the register...2020/12/12 · students at sacred heart grade school in colby share gratitude after...

#iGiveCatholic

Two organizations fromthe Salina Dioceseplace in the top 25during campaign.

Page 2

Ministryamid

pandemicPriests, parishes,principals adjust.

Pages 5-8

the RegisterDecember 18, 2020salinadiocese.org C A T H O L I C D I O C E S E O F S A L I N A

The “Adoration of the Shepherds” ispictured in this painting by Italian

artist Guido Reni.CNS via Bridgeman Images

Church Christmas pictures4rtsn.aner,thnnei.a

FrdsoreHsh,anaertasoSsiaceiheny2MsiB.hihnehvei.ae,.yt,.ca,htriacevhtw.tsniMrnle

x.aeB.hihnefsdde2a

n.rtacehoei.acsh,ana'nemr,a2hh5Brkaei.thyk.hyiei.a3,irSaehvew.tsniMrnl

[email protected] 2beHa,lePCl

By Bishop Jerry Vincke

2020. What a year! We won’tsoon forget it. It’s been a diffi-cult and challenging year formany.

In the midst of this comes thegreatest of news as we celebratethe birth of our Savior. Jesus issaving us from something muchmore dangerous and harmfulthan COVID-19 — sin and death.God has provided the remedy,the medicine, the vaccine — inthe presence of Jesus Christ.

Why does God do this? Whydoes God come to us? Why doesGod desire to save us? Becausehe loves us. It’s as simple asthat.

Jesus can and wills to redeemevery situation in our life. Godhas entered our humanity. Hewas born in a smelly, messymanger to show us that there isno place in our life that God isafraid to go. Jesus entered ourhumanity to restore the strug-gles and setbacks in our life.

If we are afraid of the future,Jesus tells us, “I am with youalways.” If we are filled withsadness over what is happeningin the world, Jesus tells us, “Ihave overcome the world. I havecome that you may have life andhave it more abundantly.” If weare worn down from COVID,Jesus tells us, “Come to me, youwho are weary and labored, andI will give you rest.” If we feardeath, Jesus proclaims, “I amthe resurrection and the life. Ifwe are angry over things hap-pening in our world, Jesus says,“Peace be with you.” If we areconcerned about the divisions inour country, we can hear Jesussay to us, “Join me in prayingthat they all may be one.”

Who knows what 2021 willbring? The most important andthe only certainty that we haveis that God is with us and for us.May we surrender and trust inhis love for us. Merry Christ-mas, everyone!

Merry Christmas, from Bishop Vincke

By Karen BonarThe Register

SALINA — For thethird consecutiveyear, donations

throughout the Salina Dio-cese continued to increaseon #GivingTuesday duringthe #iGiveCatholic cam-paign.

This year, 826 donorsgave more than $492,500 to32 ministries across the dio-cese.

“The 2020 #iGiveCatholic campaign wasblessed to receive the gen-erosity of so many faithful,”said Katie Greenwood, theannual gifts and event coor-dinator for the diocese. “Itis the continued kindnessand support of our donorsthat helps our Catholic faithcontinue to grow and flour-ish in every part of our dio-cese.”

As in 2019, the SalinaDiocese had several organi-zations atop the nationalleaderboard. Two Manhat-tan organizations were inthe top 25 — ManhattanCatholic Schools (No. 8)and St. Thomas MoreParish (No. 23).

“It wasn’t a surprise to usat #iGiveCatholic that theSalina Diocese did so well,as we know the hard work,dedication and amazingpeople behind the localeffort,” said Julie Kenny,the national program direc-tor at #iGiveCatholic, whichis based in New Orleans.

The #iGiveCatholic cam-paign was founded in 2015in the Archdiocese of NewOrleans. Nationally thisyear, more than $12.6 mil-lion was raised in 40(arch)dioceses and theNational Catholic EducationAssociation across the coun-try.

This year, ManhattanCatholic Schools ranked No.8 nationally with fundsraised, netting nearly$129,000. Comparatively,in 2019, it raised $92,000on #GivingTuesday.

“I’m absolutely humbledthat our school here inManhattan, Kan. is numbereight out of 1,667 organiza-tions,” said Ashley O’Haver,the advancement directorfor MCS. “To be No. 1 in thediocese … it’s mind-blow-ing.”

Contributing to the mon-ey raised were three poolsof matching money. PhilHowe set up a $60,000match for organizations inManhattan, matching $1 for$1 up to $1,000 per donor.24/7 Travel stores offered a$1 for $1 for Catholic educa-tion, with a $1,000 perdonor and $5,000 perschool cap. The final match-ing pool was a $30,000, 50cents to $1 pool exclusive toMCS. The matching poolswere stacked concurrentlyfor donations.

“(The matching money)drove a lot of our donors togive and maximize thedonation for the school,”

O’Haver said. “The chanceto take your donation andalmost triple your donation— I think the donors reallysaw the impact.”

This year’s campaign wasessential, O’Haver said,especially when many of theschool’s traditionalfundraising events werecanceled because of COVID-19, including the annualgolf tournament, auction,and Buttons and Bowsevent.

“I did a mailing to ourdonors and appealed tothem, telling them we’restill in school five days aweek providing faith-basededucation,” she said. “Westill have a need but arenot having events. It was aplea to keep us in theirthoughts, prayers anddonations and our donorsall stepped up.

“All funds raised gotoward our annual fund dri-

ve to help with our operat-ing costs.”

Utilizing the giving dayto help in this way was anew trend this year, Kennysaid.

“Many of the projectswere much more about ful-filling basic needs such ascovering unbudgetedexpenses incurred due toCOVID restrictions andkeeping everyone safe, pur-chasing groceries for a localfood pantry, and donationsfor tuition assistance in ourschools,” she said.

One highlight is at least40 of the 181 donors to theschool were new this year,O’Haver said.

“Everybody sees theimpact of everything goingon,” she said of COVID-19.“Everybody is seeing theimpact that is happening tosmall businesses andschools and restaurants.People want everyone to

keep going, to see theircommunity thrive. It givesthem the opportunity togive back.”

ALSO IN THE TOP 25nationally for #iGiveCatholic was St. ThomasMore Parish in Manhattan.This is the first year it par-ticipated in the campaign.

“As many have experi-enced during COVID, therehave been ups and downs, a

lot of instability in collec-tion sizes in the last fewmonths,” said Mika Bolton,the bookkeeper for theparish. “So we decided toparticipate, partially so wecould participate in the PhilHowe match. We werehopeful the motivation ofthe match money wouldhelp people feel their dollarwas going farther, that theycould doubly provide fortheir parish.”

She said that for the firstquarter of the parish’sfinancial year, which startedin July, Sunday collectionswere down about $30,000.Educating parishioners

2 December 18, 2020 The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org

Hoefer

Hoefer

Hoefer Stained Glass

• Restoration of Antique Stained

and Painted Glass

• Custom Designed of New

Stained Glass Windows

Customer Care and Quality Craftsmanship

Hoefer Stained Glass

• Restoration of Antique Stained

and Painted Glass

• Custom Designed of New

Stained Glass Windows

Customer Care and Quality Craftsmanship

Quality Craftsmanship

1-800-663-8020910 S. Main • South Hutchinson

etisbewruotisiV

www.hoeferstainedglass.com

Quality Craftsmanship

1-800-663-8020910 S. Main • South Hutchinson

setisbojruoweiV;e

www.hoeferstainedglass.com

of New

of New

Bachelor-Faulkner-Dart-SurberFuneral Homes

Belleville and Scandia, Kansas (785) 527-2222~ Directors Steven Surber, John Surber and Don Waddington ~

137 N. Eighth, Salina (785) 825-4242www.ryanmortuary.com

Next to Sacred Heart Cathedral

A family serving families for over four generations

More than $492,500 raised during #iGiveCatholicLocal organizations that

placed in the top 100(nationwide) for donations

with #iGiveCatholic8 — Manhattan Catholic Schools /

Manhattan23 — St. Thomas More Parish /

Manhattan44 — St. Andrew Grade School /

Abilene55 — St. Mary Church and School

/ Ellis57 — St. John’s Catholic Schools /

Beloit66 — St. Andrew Parish / Abilene

Please see DIOCESE / Page 11

Courtesy photo Students at Sacred Heart Grade School in Colby share gratitude after the #iGiveCatholic campaign,which was Dec. 1. More than $9,100 was raised to assist the school during the annual campaign.Pictured (from left) are Nicholas Mead, Remington Romer, Dallis Stieben, Emma Mead, JacksonDenny, Frantiska Horinek, Bailey Wolf, Aubree Dean and Blaidynn Carman.

The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org December 18, 2020 3

Name

Address

City State ZIP

Parish (if in the Salina Diocese)

The Register (USPS 397-740) is published the fourth Friday ofthe month by the Catholic Diocese of Salina, 103 N. Ninth,

Salina, KS 67401-2503 and is mailed to all registeredparishioners in the diocese. A $25 annual subscription isrequired for all others. Periodical postage paid at Salina,

Kansas, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to

The Register, P.O. Box 1038, Salina, Kansas, 67402-1038.Our next issue is dated Jan. 22.

Deadline for news is Dec. 28.Deadline for advertising is Dec. 28.

Mailing label updatePlease make the correction on this form and return to:

The Register, P.O. Box 1038, Salina, KS 67402-1038or go online at salinadiocese.org/the-register/change-of-address

Attach old mailing label hereand print the corrected information below.

the RegisterOfficial newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Salina Vol. 83, No. 12

Publisher: Most Rev. Gerald L. Vincke, Bishop of Salina Editor: Karen Bonar, [email protected]

Advertising/Circulation: Brenda Streit, [email protected] Manager: Jennifer Hood, [email protected]

P.O. Box 1038, Salina, KS 67402-1038(785) 827-8746, Fax (785) 827-6133

salinadiocese.org/the-registerSupported by an endowment established by Msgr. Raymond Menard (1912-2006),

editor of The Register, 1944-1971 and 1975-2006. Email:

B I S H O P ’ S C A L E N D A RJanuary 2021

5-10 Region IX Bishops Annual Retreat11-14 Priest Renewal Days

18 Teacher In-Service, St. Thomas More Prep-Marian/Jr.-Sr. High School, Hays

20 Red Mass, noon, Topeka21 IGNITE Pro-life Event: Kansas March and Rally for

Life, Topeka28-30 National March for Life, Washington, D.C.

The Holy Father entruststhe Apostleship of Prayer topublicize his prayer inten-tions for the good of theworld and the Church.

Universal IntentionHUMAN FRATERNITY.May the Lord give usthe grace to live in fullfellowship with ourbrothers and sisters ofother religions, prayingfor one another, open toall.

Apostleship of Prayer1501 S. Layton Blvd.Milwaukee, WI 53215-1924www.apostleshipofprayer.org

J A N U A R YP R A Y E R

I N T E N T I O N

D E A T H SEmanuel F. “Manny” Befort,

6CuehveDddsnuecsace1hSleppue0C0ClmyoatrdeNrnnefrne,ada2triac1hSlep8e2bemri.ateHrorewdrt5eriFileNrtbew.yt,.esoeDddsnleEytsrdfrnesoei.aeBrtsn.e,aMaiatble

Kelly Vaughn Beisner, JJuehvDddsnuecsace1hSlep6ue0C0Clemyoat rdeNrnnefrne,ada2triace1hSle092bemri.ateHrorewdrt5erieFilNrtbew.yt,.esoeDddsnl

Grady Michael Best, zecrbnuhve-hRsauecsace3,ilepCu0C0ClgmyoatrdeNrnnefrne,ada2tri ace3,ilep9e2bemri.ate(so,aoiex.yTrsokerieFilemtro,anewr2tsosw.yt,.esoe-hRsalgEytsrdefrnesoeFilmtro,anewr2tsosewaMaiatbue-hRsalg

Cecilia Edwards, OpuehveDddsnucsace1hSle8ue0C0ClemyoatrdeNrnnfrne,ada2triace1hSlep0e2bmri.ateHrorewdrt5erieFileNrtbw.yt,.esoeDddsnleEytsrdefrnesoei.aBrtsn.e,aMaiatble

LeEnora L. Heina, 66uehvwy2ruecsace1hSle6ue0C0CleGeBts SriaevyoatrdeNrnnefrne,ada2tri ace1hSlepJe2be.atenhouemri.atFiaSaoe-asoruerieFileDcfrtcw.yt,.esoeEaddaSsddaleEytsrdefrnsoeFileAnschtaewri.hds,ewaMaiatbuwy2rl

Loran J. Jayne, O8uehveDddsnucsace3,ilep0ue0C0ClemyoatrdeNrnnfrne,ada2triace3,ile08e2bemri.at

Hrorewdrt5erieFileNrtbew.yt,.esoDddsnleEytsrdefsi.eMsdsirtbe.hohtnfrnesoei.aeBrtsn.e,aMaiatbl

JoLinn (Railsback) Kaus,90uehve-hRsauecsace1hSleOu0C0ClgmyoatrdeNrnnefrne,ada 2triace1hSleppe2bemri.ate(so ,aoiex.yeTrsokerneFileNrtisoehvxhytnew.yt,.ueFakysoleEytsrdfrnesoeFileNrtisoehvexhytnwaMaiatbueFakysol

Thomas Kinderknecht, OOuehv-rbnuecsace3,ileJue0C0ClemyoatrdnatSs,anefatae.adce3,ilep8e2bmri.ateHrorewdrt5erieEth,5 n 7asi.dabemyoatrdew.rBaderocewta Mrihtbesoe-rbnleEytsrdefsdde2aesoFileNrtbewaMaiatbueDddsnl

Ethan Travis “E.T.” Mai, 9Juhve-rbnuecsace1hSleJue0C0ClmyoatrdeNrnnefrne,ada2triac1hSleppe2bemri.ateHrMsroVs,.rtcnerieFile1s,.hdrnehveNbtrw.yt,.esoe-rbnle

Dennis Matthew Rome, 9zuhveFile4aiatuecsace1hSlepJue0C0ClmyoatrdeNrnnefrne,ada2triac1hSle0pe2bemri.atew.rtdaneFiasatriew.tsniei.ae7sokew.yt,.esoIr7aaoableEytsrdefrnesoeFilNrtbewaMaiatbueDddsnl

MaryRose A. Santrock, z9uvhtMatdbehvewho,htcsruecsace1hSl0Pue0C0ClgemyoatrdenatSs,anehvvs ,sriace2bemri.ateHrSsceNaiL

fatae.adcehoe1hSlePCeriew.rByi Eyhbemyoatrde-hMaesoewho,ht csrlgEytsrdefrnesoe3dsSaeEtro,.waMaiatbue7aonsokihol

Lawrence Dean “Larry”Steckline, JPuehve-rbnuecsac1hSle9ue0C0ClemyoatrdeNrnnefrn,ada2triace1hSlepCe2bemri.atHrorewdrt5erieFileNrtbew.yt,.soeDddsnleEytsrdefrnesoei.aeBrtsn.,aMaiatble

Alice (Gassman) Wagoner,6Puehve-hRsauecsaceFaBilepJu0C0ClgmyoatrdeNrnnefrne,ada 2triaceFaBile0pue0C0Ce2bemri.at(so,aoiex.yeTrsokerieFilemtro,anwr2tsosew.yt,.esoe-hRsalgEytsrdfrnesoe7ronrne(aiatro'newaMa iatbueIr7aaoabl

Joseph Francis Weber, 69uhveDddsnuecsace1hSlepzue0C0Cle4ts SriaevrMsdbenatSs,anefatae.adcu2a,rynaehve,ho,atoner2hyiw3(AH p6le

Sister Germaine Werth,FFFmue6JuehveNsdfry5aauevhtMat dbehveF,.hao,.aoeroce4rt5uecsac1hSleOue0C0CleGeBtsSriaevyoatrdNrnnefrne,ada2triace1hSlepPl

F.aeaoiatacei.ae4hniydro,bhvei.aeF,.hhdeFsniatnehveFilmtro,snesoeNsdfry5aaerierkaep9rocefrnereMaM2atehvei.ae,hM MyosibevhteO6ebartnleF.aenatSacsoeIsn,honsoueAddsohsnueAhfru1a2trn5reroceNhoirorl

W E D D I N G SJacob Eastes roc Kayle

Campbell fataeMrttsace3,ilePu0C0CuerieFilemtro,anewr2tsosw.yt,.esoe-hRsalgmri.ate(so,aoix.yeTrsokefsioannacei.astShfnlge4rtaoinehvei.a2tscakthhMertaeDcfrtcerocHrore)Fia,.WeDrnianlg4rtaoinehvi.ae2tscaertaeVhordceroceKr,5sa)-rt2siWewrMB2addlgIsioannanfataeKhadeDrnianeroceKanns,rwrMB2addlg

Ryan Rudzik roc MadelynnGnad fataeMrttsace1hSlep8u0C0CuerieFile1s,.hdrnehveNbtrw.yt,.esoe-rbnlemri.ateHrMsroVs,.rtcnefsioannacei.asteShfnl4rtaoinehvei.ae2tscakthhMertaTdhbceroceGMbe)Kr,h2nWeVycLs5l4rtaoinehvei.ae2tscaertaeKh.oroceFrocbe)Vh2sonhoWe’orclIsioannanefataeGoctafe-annroce1s,hdae’r2adl


CHRISTMAS IS GOING TObe different this year.

It will be a somber andperhaps mournful seasonfor those suffering from themultiple effects of the pan-demic.

For many of us, however,this could be our bestChristmas ever. We haveevery reason to skip thefrantic shopping and awk-ward gatherings that causeus stress during the Christ-mas season.

As we hunker down athome, we have an unprece-dented opportunity tofocus on the true meaningof Christmas. We canestablish new holiday tra-ditions for ourselves andour families.

I suggest that we make ita do-it-yourself, family andChrist-centered Christmas!

Suggesting “DIY” mayevoke memories of child-hood disasters involvingburned cookies or spilledpaint, but I encourage you

to give it a try this Advent.Don’t worry about perfectresults — instead, enjoy thecalming effects of a familiar,repetitive craft or the chal-lenge of learning a newskill.

Choose a collaborativeproject that can unite every-one in your household or anactivity that can provide youwith some much-neededquiet and solitude!

Numerous studies showthat hands-on activities —even something as basic ascoloring — provide impor-tant mental health benefits.These include a sense ofrelaxation, reduced anxiety,improved mood and con-centration, enhanced self-confidence, a sense of pur-

pose and accomplishmentand when efforts are madein collaboration with others,an enhanced sense of com-munity.

With hundreds of cook-ing shows and craft maga-zines, online tutorials, ideaboards such as Pinterestand marketplaces likeEtsy.com, creative possibili-ties are limitless, and theyneed not be expensive.

COLLABORATIVE DIYactivities can be a great wayof involving young and oldalike in Christmas prepara-tions.

After spending monthscooped up with our closestloved ones, and with publichealth authorities recom-mending that the safest wayto celebrate the holidays isin a “bubble” with ourimmediate household,patience may be wearingthin.

The key to making thisChristmas a positive experi-

ence is to see value in littlegestures, rather than theend result of our efforts.

I suggest that DIY effortsthis Christmas focus on afamily crèche or Nativityscene.

Pope Francis penned apastoral letter last Decem-ber on the meaning of theNativity scene, in which heencouraged this “beautifulfamily tradition. Greatimagination and creativityis always shown in employ-ing the most diverse materi-als to create small master-pieces of beauty.”

The pope wrote, “As chil-dren, we learn from ourparents and grandparents tocarry on this joyful tradi-tion, which encapsulates awealth of popular piety. It ismy hope that this customwill never be lost and that,wherever it has fallen intodisuse, it can be rediscov-ered and revived.”

Setting up the Christmascrèche in our homes helps

us to relive the history ofwhat took place in Bethle-hem.

Pope Francis tells us.“Naturally, the Gospelsremain our source forunderstanding and reflect-ing on that event. At thesame time, its portrayal inthe crèche helps us to imag-ine the scene. It touches ourhearts and makes us enterinto salvation history ascontemporaries of an eventthat is living and real.”

This Christmas is the per-fect time to rediscover andrevive the tradition of thecrèche, giving it a promi-nent place in our homes.

With COVID-19 again onthe rise, many of us mightnot even make it to Mass onDec. 25, so let’s make ourhomes like little churcheswith our DIY Nativityscenes the focal point of ourcelebration of Christ’s birth! Sister Constance Veit is director of com-munications for the Little Sisters of thePoor.

DIY this Christmas!

“THE KIDS IN ROOM 207were misbehaving again.Spitballs stuck to the ceil-ing. Paper planes whizzingthrough the air. They werethe worst-behaved class inthe whole school.”

That’s the beginning ofone of my favorite child-hood books, “Miss Nelson isMissing” by Harry Allard. Istumbled upon the bookrecently in the children’ssection of a bookstore whenshopping for a Christmasbook for my godchild.

I distinctly remember theplot. Miss Nelson was amild-mannered and kind-natured teacher, and herdisrespectful students mis-behaved and refused tolearn.

As I glanced at the cover,a line from the book flashedinto my mind.

“Something must bedone,” Miss Nelson said, asthe students repeatedly

talked over her and madepoor choices.

The next day, Miss Nel-son didn’t show up. Instead,a substitute who looked likea witch took her place asteacher. Miss Viola Swampwas strict and mean andgave the children loads ofhomework. Miss Swampshowed up day after day.The kids greatly missedMiss Nelson and regrettedtheir wicked behavior. Atthe end of the book, MissNelson returns and the stu-dents rejoice and treat herwith the respect and dignitythey failed to give before.

That afternoon in thebookstore, my jaw dropped

as I stared at the cover illus-tration.

A thought occurred tome.

“Are we the kids in Room207?” I asked myself.

Is the current state ofaffairs in this world the wayit is because “somethingmust be done?”

WE’RE LIVING IN A pan-demic, forced to social dis-tance, and even isolate insome instances, making thisChristmas one like neverbefore. Most of us can’tspend it with those we lovemost. No Christmas parties;Nativity plays and choirperformances have beencanceled; hugs are prohibit-ed; masks are mandated tocover our faces, preventingus from the simplest kindgesture of sharing a smile.Warm hugs and handshakesfeel like things of the past.

I thought back to this

time a year ago. Apparently,those were the good olddays and how I regret tak-ing them for granted. LastChristmas Eve, the churchwas packed so full thatmany were standing andthose lucky enough to be ina pew were packed in likesardines. The choir sang,the children put on a lovelyNativity pageant and wehugged at the sign of peace.All those things thatenriched the celebration ofthe Eucharist are now sim-ply not allowed.

This December, it feelslike Christmas is missing,but it’s not. And seeing oneof my favorite books in thebookstore that day remind-ed me precisely why it’s not.

Over 2000 years ago,God looked down at histroubled world and said,“Something must be done,”so he sent his only son toteach us about love, service

and mercy. He allowed hisson’s blood to be used toseal a new covenant.

“For God so loved theworld that he gave his onlySon, so that everyone whobelieves in him might notperish but have eternal life”(Jn 3:16).

By his life, death and res-urrection, Jesus opened thegates of heaven for us. EachDecember, we celebrate thebirth of our redeemer, whowon the victory for us.That’s why we proclaim “joyto the world!”

While this year’s celebra-tion may look different fromyears past, it’s every bit asmeaningful and worthy ofcelebration in our hearts.Even without turkey andtinsel, Christmas is notmissing. It’s alive in thehearts of all who believe. Patti Lamb is a freelance writer fromPlainfield, Ind. Her columns appear inThe Criterion, the newspaper of theArchdiocese of Indianapolis.

This year, Christmas is both different, the same as always

IN THE HIGHLY acclaimedand Oscar-awarded silentfilm “The Artist,” we areintroduced to George, a veryproud man quite comfortablewith his luxurious life andvery much in love with thepersona and popularity hehas achieved pursuing hissilent-movie craft. We see anaccomplished and polishedman fully in mastery of hisshallow environment, a lifedefined by possessions andpublic image. His familiarand programmed life comesto a halt when sound is intro-duced to film. George stub-bornly refuses to change andbecomes stuck in the personahe worked very hard to cre-ate. Afraid to navigate in anew world that now speaks,George is left behind in theindustry that revered him notso long ago and becomes aforgotten man. The viewer

accompanies George as hislife crumbles because of hisunwillingness to yield to anew way. We now see a mandefeated and depressed bylife, a man who has nothingto live for and nothing tobelieve in. However, Peppy, arising young actress whomGeorge had mentored earlier,refuses to abandon him,refuses to allow his life toremain in ashes, refuses thathe remain forgotten.

In a poignant part of thestory, Peppy secretly pur-chases all the belongings andtreasures that have been sosignificant to him, items now

for sale at a public auction.It is her intention to returnhis prized possessions, real-izing how much George isrooted in them. Followingmany failed yet persistentand loving attempts by Pep-py to reach out to George,love eventually seizes himand he is finally able torespond, to go deeper! Atthat point where his heart istouched just enough, Georgeis able to leave his fear andthe familiar and venture intothe unknown — just enoughto go toward the love thatnever let him go, neverabandoned him!

“THE ARTIST” IS A LOVEstory — the love of Peppywho believes in George andrefuses to accept his self-inflicted inner and outerdestruction. She realizes thatdespite the shambles of his

life, George is a man ofintegrity and helps himrespond to the changes in away that safeguards thatintegrity and acknowledgesthe life story he has lived.Through love, by love, and inlove, George is made whole!

Only two words are spo-ken in the entire film —Thank You — yet the story oflove and transformationcomes alive before usthrough an incredible arrayof visual effects and silentcommunication. The filmreminds us of the importantlife lesson that if onebelieves enough and lovesenough, transformation canand will happen. We needonly be open to the possibili-ties. The poet Salvatore Qua-simodo speaks of this kind oftransformative love when hewrites, “Remember that youcan be … only if love should

pierce you deep inside.”As we move more deeply

into this new year thatpromises new life, perhaps wemight want to adopt a mantra:just enough, just enough, justenough. Cultivating the atti-tude of just enough can allowus the ability to wrap ourhearts around the significanceof a just enough love. Justenough for transformation totake seed. Just enough to beuprooted for the sake of theGospel. Just enough to reachout and encourage the neigh-bor. Just enough to honor theintegrity of all persons andcreation. Just enough to holdanother’s story. Just enoughfor love to pierce us deepinside. Just enough to makewhole again! Just enough …and then more!Sister Gilla Dubé is a Sister of St. Josephof Concordia. As a staff member at Man-na House of Prayer, she participates inprograms and program planning.

Cultivating an attitude of ‘just enough’

Patti LambArchdioceseof Indianapolis

SisterConstanceVeitLittle Sisters of the Poor

Sister GillaDubéRegister columnist


SALINA — Adapt and car-ry on.

This is the mantra ofGeoff Andrews, the superin-tendent of Catholic Schoolsfor the Salina Diocese, asthe diocese’s 15 Catholicschools continue to operateamid the COVID-19 pan-demic.

“The hard part is stayingcurrent with what’s goingon in each community,” hesaid. “The data changesevery day. Guidelineschange every day. The onlything we’ve learned is theonly constant is change.”

With 15 schools sprinkledacross the diocese, manyopened with in-personlearning five days a week in

late August.“The challenge for a

large, rural diocese is thatthere is not a one-size-fits-all approach that works forall of our schools as awhole,” Andrews said.“We’ve been able to managechange and adapt to whatwill fit each buildingbecause every community isextremely different.”

ST. JOHN’S CATHOLICSchool in Hanover has 96students in grades 1-8.

An early adaptation theschool made was its startingtime. Principal AmandaCook said the bus scheduleshifted a bit earlier thisyear, which prompted a dis-cussion among the staff:Would they be willing tostart the academic day a few

minutes early?“It worked really well,”

she said. “It saved us fromhaving kids sitting aroundour building for 30 minutesbefore the school day start-ed. My teachers were morethan happy to accommo-date. I know it made theirlives a little crazier in themornings, and they steppedup to the challenge.

Instead of an 8:20 a.m.start time, the school daybegins at 8 a.m.

“This gives us a little bitof built-in COVID time,”Cook said. “That gave us thebenefit of, hopefully, nothaving to go remote learn-ing if we had to take a dayor two off.”

The planning paid offwhen Cook, Father JosephKieffer and the school coun-cil decided to extendThanksgiving break a fewdays.

“We gave kids an extrafour days off,” she said. “Wethought it would be themost likely days to exhibitsymptoms from COVID.”

THIS FLEXIBILITY IS ONEreason Andrews attributesto schools being mostly in-person.

“There has been greatcollaboration between theCatholic school leaders andtheir respective school

councils, along with thelocal public school in thecommunities,” Andrewssaid. “It is refreshing to seeeveryone’s end goal thesame: Let’s do everythingwe can to keep our studentslearning on-site.”

In Manhattan, he said thepublic schools have been ina hybrid model sinceAugust.

“Manhattan CatholicSchools have been on-sitefive days a week, with onelittle hiccup,” Andrews said.“I think it’s a huge successstory.”

He said he is inspired by

the dedication of adminis-trators and pastors.

“One priest went toHome Depot or Amazon topurchase necessary suppliesfor the kids to be on-site inhis school,” Andrews said.“Under his direction, he gotPVC pipe and screens.Parishioners came in andhelped them build screensfor the school. I think it’sreally awesome when some-one says, ‘We know it’simportant for our kids to beon-site, and this is what Ican do to help make it hap-pen for our students.’”

IN OAKLEY, A TOWN withabout 2,100 residents, St.Joseph Grade School oper-ates preschool through fifthgrades.

Principal Michelle Selzer


A R O U N D T H E D I O C E S E

�

� � � �

� � � � �

�

� � � �

� � �

�

� � � �

� � � � �

�

� � � �

� � �

�

� � � �

� � � � �

�

� � � �

� � �

�

� � � �

� � � � �

�

� � � �

� � �

�

� � � �

� � � � �

�

� � � �

� � �

� �� - ��

%�&.'-+,��!��$ ��!��!��#�

�

� � � �

� � � � �

�

� � � �

� � �

�

� � � �

� � � � �

�

� � � �

� � �

�

� � � �

� � � � �

�

� � � �

� � �

��

��(�� .',+,��%!��"��#��!�!��$ ��

� ��!��,'//��

��* �� ) %�,'//��

�

� � � �

� � � � �

�

� � � �

� � �

By The Register

SALINA — Even during apandemic, the faithful fromacross the Salina Diocesecontributed to the 2020Bishop’s Annual Appeal —Call to Share.

Gifts surpassed the $1.6million goal, with more than$1.8 million pledged to date.

“The year 2020 has beenfull of unexpected chal-lenges and extraordinarygenerosity. COVID-19 has

affected many individualand family situations,” saidBeth Shearer, director ofstewardship and develop-ment for the Salina Diocese.“Through all of this, theChurch endured. Even whenMasses were closed to thepublic, the Catholics of ourdiocese maintained their

strong faith and continuedto care for their parishesand the diocese.”

The Call to Share appealprovides money to supportretired clergy, youth faithformation, seminarian edu-cation and sacramentalpreparation. Nearly 90 per-cent of the funds raised isspent on programs thatdirectly benefit individualsand parishes in every cornerof the diocese.

Because of this generosity,

Catholics were able to jointhe Church and deepen theirfaith through the sacra-ments, such as Baptism andConfirmation (see sidebar).

“Thank you for your gift.Thank you for supportingour Catholic faith by yourgenerosity and kindness,”Shearer said. “Your ongoingsupport is a tremendousblessing and allows ourmany ministries to growand flourish, keeping ourfaith very much alive.”

Call to Share helps bring sacraments to faithful across the diocese

2020 by the numbersBaptisms: JCP

Infant/youth: 9OJAdult: 0O

First Communions: 90CMinor: 8P6Adult: zp

Confirmations: 8O9Marriages: p6CDiaconate Ordination: pConsecrated Virgin: pFunerals: 90P

gliligeeliRReBaptism ~ Confirmation

suusioggio ifGGifFor All Occasions:

Confirmation ~ First Communion ~ RCIA

iftsttsififts RCIA ~ Wedding

Phone:oll Free Order Desk:Nationwide TNationwide Toll Free Order Desk:

Visit our online catalog at:

Phone: -2828363(816)oll Free Order Desk: 821-5372(800)

Visit our online catalog at: .com.idonnelly.idonnelly.comwww

821-5372

.com

Schools adjust, adapt to remain in-person during pandemic

Courtesy photoMelissa Pinkney (top, center) instructs third hour of Spanish I atThomas More Prep-Marian Jr./Sr. High School in Hays. The schoolis in a hybrid model, with half of the students in class and theother half connecting virtually.

Please see SCHOOLS / Page 11


CONCORDIA — When theKansas bishops closed Mass tothe public on March 17, FatherDavid Metz followed the lead ofmany clergy members around thecountry, moving to streamingMass online.

In addition to celebrating twoMasses online, he took the adviceof a fellow priest and celebratedone weekend Mass privately.

“I found the private Mass wasprobably the best Mass I cele-brated,” he said. “I could take mytime, do the readings and listento them, have a lot more silencethan I normally would.”

A priest for 23 years, he saidit’s possible for presiding at Massto feel like one more item on hisdaily “to do” list.

“But during this time, espe-cially the private Mass, I foundmyself falling in love again withthe Mass. It affirmed why I sayMass,” Father Metz said. “Theaspect of it, being part of the job,faded away. I think it helped mespiritually to get back to themain focus of the Mass.”

ACCESS TO THE SACRAMENTShas changed drastically duringthe COVID-19 pandemic. PublicMass in the state of Kansas wasclosed for 48 days. Bishop JerryVincke permitted a gradual re-opening of Mass with a congre-gation on May 5.

“Just as Jesus desires to beone with us sacramentally, Iknow many parishioners desireto be united with Christ sacra-mentally, too,” Bishop Vinckesaid. “Our goal is to make all thesacraments as available as possi-ble, while still being prudent.Since our diocese is so large ter-ritorially, I have asked my prieststo work with the local countyhealth commissions and toadhere to local guidelines fortheir community.”

As of Dec. 11, there have been

more than 179,800 cases ofCOVID-19 in the state of Kansasin 2020, according to the KansasDepartment of Health and Envi-ronment’s website. The SalinaDiocese comprises 31 counties,with more than 26,000 squaremiles, in the northwest quadrantof the state.

Father Metz was quarantinedtwice this year, prompting areversion to online-only Mass forthe pastor of Our Lady of Perpet-ual Help in Concordia and St.Peter in Aurora. Both experi-ences were because he was inproximity to someone who wasbeing tested for COVID-19.

His first quarantine was short-lived when the test result wasnegative. He entered quarantinefor a few days, and public Mass— specifically distribution ofCommunion — was not permit-ted by the local health depart-ment.

In November, Father Metz wasaround someone who tested pos-itive for COVID-19.

“I had been in there with mymask on and was distanced, but Ihad to quarantine,” he said.“There had been 125 new cases inthe last two days.”

Once again, public Mass wascanceled.

“I still did a Facebook live andgot the Mass out that way,” hesaid.

The second quarantineinvolved no public Mass for ninedays.

“It’s hard to shut down myschedule and the church,” FatherMetz said. “I watch myself andkeep distance and have my maskon. With the county mask man-date, thankfully, everyone hasbeen wearing a mask in church.”

Before the pandemic, a com-mon practice when a priest wasunable to preside at Mass was tohave a retired priest cover thesacraments for the weekend.

“I want to keep our retiredpriests safe,” Father Metz said.“That’s why I’ve chosen to cele-

brate Mass online.”The Salina Diocese has 37

active diocesan priests (includingtwo extern priests) to cover its86 parishes. In addition to activediocesan priests, 11 internationalpriests and three religious orderpriests actively serve within thediocese, bringing the total num-ber of actively serving priests to51 to cover the 86 parishes. Addi-tionally, there are 16 retireddiocesan priests who serve whenneeded.

Bishop Vincke said a strugglein his rural diocese is the avail-ability of priests to offer thesacraments.

“The problem that we faced inour diocese is that while a fewpriests contracted COVID, manyothers had to be quarantinedbecause they were in contactwith someone who had COVID,”he said. “On one weekend, wehad seven priests unavailable tocover the Masses. We were ableto get coverage for many of theparishes, but not all of them.”

ACTIVITIES AT A PARISH AREnot limited to daily or weekendMasses, though. Many provideongoing religious education and

formation, which has also adjust-ed during the pandemic.

Father Metz said the localschool district transitioned toremote learning for grades 7-12for a few weeks.

“We ended up canceling reli-gious education for all of thegrades because there had beenquite a few grade school studentsquarantined, as well,” he said.

Enrollment in the program isdown to about 112 students, com-pared with last year’s 194.

“Some parents who made thatdecision out of an abundance ofcaution have decided to do some-thing at home with them,” FatherMetz said.

For those who attend on-sitereligious education, tempera-tures are taken upon arrival, andstudents are masked and givenplenty of space.

AT ST. ISIDORE CATHOLICStudent Center in Manhattan,campus minister Rachel Francissaid sacramental preparation isdifferent this year.

“We’ve met every week, but welive stream it,” she said. Manyparticipants physically attend,but “if someone has symptoms or

had to travel, they can still tunein, no matter where they are.There’s no reason for them not tobe there in some way, shape orform.”

The Catholic student centertypically has several dozen indi-viduals who are welcomed intothe Church at Easter, at the con-clusion of the Rite of Christian

Initiation of Adults classes. Thenumber of participants decreasedslightly but not significantly thisyear.

“(Returning to school) wasbumpy for people at first, but ourstaff has been very flexible indoing what we need to do for ourparishioners,” Francis said. “It’sa cool time to work here. The

leadership of our priests is won-derful. They’ve been so gentlewith everyone. It’s such a hardtime. They know that now, morethan ever, people need the sacra-ments. We need to do whateverwe can do to get people thesacraments.”

Sacraments such as Baptismare still ongoing but look a littledifferent. Previously, Francissaid, a few Masses per weekendwere designated for baptisms.

“Now, people come in withtheir family,” she said. “Becauseof the nature of the sacrament,the priest will still have to anointthe infant. But if people have hadsymptoms, we postpone the bap-tism. We simply follow the CDCguidelines.”

Even while the dispensationfrom attending Sunday Massexists, Francis said students arestill accessing the sacraments.

“Students are still coming andlining up outside the confession-al and coming to adoration andstill coming to daily Mass,” shesaid. “They have had a lot takenaway from them, but it’s beencool to see how they’ve come

December 18, 2020 76 December 18, 2020 The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org

Ministering, administering through pandemic

Courtesy photoFather David Metz (far right) baptizes Brooks Gilliland on Nov. 1. Pictured(from left) are godfather Ryan Gilliland, brother Jack Gilliland and parentsAmbria and Eric Gilliland.

By Cathy DoudFor The Register

CONCORDIA — The Sisters ofSt. Joseph of Concordia havelong offered one-on-one spiri-tual direction, with the sistersand staff of Manna House ofPrayer also offering directedretreats on a variety of topics.

However, the threat ofCOVID-19 has made most in-person meetings impossible orimpractical. The sisters at Man-na House quickly assessed thesituation and began offeringboth spiritual direction andmany of their retreats virtually.

Virtual spiritual directionwas not new to Manna House.Several of the spiritual direc-tors had previously used Face-time, Instant Messenger videoconferencing and Skype toreach out across long distancesto offer their services. Thisyear they used that experience,and the addition of other tech-nology tools like Zoom, toincrease their reach.

“In these times of COVID-19 and all of the uncertaintyand suffering it has caused,the heartbreak of losing lovedones, jobs, markets, businessesand the future that we’ddreamed of or banked on, it issometimes helpful to have a‘spiritual companion’ or ‘soulfriend’ to visit with about thedeepest concerns and ques-tions that haunt us,” said Sis-ter Marcia Allen, a spiritualdirector at Manna House. “Thesisters who staff Manna Househave experience and trainingin journeying with others indifficult times. If you are won-dering where God is in all ofthis chaos and loss of meaningyou might welcome a compan-ion or friend for deeper con-versations from time to time.”

SISTER JANET LANDER, Aspiritual director at MannaHouse, said she had beenusing technology to compan-ion with her directees foryears, particularly those wholived in other countries. How-ever, with the increase ofCOVID, the use of technologyhas become even more impor-tant.

“In this day and age, evenbefore COVID, it was impor-tant to be able to connect withpeople who couldn’t take timeoff from work to travel to Con-cordia,” Sister Janet said.“Thanks to advances in tech-nology, we’re able to connect,not just by voice, but visually.This is so important because itallows you to read yourdirectee’s body language andconnect.”

“It is amazing how talkingwith one of the Sisters and get-ting their ideas can help,

whether it be on how to readpassages out of the Bible differ-ently, how to learn to do differ-ent type of prayers, how to fig-ure out what contemplation isall about or maybe even a greatbook to help you throughsomething you are strugglingwith,” said Agrégée DeniseSchmitz, a staff member atManna House and a member ofthe Western Kansas Womencommittee. “A phone call,Zoom, Facetime — all of it canwork, whatever makes you feelmost comfortable. What ablessing that we can offer thisto people especially during thisyear of COVID.”

In addition to virtual spiri-tual direction, Manna Househas found success taking manyof their retreats online. Theretreat center is offering a fullcalendar of retreats for 2021ranging from book studies,music therapy, dealing withmemory loss, Lenten weekstudies to day retreats.

“The day retreats on Zoomare a wonderful opportunity forpeople to schedule a day to addsome self-care time to boostyour spiritual life,” Schmitzsaid. “You can meet new folksvia Zoom and come out withways to help keep positive inday-to-day living in this time ofCOVID, flu or yucky weather.Self-care and your spiritualityare important. The benefitshelp you and those with whomyou live and work.”

RESPONSE FROM THOSE whohave participated in the onlineretreats has been positive saidSister Betty Suther, director ofManna House.

“Comments I heard fromparticipants in the onlineretreat included: ‘Almost asgood as being there,’ ‘A brightspot in my day,’ ‘I was able toconcentrate better on whatwas being said,’ and ‘So gladthere's another way to contin-ue my spiritual direction ...thank you for being available,’”Sister Betty said.

“The staff of Manna Housewelcomes you into their circleof faith and companionship,”Sister Marcia said.

To inquire about spiritualdirection, contact MannaHouse at (785) 243-4428 oremail [email protected]. To view the sched-ule of upcoming retreats, visitmannahouse.org and click onthe retreats and workshopslink. Upcoming retreats canalso be found on the MannaHouse of Prayer facebook pageat facebook.com/MannaHouseOfPrayer. If the internetis not convenient or available,you can call Manna House andrequest a printed copy of their2021 brochure.

Sisters reach out with virtualspiritual direction and retreats

Photo by Karen Bonar / The RegisterPriests gather at the memorial Mass for LeEnora Louise Heina, mother of Father Steve Heina, on Nov. 23 at St. John Church in Clyde. Because of concerns surrounding COVID-19, the funeral Masswas private, with a public memorial offered at a later date. Father Joseph Kieffer (center) said funerals have changed significantly during the pandemic. Often, the funeral of a priest’s parents isattended by dozens of priests, he said. However, because of COVID-19, his mother’s funeral in October was attended by the bishop and about a half a dozen priests. “I understood, but it’s hard thatwe don’t have that priestly fraternity like we had in times when we’re going through our own grief of loss of parents,” he said. The priests attending the Heina memorial are (from left) FatherJerome Morgan, Msgr. James Hake, Father Kieffer, Father Larry Letourneau and Father Don Zimmerman.


HAYS — In Ellis County, 91-year-oldRonald Thyfault was the first person to diefrom COVID-19, on July 15.

His daughter, Amy Normandin, said thefuneral home was instructed COVID deathswere to be cremated. If the deceased wasn’tcremated, Virginia Thyfault said the bodywould not be permitted into the church dur-ing the funeral.

“I thought of the hearse outside of churchwith him in the casket while we were atMass,” she said. “It didn’t seem right. Asmuch as I didn’t want to, we had him cremat-ed.”

Several family members also contractedCOVID-19, so the funeral was delayed forthree weeks.

While the Thyfaults primarily lived inHays, they have deep roots in Rooks County,and the Funeral Mass was celebrated at St.Joseph Church in Damar.

With nine children, 31 grandchildren and36 great-grandchildren, family gatherings

often draw 100 members of immediate fami-lies.

“A hard part was so many people wereafraid to come,” Normandin said. “My dadcame from a large family. We have family allover the place who would normally travel, butso many people were afraid to travel. We hadfamily from out of state who decided it wasn’twise to travel. So many people missed theopportunity out of fear.”

Funerals often offer an element of closure,she said.

“When you have the gathering, you supporteach other and say your goodbyes and sharethe memories,” Normandin said.

THE RULES SURROUNDING COVID patientsand funerals continue to evolve*, and Nor-mandin said it’s positive for families. Whenher father was hospitalized early in July, fam-ily was not permitted to visit him.

“I am ecstatic they have changed the rulesand allow family to be with them in the lastmoments,” she said. “I cannot imagine thatwe could have left Dad at the hospital withnobody.”

Thyfault said her husband often repeated,“Thy will be done” throughout his life. Thelast weeks during her husband’s illness weredifficult.

“He was in the hospital for two days,” shesaid. “We had not been apart for more thantwo hours in the last five years. He was theretwo days, and I couldn’t go be with him or seehim.”

Shortly before her husband fell ill, the cou-ple celebrated their 69th wedding anniver-sary. One of the mainstays of their marriagewas prayer.

“We said the rosary probably three times aday, every day,” Thyfault said. “We would sayit in the morning, when the noon bell rang,and most times at 3 o’clock, we would say itagain. We both have a very strong faith.”

With the family in quarantine during Ron’sfinal days, Catholic traditions were importantto the family. Yet because of their positiveCOVID-19 status, it was difficult to maneuver.

“It was a challenge for Dad to receive theLast Rites,” Normandin said. “There was aconcern about a priest visiting in the homewithout proper PPE and putting himself at

risk of quarantine and then would limit hisability to serve the rest of the parish, whichwe understood.

“My sister and I made calls and called inany favor I could think of. We were able tolocate all the PPE material required. We aregrateful one of the priests came to the homeand administered the sacrament later thatevening. Dad was extremely grateful, and hisreceiving the anointing put him and all of usin a more peaceful state of mind as weentered that last night.”

In the days and weeks since her husband’sdeath, the faith they shared has helped anchorThyfault.

“If it wasn’t for my faith, it would be hardto cope,” Thyfault said. “I miss Ron a lot. Ipray the rosary many times a day, and when Ido, I feel close to him.”

*Check with the local funeral home for current CDC guidelines.

Family navigates death, mourning amid COVID-19 pandemic

Ron Thyfault is embraced by his wife, Virginia,July 7 in Hays upon his return from the hospital.

The couple celebrated 69 years of marriageshortly before his July 15 death. His was the first

COVID-19 death in Ellis CountyCourtesy photo

Please see PRIESTS / Page 8

together and have been sorespectful of what’s beenasked of them because ofCOVID. We’ve been able todo what we need to dobecause they’ve been socooperative.”

The ability to continue toserve and administer to thefaithful is important, espe-cially during a pandemic.

“We need communityright now, and COVID hasnaturally isolated people,”Francis said. “Through thesacraments, it’s one way weare still allowed to gather.It’s encouraging to me tosee students flocking to thesacraments and desiring tobe there. It’s beautiful thatpeople still want to receivethe sacraments.”

FATHER JOSEPH KIEFFERhas been a priest for 16years. His three small

parishes are nestled inWashington County, on theKansas-Nebraska border.His outreach and ministryschedule adjusted signifi-cantly after the March 17closure of Mass to the pub-lic.

“Parishioners, especiallythose in the nursing home,have felt the loss,” he said.“I couldn’t go to the hospi-tal or nursing home to visitparishioners. I’ve been cau-tious not to go to home-bound people.”

In order to make Massavailable, he live-streamsdaily and Sunday Mass onhis Facebook page. Origi-nally, the intention was tomake the Mass available tothose who could not attendMass. Eventually, however,online Mass was a necessitybecause Father Kieffer test-ed positive for COVID-19 onOct. 30.

In Washington County,

where his parishes arelocated, there have beenfewer than 350 cases ofCOVID-19.

“I have no idea where Igot it,” he said. “Nobody Iwas around was showingsymptoms. It could havebeen someone who didn’trealize they had it.”

Initially, he thought hehad a cold, and treated it assuch. It was a few days laterwhen he could not smell thevapor rub or taste his foodthat he went in for a test.

Upon receiving the news,he worked with the localhealth department.

“They asked for namesand phone numbers to con-tact them and let themknow,” Father Kieffer said.

In addition to cooperat-ing with the health depart-ment, he informed hisparishioners via socialmedia that weekend Masseswere canceled.

“I felt I needed to be pub-lic about it because I knew Ihad potentially exposedmany of my parishioners,”he said. “I did a live-streamprivate Mass so parish-ioners could watch Mass onSunday. A lot of them areused to watching EWTN ormy live stream.”

Mass is only one elementof ministry that haschanged in 2020.

First Communion wasmoved from April to July,and Confirmation waspushed from April toAugust. Students at thelocal Catholic school, whichincludes preschool to fifthgrade, completed sacramen-tal preparations online aspart of their regular class-room studies. Those whoattend parish religious edu-cation, however, had tocomplete their work athome with their parents.

Another significant

change is funerals, FatherKieffer said.

“I think the biggest dis-appointment for families isthat they can’t have morepeople from the public thereto support them,” he said.“People are calling or send-ing cards, but they can’tcome and greet them andgive them a hug. I think it’smaking it a little harder inthe grieving process.”

His own mother died Oct.10. The funeral differedgreatly from his father’seight years ago.

“When my dad died,many of my brother priestswere there for that funeral,”Father Kieffer said. “ForMom’s, probably six or sev-en priests plus the bishopattended. I understood, butit’s hard that we don’t havethat priestly fraternity likewe had in times when we’regoing through our own griefof loss of parents.”


American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I., American Family Insurance Company, 6000 American Parkway, Madison, WI 53783 006441 – Rev. 11/15 ©2015 – 11133642

Allen Kee Agency LLC Allen Kee, Agent Certifi ed Agency in Customer Excellence [email protected] Bus: (785) 738-2990

BAALMANN MORTUARY��"'��) �� $��$��!��$��"'��)��#�!� �!��%�� (�� $&""��" �(��

www.baalmannmortuary.com

BAALMANN MORTUARY��"'��) �� $��$��!��$��"'��)��#�!� �!��%�� (�� $&""��" �(��



Oakley304 E. 8th St.P.O. Box 204Oakley, 67748785-671-1132

Atwood109 N. 2nd St.Atwood, 67730785-626-3895

Colby190 S. FranklinP.O. Box 391Colby, 67701785-462-2331

& CREMATORY

TTiibbbbeettttss--FFiisscchheerr FFuunneerraall HHoommee

Belleville, Kansas ~ 785-527-2211

www.tibbettsfischerfuneralhome.com

TIM LINENBERGERPainting & Decorating

Specializing in • Church Interiors and Design

• Statuary and StationsRestoration

• Faux Marble and Granite

2134 Edgehill Road, Salina (785) 826-6949

[email protected]

Priests adjust sacraments, ministry during quarantine

Manhattan Rite of Acceptance

Courtesy photoThe Rite of Acceptance was celebrated Nov. 22 at St. Thomas More Parish in Manhattan.Pictured (from left) are Sarah Boxberger, Tyler Gates, Ryan Jowers, Jordan Hevel, Jhesica andJack Conklin. Not pictured: Spencer Weiser.

From page 7

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us!

By Carol GlatzCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY —One present youngpeople should ask

for this Christmas is wordsof wisdom from older peo-ple they know, a Vaticandicastery said.

“Today, in the difficultcircumstances of a Christ-mas still overshadowed bythe pandemic, we areproposing that young peo-ple post on social media amemory, a piece of adviceor a ‘gift of wisdom’ theyhave received from one ofthe elderly people withwhom they have formed abond in recent months,”said the Dicastery for Laity,the Family and Life.

The invitation was part ofa new campaign launchedNov. 27 aimed at encourag-ing young people to reachout to their grandparentsand other older people, notonly to help alleviate theisolation and loneliness

caused by pandemic restric-tions, but also to create newand creative bonds.

The unusual circum-stances caused by the pan-demic means “there is anopportunity for young peo-ple to receive a special gift”for Christmas this year, thedicastery said in a newsrelease.

“Because of the pandem-ic, there are more elderlypeople who live alone. Wecan create bonds with eachof them — this is a treasurewaiting to be discovered!”

The Vatican office askedthat people reach out to old-er people and ask for “thegift of their wisdom.” Peo-ple can then take the advice,memories and nuggets ofwisdom they collect andpost them on social mediausing the hashtag #aGiftOfWisdom.

“Some of the best postswill be shared” on the dicas-tery’s social media accounts@laityfamilylife, it said.

“Unfortunately, in many

cases, because of the healthregulations in force, visitingcan only take place remote-ly, via telephone, video callsand messaging. But it ispossible to participate inthis campaign” by sharing“the wise words of grand-parents and the elderly onsocial media,” it added.

THE LATEST CAMPAIGNfollows a similar effort thedicastery launched in Julyin which it “collected virtualhugs sent by many youngpeople to both their owngrandparents and to ‘adopt-ed grandparents,’” it said.The effort was meant toencourage young people toshow kindness and affectionto older people who may befeeling lonely.

For other ideas and guid-ance, the dicastery has post-ed on its website, laityfamilylife.va, a free e-book, “TheRichness of Many Years ofLife,” which offers a tool kitin multiple languages “forthe development of a true

pastoral ministry thatreaches out” and involvesthe elderly as active partici-pants in the church.

The e-book includes theproceedings of the firstinternational conference onthe pastoral care of theelderly the dicastery held inJanuary 2020 to promote a“renewed concern for thepastoral care of the elderlyin every ecclesial communi-ty.”


• 3.25% APY current credited rate 10/01/2020 - 12/31/2020*• 2.50% APY minimum guaranteed rate• $250 minimum initial premium; $100 minimum subsequent• $500,000 maximum lifetime premium• 10 year withdrawal penalty (9% 1st year, decreased by 1% each subsequent year)*** Our credited rate is reviewed quarterly and will not go below minimum guaranteed rate** A 10% federal tax penalty may apply to certain distributions if taken before the owner is age 59 ½.

First Catholic Slovak Ladies Associationof the United States of America

a Fraternal Benefit of Society domiciled in Beachwood, OHFraternal Life Insurance and Annuities

STEVEN A. WATKINS, Agent, MBA • 1-800-232-3239

PLATINUM ELITE ANNUITY

Pope in new book talks about personal ‘lockdowns’ that changed his lifeBy Cindy WoodenCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Whilethe coronavirus lockdownsand restrictions have inter-rupted people’s lives andbrought suffering on a glob-al scale, every individual —including the pope — has orwill experience traumaticinterruptions in their lives,Pope Francis said in a newbook.

“Illness, the failure of amarriage or a business,some great disappointmentor betrayal,” he said, aremoments that “generate atension, a crisis that revealswhat is in our hearts.”

In “Let Us Dream: ThePath to A Better Future,” abook written with authorAusten Ivereigh, Pope Fran-cis said he had experiencedthree “COVID moments” inhis lifetime: lung problems

that threatened his lifewhen he was 21; his “dis-placement” in Germany in1986 for studies; and whenhe was sent away to Cordo-ba, Argentina, for almosttwo years in the early1990s.

“Let Us Dream” was pub-lished Dec. 1 by Simon &Schuster. The section onwhat the pope called his

“personal COVIDs” wasexcerpted in Italian newspa-pers Nov. 23.

In those major momentsof challenge and pain, PopeFrancis wrote, “what Ilearned was that you suffera lot, but if you allow it tochange you, you come outbetter. But if you dig in, youcome out worse.”

WRITING ABOUT HIS dis-eased lung, the pope said, “Iremember the date: Aug. 13,1957. I got taken to hospitalby a (seminary) prefect whorealized mine was not thekind of flu you treat withaspirin. Straightaway theytook a liter and a half ofwater out of the lung, and Iremained there fighting formy life.”

He was in his second yearat the diocesan seminaryand it was his “first experi-ence of limit, of pain and

loneliness,” he said. “Itchanged the way I saw life.”

“For months, I didn’tknow who I was andwhether I would live or die.The doctors had no ideawhether I’d make it either,”the pope wrote. “I remem-ber hugging my mother andsaying: ‘Just tell me if I’mgoing to die.’”

After three months in thehospital, “they operated totake out the upper rightlobe of one of the lungs,” hesaid. “I have some sense ofhow people with coron-avirus feel as they struggleto breathe on ventilators.”

One of the nurses, SisterCornelia Caraglio, saved hislife by doubling his antibi-otics, he said. “Because ofher regular contact withsick people, she understoodbetter than the doctor whatthey needed, and she hadthe courage to act on her

knowledge.”Pope Francis said he also

learned the meaning of“cheap consolations.”

“People came in to tellme I was going to be fine,how with all that pain I’dnever have to suffer again —really dumb things, emptywords,” he said.

Instead, he learned froma nun who had preparedhim for his First Commu-nion and would come andhold his hand, how impor-tant it was to sit with peo-ple, touch them and keepwords to a minimum.

The time in the hospitalrecovering, he said, gavehim the time and space heneeded to “rethink my voca-tion” and explore his long-ing to enter a religiousorder rather than the dioce-san priesthood. It was thenthat he decided to join theJesuits.

Vatican urges young people to ask for ‘words of wisdom’ for Christmas

“Let Us Dream”by Pope Francis

B A P T I S M SKarsyn Annabeth Day,

cryk.iatehveHynisoeroceF5bdso)NhacatWeHrbuefrne2rBisLac1hSle06ue0C0Cue2bemri.ateHrorwdrt5erieFileNrtbew.yt,.esoeDddsnl

Luke Joseph Ellenz, nhoehvEtrceroceTboeDddaoLuefrn2rBisLace1hSlep9ue0C0Cue2bmri.ateKrtaiie7hotrcaerieFilKh.oei.aeErBisniew.yt,.esoEadhsilg

Dominic Jude Knappert,nhoehveHrSsceroceNhddb7orBBatiuefrne2rBisLace1hSlezu0C0Cue2bemri.ateKrtaiie7hotrcarieFileKh.oei.aeErBisniew.yt,.esoEadhsil

Jacinta Therese Lueger,cryk.iatehveVyniberoce’sorTyakatuefrne2rBisLace1hSlezu0C0Cue2bemri.ateKrtaiie7hotrcarieFileKh.oei.aeErBisniew.yt,.esoEadhsilg

Send us your parishnews and photos:[email protected]

The Dicastery for Laity, theFamily and Life at the Vatican,is encouraging #aGiftOfWisdomcampaign to connect youthswith grandparents.


Q How do we reactwhen things just donot go as planned?

A Last week I received acall from a youngwoman, who was to

be married in eight days,telling me she had testedpositive for the coronavirus.She was in tears becauseshe knew she would have todelay her wedding. I amsure you can imagine thesadness and confusion thatwould be involved with sucha call. Welcome to 2020.

Our reality has foreverbeen shaken this year andthe question of how to reactwhen things do not go asplanned is in the front of allof our minds. Aside fromthe Chiefs winning theSuper Bowl, 2020 did notgo as planned. So what dowe do? We pray, we adaptand we carry on.

While we recognize thatthe COVID-19 is not a prod-uct of God’s desire for us tosuffer, we also know thatGod has permitted thisvirus to exist. So what dowe do? We pray, we adaptand we carry on. Here inManhattan at St. Isidore’s,we have been speaking agreat deal about holy adapt-ability. Holy adaptabilityincludes a docility to theway things are and arenewed commitment to thewill of God.

Many of the great saintshave demonstrated thisflexibility and adaptabilityin their own lives as theyhave shown us the way toGod. St. Paul, for example,in the Acts of the Apostles,chapter 16, was “forbiddenby the Holy Spirit to speakthe word in Asia,” so headapted and traveled toMacedonia instead. He bent

his will to the will of God.We must do the same.

Pope St. Gregory theGreat had no desire tobecome pope. He wanted tolive the life of a prayerfulmonk, yet when God’s plansseemed different than hisown, he was docile to thework of the Holy Spirit andsaid yes. Pope St. Gregorythe Great stepped out of hiscomfort zone, and becauseof that, the world was forev-er changed. We, too, mustbe brave like Gregory.

St. Francis Xavier Cabrinidesired to go to minister inChina but was told by thepope to head West (toAmerica) and not East. Shewas called to serve immi-grants in the United Statesand we are very grateful forher adaptability. She benther will to the will of God.We must do the same.

In our own lives, this willlook different than it did forSt. Paul, St. Gregory and St.Francis Cabrini, yet it willinevitably require us to becourageous and adaptable.We would never have cho-sen this past year to takeplace as it has, and yet inthe midst of the sadness,sorrow and suffering, wehave seen the power of Godat work within the hearts ofmany. I personally haveseen a desire for the Sacra-ments well up within thehearts of the faithful. I haveseen college studentsrespond to this situationmany times even betterthan people my own age.

Back to the young woman

mentioned above, a fewdays after our first phonecall, we spoke again. Weplanned a new date for thewedding, a wedding thatwill be smaller and differentthan originally planned, yeta wedding that will bemeaningful and sacramen-tal. The joy I heard in thevoice of this young womaninspired me as we set upthis new plan. For her,things did not go as she hadhoped, yet because of hersaintly adaptability she rec-ognized that in the end, Godis in control and our livesare in his hands.

I will conclude by sayingthank you to all of you whohave been a witness ofdocility, humility, andcourage this year. Togetherwe will adapt, and we will

get through this. Blessing toall.Father Gale Hammerschmidt is the pas-tor of St. Isidore Student Center in Man-hattan. E-mail questions to him [email protected] or writehim at P.O. Box 1038, Salina, KS 67402.

F A I T H A N D R E A S O N S

2020: Learning lessons of docility, humility and courageFatherGaleHammerschmidtDiocese of Salina

Tractors Combines Farm Equipment Your Case IH Dealers for Northwest Kansas

Colby Ag Center, LC Oakley Ag Center, LLC 785-462-6132 785-671-3264 www.colbyag.com www.oakleyag.com

Hoxie Implement Co., Inc. 785-675-3201

www.hoxieimplement.com

taught at the school for 18years before assumingduties as principal in 2019.

“We have small classes,so we can easily social dis-tance,” she said of the 48students in the school.

When the students are inclose proximity, such as inthe hallways, lunchroom orworking in small groups,they mask up.

“The kids are reallycompliant,” she said. “Theywant to be in school, theywant to be with theirfriends, so they wear themasks. Not even one stu-dent has fought the sys-tem.”

In Logan County, almost250 cases of COVID-19 havebeen reported this year,including Selzer’s husband.Once he tested positive forthe virus, she quarantinedat home and worked fromher dining room table.

“It was an opportunity tolead by example,” she said.“I showed people I couldstay home and work fromhere. The staff workedtogether really well andknew I was just a phone callaway. It went very smooth-ly.”

In addition to masks anddistance, the most signifi-cant difference in the schoolbuilding is a lack of visitors.

“The parents not cominginto the building is sad,”Selzer said. “I would reallylike them to be back in thebuilding. In the past we’vealways invited family andgrandparents to a Thanks-giving meal, but we can’thave them in our buildingthis year.”

An area of growth in thepast 12 months has beentechnology. As a result ofCOVID-19, the state ofKansas received moneyfrom the CARES Act anddeveloped a grant titledSPARK (Strengthening Peo-ple and RevitalizingKansas). Money was allot-ted to each school district toexpand technology, makingremote learning accessibleto all students.

“We’ve jumped head firstinto an increase in technol-ogy that we wouldn’t havehad the opportunity to do ifnot for the pandemic,”Andrews said. “We have 6-year-olds who know how toZoom and submit assign-ments online. We’ve seenpeople learn about a newway to communicate.”

Cook said that even whenthe students are on-site, theschool utilizes Zoom. Inyears past, the student bodywould gather on Thursdaymorning to pray the rosaryas a group.

“We’ve moved it all toZoom,” she said. “The wholeschool is on Zoom and pray-ing. It’s cool to walk downthe hallway and hear everyclassroom in unison prayingthe rosary.”

ONE ADAPTION MADE ATHanover was adapting amodified quarantine forseveral classes. A student ineach room tested positivefor COVID-19. The countymandated those studentsremain home in quarantinebut permitted a modifiedquarantine for the rest oftheir class.

“It was a fairly largegroup that had to go into

quarantine,” Cook said.The school set up the

gymnasium for the studentsand teacher who were in themodified quarantine.

“We were able to puttables up and each childhad a table. We knew if theystayed at their table, theywere 6 feet apart,” Cooksaid. “There was a designat-ed entrance into the gym forthose students. The publicschool worked well with us.They packed to-go lunchcontainers for our studentsand left them outside thedoor. Then the teacher inquarantine would retrievethem.”

COLLABORATION ANDcommunication have beenessential aspects of thisschool year, said Cook.

“The families are greatabout it. They gave us thesame grace we are givingthem,” she said. “That’s thekey, to remember we’re allin this together.

“We’ve learned a lot .We’ve come a long waysince the spring, but wehave more to learn. We’retrying to make the best ofthe situation we can. It’s allanyone can do right now.”

Andrews credits familiesfor the ability to continuein-person learning.

“Our families are takingthe necessary precautions tokeep their families safe,which in turn keeps ourschool safe,” he said. “Thisschool year has added work-load, planning and stress toall involved. Principals,teachers, students and fami-lies are doing their best tocontinue keeping schoolsopen.”


A R O U N D T H E D I O C E S E

��

��#�� #��#�"��"��!��

��

��

��!��

� ��

SalinaDiocese SalinaDioceseSalina_Diocese

about the need was the firststep.

“I think their actionshave spoken pretty loudly,”Bolton said. “People werevery generous onceadvanced giving began (onNov. 16). The first week wasfull of donations online andoffline.”

The main priority is tostabilize the parish’s generaloperations, she said.

“We hoped to use it as acatch-up campaign becauseof lower collections,” Boltonsaid. “We wanted to makesure that we are preparedfor this coming year with allof the uncertainty, to besure we can provide andcontinue to provide supportfor the different groups wehave.

“This year, having hadlower income than normal,

we continue to operate. Wehave maintenance andupkeep of our facility. Those

expenses don’t slow downeven when the incomedoes.”

NATIONALLY, THE SalinaDiocese ranked No. 7among fundraising for#iGiveCatholic, Kenny said.

“I see and feel a strongsense of community, espe-cially in our rural areas,”she said. “It is a sense ofcoming together, as anexpression of gratitude, tolift up, celebrate and sup-port others who need itmost. #iGiveCatholic on#GivingTuesday has a wayof rallying the faithful, evenif it is a virtual rally, inorder to support ourChurch.”

The date for #iGiveCatholic in 2021 will beNov. 30.

For more information,please visit salina.igivecatholic.org.

Top 10 fundraisers in SalinaDiocese for #iGiveCatholic

1 — Manhattan Catholic SchoolsManhattan $128,423.70

2 — St. Thomas More ChurchManhattan $72,639.38

3 — St. Andrew Grade SchoolAbilene $40,682

4 — St. Mary Church and SchoolEllis $33,872.55

5 — St. John’s Catholic SchoolsBeloit $33,376.76

6 — St. Andrew ChurchAbilene $29,299

7 — Catholic Charities of NorthernKansas $18,875

8 — St. Francis Xavier SchoolJunction City $18,470

9 — Holy Family ElementaryHays $17,950

10 — Thomas More Prep-MarianJr./Sr. HighHays $15,600

Diocese ranks No. 7 nationallyfor #iGiveCatholic campaign

From page 2

Schools expand technology,collaboration to aid students

From page 5


OTHER OPPORTUNITIESTO GIVE

Where the need is greatestPublications

Parish OffertoryCatholic School Support

WAYS TO GIVEAppreciated Securities

BequestsCash or Check

Charitable Gift AnnuitiesCommodities

IRA GiftsLife Insurance

Personal PropertyReal Estate

TrustsDonor Advised Funds

For more information, call Beth Shearer at (785) 827-8746 or email: [email protected]

To give online: salinadiocese.org/office/developmentYou may benefit from a charitable deduction on your tax return, even if you don’t itemize in 2020. Check with your tax advisor for details.

Window at St. Edward Church, Belleville

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another.”– 1 Peter 4:10

The Bishop’s Annual Appeal — Call to Share helpsthe diocese fund the many ministries that impactyour parishes. Nearly 90 percent of the funds raisedare spent on programs that directly benefitindividuals and parishes in every corner of thediocese.

Bishop’s Annual Appeal

Seminarian Education FundThe support of seminarian education is of utmost importance. Our seminarians are from towns across thediocese — Hanover, Manhattan, Salina, Hays, Hoxie and Park. They are studying to become the priests

who will lead the next generations of Catholics across our diocese. Currently the diocese has 8 men in formation with others making inquiry.

With annual costs of more than $525,000, the diocese relies on generous gifts from donors, endowments,the annual appeal and grants to educate our seminarians.

Photo by Karen Bonar / The RegisterDeacon Brian McCaffrey assists Bishop Jerry Vincke during the Liturgy of the Eucharist April 4 atSacred Heart Cathedral in Salina.

It is with great gratitude that we thank the people ofthe Diocese of Salina for your generosity. Your

ongoing support is a tremendous blessing and allowsour many ministries to grow and flourish.

As you consider your blessings at year end, you are invited toprayerfully consider a gift to the Diocese of Salina.

Your gift can support any of these ministries.

NationalCollections

3%

DiocesanOperations

10%

Evangelizationand Ministry

22%

Education20%

ClergyHealth/Retirement

20%

Seminarians25%

the register...2020/12/12 · students at sacred heart grade school in colby share gratitude after...

Documents