
5 minute read
Chapter 3 :: 1978-1984
Father William Bauman, a nationally and internationally respected liturgical musician and accomplished pianist and organist, became the third pastor of Saint Charles Borromeo in 1978. He was born in Michigan in 1934, educated in Chicago and at seminaries in Kansas City and Saint Louis and ordained in the Diocese of Kanas City–Saint Joseph in 1960. In addition to his pastoral duties, Father Bauman founded the Northeast Cooperative Services which evolved into the Bishop Sullivan Center, which remains a vital center for serving the poor of our area today. He was a leader for the U.S. Catholic Bishops in designing changes to the liturgy and liturgical music in response to the direction established by the Second Vatican Council.
When Father Bauman arrived, there were 500-600 parishioners actively involved in the four councils (Management, Spirituality, Social Action and Education) established by Father Lyons. Father Bauman recalled, “it was like a dream opportunity, a great opportunity unfolding”. He formulated a 10-year plan consisting of nine “dreams” or actions that would build on the strength of our twentyfive-year foundation and enhance our community. Father Bauman felt that members of our community should be involved in the leadership of the parish and the implementation of each of the concepts. He proposed the nine concepts to the entire parish, asking them to prioritize those they felt were most impactful. The plan was then put in to action by the four parish councils based on parishioner priorities. From the nine dreams, listed below, many ministries evolved that remain viable today.
Advertisement

~Revitalize Church Interior
~Hire a Marriage and Family Life Counselor
~Build a Multipurpose Building
~Hire a Religion Coordinator
~Provide 10% of the budget for Building
Upkeep/Renovation Construction
~Purchase Additional Land
~Renovate the School
~Provide Housing for the Elderly
~Hire a Social Worker
In 1980, Saint Charles boundaries were reduced to four square miles as territory north of 80th Street was given
Definition of Ministry from The Ministry of Music by Fr. William Bauman to establish Holy Family parish, with 300 families moving from Saint Charles to the new parish. As a result of the establishment of new parishes in the Northland Deanery, Saint Charles membership was reduced to 1320 families by 1983. The recession of 1982-83 caused financially difficult years for parish families and church finances. Tithing was reduced from 10% to 5% as many parishioners were out of work. The school returned to full capacity in 1983 with 445 students in 24 classrooms under Sister Kathleen Coman, SCL. To ensure the success of the school, class size was limited to 50 students per class and 40 in kindergarten.
Ministry is service rendered out of love, and with a deep respect for the person served, after the model of Jesus.
Ministry is never self-sereving, ministry is giving, and it is the kind of giving inwhich one loves the person one gives to.
Through the early years of Father Bauman’s time at Saint Charles, he established several practices and ministries that remain today. In 1978 he initiated Communal Penance Services which became a standard in the diocese. In 1979, two founding members of Saint Charles, Jo and Frank Tiedtka, together with associate pastor Father Murphy, established the Friendly Club for parishioners 50 years and older. In 1980, Borromeo Hall was renovated into dividable space and a new ground level entrance ramp was added at a cost of $90,000, making it handicapped accessible. The large space could be subdivided for classrooms and meeting rooms as needed.
In 1981, Father Bauman continued Father Lyons’ legacy of training leaders with the “Foundations in Ministry” program. This program and those initiated by Father Lyons involved over 600 parishioners in ministry roles. Father Bauman expanded the role of the laity in liturgical ministries with an emphasis on the Hospitality and Eucharistic Ministers. Liturgical music was his special interest and during his tenure, Father Bauman and parishioners created our own Saint Charles Borromeo hymnal. During this time Sister Claudette Schiratti was Director of Liturgy together with Mary Kay Murray as Music Director; Kay Campbell led sacristans, readers, Eucharistic ministers, servers, and the environment and art team. Sue Forrest led Special Sacraments, First Penance and Retreat Days of Prayer. Many other ministries flourished led by assistant pastors and lay personnel. A selection of these ministries is listed below.
Youth and Elderly Service, including Youth Group, Young Adults Vocation, Scouts, Sports, Friendly Club
– Father Tom Turner
~ Marriage and Family Life, including Marriage Preparation, Marriage Enrichment, Marriage Celebration, Young Marrieds, Parenting
– Frank and Renee Peak
~ Para-Professional Counseling, Support and Development
– Sister Esther Fangman, OSB, PhD
~School of Religion
– Charlie and Rita Dickerson
Pastoral Ministry, including Baptism Preparation, Shut-ins, Hospital Ministry, Morning Has Broken, Divorced and Separated, Hospitality, Emergency Assistance, Social Agencies, Volunteer Coordination, Home Health Services, Welcome Committee, Foundations in Ministry
– Sister Therese Randolph, RSM
~ Parish Community Development, including Pathways Home, Right to Life, Thanksgiving Clothing, Cooperative Services, Coffee and Donuts, Circles, Ushers Club, Parish Socials, Communications, Annual Fund Drive, Income Management
– Father William Bauman with a lay leader

~ Parish Administration, including Parish Census, Budget Management, Building and grounds, Rectory, Building Scheduling, Babysitting Co-op, Sunday Hospitality, Leadership Committee, Office Management
– Rita Dickerson
Continuing Father Lyons’ inclusion of women in ministry leadership, between 1981 and 1983, Father Bauman hired a staff of women religious who worked with trained lay leadership to coordinate a large network of ministries. These full-time staff coordinated Liturgy (1981), Counseling (1982), and Pastoral Ministry (1983).
Father Bauman also supported religious vocations. In 1981, six men entered the diaconal formation process: Ron Elliot, John Ernst, John Koch, Frank Peak, Jim Robey, Jerry Williams. In 1982, newly ordained Father Philip Egan celebrated his first Mass at Saint Charles.

With the leadership of Father Bauman, Saint Charles Borromeo parishioners developed greater awareness of diocesan, local, state, and national issues and connections.
Following the end of U.S. participation in the Vietnam war, in the summer of 1979, Saint Charles parish adopted two Vietnamese families – “boat people” who left Vietnam to survive. They came to Gladstone and Saint Charles to restart their lives. They now live in California and are thankful for the support and friendship provided by Saint Charles parish during their time of transition.

Under the leadership of the Saint Vincent DePaul Society, a food pantry was established in 1980. On a small scale, this pantry was operated until 2000 when the Saint Vincent de Paul chapter closed.
In 1984, Father Bauman left the parish unexpectedly due to an emergency that created an opening for a pastor at Christ the King parish. Father Bauman later said, “I had no plans for leaving. I thought I had two to four more years.” Several years later, at age 63 he said, “My observation was that Saint Charles parish had been a community with a fairly deep rift in it going back to Monsignor Wogan’s time. There was always the danger of any controversial issue that this split might redevelop and destroy the spirit of the people. During my six years, therefore, I was super careful to include many, many people in every decision and to use facilitators and the best group-process I could find to hold the community together. The big issues included how many pupils to accept in the school, whether to compromise the strict policy on no fund-raisers, the construction of a gym, the building of an organ, expanding concern for the poor and the gradual development of post Vatican II worship”. The rift described by Father Bauman would become more apparent during the next pastorate.






