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.

PLENARY INDULGENCE FOR THE YEAR OF PRIESTS

VATICAN CITY, 12 MAY 2009 (VIS) - According to a decree made public today and signed by Cardinal James Francis Stafford and Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M. Conv., respectively penitentiary major and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Benedict XVI will grant priests and faithful Plenary Indulgence for the occasion of the Year for Priests, which is due to run from 19 June 2009 to 19 June 2010 and has been called in honour of St. Jean Marie Vianney.



The period will begin with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, "a day of priestly sanctification", says the text, when the Pope will celebrate Vespers before the relics of the saint, brought to Rome for the occasion by the bishop of the French diocese of Belley-Ars. The Year will end in St. Peter's Square, in the presence of priests from all over the world "who will renew their faithfulness to Christ and their bonds of fraternity".



The means to obtain the Plenary Indulgence are as follows:



(A) All truly penitent priests who, on any day, devotedly pray Lauds or Vespers before the Blessed Sacrament exposed to public adoration or in the tabernacle, and ... offer themselves with a ready and generous heart for the celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Penance, will be granted Plenary Indulgence, which they can also apply to their deceased confreres, if in accordance with current norms they take Sacramental Confession and the Eucharist and pray in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. Priests are furthermore granted Partial Indulgence, also applicable to deceased confreres, every time they devotedly recite the prayers duly approved to lead a saintly life and to carry out the duties entrusted to them.



(B) All truly penitent Christian faithful who, in church or oratory, devotedly attend Holy Mass and offer prayers to Jesus Christ, supreme and eternal Priest, for the priests of the Church, or perform any good work to sanctify and mould them to His Heart, are granted Plenary Indulgence, on the condition that they have expiated their sins through Sacramental Confession and prayed in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. This may be done on the opening and closing days of the Year of Priests, on the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Marie Vianney, on the first Thursday of the month, or on any other day established by the ordinaries of particular places for the good of the faithful.



The elderly, the sick and all those who for any legitimate reason are unable to leave their homes, may still obtain Plenary Indulgence if, with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of observing, as soon as they can, the usual three conditions, "on the days concerned, they pray for the sanctification of priests and offer their sickness and suffering to God through Mary, Queen of the Apostles".



Partial Indulgence is offered to all faithful each time they pray five Our Father, Ave Maria and Gloria Patri, or any other duly approved prayer "in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to ask that priests maintain purity and sanctity of life".

Child Slavery

Notre Dame, My Mother

The following is from First Things

For many members of the Notre Dame Class of 2009, the uproar surrounding the university’s decision to honor Barack Obama with this year’s commencement address, and to bestow on him a doctorate of laws, has provoked strong feelings about what the ensuing conflict will mean for their graduation.

I know how they feel. Ten years ago, my heart was filled with similar conflicts as we came closer to the day of my own Notre Dame commencement and my commissioning as an officer in the United States Army.

You see, I was three months pregnant.

That March, I had gone—alone—to a local woman’s clinic to take a test. The results were positive, and I was so numb I almost didn’t grasp what the nurse was getting at when she assured me I had “other options.” What did “other options” mean? And what kind of world is it that defines compassion as telling a young woman who has just learned she is carrying life inside her that she has the option to destroy it?

Be sure to read the whole story