Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church Newsletter — August 2021

august 2021

Hospital Ministry Brings the Body and Spirit of Christ to Others

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s a community, we always pray for the sick and homebound. Here at Queen of the Holy Rosary, the volunteers of the Hospital Ministry take an extra step by bringing the Eucharist to those who are 2 Stewardship unable to attend Mass in person. Although the minMoving Toward istry has not yet been able to resume activity due to God-Centered Living the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers look forward to the day they can return to serving Catholics in 3 A Letter From Our Pastor the hospital as well as homebound parishioners. By What Are You Going to bringing them Communion and praying with them, Do With Your Life? the ministry is able to share the spirit of Christ as well as the Body of Christ.

4 Eucharistic Adoration “It is such a privilege to take the Body of Christ Offers Valuable to others,” says ministry leader Evelyn VanGoetOpportunity to Be hem. “I know I would want someone to visit me if with Our Lord Evelyn VanGoethem has been I were in the hospital, and the Eucharist is such an involved in the Hospital Ministry important part of our faith. I believe the Eucharist 6 Pope St. Pius X: for the past 11 years. gives strength to those in the hospital.”

A Modern Traditionalist Evelyn has been involved in the Hospital Ministry for the last 11 years, and the ministry has been a staple at the parish since the late 1980s. In addition to taking 7 Seminarian Benjamin the Eucharist to homebound parishioners by request, volunteers bring CommuReinhart Finds True nion to AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Hospital during non-pandemic times Vocational Calling every other Sunday, as well as five weekdays each month.

“God Had a Plan “We usually go as a team of three or four people,” Evelyn says. “The team meets for for My Life” prayers and then each team member goes to individual rooms. The hospital provides a list of patients who are Catholic. The patient may elect to receive Holy Commu7023 W. 71st Street nion, or they may just want to pray or visit for a few minutes. After I finish, I take time to pray for those I’ve just visited.”

Overland Park, KS 66204 continued on page 5 www.queenoftheholyrosary.org

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Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h

S T EWA R D S H I P

Moving Toward God-Centered Living

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f you were asked to explain the relationship between stewardship and your Catholic faith, could you do it?

It may, at first, seem too difficult a task. But if we take our faith seriously, we are already being persuaded to live our lives in light of Church teaching. We will therefore improve as stewards of God’s gifts. So it should not be difficult to make a connection between Catholicism and Christian stewardship. However, many of us struggle with articulating this connection, or do not understand how stewardship is connected to our faith.

We often attempt to compartmentalize different parts of our lives, separating work from family, and our social life from our faith life. Then we struggle and resist when it is suggested that our faith life is our life, belonging in every part of our daily activities — at work, at home and with our friends.

An essay written by Bill McKibben in the July 1999 issue of Harper’s relates that the writer once held an experiment, requesting that people record everything that came across a large cable-TV system. He then spent a year watching it, “trying to figure out what the world would look like to you if this were your main window onto it.” He discovered that “you are the most important thing on earth. You sitting there on the couch clutching the remote, are the center of creation, the heaviest object in the known universe; all things orbit your desires.

This Bud’s for You.” This is, of course, why so many of us fail to make a real connection between stewardship and our faith.

Stewardship, by definition, assumes God as the center

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of reality — the point upon which everything lives and exists. But we often live our lives as if we ourselves are that point. Even our faith is geared to what “I can get out of it.” If we don’t like our parish’s architecture, priest, music program or choir director, then we just don’t contribute to the parish fund. If our parish doesn’t have a youth program to our liking, a thriving singles group or a thoroughly networked senior citizen’s advocacy organization, then we just move to another parish that does.

We are in turn perceiving our faith in terms of “products” that we dislike, and are simply choosing not to buy.

We may also misunderstand stewardship as being primarily beneficial to ourselves, believing that God will bless us more, that we will be recognized as conscientious, or that it’s simply tax deductible.

But what if we start seeing stewardship as a natural consequence of realizing that our Savior Jesus Christ is the center of life? What if we begin to intentionally will to allow God to be the dominant influence in every factor of our lives? Stewardship would then take care of itself.

The Catholic faith begins and ends with God, the Creator and Giver of every gift. How we use these gifts is a direct reflection of our personal relationship to God. Most of us are primarily self-aligned consumers of goods, and we often use our gifts for self-gratification. Our relationship with God is also usually geared toward pleasing ourselves instead of God. However, the absolute goal and essence of living the life of a Catholic steward is simple — to move toward God-centered living.

A Letter From Our Pastor

Dear Parishioners,

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What Are You Going to Do With Your Life?

e are called to be the disciples of Jesus Christ. Discipleship is our calling — stewardship is the way we are to live the life we have been given. I don’t think we believers would or should argue the point.

It begins with our Baptism and our new life as members of the Church.

There are no questions about it, even though we may not always remember that we have been called to discipleship — it is a lifelong process, and we are all works in progress.

But please remember, we are God’s “works” that evolve moment by moment, day by day, and year after year.

To get more specific, we need to not only understand that stewardship is the expression of discipleship, but it is also the way in which we are to live our life. It is not a program — it is a way of life. I suppose at least once in our lifetime, we have been asked, “What are you going to do with your life?” Usually, that will happen at graduation, and how many of us have followed the path we thought we would at that time in our life? Perhaps we replied with a certain profession that may have interested us at the time. But there is always more to our answer than the title of a profession, just as there is more to our lives than just breathing. How do we use the gifts God has given to us? How we do so will define the life we live for God and the Church. That is our call to discipleship. It is how we should understand stewardship.

Many people ask me why I am so convinced that stewardship is a way of life. The simple answer I give is always the easy one and the most practical.

My life as a faithful steward makes sense. The story of Christianity is filled with people like you and me who wonder and desire how to live as a disciple

of Jesus Christ. It is what we are to do with our lives. Our attitude must be formed to spend the time and the talents we have, to do our part for God’s Church. When does that become our priority? When does it become our way of life? These are the questions any believer must ask themselves when they think about their relationship with God, His Church, and the people around them. Throughout my time in life as a priest, stewardship as my way of life makes sense and is more than possible with what God has given me to work with.

It is the same with each of us. I am grateful for what God has given me and thankful I can live my life as His disciple. I say that not just as a priest, but as a baptized member of His family. I am thankful my parents brought me to be baptized a Christian and begin a life that would lead me, like all of us, to be the disciples we are called to be.

When we were baptized, no one asked us, “What are you going to do with your life?” If my parents and Godparents understood why we were all there, it should have been clear that we are all to be faithful stewards of all that God provides, beginning with the gift of life. That is why stewardship as a way of life is in my mind, heart and soul. That, too, was a gift from God for which I am most grateful. This is my calling, and this is what I am going to do with the rest of my life. What will you do with yours?

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. William Bruning Pastor

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Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h

Eucharistic Adoration

O F F ERS VA LUA B LE

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ruly, God works in mysterious ways, and as Gene Meiners has realized, sometimes He works through the sacred mystery of Eucharistic Adoration.

“I used to always take the night hours of Adoration because it was the easiest time for me to go,” Gene says.

“Sometimes the good Lord allowed me to fall asleep if I really needed it. Other times, He would give me a solution to a problem I was wrestling with, even when it wasn’t specifically a religious problem. One time when I was working as a computer programmer, I was struggling to figure out how to do something. During Adoration, it just popped into my head what I needed to do.

I have always attributed that thought to the good Lord!”

Thanks to the presence of our Adoration Chapel, every one of our parishioners can have access to this amazing mystery, as well as to the miracles of grace that it brings.

“I am devoted to Adoration and I would like to see it grow,” Gene says. “It is a very good thing because it gives you an opportunity to fit more prayer, meditation, and spiritual reading into your life, as well as some peace and quiet.”

Our parish began having Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the late 1980s. Several parishioners worked tirelessly to initiate it, and we are grateful to them to this day for their hard work.

“Throughout the years, I have been inspired by those who are even more dedicated to Adoration than I am, such as the original founders of the Adoration Chapel,” Gene says. “When we began Perpetual Adoration, they spent many hours looking for substitutes and serving as substitutes themselves. I am also inspired by those who are very dedicated to it now as well.”

When our parish underwent remodeling in 2004, Adoration had to be closed down for a while. Since it has returned, it has not been perpetual — however, it is still enthusiastically promoted and made available to all.

“Even though we don’t have Perpetual Adoration right now, the Holy Eucharist is always there,” Gene says. “It is good to fulfill as many hours as we possibly can, with at least one adorer per hour. It is also helpful when adorers commit to a regular hour because it helps them stick with it and avoid making excuses for not going.”

All parishioners are encouraged to take advantage of the extraordinary blessing of Eucharistic Adoration by signing up to take an hour — but anyone can come at any time to pray before the Real Presence of Our Lord as well.

Thanks to the presence of our Adoration Chapel, every parishioner has access to this amazing mystery, as well as to the miracles of grace that it brings.

to Be with Our Lord

O P P O RT U N I T Y

Although all of our parishioners are wholeheartedly encouraged to take advantage of the extraordinary blessing of Eucharistic Adoration by signing up to take an hour, anyone can come at any time to pray before the Real Presence of Our Lord as well.

“You do not need to sign up merely to stop in and spend time in Adoration, and you don’t have to spend exactly 60 minutes there,” Gene says. “Also, you don’t necessarily have to sign up to take the same time slot every single week; you can just take a slot once or twice a month. You can come as you wish.”

“I am devoted to Adoration and I would like to see it grow. It is a very good thing because it gives you an opportunity to fit more prayer, meditation and spiritual reading into your life, as well as some peace and quiet.” — GENE MEINERS

The Adoration Ministry is currently organized with the help of a top-notch computer program. For further information about this beautiful ministry of prayer, or to reserve a time slot or serve as a substitute, please visit https://holyrosary.weadorehim.com/.

Hospital Ministry

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“I feel it brings joy and comfort to those unable to attend Mass at such a stressful time,” says ministry member Nancy Rafferty.

In addition to serving at the hospital, Nancy also started bringing Communion to homebound parishioners at the onset of the pandemic.

“During COVID, I started taking Communion to two homebound ladies in their 90s each Sunday,” she says. “This means a great deal to the ladies I see weekly, and it is now part of my Sunday routine.”

Evelyn first joined the ministry because she wanted to give back to the community, and over time it has become an important part of her life. During the worst days of

the pandemic, Evelyn was able to relate to the people that she serves through the Hospital Ministry and looks forward to the day she can serve them again.

“I feel truly blessed to be a part of this ministry, and I often feel like I get more out of the ministry than those we serve,” she says. “I think during COVID, we all experienced isolation. I understood why we couldn’t be in the hospital, but I missed being able to participate in the ministry. We have not been to the hospital since March 2020, and while at this point, I don’t know exactly when we’ll be able to resume our ministry, we hope to return in a couple of months.”

If you would like more information about the Hospital Ministry, or if you’re interested in getting involved once it resumes activity, please contact Evelyn VanGoethem at evelyn@vangoethem.me or 913-424-0809.

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Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h

Pope St. Pius X:

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A Modern Traditionalist

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 in 1835, one of eight children in 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 modernists

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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 advising and promoting daily Communion, saying, “Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven.”

Seminarian

BENJAMIN REINHART

Finds True Vocational Calling

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“God Had a Plan for My Life”

hen asked to describe his road to the seminary, Benjamin Reinhart recalls that it was a long and bumpy one.

“I floundered around until about the age of 30, like a ship without a rudder,” Benjamin says.

But he now feels like he is living out his calling, as he enters into his second year at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Colo., having spent the past month in a pastoral assignment here at Queen of the Holy Rosary. Benjamin is a seminarian of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kan. As far as seminarians go, Benjamin is on the older side, at 41 years old. He is so happy to be where he is now, living out his vocation.

“I dabbled in everything, from underwater welding school to broadcasting, but nothing ever really stuck,” he says. “I had a conversion, and realized I was supposed to be doing something with my life.”

The first step in Benjamin’s return to the Catholic Church was through two women who told him of God’s love for him when he was attending the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. At that time, he had been away from the Catholic faith for 15 years.

“When they prayed for me, I felt love — God’s love,” Benjamin says. “They proceeded to tell me that God had a plan for my life. This started the road to continued on back cover

May our Queen of the Holy Rosary family keep seminarian Benjamin Reinhart in our prayers through the coming years!

“When they prayed for me, I felt love — God’s love. They proceeded to tell me that God had a plan for my life. This started the road to conversion. God intervened in my life. I didn’t know what He wanted, but I knew He was real in that moment.”

— SEMINARIAN BENJAMIN REINHART

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Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h

7023 W. 71st Street Overland Park, Kansas 66204 (913) 432-4616 | www.queenoftheholyrosary.org

Seminarian Benjamin Reinhart Finds True Vocational Calling continued from page 7 conversion. God intervened in my life. I didn’t know what He wanted, but I knew He was real in that moment.”

Benjamin spent some time after this discerning where he was being called. He looked into many religious orders, but nothing was the right fit. He spent time praying and meeting with priests and spiritual directors. He started at the seminary, then took a twoyear break to discern religious life. He’s back at the seminary, and he feels this is really his calling. Having worked as an addiction counselor, he knows there’s a great need for Jesus.

“There are so many people out there who need shepherds,” Benjamin says. “There are a lot of people who need a guide. They want to grow, but they don’t know how.”

In his five weeks with us, Benjamin has provided important help to Fr. William Bruning, led some evening teachings, and visited the homebound and those in nursing homes. If all goes according to God’s will, Benjamin will be ordained in May 2024. In his free time, Benjamin enjoys lifting weights, cooking, traveling, and making pilgrimages.

May our Queen of the Holy Rosary family keep Benjamin in our prayers through the coming years!

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