former our lady of unity student david burch works on as...

theleaven.com | vol. 35, no. 38 | may 16, 2014

Bob Butters, husband of Our Lady of Unity School principal Nancy, looks over the plans for the playground.

Armando Galvan, a member of the PTO at Our Lady of Unity, attaches a bolt to the top of the swing set.

Former Our Lady of Unity student David Burch works on as-sembling the monkey bars.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The first kindergartners Janet Schlake taught at Our Lady of Unity School here are now finishing

seventh grade — but they’re not too old to appreciate a good playground.

In fact, many older students lent a hand when the parish community came together this spring to make the longtime dream of having their own playground come true.

The school held a ribbon cutting for its much-anticipated new playground on May 13, complete with a blessing from Father Kent O’Connor, pastor of Our Lady of Unity.

The kids finally got to explore their long-awaited, brand-new, shiny, red-blue-and-yellow playground for the first time.

Seventh-grader C.J. Puebla, who pitched in at the site on the workdays, remembers wishing for a playground when he was in Schlake’s kindergarten class.

Like many other kids, he made do

with playing kickball and soccer on the field.

“We have pictures of our kids play-ing with rocks,” admitted principal Nancy Butters. “Those weren’t posed pictures.”

The school sent those photos — along with a grant application written by Donna O’Connor — to KaBOOM! in hopes of winning a Let’s Play Com-munity Construction Grant.

Our Lady of Unity learned in the fall it had received the $15,000 grant, but that still left about $30,000 for the school to kick in.

For help matching the grant and building the dream playground, the school turned to commu-nity volunteers of all ages.

Schlake’s sis-ter, Cathy Hair, is a fourth-grade teacher at As-

cension School in Overland Park and she was first in line — eight years ago. That’s when she helped link her school to Our Lady of Unity, and the two have been sister schools ever since.

While students at Ascension pitched in on fund drives for the matching grant, students from Bish-op Ward High School in Kansas City, Kan., were more hands-on, helping prepare the playground site for con-struction.

The grade school students them-selves served the lunch prepared by the parish’s Knights of Columbus to the many teachers, parents and other volunteers who were installing the equipment and spreading the mulch.

Kathleen Ludwig, a first-grade teacher at Our Lady of Unity, even re-cruited her sister and fellow physical therapy students at Rockhurst Univer-

sity in Kansas City, Mo., to help with the work.

“This has been

a big, Catholic, group effort,” said Schlake.

With the playground now com-plete, said Ludwig, the kids can climb and crawl and use their imaginations — and get that energy out.

“I think teachers are going to see a difference in the classroom of just a more focused group after recess,” said Ludwig. “Or maybe they will work re-ally, really hard to get quiet for recess because they know what’s out there and they know it’s such a privilege and such an exciting thing to have.”

C.J. is excited his younger brothers will have this.

“I think it’s going to make the little kids more athletic because they can climb, swing, and do other stuff that will help them,” he said.

But he admits his own class will also enjoy checking out the new equipment.

There are still chal-lenges ahead, admitted Butters, but they’re ones she’s delighted to tackle.

“We’re going to have to teach a lot of kids how to swing,” she said.

Community effort well-playedStory by JeSSica LangdonPhotoS by doug heSSe

The Catholic Way the catholic Way radio program airs on the following stations. • WIBW, Topeka; 94.5 FM, 580 AM : Sunday 9:30 a.m. • KOFO, Ottawa: 1220 AM, Sunday 7:15 a.m.• KMZA, Seneca: 92.1 FM, Sunday 7:30 a.m. • KCXL, Liberty, Mo: 1140 AM, 102.9 FM, Sunday 7:30 a.m.

2 archbishop TheLeAven.COM | MAy 16, 2014

This past year, I discovered the book, “A

Song for Nagasaki,” written by Father Paul Glynn.

It tells the story of Takashi Nagai, a scientist, medical doctor, convert to Cathol-icism and survivor of the atomic bomb attack on Naga-saki.

In the introduction to the book, Shusako Endo observed that President Ulysses Grant was instru-mental in ending the more than 250-year persecution of Christians in Japan. Former-ly imprisoned Catholics, who were liberated in part because of President Grant’s intervention with Japanese diplomats seeking a trade agreement with the United States, built the magnifi-cent St. Mary’s Cathedral in Urakami, a village just north of Nagasaki. Ironical-ly, St. Mary’s Cathedral was destroyed on Aug. 9, 1945, by the atomic bomb dropped from an American B-29.

Nagasaki was not the primary target for the atomic bomb. However, with dense-ly cloudy skies over the primary target, Kokura, and a blockage in the plane’s auxil-iary gas line limiting the time to complete the mission, Nagasaki became ground zero for the bomb that

hastened the end of the war, but not without extracting a terrible human cost. The atomic bomb killed more than 60,000 Japanese in the vicinity of Nagasaki. Since Nagasaki was the center of Catholicism in Japan, the atomic bomb killed a high percentage of the relatively small Japanese Christian community.

Takashi Nagai’s grand-father practiced herbal medicine and his father, also a doctor, was trained in Western-style medi-cine. Takashi’s parents and ancestors practiced Shin-toism, the ancient native religion of Japan. Takashi, as a young medical student, was enthralled with scientif-ic knowledge. For a time, he abandoned all belief in God, placing his faith only in what he could observe and verify through the scientific method.

Takashi was profound-ly affected by the death of his mother. He sensed that, though she had physically died, her spirit continued

to live. This did not square easily with his atheism.

Takashi attended the medical school in Nagasaki. During the course of his studies, he encountered the writings of Blaise Pascal. Takashi admired Pascal’s scientific accomplishments, but he was also intrigued by his reputation as a mystic. He was profoundly influ-enced by his study of Pascal. Through Pascal, Takashi discovered the possibility of being both a man of science and religious faith.

It was because of his in-terest in Pascal’s Catholicism that Takashi decided to seek residence in Urakami, the Christian suburb of Nagasa-ki. He had some familiarity with the Christian martyrs of Nagasaki. In medical school, he had been led to believe that these Christian martyrs were uneducated fanatics.

However, this view did not coincide with his obser-vation of the Urakami Chris-tians. Among other things, Takashi admired the qual-ity of the Catholic schools staffed by religious Sisters. Takashi was also impressed by the Christian observance of Sunday and the wisdom of this day of rest, prayer, re-flection, and time for family.

The story of Takashi Nagai’s conversion to Ca-tholicism is a beautiful one. He encountered the cold re-ality of a world without God while serving in the medical corps of the Japanese army in Manchuria. It was there that he began reading a Cath-olic catechism sent to him by a member of the family with whom he lodged in Urakami. When he returned to Nagasaki, he began taking instructions from a priest of the cathedral, whose bio-logical father survived the most recent persecutions of Japanese Christians. One of his teachers in the faith was a janitor in the hospital, where he served as a doctor.

After the atomic bomb attack, Takashi Nagai would spend himself tirelessly car-ing for the surviving victims of atomic radiation. Though from a human viewpoint, he had every reason to be em-bittered and angry, he was neither because of his Chris-tian faith. Takashi Nagai became an eloquent spokes-man for reconciliation and peace. He became one of the most admired men of Japan in the early post-World War II era.

The spiritual journey of Takashi Nagai, as narrated in “A Song for Nagasaki,” is both beautiful and amazing. Takashi Nagai’s discovery of the wisdom and power of Christian belief made me aware of how easily I take for granted the gift of my own Catholic faith. If you are looking for some

inspirational reading for the summer months, I encour-age you to read “A Song for Nagasaki.”

Though it is much easier to purchase books from Amazon.com, I encourage you to patronize instead your local Catholic book and gift stores such as: Trin-ity House, 7287 W. 97th St., Overland Park; Soul Supply and Hardware, 704 Chero-kee St., Leavenworth; Touch of Heaven, 119 S.E. 18th St., Topeka; or The I. Donnelly Company, 6601 Troost Ave., Kansas City, Mo.

By purchasing from your local Catholic book and religious articles store, you are helping to support a local Catholic enterprise that provides an import-ant service to the Catholic community.

LiFe WiLL Be viCTOriOUS

Man of science becomes man of peace, and God

arChbishop JOSeph F. nAuMAnn

calendar

ArChBiShOPNAUmANNmay 16 Benedictine baccalaureate mass and reception

may 17 transitional diaconate ordina-tion of Gerard alba, Jonathan dizon, daniel morris, matthew nagle and daniel Stover — curé of ars, leawood

may 18 archdiocesan baptisms — church of the ascension, overland Park

may 19 “Shepherd’s voice” recording Finance council meeting confirmation, hispanic com-munity — Blessed Sacrament, Kansas city, Kan

may 20 Bishop dendinger anniversary celebration — Grand Island, neb.

may 21 Presbyteral council meeting

holy hour and dinner with deacons anthony Saiki, adam Wilczak and Jaime Zarse

may 22 catholic Foundation of north-east Kansas board meeting — Savior Pastoral center

may 23 holy hour and dinner for sem-inarians and families of candi-dates for priesthood ordination — Prince of Peace, olathe

ArChBiShOPkeLehermay 17 transitional diaconate ordina-tion of Gerard alba, Jonathan dizon, daniel morris, matthew nagle and daniel Stover — curé of ars, leawood

may 18 confirmation — St. Joseph, Shawnee

may 20 Bishop dendinger anniversary celebration — Grand Island, neb.

Archbishop’s offer to celebrate baptisms for children of larger families

to show his personal support for those couples open to raising larger families, archbishop Joseph F. naumann has offered to celebrate the baptism of the third or greater child of any family (by birth, adoption, or blending through valid marriage) interested. the first of these bap-tismal celebrations will take place on may 18 at 2:30 p.m. at church of the ascension, 9510 W. 127th St., overland Park. additional celebra-tions are scheduled for July 27, Sept. 7, and nov. 16. For 2015, celebra-tions are scheduled for Jan. 18, march 15, and may 17. Please contact your parish office for more information. additional information is also available from the archdiocesan office for liturgy and sacramental life at (913) 647-0330 or online at: [email protected].

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Gregg Amos

editorReverend Mark Goldasich, [email protected]

managing editorAnita [email protected]

Production managerTodd [email protected]

Senior reporterJoe [email protected]

reporterJessica [email protected]

Advertising CoordinatorJulie [email protected]

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: [email protected]. 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 $18/year. periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, KS 66109.

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President: Most Reverend Joseph F. naumann

second front paGe 3MAy 16, 2014 | TheLeAven.COM

By Joe [email protected]

WAT H E N A — The cel-ebration of the 100th anniversary

of St. Joseph Church here was every bit as special as the ded-ication liturgy on April 14, 1914 — but not as long.

“I noted in the history of the celebration of the dedica-tion of this church by Bishop Ward, the bishop of Leaven-worth at the time, that the ser-vices took three hours,” said Archbishop Joseph F. Nau-mann in his homily. “We’ll try to keep it under three hours.”

Why so long? Part of the reason was that the sermon was given in two languages, German and English.

There was no German to be heard at the 100th anniversary Mass on May 11; instead, the melodious sounds of an Afri-can hymn filled the air. The pastor, Father Francis Baykor, who is from the Diocese of Wa in Ghana, sang in the language of the Dagaaba people during welcoming remarks at the be-ginning of Mass.

“I sang in Dagaare, my mother tongue,” said Father Baykor, who became pastor in July last year. “It is a song we sing on the occasions of big celebrations of thanksgiving — ‘Sing with joy to the Lord for all the gifts that he has giv-en us.’”

The liturgy began with a procession originating in the former St. Joseph School, across the street from the church. The procession in-cluded acolytes, an honor guard of the fourth-degree Knights of Columbus William T. Jochems Assembly 1716 from Atchison, children rep-resenting the parish and par-ticipating clerics.

The main celebrant and homilist was Archbishop Jo-seph F. Naumann. He was joined at the altar by concel-ebrants Father Baykor, retired former pastor Father Roderic Giller, OSB, and Abbot James Albers from St. Benedict’s Ab-bey in Atchison. Archdiocesan chancellor Father John Riley was master of ceremonies.

In his homily, Archbishop Naumann talked about Father Baykor’s song of thanksgiving.

“Father Francis . . . is a re-minder that as Catholics we

are part of a universal family that stretches across all the continents,” said the arch-bishop. “We have more than a billion brothers and sisters in Christ in every corner of the world.”

He noted the presence of Abbot James, whose grand-parents were married in the church, and how the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey provided pastors for most of the par-ish’s history. He also thanked the two Benedictine Sisters who were present, noting how the Sisters from Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison edu-cated parish children for many years.

Anniversaries, the arch-bishop said, are also times to remember beautiful memories of how God blessed the parish.

“In 1869, the Civil War had only concluded four years ear-lier when the families of [the] Wathena area established this parish,” he said. “It was the beautiful and unselfish sacri-fices of those first families that

planted the Catholic faith in this part of what today is the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.”

Since the Fourth Sunday of Easter was also Good Shep-herd Sunday, he urged that pa-rishioners pray for vocations

and encourage young people to discern possible vocations to the priesthood and reli-gious life.

The oldest members of the parish were honored during the Mass, including centenar-ians Cecilia Bauman Frankov-

ich Dinning and Frances Ga-briel Mitchell.

During a catered luncheon held in the parish hall, Dinning reminisced about the small, common, everyday events that made the life of the parish.

“We had picnics here where each woman who lived in the parish was supposed to fry seven or eight chickens,” she said. “That was a busy day.”

But could they really eat all those chickens?

“You ought to have seen them disappear, and all the cakes and pies and every-thing,” she said.

Sister Amelia Nowatzke, OSB, who taught at the school from 1964 to 1968, remembered how each teacher had three or four grades to a classroom.

“We also taught in the [par-ish] hall,” said Sister Amelia. “There was just no room.”

Occasionally, there was ex-citement, like the time Father Leo Horner (pastor from 1957 to 1963) lost his car.

“One day the students said, ‘Father’s car is going back-wards out of the driveway and nobody’s in it,’” said Sis-ter Bernelda Nanneman, OSB, who taught from 1958 to 1959. “So it backed up the street and went down the hill and crashed. He was out of a car for several weeks.”

The current church is only the second in the history of the parish, which was founded 144 years ago. The first church, built of brick, was located where the parking lot is now, between the church and the rectory.

Ground was first broken for the present church in spring 1913, and the first Mass was celebrated in the church on Feb. 22, 1914.

Although the church has seen some modifications and renovations, it has remained essentially the same since 1914, except for the replacement of the ambo, a post-Vatican II altar and the removal of the Communion rail.

One interesting feature is a large stained-glass window in the right-side transept with a relatively rare depiction of the death of St. Joseph. While this window was out with a com-pany for restoration, a tree fell over and crashed through the temporary glass.

Only more proof, said the archbishop, of St. Joseph watching out for his church.

Celebratinga Century

Above, the centennial liturgy began with a procession from St. Joseph School, where Benedictine Sisters taught until it closed in 1970.

At right, Archbishop Joseph F. Nau-mann celebrates the 100th anni-versary mass of St. Joseph Parish, Wathena. Concelebrating with the archbishop are, from left: pastor Fa-ther Francis Baykor; Father roderic Giller, OSB; and Abbot James Albers, OSB. Father John riley, second from right, was the master of ceremonies.

A Catholic church has sat high on a hill above Wathena since 1869. The current St. Joseph Church was dedicated in 1914.ST. JOSeph pARISh, WAThenA, TuRnS 100

4 LocaL neWs TheLeAven.COM | MAy 16, 2014

By Jessica [email protected]

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Not everyone can say the phantom of the opera has rushed to their aid.

But 18-year-old Alex Fraser, a member of St. Michael the Archan-gel Parish in Leawood, can.

Singer David Gaschen — a cous-in of Alex’s mother, Chris Fraser — has performed the role of the famed phantom in both Europe and on Broadway.

On June 7, he will lend his voice to a benefit concert in Kansas City to help Alex’s family with the mounting and unexpected expenses.

Alex, a senior at Blue Valley High School in Stilwell, was swimming with his family in Playa del Carmen on March 17 when he struck his head on the ocean floor while catching a wave.

Life suddenly changed for Alex — a record-setting swimmer and lifeguard — when he broke his neck, suffering spinal trauma that para-lyzed him from the neck down.

Gaschen hopes the concert on June 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rose The-atre at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo., will draw a sellout crowd to help the Fraser family.

Alex has already undergone two major surgeries and has started re-habilitation at Craig Hospital in En-glewood, Colo., where he will next work on regaining function in his arms and the ability to move his hands.

Although the story of his injury drew a lot of local media coverage, it is the story of his recovery that is resounding still.

Father Brian Schieber, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel, described in a March homily a visit he paid to Alex at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park before surgery.

Having just comforted Alex with a passage from Romans — “All things work for good for those who love God” — Father Schieber told Alex that God would use him as a channel of grace for others.

Father Schieber was stopped as he was leaving the hospital by a woman with a family member dying a few rooms away. The priest followed her to the patient’s room where he eventually wound up baptizing and

confirming her. “God has already used you to save a

soul!” Father Schieber told Alex later.The parish and wider community

have rallied around the family with prayers, support, visits and fundrais-ers.

“My wife and I have shed as many good tears in reaction to the kind and generous things people have done for us as we have for our son and the difficult time he’s having,” said Mike Fraser.

The benefit concert aims to make that difficult time a little easier — Alex will hopefully soon need a mo-torized wheelchair and a full-size van with a hydraulic lift. The family will also have to move into a home that will be more accessible.

Gaschen, who lives in Dallas, was stunned when he first heard what had happened to his second cousin.

“It’s heartbreaking. It’s shocking,” said Gaschen. “And then you look at your own son or your own daugh-ter and you see how quickly life can change.”

He performs quite a few benefit concerts, however, and quickly de-cided that an event in Kansas City might be a perfect way for him to help.

Gaschen, with pianist Larry Landusky as his accompanist, will perform a number of show tunes, including “Music of the Night” from “The Phantom of the Opera,” and “Bring Him Home” from “Les Mis-erables.”

“I guarantee there won’t be a sin-gle person going to that event who won’t walk away going, ‘Wow,’” said Mike Fraser.

concert will benefit paralyzed swimmer

Alex Fraser, a member of St. michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood, was a record-setting swimmer before an accident broke his neck and paralyzed him from the neck down.

A NiGhT OF mUSiCWhat: a benefit concert by

Broadway’s david Gaschen (see www.davidgaschen.com) for the supplemental needs of 18-year-old alex Fraser

When: 7:30 p.m. June 7 (doors open at 6:30 p.m.; cash-donation bar available)

Where: rose theatre at rock-hurst high School, 9301 State line road, Kansas city, mo.

Tickets: $50 apiece for gener-al admission seating (organizers hope people who might not at-tend will consider buying tickets to donate to those who can’t af-ford the price.)

For tickets: visit the website at: www.alexsangels.ticketbud.com; or send an email for information to: [email protected].

Sisters to host summer leadership camp

atchISon — Girls entering sixth, sev-enth or eighth grade are invited to attend the 2014 leadership camp scheduled June 30-July 2 on the campus of the Bene-dictine Sisters of mount St. Scholastica here. the Sisters of charity of leaven-worth co-sponsor this event. the registra-tion deadline is may 23.

the camp provides opportunities for participants to learn about their faith, how catholic christian values and lead-ership go together, and how to set goals and make decisions. recreation, a scaven-ger hunt, music, arts and crafts, talks and prayer are built into the three days that conclude with mass at 7 p.m.

registration is $125 and covers room and board, meals and a t-shirt for each participant. Partial scholarships are avail-able. contact Sister Barbara Smith, oSB, at: [email protected] or call (913) 426-5275; or Sister vicki lichtenauer, Scl, at [email protected] or call (816) 718-2660. For a brochure with application, vis-it the website at: www.scls.org.

Bishop Ward announces new school president

KanSaS cIty, Kan. — archbishop Jo-seph F. naumann and Bishop Ward high School announce that Father thomas

Schrader has been hired as the new president of Bishop Ward high School here.

Father thom-as is a carmelite priest and has nine years of experience as the president of crespi carmel-ite high School in encino, calif. he has spent this past year as the paro-chial vicar of our lady of mt. carmel in tenafly, n.J.

“We prayed that the lord would

raise up a wonderful president to suc-ceed Father michael hermes, and he cer-tainly has done that,” stated archbishop naumann. “I thank the lord for providing Father Schrader, who will continue the strong spiritual and temporal leadership of the school.”

marty Baughman, Bishop Ward board chairman, said, “We are very pleased that Father Schrader will become the new president of Bishop Ward high School. We conducted a national search for our next president. Father Schrader brings with him a lot of experience in all aspects of catholic education: academics, forma-tion, development, athletics and planning. We look forward to his leadership.”

“It will be an honor to serve as presi-dent of Bishop Ward,” said Father thomas. “the school community is at an exciting point in its rich history of educating a di-verse college-bound student body. I am enthusiastic about the contributions from our students who are being trained to be future moral leaders for the church and our society.”

Father thomas added, “this year, the carmelite order celebrates 150 years of ministering in this archdiocese. as an ed-ucator, I welcome the opportunity to carry on this long tradition.”

Father thomas will begin working at Bishop Ward on July 1.

Father hermes will now be assigned to full-time pastoral ministry in the archdio-cese of Kansas city in Kansas after serv-ing as president of Bishop Ward for the past nine years.

Father Thomas Schrad-er, O. Carm., will suc-ceed Father michael hermes as president of Bishop Ward high School in July.

n broadWay actor TO peRFORM BeneFIT COnCeRT AT ROCKhuRST

hOW TO heLPanyone interested in learning more about ways to help alex or donating to his family’s needs may visit the web-site at: www.indiegogo.com/projects/ alex-s-angels.

LocaL neWs 5MAy 16, 2014 | TheLeAven.COM

By Carolyn KaberlineSpecial to The Leaven

TOPEKA — There was a lot of prayer, a lot of theology, and a lot of fellowship shared here at Most Pure Heart of

Mary Church March 28-30.Without a word spoken.“This was our fifth annual retreat,”

said Cathy Mies, pastoral worker for the deaf at Most Pure Heart of Mary. Sponsored by the deaf ministry office of Most Pure Heart, the retreat began Friday evening with an interpreter ses-sion, followed by a session for all on Saturday. In total, 45 people attended the retreat, entitled “The Seven Last Words of Christ.”

The retreat, led by Msgr. Glenn Nel-son, vicar general of the Diocese of Rockford, Ill., focused on the meaning of both Lent and Jesus’ last words on the cross.

“Everyone was very, very pleased with Monsignor’s gifts of humor, the-ology, signing ability and being able to relate to young adults in their 20s and the older adults — the oldest being 90 years old,” said Mies. “He related to us all.”

Jeannine Adkins, a member of the deaf community, believes the retreat

was very import-ant to those at-tending for many reasons.

It helped members of the community “grow their faith stronger, spread God’s word to other people and family, [and] grow our rela-

tionship with each other,” she said. “We want to grow the deaf com-

munity into a large group in love,” she continued, “to learn how to find our talents for service from God’s gift to us, and to open our hearts.”

Heather Scherer agreed.“The retreat was nice. I learned

some new things about Lent and about Jesus. I love that we had the Mass all in sign language with no interpreters. I feel much more connected to God. I don’t have to look back and forth from the priest to the interpreter. It feels more peaceful.”

Not only did the members of the deaf community attending the retreat find it a special opportunity for spiri-tual growth, Msgr. Glenn did as well.

“I was moved by the deaf commu-nity, as well as the interpreters that joined me in Topeka,” he said. “Their commitment to service, their love of the Lord, their hunger for a deeper faith and the sacrificial giving of their time, talent and treasure to the work of the church were truly inspiring.

“I think I left Topeka more renewed than when I first arrived, but I have come to realize that as a common ex-perience in the ministry of service.”

Although this is only the fifth annual retreat for the group, the deaf ministry at Most Pure Heart of Mary began in 1988 when three deaf Catholics who lived in Topeka approached Sister Ann Albrecht, CSJ, then archdiocesan con-sultant for the deaf, to find a church in Topeka that would allow Masses to be signed.

“The deaf Catholics were tired of driving back and forth to St. Paul’s in Olathe for their spiritual direction and interpreted Masses,” said Mies. “It was becoming increasingly difficult for them.”

Mies said that Sister Ann came to visit Father Frank Krische, then pastor of Most Pure Heart. It happened that

he was not able to make the appoint-ment, so Sister Ann met with a staff member who was the child of deaf par-ents and so knew sign language. That staff member was Mies.

“Sister Ann took this as a ‘sign from heaven,’” said Mies. The first Mass for the deaf at Most Pure Heart took place in December 1988, with Mies and an-other interpreter signing the Mass.

“The deaf were so excited,” said Mies. “There were at least eight deaf and their families at that Christmas Midnight Mass. Tears sprang to the eyes of the deaf woman who had origi-nally asked for this service.

“She said, ‘This is the very first Christmas Mass that I’ve understood in my whole life.’

“She was 65 years old.”From that beginning, Mies ex-

plained, the ministry has grown to serve approximately 45 people and their families, with visitors present on many Sundays.

“We started out small with an older population,” said Mies, adding that the first group has since passed away. “We now have deaf who range in age from 25 to 75.”

Although signed Masses and annual retreats are important to the communi-ty, more is needed.

“The opportunity to go to confes-sion to a priest who is fluent in sign language is the second most import-ant sacrament next to the Eucharist,” said Mies. “The Mass totally in sign language touches the hearts of the deaf most deeply. It raises their es-teem to a higher degree. They are af-firmed.”

“The deaf ministry could not serve the deaf without the help of many highly skilled sign language interpret-ers,” said Pat Richey, consultant for the archdiocesan office for deaf ministry. “These dedicated servants work tire-lessly to create the bridge between the deaf and hearing cultures. They are a true blessing.”

While not everyone has the ability to learn another language such as sign language, Msgr. Glenn says the average layperson can still do much by offering encouragement.

“A kind word, a welcoming smile, go a long way with helping those who are deaf feel welcome within the Catholic Church, which is mostly ‘hearing,’” he explained. “I think the average layper-son could also help the deaf apostolate by helping fund, develop or just en-courage the creation and accessibility of Catholic religious materials. So many Catholic religious visual materials or media that we hearing people have ac-cess to are not closed-captioned. Even much of the limited Catholic program-ming on TV is not captioned.”

“One area that the Topeka deaf apostolate would like to serve is the deaf children in our community,” add-ed Mies. “We know they are ‘out there,’ but they are unknown to us. We’d like to help them learn about Jesus and the church, if parents agree.”

“I would also ask that if someone wants to help in the area of deaf min-istry, that he or she pray that the Lord will send into his “silent field” work-ers who can labor to bring about a rich harvest of faith,” said Msgr. Glenn.

deaf community —and presenter —renewed by retreat

Pat richey, consultant for the archdiocesan office of deaf ministry (far right) takes in the retreat march 28 at most Pure heart of mary Church in Topeka.

msgr. Glenn Nelson, vicar general of the Di-ocese of rockford, ill., leads the deaf retreat march 28-30.

For more infor-mation on min-istry to the deaf in the archdio-cese, contact Pat richey at (913) 764-1393 or by email at: [email protected].

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“In this major new work, Pope Francis reminds us that the goal of Christian faith is not to be right, but to be holy, and that the way to holiness is through a merciful heart, open to God and the world.”

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“What did we do to deserve such a man as Pope Francis? Every day the world drops its jaw in wonder at the work of art that is Jorge Mario Bergo-glio. Read this book, and see how he is doing it.”

—Father Richard Rohr, O.F.M., author of Falling Up-wards and On the Threshold

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Is com-promising your faith the cost of citizenship?

The answer is apparently “yes,” according to New Mexico Su-preme Court Justice Richard C. Bosson.

A person can be compelled to com-promise the very religious beliefs that inspire his or her life in order to accom-modate the contrasting values of others, he ruled.

In the case of Elane Photography v. Willock, Bosson wrote that Elaine and Jon Huguenin, co-owners of a photog-raphy business in New Mexico, were “free to think, to say, to believe as they wish . . . pray to the God of their choice and follow those commandments in their personal lives.”

Nevertheless, being compelled to vi-olate those beliefs was simply the price they had to pay to participate in civic life.

“In short, I would say to the Huguen-ins, with the utmost respect: it is the price of citizenship,” wrote Bosson in his concurring opinion delivered Aug. 22, 2013.

It all began in 2006, when Elaine Hu-guenin and her husband Jon received a request by email from Vanessa Willock and Misti Collinsworth to photograph their same-sex “committal ceremony.”

Same-sex marriage was not legal statewide in New Mexico at the time, but it became so through a ruling by the

New Mexico Supreme Court on Dec. 19, 2013.

The Huguenins, who are devout evangelical Christians, decided that they couldn’t honor the request. To do so would compel them to violate what their faith taught them about marriage.

Although they quickly found an-other photographer, Willock and Col-linsworth filed a discrimination com-plaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Commission.

The same-sex couple was represent-ed by a private attorney affiliated with the American Civil Liberties Union, al-though the ACLU did not officially sup-port the lawsuit. The Huguenins were charged under a nondiscrimination statute under New Mexico’s public ac-commodation law.

As the case began its journey through the courts, the first stop was an admin-istrative hearing before a judge.

“The company, Elane Photography, was found guilty of discrimination and ordered to pay just under $6,700,” said Jordon Lorence, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom. “We ap-pealed the case and lost every step of the way.”

Lorence made a number of legal ar-guments for the defense. He argued that

not only did this violate his client’s free-dom of speech and free exercise of reli-gion, but that to force his client to take the photos was compelled speech and thus a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Finally, the case went to the New Mexico Supreme Court, which ruled against Elane Photography, and in which Bosson wrote his “price of citi-zenship” concurring opinion.

“What I feel [Justice Bosson] skips over is [this question]: Why isn’t Va-

nessa Willock’s price of citizenship accommodating Elane Photography?” said Lorence. “There were hundreds of photographers who were willing to take these pictures — why does she have to single out one for punishment who, as a matter of conscience, could not create the images that would tell the story of their ceremony?”

“[Justice Bosson] has a one-sided view of the price of citizenship,” Lor-ence continued, “that only people who have a traditional view of marriage are the ones who have to give way to oth-ers demanding a redefinition of mar-riage.”

The case was appealed to the U. S. Supreme Court. The court did not up-hold the New Mexico Supreme Court, but refused to grant certiorari — it re-fused to hear the case. The high court did not say why, and no legal precedent was set.

This case is now over and the Hu-guenins are trying to decide what to do with their business.

The questions raised by the case are still unanswered, and other similar cases are working their way through lower courts at this time.

“If Elane doesn’t have the right, no one has the right [of First Amendment and free speech protections],” said Lorence. “That’s the sad thing with these sweeping conclusions [by the New Mexico Supreme Court] rejecting the legal arguments we raised in the Elane Photography case.”

the price of citizenship is compromising your faithThe COST OF CiTizeNShiPeLANe PhOTOGrAPhy

there were hundreds of

photographers who were willing to take these pictures — why does [the judge] have to single out one for punishment who, as a matter of conscience, could not create the images that would tell the story of their ceremony?”

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KanSaS cIty, Kan. — catholic pro-fessionals in the areas of law, insur-ance, accounting and financial advis-ing are invited to participate in the fifth annual continuing education program sponsored by the catholic Foundation of northeast Kansas.

the one-day program, which runs from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., will take place on June 6 in the Keleher con-ference room of Savior Pastoral cen-ter, 12601 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas city, Kan.

archbishop Joseph F. naumann will celebrate mass for the participants at 8 a.m.

“cFneK is sponsoring the program to connect professionals with catholic- centered continuing education,” said Gary Pratt, planned giving officer for the archdiocese of Kansas city in Kan-sas. “and we provide a high-caliber pro-gram with networking opportunities.”

“Some of the issues in the program are especially pertinent to catholic professionals, such as the current is-sue of religious freedom, estate plan-

ning, and health care issues according to catholic values.”

three presenters will each offer one-hour sessions:

• “A Review of Disciplinary Cases Between march 1, 2013, and march 1, 2014,” will be offered by Kimberly Knoll, Kansas deputy disciplinary ad-ministrator.

• “The Top 10 Things that Non-elder law attorneys and Financial advisors need to Know about elder law” will be offered by William G. hammond, J.d., the elder & disability law Firm, P.a.

• “Freedom of Religion vs. the Free-dom of Worship” will be presented by Jonathan Whitehead of the law offices of Jonathon r. Whitehead.

a continental breakfast will be spon-sored by lathrop & Gage. the network-ing lunch will be sponsored by mariner Wealth advisors, and exhibitor booths will be on display.

the cost to attend is $75 per partici-pant. For information and to register go to the website at: www.cfnek.org.

Continuing professional education offeredSharon (Johnson) and Albert Kuck-

elman, members of St. matthew Parish in topeka, celebrated their 50th anniversary with a cruise in February and a family dinner on may 10. the cou-ple was married on may 16, 1964, at assumption church, topeka,

by Father edward hays. their children and their spouses are: lisa and Kelly Gold, lawrence; danny and Jennifer Kuckelman, Berryton; and Jeff and misty Kuckelman, Pocatello, Idaho. they also have four grandsons.

ANNiverSAry POLiCy• The Leaven prints 50, 60, 65 and 70th no-tices. • Announcements are due eight days before the desired publication date. • Announcements must be typed. • They are for parishioners of Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, or for those who have resided in the archdiocese for a significant period of time. include the following information:• The couple’s names• their parish• the date they were married• church and city where they were married• what they are doing to celebrate• date of the celebration• names of children (if desired)• number of grandchildren and great-grand-children; Send notices to: The Leaven, 12615 parallel pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109, attn: anniver-saries; or send an email to: [email protected].

Catholic cemeteries to host memorial Day

masses may 26KanSaS cIty, Kan. — catholic ceme-

teries of northeast Kansas will host me-morial day masses on may 26 at the fol-lowing locations and times:

• Mt. Calvary Cemetery, 38th and State ave., Kansas city, Kan., 9 a.m.; celebrated by Father michael hermes; liturgical mu-sic by ed Grisnik

• Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 126th and Parallel Pkwy., Kansas city, Kan., 10 a.m.; celebrated by Father John riley

• St. Joseph Cemetery, 61st Terr. and Quivira rd., Shawnee, 9 a.m.; celebrated by Father michael hawken

• Resurrection Cemetery, 83rd and Qui-vira rd., lenexa; flag-raising by american legion Post 370 at 8:30 a.m.; mass at 9 a.m., celebrated by Father Peter Jaramillo and followed by a blessing of new colum-baria and statues; liturgical music by tom Jacobs

• St. John Cemetery, Lenexa, 8:15 a.m. at holy trinity church, 89th and Pflumm road, lenexa.

• Mt. Calvary Cemetery, 15825 S. 169 hwy., olathe, 8 a.m.; celebrated by Father John torrez

• Mt. Calvary Cemetery, 801 S.W. West-chester rd., topeka, 10 a.m.; concelebrat-ed by msgr. vincent Krische and Father tim haberkorn; liturgical music by linda Ulses, Jane Ziegler, Stephanie Schmitz and the mother teresa celebration choir

For more information, call (913) 371-4040 (Kansas city area) or (785) 272-0820 (topeka area); send an email to: [email protected]; or visit the website at: www.cathcemks.org.

KanSaS cIty, Kan. — members of the community are invited to enjoy food and fun at the summer festival to benefit the charitable works of the Sisters, Servants of mary from noon to 4 p.m. on June 1 on the grounds of the Sisters’ convent here, located at 800 n. 18th St.

homemade tacos and tamales, Italian sausage and barbecue beef sandwiches, hot dogs, ice cream, and Spanish desserts will be served. there will be games for

children and booths, including dolls from mexico; a drawing for cash prizes; raffles; a variety booth; and tote bags and cook-books for sale.

the Sisters, Servants of mary are a community of women religious who provide nursing care to persons in their homes. the Sisters offer their services at no charge to individuals or families.

For more information about the festi-val, call (913) 371-3423.

Summer festival to benefit Sisters, Servants of mary

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — If seminaries had foot-ball programs, Deacon Adam Wilczak might have become a priest sooner.

It was while volunteering at a Cath-olic summer camp after he graduated from Hayden High School in 2002 that he took his first serious look at the pos-sibility of a vocation to the priesthood.

After camp, he went home and looked up seminaries on the Internet — and found a problem.

“When I found out they didn’t have football — I’d already signed a football scholarship — I decided that it was not for me,” he said.

His foray into college athletics didn’t delay his priestly vocation for long, however.

Deacon Wilczak is one of the four children of Ron and Debbie Wilczak. His father is a lifelong Catholic, and his mother entered the Catholic faith when Deacon Wilczak was in the eighth grade.

He attended St. Patrick Grade School when the family lived in Great Bend, and then St. Matthew School in Topeka from grade six until he entered Hayden High School.

“Growing up, we always went to Mass every Sunday,” said Deacon Wilczak. “The faith was part of what we did and who we were. My parents volunteered at church for various activities, and I was always involved in youth groups.”

It was during parish-sponsored Cath-olic summer camps that his faith began to mature.

At camp, he had the opportunity to delve more deeply into that faith with peers who were facing the same ques-tions in life he was facing, but look-ing for answers through the lens of faith.

“St. Matthew Parish [in Topeka] used to put on a weeklong retreat for high school students [at Lake Perry],” he said. “That was one of the places where I started to take on the faith; I started to grow and make it my own.”

After briefly considering enter-ing the seminary the summer after high school gradua-tion, he entered Benedictine College in Atchison on a football scholarship. He played noseguard on defense.

After one semester of college foot-ball, he decided it was time to hang up the cleats. He returned to Topeka and enrolled in Washburn University to save money.

That year and a half at Washburn opened his eyes.

“It was the first time I encountered people attacking the faith and ques-tioning what we believed,” said Deacon Wilczak. “I knew that they were wrong in their arguments, but I wasn’t able to formulate why or argue back.”

“So I went back to Benedictine in or-der to learn the faith, so I could defend it,” he said. “And in the back of my mind

was the possibility of the priesthood, al-though it was nothing too serious at the time.”

He spent his junior and senior years at Benedictine and graduated in 2007 with a degree in theology.

“When I went back to Benedictine, I got involved in Bible studies through FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic Univer-sity Students), and became one of their

student leaders,” he said.

After graduation, he spent five months with the Benedic-tines as a novice discerning a voca-tion as a monk, but decided it wasn’t his calling. So he got a teaching job at Bish-op LeBlond High School in St. Joseph, Mo., where he taught freshman and junior religion classes, was campus minister and coached football and track.

That consistent desire to serve God’s people — felt at summer camp, at Bene-dictine College, at St. Benedict’s Abbey and at LeBlond — was still in his heart, still drawing him.

“I’d been at school after a 15-hour day and I wasn’t done yet,” said Deacon Wilczak. “I went to the chapel to pray. I had just finished a campus ministry meeting. Through the course of time in prayer, I had the same idea I had at the end of high school — the idea of serving God’s people.”

“There was a great value in what I was doing, but I felt this invitation from the Lord to give more of myself,” he continued, “to give myself completely through the priesthood, to dedicate the entirety of my life toward proclaiming the Gospel and teaching the faith.”

Deacon Wilczak entered the Univer-sity of St. Mary by the Lake Mundelein Seminary, near Chicago, in 2009. He was ordained a deacon on May 18, 2013, at Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish in To-peka. He will be ordained to the priest-hood on May 24 at Prince of Peace Par-ish in Olathe.

What kind of priest does he want to be? Simple. One that is good and holy.

“A good priest is one that realizes he is still on the journey, that ordination doesn’t mean he’s done,” he said. “I’ve got to grow in my faith life and continue to seek God’s will in the everydayness of my life.

“And to realize every day is a great opportunity to affect people’s lives the way Christ did.”


KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Robert Zarse used to tell his sons that the greatest gift God could give them was a call to the priest-hood.

Deacon Jaime Zarse thought that call wouldn’t come to him. After all, he had other interests.

“When I was young, all I cared about was my girlfriend and soccer,” he said. “I had a very typical high school adoles-cence experience.”

Much to his surprise, and after a few unexpected detours off his life script, Deacon Zarse entered the seminary and will be ordained a priest this month.

The Zarse family moved around a bit — nine times before Deacon Zarse was in the fifth grade. Although not neces-sarily rooted geographically, the Zarses were rooted in the Catholic faith.

His dad “worked his tail off,” said Deacon Zarse, but God was first in their family.

“We’d go to Mass every Sunday and pray before meals and bed every night as a family, and my dad taught me to pray the rosary when I was eight or 10 years old,” said Deacon Zarse. “That was very significant to me. I attribute most of my vocation to Mary’s inter-cession, because I feel it was Mary who brought me to her son.”

Deacon Zarse is one of the five chil-dren of Robert and Alicia Zarse. The family eventually settled in Overland Park, and Deacon Zarse went to Prince of Peace School in Olathe and graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park in 2005.

Growing up, Deacon Zarse devel-oped into quite a fine soccer player, and it seemed to be his ticket to bigger and better things.

“I always played on very competi-tive teams [in the Kansas City area],” he said. “That gave me the opportunity, at one point, to travel to Europe and play soccer in Great Britain right before high school.”

“I went to St. Thomas Aquinas, and there’s a huge soccer tradition there,” he continued. “I got to play at the varsity level for all four years.”

After graduation, he got a soccer scholarship to Marquette University, a Jesuit-affiliated institution in Milwau-kee, Wisconsin.

“I played soccer in the Big East, which was an awesome experience,” said Dea-con Zarse. “I got to travel to some of the major Division I athletic programs and facilities in the nation.”

But after his second year at Mar-quette, things changed. The team lost a lot of games and the soccer coach was fired. The new coach, who wanted to build his own team, didn’t want Zarse in his program.

“At the time that was very humbling,” said Deacon Zarse. “The choices were either stay and play at a school where I wasn’t wanted, or go someplace else where I was wanted.”

“I decided to leave,” he continued. “College athletics is hard enough when you’re wanted. I left Marquette and, at the same time, things didn’t work out with my girlfriend. We broke up.”

He opted to reboot. He enrolled in the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and it was like becoming a fresh-

man all over again. It was a tough ex-perience.

But it led — gloriously — to a “re-conversion” he experienced, thanks to encounters with young, dynamic and faithful members of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

“They had something I didn’t have,” he said. “They were filled with peace. They were joyful. They were happy. I was very drawn to them, and I know today what I was drawn to was their ho-liness.”

He began to pray the rosary and pray in church every day, attending Mass more often and receiving the sacrament of reconciliation.

“All those things helped me grow in self-knowledge and learn more about our faith and the church, and to learn how to hear God’s voice in prayer,” he said.

During a dinner with missionaries from the Fellowship of Catholic Uni-versity Students, they asked him some questions: Where do you see yourself in the future? What do you want to do with your life? What do you think God’s plan is for you?

Deacon Zarse didn’t have a clue, but he wanted to find out. Every time he opened himself up to God’s will and

asked Mary to show him where to go and what to do, the strangest thing kept popping into his head: thoughts of the seminary.

“Mary, that can’t be right,” he prayed. “Do you know who you’re talking to? It’s your son, Jaime. You want to call people who are more devout.”

He had a hundred good reasons not to go to the seminary, and one powerful reason why he should — God’s will.

In 2008, Deacon Zarse entered Con-ception Seminary in Conception, Mo. He continued onto Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis in 2011. Gradual-ly, he began to experience the fruits of formation. He experienced a growing peace and encouragement about be-coming a priest.

He was ordained a deacon on May 18, 2013, at Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish in Topeka. He will be ordained to the priesthood on May 24 at Prince of Peace Parish in Olathe.

He doesn’t know what his first as-signment will be, but he already knows what kind of priest he wants to be: just like the great priests he knew growing up and will serve with in this archdio-cese.

“I want to be a priest that is known as faithful to the church and to Jesus Christ,” he said.

PerSONALLy SPeAkiNG

adam christopher WilczakAge: 30Born: hutchinson Raised: mostly topeka Parents: ron and debbieSiblings: Justin, amanda, craigHome parish: St. matthew, topekaFavorite TV show: “ncIS”Favorite musical group/person: mumford and SonsMy most notable encounter with the famous/infamous: Father Barron is my rector.Favorite saint and why: St. Benedict. his way of life is beautiful; he balances prayer and work in a way I find very attractive.Favorite devotion and why: rosary. Several of the mysteries have been of great importance in my prayer while discerning my vocation. our mother will always be there to take care of us.Favorite food: meat and potatoes Favorite childhood toy: “Ghostbusters” toysFavorite place in the whole world: Sea of Galilee Dream vacation: romeBest job I’ve ever had: Being a deacon has been pretty awesome. But before enter-ing the seminary, I taught high school religion and coached football and track. that was a great time.Worst job I’ve ever had: I worked at a shooting range for a weekend over 4th of July; it was unbearably hot. Hobbies/things I like to do: exercise, read, play sports and, while in the seminary I have begun putting small models together — just for something to do with my hands.Qualities I admire in priests I know: a solid prayer life that is evident in all aspects of life. they also [each] have a very-well balanced life, knowing that they must also have time for recreation and exercise. they also remain students.Best advice I received: Know that you are loved by God.My advice for someone seeking his or her vocation: trust that if you open yourself up to God’s will, he will lead you where he wants you.

PerSONALLy SPeAkiNG

Jaime ZarseAge: 27Born: Joplin, mo. Raised: overland Park Parents: robert and alicia ZarseSiblings: Josh, Jordan, tess, tommy ZarseCurrent home parish: Prince of Peace Favorite musical group/person: coldplayMy most notable encounter with the famous/infamous: Private mass with the holy Father at World youth day in madridThe most inspirational Christians I’ve met: the Benedictines at concep-tion abbey; the faithful who attend daily massFavorite saint and why: St. John eu-des, my beloved patron. We share a common birthday, vocation, and con-cern for souls. St. John had a devotion and wrote extensively on the Sacred heart of Jesus and the Immaculate heart of mary.Books now reading: “the Silmaril-lion,” “the hobbit,” and “the lord of the rings”Favorite food: Steak!Favorite childhood toy: teenage mu-tant ninja turtlesBest job I’ve ever had: camp tekak-withaWorst job I’ve ever had: camp tekak-witha (It was a love-hate relationship.)Hobbies/things I like to do: read, ex-ercise, pray, spend time with my family Qualities I admire in priests I know: Integrity, work ethic, compassion, confidenceBest advice I received: Work to inte-grate each of the pillars of priestly for-mation (human, intellectual, spiritual, and pastoral) together. there are four pillars, not three, or two, or one: four!

Vocation came from owning the faith former soccer standout scores goal of priesthood‘still on the journey’ a new goal

phOTO COuRTeSy OF AdAM WILCZAK

Father Gerald volz, pastor of St. matthew Parish in Topeka, vests Deacon Adam Wilczak last year at his ordination to the transitional diaconate. The former college football player hung up his cleats to pursue a priestly vocation.

Leaven Photo by todd habiger

Deacon Jaime zarse found early success on the soccer field. But after some turmoil in his life, he rebooted and discovered his vocation.

i went back to benedictine in

order to learn the faith, so i could defend it. and in the back of my mind was the possibility of the priesthood, although it was nothing too serious at the time.”

we’d go to Mass every sunday

and pray before meals and bed every night as a family, and my dad taught me to pray the rosary when i was eight or 10 years old. that was very significant to me. i attribute most of my vocation to Mary’s inter-cession, because i feel it was Mary who brought me to her son.”

““

10 WorLd TheLeAven.COM | MAy 16, 2014

By Rick SnizekCatholic News Service

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CNS) — Father Lukasz Willenberg, a military chaplain who ran in last year’s Boston Marathon,

decided to make the base where he is stationed in Afghanistan an official extension of the famous 26.2-mile race this year.

And when the race ended, he managed to beat his last year’s time while a world away and under unique conditions.

The priest joined more than 500 runners representing all branches of the Armed Forces in the officially sanctioned Boston Marathon Afghani-stan. They began running at 3 a.m., un-der the cloak of darkness necessary to maintain operational security.

“I think I have God on my side,” the priest joked after the race in a telephone interview from Afghani-stan, noting that his finishing time of 2 hours, 44 minutes and 59 seconds was about 11 minutes faster than his finish last year.

When the runners circled the sprawling Bagram Airfield northeast of Kabul and about 100 miles from the Pakistan border, they also had to con-tend with the location’s 5,000-foot ele-vation, where the air is thinner than at sea level, and is also filled with dust.

Father Willenberg finished second in the marathon, behind Josh Peter-son, a civilian working for the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Secu-rity Service.

“The timing of the race was the most difficult part for me. The 3 a.m. start time really messes with your sleep cycle, so you have to decide whether you want to stay awake, or try to catch some sleep before the race,” said Peterson, from Plymouth, Minn., in a phone interview with The Rhode Island Catholic, diocesan newspaper.

Peterson, who ran in the Boston Marathon in 2006, also ran a marathon in Greece in 2012 where runners repli-cated the route of the first marathon. He said he enjoys running because it gives him a few hours of escape from realities of life in a war-torn country.

Father Willenberg, 32, a native of Poland who was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Providence in 2008, is a veteran runner, who has competed in Ironman and triathlon events.

He ran last year’s Boston Mara-thon so quickly that he even had time to drive back home to St. Luke Parish in Barrington, where he was assistant pastor, to rest before celebrating a confirmation that evening. It was then, as he stretched out on the sofa in the rectory that he heard the news that explosions had torn through the mara-thon’s finish line area killing three and wounding and disfiguring more than 250.

He anxiously telephoned friends who were racers to make sure they were all right.

Days after the race, as Boston began its long healing process, the priest be-gan to think about the next race.

His strong 2013 finish qualified him

to run in the 2014 race, but he was planning to enter the U.S. Army in the next few months to serve a four-year tour of duty as a military chaplain.

In January, he was assigned as cap-tain to the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, and he began a one-year de-ployment with his unit to Bagram Air-field in Afghanistan.

The chaplain presented his idea of a Boston Marathon in Afghanistan to his commanding general, Major Gen-eral Stephen Townsend, who gave it the green light. Then he petitioned the Boston Athletic Association for permission to host a Boston Marathon outside of the Bay State.

The organization granted only one entity — the Combined Joint Task Force-10 and Regional Command-East based at Bagram Airfield — permis-sion to host such a marathon.

The race was advertised strictly through word of mouth to maintain operational security. It took only a few days for more than 600 soldiers and civilians serving all over Afghanistan to sign up for the marathon, held three days before the in-Boston race.

“As we run the first Boston Mara-thon since last year’s bombings, we “run as one” with the people of Bos-ton,” Townsend said in a statement the day of the race.

“Like the U.S. Army’s slogan, ‘Army Strong,’ the people of Boston have shown they are tough, they are resil-ient; they have shown the world they are ‘Boston Strong.’”

chaplain brings boston Marathon to afghanistan Pope: Follow the Spirit even when it is unpredictablevatIcan cIty (cnS) — christians

must recognize that they do not lead or guide the church, but that the holy Spirit does and the holy Spirit can be unpre-dictable, Pope Francis said.

“If, for example, an expedition of mar-tians arrived tomorrow,” and one said he wanted to be baptized, “What would hap-pen?” the pope asked may 12 during his early morning mass at the domus Sanc-tae marthae.

explaining that he really was talking about martians, something unimag-inable, he said he meant beings that are “green, with long noses and big ears, like in children’s drawings.”

according to vatican radio, Pope Fran-cis said that if the holy Spirit prompted the most unusual being to seek baptism, who would we be to hinder that person?

the pope focused his homily on the day’s first reading, acts 11:1-18, which tells of the apostles’ discussion — and consternation — over the holy Spirit descending on a group of Gentiles at a time when the rest of the community of believers came from the Jewish tradition.

From the very beginnings of christi-anity, the pope said, church leaders and members have been tempted at times to block the holy Spirit’s path or try to con-trol it.

“When the lord shows us the way, who are we to say, ‘no, lord, it is not pru-dent! no, let’s do it this way,’” he said. “Who are we to close doors?”

many parishes, Pope Francis said, have ushers to open the church doors and wel-come people in, “but there has never been a ministry for those who close the doors. never.”

By Dale GavlakCatholic News Service

AMMAN, Jordan (CNS) — Fleeing conflict and violence back home, refugees from Syria and Iraq praised the

Catholic humanitarian agencies help-ing them to cope with their trauma while starting a new life in their adopt-ed safe haven of Jordan.

“We’ve come out of a nightmarish and desperate time. We’re trying to re-gain some semblance of normalcy in life,” said Um Ahmed, a Syrian refugee woman attending a life skills class run by the Jesuit Refugee Service in the Jordanian capital.

The Roman Catholic Bishops’ School perched on one of Amman’s high hills buzzes with classes of refu-gees learning English, Arabic literacy, computer skills, handicrafts and cook-ing conducted after regular classes conclude.

Living became impossible in Ahmed’s northern Syrian city of Alep-po because of constant fighting and government bombardments. “My fam-ily was also extremely afraid because people were being detained and had disappeared. We feared for our lives,” she told Catholic News Service May 5.

“Leaving everything, our work and possessions behind, we had to start from scratch again here,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed is among than 600 refugees who are slowly getting back on their feet through JRS-sponsored programs that include home visits, psychosocial support, educational opportunities for children and adults and college degree preparation. The organization also provides food parcels and hygiene kits.

“We serve not only Syrian and Iraqi refugees, but also Somali and Sudanese refugees, who have been marginalized and forgotten here in Jordan by oth-er NGOs,” explained Tamim Arif, the

agency’s acting country director.Arif said the majority of the stu-

dents are women.“This is really good because in Arab

culture women rarely leave the house. Our classes provide a safe place for them to share their experiences and to learn,” he said.

An Iraqi woman, Um Mustafa, said she and her family fled Iraq more than a year ago after receiving threats and her brother-in-law was killed in Bagh-dad.

“By going to the JRS school, I’m not only learning new skills. I have the chance to meet other women and de-

velop friendships,” Mustafa said.“It’s difficult to leave your homeland.

You feel isolated in a foreign place, but here I don’t feel alone anymore,” she added. “The people are good and kind. I feel like I have a second family.”

Jordan has become the main refuge for people fleeing conflicts in the Mid-dle East. About half of its nearly 7 mil-lion inhabitants are Palestinians who fled several wars with Israel and their descendants.

Today, 300,000 Iraqi refugees and more than 600,000 Syrian refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees are straining Jordan’s meager financial re-sources and its educational, health and energy sectors. The government has reported that more than 1 million Syr-ians are sheltering in Jordan and their numbers are growing daily.

Jordan also hosts the world’s second largest U.N. refugee camp at Zaatari. The U.N. has opened another facili-ty that could eventually house up to 130,000 Syrian refugees as the violent three-year-old conflict shows no signs of ending.

“Every time the Catholic Church opens a cultural or medical institu-tion, it is there for everybody, not just for Christians,” said Father Rifat Bad-er, who directs the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Amman.

“The international Catholic health charity, Caritas, is helping more than 100,000 Syrians every day in Jordan as they have also supported Iraqi ref-ugees,” Father Bader said. “It’s not only to give them food or medical as-sistance, but to show them care and compassion that they are still human beings.”

The Catholic Near East Welfare Association also supports a variety of ministries to refugees in Jordan, ex-plained Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, the agency’s chairman, who

recently visit Jordan to witness the or-ganization’s work.

In addition, the Mother of Mercy clinic in the industrial town of Zarqa, just outside of Amman, run by the Do-minican Sisters of St. Catherine of Sie-na, provides prenatal and neonatal care to poor women and children, almost all of whom are Palestinian refugees and their descendants.

Meanwhile, the Sisters of Francis-can Missionaries of Immaculate Heart of Mary have opened their convent for Syrian and Iraqi refugee families to gather in the afternoon, Cardinal Dolan told CNS.

“It was extraordinarily moving to see these children come after school for catechism, play, skit and song, while their parents join in the camara-derie,” he said. “The Sisters are already respected on the ground for their work and they are doing this as the natural outgrowth of their ministry.”

Arif of JRS said his agency also is trying to reach refugee children who are unable to attend school in Jordan.

“Some Syrians cannot walk to far-away schools and cannot afford the transportation to get there,” he said. “Other schools are overwhelmed by the numbers and cannot take them in.”

Refugee children who have missed out on years of education because of the conflicts are behind and need addi-tional tutoring, while others are bullied or discriminated against by other stu-dents, he said.

A lack of classroom space hinders JRS from offering education to more students and JRS has called on more Jordanian parishes to open up their school premises.

“We need facilities so we can accept all of those overwhelming numbers,” he said. We have many children who are not in school now. This is creating another lost generation.”

WorLd 11MAy 16, 2014 | TheLeAven.COM

CnS phOTO/MuhAMMAd hAMed, ReuTeRS

Syrian refugee children walk with their grand-mother at Al zaatri refugee camp in the Jorda-nian city of mafraq, near the border with Syria, may 4. Fleeing conflict and violence, refugees from Syria and iraq praise the Catholic humani-tarian agencies helping them cope with trauma while starting a new life in their adopted safe haven of Jordan.

refugees find catholic agencies meet wide range of needs

eMpLOyMenTCounselors - Wyandotte pregnancy Clinic is looking for counselors. This position would be working with clients, counseling women and families in an unplanned pregnancy. This position will be saving babies, impacting lives, sharing faith, healing hurts, bringing restoration and more. If this is something you are interested in, please call donna at (913) 287-8287 or send an email to: [email protected]. Positions are for immediate hire.

Certified montessori teacher - St. Agnes early education Center, Roeland park, is currently accepting resumes for an opening for a certified lead Montessori teacher. please re-mit a resume for consideration by email to neona Russ at: [email protected]. Summer camp positions - St. Agnes early education Cen-ter, Roeland park, is currently accepting resumes for sum-mer camp positions. Interested parties can remit a resume for consideration by email to neona Russ at: [email protected].

Parish business manager - St. Francis de Sales parish, Lan-sing, has an opening for a full-time parish business manager. The parish business manager is an administrator in support of the pastor’s responsibilities to the parish. This minister is a steward of the physical, financial and personnel resources of the parish. College degree desired and/or 5 - 10 years of business experience. For more information, send an email to Father William Mcevoy at: [email protected] or call (913) 727-3768.

Financial representatives - due to the success and growth of the Knights of Columbus, we are adding a financial rep-resentative in the Kansas City metro, Topeka, and Garnett - Greeley area. Ideal for a determined, high energy, high expectation, professional, self-disciplined, independent in-dividual desiring to serve others, yet earn a better-than-av-erage income. We provide top-rated financial products to our members and their families and will provide excellent benefits and training. please contact John A. Mahon, gen-eral agent, for more information or an interview by sending an email to: [email protected], by phone at (785) 408-8806 or at 1275 Topeka Blvd., Topeka, KS 66612.

ServiceSmike hammer local moving - A full-service mover. pack-ing, 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: mikehammermoving @aol.com.

Faith-based counseling to cope with life concerns - Kan-sas City area. Call Mary vorsten, Licensed Clinical profes-sional Counselor, at (913) 909-2002.

machine quilting - by Jenell noeth, Basehor. Also, quilts made to order. Call (913) 724-1837.

moss mowing Affordable lawn mowing in Olathe, southern Overland park and Leawood. Call Ben Moss, a St. Thomas Aquinas student

and prince of peace parishioner, for a free quote. Call (913) 709-0866.

rodman Lawn Care - Mowing, leaf removal, mulch and more. Call John Rodman, member of holy Cross parish, Overland park, at (913) 548-3002 or send an email to him at: [email protected].

Garage door and opener sales and service - 24-hour, 7-day-a-week service on all types of doors. Replace broken springs, cables, hinges, rollers, gate openers, entry and pa-tio doors, and more. Over 32 years of experience. Call (913) 227-4902.

Junkyard Dawg garage, yard and debris cleanup. Call Josh for an estimate for cleaning and hauling away at

(913) 314-0171 and let’s get ’er done!

masonry work - Quality new or repair work. Brick, block and chimney/fireplace repair. Insured; second-generation bricklayer. Member of St. paul parish, Olathe. Call (913) 829-4336.

Bankruptcy consultation - If debts are overwhelming you, seek hope and help from compassionate, experienced Cath-olic attorney, Teresa Kidd. For a free consultation, call (913) 422-0610; send an email to: [email protected]; or visit the website at: www.teresakiddlawyer.com. We moved! Come check out our new office in Lenexa.

Agua Fina irrigation and Landscape The one-stop location for your project!

Landscape and irrigation design, installation and maintenance. Cleanup and grading services

it’s time to repair your lawn. 20% discount on lawn renovations with mention of this ad.

visit the website at: www.goaguafina.com Call (913) 530-7260 or (913) 530-5661Foley’s Lawn Care - (913) 825-4353

Mowing – Weekly programs starting as low as $30.Spring/Fall cleanups; mulch; landscape maintenance.

Residential/CommercialServing Johnson County for 15 years.

www.foleyslawncare.com

electrician - Free estimates; reasonable rates. JoCo and south KC metro. Call pat at (913) 963-9896.

Tree service - pruning trees for optimal growth and beau-ty and removal of hazardous limbs or problem trees. Free consultation and bid. Safe, insured, professional. Cristofer estrada, Green Solutions of KC, (913) 378-5872. www.GreenSolutionsKC.com.

Tim the handyman - Small jobs, faucets, garbage dispos-als, toilets, ceiling fans, light fixtures, painting, wall ceiling repair, wood rot, siding, decks, doors, windows, and gutter cleaning. Call (913) 526-1844.

hOMe IMpROveMenTheating and cooling repair and replacement - Call Joe with JB design and Service. Licensed and insured with 20 years experience. Member of divine Mercy parish. Call Joe at (913) 915-6887.

helping hand handy man - home maintenance chores available by the hour. Special rate for senior and single- parent households. electrical, painting, wood refinishing, deck repair, yard work, shelving and organizing. Most home problems and needs solved. Member of prince of peace, Olathe. Call Mark Coleman at (913) 526-4490.

Stained-glass door side panels - Custom-made to overlay existing windows. eliminates need for curtains or blinds. Satisfaction guaranteed. Reasonable. 40 years experience. portfolio for your inspection. Call ed at (913) 648-0099.

Swalms Organizing Service - reducing Clutter - en-joy an Organized home! Basement, garage, attic, shop, storage rooms - any room organized! Belongings sorted, boxed and labeled, items hauled or taken for recycling, trash bagged. For before and after photos, visit: www.swalmsorganizing.com. Over 20 years of organizing ex-perience; insured. Call Tillar at (913) 375-9115.

Adept home improvementsWhere quality still counts!

Basement finishing, Kitchens and baths,

electrical and plumbing,Licensed and insured. (913) 599-7998

STA (Sure Thing Always) home repair - Basement fin-ish, bathrooms and kitchens; interior & exterior repairs: painting, roofing, siding, wood replacement and window glazing. Free estimates. Call (913) 491-5837 or (913) 579-1835. email: [email protected]. Member of holy Trinity, Lenexa.

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 tex-ture 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.

home improvements - Thank you to all my customers for being patient as I underwent a life-saving liver trans-plant. If there is new work or warranty work, please don’t hesitate to call. We do windows, siding, doors, decks, ex-terior painting and wood rot. There is no job too big or too small. Call Joshua doherty at (913) 709-7230.

Detail construction and remodeling - We offer a full line of home remodeling services. don’t move — re-model! Johnson county area. Call for a free quote. (913)

709-8401.

house paintingInterior and exterior; wall paper removal.

power washing, fences, decks. 30 years experience. References. Reasonable rates.

Call Joe at (913) 620-5776.

eL SOL y LA TierrA*Commercial & residential

* Lawn renovation *Mowing* Clean-up and hauling

* dirt grading/installation* Landscape design

* Free estimateshablamos y escribimos ingles!!

Call Lupe at (816) 252-3376

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

Local handyman and lawn care - Mowing, painting, woodrot, power washing, staining, gutter cleaning, hon-ey-do List, carpet, roofing and windows. FRee estimates. Member of holy Angels parish, Basehor. Call Billy at (913) 927-4118.

caregivingCaregiving - We provide personal assistance, com-panionship, care management, and transportation to the elderly and disabled in home, assisted living and 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, debbie or Gary.

Caregiving - Caring, responsible 43-year-old Catho-lic woman looking to care for your loved one. 15 years experience; excellent references. I treat my clients with care, respect and love, and find working in this field very rewarding. Flexible hours available, and nights and week-ends. If interested, please call Kara at (913) 909-6659.

Certified home health care - We are two women, both certified CnAs, CpR and home health aides. Will care for your loved ones, day or night. hospice experience in Mo. and Kan. 100% good references. Treat your family with dignity and safe care. Call (816) 322-2396, (816) 308-6259 or (913) 449-8348. Ask for Mary or Sarah.

Caregiving - CnA home health aide. Will provide care for your loved one; very reliable. Maintain clean and safe en-vironment. 100% dignity for your loved ones. 18 years of integrity. Worked and trained with hospice. Meal prepa-ration, all personal care, companionship, light housekeep-ing, errands and vital signs. experience with transfers. experience with Alzheimer’s, dementia and special needs patients. Overnight. CpR and first-aid qualified. Great ref-erences. Call Sarah at (913) 449-8348.

Looking for high quality home care? - Whether you’re looking to introduce care for your family or simply look-ing to improve your current home care quality, we can help. Our unique approach to home care has earned us a 99% client satisfaction rating among the 1,000-plus families we have assisted. We are family-owned, with offices in Lenexa and Lawrence. Call Benefits of home - Senior Care, Lenexa: (913) 422-1591 or Lawrence: (785) 727-1816 or www.benefitsofhome.com.

Tender loving care - has your parent or spouse lost a loved one? do you need extra help? Retired nurse will give caregiving, doctors’ visits, errands, etc. Ask about extra services available. Call (913) 384-2119.

Do you worry about your aging parents? - Call to learn how a nurse ambassador can consistently manage your health and wellness, allowing you to live at home safely. A simple and affordable choice. Call home Connect health at (913) 627-9222.

voLunteerSCatholic radio (keXS) - event coordinators and local reps. Will train. please join a small staff and growing group of en-thusiastic volunteers to help spread the good news. For more information, contact Mark henke at (913) 742-7209 or by email at: [email protected]; or Carolyn O’Laughlin at (816) 616-4000 or by email at: info@thecatholicradionet work.com.

reaL eStateWanted to buy - houses that need an upgrade or are very old that you’re having difficulty selling or are in need of sell-ing quickly. I can pay cash within 20 days. please call Mark edmondson at (913) 980-4905. holy Trinity parish member.

vacationColorado vacation - Winter park; 2 BR, 1 BA, furnished. Mountain biking, golf, hiking, and fishing. $125 per night or $700 per week. Call (816) 392-0686.

Colorado vacation - Granby, Winter park. 2 BR, kitchen, sleeps 6. pet OK. www.innatsilvercreek.com. June 28 - July 5; July 5 - July 12. $500 per week. Call (913) 649-7596.

Branson getaway - Walk-in condo on pointe Royale Golf Course. Sleeps 6. Close to lakes and entertainment. Fully furnished. pool and hot tub available. no cleaning fee. nightly and weekly rates. discounts available. Call (913) 515-3044.

Pilgrimage in France - Sept. 8 - 18, 2014. Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Bernadette, healing baths, St. John vianney, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Thérèse, beaches of normandy (70th anniversary), Mont St. Michel, Our Lady of pontmain, St. Catherine Laboure, St. vincent de paul, paris. Chaplain: Fr. ernie davis, St. Therese Little Flower Kansas City. $4,559. Send an email to: [email protected] or call (816) 444-5406.

FOR SALeresidential lifts - Buy/sell/trade. Stair lifts, porch lifts, ceiling lifts and elevators. Recycled and new equipment. Member of St. Michael the Archangel parish, Leawood. Call Silver Cross KC at (913) 327-5557.

Wanted to buyWanted to buy - Antique/vintage jewelry, lighters,

fountain pens, post card collections, paintings/prints, pottery, sterling, china dinnerware.

Renee Maderak, (913) 631-7179. 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.

MISCeLLAneOuSOur Lady of hope. Catholics with an Anglican and Methodist heritage. Formal and friendly. visitors welcome. Mass Satur-days at 4 p.m., St. Therese Little Flower, 5814 euclid, Kansas City, Mo. Fulfills Sunday obligation. Father ernie davis. dr. Bruce prince-Joseph, organist. For more information, send an email to: [email protected] or call (816) 729-6776.

Cost to advertise is: $17.50 for five lines or less; $1.50 each additional line; email: julie@ theleaven.com; phone: (913) 647-0327

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Also Serving Topeka, Lawrence, Emporia and Neighboring Communities

Want to help someone heal from an abortion?

Call Toll Free 888-246-1504

Maythe leavenworth regional catholic Schools Foundation is hosting the annual Immaculata High School Hall of Fame celebration on may

17. a mass honoring hall of Fame induct-ees mike connelly and Pat moran, longtime teachers and coaches at Immaculata, will be held at 4 p.m. at St. Joseph Church, leavenworth. the celebration will move to the University of Saint mary’s Saint Joseph dining hall at 5:30 p.m. for a cocktail recep-tion followed by dinner and a roast of con-nelly and moran. the evening will conclude with dancing until 11 p.m. For more infor-mation, visit the website at: www.leaven worthcatholicshools.org or call the develop-ment office at (913) 682-7801.

Father tom hesse will celebrate the arch-diocesan monthly pro-life Mass on may 17. mass is at 8 a.m. at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church, 44 n. mill, Kansas city, Kan. Immediately following mass is a rosary procession to an abortion clinic approximately four blocks away. Benedic-tion concludes services by 9:45 a.m.

St. Pius X Parish, mission, will host “Burg-ers, Brats, and Bingo” at 5:30 p.m. on may 17. Games will begin around 6:30 p.m. con-cessions and drinks are available. there will be 15 regular and five special games.

a class in using the sympto-ther-mal method of natural family planning during the postpartum period will be held may 18 at 3

p.m. at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th ave., tope-ka. call dana or eric runnebaum at (785) 380-0062 or the couple to couple league of Kansas city at (913) 894-3558 for more information. online registration is required by visiting the website at: www.ccli.org.

the Mary Health of the Sick Guild of the Sisters, Servants of Mary will hold a meeting following 9 a.m. mass on may 18. the mass and meeting will be at the con-vent, located at 800 n. 18th St., Kansas city, Kan. members and prospective new members are invited to attend.

Church of the Nativity Parish, 3800 W. 119th St., leawood, will host “Wig Out” on may 18 from noon - 2 p.m. at the par-ish hall. hair donations of eight inches or more will be sent to the Pantene Beauti-ful lengths program where wigs will be

made and given to those who have cancer. Service hours and Girl Scout badges will be awarded for these selfless donations. For more information or to rSvP, send an email to: [email protected] or call (913) 433-3442.

the daughters of Isabella will host their 1st anniversary cele-bration at 6:30 p.m. on may 19 at the Divine Mercy Parish center,

122 e. Warren, Gardner. Wine and cheese will be served. all catholic women over the age of 21 are invited to come to the tasting. Join and find out what the daugh-ters are all about.

a Mass with prayers for heal-ing, sponsored by archdiocesan charismatic prayer groups, will be held at 7:30 p.m. on may 22 in the

Father Burak room at Curé of Ars Parish, 9401 mission rd., leawood. Father Ken Kelly will preside. For more information, call (913) 649-2026.

a memorial liturgy for deceased loved ones will be held at 8 a.m. on may 24 at Curé of Ars, 9401 mission rd., leawood. Following

mass, the bereavement ministry will hold its monthly support meeting in the Father Burak room. the topic will be: “the ten commandments of Grief.” For more infor-mation, call (913) 649-2026.

deacon tom mulvenon will be the speaker at the KCK Serra Club meeting at noon on may 28. the meeting will be held at the hilton

Garden Inn, 5th and minnesota, Kansas city, Kan.

a Marian retreat will be held at Christ’s Peace House of Prayer, easton, from may 29 - June 1. there will be five conferences, in-

cluding one Saturday morning with John mark miravalle as a guest speaker. If you are interested in participating in a part or all of the retreat, please call (913) 773-8255 or send an email to: info@christs peace.com.

a K of C 700-family garage sale will be held may 31 from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. and June 1 from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Queen of the Holy Rosary

Church, 22779 metcalf, Bucyrus. on Sun-day, all items that will fit into a trash bag will be $4 a bag. For more information, call (770) 335-8244.

Father Harry Schneider will celebrate 40 years of priestly service with a special mass at 4 p.m. on may 31 at the Cathedral of St. Peter, Kansas city, Kan. a buffet re-ception will follow the mass in the parish center. Former parishioners, friends, and clergy are all welcome.

juneFather Anthony Lickteig will be feted for 60 years of priest-ly service on June 1. Father lick-teig will celebrate a special mass

of thanksgiving at 1 p.m. at Holy Spirit Church, overland Park, followed by a ban-quet in his honor at 3:30 p.m. the festivi-ties are open to all friends and clergy. res-ervations for dinner are required by may 15 and will be limited to adults because of space limitations. call the church office at (913) 492-7318 or send an email to: [email protected].

members of the community are invited to enjoy good food and fun at the summer festival to benefit the charitable works of the Sisters, Servants of Mary on June 1 from noon - 4 p.m. on the grounds of the convent, 800 n. 18th St., Kansas city, Kan. lunch and desserts will be served, and there will be games for children, booths and raffles. the Sisters, Servants of mary are a community of women religious who provide nursing care to persons in their homes. the Sisters offer their services at no charge to individuals or families. For more information about the festival, call (913) 371-3423.

come see and listen to dr. ray Guarendi live at this year’s Kansas City Catholic Homeschool Con-ference. “our Faith, our Families”

is the theme of the conference, which will be held June 6 - 7 at St. James Academy, 24505 Prairie Star Pkwy., lenexa. visit the website for more information and to reg-ister at: www.kccatholichomeschooler.org. early registration is through may 10.

St. Joseph’s Church, 306 n. Broadway, leavenworth, will host its 14th annual Germanfest on June 14. the mass begins at 4:30

p.m. with a traditional German dinner from 5:30 - 8 p.m. the cost to attend is $10 for adults; $4 for children. there will also be a beer garden, wine, raffle and outdoor music by Festhaus musikanten Polka Band from 6 - 9 p.m. For more information, call

the parish office at (913) 682-3953 or visit the website at: www.icsj.org.

summerdo you live in the Kansas city area? do you need some minor home repair or know someone in need of home repairs? Catho-lic HEART (helping everyone attain repairs today) will be in your area, July 14 - 17. cath-olic heart provides the labor and some material, such as paint, tools, and wood. requests for assistance must be submitted before June 1. For more information, call er-nie Boehner at (913) 433-2085; rick cheek at (913) 284-1725; or Scott See, catholic heart Workcamp manager at (913) 208-4610.

Girls entering sixth, seventh or eighth grades are invited to attend the 2014 Leadership Camp scheduled for June 30 - July 2 on the campus of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, atchison. the Sis-ters of charity of leavenworth co-sponsor this event. registration deadline is may 23. the camp provides opportunities for partici-pants to learn about their faith, how catholic values and leadership go together, and how to set goals and make decisions. the regis-tration fee of $125 covers room and board, meals and a t-shirt for each participant. Partial scholarships are available. contact Sister Barbara Smith, oSB, by email at: [email protected] or call (913) 426-5275; or Sister vicki lichtenauer, Scl, by email at: [email protected] or call (816) 718-2660. For a brochure with application, visit the website at: www.scls.org.

the objectives of the St. James Academy summer youth camps are to develop skills in future high school students and to pro-vide a general overview of the high school experience. Unless specific skills are listed, participants of all ability are welcome. reg-ister online at: www.sjakeepingfaith.org. the cost to attend is $80. For more informa-tion, contact mr. huppe at (913) 254-4284.

St. James Academy, lenexa, will be hosting summer basketball leagues for all girls en-tering 5th - 8th grades and all boys entering 3rd - 9th grades next fall. For more informa-tion on the boys’ league, contact Stan dohm by email at: [email protected] or call (316) 641-5802. For the girls’ league, contact rich Weitz by email at: rweitz@sja keepingfaith.org or call (913) 302-8564.

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caLendar 13MAy 16, 2014 | TheLeAven.COM

Concrete WorkAny type of repair and new work

Driveways, Walks, PatiosMember of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish

Harvey M. Kascht (913) 262-1555

14

I’m shocked that the news media has not picked up this story:

A group of Franciscan friars were living in a seclud-ed area of the Rocky Moun-tains. Because they had little money, they had to come up with a way to support their community. One day, they cut some lovely flowers from the forests around the monastery, took the blooms to the local marketplace and sold them. They made $25.

Encouraged by their initial success, the friars started to bring flowers to the market every day. In no time, they’d earned $1000. Sadly, when the provincial learned of the business, he was furious. He lectured the friars about the evils of money and forbade them from selling any more flowers. Instead of obeying, though, the friars became rebellious and continued to peddle their flowers in town.

Finally, the provincial was forced to hire a guard named Hugh to make the friars obey and stop the flower sales. It took two whole years, but when the provincial was finally convinced the flower sales had ended, he let the guard go.

However, as soon as the friars discovered that Hugh wasn’t watching them any-more, they went right back into the flower business,

which proved to be more lucrative than ever.

When word of this came to the provincial, he went ballistic. His assistant suggest-ed that they go ahead and hire Hugh again.

“You’re right, of course,” the provincial sighed. “Only Hugh can prevent florist friars.”

OK, go ahead and groan. (If you don’t get it, ask some “old” person about Smokey the Bear.) But don’t blame me for the story. I got it from Deacon Tom Sheridan, the author of three books of Catholic jokes. Address all complaints to him in care of ACTA Publications. I un-derstand that though he is humble in secular matters, he does have an altar ego. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself.)

I hope these puns make you chuckle a little. After all, we’re still in the Easter season

until June 8. I suspect, though, that many left their joy at the church doors when they exited Mass on Easter Sunday. Oh, some remnants may have remained while enjoying an Easter meal or chomping down on a chocolate bunny or two. And isolated events like first Communions, graduations, weddings and Mother’s Day gave temporary joy, but it’s rare that people at this point in the season are still filled with the excitement of Easter.

That’s why I’m just now sending out my Easter cards. Lest people think I’ve lost my calendar (or my mind), I’ll in-clude a little note inside that explains to recipients why the card is not “late.” I’ll also encourage them to find their second wind and rediscover that Spirit of Easter joy for the next few weeks.

Just for fun, I Googled “how to be joyful” and up popped over 19 million entries. That was nothing, though, compared to “how to be happy,” which yielded over 2 billion Google hits. With all this information available, why do people’s faces reflect almost anything but joy?

I propose that we Chris-tians make it our immediate goal to change that. And the first place to start might actu-ally be with ourselves. I know that when I’m particularly

impatient or snarky, it stems from not taking time to pray, rest and exercise.

So, if you need a mid-sea-son infusion of Easter joy, try one or more of the following:

1. Learn contentment and gratitude. Focus on what you have, not what you don’t have.

2. Notice nature. Take a walk outside, for example, and pick up a flower or a leaf and really look at its color, texture and structure.

3. Do something nice, anonymously, for someone. Repeat weekly.

4. Live in the moment and savor all those tak-en-for-granted “presents” in the present: a cup of coffee, birds serenading, or a refresh-ing breeze.

5. Cultivate positive rela-tionships. Call, visit, email, Skype — use every means available to build up and maintain a web of supportive people.

6. Be compassionate and forgiving. These attitudes soften and heal the heart.

7. Treat your body — not just your mind — like it de-serves to be happy, by eating healthier, exercising and getting sufficient rest.

8. Watch a funny movie or silly YouTube cat video. Laugh until you cry.

And, by the way, if you ever need an ark to save two of every animal, I noah guy.

14 coMMentary TheLeAven.COM | MAy 16, 2014

oh where, oh where has the easter joy gone?

Father MARK GOLdASIChFather Mark Goldasich is the pastor of Sacred heart parish in Tonganoxie. he has been editor of The Leaven since 1989.

mArk my WOrDS

A number of church-es in the Kansas City area cooper-ate to provide a

hot meal for those who are needy every day of the year at what once was called the St. Mary’s Food Kitchen. It began in the basement of that former church, but now is lo-cated in the Wilhelmina Gill Center in Kansas City, Kan.

Those who participate in this worthy ministry are following in the footsteps of the first deacons. We hear about them in Sunday’s first reading, Acts 6:1-7. Because of complaints that the wid-ows “were being neglected in the daily distribution,” the Twelve Apostles pick seven men to assist in that task.

The “daily distribution” mentioned in the reading involves the distribution of

food. That becomes clear in the statement by the apos-tles that these assistants are needed “to serve at table.”

Similarly, the widows in question are needy, without a regular income, since they are without a breadwinner. Widows figured prominent-ly in the ranks of the poor 2,000 years ago. Whenever the Scriptures mention widows, they have the poor

in mind. In other words, the situation envisioned in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles closely resembles that of the food kitchen in Kansas City, Kan., which seeks to provide food on a daily basis to the needy.

These first deacons of the church devoted themselves to ministry to the poor. As a consequence, the deacons also took on the respon-sibility of administering the material goods of the church, since those goods would often go to address the needs of the poor.

The ordinary Catholic in the pew may see a deacon serving at the altar during Mass, or hear a deacon preaching. At the same time, those liturgical functions do not represent the most im-portant part of the deacon’s ministry.

The word “deacon” means “servant.” A deacon is ordained to provide an example of service for the whole church. Above all, that service is aimed at those most in need. When ministering at the altar, the deacon can bring that spirit of service to the liturgy and witness to the importance of service for all those who follow Christ.

Christ calls all of us to become servants: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and ser-vant of all” (Mk 9:35). That holds true for all of us, even though we may not all be ordained as deacons. Those ordained as deacons are called to provide us with an example of the service that is meant to be the mark of every Christian.

deacons’ example of service speaks to all

Father MIKe STuBBSFather Mike Stubbs is the pastor of holy Cross parish in Overland park and has a degree in Scripture from harvard university.

iN The BeGiNNiNG

SCriPTUre reADiNGS

FIFTh WeeK OF eASTeR

May 18FIFTh SundAy OF eASTeRActs 6: 1-7ps 33: 1-2, 4-5, 18-191 pt 2: 4-9Jn 14: 1-12

May 19MondayActs 14: 5-18ps 115: 1-4, 15-16Jn 14: 21-26

May 20Bernardine of Siena, priestActs 14: 19-28ps 145: 10-13b, 21Jn 14: 27-31a

May 21Christopher Magallanes, priest, and companions, martyrsActs 15: 1-6ps 122: 1-5Jn 15: 1-8

May 22Rita of Cascia, religiousActs 15: 7-21ps 96: 1-3, 10Jn 15: 9-11

May 23FridayActs 15: 22-31ps 57: 8-12Jn 15: 12-17

May 24SaturdayActs 16: 1-10ps 100: 1b-2, 3, 5Jn 15: 18-21

POPe FrANCiSToo often, Catholics turn the church into “a company

that manufactures impediments” to faith, rather than a community that patiently helps people come to believe in Jesus, pope Francis said. “Grace is more important than bureaucracy,” the pope said May 8 in a homily at his early morning Mass in the domus Sanctae Marthae,

where he lives. According to vatican Radio, pope Francis focused his

homily on the day’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (8:26-40), which details how the apostle philip led the ethiopian to faith and baptism. The first thing the account shows, the pope said, is philip’s willingness to obey the Lord’s call to leave what he was doing and set out. “Without this docility to the voice of God, no one

can evangelize.” Second, the Bible explains how philip walked with

the ethiopian, listening to his concerns, respecting his sensibilities and offering explanations. “you cannot evangelize without dialogue. you just can’t because you must begin where the person is,” the pope said. “This is very important.”

— CNS

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Story and photos by JiLL RaGaR ESfELD

It was a miracle.

Anycia Flynn, Court-ney Chisholm and Holly Hillesheim, some of the first American postulants of the Little Sisters of the Commu-nity of the Lamb, had finally arrived at the day of their in-

vestiture.The ceremony was to take place in

the courtyard of the little monastery — its chapel was too small to accommo-date the large crowd.

But the weather forecast predicted severe storms, and the evening sky was filled with dark clouds and thunder.

When Archbishop Joseph Naumann arrived to celebrate the Mass and the investiture, the Little Sisters turned to him for advice.

Pray, he suggested. Specifically, the archbishop suggest-

ed a novena of the “Memorare,” which he knew to be powerful.

And so the Little Sisters gathered in a quiet place and recited the Memorare prayer together nine times.

When they were done, they ushered the umbrella-carrying crowd into the open courtyard.

As Mass began, the sky continued to threaten storms while lightening and thunder punctuated the beautiful sing-ing of the Little Sisters.

But not a drop of rain fell.The postulants were given their new

habits by the community’s foundress, Little Sister Marie, who had traveled from the motherhouse in France for the occasion.

Little Sister Marie also gave the pos-tulants their new names as a sign they have now become new creations in

Christ. In the Community of the Lamb, Any-

cia is now called Little Sister Agape; Courtney is now Little Sister Francis; and Holly is Little Sister Kateri.

Archbishop Naumann wished the new novices joy on their continued for-mation.

“You are called to infect the world with the joy of the Gospel,” he said. “You are called to draw others to the Lamb — the one who, though wounded, never ceases to love.”

At the close of the ceremony, Lit-tle Sister Marie took a moment to tell those gathered about the little miracle that had taken place and expressed her gratitude to the archbishop for teaching them the “Memorare” novena.

“We celebrated outside, and the Vir-gin Mary protected us,” she said. “Thank you for teaching us to entrust ourselves always more to the Virgin Mary.”

three taKe Vows

STORMS hOLd OFF LOnG enOuGh FOR FRenCh-BASed COMMunITy OF The LAMB TO WeLCOMe AMeRICAn AddITIOnS

From left, Little Sister Agape, Little Sister Fran-cis and Little Sister kateri are now novices ready to continue their formation as members of the Community of the Lamb.

After leaving the courtyard to don their new habits, (from left) holly hillesheim, Courtney Chisholm, and Anycia Flynn return dressed as Little Sisters and ready to be given their new names.

As a sign of humility before God, the postulants prostrate themselves before the altar.

former our lady of unity student david burch works on as...

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