Grandparents: Today is the memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus. Let’s remember our grandparents today in our thoughts and prayers.
Chapter 6: For the next several weeks for our Sunday Gospel we are going to hear from the magnificent and astounding chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, which has been called the Bread of Life Discourse. Jesus, the Word of Truth, makes these proclamations in John 6: 1) “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (35) 2) “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.” (47-48). 3) “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (51) 4) “Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” (53-56). What an incredible blessing it is to receive Jesus in the Eucharist at every Mass!!! Jesus desires and loves us so much!
Congress: I was fortunate to attend the Eucharistic Congress last week. They might have been some of the happiest days of my life. Much of it is available online! Here are some of the highlights from my experience:
Conference: The goal of the Eucharistic Congress was to bring back the message of the Congress to our dioceses. So that’s what we are going to do by having our own Eucharistic Conference on August 9 – 10 in Hays. Everyone is invited to attend. The goal of the Conference is to then bring back the love of the Eucharist to our parishes and families.
A Suggestion: I was thinking about this in prayer. Most parishes (or somewhere near) have daily Masses. What a blessing it would be if more people, especially if you are retired, attended daily Mass. I assure you that this will change our hearts as we pray for ourselves and others and build up the Body of Christ.
Events in our Diocese: I enjoy attending as many parish events as I can. The following is the list for the month of August. Everyone is invited to attend (I can’t make them all):
Our seminarians: Next week we are having three seminarian dinners throughout the diocese. We are blessed with 14 seminarians for this coming fall. We are grateful for all your support of our seminarians both at the seminarian dinners and the Seminarian Appeal August 10-11.
Last Day: Today is the last day for Prayer and Action and Totus Tuus. On Wednesday, I visited the teams and youth in Ellis, Hays and Victoria. The team leaders looked exhausted! What a blessing it is to learn the faith as well as put our faith into action by serving others. Thanks to all the student leaders, the youth who attended and the parent volunteers.
CYO: Speaking of our youth, the Junior CYO camp will be held Labor Day weekend at Rock Springs Ranch in Junction City. You can find more information HERE. The registration deadline is August 10th.
Help: The Annual Kansas Day of Service is August 2, and Pregnancy Resource Centers across Kansas, including ones in Beloit, Goodland, Junction City, and Salina need help with things like painting rooms, sorting baby clothes or just cleaning and fixing up. You can register HERE to help on August 2.
Special Feast: The Assumption of our Blessed Mother to heaven is one of my favorite feast days on August 15 and a Holy Day of Obligation. Mary is the model disciple, always saying “yes” to God despite many difficulties. I look forward to celebrating Mass in Herndon that day (5:30 pm) for their feast day and enjoying a meal with the parishioners too.
Our Farms: Rural Life Day is August 18, but we are also celebrating farmers and rural businessmen and women with Century Farm Awards & Half Century Business awards on Saturday, August 24, at St. John the Baptist Church in Hanover at 3 pm. Congratulations to our recipients.
Convention: So grateful for the Salina Diocese Council of Catholic Women (SDCCW) led by Merna Zerr. They are having their annual convention on August 24 at Immaculate Conception Church in Grinnell. Their guest speaker is Katherine Whitaker. The theme for the day is holiness in family life. Hope many can attend. You can register and find more information HERE.
Martyrdom: I was fortunate to meet a bishop from Nigeria courtesy of Fr. Don Zimmerman, whose cousin is a religious sister that served in the bishop’s diocese for decades. The bishop shared the riveting story of how several of his priests in his diocese have been kidnapped and killed.
Prison: Last evening, I went to the Ellsworth Correctional Facility and baptized two men and then confirmed them along with two others. It’s always a privilege to be with these men who are on fire for the faith.
Rescued: I am attending an ACTS XXIX conference in Detroit in early August. ACTS XXIX was started by Fr. John Riccardo (it’s worth listening to his talks). He wrote a great book called Rescued. In it, he shares the basic proclamation of the Gospel in four steps: we are created by God; we are captured by sin and death (everyone); we are rescued by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The fourth step is very important. How do we respond to Jesus? How do we respond to the greatest lover of all? Do we run away or run to him?
The Border: I was invited to join other bishops to visit the border of Mexico to get a firsthand look at the immigration situation and how the Church addresses the issue. I am looking forward to attending the weekend in late August.
Hope: There is a movie that Archbishop Naumann recommended to me called “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.” It shares the story of how one small town in East Texas adopted 77 children, mostly who have gone through foster care. This story of sacrificial love is very inspiring!
Knights: The Knights of Columbus are having their Supreme Convention in Quebec in early August. We are blessed by the Knights of Columbus and all they do for others, especially the poor and those in need.
New Deputy: Gary Wondra from the Diocese of Dodge City was recently named the State Deputy of the Kansas Knights of Columbus. I’ve known Gary since I came here, especially during my time in the Diocese of Dodge City. His wife died about a year ago. He is a good man and I look forward to working with him.
Praying for rain! May God bless you and your families during these summer months.
With my love and prayers,
Bishop Vincke
Inspiration from a Saint and the Pope:
“The ultimate test of your greatness in the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless ones.” ~ Saint John Paul II
“Every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter.” ~ Pope Francis
