Many Types of Vocations Blooming in Missouri Diocese

Encouraging and supporting vocations to the priesthood and religious life has been a top priority for Bishop Robert Finn since his installation in the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph. Currently, the diocese has nearly 30 men studying to become diocesan priests while others have been called to nearby religious orders.

While 27 men are currently in various stages of formation to serve as diocesan priests in the diocese, others have been called to different communities. Over the past year, at least three women and one young man from the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph entered religious life in other dioceses. Our Lady of Good Counsel parishioner Rebecca Restivo entered the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan. St. Pius X grad Therese Ringel and St. Mary's High School alumna Lisa Gordon both entered the School Sisters of Christ the King in Lincoln, Nebraska. O'Hara High School grad and Benedictine alumn, Carl Baker, recently became a novice at St. Benedict's Abbey in Atchison, Kansas.

When asked if Baker was the “fish that got away,” Keith Jiron, Director of the Office of Vocations for the diocese remarked that they would “never say 'don't do the order' out of our own greed because we have to be faithful to God's call in their own life."

Vince Huber, a local man studying Theology in Rome for the Apostles of the Interior Life, spoke with the Catholic Key, the newspaper from the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph, about his journey to the religious life. Huber is the oldest of four children to Randy and Debbie Huber. He grew up first at St. Peter Parish in Kansas City and then Nativity in Leawood.

When Huber began studies at the University of Kansas, he felt he had a big decision to make - Would he continue to go to Mass each Sunday? "The whole experience of going to college was very important," Huber said. Now with independence, he had the ability to decide if he really wanted to go to Mass. If he did, he "didn't want to go just because my family did."

Deciding that he would go to Mass, Huber felt he must make a full and conscious commitment to his faith. He first decided to pray daily. In his sophomore year he began going to Mass daily at the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center and made a commitment to pray for a half hour before classes. "That experience of prayer really started transforming me," Huber said. Huber also began taking theology classes at the Center.

Aside from deepening his spiritual life, Huber also acquired a girlfriend in his sophomore year. Already though, the seed of a vocation began to surface. "The night we broke up," Huber explained, his girlfriend said, "I think you need to be a priest." It may have been said with a touch of anger, but it was also the truth.

One influence on Huber's discernment of a vocation was the Center's director, Monsignor Vincent Krishe (then Father Krishe). It wasn't necessarily any conversation they had, Huber explained, "The most important thing was his presence and what he had done at the Center. He represented Christ to us as students." The Center had begun an hour of Eucharistic adoration at 6:00 a.m. daily. When the leader of that group had to drop his involvement because of conflicts with schedule, "Father Vince took over," Huber said. Huber was profoundly moved by Father Vince's example and commitment. He kept it going for an hour each day even though much of the time, Huber and Father Vince were the only two there.

Following his junior year, Huber took the summer off in order to seriously discern a call to the priesthood. He even began the process to enroll for studies with the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

But then in his senior year, Sisters from the Apostles of the Interior Life joined the staff at the Lawrence Center and his life took a different direction. He began receiving spiritual direction from the Sisters and eventually felt "called to be an Apostle instead of entering the diocesan seminary."

Huber had already wanted to be a priest and was "inspired by the priestly life." Some things attracted him more than others. An aspect of the priesthood that most attracted Huber was "forming people in the image of Christ and the Sisters were doing that." While he was inspired also by the priest's role as minister of the Sacraments, he also saw the importance and need of "preparing people to receive the Sacraments well," which was another thing the Sisters were doing.

These were things Huber felt called to, while at the same time he was realizing that a "parish priest has to do so many very practical things," which while essential to the life of the Church, were not where his interest or calling led.

The Apostles of the Interior Life are consecrated women dedicated to evangelization and the "interior formation of all who seek to know and love Jesus Christ." They were founded under the direction of Father Salvatore Scorza, a priest of the Diocese of Rome. The first member, Sister Susan Pieper, is an American and the group has houses both in the U.S. and Italy. In 2002, Father Scorza founded a men's branch which consisting of men from the U.S. and Italy, including Vince Huber, who live in community in Rome and are studying for the priesthood at the Pontifical University of St. John Lateran. More information about the Apostles, their ministries and charism can be found at www.apostlesofil.org.

Like most vocation stories, Huber's includes his family. "A vocation doesn't come out of nowhere," Huber said, "I've been privileged to have a great family. They've always been a model of love and faithfulness to each other." It's a model which will serve Huber well.

Printed with permission from the Catholic Key, newspaper from the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph.

You must not have read this:

REPORT OF BISHOP ROGER MORIN, CHAIRMAN
SUBCOMMITTEE ON CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
ON CCHD and ACORN
November 11, 2008

For nearly forty years, the Catholic Campaign For Human Development has practiced what the Church teaches about the option for the poor, subsidiarity and solidarity in helping people living in poverty defend their dignity and work for greater justice. Local CCHD-funded groups have made real differences on safer neighborhoods, better schools, decent wages, affordable housing, and immigrant rights. Because the mission of CCHD is so important, the Bishops work very hard to promote it and protect it by careful review and monitoring of CCHD grants to make sure they comply with CCHD’s guidelines and Catholic teaching.

This report covers the steps CCHD and our Conference have taken and are taking to address our serious concerns regarding controversies involving the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, known as ACORN. In the past, CCHD has funded proposals from local organizations affiliated with ACORN when those activities conform to the CCHD guidelines and when the local diocesan CCHD director and the local diocesan bishop explicitly approve the proposal. Many of these local ACORN groups have done impressive work preventing home foreclosures, creating jobs opportunities, raising wages, addressing crime and improving education.

Last June, CCHD cut off funding to all ACORN groups when we learned about a major case of embezzlement eight years ago that was covered up by ACORN staff leadership. This theft and cover-up raised serious concerns about national ACORN’s financial accountability, transparency, governance and organizational integrity. Even though CCHD was only funding local ACORN organizations, and not these national structures, we felt it was necessary to cut off CCHD funding and review support of all ACORN groups.

More recently, the Subcommittee also became concerned about widespread reports of ACORN involvement in alleged voter registration fraud and political partisanship. As a result of the cut-off earlier this year, no CCHD funds were involved in any of these activities. However, the allegations intensified our questions and problems around ACORN’s organizational integrity, competence and non-partisanship. Therefore, we extended the cut off of CCHD funding of any ACORN organizations.

The Bishops’ CCHD Subcommittee met November 8-9 and reviewed this matter at length and discussed it in depth. The Bishop members of the Subcommittee voted unanimously to reaffirm, extend and formalize the decision to end CCHD funding of ACORN organizations because of serious concerns about financial accountability, organizational performance and political partisanship. While not all the specifics can be known, we simply had too many continuing questions and concerns about these serious matters to permit CCHD funding of ACORN groups. Dioceses have told us about the good work done by local ACORN affiliates and we regret that they will not be able to receive CCHD support. We simply could not be absolutely sure that CCHD resources would be used in a manner consistent with our criteria and funding guidelines. This cut off means that no CCHD grants were given to ACORN groups this year (using funds from the 2007 CCHD collection) and no funds from the coming collection (to be taken up in on November 23-24 in many dioceses) will go to ACORN in any place or at any level.

In addition to this funding cutoff, the CCHD Subcommittee and staff have taken a number of other steps:

I chair a special working group within the Bishops’ CCHD Subcommittee to monitor and act on this continuing situation.

CCHD and the USCCB have secured the services of specialists in forensic accounting to help determine if any CCHD money was taken or misused. This investigation is thorough and ongoing.

CCHD, USCCB staff and I have met with ACORN leaders to express our serious concerns and to seek answers to specific questions.

We continue to consult with our CCHD Diocesan Directors to seek their guidance.

The Subcommittee also voted that CCHD should work with others to assist low-income community organizations to adopt and model best practices in areas of financial accountability, organizational management and effective governance. The Subcommittee believes that these efforts can help community organizations and CCHD to carry out more effectively our essential mission of empowering and assisting low-income communities in pursuing economic and social justice.

CCHD’s current criteria and guidelines prohibit partisan activity and funding of any group that engages in activities contrary to Catholic moral teaching, whether or not those activities are funded by CCHD. These criteria are actively enforced and have led CCHD to deny funding to many groups and to quickly terminate any group that violates these prohibitions. The Bishops’ CCHD Subcommittee and staff are reviewing these existing CCHD’s policies, grant agreements, and other safeguards in order to reaffirm and strengthen our protections in areas of Church teaching, financial and organizational accountability, and partisan political activity. We are also examining ways to affirm and articulate the continuing efforts of CCHD in language clearly reflecting the principles of Catholic social teaching, which are at the heart of our mission.

Supporters of CCHD can be reassured for the way CCHD has responded to these challenges and take pride in the impressive and creative ways CCHD carries out the values of the Gospel and the principles of our Catholic faith in rural communities and urban neighborhoods across our nation. Everyday countless numbers of our brothers and sisters are able to say they have been lifted from the scourge of poverty and are able to achieve self sufficiency.

CCHD is fully committed to protecting and carrying out our essential mission “to bring good news to the poor, liberty to captives, new sight to the blind and to set the downtrodden free” (Luke 4). That was Jesus’ mission on earth and that is CCHD’s mission today.

I’ve never seen a collection at Mass for any of the organizations you have listed. If you go here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135977/posts

Post #38 by Salvation has links to other Free Republic threads about the matter.

As a Catholic you must be very happy that the Catholic Church has taken steps to rectify the matter.

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