THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 38, NO. 6 | SEPTEMBER 9, 2016
ST. TERESA OF CALCUTTA
‘Do small things with great love’
Indian-born priests filled with pride
ALCUTTA, India (CNS) — A favorite motto of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta was: “Do small things with great love.” But the “small things” she did so captivated the world that she was showered with honorary degrees and other awards, almost universally praised by the media and sought out by popes, presidents, philanthropists and other figures of wealth and influence. Despite calls on her time from all over the globe, Mother Teresa always returned to India to be with those she loved most — the lonely, abandoned, homeless, disease-ravaged, dying, “poorest of the poor” in Calcutta’s streets. On Sept. 4, Pope Francis, who has spent this year preaching about mercy, canonized Mother Teresa, who traveled the world to deliver a single message: that love and caring are the most important things in the world. Her influence is worldwide. The Missionaries of Charity, which Mother Teresa founded in 1950, has more than 5,300 active and contemplative Sisters today. In addition, there are Missionaries of Charity Fathers, and active and contemplative Brothers. In 1969, in response to a growing interest of laypeople who wanted to be associated with her work, an informally structured, ecumenical International Association of Co-Workers of Mother Teresa was formed. The members of the congregation take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, but the vow of poverty is stricter than in other congregations because, as Mother Teresa explained, “to be able to love the poor and know the poor, we must be poor ourselves.” In addition, the Missionaries of Charity — Sisters and Brothers — take a fourth vow of “wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor.” The tiny, wizened Mother Teresa in her familiar white and blue sari opened houses for the destitute and dying, for those with AIDS, for orphans and for people with leprosy. She founded houses in Cuba and the then-Soviet Union — countries
By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org
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>> See “SINGULAR” on page 11
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building to the saint. Now, the statue serves as an even greater reminder of the saint’s life and example, which is particularly meaningful for the college’s nursing students. “I think her canonization means a lot to the nursing program, especially because we get a lot of her influence in our classes and the way our professors teach about how we should act as Catholic nurses,” said Anna Hagenkord, a senior
OLTON — It’s official. Mother Teresa of Calcutta is now St. Teresa of Calcutta, but it might take a while to get the new name right. “We may have some difficulty in calling her Saint Teresa. Her holiness is so near to us, so tender and so fruitful that we continue to spontaneously call her Mother,” Pope Francis said. For Father Marinand Mendem — pastor of St. Dominic Parish in Holton, St. Francis Xavier in Mayetta and Our Lady of the Snows Shrine on the Potawatomi Reservation — and Father Reginald Saldanha, associate pastor of the Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, the saint touched their lives earlier than most archdiocesan priests. Both priests were born and raised in India. For them, the new saint represents the pride of their country of birth, as well as holiness and maternal love. “Everyone looked at her with a great regard,” said Father Mendem. As a teenager, Father Saldanha remembers homilies during which priests encouraged people to imitate her, something many took seriously. For example, in his parish of 300 families, 50 women became religious Sisters. Ordained Sept. 10, 1997, just five days after her death, Father Saldanha remembers the time as bittersweet. “I was saddened by her passing and yet joyful in preparing for my ordination,” he said. “The way people showed their love and honor and respect to her — that was a great spiritual moment, a moment of inspiration for not only me, but also for those who went to the convent.” Her funeral is also a vivid memory for Father Mendem. “She was given the highest state funeral India has,” he said. “That’s how much she was esteemed. “We could see the whole
>> See “NURSING” on page 4
>> See “SEEK” on page 4
CNS PHOTO/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
Pope Francis celebrates the canonization Mass of St. Teresa of Calcutta in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Sept. 4.
Benedictine celebrates canonization with week of special activities By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org
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TCHISON — The Benedictine College campus here was buzzing the 11 days leading up to Mother Teresa’s canonization. “Everybody’s grown up learning about Mother Teresa and everybody knows about this, so we’re all excited,” said Alysa Guzman, a junior at Benedictine.
The school celebrated the now-saint with cake on her birthday, a showing of the Mother Teresa movie “The Letters,” a watch party on her canonization day and several other special activities. One of these was the dedication of a new St. Teresa statue, which was unveiled on Sept. 2 outside the Mother Teresa Center for Nursing and Health Education. On the 100th anniversary of St. Teresa’s birth, the school dedicated the remodeled
SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 | THELEAVEN.ORG
LOCAL NEWS
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‘For a few days, we lived as the world could be’
highlight for my summer was attending World Youth Day with our pilgrims from the Archdiocese. A treasured moment for me was the opportunity to visit the Jasna Gora Monastery where I was able to pray and celebrate Mass before the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa, also sometimes referred to as the Black Madonna. This icon of our Blessed Mother and the Child Jesus is deeply entwined with the history of Poland. The two scars on the face of Mary are attributed to Hussite marauders who stole the icon. When their horses refused to move, they attempted unsuccessfully to destroy the image. They are part of the reason that this icon is associated with Mary’s title of Our Lady of Sorrows. Mary, who chose to share in her son’s suffering by remaining with Jesus throughout the terrible ordeal of his passion and crucifixion, still today brings comfort and encouragement to those members of his body who are suffering. As I knelt before the image, I could not help but think of Jan Sobieski, who had prayed for four days before the Black Madonna in preparation for the Battle of Vienna, where, because of his leadership, not only Vienna, but Western civilization, was saved. I recalled that a young Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, having lost his own biological mother, prayed before this icon, asking Mary to be his mother and to draw him close to her son Jesus. I remembered the thousands of brave Polish Catholics, risking their lives during the Nazi and communist occupations, who made clandestine
LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN pilgrimages to Our Lady of Czestochowa asking for Mary to intercede with her Son to grant them wisdom, strength and courage. Kneeling before this revered image of Mary, I asked her to intercede with her Son to give me wisdom and courage in fulfilling my responsibilities as archbishop. I entrusted all the members of the Archdiocese, especially the sick and those suffering in other ways, to her maternal comfort and care. It was also a privilege to visit so many other places that were special to St. John Paul II. It was amazing to visit his hometown of Wadowice. The Wojtyla family’s apartment was in the shadow of the parish church, where John Paul was baptized, confirmed and received the Eucharist. I enjoyed also eating one of the creme cakes that are reputed to be John Paul’s favorite dessert. The future saint had good taste in everything. From my hotel in Krakow, it was a short walk to the apartment in which John Paul as a young college student lived with his father. I visited the parish church, St. Stanislaus Kostka,
they attended. I prayed at the humble shrine for Jan Tyranowski, the layman who introduced Karol Wojtyla to St. Louis de Montfort’s Marian consecration and the great Carmelite mystics — St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila. It was amazing to visit the places that were so formative and special to the pope who had renewed the church and changed the course of world history, and who originated the very idea of World Youth Day. Many times during the pilgrimage, I asked St. John Paul in my prayer to intercede for me that I might be open to the Holy Spirit animating my soul with the same courage, dedication and zeal that characterized his ministry as priest, bishop and pope. However, what made this pilgrimage uniquely powerful was to be gathered with a couple million young people from 187 different nations, who were united in their love for Jesus and their desire to follow him. Pope Francis observed that in some cases they were shoulder to shoulder with youth from other countries with which their nation was at war. Yet at World Youth Day, we were all one family united by much deeper bonds than the divisions of the world. For a few days, we lived as the world could be. Only the Successor
of Peter could bring together such a large and diverse group. The pope challenged the young pilgrims, as well as we older ones, that following Jesus is not about being comfortable. The Holy Father reminded us that we are called to make a mark on the world. We were all there because in some way Jesus had touched our hearts with his love. In turn, Pope Francis reminded us that each of us has the ability to transform the world by giving others the gift of mercy that we received. The mark we are to make on the world is the mark of merciful love. Finally, the canonization of Mother Teresa this past Sunday reminded me of the homily Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, gave to the American pilgrims. Bishop Caggiano observed that physically there was nothing that made Mother Teresa stand out in a crowd. “She was short in stature,” he said, “with no great physical beauty, not necessarily well spoken.” Bishop Caggiano described a typical day for Mother Teresa: “Each day, she would rise early in the morning deep in prayer and make it her business to go out and walk into the shadows of the city that she had adopted as her own and reach out to those that the rest of society had cast aside. She literally walked the streets and the gutters, attending to those who were sick and those who were left simply to die. She tended them, cared for them, fed them and brought them to a bed and a home where they could have dignity in the dying moments of their life.” Bishop Caggiano asked the question: “What allows ordinary people to
ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN Sept. 9 Vitae Foundation event — Overland Park Convention Center Sept. 10 Prayer breakfast for peace in our communities — Blessed Sacrament, Kansas City, Kansas
Sept. 21 Presbyteral Council meeting — Chancery Confirmation — St. Bede, Kelly; St. Vincent de Paul, Onaga; and St. Patrick, Corning Sept. 22 Atchison regional priests meeting — St. Benedict, Atchison
Installation of Father Larry Bowers — St. Patrick, Osage City
Wyandotte Pregnancy Center banquet — Overland Park Convention Center
Sept. 11 All Parish Mass — Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Topeka
Sept. 23 Blue Mass — Mater Dei, Topeka
Baptism of third or more child — Cathedral, Kansas City, Kansas Sept. 12-14 U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting — Washington, D.C. Sept. 15 Catholic Education Foundation board meeting — Holy Name, Kansas City, Kansas Sept. 16-18 Knights of the Holy Sepulcher meeting — Omaha, Nebraska Sept. 19 CORE Priests and Seminarians Appreciation Day — St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood Sept. 20 Pastoral Council meeting, vespers and dinner — Savior Pastoral Center
do extraordinary things?” Then, he corrected himself, stating the question should not be “what” but “whom.” The answer is Jesus. It was Jesus who animated the mind, heart and body of Mother Teresa and took what was ordinary and made it great. Bishop Caggiano concluded by asking all the Americans gathered
Sept. 24 Sesquicentennial anniversary Mass — Holy Angels, Basehor Sept. 25 Commissioning of Father Mitchel Zimmerman as chaplain — St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at KU
ARCHBISHOP KELEHER Sept. 6-7 Labor Review Board — Chicago Sept. 17 Mass — Ballyshannon, Ireland Sept. 18 Mass — Ballyshannon, Ireland Sept. 24 Mass — Knock, Ireland
in Krakow: “Are you ready to accept this calling to become a saint, to become remarkable in Christ, one day at a time?” It is really striving to say “yes” to that question each and every day that is my main takeaway from World Youth Day. It is really the key question for all of us, young and old, as we make our pilgrimage through this world.
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ATCHISON CHURCHES MARK MILESTONES 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LAYING OF THE CORNERSTONES OF ST. BENEDICT AND ST. PATRICK CHURCHES HIGHLIGHT OF CELEBRATION STORY BY LAURENCE ROSSI
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PHOTOS BY DOUG HESSE
From left, Father Jeremy Heppler, OSB, Abbot James Albers, OSB, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Abbot Barnabas Senecal, OSB, make their way to St. Benedict Church for Mass on Aug. 28.
Father Jeremy Heppler, OSB, visits with Matt Fassero following the Mass at which Father Heppler was installed as pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Atchison. The Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, also marked the 150th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstones of St. Benedict and St. Patrick churches in Atchison.
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TCHISON — It was an occasion such that it took an archbishop, two abbots and an abbey prior to do it justice. But on Aug. 28, St. Benedict Parish in Atchison got it done — celebrating a multitude of blessings, including the 150th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstones of St. Benedict and St. Patrick churches, and the installation of Father Jeremy Heppler, OSB, as St. Benedict’s new pastor. The day’s events began with a Mass at St. Benedict
Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799) President: Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann
with a standing-room-only crowd and a full Knights of of Atchison. The monks founded not only a monastic Columbus honor guard. community and a college, but four thriving Catholic In his homily, celebrant Archbishop Joseph churches — St. Benedict, St. Joseph, St. Patrick F. Naumann discussed both the anniversary and Sacred Heart — all of which now operate More photos of the church and the vital role of parish as one parish. priesthood. Anniversaries, he told the conAs for the installation of Father Heppler from this event can gregation, serve as reminders of the imporas the new pastor of St. Benedict Church, be seen online at: tance of community and family, as well as www.theleaven.org Archbishop Naumann noted that the ceran opportunity to recommit ourselves to emony doesn’t require a Mass. But he felt our Catholic values. it was necessary in this instance, not only This particular anniversary, the archbishop because the day’s Gospel passage (Lk 14: 7-14) pointed out, is also proof of the all the wonder>> See “SACRIFICE” on page 10 ful work done by the monks throughout the history
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Holy Angels marks jubilee with groundbreaking, free concert
By Therese Horvat Special to The Leaven
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ASEHOR — The yearlong observance of the 150th jubilee of Holy Angels Parish here will culminate in a grand celebration on Sept. 24. Faith, food, fun and family entertainment are on the agenda for what pastor Father Richard McDonald describes as the opportunity to express gratitude for 150 years of blessings. “We’ve planned a very full schedule to engage our parishioners and are extending the invitation to former pastors, area priests and religious, and people from the surrounding community to join the celebration,” he said. “We are using this very special occasion to thank God for our bountiful blessings as a parish community and, at the same time, gifting parishioners, friends and neighbors with festivities we think they will enjoy.” The celebration will begin at 4 p.m. with a Mass of thanksgiving in the main church at 154th and Leavenworth Rd. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will preside, joined by Father McDonald and area priests. This will be the only Mass at Holy Angels for the weekend. Immediately following Mass, Archbishop Naumann will preside at the groundbreaking for the new Our Lady of the Angels perpetual adoration chapel that will adjoin the church building. (Sign-ups for perpetual adoration will be available starting that day.) During its 150th jubilee year, Holy Angels began a capital campaign to construct a eucharistic adoration chapel modeled after the Portiuncula in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi, Italy. This is where St. Francis founded his Franciscan Order of Friars. “As part of our 150th jubilee observance, what better gift can we give to parishioners, surrounding communities and future generations than this sacred space dedicated to prayer and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus Christ in the Eucharist?” said Father McDonald. This will be the only perpetual adoration chapel serving Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties, he said, and parishioners of these regions and other guests are welcome. At 5:30 p.m., the grand celebration will continue with dinner catered by Famous Dave’s and served under tents near the parish hall. Tickets are $5 per person and must be purchased in advance by Sept. 16 from the parish office or after weekend Masses. Food trucks will also be available. Also starting at 5:30 p.m., kids of all ages will have the opportunity to participate in free carnival games and outdoor activities, including an obstacle course, pony rides, a hayrack ride and bonfire. The evening will close with a free, outdoor community concert by The Elders, a Kansas City-based IrishAmerican folk rock band. The group will perform a two-hour set from 7 to 9:30 p.m. with an intermission. The concert is open to the public. The seating and dancing area will be in the east parish parking lot. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs or folding chairs. For more information, call the parish office at (913) 724-1665.
Father Simon Baker, OSB, Benedictine College chaplain, blesses the new statue of St. Teresa of Calcutta outside of the Mother Teresa Center for Nursing and Health Education on the Benedictine College campus in Atchison.
Nursing students find example in new saint >> Continued from page 1 at Benedictine. “And she’s a great example of healing in a Catholic way,” she said. Both Hagenkord and Guzman are in the college’s nursing program and look to St. Teresa as a role model. They got the chance to put the saint’s precepts into practice this past summer, when Hagenkord landed a position as a clinical nurse extern at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and Guzman worked as a certified nurse assistant at North Kansas City Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. “There were a couple times this summer where I would pray [for] Mother Teresa[‘s intercession] walking to a patient’s room,” said Hagenkord.
“Or if I was frustrated with a situation, I’d ask for her grace because things get hard in the hospital. To treat everybody with the dignity and respect that she did — it’s an awesome example,” she said. Both Guzman and Hagenkord have discovered that the work they will do as nurses might be daunting, but they have a wonderful example of charity and sacrifice in St. Teresa. “I honestly think she loved it,” said Guzman. “She loved [the people she helped] and she loved her job, so it wasn’t a chore going to work. “This summer, if I didn’t want to get up, I’d think, ‘Mother Teresa was working in 120-degree weather and taking care of people.’” “She worked with different people but the same type of people we work with,” Guzman added.
Hagenkord agreed. “She worked with lepers and people that weren’t necessarily attractive and treated them with the same love and respect everybody should be treated with,” she said. “That’s a great example that we have as nurses because with every patient and every person that you speak to, you should meet them where they are and treat them with the love and respect she showed.” Both women believe that nursing is their vocation, and that, in many ways, it’s similar to St. Teresa’s calling to serve. “Before I even wanted to be a nurse, I knew I wanted to help people,” said Hagenkord. “So I think I kind of always knew that, in some way, this was my calling.”
Seek her during dark times, advises priest >> Continued from page 1 nation mourn Mother Teresa as one of its own family members.” Father Mendem never personally met the saint, but his sister did, and she often extolled the saint’s virtues. “She had been telling me how wonderful [Mother Teresa] was and how influential she was on her [own religious vocation],” he said. “[Mother Teresa] was always grateful that she had the opportunity to serve,” said Father Mendem. “If you can feed one, then feed one,” is one of the sayings of Mother Teresa that Father Saldanha often shares in his homilies. “To be faithful is more important than to be successful,” is another of his favorites. He went on to explain that the saint followed the will of God wherever it led and to whomever it led her, often daring to go where no one,
not even popes would go. “Her whole life was a reflection of saintliness,” said Father Saldanha. “My ministry definitely has been inspired by her mission. She is one of my favorite saints.” “I find great strength and inspiration from the darkness and spiritual emptiness she experienced,” he continued, “as revealed from her letters and journals. “In spite of all that, she held on and remained faithful to God, and God never abandoned her. She inspires a great hope in my life.” In reaching out to the poor, no matter color or religious creed, both priests said Mother Teresa was the face of Christ to the world. “What a symbol of love. What a symbol of compassion,” Father Mendem said, adding her greatest legacy is that she taught a simple truth. “All of us are loved by God, and all
of us are children of God,” he said. But for those not feeling that way, St. Teresa is the perfect patron, said Father Saldanha. “I celebrated Mother Teresa’s canonization,” he said, “by preaching a homily . . . inviting people to seek her intercession especially in life’s dark moments, when we feel lonely and abandoned, when we feel we are in the gutters.” But he, like Pope Francis, expects to call her “Mother” rather than “St.” Teresa for some time to come. “I believe she certainly wants to be called Mother Teresa rather than St. Teresa as she was someone who was not fond of any titles or honor,” said Father Saldanha. “And I can relate to her as ‘Mother’ better than ‘Saint,’” he added. “All of her actions were actions of love — motherly love.”
SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 | THELEAVEN.ORG
LOCAL NEWS
Close encounters of the saintly kind
Editor’s note: In September 1997, Sister Therese Bangert, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth who now lives in Kansas City, Kansas, wrote the following reflection on her accidental encounter with Mother Teresa of Calcutta almost 30 years earlier. Sister Therese is social justice coordinator for her religious community. By Sister Therese Bangert Special to The Leaven
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ith all the talk of Mother Teresa these days, I have found myself relating my story of her visit to us at Visitation Parish in Los Angeles many times over. I have decided to document it to remind the good people of Visitation that you may have some “second-class relics” on hand! I also want to share this story with Mary, Richard and Cathy Wagner, since I have always mentioned Cathy when I tell this story. I do not know what year this took place, but it was whatever year Cathy Wagner was in first grade, and Sister Therese it was during Lent. Bangert One afternoon after school, the Sisters received a call at our home from the airport. The person calling said that there was a Sister at the airport who was traveling to South America. Her flight did not leave until the next morning, and she would like to spend the night with a community of Sisters. Since we were close to the airport, the caller reached out to us. One of the Sisters living with us at the time wondered aloud as we spoke of going to get this woman, “How are we going to know whether or not she’s bogus?!” A bit of irony! Anyway, two of us went to the airport and brought the
“I NOTED [MOTHER TERESA’S] HANDS AND HER FEET. I CANNOT PUT INTO WORDS THE ATTRACTION, BUT SOMEHOW THEY WERE A MEDITATION — THINKING ABOUT WHOM HER HANDS HAD TOUCHED AND WHERE HER FEET HAD WALKED. HER HANDS AND FEET WERE WORN BUT BEAUTIFUL IN THEIR WEAR.” traveler to our home. It must have been near dinnertime, as my first memory of our guest is of her sitting at the table in our dining room. I remember how my mind and spirit marked the moderation and reverence with which she ate the food that was on our table. I remember that she talked freely with us and that we drank deeply of her stories of the large number of women in formation in the Missionaries of Charity. We also drank deeply of her stories telling about how that community depended completely on divine providence. I remember how I noted her hands and her feet. I cannot put into words the attraction, but somehow they were a meditation — thinking about whom her hands had touched and where her feet had walked. Her hands and feet were worn but beautiful in their wear. Because it was Lent, there was an evening Eucharist at St. Jerome [Church]. We took our guest to that church for evening Mass. After Mass, Mother Teresa requested that we take her to see the poor. I was a young Sister in those days, and
I have no idea how the conclusion was reached to take her to our Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California — another irony considering her request. [A Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System hospital at that time, Saint John’s served people of all means — among them movie stars and celebrities — as patients and benefactors.] But we traveled to Saint John’s and got on the elevator and ascended to the Sisters’ quarters. When the elevator door opened, Sister Joellen Stimac happened to be in the hall, and she gasped, “Mother Teresa!” We all gazed in amazement that she knew who this was. Sister Joellen continued, “I just read about you in Look magazine.” We went into the community room at Saint John’s, and there was some talk that we should call the cardinal. For whatever reason — I think Mother Teresa requested that we not call — that was never done and, after what I remember as a brief time, we brought Mother Teresa back to Visitation. The next morning, she celebrated Eucharist with us. Then [we] took her to the airport. I got out of the car with Mother Teresa and asked her if I could hug her . . . and I did. Sister Jean Monica and I returned to school in time for the beginning of the school day. When the first-graders and I were all in the classroom that morning Cathy Wagner asked in her characteristic bright way, “Sister Therese, what happened to you?” And I responded, “I just met this most wonderful person.” My overwhelming experience of Mother Teresa was that THE HOLY SPIRIT just oozed out of her! As I have grown in “wisdom and age,” I have most admired her total leveling of all persons, treating all with equal respect and dignity — her eyes that have shown us how God sees each of us. Now, I ask her intercession for the gift of that sight.
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OBITUARY
Sister Kathleen Condry
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APLE MOUNT, Ky. — Sister Kathleen Condry, 66, an Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph, died
Sept. 5 here. Sister Kathleen, a native of Ottawa, was an Ursuline Sister of Paola prior to the merger of that community with Mount Saint Joseph in 2008. She was superior in Paola from 2002 until the merger. She was elected as assistant congregational leader for the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph in December 2015, and was installed in office on July 17, 2016. All of her ministry was in Kansas, where she was renowned for her leadership skills as an educator. She taught French and speech at Ursuline Academy in Paola (1970-71), then taught at Holy Name School, Kansas City, Kansas (1972-73) and Bishop Miege High School, Roeland Park (1973-77). She was assistant principal of St. Agnes School, Roeland Park (1977-78). She served as principal of Queen of the Holy Rosary School (197885), Holy Spirit School (1984-88) and Holy Cross School (1986-87), all in Overland Park. From 1988-98, she held administrative roles at St. Thomas Aquinas High School and Church of Ascension School in Overland Park. Sister Kathleen was the assistant superintendent for leadership and mission for the archdiocesan education office, Kansas City, Kansas (1998-2002). From 2009-2016, she served in pastoral ministry for the Church of the Nativity in Leawood.
Mother Teresa story lead Topeka native to join her order By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org
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EXICO CITY — Some moments in life are never forgotten. For Father Bob Conroy, a native of Topeka and a priest of the Missionaries of Charity, one such moment occurred during his eighth-grade year at Topeka’s Most Pure Heart of Mary Grade School. His class watched “Something Beautiful for God,” a 50-minute documentary about Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The film touched his heart. When he later saw pictures of Mother Teresa with the poor and dying in Life magazine, he cut them out and hung them in his room. “[Her work] was incredible, at least to me,” said Father Conroy. “It made me wonder that if she could do something like that, maybe I could do something for God, too.” And that began Father Conroy’s relationship with Mother Teresa, the church’s most recently canonized saint. He didn’t know then, but he would meet her just a few short years later. After finishing college in 1983 at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana, Father Conroy was sent to Rome for further studies. During his first semester, he also started working in a nursing home
run by the Missionaries of Charity. A few months later, Mother Teresa passed through Rome. That’s when his spiritual director, Father Joseph Propps, took the Topekan with him on a trip to a convent at which Father Propps celebrated Mass for Mother Teresa and her Sisters. The seminarian’s interest in the order only grew. The next year, Mother Teresa and Father Joseph Langford cofounded the Missionaries of Charity Fathers, an order of priests dedicated to the same work as her order of women religious — serving Christ in the poorest of the poor. That very year, Father Conroy began the process of applying for acceptance by the community. Correspondence with the community was slow, however. It sometimes took more than six months for him to receive a response to one of his letters. “Because the answers were so slow in coming,” said Father Conroy, “I wondered what the community would be like!” Meanwhile, Father Conroy moved closer to ordination. Yet, his heart was torn. He had no doubt about becoming a priest. Yet, he wasn’t sure where God wanted him to serve the church. The summer between his first and second year in Rome, Father Conroy spent time in Dublin, serving in the
slums there. The summer between his third and fourth year of theology, he traveled to Tanzania to serve the poor. It later occurred to him that, in a sense, he had been trying out the life of a priest as a Missionary of Charity. Upon his return to Rome, he prayed a novena to Mother Teresa’s namesake, St. Thérèse of Lisieux. He received affirmation while at the Colosseum in Rome, a place visited by both St. Thérèse and Mother Teresa. When he discussed his wish to join the order with Mother Teresa herself, Father Conroy remembers that she repeatedly emphasized the life of poverty he would be embracing as a Missionary of Charity. “I’m not sure why she emphasized it so much to me. Perhaps it was how I was dressed,” he said with a laugh. Father Conroy joined the community in 1986 in the Bronx, New York, and it was then that his relationship with Mother Teresa grew more personal. Whenever Mother Teresa visited New York, he recalled, she provided instructions to the religious Sisters, priests and seminarians. “We’d have conferences with her,” he said. “And afterward, you could speak to her individually. . . . It was all very communal.” On Jan. 28, 1989, Father Conroy was ordained a Missionaries of Charity priest.
Mother Teresa attended his ordination in Tijuana, Mexico. For the next eight years, Father Conroy had many occasions to interact with Mother Teresa. Once, he celebrated Mass privately for her in a hospital in San Diego. Other times, he participated in one of her retreats or instructional sessions. Yet, there’s one night that remains forever etched in his mind. “There were three or four novices, and we were all with her one night. We saw this woman crawling on the side of a mountain,” he recalled. Mother Teresa encouraged them to check on the woman, and she went with them. When they got to the mountain, they saw the woman was an alcoholic and had fallen down and was struggling to get back up. Mother Teresa helped the woman to her feet, cleaned her off and talked with her. Father Conroy said that memory remains special because he realized that “she didn’t have a superficial character.” In that moment, he said, “Mother Teresa herself was gone. God was radiating through her.” He also realized she never worried about what people thought. Her mission was to serve God. “She never lost track of that,” he said. “She was the real thing.”
SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 | THELEAVEN.ORG
LOCAL NEWS Appointments Father John Riley, chancellor, announces the following appointments made by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann: Father Craig Maxim, returning to active priestly ministry from a leave of absence for personal reasons, has been appointed senior associate pastor, St. Ann Parish, Prairie Village, effective Aug. 29.
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Father Harold Schneider, rector, Cathedral of St. Peter, Kansas City, Kansas, has been granted a period of medical leave, effective Aug. 29. Father Daniel Stover has completed a program of formation begun in January and has resumed his responsibilities as parochial vicar, St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, effective July 9. Father John Riley has been appointed parochial administrator, Cathedral of St. Peter, Kansas City, Kansas, during the period of medical leave granted to Father Harold Schneider, effective Aug. 29. Father Riley, who has been providing sacramental assistance at St. Ann Parish, Prairie Village, continues as chancellor.
Chaplaincies Father Brian Austin, FSSP, from priestly ministry outside of the archdiocese to assistant chaplain, Latin Mass community of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, Westwood, effective July 1. Father Carlos Casavantes, FSSP, from priestly ministry outside of the archdiocese to chaplain, Latin Mass community of St. John-Mary Vianney, Maple Hill, effective July 1.
iCare announces Mass times for developmentally disabled
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ANSAS CITY, Kan. — A new program designed to provide a meaningful Mass experience for people with developmental disabilities has begun in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Named iCare, this new program will begin celebrating Mass in September at Queen of the Holy Rosary Church, 71st and Metcalf in Overland Park. iCare continues the efforts of Religious and Education Activities for the Community Handicapped (REACH). REACH was developed by Dolores Lebbert in Topeka and soon expanded from Johnson and Shawnee counties to 47 dioceses, 154 cities, 30 states and several foreign countries. The program was discontinued in 2000. The Mass schedule for iCare is as follows: Sept. 24, Oct. 22, Nov. 19 and Dec. 17. Mass time is at 6 p.m. Watch future issues of The Leaven for an in-depth article about the work of iCare.
ARTWORK BY NEILSON CARLIN, 2015
Are you too busy? When we say “yes” to too many good things, we find ourselves exhausted and not having energy for the most important things. Consider the following: 1. What are three core values your family has? Determine activities based on these. 2. What are three gifts of each family member? Determine activities that flow from these. 3. What are three things you want your family to be remembered for? Focus energy on these activities. — Brad DuPont, MTS, consultant, office of marriage and family life
Mass of Innocents remembers children lost early in pregnancy and infancy for a lot of reasons,” said DuPont. “It’s not just couples who are affected by the loss, but also grandparents, siblings and friends. In generations past, ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Patti we didn’t do a good job of helping and Steve Fisher hold in those people grieve. It’s awkward, and their hearts the “children people don’t know how to deal with it. of God” they were never Families feel alone.” able to hold in their arms. The archdiocese has offered the That is why the annual archdioceMass since 2009, and it has proven to san Mass of Innocents is so important be a source of comfort for many famito them. lies, said consultant Brad DuPont. “We were unable to sustain pregnanPart of the Mass is having the atcies over the course of three years, so tending families don’t have a place inscribe their to go to honor child’s name in a these losses,” book of rememsaid Patti Fisher, brance. The Fisha member of St. ers said this was John the EvangeThe archdiocesan marriage and a very difficult list Parish in Lawfamily life office will offer a fourweek program to help families deal moment for them rence. “The Mass with the loss of a child due to misthe first time. of Innocents is a carriage, stillbirth or early infant But the Fishers way of honoring death. “Loving in Remembrance” have continued to them, and seeing will be held Sept. 10, 17, Oct. 1 and attend the Mass we are not alone.” 8 at Church of Nativity in Leawood. of Innocents — The Mass of For information or to register, conthree times now Innocents is an tact Mary Helen Denihan by email — because of the opportunity for at: dennihan6@kc.rr.com, or Libby healing they’ve repeople who have DuPont via email at: ldupont@arch ceived. lost a child during kck.org, or go online to: www.arch “I would enearly pregnancy or kck.org/miscarriage-and-infant-loss. courage anyone to infancy to grieve attend,” said Patti and experience Fisher. “It is scary, healing and consoespecially at first, to make public your lation. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will grief which is very private. But through that, healing can come, understanding be the main celebrant and homilist at the Mass, which will be held at 3:30 can come, maybe something between a p.m. on Oct. 2 at Curé of Ars Parish, couple. Maybe it can open a discussion that might not be possible or would 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood. not occur otherwise. Maybe the healThe loss of a child — either during ing is between someone and God.” pregnancy or early infancy — affects For more information on the Mass a large circle of people, according to of Innocents, contact Brad DuPont by Libby DuPont, consultant in the archemail at: bdupont@archkck.org; call diocesan marriage and family office, (913) 647-0301; or go online to: www. which is sponsoring the Mass. archkck.org/family. “[The Mass] is an important event
By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org
K
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CHURCH OF THE WEEK Annunciation, Baldwin Address: 740 N. 6th St., 66006 Phone: (785) 594-3700 Pastor: Father Christopher Rossman Mass Times: Sunday, 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Email: baldwincitycatholics@gmail. com Website: http://www.annunciation churchks.org
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A video tour of this church is available online at: www.theleaven.org.
More photos of this church can be seen online at: www.theleaven.org.
Free concert benefits Franciscan nuns KANSAS CITY, Kan. — What’s better than a free concert? It’s this: A free concert hosted by nuns from Brazil. The Franciscans nuns, members of the Fraternity the Poor of Jesus Christ, will host the outdoor “Merciful Music Festival: Like the Father” at 4 p.m. on Sept. 17 at Savior Pastoral Center, 12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kansas. The concert will feature live music by To All Nations, the PJC music ministry and winners of the music festival contest. All ages are invited, as are both English- and Spanish-speakers. In addition to the music, there will be games and activities for the children, and food items for sale. Have you ever wondered what they do? This concert is a great opportunity to get to meet the Franciscan Sisters and talk with them about their ministry to the poor in Kansas City, Kansas. Families and music lovers of all ages are encouraged to come, said Sister Magdalena of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, PJC. Since it’s a free event, there is no need to register. For information, go online to: facebook. com/franciscanspjc or send an email to: toallnationspjc@gmail.com.
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AUGUST 26, 2016 | THELEAVEN.ORG
LOCAL NEWS Mary
(Broxterman) and Linus Holthaus, members of St. Patrick Parish, Corning, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 17. They are hosting an open house/ dance at the Corning Community Center from 5 p.m. to midnight. Their children are: Roger Holthaus, Laurie Kramer, Bill Holthaus, Trish McNally, Benji Holthaus, Cindy Flentie and Nickie Haverkamp. They also have 26 grandchildren. The couple was married at St. Joseph Church, Lillis, on Sept. 17, 1966. Norb and Melanie Herbert, members of Sacred H e a r t Parish, Shawnee, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 10. The couple was married at St. Anthony Parish, Atlanta. The family celebrated at the golden wedding anniversary Mass on June 5 with Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann. Their children are: Norb Herbert, Lisa Huff, and Kim Waybright. They also have seven grandchildren. A trip to Chicago and Lake Michigan is planned.
Robert
and
Marilyn (Granquist) Watson, members of Holy Spirit Parish, Overland Park, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 18 with a Mass and dinner. The couple was married on Sept. 17, 1966, at St. Agnes Church, Roeland Park. At Christmas, they will celebrate with their children and grandchildren on a trip to Keystone, Colorado. Their children are: Paulette Samson, Belton, Missouri; Andrew Watson, Denver; and Annette Burgoon, Olathe. They also have 11 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. Denny and Pam Walstrom, members of Christ the King Parish, Topeka, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 3. The couple was married on Sept. 3, 1966, at Most Pure Heart of Mary Church, Topeka. Their children are: Kevin Walstrom and Kelly Walstrom. They also have four grandchildren. Following a crosscountry trip to the West Coast, the couple will celebrate with a family dinner at Milburn Country Club in Overland Park.
Dale and Alice Putman, members of Curé of Ars Parish, Leawood, celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Sept. 8. They will celebrate with a trip to New York City. The couple was married on Sept. 8, 1951, at St. Mary Cathedral, Lincoln, Nebraska. They have seven children, 18 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. David and Ruth Anne (Thielen) Theis, members of Holy Angels Parish, Garnett, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a family dinner on Sept. 4. The couple was married on Sept. 17, 1966, at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Kansas City, Missouri. Their children are: Chris Theis, Lee’s Summit, Missouri; and Audra Theis, Denver. They also have two grandchildren.
ANNIVERSARY POLICY
• The Leaven prints 50, 60, 65 and 70th notices. • Announcements are due eight days before the desired publication date.
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Marianist priest from Topeka celebrates 60 years
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ather David Flemming celebrated 60 years as a Marianist priest on Sept. 8. Father Flemming is a native of Topeka and graduated from Assumption Grade School and Hayden High School. He professed first vows on Sept. 8, 1956, at Marynook novitiate in Galesville, Wisconsin, and was ordained on March 22, 1969, in Fribourg, Switzerland. Father Flemming lives in the Marianist Generalate in Rome where he works on publications and conducts research on Marianist topics. He also lives part time in Bangalore, India, teaching at the scholasticate program. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, and master’s and doctoral degrees in English and comparative literature respectively, from the University of Chicago. He earned a bachelor of sacred theology and a licentiate of sacred theology from Université Fribourg in Fribourg. He served the Marianists as a high school, college and scholasticate educator in St. Louis and San Antonio and served in administrative and leadership roles for the St. Louis Province, as well as in India and Rome.
BIG WHEEL KEEPS ON TURNING T
here were no dog days of summer for the church of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas this August. From celebrating youth to celebrating life, the gears of the archdiocese never stopped churning.
CELEBRATING SISTERS
LEAVEN PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE
Sister Irene Skeehan, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth, listens to the opening remarks at the annual Religious Sisters Appreciation Day hosted by the Serra Club on Aug. 14 at St. Patrick Parish in Kansas City, Kansas. More than 200 Sisters representing 19 congregations in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas attended the event.
FOUNDING FATHERS
Prairie Star Ranch in Williamsburg awarded Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher and Msgr. Tom Tank, right sion in Overland Park, the inaugural Echo of Kateri Award along with Tom and Cindy Creal. Archbishop Kelehe founders, while the Creals — members of Church of the Ascension in Overland Park — are longtime support
AUTOGRAPH SESSION
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Mikey Needleman signs the T-shirt of Gracie Deters, of St. Patrick Parish in Corning, after the Mikey Needleman Band performed at the Kelly Youth Rally on Aug. 20. This marked the 19th year of the rally. In addition to the Mikey Needleman Band, the youth rally featured keynote speaker Jackie Francois Angel, a Christian singer/songwriter and youth minister from Placentia, California. The rally ended with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann.
PITCHING LIFE
Audrey Kuta, a seventh-grader at Christ the King School in Topeka, was the grand-prize winner in the Vitae Foundation’s “Champions for Life” essay contest. Kuta’s essay was titled “Diary of an Unborn Child.” In addition to receiving four Dugout Plaza tickets, Kuta threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the start of the Aug. 11 Kansas City Royals game against the Chicago White Sox.
PROFESSING VOWS
Joel Haug, right, a member of St. Benedict Parish in Atchison, professed vows for the Apostles of the Interior Life on Aug. 19 at Church of the Ascension in Overland Park. He will continue his priestly formation at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, starting his second year of theology.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
More photos from all these events can be seen online at: www.theleaven.org
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
t, pastor of Church of the Ascener and Msgr. Tank are the camp’s ters.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE
NEW CLASS
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann presides over the Rite of Candidacy for the new deacon cohort for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas on Aug. 21. The rite follows a year of discernment for the 20 deacon candidates. The next step is four years of formation, culminating with the candidates’ ordination as permanent deacons in 2020. This will be the third class of deacons in the archdiocese. The second class will be ordained next year.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE
BACK TO BASICS
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann tours the Giving the Basics facility in Kansas City, Missouri, on Aug. 16, with Teresa Hamilton, its executive director. Giving the Basics is an organization that provides basic living essentials not covered by government assistance to those in need. This include things such as: deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, toilet paper, Kleenex, baby wipes, diapers, feminine hygiene products, soap, trash bags, dish washing liquid and laundry soap.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 | THELEAVEN.ORG
LOCAL NEWS
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Sacrifice, renewal the themes of installation and anniversary >> Continued from page 3 imparted a message of humility in leadership, but also because he wished to highlight the connection between the priesthood and the Eucharist, both of which Jesus instituted at the Last Supper. The archbishop went on to say that the installation of a new pastor fosters a period of renewal for any parish community, something made more significant by the coincidence of the 150th cornerstone anniversary. “Every priest is called to make heroic sacrifices for the eternal good of his flock,” concluded the archbishop, as he completed the installation and had Father Jeremy continue Mass and lead his new parish in the profession of faith. Later that afternoon, the cornerstone anniversary was celebrated in a bit more exuberant fashion at a parish-wide picnic, complete with seemingly endless food, live music, and face painting, games and inflatables for the kids. Most popular was a dunk tank where parishioners had a chance to dunk their new pastor, Abbot James, and a whole cast of monks from St. Benedict’s Abbey. According to Megan Fassero, the primary organizer of the event, none of it would have been possible without the incredible generosity of the parishioners and local community. With around 200 volunteers and over 100 donors, they were able to organize an event that allowed everyone to come together and celebrate the history of all four churches in proper fashion.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY LAURENCE ROSSI
Father Jeremy Heppler, OSB, prepares to hit the water in the dunk tank at the St. Benedict Parish picnic on Aug. 28. Father Heppler and other monks from St. Benedict’s Abbey took turns in the dunk tank. The newly installed pastor was also surprised and touched by the generosity of his parish.
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He loved that this chance to celebrate together as a community coincided with the beginning of his journey as pastor.
But more than anything, he said, the occasion served as a “celebration of the people of faith of Atchison.”
SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 | THELEAVEN.ORG
WORLD
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Singular determination was hallmark of saint >> Continued from page 1 not generally open to foreign church workers. Her combination of serene, simple faith and direct, practical efficiency often amazed those who came in contact with her. In 1982, when Israeli troops were holding Beirut under siege in an effort to root out the Palestine Liberation Organization, Mother Teresa visited a community of her nuns at Spring School, a home for the aged in East Beirut. It was her first visit in a war zone, but not her last. Meeting with Red Cross officials about relief needs, she asked what their most serious problem was. They took her to a nearby mental hospital that had just been bombed, requiring immediate evacuation of 37 mentally and physically handicapped children. “I’ll take them,” she said. “What stunned everyone was her energy and efficiency,” a Red Cross official involved in the evacuation said afterward. “She saw the problem, fell to her knees and prayed for a few seconds, and then she was rattling off a list of supplies she needed — nappies (diapers), plastic pants, chamber pots. We didn’t expect a saint to be so efficient.” She was an advocate for children and was outspoken against abortion. In a 1981 visit to New York, she proposed a characteristically direct and simple solution to the problem of unwanted pregnancy: “If you know anyone who does not want the child, who is afraid of the child, then tell them to give that child to me.” When Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, Dec. 10, 1979, she accepted it “in the name of the hungry, of the naked, of the homeless, of the blind, of the lepers, of all those who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society.” She also condemned abortion as the world’s greatest destroyer of people. “To me, the nations who have legalized abortion are the poorest nations,” she said. “They are afraid of the unborn child, and the child must die.” Often when criticized about her approach to social issues, Mother Teresa told of a man who suggested she could do more for the world by teaching people how to fish rather than by giving them fish. “The people I serve are helpless,” she said she told him. “They cannot stand. They cannot hold the rod. I will give them the food and then send them to you so you can teach them how to fish.” When she was criticized for not using her considerable influence to attack systemic evils such as the arms race or organized exploitation and injustice, she simply responded that that was not her mission, but one that belonged to others, especially to the Catholic laity. “Once you get involved in politics, you stop being all things to all men,” she said in an interview in 1982. “We must encourage the laypeople to stand for justice, for
CNS PHOTO/RUPAK DE CHOWDHURI, REUTERS
Missionaries of Charity nuns walk past a large banner of St. Teresa in Kolkata Sept. 3, the day before her canonization ceremony at the Vatican. truth” in the political arena. Mother Teresa was born Agnes Ganxhe Bojaxhiu to Albanian parents in Skopje, in what is now Macedonia, Aug. 26, 1910. She had a sister, Aga, and a brother, Lazar. Her father was a grocer, but the family’s background was more peasant than merchant. Lazar said their mother’s example was a determining factor in Agnes’ vocation. “Already when she was a little child, she used to assist the poor by taking food to them every day like our mother,” he said. When Agnes was 9, he said, “She was plump, round, tidy, sensible and a little too serious for her age. Of the three of us, she alone did not steal the jam.” As a student at a public school in Skopje, she was a member of a Catholic sodality with a special interest in foreign missions. “At the age of 12, I first knew I had a vocation to help the poor,” she once said. “I wanted to be a missionary.” At 15, Agnes was inspired to work in India by reports sent home by Yugoslavian Jesuit missionaries in Bengal — present-day Bangladesh, but then part of India. At 18, she left home to join the Irish branch of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Loreto Sisters. After training at their institutions in Dublin and in Darjeeling, India, she made her first vows as a nun in 1928 and her final vows nine years later. While teaching and serving as a principal at Loreto House, a fashionable girls’ college in Calcutta, she was depressed by the destitute and dying on the city’s streets, the homeless street urchins, the ostracized sick people lying prey to rats
and other vermin in streets and alleys. In 1946, she received a “call within a call,” as she described it. “The message was clear. I was to leave the convent and help the poor, while living among them,” she said. Two years later, the Vatican gave her permission to leave the Loreto Sisters and follow her new calling under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Calcutta. After three months of medical training under the American Medical Missionary Sisters in Patna, India, Mother Teresa went into the Calcutta slums to take children cut off from education into her first school. Soon, volunteers — many of them her former students — came to join her. In 1950, the Missionaries of Charity became a diocesan religious community, and, 15 years later, the Vatican recognized it as a pontifical congregation, directly under Vatican jurisdiction. In 1952, Mother Teresa opened the Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart) Home for Dying Destitutes in a dormitory — formerly a hostel attached to a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Kali — donated by the city of Calcutta. Although some of those taken in survive, the primary function of the home is, as one Missionary of Charity explained, to be “a shelter where the dying poor may die in dignity.” Tens of thousands of people have been cared for in the home since it opened. When Blessed Paul VI visited Bombay, now Mumbai, India, in 1964, he presented Mother Teresa with a white ceremonial Lincoln Continental given to him by people in the United States. She raffled off the car and raised enough money to finance a center for leprosy victims in the
Indian state of West Bengal. Twenty-one years later, when U.S. President Ronald Reagan presented her with the presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House, he called her a “heroine of our times” and noted that the plaque honoring her described her as the “saint of the gutters.” He also joked that Mother Teresa might be the first award recipient to take the plaque and melt it down to get money for the poor. In addition to winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa was given Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971; the Templeton Prize in 1973; the John F. Kennedy International Award in 1971; the $300,000 Balzan Prize for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood in 1979; the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997; and dozens of other awards and honors, including one of India’s highest — the Padmashri Medal. Even after health problems led her to resign as head of the Missionaries of Charity in 1990, her order re-elected her as superior, and she continued traveling at a pace that would have tired people half her age. In late January 1997, her spiritual adviser, Jesuit Father Edward le Joly, said, “She is dying, she is on oxygen.” That March, the Missionaries of Charity elected her successor, Sister Nirmala Joshi. But Mother Teresa bounced back and, before her death Sept. 5, 1997, she traveled to Rome and the United States. Mother Teresa was beatified in record time — in 2003, just over six years after her death — because St. John Paul set aside the rule that a sainthood process cannot begin until the candidate has been dead five years.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 | THELEAVEN.ORG
CLASSIFIEDS EMPLOYMENT Drivers - Special Beginnings Early Learning Center is seeking part-time drivers for its school-age program located in Lenexa. Candidates must be able to drive a 13-passenger minibus, similar to a 15-passenger van. CDL not required, but must have an excellent driving record. Candidates would pick up children from area schools and then work directly with them when arriving back at the center. Experience preferred. Must have strong work ethic and the ability to work with children. Insurance provided. Background check will be conducted. Great opportunity for retired persons or those seeking a second job. Job responsibilities include: ensuring safety and well-being of children who are being transported at all times, including loading and unloading. Driving short, round-trip routes to elementary schools in Lenexa/Olathe area. Summer only: Driving short, round- trip routes to two Lenexa city pools. Maintaining mileage log. Keeping interior of vehicle clean. Apply by sending an email to: chris@specialbeginningsonline.com or in person at 10216 Pflumm Rd., Lenexa, KS 66215. Career opportunity - Due to the success and growth of the Knights of Columbus, we are adding a financial representative in the Kansas City metro, Atchison and Topeka area. Ideal for a determined, high energy, high expectation, professional, self-disciplined, independent individual desiring to serve others, yet earn a better than average income. We provide top-rated financial products to our members and their families and will provide excellent benefits and training. This is a full-time position. Please contact John A. Mahon, general agent, for more information or an interview at 1275 Topeka Blvd., Topeka, KS 66612 or call (785) 408-8806. You can also send an email to: john.mahon@kofc.org. President - Rockhurst High School, a Roman Catholic, nonprofit, college preparatory school for young men, sponsored by the Society of Jesus in Kansas City, Missouri, seeks an enthusiastic and visionary leader to serve as president starting July 1, 2017. As the chief executive officer, the president will build on Rockhurst High School’s rich tradition of faith-based college preparatory education and formation, and boldly lead the institution into the future. The primary purpose of the office of president is to provide both spiritual and educational leadership for the school’s achievement of its mission as a Jesuit school. The president is hired by, and responsible to, the school’s board of trustees, which in turn is responsible to the Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus. As the chief executive officer of the school, the president has overall responsibility for the management of Rockhurst High School and for providing leadership to its educational mission and values consistent with directives of the Catholic Church and particularly those of the Society of Jesus. The leadership responsibility extends to the student population and the school faculty and staff. The president also is the institutional spokesperson and represents the school to internal and external community groups. Additional information is available online at: www.rockhursths.edu. Application deadline is Sept. 16, 2016. Applicants should send the following separate documents, as PDF files, to Mr. Allen K. Roberson, Search Committee Chair, at: aroberson@rockhursths.edu: 1) a statement of interest describing skills, knowledge and experience; 2) resume or curriculum vitae; 3) list of at least five references, including complete contact information and a description of the relationship to the applicant. References will not be contacted without the permission of the applicant. Questions may be directed to Mr. Roberson. Part-time paralegal - Small law firm in downtown Kansas City seeks an experienced paralegal 16-24 hours per week. Responsibilities and requirements include: punctual and dependable; organized and detail-oriented; Microsoft Office Suite experience, including Word, Excel and Google email; excellent communication skills, both verbal and written; manage and maintain calendar/schedule, i.e., schedule, coordinate and confirm court dates, appointments and meetings; draft pleadings, including discovery and affidavits for review and use by attorney; draft correspondence; communicate with clients, other attorneys and court personnel; electronic filing. Contact Edie Ferrara at (816) 463-2311.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechists - St. Michael the Archangel in Leawood is seeking certified Level I (3-6) Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechists immediately. The department is seeking Level II (6-9) catechists as part of its program expansion. These are paid part-time positions. Qualified applicants should send an email to Diane Jones at: CGS@stmichaelcp.org or call (913) 402-3941. Choir accompanist - Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Overland Park, needs a choir accompanist. This paid position requires piano and organ proficiency and entails working closely with the choir director during Thursday evening and Sunday morning rehearsals in preparation for 10:30 a.m. Masses three Sundays per month, September through Pentecost (usually May each year). The choir sings one Sunday per month during the summer as well as Thanksgiving, Christmas midnight Mass, Holy Thursday and Easter Vigil. Send an email to Denise Slaven at: dslaven@hscatholic.org or call (913) 492-7318, ext. 151, to set up an audition. Three teaching positions - Prince of Peace Early Education Center in Olathe is looking for three afternoon teachers. One position is from 3:30 - 6 p.m. M - F in a two-year-olds room and is perfect for high school students who are 16 years or older. The other positions are from 2 – 6 p.m. with 3-yearolds and school age. You must love children to apply. We have a friendly work environment. Previous child care experience preferred, but not necessary. This is a perfect opportunity for early childhood/elementary education majors. Contact Amanda at (913) 829-2728. Teaching position - St. Ann Young Child Center in Prairie Village is seeking to fill the following position for the 2016-2017 school year. An afterschool teacher to work Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. We are also looking for substitutes. Competitive pay. Great environment to work in. For more information, call Tati at (816) 716-4676.
Development officer - School of Love is seeking a parttime development officer who will be responsible for leading, managing and executing the fundraising initiatives that support its mission, programs and resources. The development officer will work with and report to the executive director, and will advise and manage the individuals or committees related to fund development. The development officer will help plan and maintain an ongoing major gifts campaign by: cultivating relationships, holding meetings and soliciting charitable gifts from benefactors and corporations. He or she will help set, implement and oversee a wider plan of current and new fundraising activities including: network mailers and e-newsletters, annual electronic and phone fundraising campaigns, and a limited number of social and fundraising events. The ideal candidate is a faithful Catholic in good standing who has experience in fundraising for an organization, program or personal support (preferred, two years), who has the combination of work ethic, flexibility and humor to work in a small organization, and who is motivated, positive, and who has excellent people skills and communication skills. For more on School of Love, visit the website at: www.schooloflovekc.com. To apply, email cover letter, resume and salary requirements to: mike@schooloflovekc.com.
SERVICES Agua Fina Irrigation and Landscape The one-stop location for your project! Landscape and irrigation design, Installation and maintenance. Cleanup and grading services It’s time to repair your lawn. 20% discount on lawn renovations with mention of this ad. Visit the website at: www.goaguafina.com Call (913) 530-7260 or (913) 530-5661 Mike Hammer local moving - A full-service mover. Packing, pianos, rental truck load/unload, storage container load/unload, and in-home moving. No job too small. Serving JoCo since 1987. St. Joseph, Shawnee, parishioner. Call Mike at (913) 927-4347 or send an email to: mike@mikehammer moving.com. Machine quilting - by Jenell Noeth, Basehor. Also, quilts made to order. Call (913) 724-1837. Cleaning lady - Reasonable rates; references provided. Call (913) 940-2959.
Special operations technician - Divine Mercy Radio, located in Hays, Kansas, seeks a full-time special operations technician to perform a variety of duties associated with running a radio station. Candidate with knowledge of computer hardware and server security will be a plus. Must embrace the mission of Catholic radio. For a complete job description go to: dvmercy. com. To apply, send resume, including references and a cover letter, to: Divine Mercy Radio, 108 E. 12th St., Ste. #1, Hays, KS 67601. Divine Mercy Radio, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer.
Tutoring - Private individual or small group tutoring: test prep, study skills, reading, fluency, math, other. Professional educator with doctorate degree. Call or text (913) 710-9109 or send an email to: drheatherhamtil@ gmail.com.
Drivers - Assisted Transportation is now hiring caring and reliable drivers to transport K-12 students to and from school and other activities in company minivans. Positions are now available in Olathe, Overland Park and Kansas City, Kansas. Competitive wages and flexible schedules. CDL not required. Retirees encouraged to apply. Call (913) 262-3100 or apply online at: AssistedTransportation.com. EEO
Bankruptcy consultation - If debts are overwhelming you, seek hope and help from compassionate, experienced Catholic attorney, Teresa Kidd. For a free consultation, call (913) 422-0610; send an email to: tkidd@kc.rr. com; or visit the website at: www.teresakiddlawyer. com. Please do not wait until life seems hopeless before getting good quality legal advice that may solve your financial stress.
Parish accountant – St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood is seeking a part-time accountant. Responsibilities include financial reporting, payroll (including 401(k) and benefits), electronic payment processing, budgeting, expense allocation and assistance with the annual stewardship drive. A qualified candidate will possess strong interpersonal and organizational skills, advanced Excel and database skills, three years of recent, hands-on experience with payroll and benefit software systems, and at least an associate’s degree in business or accounting. See complete job description and contact information under Employment Opportunities at: www.stmichaelcp.org. Accounting manager – The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking an individual for its accounting team for the accounting office. This position is responsible for all aspects related to cash receipts and disbursements, working closely with human resources in the administration of payroll, and stewardship and development in the administration of appeal receipts. Ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing; have four to six years of fund accounting experience, including areas of accounts receivable and payable; be proficient at data input and analysis; and demonstrate effective communication skills, as well as written and verbal skills. Position requires a bachelor’s degree in accounting, public accounting experience preferred. A complete job description, application and benefits information are available on the archdiocese’s web site at: www.archkck.org/ jobs. Interested individuals should mail cover letter, resume, and application by September 27 to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Office of Human Resources, Accounting Manager Search, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, or send via email to: jobs@archkck.org. Groundskeeper - Catholic Cemeteries is seeking an individual for a full-time groundskeeping position, hours Monday through Saturday. This position requires heavy lifting. Must be physically fit; experience operating construction equipment would be a plus. Must be a fast learner and flexible on hours. Interested individuals should contact Matt Wirtz at (913) 371-4040. Development director - Didde Catholic Campus Center at Emporia State University, Emporia, is looking for a development director who will be responsible for leading and managing the fund development program; raising funds for the center and programs; managing funds for the center and programs; and managing all committees involved in fund development activities. For more information on the Didde Center, this position and how to apply, visit the website at: www.petreusdevelopment.com/jobs. Teacher assistant - Special Beginnings, Lenexa, is seeking full- or part-time after school teacher assistants at all locations. We are looking for a teacher assistant candidate who has an excellent work ethic, heart for children and a willingness to learn more about early childhood education. Experience and/or education is a plus, but we will train the right candidate. Teacher assistants will work with the lead teacher to care for and educate the children. Primary responsibilities include assisting the lead teacher with: care and supervision of children, lesson plan implementation, parent communication, and cleanliness and organization of classroom. Starting hourly pay ranges based on experience and education. Pay increases are based on job performance. Opportunities for advancement are available, as the company prefers to promote from within. Apply by sending an email to: chris@specialbeginningsonline.com or in person at 10216 Pflumm Rd., Lenexa, KS 66215. Drivers needed - Medi Coach Transportation is looking for caring and reliable drivers for nonemergency transportation. CDL is not required. Contact Jeff at (913) 825-1921.
Custom upholstery - Don’t throw out that dining room chair, recliner, sofa, etc. Reupholster it and make it new. Repair wood frames, do custom builds. Upholstery craftsperson with years of experience. Free estimates. Call Aaron at (913) 271-0599.
Fall Tutoring - Available for K-12 and home-schoolers in music and academics. For more information, call/text Kathleen at (913) 206-1837 or email klmamuric@yahoo. com. Clutter getting you down? - Organize, fix, assemble, install! “Kevin of all trades” your professional organizer and “Honey-do” specialist. Call today for a free consultation at (913) 271-5055. Insured. References. Visit our website at: www.KOATINDUSTRIES.com. Cleaning lady - 30 years experience. References available. Call Sandy’s Cleaning Service at (913) 788-7676 or (913) 956-1626. Seniors’ hair styling - Roller sets, backcombing, haircuts and perms. Located in the Workshoppe Beauty Salon at 5909 Dearborn, Mission, KS. Call (913) 432-6335 or (816) 769-8511. Wed-Thurs-Fri by appointment, with Bonnie. $5 off any service with mention of this ad. Rodman Lawn Care Lawn mowing, aeration, verticutting. Hedge trimming, mulch, leaf removal. Fully insured and free estimates. John Rodman (913) 548-3002
HOME IMPROVEMENT EL SOL Y LA TIERRA *Commercial & residential * Lawn renovation *Mowing * Clean-up and hauling * Dirt grading/installation * Landscape design * Free estimates Hablamos y escribimos Ingles!! www.elsolylatierra.com Call Lupe at (816) 252-1391 Masonry work - Quality new or repair work. Brick, block and chimney/fireplace repair. Insured; second-generation bricklayer. St. Paul Parish, Olathe. Call (913) 829-4336. DRC Construction We’ll get the job done right the first time. Windows - Doors - Decks - Siding Repair or replace, we will work with you to solve your problems. Choose us for any window, door, siding or deck project and you’ll be glad you did. Everything is guaranteed 100% (913) 461-4052 www.windowservicesoverlandpark.com drcconswindows@gmail.com
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Rusty Dandy Painting, Inc. - We have been coloring your world for 40 years. Your home will be treated as if it were our own. Old cabinets will be made to look like new. Dingy walls and ceilings will be made beautiful. Woodwork will glow. Lead-certified and insured. Call (913) 341-9125. Swalms organizing - downsizing - cleanout service – Reduce clutter – Any space organized. Shelving built onsite. Items hauled for recycling and donations. 20 years exp.; insured. Call Tillar at (913) 375-9115. WWW.SWALMS ORGANIZING.COM. KIRK AND YEYO PAINTING Whole house painting Wood rot repair, affordable Only premium paint used Licensed and insured (913) 927-5240, nelsport@everestkc.net Detail construction and remodeling - We offer a full line of home remodeling services. Don’t move — remodel! Johnson County area. Call for a free quote at (913) 709-8401. House Painting Interior and exterior; wallpaper removal. Power washing, fences, decks. 30 years’ experience. References. Reasonable rates. Call Joe at (913) 620-5776. HARCO Exteriors LLC Your Kansas City fencing specialists Family owned and operated (913) 815-4817 www.harcoexteriorsllc.com Concrete construction - Tear out and replace stamped, stained or colored patios and drives. Retaining walls, footings, poured-in-place safe rooms, excavation and hauling. Asphalt drives and lots. Fully insured; references. Call Dan at (913) 207-4371 or send an email to: dandeeconst@aol.com. NELSON CREATIONS L.L.C. Home remodeling, design/build, kitchens, baths, all interior and exterior work. Family owned and operated; over 25 years experience. Licensed and insured; commercial and residential. Kirk and Diane Nelson. (913) 927-5240; nelsport@everestkc.net Custom countertops - Laminates installed within 5 days. Cambria, granite, and solid surface. Competitive prices, dependable work. Call the Top Shop, Inc., (913) 962-5058. Members of St. Joseph, Shawnee. STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 491-5837 or (913) 579-1835. Email: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa. Kansas City’s Premier Deck, Fence & Concrete - We repair, power wash and stain wood decks and fences. We power wash and seal concrete drives, walkways, pool decks and more. Call Brian at (913) 952-5965. Member of Holy Trinity Parish. Thank you for another great year - Through your support, my family has been blessed and my business has grown. We do windows, trim, siding, doors, decks, interior and exterior painting, wood rot, bathroom renovation, tile and Sheetrock. If you need work done around your home, we can do it. Josh (913) 709-7230.
CAREGIVING Caregiving - We provide personal assistance, companionship, care management, and transportation for seniors in their home, assisted living or nursing facilities. We also provide respite care for main caregivers needing some personal time. Call Daughters & Company at (913) 341-2500 and speak with Laurie, Pat or Gary. “Lynn at Heart” - 24 years’ experience in all types of private care. Excellent references. 24/7, shift or respite care. In-home, assisted living, nursing home, companionship, light housekeeping, meal prep, transportation, ADLs, care management, hospice. Greater KC area. Call (913) 707-0024. Ask for Mark. Personalized care - Experienced, specializing in dementia, medication setup and activities of daily living. Excellent references. Contact Andrea at (913) 548-1930. Companion care - Retired nurse will do what needs to be done. $15/hour, Fri., Sat., Sun. beginning the first week in September. References available. Call (913) 5795276. Caregiving - For your loved one. Cheerful, experienced, empathetic. Excellent local references. Call Vivian at (913) 292-4829.
Local handyman and lawn care – Water heaters, garbage disposals, toilets, faucets, painting, power washing, doors, storm doors, gutter cleaning, wood rot, mowing, carpet, roofing, etc. Member of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913) 927-4118.
CNA, Home Health Care Professional - Provides TLC in the comfort of the client’s residence. Budget friendly. Available 24 hours, or part time. Excellent references. 25 years of Seasoned Experience. Nonsmoker. Call (816) 806-8104.
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
Looking for high quality home care? - Whether you’re looking to introduce care for your family or simply looking to improve your current home care quality, we can help. Our unique approach to home care has earned us a 99% client satisfaction rating among the 1,000-plus families we have assisted. We are family-owned, with offices in Lenexa and Lawrence. Call Benefits of Home Senior Care, Lenexa: (913) 422-1591 or Lawrence: (785) 727-1816 or www.benefitsofhome.com.
Water damage restoration - Framing, insulation, painting, Sheetrock, mold treatment, and lead-safe certified. Fully insured. Serving Wyandotte and Johnson counties for 25 years. Call Jerry at (913) 206-1144.
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SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 | THELEAVEN.ORG
CALENDAR QHR-WEA GOES HOLLYWOOD DINNER AND AUCTION Queen of the Holy Rosary-Wea 22779 Metcalf Rd., Bucyrus Sept. 10 at 5 p.m.
The cost of the dinner is $40 per plate. The 50/50 tickets are $20 each or six for $100. There will be a live and a silent auction, golden tickets and much more! For more information or to purchase tickets, call David or Susan Dougan at (913) 226-6347 or go to the website at: qhrwea.auction.
ICE CREAM SOCIAL St. Patrick Church 1086 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kansas Sept. 10 at 5 p.m.
There will be a polka band from 5 - 7 p.m. and a DJ from 7 - 10 p.m. There will be lots of food and games for everyone. For more information, call Fritz Vertz at (913) 515-0621.
SINGLES OF NATIVITY DANCE Church of the Nativity (parish hall) 3800 W. 119th St., Leawood Sept. 10 from 7 - 10 p.m.
This will be a Latin fiesta dance. The cost is $20 at the door. There will be food, drinks and a DJ. For more information, send an email to: mmeli62@gmail.com or call her at (913) 314-9844. The dance is sponsored by Singles of Nativity.
FESTIVAL AND SILENT AUCTION Our Lady of Unity (Sacred Heart Campus) 2646 S. 34th St., Kansas City, Kansas Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
ROSARY RALLY IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception 416 W. 12th St., Kansas City, Missouri Sept. 11 from 3 - 4:15 p.m.
We will pray the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the rosary. Benediction will follow, as well as an opportunity for attendees to enroll in the brown scapular. For more information, visit the website at: www. rosaryrallieskc.org.
TRI-PARISH SERVICE AND PICNIC St. Charles Church 520 W. Chestnut St., Troy Sept. 11 at 10:15 a.m.
The three Catholic parishes of Doniphan County — St. Charles in Troy, St. Benedict in Bendena and St. Joseph in Wathena — will hold a tri-parish service and picnic on the outdoor grounds at St. Charles. A small group of Father Francis Bakyor’s friends will provide some African music this year. Everyone is invited.
NPM AFTERNOON OF REFLECTION Visitation Church 5141 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri Sept. 12 from 2 - 5 p.m.
David Haas, a well-known Catholic composer, will lead an afternoon of reflection from 2 - 5 p.m. and then perform a concert at 7 p.m. Contact (913) 526-6031 for information about signing up.
There will be games for kids, a talent contest, a variety of musical groups, Mexican dance groups, and American- and Mexicanstyle food and drinks.
WEEKEND RETREAT Christ’s Peace House of Prayer 22131 Meagher Rd., Easton Sept. 10 - 11, beginning at 9 a.m.
The retreat will be on the movie “The Letters,” a recent biography of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. There will be four watching/ discussion sessions; daily eucharistic adoration; Mass Saturday at the local parish; and time for spiritual reading, prayer and walking the grounds. The cost is $85 per person and $125 per couple. To register, call (913) 773-8255 or send an email to: info@christs peace.com.
This is a series for Catholics who are going through, or have gone through, the pain of divorce. The series will run for 11 weeks and will be held in the Emmaus Room of Prince of Peace School. For more information and to enroll, call Julie Knoche at (913) 710-7083 or Anne Anderson at (913) 208-9675. Classes are open to all parishioners in the archdiocese.
RESPONDERS MASS Bishop Ward High School (auditorium) 708 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas Sept. 15 at 9:20 a.m.
HOLY ANGELS BAZAAR St. Rose School 530 E. 4th St., Garnett Sept. 11 from 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
The cost for a turkey, roast beef or chicken and noodle meal is: $9 for adults; $5 for children ages 10 and under; and $10 for carryout. There will also be drawings, raffles, baked goods, crafts and a quilt raffle.
ORGAN RECITAL St. Scholastica Chapel at Mount St. Scholastica 801 S. 8th St., Atchison Sept. 11 at 3 p.m.
A trio of organists will celebrate the refurbished pipe organ in St. Scholastica Chapel with a recital. The organists are Sister Susan Barber, Sister Janelle Maes and Dr. Lara West. The event is free and open to the public. The program includes music from across the centuries.
be food and family entertainment. For more information, call (913) 709-2710 or send an email to: toallnationspjc@gmail.com.
MEMORIAL LITURGY Curé of Ars (Father Burak Room) 9405 Mission Rd., Leawood Sept. 17 at 8 a.m.
There will be a memorial liturgy for deceased loved ones followed by a grief support meeting. The topic will be “The Serenity Prayer.” For more information, call (913) 649-2026.
FALL FESTIVAL Cathedral of St. Peter 416 N. 14th St., Kansas City, Kansas Sept. 17 from 5 - 9 p.m.
There will be a taco dinner served in the parish hall. There will also be raffles of money prizes, a TV, and a Fitbit. Activities will include bingo, a silent auction, mouse races, food items, homemade povitica and games for kids. For more information, call Nancy Burns at (913) 371-0842 or Chris Wilson at (913) 371-2387.
KU CATHOLIC BARN PARTY BOOTS & BBQ Mildale Farm 35250 W. 199th St., Edgerton Sept. 17 at 5:15 p.m.
Join in celebrating the St. Lawrence Center and honoring this year’s St. Lawrence Award recipient, Nancy Krische. The festivities will kick off with Mass at 5:15 p.m., followed by an evening of dinner, drinks and dancing. For tickets or more information, visit the website at: kucatholic.org/bootsandbbq or call (913) 707-9567.
HOLY SPIRIT OPEN Brookridge Golf & Fitness 8223 W. 103rd St., Overland Park Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. check-in and lunch Shotgun start at noon CATHOLIC DIVORCE SURVIVAL GUIDE Prince of Peace Church (Emmaus Room) 16000 W. 143rd St., Olathe Sept. 13 from 6 - 7:30 p.m.
This Mass will be dedicated to those who serve and sacrifice in protecting our community in the line of duty each day. A reception will follow. RSVP to Greg Duggins by sending an email to: gduggins@wardhigh. org or by calling him at (913) 371-6901.
FALL FESTIVAL St. Joseph Parish (McDevitt Hall) 11311 Johnson Dr., Shawnee Sept. 16 from 5 - 7 p.m.
The cost for the dinner will be $8 for adults; $4 for children. There will be games, raffles and family entertainment. “Rat-Tucky Derby” mouse races are scheduled from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. in the church parking lot. For more information, call Rod or Judy Coday at (913) 268-3145.
MUSIC FESTIVAL Savior Pastoral Center (outdoor event) 12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kansas Sept. 17 at 4 p.m.
This is a Catholic music festival presented by the Franciscans Poor of Jesus Christ. There will be live music by To All Nations, PJC music ministry and by the winners of the music festival contest. There will also
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The tournament is a four-person scramble for men and women. The registration deadline and receipt of the registration fee of $150 per golfer ($135 for seniors 66 or older) is due by Sept. 12. This includes 18 holes, lunch, dinner, contests and prizes. For more information and to download the registration form or to register online, go to the website at: www.HolySpiritOpen.com.
BLUE MASS Mater Dei-Assumption Church 204 S.W. 8th Ave., Topeka Sept. 23 at noon
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Father John Pilcher will concelebrate a Mass in honor of all first responders (fire, police, EMTs and emergency room personnel). The Mass is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, Council 8059.
PRAIRIE STAR UNDER THE STARS Prairie Star Ranch 1124 California Rd., Williamsburg Sept. 24 at 10 a.m.
High school youth groups and all families are invited to Prairie Star Ranch for a spiritual campout experience. Encounter Christ through a variety of activities including gaga ball, canoeing, archery and the climbing tower. Finish the day by stargazing and camping overnight in the outdoors. For more information, visit the website at: www. archkck.org/ranch or call (785) 746-5693.
SLOVENEFEST Holy Family Church (Msgr. Mejak Hall) 513 Ohio Ave., Kansas City, Kansas Sept. 24 from 5 - 10 p.m.
The event begins with Mass at 4 p.m. Following Mass, there will be a traditional Slovenian dinner, silent auction, mega-money raffle, children and adult games, Lasko Pivo, and a cultural booth and souvenirs. There will also be music and dancing featuring the Brian McCarty Band and Hrvatski Obicaj. For more information, call (913) 371-1561.
OKTOBERFEST St. John the Evangelist Parish 1234 Kentucky, Lawrence Sept. 24 from 4 - 10 p.m.
This event includes live music by the Festhaus Musikanten band, authentic German food and activities for children. There will also be a variety of German beers.
THE ELDERS IN CONCERT Holy Angels Parish 15440 Leavenworth Rd., Basehor Sept. 24 from 7 - 9:30 p.m.
Holy Angels Parish will host a free, open to the public, concert of The Elders as part of the grand celebration of its 150th jubilee. The Elders plays a style of music rooted in Americana and Celtic folk rock. Seating and dancing area will be provided in the east parish parking lot. For more information, call (913) 724-1665.
PRAIRIE STAR RANCH FAMILY DAY Prairie Star Ranch 1124 California Rd., Williamsburg Sept. 25 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Prairie Star is hosting its semiannual Family Day. Spend your day in outdoor activities and exploring our lakes and 300 acres of woods and prairie lands. Make a day of joyful memories centered upon Christ. For details and registration information, visit the website at: www.archkck.org/ranch or call (785) 746-5693.
20TH ANNUAL FELLIN LECTURE Benedictine College Campus (O’Malley-McAllister Auditorium) 1020 N. 2nd St., Atchison Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Ellen K. Boegel, a lawyer, author and associate professor at St. John’s University in New York, will speak on “Who Needs Immigration Laws?” Her presentation will feature stories that will highlight various aspects of immigration. The event is free and open to the public.
ANNUNCIATION CHURCH PICNIC Cigna Center 402 N. Maple, Frankfort Sept. 25 from 4 - 7 p.m.
The cost of the roast beef dinner with all the trimmings is $10 for adults; $5 for children ages 10 and under. Takeout meals will be available (with delivery in Frankfort) by calling (785) 292-4351 the day of the dinner, or the parish office during morning hours at (785) 292-4462. There will also be a pot-ofgold, cakewalk, bingo, church poker, quilt raffle, children’s games, train rides and a large inflatable slide.
FORMING CONSCIENCES FOR FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP Sophia Spirituality Center 751 S. 8th St., Atchison Sept. 25 from 1 - 4 p.m.
Find principles to help form consciences, contribute to civil and respectful dialogue and shape political choices in the upcoming election in light of Catholic teaching. Come hear the Catholic principles that foster democracy and share in some reflections and discussions, presented by Sister Barbara McCracken, OSB. (There is no charge, but donations are welcome.) For more information or to register, call (913) 360-6173 or visit the website at: www.sophiaspirituality center.org.
AUGUST 26, 2016 | THELEAVEN.ORG
COMMENTARY Sept. 11 TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Ex 32: 7-11, 13-14 Ps 51: 3-4, 12-13, 17, 19 1 Tm 1: 12-17 Lk 15: 1-32 Sept. 12 The Most Holy Name of Mary 1 Cor 11: 17-26, 33 Ps 40: 7-10, 17 Lk 7: 1-10 Sept. 13 John Chrysostom, bishop, doctor of the church 1 Cor 12: 12-14, 27-31a Ps 100: 1b-5 Lk 7: 11-17 Sept. 14 THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS Nm 21: 4b-9 Ps 78: 1b-2, 34-38 Phil 2: 6-11 Jn 3: 13-17 Sept. 15 Our Lady of Sorrows 1 Cor 15: 1-11 Ps 118: 1b-2, 16ab-17, 28 Jn 19: 25-27 Sept. 16 Cornelius, pope, and Cyprian, bishop, martyrs 1 Cor 15: 12-20 Ps 17: 1bcd, 6-7, 8b, 15 Lk 8: 1-3 Sept. 17 Robert Bellarmine, bishop, doctor of the church 1 Cor 15: 35-37, 42-49 Ps 56: 10c-14 Lk 8: 4-15 Sept. 18 TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Am 8: 4-7 Ps 113: 1-2, 4-8 1 Tm 2: 1-8 Lk 16: 1-13 Sept. 19 Januarius, bishop, martyr Prv 3: 27-34 Ps 15: 2-4b, 5 Lk 8: 16-18 Sept. 20 Andrew Kim Tae-gon, priest, and Paul Chong Ha-Sang, and companions, martyrs Prv 21: 1-6, 10-13 Ps 119: 1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44 Lk 8: 19-21 Sept. 21 MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST Eph 4: 1-7, 11-13 Ps 19: 2-5 Mt 9: 9-13 Sept. 22 Eccl 1: 2-11 Ps 90: 3-6, 12-14, 17bc Lk 9: 7-9 Sept. 23 Pius of Pietrelcina, priest Eccl 3: 1-11 Ps 144: 1b, 2abc, 3-4 Lk 9: 18-22 Sept. 24 Eccl 11:9 – 12:8 Ps 90: 3-6, 12-14, 17 Lk 9: 43b-45
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Hope you’re not too busy to read this
“S
o, how are you?” It used to be that when asked this question, a person usually responded with “Fine” or “Can’t complain.” Someone recently observed that, more often than not, the answer today — for almost everyone — is “Busy!” And, if that was the feeling during the summer, how will we ever survive now that Labor Day has passed and we’re back into our daily grind? Folks today seem to be in a state of constant motion. We’re never really present where we are, but always itching to get to the next thing on our list. This exacts a huge price from us. Most obviously, it puts us in a state of continuous stress: We have ever-growing to-do lists and nothing ever feels completed. We’ve lost the ability to concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time as our smartphones, watches or computers keep us distracted with various dings and chimes that alert us to yet another
I
MARK MY WORDS
FATHER MARK GOLDASICH Father Mark is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989.
email, news flash or post on Facebook. And, in the speed to get to everything, our communication with each other has disintegrated to 140-word tweets, texts filled with emojis or emails devoid of punctuation (and often meaning). Even meals as a family have degenerated into everyone at the table glued to the screens of their individual phones or tablets. We’ve lost the art of meaningful, leisurely conversation. Father Ronald Rohlheiser, OMI, captures
the dilemma well in this quote from his book “The Holy Longing”: “We want to be a saint, but we also want to feel every sensation experienced by sinners; we want to be innocent and pure, but we also want to be experienced and taste all of life; we want to serve the poor and have a simple lifestyle, but we also want all the comforts of the rich; we want to have the depth afforded by solitude, but we also do not want to miss anything; we want to pray, but we also want to watch television, read, talk to friends and go out. “It’s a small wonder that life is often a trying enterprise, and that we are often tired and pathologically overextended.” So, is there any hope
of getting off of the crazybusy train? Fortunately, yes, but it takes both effort and a desire to be countercultural. A tool that I’m using to reorient my mind, heart and calendar is a book by Valorie Burton, entitled “How Did I Get So Busy?: The 28-Day Plan to Free Your Time, Reclaim Your Schedule, and Reconnect with What Matters Most” (Broadway Books, 2009; 246 pgs.; $12.95). In the interest of full disclosure, this is my second time picking up this book. I only made it to Day 4 that first time around, a chapter that dealt with “busyness is often based in fear.” The challenge that day was: “Acknowledge your biggest fear. Make a decision to push through it.” Apparently, my biggest fear was that I couldn’t implement what this book was suggesting. Rather than push through it, I gave up instead. Well, I’m giving it another try, as things have only gotten crazier! How about you? If you’re still adjusting to the “school year schedule,” you might be too busy to read right now. However, take time to
consider the author’s “Ten Commandments of Self-Care”: 1. Use all of your vacation time every year. 2. Commit your time off solely to nonwork-related activities. 3. Take your rest seriously. 4. Have fun at least once a week. 5. Eat regularly, preferably sitting down. 6. Exercise regularly, preferably standing up. 7. Be fruitful and productive, not busy. 8. Use technology to gain time, not consume it. 9. Connect heart-toheart with the people who matter to you. 10. Be led by the Spirit. Personally, I’d recommend reversing those commandments and starting with Number 10. If you’ve got God’s Spirit guiding you — a relationship that’s nourished by prayer and the sacraments — you’ll find ways to implement those other nine. Start now. Why wait until next January to add some quiet sanity into your life? After all, you’ll only be busier then anyway!
Age-old parable still relevant to our lives
n this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Lk 15:1-32, we hear the parable of the prodigal son, a wonderful story that we have heard countless times before. But what would it have been like to hear it for the very first time when Jesus told it? How would we feel, if it seemed as though Jesus was directing his words to us personally? When Jesus first tells the parable of the prodigal son, his audience includes sinners, as well as Pharisees and scribes, who criticize Jesus for his openness to those sinners. “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” In that case, we can identify those sinners in the audience with the prodigal son who returns home and receives his father’s forgiveness,
POPE FRANCIS
THE GOSPEL TRUTH
FATHER MIKE STUBBS Father Stubbs is the pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Overland Park and has a degree in Scripture from Harvard University.
while we can identify the older brother, who is resentful of the father’s mercy toward his brother, with the Pharisees and scribes.
Because scientists can never be neutral in their research, they must not be tempted to suppress the truth and ignore the divine, Pope Francis told health care professionals. “Openness to God’s grace, which comes through faith, does not weaken human reason, but rather leads it toward knowledge of a truth
By the time that Luke’s Gospel was written, however, this original context would have disappeared. Instead, the audience hearing the parable in the days of early Christianity would have included both Christians of gentile background, as well as converts from Judaism. We should remember that in the early church, there was considerable antagonism between
these two groups. They often clashed over what was required to be a follower of Christ. The parable might have then sounded as a warning to those Jewish Christians, who had worshiped God and observed the commandments all their lives, not to place themselves above the gentile Christians, who only recently had come to faith in God. The parable would have pointed out the danger of behaving like the older brother and complaining about God’s mercy toward these new arrivals. In this way, the parable would have addressed itself to the current needs of the time. Once again, the context has changed. In our present time, there is no longer antagonism
which is wider and of greater benefit to humanity,” he said Aug. 31 in an address to experts taking part in a world congress on cardiovascular research. More than 32,000 professionals, including cardiologists, from 120 countries attended the weeklong gathering in Rome. Pope Francis, who traveled to the congress venue on the outskirts of the city, insisted that no one be denied proper medical attention
between Jewish and gentile Christians. That disappeared long ago. On the other hand, it is easy to see antagonism between various factions, both within the church and without. It is easy for members of one group to see themselves as morally superior to their adversaries, much as the older brother viewed himself in comparison to the prodigal son. That means that this age-old parable still holds relevance in our times. In our own day and age, the voice of Jesus still speaks to us, to remind us of the mercy God extends even to our bitterest enemies, and of the welcome God offers to those whom we would reject as unworthy of God’s love.
and care. By recognizing the full dignity of the human person, one can see that the poor, those in need and the marginalized should benefit from the care and assistance offered by public and private health sectors, he said. “We must make great efforts to ensure that they are not ‘discarded’ in this culture, which promotes a ‘throwaway’ mentality,” he said. — CNS
SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 | THELEAVEN.ORG
CLASSIFEIDS >> Continued from page 12
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SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 | THELEAVEN.ORG
LOCAL NEWS
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THROUGH THE DOORS
‘Girls trip’ turns into so much more for Most Pure Heart parishioners By Carolyn Kaberline Special to The Leaven
T
OPEKA — A “girls trip” soon became much more when four longtime friends decided to travel together to all 10 churches designated as pilgrimage sites for the Year of Mercy in Kansas. Marie Apel, Karen Madden, Cathy Brennan and Jean Stueve — all parishioners of Most Pure Heart of Mary Church in Topeka — had traveled together before. “We had gone on a trip to Texas three years ago,” said Apel. “Since this is the Year of Mercy, visiting the churches seemed like a good idea.” “Since the trip was only going to be three days in length, it wasn’t a big commitment of time,” said Stueve. The distance, as they’d planned it, would be about 625 miles. “We started at Assumption at 7 a.m. on July 6,” said Apel, adding that this is the oldest Catholic church in Topeka. “Father [John] Pilcher (the pastor) met us, gave us a blessing for safe travel and asked the Holy Spirit to be with us.” From there, the group traveled to St. Mary Church in St. Benedict, which is near Seneca. Founded in 1859, more than a year before Kansas became a state, the current church — there were two earlier ones — was completed in 1894. “It’s on the list of Kansas historical sites and is considered one of the eight wonders of Kansas,” said Apel. The foursome was soon on the way to St. Benedict’s Abbey Church in Atchison, where a mural behind the altar depicts the history of the Benedictine order. Following lunch in Atchison, they proceeded to their next stop in Kansas City, Kansas, and a visit to the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. Considered the mother church of the archdiocese, it is home to the archbishop’s chair, or cathedra. “We had a great tour, “Madden said. From the cathedral, the group then headed to Divine Mercy Parish in Gardner. Although this was the newest church visited, the four found the architecture to be interesting and especially liked the old windows, which had been put into the new sanctuary. The next stop on their tour was Sacred Heart Church in Mound City, which was built in 1941 as a memorial to St. Philippine Duchesne, the French nun who had spent a year among the Potawatomi there at the age of 71. “Father Shawn Tunink, who was the associate pastor [at Most Pure Heart of Mary] is now assigned there,” said Apel. “We went to Mass every day in order to get the indulgences for visiting the churches, and this was the first Mass he had [celebrated] at his new church,”
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The Holy Door at St. Mary Church in St. Benedict is one of the 10 doors designated as Holy Doors in Kansas for the Year of Mercy.
From left, friends Jean Stueve, Cathy Brennan, Marie Apel and Karen Madden stand before the Holy Door at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas. The four planned a short pilgrimage together this summer to visit all the Kansas churches featuring Holy Doors during this Year of Mercy.
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“I THINK MY FAVORITE WAS THE DOOR IN MOUND CITY AT SACRED HEART. I AM A NATURE LOVER, SO THE GARLANDS OF WHITE FLOWERS WRAPPED AROUND GRAPEVINES AND GREENERY MADE ME FEEL A PART OF GOD’S WONDERFUL CREATION.” Karen Madden said Brennan. “He hadn’t really moved in yet.” “It was a very quaint and peaceful church,” said Apel. “After we finished dinner there, we traveled to Fort Scott where we stayed for the night. We got there about 9 p.m., after visiting all the Holy Doors in the archdiocese in one day.” Getting an early start on their second
day, the four were soon on their way to Wichita to visit the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “It was amazing and worth going to see,” said Madden. Brennan said that of particular note were the portrayals of the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary on all the doors. From there, it was on to Dodge City and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. “They were really prepared for visitors,” said Apel. “They had handouts for prayers that also pointed out different things to look at.” The third and final day of their pilgrimage saw them visiting St. Fidelis Church in Victoria, called the Cathedral of the Plains and listed as one of the eight wonders of Kansas. “This church was really built for the future ages,” said Stueve. “Settlers had to haul six loads of stone to St. Fidelis while working their own homesteads. We really got a history of the church on this trip and a sense of the history of the church in Kansas.” From there, the foursome traveled to Salina, visiting Sacred Heart Cathedral before heading back to Topeka.
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“Father Greg [Hammes, pastor of Most Pure Heart] said Mass for us when we returned as we couldn’t find a Mass on the last day of our trip,” said Apel, noting that a plenary indulgence could be received by passing through the doors, receiving Communion, going to confession and praying for the Holy Father’s intentions. In looking back on their trip, all agreed that it was something very special. Even though it may have started out as just a “girls trip,” it became much more. “It was very prayerful,” said Madden. “Everywhere we went, we were warmly welcomed,” added Brennan. “But I think my favorite was the door in Mound City at Sacred Heart,” she continued. “I am a nature lover, so the garlands of white flowers wrapped around grapevines and greenery made me feel a part of God’s wonderful creation. “It was set in a gorgeous backdrop of stone walls. I felt so at peace in those surroundings.” “I was very taken by the beauty and simplicity of the Holy Doors at St. Mary in St. Benedict as well as Sacred Heart in Mound City,” agreed Apel. “The lovely flowers that lined the handrails and the top of the door frame, along with the coordinating wreath, were very welcoming. At Sacred Heart, the Holy Door was inside the church and framed in burlap, tulle and foliage that fit the quaint, rustic church perfectly.” In retrospect, Apel said the experience “impressed upon my heart how large and vibrant the Catholic Church in Kansas is and how blessed that I am to be a small part of God’s family on earth.”
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