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January 2021
Saints A Stewardship Parish
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Volume 18, Issue 1
Inside 2 The Challenge
of Discipleship
3 Forget the Resolutions...
Seize the Opportunities!
Catholic Schools Week:
4 All Saints Catholic
School Gala and Auction An Exciting Evening of Stewardship and Fellowship
6 The Great Catholic
Educator: St. Thomas Aquinas
7 Career Ministry at All Saints: Providing Help and Hope in Times of Need
Our Parish Newsletter: Spreading the news of Christ at work in our community.
Celebrating an Education Rooted in Faith at All Saints
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here will be a few changes to how All Saints Catholic School celebrates Catholic Schools Week this year, but the purpose remains the same — to recognize the benefits of Catholic education for our children as they grow in their faith to become disciples of Christ. The week will begin with a special Mass on January 31 to recognize the four pillars of excellence followed at All Saints School. “For the pillar of faith, we will have different prayer activities, such as the Living Rosary, held outside,” says Principal Shana Druffner. “For service,
we will have a food drive for Catholic Charities. Depending on COVID-19, we will make other plans for service activities.” The academics pillar will be marked with an internal Reading Bowl to replace the traditional Reading Bowl, which has been canceled. “We’re looking at doing a MiniVirtual Reading Bowl and other academic activities,” Mrs. Druffner says. All Saints Student Council is planning the activities that will include Dress-Up Day, Crazy Socks Day, and other events throughout the week. continued on back cover
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The Challenge of
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Discipleship
od calls us to give Him everything – our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind. This is the challenge of discipleship – a lifelong process of more fully placing our lives under the lordship of Jesus Christ. The reason that God can ask for such complete service from us is that He made us. Everything we have belongs to Him! This includes our intelligence, our physical ability, our artistic talent, our family, our finances, our government – anything we may typically think of as “ours.” It takes courage to recognize that we are not the masters of our possessions and ourselves. Furthermore, as Christians, we believe that because everything we have is a gift from God, we are called to give Him thanks. We express our thanks by using our gifts to further His kingdom on earth. This is the basis for our understanding of stewardship. We refer to “time,” “talent,” and “treasure” to differentiate between the various parts of our life that belong to God. “Time” is the duration of life that God has given us. “Talent” includes the special gifts or strengths God has nurtured in us. “Treasure” is what we have earned through our time and talent. Even though we identify these three aspects of stewardship, they are still part of the same Gospelbased concept. And even when we focus separately
on these parts, it should not signal that one is more important than the other. Instead, focusing on each aspect one at a time helps us to better concentrate on that area in our lives. Stewardship is, after all, an attitude. If our goal is to become better stewards, we must have a reason in our minds to do so. Here are the basics of a stewardship attitude: “God made everything!” A wholehearted trust that God made all things is essential to understanding stewardship. Recognizing God as the Creator is one of the most basic, profound beliefs of Christianity. “I am truly blessed!” It takes humility to truly acknowledge the goodness of God. Every great triumph and every little pleasure is a blessing from above, and every strong character trait we possess is a gift from God. “I believe I am to use God’s gifts for His glory!” What better way to thank God for His goodness than by using our gifts to glorify Him? We are not the owners of our time, talent, or treasure. But we are caretakers given the responsibility of spreading God’s kingdom on earth.
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A Letter from Our Pastoral Administrator
Forget the Resolutions... Seize the Opportunities! Dear Saints,
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ne of the most unforgettable years in our lifetimes is finally over and 2021 is here! With the new year, I recommend we forget the notion of making resolutions. This new year presents us with opportunities to practice faithful stewardship — that is, to view the start of 2021 as a time for opportunities instead of resolutions, and to choose to be the disciples we are called to be. The choice is ours, as it always has been. I know all too well that each New Year’s Day on January 1, we do more than just begin a new calendar year. We make all kinds of promises, articulate expectations, and express hopes, desires and dreams. I do not know who started that custom, but I do know I have spent years attempting with the best intentions to follow my own resolutions, only to become disappointed that most are forgotten all too soon. Therefore, it occurred to me that this year, I need a new and fresh approach to this. Perhaps we all need a new perspective. After all, is that not what faithful stewards are best at? The to-do list for 2021 should be seen as a list of opportunities to practice the discipleship intended by Jesus — not just at the beginning of each year, but each day throughout the year when presented with opportunities to be a Christian disciple. In doing so, we are practicing the stewardship way of life. Maybe this year, each of us will be open to embracing the connection between discipleship and stewardship. Discipleship and stewardship are indeed closely linked, so much so that it clearly defines our Catholic spirituality and touches every aspect of the life of the Church. I hope that the same vision is clearly in your sight — the moment of discovery that stewardship is a way of life, a defining moment presenting opportunities to live what we believe,
using our time, talents and treasure to reach others around us. Therefore, as we close out one of the most eventful years in modern history, and are at the start of a new year filled with promise and hopefulness, I ask you to join me in celebrating the opportunities that will present themselves during 2021. We need to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to them. They will be there when we least expect them. Our Lord’s call to be faithful stewards of the gifts we have been given is already echoing in our hearts as we have concluded a season of giving in which God’s gift to us, Jesus Christ, remains the perfect gift that keeps on giving to each of us. If we continue to receive our Lord with grateful hearts, we can respond in our own way of giving time, talent and treasure back as opportunities to become Christ for others. I know that 2021 will be a year of great interest in what will happen in the world around us, and new opportunities will abound. Wait for them. Look for them. Treasure them when they become known. While resolutions always seem to be good ideas, opportunities are often what God has chosen for us to experience so that our lives may be more whole and fulfilling. Can you think of a better way to start a new year than to forget the resolutions, and instead seize the opportunities God has waiting for us? Yours in Christ,
Fr. Alfonse Nazzaro Pastoral Administrator
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ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC SCHOOL
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An Exciting
ext month, our newly renovated Kamel Life Center will be transformed into a tropical paradise as All Saints Catholic School hosts its annual Gala and Auction on February 27. This year’s theme, “Havana Nights,” promises a fun and exciting evening of food, drink and dancing for all who attend! Providing a Catholic education for students in Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade, our parish school is certainly one of our most valuable ministries here at All Saints. With this night of stewardship and fellowship, we are given the opportunity to show our support for the school as a community. Each year, a committee of All Saints parents and community members comes together to plan the Gala and Auction evening. Our 2021 auction committee is being spearheaded by Lauren Tharpe. The committee receives support from Gabe Moreno, Director of Advancement and Mission at All Saints Catholic School. A lot of planning goes into these auction evenings, and Gabe is always excited to be a part of the process. “I enjoy getting to know the team members and building strong connections with them,” he says. “This year, we have a great team led by Lauren Tharpe, and I can’t wait to see how the auction comes to fruition.”
Funds raised through the event are used for a variety of purposes, including tuition assistance and capital projects like the fence and the new monument sign to be placed on the school campus. The money raised also helps close the gap between tuition paid and the actual cost of educating the students. In addition to providing valuable funding for our school, the auction also offers a great opportunity for fellowship in our community. “The auction is a wonderful night for guests to relax and have a fun night with dinner, dancing, and bidding on great items like Rangers tickets, vacation rentals, and time with Fr. Alfonse,” Gabe says. “There are always great items, great food, and great people to be with. The night of the auction is a blast! I love seeing all the smiles and genuinely happy people. Our community builds strong relationships and creates lasting memories at the auction.” Anyone is welcome to attend the Havana Nights Gala and Auction, and we love seeing so many parishioners, school parents, grandparents, alumni and friends gather at this beloved annual event. We hope that our community will once again come together to show their support for our parish school — and have a lot of fun in the process!
Attendees enjoy the carnival-themed 2020 All Saints Catholic School Gala and Auction.
We hope that our community will once again come together to show their support for our parish school — and have a lot of fun in the process!
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GALA AND AUCTION
Evening of Stewardship and Fellowship
“The annual auction is a long-held tradition here at All Saints,” Gabe says. “Early on in the school’s existence, the community realized that it takes everyone working together to have success. The annual auction is an opportunity for the entire All Saints community to come together, celebrate the wonderful things our school is doing, and raise muchneeded funds for the students of All Saints. “Stewardship comes in the form of time, talent and treasure,” he adds. “By attending the auction and showing your support for the school, you become an ambassador for the school and can help us spread the word about the great things that are happening here.”
The annual auction is an opportunity for the entire All Saints community to come together, celebrate the wonderful things our school is doing, and raise much-needed funds for the students of All Saints.
With COVID-19 restrictions in place, there are a limited number of tickets being sold for this year’s auction. Those who do not attend in person will have the option of participating in a virtual auction event. Anyone interested in helping or learning more about the auction may contact Gabe Moreno at gmoreno@allsaintsk8.org.
Safe Environment Tips:
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Understanding “Phishing”
t is time to talk about “phishing” again, and its entry into texting as well as email. Parishioners need to be diligent to avoid falling prey to these scams. This information was provided by KnowBe4, Spiceworks, and the IT Governance Blog. We thank them for sharing. Phishing (pronounced “fishing”) is the practice of distributing and publishing e-mail messages — and now text messages — to steal people’s data and infect their devices with malware. Most phishing attacks are sent by email, but now texting is infected too. How to spot a phishing email or text: Look at the sender’s email address or texting phone number, as this can help identify if the person is truly who they claim to be. Use of a public email address such as gmail.com or an area from other unknown parts of the world is a giveaway. If you receive an unexpected email or text from someone you do not know asking you to open an attachment, do not open it. As a general rule, if you are not expecting such an email or text, do not open it until you have verified the sender.
Phishing texts or emails often ask recipients to verify personal information or create a sense of urgency about being in urgent need of financial help. These are warning signs. If unsure, contact the person using the contact details you already have for them. Never use any contact details or click any links provided in the email. Phishing texts or emails may ask you to click a link within the email. By hovering your mouse over the link or address, you can see the linked site’s true URL. These URLs can be slightly misspelled or completely different from what you are expecting. You can often detect a phishing text or email by the way it is written. The writing style might be different from that what is usually used by the sender, and it might contain spelling mistakes and poor grammar. Despite our attempts to technologically mitigate these annoying emails and texts, they will still get through regularly, and when that happens, the only thing preventing a breach is your ability to detect their fraudulent nature and respond appropriately.
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The Great Catholic Educator:
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St. Thomas Aquinas
efore Thomas Aquinas was even born, a holy hermit told his mother he was to be more learned and holy than any other person of his time. As a young boy, he was devoted to prayer and meditation, and his intellectual gifts were quickly recognized. When he was about 11 years old, he was sent to the University of Naples, and about five years later, he became a Dominican friar. Thomas’ parents were Italian nobility and were not enthusiastic about Thomas’ choice of vocation. They went so far as to have his brothers capture him while he was en route to Rome, and they held him prisoner for two years in an effort to destroy his vocation and his virtue. After the family made one particularly heinous attempt at breaking Thomas’ faith and spirit, he begged God to give him integrity of mind and body, and he was miraculously given the girdle and grace of purity for the rest of his life. This gift almost certainly was essential to the remarkable clarity of his intellect. After he regained his freedom, Thomas received the best education that was available during a time in human history that arguably represents the best the world has ever offered to scholars and philosophers. His greatest works arise from his total focus on knowing and understanding God, and revealing as clearly as possible the Truth of God to others. He showed that faith and reason are not in conflict, but exist in harmony.
Thomas’ Summa Theologica uses philosophical principles presented in scientific form to systematically explain Christian theology. It was his last work and was left unfinished. Thomas stopped writing after he experienced an unusually long vision on December 6, 1273. When he was urged to finish his Summa, he stated that he could no longer write, for the secrets he had been shown during his vision made all he had written “seem as straw.” He died three months later. Thomas composed more than 60 works. His powers of synthesis were truly extraordinary. He was able to sift through all that he read, distill the truth, and summarize his conclusions simply, clearly and briefly. His writing is of such genius that it transcends style and art in the beauty of its truth. His works are as relevant today as they were to the 13th century. His principles offer a remedy to such evils as socialism, communism, nihilism, as well as pantheism and spiritism. Thomas was canonized in 1323, and was declared a Doctor of the Universal Church in 1567. In 1879, Leo XIII declared Thomas Aquinas “the prince and master of all scholastic doctors,” and in 1880, Thomas was designated as patron of all Catholic universities, colleges and schools throughout the world. We celebrate St. Thomas Aquinas’ feast day on January 28.
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Career Ministry at All Saints:
Providing Help and Hope in Times of Need
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BY TRACY VOEGTLE, CAREER MINISTRY COORDINATOR
o say this is a year like none other in recent history is an understatement. The virus has turned our world upside down and many businesses were forced to lay off employees, leaving many out of work. All Saints Catholic Church seeks to serve its parishioners and assist in times of need. The All Saints Career Ministry was created to meet these needs. Our new Career Ministry exists to provide practical help and invaluable hope to members of our community experiencing employment challenges and transitions in their careers. The ministry also provides a forum for professionals in our parish community to give back in helping others. We plan to offer programs that can help parishioners to listen for God’s plan in their lives, and identify and utilize their God-given talents and strengths as contributing members of our community.
Beyond those unemployed, the ministry can serve those considering a job change or someone who wants to feel more fulfilled through their work. In addition to providing moral and spiritual support to persons in career transition, we plan to equip job seekers with the tools necessary for a successful job search. These include an attentiongrabbing resume, a well-developed LinkedIn profile, the use of the Internet, and social media to facilitate the job search, networking, and interviewing skills. We have a group of knowledgeable and caring professionals available to help job seekers through transition periods by providing counsel during a job search, and we are seeking additional volunteers. Through presentations, training, individual coaching, group support, and prayer, we hope to assist people in finding and following Jesus Christ through crossroads in their careers.
If you are searching for a job, we want to hear from you and see how we can help! Please contact Career Ministry Coordinator Tracy Voegtle at 972-778-0322 or careeministry@allsaintsdallas.org. And if you are wanting to help in this mission of assisting job seekers, please reach out!
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Saints Livestreams and/or videos may be viewed using the following links: https://www.allsaintsdallas.org/church https://www.allsaintsdallas.org/livestream https://www.allsaintsdallas.org/YouTube https://www.allsaintsdallas.org/facebook
Catholic Schools Week
Although parishioners cannot visit the campus that week, we ask you to pray with and for the students and school staff. “We are also asking for our parish’s support for our gala and auction in February,” Mrs. Druffner says. Throughout Catholic Schools Week — and indeed, throughout the year — there is a recognition of how unique Catholic education is. “We are really able to form the whole child,” Mrs. Druffner says. “Character formation is so important.
continued from front cover We work individually with each child, to make that child the child that God wants them to be.” Mrs. Druffner cites the faculty and staff for their excellent work. There are 38 full-time faculty members for PreK3 through eighth grade. Most hold master’s degrees, while several have earned doctorate degrees. “They have been here for a number of years,” she says. “They are really tremendous educators.”
If you would like more information about All Saints School, please contact 214-217-3300.
5231 MEADOWCREEK DRIVE ● DALLAS, TX 75248 ● (972) 661-9282 Current Mass Schedule Weekday Liturgy: Monday - Saturday, 9:00 a.m. Weekend Liturgy: Saturday, 5:00 p.m. | Sunday, 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. | Teen Mass, 5:00 p.m.