Year: 2012

By Celine Klosterman

For many guests at the Oaks of Mamre Catholic Worker House in Davenport, celebrating the Christmas season with family isn’t an option.
Transience, substance addiction and mental illness can strain some guests’ relationships with relatives; others have little family to begin with. So for people who would otherwise be alone over the holidays, the house’s founder Michael Gayman tries to create a festive atmosphere.
“We try to be as much of a family for folks as possible,” he said of several men staying at the house. “We decorated the tree as a community last week. We’re seeing more people at our dinners…. We don’t ignore the fact that guests aren’t with family; we discuss it. I do a lot of listening.”
For people battling an addiction, the holidays are a common time to relapse, Gayman said.  “We try to give folks a safe place to go when they’re dealing with some of these things.”
“Everybody sometimes struggles during the holidays, but when you’re in a homeless situation, it’s that much more difficult,” Cindi Gramenz said. She is program director at Humility of Mary Shelter, Inc., in Davenport.

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By Barb Arland-Fye

Forty-two years ago the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship published the Latin book for celebration of The Liturgy of the Hours, prayers said at fixed times of the day, based on a tradition of the early Church. I have only discovered the beauty of this form of prayer in the last four years, but most especially in the last six months that I have been praying them with Sister Laura Goedken, O.P.
In passing conversation I mentioned to Sr. Laura, the Davenport Diocese’s development director, that I enjoy praying Liturgy of the Hours with deacon candidates and their spouses each month. My husband and our younger son also pray Liturgy of the Hours on occasion.
As a vowed member of a religious community, Sr. Laura is very familiar with communal prayer and suggested we choose a time of day to get together for The Liturgy of the Hours. We settled on 3 p.m. each day in the chapel of diocesan headquarters, unless one of us is out of the office or in a meeting.
My lovingly worn copy of “Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of The Hours” contains a general instruction that explains the origins of this prayer form and why the Church encourages all of the faithful, not just clergy and members of religious communities, to pray it…

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Father William Reynolds, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Newton, has been named assistant state chaplain for the Iowa Knights of Columbus for the Diocese of Davenport.
Fr. Reynolds is a member of the Msgr. T.J. McCann Council 2663 in Newton and Sir Knight of Bishop William L. Adrian Assembly 1941 in Grinnell.
The four Iowa bishops, Knights of Columbus State Deputy Joseph Ramirez and State Chaplain Father Brian Danner named assistant state chaplains for each diocese.
The other three assistant state chaplains are Father John “Jack” Paisley for the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Father William McCarthy for the Diocese of Sioux City and Father Christopher Reising for the Diocese of Des Moines.
“Each assistant state chaplain brings a wealth of experience in parish and diocesan life as well as a passion for the Knights of Columbus,” said Fr. Danner.
The assistant state chaplains will assist Fr. Danner in developing an understanding and appreciation of the Knights of Columbus spirituality surrounding its principles: charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. They will also develop and maintain strong working and informational relationships with local council chaplains in their diocese.

By Anne Marie Amacher

A diocesan visit to the Vatican, two ordinations to the priesthood, one to the diaconate, religious freedom, support for women religious and the conclusion of the Davenport Diocese’s bankruptcy case were among highlights of 2012.
“Going through the year, you don’t reflect on all of the things that have happened, but as you look back you realize that every year is filled with wonderful memories and challenges,” Bishop Martin Amos told The Catholic Messenger. “In 2013, among the exciting things we’re anticipating are two of our priests returning from their studies to the diocese, two and possibly three ordinations to the priesthood, two ordinations to the transitional diaconate (men preparing for priesthood) and the ordination of 12 men to the permanent diaconate,” the bishop said. “In addition, we’re looking forward to the renovation of the cathedral in making it more handicapped accessible, and hiring a new director of youth ministry, which is a significant position in the Church.”
We invite readers to join us in reflecting on the events, activities and people who made diocesan news in 2012:
• Ad limina visit: Bishop Amos and Vicar General Msgr. John Hyland made a trip to the Vatican in March to report on the Davenport Diocese. Bishop Amos and his fellow bishops from Region IX met with Pope Benedict, and Bishop Amos and Msgr. Hyland had their photo taken with the Holy Father.

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Por Barb Arland-Fye

A las personas que participaron en un taller sobre el Segundo Concilio Vaticano  en Iowa City, el conferencista, Bill Huebsch, les dejó  tarea:  “compartan información sobre el  VII con su familia y en sus parroquias y tomen en serio el tema del Concilio que llama al mundo a la santidad.”
El taller se efectuó en la Parroquia de San Patricio en Iowa City el 23 de octubre pasado ante unas 200 personas tanto de la Diócesis de Davenport como de comunidades aledañas, todas interesadas en aprender cómo mantener vivo el espíritu del VII.  Huebsch, el conferenciante, quien dirige el trabajo del Centro del VII con la dirección electrónica Pastoral
Planning.com y 23rd Publications, mantuvo entretenido al público con historias, chistes e ideas innovadoras basadas en los textos del VII.
Comentó  que el Papa Juan XXIII cuando convocó  al Concilio en 1959, buscaba que la Iglesia se inspirara una vez más en sus fuentes originales. Sin embargo, el Papa no quería simplemente “adoptar costumbres del  siglo primero y  ponerlas en práctica en nuestros días,” dijo  Huebsch.  El Papa estaba consciente de que la Iglesia necesitaba ponerse al día y leer los signos de los tiempos.

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By Fr. Andrew Kelly
HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH – DEC. 30
The Holy Family story that Luke narrates in Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 2:41-52) is really a story of the believing community, represented by Mary and Joseph, searching for the seemingly lost Risen Jesus.
The community joins Mary and Joseph on the three-day journey back to Jerusalem. There the Risen Jesus is found.
The “three-day journey” gives a clue to what the search is all about.  How many days was Jesus “lost” in the grave?  What happened on the “third day?” The Risen Jesus is now fully alive with the Father.
Mary speaks for/scolds the community:
“Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.”
Mary and the community to this day are still trying to understand Jesus’ answer:
“Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
In trying to understand, the community will forever join Mary in prayer and contemplation:
“Jesus’ mother treasured all these things in her heart.”
In following Mary the community not only finds the Risen Jesus, it also matures:
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”
(Father Andrew Kelly is a retired priest of the Diocese of Davenport.)

Scripture Readings for Dec. 30 to Jan. 6
Sunday
Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 or 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28
Col 3:12-21 or Col 3:12-17 or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24
Lk 2:41-52
Monday
1 Jn 2:18-21
Jn 1:1-18
Tuesday
1 Nm 6:22-27
Gal 4:4-7
Lk 2:16-21
Wednesday
1 Jn 2:22-28
Jn 1:19-28
Thursday
1 Jn 2:29–3:61
Jn 1:29-34
Friday
1 Jn 3:7-10
Jn 1:35-42
Saturday
1 Jn 3:11-21
Jn 1:43-51
Sunday
Is 60:1-6
Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Mt 2:1-12

By Anne Marie Amacher

DAVENPORT — Hanging from the ceiling of St. Paul the Apostle Church this Christmas season is a handmade wooden ornament depicting the Holy Family.
The ornament was more than a year in the making by a group of dedicated volunteers from the parish. Keith Bonnstetter, Karl Lantzky, Sue and Dave Gallagher and John and Tracy Jacobsen worked on developing the ornament, creating a template, constructing the ornament and figuring out how to hang it in the church.
Several years ago the liturgical committee at St. Paul approached Bonnstetter about the possibility of donating his artistic talent to make decorations for the church since the budget for decorations had been cut severely. Bonnstetter, who is known for making intricate snowflake and paper ornaments, made angel mobiles; each had 25 angel snowflakes hanging down.
But a change in the church’s heating and cooling system caused the ornaments to blow around too much. So he created larger snowflakes for banners. The following year he created ornaments three feet in diameter from foam core board and created angels to sit on window ledges.
In 2011 the environment committee wanted something to hang at the front of the church, said Sue Gallagher, the committee’s co-chair. “We had Keith design for us for several years. We talked with him about a new idea.”

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