Diocese gathering ammunition in the fight against abuse

BY STAFF

Southwest Kansas Catholic

Editor’s Note: At the request of Bishop John Brungardt, the Catholic is presenting a series of articles on the current abuse crisis within the Catholic Church, as well as what we can do to make sure our children are protected from anyone who seeks them harm.

The Catholic Diocese of Dodge City is upping the ante when it comes to battling abuse—not just abuse against children, but elder abuse, abuse against those who have intellectual disabilities, abuse perpetrated by online predators, financial abuse, and physical and emotional abuse.

How?

By utilizing a new system called CMGConnect, the results of which should be far-reaching with profound implications. The system presents methods that people can utilize to protect themselves and their loved ones. The system will also create a database of Church employees and volunteers, making sure they’re up-to-date on training sessions and background checks.

Over the last year, the diocese’s Safe Environment office has been migrating volunteers and employees into the new, advanced database.

CMGConnect, a subsidiary of Catholic Mutual Group, replaces the previous system utilized by the diocese, Virtus, a National Catholic Risk Retention organization. CMGConnect offers the benefit of quarterly background monitoring, as well as training sessions specific to the individual’s position, such as drivers, teachers (anti-bullying), etc.... At press time,  employees had each taken more than 200 online lessons.

The monthly online training bulletins include important information on a key focus area, followed by a brief quiz.

The sessions are designed to protect children and adults from a wide range of abuses. For example, one lesson highlights the use of social media:

“Dangers of internet use, mobile devices and easy internet access can be useful tools for helping your children mature into adults of strong character. But, as with any tool, these devices and this increased accessibility carry with them certain grave dangers. You wouldn’t hand your child a chainsaw, show him how to start it, and then leave him alone and unsupervised in the woods. Similarly, as parents or other caring adults, it’s our responsibility to be aware of the dangers of the internet so we can guide our children in the proper use of these tools.”

The lesson goes on to present ways to help protect children from dangerous web sites. But it also provides ideas to increase positive communication with your child.

Another lesson discusses vulnerable adults – the elderly, people with disabilities – and the importance of protecting them from a wide arrange of abuses, including financial and physical abuse. What are the warning signs that an elderly loved one is being abused?

What are the warning signs that a child is being abused? If you notice one of the warning signs, what should you do?

The online bulletins are a follow-up to the three-hour on-site facilitator-led Protecting God’s Children Awareness Session required by employees and volunteers who work with children or youth in the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City.

In the last year alone—since July 1, 2018—approximately 375 people throughout the diocese had attended the three-hour live training session.

Additionally, more than 400 employees so far, including priests, religious, and DREs, have been required to complete an online renewal training and background check.

Eventually, all active volunteers in the diocese will be required to take the online training bulletins as well, and to submit a background check.

Those who are in the CMGConnect database will receive notifications from ‘ADMIN _ diocese’ email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  letting them know that the monthly Safe Environment Newsletter/training session is available on CMG Connect. These will be published at the beginning of each month and emailed out to all active members in the database. 

(Some recipients noted that they have turned the notifications away as SPAM, so be sure and add this to your approved incoming addresses.)

In 1993, the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City formed a Diocesan Review Board to carefully study, and then to act, in response to any sort of abuse issue that may arise, including sexual abuse. In 2003, after the breaking of the news in Boston of widespread clerical abuse, the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City voluntarily joined the nation-wide Safe Environment Program, an umbrella organization that oversees Protecting God’s Children, which includes required Awareness Sessions for all those working or volunteering for the Church. There also are annual audits to ensure the diocese is compliant with all requirements of the Safe Environment Program.

March 28, 2019

Father Marvin Reif laid to rest in Great Bend

Father Marvin Reif, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City, will be laid to rest April 1 in Great Bend. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick church.  Full details have not yet been released.

Father Reif, son of the late Albert and Dorothy (Frenzl) Reif, was born August, 19, 1963, in Hoisington. He took his seminary studies at Conception Seminary, Conception, Mo., Holy Trinity College, Dallas, Tex., and Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio.  He was ordained to the priesthood June 3, 1989, by the Most Rev. Stanley G. Schlarman, bishop of Dodge City, at Holy Family Church, Odin, Kansas.

He served as an associate pastor at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Dodge City, and St. Rose of Lima, Great Bend.

His pastorates included: Immaculate Conception, Claflin, with Holy Family, Odin, and St. Catherine, Dubuque, and St. Joseph, Beaver, from 1993 to 1995; Sacred Heart, Ness City, and St. Alphonsus, Ransom, (1995-1999); St. Joseph, Ashland, and Holy Spirit, Coldwater, (1999-2000); St. Rose, Great Bend, (2000-2001); and St. Nicholas, Kinsley, with St. Joseph, Offerle, (2001-2002).

Father Reif served the diocese in the positions of Director of the Office of Liturgy and Worship, Director of Vocations, and was a member of the Presbyteral Council and College of Consultors.

While serving in the diocese, he was recognized and admired for his zeal for spreading the Gospel message. In his years of active service, Father Reif built a large contingent of friends and admirers. 

“Father Marvin is remembered by so many people of our diocese: grateful for his love of the sacred liturgy; still able to hear his voice as he sang and preached; continuing to feel his compassionate and gentle pastoral care,” said the Most Rev. John B. Brungardt, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City.

“Father Marvin will continue to be remembered as one who sought to serve others in and out of the various changes of his life. He experienced such joy and suffering in his earthly life, and trusted in our Savior Jesus for his eternal life.

“May the Lord, who Father Marvin sought to praise and serve, continue to give him eternal rest and peace.  May that same Lord grant comfort and consolation to his family and all of us who grieve for him.”

On April 3, 2017, Father Reif walked away from his residence at Valley Manor Nursing home in Protection, where he had been receiving treatment for mental illness from which he had suffered for several years.

An extensive search, which included 70 volunteers and Bishop Brungardt, failed to locate Father Reif.

His remains were discovered in a pasture near Protection on March 27, 2019.

In March of 2017, Father Reif shared this Lenten message on a Facebook post. It reads, in part:

“As we know, God’s wisdom is so different than our wisdom. His ways are far above our ways. His thoughts above our thoughts.

“... What does this teach us? It teaches us lots of patience. And it teaches us to surrender, trust and hope. If we want to pray hard and pray well, we need to pray correctly.... It’s the simple prayer of Mary, when the angel came to her in the annunciation: ‘Thy will be done!’

“It is hard at first, but it becomes easy when we understand and believe that God always has the perfect plan for our lives, and yes, even in the struggles and situations in which we find ourselves. 

“... He has a perfect plan for your life, and that plan is sometimes oh, so different than your plan. Surrender to Him and let His holy will guide you in all things.”

The Heart and Soul of Prayer; An introduction

By Dave Myers

Southwest Kansas Catholic

The Southwest Kansas Catholic is beginning a series of articles on prayer. If you think this should be an easy read about the joy and simplicity of talking to God, you’d be right.

But you know how we tend to over-complicate things. Which is why when addressing prayer, we bring up all sorts of things, like Ignatian Contemplation, Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, Adoration, Petition, and Intercession.

Fortunately, these are just variations of the same theme: feeling God’s presence in the moment, listening to Him, speaking to Him.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” -- 1 Chronicles 16:11

Bishop John Brungardt has asked that this series be more of a practical guide, “not too theological.”

Prayer, he said, means

• being aware of the presence of God.
• having an intimate encounter with God.
• and communication (speaking-head and heart, and listening-head and heart) with God.

In the coming issues, this series will delve into how one can better achieve that closeness with God through various forms of prayer. (For me, it’s always the one-on-one, conversation, simply speaking and simply listening. For others, it’s the Rosary that draws them closest to Christ, or while in Adoration.)

What is your favorite form of prayer? What do you focus on when you pray?

“What happens when you pray?,” asks Father James Martin, S.J., in an article in America, The Jesuit Review magazine.

“You can experience powerful emotions, surprising insights and consoling memories. You can also experience feelings, both physical and otherwise.

“Sometimes when you’re praying, you might feel physically more relaxed,” he continues. “That’s quite common. It may be a physiological response to simply slowing down from what may be a busy life, but, more often than not, it’s much more than that.

“We are not just purely spiritual beings, and so God communicates to us through our bodies as well. That’s part of our own incarnation. So pay attention to those physical feelings in prayer.

“At the same time, you may also experience feelings in prayer that are hard to name. Sometimes it can feel like a confusing mix of feelings. Sometimes people say to me, ‘Well, I felt happy and sad at once.’ Or ‘I felt a sense of confusion about what my life was going to be like, but at the same time I knew it would be fine.’

“It’s okay if you can’t precisely say what you’re feeling. Just because you can’t describe it doesn’t mean that it’s not real. And it doesn’t mean that it’s not coming from God.

“So just ask yourself: What might God be telling me through these feelings? And trust that God will help you, in time, to understand them.”

‘When Monday Comes’

Jacqueline Loh pens book about the ‘Grace that Reigns’ experience

A trained architect, Jacqueline Loh founded the retreat ministry Grace that Reigns in Vancouver, Canada.  She is in the United States now involved in a series of Lenten retreats in this country.  These retreats feature a new book she has written, “When Monday Comes.” The SKC caught up with her recently in Dodge City.

Q: The title of your new book is intriguing.   Where did it come from, and what does it mean?

A:  It is a faint echo of the Helen Keller story.  You may remember that young Helen could not see and she could not talk: she was locked up inside herself.  A gifted teacher, Anne Sullivan, was able to set her free from that angry isolation.  That story appeared in a movie in the 1960s called the Miracle Worker.  But there was a whole life to live after that moment, and the story of the rest of her life was made into a movie called Monday after the Miracle. 

Persons making a retreat experience something similar.  Retreats today are often weekend things that are intense, emotional, uplifting and sometimes decisive in a person’s life.  They often end in conversion, a return to God, and those who experience it are on an emotional high.  But there is a whole life to be lived after that.  Just how do you retain and deepen that intimacy with God when the miracle of conversion has passed, when Monday comes.  The retreats that Bishop Gilmore and I do help people understand and live through all the Mondays of their lives. 

Q: That’s very interesting.  How did you come to write such a book at this particular time?

A:  The Lord turned my life upside down over 20 years ago now: it was the conversion that set me on a new course.  So I have something of an instinctive understanding of how a conversion works itself out over time. 

Retreats are interesting things: they have a life, almost a personality, of their own.  They have a short, but intense, history.  They are, in concentrated form, the very adventure that every human life is.  As in the Gospels, the Lord sends us out as a pair to prepare for his coming in every town and every village he intends to visit.  Just as he called the two of us, he also calls the participants in each retreat.  He is the beginning, the middle, and the end of all such retreats.

How we try to do this listening to the Lord, how we try to prepare persons for the Mondays of their lives, how all of it is structured … all this is concentrated in this slender book.  It is both a guide and a workbook for the retreatants.  It is a Catholic Vade Mecum, a printed companion you can take with you.  In that sense, it is a guide for all our retreatants, and even for all the retreatant-wannabe’s out there.  It is a tool to help you understand the way God works in a life, and thus to help you in your own conversion, and prepare you for the obstacles you will face as you live out that new adventure.  As the retreats are a concentrated form of every human life, so this book is a concentrated form of every retreat we give.

Q: Where can our readers find your book, and any other materials you have available?

A:  The book is available at each of our retreats, and with the cost of printing and postage, it is now selling for $12.  It also is available on our website, www.gracethatreigns.com. It is useful for the retreatants, of course.  But it can also be used by any individual who is sincerely seeking God, and it can be used by like-minded friends who want to pursue that relationship in small groups.  Autographed copies are available at the retreats, and when purchased through our website. 

Former Planned Parenthood director shares story of redemption

By Dave Myers

Southwest Kansas Catholic

GARDEN CITY -- In the banquet hall of the Clarion Hotel, Abby Johnson told a packed house that she had “helped facilitate more than 20,000 abortions.” 

It wasn’t the first time that the guest speaker and author left the crowd in stunned silence.

Attending the ABC Pregnancy Care Center fund-raiser banquet March 5 was Bishop John B. Brungardt and other priests and members of the curia. Representatives from every church in Garden City also filled the large hall, both in appreciation for the efforts and many good works of the Pregnancy Care Center, and to hear Johnson tell her astounding story of redemption. A movie of Johnson’s experiences, titled “Unplanned,” will be released March 29.

While attending Texas A&M University, Johnson approached a Planned Parenthood representative who was looking for student volunteers.

“Wherever vulnerable women are, there is Planned Parenthood,” Johnson said. She explained to the woman that she was pro-life. The Planned Parenthood rep told her why, despite being good people, pro-lifers are wrong. If there’s no legal abortion, the rep told her, women will be forced to have back alley abortions. Women have a right to their own body, after all. What’s next? Taking away the right to vote?

Young, impressionable, and most importantly, lacking the knowledge to see through the lies, Johnson became a volunteer.

She would work for Planned Parenthood for eight years, eventually becoming one of the youngest clinic directors in the organization. She told those gathered that she even earned an “Employee of the Year” award.

“Hold your applause,” she joked with the large audience. Johnson’s very intense and difficult-to-hear discussion was smattered with laugh-out-loud moments that helped ease tension.

First, the lies, including that of being forced to back alley abortions:  “What happens in Planned Parenthood is the same as happens in back alley abortions,” explained the former Planned Parenthood director. Implying that any abortion is safe is a misnomer. “In order for abortion to be successful, a human being has to be killed. That is the antithesis of safety.

“There are 600 Planned Parenthood offices in the United States, and they are rapidly on the decline,” Johnson said to applause. Meanwhile, “there are more than 13,000 centers that provide health care at little or no cost.” In other words, prenatal care is readily available regardless of income. 

So, how did a woman who had grown up to consider herself pro-life suddenly find herself a major player in the abortion industry?

“It happened just a little bit at a time,” she said. “One justification at a time … one compromise at a time.”

Suddenly she embraced what she had at one time abhorred, leading to two abortions of her own.

Sin can overtake one in such a methodical way, but so, too, can the healing touch of Christ. Perhaps because it had been instilled in her while growing up. Perhaps it became obvious to her over time. Or, perhaps it was one moment in particular. But before one looks at that one life-giving moment, one must look at the horrors that led up to it:

“Here is the protocol when going into Planned Parenthood,” Johnson explained:

1) The woman is immediately sedated, in part for the amnesia affect, so she won’t remember the sights or sounds.

2) While sedated, she receives an ultrasound to determine “how far along she was so we would know how much to charge.” The patient won’t see the ultrasound because it exposes the truth about there being a beating heart.  

3) The doctor dilates the cervix. He or she inserts a cannula (the cannula is a straw, the size of which depends on how far along the child is), which is hooked to suction. The doctor pokes it around until he has enough blood and tissue collected.

The tissue goes to a lab where a lab tech places the pieces onto a dish and “reassembles the baby”. Comments such as these left audience members gasping. Johnson explained: “If we left part of the spine, … etc… in the uterus, this could cause a bad infection. … The tech dumps the remains into a red biohazard Ziplock and places it into a freezer.” The staff, Johnson said, calls this “the nursery.” The remains are later incinerated.

“That’s abortion day in and day out.”

Then came the day when everything changed. A visiting doctor told Johnson that, at his office, he used the ultrasound during the procedure. This was rare, but made perfect sense to Johnson.

“Abortion is the most common surgical procedure in our country. Without the ultrasound, the doctor can’t see what he’s doing.” This leads to mistakes, such as the penetration of the uterine wall with the cannula. She said that doctors in her office never used the ultrasound, because it included an extra two or three minutes of preparation. This would cut in on how many procedures they could provide in a day.

The visiting physician invited Johnson to assist an abortion using the ultrasound.

“My job was to hold the ultrasound on the patient’s abdomen. The baby was 13 weeks old. Everything was formed. [The baby] had every internal organ we have sitting here today. We can tell if it is a boy or girl. I had a hard time convincing myself to look at the screen. I saw the cannula getting closer and closer. When it was very close, the baby jumped and flailed, trying to get away. That baby looked frantic, just as we all would if something was threatening our life.

“The doctor turned the cannula on and said, ‘Beam me up, Scotty.’”

 The worst part for Johnson was the taking of a human life and “that I had a chance to intervene for this baby, and I did nothing.”

When the procedure was finished, she fled the office. Moments later she was lying on a couch, crying.

“I started counting the days, and months and years I was with Planned Parenthood, and realized that I helped facilitate more than 20,000 abortions. What do you say? Sorry? There was nothing I could say.

“When I came to that number, God reminded me that there was nothing I could do to change it, but that because of His amazing grace I didn’t have to. He reminded me, it was over and God had won.”

In the decade since then, she has written two books, spoken on news programs, and crisscrossed the country telling of her journey. She is the founder of “And Then There Were None,” which assists abortion workers with leaving the industry and finding a new career.

She converted to Catholicism and, as she spoke in Garden City, said she was pregnant with her eighth child. On March 29, the movie “Unplanned,” based on her book of the same name, will open for limited release. Check local listings, or visit dcdiocese.org/swkscatholic for more information.

Selfless acts of kindness;

Local Sisters offer help to newly arrived migrants in El Paso

By Dave and Charlene Scott Myers

Southwest Kansas Catholic

A little migrant boy and his family, recently arrived at the southern border of the United States, were preparing to go to the airport to fly to the home of their sponsor.

The tired child, who had been through so much, looked down at the small, stuffed lamb he held tight and said, “Don’t worry. It will be ok. I am here to take care of you.”

Sister Imelda Schmidt smiled as she relayed the story March 15 to a large group gathered at St. Patrick worship site at Prince of Peace Parish in Great Bend.

She and Sister Roserita Weber, who also spoke, were two of five Dominican Sisters of Peace who recently volunteered in El Paso, Texas to aid in the processing of recently arrived migrants. The other sisters were Mary Vuong, Doris Regan and Barbara Kane, all from Ohio.

“Of course, he was trying to reassure himself,” Sister Imelda said of the child.

The little boy was one of many migrants that the sisters served during their three-week stay, beginning in late December, in El Paso. Run by volunteers, Annunciation House and its assistant centers offers support, sanctuary, and perhaps most important of all for the tired migrants, a welcoming smile.

“They were so happy to see smiling people again,” Sister Roserita said.

Once checked in, the family or individual is processed and assigned a cot in a large, community sleeping area, one side for men, the other for women. After several days on a bus, or in some cases, on foot, they are gratified to be offered a new set of clothing, a warm coat, and a shower.

“They will come in wearing flip-flops because it’s pretty warm where they are from,” said Sister Imelda. “It can get very cold in El Paso. We had long lines of donated shoes under the tables with clothing that they could choose from.”

Few of the immigrants were from Mexico, Sister Imelda explained. “They were from Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Brazil and one family each from Russia and Cuba.”

“The families from Brazil spoke Portuguese, and we seldom had an interpreter for them,” Sister Roserita added.

While in Texas, Sisters Roserita, Imelda and the other Sisters helped process papers, distribute clothing, and serve meals to the tired multitude. They aided the migrants in contacting their sponsors and arranging for transportation. They drove them to the bus or train station, or the airport.

And they did so with a welcoming smile, like a spiritual embrace.

Why would the families leave their home to suffer through days of travel, only to come to a foreign country where the struggle would continue as they try to make a new start?

For some, it’s the violent gangs that forced them to make the drastic and frightening decision, Sister Roserita said. A son, a brother, a young father is approached by a gang. They are asked to join, as if there is more than one answer. After all, a refusal can equate to a death sentence for the teenager or his family. They rushed to escape with their lives.

For others, especially those from Guatemala, it is a necessary move if they want to feed their family.

For another, finances had nothing to do with it. One young man had seen his father murdered before his eyes.

“Their sponsors were at least as happy as the migrant to hear that they were okay,” Sister Roserita said with a smile. 

“One of the men had sent his money to a sponsor who was supposed to purchase his bus ticket,” Sister Roserita said. “We couldn’t track him down. We called the sponsor’s son. He said, ‘I’ll take care of it.’ So he drove across country with two friends to pick up the man and take him home.”

After two weeks with their sponsor, the migrant has to attend immigration court and explain to the judge why he or she felt it necessary to leave their country of origin.

“I wish we could have talked more with [the migrants],” Sister Roserita said. “Many were gone within a day or two.”

It’s not such a happy ending for those who do not have their paperwork in order, or do not have a sponsor. For them, their tired journey across country ends in arrest and eventual deportation.

On Wednesdays, the Sisters had the day off. On one of these days, they travelled to the Mexico border.

 “There are plenty of walls down there,” Sister Roserita said, shaking her head. “Near the Tornillo, the detention camp for youth, they had signs up all over: ‘Free the Children.’ In the last two months, 200 more children have been separated from their parents at the border.”

As is the case with all tragedies, whether a tornado, tropical storm, or those tragedies housed more deeply in the hearts of immigrants and refugees fleeing their homeland, the El Paso community has joined to offer an unprecedented hand to their southern neighbors. Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, Mark Seitz, paid a visit to the center one day and told them that there is nothing he wouldn’t do to help the migrants. Their website, www.elpasodiocese.org is blanketed with ways to help. The townsfolk have donated a multitude of volunteer time and material goods.

The tired child who had been through so much looked down at the small, stuffed lamb he had been given and said, “Don’t worry. It will be ok. I am here to take care of you.”

In fact, the little boy reflected in his assurance those same words uttered again and again by the Sisters serving as volunteers, helping God’s children in need: “Don’t worry. It will be ok. We are here to take care of you.”

Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel:

Beloved artist, saintly nun

By Charlene Scott Myers

It is unbelievable to me that Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, creator of the beautiful Hummel figurines and paintings of children and the Madonna loved around the entire world, has never been declared a saint.

The infant Berta Hummel, who would become the famous Catholic nun and artist, was born in Bavaria in 1909 and grew up in Southern Germany, one of six children of the mayor of the town of Massing, Germany. 

She often drew pictures of children living in her village.  She also created designs for priests’ vestments and for the altar, and as the daughter of a deeply religious family, she would be drawn to convent life.

In 1915, she began schooling with Catholic nuns, and at the age of 18 in 1927, she enrolled in the famous Munch State School of Applied Arts, studying art history, watercolor and oil painting, and also textile design. 

After graduating in 1931, she entered the Franciscan convent of Siessen.  She took her vows in 1934, and when she became a novice, she was given her new name of “Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel.”

In the convent, she began to sketch drawings of children, and she later taught art in a school operated by the convent.  She printed pictures of children at play.  The nun who was the superior at her convent sent copies to a publishing company in Stuttgart that specialized in religious art.

So Sister Hummel’s first art was introduced to the public as paintings and postcards, which became very popular.  A collection of her drawings entitled “Das Hummel-Buch” was published in 1934.  The first Hummel figurnes were introduced in 1935 at the Leipzig Fair and were an exciting success.

In 1937, Sister Hummel made her final vows and produced a painting called “The Volunteers,” which Hitler disliked and banned in Germany.  She also did a drawing of angels with the Star of David on their robes and drew a series of Old and New Testament symbols for the convent chapel in 1938, symbolizing their connection with a cross behind a lit menorah.  

Hitler hated the Jews even more than he hated Catholics, and he shut down all religious schools in Germany.  He also seized the convent Sister Hummel had joined, and ousted all but 40 of the 250 sisters who lived there. 

He ordered Sister Hummel locked in a basement with cold water up to her hips to punish her for her painting, “The Volunteers,” of German youth dressed in outfits nearly identical to Nazi uniforms.  Hitler called up children as young as 12 to serve in the military, and thought she was making fun of him. 

The ruler of Germany for 12 horrible years was an offensive man who was easily offended!

Franz Goebel, owner of a porcelain shop, saw Sister Hummel’s art in Munich and asked to transfer her drawings of children and the Madonna onto plates and bells and into porcelain figurines. He secured an agreement from Sister Hummel’s convent to create the figurines from her drawings, and shared his profits with the convent.

Sister Hummel died of tuberculosis and pneumonia at age 37 in November, 1946, but her beloved figurines live on, several of them dancing with delight in our home.

God bless the soul of Sister Hummel, who brought so much joy to the lives of so many with her charming figurines!

Call to Continuing Conversion and

Rite of Election, 2019

Dodge City -- More than 175 men, women and children on the road to entering fully the Catholic Church at Easter were officially welcomed along their faith journey March 10 by the Most Rev. John B. Brungardt at the Call to Continuing Conversion and Rite of Election celebration at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  

One of the most significant events of the liturgical year, this is the official moment that candidates (baptized members of another Christian faith tradition—or baptized Catholics—who are seeking confirmation and first Eucharist) and catechumens (individuals who have not been baptized and who are seeking baptism, confirmation and first Eucharist) declare their commitment to enter fully the Catholic Church at Easter.  

The candidates and catechumens—along with their families, godparents, and sponsors—came from every corner of the diocese, each waiting for that special moment when they would be called by name to sign the Book of the Elect, or to dip their fingers in the baptismal font.  

Although southwest Kansas is vast—neighboring parishes often separated by miles and miles of prairie—the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City is one family. And it’s that family that the bishop urged to show acts of kindness in a troubled world.

“Today, in our second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans (5:12, 17-19), we hear that Jesus, ‘through one righteous act,’ gave us eternal life, salvation! This Lent, let us ask Jesus how He is calling each of us to do ‘righteous deeds,’ or acts of kindness, acts of love, acts of compassion.”

The event marked a milestone for the bishop. The following day, March 11, was the three-year anniversary of his surgery to remove a brain tumor. He thanked all those who supported him, for their acts of kindness during a difficult and challenging chapter in his life.

“As you prepare for our Catholic Sacraments: Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Eucharist, Jesus always loves us,” Bishop Brungardt told those gathered. “Let us focus on doing His will this Lent and beyond. Let us do acts of kindness, compassion and love. Jesus will help us. He loves us more than we can ask or imagine!”

As the choir sang the beautiful song, “Wade in the Water,” candidates were called by name to dip their fingers in the baptismal font.   

Catechumens were then called by name,  and together with their Godparents, came forward and signed the Book of the Elect.   

Following the celebration, everyone was invited to meet in the Holy Family Social Hall for a dinner reception, during which individuals and families posed for photographs with Bishop Brungardt. Dozens of photos are available and free to download at www.dcdiocese.org/swkscatholic.                       

-- Dave Myers

The Candidates 2019

Ashland:

Lucinda Blas, Jackie Preisner

Claflin:

John Schlessiger, Clayton Ingham

Dodge City:

Fermina Hernandez Batz, Ramona Madriles Ortiz, Alfredo Palma, Chey Peralta, Irma Rodríguez, Tomasa Ramos López, José Eduardo Reyes López, Kelsey Dalton, Jessica Cordero

Fowler:

Mattie Ross

St. Mary, Garden City:

José Adamin Coreas-Hernandez,

Sharris Joy Koehn, Gabriel Araiza, Darey Eliseo García, Juliana Marbut, Cesar Iván Rodríguez

Great Bend:

Lori Hammeke, Amy Patzner, Matthew Patzner, Melissa Roach, Elizabeth Dominguez, Yahir Flores

LaCrosse:

Jill Georg

Lakin:

Karina Villa

Larned:

Kay Neighbors, TaWanna Callahan, Jon Palmer

Liberal:

Irasema Cabello Arreola, Jesse Alfredo Correa, Manuel Esteban Ríos, Jasiel Martínez, Juan Manuel Medina, Martina Everilda Mendoza, Edgar Ortiz, Rosa Ortiz Álvarez, Martin Reynoso, Alfredo Rodríguez, Sebastiana Tomas Mejía, Isabela Alonzo Gómez, Juan Carlos, Ambrocio Álvarez, Marisol Arenivas, Pablo Batz Perez, Martha De La Cruz, Saul Delgado Anaya, Claudia Verónica García Toj, Ángel Emmanuel Hernandez Cuellar, Tomas Juárez Pu, Agustín Larios, Mario López Miguel, Verónica Luis Mejía, Celedonia Luis Ruiz, Juan Alberto Marino Alarcón, Heriberto Meléndez,

Juan Mejía Mejía, Manuela Mejía Mejía, Maria Elisa Morales, Ana Ramos Ordoñez, Wilmer Alexander Reyes Licona, Tomas Rodríguez López, Alejandro Solís Ramos, Maria Elena Trejo, Jesús Arturo Delgado Anaya

Offerle:

Jeremy Luthi

Plains:

Jentry Smith

Scott City:

Rachel Richardson, Brady Jeffery, Jose Luis Munoz Nieto

St. Dominic, Garden City:

Zachary Lee, Mitch Chalkley,

Bruce Algrim, Ryan Harp, Gary Parks, Brock Kendrick, Tessie Foltz, Jerry Hahn

Ulysses:

Jeremy Alcala

The Elect 2019

Fowler:

Rebecca Merkle

Dodge City:

Christina Flores, Christina Peralta, Omar Romero, Cesar Bravo, Ángel Cervantes, Diego Cervantes, Ximena Cervantes

Briana Cuenca, Nicole García

Yasmin Guzmán-Chairez, Ricardo Lima-Enríquez, Rubén Lorenzo-Santos, David Rivero, Aryana Sanchez, Manuel Adame

Alejandro Chávez, Ethan Espinosa, Alexander Grabin, Hoadila Ico Velásquez, Sofia Juárez Velásquez, Arturo López Armenta, Hector Martínez

Adrián Palacios, Carlos Reyes, Chrisette Sumaya, Francisco Velázquez, Sonya Contreras, Tyler Dalton, Gabriel Dalton, Jon Farra, Eric Klotz, Gracie Rockers

Ellinwood:

Marie Maestas

St. Dominic, Garden City:

Vanessa Hahn, Drew Thon

St. Mary, Garden City:

Reyna Torres-Rodríguez, Marely Aguilera-Medina, Sebastián Emanuel Alarcon-Castrejon, Daniela Guadalupe Chacon, Arelyn Alyssa Esquivel, Jyzel Lusiana Esquivel, Aryanna Hernandez, Jaylin Alexandra Herrera Guevara, Mayrin Elizabeth Herrera Guevara, Sandra Giselle Herrera Guevara, Michael Lira, Paris Lozoya, Alondra Macías-Reyes, Ramiro Jr. Maldonado, Fabian Ollarzabal, Homero Ollarzabal, Yaneli Ollarzabal, Jacquelyn Anahí Ramirez-Castrejón, Maxi Rodríguez, Anthony Rubio, Adriel Damien Sanchez, Jaslene Mae Villanueva, Nikolai Iván Vicente

Great Bend:

Alvin Rodarmel, Kaeden Linenberger, Callan Cavender, Noelle Hood, Blaze Little, Xitlali Huitron

Ingalls:

Kylee DaNell Burch

Kinsley:

Deanna Kocher

Larned:

Tanner Lang

Liberal:

Sunny Baeza, Serena Collins, Gauge Ryan Schoolcraft, Victor Alcozer, Jose Luis Capetillo Flores, Angel Hernandez, Gaspar Mendoza, Samuel Vallejo, Lindsey Berros, Lluvia Briana Argoth, Miguel Angel Argoth, Carolina Fabiola Castillo, Selena Yeraldi Castillo, Carlos Humberto Flores, Cindy Carolina Flores, Aaliyah Rose Lucero, Adrián Magdaleno Perez Ruiz, Efraín Perez Ruiz

Medicine Lodge:

Jamie Landwehr

Odin:

Char Hekele

Pratt:

Mitchell Baird

Ulysses:

Cynthia Pauda, Jenny Powers, Elis Guerrero, Aiden Valerio, Kobe Talabert, Aniya Rodríguez, Yazlyn Ontiveros, Seryna Vásquez, Precious Vásquez,  Zoey Guerrero

Wright:

Brian Chilton

Recently married high school sweethearts killed near Wright

They were barely one month wed when the Lord called the young couple home on a snowy day near Wright, the result of a car accident.

On Feb. 23, Luis Diego Galvan Gomez and Maritza Isabel Zamora Galvan, both 21, went together to their Loving Lord. According to police reports, the Subaru they were driving lost control and was struck by a semi truck. It had been snowing and windy throughout the day, with gusts reaching more than 50 miles per hour. The driver of the semi was uninjured.

Father Wesley Schawe celebrated a single Funeral Mass for both Luis and Maritza on March 1 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dodge City.

Luis was the son of Jaime and Martha Galvan. He and his family moved to Dodge City from Mexico when he was an infant. He was a graduate of Dodge City High School.  He loved spending time with his family. He was a “Supra car guy” (Toyota sports car) and loved the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Maritza was born in Dodge City to Juan and Tonya (Bencomo) Zamora. She graduated from Dodge City High School and attended Dodge City Community College, from which she received her CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) in December 2018. She was a fashionista, enjoying the artistry of  make-up and clothing—and she loved soccer.

It was in high school that the couple met and fell in love. They married on Jan. 26, 2019.

Luis leaves behind his parents; brothers, Jesus Galvan, Jaime Galvan, Alexander Galvan and Omar Galvan; his grandfather, Juan Galvan, and Raquel Renteria; his niece, Bellatrice Galvan; and several uncles and cousins.  

Maritza leaves behind her parents; brothers, Juan Manuel Zamora, Jr. and Brian Rutillo Zamora; her grandparents, Alvaro and Mary Bencomo and Francisco Zamora and Delphina Mora; a nephew, Arian Zamora; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

At the vigil held the day prior to the funeral, Bishop John Brungardt blessed the bodies of the young couple, both lying in view in the worship area.

The healing reward of kindness

By DAVE MYERS

There is so much joy in doing something kind for others that it occasionally feels self-serving!

We are a broken people. Not just because of the times; not just here at home. All people. All the time. Everywhere. If we weren’t, what need would we have for a Loving God? Besides, if you’re not broken in some way, there’s a good chance you’re the Second Coming, and you should call the bishop immediately.

Throughout our lives we have the choice to expand our brokenness: drugs and alcohol, pornography, gambling, excessive attachment to things of the world, a multitude of forms of abuse....

Or we can promote our own healing. One strong way to do so is through acts of kindness. We get such joy out of serving others because in doing so we heal ourselves — a healing that Bishop John is humbly asking us to use as a prayer for priestly vocations.

“One must do all one can for everybody, expecting no return save from God only.”  

-- St. John Vianney

So, my wife and I are in front of Hastings in Dodge City (long since gone out of business). I used to love going to Hastings. The movies, the action figures, the books! It was southwest Kansas’s version of Disneyland, at least for a nerd like me.

An older couple from Vietnam approached us and conveyed that they were looking for the Social Security office. They spoke little English and were from a distant town. It was difficult to explain where the office was; there were lots of turns and curves. And it didn’t help that all I really wanted was to get in the store and begin looking for “It Came From Beneath the Sea” on DVD.

Then my wife, Charlene, says, “You follow us! We will lead you!”

What? I said through the look on my face. No! I want to go look for my movie! I don’t have time for ....

“Love is patient, love is kind ...”

--  1 Corinthians 13:4

We get into the car and they follow us along the highway to the first of two turns, around the curved parking lot to the door of the Social Security Office.

We get out of the car. The diminutive couple walk over, put their hands together as if in prayer, close their eyes and bow to us. It was incredibly moving. Life-affirming. And to think I almost missed out on this wonderful healing moment.

On another occasion, while driving in downtown Denver, I came to a red light. On the corner was a man begging for money.

I dug out a couple of dollars, rolled down my window, reached over and gave them to him. Just a couple of dollars, no sacrifice at all.

Then something amazing happened. This man with the beard and wearing a dark hoodie that shadowed his face, held his hand out over my car and prayed over me. I saw St. Francis in this man.
A small gift for him, a great healing for me!

When God puts you in a place to perform an act of kindness, be honored! God is using you! God says, “My precious child needs help. Let’s get ________ (your name) in there. She/he will help ’em out! We can depend on _______!”

“What joy will there be at the judgement for those who will learn from Jesus Christ that the kindness they showed to the poor was kindness shown to him. ‘Yes,’ he will say to him, ‘it was I myself that you came to see in that poor person; it was to me that you rendered that service; it was to me that you gave alms at your door.’”

-- St. John Vianney, see Matt. 25:31-46