04-01-11 Vol. 32 No. 33

www.theleaven.com | Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas | Vol. 32, No. 33 april 1, 2011

A blessing for Kateri Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann blesses the crucifix and stained-glass window depicting Kateri Tekakwitha at the dedication Mass of the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Chapel at Prairie Star Ranch near Williamsburg on March 19. Assisting the archbishop are: (from left) Msgr. Tom Tank, pastor of Church of the Ascension in Overland Park; Father Gary Pennings, vicar general; Father John Riley, chancellor; and Father Kent O’Connor, pastor of Our Lady of Unity Parish, Kansas City, Kan. The new chapel will be ready for use as the camp enters its 15th year. The camp will also welcome a new director of programming — Greg Wellnitz. Prairie Star Ranch is a 291-acre facility owned by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and operated by the archdiocesan youth office. Open year-round for retreats, special events, and camping, the ranch is a place that promotes the growth of community and the deepening of spiritual journeys through various services.

Photos by

Al Davis

the end

end of an era

Archbishop Naumann concludes his tour of the parishes of the archdiocese with stops in Holton and Mayetta.

The Brian McCarty Band has called it quits, ending a longtime passion for polka.

8-9

Confession Wednesday

16

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

2 archbishop

THE LEAVEN • April 1, 2011

THE LEAVEN • April 1, 2011

Resurrection sacrament

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

I

Prairie Star gives youth a glimpse of God’s plan for them

feel so fortunate to be the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Our Archdiocese is blessed in so many remarkable ways.

On the solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of Mary — the 7th anniversary of my arrival in the Archdiocese, I had the privilege of dedicating Blessed Kateri Tekawitha Chapel at Prairie Star Ranch.

Seven years ago during the homily of the Mass of welcome, I noted some of what I considered key indicators of a vital and thriving church in northeast Kansas. Among these signs of vitality, I mentioned Prairie Star Ranch and its ministry to youth. At the time, I did not fully appreciate the magnitude of the impact the camp was having on the youth and families of the Archdiocese.

Every summer, I celebrate Mass and hear confessions at one or two of the camp sessions. Having caught a glimpse of the powerful spiritual effect the camp programs are having on the lives of our young people, I come away from Prairie Star even more convinced of its importance. Prairie Star Ranch is one of the precious jewels of the Archdiocese.

Every year, parents write or speak to me about the positive effect the camp has had upon their children. Parents have told me what a blessing it is to their family when their son or daughter returns from Prairie Star suggesting they pray the rosary or read the Bible as a family. Parents are amazed when their sons or daughters ask permission to go spend some time in adoration at their parish chapel.

Two years ago, I celebrated the baptism of my great-niece, Emily. Emily’s godparents’ son had just returned from a week at Prairie Star. It was the first time he had participated in the camp.

His mother told me she was somewhat anxious to find out if he liked the Prairie Star experience. On the way home in the car, she asked him what he thought about the camp. He replied: “Mom, I hope this does not insult you, but it was the best week of my life!”

As in every enterprise, leadership is everything. I am so grateful to Dana and Debbie Nearmyer who have served as co-directors of the camp since its inception. They have developed a program allowing our young people to enjoy all the usual elements of a youth camp — horseback riding, archery, ropes course, zip lining, etc. — but they have also incorporated throughout the camp experience opportunities to get to know Jesus better, to learn about our Catholic faith and to pray.

Each year, Dana and Debbie do a remarkable job in selecting and forming the camp staff. The young adults, who serve as camp counselors at Prairie Star, are the key to the camp’s success.

It is the witness of the counselors’ faith — sharing their own love for Jesus and his church — that has the most significant impact on the faith development of the campers. One of the important contributions of the camp is developing the staff into future leaders for the church.

Prairie Star creates an environment conducive to helping young people discern what God wants them to do with their lives. The camp is a place where our youth begin to discover God’s plan for them, to get caught up in God’s dream for them. It is a place where they learn to lose the false values of fame,

wealth, and pleasure that the world urges them to seek. At Prairie Star, the campers receive a taste of the full and abundant life that God desires for each of them.

I am grateful to parents who entrust to us your most precious treasure — your children — by sending them to camp. Through the camp experience, our goal is to assist you in your responsibility of being the first teachers of the faith to your children. We want to give your son or daughter the opportunity to get to know Jesus better and to fall in love with him.

I have had parents tell me that they take a vacation day in order to make certain that their son or daughter gets registered for the camp. The camp sessions fill up very quickly, but there are still some openings for this summer. If you are interested in your son or daughter attending the camp, please call Mary Rukavina at (913) 647-0373 or send an e-mail to: youthsec@arch kck.org.

Also, if you are interested in providing a scholarship to help a young person attend the camp who otherwise would be prevented for financial reasons, please contact Dana Nearmyer at (913) 647-0331.

I am very grateful for Archbishop James Keleher’s vision and Msgr. Tom Tank’s leadership in giving birth to the camp. I am also grateful to the many benefactors who have given so generously to build and develop the camp.

The dedication of the new chapel at Prairie Star was the culmination of a lot of hard work and the sacrificial gifts of so many throughout the archdiocese In my homily at the dedication, I stated: “This chapel is not just a nice addition to the camp. It is a powerful statement in wood and stone of the mission of Prairie Star. Jesus is the cornerstone, the foundation, the center and the focus of all that happens at our camp.”

Palm Sunday April 16, 4 p.m. Vigil Mass April 17, 9 and 11 a.m.*, 5 p.m. Masses Holy Thursday April 21, 7:30 p.m. Mass of the Lord’s Supper*

Good Friday April 22, 3 p.m. Celebration of the Lord’s Passion* Holy Saturday April 23, Easter Vigil, 8 p.m.*

April 1 Mass for Regional Stewardship Conference — Savior Chapel April 2 10 a.m. Anointing Mass — Curé of Ars, Leawood Meeting with Mother Regina Pacis, provincial of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George

April 3 Scout Mass — Cathedral of St. Peter, Kansas City, Kan. April 4 Adoration/Benediction — Hayden High School, Topeka Confirmation — St. Paul, Olathe April 5 Curia meeting — chancery Confirmation — Queen of the Holy Rosary, Wea April 6 Administrative Team meeting Shepherd’s Voice recording Confessions — St. Agnes, Roeland Park April 7 Confirmation — Holy Trinity, Lenexa April 8 Luncheon meeting with Mayor Reardon Holy Hour and dinner with permanent deacon candidates — St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood April 9 Permanent deacon ordinations — St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood

Archbishop Keleher’s weekly calendar

April 2 10 a.m. Anointing Mass — Curé of Ars, Leawood

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

Confession is our way to peace, says Archbishop Keleher

April 3 Confirmation — Curé of Ars, Leawood April 7 Confirmation — Holy Trinity, Lenexa April 9 Permanent deacon ordinations — St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood

The Blaufuss Team “We want to help you and your family with real estate”

a chance — as they develop their faith — they will go more frequently,” the archbishop said. “But if they don’t go at least twice a year, they aren’t going to do it.”

“It’s the ones who have missed two or three years that I worry about, because they won’t come. They’re afraid to come,” he added.

Whenever he encounters someone who has been away from the sacrament for a long time, he tells that person, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll walk you through it.”

By Joe Bollig

weekly calendar

Speaker — Daughters of Isabella banquet, Topeka

The Cathedral Schedule for Holy Week Holy Week is less than three weeks away. Again, the archbishop wishes to extend an invitation to every member of the archdiocese to make a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of St. Peter for one of the Holy Week Liturgies. Many in the archdiocese have never seen our beautiful cathedral nor had the opportunity to be inspired by the beautiful cathedral choir.

Archbishop Naumann’s

SECOND FRONT PAGE 3

Leaven staff

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Although he had been well prepared by the Sisters at his Catholic grade school, going to confession made Jimmy a bit anxious.

“It was in the box,” he said, remembering his youth. “The slide [window] would open and you’d confess. You didn’t want to forget anything, and you hoped [the priest] would treat you kindly — which he always did. You’d hear these stories, but all I experienced were very good priests.”

It was all very serious and slightly mysterious — a typical experience for a Catholic kid growing up in the 1930s.

The resurrection sacrament

Boy meets sacrament Jimmy never stopped regularly going to confession. He became a young man, and then a priest, and finally a bishop.

Today, people know him as Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher.

Not only did the Sisters in school teach him about the importance of the sacrament, his parents also set a good example.

“My parents were very careful about regular confession for themselves as well as their children,” said the archbishop.

“My father, every month before Holy Name Sunday, would go to confession so he would be better prepared to receive the Blessed Sacrament.”

Attitudes about the sacraments then were very different from what they are today. Many people did not receive the Eucharist but, when they did, they often went to confession first. Many went monthly, and several went weekly for “devotional” confessions.

“It’s not that they were in serious sin at all, but just their respect for the Eucharist was such they felt that confession would be the appropriate way to receive the Sunday sacrament,” said the archbishop.

The young confessor His respect for, and appreciation of, the sacrament of reconciliation increased through his own experiences as a chaplain to Catholic orphans and congregations of Sisters, as well as his own parishioners.

“I learned it was very important to be a gentle shepherd when I was dealing with the person on the other side of the screen,” he said. “When they left the confessional, they said, ‘Thank you, Father,’ and I think they felt a burden had been lifted from their shoulders. It was a consolation for me.”

As a young priest, Archbishop Keleher tried to help young couples become established in regular practice of the sacrament of reconciliation.

“If I had a wedding on Saturday, I would be at the practice on Friday night,” he said. “When the practice was over, the first thing we did was go back

Leaven photo by Joe Bollig

A lifetime of receiving and administering the sacrament of reconciliation has taught Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher a lot about our need to repent and receive God’s forgiveness. It’s helpful that a person go monthly, but at the minimum twice a year. If he or she doesn’t, there is a danger that that person will drop out completely. to the confessional — not only the bride and groom, but the attendants and groomsmen.”

He didn’t give them a choice.

“I’d tell the couple, ‘I’m going to hear your confession,’ not ‘Would you like to go to confession?’” said the archbishop.

“I’d tell them, ‘You should not receive this beautiful sacrament without having confessed.’”

Use it or lose it Catholics may not frequent the sacrament of reconciliation the way they did in the past. Archbishop Keleher thinks this is due, in part, to the rise of a more secular age in which we live. We have lost a sense of sin.

He has cause for hope, however, in the young.

“When I go to [the archdiocesan] Camp Tekakwitha — I must admit,

that’s a culturally Catholic place — I love it when I’m asked to hear confessions of their wonderful young staff or the campers,” said Archbishop Keleher. “I tell you what: Almost all the young people go.

They love to go. They have no problem with it at all. I hope they keep it up.”

Unfortunately, many young people do not keep up the practice of regular confession. Apathy and absence can carry a person further and further away into spiritual peril.

“I’m always afraid if [someone] doesn’t go for a year or two, they then begin to think, ‘How can I ever go again?’

And they don’t go,” said the archbishop.

That’s why, after he would hear the confessions of young couples getting married, he would ask them to make a pledge: Try to go to confession monthly, but at the very least go to confession at Christmas and Easter.

“If they go at least twice a year, there’s

The sacrament of reconciliation may be experiencing a revival, thanks in part to the efforts of the late Pope John Paul II, said the archbishop.

“One of the great contributions of Pope John Paul II was to try to make people aware of the power of the sacrament — not only to forgive serious sins, but as a way to stay closer to Jesus,” said Archbishop Keleher.

There is an important reason why confession and the Eucharist are linked, he said. They’re both fruits of the cross of Christ.

“This sacrament is a gift of the cross,” he said. “By the cross of Jesus and his precious blood, and by the offering of his sacred body, Jesus has given his church the Holy Spirit for the remission of all our sins. It’s a beautiful thing.

“That same Holy Spirit that forgives our sins is also the eucharistic gift, because it’s through Jesus’ cross that the Spirit comes in at the words of the priest at the consecration; the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

There are two things that all saints know — and that helped them become saints, said the archbishop. One is that we are gifted by God with eternal life.

The other is that although we are sinners, we can be forgiven.

“It’s a ‘felix culpa,’ a ‘happy fault,’ as we say on Holy Saturday,” said the archbishop. “It’s a happy fault because we are forgiven. We are his creatures, and we are grateful; we are sinners, but we are forgiven.”

“I think it’s a shame that people will allow themselves to go through years without utilizing this beautiful sacrament,” he continued. “And when they do that, they are in danger of carrying on their shoulders burdens of guilt that could easily have been taken care of with this sacrament.”

What the world needs today is peace, and that will not come without forgiveness, said the archbishop. It must begin with us asking us God for forgiveness, and then forgiving others to establish peace in our relationships.

“There will never be justice without forgiveness,” said Archbishop Keleher.

“This beautiful sacrament is a wonderful way Catholics can find that peace.”

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Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799)

Editor Reverend Mark Goldasich, stl frmark@theleaven.com

Senior Reporter Joe Bollig joe@theleaven.com

Advertising Representative Jennifer Siebes jennifer@theleaven.com

President Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann

Managing Editor Anita McSorley anita@theleaven.com

Production Manager Todd Habiger todd@theleaven.com

Reporter Kara Hansen kara@theleaven.com

Published weekly September through May, excepting the Friday the week after Thanksgiving, and the Friday after Christmas; biweekly June through August. Address communications to: The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. Phone: (913) 7211570; fax: (913) 721-5276; or e-mail at: sub@theleaven.com.

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4 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • April 1, 2011

THE LEAVEN • april 1, 2011

The Funeral Advocate

By Jill Ragar Esfeld PRAIRIE VILLAGE — St. Ann parishioner Brian O’Laughlin thrives on what most of us dread: the unexpected phone call that throws a peaceful life into chaos.

Not long ago, he got that call from a longtime fellow parishioner and friend, John Masterson, who had moved to Indiana with his wife Susan.

“Suzie got cancer and died out there,” said O’Laughlin. “John called me up and said, ‘Brian, what do I do?’”

O’Laughlin’s response was simple. “‘What do you want to have happen?’”

It’s a question he’s used over and over again in his newfound vocation as funeral advocate.

In this role, O’Laughlin’s primary goal is to protect his clients emotionally and financially, while helping them honor their loved ones in any way they choose.

Masterson, for example, now a parishioner of St. Simon the Apostle in Indianapolis, wanted to bury his wife back home in Kansas. O’Laughlin knew how to make that happen.

“He was a godsend,” said Masterson.

“He was my one-point contact person. He did everything from handling the logistics of transporting the body to helping me get pictures together for the wake.”

“I was able to get it all done while he was out of town,” said O’Laughlin. “And then he flew into town and we finished up the details.”

“He did a tremendous job for me,” said Masterson.

Born to advocate O’Laughlin’s interest in funeral advocacy is a natural partner to his primary profession as a financial representative.

“I like to protect people,” he said.

“You’ve got to watch out for the little guy — take care of the children and the elderly and take care of the uninformed; it’s an obligation we have as Christians.”

O’Laughlin fulfills that obligation outside of work as well. With his wife Mimi, he’s raised four sons and, in the process, has coached almost every sport.

“Probably 50 seasons of some things — from soccer to rugby to basketball,” he said.

Known for his volunteerism within his parish, O’Laughlin is always available when help is needed.

“I’ve held every position except pastoral council,” he said. “I’ve probably painted the walls in the school 10 times.

“And when the Knights of Columbus do their big shrimp dinner, I come in and cook spaghetti that will knock your socks off.”

Twelve years ago, when his father died suddenly, O’Laughlin was introduced to the funeral services industry and instantly recognized another area where he might be able to help people.

“I took Mom over to the funeral home,” he recalled. “I was kind of propping her up and trying to advocate for her.”

O’Laughlin listened and asked questions, but emerged from the experience feeling like he could have helped his mother more — and saved her money — had he been better informed.

Later that year, when his uncle died, an out-of-town cousin called asking for help planning a funeral here. With experience now on his side, O’Laughlin was eager to revisit the process.

This time he researched and networked and managed to make more

Deacon candidate attracted to ministry of charity

By Kara Hansen Leaven staff

To learn more

Special to The Leaven

For a free end-of-life planning seminar or to learn more, contact O’Laughlin by e-mail at: OLaughlinB @aol.com; call him at (816) 9313313; or visit the Web site at: www. funeraladvocates.com.

Photo courtesy of Brian O’Laughlin

Brian O’Laughlin has found a vocation as a funeral advocate. He helps people make informed decisions during their darkest hours.

“I know Brian is looking out for the welfare of his clients. I think with his knowledge and expertise, he can do a lot of the legwork that, to be quite honest, families don’t take the time to do.”

”

Charlie Passantino, owner of Passantino Brothers Funeral Home cost-effective choices. The cousin was so pleased with the outcome that he sent O’Laughlin a generous gift certificate.

O’Laughlin was so pleased with the experience, he decided to make it his business.

Entrepreneur

Seeing a clear need for his services and eager to assist more people, O’Laughlin went to the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurialism and took some courses to help him formalize a business plan.

He also introduced himself to the close-knit community that provides funeral and burial services.

“Brian came to us so that we’d understand what it was he was doing,” said Bob Chenoweth, executive director of Catholic Cemeteries in Kansas.

Chenoweth thought O’Laughlin had hit on an important, but unaddressed need.

“There are people who come to us to make their [burial] arrangements, and they’ll ask about funeral home arrangements,” he said. “And we’ll say we don’t do that. But it’s obvious that they are looking for some guidance.”

“I know Brian is looking out for the welfare of his clients,” said Charlie Passantino, owner of Passantino Brothers Funeral Home in Kansas City, Mo. “I think with his knowledge and expertise, he can do a lot of the legwork that, to be quite honest, families don’t take the time to do,” he added.

Before long, O’Laughlin was getting word-of-mouth referrals — and the feeling that God was steering him along this path.

“It was always weird how I’d get referred into situations,” he said. “They were all divinely inspired.”

As a funeral advocate, O’Laughlin’s job is to clarify what the client wants, and then make it happen at the lowest cost.

“I coach people through the process,” he said. “I have a pretty good planning mind, and so I recognize things other people don’t recognize.”

O’Laughlin’s success stems from his knowledge of the business, his financial savvy, and a natural gift for networking.

“Brian is just so personable,” said Masterson. “He’s one of these guys who knows everybody and everybody is a friend. He has so many contacts and connections.”

More importantly, O’Laughlin is able to take advantage of his position as a neutral party to negotiate prices when his clients are emotionally incapable of doing so.

“It’s a different situation to work with him, because the emotional side is not there,” explained Passantino. “He’s done his research so, when he calls, basically he knows what he’s looking for for that family, and that makes my job easier.”

It’s not a job; it’s an adventure O’Laughlin’s efforts always lead the client to — but not over — the threshold of the funeral service.

“My philosophy is whatever happens inside the church is the responsibility of the church itself,” he said. “I don’t get involved in the service; I just help the family get to the service.”

O’Laughlin’s clients will be the first to tell you the road to that end isn’t always predictable.

One client’s deceased wife loved gardening. Her favorite flowers were blackeyed Susans and zinnias.

While helping with funeral arrangements, O’Laughlin decided to forgo the conventional florist and visit a garden center instead. Zinnias and black-eyed Susans just happened to be on sale that day.

“I told them to fill my truck with them,” said O’Laughlin.

Guests at the woman’s service found a meadow of her favorite flowers at the base of the altar. The pots were transported to a luncheon afterwards, where they decorated tables.

Surviving the maze When St. Ann parishioner Jeannine Herrera’s mother entered hospice care, she ordered information from a funeral home and tried to do some preplanning.

“It was like going through a maze,” she said. “So I called Brian.”

Herrera was astonished at how

LOCAL NEWS 5

O’Laughlin streamlined the process of arranging the funeral.

“Brian understands the business of it,” she said. “He coaches you through the process in a way that makes you feel like you’ve got a friend, and there is no pressure to buy anything.”

Herrera and her sister buried their father 10 years earlier. They were shocked at the cost difference O’Laughlin’s involvement made.

“I think we spent, for our mother’s whole funeral, what we spent on my dad’s casket,” she said.

Christ the King, Kansas City, Mo., parishioner Michael Coughlin had a similar experience.

When his wife died a year ago, he arranged the funeral himself. Eight months later, when he lost his mother, he called O’Laughlin.

“Brian goes piece by piece and figures out what you need,” said Coughlin. “He explains the options. He’s very motivated to save people money and protect them from overcharges.”

“And he was very compassionate,” Coughlin added. “He gave me his personal cell phone number. He encouraged me to call him directly anytime anything came up.”

That compassion comes from O’Laughlin’s real desire to protect the well-being of his clients.

“Someone once asked how I can deal with all this grief,” he recalled. “And I said, ‘Sometimes I cry. It’s part of life.’

Emoting is a good thing. If I didn’t care, it wouldn’t bother me.”

Divinely inspired When it comes to the funeral services community, O’Laughlin has been pleased with the acceptance he’s received.

“The funeral directors that I work with and the people at cemeteries have been very accommodating,” he said, “because they, too, are in the business of helping people.”

“I’ve known Brian for two or three years,” said Passantino. “He’s upfront, he’s honest, [and] his word is good.”

“I’ve met him on several occasions and thoroughly understand what he’s doing, and it’s good work,” said Chenoweth, who is especially appreciative of O’Laughlin’s advocacy of pre-need planning (see sidebar).

As he advocates for families facing one of their most difficult times, O’Laughlin is constantly amazed by what he calls “inspired moments” — like the sun bursting through a church window and shining brightly on loved ones, or geese flying in perfect formation over an Air Force veteran’s graveside service.

But most often, he just sees things working out perfectly for the people he represents. And he never believes it’s a coincidence.

“Things don’t just fall together because of happenstance or chance,” he said. “I think it is divinely inspired.”

“And I think God takes care of those who take care of others,” he added. “So I’d just as well be the guy taking care of other people.”

Louisburg — When George Karnaze first considered becoming a deacon, what appealed to him most was the compoDeacon service nent of the diaprofile conate.

“The diaconate is primarily a ministry of charity, assisting people and providing sacramental help to the people of God,” said Karnaze. “We’re there to assist the priests and bishop. We are especially called to help the poor, the homeless, the depressed.”

Once he becomes a deacon, Karnaze said his biggest concern was making sure he was a help to Catholics in experiencing their faith more fully.

“One of the first things we

were asked in one of our first classes was: ‘What is the thing you fear most about doing [after becoming a deacon]?’” recalled Karnaze. “My fear is that I would say or do something that would prompt someone to leave the church. I want to be able to represent the church and the office of deacon humbly and faithfully.”

Sharing what he loves about his faith is something Karnaze is looking forward to doing in a new way as a deacon, once he and the 16 other candidates are ordained.

“The greatest thing about being Catholic to me is being a part of a church founded by Christ, being a member of the universal church of God,” said Karnaze. “It’s knowing Jesus died for me and for you.”

Profile

Name: George Karnaze Parish: Immaculate Conception, Louisburg Age: 62 Family members: wife, Etta; two grown children — Chris and Kelly Occupation: banker Favorite food: Mexican and Greek What I’m looking forward to most about being a deacon: The role of the deacon is one of service to the poor and bringing the Gospel to others. It’s also a spiritual and liturgical ministry that allows one to grow in their faith and practice the Beatitudes.

Favorite saint: St. Dismas (the “good” thief next to Jesus at Calvary). He asked Jesus to remember him in the kingdom. Jesus told him he would be with him this day in paradise. This image conveys the absolute mercy Christ has for those who are contrite for their sins.

If I could visit a period in church history it would be: The Second Vatican Council. I have great admiration for Pope John XXIII and his courage for calling the council.

Passion for youth ministry led to pursuit of diaconate

By Kara Hansen Leaven staff

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — When Camp Tekakwitha sessions in Williamsburg begin this summer, there will be an everpresent, familiar face there in Dana Deacon director Nearmyer. profile But this summer, he will bring his faculties as a newly ordained deacon to the Catholic adventure camp for the first time.

“I’m looking forward to serving the people of God and, most specifically, serving at Camp Tekakwitha and other youth events, to represent the church with all the graces of ordination,” said Nearmyer.

Being able to proclaim the Gospel at Mass, as well as help in a more meaningful way with adoration and Benediction, were both aspects of the diaconate that particularly appealed to Nearmyer.

Nearmyer said the five-year-

long process of formation leading up to the diaconate has been helpful — not just in preparation for becoming a deacon, but also in his current position in the archdiocesan office for the evangelization and Catholic formation of youth.

“All the formation has been helpful in understanding the church more fully,” he said. “I look forward to helping youth connect more fully with the church, along with the additional reliance on the Holy Spirit that ordination requires.”

And though Nearmyer is passionate about Catholic youth ministry and the new opportunities the diaconate will provide to serve others, he knows with the new responsibility will come a greater need for priorities.

“My first vocation is to my wife and my five children,” said Nearmyer. “My first goal is to get them all to heaven. After that, the balance of work and ministry will require prayer and ongoing dialogue with my superiors.”

Profile

Name: Dana Nearmyer Parish: Holy Trinity, Lenexa Age: 46 Family members and ages: wife, Deborah; children: Madison, 16; Blake, 15; Theresa, 8; Maximillian, 5; Mary Eliose, 10 months Occupation: consultant for the archdiocesan office of youth evangelization and Catholic formation Favorite food: adventurous eclectic What I’m looking forward to most about being a deacon: serving the archbishop and people of northeast Kansas Something people might be surprised to learn about me: I am an American Indian in two different nations.

Favorite saint (and why): Kateri Tekakwitha — her patronage has blessed me and the youth of the archdiocese so richly through the Prairie Star Ranch and camp. Many are choosing her for their confirmation names because she has touched their hearts.

If I could visit a period of church history, it would be: the Sermon on the Mount.

Favorite book (nonreligious): “Wuthering Heights” or “The Great Gatsby” Hobby: playing soccer

Sister Helen Hermreck, OSU Maple Mount, Ky. — Sister Helen Hermreck, 87, an Ursuline Sister of Mount St. Joseph, died March 27 at Mount St. Joseph here, in her 72nd year of religious life. She was a native of Scipio.

Sister Helen was an Ursuline Sister of Paola until the obituary merger of that community with Mount St. Joseph in 2008.

Her former religious name was Sister Mary Alberta Hermreck. She was a joyful, always gracious, woman, who loved to read and to be outside enjoying nature.

Sister Helen taught music at Ursuline Academy in Paola from 1940-49, then at St. John School in Bartlesville, Okla., from 1949-57. She was novice director for the Paola Ursulines from 1957-63, then taught at Holy Name School in Kansas City, Kan., from 1963-64. She was executive director at the Lakemary Center from 196869. From 1970-80, she taught special

Sister Helen Hermreck education at three locations in or near Sacramento, Calif., and served in pastoral ministry at St. Patrick Parish in Placerville, Calif., from 1980 until her retirement in 2005. She moved to the Mount St. Joseph motherhouse in Maple Mount, Ky., in 2009.

Survivors include three sisters — Fran Dennis, of Chester, Calif.; Edith Foster, of Anderson, Calif.; and Rose Perisot, of Chico, Calif. — and a brother, Everett Hermreck, of Citrus Heights, Calif.

Birthday bash

Sister Veronica Marie Brost, SCL, celebrated her 106th birthday on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation. Kindergartners of Xavier Elementary School, Leavenworth, entertain Sister Veronica with a variety of songs. Despite there being 100 years difference in their ages, Sister Veronica Marie and the kindergartners found they had much to share.

6 LOCAL NEWS

THE LEAVEN • april 1, 2011

THE LEAVEN • april 1, 2011

Let Catholic social teaching inform your confession this Lent

K

LOCAL NEWS 7 New president at St. James LENEXA — Andy Tylicki, principal of St. James Academy, will assume the role of president of the Lenexa high school upon the departure of Sister Christa Marie Halligan, who is being reassigned by her order, the Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr St. George.

A new principal will be hired at a later date.

“Under Sister Christa Marie’s direction, St. James Academy has continued to improve our financial systems and results.

We certainly wish Sister the very best in her next assignment with the Franciscan Sisters,” said St. James board president Tim Wilson.

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Is it a sin to tell a racist joke?

Rig a deal to boost your business? Pour your used oil in the driveway?

By this point in Lent, many Catholics have already broken their Lenten resolutions. Fortunately, Lent

is the gift that keeps on giving — especially since there is still time to prepare for Easter by receiving the sacrament of reconciliation.

The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes (see “Got Sin?” in the March 4 issue of The Leaven, ) aren’t the only frameworks for a good examination of conscience. In fact, many Catholics might find the questions recommended by the U.S. bishops, based on Catholic social teaching (see below), quite pertinent to their daily lives.

Life and dignity of the human person • Do I respect the life and dignity of every human person from conception through natural death?

• Do I recognize the face of Christ reflected in all others around me whatever their race, class, age, or abilities?

• Do I work to protect the dignity of others when it is being threatened?

• Am I committed to both protecting human life and to ensuring that every human being is able to live in dignity?

Call to family, community, and participation • Do I try to make positive contributions in my family and in my community?

• Are my beliefs, attitudes, and choices such that they strengthen or undermine the institution of the family?

• Am I aware of problems facing my local community and involved in efforts to find solutions? Do I stay informed and make my voice heard when needed?

• Do I support the efforts of poor persons to work for change in their neighborhoods and communities? Do my attitudes and interactions empower or disempower others?

ity to ensure that the rights of persons in need are realized?

• Do I urge those in power to implement programs and policies that give priority to the human dignity and rights of all, especially the vulnerable?

Option for the poor and vulnerable • Do I give special attention to the needs of the poor and vulnerable in my community and in the world?

• Am I disproportionately concerned for my own good at the expense of others?

• Do I engage in service and advocacy work that protects the dignity of poor and vulnerable persons?

CNS photo/Ed Foster Jr.

Migrant farmworkers clear weeds and remove plastic coverings from growing beds at a melon farm in Plant City, Fla. The dignity of workers in regard to fair wages, right to join unions and fair benefits are all things to consider for an examination of conscience.

The dignity of work and the rights of workers • As a worker, do I give my employer a fair day’s work for my wages? As an owner, do I treat workers fairly?

• Do I treat all workers with whom I interact with respect, no matter their position or class?

• Do I support the rights of all workers to adequate wages, health insurance, vacation and sick leave? Do I affirm their right to form or join unions or worker associations?

Solidarity • Does the way I spend my time reflect a genuine concern for others?

• Is solidarity incorporated into my prayer and spirituality? Do I lift up vulnerable people throughout the world in my prayer, or is it reserved for only my personal concerns?

• Am I attentive only to my local neighbors or also those across the globe?

• Do I see all members of the human family as my brothers and sisters?

Care for God’s creation

Rights and responsibilities • Do I recognize and respect the economic, social, political, and cultural rights of others?

• Do I live in material comfort and excess while remaining insensitive to the needs of others whose rights are unfulfilled?

• Do I take seriously my responsibil-

• Do my purchasing choices take into account the hands involved in the production of what I buy? When possible, do I buy products produced by workers whose rights and dignity were respected?

Leaven photo by Joe Bollig

Myron Hurla (right), a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Paxico, bows his head as his mother Laverne leads the family in prayer before lunch with his brothers Vincent (left) and Roy. Making a positive contribution to family is a theme of one of the U.S. bishops’ examination of conscience.

• Do I live out my responsibility to care for God’s creation?

• Do I see my care for creation as connected to my concern for poor persons, who are most at risk from environmental problems?

• Do I litter? Live wastefully? Use energy too freely? Are there ways I could reduce consumption in my life?

• Are there ways I could change my daily practices and those of my family, school, workplace, or community to better conserve the earth’s resources for future generations?

Blisters for Sisters

Leaven photo by Lori Wood Habiger

From left, third-grader Evan Conroy, third-grader Alex Quillen, second-grader Crais McGurk, first-grader Joseph Maffei, fifth-grader Bailee Bones, and fifth-grader Owen Gordon — all students at Sacred Heart School in Ottawa — lead the way for the Blisters for Sisters walk March 25.

Blisters for Sisters raises money to support women’s religious orders. In all, the students at Sacred Heart walked 3.3 miles and raised $177.25.

This was the first year Sacred Heart School has done a Blisters for Sisters walk, but plans to make it an annual event, according to principal Diane Chapman. Chapman said the school wanted to do something to honor the religious Sisters who “were for many years the lifeblood of the school.”

Jim and Ann Cayler, members of Christ the King Parish in Topeka, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on April 3 at a reception hosted by their son and daughter-inlaw, Mark and Kim Cayler, and their three grandchildren, all of anniversarY Topeka. The couple was married on April 22, 1961, at Holy Name Church in Topeka.

Anniversary policy

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

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After 32 years, The Brian McCarty Band is calling it quits

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Brian McCarty was only a little boy when he caught the fever.

Polka fever, that is.

He was four or five years old when his parents took him to a little polka dance in the social hall of Holy Family Parish in Kansas City, Kan. There he saw something that would change his life: a man whose fingers fairly flew over the Story by keyboard of the accordion he was Joe Bollig squeezing to, well, Photos by beat the band.

“I literally Don Wolf dragged my mom by the arm over there and pointed to the accordion and said, ‘That’s cool. I want one of those,’” said McCarty.

While the other kids were running around playing, McCarty sat rapt, crosslegged, right there on the floor in front of the band. He watched and wished that he’d be able to play just like that guy.

McCarty got an accordion for Christmas that year and right away began to teach himself little songs. Eventually, he grew up and became that guy, playing the accordion at the head of his own band.

Just as it often had, The Brian McCarty Band played a polka dance on March 19 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Shawnee. As usual, the faithful filled the floor.

As usual, the happy music got them stepping.

This dance, however, was different. After the last song, The Brian McCarty Band

packed its gear and instruments away for good. Their 32-year run was over. Brian and his band members were retiring.

Polka nation forever You have to grow up in a place like Strawberry Hill in Kansas City, Kan., to really understand the allure of polka. It’s

in the blood. Polka was the lingua franca that brought together the little ethnic enclaves — Germans, Poles, Slovenes, Slovaks, and Croatians — in a way nothing else could.

“My mom is full-blooded Slovenian; my dad is Irish and German,” said McCarty. “Accordion music is in the culture.”

When he was growing up, his neighbors visited across the backyard fences in

The Brian McCarty Band played its last gig in one of the band’s favorite locations: the Knights of Columbus Hall in Shawnee. Throughout their 25year run at the hall, the band never raised its $10 admission fee.

Croatian and Slovenian.

“We’d go to a friend’s house, and there was polka music playing,” he said. “You’d go down to the church hall, and there was

Gary McCarty - Banjo and guitar polka music playing. We’d go to a wedding, and there was polka music playing.

“And sometimes it went on for days!”

When McCarty first got his accordion, he taught himself to play by ear, and learned dozens of songs that way. To expand his repertoire beyond the tunes he was familiar with, he’d listen to records of polka music and try to produce something sorta-kinda close.

“I was making music,” he said, “maybe not great music.”

He’d even take his child-size accordion down to the church hall and try to pick up what he could from visiting polka bands.

Finally, he had his first accordion lessons at age 11.

“Play me something,” said his teacher at his first lesson. “Show me what you know how to do.”

McCarty hit six bars.

“Stop! I’ve heard enough,” said the teacher. “Now I know where to go — right back to the beginning!”

McCarty started his first band, Four of a Kind, in 1979. Five years later, he formed The Brian McCarty Band — the same one that closed out its run on March 19.

He formed that first band as a teenager — and the other band members were teens as well. They came from the same ethnic groups that populated the neighborhood: German, Polish, Croatian and Slovenian. Like McCarty, they were largely self-taught.

As a boy, John Schneller, now a member of St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee, had always dreamed of playing in a band. His first drum was his mother’s washtub; his first drumsticks were limbs he sawed off a tree in his back yard. Later, his parents bought him some real drums. He, too, learned first to play by ear, mimicking the drumming he heard on records.

One day Schneller dropped by the McCarty garage and mentioned that he owned some drums. Brian said, “Bring them over,” and Schneller retrieved them from his attic.

“I didn’t know how to [drum for] polka,” said Schneller. “Brian gave me some pointers, and that’s how I got started [in the band].”

Ironically, Schneller only began taking drum lessons after he joined the band.

When McCarty decided to recruit his younger brother Gary to play in his band, there was just one problem. Gary only played guitar, and Brian needed him to play banjo.

So they compromised. Gary was given a whole month to learn to play banjo.

“The [band] member I replaced took a job in Des Moines,” recalled Gary McCarty, a member of Holy Family Parish, Kansas City, Kan. “I think he bought me

Steve Smith - Saxophone took a lot of day trips and even got as far as Denver and St. Louis. Often, a busload of fans — not organized by the band — followed the band to these far performances.

No fans were more loyal. One time a local dance had been cancelled due to heavy snow, but a crowd showed up anyway.

Polka people are positive, because the music won’t let you be otherwise. The blues it ain’t.

“It’s happy, happy music,” said Schneller.

”

“I still love the music. I still love my instrument.

I still love to play. But it’s time to just let go of all that and get along with it.” my first banjo.

“We worked through it a bunch of evenings, and finally Brian booked a job and I showed up.”

The coolness of polka The dominant youth music of the late 1970s was heavy metal, stadium rock with big hair, pop and disco. Pretty much everything but polka.

“We took a lot of heckling from people in our own age group,” said McCarty.

While their teen peers couldn’t get their rock bands out of their garages, however, The Brian McCarty Band was landing gigs and making money.

“It was excellent money for a high schooler,” said McCarty.

As the years went by, the band played on. Despite the addition of wives, children, and day jobs, there was a lot of continuity in the band. In fact, only 11 people cycled through The Brian McCarty Band during its 32-year existence.

Generally, the band was comprised of four musicians — one each on drums, saxophone, accordion, and banjo. The style of their music was Slovenian-American, said McCarty.

The band played at dances, weddings and ethnic festivals. Over the years, they

Brian McCarty

“And all the people who followed us enjoy this happy music.”

Sometimes band members’ families had to take the back seat. It may not have been high art, but the band sacrificed for it.

“We booked jobs months or a year in advance,” said McCarty. “[They were] commitments we made. We always honored those commitments.”

They did it for the love of polka . . . and for their fans.

“We always said the scheduling, the setup, and equipment and those kinds of things are what we got paid for,” said Gary McCarty. “The music we’d do for free.”

Save the last dance One of the band’s favorite places to perform was the Knights of Columbus Hall in Shawnee. Playing there was like playing a home game. A lot of the polka fans that showed up had roots back in the old neighborhood. The band played there six or seven times a year.

These “home field” polka dances had a dash of the family reunion/wedding dance vibe to them — fun and food, friends and fancy footwork. A group of Knights’ wives would cook homemade food for each occasion: Polish sausage and sauerkraut,

potatoes and seasoned pork — all washed down by beer and wine.

The band played at the hall for 25 years, and the price of admission stayed just $10.

That covered everything. The band made that possible.

“We never raised the prices because we wanted every penny to go to the seminarians,” said Gary McCarty. “Brian gave [the Knights] a fantastic rate to play. He never raised it.”

When Knights of Columbus polka dance organizers Joe Borders and Dan Nicks learned that The Brian McCarty Band was calling it quits, they urged the band to take their victory lap at the hall.

The hall was packed the night of March 19, of course. But there were no tearful goodbyes — everybody was having too good a time.

At the end, band members included Brian and Gary McCarty, John Schneller, Coker Thomas and Steve Smith. Thomas and Smith are the anomalies.

Thomas, a Texan, holds a bachelor’s degree in music. He answered an advertisement Brian McCarty placed in a newspaper.

When he found out it was a polka band, he said, “No thanks. I hate accordions.”

Brian McCarty was persuasive, and now Thomas is a convert. Smith, a music teacher and conductor of the Olathe Community Orchestra, was a non-polka player until he joined the band, too. Another convert.

At the last performance, there was a reunion of sorts, and former band members joined the current band onstage for an impromptu jam session.

When the night ended, the dancers left, and the musicians put their instruments away.

“I still love the music,” reflected Brian McCarty. “I still love my instrument. I still love to play. But it’s time to just let go of all that and get along with it.”

But is it really over? Maybe not.

“There may come a time when we want to get together and play. We’ll miss it and we’ll want to have a party,” he said. “If and when, we’ll sent out e-mails and make phone calls, ‘Hey, guys, let’s have a polka party.’

“I’m pretty sure people will show up.”

10 nation

THE LEAVEN • april 1, 2011

Ambassador, archbishop discuss U.S. immigration law WASHINGTON (CNS) — Though their diplomatic portfolio includes the United States and Mexico being each others’ major trade partner, as well as such concerns as narco-trafficking, environmental challenges and energy sources, “there is no more important issue that will define the U.S-Mexico future relationship than getting immigration reform right,” according to Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan. Speaking to an audience at The Catholic University of America March 21, he said no other issues will affect the direction of U.S.-Mexico relations like U.S. immigration reform. At the same session, concluding a daylong conference on immigration, Archbishop Rafael Romo Munoz of Tijuana, Mexico, pointed to joint efforts by Mexican and U.S. bishops that call for new employment opportunities in Mexico and improved treatment of migrants in both countries as a template for action by the two governments. “The human costs, the suffering of our brother and sister migrants is very high, we witness this with pain,” Archbishop Romo said, noting that in 2003 the two bishops’ conferences issued a joint pastoral letter, “Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope.” It outlined governmental and pastoral goals and steps to address the pressures leading to and resulting from emigration and problems faced by immigrants in their new lands.

Arizona rejects immigration crackdown bills; Utah does not PHOENIX (CNS) — The Arizona Senate voted down five immigration bills March 17 that proponents argued would crack down on illegal immigration even further than last year’s S.B. 1070, which is still hung up by court challenges. Meanwhile, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert March 15 signed a series of bills that have been described as a state equivalent of comprehensive immigration reform being sought at the national level.

They step up enforcement, but also create a guest worker program that itself is likely to face court challenges. Among the bills Arizona’s legislators rejected were those that would have required hospitals to verify patients’ legal status before admitting them for nonemergency care, required schools to collect data on immigration status and challenged the 14th Amendment’s provision for birthright citizenship. In Utah, Salt Lake City Bishop John C. Wester lauded the efforts “to adopt humane solutions in the face of the federal government’s failure to act on immigration reform.” He particularly praised Herbert’s willingness to sign immigration bills despite extreme opposition.

THE LEAVEN • april 1, 2011

Holy Land collection supports Christians

USCCB urges no change in housing rules

By Nancy Frazier O’Brien Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Proposed changes in federal housing regulations to forbid discrimination based on “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” could violate existing federal law and force faith-based organizations to end their “long and successful track record in meeting housing needs,” according to comments filed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Anthony R. Picarello Jr. and Michael F. Moses, USCCB general counsel and associate general counsel, respectively, said the proposal by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to add to the list of protected categories for which discrimination in HUD programs is prohibited “appears at odds” with the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which says marriage is the union of one man and one woman.

“HUD should not create a new protected classification where there is no statutory policy undergirding it and where the new classification flies in the face of a policy expressly adopted by Congress,” they said.

The two attorneys filed the comments on behalf of the USCCB late March 25, the final day of a 60-day comment period on the proposed changes.

When HUD first proposed the addition of the two new protected categories Jan. 20, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan called it “a fundamental issue of fairness” and said the agency’s aim was to clarify that “a person’s eligibility for federal housing programs is, and should be, based on their need and not on their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The proposed rule would clarify that the term “family,” as used to describe eligible beneficiaries of public housing, would apply to any combination of adults and children regardless of sexual orientation or gender. HUD rules already prohibit discrimination based on marital status.

Picarello and Moses noted in their comments that faith-based organizations “fulfill a vital role as partners in implementing HUD and other government housing programs.”

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CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Catholic Press Photo

CNS photo/courtesy New York’s Museum of Biblical Art

DEPICTION OF MAN OF SORROWS ON DISPLAY IN NEW YORK — This painting by artist Paolo Veronese titled “The Dead Christ Supported by Angels” is on display in a new exhibit at New York’s Museum of Biblical Art. The exhibit, “Passion in Venice: Crivelli to Tintoretto and Veronese,” runs through June 12 at the museum.

Suffering Jesus doesn’t please, but intrigues art viewers

By Beth Griffin

Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) — The graphic depiction of Jesus as the suffering Man of Sorrows is not a crowd pleaser but is a crowd draw, according to a Jesuit art historian.

“No one would dispute the importance of Christ’s sacrificial death in Christian theology, but we are less inclined today to decorate our living rooms with bloody representations of him,” said Jesuit Father Gregory Waldrop.

Father Waldrop, assistant professor of art history at Fordham University in New York, moderated a March 18 panel discussion on the Man of Sorrows as part of a symposium organized by the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture in conjunction with a new exhibit at New York’s Museum of Biblical Art. But he said the Man of Sorrows still resonates artistically and religiously.

“It continues to attract and provoke, responding to current conditions of anguish, loss and deprivation in the world, and showing up in contemporary songs, popular images and even as a theme in artworks by high-profile, emphatically

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The Man of Sorrows, a haunting image of Jesus upright, dead but not yet resurrected, swept Venice in the 13th century and continues to fascinate and puzzle biblical scholars and art historians today.

The exhibit, “Passion in Venice: Crivelli to Tintoretto and Veronese,” depicting the Man of Sorrows in various media through eight centuries, runs through June 12 at the museum in Manhattan.

The Man of Sorrows is based on Isaiah’s prophecy that the redeemer will be a man of suffering, spurned and avoided by men and accustomed to infirmity.

The exhibit describes the figure as “neither nailed to the cross nor part of the Gospel stories of crucifixion and resurrection, yet he is miraculously upright and suspended between earthly death and eternal life.”

The image was interpreted by master artists in Venice, including Carlo Crivelli, Tintoretto and Paolo Veronese. It was used in churches to visualize the mystery of the Eucharist and on tombs to describe the promise of the Resurrection. The theme was also explored by Paul Cezanne, Albrecht Durer and Edouard Manet, whose works are also included in the exhibit.

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WORLD RECORD HOLDER GIVES POPE MEDAL USING HER FOOT — Jessica Cox, 28, from Arizona uses her foot to give Pope Benedict XVI her Guinness World Records medal during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican March 23. Cox, who was born without arms, in 2008 set the Guinness record for being the first woman to fly an airplane with her feet.

Coalition must not lose sight of limits in Libya, says bishop

By Simon Caldwell

Catholic News Service

LONDON (CNS) — The head of Britain’s military diocese has urged restraint in the ongoing military action against Libya.

Bishop Richard Moth said it was vital that coalition forces did not lose sight of the limits of their mission to protect civilians in the North African country.

He said action against the armed services of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was only to defend civilians from attack.

In a March 23 statement released to Catholic News Service, Bishop Moth said: “The recent decision to enforce a no-fly zone over the country in order to protect the people of Libya sent a strong and clear message to the international community as a whole.

“Such action must serve only to provide defense for the defenseless,” he said.

“It must be hoped that the necessity for the use of force is over as soon as possible and that international forces continue to make every effort to avoid loss of life and unnecessary damage to the country’s infrastructure,” the bishop said.

He added: “I would ask every parish community in these islands to continue to keep the people of Libya in prayer that a peaceful solution may soon be found, and to pray for those servicemen and women who are working to protect innocent civilians from harm.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron was instrumental in securing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 to establish a “no-fly zone” and to authorize military intervention by member nations to protect Libya’s civilian population at a time when Gadhafi’s army was advancing on the rebel-held eastern city of Benghazi.

Since the resolution was passed March 17, Western aircraft — predominantly American, British and French — have flown more than 300 sorties over Libya, and American and British warships and submarines have fired more than 160 Tomahawk cruise missiles at military targets in the country.

Bishop Moth’s comments reflect mounting concerns among the British public of “mission creep” in the conflict, whereby their armed forces are drawn into an increasingly widening commitment without either clear objectives or exit strategy.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Helping Christians in the Holy Land with concrete material and spiritual support is a fundamental part of bringing peace to the region, said Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches.

Unfortunately, there is a “sorrowful tendency of Christian emigration which impoverishes the entire area, draining it of the most vital forces constituted by the young generations,” he said in a written appeal letter to bishops around the world.

Cardinal Sandri, who coordinates the Holy Land collection, which traditionally is taken up during Good Friday services in parishes throughout the world, said there has been an increasing number of pilgrims to the Holy Land. However, despite the “few positive signs” in the region, escalating violence continues against Christians, who are experiencing real martyrdom and “suffering because of instability or the absence of peace,” the letter said.

Along with Cardinal Sandri’s appeal, the Vatican published a report on the projects funded in 2009-2010 in Israel, the West Bank and Jordan.

Many of the projects combine archaeological studies and restoration of Christian shrines with the improvement of pilgrim facilities and convents at the same site.

Similar, but more extensive work is going on in Magdala, the presumed home of Mary Magdalene. The work includes preserving some mosaic floors and building a pilgrim itinerary designed to illustrate daily life in the town at the time of Jesus.

Funds collected around the world help support university scholarships for Christian students in the region, craftmaking businesses, social and medical services for the poor, financial assistance to struggling parishes and schools and a project to build apartments for poor families and young couples.

world 11

Japan disaster raises ethical questions about energy LIMA, Peru (CNS) — The ongoing nuclear plant disaster in Japan raises not only environmental and health issues, but ethical questions about energy use and the future of nuclear power, according to Catholic scholars and other ethicists. The accident could be a “huge wake-up call” that would “give impetus to jump starting massive research” in other energy technologies, such as solar and wind power, according to William French, director of the Center for Ethics at Loyola University in Chicago. As Japanese technicians struggled to control damage at four of the Fukushima Dai-ichi’s six reactors, Switzerland said it was halting plans for new reactors, while other countries, including the United States, announced reviews of plants. Still others, however, said they would forge ahead with nuclear energy plans. On March 18, just before U.S. President Barack Obama arrived for a one-day visit, Chile signed an agreement with the United States to promote nuclear energy in the South American country.

Vatican welcomes court decision on classroom crucifixes VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Crucifixes displayed publicly in Italy, including in classrooms, are a sign of Christianity’s key contribution to European culture and civilization, said Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture. Christianity is a “founding element” of Western civilization and “even if someone does not want to recognize it, it is an objective fact that the Christian presence is absolutely relevant, decisive,” the cardinal told reporters March 18. Cardinal Ravasi spoke just a few hours before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of Italy in a case where a mother claimed crucifixes in Italian public-school classrooms violated her children’s freedom of conscience. A lower chamber of the European court had ruled in 2009 that the classroom crucifixes violated the religious freedom clauses of the European Convention of Human Rights.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the Vatican welcomed the Grand Chamber ruling, which recognizes that “human rights must not be placed in opposition to the religious foundations of European civilization.” The decision is an affirmation of the respect owed to each country of the European Union for “the religious symbols of its cultural history and national identity” and for national decisions on how the symbols can and should be displayed, Father Lombardi said.

12 CLASSIFIEDS Employment Writer - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is currently taking applications for a full-time entrylevel position as a feature writer for The Leaven.

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or related field and photography skills preferred. Web, social media, or video background a plus. Applicants must be practicing Catholics, available for occasional night and weekend work, and able to travel for assignments within the archdiocese. A complete job description, application and benefits information are available on the archdiocese’s Web site at: www. archkck.org/employment. Interested individuals should mail cover letter, resume, application AND at least three writing samples to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Office of Human Resources, Feature Writer Search, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, or send, via e-mail, to: kthomas@archkck.org Applicants with samples of photography (three to five digital images only) may submit, via e-mail, to same e-mail address. Application deadline is April 15.

Appeal specialist – The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking an individual with administrative experience in managing fundraising appeals.

The position is essential to the successful operation of the archdiocese’s annual appeal and reports to the executive director of stewardship and development.

Ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing; have experience working in a fundraising environment; be proficient at data input and analysis; and demonstrate effective communication skills, written and verbal. Position requires a bachelor’s degree and minimum of one year experience in a fundraising environment, preferably one utilizing the Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge database. A complete job description, application and benefits information are available on the archdiocesan Web site at: www.arch kck.org/employment. Interested individuals should mail cover letter, resume and application by April 15 to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Office of Human Resources, Appeal Specialist Search, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109 or send, via e-mail, to: kthomas@archkck.org.

Data management specialist – The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking an experienced individual to manage and maintain its Raiser’s Edge database. The position reports to the executive director of stewardship and development, but interfaces with many departments in maximizing use of the database software. The ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing; have demonstrated attention to detail in data input, management and analysis; strong communication skills, written, verbal, and listening; and a strong mathematical aptitude. This position requires a college degree and minimum of two years experience in professional data management, preferably in a fundraising setting. A complete job description, application and benefits information are available on the archdiocesan Web site at: www.archkck.org/employment. Interested individuals should mail cover letter, resume and application by April 15 to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Office of Human Resources, Data Specialist Search, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109 or send, via e-mail, to: kthomas@archkck.org.

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

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

Front desk/secretary - Our established, premier multi-location medical practice is seeking a caring person with an exceptional ability to interact with patients for the Leavenworth office. 3 - 4 years medical office work and insurance experience required. Full charge secretary duties. Requires excellent organizational, computer and communication skills. Full time, competitive salary and benefits. Call (913) 384-2105.

THE LEAVEN • APRIL 1, 2011 Teachers - Bishop Miege High School is seeking applications for full- and part-time instrumental music and social studies teachers for the 2011 - 12 school year. Mail letter, resume, transcript and credentials to: Mariann Jaksa, 5041 Reinhardt Dr., Shawnee Mission KS 66205 or send, via e-mail, to: mjaksa@bishop miege.com.

THE LEAVEN • APRIL 1, 2011 Machine quilting by Lyn - I also do T-shirt, photo, and memorial quilts. Official Hobbs distributor.

Located in Overland Park. Call Lyn at (913) 492-8877.

Pastoral care coordinator - Full-time position to facilitate Catholic pastoral care to the homebound, hospitalized, aging, bereavement and various ministry needs of our large parish family; coordination of outreach and peace/justice ministries; serve as staff liaison to food pantry, Widows of Wisdom and senior club ministries and provide appropriate educational offerings. Pastoral sensitivity, strong communication skills, flexibility and confidentiality necessary. Salary commensurate to diocesan scale. Mail resume to: Pastoral Care Coordinator, St. Charles Borromeo Parish, 900 N.E. Shady Lane Dr., Kansas City, MO 64118.

Toddler teacher - Our Lady’s Montessori preschool, Kansas City, Kan., is hiring a full-time toddler teacher. Send resume to Laurel Sharpe, via e-mail, to: ourladysmontessori@sbcglobal.net.

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

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

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

Financial representative - Due to the success and growth of the Knights of Columbus, we are adding financial representatives in the Kansas City area.

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

Services Piano lessons - Private piano teacher is relocating from Nashville, Tenn. Bachelor’s in music with piano pedagogy emphasis. Gifted and talented teaching endorsement. Call Janet Jamison at (931) 2154293 (Tenn. area code) or send an e-mail to: jjpiano studio@hotmail.com.

House and office cleaning - Honest; reliable; reasonable rates. Johnson and Miami Counties. Parishioner of Queen of the Holy Rosary-Wea. References available. Call (913) 908-4834.

Husband and wife cleaning team - Reasonable rates; references provided. Call (913) 940-2959.

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

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

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

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

Counseling - Topeka Marriage and family, child, teen, personal Shunga Creek Mental Health Call Ken Zweig, LSCSW at (785) 969-5308.

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

Foley’s Lawn Care Mowing, aeration & overseeding Landscape maintenance Spring & Fall cleanups, gutter cleaning Residential & commercial (913) 825-4353 Proudly serving Johnson County for 10+ years www.foleyslawncare.com Tree service - Pruning trees for optimal growth and beauty and removal of hazardous limbs or problem trees. Free consultation and bid. Safe, insured, professional. Cristofer Estrada, Green Solutions of KC, (913) 378-5872. www.GreenSolutionsKC.com.

Semi-retired arborist - Available for tree and shrub trimming. Call Bob at (913) 231- 6460.

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

Caregiving Caregiving - We provide personal assistance, companionship, care management, and transportation to the elderly and disabled in home, assisted living and nursing facilities. We also provide respite care for main caregivers needing some personal time. Call Daughters & Company at (913) 341-2500 and speak with Laurie, Sara or Gary.

Looking for high quality home care? Whether you’re looking to introduce care for your family or simply looking to improve your current home care quality, we can help. Our unique approach to home care has earned us a 99% client satisfaction rating among the 1,000-plus families we have assisted. We are family-owned and based in Lenexa. Call Benefits of Home-Senior Care at (913) 422-1591 or visit our Web site at: www.benefitsofhome.com.

Home Improvement Brick masons - Installation and repair of all types of masonry work — brick, stone, and concrete.

17 years of residential and commercial experience.

Small and large jobs accepted. KC Metro area. For a free quote, call Jim or John at (913) 485-4307.

Garage door and opener sales and service 24-hour, 7 day-a-week service on all types of doors.

Replace broken springs, cables, hinges, rollers, gate openers, entry and patio doors, and more. Over 32 years of experience. Call (913) 227-4902.

Custom countertops - Laminates installed within 5 days. Cambria, granite, and solid surface.

Competitive prices, dependable work. Call the Top Shop, Inc., at (913) 962-5058. Members of St. Joseph, Shawnee.

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

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

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

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.

Father and son team looking for outside work - Painting, wood rot repair, decks, fences, retaining walls, concrete — you name it, we can do it all for a fair price! We do inside work as well. Call Josh at (913) 709-7230.

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

Call Lupe at (816) 252-3376 STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Call for free estimates.

Cell: (913) 579-1835; phone: (913) 491-5837; e-mail: smokey cabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

Carpet direct – We cut out the middle man and bring the showroom to you! The best place to see your flooring is in your own home or office. Save 40 - 80% on carpet and hard surfaces. Residential and commercial. For a free estimate, call Amanda at (913) 742-4003.

Adept Home Improvements Where quality still counts!

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

(913) 599-7998

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

Attention, seniors: golf and shop special - 3 nights and 4 days; $165 per couple, $330 total; quad occupancy. 2 BR, 2 BA condo with all the comforts of home, right on the lake with two-mile million dollar view of the main channel. Good Mon. – Thurs. during April and May. Call your friends now and reserve your special week. Steve and Cheryl Roederer (913) 244-2022.

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

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

Roeland Park home - 3720 W. 52nd Place in Fairway Manor subdivision. 3 BR, 1-1/2 BA, two-car garage, ranch-style home with new roof, newer HVAC and stainless steel appliances. New interior and exterior paint. Meticulously cared for by owners. Charming and move-in ready! One block west of St. Agnes Parish and Bishop Miege High School. Open every Sun. from 1 - 4 p.m. Call Janenne Elton, Reece and Nichols, at (913) 677-6300 or send an e-mail to her at: JElton@ReeceAndNichols.com.

Electrician - Free estimates; reasonable rates.

JoCo and south KC metro. Call Pat at (913) 963-9896. continued on page 13

(continued from page 12)

April

For Rent Lenexa duplex - 3 BR, 1-1/2 BA, fireplace, hardwood floors, dine-in kitchen and deck. One-year lease. $825 per month. For an appointment, call (913) 768-6447.

For Sale Rascal Scooter - Candy-red four-wheel handicapped accessibility scooter for sale. Only used twice! Call Joe at (913) 299-6873 or send an e-mail to him at: joetnovak@yahoo.com.

American Girl-type solid wood doll furniture - Heirloom quality, handmade, built to last a lifetime. In-home showroom. Custom orders welcome. Call John Hember at (913) 631-4060. Member of St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee. www.etsy.com/shop/ bedsandthreads.

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

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

Wanted to buy Will buy firearms and related accessories One or a whole collection. Honest evaluation and top prices paid. Contact Tom at (913) 238-2473. Member of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee. ***WANTED*** I buy coins, older watches, silverware, slot machines, old rifles and shotguns, stoneware crocks and jugs, old furniture from basement or attic.

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

Childcare Licensed, in-home day care - Near 123rd and Blackbob, Olathe. I have one opening beginning in April for an infant - two-year-old from 7:30 a.m. 5:30 p.m., Mon. - Thur. I also have one opening for a teacher’s child for the 2011 - 12 school year, Mon. - Fri. Smoke-free home; CPR certified; references available. Holy Trinity parishioner. Call Bonnie at (913) 780-0543.

Summer nanny available - K-State sophomore is seeking a full- or part-time nanny job. Lots of experience with children. Reliable transportation and excellent driving record. Prefer Overland Park, Prairie Village or Leawood area. References available. Member of Curé of Ars Parish, Leawood. Call Ellen at (913) 832-8667 or send an e-mail to her at: emo91@k-state.edu.

Misc.

Donate a vehicle. Make a difference. Donate your vehicle to Catholic Charities to support those in need. Your tax-deductible donation of a vehicle helps children and families served by Catholic Charities and is an environmentally wise way to recycle your vehicle. Cars for KC Kids is a partnership between Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and Catholic Charities of Kansas City - St. Joseph. Call 1 (866) 4309499 or visit the Web site at: www.cars4kckids. com.

Entertainment DJ Colm - Colm Delahunt is available for parties, weddings, graduations, and any other function. Playing all your favorite hits from the Village People to U2. Call (913) 548-6765 or visit the Web site at: www. djirishman.com.

1 Savior Pastoral Center, 12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kan., will

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

2

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

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

2-3

The Ignatian Spirituality Center of Kansas City will host “The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Daily Spiritual Living,” a twoday workshop presented by Father Timothy Gallagher, OMV, from April 2 - 3 on the Rockhurst University campus. The cost for the workshop is $125.

Reservations are required by March 28.

For information or to register, visit the Web site at: www.ignatiancenterkc.org, or send an e-mail to: info@ignatiancenterkc.org.

5

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

“Real World Love and Logic Parenting Solutions,” a three-part parenting program, will be offered from 1:30 - 3 p.m. on Tuesdays, beginning April 5, at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan. For information or to register, call (913) 906-8990 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb. org/kwc.

5&7

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

7

The Sophia Center, 751 S. 8th St., Atchison, will offer “The 19th Amendment: What Women Went Through to Gain the Right to Vote,” a presentation on women’s suffrage by Sister Cecilia Olson, from 1 - 4 p.m. on April 7.

Learn about the struggles these valiant women went through to gain the right to vote. For information or to register, call (913) 360-6151 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb.org/sophia.html.

“Journaling for Personal Growth,” a program for women, will meet from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. on April 7 and on every first Thursday of the month at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan. For information or to register, call (913) 906-8990 or visit the Web site at: www.mountosb.org/kwc.

The Altar and Rosary Society of St. Agnes Parish, 5250 Mission Rd., Roeland Park, will host its annual card party and luncheon on April 7 in the parish center. The doors will open at 10 a.m.; lunch will be served at noon. The cost is $10 per person. To RSVP by April 1, call Margot at (913) 831-9588.

8-10

The Daughters of Isabella will host their 10th biennial convention from April 8 - 10 at the Ramada Inn, 420 S.E. 6th Ave., Topeka. The theme is “Embracing Our Sisterhood in the Light of Faith, Hope and of Holy Love.” Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will be the guest speaker at the banquet on Saturday evening. For information or to register, call Debbie Kurtz at (785) 331-9359 or Betty Little at (785) 2860486.

9

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

10

CALENDAR 13

globe and across the centuries, recounting 126 authenticated miracles of the church related to the Eucharist. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

A memorial liturgy for deceased loved ones will be held at 8 a.m. on April 16 at Curé of Ars Church, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood. The bereavement ministry will have its monthly meeting following Mass in the Father Burak Room. The topic will be: “Ten Commandments of Grief.” For information, call (913) 649-2026.

Marillac Center, Leavenworth, will host “Deep Listening,” an engaging, one-person play that uses stories, gentle humor and simple songs to explore the reality of looking death in the face.

It will take place from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. on April 16 in the O’Shea Conference Center, located on the campus of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, 4200 S. Fourth St. For information or to RSVP, call (913) 758-6552; send an e-mail to: retreats@scls.org; or visit the Web site at: www.marillaccenter.org. This event is free and open to the public. Freewill offerings will be accepted.

Misc.

The class of 1961 of De La Salle High School, Kansas City, Mo., will hold a reunion on April 30. For information, contact Don Mulik at (913) 362-3206; send an e-mail to him at: don.mulik@ sbcglobal.net; or visit the Web site at: www.dlskcalumni.org.

Bishop Ward High School, 708 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kan., will host its annual hall of fame induction celebration and dinner on April 10 at the school. A reception will begin at 4:30 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony at 5:15 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. To RSVP by March 31, call Amy Nelson at (913) 371-6901 or visit the Web site at: www.wardhigh.org/halloffame.

The annual Jared and Matty 3-on3 coed basketball tournament will be held from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on April 30 at Rockhurst High School, 9301 State Line Rd., Kansas City, Mo., The cost is $60 per team. For information or pre-registration materials, call (913) 244-9725; send an e-mail to: jriordan@ prukc.com; or visit the Web site at: http://kcatholicchallenge.com.

12 Sister Doris Engeman, of the Franciscan Servants of the Holy Family,

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

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

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

16 The Daughters of Isabella will host “Inspiration, Peace and Joy,” a

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

will present “Bible Basics for Catholics: An Introduction to the Bible,” a fourpart Scripture class, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays, beginning April 12, at Corpus Christi Parish, 6001 Bob Billings Pkwy., Lawrence. For information, call (785) 843-6286.

women’s day of reflection, from 8 a.m.

- 12:30 p.m. on April 16 in the Quigley Center at Holy Trinity Church, 9201 Summit, Lenexa. For details or to register, call (913) 962-4127 or (913) 888-6394, or visit the Web site at: www.htlenexa.org/ daughters. Walk-ins are welcome.

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

Benedictine College, 1020 N. Second St., Atchison, will host the Vatican-sponsored “Eucharistic Miracles of the World” photographic exhibit from 2 - 7 p.m. on April 16 and from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. on April 17 in the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.

The exhibit will take viewers around the

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

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

Calendar items must be received nine days before the publication date.

E-mail submissions are preferred; send to: jennifer@theleaven.com.

14 COMMENTARY

THE LEAVEN • april 1, 2011

THE LEAVEN • april 1, 2011

Mark my words

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

Quote Week

of the

“I learned it was very important to be a gentle shepherd when I was dealing with the person on the other side of the screen. When they left the confessional, they said, ‘Thank you, Father,’ and I think they felt a burden had been lifted from their shoulders. It was a consolation for me.”

Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher See story on page 3

S

Making sense out of bioethics

Don’t be fooled into ignoring Lent

ome issues of The Leaven are jampacked with breaking news. This definitely is one of them. In case you’ve missed these important items in today’s paper, don’t forget to check out the following four articles: • With the new Roman Missal coming into use in Advent of this year, Saturday evening Masses will no longer be celebrated in the archdiocese.

• The archdiocesan school office has just announced that, in an effort to conserve energy and resources, our students will be having a four-day school week, to be in place by the 2012-2013 school year. Schools will begin preparing for the transition this coming fall.

• The Leaven will continue its current publication schedule, but will double in size, to 32 pages each issue (like the special issue that was done for “A Day in the Life of the Archdiocese” last December).

• Starting on Easter Sunday 2012 (April 8) archdiocesan parishes will no longer accept cash or checks in the collection. Donations will all be done online or by swiping either a credit or a debit card in hand-held machines carried by the ushers.

OK, before you start flooding the archdiocesan church offices or your parishes with phone calls — I hope it’s not already too late — please, please, please note the date that this issue is published: April 1.

And, if you were taken in by any of those four “news stories” above, happy April Fools’ Day! I hope that you can forgive me for pulling your leg; I just couldn’t resist.

By the way, the exact origin of April Fools’ Day is not known with any certainty, but my favorite explanation comes from the “Encyclopedia of Religion,” which states that the pranks that are played this day “are related to the arrival of spring when nature ‘fools’ mankind with fickle weather.” (Isn’t that the truth,

especially here in Kansas this year.)

On a little more serious note, here’s a story worth pondering: Apparently, there was once an atheist who was quite angry over all the attention given to the Easter and Passover holidays. He decided to contact a lawyer about this discrimination suffered by atheists. Why, he reasoned, should Christians and Jews have all these holidays, while atheists had none?

A young, cocky lawyer eagerly jumped on the issue. The case eventually came before a seasoned judge who, after listening to the passionate presentation by the attorney, promptly banged down his gavel and said, “Case dismissed!”

The lawyer stood up and sputtered, “Your Honor, how can you dismiss this case? Surely, you can see that the Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. And the Jews, in addition to Passover, have Yom Kippur and Hanukkah! My client and his fellow atheists, however, have no such holidays!”

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

The lawyer objected, “We are unaware of any such holiday for atheists. Just when, Your Honor, might it be?”

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

While I’m not sure of this judge’s legal

expertise, he was definitely on solid biblical ground. He might have had the following verse in mind: “Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God’” (Ps 53:1).

Honestly, though, don’t even we believers sometimes live this way?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record: How are you doing with your Lenten resolutions? Did you even bother to come up with any? Have these days since Ash Wednesday been any different from the days that came before it? Are you praying more, fasting from something, and actively serving the needs of others? Or is it pretty much business as usual?

We’d be foolish not to use these days of Lent well. We’re just kidding ourselves if we think that we’re perfect just as we are. We’re silly if we believe that we have nothing more to learn about our faith or that faith has nothing to do with life outside the church building. And we’re awfully mistaken if we think that we can change our lives for the better without the guidance and help of God and a supportive community.

Granted, this Lenten season is about half over. Who cares? It’s never too late to start praying, fasting and almsgiving.

After all, half a Lent is better than none.

And you know, the more that I think about it, maybe April 1 is actually a Christian holiday. After all, in his First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes: “We are fools for the sake of Christ” (4:10).

In the eyes of more practical, worldly people, it is “foolish” to love our enemies, pray for our persecutors, forgive those who trespass against us, welcome strangers and care for the poor.

But in the eyes of God, these are precisely the things that bring his healing and hope to the world and actually make life worth living.

No fooling!

A

Frozen ‘orphans’ deserve our protection, too

key argument in the embryonic stem-cell debate — widely invoked by scientists, patient advocacy groups, and politicians — involves the fate of frozen embryos.

Barack Obama put it this way in 2008: “If we are going to discard those embryos, and we know there is potential research that could lead to curing debilitating diseases — Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s disease — if that possibility presents itself, then I think that we should, in a careful way, go ahead and pursue that research.”

The head of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, embraced this same line of reasoning by asking a rhetorical question during a recent CNN interview: “Ethically, isn’t it more justifiable, if those embryos have been created, to use them for a purpose that might help somebody with a disease as opposed to simply discarding them?”

This argument sounds reasonable on first hearing. We prefer to recycle aluminum cans, rather than uselessly tossing them into landfills. It seems as if we should handle surplus frozen embryos in a similar way, getting some benefit out of them rather than discarding them.

Yet this argument has a deceptive, even seductive, character because of the way it sets up a false dichotomy: Either one discards the embryos or

one destroys them in the laboratory to obtain miraculous cures for diseases.

An important third option is often not even mentioned: namely, that we continue to store the embryos in their current, frozen state as part of our moral duty to care for our own offspring. They could be cryo-preserved until a morally acceptable option for rescuing them presents itself (if such an option, in fact, exists), or until they eventually die of their own accord in the deep freeze.

Discarding an embryo, it is important to be clear, means ending the life of a young human being, the tiny life that each of us once was at an earlier time. The embryos to be discarded are usually first thawed, and many do not survive this first step. Those that do are summarily discarded as medical waste. A few years ago, Cardinal Sean O’Malley described the reality of what happens in the fertility clinic this way: “In discarding these embryos, the medical staff become their unwilling execu-

tioners, but executioners nonetheless.”

Perhaps an analogy can help us better visualize why we should not discard embryos or sacrifice them for research.

Imagine a typical fertility clinic with a large room where several tanks filled with liquid nitrogen were holding a few hundred cryo-preserved human embryos, a kind of “frozen orphanage,” as these tanks are sometimes called.

In the building next door there happens to be a real orphanage filled with toddlers between the ages of one and three years old who are awaiting adoption. Suppose that the owner of the orphanage happens to be a shady character who has recently decided to take some of the “unadoptable” infants and clandestinely discard them into the dumpster behind the orphanage where they eventually die.

Suppose also that when the local mayor learned about the children being put into the dumpster, he had the gall to suggest that, since they were going to be thrown out anyway, we should start sacrificing them for scientific research and harvesting their organs for transplantation into sick patients.

Our first instinct would be to recoil with abhorrence at the proposal. We might prosecute the orphanage owner (and drum the mayor out of office as well). We would insist that each infant in the orphanage deserves full protec-

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second thoughts on the second reading fourth week of lent April 3 fourth sunday of lent 1 Sm 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Ps 23: 1-6; Eph 5: 8-14; Jn 9: 1-41 April 4 Isidore, bishop, doctor Is 65: 17-21; Ps 30: 2, 4-6, 11-12a, 13b; Jn 4: 43-54 April 5 Vincent Ferrer, priest Ez 47: 1-9, 12; Ps 46: 2-3, 5-6, 8-9; Jn 5: 1-16 April 6 Wednesday Is 49: 8-15; Ps 145: 8-9, 13c-14, 17-18; Jn 5: 17-30 April 7 John Baptist de la Salle, priest Ex 32: 7-14; Ps 106: 19-23; Jn 5: 31-47 April 8 Friday Wis 2: 1a, 12-22; Ps 34: 17-21, 23; Jn 7: 1-2, 10, 25-30 April 9 Saturday Jer 11: 18-20; Ps 7: 2-3, 9b-12; Jn 7: 40-53

This week our baptismal responsibilities are brought to light

I

t’s hard to wake up when it’s dark.

That’s why many people do not like daylight savings time. That’s why teenagers find it so difficult to attend high school at the early hours their schedule too often demands.

Light helps us wake up. That is the basic point of Sunday’s second reading.

But the light in question does not emanate from electric bulbs or radiate from the sun. Rather, it is Jesus Christ, the light of the world. fourth sunday That is why the of lent reading exhorts: Eph 5: 8-14 “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

The Letter to the Ephesians appears to be quoting an early Christian hymn here. That is why the reading prefaces that sentence with the words: “Therefore, it says …” The “it” is presumably a hymn. Some scholars believe that the hymn in question was sung on the occasion of a baptism, and that the sleeper mentioned in the hymn was the newly baptized person.

We know that in the early church, the sacrament of baptism was often associated with light. Some of the early Fathers of the Church even used the

word “enlightenment” to refer to that sacrament. For example, St. Gregory Nazianzen, archbishop of Constantinople during the fourth century, wrote in his “Oration on Holy Baptism”: “To know the power of this sacrament is itself enlightenment.”

Even now, centuries later, we associate the sacrament of baptism with light. During the ceremony, the parents and godparents are presented with a candle lit from the Easter candle and told, “Receive the light of Christ.

Parents and godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. These children of yours have been enlightened by Christ. They are to walk always as children of the light.

May they keep the flame of faith alive in their hearts. When the Lord comes, may they go out to meet him with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.”

columnists 15

Perhaps the Letter to the Ephesians is quoting a baptismal hymn because it wishes to draw attention to our status as baptized persons. That is why it reminds us: “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.”

In other words, before you were baptized, you were in the dark. But now you have been reborn through baptism as children of the light. As people fully awake, able to see and work in the daylight, you should produce results in line with your new status.

We may have been baptized many years ago. Nonetheless, the Letter to the Ephesians wishes to alert us to the status conferred upon us through that sacrament and to remind us of its responsibilities. If we have been sleeping on the job, it wishes to shake us from our slumber.

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

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

Were you married in 1961?

Archdiocesan 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration Cathedral of St. Peter June 5, 2011, 2:00 pm Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann invites couples celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2011 to a Golden Anniversary Mass in their honor with Reception following To receive your invitation from Archbishop Naumann, please call the Family Life Office at 913-647-0345

tion. Our children in frozen orphanages deserve the same protection and care.

Most of us, upon reflection, have a practical awareness that embryos ought not be discarded. A few years ago, the New York Times ran a piece entitled, “The Job Nobody at the Fertility Clinic Wants.” That job was the destruction of spare embryos.

Medical staff members, when interviewed, said they dreaded being picked to carry out the discarding of embryos when patients requested it. A clinic director in Chicago described how often he had to destroy the embryos himself because his staff found the task so distasteful.

The staff understood and had seen firsthand how these same embryos, when implanted, would yield beautiful, bubbly babies who brought joy and happiness to their parents. They seemed to appreciate instinctively, as each of us should, how living human embryos, even in the deep freeze, should never be discarded down the chute into the biohazard disposal or used as “raw material” for possible medical advances.

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Mass., and serves as the director of education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

16 local news

THE LEAVEN • april 1, 2011

Going and going . . .

Archbishop finishes tour of archdiocese started seven years ago

By Joe Bollig Leaven staff

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Energizer Bunny doesn’t have anything on Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann.

Over the past seven years, the archbishop has kept going, and going, and going on his round of pastoral visits to each and every parish in the archdiocese.

On March 27, he wrapped up his historic tour with a visit to St. Francis Xavier Parish in Mayetta and St. Dominic Parish in Holton. Joking with parishioners, he said he had “saved the best for last.”

Well, there had to be a last. And there had to be a first. Archbishop Naumann was a coadjutor archbishop in fall 2004 when he made his first pastoral visit to the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kan. Since then, he’s put a lot of miles on his vehicle. How many were just for pastoral visits is hard to say, because Archbishop Naumann has already visited most, if not all, 110 archdiocesan parishes for confirmations, dedications, groundbreakings, installations of pastors, and other reasons.

So why make a special effort to go to places he’s already been?

“Most pastors tell me there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ weekend in our parishes,” the archbishop told the Mayetta and Holton parishioners in his homilies. “There’s always something going on. That’s true enough.”

“But often as archbishop,” he said, “I have the opportunity to come for special occasions.”

Ordinary times in a parish, on the other hand, he said, are harder to come by for an archbishop.

“The idea of a pastoral visit is to experience the usual, liturgical, pastoral life of our communities,” he said.

It’s a good pastoral practice for a bishop. No less than Pope John Paul II did the same when he was archbishop of Krakow and then later in the Diocese of Rome.

“As the archbishop, I have the ultimate responsibility for the pastoral care for all the people throughout the archdiocese,” the archbishop said in an earlier interview. “To fulfill that ministry in a meaningful way, it’s important to me to be as close as I [can] be to our parish communities,” he said.

Usually, the format entails the archbishop celebrating each Mass and preaching the homily. He meets with the pastor to review the sacramental records.

If possible, he tries to meet with parish youth. And usually he meets with parish leaders — typically members of the parish and finance councils — but he’s also met with those involved with the parish school, ministries and apostolates. “[With them] I talk about what I believe is really Jesus’ vision for the church and how that applies to parishes and the archdiocese,” said Archbishop Naumann.

It’s not only a time for talking, however.

He’s there “also to receive their questions and suggestions, and to hear any concerns they have about the church — parish concerns, archdiocesan concerns or global concerns.”

The pastoral visits that Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann began seven years ago gave him the opportunity to see and be seen, as well as experience the normal life of a parish on any given Sunday.

(Above) The archbishop greets parishioners as they leave St. Dominic Church in Holton, and (left) he prays with lectors, acolytes and pastor Father Christopher Rossman before the beginning of Mass at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Mayetta. Father Rossman said parishioners appreciated the effort the archbishop made to visit them.

After the last Mass, the archbishop and Father Rossman had lunch with the two parishes’ finance and parish councils. Members presented their questions and comments.

Leaven photos by Joe Bollig

“As the archbishop, I have the ultimate responsibility for the pastoral care for all the people throughout the archdiocese. To fulfill that ministry in a meaningful way, it’s important to me to be as close as I [can] be to our parish communities.”

”

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann During his last visit, the archbishop talked with the Holton and Mayetta parish and finance council members about his five pastoral priorities for the archdiocese.

“I think they appreciated the fact that the archbishop took the time to

come do this,” said Father Christopher Rossman, pastor for the two parishes.

“The archbishop has an extremely busy schedule, and for him to take a whole weekend to do this is something parishioners appreciate,” he continued.

“They know the archbishop does care, and having our meeting . . . gave them the opportunity to know the archbishop is listening to them. And they get to hear what the archbishop has to say.”

Not only do the pastoral visits help the archbishop get an idea of the state of the archdiocese, they also help him communicate the overall message of unity and connection Catholics have, as well as provide a chance to speak to current topics.

“The other advantage . . . is that as a bishop sometimes we have to say some teachings that go against the culture that sometimes the secular press may not report very favorably on,” he said.

“I think if people have a chance to meet their bishop outside of what may be reported,” he continued, “it helps

them be more open and sympathetic to what the church is saying on a particular matter. So I hope it gives people a sense of a greater connection with the bishop.”

It is not surprising that the many parishes he’s visited have a lot in common.

But each parish has its own personality and circumstances, said the archbishop.

“You see the strengths of some of the large, vibrant, suburban parishes and the strengths of the rural parishes,” he said. “One of the strengths of the rural parishes is the level of participation of everyone there.”

Just because he’s reached the last parishes on his list doesn’t mean the visits are over. Archbishop Naumann now intends to start the whole cycle over again, although he won’t be at every Mass.

“That would be wonderful to do, but that limits the opportunities I have to visit parishes,” he said. “I hope this time I’ll be able to get around more quickly.”