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Our Parish Newsletter:

Spreading the news of Christ at work in our community.

SaintSall

A Stewardship Parish

This month of March is a significant time for us as Catholics. We are in the midst of Lent, and then we

celebrate Holy Week, with Easter occurring just after the end of the month, on April 1. In addition, many may point to the month of March as a time we celebrate the Irish on March 17, the Feast of St. Patrick.

However, two days after that is the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19 — and for many in the world, that is more important. St. Joseph was, of course, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the foster father of Jesus Christ.

Everything we know about Joseph comes to us from Holy Scripture. It might be said that, in order to under-stand him completely, we must read between the lines. The Catholic Church has designated the month of March as the month of St. Joseph. Yet, there is not a single example of Joseph saying something that can be quoted in the Bible. We can assume he was a man of few words — in turn, we may consider that he speaks to us through his actions. It is also clear that he was a humble man. Many point to him as an example of what a good father is and should be.

St. Joseph provides an example to all of us. Think of some of his strengths — he was obedient; he put his own needs aside to assure that Jesus and Mary were cared for; he surely trusted in God, even when God’s will may not have made complete sense to him.

Those traits give each of us some idea of what we need to do in life. Do we only embrace those parts of our faith that make sense to us or that we find agreeable? Do we put the needs of others before our own? Our lives are filled with crosses and challenges,

A Letter from Our Pastoral Administrator

Inside

March 2018

Dear Saints,

March — A Time to Take a Close Look at the Examples We Follow

continued on back cover

2 Hospitality: The Cornerstone of Stewardship

3 This Lent, Let Us Give By Gabe Moreno

What is Safe Environment?

4 A Meaningful Part of Christmas: Ann Murphy and the Caring Tree

6 A Lifetime of Love: The Sacrament of Marriage

Volume 15, Issue 3

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Hospitality: The Cornerstone of Stewardship

The dictionary defines “hospitality” as “the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strang-

ers in a warm, friendly, generous way.” A Christian worldview can refer to hospitality as “Chris-

tian kindness.”We see the effects of hospitality – or the lack thereof –

time and time again throughout the Bible. Christ speaks of hospitality in Matthew’s Gospel when He says, “When I was a stranger, you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35). The Old Testament told of the Israelites, as they wandered the desert for 40 years in search of hospitable environs. Even the Holy Family spent ample time searching for shelter before the birth of Our Lord.

It is safe to say that hospitality is, and most likely has always been, of great importance to people everywhere. Mod-ern hotels and hostels often use the image of a pineapple to advertise their special brand of hospitality. There is no doubt that in ancient times, the distant lights of an inn or tavern struck a chord of hope within weary travelers’ hearts.

Indeed, hospitality’s meaning has not diminished at all over the years, decades and millennia.

Christians view the presence of hospitality as meaning the difference between calling others “guests” and “strang-ers.” Guests are welcomed with open arms and warm smiles, but strangers aren’t. Guests feel the genuine love present in a

hearty welcome, but strangers don’t. Guests often return for second or third visits, while strangers don’t.

As a parish, do we find ourselves surrounded by guests, or burdened by strangers?

Hospitality is, in many respects, a mindset. The same per-son may be treated as guest at the church just down the road, but as a stranger here.

Matthew’s Gospel tells of Christ as He reveals a pro-found truth about hospitality: “When I was a stranger, you welcomed me.” That is, “I used to be a stranger, but you fixed that when you welcomed me.” It’s a classic example of before-and-after. All it took was a change of heart.

Stewardship holds hospitality as an immensely important concept. Remember the “three Ts” of stewardship – Time, Talent, and Treasure? Well, there are also “four Ps,” the Four Pillars of Stewardship – Hospitality, Prayer, Formation, and Service. Hospitality is mentioned first. Why? If not for hospi-tality, none of the other pillars will ever take hold. Hospitality is the cornerstone of stewardship, because it opens the door to a person’s heart and allows them to receive joy, grace, and love.

Hospitality must become second nature, if stewardship is to truly take hold within a parish. So, when a stranger visits our parish, welcome them as a guest. Perhaps one day, they’ll pay us a second visit.

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This Lent, Let Us GiveBy Gabe Moreno, ASCS Director of Advancement and Mission

At the end of January, our school held its Annual Community Auction. Thanks to our auction committee comprised of Gloria Ralston, Liz Greer and Sarah Corrigan, the auction

raised nearly $100,000 to benefit the students of All Saints Catholic School. Your generosity and participation in the raffle helped us reach this astounding amount of money, and we are blessed to have such a generous parish community.

As you know, the raffle prize was $1,000, and tickets were sold for $10 per ticket. The winning raffle ticket was pulled at the auction and the winner was an ASCS fifth-grade student. The student’s family did not attend the auction, but were notified the next day before the 11:00 Mass, where the winning student was an altar server. You can imagine this family’s joy upon learning they had just won $1,000!

What happened next is truly amazing! The family discussed how they would use their winnings and

decided to distribute the funds evenly among the family members. Dad, mom, sister (also an ASCS student) and our ASCS raffle winner would each get $250 to spend as they saw fit. Instead of rushing to the nearest mall or searching Amazon for personal items, such as toys or gadgets, the entire family decided to donate all of their winnings to charity.

This family is truly an inspiration and a great example of the charitable and generous people in our ASCS community who have instilled a spirit of giving in their children. It is heartwarming to see the excited children proudly running to the front of the church to deposit their offerings into the children’s collection basket each Sunday.

As the above Bible verse says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” At our school, we surround

our students with a culture and atmosphere of caring for others. It is important that we as parents teach our children to care for others and to be generous with their time, talent, and treasure. Many of our students donate time to various charities, including the Austin Street Shelter and the North Texas Food Bank. They have also donated funds to the Dallas Seminarians and Catholic Charities.

Lent is typically a season for giving something up, but what if this Lent we just give? Give of our time. Give of our talent. Give of our treasure. Let’s talk with our families and friends about what we believe and how we can work together to make our world a better place by giving to others. Then, let’s make a Lenten promise to give to those organizations that are working to shape the world into a better place. Each and every one of us is blessed with gifts we can share. Even the smallest of gifts mean a lot to Christ. So, let’s share our gifts not just because of Lent, but because we share the love of Christ, who is the most generous giver of all.

Did you know that all volunteers who work with minors or vulnerable adults at All Saints are required to go through a

clearance process called Safe Environment? Such volunteers include liturgical ministers, religious education teachers, and more. As part of the process, volunteers are required to:

Complete a screening form (which includes providing three personal references and submitting to a criminal background check)

Have an in-person interviewAttend training on how to identify and prevent abuse (which

must be renewed yearly)

Staff and clergy are required go through the same process with some additional steps. Our policies are in line with those of other organizations that serve youth and follow the guidelines set forth by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the policies of the Diocese of Dallas.

If you are interested in volunteering with youth at our parish, or if you have any questions or concerns about the Safe Environment program, contact Elizabeth Horsley at ehorsley@allsaintsdallas.org or 972-778-0311.

What is Safe Environment?

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who hasbeen entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” — Luke 12:48

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A Meaningful Part of Christmas: Ann Murphy and the Caring Tree

A little over 40 years ago, Ann Murphy and her family became founding members of All Saints. Alongside her

husband, Tom, and their four children, Ann attended the faith community’s very first Mass held in an elementary school.

“I had never been a part of the beginning of a parish before,” Ann says. “We even got to vote on the name. It is such an active parish, and we’ve had lovely priests.”

When her children began attending college, Ann felt called to do something more for the parish, and a little note in the church bulletin about the Outreach Ministry spoke to her.

“I like action and things that I can do and see results,” Ann says. “The Outreach Ministry really brings meaning to words we so often hear — ‘Whatever you did for the least of my brethren, you did for me.’”

At that time, ministry members were praying for someone to lead the Caring Tree, which Ann volunteered to do.

“The Caring Tree has been a fixture at All Saints for 25 years,” says Liz Bush, Chair of the Outreach Ministry. “It serves as a way for our brothers and sisters to minister to the less fortunate, as many don’t know how.”

Around Thanksgiving each year, ministry members set up “caring trees” in the church. They are decorated with

cards that have specific items listed from agencies requesting what they need to care for the sick, homeless and those less fortunate in our community.

“Parishioners go to the trees and select any card or cards that they would like,” Ann says. “They bring back the gifts, and we give them to the agencies before Christmas.”

Some of the agencies that All Saints partners with include Birth Choice and White Rose, crisis pregnancy centers that are frequently in need of baby items such as cribs and strollers.

“One of the changes that has taken place over the years is that parishioners can now ship larger items, like cribs, to the agency directly,” Ann says. “With new technologies, parishioners can usually take advantage of free shipping, and we don’t have to deliver those items ourselves.”

Many different groups in the community come together to work with Caring Tree.

St. Anne’s Circle decorated a Caring Tree with cards for parishioners.

Volunteers helping deliver donations to agencies.

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A Meaningful Part of Christmas: Ann Murphy and the Caring Tree

“By involving other groups in the planning and execution, Caring Tree is really parish oriented,” Liz says. “For instance, various All Saints Women’s Organization Circles help with the gift cards, Empty Nesters deliver the gifts to agencies, members of the Youth Ministry move the dropped-off gifts to the racquetball court for storage, and Religious Education students count and bag items.”

The Outreach Ministry’s mission statement states that all parishioners are encouraged “to act out our faith by serving as Christ’s hands through personal involvement in community service and by serving organizations that serve people.”

“We feel that Caring Tree fulfills the goals of our mission statement,” Ann says. “It really is a great opportunity for families to become involved. Anybody would appreciate it and find it rewarding.”

After 25 years of leading the Caring Tree, Ann will be “retiring” from the ministry.

“I feel in my heart that it is time for someone else to step up and take it over,” Ann says. “It has been a meaningful part of my Christmas, and it is a wonderful ministry that is so well supported by our parish.”

Ann would like to thank the many generous All Saints faith community members who give every year to help those in need during the Christmas season.

“Words don’t seem adequate enough,” Ann says. “We have the best parishioners in the world, and they always come through with all the projects that Outreach has for our community. I want them to know how much we really appreciate them.”

Ann and Tom Murphy.

If you would like more information about the Outreach Ministry and Caring Tree, please reach

out to Liz Bush at bush37@icloud.com or 972-404-8701.

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A Lifetime of Love: The Sacrament of Marriage

One day, Kathleen (Finch) Kososki and her fiancé, Austin, were talking about getting married and

where they saw their relationship going. “I said to Austin, ‘Do you remember my sister’s

Catholic wedding and our friend’s [non-Catholic] wedding?’” Kathleen recalls. “’They were different. I want what my sister had.’

“I love the Eucharist — it’s probably one of my favorite things about being Catholic, and they didn’t have that at my friend’s wedding,” she continues. “To me, that’s what makes it different. You have the physical presence of Jesus Christ at your wedding and you’re joining in communion with God.”

“That’s what the Sacrament of Marriage is about — being united with each other and God,” Austin says. “I always knew I wanted a church wedding. I wanted to have it at All Saints because that’s where I had my first Eucharist. All Saints was our first church together.”

Kathleen and Austin Kososki were married at All Saints this past December. Kathleen, a cradle Catholic, had been attending All Saints since her family joined the parish in 2004. Austin, who was raised United Methodist, became Catholic through the RCIA process at All Saints, three years ago this Easter. The couple met at a work dinner, and clicked immediately.

“I had a feeling, he’s it!” says Kathleen, with a smile.“When I met Kathleen and after we went out that first

night, everything just kind of clicked,” Austin says. “I knew she was going to be important to me.”

If you are recently engaged and are considering being married at All Saints, and would like to learn more about our Marriage Preparation

program, please contact the parish office at 972-661-9282.

continued on page 7

Kathleen (Finch) and Austin Kososki were married at All Saints last December.

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After becoming engaged, the couple found that the Marriage Preparation process at All Saints helped them to grow closer to one another, while also learning from the wisdom of a seasoned married couple.

“We enjoyed the sessions,” Austin says. “It brought up some things we’d discussed before and things we hadn’t discussed before or thought about for our future.”

“I remember my dad said all the time, ‘So many people prepare for the wedding, the reception and the party but not enough people prepare for marriage,’” recalls Kathleen, who was also grateful for the preparation process. “When you go through the sacrament, it’s preparing you for marriage and that new relationship you’re establishing with your husband and with God.”

For Kathleen and Austin, their nuptial Mass was the perfect way to start their life together.

“You envision your wedding and getting married forever, but it’s better than you could’ve ever pictured,” Kathleen says. “All the preparation, all this waiting, all this time led to this one moment. It was pure joy, pure happiness and so sacred. It was like I could really feel God’s presence and Him joining in our marriage.”

“It’s hard to even describe,” Austin says. “I can’t imagine having it anywhere else, besides in the church.”

Kathleen and Austin have already begun to experience the grace and blessings of receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony, especially in how they view their relationship.

“The sacraments are gifts, and so if you think of marriage as ‘God gave me this,’ I feel like you value it more,” Kathleen says. “God gave us this Sacrament of Marriage, and it’s meant to be honored and respected.”

The couple strives to keep God at the center of their relationship through prayer, attending Mass together, and learning and talking about their faith, as a couple.

“As we were getting closer to the actual wedding day, I found myself praying more and more, ‘God be with us through this journey and help me be the man that you’ve called me to be for her, and make me into that man,’” Austin says. “Like Christ, I want to selflessly and compassionately love my wife and serve her.”

“My dad always says, ‘What’s the number-one role of husband or wife?’” Kathleen says. “Our role is getting each other to heaven.”

Spotlight on the SacramentS

MarriageSaintSall

For the Kososkis, the Sacrament of Marriage is a reminder to welcome God into the center of their life and relationship.

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Easter Triduum and Easter Sunday Schedule

March 29 – HOLY THURSDAY

Morning Prayer Service – 9 a.m. (no morning Masses)

Mass of the Lord’s Supper – 7 p.m.

March 30 – GOOD FRIDAY

Morning Prayer Service – 9 a.m. (no morning Masses)

Solemn Stations of the Cross – 3 p.m.

Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord – 7 p.m.

March 31 – HOLY SATURDAY

Morning Prayer Service – 9 a.m. (no morning Masses)

Easter Vigil Mass– 8:15 p.m.

April 1 – EASTER SUNDAY Mass Schedule

7:30 a.m. in the Church with Cantor

9:15 a.m. in the Church with St. Rafael Choir

9:30 a.m. in the Gym with Children’s Choir

11:15 a.m. in the Church with St. Gabriel Choir

11:30 a.m. in the Gym with Teen Mass Band

Address Service Requested

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but do we trust in the Lord as Joseph did? Do our actions show us to be good Catholics and Christians? What kinds of examples are we setting?

Lent and Easter are times for us to look closely at the answers to these questions. Joseph was a carpenter, a worker — and he obviously was not a man of wealth or prestige. By the time Jesus’ public ministry begins, Joseph seems to disappear. Nevertheless, he was a man of royal origins. When St. Luke introduces him to us in Luke 1, he calls him “Joseph, of the house of David.”

All of this leads us to know and believe that Joseph was someone we would classify as a “good steward.” Who do we

look up to? Do we seek to emulate people who are like Jo-seph, or are our role models more worldly and more success-ful in the eyes of others? St. Joseph is a wonderful example for us. We all need to be like him in many, many ways.

God bless you during this holy time.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Alfonse NazzaroPastoral Administrator

March — A Time to Take a Close Look at theExamples We Follow continued from front cover