Extension Magazine - Fall 2022

catholicextension.org 

STORIES OF FAITH FROM CATHOLIC EXTENSION 

FALL 2022 

COMFORTING THOSE WHO MOURN 

THE FAMILIES 

OF UVALDE 

10

Extension | Fall 2022 3 

S T O R I E S O F F A I T H F R O M C A T H O L I C E X T E N S I O N 

Catholic Extension has published Extension 

magazine since 1906 to share with our donors 

and friends the stories illustrating our mission: 

to work in solidarity with people in America’s 

poorest regions to build up vibrant and 

transformative Catholic faith communities. 

Contact Us 

Catholic Extension 

150 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 2000 

Chicago, IL 60606 

800.842.7804 

magazine@catholicextension.org 


Board of Governors 

CHANCELLOR 

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich 

Archbishop of Chicago 

VICE CHANCELLOR 

Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas 

Bishop Emeritus of Tucson 

PRESIDENT 

Reverend John J. Wall 

VICE CHAIR OF COMMITTEES and SECRETARY 

Elizabeth Hartigan Connelly 

BOARD MEMBERS 

Most Reverend Gerald R. Barnes 

Bishop Emeritus of San Bernardino 

Most Reverend Steven Biegler 

Bishop of Cheyenne 

John W. Croghan 

Most Reverend Daniel E. Flores, STD 

Bishop of Brownsville 

Most Reverend Curtis J. Guillory, SVD 

Bishop Emeritus of Beaumont 

The Honorable James C. Kenny 

Most Reverend Robert N. Lynch 

Bishop Emeritus of St. Petersburg 

Peter J. McCanna 

Andrew J. McKenna 

Michael G. O’Grady 

Christopher Perry 

Andrew Reyes 

Karen Sauder 

Pamela Scholl 

Most Reverend Anthony B. Taylor 

Bishop of Little Rock 

Most Reverend George L. Thomas, Ph.D. 

Bishop of Las Vegas 

Most Reverend William A. Wack, CSC 

Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee 

Edward Wehmer 

Your investment in Catholic Extension is tax 

deductible to the extent allowed by law. Catholic 

Extension is a nonprofit 501(c)( 3 ) organization. 

ISSN Number: 0884-7533 

©2022 The Catholic Church Extension Society 

All rights reserved. 

The children 

of Uvalde 8 

Children who survived the 

horrific mass shooting at Robb 

Elementary School in Uvalde, 

Texas, are finding care in the arms 

of the Catholic Church. Catholic 

Extension is supporting a series 

of programs to promote healing 

for this wounded community. 

BUILD poor 7 

Expanding healthcare facility for the 

INSPIRE 

IGNITE 

NEWS BRIEFS | Catholic Extension is supporting the 

construction of a new healthcare facility for migrant 

farmworker families 

Support faith leaders radiating and 

revealing the light of Christ 8 

MISSION NEEDS | Help the faith communities served by past 

and present Lumen Christi Award recipients, finalists and 

nominees 

Introducing the 2022-2023 Lumen 

Christi Award finalists 14 

LUMEN CHRISTI | Seven finalists have drawn courage and 

conviction from their faith and have served God by making 

our country a more loving society 

Celebrating our Lumen Christi Award 

nominees 32 

FEATURE | This year’s nominees showcase the enormous 

breadth of the work of the Catholic Church across the country 

‘I’m humbled and grateful for this 

bouquet of blessings from God’ 35 

CONNECT | Young adult scholarship recipient gives thanks to 

God and to Catholic Extension donors 

Extension is a publication provided to you and your 

family by Catholic Extension. If you do not wish to 

continue receiving Extension, e-mail magazine@ 

catholicextension.org and we will remove you 

from this mailing list. 

Letter from Father Wall 4 

COVER & INSIDE COVER PHOTOS JUAN GUAJARDO

4 

Letter from Father Wall 


One of the great conduits 

of the Holy Spirit is our 

human intellect and 

imagination. We have 

a saying at Catholic 

Extension that our 

only limitation is our 

ability to be creative. 

Ultimately, it is God 

who “[makes] all things new” 

(Rv 21:5). We become God’s 

instruments of innovation 

and restoration through the 

sending of His Spirit, which 

when channeled through us 

can truly “renew the face of 

the earth” (Ps 104:30). 

I see God’s creative spirit 

daily in Catholic Extension’s 

work, which in 2022 alone 

has funded the construction 

and repair of 22 sacred 

church facilities among the 

poor, including a new migrant 

farmworker health and dental 

clinic that will 

serve thousands of 

families. 

God’s restorative 

spirit is also at work in 

Uvalde, Texas. The Catholic 

parish there, Sacred Heart, 

was among the first ever to 

be built with Extension funds 

in 1906, and it continues to 

beautifully serve a community 

that has been shattered by 

so much loss of life and loss 

of innocence. This summer, 

Catholic Extension initiated a 

project in partnership with the 

Teresian Sisters who work in 

Uvalde. The project promotes 

peace and healing among 

children and families after the 

unspeakable violence they 

witnessed in their community. 

The work of the Holy Spirit in joy and in sorrow 

I also see God’s spirit in 

this year’s 40 nominees for 

our Lumen Christi Award, 

which is Catholic Extension’s 

highest honor given to people 

who radiate and reveal the 

light of Christ present in the 

communities where they 

serve. 

God’s life-giving spirit is 

moving in a priest and laywoman 

who were nominated 

for this award after having 

spent an entire year responding 

to the spiritual and 

humanitarian needs of people 

devastated by Hurricane 

Ida in Louisiana’s bayous. 

God’s renewing spirit is 

being expressed in East Tennessee 

through the healing 

hands of a young religious 

sister who was nominated 

for her medical care of the 

most underserved populations. 

God’s innovative spirit is 

leading a faith-filled woman 

in Tucson, Arizona, who 

tackles homelessness and 

human trafficking among the 

vulnerable women on the 

streets in her community. 

God’s generous spirit is 

found in the Guadalupe Project, 

which has helped nearly 

400 low-income families 

in southern Illinois obtain 

scarce essentials such as 

diapers and baby formula for 

their infants and toddlers. 

Amid so many seemingly 

hopeless situations, God’s 

spirit is bursting onto the 

scene through the hands, 

hearts and hard work of 

ordinary people who have 

allowed themselves to 

become instruments of innovation 

and restoration. 

Their stories detailed in 

this magazine leave me more 

convinced than ever that we 

cannot underestimate the 

“If we want a more 

peaceful world, a 

more just society 

and a more 

compassionate 

culture, the best way 

we can accomplish 

this is by building up 

faith communities that 

become the conduits 

of God’s creative and 

life-giving spirit in our 

world today.” 

power of Catholic Extension’s 

mission to build up vibrant 

and transformative Catholic 

faith communities among 

the poor and in the poorest 

regions of our country. 

If we want a more peaceful 

world, a more just society 

and a more compassionate 

culture, the best way we can 

accomplish this is by building 

up faith communities that 

become the conduits of God’s 

creative and life-giving spirit 

in our world today. 

Thank you for all the ways 

you have embraced our 

mission and contributed to 

the more than 1,400 projects 

we sponsor in 87 dioceses 

across the country this year, 

touching 15 million lives. 

Through your generous support, 

you too have become an 

instrument of innovation and 

restoration. As we witness the 

powerful work being done 

in the name of our beloved 

Church, we are mindful that 

God has the power to make 

all things new, even turning 

death into new life. 

St. Paul tells us that “whoever 

is in Christ is a new 

creation: the old things have 

passed away; behold, new 

things have come” (2 Cor 

5:17). May the God who continually 

renews all of creation 

bless and renew you and all 

whom you love. 

Rev. John J. Wall 

PRESIDENT, CATHOLIC EXTENSION 

Father Jack Wall, 

left, president 

of Catholic 

Extension, visits 

the Diocese of 

Tucson, Arizona.


BUILD 

News from 

around the country 

NEWS BRIEFS 7 | MISSION NEEDS 8 | UVALDE: TURNING SORROW INTO ACTION 10 

HOLY SEE’S RE- 

APPOINTMENT 

CHICAGO 

300 PASTORS ON 

IMMERSION TRIPS 

NATIONWIDE 

SUPPORT AFTER 

TRAGEDY 

TEXAS 

BISHOP COMES TO 

“LOWER 48” 

MINNESOTA 

In May 2022, the Apostolic 

Nuncio to the United 

States, Archbishop 

Christophe Pierre, 

announced that the 

Holy See has confirmed 

Father Jack Wall to serve 

as our president for 

another five-year term. As 

a papal society, Catholic 

Extension’s president is 

appointed by the Holy 

See. Father Wall was first 

appointed as our president 

in 2007. We look forward 

to continuing our mission 

under his leadership! 

Three hundred pastors 

and parish leaders from 60 

dioceses have attended 

immersion trips with 

Catholic Extension. The 

Mission Immersion Program 

for Pastors began 

in 2018 to invite church 

leaders from urban or suburban 

areas to encounter 

the missionary work of the 

Church in Extension dioceses. 

The trips are supported 

by Lilly Endowment 

Inc., which has awarded 

an additional grant in 2022 

to help us sustain the program 

permanently. 

On June 27, 2022, first 

responders made a 

horrifying discovery: a 

trailer containing more 

than 50 dead bodies 

and 16 others in critical 

condition. The migrants 

were locked inside and 

left to die in the scorching 

Texas heat. Catholic 

Extension’s Holy Family 

Fund helped Catholic 

leaders’ efforts to 

fund transportation, 

burial expenses and 

counseling for the families 

of the survivors and the 

deceased. 

After eight years as bishop 

of the Diocese of Fairbanks, 

Alaska, Bishop 

Chad Zielinski has been 

appointed by Pope Francis 

to the Diocese of New 

Ulm, Minnesota. Bishop 

Zielinski frequently flew to 

remote villages and lived 

a subsistence lifestyle 

among Native Alaskans. 

“These encounters with 

God’s creation and coming 

to learn about new cultures 

is something that I 

will carry for my entire life,” 

he said. 


built Sacred 

Heart Catholic 

Church in 

Uvalde, Texas, 

in 1906. The 

parish has become 

a central place 

of community 

mourning and 

consolation in the 

wake of the school 

shooting. 

PHOTO TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 

EXPANDING HEALTHCARE FACILITY FOR THE POOR 

Catholic Extension is supporting the construction 

of a new Holy Family Healthcare facility, which 

serves migrant farmworker families in the Diocese 

of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The ministry was 

founded by 2019 Lumen Christi Award finalist Deacon Don 

Bouchard, DO, MBA, right, to serve the medical needs of the 

most vulnerable in southwest Michigan. The new center, 

completed in 2022, provides triple the space and can support 

15,000 visits annually. The expansion includes a new 

dental clinic and additional space for pediatric care. 

NEWS BRIEFS

8 BUILD Mission Needs 


PLEASE SUPPORT FAITH LEADERS 

RADIATING AND REVEALING 

THE LIGHT OF CHRIST 

Your donation will help the faith communities served by past and present Lumen 

Christi Award recipients, finalists and nominees. The light of Christ continues 

to shine brightly in these regions. To contribute to one of these projects, please 

contact us at magazine@catholicextension.org or call 800-842-7804. 

KALAMAZOO MICHIGAN 

Chalan Kanoa 

STOCKTON CALIFORNIA 

2022 Lumen Christi 

Guam 

Award nominee 

Father César Martínez 

has been the director 

of vocations for the 

Diocese of Stockton 

since 2019. He 

Caroline Islands 

oversees all vocations 

programs, including 

the seminarian education program and 

the St. John Vianney House of Formation, 

which Catholic Extension helped 

repair in 2021. Under Father Martínez’s 

leadership, the number of seminarian 

vocations has grown substantially. Your 

donation Marshall will Islands help support seminarian 

education under Father Martínez. 

BROWNING MONTANA 

Little Flower Parish 

on Blackfeet Nation 

celebrates its 

Catholic faith and 

native traditions. 

The humble Montana 

church has turned 

into a tremendous 

source of hope and 

healing for the people of Browning. For a 

combined 35 years until his retirement in 

2021, Father Ed Kohler, our 2010 Lumen 

Christi Award recipient, guided this 

parish. Your donation will support the 

new parish staff charged with carrying on 

this powerful mission. 

EL CENIZO TEXAS 

Santa Monica Mission serves a 

small, tight-knit 

community near the 

U.S.-Mexico border. 

In 2019, the “Santa 

Monica Angels,” 

comprising María 

Jaime, Angélica 

Cantú, Rosa Dávila, 

Martha Arroyo and 

Norma Losoya, were Lumen Christi 

Award finalists for the spiritual and 

physical nourishment they provide 

to children in poverty at the mission. 

Your donation today will support 

the operations of this mission as it 

continues to help families in need. 

2020 Lumen Christi Award finalists Father Ken 

Schmidt (pictured) and 

Sharon Froom founded 

the Trauma Recovery 

Program in the Diocese 

of Kalamazoo to assist 

survivors of trauma. 

Certified facilitators teach 

the program in small 

groups in communitybased 

settings, where attendees learn to 

recognize and understand their responses to 

childhood trauma while they gain new skills to 

live healthier lives. Your donation will help our 

continued support of this profoundly impactful 

program, which reaches thousands each year. 

BILOXI MISSISSIPPI 

Since 2008, Gregory Crapo 

has been the director of de 

l’Epee Deaf Center in Biloxi. 

The center serves 300 

people annually, providing 

educational services, 

advocacy and assistance 

to the deaf and hard of 

hearing. Catholic Extension 

has supported the center since 1990, and 

your donation will help continue the center’s 

outreach to those it serves. Read more about 

Crapo, a 2022 Lumen Christi Award finalist, and 

the center on page 16. 

Samoa-Pago Pago 

EXTENSION DIOCESES 

Your donation will be applied to a similar need 

should your specified project be fully funded 

before we receive your support. Thank you! 

Hawaii 

ISSION NEEDS 

Puerto Rico 

St. Thomas- 

Virgin Islands

10 

BUILD Extension | Fall 2022 11 

Cover Story | Uvalde 

ABOVE A child attending the camp helps paint 

a mural of her classmate who was killed in the 

school shooting. The Catholic community is 

participating in honoring all 21 victims with 

murals. 

RIGHT Describing Camp I-CAN, Sister Dolores 

Aviles, STJ, said, “I wanted the children 

to experience joy, love, family. …Catholic 

Extension was a blessing, because I didn’t know 

how I was going to fund this.” 

UVALDE, TEXAS, IN THE WAKE OF A SCHOOL SHOOTING 

Turning sorrow into 

purposeful action 

In 1912, Catholic Extension helped build 

Sacred Heart Catholic School. Today, 

many Uvalde families are urgently seeking our 

financial help to transfer their children to this 

safe and loving school environment. 

tary school, the Teresian Sisters 

arrived in 1913 to teach. They 

have remained ever since. They 

too could not have envisioned the 

future results of those actions. 

bTo support Catholic Extension’s work in Uvalde, please visit catholicextension.org/uvalde 

PHOTO JUAN GUAJARDO 

Sister Marichui Bringas, CCVI, helps Uvalde 

children reintegrate into a school-like setting 

around their peers with arts and crafts during 

the July camp. 


THE HEART OF AN UVALDE NATIVE 

Perhaps one of the most consequential 

outcomes of the founding 

of the school was the enrollment 

of a 5-year-old kindergartner, 

Dolores Aviles, in the early 

1960s. By the time she graduated 

eighth grade, she had fallen in love 

with the mission of the Teresian 

Sisters and decided to join them in 

1976 while in college. As a religious 

There is a proverb attributed 

to Mahatma 

Gandhi that 

says, “You may never 

know what results 

come of your 

actions, but if you do 

nothing, there will be no results.” 

When Catholic Extension’s executive 

board members gathered 

in 1906 to approve support for a 

rural community called Uvalde, 

Texas, they were surely not aware 

of the profound future results of 

that action. 

In its inaugural year, Catholic 

Extension helped build Sacred 

Heart Catholic Church in this 

small town with both loans and 

grants approved at its 1906 meeting. 

Then, in 1912, Catholic Extension 

supported the construction of 

Sacred Heart Catholic School, also 

in Uvalde. No one could have predicted 

how these two Catholic pillars 

would hold up the community 

through their worst nightmare. 

Following the May 2022 shooting 

at Robb Elementary School in 

Uvalde, which took 21 lives, mostly 

children, these two Catholic institutions 

have been among the most 

significant for this shocked and 

grieving community. 

Thousands have come to Sacred 

Heart Church in recent months, 

not just because the vast majority 

of the victims happened to be 

Catholic, but because the parish is 

still a natural place of convening, 

where people find strength and 

hope in one another. 

Sacred Heart School has also 

been an important pillar in the 

community. After Catholic Extension 

helped build the elemenwoman, 

Sister Dolores has mainly 

served as an educator in Texas. 

Since 2012 she has had the special 

honor of being in her hometown 

of Uvalde, ministering to the very 

people she grew up with. 

Among those who perished 

in the school shooting were her 

own family members—three children 

of her cousins. To say that 

she mourned would be an understatement. 

At the end of a week 

in which 21 funerals took place, 

mostly for 10-year-olds 

whom she knew personally, 

and some of whom were 

family or former students, 

Sister Dolores simply collapsed 

in physical and emotional 

exhaustion. She asked 

herself, “Is this a nightmare 

that I’m going to wake up 

from?” The pain of burying 

so many of her beloved people 

had taken its toll. But she 

did not stay down long. She cried, 

rested, prayed and sought her 

purpose. 

Sister Dolores’ first name is a 

Spanish-language tribute to Our 

Lady of Sorrows, whose heart was 

“pierced” with the sword of sorrow, 

the crucifixion of her son, as was 

foretold by the prophet Simeon in 

the Gospel of Luke ( 2:35 ). Yet, this 


Sister Delia Ibarra 

Rodriguez and Catholic 

sisters from several 

congregations gave children 

a safe space to heal and 

have fun during the first of 

many Catholic Extensionsupported 

programs 

to support the Uvalde 

community. 

woman of great strength carried 

on with her son’s mission. 

Sister Dolores, true to her namesake, 

has also had her heart 

impaled by a sword of profound 

sorrow. Nonetheless, she is committed 

to forging ahead with her 

mission of serving a local church 

that has lived through unimaginable 

horrors. 

Just days after the atrocities in 

their otherwise quiet community, 

Sister Dolores and her three fellow 

Uvalde-based Teresian Sisters, Sister 

Clarice Suchy, Sister Mary Lou 

Aldape, and Sister Dolores Esparza, 

were already planning what they 

could do to serve a grieving community 

shattered by the “massacre 

of the innocents” (Mt 2:16-18 ). 

Naturally, they decided to focus 

their efforts on the very people 

who are at the heart of their ministry: 

the children, parents and families 

of Uvalde. 

The sisters know that almost no 

one is untouched by the trauma 

of what happened. In July they 

organized “Camp “I-CAN,” which 

stands for Inner strength, Commitment, 

Awareness, and Networking. 

Held from July 25 to July 28, 

the camp hosted third-, fourthand 

fifth-graders from Robb Elementary 

School who were present

12 

BUILD 

Cover Story | Uvalde 

RIGHT “My heart is full of gratefulness to 

Catholic Extension and to all the donors. You’re 

able to empower us to be able to touch the lives 

of families that at this moment need Christ in 

their lives,” said Sister Dolores Aviles, STJ. 

BELOW Catholic sisters pray at the memorial at 

Robb Elementary School where 19 children 

and two teachers lost their lives. 

“And he began to send them out two by two...” – Mark 6:7 

PHOTOS JUAN GUAJARDO 

during the massacre. The camp was 

designed to develop inner strength 

by creating a safe environment 

where kids can just be kids again. 

Apart from faith-based activities, 

the sisters and other volunteers 

provided art therapy, fitness opportunities, 

games, community meals, 

music and entertainment. 

Sister Dolores feels that Jesus has 

been simply telling her: “Let the 

children come to me”(Mt 19:14 ). 

And that is exactly what this camp 

was designed to do. 

COMMITTED SUPPORT FOR UVALDE 

This program was the first of 

many that Catholic Extension 

will be funding over the next 18 

months. 

In June, Catholic Extension was 

awarded a grant by the Conrad N. 

Hilton Foundation to support the 

ministry of these sisters and invite 

other religious sisters from across 

the region and nation to support 

their healing ministries. Up to 100 

sisters from 20 to 25 distinct congregations 

will take part in special 

events throughout the year as a 

sign of solidarity with Uvalde. 

The grant will also help establish 

a tuition scholarship program 

for Sacred Heart School, which 

serves pre-K through seventh 

grade. Many families have sought 

to transfer their children from the 

public school where the shooting 

occurred to the Catholic school. 

When Sister Dolores received 

news of the scholarship fund, she 

wept for joy because she is the 

one talking to families seeking to 

transfer their children to Sacred 

Heart School, including the parents 

of one boy who was shot and 

survived, and who are in need of a 

full scholarship. 

Catholic Extension continues to 

accept donations for this scholarship 

fund. 

Finally, Catholic Extension will 

also dedicate funds to support 

ongoing mental health programs 

to augment existing services as 

needed, with the help of Catholic 

counselors. 

With the support of so many 

people inside and outside of 

Uvalde, the sisters feel that they 

are not alone. “That’s what community 

is. We support each other. 

God sends us out two by two,” said 

Sister Dolores. 

When we witness tragedy and 

atrocity, a natural reaction is to feel 

helpless. These four Teresian Sisters 

are showing us that there are 

things within our power that can 

make a difference. 

As they provide these outreach 

programs directed to hurting families 

in their community, whom 

they love like family, the sisters 

are fulfilling the proverb that we 

don’t know what will come of our 

actions, but if we do nothing, there 

will certainly be no results. 

Donors in the Two by Two Giving Society—leaders giving at least 

$1,000 annually—walk in companionship and solidarity with poor 

Catholic faith communities. 

This esteemed group helps Catholic Extension recognize and support 

the hidden heroes lifting up the Church on the margins of society. 

Contact Shea Gilliland, Director of Development, at 817-371-7826 

or sgilliland@catholicextension.org for more information. 

catholicextension.org/twobytwo


INSPIRE 

Features of faith 

INTRODUCING THE 

2022-2023 LUMEN CHRISTI 

AWARD FINALISTS 

SISTER MARY LISA RENFER, RSM, DO 

DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE 

GREGORY CRAPO 

DIOCESE OF BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI 

VERY REV. SIMON PETER ENGURAIT AND KAREN DAVID 

DIOCESE OF HOUMA-THIBODAUX, LOUISIANA 

FATHER STUART LONG 

DIOCESE OF HELENA, MONTANA 

2022 u 2023 

Lumen 

Christi 

AWARD 

DEACON CASEY WALKER 

DIOCESE OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA 

The Lumen Christi Award is Catholic Extension’s highest 

honor given to people who radiate and reveal the light of 

Christ present in the communities where they serve. 

This year, 40 dioceses submitted nominations for the 

award. Each nomination celebrates the humble heroes 

who powerfully impact others through their actions, 

leadership and faithfulness. 

Seven of the 40 nominees have been chosen as 

award finalists and will receive $10,000 to support and 

enhance their ministries. 

From among these finalists, the 2022-2023 Lumen 

Christi Award recipient will ultimately be selected and 

given a $25,000 grant, along with an additional $25,000 

grant for the nominating diocese. The award recipient 

will be revealed in the next edition of Extension 

magazine. 

This past year has seen great heartache and financial 

strain affect Americans across the country. Natural 

disasters, violence and rising prices crowd newspaper 

headlines. However, our Lumen Christi Award finalists 

have drawn courage and conviction from their faith and 

have served God by making our country a more loving 

society. Their stories showcase how, even in the face 

of great difficulty, the light of Christ can always shine 

among us. 

FRANCIS LEBLANC 

DIOCESE OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA 

JEAN FEDIGAN 

DIOCESE OF TUCSON, ARIZONA

16 INSPIRE 

Lumen Christi Finalist 


Start with your open 

right hand, palm face 

out, shoulder high. 

Move your right arm to 

the left, gently, like a 

mother gathering her 

children. Crossing your chest, 

touch the side of your right hand 

to your left shoulder. Then raise 

both hands to the sky, the left 

hand slightly higher than the right, 

a silent show of praise. With your 

closed hands, a horizontal line just 

above the head, forming an altar, 

gracefully extend your fingers and 

pull your hands apart, like birds 

taking flight. 

This is how to sign the words 

“Our” and “Father”—a hand that 

crosses the heart, open hands 

raised to the sky, just above the 

head, gracefully acknowledging 

the God space in which we always 

dwell. 

Helen Keller once said, “Blindness 

separates people from things. 

Deafness separates people from 

people.” 

The isolation that deafness 

brings is almost unimaginable 

for the hearing, who have no idea 

what the deaf have to go through 

to participate in a hearing world. 

Gregory Crapo, director of the de 

l’Epee Deaf Center in Biloxi, Mississippi, 

knows this well. 

COMMUNITY IS KEY 

The ministry was established 

in Biloxi in 1977 by Daughter of 

Charity Sister Dolores Coleman. 

Since 2003, Crapo has served as 

GREGORY CRAPO | DIOCESE OF BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI 

Ending 

isolation 

for the 

deaf 

the center’s director. Today, Crapo 

and his staff of three promote 

independence and inclusion in 

the community for the deaf, hard 

of hearing and disabled. 

Catholic Extension has 

supported the ministry for 

more than 30 years. 

Community is the key 

word. Community is the 

only way to end the isolation 

that deafness brings. 

This ministry is as 

expansive as it is innovative. 

Crapo and his staff 

provide interpreting services 

for the Diocese of Biloxi and 

its neighbors. Universities and 

hospitals utilize these services, as 

do teachers, police and the court 

system. 

Providing interpreters is just a 

small part of de l’Epee’s mission. 

The center creates a community in 

which the deaf and hard of hearing 

have all the activities and services 

a hearing community would 

have. 


Lumen 

Christi 

AWARD 

FINALIST 

Gregory Crapo has served as the director of 

the de l’Epee Deaf Center since 2003. He is 

working to expand its services to further help 

the deaf community. 

Crapo has led the 

expansion of a wide array 

of social services including 

American Sign Language 

(ASL) classes, a food 

pantry, transportation and 

emergency services during 

extreme weather, such as 

hurricanes. 

Young people go on field 

trips, participate in dances 

and attend retreats. They receive 

educational services from academics 

to religious instruction. Camp 

D.E.A.F. (Deaf Enabled to Associate 

for Fun and Friendship) offers five 

days of recreational activities for 

children ages 5 to 14. Older teens 

and young adults trained in ASL 

serve as camp counselors and are 

drawn further into empathy and 

mission. An outside prayer grotto is 

being planned to help young peo- 

The de l’Epee Deaf Center educates and builds confidence among deaf children through 

classes, retreats and summer camps. 

ple know that the call to pray is 

always and everywhere. 

FROM DEBT TO EXPANSION 

When Crapo first arrived, the 

center was struggling with debt. 

His leadership has enabled de 

l’Epee to become debt free, financially 

stable and in a position to 

grow its mission. Its outreach is at 

an all-time high. More and more 

deaf and hard-of-hearing people 

are moving into the area for the 

center’s services. 

The ministry is reaching an 

expanded population through a 

new branch called The Tabitha 

Project, which will serve the blind, 

deaf-blind and people with special 

needs. Crapo also helped 

establish a clinic that provides eye 

surgeries to people in need. 

Bishop Louis Kihneman III of 

Biloxi said, “Greg has been challenged 

with expanding our established 

ministry to people of all disabilities 

while understanding the 

differences in each area of need.” 

The de l’Epee Deaf Center is a 

ministry of the Diocese of Biloxi, 

Mississippi, that Catholic Extension 

has supported for more than 30 years. 

Crapo said that the Catholic 

faith comes alive in sign language. 

He believes that the sign for 

“Jesus Christ” is the most powerful. 

It is the symbol for “king” with a 

C hand shape and the third finger 

of each hand touching 

the opposite palm representing 

Jesus’ wounds. 

“Working with our most 

vulnerable populations 

is the best way to walk in 

Jesus’ footsteps,” Crapo 

said. 

In a thank-you note 

to our donors, Crapo 

wrote, “Your commitment 

to Catholic Extension 

allows us to make 

our community a better 

place and is a great inspiration, 

helping ensure 

that the staff and volunteers 

of de l’Epee can 

provide critical assistance 

when needed.” 

There are those who take advantage 

of the deaf. Crapo believes 

that trust building is the most 

important part of his ministry 

because such wounds can only be 

healed through love and in community. 

Crapo’s trust in God’s love 

animates his ministry. De l’Epee is 

truly God’s space. 

So, start with a hand that crosses 

the heart, open hands raised to 

the sky, hands just above the head, 

gracefully praising the God space 

in which we always dwell.

18 INSPIRE 



Father Stuart Long 

greeted the world 

with a fighting spirit 

throughout his entire 

life. Although he spent 

his youth excelling in 

physical competition, it was in his 

final years that a battle within his 

own body—one he knew he would 

lose—brought the victorious grace 

of God to each person he encountered. 

A movie about his life, titled “Father 

Stu,” was released earlier this 

year. Catholic actor Mark Wahlberg 

dramatically plays Father Stu. The 

film recounts the true story that, 

while in seminary, Father Stu was 

diagnosed with inclusion body myositis, 

a debilitating terminal illness 

that causes progressive muscle 

weakness and damage. Although 

he grew physically weaker by the 

day, he did not hide his suffering. 

Instead, he gave himself to others. 

Known for his directness and honesty, 

Father Stu transformed the 

lives of countless people from all 

walks of life. 

A JAGGED JOURNEY TO THE 

PRIESTHOOD 

Father Stu grew up in Helena, 

Montana, in an agnostic family. An 

intense and outgoing young man, 

he excelled athletically but often 

found trouble. When he entered 

Carroll College in the Diocese of 

Helena, a priest encouraged him 

to channel his energy into boxing. 

Father Stu won Montana’s Golden 

Gloves heavyweight title in 1985. 

He graduated with a bachelor’s 

degree in English literature and 

writing. 

He moved to Los Angeles to pursue 

an acting career, but he never 

FATHER STUART LONG 

DIOCESE OF HELENA, MONTANA 

[ NOMINATED POSTHUMOUSLY ] 

A FINAL OFFERING 

For his first years as a priest, Father 

Stu served at two parishes— 

both supported by Catholic Extension. 

He was known as a good 

confessor because of his own ups 

and downs in life. His parishioners 

appreciated his sense of humor 

and down-to-earth nature. 

He also returned to his old 

fighting grounds at Carroll College 

to celebrate Mass and meet 

with young adults. Father Marc 

Lenneman, who attended seminary 

at the same time as Father Stu 

and currently serves as the director 

of vocations for the diocese and as- 

Boxer-turnedpriest’s 

final 

fight sought a 

heavenly crown 


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town to begin priestly 

formation through the Diocese 

of Helena at Mount 

Angel Seminary in Oregon. 

Catholic Extension supported 

his education as a 

seminarian. 

Father Stu learned about 

his disease near the end 

of his seminary formation. 

Bishop George Thomas decided 

to ordain him as a priest regardless 

of the grim prognosis of 

health. When Father Stu was ordained 

in 2007, he said, “I stand 

broke through the industry. 

He began dating a young 

woman who wanted him to 

become Catholic. Although 

he initially dismissed the 

idea, a near-fatal motorcycle 

accident led him to reevaluate 

his life. He entered 

the Rite of Christian Initiation 

of Adults, and at the 

moment of his baptism, he 

felt a call to become a priest. 

Father Stu finally answered the 

call after several years of discernment. 

He returned to his homebefore 

you as a broken man. Barring 

a miracle, I’m going to die from 

this disease, but I carry it for the 

cross of Christ, and we can all carry 

our crosses.” 

sociate chaplain at the college, described 

the powerful experience 

of worshipping with the physically 

weakened priest. 

“People were just constantly reduced 

to silence, a real reverential 

silence, because you could see the 

offering,” he said. “And that’s the 

same offering of Christ, who suffers 

on the cross and gives everything 

for us.” 

During his last Mass at the college, 

Father Stu did not have the 

strength to lift his arms to present 

the host, so the altar servers lifted 

it for him. One of them was just ordained 

a priest in June. 

Father Lenneman said people 

had courage put in them by their 

time with Father Stu. He did not 

hide his brokenness. It made him 

accessible and vulnerable. “It became 

a way that the grace of God 

LEFT Father 

Stuart Long 

boxed as a 

student at Carroll 

College and 

won Montana’s 

Golden Gloves 

heavyweight title 

in 1985. 

TOP LEFT Father 

Stuart Long 

counseled 

everyone who 

came to him for 

help until he died 

from a debilitating 

illness in 2014. 

would flow to people,” said Father 

Lenneman. 

The disease progressed rapidly, 

and in 2010 he moved into Big 

Sky Care Center, a nursing home 

in Helena. From his wheelchair he 

continued to perform Mass and listen 

and speak with anyone who 

visited him. His honest and unflinching 

spiritual counsel transformed 

everyone with whom he 

met. Word of his healing guidance 

spread like wildfire. As he neared 

the end of his days, the line of people 

outside his room waiting to 

meet him grew longer. 

Three employees at Big Sky converted 

to Catholicism. One woman, 

who met and was prayed over by 

Father Stu when she was told her 

unborn child would die in utero, 

miraculously gave birth to a healthy 

child. Everyone was astonished except 

Father Stu. The parents named 

him the child’s godfather. 

Since his passing in 2014, stories 

of his transformative witness 

have abounded—marriages healing, 

personal lives being set aright, 

young men considering a vocation 

to the priesthood and countless 

people expressing a greater love for 

the Church. His inspiring story will 

hopefully continue to grow through 

the film, “Father Stu,” released nationwide 

during Holy Week in 

2022. 

“Father Stuart Long embodied 

courage and faith in a special 

way,” said Bishop Austin Vetter of 

Helena. “His courage was bound 

closely to the will of God. Rather 

than choosing circumstances that 

demanded courage, he chose to 

courageously embrace the circumstances 

of his life and give all he 

had to love and serve Christ.”

20 INSPIRE 



VERY REV. SIMON PETER ENGURAIT 

AND KAREN DAVID 

DIOCESE OF HOUMA-THIBODAUX, LOUISIANA 

‘Comfort my 

people’ 

On August 29, 2021, 

the 16th anniversary 

of Hurricane 

Katrina’s landfall 

in Louisiana, the 

state was devastated 

by Hurricane Ida. The Category 4 

storm knocked out power, water 

and gas infrastructures across the 

state. It demolished thousands of 

homes, leaving families displaced 

and vulnerable. The Diocese of 

Houma-Thibodaux, located to the 

southwest of New Orleans along 

the Gulf Coast, took a direct hit. Approximately 

75 percent of the diocese’s 

properties sustained damage. 

What Hurricane Ida couldn’t 

tear down, however, was the strong 

spirit of the Catholic Church. In 

times of crisis, the Church often 

shows Her best self, giving hope to 

those who have lost so much. 

In these times of peril and 

uncertainty, the Church’s most 

compassionate and competent 

leaders often emerge to the forefront. 

Such was the case in the 

Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, 

where Very Rev. Simon Peter 

Engurait and Karen David have led 

spiritual and humanitarian relief 

efforts that touched thousands of 

vulnerable families impacted by 

Hurricane Ida’s devastation. More 

than anything, their presence has 

comforted those who have lost 

everything. 

Very Rev. Simon Peter Engurait and Karen 

David, left, spearheaded remarkable spiritual 

and humanitarian relief efforts across the 

Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana, 

in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. Bishop 

Shelton Fabre, below, now archbishop of 

Louisville, Kentucky, delivers meals outside 

Holy Family Catholic Church in Dulac, Louisiana. 

He appointed them to lead the Hurricane Ida 

disaster response efforts. 

ANSWERING THE CALL TO LEAD 

Just a week after the storm, 

the executive director position at 

Catholic Charities Houma-Thibodaux 

became vacant, leaving no 

one to navigate these communities 

through their darkest days. Bishop 

Shelton Fabre (who was the bishop 

at the time of the hurricane) asked 

Father Engurait, a member of his 

senior leadership team, to serve as 

interim director. Father Engurait 

already wore many hats, including 

serving as pastor of St. Bridget 

Catholic Church in Schriever and 

overseeing each diocesan administrative 

office. Now he was being 

tasked with leading the diocese’s 

disaster response efforts after one 

Holy Family Catholic Church in Dulac, Louisiana, welcomes the town to Mass at a life center days 

after Hurricane Ida’s landfall. Catholic Extension helped the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux create 

temporary worship spaces. 

of the most catastrophic storms in 

the state’s history. 

Father Engurait asked Karen David, 

a retired senior executive at 

Johnson & Johnson, to serve as his 

right-hand officer. David, a longtime 

diocesan volunteer at the 

Catholic Community Center food 

bank and thrift store, refused 

compensation when 

offered the role. She stated, 

“This is a gift I can give to 

our community.” 

That gift, given by both 

Father Engurait and David, 

is their love for their community 

and genuine desire 

to help those still suffering 

the most, emotionally and 

economically. 

When Father Engurait is asked 

how the diocese is doing amid 

the ongoing recovery, he is quick 

to answer that a diocese is more 

than its buildings. The mission of 

the Church is alive and well. It is 

focused on the people of the community, 

those who right now are 

hurting, are without homes and 

jobs, and whose livelihoods have 

been destroyed. 

Father Engurait said, “Many 

people just needed somebody to 

talk to, somebody to hear them. 

They would say things to us like, 


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‘Yeah, I want some water, but more 

than that I want you to hear me.’” 

The one thing people did not 

lose, Father Engurait admirably 

noted, was their faith. 

“It was amazing to see and listen 

to people who, in spite of the 

devastation that they experienced, 

were still aware of the 

presence of God,” he said. 

Father Engurait recalls 

many having the attitude 

of, “We are going to make 

it. God has spared my life. 

I’ve lost everything, but 

God has spared my life.” 

Following the hurricane, 


helped the diocese create 

temporary worship places 

so people could gather again and 

rally together as communities of 

faith. 

“TRULY THE WORK OF GOD” 

David has played a key role 

listening to people, providing for 

their needs with supplies and, in 

several cases, personally “adopting” 

families to ensure they have 

food on the table and a roof over 

their heads. One mother from 

a family of five remarked, “She 

has come into my life and made 

changes in ways I can’t explain. 

Truly the work of God! I can never 

thank her enough for all that she 

has done for myself and my kids. 

She helped restore my faith.” 

A renewed faith is something 

that Father Engurait has seen 

throughout the diocese. While 

there was a decline in parishioners 

during the COVID-19 pandemic, 

people began returning to the 

Church in even larger numbers after 

Hurricane Ida. 

“We saw numbers bump back 

up as people turned to God in these 

times of difficulty,” Father Engurait 

said. “I think the relevance of the 

Church was manifested in this time 

of need.” 

In the time since Hurricane 

Ida made landfall one year ago, 

Father Engurait and Karen David 

have spent all their energy and 

efforts responding to the needs of 

the underserved, poor and most 

vulnerable within the Diocese of 

Houma-Thibodaux, sharing hope 

and leading with faith. They truly 

exemplify how the Church always 

rises to the occasion, especially in 

times of difficulty. 

Bishop Fabre, who, as of March 

30, 2022, is now the archbishop 

of Louisville, Kentucky, summed 

it up well. “When I was ordained 

a bishop, I selected my episcopal 

motto as, ‘Comfort my people.’ This 

motto has rung true in my heart 

this past year more than it has ever 

before,” he said. “Father Simon 

Peter and Karen David have helped 

me to do just that: comfort my 

people.”

22 INSPIRE 



What does it 

mean to say 

that we behold 

the face 

of Our Lord 

in the poor? 

It is not a memory of some 

picture. It is not a product of our 

imagination. To see the face of Our 

Lord in the poor is to experience a 

dynamic connection, a Spirit-filled 

activism to which we must give 

our all. 

CARE FOR THE SUFFERING 

When we see the face of Our 

Lord in the poor, we know all at 

once that the wounds of the poor 

are the wounds of Jesus, calling us 

to heal our own spiritual poverty 

caused by isolation and spiritual 

atrophy. We are compelled to act 

as Jesus, to stand in solidarity with 

the suffering and to muster all our 

own resources to act. 

Sister Mary Lisa Renfer 

learned the lessons of the 

Spirit early. She was one of 

seven children and grew 

up in Detroit. After her 

sophomore year in college, 

while attending a mission 

trip in Ecuador where she 

encountered abused children, 

she responded to the 

call to see the face of Christ 

in the poor. She joined the Religious 

Sisters of Mercy, choosing 

mercy as both her religious profession 

and the habit of her heart. 

HABITS OF THE HEART 

The order sent Sister Mary Lisa 

to Michigan State University where 

she completed her doctorate in 

osteopathic medicine. This unique 

fusion of a medical degree and 


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As medical director of St. Mary’s Legacy 

Clinic, Sister Mary Lisa Renfer, RSM, DO, 

extends the healing ministry of Jesus in the 

Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee. 

religious vocation prepared her to 

become the medical director of St. 

Mary’s Legacy Clinic (SMLC). 

The first indication that one is 

beholding something special is 

SMLC’s sign: “Extending the healing 

ministry of Jesus to East Tennessee.” 

The sign sits on the side 

of a 40-foot-long, three-axle, 

10-wheel, custom-made doctor’s 

office complete with onboard computers, 

a treatment room, a health 

assessment station and a lab. 

And that is only a small 

fraction of what makes 

SMLC such a wonder. 

Although Sister Mary Lisa 

does not yet have her commercial 

driver’s license (it 

is on her 2022 to-do list), 

she is clearly the driver 

of this mobile ministry to 

those who have little to no 

access to health care in the 

poorest counties in rural 

eastern Tennessee. 

Patients come from the peripheries. 

Seventy-two percent of them 

live in extreme poverty. They suffer 

the afflictions of the poor—diabetes, 

high blood pressure, liver 

disease, opioid addiction and lung 

disease. Acute vision and dental 

needs abound. 

The vast majority of patients 

are not Catholic. In fact, their first 

exposure to the Catholic Church 

is Sister Mary Lisa, her staff of two 

and her team of 60 active volunteers. 

There perhaps could be no 

better introduction to the Church. 

The clinic covers a lot of 

ground. It has seven practice sites, 

provides in-person services seven 

times a month, and will see more 

than 1,500 patients this year alone. 

Sister Mary Lisa has assembled a 

SISTER MARY LISA RENFER, RSM, DO | DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE 

Care can always be given 

network of 100 health care professionals 

who lend their medical 

expertise to the mission. 

GUARDIAN ANGELS 

Pope Francis said, “Even when 

healing is not possible, care can 

always be given.” Sister Mary Lisa 

exemplifies this by walking with 

each patient and their unique circumstances. 

In her ministry, she 

As a Religious Sister 

of Mercy and a 

doctor, Sister Mary 

Lisa Renfer has 

devoted her life to 

caring for the whole 

person. 

never separates the healing of the 

body from the healing of the soul. 

She said, “Jesus comes to meet you 

in each person. Sometimes I can’t 

fix them, but I have to walk with 

them. And the more you walk with 

them, the more you know how to 

help.” 

One woman recently returned 

from a long incarceration and 

came to the clinic. She had 

received no medical care in jail 

and was diagnosed with liver disease. 

Sister Mary Lisa prescribed 

palliative care, but the disease 

was too far along for treatment. 

She could not fix the liver disease, 

but she could walk with her. Sister 

Mary Lisa told her about guardian 

angels, to which the woman 

responded, “You mean, I’m not 

alone all the time?” As her guardian 

angel, Sister Mary Lisa made 

sure the woman was not alone 

during her last journey to God. 

Care can always be given. 

Sister Mary Lisa sees the face 

of Our Lord in the poor. It is her 

habit. Her ministry is a Spirit-filled 

activism to which she gives her 

all. Our Catholic faith comes alive 

when we stand in solidarity with 

those who suffer. Sister Mary Lisa 

shows us the way.

24 INSPIRE 



FRANCIS LEBLANC | DIOCESE OF 

LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA 

Giving ‘All 

glory to 

the Lord’ in 

Louisiana 

Anyone who speaks 

with Francis Leblanc, 

a music minister 

and teacher 

in the Diocese of 

Lafayette, Louisiana, 

will encounter a soft-spoken man 

whose gratitude and devotion 

to God and his community are 

evident in every word. Those who 

have the good fortune of witnessing 

him lead beautiful and powerful 

worship music are sure to see 

an entirely different dimension of 

his personality. 

For decades, Leblanc’s music 

has enriched the lives of thousands 

in southern Louisiana. He 

is the music minister at his home 

parish of St. Francis of Assisi 

Catholic Church in Breaux Bridge, 

Louisiana, and at three other parishes 

in nearby Lafayette. He has 

also served as a music teacher for 

24 years, and he currently teaches 

at a public middle school and high 

school. 

A GOD-GIVEN TALENT 

His voice and musical talent are 

undeniable. But Leblanc reminds 

people he sings not for himself but 

for God. “All glory to the Lord,” he 

says reflexively at the mere sound 


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of applause. 

Leblanc credits his strong 

faith life to his family and 

community. “I was blessed 

having both parents 

believing in God,” he said. 

“They instilled in us hard 

work and to treat people 

the way you want to be 

treated. My father is gone 

now, but we know where 

he’s at. He’s with the grace 

of God.” To this day, Leblanc’s 

mother attends Mass nearly every 

day and prays the rosary at least 

four times a day. 

As a child at St. Francis, which 

hosted many highly talented musicians, 

Leblanc fell in love with 

the beauty of music and its ability 

to bring people closer to God. 

Father Joseph Brown, a Josephite 

priest who served the parish, 

encouraged Leblanc to develop his 

musical abilities and to play for the 

church. 

Leblanc earned a bachelor’s and 

master’s degree in music 

from the University of Louisiana 

at Lafayette. During 

his education, he received 

a scholarship to study overseas, 

but his family couldn’t 

afford the rest of the cost. 

His parish community 

came together to fundraise 

for him, so his parents 

didn’t have to pay a cent. 

“That touched me 

deeply,” Leblanc said. “And for that 

I always want to give back, because 

so much was given to me through 

my community.” 

Since then, Leblanc has given 

back a hundredfold. His passion- 

Francis Leblanc’s stirring music is 

enthusiastically embraced by young people 

at the Diocese of Lafayette’s African 

American Youth Congress, an event 

supported by Catholic Extension. 

ate music ministry and decades 

of teaching have inspired tens of 

thousands. His popularity is undeniable. 

A frequent cantor and musician 

at weddings, funerals and 

other major life events in the community, 

he is present at people’s 

brightest and darkest moments. 

Music minister and teacher Francis 

Leblanc uses his talent to honor and 

inspire love for God among communities 

in the Diocese of Lafayette. 

During the pandemic, Leblanc 

generously participated in Catholic 

Extension’s “Songs in Solidarity” 

concert series benefiting poor 

Catholic communities struggling 

amid the challenges of COVID-19. 

The video garnered thousands of 

views. Many parishioners and former 

students commented on how 

much they missed hearing his 

voice and how much his musical 

inspiration meant to them in the 

difficult time of lockdown. 

Stephanie Bernard, the director 

of the Office of 

Black Catholic 

Ministries for the 

Diocese of Lafayette, 

said Leblanc’s 

ministry 

“provides a tremendous 

blessing 

as he shares it 

with conviction, 

boldness and 

humility with 

people far and 

near.” 

NOTES FOR THE NEXT 

GENERATION 

Leblanc’s musical ability is 

matched by his talent for igniting 

a passion for God within the 

hearts and souls of all people. 

“His skillfully trained vocal 

talent brings to his listeners an unforgettable 

and uplifting spiritual 

experience that transpires through 

all generations,” said Bishop J. 

Douglas Deshotel of the Diocese 

of Lafayette. 

Kaffy Babineaux Belvin, the 

pastoral associate at Our Lady 

Queen of Peace, said, “He has 

inspired teens, young adults and 

adults to use their gift of music 

and share their love of God with 

the congregation.” 

Each year, Leblanc serves the 

Diocese of Lafayette’s annual African 

American Youth Congress. 

This event, which is supported by 

Catholic Extension, invites young 

Black Catholics from across the 

state to celebrate and affirm their 

faith, culture and the gifts they 

bring to the Catholic Church. 

During this event, Leblanc teaches 

through an array of musical 

genres. His songs include contemplative 

hymns, energetic gospel 

music and heartfelt spirituals—a 

style that arose from enslaved 

people seeking solace and empowerment 

through music that 

entwines the stories of the Bible 

with the experience of living in 

bondage. Leblanc uses traditional 

and contemporary music to connect 

to people and educate youth 

on their faith and history, giving 

them an outlet of prayer and authentic 

religious expression. 

“That’s the wonderful part of 

it—getting to emphasize to these 

young people that they can use 

music to praise God and get closer 

to Him,” he said. 

Leblanc’s reverence for God is 

reflected in his love and care for 

his community. He is thankful 

for the people God has put in his 

life. “He’s done so much, and He 

continues to do so much, even at 

times when we don’t realize it,” he 

said.

26 INSPIRE 



Counselors say that 

what you do not 

talk out, you will act 

out. And acting out 

is usually trouble. 

Meaningful dialogue 

is replaced by hostile silence, 

blame, combativeness and verbal 

and physical violence. Dialogue, 

even in all of its complexity, is 

always better than acting out. 

As it is interpersonally, so it is 

in society. The 

2022 

things a society 

u 2023 

does not talk 

about, especially 

the most important 

things, get 

acted out in ways 

Lumen that make meaningful 

commu- 

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FINALIST impossible. 

Take race. 

Our country has a tough time 

talking about this terribly 

complicated subject, which some 

call our nation’s original sin. 

There are few opportunities to 

meaningfully engage, so we act 

out. Stereotyping, fear mongering, 

and verbal and physical violence 

render any meaningful dialogue 

almost impossible. And things get 

worse. In our silence, we settle for 

hostility or indifference. It is easy 

to harbor hostility or indifference 

toward someone you do not know. 

And what is the role of the 

Church in this? 

Deacon Casey Walker has a 

method. Let’s talk. 

HEARING GOD’S CALL 

Deacon Walker was born and 

raised in New Jersey. His father 

was an elder in the Baptist Church. 

DEACON CASEY WALKER 

DIOCESE OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA 

Dialogue in 

divided times 

After graduating from 

Howard University, he 

joined the Navy where he 

became a nuclear reactor 

operator and taught 

classes in nuclear reactor 

physics and construction. 

His background in 

nuclear reactions 

prepared him for the 

volatile conversations he 

would go on to lead on 

behalf of the Church. 

He and his wife, 

Andrea, a Catholic, 

moved to St. Basil the 

Great Parish in Vallejo, 

California. While 

attending Mass he was 

drawn to the Eucharist. 

In 2003 he decided to join the 

Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. 

Deacon Walker was active in 

parish ministry. He was a choir 

member, lector, catechist and 

Bible study leader. In 2007, while 

spending time in eucharistic 

adoration, he heard the call to 

deepen his ministry. In 2018 he 

was ordained a deacon. 

That same year, after the 

shooting of Stephon Clark in Sacramento, 

California—a high-profile 

case that sparked unrest—Deacon 

Deacon Casey Walker baptizes a baby in the 

Diocese of Sacramento, California. 

Walker began to understand the 

unique form his ministry would 

take. He would help people talk. 

That year, the U.S. Conference 

of Catholic Bishops issued “Open 

Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring 

Call to Love – A Pastoral Letter 

Against Racism.” Deacon Walker 

was invited by his bishop, Jaime 

Soto, to become the chair of 

the Diocese of Sacramento’s 

Intercultural Committee on 

Access, Integration and Mission. 

He was admittedly reluctant. “I 

struggled with wanting to be the 

head of that group. I’ll truthfully 

say I didn’t want to be looked at as 

a token,” he said. He was perfectly 

happy doing the regular work that 

deacons do around the parish— 

baptisms and Bible studies. 

But after discerning Bishop 

Soto’s invitation, Deacon Walker 

decided that his life experiences 

as a Black man and his willingness 

to engage anyone in conversation 

would guide this new ministry. “I 

needed to be who I was,” he said. 

“I needed to stop coming up with 

excuses and go where God had 

called me.” 

SILENCE IS NOT AN OPTION 

He led more than a dozen 

listening meetings in parishes, 

schools and ecclesial leadership 

groups and guided multiple 

training sessions for priests, 

deacons and lay leaders. He plans 

to implement training sessions 

with other faith organizations in 

Vallejo and the surrounding area. 

Bishop Soto said, “Deacon 

Casey has been an exceptional 

leader, guiding parish and school 

members through a very sensitive 

process of listening and dialogue 

as it pertains to experiences of 

racial discrimination within an 

institution and heightening muchneeded 

awareness of racial justice 

in our church and communities.” 

Deacon Casey 

Walker entered 

the Catholic 

Church and 

became a deacon 

with support from 

his wife, Andrea. 

These talks have 

not been easy. 

Deacon Walker 

has received his 

share of rejection 

and dejection. 

But he pushes on 

because silence is 

not an option. “All I can do is go 

out and serve in the community. 

I can bring the hope, needs and 

prayers of those I encounter back 

to the altar and ask for the graces 

of God and the strength of the 

Holy Spirit so I may be a useful 

instrument of the Lord,” he said. 

On the steps of the Lincoln 

Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. 

said, “I have a dream that my four 

little children will one day live 

in a nation where they will not 

be judged by the color of their 

skin but by the content of their 

character.” This is a central tenet 

of Catholic social teaching, and 

thanks to Deacon Walker, the 

Sacramento diocese is creating 

pathways of understanding and 

dialogue in a society that desperately 

needs it.

28 INSPIRE 



JEAN FEDIGAN 

DIOCESE OF TUCSON, 

ARIZONA 

Every morning Jean 

Fedigan wakes up and 

starts her day by going 

to her prayer room. “I 

ask God to please direct 

me today to open 

my heart and put me where He 

needs me to be,” Fedigan said. 

God has called Fedigan to serve 

at Sister José Women’s Center 

(SJWC) in the Diocese of Tucson, 

Arizona. The center, which Fedigan 

founded in 2009 while serving 

as the chief nursing officer at 

University of Arizona Physicians 

Healthcare Hospital, is named after 

her mentor, Sister José Hobday, 

a Franciscan nun who spent her 

life caring for the poor and marginalized. 

In the spirit of its namesake, 

SJWC is dedicated to the 

cares of homeless and trafficked 

women living on the streets of 

Tucson. 

Most of the women who come 

to SJWC have a mental illness, 

live on the streets in tunnels or on 

bus stop benches and face nightly 

threats of violence. These women 

wake up and, as Fedigan says, ask 

themselves, “How do I survive today?” 

Fedigan established SJWC 

to combat the dehumanizing realities 

that homeless women face 

each day. 

More than just providing shelter 

from the desert sun or access to 

showers, laundry, meals and clothing, 

SJWC has a deeper mission on 

behalf of these vulnerable women. 

It seeks to ensure that they feel 

loved, respected and assured of 

their human dignity. 

LOVE, DIGNITY AND RESPECT 

In 2009 Fedigan learned 

about a winter night shelter for 

men. When she asked where 

the women went, she was told 

they were turned away because 

the shelter could only take men 

due to the potential for violence 

against women. 

“That didn’t last long before I 

said that’s not OK,” Fedigan said. 

She went to her pastor, Msgr. 

Tom Cahalane of Our Mother of 

Sorrows Catholic Church, and 

asked to speak at Sunday Masses 

about the idea of creating a women’s 

shelter. She rallied volunteers 

and opened the winter night shelter 

for women. 

Fedigan noted that God teaches 

us through other people, most especially 

through the women she is 

privileged to serve. 

One January night, around 2 

a.m., a young guest named Lisa 

slipped out of the shelter. At 

6:30 a.m. Fedigan went outside 

the shelter and saw Lisa standing 

completely naked. Lisa didn’t 

know what had happened to 

her clothes and told Fedigan she 

thought she was losing her mind. 

After helping the young woman 

get clothed and comfortable, Fedigan 

recalled the words in the Gospel 

of Matthew, Chapter 25, “Lord, 

when did I see you naked?” 

Fedigan serves people of all religions, 

cultures and walks of life. 

Her compassion is freely offered 

‘You made 

me feel 

human 

today’ 

to all without judgment because 

she sees the face of Christ in all 

whom she meets. Many guests 

have simply told her, “You made 

me feel human today.” 

SAFETY FOR THOSE WITHOUT 

SAFETY NETS 

Through the help of donors and 

several volunteers as well as Fedigan’s 

inspiring leadership, Sister 

José Women’s Center has gone 

from being a shelter for women 

just during winter months to offering 

services year-round, day 

and night. 

LEFT Jean Fedigan seeks to ensure 

that vulnerable women feel loved, 

respected, and assured of their human 

dignity during their time staying at 

Sister José Women’s Center. 

FAR LEFT Jean Fedigan founded Sister 

José Women’s Center in 2009. It is 

dedicated to the care of homeless and 

trafficked women living on the streets 

of Tucson, Arizona. 

On a typical day, 100 women 

will come to SJWC. Its gates open 

at 7:30 a.m. Fedigan and her volunteers 

cook breakfast for the 

women, offer them a fresh shower 

and assess needs. Health services, 

case managers and counselors are 

on-site to help the women. 

Fedigan’s center is the only 

shelter in town that allows the 

Sister José 

Women’s Center 

is the only shelter in 

Tucson that allows 

the homeless to 

bring their pets, who 

are protectors for 

these women as they 

navigate the dangers 

of life on the streets. 


Lumen 

Christi 

AWARD 

FINALIST 

homeless to bring their 

pets. Fedigan and the volunteers 

have embraced 

this added component of 

their daily work—namely, 

feeding the animals, safely 

sheltering them and making 

sure they are healthy— 

because these pets are not 

just companions but also 

protectors of these women 

as they navigate the dangers 

of life on the streets. 

An overnight shelter program is 

available for women who are exhausted 

and/or mentally incapable 

of being out on their own. It 

is also for women who have secured 

a job and need to stay longer 

so they can make the money necessary 

to transition into their own 

housing. 

Helping women become more 

self-sustaining and be safe are certainly 

primary goals of SJWC. However, 

its true mission is to help the 

women understand their inherent 

worth as human beings. 

Fedigan does not prefer to talk 

about her ministry in terms of her 

many impressive statistical outcomes 

but rather through stories 

and memories of transformation. 

She recalled the first winter 

at the shelter when Tammy, a 

woman in rough condition 

who had spent years 

in the desert, approached 

Fedigan. Tammy told Fedigan 

someone had stolen 

her Bible and she missed 

reading it. She asked Fedigan 

if she could read the 

Bible to her. At Tammy’s 

request, Fedigan read 1 

Corinthians, Chapter 13, 

which includes St. Paul’s 

famously inspired words 

that love “bears all things, believes 

all things, hopes all things, endures 

all things.” 

Fedigan remembers Tammy’s 

face changing; she became less 

wrinkled, had a beautiful smile 

and listened intently. 

When Fedigan finished reading 

the chapter, Tammy got up, 

walked five steps away, turned 

back, looked at Fedigan and said, 

“God loves me.” Knowing that this 

woman felt profoundly loved was 

the only measurable outcome that 

mattered to Fedigan that day.


Struggling faith communities need your help 

IGNITE Making a difference 

LUMEN CHRISTI AWARD NOMINEES 32 | CONNECT 35 

Catholic Extension’s support for ongoing ministries 

in this Native American parish represents a true miracle 

for a community in a desperately poor area. 

Donate today 

Text “Extension” to 50155 to make a gift 

As fuel prices 

soared this 

summer, Catholic 

Extension funding 

enabled Father 

Frank Hernández 

to go the distance 

as he drives many 

miles between 

the three parishes 

he serves in the 

Diocese of El 

Paso, Texas. See 

Connect, page 35. 

catholicextension.org/give

32 

IGNITE 

Lumen Christi Nominees 


DORIS ROYAL 

AGANA, GUAM 

Celebrating our Lumen 

Christi Award nominees 

A tapestry of Catholic ministry throughout our country 

ROBERT NOEL 

CROOKSTON, MINNESOTA 

SRS. JANICE & ROSERITA 

DODGE CITY, KANSAS 

MARCO RAPOSO 

EL PASO, TEXAS 

DEACON BRUCE DAHL 

FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA 

Royal tirelessly works to feed, 

clothe and aid the hungry, 

homeless and less fortunate 

on her native island of 

Guam. In spearheading these 

initiatives, she has recommitted 

her community to helping 

those in need. 

Catholic Extension’s seven Lumen Christi Award finalists were selected 

from an impressive roster of 40 nominees who each radiate and reveal the 

light of Christ present in the communities where they serve. 

Here we highlight the accomplishments and good works of the other 

33 nominees whose diverse ministries lead people to closer to God and transform 

communities across the country. 

Their passion, sacrifice and unshakable faith showcase the enormous breadth 

of the work of the Catholic Church across the country. 

As the diocese’s director of 

youth and emerging adults, 

Noel introduces young 

people to Catholic social 

teaching and empowers 

them to see themselves as, in 

the words of Pope Francis, the 

“Church of now.” 

Sisters Janice Thome and 

Roserita Weber, OP, provide 

life-changing resources for 

underserved Latino communities 

to help working families 

experiencing economic 

distress. They created a model 

of “listening and acting.” 

Raposo promotes restorative 

justice for the 

incarcerated and supports 

immigrants affected by 

crime in El Paso. His ministry 

has reached hundreds, 

helping them find peace and 

healing. 

Deacon Dahl is the creator 

of Men of the Cross, a 

ministry that encourages 

men to deepen their faith. 

The ministry has grown to 

more than 7,000 members and 

has profoundly impacted the 

Diocese of Fargo and beyond. 

FR. AROKIA RAJ SAMALA 

AMARILLO, TEXAS 

SR. “VICKY” BEAZ-DÍAZ 

ARECIBO, PUERTO RICO 

SUSAN JOY BARCIK 

BAKER, OREGON 

MIKE DODSON 

BEAUMONT, TEXAS 

THE VINCENTIAN FAMILY 

GALLUP, N. MEXICO|ARIZONA 

MARY PARLIN 

GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA 

THE BREAD OF LIFE 

KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN 

SR. DELNISE SILVA, OLS 

LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO 

Father Samala championed 

fundraising efforts with the 

two parishes he serves to 

help them build new parish facilities. 

Catholic Extension has 

a long history of supporting 

these and many other rural parishes 

in the Texas panhandle. 

Sister Vicky founded a facility 

that provides human and 

spiritual outreach to youth 

in one of Puerto Rico’s most 

troubled neighborhoods. She 

has created pathways out of 

poverty and crime for more 

than 1,000 children. 

Barcik serves St. Katherine of 

Siena Parish, built by Catholic 

Extension in 1955, as its director 

of religious education. The 

community is incredibly grateful 

for her years of leadership 

in faith formation for the 

small towns of eastern Oregon. 

Dodson has brought community 

members together to serve 

their homeless neighbors. 

By providing thousands of 

meals and supplies as well 

as spiritual care, he has created 

a welcoming and loving 

environment for those in need. 

The Vincentian religious priests 

and sisters carry out a Catholic 

Extension-supported mission 

to share God’s love and compassion 

through parish-based 

ministries on the beautiful 

but challenging Navajo and 

Hopi reservations. 

Parlin is committed to keeping 

people in rural Nebraska connected 

and growing in their 

faith through her Catholic 

journalism. Her work 

touches more than 16,000 

households. 

When the pandemic closed 

food banks, the volunteers 

and community partners of the 

Bread of Life Food Program 

immediately launched to 

help feed over 23,000 individuals 

via drive-by distributions 

and home deliveries. 

A Catholic school teacher and 

licensed mental health counselor, 

Sister Delnise is transforming 

the lives of children, 

especially those suffering 

from anxiety and depression. 

She is a beacon of light 

for her community and school. 

LAURA ANDERSON 

BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS 

SR. MARTA TOBON, MGSPS 

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA 

SISTERS OF GUADALUPE 

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA 

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CNCL. 

BOISE, IDAHO 

JOSH & ELLEN VAN CLEEF 

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY 

JENNIFER VERKAMP-RUTHVEN 

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS 

SR. MARY LAWRENCE, OP 

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE 

VERA MAALOUF 

LADY OF LEBANON EPARCHY 

Anderson and her Guadalupe 

Project support pregnant 

women and mothers by 

providing essential baby supplies, 

counseling and more. 

They have served hundreds of 

children in southern Illinois. 

Sister Marta is committed 

to combating poverty and 

serves more than 10,000 

people annually with a staff 

of just two at the Guadalupan 

Multicultural Services center, 

located in one of the poorest 

counties of Alabama. 

The Daughters of Mary Immaculate 

of Guadalupe came from 

Mexico to rural North Dakota in 

2014 through a special Catholic 

Extension program to serve 

Latinos on the margins. As 

one person put it, “God remembered 

us when He sent them.” 

The St. Vincent de Paul, Southwest 

Idaho District Council’s actions 

to prevent homelessness 

and deploy growing 

services amid the pandemic, 

reaching nearly 26,000 people, 

testify to the success of its mission: 

to serve the poor with passion 

and perseverance. 

This married couple serves 

as parish life directors of 

Holy Cross, a parish with no 

resident priest and that spans 

500-square miles in Appalachia. 

They distributed supplies 

and rebuilt homes during 

recent catastrophic flooding. 

Verkamp-Ruthven’s long-time 

advocacy for refugees led her 

to her work as a resettlement 

director for the diocese. She 

has built a comprehensive 

ministry that serves refugees 

from across the world 

escaping humanitarian crises. 

As principal of St. Paul Catholic 

School, Sister Mary Lawrence 

increased enrollment 

by almost 50 percent, especially 

among underserved 

children. It is now an energized 

school, catering to inner 

city youth. 

Maalouf has dedicated her 

life to growing the Catholic 

faith within the Maronite 

community, which serves 

Middle Eastern Catholics. She 

spearheaded the founding of 

a new mission church with the 

support of her bishop.

34 

IGNITE 

Lumen Christi Nominees 

IGNITE 35 

Connect 

FR. RICHARD SHACKIL 

OUR LADY OF NAREG EPARCHY 

ESTELLE BEAUCHESNE 

PORTLAND, MAINE 

DR. SETH WRIGHT 

PUEBLO, COLORADO 

KIM LONG 

SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA 

From the mail 

Father Shackil works to keep 

the Armenian Catholic traditions 

alive through faith formation 

and heritage programs. 

During the darkest days of the 

pandemic, he comforted the 

sick and the families of those 

lost to COVID-19. 

FR. DOUGLAS LORANCE 

ST. JOSAPHAT IN PARMA, OHIO 

Father Lorance serves the 

Ukrainian Catholic Church. 

He has been the pastor of St. 

Michael Parish for more than 

25 years. Through his example 

he encourages parishioners to 

love Christ and serve the poor 

in their midst. 

BLUETTE PUCHNER 

SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN 

Puchner works with Ojibwe 

families and children. As a 

foster parent to 23 children 

and a high school tutor, 

she has been a guardian and 

trusted mentor to countless 

children from troubled homes. 

Beauchesne just started her 

49th year as a third-grade 

Catholic schoolteacher. She 

has taught more than 1,200 

young minds, passionately 

sharing her wisdom, faith and 

her life with them all. 

RONDA RISHA 

ST. MARON OF BROOKLYN, N.Y. 

Risha’s Bible school is popular 

among children and families 

of this Maronite Church that 

serves Middle Eastern 

Catholics. Participants learn 

to embrace their Catholic faith 

and appreciate their Maronite 

traditions and identity. 

FR. CHI PETER PHUNG 

TULSA, OKLAHOMA 

Father Chi worked arduously 

during the pandemic to keep 

his two parishes alive and financially 

solvent. He used his 

own salary to pay parish 

bills and buy food for those 

in need in his community. 

Wright is encouraging greater 

parish involvement among 

families through a Catholic Extension-supported 

parish leadership 

program. He brings a tailored 

approach to each parish’s 

needs to foster spirituality, leadership 

and personal growth. 

FR. MICHAEL W. GOSSETT 

STEUBENVILLE, OHIO 

As chaplain at his own alma 

mater, Catholic Central High 

School, Father Gossett inspires 

students to grow closer 

to God. His podcast with 

more than 10,000 listeners 

discusses challenges faced 

by Catholic young adults. 

MIKE FERRIGNO 

TYLER, TEXAS 

Throughout the last 12 years 

Ferrigno has served as instructor 

for his parish’s Rite 

of Christian Initiation of 

Adults program, preparing 

more than 200 candidates as 

they join the Catholic faith. 

For 30 years, Long has been 

the most effective and admired 

director of religious 

education within the diocese. 

She is innovative and driven 

to giving young Catholics 

a well-rounded view of the 

Church. 

FR. CÉSAR MARTÍNEZ 

STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA 

Father Martínez began as the 

director of vocations in this 

northern California diocese in 

2019. Through his efforts, seven 

seminarians have already 

been enrolled at St. Patrick’s 

Seminary with more potential 

candidates in discernment. 

MICHAEL & ANN CONCIENNE 

YAKIMA, WASHINGTON 

This couple has dedicated 

40 years to helping youth 

become leaders and committed 

Catholics in adulthood. 

Enrollment in their confirmation 

program quadrupled, and 

close to 2,000 youth have been 

prepared for the sacrament. 

Father Bill Hill journeys far and wide to serve rural Wyoming communities in the 

Diocese of Cheyenne. 

Father Martin 

Ezeihaku, MSP, 

gave thanks to 


donors for helping 

him travel between 

far-flung parishes 

in the Diocese of 

Great Falls-Billings, 

Montana. 

Dear Catholic Extension donors, 

I STRIVE FOR ACADEMIC excellence 

in each of my classes knowing that 

this education is a gift and that earning 

this degree will afford me a number 

of valuable opportunities. I have 

been so blessed to have amazing professors 

who live and breathe what they 

teach. My knowledge of my Catholic 

faith has grown exponentially. I am still 

in awe that I am attending Notre Dame 

as a student. 

I know that everything I have and 

every opportunity placed in front of me 

is a gift from God. I plan to give this gift 

right back to my family, community and 

VISIT OUR WEBSITE 


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Dear donors, 

THIS SUMMER’S skyrocketing 

gas prices impacted priests in 

Extension dioceses, who often 

travel hundreds of miles each 

week to serve remote parishes. 

They expressed their gratitude 

to our donors, who helped these 

pastors hit the road. 

everyone I come in contact with. I am 

humbled and grateful for this bouquet 

of blessings from God. 

› Alyssa Salazar | Young Adult 

Leadership Initiative scholarship 

recipient, Diocese of El Paso, Texas 

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Dear Catholic Extension, 

THE DIACONATE FOR the diocese is 

a true blessing for both priests and the 

lay-faithful. During this funding period 

there were 18 active deacons serving 

a diocese of 71 parishes and missions. 

Many were instrumental in mentoring 

a new formation class of 13, who were 

ordained on June 4, 2022. 

Your financial “investment” in the 

diaconate program is paying many 

dividends for the spiritual lives of 

many people in our diocese. With the 

current deacons as living examples, 

the diaconate ministry is growing 

with an increased interest from many 

men who are discerning a possible 

vocation. Thank you for your support! 

› Deacon Richard W. Mitchell 

| Director of the Office of the 

Diaconate, Diocese of Alexandria, 

Louisiana 

GET IN TOUCH 

Please contact us at magazine@ 

catholicextension.org or 

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Support ministries like Santa Teresita Home, a shelter for abused and neglected children run by 2016-2017 Lumen Christi Award recipient Melva Arbelo. 

How will you be remembered? 

Do you want to support Catholic Extension in a meaningful way? 

Learn how you can build a legacy of faith, hope and change in the lives of 

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Extension Magazine - Fall 2022

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