Phase III On The Horizon

This may not come as a big surprise, but beginning in the spring of next year, we will be kicking off our capital campaign to add on to the building. I wanted to lay out the framework of Phase III. Two years ago, we received an extension of our variance from the city of Ankeny for the portable classrooms that will extend to August of 2027. The plan is to continue to do some soft fundraising that we have already been doing, and then to do a more active fundraising in the spring. Also, in the spring we will be getting a building committee together and getting bids for architects. Shortly after that, we will get bids from builders, the process has not been finalized on whether or not we go with a design of the building and then out to bid for contractors, or to do what we did in phase II which is to have an architect and builder work together to design and then build. The goal is to be done with gathering pledges next summer with payments continuing through 2028; then we can break ground spring of 2026 with a completion date of winter of 2027.

The plan is for six or more classrooms, and five more offices. Both of these will have their own challenges during construction, but we will deal with that when we get there.

Here are the numbers, inflation adjusted costs for Phase III is estimated at $4.5 million! But, here is the good news, with our soft asks, between pledges and donations, we already have just under $2 million raised, and the cash assets are being invested in safe and stable investments, and we are earning interest and other income on those assets as well. So right now, we still need to raise $2.5 million and I have every confidence that we can achieve it. However, if we raise more than our goal, we would like to build a new rectory that is more suitable for two priests, the current one works but is just a bit too small. We would estimate that it would cost $200,000 more than we could sell the current rectory for. The other thing we would like to add is a dedicated cafeteria and it would cost around $1 million. This would allow for us to more easily have funeral dinners here, as well as also be able to have P.E. classes while lunch is going on.

So, with that, if you would like to make a donation during this tax year, we have our “Future Phase Fund” currently open though our donation site and that is a great way to help us out. But for those who have to take required minimum distributions from an investment account, there is a great way to donate to the Church and minimize and you can talk to your tax advisor for options. We have a couple of people who already do this. I wanted to thank you all for your past and continued generosity.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

The Feast Day of St. Martin De Porres

Bulika! Or for the 4:30 Saturday evening and 6pm Sunday evening Mass crowds, Zanoori!

These greetings in FraFra, the local dialect of the people in Zuarungu, Ghana, (Upper East part of Ghana) mean “good morning” and “good evening.”

Today is the Feast Day of St. Martin De Porres, November 3rd. Just as we celebrate St. Luke’s Feast day at our parish every year with “Oxtoberfest”, so the people of our Sister Parish, St. Martin de Porres and the 7 Outstation parishes connected with St. Martin De Porres, celebrate their parish Feast Day on this Day in Zuarungu, Ghana.

We just celebrated the feast of All Saints Day which always seems to remind me of the Catholic or “Universal” nature of the Church. Saints from so many different time periods, places, family backgrounds, nations, struggles, and, of course, victories are almost too innumerable to count! Yet, many, if not most of us, at the very least know of, or even have a very strong relationship and spiritual connection with a particular saint friend in heaven and ask for their prayers and help at different times in our lives.

The Saints help us to remember that our Church really is a divinely established, universal Community of divine faith, hope, and love, founded on the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. I remember a couple summers ago when Bishop Agyenta, Bishop of the diocese in which our Sister-Parish is located, visited us at St. Luke’s. He commented on how the Sister-Parish relationship between us and St. Martin De Porres is a living, concrete example of the “Global Village” (as he called it) that we live in in today’s world and how it is also a concrete and living reality of the Catholic dynamism and mutual solidarity of cultures united in the common and one Catholic faith.

Today, let’s remember our friends in Zuarungu, Ghana at our Sister Parish in prayer. Let’s also share in their joy, as they celebrate their great feast day of a great saint, St. Martin De Porres. May we, like St. Martin De Porres and St. Luke the Evangelist, answer Jesus’ Call and summons to strive to be modern-day saints, striving together as brothers and sisters in Christ in our “Global Village.”

Fr. Ryan

All Saints Day and All Souls day

This Friday is the feast of All Saints Day, and Saturday is the feast of All Souls day. On All Souls day, we remember those who have died this past year, and we are reminded to pray for all of our family members who have died. A few years ago, a priest that I greatly respected and served with, Fr Bob Hoefler, died. While he was in the hospice center with the final stages of his cancer, I and some other people were visiting with him and he made a comment to all of us who were there, he said that at his funeral he did not want anyone to canonize him. He did not want people to constantly say that he was in heaven.  Don’t get me or him wrong, he really wanted to go to heaven, but what he wanted was for people to pray for him because if we always say that someone who has died is in heaven, there is no need for us to pray for them anymore, and they may still need our prayers.

The feasts of All Saints and All Souls are important feast days for us as Catholics. We celebrate these days in order to remember those who have gone before us to eternal life. While they are similar in the fact that we are celebrating those who have died, they are different in what we are praying for. For those that are in heaven (All Saints) we pray a prayer of thanksgiving, one that is also asking those saints to pray for our needs. For those who are not in heaven yet, those who are in purgatory (All Souls) we are praying for their needs that God will speed the time of their purgation of sin and bring them lovingly into the kingdom of heaven. At a funeral, I will always tell people that the person who has died is in the loving and merciful hands of God now.  I will not say that they are in heaven, because I am praying that they will be there and I want them to receive the benefits of our prayers. We pray for them, not in the body that is on earth which is dead and buried, but for the soul which is eternal and is entrusted to God’s hands now.

On All Saints day, we celebrate all those who have served the Church in a special way, those who have fought the good fight of their lives and have been examples of holiness. Most of the people we celebrate are the countless examples of how to live holy lives. Only one of the saints in our history has been a perfect example, which is Mary the mother of Jesus, who was also perfect because He was God. Even though the saints are not perfect, they are still examples that can lead us to holiness. In the month of November, we remember our loved ones who have died. Here at St. Luke’s, there is a book in the entry of the church to write down the names of our loved ones, and you are welcome to write down the names of any of your loved ones who have passed away.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Looking Back

A while back, someone sent me a list of inspirational quotes about moving forward in their life. Some of them were kind of cliched, but others were pretty good. One that I remember goes something like “you cannot safely go forward if you are constantly looking behind you.” In our spiritual life we can easily have that constant urge to look behind and see those sins that we have committed, or the failures that we have had in our lives. I remember also a quote from Thomas Edison that said “I have not failed. I have simply found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

I know that in my own life, I can look back at the thousands of times I have failed at something, whether it be something as a child, or even later in life. Many of the failures that I have done led me to some of my greatest changes in life. In my vocation story, I mention that some of my failures would be using the material things to try and make me happy. I was in the Technology industry for 12 years and would always like to get the newest and greatest gadgets. For example, I was an early purchaser of the Apple Newton, which was a very early tablet device. It did not work very well and it ended up being more of a digital calendar and then after a while ended up getting dumped into a box of extra electronics.

The failure of the things to make me happy ended up in leading me into praying more, and asking God where he wanted me to be in my life, and that extra prayer, led me to seminary. Even in seminary, I had some challenges, but I kept moving through them year after year and relied that God was continually leading me on this path to the priesthood. Yes, I often look back at my life and cringe at the mistakes I made, but I often remind myself that I cannot change the things that I have done in the past, but can only use those things as a way to remind myself to not do them again.

The devil wants us to see those things so that we “know” that we are unworthy of God. The thing is, it is Jesus himself who makes us worthy of him. This is the entire reason why we have the Sacrament of Confession, to give up those mistakes, even if we do them over and over, keep coming back. In our lives, we need to continually move toward that kingdom of Heaven that God is calling us to. We need to continue to strive toward following the two great commandments to love God above all things, and our neighbors as ourselves. Another great quote that I use is from St. Mother Theresa, and it is “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” The best way to love our family is to help them forward to God and his kingdom. Keep moving forward to him.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

About St. Luke

This Friday, October 18th we will celebrate the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist. I always like to do my article about him. One of the common symbols of St. Luke is the Ox, and this is why a number of years ago we switched our parish festival to Oxtoberfest. Since we are celebrating the feast of our namesake, I thought that it would be good to write about him again, as I do every year. The ox comes from the prophet Ezekiel who had a vision about a creature with four faces: that of an ox, that of a man, that of an eagle, and that of a lion. The ox is a symbol because this was an animal that was used for sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and St. Luke begins his Gospel with the sacrifice of Zachariah, while he served as a priest in the Temple.

First and foremost, we know St. Luke was the writer of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, we say writer and not author because the author of all of scripture is God, humans only write them with the inspiration of God. Another reason for the ox is that St. Luke’s Gospel has a heavy focus on the mercy and forgiveness of God. We have St. Luke to thank for the story of the Prodigal Son and the woman who washes the feet of Jesus with her tears.

We also know that he was highly educated, because he was a physician, and we know this from a couple of different sources, first from St. Paul who calls him the “the beloved physician” and second from Church historians like Eusebius, St. Jerome, St. Irenaeus who all refer to St. Luke as a physician. There is also a discussion about where St. Luke came from, most would claim that he was Greek and was a Gentile who became a disciple of Christ. There is evidence because he is not listed when Paul mentions in the Letter to the Colossians those who were “of the circumcision” which would mean the Jewish people, but he is mentioned later along with someone called Demas. There is also a theory that St. Luke was a slave. We also know that St. Luke joined St. Paul in many of his journeys but not always. St. Luke first met up with St. Paul in Troas and traveled with him for quite a while then were apart for about seven years when they traveled again through Caesarea and Jerusalem. He was most likely with St. Paul when he was arrested and thrown in prison in Rome, even though it does not seem that he was in prison with him.

St. Luke also is one that has a special connection with the Blessed Mother, because he was the only one who has the account of the Annunciation as well as the Magnificat prayer. He was also the one who put the account of the Presentation in the temple, as well as the finding in the temple. He is also the one that we have to thank for the first part of the Hail Mary prayer which comes from the Annunciation and from the Visitation.

There are some conflicting stories of St. Luke’s death, but most say that he was martyred around the year 84, and his relics are in the Basilica di Santa Guistina in Padua, Italy.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Marriage, Divorce and Prayer

This weekend we hear the readings relating to marriage and divorce. I know that this can be a very emotional topic. I know that we do have many people in the parish that have been involved or affected by divorce and I do pray for healing for people who have been affected. Within the Catholic Church, we do teach what Jesus tells us in the Gospel this weekend. When Jesus is asked about whether or not it was lawful for a husband to divorce his wife, he responds that Moses allowed it because of the hardness of our hearts. But then he goes into bringing in the book of Genesis and tells us that God made us male and female and that we shall be joined as husband and wife, and that the two shall no longer be two, but one in flesh, and what God has joined, men must not separate.

When I do a wedding, I usually issue a challenge to the couple that they will be joined as one, and that they each have a new mission, and that is to get their spouse to heaven. I also recommend that one of the best ways to do that is to pray with each other and for each other. I was reading a study a while back and it discussed divorce rates, but I cannot seem to find the study again. It stated that the average divorce rate in the US is roughly 45%, of which, 40% are first marriages, and subsequent marriages are higher. Catholic marriages were slightly lower, but the single statistic that stood out that strengthened a marriage is when a couple actively prays together, this means something beyond Mass (or other service for non-Catholics) and prayers before meals, but couples that sit down and pray with each other at other times. Couples who did this on a regular basis had a 2% divorce rate. That was a staggering number for me. I almost always mention this to couples that I am preparing for marriage.

So, here is my recommendation, if you and your spouse are not doing this, find a way to do it! Inviting God into your marriage will only help you to strengthen it. If you are not married, and are discerning marriage, pray for your future spouse. If, however, you are divorced, and would like more information on the annulment process, either Fr Ryan or myself would be happy to talk to you about the process. I pray every day for strong marriages and families.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Cleaning out your "Junk Drawer"

Most of us have that one drawer in the house that is the junk drawer. That particular drawer that you put all of those things that you cannot seem to find a place for and we can never seem to find what we really need in it. That short piece of rope that you may need some time, the remote from that VCR that you haven’t used in ten years, the collection of paint can openers, miscellaneous batteries for something you may need again later, that charging cable from the phone you had 12 years ago, and the many other items that you may or may not use in the next few decades. It is the drawer that you do not ever want to clean and organize because you know what will happen, you will pull the items out of the drawer and then all of the stuff will just end up back in the drawer.

Have you ever thought the same thing about confession? The sacrament of Confession forces us to do something that we may not want to do, and that is to open up that drawer full of junk and empty it. To take the time and go through all of the junk we do not need and get rid of all of it, but then the trick is to not try and fill it up with junk again, but fill it with stuff that will be useful and beneficial to us. Sins that we do in our lives are the things that we know we should not hold onto, but we do anyway. We keep collecting them until the drawer is just too full or we start putting them in other places and either we become hoarders of sin, or finally go through it and get rid of the stuff we don’t need.

Sometimes I hear people say that they do not want to go to Confession because, like the emptying and refilling of the junk drawer, they will end up doing the same sins again and again. Even if that is the case, we still need to do it. I know in my own case, I tend to do the same sins, even after I go to celebrate the Sacrament. We get into the habit, even if we walk out of the confessional with the intention to not do it again, it can be challenging. One of my professors reminded us that it is better to do the same sins (unless they are very serious) than to go through the Commandments and decide which ones we are going to do this time. I also know that it can be difficult to go to Confession because it forces us to look at the things that we have done wrong, but in the end, it is a wonderful way to unburden ourselves with the junk that we have been collecting over the many days, weeks, or years. Take that time and dump the junk into the accepting arms of God.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Are you wealthy?

A while back, I was flipping through the channels on TV early in the morning, and ran across one of the prosperity gospel preachers. The theme with them is that if you are living your life well, God will reward you with wealth on this earth. This preacher was trying to reconcile the fact that Jesus states that we should not store up treasures on earth with the idea that you should be materially wealthy. He states that what Jesus meant was when we are in heaven, we don’t need any treasure, so when we do good works God stores up treasure for us from the good things that we do and then, He will give it to us on earth in the form of a good spouse, nice house, nice car, etc. My reaction to that, is according to that logic, the Columbian drug lords must have been really good, because they have great treasure on earth, while all of those other people in developing countries must be horrible people, since their lives are a financial struggle. This idea basically states that God is the giant ATM in the sky who gives us money and houses and airplanes because we are good. Umm … NO. Jesus follows this up with the statement “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” and “You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being wealthy, money is only a tool, in so many ways, each of us are wealthy. In fact, most parishes benefit greatly from the wealthy, because they tend to have more disposable income to be able to donate to larger projects. So, yes, money is just like any other tool that we use. We gain wealth by trading our work, services, or ideas for the exchange of currency of some kind. Instead of trading objects, we now use currency or investments to be able to store our wealth easier. Even the idea of being rich is a matter of perspective, depending on who you are, your needs, where you live, and many other factors. The median yearly income for a household in the US is around $73,000 but, the worldly median income is $9,733, and in Liberia it is $781. Could you imagine trying to live on $781 a year? If you have a place to live, a mode of transportation, and three meals a day, you are in the top 50% wealthiest people in the world.

So, in the end, it is really not about wealth, it is about what we do with it. I am always concerned when someone states that you can tell how morally good or bad someone is by how wealthy they are, because that is not the point of faith, the point is to bring us to the glory of heaven, where there is no need of anything else. God gives us many different tools in our lives to store up treasures in heaven, He gives us wealth and abilities so that we can share them with others, He also gives us other gifts so that we use those as well to show the kingdom of God to all we meet.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

What is hell like?

What is hell like? I sometimes get asked questions about what heaven and hell are like. For some, heaven is a beautiful golf course in which every shot we hit goes exactly where we want it to, and hell is a golf course in which you miss a six-inch putt. While this example may be simplistic, we all have some image in our mind in which we can think of heaven or hell.

There are many different images of what hell can be like from Dante’s epic work the Divine Comedy – Inferno, in which Dante takes his journey through hell. Hell is depicted as having seven levels in which the upper levels are where the punishment of the less serious sins happens and the lower ones for the more serious ones. At the upper regions, the damned are constantly chasing the things they chased on earth, for example those who commit the sin of lust are desperately trying to hold on to another person in a great wind storm. In the lower regions, people are encased in ice either right side up or upside down and the three worst sinners are spending eternity being chewed up by Satan.

I was watching a movie and it had an interesting take on what hell was like; it was a place in which you spent eternity watching all of the bad things that were happening to those you loved. I can only imagine what that would feel like, seeing the pain and suffering of those that you cared about forever. St. Theresa of Avila once spent some time in hell and she said that if anyone could see what she saw, they would never want to sin again. In the New Testament, Jesus himself gives us a couple of images of hell and it is equated to the Valley of Gahanna, which is the place where they threw the trash and burned it. He says that hell is a place “where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” Jesus is hinting that the people who end up there are thrown out like refuse and burned.

In one of my favorite passages, Mt: 25, Jesus discusses the way to get to heaven or hell and that is up to us, but it was not originally created for us, it is “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” In essence, hell was not created specifically for us, but he does let us make the choice. Most of us would not consciously choose to go to hell, but Jesus does state that we will be judged for our actions. He is telling us that in the end, it is our own choices in life that determine where we will end up for eternity, hopefully it will not be there, but in the kingdom of heaven with him. As the Act of Contrition states, we should really fear the loss of heaven and the pains of hell.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Where do you like to go?

Have you ever been going through some pictures, either on your phone, a folder on your computer, or even the old-fashioned photo albums and found one that brings back a special memory? This could be a person that is/was very special to you, or a wonderful experience that you had. I will sometimes just go through some of my photos just to bring up a memory of an experience.

As many of you know, I really enjoy traveling. I love to see new places and experience different, or even re-experience places that I have been to before and enjoyed. I have traveled with a few different friends to different places. Yes, I have a few favorites, Rome and the Holy Land are two of the places that I would go again and again, primarily because of the history of the faith. To be at the places where Jesus walked and taught, and did some of his miracles is a wonderful thing to do, or to get close to the place in which Paul was executed, or to be able to be next to the tomb of St. Luke or other saints can be very moving. Some of the other things that we get to experience when we travel is to see the wonderful gift of God’s creation. Another one of my favorite places is Glacier National Park in Montana. To see the beauty that is in the world can be quite moving as well.

The question is, do we need to travel to a National Park, to the Holy Land, or Rome to grow our faith? The answer is of course not, prayer is the primary thing that we need to do to grow our faith. Mass of course is the highest form of prayer that we have, it attaches us to the altar, and in turn to the one altar in Heaven. In Eucharistic Prayer I, there is a part which states “In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God: command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty. So that all of us, who through this participation at the altar receive the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, may be filled with every grace and Heavenly blessing.” So, in the Mass, we are not only in the building of the Church, we are also in the presence of the altar in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the Mass, we, in a sense, visit not only the beautiful and holy places on earth, but we also get a glimpse of a picture of Heaven! During the Mass, we not only get to see the wonderful things, but we also get to participate in them and receive them as we receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ.  No matter how beautiful a building is, or how breathtaking a site of nature is, they pale in comparison to the single most beautiful thing that we can participate in, the Holy Mass. So, as we think about that time we get to spend with Christ, let it be the best time that we can spend.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Have A Thankful Labor Day Weekend!

This weekend, we will be celebrating Labor Day. It is often seen as the last hurrah of summer and the beginning of fall. The holiday is sometimes dubbed the “working man’s holiday” because it was begun by the labor movement in the 1880’s. Many people take the opportunity on this weekend to do the last vacation, or the last big cookout of the summer. Still others take this long weekend as an opportunity to do some work on the house or yard. Whatever we do on this long weekend I would encourage everyone to take a few minutes to thank God for the many gifts that we have received.

We could also take some time to pray for those who do those jobs that we do not want to do. Another thing that we can do is to take some time to pray for those who want to be working and either do not have a job or do not have a job that they would like to have. Especially in this time in which many people may be out of work. There is a great fear in many people these days, whether it be someone who is out of a job and is worried about their livelihoods, or those who are currently working, or so many other things to worry about.

Saint Paul reminds us to do the work that we have to do without complaining and do it with joy. The work we do is to raise and support ourselves and our families. But it can also help others around us. I am amazed at the generosity of the people here all the time, when we need something, it is always provided for, and that is thanks so much to all the people here. I am so grateful for the many blessings that we have received here at St. Luke’s in the five years that I have served here.

Each of us has a passion to do something in life, and one of the most satisfying things is to be able to work at something we love. I have heard the phrase, if you work at something that you love, you will never work a day in your life. I know in my own case, this is where God wants me to be at this time, here at St. Luke’s. Being able to hear where God is calling us to be can make our labors joyful, even if they are hard work. I know that this is the case with many of our staff here at the parish and school as well. We work for less financial compensation than in the secular world, but the other benefits are out of this world. So as we are in this long weekend, remember that it is great to have some time off, but it is also great to be able to get paid doing something you love. Enjoy the long weekend and remember to pray each and every day. Pray especially in thanksgiving for the many gifts God has given each one of us.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

What is going on around the Parish?

This article is going to be a few pieces of random information about what is going on around the parish.

First of all, we are getting ready for RCIA for those who are interested in joining the Catholic Church. We will begin the classes in September, if you know of someone who is interested in joining the Church, or is just curious about the faith, have them contact Fr Ken, Fr Ryan, or Mary Jo Schechinger for more information.

Second, we are still in need of some volunteers to help with Religious Education for the year. We NEED a good number of catechists, please consider helping. We are also in need for substitute catechists, small group leaders, as well as helpers in the classrooms. If you feel called to help the 375 kids we serve in our Religious Education program, please contact Mary Jo Schechinger for more information.

We are still looking for parent or grandparent (or other) volunteers in the school. We utilize a good number of volunteers to help with lunches here at St. Luke. It is a good opportunity to help the students and see the excitement of the students around the lunch times here.

Fr Ryan is planning on leading another trip to Ghana to visit our sister parish in June, and Fr Ken is leading a pilgrimage to Italy for the Holy Doors in March over Spring Break.

Many have probably heard or guessed, we will be starting the process for Phase III of Construction. The estimate for the construction is $4.5 million. Yes, this is a lot of money, but we do have a pretty good start, thanks to some special donations to our Future Phase Fund that people are contributing to. We are in need of more classrooms for the school as well as for religious education. The project will be about 6 classrooms and some new office space. Right now, Fr Ryan and I share an office, Mrs Hade, Mrs Hazel, and Mrs Mathas share an office, and Jeremy and Nick share an office. We would like to add 4-5 more offices in this project. We do have some extra projects that we will add on if we can get over our goal. One is to build a rectory, the current rectory is decent, but it would be nice to have dedicated space for each of us, as well as a good place to hold special dinners. This would be around $200,000 more than we could sell the current rectory for. The other option is a dedicated cafeteria, this would allow for PE to go on during the lunch times, and it would also allow for a better option for funeral dinners if they are needed. Currently, if we have a funeral dinner during the school day, the kids have to bring a sack lunch and eat in their classrooms.

Finally, keep praying for staff, faculty, volunteers, and the many different things going on here at the parish and school. While it is very busy around here, it is really a wonderful and energetic place to be!

God bless,
Fr. Ken

It's Back To School!

This week we welcome the children back to school. It will be good to have them back in the building again. As of me writing this article we will be having around 380 kids here this year, a growth of 30 new students. In the time that I have been here, we have seen the school over double in the number of students that we have. Just to put it into perspective, the school year before I arrived, which is the same year that Mrs. Hade arrived, we were at 153 students. We have also gone from a total parish and school salary of $573,000 a year to $1,200,000 a year! Wow have we grown, and it is not just the school side, we are expecting over 375 kids to be in our religious education programs this year as well, and we are adding level one of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd this year as well.

The beginning of the school year has a lot of nervousness and excitement that goes along with it. There are the new kindergartners who are coming in and some are really excited and some are terrified. I remember a couple of years ago when one particular kindergartner was super excited to come in, but when they found out that they had to come the next day, there were upset, they thought that it would only be one day! The older kids, while they are not necessarily excited to come to school, they are happy that they will be seeing their friends again on a regular basis. One of the wonderful things that I get to do as a pastor here is to celebrate the Holy Eucharist with the kids for the Wednesday school Mass. It usually is at 8:30 and parents are welcome to come, however, this Friday for the first day of school, we will have Mass at 9:00 instead, so that the teachers can get the kids settled a bit, and the kindergarteners will not be there until the next Wednesday. However, the school Mass on Wednesday does NOT take the place of the Sunday Mass, we still have the Sunday obligation of attending.

Sometimes I also hear that parents do not bring their children to Mass because they don’t want to go, they would rather stay at home and sleep or play games, so they let them. What is the difference between Mass and school?  While school gives them an education to get through this life, the Mass gives them an education to get to eternal life. We bring our kids to school even if they do not want to go because we know that it is good for them, we should also do the same with Mass and their faith. We ourselves should be a joyous example for our children in the practice of the faith, even in challenging times. When our children ask us questions about the faith or why we go to Mass, we should help them to find the answer even if we do not know it. This is something that will help us with our own faith life. We want our children to be the best that they can be and with the help of God, they can be, but we need to help them to see that gift that God is for them by showing them our own love for God.

 God bless,
Fr. Ken

The 2024 National Eucharistic Congress

The National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis this past July 17th-21st was the first such Congress in the United States in about 80 years. The last such Congress prior to Indianapolis was held in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1941.

From the people I have talked with, to the news that I have read, all indications are that last month’s National Eucharistic Congress was an exceptionally graced moment in the history of United States Catholicism. The graces of which will continue to unfold in years to come. Many people of have likened last month’s Eucharistic Congress to Saint Pope John Paul II’s visit to Denver, Colorado for World Youth Day in 1993.

So, what does this mean for St. Luke’s Catholic Church and School?

Unsurprisingly, I think that a couple Scripture passages from this weekend’s Gospel can illuminate a path forward. Jesus says in the Gospel, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him” and, “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.”

The primacy of listening to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, is prominent in these passages. In fact, our whole Christian journey of faith and our eternal destiny depends on this “listening”, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”

What was the difference between the disciples who stayed with Jesus after the Bread of Life Discourse and those who up to that point followed him, but after this Discourse, left him because they couldn’t accept His teaching that He is the Bread of Life, come down from heaven?

Faith.

The only motive or reason that we, today, and Peter in the time of Jesus’ public ministry 2,000 years ago, can say along with Peter, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God”, is the totally gratuitous gift of divine faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

Faith will tell us Christ is Present, when our human senses fail.

May we pray for a renewed outpouring of living faith in Jesus truly Present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in this great Sacrament we hail. May we have that disposition and posture of attentive and active listening that our Mother Mary showed at the Annunciation and in so doing, through faith, bear Jesus in ourselves in Eucharistic faith, as Mary bore Him as His Mother.

In Christ,
Fr. Ryan

Diocesan Strategic Vision

Blessed 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time!,

On June 26th, Bishop Joensen launched the Diocesan Strategic Vision that he desires be implemented in every parish in the diocese. Bishop Joensen requests that all parishes participate in listening to the Holy Spirit in discerning what priorities each parish should focus on starting this fall, 2024.

The Priorities that the Diocese has identified, by listening to each parish in the Diocese and doing its own discernment in the Spirit, include the following:

1. Creating a Culture of Welcome and Care in our Parish Communities
   A welcoming parish is a reflection of Christian hospitality. Once we are welcomed, it is important to know we are cared for, that we matter to the life of the parish.

2. Inviting People Into an Encounter with Jesus Christ
   Jesus invites all of us to have a personal relationship with Him. The work of  evangelization is an invitation into an encounter with Jesus which transforms us, our families, our parish, and our communities.

3. Accompanying our Youth into Discipleship with Jesus Christ
   Walking with Youth means meeting them where they are. Our youth are interested in making connections with their peers and forming lasting relationships.

4. Engaging our Young Adults into Full Participation
   We seek to connect young adults with Jesus Christ, the Church as a welcoming Christian Community, the mission of the Church in the world, and a peer community where faith is nurtured and strengthened.

5. Preparing Disciples for the Domestic Church
   The family is placed at the heart of discipleship and mission. It is the privileged place for evangelization, catechesis, and spiritual growth.

6. Communicating our Message Boldly and Clearly
   Good communication is at the core of helping people know and love God. It is the lynchpin in a thriving, active parish.

Fr. Ken and I invite you to pray with us, asking the Holy Spirit’s guidance, on where the Holy Spirit is guiding our parish.

May God continue to bless you this Summer!

In Christ,
Fr. Ryan

Self-Control

A while back, I was in the thrift store that the parish ran in Creston and was amazed at the mountain of stuff that was donated just over the weekend. I began to think that at some point someone looked at whatever the item was at a store or on a commercial and told themselves “I have to have that thing” or he or she would not have purchased it. So many of the things that come in were never used or worn, they were purchased or received as a gift and then got put away in a closet or basement and then donated. I can only imagine at the price of these things when they were purchased new and are now sold for anywhere from a quarter to a couple of dollars.

We as Americans are constantly bombarded by the many messages that give us an opportunity to be parted with our money. Turn on the TV or websites, and just look at some of the ads, “your car makes your kids embarrassed, so if you want to be a cool parent, buy this one, we will even help you to go into debt to buy it, it will only be this much a month over many years”, or if you want to pick up a member of the opposite sex, just drink this beer, or if you want to jump like Michael Jordan, buy these shoes… the list goes on and on. I can fool myself by saying that the ads do not affect me, but I find myself seeing something in the store that I saw on an ad and wanted to buy it just to see what it is like. The more ads we see, the more we are affected.

The best way to circumvent it is to practice self-control, the same goes with sin, sin like in advertising seems really attractive, but in the end, like all of the items that get donated, they leave us unfulfilled. The devil always promises us something that is good, otherwise we would not choose it, just look at the temptation of Jesus. However, the good that sin is portrayed, it always comes with a cost. Jesus knew that he had access to whatever the devil promised anyway and had something better. The cost of sin always affects our soul, and sometimes the souls of others. The devil is to offer us something that we think that we need even if he does not have the power to give it to us. The point of advertising is to make something look enticing so that the next time we are in a store or shopping online we will purchase it even if we do not need it. This is where we need to have that self-control in purchasing, but more importantly self-control in our spiritual life. It is easy to say, don’t fall into the temptation to sin, but it is not that easy to follow. The best way to not fall into the temptation to purchase something is to make a list of things that you need to purchase and only get those. The best way to not fall into sin is to draw close to God who will give us the power to overcome sin.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Habit or Addiction?

During the summer we might have some more free time, we can often fall into some old habits or addictions. There is a subtle difference between the two, but basically a habit is something that we automatically do, whether good or bad, because we are used to doing it. An addiction on the other hand, is something that we do because we must do it and we often have little power on our own to stop it. We all know that addictions can cause major issues, we know that smoking can cause health issues, addictive use of alcohol and drugs can seriously affect our lives. Those are the addictions that most people think of when we mention addictions, but out there that are not often talked about; addictive hoarding, shopping and one that I am going to focus on in this article, pornography. It is one of the most addictive things out there and while many people in our society do not see it as a problem, it is something that can ruin lives. It can drive a wedge in a marriage, change the way we see others, and can lead to other destructive behaviors. There are some scary statistics about it, the average age for the first viewing of hard-core pornography is now under 10 and 65% of the people between the ages of 13-24 actively seek it out at least weekly! It is commonly thought to be just a problem with males, but more and more, females are increasingly becoming addicts as well, with teens being the highest bracket affected. These statistics are kind of scary, and should be for parents of young children. We normally do not think that we should discuss this with young children, but we should do it in an appropriate way. For teens it should be at a higher level, and with the younger ones, we should do it in a way that is appropriate for them, a good resource is a book called “good pictures, bad pictures” they also make a junior version of it. For electronic devices, there are a number of decent filters out there that can help to block access, most are not perfect, but they can help.

For those who may be currently struggling with an addiction, there is support available as well. There are a number of good websites available fightthenewdrug.org is a pretty decent one, as well as some good filtering programs Covenanteyes is a pretty good one. In a priest study day a few years ago, we had a priest from another diocese talk about his own struggle and overcoming of his addiction. www.assessingpornaddiction.com is a good self-check for ourselves but we need to be honest with ourselves. He recommended a good process to get us through an addiction. Having a good and open Confession is a great start to it, second is to close off our access to porn, third is having accountability to someone, whether it be a spouse or close friend, fourth is counseling, Catholic Charities counseling services is a good starting place, and fifth is to stay vigilant! I know that this is not a fun topic, but it is one that is important and with God’s help, we can overcome anything.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Parish Statistics Update

It is time for our updated parish statistics. Since we are such a growing parish, twice a year I go through our registration database and update the statistics for the parish. As of a few weeks ago, we are currently around 870 families with a total number of parishioners of 2775. We gain about 8 families a month as we continue to grow. One of the interesting things is how young the median age is here, and that is 24. If you go to the 8:30 or 10:30 Masses, it will not surprise you that our two largest age groups are kids, with 23% of the members here under the age of 10, 21% 10–20-year-olds, and only 17% over the age of 50. With that, the next larger groups are the parents of the children with 15% in the 30-40 and 17% in the 40-50 age range. These numbers paint an amazing picture of what our parish looks like, and what our needs are.

Most of you have seen the plans for our construction phases and what we hope to look like in the next 20+ years. Whenever I have someone introduce themselves and tell me that this is the first time that they have come to Mass here, I warn them that we have very “active” Masses here with the number of kids here, and that is a wonderful thing. I often say, I would rather have the kids making a bit of noise and have them here, than to not have them come. We sometimes hear that children are the future of the Church, but I argue that for them to be the future, they need to first be the present with their parents, even if they make some noise.

We do and will continue to have some growing pains here because we are growing faster than we can afford to construct buildings, so we have to be creative in the way we do things. I will take this opportunity for a shameless plug to say if you would like to help, we have our “Future Phase Fund” available to donate to! We are hoping to begin fundraising for Phase III classroom and office space project around the end of this year and the active pledge phase in the early part of next year, with a completion expected for summer of 2027. We have accomplished a lot since we started as a parish, but we still have a long way to go. In the 2016 school year, we had 246 kids in our Religious Education classes and 93 in the school.  In the past school year, we had 373 in the Religious Education classes and 346 in the school and are estimating over 380 for the upcoming year.

I know the Mass overflow to the gym is not ideal, but, currently, it is necessary. I would love to start the worship space next, but we are living on limited time with our portable classrooms. I must admit, even though there are many challenges here, and the celebration of Mass is not the peaceful, quiet, and contemplative way that would be ideal, it is such a blessing to be here amid the vibrant life and excitement that is here. So… Parents, keep up the good work of bringing the kids to Mass every Sunday, it can only help to strengthen the faith that you have, and that you can continue to give your children.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Saint Michael the Archangel

Often times I talk about the named Saints, because the saints are ones who may not have been perfect and even if they did not live the earlier parts of their lives in a good and holy way, they had a conversion in some way that brought them back on the path to God. However, there are a few interesting saints that we call saints, even though they really are not in the traditional sense, because they were not even human, and those are the Archangels. There is not even a question, because the basic definition of a saint is someone who is in heaven.

We know of three Archangels from Scripture, Raphael in the book of Tobit, Gabriel was the messenger of God who delivers the greatest message of all time, announcing to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she was going to conceive through the Holy Spirit, the Savior of the World, and finally, Michael, who is mentioned in the book of Revelation. Michael is the one who will lead the army of Heaven against the devil in the end, he is one that we often are reminded to pray to for strength. The Archangel Michael is also one who is a defender of the Church. He is most often portrayed with a flaming sword standing on top of the devil and pushing him back into hell. In the speech that Pope Francis gave while dedicating Vatican City to both St. Joseph and St. Michael the Archangel a few years ago, he says “Michael struggles to restore divine justice and defends the People of God from his enemies, above all by the enemy par excellence, the devil. And St. Michael wins because in him, there is He, God, who acts. This sculpture reminds us then that evil is overcome, the accuser is unmasked, his head crushed, because salvation was accomplished once and for all in the blood of Christ.” Pope Francis also said “We are not alone on the journey or in the trials of life, we are accompanied and supported by the Angels of God, who offer, so to speak, their wings to help us overcome so many dangers, in order to fly high compared to those realities that can weigh down our lives or drag us down. In consecrating Vatican City State to St. Michael, the Archangel, I ask him to defend us from the evil one and banish him.”

We are constantly reminded in news stories that there is evil in this world and we need God’s help even through His angels and saints. We should be reminded of St. Michael’s strength in the prayer of Saint Michael “Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the Divine Power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.”

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Celebrate and work for unity

This week we celebrate the Independence of this great nation. The Fourth of July holiday is one, like many other ones, that has lots of traditions. From parades, fireworks, cookouts, swimming, family time, and many others, we even here have started a tradition to come out on the east lawn of the church to watch the fireworks. One of the traditions that I think that we need to continue to do and to build on is to pray, pray for our families, for our friends, our Church, and especially for our nation.
Currently, I personally have been avoiding watching the news on television because I get so disappointed with the level of division that we have in our nation, right or left, conservative or progressive. I see politicians on both side of the aisle name calling and blaming the other side for the problems that we have. I also see this within our Church, God is calling us to follow him and the devil is using his tools to fight against that. The reality is that it is up to all of us to begin to work together for the greater good of all of us.
One of the things I think that the pandemic brought out is a greater division in us. We are social beings by nature, and one of the things that all of us desire is a sense of belonging, whether we are introverted or extroverted, we want to belong to something. God wants us to belong to him and him to us, but God also wants that to be a free choice that we make. God will not force us to be with him, even though it might be easier for us, he has given us that freedom to follow or not, it really is our choice. We choose him by the two great commandments to love God above everything and then love our neighbor as ourselves. We cannot love those who we despise, but we can still love those that we disagree with. One of the greatest tools of the devil is division because pitting us against each other does not allow for peace, but strife and struggle.

When we are focused on the differences that we have, we fail to look at the ways that we are alike and then we fail to look toward the only true one who can truly help us and that is God. He made us in his likeness and image, so in this way we are all alike, we are all children of the living God who loves us so much that he sent his Son into the world to free us from sin and death, if we are willing to let them go. Keep praying for healing in our Church, our Nation, and our own lives and remember that this holiday is a remembrance that we can freely come together to be a people of unity.

 God bless,
Fr. Ken