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Father Barry's Pastor Pages
Click here for this week's Pastor's Page to view the End of the Year Parish Report.
Many families have one or more members who are no longer active in the Catholic faith. What can we do to bring family members or friends
back to the Catholic faith?
The first thing you can do is to LIVE YOUR FAITH. Most alienated people detest hypocrisy in church-goers. They need to see faith that
makes a real difference in your life, that is a source of strength, hope and compassion you wouldn't otherwise have. Obviously even faitful
'church goers' are sinners and sometimes fail to practice Christian virtue. Nevertheless, our weaknesses and failing shouldn't discourage
us from striving to be faithful to Christ and His teachings while at the same time admitting we are sinners are are dependent on God's mercy and
forgiveness. Part of living our faith means being truthful about our sinfulness and practicing humility. Such honesty and humility is an attractive
quality and may inspire those who are alienated to reconsider what it means to be an active member of the Body of Christ.
The second thing we can do is to ANSWER THE QUESTIONS of alienated family members or friends without pushing for conversion. We can do this
by using "I" language, saying "This is what I believe and it really helps me" instead of saying "If you would just see it this way, you'd be a lot
happier." Commenting that attending Sunday Mass gives you a sense of peace and direction in life is more inviting that telling alienated family
members that those who don't attend Sunday Massa are just lazy or lost in sin.
A third thing we can do is to OFFER UNCONDITIONAL LOVE to those family members who have grown indifferent to their Catholic, Christian
faith. Be Christ to them, letting them know that you love and accept them. The long-term witness of love and faith will always have an effect, and
it may just be the catalyst they need to return to an active practice of the faith. Be mindful of the fact that sometimes you may not always enjoy
the fruit of our unconditional love. Sometimes is is after a long period of time and separation that alienated members of the church return. And
sometimes upon their return they mention a particular person that planted the seed which was nurtured by the mysterious and wonderful workings
of God's Spirit. Sometimes we are called to merely plant the seeds and someone else is called to do the harvesting.
Perhaps this strategy of inviting alientated family members to return could be summarized with the words "SHOW AND TELL." First show that actively
practicing the Catholic faith makes a difference in your life. Then tell about it.
On the Fourth of July we celebrate the birthday of a nation born in freedom. In 1776, delegates from the thirteen colonies formally announced
their separation from Great Britain by adopting the Declaration of Independence. This most important of American documents is a testament
of freedom. No word is more important in the American heritage than "freedom."
But freedom is an empty concept by itself. You can't even talk about it without talking about what is behind it or beyond it. Freedom from
what? Freedom for what? Often when someone is asked about freedom they speak about freedom from something - from parents, regulations,
taxes, intrusive laws, etc. The problem is when freedom is understood only as a freedom from constraints, that very freedom eventually
becomes a kind of imprisonment. Our biblical ancestors had this trouble. The Israelites rejoiced in their freedom from Egypt, but they never really learned
how to handle their new found freedom in the Promised Land given to them by God. The Old Testament records how they abused their freedom by giving themselves
over to false gods and all sorts of other ventures that caused them to experience both physical and spiritual imprisonment.
Moving beyond the pitfalls of freedom from means discovering what we are free for. The early Christian community struggled with this. St.
Paul wrote to the Galatians, "You were called to freedom; only do not use your freedom for self-indulgence, but through love become servants to one
another." In other words, freedom is not the goal but rather it is a means to an end. Freedom is a God-given gift that we are to use so we can serve
our neighbor more effectively, love others more deeply, and better help those we encounter who are in need. In short, freedom is not something for us to
boast about and use selfishly. Freedom comes with a responsibility or with a mission. Freedom is given to us so that we may serve God by serving our
neighbor - and the term 'neighbor' can be applied to anyone we meet who is in need including strangers.
This makes freedom a kind of responsibility, or even a burden. But what begins as an apparent burden, however, often leads us to our greatest joy.
We discover a freedom that is for others and allows us to love as Jesus did.
Every five years there is a gathering of the alumni of Concordia Catholic Schools in Concordia. The enthusiastic response from the alumni indicates
there exists a kind bond that makes the distinctions of time, age, social or economic status, or geographic separation seem superficial and rather
artificial. Perhaps this large gathering reaffirms that absence does make the heart grow fonder as many people return to recall their
Catholic roots.
But perhaps another reality is also affirmed with this gathering of Catholic school alumni. This reality is best captured in a short fable or
parable. It goes something like this. A wealthy American traveling the back roads of Eastern Europe found himself in the village of a famous
mystic. The people called him "the Holy One". The American decided to visit this renown mystic and so traveled to the back country where he
was welcomed into the mystic's cabin. After some idle conversation, all the time looking around the cabin, the American finally blurted out,
"If you are so famous, where are all your possessions?" The mystic smiled and said to the American, "Where are yours?". To which
the American replied, "Why, I'm only passing through." And the holy mystic replied, "So am I."
As the alumni of Concordia Catholic schools slowly walk down memory lane and return to the roots of their Catholic faith it is a reminder of not
only how quickly time passes by but how we too are only passing through this world. It can be a source of great thanksgiving that Catholic
training and education were provided to bestow the gift of what is truly lasting and eternal - knowledge and love of God. It is also a time of
giving thanks for the sacrifices made by parents, teachers and members of the parish community to provide such a Catholic and Christian education.
The schools helped develop a unique family spirit which flowed from the knowledge that we were all members of God's one family. (Contributors to this
reflection include: Fr. Barry, George & Laura Jo Meyer, and other members of the Catholic Reunion committee.)
Stained Glass Window Repair/Restoration: The stained glass windows on the south side of the Church, including the large rose window will be
repaired, trim replaced and painted, resealed, and a new protective glass placed over them. After receiving three bids, David Sprague was awarded
the contract for this project. He will be erecting scaffolding across the front of the church to do the work which means the front doors of the
church will be temporarily closed. This work will begin in July. Thanks to the generous donations of parishioners we have raised the necessary funds
to begin this project. The cost for the project is $21,308.
New Church Organ: After a year of doing research on various organs and pianos, and exploring all the various options, a consensus has been
reached to acquire a new electronic piano/organ. This unit is capable of producing both sounds although it has the appearance of a baby grand piano.
This one unit will replace our existing organ and electric piano. Our present organ is too old for further repairs and is on its last leg, so to
speak. A majority of the money for this new organ/piano was donated by they children of Marie Dorman, who donated it in her memory because of her love
for music. Marie was a long-time parishioner who died in December 2008. Appreciation also goes to many other parishioners who contributed to this
project over the past months. Thanks to your donations we were able to improve the appearance of the choir area as well. New chairs which match our
existing sanctuary chairs are also being purchased for the choir area.
Dome of Sanctuary: On various occasions parishioners have inquired into adding some additional color and artwork to the sanctuary dome in the
church. This is the area above and around the large crucifix. The parish Finance Council has contacted a local firm in the diocese that specializes
in church art, design, and painting to see what some possible options might be and the cost. Once we get some drawings, we will make them available
for you to view. Please let your parish representatives know if there is interest in this possible project.
Every year our Bishop allows various missionaries to make an appeal in the parishes across the Diocese of Salina. The formal name of this is the
"Annual Mission Cooperative Appeal". This annual appeal is made on behalf of a Catholic religious congregation/religious order or some Catholic
diocese devoted to assisting the poorest of the world and promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This mission appeal serves as a two-fold reminder.
First, the Mission appeal reminds us of our responsibility to assist our brothers and sisters in the world who are suffering from oppressive poverty.
The Church exists to serve Christ by serving others, particularly the poor, the weak and the vulnerable. Second, this appeal reminds us of how we are a
"catholic" church. The English word "catholic" comes from the Greek word katholikos which means "universal." We are a universal, world-wide church
that trascends national, racial and ethnic boundaries. By having a missionary speak in the parish it helps remind us of how we are members in the one Body
of Christ despite the diversity of our language, race, nationality, age, gender, and culture.
Next Sunday at all the Masses Fr. Thomas Chandy, a Carmelite missionary representing the mission diocese of Jagdalpur, India will speak at all
Masses on June 26-27. The collection from the mission appeal is to help educate and take care of the mentally and physically challenged poor, tribal
children of the interior villages of the diocese of Jagdalpur, India. The Diocese of Jagdalpur was established in 1972 to spread the Good News of Jesus
among the tribal people of Bastar district. It is a very backward area with a great deal of poverty, ignorance, illiteracy, and malnutrition. Our
missionaries are engaged in direct evangelization and many socio-economic development programs. Percentage of tribal literacy in 1972 was 16%. Now, through
the efforts of the Church it has grown to 45% literacy. Your generous contribution will be used to educate and to take care of the mentally and physically
challenged children.
Special envelopes will be available in the pew at the Masses next Sunday for the purpose of supporting this annual appeal. These envelopes may also be
taken home and returned via the collection basket over the next few weeks. Our parish has always been very generous in supporting whatever missionary
has come to visit. I thank you in advance for your support of the missionary efforts of the Church.
Jesus didn't lack for critics who tried to discredit him. The Catholic Church likewise has not lacked for critics. In the first half of the last
century, anti-Catholic propaganda in our country spread the lie that the Church in America was waiting for a Catholic to be elected president
in order to rise up and hand the government over to the pope. Then, in 1961, John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic President. No Catholic
militias were formed, no secret underground arsenals were opened, and no military or political orders came from the Pope. The accusations
proved to be a lie.
Today anti-Catholic rhetoric has changed. Allegations today are more likely to say that we Catholics are seriously wrong rather than politically
dangerous. Critics of the Church include a broad range of people - from people who have actual contempt for us to people who are sincerely
concerned about our eternal salvation because we're 'not a Bible Church,' or 'haven't accepted Jesus Christ as a personal Lord and Savior' in the
exact manner they have.
When our Catholic faith is questioned or challenged, we need to have a grasp of something called Catholic apologetics. The word has nothing
to do with apologizing for a mistake. It comes from a Greek verb meaning "to speak in defense." Apologetics fell out of favor in the 1970's when the
Church tried to emphasize what we have in common with other Christian faiths. We shed our attitude of triumphalism. We recognize the truth resides in
varying degrees in other denominations or faith traditions. Unfortunately, in discarding apologetics we tended to discard any defense of the Catholic
faith. The purpose of apologetics is not to defeat another's faith in order to defend our own. (Someone who feels conquered is unlikely to join the
conquerors!) In the new Catholic apologetics, we can respect other faiths while defending and explaining our own.
Everyone has heard that the national divorce rate in the U.S. is close to 50 percent of all marriages. Although this is true, for many people
the actual chances of divorce are far below 50%. The background of those entering into marriage have major implications for their risk of
divorce. Below are some percentage point decreases in the risk of divorce or separation during the first 10 years of marriage, according to various
personal and social factors:
Factors Decrease in Risk of Divorce
Annual income over $50,000 -30%
(vs. under $25,000)
Having a baby after marriage -24%
(vs. before marriage)
Marrying over 25 years of age -24%
(vs. under 18)
Own family of origin intact -14%
(vs. divorced parents)
Sharing the same religion or faith -14%
(vs. no religious faith)
Some college (vs. h.s. dropout) -13%
In brief, if a person has some education beyond high school, a decent income, have non-divorced parents, are religious, marry after the age of 25, and
do not have children before marriage, the chances of divorce are very low. (Source: The State of Our Unions 2007: The Social Health of Marriage in
America)
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Pastor Pages Archives/h4>
Chances of Divorce Lower Than You Think 6/6/10
Catholic Apologetics 6/13/10
Missionary Priest to Visit 6/20/10
Update on Parish Projects 6/27/10
We're Just Passing Through 7/4/10
Freedom 7/11/10
Show and Tell 7/18/10
End of the Year Parish Report 7/25/10
December 2009 Pastor Pages
January 2010 Pastor Pages
February 2010 Pastor Pages
March 2010 Pastor Pages
April 2010 Pastor Pages
May 2010 Pastor Pages
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