Connections. A Summer of Realization. A Quarterly Newsletter for the St. Pius X Church and School Community. Monsignor David Funk, Pastor

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1 Connections August 2017 Volume III, No. 3 A Quarterly Newsletter for the St. Pius X Church and School Community IN THIS ISSUE Excited to Start a New School Year... 2 Helpful Prayers An Interview with Cassian Harman, Summer Seminarian... 4 The St. Pius X Christmas Craft Bazaar Returns!... 5 Stewardship: Stewardship in Action... 6 Walking with Purpose... 7 Kids Finding Faith... 7 A Summer of Realization HOHMAN HALL 7/27/2017: VISIT US TO WATCH OUR PROGRESS! Monsignor David Funk, Pastor Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, In late May and early June of this past year, we saw the demolition of the roof and part of the old Hohman Hall that will be rebuilt this summer for our Latchkey and Youth Ministry. Hopefully, this will be finished soon after the start of the new school year. This rebuilding is part of Phase 1 of our Capital Campaign To Renew All Things in Christ at St. Pius X. The next part of Phase 1 will be the construction of the adjacent Hohman Hall extension and the new family center followed by additional offices for the rectory. As the Latchkey and Youth Ministry areas are finished, the start of the Hohman Hall extension and family center will begin. The commercial kitchen, restrooms and storage areas of the family center will be built first. If all goes well, this will occur around November 2017 and will take three-six months to complete. Once this is done, the end of the extension with the family center will be built. This will take approximately another nine months for completion. After that, the rectory offices will be added. As my last article for Connections was entitled A Springtime of Hope this has now blossomed and is growing into A Summer of Realization of that hope. It is important for me to point out once more that all the growth and realization of this project is contingent upon pledges being paid to the Capital Campaign. As we have the money, the building goes forward. I would ask that you be faithful to your pledge and commitment. We are still in need of $100, plus to reach our interim goal of $3 million. If anyone of the parish has not yet contributed or pledged, would you consider helping us to reach our $3 million goal? We are grateful to all who are assisting us with the work on our project: John Eberts, architect; Pete Sullivan and his construction company; Lou Giovine, on-site superintendent; Bruce Boylan, Diocesan Superintendent of buildings; Scott Marsh, John Beyer and Brenda Brammer, St. Pius X parish managers; and last, but not least, Bishop Frederick Campbell who has approved and encouraged our campaign and project. With God s grace, may we Continue to Renew All things in Christ here at St. Pius X. In Christ, Msgr. David Funk, Pastor

2 ST. PIUS X CHURCH AND SCHOOL 1051 S. Waggoner Road Reynoldsburg, Ohio Rectory (614) stpiusx@spxreynoldsburg.com PASTOR Monsignor David Funk BUSINESS MANAGER Brenda Brammer ASST BUSINESS MANAGER John Beyer MISSION STATEMENT Connections is the quarterly newsletter of the St. Pius X Church and School. The purpose is to support our community of believers who are faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Catholic tradition by providing information that will help enrich, inspire and connect us as we work together by sharing our time, talent and treasure so that God s Kingdom will continue to live and grow in our midst. PUBLICATION SCHEDULE Connections is published quarterly in February, May, August and November. We seek interesting stories or articles from our parishioners that will help us grow in faith together. Please consider sending a story or column idea for an upcoming issue to our editor or our parish administrative assistant. Your feedback is welcome and encouraged. EDITOR Carol A. McGlone carol.a.mcglone@gmail.com PARISH ADMINISTRATIVE ASST Michelle Carey MCarey@spxreynoldsburg.com DESIGN & PRODUCTION Michelle Zuccarelli mzuccarelli@spxreynoldsburg.com Excited to Start a New School Year Darren Smith, Principal My name is Darren Smith and I am honored to hold the position of principal at St. Pius X Catholic School. I grew up in Columbus attending Immaculate Conception and Bishop Watterson High School, taught at St. James the Less, and coached high school basketball at St. Francis Desales. Last school year, I was the assistant principal at St. Pius X and am marrying a Catholic school teacher so, I am very familiar with the various facets of Catholic education here in the Columbus, Ohio area. I would like to thank the dedicated staff at St. Pius X, especially Monsignor Funk and Mrs. Carole Winkel for their support. I look forward to continuing the strong history of excellent leadership here at St. Pius X and I want to continue to raise the bar on academic excellence and community. This summer here at St. Pius X was jam-packed with activity, especially with Phase 1 of the capital campaign well underway. Classrooms were cleaned, bathrooms were renovated, floors were stripped, and walls were painted to name a few building updates. A very special thank you goes to Mr. Scott Marsh and his custodial staff. Through auxiliary funding, we purchased new chromebooks, carts, and cases, the newest version of the smartboard, a 3-D printer, various applications for enrichment, and many more tools to enhance the educational experience here at St. Pius X. We are very excited to announce that we will have a 1:1 Chromebook - to- student ratio in grades 3rd-8th for this upcoming school year. The funds from our annual A Night in Green event have been allocated in a variety of ways and I want to thank all of those involved in such a wonderful fundraiser. Funds will be used to update wiring for new technology, to replace chalkboards with whiteboards, and to hire a curriculum coach to provide feedback, support, and guidance for our awesome faculty. Finally, the funds purchased a computer program, Tynker which instructs students on computer programming in grades 3rd-8th. Our theme for the school year is Be the Best Version of YOU. More than just a phrase, this theme further builds upon our Ohio Catholic School Accrediting Association s student performance goal: Students will acquire skills necessary to be self-directed learners through self-reflection and goal setting. Our staff s focus will be to challenge students to be responsible for their learning and to set and reflect on personal goals. The entire St. Pius X staff read Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck and received professional development based on information from the text. Positive Panther Points will give our students an opportunity to go above the normal expectations we hold them to and will help them to display empathy to others in a wide variety of ways. Students who meet the quarterly goals will be rewarded with a Positive Panther Point Party. All our efforts here at St. Pius X School are made possible through the support of our wonderful pastor, committed parents, and faithful parishioners. We are truly a blessed school community. As we prepare to begin this school year, we again ask for your prayers as we partner with our parents and our entire community to instill kindness and empathy in our students. I cannot wait to see so many smiling faces walking into St. Pius X on August 23rd! God Bless, Mr. Darren Smith St. Pius X Principal 2 ST. PIUS X CHURCH AND SCHOOL 1051 S. WAGGONER ROAD REYNOLDSBURG, OHIO 43068

3 JOSEPH S COAT PARTNERS WITH THE COLUMBUS PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT S INFANT SAFE SLEEP CAMPAIGN Connections August 2017 We are very proud and excited to be part of this new initiative at the Columbus Public Health Department to save as many infant lives as possible. We now have trained volunteers ready to teach any mom who needs a bed for her infant. We have Pack N Plays and instructions for Infant Safe Sleep following the ABC rule: Alone, on the Back and in a Crib. Columbus has one of the highest infant death rates in the country and we are excited to be one of the first agencies to be approved for this important work. We are also announcing our SAVE THE DATE for our Stepping Stones event to be held Saturday, October 21, 2017 at the Airport Marriott Ballroom. Please note this date on your calendar and us at wes@josephs-coat.org to request an invitation. At our inaugural event last year, we sold out! This year we have a larger space, no conflict with other St Pius X events and it is a bye for OSU football. Come and learn more about Joseph s Coat, what we do, and how we do it. In 2016 we supported 9039 families, a 17% increase over More help is needed! We need volunteers as often as you can come help. Volunteers are needed in all areas working with clients or in preparing clothes and household goods to go to our clients. We desperately need men and women over 16 years of age to help in our furniture department. We need them to pick up furniture from donation homes in our trucks and to help our clients get their furniture into their vehicles. Can you give three to four hours on a Saturday or on a Wednesday from 9 AM-Noon to help someone truly less fortunate? Contact Pat Lutz at or at palutz108@gmail.com. Patricia Lutz Joseph s Coat Helpful Prayers I hope that everyone is saying daily prayers over these short summer months. I found two prayers that can help make your prayer life more interesting and more meaningful. These prayers will help lead you to think about the words you are praying and will ask you to look at how you are living your life. Our Father This Our Father prayer by Fr. Leo Tanner is in the YouCat Bible on page 262. This prayer can help you think about whether you are living your life in the way that the Our Father prayer is telling us to live. Never say FATHER unless you behave like a son or daughter. Never say OUR if is it all about you. Never say HALLOWED BE THY NAME if you are thinking only about your own honor. Never say THY KINGDOM COME if you want to increase your own influence. Never say THY WILL BE DONE if you want your own will to prevail. Never say GIVE US OUR DAILY BREAD if you do not care about those in need. Never say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES if you harbor feelings of hatred against your fellow human beings. Never say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if you expose yourself to it. Never say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if you do not consistently stand up for what is good.... Never say AMEN unless you take the words of the Our Father seriously. Examination of Conscience This Examination of Conscience is short but very thought-provoking. It is on page 61 of the St. Mary s Press Catholic Youth Prayer Book. Whenever you see the word love, put your name in its place and think, Am I living my life in this manner? Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Cor 13:4-7. Please remember that praying can change your life for the better. Prayer can move mountains. God bless, De Ann Bukowski Coordinator of Religious Education (614) STPIUSX@SPXREYNOLDSBURG.COM 3

4 An Interview with Cassian Harman 2017 Summer Resident Seminarian Tell us about your family and where you grew up. What confirmation name did you choose and why? I am named after Saint John Cassian, an early Church Father. Saint Cassian is well-known in the Eastern Catholic Church. Coming from a Ukrainian heritage, my parents, Victoria and Gregory, saw it as a fitting name. I have a brother, Karion, and a sister, Mikhala. I never chose a confirmation name because I was confirmed at the same time as my baptism. I also received my first Communion at that time. Because I was baptized in a Byzantine Catholic Church, it is traditional to receive all three sacraments as an infant. I grew up in Worthington, Ohio and attended St. Michael School. What year of study are you in? I will be a junior at the Pontifical College Josephinum where I am studying for a Bachelor in Philosophy and Humanities degree. Are you certain you are called to the priesthood? I feel confident that God is calling me to the priesthood. However, I try to remember that discernment is something that must take place constantly. I have found great peace and joy by being in the seminary and, for this reason, I feel that God is calling me to be a priest. What did you help with during your residency and what did you learn? During my residency from May to mid-july 2017, I served mass, lectored, brought Communion to the sick, assisted with funerals and weddings, helped with vacation bible school, and attended parish meetings. I learned that the people of St. Pius X are committed to God and the sacraments in a very special way. Everyone is always willing to lend a hand and contribute their time. It is like a big family. I learned how much goes into being a priest and how much Monsignor Funk does for the parishioners. I ve learned countless practical things, which I hope to use in my future ministry. Do you enjoy doing a particular type of service? I helped with Gospel Road during the week of July 9, During the academic year, I help organize a homeless cookout every month at Holy Family and other various events of that type throughout the year. Do you have a favorite food? What s your favorite flavor of ice cream? Do you have a favorite book or movie? My favorite food is pizza and I like Graeter s black raspberry chip ice cream! I enjoy reading, especially about the saints. My favorite book is Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux. We read a lot of philosophy in school and I really enjoy Plato s Dialogues. I can t pick a single movie but I am a fan of Christian Bale s movies. If you suddenly had a day to yourself, what would you do? If I had a perfect free day, it would consist of going to Mass in the morning, driving down some country roads to wade and fish in the river in the afternoon, spending quality time with my brother, taking a break to go on a walk with a rosary in the evening, and ending the night by cooking out and having a bonfire with friends and family. Do you have a message for anyone thinking about the priesthood or religious life? Relax! I know firsthand that thinking about your future can be worrisome. But you truly have nothing to worry or be anxious about. Trust and allow God to lead you to the purpose in life that you are seeking. God loves each one of us more than we can comprehend. If God is calling you to priesthood, you will truly find peace in your vocation. Take the time to properly discern; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The world will try to discourage you at times but remember you do not belong to the world, you belong to Jesus Christ. And how can we be anxious when we know this to be true? Stay close to Jesus in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and penance. Persevere in your prayer, always. The Church needs holy men and women to stand up and lead Her! I promise that you will find peace and fulfillment. As Jesus tells us, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden light. Cassian Burke Harman 4 ST. PIUS X CHURCH AND SCHOOL 1051 S. WAGGONER ROAD REYNOLDSBURG, OHIO 43068

5 A Big Welcome Back! The St. Pius X Christmas Craft Bazaar Returns! Connections August 2017 In November 2017, a holiday tradition returns to the St. Pius X Church and School community. Through an initiative of the parish s Pastoral Advisory Council (PAC), the St. Pius X Christmas Craft Bazaar will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2017, from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM in the St. Pius X School Gymnasium located at 1061 Waggoner Road, Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This event will welcome up to 50 independent craft vendors and will feature a variety of items for sale. Refreshments will be available for sale by the Knights of Columbus Fr. Andrew H. Hohman Council #5253. There will be a two-dollar-per-person entrance fee. This year s event marks the first Christmas Craft Bazaar held by the parish since Council member Ariana Yokum, the parish contact for vendors interested in renting a booth at the bazaar, was excited to bring back this holiday event. I remember, very fondly, going [to the bazaar] as a child. I was always impressed at the talent of our parishioners and surrounding community. I really hope to showcase that again, and to show St. Pius X as the welcoming wonderful community I ve always known it to be. PAC President Rachel Moresea explained that funds raised by the Christmas Craft Bazaar will help to create a revenue stream that supports other PAC initiatives such as the annual Parish Party held in January. Remaining funds will be donated to the parish s Continuing to Renew All Things in Christ Capital Campaign. Although I have only been a member of St. Pius X Parish since 2013, when I talk to older members about the event, their eyes light up and they talk about how great it used to be. Being able to bring this back makes me excited! said Mrs. Moresea. She added, We hope that the St. Pius X Christmas Craft Bazaar will bring both people from within our parish as well as others outside our parish together. St. Francis of Assisi is quoted as saying Preach the Gospel at all times and, when necessary, use words. I believe the Christmas Craft Bazaar will give St. Pius X parishioners a chance to do exactly that; to show others Christ s love through how we interact with them and each other. Questions may be directed to Ariana Yokum at SPXcraftbazaar@spxreynoldsburg.com. Michelle Zuccarelli, Communications Support Specialist on the behalf of Pastoral Advisory Council (PAC) ADOPT-A-STUDENT SCHOOL SUPPLIES BENEFIT THE MOST IMPOVERISHED The new school year is not far away. Every year, the St. Pius X Adopt-A-Student project sponsored by Father Hohman Council 5253 of the Knights of Columbus benefits families served by the St. Francis Center in McArthur, Ohio, the county seat of Vinton County. Vinton County is Ohio s smallest county in terms of population and the most impoverished. Many families there cannot afford basic necessities, let alone school supplies. Through the generosity of parishioner donations, we helped fulfill their needs by distributing kits containing basic school supplies. Each kit included a pencil box, five No. 2 pencils, three ballpoint pens, a pair of blunt or pointed scissors, a box of 24-count crayons, a large eraser or three pencil-top erasers, and one large or three small glue sticks. They also collected packs of notebook filler paper or loose-leaf paper. Teachers requested extra supplies of facial tissues, hand sanitizer, and antibacterial wipes. This year, about 250 complete kits were needed. Collections of supplies were made on the weekends of July and 29-30, and the kits were assembled in the PAC Room on Monday, July 31, Members of the Knights of Columbus transported the kits to McArthur on August 1, Monetary donations were also accepted which enabled the Knights to purchase additional items that are needed as the school year continues. Donations have grown each year. In 2016, St. Pius X parishioners donated 232 complete kits, plus many extra items and $411 in cash. The total of 2017 donations was unavailable due to Connections deadline. All the items are used by the children of Vinton County. Ashley Riegel, the site manager for the St. Francis Center, said St. Pius X Church has been the main supplier of these items for the students for many years. Because of your help, the students get a good start on the school year and you get the satisfaction of helping a child in need. For more information, contact Tim or Sandy Puet at (614) or Thank you for your continued support. Tim Puet Knights of Columbus Council (614) STPIUSX@SPXREYNOLDSBURG.COM 5

6 Stewardship at St. Pius X STEWARDSHIP IN ACTION Stewards of God s gifts are not passive beneficiaries. We cooperate with God in our own redemption and in the redemption of others. We are also obliged to be stewards of the Church collaborators and cooperators in continuing the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, which is the Church s essential mission. This mission includes parents, who nurture their children in the light of faith; parishioners, who work in concrete ways to make their parishes true communities of faith and vibrant sources of service to the larger community; and all Catholics, who give generous support time, money, prayers, and personal service according to their circumstances to parish and diocesan programs and to the universal Church. 1 We asked some of our 55+ operating ministries and organizations at St. Pius X Church and School to share some of their stewardship activities from Garden Angels Garden Angels re-planted Easter lilies and hydrangea plants that are now thriving in our landscaping; the Knights of Columbus Council 5253 helped this group by spreading mulch in all the beds on campus. Matthew Ficocelli completed his Eagle Scout project to beautify the churchyard by adding a new gazebo, new benches, many new boxwood bushes and pampas grasses as well as a new Japanese maple tree. Upon the recommendation of the Capital Campaign Site Planning committee, the architect and the general contractor, Garden Angels removed several dead and dying ash trees from throughout the campus. It prepared the northern brush line for the capital campaign construction, where new Canadian Hemlock trees will be planted as a natural barrier. Thank you to the loyal volunteers who help to regularly weed, water and maintain the landscape beds. Garden Angels invites you to join the team! Contact John Beyer in the parish office at with questions. Learn more at spxreynoldsburg.com/garden-angels. Knights of Columbus Women s Club Men s Ministry: The Armory As a fellowship of Christian men focused on promoting, supporting and strengthening each other s spiritual growth through companionship, prayer, and the study of sacred Scripture, Catholic tradition, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this ministry is conducting its third year of That Man is You! in September This ministry operated two men s faith-sharing groups during 2016 and added a third in the summer of In 2017, they attended the Columbus Catholic Men s Conference and conducted their third Carry the Cross event on Holy Saturday with male participants ranging in age from 12 to 70+ years. Learn more at spxreynoldsburg.com/ mens-ministry. 1 To Be a Christian Steward: A Summary of the U.S. Bishops Pastoral Letter on Stewardship. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2017, from This social and charitable organization for women age 18 years and older has sixteen members who, in 2016, raised nearly $4,400 from their charitable activities. These activities included conducting dessert sales during spaghetti dinners and fish fries; the used book sale at the 2016 St. Pius X Festival; Santa s Gift Shop during the K of C Breakfast with Santa; and the annual Card and Game Night in the spring. Proceeds from these events all reverted to the parish and to local charities to help others including Reynoldsburg Helping Hands, Special Olympics- Reynoldsburg, Holy Family Soup Kitchen, and St. Pius X Parish School of Religion. Learn more at spxreynoldsburg.com/knightscolumbus-womens-club. THANK YOU FOR HELPING St. Pius X Church and School and the St. PIus X Festival Planning Committee thank you for helping with our parish festival on August 4 and 5. Whether you chaired a festival committee, volunteered as a festival worker, donated your time, talent or treasure to its efforts, or simply attended the event, you helped us to build the kingdom of God in Reynoldsburg and to strengthen our parish family. Proceeds raised from this year s festival will benefit our new parish center, part of the Phase I build of our Continuing to Renew All Things in Christ Capital Campaign, by providing needed funds to purchase tables and chairs for the social hall. We extend a special thanks to our corporate sponsors* who, through their generous donations, help us to offset our expenses and to increase our profits. Please consider patronizing our sponsors in the future to thank them. PLATINUM SPONSORS GOLD SPONSOR BRONZE SPONSOR EGAN-RYAN FUNERAL HOME * Known corporate sponsors at press date 6 ST. PIUS X CHURCH AND SCHOOL 1051 S. WAGGONER ROAD REYNOLDSBURG, OHIO 43068

7 KIDS FINDING FAITH Connections August 2017 There are only eight (8) words to find in this search. As you fill in the blanks, say the revealed prayer with special reverence. We begin and end our prayers with these words that honor the Blessed Trinity. M J Q K F T H E S M Some words are used more than once. T B K O O P Y A O E Judy Cafmeyer T I R I P S L P N N POWERFUL WORDS H V J P S F O T E N Q E I U A A H M N S AMEN NAME U P M T A F A T U P AND SON S C H A H N P G Z E FATHER SPIRIT K E N H N N D E E Q HOLY THE R T T V C I F Z X E B M K V C B J M U Z In of of of. Women of St. Pius X: Are you interested in getting together to explore your faith and to getting to know Christ better? Would you like to explore Scripture and see how the word of God speaks to your everyday life? If so, we have the program for you! We invite you to join Walking with Purpose, a new program starting this fall at St. Pius X for women who want to go deeper into their Catholic faith and to grow their personal relationship with Christ. Through personal study and small group discussions, the program helps to link our everyday challenges as daughters, sisters, wives, mothers and grandmothers with solutions provided by the Bible and by the Catholic Church. Interested in learning more? Please join us for an Open House/Information Session on September 13, 2017 at 7:00 PM in the PAC Room. Questions? Please contact Cyndi Williams at or at cyndiw2000@yahoo.com. You can also learn more about the program at the Walking with Purpose website: walkingwithpurpose.com. We hope to see you at the Open House. Cyndi Williams & Jeanne Swisher St Pius X Walking with Purpose Coordinators Walking with Purpose, Used with Permission (614) STPIUSX@SPXREYNOLDSBURG.COM 7

8 It is so very hard to believe that I am Pat Lutz provides important information Rachel Moresea, who are busy planning Editor s Note welcoming you to the August 2017 edition of the St. Pius X s newsletter, Connections! How this year has flown by. In this edition of Connections, Monsignor Funk provides us with an update on Phase 1 of the Continuing to Renew All Things in Christ Capital Campaign. How exciting it is to see construction underway. Welcome to Darren Smith, the new principal of St. Pius X School. His article provides updates on school activities and, especially, focuses on the on Joseph s Coat s partnership with the Columbus Public Health Department s Infant Safe Sleep Campaign and needs your help to achieve their goals. De Ann Bukowski offers some very thoughtful insight to two prayers, Judy Cafmeyer provides a learning activity for our young readers, and Tim Puet updates us on the 2017 Adopt-a-School project. Cyndi Williams and Jeanne Swisher invite all women to join Walking with Purpose, a new faith-sharing initiative. Michelle Zuccarelli reports on her for the November 2017 return of the longmissed St. Pius X Christmas Bazaar! Please consider writing an article for Connections. Are you involved in a particular ministry or project that you would like to shine a spotlight on? If possible, please submit your article as a Word document. Articles can be submitted to Michelle Carey at the parish office or to me directly at carol.a.mcglone@gmail.com. Your feedback is welcome. school theme, Be the Best Version of YOU. interview with Ariana Yokum and Carol McGlone Connections St. Pius X Church and School 1051 S. Waggoner Road Reynoldsburg, Oh Non-Profit Organization Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068