Saint Vivian`s
Transcription
Saint Vivian`s
Saint Vivian's Winter 2007 Ask Anyone – Free Tuition Opportunity! This year’s theme for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s school marketing campaign is “Ask Anyone.” If you have a student in St. Vivian School, do you realize that you are our best advertisement? Don’t wait for a neighbor or a friend to ask you about our school, spread the word. Our strongest source of positive promotion is families whose students currently attend St. Vivian. Make it a point to tell five people in your neighborhood about the great things happening at St. Vivian. Tell them about our faith-based curriculum that builds values for a lifetime. Tell them about our strong academics, our excellent teachers and about our monthly service projects. To refer a new family to St. Vivian directly, have them call the school office at 522-6858. To refer a new family to a Catholic school, access www.valuesforalifetime.com. Click on “Ask anyone” button and enter your contact information, as well as information about the family you are referring. This will automatically enter you into a drawing for free tuition for the 2006-2007 school year through the Archdiocese. ~Linda Ortman Vibrations In the Spotlight: Julie Borgerding One of the blessings of God’s love for each of us is the talents and gifts he bestows upon us. Our work is to discover what those are and use them to enrich the lives of others, as well as our own. A great example of someone who is appreciating and sharing her talents with the world is Julie Borgerding. If you aren’t sure who Julie is, you’ll find her at every Mass, on the bench of either the piano or the organ. This petite and pretty young woman is devoting her time and talent to spreading God’s messages through music. Julie is a lifelong St. Vivian parishioner. She lives with her parents, Amy and Bob, and younger brother, Andy, in Springfield Township. She also has three cats, Dusty, Joe, and Jack (whose namesake is Fr. Jack Fillipine, for he was found roaming the church grounds before Julie took him in). Julie attended St. Vivian School from kindergarten through eighth grade and graduated from McAuley High School. She attended the University of Cincinnati as a Pre-Pharmacy major. However, Julie’s passion and life’s work is playing the piano. Pursuing Her Dream After two years at UC, Julie knew she wasn’t pursuing her dream of becoming a music director. So, with the love and support of her family, she transferred to the College of Mount St. Joseph where she is currently a senior, majoring in religious and pastoral ministry and minoring in music (piano). Julie credits her mentor, Tim McManus, St. Vivian’s Director of Liturgy and Music, for helping her to recognize and pursue her education and career goals. While Julie devotes most of her waking hours at St. Vivian as accompanist, or working alongside Tim in the Liturgy and Music Office, Julie also can be found working at Walgreen’s as a Pharmacy Technician. Once she graduates from college in 2008, she hopes to find a position as a church music director. Julie’s hobbies include, as you may have guessed, playing the piano, bowling, listening to music and writing. She loves children and provides child care services to some lucky little ones! Playing piano for the children’s masses on Wednesdays brings Julie great joy as she finds it extremely rewarding to help them exercise their musical talents. Playing the piano since the age of seven, Julie is pretty much the expert in that arena. However, you can still find her practicing her improvisational skills in the church quite frequently. And because playing the organ is new to her, she is taking lessons with former St. Vivian organist and choir director, Matt Phelps. When asked what hymns she liked best, Julie mentioned that “Gather Us In” was a special favorite because it was the very first church song she ever learned to play, and the first she played in Church as a member of the Music Ministry. Playing for the choir is an honor for Julie. She says that there is a wonderful sense of family and (continued on page 3) Celebrate St. Vivian Scouting as a den leader and cub master, festival booth chairman and through the boosters as an assistant basketball coach. What made that service most rewarding was the joint effort of everyone involved. I received so much from fellow parishioners who shared those efforts and the rewards of seeing the young people of our parish grow in wisdom and faith. (Editor’s Note: A number of parishioners shared what St. Vivian means to them this fall before the stewardship campaign began. We hope to share some of them here.) The theme of this year’s stewardship campaign is Celebrate St. Vivian, and I have more reason to do that than most. 56 Years ago my parents moved to St.Vivians, and I was born a few months later. I was baptized here, went to school here, and brought my young bride here to start the married life we’ve shared for the past 31 years. We raised our four sons here like my parents raised the nine of us. I can’t condense all the lessons I’ve learned from members this parish over the past 55 years into a few short minutes, so I’ll focus on the message from today’s scripture: Also in the 1990s I was elected to Parish Council. Among the most memorable accomplishments of that group were the St. Clare - St. Francis room and our parish mission statement, for which I was asked to select the scripture passage and write the original draft. Right now I am most involved music ministry and CHRP. Music ministry and working with these wonderful people has been one of my deepest rewards, and it’s been a real thrill to see the examples of youthful service in young people. Over the years so many parishioners have lead lives of humble service to our benefit. Some amazing examples are here today: Larry and Evelyn Maag, Randy and Mary Kent with FANS, Bob Massa with the Serra Club and Father Ed Piggot, who has been serving this parish by celebrating Sunday liturgy with us longer than any other priest. Have you noticed that everyone I mentioned seems to lead a happy, fulfilled life? The key to a happy life and eternal reward is to lead a life of humble service. My parents were the first role models of that lesson for me. Those of you who have worshipped here a long time know what I’m talking about. My mother just celebrated her 82nd birthday and still ministers through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, at Drake Hospital, Right to Life, Prison Ministry and probably several other groups I’m not aware of. My next role models of humble service were our pastors, priests, the Ursuline nuns and lay teachers who taught in our school. In my grade school years I learned from the Prayer of St. Francis that “it is in giving that we receive.” And since my father named me James after the author of the Letter of James, I always paid careful attention whenever I heard excerpts of it read at Mass. The main message is that faith alone will not save you, it takes good works. But I’m sure most of you will agree that the quintessential humble servant was Father Jack Fillipine. For 17 years we were blest with the presence of this sainted man. Here’s just one simple example of his humility: One Sunday morning about eight years ago I arrived at 7:30 for our rehearsal for 8:15 Mass. Father Jack was out front on the sidewalk by Winton Road picking up litter and praying silently to himself as he did. He was an inspiration to us all, and the four parishioners who I think most continue in his example of humble service are John and Patty Hadden and Joe and Barb Meyer. They are the bread that feeds CRHP, the Spiritual Life Committee, Food Coalition Sunday, the Fifth Sunday Contemporary Mass and so many other efforts in this parish. Ladies and gentlemen, they need help. In 1978 Father Whalen further clarified that message to me when I attended my first Christ Renews His Parish weekend. He said that when it comes to spirituality and a life of service, the more you give the more you get. On the very next CRHP weekend I was able to reiterate that message to a new group of men who attended, including Al Humbert, my brother Joe and my Dad. That was a turning point in my life, and I really began to listen to God’s calls. And the best way I can think of to help them and celebrate St. Vivian and the legacy of everyone who has served us through the years is to pay it forward by leading a life of humble service and live our parish mission statement in the words of our Savior: “Love one another as I have loved you.” God’s Calls Come From Others I found out those calls most often came through others. Bill Michel asked me to become a lector, and for the next 20 years I learned the joy of sharing the word of God with you from this lectern. In the 1980s and ‘90s, as a result of my sons, those calls brought me to service on the Education Commission, in Cub ~Jim Meyer 2 Introducing Julie Borgerding (continued from page 1) fellowship present whenever the members of the Music Ministry are together. Each member’s individual talent and contribution blends beautifully to create the music that enriches any Mass you choose to attend. “I would like to thank all of the parishioners of St. Vivian for all they do to make St. Vivian such a wonderful place”, says Julie. “I am so very lucky to be able to share my talents and my faith with each and every one of you. May God continue to bless each of you all the days of your lives.” Take a moment to introduce yourself to Julie Borgerding. Let’s be grateful to God Julie devotes herself to enriching our church and our lives with the glorious music she and her Music Ministry family makes! ~Debbie Norman Julie invites anyone who may be interested in joining the Music Ministry to give it special consideration. The Music Ministry is always looking for new members in the ensembles and especially the choir. If you want to know more about the Music Ministry, feel free to speak to Julie. Her enthusiasm for it is contagious! St. Vivian's Looks at Twinning About 25 people attended a meeting in December about the possibility of twinning with a parish in some other part of the country or world. Dr. Mike Gable from the Archdiocesan Mission Office gave a very interesting presentation. He reminded us that “catholic” means “universal.” We belong to a universal church that transcends boundaries. We should see the face of Christ in all people. We really belong to a global parish that covers everyone in the world. Twinning is one way that parishes can be in solidarity with others. God was the first to join our world in solidarity by sending his Son to bring us redemption. Solidarity means standing solid with each other. Mike stressed that twinning is not a paternal relationship. We will give and receive. The relationship is experiential and mutual. We may be able to help others materially but they may be able to help us spiritually. We could share cultures, prayers and ideas and learn from each other. We were surprised to learn that 50 parishes in our archdiocese already twin with another parish in our country or other parts of the world. That is more than any other diocese in the country! Pat Youngblood visited the New Orleans area a few months ago and was shocked by the devastation that still exists there. She brought the idea of twinning with a New Orleans parish to Parish Pastoral Council. The Council agreed to look into the possibility. The result was the meeting in December. Does this sound like something St. Vivian should do? If you are interested in learning more, call Pat Youngblood at 305-7095 or Sue Lennert at 772-7731. We will also learn about reaching out and becoming a more "Catholic/universal parish" at a series of educational meetings planned for Lent. Mike Gable will be here to lead those discussions. What Does Twinning Mean? ~Sue Lennert “Laissez les bon temps rouler,” or “let the good times roll,” is a phrase often associated with New Orleans. The phrase conveys anticipation for something great that is about to come. It also implies an eagerness to be a part of that great something and to celebrate it. When Fr. Paul first mentioned the possibility of St. Vivian forming a partnership with a parish in New Orleans, this phrase summed up my enthusiasm: Let the good times roll! I’m not saying that I think a partnership in New Orleans is going to be all good times and Mardi-Gras beads. On the contrary, I know it will involve a lot of hard work, planning, and commitment. But I’ve participated in the parish twinning process before and have witnessed its positive effects. As a former missionary in Haiti, I have a unique perspective on parish twinning. I have experienced twinning from the receiver’s side and I know that when volunteers from American parishes came to Haiti, they brought much more than donations and service. Benefits of Twinning For me, the most precious gift that the volunteers carried with them was a connection to home and the knowledge that there were people far away (continued on page 4) 3 (continued from page 3) in the United States who cared about the poor of Haiti. Even if only a handful of volunteers came to visit us, we knew that there were whole parishes holding fundraisers, collecting second-hand clothing, and writing letters to Congress on Haiti’s behalf. Parish twinning meant that we were not forgotten. Another gift that parish twinning volunteers brought was renewed vision. This may sound terrible, but after being surrounded by poverty, hunger and disease for long enough, it all started to seem normal, even acceptable. The shocked responses of our visiting Americans to the realities of Haiti served to reignite our mission against abject poverty, chronic hunger and untreated disease. Parish twinning meant that in a place where despair abounds, hope was renewed. As for the American volunteers, I know that they always went home feeling like they had received more than they had given. While visiting the poverty stricken country they witnessed countless acts of courage, sacrifice, faith and community. Some went home surprised to realize how easy it is to communicate with others through laughter and hugs or smiles and tears, even when you don’t speak the same language. Others made the profound discovery that the less your life is filled with clutter, the more clearly you can see Christ walking beside you. Some found that true hospitality means owning next to nothing, but still graciously welcoming a group of foreigners into your home for coffee and conversation. All of the volunteers left Haiti with the joyful burden of having encountered Christ among God’s poor. New Orleans, of course, is a lot different than Haiti. A partnership between St. Vivian and a parish in New Orleans promises a whole new set of gifts and rewards. But if starting a twinning relationship means that St. Vivian can bring hope to people who have experienced countless setbacks trying to rebuild their homes and city; if it means showing by our own actions and commitment that the poor of New Orleans have not been forgotten; if it means deepening my spirituality and learning from others, then sign me up and let the good times roll! ~Jeanne Schaefer It’s a Small World in Life and Love Sixty years ago, on Feb. 15, 1947, two couples got married at 10 a.m. in New York. Eileen and Bob were married in Scarsdale and Muriel and Ed were married in Bellair, 50 miles away. Both couples went to Washington, DC, on their honeymoon. Eileen and Bob Davis moved to Cincinnati right away. Muriel and Ed Knight remained in New York. In 1961 the two couples met at a Holy Cross College alumni dinner. Bob and Ed both graduated from Holy Cross in Worchester, Mass., but were not there at the same time. They found out they had many things in common: Not only did they share the same anniversary, but they both now lived in Cincinnati and belonged to St. Vivian’s Church and their two oldest children were in the same class. Muriel and Ed were building a home in the Nieman Nursery area, just four blocks from where Ed and Eileen lived. The couples celebrated their 15th anniversary together and continued the ritual for the next 10 years. The Knights had made three moves – to Eileen and Ed Knight enjoying St. Patrick’s Day California, Chicago and New York -- but each anniversary they managed to celebrate together. After their 25th anniversary Bob died of cancer. Shortly after that the Knights moved back to Cincinnati. Eileen had been teaching at St. Vivian’s since 1961 and both couples had made many good friends in the parish. After Bob’s death, they continued to include Eileen in all the parties and outings. In 1988 Muriel died of cancer and Eileen and Ed mourned for her. They still got together on their anniversary and drank a toast to Bob and Muriel. In 1992, after four years of dating, Eileen and Ed got married. Their combined families of seven children and 14 grandchildren all participated in the wedding ceremony. Eileen’s two sons walked her down the aisle. One daughter was the matron of honor, the other did a reading. Ed’s son was his best man and one daughter did a reading and the other carried the gifts in the offertory. All the grandchildren brought up roses in the procession. On Feb., 15, 2007, Eileen and Ed will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary, but not to each other. On Sept. 18 the Knights will celebrate their 15th anniversary to each other. ~Eileen Davis Knight 4 Prepare Affair: Leave No Leaf Behind Kids In Church 3-year-old Reese: "Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name. Amen." On Saturday, November 11, St. Vivian participated in its first Prepare Affair, an event in which volunteers help low-income elderly homeowners by cleaning gutters and raking leaves to prepare homes for winter. A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am." After the christening of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys." While I believe Prepare Affair is a great way to volunteer as a family and help neighbors in need, I have to admit, the weather could not have been worse. That morning the sky had burst open with a heavy downpour and the temperature hovered around 40 degrees. The leaves were so wet our leaf blowers and mulching lawn mowers were useless. We raked and bagged leaves by hand in the cold rain. Within 30 minutes we were all soaking wet and muddy. One particular four-year-old prayed, forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets." As I was cursing the weather and scooping up another armful of wet leaves, Mia Lee, a fellow St. Vivian parishioner, raked some leaves into my pile and said cheerfully, “I’m just so glad.” I confess, my first thought was, “What the *@!? are you talking about?” “I’m just so glad that I don’t need this service myself,” she explained. A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping." I had been teaching my three-year old daughter, Caitlin, the Lord's Prayer for several evenings at bedtime. She would repeat after me the lines from the prayer. Finally, she decided to go solo. I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer: "Lead us not into temptation," she prayed, "but deliver us from E-mail. She was right. The woman whose leaves we were raking had spent the morning in dialysis. I don’t know what dialysis is like, but I know I’d rather rake leaves in the cold and the rain than sit in the hospital for any kind of procedure. I had shown up that morning determined to get a lot of work done, so the rain was a huge inconvenience. But I had completely forgotten to focus on the people we were helping. Six-year-old Angie and her four-year-old brother, Joel, were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." “Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, “See those two men standing by the door? They're the hushers." Working Cooperatively To Help People Those people were assigned to us by People Working Cooperatively (PWC), a nonprofit agency that assists at-risk homeowners of Greater Cincinnati with critical home repairs, home weatherization and maintenance services so that they can remain in their homes, living independently in a safe and sound environment. PWC’s clients have an average income of $13,000 annually and often must chose between food, medication and utilities, leaving critical home repairs neglected - sometimes for years. A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait. Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus!" The rain and cold weather that I faced that day were of small importance compared to the health problems and financial worries of the homeowners whom we helped. The rain slowed to a drizzle and eventually stopped. We cleaned seven yards and filled 88 bags of leaves, but most importantly, for seven local families, we made the struggle of home maintenance a little easier. A father was at the beach with his children when the four-yearold son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand. "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked. "He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied. The boy thought a moment and then said, "Did God throw him back down?" I want to thank Dave Lennert; John, Patty, and Tyler Hadden; Ed, Kim, Mike, Chris, and Rachel Neltner; Amy Lucas; Greg Hogg; Karen Rutz; Mia Lee; and Daniel McMakin for their generous hard work. I also want to thank Gold Star Chili on Winton Road for donating half-priced cheese coneys to a bunch of dirty, hungry volunteers. A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?" Prepare Affair is held annually on the second Saturday in November. Watch for further announcements if you would like to participate next year. ~Jeanne Schaefer 5 On Sunday, December 17th, St. Vivian’s welcomed international artist Tatiana for a glorious concert entitled, “Emmanuel”. With song and words she shared her story, and the Advent story. Later she autographed CDs and DVDs at a reception. An energetic young crew makes each 5th Sunday mass a moving experience. Mark your calendar for the next one, April 29th. St. Vivian Happenings On December 30th, the 7th and 8th graders of St. Vivian Youth Ministry took advantage of December’s warm weather and went snow tubing at Perfect North Slopes. What do you suggest? Parish Pastoral Council suggestion boxes are at the church entrances. There is one in the vestibule at the rear of the main body of the church as well as one located on the table near the rear entrance to the "L." Forms are available. Feel free to offer your ideas, suggestions or concerns to PPC. We would love to hear from you! Welcome to the Parish In Memoriam Jonathon and Rachel Sherwood Joseph Lambert Frank Kleman – September 6, 2006 Robert Farwick – September 8, 2006 Helen Bove – September 9, 2006 Infant Baptisms Ben Tomaro – September 16, 2006 Lily Alexandra Martin daughter of Scott A. and Carrie M. Radley Martin Harry Brodbeck – September 18, 2006 Joslynn Ann Parker daughter of Dustin M. Jarawdi and Jamie L. Parker Christina Pasqualetti – October 19, 2006 Donald Sowders – October 5, 2006 Brian West – October 25, 2006 Arthur Badger – October 27, 2006 Robert Alexander French son of James L. and Deborah G. Brinck French Jack Beckman – October 28, 2006 Betty Elizabeth Bock – October 28, 2006 Mary Catherine Southwick daughter of Paul R. and Lizabeth A. Franklin Southwick George Smyth – November 10, 2006 Shirley Browe – November 30, 2006 Daphne Cecilia McCabe daughter of Kevin R. and Denise M. Sensel McCabe Russell Laake – December 11, 2006 Sean Micheal Stier son of Vincent P. and Sarah E. Bove Stier Jayne Arata – December 27, 2006 Ray Rumpke – December 27, 2006 William Thress – January 2, 2007 William Paul Hausfeld son of Bradley S. and Stephanie J. Taylor Hausfeld Joseph McCabe – January 12, 2007 Alexander Michael Weigand son of Keith M. and Emily A. Clark Weigand Robert Terbrueggen - January 18, 2007 Clifford Fricke – January 15, 2007 David Lennert - January 20, 2007 Marian Seurkamp - January 21, 2007 Joseph Coleman Sherwood son of Jonathon R. and Rachel L. Becker Sherwood Mary Sack Webster - January 26, 2007 Riley Lee Rolfert son of Mike R. and Lori L. Weaver Rolfert Richard Gutzwiller - February 10, 2007 Joyce Frentsos - January 31, 2007 7 Jewell Engelhardt - February 12, 2007 Calendar of Events for the Parish and School 1 3 3-4 11 15 16 19 20 21 23 24 25 28 2 3-4 6 7 February School Registration Begins FANS Spaghetti Dinner Feast of St. Blaise Blessing of Throats Monthly Food Collection Coffee & Donut Sunday Grocery Fund Sales Child Protection Decree Class School Conferences No School – Faculty Day President’s Day Parish Office Closed No School Baptismal Preparation Ash Wednesday Collection for Central & Eastern Europe Fish Fry Market Day Pick-Up Sponsor Sunday First Communion Parent Mtg Lenten Speaker Series March Fish Fry Archdiocesan Annual Fund Drive Monthly Food Collection Stations of the Cross Lenten Speaker Series 9 10-11 11 14 16 17 18-22 19 23 24 25 27 28 30 31 1 5 6 Fish Fry Discernment Weekend Coffee & Donut Sunday Grocery Fund Sales Blue & Gold Banquet Lenten Speaker Series Fish Fry St. Patrick’s Day Party Parish Mission No School Fish Fry Toy & Clothing Sale Market Day Pick-Up Spirit Sunday Child Protection Decree Class Baptismal Preparation Lenten Speaker Series Fish Fry Monthly Food Collection Easter Activity Day April Palm Sunday Monthly Food Collection Holy Thursday Good Friday Parish Office Closed No School Collection for Holy Land Shrines 7 8 9-13 15 16 17 21-22 26 27 28 28-29 29 3 4 5-6 6 8 13 15 19-20 20 23 26 28 Holy Saturday Easter Sunday No School – Easter Break Divine Mercy Sunday First Communion Pictures Baptismal Preparation First Communion Weekend Catholic Relief Services Collection Ice Cream Social No School Market Day Pick-Up St. Vincent de Paul Collection Child Protection Decree Class May National Day of Prayer Walk-A-Thon Monthly Food Collection Grocery Fund Sales Confirmation Mother’s Day Baptismal Preparation Parish Elections Coffee & Donut Sunday Pre-School Graduation Market Day Pick-Up Memorial Day Parish Office Closed No School Vibrations Needs You!! This newsletter belongs to the whole church community. Please think about what you would like to see in Vibrations and call or drop a line. This should be more than a record of what’s happened and a list of what’s to come. Would anyone like to write a column? Interview parishioners on some topic? Let us know what your parish group is doing? Submit a poem? Let us know about one of the parish’s unsung heroes? Or help in any way with the newsletter? Please let us know. Thanks. Visit St. Vivian’s Website www.stvivian.org ~Pat Frey Published quarterly by St. Vivian’s Parish, Finneytown. Coordinator/Editor: Pat Frey Layout/Production Coordinator: Cathy Reardon Next deadline is March 1, 2007. All entries should be typed or neatly printed, double-spaced, with your name and phone number. Please e-mail articles to [email protected] or submit items to the rectory. It would be helpful to have articles on a disk, if you do not have e-mail. Include photos whenever possible. Vibrations reserves the right to edit articles for length, clarity, accuracy, spelling, grammar and punctuation.