SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER East 52nd Street Kansas City, MO Phone: Fax: B U L L E T I N D E A D L I N E

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1 SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER 1001 East 52nd Street Kansas City, MO Phone: Fax: Pastor P A S T O R A L S T A F F Fr. Stephen Yavorsky, S.J., or syavorsky@sfx-kc.org Parochial Vicar Fr. Bob Hagan, S.J., or bhagansj@sfx-kc.org Operations and Project Manager Ann Sheridan, or asheridan@sfx-kc.org Pastoral Associate, Faith Formation Mariann McCormally, or mccormally@sfx-kc.org Pastoral Associate, Liturgy & Music Pat Woodrum, or pwoodrum@sfx-kc.org Facilities R E Jackson, or rjackson@sfx-kc.org Administrative Assistant Peggy Beaven Calia, or pbeavencalia@sfx-kc.org P A S T O R A L C O U N C I L Mary Adams Steve Bruns Kevin Collison Teresa Cott - Chair Edwin Locke Joan McMahon Christine Rankin John Veal Katie Wiehl F I N A N C E C O U N C I L Kaler Bole - Chair Jane Coakley Dorna Edgar Swan Kaitlyn Kann Brian Sullivan The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph is committed to combating sexual abuse in the Church. If you are a victim of sexual abuse, or if you observe or suspect sexual abuse: 1. Call the Missouri Child Abuse Hotline at (if the victim is currently under the age of 18), and 2. Contact your local law enforcement agency or call 911, and 3. After reporting to these civil and law enforcement authorities, report suspected sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult to the Diocesan Ombudsman, Jenifer Valenti, at or JeniferValenti@att.net, if the abuse involves a priest, deacon, employee or volunteer of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. The Diocese has a sincere commitment to providing care and healing resources to victims of sexual abuse and their families. Please contact Victim Advocate Kathleen Chastain at or chastain@diocesekcsj.org for more information. Tuesday through Friday Saturday Sunday Sunday School (ages 2, 3 & 4) M A S S S C H E D U L E 7:00 am and 12:00 pm 4:00 pm 8:00 am and 10:30 am (6:00 pm University Student Liturgy during Fall & Spring semesters) during 10:30 am Sunday Liturgy Children s Liturgy of the Word during 10:30 am Sunday Liturgy Mariann McCormally Saturday Thursday S A C R A M E N T O F R E C O N C I L I A T I O N 3:00-3:45 pm (or by appointment) E U C H A R I S T I C A D O R A T I O N 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm S A C R A M E N T A L P R E P A R A T I O N Infant Baptism, First Eucharist, First Reconciliation, Confirmation, Adult Catechumenate (RCIA) Mariann McCormally Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Eucharist to Homebound or Hospitalized Fr. Stephen Yavorsky, S.J Fr. Bob Hagan, S.J Marriage Fr. Bob Hagan, S.J O T H E R A C T I V I T I E S Centering Prayer Group 3rd Monday Monthly Choir Practice Wednesday, 7:30 9:00 pm Pat Woodrum Community Garden Peg Hornsby or peghornsby@gmail.com Cub Scouts Every other Saturday, 10 11:30am Steve Livingston Emergency Assistance By Appointment Ann Sheridan Food Pantry By Appointment Justice & Life 3rd Sunday Monthly Steve Bruns or sbruns51@gmail.com Ignatian Spirituality Mary Anne Morgenegg SFX-Adult Faith Formation 1st Tuesday Monthly Karen Stigers SFX-Sister Parish Monthly Jim Bell SFX-Sustainability Monthly Cindy Schmidt SFX-VIS Social Concerns Monthly Sodality of Our Lady Marie Dupree Johnson B U L L E T I N D E A D L I N E Monday at 12:00noon

2 T H E E P I P H A N Y O F T H E LO R D O u r M i s s i o n St. Francis Xavier Parish is a Roman Catholic, Jesuit community of faith called together by God to experience Jesus Christ in His Word, in the sacraments of the Church, and in each other. We, as the body of Christ, joined in Baptism and inspired by the grace of the Holy Spirit, enrich our faith through prayer and worship, spiritual formation, intellectual rigor, diversity of membership, hospitality and fellowship, attention to family life, and concern for social justice. Guided by the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola, we strive to use our many gifts for the greater glory of God. Pa r i s h N e w s Parish Office Closed The parish office will be closed Monday, January 15 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. We will reopen Tuesday, January 16 at 9:00am. Fa i t h F o r m at i o n Strong Blessings On Alia Elizabeth Faustina Sisson who will make a Profession of Faith in the Catholic Church and receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist on Epiphany Sunday. Welcome into Full Communion with the Catholic Church! New Parishioner Gathering January 13/14, after all the Masses, Parish Library Have you joined the parish since July 2016? We re having a New Parishioner Gathering for all those who have become a part of SFX since Father Steve became pastor. Mark your calendar now and plan to join us for some light refreshments and a chance to meet and visit with Father Steve, Father Bob, the parish staff and parish leadership. Middle School Youth Group Looking ahead: mark your calendar to participate in the Rockhurst University Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, January 15. Our January Gathering for food, fun and prayer on Sunday, January 21, 2018, 6:00-8:00 pm. Contact Mariann McCormally for more information and/or to register ( or mccormally@sfx-kc.org). Looking Ahead First Communion Prep Classes Begin Wednesday, January 24, 6:30-7:45 pm. Children AND PARENTS will meet in the Chapel. First Communion will be celebrated here on Sunday, May 6 at the 10:30 Mass. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Cry with those who cry. Romans 12:15 Let Us Support One Another in Prayer: SFXPraying SFXPraying is an network to request prayers for our family, friends and the world we care about AND to share prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving. It was established at SFX in Are you on the network? Would you like to be? If you have a request for prayers, have a blessing to share, or wish to receive SFX Praying messages, contact Maureen Hardy at SFXpraying@sfx-kc.org. If you have no but would like community prayers for yourself or a loved one, call Maureen ( ) and she will send out your request. THANK YOU all for your faithful ministry of prayer! Soup & Spirituality 2018 NEW DAY OF THE WEEK, SAME GREAT PROGRAM Mark your calendar NOW for our Lenten speaker series. Because of scheduling conflicts at Rockhurst University Community Center, Soup & Spirituality will be held: Thursday, March 1; Thursday, March 8; Monday, March 12; Thursday, March 22. 6:00-7:30 PM. Our theme this year: Laboring with God toward Reconciliation: Unity among Christians. Sunday School for Ages News + Sunday School for ages resumes this weekend. + The children learn about God s love, pray together, play and have fun in a safe and creative environment. + Bring your little ones to the Romero Room before Mass and meet our team of teachers, led by parishioner Sara Noreña. + We are looking for more folks (teens and adults) to join the team. All volunteers must fill out a written application, undergo a screening interview, submit to a criminal background check, read and sign the Ethics and Integrity in Ministry Policy, and be certified in Protecting God s Children, the diocesan safe environment training program. For more information contact Mariann McCormally ( x 204 OR mccormally@sfx-kc.org).

3 JANUARY 7, 2018 Laboring With God Towards Reconciliation: Peace and Gospel NonViolence Thursday, January 18, 7:00 pm SFX Church The Adult Faith Formation and Justice & Life Committees of SFX invite you to attend this prayer service focused on personal and social sin, reconciliation, transformation, and righteousness. The service is open to the public. For further information, please contact: Karen Stigers or Steve Bruns Choosing to Make a Difference: A Reflection on Ignatian Discernment Father Mark Thibodeaux, SJ, Tuesday, January 16 6:15pm Simple Supper, 7:00 pm Presentation Visitation Church (5141 Main, KCMO) Tighe Hall Father Mark serves as a spiritual director for Jesuits in formation and is an acknowledged expert on the topic of prayer and discernment. A well-known speaker and author, he brings his expertise on the Examen, St. Ignatius Loyola s five -step meditation and prayer tool, to help us be more attentive to the presence of God in daily life. For more information contact Peg Ekerdt peg@church.visitation.org. Science, Faith and The Big Bang (Do Catholics Believe in Evolution?) Soul Food Tuesday Tuesdays, 11:00-11:55 AM (dismissed in time for those who wish to attend 12:00 Noon Mass), Romero Room Participation in this study/prayer group is OPEN. One does not need to commit to attending every week. The content of each block will be determined in consultation with the participants. Our next block is January 9, 16, 23, 30. We will be reading, discussing and praying about Science and Faith. Come study and pray with us! For more information and/or to register to participate, please contact Mariann McCormally (mccormally@sfx-kc.org ). J u st i c e & L i f e SFX Parish Food Pantry Collection January 20/21 Most needed items this month are: crunchy peanut butter, soup, side dishes, all types of cereal, ramen noodles, all sizes of ADULT diapers, Poise pads (all sizes), diapers (size 5 & 6). **Just a reminder, that if you would like to make a monetary donation to the food pantry, you must make the check out to SFX Social Ministries with food pantry in the memo line. If you are going to donate during the Sunday collection, please put your donation in a separate envelope with SFX Social Ministries written on the outside of the envelope. Thank you for your continued generosity with food and cash donations to the food pantry!** General Announcements Coping With Life Alone - Peer to Peer Grief Support Coping with Life Alone is a Beginning Experience grief support program that meets each week for 7 weeks. The program helps those who have lost a love relationship due to death, divorce or separation, move through the experience of grief and loss into a future with renewed hope. The upcoming program dates in Kansas City, MO Sundays, January 14 through February 25, at St John Francis Regis Church, 8941 James A. Reed Road, KCMO. Contact Donna at ( ), for information and registration. Sessions will be from 1:30-3:30pm. Worldwide Marriage Encounter Register for the next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend it s the best gift you ll ever give to each other and your marriage! Make your reservation now! The next Weekend in Kansas City is April 20-22, For more information or to apply, please visit our website: or call Tony & Barb Zimmerman, or tonybarbz@prodigy.net. Growing in Awareness of Human Trafficking: Don't Hesitate - You Could Save a Life Presented by Sr. Jeanne Christensen, RSM. January 18th. 6:00 PM: Join us for soup and salad. 6:45: Presentation begins. Suggested donation: $ Register at info@pbrenewalcenter.org or Precious Blood Renewal Center, 2130 Saint Gaspar Way, Liberty, MO. Mardi Gras 2018 St. Therese Little Flower Catholic Church presents Mardi Gras 2018 on Friday, February 9, 2018 from 5:30pm to 10:30pm at Hillcrest Country Club. Please Save the Date and plan to join us. The 25th annual SUPPORT OUR SEMINARIANS Benefit Dinner is dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of the Americas. It is scheduled for Friday, January 26, This event benefits seminarians from the Archdiocese of KCK, the Diocese of KC/St. Joseph & Conception Seminary College. We have wonderful speakers this year, Archbishop James P. Kelleher, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of KCK, Fr. Jerry Arano-Ponce, and Paul Sappington who is in Pre-Theology II at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. SOS will be held at Union Station, 30 West Pershing Rd, KCMO. The reservation price is $ per person at tables of ten people. To reserve your place, or an entire table, or donate to the marketplace or VIP silent auction, contact: Martha Hodes (913) or mmmhsos512@gmail.com. Check out our new website:

4 Liturgical Ministers JANUARY 13/14 LECTORS: Sat 4:00pm Tom Whittaker Marty Yadrick Sun 8:00am Teresa May Steve Bruns Sun 10:30am Karen Stigers MaryAnne Morgenegg EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS: Sat 4:00pm Jessica McGannon Paul McGannon Maggie Patterson Sun 8:00am Ann Jones Lisa Morrison Maureen Dahnke Sun 10:30pm John Veal Marie Pickard Heidi Stigers Joshua Stigers Jason Roberts Ruth Noel Terry Noel SACRISTAN: Sat 4:00pm Mary Kline Sun 8:00am Joseph Gray Sun 10:30am Rebecca Thompson SERVERS: Sat 4:00pm Ed Locke Sun 8:00am Jolene Ruth Sun 10:30am Ava Martinez Cecilia Stanislav Matthew Waters GREETERS Sat 4:00pm Diane Owens VOLUNTEER Sun 8:00am Mike DiDonna VOLUNTEER Sun 10:30am Gene Huelskamp VOLUNTEER Mass Readings January 8 - January 14 Monday: Isa 55:1-11/Acts 10:34-38 or 1 John 5:1-9/Isa 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6 [3]/Mark 1:7-11 Tuesday: 1 Sam 1:9-20/1 Sam 2/Mark 1:21-28 Wednesday: 1 Sam 3:1-10, 19-20/Mark 1:29-39 Thursday: 1 Sam 4:1-11/Mark 1:40-45 Friday: 1 Sam 8:4-7, 10-22a/Mark 2:1-12 Saturday: 1 Sam 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1a/Mark 2:13-17 Sunday: 1 Sam 3:3b-10, 19/1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20/John 1:35-42 Sunday Funny Signs from God Visitors Welcome Members Expected Calendar Monday, January 8 No Activities Tuesday, January 9 11:00am Soul Food Tuesday (RR) Wednesday, January 10 7:00pm Choir Practice Thursday, January 11 6:30am Morning Glory Café 12:30pm Adoration Friday, January 12 No Activities Saturday, January 13 No Activities Sunday, January 14 10:30am Children s Liturgy of the Word (chapel) 10:30am Sunday School: ages yrs (RR) 6:00pm RU Student Mass (church) Mass Intentions Sat 1/6 4:00pm Pierre (Pete) Guignon Sun 1/7 8:00am That God Enlighten All Nations 10:30am SFX Parishioners Tues 1/9 7:00am Bertha Farmer 12:00pm For All Immigrants Wed 1/10 7:00am Suzie Farmer 12:00pm Sufferers of Mental Illness Thurs 1/11 7:00am Alan Farmer 12:00pm SFX Staff Fri 1/12 7:00am Nick Farmer 12:00pm The Homeless Sat 1/13 4:00pm SFX Parishioners Sun 1/14 8:00am Protection of All Life 10:30am Refugees in Crisis [Repentance] means unlearning all the selfconceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into It means killing part of yourself, under-going a kind of death. C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity One Sentence Sermon Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors. Follow Fr. Steve on Twitter!! To follow him, go to: Like our new Facebook page! You can find us on Facebook at

5 My Year of Miracles by Alia Sisson Alia Elizabeth Faustina Sisson will make a Profession of Faith in the Catholic Church and receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist on Epiphany Sunday, January 7, 2018 at St. Francis Xavier Church. We welcome Alia into Full Communion with the Catholic Church! This essay was originally written for The New Wine Press, the online journal of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. The year of our Lord 2017 was a year of immense and tremendous change for me. It stands as a testament, not to my own strength, but to the power of God to work through broken people. He writes straight with crooked lines. At the beginning of this year, I was underemployed, fighting depression, and feeling directionless. I had lost my spark. Little did I know, one choice would end up changing my entire life for the better. I started going to Mass on a regular basis. For Catholics, this is standard operating procedure. But this was pretty radical for a Presbyterian! Having attended two years of Catholic grade school and three years at the Marianist University of Dayton, I still had never pictured myself going to Mass by choice. A candlelit midnight Christmas Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio inspired me to keep coming back. Slowly learning the ancient Mass opened my eyes to the sacredness contained in everyday living. During Lent, I grew more devout and began going to daily Mass and praying the rosary. I also gave up alcohol, which, for someone who adored wine as much as I did, felt like a big sacrifice. As distractions fell away, throughout those 40 days, I developed a real relationship with God. By the time Easter arrived, I knew I was ready to convert. As much as I loved attending Mass, I yearned to be in full communion with the church and receive the Eucharist at Christ s table with my brothers and sisters. Rather than feel like an outsider, I wanted to experience the sacramental graces as a full-fledged Roman Catholic. Nonetheless, I had to wait until September until RCIA classes began. Although I could not partake in Holy Communion, I grew closer to God in adoration every week. One hot summer evening, still unsuccessful at finding a good job, I prostrated myself on the floor of my favorite adoration chapel and begged God to open a door for me. I prayed over and over, Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders / Let me walk upon the water / Wherever you would call me. I did not expect God to take my request so literally. The next morning I received an from Tim, the Volunteer Director of Missionaries of the Precious Blood, inviting me to apply to be a volunteer in Kansas City, Missouri. I finally had an opportunity to grow where my trust is without borders. After a quick Google search to make sure Kansas City wasn t totally lame, I called back with a surge of joy. I applied, interviewed, and was accepted into the volunteer program the next month.

6 In September, I packed two suitcases and flew to Kansas City to start my year of service with the Precious Blood Volunteers. More than a few times, the thought crossed my mind, what on earth am I doing, picking up and moving to the middle of the country where I don t know a soul? Despite momentary flashes of doubt, my overall feeling was a deep sense of peace. Once I met Tim and my fellow volunteers, I knew I was right where I belonged. Community living with great volunteers and two amazing priests in a ten-bedroom Tudor home is absolutely as fantastic as it sounds. But even more perfect is my volunteer position at Legal Aid of Western Missouri (LAWMO). Having invested three years of blood, sweat, and tears in law school, this gave me the perfect opportunity to use the skills I have, and gain indispensable knowledge for my future practice. I consider myself so privileged to be the first Precious Blood Volunteer placed at LAWMO. My job now is to assist the Domestic Team in obtaining full orders of protection, child custody, and dissolution of marriage for domestic violence victims who cannot afford a private attorney. This position has given me a new sense of purpose in helping those who have been victimized by society transform into powerful survivors. Talk about redemption! Sometimes being a volunteer isn t easy. We do not have a lot of spending money, but that has turned into a blessing itself. Instead of buying things to be happy, we share our time, talent, and stories and that is more than enough. Especially interacting with the clients I serve, I have never been more appreciative of a home cooked meal, a roof over my head, and knowing I live in a safe place. I also just celebrated my ninth month of sobriety. I am thrilled to be welcomed into full communion with the Catholic Church on Epiphany Sunday: January 7, This day is especially meaningful to me, not only as the day before my birthday, but also as the feast day of Saint Gaspar! There is no better present than being welcomed home into the church that awakened my soul. Over the last year, the Lord has performed nothing less than a miracle in my life. Through His mercy, I went from hopeless to hopeful, purposeless to purpose-driven, from bondage to freedom. I will continue to keep an open mind and heart as the next chapter of God s plan unfolds. Through Him all things are possible. Alia drew this as she prepared for her First Communion.