DEWITT — When the original 1950s wooden bleachers at St. Joseph Catholic School were replaced recently, parish and school families had the opportunity to take pieces of the bleachers home. One parishioner, Alicia Burken, decided to carve Nativity displays out of the wood for a parish fundraiser as Advent began this year.
Lindsay Steele This Nativity display was made by Alicia Burken using wood from recently replaced bleachers at St. Joseph Catholic School in DeWitt. Father Paul Connolly, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, purchased one to give to retired Father Thomas Stratman, who was the assistant pastor of the parish when the bleachers were installed in the 1950s.
The displays caught the eye of Father Paul Connolly, pastor of St. Joseph Parish. He thought it might make a perfect gift for an old friend who helped make those bleachers a reality for the school, Father Thomas Stratman, a retired priest of the Davenport Diocese. “I thought it might have sentimental value for him,” Fr. Connolly said.
His intuition was correct; upon receiving the gift, Fr. Stratman’s memories of the bleachers came back clearly. He found it hard to believe that nearly 60 years had passed since they were first installed.
Fr. Stratman was assistant pastor of St. Joseph Parish at the time the school was built in the 1950s. He recalls that the bleachers were not part of the capital campaign; it was necessary to solicit additional donations to build them. He had the idea to host a fundraiser basketball game at $10 a ticket, which he said was a lot of money at the time. Additionally, a car would be raffled.
Since the community had already made sacrifices to build the school, he wasn’t sure the fundraiser would be successful. But on game day, he looked up and saw a “packed house.” The fundraiser generated the $8,000 to $10,000 needed to pay for the bleachers. “People were so generous,” he recalled.
Burken, whose children are third-generation students at St. Joe’s, said the school’s sesquicentennial this year sparked the idea for the Nativity displays. She hoped they would bring back memories for those with a connection to St. Joe’s. “It was something people might want because it was a part of the school.”
Fr. Stratman
Fr. Stratman, for one, thought it was a “marvelous and unique idea to preserve the memory of the bleachers.”
So far, Burken has sold 10 of her 13 Nativity displays, with proceeds helping to fund a parish trip to National Catholic Youth Conference in 2015.
For more information about the Nativity scenes contact Alicia Burken at (563) 847-1070.
You can make a difference in the lives of others and save on your 2014 taxes at the same time. If you are at least 70 1/2 years of age and have an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), you have an extraordinary opportunity to donate up to $100,000 to your parish, your Catholic school, or the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Davenport.
Ordinarily, IRA distributions are taxed as ordinary income, but for a limited time you can take advantage of current tax legislation extended through 2014.
This charitable gift also counts towards your required mandatory distribution for the year. This could be an end of the year gift to your parish, the Annual Diocesan Appeal or the Catholic Foundation.
This is also a good way to pay off a pledge.
Before making a gift, contact your IRA representative to learn the procedures to ensure proper transfer of funds. The distribution check must be issued from the IRA and made payable to the charity to qualify.
Please contact Sister Laura Goedken, OP, at (563) 888-4252 or Goedken@davenportdiocese.org for more information on how to include the Catholic Foundation, a Catholic school or your parish in your estate planning.
DAVENPORT — Stephen Edwards has a wonderful gift for Christmas that he’ll continue to unwrap for years to come: himself. The 28-year-old Davenport father of one graduated two months ago from Scott County Drug Court, an intensive supervision court program that takes a team approach to rebuilding lives.
Barb Arland-Fye Stephen Edwards, left, a recent graduate of Scott County Drug Court, gets together for coffee once a week in Davenport with his mentor, Kent Ferris, social action director for the Davenport Diocese. Drug Court is an intensive supervision court program that takes a team approach to rebuilding lives.
Wearing a pink dress shirt and tie, he stood proudly with other drug court graduates Oct. 24 in Scott County District Court before a packed room of well-wishers and individuals just beginning drug court. Each graduate shared his or her story of redemption and beamed as Judge Marlita Greve (who was their presiding judge through most of drug court) described their transformation.
Among those in the audience were Stephen’s mother, an aunt and her boyfriend, and Kent Ferris, social action director for the Diocese of Davenport, who served as Stephen’s mentor.
Stephen’s life, like all drug court participants, had plunged into an abyss before he recognized the need to get help. Facing a 15-year prison sentence for possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, he had time in Scott County Jail to think about his out-of-control life.
He’d managed enough self-discipline to be a boxer, but couldn’t extricate himself from the addiction that began in his teen years. Motivation to change plummeted after his girlfriend died in a car accident in 2010 in Davenport. Their son was 5 years old. “I didn’t care about nothing. I was upset, heartbroken,” Stephen recalled.
While awaiting sentencing in Scott County Jail in winter 2013, Stephen participated in an eight-week substance abuse treatment program, a prerequisite for many offenders seeking to participate in Scott County Drug Court.
“I didn’t want to be like this anymore. I was thinking about my son. He’s going to lose both parents. I didn’t want that to happen. It was all over drugs and alcohol. I was doing it for the high; I was hating myself for it,” Stephen said.
He and other supporters wrote letters to Jeff Fall, a longtime probation officer who coordinates Scott County Drug Court. Sister Nancy Schwieters, CHM, one of the letter writers, had taught Stephen at the former Holy Trinity Catholic School in Davenport.
“I thought he really wanted to change his life, to turn it around,” Sr. Schwieters said. “And that’s not easy when you’re addicted to drugs. It’s not easy at all. I wanted to do anything I could to help him. It doesn’t hurt to have a letter from a Sister.”
Getting into Drug Court isn’t easy. “It’s hard to know or discern if someone is really motivated and sincere as opposed to wanting to avoid prison,” said Fall, a probation officer for 36 years who has been with the program since the beginning in 2002. “We won’t take anyone younger than 25. They’re just not ready to surrender. They haven’t hit what people would call the bottom.” One of perhaps several-thousand drugs courts nationwide (including three within the Davenport Diocese’s boundaries), Scott County Drug Court is an intensive supervision program designed to take 18 months to complete.
“On average, it seems to take two years,” Fall continued. “We have had 170 offenders involved in the program (some more than once), of which 138 were males and 32 were females … Since our program’s inception, we have graduated more than 70 clients and provided enlightenment/enrichment to most of those who have not.”
Stephen hadn’t been to prison but entered Drug Court based on successful participation in the jail-based substance abuse treatment program operated by the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services (CADS). Approving his participation was a joint decision of the Drug Court team — comprised of a presiding judge, public defender, CADs representative, assistant county attorney and two probation officers.
“The whole team gets together on Thursday at the courthouse …. Jeff prepares a report and talks about what they are (participants) are doing and, if they’re having a problem, how we can intervene,” said Nik Kerr, program manager for CADS. “You’d never think of substance abuse, probation, and the judiciary coming together for the purpose of helping people,” he added. “So many people are so willing to extend themselves, to put themselves out there to help people make those changes in their lives.”
Judge Henry Latham II, who has presided at Scott County Drug Court since August, calls it a great resource. “Every time I see one of the participants graduate to the next level and continue to improve their lives – that’s as much satisfaction as you could ask for while presiding over Drug Court,” he said. “I think it improves your abilities as a judge; you have a better appreciation of (the powerful force) of addiction. You understand criminal thinking.” It also saves taxpayers’ money, the judge added.
Attorney Garth Carlson said his title in Drug Court may be public defender, but “it’s not so much defense. It’s ‘what does it take to help you with your program?’” Drug Court functions as a team, which Carlson has been a part of for 10 years. “It’s incredibly rewarding when you have the success stories,” added Carlson. But he also appreciates “the humility and thankfulness of all the participants. You definitely can see you are helping them.”
When Stephen was accepted into Drug Court, he entered the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center on North Brady Street in Davenport for a six-month boot camp of sorts. The Salvation Army collaborates with the Drug Court team to help participants prepare for the real world. Operating like a small, contained city, the religious-based treatment program teaches men (and soon, women) job skills such as welding, forklift operation, appliance repair, food service, retail, sorting, organizing and teamwork. Participants receive counseling, attend church services and follow a disciplined schedule – up at 6 a.m. and lights out at 10 p.m.
“You have classes every day; you work 40 hours a week at the Salvation Army,” Stephen said. “If you mess up there, they’ll kick you out.”
Participants are here “because they want to change,” said Salvation Army Captain Alex Velasquez, who oversees the sprawling, 6,200-square-foot rehabilitation center. The Chicago native is a Salvation Army success story. He understands the tenacious grip of addiction and how to overcome it. The key is to “get individuals working with a focus on changing behavior.” Velasquez proudly notes that “100 percent of our graduates graduate with a job.”
Stephen successfully completed the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Program and secured a full-time job with a Walcott firm making John Deere tractor tires. But as he advanced to more independence in the Drug Court program, he relapsed. He was caught drinking and failed to report for curfew. He spent a week in jail as a sanction before resuming the Drug Court program.
“Initially, he did what he needed to do to get by – he wasn’t investing himself,” Fall said. One of the Drug Court team members suggested Stephen might want to talk with Kent, who’d been attending drug court sessions every Friday for months. Kent is working on initiating a mentoring program composed of parishioners from the Davenport Diocese. Encouraged by the Drug Court team, he visited Stephen in jail and the two began meeting once a week, usually at a coffee shop.
“Having Kent around is wonderful,” Carlson said. “Everyone (on the team) is always looking at “how to do things better. Can we add a resource we haven’t had before? The (Davenport) Diocese has reached out to us with Kent,” Carlson adds. “I don’t know if Stephen would have gotten through without Kent.”
One of the turning points for Stephen was having Ferris for a mentor, Fall said. “One Saturday I was talking with Steve. He had a (boxing) match in Des Moines and Kent showed up, and that meant so much to Steve. Here was someone he’d just met, who took time out of his life to go all the way to Des Moines. That was a big turning point for Steve – his involvement with Kent.”
Mentor and mentee still get together for coffee on Mondays, at Marie’s restaurant near the courthouse in downtown Davenport. “Kent is not just my mentor; he’s my friend,” Stephen said. “I think the world of him … I can talk to him about anything.”
During their coffee break last week, Stephen talked excitedly about the possibility of moving from second to first shift at work, allowing him more time with his son, Michael. Kent encouraged Stephen to continue focusing on sobriety so that he’s ready and able to achieve all of his dreams.
“So much of the time the way we help a person is by doing things for them,” Kent said. Drug Court sees a more effective way. “It’s sharing the journey with them.” Drug Court goals
Scott County Drug Court, in existence since 2002, was designed as a prison diversion program targeted at habitual offenders who continued to commit crimes to support their drug habits. Drug Court takes a team approach and is composed of current presiding Judge Henry Latham II; Public Defender Garth Carlson; Jail Based Treatment Program Manager (CADS) Nik Kerr; Assistant County Attorney Joe Grubisich; Probation Officer/Coordinator Jeff Fall and newly appointed Drug Court Officer, Johnna Kay.
“One of our Drug Court program’s goals is to give addicted offenders an intensive and holistic opportunity to recover from their addiction and avoid continued involvement in crime,” Fall said. “We work on this by providing assessments, counseling, treatment, education, employment and accountability to our clients, which is all geared toward productive, law-abiding behavior and long-term recovery for their drug addictions. Another goal we work hard on is to provide a cost-effective alternative to incarceration throughout community monitoring and treatment-based services for the participants.”
Since its inception, the program has graduated more than 70 clients and more than $235,000 in restitution has been satisfied, Fall said. “We have collected over $30,000 in enrollment/supervision fees and over 58,000 hours of community service work has been performed. We are proud of our success.”
(Editor’s note: In an effort to create greater awareness of and appreciation for the seat of the Davenport Diocese — Sacred Heart Cathedral — The Catholic Messenger is publishing a brief series of articles about the home of our diocese. Bishop Martin Amos has designated the second weekend of February as Cathedral Sunday.)
Fr. McDaniel
The story of Sacred Heart Cathedral begins with Antoine LeClaire and his wife, Marguerite. With a French father and native American mother, Antoine LeClaire spoke French, Spanish, English and 14 Indian languages and dialects. This skill enabled him to enter government service as a translator. He was involved in the negotiation of a number of treaties between the United States government and native American tribes. Through his friendship with those tribes he received sections of land in what is now Davenport and LeClaire; in 1833 the LeClaires settled on that land. He quickly became an important citizen: justice of the peace, founder of a ferry service to Rock Island (Ill.), and was among those who platted the town of Davenport. But his longest-lasting contribution was to the Catholic Church.
Sacred Heart Cathedral
The LeClaires’ home became the early center of Catholic life in Davenport. In 1836 the Dominican missionary Father Samuel Mazzuchelli celebrated the first known Mass in the area in their home. When Fr. Mazzuchelli wanted to establish a church, LeClaire donated the land known as the “church square” in downtown Davenport and the two of them laid out the plans for St. Anthony’s church.
As Davenport grew, another parish church was needed for the Irish immigrants who had settled in the east side of Davenport in an area that became known as Cork Hill. To serve them, LeClaire donated land on a high bluff overlooking the river for a new church.
The new church was named St. Margaret’s in honor of LeClaire’s wife, Marguerite. Antoine LeClaire directed the construction of the church. When St. Margaret’s was dedicated in 1856, a commentator wrote that its “spire reaches from the lofty bluff till it would almost seem to touch the quiet stars or to mingle with the cloudy glories of a summer’s day.”
Next, LeClaire built a small-frame rectory next to the church which within a few years was replaced by a brick rectory, also paid for by LeClaire.
That same year Bishop Mathias Loras named Father Andrew Trevis as the first pastor of St. Margaret’s. However, his health began to decline and in 1861 he resigned the pastorate and returned to his native France. His assistant pastor, Father Henry Cosgrove, became the new pastor, a position he would hold until he became the second bishop of Davenport in 1884.
LeClaire had only a few years in which to enjoy “his” church; he died in 1861 and was buried on the church grounds. His contributions to Catholicism had been great: St. Anthony’s and the “church square,” St. Margaret’s church and two rectories, 20 acres on the north edge of town for what became St. Marguerite’s — later Mount Calvary Cemetery — and just before he died he had purchased an organ for St. Margaret’s.
As the parish grew, Fr. Cosgrove turned his attention to the religious education of the children. In 1860 the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary came from Dubuque to teach. For the first 10 years they used rooms in the convent and in the west wing of the church as classrooms. Then in 1870 the parish constructed a two-story school building on 11th Street behind the church. This served as the parish school until 1915 when a new school building was erected across 11th Street.
As the number of Catholics in Iowa increased, the responsibilities of the Bishop of Dubuque increased.
The Diocese of Dubuque included the entire state of Iowa and as early as 1862 the Bishop of Dubuque had petitioned Rome to divide the diocese. Davenport became the leading contender as the new see city (jurisdiction of a bishop), in part because of the financial stability created by income from the “church square” which Antoine LeClaire had donated years before. Finally, in May 1881, Pope Leo XIII created the new Diocese of Davenport and named the Rev. John McMullen, 49, of Chicago as the first bishop.
Fr. McMullen was ordained a bishop on July 25, 1881, and came to Davenport on July 30. Even before he arrived, he had made the decision that St. Margaret’s would be the cathedral. He took up residence at the cathedral rectory. He continued to live there until the priests of the diocese purchased the former LeClaire home a few blocks east of the cathedral as the bishop’s residence.
Bishop McMullen’s time as the bishop would be short; his heath began to decline and he died on July 4, 1883, at age 51. He was succeeded as bishop by Fr. Cosgrove. In one of his first appointments, Bishop Cosgrove appointed Fr. Trevis, who had returned from France, to once again be the pastor of St. Margaret’s.
Even before Davenport became a diocese there had been discussions about the size of St. Margaret’s and whether it was large enough to serve the growing parish community. Now it was clear to Bishop Cosgrove and others that it was too small for the larger role it would play as the cathedral church. The question was whether to remodel and enlarge or tear it down and build a larger church. The clergy and local businessmen Bishop Cosgrove consulted agreed that the cost of remodeling and enlarging would be too great; so the decision was made to build a new church.
On Sunday, March 3, 1889, Bishop Cosgrove announced that a new church would be built at a cost of between $80,000 and $100,000. He said there was $3,000 from the St. Margaret’s fair held the previous year and another $7,000 in pledges. By June the plans for the new church were complete and ground was broken that month. The local firm of Walsh and Edwards was chosen as contractor. The Catholic Messenger commented that a new cathedral would “be a credit to the diocese—an ornament to the see city.”
At the end of 1889 the bishop announced that $10,000 had been spent so far. Interest in the project was high and when the bishop laid the cornerstone on April 27, 1890, the other parishes in the city changed their Mass times so people could attend the celebration. The next September The Catholic Messenger reported that “nothing of importance [was] unfinished . . . but the bell tower.”
While the diocese prepared for the new cathedral, Bishop Cosgrove was quietly at work to bring about another change. Early in 1889 he had petitioned the Holy See for permission to dedicate the new cathedral to the Sacred Heart. Fr. Trevis had a longtime devotion to the Sacred Heart. During his years in France he often visited Paray-le-Monial where St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had experienced the visions that popularized the devotion. Bishop Cosgrove was also devoted to the Sacred Heart and made an image of the Sacred Heart central to the design of his episcopal coat of arms. On Dec. 23, 1889, Pope Leo XIII granted permission to change the name of the cathedral to Sacred Heart provided that a chapel was maintained in honor of St. Margaret.
Meanwhile, the bishop continued to raise the remaining money to finish the project. In July 1889 the first envelope subscription was taken up in the parish. In September, a Cathedral Fair was held with games and prizes which raised $2,418.20. A good deal of the fund-raising in the parish fell to the pastor. But in1889 Fr. Trevis’ health began to decline again and he resigned. Bishop Cosgrove appointed Father James Davis, 37, as the new pastor.
Bishop Cosgrove saw construction of the cathedral church as a diocesan project and on Jan. 1, 1891, he wrote the priests of the diocese with a report. He said that to date the cost of the project was $52,264.90 and that he expected another $30,000 would be needed to finish the building. He said the parishioners of St. Margaret’s and the people of the city of Davenport had been generous and now he was turning to the entire diocese for help. He wrote, “As the Cathedral church is in a manner the parish church of the whole diocese, and belongs to no particular congregation, but to all the congregations in the diocese, it is and always has been the custom to call upon all the priests and congregations to contribute.” He told the priests that the parishes would be expected to provide one-third of the cost and in January 1891 the bishop released the assessed amount for each parish. The Messenger wrote of the hope that “the Catholics of the diocese who are blessed with an abundance of this world’s goods and grateful hearts, will respond freely” to the bishop’s call for funds.
Finally it was completed. The dedication of the new cathedral was set for Sunday, Nov. 15, 1891. It rained hard that Sunday, but still the people came. In addition to the bishop of Davenport, the bishops of Peoria, Dubuque, Omaha and Wichita were present as were priests from throughout Iowa and western Illinois. Civic Davenport was represented by the mayor and city council, the county supervisors and the Business Men’s Association. But the largest group was Catholics for whom the cathedral was the parish church of the diocese. The next day the Davenport Democrat noted that the dedication was “an event which is rightly celebrated in Davenport, but [also] throughout the southern half of Iowa which constitutes the diocese of the Roman Catholic Church.”
In the years that followed, more change took place on Cork Hill. The old church was torn down and the bricks were used to build a series of houses on Seventh Street. The brick rectory was torn down and replaced with the stone rectory which still stands. In 1893 the remains of Antoine and his wife, Marguerite who had died in 1876, were removed from the parish grounds to the new cemetery Antoine had made possible. In 1895 Fr. Davis bought a new organ to replace the one Antoine LeClaire had ordered just before his death in 1861.
A building is a living thing; it changes over time to meet the needs of the people who use it. If the original St. Margaret’s was a sign of the faith and generosity of Antoine LeClaire, Sacred Heart Cathedral stands as a sign of the faith and generosity of the people of the Diocese of Davenport who built it and who continue to come to worship together as the local church of Davenport.
“I didn’t expect to win twice,” 10-year-old Justin Yim said when he was told he was the first repeat winner of The Catholic Messenger Christmas Card contest.
Justin Yim of Regina Elementary in Iowa City is this year’s winner of The Catholic Messenger Christmas Card contest. His entry was one of 974 submitted by youths from throughout the Diocese of Davenport.
Yim, a fifth-grader at Regina Elementary in Iowa City, was among 974 students who submitted entries to The Catholic Messenger this year. The contest was open to all youths in kindergarten through sixth grade.
“We are so excited,” said the school’s principal, Celeste Vincent, when she learned Yim was the winner.
Yim used a variety of media to complete his artwork — including crayon, ink and pencils. “I just started drawing,” he said.
The contest information was distributed in religion class and participation was optional.
The facial expressions and excitement of those visiting the baby Jesus in the artwork captured the Messenger staff when judging. “It would be boring without expressions,” Yim said. “Since baby Jesus was born – everyone was excited.”
Yim
Art is something Yim likes to do for fun. He admits he doodles quite a bit and did get in trouble in fourth-grade because of it. Staff members at Regina laughed in the background. Typically Yim only uses pencil for his art. For special occasions he takes out the colored pencils and other art media.
When asked if he was going to enter next year’s contest as it would be the last year he is eligible, he said he thinks he will give it a try.
Additional artwork appears on Page 9 of this week’s Catholic Messenger.
Como se suele decir “las medias son colgadas con cuidado.” Por lo menos eso se hace en mi casa. Tengo una muy grande para mí y para cada uno de mis perros. Mi casa y la oficina están decoradas.
P. Weir
Tengo mi ropa de Navidad y la estoy usando todos los días. Si hablas con el personal y con los miembros de la parroquia, ellos te dirán que tengo ropas muy feas de navidad. Si tú hablas conmigo, te diré que tengo hermosos chompas de Navidad. Todos los regalos están envueltos o no se envolverán a tiempo y, por eso, los podré en bolsas de regalo. Al menos uno o dos regalos no podrán ser encontrados. Los compré y los puse en un lugar seguro, donde no serán vistos nuevamente. Ellos están en un hoyo negro de regalos perdidos de Navidad.
El Viernes Negro fue una experiencia maravillosa como siempre lo es para mí. Ellos dicen que es un perfecto día para empezar las compras de Navidad. ¿A quién nosotros estamos engañando? Es el perfecto día para que te compres todas las cosas que tú no necesitas para seguir viviendo y que tú sabes que nadie las comprará para ti. Tengo un montón de cosas nuevas sin las cuales no puedo vivir. Cierto, las cosas aun están en la maletera de mi carro desde el Viernes Negro, pero yo no puedo vivir sin ellas.
En los Estados Unidos es Santa Claus quien trae los regalos. Tengo una Aplicación del Seguimiento de Santa en mi teléfono. Quiero saber donde él está, para que pueda estar en cama y dormido antes de que él llegue. En muchos de los países que hablan español, los regalos son traídos por los Reyes Magos el día de la Epifanía. No tengo una Aplicación del Seguimiento a los Reyes Magos. Tengo una foto que yo me tomé con ellos cuando estaba en México para la fiesta de la Epifanía.
Las personas siempre están hablando de no olvidar el ‘verdadero’ sentido de la Navidad. Aquí en la pa-rroquia de Santiago Apóstol en Washington, nosotros damos imperdibles que dicen: “Mantén a Cristo en Navidad” (“Keep Christ in Chirstmas”). Yo nunca me preocupo que las personas puedan olvidar el verdadero sentido de la Navidad; porque ya sea que la persona conoce o no conoce el sentido de la Navidad. Ciertamente, que es posible que en algún tiempo, uno haya estado un poquito distraído en el tiempo de la Navidad; pero al minuto de ingresar en la parroquia en la víspera de Navidad o el día de Navidad, uno sabe porque está allí.
El próximo domingo es la verdadera prueba si es que se entiende o no, el verdadero sentido de la Encarnación. La víspera de Navidad con todos la bella música, los candelabros, el incienso y las coronas, es bastante fácil darse cuenta que tú eres amado por Cristo y abrazado en los brazos de la Madre Iglesia. La próxima semana cuando tú estés cansado y listo para ir con la familia al hogar, es muy importante recordar que eres amado por Cristo y abrazado por la Madre Iglesia.
También, hay diferentes culturales cuando se desarma el pesebre. En muchas familias que hablan inglés, el pesebre será sacado antes del Año Nuevo o al menos antes de la Epifanía. En muchas familias de habla española, no serán desarmados sino hasta mediados de febrero. Al final, no importa cuando pongamos el pesebre en su caja y lo guardemos en el sótano, mientras solo estemos guardando las imágenes y no el amor de Dios.
Es importante la renovación de nuestro corazón y la experiencia de fe durante este tiempo. Haber tenido el tiempo para crecer en nuestra realacion con Cristo y su Iglesia, es un honor que no puede ser tomado ligeramente. No me preocupa que las personas olviden ‘la razón de este tiempo’ durante la Navidad. Es mi esperanza que cada quien lo siga recordando aún en julio.
De mi parte y de las personas de la parroquia de Santiago Apóstol en Washington, queremos desearle a cada uno de ustedes, una muy feliz Navidad. Si no puedes estar con tu familia este año, sepan que ellos serán muy extrañados tanto como tú. Quizás el próximo año estén juntos. Es mi esperanza que consigas lo que necesitas para Navidad y, al menos, lo que tu quieras.
(Padre Bernie Weir es el pastor de la parroquia de Santiago Apóstol en Washington.)
BETTENDORF — Isabella Hill carefully wrapped the crafts she made to give as presents for her family this Christmas. The 7-year-old did so after spending the evening of Dec. 10 at Snowflake Central at St. John Vianney Parish.
Anne Marie Amacher Ella Rubel colors a tile for a ceramic wall hanging gift at St. John Vianney Parish in Bettendorf. The craft was part of an event called Snowflake Central on making and giving gifts.
This was the 10th year the parish has offered the workshop for youngsters, said Nicky Stevenson, director of religious education.
“We want to focus on giving, not receiving,” she said. “We wanted to give the kids an opportunity to make presents for their parents, siblings and teachers. And in addition to making their gifts, they can wrap them here, too.”
Depending on the ages of their children, parents either accompanied their youngsters to help them with crafts or sat at tables and mingled with other adults.
About 30 members of the youth ministry program ran the various stations to teach the young children how to make the crafts and to collect admission tickets for the event. Crafts required from one to three tickets each. For children who were sick or otherwise unable to attend, parents could turn in tickets and bring supplies home.
A variety of crafts are offered each year, Stevenson said. Two favorites are the hot cocoa cones and Hershey bar wrappers. In general, there are 10 craft stations each year.
At the hot cocoa cone station, older youths helped the younger ones fill a cone-shaped plastic bag with dried cocoa, add a layer of marshmallows and top it off with broken candy cane pieces. The older youths tied the bags and the smaller kids added a holiday ribbon.
Another station that drew attention had to do with a ceramic wall hanging. Children like Ella Rubel, 4, colored a white tile square with Sharpie markers. Then she brought it to teens who added drops of rubbing alcohol and blow dried the artwork on the cool setting to give the tile a tie-dye look.
Jill Rubel said her family likes to attend events at St. John Vianney, especially ones that children can participate in. “This was our first time at Snowflake Central.”
More than 300 people attended the craft event. “Some even stay late to finish wrapping because they need to let their crafts dry,” Stevenson said.
She said the program has come full circle. Many of the teen helpers started out as small kids attending Snowflake Central and now are on the other side of the table helping out.
schools.
Isabella, whose family joined St. John Vianney around Easter this year, said her favorite activity was coloring a plastic cape. She enjoyed her evening and wants to return next year.
