09 18 20 Vol. 42 No. 7

THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 42, NO. 7 | SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

PHOTO BY BOB LI

Drew Kanne, a junior at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, helps run the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center’s Mission Formation retreat. Around 125 students participated in this year’s event, which consisted of small group discussions and livestreamed talks.

KU campus ministers find opportunities in Covid realities

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AWRENCE — Even mask mandates and social distancing requirements won’t stop St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas here from connecting students to the Catholic faith this school year.

“Our whole mission with coronavirus is to not see the social distancing as something that limits us, but actually as something that allows us to reach people we wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise,” said Joseph Duong, a junior

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By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

“ WHEN YOU LOOK THROUGH HISTORY, THE PAST 2,000 YEARS, ANYTIME THERE’S A CATASTROPHE — WHETHER IT’S A WAR OR A PLAGUE — THE CHURCH HAS NEVER BACKED DOWN. JOSEPH DUONG A JUNIOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS at the University of Kansas.

“With everything that we know is going to be more complicated and not [go] according to plan, there’s so much room for more unexpected

blessings and ways to go above and beyond,” he said.

St. Lawrence is working diligently to create safe in-person and virtual opportunities for students to

connect and share the faith.

Many of these students are taking all their classes online, vastly reducing the peer-to-peer interaction they would have during a typical semester.

One of the center’s first major events of the year was its Mission Formation retreat, which took place Aug. 28-29.

Around 125 students were broken up into small groups and gathered at retreat hosts’ homes to ensure social distancing. They watched presentations that were livestreamed from St. Lawrence and had discussions within >> See “TECHNOLOGY” on page 4

Scripture study

Media matters

The Leaven starts a new series of Scripture study called “Embracing the Kingdom of God.”

Catholics need to understand how to use the media — but also how the media use us.

Page 16

Pages 8-9

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ARCHBISHOP

I

SEPTEMBER 18, 2O2O | THELEAVEN.ORG

Why would you deny yourself Our Lord?

reiterate my gratitude to our priests, deacons and lay leaders who have worked diligently to make it possible to resume Masses in our parishes and, at the same time, to implement prudent protocols to protect the health of parishioners and the entire community.

I am not aware of a single case of COVID-19 transmission that has been traced to the celebration of Mass.

In recent weeks, I have received several requests for me to reinstate the obligation for Catholics in the archdiocese to participate in Sunday Mass. One of the reasons I have not done so is to avoid placing moral pressure on those at high risk to COVID-19.

Of course, serious health risks have always been understood to be valid reasons for individuals to be excused from the obligation to participate in Sunday Mass.

In addition, the impossibility of providing sufficient space for every parishioner to attend Mass and observe the social distancing requirements of many of our county health departments has deterred me from reinstating the Sunday obligation.

Unfortunately, we

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN do not have enough priests to be able to increase sufficiently the number of Sunday Masses offered.

The obligation to attend Sunday Mass has its roots in the Third Commandment of the Decalogue found in both the Book of Exodus and the Book of Deuteronomy: “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.

“Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God” (Ex 20: 8-10a or Dt 5: 12-14). From the earliest days of Christianity, the Sabbath obligation has been transferred to Sunday, the day of the Lord’s resurrection.

Pope St. John Paul II in his apostolic letter, “Dies Domini” (“The Day of the Lord – On

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Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy”), stated: “The resurrection of Jesus is the fundamental event upon which Christian faith rests. It is an astonishing reality, fully grasped in the light of faith, yet historically attested to by those who were privileged to see the risen Lord” (2).

St. Jerome asserted: “Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, it is the day of Christians, it is our day.”

I am pleased that some of our parishes have been able to increase the number of vigil and/or Sunday Masses.

This is not possible in every parish. The circumstances in our parishes vary greatly.

The health regulations are significantly different in the 21 counties that compose the archdiocese.

The size of the church building impacts the number of individuals and families that can

THE SHEPHERD’S VOICE 8:30 a.m. Sundays on 92.9 FM and KEXS AM 1090 Encore Monday at 11:30 a.m.

be accommodated in accord with the required social distancing. The number of priests available to offer Mass, as well as the unique health conditions of our priests, also are factors that impact the number of Masses.

For the Christian, Sunday is the most important day of the week. For the Catholic, time devoted to participating in Sunday Mass is the most important appointment we have all week. Jesus gave his disciples the commandment: “Do this (the Eucharist) in remembrance of me.”

Participating in Sunday Mass is not just a good thing to do.

It is essential to living our Catholic faith.

We encounter in the Eucharist each week the very events that have given us life in Jesus — namely Our Lord’s passion, death and resurrection.

The very term “church” means the “assembly.” Gathering for communal prayer is essential to our identity as Christians. For the Catholic, there is nothing more important than to gather to celebrate the Lord’s victory over sin and death and to encounter the living Jesus who empowers us to live his Gospel.

God is the source and Lord of all life. In

truth, we owe every day and every hour of every day and every minute of every hour to God. For the Lord to ask of us that one day of the week be devoted to rest, to family and to prayer is not a bad deal.

God asks this of us — not because he needs our praise, but because we need a day to rest and refocus on the purpose of our lives.

Moreover, for the Lord to ask us to devote one hour or so of his day to encounter his living presence in the Eucharist is not an imposition, but the greatest of gifts. The Lord of lords, King of kings and Creator of the cosmos wants us to spend time with him.

How can we consider this a burden?

Receiving Our Lord in the Eucharist is not an obligation but an incredible privilege.

Only the most distorted sort of thinking could consider a burden the opportunity to touch the incredible love revealed on Calvary and to encounter our risen Lord who vanquished sin and death.

Sunday Mass is not an obligation, but rather the most incredible privilege.

I am not choosing at this time to renew the obligation to participate in Sunday Mass

for reasons already stated. However, if you are not a COVID-19 high risk and you are not caring for someone who is a high risk, then why would you deny yourself the opportunity to receive Jesus, the Second Person of the Triune God in holy Communion?

What could possibly be a higher priority than receiving Our Lord in the Eucharist?

If we are going to social gatherings, the grocery store, the hair salon, the pet store, why deprive ourselves of the Eucharist?

It is time for most of us to be returning to Mass. The number of Catholics showing up for Mass should be placing pressure upon pastors to increase the number of Masses or figure out how to accommodate safely with the usual number of Masses more people on the parish campus.

Encountering the risen Lord in the Eucharist is a privilege, not a burden. What could be more important?

Jesus does not promise us a cure for COVID-19 if we attend Mass. Our Lord promises us something much more beautiful.

In the words of the saints, the Lord offers us an antidote to death and a medicine for immortality.

LOCAL NEWS

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

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Funeral homes find ways to serve families despite pandemic

By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org

C

OVID-19.

The virus has affected all aspects of daily life — even how people are allowed to mourn the loss of their

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MARC ANDERSON

Mary Brennan, owner of Kevin Brennan Family Funeral Home in Topeka and a parishioner of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, said technology has helped to ease the pain of separation for families.

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loved ones.

It’s not something most Catholics think about unless they’ve lost a loved one to COVID. But a trio of individuals — Mary Brennan, Steve Pierce and Rick Wiseman — think about it every day. They represent some of the funeral directors and owners throughout the archdiocese who work hard to keep up with a slew of ever-changing governmental guidelines and directives.

For example, Rick Wiseman of Porter Funeral Home and a Steve Pierce, owner parishioner of Holy of Skradski Funeral Trinity Church in Home, said the pan- Lenexa, said the fudemic accelerated neral home’s two loSkradski’s plans to cations have meant livestream funerals. keeping up with multiple levels of governmental directives on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri border.

“It truly has been a challenge. Because we are situated close to the state lines of Kansas and Missouri and then have counties that have their own rules, it has been a daily procedure to check and see what the rules are,” he said.

“And because we go into different churches, they have also had different rules concerning how many people are allowed, will they allow a visitation at the church [and] how early we can arrive for the Mass,” Wiseman continued. “If they have had a daily Mass before the funeral Mass, they then have to disinfect the church.”

Besides regularly disinfecting the funeral home, staff members wear masks, maintain proper social distance, open doors and stand near sanitizing stations, reminding everyone to sanitize prior to entering the chapel or church.

When receiving or transferring bodies, staff members also don gloves, gowns and face shields. And while all the steps have been necessary ones to keep everyone safe and healthy, they require time and intentional planning.

Even the smallest of details does not go by unnoticed.

For example, Pierce, who belongs to St. Thomas More Parish in Kansas City, Missouri, said long before the pandemic, he and his staff started buying individual packets of tissues for anyone needing to wipe a few tears. Brennan said her staff replaced the upholstered chairs in the main chapel and overflow rooms with hard ones, making it easier for disinfecting.

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges this spring arose when state and local government officials enacted travel restrictions and strict size limits for public gatherings.

“Early on, when we were only allowed to have 10 people attend a funeral which also included the priest and two of our staff,” Wiseman said, “it was so heartbreaking to see families have to choose who could attend and who couldn’t.

THIS IS A TIME WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO EMBRACE EACH OTHER, AND IT’S VERY HARD WHEN YOU OPEN THE DOOR TO SEE SOMEONE NOT TO REACH OUT TO THEM — NOT TO SHAKE THEIR HAND. STEVE PIERCE OWNER OF SKRADSKI FUNERAL HOME “We would let families come into the funeral home 10 at a time, and then we would clean the funeral home before allowing the next group in. This way we could at least have them get that time they needed with their loved one.”

“In some instances,” Wiseman continued, “where their loved one had been in a nursing home and the family hadn’t been able to see them for months, we made sure that they could come to the funeral home and spend as much time as they needed with them. It wasn’t perfect, but we tried to make the best of a difficult time.”

In addition to rotating groups of 10 and cleaning the funeral home in between the groups, the funeral homes leaned (and are leaning) heavily on technology.

Mary Brennan, owner of Kevin Brennan Family Funeral Home in Topeka and a parishioner of Mother Teresa of

Calcutta, said technology has helped to ease the pain of separation for families.

“The terribly sad thing for families was that here they are in this very, very hard time dealing with the death of a loved one and, by the way, you can’t have a funeral or, by the way, you can have a funeral, but you can only have 10 present. That includes the celebrant, musician and the funeral directors. It was exceedingly hard for our families.”

Still, her staff found a way to serve.

“When we started livestreaming funerals on our Facebook page,” she said, “that helped immensely.”

Recalling one of the first services livestreamed, Brennan said the technology helped unite a man’s grandchildren.

“None of the grandchildren could be there because they were scattered all over the country and we were in a shutdown mode,” she said. “I was so glad that we had that technology available to us.”

Pierce, owner of Skradski Funeral Home in Kansas City, Kansas, said that livestreaming services was not something his funeral home had planned on doing this year.

But the pandemic shifted everyone into higher gear.

“Necessity was the mother of invention,” said Pierce. “We had talked about it, but so many of the churches didn’t have Wi-Fi.” When the pandemic hit, however, it forced many churches to install Wi-Fi to allow for livestreaming of weekend Masses.

“We’ve heard feedback, and we see feedback because we can tell the number of people watching, and it also gives them the ability to send a message President Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann

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to the family,” he added.

Brennan said her staff leaves the service posted on the Facebook page. If people cannot watch the service live, they can view it later.

Additionally, her late husband, Kevin Brennan, invested in a portable sound system years ago. She and her staff use it regularly at the graveside services, allowing more people to come but still maintain social distance.

One might think, due to the unusual circumstances, that most arrangements are made via email or over the phone.

Surprisingly, though, that’s not been the case.

“We have had most families come into our buildings to make arrangements,” Wiseman said. “We have taken a lot of families into our reception area, which has an eight-foot round table that allows for social distance.”

“The families have been grateful they can come in and do it in person,” Brennan said.

But one thing funeral home staff still have to refrain from is perhaps the hardest of all.

“This is a time when people want to embrace each other, and it’s very hard when you open the door to see someone not to reach out to them — not to shake their hand,” Pierce said.

“Of course, that’s what we want at this time,” Brennan agreed. “Typically, when we’re hurting, those hugs and those handshakes are all so consoling and so helpful, and the presence of friends is also helpful and consoling to us.

“But when you know it is your responsibility at the funeral home to keep people safe, it’s so hard.”

Managing Editor Anita McSorley anita.mcsorley@theleaven.org

Advertising Coordinator Beth Blankenship beth.blankenship@theleaven.org

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

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LOCAL NEWS

SEPTEMBER 18, 2O2O | THELEAVEN.ORG

Legal community invited to Red Mass in October

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

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ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Members of the legal professions from both the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph will be seeing red this fall — and that’s a good thing.

The annual Red Mass will be celebrated at 2 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Cathedral of St. Peter, 409 N. 15th St., Kansas City, Kansas. The main celebrant and homilist will be Msgr.

Stuart Swetland, president of Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas.

History records the first Red Mass occurring in 1245 in Paris. It was done to mark the beginning of the term of court for judges, prosecutors and attorneys.

The celebration of the Red Mass spread across Europe and around the world. Today, annual fall Red Masses are also attended by politicians, law students, law professors, government officials and anyone else involved in the legal profession.

But what about the “red” in the Red Mass?

The term may have come about because of the red robes worn by the medieval judges.

But it also may come from the red vestments of the clerics, because the Red Mass is a special time of prayer asking the Holy Spirit to guide the members of the legal professions in the pursuit of justice and to grant them wisdom as they carry out their great responsibilities.

>> Continued from page 1

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MARC ANDERSON

From left, Father John Pilcher, pastor of Mater Dei Parish in Topeka, hosted a Red Mass for Kansas lawmakers on Jan. 21. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Gerald Vincke of the Diocese of Salina, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Bishop John Brungardt of the Diocese of Dodge City. Another Red Mass will be celebrated on Oct. 11 at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas.

This year’s Red Mass is sponsored by the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas, the archdiocesan office of stewardship and development, the Kansas City Lawyers Guild, the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

It’s a local tradition that the Red Mass is celebrated each fall, and the archdiocese and the diocese alternate as hosts. This year, the Red Mass will be celebrated in Kansas.

But this year there will also be some changes, thanks to the COVID19 pandemic, said Kathryn Robards, CFNEK marketing coordinator.

Unlike in previous years, there

will not be a reception after the Red Mass, said Robards. Seating is limited. The customary masking, handwashing and social distancing will be observed.

Additionally, a livestream option will be available for those who cannot attend in person. That link will be provided at: cfnek.org/red mass.

Those who wish to attend the Red Mass must register by going online to: cfnek.org/redmass.

For additional information about the Red Mass, go to the website of the Catholic Lawyer’s Guild of Kansas City at: clgkc.com/red-mass.

Rockin’ out for a good cause — Amore: Take 2

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

O

VERLAND PARK — What do you call good food, good music, good friends and a heck of a good time for a good cause?

That’s Amore: Take 2!

The School of Love, an independent association of the faithful that works with the archdiocesan office of marriage and family life, is hosting a hybrid drive-in and/or stay-at-home livestream event.

The School of Love works with engaged and married couples to do spiritual and relationship formation.

Amore: Take 2 will take place from 7-10:30 p.m. on Sept. 26 in the large parking lot of Mr. P’z Bar and Grill, 103rd and Mastin, Overland Park.

Every year about this time, the School of Love hosts Amore as a gala benefit at a posh place in Overland Park.

“It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Mike Dennihan, executive director of the School of Love. “Amore is to celebrate and support the mission of the School of Love.”

This year, the apostolate — like everyone else — ran into a bit of a challenge: the COVID-19 pandemic. The usual indoor swanky and inspirational affair wasn’t going to work. Mike and his wife Kristi, director of mission for the School of Love, had to get creative.

And they did — and came up with Amore: Take 2.

Here’s how it works. First, the participants must sign up to participate

Technology helped bridge distance

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

The Mikey Needleman Band will provide the entertainment at Amore: Take 2, a fundraiser for the School of Love, an independent association of the faithful that works with the archdiocesan office of marriage and family life.

— whether they will be doing so in the drive-in or stay-at-home way.

Drive-in participants can start showing up at 6 p.m. They will be directed to a parking place. There will be social distancing, but it’s OK for households and friends to gather in their own parking group. For this option, during registration one must click “seating preference.” The parking group will be called a “table.”

There will be carside food ordering, a program and entertainment provided by the Mikey Needleman Band.

While participants are rocking out in their cars, they can watch the live-

stream portion of the event, which includes opportunities to donate to the School of Love or make bids during the benefit auction. The in-person participants must bring a smartphone or other device to participate.

People at home watching the livestream can enjoy the music and program, as well as participate in the auction.

A video will be produced from the event.

People must register for free tickets to participate. For more information and to register, go to the website at: schooloflovekc.com/benefit.

their groups.

The first evening, the students also cooked a meal together, and at the end of the retreat, they gathered together for praise and worship in a larger space.

“The retreat is designed to build culture and to unify this group of students who are in very different places — either in their faith life or [in] the expression of their faith,” said Stacy Cretors, director of mission focus at the center.

“It was all socially distanced,” she said. “They knew all the rules.

“They loved just getting to spend time together in an environment where they haven’t been in a really long time.”

Cretors and the rest of the St. Lawrence team spent the summer improving their camera and sound systems and training staff members in livestreaming technology so opportunities like the retreat would still be possible.

For Father Mitchel Zimmerman, the center’s chaplain/director, these steps to allow students to connect safely in person and virtually are crucial for the center’s mission.

“From the beginning of COVID, my leadership team has tried to see the difficulties as opportunities given by God to stand out and reach students when others can’t or won’t,” said Father Zimmerman.

“We’ve been determined to reach students creatively and not to lose the special opportunity of the signs of the times,” he added.

Outside of special events like the Mission Formation retreat, the center offers students a variety of ways to grow in faith.

Its Alpha program, run this year by Duong, is a video series created to reach students who are unsure if they are Christian or not.

“Its whole premise is starting from the ground [up] and not assuming that anyone even believes in God,” said Duong. “You share a meal, you watch a video and then you discuss it.”

Students involved in Alpha gather in small groups, making it possible amid the pandemic.

Even so, Duong admits he was tempted to cancel the program this year because of the additional challenges due to COVID-19.

“Given everything that’s considered, no one would blame us if we didn’t have Alpha and just waited until after the pandemic,” he thought.

“But when you look through history, the past 2,000 years, anytime there’s a catastrophe — whether it’s a war or a plague — the church has never backed down,” he said. “She’s always been there right in the midst with her sheep.

“That really is what’s fueling me during these hard times.”

Cretors believes the mission of St. Lawrence Center is more important than ever this year, despite the obstacles they will face.

“When we feel limited,” she said, “it’s more of an invitation for God’s providence and his grace to work even more abundantly.

“To see how God is moving despite the limitations has been really inspiring.”

To learn more about the campus center and its efforts, go online to: ku catholic.org.

LOCAL NEWS

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

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A YEAR OF CHANGE

Family celebrates big moments during the year of COVID

By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org

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VERLAND PARK — The perfect saint for these times.

That’s what the Williams family of Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park thinks about St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

St. Thérèse taught the Little Way, a means of following Jesus by seeking holiness through commitment to one’s daily tasks and to the people encountered each day.

Although St. Thérèse longed to join a Carmelite convent at age 15, one year earlier than stipulated by the Carmelite Rule, she failed to secure the necessary permissions from the convent’s spiritual director. So, she took her request higher.

On Nov. 20, 1887, during an audience with Pope Leo XIII, she pled with him to allow her to enter the convent.

Perhaps the Williams’ devotion to this saint — among others — explains why their 8-year-old Felicity made her own appeal to the pope.

Like all second-graders across the archdiocese, Felicity’s first Communion was delayed due to the pandemic.

Originally scheduled for April 28, the postponement resulted in a discussion among parents as to how long the children should wait.

When the parish offered families the option of private celebrations, Deacon John and Tessa Williams said they based their decision on their daughter’s personal appeal to a higher power.

“I wrote to the pope,” explained Felicity. “I really wanted to receive Communion.”

Felicity’s letter read: “Dear Pope Francis, I really hope I get to receive my First Communion My heart is saying I am empty.

Love, Felicity.”

Felicity’s letter clarified her parents’ decision.

“I sent a picture of that to the director of religious education at Holy Spirit just to let her know that even though in this time, where all the bells and whistles were absent, she was still ready to just run to Jesus,” Tessa said.

Felicity’s first Communion was celebrated on May 28 in a Mass with only one other family.

The Williamses also had a high school graduate this past year.

Originally set for May 14, 18-year-old Angelina’s graduation from St. James Academy in Lenexa was postponed until July 30. When rain forced the ceremony to be delayed another day, Angelina and her family were unable to participate due to work commitments.

“I’ve gone to Catholic schools for all of my schooling, so I think just wanting to close it out like that was really important to me,” Angelina said. “Also, I made what I believe to be some of my lifelong friends there. To share that moment with them would have been really special.”

Although Angelina missed the ceremony, she attended the baccalaureate Mass, something she said she’ll hold as a cherished memory. Later, she received her diploma in the mail, took some pictures with her family and moved onto the next phase of her life: She’ll be attending Johnson County Community College.

“At St. James, we learn to just offer ev-

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WILLIAMS FAMILY

It was a big year for the Williams family as they had a first Communion, a graduation and an ordination all in the midst of a pandemic. They are, clockwise from left: Sofia, Angelina (who graduated from St. James Academy in Lenexa), Tessa, John (who was ordained to the permanent diaconate), Felicity (who had her first Communion), Leo and Philomena. erything up and that everything happens for a reason,” said Angelina. “There’s no reason to dwell on the things you cannot control. Basically, God has this in his hands . . . and you’re good.”

The ordination of John to the permanent diaconate on June 20 had a similar feeling of “offering up” the family’s prior expectations as they tried to find gratitude in the possible.

As a class, the members had signed their oaths of fidelity in late spring. They were then asked whether they wished to delay their ordination.

“We voted that we’ll stick with June 20,” said Deacon Williams, “and we’ll go with whatever it has to look like.

“We didn’t spend five years in formation to throw a party. We spent five years in formation to be ordained.”

Besides offering up their disappointments, the Williams family also strives to imitate the Little Way by finding God in the daily moments in their life as a domestic church.

“When you can’t go out to [a] regular site where you have community, just being open to life has provided us with community,” said Deacon Williams.

The couple’s domestic church includes four daughters and baby Leo, 1.

“He’s having the time of his life because he’s got his sisters and parents home, surrounding him,” said Deacon Williams. “I can only imagine what benefits that will give him, having his first year of life surrounded by his immediate family and the bonds and closeness. We feel our domestic church has been very alive during this time.”

Tessa agreed, and said the past months have provided more opportuni-

PHOTO BY JENNY FRAZEE

John Williams was ordained to the permanent diaconate on June 20. With the COVID pandemic limiting the size of gatherings, the new deacons had to make do with a smaller celebration. ties to teach their children the faith directly, and to model faith-filled behavior.

“It was definitely a time to show our kids the intentional need to make time for prayer,” she said. “With a house full of kids, they got to see that. They got to see Mom and Dad supporting one another.”

Later, she said that Dad has to take a break in the middle of the workday sometimes to attend to the children, but it exhibited to them the primacy of his vocation as a husband and father.

“It showed the kids they were important,” said Tessa, “and he could be accessible to them, and it didn’t take anything from what he was trying to do for the

church. It actually strengthened it.”

To all archdiocesan families, especially those whose joyous celebrations have been altered, the family offers its love, support and prayers. Additionally, they’d like to encourage families to look for the extraordinary in the ordinary.

“Sometimes [the kids] just want to take a drive or do something really simple,” said Deacon Williams. “Because that big stuff’s gone now, you can really latch onto that.

“One thing that COVID offers is an opportunity for minimalizing. It gives us an excuse to go the lesser route. . . . When you take some of those perks away, you can really focus on the individual.”

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LOCAL NEWS

SEPTEMBER 18, 2O2O | THELEAVEN.ORG

Prayer vigil marks national day of remembrance for the unborn

By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY — Sponsored by Citizens for a ProLife Society, Priests for Life and the Pro-Life Action League, Gate of Heaven Cemetery here was one of 54 sites across the United States to become a place of prayer for aborted children as part of the eighth annual National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children.

The solemn prayer vigil was sponsored locally by several pro-life organizations, including Planned Parenthood Exposed, the Kansas City Coalition for Life/40 Days for Life in Overland Park, the Kansas City chapter of the LIFE Runners and the archdiocese.

At the service held in Holy Redeemer Chapel at the cemetery, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities, offered reflections about the meaning and dignity of human life. Kathleen Shea, a counselor at the Wyandotte Pregnancy Clinic, also spoke, and a closing prayer was offered at the Memorial of the Unborn by Bishop James Conley, of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, and a native of Overland Park.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MARC ANDERSON

Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann lead a procession to a memorial to the infant martyrs, victims of abortion, at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas, following a prayer service in the Holy Redeemer Chapel at the cemetery.

Learning your spouse’s ‘love language’ for greater intimacy “

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — If there’s a silver lining to these months of self-isolation and home hunkering down, it’s how all this time together has been great for couple’s relationships.

Well, maybe.

In some cases, a lot of enforced togetherness has been great. And in other cases — well, not so much.

Whether a couple finds itself in category “A” or category “B,” every couple can benefit from learning some practical skills and strategies on how to communicate and deal with feelings.

Call it learning to decode the “love language” of your spouse.

The archdiocesan office of marriage and family life is offering to spouses of both stripes a Zoom course in October and November called “Every Day in Love.” It’s a skills course for married couples designed to foster love and intimacy.

“Given the COVID-19 pandemic and a lot of chaos going on in the world, we can lose sight of the importance of the sacrament of marriage,” said Libby DuPont, consultant for marriage and family life office. “This course is designed to help couples get from where they are to where they want to be in living out their marriage.”

“Every Day in Love” will consist of live, interactive sessions via Zoom conferencing software. There will be

“

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

THIS COURSE IS DESIGNED TO HELP COUPLES GET FROM WHERE THEY ARE TO WHERE THEY WANT TO BE IN LIVING OUT THEIR MARRIAGE. LIBBY DUPONT CONSULTANT FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE

The archdiocesan office of marriage and family life is offering a Zoom course in October and November called “Every Day in Love.” It’s a skills course for married couples designed to foster love and intimacy. seven 90-minute sessions for seven Thursdays in a row, from 8-9:30 p.m., Oct. 8 to Nov. 19.

The sessions will be led by Brad and Libby DuPont of the office of marriage and family life. The cost of $80 includes workbooks and materials. Scholarships are available.

The sessions will be offered with an American Sign Language interpreter.

Also, since it’s offered by Zoom, couples outside of the archdiocese can also participate. Couples that miss a session can request a session recording be sent to them.

“There will be lots of time for the spouses to talk to one another,” said Brad DuPont. “It won’t be just couples sitting and listening to a presenter. There will be breaks for couple interaction.”

This is the first time “Every Day in Love” has been presented in a virtual, online format.

“It’s important for couples to realize how vital their marriages are to the church at this time, and how the church supports them,” said Brad DuPont. “Our marriages have a value in the context of the whole church. . . . This course will give the couples practical skills to grow the love in their marriages.”

Couples who want to participate should register online as soon as possible at: archkck.org. Under the “Ministries” tab, click on “Marriage Enrichment” and scroll down to “Every Day in Love.”

For additional information, contact Brad DuPont by email at: bdupont@ archkck.org.

FAMILY LIFE

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

7

COVID calls couples to practice both prayer and patience

A

fter months of this pandemic, with physical and social restrictions, most of us feel the effect of chronic stress.

This manifests itself in our homes through arguments about money and bills, disagreements about managing the children, spats about whose turn it is to do a task in the home, and disconnects in other aspects of daily life.

If you find yourself having difficult and tense conversations with your spouse and your children, it may be helpful to pray for an increase in patience and tolerance, and to consider the following suggestions gathered from marriage experts: 1. Pick your battles. Not every conflict needs to turn into a battle. John Gottman, a respected researcher on marriage, points out that in a marriage, 69% of conflicts that are recurring are not

JOHN BOSIO John Bosio is a former marriage and family therapist, director of religious education and diocesan family life coordinator. He is a member of the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers.

solvable. Couples need to learn to live with their differences. He and other psychologists point out that patience and compromise are essential virtues in marriage.

2. Control how you respond. Many conflicts with our spouse or our children are not initiated intentionally. They come to our doorsteps whether we want them

or not. Unfortunately, when we are burdened by stress, as many of us are today, we are likely to react to our spouse or to our children in a way that escalates the problem.

A better option is to take a deep breath, gather our patience, examine the situation and then respond in a constructive way. If you find that the conversation deteriorates, consider taking a break and coming back to it later.

3. When necessary, get some distance.

Marriage therapists suggest that when we notice emotions boiling over, we stop ourselves, acknowledge that we have differences that need to be addressed and ask for a brief pause.

Gottman suggests a 20- to 30-minute break to soothe yourselves by doing something totally different. This may be the time to say a prayer.

4. Pray. Prayer can be very helpful at this point. This is

something I learned from a young couple I was interviewing. I asked them: “How do you approach your spouse when you want to bring up a difficult subject?” The wife responded: “I pray to the Holy Spirit to give me the right words and for both of us to have the right attitude to hear each other. That helps me to start our conversation gently without setting him off.”

Prayer can help us see things in perspective. Gottman tells couples to soften the way they start a conversation. Avoid starting with a critical comment or an accusation. Present the facts as you see them and how you feel about them and use words that are not insulting or blaming.

5. Address hurt feelings. Often what stands in the way of a constructive conversation are the unacknowledged hurt feelings of one or both spouses.

One or both may feel misunderstood,

unappreciated or taken advantage of. These feelings are an obstacle to progress in resolving conflicts. Give your spouse a chance to verbalize his/her feelings, and make sure to listen without judging.

Empathy can make it easier to identify each other’s needs.

6. Identify the source of the conflict. Once the emotions are exposed and the needs of both are identified, it becomes easier to address the source of the conflict and to consider solutions. This can lead to a compromise that is acceptable to both.

What psychologists recommend for couples in times of stress is to make an effort to be tolerant of each other’s faults. We are all imperfect, we all make mistakes and we all need forgiveness.

Patience is a virtue that allows us to be present to each other with our imperfect selves. This can be very helpful during stressful times such as

Question for reflection: What do you pray for in your marriage?

we are experiencing right now.

From our Catholic tradition we learn that patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. A few years ago, while interviewing couples for our program “Six Dates for Catholic Couples,” I asked spouses: “What do you pray for in your marriage?” The most common response was: “I pray for patience.”

Patience is a virtue we need in abundance in these days. Let’s pray for patience!

The Serenity Prayer may be helpful. Here it is in its original form as written by the author Reinhold Niebuhr: “God, grant me the grace to accept with serenity the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

As thoughtful citizens and Cat only how we use the media,

S

Digital age calls for us to be me

By Sister Nancy Usselmann, FSP Catholic News Service

A

s a media literacy educator, I watch a lot of movies and streaming shows to be able to reflect on theology and the popular culture.

Many times when I meet parents, teachers and ministers, they share that their biggest concern is to help youth live mindfully in today’s digital media environment.

How can we integrate a reflective, spiritual life with all the media we consume and create?

I believe this requires us to be critical engagers of the culture. It’s a learned practice that takes discipline, something our culture sorely lacks.

Everything moves so fast that we do not take stock of how we are living and why. The deep existential questions that philosophers of old reflected on have fallen by the wayside and been replaced with fast-paced communication that necessitates lack of deep reflection.

So, what is a Catholic to do? Practice media literacy that integrates faith — that is, media mindfulness.

That sounds simple, but it takes effort.

What is media literacy anyway?

According to the Center for Media Literacy, it is the ability to “access, analyze, evaluate, create and participate” in the media we encounter. That is, we stop and reflect on all that we see, hear and feel when we engage with media messages.

It is important to know how media are created so we know the techniques involved to grab our attention. However, that is only one part of being media

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ocial media giant Twitter is employing new fact-checking labels on its users.

And Facebook has announced it won’t sell new political ads in the final week before the election in an effort to crack down on lastminute disinformation. While the tech companies have only taken action recently, others have been calling attention to the problem for some time now — and encouraging Catholics to bone up on their media literacy skills.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW MEDIA ARE CREATED SO WE KNOW THE TECHNIQUES INVOLVED TO GRAB OUR ATTENTION. HOWEVER, THAT IS ONLY ONE PART OF BEING MEDIA LITERATE. literate.

The crucial part is asking questions: Why is this message being sent? What values, ideologies or points of view are being communicated?

For Catholics, the faith perspective means that we bring Gospel values and the example of Jesus into conversation with those messages. This is media mindfulness.

It follows a four-step methodology of theological reflection (listen, reflect, dialogue, act) helping us to go deeper as we ask critical questions of the media experience.

We ask first: What is going on? What am I seeing, hearing and feeling?

Second, we question: What is really going on? Who pains? Who gains?

The third step connects our Christian values: What difference does it make?

What Christian values does this media experience support or ignore?

This step helps us question the values

the media artifact communicates to examine if that is in accord with what we believe and what the church teaches. It has to do with morality, the good and bad of actions, but also with spiritual values and our existential longings.

Finally, we examine: What difference can I make? What response seems appropriate in light of my Christian beliefs?

This is the hardest step to concretize.

What do I take away from this media experience? Does it challenge me? Does it reveal some social issue that begs my concern? Does it open me up to different points of view? If so, what action will I take as a result?

Take the movie “Just Mercy” as an example. Even though movies are about making money, they are also powerful storytellers that give us a glimpse into a world we may not know about otherwise.

Following the first step of the media mindfulness process, we ask: What is going on?

The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, presents a narrative based on the true story of Harvard graduate attorney Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) who moves to Alabama to give legal representation to death row inmates, many of whom were often wrongfully convicted. He helps Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx) to clear his conviction and save him from execution.

We ask: What is really going on? The film addresses serious issues with regard to racism and how we judge other people who are different from ourselves. It can lead to a discussion on our legal system that convicts people with less-thansubstantial evidence.

tholics, we must recognize not , but how the media use us Mass media suffuses our daily lives

By Julie Smith Catholic News Service

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The third step is essential: What difference does it make? How would Jesus treat others? This step helps us examine what our faith values really mean in our everyday lives. What does it mean to love our neighbor? Do we really understand this Gospel maxim?

Last, we ask: What difference can I make? My takeaway could be that I will examine my prejudices and seek to respect every person I encounter. I could also look into volunteering with organizations that lobby to end the death penalty.

With each step of the media mindfulness method we begin to reflect more deeply and profoundly on our media entertainment. This can be done for streaming shows as well as social media posts.

All media require of us to be critical thinkers and examine well our relationship to the messages they communicate, as well as what we ourselves create. To live our faith in our daily actions means to grow in discernment skills, living each day reflectively and purposefully.

We are called, as Catholics, to live our faith in the here and now, in the concrete and tangible experiences of our lives, and that includes our digital media experience. When we do, we may be surprised by the grace of God that is reflected back to us from the art of popular culture to challenge us to be holy and engaged digital citizens.

Sister Nancy Usselmann, a Daughter of St. Paul, is a media literacy education specialist and director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Los Angeles.

CNS photo/Akhtar Soomro, Reuters Above, a man in Karachi, Pakistan, works at a television station. But television is only one of the outlets that delivers media messages into American life.

The average American consumes over 12 hours of electronic mass media each day, according to the market research firm Statista.

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“

edia savvy

e are surrounded by electronic mass media.

Television news tells us what we need to care about, advertisements tell us what we can’t live without, television programs and films fill us with fear and violence, social media pushes endless misinformation.

Yet through all of this, research tells us that the average American consumes over 12 hours of electronic mass media each day, according to the market research firm Statista. We often feel anxious and inadequate.

Pope Francis recognized this in his 2019 World Communications Day message: “Today’s media environment is so pervasive as to be indistinguishable from the sphere of everyday life.”

How do we distinguish what is real, meaningful, valid and true in the midst of all this noise?

Some advocate for government regulations, others suggest that media corporations provide a better product.

Given the First Amendment and the media’s economic structure, both outcomes are unlikely.

Media literacy advocates encourage citizens to be critical consumers of media. It’s not about hating the media — it’s about recognizing that since we spend so much time consuming media messages, they simply warrant thoughtful discussion and reflection.

Our society does not value thoughtful reflection. However, being a medialiterate consumer of messages means we engage in research and reflection on the messages we receive. This can be time consuming, yet thoughtful analyses of messages are necessary in our media-saturated world.

A roadblock to media literacy is the “third person effect,” the claim that people tend to think the media affect others more than it affects themselves.

People struggle to critically analyze media when they have been surrounded by media messages for as long as they can remember; whether they be propaganda, hyperbole or deliberate online misinformation.

Yet the time for media literacy skills is now.

The electronic mass media that exist to make a profit for their shareholders define the world for us. They persuade us which stories are important and which ones aren’t. They tell us what it means to be attractive or successful. They tell us about ourselves and, perhaps more importantly, they tell us about others.

St. John Paul II suggested the same in his 2005 World Communications Day message when he said: “They teach people how to regard members of other groups and nations, subtly influencing whether they are considered as friends or enemies, allies or potential adversaries.”

Media literacy skills are even

TODAY’S MEDIA ENVIRONMENT IS SO PERVASIVE AS TO BE INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE SPHERE OF EVERYDAY LIFE. POPE FRANCIS

more important in an election year, since online misinformation and disinformation can travel at the speed of light.

Although we tend to think that we can identify so-called “fake news” online, the technology of shallow fakes and deep fakes can challenge even the most seasoned media consumer.

We tend to congregate online with those who think, feel, vote and believe the same way we do, so we are less likely to check messages for authenticity if they affirm our already-held beliefs.

Just as we listen for God’s voice to

discern his will for us, we must carefully listen to the messages the media tell us to discern their impact on us.

The National Association for Media Literacy Education suggests that we ask questions about the media we consume.

Who is the sender of the message?

What is their motive or intent? Who profits from this message? How is the message created? What information is omitted? What lifestyle is presented?

How credible is this source?

It’s not hyperbole to suggest that the media affect nearly every aspect of our daily lives.

As thoughtful citizens and Catholics, we must recognize not only how we use the media but how the media use us. We may not be able to outrun these messages, and we can’t outlaw them. But with media literacy skills, we can outsmart them.

Julie Smith is on the faculty at Webster University in St. Louis and is the author of “Master the Media: How Teaching Media Literacy Can Save Our Plugged-In World.”

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NATION

SEPTEMBER 18, 2O2O | THELEAVEN.ORG

Oregon’s fire: Most churches safe, for now, offering shelter

By Catholic Sentinel Staff Catholic News Service

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ORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) — While the foothills of Oregon’s Cascade Mountains have been ablaze, creating red apocalyptic skies and leaving five small towns in ashes, most of the churches in the Archdiocese of Portland have not burned and many have offered shelter to thousands of evacuees.

On Sept. 9, two deaths in Marion County and one in Jackson County were reported, but Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said she feared that many more lives were lost.

Ann Brophy, pastoral associate at Sacred Heart Church in Medford, stood on her front porch the night of Sept. 8 and watched the small towns of Phoenix and Talent incinerate just a few miles south.

“It was terrifying,” said Brophy, who lives in an area where residents are to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

One Sacred Heart parishioner in Phoenix lost her mobile home to flames not long after gathering up photographs of her husband, who died two years ago. Brophy said she expects that many more parishioners will report being suddenly homeless.

Sacred Heart and other nearby parishes offered refuge for evacuees, filling their parish gyms and parking lots.

Father Bill Holtzinger, vicar of the southern Oregon region, has been in touch with local priests and said they were all fine as of Sept. 8 and no church properties had been damaged or immediately threatened.

“That, of course, can change in moments,” Father Holtzinger said. “It’s a tense time.

The tragedies in Talent and Phoenix could repeat themselves as small fires pop up and turn into big fires,” he told the Catholic Sentinel, archdiocesan newspaper of Portland.

On Sept. 9, a new fire was approaching rural Shady Cove in southern

CNS PHOTO/MARC SALVATORE, CATHOLIC SENTINEL

Smoke rises from a fire Sept. 8 that destroyed the small towns of Talent and Phoenix, Oregon.

Oregon, home to Our Lady of Fatima Church. The archdiocese reported the parish had been evacuated.

One of Oregon’s most devastated areas is the Santiam Canyon, east of the capital Salem. The small mountain lake town of Detroit, where a Catholic mission closed several years ago, was destroyed.

As of the afternoon of Sept. 9, a fire was close to St. Catherine Mission in Mill City but had not touched it. The community had been ordered to evacuate the morning of Sept. 8, as was nearby Lyons, home to St. Patrick Mission. The Santiam and Lionshead fires have burned some 200,000 acres.

“Hopefully, those churches in Mill

City and Lyons will survive,” said Father Luan Nguyen, pastor of those churches. “At the time being, we don’t know when Mass will be celebrated again.”

The nearby church in Jordan, Our Lady of Lourdes, also now sits empty.

The Eucharist was moved to Immaculate Conception Church in nearby Stayton Sept 8.

Benedictine Father Philip Waibel planned Sept. 8 to stop by Holy Rosary Chapel in rural Crooked Finger, a mission where he serves as pastor but the area surrounding the church was evacuated by noon that day and now it is essentially closed.

Smoke and ash from the nearby fires

crept into Father Waibel’s main parish, St. Mary in Mount Angel. The community there, including the Benedictine abbey and seminary, is on a level 2 evacuation notice, meaning residents should be ready to evacuate if needed.

Mount Angel has not been touched by the fire, but Father Waibel described the eerie scene outside Sept. 9 as a foggy twilight with ash falling from the sky.

By early afternoon Sept. 9, half of Clackamas County, just southeast of Portland, was under a level 3 “must evacuate” order. At least five fires had burned a combined 42,500 acres, with the largest, the Riverside Fire, moving 17 miles in one day.

Report alleges immigrants subjected to hysterectomies

By Rhina Guidos Catholic News Service

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ASHINGTON (CNS) — Groups that support immigrants have lodged a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General saying that a nurse has come forward with detailed allegations of mass hysterectomies she said have been performed on immigrant women in detention in a Georgia facility.

The groups say a nurse who worked at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia, said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, run by the private prison company LaSalle South Corrections, was the setting for the procedures she alleges took place and that the women, who spoke little or no English, may not have understood what was happening to them.

Various news agencies have identified Dawn Wooten as the nurse, who also publicly spoke of negligent conditions to deal with COVID-19 at the facility, in the complaint filed Sept. 14.

In a news conference the same day, organized by the Government Accountability Project and Project South, which filed the complaint and posted

CNS PHOTO/U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT, HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations officers are pictured in this 2018 file photo. Immigrant groups filed a complaint Sept. 14, in which a nurse claimed a high number of hysterectomies are being performed on Spanish-speaking women at an ICE detention center in Georgia. her comments online, Wooten said she raised concerns about workers not having proper or enough personal protective equipment. She also asked why detainees were not being tested for COVID-19. She said she was demoted when she began to ask “why?”

As a single mother, she decided to say something because the women, “they have lives, they have families,” she said.

Immediately after the news conference, Georgia House Minority Leader Robert Trammell Jr., a Democrat from Luthersville, sent the Georgia Board of Nursing and the Georgia Composite Medical Board a letter “to request that you immediately suspend the licenses of the providers named in the whistleblower complaint pending a full investigation by your offices.”

Catholic organizations voiced outrage at the allegations and said they wanted action and answers.

“The allegations of Ms. Wooten and former detainees are shocking,” said Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the Catholic social justice lobby group Network.

The alleged “forced sterilization of immigrants and refugees by ICE agents is an evil violation of my Catholic faith, the law of our country and international human rights,” said Sister Campbell, a Sister of Social Service. “It is the antithesis of a pro-life stance. The victims of these crimes must be protected, and the perpetrators and their enablers must be held responsible.”

“The world is waking up to the horrors of these ICE allegations. We demand an immediate, thorough and transparent investigation into the whistleblower complaints alleging medical malpractice and, indeed, genocide against immigrants held in American detention centers,” said Lawrence E. Couch, director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.

“Who initiated these policies? Who carried them out? Who covered them up?” he asked. “Americans will not stand for this, and neither will our democracy.”

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

WORLD

11

Salvadoran university welcomes conviction for ‘89 Jesuit murders

By David Agren Catholic News Service

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he Jesuit-run Central American University in El Salvador welcomed the verdict of a Spanish court, which convicted a former Salvadoran colonel for the murder of five Jesuit priests in 1989.

The verdict was “an extraordinary service to the truth” from a conflict in which many atrocities have gone unpunished, the university statement said. It expressed some sadness, however, that justice had not occurred in El Salvador, where the slayings occurred during the country’s civil war.

“Through the evidence and testimony given, the system of concealment and impunity overseen by the armed forces and the Salvadoran state (to a certain degree) has become clear, especially in the face of the human rights violations committed during the civil war,” the university said in a Sept. 11 statement.

The trial, the statement continued, “clearly showed the armed forces . . . operated as a criminal and cover-up machine.”

The statement said the results of the trial in Spain would lead to “real steps in favor of truth and justice, not only in the so-called Jesuit case, but in all the [cases] related to serious human rights violations.”

In a Sept. 11 ruling, former Col. Inocente Orlando Montano, 77, was found to have planned and ordered the murders of the five Jesuits priests — all Spanish nationals — Nov. 16, 1989, at their residence on the Central American University campus.

The five Spaniards were Father Ignacio Ellacuria, university rector, along with Fathers Ignacio Martín-Baro, Juan Ramón Moreno, Amando López and Segundo Montes. Salvadoran Jesuit Father Joaquín López and Julia Elba Ramos, a housekeeper, and her teenage daughter Celina, also were killed in the attack.

CNS PHOTO/LUIS GALDAMEZ, REUTERS

A file photo shows Salvadorans gathering during a candlelight service in San Salvador to commemorate the 1989 killing of six Jesuits and two women during El Salvador’s civil war. On Sept. 11, 2020, a Spanish court sentenced former Salvadoran Col. Inocente Orlando Montano to more than 133 years in prison for his involvement in the slaying of five of the Jesuits.

The court could only rule on the cases of the five Spanish Jesuits as a condition of Montano’s 2017 extradition to Spain from the United States, where he resided prior to his extradition.

Montano, who appeared at his Madrid trial in a wheelchair, was sentenced to 133 years, four months and five days in prison — 26 years, eight months and one day for each murder.

He had pleaded not guilty and testified to not having any animus against the Jesuits or the Catholic Church and even spoke of Father Ellacuria as a

friend.

Witnesses at the trial — held over nine days in June and July — said Montano considered the Jesuits to be “traitors” and saw, along with others in the army, the Central American University as infested with rebels from the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front.

Father Ellacuria was involved in a peace process to end the civil war, which prosecutors say was seen as a threat by the military command.

Yusshy Rene Mendoza, a former lieutenant and cooperating witness,

testified that perceptions in the military were that Father Ellacuria supported the guerrilla cause. Mendoza also testified that the orders to kill Jesuits came from the “high command.”

Almudena Bernabeu, the lead prosecutor, who pursued the case for 12 years, said 11 other figures were part of the military high command, while then-President Alfredo Cristiani “was actively protecting the soldiers and covering up evidence.”

The civil war in El Salvador claimed 75,000 lives and sent thousands more fleeing the Central American country.

Canadian bishops to discuss pandemic’s future impact on church

By Brian Dryden Catholic News Service

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TTAWA, Ontario (CNS) — The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Catholic Church in Canada will be a key theme of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops when its annual meeting gets underway Sept. 21.

And while the global pandemic has driven the plenary assembly online this year, the move by the church’s leadership to meet and conduct its business virtually is just one of the ways that the pandemic will change the church forever going forward, Archbishop Richard Gagnon, conference president, told Canadian Catholic News.

“The situation with COVID has obviously had a large impact on the church, and we will definitely be talking about that and about how the church moves forward in these unprecedented times,” Archbishop Gagnon said in an interview from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

“All the regions in the country are going to give a report on how they have had to deal with the pandemic in their operations and what their experiences have been and how these experiences may be able to help the church move forward as this situation continues, and hopefully, eventually, we get back

CNS PHOTO/COURTESY CANADIAN CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS

Canadian bishops attend their 2019 annual plenary meeting in Cornwall, Ontario. This year’s assembly will get underway virtually Sept. 21. to a form of a more normal way of doing things,” he said.

But Archbishop Gagnon said he thinks the new normal for the church across Canada will include offering more and more services online. That was born of necessity of having to close places of worship to parishioners during the height of the pandemic, when Canadian health officials severely curtailed the number of people who could gather together in public. The public health measures effectively shut down all places of worship for a few

months, until Catholic churches could open again with limited attendance.

That situation remains the new normal for now, with the restrictions on how many people can attend a place of worship depending on the rate of COVID19 in each province.

“There has always been some level of online presence of the church,” Archbishop Gagnon said, but now those in the church who may have been hesitant to use modern technology to its fullest can see the possible benefits of offering some services online.

“This technology was used before, but never to the extent that it has been now,” Archbishop Gagnon said.

“I think any of that past opposition to having online services is not there anymore because of the situation and the experience of having to do it.”

But while the merger of the church and modern technology that has been needed to get through the pandemic may have implications for how the church operates in the future, there is still a deep commitment to one-on-one interaction between clergy and their parishioners.

“While we have heard of the positive experiences that going online has offered our churches and parishioners, we have also heard how important in-person gatherings and the personal connection that has for people . . . how important that is in people’s lives,” Archbishop Gagnon said.

Unlike in past years, when the bishops gather virtually Sept. 21-25, there will be no keynote speaker and no representatives of Catholic lay organizations.

Besides the pandemic, the bishops will discuss national priorities, responsible ministry, pastoral care of Indigenous peoples, government initiatives and ongoing changes within Development and Peace, the church’s international charitable agency.

CLASSIFIEDS/CALENDAR

12 EMPLOYMENT Community live-in assistants - L’Arche Heartland of Overland Park serves adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities in day program support services and in residential services. We are seeking assistants who are looking for a unique opportunity in a faith-based organization. We are in immediate need of live-in assistants and potential live-out assistants to work in our day program serving 30 adults. We have a recycling program and community activities. Our core members participate in distributing for Meals on Wheels and Rise Against Hunger. They also attend community events such as the library, movies, bowling and going to parks. We also have a need for live-in and live-out assistants in our five residential homes. If interested, contact Jamie Henderson, community leader, by email at: jamie@larcheks.org.

Experienced marketing board members - Santa Marta Senior Living Community is looking for new board members with a marketing background to work with the executive leadership team and outside marketing firm to define and implement various marketing programs.

Ideal candidates would have experience in identifying market opportunities, putting together go-to market strategies (including print and digital media) while also understanding SEO and other tactical digital platforms.

If you have an interest in volunteering your time and participating on a very active board to assist in the mission of Santa Marta, please send your resume, cover letter and home parish to Heidi Abeln at: habeln@santamarta retirement.com by Oct. 30. Any questions regarding the application process can also be emailed to this address, and a current board member will reply. Be sure to include your phone number and mailing address. Additional information about Santa Marta can be viewed at: www. santamartaretirement.com.

Caregivers needed - Daughters & Company, a nonmedical, companion care provider is looking for several compassionate caregivers to provide assistance to ambulatory seniors in their home at this time. We provide light housekeeping, light meal preparation, organizational assistance, care management and occasional transportation services for our clients. Caregivers need to have reliable transportation and a cellphone for communication. We typically employ on a part-time basis, but will strive to match up hours desired per week. Please contact Laurie or Gary at (913) 341-2500, or send resume to: ghamilton@daughtersonline.com if you would like to become part of an excellent caregiving team.

Substitute teachers - St. Joseph Early Education Center, Shawnee, is looking for substitute staff in our center, ranging from the infant to pre-Kindergarten age programs. Please call (913) 248-4589 or email: tgavila@ stjoeshawnee.org.

Administrative assistant - St. Patrick School, located at 1086 N. 94th St. in Kansas City, Kansas, has an opening for a part-time administrative assistant at the Early Education Center from 7:30 until 11:30 a.m. when school is in session. To apply, please submit a request for a job application to Patty Dickinson at: pdickinson@ stpatrickkck.org.

Lead/assistant teachers - St. Joseph Early Education Center, Shawnee, has positions available in our infant, toddler and 2-1/2 year-olds rooms. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Competitive pay and benefits are offered. Please call (913) 248-4589 or email: tgavila@st joeshawnee.org.

Part-time day custodian - St. Patrick School, located at 1086 N. 94th St. in Kansas City, Kansas, has an opening for a part-time day custodian. Hours are 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. when school is in session. To apply, please submit a request for a job application to Patty Dickinson at: pdickinson@stpatrickkck.org.

Caregiver needed - Room and board plus pay in exchange for elder care. Some flexibility in schedule. Call for details. Call Michelle at (913) 333-9117.

SERVICES Handyman - Thank you for all the work. It has been a great spring and summer. Please remember we can do full bathroom, kitchen and basement remodels for any budget. We still do wood rot, ceiling popcorn removal and retexturing as well as flooring, windows, siding, doors, decks, fences, covered porches, gutters and trim carpentry. You can see some of my work on Facebook at: Father & Son Home Exteriors & Remodeling. My family and I appreciate you all.

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.

Faith-based counseling to cope with life concerns - Kansas City area. Call Mary Vorsten, licensed clinical professional counselor, at (913) 909-2002.

Masonry work - Quality new or repair work. Brick, block and chimney/fireplace repair. Insured; second-generation bricklayer. Member of St. Paul Parish, Olathe. Call (913) 829-4336.

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.

Looking for assisted living at home? - Before you move, call us and explore our in-home care options. We specialize in helping families live safely at home while saving thousands of dollars per year. Call today for more information or to request a FREE home care planning guide. Benefits of Home - Senior Care, www.benefits ofhome.com or call (913) 422-1591.

HOME IMPROVEMENT EL SOL Y LA TIERRA *Commercial & residential * Lawn renovation *Mowing * Clean-up and hauling * Dirt grading/installation * Landscape design * Free estimates Hablamos y escribimos Ingles!! www.elsolylatierra.com Call Lupe at (816) 935-0176 STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 579-1835.

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

SEPTEMBER 18, 2O2O | THELEAVEN.ORG 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.

Popcorn texture removed and apply knockdown texture.

Renew your walls with a fresh coat of quality paint!

Cracks repaired.

Fully insured, serving Kansas for 27 years Call or text Jerry at (913) 206-1144.

Local handyman - Painting int. and ext., wood rot, power washing, staining, masonry (chimney repair, patios) gutter cleaning, water heaters, junk removal, lawn mowing, window cleaning, honey - do list and more!! Member of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913) 927-4118.

WANTED TO BUY Wanted to buy - Antique/vintage jewelry, paintings, pottery, sterling, etc. Single pieces or estate. Renee Maderak, (913) 475-7393. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.

Will buy firearms and related accessories - One or a whole collection. Honest evaluation and top prices paid.

Contact Tom at (913) 238-2473. Member of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee.

Wanted to buy - Old cars or hot rods. Uncompleted project cars in any condition, with or without titles. Cash buyer. Call (913) 980-3559.

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

REAL ESTATE

NELSON CREATIONS Affordable home remodeling: Kitchens, baths, basements and room additions.

All interior and exterior work.

Honest, dependable, experienced and family owned.

Licensed and insured. Member St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.

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

Rental properties - Getting into this kind of investment can be scary. How about if you could have access to a seasoned investor after the sale as a consultant? I am selling some of my investments that are in the KCMO area that you might be interested in. I am not a realtor, but I have owned these properties for a long time. Call (785) 883-2936, leave me your contact information and I will return your call within 24 hours.

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.

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

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

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

8 to Your IdealWeight Get Real, Get Healthy, Get Empowered Take back your power and release weight, fatigue and joint pain without hunger or cravings!

Call or text Kathi at (816) 809-7739 Email: imagewellness2@gmail.com

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

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

Everything is guaranteed 100% (913) 461-4052 www.windowservicesoverlandpark.com drcconswindows@gmail.com

We buy houses and whole estates - We are local and family owned, and will make you a fair cash offer. We buy houses in any condition. No fees or commissions and can close on the date of your choice. Selling your house as is never felt so good. Jon & Stacy Bichelmeyer (913) 599-5000.

Janitorial - Need janitorial services part time, two - three hours nightly for two individuals. Experience preferred.

Call John at (913) 575-2686.

Memory quilts - Preserve your memories in a keepsake quality quilt, pillows, etc. Custom designed from your Tshirt collection, baby clothes, sports memorabilia, neckties . . . Quilted Memories. (913) 649-2704.

Painting - Diamond Painting, (913) 648-4933, Residential/Commercial, Exterior/interior, Free Estimate, Affordable, Decks, DiamondPaintKc.com, Kcmo/Overland Park Metropolitan area.

LIVING HARMONIOUSLY: BENEDICTINE SPIRITUALITY AT HOME Sophia Spirituality Center via Zoom Sept. 25 from 7 - 9 p.m.

CHARISMATIC RETREAT GATHERING Guardian Angels Parish 1310 Westport Rd., Kansas City, Missouri Sept. 26 at 10 a.m.

Oct. 2 from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m., 1 - 2 p.m.

We need your help! - Caring and reliable drivers needed to transport K - 12 students to and from school in Johnson and Wyandotte counties in company minivans. We offer competitive wages, flexible schedules and the ability to make a difference in your community by helping those in need. CDL not required. Retirees encouraged to apply.

Call (913) 262-5190 or visit: AssistedTransportation.com to learn more and apply online. EEO. Board members - Villa St. Francis, a skilled nursing community in Olathe sponsored by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, is actively seeking board members. If you are interested in giving your time and talent to the Villa’s mission, submit a letter of interest and resume to: rwhittington@villasf.org.

Substitute teachers - Our Lady’s Montessori School is looking for substitutes in our 3- to 6-year-olds classroom and elementary classroom. Please call Jenny at (913) 403-9550 or email: jwallace@olmskc.org.

In this retreat, we will explore some of the foundation of Benedictine spirituality through music, rhythm, silence, melody and harmony. There will also be time for prayer, reflection, creative expression and discussion. The retreat will conclude by writing our own Rule to guide us in our unique living situations. Bring a journal or paper for writing.

Optional: basic art supplies, and/or a musical instrument such as a drum or shaker. The cost of the retreat is $20. Please register by Sept. 21 by calling (913) 360-6173.

PROJECT CHRYSALIS Church of the Ascension Parish (St. Mark Room) also on Zoom 9500 W. 127th St., Overland Park Sept. 28 from 7 - 8:15 p.m.

Project Chrysalis is a ministry offering hope through sacred Scripture and community to parents or grandparents who have lost a child or grandchild. While this ministry is not a bereavement group, our mission is to offer support and hope through Scripture in a time of transformation. For more information and the Zoom invitation link, contact Deacon Ken Billinger at (913) 634-4210 or send an email to: kbillinger@archkck.org.

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

Mike Hammer local moving - A full-service mover.

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

Father Ed Wills will speak at the retreat.

No reservation is necessary. For more details, call (913) 649-2026.

A CONTEMPLATIVE EXPERIENCE THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY Sophia Spirituality Center via Zoom Sept. 30 from 7 - 9 p.m.

Oct. 14 from 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Oct. 30 from 7 - 9 p.m.

This is a contemplative experience with photography in a three-part series. You are invited to join in a reflective journey through the month of October, using photography to connect more deeply. We will begin with the Harvest Moon at the first of the month and end with the Hunter’s Moon at month’s end.

This is not a class on technique, but an opportunity to explore awareness, connection and contemplation through photography.

The cost for all three sessions is $90. Call (913) 360-6173 by Sept. 25 to register.

WOMEN IN SCRIPTURE: MODELS OF LEADERSHIP Sophia Spiritual Center via Zoom

You are invited to spend the day with the women who were an integral part of the beginning of Christianity, yet whose contributions are not generally known. We will examine who these women were and what their roles were in this crucial time following the death and resurrection of Jesus. Spend time in learning, prayer and sharing, while connecting with these women leaders of the past and with each other. The cost is a freewill offering. Please register by Sept. 25 by calling (913) 360-6713.

EASING INTO CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER Ignatian Spirituality Center of Kansas City via Zoom Oct. 5 from 7 - 8:30 p.m.

This is a six-week long experience of exploring the four stages of prayer that lead to contemplation. We will be reading the book “The Armchair Mystic” by Father Mark Thibodeaux, SJ, and praying his suggested exercises to help cultivate a deeper relationship with Our Lord. There will be 90minute weekly meetings via Zoom to reflect and share. For more information about this event, go online to: www.ignatiancenterkc. org/events and click on “Easing into Contemplative Prayer: Monday Evening Group Prayer Retreat.” The cost for the retreat is $35.

CASH FOR YOUR HOME (913) 980-4905 Any condition in the metro area Mark Edmondson - local parishioner http:/www.buykcproperty.com

CARING FOR CREATION IN A CHANGING WORLD: THE CONVERGENCE OF CLIMATE, RACE AND COVID Jesuit Friends and Alumni Network of Kansas City via Zoom Oct. 6 from 7 - 8 p.m.

Join JFAN-KC to hear Judy Mayotte’s hopeful message about how each of us as engaged, responsible and responsive global citizens can reflect on and care for creation so that we can help maintain the fragile balance of life on earth. The event is free. To register, go online to: jfankc.eventbrite.com.

STS. LOUIS AND ZELIE MARTIN: FAMILY SANCTITY Christ’s Peace House of Prayer 22131 Meager Rd., Easton Nov. 6 - 8

Take this weekend with your spouse to reflect on the importance of family sanctity. Take some time alone with your spouse to reconnect and enter back into the world stronger and more deeply committed to Christ. There will be conferences, eucharistic adoration, Mass, confession, and time for private prayer, reflection and walking.

Cabins/courtyard rooms: $170 single/$250 couple; guest rooms: $100 (meals included).

To attend, send an email to: info@christs peace.com or call (913) 773-8255.

LOCAL NEWS

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG Mary Lou (Erpelding) and Harold Scheopner, members of St. Benedict Parish, At c h i s o n , will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Sept. 24.

The couple was married on Sept. 24, 1960, at St. Joseph Church, Atchison, by Father Thomas Hartman, OSB. Their children are: Michael Scheopner, Topeka; Regina Rygaard, Hiawatha; and Mark Scheopner, Garden City. They also have five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Barbara and James Fregon, members of St. Matthew Parish, Topeka, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept.

19.

The couple was married on Sept.

19, 1970, at Sacred Heart Church, Topeka. They celebrated with a family trip to Florida in June. Their children are: Nickoel Adler and Tira Cunningham.

They also have four grandchildren.

John and Mary Ann Ploehn, members of Prince of Peace Parish, Olathe, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 26.

The couple was married on Sept. 26, 1970, at St. John Church on the Creighton campus in Omaha, Nebraska. Due to COVID-19, a shower of correspondence from family and friends is planned for the week of their anniversary. Their children are: Gretchen Schmitz and Sara Cox. They also have four grandchildren.

ANNIVERSARY submissions POLICY: The Leaven prints 50, 60, 65 and 70th anniversary notices.

They are for parishioners in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas DEADLINE: 10 days before the desired publication date.

INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: • The couple’s names • their parish • the date they were married • church and city where they were married • what they are doing to celebrate • date of the celebration • names of children (no spouses) • number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren; SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: • Announcements must be typed.

• Emailed photos need to be 200 dpi.

• Mailed photos can be any size.

• If you would like your photo returned, include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

WHERE TO SUBMIT: Email notices to: todd.habiger@ theleaven.org.

13

Podcast promotes cause of ‘Jeep priest’ of Kansas

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — The story of Father Emil Kapaun, the “Jeep priest” who ministered during two wars and died a prisoner of war in North Korea, is being shared now in a podcast.

“The Foxhole with Father Kapaun” features topics related to Servant of God Father Kapaun, said Scott Carter, the coordinator of the Father Kapaun Guild in the Diocese of Wichita.

As the U.S. Army chaplain encouraged the American soldiers who endured harsh conditions as captives of the Chinese Communists during the Korean War, the podcast offers encouragement by connecting listeners with ordinary people who are fighting on the frontlines of faith — often in extraordinary ways, said Carter.

“The Foxhole with Father Kapaun” is available at: kapaunsmen.com/fox hole on Apple Podcast, Spotify and other popular podcast venues.

The podcast, produced by a team of men who belong to the group Kapaun’s Men, features guests such as Catholic speakers Chris Stefanick and Michelle Benzinger, military veteran Vice Admiral Jim Crawford, as well as ordinary men and women whose insight offers inspiration and strength for life’s daily battles.

An upcoming episode features an interview with Catholic Medal of Honor recipient Pat Brady, a “Dustoff”

helicopter ambulance pilot in Vietnam who, like Father Kapaun, put his life on the line to rescue fellow soldiers. He and his team of pilots rescued more than 20,000 wounded soldiers during one nine-month period.

The members of Kapaun’s Men are committed to fighting their daily spiritual battles with Father Kapaun as their model.

Jason Searl, the chairman of Kapaun’s Men, said the podcast helped the group’s members stay connected during the pandemic. It began as a conference call every Wednesday morning.

“We began to record the calls, recognizing that the encouragement they provided could be a boost for others who couldn’t make the live call-in time,” said Searl.

They decided to share the podcast with the public.

“The podcasts are a great way to continue our mission to carry on Father Kapaun’s legacy of hope and inspiration, and hopefully help his cause for sainthood,” said Searl.

14

COLUMNISTS

DAILY READINGS TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME Sept. 20 TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Is 55: 6-9 Ps 145: 2-3, 8-9, 17-18 Phil 1: 20c-24 Mt 20: 1-16a Sept. 21 MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST Eph 4: 1-7, 11-13 Ps 19: 2-5 Mt 9: 9-13 Sept. 22 Tuesday Prv 21: 1-6, 10-13 Ps 119: 1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44 Lk 8: 19-21 Sept. 23 Pius of Pietrelcina, priest Prv 30: 5-9 Ps 119: 29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163 Lk 9: 1-6 Sept. 24 Thursday Eccl 1: 2-11 Ps 90: 3-6, 12-14, 17bc Lk 9: 7-9 Sept. 25 Friday Eccl 3: 1-11 Ps 144: 1b, 2abc, 3-4 Lk 9: 18-22 Sept. 26 Cosmas and Damian, martyrs Eccl 11:9 – 12:8 Ps 90: 3-6, 12-14, 17 Lk 9: 43b-45

“T

A thing of beauty is a joy forever

he world will be saved

by beauty.”

These words, written by the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, have been a real source of comfort for me. It’s so easy to be overwhelmed by the sadness around us.

We’re bombarded by news of raging wildfires, the persistent pandemic and, closer to home, stories of families experiencing personal tragedies like the loss of loved ones, serious illnesses or unemployment.

And one needs a thick skin and an abundance of patience if logging onto Facebook these days.

It seems filled with posts of unparalleled nastiness, half-truths, overt racism and gross intolerance.

How wise and timely, then, is the ecumenical celebration called the Season of Creation, which began on Sept. 1 (the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation) and ends on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi on Oct. 4. The Catholic Church “officially” joined the celebration in 2015 when Pope

SEPTEMBER 18, 2O2O | THELEAVEN.ORG

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.

Francis released “Laudato Si’,” his encyclical on the care of our common home.

Unfortunately, many of us can relate to the following story: There was a man whose consuming passion was to go to heaven. Finally, he died and did go there.

An angel took him by the hand and showed him the beautiful sights: majestic mountains, lovely flowers, gorgeous sunsets, little children playing in the streets.

The man exclaimed, “Isn’t heaven wonderful?”

“This isn’t heaven,” replied the angel.

“This is the world in which you lived but which you never saw.”

(Story found in Paul J. Wharton’s “Stores and Parables for Preachers and Teachers.”)

The beauty of creation surrounds us every day, but how many really see it? And if we do see it, are we grateful to its source, our Creator? We never seem to learn that the world will not be saved by money, power, selfishness, fame or greed. It will be saved instead by the beauty of understanding, as Pope Francis wrote, that “everything is interconnected, and that genuine care for our own lives and our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice and faithfulness to others” (LS, 70).

If you’ve been feeling blue or out of sorts,

noticing beauty can be a real lifesaver. Here are a few suggestions on how to do that: • Pray outside.

Unite your prayer to the song of birds, the barking of dogs, the whisper of the wind, the smell of freshly mown grass and the joyful sounds of children playing.

• Take an “aimless” walk. Head to a park and saunter, taking time to notice the trees, insects, flowers, clouds and sunrise or sunset.

• Savor a meal, especially a cuisine from another culture. Thank God for the gift of such diversity.

• Waste time with a coffee table book or online museum. Immerse yourself in the beauty of the arts.

• Listen attentively.

Focus on the timbre of your spouse’s voice, the breathless storytelling of a child or just the songs of your favorite playlist.

Pope Francis concludes “Laudato Si’” with “A Prayer for Our Earth”: “All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your ten-

derness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

“O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

“Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey toward your infinite light.

“We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.”

How about saying this prayer not only during the Season of Creation, but well beyond? Because when it comes to a prayer, this one is a real beaut!

God’s unconditional love can right the world’s wrongs

Januarius

Died circa 303 Feast - Sept. 19

This Italian saint is famous for his relic, a vial of dark, solid blood that liquefies annually on three different feasts: the date commemorating his martyrdom, the date when the relic was transferred back to Naples and the date marking a liquefaction that allegedly averted an eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius. Januarius reportedly was killed during the persecution of Diocletian in 303. As bishop of Benevento, he was visiting some imprisoned deacons and laymen when he was arrested.

These Christians were all condemned to death in an arena containing wild beasts, but when the animals wouldn’t touch them, they were beheaded. Januarius, the patron saint of Naples, is also invoked against volcanic eruptions.

T

he pandemic has brought out the worst and the best in people.

As the virus spread and employment conditions changed drastically, a local Catholic parish in my neighborhood stepped up their efforts to feed families struggling with loss of jobs and income.

This Catholic community went from providing food each week to some 50 families before the pandemic to feeding close to 400 families affected by the pandemic!

As parishioners learned of the growing needs of families whose breadwinners had lost employment, they ramped up their weekly efforts and contributions so that no one who would come to the pantry food line would be turned away emptyhanded. Their outpouring of generosity reminds me of the

,

JEM SULLIVAN Sullivan is a professor at The Catholic University of America.

early Christians who were known in the pagan world for their concrete love of the poor and their outreach and accompaniment of the marginalized in society.

I am sure this scenario has repeated itself in communities around the country and the world. Moments of crisis tend to bring out the best in the human spirit as people respond in

acts of service, compassion and generosity to those in need. By doing our part, however small, we lift the burdens of others and become powerful vehicles of God’s generous love in the world.

Such examples of human generosity remind us of a fundamental truth about God, echoed in this Sunday’s Scripture readings. God is generous beyond human imagining or calculation. God’s generosity goes beyond every act of human generosity, however noble and praiseworthy.

For the generosity of God reaches into the depths of each human heart where

deep longing for God and sinful selfishness coexist. God’s generosity touches those interior and spiritual places where human generosity cannot begin to reach.

And so we read these comforting words from the prophet Isaiah: “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near. . . . Let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.”

With prophetic insight Isaiah reminds the people that God’s ways go beyond our controlled human ways of counting costs and calculating risks.

Breaking our human scales of generosity, mercy and forgiveness, and our calculations of compensation and worth, is the God who is being itself, the source of all that exists, the creator and sustainer of the world, and your creator!

And isn’t that the lesson of the parable that Jesus tells his disciples? The workers who are hired at the last hour are given the same usual wage that those who began early in the day received even though they had borne the heat and brunt of a long day’s work. From a human standpoint, this wage scale makes no sense.

In fact, we might even find it unjust and exploitative! So what’s the deeper lesson here?

God’s generosity and ways break every human category and estimate. And for this, we should be very thankful. For only God’s unconditional love and abundant, overflowing generosity can right the many wrongs in this fallen world. For the wisdom and insight to be alert to God’s higher ways and abundant, generous love, we pray: “Speak to me, Lord.”

COLUMNISTS

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

15

Pandemic required Charities to get both agile and creative

“D

o not be afraid.

God is with you.

You were born for this.”

— St. Joan of Arc Keeping the ministries of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas (CCNEK) operating through a pandemic has been challenging!

With the health of our team in question, a dramatic decrease in our volunteer workforce and community food needs that felt beyond our capacity, the Holy Spirit quickly reminded us that a storm is often a beautifully masked opportunity to serve our neighbors in need. And we went to work.

Employee health, food distribution, emergency shelter, Catholic Community Hospice

INSIDE CATHOLIC CHARITIES

LAUREN SOLIDUM Lauren Solidum is the executive director of Catholic Charities.

and TurnStyles Thrift have been our priorities since mid-March. It has been a time to become both agile and creative.

We could not open our pantry doors to the public, so outdoor food distribution became a reality at each of our

family support centers.

We utilized technology to leverage virtual case management and financial education classes for those in need, and we even started our Kids Summer Food Program three months early so that the children who relied on free or reduced cost lunches during the school year would not go hungry.

I am proud to share

a few of the ways our agency has had an impact during COVID19: Food assistance.

Eighty-eight tons of food (roughly 50 tons the prior year) have been distributed through our monthly mass food distributions in Olathe and Kansas City, Kansas, impacting 1,565 families (7,773 individuals) in need.

Kids meals. 70,336 meals (roughly 12,000 the prior year) were distributed to children at 18 sites throughout our archdiocese, including a brand-new partnership with seven housing projects in Kansas City, Kansas.

Asset development (family financial transformations/ Kansas Loan Pool Project/Cents @ Work). 357 financial

case management appointments and seven virtual financial education classes were conducted to help individuals and families manage their finances and unexpected hardships through these difficult times.

Workforce development (St. Rita/Employment Services).

Nineteen new participants enrolled in our St. Rita skills training program since March 1 — more than double the number of students we had in the first two year’s cohorts. During this same period, St. Rita has graduated 15 participants within the areas of nursing and skilled trades.

To date, eight have already been connected to new job opportunities. Our St. Rita educational partnerships now

include programming at Kansas City Kansas Community College, Johnson County Community College, Donnelly College and the University of Saint Mary.

I am overwhelmed by the generosity of our community and inspired by the willingness and fortitude of our employees and those volunteers choosing to serve side by side with us during the pandemic.

The pandemic continues to tell a critical story of the necessity that is Catholic Charities within our archdiocese. It has reaffirmed our purpose and mission and, perhaps most importantly, it has inspired many to enact their faith through service to our organization.

Thanks be to God.

‘We need to get comfortable with uncomfortable conversations’

A

s Catholics, we grapple with current events and the call to conversion from racism the U.S. bishops lay out in their 2018 pastoral letter “Open Wide Our Hearts” when they say: “What is needed . . . is a genuine conversion of heart, a conversion that will compel change, and reform our institutions and society” (p. 7).

They then identify the roadblock we each must overcome: “Racism can often be found in our hearts — in many cases placed there unwillingly or unknowingly by our upbringing and culture” (p. 5).

I have found that many good-hearted, white Catholics balk at the idea that they

DO UNTO OTHERS

DEACON BILL SCHOLL Deacon Scholl is the archdiocesan consultant for social justice. You can email him at: socialjustice@ archkck.org.

might have some racism hiding in their hearts. I myself confess I’ve been such a denier, once believing that racism was mostly in the rearview mirror of the American

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We must take notice when twice the number of Black babies die in the first year of their lives compared to white babies.

We need to ask why, in 2016, 33% of the sentenced prison population was Black while only 12% of the U.S. adult population was incarcerated.

We must take notice when there continues to be differences between Blacks and whites in pay, education, housing discrimination, mortgage lending and even continuing school segregation.

We must notice ourselves when we notice race and question our assumptions. We need to get comfortable with uncomfortable conversations and resist the

urge to obfuscate with defensiveness.

As our Holy Father recently said: “We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life.”

What is needed is a persistent examination of our conscience that searches for and challenges the hidden attitudes, prejudices and false beliefs that cause us to perceive racial difference as a sign of threat, inferiority or rejection.

Let us pray that we can forgive and seek forgiveness in ways that heal the trauma of our history, so that we may really live as one nation under God.

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experience, until some Black Catholics showed me otherwise.

With regards to the sin of racism, if we are to progress as disciples of Jesus and as a society, we must come to the realization that the problem of racism is not so much overt as it was in the time of our grandparents, but covert and insidiously limiting our ability to see and love

our neighbor.

The majority of white Americans don’t consciously hold racist beliefs and rightly disdain those who do. However, despite progress in dismantling racist systems in law and society, it would be naive to think that hundreds of years of systematic racism in this country did not leave a mark.

The church historian Hilaire Belloc observed that the spiritual and social effects of a heresy last long after the doctrinal error has been rejected.

We have rejected the doctrinal error that race is a morally relevant identifier of suitability, virtue and intelligence but the effects of the racist heresy still linger.

Helen Skradski

Steve Pierce

Carrie Kaifes-Lally

913-371-1404

www.skradskifh-kc.com Proudly Serving our Community Since 1929

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SCRIPTURE STUDY

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SEPTEMBER 18, 2O2O | THELEAVEN.ORG

The Kingdom of God is now — and not yet

t’s lucky that Catholics walk by faith, and not by sight.

Because as we head into fall, things are looking a bit on the gloomy side.

With Masses still at only partial capacity, and many ministerial efforts limited to Zoom, it’s hard to practice our faith in the ways we are accustomed.

Some might even be finding it hard to hold onto.

Fortunately, there is a place we can turn, even in these COVIDrestricted times: Scripture.

Catherine Upchurch, the general editor of the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible, has created the perfect balm for the troubled soul in her 10-part Bible study series called “Embracing the Kingdom of God.” Designed as a traditional Scripture study class with questions for discussion, these lessons are perfect for individuals, friends or families to re-center themselves in their Catholic faith.

And they’ll be provided here every other week, for you to use immediately, or to clip and save.

So round up the kids, find you a study buddy, or fire up your Zoom room — you’ll be studying Scripture from the comfort of your own home this fall.

By Catherine Upchurch Special to The Leaven Kingdoms of all kinds dominate the headlines — countries, political parties, social media and financial institutions are the newsmakers. However, the news of a kingdom that raises up the poor, rewards those who are forgiving, liberates captives EMBRACING THE and feeds the hungry hardly gets a mention, even in the OF footnotes of a nightly telecast or as a crumb on daily news sites. This kind of kingdom that reverses all the usual assumptions relies on its adherents to spread the message in word and deed, the news of what Jesus called the kingdom of God.

KINGDOM GOD

Early in the Gospel accounts, it is John the Baptist who raises the profile of a godly kingdom that is bursting forth right under the nose of the Roman Empire. From the banks of the Jordan River, John proclaims that the “kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 3:2).

While we may think that most at the time expected the restoration of the Davidic monarchy in Israel, there is ample evidence that expectations of a messiah were much broader and multifaceted. These included anticipating someone who would revive the law of Moses and teach with authority, or become a new high priest, or even upend the domination of Rome.

The kingdom of God that John announces in preparation for Jesus, and that Jesus proclaims and embodies in his own public ministry, reveals that God is indeed active in history, but in ways that both fulfill and upend the usual expectations. Jesus does act and speak with authority (e.g., Mt 7:24-29; 21:23-27; Mk 1:21-27; Lk 5:1726); he is a perfect high priest (e.g., Heb 5:1-10; 9:11-28); and he does es-

In a name The Gospel of Matthew employs the phrase “kingdom of heaven” rather than “kingdom of God” perhaps to avoid using the name of God for the original Jewish audience. Their religious sensibilities led Jews to avoid saying the name of God. Matthew’s use of “kingdom of heaven” is not an indication that God’s kingdom exists only in heaven or only in eternity. The two phrases are used interchangeably in our discussion in this series of articles.

Questions for reflection or discussion: 1. Identify some of the “kingdoms” that vie for your attention on a regular basis.

2. John the Baptist had a very unique role in preparing the way for Jesus and proclaiming the kingdom of God (see Mt 3:1-17; Mk 1:2-11; Lk 3:1-22; Jn 1:19-34). In what ways are you also called to prepare hearts to receive Jesus?

3. How does Jesus surprisingly fulfill varied expectations of a messiah (the anointed one of God)? (See Mt 7:24-29; 21:23-27; Mk 1:21-27; Lk 5:1726; Heb 5:1-10; 9:11-28.)

tablish a kingdom. It is this kingdom of God that will be the subject of this series as we tease out its meaning through Jesus’ words and deeds.

While many of us may have the impression that the kingdom of God is something beyond our grasp and awaiting us in heaven, the Gospels are clear that in Jesus the kingdom is brought near and is, in fact, in our midst. Just consider these passages: Mt 3:2; 4:17; 10:7-8; 12:28; Mk 1:15; Lk 10:8-11; 11:20; 17:20-21.

Most biblical scholars agree that the proclamation of the kingdom of God is the core of the Gospel. It is the news that in all ways and in all places God is sovereign. Those who enter into a relationship with Jesus accept this absolute primacy of God, even in the midst of the realities of the world in which we live. When we live in right relationship with God and with neighbor, we are embracing this kingdom that Jesus initiates in his coming.

What shall we say, then? Is God’s kingdom among us? Yes. Is God’s kingdom still to come? Yes. The kingdom of God is now and it is not yet.

Christians hold within us the reality that both are true. We struggle with the holy tension between what God is doing among us now and what God will complete for us in eternity.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells an ancient audience, and he tells us: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Mt 6:33).

We seek the kingdom in prayerful silence with God, in conversation with others of faith and in doing the work that Jesus gives us to bring the kingdom to fullness — loving our enemies, caring for the poor, teaching the truth, calling out injustice and surrendering our sometimes faulty agendas.

Catherine Upchurch is the general editor of the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible and contributes to several biblical publications. She writes from Fort Smith, Arkansas.

A statue of John the Baptist with a golden cross is one of 30 statues mounted to the balustrade of Charles Bridge in Prague. Early in the Gospel accounts, it is John the Baptist who raises the profile of a godly kingdom.