blessings to you in christ our lord! · advantage of the beautiful weather to come and enjoy german...

Newsletter Issue 08

“Dear young people, let yourselves be taken over by the light of Christ, and spread that light wherever you are.” -St. Pope John Paul II

April - June 2018

Parish Staff Rev. Kyle Walterscheid Pastor [email protected] Julie Garrison Business Manager [email protected] Diane Schwind Faith Formation Director [email protected] Trey Alley Development Director [email protected] Jenny Lynn Pelzel UNT Campus Director [email protected] Parish Main Line (940) 566-0004

Fr. Kyle

Blessings to you in Christ our Lord!

Toward the end of the semester, we celebrated our second “Backyard Ball” at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Denton. We got students out of their dorm rooms and away from their stress in preparing for final projects and exams to enjoy an evening of clean entertainment and fun. Lastly, for the spring semester, we had the biggest fundraiser to date from the “Wurst Haus” booth at Germanfest in Muenster. We had over 70 volunteers who helped setup, break down, prepare food, loan equipment, and work the booth. We also had many locals who made the specialty foods which included large pans of German potato salad, gallons of both pea salad and corn salad, roasters of beans, loaves of homemade bread, and more. Many thanks to all…and we raised over $9,000!!! This donation really helps us!!!

Our summer has been just as busy as the spring semester! I know, it’s supposed to be downtime for myself and the staff, but it has been far from it. Although it is not as intense as the volume of students that the academic year brings, we are making some huge steps for our parish that will affect all of North Texas Catholics. First, we are working through a major overhaul of our website. It will be much more inviting with good information and guidance for parents and potential students looking at either attending UNT or TWU. It will include sections for students, alumni, parishioners, benefactors, faculty and staff. We should have the new website rolled out by mid-August, so look for us then at www.JP2Denton.org.

Secondly, we are excited to announce that as of June 5th we have started a Young Adult Ministry for all young adults in the Denton area on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 9:00 PM year round. Each evening includes a prayer time, a topic for discussion, a potluck meal, and social time. It’s already a great success!

Yes, the July heat is upon us here in Texas. I hope and pray this letter finds everyone well this summer. As pastor, I keep you in my daily prayers because we all need God’s grace streaming into our lives so that we may be thankful to God in the good times and lifted up in His Spirit through the bad times. That being said, we had a fabulous Easter season and many blessings as we completed the spring semester. I want to give a big thanks to St. Peter’s parish in Lindsay, TX, for hosting our John 6 retreat over Divine Mercy weekend.

Articles not otherwise attributed were written by Trey Alley.

Lastly, we have officially started an alumni association. It has taken off with great success as well and we meet once a month.

With all that said, we hope you join us for our 6th Anniversary Dinner and Dance on Saturday July 28th, as we celebrate our many successes and continued growth and expansion of our many ministries to our students. Thank you for your continued support as none of this is possible without you. Many blessings and many prayers!

www.facebook.com/groups/jp2universitycatholics @jp2denton https://app.flocknote.com/stjohnpaul2

St. John Paul II University Parish • 1303 Eagle Drive Denton, TX 76201 • (940) 566-0004 • www.jp2denton.org 2

Welcome Home to our new Catholics!! Easter Vigil saw the full communion with the Catholic Church of five young adults. Pictured from left to right are Robert Knox, Trevor Tolman, Cody Barker, Haley Radabaugh. (Not available for picture: Giselle Gutierrez) Sponsors of the new Catholics are Robert Schwind, Micah Rak, Andrew Rak, Katie Lowe, and Mary Galloway Thompson, respectively. May God continue to bless them as their journeys continue.

This year Germanfest had a new location and it was fantastic! The annual festival in Muenster, TX was moved from the park to the pavilion and the “Wurst Haus” had a great spot near the entrance. Large crowds took advantage of the beautiful weather to come and enjoy German culture and the “Wurst Haus” was busy, busy all weekend long!

Over 70 volunteers from in and around Muenster and Denton came together to provide the food, equipment, and man hours needed to make the “Wurst Haus” booth a success. This year the Muenster court of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas donated the profits from the “Wurst Haus” booth, a total of $9,440.84, to St. John Paul II University Parish. What a great blessing!

Shown here with Father Kyle Walterscheid are the altar servers who served the Easter Vigil Mass. Left to right: Joel Adams, Jacob Korte, Joe Watson, Tim Mueller, Trey Alley, Chukwuka Chukwurah

Germanfest



This spring St. John Paul II had the incredible honor of hosting the John 6 Retreat. John 6 is a Perpetual

Eucharistic Adoration Retreat for 70 young adults from throughout the Diocese of Fort Worth. Jesus was

present the whole time in the Eucharist while the retreatants participated in confession, held small group

discussions, listened to speakers, prayed the Rosary, offered praise and worship, and had personal prayer

time. The theme of this year’s retreat was “Mary and the Eucharist”. Our speakers focused on Mary and how

her intercession and example aids her children on their journey towards Christ. We were blessed with a

phenomenal caliber of speakers including Jeff Hedglen, Tom and Carrie Centarri, Fr. Jason Wooleyhan and

sisters from Benedictine and Franciscan orders. The most-loved talk of the retreat was given by Sr. Mary

Clare Bezner (a Lindsay, TX native) on the practice of Lectio Divina, praying with Sacred Scripture.

The retreat was a huge success and bore much fruit in the souls of many young adults in our area. One of the

benefits of a Eucharistic Retreat is the deep encounter with Christ’s love for all people in the Eucharist. He

humbles himself to be fully present at every moment to each and every person who comes to him – especially

those who may have no previous experience with the Eucharist or prayer. This retreat is a wonderful

opportunity for young adults of North Texas, along with their peers, to deepen their relationship with Jesus.

This relationship with Jesus has the power to transform every aspect of their lives. We are confident that this

retreat is one of many efforts in the New Evangelization that will help open our community to the workings

of the Holy Spirit through the intercession of our Blessed Mother. Praise God for such a fruitful weekend!

Article written by Katherine Lowe

Photos taken by Kenneth Munyer



Backyard Ball

Seniors &

2018

Smiles, S’mores &Smooth Moves

The annual “Backyard Ball” is the largest student social event of the year. This year it was held on May 5th at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Denton. The students celebrated the end of the spring semester with dancing, a taco bar (in honor of Cinco de Mayo), a make-your-own S’mores bar, and a raffle that included several handmade items donated by students. Over $1,200 was raised for campus ministry! Thank you to all who contributed to help make the “Backyard Ball” a huge success!

Written by Jenny Lynn Pelzel Photos by Jenny Lynn Pelzel and Trey Alley

So much fun!

Brady Vanover and

Easton Vanover

were Confirmed on May 20, 2018



It was a pleasant, not too hot, Sunday morning when we celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi. Between the morning masses, we led a procession with four beautiful prayer stations along the route. We concluded the celebration with Benediction inside Goolsby Chapel. Thank you to everyone who helped with set up, break down, and with the procession!

Corpus

Christi

Photos by Julie Garrison and Trey Alley

After six years as a parish and over 30 years of campus ministry, our community has accumulated many alumni around the world in all walks of life. So this summer we began an alumni association to help our alumni stay connected to each other and the parish. Father Kyle and Trey Alley are working alongside the alumni to determine the goals of the new association.

Firstly, one thing all the alumni agreed on was the desire for a strong spiritual aspect to the monthly meetings. It is difficult in the day-to-day rigor to find time for prayer, much less to drive to a chapel for Adoration or a moment of quiet meditation. To help with this, all alumni meetings begin with prayer and Bible study.

In addition to spiritual connection, other topics that have been discussed in the monthly meetings include offering mentoring for current students, social events for alumni, and volunteer opportunities. While discussing mentoring, it came up that the alumni would appreciate a little mentoring as well. Some needs that were expressed were financial concerns and relationship issues. Future meetings will include guest speakers who will address some of these needs.

Alumni both near and far have been able to participate in the meetings through live video broadcasting using Facebook Live. This increase in accessibility really helps to draw the alumni together as a community even when physical distance or family obligations prevent them from attending in person.

To keep up with the latest news of our alumni association progress, check out the alumni page on the parish website at www.jp2denton.org. You can also send an e-mail to Trey at [email protected] to be added to the alumni mailing list for updates and meeting notifications.

Alumni Association



At the end of the school year in May, nine men attended the annual altar server retreat at Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey in the Ozark Mountains near Hulbert, Oklahoma. We were housed within the monastery itself which made for a relaxed and prayerful retreat. We had easy access to the chapel throughout the day as well as the guest library which is rich in religious works. The annual retreat is part of the altar server program here at St. John Paul II University Parish designed to give young men opportunities for spiritual growth, vocational discernment, and fraternity.

Even over 250 miles away from campus, Father Kyle cannot help but throw out a UNT “caw!”

To accommodate work schedules, some of our retreatants came and left on different days. We took two group photos to make sure everyone was included. From left to right with St. Benedict: Jacob Korte, Michael Pollock, Fr. Kyle Walterscheid, Joel Adams, Paul Merlau, and John Baker. From left to right with Mary: Trey Alley, Michael Pollock, Fr. Kyle Walterscheid, Paul Merlau, Joel Adams, Noah Martinez, Alex Harter, and John Baker.

Altar Server Annual Retreat

May Crowning The Family Faith Formation group met for the last Community Day in May. The focus of the gathering was the Month of Mary and the activities began with a beautiful May Crowning ceremony. The children lined up according to age and processed to the outdoor statue of The Blessed Mother while singing the Hail Mary. After the crowning, the families gathered around Our Lady while Father Kyle led them in the Litany of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Next the children made lovely stained glass pictures of The Blessed Mother, for their own Mothers, using wax paper and special paint. The fun continued with children participating in egg races, three-legged races and sack races. The gathering concluded with a wonderful pot luck lunch. Thank you to all the families who participated in our first year of Family Faith Formation. It was a great success! We hope to see you all back in the fall. Anyone interested in joining us next year, please contact the faith formation office by emailing Diane Schwind at [email protected].



FOCUS on the Future

This year we had four students answer the call to be FOCUS missionaries. Here they share what FOCUS means to them and why they chose to give the next two years of their lives to this service.

Chris Mueller “When I first came to UNT, my life was filled with a deep loneliness. I was practicing my faith, but there were no men around me to run with me to Christ. It was at this point that I began to become involved with FOCUS at the Catholic Center and, more importantly, a few men from the Catholic Center began to invest deeply in me. My faith life began to drastically improve and I knew that God was calling me to spread the gospel in the same way these men brought the gospel to me: through deep, intentional friendship. I joined FOCUS because I needed to bring this friendship and love of Christ to all college students and, ultimately, to the whole world.”

Victor Baez “The missionaries at the Catholic center showed me what real friendship was. Through their relationships, I was able to see the possibility of having a relationship with God. My relationship with God will never be the same. Why not do the same for others?”

“My name is Alan Maginn I grew up in Austin, Texas and moved to Denton, Texas to study jazz performance at UNT. I graduated from UNT in May and have started as a full time missionary with FOCUS at Vanderbilt University. I joined FOCUS for a few reasons: first because of the dire need of faith on the college campus l on the college campus and secondly because of the community of missionary disciples that supported me in my time at UNT. I could not be more grateful for the life I am living as a missionary today and I would not be here without JPII and the missionaries that helped me grow in faith.”

truly cared for me and desired the good for me. Through her investment, I was able to see that I was made for more. Her yes and the yeses before her changed the course of my future for eternity. I became a FOCUS missionary because I want to be there for students in the ways Kaitlyn was there for me. She walked with me towards Christ in a way I didn't know I needed. When I felt this call, there was nothing else I wanted to do."

Jillian Lim “When I arrived at UNT as a transfer student, I honestly felt lonely and I was afraid to share my faith with anyone in my classes because it seemed to be countercultural at the time. I lacked true friendship. Until I met a third year missionary at the time named Kaitlyn Schulte who shared life with me, invited my into her own friendships and I knew that she truly cared for me and desired the good for

Micah Guaiardo and

Zuriel Wiles

Received First Holy Communion on May 20, 2018

A memorial service for Lester Huey

was held on June 2, 2018

Requiescat in pace

Tyler Harden & Bailey Beadel

were married on June 30, 2018

Douglas Badeaux & Mary Therese Rutherford

were married on May 26, 2018



Article and photos by Jenny Lynn Pelzel

In his book, The Meaning of Vocation, St. John Paul II writes: “Ask yourselves, young people, about the love of Christ. Acknowledge His voice resounding in the temple of your heart. Return His bright and penetrating glance which opens the paths of your life to the horizons of the Church’s mission. It is a taxing mission, today more than ever, to teach men the truth about themselves, about their end, their destiny, and to show faithful souls the unspeakable riches of the love of Christ. Do not be afraid of the radicalness of His demands, because Jesus, who loved us first, is prepared to give Himself to you, as well as asking of you.” This passage is the heart and purpose of the new Young Adult Ministry that was inaugurated on June 5th at St. John Paul II. Young adults gather on Tuesday nights at the Catholic Center for an hour each of the essential elements of discipleship; prayer, spiritual formation, and community time. Within just the first few weeks of meeting, the members of the group have already formed strong bonds of friendship, as they seek and share the love of Christ with each other. They recognize the need for support in living out the mission of one’s vocation in a culture that so often does not uphold Christian values. They have found strength and joy in beginning to walk together toward holiness. Young Adult Ministry provides an opportunity to deepen one’s devotion to God through a holy hour with adoration, Liturgy of the Hours, and confession. It also helps expand one’s knowledge of Catholicism through Bible study, guest speakers, and small group discussions as well as enjoy fellowship with one another through conversation, games, and tacos (tacos are served at every meeting). Young Adult Ministry has been a wonderful addition to the ministry at St. John Paul II to meet the needs of our community.

Sometimes people say, “No news is good news.” We certainly hope so! As we reported previously, our contractor was given permission from the Diocese of Fort Worth to begin construction on the new Catholic Campus Center on March 1, 2018. We later shared with you some issues that arose that have delayed the construction, a four-party contract that needed to be settled and our contractor having an extended period of poor health. At this time, there is an ongoing disagreement between the contractor and the diocese. While disappointing, we are not overly concerned because we have the finances necessary to begin construction and the plans have been approved by the city and the diocese. As we have seen many times in the Church, patience is a virtue!

Building Update

You are welcome to come to Young Adult Ministry if you are an adult (single or married) between the ages of 22-32. Young Adult Ministry meets every Tuesday from 6-9 pm at the Catholic Center.

The location of ministry meetings is subject to change. If there is a change, it will be posted on our website.

Young Adult Ministry

blessings to you in christ our lord! · advantage of the beautiful weather to come and enjoy german...

Documents