10 04 19 Vol. 41 No. 9

THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 41, NO. 9 | OCTOBER 4, 2019

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD

Kathy O’Hara, former superintendent of schools in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, talks with students at St. Benedict School in Atchison. O’Hara will be honored at this year’s Catholic Education Foundation annual fundraiser, Gaudeamus, as the recipient of the 2019 Michael & Patty Morrisey Angels Among Us Award and St. Benedict School in Atchison will receive the 2019 Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann CEF School of Excellence Award.

Annual event honors O’Hara, Atchison grade school

By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill.esfeld@theleaven.org

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TCHISON — “I think now more than ever we need to provide our kids with a solid cocoon of beauty, truth and goodness.”

With these words Dr. Kathy O’Hara, former superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, summarized the importance of Catholic education.

“Every day, we hear stories of kids with anxiety and despair,” she continued. “I think the best way to help kids through what they face these days is

to remind them they have dignity and worth.

“And they have a partner, a helper, in Our Lord, who has created them for a specific purpose.”

O’Hara will be honored at this year’s Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) annual fundraiser, Gaudeamus, as the recipient of the 2019 Michael & Patty Morrisey Angels Among Us Award.

Over her 16-year tenure as superintendent, O’Hara has worked tirelessly to make sure archdiocesan schools are the best — academically and spiritually.

“Catholic schools are schools, so they have to have strong academics,” she said. “But none of that will mean anything if kids don’t understand that

RESPECT LIFE MONTH

The Leaven kicks off its Respect Life Month coverage with a special column by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and a feature article on the living legacy of Jean Vanier.

Pages 2, 8-9

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they have a real purpose in this world, and that they’re headed for eternity with God.” The experience of working in the archdiocese has allowed O’Hara to grow in her own faith, and she is grateful for that.

“I have had so many opportunities to meet incredible people, to hear amazing scholars of the faith,” she said. “I would not have had those opportunities had I not been able to serve.”

As she leaves her duties in the capable hands of new superintendent , Dr. Vince Cascone, O’Hara looks forward to spending time with family and living life at a more leisurely pace.

About Gaudeamus The annual Gaudeamus gala will take place on Oct. 26 at the Overland Park Convention Center.

Funds raised at the event go to scholarships for students in need attending CEF-supported schools in northeast Kansas. This year, CEF will provide more than $2.4 million to support about 1,500 students.

Gaudeamus includes a cocktail reception, dinner and program, and concludes with a live band and dancing.

For sponsorship, registration and donations, visit the website at: www.cefks.org/events or contact Amy Meara, director of special events, at (913) 721-1574.

>> See “MAKING” on page 4

SPECIAL ISSUE

Next week’s Leaven will be a special issue dedicated to the archdiocesan convocation taking place at the Overland Park Convention Center Oct 3-5.

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OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

ARCHBISHOP

Kansans must speak with a united voice on abortion

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n our first reading this Sunday, the prophet Habakuk states: “How long, O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife and clamorous discord.”

As we observe Respect Life Sunday this weekend and begin Respect Life Month, we can resonate with the prophet’s painful lament.

With the epidemic of violence on many of our urban streets, the horror of the sex-trafficking of many young people, the recent string of mass shootings, the legalization of euthanasia in some of our states and government-sanctioned abortion of almost one million of our children annually, we cannot help but be saddened by the violence of our culture and the numerous attacks on innocent life and the dignity of the human person.

We can easily feel overwhelmed and discouraged. We can wonder: Are our efforts to restore respect for the sanctity of human life and reverence for the dignity of the human person having any meaningful impact upon our culture and society? The devil loves to discourage us and make us feel that our situation is hopeless.

In last week’s Leaven, there was a photo essay regarding the recent observance of national Day of Remembrance for children killed by abortion.

As part of the commemoration at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, a member of the archdiocese had created a display of 160 blue and pink crosses.

Each cross symbolized 500,000 of the 60 million American children killed by abortion since 1973.

The most American deaths in any of our nation’s wars were nearly 500,000 in the American Civil War. The number of soldiers killed in all wars combined throughout our history pales in comparison to the number of children killed by abortion.

Abortion remains the pre-eminent human rights

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LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN issue of our time, in part because of the magnitude of the numbers of lives destroyed. However, there is another equally important reason.

St. John Paul wrote in his encyclical, the “Gospel of Life,” that abortion and euthanasia are horrific because they involve the destruction of innocent human life within the family. Abortion and euthanasia not only destroy the lives of those killed, but they also scar the human bonds of love that are most precious.

For every child that dies by abortion, there is a mother that is deeply scarred and wounded by her authorization of the killing of her child. Because of the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, all the legal responsibility for the abortion decision is placed upon the mother.

Every aborted child also has a father. Sadly, often the child’s father has abandoned the mother — or even worse, pressured her to have an abortion.

We have raised a generation of men who think their only responsibility, if any, is to help pay a portion of the cost for the abortion of their child. At the same time, if a father opposes the abortion, he is powerless to protect his child. The court gives him no say in the fate of his child.

In addition to the more than 60 million children killed by abortion since its legalization in 1973, there are even more mothers and fathers carrying deep emotional, psychological and spiritual scars

because of their participation in abortion.

Not only parents are deeply impacted by abortion but also grandparents, siblings and friends who encouraged and supported the abortion decision. They, too, carry serious scars from their involvement in abortion.

Of course, the abortion clinic personnel, the doctors, the nurses and all the staff are profoundly affected by their direct involvement with the deaths of these innocent children. Pope Francis recently compared abortion to hiring a hitman to kill your own child.

Nevertheless, there are reasons for hope. Project Rachel, our post-abortion ministry, has helped many who now deeply regret their involvement with abortion to experience the healing of God’s merciful love.

For the first time in 45 years, there is legitimate hope that the current U.S. Supreme Court might reverse its 1973 decisions legalizing abortion or at least return more authority to the states to limit abortions and to protect innocent unborn children.

Our pregnancy assistance clinics also are having a real impact in significantly reducing the number of abortions by surrounding mothers in the midst of an untimely pregnancy with love and practical support to choose life for their child.

The current generation is much more pro-life than their parents and grandparents. They are rejecting what Pope Francis describes as a “throwaway culture.”

They do not accept the pro-abortion propaganda that pits mothers against their children.

Thanks to ultrasound

technology, the humanity of the unborn is undeniable. This past March, the movie “Unplanned,” depicting the pro-life conversion of Abby Johnson — a former Planned Parenthood abortion clinic director — was viewed in theaters by large audiences across the United States.

A significant factor in Abby’s conversion was viewing an ultrasound guided abortion. Just this past August, the DVD of “Unplanned” was released.

Abby Johnson’s ministry — And Then There Were None — has been instrumental in helping hundreds of former abortion doctors, nurses and clinic employees leave the abortion industry.

Today, some of the most eloquent and effective pro-life advocates are post-abortive women as well as former abortion clinic personnel.

This is an especially critical moment for our Respect Life efforts in Kansas. This past spring, our Kansas Supreme Court essentially copied what the U.S. Supreme Court did in 1973.

The Kansas Supreme Court claimed to have discovered a right to abortion in the Kansas Constitution. Their assertion that the authors of the Kansas Constitution intended to create a right to abortion would be laughable were not its consequences so deadly serious.

The only way to correct the court’s usurping of the power for Kansans to determine our state’s public policy on abortion is to pass a constitutional amendment. To do so, both the Kansas Senate and House of Representatives must, by two-thirds majorities, authorize placing a constitutional amendment on a statewide ballot, making it crystal clear that the Kansas Constitution does not contain a right to abortion.

In most of our churches this Sunday, you will have the opportunity to sign a petition to the members of the state Legislature urging them to support a constitutional amendment to

Kenrick-Glennon board meeting— St. Louis Oct. 10 Religious Alliance Against Pornography conference call

ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN Oct. 3-5 Archdiocesan convocation: “Enflame Our Hearts. Be Disciples.

Make Disciples” — Overland Park Convention Center Oct. 6 Respect Life kickoff Mass — Holy Trinity, Lenexa Project Andrew — Holy Spirit, Overland Park Oct. 7 Kansas Catholic Conference meeting — Spiritual Life Center, Wichita

St. Thomas Aquinas High School adoration 2019 SHINE event — Sheraton at Crown Center Oct. 11-12 Conception board Oct. 12 Installation of Father John Cousins — St. John the Evangelist, Lawrence

Oct. 13 100th anniversary Mass — Sacred Heart Parish, Topeka

Project Andrew — Most Pure Heart of Mary, Topeka

Oct. 7- 8 Jesus Caritas — Wichita

Oct. 14 “Shepherd’s Voice” recording

Oct. 9 Kenrick-Glennon formation committee — St. Louis

Pastoral Council meeting — Keleher Conference Center

remedy the actions of the court. Some parishes may choose to promote signatures for these petitions later in October.

The single most important action you can take this Respect Life month is to sign the petition urging our elected representatives to support the passage of a constitutional amendment.

What a tragedy if the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states greater authority to protect the lives of unborn children and Kansas is powerless to do so. Without this constitutional amendment, even the pro-life laws previously passed by our state Legislature are in jeopardy of being challenged in the court.

This is a moment when our legislators need to hear clearly from their constituents insisting on the right of the people of Kansas to determine public policy on abortion.

This is the moment for

all Kansans of good will to speak with a firm and united voice that we want our laws to protect the lives of children, not the gruesome business of abortion.

Some will claim our efforts to be political.

They are not. We are not supporting any politician or political party but advocating for the most fundamental human right.

Just as churches led the efforts to abolish slavery, end racial discrimination and promote civil rights, so people of faith have an important role to play in advocating for the protection of innocent human life.

We must not yield to forces of discouragement.

This is the moment for all of us to intensify our pro-life efforts. We know that Our Lord has already won the victory of life and it is our privilege to participate in its unfolding in our time. Life will be victorious!

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LOCAL NEWS

OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

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“I BELIEVE THAT AMOS WOULD BE SCREAMING FULL VOLUME TO SHAKE US FROM OUR COMPLACENCY AND CHALLENGE US TO REARRANGE OUR PRIORITIES.” Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann

WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

Archbishop honors migrants, refugees at annual Mass

By Katie Peterson Special to the Leaven

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ANSAS CITY, Kan. — It was Pope Pius X who instituted the church’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees 105 years ago.

But it was the Old Testament prophet Amos that Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann was invoking as he preached the annual Mass on Sept. 29 at St. Patrick Church in Kansas City, Kansas.

“Amos speaks the word of God to his contemporaries, challenging them to stir themselves from their complacency,” the archbishop said.

“One wonders what Amos would say to us in the United States in 2019,” he continued. “What would he think of our nation as we cut drastically the number of refugees fleeing religious persecution and bloody civil wars in their homeland that we will accept into our country?

“What would he think of our society with a very high standard of living, but we claim we have no room for another refugee or we are unable to provide work permits for migrant workers, or we say there is no room for immigrants fleeing starvation and a lack of economic opportunity?”

“I believe that Amos would be screaming full volume to shake us from our complacency and challenge us to rearrange our priorities,” he said.

He found equally applicable material in the Gospel reading for the day — the story of the rich man and Lazarus.

“It challenges us to notice the needs of those around us,” the archbishop said, “and to do what we can to respond to them.

“The Gospel challenges us . . . to ask ourselves the question — What can I do? Is there someone we can help? Or, not so much give a handout to, but a hand up to?”

“It is not just about immigrants and refugees,” he concluded. “It is about embracing our role in helping to build the kingdom that God desires for all humanity.”

Organizers of the event were pleased with the multicultural turnout of more than 400 people.

“Catholic means universal,” said Bill Scholl, archdiocesan consultant for social justice. “The salvation that Jesus won for us on the cross is for everyone, and that’s what it means to be Catholic.

“Today is a day to celebrate the diversity of the church and our multicultural aspects. But secondly, it is to remind the church that we have a rich diversity of believers here in our community and to just be open to that . . . because part of being a disciple of Jesus is getting to know your fellow believers.”

Sister Loredana Mazzei, a member of the Apostles of the Interior Life in Overland Park and a native of Italy, said

CNS PHOTO/VATICAN MEDIA

Pope Francis attends the unveiling of a large bronze statue titled, “Angels Unaware,” by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Sept. 29. The statue depicts a group of migrants and refugees on a boat.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATIE PETERSON

Members of the Korean Catholic Community of Lenexa pose for a photo with Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann after the World Day of Migrants and Refugees Mass Sept. 29 outside St. Patrick Church in Kansas City, Kansas. Korea was one of the many nationalities represented at the Mass. she thinks having the special Mass is important.

“It is a great opportunity to get to know one another because I really think the obstacles sometimes for being one true church is the fact that we don’t know one another,” she said, “so there are suspicions in humanity because of lack of knowledge.”

First-time attendee Sister Charlotte White, of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, said the Mass represents something to look forward to.

“I look around at the richness that is President

Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann

Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799)

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Editor Rev. Mark Goldasich, stl frmark.goldasich@theleaven.org

here — that is going to be contributed to our country — and I’m just so excited for that time,” Sister Charlotte said. “I love seeing all the little kids of different cultures running around and playing together.”

To shed light on the different countries, the Scriptures, prayers of the faithful and hymns were read and sung in different languages, including Korean, Spanish, Italian and Burmese.

Sister Loredana said she admires the archbishop’s commitment to migrants and refugees.

“He really has a heart for people that

Managing Editor Anita McSorley anita.mcsorley@theleaven.org

Senior Reporter Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

Reporter Olivia Martin olivia.martin@theleaven.org

Production Manager Todd Habiger todd.habiger@theleaven.org

Advertising Coordinator Beth Blankenship beth.blankenship@theleaven.org

Social Media Editor/Reporter Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

are immigrants, people that are suffering, and refugees,” she said. “He really wants to help in any way that he can for the diocese and the people that are present in the diocese at large.”

Jeeyeon Cho, of the Korean Catholic Community in Lenexa, said the archbishop really “gets the point.”

“We have to acknowledge that there are those that really need help to settle down in this country,” Cho said.

“We need to help each other and pray for each other, especially when we know the hardship,” she added.

Published weekly September through May, excepting the Friday the week after Thanksgiving, and the Friday after Christmas; biweekly June through August. Address communications to: The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. Phone: (913) 721-1570; fax: (913) 721-5276; or e-mail at: sub@theleaven.com. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. For change of address, provide old and new address and parish. Subscriptions $21/year. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, KS 66109.

10/1/19 4:25 PM

OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

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JOINING FORCES City on a Hill and School of Faith merge

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO

Mike Scherschligt, CEO/president and founder of the Holy Family School of Faith will lead the merger of City on the Hill and the School of Faith.

By Megan Marley Special to The Leaven

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ANSAS CITY, Mo. — The young adult Catholic community of the Kansas City metro and lay apostolate Holy Family School of Faith are joining forces: An agreement signed early this September will put the community’s outreach and leadership formation under the direction of the School of Faith.

“We both have the same vision on how to go about evangelizing and growing the kingdom,” said Father Andrew Mattingly, director of the young adult community.

City on a Hill is the Kansas City area young adult apostolate of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph that exists “to be the community that inspires our generation to be saints.”

Its small groups, fun events, sports, mission trips/pilgrimages, retreats, spiritual direction, and faith and leadership formation involve over 1,500 adults from both sides of the Missouri/ Kansas state line. That’s a lot for a staff of 1.5 people.

Holy Family School of Faith’s mission is similar: to instill the faith in all people through the deepening of individuals’ prayer lives, relationship with Christ and meaningful friendships, and then inspiring and equipping them to invite others to do the same.

The School of Faith, based in Overland Park, currently forms over 10,000 annually through a variety of evangelization and faith-formation courses, pilgrimages, media and leader mentorship that would also benefit the young adult community.

“It’s a tough group for us to break into because we’re in the ’burbs and parishes,” said Troy Hinkel, vice president and executive director of mission for the School of Faith. “[This agreement] is going to — for the first time — give us explicit and direct access to the age group we’ve always wanted.”

Father Mattingly said there will be no immediate changes with how City on a Hill is organized. The partnership is mostly to create a better way to form lay leadership in faith and disciplemaking . . . and to do it faster and on a larger scale.

“The merger enables us to expand our staff and resources [which] we desperately need,” he said.

Merging is no small feat for either organization: the young adult Catholic community is one of the largest in the nation, and there are over 250,000 young adults in the Kansas City metro area.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CATHOLIC KEY

City on a Hill, a Kansas City-area young adult apostolate of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and the Holy Family School of Faith are joining forces to better reach and evangelize young adults in the Kansas City metro area. Above, people wait in the confession line at a young adult Mass at Sacred Heart-Guadalupe Church in Kansas City, Missouri.

“We’ve got to adjust our infrastructure to reach this many people — money, personnel support, operations, et cetera,” Hinkel said.

According to the agreement, three associate directors — for communications and marketing, leadership formation and development, and apostolic development — will be hired by School of Faith to assist the director in running City on a Hill, along with appropriate support teams.

The diocese has rights to appoint a chaplain for the community, and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas can also assign a co-chaplain. The diocese will contribute a set amount each year for the running of City on a Hill and director and chaplain salaries, while the archdiocese is responsible for any co-chaplain’s salary. The School of Faith fundraises for all other expenses.

Father Mattingly currently serves as both director and chaplain and maintains independent diocesan directorship of college campus ministries and any young adult initiatives outside the metro area.

“For now, I’ll remain the director.

Once I get reassigned away, at that

point it’ll be under the direct oversight of Mike Scherschligt (CEO/president and founder of the School of Faith),” he said.

The School of Faith CEO and the diocese could then elevate one of the associate directors to the director role or form a selection committee for the City on a Hill director position.

Father Mattingly is confident that even after he’s gone, the School of Faith will continue developing the community and lay leadership in the same vein as he did.

“These young adult leaders in our community now have enough of a baseline common language to talk about what it means to live mission — and equipping them with various tools to carry out the mission. That’s where School of Faith will help us abundantly,” he said.

An associate director of apostolic development has already been selected to focus on external outreach in the metro area: Dain Finney, former director of the John Paul II Commons Newman Center at UMKC, young adult and member of the diocesan visioning team.

She’ll visit parishes on both sides

of the state line and nearby college campus ministries to raise awareness of and connect young adults with the Catholic young adult community and help community leaders — both those in official positions and those in dayto-day life apostolate.

“There are already infrastructures in place within City on a Hill, much like the early church. It’s just people — the leaven of the laity. . . . They don’t get paid.

They’re just commissioned disciples and want [Jesus] to be known,” Finney said.

“For the first little bit here,” she continued, “I’m going to learn what they’re doing, know their names, know their hearts, support them in whatever way I can.”

The current young adult office manager, Lilly Tighe, will also continue serving City on a Hill in a new role as project manager.

“We’re just excited to look at the people of this city as one — not two separate dioceses, [but] as a whole community,” Hinkel concluded.

For more information on City on a Hill, visit the website at: kansascity onahill.org. For more information on the School of Faith, visit the website at: schooloffaith.com.

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OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

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Bucyrus parish celebrates 150 years

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

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UCYRUS — About 20 minutes before the 150th anniversary Mass of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish here on Sept. 28 began, the gray skies opened up and it poured.

And it poured and kept pouring.

Latecomers entered the church soaked.

It seemed as if the Lord decided to provide his own “asperges,” commented Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, referring to the ritual sprinkling of holy water on the congregation.

In his homily, the archbishop noted that the history of the parish records show that the second and third churches were both destroyed in 1905 — one by a fire caused by a lightning strike, and its almost completed replacement by a tornado.

“So, I was a little bit concerned about what might happen to the church tonight,” said Archbishop Naumann.

Past history notwithstanding, the 4 p.m. anniversary Mass continued with hardly a concern about the downpour — until after the Mass, when everyone without umbrellas had to make a dash to the school for the anniversary dinner in the gymnasium.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE MCSORLEY Archbishop Naumann was the main Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Father Gary Pennings, pastor of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish in Bucyrus, distribute Communion at the parish’s celebrant and homilist for the Mass. 150th anniversary Mass on Sept. 28 Father Gary Pennings, the pastor, was the concelebrant. Deacon Tom Rother- tract of land in northeast Miami County mich assisted, and seminarian Thomas that had formerly belonged to the Wea Maddock served as master of ceremo- Indian Tribe.

Interestingly, noted Archbishop nies.

Naumann, Bishop James D. Conley In addition to drawing from the history of the parish in his homily, of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, is partially Wea Archbishop Naus if the 150th anniversary The school was built in 2006 and has Native American mann drew from wasn’t enough to celea faculty, staff and administration of 27 through his paterthe readings. He brate, Queen of the Holy persons. The school has an enrollment nal grandmother.

Rosary Parish and School of 203 in preschool to eighth grade. noted how the ‘WE ACCEPT THE German and received exciting news on What makes the school special? prophet Amos Sept. 26.

“We have a strong student comIrish Catholics setforetold disaster CHALLENGE IN OUR TIME TO The U.S. Secretary of Education munity,” said Nick Antista, principal tled in the area, for the lovers of Betsy DeVos announced that Queen for the past six years. “Our kids at and were served luxury in Zion in CONTINUE TO PERSEVERE, of the Holy Rosary School was being all different grade levels know each by circuit-riding the first reading, recognized as one of 50 nonpublic other. They feel loved and part of a and the indifferTO KEEP THIS COMMUNITY priests in the 1860s. schools in the nation — and only one larger community.

A modest woodence of the rich of six in Kansas — to receive the Na“On any given day,” he continued, VIBRANT AND ALIVE.” frame church was man toward poor tional Blue Ribbon School award in “you’ll see a 4-year-old high fiving a finished in 1870, Lazarus in the 2019. third-grader, or see a second-grader with other churchGospel reading.

The award is given on the basis of interacting with a seventh-grader, or es following. The The archbishop a school’s overall academic perforan eighth-grader helping a kinderreminded the worshipers that Cath- cornerstone of the present church says: mance. gartner. It’s all day long you’ll see “Sept. 29, 1895” but the current brick olics must care for others as much as “We are delighted and humbled these kids helping each other, playing church — dedicated on May 29, 1906 — is they care for their beautiful churches. to receive this prestigious national with each other and saying hi to each “As we celebrate the anniversary of the third church built on that foundation. award and I am so proud of our stuother.

The little country parish retains its this community here, we give thanks dents and their families, as well as “If you feel loved and part of a rural character, but time has not stood for all ways in which the Lord has the school’s faculty, staff and adminlarger community, you can achieve at blessed it, and the many sacrifices that still at Queen of the Holy Rosary. istration for creating a culture of aca much higher level.”

Although the old brick grade and have been made to make this commuademic excellence in our school,” Every time the school sets the high school was closed in 1971, the nity vibrant and alive,” he said. said the pastor, Father Gary Penbar high, the kids find a way to growth of Johnson County has brought “We celebrate the way parishioners nings. jump over it, he said. through 150 years have cared for each many new families, and a big, new $3.6 other and noticed the needs of their million Catholic school was completed in 2006. Parish and school leaderbrothers and sisters, and have assisted ship think that, in 10 years, the parish them,” he continued. “And we accept the challenge in our time to continue might have to expand the school and build a new church to handle projected to persevere, to keep this community vibrant and alive, to continue to draw growth, said parish secretary Katrina DeGraeve. our strength from the Lord and set our The parish has 700 families and priorities — putting God first in our more are joining every year. Several lives.”

He asked parishioners to pray that descendants of the original settlers still belong to the parish.

God would put a deeper sense of gratThe long-standing October festival itude in them so that they would not Matt and Jack McCabe. The video feastickers were on sale. and turkey shoot have ended, but now avert their eyes from the needs of tured memories of older parishioners The anniversary Mass and dinner the big draws are the annual Septemothers. and a few thoughts about the future. were only the kickoff of a six-monthThe genesis of the parish in what ber auction for the school and the 5K The evening ended with some long series of events at the parish celerace, Running with the Cows, which used to be Wea (which also includes the diners receiving commemorative botbrating its 150th anniversary. Additionnearby hamlet of Bucyrus) lies in a debt began in 2009. tles of locally made wine.

Earlier in al events are still being planned and During dessert at the anniversary repaid in 1858 by a Kansas City, Missouthe evening, anniversary cookbooks, will be announced later. ri, sawmill owner to William Schwartz dinner, parishioners viewed a video Christmas ornaments and magnetic and Anthony Vohs. He offered them a history of the parish made by twins

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Queen of the Holy Rosary recognized as a Blue Ribbon School

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OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

FAMILY LIFE

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Biblical wisdom for expectant, ‘older’ mothers

here is a special kind of humiliation (and humor, if you’re a good sport) reserved for pregnant women who skew a little bit above the average age of moms in this country. I can tell you exactly how I know: I read the fine print on the report from my baby’s first ultrasound.

The text just about leapt off the page: Fetus: “alive, singleton.” Amniotic fluid level: “normal range.” Mother: “advanced maternal age.”

When I asked a nurse about that last line, she said, “Yeah, it’s an unfortunate term. When a woman delivers a baby at 35 years old, we call it a ‘geriatric pregnancy.’”

Between morning sickness (which, if we really want to be technical with our terminology, should be called “allday-and-night sickness”) and chronic fatigue, the last thing I needed to hear was that I was old.

Everyone knows that motherhood demands supernatural levels of energy and attention.

Sensing my discomfort,

ELISE ITALIANO URENECK Elise Italiano Ureneck is the associate director of the Center for the Church in the 21st Century at Boston College.

she shared that many of her patients were finding themselves pregnant well into their 30s and early 40s. Medical terms would likely catch up, she mused.

“Plus,” she said, “think of all that life experience and wisdom you’ll bring to the table.”

Riding that wave of cheerleading, I decided to spend the next two trimesters getting to know some of my geriatric foremothers to absorb

some of their wisdom.

I traded contemporary books, blogs and social media accounts dedicated to the subject of motherhood in your 30s for a classic: the Bible.

I started with Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Sarah shared her husband’s frustration as the promise of parenthood seemed to be permanently delayed.

While most people remember how Abraham fumbled the situation, at several points Sarah also tried to take matters into her own hands. Her way turned out well for no one.

I think Sarah’s great lesson for mothers comes at the point of Isaac’s sacrifice: Abraham names the place where God spared their son “Yahweh-yireh,” meaning, “The Lord will provide.” Later, that same place was renamed “Yireh-salem,” or “the Lord will see to the peace.”

Sarah’s story suggests that with faith and a relinquishing of the reins, we can experience how God’s plan and timing are aimed at our peace.

Older mothers might identify with St. Elizabeth, who gave birth to St. John the Baptist at an older age.

God delivers on promised blessings, even if they are different from what we anticipate.

For Christians, peace is not necessarily the absence of conflict or chaos, nor is it even equated with happiness.

It’s an integration of our inner life with God’s will, a disposition in which we let him work through us in all circumstances.

I’m confident that Sarah’s story is one that I’ll return to when things don’t go according to the plans I’ll inevitably keep making in vain.

I also spent time contemplating Elizabeth,

who conceived John the Baptist “in her old age.”

At first glance, the greatest thing that Elizabeth has to teach all Christian disciples — not only mothers — is revealed at the Visitation: how to recognize the Lord in our midst, even if he is concealed.

But I then got to imagining Elizabeth raising John day in and day out. If the hairshirts and diet he embraced as an adult tell us anything about his childhood, it’s that she likely had her hands full.

She might not have had the youthful energy

required for the job, but she certainly cooperated with the grace that was given to her: The fruits of her labor resulted in a man who prophesied the coming of the Christ, baptized that same Christ and died for him.

Elizabeth’s lesson is that our goal is not to form our children in our image. It’s to help them understand themselves and the unique call God has placed on their hearts.

Success, then, is not measured by what advantages we give our children, when we have them or any number of temporal matters. It’s measured by what we do to help them on their path to heaven. God can do a lot with our generosity at any age.

It’s a lesson I hope other mothers in my midst remind me of from time to time, as my child’s personality and preferences unfold.

And thanks to a medical report, I’m glad to know that group of women includes the company of a few matriarchs and saints of “advanced maternal age.”

Correction

SALES

In the Sept. 27 issue of The Leaven Father Matthew Schiffelbein’s name was spelled incorrectly. The Leaven regrets the error.

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OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

Homemade candles offer ‘a quiet reminder’ to live like a saint

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY, Mo. — Have you ever wondered what it would be like to spend a day with a saint?

Although you can’t travel back in time, Anna Camacho’s candle business can help.

Camacho, owner and founder of Corda, wanted to give Catholics the opportunity to reflect on the saints’ ministries and the Catholic faith in a more tangible way.

That’s why she created Corda, a business that creates and sells candles with scents, names and labels inspired by specific saints and various aspects of faith.

“Saints can be very abstract or feel really far away,” said Camacho, a member of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Gladstone.

“This is a concrete way to remember that they had real lives and these scents surrounded them or are connected to them in some particular way,” she said.

After working for nearly a decade in jobs that mostly required sitting in front of a computer screen all day, Camacho decided it was time to begin a different adventure.

“I really hungered to do something that felt very personal to me that I could offer other people,” she said.

Camacho knew she wanted to work with her hands and be more creative.

After years of praying to St. Joseph for guidance, she realized she wanted to make candles and connect them to the saints.

“I knew [all at once] which saints I wanted to honor and how I wanted it to be at the end,” she said.

A boost of encouragement from her husband Michael gave Camacho the last bit of courage she needed to follow her new dream.

After spending the next several

LEAVEN PHOTO BY MOIRA CULLINGS

Anna Camacho created Corda, a business that creates and sells candles with scents, names and labels inspired by specific saints and various aspects of faith. Here she works on one of her creations. months planning and researching, she launched Corda on Sept. 9. The company is named after “sursum corda” — Latin for “life up (your) hearts” — and part of the preface to the eucharistic prayer.

Corda candles are sold online at: cordacandles.com, where those interested can find details on each candle’s fragrance, inspiration and ingredients.

“Carpenter Shop,” a candle inspired

by St. Joseph the Worker, is designed to make people feel like they’re right there with St. Joseph in his day-to-day life.

Camacho’s candle making process is a unique one, and starts with the life of the saint the candle is meant to honor.

“If I have the opportunity to just be with Joseph for a day,” said Camacho, “we’d probably be where he was working, and what would that smell like?”

For Joseph, Camacho chose scents of “the leather from his apron and the

sawdust and woodcarvings from his work” to represent his life.

“Shower of Roses,” a candle inspired by St. Thérèse of Lisieux, was created with the saint’s famous promise to spend her time in heaven showering the earth with roses in mind.

“The way I interpreted that is a really great scent of rain and earth and leaves that have just been washed, and rose blossoms,” said Camacho.

Designed with consumer safety and product sustainability in mind, Camacho hopes her candles come across as “simple, so no matter what style home you have, it could work.”

She also believes they will inspire Catholics to ponder the lives of saints and dive deeper into their own faith.

“It’s a quiet reminder, a quiet call, to live our life and to draw closer to God through his saints in a very real way,” she said.

For more information, visit the website at: cordacandles.com.

Making Catholic school an option for everyone >> Continued from page 1 “I’ve had a list of books — mostly books related to the church, classic works of some of the saints,” she said, “and they’ve been stacking up.

“So now I have the opportunity to sit down and do some reading.”

O’Hara also hopes to volunteer with a nonprofit organization that produces audiobooks for schools.

In addition to being superintendent of schools, O’Hara served as a member of the CEF board of directors, working to make sure a Catholic education is within the reach of every family.

“I am a product of Catholic schools through college,” she said. “It was important for [my husband] Jim and me to raise our kids in the faith.

“We wanted them to attend Catholic schools and to have that seamless community between what they were hearing at home and what they were hearing at school.”

O’Hara wants that opportunity for every family in the archdiocese, and that’s why the CEF Gaudeamus event is

Leaven 10-04-19.indd 7

so important to her.

“It really is a good time,” she said.

“People are so inspired, and I think that they have bigger and better things planned this year.”

Gaudeamus has ranked as one of Kansas City’s top ten events for eight consecutive years, according to The Independent: Kansas City’s Journal of Society, and is now ranked among the top five.

St. Benedict School in Atchison will receive the 2019 Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann CEF School of Excellence Award; it will be accepted by school principal Helen Schwinn.

O’Hara had the opportunity to tour St. Benedict recently along with Archbishop Naumann and members of the CEF board and staff.

“Both at my retirement party and then when we were at the school this week,” she said, “I was reflecting on what great leadership we have.”

As superintendent, O’Hara was known to encourage and support the best in faith-based academics, constantly expecting excellence.

“We have lots of ideas that we convey, things that we challenge,” she said. “But for there to be any success, it takes people who want to come along and try to implement those things.

“None of what we saw at St. Benedict would have been there without great leadership and the faculty and staff in the school.”

To prove that point, one of the most inspiring moments at Gaudeamus is when a CEF student speaker takes the stage to share how Catholic education has made a difference in his or her life.

Gaudeamus will finish on a high note when the ballroom is opened up to a dance floor with live music by the Michael Beers band.

“So, I’m looking forward to it,” said O’Hara. “But I also want to make sure everyone knows this is about raising money for scholarships.

“We’ve got to get people there who will help make those dreams a reality and support kids who want to come to Catholic schools.”

7

Diane (Hurla) and Charles Gros, members of Sacred Heart Parish, Paxico, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 22 with a Mass and open house at the parish hall. The couple was married on Sept. 20, 1969, at Sacred Heart. Their children are: Dennis, Wayne, Paul, Lori and Greg. They also have 12 grandchildren.

Jim and Mary Blaise, members of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish, Wea, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Oct. 10. They were married at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas. Their children are: Bill Blaise, Monica Browne, Bridget Shamai, Rita Mathews and Molly Allison. They and their spouses will be hosting a family dinner. They also have 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Kathy (Seuferling) and Pat Carrigan, members of St. Benedict Parish, Atchison, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with their family on Oct. 13 with a Mass and luncheon. The couple was married on Oct. 11, 1969, at Queen of the Holy Rosary Church, Wea. Their children are: Dan Carrigan, Tim Carrigan and Cindy Apple. They also have nine grandchildren.

Alice (Ziegler) and Don Heinzman, members of St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary on Oct. 13 with an open house/ reception at Westchester Village of Lenexa from 2 to 4 p.m. The couple was married on October 11, 1949, at St. Francis Seraph in Kansas City, Missouri. Their children are: Donna Marrs, Dennis Heinzman, David Heinzman, Diane Majerle, Debbie Johnson, Denise Wilson and Douglas Heinzman (deceased). They also have 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren (soon to be five).

Donald and Mary Jane (Strathman) Deters, m e m bers of St. Michael Parish, Axtell, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a Mass on Oct. 12, followed by a dinner with family and friends. The couple was married on Oct. 18, 1969, at St. Michael Church by Father Dennis Pickert.

Their children are: Andy Deters, Brian Deters, Julie Dvorak, Jami Deters, Robin Sides and Becky Mace. They also have 22 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

10/1/19 4:25 PM

Jamie Henderson is the current community leader of L’Arche Heartland. He says the homes are “vibrant places full of laughter, music and prayer.”

O Lance Fannin, 34, has been living in a L’Arche Heartland home since 2004. He fills his free time with trips to vintage stores and loves to cook.

FAMILY TIES Spiritual beginnings serve L’Arche family three decades later

Story by Susan Fotovich McCabe Photos by Matt McCabe

VERLAND PARK — Most families are the product of biology — of bloodlines.

A lucky few are the product of love.

Such is the case with the L’Arche Heartland family in Overland Park.

No one in this family is related biologically. But they do all share a common bond.

They all live according to the tenets of Jean Vanier, a Canadian Catholic philosopher, theologian and humanitarian, who founded L’Arche International.

L’Arche is a network of homes for individuals with intellectual disabilities and their live-in assistants.

Vanier died this past May at the age of 90. But his work lives on.

“Our community life is beautiful and intense,” Vanier often explained, “a source of life for everyone.

“People with a disability experience a real transformation and discover confidence in themselves; they discover their capacity to make choices, and also find a certain liberty and, above all, their dignity as human beings.”

A distinct difference Vanier’s legacy came to Overland Park in 1987 as part of the L’Arche Heartland chapter.

And for anyone who thinks this is just another “group home” for people with intellectual disabilities, there’s a big difference. This home delivers physical, practical and emotional support with a hefty side of spirituality.

The language is distinct, too. Instead of saying “residents,” L’Arche refers to individuals as core members. And live-in assistants are just that — not caretakers.

Mark Lepper has been a L’Arche Heartland live-in assistant since 2011. He engages and interacts easily with the core members who live together — some of whom have autism and Down syndrome.

“It’s more than a job, it’s a way of living” Lepper said. “We’re people who share life together.

“I think a lot of people would be surprised and delighted to find out that we have a piece of Jean Vanier’s legacy here in Kansas. Each of us can shine. People with disabilities have gifts to share.”

In fact, L’Arche Heartland focuses on relationships and recognizes that every individual, regardless of his or her ability, has much to offer.

Through daily living, core members and assistants work to discover and share these gifts with the broader community of Johnson County, while fostering relationships with one another and creating a place of belonging for people of all abilities.

A home for the soul L’Arche Heartland has five Overland Park homes with 17 core members and

Leaven 10-04-19.indd 8

Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities, is pictured a in multiple countries over the past half century, died May 7 at

“

“IT’S MORE THAN A JOB, IT’S A WAY OF LIVING. WE’RE PEOPLE WHO SHARE LIFE TOGETHER.” six live-in assistants. Core members and assistants contribute to the rhythm and life of the home: planning menus together, shopping, preparing meals, performing household chores, and enjoying leisure activities like trips to the zoo, farmers’ markets or a Royals game.

All five of the homes meet regularly to share a meal and attend a community prayer service.

L’Arche Heartland community leader Jamie Henderson says the homes are “vibrant places full of laughter, music and prayer.”

“Jean Vanier is our leader. He challenged people to grow spiritually, to

10/1/19 4:25 PM

find on others Livi core m Lan L’Arch fills hi stores and ma but he group.

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Lan works partici 9 a.m.

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Mark Lepper has been a L’Arche Heartland live-in assistant since 2011. He engages and interacts easily with the core members who live together.

Alex Lind likes action movies and concerts. He proudly boasts of cleaning his room every day and loading the dishwasher.

L’Arche beginnings L’Arche began Aug. 4, 1964, when Jean Vanier welcomed two men with disabilities into his home in TroslyBreuil, France. Dominican Father Thomas Philippe introduced Vanier to the world of persons with disabilities.

He was a chaplain of the Val Fleuri, a small institution for men with disabilities in Trosly.

Vanier visited his friend and sensed in the men a spiritual openness and their place in the heart of God. Father Thomas suggested that Vanier “start something,” as there was a great need for homes and work programs.

After finishing the school year and with encouragement from Father Thomas, Vanier bought a small home in Trosly and welcomed Raphael and Philippe into it on the feast day of St. Dominic on Aug. 4.

Vanier discovered the gift of people with disabilities and that he wanted to make his home with them.

More people came — both with disabilities and without — and eventually more homes opened.

L’Arche is French for “ark.” Seeing the symbolism behind Noah’s ark as the boat of salvation, Vanier believed the name was perfect for representing the diversity, refuge and hope offered to people with intellectual disabilities.

Vanier actually visited the area once when he came to lead a retreat at Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1985.

CNS PHOTO/COURTESY JEAN VANIER ASSOCIATION

unities, is pictured above in a March 3, 2011, photo. Vanier, a Canadian Catholic figure whose charity work helped improve conditions for the developmentally disabled ntury, died May 7 at age 90.

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ers and m and togethorming sure acs’ mar-

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leader are “visic and

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find one’s self and to live a pure life with others,” Henderson said.

Living life to the fullest is exactly what core members do.

Lance Fannin, 34, has been living in a L’Arche Heartland home since 2004. He fills his free time with trips to vintage stores and loves to cook. Chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese are his favorites, but he enjoys nights of pizza-making as a group.

A home with personality Lance is a seasonal employee at a fireworks stand in Grandview, Missouri, and participates in L’Arche’s day program from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The day program, Green Express Studio, teaches employment skills and life skills and pursues opportunities to care for the environment. Green Express Studio has formed partnerships with other businesses in Johnson County for core members to collect the businesses’ aluminum, plastic and paper recycling.

The recycled materials are then sorted and prepared for the recycling center. All

Leaven 10-04-19.indd 9

L’Arche Heartland comes to Kansas City L’Arche International commissioned Sister Christella Buser, a Kansas native and Sister of St. Joseph (CSJ), to establish L’Arche Heartland.

By 1984, Sister Christella had formed a board of directors and began looking for the organization’s first home. Thanks to an anonymous donation, the group attempted to move forward with a purchase, but was met with repeated opposition from the community.

By 1986, however, the group was successful in purchasing a duplex in Overland Park. And by April 1, 1987, L’Arche Heartland welcomed its first core members.

revenue generated from the program is shared among the core members who participate.

“These business partners are helping us move toward realizing the vision of a paid employment option for the persons in our day service,” Henderson said.

The program encourages volunteerism as well, including Meals on Wheels, animal shelters, community centers and food banks.

Sarah Engelmann, 31, has been living in the L’Arche community since 2014, but attended the day program for several years before that. Outside of her devotion to

Starbucks coffee, she is active in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas iCare Masses held monthly at Queen of the Holy Rosary in Overland Park.

Sarah is among the leaders of the music during Mass.

Alex Lind, 34, can’t pass up a night of barbecue when all the core members from each of the five homes gather. Alex likes action movies and concerts. He proudly boasts of cleaning his room every day and loading the dishwasher.

Like all families, there is conflict from time to time. However, the L’Arche community works together to resolve con-

flicts. Core members rarely change locations, unless it’s necessary to meet their various needs.

In general, core member housemates are matched according to their needs.

The next 30 years Parents of core members are active in fundraisers to defray the costs encountered by L’Arche Heartland. In addition to financial contributions, some groups and individuals volunteer to paint or repair the homes. L’Arche Heartland also welcomes donations of newer furniture and dinners for its group meals.

The program would like to add to its live-in assistants, too. Assistants receive a salary, room, board and insurance. They work five days a week, staggering their schedules so that there is always an assistant in the homes.

More importantly, according to Lepper, L’Arche Heartland welcomes friendships with the local community.

“Our members enjoy forming bonds with the people in our community, so we would encourage others to get involved, even if it’s coming by to have dinner with us,” Lepper said.

10/1/19 4:25 PM

OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

NATION

10

Refugee advocates decry plan to cut refugee cap

By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service

W

ASHINGTON (CNS) — Refugee advocates are opposed to the decision announced by the Trump administration Sept. 26 that it plans to admit no more than 18,000 refugees in the next fiscal year, the lowest number since the resettlement program was created in 1980.

“The U.S. must remain the beacon of hope to people who feel forgotten and abandoned by the world and maintain its status as a leader of refugee policy for all nations to follow,” said Dominican Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA. A Sept. 27 statement by the organization said it “strongly opposes” the administration’s plans to “historically reduce the number of refugees welcomed into the United States” and urged it to “consider the refugee resettlement program’s mission to provide protection to those in need for humanitarian reasons.”

“The program should return to consistent refugee numbers rather than focus primarily on its use for partisan-based purposes,” the statement added.

The State Department released the refugee cap proposal and the White House issued a separate order saying states and localities must approve refugee resettlement in their regions before refugees can be sent to them.

A final decision on the number of refugees the U.S. will admit will be made after consultation with Congress.

Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, called the current situation “the world’s greatest forced displacement crisis on record.”

“For our nation, which leads by example, to lower the number of refugee admissions for those who are in need is unacceptable,” he said in a statement Sept. 27. “Refugees are among the most

CNS PHOTO/EKATERINA ANCHEVSKAYA, REUTERS

A Palestinian-Syrian refugee talks to a friend on the phone Sept. 28, 2018, in Izmir, Turkey. Refugee advocates are opposed to the decision announced by the Trump administration Sept. 26 that it plans to admit no more than 18,000 refugees in the next fiscal year, the lowest number since the resettlement program was created in 1980. vulnerable people, fleeing war, religious persecution, and extreme targeted violence. Turning a blind eye to those in need with such callous disregard for human life would go against the values of our nation and fail to meet the standards that make our society great.

“We also have deep concerns about the forthcoming executive order permitting state and city officials to turn away refugees from their communities. We fear the collateral negative consequences, especially for refugees and their families, of creating a confusing patchwork across America of some jurisdictions where refugees are welcomed and others where they are not.”

He said the bishops urged the administration and Congress to work together

to restore U.S. refugee resettlement to normal levels.

The limit to the number of refugees accepted in the U.S. comes at a time when there are nearly 71 million displaced people around the world, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

A news release issued by the State Department Sept. 27 said the United States will likely receive more than 368,000 new refugees and asylum claims in the next fiscal year and it anticipates processing more than 350,000 individuals in new asylum cases.

The Trump administration has argued that the refugee limit does not impact asylum decisions since asylum claims are made when a person arrives in the

U.S. and claims persecution, while refugees apply for admission to the U.S. from another country, but it has stressed that refugees and asylum-seekers draw on a pool of limited federal resources.

In the weeks leading up to the anouncement of the cap, there was speculation the administration would “zero out” the program and no longer take in refugees.

“Catholic Charities recognizes the need to establish humane policies for accepting people into the country,” said Sister Markham. “Any policy, however, should include generous provisions for accepting refugees who cannot return to their homelands.”

Polls support conscience protections for health care workers

By Julie Asher Catholic News Service

W

ASHINGTON (CNS) — An overwhelming majority of Americans — 83% — said they support conscience protection rights for health care professionals because they should not be forced to perform procedures against their moral beliefs.

Ninety-one percent of faith-based health care professionals said they need conscience protections and would rather stop practicing medicine altogether than be forced to violate their conscience.

These responses came in two polls conducted in July and were released Sept. 18 along with several other findings by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committees on pro-life activities, religious liberty, domestic policy and social development, and their subcommittee on promotion/defense of marriage and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, the largest faith-based organization for health care professionals.

Representatives of the USCCB, the medical-dental organization and Heart + Mind Strategies, the polling firm that conducted the surveys, discussed the results on an afternoon press call.

Greg Schleppenbach, associate direc-

Leaven 10-04-19.indd 10

CNS PHOTO/J.D. LONG-GARCIA, THE CATHOLIC SUN

A nurse listens to the heartbeat of an unidentified woman at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. An overwhelming majority of Americans — 83% — said they support conscience protection rights for health care professionals because they should not be forced to perform procedures against their moral beliefs. tor of the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, said the impetus for conducting these polls was the recent action by the Trump administration to put new regulations forward to enforce about 25 existing conscience protection laws. “[This] has put the whole issue of

conscience protection into the news,” he noted.

In May, President Donald Trump announced a conscience protection rule that says medical workers or institutions would not have to provide, participate in or pay for procedures they object to

on moral or religious grounds, such as abortion and sterilization. It was to have taken effect July 22, but enforcement was postponed because it is being challenged in court.

The Trump administration also has proposed a regulation to modify some wording in section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act “that needs clarification.”

Section 1557 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age and disability in health programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. Schleppenbach said there is a Trump administration proposal to restore in that section the long-standing position of the federal government that discrimination on the basis of “sex” does not refer to “termination of pregnancy” nor “gender identity.”

There is a nationwide injunction blocking implementation of section 1557.

On Dec. 31, 2016, a U.S. District Court judge in Texas issued the ruling in Franciscan Alliance v. Burwell.

The suit was filed in the Northern District of Texas in August 2016 by a group of religiously affiliated health organizations and states who argue that as written by the Obama administration, doctors who refuse to recognize abortion or sex-change operations as appropriate medical care can face prosecution for sex discrimination.

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OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

WORLD

Pope declares Word of God Sunday

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

V

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — To help the church grow in love and faithful witness to God, Pope Francis has declared the third Sunday in Ordinary Time to be dedicated to the word of God. Salvation, faith, unity and mercy all depend on knowing Christ and sacred Scripture, he said in a new document.

Devoting a special day “to the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God” will help the church “experience anew how the risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of his word and enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world,” the pope said.

The declaration to have a “Sunday of the Word of God” was made in a new document, given “motu proprio,” on the pope’s own initiative.

Its title, “Aperuit Illis,” is based on a verse from the Gospel of St. Luke, “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”

“The relationship between the risen Lord, the community of believers and sacred Scripture is essential to our identity as Christians,” the pope said in the apostolic letter, released by the Vatican Sept. 30, the feast of St. Jerome, patron saint of biblical scholars.

“The Bible cannot be just the heritage of some, much less a collection of books for the benefit of a privileged few. It belongs above all to those called to hear its message and to recognize themselves in its words,” the pope wrote.

“The Bible is the book of the Lord’s people, who, in listening to it, move from dispersion and division toward unity” as well as come to

L CNS PHOTO/KAREN CALLAWAY, CATOLICO

A young woman studies the Bible at St. Mary of Celle Parish in Berwyn, Ill., in this file photo.

To help the church grow in love and faithful witness to God, Pope Francis has declared the third Sunday in Ordinary Time to be dedicated to the word of God. understand God’s love and become inspired to share it with others, he added.

Without the Lord who opens people’s minds to his word, it is impossible to understand the Scriptures in depth, yet “without the Scriptures, the events of the mission of Jesus and of his church in this world would remain incomprehensible,” he wrote.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, told Vatican News Sept. 30 that added emphasis on the importance of the word of God is needed because “the overwhelming majority” of Catholics are not familiar with sacred Scripture. For many, the only time they hear the word of God is when they attend Mass, he added.

“The Bible is the most widely distributed book, but it also perhaps the

one most covered in dust because it is not held in our hands,” the archbishop said.

With this apostolic letter, the pope “invites us to hold the word of God in our hands every day as much as possible so that it becomes our prayer” and a greater part of one’s lived experience, he said.

Pope Francis said in the letter, “A day devoted to the Bible should not be seen as a yearly event but rather a yearlong event, for we urgently need to grow in our knowledge and love of the Scriptures and of the risen Lord, who continues to speak his word and to break bread in the community of believers.”

“We need to develop a closer relationship with sacred Scripture; otherwise, our hearts will remain cold and our eyes shut, struck as we are by so many forms of blindness,” he wrote.

By David Agren Catholic News Service

M

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In Amazon, mission work has changed

By Barbara J. Fraser Catholic News Service

Three new dioceses created in Mexico EXICO CITY (CNS) — Three new dioceses have been carved out of the Archdiocese of Mexico, a move Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes of Mexico City said will bring pastors “closer to all the inhabitants.”

The decision, announced Sept. 27, creates the dioceses of Azcapotzalco in northwest Mexico City; Iztapalapa, the Mexican capital’s largest borough; and Xochimilco, in the far south of the city.

All were carved out of what had been one of the world’s largest archdioceses.

What remains of the old Archdiocese of Mexico will contain the metropolitan cathedral and Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The population it serves will shrink from roughly 8.8 million people to 5.28 million, according to archdiocesan publication Desde la Fe. The three new dioceses will be suffragan dioceses in the Mexico City ecclesiastical province. The Sept. 27 decision also created the Archdiocese of Toluca — to the west of Mexico City — out of the previous Diocese of Toluca, with the Dioceses of Atlacomulco, Tenancingo and Cuernavaca as its suffragan dioceses.

11

CNS PHOTO/EDGARD GARRIDO, REUTERS

Pope Francis has divided the Archdiocese of Mexico City into three new dioceses. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, shown here, will remain part of the Archdiocese of Mexico.

Last November, the Archdiocese of Mexico submitted plans to the Vatican to divide the archdiocese, saying in a statement that it was “a restructuring to provide better pastoral attention to the faithful.”

Talk of dividing the archdiocese dates back decades. But Cardinal Aguiar Retes, who oversaw a partition of his previous archdiocese in suburban Mexico City,

advanced the issue after arriving in the national capital in February 2018.

Some church observers saw the partition as long overdue.

“Compared to the U.S., worldwide, Mexican dioceses are the largest,” said Rodolfo Soriano-Nunez, a sociologist who studies the Mexican Catholic Church. “Only Germany and the Philippines come close to Mexico.”

IMA, Peru (CNS) — The Amazon basin, with its hundreds of indigenous tribes, has been mission territory since the first Spanish and Portuguese priests set out in canoes along its rivers in the 17th century.

As bishops and pastoral workers from throughout the region meet at the Vatican Oct. 6-27 to discuss the church’s response to the challenges of ministry in the Amazon, its missionary history will be unmistakable.

“Missionary men and women have a deep history of relationship with this region,” said the working document for the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon.

“They have left deep traces in the soul of the Catholic people of the Amazon.”

The church has grown in the centuries since the first missionaries arrived, “but deepening and updating are needed for it to be a church with an indigenous and Amazonian face,” the document says.

And although missionary work has changed to reflect the changing needs of the region’s people, they say, the missionary’s role of accompanying those who suffer remains unchanged.

“To be a missionary is to be with the people, trying to be one with them, bringing hope and greater humaneness,” said Sister Maria Emilia Molenda Kuche, 73, a member of the Missionaries of Christ Crucified, a Brazilian congregation.

She is part of a team with other missionary Sisters and a Spanish priest in Islandia, a small riverside community on the Amazon River in Peru. In a place where the rivers are the roads, they travel by boat to even more remote indigenous communities — some Catholic, some not — along the Yavari River, a tributary of the Amazon.

Islandia is near the three-way Amazonian border shared by Peru, Brazil and Colombia. The borders of Amazonian countries are remote, heavily forested, often lawless places marked by violence, illegal logging and mining, and crimes like the trafficking of persons for the sex trade or for labor in logging or mining camps.

On the Brazilian side of the border, Marta Barral, 45, a lay missionary from Madrid, Spain, works in the small town of Atalaia do Norte, near the Vale do Javari indigenous territory, a huge territory inhabited by indigenous tribes.

Some people in the territory still live in semi-nomadic groups that live by hunting, gathering and fishing, while others are settled in villages and have more contact with outsiders.

“I’ve changed with mission,” said Barral, who belongs to a lay community that shares the spirituality of the Xaverian Missionary Fathers.

“Everything I have learned and lived goes with me,” she said of her missionary experience, which has included time in Burundi, East Timor and Chad.

For Barral, being a missionary in the Amazon “means accompanying the indigenous people of Vale do Javari.”

“It means getting to know their identities, loving them, respecting them, accompanying them in their struggles.”

10/1/19 4:25 PM

OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CLASSIFIEDS

EMPLOYMENT Drivers - Assisted Transportation is now hiring caring and reliable drivers to transport K-12 students to and from school and other activities in company minivans. Positions are now available in Olathe, Overland Park and Kansas City, Kansas. Competitive wages and flexible schedules. CDL not required. Retirees encouraged to apply. Call (913) 262-3100 or apply online at: AssistedTransportation.com. EEO. Director of human resources - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking qualified candidates to fill the position of director of human resources. The archdiocese provides shared services for 120 associated organizations. Services include: benefits administration; Workers’ Compensation; retirement plans; and a standardized payroll process. Applicants must be a practicing Catholic in good standing and an active and faithful steward in their parish. Applicants must have expertise in creating and implementing HR policies and processes; client employee services and support; legal compliance; HRIS and data management; and employee benefit management and administration; Workers’ Compensation, leave management and related processes; employee relations and performance management; and employer/employee communications. This position manages a staff of three HR professionals; is the chief human resources consultant to parishes, schools and other archdiocesan organizations; and manages all human resource functions at the chancery. The successful candidate will have expertise in multiple HR disciplines, demonstrated skill with innovation and process improvement, and have excellent people skills. For a complete job description and to download the job application, go online to: archkck. org/jobs. Send cover letter of recommendation from your pastor and resume to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, attn.: Carla Mills, Chief Financial Officer, 12615 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, KS 66109; or email to: cmills@archkck.org with subject line HR Director. Application deadline is Oct. 25.

Volunteers - Do you want to have more meaning in your life, do something that is satisfying and of great service to your community? Become a volunteer at Providence Medical Center. “Guardian Angels” - volunteers are needed for eucharistic ministry. For more information, call (913) 5964195.

Community assistants - L’Arche Heartland of Overland Park serves adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities in day program support services and in residential services. We are seeking assistants who are looking for a unique opportunity in a faith-based organization. We are in immediate need of day service assistants to work in our day program serving 30 adults. We have a recycling program and community activities. Our core members participate in distributing for Meals on Wheels and Rise Against Hunger. They also attend community events such as the library, movies, bowling and going to parks. We also have a need for live-in and live-out assistants in our five residential homes.

If interested, contact Jamie Henderson, community leader, by email at: jamie@larcheks.org.

Volunteer tutors - The Learning Club is seeking adults or high school students to serve as volunteer tutors/mentors in our after-school program. Volunteer one hour per week and impact a young life! Learn more at: www.LearningClub KCK.org/volunteer or call (913) 244-5838.

We love our teachers - Come see why your want to work here! The Goddard School Olathe Northwest is looking for dynamic, energetic, professional teachers to add to our faculty. The Goddard School is a premiere preschool for children from 6 weeks to 6 years who are encouraged to develop at their own pace in a nurturing environment, lovingly guided by our highly skilled, professional teachers.

We are hiring for the following positions: full-time preschool teacher; full-time young toddler or infant teacher; assistant teacher to multiple classrooms; and part-time assistant teacher from 2:45 - 6 p.m. or 1 - 6 p.m.

Career opportunity – Due to the success and growth of the Knights of Columbus, we are adding a financial representative in the Kansas City, Kansas, and Missouri metro areas, St. Joseph, Mo., and Maryville, Mo. This is ideal for a determined, high energy, high expectation, professional, self-disciplined, independent individual, who desires to serve others yet earn a better than average income. We provide top-rated financial products to our members and their families, and will provide excellent benefits and training. This is a full-time position. For more information or an interview, please contact John A. Mahon, General Agent, 1275 S.W. Topeka Blvd., Topeka, KS 66612; call (855) 3564849; or email: mahonagencymail2@kofc.org.

Executive director of Catholic Cemeteries – Catholic Cemeteries is seeking an executive director that will be responsible for the operation and administration of Catholic cemeteries within the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Duties include the management of all aspects of Catholic Cemeteries, including: employee management; financial management; planning and development; sales; and other aspects of day-to-day operations. The ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing; have a minimum of five years of experience in cemeteries operation and management; and a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in business administration, marketing, public relations, accounting or related field.

Application and benefits information are available on the archdiocese’s website at: www.archkck.org/jobs. Interested individuals should email cover letter, resume and application by Oct. 25 to: jobs@archkck.org.

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Counselor - Full-time LCPC counselor needed at Keeler Women’s Center, located at 759 Vermont Ave., Suite 100B, KCK, 66101. Contact Sister Bridget Dickason, OSB, at (913) 689-9375 or by email at: kwc@mountosb.org.

Administrative assistant - Looking for something new?

Use your administrative skills to help a developmental optometrist change people’s lives. The hours are: T/W/TH from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; summer hours vary. No health benefits. Need to know basic bookkeeping skills. Background needed in Work, Excel and QuickBooks. Customer service and medical office experience helpful. Send resume to: Dr. Beth Bazin, 13600 Washington, Kansas City, MO 64145 or send via email to: bbazin@visiondevelop.com.

Health and wellness advocate for clergy – The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking an experienced nurse, case manager or social worker to fill the part-time (approximately 10-20 hours per week) position of health and wellness advocate for clergy. Duties include: visiting priests on a regular basis; managing priests’ conditions and care; serving as an advocate during appointments and hospitalizations; assisting priests with health insurance and Medicare. The ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing; have a minimum of five years’ experience in adult health care, case management or social work; one year of health care management preferred. College degree in related field required, registered nurse preferred. An application can be found on the archdiocese’s website at: www.archkck.org/jobs.

Interested individuals should mail cover letter, resume, and application by Oct. 4 to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Office of Human Resources, Health and Wellness Advocate Search, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, or send via email to: jobs@archkck.org.

Controller - Bishop Miege has an immediate opening for a controller in the business office. This position is responsible for overseeing/performing all accounting allocations/accounting procedures as well as HR responsibilities. Duties include, but are not limited to: cash management/disbursement, AP/AR, payroll, bank account reconciliation, financial statement preparation, balance sheets and cash flow reports. The candidate must have an extensive accounting experience (five years’ preferred), be detail oriented as well as proficient in QuickBooks, MS Office and Excel spreadsheet design. Email letter of interest and resume to: mjaksa@bishopmiege.com.

Coordinator of evangelization - Hispanic ministry - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking qualified candidates to fill the position of coordinator of evangelization for the Hispanic ministry. This position coordinates the process of evangelization in the office of Hispanic ministry for the Spanish-speaking Catholics of the archdiocese. The incumbent will organize and coordinate a series of retreats and faith formation that leads people into becoming part of a faith community and prepares them to become active disciples in mission.

The successful candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing; fluent in Spanish and English in both verbal and written communication; have basic theological preparation such as offered through formation of leaders for the new evangelization or equivalent preparation; three years’ experience working with Latin-American cultures or related diocesan office for Hispanic ministry; and an understanding of the key church documents regarding the National Plan for Hispanic Ministry. Interested individuals should email cover letter, resume and application by Oct. 18 to: jobs@archkck.org.

Parish administrator - St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood is seeking a parish administrator. The successful candidate for this position will oversee all administrative, financial and operational aspects of the parish, and will work collaboratively with the pastor and other department directors including school, preschool, Christian formation and evangelization, religious education and liturgy to assure that, as a team, they effectively manage all aspects of the multitude of liturgies, pastoral outreach ministries, programs, educational opportunities and activities that are offered at the parish. The preferred candidate will be a prayerful, practicing Catholic with a bachelor’s degree in business administration or similar field of study and at least five years’ experience in executive level management. Vital to this position are excellent administration, organization and communication abilities, and the interpersonal skills necessary to motivate both staff and volunteers. Specific experience in the areas of accounting, budgeting, finance, human resources, benefits, payroll and facilities management will all be weighed in the selection process. For additional details and a complete job description, go online to: stmichaelcp.org and click on “Our Parish/Employment Opportunities.”

HOME IMPROVEMENT The Drywall Doctor, Inc. – A unique solution to your drywall problems! We fix all types of ceiling and wall damage — from water stains and stress cracks to texture repairs and skim coating. We provide professional, timely repairs and leave the job site clean! Lead-certified and insured! Serving the metro since 1997. Call (913) 768-6655.

Concrete construction - Tear out and replace amped, stained or colored patios and drives. Retaining walls, footings, poured-in-place safe rooms, excavation and hauling. Asphalt drives and lots. Fully insured; references. Call Dan at (913) 207-4371 or send an email to: dandeeconst@aol.com.

EL SOL Y LA TIERRA *Commercial & residential * Lawn renovation *Mowing * Clean-up and hauling * Dirt grading/installation * Landscape design * Free estimates Hablamos y escribimos Ingles!! www.elsolylatierra.com Call Lupe at (816) 935-0176 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) 829-4336.

Interior painting Update your ceilings and walls with a fresh coat of paint.

Cracks repaired with no mess!

Serving the Leaven readers for over 25 years.

Call Jerry anytime at (913) 206-1144.

Rusty Dandy Painting, Inc. – We have been coloring your world for 40 years. Your home will be treated as if it were our own. Old cabinets will be made to look like new. Dingy walls and ceilings will be made beautiful.

Woodwork will glow. Lead-certified and insured. Call (913) 341-9125.

Local handyman - Painting int. and ext., wood rot, power washing, staining, masonry (chimney repair, patio’s) gutter cleaning, water heaters, junk removal, lawn mowing, window cleaning, honey - do list and more!!

Member of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913)927-4118.

DRC Construction We’ll get the job done right the first time.

Windows - Doors - Decks - Siding Repair or replace, we will work with you to solve your problems. Choose us for any window, door, siding or deck project and be glad you did.

Everything is guaranteed 100% (913) 461-4052 www.windowservicesoverlandpark.com drcconswindows@gmail.com 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) 579-1835.

Email: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

NELSON CREATION’S L.L.C. Affordable home remodeling: Kitchens, baths, basements and room additions. All interior and exterior work.

Honest, dependable, experienced and family owned.

Licensed and insured. Member St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.

(913) 927-5240 or nelsport@everestkc.net

SERVICES 8 to Your IdealWeight Get Real, Get Healthy, Get Empowered.

Release your weight and restore your power in 8 weeks! http://8toyouridealweight.com/coach/kathi/ Tutor - Available for K - 12 in various subjects and test preps. Tutor has 17 years of experience teaching and tutoring. Call Kathleen at (913) 206-2151 or email: Klmamuric@yahoo.com.

Remove popcorn ceilings Apply knockdown on ceilings Interior painting Serving The Leaven readers for over 25 years Call Jerry anytime: (913) 206-1144 Custom countertops - Laminates installed within five days. Cambria, granite and solid surface. Competitive prices, dependable work. Call the Top Shop, Inc., at (913) 962-5058. Members of St. Joseph, Shawnee.

Diamond painting - Residential/commercial, exterior/ interior, decks, free estimates. Affordable rates. KCMO/ Overland Park metropolitan area. DiamondPaintKc.com, 913-648-4933 Housecleaning - A range of services provided - from housecleaning to organizing closets, rooms and garages, as well as hoarder projects. 15 years experience. Professional, energetic and dependable. Call Joni at (913) 206-4403.

Win disability benefits - Disabled and no longer able to work? Get help winning Social Security disability benefits.

Free consultation. Eight years’ experience. No fee unless you win. Call (785) 331-6452 or send an email to: montemace2000@yahoo.com or visit montemacedisability. com.

HARCO Exteriors LLC Your Kansas City fencing specialists Family owned and operated (913) 815-4817 www.harcoexteriorsllc.com 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.

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Bankruptcy consultation - If debts are overwhelming you, seek hope and help from compassionate, experienced Catholic attorney, Teresa Kidd. For a free consultation, call (913) 422-0610; send an email to: tkidd@ kc.rr.com; or visit the website at: www.teresakiddlawyer. com. Please do not wait until life seems hopeless before getting good quality legal advice that may solve your financial stress.

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.

Rodman Lawn Care Lawn mowing, aeration, verticutting, mulching, Hedge trimming, leaf removal, gutter cleaning Fully insured and free estimates John Rodman (913) 548-3002

CAREGIVING Looking for assisted living at home? - Before you move, call us and explore our in-home care options. We specialize in helping families live safely at home while saving thousands of dollars per year. Call today for more information or to request a FREE home care planning guide. Benefits of Home - Senior Care, www.benefits ofhome.com or call (913) 422-1591.

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.

FOR SALE 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 spaces at Resurrection Cemetery located in lot 132, section A, spaces 3 and 4. Call Barbara at (573) 2168295 or send an email to: bschweiger779@gmail.com.

For sale - Two spaces at Resurrection Cemetery in Mausoleum, St. John Corridor. Reasonable rate. Call (913) 894-2448.

For sale - Walnut project lumber: band saw cut 5/4 thick, 8”, 12” and larger wide by 9- and 10-foot lengths. Board foot prices: 50’ - 80’ for $8; 81’ - 150’ four or more for $7.

Text or call (913) 579-1835.

REAL ESTATE CASH FOR YOUR HOME (913) 980-4905 Any condition in the metro area Mark Edmondson - local parishioner http://www.buykcproperty.com WE SELL HOMES - Looking to sell? This is a seller’s market.

Call for a free consultation detailing the steps to selling your home. Ask about our 39-day sales guarantee. Mention this ad for a special offer. Call Jim Blaufuss, Re/Max Realty Suburban, at (913) 226-7442. Jimblaufuss@remax.net.

Whole Estates Need to sell a home and everything in it?

We buy it all at once in as-is condition.

Call (816) 444-1950 or send an email to: www.wholeestates.com.

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 as is never felt so good. Jon & Stacy Bichelmeyer (913) 599-5000.

WANTED TO BUY Wanted to buy - Antique/vintage jewelry, paintings, pottery, sterling, etc. Single pieces or estate. Renee Maderak, (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.

Wanted to buy - Old cars or hot rods. Uncompleted project cars in any condition, with or without titles. Cash buyer. Call (913) 980-3559.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Cost is $20 for the first five lines, $1.50 per line thereafter.

To purchase a Leaven classified ad, email The Leaven at: beth.blankenship@theleaven.org.

10/1/19 4:25 PM

OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CALENDAR OKTOBERFEST DINNER/DANCE St. Mary-St. Anthony Parish (basement) 615 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas Oct. 5 from 6 - 10 p.m.

Tickets for adults are $20 and include dinner, drinks and dancing to The Willie Kirst Band. There will be discounted tickets for young adults and teens; and kids under 5 attend for free. There will be raffle prizes and prizes for kids. Tickets can be purchased at the door. For more information, call Patty Orth at (913) 371-2468.

FALL BAZAAR St. Theresa Parish 209 3rd St., Perry Oct. 6 at 11 a.m.

A dinner of turkey and ham plus homemade pie will be served for the cost of $10 for adults and $5 for kids ages 10 and under. Takeout meals will be available as well. There will also be games for kids, a silent auction, bingo, an old-fashioned cakewalk, baked goods and a country store. New this year is a beer garden.

BAZAAR St. Francis Xavier Parish 301 James, Mayetta Oct. 6 from 3 - 6 p.m.

The cost for a dinner of pork or turkey, potatoes and gravy, sides, desserts and a drink is $11 for ages 12 and older and $5 for kids ages 3 - 12. There will also be a cakewalk, a live auction, bingo, a silent auction and a raffle. Kids games will be in the basement from 4 - 6 p.m.

RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY MASS Holy Trinity Parish 13615 W. 92nd St., Lenexa Oct. 6 at 11:30 a.m.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will celebrate Mass. A reception will follow in the Father Quigley Center.

FALL BAZAAR St. Boniface Parish 32292 N.E. Norton Rd., Scipio Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

There will be a dinner of roast beef, homemade chicken and noodles, sides, homemade bread and pies. The cost is: $10 for adults; $5 for kids ages 5 - 10; and kids 5 and under eat for free.

Takeout is available until 1:30 p.m. and the cost is $11. There will also be food sales, raffles, pumpkin and gourd sales, and bingo.

PROJECT ANDREW Holy Spirit Parish 11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park Oct. 6 from 1:30 - 5 p.m.

Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish 1800 S.W. Stone, Topeka Oct. 13 from 1:30 - 5 p.m.

Young men of high school age and up are invited to attend Project Andrew, hosted by Archbishop Naumann and the vocation office. Three seminarians will share how they have grown in the seminary and what it’s like. A recently ordained priest will share his journey and the rewards of priesthood. There will be eucharistic adoration, dinner with the archbishop and a Q&A session. There is no cost, but registration is required at: www.kckvocation.com; email: vocation@archkck.org; or call (913) 647-0303.

CATHOLIC END-OF-LIFE PLANNING St. Paul Parish 21650 W. 115th Terr., Olathe Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.

There will be an expert panel presentation discussing the value and dignity of all life, especially at life’s end. Also the moral, medical, and legal considerations and decisions to be made will be explored. For more information, visit the website at: archkck.org/prolife.

HAYDEN HIGH SCHOOL 50TH CLASS REUNION Topeka Country Club 2700 S.W. Buchanan St., Topeka Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. and Oct. 12 at 5:30 p.m.

Leaven 10-04-19.indd 13

Make your reservations now at the Facebook page: “Hayden High School Class of 1969.”

There will also be an informal event on Friday evening, Oct. 11, at the Celtic Fox, 1700 S.W. 8th Ave., # 202, Topeka. For more information, send an email to Joleen at: jaeschliman@cox. net or call (785) 633-1923.

CELEBRATION Holy Cross School 8101 W. 95th St., Overland Park Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.

All Holy Cross School alumni, family and friends are invited to Celebration 2019. This fund raiser will feature a live auction, cocktails, dinner and dancing. Tickets can be purchased online at: www.HolyCrossCatholicSchool. com/Celebration.

BLESSING OF ANIMALS Divine Mercy Parish 555 W. Main St., Gardner Oct. 12 at 10 a.m.

The blessing of pets and animals will be celebrated in conjunction with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Coffee and doughnuts will be served afterwards. Join us for this blessed occasion.

PUBLIC SQUARE ROSARY RALLY Divine Mercy Parish 555 W. Main St., Gardner Oct. 12 at 11 a.m.

This public square rosary, sponsored by America Needs Fatima, will be one of over 23,000 rallies that will take place all across the United State this day. Join in offering reparation for the sins and offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to fervently pray for the conversion of the United States.

MARIAN PRESENTATIONS Mater Dei Parish 911 S.W. Clay, Topeka Oct. 9, from 6 - 8 p.m.

Oct. 16, from 6 - 8 p.m.

Oct. 23, from 6 - 8 p.m.

Members of The School of Faith will be offering presentations to learn about Mary. Bring family and friends. The suggested donation is a freewill offering.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH St. Paul Parish 21650 W. 115th Terr., Olathe Oct. 12 at 8 a.m.

There will be a Mass and anointing of the sick.

All are welcome.

SOUP SUPPER AND AUCTION St. Bede Parish 7344 Drought St., Kelly Oct. 13 at 4 p.m.

Homemade soups, sandwiches and desserts will be served from 4 - 7 p.m. There will be games for all ages from 5 - 8 p.m. The auction, including handmade quilts, will begin at 8 p.m.

TURKEY DINNER AND BAZAAR Sacred Heart Parish 1100 West St., Tonganoxie Oct. 13 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The cost for dinner is: $10 for adults; $5 for kids ages 5 - 12; and free for kids 4 and under.

Takeout is available until 2:30 p.m. There will also be a raffle, a country store, theme baskets, children’s games and bingo.

FALL BAZAAR AND DINNER St. Aloysius Parish 615 Wyandotte, Meriden Oct. 13 from 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. There will be a country store, children’s games, a silent auction, Knights of Columbus bingo, money drawings, raffles, a beer garden, an ice cream stand and more. For the cost of $10 for adults; $5 for kids ages 5 - 12; and free of kids ages 4 and under, a turkey/ham dinner and all the sides will be served. Takeout dinners will be available for $10. For more

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information, call the parish office at (913) 484-3312.

p.m., there will be a live auction in the church parking lot at 514 Parker, Osawatomie.

PANCAKE LUNCHEON St. Mary Parish 446 Hwy. 127, Purcell Oct. 13 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

HOLY ANGELS BAZAAR St. Rose School 530 E. 4th St., Garnett Oct. 20 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

We will be serving pancakes, whole hog sausage, scrambled eggs, homemade pie, tea and coffee. The suggested donation is a freewill offering.

BREAKFAST WITH THE KNIGHTS Divine Mercy Parish (Christian Formation Center) 555 W. Main St., Gardner Oct. 13 from 7:30 - 10 a.m.

The cost for a breakfast of pancakes, sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy, and all the sides is: $6 for adults; $3 for kids ages 6 - 12; and kids 5 and under eat for free.

WIDOWED WOMEN OF FAITH Perkins Restaurant and Bakery (back room) 1720 S.W. Wanamaker Rd., Topeka Oct. 15 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Join other women of faith for lunch and companionship. No RSVP is needed. We can help each other ease the pain and get through this time in life. For more information, send an email to: WidowedWomenofFaith@gmail. com.

WINE AND CHOCOLATE Avila University (Whitfield Center) 11901 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, Missouri Oct. 15 from 6 - 8 p.m.

Celebrate Founders’ Day with a lovely evening of specialty wines, gourmet chocolate, fabulous hors d’oeuvres and live music.

Tours of the Martha Smith, CSJ, Archives & Research Center will be available. The cost is $35 per person. Register online at: csjsl. org/events.

SYMPTO-THERMAL METHOD OF NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING Class begins Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m.

St. John the Evangelist School 1208 Kentucky St., Lawrence

A reasonable course fee is charged and online registration is required for this class or an online class at: live-the-love.org. For more information, call Shannon or John Rasmussen at (785) 749-1015.

FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR YOUR LOVED ONE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS St. Agnes Parish 5250 Mission Rd., Roeland Park Oct. 17 from 6:45 - 8:15 p.m.

A dinner of chicken and noodles, turkey, roast beef and sides will be served along with homemade bread and pies. The cost is: $9 for adults; $5 for kids 10 and under; and $12 for takeout. There will be crafts, a drawing and raffles.

A KNIGHT ON THE TOWN SUPPORTING SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MATER DEI SCHOOL Iron Rail Brewing 705 S.W. Clay St., Topeka Oct. 21 from 6 - 9 p.m.

There will be heavy appetizers, Iron Rail beer, wine and a special gift made by Mater Dei students. There will also be 50/50 raffle tickets available before and during the event. All proceeds support student scholarships. For more information, to purchase tickets or be an event sponsor, go online to: www.materdeischool. org.

OKTOBERFEST DINNER St. Mary-St. Anthony (Bishop Forst Hall) 615 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas Oct. 21 at 4 p.m.

Dinner will be served after the 4 p.m. Mass.

Dinner tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. There will only be 250 dinners, so purchase a ticket early to ensure your meal.

Dinner will be roast pork and mashed potatoes, sides, dessert and coffee. There will also be raffles. For more information, call Carol Shomin at (913) 897-4833. For tickets, call the parish office at (913) 371-1408, or visit Theresa’s Hair Salon at 508 N. 6th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

‘FOSTERING OUR FOSTER FAMILIES’ Church of the Ascension 9510 W. 127th St., Overland Park Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.

Discover how to help vulnerable children and the families who foster them thrive. For more information, visit the website at: archkck.org/ prolife.

BEGINNING EXPERIENCE HALLOWEEN DANCE FUNDRAISER St. Thomas More Parish (More Hall) 11822 Holmes Rd., Kansas City, Missouri Oct. 26 at 7 p.m.

The topics to be presented are: establishing a special-needs trust; guardianship; and The Achieving Better Life Experiences Act of 2013. RSVP by Oct. 15 to: tracunas@arch kck.org or call (913) 647-3054.

The cost is $20 per person. There will be great music provided by The Zepster, delicious snacks, beer, wine and soda. This fundraiser provides monies for people who would like to attend a Beginning Experience weekend or the Coping with Life Alone sessions and need some financial assistance. Costumes are encouraged but not required. Have fun and win a prize!

GIFT AND CRAFT BAZAAR St. Joseph Parish 11311 Johnson Dr., Shawnee Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

SUPPORT GROUP FOR VICTIMS/ SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ABUSE Johnson County area Twice monthly beginning in October

There will be more than 50 tables with hundreds of gifts, craft and religious items. Continental breakfast and lunch are provided by the St. Joseph Ladies’ Guild at a low cost.

Raffle tickets will be available for an “Exploring Shawnee” prize that includes a large basket valued at $1500. Call Mary at (913) 825-0358 with questions.

This will be a safe, supportive environment to talk about the impact to your lives, to know you are not alone, and to promote healing. To protect the privacy of potential participants, contact Linda Slater-Trimble for information on days, times and location of meetings by email at: lslater-trimble@archkck.org; or by phone at (913) 298-9244. Must be at least 18 years of age to participate.

CHURCH BAZAAR St. Philip Neri Parish Osawatomie City Auditorium 425 Main St., Osawatomie Oct. 20 from 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

OKTOBERFEST Church of the Ascension Parish (hall) 9510 W. 127th St., Overland Park Oct. 26 from 6 - 7:30 p.m.

There will be a dinner of homemade chicken and noodles with sides and desserts for the cost of: $10 for adults; $5 for kids ages 6 - 12; and free for kids under the age of 6. There will also be a country store and a silent auction as well as children’s games. On Oct. 19 at 12:30

Traditional Oktoberfest foods will be served: bratwurst, bierocks, sauerkraut, strudel, and German and American libations. Music will be provided by the Alpen Spielers polka band. The cost is: $11 for those 12 and over; $5 for kids 5 11; and free for kids ages 4 and under.

10/1/19 4:25 PM

OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

COMMENTARY TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME Oct. 6 TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Hb 1: 2-3; 2: 2-4 Ps 95: 1-2, 6-9 2 Tm 1: 6-8, 13-14 Lk 17: 5-10 Oct. 7 Our Lady of the Rosary Jon 1:1 – 2:2, 11 (Ps) Jon 2: 2-5, 8 Lk 10: 25-37 Oct. 8 Tuesday Jon 3: 1-10 Ps 130: 1b-4ab, 7-8 Lk 10: 38-42 Oct. 9 Denis, bishop, and companions, martyrs; John Leonardi, priest Jon 4: 1-11 Ps 86: 3-6, 9-10 Lk 11: 1-4 Oct. 10 Thursday Mal 3: 13-20b Ps 1: 1-4, 6 Lk 11: 5-13 Oct. 11 John XXIII, pope Jl 1: 13-15; 2: 1-2 Ps 9: 2-3, 6, 8-9, 16 Lk 11: 15-26 Oct. 12 Saturday Jl 4: 12-21 Ps 97: 1-2, 5-6, 11-12 Lk 11: 27-28 TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME Oct. 13 TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 2 Kgs 5: 14-17 Ps 98: 1-4 2 Tm 2: 8-13 Lk 17: 11-19 Oct. 14 Callistus I, pope, martyr Rom 1: 1-7 Ps 98: 1b-4 Lk 11: 29-32 Oct. 15 Teresa of Jesus, virgin, doctor of the church Rom 1: 16-25 Ps 19: 2-5 Lk 11: 37-41 Oct. 16 Hedwig, religious; Margaret Mary Alacoque, virgin Rom 2: 1-11 Ps 62: 2-3, 6-7, 9 Lk 11: 42-46 Oct. 17 Ignatius of Antioch, bishop, martyr Rom 3: 21-30 Ps 130: 1b-6b Lk 11: 47-54 Oct. 18 LUKE, EVANGELIST 2 Tm 4: 10-17b Ps 145: 10-13ab, 17-18 Lk 10: 1-9 Oct. 19 John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests, and companions, martyrs Rom 4: 13, 16-18 Ps 105: 6-9, 42-43 Lk 12: 8-12

Leaven 10-04-19.indd 14

S

ometimes a piece of art grabs you.

Honestly, I’d love to be on a plane to Rome right now to check out a new sculpture temporarily in St. Peter’s Square.

Called “Angels Unaware,” Pope Francis unveiled it on Sept. 29.

The 20-foot-tall, threeand-a-half ton bronze depicts 140 migrants and refugees in a boat.

The figures come from various historical periods: from ancient migrant people to Jews escaping Nazi Germany to modern-day Syrians and Africans. You can get a glimpse of it on page 3 of this issue.

That sculpture has dominated my thoughts at the beginning of this Respect Life Month, as has this story: A shop owner placed this sign in his window: Puppies For Sale.

A little boy asked the owner, “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?”

He replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.”

The little boy reached in his pocket and said, “I only have $2.37. Can I please look at them?”

The shop owner whistled and out came a dog, followed by her five

T

Everyone should expect respect MARK MY WORDS

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

little balls of fur. One puppy, though, lagged considerably behind.

The little boy singled out the straggler and said, “What’s wrong with him?”

The owner explained that the vet discovered that the straggler didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp.

The little boy said excitedly, “That’s the puppy I want to buy!”

The owner replied, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”

With tears in his eyes, the boy said, “I don’t want you to give

him to me. That little dog is worth just as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

Shaking his head, the shop owner said, “You really don’t want that little dog. He’s never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.”

At that, the boy reached down and pulled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg encased in a metal brace.

He looked at the shop owner and quietly said, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands.”

(Adapted from Meir Liraz’s “Top 100 Motivational Stories.”)

The world could use a good dose of “someone who understands.”

Pope Francis calls this a “culture of encounter”: “not just seeing, but looking; not just hearing, but listening; not just passing people by, but stopping with them; not just saying, ‘what a shame; poor people,’ but allowing yourself to be moved with compassion; and then to draw near, to touch and to say: ‘Do not weep’ and to give at least a drop of life” (from a homily on Sept. 13, 2016).

This is what true respect means: to see the dignity in each person.

Someone who lived this way was certainly Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche, homes for persons with intellectual disabilities and their live-in assistants. You can read more about him and a local network of L’Arche on pages 8 and 9.

In his book “Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus,” Vanier notes that groups and societies are usually built on the model of a pyramid, where at the top, governing, are all of the powerful, the rich and the intelligent.

On the pyramid’s bottom are “the immi-

14

grants, the slaves, the servants, people who are out of work, or who have a mental illness or different forms of disabilities. They are excluded, marginalized.”

Jesus, says Vanier, comes and takes the place of someone at the bottom, “to transform the model of society from a pyramid to a body, where each and every person has a place, whatever their abilities or disabilities, where one is dependent upon the other. Each is called to fulfill a mission in the body of humanity and of the Church. There is no ‘last place.’

“Jesus, revealing himself as the least one in society, the one who does the dirty jobs, the one who is in the last place, calls his followers to be attentive to the least in society. . . .

“The Gospel message is the world upside down.”

When we dare to welcome refugees, become “someone who understands” and transform a pyramid into a body, then does the Gospel message turn things upside down to create a world where everyone can expect respect.

Prophet sets in the stone the promise of God’s help

he news often tells of chaos and violence in the Middle East, whether it is Syria, Israel, Iraq or some other country.

That was also true centuries ago in the last part of the 6th century B.C. The Middle East was in turmoil.

That is the setting for this weekend’s first reading, Hb 1:2-3; 2:2-4.

The Chaldean Empire was flexing its might.

Kingdoms neighboring Judah had already fallen to its power.

Judah’s own demise appeared imminent. In the midst of confusion and violence, the prophet Habakkuk called out to God for help: “How long, O Lord? I cry for help, but you do not listen! I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’

IN THE BEGINNING

FATHER MIKE STUBBS Father Stubbs is the pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Overland Park and has a degree in Scripture from Harvard University.

but you do not intervene.

Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery?”

In response, God identified the Chaldeans as an instrument that God was using to inflict punishment upon those who had sinned: “For see, I am raising up Chaldea, that bitter and unruly people, that marches the breadth of the land to take dwellings not his own” (1:6).

The chaos and violence that Habakkuk is

POPE FRANCIS Pope Francis slipped out of the Vatican Sept. 24 to spend the day with members of an Italian lay community, the young people in recovery they assist and tenor Andrea Bocelli.

After listening to three young people’s stories of finding the New Horizons Community and entering recovery, Pope Francis praised them as living witnesses of how God looks with love upon everyone he created.

“I know that gaze, too,” he told the community in Frosinone, about 45 miles south of Rome.

God “made you feel that he loved you, and he took

witnessing is all part of God’s plan.

Consequently, those who obey God have nothing to fear. If they trust in God’s justice and have patience as God’s plan unfolds, they will be safe. God assures Habakkuk: “The just one, because of his faith, shall live.”

It is one thing to speak a promise. It is quite another to put that promise in writing. That is the instruction that God makes to Habakkuk: “Then the Lord answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.”

The fact that the vision is to be written upon tablets, rather than upon a perishable material such as papyrus, emphasizes its permanence and reliability.

God wants this message to endure. It also makes the message stand out.

Ordinarily, the prophets themselves did not write their messages down. Their prophecies were handed down by word of mouth, memorized by their disciples, until eventually the prophet’s disciples recognized the need to commit the prophecies to a more permanent record, lest they be lost.

Fortunately for us, we have Habakkuk’s words.

The vision remains. It still reassures us. If we have faith in God, we will live.

you by the hand from hell — yes, Jesus descended into hell — he took you by the hand” and said to each one, “Come with me.”

The freedom God gives each person means there may be success and failure and starting all over again, the pope said.

“But he is patient. He has a patient gaze,” he added.

New Horizons Community, a 25-year-old lay movement, focuses on evangelization and concrete assistance to the disadvantaged. The movement’s headquarters is known as the Cittadella Cielo (“Heaven’s Citadel”). Chiara Amirante, founder of the community, told Vatican News that the pope’s visit was “an unexpected gift from heaven, and we welcomed him with hearts overflowing with joy.”

— CNS

10/1/19 4:25 PM

OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

COMMENTARY

A

Once stabilized, clients taught skills of self-sufficiency

bby, a single mother, needed assistance with her electric

bill.

Upon meeting with a Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas case manager, Abby mentioned that she had three payday loans to help her with the bills, including her subsidized rent.

Living on a fixed income and trying to provide for her teenage children’s daily needs, she was fearful of one day losing the place she and her family called home.

Sadly, Abby’s story is not unlike many of those we serve. While the utility bill brought Abby to Catholic Charities,

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INSIDE CATHOLIC CHARITIES

LAUREN SOLIDUM Lauren Solidum is the executive director of Catholic Charities.

simply helping with its payment would not solve her ongoing financial problems.

Abby needed more guidance and support

to make an impactful, lasting change.

Recognizing the need to strengthen families — not just stabilize them — led Catholic Charities to begin a shift in 2012 away from one-time, crisis intervention programs to offering a continuum of long-term wraparound services.

As Pope Francis said, “It is not enough to offer someone a sandwich unless it is accompanied by the possibility of learning how to stand on one’s own two feet.

Charity that leaves the poor person as he is, is not sufficient. True mercy, the mercy God gives to us and teaches us, demands justice; it demands that the poor find the way to be poor no longer.”

To better reflect this holistic model of service, our seven emergency assistance centers recently transitioned to being more aptly named family support centers.

While the agency will always provide food, clothing and hope to all those served, the

ultimate goal of our family support centers is to move those we serve toward self-sustainability through skills training, financial education and employment.

That is exactly what happened with Abby.

At one of our family support centers, she received case management where, as part of a collaborative process, her needs were assessed through one-onone communication.

With her case manager’s help and encouragement, Abby participated in our Kansas Loan Pool Project (KLPP), where she attended financial classes and was able to pay off her high-interest, predatory loans.

Now, she can start building her credit score,

which will help her reach her goal of buying a home for her family.

Abby’s help did not stop there. After learning that she was only two semesters away from completing her nursing degree, Abby’s case manager referred her to a partnering agency to help get started on her CNA. Soon, she will enroll in a community-nursing program.

It is humbling to realize that through the services that Abby received at a family support center, her life has been transformed.

She walked in needing financial assistance for an unpaid bill. She left with sustainable hope for the future.

Shrines help make faith more concrete, universal, to young people

f you’re going to talk the talk, you should walk the walk.

Catholic parents have a tough job today raising their children in the faith.

One approach you can use is a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is typically a religious journey to a sacred place, and it is a very Catholic tradition.

For hundreds of years, Catholics have taken pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Rome or walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Today, there are over 100 different Catholic shrines throughout the United States. And every three years, there is World Youth Day: a gathering of more than

DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU

RICK CHEEK Rick Cheek is the associate consultant for the office of evangelization and Catholic formation of youth.

200,000 Catholic young adults celebrating our faith with our Holy

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Leaven 10-04-19.indd 15

Catholic Church in the Midwest, particularly traveling from St. Louis to where the park is today. This saint walked the walk.

Pilgrimages offer a way for families to grow in holiness together. The journey itself provides an opportunity to grow closer as a family; the destination can be a beautiful learning experience.

Shrines are great for children because it makes their faith more real, less abstract. It gives our faith a past shared with countless others.

WYD does the same for high school students and young adults. It is an experience for them to witness the universal

church and visit sacred places hundreds of years old.

When was the last time you packed up the minivan and took the family to a sacred place?

If you haven’t been to the St. Rose Philippine Shrine, this would be a great place to start. I encourage you to take your family to experience this beautiful church in Mound City and to pray at the park.

If you have a child who will be 16 or older in 2022, you might start thinking about a pilgrimage to WYD in Portugal with the archdiocesan youth office. It is the perfect opportunity to walk what you talk. Look for details soon.

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Father, Pope Francis.

Just recently, 30 teens, adult chaperones and youth leaders made a pilgrimage of 13 miles from the St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Shrine in Mound City to St. Rose Philippine Park, which is located north and west of Mound City.

This was the first of three archdiocesan pilgrimages leading up to World Youth Day which takes place the summer of 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Many people outside our archdiocese have never heard of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.

She is a relatively new saint, having been canonized in 1988 by Pope John Paul II. Her work at the Sugar Creek Mission near Centerville endeared her to the Potawatomi, who gave her the name of “Kwah-kah-kum-ad,” the “Woman Who Prays Always.”

St. Rose spent the last half of her life teaching and serving the

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OCTOBER 4, 2019 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

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IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST. FRANCIS

St. Joseph parishioner looks out for God’s creatures

By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill.esfeld@theleaven.org

Catholic teaching on animals

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HAWNEE — No one would credit Jeff Stevens, a member of St. Joseph Parish here, with being creative when it comes to naming his cats.

There’s Pallet, the kitten of a stray he found sitting on a pallet in back of his company, Lift Truck Sales and Service in Kansas City, Missouri.

And then there is Jeff, another stray Stevens found and took to an animal clinic. When the office staff insisted they needed a name for paperwork, Stevens gave the first name that came to mind.

But anyone who knows Stevens will tell you he walks in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi and lives the saint’s message that “all things of creation are children of the Father and thus brothers of man. . . . God wants us to help animals.”

Stevens, who had never owned a cat, originally planned to find homes for Pallet and Jeff.

But he fell in love and ended up keeping them both.

“Pallet, he didn’t name for so long because he didn’t want to get attached,” said Stevens’ longtime friend, Holy Trinity, Lenexa, parishioner Chuck Fortunato. “He just kept calling her Pallet, and then it stuck.”

The two cats join two dogs, Lillie and Bailey, which Stevens adopted from shelters.

And he still has Pallet’s mother living in the garage of his business — she comes and goes as she pleases, and is loved and cared for by the truck drivers.

“I’ve always been an animal lover,” said Stevens. “I look at animals and I don’t see them being a substandard species.

“I look at them like they’re God’s creatures.”

Stevens attributes his attitude to his Catholic upbringing.

“I’ve been Catholic my whole life,” he said. “I went to Catholic school and, luckily, this was something fostered at home.”

Stevens’ family always had pets adopted from shelters.

“I think my parents had their hands full with five kids,” he said. “That’s all the rescue work they could do.

“I’ve got two brothers and two sisters and all of us are animal lovers.”

But Stevens’ love for animals extends beyond cats and dogs.

“It’s all the animals around my house,” he said. “I feed the birds and the squirrels. I see injured animals, I’m going to try to help them.

“I have a respect for them. I guess that comes from my faith.”

Stevens’ deepest love has always been for beagles. He likes the traits and behaviors of the breed.

Leaven 10-04-19.indd 16

“Animals are God’s creatures.

He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals. . . . It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly.” — from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Nos. 2416 and 2418)

Dog Rescue Jeff Stevens works with Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland, an all-volunteer organization devoted to the rescuing and rehoming of bassets and beagles in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. To find out how you can help, visit the website at: www.bassetandbeagle.org.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JILL ESFELD

Jeff Stevens, a member of St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee, poses with one of his rescued cats. Stevens has always had a soft spot for animals. He supports animal rescue programs and is part of a ride-share program that transfers dogs to new homes.

He financially supports beagle rescue programs, fosters beagles in his home until they’re ready for adoption and is part of a ride-share program that transfers dogs to new homes.

“He’s so caring,” said Fortunato.

“Shelters call him up and say, ‘We just got a dog rescue; it needs this and this’ and he’ll just say, ‘Here’s my credit card.

Just do it.’

“So, when they have a really hardluck case, they go to him.”

Stevens knows there is a great need for people to help animal rescue programs and encourages involvement.

“If you have the ability to open your home and foster,” he said, “those kinds of people are always needed.

“Financial help is appreciated, too, because the people who do this have ongoing medical and transport bills.”

Stevens pays for the care and feeding of the animals he fosters, but monies are available to foster families that can

“

“HE’S SO CARING. SHELTERS CALL HIM UP AND SAY, ‘WE JUST GOT A DOG RESCUE; IT NEEDS THIS AND THIS’ AND HE’LL JUST SAY, ‘HERE’S MY CREDIT CARD. JUST DO IT.’ only afford to offer their homes.

And don’t worry about getting attached, he advises. It’s inevitable, but worth the heartache.

Stevens is humble about his involvement in animal rescue, giving credit to others.

“I do a little bit with the time I have,” he said. “But there are people I’ve

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JILL ESFELD

This unnamed cat lives in the garage of Stevens’ business. She comes and goes as she pleases and has endeared herself to the employees. worked with who give their whole lives for these animals.

“Those are the people I admire.”

But people who know Stevens admire him for a generosity that is integral to his nature and a clear reflection of his faith.

“He is the nicest person I know,” said Fortunato. “And he’s generous — not just in helping animals, but in every area.

“If somebody needs help, he’s there.

When we go anywhere, if there’s a fundraising booth or a donation jar, he can’t walk by without putting a couple of bucks in.

“Saint Francis is in heaven, but his spirit is here in people like Jeff.”

10/1/19 4:25 PM