By Karen BonarThe Register

SALINA — When Brian McCaf-frey was ordained as a transitionaldeacon on April 18 in Sacred HeartCathedral, the event wasn’t quitewhat he pictured it would be.

“For five years, I’ve been pictur-ing this day, and an empty cathe-

dral was not what I was imagining,”said Deacon McCaffrey. “Obviously,I would have preferred to have myfamily and friends from the com-munity there, but I surrendered itinto God’s hands.”

While the pews were only filledwith a few family members, DeaconMcCaffrey said he knew many

PapalBirthday

Retired Pope BenedictXVI celebrates his 93rd

birthday.

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ChrismMass

Sacramental oilsblessed at annual

Mass.

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COVID-19 coverageCatholic schools adjust education, Page 7

Parishes offer Mass online, Page 8Diocese assists with online giving options,

Page 9Federal, diocesan loans available, Page 10Coronavirus commission created, Page 11

the RegisterApril 24, 2020salinadiocese.org C A T H O L I C D I O C E S E O F S A L I N A

No ordinaryordination

“WE HAVE SEEN THE LORD!”JOHN 20:25

I am writing this column inearly April, several weeksbefore The Register will arriveat your homes. A lot willchange between now and theend of April. What will the sit-uation be with coronavirus?Will we be back celebrating topublic Masses? How manypeople will have died from thisdisease? It has changed weekby week, day by day, hour byhour.

In a constantly changingworld, with so many uncer-tainties and unknowns, withterrifying headlines and a newnormalcy of social distancing,one thing remains constant.Jesus Christ is the same yes-terday, today and forever!

Jesus is God, he is alive, andhe is with us. Not only that,Jesus desires to be in eternalcommunion with us. This isglorious news!

This is our faith. The apos-tles were witnesses of the res-urrection. They saw the Lord!At that time, they were afraidand unsettled. Good Fridaywas the worst day of theirlives. They had lost hope. Yet,on the first day of the week,Jesus appeared to them, and

Christ remains constant in our lives

Photo by CNS via Bridgeman ImagesThe Resurrection is depicted in a 15th-century paintingby Italian painter Andrea Mantegna. Easter was April 12this year.

BishopJerryVinckeDiocese of Salina

Please see OUR / Page 11

Please see DEACON / Page 2

Photo by Karen Bonar / The RegisterDuring the Litany of Saints, Deacon Brian McCaffrey prostrates himself on the floor of Sacred Heart Cathedral during his ordination to the transitional diaconate April 18. Due togathering restrictions relating to COVID-19, only Deacon McCaffrey’s immediate family, and a few priests were present.

friends and loved ones would bewatching the live-stream, and pray-ing from afar.

“There was a bit of sadness peo-ple couldn’t be there,” he said, “butI’ve gotten so many messages fromfriends and family in the last coupledays that they would be joiningfrom other towns and states. Know-ing all of these people who wouldhave been there anyway couldwatch and join in was powerful.

“At the end of the day, the joy ofbeing ordained was greater thanany sadness over the situation.”

DURING HIS HOMILY, BISHOPJerry Vincke said he hopes thecathedral is able to be filled for apriestly ordination. The cathedralremained empty for the diaconateordination in order to comply withstate and national guidelines,restricting the number of peoplewho can gather in a place, in aneffort to help prevent furtherspread of COVID-19.

“To use an analogy, this coron-avirus is contagious,” BishopVincke said. “In a way, so may yoube contagious in bringing Jesus tothe world — a world that desperate-ly needs him and his peace andmercy.”

The bishop thanked DeaconMcCaffrey for exploring a vocationto the priesthood; for having thecourage to say, “Yes.”

“Today you are really committingall of those gifts and talents that you

have been given to God, to your par-ents, for God and his people in aspecial way,” Bishop Vincke said.“And for today, especially to becomea deacon, know that there is nogreater love to lay down your lifeand serve others, for your friends.

“You are going to encounter peo-ple who are struggling with life,people who in a sense think thatGod couldn’t possibly love them.You are going to meet a lot of peo-ple like that, but God willing, youare going to preach that Jesus isGod, he is alive and with us and hismercy is greater than our sins.”

The bishop, who is a sports fan,likened the ordination to the “top10 plays” on ESPN.

“There is certainly a lot of badnews in the world today, and youbecoming a deacon today is thegreatest of news,” Bishop Vinckesaid. “The news that brings hope toall of us, including me, great hope.”

ONCE ORDAINED A DEACON, Aman may assist the celebrant dur-ing the Liturgy of the Eucharist.Additionally, deacons are able tointone the penitential rite, proclaimthe Gospel, initiate the sign ofpeace and announce the dismissal.

Deacon McCaffrey is assigned toserve as deacon at St. Thomas MoreParish in Manhattan this summer,where he was active as a highschool youth.

“I’m excited to preach. I’m excit-ed to get the chance to do baptismsor assist with liturgies,” he said. “Atthe same time, in our situation, I

don’t even know what will be goingon in the parish.”

On April 14, the city of Manhattanannounced the cancelation of allspring and summer recreational pro-grams, including the public swim-ming pool, youth and adult sportsleagues, camps, activities and events.

DEACON MCCAFFREY ASSISTEDwith the Liturgy of the Eucharist andthe dismissal at his ordination, butthe first full Mass where he assistedwas April 19 at St. Isidore in Man-hattan. Like the cathedral for hisordination, the church was empty.

“I’ve been staying at St. Isidorewith Father Gale (Hammer-schmidt), so I’ve gotten used tohaving an empty church,” he said.

Proclaiming the Gospel anddelivering his homily were done forthe first time in an empty Church.

“Father Gale told me it was boththe smallest and largest audienceI’ll probably ever preach to,” Dea-con McCaffrey said. “It was not howI thought my first homily would be,preaching at a camera.”

Yet because the Mass waslivestreamed on the St. IsidoreFacebook page, locals in Manhattanwere able to watch, but also friendsand extended family from aroundthe country were able to watch hisfirst time serving as a transitionaldeacon at Mass.

“After Mass, my phone wasexploding with text messages fromfamily and friends who were able towatch it,” he said.

While Deacon McCaffrey has act-

ed as an altar server for severalyears, April 19 was his first timeassisting liturgically.

“I’ve been comfortable aroundthe altar for years,” he said. “It waslike I was taking the next step —advancing to the next level. It wasfamiliar, while at the same timecompletely new.”

Deacon McCaffrey is the son ofMike McCaffrey and PatriciaMcCaffrey; the grandson of Joe andRita McCaffrey and Marion and thelate George Nenge. McCaffrey hastwo older sisters, Meghan andKelsie.

Only his parents and sister,Kelsie, were able to attend the ordi-nation; his sister, Meghan, lives inTexas and travel was prohibiteddue to COVID-19.

BISHOP VINCKE ENCOURAGEDDeacon McCaffrey to live his life asa witness of Christ.

“When you do this, (people) willsee that you are a companion ofJesus,” he said. “God always sur-prises us with unexpected things,surprises us with people weencounter and we drop everythingfor them. So, when you serve oth-ers, Brian, think of them beforeyour own needs. People will say toeach other, ‘This man is a compan-ion of Jesus.’”

2 April 24, 2020 The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org

McCaffrey listens to Bishop Jerry Vincke’s homily,with his immediate family staggered in pews behindhim, to observe appropriate social distancing due tothe COVID-19 pandemic.

After ordaining Deacon McCaffrey, Bishop JerryVincke (left) gives him the fraternal kiss of peace.

Deacon McCaffrey assists Bishop Vincke during theLiturgy of the Eucharist. Deacons in the CatholicChurch are permitted to assist the main celebrant ofthe Mass with a few liturgical aspects, including theelevation of the cup prior to the Great Amen.

From page 1

Deacon McCaffrey preaches first homily at St. Isidore

Bishop Jerry Vinckelays his hands on

Deacon BrianMcCaffrey during

Deacon McCaffrey’sordination to the

transitional diaconateApril 18 in SacredHeart Cathedral inSalina. The newly-

ordained deacon hasone more year of

formation at St.Meinrad Seminary

and School ofTheology in St.

Meinrad, Ind. Photos by Karen Bonar /

The Register

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the RegisterOfficial newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Salina Vol. 83, No. 4

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The Holy Father entruststhe Apostleship of Prayer topublicize his prayer inten-tions for the good of theworld and the Church.

Universal IntentionFOR DEACONS. We praythat deacons, faithful in

their service to theWord and the poor,may be an invigoratingsymbol for the entireChurch.

Apostleship of Prayer1501 S. Layton Blvd.Milwaukee, WI 53215-1924www.apostleshipofprayer.org

M A Y P R A Y E RI N T E N T I O N

By The Register

SALINA — In May 2019,Pope Francis released hisapostolic letter, Vos estislux mundi (“You are thelight of the world”) toaddress the issue of sexualabuse and bishop account-ability in the global CatholicChurch. Vos estis calls uponthe metropolitan archbish-ops to undertake theresponsibilities for receivingand assessing reportsinvolving bishops that per-tain to sexual abuse andrelated misconduct. In June2019, one month after PopeFrancis issued his order, thebishops of the United Statesconvened for their generalassembly in Baltimore andapproved the implementa-tion plan for carrying outthe directives of the HolyFather here in the UnitedStates.

As part of this ongoingcommitment to carrying outVos estis, the Catholic Bish-op Abuse Reporting Service(CBAR) was established.The service is operated byConvercent, Inc. an inde-pendent, third-party entitythat provides intake servicesto private institutions forreports of sensitive topicssuch as sexual harassmentthrough a secure, confiden-tial and professional plat-form. Individuals may go toReportBishopAbuse.org inorder to make a report.Reports are also acceptedvia (800) 276-1562.

When a report isreceived, it will be forward-

ed to the local metropolitanarchbishop who will under-take the responsibility ofinitially assessing thereport. Archbishop JosephNaumann of Kansas City isthe metropolitan who pre-sides over this provincewhich includes the follow-ing dioceses: Dodge City,Kansas City, Salina andWichita. In the event that areport is received that con-cerns Archbishop Nau-mann, then it will be for-warded to Bishop JohnBrungardt of Dodge City,who is the senior suffraganbishop of this localprovince.

The Catholic BishopAbuse Reporting serviceallows for individuals torelay to Church authoritiesany reports of a U.S.Catholic bishop who has:

• forced someone to per-form or to submit to sexualacts through violence, threat,or abuse of authority;

• performed sexual actswith a minor or a vulnera-ble person;

• produced, exhibited,possessed, or distributedchild pornography, orrecruited or induced aminor or a vulnerable per-son to participate in porno-graphic exhibitions;

• or, a diocesan oreparchial bishop, or a clericoverseeing adiocese/eparchy in theabsence of a diocesan oreparchial bishop, who hasintentionally interfered witha civil or Church investiga-tion into allegations of sex-

ual abuse committed byanother cleric or religious.

THE CATHOLIC BISHOPAbuse Reporting Service(CBAR) does not replaceexisting reporting systems forcomplaints against priests,deacons, religious or laity.CBAR was designed torespond only to complaintsagainst bishops for issuesrelated to sexual misconduct.

The reporting of sexualmisconduct by anyone indiocesan ministry who isnot a bishop, such aspriests, deacons, religiousbrothers and sisters, or laypersons working or volun-teering for the Churchshould continue to be han-dled in accordance with theSalina Diocese’s child pro-tection policy (salinadiocese.org/safety-security/making-a-report)and with proper civilauthorities. For more infor-mation on the reporting ser-vice and how it works,please visit: ReportBishopAbuse.org.

While the mandate byPope Francis in Vos estisechoes many of the prac-tices that the CatholicChurch in the United Stateshas already implementedsince 2002 with the Charterfor the Protection of Chil-dren and Young People, thisnew order applies to thebishops and to the world-wide Catholic Church, mak-ing clear the pope’s concernof the issue of sexual abusein the Church at a globallevel.

Nationwide service to reportsexual misconduct involving

U.S. Bishops launched

By Junno Arocho EstevesCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — WithHoly Week celebrationsclosed to the public due tothe coronavirus pandemic,Pope Francis postponed thetraditional Good Friday col-lection for the Holy Land toSeptember.

The Vatican announcedApril 2 that the popeapproved a proposal to holdthe collection in churchesworldwide Sept. 13.

“The Christian communi-ties in the Holy Land, whileexposed to the risk of conta-

gion and often living in verytrying circumstances, bene-fit every year from the gen-erous solidarity of the faith-ful throughout the world, tobe able to continue theirevangelical presence, as wellas to maintain schools andwelfare structures open toall citizens for education,peaceful coexistence andcare, especially for thesmallest and poorest ones,”the Vatican said.

The Franciscan Custodyof the Holy Land, an admin-istratively autonomousprovince of the Franciscanorder, uses the collection to

carry out its mission of pre-serving most of the shrinesconnected with the life ofJesus as well as for provid-ing pastoral care to theregion’s Catholics, runningschools, operating charita-ble institutions and trainingfuture priests and religious.

THE COLLECTION, TAKENup at the request of thepope, is administered by theFranciscan Custody and theCongregation for EasternChurches, which uses it forthe formation of candidatesfor the priesthood, the sup-port of the clergy, educa-

tional activities, culturalformation and subsidies.

The Vatican press officereleased some details March4 of how the money wasused from the 2019 collec-tion, which totaled morethan $8.2 million.

The congregation spentmore than $3.2 million onacademic, spiritual andhuman formation of semi-narians and priests ofchurches under their juris-diction as well as men andwomen religious; more than$3 million went for subsi-dizing schooling and educa-tional activities for young

people, including at Bethle-hem University; nearly $2million was used to provideemergency assistance andsupport to people in 10countries.

The Vatican said that thedate of the collection, whichtakes place on the eve of thefeast of the Exaltation of theCross, “will be a sign ofrediscovered hope and ofsalvation after the Passionthat many people now par-ticipate in, as well as soli-darity with those who con-tinue to live the Gospel ofJesus in the land where ‘itall began.’”

Pope moves Good Friday collection for Holy Land to September

Retired pope, celebrating 93rdbirthday, is well, secretary says

By Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — RetiredPope Benedict XVI “is well,”although the coronaviruspandemic restrictions meanhe received no visitors onApril 16, his 93rd birthday.

“Thank God, all of us inthe Mater EcclesiaeMonastery are well,” Arch-bishop Georg Ganswein, theretired pope’s personal sec-retary, told Avvenire, theItalian Catholic newspaper.

The retired pope, thearchbishop and a group ofconsecrated women live inthe former monastery in theVatican Gardens.

Usually for his birthday,Pope Benedict is joined byhis older brother, Msgr.Georg Ratzinger, who turned96 in January, but Archbish-op Ganswein told VaticanNews that, this year, the twospoke on the phone. Msgr.Ratzinger’s call was just oneof many birthday calls theretired pope had received.

Despite the lockdown,Archbishop Ganswein toldAvvenire April 16, the daywould be “more festive” thanusual in the monastery. And,he told Vatican News, itwould feature the singing ofBavarian folk songs.

The day began, as usual,

with Mass in the monasterychapel.

The retired pope, thearchbishop said, prays eachday for the sick and forthose suffering because ofthe COVID-19 pandemic.

“He was especially struckby the many priests, doctorsand nurses who have diedwhile caring for those sickwith the coronavirus, par-ticularly in northern Italy,”Archbishop Ganswein said.

The archbishop also saidthe retired pope received aspecial present, a pre-publi-cation copy of “BenediktXVI: Ein Leben” (“BenedictXVI: A Life”), an almost1,200-page biography writ-ten by Peter Seewald, whocollaborated with theretired pope on severalbestselling books. The vol-ume will be released in Ger-man in May.

“Seewald intended to giveit to the pope emeritus inperson,” the archbishopsaid, “but, unfortunately,the pandemic made thatimpossible.”

The retired pope wasborn April 16, 1927, in theBavarian town of Marktl amInn and was ordained to thepriesthood in 1951. He waselected pope in 2005 andresigned in 2013.

4 April 24, 2020 The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org

WHILE I HAVE ATTENDEDmy fair share of Easter Vigilservices, this was the firsttime I was present at thelighting of the fire. Usually,I’m in the pew with my fam-ily, holding tapers and wait-ing for the light to passfrom the newly-blessedEaster Candle to those seat-ed in the back of the church.One congregant passes thelight to the next, and so theprocess continues, until theentire church is filled withsmall, dancing flames.

This year, however, as Istood in an empty SacredHeart Cathedral with thebishop and a few atten-dants, the experience wassignificantly different. TheEaster candle was blessedand lit, but there was no seaof individual candles.

It was difficult to witness,and even more difficult toprocess. This year, I wit-nessed an empty church asthe bishop blessed theChrism at the Chrism Mass.

I was present to documentthe emptiness on Good Fri-day. I returned for the East-er Vigil and again on Eastermorning. I saw all of thesights, the smells and heardthe bells as the cantor sung,“Glory to God in the high-est, and on Earth, peace topeople of good will.”

The bells were whattipped the scales for me onSaturday night. It was thenwhen I started weeping. Ourchurch was empty. Christhad risen and claimed victo-ry, but I felt nothing akin tovictorious.

As our priests haveadjusted to online, stream-ing Mass, my family haswatched from the safety andcomfort of our own home.

We have worshiped, likemany across the diocese, inthe best way available to us.

During those times wewatched Mass as a family, Inever thought, “The churchis empty.” I knew it abstract-ly, but seeing and experienc-ing something first-hand isso different than simply see-ing it on a screen.

AS I’VE BEEN processingthe Easter Triduum, I’vetried to come up with someway to begin to compare thisexperience to anything elseI’ve witnessed in my life. Theonly thing I was able tocome up with is the exampleof covering a tornado as areporter for the Hays DailyNews. This example is animperfect one, and if yourfamily has had a home dev-astated by a tornado, I apol-ogize if you feels this missesthe mark.

Having lived in Kansasfor most of my life, I’mfamiliar with media cover-

age of the aftermath of atornado. But as a journalist(and a cynic), I think, “ThatTV crew found the mostmangled house on the blockand then interviewed thatfamily. It can’t be thatlarge-scale of an event.”

When a tornado flattenedthe community of Greens-burg on May 4, 2007, I hadthe opportunity to accompa-ny one of the emergencyresponder units from EllisCounty, where I was workingas a reporter. Seeing the dev-astation first-hand was sur-real. It wasn’t just one houseor one block. It was blockafter block, house afterhouse that was completelygone. It was overwhelmingand difficult to process.

The events that I havephotographed in SacredHeart Cathedral this springare the same. It’s difficult toput into words the emotionsthat swept through me dur-ing the Easter Vigil. I wasphysically present and saw

the empty pews. I saw thedark church.

And it hit me hard,because the pews were notempty out of indifference.They were not emptybecause everyone had some-thing better to do. They wereempty out of an abundanceof caution and care for ourneighbor. The vacancy hadnothing to do with a lack ofbelief in God, his son or ourdesire to physically partakein those mysteries.

It hurt because I knowhow much my friends andfamily members wish to bein church. I know how muchour priests long for theircongregations to return.

Often at Easter, we knowthe tomb is empty, and ourhearts feel full. This year,however, my heart feelsempty, even as I know weare liturgically celebratingChrist’s victory over eternaldeath.Karen Bonar is the editor of The Regis-ter and a parishioner of St. Mary, Queenof the Universe in Salina.

Feeling empty at Easter ... and beyond

APRIL IS THE CRUELESTmonth — Chaucer said it.Shakespeare said it. T. S.Eliot said it. My fatheralways reminded us of it.April comes “with flowers inher hair,” cold winds, plant-ing and growing, snow andice and all the hopes oflonger days, sprouting andflourishing, and promises ofthe coming summer.

And this year, around ourglobe it brought the inexplic-able and horrific COVID-19.In our North American con-tinent, April brought Easter.Easter! Always the promiseof something new. “See,”God says, “I am doing some-thing new. Can you not per-ceive it?” Well, to tell you thetruth, the harder I look atresurrection, the more I seea profound mystery in whichwe are invited to believe —not just of Jesus, but for our-selves too. But like the cru-

elest month, my faithgyrates. I can say this espe-cially in the reality of somemuch loved and lost. I findmyself wondering, worrying,anguishing around the ques-tion: Will all that is lost befound again? Even if Ibelieve it, it is still shroudedin the questions my humanmind and limited imagina-tion cannot answer.

The other day I stumbledacross a letter that one of mydearest friends wrote to mewhen I was floundering in themystery. She was a believer.Her faith was imperishable.And she is now gone — goneinto the mystery. But let me

tell you what she would say,were she here.

Jesus is the central themefor our lives as Christians.Jesus promised a new kindof creation where justiceand peace would marry inthe human soul and all cre-ation would know the beau-ty, the righteousness, themercy, the tender love ofGod, whom Jesus calledFather. We look around usat our world and are tempt-ed to say “in your dreams!”

BUT FOR JESUS, IT WAS areal dream. It was God’sdream. In order to fulfill thatdream, however, he (and we)must love as fiercely as Goddoes. As Jesus did. This lovemeans that we must doeverything in our power tomake the dream come true.We must pass through thetough times, the misery ofthose we love, our own mis-

ery, tragedy and hardship,the joys and sorrows, thequestions, the problems, allthat is a mystery and cannotbe solved rationally. It mustbe solved in the mystery oflove.

So, what/who do we loveso much that we will go tothe lengths for it/them? Tothe lengths of suffering, ofgiving up everything dear tous, of giving up life itself?This is what Jesus did. It iswhat God did in Jesus. It iswhat God desires to dothrough us every day. Is itfor our family? Our friends?Our community? Ourparish? Our nation? Ourworld? Our Earth?What/who do we love somuch that we would give upour very life for them/it?

For Jesus the answer wasthe world and God’s dreamfor it. He loved so much thathe was willing to go to an

unjust and excruciatinglypainful and humiliating deathfor this. And God raised himup — the Christ in glory. Thisresurrection is a result ofcrossing over through deathto a new life for the sake ofGod’s dream. It is the fulfill-ment of what God desires forthis world and creation. Andfor each of us personally.

And, here’s the thing:each of us passes throughthis same crucible: our lifegiven for what we love. Inthis moment of the virus,our whole world is passingthrough this crucible. Wepass through the agony ofunknowing; lie still in thesolitude of the tomb andthen the new bursts uponus. We are transformed.This mystery is resurrection— Easter! Sister Marcia Allen, C.S.J., is a staffmember of the Manna House of Prayerin Concordia. She gives retreats andconferences.

Easter in April

BECAUSE OF THE GLOBALpandemic and mandatedsocial distancing, this Lentlooked far different thanany most of us have everexperienced. At the time I’mwriting this column, Mass-es, penance services, Sta-tions of the Cross andeverything that makes Lentmore meaningful are nothappening due to mandatesput in place to protect ourhealth.

I’ve always appreciatedthese Lenten customs,including services duringHoly Week, as I feel thatthey are powerful in helpingus more fully appreciateEaster Sunday.  

This year, however, Ijust learned Holy Weekliturgies are not occurring,and we also will not havethe privilege of comingtogether on Easter Sundayto celebrate Jesus’ resur-rection.  

But I recently heard

something I hear everyweek — in a totally new way— when streaming SundayMass on my computer. Andwhat I heard gives me hopefor a spiritually productiveend of Lent.  

It was the priest’s lastline of the Mass: “Go inpeace, to love and serve theLord.”  

It’s sometimes said a bitdifferently, such as “Go inpeace, glorifying the Lordby your life.”  

That day, for some rea-son, the priest’s last wordsserved as a call like I’ve nev-er heard before.  

This is an opportunity forus all to finish Lent strong,and glorify God by prayers,

fasting and almsgiving, andservice. I believe this is ourcall to be ambassadors forChrist and spread the GoodNews in ways each of uscan.  

NOW, ESPECIALLY, thereare many worthy organiza-tions that would benefitfrom our stewardship. Inaddition to giving online atour parishes or droppingour envelopes off at churchoffices to keep everything inorder until we’re backtogether, there are manyothers needing assistance atthis time. Opportunities toshare our time, talent andtreasure abound.  

So many are in need ofour prayers. How aboutturning off “screen time”and calling the familytogether to pray the rosary,offering it up for a specialprayer intention.  

When we can’t gather toworship, we can still bring

Christ to others in our actsof service. Everything isbeing delivered these days,and we are called to deliverChrist’s message of love.  

This will look entirely dif-ferent for each of us. Buthere are a few examples Iwitnessed in my own com-munity when I took a walkthis afternoon.  

Our neighbors, in theirlate 80s, had grocery bagson their porch dropped offby a friend from church.  

My daughter Margaretcreated a sign on our drive-way with vibrant sidewalkchalk. It said, “Pray, hope,don’t worry,” words oncespoken by St. Padre Pio.That was the adopted mis-sion statement of her reli-gious education class lastyear at our parish. She wasinspired to do this when shesaw other sidewalk chalkmessages on the trail nearour house. One said, “Let’shelp each other!” 

On my walk, I bumpedinto a friend. She’s a hair-dresser whose business hasbeen negatively impactedsince her business is tem-porarily closed. She sharedthat one client put a Targetgift card on her porch, andanother just purchasedsalon gift cards for the nexttwo appointments to helpher cash flow.  

A church on the trailwhere I walked posted thison its message board: “Weserve a risen Christ. Helives.”

This year, especially, weare called to proclaim theGospel by our witness.  

How will your familyactively make the end ofLent — and Easter — mean-ingful? How will you deliverthe message of resurrectionand hope? 

Patti Lamb is a freelance writer fromPlainfield, Ind. Her columns appear inThe Criterion, the newspaper of theArchdiocese of Indianapolis.

Even when we can’t gather as one, we can still serve othersPatti LambArchdioceseof Indianapolis

SisterMarciaAllenRegister columnist

KarenBonarRegister editor

By Carol ZimmermannCatholic News Service

WASHINGTON — Catholicleaders praised ColoradoGov. Jared Polis for signinga death penalty repeal billinto law March 23, makingColorado the 22nd state toabolish the death penalty.

He also commuted thesentences of the state’sthree death-row inmates tolife in prison without thepossibility of parole.

“We thank Gov. JaredPolis for signing this historicpiece of legislation, and wecommend the many statesenators and representativeswho worked hard to makethis important change to ourstate law,” the ColoradoCatholic Conference said in aMarch 23 statement.

The conference, the pub-lic policy arm of the state’sCatholic bishops, said thatfor many years it has sup-ported efforts to repeal thedeath penalty and it was

“grateful for the determina-tion and commitment ittook for the state legislatureto pass this bill.”

Krisanne VaillancourtMurphy, executive directorof Catholic Mobilizing Net-work, the national Catholicorganization working to endthe death penalty, said thestate’s action was a “criticalstep toward respecting thedignity of human life.”

“Colorado joins the grow-ing ranks of repeal states,affirming our nation’s desirefor more restorativeresponses to crime and harmand adding to the continuedmomentum toward deathpenalty abolition across theU.S.,” she added in a March23 statement.

She said her organizationbelieves “that no matter theharm one has caused or suf-fered, each person ought tobe treated with dignity andhave the opportunity forredemption and healing.Today, Colorado makes thatpossible.”

Sister Helen Prejean, aSister of St. Joseph ofMedaille and a longtimeopponent of the deathpenalty, thanked the Col-orado governor for hisaction in a March 23 tweetand added: “Alleluia! I’mcelebrating the citizenactivists of Colorado who,with stellar collaborationfrom the legal, law enforce-ment, education, and faithcommunities, steadilychanged hearts and mindsto arrive at this life-affirm-ing day.”

Colorado’s Catholic bish-ops also praised the Housefor passing the death penaltyrepeal bill on Feb. 26 andincluded in their statementthe words of Denver Auxil-iary Bishop Jorge Rodriguez,who testified in support ofthe repeal bill before boththe Senate and House Judi-ciary Committees.

In his testimony, he said:“The Catholic Church haslong taught that every per-son, whether they areunborn, sick or sinful, has a

God-given dignity that can-not be erased or takenaway. Yes, it can be marred,but it cannot be blotted outin the eyes of God.”

When the governor signedthe bill and announced thecommutation of three deathsentences, he said: “Thecommutations of thesedespicable and guilty indi-viduals are consistent withthe abolition of the deathpenalty in the state of Col-orado, and consistent withthe recognition that thedeath penalty cannot be, andnever has been, adminis-tered equitably in the stateof Colorado.”

In recent years, Washing-ton, Delaware, Maryland,Connecticut and Illinoishave abolished the deathpenalty.

Colorado is the thirdstate in the past three years,after Washington in 2018and New Hampshire in2019, to abolish capitalpunishment, and it’s thethird to end the practicesince the Vatican’s 2018revision to the Catechism ofthe Catholic Church whichdeclared the death penalty“inadmissible” in all cases.

Public opposition to capi-tal punishment continues torise. A Gallup Poll lastNovember said 60 percentof respondents describedlife imprisonment withoutthe possibility of parole is abetter punishment for mur-der than the death penalty,up from 45 percent in 2014.

D E A T H SRobert “Bob” Eugene Boeh,

91, died Jan. 15, 2020. FuneralMass was celebrated Jan. 31 byFather Peter O’Donnell at St.Francis Xavier Church in Junc-tion City. Burial was in DwightCemetery, Dwight.

Father (Richard) JamesDallen, 76, of Spokane, Wash.,died March 13, 2020. FuneralMass was celebrated March 31by Bishop Gerald Vincke, FatherDavid Metz and Father StevenHeina at Our Lady of PerpetualHelp Church in Concordia. Bur-ial was in St. Concordia Ceme-tery, Concordia. The family sug-gests memorials to the donor’schoice in care of the funeralhome. 

Survivors include cousinsincluding, Luise Brown of Con-cordia, Regis Keefe of Winches-ter, Calif., and retired Archbish-op Charles Chaput, O.F.M. ofPhiladelphia.

He was preceded in death byhis parents. For online condo-lences, please visit chaputbuoy.com.

Richard C. Flax, 79, of Ellis,died March 6, 2020. FuneralMass was celebrated March 10by Father Dana Clark at St.Mary Church in Ellis. Burial withmilitary honors was in St. MaryCemetery, Ellis.

Robert Charles Malir, 87, ofWilson, died Jan. 18,2020. Funeral Mass was cele-brated Jan. 27 by Father DanielScheetz at St. WenceslausChurch in Wilson.  Burial withmilitary honors was in St.Wenceslaus Cemetery, Wilson.

Lawrence M. Pahls, 87, ofSalina, died March 16, 2020.Funeral Mass was celebrated onMarch 26 by Father Daryl Olm-stead at St. Boniface Church inTipton. Burial was in St. Boni-face Cemetery, Tipton.

Lorrette “Jo” Rogers, 96, ofConcordia, died March 23,2020. A Rosary Service washeld March 30 by Father DavidMetz at Chaput-Buoy FuneralHome in Concordia. Burial wasin Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Con-cordia.

By Cindy WoodenCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — TheCongregation for DivineWorship and the Sacra-ments has approved a spe-cial “Mass in the Time ofPandemic” to plead forGod’s mercy and gift ofstrength in the midst of thecoronavirus pandemic.

The Mass opens with aprayer that God would “lookwith compassion on theafflicted, grant eternal restto the dead, comfort tomourners, healing to thesick, peace to the dying,strength to health careworkers, wisdom to ourleaders and the courage to

reach out to all in love.”In a letter dated March

30, Cardinal Robert Sarah,prefect of the congregation,and Archbishop ArthurRoche, congregation secre-tary, said, “In these days,during which the wholeworld has been gravelystricken by the COVID-19virus,” many bishops andpriests have asked “to beable to celebrate a specificMass to implore God tobring an end to this pan-demic.”

The congregation grantedthe request and providedspecial prayers and sugges-tions for the Scripture read-ings to be used.

The “Mass in the Time of

Pandemic,” the congrega-tion said, can be celebratedon any day “except solemni-ties; the Sundays of Advent,Lent and Easter (season);days within the Octave ofEaster; the commemorationof All the Faithful Departed(All Souls’ Day); AshWednesday; and the days ofHoly Week.”

THE OFFERTORY PRAYERfor the Mass reads: “Accept,O Lord, the gifts we offer inthis time of peril. May theybecome for us, by your pow-er, a source of healing andpeace. Through Christ ourLord.”

One of the suggestedGospel readings is Mark

4:35-41, the story of the dis-ciples in the boat on thestormy Sea of Galilee; it isthe same reading PopeFrancis used March 27 forhis special prayer serviceand blessing urbi et orbi (tothe city and the world), beg-ging God to end the pan-demic.

One of the optional firstreadings is Lamentations3:17-26, which includes thelines: “I will call this tomind, as my reason to havehope: The favors of the Lordare not exhausted, his mer-cies are not spent; they arerenewed each morning, sogreat is his faithfulness. Myportion is the Lord, says mysoul, therefore will I hope in

him.”A passage from St. Paul’s

Letter to the Romans alsocould be used, proclaiming:“If God is for us, who can beagainst us? He who did notspare his own Son buthanded him over for us all,how will he not also give useverything else along withhim?”

The new Mass ends withthe “prayer over the peo-ple,” which says: “O God,protector of all who hope inyou, bless your people, keepthem safe, defend them,prepare them, that, freefrom sin and safe from theenemy, they may perseverealways in your love.Through Christ our Lord.”

The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org April 24, 2020 5

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Catholic leaders praise Colorado’srepeal of death penalty

Vatican approves special ‘Mass in the Time of Pandemic’

The CatholicChurch has longtaught that every

person, whether theyare unborn, sick orsinful, has a God-given dignity thatcannot be erased ortaken away.

“

”Bishop JorgeRodriguez

Robert A. Bramhall andJanice A. Eilert were marriedJan. 3, 2020, at Seven DolorsChurch in Manhattan. FatherKerry Ninemire witnessed theirvows. Parents of the bridegroomare Mickey and Fayola Bramhall.Parents of the bride are Haroldand Ernastine Eilert. Witnesseswere Timothy Suther andTherese Miller.

Vivian Joseph Gianelloni, IV,and Ashley Louise Krase weremarried Dec. 28, 2019, at SevenDolors Church in Manhattan.Father Nick Blaha witnessedtheir vows. Parents of thebridegroom are Mark and SarahGianelloni. Parents of the brideare Timothy and Karla Krase.Witnesses were Heath andJenna Overmyer.

Rosalie Magdalen Allen,daughter of William andKathleen Allen, was baptized onMarch 21, 2020,, by DeaconThomas Schrick at Sacred HeartChurch in Colby.

Benjamin Kenneth Baxa,son of Ken and Kylene (Krimer)Baxa, was baptized Dec. 22,2019, by Father Kerry Ninemireat Seven Dolors Church inManhattan.

Nela Schmidgall Baxa,daughter of Dane and Daniele(Leite) Baxa, was baptized Dec.22, 2019, by Father KerryNinemire at Seven DolorsChurch in Manhattan.

Layton Joseph Bittel, son ofLogan and Courtney(Waldschmidt) Bittel, wasbaptized March 29, 2020, byFather Dana Clark at St. MaryChurch in Ellis. 

Hank Joseph Bollman, sonof Joseph and Jenny (Baxa)Bollman, was baptized Dec. 22,2019, by Father Kerry Ninemireat Seven Dolors Church inManhattan.

Quinn Julia Wilkins Clark,daughter of Kenya and Renee(Wilkins) Clark, was baptizedDec. 29, 2019, by Father KerryNinemire at Seven DolorsChurch in Manhattan.

Banks Russell Farha, son ofSpencer and Amber (Cullen)Farha, was baptized Feb. 16,2020, by Father David Metz atOur Lady of Perpetual HelpChurch in Concordia.

Gabriela Isabel Gonzalez,daughter of Luis and Jennifer(Nordin) Gonzales, was baptizedJan. 25, 2020, by Father KerryNinemire at Seven DolorsChurch in Manhattan.

Xavier Michael Gonzalez,son of Luis and Jennifer (Nordin)Gonzales, was baptized Jan. 25,2020, by Father Kerry Ninemire

at Seven Dolors Church inManhattan.

Brynlee Jae Honas,daughter of Cody and Megan(Weber) Honas, was baptizedMarch 14, 2020, by Father DanaClark at St. Mary Church in Ellis.

Josephine Athena Horinek,daughter of Charles and AlishaHorinek, was baptized March22, 2020, by Father RichardDaise at Sacred Heart Church inColby.

Clara Mae Kinderknecht,daughter of Jonathan andShannon (Perkins) Kinderknecht,was baptized March 7, 2020, byFather Nick Parker atImmaculate Heart of MaryChurch in Hays.

Hudson William Klug, son ofKevin and Mackenzie (Weiser)Klug, was baptized Feb. 22,2020, by Father Keith Weber atSt. Elizabeth Ann Seton Churchin Salina.

Kaycee Josephine Kuhn,daughter of Dustin and MindyKuhn, was baptized April 5,2020, by Father Jarett Konradeat St. Nicholas of Myra Churchin Hays.

Blaise Anthony Lang, son ofNathan and Jennifer Lang, wasbaptized March 15, 2020, byFather Ryan McCandless at St.Joseph Church in Hays.

Kendall Rose Larsen,daughter of Bryan and Lacy(Blomberg) Larsen, was baptizedFeb. 15, 2020, by Father DavidMetz at Our Lady of PerpetualHelp Church in Concordia.

Joshua Alexis Leon, son ofJose and Yvonne (De LaRosa)Leon, was baptized Jan. 12,2020, by Father Kerry Ninemireat Seven Dolors Church inManhattan.

Catalina Lorena Lopez-Sanchez, daughter of GustavoLopez and Catherine Sanchez,

was baptized Dec. 22, 2019, byFather Norbert Dlabal at SevenDolors Church in Manhattan.

Elessia Grace Mendoza,daughter of Yidam and Selena(Acosta) Mendoza, was baptizedJan. 26, 2020, by Father AndrewRockers at Our Lady of PerpetualHelp Church in Goodland.

Ada Joelle Murphy,daughter of Lance and MorganMurphy, was baptized March22, 2020, by Father JarettKonrade at St. Nicholas of MyraChurch in Hays.

Nicholas Santiago Quezada,son of Kevin and DaphneQuezada, was baptized Feb. 29,2020, by Father GnanasekarKulandai, HGN, at St. FrancisXavier Church in Junction City.

Eleanor Marie Serene,daughter of Trevor Serene andLindsey (Westberg), wasbaptized Feb.29, 2020, byFather Frank Coady at St.Thomas More Church inManhattan.

Jamesen Estrellas Shen,son of James and Joselyn(Yracheta) Shen, was baptizedJan. 25, 2020, by Father KerryNinemire at Seven DolorsChurch in Manhattan.

Tobias Edward Stephenson,son of Grant and LindseyStephenson, was baptizedMarch 15, 2020, by Father JarettKonrade at St. Nicholas of MyraChurch in Hays.

Xavier Henn Velez-Sanchez,son of Xavier Velez and KarolineSanchez-Rojas, was baptizedDec. 22, 2019, by FatherNorbert Dlabal at Seven DolorsChurch in Manhattan.

Grace Lynn Thomas,daughter of Allan and ChristyThomas, was baptized Feb. 29,2020, by Father Brian Lager atSt. Joseph Church in Hays.

Nora Kay Volkmer,daughter of Ross and Janessa(Rasmussen) Volker, wasbaptized Jan. 26, 2020, byFather Andrew Rockers at OurLady of Perpetual Help Churchin Goodland. 

Charlotte Wagers, daughterof Shane and Gina Wagers, wasbaptized March 7, 2020, byFather Gnanasekar Kulandai,HGN, at St. Francis XavierChurch in Junction City.

Atticus Skye Wall, son ofLuke and Beth (Stanley) Wall,was baptized Dec. 1, 2019, byFather Kerry Ninemire at SevenDolors Church in Manhattan.

Elijah Benjamin Whitmer,son  of Ben and Toni Whitmer,was baptized March 15, 2020,by Father Ryan McCandless atSt. Joseph Church in Hays.

6 April 24, 2020 The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org

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The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org April 24, 2020 7

C O V I D - 1 9

By Andrea FeldkampManhattan Catholic Schools

MANHATTAN —“Teaching is thehardest job you

will ever love.”Veteran teachers told me

this, and I believed thatanything hard was worththe effort. As a farm kid,and a distance runner, I wastrained for hard work.Nothing, however, preparedme for this first year ofteaching.

I took on the dauntingrole of teaching 4th gradeand 5th grade ELA for Man-hattan Catholic Schools.These are my absolutefavorite subjects, if ateacher can have a favorite,and I was on cloud nine! Iheard the voices of 50 stu-dents calling me “Mrs. Feld-kamp” each day. This waspure happiness!

My fourth grade home-room of 15 students quicklybecame my beloved group.I loved each student, butthis class was mine for thelargest part of the day. Thiswas a time when we coulddiscuss our faith and howwe are a living that faith.The questions were amaz-ing, “What happens if weforget to tell a sin duringConfession?” “What hap-pens during Confirmation?”“How did Mary die?” “DoesEaster really start on Satur-day or Sunday?”

So many questions, andso much curiosity! Thehunger to learn was defi-nitely here, and I was expe-riencing it every day.

On Friday, March 13, Itook my kids to play at apark. During this time, Ireceived an email messagethat our break was extendeduntil March 30. “Wow,” Ithought, “Two more weeksof Spring Break?”

I revamped lesson plansand adjusted our curricu-lum to begin on March 30.On Tuesday, March 17, Ilearned that the schoolbuilding would be closed.We would transition toonline learning.

Bam! Just like that, our

year in the school buildingwas done. My two week“break” was spent learninghow to teach 4th- and 5th-grade subjects and studentsonline.

THE RILEY COUNTYHealth Department permit-ted us to release belongingsand books to our studentson Friday, March 27. Oneparent, only, per family waspermitted to come and col-lect items. Fifteen minuteswas allotted for each fami-ly’s time slot.

“I got this, right?” Ithought to myself.

I wanted to be there tosee my parents. I wantedthem to know that I caredand that I had such differ-ent plans for our year end. Iwanted them to know that Ilove and care for their kids.I wanted them to know,above all things, that ourschool was awesomebecause of them.

So, I did come, and it wasamazing to see my parents,but it was heartbreakingtoo.

The veteran educatorswere right. Teaching IS thehardest job I could love.However, I can’t imaginedoing anything else.

My faith has growntremendously this year, andI look forward to the timewhen in-person instructionin the classroom canresume.

I pray daily for the safetyand health of all my fami-lies. I pray for our Catholicschool community. I praythat we WILL be able toreturn in August, to hearthat bell ring again. Andrea Feldkamp is a 4th and 5th gradeteacher at Manhattan Catholic Schoolsin Manhattan.

First year teaching doesn’t end as expected

Courtesy photosBags are packed and sitting on students’ desks in AndreaFeldkamp’s classroom at Manhattan Catholic Schools inManhattan.

A note is on the board ofAndrea Feldkamp’s classroomMarch 27.

Courtesy photoNichole Sauer’s preschool room at Holy Family ElementarySchool in Hays was packed up early, allowing families to collectstudent’s belongings on March 25.

Schools have stepped up inunexpected, uncharted times

By Allison OchoaThe Register

HAYS — The 2019-20school year is most likely tobe remembered for how itended.

On Sunday, March 15, oursemester was put on pause.On Tuesday, March 17, ourschool year, as we knew it,ended, sending administra-tors and teachers scramblingto determine how to handlethis unforeseen situation.COVID-19 has, without adoubt, altered our literal andfigurative worlds.

I’m a mother to a fourthgrader, a first grader and a4-year-old. Never in mywildest dreams did I thinkI’d be faced with figuringout how to explain the cur-rent world situation, or whythey can’t go back to schoolthis year (or Mass, orGrandma’s house, or eventhe store for the foreseeablefuture). I also could neverhave imagined that both ofthose topics be part of thesame conversation.

While it’s easy to focuson the negative (and if youhaven’t been looking at anysocial media over the pastseveral weeks, trust me …there is a plethora of nega-tive stuff out there), wehave reason to hope. Theadministration and staff ofour schools are adjusting.

They are trying new tech-niques, and some are defy-ing their comfort zones bylearning new technology.Their innovation and lovefor our students is leadingto a reimagined educationalenvironment. In short, theyare determined to make theremainder of the schoolyear instructive, fun and asnormal as possible despitethe situation.

Yes, over the past severalweeks we have been askedto improvise, adapt andovercome. The challengeshave been many for us asadults, as well as for ourchildren. However, we areseeing abundant evidencethat our theological virtues— faith, hope and charity —are paving the path to abeautiful, if unexpected,end to the school year.

Allison Ochoa is a parent of two studentswho attend Holy Family ElementarySchool in Hays.

COVID-19 HAS changedour norms in a matter ofweeks. “Stay-at-homeorder,” “six feet social dis-tancing” and “self-quaran-tine.” We start to use theseterms frequently due to thevirus, and it has negativelyinfluenced the world inevery aspect of life.

Schools had to changetheir education format com-pletely online, which result-ed in the abrupt end of theschool year. It is depressingfor the seniors to lose ourlast quarter to make morememories in high school. Iam sure that most seniorswere excited to attend ourlast prom, participate inspring activities and cele-brate commencement.

We want toblameCOVID-19 foreverything,but we needto realize thatthe virus ispreparing usfor college.College willbe very like

what we are in right now:flexible schedule, so muchleisure time and sometimesonline classes. We can startto adjust our lifestyle to col-lege and study college-levelcourses in advance, whichwill allow us to stay ahead incollege. COVID-19 has left uswith the choices of how wecould spend our time. Wecan use this unexpected dai-

ly schedule for self-develop-ment, trying new skills and

activities and finding whatwe like to do.

WHEN I HEARD THATthere will not be a com-mencement, the first thoughtthat popped into my mindwas my valedictorian speech.When I found out that I amvaledictorian of the class of2020, I was thrilled toinform my parents of thisremarkable achievement. Asa troublemaker who did notreceive good grades in mid-dle school in Korea, I wasalways giving my parents ahard time. Not knowingwhat to do with me, my par-ents finally decided to giveme the last opportunity tostudy in the United States,with the hope of a complete

transformation. My parentswould be proud to witnesstheir son addressing thevaledictorian speech in Eng-lish.

Also, I was not happyabout not being able toexpress my gratitude towardteachers, friends, and, mostimportantly, my uncle andaunt. I had planned to usethis opportunity to showappreciation for what theyhave done for me to be whatI am today. Because of theirhelp, I am able to have writ-ten this reflection as thevaledictorian of the class of2020 from St. Francis XavierCatholic School.

Youngmin Jeon is the valedictorian atSt. Francis Xavier High School in Junc-tion City.

Unexpected changes are preparing us for college, beyond

YoungminJeon

We can start toadjust our lifestyle

to college and studycollege-level coursesin advance, which

will allow us to stayahead in college.

COVID-19 has leftus with the choices

of how we couldspend our

time.

“

”Youngmin JeonValedictorian

[Staff’s]innovation and

love for our studentsis leading to a

reimaginededucational

environment.

“”Allison Ochoa

Parent

April 24, 2020 98 April 24, 2020 The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org

By Karen BonarThe Register

As a seminarian, FatherMichael Leiker wasaccustomed to practicingMass with no congrega-tion present — only avideo camera.

These days in Sacred Heart Church inColby, Father Leiker’s only companionat Mass is still a video camera, whichlive-streams Mass to the parish’s Face-book page. Parishes across the SalinaDiocese, country and around the worldhave shifted Mass to online platforms toadapt to social distancing guidelines asa way to help prevent the spread ofCOVID-19.

“The camera just goes away when westart saying Mass,” he said. “I forgetabout it.”

The parish opted to live-stream Masson its regular schedule, to maintain asense of normalcy for parishioners.

“I knew people really wanted to bethere — it was really heartbreaking,”Father Leiker said. “We posted some tipsto help people get into the prayerfulmood for Mass. We suggest they set upchairs in a row, like a pew.”

The response has been positive.“People have said they love being able

to see their church,” he said. “At first, wethought, ‘So many other places are doingit, so we don’t need [to stream Mass].’But the response has been that they like

their church with their priest. They wantto see that everything is still OK withinour parish.”

WHILE THERE ARE NO PUBLIC Masseswithin the diocese, each parish is han-dling Mass and Mass intentions differ-ently. Some live-stream the Mass onsocial media. Others record the Massand post it to the parish website. Stillother priests are opting to offer Massprivately for the intention of the day.

Father Daryl Olmstead, pastor of SS.Peter and Paul in Cawker City, St. Maryin Downs and St. Aloysius Gonzaga inOsborne said he began by taping, andthen uploading Mass to social media.

“I’ve learned how to do a live video onFacebook, so people can view it online asI’m saying Mass,” he said.

Like Father Leiker, he is the only onein the church during the Mass.

“It’s a challenge,” he said. “I’m used tohaving people in the church. When youlive stream, they can be watching online,but you never know it until after Mass isover.”

It’s not only the physical presence hemisses.

“Not being able to share the Eucharistwith anyone is challenging,” Father Olm-stead said. “It’s challenging to parish-ioners, too, because they want to bethere and receive communion.”

This is the first time in memory Masshas been closed on a large-scale.

“Even after 9/11, churches weren’t shut

down out here,” he said. “The last time itmay have occurred, I was not alive.”

A priest for 45 years, Father Olmsteadsaid he is encouraging his parishionersto see this struggle and “fasting fromMass” as an opportunity for growth.

“It is an opportunity to grow closer toGod, if we take this opportunity to seethe deeper need for him,” he said. “Iwant people to see they can have a deep-er relationship with God if they use thisas an opportunity to grow in this rela-tionship. Hopefully this shocks us out ofany complacency and helps us realize weneed a deeper relationship with God.”

IN ELLSWORTH, FATHER JOSHUAWerth decided to celebrate Mass in theparking lot of St. Bernard Church.

“There was already so many onlineoptions for Mass that I wanted to do asmuch as I could to bring Jesus as close asI could to the people,” he said. “Easterwas really great as we did feel animmense joy at being present at the HolySacrifice of the Mass, even though thepeople cannot yet receive (communion).”

During the Mass, families arrive intheir cars and stay in the vehicle for the

duration of Mass, which is live cast on alocal radio station. Holy Communion isnot distributed.

WITH THE STATE OF KANSAS IN Amandated stay-at-home order for April,Father Leiker said it feels like life isslowing down a little bit.

“Maybe in some aspects, it’s a goodcall for us to slow down and pray more,”he said. “Now that everything is sloweddown, Father Rich [Daise] and I arespending a lot more time in church now.We’re there four or five times a daybecause everything has slowed down somuch.”

No formal decision has been reachedabout when Mass will reopen to the pub-lic, as the state extended the stay athome order until May 3.

“Holy Communion is going to be mag-nificent,” Father Leiker said of when con-gregations are permitted to return to pub-lic Mass. “People already have a yearningand desire for it. I think people will cometo receive Communion in a more inten-tional way. It won’t be something anyonetakes for granted. I think it will be a mag-nificent experience for them.”

By Karen BonarThe Register

SALINA — With publicMass closed throughoutthe state of Kansas, someparishes are feeling thestrain of no congregationand no Sunday collection.

“Parishes rely on theweekly collection basket tofund their essential opera-tions,” said Beth Shearer,director of stewardshipand development for theSalina Diocese. “While wehave some parishes thathave set up online giving,not all of them have, espe-cially our smaller parishes.It’s not always financiallyrealistic for smaller parish-es to set up online giving.”

In order to enable every-one to financially supporttheir home parish duringthe COVID-19 pandemic —and possibly beyond —Shearer and her staff haveset up an online portal forall parishes within the dio-cese.

“Some of our parishesalready established onlinegiving,” Shearer said, “butmany do not have anonline option. Our goal isto help support all parishesequally and ensure allparishioners have a way togive easily so the parishhas the necessary funds tooperate.”

Father Henry Baxa, thepastoral administrator atBelleville, Cuba andMunden, said this is thefirst time his parishes haveutilized online giving forweekend Masses.

“I think God’s got asense of humor,” he said,because “I’m not very techsavvy.”

Yet the trio of parisheshave begun live-streamingweekend Mass and areencouraging parishionersto donate online.

“We’ve gotten a coupleof new donors,” he said,and added they includeolder and younger parish-ioners.

“I see it as promising.I’m hoping some of thiswill continue after parish-ioners can return to Mass.”

Donations processedthrough the diocesan web-site go directly to theparish, Shearer said. Thereis a 2.5 percent processingfee for credit cards and noadditional fee for electron-ic check payments, sheadded.

Parishioners should togosalinadiocese.org/development/parish-offertory tosupport their parish.

“Donors may make aone-time gift to theirparish or, through thediocesan website, there isalso an option to make arecurring gift,” Shearersaid.

A recurring gift contin-ues on a regular basisuntil the donor stops it.Recurring gifts may begiven weekly, monthly,quarterly, semiannually orannually.

“For those who are ableto commit to regular orrecurring giving, theyassist the parishes in annu-al budgeting,” Shearersaid.

In addition to parishdonations, gifts to schoolsare also available on thewebsite atsalinadiocese.org/development/school-support.

“Catholic schools con-tinue to provide Catholic-based education to stu-dents, even though that isonline at this time,” Shear-er said. “But the costs con-tinue, and those who canmake a gift ensure thiswork continues. I know theschools appreciate it.”

The online portal forschools is not, however,intended for school tuitionpayments.

ANOTHER ONLINE optionavailable is #iGiveCatholic,which Shearer said is aunifying mechanism forthe Salina Diocese, typical-ly held on Giving Tuesdayafter Thanksgiving. Whenparishes closed, she saidthe team at #iGiveCatholicacted swiftly to make itsonline giving platformavailable to parishes,schools and Catholic orga-nizations. It was rebrandedto “#iGiveCatholic Togeth-er.” 

“The bishops on theboard want to use this ser-vice as a ‘stop-gap’ solutionfor online giving,” saidCory Howat, executivedirector of the CatholicCommunity Foundation ofthe Archdiocese of NewOrleans, who runs #iGiveCatholic.

The 39 dioceses thatparticipated in #iGiveCatholic in 2019 will havethe site available immedi-ately to receive onlinedonations through theweb-based platform atsalina.igivecatholic.org.The minimum donationhas been lowered to $10and donors have theoption to cover the onlinetransaction fees of 4 per-cent associated with theplatform.

A THIRD ONLINE GIVINGoption exists.

“Some parishes haveexisting online giving plat-forms, and they may wishto continue to receiveonline donations on thoseplatforms,” Shearer said.

St. Thomas More Parishin Manhattan began onlinegiving about eight years

Diocese assistsparishes with online

giving optionsCopingwith

COVID-19

By Karen BonarThe Register

SALINA — As closuresrelating to COVID-19stretch from daysinto weeks, Catholic

Charities of Northern Kansascontinues to provide supportthroughout the Salina Dioceseto those experiencing financialdifficulty.

“Right away, we did a strate-gic plan to figure out how bestwe can help,” said ClaudetteHumphrey, director of financialstabilization services atCatholic Charities. “This agency— our staff — is strong in ourresolve and in our faith to doGod’s work at this difficulttime. Everyone has asked,‘What do I need to do so we canhelp the most people rightnow?’ We will continue to do all

we can in hopes we can help asmany as we can for as long aswe can.”

A new service is available:grab and go meals for childrenages 0-18. Catholic Charitiesstaff utilizes the commercialkitchen at St. John’s MissionaryBaptist Church in Salina andprepares 100 meals. The mealsare distributed in a “drivethrough” fashion in the parkinglot at the Salina headquarters.The program will continuethrough May 1.

“The numbers have shownit’s something that’s been need-ed,” Humphrey said. Addition-ally, “the food bank has givenus any overage of produce theyhave that we can hand out tohelp adults or others in thehousehold.”

Another avenue of assistanceis food and hygiene boxes,

which have been available inthe St. Mary, Queen of the Uni-verse parking lot in Salina.Catholic Charities employeesare available, handing out itemsto those who drive through.Some also stop at St. MaryGrade School to get lunch forschool-aged children. The foodand hygiene boxes will be avail-able at St. Mary in Salinathrough May 8.

A REGULAR SERVICE CatholicCharities provides is mobileoutreach to more rural areaswithin the diocese. In lateMarch, the staff made an effortto deliver as many supplies toas many communities as possi-ble. The mobile outreach waspaused for a few weeks, due tothe inability to get supplies,especially bulk supplies,Humphrey said.

Yet donors have rallied, andhelped provide both suppliesand monetary support to assistCatholic Charities gather thenecessary supplies to include infood and hygiene boxes.

Michelle Martin, executivedirector of Catholic Charities,said in rural areas, clients maynot have reliable transportationto drive to a larger communityfor supplies. The Catholic Char-ities mobile outreach vans visit-ed six church parking lots onApril 15: Russell, Norton,Ellsworth, Concordia, Clay Cen-ter and Junction City. When thevans arrived at each location,people were there waiting intheir vehicles.

“When the mobile outreachvan arrived at Our Lady of Per-petual Help Church in

Catholic Charities provides a multitude of support across Salina Diocese

Father Joshua Werth celebrates Mass in the parking lot of St. Bernard Parish in Ellsworth onMarch 29. Public gatherings across the state limit the number of people who may gatherindoors a public place, but Father Werth opted to make Mass available in the parking lot,with the audio streamed through a local radio station. To comply with health directives, HolyCommunion was not distributed.

Photo by Karen Bonar / The RegisterMelissa Herrera and Jill Smith-Barker hand out meals during the lunch hour April 3at Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas’ office in Salina. Catholic Charitiescollaborated with St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church in Salina. Federal fundsprovided through the Family Strong Program helped provide meals, which areavailable daily until May 1.

Courtesy photosFather Damian Richards celebrates Easter Mass via live-stream at St. John the Baptist Church in Beloit April 12. Due to COVID-19, parishes across the diocese are live-streaming Mass ontheir websites and social media channels.

Please see PARISHIONERS / Page 13Please see CATHOLIC / Page 13

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By Dennis SadowskiCatholic News Service

CLEVELAND — Religiousnonprofits, includingschools, parishes and somedioceses, are eligible forassistance under regulationsdeveloped to implementportions of the massive $2.2trillion Coronavirus Aid,Relief and Economic Securi-ty Act, or CARES Act.

Interim final rules gov-erning the law’s implemen-tation state that faith-basedorganizations are eligible toseek and obtain Small Busi-ness Administration loansto continue paying employ-ees for up to eight weeksprovided at least 75 percentof the loan is used for pay-roll costs.

The regulations are set toundergo the normal com-ment process as required bylaw, but they essentiallytook effect April 3.

The law also includes aprovision for churchemployees who are laid offfrom entities that do notparticipate in a state or aprivate unemploymentinsurance program toreceive jobless benefits.

Anthony Picarello, asso-ciate general secretary andgeneral counsel of the U.S.Conference of CatholicBishops, explained the pro-vision permits thoseemployees to receive unem-ployment benefits in much

the same way that contractand so-called gig workerscan under the new law.

“They will not be lefthanging out to dry,” he said.

The CARES Act’s complex-ities were still being unrav-eled April 6 as the countryreels from an intensifyingeconomic shutdown resultingfrom the COVID-19 pandem-ic. Federal officials are work-ing to smooth the way fornonprofits and small busi-nesses employing up to 500workers to access $350 bil-lion in low-interest loansavailable under the law’s Pay-check Protection Program.

“But the loan is forgiv-able. It becomes a grant ifyou keep your employees,”Picarello said. “Even if youhave already let people goand if you bring them back,you can still get loan for-giveness.”

The program is based onthe average monthly payrollof the school or parish,which is extrapolated toeight weeks. The cost ofmaintaining staff for thatperiod becomes the loanamount. Picarello said theloan application is simple tocomplete once the loanamount is determined.

The USCCB and govern-ment affairs staffers of sev-eral major Catholic nonprof-it agencies worked through-out the week of March 30 toensure that the uniquenature of church entities

would not make them ineli-gible for the program.

One concern revolvedaround the relationship ofindividual parishes, schoolsor local Catholic Charitiesoperations to a diocese. Thequestion: Would their affili-ation with a diocese makethem ineligible for a loanbecause more than 500 peo-ple were employed acrossthe diocese?

“This is not aboutadvancing religion,” Picarel-lo said. “It’s about keepingpeople on the payroll. This

is one of the arguments wewere making.”

Department of Treasuryofficials charged with draft-ing the interim rules for theprogram determined thateach individual entity suchas a school or a parish wouldbe eligible to obtain a loan.

Other concerns in the

discussions focused on reli-gious rights regarding oper-ational and employmentstandards, such as member-ship in a particular faith,that are guarded under theReligious Freedom Restora-tion Act.

Weekend collectionsmake up the primary sourceof parish revenues. Withpeople no longer attendingMass at church, collectionshave declined. Not allparishes have implementedautomatic contribution pro-grams and even in placeswhere such a system is inplace, not all parishionersparticipate.

Spring also is the seasonfor major school fundrais-ing events. Sister DaleMcDonald, director of pub-lic policy and educationresearch at the NationalCatholic Educational Asso-ciation, said many schoolshave canceled events, lead-ing to further economichardship.

10 April 24, 2020 The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org

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SBA allows church entities to obtain needed loans to keep workers on staff

Salina Diocese provides parish loan optionBy The Register

SALINA — The SalinaDiocese introduced anew, short-term loan

program to help parishesmeet their cash flow needs,as a method of assistingparishes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bishop Jerry Vinckeencourages pastors to firstappeal to parishioners tocontinue tithing, as they’reable. Additionally, heencourages parishes to

discuss the options with theparish and finance councils,review savings accounts andevaluate expenses forpotential savings.

No-interest loans areavailable for one month ofordinary income while publicMasses are canceled. Onemonth after Masses resume,the interest rate will be thesame as the rate on currentloans, with repayment due byJune 30, 2022.

Applications are availableat the Chancery.

THE CATHOLIC HOME MISSIONS APPEALTHE CATHOLIC HOME MISSIONS APPEAL

STRENGTHENING the CHURCH AT HOME

Copyright © 2019, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Photos: © Getty Images, courtesy of Diocese of Las Cruces.

www.usccb.org/home-missions

OMEHICHOLTAATCHET

PPE AONSISSIMOME

LAPPE

By Junno Arocho EstevesCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — PopeFrancis created a new com-mission that will confrontthe challenges the world isfacing in battling the coron-avirus pandemic and what itwill inevitably face in itsaftermath, the Vaticanannounced.

In a statement publishedApril 15, the Vatican saidthe goal of the commission,which will be led by theDicastery for PromotingIntegral Human Develop-ment, is “to express theChurch’s concern and lovefor the entire human familyin the face of the of COVID-19 pandemic.”

The dicastery will workwith other Vatican offices tocoordinate the work, whichincludes “an analysis and areflection on the socioeco-nomic and culture chal-lenges of the future and pro-posed guidelines to addressthem,” the Vatican said.

The commission is divid-ed into five working groupsfocused on a specific aspectof the pandemic and hasmet twice with the pope todiscuss ways it can helplocal churches, especially inpoor areas, Cardinal PeterTurkson, prefect of thedicastery, said in an inter-view with Vatican Newspublished shortly after theannouncement.

“The pope is convincedthat we are living throughan epochal change, and heis reflecting on what willfollow the crisis, on the eco-nomic and social conse-quences of the pandemic,on what we will have to faceand, above all, on how theChurch can offer itself as asafe point of reference tothe world lost in the face ofan unexpected event,” Car-dinal Turkson said.

Unity, he added, is essen-tial in confronting the pan-demic, so the current crisis“is not the time for indiffer-ence, selfishness or divi-sion.”

He also called for theloosening of internationalsanctions, the reduction orforgiveness of the foreigndebts of poor countries, andthe end of conflict and armstrafficking. Instead, coun-tries should use their wealth“to heal people and savelives.”

“We are rediscoveringhow much the destiny ofeach of us is linked to thatof others,” Cardinal Turk-son said. “We are rediscov-ering the value of the thingsthat matter and the worth-lessness of so many thingsthat we once consideredimportant.”

said, “Peace be with you.”Today, in our unsettledworld gripped with fear,Jesus appears to us andspeaks to our hearts, “Peacebe with you!” This indeed isa peace that the world can-not give.

The apostles then wentout to the world to share thegreatest of all news — Jesusis risen — in a world thatwas in troubled times.What led them was not asecure future in this life, buta presence with themstronger than anything theywould encounter. The HolySpirit is calling us to be thegood news to all the peoplethat we encounter, to give

them Easter hope andpeace.

WE’VE ASKED GOD,“When will this end?” Heknows, we don’t. But we doknow in faith that Jesus isthe great redeemer whobrings good out of every sit-uation in life, including thecoronavirus. People haveslowed down, spent moretime with their families anddespite not having publicMasses, have grown in theirfaith and dependence onGod. This is good news.

There is another certaintyin our life. That is, ofcourse, that we will die nomatter how healthy or oldwe are today. Faith beginswhen we realize we are in

need of salvation. We canaccomplish many things —but we can’t raise ourselvesfrom the dead. Salvation isa person, Jesus Christ.

In one of my favoriteEaster quotes, Pope Bene-dict XVI remarked, “Faithin the resurrection of Jesussays that there is a futurefor every human being; thecry for unending life whichis a part of the person isindeed answered … Godexists: that is the real mes-sage of Easter. Anyone whoeven begins to grasp whatthis means also knows whatit means to be redeemed.”

Happy Easter to you andyour families! May God fillyou with Easter peace andjoy.

The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org April 24, 2020 11

Q How do we persevere in faithduring these strange times?

A Strange times indeed, mybrothers and sisters, strangetimes indeed. So what do we

do to persevere? We simply contin-ue moving forward.

While I could speak of thosethings offered today to us 21st cen-tury Christians during these pan-demic days, I would rather answerthis question by referring back tothe earliest beginnings of the faithin 16th century Japan.

The Japanese, after first learningof the faith through the work ofCatholic missionaries, quickly wit-nessed their faith being rippedaway from them. Yet they were ableto guard and protect their Catholi-cism for two and a half centurieswithout priests, and without theMass.

As the story goes, St. FrancisXavier first brought Catholicism toJapan in 1549. A few decades later,Japanese rulers began to see thefaith as a threat to their power. By1614, Christianity was outlawed andpersecutions followed. Tens ofthousands died for their Catholicfaith.

One would expect this to be theend of the faith in Japan, but thatwas not to be the case. AlthoughCatholicism was outlawed, and thepeople could not go to Mass, thefaith continued, and the faithfulpersevered. The kakure kirishitanor “hidden Christians” remainedfaithful for 250 years until religious

freedom returned to Japan in 1871. How did they do it? Pope Fran-

cis, speaking at a Wednesday audi-ence in 2014, noted that eventhough the Christian community ofJapan suffered severe persecutions,the community of believers kepttheir faith by secretly telling thestory of Christ and baptizinginfants. He states, “There weremany martyrs, members of the cler-gy were expelled and thousands ofpeople were killed. Not a singlepriest was left in Japan: they wereall expelled. The community thenwent underground, keeping theirfaith and prayer in hiding. Andwhen a child was born, the father orthe mother baptized him.”

THE POPE CONTINUED, “Whenthe missionaries returned to Japan,thousands of Christians came out ofhiding and the Church could flour-ish. They had maintained, even insecret, a strong community spirit …

they were isolated and hidden, butthey were always members of thePeople of God, members of theChurch. We can learn much fromthis story.”

What is it that we can learn fromthe story of the Japanese Christiansduring these days? First, we learnthat even in isolation the Spirit willcarry us through. Secondly, we rec-ognize the importance of telling thestory of Christ to one another andfuture generations, and finally wesee that perseverance is not meantto be easy.

Let us fall on our knees this dayand praise God for his presence inour lives. Let us unite in new andpowerful ways, and let us never tireof telling his story. It is the onlystory that will lead us into abrighter future.Father Gale Hammerschmidt is the pastor of the St.Isidore Student Center in Manhattan. E-mail ques-tions to him at faithandreasons7@gmail.com orwrite him at P.O. Box 1038, Salina, KS 67402.

F A I T H A N D R E A S O N S

Keeping the faith during times of trial, turmoilFather GaleHammerschmidtDiocese of Salina

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By Cathy DoudFor The Register

CONCORDIA — Each Jan-uary, we introduce ourJubilarians — the remark-able women we celebrate onthe noteworthy anniver-saries of the date they werereceived as novices into theSisters of St. Joseph of Con-cordia.

In 2020, we honor eightSisters who together repre-sent 505 years of love ofGod and service to theneighbor.

This year’s theme is“Lives, Blessed and Given.”

75 YEARS

SISTER ROSE BEATRICEDREILING

Parents: Peter Michaeland Clara (Bollig) Dreiling

Hometown: CollyerReceived into the con-

gregation: Feb. 10, 1945Reflection: Seventy-five

years as a Sister of St.Joseph! As Ilook back, mywhole life hasbeen a mys-tery. God’smercy andlove havealways beenthere eventhough therewere timeswhen I did

not see this clearly!“Lord help me to realize

how brief my time on thisEarth will be. Help me toknow that I am here but fora moment more.” — Psalm39

70 YEARS

SISTER RITA ANN MAZANECParents: Adolph and

Hattie (Kobza) MazanecHometown: ColbyReceived into the con-

gregation: March 18, 1950Reflection: My 70 years

as a Sister ofSt. Josephhave beenblessed withmultipleopportunitiesto know Godand his love,and the lovewe all have

for each other. All the joysand all the struggles havebeen honored with helpfrom God and the personswho were put in place to bethere to help.

SISTER ALICE MARIESTALKER

Parents: Robert Ken-neth and Veronica Lucille(Schopp) Stalker

Hometown: Aurora, Ill.Received into the con-

gregation: March 18, 1950Reflection: I’m grateful

to the community for themany bless-ings Ireceived fromand throughthem, espe-cially as theywere there toshare thejourney andalways sup-port and

encourage me in my hopesand dreams. I pray Godgives me the grace to jour-ney on until I rest in hisarms.

60YEARS

SISTER BETTY MASCHKAParents: Joseph and

Lucille (Kalkowski) MaschkaHometown: Ashton,

Neb.Received into the con-

gregation: March 18, 1960Reflection: My 60 years

of religious life have been alife of falling in love and

staying inlove withGod. Duringthis life oflove, God hasbeen mostfaithful andhas led meand guidedme in clear,beautiful,

gentle and sometimes chal-lenging ways. God hasalways been there faithfullyloving me and helping meand providing for all that Ineeded.

I’m grateful for all of theblessings of God which Ireceived in all of the peoplewhose lives I have touchedand who touched my life. Inall of this, God was faithful-ly leading, guiding and

directing me with love. Forthis I am forever grateful!

SISTER JEANNE MCKENNAParents: Peter and

Catherine (Heatherman)McKenna

Hometown: KingmanReceived into the con-

gregation: March 18, 1960Reflection: I said that it

had taught me I had beengifted with an inquiring

mind andthat I wasrequired touse it.

My entirelife has beenan opportuni-ty to use thisgift. My lifehas been aJubilee!

SISTER RITA PLANTParents: Hector and

Ruth (Goett) PlanteHometown: Juneau,

AlaskaReceived into the con-

gregation: March 18, 1960Reflection: After high

school I returned to Kansasand joined our Community.

My dad’s lastwords to mewere thatthey wouldkick me outafter threemonths forthree rea-sons: I could-n’t obey, Iwas too stub-

born and I talked too much.So, 60 years later, here I

am living the challenge mydad knew I would do.

SISTER BETH STOVERParents: Paul and Marie

Grennan StoverHometown: BeloitReceived into the con-

gregation: March 18, 1960Reflection: Sixty years

of prayer, ministry and ser-vice to others through thegifts God has given me thegift to live a life dedicated to

God and ministry to others.When I

look backupon the 60years of mylife as a Sisterof St. Joseph,I have trulybeen blessed.

Whatever Ihave beencalled to be,

God has given me the gifts,the grace, the support tolive and carry it out throughmy everyday life.

50 YEARS

IRMÃ JOANA MARIA DASGRAÇAS DE SOUSA

Parents: FranciscoPereira de Sousa and Max-imiana Francesca (da Silva)de Sousa

Hometown: Teresina,Brazil

Received into the con-gregation: Jan. 25, 1970

Reflection: A majorpart of my current ministryas a Sister of St. Joseph ofConcordia is focusing on thecare of the elderly.

While many of the elderlyare cared for by their fami-

lies, therealso are somethat areabandonedwithin theirfamilies. Theyare not nec-essarily thepoor. Theycan bewealthy, butwith a familywho shoves

them in a tiny room in theback of the house and justwants their credit cardwhile neglecting their physi-cal, psychological and spiri-tual needs.

Nursing homes are fewand far between. The mainfocus of my pastoral workfocuses on those who areabandoned within theirfamilies.

Concordia Sisters honor eight jubilarians

Sister RitaAnn Mazanec

Sister AliceMarie Stalker

Sister RoseBeatriceDreiling

12 April 24, 2020 The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org

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Prelate:cellphones

can’t be usedto administersacramentsBy Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON — Admin-istering the sacrament ofreconciliation via cellphoneis impermissible underChurch teaching, said thechairman of the U.S. bish-ops’ Committee on DivineWorship.

In a March 27 memo tohis fellow bishops, Arch-bishop Leonard Blair ofHartford, Conn., said hewas informed by Archbish-op Arthur Roche, secretaryof the Congregation forDivine Worship at the Vati-can, that using a cellphonefor the sacrament poses athreat against the seal ofconfession.

Even the use of a cell-phone to help amplify thevoices of a confessor andpenitent who can see eachother is not allowed, thememo said.

Archbishop Blair alsosaid in the memo that inregard to anointing of thesick, the duty cannot be del-egated to someone else,such as a doctor or nurse.

CITING THE CATECHISMof the Catholic Church,Archbishop Blair noted,however, that when it is notpossible for a priest toadminister the sacrament ofreconciliation, it is appro-priate for a someone to seekabsolution from sin byoffering a “perfect contri-tion, coming from the loveof God.”

Such contrition, the cate-chism continues, “expressedby a sincere request for for-giveness ... and accompa-nied by votum confessionis,that is, by the firm resolu-tion to have recourse, assoon as possible, to sacra-mental confession, obtainsforgiveness of sins, evenmortal ones.”

Archbishop Blair wrotethat the same standard canbe applied to the sacramentof the sick.

Questions about suchpractices arose in responseto recent circumstancesstemming from the widen-ing transmission of coron-avirus.

In the Archdiocese ofPortland, Ore., a priest pro-hibited from visitingpatients hospitalized in iso-lation made telephone con-tact with a hospitalizedCOVID-19 patient who wason a ventilator and whosefamily had asked the clericto administer last rites. Thepriest led the patientthrough the process of anact of contrition and aprayer for forgiveness.

Send us your parishnews and photos:newspaper1@salinadiocese.org

Concordia, there were 50cars parked in the parkinglot,” she said. “The van willonly hold enough food box-es and hygiene bags for 25families. Thankfully, we had25 grocery gift cards tohand out so that no one leftempty handed.”

In Concordia, Martinsaid, Father David Metzassisted with the efforts.

“He did a great job keep-ing things organized so wecould distribute in an effi-cient manner,” she said.“He kept people calm andalso helped load food boxesand hygiene items in peo-ple’s vehicles.”

At St. Francis of AssisiChurch in Norton, themobile outreach teamarrived to a packed parkingarea. Catholic Charities staffparked in Father Jose Kum-blumkal’s driveway for dis-tribution. Four volunteersfrom the parish helped loadfood boxes and hygiene asthe Catholic Charities staffapproached each car.

“My sincere appreciationto Catholic Charities forsharing Christ’s love andgenerosity to many throughthe outreach program,” pas-tor Father Kumblumkal,CMI, said. “I am so proud ofour dedicated and wonder-ful volunteers, too. Thankyou so much!”

The next scheduled datefor mobile outreach is April

29. Check the ccnks.org fordetails, as they becomeavailable.

ANOTHER AREA CatholicCharities provides assis-tance with is housing/utili-ties, as well as financialhardship due to illness,Martin said.

“Our concern is if thisgoes on for a couple ofmonths, people will owefour months rent and willbe evicted,” Martin said,adding that current regula-tions prohibit immediate

evictions, but rent andpenalties will still accrue.“There’s no way people canpay four months rent ifthey’re not working. I thinkwe haven’t even begun tosee the full impact for manyof our clients.”

In addition to rent, manyclients come to CatholicCharities due to struggleswith medical bills. The KellyMead fund assists withcosts related to catastrophicillness.

“We have had a hugeinflux of people who haveserious medical issues likeheart failure or cancer whoare now reaching out,” Mar-tin said. “When a cata-strophic illness happens, itaffects the whole family,especially if it affects thebreadwinner of the family.”

ONE OF THE STAPLES OFCatholic Charities’ missionthrough its 60 years hasbeen assisting at-risk moth-ers. Each office provides

counseling, assistance andguidance during pregnancy,until the baby is six monthsold.

All offices are still accept-ing mothers for its pregnan-cy support programs.

Typically, Martin saidparishes in Manhattan andHays usually run a “babybottle” campaign that raisesmoney for the pregnancysupport program. The pro-gram, which usually runsfrom Mother’s Day toFather’s Day, has been post-poned to October, whichcoincides with Respect Lifemonth.

AS CATHOLIC CHARITIEScontinues to expand andtries to meet as many needsas possible, Martin said itcontinues to maintain andgrow existing services, suchas counseling.

“People are really hurtingright now,” she said. “Youcan’t (physically) go to acounselor, so it’s importantpeople have access to men-tal health counselors duringthis time.”

Catholic Charities hasoptions for counseling overthe phone, or an online,HIPPA compliant, voice orvideo counseling services.

“This is unprecedented,”Martin said of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think kidsand adults are over-whelmed, especially whenpeople don’t have money topay rent or bills.”

Catholic Charities isaccepting new counselingclients and offers a slidingscale for fees. For moreinformation, Martin saidcontact the office that isgeographically closest.

Hays: (785) 625-2644 orhays@ccnks.org; Manhat-tan: (785) 323-0644 ormanhattan@ccnks.org;Salina: (785) 825-0208 orsalina@ccnks.org.

You can donate to Catholic Charitiesonline at www.ccnks.org or by mail:Catholic Charities P.O. Box 1366, SalinaKS 67402.

ago, said office managerAmanda Larrabee.

“The first people whosigned up were in the over60 age category,” she said,which surprised the parishfinance council and staff.“They were less afraid thanthe younger people. It wassurprising, because it’s tak-en the younger peoplelonger to get on board withonline giving.”

The parish also utilizesits platform, WeShare, tohandle registration forparish events.

“We now use it for reli-gious ed enrollment, so itcan all be done in oneplace,” Larrabee said.“When people saw how easyit was, we had a lot morepeople jump on board.

“When the parish firstbegan online giving about30 households signed up.As familiarity grew, thenumber of householdsincreased to about 150,which equates to about aquarter to a third of theparish’s weekend collec-tions.”

ONE BENEFIT OFWeShare, Larrabee said, isthe parish is able to makeprojections because manyparishioners set up recur-ring payments to the parish.As Mass has been closed tothe public, she said manyparishioners have adjusted.

“We had a normal collec-tion this weekend (April 4-5) with only online Masses,which was amazing,”Larrabee said. “We were allshocked. Online giving hasbeen very handy. Peoplehave been very generous.”

To find out which onlinegiving platform your parishprefers, please check withyour parish’s website orsocial media channels.

To give a gift via thediocesan website, visit salinadiocese.org/development.

To give a gift via the#iGiveCatholic, visit salina.igivecatholic.org.

The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org April 24, 2020 13

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DescriptionSacred Heart Catholic Grade School inPlainville is seeking a principal tobegin July 1, 2020 . Projected enroll-ment for Pre-K through 6th grade is 70youth. Qualifications: Demonstratedcommitment to the development ofChristian Spirit and a Catholic commu-nity of faith within the school environ-ment. Master`s degree in educationaladministration and supervision withexperience in administration andteaching. Active member of theCatholic church. Preference given tocandidates who have ability to commu-nicate and work collaboratively with anexcellent staff. Competitive salary andbenefits commensurate with creden-tials and experience.

Submit a letter of interest,resume, three letters of ref-erence and university cre-dentials to:

Rev. Leo Blasi206 N. Washington StreetPlainville KS 67663-0100

(785) 434-4658.

Parishioners of allages donate online

From page 9

Catholic charities continues to acceptpregnancy, counseling clients

From page 9

Social MEDIAfor The Salina Diocese

facebook.com/SalinaDiocese twitter.com/SalinaDiocese

Courtesy photosThe mobile outreach vans at Catholic Charities were filled to thebrim April 15 as employees visited six cities around the dioceseto distribute food and hygiene boxes.

JOIN THECONVERSATION:

By The Register

WICHITA — Dueto the COVID-19 pandemic

the Abby Johnson eventscheduled for May 2 hasbeen canceled. There are noimmediate plans to resched-ule at this time.

In addition to this event,the Kansas State Knights ofColumbus Convention andall activities associated withit have been canceled.

Knights of Columbusconvention, AbbyJohnson speechcanceled due to

COVID-19

14 April 24, 2020 The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org

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compromiso para sanarIf you have been abused or victimized by

someone representing the Catholic Church… Please believe in the possibility for hopeand help and healing. We encourage you tocome forward and speak out. Our diocesanassistance coordinator is available to obtainsupport for your needs, to help you make a

formal complaint of abuse to the properauthorities and to arrange a personal meet-ing with the bishop or his representative, if

you desire.

The diocesan assistance coordinator forthe Diocese of Salina is Maria Cheney,

LSCSW. Contact her at (785) 825-0865 orP.O. Box 2984, Salina, KS 67402.

reportabuse@salinadiocese.org.

Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection,U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Si has sido abusado o fuiste víctima dealguien que represente a la Iglesia católica... Cree en la posibilidad para la esperan-

za, la ayuda y la sanación. Ven y cuén-tanos tu problema. La coordinadora

diocesana estará disponible para aten-derte en tus necesidades, para ayudarte apresentar una queja formal de abuso antela diócesis y para que veas personalmenteal obispo o su representante, si lo así lo

deseas.

La coordinadora para la diócesis de Salinaes Maria Cheney. Puedes contactarla al

(785) 825-0865 o P.O. Box 2984, Salina,KS 67402.

reportabuse@salinadiocese.org.

Secretaría de Protección de Niños y Jóvenes,La Conferencia de Obispos Católicos

By Junno Arocho EstevesCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Whilethe coronavirus pandemichas proven challenging forschools and parents in edu-cating children, it is also achance for Catholic schoolsto confront those challengeswith courage, said the Con-gregation for Catholic Edu-cation.

“This crisis can becomean opportunity for Catholiceducational institutionsacross the world tostrengthen their testimonyto their identity and missionas a community of faith andcharity,” the congregationsaid in a statement releasedApril 8.

In its statement, the con-gregation said the spread ofthe pandemic and thetragedy of those who are sickor dead from COVID-19 “is atime we were not preparedfor” that has “overshadowedmany of our certainties.”

The abruptness of thepandemic, it added, did notallow time for schools toadopt “distance learning”methods.

Parents also “find them-selves constrained to adapt-ing to the need to assisttheir children studying athome,” the congregationsaid. “Not all of them areequipped with the corre-sponding information tech-nology tools, nor are theyprepared to deal with thecontinuous presence of theirchildren at home.”

Nevertheless, Catholicschools “are called torespond to the most imme-diate exigencies” to ensure aregular conclusion to theacademic year and “orga-nize for the future to be ableto discern any opportunitieswhich this crisis could offerus.”

“This pandemic has high-lighted the fragility and thewounds of society: the poor,the homeless, the elderly,the prisoners, the socialimbalances, as well as indi-vidual and national selfish-ness,” the statement said.

Amid the interruption ofordinary life, all men andwomen have a duty “to con-sider more deeply themeaning of life, to findingways to begin again to live

once more, beginning fromnew foundations, knowingwell it will never be thesame as before.”

Nevertheless, the Lentenseason and the upcomingcelebration of Easter servesof a reminder that life over-comes death, which “allowsus to look to the future withconfidence and solid hope.”

The Congregation forCatholic Education said thecelebration of Easter givesmeaning to the current cri-sis and is an encouragementto “open our hearts andminds to God and to ourbrethren with courage anddetermination, and to investour talents in this presentmoment.”

“In the face of this crisisand in the spirit of Lentexperienced this year in atruly exceptional way, forthe believer there remainsthe light of the Easter resur-rection. The death and res-urrection of Jesus Christopen up a perspective of lifethat will have no end andthat allows us to look to thefuture with confidence andsolid hope,” the congrega-tion said.

Catholic schools must face pandemicchallenges, Vatican office says

Utrecht Robin / CNS via ReutersStudents work online at their home in Rotterdam, Netherlands, April 3. While the coronaviruspandemic has proven challenging for both schools and parents in educating children, it is also achance for Catholic schools to confront those challenges with courage, said the Congregation forCatholic Education.

@Salina_Diocese

@SalinaDiocese

@SalinaDiocese

@Salina_Diocese

By Junno Arocho EstevesCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY —Looking for away to provideboth spiritual

and physical care on Easter,a group of Italian doctorsreceived their bishop’s per-mission to distribute Com-munion to those infected bythe coronavirus.

According to an articlepublished April 15 byAvvenire, the daily newspa-per of the Italian bishops’conference, six doctors car-ing for coronavirus patientsat a hospital in Prato, locat-ed in Tuscany, presentedthe idea to the chaplain andsubsequently received sup-port from Bishop GiovanniNerbini of Prato.

Bishop Nerbini made thesix doctors extraordinaryeucharistic ministers, allow-ing them to give Commu-nion to over 100 patients onEaster.

“I cried with the patients.Hospitals are places of care,but we can’t think of sepa-rating the body from the

spirit,” said Filippo Risaliti,one of the doctors who dis-tributed the Eucharist. “Irealized that in the fightagainst coronavirus, oureffort is too focused onfighting the physical ills ofthe patients.”

RISALITI SAID THE IDEAwas inspired by Pope Fran-cis’ call for doctors andmedical professionals “toplay the role of intermedi-aries of the Church for peo-ple who are suffering.”

“We are the only oneswho could do it, since onlywe can enter those rooms,”he said.

Dressed in protectivegear, the hospital chaplain,Father Carlo Bergamaschi,accompanied the doctorsdistributing Communion.The priest carried a cibori-um filled with consecratedhosts, which were individu-ally separated by gauze padsto avoid contamination.

For patients who were onrespirators and unable tophysically receive theEucharist, the doctors reada prayer at their bedside.

The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org April 24, 2020 15

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Bishop allows doctors togive Communion tocoronavirus patients

Serving from St. Mary Grade School in Salina

ABOVE: Jennifer McGilvray andSocorro Montoya assemblelunches for St. Mary GradeSchool students in the school’scafeteria. The program willcontinue through early May.

LEFT: Kim Cochran, registrarfor St. Mary Grade School,delivers lunches to cars April 3in Salina.

Photos by Karen Bonar / The Register

By Karen BonarThe Register

SALINA — Fac-ing a sea ofempty pews,Bishop JerryVincke posed

two questions to thosewatching the Chrism Massvia a live stream, “What isessential?” he said. “Andwhat is nonessential?”

On April 2, Sacred HeartCathedral was empty ofcongregants and clergy, dueto gathering restrictionsrelating to COVID-19 duringthe annual Chrism Mass.

“I want to thank all ofyou for watching this,”Bishop Vincke said. “I’mespecially grateful for mybrother priests who arewatching and joining us. Imiss you and wish youcould be here as well.”

While traditionally,priests from across the dio-cese would gather for theannual Chrism Mass, whichis celebrated prior to Easter,this year one representativefrom each region attended,and was in turn responsiblefor distributing the oil con-secrated during the Mass.

During the celebration ofthe Chrism Mass, a bishopconsecrates the Chrism Oiland blesses the Oil of theCatechumens and the Oil ofthe Infirm.

“At this Chrism Mass, wewill bless the sacramentaloils which are the instru-ments of our priestly min-istry for use in our parishestoday until the next chrismmass in 2021, and I hopeour cathedral will be packedon that day,” he said. “Whatwe do here today — blessingthese oils — is for the days,weeks, months ahead. Thesesacraments of faith are whatis essential.”

The Holy Chrism Oil is

used in baptism, confirma-tion and holy orders. Oil ofthe Catechumens is used forbaptism and the receptioninto the Church, and the Oilof the Infirm is used in theSacrament of Anointing ofthe Sick.

“What is essential, mydear brothers and sisters, isour faith,” Bishop Vinckesaid. “The whole world isstruggling to navigate thisunexpected storm that hashit us. We can look trusting-ly to the future because ofour faith in a person —Jesus Christ.”

THE BISHOP POINTED outthat it was 15 years earlierthat St. John Paul II died.

“I still remember gettingup early in the morning towatch his funeral Mass,”Bishop Vincke said. “At theend of the funeral, the com-mentator stated John PaulII was born poor, gaveeverything away to serveothers, and he died withnothing. Yet he was therichest man in the world.

“I remember crying a lit-tle bit when I heard thosewords. I think there issomething in all of us whoyearn to give our lives awaymore and more just asJesus did.”

THE ANNUAL CHRISMMass is also the time whenthe clergy of the dioceserenew their priestly vows.With only five priests pre-sent, the rest of the clergywere encouraged to watchand participate from afar.

Bishop Vincke pointedout the ties from the read-ings — Isaiah 61 and Luke4.

“We have been anointedto bring the good news ofGod’s mercy to the peopleentrusted to our care,” hesaid. “In other words, we

have been anointed toanoint.

“What is essential is thatwe bring God’s love, thefaith that’s been given to usto others — to the people weserve by distributing our-selves.”

The annual Chrism Massis also a time when priestjubilarians are publiclyacknowledged (please seeinfo box, above).

WHILE MANY ARE spend-ing additional time at home,

Bishop Vincke encouragedthe faithful to use it as anopportunity to deepen theirprayer lives.

“Please join me in pray-ing a rosary every day,” hesaid. “Please pray for thoseaffected by coronavirus, butalso please pray for ourpriests, and perhaps you toocan remember me in your

prayers. I love serving here,love the diocese and rely somuch on your prayers.

“May the father renewdeep within us the desire togive us holiness. Becausehaving a relationship withour Lord is really essential.

“This is our faith, andthis is what is most essen-tial.”

16 April 24, 2020 The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina, salinadiocese.org

Photos by Karen Bonar / The RegisterBishop Jerry Vincke delivers the homily of the Chrism Mass to an empty Sacred Heart Cathedral April 2. Due to gathering restrictions, only five priests were present atthe annual Chrism Mass, where the bishop blessed all of the sacramental oils to be used in the upcoming year.

Chrism Mass celebrated in vacant cathedral

Father Steve Heina (right) holds the book for Bishop Jerry Vincke as he blesses the oils during theLiturgy of the Eucharist at the annual Chrism Mass. This year, one priest representative from eachregion of the diocese attended, rather than one priest per parish.

Karen Taylor, left, and Father Steve Heina, right, wear gloves asthey pour sacred oil following the Chrism Mass. After the ChrismMass, the oils are divided up for each priest to take back to hisparish. This year, one priest from each of the diocese’s fourregions collected the holy oils, rather than a priest from eachparish attending, due to limitations of gatherings.

Priest Jubilarians65 Years

Father Felix Petrovsky,O.F.M., Cap.

60 YearsMsgr. James Hake

Father Merlin KiefferFather James Hoover

Father Gilmary Tallman,O.F.M., Cap.

Father Earl Meyer,O.F.M., Cap.