The gift of our seminarians

‘It was not you who chose Me, but I who chose you.’
-- John 15:16

Seminarians for the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City, Tylan Ricketts and Jacob Schneider, took time to answer some questions for the Southwest Kansas Register. Due to an SKR computer error, seminarian Juan Salas did not receive the questions in time to respond by deadline. The SKR will include his remarks in the next issue.

Jacob Schneider
Jacob Schneider was born in Great Bend, the son of Bob, a mechanic, and Kathy, a nurse. He has one sister and four brothers.
Southwest Kansas Register: When did you first feel the call to enter the priesthood?
Jacob: I guess you could say when I was a kid, but I really think I began to realize that God might be calling me to be a priest in college. It took really three  years  until  I filled out the ap-
plication for seminary.

Deacon Dwaine Lampe:

From hurricane hunter

to rodeo clown

By DAVID MYERS
Southwest Kansas Register
Deacon Dwaine Lampe must have had nerves of steal.
His wife, Louise, on the other hand, must have had nerves of pure titanium.
Shortly after they were married on Dec. 29, 1958, Deacon Lampe began completing his final year serving in the U.S. Navy, where he was a third class petty officer assigned as a radio operator aboard a plane that flew directly into hurricanes.
“The squadron was VW-4, ‘hurricane hunters,’” Deacon Lampe said from his Spearville home. “Our job was to follow the hurricane and fly into the eye to determine which direction they were going.”

Arlene Vasquez MCDP:

The sister who had no intention of becoming a sister

By DAVID MYERS
Southwest Kansas Register
Sister Arlene Vasquez, MCDP (Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence) had no intention of becoming a sister.
It’s not that the thought of becoming a sister hadn’t occurred to her. It had. And she decided it wasn’t for her.
But that doesn’t mean she didn’t have a deep personal faith.
After attending Catholic school in San Antonio run by the Congregation of Divine Providence, and having been reared by two deeply devout parents, Arlene chose to become a lay associate, which is a bit like being a sister, with one large exception – you don’t profess vows.
“I remember thinking, this I can do,” she said. “A non-vowed member is fine. I was one of those who had a long litany as to why religious life is not pertinent in today’s society.

‘Word Working’ your way to a

closer relationship with God

Special form of prayer asks,

‘What am I called to do?

Who am I called to be?’

In 2003, the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City initiated a special form of prayer that is now regularly used as an opening prayer at many church functions.
A form of prayer? Isn’t prayer just ... well, prayer?
There are many forms of prayer. There’s the Rosary; there is song; there is recitation of established prayers; and there is simply chatting with God.
And there is Lectio Divina, known as Word Working in southwest Kansas.
Word Working is a form of prayer that’s designed for groups. It’s for sharing, but more importantly, it’s about listening -- listening to those around you, and listening to God’s voice. It is designed to allow the individual to prayerfully discern God’s will for their lives.
“To be able to discover the actual will of the Lord in our lives always involves a receptive listening to the Word of God,” said Becky Hessman, Coordinator of Vocations.

Events in Washington, around U.S.

mark 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- One thing that always stands out in the annual marches and rallies in Washington and across the country marking the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing abortion is the crowd.
“People are always surprised by the number of pro-lifers that show up in Washington and in their own state capitals,” said Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee.
“The crowds are getting bigger and bigger each year and have more young people, which is encouraging for the pro-life movement and a shock for those who think abortion should remain legal,” she told Catholic News Service Jan. 4.