10 05 18 Vol. 40 No. 9

THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 40, NO. 9 | OCTOBER 5, 2018

TONS OF TACOS

t

The star of the Mexican Supper is the fried taco. In 1973, volunteers fried perhaps 200 or 300 tacos. This year, they fried more than 7,000. t From left, Holly Aranda, Perla Ayala, Breeana Urrutia, Lindsay Morales and Yazmine Gonzalez work the taco stuffing line at Sacred Heart in Emporia.

Sacred Heart Parish in Emporia churns out thousands of tacos for annual fundraiser

STORY BY

JOE BOLLIG PHOTOS BY

JAY SOLDNER

E

MPORIA — Just before Father Brandon Farrar celebrated Mass for Sacred Heart School students here in late September, he asked them questions about his vestments.

“What color am I wearing?” he said.

“Red! Red!” they eagerly replied.

“Now, why am I wearing red?” asked Father Farrar.

An eager second-grader called out.

“It’s the feast of the Mexican Supper!” he said.

The child’s confusion is understandable. Second only in importance to Christmas and Easter at Sacred Heart Church in Emporia is the school’s annual PTO fundraiser, the annual Mexican Supper.

Supper by the numbers • 37 volunteers pinned 7,140 tacos • Sacred Heart School families sold 2,985 tickets • Cooks fried at the speed of 1,200 tacos an hour • More than 700 pounds of meat was cooked • Diners consumed 250 pounds of rice and 115 gallons of salsa • 1,698 carryout and 817 dine-in meals were served

>> See “HOMEMADE” on page 7

ANGELS

CEF names this year’s “Angels Among Us” recipients.

Page 3

IN STITCHES

Quilters come together in Topeka to benefit the Mater Dei Parish bazaar.

Page 4

RESPECT LIFE

Take another look at abortion and contraception.

Pages 8-9

OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

ARCHBISHOP

2

Church has made great strides but more remains to be done

I

hope many of you will join me for one of the eucharistic adoration and rosary prayer services this Sunday, Oct. 7, at 2 p.m. at Queen of the Holy Rosary Church, 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park, or at 7 p.m. at Most Pure Heart of Mary Church, 3601 S.W. 17th St., Topeka.

These communal times of prayer are devoted to interceding for the healing of victims of sexual abuse and for the purification and renewal of the church.

Some people have expressed to me that prayer is an inadequate response to the current crisis. I agree that prayer alone is not sufficient, but prayer is essential as we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in discerning the most effective course of action.

In my previous columns, I have noted that both the McCarrick scandal and the Pennsylvania grand jury report call for actions that will result in better accountability of bishops in three areas: 1) in our own personal conduct; 2) in our response to victims; and 3) in the manner in which we address accusations of clerical misconduct.

I cannot emphasize adequately that the present crisis is not about a current lack of safety in our parishes, schools and other institutions.

The church in general, and the archdiocese in particular, has in place excellent policies and procedures for responding to new allegations of sexual abuse of minors.

We have invested significant resources to assist with the thorough investigation of accusations regarding misconduct by

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN clergy or other representatives of the church.

Moreover, we have also invested a tremendous amount of resources in creating a safe environment in all of our institutions. In the past 15 years, we have held 1,365 Virtus adult awareness training sessions for clergy, staff and volunteers — essentially, all those who serve young people in parishes, schools and

Baptisms for children of larger families To show his personal support for those couples open to raising larger families, Archbishop Naumann has offered to celebrate the baptism of the third or greater child of any family interested. Please contact your parish office for more information.

Additional information is also available from the archdiocesan office for liturgy and sacramental life at (913) 647-0330 or by email at: liturgy@ archkck.org.

Announcement Joseph A. Butler & Son Funeral Home has re-opened as

Archbishop Naumann Oct. 7 Holy Hour for healing — Queen of the Holy Rosary, Overland Park Project Andrew — Mater Dei, Topeka

Oct. 12-13 Conception board meeting Oct. 13 Holy Angels chapel blessing — Basehor Oct. 14 Installation of Father Kent O’Connor — Good Shepherd, Shawnee

Holy Hour for healing — Most Pure Heart of Mary, Topeka

Project Andrew — St. Joseph, Shawnee

Oct. 8-9 Jesus Caritas — Wichita

Oct. 15 Blue Mass — Mater DeiAssumption, Topeka

Oct. 10 Lawrence regional priests meeting — St. John the Evangelist, Lawrence Annual school boards formation Mass, dinner and program — Savior Pastoral Center Oct. 11 Catholic Bar Association Episcopal Advisory Committee conference call Confirmation — St. Aloysius, Meriden, and St. Theresa, Perry

However, we must not allow our frustrations to blind us to all that has been accomplished. The Catholic Church in the United States is much healthier today than it was 15 years ago and exponentially better than we were 30 years ago.

Thanks to the hard work of so many within the church, our parishes, schools and institutions today are the safest places on the planet for children and youth.

At the same time, the troubling events of this past summer challenge us to continue the ongoing purification of the

Pastoral Council meeting — Savior Oct. 16 Adoration — St. Thomas Aquinas High School Priests Personnel meeting Administrative Team meeting Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas regional juried Christian art competition and awards reception — Savior

church in two important areas: 1) greater accountability of bishops; and 2) a deepened commitment and expanded effort regarding the care and healing for past victims.

Our response must be grounded in prayer, but not end with pleas for God’s mercy and intercessions for divine assistance. Our prayer must open us to the power of the Holy Spirit that motivates and drives us to action.

Much has been accomplished, but still more remains to be done.

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other agencies.

The archdiocese consists of approximately 60,000 households with about 200,000 individual members. Since 2003, 46,000 adults have participated in our awareness training sessions.

In addition to the awareness sessions, adults working with youth receive monthly continuing education information that requires participants to answer a question or questions to verify they have read and grasped the information.

During this same time period, we have conducted 41,000 criminal background checks on those ministering to or serving children on behalf of the church.

Each year, our safe environment protocols and practices, as well as our procedures and actions in responding to allegations of abuse of children and youth, are audited by an independent national firm to evaluate our compliance to the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”

Although not required by the charter, during the on-site audits we welcome random visits and audits of a sampling of parishes to verify that compliance is happening at the grassroots level.

All of this requires a significant investment

of material and human resources that are well worth it, because they help ensure the safety of our children.

I am not aware of any other institution or organization that has done as much as the Catholic Church the past 15 years to create a safe environment for young people. The Pennsylvania grand jury report, the John Jay Study and the annual charter audits all confirm that these measures are effective.

One of our ongoing priorities must be to remain hypervigilant with the continued observance of our safe environment protocols.

We must never grow complacent but, rather, must persevere in fostering a continually improving culture of safety, where best practices are followed and concerns are reported quickly to the appropriate civil and church authorities.

Another important priority is to examine how we can improve our assistance to victims, no matter how long ago the misconduct occurred.

Finally, I am committed to working with my brother bishops to implement the proposals put forward by Cardinal DiNardo and supported by the Administrative Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — both to investigate thoroughly the McCarrick scandal and to create structures and policies that will make bishops more accountable to those we are privileged to serve.

It is understandable that many are frustrated and angry within the church that we are still contending with scandals of clerical misconduct. Frankly, I share your frustration and anger.

Jim Larkin

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OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

3

GAUDEAMUS AND MORE

CEF announces Angels Among Us; changes to annual event

By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill.esfeld@theleaven.org

O

VERLAND PARK — Put on your dancing shoes!

It’s hard to believe that Gaudeamus, the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) annual fundraiser, could improve; after all, Independent magazine has named it a Top Ten party event in Kansas City.

But this year, because past attendees have requested it, an after-party with live dance music has been added to cap off the evening.

“There’s some strategy behind that,” said CEF executive director Vince Anch. “It gives me, my staff and our board a chance to reach out, thank people in person and get to know them.”

The after-party is new, but the traditional elements that have made Gaudeamus a hugely successful event are returning, including dinner, inspirational music, motivational videos and live audience interviews.

And, of course, students from CEF schools will be involved in every aspect of the evening.

“We have another great student speaker who is a senior at Bishop Ward,” said Anch. “We’re excited about her story.”

Christ the King School in Kansas City, Kansas, will be honored as the winner of the 2018 Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann CEF School of Excellence award.

And another evening highlight will be the recognition of this year’s “Michael and Patty Morrisey Angels Among Us” honorees: past CEF board chairs Joan Wells and Hamp Henning, along with their spouses Glenn Wells and Nikki Henning.

“We have one of the top boards in the Kansas City area when it comes to nonprofits,” said Anch. “Both Hamp and Joan have proved to be amazing leaders in offering their time, talent and treasure.

“They, as well as their spouses, are very supportive.”

For their part, the Hennings and Wells are surprised and humbled by the honor.

During a visit to this year’s School of Excellence, Archbishop Naumann

Attend Gaudeamus Tables are still available for one of Kansas City’s premier party events. If you can’t attend, you can still make a difference in the life of a child by donating to CEF. Every donation that comes in will be doubled by generous patrons offering a matching opportunity up to $400,000.

For more information, go to the website at: www.cefks.org/events/ gaudeamus-2018.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD

During a visit to Christ the King School in Kansas City, Kansas, the 2018 CEF School of Excellence, students give high-fives to Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and the CEF Angels Among Us honorees, from left: Nikki Henning, Hamp Henning, Archbishop Naumann, Joan Wells and Glenn Wells. thanked the couples for accepting the spotlight.

“We appreciate you doing this,” he said. “Hopefully, your passion and your love for the organization will help other people to become involved.”

As far as the past board chairs are concerned, the CEF’s mission of providing scholarships to underprivileged children wanting a Catholic education is an easy sell.

“We’re trying to help people understand what an amazing organization this is, how easy it is to get involved and how easy it is to see the impact,” said Joan. “It’s such a clear and streamlined mission.”

Hamp agreed.

“It’s a mission everybody can understand and relate to,” he said. “The ripple effect of a scholarship in one kid’s life, their family and the community is unbelievable.”

The Hennings have been involved with CEF since its beginning.

When the Morriseys first took over the original Gardner Plan and were building it into CEF, they recruited the couple as volunteers.

“When Michael (Morrisey) first started as executive director he was looking for anybody who would help out,” said Hamp. “I got involved on the board then.

Morrisey had a gift for recognizing the talents in people and putting them to use.

“Nikki and I were laughing about President

Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann

Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799)

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

“

“WE’RE TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT AN AMAZING ORGANIZATION THIS IS, HOW EASY IT IS TO GET INVOLVED AND HOW EASY IT IS TO SEE THE IMPACT. IT’S SUCH A CLEAR AND STREAM-LINED MISSION.”

all the stuff we’ve done,” said Hamp.

“He was very good at getting the right people and putting the right task in front of them.”

Parishioners of Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood, the Hennings home school their four children, but still think it’s important to support the Catholic schools in our archdiocese.

“We’re doing Catholic education, just in a different way,” said Nikki. “Not everybody can home school.

“We want to support people who want to send their kids to Catholic school and can’t afford it.”

The Wells, charter members of

Managing Editor Anita McSorley anita.mcsorley@theleaven.org

Senior Reporter Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

Reporter Olivia Martin olivia.martin@theleaven.org

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St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood, both received public school educations. But they have learned the value of Catholic schools through the experiences of their three children.

“We are so blessed,” said Joan. “We had the inspiration to provide all three of our kids with Catholic education from kindergarten through college.”

They believe every family should be able to do the same, regardless of their financial status.

To that end, Joan served on the CEF board for 10 years.

“I feel really grateful to be part of such a wonderful organization,” she said. “We’ve met so many really inspiring and lovely people through our involvement with CEF — people committed to the same mission.”

Visiting the School of Excellence allowed them to see the fruits of their efforts.

“Just seeing those kids and how excited they were about being at that school,” said Glenn, “they were thanking us and I felt like thanking them.”

Because of their long and involved experience with CEF, these couples know how much a single donation can impact the life of a child.

“The board and administration are incredible stewards of the donations,” said Hamp. “I’ve seen that firsthand.

“They squeeze every bit of use out of every dollar that comes in for kids and families.”

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.

OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

4

IN STITCHES

Mater Dei reaps what quilters sew at annual bazaar “The ladies have spent a combined average of 320 hours per year to help us complete each of the 22 quilts for the church,” said Burke.

By Carolyn Kaberline Special to The Leaven

T

OPEKA — When the Holy Name Altar Guild here raised $866 with its first quilt raffle at the parish’s fall bazaar, they knew they had struck gold.

But little did they know that they would still be making quilts for the bazaar of Holy Name Parish — now Mater Dei — 22 years later.

Staying connected

A seamless beginning “When we started the first quilt, we had no idea how much we would make on it,” said Mary Lou Burke, a founding member of the quilting group.

On discovering that the quilts were a sure-fire way to raise money for the parish, however, the group decided to make its quilting a mainstay.

Burke said that only seven of those who worked on the very first quilt are still with the group, but some 30 others have been part of the group’s community over the years.

“Marie Cain, who has passed away, came for many years just to visit,” Burke said. “We referred to her as our spiritual leader, because she would read a prayer to us and usually had a religious article to read to us, then we would discuss the meaning.”

In the first years, the women would get together to stitch the whole quilt from start to finish.

But in 2011, the group started to receive completed quilt blocks as donations. They would sew them together and add the borders between February and May. “Then, as soon as we could get into the classroom (the pre-K room at Mater

LEAVEN PHOTO BY CAROLYN KABERLINE

Pat Christie, now 92, has been with the quilting group since it was started 22 years ago.

Dei) — usually at the end of May,” said Burke, “[we] called the ladies to let them know [we] were ready to start quilting.”

Contagious quilting Ally Figgs, a teacher at Mater Dei, comes to the school to tutor every summer.

“I used to see [the quilters] working and would pop in and tease them about it,” she said.

“This year, I only worked for an hour a week, so I said I would work if they would teach me,” she continued.

“When they found I was serious, they told me to pull up a chair.”

Thus, Figgs joined the group’s ranks as one of its newest members.

The group quilts several mornings a week, with an occasional evening session to accommodate the quilters’ schedules. Some of the group may work at all sessions; others may work at a few.

If the quilt is not completed by the time faculty and staff return to their classrooms to prepare for the school year in late July, one member of the group takes the quilt home to finish it and add any final touches.

That final quilter sews the binding, dates it, and proudly labels the quilt as the work of the Mater Dei quilting group.

The quilt is then raffled off at the November bazaar.

Over the years, it has raised from $600 to $1600 through the effort dozens of hands over hundreds of hours.

Although many of the group have moved to other parishes over the years — Burke is now a member of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, while others belong to St. Joseph, Most Pure Heart and Our Lady of Guadalupe — they still gather for the annual quilting.

“I guess you could say we all belonged to Holy Name for so long that we still have a loyalty to the parish and parishioners,” Burke said. “This is a small way we can help out financially.

“And of course, we are all friends and enjoy catching up with everyone for two months.”

Figgs has found the experience to be a bridge between the parish and the school.

“We often talk about the school and some of its activities,” she said. “[Now people] can see a little better what their money and support are doing.”

In October, one month before the bazaar, the group usually goes out to eat together.

“Since everyone doesn’t quilt every time,” said Burke, “we don’t see the whole group together, so this gives us a chance to visit with those we didn’t see much.

“Also, by this time, the binding has been sewn on and the quilt washed, so it is an opportunity to see the finished product and, of course, to take a picture.”

Editor’s note: Mater Dei’s bazaar is on Nov. 3 from 4 to 8 p.m. and on Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY CAROLYN KABERLINE

Usually 10 to 12 women work on the quilt each year, with four to six working on it at any given session. Above are, from left: Delene Van Sickel, Marcella Tinoco, Charlotte Noland, Mary Lou Burke, Lesley Fernandez and Anita Trujillo.

Joe and Mary Jo Bergman, members of St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Oct. 6 with a family barbecue. The couple was married on Oct. 4, 1958. Their children are: Mike, Kevin, Teresa, Cheryl and Susan.

Priest receives award from Saint Louis University ST. LOUIS — Father Bob Flannery, priest for a former parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Lawrence, has been named recipient of the 2018 Alumni Merit Award for the School of Education at Saint Louis University here.

Father Flannery received a master of arts degree in education from Saint Louis University in 1979.

Father Flannery In 1973, he was ordained a

the Diocese of Belleville in southern Illinois. He presently serves as pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in Carbondale, chaplain of the Newman Catholic Student Center at Southern Illinois University and the diocesan director of ecumenical and interreligious affairs.

The award was presented on Sept. 27.

Renowned composer coming to Leavenworth LEAVENWORTH — The University of Saint Mary department of theology and pastoral ministry will present “Tune, Text and Theology: Composing for Today’s Church” with renowned liturgical composer and Paulist priest Father Ricky Manalo for its annual theology lecture at 7 p.m. on Oct. 9 in Annunciation Chapel on the university’s campus here, located at 4100 S. 4th St. The presentation is free and open to the public. Seating is limited.

OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

5

Archbishop McCarrick living in rural Kansas friary Former Washington cardinal living in Victoria

By Rhina Guidos Catholic News Service

W

ASHINGTON (CNS) — The Archdiocese of Washington announced Sept. 28 that former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, who was removed from ministry earlier this year after abuse allegations came to light, is now living in Kansas in a friary for Capuchin Franciscan friars.

Archbishop McCarrick resides at St. Fidelis Friary in the town of Victoria, the archdiocese said in a statement, adding that “respect for the privacy of this arrangement is requested” out of consideration for the peace of the community of the friars who live there.

Victoria is in a rural area of Kansas and has a population of about 1,200. The website for the friary, which is in the Diocese of Salina, lists its residents as five priests and one religious Brother.

Salina Bishop Gerald L. Vincke issued a statement Sept. 28 saying Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl called him on Sept. 13 to ask for his permission to allow Archbishop McCarrick to live there after the provincial, or superior, of the Capuchin religious community in Denver consented to the arrangement.

“Please know that I agreed to this arrangement with the understanding that Archbishop McCarrick is excluded from any public appearances and ministry” as church officials investigate the accusations and they’re examined in a canonical trial, Bishop Vincke said in the statement. “Our diocese is not incurring any cost in this arrangement.”

Bishop Vincke said that he realizes the decision “will be offensive and hurtful to many people,” especially since Archbishop McCarrick “is, in many ways, at the forefront of the recent firestorm in the church.”

While allowing Archbishop McCarrick to live in the diocese, Bishop

Why I said ‘yes’

Vincke said he had to reconcile his feelings of “disappointment, anger and even resentment” toward him.

“Many of us are confused and angry by what Archbishop McCarrick is alleged to have done several decades ago,” he said, while also apologizing to all victims of abuse.

On July 28, Pope Francis accepted then-Cardinal McCarrick’s resignation from the College of Cardinals and ordered him to “a life of prayer and penance until the accusations made against him are examined in a regular canonical trial.”

In June, the pope removed him from public ministry after allegations the then-cardinal had abused a minor 47 years ago in New York was deemed credible. A second accusation that he had abused a minor followed, along with other revelations from seminarians who alleged various abuses by the prelate in a New Jersey beach house.

Archbishop McCarrick has denied the accusations.

In July, The New York Times wrote about past financial settlements with two men who had accused the cardinal of abusing them.

Since then, the 88-year-old archbishop had been in seclusion in Washington. The statement from the diocese did not disclose when the move to Kansas took place.

Leadership from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met with Pope Francis Sept. 13 about carrying out an investigation of the archbishop and the allegations that surround him but have not publicly disclosed what it will entail.

In a statement Sept. 19, the USCCB Administrative Committee said it supported “a full investigation into the situation surrounding Archbishop McCarrick, including his alleged assaults on minors, priests and seminarians, as well any responses made to those allegations.”

decades ago. The Holy See stated on July 28 that Pope Francis “accepted his resignation from the cardinalate and has ordered his suspension from the exercise of any public ministry, together with the obligation to remain in a house yet to be indicated to him, for a life of prayer and penance until the accusations made against him are examined

By Most Rev. Gerald L. Vincke in a regular canonical trial.” Please know Bishop, Diocese of Salina that I agreed to this arrangement with the understanding that Archbishop McCarrick he church needs to be open, is excluded from any public appearances honest and transparent. and ministry. Our diocese is not incurring On Sept. 13, I received a phone any cost in this arrangement. call from His Eminence, Cardinal I believe in justice. Recently, the Donald Wuerl of WashAdministrative Committee of the ington, D.C. After brief pleasantU.S. Conference of Catholic Bishries, he got right to the point. He ops stated their support of a full asked for my permission for Archinvestigation into the allegations bishop Theodore McCarrick to surrounding Archbishop McCarreside at the St. Fidelis Capuchin rick. The committee has recomFriary in Victoria, to live a life of mended that the investigation be prayer and penance. Archbishop done by lay experts in relevant McCarrick is 88 years old. Cardifields, including law enforcement nal Wuerl already received perand social services. Currently, a mission for this arrangement from timeline for that investigation is Father Christopher Popravek, the Bishop Vincke unknown. provincial of the Capuchin Friary I also believe in mercy. In in Denver. I said, “yes.” saying “yes,” I had to reconcile my own I realize this decision will be offensive and feelings of disappointment, anger and hurtful to many people. Archbishop McCareven resentment toward Archbishop Mcrick is, in many ways, at the forefront of the Carrick. I had to turn to Christ for guidrecent firestorm in the church. Many of us ance. Jesus is rich in mercy. He did not are confused and angry by what Archbishop come to give us permission to sin, he McCarrick is alleged to have done several

T

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

Then-Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick attends a Mass in Rome April 11. The Archdiocese of Washington announced Sept. 28 that Archbishop McCarrick, who was removed from ministry earlier this year after abuse allegations came to light, is now living in Kansas in a friary for Capuchin Franciscan friars.

came to forgive our sins. We know that Christ has compassion and mercy for all who repent of their sins. The cross is a place of love and mercy. It is not a place of retribution. If our actions do not have mercy, then how can it be of the church?

Jesus reminds us to “be merciful, just as our Father is merciful.” Many years ago, I received a relic of St. Maria Goretti, who was canonized in 1950. When Maria was almost 12 years old, she was attacked by a 19-year-old man named Alessandro Serenelli. After she rebuffed his sexual advances, Alessandro stabbed her 14 times.

On her deathbed, Maria’s last words were, “I forgive Alessandro Serenelli . . . and I want him with me in heaven forever.” She forgave her assailant. Yet, there was also justice. Alessandro spent a number of years in prison. During this time, he had a deep conversion and spent the rest of his life in a monastery. I have a relic of St. Maria Goretti beside the tabernacle in my chapel with a prayer that I say often. The opening line is “Dear St. Maria Goretti, your heart was so full of mercy that you gladly forgave your assassin and prayed that he might be saved.” I think St. Maria Goretti is a saint today because she forgave Alessandro.

Sometimes, it can take a long time to forgive.

At this time, I would like to take the opportunity to say how deeply sorry I am to

all the victims of abuse. My heart aches for you and your families. I am unable to comprehend the extent of your suffering.

Sadly, many times the victims did not receive an adequate response from the church regarding the abuse they endured and the lifelong pain and suffering that accompanies such evil. As a church, we are extremely sorry and ask for forgiveness.

Because of the courage and perseverance of the victims who came forward, they have become the source of much-needed change in our church and our culture. I pray that this may bring about greater purification and healing for our world.

This is a difficult time for the church.

This purification of the church by God is painful, but much needed. We need the eyes of faith as we suffer through this.

“Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey (“Lumen Fidei” (“The Light of Faith”), 57).” Jesus is with us as light in the midst of darkness.

We trust that God will bring good out of this situation. Please join me in praying for Archbishop McCarrick as he now leads a life of prayer and penance. Most of all, let us pray for all victims of abuse so they may experience the healing presence of Jesus and the tenderness and compassion of Our Blessed Mother.

OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

FAMILY LIFE

O

6

Keep holy the commute and the carpool

ur minivan is one big silver stereotype.

Granola bar wrappers on the floor. Cheerios stuck between seats.

Baseball gear rolling around the back.

I’ll admit our car is overlooked; I’d never let the house get this dirty.

It’s also much-maligned, as I crack jokes regularly about minivan life.

I know I’m not alone in feeling like we live in the car some days.

The average American spends about an hour a day driving.

But St. Catherine of Siena said that all the way to heaven is heaven. What if our time spent driving mattered as much as our destinations?

Could our hours on the road be sacred space?

If we believe God is omnipresent, there is no place where God is not.

The Holy Spirit hovers over the minivan’s chaos, too.

Christ can come to each of us on the road.

Perhaps he shows up on our daily commute, inviting us to choose compassion over aggression.

Maybe he squeezes in during the latest pickup from sports practice, nudging us to welcome the sweaty teammates piling in the back as Christ himself.

But there’s not a

LAURA KELLY FANUCCI Fanucci is a mother, writer and director of a project on vocation at the Collegeville Institute in Collegeville, Minnesota. She is the author of several books, and blogs at: www.motheringspirit.com.

single rush hour or road traveled where God does not go with us.

Saint Frances of Rome — wife, mother and servant of Rome’s sick and poor — is one of the patron saints of motorists. Legend holds that her guardian angel carried a lantern before her whenever she traveled to light the road and keep her safe.

She is also famous for saying, “Sometimes a wife must leave God at the altar to find him in her household management.”

Sometimes, then, a mom must dig through the clutter to find God in her car.

Our van is an Odyssey. (When we bought

it, I begged my husband to rename his car the Iliad so we could have a matching pair.)

But the name rings true. Within the Odyssey’s walls, our family is traveling together on a long journey over years and years. Our houseon-wheels is full in this stage of life, ringing with laughter, fighting, music and even prayer.

Inside our car, we’ve offered morning blessings on every drive to school. We’ve said a Hail Mary for racing ambulances with sirens

All are invited to join in a

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(North side of Santa Fe St. between Water and Chestnut St.)

We pray for the healing of our world, our Nation, our Church and for the victims of abuse. St. Paul tells us that “Where sin abounds, God’s grace abounds all the more.”

— Romans 5:20 Now is the time for men of good will to implore the mercy of God for a renewal within our hearts, our Church and the world!

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screaming. We’ve tackled big life questions from kids in the backseat. We’ve navigated hard-but-good conversations between spouses in the front.

When I stop to see, I realize that it’s in our van (as in our home) that we are becoming the people and the family that God is calling us to be.

Just as we gather around our kitchen table — which I’m quick to claim as holy space in the domestic church — we spend time together

in our car each day. We share conversation, questions and the occasional snack en route to the places we are called: home, school, office, church and every stop along the way.

Sometimes, on a solo drive to a meeting for work, I notice the silence: sweet, rare, fleeting. As an introvert, I secretly savor the quiet without kids in the backseat: no screaming, no squabbling over songs on the radio.

When the car is bursting with noise

again, I’m better able to give thanks for the life I’ve been given — because I’ve felt the contrast between full and empty.

The Catholic “Book of Blessings” offers a prayer for blessing a vehicle. It includes the line: “Whether they travel for business or pleasure, let them always find Christ to be the companion of their journey.”

May the same be said of our families — and our cars, too.

OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

7

Homemade salsa, fried tacos —a hit, year after year >> Continued from page 1 It’s a big, all-hands-on-deck event — with a long and storied tradition. Not only is it the PTO’s largest fundraiser; it’s the parish’s biggest social event.

This year, the 45-year-old Mexican Supper was held on Sept. 28.

“The parish completely embraces it,” said Joan Dold, the current overall event chairperson. “They expect it.

They enjoy the sit-down time together and the preparation.”

Dold believes the first Mexican Supper was held in 1973 as a way to welcome the Hispanic families of the just-closed St. Catherine School from across town.

Now, parishioners of all stripes come together to celebrate — laden with their contributions.

“They’ll volunteer extras,” said Dold.

“They’ll say, ‘Do you need me to make an extra pie for you?’

“It’s a lot of work but, when you see how much everyone supports it, you feel God’s grace flowing.”

A well-oiled machine The star of the Mexican Supper is the fried taco. In 1973, volunteers fried perhaps 200 or 300 tacos. This year, they fried more than 7,000 and grossed $24,843. Last year’s profit was about $19,000.

Of course, there is more to it than tacos. The $8 a plate (presale) dinners consist of two tacos, Mexican rice, chips with homemade salsa, dessert and a drink. The day of the supper, unfried tacos are sold by the box for home consumption.

And even though the tables in the parish hall were filled with diners, carryouts accounted for more than half the meals served.

Pulling off an event like this requires at least four things: volunteers, organization, experience and leadership.

For the past seven years, Joan Dold, who is also the parish director of faith formation for children, has chaired the event.

But she has a lot of help.

In addition to two co-chairpersons, she has 22 chairpersons for various jobs: promotions, ticket processing, desserts, drinks, taco frying and so on.

There’s even a salsa chairperson.

That might sound silly, but this chair is responsible for producing 115 gallons of fresh, homemade salsa and making sure there’s enough for the dining tables and the carryout meals.

A Mexican Supper without salsa?

Unthinkable!

If Joan Dold is the “queen” of the Mexican Supper, she has a “spreadsheet king.” That would be her husband Dan. “He keeps us all sane,” said Joan.

“You can’t be a chairperson without a husband standing beside you.”

Dan is the man with the numbers.

He has recorded a decade’s worth of

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It takes a lot of workers to fry nearly 3,000 tacos. On fry duty are, clockwise from left, Curt Wilhelmson, Janice Rodriguez, Gilbert Rangel, Robert Strait and Ty Wilson. data about tickets sold, how many tacos were fried, how many meals were dinein or carryout, what kind of supplies and amounts were used, and more.

“It really helps us to not get so panicky about whether or not we’ll have enough food,” said Joan.

“I knew how much salsa to cup up ahead of time,” she said, “so we weren’t dumping out salsa cups into carafes on tables, and we weren’t stealing from carafes on the tables to satisfy our carryout customers.

“Last year, Dan told me the number of carryout salsa cups we needed was within 30 of what we sent out the door — and it was more than 1,400.”

It’s the final countdown Planning the Mexican Supper takes almost a year. Strangely enough, it starts with the high school football schedule.

“We don’t want to schedule the supper during homecoming,” said Dold. Once homecoming is set, planners schedule it for a late weekend of September.

The various chairpersons are appointed before school dismisses for summer. Tickets are issued to students during the summer, and the first sales are ready to turn in the first week of school.

Students are encouraged to sell by earning weekly prizes, and a lock-in party is held. There is a big award ceremony — The Pepper Rally — the day

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before the meal.

In the past, tacos were fried at homes and other places all over town and brought to the school.

These days, all the tacos are fried and unpinned in the school kitchen. The parish hall kitchen is used for preparation and assembly. Desserts are cut and boxed or placed in trays in a room off the main part of the parish hall.

The PTO even has an arrangement to steam the rice at Emporia State University the morning of the Mexican Supper.

On the week of the Mexican Supper, the pace of preparation intensifies.

Come Tuesday night, volunteers cook 700 pounds of taco meat. On Wednesday, they pin the tacos and make salsa.

(Last year, volunteers pinned 6,421 tacos in slightly more than three hours.)

On Thursday, they brew tea and decorate the parish hall. On Friday, they cut desserts and fry and unpin the tacos.

At 4:30 p.m. on Friday, the doors opened and people came pouring in.

Most were from Emporia or its environs, but others came from as far as Clay Center. Principal Darby O’Neill led the opening meal prayer and then the lines began to move forward.

The food assembly line sped them through like a well-oiled machine.

“It’s going great,” said Matt Sheeley, the rice chairperson. “Everything seems to be going easier and faster than normal — everything’s going smooth.”

Besides the post-supper takedown, cleaning, counting the money and filling out the spreadsheet, only one thing

The week of the supper TUESDAY Volunteers cook 700 pounds of taco meat.

WEDNESDAY Tacos are pinned and salsa made.

THURSDAY Tea is brewed, and the parish hall decorated.

FRIDAY Desserts are cut and tacos are fried and unpinned.

remained yet to be done: prepare for the next one. ¡Viva Mexican Supper!

RESPECT LI

Another look at abortion Uniquely you

B

before birth, it’s legal in most states and called abortion. The only real difference is a declaration by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade (1973).

From your first moments of existence, you had all the DNA that would determine your sex, facial features, physique and the color of your skin, hair and eyes. At 24 days, your heart began beating. By eight weeks, all Many people don’t realize how unyour organs were present, and your restricted legal abortion is, misled by unique fingerprints were forming.

Roe’s claim that states may ban aborUltrasounds show tions after viabilthat by 18 weeks, ity “except when you could swim, it is necessary to FROM YOUR FIRST somersault, suck preserve the life MOMENTS OF EXISTENCE, or health of the your thumb, and even cover your mother.” (“ViabiliYOU HAD ALL THE DNA ears if you heard ty” is when the baby loud music. If THAT WOULD DETERMINE has a reasonable you’d been born chance of survival YOUR SEX, FACIAL just 23 weeks after outside the womb.) conception, your But in Roe’s comFEATURES, PHYSIQUE chance of survivpanion case, Doe al would be 50-80 Bolton, the court AND THE COLOR OF YOUR v.defined percent; by 25 “health” to weeks, it’s over 90 include “all factors SKIN, HAIR AND EYES. percent, and that’s — physical, emostill months before tional, psychologifull-term birth. cal, familial and the Now, if someone takes an innowoman’s age — relevant to the well-becent person’s life after he or she is ing” of the mother. That seems broad born, it’s against the law; just minutes enough to permit virtually any abortion

Abortion is permitted up to full-term birth

Articles courtesy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities. For more information, go to: www.usccb.org/respectlife

post-viability.

The Supreme Court, however, has yet to be confronted with a challenge to a post-viability ban that will test Doe’s breadth. Indeed, 20 states currently ban late-term abortions subject to a narrow exception for the mother’s life or physical health (not for emotional, psychological, familial or age-related reasons). Most of these laws have gone unchallenged, but they are hard to enforce even if they are constitutionally permissible.

Effects of abortion Abortion results in the death of a child. For many mothers, abortion causes severe and long-lasting emotional, psychological and spiritual trauma. Many women experience overwhelming guilt, shame and grief. Other effects have also been documented: depression, withdrawal from others, eating disorders, self- punishing behaviors like “cutting,” sexual dysfunction and problems with intimacy, alcohol and drug dependency, problems bonding with other or subsequent children, abortion-related nightmares and other sleep problems.

Family relationships may suffer as the aborted child’s father, grandparents or other family members experience their own guilt, grief or loss. Even if the mother keeps her abortion secret,

family members can be distressed by changes in the mother’s behavior and mental or emotional health.

What the church teaches The church has consistently taught that every human life is precious and worthy of protection. Every intentional abortion is gravely wrong. In April 2018, Pope Francis wrote: “Our defense of the innocent unborn . . . needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development.”

The church does not approach difficult pregnancy decisions with a false “either/or” mentality, pitting mother against child. For example, a baby conceived in rape is not an aggressor deserving death by abortion. She is innocent, like her mother. They both deserve compassionate care and support, not more violence. Abortion doesn’t bring healing or peace, but both can be found in the courageous decision to give birth to the baby.

Today, many babies diagnosed prenatally with a disability are aborted.

Frightened parents, unsure of their ability to care for such a child, can trust that God gave them this child for a reason.

Parents raising children with disabilities often write about the unexpected joys and transformative effect on their families.

Even when the disabilities are so severe that the baby is likely to die before or soon after birth, “many parents who carried their children to term say that protecting their baby and honoring his or her natural life, no matter

Another look at contraception

T

o some, the Catholic Church’s consistent teaching against birth control may seem outdated. Yet with each passing year, evidence of contraception’s negative consequences keeps piling up, revealing profound repercussions on women, children, families and society.

Physicians’ textbooks and handbooks reveal that some types of contraception sometimes work by preventing a living, developing, embryonic baby from reaching the uterus and successfully implanting, which results in his or her death.

Some contraceptives can cause early abortions

Contraception also presents significant health risks for women. Combined oral contraceptives (COCs), as well as contraceptive patches and the “ring,” have long been known to cause cancer (of the breast, cervix and liver). They also substantially increase the risk of potentially life-threatening blood clots, which have resulted in heart attacks, strokes and hundreds of deaths in healthy young women.

Through the church’s teaching, God invites us to a fuller, richer, deeper way of life and love.

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) present other risks. For example, the following are just some of the warnings by the

Advocates of contraception claim it doesn’t cause abortions. However, that claim rests on an inaccurate redefinition of “pregnancy” as beginning only after an embryo successfully implants in the mother’s uterus.

This, then, excludes from the meaning of abortion all pills and devices that cause the death of an embryo before implantation. Yet it’s scientifically indisputable that a new human life begins when an embryo first forms at fertilization — six to eight days before implantation.

Physical risks for women

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about one common IUD: septic shock and death may occur in the event of pregnancy; about half of pregnancies are ectopic; the device may embed, perforate or penetrate the uterine wall, resulting in its migration outside the [uterus], adhesions, peritonitis, intestinal perforation/obstruction, abscesses

and erosion of adjacent internal organs.

From pill to poverty Without the contraceptive pill, the sexual revolution couldn’t have happened. Few women were willing to risk pregnancy outside of marriage.

IFE MONTH how brief, was profoundly healing.”

Very rarely, continuing a pregnancy may put a mother’s life at risk — for example, because of a tubal pregnancy or aggressive uterine cancer. It is morally licit to remove the threat to the mother’s life by removing the cancerous uterus or the fallopian tube where the child implanted, even though it is foreseeable that the child will die as an indirect and unintended result of such surgery. But abortion — a direct and intentional taking of a child’s life — is never morally permissible.

What are we to do?

Love them both! Support women who need help during and after difficult pregnancies through the work of your diocesan Respect Life office and local pregnancy care centers.

Educate yourself and others about struggles some experience after abortion, and find out online where to refer those seeking help at: www.hope afterabortion.org. If you feel called to support your local ministry, contact your diocesan Project Rachel Ministry office for ways you might help.

Stay informed online about key federal legislation and the voting records of your elected representatives by visiting: www.humanlifeaction.org and www.usccb.org/prolife. Stay updated on state issues by signing up to receive information from your state Catholic conference or diocesan pro-life office.

Most importantly, pray daily for the end to abortion, that all mothers and children experience the loving support of the church community, and that all who suffer after abortion find healing and peace.

of a child’s biological father in the home are two of the strongest predictors of poor academic, emotional and behavioral outcomes in children.

Contraception is unreliable

Economist George Akerlof has shown how that dynamic abruptly changed with the contraceptive pill, leading to “the feminization of poverty.”

Told that the pill would prevent pregnancy, women had sex without the promise of marriage. Because women controlled the decision to contracept, give birth or undergo abortion, howev-

er, many men reasoned that they were not responsible for children conceived outside marriage. Indicating men’s denial of responsibility: “Shotgun marriages” soon plummeted, while out-ofwedlock births nearly tripled. In less than two decades (1965-1984), abortions among unmarried women grew from an annual 88,000 to 1,271,000.

Throughout the past decade, at least 40 percent of children each year are born to unmarried mothers who are often left struggling in poverty to raise children alone. According to Child Trends, “in 2015, 43 percent of children living in single-mother families were poor, compared with 10 percent of children living in married-couple families.” Poverty and the absence

How could abortions and nonmarital births skyrocket if women are contracepting? With typical use, most contraceptives are far from reliable, especially for teens, who are twice as likely as adults to become pregnant while using contraceptive pills, patches or rings. Every year, one million of the 11 million U.S. women on the pill become pregnant, and 40 percent of them undergo abortions.

What does our Catholic faith offer?

God’s love is generous, sacrificial, life-giving and forever. As humans made in God’s image, we are called to imitate the eternal giving and

receiving of love that is the Holy Trinity. We can do this in a unique way through marriage — a vowed communion of a man and a woman who enter a “one flesh” union open to bringing forth a new human life.

“The whole meaning of marriage is present and signified” in each act of marital sex, so the love-giving and life-giving purposes of sex should not be separated.

At the same time, for serious reasons, in exercising responsible parenthood, a couple may “decide not to have additional children for either a certain or an indefinite period of time.” In these cases, “the church teaches that married people may then take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse only during those times that are infertile.”

Thanks to the research of countless doctors and scientists, modern, fertility awareness-based methods of natural family planning rival and even surpass the effectiveness of contraceptives while posing no risks to mothers or unborn children. In fact, couples using such methods report better sex, improved communication and the ability to identify underlying causes of infertility.

(To learn more, visit the website at: www.foryour marriage.org/ familyplanning.)

In short, through the church’s teaching, God invites us to a fuller, richer, deeper way of life and love.

OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

NATION

10

Attendees return home from Encuentro with hope

By Norma Montenegro Flynn Catholic News Service

W

ASHINGTON (CNS) — Fifth National Encuentro participants returned to their dioceses and parishes with many challenges and hopes.

Among them, they were called to share their gifts and reach out across race and language barriers in their own parish and diocesan communities; at the same time, they also urged the rest of non-Hispanic Catholics to recognize their presence and open doors to their gifts and contributions.

Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, stressed that call to Catholic organizations and institutions. He told participants, “One of the missions of Encuentro is to tell the other Catholics in this country: Hispanics have many gifts to give you, open the doors, and let them give these gifts and do not be ashamed of their traditions.”

Hispanics represent about 40 percent of U.S. Catholics and nearly 60 percent of millennial Catholics, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. Over 3,200 diocesan delegates or representatives,

CNS PHOTO/TYLER ORSBURN

Delegates celebrate the Sept. 23 closing session of the Fifth National Encuentro, or V Encuentro, in Grapevine, Texas. The Sept. 20-23 gathering brought together more than 3,200 Hispanic Catholic leaders and about 125 bishops from across the country. bishops and other Catholic leaders participated in the national gathering in Grapevine, Texas, in the Diocese of Fort Worth.

While there is a more vivid awareness in recognizing the opportunities in the gifts that Hispanics can bring to

the table, part of the reality is that circumstances are different from region to region and even from parish to parish, and awareness must continue at all levels, said Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas.

“It’s really a deepening of the aware-

ness of the whole people of God, catechists, parish secretaries, pastors and diocesan structures, about thinking differently about what their local situation is to invite people in. That’s an attitudinal reality,” Bishop Flores said in an interview with Catholic News Service.

V Encuentro, as it also is known, is a sign of great progress but there is still a lot of work to be done, particularly in Catholic institutions of higher education, Bishop Flores added.

The V Encuentro process has made inroads in initiating dialogues, opportunities for encounter and collaborations among Hispanics, across cultures and across ministries in over 2,500 parish communities, and more than 150 dioceses around the country. It also has identified and prepared over 25,000 new ministry leaders, according to organizers.

The call to include Hispanics in other ministries and positions within the church not limited to Hispanic ministry was voiced particularly among young adults.

“We need more people like us, who are not afraid to meet people where they are and to bring others into the conversation,” said participant Lia Salinas, who manages Hispanic ministry for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Help with cleanup after Florence called an act of ‘faith, love’

By Kate Turgeon Watson Catholic News Service

N

EW BERN, N.C. (CNS) — Nancy Sciara’s “insides were shaking.” She woke up, she said, unsure of what to expect from the

day.

Sciara, 84, was widowed 12 days earlier. And, four days after that, she sat in her home and watched as wind and rain from Hurricane Florence raged outside a window. It flooded the garage and workroom of her River Bend home and damaged her living room.

Her son, from his home in New Jersey, made calls to try to hire someone to clean.

“Nobody came,” she said. “Even for money. We couldn’t even get people to hire.”

But, on Sept. 22, four Knights of Columbus arrived at her home armed with wheelbarrows, work gloves and time to serve. The volunteers from St. Paul Parish in New Bern lined the street with once-treasured possessions, such as the vise from Sciara’s husband’s workbench, that had become trash.

It was a common scene on Plantation Drive, a residential street in the previously serene golf community, where curbs were lined with wet insulation, trash bags, furniture and mattresses.

Chainsaws buzzed in neighbors’ yards as fallen trees were dealt with. Large,

CNS PHOTO/ANJANETTE WILEY, NC CATHOLICS

Denny Colbert, a member of the Knights of Columbus Council in New Bern, N.C., volunteers Sept. 22 in a home damaged in flooding caused by Hurricane Florence. makeshift signs created with spray paint thanked volunteers and warned would-be looters.

Inside her garage, Sciara avoided the sun and helped the Knights. She’d occasionally pick up a wet cardboard box or a stray golf ball. She paused to look at photos of her husband, and their friends.

“That’s what has to happen,” she said as volunteers carried damaged items to the curb. “You have to close your eyes and just let them do the

work. You could agonize over each and every piece, but then you’d be here for a week or two.”

Because her car was flooded, Sciara has been without transportation since the storm hit. She said she was eating the food already in her home, and was thankful for the work of the Knights of Columbus Council No. 3303 and her parish community at St. Paul, where she became a parishioner in 1995.

About four miles from Sciara’s home, Gary Johnson dealt with the

damage to his house in Trent Woods, which he shares with wife Megan and their two daughters. The first floor of their two-story home and two of their cars were completely flooded.

Also a St. Paul parishioner, Johnson received help from a group of seven college students from East Carolina University’s Newman Center, a Catholic campus ministry. Students cut wet carpet into squares, tore it from the floorboards and delivered it to the curb as scented candles burned in the kitchen to mask the smell of standing water.

“This is faith. This is love,” Johnson said about the volunteers. “No matter how evil Hurricane Florence could be, the force of God is even stronger. If you don’t believe it, walk out in my yard and look at that mountain of debris that these people unselfishly [created].”

Before the storm, the Johnson family evacuated to Atlanta, where they stayed with family members.

When they returned home five days after the storm hit, they could not go back to live in their house, which was uninhabitable.

Johnson said that she and her husband are homeowners and were required to have flood insurance because their home was in a flood plain. However, she added, they didn’t have coverage for the contents in the house.

“Everything that’s on that curb, we don’t have a backup plan for,” she told NC Catholics, magazine of the Diocese of Raleigh.

OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

WORLD END OF AN ERA

Quebec Ursulines leave 17th-century monastery

By Philippe Vaillancourt Catholic News Service

Q

UEBEC CITY (CNS) — Daylight illuminates the monastery’s long corridors, seeping through the old windows dotting its thick walls. The floor responds to the slightest step with an enveloping rustle, as today’s Ursulines follow the footsteps of their predecessors. But this uninterrupted cycle that dates back to 17th-century New France is coming to an end.

In October, the majority of the 50 Ssisters who live in the monastery founded by St. Mary of the Incarnation will head to the Quebec borough of Beauport, where a new home for the elderly awaits them. For the first time in their lives, they will live with laypeople and members of another community, the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary.

“If we want health care until the end, if we want to be safe, if we want to be freed from administration and management, it was necessary to think about leaving the house,” said Sister Cecile Dionne, superior general of the Ursulines of the Canadian Union.

For many Ursulines, it is an opportunity to make an introspective journey on their lives as nuns, on the gift of their lives to God. Contemplating the vast chapel of the monastery, Sister Dionne and two Sisters recall the joy they felt during religious celebrations and the beauty of the songs they sang together. Their lives have been marked by Ursulines since their youth.

Sister Pauline Duchesne, chair of the board, became a boarder at the Ursulines when she was a teenager.

“It was like a new birth. This is the first time I say it like that, but it’s

A

RU, Congo (CNS) — Three convents in Congo were attacked by armed men in the latest violence targeting the Catholic Church in the central African country.

“The thugs attacked the nuns and threatened them with death, before taking away their money” and other goods intended for the Sisters’ work in the community, the justice and peace commission of the Archdiocese of Kananga said in a statement.

The convent of St. Joseph of Tarbes in Bena Mukangala was attacked Sept. 6, and in Kambote and Malole, convents of

Vatican and China come to an agreement

By Michael Sainsbury Catholic News Service

B CNS PHOTO/PHILIPPE VAILLANCOURT

Ursuline Sister Cecile Dionne speaks to Sister Pauline Duchesne and Sister Celine Bergeron inside Quebec City’s Ursuline monastery chapel June 1. In October, the majority of the 50 Sisters who live in the monastery, founded by St. Mary of the Incarnation, will head to the borough of Beauport, where a new home for the elderly awaits them. really what I live. These Sisters gave me love, confidence in me, made me see that I had abilities,” she said, adding that she was fascinated by the joy that emanated from the Sisters.

Sister Celine Bergeron, superior of a local community inside the monastery, said the Ursulines have always formed a big family, an experience they worked to perpetuate through the centuries.

The high ceilings of the chapel give way to a more intimate space, site of the tomb of St. Mary of the Incarnation, who established the Ursulines in Quebec nearly four centuries ago.

The three Sisters say they thought a lot about her and prayed to the saint who left everything in France, including a son, to go on a mission in the New World.

“We’re leaving to go die elsewhere: We go to meet a new way of living our

mission, which has always been to be with people,” said Sister Dionne.

“Maybe today, we are called to join our brothers and sisters who, like us, are facing the challenges of old age.

Sister Bergeron stressed that leaving their monastery is “a new crossing in our Ursuline life.”

“We do it together. We will lean on each other. We do not know the mission that lies ahead,” she said.

“We will have to discover that it will be our new community life in a new world.”

Many maxims painted on wooden panels adorn the walls of the monastery. The three nuns, who have been walking these places for decades, know them by heart. Here and there, some older Sisters walk slowly and greet each other with a broad smile.

The place has no luxury, yet it has always been full of life.

Three convents in Congo attacked within two-week span

By Godfrey Olukya Catholic News Service

11

the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary were attacked on Sept. 14 and Sept. 19, respectively.

The commission in Kananga, a city in Congo’s central Kasai region, urged authorities to investigate the incidents, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators, and ensure the safety of the Sisters and their convents.

“The nuns . . . have dedicated their lives to the service of the church and our nation,” the commission said, noting that some of the Sisters “are missionaries who come from faraway countries and provide social services” in Congo.

As well as caring for the sick, elderly, widows and orphans, the Sisters work in providing health care and education to Congolese, the statement said.

Civilians in eastern Congo have been brutalized by militias, rebels and military units in recent years. Thousands of women have been raped by the armed groups. Analysts say competition for mineral resources is the key factor fueling the violence, but recently succession politics added to the troubles.

Challenging what they termed as an “illegal” third term for President Joseph Kabila and moving to broker a deal between the government and opposition parties, the Catholic Church has found itself targeted. Priests have been abducted, and churches, convents and Catholic schools have been vandalized or looted by armed groups.

ANGKOK (CNS) — When Deng Xiaoping took charge of the Chinese Communist Party in late 1978 and announced his program of reform, it was the beginning of the end of 39 years of isolation for China’s Christians.

The year 1978 was also the beginning of the 27-year papacy of St. John Paul II, and it has taken another 40 years of slow progress and some backward steps for the Vatican to reach its first official agreement with Beijing after China cut ties with the Holy See in 1951. The provisional agreement, announced Sept.

22, concerns the appointment of bishops in China.

Pope Francis has described the negotiations as “two steps forward, one step back.” But in a message to Chinese Catholics, he said he hoped it would begin an “unprecedented process that we hope will help to heal the wounds of the past, restore full communion among all Chinese Catholics, and lead to a phase of greater fraternal cooperation in order to renew our commitment to the mission of proclaiming the Gospel.”

In 1957, China’s communists opted to follow the lead of other communist regimes in Eastern Europe to establish state-controlled “national churches.”

China’s Catholic Patriotic Association, under which priests were ordained and bishops appointed by the state, was not in communion with the Vatican. The same tactic was undertaken with the four other official religions as the party set up its own bodies to control Buddhism, Taoism, Islam and Protestantism.

This situation created the major, long-term stumbling block to any resumption of official relations with the Holy See. In response, in 1958 Pope Pius XII issued the encyclical “Ad Apostolorum Principis,” condemning the activities of the patriotic association and declaring that bishops who participated in consecrating new bishops selected by the CCPA would be excommunicated.

When Pope Francis was elected in 2013, he appointed then-Archbishop Parolin as secretary of state, giving the fresh talks on China continuity with the past.

“Francis restarted the negotiations in 2014,” said Missionhurst Father Jeroom Heyndrickx, a member of the Vatican Commission on China, which has not met under Pope Francis. Earlier this year, he told Catholic News Service the Chinese had full trust in Cardinal Parolin and also in retired Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, who served in the Secretariat of State under St. John Paul.

OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CLASSIFIEDS

EMPLOYMENT Positions open - Cashiers, stockers and warehouse needed. Range of pay is $8 - 12 per hour. Weekday and weekend hours, no nights. Apply in person at Smoke ’n’ Fire, 8030 W. 151st St., Overland Park, KS 66223.

Drivers - Ready for the summers off? Join our school transportation division and live like a kid again! Our drivers have the opportunity to serve our community and still get those precious summer breaks. Assisted Transportation seeks caring and reliable drivers to transport K - 12 students in Johnson and Wyandotte counties in our minivans. CDL not required. $12 per hour. Retirees encouraged to apply. Learn more or apply online at: assistedtransportation.com or call (913) 262-5190 for more information. EOE. Victim assistance coordinator - The office of child and youth protection (OCYP) for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking an individual to fill a part-time position, victim assistance coordinator. This position is responsible for providing support to and identifying resources for victims and their families in cases of abuse by clergy or other archdiocesan personnel. This individual will manage treatment referrals and resources for individuals and families affected and foster reconciliation between the church and these individuals. In their role as a staff member of the OCYP, this position works closely with the director of the OCYP, the vicar for clergy and the report investigator. Minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in social work or a closely related field, and/or experience related to victim support; intermediate competency in MS Office Suite; and must be a practicing Catholic in good standing. A complete job description, application and benefits information are available on the archdiocese’s website at: www.archkck.org/jobs.

Interested individuals should mail cover letter, resume and application to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Office of Human Resources, Victim Assistance Coordinator, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, or send via email to: jobs@archkck.org. Position open until filled.

Extended day coordinator - This position provides supervision for elementary school students outside of their regular school hours. This would include planning activities and coordinating programs that currently exist. The position is full time with benefits. If interested, call Ms. Theresa at (913) 248-4589 to set up an interview.

Sonographer - Wyandotte Pregnancy Clinic is a faithbased nonprofit organization serving women and families facing unplanned pregnancies with Christ-like compassion. We have an immediate opening for a sonographer to perform limited (not diagnostic) sonograms. That person could also serve at our new Olathe location. RDMS and nurse-sonographers who have been trained on ultrasound should apply. Send resumes to Donna Kelsey at: dkelsey@ wpcnetwork.org or call (913) 904-4050.

Extended care lead teacher - St. Patrick Early Education Center is now hiring a faith-filled lead teacher for our after-school program. The hours are 11:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. each school day. Experience is preferred, but not required. Will train. For more information, send an email to: stpatearlyedcenter@stpatrickkck.eduk12.net.

Lay counselor - Olathe Pregnancy Clinic will open in October. We will serve women and families facing unplanned pregnancies with Christ-like compassion. We have an immediate opening for a full-time bilingual lay counselor. Qualified applicants need to be bilingual in Spanish and English; be a faithful practicing Christian; possess strong pro-life convictions; and have a compassionate heart. Training will be provided. Send resumes to Donna Kelsey at: dkelsey@wpc network.org or call (913) 904-4050.

DRIVERS NEEDED Seeking caring and reliable drivers. Work up to 40 hours per week. Transport elderly and disabled individuals to and from medical appointments.

CDL not required. Retirees encouraged to apply.

Competitive wages and benefits. EOE. Learn more or apply online at: www.assistedtransportation.com (913) 262-5190 Infant and toddler teacher - This is a full-time position, at a school in Shawnee, with benefits. Curriculum is in place as a guide for activities. If interested, call Ms. Theresa at (913) 248-4589 to set up an interview.

Director of social services - The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is seeking a director of social services, responsible for planning, directing and implementing a variety of social service programs that target the needs of the poor in our downtown community, particularly the homeless, materially poor, disabled and elderly. The position is full time, based upon 40 hours per week. The parish offers a comprehensive benefits program, including medical, dental and vision plans; STD/LTD fully paid by the employer; retirement plans, including a 403(b) plan and a defined benefit pension plan. Paid time off includes generous vacation and sick leaves, plus paid holidays. For more information and to apply, go online to: https://careers.hireology.com/thecatholicdio ceseofkansascitystjoseph/233623/description.

Enjoy working with children? - Curé of Ars Catholic School would like you to join our after-school care program. The hours are 3 - 6 p.m. and can be flexible based on your schedule. Contact after-school care director Rhiannon Mendez at: Rhiannon.Mendez@cureofars.com for more information.

Sales position – Do you have sales experience? Are you well networked in the local community? J.S. Paluch Company, national publisher of church bulletins, has full- and part-time positions available. Excellent earning potential; medical benefits; 401(k); life and AD&D insurance available; excellent commission; compensation program. Interested?

Call Kay Leane at (800) 621-5197, ext. 2823, or email resume to: Recruiting@jspaluch.com.

Lead consultant for pro-life ministries - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking a lead consultant for pro-life ministry. The mission of the pro-life office is to teach respect for all human life from conception to natural death and organize for its protection. All offices for pro-life initiatives are aligned with the USCCB’s “Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities,” and the consultant is charged with assisting the archbishop and his pastors in implementing these initiatives.

The role of the consultant is to rally the Catholic faithful and people of good will to build up a “culture of life” through collaborative action with the parishes and pastoral regions of the archdiocese. The position requires strong leadership skills; excellent communication skills (both written and verbal); management skills including planning, executing, evaluating, prioritizing, meeting objectives and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications. Bachelor degree or equivalent required as well as involvement in pro-life activities/organizations. An application and benefits information are available on the archdiocese website at: www.archkck.org/jobs.

Interested individuals should send a cover letter, resume and application via email to: jobs@archkck.org, title Consultant for Pro-Life. Position open until filled.

Associate director of planned giving - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking an associate director of planned giving for the office of stewardship and development. This position is responsible for advancing the mission of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas through professional stewardship and relationship-building activities as well as developing, organizing and implementing a spiritually based archdiocesan planned giving program. Duties include: developing operational and program goals; communication for all planned giving initiatives; and managing planned giving programs within the office of stewardship and development. The ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing and have a minimum of five years in planned giving, marketing or related field. Requires bachelor’s degree in finance, communications or marketing; master’s degree preferred in business, law or accounting. Position requires a strong knowledge of Catholic Church organization and procedures; principles and practices of planned giving; building and maintaining relationships with staff, parishes and potential donors; and strict confidentiality. A complete job description, application and benefits information are available on the archdiocese’s website at: www.archkck.org/ jobs. Interested individuals should send cover letter, resume, application and pastor’s letter of support. Send via email to: jobs@archkck.org, or mail to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Office of Human Resources, Associate Director of Planned Giving Search, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. Position is open until filled.

Executive director - Wyandotte Pregnancy Clinic is a faithbased nonprofit organization serving women and families facing unplanned pregnancies with Christ-like compassion.

We are looking for an executive director at our Wyandotte location. The candidate should have strong leadership and supervisory skills; be flexible and able to work in a constantly evolving work environment; be comfortable collaborating with a wide range of agencies, churches and organizations; have excellent writing and communication skills; familiarity with QuickBooks, databases and MS Office products. Will be responsible for growing donor base and event planning.

Being bilingual is a plus. Reports to governing board. Send resume to Donna Kelsey at: dkelsey@wpcnetwork.org. Our client website is: www.wyandottepregnancyclinic.org; our donor website is: www.BabiesAtRisk.org; our Mobile Pregnancy Clinic is: www.mobilepregnancyclinic.org. For more information, call Donna at (913) 904-4050.

Safe environment compliance administrator – The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is accepting applications for a full-time safe environment compliance administrator position in the office of administrative services.

Duties include coordinating all aspects of the VIRTUS program, including background screenings, implementation and compliance in parishes, and reporting. Ideal candidate will be a practicing Catholic in good standing and have a minimum of 3-5 years professional experience including proficiency in data management and organization. Application and benefits information are available on the archdiocese’s web site at: www.archkck.org/jobs.

Qualified individuals should submit cover letter, resume, and application (available on website) to: jobs@archkck. org, title safe environment compliance administrator. Position open until filled.

Job opportunities at Catholic Charities in Kansas City-St. Joseph - We are searching for some heavenly help. We’re looking for angelic job candidates who not only meet the professional requirements but also eagerly respond, “Here I am Lord, send me . . . into the battle to help feed, clothe, comfort, instruct and counsel my brothers and sisters in need.” Won’t you join our ranks? We are looking for the following: 1) deaf and disabilities ministries coordinator; 2) AmeriCorps peer navigator; 3) accounts payable clerk; and 4) a family development specialist.

For more information and to apply, go online to: https:// careers.hireology.com/catholiccharities-kansascityandst joseph.

Toddler teacher - Our Lady’s Montessori School is in need of a toddler teacher. If you are Montessori trained or in the process of earning your certificate, I would like to talk with you. We are expanding to an elementary school next fall.

Send your resume online to: jwallace@olmskc.org.

HOME IMPROVEMENT Swalms organizing - downsizing - cleanout service - Reduce clutter – Any space organized. Shelving built on-site. Items hauled for recycling and donations. 20 years exp.; insured. Call Tillar at (913) 375-9115. WWW. SWALMSORGANIZING.COM. Masonry work - Quality new or repair work. Brick, block and chimney/fireplace repair. Insured; second-generation bricklayer. Member of St. Paul Parish, Olathe. Call (913) 829-4336.

Ceilings - Renew your old textured, yellowed ceilings!

Interior painting. No mess. Call Jerry at (913) 201-1144.

Father-and-son home exteriors and remodeling - Celebrating my 15th year in The Leaven as a small business owner! We do decks, siding, windows, doors, tile work, floors, wood rot, and interior and exterior painting. We can remodel bathrooms, kitchens or basements. We also reface cabinets and redo pesky popcorn ceilings. Call Josh at (913) 709-7230.

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 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@hot mail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

NELSON CREATION’S L.L.C. Home makeovers, kitchen, bath. All interior and exterior remodeling and repairs.

Family owned, experienced, licensed and insured.

Member St. Joseph, Shawnee. Kirk Nelson.

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

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.

Concrete construction - Tear out and replace stamped, 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.

Local handyman - Painting int. and ext., staining, wood rot, power wash, decks, doors and windows, masonry, hardwood floors, gutter cleaning, water heaters, toilets, faucets, garbage disposals, ceiling fans, mowing and more!! Member of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913) 927-4118.

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

SERVICES Gas log tuneups - We can do most brands. Email pictures of fireplace to: bbqinfo@smokenfire.com. Smoke ’n’ Fire, 8030 W. 151st St., Overland Park, KS 66223.

Water damage restoration - Framing, insulation, painting, Sheetrock, mold treatment and lead-safe certified. Insurance claims welcome. Serving Wyandotte and Johnson counties for 25 years. Call Jerry at (913) 206-1144.

Helping Hand Handy Man - Semi-retired handyman can help with your ‘to do list,’ small and medium projects around your house. Also electrical; ceiling fans, light fixtures, outlet and switches. Most deck and shed repairs, power washing restaining and painting. No yard work. Member of Prince of Peace, Olathe. Call Mark Coleman at (913) 526-4490.

Senior hairstyling - Haircuts, perms, roller sets.

Savvy Salon, 5910 W. 59th Terrace Mission, KS, one block south of Johnson Dr. $5 off any service on 1st visit. Bonnie (816) 769-8511.

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.

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

Release your weight and restore your power in 8 weeks!

Certified coach: kathioppold.8toyouridealweight.com.

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.

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

Tree Trimming Tree Trimming/Landscaping Insured/References Free Estimates/Local Parishioner Tony (913) 620-6063

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) Business for sale - Home-based ad agency for nonprofit charities. Established clients. Nets $67K. Part-time work from any location. Will train. Retiring. $27,900. Call Leida at (828) 633-6382.

For sale - Two adjoining plots at Mount Olivet Cemetery in the Crucifixion area, close to the road. Original cost $1825 per lot. Will sell both lots for $2500 or separately for $1250 each. Call Lesley at (913) 908-2162.

For sale - Two side-by-side crypts; tier B, 13 and 15, located in the St. Joseph Chapel at Mount Calvary Cemetery, the only two left in the chapel. Call (913) 269-6176 for pricing.

For sale - Double glass-front niche at Resurrection Cemetery, Holy Family section, tier C, niche 3. Paid $8625, Make an offer. Call (913) 558-0723.

FOR RENT For rent - House in St. Joseph Parish for rent. Nice neighborhood. Close to St. Joseph in Shawnee. For more information, call Tom at (913) 238-2470.

CAREGIVING Just like family - Let us care for your loved ones in their homes. Two ladies with over 50 years’ combined experience. Looking for night shift coverage, some days. Great price, great references. Both experienced with hospice care.

Call Ophelia at (913) 570-7276 or Kara at (913) 343-1602.

CNA - Professional caregiver provides quality private home care assistance for the elderly in the comfort of your home. Part-time or full-time assignments. Will consider live-in arrangements. 25 years seasoned experience. Dedicated to clients. Call (816) 806-8104.

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.

REAL ESTATE 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.

I NEED HOUSES! - We are members of Holy Trinity Parish and we pay cash for any real estate without any realtor commissions or fees. We buy houses in any condition, including bad foundations. If you would like an easy, no-hassle sale at a fair price, please call me. We have 15 years of experience. Mark Edmondson, (913) 980-4905.

WANTED TO BUY 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 - Antique/vintage jewelry, paintings, pottery, sterling, etc. Single pieces or estate. Renee Maderak, (913) 475-7393. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee.

OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CALENDAR OPEN HOUSE Resurrection Cemetery W. 83rd St. and Quivira, Lenexa Oct. 7 - Oct. 28 from 1 - 4 p.m., (Sundays)

Learn more about the archdiocesan Catholic cemeteries. For more information, call (913) 344-7527.

PROJECT ANDREW DINNER Mater Dei Parish (school) 934 S.W. Clay, Topeka Oct. 7 from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m.

St. Joseph Parish 11311 Johnson Dr., Shawnee Oct. 14 from 2 - 5 p.m.

Young men, high school age and up, are invited to a dinner hosted by Archbishop Naumann and the vocation office. The event is informative, relaxed and spiritual. It includes a parent session. There will be a Q&A session with the archbishop and a talk by a newly ordained priest. Register online at: vocation@archkck. org or call (913) 647-0303.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION NIGHT - EMBRACE Resurrection School 425 N. 15th St., Kansas City, Kansas Oct. 9 from 6:15 - 8 p.m.

Parents, teachers and caregivers are invited to come to a presentation titled “Behavior: Learn how to help your child with diverse needs at home and in the classroom.” The evening will begin with a taco dinner followed by the speaker. All are welcome and child care is provided at no charge. For more information, go online to: www.embraceks.org.

SCHOOL OF FAITH PRESENTATIONS Divine Mercy Parish 555 W. Main St., Gardner Oct. 9 - 30 at 7 p.m.

Theology of the body classes will be held after the 6 p.m. Mass each Tuesday. The topic will be the Old Testament like you have never heard it before, but should.

FALL BAZAAR St. Boniface Parish 23393 N.E. Norton Rd., Scipio (Garnett) Oct. 7 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

A meal of roast beef, chicken and noodles, sides, and homemade bread and pies will be served. The cost is: $10 for adults; $5 for kids 5 - 10; and kids under 5 eat free. Carryouts will be available until 1:30 p.m. for the cost of $11.

LIGHTED LIVING ROSARY Civic Center Park 250 E. Santa Fe St., Olathe Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.

Everyone is invited to join in praying a lighted living rosary for the healing of our world, our nation, our church and for the victims of abuse.

This event is sponsored by the Kansas City in Kansas division of the World Apostolate of Fatima. Call (913) 481-1745 for information.

SOUP SUPPER AND AUCTION St. Bede Parish 7344 Drought St., Kelly Oct. 7 from 4 - 8 p.m.

A supper of chili, vegetable beef soup and sandwiches, pie and cake will be served.

The cost is a freewill donation. There will be games and other activities from 5 - 8 p.m. and an auction of handmade quilts and many other items at 8 p.m.

FALL BAZAAR St. Theresa Parish (hall) 209 3rd St., Perry Oct. 7 from 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

A turkey and ham dinner will be served. The cost will be $10 for adults; $5 for kids 10 and under. There will be a silent auction, bingo, an old-fashioned cakewalk, baked goods and a country store. Carryout dinners will also be available.

BULL CREEK FAMILY 5K AND ONE-MILE RACE Wallace Park E. Osage St., & Wallace Park Dr., Paola Oct. 7 at noon (preregistration at 11 a.m.)

Register online at: runsignup.com/bull creek5K. The suggested donation is $30 for those age 13 and up. Registration forms are also available at Holy Trinity School or rectory. There will be a free lunch following the race. Awards/prizes will be given out at Holy Trinity School. For more information, send an email to: Jeanniefedor@yahoo.com.

OKTOBERFEST Boulevard Brewing Company 2501 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri Oct. 11 from 6 - 9:30 p.m.

The Rotary Club of Johnson County is sponsoring this fundraiser. A portion of the proceeds will benefit St. Mary’s food kitchen.

Fox 4’s meteorologist Joe Lauria will emcee the event. There will be an auction, a wine bucket raffle and a grand prize drawing for a seven-night, two-bedroom condo in Orlando over the 2019 Presidents’ Day week. Tickets cost $50 each and can be purchased online at: jocorotary.org.

MARGARITAS FOR MARGARITA The Oread, Bird Dog Bar 1200 Oread Ave., Lawrence Oct. 11 from 4 - 10 p.m.

Three dollars of each margarita sold and 10 percent of food items sold will benefit Centro Hispano. Mention this promotion to your server. For more information about Centro Hispano, go to the website at: www. centrohispano.twofinches.com.

HOLY WOMEN SERIES Keeler Women’s Center 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas Oct. 11 from 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Learn more about the protector of books in the Auschwitz family camp: “The Librarian of Auschwitz: Dita Kraus.”

ROSARY PROCESSION Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park Oct. 13 at 8:45 a.m.

Following the 8:30 a.m. Mass, there will be a procession outside the church with singing and praying of the rosary in honor of Our Lady of Fatima, weather permitting. In case of rain, it will be inside the church.

ROME SWEET HOME ITALIAN FESTIVAL Christ the King Parish 5972 S.W. 25th St., Topeka Oct. 13 at 3 p.m.

The afternoon will begin with adoration at 3 p.m. followed by Mass at 4:30 p.m. At 5:45 p.m., there will be an Italian dinner in the gym: LaRocca’s lasagna and sides. Wine and beer will be sold. There will be food trucks and activities outside plus much more.

BEGINNING EXPERIENCE GRIEF SUPPORT WEEKEND Sanctuary of Hope 2601 Ridge Ave., Kansas City, Kansas Oct. 12 - 14

Beginning Experience is offering a healing weekend to men and women of all ages who have suffered the loss of a spouse through death, divorce or separation. It is a time to heal and begin anew. Reservations are required. For more information, visit the website at: www.beginningexperiencekc.org; send an email to: register.bekc@gmail.com; or call Lori at (913) 980-7966.

LINGER OVER BREAKFAST Avila University (Whitfield Center) 11901 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, Missouri

Oct. 13 at 8:30 a.m.

Join the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet as Sister Nancy Corcoran shares how we can embody faith in action in our everyday lives.

Doors open at 8:30 a.m.; the program begins

at 9 a.m. The cost is $15, breakfast included. Register online at: www.csjsl.org, or call (816) 501-2944.

OKTOBERFEST DANCE St. Mary-St. Anthony Parish (basement) 615 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas Oct. 13 from 6 - 10 p.m.

The cost for admission is $20 for adults and includes dinner, drinks and dancing to The Willie Kirst Band. There are discount prices for young adults and children (under 5 are free); families are welcome. There will also be raffle prizes. The dance is sponsored by the Kansas City Kansas Edelweiss Society.

For more information, call Patty Orth at (913) 371-2468.

PUBLIC SQUARE ROSARY RALLY Divine Mercy Parish 555 W. Main St., Gardner Oct. 13 at noon

The public square rosary is sponsored by America Needs Fatima. Join us in offering reparation for sins and offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to pray for the conversion of the United States.

BREAKFAST Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish (hall) 106 Exchange St., Emporia Oct. 14 from 8 - 11 a.m.

The Knights of Columbus Leo Council 727 will host a breakfast. The cost is a freewill donation.

BAZAAR AND TURKEY DINNER Sacred Heart Parish 1100 West St., Tonganoxie Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

A turkey dinner will be served. The cost is: $10 for adults; $5 for kids 6 - 12; and free for kids 5 and under. Takeout is available. There will be a country store, raffles, theme baskets, bingo and kids games.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST Queen of the Holy Rosary (hall) 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park Oct. 14 after the 7, 9 and 11 a.m. Masses

Boy Scout Troop 295 will host a pancake and biscuits and gravy breakfast after all the morning Masses. The cost for all-you-can-eat is $6 a plate; $20 for a family of four or more.

FALL BAZAAR St. Aloysius Parish 615 Wyandotte, Meriden Oct. 14 from 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The cost for a turkey/ham dinner will be: $10 for adults; $5 for kids 5 - 12; free for kids 4 and under. Carryout meals will be available for $10. There will also be childrens games, bingo, a silent auction, a country store, money drawings, raffles, a beer garden and much more. For more information, call St. Aloysius Parish office at (785) 484-3312.

FALL FESTIVAL 2018 Sacred Heart Parish 408 S. Cedar, Ottawa Oct. 14 from 1- 4 p.m.

There will be Mexican food, barbecue and more! There will also be kids games, a cakewalk, bingo, pumpkin sales and other activities.

PANCAKE LUNCHEON St. Mary Parish 446 Hwy. 137, Purcell Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Pancakes, whole hog sausage, scrambled eggs, homemade pie, and tea or coffee will be served. The suggested donation is a freewill offering.

HEALING MASS Curé of Ars Parish (Father Burak Room) 9401 Mission Rd., Mission

A Mass with prayers for healing, sponsored

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by the archdiocesan charismatic prayer groups, will be held. Father Ed Wills will preside. For more information, call (913) 6492026.

MEMORIAL LITURGY Curé of Ars Parish 9405 Mission Rd., Leawood Oct. 20 at 8 a.m.

There will be a memorial liturgy for deceased loved ones followed by a grief support meeting in the Father Burak Room. The topic will be: “Managing the Holidays.” For more information, call (913) 649-2026.

CRAFT SALE - FALL AND HOLIDAY Villa St. Francis - Bloom Living 14001 W. 133rd St., Olathe Oct. 20 from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

There will be handmade items by local vendors, baked goods, a raffle for baskets by professional organizations and from each vendor. For more information, call Margie Reeder at (913) 707-5679 or send an email to: reedermk@yahoo.com.

OKTOBERFEST St. Mary-St. Anthony (Bishop Forst Hall) 615 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas Oct. 20 from 4 - 6:30 p.m.

There will be a dinner of roast pork, sides, desserts and coffee. Tickets purchased in advance are $10; tickets purchased at the door are $12; kids tickets are $3. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the parish office at (913) 371-1408.

BREATHE RESPITE CARE PROGRAM Holy Cross School 8101 W. 95th St., Overland Park Oct. 20 from 4 - 8 p.m.

BREATHE respite care provides the gift of time away from caregiving for families who have a loved one age 5 or older with a disability. Volunteers are needed. Prayerfully consider offering your time. Contact Tom Racunas at (913) 647-3054 or send an email to: tracunas@archkck.org, or Audrey Amore at (816) 739-1197 or by email at: aamore@ sjakeepingfaith.org if you have any questions. To register a loved one for the program or to volunteer, go to the website at: www. archkck.org/specialneeds and complete the online form.

‘BREATH OF LIFE’: SANCTUARY OF HOPE BENEFIT Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish (hall) 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park Oct. 20 from 5:30 - 10 p.m.

This annual benefit will include guest speaker, the Rev. Mari Larson, vice president of the Lutheran Ecumenical and Inter-faith Network of the ELCA. There will be cocktails, dinner and raffles. Reservations are $50 per person. Reservations can be made online at: Eventbrite. com. For more information or sponsorship opportunities, contact Julie at (913) 321-4673, or by email at: julie@sanctuaryofhope.org.

BAZAAR Queen of the Holy Rosary 22779 Metcalf, Bucyrus Oct. 21 from noon - 4 p.m.

A meal of Chicken Mary’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, other sides, as well as drinks and homemade desserts will be served. The cost is: $10 for adults; $5 for kids 3 - 12; free for kids 3 and under; $30 for families of two adults and three or more kids. There will also be bingo, booths, a quilt raffle and a raffle prize drawing.

RESPECT LIFE MONTH MASS Curé of Ars Parish 9405 Mission Rd., Leawood Oct. 21 at noon

Join Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann for a celebration of Mass for Respect Life Month.

A light reception will follow. For more information, contact the pro-life office online at: prolife@archkck.org.

OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

COMMENTARY

Let’s all head to God’s country

TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME Oct. 7 TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Gn 2: 18-24 Ps 128: 1-6 Heb 2: 9-11 Mk 10: 2-16 Oct. 8 Monday Gal 1: 6-12 Ps 111: 1-2, 7-10 Lk 10: 25-37 Oct. 9 Denis, bishop, and companions, martyrs; John Leonardi, priest Gal 1: 13-24 Ps 139: 1-3, 13-15 Lk 10: 38-42 Oct. 10 Wednesday Gal 2: 1-2, 7-14 Ps 117: 1-2 Lk 11: 1-4 Oct. 11 John XXIII, pope Gal 3: 1-5 (Ps) Lk 1: 69-75 Lk 11: 5-13 Oct. 12 Friday Gal 3: 7-14 Ps 111: 1-6 Lk 11: 15-26 Oct. 13 Saturday Gal 3: 22-29 Ps 105: 2-7 Lk 11: 27-28

I

t’s an oldie but baddie: What do you get when you play a country song backwards?

Answer: You get your girl back, you get your truck back, you get your dog back . . .

Country music — it’s often the genre that people love to hate. For many years, I was in that camp. I can’t tell you how many times my folks played a Dolly Parton record where she sang: “Ah beg yer pardin, Ah never promised yew a rose gardin.”

I thought my brain would explode and my ears start to bleed.

To me, country music was all twangy nonsense, sometimes punctuated with yodeling.

And then, I discovered something that many country singers did: They recorded songs and even albums of gospel music. They sang with heartfelt soul about Jesus.

And these were big names in country music: Hank Williams (“I Saw the Light”), Patsy Cline (“Life’s Railway

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14

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.

to Heaven”), George Jones (“Lord, You’ve Been Mighty Good to Me”), The Oak Ridge Boys (“Lord, I Need You Again Today”), and Jim Reeves (“I’d Rather Have Jesus”), to name just a very few.

Even “The Man in Black,” Johnny Cash, recorded a bunch of them, like “Peace in the Valley,” “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “The Man Comes Around.”

When I first heard

his “Daddy Sang Bass,” I thought it was about a family singing group.

In a sense, it was, but the family was singing music in praise to God in the midst of struggling mightily to make a living. In fact, there’s this great line in that song: “Singin’ seems to help a troubled soul.”

Happily, it isn’t just old-time country where you find Jesus songs.

Many popular new artists are singing wonderful, faith-filled lyrics as well. Here are a few examples.

One of my favorite songs is the simplest — both in terms of words and melody. It’s performed by Alison Krauss,

who in my opinion clearly has the voice of an angel. The song is called “Down to the River to Pray,” written by Philip Anthony Lawson.

Its lyrics and tune invite not just participation, but harmonizing. In essence, the song calls sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers and sinners to “go down to the river to pray/studying about that good old way/And who shall wear the starry crown/Good Lord, show me the way!”

Rhonda Vincent presents a biblical lesson and challenge in Shorty Sullivan’s and Thomas Coley’s “You Don’t Love God If You Don’t Love Your Neighbor.” Vincent laments that people “live like Christians on the Sabbath day/But come Monday morning, till the coming Sunday/ They will fight their neighbor all along the way.”

The biblical lesson comes in the words: “In the holy Bible, in the book of Matthew/Read the 18th chapter in the 21st verse/Jesus plainly tells us that we must

have mercy/There’s a special warning in the 35th verse.” (Go look it up . . . I’ll wait.)

The song concludes with: “If you say you love him while you hate your neighbor/Then you don’t have religion, you just told a lie.”

Why all of this talk about country music?

Because October is International Country Music Month. If you’re not a fan, maybe Alison Krauss can change your mind.

Go to YouTube and type in “Alison Krauss There Is a Reason.” Written by Ron Block, this moving song addresses why we suffer. Krauss sings: “Hurtin’ brings my heart to You, crying with my need/Depending on Your love to carry me/ The love that shed His blood for all the world to see/This must be the reason for it all.”

So, we’re back to where we started: What do you get when you play a country gospel song backwards? Well, you just might get back your soul.

Jesus enriches meaning of Mosaic Law

hen the Supreme Court interprets the Constitution, should it be guided by the original intentions of its framers?

Or, should it rather seek to adapt that 231year-old text to the needs of our modern times? There are different schools of thought on how interpretation should proceed.

Similarly, at the time of Jesus, there were different schools of thought on how to interpret the Law of Moses.

Jesus’ opponents would often accuse him of violating the Law of Moses and the traditions of his people. In that, they condemn him as going against God’s will.

And certainly, Jesus

THE GOSPEL TRUTH

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

frequently does not agree with their interpretation of the Law of Moses. At the same time, Jesus would argue that he is not violating

the Law, he is tweaking it to reflect more closely God’s will.

He wishes to bring out its true meaning. We see a good example of that in Sunday’s Gospel reading, Mk 10:2-16.

The Pharisees have approached Jesus to ask his opinion of divorce.

They repeat Moses’ apparent toleration of divorce. This appears in Dt 24:1.

But a close inspection

of this passage reveals a commandment that attempts to regulate an existing situation. It recognizes that divorce already existed and seeks to introduce some justice in the process.

In other words, this passage in Deuteronomy would not indicate that God approves of divorce. It is as though God is saying, “All right, if you are going to have divorce, this is how you should have it proceed.”

It is a concession to people’s weakness.

Jesus voices this interpretation in his response to the Pharisees: “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment.”

Jesus further points to God’s original desire for marriage by quoting Gn 2:24: “For this reason

a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

Then, Jesus comments on the verse: “Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

By referring back to the creation of the human race, Jesus affirms that marriage is meant to be permanent, because that is how we are made. Divorce goes against human nature. If we wish to be truly happy and fulfilled human beings, we should work to stay married.

In other words, Jesus’ condemnation of divorce is not an arbitrary commandment, but is meant to promote our own good and happiness.

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In what is probably the least religious country in Europe, Pope Francis said he is surprised by how many people hold firm to their faith despite all the sexual abuse and financial scandals in the Catholic Church.

“We know — as you have told us — that many young people do not ask anything of us because they do not believe we have anything meaningful to say about their lives,” the pope said Sept. 25 during an ecumen-

ical meeting with young adults in Estonia.

Some young people “even ask to be left in peace because they feel the church’s presence is a bother or even irritating — and it’s true,” he said. And the bolder ones say, “Don’t you see nobody is listening to you anymore or believes what you have to say?”

But the Catholic Church, he said, wants to respond to young people and “wants to be a transparent, welcoming, honest, attractive, communicative, accessible, joyful and interactive community.” The amazing thing, he added, is that young people continue to find Jesus in the church and through its members and ministers.

— CNS

OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

COMMENTARY

N

15

Serious illness focuses the mind on family — and faith

on-Hogkins lymphoma are tough words to hear coming out of your doctor’s mouth.

Cancer and other serious illnesses cause priorities to be refined.

Your definition of what is a “good day” changes. Conversations with loved ones seem sweeter. Your expectations of others soften; you start to listen more deeply.

One doctor told me that, in 30 years of practice, every one of his patients said they wished that they had never had cancer, but they all wished everyone could see how beautiful life is when you are keenly aware of your mortality.

SEEKING CHRIST’S HEART

DEACON DANA NEARMYER Deacon Dana Nearmyer is the director of evangelization for the archdiocese.

This summer, I lived at Prairie Star Ranch in Williamsburg and directed

Camp Tekakwitha with my wife and our amazing staff. I would go for chemotherapy treatments at KU and come back to camp to be surrounded by laughing children and their amazing voices passionately singing to Jesus.

Our times of Mass and eucharistic adoration

really touched us all. I was so inspired and encouraged in my faith by the campers and their families. I was able to successfully finish my chemotherapy with all of that great faith and encouragement surrounding me.

My wife was especially attentive to my care. Marriage isn’t easy. We have certainly had our rough patches, like everyone, but I am forever grateful for her faithfulness and support.

I encourage all married couples to really pour effort and attention into your relationship.

Build your love for Jesus alongside your love for each other. Jesus will be a bridge between you, even when you are ready

to give up.

Go on dates, check out the School of Love date nights and family resources, go on a “Living in Love” retreat with the archdiocesan family life office or at least check out their Joyful Marriage Project resources. Investing time, prayer and energy into your spouse will be blessed by God. Jesus is faithful and he wants the best for us, here and eternally.

Get to know him. Check the Fire Retreat for men, the Tekakwitha women’s retreat or family camp at Prairie Star.

Look into retreats held at Savior Pastoral Center or at Christ’s Peace House of Prayer.

Find a great Catholic,

Christ-focused retreat.

Jesus seeks you every day; he longs for you to intentionally seek him.

Psalm 23 says: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me”(4).

I have felt Christ with me in every chemotherapy and radiation treatment and many a sleepless night. Jesus comforts and accompanies us through the snares that Satan leaves for us. Ever since the fall, God has called us to his refuge.

He is calling you to really get to know him.

Annual celebration honors schools of excellence and donors that support them

O

n a recent visit to a fifth-grade classroom at Christ the King School in Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop Naumann spoke about vocations.

He asked the students to consider where God might be calling them, and got some enthusiastic responses: priest, swim coach, martial arts instructor, teacher.

In the course of the conversation, he found that one student had a very specific vocation in mind. A boy near the back of the classroom raised his hand eagerly and said, “I want to be the archbishop!”

The opportunity to dream about vocations — and a future in

CEF CENTERED

VINCENT ANCH Vince Anch is the executive director of the Catholic Education Foundation.

church leadership — is one of many gifts these students receive in their Catholic school, thanks to the generosity of

donors from across the archdiocese.

Christ the King is one of 22 schools in the archdiocese receiving scholarship support from the Catholic Education Foundation.

More than 40 percent of Christ the King students receive a scholarship from one of CEF’s programs.

Across the archdiocese, more than 1,600 students with financial need will receive more than $2.2 million in CEF scholarships this year.

The majority of families CEF assists live near or below the federal poverty line, making Catholic education financially impossible without scholarship support.

Each fall, CEF brings together more than 1,300 guests at Gaudeamus (“Let us rejoice”) to celebrate the schools in the archdiocese, while raising funds to support scholarships.

This year’s event will be held Oct. 20 at the Overland Park Convention Center and will honor Christ the King as the recipient of the 2018 Archbishop Naumann

CEF School of Excellence Award.

CEF students and families will share their stories, and guests will learn more about the important work our schools are doing throughout northeast Kansas.

This year’s event also will honor Hamp and Nikki Henning and Glenn and Joan Wells as the 2018 “Michael and Patty Morrisey Angels Among Us” honorees.

Both the Hennings and the Wellses are longtime supporters of Catholic education.

Hamp Henning served as chair of CEF’s board of directors from 2013 to 2015, and Joan Wells served as board chair from 2015 to 2017.

The dedication both families have shown to

making Catholic education financially feasible for children in need will have a lasting impact on our archdiocese.

As we gather, we have much to celebrate: nearly 1,000 donors supporting more than 1,600 scholarships, leadership from highly committed families like the Hennings and the Wellses, and incredible things happening in our Catholic schools — including, perhaps, the formation of future bishops!

We hope you can join us to rejoice with our schools, our students and all the angels among us who make it possible.

Learn more online at: www.cefks.org/events, or call (913) 721-1574.

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OCTOBER 5, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

16

THE TRAIL OF DEATH Native Americans walk in the footsteps of their ancestors

M

OUND CITY — When the Potawatomi Indians were forced to go to Kansas in 1838, their journey became known as the Trail of Death.

Now, 180 years later, a caravan of Potawatomi and others made the 660-mile journey to Kansas in commemoration of that terrible event.

On Sept. 22, a group of some 35 people gathered at the St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Memorial Park and Shrine, northwest of Mound City, for a Mass and dinner.

These marked the end of the pilgrimage, which began at the Chief Menominee Monument, south of Plymouth, Indiana, on Sept. 17.

The Mass was celebrated by Father Barry

Clayton, pastor of St. Philip Neri Parish in Osawatomie, Sacred Heart Parish in Mound City, and Our Lady of Lourdes in LaCygne.

The pilgrims included Potawatomi, historians, women religious and others interested in the forced removal of the Potawatomi nation from its Great Lakes area homeland.

One of the six religious who took part was Sister Deanna Rose von Bargen, RSCJ, of Redwood City, California. She and five other Sisters who made the pilgrimage belong to the same order as St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, who ministered at the former Sugar Creek Mission to the Potawatomi.

Although they had a tight schedule, the pilgrims took time to stop at monuments and important sites along the way, said Sister Deanna.

Interestingly, the weather they experienced mirrored that recorded in diary entries of the 1838 journey.

WALKING HISTORIAN

s

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

George Godfrey, president of Potawatomi Trail of Death Association and leader of the 2018 trail trip, dressed in a Potawatomi period costume for the duration of the walk. Godfrey served as a “walking encyclopedia” about the 1838 trail experience.

s ON EAGLE’S WINGS

Stanley Perry, a Navajo from Arizona, brought his eagle staff on the march and used it for blessing plaques along the trail.

s

GIFT BEARERS

From left, Sister Mary Seibert, a Missionary of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus from Reading, Pennsylvania, and Jeanie Wamego VanVeen, a Potawatomi from Tahlequah, Oklahoma, prepare to deliver the gifts to Father Clayton.

PHOTOS BY

JAY SOLDNER

s HOLY ENDING

Father Barry Clayton, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Mound City, was the celebrant of the Mass held at the end of the Trail of Death commemoration walk.