A Letter From Our Pastor

Transcription

1 The Grateful Heart Living Stewardship as a Way of Life A Letter From Our Pastor Stewardship: A Positive Way to Live August 2016 Inside this Issue: The Eucharist and Stewardship as a Way of Life From Sunday to Every Day Renee Garnett on Living the Faith Through Fellowship and Service Do Small Things With 6 Great Love Anticipating the Canonization of Mother Teresa 2 4 Dear Sacred Heart Families, There is something about August and early September that is glorious. The summer heat is still hanging around some days, but we can also see the end of this wonderful season drawing closer our vacations are over, and we may be sadly anticipating the end of this relaxing time with back-toschool and a return to the busyness of life upon us. We are at that point in the year when things are coming to an end and things are beginning all at once. However, isn t that the way it always is? The Russian playwright and short-story writer Anton Chekhov once said, People don t notice whether it is winter or summer when they are happy. There is certainly truth to that statement. You might say it is a stewardship statement. I am sure you are wondering how to make the connection between Chekhov s quote and stewardship, but the connection is found quite simply in the word happy. I once heard someone say in a presentation about stewardship that people who live stewardship as a way of life are almost always happy. There is a reason for that. Stewardship is a positive way to live. It means feeling grateful and centering your thoughts on gratitude. In other words, your focus is on the good things in life, not the bad. That does not mean you have perfect health or that all is ideal in your family, that you always sleep well at night, or that you enjoy continued on back cover Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church 5501 Monticello Road, Shawnee, KS (913)

2 The Eucharist and Stewardship as a Way of Life More than 20 years ago, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a pastoral letter titled Stewardship: A Disciple s Response. This document was an invitation to follow Christ Who gave of Himself for us. Each of us is called to serve our neighbors and to be stewards of God s creation and of all that has been entrusted to us. However, to truly understand stewardship, we must look to the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Eucharist is the total gift of our loving Savior to us. Stewardship is our response to that gift. Even the word Eucharist implies stewardship. The word Eucharist finds its roots in the Latin word eucharistia, which in turn came from the Greek word eukaristos, which meant, quite simply, gratitude or thanksgiving. How fitting that we, who are called to be a stewardship people, celebrate at the focal point of every Mass an act of thanksgiving and gratitude namely, the reception of Jesus gift to us the Eucharist. In their pastoral letter on stewardship, the bishops speak of the Eucharist in this way: The Eucharist is the great sign and agent of this expansive communion of charity we enjoy a unique union with Christ and, in Him, with one another. Here His love indeed, His very Self flows into us as disciples and, through us and our practice of stewardship to the entire human race. When we receive Christ s Body in the Holy Eucharist, we hear the minister say, The Body of Christ. To this, we respond, Amen which means in Hebrew, Yes; it is so. This is the essence of stewardship. We should enter the Church for Mass out of gratitude. We recognize the presence of the Lord in Holy Communion, and then we truly receive the Lord. What is left for us to do is the fulfillment of stewardship that is, sharing what we have received in love of God and neighbor. Our entire experience speaks to stewardship we are grateful; we recognize the real presence of the Lord; we receive the Lord; and then we share what we have received. Christ s gift to us through the Eucharist is an invitation to us. We are called to give beyond what is convenient or what may be comfortable. We are called to forgive even when forgiveness may not be deserved; we are called to love even when that love is not returned. We are called to love as God loves us. The Eucharist is stewardship celebrated. The Mass is more than a ritual. It is an actual encounter with God, with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We need to respond to the Eucharist with our complete selves. What we experience in the Eucharist should, in turn, translate into our daily lives. We are committed to the Church, which is Christ s body. We show our love for His body by acts of charity and generosity. We spend time in prayer, expressing our gratitude and our love. God s greatest gift to us is Christ s great love for us this was shown when He was crucified on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to give us eternal life. God s love for us is without limit, and He offers Himself to us in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Stewardship is how we respond to that gift. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and the works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church,

3 Protecting God s Children The VIRTUS Program at Sacred Heart of Jesus The Church takes its responsibilities in relationship to children very seriously, especially in recent years. As a result of concerns about abuse of children, the Archdiocese of Kansas City mandated and instituted the VIRTUS program in each parish several years ago. I was trained by the Safe Environment Compliance Administrator for the Archdiocese, and assumed my role as Coordinator this past June, says Maureen Reintjes, the VIRTUS Coordinator for both the parish and school here at Sacred Heart of Jesus. In addition, in a volunteer capacity, I am the Department of Justice Academy-trained NamUs.gov Victim Advocate for the State of Kansas. In that position, I have kept informed with crimes against the vulnerable children, teens, adults, and the elderly with experts from law enforcement across the nation. I totally endorse the VIRTUS Protecting God s Children program and training. The VIRTUS program was developed in the late 1980s by the Catholic Risk Retention Group and has been updated and improved many times since. The program is in compliance with Article 12 of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. There are two aspects of VIRTUS one for parents and adults, and one for the young and vulnerable. When we have compliance at all times to the Protecting God s Children Safe Environment Program by all of our ministries, all of our volunteers, and all of our staff, then we are truly taking the steps needed that will help us do our part in striving to keep God s children safe, Maureen says. The Archdiocese explains VIRTUS as follows: All employees whether working around children or not; and all volunteers who have contact with children and/or youth are required to submit to background checks prior to any contact with young people. In addition, all employees, clergy, and volunteers are required to attend VIRTUS, a child safety and awareness program designed for adults. Volunteers between the ages of who participate in environments and activities that may include children must also attend a VIRTUS awareness session. Children under 16 should never attend a VIRTUS awareness session. The second aspect aimed at the young and children themselves is described in this way: All children under the age of 18 enrolled in Catholic continued on page 5 When we have compliance at all times to the Protecting God s Children Safe Environment Program by all of our ministries, all of our volunteers, and all of our staff, then we are truly taking the steps needed that will help us do our part in striving to keep God s children safe. Maureen Reintjes, VIRTUS Coordinator 3

4 From Sunday to Every Day Renee Garnett on Living the Faith Through Fellowship and Service For Renee Garnett, who was raised in a Catholic family, practicing the faith was something you do on Sundays and privately. When I was a kid, Catholicism was something we did on Sunday for an hour, Renee says. Now, it s something we are. Renee s perspective began to change in seventh grade, when she met a friend who attended daily Mass and prayed the Rosary each day at lunch. Inspired by her friend s example, Renee began learning more about her faith and deepening her relationship with God. When I was a kid, Catholicism was something we did on Sunday for an hour, says Renee Garnett. Now, it s something we are. I started to learn the beauty of Catholicism, and I fell in love with it, she says. After meeting and marrying her husband, Dave, who was in medical school, the couple rarely stayed in one place for long, due to Dave s work. Renee quickly recognized the importance of involvement in a parish. Having moved as much as I did, I learned early on that the best way to connect with a community was a parish, she says. [Involvement] became my lifeline. Upon moving to Shawnee 12 years ago, the family joined Sacred Heart. And at first, Renee tried to connect with other neighborhood moms. I wanted fellowship, but the fellowship I was getting was very superficial, Renee says. Renee realized that, in order to integrate the faith fully into her and her family s life, both service and fellowship through the Church would be important. Then, God answered her prayers. I met a group of women delving into their faith, we started exploring the faith together and meeting for coffee, Renee says. We d all sit around and talk about whatever is going on in our lives and we d pray together. The family also grew closer to God through their involvement in the parish. Renee served in the Choir, RCIA, and as a sacristan. Dave, a surgeon, often makes himself available in medical emergencies, as well as serving as a gift bearer. Their sons Ian, 21; Brennan, 19; and Dylan, 16 have served the parish in various ways, as altar servers, lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, to the Children s Church. For Renee, it has been important her faith into her friendships, her service, and her day-to-day activities. I m not doing anything exciting or heroic, she says. But I m trying to make the things that I m doing count. When it comes to sharing that mentality with their three sons, Dave and Renee try to be witnesses of living the faith in the every day. I think it s the little things that you do consistently, Renee says. For the child who saw her faith as just a Sunday thing, being involved at Sacred Heart has helped Renee and her family incorporate their faith into the daily routine. It s our identity, she says. It s taking the everyday things we do, and making them holy. Renee encourages others who may have been raised with the same mentality she had to take a step forward and get involved in the parish. Some people, it doesn t occur to them to get involved, she says. They were raised going to church continued on page 5 When you re just going to check a box and not putting your heart into the community, you re the one who s losing. Go to something where you re getting fed. Learn more about your faith so they can enjoy the richness of it. Renee Garnett 4

5 From Sunday to Every Day continued from page 4 on Sunday, so that s what they do. They don t have a concept in being involved on a deeper level, as part of the community. When you re just going to check a box and not putting your heart into the community, you re the one who s losing, Renee continues. Go to something where you re getting fed. Learn more about your faith so they can enjoy the richness of it. If you would like to learn more about getting involved in the parish, please contact the parish office at Renee and Dave Garnett and their three sons have been involved at Sacred Heart for the past 12 years. Protecting God s Children continued from page 3 Schools or Religious Formation Programs or parish youth groups participate in age-appropriate awareness training designed for children to help protect them. Parents who choose to opt out of these children s programs on behalf of their children may obtain training materials from their parish or school so they themselves can provide awareness training for their own children. The bottom line is that many adults are required to attend a VIRTUS session, Maureen says. People need to plan ahead to get their training in the VIRTUS program. As in anything, nothing is instantaneous there is an important process and attending training sessions is part of that. It all has to be done before people can either volunteer or work with or around children. Sessions at Sacred Heart are scheduled and planned throughout the year people can attend any session anywhere in the archdiocese, however. All sessions, their dates, times, and locations can be found at virtusonline.org. These are one-time, free, three-hour training sessions. Currently scheduled here at Sacred Heart are the following sessions: Aug. 9 (6 p.m.) Sept. 1 (6 p.m.) Sept. 12 (6 p.m.) Oct. 26 (6 p.m.) For more information or to register, please contact Maureen Reintjes at or maureen.reintjes@shoj.org. 5

6 Do Small Things With Great Love Anticipating the Canonization of Mother Teresa 6 In the dark final years of the Cold War, a small woman standing at barely five feet tall offered a living counternarrative to the inhibiting fear undergirding our daily lives and our foreign affairs. Instead of living in fear, Mother Teresa acted out of love. Instead of withdrawing and isolating herself, she gave tirelessly to others. Many of us harbor a personal connection to this saint, for we lived during the height of the media coverage of Mother Teresa s work and her friendships with Pope St. John Paul II and the beloved Princess Diana. Long before she received the name Mother Teresa and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born on Aug. 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, the crossroads of the Balkans. The youngest of three children, Mother Teresa was raised predominately by her mother after her father s death, when she was about 8 years old. Dranafile (Drana) Bojaxhiu, Mother Teresa s mother, undoubtedly became a strong influence on her daughter s vocation, since Drana herself was a devout Catholic and known for her prayer life and her charity. Agnes attended a Catholic primary school and, following the example of her mother, became active in their parish and sang in Sacred Heart s choir. As a young person, Agnes enjoyed reading the lives of the saints while immersing herself in the stories of these holy men and women, Agnes first felt the stirring call to become a missionary. At the age of 18, Agnes traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to join the Sisters of Loreto. She became Sr. Mary Teresa, named after St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and began to learn English within a few months of arriving in Ireland, she left for India. In India Sr. Mary Teresa lived at the Loreto Entally community in Calcutta where she served as an educator and taught at St. Mary s School. After her final profession, she became Mother Teresa and, a few years later, began serving as the school s principal. On an ordinary day, Mother Teresa received an extraordinary call. While on a train ride to her annual retreat, Mother Teresa felt what she would describe as Jesus thirst for souls. Soon, Jesus called her to found the Missionaries of Charity, an order devoted to serving the poorest of the poor. The order formally began on Oct. 7, 1950, and has grown from one woman tending the sick and dying in the streets of Calcutta to over 4,500 religious sisters helping the poor in over 130 countries around the world. Additionally, the order grew to include the Missionaries of Charity Brothers, the Missionaries of Charity Fathers and the Lay Missionaries of Charity. Though externally Mother Teresa joyfully and indefatigably served the poor for nearly 50 years, during the majority of this time, she experienced a dark night of the soul, an extensive period of not feeling God s presence or hearing His voice. Other saints, notably St. John of the Cross, similarly experienced a dark night of the soul. Despite this spiritual struggle, Mother Teresa continued her work joyfully throughout her sickness and until her death on Sept. 5, St. Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa in Fittingly, this year, a pontiff who has underscored the importance of social justice will celebrate her canonization. On Sept. 4, 2016, Pope Francis will canonize Mother Teresa, the Saint of the Gutters, at the Vatican in the last months of this Jubilee Year of Mercy. A 20th century saint, Mother Teresa offers us an example of ceaseless prayer and selfless service. She is a modern model of sainthood that we can emulate in our daily lives starting with how we serve and treat the other members of our family, our faith community and all those with whom we interact on a daily basis. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, Pray for Us! To commemorate the Canonization of Mother Teresa, our Sacred Heart Parish Service Committee has organized two work days to assist those in need. And, we will be distributing a Mother Teresa prayer and meditation booklet after Masses on the weekend of Sept. 3-4 in the Narthex.

7 Parish Lending Library Taking Shape for Faith Formation Take Fr. Michael Gaitley s book, You Did It to Me A Practical Guide to Mercy in Action, combine it with a group of determined parish women, and the result will be a parish lending library that will benefit us all. Dianne Compton and Denise Smith are members of the group that is undertaking the development of the library. Last month, the group began collecting used books on the Catholic faith. The books will be kept on rolling carts and displayed in the Narthex before and after weekend Masses. Complete a card in the back of the book and place it in the card box. Bring the book back in a couple weeks to be shared with others. Denise is co-chairing the project with Joyce Terry and Jody Wohletz. We were studying Fr. Gaitley s book, and we had to come up with a service to do, Denise says. The group decided to do a lending library, provided it was approved. We did the book during March and April, and we took a break, which gave us the time to think about what would be something we could do for others, Dianne says. It came together that a lending library was on many people s minds for a while, but our timing was good this summer to start a pilot. The group prepared a proposal for the library that states we are a viable group of women searching to complete Works of Mercy through acts of compassion in which we help our neighbor. The proposal also states that the goal is to collect 200 books through personal donations. We want to make sure all books are within our teachings of the Catholic Church so each book is approved before it is accepted for lending. During the discussions about the lending library, the question came up of how can a lending library help the parish? I looked in Fr. Gaitley s book to find an answer, and one of the things he talks about is I long for the gift of the Holy Spirit to enlighten my mind, Dianne says. We are giving the gift of mercy by helping enlighten the minds with our Catholic faith. We re providing materials parishioners can check out to enlighten their minds and strengthen their faith, Denise says. The group is collecting used books for the library. But we ll take new! Denise says. Once the library is established, the women see many benefits to our parish. I think it will give root to new seeds of Catholic faith, Dianne says. There are so many good and holy individuals with books about them, or have been written about the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus, the saints, ideas on stewardship, how to enhance your adoration at Mass, the importance of Holy Eucharist, so many things. We find this in these books we can share with others. We re looking for a minimum of 200 books to start, but what the dear Lord decides for others to bring to us He s in charge! Those working with Dianne and Denise on the Lending Library Committee include Anella Oldham, Mary Welter, Carol Rorick, Barbara Craemer, Kathy Guthrie, Marie Sorenson, and Carol Patton. Anyone with questions about the library, or those wishing to help may contact Denise Smith at

8 Stewardship: A Positive Way to Live continued from front cover everything that happens to you or around you. However, it does mean that when the good happens, you thank God. You recognize that good and are filled with feelings of joy and gratitude. You and I know people like that, don t we? We know people who always seem filled with joy, regardless of what may be happening to them or around them personally. To me, these kinds of people are stewardship people the kind of people we all need to strive to be. No doubt, you have heard that living a life of stewardship means living with an attitude of gratitude. That is not easy, for you or for me. Let us vow to try to be like that nonetheless. As we watch our summer season dwindle away and the busier time of year begins again, let us concentrate on how God has blessed us. If we do that, I truly believe that we can be those people Chekhov described. If we are happy, it will not matter what time of year it is. I am grateful for you, your support, your prayers, and most of all your presence in my life. Thank you and God bless you. Peace, Fr. Pat CALENDAR OF PARISH EVENTS September 10 Family Movie Night, The Jungle Book, at 6:30 p.m. September 11 Knight s Blue Mass at 9:30 a.m. September St. Mary s Food Kitchen (Pans in Narthex) September 11 Confirmation Orientation, 6:30-7:30 p.m. September 14 School of Religion starts September 16 SHoJ Golf Tournament September 17 Teen Ministry Event (all teens 7-12 th grades welcome!) September 18 YDisciple Parent Information Session, 1-2 p.m. With humble hearts, the following contributions have also been made Photography: Jennifer Mullinax Photography & John Beal; Graphics: Rhodelander Graphic Design Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church 5501 Monticello Road Shawnee, KS