10 08 21 Vol. 43 No. 10

THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 43, NO. 10 | OCTOBER 8, 2021

SPECIAL FATHER KAPAUN COVERAGE

THE LONG WAY HOME

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KAREN MIKOLS BONAR

The horse-drawn funeral caisson bearing the earthly remains of Father Emil Kapaun and destined for entombment at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita is followed by a procession led by Bishop Carl Kemme of the Diocese of Wichita. The remains of the highly decorated Pilsen native, who had died as an Army chaplain and POW during the Korean War, were only identified this spring. But for 70 years now, the men he was imprisoned with have been promoting his cause to sainthood.

Thousands gather to honor, and finally bury, priest war hero

By Karen Mikols Bonar Special to The Leaven

Inside The Leaven’s exclusive coverage

W

I C H I TA — Slowly, with military precision, the casket bearing the remains of Servant of God Father Emil Kapaun exited the Mass of Christian Burial as “America the Beautiful” echoed through Hartman Arena here.

Dog tags bearing the name of the U.S. Army chaplain swung gently from the front handle of the casket as fellow POW Sgt. Herbert Miller waved to his fallen friend.

The funeral’s conclusion befitted the priest’s patriotism and ministry. His nephew, Ray Kapaun, shared how his uncle led the POWs in that song at the conclusion of an Easter service, while in a North Korean prison camp in 1951.

“After the service was over, this chaplain, one single voice, knew a song he wanted to sing. That one song that would

THE RETURN

St. John Nepomucene Church in Pilsen, Father Kapaun’s home parish, was the first stop in a series of events honoring the Korean War chaplain.

Page 7

MEMORIES OF FATHER

Marilyn Grover, a member of Prince of Peace Parish in Olathe, recounts receiving her first Communion from Father Kapaun.

Page 8

TIMELINE LEAVEN PHOTO BY KAREN MIKOLS BONAR

Military representatives pray at the funeral vigil service for Father Emil Kapaun held at Hartman Arena on Sept. 28. bring his soldiers together, no matter what faith, no matter what belief, no matter what.

He knew they could stand behind that song,” Kapaun said.

“With one voice, he began singing that song,” he continued. “Soon, another voice picked it up, and another soldier picked it up. Soon, all across the camp, up and down

that valley, everyone was singing ‘America the Beautiful.’”

Father Kapaun’s funeral was held in the Diocese of >> See “FATHER” on page 8

Meet the man through the milestones of his life.

Page 8

PLAN A VISIT

Learn more about Father Kapaun at his childhood museum in Pilsen.

Page 10

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I

ARCHBISHOP

OCTOBER 8, 2O21 | THELEAVEN.ORG

The long-term health of our society depends on strong marriages

n late September, I attended a gathering of the FOCUS alumni living in the Kansas City metro area.

FOCUS is an acronym for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. FOCUS is a Catholic collegiate outreach whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the Gospel of Jesus with college and university students, equipping them for a lifetime of Christcentered evangelization, discipleship and friendship.

FOCUS began in 1998 at Benedictine College in Atchison with just two missionaries. FOCUS missionaries are recent college graduates who make at least a two-year commitment to serve on college campuses. Today, FOCUS has more than 800 missionaries serving on more than 200 college campuses.

Curtis Martin, the founder of FOCUS, aware of the hostile faith environment on many college campuses, recognized the need for a specific ministry to Catholic college students, assisting them to grow in virtue, knowledge of their faith and the development of a rich, vibrant prayer life.

However, the goals of FOCUS were not exclusively directed at college students.

Martin wanted to form young adults to be lifelong, engaged Catholics who would become what Pope Francis terms “missionary disciples.”

Missionary disciples are not content with just preserving their own Catholic faith, but they wish to participate in the adventure of bringing others to experience the love of Jesus and the joy of his Gospel.

Thus, in recent years, the national leadership of FOCUS attempts to gather alums periodically to nourish and encourage them to continue living their Catholic faith with joy and enthusiasm.

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN Many of the FOCUS alumni now are young married couples or are preparing for marriage and parenthood. At the recent Kansas City gathering, the FOCUS alums received practical guidance on how to sustain a vibrant prayer life and to live missionary discipleship in the context of marriage and parenthood.

Today, there is much discussion about a vocation crisis within the church. Usually, this is focused on the need for more vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life. The church in general and our archdiocese in particular need more vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

However, there is a much broader vocation crisis within the church that is often ignored. Many young adults are hesitant or even afraid to make any long-term commitment. For the first time in our nation’s almost 250-year history, less than half of the adult population in our country is married.

Many young adults are choosing not to marry or at least to delay marriage. This is caused, in part, by significant college debt. Cohabitation has become for many an alternative to marriage and amazingly has gained broad cultural acceptance.

Catholic moral teaching based on the Bible and the consistent tradition of the church considers

cohabitation as seriously sinful. This is not because of a puritanical notion that sex is evil. Quite the opposite. It is because of the high esteem the church has for sexual intimacy and the language of the body.

Sexual intimacy between a man and woman is an expression of a total giving of oneself physically to the other person. In the context of the marriage vows, this is an authentic expression of what a couple is striving to do in every other aspect of their lives.

Moreover, in the context of the marital commitment, a couple can welcome one of the possible natural fruits of sexual intimacy: the conceiving of a new human life.

Sexual intimacy outside of marriage is dishonest. It communicates something physically, namely an abiding union, to which the couple is not willing to commit.

The conception of a new human life creates a crisis for the cohabiting couple. Marriage is the foundation of the family. When marriage is weakened or diminished, this inevitably leads to a diminishment of the quality of family life.

Some view cohabitation as simply a prelude to marriage. However, the social science data reveals something quite different. Couples who live together before marriage are more likely, not less likely, to divorce.

During the sexual revolution, the lifegiving natural fruit of sexual intimacy was divorced from the most

profound physical expression of human love. In so doing, the sexual revolution actually trivialized and devalued sexual intimacy.

God did not make some huge mistake when he combined the most powerful expression of love between a man and a woman with the miracle of conceiving a new life.

The separation of the life-giving from the love-expressing components of sexual intimacy has been a societal disaster.

John Van Epp and J. P. De Gance in their recent book “End Game” assert that the great crisis in our culture is one of cultivating healthy and authentic relationships. They believe that the decoupling of sex from marriage, the decoupling of romantic partnerships from marriage and the decoupling of parenting from marriage have resulted in disastrous consequences for our culture and especially for children. The catastrophic consequences from rejecting God’s plan for love, sex, marriage and parenting are documented in social science data.

Nearly half of all Americans report sometimes or always feeling lonely. More than 40% of Americans sometimes or always feel their relationships are not meaningful; 20% of Americans report that they rarely or never feel close to people. Almost half of Americans do not feel that they have meaningful in-person daily social interactions, such as having an extended conversation with a friend or spending quality time with family.

Generation Z adults (those born after 1997) report the highest rates of loneliness in history, followed by millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996). The rates of depression, anxiety and suicide have increased in the past 10 years for

ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN’S CALENDAR Oct. 8 Catholic college presidents meeting — Savior Oct. 9 Ultrasound machine blessing — Kansas City Pregnancy Clinic Oct. 10 Installation Mass of Father Carter Zielinski — Sacred Heart, Emporia Project Andrew — Christ the King, Topeka Oct. 11 Pastoral Council meeting — chancery Oct. 12 Confirmation — Holy Family, Eudora Oct. 14 Respect Life celebration (Mass and keynote speaker) — St. Benedict Cathedral, Evansville, Indiana Oct. 17 Respect Life convention (keynote speaker) — Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis Our Lady of Guadalupe for Life Mass and dinner — Orlando’s Event Center, St. Louis

teens by more than 50%. Almost half of the American adult population is unmarried as compared with just over 25% in 1960.

For the first time in history, we have more first-time mothers that are unmarried than married.

The breakdown of stable marriages and therefore strong and vibrant families has been harmful for adults, but even more so for our children. We need to renew our society’s appreciation for the beauty and importance of marriage.

Strong vibrant marriages bring so many benefits not only to family members but to the community, nation and church.

I want to thank all married couples for your vocation. Christian marriage is a call to heroic love. It is a commitment to seek daily the good of your spouse over your own wants and desires. Our marriage and family life office offers many resources and opportunities to strengthen and renew your

marriage. If you want to make our world and nation better, then strive to live with passion the vows you made on your wedding day.

For those of us who are not married, I suggest that we all make an effort to encourage one or more married couples this week.

After all, the long-term health of our society is dependent on their vocation.

I wish you could have all witnessed the goodness and beauty of those former FOCUS missionaries who are now living the adventure of Christian marriage. Part of their living as missionary disciples is passing on the faith to their children.

Vibrant Christian families, where the joy of the Gospel is celebrated each day, are a powerful evangelizing tool for a society that is battling loneliness and depression.

May their numbers continue to grow!

LOCAL NEWS

OCTOBER 8, 2021 | THELEAVEN.ORG

3

LIFE FINDS A WAY

Left, Mary and Luke Baker rejected abortion when they were told their daughter Patsy had very little chance of survival after birth. She is now 4 years old.

Community leans in to help family raise ‘miracle’ child

Below, Patsy, who was born with microcephaly — a condition in which a baby’s head is much smaller than expected — is surrounded by her three doting brothers. They are, from left, Charlie (7), Joe (12) and Sam (9).

PHOTO BY LISA BANIEWICZ

By Lisa Baniewicz Special to The Leaven

A

live more than a few minutes without the life support of Mary’s body. She would most likely be born deaf and blind and in a vegetative state until she died.

Abortion was not offered that day. Instead, the doctors asked the Bakers, “What are your goals for her?” The Bakers wanted a few simple things.

They wanted their daughter to feel loved and cared for, to be as comfortable as possible and they wanted her baptized.

Even with their plan in place, they knew Patsy might not survive the pregnancy.

Luke, an insurance agent for the Knights of Columbus, asked people to pray for Patsy through the intercession of Blessed Father Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights.

“We had thousands praying

“

“

TCHISON — While most expectant couples are busy painting nurseries, being showered with gifts and posting pictures of their growing bellies on social media, this Atchison couple was not.

Mary and Luke Baker were planning a funeral instead.

It was early 2017 when the Bakers found out Mary was pregnant with Patsy. Dr. McGarrett Groth, OD, of Amberwell Hospital in Atchison, had delivered Patsy’s three older brothers — Joe, now 12; Sam, 9; and Charlie, 7. Due to Mary’s four prior miscarriages, Groth referred the Bakers to a maternal fetal specialist.

At their initial appointment, the specialist offered an abortion based on statistics of older women and pregnancy risks. Mary was 37. Only after the Bakers said no to an abortion did the specialist examine her. Spotting abnormalities, the specialist asked them to come back.

During an ultrasound at 22 weeks, Patsy was diagnosed.

The specialist said, “The fetus has severe microcephaly” — a condition in which a baby’s head is much smaller than expected. They were told to expect anything from learning disabilities to full-time care.

An abortion was offered again.

“It felt like our baby was being treated like a cancer that needed to be dealt with,” Mary said.

At 28 weeks, Mary transferred to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. In a boardroom full of doctors from the newborn intensive care unit (NICU), neurologists, internal fetal specialists and palliative care, Patsy’s scans were discussed.

Only 20% of Patsy’s brain had developed. The doctors told the Bakers their baby would not survive. She would not

PHOTO BY LISA BANIEWICZ

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT CHOOSING LIFE. IT’S SAYING, ‘I WILL HELP YOU.’ MARY BAKER PATSY’S MOTHER

for her,” Luke said. “Even prisoners in Leavenworth.”

He chose Blessed Father McGivney because the miracle attributed to him was similar to Patsy’s. In addition, Luke’s brother, Benedictine Father Simon Baker, held a relic of Blessed Father McGivney to Mary’s stomach at a Benedictine College healing Mass and prayed for a miracle.

President Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann

Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799) Published weekly September through May, excepting the Friday the week after Thanksgiving, and the Friday after Christmas; biweekly June through August. Address communications to: The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. Phone: (913) 721-1570; fax: (913) 7215276; or email at: sub@theleaven.org. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. For change of address, provide old and new address and parish. Subscriptions $21/year. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, KS 66109.

Production Manager Todd Habiger todd.habiger@theleaven.org

Patsy was born on Aug. 2, 2017, and weighed four pounds.

“Patsy had a strong heartbeat and came out crying on her own,” Mary said. Father Simon baptized her and doctors and nurses joined the Baker family as they sang “Happy Birthday.”

“We were celebrating a double birthday,” said Mary.

“Patsy’s birth on earth and in heaven.”

In those few precious minutes with Patsy, she was passed between family members.

And then they waited. But Patsy did not die.

On day three, the NICU doctor told the Bakers not to get their hopes up. Patsy would probably live only a week or two. The Bakers took Patsy home that same day.

“Hospice got to our house before we did,” Mary said.

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

Senior Reporter Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

Patsy remained on hospice for over six weeks.

Patsy is now 4 years old, gets up around 7:30 a.m. with medication and follows a special diet.

“She can’t swallow well, so she eats four times a day through a feeding tube, gets nine medications a day and has approximately 1,000 seizures a day,” Mary said.

Their family and community continue to offer support.

“It’s not just about choosing life. It’s saying, ‘I will help you,’” Mary said.

Their neighbors have been buying diapers for Patsy since she was born. Luke’s parents moved to Atchison to help with Patsy’s sleepless nights, and the Knights Council 818 of St. Patrick Church in Atchison >> See “LOCAL” on page 16

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

OCTOBER 8, 2O21 | THELEAVEN.ORG

Sister Marcella Schrant, OSU

M

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann blesses and dedicates the new parish hall at Holy Family Parish in Alma. Assisting the archbishop is Deacon Jody Madden.

After fire destroys old parish hall, Holy Family, Alma, rebuilds

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

A

LMA — The destruction of Alma seemed a real possibility when a prairie fire on April 5, 2016, advanced from the southern end of town.

Vigorous efforts by firefighters prevented a disaster, but the town didn’t entirely escape damage.

An old, stone, two-story house across the street from Holy Family Parish called the Pius Building, that the parish had been using for religious education classes, burned down. The sparks had come from a nearby barn fire.

“Nobody knew the fire had rekindled,” said Joyce Pimple, parish bookkeeper. “We were lucky not to lose our church.”

And it left Holy Family Parish with precious little room — rather, no room at all — for anything. The parish secretaries worked from home. For a hall, they had to make do with a small kitchen and space in the church basement.

Which led them to ask a critical question: Could a parish of only 65 families build a new parish hall?

Parishioners answered with a resounding “yes.”

On Sept. 21, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann came to Holy Family to bless and dedicate its parish hall, and then administered the sacrament of confirmation at the sister parish of Sacred Heart in Paxico.

Father Ratna Swamy Nannam, MSFS, is the parochial administrator of Holy Family and Sacred Heart, as well as chaplain for the Washburn University Catholic Campus Center in Topeka.

Parish members paid for the new hall with a legacy, insurance, parishioner pledges and good old-fashioned sweat equity, said John Bloomfield, construction committee chairman

APLE MOUNT, Ky. — Sister Marcella Schrant, 95, an Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph here, died Sept. 25 at Mount Saint Joseph in her 76th year of religious life. She was a native of Walker.

Sister Marcella was an Ursuline Sister of Paola prior to the merger with Mount Saint Joseph.

Her previous religious name was Sister Mary James.

She exuded hospitality to all she met, loved to travel and shared her excellent Sister Marcella cooking skills wherSchrant, OSU ever she lived. She believed we all need to “bring our own sunshine.”

All of her ministry was in Kansas until retiring to Maple Mount in 2014.

She was a teacher for 43 years at Holy Name in Kansas City, Kansas (1947-54; 1961-69); St. Agnes in Roeland Park (1954-57; 1969-90); and St. Patrick/Holy Trinity, Paola (1957-61). She was elected superior of her community (1990-94).

She was a receptionist at the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, (19942004) and office assistant at St. John the Evangelist Parish (2007-14), both in Lawrence. She was pastoral associate at Holy Family Parish, Eudora (200407). She volunteered in the mission advancement office at Maple Mount from 2015-20.

Topeka Scout earns Eagle award

PHOTO BY PAM MEHRHOF

Holy Family’s new parish hall was blessed and dedicated by Archbishop Naumann on Sept.

21. The previous parish hall was destroyed in a fire in 2016. and construction superintendent.

“Back in the 1920s, a bachelor farmer left his entire farm to the church,” said Bloomfield. “His name was Mathies Schieber. Of course, we also had an insurance settlement on the [Pius] building. . . . The rest of it was through pledges by the parishioners.”

Additionally, parishioners did nearly all the work in the finished basement themselves, except for the electrical, HVAC and plumbing.

The hall is located east of the church and is a one-story building with a basement. It has a peaked roof outside with three dormers to allow in more light. It has four, round stained-glass windows — one in each dormer and one on the west end. The shingles are composite, the exterior a tan stucco. It has an L-shaped portico at the entrance.

The 5,000-square-foot upstairs has a kitchen, hall, bathrooms and entryway. The seating capacity is about 250. It has an airy, peaked ceiling.

The 4,000-square-foot downstairs contains the parish office, a kitchenette, bathrooms, four classrooms and

a library. It has a curtain wall that can be drawn back to convert a space into a theater.

There is a bronze statue of the Holy Family in a brick patio near the portico. The statue was donated by the Schwalm and Tenbrink families in memory of a family member, Father Donald Schwalm, who died on Feb. 14, 2018.

Construction began in spring 2017 and the building was largely completed in spring 2018, with some continued work in the basement. The architect was BBN Architects, Inc., of Kansas City, Missouri, and Manhattan. The general contractor was BHS Construction, Inc., of Manhattan.

The cost of construction was about $1,170,000.

“This hall has done more for our parish community than anything I can remember since I’ve been a member of the parish,” said Bloomfield. “It galvanized people around the parish. We didn’t have anything going on that helped the parish to focus [us more on] who we are and our mission.”

TOPEKA — Michael Kalas, of Boy Scout Troop 26, received the Eagle Scout award during a court of honor ceremony on Aug 29 at Mater Dei Parish hall here.

For his Eagle service project, Kalas planned and raised funds to restore two former Eagle projects at Mater DeiHoly Name Church.

Michael Kalas After being uprooted by the construction of the new parish hall, the memorial brick rose garden and the walking rosary were redone in a new design, including the addition of two new benches.

Burlington Scout makes Eagle rank BURLINGTON — Trevin Andrew Myers, a member of Boy Scout Troop 139, Sojadi DistrictJayhawk Area Council, and St. Francis Xavier Parish here, received the Eagle Scout award during a court of honor ceremony on Aug. 8.

For his Eagle Trevin Myers project, Myers refurbished the St. Francis Xavier Parish cemetery monuments and archway and the rectory wooden patio furniture.

OCTOBER 8, 2021 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

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LEAVEN PHOTO BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD

A group of teachers representing 36 of the 42 schools in the archdiocese pose with Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann during a brunch honoring educators throughout the archdiocese. Schoolteachers in the archdiocese were chosen as this year’s Catholic Education Foundation’s Angels Among Us honorees.

Teachers honored as Angels Among Us

By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill.esfeld@theleaven.org

Help rewrite a child’s future

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — “There’s a difference in our schools, and it’s you,” said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann at a brunch honoring educators throughout the archdiocese.

“That’s what the whole society, not just Catholics, took note of last year — our Catholic schools,” he said.

When most public schools closed and relied on virtual learning during the pandemic, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas stayed open.

“You made that possible,” the archbishop told the group of teachers, which represented 36 of the 42 schools in the archdiocese.

He attributed the success of archdiocesan schools during the pandemic to the teachers’ determination to continue in-person learning while following guidelines to ensure student safety.

“You put the students first,” he said.

“You found a way to make the learning experience in our schools the best it could be in those circumstances.”

The brunch, hosted by the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF), was a prelude to the archdiocesan teachers being honored at this October’s CEF Gaudeamus benefit gala as recipients of the Michael and Patty Morrissey Angels Among Us award.

Citing a report by McKinsey & Company, a global research group, CEF executive director Vince Anch told the educators that polling showed students learning from home last year ended up five months behind in math and four months behind in reading.

“So, that’s just proof in the pudding of how important [in-person learning] is,” he said. “And that’s in addition to something we have that other schools don’t: faith formation.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD

Vince Anch, CEF executive director, addresses teachers on Sept. 23 at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas.

“That’s what you guys are bringing to the table.”

Anch recalled that during the process of choosing an Angel Among Us honoree, several board members called him to say “what our teachers did this past year was absolutely heroic.”

“You guys went in-person every day,” Anch told the gathered educators. “And you did it before vaccines; you did not miss a beat.

“And for that reason, we thought let’s honor all the teachers. It was unanimous from our board. Could there be a better honoree?”

Chairman of the board Jeff Jaworski, whose father was a Catholic school teacher, thanked the teachers on behalf of the board for their effort during the pandemic.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my dad,” he said. “And that means I couldn’t be more proud of who you are and what you do.”

Jaworski emphasized the importance of the faith formation woven

through every Catholic school learning experience.

“I want to thank each and every one of you for all of the things you’ve done this last year and a half,” he said. “But, most importantly, for the things you do every single day in teaching our kids the Catholic faith.

“I remember one time my dad saying, ‘Jeff, English and math won’t get a kid to heaven, but their Catholic faith will.’

“That’s what matters.”

Archdiocesan superintendent of schools Vince Cascone agreed with Jaworski and specifically talked about the fear generated by the pandemic and how it may impact our children.

“Our faith in God can overcome that fear,” he said. “What a great example you were to our students and our families that we don’t have to live in fear.

“We can do the things we need to do to be safe; we can do the things we need to do to help protect one another,” he said.

This year’s Gaudeamus benefit gala, CEF’s signature fundraising event, is live and in-person at the Overland Park Convention Center on Oct. 23. Funds raised support Catholic school scholarships for students in need throughout the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Last year’s Gaudeamus allowed CEF to provide over $2 million in scholarship funding to nearly 1,500 low-income students in the 2020-21 school year. Seniors supported by CEF scholarships achieved a 100% graduation rate this spring.

Right now, nearly 200 students are waiting for a scholarship. Your support of this year’s Gaudeamus can rewrite the future for a child in need For more information, visit the website at: https://www.cefks.org/

Archbishop Naumann wrapped up the morning by reflecting on his own mother’s experience as a Catholic school teacher and principal.

“I was able to see firsthand the dedication of a teacher,” he said. “And your work doesn’t end when classes are over.

“It begins as you prepare for the next day.”

He reiterated the importance helping our children develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as part of the education experience.

“If we are doing that,” he said, “our test scores are going to be very good, and our kids are going to excel at extracurriculars.

“They’re going to have a motivation you don’t have unless you believe in God and see that you’re using your gifts in the very best way to glorify God.”

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LOCAL NEWS

OCTOBER 8, 2O21 | THELEAVEN.ORG

Internet porn a problem in almost half of Christian homes

Y

ears ago, when I was seeing couples for marriage counseling, I heard a conversation between a husband and wife that has remained with me to this day.

Sitting in my office, the wife said to her husband: “Why is it that every evening you need to watch pornographic videos?

I don’t like what that does to you and to me.”

He replied defensively: “I have asked you many times to join me in watching.

But you don’t want to.

If you did, you would feel differently.”

She became even angrier. “You don’t understand me at all,” she said. “When you watch pornography and then you approach me for sex, it makes me feel cheap. What am I to you? I feel like one of the actors in the video who has stepped out of the screen to satisfy your need. I

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.

don’t want to be that.

I am your wife. I want you to make love to me to express your love and care for me, not because you want to use me to satisfy your needs.”

Scientists are finding that pornography has become an epidemic aided by its widespread access through the internet.

Dr. Patrick Cranes,

who first advanced the idea that a person could become addicted to sex, calls the addiction to internet pornography “the crack cocaine of sexual addiction.” Internet porn use is especially prevalent among men, although it is also used by some women.

What should concern us is the mounting scientific evidence that points to the negative impact of pornography on the individual using it, on the marriage and on the family. Although internet pornography is most often consumed by one person alone, in secret, the impact of its use is felt by the whole family, starting with the spouse.

The couple mentioned above is a good example. The wife was upset because pornography was changing in a fundamental way the meaning of her intimate relationship with her husband. The user’s attitude toward

COPYRIGHT © BY CLIFF LEITCH, THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE REFERENCE SITE, WWW.CHRISTIANBIBLEREFERENCE.ORG. USED BY PERMISSION

intercourse is no longer an act of love — a self-giving interaction.

Instead, it is simply a pleasure-seeking opportunity. The spouse becomes an object of personal satisfaction.

Bergner & Bridges in a 2002 study reported comments by the spouses of pornography users: “I am no longer a sexual person or partner to him, but a sexual object. He is not really with me, not really making love to me. . . He seems to be thinking about something or someone else — likely those porn women. . . . He is just using me as a warm body.”

Researchers report that women whose husbands use pornography feel betrayed, almost as if the spouse was having an affair.

This threatens the marital bond.

The Catholic Church understands the damage that the use of pornography does to the family. The catechism teaches us that

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10 School group 13 Freudian term 14 Airport abbr.

15 Internal Revenue Service 16 Really cool 17 Curve 19 Church officials 21 Marsh 22 Adam and __ 24 Second to last mo.

25 Daniel was thrown into the __s’ den 27 Evergreen tree 28 What Celestial Seasonings makes 31 Serving of corn 32 Where Jesus died 34 Eve’s beginning 35 O come, O come, __ 38 Prone 41 Southeast by east 42 Asian dress 43 Wife of Ahasuerus 46 Agreement between man and God 50 American College of Physicians (abbr.)

51 Cut of beef 53 Transgression

pornography “offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other” (No. 2354).

Unfortunately, 47% of Christian homes report that pornography is a problem in their family, according to Integrity Restored, an organization that offers men and women tools to break free from the bonds of pornography.

According to “Guardchild: Protecting Children in the Digital Age,” 70% of children 7-8 years old have accidentally come across online pornography, often through web searches while doing homework. As a parent, I encourage you to do all that you can to protect your children from accidental access to pornography.

Covenant Eyes (www. covenanteyes.com) has a tool that offers both a filter that blocks pornographic materials and tracks

54 Nifty 56 Hoopla 57 Writings 58 Thai 60 Game official 61 Drink 62 Wash 65 Sated 69 Building addition 70 To be in debt 71 Grows acorns 72 Make angry 73 Thirst quencher 74 Headed 75 Change color 76 California (abbr.)

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2 Past 3 Comply 4 Long time 5 Heat unit 6 Breezy 7 Threads 8 Friday (abbr.)

9 Association (abbr.)

10 Similitude 11 Faucet 12 Advertisements 18 X 20 Spicy 23 Bowed stringed instrument

Question for reflection: What am I doing to protect myself, my children and my family from exposure to pornography?

where your children are going on the internet, so that you can guide them.

For anyone struggling to battle the temptations to watch pornographic materials, finding help is very important. Pornography addiction, like alcohol addiction, requires surrender to a higher power to guide us. We need the help of God’s grace to overcome an enemy that is taking over our life. Turn to God for strength and courage. Approaching the sacrament of penance and the Eucharist can be a starting point.

Also, finding a support group to keep us accountable and to encourage us is very important.

25 Downwind 26 A name of God 29 Cause of sickness 30 South by east 32 Length of forearm 33 Serf 36 Fire remains 37 Fisherman’s tool 39 Anger 40 Old Testament city 42 Christ 43 Moving truck 44 Genius 45 Omelet flipper 46 Rule 47 Not septic 48 Veto 49 Trinitrotoluene 52 Obstructed 55 Convert into leather 57 Make lace 59 Object of false worship 61 A Gospel 62 Allow 63 Lager 64 Female sheep 66 Rest 67 Time period 68 10 liters (abbr. for dekaliter) Solution on page 15

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SPECIAL FATHER KAPAUN COVERAGE

HOMECOMING

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KAREN MIKOLS BONAR

Ray Kapaun, left, approaches the casket bearing the remains of his uncle, Father Emil Kapaun, with Paul Roach, who was held as a prisoner of war with Father Kapaun during the Korean War. St. John Nepomucene parishioners in Pilsen — many of whom remembered Father Kapaun — were given the chance to honor his remains on Sept. 26, even before the official funeral services in Wichita took place. Father Kapaun died on May 23, 1951; his remains were only identified in the spring of this year, and then returned to Kansas for a funeral and burial.

Father Kapaun returns to his home parish one last time

By Karen Mikols Bonar Special to The Leaven

P

ILSEN — The church bells of St. John Nepomucene Church here tolled solemnly.

Slowly, the motorcade drove north toward the church, and with it, the hearse bearing the remains of one of the community’s most widely known residents, Servant of God Father Emil Kapaun.

Each side of the road was adorned with more than 200 flags, which all flapped crisply in the eastern wind. Past the fields and farmland of his childhood went the motorcade. Past the peaks and valleys. Past the rust-colored sea of milo. Past the beans, which were just beginning their transition from green to gold. And, even, past the occasional wilting sunflower along the shoulder of Remington Road.

Born on April 20, 1916, in rural Pilsen, the childhood of Father Kapaun revolved around the Catholic faith, which was prevalent in this rural Kansas Bohemian community.

His death in a North Korean prison camp was

worlds away on May 23, 1951, but his story lives on in the hearts and memories of those in his hometown.

Baby Emil was baptized within the walls of the new church, which was dedicated on Sept. 18, 1915. He celebrated his first confession and received his first Communion in the sanctuary. He would receive confirmation within its walls. Shortly after he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Wichita in 1940, he celebrated his first Mass as a priest with a crowd of 1,200 witnesses.

The community watched him grow up. The church was his first assignment after he was ordained. It also waited more than 70 years for its native son, who died in a North Korean POW camp, to return home.

And although it would not be his final resting place, it was the first stop.

“He had to come home first,” said his nephew, Ray Kapaun, with moist eyes.

Father Kapaun, a chaplain in the 8th Calvary Regiment of the U.S. Army, was captured on Nov. 2, 1950. It was rumored he was buried in a mass grave in North Korea, with few expectations that his remains would be returned.

Still unidentified, however,

the remains were among those transferred to the U.S. as part of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement. And on March 4 of this year, it was announced that his remains were positively identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

For many years, Father Kapaun was buried among 867 remains in the VA’s National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. His resting place was under a headstone that read “US Unknown” in the shade of two plumeria trees.

“We didn’t expect it at all,” said lifelong Pilsen parishioner Dr. Eugene Vinduska. “It was a lot of years from the time he was captured.”

Vinduska, who is 90, was an altar server during Father Kapaun’s time as a priest at the parish. He was also one of 10 parish children selected to be in the procession for the newly ordained priest’s first Mass.

His eyes shimmered as he spoke of his most memorable Mass experience.

“I was kneeling on the step and consecration comes.

When Father Kapaun elevated the host, his hands trembled,” Vinduska said. “I felt like >> See “PEOPLE” on page 10

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KAREN MIKOLS BONAR

The casket carrying Father Kapaun’s remains is carried into St. John Nepomucene Church, Pilsen, on Sept. 25, where the parish had an opportunity to honor its native son. The skeletal remains of Father Kapaun were identified in Hawaii earlier this year. After special services that included military honors, the former POW’s remains are now entombed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita.

SPECIAL FATHER KA

Olathe woman recounts her memories of Father Kapaun

By Karen Mikols Bonar Special to The Leaven

O

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Prince of Peace parishioner Marilyn (Schugart) Grover grew up in the small, rural town of Timken. She attended Holy Trinity Church, where Father Emil Kapaun was assigned in 1948, and received her first Communion from him.

“

LATHE — When she thinks back to her first holy Communion, Marilyn (Schugart) Grover will remember that she received her first Eucharist from the hands of a man who might one day be named a saint.

While currently a Prince of Peace, Olathe, parishioner, Grover grew up in the small, rural town of Timken. She attended Holy Trinity Church, where Father Emil Kapaun was assigned in 1948.

“I received the Eucharist for the first time from his hands,” she said. “I have my little purse with my rosary and prayer book.

He would have blessed those items. It’s very special.”

“Everybody loved him,” she continued. “He was such a kind, gentle person. Even at that age, just a kid, I knew that he was somebody special.”

Father Kapaun was granted the title Servant of God in 1993.

He served as a chaplain for the U.S. Army and was captured in 1950 and sent to a POW camp in North Korea. In the camp, he continued to serve and minister to his soldiers. He died on May 23, 1951, from malnutrition and starvation at the age of 35.

During Father Kapaun’s military service, Grover’s mother wrote to the priest.

“He found a piece of rice paper in a hut and sat down and wrote a letter to my mother,” she said.

A portion of the correspondence was published in Msgr.

Arthur Tonne’s book, “The Story of Chaplain Kapaun: Patriot Priest of the Korean Conflict.”

“My mother knew he loved angel food cake and several times sent them to him in Korea,” Grover said.

When it was announced the Army chaplain was missing, the parish reeled.

“We prayed and prayed and prayed for him. We were hoping that he would come back,” she said. “We remember the day they found out he was not alive.

We stood by the window and cried.”

For more than 70 years, Father Kapaun’s body was never identified.

“ EVERYBODY LOVED HIM. HE WAS SUCH A KIND, GENTLE PERSON. EVEN AT THAT AGE, JUST A KID, I KNEW THAT HE WAS SOMEBODY SPECIAL. MARILYN GROVER MEMBER OF PRINCE OF PEACE PARISH, OLATHE “I thought, ‘I bet we’ll never know where he is buried,’” Grover said.

Yet, on March 4 of this year, it was announced that Father Kapaun’s remains were positively identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency among the remains of the unidentified soldiers buried at the National Cemetery of the Pacific

in Hawaii.

His remains were then shipped stateside and a funeral was celebrated in the Diocese of Wichita on Sept. 29.

In 1993, the Archdiocese for the Military Services had opened the cause for Father Kapaun’s canonization, and he was given the title Servant of God. In November 2015, the Diocese of Wichita presented its summary of the documentation of Father Kapaun’s life to the Congregation for Saints’ Causes in Rome.

Now, as a Servant of God, Father Kapaun has cleared the first step in the canonization process.

There are still several more steps, however, including: being declared Venerable, being beatified and then being canonized.

“I keep hoping he will be a saint within my lifetime,” Grover said, “so, I can say, ‘I knew a saint.’”

Father Kapaun’s >> Continued from page 1 Wichita on Sept. 29. It concluded five days of events in Kansas that surrounded the priest’s homecoming.

“What remains of him, his earthly temple, is now back among us and for that we give thanks to the Lord,” Wichita Bishop Carl Kemme said in his funeral homily.

Kapaun said the service members were an essential part of his uncle’s legacy.

“These guys came out of this death camp and came out and told the story of Father Emil, told it to anybody who would listen, told it to anybody who wouldn’t listen,” he said. “I truly believe that we would not be having this amazing event if it wasn’t for these guys continually putting this story out there.”

While the vigil service on Sept. 28 and the funeral Mass the next day were open to the public, other events during the weekend were private. Father Kapaun’s remains spent two days in St. John Nepomucene Church in Pilsen, where community members had the opportunity to celebrate and remember the town’s native son.

Also throughout the weekend were opportunities for fellow POWs, including Sgt. Miller and Col. Mike Dowe, to spend time privately with their friend.

“The guys would sit and talk about Father [Emil], the love that they had for him, the devotion that they had for him,” Kapaun said. “It’s been amazing because I get to have a part of my uncle with these guys who are still alive.”

During the funeral Mass, Father Matthew Pawlikowski read a statement composed by Dowe in which he shared how the Catholic chaplain ministered to his fellow soldiers.

“With the food Father would pilfer, he would sneak down the valley in the evening,” Dowe wrote. “He would give the GIs a puff on his pipe; talk to them about the importance of maintaining their faith in God, their country and each other; and then, he would move on to the next hut.”

While Dowe said there were more than 2,000 soldiers in the POW camps, fewer than 1,000 survived the winter. As Father Kapaun was recovering from pneumonia, his captors removed him from the hut.

Chase Kear prays over the casket of F on Oct. 2, 2008. His family and friend one of the miracles of Father Kapaun

“We all knew they were going to kill him,” Dowe wrote “When those around him started to react, Father personally calmed us. I was in tears when he said to me, ‘Mike, don’t be sad. I’m going where I always wanted to go, and when I get there, I’ll be praying for you all.’”

After their chaplain encouraged them to continue the prayer services, he was moved to what the prisoners called the “death house.”

“Patients who were incontinent or otherwise difficult to treat were put there to die, without food or water, with vermin maggots and feces,” Dowe wrote. “Once dead, their bodies were thrown into a canyon behind the death house that became a mass grave.”

Father Kapaun died in the structure on May 23, 1951, and his fellow POWs assumed he was tossed into the abyss with the other bodies. Yet, Dowe said the military’s Graves Registration team was allowed to access and recover remains there later and discovered something.

“Amazingly, there was one person buried separately, near the death house, instead of being thrown into the mass grave,” Dowe wrote. “The person who

A TIMELINE OF FATHER KAPAUN’S LIFE April 20, 1916 — Emil Joseph

Kapaun is born on Holy Thursday to Bessie (Hajek) and Enos Kapaun in the couple’s remote farmhouse.

1936 — Begins theological

Kapaun enters the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps.

June 9, 1940 — Emil is or-

March 1945 — Father Kapaun is deployed to Burma (Myanmar) and India.

studies at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis.

May 9, 1916 — Emil is bap-

dained a priest for the Diocese of Wichita.

1930 — Emil enters Conception

November 1943 — Father Kapaun is appointed pastor of St. John Nepomucene in Pilsen.

ed to the rank of captain by the U.S. Army.

July 12, 1944 — Father

deployment.

tized at St. John Nepomucene Church in Pilsen.

Seminary in Conception, Missouri.

Jan. 3, 1946 — He is promot-

May 1946 — He returns from

1946-48 — Father Kapaun attends The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and earns a master’s in education.

1948 — He is granted permis-

sion to return to chaplaincy, rejoins the Army, and is assigned to the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Corps.

Dec. 12-16, 1949 — Father

Kapaun makes his final visit to Pilsen.

July 11, 1950 — The 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, where Father Kapaun served as chaplain, is deployed to South Korea.

Aug. 2, 1950 — Father Kapaun rescues a wounded soldier amid a barrage of machine-gun fire near Kumchon, South Korea, and receives the Bronze Star Medal for bravery in action.

APAUN COVERAGE

’s legacy lives on in the hearts of his fellow POWs Visit the tomb Father Kapaun’s Tomb is located at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 430 N. Broadway St., Wichita.

The tomb will be available for visitors beginning Nov. 1.

For groups with more than 10, advance reservations are required.

Group visiting hours: Monday: 1-8 p.m.

Tuesday: 1-8 p.m.

Wednesday: CLOSED Thursday: 1-6 p.m.

Friday: 1-4:30 p.m.

Saturday: 8-10:30 a.m.

Sunday: 2-8 p.m.

Private visiting hours (families or groups of less than 10): Monday: 9-11:30 a.m.; 1-8 p.m.

Tuesday: 9-11:30 a.m.; 1-8 p.m.

Wednesday: CLOSED Thursday: 9-11:30 a.m.; 1-6 p.m.

Friday: 9-11:30 a.m.; 1-4:30 p.m.

Saturday: 8-10:30 a.m.; 4-5 p.m.

Sunday: 2-8 p.m.

Visit online at: frkapaun.org/visit-us/ PHOTO COURTESY OF CHASE KEAR

Father Emil Kapaun in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita on Sept. 27. Kear was in a pole vaulting accident ds immediately started praying for the intercession of Father Kapaun. Kear’s recovery is being considered by the Vatican as n, essential for the canonization process.

in the other two nearby.

“The example of Father’s work and life in the camp became the basis of today’s Code of Conduct for our armed forces,” Dowe wrote.

“Whether people knew his name or not, Father has been shaping the character of service members in all the branches of

our armed forces for the past 70 years,” he added.

Thousands gathered in Hartman Arena, near Wichita, for the funeral vigil service and Mass.

Among those gathered were several hundred clergy, including Father Jeremy Heppler, OSB, pastor of St. Benedict Church in Atchison. He graduated

from Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School in 1996.

“For years, I’ve known the story of Father Kapaun and have been intrigued by his holiness,” Father Jeremy said. “It affected the entire Catholic community in Wichita, including my own formation and desire for holiness. I couldn’t help but look at him and think, ‘I want that holiness he lived out in very practical ways.’”

In 1993, the Vatican named Father Kapaun a Servant of God, which is the first step in a cause for sainthood. During the canonization process, miracles are required as proof the candidate is with God. Chase Kear, of Colwich, was a sophomore at Hutchinson Community College and involved in track and field, when on Oct. 2, 2008, he suffered a severe head injury in a pole-vaulting accident. Rapid swelling from the fracture forced the doctors to induce a coma; soon, a quarter of the right frontal lobe of Kear’s brain had to be removed.

His family was told to prepare for the worst.

When the accident happened, Kear’s family and friends turned in prayer to Father Kapaun, asking for the priest to intercede.

Fifty-one days after the acci-

May 1951 — Chinese guards

August 1951 — Chaplain

November 2015 — Bishop

e e. y n e s t ” e d e

o n, e s n t

e d e h d, s r,

e r g ” o

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KAREN MIKOLS BONAR

A clergy member salutes during the playing of “Taps,” which was followed by a 21-gun salute, as Father Emil Kapaun is taken into the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita on Sept. 29. Servant of God Father Kapaun served as a military chaplain and died in a POW camp on May 23, 1951. His funeral, with military honors, was on Sept. 29 in his home diocese of Wichita. is buried in that separate grave has only recently been positively identified as Father Kapaun.”

Dowe stayed in the military after his release, and Father Kapaun’s example continued to guide him. Dowe pointed out that the survival rate among POWs in the camp where Father Kapaun served was higher than

Nov. 2, 1950 — Father Kapaun and soldiers he was with are captured by the Communists. leads an Easter service for his fellow prisoners, despite having been forbidden to do so.

realize Father Kapaun is beginning to recover and move him to the camp “hospital,” where prisoners were taken to die. As he departed, Father Kapaun asked forgiveness of the guards and gave them a blessing.

April 1951 — In addition to a blood clot forming in his leg, Father Kapaun contracts pneumonia.

May 23, 1951 — Father Kapaun dies in the “death house” from malnutrition and starvation.

He was 35 years old.

March 1951 — Father Kapaun

Kapaun is awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

1993 — The Archdiocese for

the Military Services opens the cause for Father Kapaun’s canonization, and he is given the title Servant of God.

2008 — His cause for canonization is transferred to the Diocese of Wichita.

Carl Kemme presents a summary of the documentation of Father Kapaun’s life to the Congregation for Saints’ Causes in Rome.

April 11, 2013 — The Medal of

Honor is posthumously awarded to Chaplain Kapaun by President Barack Obama for his actions during the Battle of Unsan. It is the highest award given to members of the military. Only five chaplains

dent, Kear went home.

“The bigger part of the miracle being investigated is not necessarily the fact that I lived, but the speed of the recovery,” Kear said.

Kear was present at Dwight D. Eisenhower Airport when the plane bearing Father Kapaun landed.

“The hearse drove past me and I thought that was as close as I would ever get to him,” Kear said.

He attended the public events but was surprised when he was invited to privately visit the remains.

“I bowed over his casket in humility and thanks and said some prayers and cried some tears,” Kear said. “It was one of the best moments of my life, being able to give thanks to the man who saved me and to welcome him home.”

Following the funeral Mass, Father Kapaun’s casket was taken to Veterans Memorial Park near downtown Wichita. There, it was loaded onto a horse-drawn funeral caisson.

The flag-draped casket processed east, past more than 1,800 students from 25 of the diocese’s Catholic schools.

With military precision, the casket was carried into the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where family and clergy said their final goodbye.

“At the end, two by two, the priests and family went up, put their hand on the casket and spent 10 to 15 seconds praying,” Father Jeremy said. “It was powerful. I said a quick prayer of thanksgiving for God allowing Father Kapaun to be such a great witness, and also prayers for me to continue to be a good and holy priest, for other priests, for the Wichita community and for my parish.”

The tomb of Father Kapaun resides inside the cathedral and all are invited to visit (see sidebar for more information).

“We now have a place to be in the company of his mortal remains and to pray for his intercession, especially when for us life is dark and lonely and when we are hopeless and afraid,” Bishop Kemme said. “Let us all continue to pray for his cause so that one day soon we will be able to call him the saint we are confident he truly is.”

have received the honor since the Civil War; all were Catholic priests.

July 2021 — The government

of South Korea inducts Father Kapaun into the Order of Military Merit and bestows upon him its highest military award, the Taegeuk Service Medal.

March 4, 2021 — It is announced that the remains of Father Kapaun have been identified.

SPECIAL FATHER KAPAUN COVERAGE

People from far and wide return to say their goodbyes >> Continued from page 7

Learn more about Father Kapaun

something happened, and it was really God in that host. It strengthened my faith.”

••• From Sept. 25-27, the priest’s flag-draped coffin remained in the church.

Around the physical remains, the parish community came together, first throughout the night in eucharistic adoration. Then, on Sept. 26, Priesthood Sunday, the community celebrated one final Mass with Father Kapaun.

His chalice sat on the altar and bore the precious blood of Christ during the consecration. The parish was again, sacramentally, united with its beloved priest. “[Father Kapaun] would hear deep within his soul a desire to be a priest for a specific group of Christ’s sheep, those in the armed forces,” said Bishop Carl Kemme in his homily. “It was his priesthood that was the foundation of his service to the soldiers he supported. He was Chaplain Father Kapaun and, as a priest, he became a spiritual father to those men in a way that changed their lives.”

Following the Mass, a parish picnic-like atmosphere prevailed, as parishioners gathered in the church basement to swap memories.

Paulette Holub, who grew up in Pilsen, said her mother shared stories about the priest. Her uncle, Paul Svitak, was standing at the top of the stairs, and Kapaun was at the bottom and tossed a ball up to his friend. “[Father Kapaun] threw the ball and said, ‘Paul, catch!’

My uncle missed, and it broke the window [on the church door] and my grandfather had to buy a new window,” she shared with a laugh.

Eighty-f ive-year-old Robert Klenda now lives in Kimball, Nebraska, but grew up in the parish.

“In those days, he was a parishioner, not a celebrity,” Klenda said. “He was just part of the parish.”

Vinduska agreed.

“There was nothing exciting about us. This is a sleepy little village and he was part of it,” Vinduska said. “He was just as plain as a checkered tablecloth. He didn’t stand out or anything, but he cared for all ages.”

••• Kelly Krch is a parishioner at the parish, and a docent at Father Kapaun’s Childhood Museum. She grew up in Brown County in northeast Kansas and moved to Pilsen in 1993 after she and her husband wed.

“I think what inspires me most about him is his absolute love,” she said. “He saw

Father Kapaun’s Childhood Museum is located at St. John Nepomucene Church, Pilsen.

Hours: Tuesday, Friday, 1-4 p.m.* Contact Rose Davidson in advance at Holy Family Parish office by email at: hfpmarion@ yahoo.com. * Other times are available, but advance reservation is required.

St. John Nepomucene Church, Pilsen, is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mass is celebrated at 8 a.m. on Thursday and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

the reason I came home.”

•••

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KAREN MIKOLS BONAR

The hearse bearing the skeletal remains of Father Emil Kapaun drives slowly through the cemetery behind the church on Sept. 27. Harriet Bina, a parishioner in charge of the childhood museum in Pilsen, rode in the front seat,. The procession stopped at the graves of Bessie and Enos Kapaun, Father Kapaun’s parents, for a moment of prayer. no boundaries, no division.

When he looked at someone, he saw a child of God. It didn’t matter if they were American, North Korean, South Korean.

In our world today, we need examples like that.”

In the spring, when the announcement was made and plans began for Father Kapaun’s homecoming, it felt surreal.

“In March, it felt like a long way off,” Krch said. “It was an entirely different feeling when I saw the hearse come up the road. It all of a sudden was real. I’ve been telling stories about this man for years, but he’s in our church right now.”

••• The weekend was important for the parish, but not because of Father Kapaun’s decorated military experience, which includes the Medal of Honor, posthumously awarded by the President Barack Obama on

April 11, 2013.

“There are still people in this parish that knew him, and definitely knew his mother,” Krch said of Bessie Kapaun, who died in 1986.

“Some of the saints were hundreds of years in the making, but [Father Kapaun] is within people’s lifetime.

“This [homecoming] is important because people remember praying for him, for Bessie and Enos (his parents). [Father Kapaun] was their community member. . . . It was right that he would come back here; the circle of his life now feels complete.”

The ripples of Father Kapaun’s homecoming extend beyond the immediate parish.

Terry Klenda, who works for Centre USD 397 in Lost Springs, said many staff members are Catholic. Because of the interest in Father Kapaun’s homecoming events, the school board permitted the schools to close on Sept.

29 so community members

could attend the funeral.

“I think we needed this time as a parish,” Klenda said.

“His mom always prayed that he would be found and come home. For Ray (Kapaun) to insist that he come [to the parish] makes it all the more special. I feel like we do mean something, we’re more than just his hometown.”

Simon Makovec grew up at the parish in Pilsen and is now a parishioner at St. Bernard in Wamego. He made a fast trip to Marion County on Sept. 27.

“It was a huge honor to not only be able to come back for this, but to be asked to be a pallbearer,” said Makovec, a member of the Army National Guard who served a 15-month tour in Iraq from 2006-07.

During his military service, which spanned from 2001-07, he said his devotion to his hometown priest deepened.

“I prayed to Father Kapaun on a daily basis, especially every time we went out on patrol,” he said. “I know he’s

The bones of Father Kapaun departed Pilsen on Sept. 27. The hearse bearing his body drove east through the parish cemetery, and stopped so Ray Kapaun could visit the graves of his grandparents, Bessie and Enos.

“It was a very tough decision to decide where he would go,” Kapaun said. “Leaving today is going to be hard for me. I can’t imagine how hard it’s going to be for the [parish community]. It will be tough pulling out of the parking lot with him.”

Father Kapaun’s remains are interred inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita, and the tomb is open to visitors (see sidebar on page 9 for details).

“It’s breaking my heart,” Kapaun said, tearing up. “But to know he’ll be in Wichita where a lot of people will be able to see him and be able to pray to him is a comfort. I truly believe people will want to come out here, where he grew up, the church where he was a priest, to visit and learn more about my uncle.”

Those who knew him, though, were grateful for the weekend — and the chance to say goodbye.

“I came because I wanted him to know that I remember him,” Vinduska said in a tight voice.

He also came with a simple request.

“I want him to pray for me,” Vinduska said. “I said, ‘I know you’re pretty busy, but maybe you could remember the little kids who served with you so many times.’”

Karen Mikols Bonar is a freelance writer and photographer based in Salina. She is a graduate of Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School in Wichita.

CALENDAR

OCTOBER 8, 2021 | THELEAVEN.ORG

HARVEST MEAL St. Mary Parish (hall) 9208 Main St., St. Benedict Oct. 10 from 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

The meal will be dine-in or carryout. The cost is a freewill offering and everyone is welcome. There will be pulled pork, cheesy potatoes, baked beans and cookies.

SOUP SUPPER AND AUCTION St. Bede Parish (hall) 7322 Drought St., Kelly Oct. 10 beginning at 4 p.m.

Supper will be from 4 - 7 p.m. There will be homemade chili, soups, ham sandwiches, hot dogs, pies and desserts. The cost is a freewill donation. There will also be games for all ages from 5 -8 p.m. in the parish hall, followed by an auction of handmade quilts and many other items at 8 p.m.

FALL FESTIVAL Sacred Heart Parish 426 S. Cedar, Ottawa Oct. 10 from noon - 4 p.m.

There will be hamburgers, hot dogs, and tacos, as well as a s’mores station.

There will also be pumpkin decorating and a selfie photo station. For more fun, there will be bingo, a cakewalk, kids games, a balloon artist and a magician.

‘HOPE ARISING’ COMMUNITY CELEBRATION Sacred Heart Parish 1031 S. 12th St., Sabetha Oct. 10 from 4:30 - 8 p.m.

Sacred Heart Parish welcomes Sabetha and surrounding communities to a community celebration of “Hope Arising Out of Darkness.” Enjoy a dynamic evening of celebration and worship through music, art and adoration of the Lord — all taking place outdoors on the church’s west lawn. The celebration is open to everyone. Invite family, friends and neighbors. A free soup supper will be offered from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

ANNUAL TURKEY/HAM DINNER Sacred Heart-St. Casimir Parish 1405 2nd Ave., Leavenworth Oct. 10 from 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The turkey/ham dinner cost will be $11 for adults and $6 for kids 5 and under. Carryout begins at 11 a.m. There will be games for the kids, music, pumpkins for sale, raffles for prizes and several cash raffles.

FINDING HOPE: SURVIVING SUICIDE, ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND SUDDEN LOSS Church of the Ascension 9510 W. 127th St., Overland Park Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m.

This is a Project Chrysalis event.

Speakers will be Ed Shoener from Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Jennifer Hubbard from Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Shoener has co-written a book, “When a Loved One Dies by Suicide.” He is also a permanent deacon. Hubbard is the president and executive director of the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, which she founded in memory of her daughter who died in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Hubbard is a national Catholic speaker and a writer for Magnificat.

CALLED TO LOVE AGAIN Stone Pillar Winery 11000 S. Woodland St., Olathe Oct. 16 at 6 p.m.

Called to Love is a community of support and formation for divorced Catholics. Come enjoy an evening of relaxation and fellowship. Send an email to: calledtolove143@gmail.com for more details.

Visit our website at: thecall2love.com.

BISHOP WARD HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL AUCTION Bishop Ward High School 708 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas Oct. 16 at 5:30 p.m.

Join the Bishop Ward annual auction, Homeward Bound: The Groovy Seventies.

Tickets are $60 each and can be purchased by calling the school at (913) 3711201 or online at: bwhs.us/auction2021.

Silent auction items are available online starting on Oct. 13 at noon at: bwhs.us/ silentauction2021.

FRANCISCAN FIESTA Blessed Sacrament Parish 2203 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kansas Oct. 16 from 1 - 4 p.m.

The Sisters of the Fraternity the Poor of Jesus Christ welcome all to enjoy their Franciscan Fiesta featuring a corn “holy” tournament. Come celebrate community with lunch served from noon to 1 p.m., along with additional food, beverages, snow cones, inflatables for kids, music, games and prizes. Registration for the

Wagner’s Mud-Jacking Co. Specializing in Foundation Repairs Mud-jacking and Waterproofing.

Serving Lawrence, Topeka and surrounding areas.

Topeka (785) 233-3447 Lawrence (785) 749-1696 In business since 1963 www.foundationrepairks.com

corn “holy” tournament is : $15 per individual; $30 for a two-person team. For more information, send an email to: our ladyofguadalupe@ocanminho.org or call (913) 499-7839.

‘DISCOVERING THE WISDOM OF ST. POPE JOHN PAUL II’ Christ’s Peace House of Prayer 22131 Meager Rd., Easton Oct. 15 - 17

The retreat begins at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 15 and concludes on Oct. 17 at 4:30 p.m.

The new evangelization has transformed the church. This and other teachings of Pope John Paul II will be examined. There will be conferences, workshops, eucharistic adoration, Mass, confession, and time for private prayer, reflection and walking. The suggested donation is $170/ single or $250/couples for the cabins and courtyard rooms or $100 for the single guest rooms (meals included). To attend, sign up online at: christspeace.com; send an email to: info@christspeace.com; or call (913) 773-8255.

TAX REDUCING STRATEGIES FOR PRE- AND POST-RETIREES Holy Spirit Parish (Mary and Martha Room) 11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park Oct. 19 from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

The event will begin with a social at 4 p.m. The speaker, Bill Eckert, a certified adviser in philanthropy, will talk about ways to respond to shifting tax laws and how to protect your assets through gift planning. Visit the website at: archkck.org/holyspiritseminar/.

This event is hosted by the parish and

11 the archdiocesan office of stewardship and development. RSVP online to:

plannedgiving@archkck.org or call (913) 647-0365.

HEALING MASS Curé of Ars Parish (Father Burak Room) 9405 Mission Rd., Leawood Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

A Mass with prayers for healing will be held in the Father Burak Room. For more information, call (913) 649-2026.

GERMANFEST St. Joseph Parish 320 N. Broadway, Leavenworth Oct. 23 from 4 - 8 p.m.

Mass will begin at 4 p.m. and the German dinner and music will begin at 5 p.m. There will be sauerbraten and bratwurst, sauerkraut, German potato salad, red cabbage, dessert and beverages. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Beer and wine will also be available. Music will be provided by the Festhaus-Musikanten Band. Carryouts will be available. A silent auction of German items will also be held.

‘THE MIRACLE BOX’ Church of the Ascension (St. Mark and St. Matthew Room) 9510 W. 127th St., Overland Park Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m.

The 60-minute film “The Miracle Box”

by Father John Clote will be shown. There will be a discussion led by Chuck Jansen, founder of the Forgiveness Institute KC, Inc. The film is set to be released the first week in October. COVID protocols will be followed.

CLASSIFIEDS

12 EMPLOYMENT Financial representatives - Knights of Columbus has full-time openings in northeast Kansas and western Missouri for full-time financial representatives.

Ideal for determined, disciplined, professional, highexpectation individual desiring to serve others. We work exclusively with the families of brother Knights and Catholic gentlemen who are eligible to join the Knights. We have established territories where agents devote their working day to the needs of the members in their assigned councils. Excellent, multi-tiered training and benefits are provided, allowing the successful field agent to earn a professional level income. This is a career opportunity that may be the right fit at the right time for you, or possibly for someone you know. For further information, contact John A Mahon, general agent, at (785) 408-8800 or email: john.mahon@kofc.org.

Care coordinator - L’Arche Heartland is seeking a care coordinator. The position includes the following duties: recruitment; human resources/training; state documentation; in-home training; annual trainings; scheduling; coordination of assistant meetings/team meetings; accompaniment of house coordinators; supervision of assistants (accompaniment); quality assurance in home, maintenance, cleanliness, fire extinguishers, monthly drills and yard upkeep; rotate on-call. Salary $40,000.

Interested candidates, please submit a letter of interest, a current resume and references with contact information to the L’Arche Heartland discernment/search team at: Harmony@larcheks.org. Position open until filled.

Client Care Coordinator position - The Client Care Coordinator (CCC) reports to the owners and works in the office/showroom on a full-time basis, generally during the 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. office hours. The CCC greets showroom visitors; provides efficient, courteous, sales consultation and customer service; coordinates the dayto-day operations of the technicians and sales appointments for staff; and fields incoming calls. Additionally, the individual will assist owners and sales in projects, mailings and marketing. This role would be well suited to a person with a background in sales/service, caregiving or health care services. Requires basic computer skills and ability to learn a CRM system. Competitive hourly rate, bonus opportunities and benefit plan. Please send resume to Maria at: mkoch@kclift.com.

Director of administrative services - Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa is seeking a full-time director of administrative services to assume responsibilities by Dec. 1. Responsibilities include: parish fiscal management; upkeep of campus facilities; hospitality with parish community; and oversight of human resources, accounting and maintenance. The director reports to the pastor and supervises office and maintenance staff. Qualified candidate should possess a bachelor’s degree in business or related field; have five - 10 years of business and management experience; excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills; and the ability to work with a variety of constituents. The full job description is available on the Holy Trinity website at: www.htlenexa.org. Full-time, salaried and exempt position with benefits. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume via email to: careers@htlenexa.org by Oct. 15.

Help wanted - In need of a companion/caregiver for a 46-year-old woman with autism in Lawrence. Two three evening/overnight shifts per week from 4 p.m. - 9 a.m. Paid sleep time, private bedroom. Must be a nonsmoker and have proof of a COVID vaccination. Great job experience, easy-going environment and opportunity to build a lasting friendship with a very sweet gal.

For complete details contact Carol at (785) 230-1800.

Part-time maintenance opening at Good Shepherd, Shawnee - Make a difference in our school and parish by providing midday janitorial/custodial cleaning, ensuring an attractive and sanitary facility. This is a parttime position, Monday - Friday, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. that will assist with the operation and maintenance of daily activities. If interested, contact Brad Roder at: broder@ gsshawnee.org or (913)-563-5304.

L’Arche Heartland house assistant - L’Arche is an organization where people both with and without developmental disabilities choose to share life together to promote the dignity of every human person. L’Arche’s unique model of care seeks to offer more than a job; it’s an opportunity for personal transformation through relationships. L’Arche homes are regulated by the state of Kansas and are part of an international federation with written practices and guidelines based on 55 years of experience lived out in 37 countries around the world.

The role of an assistant (direct support provider) is to share life with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other assistants in relationships of mutuality; to support the individuals in daily life activities; and to live fully the identity and mission of L’Arche in the context of an intentional faith community. This includes: assisting individuals with activities of daily living, including personal care and passing out medications; implementing support plans; documenting care given; and providing transportation. The job is full time; pay is $13.25 - $15 per hour. Benefits include: simple IRA; IRA matching; employer-paid dental insurance; employerpaid disability insurance; employee assistance program; employer-paid health insurance; paid time off; and employer-paid vision insurance. Must have a driver’s license; have a high school diploma or equivalent; have one year of experience as a direct support provider of caregiving/ direct patient care. Must embrace the mission and values of L’Arche; must be 18 or older; pass a background test and be eligible to work in the United States. Finally, must be dependable, people-oriented and adaptable/flexible.

Interested candidates, please submit a letter of interest, a current resume and references with contact information to the L’Arche Heartland discernment/search team at: Harmony@larcheks.org. Position open until filled.

Seasonal tax consultant - Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas is hiring a seasonal tax consultant to coordinate our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Last year, our amazing volunteers prepared 474 tax returns free, bringing over $647,000 in refunds!

Please go to: www.catholiccharitiesks.org to find this position and others under the “About Us” tab.

Coaches - Bishop Miege High School is seeking coaches for the 2021-22 school year in the following sports: assistant baseball; assistant boys wrestling; and assistant girls wrestling. Contact Joe Schramp, athletic director, at: jschramp@bishopmiege.com or (913) 2225802.

Part-time afternoon aide - Holy Rosary, Wea, preschool is seeking a part-time afternoon aide for our three-year-olds classroom. This person would be in charge of our afternoon adventures program two afternoons per week. If you are interested, please contact Nick Anitista, principal, at (913) 533-2462.

Professional services coordinator - L’Arche Heartland is seeking a professional services coordinator. This is a highly responsible position that reports directly to the community leader. Duties include: sharing life with community members; training of new assistants on state regulatory prepossesses and Heartland policies and procedures; oversight of all medical support/attend appointments as needed; liaison with Heartland Home Care; audit all medication deliveries; creates/verifies/ edits all MARs; liaison with nurse consultant, scheduling medication trainings and MAR audits; prepares all needed documentations for the BASIS; attends all BASIS meetings; helps write behavioral support plans (BSPs); attends all BSP meetings; completes risk assessments and obtains human rights committee approval and signatures; conducts three-month and annual reviews for assistants; maintains personnel files for assistants and follows disciplinary process according to policies and procedures; conducts oversight and verification of household accounts and core member accounts at least monthly; maintains all 17 core member contact notes, monthly reviews and maintain archive files at the office; attend weekly and monthly meetings; attends community gatherings of formation and celebration; conducts oversight of house vehicle maintenance. This position requires a bachelors’s degree and supervisory experience.

This is a salaried position which includes a favorable benefits package. L’Arche experience preferred. We are an equal opportunity employer. Interested candidates, please submit a letter of interest, a current resume and references with contact information to the L’Arche Heartland discernment/search team at: Harmony@larcheks. org. Position open until filled.

Skilled remodeler - Kansas City Remodel is seeking a skilled remodeler. We need a great 40-hour per week, W-2 employee, with their own tools, that can join our family on a permanent basis. Competitive pay and benefits. Email resume to: workorders@kansascityremodel.com.

Executive director - Hot Lunch Service, Inc. (dba St. Mary’s Food Kitchen) is seeking an executive director.

The responsibilities include executing all day-to-day operations, including staffing, employee evaluations, budgeting, social media, equipment procurement and repair, and working with all coordinators whose groups provide the daily meals for our guests. Other key duties include fund-raising, marketing and community outreach. The executive director reports directly to the board of directors. This position will be a full-time salaried position with benefits. Requirements include: bachelor’s or higher degree in business, a related field or its equivalent; food service experience is preferred; 3-5 years’ demonstrated history of leadership skills; 5 or more years of nonprofit 501(C)3 management experience working with a board of directors; demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in writing, verbally and through social media; solid organizational abilities such as planning, delegating and financial management. Interested candidates, please submit a current resume, letter of interest and references with contact information to: hotlunchserviceinc@gmail.com.

Drivers and aides - Assisted Transportation is now hiring safe drivers and aides to transport students with special needs in Johnson, Wyandotte and Clay County, Missouri, in company vans. Drivers earn $14 - $16 per hour. Aides earn $12 per hour. Part-time and full-time schedules available. CDL not required. Retirees encouraged to apply. Make a difference in your community by helping those in need. Call (913) 521-4955 for more information. EEO L’Arche Heartland house coordinator - Responsibilities of the house coordinator regarding quality of life for the core members are: to provide direct support in the house and actively participate in the sharing of daily home life; serve as an advocate and contact for core member parents and guardians for house-related needs and as liaison to the coordinator of professional services/ community life for other core member needs; cooperate with the coordinator of professional services to ensure that the medical, financial, safety and spiritual needs of each core member are fully met, and that all documentation is completed and submitted in a timely manner; schedules and facilitates weekly house meeting with core members to ensure everyone has opportunities to be meaningful members of the home; encourages and helps build a family atmosphere; supports household prayer life and spiritual growth by way of evening prayer, celebrations, observation of religious seasons and core member involvement in their local faith community. Key responsibilities regarding quality of life for assistants are: facilitating weekly team meeting and participating in regular formations and trainings to develop a relationship of trust and collaboration; serving as a liaison between assistants, coordinator of community life to ensure that the personal and spiritual needs of assistants are being met; preparing the home for guests or volunteer visits; and creating a welcoming and hospitable atmosphere in the home. Administrative responsibilities include: attending and actively participating in weekly leadership team meetings; ensuring that core member goal tracking, MARs and other required paperwork are being completed and sent to the coordinator of professional services; with the coordinator, ensuring that home and vehicles are maintained and that safety precautions are followed and documented; in cooperation with coordinator of professional services and the coordinator of community life, monitoring home environmental needs and coordinating repairs and purchases as needed with the approval of the community leader; ensuring that the household finances and spending are organized and in agreement with the designated budget. Share the mission of L’Arche by: working with other members of the leadership team to share and spread the mission of L’Arche to the Kansas City metro area; assist in the planning and facilitating of community nights, holiday gatherings, retreats, trips and fund-raisers; foster communication and sharing between Heartland and other L’Arche communities. Requirements for the job: embrace the mission and values of L’Arche; previous L’Arche or other community living experience preferred; maturity and commitment to one’s own personal and spiritual growth; experience with people with developmental disabilities strongly preferred. Interested candidates, please submit a letter of interest, a current resume and references with contact information to the L’Arche Heartland discernment/search team at: Harmony@larcheks.org. Position open until filled.

WE LOVE OUR TEACHERS - COME SEE WHY YOU WANT TO WORK HERE! - The Goddard School Olathe Northwest is looking for dynamic, energetic, professional teachers to add to our faculty. The Goddard School is a premiere preschool for children from 6 weeks to 6 years where children are encouraged to develop at their own pace in nurturing environments, lovingly guided by our highly skilled, professional teachers. Full- and part-time positions available. No experience? We will train the right person. Ask about our $600 hiring bonus. Janice Kennedy, owner. Email: olathe2ks@goddardschools. com or call (913) 768-4499.

Fifth grade teacher - St. Ann is seeking a 5th grade homeroom teacher for the 2021-22 school year. This teacher will be responsible for teaching 5th grade religion and 5th/6th grade social studies classes. Applicants should apply online through the archdiocesan website, at: www.archkck.org/jobs, and email principal Liz Minks at: lminks@stannpv.org.

Full-time assistant teachers - With multiple locations in Johnson County, Special Beginnings Early Learning Center provides high quality child care in a safe, loving Christian environment. With a balanced curriculum of preacademics and the right environment, we believe we are providing the children the foundation to a successful life.

We are looking for full-time assistant teachers for all ages who have an excellent work ethic, a heart for children and a willingness to learn more about early childhood education. Experience and/or education is a plus, but we will train the right candidate. Duties include supervising and ensuring the safely and well-being of the children at all times; following predetermined curriculum and daily schedule; decorating the class and keeping classrooms clean and orderly; creating and filling out daily reports for each child; communicating with parents; meeting children’s basic needs (diapers, bottles, etc.). Must be patient and able to respond to difficult situations calmly; have good interpersonal skills with co-workers, parents and children; and be able to lift 25 pounds on a regular basis. There are opportunities for career advancement.

For more information or to apply, call Carolyn Andruss at (913) 894-0131, option 3.

Join the Santa Marta team - Santa Marta is recognized as a premier senior living community in Olathe.

You will make a positive difference when you join the Santa Marta team. We are looking for part-time servers. Responsibilities include: serving meals to residents in a professional and hospitable manner in either independent living or health care neighborhoods; respectful interaction and communication with residents and co-workers is required; work with a team in a professional manner within dining and other departments; use proper food handling and cleaning techniques; setup and clean the dining rooms after each dining session. Part-time servers are normally scheduled for three to five shifts per week (evening from 4 - 8 p.m. and weekend breakfast, lunch and dinner shifts). Pay is $10 - $11 hourly rate depending upon relevant experience. Part-time associates earn paid time off for hours worked. Thank you for your interest in joining the Santa Marta team. Check out Santa Marta at: https://www. facebook.com/SantaMartaRetirement/.

Caregivers - Daughters & Company is looking for several compassionate caregivers to provide assistance to seniors in their home, assisted living or in a skilled nursing facility. We provide light housekeeping/light meal preparation, organizational assistance, care management and occasional transportation services for our clients. We need caregivers with reliable transportation and a cellphone for communication. A CNA background is helpful, though not mandatory. We typically employ on a part-time basis, but will strive to match up hours desired. Contact Gary or Laurie at (913) 341-2500 if you want to become part of an excellent caregiving team.

Receptionist/administrative assistant – St. John the Baptist in Kansas City, Kansas, is seeking a part-time receptionist. This position will be Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This position is responsible for receiving all calls and visitors, sorting mail, compiling the weekly bulletin and other clerical duties as assigned. Ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing. High school diploma required and at least three years of secretarial or administrative experience. Must be able to provide hospitality and efficient response to all calls and visitors. To apply, please visit: www.stjohnthebaptistcatholicchurch.com.

0CTOBER 8, 2O21 | THELEAVEN.ORG Advancement officer - Donnelly College is looking for a driven advancement officer to join the college’s advancement team. This exciting opportunity requires an individual who is attentive to details, works well with a diverse array of constituencies, enjoys meeting people, works well individually and as part of a team.

Responsibilities include: serve as integral member of the advancement team with the primary goal of securing major gifts to support Donnelly’s mission and vision through new and existing donor prospects; manage the cultivation cycle leading to the successful solicitation and securing of major gifts for annual fund, capital projects, endowment, event sponsorships and planned gifts; manage (and help grow) a portfolio of major gift prospects (up to 125 in portfolio); develop and coordinate major gift prospect strategies with donor database analyst, annual fund coordinator, vice president of advancement and, when appropriate, the president of the college; schedule and hold individual meetings with prospects and donors to qualify interest and capacity; create individualized prospect engagement and stewardship plans for all constituents in your portfolio; recruit membership into the Jerome Society by securing annual gifts of $1,000 and above. Please email your cover letter, resume and transcripts to: hr@donnelly. edu with “Advancement officer” in the subject line.

Nursing faculty - A full-time nursing faculty position carries the primary responsibility of helping students to master subject material and skills that will contribute to their personal and intellectual development and success in the nursing program. This person works with the director of nursing to schedule coursework/activities that will help students to complete their goal of becoming health care professionals and to support the program. Must be able to pass a background check and complete Virtus training. Qualifications include: MSN or BSN with MSN in progress; unencumbered Kansas nursing license; committed to diversity and serving a diverse population; ability to communicate well and assist students in gaining practice and knowledge in the clinical situation; adult teaching experience preferred; excellent leadership and communication skills; experience with instructing technology-based courses; alternative teaching strategies preferred; demonstrate a thorough and accurate knowledge of use of electronic communication and audiovisual equipment; philosophically aligned with the mission and values of the college to engage and support our Catholic identity. Please email your cover letter, resume and transcripts to: hr@ donnelly.edu with “Nursing instructor” in the subject line.

Nurse intake coordinator - The position of Allied Health intake coordinator is responsible for building relationships with area schools, health facilities and the community at large to recruit prospective students who are interested in the health field. The successful candidate will help students understand career paths within the health care industry, particularly those related to CNA, LPN and RN licenses and guide students along academic paths in these areas. This position works closely with the director of nursing in candidate selection for both the nursing and CNA programs. Qualified candidates should have an associate degree with health care-related experience required, bachelor’s degree preferred; maintain confidentiality of health care paperwork and sensitive information provided by students who apply for a seat in the Allied Health programs; understand nursing profession and Allied Health curriculum and experience advising students; be aware of the impact of cultural patterns on student retention and student learning; have the ability to work collaboratively with faculty, administrators, students, staff; proficient in Microsoft Office products; be detail-oriented; and be philosophically aligned with the mission and values of the college to engage and support our Catholic identity. Practicing Roman Catholic preferred.

Please email your cover letter, resume and transcripts to: hr@donnelly.edu with “Nurse intake coordinator” in the subject line.

Instructional assistant - St. Ann School in Prairie Village is seeking an instructional assistant. The ideal candidate would be available 20 - 29 hours per week and will be supporting both students and teachers. Interested candidates, please contact St. Ann principal Liz Minks at: lminks@stannpv.org.

Director of development and stewardship - St. John Church and School in Lawrence seeks a full-time director of development and stewardship. The director will develop and administer development plans to ensure the long-term viability of the church and school. The director will oversee all advancement activities necessary by building relationships with a broad range of parishioners, parents, alumni, volunteers and community members. Candidates with three to five years of fundraising experience and bilingual (English and Spanish) are preferred. Please see full job description and requirements at: www.sjevangelist.com. This position is eligible for an archdiocesan benefits package. Please send cover letter and resume to Father John Cousins at: frjohn@sjevangelist.com or mail to: 1229 Vermont St., Lawrence, KS 66044.

Bookkeeper- St. John the Baptist and Holy Family parishes in Kansas City, Kansas, are seeking a parttime bookkeeper. This position is responsible for managing the finances of the parish, such as payroll, accounts payable, financial reporting for finance council and other bookkeeping needs. This position will have flexible hours. Bachelor’s degree in accounting or closely related field required; minimum three to five years’ previous accounting/bookkeeping experience required; proficiency in QuickBooks, Excel and Word; knowledge of or experience in nonprofit accounting preferred. To apply, please visit: www.stjohnthebaptistcatholicchurch.com. >> Classifieds continue on page 13

CLASSIFIEDS

OCTOBER 8, 2021 | THELEAVEN.ORG >> Continued from page 12 Receptionist/administrative assistant - Immaculate Conception, St. Marys, Kansas, is seeking a part-time receptionist. This position will be Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., approximately 27.5 hours per week. This position is responsible for receiving all calls and visitors, emails, weekly bulletin and other clerical duties as assigned. The ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing. High school diploma required and at least three years of secretarial or administrative experience. Proficiency with Microsoft Office products required. Must be able to provide hospitality and efficient response to all calls and visitors. To apply, please visit: http://www.immaculateconceptionstmarys.com.

HOME IMPROVEMENT 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 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 ceiling texture removal Interior wall painting specialist.

Jerry at (913) 206-1144. 30 years’ experience.

Call with questions

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) For sale - Two cemetery plots at Chapel Hill Gardens in Kansas City, Kansas; lot 102B, spaces three and four.

Asking $1695. Call Ernest at (913) 706-5958 or email: ecowden11@yahoo.com.

For sale - Inside tandem space for two traditional entombments. Tier F, Mount Calvary Mausoleum, Holy Trinity in Topeka. Last ones available. Call (785) 2159540 or (785) 580-3928.

SERVICES

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Custom countertops - Laminates installed within 5 days. Cambria, granite, and solid surface. Competitive prices, dependable work. Call the Top Shop, Inc., at (913) 962-5058. Members of St. Joseph, Shawnee.

Garage Door Repair New Garage Doors Platinum Amarr dealer, Elite Home Advisor top rating.

Call Joe, mention The Leaven discount.

A Total Door (913) 236-6440.

ACT Prep - Founded by a Bishop Miege graduate, Pathway Prep has helped over 250 students during the last four years improve their scores. In-person or virtual sessions available. For more information, visit: path wayprepkc.com and contact Alex Pint at (913) 991-8217 or: alex@pathwayprepkc.com.

Senior Care Authority - Navigating senior care options can be overwhelming. We’ll help you sort through and understand all your care and living options and point you to vetted resources. Placement assistance is FREE. We do a thorough assessment, do all the research and walk with you as you make these big decisions for you or your loved one. Call (913) 359-8580.

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

Call Lupe at (816) 252-1391

Tutoring - Fall tutoring for K - adult. Sessions are fun and meaningful. For more information please call Kathleen at (913) 206-2151 or email: Klmamuric@yahoo. com.

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

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.

Handyman - I wanted to let you all know that we do basement finishes, deck building, bathroom and kitchen remodeling. This includes tile work, cabinet refinishing, and any sheetrock work. We also do all things flooring, siding, windows, doors, covered porches, sheds and much more. I really appreciate all your support. Please call Joshua Doherty at (913) 709-7230.

Local Handyman - Painting int. and ext., wood rot, masonry (chimney repair), gutter cleaning (gutter covers), dryer vent cleaning, sump pump (replace, add new), windows, doors (interior and exterior) honey-do list and more! Member of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913) 927-4118.

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.teresakiddlaw. com. Please do not wait until life seems hopeless before getting good quality legal advice that may solve your financial stress.

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.

Win disability benefits - Disabled and no longer able to work? Get help winning Social Security disability benefits. Free consultation. Eight years’ experience. No fee unless you win. Call (785) 331-6452 or send an email to: montemace2000@yahoo.com or visit http://www. montemacedisability.org.

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

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

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

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

Get Instant Cash Offer on Your Johnson County Home!

Skip the Showings Move on Your Schedule Low Fee Structure Get Started Today! www.FullPriceHomeSale.com OFFER CODE KS01 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 Tired of being a landlord?

I’ll buy it.

Call Mark Edmondson (913) 980-4905 Local parishioner.

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.

Family member with dementia or need help at home? - We specialize in helping seniors live SAFELY at home, where they want to live! We also offer free dementia training and resources for families and caregivers. Benefits of Home - Senior Care, www.Benefits ofhome.com or call (913) 422-1591.

WANTED TO BUY Wanted to buy -Do you have a car or truck that you need to get rid of? If you do, CALL ME! I’m a cash buyer. We’re Holy Trinity parishioners.

My name is Mark. (913) 980-4905.

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.

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COLUMNISTS

DAILY READINGS TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME Oct. 10 TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Wis 7: 7-11 Ps 90: 12-17 Heb 4: 12-13 Mk 10: 17-30 Oct. 11 John XXIII, pope Rom 1: 1-7 Ps 98: 1bcde, 2-4 Lk 11: 29-32 Oct. 12 Tuesday Rom 1: 16-25 Ps 19: 2-5 Lk 11: 37-41 Oct. 13 Rom 2: 1-11 Ps 62: 2-3, 6-7, 9 Lk 11: 42-46 Oct. 14 Callistus I, pope, martyr Rom 3: 21-30 Ps 130: 1b-6b Lk 11: 47-54 Oct. 15 Teresa of Jesus, virgin, doctor of the church Rom 4: 1-8 Ps 32: 1b-2, 5, 11 Lk 12: 1-7 Oct. 16 Hedwig, religious; Margaret Mary Alacoque, virgin Rom 4: 13, 16-18 Ps 105: 6-9, 42-43 Lk 12: 8-12

Margaret Mary Alacoque 1647-1690 This French saint, who increased devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, spent her life in Burgundy.

A pious child, Margaret was bedridden from ages 9 to 15 with a rheumatic illness. She gradually understood a call to religious life and already had a mature prayer life when she entered a Visitation convent near Lyon in 1671.

Between 1673 and 1675, she received four visions of Christ’s heart in flames, burning with love for humanity, with instructions to promote a special feast and First Friday devotions.

Margaret, aided by a Jesuit priest, overcame disbelief and jealousy within her own convent and saw the feast celebrated there and in other French Visitation convents in her lifetime.

She was canonized in 1920.

A

ge quod agis.

I have no desire — ever — to get a tattoo, which someone once described as “a permanent sign of temporary insanity.” That being said, I can still speculate on what I’d want inked on my body. It would undoubtedly be those three Latin words above: Age quod agis, which means “Do what you’re doing.”

That sentence might seem silly at first, but another way to say it is: “Focus on the task at hand.” In this multitasking, distracting world that we live in, focusing is rapidly becoming a lost art.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve come into a room for something, only to stand there helplessly as I try to recall the purpose of my mission. In the space of a few footsteps, I’d been derailed by something else I saw.

Or how many times have you been intro-

OCTOBER 8, 2O21 | THELEAVEN.ORG

Is your life out of focus?

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.

duced to someone and forgotten their name a nanosecond later? Have you ever been talking on your cellphone while at the same time looking around for where you put it down? Have you ever taken your prescription medications and then, five minutes later, wondered if you’d taken them?

Have you ever read something and then had to reread it because

your mind was somewhere else? Have you ever read something and then had to reread it because your mind was somewhere else?

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Yes, focusing is a problem today. But honestly, it’s nothing new, as this little story illustrates: While journeying on horseback one day, St. Benedict met a peasant walking along the road.

“You’ve got an easy job,” said the peasant.

“Why don’t I become a man of prayer? Then, I too would be traveling on horseback.”

“You think prayer is easy?” asked the saint.

“If you can say one Our Father without any distraction, you can have this horse.”

“Deal!” said the surprised peasant.

Closing his eyes and folding his hands, he began to pray aloud: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come . . .”

Suddenly, the peasant stopped, looked up and asked St. Benedict, “Say, do I get the saddle and bridle, too?”

(Story found in Anthony P. Castle’s “Quotes & Anecdotes: An Anthology for Preachers & Teachers.”)

Sadly, no horse for that peasant! Even in prayer, it’s hard to focus, isn’t it? One Sunday, just for fun, I began my homily with this question: “Where was the first reading today from?” I can’t tell you how many faces in the congregation had that deer-in-theheadlights look. Their minds were miles away during the reading.

I’ve learned a lot

about what it means to focus since working from home. Surprisingly, The Leaven gets finished much quicker for some reason. My staff would like you to believe that when we were working in person, it was my procrastination and disrupting the work of others by dropping in their office to chat that were the major distractions. (I prefer to see my behavior instead as “pondering” and “building camaraderie.”)

Nonetheless, I must admit that my working from home means the paper is completed much earlier.

In short, maybe all of us can practice “doing what we’re doing” this week.

When driving, drive.

When praying, pray.

When conversing, converse. When working, work.

Because that’s easier said than done, I’ve found this foolproof way to focus: It’s . . .

Hey, is that a cobweb up there in the corner?

Wisdom itself is better than all the things it can help you obtain

T

he Israelites weren’t the only people in the ancient world who had wisdom. Everywhere in the ancient Near East, men and women learned from experience and passed on their findings.

Some of their thoughts were written down, and a few of the writings have survived the centuries, so it is possible to see how closely some of the ideas about how to live a good and successful life were shared by other peoples and the people of Israel.

There is even a chapter or so of the biblical Book of Proverbs adapted, possibly, from an Egyptian writing. The Israelite

,

KEVIN PERROTTA Perrotta is the editor and an author of the “Six Weeks with the Bible” series, teaches part time at Siena Heights University and leads Holy Land pilgrimages. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

sages were happy to repeat the Egyptian author’s warnings not to oppress the poor or encroach on your

neighbor’s property (see Prv 22:22, 28).

One way, however, in which the scribes who wrote the wisdom books of the Bible (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, Sirach) went beyond their neighbors is that they not only handed on wisdom for leading a constructive and honorable life but also urged people to seek wisdom itself.

Sunday’s first reading is a classic example.

The remarkable thing about this

encouragement is that it commends wisdom as better than anything wisdom leads to. Wisdom can guide us to prosperity — there is a wisdom for knowing how to scout out job opportunities, how to sail through interviews and get hired, how to advance your career, how to handle investments and so on.

But wisdom itself is better than all the careers and profits it helps you obtain. Way better. The author of Sunday’s first reading says that he “deemed riches nothing” in comparison with wisdom.

Next to wisdom, he says, “all gold . . . is a little sand.” He has come to love wisdom

more than “health and comeliness.” There is a wisdom of knowing how to dress and how to groom, but, the author says, wisdom itself is much better!

So what is this wisdom?

That is a big question — too big to address in 400 words.

But here is a start: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps 111:10).

Wisdom has to do with recognizing God as the creator and giver of life, being awed by his greatness, realizing that his ways are better than our ways and that he is more trustworthy than any earthly power.

If we would be wise, let us begin here.

‘Nest’ mentality in church leads to judgment, exclusion, pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christians must be on guard and avoid the temptation of thinking themselves better than others, an attitude that risks turning the church into a place of “separation and not communion,” Pope Francis said.

“Let us ask for the grace to overcome the temptation to judge and to categorize,” the pope told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square Sept. 26 during his Sunday Angelus address. “And may God preserve us from the ‘nest’

mentality, that of jealously guarding ourselves in the small group of those who consider themselves good: the priest with his loyal followers, the pastoral workers closed in among themselves so that no one can infiltrate, the movements and associations in their own particular charism, and so on,” he said.

Before praying the Angelus prayer, the pope reflected on the Sunday Gospel reading in which the apostle John complained to Jesus about someone who drove

out demons in Jesus’ name but was not among his followers.

“Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me,” Jesus said. The disciples, the pope explained, “would like to hinder a good deed simply because it is performed by someone who did not belong to their group” because they believed they had “the exclusive right over Jesus” and that they were “the only ones authorized to work for the kingdom of God.”

COLUMNISTS

OCTOBER 8, 2021 | THELEAVEN.ORG

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Communion is literally a foretaste of the joys of heaven

he church in the United States is preparing to embark on a journey toward what our bishops are calling a “revival” of eucharistic amazement and coherence. This endeavor will be front and center for the next three years and, God willing, for the rest of our lives.

Where has all of this come from? It appears that, as a group, we Catholics have misplaced our appreciation of the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Recent surveys suggest that there’s a gap in most American Catholics’ understanding of Jesus being present “really and

AS THE CHURCH PRAYS

MICHAEL PODREBARAC Michael Podrebarac is the archdiocesan consultant for the office of liturgy and sacramental life.

substantially” in the Blessed Sacrament, and that some no longer believe it at all.

Of course, our belief in the Eucharist — in

all of its dimensions — is foundational to our lives as Catholics.

The church defines the Eucharist as the “summit” of the church’s experience on earth, as well as the “font” from which flows all the power necessary for us to do God’s will therein.

Without the Eucharist,

we simply cannot live as Catholic Christians, and this has always been true.

Of course, the best way of growing in our eucharistic amazement and coherence is to attend Mass mindfully and prayerfully.

The words, gestures and actions of the Mass draw us into the heart of the Eucharist: God’s sacrificial love for us.

Our response to this love is to nurture in our hearts and minds a sacrificial love for God and for our neighbors.

It’s not rocket science, even if it possesses many layers of beautiful thought and understanding. God is love. Love is meant

to be shared. God has shared it with us through Jesus Christ.

We then share it back with God and with everyone else whom God also loves, which excludes no one.

Speaking of beautiful thought, perhaps St. Thomas Aquinas expressed it best in one of the liturgical texts he penned for the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.

It sums up Mass quite neatly and provides us a primer upon which to return when we find our faith misplaced or obscured: “O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and the pledge

of future glory is given to us.”

The Mass renews on the altar the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ through his body and blood offered to the Father. We then feed upon Christ himself in this sacred banquet.

The redemptive grace we receive through the Holy Spirit commits us to greater virtue and love.

Through receiving holy Communion, we literally foretaste the joys of heaven.

It’s really that simple, and yet that profound. At any rate, it’s not that hard to remember, and just makes sense.

Without amendment, Kansas will remain a ‘haven state’ for abortion

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fter decades of decline, the Kansas abortion industry is once again flourishing.

Not only are more abortions being performed here, but Kansas is becoming the abortion destination of the Midwest.

The data is startling.

According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the number of abortions declined in Kansas by 44% from 1999 to 2019. During this twodecade period, Kansas passed more than 20 bipartisan pro-life laws.

Kansas abortions declined by an average of 15 per day. That’s 15 tiny lives saved each day! Last year, that trend reversed itself

CHURCH AND STATE

CHUCK WEBER Chuck Weber is executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference.He can be reached at Chuck@KansasCatholic.org

in a deadly direction. Fueled by more out-of-state residents, abortions in Kansas increased by 9.1%.

Arkansas residents coming to Kansas clinics for abortions increased by 185%.

The number of Oklahomans coming to Kansas for abortions rose 326%. Texas residents getting an abortion here rose by 1,156%. Today, more than half of all abortions in Kansas are now performed on out-of-state women.

The abortion industry predicted and celebrated this alarming trend.

In April of 2019

the Kansas Supreme Court discovered and created abortion to be a fundamental right and declared virtually all pro-life laws to be “presumed unconstitutional.” Abortion industry lawyers crowed with delight.

A senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights said the ruling was exactly what they had hoped for.

It made it difficult for state legislators or the federal government to restrict access to abortion in Kansas.

According to attorney Genevieve Scott in a news report on April 26, 2019, in The Washington Post, “This will make Kansas a haven state [emphasis added] in the Midwest if federal laws protecting abortion are overturned or significantly

limited or undercut in other states.”

Kansas, a “haven state” for abortion? It’s already happening.

The Kansas abortion industry is now virtually unregulated and unlimited. Laws may still be on the books, but once challenged in court, they will be declared unconstitutional, washed away like a sandcastle at high tide.

Taxpayer-funded abortion, teenage abortions without parental knowledge or consent and much more will almost certainly become commonplace.

Fortunately, Kansas Catholics can help slow the abortion industry’s predatory assault on women facing a crisis pregnancy.

The proposed

“Value Them Both” state constitutional amendment will simply say that abortion is not a fundamental right, and that the people of Kansas, through their duly elected representatives, can regulate the abortion industry. Our laws will once again be enforceable.

Knowledge is power.

Please visit the website at: www.ValueThem Both.com to get the facts. Become involved.

“Value Them Both” action cards are now available in Catholic parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Attend a “Value Them Both” presentation in your parish.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn, pray for us!

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OCTOBER 8, 2021 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

16 Marcia

Youth the focus for rosary under the stars

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

O

VERLAND PARK — Holy Family School of Faith has drawn enthusiastic crowds to its live rosary events held at Fiorella’s Event Center here.

Now, organizers have teamed up with the archdiocesan youth ministry program to draw more youth and young adults to its next rosary event on Oct. 17.

“The youth and young adults are not just a vital part of the church today — they are the future of the church,” said Chris Hillyer, director of membership for the School of Faith.

“In order to welcome and include the youth, we must meet them where they are at,” he said. “We must lead with friendship and encounter. The goal of the evening is to have both.”

The event will begin at 5 p.m. and last around three hours. It will include a tailgate, opportunity for conversation, a rosary meditation and eucharistic adoration under the stars.

All are invited to attend, and young people are particularly encouraged to participate.

Hillyer said experiences like the live rosaries are a key part of the

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE

Last year’s Holy Family School of Faith live rosary at Fiorella’s Event Center in Overland Park drew hundreds of people. This year’s rosary on Oct. 17 is geared specifically toward youth.

School of Faith, which aims to bring people to Jesus through Mary and provide authentic social opportunities for Catholics in the archdiocese.

“Our faith is meant to be personal, but it was never meant to be private,” he said. “Most people find it difficult to invite others or talk about their faith.”

Hillyer hopes the powerful, faithfilled witness of young people will

inspire older generations.

“Whether it be for young people to encourage their parents to come back to the faith, or for them to invite a friend to ‘come and see,’ this night will provide an opportunity for invitation and encounter,” he said.

For more information, visit the website at: schooloffaith.com/ events.

and

Norman

Hogan, members of Sacred Heart-St. Joseph Parish, To p e k a , are cele b ra t i n g their 60th we d d i n g anniversary. They will receive a marriage blessing at the Oct. 9 Mass followed by a family dinner. The couple was married on Oct. 14, 1961, at St. Joseph Church, Topeka. Their children are: Curtis Hogan, Brenda Beck, Kevin Hogan and Cindy Bigenwalt. They also have 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Eugene and Dorothy Peschel, members of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Marysville, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Oct. 14. The couple was married on Oct. 14, 1961, at St. Bede Church, Kelly.

They will celebrate with family. Their children are: Teresa Koch, Kate Manley and Dan Peschel. They also have six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Norman and Sophie Stallbaumer, members of Mater D e i Parish, To p e k a , will celebrate their 60th we d d i n g anniversary on Oct. 14. The couple was married on Oct. 14, 1961, at St. Benedict Church, Kansas City, Kansas. Their children are: Charlene Finney, Vincent Stallbaumer and Ray Stallbaumer. They also have five grandchildren, four step-grandchildren and four great -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.

Knights of Columbus members and family helped the Bakers build a wheelchair ramp to their house when Patsy became too heavy to carry up the steps. Pictured are: (back row, from left) Luke Baker, Patsy Baker, Mary Baker and Patti Quinn (Mary’s mom); (front row, from left) Terry Wagner, Jamie Funk, Wally Wagner, Rick Funk, Rusty Johnson, Dan Quinn, Tim Wagner and Joe Quinn.

Local companies, volunteers step up to help >> Continued from page 3 stepped up when Patsy needed a wheelchair ramp.

“Patsy was four and getting too heavy for them to carry,” Knight Terry Wagner said. “Someone donated a wheelchair, so it was time.”

Local Atchison companies Bottorff Construction, Steve Marlatt Construction, BRT Construction and Carrigan Lumber all stepped in to help.

Technically, Patsy is deaf and blind, but Mary said she loves noises and loves to smile. Her brothers fight over who gets to snuggle her each night and have asked repeatedly for another sister just like Patsy . . . with microcephaly.

“Life is good,” Luke said. “When you have to do something for someone you love, it’s amazing what you can do.”

He and Mary both attribute the miracle of Patsy’s life to Blessed Father McGivney.

“She is more miracle than science

can explain,” Luke said.

(According to the website kofc.org, Daniel and Michelle Schachle learned “their unborn son had a deadly case of fetal hydrops — and zero chance of living.” Daniel, also employed by the Knights of Columbus, appealed to Father McGivney for help and asked hundreds to pray as well. The miracle of their son Michael, now 6, was formally approved

by Pope Francis in May 2020, according to the website at: frmcgivney.org.)

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: • Emailed photos need to be 200 dpi or 200 KB in size.

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

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