Vernacular
Parish Celebrates Feast of St. Francis with Annual Dinner
On Oct. 3, we celebrated the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi by coming together for the parish dinner to give thanks to our stewards and their gift of self throughout the year. The night included delicious food and drink as well as energetic entertainment provided by Dueling Pianos, along with special guest performances by Fr. Luke and eighth grade teacher Ryan Allen.
Called & Gifted: The Fire Within
"Come Holy Spirit."
Flick. The match is struck. The spark ignites.
Thus began my Called & Gifted Discernment Process held at St. Francis. Sound interesting?
Rebuild My Church Campaign Enters Final Weeks
The Rebuild My Church Capital Campaign enters the final weeks of the formal solicitation phase, and to date, over $5 million has been raised in pledges and outright gifts, which will fund much needed updates and renovations to St. Francis of Assisi's facilities.
We Are Socio-Economically, Racially Diverse
Over a year ago I published a Father's Focus entitled "Catholic." In that article I stated, "We are a Universal Church. It is such a privilege to belong to a Church that is united everywhere around the globe. The Catholic Faith is not a faith limited to a particular race, class, culture, or language.
Fun Night 2021 is Huge Success
Fun Night 2021 is in the books! And in a BIG way! We raised more than $67,000, a new record!
Time To Stop Kicking Can Down the Road
My wife, Patricia, has spent her whole life at St. Francis. She attended St. Francis School and then Bishop Carroll. Our children also all attended St. Francis and Bishop Carroll. I’m the mutt of the family, having been raised Protestant in western Kansas. I grew up on a dry land farm and ranch, and my father, like most western Kansas farmers/ranchers, had land, but not much money. He insisted all us boys know how to run a cutting torch and welder and regarded it a failure if we had to go to town to buy a new part. So, I grew up keenly aware of what it’s like to constantly battle aged equipment.
Facilities Committee Members Serve as 'Coaches'
If I were to ask each of you about your favorite sports team, I would suspect that you would know the name of a few of your favorite players, and probably the head coach. But you might not know the names of all the position and specialty coaches that it takes for that team to truly be successful. So it is with our parish. Due to our stewardship way of life, there are many people behind the scenes performing specialty roles that you may not know about. We don’t want this to be the case with the Rebuild My Church campaign.
You Are Missed
An Open Letter to Fellow Catholics Who Haven’t Returned Since COVID Shutdown Began
Dear Beloved Child of God:
I miss you. We miss you. God misses you.
Last Sunday, I looked toward the back of church near the beginning of Mass. My heart fell. The building was not full. There were numerous empty seats. Before COVID, the pews at the 10 a.m. Mass were mostly full. But the real story isn’t about the building or the pews. The building is brick and mortar, the pews are wood. The real heartache is that our parish family isn’t whole. Too many people are missing. Please take a moment to read my letter and reflect on whether it speaks to you.
Fun Night Returns, Raffle Tickets on Sale
It’s time to have some fun! The 38th Annual St. Francis Family Fun Night is set for 4-7 p.m. on Oct. 24.
Bishop Kemme Offers Dinner for 10 for Silent Auction
Would you and nine of your friends like to have dinner with Bishop Kemme as your host? You can if you are the winning bidder of this item in Fun Night’s Silent Auction.
Early bidding opportunity will be after all Masses Oct. 16-17 and Oct. 23-24.