The Four Pillars of Stewardship
Have you ever seen the 1949 movie, “Samson and Delilah”?
If you recall, after Hedy Lamarr’s Delilah is rejected by Victor Mature’s Samson, the long-locked strong man of the Old Testament is blinded and tortured. Not only that, but Samson’s strength, which God gives him via his long hair, is removed when Delilah gives him a trim.
The final scene has the blind Samson tethered between two large pillars in an immense, public gathering. Unnoticed by the rabble, his hair has grown back, and with it, his strength, so he topples the temple, burying the rabble in rubble.
Receiving the magical, miraculous gifts of Christmas
By David Gibson
Catholic News Service
Is there something magical in Christmas gifts? Children think so.
As if struck by a holiday contagion, children hunt feverishly, furtively among the packages under the Christmas tree during the last days before the big day, hoping to learn precisely what magic awaits them there.
But what adults learned over time and children have yet to discover is that the most magical gifts on Christmas are not hidden under the tree.
Consider the 4-year-old’s Christmas gift, finely crafted for Mom or Dad under a preschool teacher’s watchful eye. Parents celebrate these gifts excitedly.
Formation
Forming faith, building community
KINSLEY -- Jim and Lynee Habiger hadn’t put much thought into the faith formation of high school aged students.
That is, until their two children were in their teens. It was then that the couple realized just how difficult it is to find people willing to take on the responsibility of providing faith formation for teenagers.
Lynee, the vice principal at Kinsley High School, had been actively involved in teaching PSR (Parish School of Religion) classes to children for several years. When she and her husband couldn’t find anyone to teach the older kids, she and Jim took on the challenge.
Ten years later, the small town boasts 20-40 freshmen through senior-grade high school students attending the weekly gatherings. They started in the Habiger’s home, but the gatherings soon outgrew their house, so they moved to the church basement.
“We kept having more and more children at our house,” Lynee said. “And they were running into a problem with eating. So we decided to provide a 30 minute social time with pizza or nachos, then an hour class.
Diocese celebrates Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
At the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dodge City, St. Joseph Parish, Scott City, and at other parishes throughout the diocese, throngs of faithful entered the churches Wednesday, Dec. 11, to honor the patroness of the Cathedral in anticipation of her feast day.
The celebrations began in the early afternoon and went on into the night. Colorful dancers displayed their skills as a way to honor God and the Holy Mother. The celebration continued the next day, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, with more dance the the celebration of Mass.
The powerful sounds of drums announced the arrival of one of several groups of danzantes, large troops of boys and girls, men and women, donned in colorful Aztec dress, bamboo beads jangling, large headdresses defying the laws of gravity.
Several different troops performed for an appreciative audience. The dancers were not dancing to entertain -- although entertain they did -- but as a prayer of thanksgiving, hope and community.
Viva Guadalupe!
En la Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Dodge City, una multitud de fieles entraron al salón social el 11 de diciembre, anticipando el día de su fiesta, para honrar a la patrona de la catedral.
La celebración empezó temprano en la tarde y se extendió hasta la noche. Además de los grupos grandes de danzantes y parejas también había clases de karate y cantantes, todos exponiendo sus talentos como una manera de honrar a Dios y a Su Santa Madre. La celebración continúo el día siguiente, el día de la fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.
Con una imagen de Nuestra Señora puesta en un lado del salón grande, los grupos danzaron, cantaron, o exhibieron su atletismo.
Más tarde, el potente sonido de los tambores anunciaron la llegada de uno de los varios grupos de danzantes, tropas grandes de niños y niñas, hombres y mujeres, con coloridos vestidos aztecas, con cuentas de bambú colgando, con grandes tocados que desafiaban las leyes de gravedad.
Las danzas no eran para entretener — aunque sí lo hicieron — sino que eran una oración de acción de gracias, esperanza y comunidad.
Pope offers reminder to start looking into the faces of the poor
Editor’s Note: The seasons of Advent and Christmas offer a reminder to recall the gift of Christ and what that ultimate gift means to us when it comes to serving those less fortunate. On Dec. 10, Pope Francis launched a global campaign to end world hunger. The global “wave of prayer” to eradicate hunger reached the U.S. Capitol with participants in an interfaith prayer service asking God to guide all people to better see and understand the needs of people living in poverty. The wave of prayer was one of hundreds of services that cascaded around the world at noon local time under an initiative of Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based federation of Catholic charities. The effort is aimed at prayer and action to relieve hunger around the world through May 2015.
By Joe Towalski
Catholic News Service
Just about every day on my way to work, I encounter the face of the poor.
It’s usually a different face each time at the top of the interstate exit ramp or on a corner along one of the streets on my “short cut” route back home. A man or woman stands there holding a sign asking for money -- sometimes for food, sometimes in exchange for work.
I’m ashamed to admit it, but all too often, I look away. I wonder for a few seconds while the traffic light is red if I should open my wallet and offer a few dollars. Sometimes, I judge their appearance and wonder if they’ll really use the money for food.
Then the light turns green and I continue on my way to my warm house and a full plate of dinner.
Interactive Television
Faith formation goes high tech
Actually, it would be more accurate to say that faith formation has gone high tech. For some time now.
Even though the ITV system has been actively used for more than a decade, it is for many people one of the best kept secrets in the diocese.
The system, which is used for catechist formation, pastoral ministry formation, and other programs, works like this: A program is presented from any of 10 sites in the diocese. From any of the other nine sites, individuals can not only see the speaker through closed circuit television, but can speak to the presenter and have the presenter respond.
Sites include:
Dodge City: Newman University Western Center, 236 San Jose Drive, Hennessy Hall Room 26
Garden City: St. Mary Church Center, 510 N. 12th, Basement Southwest corner
Great Bend: St. Rose Auditorium, 1412 Baker Avenue, Southeast Room
Liberal: St. Anthony School, 1510 North Calhoun
Pratt: Sacred Heart Church, 338 North Oak, Basement
Ness City: Sacred Heart School, 510 S. School Street, Lunchroom
Scott City: St. Joseph Church, 1006 South Main Street, Southeast Room
Sharon: St. Boniface Parish Center, 406 N. Main, Northwest Room
Syracuse: Hamilton County Library, 102 W. Avenue C
Ulysses: Pioneer Communications, 120 W. Kansas Avenue, Downstairs Video Conference Room
The Diocese of Dodge City and Newman University collaborate through “Church in Partnership” to provide pastoral ministry formation, access to Catholic higher education, and other formation programs, presented through ITV, facilitating communication across the 23,054 square mile territory of Southwest Kansas.
For more information, call Coleen Stein, Director of ITV, all (620) 227-1538 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can see a video introduction to ITV at dcdiocese.org/interactive-television.
The Four Pillars of Stewardship: ‘Formation’
Bishop Gilmore encourages catechists to be witnesses
By CHARLENE SCOTT MYERS
Special to the Register
Editor’s Note: This week the Register begins coverage leading to the November 17 “Stewardship Renewal Commitment Sunday” (see Page 3). This issue is highlighting one of the Four Pillars of Stewardship, “Formation”. Here, Bishop Ronald M. Gilmore speaks to catechists about their (and, in effect, all of our) role in faith formation.
Catechists need not only teach, but should be witnesses to their faith in order to be effective as teachers of others, according to Bishop Emeritus Ronald M. Gilmore.
The bishop spoke Sept. 4 and Sept. 7 through the Interactive Television Network, connecting to several towns where catechists tuned in to hear and respond to what he and Coleen Stein, Coordinator of Catechist Formation, had to say. (See the next issue of the Register for Stein’s story). Bishop John Brungardt greeted them and remained for the session.
“You will not be a good teacher unless you are first a good witness,” said Bishop Gilmore. “The connection is just that simple and just that strict.”
“To ‘witness’ is to hand on something to someone, without adding anything of your own. You see something happening, and you describe it to someone in the best words you can find. Then you are a witness.”
Bishop Brungardt installs Mark Brantley,
12 others, as acolytes
Father William B. Palardy, Rector and President of Blessed John XXIII Seminary (far right) welcomed Bishop John Brungardt to the seminary and thanked him for coming to bestow the Ministry of Acolyte on 13 First Theologians, including Diocese of Dodge City seminarian, Mark Brantley, center.
By DAVID MYERS
Southwest Kansas Register
Seminarian Mark Brantley struggled to find the words to describe the moment he took the chalice for the first time as a new acolyte, Dec. 9.
Brantley was among 13 seminarians at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Massachusetts installed as acolytes by the Most Rev. John B. Brungardt.
“It was the first time that we actually get to serve so close to Christ’s altar,” Brantley said. “As soon as we were instituted, they handed the chalice to me, and I took my place among the extraordinary ministers.
“It was a real moment,” he said softly. “It just has so much meaning, and of course I have this great love for the Eucharist. It was just an awe-inspiring moment.
“[At the time,] you want to stop and think about it,” he added with a chuckle, “but you have to continue serving Communion.”
Bishop Brungardt celebrated the Mass and instituted Brantley and the 12 other seminarians, each from dioceses across the United States: Atlanta, Albany, Boston, Pittsburg, Columbus, Denver....
Kinsley, Offerle parishes to host parish mission starting Oct. 13
St. Nicholas Parish in Kinsley and the neighboring parish of St. Joseph in Offerle will play host to a parish mission from 7-8:15 p.m. for four consecutive nights, beginning Sunday Oct. 13, and concluding Wednesday Oct. 16.
Anyone, from any part of the diocese, is invited and encouraged to attend one or more of the sessions. There is no charge. The theme for the mission is “Conversion.”
John Michael Talbot brings music, ministry, laughter to Pratt mission
‘Let the old self die, so the new self can rise up in Christ’
The photos and podcast can be accessed from the main SKR page.
You may have heard John Michael Talbot’s music; you may have read his books; and you may even know that he’s the founder of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity, headquartered in Arkansas.
What you probably don’t know -- but which was made abundantly clear at the one-night mission at Sacred Heart Church in Pratt Nov. 17 -- is that he has a great sense of humor. Interspersed throughout his hauntingly beautiful music, between the prayers and the preaching, were laugh-out-loud commentaries – sometimes to share a message, and at others just to bring a smile to the filled church.
“No, the guys from ‘Duck Dynasty’ aren’t here,” he said with a smile as he first stood at the ambo with his guitar in hand.