Clergy Bulletin Articles

As cremation rates steadily increase, families are waiting weeks, months and even years before interring their loved one’s remains, or not even doing so at all. Some wait as they hope for a more ‘meaningful’ celebration, by waiting for a particular time of year, a date with special meaning, or a time when all family can be together. Others postpone because of indecision, financial issues, family disputes or a desire to keep the remains of the deceased nearby.

In July 2007, Dcn. Ralph Poyo launched New Evangelization Ministeries (NEM), and set out to begin the work of evangelization. Having a fundamental understanding of evangelization, he began to serve parishes. In his efforts to assist their varied needs and paradigms, it didn’t take long to realize that more knowledge and refined methods were needed. In other words, he had to continue in his ministry, but it was also a time for growing in knowledge and understanding. In the Spring of 2010, Dcn. Ralph set out to articulate what he has learned thus far.

Every year, people and well-meaning Christians seem to question how Halloween is celebrated and what their ideal response should be. It is difficult at times for Christians to appreciate that there is important value in mockery of evil - or even that it is mockery and not participation in it. Halloween is a holiday Catholics should embrace in its original form so a little history lesson is needed.

Our Kansas Bishops and I are asking for as many Kansans as possible to fill out postcards to show support for a State Constitutional Amendment. The Amendment language will be clear and concise: there is NOT a right to abortion in the Kansas Constitution.

I thought I would write about what I noticed in just one day here at Prince of Peace. These are the many ways people are practicing stewardship here, and it show there are many good things happening and many ways for you to allow stewardship to be your way of life.

From the time we are knit together in our mothers’ wombs until we take our final breaths, each moment of our lives is a gift from God. While every season of life brings its own challenges and trials, each season also gives us new opportunities to grow in our relationship with God.

Stewardship is about our response to God’s invitation.

Stewardship is an attitude, a stance in life of expressing through our daily living our gratitude to the Lord for all of His blessings. Stewardship is a way of life that calls us to ongoing conversion of heart and practical, concrete changes in our lives. Stewardship is what we do after we say “I Believe.”

Like our culture, we tend to divide people into winners and losers, admiring and hating the former, looking down on the latter, constantly sizing each other up, rating each other’s bodies, hair, intelligence, clothing, talents and achievements. We likewise defraud the poor while taking care of ourselves, and yet the Gospel this weekend shows us a way to be prudent and win even while losing.

In Scripture, we see many examples of people who seek out God’s guidance in prayer, especially so when they are alone and afraid as they stand before some major upheaval or impending suffering in their lives. We could easily see that in the well known Gospel today of the Prodigal Son.

Keeping up with the Joneses is an idiom referring to the comparison to one’s neighbor as a benchmark for social class or the accumulation of material goods. But what if the Joneses are broke? That means if you try to keep up with them, you will be more broke.

It’s always amusing to me when people say all we ever speak of in the Church is money. I heard it again a couple of weeks ago after discussing the Capital Campaign. I do speak about it maybe three times a year, but there are over 800 references in the Bible about money which makes it at the top of Jesus’ discussion list.