Gift of Hope concert seeks to benefit endowment of Catholic Family Services
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
9:15 AM
Catholic Family Services' Gift of Hope Concert is set for later in March at a new location and with a new format.
The concert will be held March 24 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the O'Gorman High School Performing Arts Center.
Mark Conzemius, president of the Catholic Foundation for Eastern South Dakota and executive producer of the Christmas at the Cathedral concerts and Dan Goeller, musical director for the Christmas at the Cathedral concerts are teaming up on the creative side of the Gift of Hope Concert.
"With the success of Christmas at the Cathedral, we have been thinking for quite some time now about what more we can do," said Conzemius.
"I think it is another opportunity to bring hope and encouragement to the Sioux Falls community and even further with this one," added Goeller.
The production includes original music from Goeller, a 40 member orchestra with special guests, the O'Gorman High School Concert Choir and KSOO Radio's Chad McKenzie narrating Oscar Wilde's fairy tale "The Selfish Giant."
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Gift of Hope Endowment of Catholic Family Services.
The endowment has existed for over a decade. It helps CFS and its ministries related to loss, grief, abuse and other challenges faced in the daily lives of people in eastern South Dakota.
"Having the gift of hope in people's lives to help them can make all the difference in the world for those in need," said Jerry Klein, diocesan delegate for Catholic Family Services. "Not only is this going to be an entertaining and fun event but it really means something and it really gives something to our communities."
"In addition to the people who have the opportunity to come and be part of the program and be in the audience and listen to the stories of hope and the music that is filled with the message of hope and redemption, at the same time, all the proceeds from this will go toward continuing the work of CFS in bringing hope and healing into the lives of people in our communities as well," said Goeller
The concert will include multi-media elements with the music, narrated story telling, images and more.
It will be one of the first times a diocesan ministry has utilized the O'Gorman facility providing many supporters their first opportunity to see the new O'Gorman space.
"For this particular program, it will be the first orchestral concert inside the O'Gorman Performing Arts Center," said Goeller. "I think it will be a great opportunity for members of the community to come and experience what a wonderful facility this is and at the same time to go away being encouraged by the selection of stories and music that we have, that we will be telling."
The program with its various elements is designed for families.
Tickets are available at Hy-Vee stores or by calling 605-988-3765 or 1-888-246-3386 or online at www.cfesd.org.
Church and bishops' battle against contraceptive mandate in U.S. health reform plan continues and remains firm
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
9:10 AM
From the moment the federal government announced that the federal Department of Health and Human Services would require all employers that offer health insurance benefits to their employees to cover contraception, sterilization and abortion services, Catholics across the nation have been working to keep up on what their bishops are doing to battle the ruling and what they should do.
The bishops of the United States individually and through the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have called the HHS directive an affront to religious liberty rights.
Bishop Paul J. Swain has issued two public statements since the ruling was made by the Obama administration.
There have been congressional hearings on the matter, a revision of the policy by President Barack Obama and legislation introduced in Congress to provide a conscience exception to Churches and religious employers.
The situation continues to change and remains fluid.
As a result, the Diocese of Sioux Falls is encouraging people of the diocese to turn to the USCCB website at www.usccb.org and the diocesan website (www.sfcatholic.org) for ongoing developments, updates and changes in the debate and in the situation.
The Bishop's Bulletin will also continue to provide coverage as the issue develops.
A Question of Faith: How does a person answer others who complain that the Catholic Church is all about rules?
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
9:03 AM
It’s unfortunately the case that many people, including many Catholics, believe that the Church is overly focused on “rules,” particularly when it comes to questions of morality. There are a number of ways to respond to these sorts of questions and complaints; this month I’m going to focus on a couple possible responses.
First, it’s worth noting that while it can seem to some that the Church is all about “no”, what we can’t or shouldn’t do, the truth of the matter is that ultimately, the Church is about “Yes”: about our Yes to God and to our neighbor, about our love for Him and them, and about their true happiness and our own. Pope Benedict himself has been highlighting the importance of showing that the Catholic life is not one of toil or drudgery but of joy and fulfillment. All of the “no’s” of the Church, then, are about enabling and empowering us to say “Yes” more easily.
Relatedly, it’s important that people understand that the Church does not “make up” sins, that popes, bishops and priests do not “decide” to make certain things sinful. Instead, when the Church teaches that certain actions are sinful, she is warning us that they are spiritually dangerous to us. Just as a parent tells a small child not to touch a hot iron or not to cross a busy street out of love and concern, so too does the Church warn us that certain actions, no matter how appealing they might seem, are harmful to us. That’s what a sin is: something which is harmful to us, at least on the spiritual level (and often on the emotional and physical levels as well).
Now, there’s no doubt that initially, it can be hard to live in the way the Church proposes; again, sin can often appear pleasing to us. If we think about other aspects of our lives, though, we see that in the vast majority of cases, if not all of them, doing what is best for us is often hard to do, at least at the beginning. Whether it’s about eating less junk food, exercising more, spending meaningful time with family or getting out of debt, doing what we know is best for us isn’t always easy! And yet, we know that we will be better off if we persevere and push through the struggles and difficulties.
The same is true in our spiritual life. Living rightly, living according to the Church’s teachings, living in Christ, can certainly be a struggle. But it remains the best way to live, the way that will lead to true peace, joy, happiness and fulfillment. Contrary to what many think, the Church’s teachings are not senseless; in fact, they are completely sensible, even the most sensible, the most rational, the most intelligent way to live, as we see when we look at them closely.
May we all live our faith resolutely and with joy, that others might see the Catholic way of life and be drawn to it.
Editor's note: Do you have A Question of Faith that has baffled you? That you would like to have answered? Please send along your questions to:
The Bishop's Bulletin
523 North Duluth Avenue
Sioux Falls, SD 57104
or via e-mail to:
gyoung@sfcatholic.org
Each of us needs some daily time with Jesus
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
10:13 AM
When preparing couples for marriage I am always interested in hearing why they are planning to enter into the vocation of marriage. Universally the answer has something to do with loving the other person, which is an obvious answer to the question. Love draws us out of ourselves and makes us aware of the world around us. The love a person has for another also opens them up to the reality of God, who is the source of all love.
Now I have never had a young lady say she was good at cooking and ironing so she thought marriage would be a good fit for her. And no young man has indicated his ability to fix things as the reason for him wanting to get married. In fact, one might wonder as to whether or not the person understands the vocation of marriage if their reasoning for entering into this vocation was because of what they would get to do.
But, is this not how we tend to look at the discernment of a priestly or consecrated vocation? A person will often site what a priest or religious does as to why they do not feel called to the particular vocation. “I do not think I would be a good teacher” or “I just do not think I could stand up in front of a group of people.” What we need to ask is if the person has fallen in love with God and in turn allowed God’s love to draw them out of themselves.
If you talk with a religious sister they will speak of Christ as their spouse. They will talk about falling in love with Christ and hearing the call to give their lives to Him as His bride. In fact, not too long ago Oprah did a special on this fact. She had on the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist; where they spoke about Christ’s call to each of them to become His bride.
They talked about having those typical desires every young girl has of meeting Prince Charming and being swept off their feet. They had dreamt about their wedding day and what it would look like. In the end they found their heart’s desires fulfilled in ways they could not imagine. Instead of Prince Charming, they encountered the true Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Those dreams of that perfect wedding day were lived out when they took their vows and in many cases, a new name and a habit.
It is love that calls us into our vocation and it is the love of God for each of us that helps us to not only live the vocation but to grow in holiness. Each of us needs to spend some time daily with Jesus in prayer allowing His love to strengthen, heal, encourage, and call us deeper. If the love of Christ is not present in our lives then we will begin to see our vocation simply as what we do instead of who we are.
When I speak about my own vocational call I often tell people the last thing I want to do is to get up in front of a group of people and talk to them. It is just not my personality. Yet, here I am today a priest who gets up in front of groups of people. So what happened? I too fell in love and realized I was being asked to give my life to the most beautiful bride, the Church.
It is my love for the Church that calls me out of myself and places me in situations I would normally not seek out for myself. Nearly ten years ago I, like my parents and my brothers and sisters, stood before the altar at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph and said, “I do.” I came to realize I was head over heels in love with our Church and wanted to spend the rest of my life defending Her honor, healing those wounded by the world, and nourishing the hungry souls coming to Her doors.
This is why it is so important for us to help our young come to experience how much Jesus Christ loves them. It is in knowing this love that we better understand how our vocations are a call from Christ to live our lives in a particular state. Without this love we run the risk of simply seeing our vocation as what we do and not as who we are in the eyes of God.
Communities, monasteries welcome women; one makes profession, another welcomed as postulant
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
10:08 AM
The religious communities of Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton and Mother of God Monastery, Watertown, each recently celebrated membership activity.
In one case, a sister took the next step in being a member of the community and in the other, the community welcomed a new member.
At Sacred Heart Monastery, Sister Jill Young, OSB, made her Perpetual Monastic Profession as a member of Sacred Heart Monastery, in the presence of her family, friends and monastic community.
Sister Jill is the daughter of James and Karen Young of Sioux Falls.
Born in Mitchell, she grew up in Sioux Falls where she attended St. Lambert Parish and school.
She graduated from Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls in 1990 and worked in the areas of child care and business as a cashier and supervisor.
In August of 2003 she entered the Benedictine Sisters and made her First Profession on February 11, 2006.
Since entering, Sister Jill has worked at Sacred Heart Monastery in the areas of Hospitality and Housekeeping. She also teaches a religious education class at St. Benedict Parish.
Reflecting on her journey, Sister Jill said, “When I visited Sacred Heart Monastery before entering the community, I felt a deep sense of welcome and hospitality. During my years here, I have become more aware of God’s call to this community and to the Benedictine way of life.”
At Mother of God Monastery, Watertown, Aica Jo became the newest member of the community.
Aica lived in New York and Philadelphia previous to coming to South Dakota.
She is of Chinese descent, born and raised in Indonesia with her parents and seven sisters and brothers. Aica had thought about the possibility of becoming a sister for a long time, and has been in contact with the community for over a year.
She spent a week at the monastery for a discernment retreat in early May 2011 and spent five weeks with the community last summer for further discernment and living community life.
Aica’s work experiences have included jobs in administration, secretarial, translation, cashier and marketing positions.
The community was excited to welcome Aica.
Aica was received into community as a postulant at Vespers on Feb. 10, the Feast of St. Scholastica.
|
|
|
|