01 12 24 Vol. 45 No. 21

THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 45, NO. 21 | JANUARY 12, 2024

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JACK FIGGE

Father Joel Haug discusses evangelization and the graces of the SEEK conference with parishioners of his from Sacred Heart, Sabetha, during a dinner for Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas SEEK 24 participants.

Parish leaders discover SEEK conference offers more than the usual college convention

By Jack Figge Special to The Leaven

S

T. LOUIS — For one woman, the most powerful moment of SEEK came not during a talk or eucharistic adoration, but when Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann prayed over her.

After a dinner for 40 members from the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas attending the conference, Fatima Medina fell ill. Her friends asked Archbishop Naumann to pray over her, which he happily agreed to do. It was one of many transformational moments during the five-day event.

Marketed as a conference for college-age students, SEEK is a Catholic gathering hosted by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). But in recent years, it has begun welcoming more and more post-college Catholics, hosting specific workshops centered around creating vibrant parishes.

Last year, the archdiocese sent a small group to the conference. This year, it doubled the number it sent, including parish leaders from

LENTEN DINNER NOTICES

Sacred Heart in Sabetha and Sacred Heart of Jesus, Shawnee.

Father Joel Haug, pastor of the Sabetha parish, said that he brought a group of parish leaders because he believes that in order to form effective evangelizers, they must first have a powerful encounter with the Lord.

“We really want . . . our parishioners, especially those in charge of catechesis and passing on the faith to others, to have themselves a deeper encounter with the Lord so that they have a deeper relationship to give from when teaching others,” said Father Haug.

Many of the parishioners that Father Haug brought did, indeed, have that life-changing experience. Brock Dooling only became Catholic last Easter. He said that SEEK has been transformational, as it has allowed him to learn more about the faith.

“This has been an incredibly life-changing experience for me because it has allowed me to dive deeper into the faith. I just cannot believe how much it has impacted me,” said Dooling. “I feel >> See “SEEK” on page 16

WHEN

DEADLINE

Feb. 9.

Jan. 26.

The Leaven will publish a list of Lenten dinners in the archdiocese on

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JACK FIGGE

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann blesses Fatima Medina, who was feeling ill after a dinner with archdiocesan SEEK 24 participants.

Because of space considerations, notices are limited to around 40 words and are due

INCLUDE

• Time of event • Date(s) of event • Address of event • Specify dine-in, curbside, delivery, etc.

SUBMIT

Please email your information to: todd.habiger@ theleaven.org.

2 LOCAL NEWS

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG

‘Fiducia Supplicans’ does not change perennial church teaching

O

n Dec. 18, 2023, I, along with probably every other bishop in the world, was contacted by the secular press to comment on “Fiducia Supplicans” (“Supplicating Trust”) — a declaration authored by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved

by Pope Francis.

Unlike in prior times when the Holy See was poised to promulgate a potentially important and/or controversial document, I, and I assume the vast majority of Catholic bishops around the world, did not receive an embargoed text to allow me to prepare to answer press inquiries. I instructed our communications officer that I had no comment until I had an opportunity to study the text.

I was pleased when I did serenely and carefully read the declaration to discover that the secular media’s description of the document was incorrect.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith went to great lengths to make clear that it is not possible for the church to recognize the so-called marriages of same-sex individuals. The church cannot give a liturgical blessing to a union of persons who lack the ability or the freedom to enter into marriage.

In the case of heterosexual couples, they may lack the freedom to marry because one or both are bound by a prior marriage.

In the case of same-sex individuals, marriage is not possible because they are physically incapable of the complementary sexual intimacy for which our bodies are designed nor are they capable of being co-creators of new human life through their attempts at expressions of sexual intimacy.

“Fiducia Supplicans” is clear that marriage is not possible for same-sex individuals nor can the church give a liturgical blessing to a physical union that is contrary to the moral law and, in the case of samesex individuals, to the design and meaning of the human body. The biblical as well as the church’s teaching on

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN sexual morality is first and foremost about integrity. In the marital embrace, a couple gives themselves physically completely to one another. That is true only if they are striving to give themselves entirely to each other in every aspect of their lives.

The sexual intimacy of the couple can only be authentic when they have pledged their lives to one another — not just for a moment or a season, but for a lifetime. Similarly, God did not make some huge mistake when he gave man and woman, through sexual intimacy, the potential for being co-creators with God of a new human life. It is in the marriage covenant, where a father loves his child’s mother and a mother loves her child’s father and together love the child — the fruit of their love — that provides the optimum environment for a child’s physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual welfare.

Sexual intimacy outside the marriage covenant between one man and one woman cannot be authentic and completely honest because it is not seeking the good of the other over everything else, particularly over their own desire for physical pleasure. Gay rights activists pushed hard in their demands for secular society to grant them marital status. These same activists have also sought from the church the blessing of same-sex unions as an affirmation of the propriety of their sexual activity and as an eventual step to granting marital recognition of their relationships.

Why is there such confusion around

“Fiducia Supplicans” if it is a reaffirmation of the church’s traditional teaching on marriage? Why has there been so much concern expressed within the church if it is a reaffirmation of the church’s perennial and universal teaching regarding sexual morality and the nature of marriage? Why did the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith feel a need to give a clarification about “Fiducia Supplicans” less than two weeks after its promulgation?

Part of the confusion was the result of the dicastery having an entire section in “Fiducia Supplicans” on the “Blessing of Couples in Irregular Situations and of Couples of the Same-Sex.” The use of the term “couples” can be understood as an acceptance of these relationships as being equal to or approximating marriage.

The term “blessing of same-sex couples” appears to embrace what radical gay activists have been seeking.

In the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s clarifying press release, it asserts emphatically that “Fiducia Supplicans” did not change Catholic doctrinal teaching.

The press release states: “For this reason, since the church has always considered only those sexual relations that are lived out within marriage to be morally licit, the church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing when that would somehow offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice.”

I agree with the congregation that “Fiducia Supplicans,” properly understood, does not change the church’s moral teaching. No Vatican congregation nor successor of Peter

can change biblical teaching, the teaching of Jesus himself and the church’s consistent 2,000-year-old perennial teaching.

The Jan. 4 press release makes clear that the changes the document promotes do not alter the church’s moral teaching, but rather seek to expand the understanding of a blessing. It suggests that we call the prayers for individuals seeking God’s assistance in changing their lives to be pastoral blessings and not liturgical blessings.

Actually, what “Fiducia Supplicans” proposes has been common Catholic pastoral practice. No priest worthy of the title “Father,” would refuse to offer prayers for an individual or individuals who are sincerely asking for spiritual help in changing their lives in a way that conforms to God’s will.

Why has there been such a strong reaction to a change that some might consider to be simply semantics? The confusion regarding “Fiducia Supplicans” was predictable. Gay rights activists within and outside the church have been demanding the church’s blessing of same-sex unions as a necessary step to the church ultimately conforming to the culture and embracing samesex marriages.

Words matter.

Definitions matter.

“Fiducia Supplicans” has confused many people with its attempt to expand the understanding of blessing.

What the church previously might describe as a brief, spontaneous intercessory prayer asking the Holy Spirit to assist individuals seeking to conform their lives more perfectly to the Gospel and the church’s moral teaching is now termed a pastoral blessing.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith defines the proposed pastoral blessing to be necessarily short: “lasting a few seconds, without an approved ritual and without a book of blessings. If two people approach together to seek the blessing, one simply asks the Lord for peace, health

ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN’S CALENDAR Jan. 14 Installation of Father Abner Ables, CS — Holy Cross, Overland Park Little Brother of the Lamb David’s first vows — Cathedral of St. Peter, Kansas City, Kansas Jan. 16 Priests Personnel board meeting — chancery Administrative Team meeting — chancery Annual high school administrators Mass and dinner — residence Jan. 17 Presbyteral Council meeting — chancery Jesus Covenant Prayer Partner call Jan. 18 March for Life — Washington, D.C. Jan. 19 Mass with Kansas pilgrims — St. Dominic Church, Washington, D.C. Breakfast with adult pilgrims Jan. 20 Catholic Charities Snow Ball — Overland Park Convention Center Jan. 21 Baptism of third or more child — Cathedral of St. Peter, Kansas City, Kansas

and other good things for these two people who request it. At the same time, one asks that they may live the Gospel of Christ in full fidelity and so that the Holy Spirit can free these two people from everything that does not correspond to his divine will and from everything that requires purification.”

Who would object to praying for an individual or individuals as described by the dicastery? It is the insistence that this prayer of intercession be called a pastoral blessing of a same-sex couple that has created controversy and confusion.

I believe the great legacy of the papacy of Pope Francis will be his pushing and prodding the church to seek to bring Jesus to those on the peripheries and for Catholics to expect to encounter the living Jesus in those on the margins of society. This priority of Pope Francis has been a blessing for the church. Personally, I think that attempting to force a redefinition of blessing in a way that can be interpreted to be an accommodation to woke culture does not help

to advance this great pastoral priority.

In the Archdiocese of Kansas City, I urge our priests and deacons to treat everyone, including those who struggle with samesex attraction, with the respect due to one created in the divine image and for whom Jesus gave his life on Calvary. I encourage all of our clergy to welcome the opportunity to pray with and for anyone seeking to conform their lives to the Gospel of Jesus and the clear and consistent moral teaching of his church. I also urge our clergy to be vigilant in striving never to cause confusion about the true nature of marriage or the church’s moral teaching on authentic love. In our overly sexualized culture, wounded by the tragic consequences of the so-called sexual revolution, we must strive to be witnesses to the joy and beauty of chaste love consistent with our state of life.

Two excellent resources for those with samesex attraction striving to live chastely are Courage and Desert Stream/Living Waters Ministry.

LOCAL NEWS 3

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG

ONE FOR THE GOOD GUY

Sugar Bowl recognition highlights good works of Benedictine’s Reed Levi

By Steve Johnson Special to The Leaven

A

TCHISON — Benedictine College football player Reed Levi’s appearance during halftime of the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans as part of the Allstate and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team® is the culmination of years of giving back to his teammates, college and community.

The national recognition for the 2023 Benedictine graduate, a standout tight end for the Ravens football team, is rare for a player from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The honor goes to only 22 players across all of college football (11 from NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 from all other college football divisions).

“They pick 11 guys from across four different divisions of football that really embody what good works mean and what it means to be part of your community,” Levi said, “so it is just really humbling, and I am super-honored to be a part of it.

“It’s an honor and a testament to the culture that we’re building at Benedictine, and it feels good to give back to a community that has given me so much.”

While being seen on national television during one of the college football championship semifinal games is huge, Levi said that sometimes the simpler things mean a little more.

He was coaching a flag football team for the Atchison Recreation Commission, just one part of his involvement in the community where Benedictine is based, before the 2023 college season began.

Tragedy struck in the fourth game of the season when he suffered a broken leg on the field.

He had a broken fibula, a dislocated ankle and had torn nearly every ligament in his leg. The first-team All-Conference and All-American tight end’s football career was over.

During his recovery, he went to a friend’s house to watch a football game, and when he arrived, his entire flag football team was there to greet him.

“All those kids had brought me a football they signed, and they got me a little care package,” said

Levi. “It was just pretty cool that there’s the big recognition and everything, but there are also those little things that mean so much more.”

In addition to coaching youth football, he was a Bible study leader, led student athletes in the annual Atchison Clean-Up Day, worked with the Student Athletic Leadership Council to implement the High Five Friday initiative with Atchison elementary school students, was a student host for Benedictine’s Scholarship Ball, served as a tutor in the Student Success Center, was a Gregorian Leadership Fellow, and was a student ambassador for the college’s office of admission.

He also made presentations on campus and to Atchison-area elementary and high schools on the importance of Black History Month and spoke as well on gentrification and urban housing to the Kansas House of Representatives.

“Reed Levi is a tremendous student athlete here at Benedictine College,” said head football coach Joel Osborn. “He gives his time and talent to so many people and organizations.

“We talk about loving and serving others as a pillar of our program. Reed does that within our football team, college and community of Atchison. He brings positive energy and always has a great day.”

Although he has always been committed to service and philanthropy, Levi credits Benedictine for giving him the opportunity to excel in all areas of his life.

“Benedictine College really gave me the roots of who I’m going to be,” he said. “I’ve learned so much through the football program, on the field, off the field, in the classroom.

“There are just so many lessons — real core values like responsibility and accountability.

And on top of that, the biggest thing Benedictine taught me was to never be afraid to practice your faith.”

So, what’s next for Levi?

He married his longtime college sweetheart on Dec. 29, 2023, is completing an MBA, is set to start a new job and is excited about married life and raising a family.

So, 2024 is already looking like a stellar year for the Benedictine grad.

PHOTO BY BROOKLYNNE WOZNY

Atchison’s Benedictine College All-American football player Reed Levi was one of only 22 players across all college football to be named to the Allstate and American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team® for his efforts off the field.

President Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann

Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799) 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; or email at: sub@ theleaven.org. 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 $25/year. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, KS 66109.

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4 LOCAL NEWS

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG

Vocation Mass, dinner honor Msgr. Mullen

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — One of Msgr. Mike Mullen’s favorite aphorisms is simple: “Vocations come from the heart of the family.” So it is no wonder that an event to be held (partially) in his honor would emphasize families.

A Mass and vocations dinner for families will be held starting at 5 p.m. on Jan. 27 at St. Joseph Parish, located at 11311 Johnson Dr. in Shawnee.

There will be Mass, followed by a social time with cocktails, a spaghetti dinner, a short video and a presentation by Msgr. Mullen.

This is a free event, but space is limited to the first 140 people who RSVP by Jan. 20. (See information below.)

“Msgr. Mullen will talk about all the kinds of vocations people have, whether as single, married, religious, diaconal or priestly,” said John Caton, one of the event’s organizers.

The event is sponsored by the trustees for the Msgr. Tom Culhane/ Msgr. Mike Mullen Endowment, as well as the Knights of Columbus from St. Patrick Parish in Kansas City, Kansas; St. Ann Parish in Prairie Village; and St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee.

“We want to continue to support vocations in all walks of life, as well as continue to remember the love and support Msgr. Culhane and

Loren

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY LORI WOOD HABIGER

A Mass and vocations dinner for families, sponsored by the trustees for the Msgr. Tom Culhane/Msgr. Mike Mullen Endowment, will be held starting at 5 p.m. on Jan. 27 at St. Joseph Parish, 11311 Johnson Dr., Shawnee.

Msgr. Mullen had, and continue to have, for seminarians and for their own priestly ministries,” said Caton, who is on the endowment board.

The Msgr. Tom Culhane/Msgr.

Mike Mullen Endowment was established in 2007 to provide a legacy, tribute and support for seminarians as well as cultivating and supporting Catholic vocations.

Each Christmas, every archdiocesan seminarian receives a gift from the interest earned by the endowment. This year, the 27 archdiocesan seminarians received $150 to help them with their personal expenses.

This is not a fundraising event, but those who wish to give to the endowment are welcome to do so.

Checks should be made out to the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas with “Culhane/Mullen Endowment” on the memo line.

The checks should be mailed to: Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas (CFNEK), 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109.

To reserve a seat at the dinner, send an RSVP to Gary Brown by calling (913) 633-2128 or by sending an email to: gary.w.brown1267@gmail. com.

The deadline is Jan. 20.

Scott Hahn to headline Men Under Construction

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

O

VERLAND PARK — A lineup of dynamic speakers and opportunities for spiritual growth await men of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas this February.

The 27th annual Men Under Construction conference will take place on Feb. 17 at Church of the Ascension in Overland Park from 7 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

This year’s speakers are Scott Hahn, founder and president of the St. Paul Center; Steve Minnis, president of Benedictine College in Atchison; Ray Guarendi, a clinical psychologist, author and TV host; Braden Johnson, national speaker; and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann.

“We are very excited to bring Scott Hahn back to KC to enliven eucharistic amazement and to give all Men Under Construction attendees a path of faith back to Christ himself,” said Jim Baldwin, vice president of the Men Under Construction board.

“Dr. Ray Guarendi will offer some great advice on how to combine faith with psychology,” he continued, “while Steve Minnis will illustrate the faith renewal and eucharistic amazement going on at Benedictine and other colleges and universities around the country.

“And Braden Johnson, a very popular young speaker, will stress the importance of faith and the Eucharist to

Joan and Vince Totta, members of Church of the Ascension, Overland Park, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Jan. 19 with a formal dinner at Wandering Vine at The Castle. The couple was married on Jan. 18, 1964, at St. Ann Church in Independence, Missouri. Their children are: Nick, Paul, Roman, Ivy and Quintin. They also have 17 grandchildren.

LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

The 27th annual Men Under Construction conference will be held on Feb. 17 at Church of the Ascension in Overland Park. Speakers include: Scott Hahn, founder and president of the St. Paul Center; Steve Minnis, president of Benedictine College in Atchison; Ray Guarendi, a clinical psychologist, author and TV host; Braden Johnson, a national speaker; and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann. young and old.”

The conference will include Mass and opportunities for the sacrament of reconciliation and fellowship.

Attendees will also receive assistance in establishing small faith groups.

“In addition to the sacraments, family and friends,” said Baldwin, “there are three things that men need to deepen and to widen their faith: prayer, formation and fraternity.

“All three of those will be found at

this year’s Men Under Construction conference.”

Tickets are: $40 for adults; $20 for full-time students; and free for priests, deacons and seminarians. Partial and full scholarships are also available for those unable to cover the cost of registration.

To purchase tickets or find out how you can request a scholarship, visit the website at: menunderconstruction. org/tickets.

and

Linda (Randa) Gottschalk, members of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Jan. 12 with family and friends.

They will have a reception at Grand Street Cafe, Lenexa. The couple was married on Jan. 12, 1974, at St. Joseph Church, Liebenthal. Their children are: Kayla Wiedeman, Spring Hill; and Sarah Gottschalk, Basehor. They also have four grandchildren. They are planning a family trip later this year.

Jane C. and G. Robert Lang, members of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish, Bucyrus, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Jan. 13 with a blessing at Mass and dinner at the parish hall with family and friends. The couple was married on Jan. 5, 1973, at St. Joseph Church, Shawnee. Their children are: Rebecca Lang and Kathryn Lang Smock. They also have four grandchildren.

Anthony and Janice (Nadar) Weigel, members of Holy Cross Parish, Overland Park, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Jan. 11.

The couple was married at St. Louise de Marillac Church in La Grange Park, Illinois. They will celebrate with family in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Their children are: Ross Weigel, Overland Park; Randy Weigel, Overland Park; and Rick Weigel, Lee’s Summit. They also have five grandchildren.

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

DEADLINE: 10 days before the desired publication date.

WHERE TO SUBMIT: Email: todd.habiger@theleaven.org.

LOCAL NEWS 5

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG

GRATEFUL FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION Parents appreciate what CEF makes possible for their kids

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD

During Mass at his residence, Archbishop Naumann thanked parents of CEF scholarship recipients for being open to life and desiring a faith-based education for their children.

By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill.esfeld@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Patrice Brewer and her husband William are both educators in the public school system. When they moved to this area, their children attended public school.

But it soon became clear the curriculum wasn’t challenging enough.

“My husband and I prayed on it,” said Patrice. “And we made the hard decision to pull our kids out of the system we work for.

“We were welcomed with open arms to Saint Patrick [in Kansas City, Kansas]. It was the best decision we have ever made for them, and we are truly grateful.”

The Brewers are particularly grateful for the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) scholarships that helped them send their children to St. Patrick School.

“As a faith-based household, we’ve always raised our children on loving God and having a relationship with Jesus Christ,” said William. “And to be able to see them thrive academically and spiritually as well, has been a blessing.

“We want to say thank you, CEF.” Several parents whose children benefit from CEF scholarships were invited to a pre-Christmas Mass and dinner hosted by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann on Dec. 18 at his residence.

CEF staff, including executive director Vince Anch and CEF board chair R.J. Gildea, joined the archbishop in this opportunity to get to know some of the families who benefit from CEF. The day was special to Archbishop Naumann because it was the 75th anniversary of his father’s death.

“My mother was actually pregnant with me when my father died a week before Christmas in 1948,” he told his guests. “My mother named me Joseph because she thought Joseph was a pretty good foster father for Jesus, so he would be a good patron for me.”

Despite the tragedy of his father’s death, the archbishop said his mother remained strong in her faith and became an inspiration to many, including her two sons.

“You know, Jesus doesn’t promise us we’ll never have adversities or difficulties in our life,” he said. “What he does promise is that he’ll be with us. We’ll never be alone if we have faith in him.”

The archbishop called parenthood

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD

Angela Swisher, right, a member of Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish, Topeka, told guests how much her son Santiago loves his Catholic school and expressed gratitude for the support of CEF.

To learn more For more information about the CEF, or to make a donation, visit the website at: cefks.org.

“a great adventure,” and thanked those present for being open to life. He praised parents as the first teachers of faith.

“I think the most important thing is your own example of the importance of faith in your life,” he said. “Spend time with your children; make Sunday a special day in the family.

“It’s important for children to see their parents praying and to pray as a family.”

These CEF families expressed their gratitude for the chance to send their children to schools that support their efforts in teaching the faith.

“I thank everyone for doing this for us,” said Karla Inestroza, whose child attends Holy Cross School in Overland

Park. “Our kids are strong from what they learn every day.

“When I have a bad day, my daughter comes in and she says, ‘Mom, just trust to God; he has control of everything.’”

CEF scholarships are a great help, but families still must make sacrifices to see that their children receive a faith-based education. They believe it’s worth the struggle.

“I don’t care how much we have to work,” said Teresa Espinoza, whose children attend Holy Name of Jesus School in Kansas City, Kansas. “A lot of people tell me it’s expensive, you can’t afford it. But to me, the point is faith.

“Thank you so much for helping us teach our children the way to get Jesus in their hearts.”

Many tears were shed as parents shared their struggles and their gratitude for the financial aid provided by CEF. “I get emotional, too,” said Gildea as he addressed the guests. “So, don’t feel bad about it.

“The work you do is equally — if not

more — meaningful. And we are just very proud and honored to be able to walk alongside you every day.”

Anch told parents that 700 people joined in that walk by donating to CEF last year.

“This year, we’re going to fund 1,800 kids with scholarships,” he said. “And our goal is to break 2,000 as soon as we can.”

Gildea agreed, saying, “It’s something that we continue to celebrate as an organization, and we continue to work at — adding more seats around the table in the coming years.”

Archbishop Naumann closed the evening with prayer, telling parents how important it is to make Catholic schools financially accessible to everyone.

“I’m so grateful for the foundation and the board and for our donors,” he said. “Just know a lot of people love you in the church.

“They believe in you and your families, and they want the best for your children, just like you do.”

6 FAMILY LIFE

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG

God is calling your name. Will you respond?

By Gretchen R. Crowe OSV News

O

ur sweetest not-sucha-babyanymore turns 20 months old this month. Like any proud mama, I could write an entire column on John Francis’ adorable qualities, like his propensity to silly dance anytime he catches a whiff of a beat, or how he quacks at anything that has wings, including, lately, the angels in Nativity scenes.

But what is really making us laugh these days is his love of the family “roll call.”

While our little guy isn’t talking all that much yet, what he does do — with gusto — is say the names of his favorite people on repeat. This means the soundtrack of our home in this season of life centers on the words DADA, MAMA, DOHDOO (that’s big bro Joseph) and NNNEH (big sis Anne).

And he means business. When he calls your name, he expects acknowledgment and response, pronto, or the calls will continue, with increasing intensity. It reminds me uncannily of the movie “Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home,” in which a cylindrical probe in outer space in the year 2286 seeks response from humpback whales on Earth and, upon

hearing none from the now extinct creatures, begins utter destruction of the planet. One must acknowledge the baby roll call or face a harrowing future.

God calls us to himself While this has offered us much laughter at home, this game of call and response has also been tugging at my heart. Consider for a moment how endlessly the Lord, too, calls us to himself, and how greatly he wants us to respond.

We have been created

by God for life everlasting with him, and he desires us more than anything.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes clear this probing love of the Father and how much he desires to bring all people to himself: “Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer.

“In prayer, the faithful God’s initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response. As God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself, prayer appears as a reciprocal

OSV NEWS PHOTO/ELIZABETH SCALIA

A loud and happy toddler calls the family awake. call, a covenant drama.

Through words and actions, this drama engages the heart. It unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation” (2567).

These words are a reassuring balm to my soul. We are so beloved of God that, despite all of our human failings — despite all the ways in which we seek to hide from the Lord, or seek to blame him for abandoning us — he will lovingly and persistently call us to himself. He will tirelessly call our names, and, if we are listening and open, we will be led to respond.

Searching for God As a member of the Pauline Family, I think this time of year about the call received by our founder, Blessed James Alberione, on the night of Dec. 31, 1900 — what is now known as the “Night of Light.” While praying before the Blessed Sacrament, Alberione heard the Lord call: “Come to me, all of you.” From this distinct, life-changing moment, Alberione’s mission in Catholic communications was born and, more than a

ACROSS 1 Recedes 5 Brawl 10 Owns 13 Mother-in-law of Ruth 15 Bye 16 Samuel’s mentor 17 Greased 18 Loosen up 19 Bolted 20 Unemotional 22 Total 23 A few 24 Chinese secret society 26 Valley of the __ of death 28 Cycles per second 31 Golden __ (Israelite idol) 33 Goddess 34 A wish, with 42A & 60D 36 From an earlier time 41 Seaweed substance 42 See 34A 43 A piece of bedroom furniture (2 wds.)

44 After dinner black coffee cup 47 Hastening 48 Not (prefix) 49 Zeus’ wife 51 South southeast COPYRIGHT © BY CLIFF LEITCH, THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE REFERENCE SITE, WWW.CHRISTIANBIBLEREFERENCE.ORG. USED BY PERMISSION

52 55 57 58 61 65 66 68 69 70 71 72 73 74

century later, continues to thrive. But it was not just the call that made it so; a call is nothing without a response. It was Alberione’s own “fiat,” his own obedience to the will of God, that allowed for such abundant fruit.

We must do the same! And, thanks be to God, responding to God is inherent to our nature as human beings. “Man is in search of God,” the catechism reminds us. “Even after losing through his sin his likeness to God, man remains an image of his Creator, and retains the desire for

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OT book of prophecy Ancient Greek marketplace Body of water Thoughts Wanderer Computer key Gift of the wise men Inquisitive

DOWN 1 Son of Seth 2 Lure 3 Knife 4 Melt ore 5 Distant 6 Thought 7 Gold embellishment 8 Listening device 9 Formal wear 10 King when Jesus was born 11 “Remember the __” 12 Tendon 14 Stupidness

the one who calls him into existence” (2566).

All we need to do is listen, discern and, like Mary and all the saints after her, say “yes.”

The start of a new year is a clean slate, a new beginning for each one of us. On this very day, at this very moment — not unlike our persistent not-so-much-a-babyanymore — the Lord is calling our names.

He is calling us to him.

Will we hear the call and respond?

Gretchen R. Crowe is the editor-in-chief of OSV News.

21 Deoxyribonucleic acid (abbr.)

23 Sidle 25 Dales 27 In what way 28 African country 29 Summon 30 Canned meat brand 32 Anew 35 __ of peace (Jesus) 37 Sugary 38 Wading bird 39 Glasses part 40 Fringe 45 Foot extension 46 Anyone 47 Airplane garage 50 Regret 52 “__ porridge hot...”

53 Leaf gathering tools 54 Son of Abraham 56 Incite (2 wds.)

59 Consumer 60 See 34A 62 De __ (from the beginning) 63 Mined metals 64 Indiana city 66 Masculine pronoun 67 Tree Solution on page 10

DEDICATED TO SERVICE Archdiocesan deacons — serving God and society — embrace their unique role in the Catholic Church

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Deacon Mike Wilson talks with Troy Fencil, an inmate at the Lansing Correctional Facility. Deacon Wilson wears many hats as a deacon. In addition to prison ministry, he works for the archdiocesan permanent diaconate office as well as at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

On Aug. 20, 2023, 15 men participated in the rite of acolyte Mass at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The ministry of acolyte is the final step received before ordination to the permanent diaconate. This cohort will be ordained on June 22.

BY JOE BOLLIG joe.bollig@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Here’s a trick question for you: Are deacons essential? And the answer is . . .

“Sort of.” Or “It depends.” Or even, “No.” Are you confused yet? Join the club.

Plenty of Catholics know what a deacon is because they see them all the time in their parish — but will still call them “Father.” So at least there is some residual confusion.

Simply put, a deacon is an ordained minister in the Catholic Church — one of the three orders of ordained clerics, which include deacons, priests and bishops.

Each of these orders of clerics has functions of the word of God, sacraments and charity, but they fulfill them

in different ways, according to “Frequently Asked Questions About Deacons” on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops website.

Some of the confusion comes from two different kinds of deacons: transitional and permanent.

Generally, men on the path to priesthood are ordained transitional deacons some months or up to a year before being ordained priests. The diaconate is an essential step on the path to priesthood.

Permanent deacons, by contrast, are just that — permanent. They aren’t ordained priests. The permanent diaconate, dormant for centuries, was revived after the Second Vatican Council, which met from 1962-1965. >> Continued on the next page

>> Continued from previous page

Deacons: We’ve got them The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas ordained its first cohort (or group) of permanent deacons on April 9, 2011. In some parishes, deacons are old news, but several archdiocesan parishes have never had permanent deacons.

Permanent or transitional, all deacons do the same thing: proclaim the Gospel, preach, teach, baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages (without a Mass), conduct wake and funeral services and assist the priest at the altar.

But they also do a variety of other things: lead classes for the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (formerly RCIA), do marriage preparation for couples, do prison ministry, work with the homeless and more — a list as long as your arm.

The archdiocese has about 64 permanent deacons, according to Curtis Keddy, associate director of formation in the archdiocesan office of the permanent diaconate. That number fluctuates because of deaths, moves out of the archdiocese or other changes in ministry.

“Right now, we have 59 permanent deacons actively serving in the archdiocese,” said Keddy, himself a part of the fourth cohort trained in the archdiocese and scheduled for ordination this coming June.

Archdiocesan deacons tend to be married, often with children and full-time employment in secular occupations, albeit nearing retirement. Their average age is 63. A majority of the archdiocesan permanent deacons serve in Johnson County parishes.

For parish ministry, deacons are a vital enhancement but not essential, said Keddy.

Deacons: Do we need them?

Deacons cannot be reduced to “what one does,” but “who one is,” said Keddy.

But do we need deacons?

“That is a question a lot of people ask,” said Keddy. “It stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the ordination of a deacon. On the day of ordination, little is said of what a deacon should do. But the right focus is on what a deacon should become. “[The deacon] has been configured to Christ, shaped into an icon,” he said.

“Whatever you do now will be a little revelation of the mystery of Christ the servant, not focusing on the duties or what [deacons] do.

“There’s nothing a deacon does that is unique to just a deacon. Anything a deacon does a priest or layperson can do.

If you focus on the utility of a deacon that way — the necessity of a deacon — what you end up seeing is either an underqualified priest or an overqualified layperson. And that’s one of the big issues we face today . . . developing the diaconal imagination.”

So, in a sense, deacons are not essential because many parishes function perfectly well without them. Priests who have deacons in their parish, however, are glad to have them.

Deacons: A complete asset Deacons have been “a complete asset” at his parish, said Father Richard Storey, pastor of Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood.

“They provide great service,” said Father Storey. “The parish is totally

Deacon Jody Madden of St. Benedict Parish in Atchison helps get parishioners organized for last year’s eucharistic procession. comfortable with their role, which is completely to serve.”

Curé of Ars currently has two: Deacon Philip Nguyen and Deacon Kevin Cummings. A third, Deacon Steve White, died in 2022. Four parishioners are currently in formation to be ordained deacons, and Father Storey would love to have at least three of them serve in the parish.

“That will be up to the archbishop,” he said. “The parish is big enough that we could use three more.”

Deacons have two assignments. The first is to their parish, and the second is to some sort of ministry to the archdiocese. Deacon Nguyen frequently assists Archbishop Naumann as a master of ceremonies, and Deacon Cummings is on the board of directors of Project Gabriel and a maternity home in Missouri.

Deacon Nguyen has a family and works full time; Deacon Cummings is a retired dentist. Each man gives his time as he is available. Both help with weekend Masses.

“My deacons preach once a month,” said Father Storey. “It’s beautiful. I get to sit and listen to a homily. . . . Their homilies have been just excellent.”

Deacons are particularly useful in big parishes where there is a lot of sacramental work, Father Storey said. As a pastor, he’s constantly busy, and it’s a big help when a deacon can lead a Holy Hour and other devotions, or preside at weddings, funerals and baptisms.

They also do more mundane things, such as making sure there is bread, wine and other items necessary for liturgies.

“Deacon Nguyen [once] worked full time for three months for us,” said Father Storey. “That was beautiful. My gosh, that was a great assignment for me. He was able to take so much work off my desk. He truly is a man of service, and the parish respects him so much.”

Deacon Tom Mulvenon, left, assists Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Father Keith Chadwick at S ease the sacramental load of a pastor but they cannot celebrate Mass or hear confessions.

Deacons: We need help How did the clerical rank of deacon come about anyway? Because the apostles needed help, as recorded in Acts of the Apostles (6:1-6).

“The deacons were instituted [according] to the Scriptures in the early church, and their job is to serve,” said Father Adam Wilczak, pastor of Divine Mercy

Parish in Gardner. “By a special gift of the Holy Spirit, a lot of the work they do is supported and lifted up by God’s grace, to be a constant reminder of the universal call to serve that we all receive at our baptism.”

Father Wilczak is assisted by two deacons, both ordained in 2020. Deacon Vince Hallouer is retired and has a jail and prison ministry. He has a wife and adult children. Deacon Jason Imlay has

Deacons: A bridge between two worlds

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Deacon Jim Mullin is assigned to Church of the Nativity in Leawood. Many pastors give their deacons the opportunity to preach. Deacons can lead Holy Hours and other devotions, or preside at weddings (without a Mass), funeral services and baptisms.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Once upon a time Father Thomas Aduri was a “Lone Ranger.”

“When I was a pastor in a previous parish, I did all the baptismal preparation and baptisms, all the RCIA classes, setting up Mass and seeing that all the ministers were in place,” said Father Aduri, now pastor of Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Topeka.

“Now that I have deacons,” he continued, “they help me in all these things.”

The deacons at his parish have been a big help. He has two: Deacon Tim Ruoff and Deacon Brad Sloan.

For Father Aduri, deacons are both useful and essential. In addition to their well-defined roles, they have also done many other things. But as others have pointed out, it’s not just what they do that makes them essential to him — it’s who they are.

“When I first had the deacons, they said their role was to be [that connection] between priests and the people,” said Father Aduri. “They know married life and clerical life. They can be that bridge between clergy and laypeople.”

But that means there are times, because of family and work responsibilities, that the deacons are not available.

Father Aduri works with this.

“If a deacon says, ‘I can’t do this,’ I definitely can’t make them,” he said. “They have their jobs and families.”

Deacons are no longer a novelty at Mother Teresa, and parishioners are not confused as to the roles of deacons and priests. “[Parishioners] have accepted them,” said Father Aduri. “If we don’t have one at Mass, they think it’s weird. ‘Why is [Father] by himself?’ Now they are part of the liturgy.”

Some have suggested that deacons might be an answer to the priest shortage, but Father Aduri doesn’t see it that way.

“No, it’s a whole different commitment and sacrament to be a priest, and a different calling,” said Father Aduri. “I don’t see [deacons] as a remedy for a shortage of priests.”

“Deacons are definitely not a remedy [to a priest shortage] because deacons cannot celebrate Mass or hear confessions,” said Keddy.

“What they can do is provide support to overburdened and overworked pastors,” he added. “That being said, deacons do not have a ‘presidential’ role. They don’t preside. They are not meant for governance. They are servants.”

Deacons: Are you called?

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Deacon Jim Lavin was part of the first cohort ordained for the archdiocese. A full-time chaplain for Catholic Community Hospice, he also assists at Queen of the Holy Rosary in Overland Park.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee. Deacons can help secular employment and is on the board of at least three organizations. He is married and has three children.

The deacons play an important role in supporting both the mission and vision of the pastor as well as those of the archbishop.

“They do that through their parish assignments, assisting the pastor in his day-to-day role, such as the celebration of baptisms and witnessing marriages

outside of Mass,” said Father Wilczak.

“They’re also able to give Benediction with the Eucharist and assist at many parishes, including our own, with regular Holy Hours, giving people an opportunity to encounter Christ in the Eucharist, which is especially important during this time of revival.

Because deacons work in the world and have families, and are clerics as well, they can relate to laypeople in ways priests cannot, said Father Wilczak.

What would happen if he had no deacons?

“I would be stretched more thinly,” he said. “It would limit my availability to parishioners in different capacities. They

help with most of our baptisms, which frees me up to visit our classes during religious education on Sundays, and again assist with a lot of our Holy Hours, which we would not be able to hold as regularly if they were not in the parish. The parish would also experience fewer styles of preaching if I were the only one preaching, as opposed to the deacons sharing their gifts.”

Does he want more deacons?

“It’s hard to say no to more help,” said Father Wilczak. “We’re in a good position now, but if another one or two were assigned, it would not be a problem at all.”

There is interest among the laymen of the archdiocese in becoming deacons, but not everyone is called or suited for the role.

“When we open for applications, we get a very good number of men who apply,” said Keddy. “But we always whittle that down to 30, and even more after application. Formation for the diaconate is not a way to grow in your faith, or an extended retreat experience or a men’s group.

“It’s a self-emptying, sacrificial reconfiguration of your whole being. It’s like preparing for death. You are no longer your own — you belong to Christ and the church in a new way.”

The archdiocesan office of the permanent diaconate is looking for spiritually mature men with a sense of interiority and holiness. They’re already there and are ready to take the next step.

“We keep the bar pretty high,” said Keddy. “The last thing we need are mediocre or bad deacons.”

10 NATION

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG

‘Padre Pio’ actor Shia LaBeouf fully enters Catholic Church

By Gina Christian OSV News

S

OLVANG, Calif. (OSV News) — An actor who recently portrayed a beloved saint on screen has now fully come into the Catholic Church in real life.

Shia LaBeouf, a Hollywood veteran and star of director Abel Ferrara’s film “Padre Pio,” received the sacrament of confirmation, completing his initiation into the Catholic faith, during the New Year holiday weekend, according to announcements posted Jan. 2 to Facebook and Instagram by the Capuchin Franciscans’ Western American Province.

The friars posted several pictures of a smiling LaBeouf with the friars and Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, who had previously interviewed the actor through his Word on Fire apostolate.

Capuchin Father Joseph Seraphin Dederick, the provincial, told OSV News that Bishop Barron administered the sacrament to LaBeouf at the Old Mission Santa Inés in Solvang, California, on Dec. 31.

“We are thrilled to share that our dear friend Shia LaBeouf has fully entered the church this past weekend through the sacrament of confirmation!” the friars said in their posts, adding that they “are overjoyed to welcome him into the fold and witness his deep commitment to his faith journey.”

LaBoeuf developed both working and personal relationships with the friars while researching his role in “Padre Pio.” Speaking to OSV News in May, LaBeouf said he “wasn’t even trying to make movies” when Ferrara approached him about the role.

The acclaimed 37-year-old actor — whose Emmy-winning career as a kid on the Disney Channel blossomed into big-screen success — found himself “totally lost” after his inner demons led to partying, work conflicts and run-ins with the law.

“I was wandering around, living in my truck,” he said. “I wasn’t interested in acting anymore.”

As LaBeouf began confronting his personal issues, Ferrara tapped him for “Padre Pio,” a saint to whom the Bronx-born director — best known for his gritty cinematic takes on the underworld — felt himself “drawn.”

While researching the film, LaBeouf met Brother Alexander Rodriguez, a Capuchin Franciscan who is assistant vocation director at the order’s Old Mission Santa Inés in Solvang, California.

Soon LaBeouf was asking about more than one of the congregation’s

SOLUTION

OSV NEWS PHOTO/GRAVITAS VENTURES

Actor Shia LaBeouf, who portrays St. Pio of Pietrelcina, and Brother Alexander Rodriguez, who is a Capuchin Franciscan, appear in the new drama “Padre Pio,” which premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival and was released in U.S. theaters and on demand in 2023. most beloved saints.

“Shia was looking to know about Padre Pio, and then delved into the faith,” Brother Alexander told OSV News in May. “He got into RCIA (referring to the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults). The friars and I were helping to catechize him.”

LaBeouf told OSV News at the time “[learning] how to pray the rosary” brought a “tangible relief ” that he had previously sought through drugs, alcohol and life in the fast lane.

The lessons continued as Brother Alexander accompanied LaBeouf to Italy for filming, with the Capuchin providing technical assistance for the project while appearing in the movie as Padre Pio’s fellow Capuchin and spiritual adviser.

“I fell in love with Christ,” LaBeouf told OSV News in May. Now the actor, “known for his incredible talent and passion in the entertainment industry, has embarked on a profound spiritual journey that has led him to embrace the teachings of the Catholic Church,” the Capuchin friars wrote in their Jan. 2 Facebook and Instagram posts.

“His decision to fully enter the church is a testament to his sincere desire to grow in his relationship with God and live out the Gospel values.”

The friars added, “As Capuchin Franciscans, we believe in the transformative power of faith and the incredible impact it can have on one’s life. We are humbled and grateful to walk alongside Shia as he takes this important step in his spiritual journey.

“We invite you to join us in celebrating this momentous occasion and to keep Shia LaBeouf in your prayers as he continues to deepen his faith and seek God’s guidance in his life,” the friars said.

“May his example inspire others to explore their own spiritual paths and find solace in the loving embrace of the church.”

OSV NEWS PHOTO/GRAVITAS VENTURES

Shia LaBeouf stars in the 2023 film “Padre Pio.” LaBeouf entered into full communion with the Catholic Church after receiving the sacrament of confirmation on Dec. 31, 2023.

Newly translated Padre Pio letters are coming to your email inbox

T

UCKAHOE, N.Y. (OSV News) — A beloved Italian saint is speaking to the faithful anew through a series of letters sent directly to their email inboxes.

The Saint Pio Foundation has announced the release of “Epistolary,” a collection of 365 letters written by Padre (“Father”) Pio to his spiritual directors and students.

A dedicated page on the foundation’s website includes a sign-up form (available at: https://www.saintpiofoundation.org/saint-pios-epistolary) for receiving a weekly PFY with seven letters, one for each day of a given week. The first batch of letters was sent out Jan. 1 by the Tuckahoe, New York-based foundation.

Freshly translated into English from the original Italian, the Epistolary represents a fraction of the “thousands and thousands of letters” Padre Pio wrote during his lifetime, Luciano Lamonarca, founder and CEO of the Saint Pio Foundation, told OSV News.

Lamonarca said the Epistolary is one of several “gifts” he wanted to give to the Catholic community to mark the foundation’s upcoming 10th anniversary in April. But the gifts he has received from his own devotion to the saint have been life-changing, he added, noting that he and his wife Valentina credit the 2015 birth of their son Sebastian — after losing several children to stillbirth and miscarriages — to the saint’s intercession.

WORLD 11

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG

Americans flock to Camino to Santiago de Compostela

S

ANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain (OSV News) — U.S. pilgrims made up the largest international group walking the famous Camino to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in 2023.

The Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James, welcomed over 32,000 American visitors in a record year for the ancient pilgrimage site.

Interest in the Camino de Santiago — a network of pilgrim routes across Europe that lead to the Tomb of Saint James — is greater than ever, with the worldwide number of pilgrims walking the site approaching half a million.

Not everyone, however, walks because of religious reasons.

According to the statistics published by the pilgrims’ office, 446,035 pilgrims from all over the world arrived in the City of the Apostles last year. With 44% of the pilgrims (almost 200,000) being Spanish, Americans were the most common international visitors (32,063), followed by Italians (28,645) and Germans (24,342). The Portuguese, French, British, Mexicans, South Koreans and Irish were also represented in the top ten, followed by pilgrims from destinations as far as Australia, Brazil and Canada.

The Camino also welcomes pilgrims from unusual places — unusual for the fact that they are geographically very far from Spain and the journey is costly — two arrivals each came from Laos and Myanmar, and one person each from Lesotho, Senegal, Somalia and the Solomon Islands. There were three arrivals from citizens of the Vatican. In terms of gender, women were in the lead.

Pilgrims’ records are counted by certificates handed at the pilgrims’

OSV NEWS PHOTO/JÖRG MEYRER, KNA

A pilgrim stands on a mountain on Sept. 4, 2023, and looks into the vastness of the Galician landscape during his hike on the “Camino Primitivo” (one of the paths of the Camino de Santiago) in Spain. office in Santiago de Compostela. Those seeking certificates need to prove that they had covered the last 62 miles (100 kilometers) on foot or the last 124 miles (200 kilometers) by bike with the stamp sequences on their pilgrim’s identity card. However, it was not clear whether the cyclists were conventional pedalers

or e-bikers. Traditionally, there are no fixed criteria for wheelchair users (198 arrivals).

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the figures were still below the 10,000 mark.

The Holy Years of Compostela, when the July 25 feast of St. James falls on a Sunday, always boosted the number

of pilgrims: in 1993, there were almost 100,000; in 1999, 150,000; in 2004, 179,891 and in 2010, 272,417.

According to the Pilgrims’ Bureau, 42.6% of arrivals cited “religious reasons,” 34.7% cited “religious and other reasons” and 22.7% were walking for “non-religious reasons.”

‘Justice demands that we speak up’ for Lai, says archbishop

H

ONG KONG (OSV News) — Prominent Hong Kong Catholic, philanthropist and media mogul Jimmy Lai pleaded not guilty to endangering national security in a trial that democracy advocates around the world said includes bogus charges.

If convicted in the trial before three high court judges, Lai, 76, could face life in prison. His trial — which is expected to continue for months — is seen as a test of Hong Kong’s autonomy under a controversial national security law imposed by China in June 2020 to crush Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.

Lai has donated millions of dollars to Catholic causes and has been the biggest financial backer of Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, retired archbishop of Hong Kong, who baptized him in 1997.

Lai made his fortune through the mid-market fashion chain Giordano before putting his wealth into Next Digital and the city’s leading anti-Beijing newspaper, Apple Daily.

Hong Kong authorities arrested Lai in 2020 during a crackdown on prodemocracy advocates. Apple Daily closed the following June after Hong Kong authorities used the security law to raid the paper’s newsroom, arrest six staff members and freeze assets.

Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller told OSV News that Catholics were praying for Lai. “The situation in Hong Kong is greatly concerning to Vancouver Catholics and in particular our Asian Catholic

OSV NEWS PHOTO/TYRONE SIU, REUTERS

Catholic media tycoon and philanthropist Jimmy Lai is pictured in Hong Kong May 29, 2020.

Lai, Hong Kong’s Catholic pro-democracy supporter, pleaded not guilty Jan. 2 to national security crimes. community,” Archbishop Miller said in a statement shared with OSV News Jan. 3, the day after Lai pleaded not guilty to three charges of sedition and collusion with foreign countries.

“Mr. Lai is a person of faith who is being silenced and imprisoned for his pro-democracy convictions. He is one of many others who are oppressed for their beliefs. Justice demands that we speak up for them and give them a voice.”

Archbishop Miller was one of 10 Catholic leaders who called for Lai’s release in early November.

Their petition said, in part, “In standing up for his beliefs and commit-

ting himself through his faith to challenge autocracy and repression, Jimmy Lai has lost his business, been cut off

from his family, and has just surpassed 1,000 days in prison, while facing the prospect of many more years of incarceration to come.”

During the trial, which began in mid-December, prosecutors played clips of interviews Lai gave to foreign media in which he called for sanctions against China.

Activists say the National Security Law has diminished freedoms, rights and a higher degree of autonomy, including an independent judiciary and legislature, guaranteed in the “one country, two systems” framework in the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984. The declaration established the conditions in which Hong Kong was transferred to Chinese control and for the governance of the territory beginning July 1, 1997.

The prosecutor called Lai “a radical figure” who conspired with others to bring “hatred and stir up opposition” against Hong Kong and Chinese authorities.

12 CLASSIFIEDS EMPLOYMENT Youth minister - Prince of Peace Parish in Olathe is seeking an exceptional and experienced leader who desires to witness, serve and form teens and their families. They will work with a volunteer core team to envision, plan and execute a youth ministry program in accord with the archdiocesan guidelines for youth formation and in collaboration with the pastor’s mission and vision. The youth minister is responsible for the implementation of weekly youth programs for both junior and senior high. Seeking a Catholic experienced in youth ministry who will encourage and train adult core and youth team leaders. The position has the possibility to be full time with benefits. For more information, go to: www.popolathe.org/jobs. To apply, send a resume and cover letter to April Bailey, director of faith formation, at: abailey@popolathe.org.

Skilled maintenance worker - St. Pius X Parish, Mission, is seeking a skilled maintenance worker to perform general upkeep and repairs: applying basic fixes to equipment and building systems, and ensuring facilities are tidy and functional. Will include some spot cleaning of church, parish and rectory.

We are looking for candidates with experience and solid technical knowledge, who are reliable with a keen eye for detail, a self-starter with motivation to work independently or with others to provide thorough and efficient work. Work hours can be flexible.

Full time or part time. Interested applicants can email resumes and work history to: galba@spxmission.org.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd coordinator - St. Ann Parish in Prairie Village is seeking a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd coordinator. The program serves children ages three - twelve years old and school grades K - 12. Responsibilities include collaboration with catechists, assistants, teachers and administration: creating schedules; maintaining atrium material and leading a limited number of atrium sessions. Collaborative communication skills and prayerful discernment important. Flexible hours, 20 per week. L1 and L2 CGS certification required. To apply or for more information, contact Father Craig Maxim at: frcraig@stannpv.org.

Part-time database manager - Part-time database manager needed at St. John the Evangelist Parish in downtown Lawrence. Manager is responsible for maintaining accurate and up-to-date records of a confidential and time-sensitive nature in the parish database program (ParishStaq). Assuring a steady completion of workload in a timely manner is key to success in this position. To apply, send cover letter and resume to Father John Cousins at: frjohn@ sjevangelist.com; 1229 Vermont St., Lawrence, KS 66044. To view the complete job description, visit our website at: sjevangelist.com/jobs.

Internal auditor - The finance office in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking to hire a fulltime internal auditor who would be responsible for performing audits of parish finances on a rotating basis and for special purposes as needed. A minimum of three years’ experience in internal and/or external auditing is required. To apply, go online to: archkck. org and scroll down to “People,” click on “Employment,” scroll down to “Openings in our Archdiocese” and click on “Internal Auditor.”

Director of development and stewardship - The director of development and stewardship of St. John the Evangelist in Lawrence works closely with the pastor and school principal to ensure the long-term stability of the parish — which includes the church and school — by building relationships with a variety of stakeholders, including parishioners, parents alumni, volunteers and community members. The director of development and stewardship will implement and oversee all development and stewardship activities necessary to grow and expand the base of financial support for the parish from a broad range of sources. To apply, send cover letter and resume to Father John Cousins at: frjohn@sjevangelist.com; or mail to Father John Cousins, 1229 Vermont St., Lawrence, KS 66044. To view the complete job description, visit our website at: sjevangelist.com/jobs.

Director of evangelization and parish life - St. Ann Parish in Prairie Village is seeking a dynamic, team-focused leader to fill the role of director of evangelization and parish life. This person will oversee current formation programs, including: Journey (formerly Christ Renews His Parish); Bible studies and formation events, such as parish service days; parish missions; and evenings of reflection. The director of evangelization and parish life will form leaders for small groups, lead teams of volunteers and serve as staff contact for these formation programs and events. This is a part-time ministerial position (up to 20 hours per week) with some evening and weekend work required. Interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter to Father Craig Maxim at: frcraig@stannpv.org.

Faculty and adjunct faculty job openings - Donnelly College, Kansas City, Kansas, is a Catholic college offering higher education for those who may not otherwise be served. Faculty job openings - no current openings. Adjunct faculty job openings: clinical nursing faculty adjunct. Find job descriptions and details at: www.donnelly.edu/careers.

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG Client care providers - Wyandotte and Olathe Pregnancy Clinics need compassionate and reliable client care providers. Qualified medical staff also needed for ultrasounds and other medical patient needs.

Both volunteers and paid positions are available.

Please call Leah at (913) 207-0186.

Full-time custodian - The Church of the Nativity Parish School has immediate openings for a full-time custodian. Qualified applicants should have prior custodial experience, specifically in a school environment. Maintenance experience would be a plus.

The full-time position is scheduled to work M-F from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the part-time from 4 to 8 p.m.

M-F. Some holiday work is expected. Applicants must have a compatible work history, references, dependable transportation and be willing to participate in a background check. The Church of the Nativity expects to pay market compensation commensurate with experience and qualifications. Nativity has a history of retaining its employees, who enjoy the advantages of working at a vibrant, collaborative, faithbased place of worship and education. Nativity Parish School is located at 3700 W. 119th, Leawood. Nativity offers a comprehensive benefit program including medical, dental, vision, vacation and 401(k). Interested applicants should send resumes and work history to: mhyde@kcnativity.org. No phone calls please.

Associate superintendent of schools - The archdiocesan Catholic Schools Office is seeking to hire a full-time associate superintendent of schools. He/she would be responsible for collaborating with the superintendent and other office staff to support school leaders in ways that will enable them to be spiritual and effective leaders for teachers. A minimum of seven years’ experience in educational leadership, some of which must be in Catholic schools leadership, is required. Please visit Employment Opportunities on the archdiocesan website for more information or to apply. Go online to: “archkck.org,” scroll to the bottom and click on “Employment Opportunities,” then scroll down and click on “Openings in our Archdiocese” then on “Associate Superintendent of Schools.”

Now hiring - drivers and aides - Assisted Transportation is hiring safe drivers and aides to transport students in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, in company vans. Drivers earn $14 - $16 per hour. Part-time and full-time schedules available. CDL not required.

Retirees are encouraged to apply. Make a difference in your community by helping those in need! Call (913) 262-5190 or visit www.assistedtransportation. com for more information. EEO. Make a meaningful impact today - Join L’Arche Heartland as a direct support professional in our residential homes. Contribute to the empowerment and enrichment of adults with developmental disabilities as they engage in meaningful lifestyles. We have immediate full-time positions available. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes 100% coverage for medical, dental and vision expenses.

Conveniently situated in downtown Overland Park.

Training provided. Apply now by visiting our website at: www.larcheks.org/join-our-team or by emailing: james@larcheks.org.

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

Caregivers needed - Daughter & Company is looking for compassionate caregivers to provide assistance to seniors in their home, assisted living or in a skilled nursing facility. We provide sitter services, light housekeeping and light meal preparation, organizational assistance, care management and occasional transportation for our clients. We need caregivers with reliable transportation and a cellphone for communication. We typically employ on a part-time basis, but will strive to match up hours desired. Contact Gary or Laurie at (913) 341-2500 if you want to become part of an excellent caregiving team.

Scientific equipment technician - Would you like to make a difference in a small growing company?

Seeking individuals looking for flexible part-time work maintaining and repairing small equipment for our family company which has been in the local area for over 40 years. Service is completed at customer’s locations locally and within a four-state area. Dependable transportation is a must. Positive attitude, dependability, time management and self-motivation skills, as well as being quality- and customer-oriented are required.

Mostly on-the-job training. Electrical knowledge a plus.

Please send resume to: Yourcareer101@gmail.com.

Caregiver needed - Are you looking for an in-home caregiving opportunity? The Shikles family is urgently hiring a dedicated and compassionate direct support worker for the care of Stephen Shikles. Pay is $19.62 per hour; flexible hours up to 40 hours per week. For more information, please contact Lisa Shikles at (913) 333-0887 or lisa.shikles@gmail.com.

Staff job openings - Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, has the following staff job openings available: director of development, and admissions counselor. Find job descriptions and details at: www. donnelly.edu/careers.

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

Faith-based counseling to cope with life concerns - Kansas City area. Call Mary Vorsten, licensed clinical professional counselor, at (913) 909-2002.

Divine Cleaning KC - Divine Cleaning KC is a Catholic, veteran, family-owned cleaning business offering residential and commercial recurring cleans. The typical clean is priced 13.5-14 cents per square foot. For an estimate or to schedule your first clean, send us a text at (913) 374-6332.

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

WELLERBEEF.COM - Let us be your local farm source for beef for your dinner table. Local, Catholic, family farm. Humanely raised. No antibiotics/hormones. Grass fed and traditional. Starter pack to a whole cow. Free delivery in Kansas City area. We pay the butcher’s processing fees.

MIKE HAMMER MOVING - A full-service mover. Local and long-distance moving. Packing, pianos, rental truck load/unload, storage container load/unload.

In-home moving and office moves. No job too small.

Serving the KC metro since 1987. St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, parishioner. Call the office at (913) 9274347 or email: mike@mikehammermoving.com.

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

HOME IMPROVEMENT Free estimates - We are offering free estimates to all those thinking about painting this year. At Stone Painting, we put the customer first. We provide interior, exterior house painting along with deck staining, fence painting, etc. Stone Painting ensures a professional, clean and fair-priced job. Call today for your free estimate. (913) 963-6465.

EL SOL Y LA TIERRA *COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL *LAWN RENOVATION *MOWING *CLEANUP AND HAULING *DIRT GRADING/INSTALLATION *LANDSCAPE DESIGN* FREE ESTIMATES HABLAMOS Y ESCRIBIMOS INGLES!!

CALL LUPE AT (816) 252-1391 STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 5791835. Email: smokeycabin@hotmail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

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

Tradesman - I do bathrooms, kitchens, basements, tile and all kinds of flooring, as well as painting, staining, sheetrock, knockdown ceilings, decks and fences. My family and I always appreciate the support. Please call Joshua at (913) 709-7230. Check out my Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/FSHome ExteriorsandRemodeling. Call or email Joshua to set up a free estimate at (913) 709-7230 or at: josh.fser@gmail.com.

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

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% www.windowservicesoverlandpark.com drcconswindows@gmail.com (913) 461-4052

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

For sale - Two niches/columbarium at Resurrection Cemetery located in the Holy Family Mausoleum, corridor/garden, Nativity section, tier E1, niches 206 - 208. Original cost $5200; selling for $4000. Call Greg at (816) 944-6886.

REAL ESTATE We are local people who can buy your house - Big companies from all over the nation come here buying houses, but that’s not us. We are parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish and we enjoy giving you personalized service. We can offer you a fair price and are flexible to your needs. If I can help, call me, Mark Edmondson, at (913) 980-4905.

We buy houses and whole estates - We are local and family-owned, and will make you a fair cash offer.

We buy houses in any condition. No fees or commissions and can close on the date of your choice. Selling your house has never felt so good. Jon & Stacy Bichelmeyer (913) 599-5000.

PILGRIMAGE Pilgrimage - Join us for a pilgrimage to Medjugorje March 12 - 20, 2024; May 14 - 22, 2024; and June 16 - 28, 2024 (Poland and Medjugorje). Are you being called to go? Hosted by visionary Mirjana Soldo. Call Grace Legaspi for details at (913) 449-1806.

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

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

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

Benefitsofhome.com or call (913) 422-1591.

Caring companion - I am a certified nursing assistant with 10-plus years’ experience with stroke, Alzheimer’s, dementia patients. I assist with personal care service and offer non-emergency, medical transportation. Call (816) 859-2252.

WANTED TO BUY Wanted to buy - Do you have a car or truck that you need to get rid of? If you do, CALL ME! I’m a cash buyer. We’re Holy Trinity parishioners.

My name is Mark. (913) 980-4905.

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

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

Cash paid - for old tools, old jewelry, old furniture, military items, fishing lures, hunting items, old crocks, arrowheads and old signs. I buy all kinds of older things — house or barn contents, an estate or just one item. Call Patricia any time at (913) 515-2950. Parishioner at Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa.

Wanted to buy - I buy coin collections, military items, pocket watches, jewelry, class rings, old toys, holiday items and more. Cash in hand. Call Kirk at (913) 213-9843

SAINT RITA HOME CARE State Licensed Home Care Agency www.saintritahc.com 913-229-4267 rmargush@ saintritahc.com Member of Prince of Peace, Olathe

WE’RE HIRING

Caregivers training provided

Accepting New Clients

CALENDAR 13

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG

BREAKFAST WITH THE KNIGHTS Divine Mercy Parish 555 W. Main St., Gardner Jan. 14 from 8:20 - 10 a.m.

Breakfast will include eggs, sausage and gravy, pancakes and drinks. Join us for great fellowship. The cost is: $5 for those over the age of 11; $3 for kids ages 3 - 11; and kids under the age of 3 eat for free.

Proceeds are used for charitable works such as scholarships and other giving throughout the year.

WIDOWED WOMEN OF FAITH Perkins Restaurant (back room) 1720 S.W. Wanamaker Rd., Topeka Jan. 16 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

We are back and meeting every third Tuesday of the month. No RSVP needed.

We need each other because only we truly understand the loss of our husbands. We meet and everyone orders off the menu.

Come for coffee and pie or a full lunch. We pay our own individual tab, but we do not eat alone. Questions? Call (913) 558-0191 or send an email to: WidowedWomenof Faith@gmail.com.

WILLS AND TRUSTS WORKSHOP CREATING YOUR LEGACY St. Ann Parish (hall) 301 William St., Effingham Jan. 17 from 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Father Hughes Sundeme welcomes all to attend Casey Connealy’s wills and trusts workshop. Learn ways to protect your family and protect your assets from taxes with the right estate plan. The presentation will cover: the difference between a will and a trust; how to avoid probate (and what exactly is probate?); if I die first and my spouse remarries, will my kids still get their money; and how to leave money or other assets to my church. Register online at: www.cfnek.org/events/ wills-trusts-workshop or send an email to Jane Schmitt at: jschmitt@archkck.org or call (913) 647-3060.

TAKE-A-LOOK THURSDAY Holy Spirit School 11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park Jan. 18 from 9 - 11 a.m.

Come join us for information, tours of the school and refreshments. Choose a learning environment that is welcoming and Christ-centered. For more information, call Anita Pauls at (913) 492-2582 or send an email to: apauls@hscatholic.org.

BEREAVEMENT MEETING Curé of Ars Parish (Father Burak Room) 9405 Mission Rd., Leawood Jan. 20 after the 8 a.m. Mass The bereavement ministry will have a grief support meeting after the morning Mass. For more information, call (913) 649-2026.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES ASSOCIATION Church of the Nativity (Magi Room) 3800 W. 119th St., Leawood Jan. 20 at 8:15 a.m.

The morning will begin with Mass to be followed by a meeting from 9 - 11 a.m. The Daughters of St. Francis de Sales invite women to deepen virtues and practice holiness in everyday life. Come reflect with us on our monthly meditation topic — “Discretion in the tradition of Salesian spirituality” — after Mass. All materials are provided and coffee and light refreshments will be served. To attend, contact Ruth Owens by email at: rowens4853@gmail.com, or call Barbara McClung at (816) 535-4531 or send an email to: willabird1960@gmail.com. For additional information, visit the website at: www.sfdassociation.org.

JANUARY ROSARY RALLY IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA St. Mary-St. Anthony Parish 615 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas Jan. 21 from 3 - 4:15 p.m.

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

SYMPTO-THERMAL METHOD OF NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING St. John the Evangelist Parish (extra building) 200 W. 13th St., Lawrence Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m.

A Couple to Couple League sponsored class in using the sympto-thermal method of natural family planning during the postpartum period takes place at St. John the Evangelist campus, 200 W. 13th St., Lawrence. For more information about this class or other self-paced online classes, call Shannon or John Rasmussen at (785) 749-1015. Preregistration is required online at: www.ccli.org.

RETROUVAILLE Jan. 26 - 28 Registration closes Jan. 25

Is your marriage struggling or do you know a marriage that is struggling? Retrouvaille is a program that helps couples restore their marriage and restore their marriage and rebuild a loving relationship.

This is a practical program to improve communication and help couples connect.

God wants JOY in our lives and families and this program can make that happen.

Go online to: www.helpourmarriage.org for more information and to register, or call 1 (800) 470-2230. Space is limited. Early registration is suggested.

DAUGHTERS OF ISABELLA LITTLE FLOWER CIRCLE Christ the King Parish (Yadrich Hall) 5972 S.W. 25th St., Topeka Jan. 21 at 12:40 p.m.

WOMEN’S RETREAT Church of the Nativity 3800 W. 119th St., Leawood Jan. 27 from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

A rosary will be followed by the business meeting and social time. If anyone knows of a member or family member of the Daughters of Isabella in need of the circle’s prayers, call Shirley Gustafson at (785) 554-3028 or chancellor Gen Orozco at (785) 213-0374.

There will be a Mass at 8:30 a.m. for those wishing to attend. The retreat will begin at 9 a.m. The cost is $20 and includes breakfast. The speakers will be Catherine Cheney, Brenna Vidal and Father Luke Doyle. Register online at: www.kcnativity.org/journey or send an email to Susan Vogliardo at: suesues6@ hotmail.com.

RED MASS St. Joseph Parish 227 S.W. Van Buren St., Topeka Jan. 23 at noon

TASTE OF KCK Resurrection School 425 N. 15th St., Kansas City, Kansas Jan. 27 from 6 - 9 p.m.

Join us for the annual Red Mass celebrated by the bishops of Kansas. The Red Mass is a special devotion to the Holy Spirit and a prayer for the virtues of wisdom, understanding, counsel, patience, energy and courage. Lawyers, judges, government officials, scholars and others working in the legal field are invited to attend the Red Mass to pray for divine guidance over their work. People of all faiths are invited to join in celebrating the Red Mass. For any legislator, staff, state employees, judges and lawyers planning to attend, please RSVP to receive a “to-go” lunch box following the Mass. RSVP can be submitted to Lucrecia Nold by email at: lucrecia@kansascatholic.org.

The evening will begin with a social at 6 p.m. An ethnic buffet dinner follows at 7 p.m. with a program at 8 p.m. Proceeds benefit Resurrection School students through need-based scholarships, STREAM initiatives, academic programing and supports, and the daily cost of operating a school. For more information, to purchase a ticket or make a donation, visit the website at: rcskck.org/taste-of-kck or call (913) 371-8101.

DIVINE MERCY MARRIAGE RETREAT Divine Mercy Parish 555 W. Main St., Gardner Feb. 3 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., will be the featured speaker at this year’s Divine Mercy marriage retreat: “Beholding Our Spouse in Love: Emotional Intimacy with Spouse and God.” Deacon Keating is an award-winning author and professor of spiritual theology at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. He has written many essays on ethics, spirituality and clergy formation as well as written, co-written or edited over 30 books. He also has a podcast called “Discerning Hearts.” The cost is $50 per couple, lunch included. Please call (913) 856-7781 for reservations.

‘A GREAT SYMPHONY OF PRAYER’ SILENT RETREAT Christ’s Peace House of Prayer 22131 Meagher Rd., Easton Feb.9 at 5:30 p.m. - Feb. 11 at 4:30 p.m.

Pope Francis urges us to prepare for the 2025 Jubilee Year “Pilgrims of Hope” by calling for a “Great Symphony of Prayer” in the year 2024. Join us as we prepare for Lent by deepening our prayer life and love of God by reflecting on what we pray, how we pray and why we pray. The Our Father prayer will be examined through the lens of being a life program for disciples. There will be conferences, spiritual direction, eucharistic adoration, Mass, confession, and time for private prayer, reflection and walking. Cabins/courtyard rooms: $170 singles/ $250 couples or single guest rooms: $100 (meals included). To attend, fill out the individual retreat form online at: Christspeace. com or call (913) 773-8255.

14 COLUMNISTS

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG

DAILY READINGS SECOND WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME Jan. 14 SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 1 Sm 3: 3b-10, 19 Ps 40: 2, 4, 7-10 1 Cor 6: 13c-15a, 17-20 Jn 1: 35-42 Jan. 15 Monday 1 Sm 15: 16-23 Ps 50: 8-9, 16-17, 21, 23 Mk 2: 18-22 Jan. 16 Tuesday 1 Sm 16: 1-13 Ps 89: 20-22, 27-28 Mk 2: 23-28 Jan. 17 Anthony, abbot 1 Sm 17: 32-33, 37, 40-51 Ps 144: 1-2, 9-10 Mk 3: 1-6 Jan. 18 Thursday 1 Sm 18: 6-9; 19: 1-7 Ps 56: 2-3, 9-14 Mk 3: 7-12 Jan. 19 Friday 1 Sm 24: 3-21 Ps 57: 2-4, 6, 11 Mk 3: 13-19 Jan. 20 Fabian, pope, martyr; Sebastian, martyr 2 Sm 1: 1-14, 11-12, 19, 23-27 Ps 80: 2-3, 5-7 Mk 3: 20-21

W

e’re about two weeks into the new year. So, how are your resolutions going? For some, they’re going . . . going . . . gone.

For people like me, I need motivation to keep going as this story illustrates: A loaded SUV pulls into the only remaining campsite. Four kids leap from the vehicle and begin to feverishly unload gear and set up the tent.

The boys then rush off to gather firewood, while the girls and their mother set up the camp stove and cooking utensils.

Seeing all this, a nearby camper is impressed. He says to the kids’ father, “That, sir, is some display of teamwork!”

“I have a system,” the father replies. “No one goes to the bathroom until the camp is set up!” (Adapted from a story in “Illustrations Unlimited,” edited by James S. Hewett.)

T DEMETRIAN ca. 912

After Demetrian’s young wife died after three months of marriage, he entered a monastery on Cyprus dedicated to St. Anthony.

There he was ordained a priest and ultimately served as abbot for four decades. When Demetrian was chosen bishop of Khytri, he fled to a cave.

But a friend persuaded him to accept the appointment. In Demetrian’s twenty-fifth year as bishop, Saracens invaded Cyprus and took many Christians captive.

He interceded with the invaders for their freedom. Moved by the example of his courage and selflessness, the Saracens released the prisoners. St. Demetrian is the patron of prisoners. He is sometimes invoked with this prayer: “Loving Father, through the intercession of St. Demetrian, rescue me from the anxieties that hold me captive.”

When our goods are not good for us 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.

Now that’s motivation!

It’s said that one way to keep resolutions is let people know about them. Folks can keep you accountable by asking about your progress. So, Leaven readers, here are two of mine for 2024: pursuing self-care and being a better steward.

Part of my self-care is to spend at least 20 minutes a day on BOTC, which stands for

“Bring Order to Chaos.”

My inspiration comes from the beginning of the Book of Genesis where God, seeing that “the earth was without form or shape,” brings order to the chaos. I’m working to tame the messiness around me, which messes with my mind and soul.

I’ve been motivated to do this as a spiritual exercise because of a book, “Making Room for God: Decluttering and the Spiritual Life.”

Author Mary Elizabeth Sperry makes a powerful case for simplicity and order as she leads readers through chapters devoted to clutter and sin, clutter and repentance, clutter

and prayer, clutter and the common good, and clutter and spiritual discipline. It’s an easy read but will no doubt highlight things you’ll probably want to include in your next confession!

An effective 20-minute BOTC for me is the “pile method.” It’s simple: Go to an area and put everything that doesn’t belong there into a basket. Take the basket into the living room, dump it on the floor and sort the contents into categories like trash, donate or put away in its proper place. For items that don’t have a “home,” create one. You’ll be surprised at what you can get done in a focused 20 minutes.

My second resolution concerns stewardship and ties into the above resolution.

I suffer from “Amazonesia” which is defined as ordering so much so often from Amazon that when the package arrives, you’ve forgotten what you ordered.

My “Amazonesia,”

however, comes later.

I’m so happy with what I’ve ordered that I don’t want to use it right away. So, I store it for some “special time” in the future. (I know, it’s crazy, but I do it.)

Being a good steward means using what I buy . . . or not buying it in the first place. So far in 2024, every day has been like Christmas as I’ve opened those “special time” Amazon purchases and begun to use them. And, naturally, other possessions have been donated to make room for the new.

When my motivation flags, the words of St. Basil the Great echo in my ears: “The bread you hoard belongs to the hungry; the cloak in your wardrobe belongs to the naked; the shoes you let rot belong to the barefoot; the money in your vault belongs to the destitute. All you might help and do not — to all these you are doing wrong.”

O Lord, cure my Amazonesia!

When you speak to the Lord, do you listen for his answer?

he new year is a good time to begin anew in our spiritual lives. Along with resolutions to improve our health, habits and relationships, a renewed commitment to prayer gives direction to our inmost longings for renewal and regeneration.

Prayer is a dialogue with God that responds to God who first thirsts for us, says the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We speak to God in the prayers of the liturgy and the psalms, in familiar devotions of the church and with words that flow spontaneously from the heart. And while speaking to

JEM SULLIVAN Sullivan is a professor at The Catholic University of America.

God is a necessary dimension of Christian prayer, listening is even more fundamental. We cultivate a heart of listening to hear God call each

one of us by name. The more we listen, the more we hear God’s voice.

When we open to the voice of the Holy Spirit, we attune ourselves to God’s voice and welcome his holy word as wisdom for daily life.

Samuel had never heard God’s voice until he heard the Lord call him by name. The young boy mistakenly thought it was Eli, the temple priest. Three times the Lord called to Samuel, and three times Samuel ran to Eli’s side. Eventually, Eli, a wise and prayerful man himself, understood what was happening to Samuel.

So, he said to the youth,

“Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’”

Eli taught Samuel the way of prayer.

He guided Samuel to recognize God’s voice calling to him as a gift of faith.

In the same way, the church teaches us how to pray, opening our hearts and minds to hear God call us by name with his eternal word of love and mercy.

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus encounters Peter and Andrew, who accept the call to discipleship after they hear the witness of John the Baptist. We hear that John was standing with the two disciples, and

as Jesus walked by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” John was a missionary disciple of Jesus, preparing hearts to attend to the presence of God in their midst. Peter and Andrew heard the message of John and followed Jesus.

Discipleship flows from listening to the voice of God. When John proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God, the disciples responded in faith and discipleship. Their example is given to us today as we hear God’s word. Will we respond in faith and discipleship as we hear God call us by name — as we pray in faith, “Speak to me, Lord.”

Everyone faces temptation, but Jesus is always close by, pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Temptation — a constant in the spiritual life — is an opportunity for Christians to remember that Jesus is close to them, supports them and lifts them up when they fall, Pope Francis said.

“We all have experienced this: that a bad thought comes into your head, a desire to do something, to speak ill of someone,” the pope said Jan. 3 at his weekly

general audience. “We are all tempted, and we must fight to not fall into these temptations.”

The pope asked the people packed into the Vatican audience hall: “If any of you don’t have temptations, say so, because it would be something extraordinary.”

Continuing a new catechesis series on vices and virtues, which he had begun the previous week, Pope Francis said that while Jesus was

not a sinner, his willingness to be baptized shows that the Son of God accompanies humanity at all times, even when it is need of cleansing.

Jesus, he said, “does not embody the angry God and does not call for judgment but, on the contrary, he stands in line with sinners.”

The pope said, “Jesus understands you and accompanies you, he understands your sin and forgives it.”

COLUMNISTS 15

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG

F

Join us in Topeka Jan. 24 and help us ‘Rescue with Love’

or the past 50 years, the prolife movement has kicked off the new year with the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., with our own Kansas March for Life in Topeka on Jan. 24.

These marches were historically scheduled around the January anniversary of Roe v.

Wade. Now that Roe has been overturned, some may ask if we need to continue. The answer is yes.

After 50 years of Roe, we have much work to undo the deeply ingrained but false belief that women need abortion to live happy and fulfilled lives, and to instead spread the

LIFE MATTERS

DEBRA NIESEN Debra Niesen is the archdiocesan consultant for the pro-life office.

pro-life message of love and hope that will someday make abortion unthinkable.

January is the perfect time to march

with the truth, beauty and joy of the Nativity story still fresh in our hearts — a young Mary facing an unplanned pregnancy, the birth of a baby bringing joy to the world and Joseph tasked with protecting them both.

As pro-life people, we are inspired to share this beautiful

message of hope that God has a plan for every life, and that he provides people to help us overcome challenges in our lives.

IGNITE for Life is our Catholic rally and Mass the morning of the Kansas March for Life. This year’s theme is: “Rescue with Love.”

Why? Rescue means “to save someone from a dangerous situation.”

The fact is, abortion is dangerous. It brutally ends a child’s life and harms women spiritually, psychologically and physically.

To protect the vulnerable, we must shine a light on this reality, one that the abortion industry and its political and media allies

work hard to disguise.

Through our abortion healing ministry, we hear countless heartbreaking experiences from abortion survivors that tell the pain and harm of abortion.

To rescue also means that we must have courage to help. As Christians, this is what we are all called to do.

Unfortunately, many believe it is “compassionate” to support a woman’s choice to end her child’s life. Standing by or helping her harm her child and herself is actually false compassion.

Instead, we are called to “rescue with love.” To love means “to will the good of another.”

When a woman is

facing a challenging pregnancy, the words she needs to hear are: ‘”You can do this and we will help.” We believe women are capable of doing very difficult things, and men can uphold their responsibility — for their good and the good of their child — whether they choose parenting or adoption. However, we, as the church, must help. This is the essence of our parish “Walking With Moms in Need” initiative.

Go online to: arch kck.org/ignite and make plans to join us at IGNITE to hear inspiring speakers share their messages of hope. Let’s have the courage to “rescue with love!”

Let your New Year’s resolution bring you closer to Christ

W

hen thinking about New Year’s resolutions, many people commit to exercising more and eating healthier.

This is great, but often people try to commit to that because they think it will make them skinnier and more attractive — and therefore, make them more lovable and happier. We lose sight of the fact that we are already loved for who we are.

Going to the gym and eating healthier are good things, but perhaps we need to change our reason for going.

LEARNING TO LOVE LIKE HIM

JOSHUA RUOFF Joshua Ruoff is the lead consultant for the archdiocesan special-needs ministry. He can be reached by email at: jruoff@ archkck.org.

There are multiple physical, mental and spiritual benefits to taking care of our

physical bodies. For one, it is shown that 90 minutes of exercise per week drastically decreases our chances of depression.

What if during that 90 minutes of exercise per week, we committed to listening to Catholic or religious music or podcasts to

improve our relationship with God? Or what if we prayed while we exercised?

Think of the spiritual benefits to our soul that we could accomplish in a year. I challenge you to find New Year’s resolutions that, at their core, improve your relationship with our Lord. I want to share just a few tips that hopefully will help you in developing and sticking to resolutions.

First, don’t be afraid to fail. In fact, embrace failure and what it can teach you about yourself. Be kind to yourself when you fall short.

The mercy of God is endless and that is why we have the sacrament

of reconciliation available to us at all times.

Second, be patient with yourself. It is said that it takes up to six weeks to develop a new habit. If you don’t make it even a day with your resolution, don’t let that be a reason to quit.

Start over. Resolutions don’t have to start Jan. 1. Every day is a new day to start new.

Lastly, surround yourself with a community that encourages you and prays for you. We are all headed for the same destination and it is our duty to get one another there. Don’t feel pressured into thinking that you have to do anything alone.

Ask a trusted party for help. But don’t let those people be too gentle on you when you fall short.

Sometimes, we need to be challenged and shown tough love to motivate us to be better versions of ourselves.

If you haven’t made a New Year’s resolution yet, today is Day One. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Worry about today and find a way today to bring yourself closer to Jesus and to heaven. Let us know how we can support and pray for you at the special-needs ministry by contacting our office.

Happy New Year!

LOCAL NEWS 16

JANUARY 12, 2024 | THELEAVEN.ORG

Organ recital program highlights musical talent of archdiocese

By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org

K

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Good news for lovers of great, classical, organ music.

“Third Sunday at Three,” the monthly organ recital series many have come to love, will continue into a second year.

The first performance of 2024 will be offered by Stuart Taylor, director of sacred music at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas, at 3 p.m. on Jan. 21 at Holy Angels Parish, 15440 Leavenworth Rd., Basehor.

The recital is free but a freewill offering will be gratefully accepted.

This recital marks the completion of the first year of monthly organ recitals featuring organists of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, including Taylor, Aidan Hill, Douglas O’Neill, Father Brent Stull, Kevin Vogt, Lara West and Thomas Zachacz.

“We’ve been trying over the past year to feature some of the great musical talent we have serving our archdiocesan parishes,” said Vogt, director of worship and sacred arts at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood.

“Since Holy Angels has this wonderful new organ, they’ve been very hospitable helping us to do that.”

The public response to the series last year was remarkable, with as many as 80 people showing up to enjoy beautiful religious and classical music, said Vogt. One recital featured an organ and accompanying trumpet.

The December recital was particularly good, he said, and featured a collaboration between the children’s schola from Christ the King Parish in Kansas City, Kansas, and the Holy Angels, Basehor, choir.

The Basehor church’s world-class organ has a dramatic history. It was in a disused church in Cleveland that was going to be demolished. Instead of ending up in a landfill, Holy Angels res-

COURTESY PHOTO

Stuart Taylor, director of sacred music at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas, will perform at 3 p.m. on Jan. 21 at Holy Angels Parish, 15440 Leavenworth Rd., Basehor, as part of a monthly organ recital program held at various churches in the archdiocese. cued the organ and makes it available to other musicians and musical organizations.

But elsewhere, too, the archdiocese

is undergoing a bit of an organ renaissance as new organs are being built and via “organ transplant” older ones are being rescued and placed in archdi-

SEEK offers encounter with the Lord in a new way >> Continued from page 1

like every single speaker has spoken directly to me, and there have been innumerable awesome experiences.

It’s hard to explain it.”

It’s hearing the stories of parishioners like Dooling that makes Emily Lopez, the lead consultant in the archdiocesan office of adult evangelization, so grateful that SEEK has opened its doors to older Catholics.

She sees it is a great gift that parish leaders are able to attend and encounter the Lord in a new way.

“Bringing parish leaders to SEEK is a great gift for a couple of reasons.

First of all, it’s extremely hopeful and inspiring to see the future generation of the church in this kind of way — to just see the joy and the presence of the Holy Spirit and the passion for Christ and his church,” said Lopez. “But then, to also see that we’re a full body of Christ and . . . that working like this on evangelization takes everyone, wherever they’re at.

In my mind, it’s more of a fullness of what our parishes can look like.”

Throughout the conference, parishioners shared with Father Haug the power of seeing youth actively

I AM HOPING TO TAKE THE EXPERIENCES I HAVE HERE AND BRING THEM BACK TO THE COMMUNITY ON THE HILL. RYAN JACOBSON A MEMBER OF CITY ON A HILL participating in the faith. The young pastor believes that witnessing the vibrancy of youth can be a powerful experience in and of itself.

“For adults that are beyond the young adult age, SEEK really fosters a lot of hope in their hearts because they see these young people and realize that the future is not as bleak as we think,” said Father Haug.

Ryan Jacobson is a member of City on a Hill, a group of young adults in the Kansas City metro area striving to grow in holiness through community. He hopes to share with them the experiences he has had and testify to the way that the Lord is

moving across the nation.

“I am hoping to take the experiences I have here and bring them back to the community on the hill,” said Jacobson. “I am hoping to take back to them the ideas that I have heard in talks and the motivation I have received. But I also really want to share how the Holy Spirit is moving across the nation.”

Archbishop Naumann hopes that for the 40 parish leaders that attended SEEK from the archdiocese, the conference will change the way they approach evangelization. Across the archdiocese, he hopes to see leaders focusing more on helping people encounter Christ than merely teaching the faith.

“I hope that our participants take back to the parishes the knowledge that we can’t just be content with the faith,” said Archbishop Naumann. “I hope they begin asking: ‘How do we make disciples in our family and our friendships within the parish? How do we bring people to a deeper encounter with Jesus?’

“I’m hopeful this conference will have a deep impact on our parish communities.”

ocesan churches. Holy Angels was the first and will be soon followed by Good Shepherd Parish in Shawnee and St. Michael the Archangel.

Blood drive established by Miege alum set for Feb. 2 OVERLAND PARK — In 2018, grateful for all the blood transfusions she received during her fight against Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, Katie Scott, a graduate of Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park and Benedictine College in Atchison, helped establish a blood drive to help others in need.

Over the last six years, her blood drive has helped thousands receive blood that is critical to their health. The seventh annual drive will take place on Feb. 2 from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel inside the Leatherwood Ballroom, located at 6100 College Blvd. in Overland Park.

Call 1 (800) 733-2767; go online to: red crossblood.org and enter sponsor code: KatieScott; or use the Blood Donor App to schedule an appointment.

NEED HELP HEALING FROM A PAST ABORTION?

Call or text 913-621-2199 Compassionate, Confidential, Free