One of these Sundays, I d love to

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1 Saint Peter C a t h o l i c C h u r c h Inside 2 Pentecost and Stewardship Tongues of Fire Putting Hands to Work 3 Pro-Life Rosary Ministry Impacts Parish and Community 4 Greeter Ministry Plays Key Role in Parish Hospitality 6 Mothers and Stewardship 7 Parishioner to Deacon Bob Lundberg Taking the Next Step A Letter from Our Pastor May 2012 What Does the Ascension Mean to You? Dear Parishioners, One of these Sundays, I d love to have someone take a survey of our parishioners as they arrive at Mass and record their responses for my own information. The survey I m thinking of would have one question: What is the importance of the Ascension of the Lord? Some might reply that it completes Jesus earthly ministry. Others probably would mention that Jesus returned to heaven so He could send the Holy Spirit to guide and empower the Church. Still others could state that He ascended to heaven to prepare a place for us. All these answers, and several additional ones, would be correct. But if they answered honestly, I m afraid many Catholics would confess they never give the Ascension much thought, even though they state they believe it every Sunday ( He ascended into heaven ), and they have no idea of its meaning. But it is one of the major feasts in May. The Ascension is more than one of the key historical events that founded Christianity. It is also a call to us to turn our attention to heaven. St. Paul wrote, If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Col 3:1) and our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20). As the Catechism of the Catholic Church ( 666) expresses: Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, precedes us into the Father s glorious kingdom so that we, the members of his Body, may live in the hope of one day being with him for ever. My point is that we should not limit our vision to earthly horizons. We re called to view our life here on Earth in light of our ultimate home, with Christ in heaven. There are those who claim that for Christians to pay any attention to heaven means that we neglect service to other people here on Earth. But just the opposite is true. continued on back cover St. Peter Parish is a Catholic community of faith bringing the light of Christ to all by ser ving others

2 St. Peter Catholic Church Pentecost and Stewardship Tongues of Fire Putting Hands to Work Basketball sportscasters often describe a player who seemingly can t miss a basket as being on fire. Sometimes we say a person is fired up when he or she shows passion about some topic or situation. And rambunctious toddlers often earn the title fireball. Though it s difficult to show any real etymological proof, it s easy to imagine that phrases like these take their origins from the biblical account of Pentecost. According to the book of Acts, Pentecost (literally, 50 days ) was the day when tongues of fire descended upon Mary and the Apostles, rendering them so confident and excited about Jesus that they wanted to tell the whole world about Him. It was the day they got fired up about the Gospel. And what better image than flame to symbolize this new burst of energy! Pentecost which falls on May 27 this year has become so important in the eyes of Christians that it is known as the birthday of the Church. The Holy Spirit though active even in Old Testament times suddenly blazed into action with an unprecedented sign of power. It was on that day, in the upper room, when the Apostles faint-hearted assembly (Greek ecclesia) was transformed into Ecclesia, the Church. Within hours, maybe minutes, the Apostles discovered that their little band was responsible for the most ambitious marketing campaign the world has ever seen: Tell everyone about Jesus, ASAP. How did they know this was the plan? If it wasn t made clear by the sudden dissipation of their fearfulness, it was immediately confirmed by the fact that the onlookers in the streets heard the Apostles in their own respective languages. This remarkable detail, scholars believe, is a testament that the Church is both universal and missionary. That is, the Church is for everyone, but it s up to current members to spread the message. Consider for a moment if the Apostles had not responded by spilling into the streets to tell passers-by about Jesus. What if they had brushed off the gift of the Spirit like an errant firefly? Or, an equally frightening alternative, what if they ran about haphazardly telling everyone about Jesus, without rallying around Peter, who stood up with the Eleven and proclaimed in a loud voice one single Gospel message to the crowds? These scenarios should give us pause. To receive a gift, but not use it or to use it, but with little judgment changes the whole world. It s that dramatic. We too should listen to St. Peter when he says, As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God s varied grace (1 Pet 4:10). If the Holy Spirit was able to light a fire under the Apostles, it can happen to us, too! 2

3 May 2012 Pro-Life Rosary Ministry Impacts Parish and Community The Rosary is the weapon. St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina Nearly every evening, Jeremy and Jen Dyer and their five sons have a good, long talk with the Mother of Heaven. She hears what they have to say, and she even responds. They also commit to praying the Rosary about every six weeks to promote the culture of life. As they pray to the Blessed Mother, graces shower down from above, and their lives are blessed with peace, love and joy. We enjoy doing the pro-life Rosary because we like to pray the Rosary as a family anyhow, and it gives us a way to keep the Rosary alive, Jen says. As parents in today s world, Jeremy and Jen feel strongly that they are doing the best thing for their children, as well as fulfilling the essence of their vocation. We talk to our children plainly about abortion, and even explain to them that it is a form of murder, Jen says. We tell them that it is sort of like when the Holy Innocents were martyred around the time of Jesus birth. If we don t talk about it with our children, and voice our opinions about it, we believe we are not doing our duty as Catholics. The Dyers are just one of the many families and individuals who sign up to pray the Rosary on behalf of the Pro- Life Ministry at our parish. Families who would like to participate in this effort initially contact Susan Asher, who coordinates the entire Pro-Life Ministry at our parish along with the help of Pastoral Associate Martha Rapp. Susan puts them on a schedule, and reminds them a week before it is their turn. Each day during the week, the prayer warriors get to work, praying the Rosary with accompanying pro-life mysteries and intentions. The effort was initiated about five years ago, when parishioners realized the importance of prayer as the backbone of every good Christian effort. We wanted St. Peter s Pro-Life Ministry to be based in prayer, Susan says. This is why we felt the praying of the Rosary was a good way to ensure this. We have made prayer the foundation and one of the most important prongs of the ministry. Some people may not be comfortable praying outside in front of an abortion clinic, but with this prayer effort, they can still participate in the Pro-Life Ministry by praying the Rosary at home. The Rosary is a very powerful form of prayer. The prayer intentions addressed vary. For example, families pray for local crisis pregnancy centers, pro-life legislative measures and for those who are actively praying at abortion clinics. Working hand-in-hand with the prayer ministry, Susan also s all of those who are involved in the Pro-Life Ministry with information about what is going on legislatively in our country in regards to pro-life efforts. For more information, contact Susan Asher at , or by at asherte@yahoo.com 3

4 St. Peter Catholic Church Greeter Ministry Plays Key Youth Greeter Joshua Dyer Youth Greeter Philip Dyer First impressions can be very important. This is why parishioners of St. Peter have rallied behind the Greeter Ministry in making guests to our weekend liturgies feel welcomed. Each weekend, the ministry provides greeters to serve at the main entrance of the church, welcome all those attending, and help direct visitors. We re there to give a friendly welcome, especially for the new people that haven t been here before and those that are just joining the parish, says Krisha Ley, who has been greeting with her husband, Eric, and three daughters since the ministry began three years ago. We want to show right from the first that we are a welcoming parish of friendly people. It s a nice introduction to our parish and it gives people a good first impression. In recent years greeting ministries have become more and more popular in Catholic parishes around the country. In fact, ministry coordinator Jodi McDonald brought the idea to the parish after seeing how effective it was during her time at a parish in Louisville, KY. It was something that I thought was important at my old parish, so I thought it was a good idea to bring here, Jodi says. The ministry has grown a lot in our three years from having to hunt for someone to greet, to now having enough The ministry has three years from h someone to gree enough people g have all the Masse grown so much e stewardship renewa be able to cover al the church Greeter Minis Jodi Mc Youth Greeter Clayton Dyer 4

5 May 2012 Role in Parish Hospitality people greeting that we have all the Masses covered. We ve grown so much especially after our stewardship renewal that we ll soon be able to cover all the entrances to the church as well. Like many members of the ministry, Jodi and Krisha greet with their husbands and children. Both of them consider it to be a perfect opportunity for families to participate together and to provide their children with an early outlet for parish ministry. Eric and I are both involved in many areas of parish ministry, so we thought it would be a great way to introduce our kids to the importance of ministering in the parish, Krisha says. It s a lot of fun to do and the kids just love it. They open the doors and say good morning when they see people walking up. It s exciting for them to see the reaction of the people coming in and the smiles and hellos. It makes the day seem brighter for them and for the folks coming in too. While the ministry has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years, there is always a need for further help in fully staffing all the weekend Masses. Individuals, couples and families with children are all welcome to participate. Those interested can contact Jodi, whose contact information is listed weekly in the parish bulletin. grown a lot in our aving to hunt for t, to now having reeting that we s covered. We ve specially after our l that we ll soon l the entrances to as well. try coordinator Donald Greeters Jeremy and Jen Dyer with one of their sons, Daniel Youth Greeter Andrew McDonald 5

6 St. Peter Catholic Church Mothers and Stewardship During the month of May, let us all take some time to express our appreciation to our mothers for allowing us to come into this world, for loving us, and for serving as an example of what it means to be a steward for life. We celebrate the month of Mary during May, and during this month, we also celebrate Mother s Day. It seems fitting that we honor our mothers during May, since Mary is given to us by God as the example of true Christian motherhood. Those who are called to be mothers have been blessed by God and called to fulfill a very important responsibility. Mothers are the vehicle through which God brings new life into this world. When we talk about Christian stewardship, we talk about sacrificially returning to God what we have been given. What can more clearly be a demonstration of complete sacrifice than the relationship between mother and child during the nine months of growth in the womb? During these nine months, the child s life depends on the actions of the mother, as the first portion of her energy and nourishment goes directly to the growing baby. Although this relationship may change to some extent after the child is born, a mother s sacrifice for her child is far from over after the birth. The role of the mother is critical in the child s development both spiritually and physically throughout life. Mothers provide the comfort, nurturing and support necessary for their children to become productive citizens and responsible Christians. The job of a mother is not an easy one. This is a fact that Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew very well. She worried when her son appeared to be lost at the age of 12, only to find Him later in His Father s House. She was probably concerned as Jesus began His public ministry not knowing what difficulties and rejections He would encounter along the way. And Mary must have experienced great anguish as she watched her Son s body being crucified to a cross. May all mothers look to Mary as their model for motherhood and ask her intercession as they strive to fulfill their God-given role in their children s lives. During the month of May, let us all take some time to express our appreciation to our mothers for allowing us to come into this world, for loving us, and for serving as an example of what it means to be a steward for life. 6

7 May 2012 Parishioner to Deacon Bob Lundberg Taking the Next Step After five years of preparation, Bob Lundberg is excited about his upcoming ordination to the diaconate. The main thing I m looking forward to is being able to go out and do something for God that I haven t been able to do before, Bob says. I m looking forward to being ordained, just working for God, being able to go out and do God s work, and trusting that God will give me the grace to go through with it. Bob is one of 14 men who will be ordained as deacons on June 16 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, Ill. Though his formal preparation began about five years ago, the path that led Bob to this point started long before that. Bob converted to Catholicism when he was in college, and even before that he had a sense that he should be doing more with his life than simply living it. Then, a little over a decade ago, Bob began to consider the diaconate. With the continued support and encouragement of his wife, Mary Ann, he finally took the plunge and started the program. She has been very supportive and helped me immensely, Bob says. She s probably why I got into the diaconate. Watching her faith, it has increased mine. Once he started his formal preparation, Bob saw what a blessing it would be for his life. The experience has been fantastic, he says. I thought I knew a lot about my faith, but when you get in formation like this, you find out you don t. It s unbelievable the stuff you don t know and need to learn. That has been fantastic. Taking the next step and the next step, it s been wonderful. Throughout this journey, Bob has felt the support of the community, and he has come to understand how significant that support can be. The support there has been phenomenal, he says. The priests and the people, they pray for me all the time. My family has prayed for me, I have neighbors that have stepped up to the plate and prayed for me and helped me through things. It s amazing how people step up and embrace the diaconate, especially in their prayers. Perhaps the greatest thing to come out of Bob s path to the diaconate is the effect it has had on his own faith life, which in turn leads to a greater capacity to carry out his call to serve God in his new role as a deacon. I ve seen tremendous spiritual growth for him, says Msgr. Leo Enlow. I ve seen a willingness to serve the Church. It s been a remarkable experience to see God working through him in this vocation. Parishioners are invited to attend the ordination at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, Ill. on June 16. Call the parish office for more information. 7

8 St. Peter Catholic Church 2600 Maine Street Quincy, Illinois Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 105, Quincy, IL New Mass & Reconciliation Schedule Sunday Masses Saturday: 5 p.m., Sunday: 8, 9:30 and 11 a.m. Weekday Masses Mon-Sat: 8:00 a.m., except for Wednesdays during the school year: 8:30 a.m. Reconciliation Saturday: 7:30-7:50 a.m., 3:30-4:30 p.m. or by appointment What Does the Ascension Mean to You? continued from front cover We actually have more incentive to work for the wellbeing of our fellow humans because we know that people live beyond the grave. The thought quoted by St. Paul, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die (1 Cor 15:32) is one espoused by those who think our existence ends at the grave, not by Christians. We know that how we treat others, how we help or hurt them, has eternal consequences for them and for us. We re called to offer our time, our talent, and our treasure to share the Good News of God s love shown in Jesus and to relieve their suffering. Because we believe that human life is not confined to our years on Earth we re called to work for justice and to eradicate the causes of poverty and bitterness. We have a responsibility to tear down the barriers that keep people from seeking the Kingdom of God. The Church insists that our faith in God and our desire for all people to come into His presence in heaven strengthens rather than weakens our commitment to improve earthly life. In fact, the Liturgy of the Hours that the clergy and religious pray includes a petition, Make our work today benefit our brothers and sisters, that with them and for them we may build an earthly city, pleasing to you. In light of the truth of our heavenly citizenship, we may need to shift our priorities. How are you using the time, the talent, and the treasure God has entrusted to you to prepare yourself and others to enter the presence of our ascended Lord? Rev. Msgr. Leo J. Enlow Pastor