Catholic Key April/May

A mother’s

to God

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APRIL/MAY 2023

VOL. 3 | ISSUE 3

Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr. Publisher

Ashlie Hand

Editor

Christy Gruenbaum

Assistant editor

Jenny Pomicter

Graphic designer

To submit story ideas and news, send emails to hand@diocesekcsj.org

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www.FAITHcatholic.com

Catholic Key (ISSN 2769-2353, USPS 024-190) is a membership publication of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, published bimonthly (Feb/ Mar, Apr/May, Jun/Jul, Aug/ Sep, Oct/Nov, Dec/Jan) by the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, The Catholic Center, 20 W. Ninth St., Kansas City, MO 64105. Periodicals Postage

Paid at Kansas City, MO and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Catholic Key, The Catholic Center, 20 W. Ninth St., Kansas City, MO 64105. ©2022 Catholic Key, Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

ON THE COVER:

Mary Sappington stands proudly with three of her sons, Father Paul Sappington and seminarians James and Gabriel. Photo by Christy Gruenbaum.

COVER STORY

A mother’s sacrifice to God | Ashlie Hand

Religious vocations were casually referenced as an option while the six Sappington kids were growing up, but Mary Sappington never expected three of her sons to feel called to the priesthood. It is a reality that she is still getting used to, while also gaining a deeper trust in God’s plan. Through both laughter and tears, and with the intercession of Our Lady of Sorrows, Mary is learning to embrace this unique aspect of her own vocation of motherhood.

4 On the Way | Have you been saved? | Bishop Johnston

The question raises perhaps the most important subject of life — salvation. It is a question all people, including Catholics, should consider.

7 A vast cafeteria | Father Joseph Cisetti

We have a tremendously rich and varied inheritance of prayer, yet some people think of prayer simply as saying prayers. That would be like going to a vast cafeteria and never going past the salad bar.

8 House of God | St. Bernadette Parish, Kansas City | Ashlie Hand and Cory Thomason

Explore the contemporary architecture and simplicity of St. Bernadette Parish in Kansas City.

11 Resurrection and new life for Fr. Thanh Nguyen, CSSR | Sara Kraft Father Nguyen draws many parallels between his life and the hope of the resurrection.

22

Three faith streams unite in Father Randolph Sly | Marty Denzer

During 14 years of Anglican ministry, Father Sly and his wife, Sandy, were gradually drawn to the Catholic Faith. Eventually, it all came together and made sense.

30

Doing the work that unites the Church | Bridget Locke Deacon Ken Greene, a parishioner of Kansas City’s historic St. Monica Catholic Church, is just the third convener of the Black Catholic Implementation Team, established in 1986.

33 Ministry spotlight: Food with Friends | Bridget Locke Kendall Nick understands that the challenges of those experiencing homelessness are often bigger than she alone can solve, but she also knows that love and compassion will always be a component.

En Espanol

25

Una inmensa cafetería | Padre Joseph Cisetti

26

En el Camino | ¿Has sido salvado? | Obispo Johnston

Ti ng Vi t

11 Ph c sinh và cu c s ng | Sara Kraft

Marty Denzer is long-time writer in residence for the Catholic Key.

Ashlie Hand leads the Office of Communications for the Diocese of Kansas CitySt. Joseph.

Bridget Locke loves God and people. Learn more about her life and work at bnlcomms.com.

Susan Walker leads the Outreach and Engagement team at Catholic Charities KCSJ.

Sara Kraft is a wife, mother and freelance writer in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Father Joe Cisetti is pastor of St. Therese Little Flower Parish [North].

Have You Been Saved?

“Have you been saved?” This was a not uncommon question for me to hear growing up in the South, with its large numbers of Baptist and Evangelical Christians. From roadside signs to pamphlets to direct inquiry, it was a question meant to move the hearer to the key decision of life. The question was often put to Catholics, too, as it was to me many a time, especially in college and young adulthood. For those who were not very knowledgeable of their faith or who had not taken it very seriously, it occasionally led to leaving the Church. Perhaps no one in the Catholic Church had ever talked to them about this important topic before!

I don’t hear “Have you been saved?” asked as much today as I did in my youth. That may be for one of two reasons. For one, there are many more unbelievers and agnostics today, and if one does not believe in God, then life in general is without ultimate meaning, including salvation. Second, there is the other extreme. Some assume that all, or most, will be saved by God no matter what, so it’s not worth fretting over.

But the question is a good one and raises perhaps the most important subject of life — salvation. It is a question all people, including Catholics, should consider, including the corollary questions: What does it mean to ‘be saved?’ and ‘How is one saved?’ We should pray about our salvation and that of others every day for, as

From the Bishop Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr. is the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph

Saint Paul taught, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Tim 1:15)

Catholics typically can answer the question this way: “Yes, I am saved, I am being saved, and I hope to be saved.” First, Christians are saved by Faith and Baptism; that is, by communion with Christ who is the one-and-only Savior of the world. (see Acts 4:12) His redemptive death and resurrection overcame the power of sin, death and the devil. But for Christ’s redemption to figure into one’s personal salvation, one must have faith and be baptized. Faith and Baptism justify the person, which in Catholic belief means that not only are our sins (original and personal sin) blotted out, but we are given a share in the divine life of the Blessed Trinity through God’s gift

of grace. So, one can truly say, “I have been saved.”

And second, we are being saved. Unlike the belief of some Christians, Catholics hold that salvation is not a once-and-for-all, singular event. According to the understanding of some Christians, nothing that follows the moment one was “saved” can ever jeopardize one’s salvation — even, supposedly, abandoning one’s faith or unrepentance over the most grievous of sins. Catholics do not believe this because the Bible does not say this. Rather, Catholics believe that once a person is saved, one must persevere in a life of grace to the end of life. That is why the hour of death is the most important moment of one’s life.

To persevere in the life of grace essentially means staying in a living communion with the Blessed Trinity. The Church, the Body of Christ on earth, exists to bring about, nourish and foster this communion with God, primarily through the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. All the sacraments are channels of grace to deepen or restore the life of grace in a child of God. In addition to the sacraments, one maintains communion through both believing in the saving truths (doctrinal and moral) handed on by the Church and living them out in love. Jesus vividly describes an important criterion for God’s particular judgment on our lives in Matthew 25: 35-40, i.e., how we loved or didn’t love the poor.

Importantly, salvation can be put at risk through unrepented mortal sin following Baptism. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.” (1855) A primary purpose of the sacrament of Reconciliation is to restore the life of grace in a person who repents of mortal sin.

Third, and finally, we hope to be saved. Salvation is an act of God in which we must participate and continue choosing to the end. Life is a journey to only one of two destinations. Jesus framed it that way when he spoke of the “two ways” near the end of the Sermon on the Mount: “Enter through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to damnation is wide, the road is clear and many choose to travel it. But how narrow is the gate that leads to life, how rough the road and how few there are who find it!” (Mt 7:13-14)

As we celebrate Easter this year, across our diocese, many are being baptized, and we all have an opportunity to personally renew our own baptismal promises, reminding us of the gift of salvation. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6) We are people “on the way,” a family of pilgrims on the long journey to the Father’s house. Let us remain in holy communion with Jesus and keep our eyes fixed on him to the very end. Our salvation depends on it.

“All the sacraments are channels of grace to deepen or restore the life of grace in a child of God.”

Members of the MACulate Conception faith community.

FAITH WORK at

By Ashlie Hand

The vast majority of the more than 1.5 million people employed in the Kansas City and St. Joseph metropolitan areas work in secular industries. How is faith expressed by devoted Catholics working in our area banks, law firms, doctors’ offices, restaurants, farms or auto plants? This is “Faith at work.”

SARAH LE

Energy Storage Applications, Burns & McDonnell

Sarah Le grew up going to a Catholic grade school. Her dad went through RCIA when he came to the United States and her mom is Buddhist. Sarah was baptized in kindergarten but started going to Mass regularly when she was in third grade.

Sarah was involved in Lifeteen in middle school and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) during high school, but it wasn’t until college that she really dove deep into the Catholic Faith during her time at the Newman Center at Mizzou. Today, Sarah has found a faith community among her co-workers at Burns & McDonnell and City on a Hill that helps her to grow in her faith and form virtuous friendships.

Learn more about Sarah’s story at catholickey.org

Q Is your Catholic Faith part of your professional identity, either publicly or privately? How is it expressed during the work day or in the professional setting?

A: A lot of people know I am Catholic at work. I helped form a Microsoft Teams group chat of more than 50 Catholics. In honor of Burns and McDonnell and Mary, the group name is MACulate Conception. We go to Mass every Monday at Christ the King, which is only 5 minutes from work. It’s a nice way to break up the day and refocus on the work we are called to do. We also started doing “Not the Last Supper” events, which is a holy half-hour and then dinner after.

Q When is it easy to express your faith in a professional setting? When is it more challenging?

A: I don’t think it is too difficult to express my faith in the work setting. People are curious about the Faith and it’s what we’re called to do. People are always open to talking about it, but it’s planting the seed to get people to think about it. I’ve noticed that when I travel with co-workers, they open up more about their personal lives and often share their stance on faith.

Q Is there a Bible verse, Scripture story, prayer, spiritual item or quote that you carry with you?

A: In 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Saint Paul says, “Test them all; hold on to what is good.” This is applicable in my work life and faith life. Having curiosity leads to answers and truth. Whether I’m working on a mechanical system or battery storage system, questioning the process and technical aspects is what helps me learn. This is the same in my faith life.

Q Do you have a favorite saint or religious figure who you turn to in facing challenges at work?

A: Maximilian Kolbe sacrificed his life for a stranger, and this is the greatest form of love — to lay one’s life down for a friend. During the work day when I have struggles and get impatient, Maximilian reminds me to make tiny sacrifices in order to help others around me.

Sarah attends Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish for Sunday Mass, and Christ the King Parish or St. Elizabeth’s Parish during the week.

Photos by Christy Gruenbaum

A VAST CAFETERIA

Guide to prayer

Imagine walking into a vast cafeteria. You see an extended salad bar. On the other side is a baked potato bar, a pasta bar, a soup bar, a large line of entrees, a dessert bar and a separate chocolate dessert bar. At the refreshing beverage center, you can get a double orange mint frappuccino. Then, imagine someone going in and never going past the salad bar.

The world of prayer is like that vast cafeteria. We have a tremendously rich and varied inheritance of prayer, yet some people think of prayer simply as saying prayers. Now, saying prayers is good. Jesus taught us to say prayers, but saying prayers is like the salad bar. There is still a tremendous richness to the Catholic world of prayer. It can be helpful to spend some time wandering around that cafeteria and, at times, stopping to have a taste test.

When starting out it’s helpful to define our terms. What do we mean by prayer? Here too, there is a rich tradition of many definitions, and it is worthwhile to concentrate on just a few of them.

One classical definition comes from Saint John Damascene, who described prayer as the raising of the mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God. Saint Augustine defined prayer as an exercise in holy desire. He would say that everyone has a prayer. What you desire

in the depth of your being is your prayer. Saint Teresa of Jesus, better known as Saint Teresa of Avila, one of our greatest teachers of prayer, spoke of prayer as a conversation among friends and spending time with the one who you know loves you. Jumping to the present day, Pope Francis has called prayer the breath of faith. It is how our faith breathes, how it continues to live.

Obviously, the greatest prayer we have is the Mass and the Eucharist. That is what we call the source and summit of our faith. Some of the other types of prayer include: Lectio Divina, different methods of Christian meditation, the Book of Psalms, the Liturgy of the Hours, devotional prayers, art and prayer, the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration.

I encourage you to explore and taste test some of the richness that makes up the vast cafeteria, the wonderful patrimony of prayer that is ours.

Don’t miss these upcoming Eucharistic Revival events taking place in our diocese in 2023:

Relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis and Saint Manuel Gonzales Garcia

• May 1: Our Lady of the Presentation Parish, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• May 2: St. Patrick Parish North, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

By Father Joseph Cisetti

• May 3: Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, St. Joseph, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Corpus Christi Vigil Mass and procession

• June 10: Cathedral of St. Joseph

Corpus Christi Sunday Mass and procession

• June 11: Holy Cross Parish to St. Anthony Parish

In His Real Presence Eucharistic Congress

• Sept. 9: Our Lady of the Presentation Parish

Learn more at kcsjcatholic.org/comehome

Photos by Ashlie Hand

House of God

St. Bernadette Parish, Kansas City

By Ashlie Hand

Places of worship come in all shapes, sizes, configurations and conditions. St. Bernadette Parish, situated just a little more than two miles from Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums, was established on May 2, 1958. About a month after the parish was established, its congregation met for Mass at a place called “The Chicken Coop,” a dance hall in nearby Raytown. This unique and humble beginning earned those first parishioners the nickname “Chicken Coopers.”

Ground was broken on the current church and school in 1960 at a total cost of $430,000. The architect was Shaughnessy Bower & Grimaldi and the general contractor was J.E. Dunn. St. Bernadette Parish is considered a contemporary design that prioritizes simplicity, function and minimalism.

St. Bernadette Parish was built as a combined church/school, built in the form of a “T,” with the church located in the crossarm. The original plans called for the current church to become a school gymnasium.

Photos by Cory Thomason

photo essay

With capacity for 550 people, St. Bernadette Parish is designed for a more intimate experience, with no seat more than 50 feet from the altar.

“Contemporary church architecture creates an environmental space for the community as it assembles around the altar. Directness, clarity and light are represented in these modern churches.” This Far by Faith, Vol. I

In March 1959, St. Bernadette’s “root” parish, Holy Family Parish in Leeds, closed. Many of its parishioners became members of St. Bernadette, bringing with them this statue of the Holy Family and the parish’s Franciscan mission cross.

A generous amount of natural light streams in from a cluster of skylights and a line of narrow windows along the ceiling, while dramatic uplighting highlights the church’s wood-carved stations of the Cross.

Doing the Lord’s Work Every Sunday and Beyond:

But when Father Dan Reardon nominated Wally Bauer to be a recipient of the Bishop’s Recognition Award this past August, he said it’s because Wally does everything every Sunday.

Wally grew up in the largely Catholic town of Montrose, Missouri. He is quick to give credit to his mother for instilling in him as a young boy the importance of attending and serving at Mass. “Thank God my mom was that way,” Wally said. “I look back and I think, ‘I don’t need any recognition for doing what I am doing because I don’t think it’s that big of a sacrifice.’ I enjoy doing it. I want to do it. I think that I’ve had a great life that God gave me and that I owe him. I want to give back.”

“He does everything at Holy Trinity every Sunday, sacristan, lector, server, opens and closes the church, secures the collection. Oh, and he is on the Finance Council, too, and he regulates the heat and air conditioning in the church ...”

Wally Bauer has had a long career as a service manager for a heavy truck company. He has been employed there for almost 40 years. You could say when he volunteers every weekend at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Urich, Missouri, he is, in a way, a service manager there, too.

By Christy Gruenbaum

If you ask Wally Bauer how he shares his gifts at Holy Trinity in Urich, he will tell you he doesn’t do all that much. And he is quick to give credit to others who help, like his wife Nancy and other volunteers like Frank Swift, who he says is handy and helps with maintenance at the church.

He and Nancy encouraged that same belief in giving back with their children. Both his daughter and one of his sons were servers at Holy Trinity for many years, and his son, Michael, served all the way through his college years until he moved to Warrensburg. Wally explained, “Father Richard Rocha, who is the priest for the Chiefs, was our priest for about a year. My son was a football player, and they got along well. I was proud of him for doing it, but really, Michael serving for so long was an inspiration to me.”

— Father Dan Reardon

Wally and his wife go every Saturday to prepare Holy Trinity church for Mass on Sunday. He takes pride in making sure the church is arranged beautifully and prepared for Mass. He is a lector, reading every week, so he prepares the lectionary and is also an altar server. Wally is a trained Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, “but Father usually dispenses Communion,” he said. He looks after the audio system and maintenance of the church with help from others in the parish. Wally encourages others to serve in whatever way they can. “I think when you see that there is help needed, go ahead and do it. And it will pay you back way more for what you do.”

Bishop’s Recognition Award Winner says, ‘When you see there is help needed, go ahead and do it.’

RESURRECTION and New Life

By Sara Kraft

Father Thanh Nguyen, CSSR currently serves at Holy Martyrs and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Kansas City. He was born in 1975 in Vietnam and raised by his mother, because his father had to flee the country due to the Communist Party. Father Nguyen and his remaining family lived on in uncertainty, not knowing if his father was alive or dead. Despite the danger, they attended 5 a.m. Mass daily at an underground parish. His mother taught him the catechism and the Old Testament by memory. Nightly, they prayed for his separated family’s safety.

Father Nguyen draws many parallels between his life and the hope of the Resurrection. “It helps me to realize that hundreds of thousands of people escaped (Vietnam). We could not see the future. Those that were left behind could not see hope. But God is always there. This hope gives us freedom and new life. Christ brings us new life.”

“Those that were left behind could not see hope. But God is always there. This hope gives us freedom and new life. Christ brings us new life.”

After 18 years of separation, Father Nguyen and his family came to the United States in 1991 and were reunited with his father. He joined the Redemptorists in 2006 and was ordained in 2014.

Father Nguyen’s whole life is illuminated by the Easter mystery. “For me, the Resurrection is the feast.” He noted many people are afraid to die. Easter brings not only hope but new life. “Christ gives us everlasting life. No one on earth can give us this promise. Only Christ can do this for us and offer this hope.”

PHỤC SINH và cuộc sống

Tác

giả: Sara Kraft

Cha Thanh Nguyen, Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế (CSSR), hiện đang phụng sự tại giáo xứ Các Thánh Tử Đạo và Mẹ Hằng Cứu Giúp tại Thành Phố Kansas. Cha chào đời năm 1975 tại Việt Nam và được mẹ nuôi dạy, vì cha đẻ phải trốn khỏi đất nước do Đảng Cộng Sản. Cha Nguyen và những thành viên còn lại trong gia đình đã phải sống trong cảnh bất an, không biết cha mình còn sống hay đã từ trần. Bất chấp hiểm nguy, họ đã tham dự Thánh Lễ hàng ngày vào lúc 5 giờ sáng tại một giáo xứ ngầm. Mẹ đẻ của Cha đã giảng Giáo Lý và Kinh Cựu Ước bằng trí nhớ của mình. Hàng đêm, họ cầu nguyện cho sự an toàn của gia đình đã bị chia cắt của mình.

Cha Nguyen đã rút ra nhiều điểm tương đồng giữa cuộc đời của mình và hy vọng về sự phục sinh. “Điều đó giúp tôi nhận ra rằng đã có hàng trăm ngàn người chạy trốn (khỏi Việt Nam). Chúng tôi đã không thể nhìn thấy đâu là tương lai. Những người bị bỏ lại đằng sau thì không thể nhìn ra hy vọng. Nhưng Chúa vẫn luôn ở đó. Hy vọng này đã mang lại cho chúng tôi tự do và cuộc sống mới. Đức Chúa mang lại cuộc sống mới cho chúng tôi”.

Những người bị bỏ lại đằng sau thì không thể nhìn ra hy vọng. Nhưng Chúa vẫn luôn ở đó. Hy vọng này đã mang lại cho chúng tôi tự do và cuộc sống mới. Đức Chúa mang lại cuộc sống mới cho chúng tôi”.

Sau 18 năm chia cắt, Cha Nguyen và gia đình mình đã tới Hoa Kỳ vào năm 1991 và đoàn tụ với cha đẻ. Cha Nguyen gia nhập Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế vào năm 2006 và được phong chức vào năm 2014.

Cả cuộc đời của Cha Nguyen được soi sáng nhờ phép màu của Lễ Phục Sinh. “Đối với tôi, Phục Sinh chính là lễ hội”. Cha cho hay có rất nhiều người sợ cái chết. Lễ Phục Sinh không chỉ mang tới hy vọng, mà còn đem lại cuộc sống mới. “Đức Chúa ban cho chúng ta cuộc sống vĩnh hằng. Không ai trên Trái Đất có thể hứa hẹn với chúng ta như vậy. Chỉ có Đức Chúa mới có thể làm vậy vì chúng ta và gieo xuống hạt giống hy vọng này”.

A mother’s

to God

By

S itting across from Mary Sappington, wife and mother of six, you notice a firm resolve and a quiet strength drawn from her faith in God’s will. There is also a sense of loss that sits just below the surface, still raw and easily accessed.

Ashlie Hand | Photos by Christy Gruenbaum

Scott and Mary Sappington raised their children on three acres in Peculiar, Missouri, homeschooling them until high school. They have been active members of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Harrisonville for three decades. The oldest child, Elizabeth, is a labor and delivery nurse; Mark co-owns a coffee roasting company, is married and expecting his first child; and Bridgette is a pediatric nurse, wife and mother of two children, with one more on the way.

The three youngest Sappington brothers, Paul (who falls between Mark and Bridgette in birth order), James and Gabriel have a lot in common. Competitive athletes, they all played multiple sports throughout high school, from football to trapshooting, excelled academically, dated in high school and college, and love their large, close-knit family. They also all happen to have heard the call to the priesthood.

Father Paul Sappington was ordained on June 25, 2022, and currently serves as chaplain and director of faith formation at St. Michael the Archangel High School in Lee’s Summit.

James Sappington is in Pre-Theology I at Conception Seminary. He was joined in January 2023 by his younger brother Gabriel, now a sophomore at Conception.

Mary says that religious vocations were casually referenced as an option while the kids were growing up, but she never expected three of her four sons to feel called to the priesthood. It is a reality that she is still getting used to, while also gaining a deeper trust in God’s plan.

Through both laughter and tears, and with the intercession of Our Lady of Sorrows, she is learning to carry this unique responsibility.

Mary Sappington with her three youngest sons, Father Paul and seminarians, James and Gabriel.

A new kind of motherhood

As Paul, James and Gabriel have pursued vocations to the priesthood, Mary has had to find her way in this new dimension of motherhood.

“You pray, and then you pray, and then you pray some more,” she says, overwhelmed with emotion. “The Lord gave these kids to me for a reason, and being a mom is one of the most important jobs in the world.”

When a young person is discerning,

Mary says a mother’s job is to pray and listen.

“I know it’s my job to ask the Lord to guide them and to show them what his will is. Sometimes that’s really hard. To surrender control to God and say ‘Ok, God, they’re yours and I know you love them so much more than I do,’” she explains.

Mary cautions parents against putting any added pressure on a son who is discerning the priesthood. It’s important, she says, to remember that entering seminary does not mean they will become a priest.

“As a mother, it is not your decision,” Mary says emphatically. “My prayer has always been ‘Lord give me the desire to desire whatever your will is then help me to get out of the way.’”

Mary further encourages parents to talk to someone who has been through it. “There’s no guidebook,” she adds, because everybody’s journey is different. She participates with the Mothers of Seminarians group as they support each other and pray for the seminarians throughout their discernment.

Sacrifice and joy

Going through the process more than once hasn’t made it any easier.

“Priests are so sacrificial, and it’s such a hard job because you can never satisfy everyone,” Mary says. “As a mom, in your heart, you kind of go through that also.”

For Mary, there is also great joy in witnessing three of her sons pursue religious vocations. The journey has brought the family closer to each other and to God.

One special memory was seeing Father Paul bless his 98-year-old grandmother, who has been a prayer warrior for his vocation.

Mary doesn’t feel her family is extraordinary in their faith, describing their parenting and family life as “normal.” She finds it humbling that God would call three of her sons to discern the priesthood. Even more so, Mary says, “It is so humbling that they are saying yes. They love him so much that they are willing to discern and say, ‘God what do you want from me?’ and say yes.”

Visit catholickey.org for bonus content featuring more from our conversation, and the discernment journeys of Father Paul, James and Gabriel.

Father Paul Sappington was ordained a priest on June 25, 2022 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City. He was able to give his grandmother a special blessing during the Mass. Photos by Sandy Braun.

INSET PHOTOS:

Left: Gabriel Sappington entered Conception Seminary as a sophomore in January 2023.

Right: James Sappington is in Pre-Theology I at Conception Seminary.

First protector

During a newly ordained priest’s first Mass, he may give his mother the Maniturgium, a cloth used during the ordination Mass that was wrapped around his hands after they were anointed with holy oil.

Mary Sappington’s

homemade spaghetti and meatballs

Combine and simmer in 6-qt. saucepan

• 6 cans tomato sauce

• 2 packages McCormick’s

Thick & Zesty spaghetti

In large mixing bowl, combine:

• 2.5 – 3 lb. lean hamburger

• 2 eggs

• ½ cup of milk

• 2 tbsp

Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ¼ tsp pepper

Form into small balls and drop into simmering sauce. Simmer for about an hour and skim grease off the top. Serve with 32 oz. spaghetti cooked al dente. You can add more garlic powder, onion powder, 1 tsp sugar, basil or oregano if you don’t think it’s spicy enough.

Some suggest that this white cloth represents the burial shroud of Christ, which protected his sacred body in the tomb. Therefore, the newly ordained priest presents the Maniturgium to his mother because she was the first protector of his body through pregnancy and infancy.

Father Paul presented his Maniturgium to Mary in a gold-colored box at the end of his first Mass. “It’s a token of appreciation and love to say I appreciate all you’ve done to get me to this point … and it smells great, too.”

Mary says, “It was so touching, so meaningful. It’s just so humbling and a blessing.”

An authentic sounding board

Father Paul, James and Gabriel all recognize how important their mom is in forming their confidence and their faith.

Father Paul shared, “Mom did a really good job of encouraging us to not be afraid of failure, to stand up for what we believe in, through words and example.”

Once Father Paul was in seminary, his parents were an important connection for him to home and he came to appreciate their advice and role as parents in a deeper way.

James is the self-described emotion-

al one of the three, and his personal discernment was a longer internal struggle. “My mom was a big sounding board early in my discernment, someone I knew I could share things with. At some point, I had to stop talking to her about it because I was dealing with questions she couldn’t answer. Knowing I had her support either way was really important.”

Though still very early in his discernment, Gabriel says that being raised with “no duplicity” has been very helpful to him. “Mom did not get in the way of God and what he was asking of me. She told me, ‘Whatever God wants, that’s what you need to go towards.’ Her humility was very formative.”

All three brothers agree that simply knowing their mom is there when they need her, any time of day or night, makes all the difference in the world.

Mary Sappington is humbled that three of her sons have said “yes” to God’s call to discern a priestly vocation.

Bishop Johnston wraps Father Paul’s hands with the Maniturgium he will later give his mom. Photo by Sandy Braun.

THE CALL to be Catholic

As a child, my best friend’s mother and my own mother shared the years of raising young children.

They bonded over coffee in the morning; mulled over life’s challenges; and planned neighborhood block parties together. They shared the Faith. Both loved Jesus, but my friend’s mother was Catholic. Mine was not. My mother leaned on the Bible and fellowship. My friend’s mom leaned into liturgy, sacrament and tradition. We were polite about the difference, but I never believed I would need anything like that.

What I did need, however, was my friend. She and I were born eight days apart and became grand companions. For years, I was at my friend’s home nearly as often as my own.

I played under her dining room table; explored her attic; and struggled to master her treehouse ladder. At my friend’s house, I saw my first computer; made forts out of couch pillows; and learned what yogurt was. Her mom showed me how to soothe burns with a snippet of her aloe vera plant and taught me the basics of weaving.

When we were 10 years old, these neighbors moved halfway across the country. Our mothers understood their own friendship would be distanced, but believed their girls should be given the opportunity to remain close. We have. I didn’t see my friend’s mother often after childhood, but her influence on me remained.

It was decades later before God made it clear he did have something for me in the Catholic liturgy, sacrament and tradition. I found those years of living life so close to that Catholic mother made it just a little bit easier for me to understand the call.

Today, I am a reflection of my own mother in so many ways, but I am now also Catholic.

Karen Ridder

When I see myself finding dignity in the Eucharist, leaning into a fight for social justice or feeling joy in the creative balance of womanhood, I can see the reflection of my friend’s mother coming through in me, too.

My friend’s mother recently passed away. That mighty woman in a little body lived a fiercely ironic life that way, but her love of God could never be questioned. Even a child could see that.

I am now the Catholic mother down the street, and I wonder what kids on the block find in me. In what ways am I influencing the children who come knocking at my door by being my Catholic self? Will they find any dignity and justice as they dash through my house? Will they see Jesus when they run upstairs to explore my attic? I hope so. I’d like to think I can pass that gift along.

Jesus said, in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me.”

If we want to be parents who bring Jesus to the world, that is exactly what we should do. Let the children come to Jesus through you. It doesn’t have to be fancy. We just have to let them in.

God will do the rest.

is a parishioner at St. James Parish in Liberty and a convert to the Catholic Faith. She graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has written for numerous publications in the Kansas City area. Karen and her husband Jeff have three sons and a daughter.

The beggining of a new life

By Susan Walker

We practice 40 days of Lent in order to celebrate 50 days of Easter!

During Lent, we practice specific disciplines: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It’s a time of real growth, when we focus on changes we want to make in our lives and make them a reality. Forty days is quite an investment of time and effort — and we are rewarded with 50 days of feasting afterwards. So, Easter Sunday is only the beginning of our newly adjusted life.

Feasting doesn’t mean we overdo or overindulge. That wouldn’t make any sense given that we just put in 40 days of some pretty hard work on ourselves. The payoff is clear: we give up sugar, our bodies heal and we feel better. We work on mindful responses to difficult situations, and we go through our days calmer and with fewer emotional swings. It only makes sense, then, that we take the time to really savor the changes we made in ourselves over the past forty days.

Men and women who come to Catholic Charities for help and receive our wraparound services go through a season of change that feels much like Lent: supported by skilled staff members, they navigate through needed changes with the hope of emerging on the other side of all that work with a better life, filled with stability and confidence and plans for the future. It’s not an easy journey, and our staff offers meaningful and robust support along the way. To help people reach their goals, our staff employs a method known as strength based case management. This method recognizes that each person is unique, and their way out of poverty’s grasp is determined by their skills, talents and positive characteristics. However, when entering one of Catholic Charities’ programs, they may not be able to recognize their own strengths. That’s where we come in.

Case managers in our supportive services programs take ample time to work with the men and women in their care and assess their advantages and goals. Each time they meet, they review and reinforce the strength and skill that each person possesses and use those attributes to create a pathway out of poverty.

Catholic Charities’ case managers focus on:

SETTING GOALS: the central and most crucial element is helping each person set the goals they would like to achieve in their lives.

ASSESSING STRENGTHS: the primary focus is not on problems or deficits, but rather the inherent resources they have at their disposal which they can use to counteract any difficulty or condition.

INDUCING HOPE: increased hopefulness comes through a sense of self-worth and is strengthened by relationships with people and the community.

MEANINGFUL CHOICE: people are experts in their own lives; the case manager’s role is to increase and explain choices and encourage people to make their own decisions and informed choices.

Our staff takes a deep dive into each person’s individual situation — which produces a much deeper change: the new mother develops a sense of confidence in her ability to care for her newborn; a veteran who has struggled to maintain a job builds up his ability to deal with workplace conflict; a woman fleeing domestic violence rediscovers her self esteem and ability to craft a trauma-free future for herself.

This opens up a new “season” in their lives. After doing all the hard work to change and grow, men and women exit their case management time ready to embrace and maintain their self-determination, dignity and stability. They are ready to savor the results of their efforts and enjoy what all people desire — family, work, health, creation, relationships, etc.

After doing all the hard work to change and grow, men and women exit their case management time ready to embrace and maintain their selfdetermination, dignity and stability.

Three

faith streams — EVANGELICAL, CHARISMATIC, SACRAMENTAL — unite in Father Randolph Sly

By

In his office at St. Therese Little Flower Parish [North], Father Randy Sly sipped his coffee and recalled more than six decades of his faith journey.

Marty Denzer | Photos by Christy Gruenbaum

Raised Episcopalian, young Randy served Mass every chance he got, even earning a medal. By high school graduation, however, Randy’s faith had diminished. He played in a rock band and began working at a radio station. Off he went to college while beginning a career as a rock-and-roll radio disc-jockey, studying just enough to get by. At that time, the Vietnam War was in full swing. Randy chose to enlist in the Navy, avoiding the draft and Vietnam. His orders, however, sent him on a destroyer to Vietnam, awakening an awareness of his own mortality.

After Vietnam, while stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Randy heard a band playing rock music, but the musicians were singing about God. A couple of members of the group approached him and began talking about Jesus, while he talked about growing up in the church. “It dawned on me I was talking about the building; they were talking about the occupant. It was my Saint Paul on the Damascus road moment. I was completely changed.”

After his discharge, he settled in Battle Creek, Michigan, working in radio and TV. One day, he interviewed a young man and woman for a special radio program. They were leaders of a church youth group doing evangelization work on the city streets. “The woman, Sandy, later became my wife,” he said.

It was a time of upheaval in the Episcopal Church, and at Sandy’s invitation, he attended her Wesleyan Methodist Church. “They exhibited that same love for the Lord that I had,” he explained.

Randy returned to college, earning a degree in philosophy-religion, then completed his master’s degree in divinity in seminary. He began ministry as a Wesleyan Methodist pastor but increasingly became interested in studying the three streams of faith — evangelical, charismatic and liturgical/sacramental — which seemed to flow separately but needed to “converge to form the mighty river of God.”

Father Randy Sly as a young member of the U.S. Navy.

Photo courtesy of Father Randy Sly.

His studies compelled Randy to return to his Episcopal roots, which he did in a small, rapidly growing, Anglican denomination. Soon, he was ordained a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. He was later ordained a bishop and eventually appointed archbishop.

During 14 years of Anglican ministry, Father Sly and Sandy were gradually drawn to the Catholic Faith. Together, they prayed about and discussed the Catechism’s teachings. Eventually, it all came together and made sense.

“From studying the Church Fathers and Catholic teaching, I slowly came to realize that one Church fully embodied all three faith streams — the Roman Catholic Church,” he said.

In November, 2006, Father Sly resigned his faculties and he and Sandy were received into the Roman Catholic Church. “All our children and grandchildren came into the Church with us, and about half my parish also decided to become Catholic.”

However, because of his married status, a Catholic priest warned him that ordination to the priesthood was unlikely but encouraged him not to give up. “If Holy Mother Church wants you to be a priest,” he said, “she will make a way for you.”

In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI promulgated Anglicanorum Coetibus, calling Anglican traditions “a precious gift; a treasure to be shared.” In 2012, he erected the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter in the United States, also authorizing further theological formation for former Anglican clerics to prepare for ordination to the Catholic priesthood.

“In 2011, I submitted a massive dossier to the [then] Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, including transcripts, everything I’d done in ministry, psychiatric examinations, psychological inventories and a letter of permission from my wife, as ‘the two sacraments have to flow together.’”

When he received the letter from Pope Benedict permitting ordination, he also was given a dispensation from celibacy.

He was ordained a deacon at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Then, on June 23, 2012, Father Sly was ordained a priest by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde at Our Lady of Hope Parish in Potomac Falls, where he celebrated his first Catholic Mass. He was one of the first 10 priests ordained in North America for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

Father Sly has served in parishes

Day by Day Father Randy Sly

Father Sly’s Day by Day video podcast, with more than 1,000 episodes, has streamed out each day for more than two and a half years. Each episode features the daily Gospel reading and short reflection. Parishioner Jeff Samborski says, “There are many of us who look forward to this encouraging daily encounter and Father Sly’s steadfast commitment to the Day by Day program. [It helps] illustrate how a progressive parish can remain firmly in touch with their community in a rapidly changing culture.”

To watch

in Northern Virginia and across the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. He also served four years as president of St. Michael the Archangel High School in Lee’s Summit. Currently, he is Associate Pastor/Parochial Vicar of St. Therese North Parish in Parkville.

Smiling, Father Sly said, “It’s wonderful to see God at work through the beauty of the sacraments. They are the foundation of our worship, made possible through the grace of God.”

Subscribe to the St. Therese Parish Community YouTube channel, @StThereseParishCommunity

Father Randy Sly at his ordination to the Catholic priesthood on June 23, 2012.

Photo courtesy of Father Randy Sly.

UNA INMENSA CAFETERÍA

Guía para orar

Imagine que camina en una inmensa, amplia y vasta cafetería. Ve una extensa barra de ensaladas. Del otro lado hay una barra de papas asadas, una barra de sopas, una gran línea de platos principales, una barra de postres, otra barra separada de postres de chocolate y luego un centro de bebidas refrescantes donde puede solicitar un frapuchino latte doble de menta y naranja. Entonces imagine alguien que entra y nunca pasa de la barra de ensaladas.

El mundo de la oración es como una inmensa cafetería. Tenemos una herencia rica y variada de oraciones y todavía algunas personas piensan que rezar es simplemente decir oraciones. Ahora, decir oraciones es bueno. Jesús nos enseñó a decir oraciones, pero eso es como la barra de ensaladas. Existe una inmensa riqueza en el mundo Católico de la oración. Puede ser útil pasar algún tiempo deambulando por la cafetería y en algunos momentos parar para probar algo.

Para comenzar es de gran ayuda definir nuestros términos. ¿Qué significa para nosotros la oración? En este punto también existe una rica tradición de muchas definiciones, y vale la pena concentrarnos en solo algunas de ellas.

Una definición clásica viene de San Juan Damasceno quien describió a la oración como elevar la mente y el corazón a Dios, o pedirle a Dios cosas buenas. San Agustín definió la oración como un ejercicio de deseo santo. Él podría decir que cada uno tiene una oración. Que los deseos en lo más profundo de tu ser son tu oración. Santa Teresa de Jesús, mejor conocida como Santa Teresa de Ávila, una de nuestras grandes maestras de oración, habló de la oración como una conversación entre amigos y como

mira la presentación completo del padre joe y descargue el manual en catholickey.org

pasar tiempo con aquel que sabemos que nos ama. Volviendo a nuestros días, el papa Francisco llamó a la oración el soplo de la fe. Es la forma en la que nuestra fe respira, como continúa viviendo.

Obviamente, la mayor oración que tenemos es la Misa y la Eucaristía. Es lo que llamamos la fuente y la

No pierda los eventos por venir de Revivir Eucarístico que tomarán lugar en nuestra diócesis en 2023.

Reliquias del Beato Carlo Acutis y del Santo Manuel Gonzales Garcia

• 1 de Mayo, Parroquia Our Lady of Presentation, 4-8 p.m.

• 2 de Mayo, Parroquia St. Patrick North. 4-8 p.m.

• 3 de Mayo, Parroquia Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Joseph, 4 - 8 p.m.

Misa y Procesión de la Vigilia de Corpus Christi

• 10 de Junio, Catedral de St. Joseph

Misa y Procesión del Domingo de Corpus Christi

• 11 de Junio, Parroquia Holy Cross a Parroquia St. Anthony

Congreso Eucarístico In His Real Presence

• 9 de Septiembre, Parroquia Our Lady of the Presentation

cumbre de nuestra fe. Algunos otros tipos de oración incluyen: Lectio Divina , diferentes métodos de meditación Cristiana, el Libro de los Salmos, la Liturgia de las Horas, las oraciones devocionales, Arte y Oración, el Rosario y la Adoración Eucarística.

Lo animo a explorar y probar alguna de las riquezas que están en la inmensa cafetería, nuestro patrimonio maravilloso de la oración.

Por el Padre Joseph Cisetti

Mas información en kcsjcatholic.org/comehome

El obispo James V. Johnston, Jr. es el séptimo obispo de la Diócesis de Kansas City-St. Joseph

¿Has sido

salvado?

as sido salvado?” En mi caso no es raro escuchar esa pregunta ya que crecí en el Sur donde hay un gran número de Cristianos Baptistas y Evangélicos. Desde avisos en la carretera hasta los panfletos y las preguntas directas, esa es una pregunta dirigida a llevar al oyente a la decisión clave de la vida. La pregunta era a menudo hecha también a los Católicos, tal como me la hicieron a mi más de una vez, especialmente en la universidad y en la adultez temprana. Para aquellos que no eran muy conocedores de su fe o que no se la habían tomado muy en serio, ocasionalmente los llevó a dejar la Iglesia. ¡Quizás nadie en la Iglesia Católica les había hablado alguna vez acerca de este importante tópico anteriormente!

Hoy en día, no escucho la pregunta, “¿Has sido salvado?”, tantas veces como lo hice en mi juventud. Esto puede ser por una de estas dos razones. La primera, hoy en día hay muchas más personas no creyentes y agnósticos, y si uno no cree en Dios, entonces la vida en general no tiene un último significado, incluyendo la salvación. La segunda, es el otro extremo. Algunos asumen que todos, o la mayoría, serán salvados por Dios de cualquier manera y no es necesario preocuparse.

Sin embargo, es una buena pregunta y nos plantea el tema más importante de la vida — la salvación. Es una pregunta que todas las personas, incluyendo los Católicos, deben considerar e incluir las preguntas en consecuencia: ¿qué significa “salvarse”? y, ¿cómo se salva uno? Debemos rezar cada día por nuestra salvación y la de los demás, ya que como San Pablo enseñó, “Jesucristo vino al mundo para salvar a los pecadores” (1 Timoteo 1:15).

Los católicos típicamente pueden responder la

Del Obispo

pregunta de esta manera: “Sí, estoy salvado, estoy siendo salvado y espero salvarme”. En primer lugar, los Cristianos somos salvados por la fe y el bautismo; es decir, por la comunión con Cristo que es el único Salvador del Mundo (vea Hechos 4:12). Su muerte y resurrección redentoras vencieron el poder del pecado, la muerte y el demonio. Sin embargo, para que la redención de Cristo figure en nuestra salvación personal, uno debe creer en la fe y estar bautizado. La fe y el bautismo justifican la persona, lo que en la creencia Católica quiere decir que no solo son borrados nuestros pecados (original y personal), sino que se nos da participación en la vida divina de la Santísima Trinidad a través del don de la gracia de Dios. Así, uno puede realmente decir, “He sido salvado”.

Y, en segundo lugar, estamos siendo salvados. A diferencia de la creencia de algunos Cristianos, los Católicos mantienen que la salvación no es un evento singular de una vez por todas. De acuerdo con el

entendimiento de algunos cristianos, nada de lo que sucede en la vida de uno después del momento en que fue “salvado” puede jamás poner en peligro su salvación, incluso supuestamente, abandonar la fe o la falta de arrepentimiento de los pecados más graves. Los Católicos no creen esto porque la Biblia no lo dice. En su lugar, los Católicos creen que una vez que la persona es salvada, debe perseverar en una vida de gracia hasta el final de la vida. Eso se debe a que la hora de la muerte es el momento más importante de la vida.

Perseverar en la vida de gracia esencialmente significa permanecer en comunión viviente con la Santísima Trinidad. La Iglesia, el Cuerpo de Cristo en la tierra, existe para hacer realidad, nutrir y fomentar esta comunión con Dios, principalmente a través de los sacramentos, especialmente la Sagrada Eucaristía. Todos los sacramentos son canales de gracia para profundizar o restaurar la vida de gracia en un hijo de Dios. Además de los sacramentos, uno mantiene la comunión creyendo en las verdades salvadoras (doctrinales y morales) transmitidas por la Iglesia y viviéndolas en el amor. Jesús describe vivamente un criterio importante del juicio particular de Dios en nuestras vidas en Mateo 25:35-40, es decir, como amábamos o no a los pobres.

De manera importante, la salvación se puede poner en riesgo si no nos arrepentimos de los pecados mortales después del bautismo. En las palabras del Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, “El pecado mortal destruye la caridad en el corazón del hombre por una infracción grave de la ley de Dios; aparta al hombre de Dios, que es su fin último y su bienaventuranza, prefiriendo un bien inferior” (1855). El propósito principal del sacramento de la Reconciliación es restaurar la vida de gracia de una persona que se arrepiente del pecado mortal.

En tercer lugar, y finalmente, esperamos salvarnos. La salvación es una obra de Dios en la cual debemos participar y seguir eligiendo hasta el final. La vida es un viaje que solo lleva a dos destinos. Jesús lo enmarcó de esta forma cuando habló de las “dos maneras” casi al final del Sermón de la Montaña: “Entren por la puerta estrecha. La puerta que conduce a la perdición es ancha, y el camino fácil, y muchos son los que pasan por ellos. En cambio, ¡es estrecha la puerta y angosto el camino que llevan a la vida, y son pocos los que los encuentran!”

(Mateo 7:13-14)

Este año acabamos de celebrar la Pascua nuevamente. En nuestra diócesis muchos fueron bautizados, y todos tuvimos la oportunidad anual de renovar personalmente nuestras promesas bautismales, que nos recuerdan del don de la salvación. Jesús dijo, “Yo soy el camino, la verdad y la vida. Solamente por mí se puede llegar al Padre” (Juan 14: 6). Somo un pueblo “en el camino”, una familia de peregrinos en el largo viaje a la casa del Padre. Permanezcamos en santa comunión con Jesús y mantengamos nuestros ojos fijos en Él hasta el final. Nuestra salvación depende de ello.

“Todos los sacramentos son canales de gracia para profundizar o restaurar la vida de gracia en un hijo de Dios.”

Annual Day of Prayer in Atonement

By Marty Denzer

In early 2016, Bishop James Johnston, acutely aware of the devastating effects of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church on those harmed by it, announced his commitment to set aside an annual day of prayer in atonement for that harm, beginning in 2017. The announcement was made during the Service of Lament held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Since 2017, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has set aside April 26 for devotion to prayer in atonement for those harmed by sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The April date was chosen because April is Child Abuse Prevention month. April 26,

2023, marks the seventh annual Day of Prayer in the diocese.

During that inaugural Service of Lament, the HOPE box was introduced. The handcrafted wooden box was donated to the Office of Child Protection as a reminder for us to remain hopeful for healing and wholeness, for peace and justice for those who are journeying towards healing from their abuse, for those who care for them and for our community. This locked box contains personal petitions that have been added over the past seven years. These petitions remain private and held in reverence in this HOPE box. The petitions in this box serve to remind all in the diocese to remain hopeful, but to never forget the pain, sorrow and devastation that sexual abuse caused for so many in this Catholic community.

Several years ago, it was decided to alternate the site of the Annual Day of Prayer in Atonement between the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City and the Cathedral of St. Joseph in St. Joseph. The upcoming Day of Prayer will be held at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, 519 N. 10th St., St. Joseph. The Mass will be at noon, with Bishop Johnston presiding.

There will also be the weekday Mass said at 12:15 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 416 W. 12th St., Kansas City.

The Day of Prayer in Atonement will also include several diocesan schools. For those who are unable to attend the Mass and service at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, there are many ways of participating in private. The diocese recommends lighting a candle in your parish church, pray the Rosary, spend time in Adoration or simply pray for the healing and wholeness of those harmed by sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Middle school and high school students from several diocesan schools attended the 2022 Day of Prayer Mass with Bishop Johnston.

The HOPE box contains seven years of petitions gathered during each Day of Prayer in the diocese.

In 2022, Journey to Bethany published a Letter to Survivors. Read and sign the letter at journeytobethany.org.

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once, they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20

Conception Seminary College forms seminarians in the philosophical tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. Through academic, spiritual, pastoral, and human formation, we accompany men as they listen for God’s Voice, discern their priestly vocation, and become missionary disciples. Following the model of Jesus Christ, formation and conversion of heart are nurtured in the intimacy of community and deepened by the discipline of prayer in the Benedictine tradition.

The public policy agency of the Catholic Church in Missouri.

What happened in Je erson City during the first weeks of the 2023 legislative session? Find out by listening to the Missouri Catholic Conference’s latest legislative roundtable episode of MCC from the Capitol.

Scan to listen mocatholic.org

Seminarians of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph studying at Conception Seminary College.

Doing the work that UNITES THE CHURCH

By Bridget Locke | Photo by Christy Gruenbaum

In 1986, the Black Catholic Implementation Team (BCIT) was founded by Bishop John J. Sullivan to support the African-American Catholic Apostolate in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in expressing the concerns of the Black Catholic community, and society at large, to the diocese. Over the years, the BCIT has presented keynote speakers and theatrical productions, facilitated workshops and assembled social justice discussion groups in an effort to educate the entire diocese about the unique experiences of African-American people in the faith.

Preceded in service by the late Father Robert Stewart and Sister Barbara A. Moore, CSJ (1986-1990) and Deborah A. Scott (1990-1992), Deacon Ken Greene, a parishioner of Kansas City’s historic St. Monica Catholic Church, is the third convener of the BCIT and has served in this capacity since 1992. He remains committed to doing the work that unites the Church — which often entails having conversations with people from different backgrounds and life experiences to build common understanding.

From April to September 2022, the BCIT participated in the Precious Blood Center’s Anti-Racism Study Group, examining race consciousness through the study of The Hill We Climb, the poem written and recited by Amanda Gorman for the 2021 inauguration of President Joseph Biden, Jr. and Vice President Kamala Harris. Currently, the BCIT participates in the Visitation/St. Monica Racial Justice Study Group to discuss various topics. Both groups, averaging 10-20 people, began in virtual conference settings.

In addition to making connections within the diocese, the BCIT links with groups outside to expand their experiences and perspectives.

Every five years, the Baltimore, Maryland-based National Black Catholic Congress hosts a three-day event that convenes Black Catholics from the United States, South America and the Caribbean Islands. The BCIT has sent delegates to every gathering since 1986, and in July 2023, will send another group to National Harbor, Maryland, for this year’s meeting. Greene, who will attend, anticipates how the gathering will enhance his home parish, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Church at large.

“We will use the time to learn, prepare new catechisms and evolve in our ways of worshiping. Then, we’ll take these ideas back home to our local parishes,” he said.

Greene has also spent several summers in New Orleans, attending Xavier University of Louisiana’s Institute for Black Catholic Studies. He encourages others to engage nationally to broaden their exposure and infuse fresh approaches into their religious experiences. Communicating intentionally to ensure that your spiritual development needs are met is also important, he believes.

“Speak up. Ask leaders to provide what you need to grow,” said Greene. “Encourage them to invite the ‘outside’ in. It’s very important to hear others’ voices and to learn from a variety of people.”

“Encourage them to invite the ‘outside’ in. It’s very important to hear others’ voices and to learn from a variety of people.”

WHY DO WE NEED THE MAGISTERIUM?

Have you ever played the telephone game? You whisper a phrase in a person’s ear, then they whisper to the next person, and so on. Eventually, it comes back around to you, and it’s nothing like what you said. People forget. They misunderstand. Things get lost in translation. So how can we be sure after 2,000 years we have the truth handed down to the apostles from Jesus? The Magisterium.

From the beginning, the Church realized the importance of handing on the apostles’ teaching and preserving its integrity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 77) says, “In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church, the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them ‘their own position of teaching authority.’”

We see this in Scripture where Paul admonishes his successor Timothy to “guard the deposit entrusted to you.” (2 Tim 6:20) The Greek word for deposit is “paratheke.” It means something of great value, a treasure consigned to another for safekeeping. Being a bishop, a successor of the apostles, carried this sacred trust to safeguard, preserve and faithfully hand on, without error, the Deposit of Faith. And there was no shortage of errors.

Early on, people created mixtures of Christianity, pagan religions and dualistic philosophies like Manichaeism. How could you know actual Christian teaching? You must go to a bishop who could trace his lineage to an apostle, and the Church kept meticulous records for this purpose.

Looking for more?

Dive into the Ascension Press Catechism in a Year podcast or YouTube series; Days 1013 relate directly to the teaching of sacred tradition, sacred Scripture and the Magisterium.

the Pope, and the bishops in communion with him form the present-day Magisterium.

“It is the Magisterium’s task to preserve God’s people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error ... To fulfill this service, Christ endowed the Church’s shepherds with the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals.” (CCC 890)

Marc Cardaronella is the director of the Office of Catechesis and Faith Formation.

The apostles were the authority. They were, in fact, the first Magisterium. Magister is a Latin word meaning teacher or master, as in the master of a subject. In the Middle Ages, a university licensed a magister to teach as an authority. We get the modern-day term “master’s degree” from this. A magisterium is a teaching body or office with teaching authority. The apostles were the authority, and they gave that authority to their successors. Just as Peter and the apostles formed the first Magisterium, the successor of Peter,

God is obliged to provide a means for us to know the truth. If we are held accountable for it, in justice, he must give us an unfailing way to know it. That way is the Magisterium. Through the Holy Spirit’s power, the Magisterium preserves the teaching handed down from the apostles, so we can be sure it’s not a telephone game. When new cultural and societal developments challenge our understanding of the Gospel, the Magisterium guides us in the correct response. It does this by listening to the apostolic teaching and making new pronouncements. Finally, the Magisterium expounds the deposit of teaching to lead us into liberating truth.

Q

Walking together with other families: Q&A with Matthew and Julia Unger

Dino Durando

is the Director of the Office of Domestic Church and Discipleship and the Office of Marriage and Family for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. He and his wife Cathy have been married (almost) 25 years and have 10 children and one grandchild.

Matthew and Julia Unger, parishioners at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, participate in the Domestic Church movement. Initiated in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in 2018, the Domestic Church movement consists of married couples who wish to live out their sacrament to the full with the help of God and a small group of other couples, along with their parish priest.

“We were struck by the beauty of this movement and the promotion of the unity of the family. Rather than attending separate retreats and growing personally in faith we would attend together and grow together.”

How did the two of you meet, and how did you discern marriage?

A: We met in January 2014 playing dodgeball in a Catholic Challenge Sports league. As we spent more time together, we prayed for God to guide us in our relationship. In every serious relationship we had been in before, at some point, God seemed to be saying, “This is not the person I have for you to marry.” Neither of us ever felt in our hearts that message about our relationship. We were married on May 30, 2015,and have been blessed with five children (ages 6 to 2 months) and one in heaven.

Q

What was your initial motivation/reason for attending the Domestic Church retreat and then joining a circle for formation?

A: We attended the initial retreat, after being invited by friends we look up to, Jon and Jeni Doolittle. We wanted to spend some quality time with them and allow ourselves the opportunity for the first “getaway” since our honeymoon. We were pregnant and nearly due with our third baby, and we felt it was a good time to reconnect and strengthen our bond. Once again, God’s call to focus on the spiritual growth of our family was a catalyst, this time through the Domestic Church and the circle of families we’ve come to love who we join for monthly formation.

Q Why have you stayed with it?

A: We were struck by the beauty of this movement and the promotion of the unity of the family. Rather than attending separate retreats and growing personally in faith, we would attend together and grow together. The Domestic Church movement also extends to the children and their formation, which helps fulfill the commitment proclaimed in the Sacrament of Marriage. The history behind Father Blachnicki’s Light-Life Young Adult movement in Poland is very compelling as well.

Q

What fruits can you identify in your marriage from your participation in Domestic Church?

A: Our family has seen an increase in perseverance, unity in family prayer, more open and honest communication and a greater witness to the faith.

Matthew has a greater openness and trust in God’s plan.

Julia grew up in a broken and eventually divorced family, which created deep wounds. Domestic Church has been a true source of healing, especially seeing how families can remain united, even in difficult times, when they pray together, communicate and continue to strive for holiness each day. It is a great source of hope that we are not alone in this journey. Families are seeking Jesus in the same way right alongside us.

Learn more at kcsjfamily.org/ light-life

Food with Friends

By Bridget Locke

Photos by Christy Gruenbaum

“Please don’t kill me.”

When Kendall Nick heard this terrified plea from a man who was experiencing homelessness, she stopped in her tracks.

“It was unbelievable,” she said, reflecting on the moment. “I reached out to say hello, but he winced back in fear. He thought I meant him harm, and it broke my heart. Far too frequently, people who live outside are either treated like they’re invisible or find themselves on the receiving end of physical or verbal attacks. If given the choice between invisibility or abuse, some prefer to stay unseen.”

But they’re not

invisible. Nick saw them clearly and determined that night that she would find a way to serve them. The following week, she and a few more volunteers returned to Kansas City’s River Market District with sandwiches in hand and a mission in mind.

“We walked around, found some new friends and asked them to eat with us,” she said.

Nick didn’t realize it at the time, but she’d just launched Food with Friends KC, an outreach ministry with one purpose: reminding homeless friends that they are loved and seen.

Since that night in July 2020, Nick and several volunteers have continued to bring food and other necessities — wipes, lip balm, batteries, underwear, books, flashlights and more — to friends they encounter in the River Market area. The group meets every other Friday evening and walks nearly three miles for two hours, delivering items to anyone who expresses need. Before their

support

Food with Friends KC’s efforts through volunteer or donation opportunities.

Visit

foodwithfriendskc.org

to learn more.

visit, Nick prepares food and necessities and, sometimes, fulfills special requests.

“We ask our friends if there is a treat they’d like or haven’t had in a while,” she said. “Some, we see every visit; others, we only encounter once — but we show up, rain or shine. We want to be a source of consistency in their lives. Many of them don’t get that anywhere else.”

Word of their work has spread. In 2022, City on a Hill, a nonprofit in the diocese, began posting the group’s volunteer opportunities on its website. In addition to yielding new volunteers, their partnership has opened up opportunities for interviews and speaking engagements about their work and led to donation drives spearheaded by Catholic Challenge Sports and Young Catholic Professionals.

Nick understands that the challenges of those experiencing homelessness are often bigger than she alone can solve, but she also knows that love and compassion will always be a component.

“Saint Teresa of Calcutta once said, ‘Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.’ Doing small things with great love is my guiding principle.”

Food with Friends KC ministers to homeless in Kansas City’s River Market neighborhood with food and other necessities.

Kendall Nick (foreground) with several of her Food with Friends KC volunteers.

“Doing small things with great love is my guiding principle.”

— Kendall Nick

‘The beauty of the music brought me back’

By Ashlie Hand | Photos by Christy Gruenbaum

Dave Hess, a professionally trained musician and vocalist, began singing with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception’s Schola Choir in 2017. At the time, he was not attending Mass or practicing his faith after falling away from the Church after college.

Dave grew up in Topeka and attended St. Matthew’s Parish. A college friend was singing in the Schola Choir at the Cathedral when Dave graduated from college and moved to Kansas City. There wasn’t a position for him at the time, so he found other gigs where he could use his talent. The opportunity to sing professionally at the Cathedral came after six years of waiting and performing at other venues.

“Being involved in choir got me back to church,” Dave says. “Pretty soon, I started going [to Mass] even on days when I wasn’t singing.”

It wasn’t long before Dr. Mario Pearson, director of music and

liturgy at the Cathedral, asked Dave to get more involved. Today, Dave also serves as cantor once per month, leading the congregation in all sung parts of the Mass, and attends young adult ministry events with his parish friends.

“The beauty of the music is what brought me back; [then] the beauty of the Mass and the building drew me in. I couldn’t stay away.”

A Choralschola, known simply as schola, is a choir for singing Gregorian chant or plainsong. It consists traditionally of only men, but modern groups sometimes also include female voices.

In the last couple of years, the Cathedral’s Schola Choir has invested more time in rehearsals and improving their performance. The group has put on several concerts that draw in public audiences, many who are not Catholic.

“There has been great support for what we do and what we share with others, and Mario’s leadership has helped us continue to improve,” Dave says.

This elevated status reflects the overall energy in downtown Kansas City over the last several years. As the area around the Cathedral continues to grow and thrive, Dave has eagerly supported the plans for a new Parish Hall.

Learn more about the Building Glory Campaign at kcgolddome.org/ building-glory Head

Dave believes the new Parish Hall will attract more people to attend Mass at the Cathedral and strengthen the community that’s already there. He’s looking forward to increased opportunities for fellowship after Mass and the added benefits of revenue-generating events that will support the ongoing impact of the Cathedral in Kansas City.

“The whole downtown area is being built up a lot and I think it will be good for Catholics, fallen-away Catholics and non-Catholics to see the Cathedral is still alive, still trying to live out the Faith in a non-Christian world.”

Dave Hess serves on the Cathedral’s Building Glory Capital Campaign committee.

As the neighborhood surrounding the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception has grown, Dave has eagerly supported plans for a new Parish Hall.

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