Our Youth

I submitted the following for our state Knights of Columbus newsletter:

How many of us have gotten excited because we've got tickets to the big game? Our favorite NBA team, NFL team, college is playing and we can't wait to be there in person. We are excited about sports. We don't personally know any of the players, but we know all about them because we've followed the news of our favorite teams. Tickets to the big game are a real highlight. The teams use the proceeds from the sale of our tickets to pay big money to the players and to build huge, expensive edifices to honor their teams and major donors.

How many of us, other than parents of the players, get that excited about our local sports teams? We often think a $5.00 ticket is expensive. Some of us might argue that we don't know any of the players, but the question might have to be asked "Why don't we know the players?" They are the children of our neighbors. We live in the same town and in some cases our kids attend the same schools. We should have a closer connection to these kids than we have with any professional or college team.

We read in the Gospel of Matthew:

The disciples approached Jesus and said,“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

As Knights of Columbus, we make it part of our mission to reach out to the youth of our communities. I ask the question, are we doing our part as individuals? Are we supporting the efforts of our schools to assist these young men and women to excel, not only at athletic events, but school plays, concerts and other activities. The presence of carrying people, such as the Knights of Columbus, can have a great impact on our youth.

Until next month, God bless each of you

Fr. Leo

Committee on Divine Worship Introduces Roman Missal Formation Website

This speaks for itself:

WASHINGTON—A new Website from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will educate Catholics about the forthcoming English translation of the new Roman Missal.

The site, www.usccb.org/romanmissal, launched August 21, includes background material on the process of development of liturgical texts, sample texts from the Missal, a glossary of terms and answers to frequently asked questions. Content will be added regularly over the next several moths. The bishop’s Committee on Divine Worship hopes the site will be a central resource for those preparing to implement the new text.

“In the years since Vatican II we have learned a lot about the use of the vernacular in the liturgy and the new texts reflect this new understanding,” said Bishop Arthur Serratelli of Paterson, NJ, in a welcome-to-the-site video.

“The new texts are understandable, dignified and accurate,” said Bishop Serratelli, who chairs the Committee on Divine Worship. “They not only strive to make the meaning of the text accessible for the listener, but they also strive to unearth the biblical and theological richness of the Latin text.”

After more than five years of consultation, study and reflection, the bishops are expected to conclude their review and approval of the final portion of the translated texts at the end of this year. Final approval (recognitio) of the text from the Holy See for the complete translation will be the last step before the publication of the texts for use in the liturgy.

Bishop Serratelli sees this time of waiting as an opportunity to learn and prepare.

“We have a great opportunity during this period not only to learn about the changes, not only to learn about the revised texts, but also to deepen our own understanding of the Liturgy itself,” he said. “We encourage priests, deacons, religious, liturgical ministers, all the faithful to avail themselves of the information that we are making available.”

In May 2002, the Vatican published the Latin text of the Third Edition on the Missale Romanum. Since 2003, the bishops of the English-speaking world have been working to prepare an English translation of the Roman Missal.

For information visit www.usccb.org/romanmissal.

Health Care

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been pretty busy trying to get things figured out in my new parish.

I did want to share the following from LifeNews.com. We at least know where this Congresswoman stands on the issue.

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- While abortion advocacy groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL, with help from their friends in the mainstream media, have attempted to explain away how the government-run health care plans would pay for abortions, one of their own finally admitted that to be the case.

During a Monday town hall event, pro-abortion Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, acknowledged that the Congressional bills include abortion funding.

"Abortion will be covered as a benefit by one or more of the healthcare plans available to Americans, and I think it should be," she said.

In a video provided to LifeNews.com by pro-life advocate David Schmidt, local pro-life advocate Ignacio Reyes asks Lofgren about the health care plan.

He says he wants to know if the plan would be "covering abortion, which we know that 90 percent of abortions are purely elective, not medically necessary. Why is this being covered when abortion is clearly not health care."

After applause from the audience for the question, Lofgren said the Congressional proposal was "a basic benefit plan developed by health professionals" and then added that she felt abortion should be covered under the legislation.

That the health care plans will lead to abortion funding has been one of primary reasons Americans are increasingly opposed to the bills.

The Associated Press had issued a news story claiming that abortion funding and insurance mandates would not be included, but released a story last week flip-flopping after LifeNews.com put pressure on the news agency in an expose'.

Last week, LifeNews.com exposed how CBS News is covering up the abortion funding tucked away in the government-run health care plan.

Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee says an amendment the House plan includes would pave the way for abortion funding.

"In reality, under the Capps Amendment, the federal government would run a nationwide insurance plan that would cover abortion on demand," he explained. "Abortionists would perform elective abortions on government-insured clients, send the bill to the government plan, and get checks from the government to pay for the abortions."

Secrets

This is my article for the next issue of our diocesan newspaper, The Harvest.

We have a secret that I’d like to pass on to all of you this month. It has to be a secret because most people say they’ve never heard about this topic before I’ve mentioned it to them. I think many of our priests have only heard hints of the secret, but don’t know enough about it to share it with the rest of their flocks, so they keep the little they know in the secret category as well. Have I built up your anticipation yet?

The secret I’m talking about is how we fund the education of our seminarians. Some people think we are like the US Government where we can just print the money we need and hope we have enough. That is not the case. Some people think the money is “just there.” This is not really the case either. I would even be so brave to suggest that some people think the bishop can perform miracles similar to Jesus’ multiplication of the bread and fishes – with a quick prayer and blessing the money becomes enough to pay for our seminarians’ education and there is enough left over to pay for the work of the vocation directors as well. If only any of these were the reality, my job would be much easier, but this is not the case.

We pay for the direct expenses of our seminarians through an endowment fund that consists of burses that have been donated for that purpose over the years. I believe in the early days a donation in the amount of $2,500 was considered a completed burse. The diocese can use the income from these burses to pay for the needs of our seminarians, but can never touch the principle. Over time the amount of money for a completed burse was raised to $10,000.

Just what is a burse? Where do they come from? A burse in the seminarian fund is money donated by a group or individual for the education of our seminarians. In the past groups such as a local council of the Knights of Columbus, or the Saint Francis Prayer Circle of some parish, raised money and started building a burse. Over a few years, they would complete the burse as more funds were raised. In the other case, individuals would donate money in memory of a loved one, or one would remember the seminarians and set up a burse as part of their estate when they passed away. Money in the endowment would continue to provide for our seminarians into the future.

In the beginning of my article I spoke of a secret. What has led me to believe the burses are a big secret is the number of new burses that have been created in the last several years is almost zero. I was speaking the Joe Loncki, our business manager, shortly after I took over the role of vocation director. He informed me that the money generated by the burses given in the past will pay for about four seminarians. That is woefully inadequate to meet the need for priests within our diocese. Costs have continued to rise, but the burse fund has stayed almost static. I am hoping to have eight or more seminarians as we go into the 2010-2011 academic year. Not having enough money in our seminarian burse fund will have an impact on other budget items in the diocese.

I want to challenge everyone in the diocese to think about our seminarian burses. Have you worked on your estate planning? Have you thought about setting aside some money to establish a burse in your own name? Were your parents very involved in the church, and did they have a great love for their priests? Have you thought about setting up a burse in their names? Are you the member of the Knights of Columbus, or the parish Council of Catholic Women? Has your organization established a burse in the past that needs to be completed? Are you capable of establishing a new burse over the next few years? If you would like more information about our seminarian burses, please feel free to call the diocesan business office, 1-800-332-9998 in Montana, or 1-406-727-6683, outside of Montana.

We need to get the secret out. We have a great way to pay for the education of our seminarians, but it requires the support of the faithful. Please consider a donation to our seminarian burse fund.

Please also remember to pray for vocations, the young men and women who are answering the call to serve the church as priests or religious, and the priests, living and deceased, who have served our diocese.

Life: Imagine the Potential

Catholicvote.org has done it again :)

A Week with the Boy Scouts

Last week I had the opportunity to be at our Boy Scout Council's National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) course staff preparation week. I've served as director for this course and it's predecessor, Junior Leader Training (JLT) course. Ever time I've seen an impact in the lives of many of the young men involved. Having a priest on staff helps set a different tone.

What I find even more impressive is the number of our young priests and seminarians who have been involved Boy Scouting, and this course. All of the priests in our diocese under the age of 45 were Boy Scouts. Several of our younger seminarians have also been Boy Scouts. The young man we will ordain tomorrow attend our JLT course. One of our seminarians also attended the course. One of my prospective seminarians was on staff with me for the JLT course.

I had the privilege of saying Mass for the Catholic staff members on Saturday night before leaving on Sunday morning to drive to Billings for our ordination activities. One third of our youth staff are Catholic. Most attended Mass. Some even attended daily Mass which was offered during the week. I left my vocations business card with a few of them. We'll see if I get any nibbles.

If you have the opportunity to support Catholic Scouting, please do so. This is a bed of formation for our future priests.

Getting Ready for My New Assignment

I sent the following to the local weekly to be published the day I arrive in my new parish.

Immaculate Conception parish to welcome new pastor

The parishioners at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fort Benton and Saint Margaret Catholic Church in Geraldine will be welcoming a new pastor on July 1. Father Leo McDowell has been appointed as the pastor of the parishes by Bishop Michael Warfel, the bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings with a formal installation ceremony to take place later in the summer.

Father McDowell grew up moving between Montana and South Dakota. His father was as USDA meat inspector which led to the family moves. Father McDowell went to high school in Forsyth, MT. Following high school Father McDowell attended school at MSU and, upon acceptance by the diocese as a seminarian, transferred to Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon where he completed his bachelor’s degree. Father McDowell then attended Mundelein Seminary outside of Chicago where he completed his Master of Divinity degree in 1994.

Father McDowell was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings on June 8, 1994 at Saint Ann’s Cathedral in Great Falls. His first assignment was to Saint Patrick’s Co-Cathedral in Billings as the Parochial Vicar. While at Saint Patrick’s he also assisted at Holy Rosary and was involved with the Billings Catholic Schools.

In 1998 Father McDowell assumed responsibility for Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Circle, Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Jordan and Saint Francis deSales Catholic Church in Richey. It is from this experience that Father McDowell comes to our communities.

In October of 2008 Bishop Warfel asked Father McDowell to assume the additional duties of vocation director for the diocese. In addition to serving in the parish Father McDowell will be meeting with young men and women from around the state and beyond to talk about service in the church within the diocese. Father McDowell also serves as a chaplain in the Air Force Reserve. He is currently assigned to Malmstrom AFB for his training responsibilities.

In his former communities, Father McDowell also helped out by volunteering and being trained as an EMT-B and wildland firefighter. As he states, "the flexibility of my schedule often makes it easier for me to help out in these areas, when I am in town." When asked about other activities Father McDowell mentioned that he has been involved with the Boy Scouts, enjoys the outdoors, camping and hunting.

When asked about his move to Fort Benton, Father McDowell admits, “After ten years, I’m going to miss my old parish, but I’m really looking forward to getting involved here and sharing in the history of the ‘Birthplace of Montana’”.

25 years

I was just looking at some of my pictures on my laptop and realized I had a copy of my senior picture in my files. Somethings change a lot in 25 years. Somethings not so much.

As I look at the pictures, not a lot seems to have changed. The eye-glasses are definitely different. There is a little more gray in the hair and the smile looks more confident. The tie has been replaced with a Roman collar. Just a few small changes.

Twenty-five years ago, I was not envisioning myself as a priest. I was getting ready to head off to Montana State University. Twenty-five years ago I would never have imagined I'd be motherless in less than a year. Twenty-five years ago I thought today I'd be retiring from the Air Force and just about ready to start a second career.

As I look I wonder where I'll be in another 25 years? What changes will continue to take place in my life?

We often have ideas about where we want to go, but we never really know where we are headed. We need to live our lives so as to be the best that we can be, keeping our ears open to hear God's call. It is not too much to anticipate that God may be calling us to greater things than we have on our radars today. We should live our lives accordingly.

May God bless us all with many more years to serve him.

Spiritual Leadership

I just submitted the following for our state Knights of Columbus newsletter. I hope you enjoy :)

Just after our great State Convention, I traveled south to take care of some Air Force Reserve commitments. I first traveled to Warren Robbins AFB in Georgia for a Reserve Chaplains Conference. The following two weeks I spent at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery Alabama to attend the Intermediate Chaplain Course.

One of the topics that was discussed at the chaplain school was spiritual leadership. As Knights of Columbus, spiritual leadership should be a focal point in our lives. As fathers and husbands, we often think about our leadership within the family. Many of us are our family bread winners. Those who are fathers have many times been called upon to instill discipline in their children. Yet, these are more of the signs of material leadership.

As spiritual leaders in our families and our communities, we need to be leading by example. People need to be able to look at us and see the presence of holiness. This holiness needs to be a genuine holiness, not a show for people to see. We start developing this holiness by developing our own prayer life. I remember my godfather and his attempt to grow in holiness. As his breathing problems got worse in life, and he was unable to get around like he once did, he spent hours praying the rosary at the kitchen table. He did this out of faith and was truly and inspiration to those around. This was a sign of a spiritual leader.

While we are working on our own spiritual life, what are some ways we can show our leadership? First, we can take an active role in our parishes as leaders of prayer. How many of our parishes pray the rosary before Mass? Could you help lead your parish in this prayer? How many of us could be identified as men of prayer by those who see us on the street? There are Catholic car magnets and T-shirts available to present the Catholic faith. One can find wonderful items using Google. Do we dress modestly? Do people walking into our homes immediately realize that our home is a Catholic home?

Little things like these help remind us of our role as spiritual leaders. With these reminders in our lives, we can truly transform ourselves into spiritual leaders.

Until next time, God Bless

Fr. Leo

New Assignments in the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings

This is from our diocesan webpage.

Official Priest Assignments Announced
Effective July 1, 2009

Rev. John Houlihan, Pastor of St. Patrick Co-Cathedral in Billings, will retire and assume the role of Pastor Emeritus.

Rev. William Hogan, Pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Billings will retire.

Rev. Raymond Nyquist, Pastor of Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Black Eagle, will retire.

Rev. Robert Grosch, Pastor of St. Jude Thaddeus Church in Havre, is assigned to serve as Pastor of St. Patrick Co-Cathedral in Billings.

Rev. Stephen Zabrocki, Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Wolf Point, with attached missions, is assigned to serve as Pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Billings.

Rev. Dale Yurkovic, Pastor of St. Mary Church in Livingston and St. Joseph Church in Big Timber, with attached missions, is assigned to serve as Pastor of St. Jude Thaddeus Church in Havre.

Rev. Wayne Pittard, chaplain on the Pastoral Care Staff of Benefis Hospital in Great Falls, is assigned to serve as Pastor of St. Mary Church in Livingston and St. Joseph Church in Big Timber, with attached missions of St. Margaret in Clyde Park and St. William in Gardiner. This assignment is effective August 10. During the interim starting July 1, Rev. Anthony Ozimek, OSB, supply priest in Billings, is assigned to serve as sacramental minister.

Rev. Anselm Ofodum, Parochial Administrator of St. Philip Bonitus Church in Scobey, with attached missions, is assigned to serve as Parochial Administrator of Immaculate Conception Church in Wolf Point, with attached missions of St. Joseph in Frazer and St. Ann in Vida. Rev. Francis Schreiber, Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Poplar, is assigned to serve as his supervising Pastor.

Rev. Domenico Pizzonia, Parochial Administrator of Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Benton and St. Margaret Church in Geraldine, is assigned to serve as Parochial Vicar of Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Black Eagle.

Rev. Paul McKane, OSB, presently serving as a priest in the Diocese of Rapid City, is assigned to serve as Parochial Vicar of St. Luke the Evangelist Church and St. Joseph Church in Great Falls.

Rev. Patrick Zabrocki, Pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist Church and St. Joseph Church in Great Falls, is assigned to serve as Pastor of St. Joseph Church in Plentywood and St. Philip Bonitus Church in Scobey, with the mission of St. Patrick in Medicine Lake.

Rev. Marcel Vogel, Pastor of St. Joseph Church in Plentywood, with attached mission, is assigned to serve as a supply priest in the Great Falls area.

Rev. Leo McDowell, Director of Vocations, is additionally assigned to serve as Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Benton and St. Margaret Church in Geraldine.

Rev. Jay H. Peterson, V. G. ., is additionally assigned to serve as Canonical Pastor of St. Joseph Church and St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Great Falls and Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Black Eagle.