Representatives of Synergy Services present their Kindest Kansas City School award to students, teachers, and staff at St. Therese School in Parkville. St. Therese is the first Catholic school to win the distinction. (Marty Denzer/Key photo)

By Marty Denzer
Catholic Key Reporter

PARKVILLE — Synergy Services has been advocating kindness and non-violence in the Kansas City area for more than 40 years. Each spring the Kindest Kansas Citian contest is announced; men and women from all across the metro area are nominated. Not as well-known is the Kindest School in Kansas City award. For the past seven years, Synergy Services has reviewed nominations and selected the metro grade or high school that daily demonstrates kindness and helping others. The 2014 Kindest School in Kansas City is St. Therese School in Parkville, one of seven schools selected since 2008 and the first Catholic school to receive the accolade.

The award was presented to the school during the Spirit Day assembly May 7, by Synergy Services’ executive director Robin Winner.

The school was nominated by school parent Cheryl Givens, who said, “I wanted to do something special for St. Therese School, because St. Therese School is very special to our family.”

She has a daughter in third grade at St. Therese, and two sons at St. Pius X High School who attended St. Therese from kindergarten through eighth grade. Twelve years of experiences and knowledge of St. Therese School provided many reasons why she considered it the area’s kindest.

A diocesan grade school, St. Therese joins the other diocesan schools in embracing a theme to focus on each school year. The theme for the 2013-14 academic year has been “Beatitudes: Living Like Jesus,” which provided guidance on kindness, being committed to helping others and to community service.

At St. Therese, the Beatitudes, which Jesus preached during the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-11), are printed on posters, studied in classrooms and featured in the school newsletters.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land. Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after justice; they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful for they shall attain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice sake for there is the kingdom of heaven.”

Monthly “Christ Skills” emphasized the importance of qualities like empathy (October), Respect (March) and Acceptance (May) in the students’ daily lives.

Each grade level participates in at least one community service project during the school year. The projects are tangible evidence of the impact the yearly theme has on the students. For example, this year, several eighth grade students presented leadership ideas to the student council, calling their project Team Inspire: Giving Circle. The Team Inspire project, a global movement, is dedicated to bringing young people a sense of self-worth, humility and compassion through inspiration. The St. Therese Student Council wanted to make sure the global concept fit with the Catholic faith so they combined Team Inspire with the school’s dedication to service. Part of the initiative included speakers from Harvesters, Backsnack, Hillcrest Transitional Housing and other charitable organizations making presentations to 5th through 8th graders at St. Therese School.

The 6th grade, which for several years has paired with Synergy Services’ Youth Resiliency Center as part of its Social Justice program, sponsored fundraisers during Synergy Week, begun by 6th graders a couple of years ago, to help YRC with its needs. This year, during the Spirit Assembly, a check in the amount of $1,021.33 was presented to Synergy Director Robin Winner.

Cheryl enumerated many other service and kindness projects, classes and fundraisers as well as the general kindness, compassion and acceptance shown by students, faculty and parents to each other. Her detailed nomination as well as Synergy Services’ knowledge of St. Therese School may have combined to make the school the clear winner in the Kindest Kansas City School contest.

Winner presented the award, a wood sculpture created by Kansas City artist Rita Blitt, to the school. Carol Lenz, St. Therese principal, said the sculpture will be placed in the school where it can be easily seen. Synergy Services also gave the school a banner proclaiming St. Therese the 2014 Kindest Kansas City School, which will be hung outside the school.

The assembly continued, highlighting participants in several spring sports programs, the Drama Elective, and the passing of the torch from the outgoing Student Council to the incoming council.

When asked what kindness was, a small girl named Alix volunteered, “Kindness means to be nice and help others.”

That is part of the mission of St. Therese School, its faculty, staff, students and families.

Students work in the iGeneration Tech Club room at St. Patrick’s School. (Marty Denzer/Key photo)

By Marty Denzer
Catholic Key Reporter

KANSAS CITY — To most of us, the computer is a modern invention; people born before 1970 really had little exposure to the device. Today’s kids are growing up with desk tops, lap tops, tablets and devices including iPhones, Android phones, TVs and MP3 music players, both at home and in school. Ads for computers appear on TV, are printed in newspapers, magazines, and online; we all know where to buy one. But how many of us have built a computer from scratch?

A group of students at St. Patrick School in Kansas City can say yes, they have built a computer, from the base up. Eighteen student members of the iGeneration Tech Club, under the guidance and tutelage of technology teacher/advisor R. J. Keitchen, recently completed building six computers that will be used in classrooms around the school. And it wasn’t the first time St. Patrick’s students had built or rebuilt computers.

The club, founded in 2008, was the brainchild of brothers Rowan (St. Patrick’s Class of 2010) and Aiden Decker (2012), Kietchen’s sons. They were interested in learning how a computer was built so that they could work on them. Kietchen, who at the time had almost 20 years of experience in the field of technology, was teaching at St. Patrick’s and was instrumental in the establishment of the club. Since then, about 100 students have spent a semester learning the ins and outs of computers and a semester rebuilding or building them from scratch. All the computers are in use either at St. Patrick’s or elsewhere in the Diocese.

In 2010, the club rebuilt and refurbished more than 30 donated computers, and installed 10 of the rebuilt wireless systems at Holy Cross School. In 2007, roof leaks during a torrential rain storm had wiped out 26 of the northeast Kansas City’s school’s wireless computers.

The 2013-2014 iGeneration Tech Club, which meets twice weekly, spent the first semester learning about the innards of and how a computer works. The kids could describe a motherboard, how it works, and where it fits into the assembly; terms including CPU (processors), coolers and, of course motherboards, sprinkled their conversations like salt and pepper.

Fourth graders Kintzli Wagner, Charlie Moloney, Hannah Solomon, River Torres-Bowlin, Clarence Clark, Mitchell Drumright, Crystal Comer and Viet Nguyen; 5th grader Allyson Bundy; 6th graders Chance Wagner, Joseph Mamja, Jimmy Moloney, Brook Torres-Bowlin, Cheyenne Neely, Michael Koll, Trang Nguyen and James Drumright; and 8th grader Kyle Hayden comprise this school year’s club membership.

After Christmas break, Kietchen said, members practiced taking a computer apart and reassembling it. Then it was time to build one, er six, from scratch. In groups of two or three, with Kietchen’s oversight, instructions and assistance, over the next three months the kids brought sundry electronic supplies, electrical wiring, processors, coolers and motherboards to life as working computer systems.

Early March saw most of the machines become recognizable as, well something electronic. Wires snaked in and out and around tubes and pieces that resembled three dimensional architectural drawings of cities. The kids were hard at work plugging in wires, processors and motherboards and installing memory. Occasionally a call would come from the depths of a computer’s housing as a student successfully plugged in a component: “Mine twisted in real well!” From inside another housing, a plaintive “NOOOOOO,” as something went wrong. Kietchen to the rescue: “Just pop it open like a soda can!”

The wail changed to a triumphant “YES!”

A look around the Technology classroom is informative. In addition to the computer systems on tables in the center and against three walls of the room, shelves display computers, parts and software boxes. One section is devoted to the “Evolution of the Motherboard,” showing how, as time went by, the number of tiny parts and modules increased dramatically. In the early days, a computer consisted of multiple printed circuit boards in a card-cage case; components were plugged into sockets. Today, a mother board consists of sockets or slots in which microprocessors and memory can be installed; interfaces that transfer data between components; storage memory; a clock signal generator which produces the signal to synchronize various components and power connectors. Most include connectors and logic to support a mouse and keyboard. And, given the high speed of the modern computer system, motherboards include heat sinks (devices that dissipate heat) and fan mounts to help dispel excess heat.

Across the room sits a working 1982 Commodore 64 Home Computer. An attached card states that the Commodore 64 originally retailed for $595.

By the end of April, the almost completed systems were housed in black, black and red, windowed white or clear cases. Tech Club members were busy installing the last software and updates, a hurry up and wait process as the installations often took up most of the club time while the kids played computer games or listened to music.

Kietchen commented to the club that several of the computers went into Sleep Mode as they weren’t being used. “Windows started Sleep Mode in 1995, and it never worked right, until 20 years later!” He then suggested the kids “wake them up!”

Allyson Bundy, proudly the club’s sole fifth grader, said she joined because her “dad is very electronically oriented and built his own computer. I want to build my own, too.” She added that “putting in motherboards is very interesting. Sometimes we got it right and sometimes wrong.”

What happened when it was put in wrong?

“Smoke and sparks. Very interesting!” she said with a rueful laugh.

Eighth grader Kyle Hayden is a newcomer to the club; “this semester is my first shot at it. I really like to possess knowledge and computers were something I didn’t know much about.” He could turn a computer on and use it to study or play games, he said, but how one worked and was put together, was a different story.

Since joining the iGeneration Tech Club, “I’ve learned that building a computer is a matter of common sense,” Kyle said. “For example, a motherboard doesn’t need two power connections, just one. More than one might result in, yeah, like Allyson said, smoke and sparks!”

Brook Torres-Bowlin, sixth grade, said her dad also built his own computer. “It got me curious and I always wanted to learn how he did it.”

Brook said class materials were provided by the faculty advisor, R.J. Kietchen. “You can order them online,” she said, “but it’s not always a good idea. You should go to an Apple Store or a Microsoft Center. You can trust them that the parts you’re getting are the right ones.”

Kietchen had told the club members that he would finish whatever they still needed to do since the computers had to be completed that evening. Six of the systems in the room would be disconnected and repurposed for use elsewhere in the school. The new computers would take their place. The tech classroom was on the fast track to boasting all new computers in the near future, built by St. Patrick School students.

Brook, Kyle and Allyson plan to continue learning about computers over the summer. Brook plans to go to a tech summer camp. Allyson writes down everything she has learned this year and plans to memorize it while on summer break. Kyle, who is St. Pius X High School-bound, intends to keep reading and learning during the summer and beyond.

Oh and by the way, computers do go back a long way. The first known written reference to a “computer,” was found in A Yong Mans Gleanings, by English writer Richard Braithwait in 1613, and concerned a “human computer,” who computed mathematical calculations.

In 1892, the New York Times published an ad from the Civil Service Commission, for “A computer wanted … examination will include the subjects of algebra, geometry, trigonometry and astronomy.”

Charles Babbage, an English mechanical engineer, is credited with formulating the concept of a programmable computer around 1833. The project was dropped when the British government ceased funding it.

The first freely programmable computer appeared in 1936. From then until about 1964, computers used punch cards to store data. In World War II, mechanical analog computers were developed for use in specialized military applications. The first electronic digital computers appeared during the late 1940s, were the size of a large room and used as much power as several hundred modern PCs. The first commercial computer appeared in 1951, and picked the winners in the presidential election.

The first consumer computers were marketed in 1974-75. Word processors appeared around 1979; the early 1980s brought words like PC and DOS into everyday language.

Computers now are smaller; lighter, equipped with high speed everything. Members of the St. Patrick School iGeneration Tech Club will keep up with the latest innovations and updates. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Bishop Robert W. Finn, flanked by supporters of St. Michael the Archangel High School, ceremonially break ground at the 80 acre site for the new school in Lee’s Summit, May 3. (Joe Cory/Key photo)

By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

LEE’S SUMMIT — Time to get into the game. The walls of St. Michael the Archangel High School will soon be going up.

“Some have told me, ‘Bishop, if I know for sure that this is going to be successful, when I see the walls going up, then I’ll give,” Bishop Robert W. Finn said at the May 3 groundbreaking.

“Shower this school with love,” Bishop Finn said, as he joined dignitaries and children, including some who may one day grace the halls of the proposed $30 million high school that is set to open in 2015, in breaking symbolic shovels of sod on the 80-acres of pasture that will soon be the site of a school designed to make a state-of-the-art statement.

“Generously shape it and support it so it will grow strong from the beginning,” Bishop Finn said.

“We are moving forward. We are moving Forward in Faith,” he said, echoing the name of the Forward in Faith campaign that is designed to raise $15 million toward the construction of St. Michael the Archangel High School, as well as millions more for:

• Support of the existing St. Pius X High School in Kansas City’s Northland suburbs, and Bishop LeBlond High School in St. Joseph.

• Educational assistance to families in need through the Bright Futures Fund.

• Grant programs for parish schools of religion and youth ministry.

• Financial support to local parish ministry programs.

It may look like a new beginning, said Father Robert Stewart to the few hundred gathered at the site to witness the groundbreaking. But it is really a new continuation.

“I am the third generation in my family educated in the Catholic schools in this diocese,” said Father Stewart, pastor of the nearby St. Margaret of Scotland Parish.

“We are standing tall on the shoulders of a lot of people,” he said. “We have taken their work, and we have re-imagined a new foundation. We are taking it to the present as we move to the future.”

As he learned in his own Catholic education, so must future generations who will be educated at St. Michael the Archangel High School also learn — that theirs is a school dedicated to the education of the entire person , academically, physically and spiritually, Father Steward said.

And that education is only possible through the generosity of the entire Catholic community.

“Today, we rejoice that ground is broken, but there is much work to be done,” Father Stewart said.

“Don’t be tired. This is a serious enterprise, a serious mission with Christ Jesus,” he said. “It will model a love that moves into action, renewing the earth.”

One life lesson he learned: “I cannot live for myself,” Father Stewart said. “I must give generously until the day I stop making money.”

Rita and Lamar Hunt Jr. gave $3 million to kick the Forward in Faith campaign in high gear, but he didn’t stop there. Even though he is a Catholic of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, it is all one Kansas City to him, said the son of Kansas City Chiefs and Hunt Midwest founder Lamar Hunt.

“We’ve been blessed and we want to pass these blessings along,” Hunt told the crowd.

Catholic education, he said, will equip the next generation with the tools to survive and transform a culture that is dominated by “materialism, superficiality and consumerism,” Hunt said.

And if that “upsets the apple cart,” so be it, he said.

“If you think about how Jesus Christ upset the apple cart in everything he did, when we all partake in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and hear the Gospel, my apple cart still gets upset,” he said.

He noted author Matthew Kelly’s “Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic,” and said those are the traits that Catholic education seeks in order to form the next generation.

Hunt said those signs are: Prayer, knowing the faith through study, generosity, and evangelization.

“We have to get out of our consumerist culture,” Hunt said. “Don’t be afraid to witness, and that is the one thing we Catholics do the weakest.”

Dr. Dan Peters, superintendent of Diocesan Schools, said that St. Michael the Archangel, like the existing Catholic high schools in the diocese, will be comprehensive and Catholic to its core.

“Students will be educated in a highly Catholic environment,” he said. The school will not only serve the needs of students as they prepare for higher education, but it will also serve the needs of students with special needs through the Foundation for Inclusive Religious Education, already active at Archbishop O’Hara High School in Kansas City.

That school will close when St. Michael the Archangel opens, but its legacy, as well as the 140-year legacy of St. Mary’s High School in Independence which closed at the end of the 2013 school year, will live on in the new school.

In fact, said Dr. Peters, the principal of Archbishop O’Hara High School, John O’Connor, will become the first principal of St. Michael the Archangel High School in a model of governance that is relatively new to diocesan high schools.

O’Connor will serve as principal, handling the daily operations of the school. Dr. John Purk will serve as president, keeping his eyes on the long-term success and mission of the school.

Dr. Purk said the schools mission will be built on faith, hope and love. “I want a school that will provide a living encounter with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that lives inside us,” Dr. Purk said.

“This will be a new school for the new evangelization,” he said.

“What the construction workers will be doing to this earth, the Father is doing to our souls,” Dr. Purk said. “He is digging deep, looking for the bedrock of faith. Then he will pour a foundation of hope, and then he will build pillars of love.”

And make no mistake. It will take the genius of two of Kansas City’s most outstanding architectural firms to make certain that the call of Christ is echoed in the building itself.

Both Keegan Jackson, partner in Hollis-Miller Group which is a leader in school design, and Mike Shaughnessy, founding principal of SFS Architecture whose imprint is also all over nation, but with special expertise in Catholic construction, are looking forward to the meeting of the minds.

“This will be a signature project for us,” said Jackson, who said the school will be built for an enrollment of 550 students, expandable to 750.

“It is also special for me and a lot of our team because we are Catholic,” he said.

“This will be a great team of people working together,” said Shaughnessy whose projects include the renovation of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. “They have experience in high schools. We have experience in working with the church.”

Together, the architects will design a building that will be so unmistakably Catholic, “that from the moment you enter, you will understand what it’s there for and why,” Shaughnessy said.

Bishop Finn assured the crowd that the new school will be all of that, even if that is hard to visualize on 80 rolling acres of pasture.

“This, like so many other things, is a work of faith, and really, a work of love,” Bishop Finn said.

“When parents first receive their children, they don’t wait to see who they will be. They immediately shower them with love,” he said.

“In that love, in that commitment, with that connection, the child grows,” Bishop Finn said.

“I ask everyone in our diocese to become committed, to become connected to this work of faith, to this necessary work of the church who in her mission must help parents form their children,” he said.

Bishop Finn also noted that the name for the new high school was chosen by the people of the diocese before Pope Francis last July dedicated a statue consecrating the Vatican to St. Michael the Archangel.

“It’s nice to agree with the pope,” Bishop Finn said.

“He said this: ‘St. Michael — whose name means “Who is like God?” — is the champion of the primacy of God, of his transcendence and power. Michael struggles to restore divine justice . . . He defends the people of God from his enemies, above all from the devil.’

“St. Michael was chosen by the people throughout the diocese as the namesake and patron of this school. He is a good patron for a school,” Bishop Finn said.

“Here we must champion the primacy of God. Here we must strengthen our young people from the snares of the devil. We want them for God. We will say to the devil each day, ‘You cannot have them!’ They belong to Jesus Christ. St. Michael the Archangel, defend them,” he said.

By John Heuertz
Special to the Catholic Key

SOLT, the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, celebrated 50 years of apostolic service in this area with a jubilee Mass at St. Elizabeth’s church on Sunday May 11. The Mass was concelebrated by Bishop Robert W. Finn and nine priests associated with the order.

In SOLT, laity and people living a consecrated life work together with men in Holy Orders to build up the Kingdom of God. Thus SOLT sisters, laity and deacons all took part in Sunday’s liturgy too, and in his homily Bishop Finn touched on the inspired Trinitarian flavor of the SOLT model.

St. Louis parish in Kansas City is a SOLT ministry, and its choir led by Marilyn Hardy sang the prelude music with apostolic sweetness and joy.

May 11 was also Mother’s Day. “On Mother’s Day we remember Mary, the mother of us all,” the bishop said. “The more we love Mary, the more we love our earthly mothers. And the more we love our earthly mothers the more we love her.”

He noted that the Church has proclaimed the profundity of its relationship to Mary from the fifth century Council of Ephesus to the present.

“Could we think that Mary’s daughterly love of the Heavenly Father took anything away from her love for Jesus or in the Holy Spirit?,” the bishop asked. “Today that unity may be imperfect for us, but one day it shall be complete.”

Bishop Charles Helmsing first invited SOLT to work in the diocese in 1964. Bishop Finn encountered SOLT soon after he arrived in Kansas City ten years ago, in May 2004.

He recalled SOLT’s early work in propagating the Living Rosary devotion, and its ministry at the former St. Francis Seraph parish in the East Bottoms – one of the poorest in the diocese at the time.

“Perhaps no moment with the Society is as singularly dear to me as my visit to Tracy Street, as I learned about this family which is SOLT,” he said. “It was really there that I first learned about the extraordinary charism of the Ecclesial Teams.”

“At once I saw that your founder Father Flanagan and SOLT had received a true inspiration from God in a way analogous to the Holy Trinity: a mystery of three distinct Persons but one God.

“In the Society there exist all the distinct and proper vocations: priesthood and the clerical life, the Consecrated religious, the lay faithful. They each know and regard what is proper to each other; the integrity of each is honored.

“At the same time they are one family, one communion in mission and apostolic life.”

“Jesus gives us all to Mary, and gives Mary to all of us,” he said. “Directing souls to Jesus is your work under the direction of Mary.”

“How confident I am that Mary, the mother of us all, the Mother whom you yourselves have placed at the center of your life and work, will not fail to direct you in the years to come, keeping you on a safe path.”

“You remain a blessing to me personally, and to the Church. The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has been enriched by your loving work, and I pray that this will always be one of the places you call home.”

Reverend Mr. Daniel Gill

By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

KANSAS CITY — A hotbed of vocations for Missouri? Try the Newman Center at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla.

“In my four years there,” said Deacon Daniel Gill, who will be ordained to the priesthood of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph on May 24, “the Newman Center has produce two priests for St. Louis, one for Jefferson City, one for Springfield-Cape Girardeau, and me. The joke was that they had replaced everybody’s Vocation Office. My personal thought is that it had a lot to do with pastor/chaplain Msgr. (David) Cox. Right time, right place sort of thing, but that’s just a completely biased and unsubstantiated claim.”

What is not completely unsubstantiated was that Msgr. Cox and the Newman Center was there for Deacon Daniel Gill at the moment he needed them the most, on Sept. 25, 2005, a Sunday evening.

“I received a phone call from my father. It was right around 6:40 p.m., just a few minutes after I decided I did not want to go to the 7 p.m. Mass,” Deacon Gill recalled.

“He was calling from the hospital where he had been taken the previous Thursday after collapsing on the golf course,” he said. “He was going in for surgery early Monday morning to have a pacemaker installed.”

Still talking to his father, Deacon Gill changed his mind. He rushed to Mass at the Newman Center, “with one hand on the wheel and the other on the phone.”

Msgr. Cox chose that Mass to preach about letting go, giving God a chance, and listening to what God was saying.

“Two days later, I was in the office of the Newman Center director, Franciscan Sister Renita (Brummer), asking about how to let go, how to recognize God in the world around me,” he said. “She asked me if I would like to attend a luncheon Msgr. Cox organized at the rectory for college students wanting to learn more about the priesthood, and I said yes.”

Thoughts of becoming a priest had begun to enter Deacon Gill’s mind some six months earlier in April, during the intense coverage of the death of St. John Paul II, and the election of his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.

“This was a first for me, as it was for so many young people,” he said.

“I enjoyed hearing people talk about how he changed their lives and what his life of immense spiritual devotion meant,” Deacon Gill said.

“Somewhere in the midst of all that coverage came the idea of the priesthood,” he said.

The following fall, Deacon Gill said he not only accepted Sister Renita’s invitation to go to that luncheon, but to every luncheon Msgr. Cox hosted to help students hear their call.

The following January, Msgr. Cox arranged a road trip for Deacon Gill and two other students to a weekend retreat at Conception Seminary College.

“That experience played a huge role in convincing me I could lead a priestly vocation,” he said.

But it still wasn’t enough. He continued to pick the brains of priests he met.

“I never ran into one who did not like what he was doing or regretted his decision to follow God,” Deacon Gill said.

Yet he was torn. His call to priesthood wasn’t as obvious as he hoped. What about his plans to become an engineer?

“I entered college with the intention of studying engineering and working in the industry,” he said. “While all this was going on, my satisfaction with my choice was slowly shrinking. At first, I tried to ignore my discontent, explain it away as a reaction to certain professors.”

He was growing increasingly unhappy with his engineering work, he said.

“I didn’t do a good job of hiding it,” Deacon Gill said. “Soon my mother started asking if the path I was on was where I wanted to be.”

By the end of his sophomore year, he made a decision. He would complete his degree, and then he would apply to the seminary.

“It’s been a rollercoaster ride,” Deacon Gill said.

“Many twists and turns have brought me to this moment. Only now is it so clear that it was all the while guided by providence,” he said.

“When I first started this journey, Sister Renita told me God will not show me my final destination, he’d simply show me the next step. It took me years to realize how true that was,” he said.

With family and friends in Kansas City, Deacon Gill chose to apply for priesthood in the Diocese of Kansas City-Joseph though he is not a native of the diocese.

But he said he could not have been supported any better than by the Serrans, Knights of Columbus and the people of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and especially by Bishop Robert W. Finn who will ordain him.

“Obviously, I think we have a good bishop or I wouldn’t be here otherwise,” he said. “The fact of the matter is that the need for priests is the same everywhere.”

Reverend Mr. Leonard Gicheru

By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

ST. JOSEPH — Quite literally, Deacon Leonard Gicheru followed a long road to the priesthood of the Diocese of Kansas City — a road that began in his native Kenya.

“I wanted to be a priest when I was 5 years old. When my family would go to Mass, I would point to the priest and tell my Dad, ‘I want to be like that man,’” Deacon Gicheru said.

He followed that path.

“My parents (Peter and Mary Gicheru) are strong Catholics,” he said. “I served many years as an altar boy, and that motivated me. In high school, I got into the Catholic Action movement. We make a promise to live a Christian, chaste life. We had meetings every week, and we went do daily Mass.”

Out of high school, Deacon Gicheru said, he not only wanted to be a priest, he wanted to be a Comboni Missionary, serving the poorest of his country’s poor.

“That particular way of life appealed to me,” he said. “I saw the sacrifices my parents made for me to send me to school, and I wanted to serve others.”

The Comboni Missionaries required a full year of discernment, working in the poorest slums of Nairobi.

“You live like that for one year to show that you can live that harsh life in the future, living with people who have nothing.”

From there, he served a two year novitiate, and was getting close to ordination when life intervened.

Deacon Gicheru had the opportunity to emigrate to the United States under the sponsorship of family friends, Joseph and Mary Mwaura, who live in Gladstone. His childhood dreams of the priesthood were over, or so he thought.

“’The Land of Green Pastures.’ That is what we call the United States in Africa. I had to go to the United States to get a job and help my family,” he said. “I went to school and became a certified nursing assistant. Then I worked in a nursing home.”

Every day, when he could, especially after working an overnight shift, Deacon Gicheru would attend daily Mass at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish. The pastor, Father Vincent Rogers, quickly took notice.

“He stopped me after Mass one day and said, ‘I’d like to talk to you in my office,’” he said. “Then he said, ‘Have you ever thought about being a priest?’”

Deacon Gicheru poured his story out to Father Rogers. Father Rogers then put him in touch with Father Richard Rocha, director of the Office of Vocations. Father Rocha then contacted the Comboni Missionaries in Kenya.

“My (Comboni) Superior said, ‘We are still waiting for him to come back,’” Deacon Gicheru said.

His dream was alive again as he entered a special seminary, Holy Apostles in Cromwell, Conn., to finish his education and preparation.

Holy Apostles is not only a seminary for delayed vocations, but one that attracts students from around the world — 20 nations from Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America.

“It opened my mind to the church,” he said. “It motivated me. It challenged me once again not to look just at myself.”

Deacon Gicheru also set aside any fears he might have had about serving people from a different culture.

“It is not fear, it is a challenge. Now I am being challenged to face the people I will serve for the rest of my life,” he said.

The people of Co-Cathedral Parish in St. Joseph, where he has served in his year as transitional deacon taught him the beauty of American Catholic culture.

“I love St. Joseph,” he said. “Here at the Cathedral, the people are very loyal to their church. They are three and four generations of families who have come to this church. They choose to come back here because of the loyalty they have for this parish.”

One thing he has learned — keep the homilies short and to the point.

“In Kenya, most of the people would feel cheated if you only have a homily for seven minutes,” he said. “A priest has to preach for at least 20 minutes, sometimes for an hour. Mass is a community event that we long for.”

Deacon Gicheru said he has no idea where his priesthood will lead him. But he knows that is not for him to decide.

“I trust in God to guide me,” he said. “He is leading me the right way.”

Deacon Gicheru is also certain of his vocation, more certain, he said, because of the unusual path God led him down to answer it.

“God never stopped calling. I just had to sharpen my way of listening,” he said.

“I don’t feel worthy to be a priest, but if not me, then who else?” Deacon Gicheru said.

“God is calling me. I am now convinced of that more than ever,” Deacon Gicheru said. “Everything I have asked for, I have been given. Obviously, he is the one who is accepting me.”

Reverend Mr. Jack Fitzpatrick

By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

Ed. note – On May 24, four transitional deacons in the diocese will be ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Over the next few pages, Catholic Key Associate Editor Kevin Kelly gives a glimpse of the men who will soon serve us as priests of the Diocese of Kansas City St. Joseph.

KANSAS CITY — Credit this one to Mom, but no, Toni Fitzpatrick didn’t push her only son into the seminary.

Lent is serious business in the Fitzpatrick household. When he was 10 years old, Deacon Jack Fitzpatrick recalled, he and his younger sister, Lucy, were having a spirited debate over who was going to give up what for those 40 days and whose sacrifice would be the greater.

Mom settled it quickly.

“You and your sister are going to daily Mass for Lent,” she ordered. And they did.

Every morning, they rose about an hour earlier than usual to attend 7 a.m. Mass at St. Francis Xavier in St. Joseph before walking next door to their classes at the parish school.

But that Lent, like all Lents, ended in the glory of Easter. And young Jack Fitzpatrick was hooked. He continued going to daily Mass — throughout his remaining years at St. Francis Xavier School, throughout his high school career at Bishop LeBlond.

He didn’t know why then. He does now. He was being called.

“It’s all my mother’s fault,” said Deacon Fitzpatrick, who will be ordained to the diocesan priesthood on May 25, along with Deacons Eric Schneider, Daniel Gill and Leonard Gicheru.

“I just liked going to Mass,” he said. “Daily Mass is different. It’s very quiet, and that appealed to me. And I got to know all the people who would go. The next youngest guy was probably in his mid-40s,” he said.

Deacon Fitzpatrick said God planted the seed, no question.

“By the time I got to high school, I was sure I was going to the seminary,” he said.

But it was in the Fitzpatrick family where that seed found fertile ground. It isn’t that his parents, Robert and Toni, pushed religion on their children Jack, Lucy and Molly. It was more that Catholicism came naturally, like the air they breathed or sitting down to Sunday dinner with special guests.

“The Fitzpatrick family in St. Joseph always had a relationship with the priests of St. Francis Xavier. My grandmother and grandfather, Betty and Bob Fitzpatrick, would have them over for dinner a lot,” he said.

His was a life right out of a Norman Rockwell painting — parents and sisters that he adores, and a future assured if he wanted it.

“I am the oldest son of an oldest son of an oldest son in a family with a business — IHP Industrial — founded by my grandfather,” he said. “It would have been mine for the taking, but that kind of life doesn’t appeal to me.”

Instead, he was drawn to study the life of the patron of his parish and elementary school, the great Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier.

“I was drawn to what I knew at the time, the Jesuit spirit of getting out and conquering the world,” Deacon Fitzpatrick said.

But, he admitted, he didn’t know how to break the news to his mother that her only son was being called. Then one day, in his sophomore year in high school, he simply came out with it.

“I said, ‘Mom, I want to be a Jesuit,’” he recalled.

Her reaction?

“She gave me a hug and said, ‘Jack, that would be great,’” he said. “She seemed happy.”

Deacon Fitzpatrick sent e-mails to the vocation director of the Society of Jesus, but decided that wasn’t what he was called to do. He also looked into the Dominican order as well, but that wasn’t it either.

“I decided I didn’t want to live in community. I’m Irish. I want my own stuff,” he said, quickly adding, “The seminary trains you not to need much stuff.”

His calling was to be a parish priest, he said. And it is a high calling.

“None of us is worthy to be a priest, and nothing you can do can make you worthy,” Deacon Fitzpatrick said.

“People have a lot of respect and admiration for priests,” he said. “That’s because it’s not about what is for me. If what I am actually doing is all for the service of the church, that’s why people love priests.

“The priest is a consecrated minister of the truth,” he said. “The truth is Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is transmitted through the Gospel and the sacraments. He is the image of the invisible God. The only reason I am here as a priest is to get people to heaven. If you are doing a good job, you will help people along the way.”

A priest does that in many ways, Deacon Fitzpatrick said.

“The Catholic priest imitates Christ in the way he lives,” he said.

“The priest and the Holy Eucharist are intertwined. It is the real presence of Christ among us today,” he said.

“But what I am looking forward to the most is being a voice to speak to the church,” Deacon Fitzpatrick said. “The church, the people, the sacraments, the Gospel, the beauty, all these things that go into making the church, I absolutely love it.”

Reverend Mr. Eric Schneider

By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

KANSAS CITY — Deacon Eric Schneider knows that when God calls, you listen.

“If God wants you to be a priest, he will make it known to you and will not leave you alone,” he said.

Deacon Schneider, who will be ordained to the diocesan priesthood May 24, was raised in his mother’s Methodist tradition, although he had strong Catholics on his father’s side of the family.

Just before his step-father moved the family to St. Louis when Deacon Schneider was 11 years old, his birth father gave him his old St. Joseph’s Missal.

“I was struck by all the information in this book and memorized all the parts of the Mass and would read the explanations,” he said.

His step-father began taking him to Mass, which led to a decision to seek full communion with the Catholic Church at age 12.

It was a no-brainer, he said.

“I had an Italian-American grandmother and I can remember the deep impression that she and her mother both made on me by praying the rosary in the house, as well as the pictures and crucifixes that were in the house,” he said.

“I remember being enamored as a little boy of my great-grandmother’s shrine in her room of satin statues and the flickering light of candles that burned next to them,” Deacon Schneider said.

“Ultimately, I wanted to join the Catholic Church because I was drawn to the Mass. I think you can say that God was drawing me in,” he said.

In his teen years, Deacon Schneider admitted, he wasn’t the best of Catholics. Then, before he started college, and learning that the priests of the Institute of Christ the King were celebrating Mass in the Latin of his father’s Missal at St. Francis de Sales Parish in St. Louis, Deacon Schneider said he decided on his own to go to Mass and Confession.

“I describe this as sort of a ‘St. Paul moment,’” he said.

“The priest was an excellent confessor and I was reduced to tears by the beauty of the High Mass. I understood at that moment, I had to return to the practice of my faith,” Deacon Schneider said.

The more he practiced his faith, the stronger God’s call became, he said.

“There was a longing and nagging in my conscience to do what this priest just did for me — to sit in the confessional and impart God’s mercy to sinners and to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,” he said. “It was really my love for the Mass that drew me in more and more.”

Still, he entered the University of Missouri-Columbia with no real idea what he would do with his life, Deacon Schneider said.

“Eventually, I got enough courage to visit the Institute of Christ the King’s seminary in Italy,” Deacon Schneider said. But he left discouraged.

“While it was a beautiful experience, I came away thinking the priesthood was not for me,” he said.

Enter God and his mysterious ways.

“A man in plain clothes happened to sit next to me on the plane ride home. He happened to be a Franciscan priest from Poland. We talked about the priesthood for several hours. God has a great sense of humor,” Deacon Schneider said.

He decided then that his calling was to the diocesan priesthood.

“God has made this very clear to me in my vocational discernment,” Deacon Schneider said. “There is something very exciting about being on the front lines of parish work.”

That feeling was underscored at St. John LaLande Parish, where he served as a transitional deacon.

“My experience at St. John LaLande Parish in Blue Springs was a blessed experience,” he said. “I learned a lot from my pastor, Father Ron Elliott, as well as from the very fine staff and devoted parishioners. It certainly solidified my vocation to the priesthood even more.”

Deacon Schneider said he was invited to the seminary by then-Archbishop and now Cardinal Raymond Burke, who was the archbishop of St. Louis at a retreat for young men hearing the call.

“I will never forget his kindness and generosity in meeting and encouraging each of the men on the retreat,” he said.

But with his family moving out of the St. Louis area and his father retired in northwestern Arkansas, Deacon Schneider chose to transfer to the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph to be closer to his father.

He said he was welcomed immediately and warmly supported in his journey to priesthood by all he has met.

“I am very grateful to God, my family, the parishioners that I have had the privilege to serve, Bishop (Robert W.) Finn, and all of the many priests who have prayed for me, supported me and mentored me in my priestly vocation,” Deacon Schneider said.

“Why not the diocesan priesthood,” he said. “This is where all of the people are. And I am confident that this is where God wants me to be. God is never outdone in his mercy and generosity towards us, and I am joyfully anticipating working in our diocese very soon.”

The Immigration Conference opens conversations about welcome and acceptance. (Photo courtesy of Bill Francis, Diocesan Human Rights Director)

By Marty Denzer
Catholic Key Reporter

KANSAS CITY — Let’s face it. Lately, there has been a lot more discussion across the country regarding immigration — rights, wrongs, economics and cultures. Immigration has its proponents and its opponents and, more often than not, acrimony rules the conversation.

But not at the 2014 Immigration Conference, held May 3 at Cristo Rey Kansas City High School. The conference was more about commonalities than differences, welcoming the stranger and advocating acceptance and cultural exchanges.

Who better to open a positive conversation about immigration than the Catholic Church, an immigrant church historically welcoming to newcomers, and providing assistance and pastoral care to those in need, including immigrants, migrants, refugees and people moving from one community to another. Catholic Social Teaching principles presented in Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor), which insisted on dignity for the working poor and a Christian moral lifestyle, were later developed by succeeding popes and bishops into basic immigration principles. These include:

• The right of people to find opportunities in their homeland and the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families.

• Nations have the right to regulate their borders and to control immigration, but refugees and asylum seekers should always be afforded protection.

• The human dignity and rights of undocumented immigrants should be respected.

Those principles are not just words.

Elena Segura, Director of the Office for Immigration Education and Immigration Affairs for the Archdiocese of Chicago, gave the keynote address: “Becoming a Welcoming Church.” The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, like many dioceses throughout the U.S., is seeing more and more parishes becoming multicultural, with parishioners from several, sometimes many, different cultures calling them their church home.

Segura shared her experiences in ministering to immigrants in the archdiocese; emphasizing that Catholics are called to be a welcoming church to all people, regardless of nationality, country of origin, language and culture.

An immigrant from Peru, she understands the physical, emotional, educational, cultural and spiritual needs of immigrants. Segura is the founding director of the archdiocesan Office for Immigration Affairs and Immigration Education, serving 356 parishes, including 120 Hispanic and 50 Polish parishes. Created in 2009, the office grew out of the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform in response to the call from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Break-out sessions included “Invisible Violence, Deportation,” presented by Laurie Anderson, Executive Director, Immigrant Justice Advocacy Movement. It explored the current detention and deportation system and the criminalization of immigrants.

“Immigrant Healthcare,” presented by Clelo Fernandez, Chief Program Officer, El Centro Organization, explored ethnic neighborhoods in the Latino Community and compared socioeconomic situations of different groups. It discussed how differences in legal status, poverty levels, education and language affect the immigrant’s access to health care.

“The Dream Team,” led by Deborah Briggs, Director of Adult Education and Literacy, Independence School District and Mo Orpin, Executive Director of the Don Bosco Center, focused on education, resources and services and how immigrants and refugees can access them.

“Know Your Rights,” presented by Michael Sharma-Crawford, attorney, The Clinic, helped participants understand an immigrant’s rights before, during and after removal proceedings.

“New Immigration and Education Options for Immigrant Youth,” was presented by Jessica Piedra, an attorney and president of the Latino Coalition of Kansas City. Piedra discussed new developments in both immigration and educational opportunities for immigrant youth, including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which offers in-state tuition for children brought to this country at a young age, work authorization and deportation protection.

“Catholic Social Teaching 101,” presented by Jude Huntz, Chancellor, Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, explored church teaching on the care and concern for immigrants.

“Pastoral Hispana: the State of Hispanic Ministry in our Diocese,” presented by Miguel Salazar, diocesan Director of Hispanic Ministries, discussed the challenges, opportunities and myths of Hispanic ministry relative to the more than 85,000 Hispanics living in the diocese. Salazar later said about 55,000 identify with being Catholic, but only about one fifth are registered in a parish.

He said that eight parishes in the diocese have viable Hispanic ministries: St. Patrick, St. Joseph; St. Sabina, Belton; Our Lady of the Presentation, Lee’s Summit; St. Mark’s, Independence; Holy Cross, Our Lady of Peace, St. Anthony and Our Lady of Guadalupe parishes, all in Kansas City. “They are gente-puente, bridge builders,” Salazar said.

“This diocese has a large Hispanic constituency,” he said, “that needs support and integration into society. Integration provides a welcoming exchange and acceptance of cultures.” One thing must be recognized, he continued. For the Hispanic immigrant, English is the language of school, the street, government and the law. Spanish is the language of the family (home) and the faith. Salazar added that one young man he knows said that he attends Mass in Spanish because “I feel it in my language!”

A multicultural panel discussion followed. Pastoral leaders — Jesuit Father Rafael Garcia, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Deacon Danny Esteban of Holy Cross parish, Hilda Beck, missions director, St. Mark’s Parish, Independence, and Paul and Anna Nguyen, Marriage Preparation Instructors, Holy Martyrs Parish — served as panelists.

Hispanic youth and evangelization were two issues addressed by the panel; ideas for building multicultural competency in the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese were also shared.

Integration, enculturation, acceptance and welcome all are part of the overarching goal combining Hispanic and Immigration ministries. But, “until we recognize and acknowledge the cultural and historical differences of peoples, it’s too simple to put up roadblocks” to reaching that goal, said Brooklyn Samson, program manager, diocesan office of Human Rights. “We have to get rid of the ‘my’ parish, community, etc., mentality and reach for the sharing, enriching, learning mentality of ‘our.’”

Kelly Lum, Tony Reyes, Cindy Bruner, Bertha Banlomon and David Kopek join pastor Father Sean McCaffery May 18 in breaking ground for a project that will construct an elevator at St. John Francis Regis Parish in Kansas City. (Kevin Kelly/Key photo)

By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

KANSAS CITY — The money is in the bank and the ground has been broken.

By the end of the summer, St. John Francis Regis Parish will have a new $380,000 entrance with an elevator to provide increased accessibility to the sceond-floor parish hall.

“We’ve worked hard,” said parish business manager Karen Storck. “It seemed to be a lot of money to get this project.”

It wasn’t chicken feed. But over a three-year campaign, St. Regis parishioners dug deep to give every dime needed before construction got underway.

The parish also hired LaTona Architects, no rookies when it comes to both Catholic church construction and projects to improve accessibility for the differently abled.

“Right now, people with disabilities can’t get to the parish hall,” said Vince LaTona, whose previous projects include helping design the new Holy Rosary Church in Clinton, St. Sabina Church in Belton, St. George Church in Odessa, and Twelve Apostles Church in Platte City.

The elevator will also serve the school.

“If we have students with disabilities, they can get to the second floor as well,” he said.

This statue of St. John LaLande is the first statue of the saint to be dedicated in a church bearing his name in the entire world. (photo courtesy of St. John LaLande Parish)

By Marty Denzer
Catholic Key Reporter

BLUE SPRINGS — Standing on a table near the altar, he was dressed in buckskins and gazing benevolently on the assembled parishioners of St. John LaLande Catholic Church. Beautifully carved and painted, the wooden statue of St. John LaLande almost seemed to breathe.

The statue, dedicated during Mass on May 18, was commissioned from Studio Demetz in Ortisei, Italy, by a St. John LaLande parish family in memory of long-time parishioner, Medley Van Camp.

In his homily, Father Ron Elliott, pastor of St. John LaLande Parish, said Van Camp worked in maintenance and repairs at the parish for 14 years. He was always smiling, in spite of the ALS that was “slowly but surely talking his life’s breath away.”

The second reading that morning, 1 Peter 2:4-9, was about “living stones.” Father Elliott likened the family who commissioned the statue to the living stones in the reading: “Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Jean de LaLande (in English John LaLande) was a teenager, only 19 when he landed on the shores of this continent about 1646. The lay Jesuit brother was eager to assist French Jesuit Father Isaac Jogues in his work with the Huron and Iroquois tribes in what is now Canada and upstate New York. His willingness to help build the Catholic faith in North America made him a living stone.

“We here today are living stones and true,” Father Elliott said, “we are each only one stone, but together we build the parish and we would be missed if we were not here.”

The Jesuit missionaries were not trusted by all in the Huron communities. Despite their success in converting many of the Huron, others considered them to be evil shamans who brought death and disease to the communities. It didn’t help that their arrival coincided with the great smallpox epidemics of 1634 and later, to which the Native Americans had no immunity.

Jean de LaLande served as a companion to Father Jogues, a missionary priest, on an ill-fated peace mission to the Iroquois village of Ossernenon, located in upstate New York.  Jean de Lalande, had answered the call sent out by Father Jogues for a companion who was “virtuous, docile to direction, courageous, one who would be willing to suffer anything for God.”

While en route to Ossernenon, Father Jogues and Jean de LaLande were captured by a Mohawk war party. They were tortured and, on October 18, 1646, Father Jogues was tomahawked and beheaded.

John LaLande was martyred the following day, when he attempted to recover the body of Father Jogues from the village paths.  In 1930, Pope Pius XI canonized John LaLande, Father Jogues and six other Jesuit slain by the Iroquois and Huron between 1642 and 1649. Father Jogues, John LaLande, Jesuit Brother Rene Goupil (1642), Fathers Antoine Daniel (1648), Jean de Brebeuf, Noel Chabanel Charles Garnier and Gabriel Lalemont (all in 1649) became known as the North American Martyrs.

St. John LaLande Parish was founded in 1938.

Parishioner Jim Heiman, author of a 2003 parish website history, wrote, “Jean de La Lande, the obscure young French woodsman from Dieppe, France, was a fitting image for the name of a church … of a religion persecuted by the fears of staunchly anti-foreign and anti-Catholic terrorists. And perhaps he appealed to the weekend country excursionists who may have felt that they, too, were woodsmen—at least on the weekends.”

In honor of its 75th anniversary last year, research was done to see how many parishes worldwide are named for John LaLande. Apparently, the parish in Blue Springs is the one and only.

Remarking on that, Father Elliott said that the new statue in the church is the only statue in a church dedicated to St. John LaLande. The limestone statue on the lawn in front of the church, dedicated in the late 1970s, is also of St. John LaLande.

Father Elliott also mentioned that, while most of the statues in and around the church do not have halos, he specifically requested that the new statue of St. John LaLande have a halo. We have many visitors to our church, he said, stopping by for Mass while traveling on I-70. Most of them probably aren’t acquainted with St. John LaLande. “The statue is dressed in buckskins, and I didn’t want somebody asking, ‘Why is Davy Crockett in the church?’”

In the near future, the statue will be moved to the narthex of the church, but for now, he watches over the faithful attending Mass at the only church in the world named in honor of St. John LaLande.

Sister Joan Harris, CSJ, presents the Generosity of St. Joseph Award to Dr. Ron Slepitza, at a gala held at the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse in Carondolet, Mo. (photo courtesy of Bernie Elking Photography)

By Marty Denzer
Catholic Key Reporter

KANSAS CITY —The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet have long been closely involved in education, health care and justice for the poor, dating back to the 17th century when they taught impoverished girls and women to make lace as a way of earning a living. Today, the charism and mission of the St. Louis-based religious order includes: healing and reconciliation; serving all persons without distinction; enabling others to assume a more active responsibility for continuing the mission of Jesus; recognizing and defending the human dignity of all; caring for creation and promoting justice with a particular concern for the poor.

Since 2007, the Sisters have honored men and women whose daily lives and careers are witness to the life-altering generosity of St. Joseph. The Generosity of Joseph award this year was presented to Mary Christman and Joseph and Rosemary Shaughnessy, all of St. Louis, and to Ron Slepitza, Ph.D., CSJA, President of Avila University in Kansas City. Avila is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet

The annual gala event, held April 25 at the motherhouse in Carondelet, Mo., included cocktails, a silent auction, dinner and the honors ceremony. The auction and donations raised $86,000 in honor of the award winners.

Sister of St. Joseph Marie Joan Harris, Avila Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, presented Dr. Slepitza with the award. She said that for Slepitza, a Sister of St. Joseph Associate, commitment to the order’s charism is not a passive objective. “It is key to his strategic planning. He has instituted Avila’s Sister of St. Joseph Associate program with more than 50 men and women now immersed in our charism and history. Ron is assuring all of us that the mission and charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph are secure in the hands of the laity.”

The Generosity of Joseph Honor publicly acknowledges and celebrates those whose generosity positively influences and contributes to the betterment of society and encourages others by example to practice life-altering generosity.

Slepitza later said, “I’m not a holy man. But as I’ve approached this ministry, I have tried to be a faithful one. As I have grown to understand our mission and our charism, I have found great enthusiasm on the part of our people to also grow in its understanding, to act in its accord, to serve our students in the spirit of the dear neighbor and to find their work in a life giving ministry. In this process, I believe we are doing God’s work.

“I am very grateful for the true generosity of the Sisters of St. Joseph in their willingness to share this charism and this ministry and their delight in welcoming us as colleagues on the journey. I am grateful for this opportunity, and I know in honoring me you are really honoring all those at Avila who believe so deeply in this ministry and mission and try to live it daily.”

KANSAS CITY — The diocesan Respect Life and Human Rights offices joined May 12 to issue nearly $45,000 in grants to 10 agencies that work specifically to defend the sanctity and dignity of human life as part of the offices’ new Life & Justice Campaign.

Bill Francis, director of the Respect Life Office, said the funds came from the Life & Justice campaign that is replacing the former Catholic Campaign for Human Development, which also provided money for similar grants to agencies involved directly in advancing various areas of Catholic social teaching on human dignity.

“We started out by replacing our previous parish collection for human development with one that is managed locally and is committed to distributing all funds locally,” Francis said.

Francis said an annual collection in all parishes for the local campaign will be conducted Aug. 16-17, but the fundraising won’t stop there.

“In addition to the annual second collection, we have an on-line donation tool that can be accessed any time,” he said.

The results have already surpassed expectations, he said.

“The first year of the campaign in 2013, we exceeded the total amount collected in 2012, the final year of the previous collection,” he said.

“A natural outcome was that Life & Justice Committee retained complete control over the distribution of funds and could therefore provide 100 percent transparency,” Francis said.

Agencies receiving grants were:

• Catholic Radio Network for its Gabriel billboard campaign that is designed to promote morality and truth by raising awareness of Catholic radio throughout the diocese.

• Community Missions Corporation/InterServ of St. Joseph for programs to help the homeless served in the new cold weather shelter to reconnect with family and community, and to overcome barriers as they transition to permanent, stable housing.

• Foundation for Inclusive Religious Education (F.I.R.E.) for its programs that provide services that open the doors of Catholic schools to students with special needs, who in turn enrich the school with their presence.

• Jerusalem Farm for its programs that provide basic home repair services to elderly poor neighbors in northeast Kansas City, while also providing week-long opportunities for prayer, service and learning a more sustainable life on its urban farm.

• Mother’s Refuge to assist the home for expectant single young women to get back on its feet after a fire in 2013. Since 1987, Mother’s Refuge have helped more than 1,350 homeless, pregnant young women bring their babies to birth, and assist them toward acquiring the skills to lead a stable life.

• Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation for its programs that provide practical assistance to people who are beginning small businesses. Since 2006, the agency has helped more than 600 such entrepreneurs in Andrew, Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway and Worth counties.

• Operation Breakthrough/Amethyst Place for its “100 Jobs for 100 Moms” program that provides mentoring which allows women with children in poverty to secure sustainable employment.

• St. Matthew the Apostle Parish for its program to provide English as a Second Language classes at no cost to the growing number of non-English speaking families in the Hickman Mills area of Kansas City.

• St. Therese Little Flower Parish to help the parish broaden the scope of services to its elderly neighbors to include minor home improvements and repairs to allow seniors to remain in their homes in addition to providing, through Catholic Charities, home-delivered meals to more than 100 people a day as well as the ongoing opportunity for weekly community meals at the parish.

Francis said the grants issued May 12 advance the mission of the church to serve human dignity.

“We are already working with wonderful pastoral care organizations and we are already working closely with parishioners throughout our diocese,” he said.

“There is potentially no one else in a position to bring these two groups together on such a significant scale,” he said.

More information about the Life & Justice Campaign, including grant criteria and application forms, and an opportunity to donate, is available online at the diocesan Web site, www.diocese-kcsj.org. Click “Offices and Agencies” in the heading, then click “Human Rights” in the left column.

Katherine and Gerald Gillen of St. Mark the Evangelist Parish, Independence, renew their marriage vows June 1 during the annual diocesan celebration for couples celebrating 50 years of marriage in 2014. (Kevin Kelly/Key photo)

By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

KANSAS CITY — Fifteen days after ordaining eight men to the transitional diaconate, eight days after ordaining four men to the priesthood, six days before ordaining 13 men to the permanent diaconate, Bishop Robert W. Finn led the annual celebration of the foundation vocation — God’s call to married life and family.

“We all come from families,” Bishop Finn told scores of couples from throughout the diocese who came June 1 to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for the annual Celebration of 50th Wedding Anniversaries.

Fittingly, he said, this year’s celebration was also held on the Sunday when the church in the United States celebrates the Ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven.

“Marriage is not only a vocation,” Bishop Finn said. “It is the path to heaven. You help each other get to heaven.”

Bishop Finn said the couples demonstrate by example the power of 50 years of commitment to the Sacrament of Matrimony.

“You are here today because of love, the love you have for each other which drew you to one another and caused you to persevere for so many years, the love of your own families and friends which supported you in good times and bad, the love of the Eternal Father who, in his mercy, gave you this extraordinary vocation,” he said.

“Over the course of 50 years, there have been some times when you knew the closeness of God,” Bishop Finn said.

“There are also times when we are challenged to remain faithful to our prayer and our commitments, even when we feel that God and his direction for our lives were not as clear as we wish,” he said.

“At these latter times, it is possible that we can give up in discouragement or, clinging to God and our beloved, we are helped by grace to persevere,” he said. “In the midst of such trials, we grow even stronger because of God’s love.”

The bond for life between one man and one woman is “an essential part of God’s plan for the world,” Bishop Finn said.

“Your love is life-giving in the wondrous gift of family and children,” he said.

“Marriage completes a man and a woman,” the bishop said. “The Book of Genesis tells us that from the beginning, ‘God made them male and female’ and that the natural complementarity of one for the other transforms you as spouses and allows you to become a new entity — a new life in Jesus Christ.”

The love of a married couple is also “a gift to the church and the world,” Bishop Finn said.

“Indeed, St. Paul tells us that the love of husband and wife is an image and reminder of Christ’s love for the church,” he said.

“The way this love reaches its perfection in marriage and in the family is in humble service for one another, and in self-sacrifice after the example and image of Christ,” he said.

“Jesus Christ, though his church, perfects and completes the natural institution of marriage through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony so that married couples will have the benefit of supernatural grace and assistance,” Bishop Finn said.

“How could couples ever hope to give themselves so completely and forever unless it is because of supernatural faith, hope and love?” he asked.

“Let us pray today, not only for all married couples, but for the institution of marriage and that our society will honor and protect authentic marriage in its integrity,” Bishop Finn said.

“Dear friends, dear married couples, the diocese thanks God for your vocation to marriage and for the health, peace and commitment in which he sustains you,” he said.

“As Mary obtained from her son the very first of his miracles on behalf of a married couple at the wedding feast of Cana, the church entrusts you to her again, confident that she will never fail to bring your prayers before her divine son,” Bishop Finn said.

The eight men ordained to the transitional diaconate May 17 are, from left, Deacon Curt Vogel, Deacon Luis Felipe Suarez, Deaon Jorge Andres Moreno, Deacon Gabriel Lickteig, Deacon Ryan Koster, Deacon James Carlyle, Deacon Joshua Bartlett and Deaon Bryan Amthor. (Kevin Kelly/Key photo)

By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

ST. JOSEPH — Prepare for a bonanza of priests.

On May 17, Bishop Robert W. Finn ordained eight men to the transitional diaconate, the first rank of Holy Orders before their ordinations as priests of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Another two men who are completing seminary studies in Rome will be ordained as transitional deacons this fall at the Vatican.

All 10 will be ordained priests within the next year.

The eight ordained at the Cathedral of St. Joseph are:

• Rev. Mr. Bryan Amthor, who has been assigned this summer to assist at the Cathedral of St. Joseph.

• Rev. Mr. Joshua Bartlett, who has been assigned to assist at Christ the King Parish in Kansas City.

• Rev. Mr. James Carlyle, a former Anglican priest who will be ordained to the priesthood this fall under the Pastoral Provision and has been assigned to administrative and pastoral service at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Independence.

• Rev. Mr. Ryan Koster, who has been assigned to assist at St. John LaLande Parish in Blue Springs.

• Rev. Mr. Gabriel Lickteig, who has been assigned to assist at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in St. Joseph.

• Rev. Mr. Jorge Andres Moreno, who has been assigned to assist at St. John Francis Regis Parish in Kansas City.

• Rev. Mr. Luis Felipe Suarez, who has been assigned to assist at St. Patrick Parish, Kansas City, north.

• Rev. Mr. Curt Vogel, who has been assigned to assist at St. Elizabeth Parish in Kansas City.

The two seminarians completing their studies in Rome are:

• Alex Kreidler.

• Andrew Mattingly.

“I have claimed them for the church in the name of Jesus Christ and you have confirmed that call. Thanks be to God,” Bishop Robert W. Finn said in his homily in the packed cathedral.

Bishop Finn reminded both the congregation and the newly ordained that while ordination as deacons is a step toward priesthood, it is an important step filled with deep meaning.

“From your mothers’ womb, God has known you, called you, readied you with his grace for this moment,” the bishop said.

“This is a summons to service after the example of Jesus Christ, and you have said ‘Yes’ to his invitation. Your lives are about to be changed forever as you receive a new sacrament, Holy Orders, in the rank of deacon,” Bishop Finn said.

Bishop Finn offered special thanks to the families of each man.

“You too have waited and prayed for this day — an important and meaningful step on the way to priesthood,” he said.

“We thank God for the gift of life and faith and love that has helped our brothers hear God’s call and answer with generosity and trust,” Bishop Finn said. “I thank you for the gift you are offering to the church in sharing your loved one with Jesus Christ in this way.”

Bishop Finn had special words, in Spanish, for Deacons Moreno and Suarez, natives of Colombia, and their families and friends.

“I greet their families and so many faithful friends who have come to support Jorge and Luis Felipe,” he said in Spanish. “How grateful we are that these two good men are dedicating their lives to serve our diocese.”

Bishop Finn also urged the congregation to continue to pray for the new deacons.

“Pray for our brothers that they may persevere in this call,” he said. “Knowing that this ordination to the diaconate begins their final preparation for ordination to the priesthood, pray that they may carry out their duties in such a way that they will grow each day in love for Jesus Christ, in love with his church, and with a greater zeal for preaching God’s Word, for administering the sacraments, and for inspiring and guiding us all by sound teaching and example.”

Bishop Finn also urged the new deacons to continue to grow closer to God as they serve his people.

“Strengthen yourself daily with God’s Word, given to us not only in the Sacred Scriptures but also in the church’s Magisterium,” he said.

“Nourish yourself daily with the Body and Blood of Christ offered up for us in the Eucharist,” he said.

“Meet the Lord frequently in the Sacrament of Penance. This is so important if you are to grow in the holiness of life required by your sacred ministry,” he said.

“Pray each day the Liturgy of the Hours for the salvation of the entire world,” he said.

“Let your devotion to Mary, our mother and queen, and to St. Joseph, patron of the universal church, and all your holy patrons deepen your love for our Lord Jesus Christ. Ask them and allow them to guide you to your sacred ministry on a path toward heaven,” Bishop Finn said.

The diocese’s four newest priests kneel before Bishop Robert W. Finn and the priests of the diocese at their May 24 ordination. They are from left, Fathers John Fitzpatrick, Leonard Gicheru, Daniel Gill and Eric Schneider. (Kevin Kelly/Key photo)

By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

KANSAS CITY — No priests, no Mass, no Eucharist.

Bishop Robert W. Finn took special pride May 24 in ordaining four men for the “indispensable” ministry of priesthood for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

The diocese’s newest priests are:

• Father John Robert Fitzpatrick, who has been assigned to St. Andrew Parish in Gladstone, and to St. Pius X High School in Kansas City, north.

• Father Leonard Gicheru, who has been assigned to Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Kansas City.

• Father Daniel Christopher Gill, who has been assigned to St. John LaLande Parish in Blue Springs.

• Father Eric Anthony Schneider, who has been assigned to Cathedral of St. Joseph and pastoral care of St. Patrick Parish in St. Joseph.

“Jesus Christ calls us together today to carry out a great work of sanctification and ministry,” Bishop Finn told the congregation and the newly ordained priests in his homily.

“It is his church, his work, his grace and mercy in the hearts of these four men that is the cause of our celebration,” he said.

“The love of a priest continues in a supernatural and efficacious way the love of Jesus the High Priest,” he said. “It accomplishes something beyond human measure in the faithful who are served.”

Bishop Finn urged the congregation to pray for these men, and also to pray for more men to be called and to respond like they did.

“Because the ministry of the ordained priest is indispensable, pray also that more men will be called by God to the priesthood, and that they will respond to this vocation with generosity and trust,” Bishop Finn said.

At the center of their ministry is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, he said.

“No other source of spiritual life and strength is as important to you as the Mass,” Bishop Finn said.

“I say this to all of us as priests, determine to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass every day. It is one of the most important reasons Jesus Christ established his Holy Order of Priests of the New Covenant.

“The Eucharist renews the Lord’s sacrifice and applies its fruits for the sake of the whole people of God, living and dead,” he said.

“The Eucharist is necessary for the life of the world, and Jesus entrusted it uniquely to us as priests. The (Second Vatican) Council teaches with such clarity: The Eucharistic sacrifice is the source and summit of the whole Christian life. It is the source of the priest’s pastoral love,” Bishop Finn said.

But there are other duties that only an ordained priest can perform, he said.

“One of our most privileged priestly duties is as minister of the Sacrament of Penance,” Bishop Finn said.

“In confession, you will forgive sins and foster reconciliation with the people of God,” he said. “Make clear to the faithful that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a vital part of your life. Love confession for the sake of your own sanctification and as an opportunity to extend the Father’s mercy to others. Be available to God’s people in this sacrament and they will come to you, drawn by the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Bishop Finn urged the new priests to “promote the dignity and respect for all human life from its inception until natural death.”

“Support with particular zeal those persons who have no voice of their own: the unborn, those with special needs, the aged and the dying,” he said.

“Be in solidarity with those who suffer injustices in our society, those who are the target of prejudice, the poor, the migrant and the refugee,” he said.

“Defend the integrity of marriage and the family which are at the core of our society,” Bishop Finn said.

“These teachings of the church stand in sharp contrast to the prevailing culture. With gentle and persevering love, and even ready to share in the suffering of Christ, you must guard the meaning and central importance of this union of Holy Matrimony which God has designed to bring children into the world and nurture them in security and sanctity,” Bishop Finn said.

“Many couples, seeking to live faithfully the church’s teachings on the transmission of human life, look to you for encouragement and support. Lead them and walk with them as spiritual fathers and guides,” he said.

Bishop Finn told the new priests that celibacy is a special source of grace “by which you are free to give yourself completely to the church with an undivided heart.”

“In this way, it will be clear to you that you belong entirely to Jesus Christ and your love for others will be at the same time deeply personal and all-embracing,” he said.

“By your example you will inspire others to live an outgoing love which is pure and joyful,” he said.

Bishop Finn reminded the new priests that there are two special saints they can always depend upon.

“Be close to Mary, to whom our Lord entrusted us all at the foot of the cross,” he said. “She is the mother of the High Priest. She is the mother of all priests.

“When your pastoral duties weigh upon you, ask St. Joseph, guardian of the Redeemer, patron of the universal church and our diocesan patron, to help you carry the load without becoming discouraged,” Bishop Finn said.

By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

KANSAS CITY — Consider the gauntlet thrown. The Border War is back.

“Oh yeah. We’re definitely going to win,” said Father Evan Harkins.

Got that, Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas? When your priests and seminarians meet our priests and seminarians July 14 on the friendly field of softball competition, you’re going down.

Already unofficially dubbed “The Border War” in memory of the now dormant rivalry between University of Missouri and Kansas University, both teams of ordained and about to be ordained on both sides of the Missouri-Kansas state line are serious about winning.

Pastor of St. James Parish in St. Joseph and player-manager of the Kansas City-St. Joseph team, Father Harkins promises to field a team full of athletic and holy men in the first “Pitching for Priests” softball game at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, the cozy home of the professional Kansas City T-Bones baseball team in Kansas City, Kan., located in the Legends shopping and entertainment district just west of I-435 between State Avenue and Parallel Parkway.

The game will begin at 6:30 p.m. with Kansas City, Kan., Archbishop Joseph Naumann and Kansas City-St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn throwing out the ceremonial first pitches before taking their respective positions in the third base coaching box.

Tickets to the game are all general admission at $10 each, and can be purchased in advance at www.catholicradionetwork.com, or by calling (816) 630-1090, or at the gate on the day of the game.

But the fun will begin even before the first pitch is thrown with the free parking lot opening at 3 p.m. for tailgating and mingling with the priests.

And that is what the event is really all about said Jim O’Laughlin of Catholic Radio Network (KEXS Catholic Radio AM 1090), who dreamed up the idea as a way primarily to help fund and promote vocations to the priesthood, but also a rare opportunity for priests to have fun while the people they serve can get to know them better as the great guys they are.

“It is a fundraiser,” O’Laughlin said. “We are having so many more vocations (to the priesthood) on both sides that both offices need some help, and Catholic Radio Network has always said we need to do more for our priests.”

O’Laughlin said that priests don’t often have the opportunity just to have a fun day. One occasion is the annual September Priests and Seminarians Appreciation Day golf tournament begun by the late Bob Miller and continued by his family through the foundation Miller established, CORE — Celebrate Our Religious Enthusiastically.

“I just love that event,” O’Laughlin said. “You look at the priests there, and they are so relaxed and having so much fun.”

But regular, great guys also like to win.

“I think both sides are pretty serious about this game,” O’Laughlin said.

Never mind that the Kansas-side archdiocese fields a basketball team of priests called The Runnin’ Revs that plays in high school gyms to promote vocations.

Father Harkins said the Missouri side has some pretty fine athletes among the ordained and the yet to be ordained.

Chief among them are a rather sizeable group of 10 spry, young men who will be ordained to the priesthood next year.

But there are also quality athletes among the ordained as well.

Father Harkins, too humble to cite himself, said the Bartulica brothers — Father Angelo who is pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Raytown, and Father Matthew, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Independence and St. Cyril Parish in Sugar Creek — should strike terror in the hearts of any opposing Kansas City, Kan., pitcher.

“There’s a lot of youth and athletic ability among our priests and seminarians, and we have the attitude and the ability to succeed,” Father Harkins said.

And for those priests whose knees may be past their athletic primes, Father Harkins intends to lean on them for the wisdom they possess and for whatever support — moral or spiritual — they care to provide to a winning effort.

Some of the more mature priests are anxious to help, O’Laughlin said.

“I got an e-mail from a retired priest who uses a walker,” O’Laughlin said. “He said he’ll be there.”

The veteran priests were quick to remind both O’Laughlin and Father Harkins that a softball game between the priests of the neighboring dioceses is really nothing new. Several decades ago , the two sides met on the softball field every year.

“Father (Ernie) Gauthier said they called it the ‘Toilet Bowl,’” Father Harkins said.

“Msgr. Mike Mullins (of the Kansas City, Kan., Archdiocese) told me he played in those games, and he intends to play in this one,” O’Laughlin said.

Father Harkins said that priests from both sides intend to show up early for the bring-your-own-food and drink tailgating, just for the opportunity to be with each other, and with the people they serve, and have some fun.

“So often we get into the routine of the year,” he said. “This is something different. How often do we get together in the context of a softball game and just celebrate our faith?”

Thirteen candidates about to be ordained receive their final questions from Bishop Robert W. Finn before their ordination as permanent deacons June 7 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. From left, they are Richard Boyle, Daniel Brink, Marcelino Canchola, James Dougherty, Richard Gross, Tyrone Gutierrez, Keith Hoffman, John Nash, Dien Nguyen, James Olshefski, John Purk, Douglas Warrens and John Wichmann. (Kevin Kelly/Key photo)

By Kevin Kelly
Catholic Key Associate Editor

KANSAS CITY — Call them the Lucky Thirteen, but it is the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph that benefits.

The largest single class of permanent deacons ever ordained at one time in the Diocese took their vows and received the Sacrament of Holy Orders June 7 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

They are:

Rev. Mr. Richard Boyle, assigned to Church of the Good Shepherd, Smithville.

Rev. Mr. Daniel Brink, assigned to St. Gabriel Parish, Kansas City.

Rev. Mr. Marcelino Canchola, assigned to St. Patrick Parish, St. Joseph.

Rev. Mr. James Dougherty, assigned to St. Louis Parish, Kansas City.

Rev. Mr. Richard Gross, assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Kansas City.

Rev. Mr. Tyrone Gutierrez, assigned to St. Thomas More Parish, Kansas City.

Rev. Mr. Keith Hoffman, assigned to Our Lady of the Presentation, Lee’s Summit.

Rev. Mr. John Nash, assigned to St. Patrick Parish, St. Joseph.

Rev. Mr. Dien Nguyen, assigned to Church of the Holy Martyrs, Kansas City.

Rev. Mr. James Olshefski, assigned to St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Kansas City.

Rev. Mr. John Purk, assigned to serve as president of St. Michael the Archangel High School, Lee’s Summit.

Rev. Mr. Douglas Warrens, assigned to St. Therese Parish, Parkville.

Rev. Mr. John Wichmann, assigned to Church of the Good Shepherd, Smithville.

“These men have been chosen to be servants of God’s people,” Bishop Robert W. Finn said at their ordination Mass.

“They have sought to answer God’s call with the offering and oblation of their lives. The church confirms this call and I will invoke upon them the gift of the Holy Spirit and the grace of the Sacrament of Holy Orders so that the new deacons may have the benefit of supernatural assistance,” the bishop said.

The rank of permanent deacon dates to the earliest days of the church when the apostles ordained men to serve the widows, the poor and the sick.

It was revived shortly after the Second Vatican Council, and revived again in 1998 in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph by the late Bishop Raymond J. Boland, who three years later ordained the diocese’s first eight men to the permanent diaconate since 1984.

It is a unique call to service, Bishop Finn told the congregation that packed the Cathedral.

“The deacon serves in the name of Christ and in the place of Jesus Christ,” he said, recalling the words of the Gospel reading for the ordination liturgy: “Whoever serves me must follow me; Where I am, there also my servant will be.”

“This identification of the disciple with Christ, which many rightfully associate with the ministry of the ordained deacon, extends also to the great self-sacrifice by which Christ gave his life,” Bishop Finn said.

“Our Lord knew who he was and why he came,” he said. “And we also know that Jesus chose some to follow him more closely.

“This great privilege of being chosen and called by God that we celebrate at the time of ordination is not an acclamation of earthly greatness or status,” Bishop Finn said.

“Christ says to his apostles in the midst of their argument about who is greatest, ‘Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant. Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave,’” Bishop Finn said.

“As a minister of charity, the deacon distributes the goods of this world for the hope of God’s people,” he said.

“Even more than serving the material needs of the people, he is called to minister to the spiritual hunger and thirst of human souls,” the bishop said.

“As a minister of the Gospel, the hope of the risen Christ must be proclaimed so that the one who is fed and cared for is assured that they are also loved — loved by God, loved by the church, loved for all eternity with a dignity that can never be doubted and which must never be taken away,” Bishop Finn said.

“Our brothers have heard this call,” he said. “Jesus Christ has spoken to their hearts. He has chosen them as his instruments for spreading the Gospel. ‘To whomever I send you, you shall go,’ says the Lord. ‘Whatever I command you, you shall speak. Be not afraid, for I am with you,’ says the Lord.”

Faustina and Carlos Menjivar stand outside their home in Community Manuel II, an urban-rural area near Santa Ana, with their children, Omar (11) sponsored through Unbound (formerly C.F.C.A.), Karla (8) and baby Gabriel (2). The community is on an abandoned rail yard, and the tracks run along the dirt road. (Marty Denzer/Key photo)

By Marty Denzer
Catholic Key Reporter

KANSAS CITY — El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America, is about the size of Massachusetts. Mountainous, with pitted, mostly dirt roads in rural areas that become mud roads during the May through October rainy season; paved roads are found in cities like San Salvador and Santa Ana. This is the rainy season; everything is green, growing and flowering.

Still recovering from the 12-year civil war that ended in 1992, the country teems with people (2014 estimate – 6,125,512). More than half the population is Catholic and more than half are intimately acquainted with poverty. I don’t mean not being able to afford that new iPhone or take a vacation. Real poverty: living on less than $10 per day, with three or more children to feed, clothe, keep healthy and, hopefully, educate. Houses or shacks built with spare materials, usually old pieces of wood or sheet metal and plastic sheets or even bags to keep out the rain and wind, and dirt floors. If they are fortunate, a relative might share a home with them, and give the family their own room, with a sheet or shower curtain across the doorway for a bit of privacy. Inadequate, if any, plumbing, and cooking over open fires with little ventilation; both leading to illnesses. Long, back-breaking hours working in the fields, selling tortillas or other finger foods, popsicles or clothing from a push cart or cooking both for family and to earn money. And yet, there is joy and a drive to learn, a purpose to life. There is hope. Parents have dreams for their children, the children dream of their futures and of helping their parents.

Founded in Kansas City in 1981, Unbound, formerly Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, has worked to build strong families and communities and help people break the chains of poverty, ignorance and hopelessness. Today there are more than 300,000 Unbound sponsored children and elderly in 22 developing countries world-wide.

Since 1989, Unbound has worked with families and elderly folks in El Salvador. There are now 13,000 sponsored children and teenagers, and 968 older adults. Through Unbound’s programs and the love and monthly contributions received from their predominantly U.S. sponsors, they experience hope.

It is not a handout, more truly a hand up. In order to benefit from sponsorship, a child of school age must be in school or receiving schooling. The model is one of direct support, requiring a commitment of $30 monthly. Benefits are personalized to help meet each family’s particular needs and so might help fund basic necessities including food, clothing, school tuition and fees, uniforms, housing repairs, medical and dental care, or livelihood initiatives, literacy training for adults, Christmas and birthday celebrations and social outings and assistance for the elderly.

Small miracles, tiny transformations happen every day.

Recently, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, posted on Facebook a photograph of the young man that he has sponsored for a number of years. Ordained a priest for El Salvador last month, Father Nelson Edgardo Fajardo Guevara is one of those miracles.

Sponsors also benefit through opportunities to learn more about their sponsored friends and offer encouragement and support through the exchange of letters and photos. They also may choose to travel on mission awareness trips to meet their sponsored friends, see some of their life and the ways their contributions help. A mission awareness trip brings smiles, laughter and tears in quick succession and a sense of blessing.

Come, meet Faustina, Marlena and her Mothers Group, Delmy and their families.

Faustina’s family posing with the pet chicken on a bench outside their home. (Marty Denzer/Key photo)

By Marty Denzer
Catholic Key Reporter

EL SALVADOR — Community Manuel II lies in an abandoned rail yard and some houses straddle the tracks. The “street” is paved with mud and pools of water from the rain. The Unbound translator leads the way up a slight incline to a sheet metal and wood house with a flat metal roof. Faustina stands at the door, a huge smile lighting her face.

Faustina (38) and Carlos Omar Menjivar (34) have three children — Omar Ernesto (11), who is sponsored; Karla Lorena (8), affectionately called Karlita, and Gabriel Alejandro (2). The two older children attend school in the mornings. Due to a shortage of schools, children are assigned to classes either in the morning or afternoon. Faustina gets up at 5:30 a.m., starts a fire in her oven, prepares breakfast and awakens Omar and Karlita to get ready for the walk to school by 6:30. She and the baby walk the kids to school, a 10 minute walk, so they arrive before classes start at 6:45 a.m. Faustina then carries Gabriel to the public market for supplies, walks home and begins cooking.

Faustina prepares finger foods including fried plantain, cassava roots and chicharro (dough shapes that puff up when fried) and sells them in Santa Isabel Cemetery next door. She markets and cooks in the morning while Omar and Karlita are at school; after the two older children are home from school and have eaten lunch, they all troop over to the cemetery. Faustina goes to work while Omar and Karlita tend to Gabriel, daily from 2 until 5 p.m.

“We play toys with him,” Karlita said proudly. “We also play futball.” Both children are big soccer (futball) fans and are trying to teach Gabriel to play.

Selling food in a cemetery is hard work, but Faustina has figured out how outsell the other vendors and make the most money. She waits near the gates for mourners attending a funeral or municipal cemetery workers taking a break to leave the grounds. As they approach, she begins calling attention to her foods, and how perfect they would be as a snack on a bus or while walking. On a good day, she can make about $10, leaving a $4 profit after expenses.

Henry Flores, Unbound’s communications director in El Salvador, commented that this was the dead bringing life to others through her food sales in the cemetery. Faustina solemnly nodded.

Carlos also sells from a push cart. Every morning he rides two busses to downtown Santa Ana, picks up a cart stocked with sno-cones (popsicles) and walks to his community before turning around to walk back downtown, trying to make sales along the way. He goes to schools, kindergartens, homes and roadside stands to sell his sno-cones. He must sell between 120 and 130 sno-cones in order to make a $10 – $12 profit. Obviously, he likes hot, sunny days better than cool, rainy ones. Sun and heat bring people out of their homes.

Along his route, he is exposed to potential robberies, delinquencies and extortion by gang members (known as “rent”), but he is thankful he has been left alone – “I know many people.”

After returning the (hopefully) depleted cart to the vending company, he again rides two busses home, making his workdays about 10 hours long.

Carlos wasn’t always a sno-cone vendor. He worked in construction until he was laid off three years ago. He found this job after 10 days of worry, and has been faithful to it.

“A situation pushes you to do something to earn money for your family,” he said.

Carlos and Faustina have dreams for their children. Omar dreams of being a teacher, teaching children his favorite subject, Mathematics. He practices on his parents, teaching them what he has learned. Karlita, who loves Spanish grammar (she won’t take English lessons until 4th grade) hopes someday to be a doctor, perhaps combining her favorites – sports and medicine. Their parents hope their dreams will come true, and pray they will be able to provide for them.

“They are my motivation for getting up in the morning,” Carlos said. “My love for my family gets me up to work to support them. It’s not good to be alone as we grow old.”

Carlos completed 9th grade before the economic situation created by the civil war (1980-1992) forced him to go to work in a supermarket to help his mother and father.

Faustina’s family was old school; they believed that women should not attend school, but stay home, caring for the house and the children, an attitude that is less common today. Now that Omar and Karlita are in school, she has learned to write her name and, in helping them with their homework, she has learned to recognize certain words. “I don’t get lost downtown anymore,” she proudly announced. She dreams of learning to read and write, not only to keep up with her kids, but to be able to learn things that might help her in her business.

One dream shared by Carlos and Faustina came true last year. The family lived in a hut built of spare pieces of wood and laced tree branches. Benedictine College students on a spring break mission trip built them a new house of sheet metal on wood foundations that can be dismantled and moved if necessary.

Built in three days, the materials were provided by Unbound as a benefit through the Hope for a Family program. Carlos and Faustina, indeed most of the community, live as squatters on government-owned land under the threat of eviction. However, the family has water and electricity, so it seems likely that they will eventually obtain a deed to the land their home sits on. The Hope for a Family sponsorship program is geared toward helping families living in extreme poverty by connecting them with sponsors in the U.S., whose monthly contributions help fund basic necessities and, in many instances, livelihood programs to help families become self-sustaining. The program is about teaching a family to be part of the process of deciding how their sponsorship benefits would best help their children and the whole family.

Mothers Groups are part of that process. Still in the infant stages in many communities, the groups are beginning to take root and flower. In the Manuel II Community, Faustina has joined and helped the group grow. Motivated to improve educational opportunities for Omar and Karlita, as well as the other children in the community, Faustina leads the education committee, one of the Group’s four committees, finance, nutrition and health, education and recreation.

As we rose to leave, there was a cluck at the door and in walked a chicken. She was apparently a pet, as the children leaned over to pat her. With laughter and hugs, we said “Adios.”