The Pastor's Column

July 5, 2009

During times of need, the local food pantries in our area do great work to provide for those who struggle. St. Vincent de Paul supports our local food pantries, both with donations of food and monetary donations.

Since opening the parish office, you may have noticed that the cardboard boxes for food donations have moved from the edges of the foyer to the hallways off of the foyer. Your donations of non-perishable food items are still most welcomed and are distributed to our local food pantries each week.

Some people make monetary donations to the food pantries. These contributions can also be made through our regular Sunday collection in any envelope marked “Food Pantry.” Thank you for your assistance to the poor.

June 14, 2009

This feast of Corpus Christi gives us an opportunity to consider the central importance of the Eucharist as the Body of Christ in our Catholic faith. I offer a few observations about receiving Communion as reverently as possible.

When receiving the Host in the hand, I encourage each person to use two hands—if possible—to receive the host reverently. This helps avoid accidentally dropping the Host. Every caution should be taken to avoid allowing the Host to fall to the floor. I urge each person to consume the host promptly after receiving it. Our extraordinary ministers always keep an eye out for a person unfamiliar with our practices who may take the Host away with them without consuming it. Your help is appreciated in making sure that no one walks away with an unconsumed Host.

Beyond these exterior practices, there are also interior ways to receive the Host as reverently as possible. Above all, open your hearts to receive Our Lord through prayer. It is a wonderful practice to spend a few minutes in prayer preparing before Mass, and a few minutes after Mass making a thanksgiving for the graces received. Also, cleanse your heart by approaching confession. Asking for the forgiveness of our sins prepares us to make a more loving home for Our Lord when we receive Him. Every part of the Mass, from the Liturgy of the Word through the Liturgy of the Eucharist, leads us to the moment in which we come to meet the Lord personally in Communion. I pray that we each immerse ourselves in the celebration of the Mass to lead us to Our Lord as deeply as possible.

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Annual Diocesan Appeal update

So far, we have received pledges from about one-third of our parishioners for the Annual Diocesan Appeal. The total pledges received are approximately $80,000, so we are very close to our goal of $103,595 for this year. Those who have not returned a pledge card will receive one in the mail inviting you to make a pledge. I ask you to return these cards in the next few weeks in the collection or in the mail.

Thank you for your participation.

June 7, 2009

This summer we will have two seminarians with us. James Possin will be a senior in college at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, Winona, MN. Brian Fink will go into his second year of pre-theology at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, MD. Both men are part of the ordination class of 2014. James is assigned to our parish and will work full time with Fr. Schultz and me this summer. Brian is assigned to work at Resurrection Cemetery with residence in our parish. We will see him at some of our Masses.

The duty to pray for vocations and to encourage vocations falls on every member of the Church. I ask you to pray for these men and for Kris Engelsen, the seminarian from our parish. Moreover, I ask you to actively promote priestly vocations among your families and the young people whom you know. The growth of our parishes in this diocese depends on finding, cultivating, and praying for good and holy priests to serve God’s people.

May 31, 2009

It has only been since the parish office has been moved to face the parking lot that I have discovered just how many people drive through our parking lot during the day. At times, I am surprised by the speed of drivers passing through our lot.

In order to reduce wear and tear on the lot, I will begin closing the gate in our parking lot routinely over the summer. The gate will be open for all weekday and weekend Masses and when there is a public function at the parish. Please be aware that the gate will be closed at other times.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable and fun summer.

May 24, 2009

There are two new groups of volunteers I would like to single out for recognition. A few months ago, our parish was asked by Friendship House to help feed the poor at their Sunday Soup Kitchen. With the help of the members of our parish pastoral council and the Knights of Columbus from our parish, we have met this challenge. These volunteers prepared the donated food and served a lunch to over a hundred needy persons in the downtown area. Through the generosity of these volunteers, our parish will be part of the Soup Kitchen rotation, serving the poor approximately once every three months.

I also want to thank the more than two dozen volunteers, as well as our first grade students and parish scouts, who have responded to Fr. Schultz’s request for help with our landscaping. With the help of these volunteers, much of our greenery around the church, rectory, and school has been pruned, weeded, and nurtured.

I have asked the parish pastoral council to help us better communicate the needs we have for volunteers. I am encouraged by the willingness of our parishioners to step forward when a need arises. I hope to provide a better list of the many opportunities to volunteer so those who want to help can use their talents to build up our parish.

May 17, 2009

As we complete our school year, I want to highlight the new successes we had this year. With the support and hard work of our education commission, our grade school introduced a new model for our middle school students in 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade. Their courses better prepare them for high school as they rotate to a different specialized teacher for each subject they study. I thank each of our teachers who adapted to the new schedule. This new model has been a great success this year!

Through the efforts of Spanish teacher, we have introduced Spanish classes for our middle school students, and a pre-Spanish program for 3^rd through 5^th grade. These efforts led to our first school Mass in Spanish, which was very well received. This is one part of preparing our students for the truly global world we live in today.

With the help of our staff, and many parent volunteers, we presented the first musical on our new stage. The performance of Fiddler on the Roof Jr. was a great experience for the students and parents involved. This will become a regular part of our spring calendar. I am happy to add more fine arts to our already strong academic and athletic programs.

Although many of our students probably appreciated the air conditioning more, I want to single out the improvements we made in our technology program. The addition of more ceiling mounted projectors, smart boards, and a portable laptop computer lab have added a stronger technological dimension to our educational program. We will take the next step by tripling the speed of our Internet connection this summer.

As I look back, it is hard to believe that we did so much this year. If you have a grade school child, please consider choosing St. Vincent’s to provide a Catholic environment for your child’s education. In particular, I encourage parents of new kindergarten students to visit the school and discover our strengths. I thank you for being an ambassador, sharing the good news at St. Vincent’s with your neighbors and friends.

May 10, 2009

Congratulations to all our 8^th grade students who are completing their grade school education. We will have the opportunity to honor the graduates from our parish grade school at the graduation Mass next Sunday at noon. Special thanks to our CCD graduates who have completed their full eight years of religious instruction. We will honor them at the end-of-year CCD Mass this Wednesday evening. Special congratulations to our high school graduates. I look forward to joining the graduating seniors at the Peoria Notre Dame graduation ceremony.

Let us all encourage these young men and women--especially those who have completed their formal religious instruction--to remain committed to growing in our Catholic faith. We always remain students of our Savior, deepening our knowledge and love of the Lord. By our own prayer, study and our participation in the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist, each of us is always invited to know the Lord more and more.

May 3, 2009

Congratulations to our second grade students who have made their First Holy Communion!

This weekend we are invited to make our pledge as part of the Annual Diocesan Appeal. These contributions support the vital programs and offices run by our diocese. There are several things I ask you to consider as you make your pledge:

• The Diocese of Peoria did not raise the ADA goal for this year in response to the economic challenges we are all facing. The salaries for priests and diocesan employees are also being frozen this year.
• The Diocesan Pastoral Center was built with long term financial reserves and not ADA contributions. The ADA funds the annual operating expenses of our diocesan programs.
• In the face the recent decline in contributions, our parish finance council has recommended several ways to control expenses through a combination of staff reduction, pay freezes, and cutbacks in discretionary spending.
• The decline in our contributions is especially difficult since our assets are even more limited as requests for tuition assistance from needy school families are going up.
• Nevertheless, our parish does need to set aside funds for parking lot repairs. The surplus from our ADA will be reserved for this purpose.

April 26, 2009

This is the normal weekend for elections for our Education Commission. We had three applicants for the three positions. Therefore, I am happy to announce the three new members of the Commission: Noreen Dillon (reelected), Jennifer Flaherty, and Brendan Gardiner.

Our grade school students are working hard preparing for the first play production in our new gymnasium. They will present Fiddler on the Roof, Jr. on May 8^th and 9^th. This production takes the place of our normal spring concert. Please mark the date on your calendar and plan to attend our Friday evening or Saturday matinee performance.

Finally, our Annual Diocesan Appeal pledges are delayed by one week because we are privileged to have Fr. John Phalen with us this weekend. Next weekend, we will conduct the appeal. It is important to know that the Diocese has frozen the ADA goal for this year. Bishop Jenky has implemented a budget freeze for all diocesan offices in response to current financial challenges.

April 19, 2009

There are several big events in the near future to draw to your attention:

On Sunday afternoon, April 26^th from 1 to 5 PM, a workshop will be offered on surviving tough economic times. This workshop is totally free and open to all. The workshop will begin with a keynote address in the parish hall. With the help of the Antioch Group, a series of breakout sessions will be offered throughout the afternoon. Take advantage of this great educational opportunity. Please extend an invitation to your friends you might wish to attend.

We are priviledged to have Fr. John Phalen, C.S.C. from Holy Cross Family Ministries with us to give a mission on the Rosary. Fr. Phalen continues the work of Fr. Peyton, the Rosary Priest. After Fr. Phalen speaks at the Men’s March next weekend, he will be with us from Monday, April 27^th through Thursday, April 30^th to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary. He will give evening reflections over these four nights, beginning each night at 7:30 pm in the Church. Each night, he will reflect on one set of mysteries: the joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and finally the glorious mysteries.

Finally, we will have an open house in the parish hall on Sunday, May 3^rd, after the noon Mass. I look forward to celebrating with you the honor of being named a Monsignor by our Holy Father.

April 12, 2009

On behalf of Fr. Schultz and all at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, I wish you and your families a very happy Easter. May the Lord Jesus Christ, risen for us this day, bring us lasting peace and joy. As a parish, we congratulate each and every person who was baptized, confirmed, or who made their First Communion at the Easter Vigil.

No one needs any reminder that our country is going through difficult economic times. There are a number of families in our own parish who are in sudden hardship and who now struggle to provide their children with an education in our Catholic grade school or high school. I am working to provide financial aid where it is needed most. It is important for the parish to know that our Sunday collection helps in part to pay for the running of our grade school. Your contributions help to keep Catholic education affordable for our families and our children.

During these times in which we all pinch our pennies, know that your contributions to St. Vincent de Paul are now even more important in sustaining our mission of spreading the Gospel. I am deeply grateful for your generous and regular Sunday offerings.

April 5, 2009

As we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, I hope that you will join me in the other special Masses of the Triduum.

First, the Chrism Mass is celebrated by the Bishop in the Cathedral on Tuesday, April 7^th, at 1:00 pm. This is the Mass at which the new holy oils are blessed for the year and the priests of the diocese gather to renew our priestly vows. All are welcome.

On Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper takes place at 7:30 pm. This Mass commemorates the institution of the Eucharist and of the Priesthood. This is the Mass at which the washing of the feet is re-enacted. This Mass ends with a Eucharistic procession as the Blessed Sacrament is moved to the Altar of Repose near Mary’s altar. The Church will be open until 11:00 pm for prayer. You are also invited to join a pilgrimage group from the Cathedral that will be visiting our Altar of Repose between 9:30 pm and 10:00 pm that night.

On Good Friday, we celebrate the Passion of the Lord at 2:30 and 7:30 pm. At this liturgy, we read the Passion according to John, venerate the cross of Christ, and receive from the Eucharist consecrated on Holy Thursday.

On Holy Saturday, there are no morning or afternoon Masses. The only Mass is the Easter Vigil beginning at 8:00 pm. At this Mass, we bless the new Easter candle and receive new converts into the Church. Please join us as we welcome about 20 people who will be baptized, confirmed or who will make their First Communion.

Masses on Easter Sunday will be at the normal times. We will have a special blessing at the noon Mass as some children will be baptized during this Mass.

March 29, 2009

Human life is a gift from God and is truly precious. The Catholic Church has been consistent and vigorous in teaching, promoting, and defending respect for human life as one of the core values of our faith.

Our deep belief in the dignity of human life intersects with politics in areas such as abortion and embryonic stem cell research. There have been recent attempts to introduce legislation on the state and federal level that could severely impact pro-life efforts. These bills could force Catholic hospitals to be complicit in grave sins against life. These bills could also compel workers in the health care field to cooperate in objectionable practices even when it violates their conscience. I urge you to become informed about legislative initiatives and to contact your state and federal elected officials to support respect for life.

Let us always pray for expectant mothers and those wounded by sins against life. May we never forget that our gracious God loves us more than we can ever know and that He alone can bring us true peace.

March 22, 2009

As we move through Lent, I draw your attention to our confession schedule. Confessions are heard at a variety of times on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays of Lent. Please make time for this important part of our Lenten repentance if you have not already done so.

I encourage our parishioners to dress up when coming to Mass. Warmer weather naturally leads to more casual dress for comfort. However, Sunday Mass is our most important and solemn time to worship and adore the Living God. It is always good for us to give God our best. Lent is also a time to reform any bad habits, and so I ask each parishioner to redouble efforts to be at Mass on time and avoid leaving early.

May our Lord Jesus continue to lead us from the cross to the resurrection as we draw closer to Easter!

March 15, 2009

St. Vincent's has a provisional Pastoral Council that has met several times over the course of the last several months since it was formed in the fall. The insights, suggestions, and especially the creativity of these volunteers has been helpful and inspiring to me.

Among the projects for this year, the Pastoral Council is working on improving communication about our parish and school functions and activities. We especially want to make this information readily available to new parishioners who join St. Vincent's. Much of this information has already been assembled in our parish and school websites which have been redesigned over the past year. If you haven't seen these new sites, I encourage you to visit www.svdppeoria.com and www.svdpvikings.com.

If you know of an activity in the parish or the school that is not represented on these websites, I invite you to contact me so we can make our websites more accurate, complete, and helpful.

March 8, 2009

We will shortly be finishing the last projects that are part of our Renewing All Things in Christ building project. This project was made possible by your past contributions to our building fund and your pledges to our capital campaign. The construction debt that we now carry will be paid off by your regular payments on your pledges. Every additional dollar paid to our campaign reduces the interest we pay on our construction loan.

There are some additional expenditures that are outside the scope of our building project that I want to bring to the attention of the parish. I approved some tuckpointing and other necessary repairs that arose last fall. I purchased two houses adjacent to our field that became available last year. While these houses will provide us the possibility of expanding our field, I will not take this step until the houses have been paid for. Our parking lot is in evident need of repair. I have tried to avoid a major expenditure by having problem areas patched over the last few summers. I am willing to have our lot resurfaced, although I again do not want to incur further debt to accomplish this task.

At this time, it seems prudent to commit our building fund contributions to resurfacing the parking lot. If we have sufficient funds, we can address the parking lot this summer. If not, we can save up to address the parking lot at a later date.

March 1, 2009

Last weekend, I was honored to learn that Pope Benedict XVI had named me as a chaplain of His Holiness. I am grateful for this honor and I receive on behalf of our beloved parish as your administrator, and on behalf of the tribunal where I serve as judicial vicar.

There will be a public ceremony at the Cathedral on Thursday, April 23^rd to recognize all the new monsignors. As details become available, I will pass them on. All will be welcome to this celebration of ecclesiastical honors. Shortly after this date, we will have an opportunity to celebrate this honor here at St. Vincent's.

Please be aware of our Lenten devotions, including Friday evening adoration, confessions, and Stations of the Cross. Next week, I will announce additional confession times so that everyone has multiple opportunities to receive the sacrament of reconciliation this Lent.

February 22, 2009

The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday this week. Please pay careful attention to the Lenten regulations in the bulletin. Ash Wednesday is a day of fast and abstinence. The Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat.

Beyond the requirements of fast and abstinence, I encourage each of our parishioners to do additional penance, and to spend additional time in prayer during this season. I draw your attention especially to our Friday devotions. We will have Eucharistic Adoration beginning at 6pm. Confessions will be heard from 6pm to 7pm. Stations of the Cross begin at 7pm, followed by Eucharistic Benediction at 7:30pm.

In addition to Lenten fast and abstinence, the Stations of the Cross are a fundamental part of our Lenten spiritual devotion. I strongly commend these essential spiritual exercises to each and every parishioner on the Fridays of Lent. It is a sacrifice to make time on a Friday evening to spend time with Our Lord. This is a sacrifice that is well worth the effort.

February 15, 2009

Toward the end of each calendar year, we ask for applications for persons to serve on our parish finance council. Two members are elected each year to serve a three-year term on our parish finance council beginning in January. This is an important council that reviews the finances of our parish and school and provides me with advice and guidance in all financial matters.

There were two persons who applied for the two elected positions to the parish finance council. Therefore, these two persons are automatically elected to our finance council. Congratulations to John Bannon, a current member who has been re-elected, and Jeff Bonick, a past member who is now newly elected.

These newly elected members join our trustees Nancy Scurry and Tom Duncan, and the other members of our finance council: Paul Coogan, Joe Dunlap, John Kamin, Lon Lyons, and Mary Cay Westphal.

February 8, 2009

I encourage every family to consider subscribing to the Catholic Post. Every parishioner should have received an envelope in the mail to renew your Post subscription. These envelopes can be returned in the regular collection.

In today's society, we have many avenues by which we stay informed of the news. We also know that each form of media has its own bias, focus, and perspective. Especially in our world today, it is good for us to have a Catholic source for our news and information. The Catholic Post keeps us informed of events in our local diocese and around the world. The Catholic Post also keeps us up-to-date about the important moral and theological issues of our time. I hope you will join me in receiving the Catholic Post in your home each week.

February 1, 2009

I ask for your prayers for some members of our parish preparing for important sacraments:

We have several adults who are preparing to enter the Church at Easter. They have been following our RCIA class since September. These converts are will join the Bishop at the Cathedral to be enrolled among the elect at the end of February. We look forward to their baptisms and professions of faith in April.

Our second grade students recently made their first confessions. We keep them in prayer as we look forward to their first Communion. Each of these students will be asked to bring the gifts forward at one of our Sunday Masses in the spring.

Our seventh grade students will receive confirmation in the fall. We have recently received the date for confirmation. Bishop Jenky will come to confirm our young people on Wednesday, November 11, 2009. We pray that they may be ready to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

January 25, 2009

This Sunday begins Catholic School's Week. We salute our Catholic schools for the role they play in passing on the Catholic faith to our young people. I want to salute our faculty and staff for the excellent work they do in teaching the faith.

This Saturday, I will begin a scripture study on the Mass. We will spend approximately four weeks studying the passages from the Pentateuch that point to the Eucharist and help us to understand the Mass. We will begin in the parish hall on Saturday at 8:30 am. Each session will last one hour. I will post information about our study on a website to make it accessible to anyone who is interested: www.jgray.org/mass. All are welcome to attend.

January 18, 2009

This weekend we call to mind the tremendous gift of human life. Pennies for Life will be collected after each Mass. All that is asked is a small contribution of one penny in gratitude for each year of life we have been given. These contributions support the Right to Life efforts in our community.

We also remember the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. This anniversary reminds us that we must work and pray for a greater respect for human life in our country. Thursday, January 22^nd, is a day of penance in our country for sins against human dignity. I ask you to make a special effort to consecrate that day by prayer or penance.

Beginning on January 31^st, I plan to begin a scripture study on the Mass. This study will examine the scriptural foundations of the Mass found in the Pentateuch. I plan to offer this study on Saturday mornings after the morning Mass. As time goes on, I will offer further studies looking at the Mass from the perspective of other parts of the Bible. More information will come in next week's bulletin.

January 11, 2009

Although we are only at the beginning of the spring semester, this is the time to consider applying for financial grants for Catholic education. Any families may have children in Catholic schools next year are encouraged to apply for a diocesan grant from the John Lancaster Spalding fund. These funds were raised as part of the Rooted in Faith campaign several years ago and are distributed by the Diocese of Peoria according to need. Applicants must fill out an form and provide a copy of their completed 2007 tax return. The deadline for application is February 15^th, so I encourage you not to delay your application. Last year, our families received about 20% of their aid from this diocesan fund.

In addition to the funds available from the Diocese of Peoria, St. Vincent de Paul Parish provides assistance from our school endowment. These parish grants are awarded after the diocesan funds are distributed. We have been fortunate to be able to meet the full demonstrated financial need for each family attending our grade school. The gift of a Catholic education is made possible by your contributions to our school endowment. Thank you for your generosity.

January 4, 2009

As we celebrate the Epiphany, we honor the three wise men who brought their gifts to the Lord. Like the wise men, we are blessed when we return to the Lord from the generosity he has given to us.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my tremendous gratitude for the generosity of each of our parishioners. Even during challenging times, I am encouraged by your continued and faithful support of this parish over the Christmas holidays. I am also heartened by the many generous contributions made in the course of this past year, especially to our building project. Most importantly, I appreciate your willingness to volunteer and support the activities of our parish and school.

On behalf of Fr. Schultz and myself, I thank you for all the encouragement, kindness, and support we have received. May God bless you!

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