St. Benedict Catholic Church - Psichurch.com

MASS SCHEDULE
Weekend
Saturday Vigil: 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m. (Spanish)
Weekdays
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12:10 p.m.
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: 8:00 a.m.
Holy Days
Vigil 7:00 p.m.
W-F: 12:10 & 7:00 p.m.
T-Th: 8:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m.
ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
First Friday
11:00 to Noon
First Saturday 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
PARISH MINISTRIES & ORGANIZATIONS
Altar Server
ACTS
Birthday Girls
Carnival
Catholics Returning Home
Christian Social Service
Communication Coordinator
Gift & Book Shop
Knights of Columbus #1018
Maintenance
Marriage Encounter
Ministry to Homebound
Music Ministry
Natural Family Planning
Organist
Parish Guild
Piecemakers
Prayer Line
Project Gabriel
Project Nicholas
Religious Education
Sacristan
Safe Environment
Supper Club
Ultreya/Cursillo
Van Ministry
Web Master
Youth Ministry
Greg Rodgers
Patty Keller
Darlene Mayes
Jeremy Holter
Clyde & Gail Topping
Mike Penisten
Alex Lee
Renea Birney
Chuck Amato
James White
Steve & Anita Semtner
Parish Office
Anne McGuire
Bill & Coleen Chapman
Carolyn Taron
Darlene Mayes
Antonia Lee/Joan Pruner
Jo Anderson
Mary Brooks
Delores McMunn
Mercy Derry
Chuck Barber
Jana Timperley
Eddie Penisten
Tim & Carolyn Taron
Brad Mosman
James Porter
Joshua Dutchover
275-3905
513-3900
275-5399 ext
275-5030
878-6746
275-6496
275-6894
623-5735
273-6056
275-5399 ext 4
273-7280
275-0001
996-6098
275-4743
273-3527
275-5399 ext 1
275-6894
273-6168
395-9700
598-2631
275-5399 ext 2
684-3772
275-0001
275-6496
273-3527
275-5652
214-2289
275-5399 ext 5
August 7, 2011
St. Benedict Catholic Church
632 N. Kickapoo Avenue
Shawnee, OK 74801
Tel: 405-275-0001 Fax: 405-214-9181
Serving Shawnee, Tecumseh & Bethel Area
PARISHOFFICE@stbenedictchurch.net
www.stbenedictchurch.net
STAFF
Rev. Donald J. Wolf
Pastor
pastor@stbenedictchurch.net
David C. Schrupp
Deacon
deacon@stbenedictchurch.net
William T. Thurman
Deacon
deacon@stbenedictchurch.net
Joshua Dutchover
Youth Minister
sbyouthminister@gmail.com
Mercy Derry
Director of Religious Education
drest.benedict@yahoo.com
Kay Pruitt
Administrative Assistant
st.benedict.office@sbcglobal.net
Jana Timperley
Receptionist/Secretary
Jeremy Holter, Chair
Elizabeth Simpson, Vice-Chair
Jody Smith, Secretary
Ty Brinker
Kathy Chamblin
Brian Drew
Gaynell Anderson
Tracy McDaniel
PARISH COUNCIL
275-5030
273-3446
275-7423
878-6864
273-6791
273-9109
Marvin Ellis
Tom Keller
April Ogden
Mike Piggott
Jim Porter
Greg Rodgers
Leonard Taron
FINANCE COMMITTEE
878-9390
273-2668
Jim Smith
Leonard Taron
275-4012
250-4800
273-5493
275-2184
214-2289
275-3905
275-1353
275-7423
275-1353
PARISH SERVICES
Sacrament Of Reconciliation
Saturday 4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. or by appointment.
Sacrament of Baptism
Contact Parish Office to make an appointment for the pre-baptismal
preparation class, preferably before the child is born.
Sacrament of Marriage
Congratulations! Please contact the Pastor as soon as possible (at least 6
months in advance) so we can work with you to prepare for your marriage.
Sacrament of Holy Orders or Religious Life
If you are interested in serving Christ as a priest, a Deacon, a Religious
Sister or Brother, please confer with the Pastor.
Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
Contact the Pastor at 275-0001 when needed.
Inquiry into the Church - R. C. I. A.
Contact Pastor at 275-0001.
Funerals
Contact Parish Office at 275-0001. Also see web site at
www.stbenedictchurch.net - Parish Services - Funerals
Calvary Cemetery
Located at 14605 Highway 177, Shawnee. Contact David Koehler
at 250-8333.
New Parishioners
Welcome to St. Benedict Parish! Parish Census Family Information forms
are available at the Parish Office and at the entrances to the church. We are
glad you are with us.
Nursery
Available free during Sunday 10:00 a.m. Mass & on special occasions.

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary
Time
Elijah recognized the voice of God
not in the strong and heavy wind,
not in the earthquake, and not in
the fire, but in a tiny whispering
sound. May we find enough quiet
in our clamorous world to hear His
voice and discern what He is
calling us to do and be.
Monday, August 8th
7:00 p.m. - Community Room
58th ANNUAL
CARNIVAL
GOLDEN HEARTS
August 10, 2011
After 12:10 Mass
Dining at Delta
Saturday, October 1st
Volunteers are needed.
Call Jeremy Holter at
(405)275-5030 or email
holter.jeremy@yahoo.com.
ACTS
Registration for the
upcoming Men’s
ACTS retreat starts this weekend
after all Masses. Retreat date for
the Men’s Retreat is September 22-
25, 2011. If you have any
questions please contact Tom or
Patty Keller at 405-513-3900.
RED MASS
On September 24, 2011 a Red Mass will be celebrated
at the regularly scheduled 5:00 p.m. Mass at the
Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Oklahoma City. A reception
will follow in the Connor Center. Archbishop Coakley will celebrate the
Mass, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, Kansas City will preach the
homily. In the United States, a Red Mass for judges, attorneys and
government officials is traditionally celebrated to coincide with the
convening of the United States Supreme Court on the first Monday in
October. (The Red Mass takes its name from the red vestments worn at
the Mass, symbolic of the tongues of fire that descended on the Apostles at
Pentecost.) The Mass will be dedicated to seeking guidance from the Holy
Spirit for all who seek justice, and offers the opportunity to reflect on what
Catholics believe is the responsibility of all in the legal profession.
THE RETREAT IN DAILY LIFE
Are you wanting to be more mindful of God’s love and care in your daily
life? To know in your heart His personal love for YOU? The Retreat in
Daily Life is a seven month experience of the Spiritual Exercises of St.
Ignatius; it is a blessed way for busy people to grow spiritually. The
retreat extends from October through April and is sponsored by the
Archdiocesan Office of Worship and Spiritual Life. It involves daily
prayer, weekly group meetings, and individual spiritual direction. Register
early: there is an interview and prayer preparation required. Call with
questions or to register; Juliane Parker 405-872-1120; Carolyn Sher 405-
360-0007; Sister Melissa Leetts 405-373-4565.
RCIA - RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS
If you have been coming to Mass, but are not Catholic, we invite you to
look deeper into the Catholic faith. The Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults (RCIA) is the process through which adults enter into the Catholic
faith. It is a wonderful journey which combines the participant’s spiritual
growth with the education in the Faith through weekly reflection on God’s
Word and the teachings of Catholic Doctrine and traditions. For more
information contact Deacon David at 275-0001 or email
deacon@stbenedictchurch.net.
HOST FAMILIES NEEDED
Open your heart and home to an exchange student from Germany or France
for the coming 2011/2012 school year. Caring host families or single parents
are needed to provide food, a bed and a loving home for one or two
semesters starting in late August. All of these students come from Catholic
homes and would like to practice their religion while they are in this country.
EMF students are 15 to 18 years old, have medical insurance, spending
money for their personal expenses and expect to share their host family’s
daily life including household responsibilities. They speak English, are wellscreened
and eager to experience life with an American host family. Their
stay here is sponsored and supervised by EMF (Educational Merit
Foundation), a non-profit, educational exchange program. Interested host
families are encouraged to apply and select a student as soon as possible.
For more information on EMF students, please contact Marie-Claude Dijoud
now at 1-800-467-8363 or visit our website at www.emfusa.org.

Welcome to our
Parish
Holly & Taylor Crawford
Jose & Sarah Escabedo
We are glad you are here!
If you would like to deepen your
experience of prayer
YOU ARE INVITED
to attend
PRAYING WITH SACRED
SCRIPTURE
Thursday afternoons 1 - 3 p.m.
in the Kateri Lounge
September 1 - November 17, 2011
Please call Beverly at 275-5652
if you are interested.
SPANISH PRE MARRIAGE CLASS
The date for the next Spanish Pre-Marriage class will be Saturday, August
20, 2011. The class will be held at the Catholic Pastoral Center, 7501 NW
Expressway in Oklahoma City. Registration begins at 8:30 am, the class is
from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm. The cost is 40.00 per couple, lunch is included.
For those interested or if you need more information please call (405) 709-
2709 and ask for Lisa. This class may also be used as training to work as a
sponsor couple for your parish.
(DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATIONS IS WEDNESDAY, August 18, 2011)
La próxima clase PRE Matrimonial en español está programada para el 20
de Agosto, 2011. La clase será en el Centro Pastoral, 7501 NW
Expressway, en Oklahoma City. Inscripción empieza a las 8:30 am. y la
clase de 9:00 am. – 4:30 pm. Si están interesados o necesitan más
información, favor de llamar a Lisa Carrasco (405) 709-2709. El costo de
este programa es 40.00 por pareja. El almuerzo esta incluido. Esta clase
también sirve como un entrenamiento para trabajar en tu parroquia como
‘padrinos” de matrimonio.
(ULTIMA DIA PARA REGISTRAR ES MIERCOLES, EL 18 de Agosto, 2011)
FAMILY PROMISE MENTOR
You can make a positive, lasting impact on the life of a family by
becoming a Family Promise of Shawnee mentor. Special skills are not
required, only a willingness to listen and to share your experience and life
skills. Mentoring a family is a tremendously rewarding experience. While
the purpose of being a mentor is to encourage and assist a low-income
family, your own life will also be enriched. All mentor volunteers must be
over 18 years of age and complete 6 hours of training through Family
Promise of Shawnee. Registration is required by Monday October 17,
2011. The training sessions will be held October 22, 2011 from 9:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m. at Northridge Church of Christ (1001 E. MacArthur, Shawnee,
OK). Lunch and training materials will be provided during the training
sessions.
St. Benedict Church
Announces
2011 - 2012
Scholarships
For full-time students attending a
Catholic Educational Institution.
Applications available at the
Parish Office.
COMMUNION TO THE
HOMEBOUND
If you or someone you know is ill,
in the hospital, homebound or not
able to get to Mass because of
circumstances beyond their
control, call the Parish Office at
275-0001 so a Homebound
Communion Minister may bring
Holy Communion.
Walking in a New
Light
Through Death
Josephine Sampson
Evelyn Jarantowski
May they rest in peace.
Saturday, August 20th
9:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m.
CAKE SALE &
LUNCH SERVED IN
COMMUNITY ROOM
Arts & Crafts, Handcrafted
Jewelry, Premier Jewelry, Home
Interiors, Master Gardeners, and
several garage sale tables will
make this an enjoyable indoor
Flea Market. This is a Parish
Guild Fund Raiser.
Please remember to pray daily for our servicemen and servicewomen serving our country.

Sunday, August 7—The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:00 am MASS Pastor’s Mass for the Parishioners
10:00 am MASS Max Jalufka—Mr. Michael Paul
12:00 pm MASS Bette Norton—M/M Chuck Barber
Monday, August 8—St. Dominic, priest
12:10 pm MASS Fr. Lourdu Ponnapati Birthday
Tuesday, August 9—St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, virgin
8:00 am MASS Judith Anne Ramirez-Lares—Parish Guild
Wednesday, August 10—St. Lawrence, deacon & martyr
12:10 pm MASS Judith Anne Ramirez-Lares—M/M George Bland
Thursday, August 11—St. Clare, virgin
8:00 am MASS Stanley Salwierak—Ms. Audrey Sullivan & Ms.
Carol Cronk
Friday, August 12—St. Jane Frances de Chantal, religious
12:10 pm MASS Mary Smith—Family
Saturday, August 13—SS Pontian & Hippolytus
8:00 am MASS Special Intention
5:30 pm MASS Andrea Chin—Mr. Michael Paul
Sunday, August 14— The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:00 am MASS Judith Anne Ramirez-Lares—Timperley Family
10:00 am MASS
12:00 pm MASS
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
This Week in Our Parish
After Masses
9:00 AM
After Masses
5:00 PM
6:30 PM
12:30 PM
6:30 PM
7:00 PM
10:00 AM
6:30 PM
7:00 PM
Wednesday After Mass
6:45 PM
Mass Intentions
Pastor’s Mass for the Parishioners
Rose Ann Wolf Rother—Fr. Don Wolf
Book & Gift Shop OPEN
Bible Study - Room 106
RE Enrollment
Financial Peace - CR
High School Youth Group
Piecemakers - CR
Scout Meeting - KL
Parish Council Mtg - CR
Crafts - Gabriel House
Men’s ACTS Team Meeting - KL
AA Meeting - Room 109
Golden Hearts - Delta
Religious Education Open House
7:00 PM Religious Ed Parent Meeting - TBC
Thursday 7:00 PM AA Meeting - Room 109
Friday 8:00 AM Finance Meeting
Saturday 4:15 PM
7:30 PM
Confessions
Marriage Encounter
Sunday After Masses Book & Gift Shop OPEN
9:00 AM
5:00 PM
6:30 PM
Bible Study - Room 106
Financial Peace University-CR
High School Youth Group
The Gift and Book Shop is
having a SALE! Through
the month of August all
books, including Bibles, will
be 50% off.
RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION CLASS
REGISTRATION
After all Masses - Kateri Lounge
August 6 and 7
Open House - August 10
Classes Begin - August 17
YOUTH MINISTER’S OFFICE HOURS
Mon - Thurs 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Sunday 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Joshua can be contacted at 275-5399 ext 5.
BIRTH CHOICE TRAINING
Saturday, September 10, 2011
4701 S. Western, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Birth Choice needs volunteers 2-4 hours a week.
Volunteers are needed to answer phones,
administer pregnancy tests, clerical work, work in
clothing room, and nurses for the clinic and
ultrasounds. Volunteers are needed in Bethany,
Edmond, Norman, and the South OKC offices. To
register and obtain more information, please call
Marilyn at (405)745-5966.
Women of Faith/Women of Action
Coference 2011
REGISTER TODAY!!
Place: Epiphany of the Lord/OKC
Date: Sat. August 20, 2011
Time: Doors open at 7:30am/Close 5:30pm
Speakers:
Sister Rosalind Moss
Marcus Grodi
Close Mass: Archbishop Paul S. Coakley
Reconciliation/During lunch break
Catholic Vendors/Pastoral Services/
LUNCHBOX/T-SHIRTS
For QUESTIONS OR MAIL IN: Call or e-mail
Chris Thomas: 405-306-5187
thomaschrisl@sbcglobal.net
Or
Barbara Wann: 580-875-2278
wannb@sbcglobal.net
Join us for a Faith-Filled Beautiful Day!

From the Amen Corner
August 7, 2011
The sights and sounds of Guatemala are
forever etched in my memory. While some of
them are familiar to me, I’ve been to this
jewel of Central America a dozen times before
my visit last week, they still have the power to
move my imagination and stir my feelings. In
fact, because it has been five years since I
have been there, I have forgotten how
powerful those feelings are. I rediscovered
them during my eight days there, along with
gathering a whole new assembly of memories,
impressions and images. Let me begin with
some of the sights.
It begins upon arrival. The airport in
Guatemala City is all new. It has the
sweeping, aerodynamic look of the latest in
architectural design and looks, more than
anything else, like a combination of the
newest terminals in Chicago and Bangkok.
Although we arrived after dark the whole
experience was full of inviting, glowing light.
This is a great contrast to the old airport and
the first time I arrived. This was in the midst
of the violence of 1983 and our arrival there
was lugubrious. There were only about thirty
of us on the plane and as it touched down the
whole city was dark and foreboding. Soldiers
guarded every gate, door, corner and floor,
each lighted by what seemed to be a thirtywatt
bulb every hundred feet or so. By the
time we made it through passport control and
customs I felt oppressed and apprehensive.
Not last week. It was as easy and as relaxing
as going through customs in Toronto or
Milano. It’s a change I appreciate.
The next sight that astounds is the busy streets
of a city in constant movement. All of Central
America has suffered from the economic
downturn in the economies of the world; on
our interconnected planet no one is immune
and Guatemala is no exception. Yet with all
this being said, it is a vastly busy place with
obvious prosperity at every turn. It’s hard to
quantify such a thing because every one of the
economic indicators used to measure such
things point to real tensions in the every day
lives of Guatemaltecos throughout the
country, yet compared to thirty years ago there
is a vast upturn in the general appearance of
the place; most everything seems to be better
off. I know I see this with American eyes, but
just looking at the number of fast-food places
on the principle avenues of the city is enough
to convince me there is more money
circulating than every before. Of course there
are difficulties in the countryside, of course
the wealth is distributed unevenly, of course
once you pull a half-block off of those
avenues the bright lights give way to dimness
and darkness, but the overall contrast with
what I saw previously seems to point to real
vitality.
But once out of the big cities the real face of
Guatemala is evident. And that is the face of
the Natives. Mayans make up more than fourfifths
of the population and they are
everywhere, but most especially in the
countryside. You only have to go a few miles
before you begin to see them in large
numbers, often dressed in the special colors
and designs of their villages and regions. The
natives of Santiago, Atitlan for example wear
clothes that identify them to anyone who
knows what to look for as being from that
small village in the Highlands. It is the same
with the many divisions and regions of the
whole country; you can see who is from where
just by looking. This makes for an astounding
richness of color and contrast wherever you
go. It is ironic that in our country where every
person is free to wear just about whatever he
or she wants we all blend into a sea of
sameness while in Guatemala the people who
dress as a part of uniform expectation create a
riot of color and design that is moving to see.
Not only that, but because their clothing is in
such contrast to those from outside, those who
wear it have a kind of dignity about them, an
identity that communicates solidity and
purposefulness. No doubt it is one of the great
sights in all of the country and it has helped to
form the identities and preserve the strengths
of those who are part of this element of
Guatemalan society.
And finally, the great sight is the actual vista
of Lake Atitlan where our mission is located.
As you travel out of Guatemala City you
eventually round a hill and off in the distance
see a shimmering body of water surrounded
by tall mountains. That’s Atitlan.
When you come to the lakeshore it is even
more amazing. Atitlan is a volcanic lake, an
old caldera formed hundreds of thousands of
years ago as the collapsing font of an erupted
volcano. Now it is surrounded by a number of
huge volcanic mountains that jut out to circle
it with the perfect symmetry and flat top we
have seen of such things in pictures and
movies. All of it combines to create an
unmistakable vista unlike anything else in the
world. It is breathtaking to imagine that Fr.
Rother got up nearly every morning for
thirteen years to see such a sight. It is
stunning, to say the least.
Coming into Santiago, Atitlan is something
unlike anything else. Arriving by boat from
across the lake you come into a small bay and
then up to the dock. Over the last thirty years
the level of the lake has fallen and risen again.
In 1981 it was at the level most people
remembered as being normal. Beginning in
about 1984 the level began to fall, almost
twenty feet below ‘normal.’ Docks were
extended and houses and streets were built out
to the edge of the lake. Ten years ago the
whole lake looked like it had a bathtub ring
around it; it was the white ring of the rocks
that had been uncovered as the water receded.
Now however, the water level is up to where it
was thirty years ago and the streets and piers
and houses built to accommodate the lower
level are all flooded. What seemed to be a
foreboding of tragedy has now been revealed
to be a part of some unknown cycle. Because
of these variations, coming into Santiago
seems like coming into town just after a flood;
many buildings are four or five feet deep in
water.
The church in Santiago was built in the late
1500s. That’s about forty years before the
Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock. It still
stands in the heart of the town of Santiago. On
the morning of the 28 th it was decorated and
readied for the mass to begin at 10:00.
Beginning at about 8:30 people began to
gather, from all over Guatemala. Priests from
the diocese of Sololá-Chimaltenango as well
as all of the American priests serving in other
dioceses in Guatemala arrived and vested
along with the priests who had come from
Oklahoma. This year’s celebration was
notable because along with the priests and the
bishop of the diocese there were bishops from
other parts of the country, including the
Archbishop of Guatemala City. That had
never happened before. In addition to him the
Pope’s representative to the country of
Guatemala, Bishop Paul Gallagher, was there
as well; that also had never happened before.
As the celebration began there were not only
about sixty priests and twenty bishops present,
there were also the two most important
Churchmen in the entire country leading the
procession. It seems the importance of Fr.
Rother and the power of his example
continues to grow.
The church itself holds over a thousand
people. Pews had been placed in rows to allow
some people to sit, but as the time for mass
approached people crowded in to fill up all of
the remaining space until there was no room
for anyone else. The rest had to crowd onto
the porch and the adjacent courtyard and listen
over the loudspeakers. I sat in the sanctuary on
a platform that had been built to extend the
area around the altar. From there I could see
out over a sea of Mayan faces of all ages and
extremes, each turned toward the altar, each a
participant in the great drama of remembering
Fr. Rother’s martyrdom. One other very
important element in this scenario is
something we might otherwise overlook:
almost all of the people in the church were
young. We were celebrating the thirtieth
anniversary of Fr. Rother’s death; you would
have to be at least forty years old to have
remembered him much at all. Probably ninety

percent of the people crowded into that church
that day were younger than that. They did not
know him personally; they were connected to
him by memory and by the power of his
example. And yet they came and celebrated;
their lives were connected to his in ways that
go beyond the personal and the sentimental.
Which brings us to the sounds of Guatemala.
As mass began amidst the strum of a dozen
guitars and mandolins and basses and the
voices of a thousand people the procession of
the clerics streamed toward the front where an
area had been arranged at the altar. The
normal invitation to acknowledge our sins was
extended, the prayer for persecuted Christians
was said and we all sat down to the readings,
read in Tzutuhil and Spanish (written Tzutuhil
looks like you put your fingers on the wrong
row of letters on the keyboard and began to
type – and it sounds like it with lots of guttural
stops and impossible sounding pronunciations
– not at all like Spanish). As the bishop of the
region began his sermon we heard the
drumming of helicopter blades that echoed
throughout the church. Because of the
surrounding hills and the hard surfaces of the
tile floor and stucco walls of the church it was
impossible to tell exactly where the sounds
came from or how far away the helicopter
was. It brought to mind for me the years of
military occupation and the presence of the
army in town. I couldn’t but help be a little
anxious as the sounds grew loud and then
faded. The bishops finished his sermon and
we proceeded to the prayers of the faithful.
At that point there was a small disturbance as
some people moved out of the way to allow a
late arrival. I couldn’t tell from where I was
seated what it was all about and I didn’t notice
until communion was going on that there was
an American couple with their family who
were seated in the front pew next to the altar.
It was only as the introductions were being
made at the end of mass that it became clear
what all of this was about. The American
ambassador to Guatemala, Stephan
McFarland, had arrived to take part in the
celebration, something that had never
happened before. After his introduction he
stood up to speak. It was the most astounding
of the sounds of the pilgrimage.
He first began by speaking several phrases in
Tzutuhil. He greeted everyone then in Spanish
and English and gave a short talk about the
meaning the day and its importance for
Santiago and for Guatemala. In his talk he
acknowledged the difficulties of the country
and its transition to a more peaceful time
following the violence of the ‘70s through the
‘90s. And he spoke of the challenges of the
present, in which ‘dark forces’ are at work,
forces that seek to undo the gains of civil
society. And then he said two things that were
astounding to me. He quoted a priest who had
preached at a massacre site from the ‘80s who
had said: “Who will have the last word about
this?” He wondered out loud who will indeed
have the last word about the meaning of Fr.
Rother’s life and the violence that gripped the
country for all of those years. It is the
responsibility of the Church to come to terms
with what such things mean and to determine
what hope the Church’s meaning can bring to
the people in the country. He then thanked
everyone present for the Church’s resilience
and commitment to remember, for it is only in
remembering that anyone can hope and that
the sacrifice of all of those who died can bring
about real change. He was a diplomat but on
that day he sounded like a clergyman!
And then he said the most astounding thing of
all. He stood there and asked a question in
Tzutuhil. The people of the place shouted out
an answer. Of course none of us understood
what he meant; then he asked it again in
Spanish and English. “Is Stanley Rother alive
or dead?” The answer they shouted in Tzutuhil
was, “He lives!” That’s the hope that comes
out of this gathering. It is the hope the Church
celebrates on this thirtieth anniversary.
Ambassador McFarland’s bravura
performance in those three languages was
amazing. He managed to capture and express
for all of us present the its transcendent
meaning of our gathering. His presence was
one more indication of the growing
importance of Fr. Rother’s memory and
example.
Words don’t make a life but words make
meaning and meanings focus a life.
Ambassador McFarland’s words helped to set
all of us on a more steady focus as we were
there to remember Fr. Rother’s example. It
was a breath-taking moment to hear words so
powerfully said and so stunningly formulated.
Ironically, given the star power of the clerics
who participated, the words had such impact
precisely because they were spoken by
someone other than a priest or bishop.
This thirtieth year celebration was indeed
something special. I had been afraid the
witness of Fr. Rother was beginning to fade,
especially after being there last on the twentyfifth
anniversary. It just didn’t have the power
and the poignancy I had come to expect from
past years. I was afraid Stan’s legacy was
disappearing amidst the changing political
currents and shifting clerical priorities of our
time; his martyrdom would become something
for the history books rather than a living
example of the living Christ. After Thursday
the 28 th I have begun to think differently.
At the end of the speeches and introductions
and explanations two choirs got up to sing.
One was a children’s choir who sang an old
standby in Spanish. Like kids’ choirs
everywhere they were more cute than on key
but they charmed all of us. Afterwards one of
the regular parish choirs came up and sang
two songs dedicated to the life and death of
“Padre A’plas” (the Tzutuhil name for Fr.
Rother [A’plas means ‘Francisco’ in their
language]). Their first song was about his life
and death; the second was a celebration of his
commitment to his people. They sang the
second in English as a nod to all of us who
were there to celebrate, although it was more
an understated symbol than an understandable
song. All during the singing I found myself
weeping; their poetry had the power to recall
the depth of his sacrifice and the power of his
witness. The sounds of Guatemala, especially
at mass, are moving beyond telling.
Monsignor Peter Wells, a member of the
Vatican Department of State, who is also an
Oklahoman and who was on the pilgrimage,
said that the greatest sign of the movement
toward canonization for Fr. Rother is this
growing, widespread nature of Fr. Rother’s
memory. It is common around the world to
recall and remember the sacrifice of those who
give their lives for the faith, but it is normal
for this memory and its meaning to fade over
the years. In Guatemala it has grown, and its
growth is evident on every level, from the
humblest person in the parish to the highest
levels of the Church bureaucracy. This is an
important sign to all of us that the cause for
Fr. Rother is reaching a critical point. When
the example of bravery and conviction
continues to grow and continues to inspire
new generations of the faithful it becomes an
example the Church wants to recognize and
affirm. That is what’s happening in Santiago
with Fr. Rother. It is a sight to behold.
In one of the hotels in which we stayed before
we got to Lake Atitlan the courtyard is
decorated with old statues and paintings from
churches around Central America. I don’t
know how the owners were able to amass such
a collection but it is large and beautiful. But if
religious items such as these are just
decoration, if they are no more than a
reminder of something that used to be or of
those things that once moved people, then
they are mostly useless. Oh, they are beautiful
and beauty is nothing to sneeze at, but as
statues or pictures and nothing more they are
empty and cold. It is the living faith that gives
hope and brings salvation. It is the life of Fr.
Rother that breathes hope into the dying
embers of our hearts, the silent statues of our
faith. When a man can give his life away, pour
out his blood for the love and commitment
he’s made to his people, there is new hope
newly born. That seems to be the hope we all
have after Thursday, July 28 th .
Fr. Don Wolf

STEWARDSHIP TREASURE
July 31, 2011
Envelopes - $7,950.06 Loose - $761.31
(Envelopes mailed 572; returned 156)
St. Vincent de Paul - $270.00
ACTS - $25.00
Special Collections to Support Outside Organizations:
Catholic Communications - $3.00
Many Thanks for your continued
Generosity!
Thanks to the many parishioners who helped
staple carnival tickets.
Thanks to Gayla Hathcock for coordinating the
Welcoming Dinners.
Thanks to the Liturgical Ministers for their
dedicated service.
We Seek No Rewards For Our Stewardship;
we do it with the joy of serving god
Readings for the Week
August 7 through August 14, 2011
Sunday: 1 Kgs 19:9a,11-13a Ps 85:9-14 Rom 9:1-5
Mt 14:22-33
Monday: Dt 10:12-22 Ps 147:12-15,19-20 Mt 17:22-27
Tuesday: Dt 31:1-8 (Ps) Dt 32:3-4,7-9,12
Mt 18:1-5,10,12-14
Wednesday: 2 Cor 9:6-10 Ps 112:1-2,5-9 Jn 12:24-26
Thursday: Jos 3:7-10a,11,13-17 Ps 114:1-6
Mt 18:21-19:1
Friday: Jos 24:1-13 Ps 136:1-3,16-18,21-22,24
Mt 19:3-12
Saturday: Jos 24:14-29 Ps 16:1-2,5,7-8,11 Mt 19:13-15
Sunday: Is 56:1,6-7 Ps 67:2-3,5-6,8
Rom 11:13-15,29-32 Mt 15:21-28
VOLUNTEERS
NEEDED
St. Vincent de Paul, our
Social Services Office, is in
need of Volunteers! Volunteers work a two-hour shift
each week. Training is provided. Please contact the
Parish Office at 275-0001 if you would like to volunteer
for this ministry.
August 13 - 14, 2011
Deacon
Deacon Bill Thurman
Lead Communion Minister
Sat 5:30 pm Darlene Mayes
Sun 8:00 am Michael McCormick
Sun 10:00 am Wanda Myers
Communion Ministers
Sat 5:30 pm Charles & Pamela Amato,
Cindy Durrett
Sun 8:00 am Leonard Taron, Don Loula,
Jack Rodgers
Sun 10:00 am Russell Frantz, Timothy Taron,
Eddie Penisten
Lectors
Sat 5:30 pm Dorris Arrasmith, Robert Hartley
Sun 8:00 am Pam Leone, Cindy Humphrey
Sun 10:00 am Victoria Milliken, Gaynell Anderson
Servers
Sat 5:30 pm Casey Bowlan, Sierra Wilson
Sun 8:00 am Evan Rodgers, Daniel O’Connell
Sun 10:00 am Adam & Jarrod Chavez
Head Greeter
Sat 5:30 pm Norma Johnson
Sun 8:00 am Stan Kroeling
Sun 10:00 am Espi Swearingen
Sat 5:30 pm
Sun 8:00 am
Greeters
Steven & Lori Hampton,
Donald Norris
Marvin & Betty Bennett,
Rita McDowell
Sun 10:00 am John & Diane Canavan,
Tom Swearingen
Offering Counting
Team # 2
MISSION STATEMENT
St. Benedict Parish, a worshipping Roman
Catholic Community in Shawnee,
Oklahoma, strives to live the mission of
Jesus Christ through prayer, the
Sacraments, the study of His Word, and
the teaching of His Church. We are
committed to minister to all parishioners
and non-parishioners with love, respect,
support, and by stewardship. Inspired by
God, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, we wish
to achieve a true sense of family, and help
all attain eternal life.