoration — Ascension Abbot’s Table Mass, social and dinner — Overland Park Convention Center April 8 RCIA Mass — Benedictine College, Atchison Holy Hour for Hispanic community — Cathedral

April 9 Adoration — Hayden High School, Topeka Villa St. Francis annual meeting Confirmation — St. Patrick, Kansas City, Kansas April 10 Johnson County Vocation Day — Prince of Peace, Olathe Confirmation — Good Shepherd, Shawnee April 11 Adoration — St. James Academy, Lenexa St. Lawrence Center board meeting “Trust One Greater” — Lawrence April 12 Religious Alliance Against Pornography

conference call All clergy capital campaign meeting Confirmation — St. John the Evangelist, Lawrence April 15 Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development convention — Savior Pastoral Center April 16 “Shepherd’s Voice” recording Priest Advisory Council meeting April 17 Catholic Radiothon — St. Pius X High School Priests Personnel meeting Administrative Team meeting Confirmation — Ascension, Overland Park April 18 Today & Tomorrow Educational Foundation Gala — St. Louis

April 19 Vespers and dinner with priests ordained in the last five years April 20-22 Apostles of the Interior Life retreat

ARCHBISHOP KELEHER March 30 Good Friday service — Cathedral, Kansas City, Kansas April 1 Mass at Sisters, Servants of Mary April 5 Confirmation — St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood April 7 Abbot’s Table Mass, social and dinner — Overland Park Convention Center April 8 60th anniversary Mass — Curé of Ars, Leawood April 13 60th anniversary Mass — Chicago April 21 Anointing Mass with Father Fongemie

2

MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

3

FINDING FAITH

Atchison academy leads two to Catholicism

By Erin Hunninghake Special to The Leaven

A

TCHISON — People can be drawn to a relationship with God for many different reasons. Some go searching for it. Some just stumble upon it.

A combination of the two seems to be the case for Atchison’s Maur Hill-Mount Academy students James Cai of Shenzhen, China, and Parker Delfelder of Lawrence.

Like many students from China, Cai grew up with very little knowledge about Christianity. That changed drastically, however, after walking through the doors of Maur Hill-Mount Academy.

“A lot of people back home believed in Buddhism — even my family at one point,” Cai said. “But I never had any type of religion before I came here.”

At first, Cai felt reluctant to participate in MH-MA’s religious practices in any capacity.

“It felt kind of weird that we were required to go to Mass,” he said.

But as time went on, Cai became more curious about what he was reading and hearing in his religion classes, at Mass and during school retreats.

Cai also credits former MH-MA music teacher Joe Heron for fueling in him a desire to seek out answers to his many questions.

“I specifically remember Mr. Heron teaching us that there always has to be a creator to create something,” Cai said. “So I started searching about Jesus and, day by day, I believed in him more and more.”

What really drew Cai into the Catholic faith, however, was the music. Cai even began playing bass at the weekly all-school Masses.

“I feel that’s the main reason I started to believe,” he said. “I learned more about Jesus because of the songs I played and the words I sang.”

Cai said he will continue to further his faith life through music upon graduation from MH-MA this May. Unlike Cai, Delfelder grew up with a religious background but felt disconnected in her faith.

Delfelder grew up Southern Baptist, but said church was never a prominent aspect in her life, only attending services a few times a year.

When she enrolled as a boarding student at MH-MA

Parker Delfelder switched from a Lawrence public school to Maur Hill-Mount Academy in Atchison this past year. Raised a Southern Baptist, Delfelder is converting to Catholicism.

James Cai grew up with very little knowledge of Christianity. Music became instrumental in Cai’s conversion when he started playing the bass at Mass.

“I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE REASON [MY CLASSMATES] WERE SO LOVING AND GENUINELY HAPPY WAS BECAUSE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.”

“I FEEL THAT [MUSIC IS] THE MAIN REASON I STARTED TO BELIEVE. I LEARNED MORE ABOUT JESUS BECAUSE OF THE SONGS I PLAYED AND THE WORDS I SANG.”

“

last year, she immediately realized the vast difference between this small, Catholic school in Atchison and the large public school she had attended in Lawrence.

Delfelder was surprised to see the entire school praying together before school, before lunch, after school and before some individual classes — something that is taboo in a public school.

“I also noticed that the majority of people here are super in tune with their relationship with God, and I admired that,” she said.

Delfelder said she was raised knowing Jesus loved her, but she never really understood what that actually meant until MH-MA. She credited many of President Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann

Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799)

Editor Rev. Mark Goldasich, stl frmark.goldasich@theleaven.org

her friends and classmates for showing her what a loving relationship with God really looks like.

“I admired their devotion and kind-hearted attitudes toward others and the way they loved so fearlessly,” said Delfelder.

“After spending some time at Maur Hill, attending retreats, Masses and adoration,” she continued. “I came to the conclusion that the reason they were so loving and genuinely happy was because of their relationship with God.” One specific teacher and coach was the greatest influence on Delfelder’s decision to become Catholic.

“My math teacher and softball coach Sarah Wise made the biggest impact,” Delfelder said.

“

“I had always heard the phrase, ‘seeing Christ through others,’ but I never truly understood that until I met her.”

“Coach Wise may not know it, but she has done a lot more for me than just teach me how to factor quadratic equations and combine logarithmic functions,” she added. “She continues to show me daily how Jesus impacts her life and the lives of those around her.”

Delfelder admits she didn’t grow up without a relationship with God. There was always something missing, however.

After diving head first into the Catholic life by joining the MH-MA family, she decided to take a leap of faith and look for signs encouraging her to join the Catholic Church.

Managing Editor Anita McSorley anita.mcsorley@theleaven.org

Senior Reporter Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

Reporter Olivia Martin olivia.martin@theleaven.org

Production Manager Todd Habiger todd.habiger@theleaven.org

Advertising Coordinator Beth Blankenship beth.blankenship@theleaven.org

Social Media Editor Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

“It seemed as if everything was pointing me toward this destination that I am quickly nearing,” Delfelder said.

Delfelder feels that her transition to a private, Catholic school was the best decision her parents could have made on her behalf. She said that every day that she spends at MH-MA is a day that her relationship with Christ further develops and strengthens.

“I couldn’t be happier,” she said.

Both Cai and Delfelder, as well as several other MH-MA students, have been attending RCIA classes taught by MH-MA religion teacher Manuel Hernandez, and will be entering the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.

Published weekly September through May, excepting the Friday the week after Thanksgiving, and the Friday after Christmas; biweekly June through August. Address communications to: The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. Phone: (913) 721-1570; fax: (913) 721-5276; or e-mail at: sub@theleaven.com. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. For change of address, provide old and new address and parish. Subscriptions $21/year. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, KS 66109.

MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

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Kramers honored at Benedictine College Scholarship Ball

By Steve Johnson Special to The Leaven

A

TCHISON — Benedictine College here honored two well-known and involved members of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas at its scholarship ball at the end of February. Kevin (’89) and Pamela (’88) (Schaefer) Kramer received the prestigious Cross of the Order of St. Benedict at the affair, annually one of the largest and most successful fundraising events in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

“What I really appreciate most about Kevin and Pam is not what they’ve done, but the attitude with which they do it,” said Msgr. Thomas Tank, pastor of the Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, their longtime parish.

The Kramers are both alumni and supporters of Benedictine College.

They co-chaired the scholarship ball in 2006 and 2007. And both served on the Benedictine College board of directors: Pam, from 2000-2008; Kevin, from 2008-2016.

Pam is a past president of the alumni association and was honored with the Offeramus Medal in 2009. They, with Pam’s family, established the Schaefer Family Endowed Scholarship in 2015.

PHOTO BY AMY NELL

Kevin and Pamela Kramer received the Cross of the Order of St. Benedict from Benedictine College, Atchison, at the college’s annual scholarship ball.

The couple recently moved from the Kansas City area to eastern Iowa, where Kevin is chief operating officer of MidWestOne Financial Group in Iowa City.

In their acceptance speech at the

ball, the couple announced the establishment of a new scholarship to benefit aspiring teachers.

The Jan Kramer Catholic Educators Scholarship, named for Kevin’s mother,

will go to the children of educators who are following their parents’ example and pursuing degrees in teaching, coaching or counseling.

“We’ve long cherished the gift of our education,” said Pam, “because we’ve experienced the ways a teacher or coach or guidance counselor can change the trajectory of a life.”

“Pam and I, and our daughters, have had the great privilege of learning from outstanding, dedicated, selfless teachers who loved their faith,” said Kevin.

“We need more of them. And we need to honor the sacrifices they make.”

This year, the scholarship ball again set a record as more than 800 alumni and friends of the college raised nearly $1 million for scholarships. Emceed by John Holt, anchor at Fox4 News Kansas City, the night brought in $976,000.

Also honored that night were Thomas (’83) and Joan (’85) (Moyer) Kemlage from the St. Louis Archdiocese.

“The Kemlages and Kramers — all four of whom are alums — are two couples who truly serve the church and the college,” said Benedictine College president Stephen D. Minnis.

“Both couples are our good friends and we thank them for their unwavering support of the college and their communities.”

Author speaks out against death penalty nationwide

By Steve Buckner Special to The Leaven

L

AWRENCE — Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, brought not only her anti-death penalty message to Kansas but also stories of forgiveness by the murder victims’ families.

She spoke March 5 at the University of Kansas to an audience of more than 100 in the Kansas Union’s Woodruff Auditorium.

“The victims’ families have been a big part of my journey,” said Sister Helen.

For example, in New Jersey, she said, 62 victims’ families spoke against the death penalty to the state Legislature.

“The death penalty re-victimizes us,” was the message of the families to their legislators.

But it was individual cases of forgiveness that held the audience spellbound.

Sister Helen recalled the story Lloyd LeBlanc, the father of David LeBlanc, whose son was killed by Patrick Sonnier and his brother.

This case was Sister Helen’s first encounter with the death penalty, and was made famous by her book, “Dead Man Walking,” and the Hollywood movie by the same name.

Initially, Sister Helen said, she stayed away from the LeBlanc family, which she called “a huge cowardly act.”

She finally met the LeBlancs one week before the execution of Sonnier at the pardon board hearing.

Lloyd LeBlanc, who Sister Helen said was the hero in her book, told her, “You can’t believe the pressure on us with this death penalty thing.”

She was dumbfounded.

He invited her to pray with him.

They prayed the rosary at 4 a.m. the next day.

“He taught me that forgiveness, in a way, is saving your own life,” said

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

Saint Joseph Sister Helen Prejean, who has worked in prison ministry and against the death penalty for decades, is pictured in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Sister Prejean spoke at the University of Kansas on March 5.

Sister Helen.

LeBlanc also told her that he was angry all of the time over his son’s killing. She said he prayed to Jesus about it and received grace about the murder.

“They killed my boy. But I am not going to let [my anger] kill me,” Sister Helen quoted LeBlanc.

Then there was Bud Welch, whose daughter Julie was killed in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Sister Helen said that he, too, was angry all the time at Timothy McVeigh, his daughter’s killer.

Finally, one day, Welch recalled his daughter at one time calling capital punishment “legalized vengeance,” and he was freed from anger through the grace of that memory.

When Welch thought about how he could honor the memory of his daughter, said Sister Helen, he decided to speak to groups and schools about Julie. The message in his talks, which

“

“IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO WAKE UP. I WAS A LATE BLOOMER ON SOCIAL JUSTICE AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE GOSPEL.”

he still does, is against the death penalty.

“He chooses life,” Sister Helen said.

“Choose life,” in fact, is how Sister Helen inscribes her two books. In addition to “Dead Man Walking,” she has written “The Death of Innocents,” and has a third book, “River of Fire,” coming out later this year.

Sister Helen, 78, has advocated for the abolishment of the death penalty since the early 1980s.

“It took me a long time to wake up,” she said. “I was a late bloomer on social justice as an integral part of the Gospel.”

She has more than made up for lost time, however, speaking out against the death penalty in all 50 states, including Kansas, where she has spoken numerous times.

Kansas reinstated the death penalty in 1994 and currently has 10 inmates on death row. But the state has not carried out any executions since the death penalty was reinstated.

“Why did you even bring it back?” she asked. “Once you make something legal, in people’s minds they think it must be good. The death penalty imitates the worst possibility of people.”

The death penalty was reinstated in the United States in 1976. Sister Helen said her native Louisiana, as well as Texas, have executed more than 500 inmates since then.

“Every one of the wounds of our society is in the death penalty,” she said, citing three main reasons behind capital cases: poverty, race and violence.

Death penalty cases are brought only against poor people, she said.

“There’s a reason for that,” said Sister Helen. “Someone with resources has a ‘crackerjack’ attorney.”

Regarding race, the U.S. legal system, she said, has traditionally treated white lives as more valuable than those of people of color.

Finally, regarding violence, she said that in our society, “When someone is killed, we seek to kill the killers.”

But the nation is “waking up,” she concluded. Today, 50 percent of Americans oppose the use of the death penalty compared to the 80 percent in favor of it when she first started her work.

MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

5

Clinics celebrate drug donation milestone

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — What would Trudy Taylor do without the donated medicines she receives at Caritas Clinics?

“I may not be alive, because my blood sugars were really uncontrolled,” she said. “It’s lifesaving for me to have my insulin provided by St. Vincent Clinic (in Leavenworth) and other medications, too.”

Taylor is not alone.

Independently operated safety net clinics serve more than 261,000 Kansans annually who otherwise would be forced to do without health care because they can’t afford it — including medications.

Trudy and her husband Steven Taylor were at the Duchesne Clinic in Kansas City, Kansas, on March 8 to be part of a celebration honoring OptumRX, a pharmacy care services company that has donated $22 million in prescription medications.

Duchesne Clinic and St. Vincent Clinic comprise Caritas Clinics, Inc., affiliates of the SCL Health System, founded by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.

OptumRX, which employs more than 2,500 people in Overland Park and the Greater Kansas City area, has donated the medications since 2009 through the Kansas Unused Medication Donation Program.

OptumRX pharmacist Tim Reel is credited with the genesis of this lifesaving program.

“We’re very excited about this program and innovation,” said OptumRX CEO John Prince at a press conference.

“It has to do with one idea of an employee and how it impacts thousands of people.”

That one employee — Reel — asked if there wasn’t something better they could do with returned, unused medications other than discard them.

Reel and others worked with now Sen. Kay Wolf and Sen. Vicki Schmidt to help get the Unused Medications Act passed in 2008. The act was amended in 2011.

“This law allows OptumRX to donate unused medications to safety

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE BOLLIG

Lisa Bara, RN, Duchesne Clinic’s nurse manager, orders donated medications twice a month from the state’s Unused Medications Repository. These are given to Kansans who can’t afford health care — including medications. net clinics and federally qualified health centers,” said Prince.

Today, Duchesne and St. Vincent clinics are among the 38 participating clinics that distribute the free medications to their patients.

Governor Jeff Colyer — a state representative when the legislation was passed — thanked OptumRX for its donations, Reel for his advocacy and Caritas Clinics for their vital work.

Back in 2008, legislators didn’t know state regulations prevented such beneficial donations and, in fact, required that they be discarded.

“It took the power of a Kansan, the power of people in this room, to come together to show how we could fix this,” said Colyer. “And, so, the colleagues at OptumRX came to us, visited with us and really started to tell that story.

“We can’t really count the number

of thousands of Kansans’ lives that this has changed, but I also want you to think about the hundreds of thousands of lives it will change over the long run.”

One peek in Duchesne Clinic’s pharmacy supply room shows the importance of donations by OptumRX. Lisa Bara, Duchesne Clinic’s nurse manager, orders donated medications twice a month from the state’s Unused Medications Repository.

The repository is administered by, and located at, the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas in Pittsburg. The program operates under the management of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

What does it mean to the clinic and its patients to get these free medications?

“It means everything,” said Bara.

“With what we’re able to order, we’re not only able to stock our medication room with medications for patient use, but we’re also able to order medications on a routine basis for particular patients.”

One such person was a kidney transplant patient who came to the clinic with only a 30-day supply of medications necessary to prevent her body from rejecting the kidney.

Bara was able to order what she needed then and consistently for the past year. The donated medications literally saved that person’s life.

“The majority of our medications come to us in bottles like this,” said Bara, holding a bottle with an orange cap. “The majority of the meds we receive from the repository are donated

by OptumRX.”

iCare of Topeka receives Volunteer Group of the Year award

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

T

OPEKA — The iCare chapter here isn’t even a year old, but it has made such an impact that it earned recognition from a 60-year-old organization that serves persons with disabilities.

On March 12, iCare of Topeka was given the “Volunteer Group of the Year” award by TARC, Inc., during a ceremony at the Big Gage Shelter House in Gage Park.

The award was accepted by Father Greg Hammes, pastor of Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish, and several iCare volunteers.

This was the 64th year TARC has held an awards recognition event. By contrast, iCare will have its first anniversary in April.

Although the iCare Mass and social is held at 6 p.m. on the second Saturday each month at Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish in Topeka, iCare is regional in

scope and attracts participants from several parishes in and near Topeka.

Its name stands for “inclusive Catholic activities and religious experiences.”

“We offer an adapted liturgy for persons with disabilities to enable them to have full participation and thus the full benefit of attending Mass,” said Jim Johnson, iCare of Topeka coordinator and planning team member.

The iCare organizers and volunteers are “very humbled and very honored” to receive the award, and it’s an affirmation of the program, said Johnson.

According to the award citation, iCare was so honored “for creating a welcoming environment for individuals with disabilities and their entire families, and for helping family members feel comfortable,” according to Johnson.

The monthly iCare Mass and social draws between 150 and 200 participants, said Johnson. For more information about iCare of Topeka, call (785) 271-5379 or send an email to: icaretopeka@gmail. com.

The iCare chapter in Topeka has received TARC, Inc.’s “Volunteer Group of the Year” award. An iCare Mass and social is held at 6 p.m. on the second Saturday of the month at Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish in Topeka. Above, Father Greg Hammes, pastor, celebrates the iCare Mass.

MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

TOOLS FOR FAMILIES Growing as Disciples of Jesus

Need some peace?

There is plenty to worry about in the world and in our families. One way to deal with the “worries” (most of which we have no control over!) is to focus our energy and love on another. Start with your spouse.

• Ask your spouse to pray for and with you.

• Prioritize time with your spouse (and let other things go).

ARTWORK BY NEILSON CARLIN, 2015 • Serve your spouse in a way that makes him/her feel loved.

• Repeat these steps with your children.

• ENJOY and share your cares with God.

St. Joseph

The following churches will have a Divine Mercy celebration on April 8 unless otherwise noted.

306 N. Broadway, Leavenworth 3 p.m.: There will be exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, recitation of the rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet

Christ the King

3024 N. 53rd St. Kansas City, Kansas Confessions at 2:30 p.m.

Divine Mercy prayer at 3 p.m.

Mass at 3:15 p.m.

Divine Mercy

555 W. Main St., Gardner 2:30-3 p.m.: Adoration and confessions 3–4 p.m.: Hour of Mercy, Divine Mercy chaplet, St. Faustina reflections and history of the image of Divine Mercy

Sacred Heart

102 Exchange St., Emporia 3 p.m.: There will be adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confessions, sung Divine Mercy chaplet and a scriptural rosary.

— Deacon Tony Zimmerman, lead consultant for the archdiocesan office of marriage and family life

Holy Trinity (Old Stone Chapel)

9130 Pflumm Rd, Lenexa 3 p.m.: The service will include the chaplet of Divine Mercy and Benediction. An ice cream social will follow afterwards.

St. Pius X

5500 Woodson Rd., Mission 3 p.m.: The chaplet of Divine Mercy will be sung, and Benediction and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will be included.

WEBSITE EXCLUSIVE

CHURCH OF THE WEEK

St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center

1613 Crescent Rd., Lawrence The chaplet will be recited at 10:45 a.m., followed by Mass at 11 a.m.

St. Patrick

1086 N. 94th St.

St. John the Evangelist

Kansas City, Kansas Holy Hour from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

The hour will include silent prayer, reflection on Divine Mercy, a reading from “Diary of St. Faustina” and Benediction.

Church of the Nativity

3800 W. 119th, Leawood 3 p.m.: The service will begin with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and praying the chaplet of Divine Mercy. A first-class relic of St. Faustina will be available for veneration afterwards.

Immaculate Conception, Valley Falls Address: 905 Broadway, 66088 Phone: (913) 886-2030 Parochial administrator: Father Lazar Carasala Mass time: Sunday, 10 a.m.

Email: sj.ic.cc.parishoffice@gmail.com

Queen of the Holy Rosary 22779 Metcalf Ave., Bucyrus 3 p.m.: Divine Mercy celebration

MORE PHOTOS AND A VIDEO TOUR of this church can be seen online at: www.theleaven.org.

Our Lady of Lourdes

819 N. 5th St., LaCygne From 3-4 p.m. adoration, chaplet of Divine Mercy and confessions will be available, concluding with Benediction. Receive a plenary indulgence (for you or a deceased person) by attending the prayer service, going to confession within 20 days before or after, receiving Communion that day and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father with an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

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Harvey M. Kascht (913) 262-1555

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1234 Kentucky, Lawrence March 30 - April 7 Lawrence-area Catholics are invited to pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy at 2:45 p.m. on Good Friday and at 3 p.m. the following eight days.

St. John Paul II

Madison Place Elementary School 16651 S. Warwick, Olathe 11:45 a.m.: potluck lunch followed by teaching on Divine Mercy, a eucharistic procession and the praying of the Divine Mercy chaplet.

Cathedral of St. Peter

409 N. 15th St., Kansas City, Kansas 2:15 p.m.: Procession and Holy Hour with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

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MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS Mary Louise (Hanway) and Jim Noll, members of St. Ann Parish, Effingham, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on April 12.

The couple was married on April 12, 1958, at Immaculate Conception Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. They will celebrate at home with their family. Their children are: Rita Noll, Council Grove; Jenny Henderson, Alma; and Eric Noll, Effingham. The couple has three grandchildren.

Chuck and Nancy (Davis) Frazier, longtime members of Sacred Heart Parish, Emporia, and now members of St. John Vianney Parish, St. Pete Beach, Florida, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on April 7 at the Didde Catholic Campus Center, Emporia. There will be a blessing at 1:30 p.m. in the chapel followed by a reception from 2-4 p.m. in the social hall. Friends and community members are welcome. Those unable to attend may send cards to: 6083 Bahia Del Mar Circle #363, St. Petersburg, FL 33715.

The couple was married on Jan. 20, 1968.

Their children are: Angie, Bozeman, Montana; and Aaron, Salt Lake City. They also have four grandchildren.

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Robert and Zita (Hickman) Osterhaus, members of Holy Family Parish, Summerfield, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with an open house for family and friends on April 7 from 2-4 p.m. in Summerfield. The couple was married on April 10, 1958, at St. Bridget Church, Axtell. Their children are: Rose Bernasek, Mike Osterhaus, Jim Osterhaus, Linda Heinen, Carol Kuckelman and Kathy Haller.

They also have 21 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

ANNIVERSARY submissions submissions ANNIVERSARY

POLICY: The Leaven prints 50, 60, 65 and 70th anniversary notices. They are for parishioners in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas DEADLINE: eight days before the desired publication date.

INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: • The couple’s names • their parish • the date they were married • church and city where they were married • what they are doing to celebrate • date of the celebration • names of children (no spouses) • number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren; WHERE TO SUBMIT: Send notices to: The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, attn: anniversaries; or email: todd. habiger@theleaven.org.

SPELLBOUND

Sixteen Catholic grade schools were represented by 32 students at the Catholic Schools Spelling Bee held in February at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park. The winners were, from left, Blake Allen from St. Agnes School, Roeland Park (first place), and Roy Bauer from Queen of the Holy Rosary School, Wea (second place).

Opportunity to pray, reflect while baking bread LEAVENWORTH — Participants in an upcoming session at Marillac Center here will have the opportunity to reflect on the sacramental meaning of what they are doing as they make, bake and share bread.

On April 14, this retreat and spirituality center of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth will host “Bread for the Journey, Bread of Life” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sisters Nancy Bauman, Susan Chase and Paula Rose Jauernig will facilitate the program.

There will be time for reflection and prayer during the kneading and rising, shaping and baking of bread, culminating with the invitation to be “eucharist” for one another. The day will conclude with a simple lunch of bread and soup.

A freewill offering will be accepted for the program. Register by sending an email to: retreats@scls.org or by calling (913) 758-6552.

“

I JUST JUMPED IN AND STARTED DOING COMPRESSIONS.

“

Schooled in faith

“

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I LOOKED AT HIM AND I THOUGHT, ‘OH, MY GOSH, JACK’S DEAD.’

Holy Land pilgrims share heart-stopping moment

By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill.esfeld@theleaven.org

J

ack was dead.

That was the consensus of the School of Faith pilgrims on the steps to St. Joseph Church in Nazareth.

They’d seen their guide, Jack Hallis, fall and lay unresponsive on the ground.

“I could see Jack’s face,” said School of Faith director of development Frank Cummings. “His eyes rolled back in his head. His skin was completely gray, and he had foam around his mouth.

“So, I looked at him and I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, Jack’s dead.’

“It was horrible.”

Several doctors who happened to be on the pilgrimage with them were already at the side of their guide as he lay unresponsive.

They were trying to find a pulse, but couldn’t.

“The average person might not be able to feel a pulse,” said Cummings’ wife Katie, who was with the group and is a nurse trained in cardiac care. “But I have total faith that these physicians would have felt a pulse if Jack had had one.

“And he did not.”

As the crowd of pilgrims stood around, powerless and in shock, Katie reacted as she had so often before in emergency situations.

She knew time was of the essence.

100 pilgrims praying “I started rubbing on his chest as hard as I could, saying, ‘Jack, Jack, can you hear me?’” she recalled.

“In my experience [in St. Luke’s Hospital],” she continued, “that’s my process — that’s what I do.”

Fellow pilgrim and Church of the Nativity, Leawood, parishioner Paul Thompson saw Jack’s unresponsiveness and gray appearance and couldn’t understand what Katie was thinking.

“She was like, ‘Jack, look at me. Jack stay with me!’ — these commands that you would hear on a movie or something,” said Thompson. “I was, like, ‘Why are you saying this — “Stay with me”? What do you mean? He’s gone!’”

But Katie was no longer just a pilgrim in the Holy Land; she was a medical professional doing her job.

“I’d seen this before,” she said. “I know you’ve got to do something and it’s important to act quickly.

“So, I just jumped in and started

doing compressions.”

By “jumped in” Katie means she jumped on top of Jack and compressed his chest so hard she broke his ribs — but that’s what she knew she had to do if she wanted to save his life.

And when Katie started compressions, the Catholic crowd around her did what they knew to do. They prayed the rosary.

“Obviously, Katie was the perfect person, in the right place at the right time,” said Thompson. “And everybody else was doing what they could do, which was to pray.”

Doctor Daniel Towle, also a parishioner at Church of the Nativity, remembers the

moment as one of surreal frustration.

“We were trying to provide medical care without any of the medications or equipment necessary, such as a defibrillator,” he said. “But at the same time, it was very peaceful and reassuring to be surrounded by 100 pilgrims praying out loud for Jack.”

The embrace of God “I felt all these prayers surrounding us,” said Katie. “That was so important. That gave me a sense of calm.”

Thompson and his daughter Emily, along with Frank Cummings, went looking

for a defibrillator, but to no avail.

“We were looking for an office that might be open,” recalled Thompson. “[There were] two different churches in the courtyard there, and we were running frantically in opposite ways, trying to open doors, find someone with a defibrillator.

“We didn’t have any help.”

Father Bill Bruning, pastor of Queen of the Holy Rosary in Overland Park and a fellow pilgrim, went running, too, in search of holy oils to give Jack the sacrament of anointing of the sick.

Katie continued doing chest compressions as doctors continued searching for a pulse.

“

KATIE WAS THE PERFECT PERSON, IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.

“

“

“

THEN, ONE OF THE PHYSICIANS FELT A PULSE — A BOOMING PULSE.

a plane ticket to Tel Aviv, Israel.

“I went home and packed,” she said.

“My parents came in town, and I went back to the airport a couple of hours later.”

But once she had joined the pilgrimage, Katie questioned her impetuous actions.

“The first few days, I thought, ‘Should I be here?’” she said. “‘Shouldn’t I be with our daughter? Was this the right decision?’”

On the other hand, with his wife on the trip, instead of questions, Frank was seeing answers.

“It’s interesting,” he said. “I was in [the] seminary for four years, and when I was leaving, I went to the Holy Land, saying, ‘Lord, if you want me to be a priest, here’s your chance. I’m going to go home, so please speak to me.’

“So, it was really interesting to go back now as a married man and have that prayer answered.

“I did do the right vocation. This is the year I would have been ordained a priest. I wasn’t called to be a priest; I was called to marry Katie.”

A new lease on life

Photos clockwise from far left: n Jack Hallis sits up after suffering what was thought to be a fatal heart attack on the steps of St. Joseph Church in Nazareth. Katie Cummings did chest compressions on him for two minutes until his pulse returned. n Katie and Jack share a meal together after Jack returned to the tour group after his heart attack. Jack felt he had been given a new lease on life. n Katie holds an icon that Jack gave her in gratitude for saving his life.

“’I’ve seen serious stuff before, but to have someone rise from the dead . . . wow.

“It was quite a memory.”

No doubt this was an outstanding experience of faith. Perhaps the most incredible aspect of the story, however, is the fact that Katie wasn’t even supposed to be there

Last-minute miracle

“It was two minutes that I did compressions,” said Katie. “And, then, one of the physicians felt a pulse — a booming pulse.”

Frank heard the call, “We’ve got a pulse,” and saw Jack begin to move.

Thompson returned to the scene with trepidation.

“I went back up expecting terrible news,” he said. “But Jack was sitting up, now awake and alert. Father Bill was praying over him.”

An ambulance arrived to take Jack to the hospital. The pilgrims went into the church and continued their prayers, led in a meditation on St. Joseph by Sister Susan Pieper, AVI.

“In my career, I have witnessed several hundred arrest situations,” said Towle.

“Yet never one like Jack’s.

“I feel the event was one more mystery of our faith. I do know that Katie had a profound impact with her immediate, professional response.

“At the same time, Jack was in the embrace of someone far greater than us.”

Katie agreed.

“I really felt like God was present in that situation,” she said.

The pilgrims later referred to it as a “Lazarus moment.”

“It was a really poignant moment, but a faith-filled moment,” said Thompson.

Though Frank had always wanted to take his wife Katie to the Holy Land — a place he had visited as a young seminarian years ago — this School of Faith pilgrimage was booked solid.

There was no room for Katie.

The day of departure, Katie dropped Frank off at the airport and was headed back home with their 16-month-old daughter.

On the way, she got a frantic phone call from Frank saying a woman had suddenly canceled and Katie might be able to take her place.

Katie had a passport. She just had to cover work and arrange for child care — no small task, but she told Frank she thought she could do it.

“So I talked to Rich Boynton with Trinity Travel,” recalled Frank. “I told him we had an opportunity to bring Katie.

“He said, ‘Frank, we’ll have to move heaven and earth to make that happen.’

And I said, ‘Well, wouldn’t you move heaven and earth for your wife?’”

Heaven and earth moved, and Katie quickly pulled over in a parking lot to buy

Jack left the hospital the next day and rejoined the group the day after, joyful and upbeat, and saying he felt he had a new lease on life and wanted to live it more fully.

Approaching Katie, he said, “I need to find the woman who made my chest hurt so badly. I think she broke a rib or two.”

Many who saw the event up close had been convinced Jack was not going to make it.

“So, when he rejoined us two days later with a radiant smile, a visible peacefulness and speaking of having seen a bright light,” said Towle, “the pilgrims sensed one more gift from God as [God] was with us on our Holy Land journey, and especially Jack’s.”

Now back home with his wife in Holy Spirit Parish, Overland Park, Frank reflects on the pilgrimage and sees, at its heart, a lesson in Christian boldness to do God’s will.

“I think just being bold and pushing for Katie to go on the pilgrimage,” he said.

“Rich getting the trip organized for Katie at the last minute; Katie being bold in doing the compressions.

“All these bold steps people had to take, believing that they were doing the Lord’s will.”

And there is no doubt that Jack’s experience, in particular, brought the pilgrims closer to their faith.

“It is really hard to claim that Jack’s survival fell to just the care of a few medical professionals,” said Towle. “Like Jack, all of us looked beyond that and found far more strength in the power of prayer by the 100 pilgrims surrounding him.”

“In my career, I often have been blessed with the feeling that my God-given skills on a given day made a difference,” the doctor continued. “However, in this case, 100 pilgrims should feel their prayers were heard, and it is they who made the difference for Jack.”

Thompson agreed.

“I really believe in the power of prayer and God being there with us and Katie being there because of God’s will,” he said.

Katie saw how God moved in her life during her visit to the Holy Land, but she firmly believes you don’t have to go anywhere to have such a powerful faith experience.

“It makes me want to embrace every day and give it to God,” she said. “You can find these experiences in your everyday life, too.

“You just have to seek them.”

MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

NATION

10

Salvadoran cardinal sees Romero canonization as ‘gift from God’

L

OS ANGELES (CNS) — El Salvador’s Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez called the upcoming canonization of Blessed Oscar Romero a “gift from God.” At a meeting March 6, Pope Francis formally signed the decree recognizing the miracle needed to advance the sainthood cause of the archbishop of San Salvador, who was martyred.

No date or place has been announced yet for the canonization ceremony, but Cardinal Rosa Chavez said the bishops had sent a letter to the pope asking if it could take place in El Salvador “so that the poor could participate.”

The cardinal was interviewed in Los Angeles by Pablo Kay of Angelus News, the archdiocesan news site. The prelate was invited to this year’s Religious Education Congress in Anaheim March 16-18.

Then he headed to the Congress, where he concelebrated a Mass and hosted two workshops titled “Justice Isn’t Enough: Forgiveness Is Necessary” and “Why Is Our Holy Father Named Francis? A Christian Reflection on Peace.”

During a wide-ranging interview he talked about the Romero canonization and the second miracle confirmed by the Vatican; shared his thoughts on immigration; and described a “hurricane named Francis,” meaning the pope.

Asked how people should prepare for Blessed Romero’s canonization, he said: “The pope gave us three ways to prepare. First, by getting to know

Archbishop Romero. . . Second, by following his example. Third, by learning to invoke his intercession.”

He said that there is “a different atmosphere” in El Salvador, knowing that the canonization is “imminent” and beyond the preparation, he feels this will help “achieve peace in the country.”

Cardinal Rosa Chavez also said he spent time with the family of the woman whose cure from a lifethreatening condition was credited to the intercession of Blessed Romero and verified as the miracle needed for his canonization.

New reports in El Salvador said that a woman named Cecilia, who had had several difficult pregnancies, had problems with her latest pregnancy, in August 2015. After she gave birth, she was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, a life-threatening condition that affects some pregnant women and damages the liver.

Cecilia’s husband was told her liver and a kidney were damaged. “If you believe in something,” the doctor said, “in a god, [pray] for her because the way she is, it’s likely that she’ll die.”

Cardinal Rosa Chavez recounted reports of how the husband went home to pray, opened a Bible his grandmother had given him, saw a card with Blessed Romero’s image, and even though he’d had an “aversion” to his grandmother’s prayers to the Salvadoran archbishop, he prayed for his intercession.

Though Cecilia had slipped into a coma, she awoke Sept. 10 and made a

CNS PHOTO/VICTOR ALEMAN, ANGELUS NEWS

Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez of San Salvador, El Salvador, takes a selfie with young people March 16 during the 2018 Religious Education Congress at the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center. He concelebrated a Mass and gave two talks during the March 16-18 congress, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Religious Education. The annual event drew more than 40,000 Catholics from throughout California and the United States. full recovery.

“The case of this woman is really amazing,” Cardinal Rosa Chavez told Angelus News. “I was able to spend a few hours with her family.”

The doctors had no solution for her case. “These doctors kept a very detailed record of her condition during this time — something like a thousand pages ­— which were sent to Rome

along with all the tests they performed on her.”

He added: “This woman suddenly recovered as if nothing had happened to her. When I see her now with her child, so full of life . . . it’s hard to believe she was ever sick! This was a miracle of life.”

MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

WORLD

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‘Cry out,’ pope tells young people at Palm Sunday Mass

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

V

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass with thousands of young people, Pope Francis urged them to continue singing and shouting “hosanna” in the world, proclaiming the lordship of Jesus and following his example of outreach to the poor and suffering.

The crowd that shouted “hosanna” as Jesus entered Jerusalem included all those for whom Jesus was a source of joy, those he healed and forgave, and those he welcomed after they had been excluded from society, the pope said in his homily March 25.

But others were irritated by Jesus and tried to silence his followers, the pope said. In the same way, people today will try to silence young people who continue to follow Jesus, because “a joyful young person is hard to manipulate.”

“There are many ways to silence young people and make them invisible,” the pope said. There are “many ways to anesthetize them, to make them keep quiet, ask nothing, question nothing. There are many ways to sedate them, to keep them from getting involved, to make their dreams flat and dreary, petty and plaintive.”

Pope Francis asked the young people “not to keep quiet. Even if others keep quiet, if we older people and leaders keep quiet, if the whole world keeps quiet and loses its joy, I ask you: Will you cry out?”

Gabriella Zuniga, 16, and her sister Valentina Zuniga, 15, were among the thousands in St. Peter’s Square. The sisters, students at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, had participated March 24 in the local Rome “March for Our Lives,” calling for gun control.

The Palm Sunday Mass marked the local celebration of World Youth Day and included the more than 300 young adults who, at the Vatican’s invitation, had spent a week discussing the hopes, desires and challenges facing the world’s young people and ways the Catholic Church should respond.

At the end of the Mass, they formally presented their final document to the pope; it will be used, along with input from the world’s bishops’ conferences, in drafting the working document for the Synod of Bishops in October,

Announcement Joseph A. Butler & Son Funeral Home has re-opened as

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

Pope Francis carries palm fronds in procession as he celebrates Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican March 25. which will focus on young people, faith and vocational discernment.

Holding five-foot tall palm branches, the young adults led the procession to the obelisk in the center of St. Peter’s Square. They were joined by others carrying olive branches and by bishops and cardinals holding “palmurelli,” which are intricately woven palm fronds.

In his homily, Pope Francis said that the Palm Sunday Mass, which begins with the singing of “hosanna” and then moves to the reading of Jesus’ passion, combines “stories of joy and suffering, mistakes and successes, which are part of our daily lives as disciples. “ The acclamation of the crowd praising Jesus as he enters Jerusalem gives way to the shouts of “crucify him” as Jesus’ suffering and death draw near, the pope noted. “It somehow expresses the contradictory feelings that we too, the men and women of today, experience the capacity for great love, but also for great hatred; the capacity for courageous self-sacrifice, but also the ability to ‘wash our hands.’”

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The Gospel also demonstrates how the joy Jesus awakened in some is “a source of anger and irritation for others,” Pope Francis said, and the same is true today.

Joy is seen in all those “who had followed Jesus because they felt his compassion for their pain and misery,” the pope said. “How could they not praise the one who had restored their dignity and hope? Theirs is the joy of so many forgiven sinners who are able to trust and hope once again.”

But others in Jerusalem, “those who consider themselves righteous and ‘faithful’ to the law and its ritual precepts” and “those who have forgotten the many chances they themselves had been given” find such joy intolerable, the pope said.

“How hard it is for the comfortable and the self-righteous to understand the joy and the celebration of God’s mercy,” he said. “How hard it is for those who trust only in themselves, and look down on others, to share in this joy.”

The shouts of “crucify him” did not

begin spontaneously, the pope said, but were incited by those who slandered and gave false witness against Jesus, “’spinning’ facts and painting them such that they disfigure the face of Jesus and turn him into a ‘criminal.’”

Theirs, he said, was “the voice of those who twist reality and invent stories for their own benefit, without concern for the good name of others” and “the cry of those who have no problem in seeking ways to gain power and to silence dissonant voices.”

Pope Francis told the young people gathered in the square that in the face of such attempts to demolish hope, kill dreams and suppress joy, Christians must look to Christ’s cross and “let ourselves be challenged by his final cry. He died crying out his love for each of us: young and old, saints and sinners, the people of his times and of our own.”

“We have been saved by his cross, and no one can repress the joy of the Gospel,” he said. “No one, in any situation whatsoever, is far from the Father’s merciful gaze.”

MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CLASSIFIEDS EMPLOYMENT Teacher assistant - Special Beginnings, Lenexa, is seeking full- or part-time after-school teacher assistants at all locations. We are looking for a teacher assistant candidate who has an excellent work ethic, heart for children and a willingness to learn more about early childhood education. Experience and/or education is a plus, but we will train the right candidate. Teacher assistants will work with the lead teacher to care for and educate the children. Primary responsibilities include assisting the lead teacher with: care and supervision of children, lesson plan implementation, parent communication, and cleanliness and organization of classroom. Starting hourly pay ranges based on experience and education.

Pay increases are based on job performance. Opportunities for advancement are available, as the company prefers to promote from within. Apply by sending an email to: chris@specialbeginningsonline.com or in person at 10216 Pflumm Rd., Lenexa, KS 66215.

Spanish teacher - Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Shawnee is seeking a part-time Spanish teacher for the 2018-19 school year. The job would be 20 hours per week. The ideal candidate would be a practicing Catholic with the ability to teach introductory Spanish to all grade levels, K - 8. If interested, send an email to Maureen Engen at: Maureen.engen@shoj.org.

Caregivers - We help seniors stay independent. You are passionate about caregiving. Benefits of Home - Senior Care is looking for compassionate caregivers to help us care for our clients! Part or full time, we work to meet your schedule and provide training. (913) 422-1422 or www.benefitsofhome.com.

Maintenance worker - St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, Mo., is seeking a person to perform building maintenance and janitorial services, minor equipment repairs, groundskeeping, and provide event support. This is a part-time position, M-F, with occasional evening and weekend work for school events. Candidates must be able to perform preventive maintenance, rectify safety issues, paint, do snow removal and complete other housekeeping needs throughout the campus. This is an hourly, nonexempt position. Applicants must be self-starters; have a good understanding of general maintenance practices; be able to lift over 50 pounds; walk/stand throughout the day; and understand and follow safety requirements. A full job description and application form may be found at: www.stteresasacademy.org, or send a resume to: St. Teresa’s Academy, 5600 Main St, KC MO 64113, Attn: HR. St. Teresa’s Academy is an equal opportunity employer.

Administrative assistant - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking a full-time administrative assistant for the office of stewardship and development. This position provides administrative support for a busy office and supports the CFNEK board. The position requires three years’ minimum administrative experience in a multifaceted setting; exceptional communications skills, both written and verbal; proficiency with Microsoft Office programs; meeting planning experience; and ease and proficiency with telephone communication. Prefer experience with Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge database.

A complete job description, application and benefits information are available on the archdiocese’s website at: www.archkck.org/jobs. Qualified individuals should email cover letter, resume and application to: jobs@ archkck.org. They may also be mailed to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Office of Human Resources, Stewardship – Admin. Assistant, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109.

Do you enjoy driving? - The Kansas City Transportation Group is looking for chauffeurs to drive our guests to events, airport, dinner, etc. Business is growing and we are in need of workers with flexible hours, those who are retired, etc. Great pay and benefits. Send resume to: jkalbert@kctg.com or in person at Carey, 1300 Lydia Ave., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Foreign language and English/Language Arts - Saint Thomas Aquinas High School currently has the following teaching openings for the 2018-19 school year. Foreign language: Spanish, Latin and/or German and English/language arts. All applicants must have or be able to secure a Kansas teaching license. A practicing Catholic is preferred. Send a letter of interest and resume via email to Dr. Bill Ford at: wpford@stasaints.net or mail to: Dr. Bill Ford, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, 11411 Pflumm Rd., Overland Park, KS 66215.

Assistant principal/athletic director - Bishop Miege High School is seeking an assistant principal/athletic director for the 2018-19 school year. The candidate must be Catholic, have a master’s degree in educational leadership and five years’ teaching/administrative experience. Send a letter of interest and resume to: mjaksa@ bishopmiege.com.

Administrative assistant - St. Ann School in Prairie Village has an opening for administrative assistant for the academic year 2018-19. Applicants must be practicing Catholics and have experience in a school setting, ideally a Catholic school. Excellent communication skills required along with the ability to manage multiple and varied tasks simultaneously. The candidate must be organized and have good attention to detail. Pleasant and welcoming demeanor is also required. Interested applicants should email a cover letter and resume to Mr. Michael Riley at: mriley@stannpv.org.

Assistant to ReachKCK coordinator – The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is accepting applications for a part-time administrative position in the ReachKCK youth ministry outreach program in Wyandotte County. This position is approximately 25 hours per week. Duties include: supporting youth programs and events through handling logistical details; data entry; creating publicity materials; managing social media; and facilities oversight. The ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing and have a minimum of two years’ office work experience. Knowledge of youth ministry and Spanish-speaking strongly preferred. A complete job description and required application are available on the archdiocese’s website at: www.archkck.org/jobs. Interested individuals should mail cover letter, resume and application to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Office of Human Resources, Youth Search, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, or send via email to: jobs@ archkck.org.

Guidance counselor- St. Ann School in Prairie Village has a part-time (25 hours/week) guidance counselor opening for the academic year 2018-19. Successful applicants will embody mission commitment; intellectual curiosity; openness to growth; and optimism and zest that are characteristic of our faculty and staff. Qualified candidates should possess a passion for Catholic education, hold a current Kansas licensure through the appropriate accrediting agency (licensed professional counselor, licensed master of social work, national certified counselor or licensed school counselor), have experience working with school-age children and families, preferably in a Catholic setting or for a Catholic organization; and be a practicing Catholic in good standing with the church. Interested applicants should apply online at: www.archkckcs.org and email a cover letter and resume directly to Mr. Michael Riley at: mriley@stannpv.org.

Career opportunity - Due to the success and growth of the Knights of Columbus, we are adding a financial representative in the Kansas City metro and Topeka areas.

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. This is a full-time position. Please contact John A. Mahon, general agent, for more information or an interview at 1275 Topeka Blvd., Topeka, KS 66612 or call (785) 408-8806. You can also send an email to: john.mahon@kofc.org.

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

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

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

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

Lead and assistant teachers - The Goddard School located at 21820 W. 115th Terr., Olathe, is looking for qualified lead teachers and assistant teachers — both full- and part- time positions are available. In our warm, loving atmosphere, our highly qualified teachers support the healthy development of children from 6 weeks to 6 years. Our teachers write and implement their own lesson plans based on our FLEX program, Goddard Developmental Guidelines and our monthly school theme. Lead teachers also complete other duties such as electronic daily attendance reports, progress reports and parent conferences. The hands-on efforts of the school owner and directors allow our teachers to focus on their children, their lesson plans and teaching to ensure a funfilled day of learning. Full-time benefits include: competitive pay; paid time off; opportunities for professional development and career growth; and a great working environment. Qualified candidates must meet or exceed Kansas regulations, have strong communication skills and desire to learn and implement the Goddard School programs. Lead teachers should have an early childhood education degree or a CDA or a degree in a related field with an emphasis in early childhood education. Prior experience in a child care setting is preferred. To apply, email your resume to: olathe2ks@goddardschools.com or mail to: The Goddard School, 21820 W. 115th Terr., Olathe, KS 66061, Attention: Mandy Ellis, director.

Caregivers - Daughters & Company is looking for several compassionate caregivers to provide assistance to ambulatory seniors in their home, assisted living or in a skilled nursing facility. We provide light housekeeping/ light meal preparation, organizational assistance, care management and occasional transportation services for our clients. We need caregivers with reliable transportation and a cell phone for communication. A CNA background is helpful, though not mandatory. We typically employ on a part-time basis, but will strive to match hours desired. Please contact Pat or Murray at 913-3412500 to become part of an excellent caregiving team.

English Language Arts/reading teacher - St. Ann School in Prairie Village is seeking a 7th/8th-grade ELA/ reading teacher for the academic year 2018-19. Qualified candidates should possess a passion for Catholic education, enthusiasm for literature and language arts, and hold a current teaching license. Teachers who are interested in joining an innovative and faith-filled team of educators should email a cover letter and resume to Mr. Michael Riley at: mriley@stannpv.org.

Assisted transportation - Ready for the summers off?

Join our school transportation division and live like a kid again! Our drivers have the opportunity to serve our community and still get these precious summer breaks.

Assisted Transportation seeks caring and reliable drivers to transport K - 12 students in Johnson and Wyandotte counties in our minivans. CDL not required. $12 per hour.

Retirees encouraged to apply. Learn more or apply online at: assistedtransportation.com or call (913) 262-5190 for more information. EOE. School nurse - Bishop Miege High School has an immediate opening for a school nurse. The candidate must possess a current Kansas registered nurse license, current BLS CPR AHA certification. Experience in school nursing preferred. Send letter of interest and resume to: mjaksa@bishopmiege.com.

Orizon Aerostructures – **Coming to Olathe** If a career in aviation manufacturing excites you, and you’re willing to work hard and hone your skills, we strongly encourage you to visit the website at: www.orizonaero. com/careers/ and view the current opportunities coming to Olathe.

HOME IMPROVEMENT 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!! www.elsolylatierra.com Call Lupe at (816) 935-0176 Rusty Dandy Painting, Inc. – We have been coloring your world for 40 years. Your home will be treated as if it were our own. Old cabinets will be made to look like new. Dingy walls and ceilings will be made beautiful.

Woodwork will glow. Lead-certified and insured. Call (913) 341-9125.

Decked Out In KC - We fix decks. We repair, power wash and stain wood decks and fences. We power wash and seal concrete drives, walkways, pool decks and more.

Call Brian at (913) 952-5965. Member of Holy Trinity Parish.

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

NELSON CREATION’S L.L.C. Home makeovers, kitchen, bath. All interior and exterior remodeling and repairs.

Family owned, experienced, licensed and insured.

Member St. Joseph, Shawnee. Kirk Nelson.

(913) 927-5240; nelsport@everestkc.net Helping Hand Handy Man - Semi-retired handyman can help with your ‘to do list,’ small and medium projects around your house. Also electrical; ceiling fans, light fixtures, outlet and switches. Most deck and shed repairs, power washing restaining and painting. No yard work.

Member of Prince of Peace, Olathe. Call Mark Coleman at (913) 526-4490.

STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 579-1835.

Email: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

DRC Construction We’ll get the job done right the first time.

Windows - Doors - Decks - Siding Repair or replace, we will work with you to solve your problems. Choose us for any window, door, siding or deck project and be glad you did.

Everything is guaranteed 100% (913) 461-4052 www.windowservicesoverlandpark.com drcconswindows@gmail.com Father-and-son home exteriors and remodeling - Celebrating my 15th year in The Leaven as a small business owner! We do decks, siding, windows, doors, tile work, floors, wood rot, and interior and exterior painting.

We can remodel bathrooms, kitchens or basements. We also reface cabinets and redo pesky popcorn ceilings.

Call Josh at (913) 709-7230.

HARCO Exteriors LLC Your Kansas City fencing specialists Family owned and operated (913) 815-4817 www.harcoexteriorsllc.com

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Local handyman - Painting int. and ext., staining, wood rot, power wash, decks, doors and windows, masonry, hardwood floors, gutter cleaning, water heaters, toilets, faucets, garbage disposals, ceiling fans, mowing and more!! Member of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913) 927-4118.

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.

Swalms organizing - downsizing - cleanout service - Reduce clutter – Any space organized. Shelving built on-site. Items hauled for recycling and donations. 20 years exp.; insured. Call Tillar at (913) 375-9115. WWW. SWALMSORGANIZING.COM.

SERVICES Tutoring - Summer enrichment for summer 2018 in math and reading. Tutoring also available for French, Spanish and other subjects. For more information, call Kathleen at (913) 206-2151 or send an email to: Klmamuric@yahoo.com.

Doll dresses - First Communion dress sets for 18” or American Girl dolls. Includes dress, veil, shoes, tights and cross necklace. Full line of doll clothes and accessories in south Johnson County. Call Patty at (913) 3459498.

Speedy Guzman Moving and delivery Licensed and insured Anytime (816) 935-0176 8 to Your IdealWeight Get Real, Get Healthy, Get Empowered.

Release your weight and restore your power in 8 weeks!

Certified coach: kathioppold.8toyouridealweight.com.

Bankruptcy consultation - If debts are overwhelming you, seek hope and help from compassionate, experienced Catholic attorney, Teresa Kidd. For a free consultation, call (913) 422-0610; send an email to: tkidd@kc.rr. com; or visit the website at: www.teresakiddlawyer. com. Please do not wait until life seems hopeless before getting good quality legal advice that may solve your financial stress.

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

Tree Trimming Tree Trimming/Landscaping Insured/References Free Estimates/Local Parishioner Tony (913) 620-6063 Mike Hammer local moving - A full-service mover.

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

Rodman Lawn Care Lawn mowing, aeration, verticutting, mulching, Hedge trimming, leaf removal, gutter cleaning Fully insured and free estimates John Rodman (913) 548-3002

FOR SALE For sale – Two side-by-side cemetery plots in historic Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Kansas City, Kan., complete with headstones (need resurfacing).

My grandparents planned to be buried there, had their names engraved, but were buried in KCMO instead, and the graves remain empty. Located in section 4 old, lot 204, spaces 10 and 11. $2,500 each, including the headstones, plus a $200 transfer fee (total, not each) to the cemetery. Call Randy at (904) 677-1027.

Business for sale - Home-based business ad agency for nonprofit charities. Retiring, selling for $29,900. Clients established for 16 years. Annual net $16K for part time, work from any location. Call Leida at (828) 633-6382.

For sale - Located in Floral Hills Cemetery at 7000 Blue Ridge Blvd., KCMO. Four plots located in the Garden Of Prayer in section 11, lot 18, markers 24, 25, 26 and 27.

Asking $2800 per lot. We are willing to negotiate pricing if you would want all four lots. Call Lilly at (816) 5018053 or (918) 964-7079.

For sale - Double lawn crypt at Resurrection Cemetery in Lenexa, Garden of Hope section, double lawn crypt, lot 78 C, space 4. Conveyance fee included. $7500. Call Lou at (512) 294-2869. >> Classifieds continue on page 13

MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CALENDAR RESPITE CARE PROGRAM Holy Cross School 8101 W. 95th St., Overland Park March 31 from 4 - 8 p.m.

Respite care provides the gift of time away from caregiving for families with a loved one 5 years of age or older with a disability. For questions about the program, call Tom at (913) 647-3054 or send an email to: tracunas @archkck.org; or Audrey Amor at (816) 7391197 or send an email to: aamor@sjakeeping faith.org. To register a child for the program, go online to: www.archkck.org/specialneeds and complete the online form.

EASTER BAKE SALE City Building (in front) 414 Main St., Effingham March 31 from 8 a.m. until sold out

St. Ann Parish Altar Society is sponsoring this bake sale. They will have many items for sale including bread, homemade noodles, cakes, cookies, pies and more.

TAIZE PRAYER Annunciation Chapel 4200 S. 4th St., Leavenworth April 5 at 7 p.m.

Taize prayer is a meditative, candlelit service that includes chants sung repeatedly, silence, and prayers of praise and intercession. These prayer services emerged from an ecumenical community of monks in Taize, France. For more information, visit the website at: www.marillaccenter.org or call (913) 680-2342.

EMERGENCY SUBSTITUTIONS FROM YOUR PANTRY Keeler Women’s Center 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas April 5 from 10 - 11 a.m.

Find ways to rescue your own cooking emergencies. Materials will be provided at a workshop presented by Heather Neds in partnership with The Yellow Brick Foundation.

DIVORCED: CALLED TO LOVE AGAIN Church of the Ascension (St. Luke Room) 9510 W. 127th St., Overland Park 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 7 p.m.

What’s next after divorce/annulment? Join us for a formation series on the gift of self, which helps us fulfill the call to love again. Various topics will be discussed. Visit our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/giftofself143 or send an email to: calledtolove143@gmail.com.

‘AMENITY: GENTLENESS, AMIABILITY AND GOOD WILL’ Queen of the Holy Rosary Church 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park April 7 at 8:15 a.m.

Join the Kansas Daughters of St. Francis de Sales for first Saturday Fatima Mass in the church, followed by the monthly meeting held

at 9:15 a.m. in the convent to share reflections on amenity. Coffee and light refreshments will be served. For additional information, call Ruth Owens at (913) 429-7250 or send an email to: rowens4853@gmail.com.

EMBRACE DAY Bishop Miege High School 5041 Reinhardt Dr., Roeland Park April 12 from 6 - 8 p.m.

All are welcome to come and connect with over 30 local organizations that provide services for children in the Greater Kansas City community.

There will also be a celebration of our Embrace 2018-19 grant recipients. We equip and engage our Catholic community to embrace all learners. For more information, visit the website at: www.embraceks.org or call (913) EMBRACE (362-7223).

FIND YOUR GREATNESS Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish 3601 S.W. 17th St., Topeka April 14 from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Come discover how four life-changing habits can point toward discovering incredible possibilities in life. This event is appropriate for ages 12 and up, single and married, Catholic or non-Catholic. For tickets, visit the website at: DynamicCatholic.com/Topeka or call (859) 980-7900.

‘DISCOURSE, DESSERT AND THE DOCTORS: THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX’ Sophia Spirituality Center 751 S. 8th St., Atchison April 15 from 1:30 - 4 p.m.

Thérèse of Lisieux, one of the four female doctors of the Roman Catholic Church, was a Carmelite nun, mystic and writer. Her spiritual memoir, “The Story of a Soul,” introduced millions to a spirituality she referred to as “The Little Way.” Sister Judith Sutera, OSB, will introduce participants to the life of this revered saint in a mini-retreat. For more information or to register, call (913) 360-6173 or visit the website at: www.sophiaspirituality center.org.

BLUE MASS Divine Mercy Parish 555 W. Main, Gardner April 15 at 10:30 a.m.

The Knights of Columbus St. Faustina Fourth-Degree 3733 invites everyone to the Blue Mass to honor all past and present first responders and those who work with them: police, firefighters, EMS and 911 communications. For more information, visit the website at: www.divinemercyks.org or send an email to: sjames0192@embarqmail.com.

CONCERT AT MOUNT ST. SCHOLASTICA Mount St. Scholastica (Chapel) 801 S. 8th St., Atchison April 21 at 3 p.m.

Concerts at Mount St. Scholastica will include the Kansas City Chorale. One of the many accomplishments of the Kansas City Chorale was winning the Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance in 2015. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased at the door.

CAR, TRUCK AND CYCLE SHOW Our Lady of Unity (Sacred Heart Campus) 2646 S. 34th St., Kansas City, Kansas April 21 from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Each car, truck and cycle entry is $25 until April 14 and $20 after. There will be a T-shirt, goody bag and dash plaques for 100 entries. There will be food booths and assorted vendors. Proceeds will benefit the Our Lady of Unity School science lab. The event is free to spectators. For more information, send an email to: OLUCarClub@ yahoo.com or visit the Facebook page OLU Car Club. This is a “rain-or-shine” event.

PILGRIMAGE Sanctuary of Hope Retreat Center 2601 Ridge Ave., Kansas City, Kansas Aug. 10 - 12

Father Joseph Arsenault, SSA, will lead a pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. Participants will leave from the Sanctuary of Hope Retreat Center. Pilgrimages to holy places help us on the most important pilgrimage of all: our journey through our human life on earth to our eternal destination with God in heaven. For more information, call Julie at (913) 321-4673; send an email to: julie@ sanctuaryofhope.org; or go to the website at: www.sanctuaryofhope.org.

FAMILY SPECIAL NEEDS SUMMER CAMP Prairie Star Ranch 1124 California Rd., Williamsburg June 29 - July 1

A summer camp for families who have a child (or children) with special needs will be held. For information about the camp, go online to: www.archkck.org/specialneeds for details or call Tom Racunas, lead consultant for the special-needs ministry, at (913) 647-3054 or send an email to: tracunas@ archkck.org.

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS’ GRADE SCHOOL SUMMER CAMPS St. Thomas Aquinas High School 11411 Pflumm Rd., Overland Park June and July

There will be a variety of summer camps for students entering grades K - 8 to explore and discover their potential in both sports and other activities. Information about the camps and registration forms are available on the website at: www.stasaints.net/ summer camps. If you have questions, call the athletic office at (913) 319-2416 or send an email to: btriggs@stasaints.net.

“We are a locally owned family funeral home.

We are not restricted by out of town corporate policies. Our commitment is to the families we serve.”

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>> Continued from page 12 For sale - One plot in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Topeka. Located in Henry Garden, lot 824, space east. Current market value is $1500, selling price is $1300. Call (714) 308-2585.

Residential lifts - New and recycled. Stair lifts, porch lifts, ceiling lifts and elevators. St. Michael’s parishioners. KC Lift & Elevator at (913) 327-5557.

(Formerly Silver Cross - KC)

CAREGIVING Situation wanted - Retired nurse will do private care. Available 24/7. Has experience in cosmetology, and massage therapy. Has hospice background. Call (913) 938-4765. No agencies.

Looking for assisted living at home? - Before you move, call us and explore our in-home care options.

We specialize in helping families live safely at home while saving thousands of dollars per year. Call today for more information or to request a FREE home care planning guide. Benefits of Home - Senior Care, www.benefitsofhome.com or call (913) 422-1591 Caregiving - We provide personal assistance, companionship, care management, and transportation for seniors in their home, assisted living or 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, Pat or Gary.

Medication management - DID YOU KNOW taking the wrong medication is the leading reason for falls and nursing home moves? We can help. Our RN will do a biweekly patient health check, fill the pill boxes properly, review your medication list and contact doctors if needed. Get peace of mind! Call Home Meds at (913) 627-9222 and learn about our medication solutions that allow you to continue to live safely at home.

Just like family - Let us care for your loved ones in their homes. Two ladies with over 50 years’ combined experience. Looking for night shift coverage, some days. Great price, great references. Both experienced with hospice care. Call Kara at (913) 3431602 or Ophelia at (913) 570-7276.

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.

How do I get rid of all these machines and tools?

- If you have basement or garage full of woodworking equipment that is collecting dust, I can sell them all and put cash in your hands. I have 24+ years’ experience appraising and selling woodworking machinery and tools. Member of St. Agnes Parish. Call (913) 3755750 or send an email to: mbcobb5@gmail.com.

WANTED TO RENT Wanted to rent - Senior nurse wants to rent a duplex or small ranch house with garage in Johnson County. Needed immediately. Call (913) 938-4765.

REAL ESTATE Whole Estates Need to sell a home and everything in it?

We buy it all at once in as-is condition.

Call (816) 444-1950 or send an email to: www.wholeestates.com.

PILGRIMAGE Pilgrimage to Medjugorje - from April 26 through May 3, 2018. Call (913) 449-1806 for details.

VACATION Branson condo - Newly updated. Perfect for couples or families. Sleeps six; fully furnished; WiFi; no stairs; close to entertainment; pools; exercise room, tennis and golf available. Call (913) 515-3044.

BUYING AN AD FUNERAL HOME • CREMATORY • MEMORIAL CHAPELS 10901 Johnson Drive Shawnee, Kansas 66203 Telephone 913-631-5566 Fax 913-631-2236 Gregg Amos

www.amosfamily.com

To purchase a Leaven classified ad, email The Leaven at: beth.blankenship@theleaven.org. Cost is $20 for the first five lines, $1.50 per line thereafter. Ad deadline is 10 days before the desired publication date.

Call or text 913-621-2199

MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

COMMENTARY

I hope I make a fool of myself

OCTAVE OF EASTER April 1 EASTER SUNDAY OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD Acts 10: 34a, 37-43 Ps 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Col 3: 1-4 Jn 20: 1-9 April 2 MONDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 2: 14, 22-33 Ps 16: 1-2a, 5, 7-11 Mt 28: 8-15 April 3 TUESDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 2: 36-41 Ps 33: 4-5, 18-20, 22 Jn 20: 11-18 April 4 WEDNESDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 3: 1-10 Ps 105: 1-4, 6-9 Lk 24: 13-35 April 5 THURSDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 3: 11-26 Ps 8: 2a, 5-9 Lk 24: 35-48 April 6 FRIDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 4: 1-12 Ps 118: 1-2, 4, 22-27a Jn 21: 1-14 April 7 SATURDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 4: 13-21 Ps 118: 1, 14-15, 16ab-21 Mk 16: 9-5 April 8 SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER Acts 4: 32-35 Ps 118: 2-4, 13-15, 22-24 1 Jn 5: 1-6 Jn 20: 19-31 April 9 THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD Is 7: 10-14; 8: 10 Ps 40: 7-11 Heb 10: 4-10 Lk 1: 26-38 April 10 Tuesday Acts 4: 32-37 Ps 93: 1-2, 5 Jn 3: 7b-15 April 11 Stanislaus, bishop, martyr Acts 5: 17-26 Ps 34: 2-9 Jn 3: 16-21 April 12 Thursday Acts 5: 27-33 Ps 34: 2, 9, 17-20 Jn 3: 31-36 April 13 Martin I, pope, martyr Acts 5: 34-42 Ps 27: 1, 4, 13-14 Jn 6: 1-15 April 14 Saturday Acts 6: 1-7 Ps 33: 1-2, 4-5, 18-19 Jn 6: 16-21

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E

aster Sunday this year is on April 1. No foolin’!

And that leads into this little story: An atheist was quite angry over the Easter and the Passover holidays. He contacted the local ACLU about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by all the holidays afforded to Christians and Jews, while atheists had none.

The ACLU jumped on the opportunity to defend the downtrodden and assigned its sharpest attorney to the case.

It was brought up before a learned judge who, after listening to the passionate presentation by the ACLU representative, promptly banged his gavel and said, “Case dismissed!”

The ACLU lawyer was apoplectic and stood up to object to the ruling.

“Your Honor,” he said, “how can you dismiss this case? Surely, the Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. And what about the Jews?

In addition to Passover, they have Yom Kippur and Hanukkah. Yet my

MARK MY WORDS

FATHER MARK GOLDASICH Father Mark is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989.

client and all other atheists have no such holiday!”

The judge leaned back in his chair and simply said, “Obviously, your client is too confused to know about or, for that matter, even celebrate the atheists’ holiday.”

The attorney replied, “We are aware of no such holiday for atheists. Just when might that be?”

The judge smiled and said, “Well, it comes every year at the same time: April 1!”

Well, that judge is half right. Indeed, people who deny the existence of God are branded as fools in the Book of Psalms: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (14:1; 53:1).

On the other hand, believers in God are also seen as fools in the eyes of the world because of the style of life they choose to live. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul wrote: “We are fools on Christ’s account. . . . When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently. . . .

Therefore, I urge you be imitators of me” (4: 10a, 12-b13a, 16).

It seems providential that this Easter Sunday is also April Fools’ Day.

It’s a reminder that we, like St. Paul, are called to be fools on Christ’s account. We Christians can be a powerful witness in the world by being fools: daring to be hopeful in the midst of the despair around us; choosing to be joyful instead of giving in to the world’s pessimism; and believing in life after death when so many succumb to accepting that this short life on earth is all that there is.

To celebrate this Easter season and beyond, I’ve decided — and hope you will, too — to take up a challenge issued by Dmitry Golubnichy in his book “Can You Be Happy for 100 Days in a Row?” The author had seemingly everything that should make a person happy, yet he was not satisfied.

So, he decided to do something small and simple that made him happy each day for 100 days and then post it online.

After just a few days, others wanted to join in the fun and now there are some eight million people worldwide participating in the #100HappyDays

challenge.

Golubnichy discovered that happiness is an active choice; it lies in small things; it’s most real when it’s shared with others; and to achieve happiness, it helps to appreciate and accept uncertainty.

What makes a person happy? Well, here are some of his suggestions: Wander in an art gallery, buy a co-worker coffee, climb into fresh sheets, belt out a song, cancel a meeting and get lost in a book.

In short, a person is only limited by his or her imagination.

Can you be happy for 100 days in a row? What do you have to lose?

Easter is a time of hope, and joy is its byproduct.

These words from an anonymous source say it well: “Hope is not the closing of your eyes to the difficulty, the risk or the failure. It is a trust that if I fail now, I shall not fail forever; and if I am hurt, I shall be healed. It is a trust that life is good, and love is powerful.”

Wow, who can actually believe such words?

Only us fools, thank God!

What no physical eyes saw, eyes of faith can reveal

M

any Protestant churches will hold a sunrise service on Easter Sunday early in the morning.

Such a service reflects very well the Gospel reading that we hear for the Easter Vigil, Mk 16:1-7, which also can be used at the Easter Sunday morning Masses.

It tells us about the visit of the three women — Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome — to anoint the body of Jesus with the spices they had bought the evening before: “Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.”

Even though most

THE GOSPEL TRUTH

FATHER MIKE STUBBS Father Stubbs is the pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Overland Park and has a degree in Scripture from Harvard University.

Catholic churches do not hold a sunrise service as such on Easter Sunday morning, many have an early morning Mass

POPE FRANCIS

every Sunday.

For example, our parish has one at 7:30 a.m. every week. That would take place at about the same time as a sunrise service.

On the other hand, we Catholics do have a service that closely corresponds to the Gospel reading. It is the Easter Vigil.

The rubrics of the Roman Missal mandate

The revelation of God’s love toward humanity is made known through contemplating the crucifix and not just using it as a work of art or as a fashion accessory, Pope Francis said.

Through the image of Christ crucified, the mystery of Jesus’ death “as a supreme act of love, source of life and salvation for humanity in every age is revealed,” the pope said March 18 before reciting the Angelus prayer with

that the Easter Vigil begin sometime after sunset on the evening of Holy Saturday and end sometime before sunrise Easter Sunday morning.

It is to take place during the darkness of the night. In that way, it links us to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead sometime during the night.

We do not know the exact hour. None of the Gospels reveal that.

Furthermore, none of the canonical Gospels describe the event itself.

Like the three women who visited the tomb that early Easter morning, we only see the emptiness of the tomb and hear the announcement of the angel. The event itself is shrouded in darkness and mystery.

Why is that? There

is the obvious reason that the evangelists were not present, nor were any other human witnesses. But besides that, it may be because human words would be incapable of describing this great event, to do it justice.

At the same time, that lack of description allows us to give full rein to our imaginations to visualize it.

We can prayerfully place ourselves in that moment, in order to encounter the risen Christ ourselves. What no physical eyes saw, we will be able to see with the eyes of faith.

This Easter, even though we are far removed from the event of the Resurrection through time and space, that still can happen.

pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “Today’s Gospel invites us to turn our gaze toward the crucifix, which is not an ornamental object or a clothing accessory — that is often abused — but a religious sign to contemplate and comprehend,” he said.

The pope reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from St. John, in which Jesus foreshadows his death through the imagery of the grain of wheat that, once dead, “produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for

MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

COMMENTARY

I

The work of the special-needs ministry is focused in the parish

n Catholic life, the parish is where the rubber meets the road.

Sometimes, that rubber might be on a wheelchair tire. The mission of the special-needs ministry is to serve and support parishes in facilitating opportunities for a relationship with Christ by ensuring the fullest participation possible in the Catholic faith for all parishioners, regardless of ability.

The work of the church happens at the parish level. In “Living as Missionary Disciples,” the U.S. bishops teach: “Because the parish, through its pastor and members, is typically the first contact that Catholics have with the

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f you knew today was your last day together, could you say, “I did all I could to let my wife/husband know how much I love them?” Are you ever surprised to know your beloved felt a certain way?

The truth is, our work, our children, our “I” Phones and connections to social media all place heavy demands on our time and energy.

So, time spent with our spouse in intimate conversation (sharing who we are inside, our feelings, hopes, dreams and needs) gets squeezed to a minimum or squeezed out.

Experts on marriage report that couples who maintained their love

REACHING OUT

TOM RACUNAS Tom Racunas is the lead consultant for the archdiocesan special-needs ministry. He can be reached by email at: tracunas@archkck.org.

church, ‘it is the responsibility of both pastors and laity to ensure that

those doors are always open.’ It is in the parish that one becomes engaged with the church community, learns how to become a missionary disciple of Christ, is nurtured by Scripture, is nourished by the sacraments, is catechized and ultimately becomes a disciple of Christ. Suc-

cessful evangelization and catechetical initiatives must be focused on the parish and parish life” (pages 13-14).

Our archdiocese is having an important discussion of how we can more fully open our doors to those with special needs.

The archdiocese has three key initiatives for the next several years to help us grow as disciples of Jesus and make disciples for Jesus.

Each of these initiatives has two to three goals. Recently, the goals of our three key initiatives were updated. The archbishop promulgated these goals last October.

New and notable among them is that the archbishop has asked

parishes to commence outreach that is inclusive and supportive of parishioners with disabilities, beginning with participation in faith formation programs (including sacramental preparation) and participation in the liturgy.

So, how do we “commence outreach”? What do we mean by “disability”? Who and where are the parishioners with disabilities to whom we need to reach out? How do we begin?

There is no single answer. The parish is a family of families. Just as every family has a unique set of characteristics, so does each parish family.

In order to help parishes unpack this goal

and determine starting points, a meeting will be held in every region of the archdiocese for pastors, leadership and interested parish family members.

Parish advocates will be recruited to serve as a liaison between people with disabilities and the parish and between the parish and the archdiocesan special-needs ministry.

If you have an interest and want to be a part of the conversation with your pastor about how your parish can become more inclusive and accessible, contact the special-needs ministry office for when your regional meeting will take place.

How well do you really know your spouse?

FAMILY MATTERS

DEACON TONY ZIMMERMAN Deacon Tony Zimmerman is the lead archdiocesan consultant for the office of marriage and family life.

for each other spent a minimum of 15 hours a week in time giving their

spouse their undivided attention; that’s 15 hours to just maintain your love.

If you want to continue to grow in your love, you need to spend more time. You might be saying: “Who has that kind of time?!”

Pope Francis wrote in “Amoris Laetitia,” his 2016 apostolic exhorta-

tion:” “Dialogue is essential for experiencing, expressing and fostering love in marriage and family life. Yet it can only be the fruit of a long and demanding apprenticeship. . . . Take time, quality time. . . . How often do we hear complaints like: ‘He does not listen to me.’ ‘Even when you seem to, you are really doing something else.’ ‘I talk to her and I feel like she can’t wait for me to finish’” (136, 137).

Here is a simple test to see if you are spending enough time each day focused only on talking to and listening to your spouse.

St. John Paul II wrote in “Love and Responsibility”: “Tenderness (sharing one’s feelings

and state of mind) is the ability to feel with and for the whole person, to feel even the most deeply hidden spiritual tremors, and always to have in mind the true good of that person.”

Do you have that level of communication or tenderness with your spouse? HUSBANDS: St. John Paul II wrote that our wives not only desire this sort of communication, they deserve it and have a right to expect it.

This level of communication does not happen by accident.

You have to plan for and schedule it. One way is to retreat to a private space in your home and just talk about your day over a glass of wine and

a little romantic music.

The School of Love monthly date night is another excellent, ongoing opportunity for enriching your marriage. Go online to: schooloflovekc.com for information on the April 5 gathering at St. Ann, Prairie Village, from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

For the long-term plan, sign up online for a weekend retreat getaway like Worldwide Marriage Encounter (www.wwme 4youandme.org) on April 20-22 or a “Living in Love” retreat on July 7-8 at Most Pure Heart of Mary, Topeka.

For more information, go online to: www.joyful marriageproject.com or to: www.archkck.org/ mfl2015.

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MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

Several fifth-grade students at Holy Trinity School in Lenexa portray the crowd in the class’ re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross.

Roman soldiers, from left, Lou Mullin, Noah Stover and Philip Whiteside, escort Jesus, played by Collin Smith, to his crucifixion.

LIVING STATIONS

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Veronica, played by Caroline Dervin, wipes the face of Jesus in a re-enactment of Station VI.

Fifth-grade students and Holy Trinity School in Lenexa, re-enact the Stations of the Cross on March 23.

Photos by Lori Wood Habiger

Ava Booth portrays a woman of Jerusalem in Holy Trinity’s living Stations of the Cross.

Collin Smith gives a strong performance as Jesus, especially as he acts out Station XII — Jesus dies on the cross. The fifth-graders at Holy Trinity School gave two performances of the Stations of the Cross on March 23.

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