St. Jude Celebrates 25 Years of Stewardship. Fall CRHP Weekends. St. Jude Newsletter

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1 St. Jude Newsletter A bi-monthly newsletter dedicated to nurturing the growth and community of St. Jude Parish July September 2015 St. Jude Celebrates 25 Years of Stewardship By The Stewardship Committee Did you know that St. Jude has been a Stewardship Parish for 25 years? What does this anniversary mean to us? Why is St. Jude a Stewardship parish, and why is this is a good thing? We will explore these questions and other Stewardship topics in depth over the next year. We want to celebrate the last 25 years of Stewardship at St. Jude and recommit to our life of Stewardship for the future. We will launch our year of celebration the weekend of September 12 & 13. More information will be coming up on the website and in future bulletins. If you would like to read about the history of Stewardship at St. Jude, please visit the Stewardship page on our website Fall CRHP Weekends If you have not attended a Christ Renews His Parish weekend, or know of someone who would like to attend, please note the dates of our upcoming fall weekends. Women s CRHP weekend Sept. 12 & 13 Men s CRHP weekend Sept. 26 & 27 If you would like to learn more about CRHP please check out our web page at

2 Why Catholic? A journey through the Catechism ~ Offers a solid approach to help adults deepen their Catholic Faith and connect its teachings to their everyday lives. ~ Each session is centered in prayer, and explores Catholic teaching from scripture and the Catholic Catechism. ~ Strengthens friendships with Jesus and the group. ~ Offers suggestions for reflection and taking action. Why Catholic meets six weeks in the Fall and six weeks during Lent for four years. Fall 2015 and Lent 2016: Fall 2016 and Lent 2017: PRAYER / we grow closer to God. CREED / we believe Fall 2017 and Lent 2018: Fall 2018 and Lent 2019: SACRAMENTS / we celebrate LIFE in CHRIST / we walk with Jesus. The first session begins the week of October 4, Pray and consider making a six-week commitment. If you miss a six week session, you can pick up again with the next. Watch for the opportunity to sign up in early September. Sign up weekend is Sept Sign up at church that weekend, online or contact Jeff Rose at or Mary Pohlman at / mpohlman@stjudefw.org By Sue Sherburne Elementary Religious Education We have a magnificent story to share with your children! It's the story of the promise of eternal life that Jesus taught when He walked this earth. This story has adventure, challenge and divine love. At your child's Baptism you, as parents, committed to raise your child in the Catholic faith and we are here to assist you in that task. If your children do not attend our parish school, please prayerfully consider allowing them to join our Tuesday evening program to hear more of the story of God's love. This gives a foundation for walking this journey of life. Classes are for children in kindergarten through grade 8. We meet on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 7:45 in the school. See our parish website for further information, calendar and registration form. Contact Sue at or ssherburne@stjudefw.org with your questions. 3

3 Celebrate St. Jude: Taste and See Parish Cook-off: Calling All Cooks By Christine Nix Its new, its fun and it is not a fundraiser. Join us for a new event sponsored by the Home and School Association, HASA, on Saturday, October 10 from 7-10 pm in the church basement. This new event called Celebrate St. Jude will be an opportunity to celebrate our parish and school community, build fellowship, and have a great time. This new event replaces the annual HASA Auction. What makes Celebrate St. Jude different? It is not a fundraiser. It is a community builder. HASA, under the guidance of Fr. Jake and the stewardship committee, is trying to fully embrace the true concept of stewardship. This means we will no longer be having fundraisers, but instead our events will focus on building community and celebrating our faith. We are calling out parishioners who like to cook! Join us for this fun event in which you, the cook/chef, will provide food samples of your homemade specialties. It could be soup, salad, wings, meatballs, cookies, dessert, etc. We are still working out all the categories. We will be accepting three cooks/chef per category. Everyone who attends the event will sample and judge the best item in each category. What a great way to share your time and talent and a great way to meet people in our parish and our school. Plus eat lots of great food! If you are interested in learning more about cooking for Celebrate St. Jude contact Amy Delaney, our cook coordinator for the committee at or dadelaney@frontier.com. If you would like to serve on the committee please contact Pearl Henry, Celebrate St. Jude Committee Chair at or henrrp02@hotmail.com. St. Jude Parent Orientation Day HASA will again conduct a Back to School Orientation Day. This day will be used to gather information from preschool through 8th grade for the school, fill out volunteer time & talent sheets, sign up for Safe Environment training (all volunteers must go through a safe environment screening), sign up for lunch/recess duty, AND let you know who your child s teacher will be for the school year. Orientation day will be held Tuesday, August 11 from 9:00am-12:00pm and 4:00pm 7:00pm. This does not take the place of the Ice Cream Social. When you attend the Ice Cream Social (August 17th from 2-3:30pm), the class list will be posted so your child will find out who is in their class. We look forward to seeing everyone there. Please look for a mailing later this summer that will contain more information. Those chairpersons who need a table at Orientation Day, please contact Christine Nix at (home) or (cell). MANY VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO MAKE THIS DAY HAPPEN if interested, please contact Christine Nix at cjnix4@frontier.com. 4

4 My Vocation By Sister Mary Jesse The seed of my vocation was planted in my soul when I was baptized. I felt a religious vocation awaken in my heart when I was twelve years old and in the sixth grade. I loved being with the Sisters of Notre Dame at my elementary school. The Sisters nourished my love for prayer and encouraged me to say the vocation prayer every day. In high school, I became a Notre Dame Aspirant and lived with other girls at our Provincial Center while attending Notre Dame Academy. While in the Aspirancy, I attended daily Mass with the Sisters and had the opportunity to discern God s call to me. While not all the girls continued, I felt an attraction and so continued my journey as Postulant, Novice and Junior Sister until the day I made my final vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. To be a Consecrated Religious in a worldwide Congregation inspires me to be of service to God s people. I love my ministry with children, families, coworkers and the people I meet in parishes. The Sisters I live with support me in living a joy-filled life for the Lord. We continue to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life by publishing two more vocation stories from the Sisters of Notre Dame. If you missed Sister Kathleen s vocation story, or want to read more about what the Consecrated Life is, please go to: and read the April-June 2015 Grapevine. By Sister Mary Damian When I was in grade school, I attended the public school. Every Sunday, the Sisters came from Toledo to give us instructions. In the second grade, as we were getting ready for First Communion, Sister told us that on First Communion Day we could ask Jesus for anything we wanted and He would give it to us. I asked that I might become a Sister. In high school, I attended a Catholic girls school. The thoughts of my First Communion bothered me, but I was having too much fun as a teenager. In my senior year, one of the Sisters talked to me about my vocation. After graduation, I entered the Sisters of Notre Dame. That was 69 years ago! 2

5 St. Jude Team takes 11th Place at Destination Imagination Global Finals 2015 By Emma Ankenbruck After a hectic week preparing for the Global Finals tournament at Knoxville, St. Jude s team Shenanigan stormed Tennessee with all the spirit, determination, and enthusiasm as little kids on Christmas morning. They were bound and determined to give their all and share their all at the competition. True to their word, they became the team to rally the other Indiana teams during Welcome Ceremonies and Closing Ceremonies, waving the Indiana flag and cheering for the teams. They released green balloons towards the crowd, with friendly hashtags of Irish luck, spreading uplifting messages to all the teams seated in the arena. They decorated all three floors of the hotel with green streamers, balloons, shamrocks, and encouraging notes for the teams that were housed with them. The kids had a great time enjoying all the activities offered, including the Expo, NASA Space Camp workshops, Journey to Mars interactive exhibit, Sound Effects workshop, Script and Songwriting workshop, Electricity & Circuits workshop, and Pin Trading, among many others. The team placed 11th over 41 teams that competed in their Fine Arts challenge and level, missing the tenth place by a point. This is a welcome improvement from their last stint at Global Finals 2012 where they finished in 12th place. This year, the team competed against teams from Poland, South Korea, China, Qatar, and numerous teams from all over the United States. Although the whole experience was intense, the spirit of friendly competition dominated the event throughout the week. During awarding, teams cheered and clapped for all the deserving champions for the season, and many new friendships were forged, overcoming distance, diversity and language barriers. Team Shenanigan thanks everyone who supported them in their journey to Global Finals this season, and they are looking forward to the upcoming challenge next DI season. By Sister Kathleen School Board I thank the School Board members for their generosity this past year in assisting Fr. Jake, and me. The Board is consultative to both of us. In order to provide the best possible Catholic education for your children, we encourage you to share your ideas with any School Board member, Fr. Jake or Mike Obergfell. They can then incorporate your ideas in their work on School Board. Agenda planning takes place two weeks prior to the Board meeting. The following will serve on the School Board: Fr. Jake, Mike Obergfell, Carrie Heck, Cyndy Kelly, Steve Yaggy, Rob Henry, Tesa Helge, Andrew Weadock, Jessica Brita-Segyde, and Tony Patrick. We are grateful for the generous contributions of Maria Odle, Susan Schenkel, Michelle Kraus, and Bob Bergeron, who will no longer be serving on the board. 5

6 About 18 years ago, I became a parishioner of St. Jude Church. I had gone to the Eaglemania Festival several times and thought it was pretty cool. As years went by, Heather & I had kids and enjoyed the festival in a different way. The last couple of years, Denny Brandt & I had the honor of being the Co-Chairs of Eaglemania, and in doing so, we've gotten to see the festival from a completely new aspect. Just as many others, who volunteer their time and talent around the parish, I have gotten the privilege to work with a multitude of folks who truly give the best of themselves. I offer my gratitude to all those who have worked as Eaglemania chairs and committee members in years past, and who made this job look easy! My special thanks for those who have given many years of service on the committee. Those retiring this year are Jeremy & Donna Willson, Tim & Ellen Bouillon, and Rob Evans & Babette Record...my thanks to all of you!!! Special gratitude to Sister Damian, Didier Meats, Ziffles, Blue Stack Smokehouse, Pizza Hut, El Azteca, Ice Cream Novelties, AALCO, Jerry Bergoff, Party A-Part, Parkview Hospital, Matt Momper, Mike Payton, John Offerle, Tera Hogan, Stacy Engelhaupt, Mike Crick, the St. Jude Knights of Columbus, the St. Jude Scouts, the Men & Women of CRHP Teams #42, Mark & Leslie Corral, Lou Henry, Mike Kucharski, Cyndi Kelly, Scott Kiser, Paul Kiser, Amy Brandt, Heather Cisz, the family members of Eaglemania Committees, our "minstrel pastor" Father Jake and the many, many more unspoken parishioners & volunteers who demonstrate to us how to live out the Kingdom of God. In Christ, Rob Cisz. Thank You from Eaglemania Parish Council Parish Council welcomes Teresa Hartman, Richard Woehnker, Ron Palmer and Deb Gerbers. You can contact them or any of the current council members if you have ideas or concerns for the Pastoral care of the parish. These members are: Mike Ankenbruck, Tim Burns, Dave Salyer, Steve Sholl, Julie Renninger, Sue Zschernitz, Jeanne Wagner and John Hill. Join Us for the St. Jude Parish Ice Cream Social Sunday, August :30pm Class lists will be posted Join us for Adult Education Thursdays Our Adult Education Thursdays season will begin on Sept. 10. They will be one Thursday a month from 6-8pm Watch the bulletin & website for dates and topics. 6pm Mass, 6:30 Dinner, 7 Presentation, 7:45 Night Prayer Childcare will be provided from 7-8pm 6

7 St Jude VBS This years theme was Be A Saint. The children learned about the lives of several saints and had fun participating in games, crafts, prayer, songs and snacks. All of the activities were designed to help us Be A Saint! 7

8 address: Web site: Heather Cisz Editor Liz Sanders The deadline for the next issue is Sept. 10th, 2015 Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend St. Jude Parish The Grapevine 2130 Pemberton Drive Fort Wayne, IN "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." Hebrews 1:3 "I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." John 12:46