In This Issue January/February 2013 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Results of the 2012 Stewardship Renewal The Textbook of Stewardship; the School of Stewardship Altar Servers Trained in New Procedures Catholic Schools Week 2013 A Saint for Life: St. Gianna Beretta Molla Welcome Home Ministry St.Patrick s Catholic Church New Sister a Perfect Fit for Parish Since joining the parish staff four months ago as pastoral minister, Sr. Mary Chamberlain very much appreciates the hospitality she has received from the parish community. I have felt so welcomed, says Sr. Mary. Everyone has been so helpful, and I feel that they have all welcomed me with open arms. Parishioners even donated furniture I needed for my office and home. Before arriving at St. Patrick this past August, Sr. Mary served as the pastoral minister at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Kearney, Neb. Her duties at St. Patrick, similar to her previous role in Kearney, include sharing her God-given gifts in any way possible. Sr. Mary works with the Music Ministry, and also coordinates the Homebound Ministry, taking Communion to those who are unable to leave their homes. She is assisted by 25 Extraordinary Ministers to the homebound, who joyfully share this ministry with her. Sr. Mary Chamberlain Since joining our parish, Sr. Mary has been impressed with parishioners involvement in the church and community. It is wonderful to work in a parish so dedicated to a stewardship way of life, Sr. Mary says. So many people volunteer of their time in a great variety of ways. I feel like my gifts fit right in. Sr. Mary gained many of her gifts from her family. She grew up in Omaha, Neb., where she was the oldest of four siblings in a very Catholic family her parents attended daily Mass and regularly prayed the Rosary. She was also blessed to attend Catholic schools, all the way through graduate school. Catholic schooling had such an impact on Sr. Mary that she actually thought about being a Sister when she was in grade school. While this desire wavered during Sr. Mary s time in high school, she prayed to Our Mother of Perpetual Help for guidance. continued on back cover
St. Patrick s Catholic Church Results of the 2012 Stewardship Renewal This past autumn, our parish leadership conducted the 2012 annual Stewardship Renewal. The results certainly demonstrate that commitment to prayer, ministry and the Catholic faith are of continually increasing importance to our parish community. As of press time of this newsletter, a total of 338 households 28 percent of all registered households at St. Patrick s and 50 youth took part in the Stewardship Renewal by filling out and returning a commitment card. Several of the notable results from the 2012 Stewardship Renewal include: A total of 1,662 prayer commitments were made by adults and youth who submitted commitment cards during the Stewardship Renewal. Top responses to these renewed commitments included increased Mass attendance and participation, making time for personal prayer, praying together with family, and praying the Rosary at least once a week. During this year s Renewal, participating households made a total of 1,569 Talent commitments. Out of these, a total of 1,037 respondents would continue their current involvement in parish ministry and service, while 532 were interested in committing to new ministries. These results indicate that Stewardship of Talent is already and will continue to be of great importance to our entire parish community. The five most popular ministry commitments both for those already involved and those interested in joining were the Funeral Dinner Ministry, the Monthly Brunch, the Hospitality Ministry, the Knights of Columbus, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and Catholic Daughters of America. The average annual offertory pledge during the 2012 Stewardship Renewal was $1,696. These statistics point to an already-active and still increasing commitment to stewardship here at St. Patrick s. And while the spiritual benefits of stewardship can never be quantified, the annual commitment on behalf of our parishioners helps to ensure that St. Patrick s remains a vital and faith-filled parish community. We thank all of our parishioners who are living the stewardship way of life! 2
A Letter from Our Pastor January/February 2013 The Textbook of Stewardship; the School of Stewardship My good friends in Christ Jesus: The Bible is the textbook of stewardship. The Eucharist is the school of stewardship. The Eucharist is our great act of thanksgiving where we join Christ as He offers Himself to the Father for our salvation. The Byzantine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom comes from the 4th Century. It is still in use in the East at the present day. In the prayer immediately after the words of Jesus over the bread and wine (take and eat take and drink) the holy gifts are raised up and this prayer is voiced to God: We offer you your own from what is your own. In all and for the sake of all. This is a beautiful prayer. This means that we have nothing that is strictly speaking our own which we offer to God. Even what we offer to God (bread and wine) we are actually offering back to God. It is God s gift to us in the first place! This is the beginning of a stewardship spirituality. All that we are and all that we have are gifts from God. God gave us these gifts as an outpouring of great love. God did not intend, however, that we be the owners of these gifts, using them for our own purposes or hoarding them or hiding them away. We return these gifts by offering them to God for blessing. The two primary elements of the Eucharist are the bread and the wine. These fundamental symbols of bread and wine are not purely natural symbols, as is, say, water in Baptism. They are in fact the product of the cooperation between God and human beings. We take the natural gifts provided by our Creator wheat and grapes. We work with them until they become something more bread and wine. Then we offer to God the resulting gift. This is stewardship. We cooperate with God to take care of God s creation and then we return everything to God. This is where the miracle occurs. God receives our offering and transforms it into heavenly food which is food for the life of the world. The Eucharist is the place where we learn the appropriate way to handle the material stuff of this world. For us Catholics matter matters. The pattern is like this: We present to God the gifts that God has given to us. God blesses and transforms our offering and in turn gives us something infinitely better. God gives us God s very self the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Come to the Eucharist. Come to the school of stewardship. Receive heavenly food. Come and find joy! God bless you. Fr. Jim 3
St. Patrick s Catholic Church Altar Servers Trained in New Procedures Matthew Ferguson and Kinsey Skillstad assist Fr. Jim at a recent weekend Mass Our kids want to be challenged, to know that what they re doing is important. It was with this sentiment in mind that our associate pastor Fr. Neal Hock recently led the first of several training sessions for all of our altar servers, having instituted a few changes to the standard altar serving procedures. Our servers weren t doing a bad job or anything before, obviously, but we wanted to add a little reverence, Fr. Hock says. So, we decided to take the next step and train them a little bit more thoroughly, not just showing them what to do, but teaching them about the meaning of the Mass in general. We made a server manual that goes into the details of the Mass and the nitty-gritty of what they do how to set the altar, how to process in, and so forth. It also gives them the names and definitions of all the objects, so now they ll be able to say ciborium instead of bowl, or missal instead of book. The changes made to the servers procedures may seem small, but they are far from insignificant. The goal throughout is to increase reverence and understanding. We showed them how to reverently hold their hands and things like that, and we also added a few things like ringing bells during the epiclesis, Fr. Hock says. Talking to them afterwards, they seem to have really gotten into it. We handed out the manual and a lot of kids took it home and read through the whole thing. There are currently 50 youth altar servers at St. Patrick. The ministry is open to boys and girls in fourth grade and up, though most move on to other ministries following their Confirmation. With two servers assigned to each weekend Mass, most servers are assigned to at least one Mass per month. Altar servers assist at a recent weekend Mass It s really an honor and a privilege to be able to serve at the altar, Fr. Hock says. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian life. And at Mass, the server is unique in that, apart from the priest and deacon, they are the closest in the preparation of the Eucharist. The server fulfills the role of John the Baptist, preparing the way of the Lord. Traditionally seen as an opportunity to stir up vocations to the priesthood, altar serving is still a terrific way for young people to become aware of the deeper reality of the Mass. I know that for me personally, altar serving was really meaningful as far as helping my priestly vocation, Fr. Hock says. Being so close to the priest, you hear some of his private prayers, and you are there for the washing of the hands. You realize that, in fact, Father is not just reading out of a book he s really praying and pouring himself out. That had a huge impact on me and I ve seen that in some of our servers, too. You look over and see something on their face, like they ve taken it in. Moving forward, Fr. Hock and ministry co-coordinator Bill Drost would like to hold at least three training sessions for all of the servers every year. The next training session will likely be held in January, and will be announced in the bulletin and on the parish Facebook and Twitter sites. There is always a need for additional youth to step forward and serve. Is God calling your son or daughter to draw closer to Him through this rewarding and beautiful ministry? If so, please contact either Fr. Jim or Fr. Hock at 308-532-0942. 4
January/February 2013 Catholic Schools Week 2013 Every year, beginning on the last Sunday in January, North Platte Catholic Schools join Catholic schools across the country in their observation of Catholic Schools Week, a nationwide celebration of Catholic education sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association. It s to raise awareness that Catholic schools are a blessing in our community, says Jennifer Winder, director of Public Relations and Enrollment for North Platte Catholic Schools. We are the only preschool through 12th grade school in the Grand Island Diocese. So we are blessed to have a foundation of preschool through 12th grade here in North Platte, and having an opportunity to celebrate Catholic education in our town is pretty special. Catholic Schools Week has a different theme for each year. This year s theme is Catholic Schools Raise the Standards. I think that s an excellent theme this year, Mrs. Winder says. As part of our school, we re constantly teaching our kids not only about faith and academics, but we re teaching them life skills. When they come out of Catholic schools, they are ready for life. They re used to volunteering and serving the community. We build the faith foundation and the community-building foundation, where the kids are part of the community. To me, it s like a launching pad into real life. They understand the discipline of the hard work and dedication that it takes to survive in the real world. Each school celebrates Catholic Schools Week in its own unique way. North Platte Catholic Schools begins the week by having the Student Council and other student organizations serve coffee and doughnuts to the parish at the Masses on the weekend of Jan. 26 and 27, as an expression of gratitude for the parish s support of our school. The school week kicks off on Monday, Jan. 28 with a proclamation from the mayor at the school assembly at 9 a.m. Then, various community leaders including the mayor, our school board and the endowment board are all invited to lunch on Monday. Tuesday is designated as Career Day, with a guest speaker giving a talk to the elementary students. On Wednesday, there will be a special grandparents lunch for the elementary students and their grandparents. Later that evening, the Parent Teacher Organization will sponsor Bingo for Books at McDaid Elementary. On Thursday, there will be a special recognition for the volunteers and vocations during Mass, and parents will be invited to lunch. The week will end with a closing assembly on Friday at 2:30 p.m. There will also be a food drive held throughout the week, and students are asked to bring food donations to help the food pantry. All of the events and activities surrounding Catholic Schools Week share one common aim to celebrate and promote the gift of Catholic education in our community. I think that for our unique situation, it s important to emphasize that they can go from preschool through 12th grade in one community, Mrs. Winder says. They can get to know those kids and stick with them. It s important for them to be excited about having the faith and education where they can start in preschool and go through their high school years. The faith-based part of that is important to emphasize, and they have that every day. They start every day with prayer, and they end every day with prayer. It s building a foundation there. This week is set aside for us to get to toot our horn. For more information about Catholic Schools Week or to get involved, please e-mail Jennifer Winder at jwinder@esu16.org. 5
St. Patrick s Catholic Church As disciples of Christ, the Lord of Life, we are called to respect and defend the life of every human being from conception until natural death. In today s world, a pro-life mindset is not only largely unpopular, but sometimes even dangerous. However, the facts remain the same the gift of life determines our humanity, and as Catholic Christians we are responsible for its protection. With the strong examples of people such as St. Gianna Beretta Molla, we are able to witness the value of being a people of faith, a people living to build up a culture resting on Christ s values a culture of life. From early childhood, Gianna lived an exemplary Christian life. She attended daily Mass with her mother and her brothers, and was a faithful member of Catholic Action, a lay apostolate dedicated to worldwide evangelization. Gianna often wrote beautiful prayers to the Lord, promising to follow His will no matter the consequences. As a teenager, Gianna understood the importance of obeying God s will and made a series of resolutions to always follow His guidance. I wish to die rather than commit a mortal sin, young Gianna once wrote. Yet, at the time, Gianna was not aware of what God had in store for her life. Throughout her life, Gianna constantly prayed, O Jesus, I promise You to submit myself to all that you permit to happen to me, make me only know your will. As her life progressed, Gianna would live such prayers in a radical way. In 1961, as the mother of three and pregnant with her fourth child, Gianna was diagnosed with uterine cancer. To preserve her health and life, doctors suggested Gianna 6 A Saint for Life: St. Gianna Beretta Molla undergo a radical hysterectomy a surgery that would undoubtedly save her life, but consequently terminate her pregnancy. Gianna decided to wait for God s direction. Doctors removed portions of the tumor, but knew that full eradication would take a full hysterectomy. But Gianna was determined to keep her uterus intact, determined to give birth to her unborn baby. Knowing the serious dangers ahead, Gianna instructed her husband a few days prior to delivery, If you must decide between me and the baby, have no hesitation: choose and I demand it the baby, save him. As it turned out, Gianna s tumor had progressed so far that a few days after she delivered her fourth child, she passed away a martyr for her child! Caring for the life of her unborn child meant the loss of her own life, but such knowledge never weakened her respect for life in the least. Gianna knew that her child s life was just as valuable as her own, and she needed to care for both of them. Gianna ultimately lost her life because she wasn t willing to sacrifice her child for her own sake. What a strong woman! Though this seems radical, we are all called to respect the lives of the unborn just as Gianna did, and Gianna s fate only secures for us the reward we will receive if we work to build a culture of life, just as she did. On April 24, 1994, Gianna Beretta Molla was beatified by Pope John Paul II, and in May 2004, she was declared a saint. Because St. Gianna lived as a defender of life, she now enjoys eternal life with the Almighty God! Let us heed her example and build a culture of life! Caring for the life of her unborn child meant the loss of her own life, but such knowledge never weakened her respect for life in the least. Gianna knew that her child s life was just as valuable as her own, and she needed to care for both of them.
January/February 2013 Welcome Home Ministry Former and non-practicing Catholics are invited to participate in this six-week program that discusses the Catholic faith, its history and what Catholics believe. Meetings will take place in the parish hall at 7 p.m. on the following dates First meeting Ash Wednesday, Feb. 13 Second Meeting Tuesday, Feb. 19 Third Meeting Tuesday, Feb. 26 Fourth Meeting Tuesday, March 5 Fifth Meeting Tuesday, March 12 Final Meeting Tuesday, March 19 All are welcome to attend any of the meetings, and no commitment is necessary. Volunteers are also welcome. To participate in this ministry or for more information, please call the parish office at 308-532-0942. Lent and Holy Week Calendar Ash Wednesday Feb. 13 Mass at 7 a.m., 12 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Fridays during Lent Stations of the Cross, 6:30 p.m. Fish Fry in Parish Hall, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Rite of Election for RCIA Candidates Sunday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. Anointing Mass Wednesday, March 6 at 12 noon Chrism Mass Monday, March 18 at 4 p.m. Holy Week Extra Individual Confessions Tuesday, March 26, 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, 12 noon - 1 p.m., and 6-7 p.m. Thursday, March 28 at 12 noon Holy Thursday March 28 Mass at 6:30 p.m. Good Friday March 29 Passion of the Lord at 12 noon and 6:30 p.m. No Stations of the Cross Holy Saturday March 30 Easter Vigil at 8 p.m. Easter Sunday March 31 Mass at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., and 11 a.m. 7
415 North Chestnut P.O. Box 399 North Platte, NE 69103 308-532-0942 www.st-pats-online.org Weekend Masses: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. Sunday, 8:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 5:30 p.m. Weekday Masses: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. Reconciliation: Saturday, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Address Service Requested St. Patrick s Catholic Church Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 3 North Platte, NE New Sister continued from front cover Sr. Mary attended Holy Name High School. There, she was taught by the Servite Sisters, who possessed a great love for God, their students, and their fellow Sisters. While attending Holy Name, Sr. Mary found a mentor. One Sister in particular inspired me to enter the Servants of Mary Servite Sisters, says Sr. Mary. That was Sr. Mary Clement. She was my math and homeroom teacher. She actually asked me one day if I ever thought about being a Sister, and she encouraged me to visit the Motherhouse to see what it was like. I am very grateful to her. Sr. Mary received her bachelor s degree in elementary education and music from the College of St. Mary in Omaha. She then received her master s in church music and liturgy from St. Joseph College in Rensselaer, Ind. Sr. Mary entered the convent immediately following high school, and made her first profession on Aug. 16, 1969 at Our Lady of Sorrows Convent in Omaha. I love belonging to a group of women in the church who have the same religious values I have, who make a difference in the lives of other people, especially the poor and less fortunate, who strive to live a simple lifestyle, says Sr. Mary. The Scripture that is her mantra for life is found in Ephesians 3:21, Glory be to God whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. In her free time, Sr. Mary loves to bike, read and play with her cat, Spirit. And during the rest of her first year at St. Patrick s, Sr. Mary wants to listen to those around her and get to know the parishioners. I want to share my gifts wherever they are needed, she says. I think that is important for this first year, and it is very freeing. If you haven t had the opportunity to meet Sr. Mary, please stop by the parish office and say hello!