Wichita, Kansas

It’s summertime so the club gets to hear from our seminarians who are on break from their studies and are more available to give presentations. Last evening, we heard from one of the so-called ‘Magnificent 7’, Deacon Isaac Hilger, who is one of the 7 newly ordained Deacons for the diocese.

Deacon Hilger is the youngest of 13 children and grew up in the St. Joe Ost Parish. None of his other siblings entered the religious life and so his parents were ecstatic when he told them of his decision. 

        Pope John Paul II said that the first parish is in the home and that was true for the Hilger family. He grew up knowing that they had to take care of each other. The desire for service to others was an early benchmark for Issac that helped form his attraction to priesthood. Stewardship as a way of life was not only developed and nurtured in the diocese but was exemplified in the Hilger home.  Despite having meager means, the Hilger family helped in many ways around the parish to help the school with repairs and remodeling. That model of service was never far from young Issac’s thoughts.

      It was in 2nd grade where he had his first thoughts about becoming a priest. After 1st Communion and Confession, he ‘felt kind of a spark within himself’, in that direction. He recalls looking at Fr. Eck on the altar and thinking that it was ’pretty cool that he gets to bring Jesus to the people’. 

Not being a great student in grade school and learning that to become a priest, you have to go through a lot of schooling, he shelved any ideas of becoming one. But the desire to serve never left him. For a long time, he had the notion of becoming a Marine. Serving his country was very attractive to Issac and fulfilled that need to be of service to others. 

      He went to Andale for high school instead of Trinity in Hutchinson as his other family members had. The one stipulation was that he had to attend Mass every morning before school at St. Joe. That proved to be influential in many ways, ‘benefits that he doesn’t even know about’. 

      Hilger went on several retreats during high school, most notably a TEC retreat which, re lit the flame for a desire to become a priest’. But the desire to not attend any more school than he helped to quash those thoughts for a time. 

      A life-altering event when he was a high school senior caused him to rethink his life’s direction. His mother died of cancer that year. He called it a blessing in an odd way because at that time his life wasn’t going in a good way. He hung out with a rough crowd and wasn’t the best kid. He was just trying to ‘fit in’ but wasn’t choosing the right path to do that. Her death made him want more than ever to just get a job and settle down and start a family as his own father had done. 

      After high school, he got a job with the City of Andale on the maintenance staff. He was satisfied with that role as he got to fix things and help people. His dream of working, having a family and settling down was alive. 

      That 1st year after graduation, during Lent, he decided to start going to daily Mass again and to be more dedicated to prayer. It was during that time, that he realized that God’s call never really left him. God was still tugging at his heart. He decided to call the vocation office and start the process. He thought he would go for a semester, flunk out and that would be that. That was his ‘big plan to get God off his back’. 

      The day after calling the vocations office, a girl that he ‘had a long-standing crush on’ started chatting with him on Facebook. He thought, ‘sweet, God really doesn’t want me to go to the seminary. After getting coffee one day, she asked him if he ever thought about being a priest? Well, he knew that was that. God’s sense of humor is alive as well.

      He entered the House of Formation that next semester. He struggled with the academics but made it through. His was the first class to be at the House all 4 years. He realized that more he learned about God, the more he learned about himself. It all became clearer, as he continued his studies about God. Life at the house with a group of men likewise striving to find God’s role in their lives and if serving Him was their life’s course.

      He earned high marks at Newman. At the end of each semester, at Newman, he would continually re-evaluate his progress. Issac was still looking for an exit strategy. After graduating Newman, he began at Mundelein in Chicago. Though he doesn’t like Chicago, he loved the school and found his niche among the students there. 

      Part of his education is working at a parish for a semester. He was assigned to Coffeyville with Father Schibi. He grew to love serving the students and the parishioners and become more convinced that God was calling his to serve.

      We are excited thar Deacon Hilfer ‘stayed the course’ and kept with his studies and that the fire withing him was never fully extinguished. God willing, he will be a dedicated and faithful priest for the Diocese of Wichita.        

  Coming from what he calls a ‘baseline Catholic’ family, Seminarian Alex Klein has a unique vocations story. The youngest of 5 kids, Alex recalls that as far as their Catholic life, there was ‘nothing crazy’ but that they never missed a Sunday Mass but also rarely prayed together.  His Catholic education was at St. Jude and Bishop Carroll Catholic High School. Nothing unusual so far. 

       While in high school, he noticed that his 2 older sisters were living their faith better than he ever could in his estimation. After dating a girl during his sophomore year which turned out to be a ‘toxic relationship’ malicious rumors were spread about him that went on for a year and a half, ruining his reputation.  He hit rock bottom, but he thought it was actually a ‘mercy form God’. He had felt isolated as everyone seemed to turn away from him and so he turned to the faith for support. God seemed to be saying, you are not alone for I am here. 

      His older sister kept pushing him to attend various events at the Newman Center on the WSU campus. He resisted saying that he wasn’t into all that praying etc. He instead opted to get his Fire Science degree at Butler Community College. During that 2-year program, he started going to the At. Pauls’ Newman center at WSU as his sister had recommended.               He began building on his own faith at that time at WSU. He began going to daily Mass at WSU and had the feeling that he shouldn’t be there, that he didn’t belong. Adoration once or twice a week was also added to his religious practice, something which was foreign to him. 

       His mother encouraged him to do the 33 days to Morning Glory and at the end of that period was confession and a holy hour. He did his confession at St. Catherine’s. Due to the covid infection he had lost his sense of smell and taste a year earlier. When he finished confession, he had regained those senses and noticed an overwhelming smell of roses. He went to St. Paul’s for Mass that morning and the same thing happened, an overwhelming smell of roses. He knew this was no coincidence. After that experience, he fell in love with the faith even more. He wanted to give his life to God. He thought, what better way than through the priesthood?’

      Entering the House of Formation and a new lifestyle he knew he would ‘give it all’ for God. Without that attitude, he knew that he might not have continued had he not been given the graces that he got through this new ‘radical’ lifestyle. This was the first summer break that he can’t wait to be over so that he can continue his studies in Philosophy toward his degree at Newman.   

      Our prayer for Alex is that the fire for God and the priesthood will remain bright. The diocese will benefit from the transition from Alex Klein to Father Alex Klein. 

The work of sanctification of now Venerable Emil Kapaun is ongoing in the diocese of Wichita. That process is headed up by Scott Carter and Father John Hotze and the office of the Cause for Sainthood in the Chancery. Scott spoke to the club about the process and where we stand today.

      Having a near saint from our own diocese is truly a blessing to all. American saints are rare and having one who grew up here served here is rarer still. 

       On February 24th, the Pope issued the decree naming Fr. Kapaun as the Venerable Father Emil Kapaun, the next step I towards eventual sainthood. The cause for Kapaun’s sainthood opened unofficially in 1993. That step was fairly straightforward with little investigation needed to support the cause. In 2008, the formal cause for sainthood officially opened. That was begun by then Bishop Jackels. Documents from across the diocese were collected by many people to be sent to Rome to help support the initial stages of the project. Everything from grade cards to letters written home during the Korean War to homilies given were included. These were meant to describe his life and to show the great devotion that he had for the church and the faith. This amounted to 8,000 pages worth of documents which were each copied so now it’s over 16,000 pages being sent to Rome. 

      The Vatican theologians approved the case and then that was sent on the Bishops and Cardinals who actually vote on the case. That process was approved in early November of this year and the Holy Father said give it a couple of weeks and then Kapaun will be named Venerable. But the Pope was hospitalized and that delayed that announcement. The pope actually approved the Venerated stage from his hospital bed. 

      The Dicastery stated the Kapaun had ‘offered his life for Christ’. This is a new path toward sainthood by the Vatican. This was described as an ‘authentic measure of holiness’. This goes back to scripture that says ‘There is no greater love than to lay down ones life for ones friends’. There is something heroic about this act. From the Christian perspective, it is more than heroism, it is an imitation of Christ. 

      Carter mentioned the example of Saint Maximillian Kolbe who during World War II in a concentration camp in Germany offered his life for another prisoner.  Scott gave other examples of similar circumstances where the offering of one’s life for another as an oath to holiness. There has been one other person who attained the title of Venerable throughout church history with a similar path as is being pursued by the Cause for Sainthood for Father Kapaun. 

      Giving up one’s life at an early age and seeing it as a gift is a part of the ‘requirements’ for this path to sainthood. Instead of thinking that a person is giving up his life he is I essence giving life. Every time we go to Mass we commemorate Christs giving up His life so that we can have life. Love grows when it is given away.

       In applying to be an army chaplain, Kapaun was determined to spend himself for others. Not living in comfort but going to wherever that need was. He felt compelled to serve his people in faraway places where the availability of soldiers to receive the sacraments was limited. Carter related 4 moments during his army career where Kapaun offered his life for the soldiers. The last of which was after he was captured, and he sacrificed his health so that his fellow soldiers could live. Each moment was his own choice to help others regardless of the personal sacrifice that he had to make. End the end his sacrifice lef=d to his death, 

      While the work of sanctification goes on, we can rest assured knowing that with the diligent efforts of Father Hotze and Scott Carter, that they will do all in their power to see this cause for sainthood for Father Kapaun to the end.

       Totus Tuus began in the Diocese of Wichita years ago. The idea came from then seminarian Bernie Gorges as a parish-based youth evangelical movement. In recent years, it has grown to be a camp event where youth from around the diocese gathered at local camps for a week of outdoor fun and spiritual growth. The idea has been wildly popular and has outgrown the local camps’ ability to house the event. Anthony Keiser, spoke to the club recently about the newly minted Camp Kapaun in Reno County which will serve as the host for Totus Tuus now and in the years to come.

       Anthony spoke first about the history of Totus Tuus. Camp Tous Tuus began in 1995 in Gerard, Kansas as a 2-week catechetical experience for high school boys and girls. 30 attended the first year. 4 years later it grew to 4 weeks with more age groups invited. It was then that it was decided that the diocese should explore the possibility of purchasing a camp to host this growing event. Bishop Gerber and his committee decided that this was not feasible. Renting other facilities began in 1999 and several area camps were involved through the years. By the 90s Camp Totus Tuus was running for 8 weeks in the summer. A camp near Lyons agreed to allow the diocese to ‘commandeer’ their camp each summer starting 19 years ago. That too, was outgrown by 2016. When registration was opened each year, it would be sold out, sometimes within hours of opening. The maximum capacity was 84 youth per week. But purchasing a camp outright was still deemed to be unfeasible.

       Keiser went on to explain that the church is the last place where families can come together without digital interference. The camp experience reinforces that notion. Camp gives kids a chance to gather together and have an encounter with Jesus that they have never had before.  Many priests and seminarian in the diocese can attest that Camp Totus Tuus had a great impact in their desire to learn more about Jesus and follow him to the priesthood. 

       The process was underway to find a camp to buy. There were 3 options at the time, one donated and 2 others that were for sale. Providing infrastructure; power and water was prohibitively expensive at one site and the other was too close to residential neighborhoods to be workable.  The third was Camp Kanza which was owned by the Boy Scouts for 60 years near Arlington, Kansas.  

        Camp Kanza featured a lake which hasn’t run dry in years and 150 acres which has some buildings and a dining hall facility. A consultant was hired by the diocese to see if there was interest in buying and developing a camp. The surveys came back ‘overwhelmingly positive’. The question from 1999 came up again, is it feasible?’  Keiser said that in acts of faith, Is it feasible? should not be asked. ‘If that were the case, there would be no church in places like Clonmel or Ost’. The question should be ‘how can we make it work?’  

       The diocese adopted the thinking that it can be done, and it can be affordable for every family in the diocese. Fifteen months ago, the diocese purchased the camp and had their first camp there last summer. Currently 128 campers can be housed there each week with an eventual capacity of over 250.  Not only will youth throughout the summer use the camp, but it will also be available to parishes throughout the year and family camping for reunions and get-togethers as well. 

       Keiser shared long-term plans for the camp which include new sleeping cabin facilities and all access trails connecting all buildings at the camp.                           New construction is set to begin this fall on additional sleeping cabins and other improvements.

       The current capital campaign will provide funding for sleeping cabins and an endowment for future growth and repair.

       We are thankful for the vision of Bishop Kemme and church leaders who overcame the obvious obstacles in this leap of faith to create a camp to support Totus Tuus and many other diocesan activities.  

   John Marstall has been involved with Serra for 44 years. He has recently been asked to serve as District Governor, a position recently held by Juanita Smith. This is his 2nd go round in this office, because he quipped, ‘I didn’t’ get it right the 1st time’. John is a member of the Downtown Serra Club. 

      The role of District Governor is unique in that he doesn’t report to anyone, and no one reports to him.  His goal is to assist clubs. He is the longest serving member of the Downtown Club. He asked to present to that club and was told they could schedule him in August. So to get his word our sooner, he wrote a newsletter article, the contents of which were the bulk of his talk to our club.

       He stated that the clubs he serves are all well run but that we all tend to be ‘parochial’ in how we view ourselves. We tend to see Serra through our club and even within our club tend to associate with the same people meeting to meeting. His talk focused on the Serra beyond our club.

      He cited many examples of the Serra outside of us. The Global Rosary is a worldwide rosary said by Serrans on the 4th Saturday of each month. The Serra International Convention is another way to see Serra outside of our club boundaries. This is a ‘unique opportunity’. There will never be another one closer than this one. He related briefly about the speakers that will be there, which are an extremely impressive group. The dates are June 26-29. ‘Serra Meets’ is a monthly series of lectures presented by clergy and experts on the topic of vocations. The YouTube channel is http://serraus.org/serra-meets/. Each Serra meets is recorded and can be viewed on this channel.  

      Serra International and USA council websites are available for Serra member use. There is a lot of information for members on vocations and what’s happening in Serra and club officers to get assistance for their particular role in the club. The webpage is https://serrainternational.org and https://serraus.org/. Once again prayers and talks are available on YouTube. 

      We appreciate Mr. Marstall speaking to the club about opportunities outside of the Serra Metro Club. There is a big world of Serra out there writing to be explored.

Our own Serran, Barb Pinaire, presented a fascinating talk about the art expression, icons, and her own journey at learning to create these unique images. 

       The term icon comes from the Greek word image and is one of the earliest expression of Catholic art dating back to the age of the Apostles. The apostle Luke was one of the 1st iconographers. He created 5 of the original icons of our Lady back in the 1st century AD. Early tradition has it that he showed the images to Mary and she approved it. 

      We commonly associate icons with the Eastern Tradition of the Catholic Church. To those followers, icons were considered ‘windows to Heaven’. In the Byzantine era, iconographers enjoyed a special tax status. Icons were most notable from the 4th - 6thcenturies. In the 8th century, a group of people known as the iconoclasts came to be known as the icon smashers. They were ‘suspicious of any art that represented God and they demanded that they be destroyed’.  People then began to hide and preserve icons from destruction. The iconoclasts may have come from Jewish and Muslim followers who thought any representations of God was sacrilegious and a form of idolatry. During the Council of Nicaea in 783, icons were approved.

       The Russian people also created icons that were very similar to ones we are familiar with. Other Asian and European cultures have their own form of icons as well.   While icons seemed to be associated with the Eastern rite, they are really originally the product of the western or Roman Church. They are seen in frescos and paintings of that era. 

       Icons are seen as a way to ‘lead us upward toward heaven’. They raise the soul and mind of the believer to heaven as far as this can be achieved with human means. These images are intended to see the holy person as they are in heaven, not just a painting of how they look on earth. 

According to Barb, icons are more than just a painting, they are a prayer. You pray while you create the image. You pray to and for the person you are painting.

       Barb showed us an icon that she created a couple of years ago which was as good as any icon you would ever see. She stated that she has no particular artistic skill and that that was provided by the Holy Spirit. Barb took a week-long class that was formed to learn to paint icons. She thoroughly enjoyed the class and was amazed by what she created. I think that everyone at the meeting who saw her art were amazed as well.

       Thanks to Barb for this inspiring talk. I’m sure that none of us will ever look at icons the same way again. 

Our speaker was Rob Knapp, president of Kapaun Mount Carmel. He had three focuses for his talk. The first was his mom. He attributed his sense of justice to his and his sense of service from his mom. He said his mom was very important in his decision to accept the job as president of Kapaun.

       His second focus was to tell us about the Regional Serra Convention in Wichita in October 2026. The Wichita Serra Clubs will be hosting. There will be a hub of a central committee made up of 11 people. He will be in charge.                     There will be six committees: things like hospitality, venue selection and transportation, speakers, registration, liturgy, and meals & catering. The head of each group will be on the central committee. There will be a letter sent our asking for people to sign up and then the leader will be chosen from those lists. A date will be chosen after he gets the final work from the Bishop.

        His third subject is his favorite, Kapaun Mount Carmel where he has been president for 11 years. Formerly he was an attorney for 21 years at Koch Industry. He loved what he was doing and then got a call from Mike Burrus from KMC asking if Rob wanted to replace him as president. A big part of his decision was the email he got from Marriott saying he had spent 60 nights at the hotel for his job. He had spent 2 months away from his family. After discussing with his wife, he went to Mass the next day and heard the reading about the talents. He received the message that he had not been using his talents. It’s an incredible honor to be a part of the school.

        A great blessing for him is that KMC was the pilot school for the Cairos retreat. He has seen miracles happen to the young people. The students take a responsibility for each other. The entire Junior class attends the retreat in different groups throughout the year. The retreat is led by a team of Seniors who attended the year before. By the end of the weekend, the students are telling their parents that they are taking them to Mass. They learn that Jesus loves them. The students are talking to each other, and it will renew Catholicity in our city. Our diocese will be transformed.

       Here's some information about our school. KMC produces more National Merit Scholars than all the public schools combined. They are outperforming the public schools in Wichita and the state. The students are applying to the military academies. At least 1 has been accepted every year in the last 20 years, except one. Many are offered scholarships. Seven alumni have been ordained as priests and two have made final vows. Combining KMC and Carroll, they have 78 athletic awards. 

        Rob gets rewarded every single day and loves his work at Kapaun Mount Carmel. The Catholic schools in Wichita are doing remarkable things.

His grandfather was the Wichita Chief of Police for years. Our guest speaker, Jake Lamunyon felt that police work was his calling like his grandfather before him. For many years, he followed his heart as a police officer in the City of Wichita. Jake started with the force in 2015. It was through that work and the work of his grandfather that the next phase of his life originated, one that has provided satisfaction well beyond his work with the WPD.

        Jake had worked with Special Olympics, over the years, specifically the Torch Run. This was primarily in the fund raising and awareness activities with that event. When an opening came up with the Torch Run, he decided to leave law enforcement and begin a new career with them. In that new role, he was able to maintain his ties with the police department and help Special Olympics at the same time.

       This was not some random decision on his part. His grandfather, Richard Lamunyon, while he was police chief became very involved with Special Olympics, and it became his passion. 

       Jake explained the beginnings of Special Olympics and how Wichita played an important role in its growth. Eunice Kennedy Shriver was very involved with children with intellectual disabilities in the early 1960’s. In 1968, the 1st Special Olympics national event was held in Chicago with some 500 athletes participating, six from Kansas. In 1970, Special Olympics Kansas had its first event in Parsons, Kansas. Throughout the 70’s the primary event was a track meet held at various locations throughout the state. That has now expanded to 26 events statewide and they run throughout the year. Approximately 6000 athletes participate from Kansas and come from every county in the state. 

       In 1979, Richard Lamunyon was the police chief and was invited to hand out medals at the Special Olympics event at South High School in Wichita. The athletes were very drawn to the officers uniforms and wanted high fives, pictures and autographs. During the awards ceremony, one of the athletes gave him a big hug, literally jumping off the awards stand in doing so. Lamunyon knew that his department needed to get involved in this program. 

       That involvement began with some of the officers deciding to raise funds for a dinner-dance that was held at the end of the Special Olympics event. The athletes formerly had to foot those costs themselves. Then the idea came for an Olympic style torch run that would go from city hall to South High School to kick off the summer games. Chief Lamunyon convinced Eunice Shriver to attend the event in Wichita in 1981. Hundreds of officers in uniform marched into the stadium for the opening ceremonies. She was impressed enough by the event to get behind the Torch Run concept. With her endorsement, the Run began to be adopted across the United States.  By 1986, 43 US states with over 13,000 officers participated. By 1987 it had expanded internationally. Growth continued at a rapid pace. Eventually millions were raised each year and thousands of officers participated. It is now truly a worldwide event.

       ‘What started as a flicker of hope in Kansas is now a roaring flame for Special Olympics athletes worldwide.’ We can be proud that an idea that began in Wichita has had such impact to intellectually disadvantages children throughout the world. 

       Tish Neilson, President of Bishop Carrill Catholic High School, spoke to the Serra Club Metro last week. Her talk was a snapshot of Bishop Carroll today. She has been involved with Carroll for over 40 years as an instructor for several years and as an administrator, notably as principal and president. It was a state of the school address and a look into Catholic education today.

       She highlighted several changes in the administrative roles and personnel changes that they saw this past year. The foundation office, for instance, now has several new faces to help meet the challenge of the diocese request to raise over $600,000 this year to help fund the school above and beyond what the parishes provide. They are almost halfway towards that goal. Coaching changes involving long-time names in the Carroll community were mentioned as well. 

       On the instruction side, she highlighted several new initiatives, one of which involves WSU Tech. This gives students the chance to learn skills in HVAC, plumbing and electrical all at no charge to them. Other programs include a fire science curriculum through Derby where the fire chief is a Carroll grad, plus nursing and engineering programs which are likewise available to interested students. A popular construction program has been active for several years where students learn construction techniques and build structures for the community and school. 

       All these programs provide curriculum outside the walls of Carroll while trying to keep the student engaged in school activities. This is no easy task.

The challenge of finding teachers when competition with the more well-funded public school system is always present. Many teachers want to go to more of a part time model which has proven difficult to manage and has been largely scrapped. Fifteen new teachers were hired this year alone, highlighting the ever-changing educational landscape.

       The school is on the verge of busting at the seams in terms of enrollment. It currently serves over 1100 students in a building that is designed to hold 800 students. The next incoming class of freshman could be as high as 300 students. Parish pastors have difficult choices to make when a family wanting to send their kids to Carroll isn’t engaged in the stewardship way of life. A larger school makes it more difficult to create and maintain a community atmosphere at Carrol according to Neilson.

       Growth is a good problem to have though considering results from surveys done years before said that enrollment numbers will drop over the next 10 years. This has never occurred at Carroll according to Neilson.

Infrastructure needs are always at the forefront of concerns for the administration and staff at Bishop Carroll. The building is old and is perpetually in need of HVAC and roof repairs. Neilson said her own education didn’t involve building maintenance but along the way she has developed those skills as she works with contractors and maintenance staff regularly.

        Despite all these challenges, she is reminded of what is special about Caroll is not the building but the people inside, and the culture that a well-run Catholic high school fosters. Our hats are off to Tish Neilson who has been the captain of the ship for over 4 decades and who seems to have a boundless reserve of energy in service to Catholic students in Wichita.

From birth to death, the goal of Catholic Charities in Wichita is to provide support through life for the needy and disadvantaged in our community. Traci Kennedy spoke to the club last night about the many programs provided by the organization.

        The ministry has long served the people in the Diocese of Wichita. New initiatives include services and outreach in Pittsburg and Hutchinson. Kennedy provided a catalogue of the many services provided, some familiar and some not so well known.

     All have 1 thing in common- providing needed services to others regardless of faith. Kennedy went into great detail about the particular aid that each organization that Catholic Charities covers.

        Kennedy related stories such as at Harbor House which houses women who are victims of domestic violence. At times there is a 3-month waiting list and there is never a vacancy.  Or His Helping Hands who provides much needed food for the people in need regardless of religious affiliation. His Helping Hands has a staff of one and rely on an army of volunteers to run the pantry. Or St. Anthony Family Shelter offering a roof and food for homeless families. Strict screening is required for admittance and the usual stay is 6 weeks. They serve 16,000 people each year through the various agencies.

      From issues involving homeless, hinger, adult disabilities, domestic violence and disaster recovery, we are grateful for the work that Traci Kennedy and her staff do every day to improve the lives of God's children in the Diocese of Wichita.

       Emily Savage’s day job is director of the youth ministry and the confirmation program at St. Francis of Assisi Parish. An outgrowth of that and her passion for several years is the Fiat Program that she oversees. Fiat provides discernment opportunities for women interested in the consecrated life. Emily realized that there was ‘a gap’ in discernment opportunities for women that may be interested in the religious life. In 2014 she began the Fiat Ministry to serve women so moved at the parish. Now it is so much more. 

         When she began, there were no youth ministry positions available in ther Wichita area. Her first retreat in 2014 had 39 women and 9 sisters attending from Oklahoma and Kansas. To date they have given retreats in 11 dioceses and have had 782 women from across the nation attend these discernment weekends. He principal at St. Francis, Mary Carter, is on the Fiat board and helped found 8th grade Fiat at SFA to assist There you are female’. 

      Fiat has no advertising, relying on word of mouth to spread the message of this ministry. Eleven dioceses have proven the value of this grassroots movement. It as this point in their history that they are beginning to go beyond the present boundaries and being open to offering the retreats on a more regional scale. It’s up to the Holy Spirit to determine how far that reach will go.

       Emily shared several stories concerning meeting Sisters who several years prior had attended a Fiat retreat and are now Sisters serving Christ and the Church. Each story confirms the value that this discernment process can have in young lives. 

      Fiat Ministries is the vehicle that ‘allows women to see who they can be.’ This is not only true in terms of discernment to the religious life but as mothers, daughters, sisters and brides. Savage believes that when it is time for women to discern their calling that they will be ready to make that decision. 

        Fiat is for and woman who wants to ‘dive deeply into their spiritual life as a woman.’ Their three-part retreat doesn’t talk about religious vocations until the third session. She told the club that if there is anyone in their lives who they think needs an invitation to Fiat that they should reach out to Emily. The website is fiatministries.org. 

       This was a n inspiring about yet another ‘home grown’ ministry that can impact young women in an era of conflicting messages about who men and women are and what role they have in society. We are proud of Emily’s now 10 year journey with the Holy Spirit to pioneer this vital discernment process.

Our guest speaker at a recent meeting was Cindy Kellick who is the Program Coordinator for the St. Dismas Ministry for the Diocese. The ministry focuses on serving the incarcerated of our diocese. Cindy not just coordinates the ministry; she is actively engaged in it. Before we go any further, here’s a quiz, who was St. Dismas?

When she began work at the ministry, she thought she would be there to bring Jesus to the incarcerated. While that was true, the rest of the reality was that her faith became stronger, as she gave her time and talent to those who had lost everything. She considers her involvement in the ministry as a blessing. She feels blessed that she can share their lives and enjoys the fellowship and respect that they show her. For many, she and the volunteers are the only contact they have with the outside world. Most, but not all of the men she sees are Catholic. They conduct Bible studies and Mass on a regular basis. Whatever the event, they are called the ‘Catholic Call Out’. 

          Cindy told many stories about prisoners that she works with and how her corps of volunteers have changed their lives. Some of these men are ‘lifers’ and will never see life beyond the prison walls. Many were addicts who made mistakes that cost them their freedom. She imparts to them the knowledge that God loves them despite what they did and that they are God’s children. She shared stories of men who weren’t Catholic but have gone through RCIA and joined the church and are now ‘an amazing Catholic men.’  She reminded us that they are all somebody’s dad, brother neighbor or son. 

          Drug addiction, abuse and neglect were some of the contributing factors that led to their being in prison. Cindy and other volunteers tell them that they can change. She doesn’t sugar coat the situation but tells them that while difficult, it is possible to begin a new life whether that is in prison or upon their release. 

She regularly visits 10 prison facilities in the diocese. That includes the juvenile facility in Hutchinson up to maximum security prisons as in El Dorado. On one occasion she handed out Divine Mercy cards to 8 inmates at the juvenile facility. She told them to reflect on the image every day for a few minutes and to increase that time each week. Upon her next visit, she asked, and all were enthusiastically following her advice. 

         At the Winfield Correctional Facility there are 25 Catholic men imprisoned there who are all ‘on fire for our Lord.’ They make Rosaries for March for Life, for the Midwest Catholic Conference and St. Judes Childrens Hospital. Their goal is to make 1000 Rosaries this year.  The chaplain at that facility, at one point, banned the work. He said that Catholics were’ insignificant’ and not needed.  He took all the rosaries and tools away from the inmates. The inmates prayed for the chaplain every day in their daily prayer groups. In a short time, the rosaries and tools were returned and the rosary making was allowed to continue. This same chaplain sent a kind letter to Cindy thanking her for the work they do with the inmates.

       It is through the work of this ministry that volunteers a can live out Jesus’ teaching, 'I was in prison, and you came to visit me.  I assure you that as you did it for the least of my brothers, you did it for me.’ Pope Francis has said that ‘nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even prison bars'. 

       Cindy said that more volunteers are needed to attend Mass with these men, lead prayer groups or just talk to the prisoners. And of course, donations are accepted. 

       It is through the work of this ministry that we can aid the most marginalized in our society. Our church is universal, extending to even those outside of the norms of society. Jesus must be proud of their work.

       BTW, St. Dismas was the ‘good thief’ that was crucified with Jesus and was promised a place in paradise.

Dr. Chris Ebberwine is a clinical psychologist having earned his PhD. in that field. He is a psychologist working with the Diocese of Wichita and specifically with the seminarians at the St. Joseph House of Formation. He and his wife, Katie, have raised 5 kids at St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton Parish in Wichita.

His talk focused I the ‘human formation’ for the seminarians at the House of Formation. Pope St. John Paul II captured the aim of human formation when he wrote that priests should be a bridge, not an obstacle to meeting Jesus Christ. Taking their human formation seriously is the ‘heart of the matter’ in becoming an effective priest. 

         Dr. Ebberwine outlined the steps taken before a man enters the seminary. The steps boil down to this. “Is this man ready and able to be formed by way of seminary life’. He relayed a story from the book, ‘To Save a Thousand Souls,’ which is a guide to discernment. It was about a priest coming back to the dark and empty rectory after Thanksgiving and facing loneliness for the first time in his 25 years as being a parish priest. Later on, he would read about how through his training, he was able to effectively deal with this unfamiliar situation. He flipped this story around to have the main character be a seminarian and how he deals with that situation. 

         The seminarian begins to miss his appointments and is referred to the diocesan psychologist to see if they can get to the root of the problem. Various steps are outlined and implemented in the young seminarians life. Through many discussions it is revealed how the seminarian has taken the wrong steps at times which are reflected in poor lifestyle choices. He was reminded that he has lots of allies at this stage of his life and that going at it on his own is not always the best course. He was taught to grow in his emotions, which required him to begin to correctly name his emotions that he is struggling with. 

        The choices that a seminarian makes in his life are the product of proper formation. This is the goal of the work that Dr. Eberwine does with the seminarians. He works in concert with the formators in the diocese at large and more specifically at the House of Formation.

        We are proud to have this wonderful facility in our diocese and all grew in understanding of the work that many like Dr. Ebberwine do to support these young men as they work towards becoming our priests.