03 18 22 Vol. 43 No. 31

THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 43, NO. 31 | MARCH 18, 2022

GETTING THINGS ROLLING

An icebreaker launched teens into action at the junior high youth rally at Prairie Star Ranch, Williamsburg, on Feb. 27. Above, Jaiden Talley, right, wraps Cameron Kramer in toilet paper, symbolizing the way the teens should wrap themselves in prayer, put on the victory of Christ and equip themselves with the armor of God. Talley and Kramer are both members of St. James Parish in Wetmore.

WRAPPED IN PRAYER, ARMORED IN CHRIST Teens were reminded at junior high youth rally that even EYES FRONT with weeks still left in Lent, the battle is already won From left, Cassie Sprenkle, Jayda Smith and Amelliah Budreau, all members of St. Bernard Parish in Wamego, SEE MORE PHOTOS BY JAY SOLDNER ON PAGES 8-9

turn their attention to the stage at the junior high youth rally. The rally, an annual event, drew 350 youth to Prairie Star Ranch this year.

Ethical investing

On the inside

Find out what goes into the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas’ decisions on how to invest its money.

Nick Labrie takes Leaven readers inside his ministry at the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center.

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ARCHBISHOP

MARCH 18, 2O22 | THELEAVEN.ORG

Faith is not a self-improvement plan; it is instead a transformation

T

he late winter snow storms took a toll on the cleanliness of my car.

The grime from the salt and snow melt made my car look like a mobile toxic waste machine. I joined the long lines to go through the local car wash!

We are approaching the halfway mark for Lent! If you have not been to confession yet, I urge you to make it a priority. If you are like me, you need to place a time on your calendar to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.

On the First Sunday of Lent at the Rite of Election liturgies celebrated at Most Pure Heart of Mary Church in Topeka and Prince of Peace Church in Olathe, I encouraged the candidates for full reception into the Catholic Church to prepare well for their first confession.

Those preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil do not receive the sacrament of reconciliation. The waters of baptism wash away our sins.

However, I always encourage adults preparing for baptism to make a good examination of conscience and prayerfully surrender to the mercy of Jesus all of their past sins. I invite them to look forward to the peace and joy that comes from the waters of baptism, both cleansing them from sin and bestowing upon them a share in the eternal life of Jesus.

For those who are already validly baptized Christians but are preparing to be received into the Catholic Church, the church respects the efficacy of their baptism and does not rebaptize them.

At the Easter Vigil,

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN after making a profession of faith, they will be confirmed and receive holy Communion for the first time.

To prepare themselves to receive these sacraments worthily, the candidates for full reception into the Catholic Church need to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.

At the Rite of Election, I acknowledged to the candidates for full reception into the Catholic Church that confession is something converts often dread.

Making a good examination of conscience as an adult is challenging enough.

However, confessing one’s sins before another human being is, for many, intimidating and frankly downright scary.

I remind the candidates that in St. John’s Gospel Jesus empowered the apostles to continue his ministry of mercy on Easter night when he breathes the Holy Spirit upon them and says: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Our Lord gives the apostles the authority to forgive sins, when they are most vulnerable and personally most in need of mercy.

This is the first time

Jesus sees his apostles after all of them, save John, abandoned Our Lord during his passion and crucifixion. It is purposeful of Jesus to grant them this authority to forgive sins at the precise moment they themselves most needed mis mercy.

This makes crystal clear that it is not because of their virtue and sanctity that the apostles and their priestly successors are the ones bestowing God’s forgiveness.

They are merely the humble human instruments that Jesus has chosen to use for this ministry. Our Lord likes to use the weak and lowly to be his instruments. Every bishop and priest are penitents before they are confessors.

The sacrament of reconciliation is such a blessing. Our Lord understands our humanity completely, having immersed himself into our human condition. Jesus knows that we need to be able in a safe space to speak aloud our sins in order to get them outside of ourselves. Our Lord also knows that we need to hear the words of absolution by someone he has empowered to communicate his mercy.

Jesus loves us when we approach him in the sacrament of reconciliation. In making a sacramental confession, we come before Our Lord with great

humility, honesty and faith. These virtues are irresistible to Jesus.

Whenever Our Lord was approached in this way during his earthly ministry, Jesus lavished his love and mercy upon the contrite individual.

Jesus loves us in our weakness, not because of our perfection. Our Catholic faith is not a self-improvement program, where we grow in virtue by our self-discipline and determination. Our Christian faith is about being transformed through encountering Our Lord’s unconditional and merciful love.

Sometimes, Protestants will protest: Why go to a priest for God’s mercy? Why not go directly to God? My response is: By all means, go directly to God. Devout Catholics should make a daily examination of conscience and daily surrender our sins to God. However, Jesus himself entrusted this power to his apostles and their successors.

Why would we not use this great gift of sacramental confession?

Why would we not cherish the opportunity for the great peace Our Lord wants us to enjoy through this sacrament?

It is true that sacramental confession has developed over the centuries. The Irish monks introduced to Europe and the entire church the current method of private confession through which the reputation of the penitent was protected by the seal of confession. This so-called Irish method did away with the ancient public acknowledgment of sin and the performing of public penances.

In his book, “Heroism and Genius,”

ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN’S CALENDAR March 21 Confirmation — St. Joseph, Shawnee March 22 Priests Personnel meeting — chancery Administrative Team meeting — chancery Confirmation — Holy Name, Kansas City, Kansas March 23 Presbyteral Council meeting — chancery Catholic Education Foundation board meeting — St. Patrick, Kansas City, Kansas Confirmation — St. Paul, Olathe March 24 Confirmation — St. Paul, Olathe March 25 Eucharistic Adoration — St. James Academy, Lenexa March 26 Anointing Mass and reception — Curé of Ars, Leawood Symposium on Transforming Culture — Benedictine College, Atchison March 27 Rural Catholic Youth Conference — Prairie Star Ranch, Williamsburg March 28 Confirmation — Good Shepherd, Shawnee March 29 Stations of the Cross — chancery Confirmation — Cathedral of St. Peter and parishes of Resurrection School — Cathedral

Father William Slattery describes the reaction to the Irish method of confession on continental Europe as “enthusiastic.” Father Slattery characterizes Irish confession as “a most unexpected answer for many an anguished soul longing to encounter God’s mercy.”

Father Slattery writes: “Now, within the sanctuary of secrecy, through priests who were hard on themselves but gentle with others, learned but also down-to-earth, they were able to have the same experience as that of the woman

publicly accused of sin to whom Jesus Christ had said simply: Has no one condemned you? . . . Neither do I condemn you; go and do not sin again (Jn 8:10-11).”

I encourage every member of the archdiocese to take advantage of this amazing sacrament that allows us to receive and be transformed by God’s merciful love.

I hope the lines to our confessionals will be, at least, as long as the lines for the car wash. During Lent, get a soul wash!

LOCAL NEWS

MARCH 18, 2022 | THELEAVEN.ORG

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ETHICAL INVESTING Are you growing your wealth with the greater good in mind?

Protection of human life and care for the environment are just two of the concerns the archdiocese weighs when investing.

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — When it comes to financial stewardship, religious organizations must pay attention to three “M’s”: mission, money and morals.

Catholic institutions have recognized for years that there is no benefit in a good return on institutional investments that undermine their foundational moral and ethical standards.

That is why the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have issued investing guidelines since 1991. During their November 2021 general assembly, the bishops again updated the document, “Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.”

As the guidelines point out, “economic decisions have human consequences and moral content.”

The guidelines “form our investment strategy and are the lens through which any individual investment opportunity is evaluated,” said Bishop Gregory L. Parkes of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida, who led the revision effort.

For this revision, the bishops even took into account an increasingly popular approach using Environmental, Social and Governance criteria (ESG), which is primarily secular.

The guidelines were written to assist the USCCB with its institutional investments. But many religious communities, Catholic institutions and dioceses also use the USCCB’s socially responsible investment guidelines to

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By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

WE WANT TO PUT OUR MONEY WHERE OUR CATHOLIC VALUES ARE. CARLA MILLS ARCHDIOCESAN CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER help them make investment decisions that conform with church teaching.

The USCCB investment strategy stands on three pillars: 1) avoid doing harm; 2) work for change; and 3) promote the common good.

The investment policies fall under five major categories: 1) protecting human life; 2) promoting human dignity; 3) enhancing the common good; 4) pursuing economic justice; and 5) saving our global common home.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas also uses the bishops’ guidelines, said Carla Mills, archdiocesan chief financial officer.

“In layman’s terms, we want to put our money where our Catholic values are. So, we don’t want to invest in enterprises that go against our Catholic values,” said Mills. “We’re not going to invest in companies that produce pornography, abortion, weapons of mass destruction or pollute the environment unnecessarily.”

The archdiocese doesn’t scrutinize investments on a stock-by-stock basis, said Mills. Rather, it hires consultants who “screen” investments for compliance with Catholic values. The archdiocese uses Investing for Catholics, a

division of Index Fund Advisors, Inc., based in Irvine, California; and MPC Capital Advisors, New York, New York.

Investing for Catholics, for example, is not a fund manager. It selects and monitors fund managers to ensure they are choosing investments for Catholic clients that closely align with the USCCB guidelines.

There are a couple of challenges to socially responsible investing. One is that different people have different ideas about what is and isn’t ethical or moral. A second is the complexity and interconnectedness of businesses and investments.

Differing approaches to Environmental, Social and Governance criteria illustrate the challenge of differing morals and ethics. The bishops’ guidelines have their environmental and social components but make value judgments that differ from secular ones.

“A non-Catholic would look at ESG through an entirely different lens than a Catholic,” said Mary Brunson, co-founder and vice president of Investing for Catholics.

ESG means different things to different people.

“The label itself means nothing,” she said. “You have to dig down and look at specific criteria. What are you including? What are you excluding? What are you underweighting?”

So, it’s possible to invest according to Catholic values on an institutional basis, but what about Catholic individuals? Can they invest according to their faith, too?

Brunson said they can.

“There are a handful of funds out there on retail platform that they can

President Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann

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use, but they tend to be costly, and they tend to be concentrated,” she said. “You have to find an investment adviser who understands the guidelines and who understands how to go about doing it.

We are one of a very small handful of firms that can do this. We work with individuals and institutions.”

It’s a question of finding a fiduciary adviser who has access to institutional share classes that are screened for Catholic values.

It’s possible for an individual to build a Catholic portfolio, but it’s difficult, said Fred Weiss, managing member of MPC Capital Advisors.

“There are commercial enterprises offering mutual funds that purport to adhere to these,” said Weiss. “You could certainly read the guidelines and do it on your own if you were so inclined, so there are certainly people out there trading their own portfolios, which I would discourage in general.

“If you were so inclined to buy mutual funds or index funds, there are [those] you could buy that adhere to those Catholic principles.”

Individuals who are doing socially responsible investing on their own need to ask questions. Does the company sponsoring these products just offer them or are they living the mission? Are the fees reasonable? Ask about compliance — do they avoid evil and do the good?

Individual investors need to educate themselves, he said. A good place to start is the internet. Inquirers should use the search terms “Catholic investing,” “Catholic socially responsible investing,” “Catholic ethical investing” and “Catholic screened mutual funds.”

Managing Editor Anita McSorley anita.mcsorley@theleaven.org

Advertising Coordinator Beth Blankenship beth.blankenship@theleaven.org

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

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LOCAL NEWS

MARCH 18, 2O22 | THELEAVEN.ORG

Miege teachers recognized for their excellence

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

R

OELAND PARK — Generally, school administrators don’t want to see a gymnasium full of students go crazy — but this time was different.

On Jan. 27, the entire student body of Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park — as well as teachers, administrators and guests — gathered in the gym for an awards ceremony for teachers. When two specific names were announced, the roof may have been raised an inch or two.

“I was just amazed at how excited the school community was. [T]o see a gym full of [students] Robin Christie of going crazy with exBishop Miege was citement over their recently chosen as teachers getting recStatewide Music ognized,” said archEducator of the diocesan superintenYear by the Kansas dent of schools Vince Music Educators Cascone, “was a wonAssociation. derful thing to see.”

John C. Clark was awarded Archdiocesan Teacher of the Year by the Kansas Association of Independent and Religious Schools (KAIRS).

Robin Christie was chosen as Statewide Music Educator of the Year by the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA).

“We have a tradition that when our teams win a state championship, we bring everyone in the gym and the team walks around the gym with their trophy, and we play a song, ‘Stand Up for the Champions,’” said Maureen Engen, Miege principal.

“The students got so excited,” she continued, “one of the juniors asked if she could come to the microphone. I said sure. She said, ‘I think we need to honor these teachers. They won their own championship. Let’s play ‘Stand Up for the Champions’ and clap for them as they walk around,’ so they did.”

PHOTO BY SOPHIA ANDERSON

Miege teacher John C. Clark, center, stands with archdiocesan associate superintendent Allison Carney and superintendent Vince Cascone. Clark was awarded Archdiocesan Teacher of the Year by the Kansas Association of Independent and Religious Schools.

Clark, a member of Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa, has taught physics and engineering at Miege for four years and has been a Catholic educator for 11 years.

“I was a little surprised — I hadn’t heard anything about it until I walked down the stairs to the gym where the assembly was happening and saw Dr. Cascone at the podium, and he was [talking about] the person who won the award,” said Clark. “I put the pieces together

then. It was a little embarrassing to walk across the gym floor with all the people there.”

In her nomination letter for Clark, Engen wrote: “Students draw so much energy and joy from him because he invests in their life at the same time being a phenomenal instructor. [He] is the teacher who models compassion void of judgment as he moves students from a laissez-faire model to mental and

emotional exhilaration.”

Additionally, she said he lives his faith and prays with them, demonstrating a passionate faith and showing how science and faith harmonize.

Christie, a member of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish in Overland Park, has been a Catholic educator for 28 years — 21 of them at Miege. She is the high school’s music department chair and vocal music director. This is all the more remarkable since she has 50% hearing loss and thus is a rarity: a legally deaf music teacher.

Christie had been first awarded East Central District Music Educator of the Year, and thus was eligible to be the Statewide Music Educator of the Year, although she didn’t have a clue about it until she saw the past, present and incoming presidents of the Kansas Music Educators Association at the assembly.

“Teaching music has given me a window inside the kids you don’t see in a typical classroom,” said Christie in a video message to fellow KMEA educators. “In teaching in a Catholic school, we’ve been able to discuss our faith and our faith journey.

“When I’m open to letting the kids teach me, I learn so much more and we grow together. They listen and respect when given responsibility and respect.

We lead Mass at many of the area parishes each spring. This teaches my students not only how to be a part of their community but also how to give back to their community and [to] God with the talents they have been given.”

Miege also instituted nine new faculty awards — the St. Angela Merici Core Value Awards — to be given annually on the saint’s feast day, Jan. 27. The 2022 award recipients are: • Emphasis on the Individual: Elaine Schmidtberger • Academic Excellence: Erica Hafey • Leadership: Scott Anderson • Community: Bill Creach • A Positive Attitude Toward Change: Nancy Weber • Spirituality: Kayla Moylan • Service: Ross Dessert

Online course coaches forgiveness, repentance, renewal

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

O

VERLAND PARK — It’s easy, in the abstract, to talk about forgiveness. Actually doing it, however, is tremendously difficult, as Allison Darby Boddicker knows.

Her father, Mike Darby, was murdered on the Indian Creek Trail in Overland Park in 2017.

Boddicker, a member of Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, was struggling with her anger and grief when she decided to take a course on forgiveness offered in the fall of 2018 by fellow parishioner Chuck Jansen.

It changed her life. And when Jansen decided to create an online Forgiveness 101 course, she accepted his invitation to be a part of it.

“I share my testimony of the day my father was murdered, and walk through what that felt like,” said Boddicker. “After doing so, I describe meeting Chuck Jansen and beginning my own forgiveness journey with his forgiveness class — how that gave me the tools I needed, so I could model it for my children.”

Jansen, married and the father of three adult children, has a bachelor’s degree in

COURTESY PHOTO

Chuck Jansen (in white) leads a Forgiveness 101 course. Jansen developed the course and it was recently approved by the archdiocese in January. theology from Loyola University in Chicago. He taught a variety of faith-related classes in Chicago for seven years and for five years at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park.

Later, he became a real estate agent, but continued to be heavily involved in his parish.

In 2013, while he and then-pastor Msgr. Thomas Tank were visiting, Jansen asked him where there was a need in the parish.

“He said we had 3,000 families in the parish and about half of them have someone who is not talking to somebody else,” said Jansen. “[Msgr. Tank] asked me to

devise a course that would help people to change and forgive each other, repent and have a new attitude.”

Families were meeting at funerals, weddings, Thanksgiving dinners, birthdays — and people weren’t talking to each other, acknowledging a problem, or knowing what to do about the estrangement.

Jansen began teaching his Forgiveness 101 course at the parish several times a year over the next nine years, and it grew.

Deacon Dana Nearmyer, archdiocesan director of evangelization, encouraged him to turn it into an online course.

So Jansen created Forgiveness Institute KC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, and a website (yeabut.org), and the course was picked up by the cloud-based learning and development platform “my catholicfaithdelivered.com.”

In all, it took 11 months to develop the five-day course. After being approved by the archdiocese, it has been offered since January.

“Working with ‘mycatholicfaith delivered.com,’” said Jansen, “we put together a whole conglomeration of things — video clips, Scripture, PowerPoint slides, movie clips, a prayer service and even a podcast of the day.” >> See “COURSE” on page 5

MARCH 18, 2022 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

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Girls . . . are you ready for some football?

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — It’s a fact: Girls just want to have fun — playing football.

That’s why Tim Orrick tossed the pigskin — rather, idea — to other board members of the Catholic Youth Organization of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties.

“I was motivated to suggest girls flag football to the CYO board after a friend told me his fifth grade daughter asked why she couldn’t play football,” said Orrick, Holy Spirit, Overland Park, parishioner and CYO board member.

“I believe football is the ultimate team game and thought this young lady and others like her should be able to have the same team-building experiences as our young men,” he added.

But was there the interest? They took a survey, and the survey said they were ready for some football.

This spring, CYO will have its first girls flag football season for students in third to eighth grades. It’s a pilot program and each team will have a short four-game season.

Although the schedule is still being hammered out, and dates will be announced later on the CYO website, the program will run until April 30 so it won’t interfere with track season.

Plans currently call for games to be played Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park; Prince of Peace School in Olathe; St. James Academy in Lenexa; and St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park.

Late registration will run until April 8, although parents are urged to register as soon as possible because individual teams are forming and planning practices.

To register online, go to: cyojwa.org.

Scroll down the homepage to “Girls Flag Football registration is now open!” and click on “Register Here.” Questions about fees, coaches, uniforms and

The Catholic Youth Organization of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties will offer girls flag football this spring for students in third to eighth grades.

Registration is now open.

Register now for girls flag football Register for girls flag football by going online to: cyojwa.org. Scroll down the homepage to “Girls Flag Football registration is now open!” and click on “Register Here.”

Registration is still open, on the same page, for Track and Field, Praise and Graze, and Tennis Camp.

practices should be directed to parish directors of sports ministries.

There has been a high level of interest

in girls flag football, said Kelly Hendrickson, first grade teacher at Church of the Nativity School and CYO coordinator for girls flag football for both Nativity and Curé of Ars parishes, both in Leawood.

“There was some interest before,” said Hendrickson. “They wanted the girls to also be a part of sports and understand football. . . . We want more girls to be involved in different kinds of sports.”

At least 24 schools are participating, most from Wyandotte and Johnson counties, but also from Douglas County and the Parochial League of Kansas City parishes in Missouri, said John McGoldrick, CYO executive director.

“There are other sports we can’t do

— like baseball and soccer — because we can’t financially compete with the clubs,” said McGoldrick.

“But football is on a roll right now.

Our tackle program is awesome and doubled in size last fall,” he continued. “Our flag football program [for boys] is very successful. And we got requests . . . so the light bulb went on.

Why don’t we try doing this in the spring? Everything is pretty much the same [as the boy’s program]. There’s a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for girls playing. It’s time to give it a shot.”

Already more than 300 girls are signed up, and McGoldrick thinks they’ll form at least 30 to 40 teams.

Course strives to heal and give hope >> Continued from page 4

GONE FISHING

The fish fry must go on. Above, Richard Arnold keeps a close eye on the fryer. Despite the cold temperatures on March 11, the fish fry at St. Dominic Church in Holton went off without a hitch. More than 100 people turned up for the weekly event that alternates between St. Dominic and St. Francis Xavier in Mayetta. To see a list of Lenten dinners offered in the archdiocese, go online to: theleaven.org/lenten-dinners-2022.

The course has three different colorcoded tracks — blue, green and red — to give people options of how deep they want to go. The paths are like hiking trails offering different degrees of challenge.

Also, the course offers various tools participants can choose.

“We designed the course like a buffet table,” said Jansen. “It’s got a whole lot of tools [from which] the individual user can pick which ones they like.”

The online course can be taken as an individual or as a group — prayer groups, Bible study groups, RCIA programs, adult faith formation and more. The cost is $25.

To sign up for the course, go online to: yeabut.org. Scroll down and click “Take The Online Class.” This will take you to “mycatholicfaithdelivered.com.” Follow the instructions to sign up and pay for the course.

“I pray that the Holy Spirit uses this class, that people will see it as a tool to heal, restore and bring hope,” said Jansen.

“I really believe the path to meaningful relationships passes through forgiveness.

It’s the crux of the Gospel and the crux of the Christian message — how to forgive one another.”

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FEATURE

MARCH 18, 2O22 | THELEAVEN.ORG

Has your hunger and thirst for righteousness changed your life?

By Sister Julia Walsh, FSPA Catholic News Service

I

t’s an ordinary day and you’re out running errands — the post office, the library. Without much thought, you find yourself on a detour, wandering the aisles of a convenience store.

You ask yourself: Am I craving something salty or sweet? Do I need something to quench my thirst?

It’s only then when you realize how hungry and thirsty you were. But it hasn’t been a problem to go out of your way or to change your plans so you can consume this snack.

Sure, the nourishment costs you money, time and energy, but that doesn’t matter to you a bit because you were fed.

Now, you’re contented.

“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” (Mt 5:6).

Moses received the law, the Ten Commandments, on Mount Sinai; in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaims a new law of love.

In this new law, we are invited to act and love in ways that allow internal and external transformations in our hearts, in personal relationships and in society. This path of love established by Jesus will usher in the reign of God, and then Christ’s peace and justice will be fully known by all.

In the beatitudes, part of the new law, Jesus makes clear that those who are part of this loving way crave righteousness. God’s people hunger and thirst for righteousness so much that they change their plans. They make detours and it costs them.

People who are in God’s reign feel a stirring in their hearts — a hunger for righteousness — so intensely that

CNS PHOTO/JIM STIPE, COURTESY CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES

This is a scene from a Catholic Relief Services food distribution in Marojela village, Marolinta commune, Beloha District in southern Madagascar. On this day, 416 people from six villages received food. Over the past five years, the southern region of Madagascar has been affected by recurring droughts. they go out of their way to feed their craving until they are satisfied. And amazingly, this pursuit feeds them with happiness, too.

But what is righteousness, really? In the New Testament, righteousness doesn’t mean to be right while others are wrong. It’s not an achievement, accomplishment or difference between us.

Rather, when Jesus says righteousness, he means “restoration of right relationship,” returning all people to the innocence and freedom that make up the core of our human dignity.

We are all God’s children, made in God’s image and likeness. And some of God’s likeness that we each contain includes purity and freedom to be who we truly are, unconfined by human-made systems or prejudices.

Think back to the nature of yourself in childhood: relational, loving, unashamed.

Plus, in order for a relationship to be right, power is shared; there is no judgment or blame or shame. No one is better — or better off — than anyone else.

This requires ending classism, racism and sexism — all the things that divide us. It doesn’t matter who a person is or what they did; all are honored and respected.

In fact, when there’s righteousness, all parties are free to be who God made them to be; biblical righteousness is always liberating justice.

“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” (Mt 5:6).

There are many flavors of righteousness at the banquet of God’s reign.

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

Fair pay and protection for laborers, an easier path to citizenship for immigrants, unshackling those who are imprisoned, returning life to humans on death row, shelter for those who are homeless: There are many forms of righteousness that we hunger for.

And with each little victory, each time someone’s dignity is honored — we taste righteousness and our appetite for God’s kingdom tends to grow.

Jesus’ establishment of this principle that brings about God’s reign is not limited to the time when the Sermon on the Mount was proclaimed.

Today, there are some people who are so hungry for righteousness — for liberating justice for all — that they have changed the direction of their entire life. Such people pay the price to feel the satisfaction and happiness that

ACROSS 1 Thai 4 Pressure unit 7 American College of Physicians (abbr.)

10 Lair 13 Compass point 14 Expression of surprise 15 Respiratory disease 16 Santa’s helper 17 Puzzle 19 Curb 21 OT book of prophecy 22 Group of nations 23 River dam 25 Sacrificial animals 29 __, frankincense and myrrh 32 Religious songs 34 Tell a tall tale 35 Authoritative list of scripture 36 Yes 37 Graphic description 40 Resort hotel 41 Stretch to make do 42 Evergreen tree 43 Admiral (abbr.)

46 Alcoholic drink 48 Body of water 51 Parable of the sheep and __ 53 Fasten 54 Father’s sisters 56 Bunsen burner

57 59 60 62 64 67 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77

Opposite of micro Nape __hound Spouse Spire Prophetess Atmosphere Ingest Soviet secret police Bard’s before Central nervous system Epoch Mutilate Danish krone (abbr.)

DOWN 1 Teaspoon (abbr.)

2 Abridged (abbr.)

3 WWII Island conquest (2 wds.)

4 Ashen 5 Sea animal’s home 6 A name of God 7 American Football Conference (abbr.)

8 Social groups 9 Knitting stitch 10 Biblical church servants 11 Samuel’s mentor 12 Football assoc.

18 You must be __ again 20 Roman garment 23 Reporter’s question 24 Hurricane center

accompanies freedom.

They are the ones who take time off work and travel great distances to protest discrimination and violence and to stand in solidarity with the oppressed who are demanding the protection of their human rights.

The craving for righteousness brings out bold beliefs and behaviors in some people.

They ask tough questions: Could departments be defunded? Could water, food and school cost nothing? As the hungry change systems, people are set free.

Perhaps you know people in your community like this, people who feel the cost yet continue and give tirelessly for the sake of righteousness.

Maybe you are one of those who hungers, and you feel happiness while your passion feeds your pursuit. According to Jesus, you will be satisfied.

With all the beatitudes, Jesus established what we hunger for and how we eat in an ordinary day. Satisfaction comes from seeing we all have a part to play in God’s new way.

When Jesus gave us the beatitudes and enacted the new law of love, he did more than provide a formula for happiness for us; he defined what the reign of God looks like.

Whether we’re running errands or standing in a picket line, we can dedicate ourselves to co-creating the world that God intended, trusting that God will satisfy our hunger for righteousness.

Sister Julia Walsh is a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration who is part of The Fireplace Community in Chicago.

She serves as a spiritual director and vocation minister. She blogs and podcasts at: Messy JesusBusiness.com.

26 Province in Western Canada 27 Cc 28 Bigger 30 Prune 31 Cell stuff 33 Plant trunks 35 Pope’s governing organization 38 Also known as (abbr.)

39 Old Testament city 43 Maturity 44 Period 45 Feeding troughs for animals 47 Facial twitch 48 Grimaced 49 And so forth 50 Inquire 52 Biblical weed 55 Do __ others 57 Shiny balloon material 58 Last letter of Greek alphabet 61 Dueling sword 63 Shorten (abbr.)

64 Pouch 65 Can metal 66 Terminal abbr.

67 10 meters (abbr. for dekameter) 68 Noah’s __ 69 She Solution on page 13

FEATURE

MARCH 18, 2022 | THELEAVEN.ORG

7

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Daniel Gomez, a member of Mater Dei Parish in Topeka, prays during Mass at Holy Name Church in Topeka on Ash Wednesday. Striving to work on a relationship with God is an ideal goal for Lent.

Not sure how to pray? You’re not alone

I

f there is a universal concern among people of faith, it comes with phrases like, “I wish I could pray better” or “I don’t know how to really pray.” Across the spectrum of church membership, people desire a fuller experience of prayer.

Lurking behind that desire is the discovery that people often don’t know what prayer truly is. The starting point, therefore, is to clarify what prayer is all about.

Benedictine Father Harry Hagan, a monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana, starts his essay on prayer in the Old Testament with the profound sentence: “Prayer is the way we carry on our relationship with God” (see “The Tradition of Catholic Prayer”).

As Father Harry states so succinctly, prayer is all about a relationship with the Lord.

Striving to work on a relationship with God is an ideal goal for Lent. Just as praying well can strengthen a relationship with God, so, too, a developed relationship allows people to move beyond themselves when they enter prayer.

Like many parishes, our parish has a prayer pipeline. People can add their requests for prayer through the website, generating emails to hundreds of parishioners who have signed up to pray for people’s needs.

Bill, who reviews all prayers before they are posted, often sends questionable ones to me before publication.

I’m amazed how some people think of

“

“

By Father Herb Weber Catholic News Service

THEY PRAY THAT EX-BOYFRIENDS OR EX-GIRLFRIENDS WILL SEE THE ERROR OF THEIR DECISIONS AND COME BACK TO THEM. CERTAINLY, PEOPLE ARE HURTING, BUT THESE PRAYER REQUESTS SEEM VERY MANIPULATIVE. prayer as a way of controlling God and other people.

For example, they pray that exboyfriends or ex-girlfriends will see the error of their decisions and come back to them. Certainly, people are hurting, but these prayer requests seem very manipulative.

Others ask for prayers that they will find the necessary money to buy what they’ve been wanting. One wonders what this kind of prayer request has to do with a God relationship. Is God merely a rich uncle?

True prayer has to focus on God and not simply on what the petitioner wants. Ultimately, every prayer has to include, at least implicitly, the phrase found in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy will be done.”

Once again, prayer is about working

on the relationship with God, which means going beyond oneself.

Many equate praying with saying prayers. There certainly is nothing wrong with knowing memorized prayers or reading prayers that various saints wrote to reflect their relationship with God. In fact, those prayers may be of great help. In my ongoing correspondence with a prisoner whom I know, I often share the words of prayers from saints like Francis, Ignatius, Charles de Foucauld, Teresa of Ávila, Margaret Mary Alacoque or others.

These words may call someone toward a fuller experience of that powerful relationship that Jesus offers all his disciples.

Prayer, however, goes well beyond saying prayers. Like any two people who are connecting at a more personal and vulnerable level, prayer needs to come from the heart and be filled with a sharing of who a person is and what may be taking place in his or her life.

For that reason, real prayer requires time and effort. It cannot take place simply on the fly. Reciting a rosary while driving or listening to sacred music while cooking may be a good habit, but there has to be time carved out of one’s schedule just to be with the Lord.

Some years ago, I discovered that having a prayer chair or a prayer corner helps tremendously. When I am sitting at that place, I can almost immediately place myself in God’s presence. Not to jeopardize the space, I try not to sit in the same chair to read the newspaper or to go online to answer emails.

Once space and time are established, then the next step for praying is to immerse oneself in the presence of God. This is the hard part, but it can be done in a number of ways.

Reading holy Scripture while employing imagery helps. It is important, of course, that the passage not simply be analyzed in terms of Scripture exegesis, but that it be allowed to speak in a personal way.

As a priest who is constantly preparing homilies, I find that Scripture-based prayer requires that I go beyond the little preaching gems I find in passages. It’s not that I ignore them, but I try not to think about how I would explain them to others. Instead, I just want to sit with the goodness of the moment.

Then comes perhaps the most peace-filled part of prayer. Knowing that one is in a holy space and with time reserved for God, what is left is for one to listen to God. In many ways, this kind of prayer can be compared with the apostles’ experience on the mountaintop during the Transfiguration. The experience is often beyond explanation, for it is an immersion into the presence of the divine.

In such prayer, the relationship with God is allowed to grow deeper with the realization that God is an active part of one’s life. The prayer link is established and the relationship with the Lord is strengthened.

Father Herb Weber is founding pastor of St. John XXIII Church in Perrysburg, Ohio. His weekly podcast can be found at: 23.church.

s LET’S DANCE

From left, Nora Scroggie, Evelyn Klingele, Isabella Lange and Rachel Aistrup, all members of Holy Trinity Parish in Paola, rock out to the sounds of the Mikey Needleman Band.

u ROCK ON

Mikey Needleman of the Mikey Needleman Band — a fixture at archdiocesan youth rallies — gets the crowd warmed up at the start of the junior high youth rally Feb. 27 at Prairie Star Ranch in Williamsburg.

u FLYING PAINT

Performance Artist Mike Debus works on a painting of Carlo Acutis who was beatified on Oct. 10, 2020. Acutis is best known for documenting eucharistic miracles around the world and cataloging them onto a website before his death from leukemia.

SISTER ACT

Sister M. Karolyn, vocations director of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, was the keynote speaker at the junior high youth rally. She gave a morning and an afternoon address to the group.

t HIS STORY

Father Luke Doyle, associate pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood, shares his vocation story with the crowd. Father Doyle also led eucharistic adoration for the participants.

s CLOSING THOUGHTS

The backdrop to Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann’s homily at the end of the youth rally is a painting of Blessed Carlo Acutis, created earlier that day by performance painter Mike Debus. The young Italian, whom Pope Francis praised for spreading devotion to the Eucharist via technology, was beatified in 2020.

t A TIME TO PRAY

It’s not all fun and games at the junior high youth rally. Quieter portions of the program make space for deeply religious experiences.

At left, teens are seen “praying up” during one segment.

MARCH 18, 2022 | THELEAVEN.ORG

NATION

10

Kentucky bishop says recovery, rebuilding are focus after tornadoes

By Elizabeth Wong Barnstead Catholic News Service

O

WENSBORO, Ky. (CNS) — Shortly after he was ordained the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro, Bishop William F. Medley learned that his rural diocese had managed to gather more than $240,000 in a special collection for the survivors of the devastating January 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Bishop Medley has long considered that special collection to be one of the most powerful examples of Catholics in western Kentucky reaching out to help others.

He never imagined his own diocese would one day be the recipient of a similar kindness.

Eleven years later, a series of tornadoes raged across Kentucky and surrounding regions during the night of Dec. 10. Western Kentucky alone suffered the loss of 80 lives from the tornadoes, which traveled approximately 200 miles in what has been declared the worst tornado event in state history.

Two Catholic churches within the Diocese of Owensboro were impacted: St. Joseph Parish’s church in Mayfield lost its bell tower in the storms, and the church building of Resurrection Parish in Dawson Springs was severely damaged and expected to be a total loss.

That’s not to mention the many people of western Kentucky who lost homes entirely or whose houses and

CNS PHOTO/BOB ROLLER

Debris surrounds a destroyed home in Mayfield, Kentucky, March 1, weeks after a tornado ripped through the small town. More than 30 tornadoes were reported across six states late Dec. 10, 2021, and early Dec. 11, killing dozens of people and leaving a trail of devastation. apartments were damaged enough to render them uninhabitable.

Bishop Medley said that “having never been in this situation before,” he was unsure what was going to happen or how his people would ever recover from the disaster.

On Saturday morning, the day after the storms, the bishop released a message to the diocese requesting prayers and a special collection that weekend for those impacted.

“The Diocese of Owensboro, through our Catholic Charities office, would like to offer immediate help and

services for those who are displaced or who have immediate emergency financial aid,” wrote the bishop in his Dec. 11 letter.

Parishes quickly took up the collection for their neighbors, but then donations began flooding in from outside the diocese as well. The city of Owensboro itself was unscathed by the storms, and the McRaith Catholic Center in Owensboro, home to the diocese’s central offices, began receiving phone calls and online donations around the clock.

Over the next few weeks, the

diocese’s finance office was “just overwhelmed” by the sheer magnitude of donations coming in, Bishop Medley told The Western Kentucky Catholic, the diocesan newspaper.

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro, led by director Susan Montalvo-Gesser, traveled out to the impacted communities to assist with immediate relief efforts.

Catholic Charities was able to use the donated funds to purchase quantities of gift cards which they in turn distributed to the parishes in affected areas. From there, pastors and parish volunteers could provide direct assistance to those who needed help purchasing basic necessities.

Five days after the storms, coincidentally on Bishop Medley’s 12th anniversary of his appointment as bishop of Owensboro, he drove 400 miles to visit the various impacted communities within his region.

Several days after that, he rode in a small plane across the paths of the tornadoes, carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance and blessing all below.

Three months have now passed since the storms.

As of March 14, a total of $1,755,616 has been contributed by 24 dioceses and archdioceses around the United States. Approximately 6,000 individual donors have sent monetary contributions. Within the Diocese of Owensboro itself, a total of $394,000 has been collected for tornado recovery efforts.

CALENDAR

MARCH 18, 2022 | THELEAVEN.ORG

ST. JOSEPH’S TABLE CELEBRATION Christ the King Parish (Davern Hall) 3027 N. 53rd St., Kansas City, Kansas March 19 from 5 - 7 p.m.

All are welcome to share a spaghetti dinner and play bingo. Adult plates are $7 and kid plates are $5. Desserts will be on display and can be purchased for $1 each.

Bingo tickets are also $1. Advance tickets can be purchased online at: ctkkcks.org under the WeShare tab. If you have any questions, call the parish office at (913) 287-8823.

JOY OF MUSIC CONCERT Visitation Parish 5141 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri March 20 at 3 p.m.

The 9th annual Joy of Music concert will be like none other. Rich organ music, lovely harp melodies, heavenly handbells and . . . dinosaurs?! Come find out what your favorite prehistoric animals sound like on the organ. Not a fan of Triassic reptiles? There is still something for you.

Come and delight in the unusual combination of handbells and harp.

BLOOD DRIVE St. Joseph Parish (Knights of Columbus Hall) 11221 Johnson Dr., Shawnee March 21 from 12:30 - 6:15 p.m.

Whole blood appointments may be made from 12:30 - 6:15 p.m.; machine appointments from 12:30 - 5:30 p.m. To make online appointments, go to: www. savealifenow.org and use sponsor code: stjosephcatholic. You may also contact Virginia Wiedel, parish blood drive coordinator, at (913) 268-3874 or by email at: vwiedel63@gmail.com.

‘VALUE THEM BOTH’ PRESENTATION Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish (Meeting rooms 1 & 2) 5501 Monticello Rd., Shawnee March 24 at 6:30 p.m.

Come learn about the “Value Them Both” amendment. You will also learn more about how you can take action to further this movement. Kansans can help protect women and babies in our state by learning about this amendment on which we will vote on Aug. 2.

IGNITE THE GREEN AND WHITE Xavier Catholic School Virtual fundraiser for scholarships March 26 at 6 p.m.

Prepare to be ignited as we celebrate Catholic education. Xavier Catholic Scholarship’s Ignite the Green and White 2022 is going virtual! We are bringing our biggest night of the year to you via livestream. Go online to: www.leavenworth

catholicschools.org/give/ignite-thegreen-white to sponsor a child, purchase raffle tickets, register for the silent auction and watch the livestream program.

ROSARY RALLY IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA St. Mary-St. Anthony Parish 615 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas March 27 from 3 - 4:15 p.m.

We will pray the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the rosary. Benediction will follow, as well as an opportunity for attendees to enroll in the brown scapular. For more information, visit the website at: www.rosaryrallieskc.org.

TACO DINNER Most Pure Heart of Mary (Culhane Room) 3601 S.W. 17th St., Topeka March 20 from 1 - 3 p.m.

The Christian Widow and Widowers Organization will host a taco dinner.

There is no cost to attend. For more information, call (785) 233-7350.

RUNNIN’ WITH THE REVS GAME Bishop Miege High School 5041 Reinhardt Dr., Roeland Park March 21 at 7 p.m.

All are invited to cheer on their favorite priest or student player. The priests will be teamed up with eighth-grade and high school students from our Catholic schools in an exciting game of basketball.

Donations will benefit archdiocesan seminarians.

DIVORCE SUPPORT: CALLED TO LOVE AGAIN Church of the Ascension (St. John Room) 9510 W. 127th St., Overland Park March 24 at 6:30

This ministry offers divorced individuals a place to grow their faith and learn how to find God’s call for a future relationship. We offer a small group setting led by facilitators who have experienced divorce and successfully remarried. We will laugh, pray and learn together about the beauty of our church’s teachings on healing, theology of the body, annulment, dating and more. Get on our mailing list to stay connected for information about meetings and other news. Contact Katie and Mike Palitto by email at: called tolove143@gmail.com. Find us on Facebook: @giftofself143.

RETIREMENT PLANNING WORKSHOP St. Francis de Sales Parish (Robert Martz Hall) 900 Ida St., Lansing March 24 from 6 - 7 p.m.

All western region parishioners of the archdi-

ocese are invited to hear from St. Francis de Sales parishioner and certified financial planner Jeannine Edmonds. Refreshments will be served. Take-home resources will be provided. Nothing will be sold. Register at (913) 647-0365 or send an email to: stewdev@archkck.org.

LIVE STATIONS OF THE CROSS Prince of Peace Parish (football field) 16000 W. 143rd St., Olathe March 25 at 7 p.m.

Families from the school, EEC, youth group, school of religious education and the parish will be playing roles in the Stations of the Cross. They will come up with their own costumes and sit at their station as Father Gregory Hammes walks each Station. There will be torches and luminaries lighting the way. Stations will also take place inside the church for those who are unable to come outside.

STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN Conception Abbey 37174 State Hwy VV, Conception, Missouri March 25 - 27

Join in this retreat (available both in-person and online) with reflections: reflect on how to stop, as resting in the Lord; how to look, as sharpening our faith-vision; and how to listen, as fine-tuning our faith-hearing in our daily lives. See how to practice mindfulness and awareness of God’s presence. For more information, go online to: www.conceptionabbey.org/ guests/ or send an email to: guests@ conception.edu.

LADIES’ DAY OF REFLECTION Holy Trinity Parish 13615 W. 92nd St., Lenexa March 26 from 8 a.m. - noon

The Lenexa Daughters of Isabella are hosting this Lenten retreat. Join us as Father Keith Chadwick teaches us about the Blessed Virgin Mary and her seven sorrows. The cost is $15 to attend. Register by sending your name, phone number, address and parish name along with a check for $15 by mail to Terri Peterson, 26115 W. 108th Terr., Olathe, KS 66061.

KNIGHTS OF MALTA ANNUAL MASS FOR THE SICK Curé of Ars Parish 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood March 26 at 10 a.m.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Bishop James V. Johnston will concelebrate Mass with anointing of the sick and ritual blessing of the sick, in the manner done at Lourdes, France. Mass will be preceded by the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation from 9 - 9:45 a.m. Those who are sick, suffering, chronically ill — and their caregivers — are encouraged to attend. All those attending will receive

“We are a locally owned family funeral home. We are not restricted by out of town corporate policies.

Our commitment is to the families we serve.”

11 prayer cards and Lourdes water to take home. A short reception will be held after the Mass. Send the names of those who wish to receive the sacrament of anointing of the sick by email to: maltakansascity@ gmail.com or contact Doug Rivard at (913) 620-1759.

ST. PATRICK PANCAKE BREAKFAST St. Patrick Parish 6606 Atlantic, Corning March 27 Mass at 8 a.m.

Pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. - 1 p.m.

A pancake breakfast will be served.

The cost to attend will be a freewill donation. There will also be a country store and a raffle.

LENTEN SILENT RETREAT: ‘REDEMPTION AND EUCHARIST’ Christ’s Peace House of Prayer 22131 Meager Rd., Easton April 8 - 10

The retreat will begin on April 8 at 5:30 p.m. and end April 10 at 4:30 p.m.

Join us over Palm Sunday weekend for our Lenten silent retreat as we look toward the resurrection of the Lord through study and contemplation of the Letter to the Hebrews. The Old Testament roots of the Eucharist and the Jewish sacrificial system will be examined in the light of Jesus’ fulfillment, and how we as the body of Christ continue his redemptive work. There will be conferences, eucharistic adoration, Mass, confession and time for private prayer, reflection and walking. The suggested donation is $170/ single or $250/couples for the cabins and courtyard rooms or $100 for the single guest rooms (meals included). To attend, sign up online at: christspeace.com; send an email to: info@christspeace.com; or call (913) 773-8255.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SUMMER CAMP St. Thomas Aquinas High School 11411 Pflumm Rd., Overland Park May - August

There will be a variety of camps for students entering grade K - 8 to explore.

The summer camps give students the chance to discover their potential in both sports and other activities. Registration and further information is available online at: www.stasaints.net/summercamps.

Questions? Call the student life office at (913) 319-2416 or send an email to: btriggs@stasaints.net.

CATHOLIC HEART WORKCAMP Kansas City area July 10 - 16

Do you or anyone you know need assistance with minor home repairs, yard cleanup or house painting? Catholic HEART Workcamp will be in the Kansas City area July 11 - 14. If you would like to be considered, please call (402) 306-9043 or send an email to: chwc.kc@gmail.com.

You will need to leave a message if you call. All inquiries must be received by May 31.

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

www.amosfamily.com

DEADLINE:

Noon, Thursday, 10 days before the desired publication date.

INCLUDE:

time and date of event; street address; description of event.

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO:

beth.blankenship@theleaven.org.

CLASSIFIEDS

12 EMPLOYMENT Part-time lunch coordinator - St. Ann Young Child Center is seeking a lunch coordinator for the 2022-23 school year. Hours and wages are negotiable. If you are interested, please contact Cara Schwarz, preschool director, at (913) 362-4660 and/or send resume and cover letter to: cschwarz@stannpv.org.

Teacher opening - Bishop Miege High School has a teacher opening for theater/video production, with an emphasis on video production, for the 2022-23 school year. Send letter of interest and resume to Mariann Jaksa at: mjaksa@bishopmiege.com.

Full and part-time lead preschool teachers – St. Ann Young Child Center is currently seeking lead preschool teachers for the 2022-23 school year. The lead teacher is responsible for creating lesson plans and implementing teacher-led activities. All potential candidates should have a love for children and for maintaining the principles of Catholic education. We offer competitive wages based on education level and experience. If you are interested, please contact Cara Schwarz, preschool director, at (913) 362-4660 and/or send resume and cover letter to: cschwarz@stannpv.org.

Coordinator of youth and young adult ministry - St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee is seeking a dynamic and enthusiastic individual to fill the full-time position of coordinator of youth and young adult ministry. The coordinator will implement a wide variety of activities to direct and coordinate a strong faith-filled youth ministry aimed at helping youth grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. The mission of the coordinator of youth ministry will be directed toward youth grades 7 - 12. This position will also help to coordinate ministry to emerging adults and young adults. This person is to have purposeful engagement in relational ministry with youth and parents; provide catechesis; and invite youth to serve others and make disciples. To that end, the coordinator of youth ministry is responsible for the development, coordination, supervision and execution of parish programs designed to engage the youth of the parish.

The coordinator of youth ministry should develop close communication with, and mutual support from, families of youth. We are looking for that unique individual who has the spirit and heart for ministry as well as the ability to organize and run a comprehensive, fun, engaging ministry. The coordinator of youth and young adult ministry will also serve as a liaison and presence to the young adult community by providing support, resources and a prayerful presence to this ministry.

Please send cover letter and resume to Beth Bracken at: bbracken@stjoeshawnee.org by April 19.

Co-assistant director - Holy Trinity Early Education Center in Lenexa is accepting applications for an assistant director. Applicants must meet KDHE requirements for a director of a center for 100 children. Previous classroom and administrative experience is preferred but we will consider a passionate early educator who is interested in advancing their career from the classroom to administration. For a complete job description, contact Mary Kay Scanlon at: mscanlon@htlenexa.org.

Accountant - Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas is seeking an organized, passionate accountant. This position is responsible for managing housing grant reconciliations and reimbursement submissions, and the document analysis and recording of cash receipts.

Bachelor’s degree in accounting preferred. Apply online at: www.catholiccharitiesks.org/careers.

Full and part-time assistant preschool teachers – St. Ann Young Child Center is currently seeking assistant preschool teachers for the 2022-23 school year.

Interested candidates should have a love for children and a willingness to learn more about early childhood education. We offer competitive wages based on education level and experience. If you are interested, please contact Cara Schwarz, preschool director, at (913) 362-4660 and/or send resume and cover letter to: cschwarz@stannpv.org.

Director of faith formation - Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish in Overland Park is seeking candidates for the position of director of faith formation. This full-time, exempt employee is responsible for providing leadership, oversight and direction in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of initial and lifelong faith formation. This includes children’s catechesis; sacramental preparation; youth and young adult ministry; and ongoing adult formation. Preferred skills include: a bachelor’s degree in a field commensurate with the qualifications of the position and experience in managing a religious education office; recruitment, training and supervision of all program staff and volunteers; planning programs for both youth and adult; and evaluation of program curriculum. Bilingual skills in English and Spanish would be beneficial but not required.

Applicant will be a practicing Catholic in full communion with the church. Compensation will be commensurate with the candidate’s education and work experience.

To apply, please send resume to: Father William Bruning, pastor, Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish, 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park, KS 66204. Resumes accepted through the month of April.

Staff job openings - Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, has the following staff job openings available: admissions counselor, ADN specialist and nursing intake coordinator and. Find job descriptions and details at: www.donnelly.edu/careers.

Part-time aide - St. Michael the Archangel Preschool, Leawood, is seeking a part-time aide for the transitional kindergarten and LEAP (Learn, Explore and Play) class for the 2022-23 school year. This position is Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Teachers aides assist the lead teacher in conducting daily activities, carrying out licensure rules and regulations, and maintaining principles of sound Catholic education. Please send cover letter and resume to Jennie Wente at: jennie. wente@stmichaelcp.org.

Elementary school principal - St. Ann School, Prairie Village, is seeking an individual with demonstrated skill in spiritual, academic and advancement leadership for the 2022-23 school year. Applicants for principal must be practicing Catholics, understand the mission of Catholic schools and have or be eligible for Kansas licensure in educational leadership. Apply online at: www.archkckcs.org and send resume and credentials to: Superintendent Dr. Vince Cascone, Catholic schools office, via email to: vcascone@archkckcs.org. Deadline for applications is March 25.

Human Resources generalist - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is looking for a qualified candidate to fill a full-time human resource generalist position on our chancery HR team. With over 120 entity locations and nearly 5000 employees throughout the archdiocese, this position will collaborate, consult and support entity administrators with benefit, payroll and employee relations information. The HR generalist position contributes to the development and administration of significant initiative and strategic projects to enhance the benefits offered to archdiocesan employees.

The ideal candidate will have previous human resources or similar experience, business acumen, and the ability to recognize opportunities and convert challenges into success stories. Additionally, the ideal candidate is a practicing Catholic. This position does offer a hybrid work arrangement. If you are ready for a new position, one that is faith-filled and provides an opportunity to further develop your skills, please consider sharing your talents with the archdiocese. To apply online, visit our website at: www.archkck.org/jobs.

Catholic elementary school principal – Sacred Heart Catholic School, Ottawa, is seeking an individual with demonstrated skill in spiritual, academic and advancement leadership for the 2022-23 school year. Applicants for principal must be practicing Catholics in good standing, understand the mission of Catholic schools and have or be eligible for Kansas licensure in educational leadership. Apply online at: www.archkckcs.org and send resume and credentials to: Superintendent Dr. Vince Cascone, Catholic schools office, via email to: vcascone@archkckcs.org. Deadline for applications is March 25 .

Elementary school principal – Sacred Heart School, Emporia, is seeking a highly-motivated individual with demonstrated skill in spiritual and academic leadership of both students and staff. In addition, familiarity with enrollment management, technology and the tithing/ stewardship model would be considered especially desirable. Applicants for principal must be practicing Catholics, understand the mission of Catholic schools and have or be eligible for Kansas licensure in educational leadership. Please apply online at: www. archkckcs.org and send resume and credentials to: Superintendent Dr. Vince Cascone, Catholic schools office, via email to: vcascone@archkckcs.org. Deadline for applications is March 25. For specific questions regarding the school or parish, please contact Father Carter Zielinski at: czielinski@archkck.org.

Full-time lead teacher for pre-K - Prince of Peace Early Education Center is seeking a year-round, full-time, lead teacher in our pre-K classroom who has a love for children and a background in early childhood (education and/or experience required). Job duties include: care and supervision of children at all times; face-to-face parent communication; closing and cleaning procedures; and creating and implementing lesson plans and activities. We offer competitive wages based on education level and experience. You may find the application on our website: popolathe.org/early-education-center.

Catholic elementary school principal – St. Benedict’s School in Atchison is seeking an individual with demonstrated skill in spiritual and instructional leadership, as well as advancement in Catholic schools, for the 202223 school year. St. Benedict’s has approximately 162 students in K - 8th grades and 35 preschoolers taught by 15 teachers. Applicants for principal must be practicing Catholics, understand the mission of Catholic schools, and have or be eligible for Kansas licensure in educational leadership. Please apply online at: www. archkckcs.org and send resume and credentials to: Superintendent Dr. Vince Cascone, Catholic schools office, via email to: vcascone@archkckcs.org. Deadline for applications is March 18.

Part-time assistant teacher for preschool classrooms - Prince of Peace Early Education Center is seeking a year-round, part-time assistant teacher in our preschool classrooms who has a love for children and a background in early childhood (education and/ or experience preferred). Job duties include: care and supervision of children at all times; face-to-face parent communication; closing and cleaning procedures; and implementing activities. We offer competitive wages based on education level and experience. You may find the application on our website at: popolathe.org/earlyeducation-center.

Live-in or live-out caregivers (assistants) - Looking for purposeful volunteer or paid work? Live-in or liveout caregivers (assistants) needed for all shifts with adults with intellectual disabilities. L’Arche Heartland has five residential group homes that house a max of five individuals, located in old Overland Park. Duties include but are not exclusive to: be responsible for the overall growth and direction of the home; foster appropriate relationships between all members of the home; foster positive and supportive relationships with families and professionals; attend community nights and other community events. Qualifications: a person who has lived or worked in a community with persons with disabilities preferred. A person with good organizational skills; good communication skills; and the ability to deal with conflict objectively. Have a valid driver’s license and a high school diploma or equivalent.

Pass all required background checks; pass required pre-employment readiness evaluation. All training provided after hire: CPR/first aid; medication administration; rights and responsibilities — abuse, neglect and exploitation; emergency preparedness and documentation. Hourly pay for live-out assistants dependent on experience: range from $13.50-$15/hour. Perks for full-time employees: eight paid holidays; flexible hours available; health, dental, vision insurance benefits (premiums paid by L’Arche Heartland), 401(k) and PTO. Email letter of inquiry, contact information and experience to: heartland@larcheks.org.

School counselor - Holy Spirit Catholic School is currently seeking a school counselor. Applicants must hold a current Kansas counseling license. Previous experience working in an elementary school is preferred. To apply go to: archkck.org/catholicschools/employment/ and click on school counselor application. You may also send a letter of interest along with a copy of your resume to: Michele Watson at: mwatson@hscatholic.org.

Full-time lead teacher - Prince of Peace Early Education Center is seeking a year-round, full-time, lead teacher in our two-and-a-half-year-olds classroom who has a love for children and a background in early childhood (education and/or experience required). Job duties include: care and supervision of children at all times; face-to-face parent communication; closing and cleaning procedures; and creating and implementing lesson plans and activities. We offer competitive wages based on education level and experience. This position will be available for training in May and teaching at the end of May. You may find the application on our website at: popolathe.org/early-education-center.

Coordinator of youth ministry and confirmation Corpus Christi Church in Lawrence is seeking a dynamic and enthusiastic individual to fill the full-time role of coordinator of youth ministry and confirmation. This person will be responsible for creating and implementing, administering and evaluating a high school and middle school ministry including sacramental preparation for confirmation. Ministry nights will include mostly evenings and weekends. He or she will collaborate with the pastor, parish, school staff and parents, as well as the archdiocesan youth ministry. Salary based on experience. You must be an active Roman Catholic, with a deep faith in Christ, rooted in the word of God and the Catholic tradition, and a model of a moral life for our youth. For a full job description go to: cccparish.org/ our-parish/ and scroll down and click on “Employment Opportunities.” Please send cover letter and resume to Father Jerry Volz at: frjerry@cccparish.org by April 8.

Part-time teacher in our after-school care program - Prince of Peace Early Education Center is seeking a year-round, part-time teacher in our after-school care program who has a love for children and a background in early childhood (education and/or experience preferred). Job duties include: care and supervision of children at all times; face-to-face parent communication; closing and cleaning procedures; and implementing activities. We offer competitive wages based on education level and experience You may find the application on our website: popolathe.org/early-education-center.

Elementary school principal - John Paul II School in Overland Park is seeking an individual with demonstrated skill in spiritual, academic and advancement leadership for the 2022-23 school year. John Paul II has approximately 150 students in K - 8th grades and 56 preschoolers taught by 23 teachers. Applicants for principal must be practicing Catholics, understand the mission of Catholic schools, and have or be eligible for Kansas licensure in educational leadership. Please apply online at: www.archkckcs.org and send resume and credentials to Superintendent Dr. Vince Cascone, Catholic schools office, via email to: vcascone@arch kckcs.org. Deadline for applications is March 18.

Financial representatives - Knights of Columbus has full-time openings in northeast Kansas and western Missouri for full-time financial representatives. Ideal for determined, disciplined, professional, high-expectation individual desiring to serve others. We work exclusively with the families of brother Knights and Catholic gentlemen who are eligible to join the Knights. We have established territories where agents devote their working day to the needs of the members in their assigned councils. Excellent, multi-tiered training and benefits are provided, allowing the successful field agent to earn a professional level income. This is a career opportunity that may be the right fit at the right time for you, or possibly for someone you know. For further information, contact John A. Mahon, general agent, at (785) 4088800 or email: john.mahon@kofc.org.

MARCH 18, 2O22 | THELEAVEN.ORG Stylists - Are you addicted to the TV show “Say Yes to the Dress”? Are you self-motivated, love fashion and enjoy helping people look their best? If so, we want to talk to you! Sincerely Susan, a unique destination shop that specializes in dresses for mothers of the bride/ groom and galas is looking for part-time stylists. Our boutique is a warehouse environment where clients come in by appointment only. You must have a sense of style and a great personality to be able to interact with your “Moms.” Hours are flexible. Must be willing to work a minimum of one evening per week and weekends. Must be able to stand and walk on concrete for long periods of time and reach overhead to pull gowns. Previous retail experience preferred, but not necessary. Hourly rate is based on experience. If interested, call (913) 730-8840.

School president - Cristo Rey Kansas City is a Catholic college and career preparatory school founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.

The school educates students of diverse backgrounds to realize their God-given potential and prepares them for values-centered lives and careers that contribute to the well-being of our global society. Cristo Rey is seeking qualified candidates for the position of president. The president serves as chief executive officer of Cristo Rey High School with authority for decisions affecting the overall organization and operation of the institution. To see the full position description and/ or apply: https://themorancompany.applytojob.com/ and click on “President.”

Nonmedical caregivers - Saint Rita Home Care is hiring nonmedical caregivers for seniors. Seeking compassionate individuals to fill all shifts. Call or text Renee Margush at (913) 229-4267.

Part-time accountant - Catholic Cemeteries of Northeast Kansas is hiring a part-time accountant. The ideal candidate must be a detail-oriented problem-solver.

Primary job responsibilities: Prepare monthly bank reconciliations; create and post journal entries; review and analyze financial statements for accuracy; prepare and distribute financial statements to management; review balance sheet and financial reporting; maintain the fixed asset system, updating for new assets and any other changes; assist and coordinate with auditors in preparation of the annual audit; and other duties or projects that arise. Required qualifications: bachelor’s degree in accounting; minimum of three years’ relevant work experience; excellent written and oral communication skills; experience with creating and using financial statements, working knowledge of balance sheets and P & L, and preparation of monthly cash forecast; and intermediate to advanced Excel skills. Preferred qualifications: CPA; Sage accounting system knowledge; and experience working with nonprofits. This is a part-time, exempt position with a schedule of 20-24 hours per week. Compensation is based on education and experience. To apply, please send your resume to: svallejo@cathcemks.org.

Campus minister - This is a full-time position with the Good Company apostolate at the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center with the aim of creating a culture of encounter with Jesus Christ and his Gospel as well as intentional relationships with other students at the center. Must have a strong desire and natural ability to welcome outsiders and create experiences of encounter on a secular university campus. Please send resume and cover letter to: nlabrie@kucatholic.org.

Faculty/adjunct faculty positions available - Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, a Catholic college offering higher education for those who may not otherwise be served, has the following faculty job openings: English instructor, information systems faculty coordinator. Adjunct faculty job openings include: biology, clinical nursing, sociology and math. The math opening is at the Lansing campus. Find job descriptions and details on: www.donnelly.edu/careers.

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

Early childhood educators – With multiple locations in Johnson County, Special Beginnings Early Learning Center provides high quality child care in a safe, loving Christian environment. Our classrooms are full, and we are looking to add to our amazing team. We are looking for both full-time and part-time teachers for all ages of children. If you have an excellent work ethic, a heart for children and a willingness to learn more about early childhood education, we would love to meet you. For more information or to apply, call Carolyn Andruss at (913) 894-0131, ext. 102.

Drivers and aides - Assisted Transportation is now hiring safe drivers and aides to transport students with special needs in Johnson, Wyandotte and Clay County, Missouri, in company vans. Drivers earn $14 - $16 per hour. Aides earn $12 per hour. Part-time and full-time schedules available.

CDL not required. Retirees encouraged to apply. Make a difference in your community by helping those in need. Call (913) 521-4955 for more information. EEO >> Classifieds continue on page 13

CLASSIFIEDS

MARCH 18, 2022 | THELEAVEN.ORG >> Continued from page 12 Marketing and communications manager - The Catholic Education Foundation is seeking an experienced professional for its marketing and communications manager position. The manager will design content and manage production and performance of web, digital, video and direct response materials to benefit fund-raising, stewardship and outreach efforts. The ideal candidate will have a college degree or equivalent experience; at least 3-5 years working in marketing and communications; be a strong written and verbal communicator; have exceptional relationship building and organizational skills; and be a Catholic in good standing. This exciting position offers a competitive salary and benefits, professional development opportunities and the benefits of a faith-based working environment.

To apply, send cover letter and resume to cefsupport@ archkck.org.

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

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.

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

REAL ESTATE

STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 579-1835.

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

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).

WE WANT TO BUY YOUR HOUSE - There are so many new companies in town advertising to buy houses. But we’re the only ones that have been here and we’re local Holy Trinity parishioners. I will give you a fair price on any conditions you are up against. Call Mark Edmondson. (913) 980-4905.

SERVICES

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

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

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Doll dresses - First Communion dresses for American Girl dolls or any 18” dolls. To include dress, veil, shoes, tights, and cross necklace for $35. Call (913) 345-9498 or send an email to: wwelch4@kc.rr.com to order. The dress is on display at Trinity House, 6731 W. 119th St., Overland Park, KS. 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.

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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

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

CAREGIVING Caregiving - We provide personal assistance, companionship, care management, and transportation for seniors in their home, assisted living or nursing facilities.

We also provide respite care for main caregivers needing some personal time. Call Daughters & Company at (913) 341-2500 and speak with Laurie, Pat or Gary.

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

Benefitsofhome.com or call (913) 422-1591.

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

Thank you to all my clients last year! - We had to take my ad out for a few months to catch up. This year, we are looking for more deck jobs, exterior wood rot and house painting jobs. We are also looking for larger interior jobs to include full kitchen remodels, cabinet refinishing, as well as bathroom remodels and basement finishing. Call Josh at (913) 709-7230.

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

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

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

Popcorn ceiling texture removal Interior wall painting specialist.

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

Member St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.

Will buy firearms and related accessories - One a whole collection. Honest evaluation and top prices paid. Contact Tom at (913) 238-2473. Member of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee.

FOR SALE

For sale - Two side-by-side plots at Mount Moriah South Cemetery. Lot 92, block 26, spaces 2 and 4. Value $8000, asking $4000. Call JoAnn at (913) 262-9582.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING The Leaven reaches approximately 50,000 subscribers.

Cost is $20 for the first five lines, $1.50 per line thereafter.

To purchase a Leaven classified ad, email: beth. blankenship@theleaven.org.

The appearance of advertising in The Leaven is not an endorsement by either the newspaper or the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. The Leaven attempts to screen advertisers and copy, but is not responsible for claims and representations made in advertisements.

Crossword solution

WANTED TO BUY

Join Us for the 24rd Annual Joint Diocesan Healing Mass and Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

10 a.m. on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at Curé of Ars Church, 94th and Mission Rd., Leawood, Kansas Celebrant will be Bishop Johnston Homilist will be Archbishop Naumann The anointing of the sick in both dioceses will be administered to Catholics whose health is seriously impaired by illness or old age.

All are invited to participate. The ceremony will follow the Lourdes pilgrimage format.

Among those who may be anointed, the ritual mentions, in particular: • Those undergoing a surgery whenever serious illness is the reason • Elderly people when they have become noticeably weakened even if no serious illness is present • Sick children if they have sufficient use of reason to be strengthened by the sacrament.

We are asking those who wish to receive the sacrament at Mass, to register by email: maltakansascity@gmail.com or 816-298-5600 and leave your name.

This service is being held under the auspices of the Order of Malta, whose service to the Church is founded on the caring of the sick and the poor.

Name cards are made for those receiving the sacrament.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will also be available to participants at 9 a.m.

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COLUMNISTS

DAILY READINGS THIRD WEEK OF LENT March 20 THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT Ex 3: 1-8a, 13-15 Ps 103: 1-4, 6-8, 11 1 Cor 10: 1-6, 10-12 Lk 13: 1-9 March 21 Monday 2 Kgs 5: 1-15b Pss 42: 2-3; 43: 3-4 Lk 4: 24-30 March 22 Tuesday Dn 3: 25, 34-43 Ps 25: 4-5b, 6, 7bc, 8-9 Mt 18: 21-35 March 23 Turibius of Mogrovejo, bishop Dt 4: 1, 5-9 Ps 147: 12-13, 15-16, 19-20 Mt 5: 17-19 March 24 Thursday Jer 7: 23-28 Ps 95: 1-2, 6-9 Lk 11: 14-23 March 25 THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD Is 7: 10-14; 8: 10 Ps 40: 7-11 Heb 10: 4-10 Lk 1: 26-38 March 26 Saturday Hos 6: 1-6 Ps 51: 3-4, 18-21b Lk 18: 9-14

Barnabas c. first century The story of this early missionary, a Cypriot Jew called Joseph, is told in the Acts of the Apostles.

He was named Barnabas (“son of encouragement”) by the Twelve Apostles when he sold property and gave them the money (4:36-37). He introduced the convert Paul to the apostles (9:27), was officially sent by the Jerusalem church to Antioch (11:2226), was set apart with Paul by the Spirit for a mission to Cyprus (13:2), attended the Council of Jerusalem (15:12) and returned to Cyprus with Mark (15:36-41). By tradition, he was martyred there.

I

Here’s a way to cross over to the other side

always enjoyed school. However, that didn’t mean I was opposed to getting out early.

When I was in grade school, we got out of school early every Lenten Wednesday and Friday. By “got out,” I don’t mean that we were free to go home.

No, we all trooped down to church to recite the Stations of the Cross together.

My memory might be a bit hazy, but I remember using a small, special children’s version of the Stations that had a red cover. As our parish priests and some servers carrying candles and a special Lenten cross moved from Station to Station down the center aisle, we followed along in our books from the pews.

One Station that particularly irritated the nuns was the ninth one: Jesus falls the third time. As we kids read “our parts” in the book, there were slash marks (/) throughout the text that helped us to better read as a cohesive whole. During

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MARCH 18, 2O22 | THELEAVEN.ORG

MARK MY WORDS

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

the ninth Station’s meditation, there was some sort of question, asking if Jesus chose not to get up after that third fall.

Only two words appeared between the slashes in answer to that question: “But no!”

Much to the dismay of the nuns, we usually shouted out that line: “BUT NO!” It was not unusual to see our teacher shake her head then and let out an exasperated “tsk.” (Yeah, that never stopped us.)

I was often tapped to

serve the adult Stations held in the evening on Lenten Wednesdays (in English) and Fridays (in Croatian). Serving gave me plenty of time to study each of the depictions of the Stations, especially the twelfth, with its threatening sky as Jesus died and “ghostly” saints rose from their tombs in the background.

Many years later in 1980, I was able to walk the Via Dolorosa (Sorrowful Way) in Jerusalem. It’s an incredible experience that most Christians over the centuries have not been able to do. As I’m sure you’re aware, that’s the origin of the Stations in our churches: to give everyone an opportunity in a

spiritual way at least to walk along with Jesus from his condemnation

by Pilate to his being placed in the tomb.

By the way, the word “Stations” was coined

by William Wey, an English pilgrim to the Holy Land in 1462.

The word denotes a “stop or standing” at “each of a number of holy places visited in succession by pilgrims” (Online Etymology Dictionary).

There are many versions of praying the Stations available, but my favorite is definitely “Everyone’s Way of the Cross” by Clarence Enzler. This booklet is set up as a dialogue between Christ and the “prayer.” The introduction and the conclusion to the Stations begin with “Christ speaks,” as do each of the Stations.

The response of the “pray-er” is indicated by “I reply.”

Throughout the Stations, Christ refers to the “pray-er” as “my other self” and links in a practical way how he or she can live out each of the Stations today.

For instance, at the fourth Station, where Jesus meets his mother, the “pray-er” replies in part: “To watch the pain of those we love is harder than to bear our own. To carry my cross after you, I, too, must stand and watch the sufferings of my dear ones — the heartaches, sicknesses, and grief of those I love. And I must let them watch mine, too.”

Each Station also features a simple, black-and-white illustration from modern life coordinated to the Station. Illustrators Annika Nelson and Gertrud Mueller Nelson provide stunning depictions that are in themselves worthy of meditation.

If you’ve never been to Stations of the Cross or if it’s been a while, get thee to a church to participate in this Lenten devotion at least once. Let Christ show you how his “way of the cross two thousand years ago and your ‘way’ now are also one.”

Jesus is the visible face of the invisible, all-merciful God

n Sunday’s first reading, we witness Moses’ encounter with an angel of the Lord who appears to him in fire flaming out of a bush that was not consumed by it. And then, we hear a remarkable conversation between God and Moses, who is called by name.

After asking Moses to pause and remove the sandals from his feet, God reveals his personal identity saying, “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.”

This conversation between God and Moses uncovers a fundamental truth

,

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

about who God is and who we are in relationship to God. The Bible reveals that God is not an abstract, unknown, terrifying being whose

unpredictability is to be feared and appeased.

Rather, the God who converses with Moses is at once the fullness of being itself, the “I am who am” and a personal being who desires the friendship of his creatures in a covenant relationship of eternal love, mercy and forgiveness.

The same God who spoke with Moses

invites you and me to a renewed friendship this Lent. In the Gospel, Jesus points to the spiritual paths of repentance, humble acknowledgment of sinfulness, and trust in God’s forgiving mercy. And the psalmist praises the Lord who is kind and merciful, “slow to anger and abounding in kindness.”

God’s personal invitation of love continues to unfold in the conversation with Moses. Like two friends speaking to each other, God opens his heart to Moses saying that he knows the suffering of the people of Israel!

God will rescue them from their oppressors in Egypt and

lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey. God is not an angry, ruthless master who must be satisfied constantly, but a compassionate, loving friend who suffers with, accompanies and rescues his creatures with the power of divine, relentless love.

Jesus is the visible face of the invisible, all-powerful and merciful God! Lent is a graced time to begin and to deepen our daily conversation with God. As we open our hearts to hear God who speaks to us personally, we enter the mystery of Jesus’ filial relationship to God as we pray, “Speak to me, Lord.”

True freedom found in sharing, not possessing, pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Temptation’s seductive proposals of happiness and freedom can lead one to being enslaved by the desire to possess material things and other people, Pope Francis said.

Christians are called to respond to temptation with the “word of God, which says not to take advantage; not to use God, others and things for oneself; not to take advantage of one’s

position to obtain privileges,” the pope said March 6 during his Sunday Angelus address.

True happiness and true freedom, he said, “are not found in possessing, but in sharing; not in taking advantage of others, but in loving them; not in the obsession of power, but in the joy of service.”

Before praying the Angelus prayer, the pope reflected on the

Sunday Gospel reading which recounted the temptations Jesus faced in the desert.

The pope noted that the devil tempts Jesus with the words, “If you are the Son of God,” and thus, tempts him to use his position “first to satisfy the material needs he feels — hunger — then to increase his power, and finally, to have a prodigious sign from God.”

COLUMNISTS

MARCH 18, 2022 | THELEAVEN.ORG

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Hunger is a central challenge; ending the food tax could help

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f a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give the necessities of the body, what good is it?” (Jas 2:15-16) The ministries of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas are designed to strengthen families by providing a pathway out of poverty.

Hunger is a challenge brought on and provoked by poverty. If a family is food-insecure, they are roughly 80% less likely to participate in any other program offered by Catholic Charities. It limits our ability to move people into programming that increases their skills and education, financial

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INSIDE CATHOLIC CHARITIES

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

fluency and housing stability.

Being food-insecure oftentimes includes the inability to prioritize and attend work, finish school and participate in community activities like sports and recreation.

It is also no surprise that those experiencing hunger are more likely to experience chronic health conditions related to malnourishment, and therefore incur chronic health expenses.

Food-insecure families, and pantries that provide help to them, have been rocked by the rising costs of food due to inflation, continued supply chain

disruptions, labor shortages and increased demand for food.

Inflation surged at a 7.5% annual pace in January. As just one example, the price of chicken has jumped 10% year over year.

As food costs rise, organizations like Catholic Charities experience two things: food donation shortages and increased costs from local food pantry suppliers like Harvesters — The Community Food Network.

Due to lower donations, Catholic Charities and other local food pantries will be forced to purchase, at higher prices, food from local and national food suppliers to ensure healthy options, equal quantities and culturally appropriate foods.

For context, to keep up

with the growing need, Feeding America’s nationwide network of food banks purchased 58% more food in 2021 compared to 2020.

In addition, rising transportation and packaging expenses climbed more than 20% last month from the year prior (Barron’s Streetwise Podcast).

The rise in food prices disproportionately affects low-income households because these low-income households spend more of their overall income on food. The lowest 20% of wage earners spend roughly 27% of their income on food, whereas the highest income quintile spends only 7% of their income on food (2020 Department of Agriculture/ Institute for International Economics).

The rising costs of food leave families with fewer financial reserves to absorb the increased expense, especially in Kansas where the sales tax rate on food is among the highest in the nation.

This past January, Catholic Charities served the largest number of families in need of food since January 2020. Families who otherwise would not seek food assistance are now at our doors due to this trifecta. Many are left pondering the purchase of food or paying their mortgage or rent.

This Lenten season, let us pray for those experiencing hunger physically and spiritually. Also, join us in advocating for the elimination of the food tax. Together, let’s help families out of poverty.

Are you offering your best sacrifice to the Lord this Lent?

ou have longed for sweet peace, And for faith to increase, And have earnestly, fervently prayed; But you cannot have rest, Or be perfectly blessed, Until all on the altar is laid.

Indeed, there’s no other way. Elisha Hoffman was spot-on.

The purpose of Lent is not to punish ourselves for a few weeks so that we can have an Easter of an eased and satisfied conscience. No, the purpose of Lent is to correct those things which stand between us and the altar of God. It is to this altar we are called at Mass, to offer ourselves in sacrifice to God through the sacrifice of Christ. And we can hold nothing back if we are to make a good offering.

Would you walk with the Lord, In the light of His Word, And have peace and contentment alway?

You must do His sweet will, To be free from all ill, On the altar your all you must lay.

As we listen to the word of God in the Scripture readings, we better understand how we are called to offer ourselves to him. The words speak to us individually as well as to all of us as a group. God’s word

AS THE CHURCH PRAYS

MICHAEL PODREBARAC

is never uttered without some purpose for each of us. Therefore, each of us Michael Podrebarac is the archdi- must think carefully upon ocesan consultant for the office of it, if even briefly, so as to liturgy and sacramental life. be able to fully comprehend how we are to obey him.

And, informed by the word, we are able to offer the best sacrifice of ourselves that we can upon the altar. The cross we each have carried throughout the week is placed before the altar. Jesus draws our cross into his. Our offering is joined to his perfect offering to the Father.

But Jesus cannot do that, as effectively as he

desires to, unless our own offering — our own cross — is freely and fully offered to the Father, that his will be done.

Who can tell all the love He will send from above, And how happy our hearts will be made, Of the fellowship sweet We shall share at His feet, When our all on the altar is laid.

It has been said, and rightly so, that God will not be outdone in generosity. If we’ll simply offer ourselves to God entirely, and without reservation, within the eucharistic sacrifice, the love and grace we’ll receive in return will simply be immeasurable.

Here, then, is a good “examination of conscience” for making the very best offering of ourselves we can each time we come to Mass: Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?

Your heart does the Spirit control?

You can only be blest, And have peace and sweet rest, As you yield Him your body and soul.

In holy Communion, we eat of him whom we have offered. The bread of life is not only a pledge of the perfect life to come, but is also a means of the best possible life here on earth as well.

LOCAL NEWS

MARCH 18, 2022 | THELEAVEN.ORG

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Evangelization is all of our work, says campus minister

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his week, Nick Labrie takes Leaven readers inside his ministry as the campus minister for the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas.

Q.

What is your name, title and where do you minister?

A.

My name is Nick Labrie and I serve as the campus minister for the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas.

Q. Please describe what you do.

A. My primary focus is running

GoodCo. GoodCo (short for Good Company) is the outreach and evangelical arm of St. Lawrence, aiming to provide a first step for students (Christian or otherwise) into a community and experience of faith. I coordinate a team of 60 students to create and host environments for students to engage with the St. Lawrence Community and engage questions of faith.

For example, we host Trivia Night and Open Mic Night events, which draw hundreds of students who might never otherwise set foot in a Catholic church.

Taking advantage of the foot traffic from the dorms, we run a free pop-up coffee shop (Slow Drip) from our center, inviting students in for a free coffee and engaging them in conversation. Our monthly RISE Night serves as an entry point into conversations of faith. Over 125 students join us each month to engage in relevant questions of faith in the context of good community. In the course of the conversation, we weave in the Gospel message and invite them into an encounter with God in prayer through eucharistic adoration and praise and worship.

Q. How would you describe how

your role fits into the larger mission of the Catholic Church?

A.

Jesus’ last command to the church before his ascension was to “Go and make disciples” (see Mt 28:19). At a secular campus of 25,000 students, this means we cannot be content to just care for the students who show up to campus already passionate about their Catholic faith (though we do that well, too). It means we actively engage a population that is largely indifferent, distrusting or even antagonistic toward the church and create pathways to build trust and ultimately share faith.

Q.

Is this what you set out to do in life? If not, what road led you to this place?

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Nick Labrie, the campus minister for the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas, talks with a student at the center.

A.

Not initially! I left college after my junior year to get some perspective on what I wanted to do with my life. I had floated between five majors in three years without any real direction. I spent that year away as a full-time missionary serving with Life Teen. It was in formation there that we read “Redemptoris Missio” (“Mission of the Redeemer”), an encyclical by St. John Paul II. In it, he outlined the necessity of evangelization. That encyclical opened my eyes to the missionary nature of the church and launched me into full-time ministry. I decided to finish my degree in theology to spend my life living the evangelical mission of the church.

Q. What would the average Cath-

olic be most surprised to learn about your job?

A.

Probably that there is a large focus on non-Catholics and lapsed Catholics. While St. Lawrence definitely has staff and resources focused on students already journeying with Jesus, we put a lot of focus on reaching the large number of students that are not engaged in any active faith.

Q.

Who does your ministry primarily serve?

A.

We desire GoodCo to be a home for anyone and everyone. While our student team is largely composed of passionate Catholics, our active ministry seeks to engage lapsed Catholics, non-Catholics and those who might be indifferent or even antagonistic toward faith.

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Q.

What do you wish everybody knew about your ministry?

A.

That evangelization is not solely the duty of priests, missionaries or ministry staff members. It’s their duty, too.

As St. John Paul II says in “Mission of the Redeemer”: “No believer in Christ, no institution of the church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples.”

Q.

Why does the world need more of what you’re offering, especially now?

A.

The statistics of former Catholics walking away from faith are staggering. Even beyond those who have left the faith, so many people are indifferent, dismissive or even antagonistic toward the church. I think this is often due to either a misunderstanding of the teachings of the church or having had poor encounters with Catholics or the church. Society knows us more for what we’re opposed to than what we are for.

At GoodCo, we want students to know that we are for them. We care about their lives, their stories and their real struggles. By focusing on authentic friendship before differences in beliefs, we are finding that people become intrigued and begin to ask questions that open the doors for faith sharing. The world needs Jesus, and I’m convinced that we are not going to introduce people to him via programs, but in the context of true friendship.

Q.

What have you learned about people in this job?

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Q.

What have you learned about yourself?

A.

I’ve learned that evangelization is not about good programs but good friendships and conversations. I can tend to be task-oriented and focus on the details, but God has taught me to slow down and focus on relationships with those around me.

Q.

How has it changed the way you view your identity as a Catholic?

A.

My work in evangelization has changed the way my wife and I minister outside of formal ministry settings.

We’ve grown more aware of the fact that God desires us to partner with him in drawing people to himself. When we meet people at coffee shops, taking our kids to the playground or anywhere else, we make an effort to say hello and introduce ourselves. We’ve gained a lot of great friends this way and God has even paved the way for us to share faith in a lot of these friendships.

Nick Labrie has been married to his wife Paeter for five years and they have three children — John Mark, 4; Éowyn, 2; and June, 3 months. Nick and his family are registered and active members of the St. Lawrence Center outside of his formal ministry.

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A.

People want to be known. Even on a campus with thousands of students, so many people feel isolated and lonely.

So many people are hungry for real friendships.

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