By Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger

Upon my arrival in the Salina Diocese, I quickly discovered that the “Stewards of Hope” pastoral plan was a key legacy initiated by my predecessor, Archbishop Paul Coakley, in collaboration with a host of priests, lay ministers and committed volunteers.

Nearly 200 laypeople have participated on “Stewards of Hope” committees throughout the diocese. They have collaborated with priests, pastoral councils, finance councils and committees within their parishes to implement the pastoral plan. The energy, talent and resulting faith that it has called forth from the people of our diocese has been a real blessing for us all.

A few weeks ago on a Saturday in mid-February, I was present for a “Stewards of Hope” meeting of parish representatives at St. Mary, Queen of Angels Church in Russell. I found there an energetic group of laypeople, priests, deacons and women religious who were anxious to reflect on the results of Year II of “Stewards of Hope” as well as plan for Year III. It was rewarding to listen to the successes, comments and suggestions from the “Stewards of Hope” committees. It also was obvious that the “Stewards of Hope” Pastoral Plan has had a positive impact on the spiritual activity and growth in our diocese over the past two years.

Clearly there are some essential connections between the “Stewards of Hope” Pastoral Plan, the “Year of Faith,” the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the new evangelization, which was so dear to the heart of our pope emeritus. All of these call Catholics to deepen their own dependence on God’s mercy and redemption and to share with others their encounter with the person of Christ as he is present in the Church.

The “Stewards of Hope” Pastoral Plan is on a four-year schedule. Year I in 2011 laid the foundation for loving God and loving our neighbor by focusing on objectives related to the universal call to holiness, adopting stewardship as a way of life, keeping the Lord’s Day holy, and evangelization.

Year II in 2012 dealt with promoting vocations and training future priests, religious and lay leaders for the Church.

Our current year, Year III, deals with strengthening Catholic parishes through religious education, marriage and family ministry, and ministry to youth and young adults. It also touches on the defense of life and human dignity.

Year IV in 2014, the final phase, will stress the Church reaching out to the world through its ministry to ethnic groups, especially Hispanics; using modern communications media to spread the Gospel; and advocating for justice through Catholic social teaching.

One of the many blessings I have observed has been the dedication and commitment of the “Stewards of Hope” committees and the results of their efforts. But there is still much to be done. I would encourage all Catholics of our diocese to ask themselves how their parish might work to achieve the goals related to life and family this current year.

This is the second in a series of articles by Bishop Weisenburger on the “Five Wounds of Secularization” to be published during this “Year of Faith.” The first part, “Busyness: The Scourge of our Modern Time,” was published Nov. 30. An overview, “Probing the Wounds: A Different Look at the ‘Year of Faith,’ ” was printed Jan. 18.

By Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger

In looking at the “Five Wounds of Secularism,” the second of the wounds we have identified is consumerism and materialism. The sin is focusing our lives excessively on money and possessions — the passing things of this world — while sacrificing the things that last into eternity. The grace that heals the wound is found in the call to simplicity of life, sharing with others and discovering right relationship with God and neighbor.

I realize that there are a certain amount of material things that I must contend with — to consume — in order to survive as a human. But this Lenten season challenges me to consider the right balance of the material things I need and the material sacrifices I need to make. An old question that prompts me to ponder this balance more deeply is, “What do I own, and what owns me?”

When it comes to money and possessions, the example of my grandmother always comes to mind. She spent most of her life in Catharine and Hays until she moved to St. Louis in order to live with her daughter, my aunt.

There was a one-year break in her time at St. Louis, however. It was in the late 1960s that she moved to live with my immediate family, as we were spending a year in Hays while my father was in Vietnam on military assignment.

My grandmother had grown up in poverty and had lived very simply all of her life. Actually, for the last 20 years or so of her life, her possessions fit neatly in the trunk of our car, with room to spare. Moving her was never a challenge. Her possessions included some clothes, a favorite rocking chair and a huge supply of rosaries, prayer books and holy cards.

The hours of her day were divided comfortably between time with family and time spent quietly in prayer. Those were her only desires or joys. Despite the lack of possessions (quite literally in her case), there was never any air of poverty, want or need about her. She was satisfied; indeed, more than satisfied.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, through its Committee for Pro-Life Activities and Religious Liberty, has urged bishops to recommend Friday abstinence for the people of their dioceses.

The bishops’ committee sees Friday abstinence as a spiritual effort undertaken for the sake of the protection of human life, the sanctity of marriage and religious liberty. While these are more than worthwhile reasons, I would add that abstinence is likewise an ancient Church discipline that helps free us from what might otherwise own us (and our souls). It helps to make room for the joy and hope that only God can give.

For all these reasons, I am asking that the faithful of the Diocese of Salina immediately return to this ancient practice of the Church.

There are other factors at issue here, as well. Many are unaware that the Church, after the Second Vatican Council, never changed its ancient custom of observing Fridays as penitential days. Friday abstinence was never abolished. Rather, the Church allowed bishops conferences around the world to determine whether or not Friday abstinence could be substituted with a different penance.

When the U.S. bishops conference permitted Catholics to exchange the Friday abstinence for a different form of penance, it seems that the notion of a Friday penance disappeared entirely. This was never the intention of the bishops at the Second Vatican Council. I fear that we were unwise in our rush to get rid of this ancient practice, allowing ourselves to blend in with our generally non-believing culture.

While I believe a return to Friday abstinence a true benefit for the Church, I would note that this is a strongly recommended spiritual endeavor. It is not law, and scrupulosity is to be avoided. Children in public schools, residents of nursing homes and care facilities and others without control over their diet may substitute a different form of penance on Fridays, as is already allowed by the bishops’ conference legislation. Moreover, pastors may dispense their parishioners or even their entire parish for special celebrations.

By Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger

The call of Pope Benedict XVI to a “Year of Faith” is timely, and Catholics around the world have responded in many ways. The Holy Father was motivated, in part, by what many view as a crisis of faith with its origins in secularization.

The Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Salina, under the direction of Father Steven Heina, began our response by struggling to identify those features of secularization that wound the spiritual life.

With time these reflections resulted in what we term the “Five Wounds of Secularization.” While we do not presume our list to be complete, we do believe that much of the world’s suffering, and much of what wounds the spiritual life, can be identified through:

• Busyness

• Materialism and consumerism

• Violence and revenge

• Individualism and relativism

• Entitlement.

Each of these produces a wounding of the soul. It is our belief that struggling against these cultural tendencies is one way to help bring about the life of grace within us, as well as build up the kingdom of God.

This is the first in a series of articles by Bishop Weisenburger on the “Five Wounds of Secularization” to be published during this “Year of Faith.”

With Advent starting this weekend, I would like to address the first of the wounds of secularization — busyness. Indeed, busyness may well be the scourge of our modern time and culture.

It is somewhat regrettable that Advent has become one of the busiest times of the year for many people. We find ourselves shopping, attending parties, meals, programs and tournaments, and sometimes preparing for travel. The pace can be chaotic and the demands on our time and energy intense.

Certainly much of this is good-intentioned. We want to be present to others, to gift others, to prepare to celebrate with them, and we feel many obligations sitting squarely on our shoulders. But somewhere along the way the goal of receiving Christ into the World and celebrating that joyfully with others gets lost in the furious pace.

It seems the Church is entirely out of kilter with the world when it calls us to mark these four weeks leading up to Christmas with quiet, patience, trust, hope and a prayerful waiting on the Lord’s arrival.

The truth is that God’s voice is real and alive within us, but we too easily silence it when we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed with obligations and tasks — the busyness of life.

Advent is a profound time of the year to confront the busyness of life, which is actually the temptation for us to be the Messiah — by trying to “save the world” through our activities and tasks. We turn away from this wound of our secular world when we instead rediscover the joy of simplicity, of doing less and discovering more, of quieting our lives and hearing God’s voice.

This was a lesson I learned well from a former secretary and friend in Oklahoma, Mona Cross. Mona had worked in the Tribunal for about 30 years when she died. At one point, she and I had a somewhat unexpected conversation about the things of life that really matter. I was a young priest and first-time pastor of a busy parish. I was running around frantically during Advent, trying to make everything perfect for my parish, my parishioners and my family for Christmas. While my intentions, no doubt, were good, I was spiritually spinning my tires and not really entering into the season.

It was then that Mona mentioned the death, many years before, of one of her children. The child was only about 10 when he died of leukemia. He was sick for more than a year leading up to his death.

In her own wonderfully ordinary and plain-spoken way, Mona pointed out that she was an immaculate housekeeper until her child’s illness and death. Following his death, her house had known dust, dishes sometimes were stacked up in the kitchen, and there were other decreased housekeeping standards. But, she added, “My other children have known a mother who sat on the edge of their beds at night and asked them about their day.”

I suspect that for Mona, those tender times with her other children were healing for her: a gift she gave, but a gift she also received. For me, her few words to me in our office were humbling, as it made me refocus on what I should have known all along. I also couldn’t deny that it was God who was speaking through Mona Cross. Her experience, offered in love, was a confrontation to the way I was living my life.

I went home, shoved a stack of unwritten Christmas cards off my desk and spent some time in the parish church. I did not accomplish all I had hoped to that year, but it was one of the best Christmases I’ve ever known.

I always will be grateful for the voice of God speaking through Mona. It was a little like turning your tires in the direction of the slide on an icy road: Doing less and passively waiting on God did not come naturally to me. But what a wonderful and life-giving lesson to learn!

The secular wound is busyness. The spiritual cure is challenging the busyness in your life. Don’t beat yourself up. Your activities are probably good-intentioned and look a lot like the busyness of those around you. But do all that you can to quiet your life, listen for the voice of God, simplify, celebrate and don’t be surprised to discover that you believe more deeply, love more fully and live more freely.