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THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 41, NO. 23 | JANUARY 24, 2020

IT ONLY STARTS WITH THE ROSARY

LEAVEN PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE

Jennie and Kevin Punswick (at far left and in front of window) routinely invite friends and neighbors to join them and their family for a rosary at their house. Erin and Tom Joerger (Erin on couch) and Samantha O’Malley (in foreground at right) were among those who joined them on a recent Sunday. Baby-holding duty was shared by all, including 10-year-old John Punswick.

Neighborhood rosary leads to community of prayer

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

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VERLAND PARK — “We’re going to watch the Super Bowl and pray the rosary before. Come over.”

It was an invitation Erin Joerger never expected to receive from a neighbor.

“I kind of thought they were joking,” she said. “I’ve never been invited to someone’s house to pray a rosary.”

But Jennie and Kevin Punswick, parishioners at Holy Spirit Parish in Overland Park, were completely serious.

Around two years ago, the Punswicks felt moved to ask Erin, her husband Tom and their children to pray the rosary with them in their home. The Joergers had recently moved into the neighborhood and

were pleasantly surprised by the invitation.

“Being new to the neighborhood, it was nice to have that faith component in common,” said Erin.

Since then, the Punswicks have continued reaching out to their neighbors to invite them to pray the rosary on Sunday evenings — and often to stay after for a drink and conversation.

“At one point this summer, there were 39 people in our living room,” said Jennie.

Because so many families participate, couples on other streets in the neighborhood have begun leading their own rosary groups.

Two factors, explained the Punswicks, have helped make it so successful: intentionality and accessibility.

“The rosary’s not just been about prayer,” said Kevin. “It’s >> See “GATHERINGS” on page 5

LEAVEN PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE

Lucy Punswick, 13, holds 2-month-old Paisley O’Malley while she prays the rosary with her family and neighbors. The rosary group is full of young families with children who play and pray together.

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

ARCHBISHOP

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It won’t be easy. But the archdiocese is rising to the challenge

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eviewing our archdiocesan “ad limina” report, while saddened and troubled by the negative trends in sacramental practice that were detailed in the first of this series of articles, my predominant sentiment was one of profound gratitude for the fidelity and generosity of so many of our priests, deacons, women and men religious, but especially the laymen and women of the archdiocese.

There is so much good happening on a daily basis in our parishes, schools and ministries, thanks to the generosity and dedication of so many lay members of the archdiocese.

In this final article about the report, I want to highlight some of the amazing ways in which the Holy Spirit is working powerfully in our archdiocesan church.

I am profoundly grateful for the lay leaders who serve on the many boards and councils of the archdiocese, e.g., our administrative team, the archdiocesan curia, finance council, pastoral council, Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas board, the Catholic Education Foundation board, Catholic Charities Foundation and operation boards, Donnelly College board, our high school and consolidated elementary school boards, Santa Marta and Villa St. Francis boards, ethics council, fine arts council and Independent Review Board.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the predominantly lay boards and councils that lead and serve our archdiocesan parishes, schools, institutions and ministries.

The level of expertise and talent that so many contribute to the archdiocese provides an incredible brain trust to assist me with my responsibility to lead the church in northeast Kansas, guard her mission and guide her many and diverse apostolates.

Long before I arrived on the scene, the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas has made forming and serving our

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN youth a high priority.

Youth ministry has been a strength in the archdiocese for many years. Not many dioceses are blessed to have a place like Prairie Star Ranch that, through its summer youth camps, have helped so many young people encounter Jesus in a profound and personal way.

I am particularly grateful for ReachKCK and our rural youth ministry, expanding opportunities both in the urban core as well as in the rural areas, for young people to grow in faith and forge deep and enduring bonds with the church.

The St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas, for some time, has been respected nationally for being one of the premiere Catholic ministries to higher education.

With the recent strategic expansion of their programs and enhancements to the physical facilities, they are engaging even more students.

I am also proud of our campus ministry programs at Emporia State, Washburn and Haskell. St. Paul’s Outreach has helped us better serve post-college young adults. The Holy Family School of Faith has been engaged just in the last year to assist with the formation of the leaders of City on a Hill, a Catholic ministry that serves young adults both in Kansas and Missouri.

Benedictine College has gained a well-deserved reputation to be one of the best Catholic colleges in the United States, where

students not only receive an excellent education but are provided an abundance of opportunities to grow more deeply in love with Jesus and his church.

Recently, Benedictine College has focused resources on exploring ways that they can help transform the broader culture.

Donnelly College is unique in the specific population that it seeks intentionally to serve — students who will be the first in their families to receive a degree in higher education.

Thanks to the leadership of Msgr. Stuart Swetland, the Donnelly College board, the talented faculty and dedicated staff, a new academic building is under construction and will be available to serve students this fall.

And, of course, I can’t forget the University of St. Mary, which only last fall opened its new Keleher Learning Commons, named in honor of Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher.

Within the past five years the office for special-needs ministry has been established to help our parishes, schools, institutions and apostolates to better serve adults and children with special needs.

The iCare Masses, offered both in Overland Park and Topeka, have been a great enrichment in providing pastoral care for those with special needs. The Embrace Foundation along with the school office’s Perfect Wings program is helping us serve even better more children in our Catholic schools.

The Holy Family School of Faith’s formation for Catholic educators continues to help our teachers become better equipped to

communicate the truths and beauty of our Catholic faith to our Catholic school students.

By providing our teachers with consistent opportunities to grow and deepen their own relationship with Jesus and his church, they are better able to be witnesses of our Catholic faith.

The Apostles of the Interior Life along with the Holy Family School of Faith through the Spiritual Mentorship Program continue to help hundreds of laymen and women not only to grow in their own prayer life but also to be equipped to assist others develop a rich prayer life.

There are not enough priests and religious to meet the need for spiritual direction. I am grateful for the formation being provided to laywomen and men preparing them to accompany others in deepening their relationship with Our Lord.

Catholic Charities makes the love of Jesus real and tangible for individuals and families needing: 1) hospice care for a loved one; 2) emergency assistance for food, shelter and other basic necessities; 3) financial freedom and literacy to those shackled with burdensome debt; 4) housing, employment and legal assistance for refugees and immigrants; 5) preparing and supporting adoptive and foster parents to welcome children; and 6) providing opportunities to acquire marketable skills empowering people to break free from the cycle of poverty.

This is just a sampling of the amazing work of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas.

The financial support of the laity for our parishes, schools and ministries is astounding.

During the past 15 years, the annual Call to Share Campaign has doubled the support (now more than $6 million annually) it provides many of our Catholic charitable, educational and pastoral ministries.

Catholic Charities’ Snow Ball is the most successful nonprofit fundraising event in the Kansas City metropolitan

ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN Jan. 24 Mass with archdiocesan March for Life participants March for Life rally Jan. 26 Baptism of third or more child — Cathedral of St. Peter, Kansas City, Kansas Jan. 27 “Shepherd’s Voice” recording Clergy open house

community, raising more than $3 million.

Last year, the Catholic Education Foundation provided almost $2.5 million in scholarships to 1,500 students in 24 of our Catholic schools.

Over the past decade, Donnelly College has raised more than $30 million to construct a new academic building and chapel, as well as grow their scholarship endowment.

The response thusfar to the “One Faith, One Family, One Future in Christ” campaign has been gratifying. It will have a huge positive impact upon our parishes, the care of our retired priests, the residents of Villa St. Francis and the 60,000 individuals who utilize Savior Pastoral Center.

Despite all of the challenges within the church and culture, there is a remarkable vitality in our archdiocesan community.

However, what excites me most about the future of our archdiocese was not even in the “ad limina” report.

This past October’s “Enflame Our Hearts” convocation for Catholic leaders was a watershed moment for the archdiocese.

The convocation helped to motivate,

Jan. 28 Mass — St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Overland Park

Johnson County regional priests meeting

Administrative Team meeting Annual high school administrators Mass and dinner Jan. 29 Presbyteral Council meeting Jan. 30 Archdiocesan Health Care Task Force report Jan. 31 Support Our Seminarians benefit dinner — Union Station Feb. 1 Consecrated Religious Life Day Mass and lunch — Savior Pastoral Center

energize and prepare 1,500 lay leaders to assist our pastors develop and implement realistic, effective, unique and tailor-made evangelization plans for each parish family.

In my recent pastoral visits, I am encouraged and excited about the impact the convocation is having upon our parishes.

To use sports vocabulary: The best defense is a great offense! We have the opportunity not only to stop the bleeding of the decline in the number of practicing Catholics, but actually to transform a toxic, secular culture rather than being absorbed by it.

Jesus never promised his disciples that following him would be easy. The challenges of the present moment are great, but this has always been the case for the church throughout her 2,000-year history.

We are confident not in our own abilities or wisdom but rather in Our Lord’s fidelity to his promise to be with the church until the end of time.

The mission today remains the same as it was 2,000 years ago: Growing as Disciples of Jesus; Making Disciples for Jesus.

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

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TAKING ENFLAME TO HEART Three parishes come together as one family in faith

By Katie Peterson Special to the Leaven

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LUE RAPIDS — At the “Enflame Our Hearts: Be Disciples, Make Disciples” convocation in October 2019, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann explained to participants what real discipleship is all about.

“It means being so grateful for the gift of your friendship with Jesus — for your Catholic faith; for the meaning, the hope, the purpose, the joy that it brings to your life — that you want to share that gift with others,” he said.

Father Anthony Chendumalli and his three parishes — Annunciation Church in Frankfort; St. Columbkille Church in Blaine; and St. Monica-St. Elizabeth Church in Blue Rapids — took Archbishop Naumann’s message to heart Jan. 11, with a fellowship event at the latter.

“We believe we are one in Christ, but it is not always true in reality,” said Father Chendumalli. “So we hope it will help each of us within our three parishes become true brothers and sisters in Christ.”

“This social event is simply for the sake of spending time together,” explained Sally Olson, St. Columbkille parishioner and co-event coordinator, “just like within our immediate families when we come together for Sunday dinners. It is not a fundraiser — just a ‘fun’ raiser.

“Our hope is that families from all three parishes will come for the food or come for the fun and relax and enjoy each other’s company.”

Planners hoped it would lead to future similar events among the three parishes.

“Father Anthony has been with our parishes for about two years,” said Olson, “and one thing I have gathered from him, his culture and his family and friends in India, is their love for getting together.”

To help make the event more feasible for parishioners in all three parishes, Mass schedules were rearranged so that the event could start off with a 4 p.m. Mass before gathering together for a potluck and a night of bingo with white-elephant gift prizes.

“The bingo was a lot of fun,” said Marilyn Hazen, Annunciation Church parishioner and church office secretary. “I thought it went really well, and the Blue Rapids parish did a great job hosting the event. Everybody was very cordial and gracious.

“I believe we should work together toward being one family as a church.”

Janice Rowe, St. Monica-St. Elizabeth parishioner, said that, after attending the convocation, she and the other parish delegates knew fulfilling the archbishop’s request starts in their own parish families.

“We thought we needed to share our love through fellowship and social time,” Rowe said. “I think it is important for us, although we are three parishes,

PHOTOS BY JANICE GRUNTORAD

Mike Minihan, center, chooses a white elephant prize after winning a round of bingo at an Enflame fellowship event at St. Monica-St. Elizabeth Church in Blue Rapids. Also at the table are, clockwise from bottom: Beth Buchura, holding daughter Emily, son Elliott, son Henry and husband Jeremy, all parishioners of St. Monica-St. Elizabeth. Minihan chose some “Fancy Nancy” bubble bath and a reindeer body puff which he gave eventually to Emily, thinking she might appreciate it more than him.

The convocation delegates from St. Monica-St. Elizabeth parish are pictured here from left to right: Janice Rowe, Jan Bergkamp, Father Anthony Chendumalli and Mary Ann Heinen.

to realize that we are all a permanent union of persons with God. We need to show that we are a life-giving community of love. We can demonstrate that by extending Christ’s love through time spent together.”

In his homily, Father Chendumalli tied Archbishop Naumann’s convocation message to the weekend’s feast of the baptism of Jesus.

“Everyone should baptize their children,” he said, “because we have the responsibility of spreading the good news to everyone.

“You don’t have to be great preachers going all around the world and preaching about Christ. It is where we are, where we work, with who we work, the daily conversation. We can bring Christ to others.”

Robert Bergman, St. Columbkille parishioner, said sharing the faith is what made the event so important.

“That’s what we’re supposed to do is get out and talk with our fellow Catholics and see what’s going on,” Bergman said.

President Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann

Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799)

He added that the parishes were brought together musically during the Mass as well, when he brought his banjo and accompanied musicians from St. Monica-St. Elizabeth who played the guitar and bass.

“People came up to me afterwards and said that it was really neat having that banjo,” said Bergman. “It created more interest.”

With the event complete, Rowe said she hopes it inspires other combined events in the future.

“We do hope that more families in our parishes will be inspired by this event and want to attend more combined events,” Rowe said, “so we can

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

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spread God’s love more efficiently in numbers.

“The team of delegates are already planning more three-parish events that each parish will [take turns] hosting. A special retreat for Lent is underway as is a special movie night.”

“We know that events like this take a lot of planning, working and scheduling, but we all need to realize that it is God’s love that we all share,” she added.

“Let that love enflame your heart and share with someone else,” she continued. “A good place to start is together as one.”

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

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

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Lincoln collection includes rare artifacts of unique local interest

By Katie Peterson Special to the Leaven

‘Lincoln on Film’ the topic of Lincoln Lecture

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EAVENWORTH — The University of Saint Mary’s 22nd annual Lincoln Lecture will be held at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17 in Xavier Theatre here.

But the take will be an unusual one. The free event will feature guest speaker Dr. Gerald Butters Jr., whose topic will be: “Lincoln on Film.”

“USM’s Lincoln event,” said John Schultz, USM vice president for marketing and admissions, “has welcomed a variety of luminaries as featured speakers. Guests have included historians, U.S. Army generals, political leaders, best-selling authors and actors who’ve portrayed first lady Mary Todd Lincoln and President Lincoln himself.

“Past topics have included Lincoln’s portrayal in media at the time; the challenges faced by women and families on the home front; photography of Lincoln; John Brown and Lincoln; Lincoln and his faith; music and poetic celebrations of Lincoln; and Lincoln and executive power.”

But the USM’s website explains the reason for this year’s Lincoln topic: “Abraham Lincoln may have hundreds of books written about him, but he has not frequently been a subject in motion pictures. While the time period a film was made reflects how Lincoln is depicted, Butters argues that it is the collaborative team behind the camera — director, screenwriter — who are the most prominent force in shaping how Lincoln is portrayed.”

Butters is currently serving as the chair of the history program at Aurora University in Aurora, Illinois, and professor of liberal studies in the graduate program at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

He is the author of four award-winning books including “Beyond Blaxploitation” in 2016; “From Sweetback to Superfly: Race and Film Audiences in Chicago’s Loop” in 2015; “Banned in Kansas: Motion Picture Censorship, 1915-1966” in 2007; and “Black Manhood on the Silent Screen” in 2002.

The lecture will also include a presentation of gift cards to winners of an art contest in which schoolchildren from the Leavenworth and Lansing area participated, said Dr. Kyle Anthony, USM associate professor of history.

The Lincoln Lecture is not the only opportunity to learn about Lincoln at USM. The event was inspired by the Bernard H. Hall Abraham Lincoln Collection, which was donated to USM in 1970.

The collection contains more than 10,000 items dated as early as 1857 and as recently as 2010. Further artifacts and memorabilia have been donated

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Dr. Gerald Butters Jr. will speak on “Lincoln on Film” at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17 at the University of Saint Mary in Xavier Theatre as part of the University’s annual Lincoln lecture.

For more information, go online to: www.stmary.edu/lincoln.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATIE PETERSON

Ashley Creek, University of Saint Mary’s Keleher Learning Commons director, displays an example of a pamphlet that is part of the Bernard H. Hall Abraham Lincoln Collection on the second floor of the KLC. Some of the pamphlets include various events that honored the 16th president of the United States following his assassination. Portions of the more than 10,000-piece collection are currently on display in the Le Beau Special Collections Room.

LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATIE PETERSON

A letter from President Abraham Lincoln to his wife Mary Todd Lincoln dated April 2, 1865, is currently on display as part of the University of Saint Mary’s Lincoln Collection in the Keleher Learning Commons’ Le Beau Special Collections Room. The letter is believed to be Lincoln’s last before he was shot 12 days later on April 14, 1865, by John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln died from his injuries the next day. from several donors since Hall donated the original collection.

“Mindful of Lincoln’s visit to Leavenworth in 1859, Dr. Hall wished his collection to be in Leavenworth and hoped that it would become ‘a shrine to a great man’ and ‘a memorial to the incomparable Abraham Lincoln,’” according to the website: stmary.lib guides.com/Lincoln.

Lincoln visited Leavenworth in December 1859 where he delivered his first presidential campaign speech at the encouragement of his friend Mark

Delahay, who was a Leavenworth attorney at the time.

“After the speech, Lincoln stayed about a week, and later said, ‘If I were to ever travel west again, I think I would go to Leavenworth,’” the collection site notes.

The collection contains numerous artifacts including one of the original copies of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; an assortment of books and pamphlets on Lincoln, including an 85-volume set of “Following Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865”

by Bernhardt Wall; one of two known letters written by Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln and co-signed by Lincoln; one of Lincoln’s last messages to his wife via a telegram from Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s headquarters in City Point, Virginia, on April 2, 1865 — 12 days before Lincoln’s assassination; a lock of hair believed to have been taken from Lincoln’s head at the time of his death; and more.

“The university shares Dr. Hall’s enthusiasm for the ties between Lincoln and Leavenworth, and is greatly appreciated by Saint Mary. . . . That era is also particularly resonant to USM, as our founders, the Sisters of Charity, arrived in Leavenworth in 1858,” Schultz said.

“Many of our Lincoln artifacts are quite rare — and significant to the region,” added Schultz. “Examples include an 1882 letter written by eldest son Robert Lincoln, while he was Secretary of War, concerning indigent soldiers and sailors in Kansas and evidence of different experiences of Kansans, Missourians and Iowans.

“According to James M. Cornelius, Ph.D., Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Lincoln collection curator, our Lincoln collection is among the best in the nation for a school of its size.”

“We are thrilled to be able to offer such a wonderful resource to our community,” he continued, “and we work to make the collection as accessible as possible to visitors.”

Hall was the former director of psychiatry at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka and former director of community health services at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. He was a lecturer, author and collector of Lincoln memorabilia and artifacts for 40 years. He passed away in 1987.

Key pieces of the collection will be on display the night of the lecture.

For more information about the Lincoln lecture, visit the website at: www. stmary.edu/lincoln.

To make an appointment to tour the Bernard H. Hall Abraham Lincoln Collection or any of the USM collections, call the Keleher Learning Commons at (913) 758-6306.

Sister Catherine Nichol, SCL, who served in the Peruvian missions for 40 years, dies

EAVENWORTH — Sister Catherine Nichol, 95, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth, died at the motherhouse here on Jan. 10.

Sister Catherine celebrated her 75th anniversary as a Sister of Charity in 2019. She was an educator, missionary and pastoral minister with an adventurous spirit and deep compassion for persons who were poor.

Catherine was born on Feb. 24, 1924, in Redmond, Oregon, the first

of three children of Bernard E. and Stella (Nies) Nichol. The family moved to Billings, Montana, where Catherine completed grade school and high school. After working a year, she attended Saint Mary College, Leavenworth, as a freshman. On Sept. 5, 1944, she entered the SCL community. Catherine professed vows on March 10, 1946, as Sister Florence and later returned to her baptismal name.

For 21 years, she taught thirdand fourth-graders and then science to

high school students. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Saint Mary College, Leavenworth, and her master’s in biology from Saint Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota.

Sister Catherine began her almost 40 years of service in the Peruvian missions in 1968. She worked briefly in Talara and Ayabaca. In February 1971, she helped open the new SCL mission in Chalaco in the Andes Mountains. The Sisters trained laypersons in church ministries across 65 villages in the region, many accessible only by mule. Sister Catherine considered the

mule a valued educational tool because it was her transportation to the villages.

After 20 years, she moved to Piura and did faith formation and sacramental preparation with people in impoverished areas of the city. Sister Catherine next coordinated breakfast and lunch programs for children in barrio neighborhoods and purchased fresh fruit to supplement the menu.

After 19 years in Piura, Sister Catherine returned to the United States and volunteered in a Latino parish and other ministries in Billings. She retired to the motherhouse in 2015.

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS

5

Benedictine College Scholarship Ball to honor archbishop

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Louis in 1984. He was named pastor of TCHISON — The annual Ascension Parish in Normandy, MisBenedictine College souri, in 1989.

Scholarship Ball, one of In 1994, he became vicar general of the premier fundraisers the Archdiocese of St. Louis and, after in the Kansas City area, three years, was appointed auxiliary will be held this year on the evening of bishop of St. Louis/titular bishop of Feb. 29 at the Overland Park ConvenCaput Cilla by Pope John Paul II. He tion Center, 6000 College Blvd. The was appointed coadjutor archbishop of co-chairs of the event are Kevin and Kansas City in Kansas in 2004 before Colleen “Cocoa” O’Malley and Lene becoming archbishop in 2005.

Westerman.

Archbishop Naumann is very active The ball includes dinner, awards, enwithin the church on tertainment and dancing issues of marriage and to live music by the MiTo make your reservalife. He serves as chairchael Beers Band. More tion for the annual Beneman of the Kansas Cathinformation and reservadictine College Scholarolic Conference and is a tions are available online ship Ball, go online to: member of the U.S. bishat: www.benedictine. www.benedictine.edu/ ops’ Committee on Maredu/scholarship-ball. scholarship-ball. riage and Family Life. In Each year, the ball fea2018, he was chosen by tures the presentation of his brother bishops to the Cross of the Order of lead the U.S. bishops’ Committee on St. Benedict. The college established the award in 1969 as a way to recog- Pro-Life Activities.

The pro-life cause has long been of nize alumni and friends who have supimportance to Archbishop Naumann. ported charitable institutions, providWhile serving as archdiocesan proed civic or religious leadership, and life coordinator in St. Louis, the archdemonstrated professional excellence. diocese established a Project Rachel This year, the prestigious award ministry for women recovering from goes to the Most Rev. Joseph F. Nauabortion, as well as the Lifeline Coalimann, archbishop of Kansas City in tion. He was a founding board member Kansas. The award recognizes his role of the Vitae Foundation, which proas the shepherd of the Catholic Church motes effective pro-life messaging. in northeastern Kansas where he He is also a regular participant in the oversees 125 parishes and 40 Catholic annual March for Life in Washington, schools in 21 counties. supports a variety of pro-life organiThe archbishop grew up in St. Louis zations and regularly participates in and graduated from Cardinal Glennon pro-life rosaries in front of abortion College. After serving as a deacon in clinics.

Florissant, Missouri, and completing “The pro-life issue has been, and his theological studies at Kenrick Seminary, he was ordained to the priest- remains, one of the paramount moral issues that the church tries to give hood on May 24, 1975. some guidance on to our own people, He was assigned to several parishes as well as society at large,” he told the in the St. Louis area over the years and Catholic World Report in 2017. became the coordinator of the pro-life committee of the Archdiocese of St.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann stands with Benedictine College president Steven Minnis (to his left) and several Benedictine students in front of the grotto on the college’s campus. Benedictine will honor the archbishop with the Cross of the Order of St. Benedict at its annual fundraiser on Feb. 29.

Gatherings help leverage the power of prayer for others >> Continued from page 1 been about intentionality with your neighbors and knowing what’s on their heart.”

“Because of that, we’ve been able to be there for each other in a very meaningful way,” he added.

Drawing inspiration from the “Enflame Our Hearts” convocation, the rosary group is centered on the “prayer, care and share” model. The evening begins with prayer intentions, which help the families deepen their friendships and support one another through difficult times.

“Asking for people’s intentions is a really important piece of the prayer model because it really lets us in on what are the broken pieces in our life — what hurts, and also what should be celebrated,” said Jennie.

Jennie explained that, for example, when a neighbor is having surgery, the Punswicks know to follow up with a phone call, deliver a meal for the family or offer help with child care.

“It’s what prayer looks like lived out in community,” she explained.

“As we’ve prayed for employment and pregnancy and death and illness and celebration of sacraments, we’ve really strengthened our bonds with our rosary team,” she said.

Initially, Tom was hesitant about

LEAVEN PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE

Catherine Punswick, 6, prays next to her mom Jennie. For the families involved in the neighborhood rosary group, teaching their children to pray together has been a gift. sharing his prayer intentions and the things going on in his life.

“However, now I am excited to offer up my intentions because I know the power [of] having others praying for me and with me,” he said.

And although Jennie was initially nervous about inviting neighbors into her home in a culture where “hospitality has to be this Pinterest-perfect, curated life,” she soon realized it didn’t have

to be a big production.

“Once you’re able to untangle yourself from that expectation, hospitality becomes much easier to live, and it looks more like how Jesus lived it out,” she said.

“People are coming for Mary,” she added. “They’re coming for friendship, they’re coming for fellowship. They don’t need some big perfect party.”

As parents to two young children

and a baby, that simplicity is something the Joergers appreciate.

“It was nice to see it didn’t have to be perfect,” said Erin. “It didn’t have to have everyone sitting and quiet.

“The rosary before this to me felt very overwhelming — it was long and very repetitive. My experience with the rosary has grown 100 percent since praying it with the neighborhood.”

For both Erin and Tom, the consistency and accountability aspects have been particularly helpful.

“Being a part of the rosary has made me want to go deeper in my relationship with God and Mary,” said Tom. “Sometimes having a prayer life feels like it needs to be personal,” he added. “But having our group rosary has opened my eyes to how important prayer as a community truly is, especially in today’s world.”

The Punswicks’ faith and friendships have also flourished in the years since that initial invitation to the Joergers, and they hope other neighborhoods will feel inspired to start their own rosary groups.

“It’s something we look forward to,” said Kevin. “When [a family] isn’t there, they’re missed.

“It has grown from a prayer to be said to now a community of believers praying together and sharing their hearts.”

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

FAMILY LIFE

6

New technologies have impacted spirituality for centuries

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hat’s wrong with the world?

A London newspaper once asked G.K. Chesterton to submit an essay on the topic and he responded with two words, “I am.”

Chesterton’s humble admission came with a heavy burden. To change the world for the better doesn’t require heroic conquest or great invention. First, we have to overcome our own complex and stubborn nature.

One of the things I’ve tried to pay attention to in this column is the ways that technology shapes our interior lives.

We are well aware of the external benefits and conveniences afforded by technology but it’s not as clear what’s happening internally. A story from the Middle Ages might help illustrate.

Imagine being a medieval peasant, literally scratching out an existence with a small plow to feed your family.

Contrary to popular belief, many medieval

BRETT ROBINSON Robinson is director of communications and Catholic media studies at the University of Notre Dame McGrath Institute for Church Life.

farmers were still pagan in practice. They implored the nature gods to look favorably on their crops so that they would yield a fruitful harvest.

According to historian Lynn White Jr., the invention of the heavy plow changed the face of northern Europe in the Middle Ages. Populations boomed and urban centers took shape.

Economists and historians tend to pay attention

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to these large scale changes, but something else was happening just beneath the surface that had a profound impact on popular faith.

The formerly pagan peasants were being converted by Christian missionaries making their way across the rural territories of northern Europe preaching repentance. The radical focus on the soul and self-examination was a shock to pagan consciousness.

A God that dwelt

interiorly, and not just in nature, was a radical idea. No longer subject to the whims of capricious pagan gods, the Christian could focus on interior growth.

It is no coincidence (what Chesterton called a spiritual pun) that the new spiritual awareness coincided with the invention of the heavy plow.

In fact, it was providential that the new invention created some distance between the laborer and his crop.

Because farmers had to share horses and time on the plow, their yield was now determined by how much they contributed to the communal effort. This act of self-examination with respect to labor coincided with the spiritual self-examination being taught by the missionaries of that time.

The heavy plow also cut deeper in the ground and provided, pardon the pun, fertile soil for the spiritual imagination when considering the

way that the soul must be well-tilled to receive the word of God as in the parable of the sower.

The growth of cities around more productive farmland in the Middle Ages is well-documented by historians. What gets lost is the quieter transformation that took place in the hearts of Catholics alongside their new contrivances.

This story means even more today as we grapple with the social and psychological effects of new technologies.

Economists point to the way wealth has shifted to places like Silicon Valley in the digital era.

Historians recount the heady days of the internet when computer programmers were experimenting with the tools that would allow us to download the world’s information from our sofas.

But what of our interior lives? How are we being changed?

Or more important, as Chesterton aptly asked, in what ways do we need to change to cooperate with God’s unfolding plan?

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JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

LOCAL NEWS Anthony “Tony” and Mary “Marybeth” (Watson) Stattelman, members of Sacred Heart-St. Joseph Parish, Topeka, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Jan. 10.

The couple was married on Jan. 10, 1970, at St. Joseph Church, Topeka. They will take a trip together, then gather with family and friends in the spring to celebrate. They have a son, Anthony “AJ” Stattelman, and three grandchildren.

Peggy Y. (Reed) and Robert J. Haberkorn, members of Sacred Heart-St. Joseph Parish, Topeka, celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Jan. 19. The couple was married on Jan. 22, 1955, at St. Joseph Church, Topeka, by Msgr.

George Kugelmeier.

Their children are: Michael, Diane (deceased), Robert M., Jon C. and Father Tim. They also have 12 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Their son, Father Tim, celebrated Mass for them and gave a marriage blessing. They also celebrated with a family dinner.

Carol (Schwartz) and Jim McCormick, members of St. Columbkille Parish, Blaine, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Jan. 24. The couple was married on Jan. 24, 1970, at St. Columbkille Church, Blaine.

Their children are: Mike McCormick, Debbie Plummer and Chris McCormick. They also have three grandchildren.

Bob and Rosemary Dougherty, members of Curé of Ars Parish, Leawood, will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary on Jan. 26 with a Mass and family luncheon.

The couple was married on Jan. 29, 1955, at St. Mary Church, Litchfield, Illinois.

Their children are: Kevin, Pat, Mike, Mary Ann and Tim. They also have 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

ANNIVERSARY submissions ANNIVERSARY submissions

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

DEADLINE: eight days before the desired publication date.

WHERE TO SUBMIT: The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, attn: anniversaries; or email: todd.habiger@theleaven.org.

The Climate in Crisis – An Urgent Call to Prayer and Action From the Care of Creation Committee of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth and the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica of Atchison

A

ll of God’s creatures are threatened by a tragic shift in the climate of our planet. Catastrophic floods, droughts, fires, hurricanes and tornadoes come more frequently and with greater force than ever. The futures of our children and grandchildren are threatened by the harshness of a poisoned world.

It is our moral imperative to respond to the crisis of climate change with prayer and action.

There still is hope that we can restore and preserve the grandeur of our common home, but we must act quickly. With all sincerity and humility, we, the members of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth’s Care of Creation Committee and the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica of Atchison, express our support for the following actions: • That we avoid food and consumer goods produced by environmentally harmful practices and promote the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy and conservation.

• That faith communities include ecological justice as an important

part of their peace and justice efforts on behalf of all of us, all future generations and the vulnerable poor who are most affected.

• That we recognize as false the mythic vision of an ideal world brought by industries that devastate the planet in the name of progress.

• That industries take every action possible to incorporate earth-friendly practices in the production and distribution of goods and services. We also call upon them to repair the damage they have done to the earth’s air, lands and waters.

• That our local, state and national elected leaders recognize the scientific evidence of the human causes of climate change and act boldly in support of climate-friendly legislation.

• Likewise, since we all live in the same earthly neighborhood, justice demands that the United States collaborate with all other nations to protect earth’s peoples and creatures.

• That we pray in this new ecological age for all God’s people to awaken to the sacredness of nature and join with its creating spirit to heal the earth.

7

ICONIC Story and photos by Maria Blong Special to The Leaven

A

TCHISON — After a longtime career in education, Benedictine Sister Paula Howard settled into retirement at Mount St. Scholastica here, intending to fill her free time painting landscapes. Instead, she stumbled onto a different type of painting altogether — and has been making up for lost time ever since.

Sister Paula discovered her unexpected talent for iconography at an icon retreat hosted at the Mount’s Sophia Center in 2000. (Icons are “written” rather than painted. The word “iconography” in Greek translates to “writer of pictures.”)

“They said at the end of the week you would understand icons and produce one,” said Sister Paula. “I agreed to go in and do it, although I had been interested in [more traditional] painting.”

Despite her self-proclaimed title as a doodler with no formal art classes, her artistic flair blossomed as the week unfolded — grabbing the attention of her teacher, Sister Mary Charles McGough, OSB. After the retreat, Sister Mary Charles urged Sister Paula to continue writing icons outside of the retreat.

This encouragement motivated Sister Paula to draft another icon, and then travel to Duluth, Minnesota, for Sister Mary Charles to critique it in a different workshop three months later.

Her artwork flourished from there.

“I really got hooked on icons,” said Sister Paula.

Her first impression of iconography was quite contrary to her current love for them, however.

She was initially introduced to iconography while teaching in Palestine — or “icon country,” as she calls it — during her eight and a half years at Bethlehem University.

“People had them in their homes, and they treated them like a sacrament,” recalled Sister Paula. “They baptized them and anointed them. It was part of a prayer center in their homes. All the churches had icons in them; so many, it was almost gaudy.”

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t link with them very well,” she added. “I thought they looked austere.”

It was not until the workshop in which Sister Paula went through the process of crafting one herself that she gained an appreciation for the craft behind each icon. Afterward, she began learning about the creation and

message behind icons, as well as how to pray with them.

Centuries ago, icons were used for teaching the Gospel to others. Every aspect of an icon, from the colors to the style of the figures on the wood surface, informs the icon’s story.

Icons featuring Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary adorn those holy figures in garments of blue and red — colors that represent royalty. While other figures, like peasants, are depicted in brown or tan.

The facial features also characterized important religious attitudes. A small mouth indicated a contemplative nature, and large eyes acted, as the saying goes, as windows to the soul.

“When I went with the icon for Sister Mary Charles to critique, she was amazed at the face I had made,” said Sister Paula. “She said the eyes talked to you, and well, I guess they did. Everybody says the eyes are important.”

The creation of each icon requires the iconographer to enter into a prayerful act, like giving something up or meditating on a Scripture passage. Sister Paula found this process to be quite peaceful.

“I could spend hours — and as a matter of fact, I did spend hours,” she said. “Not in recent years . . . I’m getting older. I started when I was 78, and right now I’m 97.”

During those numerous hours, Sister Paula has completed an icon for each major feast day — with the exception of All Saints’ Day and one of the apostles, St. Matthias.

She jokes that she doesn’t foresee creating an icon for All Saints’ Day — there would be too many faces to include! — but hopes to finish St. Matthias after she recovers from a recent health setback.

In the 20 years since she took up iconography, Sister Paula said, she has crafted 250 icons, two-thirds of which she has sold.

And although her discovery of icons put an end to her plans for a retirement spent painting landscapes, she’s not complaining.

Sister Paula has found that writing the scenery of heaven has its own rewards.

Atchison S works of a 250 icons

Sister ‘writes’ art, producing over two decades Sister Paula Howard, OSB, displays many of her completed icons on the walls of her studio.

The rich history of iconography

By Maria Blong Special to The Leaven

I

cons are often perceived as an ancient religious art form that assisted the laypeople of the early church in their contemplation of the divine.

However, icons still have much to offer the modern-day Catholic.

The Leaven spoke with iconographer Sister Paula Howard, a Benedictine at Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, for a deeper dive into the origin of icons and their rich symbolism.

Q: We now commonly use the term icon to refer to a symbol or a graphic on our iPhones and computers. But it actually has a much older meaning. What is an icon?

A: “An icon is a representation of a Gospel story or holy person which was used in the early church to teach the illiterate masses and to pray.

They were highly revered,” said Sister Paula, “as was the Gospel.”

Q: When and how did icons originate?

THE ICON MAKER

Benedictine Sister Paula Howard took up iconography late in life and discovered she had a talent for it. She’s been making up for lost time ever since.

A: Iconography flourished mainly throughout the Eastern Christian tradition during the 1000 years of the Byzantine Empire. The oldest icon, “Christ Pantocrator,” can actually be traced back to sixth-century Egypt.

St. Luke the Evangelist is often credited with being the first iconographer of the Catholic Church, as well as being iconographers’ patron saint.

Tradition holds that he created one of the first images of the Blessed Virgin, which he shared with her, and of which she approved.

He also is believed to have traveled widely in countries like Greece, Turkey and Syria, which could help to explain the popularity of icons in Orthodox Christianity.

Q: So, the art form actually originated with Christianity?

A: It is inconclusive. Some sources say icons originated with Greek and Roman pagan culture and were eventually adapted by Christianity. Others believe it to be a solely Christian art form. Despite conflicting sources, it can be reasonably concluded that iconography

with

SISTER PAULA HOWARD, OSB Iconographer

was made popular through Christianity. The longevity of its presence in Christian culture can be seen on the walls of ancient Orthodox churches.

Q: What is the subject of most icons?

A: Icons depict a wide variety of subjects. Most of these include images of Jesus Christ and his Blessed Mother, saints, angels and important biblical moments or parables (e.g., the Nativity).

Q: Western art is full of the images from the Bible.

How are icons different from other art representing Christ and the Virgin Mary?

A: Compared to Western art where there is more artistic freedom and the style is often more realistic, iconography presents more than a beautiful re-creation. Its design is concerned more with teaching through symbolic representation, a characteristic that makes iconography’s style distinct.

Q: Why do the people not look more realistic? And why does the composition seem so fixed and unmoving?

A: “Realism was not important to the iconographer,” said Sister Paula. “They followed rigid rules that would make interpretation correct.”

The strict adherence to rules is represented in the composition of the subjects’ faces and explains their stoic appearance. They often display exaggerated facial features to correlate with some pious symbolism. For example, the subjects of icons usually feature small mouths as a sign of a

contemplative nature and their observance of silence and prayer.

Q: What are they painted with and what are they painted on?

A: “Early icons were written with natural pigments from plants mixed with egg yolks,” said Sister Paula. “I image they were written on parchment or canvas. Modern iconographers use a special kind of tempura and write birch wood or another wood that has no grain lines. This surface is treated with gesso and sanded until it is smooth as glass.”

Q: Why is an icon actually “written” instead of painted?

What does that mean?

A: “The meaning of ‘icon’ in Greek is ‘image’ and of ‘grapher’ is ‘writer,’” said Sister Paula. “Together they mean ‘writer of images.’ The purpose of the icon was to teach, as was the Bible.”

Icons were also considered more of a form of prayer than art. Each stroke is supposed to represent a prayer that was “written” during the creation process.

Q: Icons are more commonly associated with the Orthodox Church. What can Roman Catholics gain from learning more about icons?

A: Learning about icons gives Roman Catholics a new method of prayer. Instead of closing their eyes, they can settle them upon holy images that draw their mind upward toward heaven. The symbolism written in each one gives the observer something to contemplate about themselves and the virtues they desire.

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

NATION

Tiny house project fosters culture of service

By Andrew Nelson Catholic News Service

R

OSWELL, Ga. (CNS) — A months-long project to build a tiny home checked all the boxes for Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell.

The project — which began in November 2018 and was just recently completed — has fostered a culture of service on the Catholic school’s campus; incorporated engineering, technology science and the arts; and drawn the participation of students with diverse interests.

And regarding the faith component? The goal from the beginning was to give the finished house to a person in need, such as a homeless veteran.

The house measures just under 200 square feet. Situated on a custom-built wheeled trailer, this home includes a sleeping loft for a king bed and a twin, a kitchen and a bathroom with a standup shower, along with a sitting area.

The tiny home is part of a minimalist living trend. For comparison, the average house in America is about 2,400 square feet, according to the Census Bureau.

When the project began, student Rosie Nemec wasn’t going to let the lack of experience with circular saws, nail guns, impact drills and other construction tools stop her. Then a senior, Nemec has since graduated with the hope of becoming a nurse.

The chance to work with her hands to build a home — and not just any home, but a popular tiny house for a person in need — intrigued her.

“It was a new experience for me,” Nemec said in an interview last year with The Georgia Bulletin, newspaper of the Atlanta Archdiocese. “I wanted to help the school and the homeless vet we’re giving the house to.”

Designs and videos from Tiny House Builder — a clearinghouse for the DIY (do it yourself) crowd with visions of downsizing — guided the students’ work. This project offered young women and men a taste of the construction trade.

10

Faith-based groups seeking grants to get help from Trump

W CNS PHOTO/MICHAEL ALEXANDER, THE GEORGIA BULLETIN

Students from Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell, Ga., watch as Jason Podhorez, project manager and the school’s computer systems administrator, moves an exterior wall panel into place on the east side of a tiny home Jan. 24. The construction project was part of an effort by the Catholic school to weave several subjects into school projects, linking religion and the arts to engineering and technology.

Students started from the bottom as they installed the floor on the trailer, nailed the upright studs then attached the plywood sheathing.

They installed the roof rafters. They learned safety techniques for handling new tools and received basic instructions on skills, such as using a tape measure or cutting wood.

The instructors welcomed all students, whether they had done home renovation before or not, and they each had different roles. For example, Nemec cut wood as students built the frame of the house and its roof.

“We always ask the question, ‘Who has not done this before?’ They know what they are getting into before they go out with a bunch of lumber,” said Jason Podhorez, one of the school staff members who led the effort. “Students gain comfort with the tools over time and take on more responsibility. It’s a great thing to see.”

Podhorez handles the school’s computer systems.

This project — a first for the school — grew out of an idea students had in the fall of 2017 while learning about electrical circuits. The project was to

wire a micro-house on a computer.

Students asked about moving from a virtual house to a real one.

A recommendation during a recent accreditation of the Atlanta Archdiocese’s school system was to develop school projects, tying a school’s science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and mathematics curriculum together. It is known at STREAM. Beyond engineering, this project incorporates faith and the arts.

The project — built with about $15,000 in donations — attracted a wide range of students, from members of the robotics club to those in fine arts who added flair to the interior. The brawn of the football team came in handy to lift the shell of the house up on top of the trailer.

Members of the campus chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul handled marketing the project to parents as they waited in the car line to pick up their children.

Christopher “C.J.” Van Zant, a freshman when the project began, was one of the novices. He found a connection between his robotics club activities and the tiny house build; both require precision.

ASHINGTON (CNS) — President Donald Trump said Jan. 16 his administration is issuing nine proposed rules to ensure the nation’s faith-based service providers and organizations are not discriminated against by federal agencies’ regulations or in their grant-making processes because of religion.

The agencies affected include Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, Labor, Agriculture, Education, Justice, Homeland Security, and International Development.

Trump said his administration “is committed to ensuring religious organizations can compete on a level playing field for funding, without discrimination.”

“The proposed rules would eliminate burdensome Obama-era requirements that unfairly imposed unique regulatory burdens only on religious organizations,” he said.

Among those requirements, faithbased service providers have had to give notice they are religiously affiliated and must make available a list of alternative secular service providers.

He made the comments on the proposed rules during an Oval Office event on National Religious Freedom Day after he announced new guidance on prayer in public schools.

Trump said the Office of Management and Budget also was releasing a memo requiring federal agencies to ensure the grant-making practices of state recipients of federal funding comply with the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom.

The federal agencies have 120 days to comply and provide evidence of updating their policies.

Supporters of the Trump administration’s proposed rules cite the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer in 2017. The justices ruled Missouri had wrongly determined the church as a religious entity could not receive public funds for a playground used by students no matter their religion.

USCCB president urges nation to overcome racism

W

ASHINGTON (CNS) — While the United States has “come a long way” in addressing racism and injustice, much more remains to be accomplished to achieve the dream of “the beloved community” envisioned by the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said.

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles urged the country to overcome still-entrenched racist beliefs and discriminatory practices in a statement released in Washington to mark the annual holiday honoring the civil rights leader, which this year falls on Jan. 20.

“We have come a long way in our country, but we have not come nearly far enough,” Archbishop Gomez said in the statement issued Jan. 16 by the USCCB. “Too many hearts and minds

are clouded by racist presumptions of privilege and too many injustices in our society are still rooted in racism and discrimination.”

The archbishop lamented that “too many” young African American men are killed across the nation or are “spending their best years behind bars.”

He called on citizens to recommit themselves to assuring that all people have equal opportunity to overcome what Rev. King called “lonely islands of poverty.”

Citing “disturbing outbreaks of racism and prejudice,” the archbishop raised concern about the rise in antiSemitic attacks, displays of white nationalism and nativism, and violence against Hispanics and other immigrants.

“Such bigotry is not worthy of a great nation. As Catholics and as Americans, we must reject every form

of racism and anti-Semitism,” he said.

“Racism is a sin that denies the truth about God and his creation, and it is a scandal that disfigures the beauty of America’s founding vision,” the statement continued. “In our 2018 pastoral letter on racism, my brother bishops and I stated: ‘What is needed, and what we are calling for, is a genuine conversion of heart, a conversion that will compel change and the reform of our institutions and society.’”

Archbishop Gomez urged the country to honor Rev King’s memory by committing to building the “beloved community” the civil rights leader envisioned, “an America where all men and women are treated as children of God, made in his image and endowed with dignity, equality and rights that can never be denied, no matter the color of their skin, the language they speak or the place they were born.”

CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington is seen Dec. 15. A federal holiday that celebrates the life and accomplishments of the iconic civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was observed Jan. 20.

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

WORLD

11

Pope decries ‘barbaric resurgence’ of anti-Semitism

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

V

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis condemned the “barbaric resurgence” of anti-Semitism and criticized the selfish indifference that is creating the conditions for division, populism and hatred.

“I will never tire of firmly condemning every form of anti-Semitism,” the pope told a delegation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization based in Los Angeles that combats hate and anti-Semitism around the world.

Meeting the delegation at the Vatican Jan. 20, the pope said, “It is troubling to see, in many parts of the world, an increase in a selfish indifference” that cares only about whatever is easy for oneself and lacks concern for others.

It is an attitude that believes “life is good as long as it is good for me, and when things go wrong, anger and malice are unleashed. This creates a fertile ground for the forms of factionalism and populism we see around us.

Hatred rapidly grows on this ground,” he added.

To tackle the root cause of the problem, he said, “we must commit ourselves also to tilling the soil in which hatred grows and sowing peace instead.”

With integration and seeking to understand others, “we more effectively protect ourselves,” the pope said, therefore, it is “urgent to reintegrate those who are marginalized, to reach out to those far away” and support those who have been “discarded” and to help people who are victims of intolerance and discrimination.

Pope Francis noted that Jan. 27 would mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concen-

CNS PHOTO/AARON CHOWN, REUTERS

A worker removes anti-Semitic graffiti on a shop window in the Belsize Park neighborhood of London. Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster used his New Year message to condemn the graffiti, saying such hatred “shames us all” and can have no place in society. tration camp from Nazi forces.

Recalling his own visit in 2016 to the extermination camp, he underlined how important it is to make time for moments of reflection and silence, so as to better hear “the plea of suffering humanity.”

Today’s consumer culture is also gluttonous with words, he said, churning out so many “useless” words, wasting so much time on “arguing, accusing,

Spanish bishops launch marriage prep course that could last 2-3 years

M

ADRID (CNS) — Catholic couples in Spain will undergo up to three years of marriage preparation under an initiative by their bishops to reverse the country’s high rates of divorce.

The Spanish bishops launched Together on the Way (“Juntos en Camino”), a program to help couples succeed in their vocation to marriage amid a divorce rate that sees about 40% of marriages collapse within five years and nearly 60% within 15 years.

The new course could last between two and three years; it replaces preparation courses that lasted between five and 20 hours.

Speaking at a news conference in Madrid mid-January, Bishop Mario Iceta Gavicagogeascoa of Bilbao said he did not believe previous courses were adequate.

“What can we do in five hours?” asked Bishop Iceta, president of the Spanish bishops’ subcommission for family and the defense of life.

“To make a comparison, to be a priest you need to spend seven years in a seminary,” he said, adding that it was not “sufficient” to prepare to be “a husband, a wife,

a mother or a father” in less than a day.

He said that, as a parish priest, he would often bluntly tell couples that marriage preparation was not only an administrative process but a way of preventing the future collapse of their marriages.

The new course, the bishop continued, was a response to the requests of St. John Paul II and Pope Francis to “accompany people who have discovered the vocation to marry” and to prepare them well for marriage.

He explained that while it was an obligation for the church to prepare couples for marriage, the course was not compulsory in its entirety and could be adapted to personal circumstances.

“Each diocese establishes the formation that is required for couples seeking matrimony,” he said.

Dioceses must consider the provision of “adequate formation, while at the same time not dissuading young couples from the sacrament,” the bishop added.

The new course consists of 12 themes, including communication, conflict resolution, fidelity, the vocation to marriage and the beauty of sexuality.

shouting insults with no concern for what we say.”

“Silence, on the other hand, helps to keep memory alive. If we lose our memory, we destroy our future,” he said.

The commemoration of “the unspeakable cruelty that humanity learned of 75 years ago,” he said, should “serve as a summons to pause,” be silent and remember.

“We need to do this, so we don’t become indifferent,” he said.

And he asked that Christians and Jews continue to use their shared spiritual patrimony to serve all people and to create ways of drawing closer together.

“If we do not do this — we who believe in Him who from on high remembered us and showed compassion for our weaknesses — then who will?”

‘Something has to be done’

Irish bishop offers to mediate among gangs

By Sarah Mac Donald Catholic News Service

D

ROGHEDA, Ireland (CNS) — An Irish bishop has offered to mediate between feuding criminal gangs in Drogheda in an effort to end violence that has claimed three lives in six months.

The intervention by Auxiliary Bishop Michael Router of Armagh, Northern Ireland, follows the brutal murder of 17-year-old Keane Mulready-Woods of Drogheda in mid-January and the discovery of the teenager’s remains at two separate locations in Dublin. The youth was a junior member of one of Drogheda’s gangs. The gruesome dismemberment of his body has shocked the country.

In the wake of the teen’s killing, Bishop Router, whose archdiocese straddles the Ireland-Northern Ireland border, said: “All human life is sacred, and an attack of this nature on someone who is still a child is disgusting and beyond belief.

This desecration of life has diminished our common humanity and our sense of ourselves as a civilized people.”

Speaking to Catholic News Service at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Drogheda, a city of 40,000 located 35 miles north of the Irish capital, Dublin, Bishop Router said, “Something has to be done at this stage to stop the violence.”

“Nothing is lost by talking. It was the same in Northern Ireland; someone had to shout halt at some stage to stop the bombings and the shootings, and people had to swallow a lot of things in order to achieve that.”

Drogheda is divided by the River Boyne, which also demarcates the Archdiocese of Armagh from the Diocese of Meath. Parishes south of the river are under the care of Bishop Tom Deenihan of Meath. On Jan. 19, he attended a prayer service at Drogheda’s Holy Family Church, the dead teen’s parish. Bishop Deenihan was joined at the service by Mulready-Woods sister and brother as the congregation lit candles and prayed for peace in their community.

Speaking after the service to RTE News, Bishop Deenihan warned that the feud “runs the risk of degenerating into a cycle of violence that will destroy everything in its path.”

In mid-January, taxi driver John Myles was shot twice as gangland criminals targeted his passenger, who was a member of a rival group. Bishop Router said the shooting of an innocent taxi driver has shown how ordinary people can be caught up in “very random” attacks.

“There is a very real sense of fear among people who are trying to go about their daily life. They feel that things have got out of hand and that there is no sense of control on this anymore,” Bishop Router said.

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CLASSIFIEDS

EMPLOYMENT Director of human resources - The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is seeking qualified candidates to fill the position of director of human resources. The archdiocese provides shared services for 120 associated organizations. Services include: benefits administration; Workers’ Compensation; retirement plans; and a standardized payroll process. Applicants must be a practicing Catholic in good standing and an active and faithful steward in their parish. Applicants must have expertise in creating and implementing HR policies and processes; client employee services and support; legal compliance; HRIS and data management; and employee benefit management and administration; Workers’ Compensation, leave management and related processes; employee relations and performance management; and employer/employee communications. This position manages a staff of three HR professionals; is the chief human resources consultant to parishes, schools and other archdiocesan organizations; and manages all human resource functions at the chancery. The successful candidate will have expertise in multiple HR disciplines, demonstrated skill with innovation and process improvement, and have excellent people skills. For a complete job description and to download the job application, go online to: archkck.org/jobs. Send cover letter of recommendation from your pastor and resume to: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, attn.: Carla Mills, Chief Financial Officer, 12615 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, KS 66109; or email to: cmills@archkck.org with subject line HR Director. Application deadline is Jan. 31.

Bus drivers - With multiple locations in Johnson County, Special Beginnings Early Learning Center provides high quality early childhood education in a safe, loving, Christian environment. With a balanced curriculum of preacademics and social-emotional development, children grow with us, build confidence, and a strong self-esteem.

At Special Beginnings, we believe providing the right environment will give children the foundation to be successful in life. Special Beginnings Early Learning Center is seeking a part-time bus driver (15-20 hrs/week; no weekend hours) of a 15-passenger bus to drive children to school and/or pick them up after school. Duties include: safely transport children to and/or from school following ALL safety & security procedures; safely transport children to and from field trips and other off-site activities; follow a planned route on a time schedule; help children get on and off the bus; ensure children stay in their seat at all times; follow traffic laws and state and federal transit regulations; carefully navigate roads and watch for ice, debris or slippery spots; report accidents immediately; maintain “clean” driving record during off hours. We require the following: driver must be at least 25 years old (due to insurance requirements) with a “clean” driving record for at least 2 years; pass a background check; must maintain and practice safe driving and have a “clean” driving record; have patience and understanding when working with children ages 5-12 years old; enjoy working in a child friendly environment. Benefits: competitive benefit package; excellent support and training from an experienced leadership/management team; pay: $11-15/hour depending on experience.

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

Career opportunity – Due to the success and growth of the Knights of Columbus, we are adding a financial representative in the Kansas City, Kansas, and Missouri metro areas, St. Joseph, Mo., and Maryville, Mo. This is ideal for a determined, high energy, high expectation, professional, self-disciplined, independent individual, who desires to serve others yet earn a better than average income. We provide top-rated financial products to our members and their families, and will provide excellent benefits and training. This is a full-time position. For more information or an interview, please contact John A. Mahon, General Agent, 1275 S.W. Topeka Blvd., Topeka, KS 66612; call (855) 356-4849; or email: mahonagencymail2@kofc.org.

Administrative assistant - Looking for something new?

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

Drivers - Assisted Transportation is now hiring caring and reliable drivers to transport K-12 students to and from school and other activities in company minivans. Positions are now available in Olathe, Overland Park and Kansas City, Kansas. Competitive wages and flexible schedules. CDL not required. Retirees encouraged to apply. Call (913) 2623100 or apply online at: AssistedTransportation.com. EEO.

Full- and part-time teaching positions - St. Joseph Early Education Center is currently looking for candidates for openings for a full-time teacher and a part-time teacher who can support at multiple levels at our center. These candidates are for our infant and toddler rooms in hopes of expanding our ability to care for the children on our waiting lists. The salary is at or above the norm and benefits are excellent. Please contact us if you are interested by calling the school secretary, Ms. Patricia, at (913) 248-4588; the general number at (913) 631-0004; or by sending an email to: pfraley@stjoeshawnee.org.

Summer camp coordinator - Coordinator needed to begin in May. Summer camp begins with the children the Tuesday after Memorial Day, May 26. If interested, call Ms. Theresa at (913) 248-4589.

Give the gift of yourself in 2020! - BREATHE is a respite care service for parents/guardians of a child with a special need to give them a break from caregiving. Adult, college and high school volunteers are needed to be a “buddy” to a person with a disability one Saturday each month for four hours at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park.

For more information and to register as a volunteer, go to: www.archkck.org/special-needs or contact Tom Racunas, lead consultant for the special-needs ministry for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas at (913) 647-3054 or at: tracunas@archkck.org.

Equestrian manager and laborer - Prairie Star Ranch, the archdiocesan retreat center, has an immediate opening for the position of equestrian manager and laborer. This permanent, full-time position oversees all areas of our equestrian program, herd management and serves as a part of our facilities improvement team. The ideal candidate will be a practicing Christian; have a strong foundation in horse care and management; demonstrated skills in instructing youth and adults; a practitioner of safety awareness; and a commitment to detail and professionalism. Interested individuals should submit a resume and application, which can be found at: www.archkck.org/ranch/jobs, as soon as possible, to: Prairie Star Ranch, 1124 California Road, Williamsburg, KS 66095, or via email to: psr@archkck.org.

School secretary - Full-time secretarial position in the early childhood center. The candidate should have good interpersonal skills, computer skills necessary for office work and a record of reliability. A background check and CPR/ first-aid training required by state; child care workshop required by the school. If interested, please contact Ms. Theresa at (913) 248-4589.

Assistant principal - St. Joseph School in Shawnee is accepting applications for a new assistant principal for the 2020-21 school year. The preferred applicant is a practicing Catholic; has a strong desire to help others foster a relationship with Christ; has demonstrated experience in spiritual and instructional leadership within Catholic schools; and holds or is working toward Kansas licensure in educational leadership. The assistant principal works directly with the principal to uphold the mission of the school and to provide ongoing support in a variety of ways for teachers, students and parents. The assistant principal is responsible for specific tasks related to discipline; school-wide assessments; scheduling; technology; classroom support for teachers; supervision; as well as other duties. Interested applicants should apply online at: www.archkckcs.org., select “Employment” to access the online application. Once the online application is submitted, email resume and cover letter to: Jodie Maddox, principal, St. Joseph School, at: jmaddox @stjoeshawnee.org.

Communications coordinator - Holy Cross in Overland Park is looking for a faith-filled person with a heart for serving others to join our team! Our communications coordinator’s main focus is to consistently highlight and promote the mission of the parish through the various communication channels available today. The position also works with staff, ministry leaders and parishioners to communicate our vision and encourage engagement. Demonstrated proficiency in creating online and printed media a plus. The position is part time and hours are flexible. Please check out our website at: www.holycrossopks.org for a complete position description and an application form. Please submit application and resume to Phil Thacker at: pthacker@ holycrossopks.org.

Business manager - St. Francis de Sales Church in Lansing is seeking a business manager. The ideal candidate should have a college degree and/or significant business experience. He/she must have a working knowledge of QuickBooks and Microsoft Office applications. He/she must be able to work independently and with other staff and volunteers. This is primarily a bookkeeping job, with a heavy emphasis in human resources and contracting. The applicant must be a practicing Catholic. This is a full-time position (32-40 hours per week), 401(k) included, health care benefits available. For more information, contact Father Bill McEvoy or Jeanne Im at: Fr.Wm.McEvoy@gmail. com or RM@stfrancislansing.org respectively.

HOME IMPROVEMENT NELSON CREATION’S L.L.C. Affordable home remodeling: Kitchens, baths, basements and room additions.

All interior and exterior work.

Honest, dependable, experienced and family owned.

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

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

STA (Sure Thing Always) Home Repair - Basement finish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 579-1835. Email: smokeycabin@hot mail.com. Member of Holy Trinity, Lenexa.

Interior painting - Renew your ceiling and walls with a fresh coat of paint. replace drywall or plaster repaired with no mess!! 25 years of experience. Call anytime. Jerry (913) 206-1144.

The Drywall Doctor, Inc. – A unique solution to your drywall problems! We fix all types of ceiling and wall damage — from water stains and stress cracks to texture repairs and skim coating. We provide professional, timely repairs and leave the job site clean! Lead-certified and insured!

Serving the metro since 1997. Call (913) 768-6655.

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

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

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

Release your weight and restore your power in 8 weeks! http://8toyouridealweight.com/coach/kathi/

Sheetrock repaired - We can repair your ceilings and walls and can retexture with popcorn or knockdown ceilings. We can repaint old yellowed ceilings. Interior painting for 25 years with no mess!! Call Jerry at (913) 206-1144.

Handyman - Furloughed railroader trying to keep the bills paid for my family. I advertised here as Father and Son Home Exteriors and Remodeling for 13 years previously. I can do carpentry, windows, doors, trim, siding and decks.

Also paint, sheetrock and tiling. No project too big or too small. Give me a call and ask for Josh at (913) 709-7230.

Rusty Dandy Painting, Inc. – We have been coloring your world for 40 years. Your home will be treated as if it were our own. Old cabinets will be made to look like new. Dingy walls and ceilings will be made beautiful. Woodwork will glow. Lead-certified and insured. Call (913) 341-9125.

Garage Door Repair New Garage Doors Platinum Amarr dealer, Elite Home Advisor top rating.

Call Joe, mention The Leaven discount.

A Total Door (913) 236-6440.

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

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

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

Clutter getting you down? - Organize, fix, assemble, install!

“Kevin of all trades” your professional organizer and “Honey-do” specialist. Call or email me today for a free consultation at (913) 271-5055 or KOATorganizing@gmail.com.

Insured. References.

Concrete construction - Tear out and replace amped, stained or colored patios and drives. Retaining walls, footings, poured-in-place safe rooms, excavation and hauling.

Asphalt drives and lots. Fully insured; references. Call Dan at (913) 207-4371 or send an email to: dandeeconst@aol. com.

Local handyman - Painting int. and ext., wood rot, power washing, staining, masonry (chimney repair, patio’s) gutter cleaning, water heaters, junk removal, lawn mowing, window cleaning, honey - do list and more!! Member of Holy Angels Parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913)927-4118.

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

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

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

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

Cleaning lady - Reasonable rates; references provided.

Call (913) 940-2959.

Tree trimming/landscaping Free estimates licensed/insured/references (913) 620-6063 Win disability benefits - Disabled and no longer able to work? Get help winning Social Security disability benefits.

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

Housecleaning - A range of services provided — from housecleaning to organizing closets, rooms and garages, as well as hoarder projects. 15 years’ experience. Professional, energetic and dependable. Call Joni at (913) 2064403.

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.

Speedy Guzman Moving and delivery Licensed and insured Anytime (816) 935-0176 Quality work - Kitchens, bathrooms, painting and home repairs. Nothing too big or too small. Insured. Call Jimmy at (913) 206-4524.

Rodman Lawn Care Lawn mowing, aeration, verticutting, mulching, Hedge trimming, leaf removal, gutter cleaning Fully insured and free estimates John Rodman (913) 548-3002 Bankruptcy consultation - If debts are overwhelming you, seek hope and help from compassionate, experienced Catholic attorney, Teresa Kidd. For a free consultation, call (913) 422-0610; send an email to: tkidd@kc.rr.com; or visit the website at: www.teresakiddlawyer.com. Please do not wait until life seems hopeless before getting good quality legal advice that may solve your financial stress.

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

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

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

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

WE SELL HOMES - Looking to sell? This is a seller’s market.

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

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)

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

Will buy firearms and related accessories - One or a whole collection. Honest evaluation and top prices paid.

Contact Tom at (913) 238-2473. Member of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawnee.

Wanted to buy - Old cars or hot rods. Uncompleted project cars in any condition, with or without titles. Cash buyer.

Call (913) 980-3559.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING The Leaven reaches approximately 50,000 subscribers.

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

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

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CALENDAR OUR LADY’S MONTESSORI SCHOOL JOY OF MUSIC CONCERT Visitation Parish 5141 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri Jan. 26 at 3 p.m.

BIOCHAR WORKSHOP Christ’s Peace House of Prayer 22131 Meagher Rd., Easton Feb. 1 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Join us for a time of sacred and classical music that will bring joy to the heart. The program of sacred and chamber music features harp, organ and choral pieces. The suggested donation is $25 per family and will benefit Our Lady’s Montessori School, an apostolate of the SOLT community and run by the SOLT Sisters. For more information, send an email to: lpetruccelli@olmskc.org.

Come learn about this up-and-coming environmental/agricultural process and how it may be incorporated into your farm/ garden. There will be a collection of materials in the morning; lunch at noon; and the Biochar information session and demonstration in the afternoon. Entry is free, but there is a $10 cost for lunch. For more information and to RSVP, call (913) 773-8255 or send an email to: info@christspeace.com.

DAUGHTERS OF ISABELLA Christ the King Parish (Yadrich Hall) 5972 S.W. 25th St., Topeka Jan. 26 at 12:45 p.m.

SOUP DAY St. Mary Parish 9208 Main St., St. Benedict Feb. 2 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

The rosary will be followed by a business meeting and a social. If anyone knows of a member or family member in need of the circle’s prayers, call Bobbie Graff-Hendrixson at (785) 271-0145. If you are interested in or would like more information about the Daughters of Isabella, call Cindy Keen at (785) 2289863.

There will homemade chili, vegetable beef and chicken noodle soups with relishes and pie. The cost is a freewill offering.

PROJECT CHRYSALIS Church of the Ascension Parish (St. Luke’s Room) 9500 W. 127th St., Overland Park Jan. 28 from 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Join the Sisters, Servants of Mary for their annual homemade pasta dinner and fundraiser to benefit their ministry. The cost for a dinner of pasta, Italian sausage, meatballs and sides is $10 for adults and $5 for kids 10 and under. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. For more information, call (913) 371-3423. For large carryout orders, call (913) 334-2330 by Jan. 30. No order is too large, and all orders are warm and ready to serve.

Project Chrysalis is a Catholic ministry designed to help parents who have lost a child find hope through sacred Scripture and community. The guest speaker will be Msgr.

Charles McGlinn talking on Scripture. For more information, contact Ken Billinger by email at: kbillinger@archkck.org. More information is on the website at: www.hopein scripture.com. The group is open to those who have lost a grandchild. Immediate family members are also invited to attend.

SUDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS Boulevard Brewing Company 2501 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri Jan. 30 from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Join us at this Suds and Scholarship event as we celebrate the students and faculty at the Holy Name of Jesus School in Kansas City, Kansas. Jack Stack Barbecue will be available, and entertainment will be provided by The Hamptones. Have fun and help our students achieve their goals.

SISTERS SUPER BOWL SUNDAY MEAL St. Patrick Parish (center) 9400 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas Feb. 2 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

TAIZE PRAYER Annunciation Chapel 4200 S. 4th St., Leavenworth Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.

Taize prayer is a meditative, candlelit service that includes chants sung repeatedly, silence, and prayers of praise and intercession. These prayer services emerged from an ecumenical community of monks in Taize, France. This prayer opportunity will continue on the first Thursday of each month through May. For more information, visit the website at: marillaccenter.org or call (913) 680-2342.

F.I.R.E. RETREAT 2020 Prairie Star Ranch 1124 California Rd., Williamsburg Feb. 8 - 9

The men of the archdiocese are hosting the annual Men’s Catholic F.I.R.E. Retreat. Where are you? Where is your brother? For more information and to register, visit the website at: fire-ministries.org.

BREAKFAST Sacred Heart Parish (hall) 106 Exchange St., Emporia Feb. 9 from 8 - 11 a.m.

YOUTH GROUP FUNDRAISER Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish (hall) 27 Cottonwood St., Emporia Feb. 1 at 4 p.m.

The Sacred Heart Youth Group will be making and selling bierocks in the parish hall until they are sold out. The cost is $4 each or 10 for $35.

PRE-SUPER BOWL DANCE St. Thomas More Church (More Hall, lower level) 11822 Holmes Rd., Kansas City, Missouri Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

This will be a fun evening with great music, delicious snacks and wonderful friends. All are welcome. The cost of $20 per person will go toward helping people attend a Beginning Experience Weekend or the Coping With Life Alone sessions and need some financial assistance. For more information, call Maria at (913) 314-9844.

Join friends and family for breakfast. The suggested donation is a freewill offering.

SOUP LUNCHEON Most Pure Heart of Mary (Formation Room) 3601 S.W. 17th St., Topeka Feb. 9 from 1 - 3 p.m.

The Christian widow and widowers organization will host the soup luncheon. There is no cost to attend. For more information, call (785) 233-7350.

BREAKFAST WITH THE KNIGHTS Divine Mercy Parish Christian Formation Center 555 W. Main Street, Gardner Feb. 9 from 7:30 - 10 a.m.

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

KANSANS FOR LIFE ANNUAL VALENTINE BANQUET Overland Park Convention Center 6000 College Blvd., Overland Park Feb. 11 at 5 p.m.

Tim Tebow will be a guest speaker at the event. Also speaking will be Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, former Gov. Dr. Jeff Colyer and Lamar Hunt Jr. as master of ceremonies. For more information, call (913) 642-5433. Make reservations online at: kfl banquet.com.

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‘COPING WITH LIFE ALONE’ A PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT GROUP St. Bernadette Church (hall) 9029 E. 51st, Terr., Kansas City, Missouri Feb. 22 - April 4 from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

“Coping with Life Alone” is a Beginning Experience grief support program that meets each week for seven weeks. The program helps those who have lost a love relationship — due to death, divorce or separation — move through the experience of grief and loss into a future with renewed hope. For more information and to register, call Donna at (816) 305-3760.

EXPLORING OUR INTERIOR CASTLE Sophia Spirituality Center 751 S. 8th St., Atchison Feb. 13 from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

St. Teresa of Avila compares the contemplative life to a castle and describes the soul’s journey to the innermost chamber where there is union with the Divine. We will explore our own inner landscapes using the expressive arts. Wear comfortable clothes; no experience in the arts is necessary. Just bring a playful and curious spirit. The fee is $70 ($20 deposit). Register online at: sophia spiritualitycenter.org. For more information, call (913) 360-6173.

THE SPIRITUALITY OF IMPERFECTION Conception Abbey 37174 State Hwy. VV, Conception, Missouri Feb. 14 - 16

We are born into this world completely innocent, but then find out we are imperfect. If we can claim our imperfections, they can lead us into a deeper relationship with God, the source of all healing and hope. For more information and to register, call (660) 944-2809 or visit the website at: www.conceptionabbey.org/ guests/upcoming-retreats/.

VALENTINE DANCE Divine Mercy Parish Christian Formation Center Feb. 15 at 6:30 p.m.

Everyone is invited to the Divine Mercy Valentine dinner and dance, for which there will be a DJ. The event is sponsored by the Daughters of Isabella and the Knights of Columbus. Tickets are $25 per person. For reservations, send an email to: bjnewit8@yahoo.com.

HEART OF MARY Divine Mercy Parish Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m.

Auxiliary and active members or anyone interested in learning about the Legion of Mary are invited to join us for a novena and Mass.

This will be followed by food and fellowship in the Christian Formation Center at 6:30 p.m.

Please RSVP by email to: LegionOfMary.DM@ gmail.com. Include your full name and number attending.

WIDOWED WOMEN OF FAITH Perkins Restaurant and Bakery (back room) 1720 S.W. Wanamaker Rd., Topeka Feb. 18 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

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

‘ST. IGNATIUS - DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS’ RETREAT Christ’s Peace House of Prayer 22131 Meagher Rd., Easton Feb. 21 - 23

The retreat will begin on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and end on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Come learn the practice of the discernment of spirits, and how God communicates directly with each of us. There will be conferences, eucharistic adoration, Mass, confession, and time for private prayer, reflection and walking. Cabins/ courtyard rooms cost $170/single or $250/ couple, or single guest rooms cost $100. To attend, send an email to: info@christspeace. com or call (913) 773-8255.

WOMEN’S LENTEN DAY OF PRAYER The Cathedral of St. Peter 409 N. 15th St., Kansas City, Kansas Feb. 29 from 8:15 a.m. - noon

Sister Charlotte White, SCL, and Susan Carroll will lead this uniquely titled retreat: “Pig Wallows and Stardust.” The day will begin with Mass, followed by registration and a continental breakfast. The cost is $15. (Checks payable to “Cathedral Altar Society” can be mailed to the cathedral at the above address.) For more information or registration, call Susan Carroll at (913) 634-9840 or send an email to: suscar1960@gmail.com.

SISTERS OF SELMA St. Teresa’s Academy 5600 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri Feb. 29 from 9 - 11 a.m.

Join us as we mark the 55th anniversary of the marches — from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery — that were part of the civil rights movement in 1965.

Sisters Rosemary Flanigan, CSJ, and Barbara Moore, CSJ, will share how their experiences in Selma shaped their futures as well as their fellow Sisters’ to be leaders on social justice issues. How far has our society come in addressing racism, and where do we still need to go? Doors open at 8:30 a.m. The cost of $15 per person includes breakfast. Register online at: Linger Over Breakfast.

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

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

MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP DEVOTIONS Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish 7023 W. 71st. St., Overland Park Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m.

Come join this group who prays this devotion weekly. Prayer includes the Mother of Perpetual Help novena and Benediction. For more information, call Martin at (913) 213-8810.

CALENDAR submissions CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon, Thursday, 10 days before the desired publication date.

INCLUDE: time and date of event; street address; description of event.

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: beth. blankenship@theleaven.org.

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

COMMENTARY

Who opened the case of whine?

THIRD WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME Jan. 26 THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Is 8:23 – 9:3 Ps 27: 1, 4, 13-14 1 Cor 1: 10-13, 17 Mt 4: 12-23 Jan. 27 Angela Merici, virgin 2 Sm 5: 1-7, 10 Ps 89: 20-22, 25-26 Mk 3: 22-30 Jan. 28 Thomas Aquinas, priest, doctor of the church 2 Sm 6: 12b-15, 17-19 Ps 24: 7-10 Mk 3: 31-35 Jan. 29 Wednesday 2 Sm 7: 4-17 Ps 89: 4-5, 27-30 Mk 4: 1-20 Jan. 30 Thursday 2 Sm 7: 18-19, 24-29 Ps 132: 1-5, 11-14 Mk 4: 21-25 Jan. 31 John Bosco, priest 2 Sm 11: 1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17 Ps 51: 3-7, 10-11 Mk 4: 26-34 Feb. 1 Saturday Sm 12: 1-7a, 10-17 Ps 51: 12-17 Mk 4: 35-41

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G

rumble, grumble. Gripe, gripe. Snipe, snipe.

Have we lost the ability to be happy? We’ve misplaced our sense of perspective and have forgotten how to lighten up. Snarky Facebook comments, cranky calls on radio shows and complaining letters to the editor in the newspaper make me want to shout out: “Excuse me, but would you like a little cheese with your whine?”

Here are a few recent examples: You might have seen the picture of Bishop James Johnston, of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese, giving an autographed jersey of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to Pope Francis during his “ad limina” visit a few days ago. It was a fun picture, everyone in the photo was laughing and, in one shot, it looked like the pope was giving the jersey a thumbs-up.

Well, start to read the comments about the photo and you want to scream. Someone said that the pope doesn’t even know American football or Mahomes so why give him the jersey? Another said

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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.

that it should have been the jersey of KC kicker Harrison Butker instead, a Catholic. I stopped reading.

After the Chiefs won the AFC championship last Sunday, you’d think there would be nothing but rejoicing. No, one Facebook commenter said that people from the Kansas side of the line should take no credit for the Chiefs since they don’t pay the Missouri stadium tax. Another person lamented that even “fair weather” fans and “non-longtime” Chiefs fans were now celebrating. I rolled my

eyes and closed down the computer.

For Pete’s sake, if something brings people some joy — and it’s not illegal or immoral — why can’t we just be happy for them? Why do we feel so free to comment negatively on something, but are so reluctant to commend or even notice the goodness around us?

Let’s make a start in this new year and decade to unleash kindness and support for one another. It really doesn’t take much, as Ken Davis explains in his “Lighten Up!”: “I learned some lessons about vacuuming one day. First, I learned that our cat is terrified of vacuum cleaners. That kept me entertained for about an hour.

“As I vacuumed in one direction, a stripe would appear. Going the

opposite direction would create a stripe of a different shade. Entranced, I striped the whole room.

Then I went crossways, creating a checkerboard pattern. I got so carried away that I dusted the furniture and straightened the entire house.

“I was embedded in the easy chair, working on a crossword puzzle, when my wife Diane came home from work.

She struggled through the door with a bag of groceries in each hand, kicked the door shut with one foot, then took in the house with an expert glance. Her mouth dropped open. Slowly, the bags slipped from her grasp and dropped to the floor. “‘Who did this?’ she asked. “‘I did,’ I said. Without warning, she attacked.

Diving on me before I could get out of the chair, she smothered me with kisses and hugs. . . . We broke the chair. It was wonderful!

“The vacuum cleaner taught me an important lesson that day: Love is expressed with more than just words.” (Story found in “1001 Illustrations That Connect,” edited by Craig Brian Larson and Phyllis Ten Elshof.)

So, how about it? If you’re weary of all of the negativity in the world, do something about it. Live the change you want to see. Be an ambassador of kindness.

The man in the story above saw how easy it was to make someone’s day. Can we commit to doing at least one kind thing a day? Here are some quick suggestions: • During these winter months, shovel or salt an elderly neighbor’s sidewalk, put their newspaper up by the front door or offer to walk their dog.

• Send kids at college a care package or some gift cards.

• Write thank-you notes . . . a lot of them.

• Compliment parents when their kids do something nice.

• Visit an assisted living facility and ask who doesn’t get many visitors. Then go visit those people regularly; bring the whole family.

Spend these last January days formulating your own list. But beware: Kindness is addictive and contagious.

Wow, I just realized that I started this column whining about the whiners. Guess I’d better start to take my own advice.

Until then, please pass the cheese!

Words of Isaiah bring hope to us still

ecently, I heard about a remarkable innovation: eyeglasses with lenses that enable a person who is colorblind to see colors.

These glasses open a whole new world for those individuals. They react with great amazement and tears of joy at what they see.

Sunday’s first reading, Is 8:23 – 9:3, draws upon a similar image in describing what God is doing for the people living in parts of Israel, “the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali . . . the land west of the Jordan, the District of the Gentiles.”

At the time of the prophet Isaiah, the people in these war-torn parts of Israel are suffering greatly. Soldiers

IN THE BEGINNING

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

marching through the fields have devastated the crops. Enemy forces have inflicted defeat upon their country.

POPE FRANCIS

The people have become vassals of the Assyrian Empire and are no longer free. They are living in emotional darkness and gloom.

But God will bring into their midst a light that will dispel that darkness. As a result, they will feel great joy: “You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing.”

The crowds following Jesus during his lifetime said he taught with “authority” because he lived what he preached, Pope Francis said.

“Authority is seen in this: coherence and witness,” the pope said Jan. 14 during his early morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

In the day’s Gospel reading, Mk 1:21-28, people in the crowd remark on the authority of Jesus and how “he commands even the unclean spirits and they

This joy is compared to the joy that comes from three experiences in the lives of the people that will reverse their woeful current state.

First of all, it is similar to the joy that farmers feel in reaping a plentiful harvest, “as they rejoice before you at the harvest.” They will experience this harvest instead of their ruined crops.

Secondly, the joy is similar to that which a victorious army feels in dividing up war booty, “as people make merry when dividing spoils.”

They will enjoy victory instead of defeat at the hands of their enemies.

Finally, the joy is similar to that which captives feel when they are released from bondage.

These could be

war prisoners, slaves indentured servants.

In any case, God is setting them free from the effects of war: “For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed as on the day of Midian.”

The words of the prophet Isaiah promise hope to the people of his time. Those words continue to promise hope to all those who live in difficult situations.

As Christians, we identify the light which brings this great joy with Jesus Christ. In every age, he continues to bring joy to those who dwell in gloom and darkness.

He is the light of the world.

obey him.”

Jesus’ exercise of authority, the pope said, is authentic because it can be seen. “What is seen? Coherence. Jesus had authority because there was coherence between what he taught and what he did, how he lived,” he said. The scribes in the Gospel, on the other hand, act in such a way that Jesus tells the people, “Do what they say, but not what they do.”

The scribes suffered from “pastoral schizophrenia” — saying one thing and doing another, the pope said. They were prime examples of what Jesus often called “hypocrites.”

— CNS

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

COMMENTARY

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Current events call for a reflection on the theory of a ‘just war’

n Catholicism, there is a perennial tension between war and peace.

On one hand, we worship the “Lord God of hosts” at Mass. The word “hosts” comes from the Hebrew, “sabaoth” which means “armies,” and we hear in the Old Testament God calling his people to fight wars.

Yet, as disciples of Jesus, we strive to conform ourselves to the beatitudes through loving our enemies and turning the other cheek.

Christ, the commander of a heavenly army, in possession of every power, established and grew his church not by shedding the blood of others, but by shedding his own blood. And his apostles, the first

DO UNTO OTHERS

BILL SCHOLL Bill Scholl is the archdiocesan consultant for social justice. You can email him at: socialjustice@ archkck.org.

bishops, followed his example.

This war/peace tension arises from

two core principles of Catholic social teaching: all human life is sacred, and it is our responsibility to love our neighbor by protecting them from harm.

How do those with the responsibility to protect people confront an unjust aggressor who seeks to destroy human

life?

Over the millennia, many notable Christian thinkers, starting with St. Augustine, have grappled with this dilemma by developing “just war” theory. The recent targeted killing of an Iranian and escalation of conflict calls for a review of moral principles for legitimate use of force.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists four conditions for a just act of war. These are seen in the context of the Fifth Commandment: You shall not kill.

“The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration.

The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of

moral legitimacy. At one and the same time: 1. the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave and certain; 2. all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective; 3. there must be serious prospects of success; 4. the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition” (2309).

Certainly, Catholics will apply these principles differently in

debating the legitimacy of U.S. actions in current international conflicts with Iran.

War always has a way of sending the law of unintended consequences into overdrive, with innocent people suffering. Fighting fire with fire can work, but it comes with the possibility of just making a bigger fire.

So, let us pray for our leaders who must gravely consider when and how to use force and let us hold them accountable for the consequences. Ultimately, the end of war is to bring about peace.

As Pope St. Paul VI taught, “If you want peace, work for justice.”

Camp Tekakwitha provides an easy way to prioritize discipleship

A

t the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1022).

Laughter and tears are two of God’s most compelling inventions.

Joy, empathy and holiness draw people in.

We, of course, want our friends and families to know and follow Jesus. And the joy, tears, adventures and holiness that we share are key elements in helping others establish a firm foundation.

Camp Tekakwitha is a fusion of joy, laughter, adventure and holiness.

Fun, faith and friends is what Camp Tekakwitha is all about. Lots of research say people are drawn to and committed

A

fter a hectic early Monday morning this past October, I settled into my seat on a Southwest Airlines flight to Washington, D.C. I was headed to D.C. for the National Catholic Education Association Seton Gala honoring the Dunn family for their support of archdiocesan schools.

This event was also honoring a Seton Scholar Award winner, Margarita Gonzalez, who currently attends Bishop Ward High School and previously attended Christ the King School in Kansas City, Kansas.

This proved to be a wonderful event. I left feeling very grateful for

SEEKING CHRIST’S HEART

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

to faith that they can feel and experience.

Camp Tekakwitha, the March For Life, NCYC, and the F.I.R.E. Retreat

help people experience faith that can be felt and experienced with parish and diocesan friends.

Campers build a support structure to complement their family foundation.

Camp registration is open online at: www. archkck.org/camp.

Financial assistance is available. Check out website videos and our Instagram.

In Lent across the archdiocese, parishes will launch three-year plans that they have each created to implement “Enflame Our Hearts, Homes and Communities.”

Each parish is asked to equip missionary disciples with the vision and tools for passing on the faith. Jesus says in the Great Commandment and Great Commission what he desires to be important to us.

Look at your personal and your parish’s calendar and checkbook. Your priorities are reflected tangibly in your calendar and your checkbook.

Enflaming our hearts, homes and communities means prioritizing praying, caring and sharing with our families, neighbors and friends.

The camp curriculum will equip campers to enflame our hearts, homes and communities.

All of the Camp Tekakwitha offerings — from special-needs family camp to Extreme Camp — strengthen individual faith and build strong community.

The world is full of isolation, judgment, disconnect and hopelessness. The church is called to be full of connection, understanding, belonging and hope.

Each of us is to be like the star that guided the Magi to the Nativity.

Our witness flows out of our love and relationship with Jesus and out into our homes and community. Check out the website at: www.archkck. org/enflame to see how to be a guiding star to

the Magi in your life.

It is difficult to fulfill our resolutions and aspirations by ourselves.

We are designed to live in community and to grow and learn in community.

Young believers benefit from experiences like Camp Tekakwitha because camp is a joyful, laughter-filled adventure in a tightknit, holy community.

Camp Tekakwitha speaks the teachings of the Gospel in words and experiences that are easy to understand and follow.

Parish life should be dotted with tears and laughter-filled adventures — experienced in tightknit, holy community — and sharing the Gospel in ways that are easy to understand and follow.

School office plans to ‘Enflame Our Schools’ FROM THE SUPER

VINCE CASCONE Vince Cascone is the superintendent of archdiocesan schools.

all those, like the Dunn family, who support Catholic education in our archdiocese. I also left overflowing with pride for Margarita and

all of the students in the archdiocese whom she represented.

The previous Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I was at the “Enflame Our Hearts” convocation with about 1,500 Catholics from throughout the archdiocese. My heart was on fire after this wonderful experience.

The focus of the convocation was on evangelization, specifically within our parishes. Although I was uplifted by the experience I had at the convocation, I hadn’t thought about what it meant for me regarding evangelization.

The Holy Spirit tends to help us with such things if we but wait and listen.

As I was on that flight to Washington, I noticed a woman next to me reading intently from a tablet. The middle seat afforded me little to see.

It did, however, place me in a less than comfortable proximity to both of my flight neighbors in that row.

This closeness allowed me to see that the

woman next to me was reading the Bible on her tablet.

Perhaps this was an opportunity to evangelize. Never one to hesitate, I jumped right into a conversation with her.

The woman, Elizabeth, was not Catholic. She shared her thoughts on several topics, including the Eucharist, purgatory and the communion of saints.

I said a silent prayer to the Holy Spirit to guide my words. It was a wonderful conversation that certainly made me even more confident in my Catholic beliefs.

Perhaps the Holy Spirit spoke to Elizabeth that day, too.

When I was leaving the convocation a

few days prior to that flight, one of our school principals, Jodie Maddox, shared with me how uplifting the experience was for her.

She made a comment about how wonderful it would be to provide a similar opportunity for our teachers and principals.

Our Catholic schools are a wonderful place for us to evangelize and to share our faith. It is in this spirit that we are planning the “Enflame Our Schools” convocation for school leaders.

Please pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance as we continue our mission of evangelization to the faculty members, students and families within our schools.

JANUARY 24, 2020 | THELEAVEN.ORG

NATION

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LIFELINE

Miami man met his future kidney donor at Catholic retreat

By Priscilla A. Greear Catholic News Service

M

IAMI (CNS) — After a routine exam 16 years ago, Dr. Shawn Fibkins discovered that he had inherited polycystic kidney disease from his father.

“It was devastating for me because now I was in the medical field and I knew what that disease meant for people: trips to the hospital with ruptured brain aneurysms and kidney failure,” he said.

That same year, the radiologist was encouraged by his wife to attend an Emmaus retreat at St. John Neumann parish in Miami, where he found not only spiritual help, but future physical help from retreat participant John Fernandez.

While the two men were talking, Fibkins told Fernandez about his incurable kidney disease and fears of leaving his twin boys fatherless. When he said his kidneys would eventually fail, Fernandez casually replied, “If you ever need a kidney, let me know man, I got you.”

A few months later, Fibkins was diagnosed with an aneurysm and traveled to the University of Massachusetts for a procedure to prevent a rupture. His community of Emmaus “brothers” rallied to support him, including two men who came to pray with him in the hospital.

Fibkins surrendered himself to God, mindful that his father had died of this same kidney disease at the age of 35.

“As a Christian we are always asked to give everything up to God and put him in the driver’s seat and let the Lord guide us. And I didn’t really know what that meant until I went through the aneurysm scare,” he recalled. “I chose that path and said if this is my time to go then take me, and I was OK with dying, actually. That kind of brought me a peace.”

But the doctor discovered he hadn’t actually had an aneurysm. “If I had gone somewhere else, he said that they would have tried to treat it and [I] would’ve had a really bad outcome. So, I was defi-

CNS PHOTO/PRISCILLA GREEAR, FLORIDA CATHOLIC

Dr. Shawn Fibkins, right, a radiologist in Parkland, Fla., stands with John Fernandez, director of religious education at St. John Neumann Church in Miami. The two men met at a retreat and Fernandez donated a kidney to Fibkins who suffered from kidney disease. “If you ever need a kidney, let me know man, I got you,” Fernandez said. nitely in the right place. I feel God kind of pushed me along there and things kind of aligned,” Fibkins, now 47, told the Florida Catholic, archdiocesan newspaper of Miami.

Fernandez, now 44, said he felt a call from God to leave the corporate sector to become director of religious education at St. John Neumann. Fibkins became godfather to Fernandez’s first child, Priscilla, and moved to Parkland to start his practice, but the friends remained close.

Then, in 2017, Fibkins’ kidney function heavily deteriorated. He gained 50 pounds

“

“IT IS HARD TO DESCRIBE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE A FRIEND WILLING TO LAY DOWN A PIECE OF HIS LIFE SO THAT YOURS MAY CONTINUE.” and was sick every day. “You feel like your body is just poisoned,” he said, adding that even for those on dialysis, “you still feel terrible.”

He registered at Jackson’s Miami Transplant Institute.

Family members and colleagues volunteered to donate a kidney but didn’t qualify as

matches. Always “ridiculously healthy,” Fernandez quickly volunteered and matched, telling his friend: “Don’t make a big deal about it.”

But Fernandez still had to tell his wife. “She initially said, ‘You can’t do that, what about the girls, what about me?’ But mid-sentence then she said, ‘If

you needed it, I would hope somebody would do it.’”

That yes meant everything to Fibkins. “It is hard to describe what it is like to have a friend willing to lay down a piece of his life so that yours may continue.”

Within a month, on Aug. 30, 2018, both checked into the hospital. “It was one of those rubber meets the road moments,” recalled Fernandez.

“No greater love says the Lord than to give your life for a friend. But are you willing? It’s very easy to teach it, to read it, to proclaim it, but do I have the guts to do this?”

It also was the quintessential example for his daughters, he said.

Fibkins also prepared for the procedure with faith in its outcome.

After a seven-hour surgery, Fibkins said his friend gave him a whole new life. “I feel like I’m cured. I walk around, I’m healthy. I do everything I was doing before I got sick. It’s like a miracle.”

And he was able to give back to his friend sooner than expected, when Fernandez’s parents both died within the next few months.

“Shawn called daily, he came down a few times,” Fernandez said. “Having this kind of support was what got me through two very rough months.”

Following their surgeries, Fernandez was back to work in a week and Fibkins in three months, neither with complications. The radiologist takes four daily doses of medicine, but he now feels closer to his family, inhales life more deeply, and empathizes more profoundly with patients facing kidney failure and chemotherapy.

Fibkins, a member of Mary Help of Christians Parish in Parkland, also feels inspired to speak on the safety of kidney donation in gratitude for Fernandez.

“I drag John through this because I feel if we save one life it’s worth his grumbling,” he said.

“There are so many people that need it. Lives can be saved. And that’s a very Christian act, to give part of yourself.”