Voices from the Vineyard + Winter 2020

Winter 2020, No. 5

Vineyard VOICES

A magazine about ministry for

from the

alumni of Saint Meinrad.

PARISH 100% SOLAR-POWERED Fr. John Grace O’79 Tells Why

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

It’s the beginning of yet another year. So many big events happened during 2019 in our nation and in our Church that one can forget what is happening in our own community. It’s not that we don’t read our local newspaper or Joe Oliveri church bulletin (I can say I rarely do so, myself). Sometimes it is just the fact that most things go unnoticed and underappreciated.

though the story may focus on one or three different alumni, each person realizes their achievements and daily work are done with the support of many others – too many to name.

My hope for those of you reading this latest issue of Voices from the Vineyard is that you can see your own parish in at least one of the four stories. So that we no longer see our involvement in the parish as “unnoticed and underappreciated” but powerful. Not power in a selfish way, but a selfless way.

As I ease into my role as alumni director, I have been able to meet so many wonderful and unique alumni of Saint Meinrad. What I have found, most often, is that our alumni are just, well, regular people. Regular people who are up to quite innovative and impressive things.

When I wrote these stories, I noticed that each one personifies the call of Jesus to have “faith the size of a mustard seed” enough to move the mountains that seem too impractical and impossible to move (Matt 17:20). Our alumni, I know, continue to move mountains in ministry by innovating new ways to protect God’s creation, minister to youth and young adults, and proclaim the Good News.

The one overarching theme that describes this issue (save one high school) is that each story takes place within a parish community. And

The year of 2020 has just begun. How might you at your own Catholic parish move mountains for God’s greater glory? F

VOICES Vineyard from the

This online publication can be viewed at http://alumni.saintmeinrad.edu/voices-from-the-vineyard/ FEATURES 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .From the Editor

3-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alumna Helps to Create Disciples by Naming and Proclaiming 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Day of Service 6-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100% Solar-Powered Catholic Parish, Alumni Priest Tells Why 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alumni Reunion 10-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Providing Intentional Opportunities: Ministry as a Catholic High School 12-13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Young Adult Initiative: Invites Collaboration and Real Methods for Parish Ministry Credit: Photos of Immaculate Conception Parish provided by Fr. John Grace (cover, page 7). Photo of the statue of Mary provided by Holly McGuire (page 11).

Produced by the Alumni Office and the Communications Office at Saint Meinrad Archabbey.

Office of Alumni Relations alumni@saintmeinrad.edu

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200 Hill Drive, St. Meinrad, IN 47577 http://alumni.saintmeinrad.edu

© 2020

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(812) 357-6501

ALUMNA HELPS TO CREATE DISCIPLES

by Naming and Proclaiming Dr. Sharon Schuhmann has a unique job title. A member of the parish staff at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Prospect, KY, she is the pastoral associate of intentional discipleship.

Dr. Sharon Schuhmann Schuhmann spoke with me at St. Bernadette’s recently built parish center after a tour of their school and more recently constructed church.

The buildings are a product of merging two parish communities in greater northeast Louisville, Mother of Good Counsel and Transfiguration of Our Lord, in 2008.

Schuhmann hopes that we, as the Church, can name our experiences as encounters with the living God. She notes that mystics are not extinct in 2019, and that we should encourage others to name where they see Christ in their lives, just as she does at various adult faith formation programs.

One of the projects Schuhmann is involved in is called Preaching Encounters. Fr. Jeff Nicolas, pastor and fellow Saint Meinrad alumnus, collaborates with Schuhmann during this prayer service. It begins with Fr. Jeff proclaiming and preaching on the Sunday Gospel. Then, after prayerful silence, Schuhmann proclaims and preaches on the same reading. “It gives people the chance to hear two different perspectives on the readings, but receive the same Catholic theology,” she explains.

“Our goal involves the whole parish staff and the parishioners taking on this identity of naming themselves as disciples of Jesus.”

She explains that her position was recrafted based on Sherry Weddell’s book, Forming Intentional Disciples. “It was clear that there had to be a focus on who we want to be as a parish community at St. Bernadette.”

It seems that not many parishes have taken this idea as seriously. “Our goal involves the whole parish staff and the parishioners taking on this identity of naming themselves as disciples of Jesus,” she said.

The idea of naming, or self-identifying, as disciples was crucial to Schuhmann’s ministry.

“Then, once you have named who you are, you can fulfill it in what you do.” Primarily,

Schuhmann preaches only where it is canonically allowed (Code of Canon Law, 766). With her knowledge and enthusiasm for the faith, she has been asked to give retreats and parish missions all over the Archdiocese of Louisville and beyond. She also offers reflections to the grade school students at their school Mass.

She is happy to be where she is in her ministry.

“For me, I love this Church so much, and I love evangelizing the Church.” Schuhmann is equipped with a master’s degree in theological studies from Saint Meinrad in 2011 and a doctorate in preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in 2016.

Schuhmann expressed how grateful she is to be a product of Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. “Without the theology Saint Meinrad taught me and the network it has, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

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“It was the monks, some of my professors at Saint Meinrad, who saw that I had this gift of preaching and gave me the support to pursue it,” she notes. In the Church today, people can be divided on whether women should preach.

Schuhmann is glad to be supported in what she believes God has graced her with.

welcoming lay leaders from parishes, empowered by pastors and families to be prepared to do God’s work.

“I’m always sending people to Saint Meinrad….

It will change your life. It will open doors.”

Schuhmann speaks of her own experience of getting to live out the calling she has.

“Saint Meinrad gives you such a strong foundation. So, for anyone reading the alumni magazine, if they see in their parish there’s someone that seems to be hungry for growing in their life in the Church, encourage that ongoing formation.” F

“It was the monks, some of my professors at Saint Meinrad, who saw that I had this gift of preaching and gave me the support to pursue it.”

Proclaiming and preaching the Word is just another way Schuhmann names herself a disciple. And although every parish might not be able to hear from a well-trained female lay theologian, knowing there is possibility is the bigger point. “I believe there is plenty of room, with support from pastors, to empower lay people to be in roles like mine,” she says. The graduate program at Saint Meinrad is always

ALUMNI RETREAT JANUARY 24-26, 2020 Hosted at Saint Meinrad Featuring Fr. Mark O’Keefe, OSB

For more information and to register, visit https://alumni.saintmeinrad.edu/ events/2020-alumni-retreat/

Dr. Sharon Schuhmann MTS ’11 (’08-11) - is the pastoral associate of intentional discipleship at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Prospect, KY.

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Evansville

Indianapolis

New Albany

Evansville

Join us March 14th!

2020 Locations:

Los Angeles

Alexandria, LA Bloomington, IN Dayton, OH Denver, CO Evansville, IN Indianapolis, IN Greenwood, IN Kankakee, IL Louisville, KY New Albany, IN St. Louis, MO Los Angeles, CA Toledo, OH Tulsa, OK

Registration now open at alumni.saintmeinrad.edu/day-of-service Voices from the Vineyard | Page 5

100% SOLAR-POWERED CATHOLIC PARISH

Alumni Priest Tells Why It wasn’t his plan to create the first solarpowered Catholic parish when he first was assigned to Immaculate Conception Parish in Hampton, VA. Fr. John Grace just wanted to do something for the good of the people Fr. John Grace and the planet. “I am an Arranger in the Gallup StrengthsFinder.

That means I like to see what resources I have around me and use them in the best way they can be used.” That’s how the idea of a solarpowered parish began.

When I had a chance to talk with Fr. John, he reminisced about the CACD program at Saint Meinrad when he was a student. CACD (Cooperative Action for Community Development) is a not-for-profit corporation that began as a way for seminarians to help neighboring communities. It was in its infancy when he was in school in 1970.

“We had just put on the first Special Olympics at Saint Meinrad my freshman year. It was through that and CACD that I began to realize that there was more to life than just me or my community.” He also attributed his desire for the common good to the many dioceses and nations represented at Saint Meinrad. “It gave me perspective. The world was a lot bigger than I thought.”

Most of Fr. John’s ministry has been with college students. When he was appointed pastor of a parish in 2018, he did not take a year to sit back and learn the role. “It was already a very active parish well before I got there.” The goal was not to make his parish Page 6 | Voices from the Vineyard

100% solar-powered, but Fr. John found himself at a parish that could be just that.

With a partnership with Catholic Energies, a program of the Catholic Climate Covenant, Immaculate Conception paid nothing for its 440 new solar panels. It also helped that the parish is located in a district with good tax incentives for investors. Now they are the first Catholic parish, so far, that is fully powered by the sun. So, why?

Though it happened quickly, Fr. John says this project didn’t happen out of thin air. “The people of this parish were engaged throughout the entire process. They had to agree to do it before we went forward.” The parish hosted many events to learn about why alternate energy sources are good for the parish, the planet, and aligned with Catholic teaching.

Fr. John knows the project is more about God and creation than 440 solar panels on a church roof. “I believe if you have a desire to do good and the means to do good and do nothing, that is sin.” He takes many beats from the papal encyclical Laudato Si, which outlines the Catholic reasoning for concern for God’s creation as our common home.

The parish also has a Care for Creation Team that participates in recycling, purchasing sustainable products, and learning more about ways to take care of the environment. The parish sits in an area that is in danger of rising water from changes in the climate. Fr. John gives all the credit to his parishioners, who remain active in caring for their common home. He sees in them what he found at Saint Meinrad 40-some years ago. “Just like with CACD, it expanded because we are caring for the community and you cannot

compartmentalize love for God and serving God’s people and creation.”

Fr. John encourages his classmates and others in the alumni community to look for ways their parishes can use renewable resources and sustainable products, sometimes at little to no cost. “In the coming years, we will save 15% per year in energy costs and 250 tons of emissions released into the air.” This is something personal to Fr. John’s beliefs, responding to those who think he is overlooking his responsibilities as a Catholic priest. “As I use clean waters to baptize a child, I want that child to also grow up in a clean world to experience the fullness of God.” Fr. John has seen younger people become more interested in what his parish does because of the parish’s passion for environmental concerns. “They are surprised

to know that the Church cares about the environment. However, they should not be surprised.” He hopes more Catholic communities can make greater strides and become public leaders in caring for God’s creation.

“Everything is gift. What we do with these gifts God gives us truly speaks to who we are as Christian disciples and stewards.” His project might have developed organically, but doing what Fr. John did takes willingness to look at and listen to what is possible. Then, who knows what God will do in the lives of those who love Him and care for creation.

To get in touch with Fr. John, you can call his parish office at (757) 826-0393 or email him at frjohn@icchampton.org. Find out more about Catholic Energies at https://www.catholic energies.org/. F

Fr. John Grace O’79 (’70-79) is a graduate of the Ordination Class of 1979. He is the pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish in Hampton, VA. Voices from the Vineyard | Page 7

92ndAnnual Alumni Reunion

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nd

92 Annual Alumni Reunion

August 2-5, 2020

Voices from the Vineyard | Page 9

PROVIDING INTENTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES:

Ministry as a Catholic High School Catholic communities are built not just around the parish, but also the school. One all-male high school in the Archdiocese of Louisville, Trinity High School, currently has Saint Meinrad alumni focusing on the Catholic identity of Mike Magre their community. Each has a part in forming an environment that welcomes students, parents, faculty and staff, providing the opportunity for everyone to engage in the life of Jesus Christ through the Catholic faith.

I met with three alumni – Mike Magre, Bernie Schum and Holly McGuire – during a study period in the high school cafeteria. I wanted to learn more about the programming they have been implementing. However, what I learned was that Catholic ministry at Trinity was much more than attending programs.

“I went to Notre Dame for a conference about the recent synod on young people,” says Mike Magre, an academic counselor at Trinity.

“What I brought back was that there needs to be less worrying about getting them (the students) to Mass, but to offer more in our ministry that invites students to engage with Catholic rituals and practices at a pace that welcomes them into fuller participation.”

During the school year, a giant rosary was made by the students and put up in the cafeteria. “Students would come by during their break and write a prayer that would be added to the rosary. And the best part is that it was something visible, that they could walk by and see,” Magre notes. The students conceived the idea from a “living rosary” event put on by the archdiocese. “It was also something that our whole community could participate in,” he added.

Magre encourages interest in these activities through the newly formed Saints Peter and Paul Society of students, faculty and staff who want to engage in Catholic ministry at Trinity.

With about a dozen students, the numbers are less important than the opportunities Trinity provides the students.

Bernie Schum, a theology teacher, also emphasized the change in focus regarding participation in ministry programming. “We are not so much worried about how many students that come, but that they Bernie Schum do. We need to stoke the flames we have.” Beyond the mandatory school Masses and student retreats, high school ministers like the ones at Trinity are

“There needs to be less worrying about getting them (the students) to Mass, but to offer more in our ministry that invites students to engage with Catholic rituals and practices at a pace that welcomes them into fuller participation.”

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constantly focused on whether the “extra” activities are really needed.

Schum sees this differently. “You have to offer,” he says. He tells the story of a school prayer program, where one classroom would do a series of prayers for vocations for a week. They could do the prayers in whatever format was best for them, and each classroom has taken it and run with it. “That prayer for vocations wouldn’t be done if it wasn’t offered,” he notes.

Likewise, Schum sees the need to focus on what students are interested in. Their outreach to students is based on what the students want. “The low commitment is one way of engaging these students, but also there must be diverse ways in which the students can engage in their faith,” he says.

of a school community to embrace its Catholic identity in a visible way. McGuire added her expertise as an artist by painting Mary with tint that incorporated Trinity green to the familiar Marian blue. Mary stands on a pillar overlooking one of the main walkways in and out of the cafeteria.

And so, Saint Meinrad alumni at Trinity High School truly see that God can work with anything if they simply listen, offer, and act. If you have a few students of interest, give them responsibility and voice. If you have a small prayer program, involve as many people and let them make it their own. Anything is worth trying if it encourages the youth to learn and seek more from their faith. F

For some students, that was manifested in a six-foot statue of Mary, a project spearheaded by Holly McGuire, a theology teacher. It began like most ministries at Trinity: a student came forward and someone listened.

Holly McGuire The hope was to have something permanent that spoke to the Catholic tradition of the school community, where students could gather individually or as a whole body. “The principal and many others were very supportive. It was first imagined as a smaller statue but, by the end, it was six feet tall,” McGuire says.

The statue represents more than Mary’s place of prominence and prayer, but the willingness Mike Magre is currently attending graduate courses at Saint Meinrad. Bernie Schum graduated in 2014 with a Master of Theological Studies. Holly McGuire graduated in 2016 with a Master of Theological Studies.

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YOUNG ADULT INITIATIVE:

Invites Collaboration and Real Methods for Parish Ministry The Young Adult Initiative is program of Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology that began with an awareness of a serious problem: young people are leaving the Church and they are not coming back.

Michal Horace, director, and Kami Knies, administrative and research assistant through December 2019, staff this project and were tasked with selecting Catholic parishes to innovatively engage young adults, ages 23-29, both within and outside their congregation.

The Young Adult Initiative is funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc.

so simple, but so many parishes have to realize that simple step before improving their ministry with young adults.”

Each of the 15 parishes selected for the program sends a parish contact, usually a youth and young adult minister or parish associate, and their core team members, made of parishioners of all ages, to Saint Meinrad for gatherings. During the gatherings, held twice a year, experts give talks about aspects of ministry to young adults and best practices in general ministry.

“We have talked about where young adults gather and it is not at church anymore. So, how do we not only sponsor events that meet them where they are, but how do we best practice accompaniment and one-to-one outreach in their personal lives?”

Knowing this challenge has many complex components, Horace selected parishes that were motivated to innovate and share ideas, not necessarily expecting to “fix their young adult problem.” “No one has the end-all-be-all to this, but together we have found so much about young adults and what makes a parish inviting and considerate to this population,” Horace says.

Knies, who did behind-the-scenes work on the initiative, saw great strides from the parishes.

“At the gatherings, you hear ideas that seem Page 12 | Voices from the Vineyard

The initiative is at its halfway point of a five-year, five-phase process.

The initial phases pertain to gathering people, resources and information. Some parishes have even begun implementing what they have learned through collaborative conversations.

Parishes are given a stipend from the initiative’s Lilly grant: $5,000 twice a year.

Horace sees the money being used creatively in places like St. Clare Catholic Church in O’Fallon, IL, where the parish helps young adults with children pay for babysitters. “We found those with families can’t come to an evening Bible study if they struggle with paying for a sitter,” says Matthew Flynn, director of adult faith formation and mission. “It’s a small thing, but it shows we care about them.”

Flynn has no personal connection to Saint Meinrad, but both the pastor and a deacon from his parish are well connected to Saint Meinrad. When the email about the initiative was brought to Matt and the parish staff, they knew it would be worth their while. “We just

wanted to see our parish grow as missionary disciples,” says Flynn, who is four years into his ministry in O’Fallon.

The purpose of the initiative is narrowed to “young adults” – those 23 to 29 years old.

However, the takeaways so far have been about much more. “We had to realize that this whole thing was about building relationships in our community between all generations and integrating young adults into the life of the parish – not just creating a young adult group,” says Flynn. “Moreover, some of the young adults we try to reach today may not be ‘young’ adults when they feel ready to come back to church – and we have to be okay with that.”

Flynn’s reflections are echoed by another partnering parish. Tom Yost has been in parish ministry at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in New Albany, IN, for 38 years. As an oblate of Saint Meinrad and one who works with seminarians from Saint Meinrad year to year, Yost knew the potential of working with a place forming the next generation of pastors. So far, he has learned that hospitality in ministry is just as much about “going out” than saying “come in.”

“We have talked about where young adults gather and it is not at church anymore. So, how do we not only sponsor events that meet them where they are, but how do we best

practice accompaniment and one-to-one outreach in their personal lives?” he asks. Yost says it takes a multi-front effort to bring people back to the Church. It is also about the young adults who are already “in the doors” and giving them room to express their ideas.

“Not just tell them what we think they want,” Tom says, referencing the core team of young adults he meets with regularly.

Overall, the consensus of this program is not based on numbers, but the lessons that have begun to inform and transform day-to-day ministry at the parish level. A parish may not have the draw to begin a large young adultthemed night, but is the parish making the effort to go out and meet with young adults, or even to learn about their experiences, troubles, joys?

The Young Adult Initiative is funded for two more years. Horace currently is putting together information to share about the initiative and has been grateful for the response of the partnering parishes. See the winter issue of On the Hill newsletter for more on what the initiative has learned. If your parish is involved, ask and see how you can be of help or learn more. If your parish is not, go to https://www.saintmeinradyai.org/ for news, resources and ways to learn more about the initiative. F

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And let them first pray together, that so they may associate in peace.

—St. Benedict of Nursia

Interested in hearing more stories like these? Do you know alumni who should be featured? Please share your feedback and suggestions with Joe Oliveri, director of alumni relations, at joliveri@saintmeinrad.edu or (812) 357-6222.

200 Hill Drive • St. Meinrad, IN 47577 • (812) 357-6501 • www.saintmeinrad.edu