05 10 24 Vol. 45 No. 37

BEHOLD

Eucharistic event captures the heart of Kansas City Catholics from both dioceses

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The question in the minds of many was this: Will the faithful respond?

On May 4, 1941, thousands of Catholics in the Kansas City area gathered on the north lawn of what is now the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, for the Holy Name Rally and Closing First Diocesan Eucharistic Congress.

Inspired by the discovery of an old photograph of this event, Bishop James Vann Johnston Jr. of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas issued the same invitation 83 years later.

The day was overcast, breezy and chilly. Individuals and families were only arriving in dribs and drabs when the event began at 4 p.m. Priests from Kansas and Missouri walked down from the memorial in pairs to the plywood confessionals at the north end of the lawn, overlooking Union Station.

Musician Steve Angrisano, as master of ceremonies, offered welcome and music. Choirs sang and individuals gave witness talks.

To view the full album of photos and videos from Behold KC, visit us on Facebook @theleavenkc.

The two ordinaries wanted the Behold KC – Eucharistic Celebration on May 4, 2024, to be the regional centerpiece of the U.S. bishops’ National Eucharistic Revival.

But . . . would the faithful respond?

Groups began arriving then, being led by individuals with banners announcing their parish or organization.

And by the time women religious from various orders began to lead a rosary, the lawn was nearly covered.

Yes, the faithful did respond, although numbers were at best a guess.

“I heard that 3,800 registered, which doesn’t include our buses and large groups,” said Deacon Dana Nearmyer, one of the event organizers and archdiocesan director of evangelization. “We know many people didn’t register but we’re happy to have them.”

>> See “THOUSANDS” on page 9

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Bishop James V. Johnston (closest to monstrance), Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and priests of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph kneel in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament on an overlook at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 4 for Behold KC.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MOIRA CULLINGS

Thousands of Catholics participate in Mass on the memorial’s north lawn. They came in droves from Kansas City and beyond for the historic eucharistic event.

The ‘antidote to death’ awaits us all each Sunday in the Eucharist

Behold KC, jointly sponsored by the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, drew thousands of Catholics from Kansas and Missouri for prayer, the celebration of Mass and eucharistic adoration. The large and diverse crowd gave public witness of our love for Jesus and his real presence in the Eucharist.

The Eucharist was given to the church on Holy Thursday night during the Passover meal that Jesus celebrated with his apostles. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, as well as St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians, give us the words of Jesus that the priest repeats at every Mass. What came to be known as the Eucharist was an essential part of Christian worship and spirituality from the earliest days of the church.

In my homily at the Behold KC Mass, I quoted a paragraph from “Something Other Than God,” Jennifer Fulwiler’s memoir of her conversion from atheism to Catholicism. At this point in her faith journey, Jennifer had an experience of God’s presence. She had read the Gospels and was drawn to Jesus. Her husband Joe had been baptized a Christian but had not practiced his faith for a long time.

Joe had shared with Jennifer some of the writings of the early Christians, such as Justin Martyr and Hippolytus, in which they described the worship of the early church.

For the first time for both of them, Jennifer and Joe attended a

ARCHBISHOP

JOSEPH F. NAUMANN

Catholic Mass. Jennifer described her experience: “I wasn’t thrilled to be here at church, but it was amazing to experience something so old. Some woman stood in a church on a Sunday in the year 200, and she heard the same words I was hearing now. Century after century lurched past, generations came and went, wars were fought, countries were created and dissolved, and here was I, almost 2,000 years later, sharing an experience with that ancient woman. If we were to meet each other, somewhere outside of time, we would have something in common.”

In the Sixth Chapter of St. John’s Gospel, Jesus gives what some have termed his Bread of Life Discourse. The chapter begins with St. John’s account of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. Crowds of people are pursuing Jesus because they want the free food Our Lord is able to provide. Jesus cautions the crowds that his mission is not to provide physical bread for everyone but what he terms the “living bread that has come down from heaven.”

Jesus declared: “Amen, amen I say to

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”

At the conclusion of the Bread of Life Discourse, St. John reports: “Then many of his disciples who were listening said, ‘This saying is hard, who can accept it?’” St. John goes on to report: “As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.”

How does Jesus react to many of his disciples abandoning him? Our Lord does not attempt to cajole or pacify them. Jesus does not implore them not to leave. Our Lord does not try to talk them into staying by saying: “Come back! Come back! I was just speaking metaphorically. I was using symbolic language.”

No! Jesus instead turns to the Twelve, his closest disciples, and asks: “Do you also want to leave?” In a shining moment for him, Peter replies: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal

life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Peter and the other apostles could not possibly have understood what Jesus was talking about at that moment. However, they knew Jesus and trusted him, even if they did not immediately grasp the richness of his teaching. It will not be until Holy Thursday night and the tragedy of Good Friday that they are given the keys to unlock Our Lord’s teaching given at the synagogue in Capernaum.

Each Sunday at Mass, you and I have the opportunity to receive this Living Bread that comes from heaven. At every Mass, we have the opportunity to receive the bread of life — to receive Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity. St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the church’s early martyrs, described the Eucharist as “an antidote to death, a medicine for immortality.” What could possibly be more important than to receive Jesus in the Eucharist?

At every Mass, the love of God revealed on Calvary is made present to us, and we have the opportunity to receive Jesus, to receive God. The Mass was celebrated by the early Christians in the catacombs. The same Eucharist was celebrated in the gulags of Siberia. Father Emil Kapaun, a Kansas priest who died in a prisoner-of-war camp, celebrated Mass for U.S. Army troops on the hood of a jeep during the Korean War. What excuse can we make for failing to participate in Sunday Mass? What could be more important?

A eucharistic

May 10

ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN’S CALENDAR

Benedictine baccalaureate Mass — Benedictine College, Atchison

May 11

Mass for medical school grad students — Cathedral of St. Peter, Kansas City, Kansas

Groundbreaking ceremony — St. Paul, Olathe

May 12

Mass of thanksgiving and blessing of renovations — Corpus Christi Church, Mooney Creek

May 13

“Shepherd’s Voice” recording — chancery

Pastoral Council meeting — chancery

May 14

Mass and retirement reception for Sharon Madrigal and Allison Carney — chancery

Confirmation for Queen of the Holy Rosary, Overland Park, and St. Pius X, Mission, at Queen

May 15

Presbyteral Council meeting — chancery

Jesus Covenant Prayer Partner call

Confirmation — Sacred Heart, Emporia

May 16

Communio update with Tory Baucum

CFNEK board advance — chancery

May 17

Holy Hour and rehearsal dinner for the transitional diaconate — cathedral

pilgrimage that began on the California coast and this July will conclude in Indianapolis — the site of the National Eucharistic Congress — will come through our archdiocese near the end of June. The eucharistic pilgrimage will have stops and opportunities for Mass or eucharistic adoration in Atchison, Nortonville, Topeka, Lawrence, Leawood and Kansas City, Kansas, before entering Missouri. This will be another opportunity to give public witness for our love of God, for our love for Jesus — our Lord and

Savior, and our love for the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Check our archdiocesan website for more detailed information.

What a gift is our Catholic faith! What an amazing God who revealed himself in Jesus and desires friendship with us! What an incredible blessing to have the opportunity for communion with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament!

“O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament Divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!”

‘Unite our future in Christ’ at heart of St. Pat’s 150th

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

KANSAS CITY, Kan. —

The 150th anniversary celebration of St. Patrick Parish here is so big that organizers couldn’t limit it to just one day.

That’s why the parish, founded in September 1873, scheduled multiple events between Sept. 2023 and Sept. 2024.

The most recent events were a Stations of the Cross dedication on Feb. 9, a parish Trivia Night on April 26 and an anniversary Mass with Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann on April 28.

It’s in keeping with their mission statement: “Appreciate our Catholic roots, unite our future in Christ.”

“The process of celebrating our Catholic roots and uniting our future in Christ is way more than an event,” said Father Mark Mertes, pastor since 2019.

The reason for a yearlong celebration is to create a sense of common parish history. In recent years, longtime parishioners have seen new communities welcomed

into the parish but might know little about them. This summer, the images in the church’s photo directory will be complemented by historic information.

“One of my goals is that [we create] a narrative of the parish history that people can read,” he said. “Most people don’t know very much of it. Some know everything,

but that’s just a few.”

The year’s celebration will end with the celebration of another parish milestone: the 75th anniversary of the opening of St. Patrick School in 1949. This will coincide with a 33-day consecration of the parish and school on Sept. 8.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

From left are Rung Cin Thang, Joseph Brim, associate pastor Father Timothy Skoch, Lorena Lugo Holguin and Bik Due Hmung.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Art Garza and Chloe Burns serve parishioners at the dinner following St. Patrick’s 150th anniversary Mass.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Clement Ceu Lian leads the prayer of the faithful in Chin, the native language of the Burmese community from Myanmar that was first invited into the parish by Msgr. Mullen 11 years ago.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

St. Patrick fifth graders Easter Par (left) and Ruth Par process down the main aisle during the parish’s 150th anniversary Mass.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Msgr. Michael Mullen proclaims part of the eucharistic prayer with the assistance of Father Mertes. Server Ryan Utaji looks on.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Father Mark Mertes, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Kansas City, Kansas, passes out pens and paper for Trivia Night on April 26.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann celebrates St. Patrick’s 150th anniversary Mass on April 28 with the assistance of Deacon Dave Cresswell, left, and St. Patrick pastor Father Mark Mertes, right.

‘GOD OPENED THE DOOR’

Abbey gets $5 million grant to expand local child care capacity

By Jack Figge OSV News

ATCHISON (OSV News) —

The state of Kansas awarded St. Benedict’s Abbey here a nearly $5 million grant to help fund the monastery’s proposal to partner with a local childhood learning center and increase much-needed child care facilities for the surrounding community.

Founded in 1857, the monastery has dedicated its mission to serving the educational and pastoral needs of the Atchison community.

“God opened the door to partner with a child care provider,” Dwight Stephenson, executive director of operations and finance for the monastery, told OSV News. “It’s not that we went out thinking that child care is what we want to be a part of, but the opportunity emerged to partner with a child care organization, and so we took it.”

In 2021, the abbey purchased 160 acres during an Atchison County tax sale. The property is adjacent to land already owned by the monastery and is the site of a former juvenile detention center that has existing structures which the monastery hopes to renovate.

“When we purchased this property, it was our intent to find uses for the land and buildings that would benefit the City of Atchison as well as Atchison County,” said Benedictine Abbot James Albers in a press release.

WE’VE RECEIVED LOTS OF VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM PEOPLE WHO NEED CHILD CARE ABOUT OUR PLAN AND PARTNERSHIP.

DWIGHT STEPHENSON

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCE FOR ST. BENEDICT’S ABBEY

“Our vision for this property is, of course, being good stewards, but more importantly, providing facilities where God’s love impacts the lives of these young people.”

The purchase came after the monastery began searching for options to expand its revenue streams so as to make the abbey more self-sustaining and less dependent on donors.

“About six years ago, there was a conversation within the monastery around the history of the monastery and the future of the monastery,” Stephenson said. “Historically, the monks were self-sufficient. But like many monasteries, over the years, they became more dependent on donors.”

“And so the discussion that took place was, ‘How do we want to move forward?’” he added. “So the decision was that if God opens the doors, let’s

look at opportunities to create sources of income that are in addition to the donations we receive.”

Soon after the land purchase, the monastery began looking for partners to help run the future facilities. The monastery connected with First Steps, a childhood learning center in Atchison.

After the partnership began, First Steps announced that it would be launching First Steps with Abbey, a nonprofit child care group that would manage and operate the future site.

“We’ve received lots of very positive feedback from people who need child care about our plan and partnership,” Stephenson said. “It’s one thing to see the state statistics; it’s another to have local families say, ‘Wow, this is going to be a blessing because I’m looking for affordable child care and I can’t find it.’”

In November 2023, the abbey learned of the Capital Projects Fund Accelerator, a Kansas state grant that awards money to organizations working to expand child care offerings. The monastery decided to apply for the grant, outlining its plan to use the money to renovate five existing buildings on the property.

“Most states have fewer child care or day care spots available than children. Within Atchison County, there’s a survey the state did, and it said that there are four children for every current child care spot,” Stephenson said. “This is a construction grant, and the

whole goal of it is to create these additional child care slots.”

The monastery was one of seven organizations the state awarded the grant to and was one of two to receive the highest grant level: $4,999,999.

“This grant will allow us to renovate these buildings and actually produce [an anticipated] 188 new child care slots,” Stephenson said. “Out of all the different grant applicants who received funds, we are producing the most child care spots.”

With the grant, the monastery hopes to renovate five existing buildings on the property, two of which are planned to be solely dedicated to child care offerings.

Once property renovations are complete, First Steps child care services are anticipated to begin late spring 2025. Stephenson shared that while this project sounds ambitious, it will allow the abbey to have a greater impact on the local community and continue its storied history of service.

“I think this project is going to . . . fulfill the state’s purpose, which is to create additional child care slots. But, as we’ve already seen, there is indeed a need locally for more child care,” he said. “And I think as some of the current projects that are in place around the city come to fruition, there will be that much more of a need, so this will be a great opportunity for the abbey to support our local community as it continues to grow.”

St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison has been awarded a nearly $5 million grant to help fund the monastery’s proposal to partner with a local childhood learning center and increase child care facilities for the surrounding community.

the month, brings together young adults for an evening of fellowship and meaningful conversations.

Young adult events like Parables and Pubs serve as on-ramps to parish life

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

OVERLAND PARK — It’s a Monday night at Brew Lab here, and the place is abuzz with live music and conversations.

A group of young adults blend in with the regular crowd, but their presence has a deeper purpose.

They’re gathered for Parables and Pubs, a monthly event that brings together young adults from around the Kansas City metro.

“It’s supposed to create fertile ground for deep conversations,” said Joe Passantino.

“The hope is that people feel not only called to come,” he continued, “but to bring their friend, family, coworker or neighbor that you might want to do a low entry or first step [into the faith with].

“It’s just a little bit less threatening than church can be sometimes.”

Passantino, minister for young adults at Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, launched the first Parables and Pubs event last July.

“The concept was borrowed from something I had seen work over in Ireland called Parables and Pints,” he said.

The evening offers live music, typically by JohnMarc Skoch, board games, prayer and a parable by Passantino that opens the door for deeper conversations.

It usually takes place on the second Monday of each month and draws around 40-60 attendees.

Abigail Gartland, a parishioner at St. Michael the Archangel in Leawood, co-founded Parables and Pubs and is in charge of hospitality and welcoming.

She explained the importance of offering events like this to young adults in Johnson County.

[PARABLES AND PUBS IS] A WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS A PLACE BECAUSE NOBODY IS REALLY SUPER SETTLED INTO A PARISH AT THIS AGE.

ABIGAIL GARTLAND

PARISHIONER AT ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL, LEAWOOD

“It’s hard,” she said, “because we’re at such an interesting age where some of us are single, some of us are married, some of us have kids, some of us are in [the] seminary.

“We’re all over the place, but we’re all the same age.”

Gartland said it can be difficult to find fulfilling friendships after college or when moving to a new city.

She hopes Parables and Pubs combats the isolation young adults can feel.

“It’s a way to make sure that everybody has a place,” she said, “because nobody is really super settled into a parish at this age or has kids that go to the Catholic schools.

“We wanted to make sure that we had a place for everybody to come together.”

Passantino said the Parables and Pubs is just a starting point.

“The goal long term is to be an onramp to parish life,” he said. “It’s not just a neat event. But the goal is to push [the young adults] toward connecting to more people in church, and then, eventually being active in their parish.”

When young adults fill out a form on the Parables website, they’re asked to include their zip code.

Gilbert and Dorothy (Falk) Watowa, members of St. Benedict Parish, Atchison, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with a family dinner. The couple was married on May 16, 1964, at St. Benedict Church, Atchison. Their children are: Owen Watowa and Jeanette Stromgren. They also have one granddaughter.

Terry and Norma Stallbaumer, members of St. Michael Parish, Axtell, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 28 with a polka dance in Dubois, Nebraska. The couple was married on May 4, 1974, at Sacred Heart Church, Baileyville. Their children are: Dawn Richardson, Shannon Stallbaumer, Kristin Throckmorton, Nicholas Stallbaumer and Jaime Rut. They also have 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

“Our long-term hope is that someone from [their] parish eventually reaches out to them,” said Passantino, and asks them to participate in parish life.

“I think personal invites are the way for young adults to get to know Jesus,” he continued. “If they can come to a bar and get a personal invite to have a deeper faith, I think that’s a good first step.”

Parables and Pubs wouldn’t be as successful without Brew Lab.

“I knew that the missing piece to make that happen was a bar that was willing to partner with us on some level or let us use the space,” said Passantino.

While he was having lunch at Brew Lab, his friend suggested considering it for the event.

“I talked to the general manager there, and she ended up being a former student from Aquinas,” said Passantino.

She was happy to host the group, and Passantino came to find out that one of Brew Lab’s owners is a professor at Benedictine College in Atchison.

The staff has been more than welcoming.

“It’s a slow night for them,” said Passantino, “so they allow us to bring our own music and do a parable halfway through and pray.”

Gartland encourages young adults ages 21 to 35 to consider coming out to the next Parables and Pubs event.

“It is very low stress,” she said. “It’s very laid back but also a fun event.

“I encourage people to come and try it and get to know us. We want to have you there.”

The next Parables and Pubs event is scheduled for May 13 at 7 p.m.

Young adults who are interested in attending future events can fill out a form and stay updated online at: kcascension.org/parables.

Albert and Sharon (Johnson) Kuckelman, members of St. Matthew Parish, Topeka, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with a family dinner on May 19. The couple was married on May 16, 1964, at Assumption Church, Topeka, by Father Edward Hays. Their children are: Lisa Gold, Lawrence; Danny Kuckelman, Berryton; and Jeff Kuckelman, Avon, Connecticut. They also have four grandsons.

Judith and Dennis Mereghetti, members of Curé of Ars Parish, Leawood, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 11. The couple was married on May 11, 1974, at Redemptorist Church (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) in Kansas City, Missouri. Their children are: Melissa, Matthew and Michael. They also have eight grandchildren. They will celebrate with a trip to the Bahamas with family.

PHOTO BY JOE CONRAD

Clare Coleman partakes in a Parables and Pubs event at Brew Lab in downtown Overland Park. The group, which typically meets on the second Monday of

One morning, I was half-listening to National Public Radio as I quickly prepared for an appointment. Into the shower, grab the coffee, find the toothbrush and, in the midst of this, bits and pieces of the day’s news.

Then, “StoryCorps” was playing. An independent nonprofit, StoryCorps exists to let people tell their stories. According to their website, since 2003, they’ve helped “nearly 700,000 people across the country have meaningful conversations about their lives.” These stories are housed in the U.S. Library of Congress.

The people who tell their stories are ordinary people, if any child of God on this earthly pilgrimage qualifies as “ordinary.”

My ears perked up when I realized the family talking in the story was journeying through the terminal illness of the family’s husband and father, who we learned at the end had died shortly after the recording was made.

His wife remarked that people would tell her they were hoping for a miracle. She resisted this, because she said, “My whole life has been a miracle,” referencing her relationship with this man she loved.

That line captured

Finding gratitude in what is given

my attention, and her comment infiltrated my whole day. I saw in her words the spirituality of gratitude. Because true gratitude, a very deep well, is profoundly spiritual. Sometimes in our contemporary culture, gratitude is portrayed as just another selfhelp scheme. You’ll be happier if you focus on thankfulness. At Thanksgiving, we enumerate our “thanks” at grace.

We focus on family, success, “stuff.” Our consumer culture tempts us to glide over the richness and depth of real gratitude and to feel thankful for material things and the completion of our ambitions.

Years ago, I belonged to a Jesuit parish on a university campus.

Our beloved young

pastor, Father Pat Malone, was quite ill. Because of treatments that had negatively affected his immune system, the day came when he could no longer celebrate Mass for us. I will never forget

a Sunday morning, walking down the sidewalk to Mass, when we saw Father Malone, standing on the hill above us, alone outside the Jesuit residence, where he could wave good morning but keep

a safe distance. It wasn’t long before he died, but in my memory, he stands there still, a solitary figure wanting to be one with his flock. After his death, a compilation of his

writings and homilies was published.

There was one line that I have carried with me ever since: “It is gratitude that ultimately asks one thing, but at a great price: Fall extravagantly in love with what is given.”

Twenty-one words I’ve pondered. It is one thing to be thankful for a good test result, the pay raise, the healthy baby. It’s another to find gratitude in the hard things, the standing alone in illness and being able to appreciate the miracle therein. What a great gift and challenge it is to fall extravagantly in love with that which is given. Can I fall extravagantly in love with the absence of a loved one? Can I accept with gratitude the givenness of old age, of defeats, of loneliness, of the memory of sins for which I have expressed sorrow and contrition?

And what does it mean, “at a great price?” What is the coin of this realm of gratitude?

St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, told us we can find God in all things. That means God is there in sorrow and joy, in loneliness and togetherness. To live into that is itself a miracle. If God is there, we are called to be thankful for God’s presence, no matter how high the price.

EFFIE CALDAROLA

Effie Caldarola is a wife, mom and grandmother who received her master’s degree in pastoral studies from Seattle University.

OSV NEWS PHOTO/SAM LUCERO, THE COMPASS

A file photo shows a prekindergarten student at St. Gabriel School in Neenah, Wisconsin, folding her hands in prayer before enjoying a Thanksgiving meal.

JoCo Serrans celebrate silver anniversary

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

LEAWOOD — The Johnson County Serra Club’s 25th anniversary may seem like a modest milestone — unless one considers the accomplishments in addition to counting the years.

The Johnson County Serrans did both during a Mass on May 2 at Curé of Ars Church in Leawood, followed by a dinner at nearby O’Neill’s Restaurant and Bar.

Serra Clubs are named in honor of early Spanish Franciscan missionary Father Junipero Serra, OFM, who established missions throughout California.

Serra Clubs throughout the United States support vocations to the consecrated life and the priesthood by assisting seminarians, priests and Sisters through various activities.

There was already a Serra Club in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas in the late 1990s — but it was all male.

Then-Archbishop James P. Keleher thought not only could the archdiocese use another one, but it would feature one important difference, said Father Bill Porter, first chaplain for the Johnson County Serra Club.

“Archbishop Keleher asked me to be the person to pull it together, to found a Johnson County Serra Club,” said Father Porter, now retired. “He wanted to have a club with males and females. . . . He wanted young couples from every parish in Johnson County. He was looking at a different demographic supporting vocations.”

Archbishop Keleher asked Father Porter to approach Mark and Lisa Ledom of Curé of Ars to be presidents, although only Mark is listed as first president, along with Father Porter as first chaplain.

Ledom was already a member of the Wyandotte County Serra Club, then one of the largest in the United States, but he enthusiastically answered the call.

“I started putting together people

and friends I knew at [my parish] Curé of Ars,” said Ledom. “We did all the paperwork. . . . Our goal was to be the largest Serra Club in the United States. We just missed it by 10 people. Our goal was 99 members in 1999.’”

The charter Mass for the Johnson County Serra Club was held on April 26, 1999.

Dee [Herbert] Green, then a member of St. Pius X Parish in Mission, became the first female president in 2002. Green, now living in Lafayette, Louisiana, became a charter treasurer-elect of the club when founded.

“One of the things we did . . . was visit the seminarians at Conception Abbey, Mundelein [near Chicago] and Kenrick-Glennon [in St. Louis],” she said.

“Conception would be a day trip, and Kenrick-Glennon would be overnight,” she continued. “We’d share in Mass, morning prayer and meals, and get to know the seminarians. We’d take them out for dinner. It was a real bonding with them.

“It was very touching that seminarians from other dioceses would come up and thank us for being present and showing that the church cared about them and their vocations.”

Dale Romme, of Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa, is the current president of the Serra Club. His term runs until April 2025.

“I was honored to be asked to be president of the club,” said Romme. “I strongly believe in our Catholic faith as a way of life. . . . It’s best when we have priests who are leading us through the sacraments and challenging our spiritual path in life, helping us to be better persons.”

“I’ve always had a fondness for priests and have appreciated them,” Romme continued. “They’re godly men. If I can help the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas to recruit and retain our seminarians, and support our priests, that’s something I want to do.”

Romme hopes that others share his convictions and consider joining the Serrans.

“I’d like to invite Johnson County Catholics to explore what Serra is. We meet at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursdays of each month at Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood,” he said.

“Explore what Serra is,” he continued. “If they feel a call to support seminarians, priests and women who have a calling to consecrated life, and want to foster holiness in their lives, they should join Serra.”

Former Mount St. Scholastica prioress dies May 2

ATCHISON — Sister Mary Collins, 88, a Benedictine Sister of Mount St. Scholastica here, died May 2 at the monastery.

Sister Mary was born in Chicago, on Sept. 16, 1935. After graduating from Mount St. Scholastica College, she entered the Benedictine Sisters in Atchison in 1957. She taught high school for several years before beginning her doctoral studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington. After earning her Ph.D. in liturgical theology, she taught religious studies at Benedictine College and the University of Kansas.

In 1967, she became an associate professor of religious studies at The Catholic University of America and in 1983, became chair of the department of religion. After a short period in North Carolina, she returned in 1987 to The Catholic University of America, where she taught until she was elected prioress of Mount St. Scholastica monastery in Atchison in 1999.

A significant figure in the broader world of Benedictine women, she was first councilor for the Federation of St. Scholastica for 12 years and a consultant or author for many of their documents. Sister Mary was a member of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) and belonged to several professional theological organizations. She wrote, collaborated on or edited a large number of articles and books on religion and liturgy for which she was widely known.

Sister Mary also received many awards, including honors from the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, the Notre Dame Center for Pastoral Liturgy and the North American Academy of Liturgy.

Sister Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Lauretta and Homer Collins, and a brother, Michael Collins. She is survived by her brother John Collins, Oak Brook, Illinois.

Sister Mary Collins, OSB

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Father Scott Wallisch, chaplain of the Johnson County Serra Club, celebrates the club’s 25th anniversary Mass on May 2 at Curé of Ars Church in Leawood. Joining him are past Serra Club chaplains — Father Gary Pennings (left) and Father Bill Porter (right).

Priests of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph pray during the Mass. The majority of the through the clouds at this moment as the sun began to set.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MOIRA CULLINGS

Bishop James V. Johnston elevates the chalice during the consecration of the Mass at Behold KC.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MOIRA CULLINGS

Participants pray the rosary as it is led by various religious Sisters from Kansas and Missouri.

Bishop Johnston celebrates Mass at an altar set up on an overlook of the World War I a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade and rally. Organizers

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Archbishop Naumann, assisted by Father Anthony Saiki, rector of the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Kansas City, Kansas, lifts the monstrance containing the Eucharist, blessing the crowd at the end of the night.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Camped out on blankets and lawn chairs on the memorial lawn, the thousands of Catholics gathered bundled up as the weather grew chillier throughout the evening.

Archbishop Naumann distributes the Eucharist eral priests dispersed throughout the lawn

Thousands show up to eucharistic event in downtown KC

>> Continued from page 1

He was told that a total of more than 100 priests and deacons from Kansas and Missouri were there, but again, some simply showed up for the Mass.

“I was told there were 8,000 here in 1941, and this crowd looks very similar . . . . I don’t know, but there’s a lot of people here,” said Deacon Nearmyer.

Traffic continued to rush down nearby highways and occasionally a wailing siren from a police or emergency vehicle bounced off surrounding buildings.

The site of Behold KC, however, resounded with prayers, hymns and songs.

people’s minds.

“I also want to say as I close that it is not lost on me that the last time I was here was for the Super Bowl parade,” said Butker. “We all saw how excitement turned into tragedy, and that day a wonderful Catholic wife and mother died due to senseless and degenerate violence.

Check out even more photos on page 10.

Like lighthouses, the golden bell tower of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception could be seen to the north, and the ornate red-brick bell tower of Our Lady of Sorrows Church was visible in the east.

The grace of Behold KC was like a healing balm in a place that had less than three months earlier witnessed horror. Just downhill and across West Pershing Road, next to Union Station, was where the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade shooting took place on Feb. 14.

The first speaker, Chiefs place kicker Harrison Butker, knew the shooting was on

“Lisa Lopez-Galvan was a proud Catholic and it is through the shared faith in our eucharistic Lord that makes her death that much more tragic. Today, we can honor her life by embracing our Catholic faith and never being afraid to proudly proclaim, ‘Jesus Christ is king’ to the heights.”

Those who gathered were diverse in heritage, ethnicity and age, but united in purpose. Many parents brought their children, including Dan and Josie Werkowitch, members of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish in Overland Park.

“I thought it was a unique experience I didn’t want to pass up, and I wanted to give the kids a chance to see it as well,” he said. “We have five — and one on the way.”

While Josie Werkowitch wanted her family to benefit from the experience, she also wanted to support the whole Catholic community.

“It’s a community event to support the community,” she said. “[The kids] are very

excited. They’re excited to be on the hill and see everybody.”

The Werkowitches said the Behold KC seemed well organized and “parking was not an issue.”

An altar had been set up above the Great Frieze and it was there that Mass was celebrated. Archbishop Naumann was the homilist and Bishop Johnston was the main celebrant, with more than 100 priests concelebrating.

Following the Mass, Bishop Johnston carried a monstrance containing the Eucharist down the steps for a short procession. This was followed by adoration and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

“Each week from Sunday Mass,” said Archbishop Naumann in his homily, “you and I — we are sent on a mission to bring God’s love to the world, to transform the world — not with power or military arms or money or things money can buy, but with servant love. We are called to transform the world with the love of the One who died on the cross.”

As eucharistic adoration ended, the thousands of faithful gathered their things and filtered out into the city to do just what Archbishop Naumann had asked — to go out on their mission to transform the world with the “love of the one who died on the cross,” the Lord Jesus Christ.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MOIRA CULLINGS the day was overcast, but the sun broke

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE Choirs from parishes and schools in both dioceses performed for the crowd throughout Behold KC.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE Museum and Memorial. Archbishop Naumann was the homilist, and more than 100 priests concelebrated. Just three months earlier down the hill by Union Station, Lisa Lopez-Galvan lost her life during hoped Behold KC would be a day of healing for the Kansas City community.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MOIRA CULLINGS

Eucharist to a woman during Mass. Sevlawn to bring Communion to the crowd.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE Knights of Columbus stand facing the Liberty Memorial tower during eucharistic adoration.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MOIRA CULLINGS

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann (closest to monstrance), Bishop James V. Johnston and priests of both dioceses kneel in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament near the end of the evening. The altar, lit up against the darkening sky, could be seen from miles away across downtown Kansas City.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MOIRA CULLINGS

Priests from Kansas and Missouri flocked to plywood confessionals set up along the edges of the memorial lawn to offer the sacrament of reconciliation.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Harrison Butker, kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, makes a surprise appearance, speaking to the crowd about his love of the Catholic faith.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Bishop Johnston leads a short eucharistic procession in front of the crowd of Catholics as the sun sets over Kansas City, Missouri.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Behold KC participants chat during a break in the action. Although the day was jam-packed, participants also had time for fellowship.

Catholic Rural Life marks a century

By Anna Wilgenbusch OSV News

ST. PAUL, Minn. (OSV News) — April 15 was an unusually warm spring day in Belle Plaine, Minnesota. Jim Glisczinski’s worn farm boots compressed the soft, freshly unfrozen ground as he walked toward his new John Deere planter. The complex machine will help him plant his 1,700 acres more precisely and with less seed and fertilizer, if it works.

“This is one of the times you pray,” he said as he passed a barn housing heifers and hay bales. Behind the barns, soybean and corn fields spilled beyond the horizon. The steeple of St. John the Evangelist of Union Hill punctuated the landscape. Glisczinski attends Mass at St. John when he doesn’t go to his longtime parish of Our Lady of the Prairie in Belle Plaine.

For the past 100 years, Catholic Rural Life has ministered to Catholics like Glisczinski who live and work in a rural setting. As part of his involvement with the organization, Glisczinski hosts seminarians at his farm every fall to learn about farm equipment. The St. Paulbased national organization receives support from 80 dioceses.

Although it now has members in 45 states, CRL began with just one man. Father Edwin O’Hara grew up on a farm in southeast Minnesota, near Lanesboro. Father O’Hara attended St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul and was ordained in 1905 by Archbishop John Ireland.

As a young priest, he was sent to France to serve as a chaplain during World War I, where he met many young American soldiers from rural communities. Father O’Hara realized that although they said they were Catholic, they did not know their faith. He returned to the United States with the conviction that rural communities needed to be evangelized, said James Ennis, executive director of Catholic Rural Life.

“Our organization was founded by someone who had a real passion and vision for rural ministry,” Ennis said. “Since 1923, the organization has been promoting Catholic faith in rural America.”

Ennis said that over its century-long

existence, the mission of the organization has not changed — but the way it ministers has evolved. While it focused on establishing Catholic schools in rural areas in its early days, it now has many apostolates, such as providing retreats for rural priests, seed for farmers in need, community for college students with a rural background and educational opportunities for Native Americans.

The shortage of priests has taken a toll on rural America, with many parishes combining with others into “parish clusters” under one pastor. This forces rural pastors to travel between multiple communities for their ministry, Ennis told The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“[Rural] priests are stretched very thin,” Ennis said. “They’re feeling a little isolated.”

To help overworked rural pastors, CRL hosts retreats to share best practices and provide rural pastors with a community.

Father Stan Mader, pastor of St. Joseph in Waconia, has helped lead retreats for rural pastors since 2020. CRL received a grant from the Indianapolis-based Lili Endowment, a private philanthropic

organization, to start the program.

Loneliness is “one of the many concerns” that rural pastors bring up at the retreats, Father Mader said, along with finances, parish staffing, not understanding farm life and not having an internet signal in extremely rural areas.

The retreats remedy that sense of isolation by providing time for fellowship among the priests and by encouraging participants to attend several follow-up web seminars in the year after the retreat.

In addition to fellowship, the retreats center on prayer and panel discussions about best practices in rural ministry. In past retreats, Christopher Thompson, academic dean and professor of moral theology at St. Paul Seminary, has spoken about how the theology of creation relates to farming.

Father Mader encourages rural priests who do not know about farming to take a ride in a combine or tractor to get a sense of farm life and talk to farmers. He said that participants in the retreats often say, “I wish I had known this from day one.”

Father Mader said that it is often difficult for priests to step away from their ministries to attend the retreats

in person, since there is not another priest in their area to fill in for them. To make the retreats more accessible, there are plans to deliver the retreats online in the future with an annual in-person gathering in the Twin Cities.

When Jenna Reinert, 21, arrived at Kansas State University in Manhattan in fall 2021, she felt overwhelmed. The campus was four times the size of her hometown of Colby where she grew up on farmland and attended school with the same cohort of peers from kindergarten through high school.

“I don’t feel like I belong,” she recounted thinking. “I just wanted to find my people.”

Throughout her first year of college, Reinert connected with other freshmen from rural settings who felt the same way. With the guidance of Father Gale Hammerschmidt, the pastor of St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center, Reinert decided to begin a CRL campus chapter.

Reinert, who serves as the chapter leader, hopes that the chapter will provide a faith-based community for students who come to the university from rural settings.

“One of our long-term goals is building the community and allowing these kids that are coming in as freshmen to feel seen and understood,” Reinert said. She hopes the Catholic center, where the CRL chapter meets, will be “a place where you can feel seen, known and loved” by others from a rural background.

Reinert’s chapter is one of 31 chapters across the U.S. — a figure that Ennis hopes will double in the next five years. The need to evangelize rural areas is “needed more now than it was 100 years ago,” Ennis said.

“Secularization has impacted rural [life] as much as it’s impacted urban areas, so there is a real challenge there; rural areas need to be re-evangelized,” Ennis added. “The need today could not be greater for ministry in rural America. On this hundredth-year anniversary, the emphasis is around celebrating the 100 years of ministry, but also sharing a vision for the next 100.”

OSV NEWS PHOTO/DAVE HRBACEK, THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Jim Glisczinski looks over his new planter on his farm near Belle Plaine, Minnesota, on April 15. Farmers like him can receive material and spiritual support from Catholic Rural Life, which celebrates 100 years in May.

EMPLOYMENT

Receptionist/secretary - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking to hire a part-time receptionist/ secretary. Responsibilities include operating the main switchboard; receiving all calls and visitors to the chancery; sorting mail and other clerical duties as assigned. For more information and to apply, go online to: arch kck.org/jobs, scroll down to “Current job openings” and scroll down to “Openings in our archdiocese” then scroll down and click on “Receptionist/Secretary.”

Licensed civil engineer - CES Group, Inc., is seeking a licensed civil engineer to join our growing team. The ideal candidate will possess a professional engineer license for Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska or be willing to acquire license in these states. Applicant will administer projects related to transportation, public works, municipal sanitary sewer and water. Relocation is not required with opportunity to work remotely. CES Group, Inc., offers health insurance, paid time off and Simple IRA retirement plans. To apply, send cover letter and resume to: aholthaus@cesengineering.com.

Music/band teacher - Manhattan Catholic Schools is looking for a K - 4 music teacher and a 5 - 8 band teacher or to split into two part-time positions for the 202425 school year. Applicants can apply online through the MCS website at: www.manhattancatholicschools. org or contact principal Mike Hubka at: mhubka@ manhattancatholicschools.org or call (785) 565-5050.

Teachers - Prince of Peace School, Olathe, a faith-filled school of excellence, is hiring for the following positions for the 2024-25 school year: fourth grade teacher and a Spanish teacher for grades 3 - 8. Qualified applicants seeking to help children learn and grow closer to Christ should apply online at: archkckcs.org and scroll down and click on “Apply” then click on “Teachers” and then click on the link that says “Access here” and then email a resume to: Jane Shriver, principal, at: jshriver@ popolathe.org.

Teachers - Holy Trinity School in Lenexa has the following openings: second grade, fifth grade and art (firsteighth grade) for the 2024 - 25 school year. Interested applicants should complete the teacher application process online at: www.archkckcs.org and click on “Apply” then click on “Teachers” and then click on the link that says “Access here” and then email a resume to principal Scott Merfen at: smerfen@htslenexa.org.

Behaviorist position - Ascension and St. Michael the Archangel schools are looking for a full-time behaviorist to be shared between the two locations. Responsibilities include: implementing behavioral interventions; writing student behavior plans, supporting classroom teachers; providing teacher training; and collecting and analyzing behavioral data. Experience working with children is necessary and BCBA credentials are preferred. Applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Becky Wright at: bwright@acseagles.org and/ or Diana Tate at: diana.tate@stmichaelcp.org.

Scientific equipment technician - Would you like to make a difference in a small growing company? Seeking individuals looking for flexible part-time work maintaining and preparing small equipment for our family company which has been in the local area for over 40 years. Service is completed at customers’ locations locally and within a four-state area. Dependable transportation is a must. Positive attitude, dependability, time-management and self-motivation skills, as well as being quality- and customer-oriented are required. Mostly on-the-job training. Electrical knowledge a plus. Please send resume to: Yourcareer101@gmail.com.

Administrative assistant - St. Joseph Early Education Center in Shawnee is seeking a full-time administrative assistant. Interested individuals should email cover letter and resume to Kristan Mora at: KMora@stjoeshawnee. org. For more information, call (913) 631-0004.

Kitchen manager - St. Joseph School in Shawnee is seeking a full-time kitchen manager. This position prepares menus, meals, orders necessities and manages kitchen staff for the grade school. State guidelines and regulations are to be followed. To learn more about this position or to apply, please send cover letter and resume to Kelcy McCauley at: kmccauley@stjoeshawnee. org or call (913) 631-7730.

Maintenance staff member - Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa is seeking a maintenance staff member. This staff member will have primary responsibility for daily cleaning and light maintenance of the church building. This person will assist with other maintenance responsibilities on the Holy Trinity campus as needed. This position is approximately 35 hours per week and qualifies for archdiocesan benefits. A full position description and application can be found at: htlenexa. org/job-openings. Interested applicants should return a completed application to: dleikam@htlexexa.org or 9150 Pflumm Road, Lenexa, KS 66215.

Community and family ministry leader - St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee is seeking a part-time community and family ministry (CFM) leader. This leader would be responsible for nurturing and guiding a ministry and evangelism strategy that provides vision, skills and community for single, engaged and married people. The leader will lead a ministry task force responsible for executing this initiative to invite and move church and community through outreach and ongoing engagements into Growth Journeys where relationship skills content is delivered/transformed. The leader will also serve as St. Joseph’s chief liaison with our Communio church strategist. Interested applicants should email resumes to Veronica Quinn at: vquinn@stjoeshawnee. org or call (913) 244-3909.

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 Anne at (913) 8940131, ext. 102.

Accounting assistant - Holy Trinity Parish, Lenexa, is seeking an accounting assistant. This person will assist the parish accountant with maintaining the financial, tithing, payroll, and employee benefits records and systems for the parish, including the school and early education center. An associates or bachelor’s degree in accounting is preferred. The position requires a working knowledge of QuickBooks (or similar general ledger accounting system), Excel, accounts payable processing, journal entry recording and bank reconciliations. Experience in payroll processing and budgeting would be a plus. Position is 20 hours per week. A full position description can be found at: https://htlenexa. org/job-openings. Interested applicants should submit cover letter and resume to: skutney@htlenexa.org.

Communication coordinator – St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee is seeking a full-time communications coordinator. The communications coordinator will coordinate and support the St. Joseph Campus with communication projects. This position will work closely with the school principal, EEC director and parish office to develop and implement communications strategies, media relations, social and digital media, article writing, video production, advertising/marketing initiatives and other communication support as needed. A successful candidate should be Catholic, with strong relationship skills and the ability to work in a collaborative setting. The overall goal for this position is to promote St. Joseph Catholic Campus as the go-to source for relevant, reliable, evidenced-based information. Interested applicants should email resumes and cover letter to Father Scott Wallisch: frscott@stjoeshawnee.org or call (913) 631-5983 for more information.

Make a meaningful impact today - Join L’Arche Heartland as a Direct Support Professional in our residential homes. Contribute to the empowerment and enrichment of adults with developmental disabilities as they engage in meaningful lifestyles. We have immediate full-time positions available. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes 100% coverage for medical, dental and vision expenses. Conveniently situated in downtown Overland Park. Training provided. Apply now by visiting our website at: www.larcheks.org/join-out-team or by emailing: james@larcheks.org.

Victim care advocate - The office of protection and care is seeking to hire one full-time care advocate, who would be responsible for providing support and resources to victims and their families. For more information and to apply, online to: archkck.org/jobs and scroll down to “Current job openings” and scroll down to “Openings in our archdiocese” then scroll down and click on “Victim Care Advocate.”

Scientific equipment technician - Would you like to make a difference in a small growing company? Seeking individuals looking for flexible part-time work maintaining and repairing small equipment for our family company which has been in the local area for over 40 years. Service is completed at customer’s locations locally and within a four-state area. Dependable transportation is a must. Positive attitude, dependability, time management and self-motivation skills, as well as being quality- and customer-oriented are required. Mostly on-the-job training. Electrical knowledge a plus. Please send resume to: Yourcareer101@gmail.com.

After-school care lead teacher - Nativity Parish School is looking for an after-school care lead teacher for our day school and grades K - 5. Applicants should be at least 18, and have previous teaching or assistant teaching position in a licensed early childhood program. Must be Virtus trained and CPR/first-aid certified. Hours are Monday - Friday from 3 - 6 p.m. with one Tuesday a month 1:45 - 6 p.m. Please contact Katie.King@kcnativity.org.

Catholic school elementary principal for Resurrection School - Are you a passionate and visionary leader looking to make a difference in the lives of young learners? Do you thrive in diverse, culturally rich environments? Resurrection Catholic School in Kansas City, Kansas, is seeking a joyfully Catholic school leader with demonstrated skill in the academic and spiritual formation of students. With a board of trustees, the principal will lead a team to advance the school’s academic licensure in educational leadership. Ideal candidates will be fluent in English and Spanish, but Spanish-speaking not required. Apply online at: archkckcs.org/apply and scroll down and click on “Principals.” For more information, contact Dr. Vince Cascone, superintendent, at: vcascone@archkckcs.org.

Caregivers needed - Daughter & Company is looking for compassionate caregivers to provide assistance to seniors in their home, assisted living or in a skilled nursing facility. We provide sitter services, light housekeeping and light meal preparation, organizational assistance, care management and occasional transportation for our clients. We need caregivers with reliable transportation and a cellphone for communication. We typically employ on a part-time basis, but will strive to match up hours desired. Contact Gary or Laurie at (913) 341-2500 if you want to become part of an excellent caregiving team.

Principal - Holy Cross School in Overland Park is seeking a dynamic, faith-filled principal for the2024-25 school year. This individual will lead a team to serve 2000 students in preschool through eighth grade. Students come from 39 zip codes. The student body is diverse, with 27 countries and 4 languages represented. For more information, contact Martha Beisser, secretary, at: mbeisser@holycrosscatholicschool.com. To complete an online application, go online to: arch kckcs.org/apply.

Full-time youth minister - Church of the Nativity, Leawood, is seeking a full-time youth minister to join the Christian formation team. This position will oversee ministry to middle school and high school parishioners, as well as young adults. Qualified applicants should have at least two years’ experience in youth ministry or qualifying degree and have or be willing to receive Virtus training and a background check. Send a resume and cover letter to: jobapplication@kcnativity.org.

Youth and young adult minister - St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee is seeking a full-time youth and young adult minister. The candidate would be responsible for nurturing and guiding teens and young adults, have an evangelism strategy that provides vision, skills and community. The successful candidate will have excellent organizational and communication skills. Interested applicants should email resume and cover letter to Veronica Quinn at: vquinn@stjoeshawnee.org or call (913) 244-3909 for more information.

Bookkeeper/accountant - Queen of the Holy Rosary, Wea is seeking a full-time bookkeeper/accountant. Three years’ experience with QuickBooks and advanced experience with Excel as well as hands-on experience with payroll and benefit software systems desired. Please contact: mpetz@qhrwea.org for complete job description and application. Compensation commensurate with experience.

Faculty and adjunct faculty job openings - Donnelly College, Kansas City, Kansas, a Catholic college offering higher education for those who may not otherwise be served, is a Catholic college offering higher education for those who may not otherwise be served. Faculty job openings - no current openings. Adjunct faculty job openings - adjunct instructor for Nursing. Find job descriptions and details at: www.donnelly.edu/careers.

Now hiring - drivers and aides - Assisted Transportation is hiring safe drivers and aides to transport students in Johnson and Wyandotte counties, in company vans. Drivers earn $14 - $16 per hour. Part-time and full-time schedules available. CDL not required. Retirees are encouraged to apply. Make a difference in your community by helping those in need! Call (913) 262-5190 or visit www. assistedtransportation.com for more information. EEO.

Maintenance technician - Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood is looking for a full-time, 40 hours per week, maintenance technician with a strong work ethic. We prefer a candidate with knowledge in landscape maintenance. This individual will also have general maintenance skills, including basic electrical and plumbing. This position also includes setting up for events. A maintenance technician is a thorough professional with attention to detail. The ideal candidate will be able to work autonomously and responsibly. The candidate needs to be able to lift 50 pounds and work off a ladder or lift. All employees are required to be Virtus-trained and background-checked. This position may include some weekend and evenings as needed. Competitive pay, including benefits, vacation/sick time and 401(k) with match. Interested candidates should send a resume to the facilities director at: matt.rocca@cureofars.com.

Staff job openings - Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, a Catholic college offering higher education for those who may not otherwise be served, has the following staff job openings available: front desk receptionist, director of development, part-time front desk receptionist and admissions counselor. Find job descriptions and details at: www.donnelly.edu/careers.

SERVICES

KC creative photography - Quinceañera, weddings, family and videography. We offer great results and can build a package for your budget. Contact: www. kc-creativephotography.com. Spanish - (816) 2251330, ask for Yeny; English - (816) 509-6024, ask for Sebastian. Text or call.

Garage door repair expert

New Garage Doors Garage Floor Coatings A Total Door Inc., Since ’83. Leaven discount joe@atotaldoor.com; (913) 236-6440

Stone painting - We are offering FREE ESTIMATES to any and all that are interested in painting this summer! We do interior, exterior house painting along with decks, fences, and much more. At Stone Painting we ensure professional quality and cheap services tailored to your needs. Call now at (913) 963-6465, or go online to: stonepaintingkc.com.

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

MIKE HAMMER MOVING - A full-service mover. Local and long-distance moving. Packing, pianos, rental truck load/unload, storage container load/unload. In-home moving and office moves. No job too small. Serving the KC metro since 1987. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, parishioner. Call the office at (913) 927-4347 or email: mike@mikehammermoving.com.

Concrete construction - Tear out and replace stamped, stained or colored patios and drives. Retaining walls, footing, poured-in-place safe rooms, excavation and hauling. Asphalt drives and lots. Fully insured; references. Call Dan at (913) 207-4371, or email: dandeeconst@ aol.com.

Ros painting - Transforming your home one paint coat at a time. Over 20 years of residential and commercial interior and exterior painting. Reliable, professional and affordable. Insured. Call or text Ramiro today for a free estimate. (913) 579-5016.

Double A’s Lawn Service Lawn mowing, Mulching, Gutters, Leaf Removal Brush Removal & Hedge Trimming Free Estimates & Insured Alex Spoerre (913) 488-5195

Catholic counseling - Sam Meier, MA, LCPC - (913) 952-2267 and David Walter, MA, LCPC - (913) 9522267. Book an appointment online at: StillWatersKC. com, in-person or telehealth.

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.

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.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

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.

Popcorn ceiling texture removal Call Jerry at (913) 206-1144. 30 years’ experience. Interior painting specialist. Member St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.

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

REAL ESTATE

We are local people who can buy your house - Big companies from all over the nation come here buying houses, but that’s not us. We are parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish and we enjoy giving you personalized service. We can offer you a fair price and are flexible to your needs. If I can help, call me, Mark Edmondson, at (913) 980-4905.

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

WANTED TO BUY

Cash paid - for old tools, old jewelry, old furniture, military items, fishing lures, hunting items, old crocks, arrowheads and old signs. I buy all kinds of older things — house or barn contents, an estate or just one item. Call Patricia any time at (913) 515-2950. Parishioner at Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa.

Wanted to buy

Do you have a car or truck that you need to get rid of? If you do, CALL ME! I’m a cash buyer. We’re Holy Trinity parishioners. My name is Mark. (913) 980-4905.

Wanted to buy - Antique & Collectibles: jewelry, military items, railroad, sterling, OLD holiday/toys and more. Renee Maderak (913) 475-7393. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.

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

Wanted to buy - I buy coin collections, military items, pocket watches, jewelry, class rings, old toys, holiday items and more. Cash in hand. Call Kirk at (913) 2139843.

FOR SALE

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

For sale - Two plots at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas. Located in section 3 Old, lot 126, plots 6 and 10. Flat markers only. Contact Ann at (913) 620-5687.

>> Classifieds continue on page 13

DAUGHTERS OF ISABELLA

LITTLE FLOWER CIRCLE 503

Mater Dei-Holy Name (chapel)

1114 S.W. Tenth Ave., Topeka

May 11 at 10 a.m.

We will participate in Mary’s Holy Hour and May crowning. If anyone knows of a member or family member of Daughters of Isabella in need of the circle’s prayers, call Shirley Gustafson at (785) 230-2473.

CALLED TO LOVE AGAIN: DIVORCE SUPPORT

Holy Spirit Parish

11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park

May 11 at 6 p.m.

Do you feel as if you will never heal? Wondering if you’re ready for a relationship? Join us once a month at 6 p.m. for fellowship and formation. For details, send an email to: Katie@thecall2love.com.

BREAKFAST WITH THE KNIGHTS

Divine Mercy Parish

555 W. Main St., Gardner

May 12 from 8:30 - 10 a.m.

The breakfast will include eggs, sausage and gravy, pancakes and drinks. Join us for great fellowship. The cost is $6 for those over the age of 13 and free for ages 12 and under. Proceeds are used for charitable works, such as scholarships and other giving throughout the year.

ROSARY RALLY

Holy Spirit Parish

11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park

May 12 from 3 - 4:15 p.m.

Please join us to honor Our Blessed Mother and Our Lady of Fatima. We will pray the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the rosary followed by Benediction and the opportunity for attendees to enroll in the brown scapular. For driving instructions or future dates for the Kansas City monthly rosary rallies, visit the website at: www.rosaryrallieskc.org.

ST. ISIDORE FEAST DAY: MASS AND BLESSING OF SEEDS AND SOIL

Christ’s Peace House of Prayer 22131 Meagher Rd., Easton

May 15 at 10 a.m.

Join us for a day in honor of St. Isidore, the patron saint of farmers. The day will begin with Mass, followed by a rosary procession to the St. Isidore Shrine. Bring seeds and soil in a small, decorated basket to be placed at the altar for blessing. The day will end with lunch and fellowship. A freewill offering will be taken up to support the center. To attend, send an email to: info@ christspeace.com or call (913) 773-8255 to let us know how many will be attending.

HOT DOG POTLUCK

Most Pure Heart of Mary (Culhane Room)

3601 S.W. 17th St., Topeka

May 16 5 -7 p.m.

The Christian Widow and Widowers Organization will host a hot dog dinner. There is no cost to attend. For more information, call Gen at (785) 230-2473.

‘IN THE SCHOOL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’ Christ’s Peace House of Prayer 22131 Meagher Rd., Easton May 17 - 19

The Holy Spirit is essential to our Christian life and his help is needed for us to progress on the path on which God leads us. Join us as we use Jacques Philippe’s book, “In the School of the Holy Spirit” as a guide to help get to know the Sanctifier of our souls. Learn to be more attentive to the movements of the Holy Spirit in your life. When we follow his promptings, we become holy like Mary was, by always saying yes to God. There are conferences, spiritual direction, eucharistic adoration, Mass, confessions, and time for a private prayer, reflection and walking. Cabins/ courtyard rooms: $170 single/$250 couple or single guest rooms: $100 (meals included). To attend, fill out the individual retreat form at: ChristsPeace.com or call (913) 7738255.

SPAGHETTI

DINNER AND BINGO

St. Patrick Parish (center)

1086 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kansas

May 18 at 6 p.m.

Dinner will include spaghetti with a meatball and Italian sausage, bread-stick, salad, dressing, and tea or lemonade. The cost is $12 for adults and $7 for kids. Bingo will be $12 for 10 games. The average prize is $75 per game and average blackout (last game of the night) is $250. For more information, call Fritz at (913) 515-0621.

DAUGHTERS OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES ASSOCIATION

Church of the Nativity

3800 W. 119th St., Leawood

May 18 from 9 - 11 a.m.

The Daughters of St. Francis de Sales have been inviting women to practice virtues and holiness in everyday life for over 150 years. Come reflect with us as we share meditations on the Acts of the Apostles in the tradition of Salesian spirituality after Mass. All materials are provided, and coffee and light refreshments will be served. To attend, contact Ruth Owens by email at: rowens4853@gmail.com or Barbara McClung by email at: willabird1960@ gmail.com or call (816) 535-4531. For additional information, visit the website at: www.sfdsassociation.org.

BEREAVEMENT MEETING

Curé of Ars Parish (Father Burak Room) 9405 Mission Rd., Leawood

May 18 after the 8 a.m. Mass

The bereavement ministry will have a grief support meeting in the Father Burak Room after Mass. The topic will be “Grief and Secondary Losses.” For more information, call (913) 649-2026.

PENTECOSTAL HEALING OF BODY AND SOUL

Sts. Peter and Paul Parish 411 Pioneer, Seneca

May 19 at 3 p.m.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, with reflection by Father Joel Haug followed by individual anointing and prayer for physical and emotional needs by priests and the Encounter ministry team. There will also be a personal encounter with Jesus in the monstrance followed by Benediction.

WIDOWED WOMEN OF FAITH

Perkins Restaurant (back room)

1720 S.W. Wanamaker Rd., Topeka

May 21 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Join other “widowed women of faith”

for lunch and companionship. No RSVP needed, just come. Please invite other widowed women of faith. We meet every month on the third Tuesday. Questions? WidowedWomenofFaith@gmail.com or call (913) 558-0191.

CHRIST THE KING FAMILY REUNION

Christ the King Parish and School

3027 N. 54th St., Kansas City, Kansas

May 25 at 4 p.m.

Join us as we give glory to God for the decades of faithful service to the body of Christ in the work of education and formation. As our school concludes its final year, alumni, families, teachers past and present, and all other friends of Christ the King School are welcome to join us for Mass followed by our final Sloppy Joe’s feast — picnic style. Bring your own drinks and a side to share. Please purchase dinner tickets in advance: $5 per person or $15 per family. Register online at: ctkkcks.org or call (913) 287-8823.

MANDALAS

Keeler Women’s Center

759 Vermont Ave., Suite 100-B May 28 from 1:30 - 3 p.m.

Make and personalize a mandala that shows your characteristics and helps define who you are and what is important to you. The decorations, keepsakes, mementos, jewelry and trinkets we keep are important because we’ve chosen them and they tell about us. Bring a few of these items and you will draw a mandala using them as ideas. The items will not be used in the mandala, just used to generate ideas. Come and be creative!

PROJECT RACHEL RETREAT

Location given after registration June 1 from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Weighed down by a past abortion? Struggling to forgive yourself? Beating yourself up for the choice you made or someone made for you? Guilt and shame do not have to be a life sentence. Treat yourself to a confidential Saturday retreat with Project Rachel in a judgment-free environment where it is safe to talk. Continental breakfast, lunch and materials are provided. To register, go online to: project rachelkc@archkck.org or call/text (913) 6212199.

WILLS AND TRUSTS: CREATING YOUR LEGACY

Church of the Ascension (St. Mark Room)

9510 W. 127th St., Overland Park

June 5 at 5:30 p.m.

What is the difference between a will and a trust? How can I avoid probate, and what exactly is probate? How can I leave money or assets to my church, school, archdiocese or a favorite charitable organization? The presenter will be Casey Connealy. There will be a light snack/social gathering from 5:30 - 6 p.m. The presentation will begin at 6 p.m.

ESTATE PLANNING 101 WORKSHOP

Christ the King Parish (Yadrich Hall)

5973 S.W. 25th St., Topeka

June 6 from 7 - 8 p.m.

Attorney Vincent Cox, of Cavanaugh, Briggs & Lemon, P.A., will give a presentation on Estate Planning 101. Register online at: www.cfnek.org/events/estate-planning-101 or call Mitch Nolan at (913) 647-3070.

SUMMER THEATER AND CHOIR CAMPS

Bishop Ward High School

708 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas

June 10 - 14 (theater grades 3-5)

June 17 - 21 (theater grades 6-8) June 24 - 28 (choir grades 6-8)

From 7:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Come join Bishop Ward’s summer theater and choir camps. For our theater camps, students going into grades 3 - 5 can join us June 10 - 14 and students going into grades 6 - 8 can join us June 17 - 21. Students will play theater games and learn a one-act play. For our choir camp, grades 6 - 8 can also join us June 24 - 28 from 7:45 a.m. - 1 p.m. Cost is $150 and includes a T-shirt, breakfast and lunch daily, and a free ticket to Bishop Ward’s fall musical. To register and for more information, go online to: www.wardhigh.org/page/ youth-summer-camps.

SOCCER CAMPS

Chieftain Park, Tonganoxie

June 17-21

St. Joseph School, Shawnee

June 24-28

These camps will be coached primarily by Benedictine College players and coaches. They are for ages 3-12. Time for ages 3-6 are 8:15 - 9:15 a.m. and cost $80. Times for ages 7-12 are 9:30 a.m. - noon and cost $130. For more information, call (913) 3600394. Sign up online at: ggsoccer.futi.no.

SPANISH FAMILY CAMP

Prairie Star Ranch

1124 California Rd., Williamsburg June 28-30

The archdiocesan evangelization office again is offering Summer Camp Number III for Hispanic families. Camp Tekakwitha provides this camp for the 12 parishes that have Hispanic communities. The cost is per person and is $155. The deadline to register is May 14. Register online at: arch kck.org/camp-tekakwitha/family-camps.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

SUMMER CAMPS

St. Thomas Aquinas High School 11411 Pflumm Rd., Overland Park May - August

Our summer camps give students entering grades K - 8 the chance to discover their potential in both sports and other activities: STEM camp, art, baking, cheer and more! Camps fill up fast, so register today online at: www.stasaints.net/athletics/summer-camps. For questions call the student life office at (913) 319-2416 or send an email to: btriggs@stasaints.net.

BISHOP MIEGE 50TH REUNION

Class of ’74

Looking for the class of 1974 Bishop Miege alumni. If you know someone who graduated from Miege in 1974, give them this information. Plans are underway for the reunion. We are looking for contact information (bios, photos and reunion registration fees) for some of our classmates. For up-to-date information, go online to: www.facebook.com/BMHS1974Reunion. Organizers’ emails are as follows: Janet Hostly Schlake at: jschlake55@gmail.com (reunion organizer); Maureen Reintjes at: deskside2@yahoo.com (send contact information to Maureen); and Steve Faltermeier at: steve.faltermeier@gmail.com (golf tournament).

>> Continued from page 12

CAREGIVING

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

CNA - Can provide home care for those needing assistance. Available Monday - Friday, days or nights. Serving Shawnee, Lenexa and Overland Park. 20 years experience. Call Serena at (913) 526-0797.

Companion and respite care - Retired RN seeking part-time day work caring for your loved ones. Willing to do companion and/or respite care. Light duty nursing, no lifting. Prefer Overland Park , Leawood area. Call Mary at (913) 710-5412.

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. Home-care - Available Monday - Friday days or nights. Serving Shawnee Mission, Gladstone and Overland Park. Background check and references available. Call (913) 999-4340.

PILGRIMAGE

Pilgrimages - May 14-22, 2024; June 16-28, 2024 (Poland and Medjugorje); Aug. 9-17, 2024; and Dec. 27 - Jan. 4, 2025. Are you being called? Hosted by visionary Mirjana Soldo. Call Grace Legaspi for details at (913) 449-1806.

DAILY READINGS

SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER

May 12

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

Acts 1: 1-11

Ps 47: 2-3, 6-9

Eph 1: 17-23

Mk 16: 15-20

May 13

Our Lady of Fatima Acts 19: 1-8

Ps 68: 2-3b, 4-5acd, 6-7b

Jn 16: 29-33

May 14

MATTHIAS, APOSTLE

Acts 1: 15-17, 20-26

Ps 113: 1-8

Jn 15: 9-17

May 15

Isidore Acts 20: 28-38

Ps 68: 29-30, 33-36b

Jn 17: 11b-19

May 16

Thursday

Acts 22: 30; 23: 6-11

Ps 16: 1-2a, 5, 7-11

Jn 17: 20-26

May 17

Friday

Acts 25: 13b-21

Ps 103: 1-2, 11-12, 19-20b

Jn 21: 15-19

May 18

John I, pope, martyr

Acts 28: 16-20, 30-31

Ps 11: 4-5, 7

Jn 21: 20-25

MATTHIAS

first century

Matthias was the replacement for Judas Iscariot in the Twelve Apostles. Two men, Matthias and Joseph Barsabbas, met the condition set down by Peter in the Acts of the Apostles (1:21-22): That he “accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us.” After praying first, the apostles chose Matthias by drawing lots. Later traditions had Matthias evangelizing in Judea, Cappadocia (now Turkey) or Ethiopia, before being martyred. Perhaps more reliable is the early writing of Clement of Alexandria, who said Matthias insisted on the importance of mortification and was among the 72 disciples sent out by Jesus in the Gospels.

I’m relieved to be writing this column from the safety of my home office, away from those watchful eyes in the kitchen. The “watchful eyes” belong to a photo of my mom looking at me from a bookcase shelf.

Although it will be five years next month since she died, I can still hear her warning voice, “Don’t you dare write about me in the paper!” Sorry, Mom, it’s Mother’s Day on Sunday and all bets are off.

The older I get, the more I find myself quoting things my mom said. I use one phrase so frequently that my parish staff and friends have begun using it, too. The words are “high tone” and meant “something fancy” to my mom. For example, she’d order an elaborate dessert and when it was placed before her, she’d coo, “Oh, isn’t that high tone”?

In fact, when Mom died, I picked out a simple wooden casket

Dial M for Mother

FATHER

MARK GOLDASICH

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

crafted by the Trappist monks in New Melleray Abbey in Peosta, Iowa. It suited her and, while beautiful, was definitely not “high tone.”

Every Mother’s Day, I reread this little story with a smile: It was the start of a new religious ed year at the parish and a little girl was going to recite a Scripture passage that she’d memorized for the occasion. When she got to the front

MARK MY WORDS

and saw hundreds of eyes staring at her, every line that she’d rehearsed faded from her mind and she stood there unable to utter even a single word.

Her mother, seated in the front row, hurt for her daughter. The mom gestured and moved her lips, trying to mouth the words to her child — all to no avail.

Finally, in desperation, the mother whispered the opening phrase of the Scripture passage: “I am the light of the world.”

Immediately, the girl’s face lit up, she smiled and said with supreme confidence, “My mother is the light of the world!”

The congregation burst into laughter but afterwards reflected that the little girl’s words were not wrong, for to her children, a good mother really is the light of the world. (Adapted from a story in “Illustrations Unlimited,” edited by James S. Hewett.)

Even though my mom would probably agree with that story, she’d want me to move on, lest this column get too “mushy.”

So, to balance things out, here are a couple more mom stories of a lighter nature from “Illustrations Unlimited”:

• A little boy was talking to the girl next door and said, “I wonder what my mother would want for Mother’s Day.”

The girl replied, “Well, you could promise to keep your room clean and orderly. You could brush your teeth after eating. You could come right away when she calls you. You could stop fighting with your brothers and sisters.”

The boy shook his head and said, “No, no! I mean something practical!”

• After dinner on Mother’s Day, a mom was washing the dishes when her teenage daughter wandered into the kitchen. Horrified to see her mother at the sink, she exclaimed, “Oh, Mama, you shouldn’t have to do dishes on Mother’s Day!”

The mother, touched by her daughter’s thoughtfulness, was about to take off her apron and hand it to her, when the daughter added, “They’ll keep till tomorrow.”

If you are so fortunate as to still have your mother, pamper her on her special day, especially with something “high tone.” If your mom has passed away, remember her in prayer and maybe take some flowers to her grave. Let’s strive to honor these “lights of the world” by keeping alive their example. And, Mom, I love you! You always practiced what I preach!

Before ascending, Jesus gives first Christians their marching orders

This is a Sunday of beginnings and endings. We hear the very first words of the Acts of the Apostles — and then, moments later, the last words of the Gospel according to Mark.

Both focus on the Ascension — a moment that ties together two remarkable parts of our salvation, marking the end of Christ’s earthly ministry but the beginning of an epic adventure that will change the course of history.

And it starts with just one word: “Go.”

DEACON GREG KANDRA

Deacon Greg Kandra is an award-winning author and journalist, and creator of the blog “The Deacon’s Bench.” He serves in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York.

This is what it’s all about. What we hear in Mark’s Gospel is nothing less than Jesus

giving the first Christians their marching orders.

“Go into the whole world,” he told them, “and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” He urged them to baptize, to teach, to carry on the work that he had begun. The world is waiting. Act on what I have taught you, Jesus said. Put it into practice. Go!

If that weren’t enough, the account in the first reading, from Acts, offers another challenge — to the disciples and, importantly, to us.

After his followers watched Jesus disappear into the clouds, two men appeared and

asked a question: “Why are you standing there looking at the sky?”

The apostles didn’t have a ready answer. But that question hangs in the air and seems to be asking, really: What are you waiting for? Get going.

The followers of Christ were not supposed to spend their time staring at the clouds. There was a world waiting to hear the Gospel. So the apostles left the mountain, went into the city and, days later, launched the greatest missionary undertaking in human history — one that has never ended.

And it started with just one word: “Go.”

Go! Transform the world. Preach the Gospel. Leave the world you know. Put out into the deep! Baptize. Heal. Carry out this abiding mission of love. Or, as the familiar dismissal puts it at the end of Mass, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord with your life.”

Do we understand what that means?

The message of the Ascension, I think, is very simple: Do not stay too long on the mountain, looking up. Instead, look around. Look at what lies before you.

Get ready. There is work to do. Go!

Ignite the fire of faith in people’s hearts, pope tells religious

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Religious men and women need to be setting people’s faith on fire, not stamping it out, Pope Francis said.

“It makes me sad when I see religious who seem more like firefighters” than men and women who are ardently filled with the flame of faith and ready to share it with others, he told representatives of congregations founded by St. Magdalene of Canossa during an audience at the Vatican April 29.

Members of the Canossian Sons of Charity, also known as the Canossian Fathers, and the Canossian Daughters of Charity were holding their general chapters in Rome with the theme: “The one who does not burn does not set on fire!”

Reflecting on their theme, the pope encouraged them to set people’s faith ablaze and, “please, no firefighters! We already have too many.” The pope encouraged the Canossian family’s collaboration with each other and with laypeople, “who are

increasingly active and involved.”

During the same audience, the pope also greeted members of the Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel, who were attending their general chapter in Rome April 3-May 1. He praised their great international diversity, calling it a “richness” given to them by God.

“Uniformity in a religious institute, in a diocese, in a lay group, kills,” he said. “Diversity in harmony makes one grow.”

Support, pray for those carrying the cross of infertility

By Katie and John Meinert Special to The Leaven

St. John Paul II calls children the crowning glory of a marriage — the crowning glory. So when they don’t come to be, it is a real frustration of marital love and causes deep suffering.

This suffering drives the multibillion-dollar fertility industry. It is only from such a place that people would subject themselves to that level of manipulation, financial hardship and grief explained in the earlier two articles. The fertility industry preys upon deep desires and broken hearts to make a tidy profit.

In the face of the suffering of infertility and the injustice of the fertility industry, we must, as a church, do better accompanying infertile couples.

Oftentimes, they feel abandoned and ignored by the church. In fact, many infertile couples feel the pain of infertility even more acutely as Catholics because of the

church’s commitment to openness to life. Other Catholics can assume they are contracepting and dismiss them as bad Catholics. They deserve better.

Rather than the injustice of the fertility industry, there is NaPro Technology which works to heal the underlying causes of infertility and cooperates with women’s bodies. (Its success rate for achieving pregnancies is significantly higher than IVF).

On the other hand, NaPro is not a panacea. Children are, and will always remain, a gift

freely given or withheld by God. We owe infertile couples the full support of the church — not only because they are particularly vulnerable, but also because we are committed to remembering and accompanying those who suffer.

Here are some practical tips to accompany infertile couples:

1. Acknowledge their suffering. You can’t do anything else until you have done this. Avoid easy platitudes that minimize or diminish their suffering.

2. Give infertile couples space to confide in you. Allow their suffering to affect you. Only love can alleviate the isolation caused by suffering.

3. Offer to pray for them, and ask if there are any particular saints you could ask for intercession.

4. Don’t ask why they don’t have children (or when they will or when they will have more). It will only add to their suffering, especially in a crowd. Being a good married Catholic has nothing to do with the number of kids you have; rather, it’s intimately related to willingness to accept them as gifts from God.

5. Don’t complain about pregnancy, birth or your baby around them. An infertile woman would cut off her arm to have morning sickness. Her wildest dreams involve staying awake all night soothing a baby. Your suffering is also incredibly real but know your audience.

6. Let them talk about their pets. Infertile couples know even better than you do that their dog or cat is not a human. They know it deeply and painfully.

7. Ask if they want to hold your baby. Maybe they do,

maybe they don’t. 8. Don’t isolate them. Invite them into your domestic life (including baby showers), but show understanding if they decline.

It takes strength and dedication to remain faithful to church teaching in the face of suffering when technocracy promises results with IVF. When infertile couples choose this path of faithfulness, they are a powerful witness against the technocratic manipulation of nature and children.

Carrying the cross of infertility is a powerful image of the dignity of the body, of marriage and of children. Men and women doing this deserve our support and accompaniment.

To find out more about NaPro, go online to: https:// naprotechnology.com.

Katie Meinert, M.A., from the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, and John Meinert, Ph.D., an associate professor of moral theology at Benedictine College in Atchison, are residents of Atchison and have been married for 15 years.

Part 3 of 3

Be sensitive to couples having infertility problems. Don’t complain about pregnancy, birth or your baby around them. Your difficulties are their dream.

FAITH IN BLOOM

Left, A “Quo Vadis” formal dinner was held by Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on April 7 at the Embassy Suites in Olathe. Couples and families, including Sacred Heart pastor Father Jaime Zarse and his parents Bob and Alicia, shared with the crowd their personal stories of hardship, resilience and faith. Other participants also shared their stories of faith and perseverance.

Below, Kaelyn Harper, an eighth grader at Most Pure Heart of Mary School in Topeka, had the honor of crowning Mary at the school’s May Crowning on May 3. The eighth and second graders were dressed up in their confirmation and first Communion attire, and the eighth grade led the school in a rosary before the crowning. An all-school Mass followed.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Naumann kicks off the 43rd annual Ben & Betty Zarda Family Golf Classic on April 29 with a prayer and a blessing. The event, which benefits Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, was held at Canyon Farms Golf Club, a premiere golf destination in Lenexa.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann congratulates his grandniece Emily Naumann after confirming her on April 15 at Presentation Church in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Emily’s sponsor is Maggie Miller.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER