11 24 17 Vol. 39 No. 16

THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 39, NO. 16 | NOVEMBER 24, 2017

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE MCSORLEY

Father Mathew Francis proudly displays his citizenship papers shortly after his naturalization ceremony at the U.S. district courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas.

AMERICAN MADE

Father Mathew Francis becomes a U.S. citizen

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

E

ASTON — On Nov. 17, Father Mathew Francis raised his right hand and swore an oath pledging his loyalty to the United States of America at the U.S. district courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas.

Did it give him a weird feeling to become an American citizen?

“No,” said Father Francis. “That is my proud feeling.”

Father Francis, 55, has been pastor since 2011 of the combined parish of St. Lawrence in Easton and St. Joseph of the Valley in rural LeavBe enworth ca N us O County. e Le the of TI T h e av re Th CE b ucolic en wi an : ne ll b ks l andxt e n giv scape w o in ee g, k.

of northeast Kansas is a long way from his native India.

Father Francis was born in Kaniyambadi Town in the Vellore District of the Tamil Nadu State in India.

His parents were agricultural workers and they had (including Father Francis) six boys and one girl.

His parents were Catholic and

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE MCSORLEY

Shortly after becoming a citizen of the United States, Father Mathew Francis, pastor of St. Joseph-St. Lawrence Parish, Easton, registers to vote.

he grew up in a Catholic village.

It was a village custom that, when boys reached a certain age, they would be given the responsibility to ring the church bell at 5 a.m. before morning prayers were blasted out over the village public address speakers.

Between the sixth and eighth grades, therefore, Father Francis and three other boys studied all day at Sacred Heart Parish, went home for supper and then returned to the church, where they would spend the night in a room set aside for the bell ringers.

His pastor recognized in the young Francis a lot of potential, so he tapped him to go to a Catholic boarding school, which later led the young man into the seminary.

He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cuddapah on April 25, 1991.

Father Francis had always known about the United States, of course. >> See “FATHER” on page 5

NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

2

How is the Lord asking you to support persecuted Christians?

T

he annual celebration of Thanksgiving is one of our nation’s best traditions. With all the challenges our country continues to face, we remain incredibly blessed.

Among our most cherished freedoms is religious liberty. Sadly in recent years, there have been efforts in the United States to diminish the scope of religious freedom and the protection of conscience rights.

Yet, compared to most of the rest of the world, we remain extremely fortunate.

Recently, the Catholic Bar Association held its second annual meeting in Kansas City. One of the special guests for the meeting was Jan Figel, who serves as the European Union’s first special envoy for the promotion of religious freedom or belief around the world.

Previously, Ambassador Figel served in his native Slovakia as the secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and he was his nation’s chief negotiator for acceptance into the European Union.

Ambassador Figel shared the Pew Research Center estimates that 77 percent of the world’s population lives in countries that experience what they term a high or very high level of religious restriction.

In 2016, the Knights of Columbus published a 300-page report that detailed and provided evidence regarding the genocide of Christians and other religious minorities by ISIS. It was shortly after the release of the Knights of Columbus report that then-Secretary of State John Kerry publicly acknowledged that ISIS was committing genocide against Christians in the Middle East.

The executive report entitled “Persecuted and Forgotten,” authored

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN

by Aid to the Church in Need, chronicles what it terms the oppression and persecution of Christians throughout the world. The following is a summary description of the religious freedom conditions in just a few of the countries included in their report.

China: New regulations led to more churches destroyed and crosses pulled down.

Surveillance of religious activities has increased.

The underground Catholic Church has experienced mounting pressure to conform to state demands or disband. And recently, a consecrated bishop has not been allowed to exercise his ministry.

Egypt: More than 100 killed in three major attacks on Christian churches and an increasing number of individual Christians being murdered by extremists.

India: Christians have faced a rising wave of violence with attacks drastically increasing since March 2017 elections. 316 incidents of violence against Christians were reported in the first five months of this year.

Iran: There has been an escalation in antiChristian sentiment in media outlets and proliferation of antiChristian publications.

Christian churches have experienced land con-

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fiscations, visa refusals, targeted surveillance and intimidation attacks.

Iraq: ISIS tried to eliminate Christianity in areas under their control destroying churches and coercing conversions to Islam under threats of death.

Nigeria: Increased attacks by Islamic extremists have resulted in the murders of many Christians and the devastation of Christian villages.

Church reports indicate local government and military collusion in the killing of Christians, as well as supplying funding and weapons to extremist groups.

North Korea: Christians are often accused of being U.S. spies. They are sent to political internment camps, where they experience sexual violence, starvation, torture and execution.

Pakistan: Discrimination has increased against Christians where they are denied job and educational opportunities. Many of the textbooks used in schools contain anti-Christian content Syria: Horrific accounts of genocidal atrocities by ISIS. A disproportionately high number of Christians have fled Syria. Some estimates are that more than 50 percent of Christians have left Syria.

By no means is this a comprehensive list of all the countries where Christians are being oppressed or persecuted.

November 26 has been designated “A Day

ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN

Via Christi Health meeting

Nov. 27 Leavenworth regional priests meeting

Administrative Team meeting

“Shepherd’s Voice” recording

Ethics Council meeting

Dec. 6 Staff open house

Nov. 28 Retired priests meeting Confirmation — St. Stanislaus, Rossville Nov. 29 Installation of Bishop Edward Weisenburger — Tucson, Arizona Nov. 30 Vespers and dinner with priests ordained in the last five years Dec. 1 Gathering for deacons, deacon candidates and their wives — Savior Pastoral Center Dec. 2 Mass for joint School of Love/office of marriage and family life conference on spousal and family prayer — Prince of Peace, Olathe

Dec. 7 Lunch with pregnancy clinic directors St. Lawrence Center board meeting and Mass Dec. 8 Mass and lunch — St. James Academy, Lenexa Dec. 9 Parish Evangelization Workshop welcome — Savior Pastoral Center Apostles of the Interior Life first vows Pastoral visit — St. Mary, Hartford Dec. 10 Mass and lunch — Immaculate Conception, Valley Falls

Pastoral visit — St. Joseph, Olpe

ARCHBISHOP KELEHER

Dec. 3 Pastoral visit — St. John Paul II, Olathe

Nov. 26 Mass — Federal prison camp

Dec. 4 Priests small group meeting

Dec. 3 Mass — Federal prison camp

Dec. 5 Mass — Bishop Miege High School

Dec. 9 Mass — Federal prison camp

foundly influencing the lives of people today?

I ask every member of the archdiocese to pray this week for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering for their faith throughout the world.

Consider participating in a weekday Mass or spending an additional hour in a eucharistic adoration chapel or praying a rosary for those oppressed or persecuted for their Christian faith. In your prayer, ask the Lord

how he desires you to provide tangible support to those suffering for the faith.

Jesus tells us: “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven” (Mt 5: 11-12).

I have to believe that Jesus will also bless those who seek to aid those who are persecuted because of their Christian faith.

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of Prayer for Persecuted Christians” and the week of Nov. 26 - Dec. 2 designated as “A Week of Awareness for the Plight of Persecuted Christians.”

Bishop Oscar Cantu, the chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, has called on Catholics throughout the United States to: • Pray for those suffering persecution.

• Donate to Catholic organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Near East Welfare Association, or Aid to the Church in Need.

• Advocate with your U.S. senators and congressional representative for our government to do more to assist those experiencing religious persecution. Urge them to work to expand, rather than contract, the number of refugees of religious persecution that our nation accepts annually.

There are some hopeful signs. With the defeat of ISIS in most of Iraq, some Christians are beginning to return. Unfortunately, for most of them, their homes have been either completely destroyed or severely damaged.

The Knights of Columbus have initiated a project encouraging every Knights of Columbus council across the United States to raise enough money to rebuild one home. Obviously, the Knights welcome assistance in this effort from the broader Catholic community.

Special envoy Jan Figel concluded his address to the Catholic Bar Association with the reminder that 2017 is the 100th anniversary of both the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the Marian apparitions in Fatima, Portugal. He posed the question: Which event is still pro-

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NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

VATICAN

‘INVEST IN LOVE,’

pope says on first World Day of the Poor

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

V

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — People have a basic choice in the way they live: either striving to build up treasures on earth or giving to others in order to gain heaven, Pope Francis said.

“What we invest in love remains, the rest vanishes,” the pope said in his homily Nov. 19, the first World Day of the Poor.

Between 6,000 and 7,000 poor people attended the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica as special guests, the Vatican said. While almost all of them live in Europe, they include migrants and refugees from all over the world.

Among the altar servers were young men who are either poor, migrants or homeless. The first reader at the Mass, Tony Battah, is a refugee from Syria. Those presenting the gifts at the offertory were led by the Zambardi family from Turin, whom the Vatican described as living in a “precarious condition” and whose 1-yearold daughter has cystic fibrosis.

In addition to the bread and wine that were consecrated at the Mass, the offertory included a large basket of bread and rolls that were blessed to be shared at the

lunch the pope was offering after Mass. Some 1,500 poor people joined the pope in the Vatican’s audience hall for the meal, while the other special guests were served at the Pontifical North American College — the U.S. seminary in Rome — and other seminaries and Catholic-run soup kitchens nearby.

Preaching about the Gospel “parable of the talents” (Mt 25:14-30), Pope Francis said the servant in the story who buried his master’s money was rebuked not because he did something wrong, but because he failed to do something good with what he was given.

“All too often, we have the idea that we haven’t done anything wrong, and so we rest content, presuming that we are good and just,” the pope said. “But to do no wrong is not enough. God is not an inspector looking for unstamped tickets; he is a Father looking for children to whom he can entrust his property and his plans.”

If in the eyes of the world the poor have little value, he said, “they are the ones who open to us the way to heaven; they are our ‘passport to paradise.’ For us it is an evangelical duty to care for them, as our real riches, and to do so not only by giving them bread, but also by breaking with them the bread of God’s word, which is addressed first to them.”

CNS PHOTOS/PAUL HARING

Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass marking the first World Day of the Poor in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Nov. 19.

Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799) President: Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann

CNS PHOTOS/PAUL HARING

Pope Francis leads grace before eating lunch with the poor in the Paul VI hall after celebrating Mass marking the first World Day of the Poor at the Vatican Nov. 19. Some 1,200 poor people joined the pope for the meal.

Where the poor are concerned, the pope said, too many people are often guilty of a sin of omission or indifference.

Thinking it is “society’s problem” to solve, looking the other way when passing a beggar or changing the channel when the news shows something disturbing are not Christian responses, he said.

“God will not ask us if we felt righteous indignation,” he said, “but whether we did some good.”

People please God in a similar way to how they please anyone they love.

They learn what that person likes and gives that to him or her, the pope said.

In the Gospels, he said, Jesus says that he wants to be loved in “the least of our brethren,” including the hungry, the sick, the poor, the stranger and the prisoner.

“In the poor, Jesus knocks on the doors of our heart, thirsting for our love,” he said. True goodness and strength are shown “not in closed fists and crossed arms, but in ready hands outstretched to the poor, to the wounded flesh of the Lord.”

Before joining his guests for lunch, Pope Francis recited the Angelus prayer with thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.

The previous day in Detroit, he told the people, Capuchin Father Solanus Casey was beatified. “A humble and faithful disciple of Christ, he was known for his untiring service to the poor. May his witness help priests, religious and laypeople live with joy the bond between the proclamation of the Gospel and love for the poor.”

CNS PHOTOS/PAUL HARING

Servers carry the cross and candles as Pope Francis celebrates Mass marking the first World Day of the Poor in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Nov. 19. Among the altar servers were young men who are either poor, migrants or homeless.

Pope Francis told the crowd that he hoped “the poor would be at the center of our communities not only at times like this, but always, because they are at the heart of the Gospel. In them, we encounter Jesus who speaks to us and calls us through their suffering and their needs.”

Offering special prayers for people living in poverty because of war and conflict, the pope asked the interna-

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

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tional community to make special efforts to bring peace to those areas, especially the Middle East.

Pope Francis made a specific plea for stability in Lebanon, which is in the middle of a political crisis after its prime minister announced his resignation. He prayed the country would “continue to be a ‘message’ of respect and coexistence throughout the region and for the whole world.”

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NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

4

Marian Mantle Group welcomes new leadership

By Susan Fotovich McCabe Special to The Leaven

C

hange is inevitable, especially in families.

Currently, the spiritual family of the Marian Mantle Group is preparing for change as they usher in new leadership, some 15 years after the group’s inception.

Marian Mantle To find support for Group is the prayers you have for a prayer your prodigal, go online and supto: www.marianmantle. port mincom; send an email to the ministry at: pray@ istry of marianmantle.com; or the Archcall (913) 526-8977. diocese of Kansas City in Kansas for those with a loved one who has left the Catholic faith.

Still guided during the transition by its founder, Mary Ann Gardner, the group recently welcomed longtime volunteer Betsy Meunier as its new director.

Meunier plans to continue the work of the ministry, prayerfully supporting the lives of countless families affected by this struggle.

“I will continue to hold dear and listen to what Our Blessed Mother tells us and listen to her,” Meunier said. “We want to see how Our Lady wants us to lead.”

The ministry was born from Gardner’s own heartache when her son ceased to be a practicing Catholic. She and her husband searched for a way to bring their son back to the church.

There wasn’t much they could do in the conventional sense, however, since he was an adult. But they prayed and, as

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE MCSORLEY

Longtime volunteer Betsy Meunier is the new director of the Marian Mantle Group, a prayer and support ministry of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas for those with a loved one who has left the Catholic faith. they prayed, they met other families experiencing the same heartache. That experience eventually served as the foundation for the Marian Mantle Group.

Today, the ministry is active through prayer groups scattered around the United States and in eight other countries, including Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Poland, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Mexico and India.

Members gather in homes, schools, churches and online to pray for their prodigal. There are strict rules about not pressuring the prodigal.

In fact, the ministry maintains anonymity for each prodigal, even when it ends with a success story. Gardner and

Meunier frequently talk with churches and other groups to raise awareness about the group.

“I truly hope you remember that there is another mother who understands what it is for each of us to hurt because a grown child is in trouble,” wrote Gardner on the ministry’s website.

“Turn to the Blessed Mother in your trials. Our Lady of Sorrows was there as her Son was crucified. In her, you will find understanding, comfort and the most powerful intercessor of all the saints. When you turn to her, you can expect she will take your cares to the feet of her son Jesus.”

The ministry and its mission recently

captured the attention of the Vatican.

In the July issue of “Reflections on the Pope’s Monthly Prayer Intentions,” Pope Francis writes about lapsed Christians, saying, “It is not hopeless and we are not helpless.”

He went on to say: “That is the motto of a group of people who pray for loved ones who have wandered away from the church. They share a deep concern for the lost sheep. They’re called the Marian Mantle Group.”

Marian Mantle Group’s website and contact information were included in the reflection.

Meunier reminds families that it isn’t always parents and grandparents who are hurting from a child or grandchild leaving the church. It includes siblings as well.

Likewise, she and others in the ministry suggest families resist the urge to pressure, nag or guilt their prodigal into returning.

Instead, she recommends praying the rosary daily, saying grace before meals when your loved one joins you and even giving your loved one Advent candles.

“These are little steps,” she said. “Remember to be thankful for little signs of progress, too. For example, be thankful when your prodigal joins you for Mass.”

Ultimately, she says, prayer is significantly more powerful than anything else.

However, it remains in God’s hands, a sentiment echoed by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann.

“Archbishop Naumann recently told our group that we should pray for serenity and peace, as well as for changes to the heart of the person who is being prayed for,” Meunier said.

“Most importantly,” she added, “he reminded us that it works in God’s time.”

‘It’s time,’ Jesus tells All Saints formation director

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Luz Diaz heard the call to religious life when she was just a child.

But God wasn’t ready for

her just yet.

“The first time I thought about being a nun,” said Diaz, “[was] when I was 13 years old.

“I think it’s a call that has always been there.”

Because she was so young, Diaz was told to wait and continue living her life.

And if, in the future, she still felt called, to find a congregation that would help.

Growing up in Mexico, Diaz remained close to the church, participating in youth groups and Bible studies whenever she could.

Then she moved to the United States 14 years ago.

“I was always worried about helping my family,” she said. “I kept two to three jobs at a time when I moved here to send the money to Mexico to help my family.”

The extra workload and need to help her family prevented her from pursuing the call she had felt years ago.

But when she started working as director of formation and communication at All Saints Parish in Kansas City, Kansas, about a year ago, that began to change.

“I went to a conference with the Hispanic community. And in the conference,” said Diaz, “God gave me a few words.

“He reminded me how much he wanted me to be just for him.”

And in that moment, Diaz knew with certainty what God was trying to tell her: “It’s time.”

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE MCSORLEY

Luz Diaz will become a postulant of the Augustinian Recollect Missionary Sisters, located at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Topeka.

Diaz shared her calling with Father Anthony Ouellette, then pastor at All Saints, who guided her next steps.

“He encouraged me to go out there and meet with different [religious] communities and congregations,” said Diaz.

After contacting and visiting a variety of religious orders, Diaz reached out to the Augustinian Recollect Missionary Sisters, located at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Topeka.

When she arrived there for her visit, said Diaz, she was overcome with a sense of peace.

“I went and visited. And as soon as I parked, I saw a small little house and it just felt so homey,” said Diaz. “It felt like I just got home.”

“There was no more doubt about this [being] where I needed to be,” she added.

“The question I had is: ‘What do I do now?’”

God took that question into his own hands.

Last month, when she was on retreat with the Sisters, she was introduced to Father Jerry Arano-Ponce, pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe. At the end of Mass, he presented her as a postulant of the Augustinians.

Although she was still discerning, she took that as a sign that God wanted her to commit to the order right away.

“I said, ‘Yes, I’m just going to go for it,’” she said. “I was excited.”

From there, Diaz felt God speaking to her every time she had a doubt.

One of the messages he gave her was to slow down and enjoy the process of becoming a nun.

He said, “Don’t run, because every step you’re taking from now on is a gift I’m giving you.

“Don’t jump to the next step without getting the gifts I’m giving you.”

All the Scripture passages Diaz reflected on pointed her back to where she first fell in love with Christ — home in Mexico.

“To do that, I needed to quit my job, sell my house and sell my furniture,” she said.

Within one week of putting her house up for sale, it sold. Within one week of making her furniture available for sale, it all sold.

“I think God’s telling me I need to go [home],” said Diaz. “There’s something special that I need to go and find for me to grow in the love and the faith and what he has for me back here.”

Diaz plans to take her trip to Mexico Nov. 24 and will stay for a few months — or however long God needs her.

When she arrives back in Kansas, she looks forward to her life as an Augustinian Sister.

“What people normally tell us is you’re going to be married, you need to have kids, you need to have a job and make a career,” said Diaz. “They don’t talk about religious life.

“But it is an option.

“It’s just how you listen to God.” Her advice for others discerning religious life is simple: Pay close attention.

“Listen to those little things — those small prayers, those small thoughts that [God] gives you,” she said.

“If we really get to know that and put our attention on those little things he expresses to us,” she added, “then we know our vocation.”

NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

5

We’re called to take Jesus at his word, says keynoter

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Pope Francis’ call for the church to reach out to the peripheries was the theme and inspiration for a oneday workshop, entitled “Accompaniment: Join the Journey,” held on Nov. 6 at Savior Pastoral Center here.

The workshop drew 98 attendees, who were directors of religious education, catechists, Catholic schoolteachers, Catholic school administrators and parents.

The goal of the workshop was to provide effective catechesis for all children — but especially those who have disabilities, challenges and difficulties.

“Today is about trying to . . . reach the peripheries, reaching our children in new and different kinds of ways, learning about new strategies and levels of support, and reaching our parents who are sometimes overwhelmed and are doing the best they can,” said Tom Racunas, lead consultant for the special-needs ministry of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

The workshop was jointly sponsored by Perfect Wings, the specialneeds ministry and the children’s catechesis office of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

The cost of the day was underwritten by the Knights of Columbus Charities Aid Foundation.

The morning keynote speaker was veteran educator Sister Pat McCormack, IHM, director of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Office of Formation and Support for Parents and Teachers. She is the author of eight books. The title of her address was: “Be the ‘I’ in Accompaniment.”

“What is the ‘I’? The ‘I’ is taking Jesus at his word,” said Sister Pat. “According to Mathew’s Gospel, the last words spoken by Jesus on this earth were: ‘Go out into the whole world and baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and know that I am with you to the end.’”

“As long as we keep remembering who we are and whose we are, we’re in good shape,” she said. “It’s when I forget whose I am and start to take it all on my shoulders is when it falls apart.

“Because my shoulders aren’t broad enough to carry the cross.”

According to St. John Paul II, we all

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE MCSORLEY

Sister Pat McCormack, IHM, director of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Office of Formation and Support for Parents and Teachers, was the keynote speaker at a one-day workshop, entitled “Accompaniment: Join the Journey,” held on Nov. 6 at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas. need to be missionaries. That includes, she said, being missionaries to those who are already baptized and lack a personal experience of Christ.

He called this the “new evangelization.”

“Accompaniment can occur right in your own CCD classroom,” said Sister Pat. “We are called to walk with people, accompany people, meet them where they are and create opportunities for them to meet Christ experientially.”

She called upon the parents, educators and administrators not to focus on what they can’t do, but what they can do.

Drawing on her background as an educator, Sister Pat organized her approach to accompaniment according to the ABCs: Accentuate Gospel values, Build bridges to evangelization and Create a culture of community.

Accentuating Gospel values involves the physical and psychological environment. Is the Gospel evident? It

should be.

“In your classroom [or catechetical setting],” she asked participants, “does everything have a purpose in your room — and is that purpose to bring people in that room, whatever their ages are, to come to know themselves better and love their God more?”

Building bridges involves the “B’s”: Be who you say you are, be the “I” in evangelization, be reasonable and responsible versus being reactionary, be disciplined — maintain boundaries, keep confidences and avoid gossip.

Creating a culture of community requires that teachers and catechists model the Gospel values of justice, redemption, restitution and reconciliation and nurture a spirit of communion.

“Very quickly and very briefly,” she explained, nurturing a spirit of communion means that we “find Christ in each other or bring Christ to the situation.”

“Think of others as an extension of [yourself],” she said.

Love is an action — it is a choice, she continued. The Gospel calls for us to love.

Sister Pat ended by contrasting two words, representing two mindsets, that are identical except for the substitution of a letter: bitter and better. “[Bitter] is all about ‘I’ . . . me, myself and I,” she said. “When it’s all about ‘I,’ I become a bitter person. And who wants to be around a bitter person?

“I’m the one who makes the choice to be bitter or better. When I put my thought into effort, energy, enthusiasm, evangelization, I’m a better person, I’m a happier person, you and I engage better, and life goes on.”

“We make the difference,” she concluded. “No one makes us bitter; no one makes us better. God made us good, and we make choices that follow through on that.”

Father Mathew Francis finds Kansas generous, supportive >> Continued from page 1 While he was growing up, in fact, his village received wheat and powdered milk from American Catholics through Catholic Relief Services.

But as for actually going there, he had not a thought or desire . . . until a friend and fellow priest from his seminary days, who landed in a place called Kansas, started urging him to consider it during holiday visits home.

“Come to the United States,” said Father Arul Carasala.

“Well, just for three months,” replied Father Francis.

“It doesn’t work that way,” said Father Carasala. “If you come, you come for three years.”

Father Carasala described Kansas in glowing terms.

“I told him, ‘I am not interested in

coming,’” said Father Francis.

“But he said, ‘Come, you will have good company. You will meet good people in Kansas. You will not have any struggle.’

“Everything positive he was telling me — nothing negative toward the archdiocese.”

That meant, said Father Francis, that Father Carasala neglected to ever mention the word “tornado.”

And so it was that Father Francis, who was staying at Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park for a brief time after his arrival, found himself alone in the rectory with tornado sirens wailing and television alerts flashing.

Father Francis didn’t know what to do, so he sat there watching, with only anxiety for company.

But not all his weather encounters were so traumatic.

Coming from a tropical area, he was

pleasantly surprised by snow.

“I took pictures and sent them to my relatives and friends,” he said. “It was so nice, falling like that. It was a really good experience, the first time.”

Another good experience? Barbecue restaurants.

“I never had beef in India,” he said.

There are a few other things he has noticed in his years here: Americans tend to be on time; there is a difference between the “British” English he learned and “American” English; and American culture is more egalitarian with respect to the “dignity of labor.”

Father Francis arrived in Kansas on Aug. 13, 2008. Normally, his bishop would allow his priests to spend five years overseas. Father Francis was allowed to stay longer because he was doing so much good for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas — and

for the Diocese of Cuddapah.

Since 2008, he has traveled to nearly 20 states to make mission appeals for his diocese in India. And his parishioners, he said, have also been very generous in their support of Catholic orphanages in India.

“Even though they are a small parish, they are helping so much,” said Father Francis.

Two orphan boys, for example, who were helped through Father Francis and Kansas donations, went into the seminary and were ordained priests.

“One is coming here next month to serve in the archdiocese for five years,” said Father Francis.

Father Francis’ new citizenship — and a young priest coming to the archdiocese — is cause for celebration.

Which of course he did — with barbecue.

NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS TOOLS FOR FAMILIES Growing as Disciples of Jesus

Support your seminarians Supporting the future priests and leaders of the Catholic Church is universal and crucial.

There are many ways for families to support the seminarians in our archdiocese: • Adopt a seminarian! Pray for him intentionally throughout the year.

• Write to him and learn his vocation story.

ARTWORK BY NEILSON CARLIN, 2015 • Prayerfully consider sending him financial support.

• As a family, visit him! Seminaries are a beautiful place of hospitality.

— Jennie Punswick, School of Faith WEBSITE EXCLUSIVE

CHURCH OF THE WEEK

St. Francis de Sales, Lansing Address: 900 Ida Street, 66043 Phone: (913) 727-3742 Pastor: Father William McEvoy Mass times: Saturday, 5 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.

Email: parishadmin@stfrancislansing.org Website: http://stfrancislansing.org MORE PHOTOS AND A VIDEO TOUR of this church can be seen online at: www.theleaven.org.

WEBSITE EXCLUSIVE

TEAM OF THE WEEK CHEERLEADING

Catholic colleges help students stay Catholic

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — A taste of the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition was part of the dinner program of an annual meeting of Catholic school board trustee members held Oct. 11 at Savior Pastoral Center here.

The evening began with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and concelebrated by Father William Bruning and Father Andrew Strobl. Monsignor. Gary Applegate was master of ceremonies.

The evening’s speaker was John H. Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. In his presentation, “Go and Make Disciples: The Role of Catholic Schools,” Garvey talked about what makes a Catholic education special.

Not only is Garvey a product of Catholic education and in the business of Catholic education, but his five children have collectively acquired 96 years of Catholic education.

“I tell parents this when they bring their kids to look at Catholic University,” he said. “The principal reason I took the job was that I was broke from sending them to Catholic school and marrying them off!

“But I’d do it all over again, because it’s the most important thing we can do for our children.”

He recalled from the Gospel of Luke how Jesus grew up “advancing in wisdom and grace.” Advancing in wisdom and grace are related to one another in an intrinsic way — one being essential to the acquisition of the other.

“For Catholics — and not just for Catholics, I might add — is that wisdom and grace are intrinsically related, but grace comes first.”

Cardinal John Henry Newman, who wrote “The Idea of a University,” said it was a mistake for colleges to separate wisdom and grace. We can see the wisdom of the church establishing its universities so we could “reunite things which in the beginning were joined by God but put asunder by man,” said Garvey. Both religion and the intellect should have the utmost freedom, both in the same

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE BOLLIG

John H. Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., speaks on “Go and Make Disciples: The Role of Catholic Schools” on Oct. 11. place and the same persons.

“This is why at The Catholic University of America we strive to make the sacraments readily available to our students,” said Garvey.

“There are 10 Masses a day on campus, and confessions 365 days a year for six hours a day at the basilica, which we like to call our chapel.

“There are within walking distance of my office on campus 26 tabernacles.”

At a Catholic university, he said, the norms and practices and culture ought to make it easier for students to accept the invitation of the Gospel. That’s why he led a return to the older practice of separating resident halls by gender.

“The aim was simple. It was to encourage behavior in keeping with the church’s teaching on chastity,” said Garvey.

One controversy that has roiled Catholic education has to do with faculty hiring and St. John Paul II’s apostolic constitution on Catholic universities “Ex Corde Ecclesiae.”

The pope’s document says that Catholic universities must limit hiring of non-Catholic faculty in order to protect the Catholic identity of the institutions.

“There is always a latitudinarian faction that . . . [says] while it’s important to consider a candidate’s faith when we are hiring theologians, there’s no such thing, they say, as a Catholic mathematics, or law, or history,” said Garvey.

“In hiring for these disciplines they say we want to make sure the people we hire respect our Catho-

lic identity,” he continued, “but we don’t need to concern ourselves with their beliefs.

“This is a mistake for two reasons. First, faith is not an intellectual game like Scrabble that we play on one board at set times and under certain defined rules. It permeates all of our lives, even history and even math.

“Second, education in the faith is not limited to acquiring the theological virtue of that name. We want the students at The Catholic University of America — as you want the students at your schools — to grow in all the virtues.

“And it’s the job of the teacher, no less than the campus minister, to help them do that.”

Garvey concluded his remarks by noting that Catholic kids who are sent to Catholic schools have better Mass attendance at The Catholic University of America than those who went to public schools.

“I tell this to parents all the time. If you want your kids to grow up and go to church, send them to Catholic schools,” he said.

“Not my Catholic school, but your Catholic schools.

“That’s where they learn it and keep it or lose it, depending on what you do.”

Archdiocesan superintendent Kathleen O’Hara presented Garvey with a rosary as a token of appreciation. There was a brief business meeting, and then Archbishop Naumann ended the event with some closing remarks.

HISPANIC MINISTRY DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR Cheerleading squads from St. Thomas Aquinas, Bishop Miege and Hayden high schools took part in the inaugural Spirit Game Day Showcase Competition Nov. 18 at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka.

The Leaven’s Jay Solder captured the action. To see his photos, go to The Leaven’s Facebook page.

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Father Pat Murphy, former animator of Hispanic ministry for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, was named the Hispanic Ministry Director of the Year by the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry for his work with the Hispanic community at the Casa del Migrante in Tijuana, Mexico. Last year, the Casa served more than 9,000 people from 32 countries, more than 90 percent of those individuals having experienced deportation from the United States.

NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

Collection helps aging Sisters, priests right here in the archdiocese

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Catholics in the Archdiocese of Kansas City will have the opportunity to “give to those who have given a lifetime” as part of the collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious, to be held in parishes Dec. 9-10.

Coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) in Washington, D.C., the annual appeal benefits 32,000 elderly Catholic Sisters, Brothers and religious order priests whose religious congregations lack adequate retirement funding.

Last year, the Archdiocese of Kansas City contributed $122,620.63 to the collection. In 2017, the Benedictine Sisters, Sisters, Servants of Mary, and St. Benedict’s Abbey received a combined total of $222,106.89 in financial assistance made possible by the Retirement Fund for Religious. Women and men religious who serve or have served in the archdiocese but whose communities are based elsewhere may also benefit from the annual appeal.

The 2016 collection raised almost $30.7 million. Roughly 94 cents of every dollar aids senior religious. In June, the NRRO distributed $25 million to 390 religious communities across

“

“GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN A LIFETIME.” the country.

Communities utilize these funds to bolster retirement savings and subsidize expenses, such as prescription medications and nursing care. Throughout the year, additional funding is allocated to assist religious communities with the greatest needs and to promote ongoing education in retirement planning and elder care delivery.

“We are humbled and profoundly grateful for the love and support of Catholics across the nation,” said Presentation Sister Stephanie Still, the NRRO’s executive director.

Despite this generosity, many religious communities still struggle to provide for aging members. Only 41 of the 539 communities submitting data to the NRRO in 2016 were adequately funded for retirement.

Traditionally, Catholic Sisters, Brothers and religious order priests — known collectively as religious — served for small stipends that did not include retirement benefits. Today, hundreds of religious communities lack sufficient retirement savings.

Compounding the funding shortage are the rising cost of care and the decrease in income that has resulted from the declining number of religious able to serve in compensated ministry.

In addition to providing assistance for day-to-day needs, collection proceeds underwrite initiatives to help religious communities address the factors underlying their retirement shortfalls.

These efforts have facilitated solutions such as collaborative care facilities, strategic partnerships with health care providers and numerous cost-saving measures.

“I visit many religious communities and see the good works that members young and old provide,” said Sister Stephanie. “Generosity to the annual collection ensures our office can furnish support to help these communities care for older members while continuing their ministries and witness.”

Visit the website at: retiredreligious. org to learn more.

“I am proud to continue the legacy of service my grandfather and father began in 1946.”

FUNERAL HOME • CREMATORY • MEMORIAL CHAPELS 10901 Johnson Drive Shawnee, Kansas 66203 Telephone 913-631-5566 Fax 913-631-2236 Gregg Amos

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Vivian (Henry) and Dan Reynoso, m e m bers of St. Matthew Parish, To p e k a , will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Nov. 24 with family. The couple was married on Nov. 30, 1957, at Holy Name Church, Topeka. Their children are: Laura Smith, Lawrence Reynoso, Lance Reynoso, Lisa Hahn, Leslie Reynoso and Lyle Reynoso. They also have 17 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

ANNIVERSARY submissions submissions ANNIVERSARY POLICY: The Leaven prints 50, 60, 65 and 70th anniversary notices. They are for parishioners in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas DEADLINE: eight days before the desired publication date.

WHERE TO SUBMIT: Send notices to: The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, attn: anniversaries; or email: todd. habiger@theleaven.org.

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Whirlwind pilgrimage to St. Louis introduced Shawnee parishioners to seminary and convent life

By Melanie Savner Special to The Leaven

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — What could get a group of parents and youths “up and at ‘em” on a cold fall morning at zero-dark-hundred?

Would you believe a road trip to St. Louis — to learn more about vocations?

That’s exactly what 171 parents and youths did Oct. 28 when they made a one-day blitz pilgrimage to the “Rome of the West.”

“Who wouldn’t want to take a trip to St. Louis, visit one of the most beautiful churches in the United States and eat St. Louis-style pizza with awesome Carmelite Sisters?” asked Father Dan Morris, pilgrimage organizer and associate pastor at Sacred Heart, Shawnee.

Father Morris got the idea for this trip two years ago after a smaller pilgrimage to Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri.

“We knew we wanted to do something bigger this time around,” said Father Morris. “First of all, St. Louis is where we send the majority of our seminarians, including all three seminarians from Sacred Heart.

“Second, St. Louis is a beautiful and historic archdiocese that has a lot to offer, including a beautiful cathedral basilica.”

The pilgrims were divided into three groups, depending on where they would spend the second part of their trip.

When the buses arrived at KenrickGlennon Seminary, all the pilgrims were greeted by archdiocesan seminarians and Father James Mason, rector of the seminary.

High school students were then assigned to seminarian Anthony Mersmann, Theology II, who showed them the grounds, library, classrooms and a typical student room.

Many were surprised by all the amenities, such as a swimming pool, soccer field, basketball courts and outdoor fire pit. The young visitors used the opportunity to ask questions like: “What’s your day like?” and “What is your dress code?”

When asked what the most challenging part of being a seminarian was, Mersmann told them that it was “being the best person you can be” — all the time!

To help and support them, the seminary “has wonderful priests and staff who work with us to become conformed to Christ,” he said.

“

“I THOUGHT SEMINARY WAS GOING TO BE MORE STRICT, BUT THE SEMINARIANS WERE LAID-BACK. I WAS SURPRISED AT HOW NICE [KENRICK-GLENNON] WAS. The tours ended in the auditorium, where Aaron Waldeck, who began studies in pre-theology in August, shared his vocation story.

Waldeck had two messages he wanted to make clear. To the younger pilgrims he said the following: “It is important to realize that life in Jesus Christ is so much more fulfilling than the way college life is portrayed, or trying to be a cool person.”

And to the parents, he said: “Talk about Jesus. It is so important! Tell [your children] what he is doing in your life.”

After a Q&A session, everyone gathered in the seminary chapel for eucharistic adoration. The high school-age men stayed to have pizza with the seminarians, play a game of pool and catch up with new college seminarians Daniel Mauro and Ryan Geris.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the pilgrims headed to the home of the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus in Kirkwood, a suburb of St. Louis. There, they were greeted by vocation directress Sister Mary Michael Reiss and visited with other Sisters while eating a pizza and salad lunch.

Several Sisters shared their personal stories, described Carmelite life and answered questions like: “What does your veil color mean?”

When asked how long it takes to become a Sister, they described the eight-year process to perpetual vows.

The Carmelites operate an assisted living home and a day care center.

Those were sites on the tour, as well as the grounds where the chickens were kept.

“I thought nuns didn’t do anything but pray and go to Mass. But they get to take care of people, run a day care, raise chickens and have dogs,” said Erin Kelly, a freshman at St. James Academy in Lenexa.

Sarah Fulks, a senior at St. James, was impressed with the Sisters “because everything they said was with a

smile. They were so joyful.”

The last stop was the cathedral basilica located near downtown St. Louis.

The massive structure is renowned for the beautiful mosaics throughout the interior.

Afterwards, many of the pilgrims mentioned Mass at the cathedral, which was concelebrated by Fathers Morris and Scott Wallisch, archdiocesan vocation director, as the highlight of their trip.

After Mass and a group photo, everyone boarded their bus for the return to Kansas City.

How did the pilgrimage impact the youths?

“I thought seminary was going to be more strict, but the seminarians were laid-back. I was surprised at how nice [Kenrick Glennon] was. I would want to live there,” said Ben Stove.

Andrew Wisdom, a junior at St. James Academy, came away with a new perspective, saying, “Jesus Christ should be the center of everyday life for all people. We should be discerning no matter what.”

Grace Wohletz, a freshman at St. James Academy, hadn’t realized until meeting the Sisters how joyful and happy they are. And Jessica LaBar, mother of two high school sons, said the trip dispelled a lot of stereotypes she had of seminarians, imagining them sitting in silence and studying.

“I was very impressed with how hospitable our seminarians were to such a big group, and how willing they were to spend that much time with everyone,” said Father Wallisch.

“They were good hosts,” he added, “and made the high school guys who stayed feel welcome.”

Finally, does Father Morris think the pilgrimage accomplished what he hoped? Absolutely!

“Several of our high school boys have commented that having visited the seminary and having had the opportunity to see and speak with our seminarians, they now consider this a real option should God call them to discern the priesthood,” he said.

The Carmelites, too, made quite an impression.

“Several of our young women were inspired by the Sisters,” said Father Morris.

Even the adults on the pilgrimage were wowed.

Meeting the Carmelites, said LaBar, gave her a new perspective on religious life.

“I’ve had more exposure to Sisters today than in my whole life combined!” she said.

A TIME OF PRAYER

The tour to Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis m went a restoration that was completed in 2015.

SIGHTSEEING

Anthony Mersmann, a Theology II student, gives st also answered questions about seminary life.

TOUR OF DUTY

PHOTO BY FATHER DAN MORRIS

Students of all ages made the trip to St. Louis for a tour of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. Nicholas Ashmore, a Theology III student for the archdiocese, gives a tour of the seminary to the grade school-age kids.

PHOTO BY FATHER DAN MORRIS

made time for eucharistic adoration in the St. Joseph Chapel. The chapel under-

PHOTO BY MELANIE SAVNER

tudents a tour of the church grounds. In addition to his tour duties, Mersmann

SISTER ACT

PHOTO BY MELANIE SAVNER

Sister Mary Elizabeth, a Carmelite Sister of the Divine Heart of Jesus, mingles with high school girls before lunch. The girls on the tour got to go to the home of the Sisters in nearby Kirkwood, Missouri, where they had lunch and toured the Sisters’ home.

A CUT ABOVE

PHOTO BY MELANIE SAVNER

Seminarian Cruz Gallegos, a Theology I student, is the barber at Kenrick Glennon, a house job he does for free.

NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

NATION

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To experience one of Christianity’s holiest sites, head to D.C.

By Rhina Guidos Catholic News Service

W

ASHINGTON (CNS) — In the nation’s capital, a $15 museum ticket and a pair of 3-D glasses is the passport Christian pilgrims and others need to experience what may be the holiest site in Christianity.

Employing state-of-the-art technology, the National Geographic Museum in Washington opened an exhibit Nov. 15 that virtually transports visitors to the streets of Jerusalem and through the doors of a small church that protects what is believed to be the site of Christ’s burial and, to Christians, the site of his resurrection.

“We put you in the Old City, we talk to you a little about the walls of the city, how they move over time and where the Gospels say that the Crucifixion took place, and try to give you the context,” said Kathryn Keane, vice president of exhibitions for National Geographic during a Nov. 9 interview with Catholic News Service.

After an introductory video explaining some of the tumultuous history surrounding the tomb of Christ site, where structures above have been built and torn down repeatedly over the centuries, visitors walk toward a set where a virtual guide projected on a wall welcomes them to a courtyard just outside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

It’s a visual appetizer to get them ready for the experience of, not just entering via 3-D through its doors, but also of flying over it and witnessing, from a bird’s eye view, a time-lapse of the structure’s physical history.

“We’re not only taking you in the church the way it looks today, but we also go up above the church and we take you back through time,” said Keane. “It’s a bit of a time machine and we show you all the evolutions of the building, from the time that it was, under [Roman emperor] Hadrian, a pagan temple.”

“This is not what I would consider a traditional exhibit. It’s more an experience than it is an exhibit,” said National Geographic archaeologist Fred Hiebert, whose unique experience inside the church led to “Tomb of Christ: The Church of Holy Sepulchre Experience,” which runs at the Washington museum until August 2018.

Last year, Hiebert witnessed various stages of a nine-month-long, $3 million restoration of the small shrine within the Holy Sepulcher that protects the tomb of Christ. The shrine often is referred to as the Edicule, Latin for “little house.” During the process, the three religious groups with jurisdiction over the structure, and who had agreed on its restoration — the Armenians, the Franciscans and the Greek Orthodox — agreed to also allow restorers to put a moisture barrier around the the tomb itself.

The tomb likely had not been opened in centuries and, at some point, marble slabs were placed on top, perhaps to keep pilgrims from taking home parts of it. It has been venerated since the time of Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperor who, in the fourth century, sent a team in search of the holy burial site. Soon after, they identified a quarry as that place and Constantine’s mother, Helena, had a shrine built around it.

The exhibit explains how the effects of weather, earthquakes and also great numbers of pilgrims, many of whom light candles that contribute to a buildup

CNS PHOTO/REBECCA HALE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

The National Geographic exhibition “Tomb of Christ: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre Experience” opened Nov. 15 at the National Geographic Museum in Washington and is on display through the fall of 2018. The historic renovation project will be featured as part of National Geographic magazine’s cover story in the December 2017 issue. Additionally, it will be featured in an upcoming episode of Explorer, airing globally Dec. 3 on the National Geographic Channel.

Pilgrims carry candles inside the Edicule, the traditional site of Jesus’ burial and resurrection, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem. of soot, had brought the structure to the brink of collapse.

It also explains the dilemma religious leaders faced when they learned that by injecting liquid mortar into the shrine to reinforce it, it presented the possibility that it would seep into the tomb itself — defeating the purpose of protecting the most important part. They had to swiftly decide to shut down the shrine to allow the team to protect the tomb — and that meant briefly opening it.

“They said, ‘Do it, but don’t take more than 60 hours to do it,’” said Hiebert.

When restorers temporarily shut down the site, Hiebert and other members of the National Geographic team were present to witness the opening of the tomb, which exposed the original limestone bed and the walls of the cave, which Christians believe witnessed Christ returning to life.

“To think that we were some of the few people who were locked in that church, got to see what people for hundreds and hundreds of years of Christianity hope to see, and we had a chance to see that . . . if there’s anything that drove me to do a virtual exhibit, it was that guilt,” Hiebert said to an audience gathered at the museum on the opening night of the exhibit. “We have to tell the world about this.”

The National Geographic team scanned the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the smaller structure inside, the Edicule, in such detail, that visitors who stop by the exhibit can don a VR, or virtual reality, headset and enter the

CNS PHOTO/SIMON NORFOLK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

tiny shrine, navigate the small passage way that leads to the tomb, a space that accommodates no more than three or four people, and see an exact visual representation of the tomb, without the real-life inconveniences.

“As a tourist, you get maybe 15 seconds in the tomb and then they move you out,” explained National Geographic engineer Corey Jaskolski at the opening night event. “Part of capturing this and being able to share it with the world through the National Geographic Museum is that we can let people spend as long as they want in the tomb. You can go in there and have your own personal experience and be able to see it in all its glory without the interruptions and bustle of the crowd around.”

The exhibit explains some of the technology the restoration team from the National Technical University of Athens used, as well as what National Geographic used to scan the images that made the visual aspect of the exhibit possible.

“We can tell a story about great science, and there’s a certain great aspect of faith to it, too,” said Hiebert.

Keane said the project is an intersection of history, architecture, science, technology and faith.

“All of these things aren’t at odds with each other,” she said.

The exhibit displays the document that Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Franciscan leaders signed in 2016, which made the restoration possible, while also noting in a timeline that the groups had agreed in principle in 1959 that the “little house” needed the renovations.

Hiebert applauded the cooperation among the religious groups as “brave” and said of their ability to agree, “That happens once in a lifetime with these guys.”

The project shows, Hiebert said, that there can be cooperation among different groups in the Middle East.

“Having reviewed the history of the [Holy Sepulcher] church, and realizing that it’s a contested space, in a contested area‚ here was a project that was bringing people together to do something that was positive,” he said. “That is a metaphor for optimism in the Middle East. In a place as difficult as Jerusalem, as complex as the Middle East, it’s still possible to do an optimistic idealistic project.”

Hiebert said the exhibit, as well as a TV show about the restoration of the tomb of Christ that National Geographic documented, will debut Dec. 3 on its cable channel. The December cover story of National Geographic magazine also focuses on archaeology and what it reveals about the life of Christ. It shows that science and faith can go hand in

NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

WORLD

Benedict’s teaching called ‘precious heritage’

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

V

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — The theological work and papal teaching of retired Pope Benedict XVI “continue to be a living and precious heritage for the church,” Pope Francis said.

The pope met Nov. 18 with the winners of the 2017 Ratzinger Prize, named for the retired pope to honor those who make significant contributions to theology and culture.

The three winners had met the day before with Pope Benedict in his residence in the Vatican gardens.

Pope Francis told the group that Pope Benedict’s “prayer and his discreet and encouraging presence accompany us on our common journey.”

The Ratzinger Prize is awarded each year by the Vatican-based Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Foundation, and Pope Francis urged the foundation to pay tribute to the retired pope not only by promoting the study of his writings, but to continue the spirit of his work by “entering into new fields in which modern culture asks for dialogue with the faith.”

“The human spirit always has an urgent and vital need for this dialogue,” the pope said. And faith needs dialogue as well to ensure that it does not become abstract, but “incarnates in time.”

“Joseph Ratzinger continues to be a master and friendly interlocutor for all

H CNS PHOTO/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO

Estonian composer Arvo Part, a winner of the 2017 Ratzinger Prize, plays the piano during an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican Nov. 18. The pope met with the three winners of the prize, which is named for retired Pope Benedict XVI and honors those who make significant contributions to theology and culture. those who exercise the gift of reason to respond to the human vocation of searching for truth,” he said.

“Co-workers of the truth,” the motto the retired pope chose in 1977 as his episcopal motto, “expresses well the whole sense of his work and his ministry,” the pope said.

Pope Francis said he was happy the three winners for 2017 come from different Christian traditions and he was pleased to approve the expansion of the

prize to include the arts because it “corresponds well to the vision of Benedict XVI, who so often spoke in a touching way about beauty as a privileged path for opening us up to transcendence and an encounter with God.” The prize winners were German Lutheran theologian Theodor Dieter, German Catholic theologian Father KarlHeinz Menke and the Estonian composer Arvo Part, an Orthodox Christian.

Pope encourages people to reflect on their mortality

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

V

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — It is not morbid to start each day understanding that it may be one’s last, Pope Francis said.

Death is a reality that will come to everyone — for some as a sudden surprise, for others as an end to an illness — but in every case, Jesus will say, “Come with me,” the pope said Nov. 17 in his homily at Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

November is a month of remembrance of the deceased and reflection about God’s kingdom and eternal life. It is one way the church asks the faithful to reflect on death because, he said, it is easy to get caught up in daily work or school and social routines and think “it will always be this way.”

The church and the Lord “say to each one of us, ‘Stop, hold on. It won’t be like this every day. Don’t get accustomed as if this were eternity,’” he said.

It does people good to recognize they will not be on this earth forever, he said.

For example, one could start the day reasoning, “Perhaps today will be my last day, I don’t know, but I will do a good job” at work, at home, with others.

“To think about death is not a terri-

Vietnam archdiocese marks World Day of the Poor with a meal

CNS PHOTO/KACPER PEMPEL, REUTERS

People visit graves Nov. 1 at a cemetery in Brwinow, Poland. On All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day Nov. 1 and 2, cemeteries across the country are crowded with people paying their respects to departed loved ones. ble reverie; it’s reality. If it’s terrible or not depends on me, what I think about it, but whatever it will be, it will be,” Pope Francis said.

One’s dying day also “will be the encounter with the Lord — this will be what is beautiful about death, it will be the encounter with the Lord, he will be

the one who comes, he will say, ‘Come, come, blessed by my father, come with me.’”

The pope said people still need to live their lives, do what needs to be done, but always look ahead to that day when “the Lord will come to get me and go with him.”

O CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (CNS) — An archdiocese in southern Vietnam has demonstrated care for the poor by providing a special meal.

More than 600 elderly and disabled people of different faiths enjoyed a hearty lunch at the Bishop’s House in Ho Chi Minh City Nov. 19, ucanews.com reported.

The event to mark the first World Day of the Poor, initiated

by Pope Francis, was attended

by Archbishop Paul Bui Van Doc and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Do Manh Hung of Ho Chi Minh City.

“The meal is an opportunity for the local church to concretely show mercy, care and respect to our brothers and sisters who are in poor conditions,” Archbishop Doc told participants.

As well as food and other gifts, each participant was given $13.

Paul Bui Van Lien, who lost the sight of both eyes in 1976 when he struck an unexploded shell with a hoe at a farm, said he had not tasted such delicious food for a long time.

“I am happy to have lunch with the archbishop here,” he said.

Lien, 65, who receives a monthly allowance of about 22 pounds of rice from Caritas workers, said he felt loved and respected by people of the church.

The money he received would be used to buy medicine when he got sick, Lien said.

Tran Thi Tan Van, a Buddhist, said this was the first time she had joined a big meal with Catholics.

Van, 60, who suffers from kidney disease, said Caritas workers carried her to the venue.

“I take comfort and spiritual strength from the meal where all people are friendly and kind to one another,” she said.

Father Vincent Vu Ngoc Dong, head of Caritas in the archdiocese, called on parishes to help people living in poverty.

In his message for World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis said sharing with poor people enabled the faithful to understand the deepest truths of the Gospel.

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NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CLASSIFIEDS EMPLOYMENT Youth ministry coordinator - Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church is seeking a full-time youth ministry coordinator (YMC) to provide vision and coordination of the parish’s efforts to minister to young people grades 6 - 12. This includes inspiring and helping form young disciples through hospitality, prayer, formation and service. The YMC will provide vibrant spiritual and social support for the current YDisciple program with future plans to add consistent youth activities and administration of youth opportunities external to the parish. Utilizes and cooperates with a staff resource committee and a parent resource committee for support. This person must demonstrate a passion for youth ministry; basic knowledge of youth development; ability to communicate and work with people of all ages; ability to find effective individuals to volunteer to assist the program in various ways, as well as manage and supervise their work. Other skills needed include: marketing, organization, time management and a genuine interest in responding to the needs and concerns of youth. The ability to work well with the pastor and be flexible with the pastor’s vision and potential need to continually evaluate and make changes in the program if necessary. Requirements: be a practicing Catholic who is faithful to and accepting of the magisterium (teaching authority of the church); bachelor’s degree from a Catholic university/college in theology, youth ministry or similar degree required; a master’s degree in the same or similar is preferred but not required; past experience in youth ministry is also preferred but not required. Send cover letter and resume to: info@shoj. org. For full job description, go to the website at: shoj.org/ about-us/employment-opportunities.

Teacher assistant - Special Beginnings, Lenexa, is seeking full- or part-time after school teacher assistants at all locations. We are looking for a teacher assistant candidate who has an excellent work ethic, heart for children and a willingness to learn more about early childhood education.

Experience and/or education is a plus, but we will train the right candidate. Teacher assistants will work with the lead teacher to care for and educate the children. Primary responsibilities include assisting the lead teacher with: care and supervision of children, lesson plan implementation, parent communication, and cleanliness and organization of classroom. Starting hourly pay ranges based on experience and education. Pay increases are based on job performance. Opportunities for advancement are available, as the company prefers to promote from within. Apply by sending an email to: chris@specialbeginningsonline.com or in person at 10216 Pflumm Rd., Lenexa, KS 66215.

Secretary and marketing/media rep. - St Patrick Catholic School in Kansas City, Kan., has an immediate opening for a school office secretary and marketing/media representative. Hours are 7:15 a.m. - 4 p.m. during the school year and 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. when school is out (may vary).

Position reports to the principal and provides confidential administrative support; coordinates media and marketing releases; supports school operations and functions; and coordinates projects and activities. Essential functions include, but are not limited to: answering phones; log attendance; greet and direct visitors; maintain and update electronic records; prepare reports; maintain Facebook and other media; and other duties as assigned by the principal. Interested applicants should email a cover letter and resume to: AKERNAN@archkckcs.org or mail to St. Patrick Catholic Church, attn: Business Office, 1066 N. 94th St., Kansas City, KS, 66112.

Staff accountant - Looking for an exciting job as a staff accountant? Looking to work four days a week? Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph has a rewarding career opportunity for those interested in a full-time staff accountant position. To learn more and to apply, visit our website at: www.catholiccharities-kcsj.org.

Drivers - Special Beginnings Early Learning Center is seeking part-time drivers for its school-age program located in Lenexa. Candidates must be able to drive a 13-passenger minibus, similar to a 15-passenger van. CDL not required, but must have an excellent driving record. Candidates would pick up children from area schools and then work directly with them when arriving back at the center. Experience preferred. Must have strong work ethic and the ability to work with children. Insurance provided. Background check will be conducted. Great opportunity for retired persons or those seeking a second job. Job responsibilities include: ensuring safety and well-being of children who are being transported at all times, including loading and unloading. Driving short, round-trip routes to elementary schools in Lenexa/Olathe area. Summer only: Driving short, round- trip routes to two Lenexa city pools. Maintaining mileage log. Keeping interior of vehicle clean. Apply by sending an email to: chris@ specialbeginningsonline.com or in person at 10216 Pflumm Rd., Lenexa, KS 66215.

Do you enjoy driving? - The Kansas City Transportation Group is looking for chauffeurs to drive our guests to events, airport, dinner, etc. Business is growing and we are in need of workers with flexible hours, those who are retired, etc. Great pay and benefits. Send resume to: jkalbert@kctg.com or in person at Carey, 1300 Lydia Ave., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Rewarding career opportunities - Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph is offering rewarding career opportunities to individuals interested in full-time positions as an AmeriCorps Veteran Peer Navigator or as a staff accountant in our Kansas City office. In our St. Joseph office, we are offering a part-time family development specialist position. To learn more about these opportunities and to apply, visit our website at: www.catholiccharities-kcsj.org.

Accounts payable/payroll accountant - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas has an immediate opening in the chancery accounting office for a full-time accounts payable/ payroll accountant. The position is responsible for processing approved invoices utilizing the DocuWare software and accounting system. The position is also responsible for payroll for the chancery staff. One to three years of accounts payable and payroll experience required, accounting degree preferred. Candidate must have strong computer skills with proficiency in MS Office Suite; must demonstrate strong organizational skills, including attention to detail and accuracy.

A complete job description and application are available on the archdiocese’s website at: www.archkck.org/jobs. Interested individuals should mail cover letter, resume and application by Nov. 22, to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Office of Human Resources, Accounts Payable/Payroll, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, or send via email to: jobs@archkck.org.

Principal - St. Thomas More School is seeking a principal committed to Catholic education with strong leadership, communication and motivational skills. The position will begin on July 1. More information and applications can be found online at: careers.hireology.com/thecatholic dioceseofkansascitystjoseph/159107/description.

Substitute teacher- Bishop Miege High School is seeking a long-term substitute teacher to teach three periods of math each day for second semester of the 2017-18 school year. Email letter of interest and resume to: mjaksa@bishop miege.com.

High school president - Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kan., is seeking a president for the 2018-19 school year. Applicants must be practicing Catholics and understand the mission of Catholic education. The president is the chief administrator of the school and is responsible for: school operations; student recruitment; donor engagement; facilities maintenance; strategic planning; and school advancement. Bishop Ward is looking for a “people person” who enjoys actively engaging with staff/students and stakeholders. This person should be a person who is open, approachable, a good communicator and team builder, and willing to become part of the Ward community. Fluency in Spanish would be a plus. The president must be able to demonstrate prudent financial management, as well as successful fundraising. The successful candidate will find ways to leverage the school’s diversity, history, tradition and other positive attributes to make the school a model for urban Catholic education. For a complete job description, go online to: www.archkck.org/schools. Complete the online application at: www.archkckcs.org and also send a resume and credentials to: Superintendent Dr. Kathleen A. O’Hara, Catholic School Office, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, or email to: kohara@archkckcs.org. Application deadline is Nov. 30.

Custodian - Sacred Heart Church in Shawnee is seeking an individual to fill a full-time maintenance/custodian position.

General duties include general maintenance, repair, and the care and cleaning of the campus buildings. This position is eligible for the archdiocesan benefit plan. For further information, send an inquiry email and resume to: julie.krause@ shoj.org.

Health and wellness advocate for clergy – The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking an experienced nurse, case manager or social worker to fill the part-time (approximately 10-20 hours per week) position of health and wellness advocate for clergy. Duties include: visiting retired priests on a regular basis; managing priests’ conditions and care; serving as an advocate during appointments and hospitalizations; and assisting priests with health insurance and Medicare. The ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing and have a minimum of five years’ experience in adult health care, case management or social work; one year of health care management preferred. College degree in related field required, registered nurse preferred. A complete job description, application and benefits information are available on the archdiocese’s website at: www.archkck.org/ jobs. Interested individuals should mail cover letter, resume, application and pastor’s letter of support to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Office of Human Resources, Health and Wellness Advocate Search, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, or send via email to: jobs@archkck.org.

Social media specialist - Catholic Cemeteries of Northeast Kansas is looking for a permanent part-time position to be filled for the social media management efforts of this important ministry. The right person for this position will work from home 10 - 15 hours per week, and be well versed in the implementation of most social media platforms currently available. Initial development and monitoring priorities will include Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. The ability to stay abreast of social media platforms as they emerge and solid communication skills with the ability to interface with all department heads within our organization (weekly if needed) when requested is a must. Biweekly meetings at our offices may be needed initially to jump-start our efforts and in the training of staff to utilize and perfect the use of these important communication tools. Email resume to: dvanthullenar@cathcemks.org.

SERVICES Quilted memories - Your Kansas City Longarm shop Nolting Longarm machines, quilting supplies and machine quilting services. We specialize in memorial quilts - custom designed memory quilts from your T-shirt collections, photos, baby clothes, college memorabilia, neckties, etc. For information or to schedule a free consultation, call (913) 649-2704. Visit the website at: www.quiltedmemoriesllc.com.

Life Simplified - Professional organizing for home and business. We organize tools to toys, closets to attics.

Pre- and post-moving support for upsizing or downsizing. We advise on what to keep, donate, recycle or toss and offer personalized strategies on keeping organized.

Supportive and non-judgmental. Call (913)-725-8151 or email: info@lifesimplified.biz www.lifesimplified.biz Tree Trimming Tree Trimming/Landscaping Insured/References Free Estimates/Local Parishioner Tony Collins (913) 620-6063 Cleaning lady - Reasonable rates; references provided.

Call (913) 940-2959.

Bankruptcy consultation - If debts are overwhelming you, seek hope and help from compassionate, experienced Catholic attorney, Teresa Kidd. For a free consultation, call (913) 422-0610; send an email to: tkidd@kc.rr.com; or visit the website at: www.teresakiddlawyer.com. Please do not wait until life seems hopeless before getting good quality legal advice that may solve your financial stress.

Rodman Lawn Care Lawn mowing, aeration, verticutting, mulching, Hedge trimming, leaf removal, gutter cleaning Fully insured and free estimates John Rodman (913) 548-3002 Clutter getting you down? - Organize, fix, assemble, install! “Kevin of all trades” is your professional organizer and “Honey-do” specialist. Call or email me today for a free consultation at (913) 271-5055 or kev@koatindustries. com. Insured. References.

Custom countertops - Laminates installed within five days.

Cambria, granite and solid surface. Competitive prices, dependable work. Call the Top Shop, Inc., at (913) 962-5058.

Members of St. Joseph, Shawnee.

Speedy Guzman Moving and delivery Licensed and insured Anytime (816) 935-0176 Sparkle Plenty Cleaning Service - Deep cleaning, light cleaning, move-out cleaning, organizing clutter, construction cleaning. 33 years’ experience. Great references. Call Sarah at (913) 449-8348.

Mike Hammer local moving - A full-service mover.

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

HOME IMPROVEMENT The Drywall Doctor, Inc. – A unique solution to your drywall problems! We fix all types of ceiling and wall damage — from water stains and stress cracks to texture repairs and skim coating. We provide professional, timely repairs and leave the job site clean! Lead-certified and insured! Serving the metro since 1997. Call (913) 768-6655.

HARCO Exteriors LLC Your Kansas City fencing specialists Family owned and operated (913) 815-4817 www.harcoexteriorsllc.com 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@hot mail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

Local handyman - Painting int. and ext., staining, wood rot, power wash, decks, doors and windows, masonry, hardwood floors, gutter cleaning, water heaters, toilets, faucets, garbage disposals, ceiling fans, mowing and more!! Member of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913) 927-4118.

NELSON CREATION’S L.L.C. Home makeovers, kitchen, bath. All interior and exterior remodeling and repairs.

Family owned, experienced, licensed and insured. Member St. Joseph, Shawnee. Kirk Nelson.

(913) 927-5240; nelsport@everestkc.net Concrete construction - Tear out and replace stamped, stained or colored patios and drives. Retaining walls, footings, poured-in-place safe rooms, excavation and hauling.

Asphalt drives and lots. Fully insured; references. Call Dan at (913) 207-4371 or send an email to: dandeeconst@aol.com.

Swalms organizing - downsizing - cleanout service - Reduce clutter – Any space organized. Shelving built on-site. Items hauled for recycling and donations. 20 years exp.; insured. Call Tillar at (913) 375-9115. WWW. SWALMSORGANIZING.COM. Thank you for another great year - Through your support, my family has been blessed and my business has grown. We do windows, trim, siding, doors, decks, interior and exterior painting, wood rot, bathroom renovations, tile and Sheetrock. If you need work done around your home, we can do it. Josh (913) 709-7230.

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Masonry work - Quality new or repair work. Brick and chimney/fireplace repair. Insured; second-generation bricklayer.

St. Paul Parish, Olathe. Call (913) 829-4336.

EL SOL Y LA TIERRA *Commercial & residential * Lawn renovation *Mowing * Clean-up and hauling * Dirt grading/installation * Landscape design * Free estimates Hablamos y escribimos Ingles!! www.elsolylatierra.com Call Lupe at (816) 935-0176 Rusty Dandy Painting, Inc. – We have been coloring your world for 40 years. Your home will be treated as if it were our own. Old cabinets will be made to look like new. Dingy walls and ceilings will be made beautiful. Woodwork will glow.

Lead-certified and insured. Call (913) 341-9125.

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

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

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

FOR SALE Residential lifts - New and recycled. Stair lifts, porch lifts, ceiling lifts and elevators. St. Michael’s parishioners. KC Lift & Elevator at (913) 327-5557. (Formerly Silver Cross - KC) For sale - Enhance you decor with Dickens Village and other Department 56 lighted ceramic houses. Retired and limited editions. Call for availability. (816) 289-6180

FOR RENT For rent - House recently remodeled. Entry level BR, large loft BR, kitchen with dishwasher, basement garage with opener.

Large yard, quiet secure neighborhood. No smoking, no pets.

References required. Call (913) 238-2470. Serious interest only. Shawnee Sacred Heart member, owner.

WANTED TO BUY I NEED HOUSES! - We are members of Holy Trinity Parish and we pay cash for any real estate without any realtor commissions or fees. If you would like an easy, no-hassle sale at a fair price, please call me. We have 13 years of experience. Mark Edmondson (913) 980-4905.

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 Antique/vintage jewelry, paintings, pottery, prints, sterling, etc.

Renee Maderak (913) 475-7393 St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee

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

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

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

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

Medication support - Need help filling weekly pill boxes?

Need daily medication reminders? We can provide these services in your home with daily or weekly visits. Call to learn about our exciting new medication solutions that allow you to continue living safely at home. Call Home Connect Health at (913) 627- 9222.

Looking for assisted living at home? - Before you move, call us and explore our in-home care options. We specialize in helping families live safely at home while saving thousands of dollars per year. Call today for more information or to request a FREE home care planning guide. Benefits of Home - Senior Care, www.benefitsofhome.com or call (913) 4221591.

BUYING AN AD To purchase a Leaven classified ad, email The Leaven at: beth.blankenship@theleaven.org. Cost is $20 for the first five lines, $1.50 per line thereafter. Ad deadline is 10 days before the desired publication date.

NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CALENDAR ‘TAKE-A-LOOK THURSDAY’ Holy Spirit School 11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park Nov. 30 from 9 - 11 a.m.

Come join us for information, tours and refreshments. For more information or to let us know you are coming, call Anita Pauls at (913) 492-2582 or send an email to: apauls@hscatholic.org.

CREATING FINANCIAL SECURITY FOR A LOVED ONE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS The Arc of Douglas County (Rm. 238) 2518 Ridge Ct., Lawrence Nov. 28 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

The office of special-needs ministry for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and The Arc of Douglas County are cosponsoring this workshop to educate parents/guardians with a special-needs child/adult on how to prepare for two generations of financial security. The workshop will show attendees how to build a team and cover the key aspects of a special-needs plan. We will discuss a 529-ABLE account vs. a special-needs trust and why both are important. For more information or to RSVP, call (785) 218-1423.

‘RECLAIMING A SENSE OF WONDER: AN ADVENT JOURNEY’ Sophia Spirituality Center 751 S. 8th St., Atchison Dec. 1 - 2

Revive the slumbering wonder inside yourself by exploring how poets and writers have tapped into the wonder of ordinary life, and uncover simple practices that challenge us during Advent to awaken to what is real and gives light to our lives. The fee is $155; deposit is $35. For more information or to register, call (913) 360-6174, or go to the website at: www.sophiaspiritualitycenter.org.

Tickets will be sold at the door for $20 and include snacks and drinks. There is lighted parking on the west side of the church.

Enter the parish hall through the west entrance under the church. For more information, send an email to Ken Geier at: kag. geier@gmail.com.

The Altar Society of St. Peter sponsors this annual Nativity display. There will also be a bake sale, raffle and refreshments. For more information, call Diane at (913) 7085323 or send an email to: dkhentges0503@ gmail.com.

Women are invited to enjoy a peaceful evening and celebrate the season of Advent. It begins in the chapel with a candlelight prayer service and then moves to the commons for a reception. For more information and to make reservations, go online to: bishopmiege.com or call Annie Wallace at (816) 510-4818.

‘EVERY CENT COUNTS’ Keeler Women’s Center 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas Nov. 30 from 10 - 11:30 a.m.

Find out about managing household money.

Learn to make conscious decisions about finances. Call (913) 906-8990 or register online at: www.keelerwomenscenter.org.

CREATING FINANCIAL SECURITY FOR A LOVED ONE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Church of the Ascension 9510 W. 127th St., Overland Park Dec. 5 from 6:30 - 8 p.m.

The office of special-needs ministry for the archdiocese is sponsoring this workshop to educate parents/guardians with a special-needs child/adult on how to prepare for two generations of financial security. The workshop will show attendees how to build a team and cover the key aspects to a special-needs plan. The 529-ABLE account vs. a special-needs trust and why both are important will be discussed. For more information or to RSVP, call Tom Racunas at (913) 647-3054 or send an email to: tracunas@archkck.org; or call Eleni Maloney at (913) 484-5478 or send an email to: elenim@kc.surewest.net.

PRESENTATION BY SCOTT HAHN Abbey Basilica 37174 State Hwy VV, Conception, Missouri Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.

This talk is free and open to the public.

Hahn is the bestselling author of numerous books, including “Rome Sweet Home” and “The Lamb’s Supper.”

LESSONS AND CAROLS St. Pius X Parish 5500 Woodson, Mission Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.

Lessons and Carols is a series of Scripture readings and musical interludes that reflects on the Advent and Christmas seasons. The audience is invited to join in singing well-known carols. Children are invited to bring their Christmas stockings, since St. Nicholas will be visiting. This event is free.

‘UNWRAPPING GIFTS OF ADVENT’ Sisters of Charity motherhouse (Ross Chapel) 4200 S. 4th St., Leavenworth Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Take a pause in the midst of the upcoming holiday rush for a retreat day to reflect on four gifts that Advent can hold: peace, courage, playfulness and hope. The cost of $35 includes lunch. Register by Nov. 27. To register, send an email to: retreats@scls.org or call (913) 758-6552.

A light supper will be served at 5:30 p.m.

The retreat follows at 6 p.m. The facilitator is Benedictine novice Jennifer Haling from Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison. There will be time for input, sharing, reflection and prayer. Reservations are required. Call (913) 906-8990 or register online at: www. keelerwomenscenter.org.

SINGLES OF NATIVITY CHRISTMAS DANCE Church of the Ascension Parish (hall) 9510 W. 127th St., Overland Park Dec. 2 from 7 - 11 p.m.

NATIVITY DISPLAY The Cathedral of St. Peter Parish (center) 409 N. 15th St., Kansas City, Kansas Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

BISHOP MIEGE MOTHERS CLUB ADVENT CELEBRATION Bishop Miege High School 5041 Reinhardt Dr., Roeland Park Nov. 30 at 6:30 p.m.

ADVENT RETREAT FOR WOMEN Keeler Women’s Center 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas Dec. 6 from 5:30 - 9 p.m.

TAIZE PRAYER Annunciation Chapel 4200 S. 4th St., Leavenworth Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.

Taize prayer is a meditative, candlelit service that includes simple chants sung repeatedly, silence, and prayers of praise and intercession. These prayer services emerged from an ecumenical community of monks in Taize, France. For more information, visit the website at: www.marillac center.org or call (913) 680-2342.

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carols and hymns that reflects on the passages of the Advent and Christmas seasons.

The adult choir, children’s choir and Knights of Columbus men’s choir will present this concert.

ADVENT MUSIC RETREAT Sophia Spirituality Center 751 S. 8th St., Atchison Dec. 10 from 1 - 4 p.m.

Explore the spirituality of traditional and contemporary Advent hymn texts and music. Lectio divina and audio divina will be part of the reflection. The cost to attend is a freewill offering. For more information or to register, call (913) 360-6174, or go to the website at: www.sophiaspiritualitycenter. org.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CELEBRATION Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park Dec. 12 at 6 p.m.

CELTIC CHRISTMAS St. Columbkille Parish (hall) 13311 Hwy 16, Blaine Dec. 9 from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Holiday cookies and candies will be sold by the pound. There will also be homemade cinnamon rolls, kolaches, breakfast burritos, homemade soups and pies, and lots more to eat. Holiday vendors will be there. For more information, call (785) 927-0282.

LESSONS AND CAROLS Holy Angels Parish 15408 Leavenworth Rd., Basehor Dec. 10 at 6 p.m.

Lessons and Carols is a series of Scriptures,

Mass will be followed by a reception. Pastries, hot chocolate and coffee will be served in the church hall. Mariachi music will be provided by Beto Lopez.

‘WHY HISTORY MATTERS FOR CATHOLICS’ St. James Academy 24505 Prairie Star Pkwy., Lenexa Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m.

Brad Gregory, professor of history at Notre Dame, will present a lecture, “Why History Matters for Catholics,” that explores why an awareness of history is important for an informed Catholic faith. The lecture is free and open to the public.

NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

COMMENTARY THIRTY-FOURTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME Nov. 26 OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE Ez 34: 11-12, 15-17 Ps 23: 1-3, 5-6 1 Cor 15: 20-26, 28 Mt 25: 31-46 Nov. 27 Monday Dn 1: 1-6, 8-20 (Ps) Dn 3: 52-56 Lk 21: 1-4 Nov. 28 Tuesday Dn 2: 31-45 (Ps) Dn 3: 57-61 Lk 21: 5-11 Nov. 29 Wednesday Dn 5: 1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 (Ps) Dn 3: 62-67 Lk 21: 12-19 Nov. 30 ANDREW, APOSTLE Rom 10: 9-18 Ps 19: 8-11 Mt 4: 18-22 Dec. 1 Friday Dn 7: 2-14 (Ps) Dn 3: 75-81 Lk 21: 29-33 Dec. 2 Saturday Dn 7: 15-27 (Ps) Dn 3: 82-87 Lk 21: 34-36

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Uh-oh. Blink and you might miss Advent

he Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!”

These words from the Book of Job (1:21b) might be an apt description of Advent this year.

Often, Thanksgiving weekend ushers in the First Sunday of Advent.

Not this time around.

That won’t happen until Dec. 3. So, while the Lord “gives” an extra week to get ready for this season, the Lord will “take away” the whole Fourth Week of Advent, leaving us just one day of it: Sunday, Dec. 24.

If we’re prepared for this shortened Advent, though, it can still be a time of prayer and peace.

First and foremost, I’d suggest using this extra pre-Advent week to shop till you drop. The more routine holiday tasks you can clear up, the more time you’ll have free to devote to an authentic Advent — one of prayer, reflection and focusing on Jesus, the “reason for the season.”

An excellent guide for that process is a

MARK MY WORDS

FATHER MARK GOLDASICH Father Mark is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989.

book by Father Anselm Grün, a German Benedictine monk, entitled “Your Light Gives Us Hope” (Brewster, Mass.: Paraclete Press, 93 pgs.; 2017; $16.99).

In it, Father Anselm presents “24 practices for Advent,” reminding readers of the meaning of this special season.

It is a time of rebirth, “when we ready ourselves for Christ’s birth in us.” It’s a season of renewal, “an opportunity to give ourselves to the work of uncluttering our lives, a time when we

learn to open ourselves to the renewing gift of grace.” Lastly, Advent is a season of arrival that “invites us to celebrate God’s coming in the ordinary realities of our lives.”

Beginning on Dec. 1, Father Anselm presents a short meditation for each day, followed by a practice. These practices are as simple and practical as lighting a candle, going for a long walk, pondering during waiting time in line, doing a small kindness or imagining a hot shower washing away all that stains the soul.

But, you’re thinking, who reads books anymore? Well, you’re covered on that front as well. Two free resources are available online to

lead you through a holier Advent.

Since many people are familiar with Matthew Kelly of Dynamic Catholic, you might want to sign up for the Best Advent Ever. Beginning on the First Sunday of Advent, Dynamic Catholic will send out a daily email containing a short video by Kelly or Dr. Allen Hunt, practical tips to use in everyday life and personal stories from Dynamic Catholic team members. Its web address is: www. dynamiccatholic.com/ best-advent-ever.

A similar resource is offered by Loyola Press and can be found by Googling: Loyola Press Advent. There you’ll find a whole page of Advent suggestions: activities, calendars, prayers, and a sign-up for its email retreat, called “Sacred Advent.”

The most important thing our wish list should include, however, is captured nicely in this story: A young man approached a hermit with this request: “Show me how I can find God.” “How great is this desire of yours?” asked

the hermit.

“More than anything in the world,” said the man.

So the hermit took the young man to the shore of a lake where they waded in until the water was up to their necks. Then the hermit put his hand on the other’s head and pushed him under the water.

Although the young man struggled desperately, the holy man did not release him until he was about to drown.

Returning to shore, the hermit said, “Son, when you were under water, what did you want more than anything in the world?”

“Air,” he replied without hesitation.

“Well, then,” said the hermit, “when you want to find God as much as you wanted air, your eyes will be opened to the wonder of God.” (Adapted from Paul J. Wharton’s “Stories and Parables for Preachers and Teachers.”)

This Advent, may we long for God’s coming as much as we long for air . . . and breathe in all the grace-filled wonders of this special time of year.

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Is 63: 16b-17, 19b; 64: 2b-7 Ps 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19 1 Cor 1: 3-9 Mk 13: 33-37 Dec. 4 John Damascene, priest, doctor of the church Is 2: 1-5 Ps 122: 1-9 Mt 8: 5-11 Dec. 5 Tuesday Is 11: 1-10 Ps 72: 1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 Lk 10: 21-24 Dec. 6 Nicholas, bishop Is 25: 6-10a Ps 23: 1-6 Mt 15: 29-37 Dec. 7 Ambrose, bishop, doctor of the church Is 26: 1-6 Ps 118: 1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a Mt 7: 21, 24-27 Dec. 8 THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Gn 3: 9-15, 20 Ps 98: 1-4 Eph 1: 3-6, 11-12 Lk 1: 26-38 Dec. 9 Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin Is 30: 19-21, 23-26 Ps 147: 1-6 Mt 9:35 – 10:1, 5a, 6-8

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Jesus experienced the rejection he criticizes

he scene of the Last Judgment has often appeared in Christian art.

Michelangelo painted it on the wall of the Sistine Chapel, where it figures prominently over the altar.

Medieval cathedrals frequently showed Christ the King separating the saved from the damned in a sculpture over the main entrance.

These portrayals of the Last Judgment look very dramatic. They intended to inspire those gazing upon them to take their decisions in this life very seriously.

They will bear eternal consequences.

These artistic renditions of the Last Judgment underline the results of our decisions.

At the same time, the

THE GOSPEL TRUTH

FATHER MIKE STUBBS Father Stubbs is the pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Overland Park and has a degree in Scripture from Harvard University.

artists ordinarily did not focus upon the content of those decisions.

In contrast, Sunday’s Gospel reading, Mt 25:

POPE FRANCIS

31-46, for the solemnity of Christ the King, delves into the meat of those decisions.

In the Gospel reading, the Son of Man, Christ the King, identifies with various categories of needy individuals.

Events from Jesus’ life match with those categories. For example, at the very first moment of his life, Jesus appeared as an outsider, when

Church leaders who are attached to money and try to climb the ladder of success wound the church and destroy people’s hope, Pope Francis said.

Shepherds and those in positions of authority within the church who say one thing and do another “drive people away with their example, with their incoherency, with their own inconsistency,” the pope said Nov. 13 during his morning Mass at Domus Sanctae Marthae.

he was born in Bethlehem, far from Mary and Joseph’s hometown of Nazareth.

When he fled to Egypt with Mary and Joseph, he was once again a foreigner, a stranger in a strange land. Those events enable the words of the Gospel to make sense, where Christ the King says that he was “a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Similarly, when Jesus is condemned as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, that enables him to identify with other criminals held in prison.

Consequently, Christ the King says that he was “in prison and you visited me.”

To prepare Jesus for crucifixion, the soldiers strip him of his garments. Once again,

Christ the King is able to identify with those in need, because he was “naked and you clothed me.”

On the cross, Jesus calls out, “I thirst.” A bystander extends a sponge, soaked in vinegar. This anticipates the statement of Christ the King, who says, “I was thirsty and you gave me drink.”

The examples of care for the needy that Christ the King, the judge, calls attention to, correspond to events in the life of Jesus.

That is why, when Christ the King says, “As often as you did it for one of these least ones, you did it for me,” it makes sense.

He is able to identify with the needy, because of what he has experienced himself.

“The inconsistency of Christians is one of the easiest weapons the devil has to weaken the people of God and to drive the people of God away from the Lord,” he said.

In his homily, the pope reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from St. Luke in which Jesus warns of those who cause scandal through sin.

“It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin,” Jesus said.

— CNS

NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

COMMENTARY

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All means all: Our mission is to fully engage

n the Sept. 22 issue of The Leaven, I began to “unpack” the words and phrases of the mission statement of the special-needs ministry: The mission of the ministry is to serve and support parishes in facilitating opportunities for a relationship with Christ by ensuring the fullest participation possible in the Catholic faith for all parishioners, regardless of ability.

I started at the end and commented on the phrase “all parishioners, regardless of ability.”

Today, let’s look at the phrase “ensuring the fullest participation possible.”

I just returned from Rome where I attended an international conference, entitled “Cat-

D

REACHING OUT

TOM RACUNAS Tom Racunas is the lead consultant for the archdiocesan special-needs ministry. He can be reached by email at: tracunas@archkck.org.

echesis and Persons with Disabilities: A Necessary Engagement in the Daily Pastoral Life of the

Church,” sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.

The highlight of the conference was an audience with Pope Francis.

In his address to the 400 attendees from five continents, the Holy Father said, “The church cannot be voiceless or tonedeaf in defending and

promoting people with disabilities. . . . The community cannot be lacking in words and gestures, especially in reaching out and welcoming people with disabilities.”

Our participation in the life of the church cannot take place in isolation. Obviously, we are not participating if we are alone.

Participation means engagement with at least one other person: “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20).

The setting for participation is with others — in community. So where does the community of the church exist?

Most often, the community of the church is

recognized at the parish level in its many activities — religious education in its various forms: (School of Religion, RCIA, retreats, renewals, Totus Tuus, vacation Bible school, Bible studies for adults, parish missions, parochial education); and social activities: (parish dinners, Knights of Columbus pancake breakfasts and the Lenten fish fry, fundraising events, CYM, and so on).

In his address to the conference attendees Pope Francis said, “The Sunday liturgy, in particular, must include people with disabilities because the encounter with the risen Lord and with the community itself can be a source of hope and courage along life’s difficult journey.”

“Ensuring the fullest participation possible” first and foremost means that ALL opportunities for engaging with the community of the church are made available and accessible to ALL. You may see a person with a disability at Mass, but do you know if the opportunity exists for them to have a role in the liturgy?

You may see that person at Mass, but do you see them at social functions or at faith formation programs? Have the activity planners considered accommodations for people with disabilities who may want to attend?

Are they really a part of your parish community?

A clear view of the forest can guide us through the trees

ear friends of Catholic schools, Sometimes I find myself thinking, “Thank goodness Jim and I are not raising kids anymore!”

The world seems more complex and, at times, troubling. Then I remember, “Wait! We have grandkids — 14 to be exact, ages 2-15,” so we cannot just “wash our hands” of the challenges of raising children in this world.

Jim and I often have conversations with our kids about how they grew up and how it affects how they are raising our grandchildren, and we have

I

15

recently chose to ride on a bus for 10 hours with my teenage son and daughter to the National Catholic Youth Conference.

The bus ride was an important factor in choosing to attend the conference. I felt a deep desire to better know my kids.

A recent study found that young people get about five minutes a week of uninterrupted face time with their parents. This causes many problems, including the breakdown of trust between parent and child.

Additionally, this deprivation of connection erodes those children’s confidence, and it weakens the connection between parents and children.

FROM THE SUPER

KATHY O’HARA Kathy O’Hara is the superintendent of archdiocesan schools.

spoken with our kids’ friends about the very same topic.

It seems that every-

one agrees that family life today is too hectic.

They agree that they long to have unscheduled days when they can be at home and simply play.

However, they also agree that changing these circumstances is

not as easy as it seems!

It occurred to me, though, that perhaps one solution could be to always remember our purpose as parents and teachers. I compare it to remembering to “see the forest” and not “let the trees” obscure the bigger picture.

If we remember what our long-term goal for our children is, I think it might help us make those daily decisions of how we spend our time as a family.

Long after our children were grown, I sent them a letter (well, actually an email!) that explained the guiding beliefs that Jim and I had when we were

raising them, and I encouraged them to think about what was guiding them as parents.

Jim’s and my beliefs were faith, each other and family — in that order.

I explained to them how those beliefs led us to insist that we go to Mass as a family, that we pray for one another, that we offer up Jim’s illness in prayer, that we sacrifice to send them to Catholic schools, that Jim and I remain “other-centered” in our marriage, that we have family meals together, that we all go to each other’s activities and that we welcome others into our home.

This is not meant to imply that we always lived our lives in perfect accord with our beliefs — to claim that would be more than a stretch!

However, I must say, as superintendent of Catholic schools, that sending our kids to Catholic schools played a tremendous role in helping us live out our family beliefs.

What is guiding you in raising your children?

If, after reflection, you believe that changes are in order, I pray that you will have the wisdom and perseverance to make them! ¡Vaya con Dios!

Want to help hurting children? Here’s how SEEKIING CHRIST’S HEART

DEACON DANA NEARMYER Deacon Dana Nearmyer is the lead consultant for the archdiocesan office of evangelization and Catholic formation of youth.

The bus ride is 20 hours to share stories, to make memories and

to connect. Each of our relationships needs a long bus ride. By merely looking at our kids, we change how they look at themselves and the world.

We endlessly stare at our infants. They imprint on our faces. They mirror our facial movements.

They learn to be com-

forted and guided by our facial cues.

As they grow older, they do not lose this tie or need for face time, being heard, patiently cared for and adored.

Although they may have their place, nagging, syncing our schedules and directing are not the relationship builders that I am speaking of here.

We get so busy doing things for those that we love that we can squeeze out the time to nurture the relationships with those same people.

Scripture reinforces this idea through the Mary and Martha story.

Parents, bless your family with enhanced face time.

The evangelization

division is promoting the CarePortal. Many kids, more than 1000 in Johnson and Wyandotte counties, are out of their homes and in foster care.

The good Samaritan story asks us to care for the hurting stranger.

These kids need face time. All of God’s children need face time.

The CarePortal is an amazing tool to help us care for hurting families. Parishes are being drawn to the CarePortal because it takes a tiered approach to supporting hurting kids and families.

CarePortal brings the needs of hurting children and families in your community to your attention. Child welfare workers uncover the needs. CarePortal makes

local churches aware, giving them a real-time opportunity to respond.

Learn how to join CarePortal, an online church engagement tool that connects the state (child welfare workers) to the church. Child welfare workers uncover the needs. CarePortal makes local churches aware, giving them a timely, nonthreatening invitation and opportunity to respond.

Learn more at: https://careportal.org about Tier 1, which provides physical support; Tier 2, which supplies relational support; and Tier 3, where your house becomes a home for a hurting child. Or call me for information at (913) 647-0331.

NOVEMBER 24, 2017 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

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LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE BOLLIG

Logan and Audrey Riordan, ages 7 and 5, light the first candle on the traditional Advent wreath. They are the children of Jake and Pam Riordan, members of Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park. Advent begins on Dec. 3.

An Advent meditation:

MEMORY AND HOPE

By Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield Catholic News Service

“S

o . . . what are you giving up for Advent?”

Lent gets all the attention. There is Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, the daily “giving up” of chocolate and meatless Fridays. Lent has a lot of reminders. But Advent sneaks up on us.

For a string of Sundays, the priest is in green vestments signifying Ordinary Time in the church. Then, all of a sudden, the priest enters Mass in purple vestments. Oh, and there’s the Advent wreath — the three purple candles and one rose candle. Each week of Advent, we light another candle.

As the days get shorter and the sun sets earlier, as the darkness grows outside, the light grows within the church.

Light is God’s first miracle: “Let there be light” (Gn 1:3). And to this day, light expands, traveling at over 186,000 miles per second.

It may seem, with the natural disasters this past year — the hurricanes and earthquakes, wildfires and disease — and, of course, with all of the manmade disasters of racism, gun violence and drug dealing, that the days are getting darker. There are the personal hurts and those of our families: job loss, depression and long-held misunderstandings.

We need the light to grow. With so much going on in the world, we ask ourselves: What can we do? We can remember. Memory sparks light. Advent is the great memory of the church.

We remember that God’s first miracle, light, is also his most frequent.

We remember that the Creator of light made our human nature his own and

in his humanity began to form in the womb of Mary.

We remember that Jesus, in his death and resurrection, has defeated death on its own ground. And in the world’s darkest place — the sealed tomb — light, uncontainable supernatural light, began to grow. It was the last place one would expect anything new to ever emerge.

And for the Catholic, memory is never nostalgia — it is never confined to the past. Hope looks to the future. So does Advent.

And so, what can we do? It all begins with light. Hope is the light of Advent.

Patience is hope rehearsing. Patience is hope’s favorite hiding place.

Not patience as a passive “sitting still,” but patience in the face of our old battlegrounds — where we want to have the last word, be in control, be first, have our own way.

This Advent, may we let the light grow and give patience to others as a gift. How? The next time you or I are in a disagreement with a loved one, let’s refuse to have the last word.

The next time we are convinced that we are right, instead of proving our point again, let’s listen to the other who we are convinced is “wrong.”

The next time we demand our own way, let’s refuse to take it. This isn’t “giving in” or “giving up” . . . this is giving forth. Like Jesus.

Advent sneaks up on us. So does hope. And hope begins in small places that are unseen at first. And like the light, hope grows.

Msgr. Bransfield is the author of “Living the Beatitudes: A Journey to Life in Christ.”