Catholic Family Sharing Appeal gets support from new advisory committee
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
9:33 AM
Three veteran pastors have been appointed by Bishop Paul Swain to serve on a new advisory committee aimed at assuring a successful Catholic Family Sharing Appeal each year.
The pastors are Father Terry Anderson, pastor of Holy Trinity, Huron; Father J. Joseph Holzhauser, pastor of St. Mary, Aberdeen and Father Gregory Tschakert, pastor of St. Mary, Dell Rapids.
CFSA director Melinda North said the advisory committee replaces what in previous years was referred to as priest directors, who only served one year. “The committee members will serve staggered three year terms providing continuity and the opportunity to build upon previous years,” she said.
Each of the committee members has found ways to help foster the understanding of the appeal’s value to parishioners.
“The CFSA reminds us in a very practical way that we belong to a church that is much bigger than our local parish,” said Fr. Tschakert.
“In the Creed we profess our belief in a church that is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, and our commitment to our local bishop is a practical sign of our connection to that larger church. At every Mass we pray in unity with Benedict our Pope and Paul our Bishop. When we make our commitment to the CFSA we express that our connection to the diocesan and universal church is more than a matter of mere words," he said.
Father Terry Anderson agrees, “The challenge and the hope is educating people to see the needs of larger church. It is true that many Catholics do not have an understanding of the larger church, that is the diocesan church as well as the universal church. Recent world tragedies (ex. Japan earthquake and tsunami, and African famine and refugee struggles) do remind us of the necessity of helping other people around the world. To be able to respond to the needs of the diocese, one must see that there is a need and have a desire to respond to those needs.
Father Holzhauser believes the advisory committee can make a difference. “The hope is for greater clarification of the sense of duty as stewards to maintain ministries beyond our own parishes - to touch the lives of those not seen every day by us. To be responsible in proclaiming the Gospel in a broader perspective,” he said.
Among the first recommendations of the committee was to again hold regional educational meetings prior to the 2012 CFSA. Those meetings will be held January 10 in Aberdeen, January 17 in Dell Rapids and January 24 in Mitchell. Afternoon sessions will be aimed at parish staff and volunteers who support pastors in their CFSA parish efforts. Evening sessions will be held for specifically for priests to assist in creating a successful appeal in each parish.
Working together means not only achieving the financial support that is needed, but also building up the Church. Said Father Holzhauser, “Sometimes the perspective is that each parish is to stand as an island alone, self-sufficient and only reaching beyond parish boundaries when they have excess, but . . . we are a diocesan church under the leadership of a bishop.
CFSA 2012 will follow the theme “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ,” 1 Cor. 11:1 and will begin with announcement weekend February 4-5, Education weekend February 11-12, and commitment weekend February 18-19.
Catholic Radio coming to the diocese
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
9:25 AM
Catholic Radio is coming to the Diocese of Sioux Falls.
People across the diocese should be able to tune into a new radio station, KSTJ 91.3 FM "The Lamb” this spring.
Kevin Culhane, president of Agnus Dei Communications, Inc., said the station is scheduled to be on the air by April or May.
Bringing Catholic radio to eastern South Dakota has been a long standing goal of the diocese and the effort is being led by Culhane, his wife Margi, Agnus Dei Communications, Inc., a South Dakota non-profit corporation.
"Pope Benedict XVI has called us to the New Evangelization. Catholic Radio will be a wonderful communications vehicle to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ,” said Bishop Paul J. Swain. “I am grateful for the efforts of Agnus Dei Communications to bring Catholic radio to our diocese.”
Culhane's efforts have been ongoing for several years and came to fruition following a pilgrimage he and his wife made to Lourdes in France in 2007. From then on, Culhane said he enjoyed a spiritual renewal and began to put the wheels in motion, meeting with the bishop and making progress toward getting Catholic Radio up and running.
KSTJ-FM will serve those in the diocese, bringing a mix of national and local Catholic programming including Vatican News, top rated national talk shows from EWTN Global Radio Network and Ava Maria Radio. Daily local programming will feature the airing of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the recitation of the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and informative local shows featuring Bishop Swain and priests throughout the diocese.
Listeners will also have the opportunity to call in and interact with talk show hosts and engage in discussions on numerous topics of the Catholic faith.
Prior to his efforts with Catholic Radio, Culhane spent 33 years as a respected and successful broadcaster in South Dakota.
"It is important for the people who reside in the dicoese because there are 16,000 commercial and non-commercial radio stations in the country today, about 1,600-1,700 of those are Christian radio stations. Only 185 are Catholic radio stations," Culhane said. "So we have vast challenge ahead of us."
Up to this point, Culhane added, "there is nothing in South Dakota."
That was really why he felt Catholic Radio was the direction he wanted, needed to travel.
"I think it's the wave of new evangeliztion and the teachings of the Catholic Church and the catechism," he said.
Culhane sold his Yankton area commercial radio stations in December 2010 (KVHT-FM/AM 1570 KVTK) so he could devote his full-time energies toward bringing Catholic radio to the state.
"ln gratitude for the many blessings I’ve received, it was important for me to give back to the Catholic Church. This project has been a privilege and honor for me to work on,” Culhane said.
Culhane added that future expansion for Catholic radio calls for coverage throughout eastern South Dakota in the coming months and ultimately throughout the entire state. "It's going to be a three phase project," he said. "Phase one will incorporate the Hartford/Sioux Falls frequency which is owned by the diocese and the bishop.
The Ipswich/Aberdeen area will be next followed by adding a translator in Yankton to cover the south area of the diocese.
The key will be raising the $1.3 million dollars to get it all done.
Culhane is fielding inquiries on how people can help at 605-689-4659 or at kculhane.agnusdei@midconetwork.com.
“Culture of Life” events scheduled for January
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
9:13 AM
This month, Bishop Paul J. Swain and the diocese will focus on a number of “Culture of Life” promoting events.
Bishop Swain is scheduled to be back along 41st Street in Sioux Falls January 17 at noon leading prayers outside the abortion clinic as he does every month (pictured at right.
On January 22 at 9:15 a.m., the bishop will celebrate the Mass of Life to commemorate the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion across the United States.
The public is invited to both events.
Mitchell parish, diocesan seminarian working to keep memory of former pastor, military chaplain alive
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
9:17 AM
In Mitchell and Europe, the memory of a diocesan priest and pastor is being kept alive by a pastor, his congregation and a seminarian who is studying in Rome.
Father Colman E. O'Flaherty was the first pastor of Holy Family Parish, Mitchell, when World War I was raging.
According to the current pastor of Holy Family, Father Larry Regynski and based upon research he did in the parish archives, Father O'Flaherty found a way to gain permission to enlist in the military and head to France to serve there during the war.
Father O'Flaherty was a native of Ireland and had been educated in seminary in France before being ordained in the Diocese of Sioux Falls by Bishop Thomas O'Gorman.
On the boat over, Father O'Flaherty set about to teach other soliders French (which he could already speak fluently) and ministered to them.
Once in France and close to the front, Father O'Flaherty set himself apart by ministering to wounded soldiers even if it put his own life in danger.
Father O'Flaherty was killed ministering to a wounded soldier during the battle of Argonne, just weeks prior to the end of the war in 1918.
"He was a brave guy," said Father Regynski. "The stories that are told about him are incredible..." including how he once accidentally captured 12 enemy soldiers who mistook Father O'Flaherty's oak walking stick for some kind of weapon.
He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery on the battlefield carrying out his ministry.
Father O'Flaherty is an example of the long and distinguised history of the Diocese of Sioux Falls in terms of sharing its priests with the nation's military chaplaincy up to an including today with several priests serving now or having served as military chaplains.
After discovering the archival materials at the parish, Father Regynski and Deacon Andrew Young (Holy Family is his home parish) set out to share the information they found with other members of the parish.
In Deacon Young's case, when he returned last fall to study at the North American College in Rome, he also decided to actually visit the Father O'Flaherty's grave in France.
Over the last weekend in October/first weekend of November, Deacon Young traveled to northeastern France to visit and pray at Father O'Flaherty's grave at the Meuse-Argonne cemetery, about 26 miles from Verdun.
Deacon Young, a former member of the military himself and a prospective military chaplain in the future, went to pray at Father O'Flaherty's grave on behalf of the parish.
Father Regynksi has since scanned much of the archival information the parish has on Father O'Flaherty and his ministry both in South Dakota and in military.
St. Raphael Fund helps send a “taste of home” to troops overseas
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
9:06 AM
The Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls through the St. Raphael Fund, community members and organizations sent a holiday treat to South Dakota Army and Air National Guard members serving overseas recently.
With a donation from the St. Raphael Fund, the diocese joined Mark Geib, of De Smet, the Jensen family, of Howard and the Sky’s the Limit Youth Foundation in sending nearly 750 pounds of beef jerky sticks to South Dakota troops serving abroad this holiday season.
More than 500 soldiers and airmen will receive the beef treats by the New Year.
Pictured: postmaster Brenda Lembcke weighed a box full of beef jerky sticks at the post office in Howard to be sent to South Dakota Army and Air National Guard members serving overseas.
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