What do the U.S. Catholic Bishops have to say about
climate change and protecting Creation?
CATHOLIC RURAL LIFE
The following is taken from a letter sent to the U.S. Congress last year by the Most Rev. Stephen Blaire, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.
Bishop Blaire begins by thanking the co-chairs of the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change for their leadership to address climate change and the opportunity to share the bishops’ suggestions for effective measures to address the moral and environmental challenges of global warming. Then he continues:
“Effective measures to address climate change are urgent and necessary. Evidence continues to point toward significant damaging impacts from climate related events in the United States, across the globe, and particularly for the poorest developing countries. Some poor nations and small island states already experience these impacts as a matter of survival for their people and cultures.
“People living in poverty in communities served by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) already suffer the tragic consequences of climate change. Increasingly limited access to water, reduced crop yields, more widespread disease, and increased frequency and intensity of droughts and storms all make the lives of the world’s poorest people even more precarious. CRS, which supports projects in almost 100 countries, already assists many communities to adapt to the consequences of climate change.
St. Nicholas celebrates church building centennial
Bishop John Brungardt applauded the efforts of the eight Catholic families who organized Kinsley’s St. Nicholas Parish 129 years ago during a Mass celebrating the centennial of the church building’s dedication Oct. 14.
“We have a 129-year-old parish and a 100-year old building,” the bishop said, commending the early settlers who brought their staunch faith to the Kansas prairie.
Rural churches face daunting challenges
Catholic Rural Life
Rural churches face daunting challenges. Young people move to urban settings, remaining parishioners are aging, and pastors are stretched in their time and energy. There is an uneasy sense of what the future holds. Within all this, the Church and dioceses must avoid the loss of connections between rural and urban.
A call goes out to urban parishes to rethink their assumptions about rural churches. It is possible to make a difference in the rural areas of our dioceses through acts of solidarity. Some may believe that rural churches are lost causes for growth. Yes, there is the challenge of limited resources, but we must avoid stereotypes and recognize the gifts of rural parishes and spread word of pastoral successes.
A decline in numerical growth of a parish does not automatically mean a decline in faith, strength and Godly leadership. Creative thinking, timely partnerships and decisive action can bring rural churches back from the brink of pessimism and loss.
Stewardship councils offer invaluable support
By David Myers
Southwest Kansas Register
David Borho wears a coat of many colors, which considering his work, might be a more apropos way of saying that he wears many hats.
As one of the founding members of the Sacred Heart, Pratt Parish Stewardship Council, he and the other members are responsible for assisting their parish (as Bishop John Brungardt explained in a past column):
• to grow in hospitality, as each welcomes all;
• to be formed in catechetical efforts, learning about our loving God;
• to be aware of our Caring Father in prayer and worship; and
• to serve others by living the Gospel message.
“The Stewardship Council,” Bishop Brungardt goes on to write, “assists the pastor and staff. The Council promotes the parish. The members encourage all.”
Swimming in a sea of church councils – school, parish, financial, etc... – the Stewardship Council may be the best kept secret of the parish. Yet, their contributions are invaluable.
Young royalty gather for faith and fun
The following video is a very small snippet from the day-long celebration, which focused on vocations. The gathering included several guest speakers, a Mass celebrated by the Most Rev. John B. Brungardt, and a lot of fun, as shown below. The Dodge City diocese seminarians hosting the great shoe relay are Tylan Ricketts, Juan Salas, and Jacob Schneider.
“Did you know that you’re a princess?” asked Dodge City native, Sister Mary Barbara Keiser, OP, of a young Catholic school student at the annual Catholic Schools Day gathering at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The theme of the day, which was open to 5th and 6th grader students, was “vocations.” Guest speakers included Sisters Mary Barbara and Mary Joseph of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, and Sisters Mary Grace and Mary Guadalupe of the Immaculate Heart of Mary order in Wichita.
Heartland Farm: an exciting Dominican ministry of rural religious life
By Charlene Scott Myers
Special to the Register
RUSH COUNTY, KS – It was a drizzling, cold day for the Farm Day celebration Oct. 6 at Heartland Farm, but nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of the hostesses – the Dominican Sisters of Peace– or of their guests with umbrellas who toured the farm.
Heartland Farm will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year. The 80-acre farm is located 14 miles west of Great Bend, and features 11 Alpacas, 60 chickens, and two organic gardens (one 250 x 50 feet for vegetables, and the other 50 x 50 feet for herbs and a flower garden.)
“The Great Bend Dominican Sisters began the farm in 1987 as a ministerial project,” explained Sister Jane Belanger, O.P., who has lived with four other sisters in the farm’s 100-year-old farmhouse for four years.
Father Benjamin Dande returns to India
The Diocese of Dodge City recently bade farewell to Father Benjamin Dande, MSFS, who returned to his native India after having served in the diocese since late 2007.
He was most recently pastor of St. Joseph, Ashland and quasi-parish Holy Spirit, Coldwater. He also served as parochial administrator of St. Lawrence, Jetmore, and St. Anthony, Hanston.
In an earlier interview with the Register, Father Dande said that one of his greatest joys of being a priest was being able to share with people their “joys and sorrows.”
Being “one with the people” wasn’t without its challenges, and Father Dande admitted humbly that he at times felt inadequate.
He decided to pursue his dream of becoming a priest at an early age.
“I grew up in the Catholic boarding schools run by missionary priests and nuns.
And I wanted to be like them, a Missionary Priest. Father Alexander Pasala was my inspiration. He used to encourage me to study well and be a good boy. He used to take me on his motorcycle to remote mission stations of India for the Mass and to visit the sick and elderly.”
Upon his return home, he will be responsible for building a new parish, and he will be able to offer needed care to his aging parents.
‘Birthdays are Lovely’
By the Most Rev. John B. Brungardt
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City
Editor’s Note: Following is the fifth in Bishop Brungardt’s series on Stewardship.
Share your cookie with your sister. Share your toys with your friends. We share our time, one of our most precious gifts, with our loved ones.
This is the fifth article in our series on the Spirituality of Stewardship: the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognizes and receives God’s gifts and shares these gifts in love of God and neighbor. Let’s look at: “shares these gifts.”
‘I love my job,’ says ‘shelter lady’
who inspired film ‘Gimme Shelter’
By Mark Pattison
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Kathy DiFiore has spent more than half of her life as the “shelter lady,” taking vacant convents and other buildings in New Jersey and turning them into shelters for unwed pregnant women who see few other options available to them.
The work of DiFiore, 67, was made into a feature film, “Gimme Shelter,” which was issued on DVD earlier in the spring. Because she is credited as a producer of the movie, DiFiore will receive a Christopher Award May 15 in New York, as the film was one of four winners in the movie category.
“It’s closer to 35 years as the shelter lady,” she told Catholic News Service in a May 2 telephone interview before heading to one of the shelters. “I love my work.”
Unlike some people who have winced when their life story was brought to the big screen, DiFiore liked “Gimme Shelter.”