march 2021
St. Mary’s Food Kitchen:
Inside
3 A Month and Year to Honor St. Joseph
4 Parishioner Pat Brown Reflects on the Gifts of Faith, Hope and Gratitude
6 From the Catechism
What is Almsgiving? / Lent and Holy Week Schedule
7 Scouting Teaches
Character, Perseverance, and Duty to God and Country
7023 W. 71st Street Overland Park, KS 66204 www.queenoftheholyrosary.org
Sharing God’s Love with Those in Need
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fter a busy morning, noon rolls around, and your stomach starts growling. Whether you head out the door to grab take-out or pull together a bite from the fridge, it’s usually not long before you satisfy the angry rumbles. Many people aren’t so lucky. For the past 40 years, St. Mary’s Food Kitchen has been providing meals — 365 days a year — to those in need in our community. On the second Thursday of each month, Queen of the Holy Rosary partners with St. Mary’s organization to share this vital mission. Before COVID-19, volunteers from the parish would work together to prepare and serve a hot meal for St. Mary’s. Presently, however, the ministry consists of parishioners preparing bag lunches in their homes and bringing them to Queen. The ministry currently consists of From there, the lunches are delivered to St. Mary’s and parishioners preparing bag lunches distributed to those in need. In 2020 alone, St. Mary’s in their own homes, and bringing distributed 700-800 lunches a day — nearly 200,000 them to Queen, where they are lunches total — with Queen providing 4,337 of then transported to St. Mary’s and those. distributed to those in need. Parishioner Tom Cleary first experienced being involved with this ministry when his children volunteered as Queen of the Holy Rosary School students. He has become more active at St. Mary’s over the past eight years in his retirement. “It always seemed like the right thing to do,” Tom says. “There are always people there who need the service. It’s something that needs to keep happening. continued on page 2
Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h
St. Mary’s Food Kitchen “Most of them are so gracious and grateful for what you’re providing them,” he adds. “They recognize they’re down on their luck and they’re appreciative of the people who come down and help.” Parishioner Cindy Rubaie has been involved in the ministry for the past 30 years, making casseroles to deliver. She now serves along with her adult son, Tony, Rubaie, who began serving at the food kitchen about five years ago. “I like helping, and these people need help,” Tony says. “I like getting out of my neighborhood and seeing Jesus in the faces of those helping and those being helped,” Cindy says. “It’s eye-opening and heartwarming — faith in action, an expression of love.” For those who serve, it is an opportunity to consider the blessings in their own lives, and share God’s love with those who are struggling. “I always remember, ‘There but for the grace of God go I,’” Tom says. “I hope they realize there are people who want to help and they have a place to turn.” “God loves everybody, and God loves when we help,” Tony says. Now that the ministry has shifted to making sack lunches, it is the perfect way for parishioners of all ages and availability to participate. Even families with young children can work together to serve our community and have a real impact. Participation in this ministry is simple. Volunteers can choose the number of lunches they would like to make. Guidelines are provided for how to put the lunches together. With our contactless drop-off, those delivering lunches pull up and open the trunk, and volunteers will collect the sack lunches.
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“Just like the hymn says, ‘The harvest is plenty, laborers are few, come with me into the field,’” Cindy says. “Don’t presume somebody else is going to do it,” Tom says. “The need is there. If you can even make one or two lunches, that would be great. Anything you can do to help is appreciated.”
Sack lunches should include a bottle of water, a sandwich or wrap, a single serving of chips or crackers, a fruit item (fresh, packaged, or fruit pieces), and a dessert. Individual lunches should be placed in a plastic grocery bag along with a napkin and plastic flatware if needed. Please bring the lunches to the southeast entrance of Queen of the Holy Rosary Church between 8 and 9 a.m. on the second Thursday of the month. Cash donations are also welcome. These funds are used to offset Queen’s share of expenses operating the kitchen. Donations can be placed in the Sunday collection basket in an envelope labeled “St. Mary’s,” or can be made online. Go to www.queenoftheholyrosary.org and click on the blue “Donate Now” link on the upper right, and scroll down to St. Mary’s Food Kitchen to give to this wonderful ministry.
If you would like to become involved in making lunches for St. Mary’s Food Kitchen, please contact Maureen Kies at makies5@aol.com or 816-547-2250. If you would like to prepare a casserole or serve at the food kitchen once regular operations resume, please contact Maureen.
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A Letter From Our Pastor
A Month and Year to
Dear Parishioners, ur Lord and Savior Jesus Christ chose to enter the world through the human family. He came as an infant born into the marriage and home of the two holiest human creatures who ever lived — Joseph and Mary. At a time when our world and our Church needs family and faithful disciples now more than ever, could there be a more fitting time to venerate the man who gave his life and his love to the Blessed Mother and the Son of God? Pope Francis has declared 2021 the Year of St. Joseph in honor of the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as patron of the Universal Church. Our pope said he established the year so that “every member of the faithful, following his example, may strengthen their life of faith daily in the complete fulfillment of God’s will.” As Christians, we are blessed to have Mary as our spiritual mother and Joseph as our spiritual father. Just as Mary guides us from heaven with loving devotion, St. Joseph also diligently provides for the needs of the family of God, the Holy Catholic Church. Because of his special role as foster-father of the Child Jesus, St. Jo-
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Honor St. Joseph seph has merited singular privileges in heaven unmatched by any saint aside from the Blessed Virgin Mary. To give some modern-day perspective to the significance of this special year, Pope Francis has said the coronavirus pandemic heightened his desire to reflect on St. Joseph, as so many people during the pandemic have made hidden sacrifices to protect others, just as St. Joseph quietly protected and cared for Mary and Jesus. “Each of us can discover in Joseph — the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence — an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble,” the pope wrote. At the end of the First Vatican Council in 1870, Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph the patron of the Universal Church. He is also the patron of carpenters, workers, fathers, and a happy death because he died in the presence of Mary and Jesus. The title of Joseph’s March 19 feast day is “Husband of Mary.” Pope Pius XII later declared May 1 to be the feast of St. Joseph the Worker to counteract the Communist May Day holiday. As Catholics pray and reflect on the life of St. Joseph this year, they also have opportunities to gain a
plenary indulgence or remission of all temporal punishment due to sin. An indulgence can be applied to oneself or to a soul in purgatory. An indulgence requires a specific act, defined by the Church, as well as sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, prayer for the pope’s intentions, and full detachment from sin. Special indulgences during the Year of St. Joseph can be received through various prayers and actions, including praying for the unemployed, entrusting one’s daily work to St. Joseph, performing a corporal or spiritual work of mercy, or meditating for at least 30 minutes on the Lord’s Prayer. As we devote 2021 to St. Joseph’s honor, we will undoubtedly unlock many special graces — not only for our parish, but for each of the faithful who increase their devotion to him during this special year. There is no greater model than St. Joseph from whom we can learn how to live virtuously in imitation of Jesus and Mary. Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. William Bruning Pastor
To read more about Pope Francis’ declaration on the Church granting plenary indulgences for the Year of St. Joseph, visit www.bit.ly/StJoseph2021
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Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h
Parishioner
Pa
Reflects on the Gifts of F I
f parishioner Pat Brown had to choose one Scripture verse to guide her life, it would be this exhortation from Paul’s letter to the Philippians — “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Throughout the trials and tribulations of life, Pat strives to keep her focus on the Lord. Her Catholic faith and sense of gratitude are the two constants that have guided her life, in good times and bad, for over 80 years. Pat was born and raised in St. Joseph, where she attended grade school, high school, and a couple of years of college. While working a summer job, she met Bishop John Cody — who later became a Cardinal — and was soon hired as his secretary. Later, an administrative position with the Air Force took her to Washington, D.C., followed by a job with NASA that had her packing her bags once more — this time, for Santa Monica, Calif. After returning home from these adventures, Pat reconnected with an old high school sweetheart, Mike Brown. When the two were
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(From left) Pat Brown with her daughters, Gretchen and Jennifer
married in 1967, Pat became a member of Queen of the Holy Rosary. In all of her adventures from coast to coast, Pat’s Catholic faith had remained a central part of her life. Settled in at Queen, she quickly got involved in life at the parish and school, joining the Altar and Rosary Society and serving as a room mother and on the school board. More recently, she has enjoyed helping bring day-old bread
to the St. Mary’s Food Kitchen, participating in the senior group, and serving as a Eucharistic Minister. In recent years, the strong faith Pat cultivated over her lifetime has proven more essential than ever. “Here is how the last five years have unfolded,” Pat says. “My husband, who had been sick for a couple of years, passed away on March 28, 2015. One day to the month after he died, I learned that continued on page 5
at Brown
Faith, Hope and Gratitude my daughter, Jennifer, had Stage 4 inoperable lung cancer. She had never smoked and her children were still young — it was hard to take. Then, my daughter, Gretchen, had to have brain surgery. And on Oct. 1, 2017, my granddaughter, Leah, was murdered in Lawrence, Kan., when a gunfight broke out a short distance from her car.” Even in the face of such tragedies, Pat continues to choose hope and gratitude over despair. “After Jennifer’s diagnosis, her volleyball team name was ‘Team Gratitude,’” Pat says. “And I just asked her, ‘Jennifer, how?’ She said, ‘This is the only way you can be with Stage 4 cancer. If there are such things as miracles, why can’t I have one?’ And here is what I say — prayers, prayers, prayers, and a great attitude And now, her cancer is contained.” Pat’s tremendous sense of gratitude extends to the many opportunities she has found at Queen to stay close to Christ, even during the pandemic. She is thankful for the livestream of Sunday Mass and continues to participate in the Divine Mercy Circle on Wednesday evenings and the streaming Holy Hour.
By attending Mass on a weekday when there are fewer people in the church, she has been able to continue receiving the Eucharist and even continues to help out as a purificator. Inspired by Fr. Bill Bruning, Pat has found even more reason to live with a spirit of thanksgiving. “Father has promoted that gratitude, and I have lots of gratitude in my life for him as a pastor and a shepherd,” she says. “He takes good care of his flock.” Pat seeks daily to follow her favorite verse from Philippians by casting aside anxiety, bringing her troubles to the Lord, and continuously giving thanks for blessings received. What an inspiration her unwavering faith and gratitude are to all her fellow parishioners here at Queen! “You have to have your faith and your beliefs to survive life and to prepare for what follows,” Pat says. “Just pray and say, ‘Jesus I trust in You.’ It’s really hard to do sometimes, but you just have to take it one day at a time. Have faith that it is God’s will and have hope. Just watch, and you will see God in your life. Pray, talk to Him, and you will become friends.”
“ You have to have your faith and your beliefs to survive life and to prepare for what follows. Just pray and say, ‘Jesus I trust in You.’ It’s really hard to do sometimes, but you just have to take it one day at a time. Have faith that it is God’s will and have hope. Just watch, and you will see God in your life. Pray, talk to Him, and you will become friends.”— Pat Brown 5
Queen of the Holy Rosary C at h o l i c C h u r c h
From the Catechism
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What is Almsgiving?
iving alms to the poor is a witness to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2462).
During the seasons of Advent and Lent, it is not uncommon to hear about fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Most of us are familiar with at least two of the three penitential practices — prayer and fasting. We engage in prayer each day, while fasting becomes a regular part of our Lenten routines. But what is almsgiving? It is simply giving to those less fortunate than ourselves. This can be through donations of canned goods to the local food pantry, spare change to the Salvation Army during the Christmas season, or even through personto-person contact with the poor. This Lent, if your family has not regularly engaged in almsgiving, consider making a change. Search for
opportunities to serve the poor and vulnerable, making their lives easier — even if in a small way.
Things to do with your family: •
Place a coffee can in a prominent place in your home, and commit to filling it with loose change throughout the week. Then, donate the money to a local charity.
•
The next time you shop for groceries, buy a few extra canned goods and donate them to a food pantry or food bank.
•
Research a charity that works with the poor, and make a commitment to regularly give to that organization.
•
Resolve to never judge those who are less fortunate, and teach your children the same.
Lent and Holy Week schedule Stations of the Cross
Fridays 5:30 p.m. in the church (excluding Good Friday)
Confessions
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Saturdays 2:30-3:15 p.m. Wednesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Holy Week
Holy Thursday Mass, April 1 — 7 p.m. Good Friday Stations, April 2 — 12 p.m. Good Friday Service, April 2 — 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Holy Saturday Vigil, April 3 — 8 p.m.
Easter Masses
Sunday, April 4 — 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m.
Scouting Teaches Character,
Perseverance, and Duty to God and Country
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id you know that involvement in Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts can tie right into how we live out stewardship? After all, the Scout Oath itself can be read as a stewardship statement — “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” Here at Queen of the Holy Rosary, we are blessed to have a Boy Scout program for ages 11 to 17. Younger boys, kindergarten to fifth grade, have the opportunity to participate in Cub Scouts through St. Pius X in Mission. Both of these programs help teach our youth important, lifelong lessons. Carrie Setzkorn, Committee Chair of Pack 3184, has been involved with Cub Scouts for about 12 years. She loves seeing the kids grow and develop through the program. She also enjoys the yearly family campout. “This program builds character in a fun way,” Carrie says. Paul Cast, Scoutmaster for Troop 295, has been involved with Boy Scouts for about 30 years. He started as a boy when he was 11. Paul loves being able to teach boys about the outdoors. The group gets together each month for an activity, everything from camping to canoeing to a family Thanksgiving dinner. They also meet on Monday nights. “Through the Boy Scout program, young men can achieve the core objectives of strengthening character, personal fitness and good citizenship,” Paul says. Despite restrictions related to COVID-19, the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts have continued meeting in small groups. For the Boy Scouts, when COVID-19 restrictions were first into place, the group took a break. However, parents started to ask Paul to plan some outdoor meetings as the boys were anxious to get together. One yearly highlight for Paul is the trip to Philmont, a high adventure base in northeast New Mexico where continued on back cover
Scouts hike the Ozark Highlands Trail in northwest Arkansas.
As the sun sets, a scout goes wakeboarding.
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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
Scouting
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youth backpack in the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains for 12 days. While the group was not able to go last summer, due to the pandemic, a group will be going there this summer “Nothing I have done in scouting changes a young man more than Philmont,” Paul says. “Ask any mom who has had a boy go. They grow up a ton.” Paul has greatly enjoyed his years in Boy Scouts, and he appreciates seeing how the youth mature and grow over the years. He also enjoys being outdoors with the youth and teaching them that they don’t need electronics to have fun. “I enjoy helping them learn leadership and find their moral compass,” Paul says. “Boy Scouts is a great teacher
of character, perseverance, self-reliance, and duty to God and country.” Both Paul and Carrie look forward to the day when those favorite scouting events can go on as normal. They invite any boy to get more information and get involved.
If you would like to get involved in Cub Scouts, please contact Carrie Setzkorn at lovemyscouts4@gmail.com. If you would like to get involved in Boy Scouts, simply come to a meeting or call Paul Cast at 913-909-9549.
WEEKEND MASS
Saturday: 4:00 p.m. | Sunday: 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m.
DAILY MASS
Tuesday - Friday: 8:15 a.m.| First Saturday: 8:15 a.m.