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St.
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parish
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of the bvm parish parish newsletter
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Inside 2 A Look at Some
Creative New Ways to Live Stewardship During Pandemic
3 Keeping One Another in Prayerful Support as We Complete Our Enhancement Project
6 Pope St. Pius X: A
Modern Traditionalist
7 Retreat to the Father’s Will By NATHAN FRANKART
Celebrating Our
Church Enhancement Project at St. Joseph
T
o ring in the 50th year of the current St. Joseph building, Fr. Timothy O’Connor wanted to do something really special. In 2017, preliminary planning began on a large-scale enhancement project. Formal planning began in early 2018. The project is now complete, and no one could be more excited than Fr. Tim. “Everything turned out better than expected,” Fr. Tim says. “But we’d still like to raise another $500,000. This would put us in a good place to not have any debt from the project.” From an expanded gathering area to an enhanced music area, Fr. Tim is
proud of it all. He is thankful to the many parishioners who have been so generous in their contributions to the project. He is also thankful for the great work and vision provided by Ziska Architecture and John G. Johnson Construction, which serves as the construction manager. “One example of an area that turned out better than I expected is the music area,” Fr. Tim says. “The former music area was on a flat level. We have added risers to make our choir sound even better. People will be happy with what they hear and what they see.” Fr. Tim was the driving force to get this project started. He reflected back to his first continued on page 4
St. Joseph Parish 200 Saint Joseph Drive Amherst, OH 44001 (440) 988-2848 stjosephamherst.com Nativity of the BVM Parish 333 South Lake Street South Amherst, OH 44001 (440) 986-7011 nativitysouthamherst.com
August 2020 Church pews and choir section
A Look at Some Creative New Ways to Live Stewardship During Pandemic
A
s the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our way of life, the Catholic Church continues to find new ways to serve the people of God. It has indeed been quite a year, one filled with unprecedented challenges. But thanks to the abundant graces God continues to pour out, as well as the many gifts He has given us all, Church leaders and Catholics around the country have stepped up to face these challenges head-on. From the creation of new ministries, to the use of new technologies, to the brainstorming of new ways to keep our faith alive, Catholic parishes are continuing to be present for everyone in their community, while keeping parishioners engaged, involved and connected in the era of social distancing. Here are just a few of the creative ways parishes are dealing with the crisis: •
Evangelization and Staying Connected: Pastoral efforts by priests and parish staff to reach out to parishioners by phone, email and social media have reinforced a sense of parish as community despite physical separation.
•
New Ministries: Many parishes have created new ministries in response to the pandemic, including groups such as sanitization ministries, mask-making ministries, livestreaming ministries, and social media ministries. Several parishes have also set up commentator ministries, through which a parishioner makes announcements before and after Masses to provide guidance on new procedures as parishioners enter and leave the church.
•
Evolving Ministries: Traditional ministries are adjusting procedures. Ushers are wearing face masks and holding the doors open at the entrances so that others don’t touch the doors, and they are pointing out the location of offertory baskets, which cannot currently be passed around the pews. Also, some ministries are serving double duty. For example, lectors are carrying up the cross during the processional — a task traditionally handled by altar servers, who are not able to serve for the time being at many locations. One parish decided to suspend its greeters ministry to keep members safe, but the members of the parish stewardship committee
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stepped up to assume this important hospitality ministry at Masses. The committee members wanted to lead by example, so they are ensuring several committee members are there before and after Mass to greet and bid farewell to Mass attendees. They’re also taking “head counts” at each Mass to ensure the parish follows all safety protocols. Talk about spiritual teamwork! •
Mass Enhancements: Some parishes have brought in musicians to accompany the choir — usually reserved for special liturgies like Christmas and Easter — to enhance the worship experience during these unnerving times.
•
Using Technology to Worship: Since most parishes have removed missalettes and hymnals, many have utilized phone apps for Mass attendees to follow the readings and music on their phones.
•
Using Technology to Meet: Online meetings on platforms such as Zoom between pastors and ministry leaders have also become the norm. In fact, they are becoming so popular that some pastors have said parishioners want to continue the online gatherings, even as Masses and other activities in their locations have resumed.
•
Using Technology for Faith Formation: Many online, home-based catechetical resources have become available over the past six months, and many incredible faith formation programs are being offered at no or little cost to parishes. There are many free formation resources online, such as programs from Our Sunday Visitor (osv.com), Ignatius Press, FORMED.org and more.
The creative new ways Catholics have continued to be intentional disciples and live the stewardship way of life have been nothing short of amazing. The possibilities, the level of creativity, and the resources available for Catholics are endless during these trying times. Without a doubt, God has given us the gifts to come up with these amazing new ways to answer the call of stewardship. Even in the face of adversity, there is no limit to how individuals and parishes can discover new ways to give their time, talent and treasure back to God and their parish community!
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A Letter from Our Pastor
Keeping One Another in Prayerful Support as We Complete Our Enhancement Project Dear Members of St. Joseph and Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parishes,
I
thought that I would use this August Parish Newsletter as an opportunity to update everyone in both of our parishes about what is happening with the St. Joseph Church Enhancement Project. I am writing this on July 14, so by the time that you read this in August, there may be some further developments. But right now I can tell you that the heavy construction will be completed by July 31. To follow will be the completion and fine-tuning of the sound system, the installation of the induction loop hearing system, the installation of the video screens with their projection equipment, and the re-installation of the organ and the grand piano. In talking with a number of parishioners, and not knowing where this COVID-19 pandemic will be taking us, the St. Joseph Social Hall seems to be the safest place for us to celebrate Masses on this campus at the present time. Our maintenance team members are doing a fabulous job making certain that the chairs — which are metal and can be efficiently sanitized, and are socially spaced in their layout to accommodate individuals, couples and families — and all touchable surfaces are disinfected before every Mass
on weekends and on weekdays. I am very grateful to our maintenance team members for their diligence. And rather than moving back into a newly finished church, which would need to continue with the sanitizing routine, including the newly cushioned pews — and not being able to welcome everyone back at full-occupancy, and having to rope off and tape off sections to achieve proper social distancing — it seems preferable to delay our re-entry until it is safe to really celebrate this when we can all be together again. In the meantime, during the month of August, I would like to host opportunities for parish leaders and parish members to tour the finished project and see for themselves the results of the Church Enhancement Project. So many St. Joseph Parishioners have made financial gifts for this project. And I want you to see firsthand what your contributions have enabled to happen. Two reactions that I am hearing already are: 1) “Wow! This is even more than I imagined it would be!” And 2) “It still looks like our church, only better!” And for those St. Joseph parishioners who have not as yet made a financial gift, I am hoping that you will want to
do so now and be a part of this historymaking venture. We need to raise another $500,000 in addition to the already-raised $1.4plus million so that we can finish this project with no long-term debt. And I am hoping that once everyone has the chance to see this completed project, we will be able to do this. Three items for later dates, or if additional money is raised, are: 1) the installation of the stained glass windows in the Gathering Area entrance way, 2) the construction of a new steel bell tower to house our two original bells plus a digital carillon, and 3) a new digital organ to replace our aging 25plus year-old instrument. With you, I am praying daily for an end to this COVID-19 pandemic. May God guide those in research to discover a vaccine and a remedy for this invisible enemy. And in the meantime, let us keep each other in our prayerful support and our loving readiness to serve. Gratefully in Christ,
Fr. Timothy J. O’Connor, Pastor page 3
Celebrating Our
Church Enhancement Project at St. Joseph continued from front cover Mass at St. Joseph about five years ago. When the hospitality is so important for a vibrant parish, organist visited with Fr. Tim before Mass on and making sure everyone can experience the a bright summer day, Fr. Tim said, “I think Mass is an important part of the equation. someone forgot to turn the lights on.” He “This has been an amazing was surprised to find they were already on. undertaking,” Dan says. “Just like when “It was always such a dark church, you have a house that is 50 years old, you even on a summer afternoon,” he says. “I are going to have some upgrades you want think people got used to the darkness. To to do. People are going to be amazed when have the place illuminated, you can read they see the work that has been done.” the hymnal, see the sanctuary.” “When people who have not as yet So, light is another one of the many made a pledge-gift see the completed project, enhancements at St. Joseph Parish that Fr. Tim I think that they will want to contribute and be a is so excited to reveal. part of this,” Fr. Tim says. “The lighting is one of the best enhancements,” Close-up of the Fr. Tim is so pleased with the marble in the Fr. Tim says. “With better lighting, people can see tabernacle table sanctuary and the tile work. He just thinks everything better and with a better sound system, people can looks so much more beautiful. hear better.” “Like any parish campus of our age, there is plenty of July and August included many finishing touches like work still to be done,” he says. “As funds become available, completion of the sound system; padding on the pews; our continuing improvement will be ongoing.” reinstallation of statues, Stations of the Cross, furnishings in the Fr. Tim has also been pleased with the work Ziska Reconciliation area and a deep cleaning. Architecture, the John G. Johnson Construction Company, Many of the most exciting enhancements involve ensuring and the skilled team of trades and professions that enabled this that St. Joseph is more compliant with the Americans with project to take place so smoothly. Disabilities Act (ADA). Those with hearing devices can sync to “I also want to remember Tom Ziska, the father of Rick the sound system and adjust the sound on their own. In addition, Ziska,” Fr. Tim says. “Tom passed away on 14 October, there are also cutouts in pews so that people using a mobility 2019. He was a big part of this project. Rick has picked up device can sit with their families. The sanctuary is also raised, this project with his whole heart. Our construction team is which helps everyone be able to see better. also marvelous.” “We have a cross section of ages at St. Joseph, but we do The more that Fr. Tim talked about enhancements that have a high concentration of senior citizens,” Fr. Tim says. “We could be made, the more parishioners began noticing areas want to give gratitude to our senior citizens. That is one reason for improvement. In particular, Fr. Tim is excited about the we now have a larger gathering area and a canopy with a drop- expanded platform around the altar and the overall design, off area.” among other things. Parishioner and Pastoral Council Chair Dan Bullock “Everything was so well thought out,” he says. “The whole is excited about the ADA enhancements. He believes church is so much more beautiful.” article continued on back cover
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Church Enhancement Project at St. Joseph continued from page 4
Outside, new canopy and entrance — some landscaping still needed
Entryway to parish office, opposite chapel hallway
Choir section awaiting organ and audio installations
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Church Enhancement Project at St. Joseph continued from page 5
The baptismal font at the back of the church
Pregnant Madonna shrine
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Church Enhancement Project at St. Joseph continued from page 6
Newly padded seats
Gathering area, communications center and possible coffee bar
In the beginning was the Word - the Word was made flesh - and dwells among us
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Church Enhancement Project at St. Joseph continued from page 7
View from the altar back to the updated confessional
Fr. Tim‘s new confessional door
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Gathering area, as seen when exiting the church
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Church Enhancement Project at St. Joseph continued from page 8
Entryway to chapel and social hall
Divine Mercy shrine
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DE MO
RN TRADITIONAL
Pope St. Pius X A
O
n Aug. 21, the Church commemorates the feast of a great saint — St. Pius X, the peasant boy who became the Vicar of Christ. St. Pius X is a wonderful saint for our times because he effectively and definitively worked for a balance between upholding the Tradition and Faith of the Church and adapting to the Modern Age. St. Pius X — Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto — was born as one of eight children into an impoverished peasant family. He pursued God’s call on him to the priesthood from an early age. Even as a young priest, he possessed great personal and pastoral skills. In addition to his deep holiness and virtue, St. Pius had a passion for defending and preserving the truth of the faith, which he carried with him into his pontificate. As pope, he gave as his motto: “Instaurare Omnia in Christo” — “to restore all things in Christ” — a mission proclaimed not a moment too soon. Already in Europe, secular governments, social institutions, and the mass media were driving the faith out of public life and education, all the while upholding individual freedom — understood as unlimited license — as the ultimate good. Worst of all, these philosophies had made their way into the minds of many clergy and Catholic laity, who claimed that modern science had discredited many dogmas of the Church. They proposed a new Christianity based what they called the “religious experience,” a continually changing and evolving human experience that would in turn continually transform the meaning of Catholic teachings. The problem was that the new teachings proposed by these page 10
IST
modernists contradicted the very foundations of the faith established by Jesus Christ. Fortunately, the Holy Father saw through the modern theories immediately and exposed the false doctrines, all the while acting with extreme discretion and pastoral charity. Pope Pius X reminded us that God, the Author of both faith and reason, and in Whom there is no contradiction, cannot allow science and true religion to contradict. Moreover, he declared that all the essential teachings of the Catholic faith and of Scripture could be defended rationally, and he encouraged the faithful to study the faith and read the Scriptures daily. While Pius X spent much of his pontificate defending Catholic dogma from the threat of Modernism, he recognized the need for legitimate modern reforms within the Church. For instance, he initiated the codification of Canon Law, because the laws of the Church had little organization up to that time. He reformed the administrative offices of the Church. He also reformed the Liturgical Calendar, giving precedence back to the Sunday liturgies, which were too often being trumped by celebration of the daily saint’s feast. Pius X initiated a renewal in liturgical music, as well, bringing back Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony to their primary place within the liturgy. Two of this saint’s most noted acts are reassigning the time of First Communion of children to the age of reason (about 7 years), and of advising and promoting daily Communion, saying, “Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to Heaven.”
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Retreat
to the Father’s Will
By NATHAN FRANKART
P
eace of Christ to you! I was looking through my photo album on my phone for something fun to attach to my article this month, and I know that I am probably going to end up regretting this decision, but I choose this one. I was really looking for a good photo of myself in the church before our enhancement project, but for whatever reason I went with my First Communion photo — enjoy. Since August has come yet again, my summer break is coming to close, but this year it will close in a different way than years prior. As I have already mentioned, I will be returning to Borromeo as an upcoming senior, and with that comes new responsibilities and ways to serve the seminary community. But in order to prepare and be ready to serve that community in the fall, myself and all the other Borromeo seniors will be packing our bags and making our way to a little town known as Alverno, which is right across the border in Pennsylvania. Here, with the generosity of the Franciscan Capuchin community, we will be not only bonding as a class, but taking a group retreat together to reflect and pray about how we are to serve the seminary and our brothers this year as leaders of the house. And you don’t need me to tell you about all the surprises and new challenges that my class must face together. But this highlights the importance of prayer before undertaking a serious role of service and sacrifice. Jesus often would pray in solitude away from His disciples throughout His ministry, and then return to his disciples and to the people to perform miracles and works of healing. Jesus’s sacrifice in the Passion was first initiated
at the Mount of Olives, where he intensely prayed for the will of the Father to be achieved. And thus, the Borromeo seniors and I will go out to do the same. We will gather together in this reflective time to understand how the Father wishes us to lead the house this year, and it will be an intense three-day experience. I humbly ask for your prayers throughout the week of the 28th. May the Holy Spirit guide our conversation and bond us closer together in Christian brotherhood and love. page 11
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Fr. Tim O’Connor Serving Both Parishes Mass: Monday, 9:00 a.m. - St. Joseph Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. - Nativity of the BVM Thursday, 7:00 p.m. - St. Joseph Friday, 9:00 a.m. - St. Joseph Saturday, 4:00 p.m. - St. Joseph 5:30 p.m. - Nativity of the BVM Sunday, 8:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 5:00 p.m. - St. Joseph Confession at St. Joseph: Temporarily suspended due to COVID-19 precautions. Eucharistic Adoration (Chapel) at Nativity of the BVM: Temporarily suspended due to COVID-19 precautions.
Church Enhancement Project at St. Joseph article continued from page 4 As with any large project, there were a few setbacks, but these were easily managed. There was a gas line that had to be moved. Workers also found a storm sewer line and sanitary line that were not reflected in the planning documents. The City of Amherst helped work through the issue and two sewer lines had to be relocated. Fr. Tim is appreciative of Mayor Mark Costilow for his help with the issue. The precautions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic also set the project back a bit. Worker numbers had to be managed and personal protective equipment had to be obtained. Some of the construction items were also delayed because of the virus. “In God’s own providence, things were slowed down a bit due to COVID-19,” Fr. Tim says. “This gave us time to think through things. With no dedication set, we could take our time on finishing touches.” Dan realizes this is a financially and mentally challenging time for some people. He would like to ask
parishioners to consider a gift toward the project when their burdens have lifted. “It has always been about whatever you can give, and God will return that a hundredfold,” Dan says. When churches can allow full occupancy, Fr. Tim would like to have a large opening and dedication ceremony. “I am so glad with how this has all come together,” he says. “People will be very proud of it.”
Please visit our parish website at stjosephamherst.com to learn more about making a pledge toward the enhancement project.