ST. JAMES’ NEW FIELDHOUSE IS A ‘GAME CHANGER’
It was a long time coming, but new athletic facility was worth the wait
the
on Oct.
By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org
LENEXA — Five words are inscribed on the gym floor at St. James Academy’s new St. Joseph Fieldhouse here.
President Andy Tylicki hopes their message will inspire those who use the athletic facility now and in the years to come.
“Let’s get with it today” was the motto of Mark Huppe, a longtime educator and coach in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, who passed away in November 2023 after an 18-month battle with throat cancer.
Although current students don’t have the experience
of having Huppe in the building, Tylicki said his influence remains.
“We’re going to celebrate him forever,” said Tylicki. “We’re never going to let his legacy go.”
Mark Huppe Court, inside the roughly 13,500-squarefoot building, is one way the school is fulfilling that promise.
Inspired space
The St. Joseph Fieldhouse is located just south of the school and contains two full-size basketball courts, eight basketball goals, two volleyball dropdown nets and two
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To learn more or contribute to St. James Academy’s Mission Forward campaign, visit the website at: sjathunder.org/about/giving/capital-campaign.
70-foot hitting tunnels for baseball and softball.
“It is such a game changer for our campus and for our student-athletes,” said athletic director Jared Herzet.
“It’s a beautiful space,” added Tylicki. “It’s going to
>> See “FIELDHOUSE” on page 7
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Father Keith Chadwick and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann listen as Andy Tylicki shares a few words about St. James Academy’s new St. Joseph Fieldhouse and Mark Huppe Court.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Andy Tylicki, president of St. James Academy in Lenexa, shows the new St. Joseph Fieldhouse to Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, who blessed and dedicated
building
11. The athletic facility contains two full-size basketball courts, eight basketball goals, two volleyball dropdown nets and two 70-foot hitting tunnels for baseball and softball.
Catholic Charities’ breathtaking ministries rely on our generosity
On Sept. 28, the archdiocese convened our first Mercy and Justice Summit. More than 200 delegates representing about half of our parishes participated in the summit.
One of our three super priorities for the archdiocese is: Encountering Jesus by living the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The corporal works of mercy are:
1) To feed the hungry; 2) To give drink to the thirsty; 3) To clothe the naked; 4) To shelter the homeless; 5) To care for the sick; 6) To visit the imprisoned; and 7) To bury the dead. The spiritual works of mercy are: 1) To instruct the ignorant; 2) To counsel the doubtful; 3) To admonish sinners; 4) To bear wrongs patiently; 5) To forgive offenses willingly; 6) To comfort the afflicted; and 7) To pray for the living and the dead.
One of the key Gospel passages that affirm the importance of works of mercy is:
Mt 25: 31-46. This is the famous passage in which Jesus teaches about the final judgment using the image of separating the sheep and the goats. In this
ARCHBISHOP
JOSEPH F.
NAUMANN
parable G.O.A.T. does not stand for Greatest of All Time. In this parable, it is definitely better to be on Team Sheep, rather than Team Goat.
Our Lord lists several scenarios in which his disciples are called — not only to love those who are suffering, but to provide a map that directs us to where we can meet him. In feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and visiting the imprisoned, we demonstrate our love for Jesus.
One goal of the summit was to acquaint the delegates with the ministries in the archdiocese that are
LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS
actually doing precisely what Jesus asked of his disciples. Several of the delegates shared with me that they were astonished at the variety of mercy ministries happening within the archdiocese.
Many of these ministries come under the umbrella of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. The breadth of what Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas does is breathtaking. Catholic Charities provides emergency assistance to stabilize families in crisis and strengthens them, so they can not only survive, but thrive.
Catholic Charities operates Family Support Centers in Atchison, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Olathe, Overland Park, Topeka and Wyandotte County. These centers provide food, rent and utility assistance, and
guidance to find longterm solutions for the underlying causes for their financial difficulties.
Catholic Charities provides help for expectant parents, adoption services and parenting coaching. They equip foster parents. Shalom House is a men’s homeless shelter in Kansas City, Kansas, that has been recently enlarged and expanded.
Catholic Charities operates the Kansas Loan Pool Project to help individuals gain freedom from payday loan debt. Clients agree to participate in financial literacy coaching that will help them avoid future debt and begin to live within a realistic budget, allowing them to actually save money.
The St. Rita Skills Training Program was created to remove barriers to self-sufficiency for those who are unemployed or underemployed. The program is designed for individuals who desire to break free from the cycle of poverty. It provides them with the education and skills that will empower them to earn an income that will provide a decent living for them and their family.
Catholic Charities offers a wide range of services for refugees and immigrants. Refugee and Immigrant Services include La Luz legal counsel, employment placement, suitable housing, English language classes and cultural orientation programs. New Roots provides quarter-acre plots at Juniper Gardens in Kansas City, Kansas, for refugees and immigrants to grow produce that they sell at farmers markets.
At the Justice and Mercy Summit, there were many other ministries participating, e.g., pro-life, special needs, social justice, hearing impaired and more. Nor did I provide you with an exhaustive list of all of Catholic Charities’ ministries. Every day, the Catholic Church is bringing the love of Jesus to very many in our communities.
One archdiocesan tradition for which every parishioner can be proud is the practice that all of our parishes include donations to Catholic
ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN’S CALENDAR
Oct. 19
Life Runners finish line blessing
Oct. 20
Mass of Innocents — Holy Spirit, Overland Park
Installation of Father Luke Doyle — St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, Kansas University
Oct. 21
Annual Ascension Via Christi meeting — chancery
Visit to Juvenile Correctional Complex — Topeka
Oct. 22
St. Paul’s Outreach leader Mass and breakfast — residence
Catholic Charities members meeting — Savior
Catholic Charities annual joint board meeting — Savior
Catholic Charities vespers — Savior
Catholic Charities reception — Savior
Vitae dinner — Overland Park Convention Center
Oct. 23
Confirmation — Annunciation, Frankfort; St. Monica/St. Elizabeth, Blue Rapids; St. Coumbkille, Blaine
Oct. 24
ACTS pastor and parish training — Savior
EOHSJ annual Mass and dinner — St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood
Oct. 25
Red Mass — St. Ann, Prairie Village
Oct. 26
Mass and blessing of new grotto — St. Mary, Hartford
Oct. 27
Installation Mass of Father Michael Kantanka — St. Ann, Hiawatha
Oct. 29
Catholic Benefits Association finance meeting — virtual
Charities in their Christmas collections.
Soon and very soon, we will be bombarded with advertisements about Christmas. In my younger days, I enjoyed Christmas shopping for family and friends. Some of our more organized readers may already have most of their Christmas shopping done. Personally, I was always one of those men that was shopping the last three days before Christmas.
I suspect that I am probably not on your Christmas list. However, if you are wondering what the archbishop would like for Christmas, the gift that would bring me the most joy is for the archdiocese to set a new record for the Catholic Charities Christmas collection.
On Christmas, we
celebrate the great humility of God. God chose to enter into our humanity, being born in the very poor circumstances of an animal shelter in the town of Bethlehem. I am convinced that nothing will please Jesus more than for us to remember the material poor on Christmas Day. This Christmas, I encourage you to make a generous gift to Catholic Charities to honor the One who became poor so that we might share in the richness of his divine and eternal life. Though there are less than 70 days to Christmas, you have plenty of time to pray about this and discern what you are going to give Jesus this Christmas! Being generous to Catholic Charities will help ensure that you are with the Sheep and not on Team Goat.
‘IT MEANT A LOT’
Living rosary dedicated to Super Bowl parade shooting victim
By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org
ROELAND PARK — Nearly eight months after the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting that took the life of Lisa LopezGalvan, the St. Agnes School community here turned again to faith.
“I think it’s a very powerful lesson for the kids to see the power of prayer and to see all the community coming together,” said principal Jane Sullivan.
“You don’t just pray that minute that something tragic happens,” she added. “But you keep [praying], and you keep remembering and you keep going through.”
Community of faith
St. Agnes held a living rosary on Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, in the school gym.
The annual event is organized by the Lighthouse Team, a leadership group made up of 16 seventh and eighth graders.
Each year, the team selects a person to dedicate the rosary to, and this year they chose Lopez-Galvan.
The suggestion came from her nephew, Mario Reyes, who’s an eighth grader on the Lighthouse Team. His sisters Melia and Madison were injured during the shooting.
“We all agreed,” said seventh grader Fiona McGroder of the suggestion. “We knew that she was an important person to our St. Agnes community, and we wanted to show respect to her and her life.”
Reyes was moved by the support for his aunt.
“It meant a lot,” he said, “especially since both her kids went here and she went to Miege, and both her kids went to Miege.”
Lopez-Galvan’s son Marc graduated from St. Agnes in 2015 and her daughter Adriana in 2019. Both went on to attend Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park.
Adriana, who attended the living rosary, was touched by the experience.
“It was really beautiful,” she said. “It was really cool. I love the technique that they [use] — they make an actual huge living rosary with all the kids.”
The rosary began with the second graders presenting roses in front of a statue of the Blessed Mother.
Students in second through eighth grade were seated in the shape of a rosary surrounding the statue. One by one, they stood in groups representing the decades of the rosary, taking turns to lead its various prayers.
For Adriana, ongoing gestures like the rosary are uplifting.
“It’s a very big, loving feeling for sure,” she said. “I feel all the support from everybody in the community and all of my family that come out with me
during these events.”
Adriana said her mom was a devout Catholic who instilled a strong faith in her family.
“Every Sunday, we would always go to church,” she said, “and we would always pray every morning together.
“She would always say to ‘Pray your three Hail Marys.’”
Father Pat Sullivan, pastor of St. Agnes, emphasized the power of prayer.
“We always need to be praying for the faithful departed,” he said, “and this is a beautiful way to do it for a very beautiful person who we lost.”
Prayer can also be a source of
comfort, he added.
“When we do things like this — memorialize or dedicate a rosary to somebody that we love or someone we don’t even know — it helps in the healing process,” said Father Sullivan.
Yoly Nordling, St. Agnes teacher and Lighthouse mentor, said Lopez-Galvan made a lasting impact on the school community.
“Lisa was a mom here,” she said. “She was a volleyball coach, a basketball coach, an amazing human being.
“So, to have her [family] come back and to know that they’re loved and we’re thinking of them during this whole time is very powerful.”
Leading by example
Maddie Joerger and Jordan Lynch, teachers and Lighthouse mentors at St. Agnes, said organizing events like the living rosary is a unique learning opportunity for the student leaders.
The team is part of the school’s Leader in Me program. To get involved, students apply and go through an interview process.
“Throughout the year, they help lead spirit assemblies at the school,” said Lynch.
“They help with a living Stations [of the Cross] that we have during Lent,” added Joerger. “We do a sock drive in November.”
The seventh and eighth graders said being on the Lighthouse Team is an honor.
“Ever since I was a kid, because I’ve gone here my whole life, I’ve always looked up to the Lighthouse people,” said eighth grader Austin Oropeza.
Eighth grader Hanna Hyde was excited to be a role model for the younger students.
“This is the chance to get to show other people how to be a leader,” she said.
The students also appreciate the ability to practice their faith at school, like through the living rosary.
“It brings us all together in a way that’s very, very special,” said McGroder.
“We get to go to Mass, and we pray the rosary,” said Oropeza. “It’s cool that I get a chance to go to a Catholic school.”
Reyes agreed.
“I feel very blessed that I’m able to have this education,” he said.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Mario Reyes, an eighth grader at St. Agnes School in Roeland Park, leads a prayer of the rosary with assistance from Maddie Joerger, while Benicio Santoyo prepares for his turn. Reyes, the nephew of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, suggested the school dedicate this year’s living rosary to his aunt.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Aiden Schraeder, left, and Lincoln Page, second graders at St. Agnes School, place roses at the feet of a statue of the Blessed Mother at the beginning of the living rosary.
Multi-parish concert of Catholic singer/musician draws crowd
By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org
BLUE RAPIDS — The reset button.
That’s how Daniel Oberreuter referred to the sacrament of reconciliation during what was billed as a mission concert held Sept. 29 at Valley Heights Elementary School in Blue Rapids.
Titled “Come Holy My Son,” the evening featured more than an hour’s worth of Oberreuter’s original songs. He is the founder of The Thirsting, one of the few touring Catholic rock bands in the country. Three parishes — Annunciation in Frankfort; St. Monica-St. Elizabeth in Blue Rapids; and St. Columbkille, Blaine — hosted the evening.
In between songs, Oberreuter shared with the audience of 200 the stories behind the songs, as well as some of his life experience as a Catholic husband and father of four sons. He also spoke about the saints, the importance of spending time in prayer and the importance of the sacrament of reconciliation.
During a particularly rough patch in his marriage, Oberreuter said, he was looking for a reset button. He finally realized it could be found in confession.
But he had advice for the unmarried, too.
Oberreuter recounted how once, prior to meeting his wife, he met a single woman while out dancing. She seemed sad. When he questioned her, she mentioned she had just broken up with her boyfriend because she knew God was calling her to do something different.
Taken in by her sincerity, he later wrote a song about it, one that he shared with the young woman. It tells the story of two people breaking up, but ultimately about discovering God’s plan for your life.
“No matter how old you are, Jesus still has a plan for you,” Oberreuter told the audience. “How do we know God’s will for us? . . . We have to spend time in silence with Jesus. . . . He has the answer to all of your problems — the solution.”
He also shared how important the rosary has been in his life since his late teens.
“I want to encourage you all to pray the rosary,” he said, explaining that when he was 16 years old, he made his first confession. His penance was to pray the rosary every day, a practice he’s continued ever since.
“Through the rosary, I came to know Jesus,” Oberreuter said. “My family would be upstairs watching ‘Seinfeld,’ and I’d be downstairs praying the rosary.”
But sometimes if he’s having a particularly tough day, he said, he just prays a very short prayer.
“Sometimes I just say, ‘Jesus, I belong to you. Jesus, I trust in you.’ And I just pray his name,” Oberreuter said. “It’s the most powerful name in the universe.”
Following the concert, Father Anthony Chendumalli, pastor of St. Monica-St. Elizabeth, Annunciation and St. Columbkille, led everyone in eucharistic adoration and Benediction.
The evening was the idea of Janice Rowe, a member of St. Monica-St. Elizabeth Parish.
In 2019, Rowe, along with representatives from the other parishes, participated in the archdiocesan convocation. The parish representatives have continued to lead evangelization efforts, but Rowe wasn’t satisfied.
“I kept thinking we have to do more to
MY FAVORITE PART WAS ALL OF THE LITTLE STORIES ABOUT WHY HE WROTE THE SONGS. IT WAS VERY MEANINGFUL TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE SONGS.
CLAIRE BERGESS ANNUNCIATION PARISH, FRANKFORT
evangelize. We have to do more to let everybody know about Jesus and not just the Catholics — everyone,” she said.
When she heard of The Thirsting, she started listening to the group, buying a few CDs online and eventually connecting with Oberreuter via email about the possibility of him doing a mission concert for the parishes.
After months of planning, Rowe said she could hardly believe the big day had finally arrived. She was particularly pleased by the robust attendance, and the fact that a lot of teenagers were in the crowd.
Eighth graders Kallie Farrell and Claire Bergess, both from Annunciation
s Daniel Oberreuter, founder of The Catholic Thirsting, performed during a concert held Sept. 29 at Valley Heights Elementary School in Blue Rapids. About 200 people attended the mission concert titled “Come Holy My Son,” sponsored by the parishes of St. Monica-St. Elizabeth in Blue Rapids; Annunciation Parish in Frankfort; and St. Columbkille, Blaine.
t Father Anthony Chendumalli, pastor of the parishes of St. Monica-St. Elizabeth, Annunciation and St. Columbkille, exposes the Blessed Sacrament during eucharistic adoration following the concert.
t After the concert, Oberreuter talked with concertgoers and prayed with some of them, including Carolyn Wullschleger (center) of Annunciation Parish and Billie Jean Goossen (foreground, seated) of Hillsboro, a member of Spring Valley Mennonite Church in Canton.
Parish, said they both enjoyed the evening very much, with Farrell adding that her favorite part was eucharistic adoration.
“I felt really close to God,” she said.
“I think my favorite part,” said Bergess, “was all of the little stories about why he wrote the songs. It was very meaningful to be able to understand the songs.”
Father Chendumalli said he was gratified by the turnout. He had hoped for
100, but got 200, and he was pleased that nearly everyone stayed for eucharistic adoration. Since coming back from the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis this past summer, he’s been particularly concerned with bringing the message of the Eucharistic Revival to his people.
“Jesus is present in every corner of our archdiocese, in every corner of our nation,” he said.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY MARC ANDERSON
Professor Robert P. George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University in New Jersey, delivered a presentation on “Christianity and the Challenge of Paganism: Then and Now” on Sept. 2 at Donnelly College’s Event Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Sponsored by the Kansas City region of the Order of Malta and Donnelly College, the speech served as the order’s annual Defense of Faith lecture. Founded in 1113, the Order of Malta is a lay religious order active in 120 countries with a mission of “caring for people in need through its medical, social and humanitarian works.”
Order of Malta hosts Defense of Faith lecture
By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS —
To call Professor Robert P. George an intellectual might be an understatement.
The McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University in New Jersey, George holds advanced degrees from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; four degrees from the University of Oxford in England; and 23 honorary degrees in subjects such as law, science and divinity. Among his books are “Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality”; “Embryo: A Defense of Human Life”; and “In Defense of Natural Law.”
And those are just some of his credentials.
On Sept. 26, George spoke on “Christianity and the Challenge of Paganism: Then and Now,” to close to 100 people at Donnelly College’s Event Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Sponsored by the Kansas City region Order of Malta and cosponsored by Donnelly College, the speech served as the Order of Malta’s annual Defense of Faith lecture.
Founded in 1113, the order is a lay religious order active in 120 countries with a mission of “caring for people in need through its medical, social and humanitarian works.”
The lecture’s first part focused on the existence of inherent human dignity.
“If that stunningly unpagan and antipagan moral proposition is true, then the respect called for by that dignity, even in the weak, even in the vulnerable, even in the poor, even in the disabled, even in the lowly, even
in the despised, demands something that is as alien to paganism as it could possibly be — namely, a genuine reverence for human beings, for human life,” George said.
Elsewhere, he noted that once people understand the concept of inherent human dignity, other questions follow.
“How shall we conceive and pursue our common good as members of communities?” he asked. “How can we pursue the common good in ways that are consistent with the inherent and equal dignity of the human person?”
Noting how many 20th-century scholars argued for and believed in a neutral form of government — that is, government without any religion or morality — the professor said that many critics, himself included, say that is “neither desirable nor possible.”
“In 2024,” he said, “little effort is made by secular liberal philosophers to maintain the pretense of neutrality. Having gained the advantage, and in many cases, having prevailed — at least for now — on the battlefront, in battle after battle in the modern cultural war and having achieved hegemony in the lead sectors of the culture . . . there is no longer any need to pretend that the view being advanced is neutral.”
Take, for example, he said, the issue of marriage.
“No one on either side doubts that marriage, as redefined by the Supreme Court a few years ago in the Obergefell case, embodies substantive ideas about morality and the human good — ideas that differ profoundly from those embodied in previous marriage law, ideas that are, according to partisans of the new definition of marriage, to be preferred to competing ideas such as the biblical and natural
The Vision for Christian Initiation Ministry conference held at
Kpastoral center
ANSAS CITY, Kan. — A new name and a new understanding of how people are brought into the church was presented at the conference “The Vision for Christian Initiation Ministry,” held Aug. 23-24 at Savior Pastoral and Conference Center here.
The conference, offered in both English and Spanish, was presented in partnership with Liturgy Training Publication (LTP) and the archdiocesan office of evangelization.
Approximately 150 people attended, of whom 105 were English speakers, and 45 were Spanish speakers. The attendees were from the archdiocese and nearby dioceses.
It was held in response to a need for training expressed by priests, deacons, directors, coordinators and lay leaders serving in what used to be known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) — but now is called the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), or in Spanish Ritual de Iniciacion Cristiana de Adultos.
law understanding of marriage precisely because they are superior to the ideas that they supplanted.”
Elsewhere, George said he agrees with Steven Smith, a professor at the University of San Diego who argues in “Pagans and Christians in the City: Culture Wars from the Tiber to the Potomac” that views being advanced today are really “a revived, revitalized modern form of paganism.”
Later, the professor explained why Christianity was viewed as a threat by Roman authorities.
“It (Christianity) took an interest in the world, and it developed ideas about such things as authority, obligation, law, justice and the common good — ideas that challenged pagan ideas and practices and challenged them in a variety of areas including some profoundly important areas. . . . Christian ideas about sex and, in consequence, Christians’ condemnation of Roman sexual practices, figured very significantly in that perception,” he said.
The same is true with regard to the gay rights movement now, as claims of religious discrimination are viewed as excuses for discrimination. Still, he said he sees no other options but to bear faithful witness to Christian ideals, no matter the cost.
“Are we willing, if necessary, to pay the cost of discipleship?” asked George in conclusion. “Because without God’s help, nothing of this kind would be possible. We are too frail, too weak, too scared.
“Yet, we have it on good authority, the very best authority, that God’s grace is super abundant. No one who asks for the courage to bear faithful witness will be denied it. So, shall we flee the battle? No! Quite the opposite! Onward, Christian soldiers.”
The conference began with a welcome and opening by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann. Speaking on the theme, “The Gift of Relationships: A Call to Accompaniment,” were Emily Lopez and Karla Melgar, both of the archdiocesan office of evangelization.
Also giving presentations were Michael Ruzicki, director of sacred music and liturgy at St. Mary of the Lake Parish in Chicago and head of formation and events at LTP; Rachel Espinoza, editor and liturgical formation consultant at LTP; Ximena Debroeck, leadership adviser for the Catholic Leadership Institute; and Leticia Perez, coordinator of Christian initiation for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
The name was changed to convey the idea that the Catholic journey is continuous, said Melgar. Each catechumen and candidate makes a lifelong commitment to the church.
Also, the name change more accurately describes how multiple rites are integrated into the more extensive process of becoming Catholic.
The process is not a rite, the presenters explained. Other similar rites mark the catechumen’s growing commitment to the church, and vice versa. The conference set the tone for OCIA/RICA being a continuing learning process developed with the new textbooks and rituals.
Sister makes first vows
KOKOMO, Indiana — Ruthann Gorrell made her first profession of vows as Sister Rose Caritas of the Queen of Angels, PCC, on Sept. 21 at the Monastery of Poor Clares here.
Sister Rose Caritas is the daughter of Dan and Marie Gorrell of Atchison. Her first profession comes after four years of formation as a Poor Clare nun. She will have at least five more years of formation before profession of her solemn vows.
Sister Rose Caritas
Bridges to Life founder receives Vincentian Charism Award
By Margaret Haik Special to The Leaven
LEAVENWORTH — John Sage, the founder of Bridges to Life, was honored on Sept. 28 with the 2024 Vincentian Charism Award, presented by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth here. This award recognizes individuals who embody the charism of St. Vincent de Paul — namely, compassion for the poor and marginalized, a commitment to justice and transformative works of mercy.
In many ways, Sage’s life and his creation of Bridges to Life have followed a path aligned with the Vincentian spirit of service and healing.
Tragedy and transformation
Sage’s life changed forever in 1993 when his sister Marilyn was tragically murdered. This devastating event sent him spiraling into grief, anger and a deep sense of loss.
“When you look evil that close in the eye, when it touches someone you love, it’s an experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” he said.
Like many who experience such profound trauma, Sage had to find a way through the darkness. After five difficult years, he began to see a path forward by seeking God’s will, a journey that would eventually lead to the founding of Bridges to Life.
While the Vincentian charism calls for addressing the needs of the marginalized, it also asks for the deeper healing of the brokenhearted — something central to Sage’s mission.
Through his personal journey of healing, Sage realized that his calling was to help others who had also been impacted by crime. In 1998, he founded Bridges to Life, a restorative justice program designed to bring together crime victims and offenders for dialogue, understanding and transformation.
Since then, the program has operated in over 200 prisons across 17 states and seven countries, with more than 83,000 participants having completed the program.
A Vincentian response to injustice
The work of Bridges to Life exemplifies the Vincentian charism by offering mercy and healing where there is pain and division. As Rolly Dessert, a Sisters of Charity Associate who nominated Sage for the award, described, “As Mother Xavier Ross would say, John Sage is an example of ‘the good that is yet to be.’”
This vision is realized through the organization’s restorative justice efforts, which makes it possible for offenders to understand the impact of their actions and give victims a voice in the healing process. It is work deeply connected to the values of St. Vincent de Paul, whose mission was rooted in mercy, humility and service.
“St. Vincent would admire John Sage for his work,” said Dessert, underscoring the timeless relevance of Sage’s mission. The organization’s impact is impressive: 4,000 volunteers, 25% of whom are crime victims themselves,
have served with Bridges to Life, showing the power of love, faith and forgiveness in restoring lives.
Sage himself sees God’s hand at work in the program.
“I don’t think God orchestrates these bad things,” said Sage, “but he gets involved once they’ve happened.”
This belief is at the core of his work — God’s love and mercy shine through in the program’s efforts to rehabilitate the incarcerated and bring comfort to those affected by crime.
The results have transformed countless lives, both inside and outside prison walls.
“John is inspiring leadership of others to perform works of mercy in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul,” explained Dessert.
Sister Eileen Haynes, director of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, agreed.
“You are a witness to us,” she told Sage, “as you strive to instill hope, change hearts and heal the brokenhearted.”
A legacy of mercy, faith and hope
One of the most profound elements of Bridges to Life is its commitment to simply showing up: Week after week, volunteers meet with prisoners for 14 weeklong sessions. This consistency, grounded in love, is what begins the process of transformation.
As Sage said, it’s love that opens the door to talk about faith. And from love and faith comes hope, something the incarcerated have been without.
The selection of Sage as the recipient of the 2024 Vincentian Charism Award is a testament to his dedication to living out the principles of mercy and justice that are at the heart of the Vincentian tradition, said Sister Eileen.
In thanking him for his work, she acknowledged his faithfulness to God’s call: “Thank you for your ministry.
“For following where God has called you throughout the years.”
John Sage, middle, founder of Bridges to Life, a restorative justice program designed to bring together crime victims and offenders for dialogue, understanding and transformation, was presented with the 2024 Vincentian Charism Award on Sept. 28. From left are Sisters of Charity associates Pam Logan and Rolly Dessert, Sage, Sister Marie Benedict Young and Sister Rosemary Kolich.
Fieldhouse called a tribute to beloved coach and educator
>> Continued from page 1
be very well-used, and I think people are going to be excited to be a part of that.”
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann blessed and dedicated the fieldhouse, which will be used as a multipurpose space, on Oct. 11.
“It’s so exciting to see what’s happening at St. James, where our staff here try to serve the whole person,” said the archbishop.
“We pray that the Lord will bless this facility,” he added, “that it will be a place where our young people enjoy it, where they take care of [their bodies and] they push themselves to excellence.”
The fieldhouse cost $5 million, and construction took about a year.
The general contractor was Straub Construction, and the architect was Incite Design. The engineers were Smith & Boucher; Schlagel & Associates; and Bob D. Campbell & Company.
The space is a tribute to Huppe, who coached basketball at St. James, Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park and St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park.
He was a parishioner at Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park for more than 35 years and spent 13 years at St. James.
“He had such an incredible impact on youth throughout our archdiocese for the last 35 years,” said Tylicki. “The impact that Mark Huppe had on people throughout this diocese cannot be forgotten.”
Steady growth
For Tylicki, the fieldhouse is a dream come true.
“I’ve been here since the very beginning,” he said, “and we’ve been talking about these types of things for years and years.
“And it’s been such a blessing to be able to find supporters, and they want to support St. James in the way that they do.”
Its oldest alumni are only in their 30s, so the school also relies on support from the wider community.
St. James is in the midst of a Mission
Forward capital campaign for its football stadium, tennis courts, parking space and performing arts.
So far, it’s raised just over $10.7 million and has around $10 million more to go, said Tylicki.
The need for the updates reflects St. James’ commitment to its growing student population, which is now at 998.
Some 600-700 of those students are involved in athletics at the school.
Herzet said the past four years since he’s been athletic director, St. James has averaged eight basketball teams — five boys teams and three girls teams.
“And trying to figure out a way for everybody to practice in one gym has been really hard,” he said.
Having just one main gym inside the school meant late night basketball and volleyball practices and back-to-back
games going from early in the morning until late in the evening.
The fieldhouse has already shaved hours off sporting events, allowing students to get home earlier.
And with the additional space, St. James was able to bring its wrestling team back to campus after around eight years of practicing elsewhere.
“To be able to have them back on campus is huge for us,” said Herzet.
Long time coming
The fieldhouse has been in the works since Tylicki was approached by a friend of St. James around seven years ago about building an indoor athletic facility that included a baseball complex.
“He was willing to give us a very
generous gift to get this process started,” said Tylicki.
“And then, he thought we could share with CYO and share with other people that were Catholic organizations that may want to use an indoor facility,” he added. Herzet is thrilled with the addition to campus.
“To be able to have something like the St. James Fieldhouse on our campus now — for the betterment of our coaches and our athletes — it’s a true blessing,” he said.
Tylicki agreed.
“I believe wholeheartedly in my mind that the mission of our school is to pass on the Catholic faith,” he said, “and that never changes.
“This is just going to be another tool for us to be able to do that.”
Paul and Joan Nelson, members of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee, will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary on Oct. 26 with a family gathering. The couple was married on Oct. 24, 1959, at St. Patrick Church, in Sheldon, Iowa. Their children are: Jim, Dave, Anne, Ramona, Barbara, Mike and Molly. They also have 17 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Mary (Baker) and Mick Poell, members of Immaculate Conception Parish, St. Marys, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Oct. 19 with a weekend getaway and future family gathering. The couple was married on Oct. 19, 1974, at St. Gregory Church, Marysville. Their children are: Nathan Poell and Emily (Poell) Ryan. They also have three granddaughters.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann blesses the St. Joseph Fieldhouse and those who attended the dedication with holy water. Many in attendance are relatives of Mark Huppe, a longtime coach and educator who passed away in November 2023 after an 18-month battle with throat cancer.
ASCENSION EAGLES SPREAD THEIR WINGS
Serve Day shows students the value of helping others
By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill.esfeld@theleaven.org
OVERLAND PARK — “We’re hoping this day inspires them,” said Ascension School principal Becky Wright after students here participated in the third annual Eagle Serve Day program.
Outreach coordinator at Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas Kendra Dudasko started the day off at an allschool prayer service.
“Today, you are essentially employees of Catholic Charities,” she told the students. “You’re helping us to serve.
“So, thank you, enjoy yourselves today, really fully embrace and participate and remember you’re doing this on behalf of people that really need your help!”
The Ascension Eagles elementary students stayed on campus, participating in activities like assembling food and hygiene kits for those in need; making placemats for Shalom House in Kansas City, Kansas; writing notes and coloring pictures for homebound parishioners; and helping load the Catholic Charities truck.
Middle school students headed off to help at Catholic Charities locations like TurnStyles Thrift Stores, and Hope Distribution Center and New Roots Juniper Gardens Training Farm, both in Kansas City, Kansas.
The day of service was organized to help students learn the importance of the corporal works of mercy as part of their Catholic faith.
“So many activities were coordinated for them,” said Wright. “And it was really neat to see the end result.
“We all can make a difference, and in each little thing we do, we should give glory to God.”
That message came through loud and clear for fifth graders, who made cards and packed Grab-N-Go breakfast kits for Shalom House residents.
“You’re just serving God,” said Bennet Wilson. “Because God’s mission is to help everybody, to make everybody
treated the same.
“If you take a little of your time to do something to help other people, it just makes him (God) love you more.”
Classmate Molly Krenn agreed.
“I learned that it’s important to help people because a lot of people don’t have the things we have,” she said. “We actually have breakfast and they don’t, so it was nice to give that to them.
“And it’s what Jesus would do.”
It took many volunteers, teachers, staff and donations from parents to make the day a success.
“It was just one big joint effort,” said Wright. “It was so beautiful.”
Many activities involved hard work, but students said they had fun.
“One bag of food goes to one person who doesn’t have anything,” said fifth grader Danny O’Donnell. “And it’s important because that could change their life.
“Just knowing that I helped someone made it fun.”
The day ended with students gathering to watch a video of all the projects they’d participated in.
“It showed every single grade level and what they did and then told who that impacted in the community,” explained Wright. “It was really neat for them to see.
“A lot of times kids think they can’t do anything, and this showed that even as a little kindergartner, you can make a difference.”
Wright expressed gratitude to Catholic Charities for helping arrange programs for students to participate in throughout the day.
“It is a blessing to work with an organization like Catholic Charities that makes such an impact in our community by helping in so many ways,” she said.
At the end of the day, Danny Wilson voiced the feelings of all his fellow Eagles.
“You’ve got to be and act like Jesus, and what would Jesus do?” he said. “He would help the poor; so that’s what we did today.
“Me knowing that I helped somebody today . . . it just feels good.”
SAY HAY
Eighth grader Sarah Cordova clears out grass at the Roots Juniper Gardens Training Farm in Kansas City, that partners with Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, to co-manage the New Roots program, helping healthy produce.
THE PACKERS
From left, eighth grader Evelyn Nguy, middle school teacher Emily Mayer, eighth grader Caroline Cooper Hope Distribution Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The center serves as the central location for food and hygiene by Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas.
TALE OF THE TAPE
COLORFUL
Kindergartner Edie Hensley is all smiles as she colors a placemat for Shalom House in Kansas City, Kansas. The Ascension elementary students stayed on their Overland
campus, participating in activities like assembling food and hygiene kits for those in need, writing notes and coloring pictures for homebound parishioners, and helping load the Catholic
TAG, YOU’RE IT
From left, seventh graders Alexis Murray, Anna Lund and Audrey Brown tag clothing to get it ready to hit the floor at TurnStyles Thrift Store in Mission. Ascension seventh graders were at all three TurnStyles locations to volunteer. The money earned from TurnStyles helps fund programs run by Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas.
City, Kansas, as middle school teacher Bridget Maloney, left, looks on. The training farm is a nine-acre site helping resettled refugees and new Americans start and operate independent farm businesses that supply
Cooper and eighth grader Lizzie Cure repackage diapers at the hygiene distribution to eight pantries and 21 counties served
Eighth grader Austin Riscoe tapes up boxes nice and tight as they are prepared to be shipped out from the Hope Distribution Center to pantries in the Kansas City metro area.
Park
Charities truck.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE
LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD LEAVEN PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE
Archdiocese offers pastoral care to those affected by infant loss
By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Since 1973, October has been designated as Respect Life Month by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). It’s a time dedicated to the dignity of every single human being.
While many Catholics know about Respect Life Month, many are unaware it’s also Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. For Catholic families who experience miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss, the grief can be overwhelming.
Archdiocesan pro-life consultant Debra Niesen said that while the archdiocese continues to look for ways to improve its outreach to those experiencing miscarriage and stillbirth, there are many things priests and parishes are already doing — and that others easily can do — to bolster its pastoral care and outreach.
For example, one of the things the pro-life office offers to parish priests is a miscarriage and early childhood resource binder for ministering to couples faced with such losses. The binder contains, among other things, parent packets for the couples themselves with prayers and reflections, a small book called “Mourning a Miscarriage” and a letter from Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann.
“We ask [priests] when they encounter a couple experiencing a miscarriage or infant loss to share them,” Niesen said.
Sometimes, Niesen said, parents experiencing infant loss find the support of others who have gone through similar experiences helpful. While the archdiocese does not have an infant loss support group right now, Niesen said couples might find comfort in a Catholic pro-life/pro-family grief support resource known as Red Bird Ministries through its services such as online communities and virtual retreats. The organization also has in-person events and chapters across the country.
“We would love to get a chapter
Mass of Innocents
Oct. 20, Holy Spirit Parish, 11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park 1 p.m.
“This is a child. This is a life lost,” Vallejo said. She hopes to get the word out of the assistance Catholic cemeteries can offer — an assistance that honors the reverence the moment requires.
“It’s still a baby,” she said. “We’re here for you. We’ve got the space for you to come and pray and remember.”
Niesen agreed.
“Properly honoring their very brief life can be consoling for their parents who might not have ever held that baby in their arms the way they had hoped,” she said.
PROPERLY HONORING THEIR VERY BRIEF LIFE CAN BE CONSOLING FOR THEIR PARENTS WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE EVER HELD THAT BABY IN THEIR ARMS THE WAY THEY HAD HOPED.”
SHARON VALLEJO PRESIDENT AND CEO OF CATHOLIC CEMETERIES OF NORTHEAST KANSAS
started here,” Niesen said. There is also assistance available in the practical aspects of loss, such as burial options and their associated costs.
As president and CEO of Catholic Cemeteries of Northeast Kansas, Sharon Vallejo helps families with burial options for their little ones.
Within designated sections for infants, Vallejo said, families can choose a 12-inch by 12-inch space with a 12-inch by 12-inch marker in which to bury their little ones. The grave, opening and closing of the grave and a vessel in which to bury the baby are offered to families for $100.
So far, of the nine archdiocesan cemeteries, three (Resurrection Cemetery in Lenexa; Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas; and Mount Calvary Cemetery in Topeka) have these specific sections.
For Katherine* — a mother who recently miscarried her first baby — Catholic Cemeteries provided the right amount of support for her family.
After learning a child-sized grave at another cemetery could cost around $1,000, Katherine and her husband chose to bury their baby at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
“That was a big blessing,” said Katherine of the nominal amount.
Vallejo said cost should be one of the last things families have to worry about when experiencing a miscarriage or a stillbirth.
Father Peter Jaramillo, SSA, pastor of St. Mary-St. Anthony Parish in Kansas City, Kansas, agreed, saying just as important is the church being there for the families.
Regardless of whether it’s a first miscarriage or the fifth, Father Peter said the baby’s life needs to be honored and mourned.
“When priests do these things,” he said, “it makes all the difference for the family to know that the church is there for them.
“So much of society says it’s not even a child, it’s not even human. Having the total burial process and having the little memorials, the crucifixes and the cards that express that is so important.”
“We value all life, and we as the church recognize that life begins at conception. That is a precious, unique individual created by God at that moment,” Niesen said. “We want to honor them and respect their dignity.”
For more information about Red Bird Ministries, headquartered in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, go to its website at: redbird.love.
*Not her real name.
LEAVEN FILE PHOTO
Several cemeteries in the archdiocese have designated sections for infants. Families can choose a 12-inch by 12-inch space with a 12-inch by 12-inch marker in which to bury their little ones. The grave, opening and closing of the grave and a vessel in which to bury the baby are offered to families for $100.
Synthetic embryo breakthrough raises new questions
Embryonic stem cells have held out a certain appeal and promise because they are remarkably flexible. Researchers can make various cell types out of them, whether nerve cells or pancreatic islet cells, and these could, in theory, be used to treat diseases like Parkinson’s or diabetes. These morallyproblematic cells, obtained by destroying human embryos, are, however, limited in their degree of flexibility, lacking the ability to “rewind” and make an entire embryo.
Until now.
Recent reports suggest it may now be possible to generate “synthetic embryos” from embryonic stem cells through various manipulations, including genetic reprogramming steps and mixing various cell types together, without the need for sperm and egg. Researchers claim that synthetic embryos could be used to help them unlock the mysteries of very early human development and address early pregnancy loss.
When a researcher from Cambridge University and another in Israel recently
Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did postdoctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, and serves as senior ethicist at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.
announced that they had been able to produce such an “embryo model,” a longstanding “line in the biological sand” appears to have been crossed, along with some important ethical lines as well. At least two notable ethical concerns arise in the wake of this new technology: First, the use of unethically derived cell types in biomedical research, especially human embryonic stem cells, still remains a major concern. Second, if scientists are able to successfully produce a
living human embryo by this technology, this would clearly raise additional serious ethical objections.
New human beings are entitled to the respect of entering the world only through the marital embrace. Any time we create living human embryos by other approaches, whether by cloning, by IVF, by synthetic embryo construction or by other novel methods, we cross a key moral line.
The big question hanging over this research is: Are these so-called “synthetic embryos” really living human embryos? If they are, we have walked right into the ethical landmine of creating human beings solely to be exploited for research or experimental purposes. If they are not, can that line be crossed through additional steps to make them authentic human embryos?
Scientists are likely to continue to improve their techniques so as to generate better embryo stand-ins, enabling them to study in ever greater detail the way that early human development unfolds.
As the director of the Anscombe Bioethics
Centre, David Albert Jones sums it up: “A synthetic embryo is not a ‘model’ of an embryo, it is an attempt to make an embryo. If this attempt is successful, scientifically, then it will be wrong ethically, but if it is not successful scientifically then it will not be able to tell us much about normal human development.”
The lab from Cambridge concluded that the structures it made were not real embryos. Alfonso Martinez Arias, a developmental biologist at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, agreed, describing them as “masses of cells separated into compartments, but no embryo-like organization.” He suggested that the cell manipulation “confuses what [the] cells do” so that a real embryo is not produced.
The research team based at the Weizmann Institute in Israel, however, produced extremely realistic synthetic embryo models that grew for up to two weeks. They exhibited characteristics quite similar to regular embryos, as developmental biologist Jesse Veenvliet of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell
Biology and Genetics pointed out: “The similarity to the natural embryo is remarkable, almost uncanny.” If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then, as they say, might it really be a duck?
Some claim that if synthetic embryos were implanted, they would fail to initiate a pregnancy, and this proves they aren’t real embryos. But women’s pregnancies sometimes fail through miscarriages not because their child was “not an embryo,” but because their child was affected by a genetic or developmental defect.
Could these newly produced synthetic embryos be real embryos that have a defect thanks to the various laboratory manipulations they have undergone? It seems unsafe to start from the assumption that they are “synthetic” and hence “nottruly-embryos,” given the challenging task of distinguishing a “non-embryo” from an “embryo with a defect.”
By employing terms like “embryo structures,” “synthetic embryos,” “stem cell embryo models” or even “stembryos,” researchers may be
seeking to go around ethics by relying on euphemism.
Even though sperm and egg are not directly employed to make synthetic embryos, this also does not rule out the possibility that these entities could be genuine embryos. In human cloning, for example, no sperm is needed to make real cloned human embryos. Dolly the sheep arose from a real sheep embryo, even though no sperm was involved. Over time scientists are coming up with more technologically advanced ways of creating organisms, including human organisms, apart from the usual approach that relies directly on sperm and egg.
Ethically speaking, a great deal is at stake in these kinds of synthetic embryo experiments that threaten to manipulate and destroy human life. These developmental studies ought to be carried out by studying animal models, carefully avoiding the use of human embryonic stem cells and the production of human embryos.
EMPLOYMENT
Business manager - Have you had a successful business career and are now looking for a more fulfilling position? Are you tired of travel and interested in moving out of the corporate rat race? Are you searching for a position that is more conducive to cultivating a better family life? Do you possess a strong Catholic faith and are looking for a way to express your gratitude and give back to God? If so, this may be the ideal opportunity for you. St. Ann Parish in Prairie Village is seeking a full-time business manager to be a key member of the parish management team. The position will have responsibilities for budgeting, financial reporting and cash flow management, as well as oversee other operational functions of the parish. The individual will work collaboratively with the pastor, school principal and young child care director and interact positively with volunteers and parishioners in fulfilling the parish mission. The preferred candidate will be a practicing Catholic with a business-related degree, a working knowledge of accounting practices and at least 5 years of demonstrated management experience. The ideal candidate will also be a proactive, team-oriented leader and possess strong communication and interpersonal skills. A complete job description can be found at: https://stannpv.org/jobs. Interested candidates should email a cover letter and resume to Father Mitchel Zimmerman at: frmitchel@stannpv.org.
Part-time facilities maintenance position - Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, a Catholic parish with a parochial school, is seeking applicants for a parttime (25 hours per week) facilities maintenance position. Applicants should be skilled in basic mechanical skills, carpentry, painting, plumbing repair, etc. The role serves to assist the facilities director in addressing daily facility’s needs, repairs and upgrades. Applicants would be required to pass a background check and complete safe environment training. Ideal opportunity for a craftsman who is looking to work 4 - 5 hours a day, Monday - Friday. Interested individuals should send contact information along with a list of past work experience to Susan Nigrin at the parish office. Email: snigrin@kcascension.org.
Preschool assistant teacher - St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Preschool in Leawood is seeking a parttime assistant teacher for a classroom for 4-year-olds. This position is Monday - Thursday from 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. The assistant teacher will help the lead teacher in conducting daily activities, carrying out licensure rules and regulations, and maintaining principles of sound Catholic education. See full job description at: stmichaelcp.org/employment. Send cover letter and resume to the preschool director at: jennie.wente@ stmichaelcp.org.
Facilities assistant - St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood is seeking a full-time facilities assistant. Hours will vary but will be primarily daytime, including one weekend day and occasional weekends. Responsibilities include setup and teardown for events, janitorial services, maintenance projects and coordinating/inspecting contractor tasks. This position earns full benefits, including health, dental, vision, 401(k) and more. Go online to: stmichaelcp.org/employment for a full description. Please submit resume and cover letter to: denise.greene@stmichaelcp.org.
Annual giving manager - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking to hire an annual giving manager, who would be responsible for the management and continued growth of a dynamic annual appeal, and the cultivation of long-lasting relationships with major donors, supporters, lay leaders, priests and prospects to ensure the financial stability of the local church. For more information and to apply, please visit “Employment Opportunities” on the archdiocesan website at: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/ Details/2755248.
Now hiring - Love the smell of fresh country air? Now hiring at $20 per hour. Looking for a part-time groundskeeper and horse groom on a small family farm. Located in Paola just minutes from Olathe and Overland Park. Responsibilities include all areas of the farm, including cleaning, mowing, weed trimming, gardening, horse care, moving hay, painting, digging, fencing, etc. It is hot and dirty in the summer, cold in the winter. Any experience is appreciated but preferred qualifications are willingness to work hard, honesty, reliability and carefulness. Must be able to lift heavy loads repeatedly, including but not limited to 80-pound bales of hay, 50-pound bags of grain, etc. No smoking, tobacco of any kind, electronic smoking devices or alcohol products allowed on the property. No exceptions. We do background checks and you must have your own transportation to and from work. Call or text Brian at (913) 710-4428.
Administrative assistant - Come join our team! A small family-owned company located in Lenexa is looking for an assistant to answer phones; invoicing; product ordering; some shipping/receiving and to assist the owner. We need a team member who is organized; detail oriented; self-motivated; trustworthy; has a positive attitude and above all else, gives excellent customer service. Schedule flexibility. Send your resume to: YourCareer101@gmail.com
Now hiring - drivers and aides - Assisted Transportation is hiring safe drivers and aides to transport students in Johnson and Wyandotte counties, in company vans. Drivers earn $16 - $20 per hour. Aides earn $15.50 per hour. Part-time and full-time schedules available. CDL not required. Retirees are encouraged to apply. Make a difference in your community by helping those in need! Call (913) 521-4955 or visit: www.assisted transportation.com for more information. EEO.
Music director - St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee invites applications for the position of full-time director of music. St. Joseph is a large suburban parish which boasts a renovated church featuring an Allen 3-manual organ and Steinway piano. The director of music will oversee all musical aspects of parish liturgical events, including five weekend Masses, solemnities, feasts and special occasions. Responsibilities encompass directing four choirs, supervising four paid organists and scheduling all music ministers. Candidates should demonstrate a strong Roman Catholic faith, deep knowledge of liturgy, and exceptional proficiency in keyboard playing, conducting and voice development. This role requires proactive leadership, effective communication and a passion for nurturing spiritual growth through music. Interested applicants are encouraged to send their resume to: mthomas@stjoeshawnee.org or call (913) 248-4562.
Staff job openings - Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, a Catholic college offering higher education for those who may not otherwise be served, has the following staff job openings available - director of nursing, human resources generalist, director of development. Find job descriptions and details at: www.donnelly.edu/ careers.
Caregivers needed - Daughter & Company is looking for compassionate caregivers to provide assistance to seniors in their home, assisted living or in a skilled nursing facility. We provide sitter services, light housekeeping and light meal preparation, organizational assistance, care management and occasional transportation for our clients. We need caregivers with reliable transportation and a cellphone for communication. 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.
Make a meaningful impact today -Join L’Arche Heartland as a Direct Support Professional in our residential homes. Contribute to the empowerment and enrichment of adults with developmental disabilities as they engage in meaningful lifestyles. We have immediate full-time positions available. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes 100% coverage for medical, dental and vision expenses. Conveniently situated in downtown Overland Park. Training provided. Apply now by visiting our website at: www.larcheks.org/join-our-team or by emailing: james@larcheks.org.
Bilingual financial empowerment specialist - Catholic Charities of N.E. Kansas is seeking a bilingual financial empowerment specialist. This position will pilot a financial program for bilingual individuals and families. This position is based in Wyandotte County and will provide culturally relevant financial education and empowerment to Latino communities within Wyandotte and Johnson counties, as well as serving the general population in Wyandotte County. The caseworker will provide wraparound strength-based case management, which includes completing assessments, developing a spending plan with families, and assisting clients in identifying and monitoring measurable and achievable goals with appropriate action steps. For more information about this position, please visit: catholiccharitiesks.org.
Technician Needed ASAP - Do you like to tinker? Are you detail-oriented? Then this is the job for you! A locally owned family business is currently seeking candidates to provide preventive maintenance (cleaning) and repair service on microscopes. No previous experience necessary, on-the-job training provided. Good communication, time management and customer service skills necessary. Expenses paid, out in the field majority of time and each day is different! Some travel is required. Please contact us at: techneeded23@ gmail.com.
Workforce training and development specialist - Are you seeking an opportunity to advance your career while assisting others to advance theirs? Then consider your next career move with our great team as a Workforce training and development specialist. This position will work between our Leavenworth and Atchison locations. Please go online to: catholiccharitiesks.org/ careers for more information.
Faculty and adjunct faculty job openings - Donnelly College, Kansas City, Kansas, is a Catholic college offering higher education for those who may not other wise be served Faculty job openings - none. Adjunct faculty job openings - adjunct instructor for nursing and clinical nursing adjunct. Adjunct faculty Lansing Correctional Campus - English adjunct and math adjunct and psychology adjunct. Find job descriptions and details at: www.donnelly.edu/careers.
SERVICES
Garage door repair expert New Garage Doors Garage Floor Coatings
A Total Door Inc., Since ’83. Leaven discount joe@atotaldoor.com; (913) 405-8123.
Masonry work - Quality new or repair work. Brick, block and chimney/fireplace repair. Insured; secondgeneration bricklayer. Member of St. Paul Parish, Olathe. Call (913) 271-0362.
Blue Streak Transportation - We offer car service to the airport, sporting events, concerts, doctor appointments, anywhere you need to go. Call Joe at (913) 3030679 to reserve a ride. Member of Holy Trinity Parish, Lenexa.
Tree trimming and landscaping - We provide free estimates and recent references. Five years of experience and fully insured. Call Charly at (913) 303-1472.
MIKE HAMMER MOVING - A full-service mover. Local and long-distance moving. Packing, pianos, rental truck load/unload, storage container load/unload. In-home moving and office moves. No job too small. Serving the KC metro since 1987. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, parishioner. Call the office at (913) 927-4347 or email: mike@mikehammermoving.com.
AKC Pros roofing, siding, gutters, insulation - Did you get tired of the door-knocking and constant calls from different roofing companies after the storms this year? Now that the dust has settled, let’s talk. If it’s new damage or old damage, just give me a call. I’ll walk your roof and we will decide together whether to file a claim. Locally owned and operated, licensed and insured. Call Josh at (913) 709-7230.
Faith-based counseling to cope with life concerns - Kansas City area. Call Mary Vorsten, licensed clinical professional counselor, at (913) 909-2002.
Double A’s Lawn Service
Lawn mowing, Mulching, Gutters, Leaf Removal Brush Removal & Hedge Trimming Free Estimate & Insured
Alex Spoerre (913) 488-5195
Free estimates - We are offering free estimates to all those thinking about painting this year. At Stone Painting, we put the customer first. We provide interior, exterior house painting along with deck staining, fence painting, etc. Stone Painting ensures a professional, clean and fair-priced job. Call today for your free estimate. (913) 963-6465.
Concrete construction - Tear out and replace stamped, stained or colored patios and drives. Retaining walls, footing, 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.
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.
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.
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Local handyman - Painting, int. and ext., wood rot, mason repair, gutter cleaning (gutter covers), dryer vent cleaning, sump pump (replace, add new), windows, doors (interior and exterior), honey-do list, window cleaning and more! Member of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913) 927-8123.
Garage renovations - Married couple from St. Paul Parish in Olathe. Haul-off, cleanout, floor coatings, shelving/painting. Experienced, references available, insured. Call (913) 405-1472.
Haus To Home Remodeling - Let’s give that room a nice face-lift! Specializing in affordable room remodeling. From small projects to bathrooms and basements. Tile, paint, carpentry, wood rot, decks, drywall, etc. Free estimates. Call Cole at (913) 544-7352.
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.
Father and Son Home Remodeling - We specialize in kitchen/bathroom and basement remodeling, from start to finish. We also do decks, covered decks, porches, sun-rooms and room additions! If you’re not sure we do it, just call. From my family to yours, thank you for supporting my small business. To contact me, call (913) 709-7230 and ask for Josh.
FOR SALE
For sale - Two plots at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Lansing. Located in section 15, row 5 lot 14x, spaces 3 and 4. Traditional ground space. The original price in $2595 for each plot ($2257 plus $338 for perpetual care), asking $2200 each. Contact Ralph at (913) 306-4024 or email: grassman177@gmail.com.
For sale - Two plots at Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery, Kansas City, Kansas. Located in the Old Rugged Cross area, section 310B, spaces 3 and 4. The original price is $5800 per plot. Asking $8000 for both. Call Candie at (913) 579-1050.
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 plots in Resurrection Cemetery in Lenexa. Located in the Communion of Saints area, Lot 33, section B, spaces 2 & 3. This lot allows upright monuments and/or flat markers. Value of $5990 for both, asking $4900. I’ll pay the $250 conveyance fee. Call (913) 230-7872 or (703) 477-4000
For sale - Folding, full-size crib in natural color. Fixed sides, two mattress heights and mattress with bedding. Text Sally at (913) 707-2519.
For sale - Two plots at Resurrection Cemetery in Lenexa. Located in Ascension Garden, lot 39, section C, spaces 1 and 2. Asking $5840 for both or $3045 for just one plot. For more information, call (913) 4245928.
For sale - Two plots at Mt. Moria Cemetery, 19507 Holmes, Kansas City, Missouri. Located in lot 92, block 26. Asking $2000 or best offer. Call (913) 3877443.
CAREGIVING
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. Benefitsofhome.com or call (913) 422-1591.
Homecare - CMA, 15 years’ experience, background check available from past employers. Call (913) 9994340.
Caring Christian companion - I’m a retired licensed practical nurse with 20+ years of nursing experience caring for those facing medical challenges. I will work for you, in home, assisted living or nursing home. Qualified to transport to and from physicians or therapy and personal trips. References from past employers are available. I am someone who is caring, honest and dependable. Call Barbara at (913) 645-3779.
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.
REAL ESTATE
We are local people who can buy your house - Big companies from all over the nation come here buying houses, but that’s not us. We are parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish and we enjoy giving you personalized service. We can offer you a fair price and are flexible to your needs. If I can help, call me, Mark Edmondson, at (913) 980-4905.
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 has never felt so good. Jon & Stacy Bichelmeyer, (913) 599-5000.
WANTED TO BUY
Will buy firearms and related accessories - One or a whole collection. Honest evaluation and top prices paid. Contact Tom at (913) 238-2473. Member of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee.
Wanted 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 - Antiques & Collectibles: jewelry, military items, railroad, sterling, OLD holiday/toys and more. Renee Maderak (913) 475-7393. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.
Wanted - Vintage baseball & sports cards Cash for cards Holy Trinity Parishioner Call Matt at (913) 522-4938
$$PAYING CASH$$
Looking for special Christmas gifts for my family. Examples of items: Antique furniture, crocks, tin and cast iron toys, old tools, glassware, American coins, jewelry. Most anything old! Please call Patricia at (913) 515-2950.
SOLUTION
potluck & popcorn with the pope
St. Pius X Parish (Kelly Hall)
5500 Woodson St., Mission Oct. 18 at 6 p.m.
Dinner begins at 6 p.m. and the movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy” starts at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome.
Gift & craft bazaar
St. Joseph Parish (McDevitt Hall) 11311 Johnson Dr., Shawnee
Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Hosted by the Ladies Guild, there will be more than 50 tables with hundreds of gifts and craft items. Lunch is available at a nominal fee. Raffle tickets will be sold for three raised planter boxes with two bags of soil and two potted plants. You do not need to be present for the raffle.
Bereavement meeting
Curé of Ars Parish (Father Burak Room) 9405 Mission Rd., Leawood Oct. 19 at 8:30 a.m.
The bereavement ministry will have a grief support meeting Oct. 19 after the 8 a.m. Mass. A grief counselor will speak on “Managing the Holidays.” For more information, call (913) 649-2026.
Fall day of reflection
Ignatian Spirituality Center of Kansas City
1001 E. 52nd St., Kansas City, Missouri
Oct. 19 from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
This reflection day, led by Father Kevin Cullen, SJ, will help us slow down from our busy lives and hear the invitation to ask, seek and find. Retreatants are provided a quiet rhythm of the day with input, personal reflection and Ignatian conversation on elements of invitation, prayer and witness. The opportunity to relax in nature with God and others helps us freely respond to the invitation. The day begins with registration and includes breakfast, snacks, coffee and lunch. As the day concludes, a vigil Mass will be celebrated at 3 p.m. For more information and to register, go online to: www. ignatiancenterkc.org/events.
PANCAKE BREAKFAST TO SUPPORT ULTRASOUND INITIATIVE
Various Topeka locations (see below) Oct. 20
The Knights of Columbus councils from parishes in the Topeka area are hosting a community pancake breakfast with proceeds benefiting the Knights’ Ultrasound Initiative — a national program that raises funds to purchase ultrasound machines for qualifying pregnancy centers. The cost is a freewill offering. The following parishes will host:
• Mother Teresa of Calcutta, 2014 N.W. 46th St., Topeka, from 7:30 to 10 a.m.
• Most Pure Heart of Mary, 3601 S.W. 17th St., Topeka, from 8:30 to 11 a.m.
• Mater Dei Event Center, 934 S.W. Clay, Topeka, after 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Masses.
• Christ the King, 5973 S.W. 25th St., Topeka, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
• St. Theresa, 209 E. 3rd St., Perry, after the 8:45 a.m. Mass.
• St. Matthew, 2700 S.E. Virginia Ave., Topeka, from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
healing and hope support group
Keeler Women’s Center
759 Vermont, Kansas City, Kansas Oct. 21 and Oct. 30 from 1:30 - 3 p.m.
This group is open to all people who are hurting from any emotional pain, loss or trauma and want to be heard. It doesn’t matter where you are in your path to healing.
WORKSHOP: TAX REDUCING STRATEGIES FOR PRE- AND POST-RETIREES
Bishop Miege High School
5041 Reinhardt Dr., Roeland Park Oct. 23 at 5:30 p.m.
The evening will begin with a wine tasting social followed by a presentation on selling highly appreciated assets and minimizing capital gains taxes. You may be able to receive significant tax deductions today and possibly for another five years; you can protect you IRA from double taxation; you may be able to increase your income significantly. Register online at: https:// rb.gy/11fczp or call Molly at (913) 222-5994.
‘working in ARCHDIOCESAN
catholic schools’: a virtual information session
Online
Oct. 24 from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Want to learn more about working in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas? Whether you are in college, working in public schools or considering a career change, this session is for you. Representatives from the archdiocesan Catholic schools office will present information and answer your questions. Register online at: archkckcs.org/register.
pizza dinner
Most Pure Heart of Mary (Culhane Room) 3601 S.W. 17th St., Topeka
Oct. 24 from 5 - 7 p.m.
The Christian Widow and Widowers Organization will host a pizza dinner. There is no cost to attend. For more information, text (785) 230-2473.
RETROUVAILLE OF KANSAS CITY
Location given after registration Oct. 25 -27
“A Retrouvaille Weekend Retreat was exactly what we needed to get our marriage
back on track. We learned to communicate in ways that were deeper than we ever had shared before. We knew we had a lot of work to do. But we knew our marriage was worth it.” Want to reconnect with your spouse? Try this Retrouvaille weekend retreat. Build the marriage you want. Spend a weekend away focusing on your marriage and learn how to reconnect with each other. Register online for the Kansas City weekend at: www.helpourmarriage.org.
‘Joyful Hearts, Peaceful Hearts’ St. Patrick Parish (center) 1066 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kansas Oct. 26 from 9 a.m. - noon
All women are invited to a morning retreat, “Joyful Hearts, Peaceful Hearts.” The retreat will be in the parish center. The retreat fee is $15. Register online at: www. stpatrickkck.org. Walk-ins are welcome.
Called to love again
Church of the Nativity
3800 W. 119th St., Leawood Oct. 26 at 6 p.m.
Join us for a time of healing, fellowship and formation on how to navigate after divorce.
Daughters of isabella
Christ the King Parish (Yadrich Hall)
5973 S.W. 25th St., Topeka Oct. 27 at 12:40 p.m.
A rosary will be recited, followed by a business meeting and social time. If anyone knows of a member or family member of Daughters of Isabella in need of the circle’s prayers, call Shirley Gustafson at (785) 554-3028 or chancellor Gen Orozco at (785) 230-2473.
Sausage dinner
Sacred Heart Parish (hall) 22298 Newbury Rd., Paxico Oct. 27 from noon - 3:30 p.m.
Mass begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by dinner, bingo, games, raffles and a silent auction. The cost is: $15 for adults; $7 for kids ages 5 - 12; and kids ages 4 and under are free. Sacred Heart Parish is located one-and-a-half miles north of Paxico.
‘the transformative power of prayer for women’
Sophia Spirituality Center 751 S. 8th St., Atchison Oct. 29 - Nov. 1
Although made in the image and likeness of God, who is love, we are born into a broken world and the wounds suffered by that brokenness have separated us from our true identity as women able to love as God loves. Fidelity to prayer gradually heals those wounds, transforming us into the women we were created to be. The fee is $425 and includes a private room and meals.
WORKSHOP: TAX-REDUCING STRATEGIES FOR PRE- AND POST-RETIREES
Sacred Heart-St. Casimir Parish (Sacred Heart Church hall) 1405 2nd Ave., Leavenworth Oct. 30 at 5:30 p.m.
There will be a social and wine tasting followed by a presentation at 6 p.m. Register online at: cfnek.org/events or by contacting Jane Schmitt at (913) 647-3060 or send an email to: jschmitt@archkck.org.
‘dia de los muertos’ All souls’ day observance Mt. Calvary Cemetery (Mausoleum Chapel)
1150 N. 38th St., Kansas City, Kansas Nov. 2 at 11 a.m.
Father Peter Jaramillo, SSA, will celebrate an indoor Mass for the deceased in commemoration of “Dia de los Muertos” (‘Day of the Dead’) and All Souls’ Day. Persons of all cultures and ethnicities are invited to bring photographs of their deceased loved ones, artificial flowers and other items customary to the observance (with the exception of food) to place on a nearby altar. This event is hosted by Catholic Cemeteries of Northeast Kansas. For more information, call (913) 371-4040 or send an email to: information@cathcemks.org.
‘Requiem for the living’ St. Lawrence Center (chapel)
1631 Crescent Rd., Lawrence Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.
The St. Lawrence Catholic Center and Corpus Christi Sacred Music Programs will present: Dan Forrest’s “Requiem for the Living.” Join us for an incredible All Souls’ Day celebration as the St. Lawrence Center choir collaborates with the Corpus Christi choir to perform Forrest’s powerful piece. The concert is free and open to the public. Register online at: kucatholic. churchcenter.com.
Anniversary Mass for the African catholic community of Kansas
Prince of Peace Parish
16000 W. 143rd St., Olathe Nov. 3 at 1 p.m.
This third anniversary Mass will feature a blend of African cultures through music, dancing, traditional clothing and other aspects unique to the African Mass. It will conclude with a reception in the church hall that will offer different food from Africa.
5th annual our lady of unity Parish cash raffle fundraiser
Our Lady of Unity Parish 2646 S. 34th St., Kansas City, Kansas Current - Nov. 9
This is the major fundraiser for Our Lady of Unity Parish. If you are interested in purchasing raffle tickets, contact Sherry Johnson at (913) 207-0900 or Jolene Pryor at (913) 302-2575. The cost is $10 each or a book of 10 tickets for $100. First prize is $1,500; second prize is $1,000; and third prize is $500. The drawing is after the 9:30 a.m. Mass on Nov. 10. We accept cash, check, credit and debit cards (4% fee for debit and credit cards).
DIVORCE SUPPORT GROUP
‘HEALING THE DIVORCED HEART’ St. Michael the Archangel (Gabriel Room) 14251 Nall Ave., Leawood
1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m.
We who have experienced divorce understand, as perhaps few others can. We too were sad, lonely, scared and angry, but we have found that with God, time and the support of others, healing is possible. For more information, visit the website at: www.stmichaelcp.org/divorce-support.
Gregg Amos
DAILY READINGS
TWENTY-NINTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Oct. 20
TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY
IN ORDINARY TIME Is 53: 10-11
Ps 33: 4-5, 18-20, 22
Heb 4: 14-16
Mk 10: 35-45
Oct. 21
Monday
Eph 2: 1-10
Ps 100: 2-5
Lk 12: 13-21
Oct. 22
John Paul II, pope
Eph 2: 12-22
Ps 85: 9-14
Lk 12: 35-38
Oct. 23
John of Capistrano, priest
Eph 3: 2-12 (Ps) Is 12: 2-6
Lk 12: 39-48
Oct. 24
Anthony Mary Claret, bishop Eph 3: 14-21
Ps 33: 1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19
Lk 12: 49-53
Oct. 25
Friday
Eph 4: 1-6
Ps 24: 1-6
Lk 12: 54-59
Oct. 26
Saturday
Eph 4: 7-16
Ps 122: 1-5
Lk 13: 1-9
NICHOLAS OF FLUE 1417-1487
St. Nicholas belonged to a lay association called the Friends of God, whose members sought closeness to Christ through a disciplined life. At age 30, he married Dorothy Wissing, and during 20 happy years, they had 10 children. In 1467, Nicholas sensed God’s call to leave his family and live as a hermit. Dorothy, also a member of the association, and the children released him. Nicholas spent the next 20 years in prayer and counseling visitors, including top leaders. In 1481, he resolved a conflict among the Swiss cantons that preserved the unity of the country. “Put God first,” he said. “Do not let grow among you self-interest . . . and factions, or these will work against you.” Nicholas died in 1487.
Don’t think you’ll ever get the last word
Ah, ‘twas an ill-willie creature, and it had every reason to be so.
The creature was a cat, and said cat was the pet of a woman that I’d come to administer the sacrament of the anointing of the sick to. (Uh, to the woman, not the cat!)
As I was almost ready to start, I noticed that the carpet that I was standing on was extremely soft. Suddenly, the “carpet” emitted a loud and painful yowl, and, to my horror and embarrassment, I’d realized I’d just stepped on the poor cat. The woman’s two daughters and granddaughters burst into laughter as the aggrieved cat skittered under a bed.
I looked behind me to see two glowering yellow eyes boring holes into me. And the first few minutes of the sacrament were accompanied by a guttural feline chorus. What I’m sure was feral billingsgate honestly gave me the collywobbles, and that’s no taradiddle!
At this point, are you totally bumfuzzled?
FATHER MARK GOLDASICH
Father Mark is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989.
What a wonderous thing is the English language. Let me clarify some of those unusual words:
• “Ill-willie” means “having an unfriendly disposition.”
• “Billingsgate” means “coarsely abusive language” and its origin is from an actual gate in London where there was a fish market loaded with fishmongers whose language might even make a sailor blush.
• “Collywobbles”
MARK MY WORDS
means a “pain in the abdomen; a bellyache.” It probably came from the Latin word for cholera that maybe made you wobble.
• “Taradiddle” means “a lie.” Its origin is from the town of Taradiddle, Ireland, which really doesn’t exist. You see, it’s a lie!
• “Bumfuzzled” means “confused; perplexed.”
Why am I using such obscure words? Well, it’s to celebrate Dictionary Day which was on Oct. 16, the birthday of Noah Webster in 1758. He was most famous for his “An American Dictionary of the English Language” that contained some 70,000 words. An estimate of how many English
words there are today would add some 400,000 to that original number.
Language is a living thing. That’s why new words are added to dictionaries each year.
A few of this year’s entries are:
• bed rotting: spending many hours in bed during the day, often with snacks or electronic devices, as a voluntary retreat from stress or anxiety
• bussin’: great; wonderful; amazing
• greedflation: a rise in prices or rents . . . caused by corporate executives or boards of directors, property owners, etc., solely to increase profits that are already healthy or excessive.
Of God’s many gifts to us, language is one that’s taken for granted or abused. Our ability to communicate, compliment, instruct, express love and gratitude, tell stories and bring laughter is often overshadowed by words we use to demean, confuse, alienate and hurt.
The best place to “clean up our language”
is by immersing ourselves in the Bible, the word of God. Second best is prayer, especially exploring the rich treasury of Catholic prayers and methods. Third is to expand our knowledge of the faith by reading spiritual books and literature (like The Leaven). A fourth way is to educate ourselves and our families on “Catholic terms” like ambo, pyx, aspergillum, thurible, chasuble, alb, ambry and sacrarium. (How many did you know?)
I’m always on a quest to learn new words but you don’t have to be an editor to do that. Whenever you come across a new word, pause and find out what it means. Never stop being curious when reading or listening to a homily, class or podcast.
Someone once said: “Words are seeds that do more than blow around. They land in our hearts and not the ground. Be careful what you plant and what you say. You might have to eat what you planted one day.”
God calls us not just to listen to our neighbor — but to care
Simone Weil, that strange yet beautiful soul, once wrote that genuine love of neighbor meant being able to ask the question, “What are you going through?” What she meant was that neighborly love demands sympathy and empathy. It demands that a person cares, beyond the self, for the other. Which, if true, is tough to think about. Especially given the behavior of James and John in Sunday’s passage from Mark’s Gospel. Such a question — What are you going through? — even the inkling of the question, seems light years away from the minds and hearts of these sons of thunder. I’ve always considered this one of the coldest moments in
Father Joshua J.
books.
all the Gospels. Step back and note the context. Just moments before, in a moment of vulnerable prophecy, Jesus dares to open himself to his
disciples, his friends. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,” Jesus says. He tells them that he, the “Son of man,” will be condemned, mocked, spit upon, scourged and killed (Mk 10:33-34).
I imagine Jesus’ voice a bit timorous as he risks sharing this prophecy with those he thought cared for him. It is a poignant moment.
Which is why I think it so cold, so lacking in empathy, that in almost the same breath James and John say to Jesus, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you. . . . Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at you left, in your glory” (Mk 10:35-37). It’s shocking, really. It’s as if they don’t even hear him.
Jesus had just confided in them about his impending suffering and death. But what is on the minds of James and John? It’s their own pathetically imagined glory.
It was a cruel moment. And it’s a haunting reminder to me of just how cold my soul can get sometimes, how sometimes I can get so self-infatuated that I forget the One who suffered for me, died for me, with an often-unrequited love.
So, what are we supposed to do with that? First, I think it’s helpful to remember how God is not like us; at least, he is not like us when we are being self-centered.
Rather, God is compassionate. He is the “servant” Isaiah hoped would bear the guilt of others in suffering (Is
53:11). As the author of Hebrews put it, he is a priest who can sympathize with our weakness (Heb 4:15).
Which means, in the end, that if the Christian life is a matter of conforming ourselves to Christ, if holiness is a matter of union with Jesus, then a measure of such conformity and union should be our capacity for sympathy.
“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar” is how John put it (1 Jn 4:20).
Or, as we began — but now knowing where such love comes from — it’s as Simone Weil said. To love means to be able to ask your neighbor what he or she is going through. And then it means to listen and to care.
Holy Spirit can help Christians be ‘artisans’ of unity, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Most people claim they want unity, but usually they mean they want others to unite around their own point of view, which gives rise to conflict, Pope Francis said.
“We all want unity, we all desire it from the
depths of our heart,” the pope said, “and yet it is so difficult to attain that even within marriage, and the family union and concord are among the most difficult things to achieve and even harder to maintain.”
At his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 9, Pope Francis continued his series of audience talks about the work of the Holy Spirit in the church and in the world. The pope also urged everyone to recite the rosary every day during October, the month dedicated to the rosary, entrusting themselves, their worries and the world to Mary.
FATHER JOSHUA J. WHITFIELD,
Whitfield is pastor of St. Rita Catholic Community in Dallas and author of “The Crisis of Bad Preaching” and other
Is your Catholic faith a source of warmth in your home?
Research from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Life Teen and Georgetown say that 15-33% of Catholic kids remain Catholic. That same research and many others say that much can be done to greatly improve that number.
An external label/ sticker of Catholic can easily fall off and be disregarded, but a deeply rooted relationship with Jesus and his bride the church will weather extreme storms.
Several studies have found that children 13-15 are making critical decisions about their long-term affiliation to the Catholic Church.
With those data
SEEKING CHRIST’S HEART
DEACON
DANA NEARMYER
Deacon Dana Nearmyer is the director of evangelization for the archdiocese.
points in mind, I propose that our kids need opportunities of significant interior engagement from conception to age 15 with Jesus and
the Catholic community. This is a high impact zone, and parents are the most impactful players.
Research says that percentages likely rise from the 33% if families:
• Go to Mass. When one parents goes to church (50%). When it is a priority for both (75%)
• Make going to
Mass meaningful
• Make before and after Mass positive
• Have adult church friends invest in your kids
• Read the Bible and discuss
• Pray at meals, bedtimes and family stress points
• Create family environments where conversion is likely
• Participate in retreats/environments where conversion is likely
• Model deep prayer (Neurologically, adolescents do what parents do, not what parents say to do.)
• Ask about their prayer life
The 2024 study titled “Future Faithful Families Project”
was done by CARA at Georgetown University and found that children who grow up in a warm and affectionate home — spending time with their family in fun, prayer and service to others — are more likely to remain Catholic as adults.
• “Families are effective in passing on the faith to the next generation to the degree that the children felt that the faith was a source of warmth in their homes.”
• Children understood their parents to be open to hearing and talking about the children’s doubts and struggles when it came to faith.
• “Authoritative without being authoritarian”
• Catholic schools, youth groups and other ministries — while very important — are “secondary and supportive” to a strong faith life within families.
• The church has long taught and emphasized that a parent’s role in fostering the faith of their children is “original and irreplaceable.”
• Most often those who remain Catholic and weekly Mass attenders attended Mass every Sunday with their parents as children. As parents, our mission is to nurture a personal connection with Jesus and the Catholic community in each of our children. The Holy Spirit is tugging on each of their hearts.
Hospitality fosters an environment where Christ can be encountered
It’s been a little more than a year since I was first called to the role of director of Savior Pastoral and Retreat Center in Kansas City, Kansas, or, as it has also become affectionately known, “SPARC.”
A lifelong member of our archdiocese, I am humbled and honored to serve our community in this special place.
Each year, SPARC welcomes over 60,000 guests who attend events like CYO basketball games, Marriage Encounter weekends, inaugural gatherings like the “SPARC the Night Gala” (a fundraiser for Savior) and the Mercy & Justice
AT THE HEART OF HOSPITALITY
GREG MIES
Greg Mies is the director of Savior Pastoral and Retreat Center. He can be reached by email at: gmies@archkck.org.
Summit, held just last month.
Throughout the course of my daily work within the walls of
SPARC, I am reminded of the parable of the hidden treasure (Mt 13:44). In this powerful story, Jesus tells us: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
At the heart of this parable is the theme of stewardship — the recognition that all we have is a gift from God, and our calling is to care for these gifts with love and respect.
Just as the man in the parable understands the value of the treasure and acts to secure it, so we must actively cultivate the gifts God has given us.
“Cultivating what we have” requires not only recognizing the value of God’s gifts but also ensuring that they bear fruit. It means sharing these gifts with others in a spirit of “hospitality” and “service.”
Hospitality involves
creating spaces where people feel safe, valued and loved. It’s not just about physical comfort; it’s about fostering an environment where others can encounter Christ through our actions. This can happen in our homes, schools and churches. And I have the great blessing of witnessing this happen daily at SPARC. Imagine a parish where every newcomer is warmly greeted and invited into community life. Picture a home where family, friends and strangers all find warmth, acceptance and a place to belong. This is the essence of hospitality —
it transforms ordinary spaces into places of grace and connection. Ultimately, our hospitality reflects the kingdom of heaven that Jesus speaks of in the parable. When we welcome others, we invite them to experience a glimpse of God’s love.
This parable challenges us to embrace a vision of hospitality that goes beyond mere duty; it’s an invitation to discover the hidden treasures in every relationship. May we become conduits of God’s grace, welcoming all with open arms and open hearts, just as we have been welcomed into the kingdom of heaven.
Our decisions as voters are response to ‘brother’s keeper’ question
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
(Gn 4:9)
After committing murder, Cain’s infamous response to God’s inquiry regarding the whereabouts of Abel is tragically lacking. Jesus himself presents the definitive answer “yes” to this question in the parable of the good Samaritan, and ultimately, when he gives his life on the cross for the salvation of all mankind. We are responsible for the good of our brothers and sisters, in Kansas and around the world.
The good Samaritan provides great care to a foreigner, a citizen
CHURCH AND STATE
CHUCK WEBER
Chuck Weber is the executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference.
of an enemy who was robbed, beaten and left to die alongside the road. This is the model of love we might take to heart as the 2024
election approaches. Our decisions as Catholics entering the voting booth are, on one level, a response to the “brother’s keeper” question.
Every Kansas state Senate seat and every Kansas House of Representative seat is on the ballot. As the public policy voice of the Catholic
bishops of Kansas, the Kansas Catholic Conference does not endorse or otherwise make candidate recommendations. But as in all life decisions, consider first your Catholic faith and vote like a Catholic.
What does that mean? What are the key issues? What questions might we ask?
The Kansas Catholic bishops declare that “the threat of abortion” is the “preeminent priority” facing voters. More than a threat, Kansas is today the grisly epicenter of abortion in the Midwest.
Despite the Kansas abortion industry’s rhetoric, there are few legal protections remaining for women and
preborn babies. Sadly, many women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy believe abortion is their only option. It’s not. We can help women facing difficult pregnancies by providing them information, resources and options so they can make a truly informed choice.
Do candidates for office support providing resources to women in need? This is one of many questions the Kansas Catholic Conference recently asked each candidate in a pre-election questionnaire. And while the protection of women and their preborn babies is the top priority, it’s not the only issue Catholics should consider before voting.
The candidate questionnaire includes diverse policy issues that are both universal and Kansas-specific in nature. In addition to these questions, we encourage voters to do their own homework. This is your crucial role.
The full set of policy questions and answers provided by candidates who responded can be found on the Kansas Catholic Conference website at: www.Kansas Catholic.org under the RESOURCES tab.
As Pope Francis says: “Good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern.”
Kids’ Kids’ CHRONICLE
CHRONICLE
By Jennifer Ficcaglia Catholic Courier
Jesus says to enter the narrow gate to salvation Bible accent
ne day, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath.
After he cured a crippled woman, he talked to the people about the kingdom of God.
He used two parables to describe the kingdom. One parable compared the kingdom to a mustard seed, and the other compared the kingdom to yeast used to leaven dough.
After teaching in the synagogue, Jesus continued to travel toward Jerusalem. He taught the people as he passed through towns and villages along the way.
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?” one person Jesus encountered wanted to know.
Jesus gave the person advice and a warning.
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,” he answered, “for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”
Jesus then described a conversation between people standing outside of a house and the master of the house who had arisen to lock the door from inside.
“Then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us,’” Jesus said.
However, he continued, the master of the house will reply, “I do not know where you are from.”
The people outside the house will attempt to jog the master’s memory.
“We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets,” Jesus said the people will remind the master of the house.
But the master still will not remember them.
“I do not know where you are from,” Jesus said the master will respond. “Depart from me, all you evildoers!”
The people outside of the house will become very upset at the master’s reply, Jesus noted.
“And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out,” he said. “And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.”
“For behold,” Jesus continued, “some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
1. To which city was Jesus traveling?
2. What did the people outside the locked house want?
I
n Mark 10, Jesus talked to the apostles about being saved.
Beginning in Verse 17, we read that a rich young man came up to Jesus and asked how to inherit eternal life.
“You know the commandments: ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother,’” Jesus answered.
“Teacher,” the man said, “all of these I have observed from my youth.”
“You are lacking in one thing,” Jesus told the man. “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
The young man had many possessions that he did not want to part with, so he sadly and silently walked away from Jesus.
“How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” Jesus exclaimed.
“Then who can be saved?” the apostles wondered.
“For men it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God,” Jesus told his friends.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was born in Italy in 1850.
She became a teacher, then she decided to join a religious order. Two orders would not admit her due to her poor health. Instead, she was put in charge of an orphanage in Codogno, Italy.
In 1880, she and seven of her former orphans founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. The order spread rapidly from northern Italy to Rome, and then in 1889 to New York City, where Mother Cabrini became famous for her work among Italian immigrants. She opened schools, orphanages and hospitals around the U.S., South America and Europe before dying of malaria in Chicago in 1917. In 1946, she became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized. We remember her on Nov. 13.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini