February - St. Fidelis Church

February
2016
Volume 8, Issue 1
Parish Office:
601 10th Street,
Victoria, KS 67671
785-735-2777
Fax: 785-735-2779
Hours:
Monday-Thursday
8:30–12:00 and 1:00–4:30
Friday 8:30–noon
Catholic Faith
Education Office:
Sisters Juliana and Jaidyn
Dinkel are delighted to
see Santa Claus during his
appearance in the Victoria
Grade School cafeteria on
Sunday morning, December 13.
785-735-9244
Gift Shop Hours:
Monday-Thursday
8:30–noon and 1:00–4:30
Friday 8:30–noon
Gift & Thrift Shop
407 Main
Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Friday
10:00–2:00
Wednesday 10:00-3:30 and
5:00–8:00
Thursday 10:00–4:00
Newsletter Staff
Editor:
Connie Windholz
email: [email protected]
Pastor:
Fr. John Schmeidler,
OFM, Cap.
This is a publication for the
parishioners of the Basilica
of St. Fidelis, Victoria; St.
Ann Church, Walker; and St.
Boniface Church, Vincent.
More pictures on Page 9
page 2
A Daughters of Isabella
Christmas
Party
Gloria Braun
Norma Huser
Carol Billinger
Dorothy Goetz
Kathy Kuhn
Katie Bellendir
page 3
The Daughters of Isabella Circle #364 held their annual Christmas get-together on
Sunday, Dec
December 6, a er the 10:00 a.m. Mass at the Basilica of St. Fidelis, where
they sat as a group in the front pews of the church. A erwards, they gathered at the
1867 Memo
Memorial Hall on Main Street for a potluck lunch, opening of gi s, and a short
mee ng.
Father EEarl Meyer led the ladies in blessing their potluck meal which included
several diffe
erent dishes of meatballs, noodles with beans and cream and stewed
noodles, and various salads and vegetables—all of which were delicious.
With their tummies full, it was me to open gi s. As members'
names were selected from a bowl, they made their way to the gi table
to select one that looked extra special to them.
One of the members—Theresa Kuhn—got
a special recogni on as it was her birthday, so
members serenaded her with the Birthday Song.
Theresa Kuhn
Theresa Dreiling
Norma Keenan
page 4
Pictured left to right: Connie Braun, VJSHS teacher and FCCLA sponsor, and Victoria High School students
Wyatt Engel, Megan Karst, Morgan Leiker, Bailey Hobbs, and Samantha Leiker.
The Victoria Junior Senior High School held a "Can Hunger
Day" in November, with students dona ng canned goods and
D
other non-perishable foods. High school students collected
o
691 items and junior high students collected 284, according
6
tto Connie Braun, the FCCLA sponsor who accompanied the
sstudents when they delivered the boxes of food to the Parish
O
Office on Wednesday morning, December 2.
Because the students met their dona on goals, they were
ttreated to a movie at the Russell Dream Theater.
The students' food items were combined with those
donated by members of the tri-parishes through the annual
d
C
Christmas Baskets Food Drive which began Thanksgiving
D
Day. The drive is coordinated by the Family Life Commission,
headed by Bertha R. Brungardt.
h
Bertha said 47 boxes were prepared for 15 homebound
aand third age individuals and 32 families who applied for a box.
TThe baskets, which also included fresh vegetables and fruits,
bu er, frozen orange juice, a frozen chicken, and homemade
b
noodles, were distributed on Friday, December 18.
n
Bertha R. Brungardt, Family Life coordinator, decides
which Christmas Basket still needs a can of cake
frosting. She used the Meal Site room to organize the
boxes before they were distributed.
page 5
The Christmas party for Parish Council, Finance
Council, and staff members was held Sunday evening,
December 13. A Christmas party given to thank the St.
Fidelis Gi Shop volunteers for their service was held
Tuesday evening, December 15. Both gatherings were
in the Parish Office building.
It appears as
though Randy Leiker
(right) is praying that
the prime rib Fr. John
Schmeidler is slicing is
worth the wait.
TOP:
Fr. John
Schmeidler (standing
right) leads members
of the Finance Council,
Pastoral Council, and
Parish Office staff in a
prayer before a meal he
cooked. On the menu
was pasta in marinara
sauce, prime rib, chicken,
dessert, and lots of hors
d'oeuvres. A nice blanket
of wet snow greeted the
revelers as they left the
party.
LEFT:
Courtesy Photos (left and below)
Volunteers who help at the St. Fidelis Gift Shop gather around
a table in the Religious Ed office to enjoy the meal Fr. John Schmeidler
and Jan Brungardt cooked for them. They also used the table in the
copy room because the Meal Site room was filled with Christmas
Baskets.
ABOVE:
RIGHT: Jeanie Brungardt, a Thrift Shop volunteer, helps herself at the
buffet line in the Parish Office kitchen that included pasta in marinara
sauce, Italian pork and chicken, bacon-wrapped wieners, a sausage dip,
and a variety of hors d'oeuvres.
page 6
Christmas Fun
As entertainment at the St. Ann Christmas potluck in the St. Ann Parish Hall, these for young gentlemen synchronized
their actions to a song they sang in their school program. Performing their skit in front of the stage are (left to right)
Gus Griffith, Titus Griffith, Jerome Autry, and Justice Autry.
Conversa on and laughter echoed off the walls
of the St. Ann Parish Hall on Saturday, December 12,
as about 50 parishioners and guests filled the room.
They came to celebrate Christmas with a potluck
supper and some camaraderie a er the evening
Mass in St. Ann Church.
The main course of several soups was provided
by officers of the Chris an Mothers organiza on,
but there were many other side dishes and desserts
to choose from on the long buffet table because
parishioners also brought a generous supply of
delicious food.
LEFT:
Father John
Schmeidler
plays Santa
at the
St. Ann
Christmas
potluck.
page 7
at St. Ann's
LEFT: Cute
little Amanda
Legleiter looks
all festive as she
enjoys her plate
of potluck food.
Waylon
Pray patiently
holds his tray
as he waits
his turn in the
buffet line.
RIGHT:
photos on both pages by Mary Kay Schippers
LEFT: The
buffet
line looks
scrumptious
as parishioners
and guests
scoop up their
favorite dishes.
Mabel
Riedel (left)
and Viola
Robben
stop for a
photo shoot
during the St.
Ann Parish
Christmas
party and
potluck supper.
RIGHT:
page 8
On Sunday,
d November
b 15, 2015, twenty off our tri-parish
h
teenagers par cipa ng in CYO gathered in support of Opera on
Christmas Child. In all, 95 shoeboxes were packaged with
gi s ranging from personal hygiene items to toys, sunglasses,
stuffed animals, and school supplies. All of these items were
outstandingly donated by parishioners throughout the triparishes. In addi on to the dona ons received, parishioners
also provided a means for shipping these shoe boxes with a
total monetary dona on of $823.00. Prior to the shoeboxes'
departure, they were blessed by Father John Schmeidler
during Mass at St. Fidelis, following the packaging party.
Opera on Christmas Child is one of the many relief
OPERATION
CHRISTMAS
CHILD
story and photos by Jeanette Brungardt
programs that Samaritan’s Purse
offers. Samaritan's Purse is a
nondenomina onal evangelical
Chris an organiza on that
offers relief, both physically and
spiritually, to people in need
throughout the world. Their
ul mate goal and focus is to
share the Gospel and Jesus’
love for everyone. They achieve
this through demonstra ng
tangible examples of the “Good
Samaritan” and Gospel by first
being concerned for the dignity
and welfare of all and secondly
by ac ng on the concerns and
assis ng people during their
greatest hour of need. Examples
of ongoing relief efforts by
Samaritan's Purse are: focusing
on natural disaster relief in the
United States, Opera on Heal
Our Patriots, interna onal crisis responses to human trafficking, the refugee crisis in Europe, and the Ebola crisis
in West Africa, to name a few.
The CYO wishes to extend a tremendous “thank you!” to our teenagers, their families, and all of our parishioners
once more. We hope you all had a very Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year!
page 9
Kids were overjoyed to see Santa wai ng in the corner of the
cafeteria as they trekked over to the Victoria Grade School a er
Mass on Sunday, December 13. Santa greeted them with his jolly
"Ho, ho, ho" and asked each of them if they had been good and
what they wanted for Christmas. Each child received a bag of treats
from the parish as they posed for a picture on Santa's lap.
The Liturgy Commission was instrumental in bringing Santa
here this year. Parish staff served hot apple cider, hot chocolate,
and cookies to everyone who visited.
LEFT: Santa
enjoys his
visit with
siblings
(left to
right) Cody,
Emma,
Tucker,
and Wyatt
Schmidtberger.
Wilson Miner laughs as he sits on Santa's lap to
tell him what he wants for Christmas.
LEFT:
Nicholas
(left) and
Wesley
Sander
accept a bag
of goodies
from Santa.
A crowd gathers to see Santa in the Victoria Grade School cafeteria.
Sienna Schmeidler enjoys a cup of hot
chocolate after her visit with Santa Claus
in the Victoria Grade School cafeteria.
page 10
Children Perform the Nativity
Children of the parish who regularly a end the Liturgy of the Word program once again performed the story of
Jesus' birth during the 5:00 Mass on Christmas Eve at The Basilica of St. Fidelis.
Perfec on wasn't expected, but prac ce was s ll needed so the children could feel confident during their
performances. Marge Rome, director of the pageant since 1997, brought them all into the church the a ernoon of
Wednesday, December 23, and had them go through
their paces around the altar and sanctuary. According
to a program handed out at the beginning of Mass, 29
children par cipated.
In the picture above, Miss Rome directs Brinly
Lichter as the Innkeeper's Wife (standing at right in
white blouse) as to how she should respond to her
children and husband (from le : Ashtyn Washburn,
Wya Schmidtberger, and Gracie McDonald) when
they tell her she has guests staying in the stable.
In the picture at right, Wesley Sander (Joseph) and
Claire Schippers (Mary) wait pa ently for instruc ons
on how they are to portray the Child Jesus's parents.
page 11
In the picture
at right, many
of the children
participating
in the Na vity
reenactment
wait on the steps
of the high altar
as Miss Rome
gives direc ons
to several others.
A number of
adults were in
the group to help
supervisor and
give the young
actors support in
their rolls.
Decorating the Church
for the Christmas Season
ABOVE: Special snacks
awaited the crib setup crew in
the north sacristy.
LEFT: Katie Scheck, right,
and her faithful crew spent
Tuesday morning, December
15, setting up the inside
Nativity scene on the north
side of the sanctuary at the
Basilica of St. Fidelis. Her
helpers covered the seven
artificial trees in lights and
assembled the wooden crib
that houses the Nativity
statues. Around 10:00 a.m., the
group gathered in the north
sacristy for a break and snacks.
page 12
CHILDREN ‘‘SHINE UP’’
CHRISTMAS AT ST. BONIFACE
story by Randy Huser
Advent is all about preparing for Christmas, and that preparing
has added significance when children are involved. This past
Christmas season the children of St. Boniface made the parish shine
in various ways.
To begin Advent, 23 children set up the na vity the day before
Thanksgiving. Shining brightly on them was the constant flash of
Hays Daily News reporters as they spotlighted the children doing
their church work in the following Sunday paper. A er spending six
hours at church, the children had the na vity shining brightly for the
Christmas season.
Next in line preparing for Christmas was our tradi onal 24-hour
Adora on held the weekend before Christmas. Families took turns
an hour at a me around the clock. The parish children once again
held to their tradi on of praying together at church for an hour.
Although it was dark out, the youth arrived at the church at 10:00
p.m. with their faith shining brightly in the presence of the Blessed
Sacrament. Parker and Layton Riedel from St. Ann’s parish joined the
St. Boniface youth for the Adora on, and a er their hour at church
the kids all gathered to play wheelchair basketball at my farm shop
un l 1:00 a.m. Parishioners also made food for the kids to eat. It’s
like a “Project Adora on.” All in all, these ac vi es create a “faith
and friendship” bond in parish children, and in that they learn to get
along well with others.
When Christmas Day arrived, the parish children were again
ready to shine for the parish. Five minutes before Mass started, the
lights were turned off and the children carried candles to the main
altar while the choir sang “This Is My Wish.” The song ended with
these words: “This is my wish, my wish for the world, that peace
would find its way to every boy and girl.” At the song’s end, the lights
came on, shining brightly on the parish children gathered around
the altar table. Children – the shining stars of our parish, shining day
or night.
A group of visitors let the crib fill
them with the spirit of Christmas on a
Sunday afternoon.
ABOVE:
St. Boniface Parish
children take a moment to pose
for the camera about halfway
through decorating the church
and setting up the Nativity.
ABOVE:
page 13
RIGHT: Parker
Riedel and Sara
Schippers try
to make their
way to the
bucket, only
to find Kirk
Huser, Payden
Leiker, Layton
Riedel, Walker
Braun, and Sam
Leiker in the
way in a game
of wheelchair
basketball
following
an hour of
Adoration at
St. Boniface
Church.
RIGHT: A little
intense playing
left Layton
Riedel and
Payden Leiker
scrambling to
get their tire
back on the
wheel during
a game of
wheelchair
basketball after
Adoration.
The parish children at St. Boniface
stand around the altar before Christmas
Mass as the choir finishes singing "This is
My Wish."
RIGHT:
page 14
CHRISTIAN MOTHERS REMEMBER
THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED ON AND
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
On Monday, November 16, during the regularly scheduled evening Mass,
members of the Chris an Mothers paid tribute to eight members who passed away
during the year.
A er Mass, they inducted nine new members into their organiza on. New
members present for the ceremony were Marla Robben, Holly Lang, Kathy Amrein,
Fran Robben, Susie Windholz, and Carol Billinger. Unable to a end were Jeani
Billinger, Shannon Radke, and Kay Werth.
Members gathered a er Mass in the north sacristy for refreshments and a
mee ng. A main focus of the Chris an Mothers is to help with funeral dinners. They
also donate me and money to the parish as needed.
ABOVE: Det Younger reads the
names of deceased members.
LEFT: Fr. John Schmeidler
(left) leads new Christian
Mothers members through the
organization's induction ceremony
during the 7:00 evening Mass
on Monday, November 16. New
members pictured at right are (l-r)
Carol Billinger, Susie Windholz,
Kathy Amrein, Holly Lang, Marla
Robben, and Fran Robben.
RIGHT: Det Younger,
chairman of the
Christian Mothers,
conducts a meeting
of the members in the
north sacristy of the
church after the Mass
and induction of new
members ceremony.
page 15
Door of Mercy
Father John Schmeidler officially opened and blessed the Door of Mercy at
the Basilica of St. Fidelis at the beginning of Mass on Sunday, December 13. This
coincides with Pope Francis' announcement of a Jubilee Year of Mercy which
will be celebrated from December 8, 2015, un l November 20, 2016.
According to The Register, the Salina Diocese’s newspaper, the Basilica is
one of two churches in the Diocese (the other being Sacred Heart Cathedral
in Salina) where the faithful can enter the holy door and receive a plenary
indulgence. The person should kneel in front of the Blessed Sacrament, say one
decade of the rosary for the inten on of the Pope, and exit through the holy
door. Other requirements for the indulgence are to receive the Sacrament of
Reconcilia on within 20 days before or a er the pilgrimage and complete one
of the Spiritual or Corporal Works of Mercy.
Spiritual Works of Mercy
Corporal Works of Mercy
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Bear wrongs pa ently
Pray for the living and the dead
Admonish sinners
Counsel the doub ul
Instruct the ignorant
Forgive offenses
Comfort the afflicted
Give drink to the thirsty
Give food to the hungry
Visit the imprisoned
Care for the sick
Shelter the homeless
Clothe the naked
Bury the dead
RCIA Candidates
The Rite of Welcoming was celebrated during
the 10:00 Mass on Sunday, November 15, at the
Basilica of St. Fidelis for four members of the
RCIA class. A er the candidates declared their
inten ons to prepare for the Easter Sacraments,
Father John Schmeidler blessed them with the
Sign of the Cross, as did their instructors Shirley
Brungardt, Religious Ed coordinator, and Jeane e
Brungardt, youth minister.
Shown in the front row with their sponsors
behind them are (le to right) Christy Studer,
(Jeane e Brungardt), Ross Addison, Nicole
Howard, and Thaddeus Wheeles.
Rubber Mats
Joe Brungardt, church maintenance man, and Glen Unrein,
a member of the St. Fidelis Buildings and Grounds Commi ee,
spent much of Wednesday, December 2, covering the new
limestone steps on the west side of the Basilica of St. Fidelis
with thick rubber mats. It is the hope that the mats will prevent
people from slipping when the steps are covered in ice. Ice built
up on the steps the weekend of Thanksgiving and caused some
"slipping" concerns a er Sunday morning Mass.
Basilica of Saint Fidelis
601 10th Street
Victoria, Kansas 67671
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
PERMIT NO. 5
VICTORIA, KS 67671
Christmas Eve at
St. Ann Church
LEFT: The pews fill up fast as people wait for the 8:30
Mass to begin on Christmas Eve.
BELOW: Smiles are abundant as greetings of “Merry
Christmas” are heard after Mass.
LEFT:
Father John
Schmeidler
gives his
homily during
the St. Ann
Christmas Eve
service.