New to the U.S., Indian priest impressed by his Kansas welcome
By David Myers
Southwest Kansas Catholic
When Father Aneesh Parappanattu, MSFS, stepped off the plane in Wichita “either very late Feb. 9 or very early Feb. 10,” it was his first time in the United States.
“Everything is new,” he said a few days later at the Mass for Consecrated Life at St. Andrew Parish in Wright. “The climate is new; driving on the right side of the road is new. The food is new.”
And yet, the young priest from India felt oddly at home after setting foot in southwest Kansas. Offsetting all the new experiences were the friendly, smiling, and welcoming people of southwest Kansas.
“I am so impressed with the welcoming nature of the people,” he said, smiling. “I feel at home.”
Father Aneesh arrived from his native India literally following in the footsteps of his close friend, Father Prakash Rao Kola, who had arrived just a month earlier. As Father Prakash moved out of the rectory after a month-long orientation at St. John the Baptist Parish in Spearville to serve as parochial administrator in Ashland and Coldwater, Father Aneesh moved in.
Father Aneesh was ordained a priest of the order of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales on Jan. 9, 2010.
His parents were farmers, growing coconut, pepper, cashews and rubber. He has one brother.
When a child, Father Aneesh served in a Catholic organization, the Mission League, which called upon youngsters in seventh to tenth grade to serve the poor by building and repairing homes, collecting clothes and linens, and offering prayer.
“We also were altar servers,” he said. “Our parish priest was such a nice person. He was inspiring, engaging and understanding. He supported me and was the source of inspiration in my life, and still is, even today.”
When asked if he was surprised by his bishop’s request to come to the United States, Father Aneesh explained that because he is a “Religious” priest rather than a diocesan priest, the request came from his provincial superior rather than a diocesan bishop.
“Yes, it was a surprise,” he said.
Like Father Prakash, Father Aneesh will serve a month-long (approximately) orientation in Spearville before being assigned to another parish. In the mean -time, he will most likely encounter several other interesting, new experiences as he gets to know southwest Kansas and its people. (Bierocks and mutton-busting come to mind.)
And he will enjoy one of his favorite sports, basketball, with another basketball enthusiast, his host, Father Rene Labrador, pastor at St. John the Baptist in Spearville.
Blessing of the Seeds and Soil offers a reminder that
‘It’s all a gift’
By DAVID MYERS
Southwest Kansas Register
Surrounded by dozens of Larned Catholics, Father Bernard Felix, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, looked down across several small bags filled with rich soil, as well as dozens of packets of seeds, and raising his arm, he offered a special blessing.
In this farm rich country, when the livelihood of dozens of local family farmers depends upon the mood of Mother Nature, the blessing, which took place May 16, the day after the Feast of St. Isidore the farmer, is especially apropos.
“We are so rural, and every aspect of our lives is tied around the land: food, water -- all those gifts that sustain life,” said farm advocate Tom Giessel, a Larned resident who has organized the annual event off and on for several years. “Activities like this help us come together as a church community and understand the sacredness of these gifts and what has been entrusted to us.”
Road trip!
Guys invited to ‘Encounter God’s Call’ April 18-20
Attention high school juniors, seniors, and college-aged guys! On April 18, a bunch of young guys will be taking a road trip to Conception Seminary in Conception, Mo., where they will explore seminary life through prayer, talks by seminarians, and more than a little recreation.
This is a chance to get away for free with your peers and see what seminary life is all about. Even if you’re just curious about the life, and have no intention of entering the priesthood, you’re very welcome to attend. And if you are considering the priesthood, you will gain a fuller understanding of what life as a seminarian entails.
This seminary visit is free and transportation is provided by the Diocese of Dodge City. Father Ted Stoecklein, assistant vocation director, will be driving the group from the Diocese of Dodge City to Conception, Mo., and back again.
By sure and register by April 8 to be guaranteed a room. For more information, contact Father Ted Stoecklein at 620-792-1396 or Becky Hessman in the Vocations Office at 620-227-1530.
Bishop Emeritus Gilmore, Jacqueline Loh
to lead Lenten mission in Liberal, March 19-21
Jacqueline Loh and the Most Rev. Ronald M. Gilmore, Bishop Emeritus of Dodge City, will lead the Lenten mission, “Grace: Another World,” at St. Anthony Church in Liberal, beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 19, continuing at 6 p.m., March 20, and concluding with a day-long gathering from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21.
The retreat, which is free and opened to the public, will explore the mingling of the two worlds: the “Divine and the human that leads us into Grace.” The Saturday event includes lunch. Pre-registration is necessary. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call: (620) 624-4135.
The Thursday and Saturday events will begin with Mass celebrated by Bishop Gilmore; Friday’s evening events will begin with the Stations of the Cross, and will include a soup supper. For a schedule, go to dcdiocese.org/register.
Since his retirement, Bishop Gilmore has spent most of his time with Spiritual Direction (mainly with priests), and with Days of Recollection and parish retreats, in the United States, in Canada, and in Ireland.
Jacqueline Loh of Vancouver, BC, Canada, has visited the Diocese of Dodge City frequently in the past 16 years, “gracing us with her understanding heart and her healing touch,” Bishop Emeritus Gilmore said. She is the founder of “Grace that Reigns (gracethatreigns.com),” a ministry devoted to the renewal of the Church through prayer, evangelization, and healing.
Loh said she served as a junior landscape architect and urban planner before heeding a “substantial call from God to bring healing to those in need.”
“In 2003, I was asked to pray for a woman in the United States (in Virginia) who was suffering from brain cancer,” she said. “Physical healing did not come to pass, and I went back to designing zoos. Before she died however, she phoned to say that she and her family had received a better gift, the Grace of Inner Peace. And then:
“‘Jacqueline, you have a gift. Stop building up the physical world as an architect. There are thousands of architects out there in the world. There is only one you. Become God’s architect to build up his Kingdom.’
“In 2008, while I was under the spiritual direction of Archbishop Raymond Roussin, then Archbishop of Vancouver, he turned to me in his chapel and said softly: ‘surrender your career and work on your mission. God needs you to be his hands.’”
Diocesan Youth Council: 
Providing a voice
for youth across
southwest Kansas
By DAVID MYERS
Southwest Kansas Register
The Diocese of Dodge City Youth Council has but one mission: to be a voice for young people across southwest Kansas.
When you see advertisements for upcoming diocesan camps, junior high or high school youth rallies, or for other events such as the Diocesan Softball Tournament, it’s this group of nearly 30 high school youth from around the diocese who are responsible for their planning.
Planning the rallies includes particular responsibility for the council, who must peer into the minds of the youth of the diocese and understand their spiritual needs.
Year for Consecrated Life
Being a part of God’s plan for salvation of the world is a ‘pretty big deal’
Brother Mark Schenk, OFM Cap
Religious Vocation from St. Ann, Olmitz
Years in Religious Life: 34
Current Ministry: General Councilor for the Capuchin Order, Rome, Italy
How did you know God was calling you to religious life?
Initially, I was fairly sure that I was not called to religious life so I began participating in vocation meetings to prove it to myself. The plan, however, backfired! After many years of knowing Capuchin friars, sharing in their life, prayer and ministry, I found myself at peace with them. There was no bolt out of the blue; just a steadily growing realization that religious life is where I was meant to be.
What do you most like about religious life?
One of the aspects of religious life that excites me is the sense of purpose it has given me. Being part of God’s plan for the salvation of the world is a pretty big deal. On a more mundane level, religious life has greatly expanded my horizons, allowing me to interact with people from many different cultures and social strata. When I joined the Capuchin Order, I thought my world would shrink, but it has instead become much larger.
What do you find most challenging about religious life?
Losing some of my independence and learning instead to be dependent on others has been challenging. Rather than simply choosing the type of work I want to do, I must see the needs of the community and listen to what it wants of me. Sometimes what the community wants is not what I want. However, I must admit that sometimes doing things I was not thrilled about turned out to be great experiences.
Were there times when you wanted to leave but through prayer and the grace of God you remained?
I don’t think there was ever a time when I seriously considered leaving the Order, but there were times when I doubted my decision. Those were difficult times for me, and probably for those who were living with me. Prayer and the support of my brothers, however, got me through those times.
What brings you peace, happiness, and fulfillment in living out your religious life?
My best moments have been when I have seen the work that my brothers are doing among some of the poorest, most abandoned people in the world. Knowing that we are providing a little hope and human dignity to people that society has forgotten gives me a great sense of fulfillment.
How do you witness Christ to others in the church, society, and the world?
My hope is that by living humbly, simply and joyfully I can witness to the fact that we are called to something better than the empty promises offered by a materialistic world. If you were expecting another Saint Francis of Assisi, you are going to be disappointed, but hopefully I can have a small, positive influence on some of the people I meet.
We see religious life as ever changing. What have you done to keep up with the changing times?
It’s hard to keep up with the changing times! I tried blogging, but to say that it hasn’t been a great success would be the understatement of the year. I also have Facebook and Twitter accounts, but have not really found a way to evangelize with them. Mostly, I try to read a lot—the newspaper, church documents, books on spirituality and sociology in order to stay current, but also books on history, the writings of Saint Francis, and lives of the saints in order to provide a solid theological foundation for understanding the world.
What would you tell someone who was discerning a religious vocation?
To someone who was discerning a religious vocation I would say, first of all, not to be afraid of pursuing it. The time spent in trying out religious life is not wasted; if nothing else, you will come away with a better understanding of yourself. Secondly, I would say to involve others in your discernment. We are often the worst judges of ourselves; other people see things in us that we don’t see ourselves. Therefore, it is important to talk to others and get their feedback.
After your many years of following your vocation, what would you like people to know?
I would like people to know that it is worth the risk to commit yourself fully to this way of life. Joining religious life necessarily entails saying no to other possibilities, but the only way to find fulfillment in life is give yourself over to something one hundred percent.
On the road to the priesthood: 
Don Bedore ordained deacon
By DAVID MYERS
Southwest Kansas Register
Editor's Note: The article in the print version of the Southwest Kansas Register read that “the candidate will take vows of celibacy and obedience to the bishop.” That is not correct. Diocesan deacons/priests do not make or take vows. Rather, the ordination rite for a deacon includes a “commitment to celibacy” and a “promise of obedience.” Profession of vows is what religious brothers, sisters and priests do within their religious institute. The SKR strives for accuracy and apologizes for the error.
Following the reception after his Rite of Ordination of a Deacon May 29 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Rev. Mr. Don Bedore stood surrounded by family; When requested by a family member, he gladly offered them a blessing “…in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit….”
Then, breaking out in a wide grin, he said, “That was so cool!”
The simple event lends insight into the future priest -- quick to smile, eager to laugh, ever thankful that God has led him to this place and to this time.
Social Work and the Catholic Church
Just how involved should the Church be in people’s lives?
By David Myers
Editor
Just how involved in people’s lives should the Catholic Church be?
Offering financial guidance? Classes for teenage moms? What about helping provide a roadmap to citizenship for undocumented immigrants?
“Over the past 50 years, thousands of lives have been positively impacted here in southwest Kansas as a result of the agency and its staff, board members, volunteers and donors,” said Debbie Snapp, Executive Director of Catholic Social Service.
“Because of the work and foresight of those who helped to initiate this agency and its activities half a century ago, children have grown up in loving adoptive ‘forever’ homes, the hungry have been fed, the homeless have found shelter, individuals and families caught in the grip of addictions have been healed, and those facing a lifetime of poverty have achieved goals and self-sufficiency.”
In other words, there can’t be too much involvement in the lives of people in need.
Over the years, CSS has employed social workers who are given the daunting task of guiding, evaluating, and helping individuals and families through a mountain of emotional, physical, and bureaucratic issues. It’s not a job for the timid.
Rhonda Goodloe, LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) works out of the Garden City CSS office. As “Marriage for Keeps” regional coordinator, she offers married couples a weekend retreat in which to celebrate and refresh their marriage. She also directs the “Within My Reach” program, which offers individuals management skills for any relationship, whether with a loved one or a boss.
Why is this program part of Catholic social teaching?
“In the social work field there are many values that closely align with teaching of the Church,” Goodloe explained. Quoting one of the core teachings of social workers, she said, “ ‘Each person, regardless of position in society, has basic human rights, such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education. Social workers recognize the global interconnections of oppression and are knowledgeable about theories of justice and strategies to promote human and civil rights. Social work incorporates social justice practices in organizations, institutions, and society to ensure that these basic human rights are distributed equitably and without prejudice.’
“This is one of the competencies that is taught to social workers,” she explained. “Working at Catholic Social Service, we practice this daily with the people we serve.”
Snapp, like the three other social workers employed by CSS -- Amy Falcon, Goodloe, and Lori Titsworth -- can be found serving as a representative of the Catholic Church in unexpected places.
Soon after the violent tornado struck Greensburg and the surrounding region in May 4, 2007, CSS began working with other agencies to provide needed help.
“We primarily distributed the donations that were received through CSS and the diocese to help individuals build or repair homes when they had no other resources to do that,” commented Snapp. “We worked with the South Central Kansas Tornado Recovery Organization (a part of the Kiowa Ministerial Alliance) to determine eligibility. We also used some of that money to help with emergency needs -- replacing eye glasses, prescriptions, etc….”
If not in the wind-swept borders of Greensburg, Snapp was teaching JustFaith, a scripture-based program of workshops designed to “form, inform and transform people of faith by offering programs and resources that sustain them in their compassionate commitment to build a more just and peaceful world.”
Through prayer, immersion experiences, books and videos, participants encountered the “face of poverty and were drawn to respond to the needs of a broken world.”
Though this program is not currently being taught in the diocese, its teachings are constantly being put into action.
Among Falcon’s ministries is pregnancy counseling, in which an often young – and often frightened -- parent, or parents, will come to her looking for alternatives to abortion.
“The counseling helps them to truly consider each of their options and helps them to feel good about their decision, whether it is to make an adoption plan or a parenting plan,” Falcon said in an earlier interview.
She recalls the occasion when she helped two scared high school students: “They were both high school seniors and were involved in sports/cheerleading, etc.... They decided that they wanted to make an adoption plan and were able to select a family from our program.”
Falcon only works with open adoptions, in which the birth parent continues to have a relationship with their child, even after they’ve been adopted.
“They met the family and started forming a relationship with them. They and their families became very close to this adoptive family; the birth mom even went to college in the town they lived in. I continued providing counseling to this birth mom for a year and a half after the birth of her child.
“I know that this birth mom struggled with her emotions for quite a while after the birth and relinquishment of her child. It takes approximately a year for them to really go through the grieving process. I think that the counseling helped her to get through those difficult times.”
The Teen Moms program, which was introduced to the Diocese of Dodge City by Falcon in 2000, is designed to restore the promise, possibilities, and, not to mention, the sense of fun into the life of a teenager who is a parent.
“Part of our ministry – of all the ministries of Catholic Social Service – is to be there for people in need, for any person, including a pregnant teen who doesn’t have a neutral place to go. As a church, we are supposed to help and serve in any way we can.”
Like Falcon, Lori Titsworth, who works out of the Great Bend office, has the joy of bringing children into the lives of adoptive parents, and helping someone who is struggling with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy to find an adoptive family. As Falcon explained, the birth parent no longer has to go through the traumatic experience of handing their child to an adoptive family, never to see them again.
“They know their child will be placed in a faith-based family,” Titsworth explained. “I believe so many times that people are interested in adoption but believe it is too expensive, there is a long waiting list, or they have a misunderstanding of adoption, let alone an ‘open adoption. We provide a lot of education not only to the mother, but to the adoptive families. Other organizations, even dioceses, offer online education, but we spend a great deal of personal time with the families about adoption, which makes them more prepared.”
Titsworth encourages families or individuals who want to learn more about adoption to go to visit catholicsocialservice.org/services/adoption, or contact Titsworth at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or by phone at 620-792-1393. You can contact Amy Falcon at afalcon.catholicsocialservice.org, or (620) 227-1590.
For information on programs about relationships, go to catholicsocialservice.org/services/healthy-relationships, or contact Goodloe, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call (620) 272-0010.
Adorers of the Blood of Christ
celebrate 60th anniversary of profession
On Sunday, May 23, three Adorers of the Blood of Christ who had ministered in the Diocese of Dodge City celebrated the 60th anniversary of their first profession at the Wichita Center in Wichita.
Sisters Rose Therese Bahr, Margaret Knoeber and Anacleta Schuette made their first profession as Adorers of the Blood of Christ on July 1, 1940 at the then Wichita Province.
Mary Sharon Moore presents 
'Awakening Vocations Process’
in Great Bend
Prince of Peace Parish to
offer ‘vocational guides’
AT right is Father Reggie Urban, Mary Sharon Moore, and Sister Celeste Albers, OP.
By DAVID MYERS
Southwest Kansas Register
GREAT BEND -- Sister Celeste Albers, OP, realized recently that the way she had been viewing vocational discernment – deciding the path God wants one to take in life – was, well, “backwards.”