08 11 23 Vol. 45 No. 3

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

July 25 marks grand opening of priests

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

OLATHE — Is Msgr. Raymond Burger ready to move into the new Vianney House here for retired priests?

Oh boy, is he ever. Just check out his apartment.

“I am moving into this place as soon as possible,” said Msgr. Burger, while standing in the facility’s common area. “My things have been here for almost three months, but I haven’t been able to live here. And I’m looking forward to the day I can stay here all day.”

He isn’t alone. Five more retired archdiocesan priests are ready to move in once the occupancy permit is signed, which should happen in days.

Most of the retired priests — as well as friends, well-wishers, archdiocesan officials and those involved in its construction — were present for the blessing and grand opening of Vianney House on July 25.

“I think this place is really beautiful,”

said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann during the open house. “Our priests will really enjoy it. It will be a great blessing for them to live in a place that is comfortable and have their

retirement home

coming. A check of the archives revealed that the archdiocese has been working on this since 1961, said Father Jerry Volz, a member of the building committee.

“I’ve been involved in finding a place for priests for [more than 30] years now,” said Msgr. Burger.

“It goes back to Archbishop (Ignatius J.) Strecker,” he continued, “who called Father (Robert) Pflumm and me into his office one day and asked us to look at some property that might be appropriate for a retired priests residence.”

It was Archbishop Naumann who finally got the project moving and made its funding one of the priorities of the One Faith, One Family, One Future . . . in Christ capital campaign.

Built for community

brother priests around. I think it’s fantastic, and I’m so grateful to the people of the archdiocese who made this possible.”

This day has been a long time

Not only have archdiocesan parishioners generously contributed to the One Faith campaign to build the

>> See “VIANNEY” on page 4

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, along with various helpers, cuts the ribbon on the new Vianney House for retired priests. Assisting the archbishop, are (from left): Matt McCaffrey of WSKF Architects; Bill Maloney, archdiocesan executive director of stewardship and development; Ryan Trotnic of Excel Contractors; Father Al Rockers, a member of the retirement home board of directors; archdiocesan chancellor/vicar general Father John Riley; and Greg Trum, a member of the retirement home board of directors.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Father Jerry Volz, a member of the priests retirement home building committee, shows off the common area to friends, well-wishers, archdiocesan officials and those involved in the construction of the facility.

Regional Encuentro nourishes future of church

By John Paul Cardenas Special

to The Leaven

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — From June 23 to 25, Hispanic leaders from a four-state area gathered at Savior Pastor Center here for the Hispanic regional Encuentro — not only to fortify themselves and discover different strategies to grow in their faith, but to seek those same benefits for others.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas’ representative team hosted the meeting of Region IX — comprised of the dioceses and archdioceses of the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska — at the pastoral center.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann celebrated Mass for the gathering on June 24.

The regional Encuentro offered participants a chance to compare experiences, freshen their knowledge of best practices and grow in their understanding of the diverse needs of the region. Moreover, it gave leaders here the benefit of the regional representatives’ input as they work to develop a more robust Hispanic ministry plan for the archdiocese.

One of the areas of particular focus was the young church.

Guest presenters Jessica Pancho and Jose Morales said they believe there is a dire need in the youth of the church for spiritual guidance. Providing that guidance requires better education of the staff and leadership of the parishes.

“We recognize that we are not only here to serve you, but the teens as well,” Morales told the gathered educators. While the presenters admitted there was a wide range of topics that needed to be addressed, they gave the participants two practical strategies to approach the juvenile church.

First, said Morales, at the age of 12 or 13 years, a young person’s interest in the faith can sometimes get lost. That divorce between society and faith has a grave impact on the church.

“When the youth are transformed, they love their faith and they want to share what they learn,” said Pancho. Finding new ways to inspire teens can be very difficult, but it starts with small

ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN’S CALENDAR

Aug. 13

Installation of Father Matthew Nagle — Mater Dei, Topeka

Religious Sisters’ Appreciation Day — Sacred Heart, Shawnee

Aug. 14

“Shepherd’s Voice” recording — chancery

Aug. 14

Meeting with Bishop Bhagyaiah Chinnabathini, Bishop of Guntur, India — chancery

Aug. 17

Communio update with Tory Baucum

Aug. 19

Christ’s Peace House of Prayer 50th anniversary Mass — Easton Kelly Youth Rally Mass

Aug. 20

and simple steps.

“We have many different resources — classes, videos and teachings — [but] it is difficult to be effective if there isn’t a testimony,” said Morales. “But this isn’t just about what happened when you were 18 or 20 years old. . . . You are a living testimony! How does Jesus continue to transform your life?”

Pancho also touched on the point of quality over quantity, claiming that faith cannot be about statistics.

“We cannot reduce people to numbers,” she said. “Statistics were made for us, we were not made for statistics.

“Instead, the most important thing about our faith is the quality, and that will attract more people. Helping other young teenagers through those difficult moments really allows them to feel more than just a number or as if navigating their faith is something they must do in mass quantities. Rather, making it personal will make a bigger impact on their lives.”

Taking a break for discussion, attendees were able to talk among themselves and bounce ideas off of each other as to how they could help each other and the youth in their parish.

“I think it is crucial that we begin at the root of it all — the parents and their faith,” said a parishioner from the Archdiocese of St. Louis. “We can only educate our children as much as we educate ourselves.”

Morales also stressed the incorporation of the sacraments in planning for teen events.

“Remember that we are nourishing their body and soul, not just their minds. God himself, through the sacraments, gives himself to us through body and blood,” he said. “With the sacraments comes the transcendentals — beauty, truth and goodness — and you can’t have one without the other two.”

Pancho later opened up about her passion for this important subject.

“I have kids of my own. . . . These transitional stages of their lives are what determines some of the most important decisions they will make.”

It is not something we can do alone, said Pancho. But fortifying all of our communities — not just the Hispanic ones — and unifying all groups of the church are essential to the larger Catholic Church’s future success.

Permanent Diaconate Rite of Acolyte Mass — Savior Pastoral Center

Aug. 21

Visit to Pope Paul VI Institute — Omaha, Nebraska

Aug. 22

Envisioning Team meeting — chancery

Aug. 23

Pregnancy Center grant recipient lunch — chancery

Aug. 24

Donnelly College convocation — Cathedral of St. Peter, Kansas City, Kansas

CFNEK board meeting — Savior

Aug. 26

Installation Mass of Father Ray May — St. Patrick, Osage City

Aug. 27

Installation Mass of Father Viet Nguyen — St. Bede, Kelly

Aug. 28

Archdiocesan Finance Council board meeting — chancery

Aug. 29

Jesus Caritas — Salina

Mass — Bishop Miege High School, Roeland Park

Aug. 31

Mass — Christ the King School, Kansas City, Kansas

Blessing of Insight Women’s Center Selah Home — Lawrence

Sept. 5

Administrative Team meeting — chancery

Sept. 6

USCCB Pro-life Committee meeting

Sept. 7

Religious Alliance Against Pornography board meeting

Sept. 9

National Day of Remembrance prayer service — Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Kansas City, Kansas

Father Anthony Williams 40th anniversary of ordination — St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood

Sept. 10

Installation of Father Jamie Zarse — Sacred Heart, Shawnee

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MOIRA CULLINGS

Jose Carpio of the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph was one of several Hispanic leaders that gathered from a four-state area June 23-25 at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas, for a meeting of the Regional IX Encuentro.

Happy Hearts associates find appreciation, collaboration and meaningful work

By Tom Racunas

Special to The Leaven

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Carol

Farnsworth vividly remembers exactly when the Holy Spirit began to call her to a new mission in her life.

Her son Jack was a sophomore in high school. He was sitting on the couch along with her, her husband Steve and Jack’s twin brother Nick.

The discussion centered around where Nick was thinking of going to college, and was just about to end, when Jack interrupted.

“Where I going?” he asked simply. The question stunned Carol and Steve. “His question left me silent,” Carol said. She had no answer.

She knew the usual paths for most high school graduates like Nick — college, technical school, competitive employment — were not options for Jack. Jack has Down syndrome.

Carol and Steve knew that even with Jack’s many strengths and gifts, his goals and dreams for his life could not be fulfilled through traditional avenues.

That was when Carol began to search for services and programs that would be a good fit for Jack. What she discovered was that in the state of Kansas, securing programs and services for a child with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) is not easy.

In order to receive services in Kansas, a person with I/DD must qualify for funding. Funding can cover the cost of housing, tuition for day-service programs that help the individual develop social skills, pursue continuing education or start job training.

Without financial help from the state, out of pocket costs to a family could reach $50,000 per year. There are an estimated 4500 Kansans with I/DD waiting for services due to funding shortages. In other words, the waitlist to access these services is about nine years.

Carol knew that Jack’s transition to a fulfilling adult life could not be put on hold for nine years. So, Carol and Steve, members of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Shawnee, devout in their faith and trusting in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, began the process of starting their own day program.

They shared their vision and mission with friends and acquaintances. “Believers,” as Carol calls them, fulfilled the need for spiritual, financial and materi-

al support. In June 2019, Jack became the first associate of Happy Hearts Working (HHW). There are now nine associates.

Carol’s goal was to ensure that the young associates’ days would be filled with meaningful and purposeful work in a safe, Christian environment that would give them an opportunity to make a difference in the community, sustain new friendships and be valued for their contributions.

To achieve that end, Carol began to make connections in the Catholic community. The first collaboration was with Catholic Charities. Associates volunteer at TurnStyles Thrift Store. During the school year, associates work at St. James Academy in Lenexa, the parish office of St. Ann in Prairie Village, St. Ann’s Young Children’s Center, St. Joseph School and Sacred Heart Parish in Shawnee, as well as 15 area businesses.

This summer, since schools are closed, the associates began working one day a week at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Deacon Mark

Meis, interim director of the center, finds it a good fit.

Not only have the HHW associates made an impact on the beauty of Savior Pastoral Center by helping with both indoor and outdoor work that would not otherwise have gotten done, but providing the group with meaningful labor has given the associates fulfillment in their lives.

“You can see it on their faces! They are bottled-up sunshine!” he said.

Michael Moore, facility engineer for Savior, said that the associates have been a tremendous help. “They are a great group of young adults — happy and energetic. It has been a joy to get to know each one of them.”

HHW associate Sydney Jenkins’ recent work at Savior Pastoral Center involved helping cut and move tree limbs.

“I like making new friends and being in nature,” said Sydney. Her mom Lori Jenkins said that HHW has been a “godsend” to their family and that Sydney loves working in the community.

“Without HHW, Sydney would be sitting at home,” she said.

Karen Overbey’s daughter Rebekah attends HHW three days a week.

“Rebekah has been on the waiting list for services since 2018,” Karen said. Karen added that she loves the concept of HHW because they focus on activity in the community and not keeping clients “warehoused” or doing assembly line work.

“Rebekah loves working at Savior Pastoral Center because she loves being around people,” she said.

“Every aspect of this collaboration has been positive,” Deacon Meis concluded. “The associates are welcome to come back here every summer.”

As for Jack, he is now on the path to happiness and fulfillment. Thanks to Happy Hearts Working, he knows exactly where he is going!

For more information, to volunteer or make a donation, go online to: www. happyheartsworking.org.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Jack Farnsworth, member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Shawnee, helps with the cleaning of the chapel at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Nathanael Morerod, a member of Fellowship Kansas City Church in Kansas City, Missouri, works on cleaning the sanctuary of the chapel at Savior of the World Pastoral Center. Each week, Happy Hearts Working associates, with support from supervisors, volunteer at the center, completing purposeful work tasks, which helps Savior staff with upkeep of the facility and creates meaningful friendships and community connections.

By Steve Buckner Special

to The Leaven

LAWRENCE — Faith, life, work and plans were humming along for Father John Kolencherry in early 2005 when fate — with a violent twist — intervened.

Father John, OFM Cap., now associate pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Lawrence, was living in remote northern Malawi in Africa with two Franciscan Brothers at the time. At 10 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2005, six thieves broke into their friary in the village of Mzuzu. The thieves cut one Franciscan’s head and entered Father John’s room shouting, “Where is the money?”

Knowing better than to resist, Father John sat still on his bed. The thieves beat his legs with an iron bar and then three of the bandits stuck their guns to the priest’s head. Father John handed over the keys to his pickup truck. The thieves grabbed everything of value in the house and fled in his truck.

After the authorities were called, an injured seminarian (now a priest) was transported to a hospital and the police investigated the crime until 3 a.m. Father John was left alone at the friary and went to the room they used as a chapel.

“I was sitting in the friary chapel,” he said. “I was not sleeping, I was not praying [and] I was not crying. I was looking at the tabernacle, and I heard a voice: ‘Without my knowledge, nothing had happened to you.’”

Hearing that voice, that message, compelled Father John to stay at the same friary and build the mission over the next seven years.

“I would say my faith journey started that day,” he said. “The voice that I heard was so strong to me.”

Beginning from zero

Father John was first assigned to Malawi from his native India about five years before the home invasion. He spent his first four years as an

associate pastor in the nation’s capital city of Lilongwe, where he learned the national language of Chichewa.

When he was assigned to Mzuzu to start the mission under the patronage of St. Padre Pio, he found nothing but bush area.

“Nothing was there,” Father John said. “We uprooted the bush trees, one by one.”

With the bishop’s blessing, Father John acquired 60 acres of land from the local chief. He was happy to sell the land at a low price because the chief knew the mission meant development.

Father John said he had no plan, money or schedule when he came to Mzuzu to start the mission. He would pray in the chapel and ask the Lord, “What is your plan?”

“And then, when I would knock on the doors,” Father John said, “people would open their doors for me.”

For the next seven years, Father John “became an instrument” in the building of a 1,000-seat church, a multipurpose center, a mill to extract oil from sunflowers and a mace mill in which hard corn was ground to a powdered form.

Other affiliated developments that Father John oversaw were a public road, electrical and telephone service, the boring of wells, a secondary boarding school for boys and girls, a carpentry training center, a hospital clinic and staff houses.

“The Lord did everything,” he said of the construction, all of which was completed within seven years.

Journey to America

In 2012, the Malawi Capuchins elected Father John as Superior Mission Delegate and he moved back to

Lilongwe. In 2014, he received orders to come to the United States — first to Washington, D.C., and then to Denver. He also has studied Spanish stateside.

While in Denver, Father John served as a full-time confessor for 18 months at a shopping mall where the Franciscans had a confessional center. His mission was to strengthen the community of Capuchins in the Mid-America Province.

In November 2022, Father Kolencherry was assigned to St. John the Evangelist Parish in Lawrence. Now in his 38th year as a Capuchin and 27th year as a priest, Father John said, “I want to be a blessing to everyone.

“Everyone who approaches me, I want to give them Jesus, however I can. I love to preach him and share him, and all glory goes to him.”

Vianney House provides for both independence and community

facility, but also to an endowment to fund Vianney House’s operations for years to come, said Bill Maloney, archdiocesan executive director of stewardship and development.

Msgr. Burger said at his last count there are 28 retired archdiocesan priests. Retired priests have multiple options — living at Vianney House, a parish rectory or on their own. One of the most attractive aspects of Vianney House is community.

“All of us [here] are looking for community,” said Msgr. Burger. “We’ve been living alone, and as we age, we reflect more on the possibilities of the day and future. And we see a need to be in community. We need help from one another.

“That was a basic issue in establishing the residence. It was the need for community [and] when we need help more than what this particular community can provide. We live next to Santa Marta and the agreement is that we can move to Santa Marta for assisted living or care of some kind if we can’t live here.”

The retired priests have a certain amount of money they can spend for meals. They can go to Santa Marta for meals or have the meals sent to Vianney House. They may use Santa Marta’s swimming pool, exercise facilities, bus service and other amenities, and can participate in activities happening at Santa Marta, said Msgr. Burger.

The retired priests follow the basic rules of Santa Marta, plus whatever they want for Vianney House. They may go to area parishes to assist if they want and are able to.

“We can be as independent or communal as we want to be,” said Msgr. Burger.

Shovel ready

Construction began on Vianney House, located at 14050 W. 116th in Olathe, on March 1, 2022. The 18,500square-foot complex sits on a 3.63acre-site northwest of the Santa Marta senior living community.

The total project cost was $5.2 million. Originally, the plans called for

a 12-apartment building, but it was scaled back to 10 units due to cost. Two more apartments could be added later.

The general contractor was Excel Constructors and the architect was WSKF Architects. Also involved were Schlagel Engineers, Byrne Custom Woodworking, and Dan Himmelberg, archdiocesan director of real estate and construction.

The main entrance to Vianney House leads to an open floor plan common area with a lounge area and electric fireplace, television/library area with two lift chairs, dining area and serving kitchenette with no stove. Adjoining the common area is the chapel, which will receive permanent liturgical furnishings later.

The common area statues of Mary, Jesus and Joseph came from Sacred Heart Parish in Atchison, which closed in 2018. The Holy Family statue was bought for Vianney House.

There are two public restrooms, one of which contains the entrance to an above-ground storm shelter. The shelter has 10-inch concrete walls and ceilings, ventilation and an outside

emergency exit. There is also one guest bedroom. The building is all-electric.

The apartments come in “A and B configurations,” the only difference being layout, said Himmelberg,

The apartments have an open floor plan with kitchen, living room and dining area. There is a laundry room and guest bathroom, master suite with walk-in closet and private bathroom, garage and outside patio.

“The archdiocese is more or less the manager, but we’ve contracted services out to Santa Marta, and they’re acting as property manager,” said Father John Riley, archdiocesan vicar general, chancellor and member of the Vianney House building committee.

“The flat monthly cost for Vianney House residents was deliberately kept to the amount of the priests’ monthly pension benefit,” said Father Riley.

This was accomplished by efficient operational budgeting and by the subsidy for operations made possible by the endowment for operations and upkeep through the generosity of the donors to the One Faith campaign.

‘I want to give them Jesus, however I can’

Father John Kolencherry, OFM Cap., associate pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Lawrence, overcame a violent attack in remote northern Malawi in Africa, to build a mission parish out of the bush trees of Mzuzu there.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Rural parishioners make pilgrimage to Holy Land

By Meghan Ascher Special to The Leaven

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — With a little help from the Nativity Pilgrimage company, 50 members of a range of rural parishes in the archdiocese became pilgrims in the Holy Land from June 5 – 13.

With special guests Steve and Jenni Angrisano in attendance providing liturgical enrichment with their music, the pilgrims spent two days in Tiberius around the Sea of Galilee and the rest of their time in Jerusalem, exploring the places where Jesus himself walked.

“It’s hard for me to put into words how this trip affected me. All I can say is that every Christian needs to experience it,” said Shawn Gigstad of St. Joseph Parish in Nortonville.

“We had an 8-month-old and an 81-year-old on the trip,” she continued. “If I could advise one thing, it would be that you should not be afraid to go and not let your age affect your decision.”

Gigstad made the trip with her mother, sister and son.

“I never planned to go,” she added, “other than it maybe being on my bucket list someday. But if my 21-yearold son is getting the chills about going to the Holy Land, then we are going!”

Although there were many highlights to the trip, Gigstad was struck most by the power of the presence of Jesus in these places.

“It is not a place where Jesus walked; it is a place where Jesus walks,” she said.

The pilgrims could not say enough about the knowledge of their tour guide George. He spoke not only with authority on the different holy sites, but also shared insights on the area as it is today with its culture and conflict.

“We never felt unsafe, despite the unrest that is happening in their country,” said Gigstad, “because George knew when and where to be.”

Pilgrim Sonny Gore of St. Bede Church in Kelly found inspiration in both the trip and in what she brought home.

“When you fall in love with someone, you always want to know everything about them,” she said. “I went on this pilgrimage because I was going to get to know more about the one I love: Jesus.”

While the time on her pilgrimage was powerful, especially the moments with her son who recently graduated from K-State, what she found even more powerful was its effect on her daily life after it was all over and she “came back down from the mountaintop experience.”

She found that the Christ she dis-

covered in the Holy Land walks here in Kansas, too.

“You go on a pilgrimage because you’re seeking something. Everyone has a reason to go,” she said. “The hard-

est part is returning to daily life, the normal.

“Thinking on that, I am very grateful. Our lives don’t need to be busy, complex or adventurous. We can please

Longtime teacher, hospital worker, Sister Dorothy Marie Rilinger dies

LEAVENWORTH — Sister Dorothy Marie Rilinger, 91, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth for 69 years, died on July 13 at the motherhouse here. She entered religious life on Aug. 19, 1954.

Sister Dorothy Marie, born Mary Ann on March 19, 1932, was the first daughter to George and Mary Rilinger. She grew up in Seneca, and was taught by the Benedictine Sisters in Atchison. She attended Benedictine College for a year

before going to work for an insurance company in Topeka.

During that time, she became familiar with the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. She entered the Sisters of Charity community, and upon receiving her habit, took the name Sister Dorothy Marie. She studied at Saint Mary College in Leavenworth and earned a degree in business.

During the first 10 years of religious life, Sister Dorothy Marie alternated between teaching

and hospital office work. She worked in various capacities in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and California.

Sister Dorothy Marie said that although she enjoyed teaching very much, God had different plans. In 1966, she was asked to return to the motherhouse to assist Sister Mary Anselm in the community treasurer’s office. She worked there until she retired in 2007.

She was grateful to return to the motherhouse, as her youngest sister, Sister Jean Marian, had entered the novitiate.

and give God glory by living simple and holy lives. If we see quiet moments, we will know his heart, his purpose, his good, his plans for each one of us.

“He just needs our yes.”

SOLUTION

George Gigstad and his mother Shawn, both members of St. Joseph Parish in Nortonville, kneel in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to venerate the place Jesus was said to have been born. The spot, located below an altar, is marked by a hole in the middle of a silver star, surrounded by silver lamps.

Sister Dorothy Marie Rilinger, SCL

Teachers’ pilgrimage a chance to both disconnect and to bond

By Dean Backes

Special to The Leaven

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — When they left the toils of everyday life behind earlier this summer, archdiocesan teachers Terri Mathiasmeier, Bonnie Mendoza and Diane Quinn — as well as Lainie Snider of Bentonville, Arkansas — anticipated a little healing and plenty of prayer.

Along the way, however, they forged surprising bonds, discovered some things about themselves and even made some new acquaintances.

“We had no idea what we would be encountering on our way,” said Mathiasmeier, who teaches preschool at Christ the King School in Kansas City, Kansas. “It was beautiful, and I think everyone should get out and enjoy the beautiful churches and all of the things that God has put out there.”

The foursome loaded their gear into Mathiasmeier’s Nissan Murano June 23 and headed north to Wisconsin to kick off their six-day, five-state, 1,600-mile adventure. With Mathiasmeier behind the wheel the entire 12 hours, all four women engaged in a day of talking, laughing and prayer.

“Even though we had a 12-hour drive up, it felt like nothing,” said Quinn of the long day on the road. “It was just such rich, amazing, beautiful conversation.”

Upon completing their first breakfast together, the quartet attended Mass and spent the day touring Our Lady of Champion in New Franken, Wisconsin, before driving two hours to Holy Hill in Hubertus, Wisconsin. The four then spent more than a day at the Basilica and National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill before traveling on to Chicago for a tour of the National Shrine of Maximilian Kolbe in Marytown, Illinois.

In Chicago, the four toured St. Procopius, Holy Name Cathedral, St. John Cantius, Holy Trinity, St. Stanislaus and St. Michael Old Town churches before capping off the trip with a stop in Gower, Missouri, to visit Sister Wilhelmina’s incorruptible remains on the drive back.

Along the way, Mathiasmeier, Mendoza, Quinn and Snider attended healing Masses at Our Lady of Champion and Holy Hill, prayed the Stations of the

Cross at Holy Hill and enjoyed a scavenger hunt that was connected to the churches they toured in Chicago. Mendoza plans to share the scavenger hunt with her fifth graders through a PowerPoint presentation this fall.

A friar at the Chapel of St. Thérèse at Holy Hill also gave the sightseers a sneak peak of the replica exhibit of the Shroud of Turin though it was closed to the public due to construction. It was just one of many personal conversations the local teachers cherished from the weeklong journey.

“Oh my gosh,” Mathiasmeier said of a chance meeting with the Sisters of Charity. “They were so beautiful and just so calm and peaceful. They were so helpful. That’s what we kept running into along the way. We ran into beautiful people on our pilgrimage that were willing to share with us, pray with us and just talk to us.

“I think that’s as much of a pilgrimage as seeing the sites. Being with those people and learning about them and listening to them and talking with them.”

All of the details of the pilgrimage that ran through Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and back to Kansas, seemed to fall into place for the four. They’d been careful not to overplan their adventure.

In fact, the trip to Gower was added on only after the entourage began their tour.

“If it’s a pilgrimage, be open to the Lord or the Spirit, or let Mary direct it,” Mendoza said. “It was sheer beauty at the physical level. The beauty of the churches was awe-inspiring. It is really gratifying — strengthening — to go to these places and see other people who are really trying to follow the Lord. Wanting to honor him and give him glory.”

While all four travelers appreciated the time they were able to spend together, they each took something different away from the trip. Mendoza sensed that she was God’s daughter. Mathiasmeier, on the other hand, said the women that she spent the week with were the most beautiful and holy

women. Snider brought about 30 prayer intentions to one of the shrines and placed them in the prayer box.

“That was very important to me because one of my gifts is intercessory prayer,” Snider said. “It meant a lot to know I left their prayers there for a year on the altar. I continued to pray for everyone at every church on the journey. It was a great experience to wrap them in prayer.”

Quinn, a sixth grade teacher and math specialist at Nativity Parish School in Leawood, simply learned something about herself.

“When I got home, I came home with a full cup,” she said. “When I left, I didn’t know my cup was empty. It was amazing. It was an amazing experience to be with these holy women. There were no distractions. We didn’t turn on the news. We didn’t check our email.

“It was just a complete disconnect from the secular world. The true takeaway is that I did not realize how empty my cup was until it was full.”

From left, Diane Quinn, Lainie Snider, Bonnie Mendoza and Terri Mathiasmeier, all teachers from the archdiocese with the exception of Snider, took a six-day, five-state, 1,600-mile adventure visiting several holy sites in the Midwest.

Roger and Janet (Haverkamp) Hermesch, members of St. Bede Parish, Kelly, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with family and friends on Aug. 12. They will also celebrate with a Mass on Aug. 13 at St. Bede. The couple was married Aug. 18, 1973, at St. Bede by Father Vincent Wavada. Their children are: Darrin Hermesch, Lisa Phillips and Julie Hammes. They also have nine grandchildren.

Mary and Ron Hammerschmidt, members of Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish, Topeka, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Aug. 12 with Mass and dinner with family and friends at Mother Teresa. The couple was married on Aug. 11, 1973, at Holy Family Church, Odin. Their children are: Lisa Tinoco, Amy Deckard and Becky Blancas. They also have three grandchildren.

Lloyd and Sharon Roatch, members of St. Paul Parish, Olathe, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Aug. 24. The couple was married on Aug. 24, 1963, at St. Catherine of Siena, Denver. To celebrate, the Capuchins in Denver are delivering an apostolic blessing from the pope. Their children are: Cherie, Steve, Chris, Mary Ann and Susie. They also have 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Terry ‘Red’ and Sue Carter, members of St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Aug. 19 with a dinner, reception and marriage blessing with friends and family. The couple was married on Aug. 24, 1973, at St. Mary Church in Independence, Missouri. Their children are: Tim, Patrick, Michael, Jimmy and Bobby. They also have 15 grandchildren.

Kathi and Mark Oppold, members of Holy Trinity Parish, Lenexa, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Aug. 18. The couple was married on Aug. 18, 1973, at St. Mark Church, Iowa Falls, Iowa. They will celebrate with multiple gatherings and travel with family and friends during 2023. Their children are: Tricia Wolf, Lenexa; Stephen Oppold, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin; and Michael Oppold, Overland Park. They also have seven grandchildren.

Larry and Diana (Rosner) Day, members of Queen of the Holy Rosary Church, Wea, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Aug. 24. The couple was married on Aug. 24, 1963, at Queen. They will celebrate with family and friends on Aug. 20, with an open house at Fox Hall, Louisburg. Their children are: Terrie Dominguez, Lynn Sanders, Tim Day, Robin Meeks, Becky Day and Nicole Day (deceased). They have 16 grandchildren.

M.E. and Cletus Grosdidier, members of Sacred Heart Parish, Tonganoxie, will celebrate their 65th anniversary on Aug. 23. The couple was married on Aug. 23, 1958, at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas. They will celebrate with a blessing at 5 p.m. Mass on Aug. 19 at Sacred Heart. Their children are: Gary, Glen, Lisa and Kevin.

ANNIVERSARY SUBMISSIONS

POLICY: The Leaven prints 50, 60, 65 and 70th anniversary notices.

DEADLINE: 10 days before the desired publication date.

INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

• The couple’s names

• their parish

• the date they were married

• church and city where they were married

• what they are doing to celebrate

• date of the celebration

• names of children (no spouses)

• number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren;

WHERE TO SUBMIT:

Email: todd.habiger@theleaven.org.

Annual Topeka festival celebrates 90 years

By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org

TOPEKA — Pride, passion and culture.

That was the theme of this year’s fiesta in Topeka.

Held July 18-22 on the grounds belonging to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, the annual event draws thousands from across the country. The annual fundraiser raises money for both the parish and Holy Family Grade School (the school the parish shares with Sacred Heart-St. Joseph Parish.)

What began on Aug. 17, 1933, as a way for Mexican immigrants to come together and celebrate their common heritage through food and music has grown from a daylong celebration to events strewn across several weeks. The festival includes, among other activities: an opening and closing Mass; a golf tournament; a 5K run; a carnival with rides typically found at a county or state fair; a royalty contest; a parade; a coronation ball; an art show; mariachi bands; and traditional dancers.

And like any other community or parish celebration, there’s food — and a lot of it. There are tacos, burritos, enchiladas and treats like “polvorones” (Mexican sugar cookies).

Originally called Fiesta Mexicana, the celebration was renamed this year as Fiesta Topeka and featured some new events.

On May 5, the parish, along with the Topeka community at large, celebrated Cinco de Mayo at Evergy Plaza in downtown Topeka during which a statue of the late Teresa Cuevas was unveiled on

Kansas Avenue, one of the city’s main streets.

Cuevas, who had belonged to the parish, founded Mariachi Estrella, the first all-female mariachi band in Kansas. It was also one of the first such bands in the country. The bronze depiction of Cuevas is the first of a woman to be installed on the street. Another statue previously installed was of Cyrus K. Holiday, one of the city’s founders and a major player in bringing the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to Topeka. The railroad, in turn, brought jobs, many of which were taken by some of the parish’s founding parishioners who followed the railroad from the Mexican border.

As part of its efforts to celebrate “pride, passion and culture,” parish leaders and fiesta organizers decided to highlight the parish’s history (including that of the railroad) through an art project designed by parishioner Jamie Colon.

The mixed-media piece wraps around the former school building. It’s composed of Mexican tiles, tile fragments, tiles adorned with photos of parishioners as well as mirrors, glass fragments and paint. The piece mimics the style of Isaiah Zagar, creator of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. And unlike other art found in museums and galleries, Colon said people are encouraged to touch it and experience it.

Spending 12 to 16 hours a day working on the project, Colon said he’s grateful to have been able to “leave something like that behind for the community.”

“It’s the most important project I’ve

ever done in my life,” he said.

One of the artwork’s walls features photos of some of the fiesta’s past royalty.

Beginning in 1939, the fiesta has included a royalty contest. The title has always gone to the candidate who raises the most money. One former queen is Mary Mendoza Chavez.

Crowned 75 years ago in 1948 at age 17, she said she admires today’s royalty candidates as they do “an awful lot of work” to raise money through making and selling food throughout the year. Back then, for two to three months, she walked the city streets. Donning a dress or skirt and blouse and wearing penny loafers, she went door to door selling votes.

Chavez never wanted to run in the contest, but her aunt and her grandfather persuaded her.

“My grandfather said, ‘You’ll be doing it for the church, and our church needs money. That’s your way of helping the church and community.’”

To this day, she has no idea how many votes she sold, but she said she really doesn’t care. She gained so much more.

Raised by her aunt, Chavez had lost her mother when she was only 6. As she went door to door, she met many people who had known her mother.

These days, Chavez doesn’t usually attend the fiesta, mostly due to mobility issues. Still, she cannot overstate its importance to her, her family and the parish.

“It’s important to know where you came from and to respect it,” she said.

Lifelong Our Lady of Guadalupe, Topeka, parishioner Mary Mendoza Chavez shares a picture of her taken the night she was crowned fiesta queen in 1948. At 92, she is the oldest living member of fiesta royalty. As a 17-year-old, she said she had no interest in running for queen until her aunt and grandfather suggested running as a way to help the parish and school.

Lourdes Rodriguez, above, was chosen as Fiesta Queen year. Monse Cortes was named Fiesta Princess. The two over $70,000 that will go to support Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Holy Family School in Topeka.

Sculpted by Joe Skeeba, a life-sized bronze statue of the late Cuevas was unveiled on May 5 in downtown Topeka. Cuevas the founder and leader of Mariachi Estrella, the first all-female riachi band in Kansas and one of the first such bands in the

Parishioner Jamie Colon puts the finishing touches on a mixedmedia mosaic which surrounds Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish’s former grade school building. The piece features Mexican tiles, tile fragments, glass, mirrors and paint — along with photo tiles — and details the history of the parish. Similar in style to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, Colon calls it “the most important project” he’s ever done in his life.

Mariachi Habanero performs at Evergy Plaza in downtown Topeka during a celebration to mark Cinco de Mayo. The band, originally formed from members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish’s choir, started out locally during the 1970s. It eventually grew a regional following and often performed at Topeka’s Fiesta Mexicana.

One of the walls at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish’s former grade school building features a wall with fiesta spelled out in paint along with various other mixed media worked into the art piece.

Photos by MARC ANDERSON

Queen this two raised Guadalupe

late Teresa Cuevas was all-female mathe country.

Jubilee years encourage holier heart, prettier city

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) —

When a Holy Year is proclaimed, the Catholic Church gets busy preparing for a year of big religious celebrations, organized pilgrimages and special initiatives to help deepen faith and encourage greater holiness in people’s lives.

Typically observed every 25 years, a Holy Year or jubilee can draw millions of pilgrims to Rome — a 2,775-year-old city of 2.9 million people that already infamously copes with an average of 7 to 10 million tourists a year.

Which is why with the spiritual and pastoral preparations also come the jackhammers and traffic jams as road and construction crews work on the nuts and bolts of getting the city ready for an estimated 32 million pilgrims in 2025, according to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Vatican office in charge of coordinating plans for the Holy Year 2025.

For the city and citizens of Rome, holy years can seem like a repeat root canal, regularly scheduled to endure the pain for some sorely needed attention and often stunning results.

“Every jubilee has left on Rome a unique mark of beauty, art and social gathering, which are then experienced by future generations,” the archbishop said at a news conference in Rome July 26, which officially launched one of nearly 190 urban renewal projects underway in the run-up to the jubilee.

Among the many architectural and artistic legacies left from past jubilees: When Pope Sixtus IV proclaimed the Holy Year 1475, he ordered the construction of the Sistine Chapel and the “Ponte Sisto” bridge over the Tiber River to give pilgrims an additional

way to arrive at St. Peter’s.

Pope Julius II began the 1500s by finally getting the resources to do what popes before him had been concerned about — saving from collapse the ancient basilica built at the time of Constantine and rebuilding St. Peter’s Basilica. Though it would take more than 100 years to complete the largest Catholic Church in the world, a number of milestones and additional flourishes were finished in time for some holy years, like Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s work making the basilica’s marble floor and decorating the nave for Holy Year 1650.

Many spiritual traditions began with a jubilee, like Holy Year 1750 when Pope Benedict XIV instituted the Via Crucis at Rome’s Colosseum, placing a large cross in the arena.

But sometimes new creations came

at the cost of controversial demolitions.

For Holy Year 1500, Pope Alexander VI wanted to make it easier for pilgrims coming from the center of the city to get to St. Peter’s Basilica, so he ordered the razing of medieval homes and the ancient Roman Pyramid of Romulus (“Meta Romuli”) to make way for a new road connecting with the bridge by Castel Sant’Angelo.

Something similar happened for Holy Year 1950: an old neighborhood was torn down to make way for creating Via della Conciliazione, a wide boulevard leading from Castel Sant’Angelo to St. Peter’s Square, and for constructing several modern buildings which today house Vatican News, an auditorium, embassies and Vatican offices.

In the run-up to Holy Year 2025, one of the more ambitious projects will be

creating a car-free zone for the entire area along the boulevard between St. Peter’s Square and Castel Sant’Angelo, which is the second-century Mausoleum of Hadrian.

Currently people must cross a fivelane thoroughfare which averages 3,800 vehicles an hour, according to city officials. The plan is to divert traffic into an underground tunnel, which crews will start digging in mid-August.

Plans presented at a news conference July 26 with officials from the city of Rome, the Italian government and the Vatican, showed the project will seek to create a greener, more peaceful space that is more in harmony with the view of the basilica, the mausoleum, its surrounding garden and the Tiber River.

In Lviv, refugees find a place of rest, and an unexpected mother

By Gina Christian OSV News

LVIV, Ukraine (OSV News)

— Inga Dul blushed slightly when giving OSV News a recent tour of her office, located on a leafy, elegant street in Lviv, Ukraine.

“This isn’t my style,” she apologized, pointing to the hallway’s ornate lighting fixtures and marble inlay, and joking that the original furniture was capped with gaudy “lion’s claw” ornaments.

But as the executive director for the Jesuit Refugee Service in Ukraine, Dul — speaking in Ukrainian through an interpreter — said she is grateful for the unexpected opulence.

That’s because the building, once the mansion of a wealthy businessman, has become a JRS home to some two dozen women and children — refugees within their own country who have fled Ukraine’s eastern provinces, which since 2014 have been ravaged by brutal Russian attacks that intensified exponentially with the February 2022 full-scale invasion.

Dul, an attorney first tapped by JRS as a deputy and then executive director of the Lviv house, said the common experience of refugees, regardless of their country of origin, is “constant fear.”

“If you have a bird that flies all the time and cannot settle or sit somewhere, it will die,” she said.

In the first three months of the full-scale invasion, “600 people went through this house,” Dul said, noting that JRS’ years of established ministry in Ukraine enabled her and her team to handle the onslaught.

Tanya, who came from Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, said her two children, whom she brought to escape Russian shelling, “need medical help all the time.”

“My husband is still there because he has elderly parents, and he cannot leave them,” she explained in Ukrainian.

Another resident, who did not wish to give her name, told OSV News that after escaping their home near Bakhmut — where some of the war’s bloodiest battles have been waged — she and her children had lived for three months 13 to a room in one school building.

“Some people lived in the gym, and it was even worse,” she said. “But Inga would drive around the city, looking for children and moms to get them into this house.”

Each little family has its own private quarters in the house, with meals served in the community dining room and common areas for recreation.

“Here I can relax. I don’t fear that noise, those bombs,” another resident, speaking in English and declining to give her name, told OSV News. “It’s not the same like in those regions that are on the zero line [of the battles].”

“Our prayers surround us, thank God,” she added, her eyes filling with tears.

When not attending school, children at the Lviv home spend time playing,

learning English and computer skills, and making crafts — including trench candles and tiny dolls for Ukrainian soldiers.

One of the little boys sent a doll to his father, currently fighting in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said Dul.

“He wrote, ‘Father, it’s me, Zhenya. I made this doll for you to come back home earlier,’” she said.

While the kids at the house may seem upbeat and resilient, Dul is now seeing “psychological problems” starting to manifest themselves after more than a year and a half of the full-scale invasion.

“One of the girls just starts crying without any reason,” she said. “Another boy hides in the closet.”

She and her team are developing more psychological support resources for the residents and for the larger community, particularly as Ukrainians rebuild after the war.

As they await their eventual return to their own homes, residents have come to depend on Dul as a true “house mother.”

“We are like family here,” said Tanya. “Inga was at a conference for a week, and I was so glad to see her when she got back.”

“We are all mothers here,” said one resident. “We just want to have a future for our kids. Maybe not for us,” she said through tears. “But for their future.”

CNS PHOTO/CAROL GLATZ

A pedestrian bridge can be seen over the Tiber River in Rome Aug. 1. When Pope Sixtus IV proclaimed the Holy Year 1475, he ordered the construction of the Sistine Chapel and the “Ponte Sisto” bridge over the river to give pilgrims an additional way to get to St. Peter’s Basilica.

OSV NEWS/GINA CHRISTIAN

Inga Dul, executive director of the Jesuit Refugee Service house in Lviv, Ukraine, is seen in her office June 30.

Sisters bring love to troubled streets

By George P. Jr. Matysek OSV News

BALTIMORE (OSV News) —

Peeking out from beneath a tan tarp as she sat in the alley alongside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in downtown Baltimore, an elderly woman watched three young nuns stroll her way.

“Anyone here?” asked one of the religious Sisters, stopping in front of the humblest of city abodes on a damp, chilly May afternoon.

The Sisters, wearing long beige veils and flowing brown habits cinched by knotted ropes, took out a thermos and poured a cup of hot chocolate.

Tentatively, a gloved hand emerged from the tarp, accepting the drink and a small bag of marshmallows. The rest of the woman’s body remained largely concealed beneath the makeshift covering, her face encircled by the faux-fur hood of a beatup winter coat.

The woman has been on the streets a “long time,” she admitted, a victim of what she claimed was an unlawful eviction. She sees the nuns regularly walking the city streets. They are among only a handful of people who ever stop to say hello or even make eye contact, she said.

The Sisters reminded the woman that God loves her. Together, they prayed an Our Father before the smiling nuns moved on to chat with some of the other people experiencing homelessness who dwell in the same alley.

“It means a lot to talk with them,” said the woman, who asked that her name not be used. “They are so kind. They give us emotional healing. Their prayers are healing words.”

Since November, three Sisters Poor of Jesus Christ — a new international order of nuns based in South America — have been living inside a renovated convent at the Baltimore Basilica. The newcomers’ mission in Charm City is simple, yet profound: to be Christ’s presence among the poor, lonely and forgotten.

Sister Giovana of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, a 26-year-old religious Sister from Brazil, serves as the local superior of the Baltimore apostolate, known as the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Mission. She is joined by Sister Samaritan of Scourged Love, a 31-yearold Sister from Nicaragua; and

St. Louis mergers on hold as parishioners appeal to Vatican

By Gina Christian OSV News

ST. LOUIS — Mergers for several Archdiocese of St. Louis parishes are temporarily on hold pending an appeal to the Vatican by parishioners.

In a July 31 statement, the archdiocese announced that Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski had “suspended the effects” for seven parishes with respect to the All Things New initiative, a pastoral planning process that would reduce the number of archdiocesan parishes from 178 to 134. Declines in the number of priests, Mass attendees and revenues were all cited by the archdiocese as the key drivers of the effort.

Sister Maria Clara of the Crucified, a 24-year-old Sister from Paraguay. A fourth Sister recently arrived from Brazil, Sister Salva de Jesús Resucitado, who is 21 years old. (The Sisters do not use their given last names.)

Sister Giovana is the only Sister who speaks fluent English. The others, however, are making rapid progress as they study the language at the Adult Learning Center in Baltimore.

“We’re not here to be social workers or pretend to solve society’s problems,” Sister Giovana told the Catholic Review, the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. “We are here to provide people with an encounter with the person and love of Jesus Christ. That is what is most needed among the homeless and the poor — and also among those who might have a home, but are so lonely and broken. We provide them an opportunity to believe and to have hope and joy.”

People experiencing homelessness are not numbers, Sister Giovana said. They are sons and daughters of God who have names and stories.

Demonstrating a fearless confidence, the Sisters walk freely through some of the most troubled parts of the city. During a recent walk outside Lexington Market where drug deals are commonplace, the nuns’ wooden rosary beads clacked at their sides as they smiled at passersby and stopped to offer a sandwich and some candy to a man sprawled out on a sidewalk. The nuns gave fist bumps to others, holding hands as they offered prayers for various needs.

For information on the Fraternity of the Poor of Jesus Christ in the archdiocese, go to: www. sisterspoorofjesuschrist.com.

Earlier, they met with a loud man wearing a yellow neon jacket and carrying a sign saying he was a homeless U.S. Navy veteran. The frenetic figure took a break from begging on Mulberry Street to greet the Sisters and pray with them. During the Our Father, he offered an unconventional recitation of the prayer.

“Give us this day our daily bread,” the man prayed. “Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.”

The nuns finished the prayer in the traditional way, grinning widely.

In addition to meeting with the poor and those who experience homelessness, the Sisters visit Baltimore’s notorious red-light district, where they pray the rosary on the Block.

Together with the Source of all Hope urban missionaries stationed at the Baltimore Basilica, they give out food regularly at the Pope John Paul II Prayer Garden and along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The Sisters also give retreats at Catholic parishes and organizations.

Sister Giovana said the Sisters’ ministry is grounded in prayer. “I believe our ministry wouldn’t make sense if we wouldn’t have this time with the Lord,” she said. “We wouldn’t have Jesus to share if we wouldn’t come to him first.”

But seven parishes slated to merge under the plan chose to “pursue hierarchical recourse with the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy,” said the archdiocese in its statement.

Those parishes are St. Angela Merici, Florissant; St. Catherine of Alexandria, Coffman; St. Francis of Assisi, Luebbering; St. Martin of Tours, Lemay; St. Matthew the Apostle, St. Louis; St. Richard, Creve Coeur; and St. Roch, St. Louis.

The archdiocese said in its statement that “out of respect for each parishioner’s right to this recourse and in keeping with Archbishop Rozanski’s desire to maintain access to the sacraments, we will be suspending the effects of the following All Things New decrees” for those seven parishes “until this process has been exhausted.”

Lisa Shea, archdiocesan director of community and media engagement, told OSV News that there are “no immediate plans to close or sell any churches.”

“They will all remain open in some capacity for worship for the foreseeable future,” she said. “We have a couple of personal parishes in the city that are really well known for their social justice works, such as food pantries, and while their parishes are closing, the churches are staying open to do all those good works.”

The archdiocese said in its statement that it will proceed with the reassignment of priests, stating that incoming pastors for the seven parishes challenging the mergers “should not make changes in parish life which would be difficult to reverse.”

The archdiocese said it would continue to provide “for the pastoral care of each parish that is impacted,” and that the suspension would be lifted “once recourse before the Apostolic See has concluded.”

OSV NEWS PHOTO/KEVIN J. PARKS, CATHOLIC REVIEW

Sister Giovana of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (squatting) joins Sister Samaritan of Scourged Love (left) and Sister Maria Clara of the Crucified in giving food to a man near Lexington Market in Baltimore May 3.

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Medical staff - Medical staff needed for local pregnancy clinics to assist women facing unplanned pregnancy. RN, MD, DO or PA. Required training consists of online courses and shadowing to perform limited ultrasounds. We will train. Please call Leah at (913) 207-0186 for more information.

Director for Diocesan Catholic Cemeteries of Wichita - The Diocese of Wichita is seeking an outstanding individual to serve as full-time director of cemeteries. Includes: Ascension, Calvary and Resurrection cemeteries. For information regarding requirements, please check the job posting at: catholicdioceseofwichita.org/ careers/ and scroll down and click on “Job openingsCatholic Diocese of Wichita” for more information and to apply.

Caregiver - Are you looking for an in-home caregiving opportunity? The Shikles family is urgently hiring a dedicated and compassionate caregiver for the care of Stephen Shikles. Pay is negotiable. Up to 40 hours per week. For more information, please contact Lisa Shikles at (913) 229-2356 or lisa.shikles@gmail.com.

Assistant direct support professional - L’Arche Heartland is seeking an assistant direct support professional. This person would report to the community home supervisor. Key responsibilities include: utilize person- centered support plan to provide guidance, support, growth and development opportunities to each core member through attentiveness and caring; be a strong role model of appropriate behavior; foster positive and supportive relationships among core members as well as families and professionals; follow all policies, procedures and protocols to ensure core member safety; participate and contribute to house team meetings to ensure household is maintained to include regular upkeep, meal planning and preparation as well as event planning and community interaction; monitor and assist core members with the following as needed: personal hygiene, appearance, laundry, meal preparation, cleaning, personal finances and leisure activities while promoting core member independence; perform all documentation activities (financial, medication, behavior, etc.) as required by policy/programming while maintaining confidentiality; transport core members as assigned; administer medication, properly document and assist with securing refills; participate in and adequately complete training and recertification as required, both ongoing and upon hire; participate in community events and activities as appropriate. Required skills/abilities: exhibit respect and caring for core members and all those involved in the support of group home residents; demonstrate excellent communication and organizational skills; have the ability to problem solve and manage conflicts objectively. Experience and education requirements: experience with persons with developmental disabilities (highly preferred). Have a valid driver’s license; have a high school education or equivalent. Pass all required background checks; maintain CPR/first-aid certification. Physical requirements: must be able to lift up to 25 pounds at times; must be able to perform activities of daily living such as cooking and cleaning; able and willing to assist in house maintenance/yard work. Include signature and printed name with application. Email: Assistant@larcheks.org or call (913) 341-2265.

Administrative assistant - St. Joseph Early Education Center, Shawnee, is seeking a full-time administrative assistant. Interested individuals should email cover letter and resume to Kristan Mora at: KMora@ stjoeshawnee.org. For more information, call (913) 631-0800.

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Executive director – The Mission Project is a not-forprofit organization located in Mission. It was started 19 years ago to provide services that enable persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live independently in community with supports. We are seeking a full-time executive director, who would report to our board of directors, and supervise other staff, contract support and volunteers. Collaboration with families of participants is essential. Primary responsibilities include fundraising, public relations, supervision and leadership. Candidates must have strong communication and effective people skills; excellent persuasive writing skills; be detail-oriented and self-starting; have experience with fundraising and grant writing; and be proficient with computer apps and social media. A bachelor’s degree in health, behavioral health or related experience with intellectual and developmental disabilities is highly desired. For complete job description and application instructions, email a cover letter and resume to: executivedirector@themissionproject. org. To learn more about The Mission Project, visit our website at: www.themissionproject.org.

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The Church of the Nativity expects to pay market compensation commensurate with experience and qualifications. Nativity has a history of retaining its employees, who enjoy the advantages of working at a vibrant, collaborative, faith-based place of worship and education. Nativity Parish School is located at 3700 W. 119th, Leawood. Nativity offers a comprehensive benefit program including medical, dental, vision, vacation and 401(k). Interested applicants should send resumes and work history to: mhyde@ kcnativity.org. No phone calls please.

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Instructional assistant (aide) - Holy Trinity School in Lenexa is seeking an instructional assistant (aide). This position supports both students and teachers. Interested candidates: Please contact Holy Trinity principal Scott Merfen at: smerfen@htslenexa.org.

Early childhood educators - With multiple locations in Johnson County, Special Beginnings Early Learning Center provides high quality child-care in a safe, loving Christian environment. Our classrooms are full and we are looking to add to our amazing team. We are looking for both full-time and part-time teachers for all ages of children. If you have an excellent work ethic, a heart for children and a willingness to learn more about early childhood education, we would love to meet you. For more information or to apply, call Carolyn Andruss at (913) 894-0131, ext. 102.

Part-time home care assistant - The MPPCA agency is a not-for-profit organization that enables adults with developmental disabilities to live and work safely on their own. Home care assistants work with clients individually to support them in accomplishing necessary activities of daily living, such as meal planning and preparation, grocery shopping, apartment care, laundry and organizational tasks. Skill plans are implemented by the home care assistants using strategies such as oversight, cueing, prompting, assistance and modeling. Flexible days and hours available; starting pay $16 an hour. Interested persons contact Christine Hernandez at: christinehernandez@themissionproject. org; see the website: www.mppca.org.

Full or part-time day school positions - Little Saints Day School at St. Thomas Aquinas High School is hiring for a part-time or full-time position starting in August. We are looking for individuals who are passionate, caring and faith-filled to teach the young minds at Little Saints. Please contact Jeanne Toy at: littlesaints@sta saints.net or call (913) 319-2476 for more information.

Staff job openings - Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, has the following staff job openings available: admissions counselor, director of development, nursing intake coordinator; director of development; part-time information systems coordinator and vice-president of business affairs/CFO chief financial officer. Find job descriptions and details at: www.donnelly.edu/careers.

Make a meaningful impact today - Join L’Arche Heartland as an assistant in our Day Service Program. Contribute to the empowerment and enrichment of adults with developmental disabilities as they engage in meaningful daytime activities. Enjoy daytime hours, Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. We have immediate full-time positions available. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes 100% coverage for medical, dental and vision expenses. Conveniently situated in downtown Overland Park. Training provided. Apply now by visiting our website at: www.larcheks.org/join-our-team.

Liturgical keyboard accompanist - Church of the Ascension is looking for a liturgical keyboard accompanist to play at weekend Masses and accompany the choir in the fall. This position is open as early as July, but must be filled by mid-September, when choir rehearsals begin. A competitive “per diem” salary is commensurate with skill and experience. All inquiries should be made to music director Dorothy Brandwein at: dbrandwein@kcascension.org.

Building attendant - The Savior Pastoral Center is currently seeking a building attendant. This position is an on-site, live-in staff member who provides hospitality, security, maintenance and custodial services at Savior Pastoral Center. This position will work in the evening and on weekends. To learn more about this position or to apply, visit: archkck.org/jobs.

Youth minister - Church of the Nativity, Leawood, is seeking a full-time, dynamic, high energy, consistently visible and creative Youth Minister to join the Campus Youth Director and Christian Formation team. This position will be responsible for working directly with the Youth Director to aid in the coordination of pastoral youth ministry for the entire campus including high school youth, junior high youth from both the parish school and religious education program, and parish young adults. Ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic who can work well in a team dynamic closely collaborating with the Campus Youth Director and the Director of Religious Education, displaying strong communication skills through a variety of points of contact, exhibiting interpersonal skills to foster mutual support from families of youth, and a passionate love for sharing Jesus Christ with all youth, knowing any contact with them is a touch point of evangelization. Qualified applicants should have at least two years’ experience in youth ministry or qualifying degree, have or be willing to receive Virtus training, and pass a background check. Please send resume to: jobapplication@kcnativity.org.

Caregivers - Daughters & Company is looking for several compassionate caregivers to provide assistance to seniors in their home, assisted living or in a skilled nursing facility. We provide light housekeeping/light meal preparation, organizational assistance, care management and occasional transportation services for our clients. We need caregivers with reliable transportation and a cellphone for communication. A CNA background is helpful, though not mandatory. We typically employ on a part-time basis, but will strive to match up hours desired. Contact Gary or Laurie at (913) 341-2500 if you want to become part of an excellent caregiving team.

Faculty and adjunct faculty job openings - Donnelly College, Kansas City, Kansas, is a Catholic college offering higher education for those who may not otherwise be served. Faculty job openings include nursing school faculty. Adjunct faculty job openings: clinical nursing school supervisor; history and math. Find job descriptions and details at: www.donnelly.edu/careers.

SERVICES

Tutoring - for K - Adult. Sessions are fun and meaningful. For more information please call Kathleen at (913) 206-2151 or email: Klmamuric@yahoo.com.

Double A’s lawn service Lawn mowing, mulching, gutters, leaf removal, brush removal and hedge trimming Free estimates, insured and insured. Alex Spoerre (913) 488-5195

Memory quilts - Preserve your memories in a keepsake quality quilt, pillows, etc. Custom designed from your T-shirt collection, baby clothes, sports memorabilia, neckties . . . Quilted Memories. (913) 649-2704.

ACT Prep - Founded by a Bishop Miege graduate, pathway Prep has helped over 250 students during the last four years improve their scores. In-person or virtual sessions available. For more information,visit: pathwayprepkc.com and contact Alex Pint at (913) 991-8217 or: alex@pathwayprepkc.com.

Stone painting - We are offering FREE ESTIMATES to any and all that are interested in painting this summer! We do interior, exterior house painting along with decks, fences, and much more. At Stone Painting we ensure professional quality and cheap services tailored to your needs. Call now at (913) 963-6465, or go online to: stonepaintingkc.com.

Landscape lighting - Low voltage lighting install and repair. Improve the visibility, image and impact of your home. Foley’s Lawn Care (913) 825-4353 or john@foleyslawncare.com.

Masonry work - Quality new or repair work. Brick, block and chimney/fireplace repair. Insured; second-generation bricklayer. Member of St. Paul Parish, Olathe. Call (913) 271-0362.

Catholic counseling - For individuals, couples, families, adolescents and young adults. Sam Meier, MA, LPC. Call (913) 952-2267 or book an appointment at: StillwaterKC.com, in person or Telehealth.

Custom countertops - Laminates installed within 5 days. Cambria, granite and solid surface. Competitive prices, dependable work. Call the Top Shop, Inc., at (913) 962-5058. Members of St. Joseph, Shawnee.

Mike Hammer local moving - A full-service mover. Packing, pianos, rental truck load/unload, storage container load/unload, and in-home moving. No job too small. Serving JoCo since 1987. St. Joseph, Shawnee, parishioner. Call Mike at (913) 927-4347 or send an email to: mike@mikehammermoving.com.

Garage Door Repair

New Garage Doors

A Total Door - KC family owned since ‘83. www.ATotalDoor.com or (913) 236-6440

A Total Door (913) 236-6440. (913)205-0926 cell

HOME IMPROVEMENT

EL SOL Y LA TIERRA

*COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL

*LAWN RENOVATION *MOWING

*CLEANUP AND HAULING

*DIRT GRADING/INSTALLATION

*LANDSCAPE DESIGN* FREE ESTIMATES HABLAMOS Y ESCRIBIMOS INGLES!! CALL LUPE AT (816) 252-1391

Haus to home remodeling - Let’s give that room a nice face-lift! Specializing in affordable room remodeling. From small projects to bathrooms and basements. We have lots of other services, too: tile, paint, carpentry, wood rot, decks, drywall, etc. Free estimates. For photos of our projects and to find out more about our company, visit us at: Haustohomekc. com or call Cole at (913) 544-7352.

Popcorn ceiling texture removal Call Jerry at (913) 206-1144. 30 years’ experience. Interior painting specialist. Member St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.

Local Handyman - Painting int. and ext., wood rot, mason repair), gutter cleaning (gutter covers), dryer vent cleaning, sump pump (replace, add new), windows, doors (interior and exterior) honey-do list, window cleaning and more! Member of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913) 927-4118.

STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 5791835. Email: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

FOR SALE

For sale - Two side-by-side spaces at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery. Located in the Veterans Garden, section C, lot 15, spaces 1 and 2; two openings and closings, two grave liners and granite slab for two markers, including installation and maintenance. Vase not included/sold separately. Must be a veteran and current spouse, verified with DD214 identification. Spouse marker and installation not included/sold separately. Asking $8265 (10% off $9185 package value). Contact Julie Gaieski at: gaieskimo@gmail.com.

For sale - Vintage Wurlitzer 2780 piano, (42” console) French Provincial Hallmark Cherry. Cambriole legs on piano and storage bench. Smoke-free home; excellent condition. Asking $500. Contact Maria at (913) 940-7296.

For sale - Double companion lawn crypt at Mount Moriah on Holmes Road, located in crypt #23, lot 37, block 23. Valued at $7000, asking $3500, including transfer fee. Call (913) 908-3828.

>> Continued on page 13

Residential lifts - New and recycled. Stair lifts, porch lifts, ceiling lifts and elevators. St. Michael’s parishioners. KC Lift & Elevator at (913) 327-5557. (Formerly Silver Cross - KC).

For sale - Two cemetery plots at Resurrection Cemetery in Lenexa. They are located in the Assumption section near the front of the cemetery. Valued at $5190 for both and selling for $4000. Call (816) 388-3573 and leave a message or email: cinders@ bellsouth.net.

For sale - Lowrey electric organ (apartment size). Double keyboard, foot pedals and several books. Bench included. Call (913) 599-4250. Price negotiable.

For sale - Two cemetery plots at Resurrection Cemetery in Lenexa, located in Ascension Garden, plots 73C4 and 74D1. Asking $2500 each. Call (816) 8387404.

For sale - Single plot suitable for regular burial or cremation. Mt. Calvary Cemetery, KCK. Section 11, lot 80, space 3-A. Valued at $2200. Sell for $2100 and I pay conveyance fee. Contact David at (913) 980-0042.

For sale - Two plots at Mount Moriah Cemetery at 19507 Holmes, Kansas City, Missouri. Lot 92, block 26, two spaces. Valued at $9600, must sell. Asking $4000 or best offer. Call JoAnn at (913) 262-9582.

For sale - Double companion lawn crypt at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas. Located in section 10 L-19. Asking $8900; full package, not including headstone or memorial service. Call Patty at (913) 217-5497.

WANTED TO BUY

Wanted to buy - Do you have a car or truck that you need to get rid of? If you do, CALL ME!

I’m a cash buyer. We’re Holy Trinity parishioners. My name is Mark. (913) 980-4905.

Wanted to buy - Antique/vintage jewelry, paintings, pottery, sterling, etc. Single pieces or estate. Renee, (913) 475-7393. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.

Will buy firearms and related accessories - One or a whole collection. Honest evaluation and top prices paid. Contact Tom at (913) 238-2473. Member of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee.

$$PAYING CASH MONEY$$

For military items, pocket and wristwatches, American coins, old buttons, lanterns, spurs, silver flatware, crocks, pocketknives, oil lamps, lanterns, Southwest items/jewelry. Most old items considered. Call Patricia today at (913) 515-2950.

REAL ESTATE

We buy houses and whole estates - We are local and family-owned, and will make you a fair cash offer. We buy houses in any condition. No fees or commissions and can close on the date of your choice. Selling your house has never felt so good. Jon & Stacy Bichelmeyer (913) 599-5000.

CAREGIVING

Caregiving - We provide personal assistance, companionship, care management, and transportation for seniors in their home, assisted living or nursing facilities. We also provide respite care for main caregivers needing some personal time. Call Daughters & Company at (913) 341-2500 and speak with Laurie, Pat or Gary.

Family member with dementia or need help at home? - We specialize in helping seniors live SAFELY at home, where they want to live! We also offer free dementia training and resources for families and caregivers. Benefits of Home - Senior Care, www. Benefitsofhome.com or call (913) 422-1591.

CNA - Can provide home care for those needing assistance. Available Monday - Friday. Serving Johnson County, Kansas. 20 years’ experience. Call Serina at (913) 526-0797.

Saint Rita Home Care - Compassionate care in the comfort of home. We serve people in Miami and south Johnson counties. Kansas state-licensed, nonmedical home care agency. Contact us today for supportive care at: www.saintritahc.com; rmargush@ saintritahc.com; or (913) 229-4267.

PILGRIMAGE

Pilgrimage to Medjugorje - Dec. 27, 2023 - Jan. 4, 2024. Come ring in the New Year with us! Hosted by visionary Mirjana Soldo. For details, call Grace Legaspi at (913) 449-1806.

DAILY READINGS

NINETEENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME

Aug. 13

NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

1 Kgs 19: 9a, 11-13a

Ps 85: 9-14

Rom 9: 1-5 Mt 14: 22-33

Aug.

Isn’t

Atrue sign of a pastor is someone who makes sure that, after parish events, all the doors are securely locked, and all the lights are turned off. I resemble that comment.

At first, it was only a concern for safety or economics. Over the years, though, it’s become a matter of morality.

Aug. 15

THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN

it time to do some trash

MARK MY WORDS

talking?

who will follow.”

(Source unknown)

TWENTIETH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME

The following story helped widen my perspective:

Once a king had a great highway built for his subjects. After it was completed, but before being officially opened, the king decided to hold a contest. He invited all to participate. Their challenge was to see who could travel the highway the best.

On the day of the contest, scores of people came. Some had fine chariots, some wore lavish clothing, sported elaborate hairdos or packed delicious food. Some young men came in their track clothes and ran along

MARK GOLDASICH

the highway.

People traveled the highway all day, but each one, when arriving at the end, complained to the king about a large pile of rocks and debris left on the road at a particular spot that got in their way and hindered their travel.

At the end of the day, a lone traveler crossed the finish line and slowly walked over to the king. Although tired and dirty, he ad-

dressed the king with great respect and handed him a bag of gold.

He explained, “I stopped along the way to clear a pile of rocks and debris that was blocking the road. This bag of gold was under it all. I ask you to return it to its rightful owner.”

The king replied, “You are the rightful owner!”

The traveler said, “Oh no, this is not mine! I’ve never known such money.”

“Oh yes,” answered the king. “You’ve earned this gold, for you won my contest. He who travels the road best is the one who makes the road smoother for those

With each baptism that I celebrate, I can’t help but wonder what kind of world these children will grow up in. I blame Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’” (On Care for Our Common Home) for making me uncomfortable enough to question my role regarding the world I’m passing on to the next generation.

I find it haunting to ponder the words of Ecumenical Patriarch Barthomew, quoted by the pope in the encyclical: “He asks us to replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing, an asceticism which ‘entails learning to give and not simply to give up. It is a way of loving, of moving gradually away from what I want to what God’s world needs’” (LS, 9).

With that in mind, I’ve become much more conscious of recycling plastic and paper; not wasting electricity; consoli-

dating errands into fewer car trips; and not throwing away food. I’ve picked up items on the floor of stores and put them back on the shelf so no one will stumble. I’ve grabbed trash blowing around in parking lots and taken grocery carts back to the corral. And I’ve donated boxes and bags of items that were sitting around unused in my home.

My greatest hurdle is limiting my consumption of “stuff” — all the items I buy that I don’t honestly need, but somehow want. I’m working on channeling the money I’d spend on me to supporting charities, especially in developing countries. As we see kids returning to school, let’s ask ourselves that difficult question: What kind of world am I handing on to them — one that’s beautiful or, as the encyclical warns, simply “an immense pile of filth”? Blessed are those who make the road smoother for those who follow.

Faith in Jesus is the antidote to the fears that can paralyze us

Utter disbelief was the sentiment deeply felt in the hearts and minds of many as the rapid spread of COVID-19 brought normal life to a shuddering halt in March 2020.

We might remember vividly how our daily routines changed instantly in the face of the viral threat. As it spread rapidly, the disease left in its trail fear, uncertainty, hardship, suffering and loss.

When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and they cried out in fear.”

Jesus responds with deeply assuring words to his disciples, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Jesus offers faith as the divine response to the deep, even irrational fears that threaten to overcome us amid the challenges of this world.

the sea and the storms of life.

Faith in Jesus is the antidote to the fears that can disturb or even paralyze us.

As the world began to grapple with an unprecedented global lockdown, Pope Francis preached a powerful homily to all of us.

needed the stars.”

Pope Francis added, “Let us invite Jesus into the boats of our lives. Let us hand over our fears to him so that he can conquer them.”

Ps 21: 2-7

Mt 20: 1-16

Aug. 24

BARTHOLOMEW, APOSTLE

Rv 21: 9b-14

Ps 145: 10-13, 17-18

Jn 1: 45-51

Aug. 25

Louis; Joseph Calasanz, priest

Ru 1: 1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22

Ps 146: 5-10

Mt 22: 34-40

Aug. 26

Saturday Ru 2: 1-3, 8-11; 4: 13-17

Ps 128: 1-5

Mt 23: 1-12

The strange sense of helplessness that gripped the world during the global pandemic helps us identify with the disciples who were tossed about in their boat on a stormy

sea, as recounted in this Sunday’s Gospel.

We are told that “during the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came toward them walking on the sea.

Peter, at Jesus’ invitation, attempts to walk on the water but falters in fear and begins to sink into the sea. Jesus reminds the disciples of the need for faith in him to overcome the storm of

LISBON, Portugal (CNS) — A Catholic Church that has grown weary in countries shaken by the clerical sexual abuse crisis and cultural trends toward secularism must look anew to Jesus to revive their “restless” enthusiasm for sharing the Gospel, Pope Francis said.

“Now is the God-given time of grace to sail boldly into the sea of evangelization and of mission,” the pope told

Standing in a deserted St. Peter’s Square on March 27, the Holy Father spoke these reassuring words to the world, “‘Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?’

“Faith begins when we realize we are in need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves, we flounder; we need the Lord, like ancient navigators

Portuguese bishops, priests, religious and pastoral workers after praying vespers at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon Aug. 2, the first day of his trip to Portugal. Using a wheelchair, the pope entered the 16th-century monastery to great applause, and the cheers erupted when he stood to greet those present.

In his homily, the pope reflected on the passage from St. Luke’s Gospel in which Jesus gets into the disciples’ fishing boat and invites them to let

In Sunday’s first reading, the prophet Elijah encounters the Lord not in the noise of the wind, fire or earthquake.

Rather, God is revealed in a tiny whispering sound that calms the prophet’s fears and brings him into loving contact with God.

Even today, God’s word continues to speak to the depths of our fears and anxieties, as we pray with confident hope, “Speak to me, Lord.”

their nets down in deep water for a catch. Just as those fishermen didn’t catch anything before Jesus’ arrival, “there are moments in our ecclesial journey when we can feel a similar weariness — weariness — when we seem to be holding only empty nets,” he said, noting how such a situation is common in countries with a longstanding Christian tradition but are now experiencing a “growing detachment from the practice of the faith.”

JEM SULLIVAN

Sullivan is a professor at The Catholic University of America.

Awaken the ‘weary’ church by becoming ‘restless,’ pope says

FATHER

Father Mark is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989.

BINGO NIGHT

Sacred Heart Parish

2646 S. 34th St., Kansas City, Kansas

Aug. 12 at 7 p.m.

Sacred Heart Knights of Columbus will be hosting bingo. Refreshments will be sold. Questions? Call Bob at (913) 8503348.

SPAGHETTI DINNER AND BINGO

St. Patrick Parish (center)

1066 N. 94th, Kansas City, Kansas

Aug. 12 at 6 p.m.

Spaghetti with meatballs, Italian sausage, salad, bread stick, dessert and tea or lemonade will be served. Cost is $10, plus $10 for 10 games of bingo. Questions? Call Fritz Vertz at (913) 515-0621.

ST. STANISLAUS PARISH PICNIC

St. Stanislaus Parish (Dekat Hall)

701 S. Main St., Rossville

Aug. 12 at noon

The parish picnic is being held in conjunction with Rossville’s Tall Corn Festival. There will be bingo from 3 - 6:30 p.m., a fried chicken dinner from 4 - 6:30 p.m. for $12 per plate, and Mass at 7 p.m.

ROSARY RALLY IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA

St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish

4737 N. Cleveland Ave., Kansas City, Missouri

Aug. 13 from 3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

We will pray the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the rosary. Benediction will follow as well as an opportunity for attendees to enroll in the brown scapular. For more information, visit the website at: www.rosaryrallieskc.org.

HEALING MASS

Curé of Ars Parish

9405 Mission Rd., Leawood

Aug. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

A Mass with prayers for healing, sponsored by area charismatic prayer groups, will be held. For more information, call (913) 649-2026.

BEREAVEMENT MEETING

Curé of Ars Parish

9405 Mission Rd., Leawood

Aug. 19 after the 8 a.m. Mass

The bereavement ministry will have a grief support meeting in the Father Burak Room. For more information, call (913) 6492026.

50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Christ’s Peace House of Prayer

22131 Meagher Rd., Easton

Aug. 19 from 8:30 am to 4 p.m.

Christ’s Peace is celebrating 50 years of offering an opportunity to meet Our Lord through silence, creation, prayer and retreat. To commemorate this milestone, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will celebrate Mass. Lunch will be provided with plenty of opportunity to enjoy and tour the property. Come and celebrate our five decades of serving the spiritual needs of the archdiocese. To attend, fill out the RSVP form online at: ChristsPeace.com or call (913) 773-8255.

ANNUAL PICNIC

Immaculate Conception Parish

208 Bertrand Ave., St. Marys

Aug. 19 from 4 - 7 p.m.

Evening Mass will kick off the event. A fried chicken dinner (dark meat only) with fixings will be served in the Centennial Building (behind the church). The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 10 and under. There will also be carnival games, bingo, a cakewalk and garage sale from 5 - 8 p.m. The evening will end with a dance and fellowship.

WILLS AND TRUSTS WORKSHOP

Divine Mercy Parish (CFC Great Room)

555 W. Main, Gardner

Aug. 23 from 6 - 7:30 p.m.

This event is co-hosted by Divine Mercy Parish and the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas. RSVP online to: tlynn@ archkck.rg or to: archkck.org/gift-planningevent or call (913) 647-0365.

WILLS AND TRUSTS WORKSHOP

St. Patrick Parish (center)

1086 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kansas

Aug. 23 from 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Begin the afternoon with 12:15 p.m. Mass (optional) with celebrant Father Mark Mertes, then check in at the parish hall and enjoy social time. There will be an opening prayer, a presentation by Laura Haeusser on the “Legacy of Faith” and lunch. Estate planning attorney Casey Connealy will cover multiple topics during his presentation which will begin at 1:30 p.m. RSVP online to: www.cfnek.org/events/wills-andtrusts or to: jschmitt@archkck.org, or call Jane Schmitt at (913) 647-3060. The event is co-hosted by the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas.

ST. JOSEPH CIRCLE CARD/GAME PARTY

St. Joseph Parish (McDevitt Hall)

11311 Johnson Dr., Shawnee

Aug. 24 at 11:30 a.m.

The event begins with lunch at 11:30 a.m. Bring your own group and your own game, or come by yourself. There will be tables and games you can join. The cost is $15 per person and includes lunch, door prizes and an afternoon with friends, fellowship and fun. Reservations are required. Prepayment is preferred by Aug. 17. Register online with

names and parish at: sjcirclegames@gmail. com. Cost is payable by Venmo (St. Joseph Catholic Church Shawnee); check (payable to St. Joseph Circle). Mail to: 5901 Flint, Shawnee KS 66203). Cash will be accepted at the door or to a circle member. For more information, call or text (913) 972-1786.

LITURGY AND LIFE BIBLE STUDY

Our Lady of the Presentation

150 N.W. Murray Rd., Lee’s Summit, Missouri

Aug. 26 from 9 a.m. - noon

Father Paul Turner, international expert on liturgy, is presenting a workshop on the new Liturgy and Life Study Bible. This event is sponsored by NPM (National Pastoral Musicians). This Bible explains the scriptural roots of liturgy, linking specific passages to the liturgical rites and is a wonderful resource for priests, deacons, liturgists, catechists, lectors and liturgical musicians. Liturgical Press is offering a discount when ordering the book at the workshop. Preregistering online at: npminkc. com is helpful to ensure enough breakfast and space for everyone. A $20 donation is accepted at the door.

‘THE LETTER: A MESSAGE FOR OUR EARTH’ FILM SCREENING

Colonial Church

7039 Mission Rd., Prairie Village

Aug. 27 from 4 - 6 p.m.

Join us for a screening of this film inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter “Laudato Si’” which explores Catholic teaching on creation in light of today’s ecological crisis.

RETROUVAILLE

Savior Pastoral Center

12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kansas Sept. 1 -3

Is your marriage struggling or do you know one that is? Retrouvaille is a program that helps couples restore their marriage and rebuild a loving relationship. This is a practical program to improve communication and help couples connect. Sign up online at: www.helpourmarriage.org or call 1 (800) 470-2230.

NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ABORTED CHILDREN

Gate of Heaven Cemetery

126th and Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kansas Sept. 9 at 11 a.m.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will preside over the service. It will begin in the chapel and then process to the Memorial for Unborn Victims of Violence. For more information, call Tina Jinkens, vice president of Planned Parenthood Exposed, at (785) 615-8373.

150TH ANNIVERSARY

St. Patrick Parish

1066 N. 94th, Kansas City, Kansas

Sept. 16 at 4 p.m.

St. Patrick Parish celebration kickoff will begin with Mass at 4 p.m., followed by a social celebration from 5 - 9 p.m.

WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER

Savior Pastoral Center

12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kansas

Sept. 22 - 24

Rekindle the love and joy, the hopes and dreams that you and your spouse cherished on your wedding day by attending the next Worldwide Marriage Encounter. This is an enrichment for married couples who value their relationship and desire a richer, fuller life together. It is also for priests and religious who want to strengthen their relationships with their church communities. Register online at: www.helpourmarriage.org. Questions? Contact Maggie Harris at (405) 206-1600.

CATHOLIC

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY

Holy Trinity (Father Quigley Center)

9201 Summit St., Lenexa

Tuesdays: Sept. 21 to May 3, 2024, from 9:30 - 11 a.m.

We will be studying the Book of Exodus and Mary: The Bible and the Mother of God. Register online by Aug. 25 at: womensbible studykc.com to ensure that your books are available on the first day. Those who register late will receive their materials later. For more information, contact Theresa Gordzica at (785) 843-0283; Jenny Kropf at (913) 2198528; or send an email to: womensbible studykc@gmail.com. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program is offered for ages infant to 12 years of age while we gather for the Bible study. Teens ages 13 - 15 are invited to our Junior Bible Study.

‘GOSPEL OF NONVIOLENCE: LIVING THE WAY OF JESUS’ Keeler Women’s Center

759 Vermont Ave., Suite 100-B Kansas City, Kansas

First and third Wednesdays

From 1 - 3 p.m.

In a world where bullets enter homes and violence disrupts neighborhoods, where the news seems to report more and more killings and war, come and experience the message of nonviolence that has been preached by Jesus and wise people through the ages. Register by calling or texting (913) 689-9375.

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS

DEADLINE: Noon, Thursday, eight days before the desired publication date. SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: beth. blankenship@theleaven.org.

“We constantly hear how grateful children are that their parents had things taken care of. Have you done this for your children?”

THE DAYS OF SUMMER

Jim Wahlberg, a film producer, writer and director, was the keynote speaker at the 2023 Master’s Cup Invitational luncheon held July 10 at Iron Horse Golf Club in Leawood. Wahlberg talked about his addiction to drugs and time in jail where he found God. The Master’s Cup is an opportunity for discerners, seminarians, priests, religious and lay faithful to come together for a golf outing designed to help foster and support vocations.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann celebrates Mass July 24 at the high school Extreme Camp at Prairie Star Ranch in Williamsburg — the last camp session of the season. The summer saw seven camps for kids — from fifth graders through high schoolers — as well as three family camps. Nearly all these camps were sold out.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Villa St. Francis resident Leandro Cortez welcomes a visit from Daniel Alvarado, a participant in the Defenders of Life project, a youth leadership camp sponsored by the archdiocesan pro-life office in June. Each day, campers studied different life issues and the call to defend and serve society’s most vulnerable. On this day, campers served at Villa St. Francis in Olathe — helping to bring residents to Mass and then lunch afterwards, visiting with them and also doing some grounds cleanup work.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann confirms inmate Darby Kade at the Lansing Correctional Facility on May 30. The archbishop celebrated several baptisms, confirmations and first Communions at the facility that day.

As summer starts to wind down, The Leaven takes a look back at some of the events that helped shape this summer of faith.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER