Discover, Pray, Know, and Share Christ
By Pat Agwu
This Fall, as part of the ongoing evangelization efforts,
the
Pray,
Know, Share ministry will host Discover Christ - a sevPerhaps you’ve seen these words on the beautiful banen-week
experience
that invites guests to enjoy a meal together,
ners hanging in the main church and in the gathering space of our
grow in relationships, hear the Good News and personally enchurch or you’ve heard Pray, Know, Share here and there and
wonder what all counter Jesus Christ. Next in the series is Following Christ - a
this Pray, Know, seven week journey that explores and encourages Catholic discipleship – and lastly Sharing Christ - a seven-week mission that
Share is all
about? The sim- trains Catholics to share Jesus Christ with others and invite them
ple answer is that to be part of the Church.
Pray, Know,
The Discovering Christ series begins at our parish on
Share is a com- Tuesday, October 6th. It will be held on Tuesday evenings, from
mission for each 6 -8:30 PM, for 7 weeks. Registration begins on September
of us at St. Eliza- 12th. Don’t delay! Space is limited.
beth Ann Seton
For more information about the series you can visit:
parish.
https://christlife.org/christlife-series/discovering-christ.
SEAS Pastor, Fr. Orr, challenged the committee to
Are you ready to Discover Christ and learn how to Pray,
come up with three simple words which, when spoken or written,
Know,
and
Share Christ more? Contact Julie Simpson for more
need no further explanation. After a series of many prayerful
information,
316-796-1704 or [email protected].
deliberations, Pray, Know, Share was born. These three words
invite renewal within SEAS and are the evangelical vehicle our
parish will use to reach out to the unchurched and underchurched in our parish area, starting with the first word, Prayer.
Prayer exposes us to the Knowledge on how to Share Christ with
others.
Mass is the Perfect Form of Prayer
By Chris Ebberwein
A sure way to deepen one’s prayer life is to pray the Mass before God
our Father. Four “types” of prayer permeate the Holy Mass: Adoration,
Thanksgiving, Atonement, and Petition (Sam Guzman, “The Four Ends of
Mass”, Catholic Exchange, October 2014). The Mass is an act of prayerful adoration of God the Father, because he is the Supreme Good, the source of all
other goods, and solely worthy of adoration.
Secondly, Holy Mass is a prayer of Thanksgiving. As early as 155, St.
Justin Martyr wrote about the presider over the Eucharist: “…he gives thanks
that we have been judged worthy of these gifts. When he has concluded the
prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying:
‘Amen’” (CCC 1345). On the cross, Jesus offered atonement for our sins in a
way that we cannot, but as a sign of atonement, we begin the Mass noting our
unworthiness through prayers of contrition: “I confess to Almighty God….”
Both following the homily and in the Eucharistic prayer, we make
prayers of intercession that signify our communion with the Church in heaven
and on earth—the most powerful being to call upon the Holy Spirit to turn bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ—a
prayer that is answered at every Mass.
Mass Times: M-F 6:30 a.m. & 8 a.m. Sat, 8 a.m., 5:30 p.m., Sundays, 7:30, 9, 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
PRAY
KNOW
SHARE
Family Prayer
Prayer of
Petition
Silent Prayer
Prayer of Communion
And Offering
Group Prayer
Prayer of Sharing our Faith
Prayer of
Listening
Offertory
Prayer
Prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it
is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.
-St. Therese of Lisieux
Photo courtesies: Pete Iseman, Wyatt Iseman, Andrea Iseman, Sarah Suellentrop and Erika Higgins
How do Papal Encyclicals such as Laudato Si
Affect Us in Our Lives Today?
By Susan Osborne
For this edition of the SEAS Newsletter, I asked
Father Orr to discuss the value of encyclicals in today’s
world. I specifically mentioned Pope Francis’ recent encyclical, Laudato Si (on Care for Our Common Home),
that has generated some controversy in the United
States. (In fact, some Catholic presidential candidates have
stated that the Pope should keep his encyclicals to the subject of religion rather than politics.) It seems that some
clarification is in order.
Fr. Orr surprised me by saying that the recent encyclical is not the first one to be controversial. He mentioned Saint Pope John Paul II’s 1981 encyclical, Laborem
Exercens (On Human Work), which developed the concept
of the dignity of labor, the primacy of the worker, and the
rights of the human person as the determining factor of all
socio-economic, technological and productive processes.
In that encyclical, Saint Pope John Paul II took
issue with both rigid Capitalism and Marxism, saying that
the value of the worker as an individual having pride in his
work, and “working for himself,” should maintain top importance. “The worker is more important than the capital.”
“The most important thing is that the person working away
from his native land, whether as a permanent emigrant or
seasonal worker, should not be placed at a disadvantage in
comparison with other workers in that society in the matter
of working rights.” He also considered the importance of
unions, which he called “an indispensable element of social
life.” Saint Pope John Paul II knew there would be criticism of this doctrine, but published it anyway.
Catholic Church when Pope Benedict XIV wrote a letter in
1740 titled Ubi Primum (On the Duties of Bishops), which
is regarded as the first modern-sense encyclical. Regarding
the importance of the Pope’s beliefs? We must remember
that most countries have an ambassador to the Vatican--a
sign that the Pope is seen as much more than a religious
leader!
Today, encyclicals are practical and real applications to important questions of the day—and Pope Francis
believes that “global environmental deterioration” is today’s most serious concern. This most recent document,
Laudato Si, is the touchstone for all the disciplines of the
world. He is asking that economists, moral theologians,
city planners, politicians, and scientists be mindful as they
address issues related to the environment and climate
change. He is asking that all of us consider God’s creation
as a whole, saying “we are not God...We are stewards of
this Garden.”
Pope Francis also asks that our leaders consider
repercussions to the poor. He states that environmental
deterioration is affecting the most vulnerable people
around the world, through lack of water, starvation, wars,
and refugees seeking shelter. In this encyclical, Pope Francis refers to Blessed Pope Paul VI’s comment about a 1963
encyclical “Pacem in Terris” (Peace on Earth).
Paul VI mentioned ecological concerns in light of
nuclear crisis. Blessed Pope Paul VI spoke about the
“tragic consequence of unchecked activity due to an illconsidered exploitation of nature. Humanity runs the risk
of destroying it and becoming in turn a victim of this degradation.” So, Pope Francis’ call for a global “revolution”
regarding the environment and climate change is nothing
new--Popes have been making this point for fifty years!
As Fr. Orr stated in a previous article, “the Pope is
the world’s diplomat.” It is therefore the Pope’s role to
lead and engage in subjects important to humankind. So,
what exactly are encyclicals, and why do world leaders
look to the Pope to take positions on these subjects? Papal
So, I don’t know about you, but I’m settling in
encyclicals are a kind of letter concerning Catholic doctrine with my copy of Laudato Si now!
sent by the Pope and addressed either narrowly (to bishops,
Laudato Si can be viewed on-line free or can be
patriarchs, and archbishops) or widely (such as Laudato Si
purchased
in book form at the Catholic book/gift stores in
which is addressed to citizens of the world). The term
Wichita, or at the Spiritual Life Center.
"encyclical" originally meant a circulating letter. It acquired a more specific meaning within the context of the
Pa ris h
Tri via
SEAS’ new associate pastor, Fr. Zach Pinaire, has several favorite saints, but in addition
to the Blessed Virgin Mary, his most favorite is:
A. St. Francis of Assisi B. St. Joseph C. St. Theresa, the Little Flower D. St. John the Baptist
Find answer on page 4
High Schoolers Pray
By Mary Ebberwein
Living in the Wichita Diocese there is always
a new and exciting way for high school students to join
each other for prayer. Although they may seem simple, daily mass, confession, and adoration are always
great ways to start out an evening with friends and
were the top recommended ways to grow in faith by
the high school students asked.
More organized opportunities include Wichita
Adore events, in which youth come together for evenings that include outdoor adoration under the stars, or
adoration followed by a dance (dates posted on social
media). Retreats like Prayer and Action, Totus Tuus,
Teens Encounter Christ, and CLAY are highly recommended to kick start your relationship with Christ
or further deepen it.
There are many youth groups to join in prayer as well. SEAS youth group is on
Tuesday nights, including evenings of shaving cream whiffle ball, adoration, speakers, and
snacks. During the summer, St.Peter’s Schulte parish has Tuesday night prayer at 9PM
followed by a trip to Braum’s. St. Francis hosts Adoration and confession for high school
students every third Wednesday of the month from 8PM to 9:30PM. All of these events are
great opportunities to grow in your faith alongside fellow high-schoolers from our diocese. Contact Michael Truman for more information on Youth Ministries, 721-1686.
Did you know another form of prayer is meditating with Sacred
Art? The use of symbols in Catholic wor ship has a long histor y.
From the first ages of Christianity, symbols were employed for a variety of reasons: As a sign known only to the faithful during times of
persecution. As a means of communicating with those who were not
able to read. As a way of commemorating God’s divine activity in
human history. As a reminder of God’s domination over all of creation. All the artwork in our church has spiritual and theological meaning and is meant to draw us deeper into the mystery and love of God.
Stay tuned on the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church Facebook page and
upcoming e-newsletter for more information on the Art Glass Designs
around the church.
Trivia Answer: St. J oseph because he assisted in r aising J esus. He accepted that his
place was always in the background, and he knew he was also the only one in his household with Original Sin.
Myth Buster: How many encyclicals have been wr itten by popes since the fir st
modern one in 1740? Look for the answer on the SEAS Website, on our Facebook page,
or in the first edition of the SEAS e-Newsletter.
Stay tuned for the first SEAS Spirit E-Newsletter coming soon
to your inbox!
9/12: Discover Christ Reg. begins.
9/19: Fall Bazaar Bierocks Making
Workshop, 8 AM - 10 PM
9/19: MSYM Dodgeball Tourney
9/20: Parish Picnic, 3 - 6 PM
9/25: Family Movie Night
9/30: Pray. Know. Share Speaker,
6:30 PM
10/3: Fall Bazaar, 9 AM
10/6 First Discovering Christ 6 PM
10/15 & 16 Pope Francis Build
10/18: Moms Book Study, 7 PM
10/31 - 11/1: Stewardship Fair
11/5: The Life of Fr. Kapaun, 7 PM
11/7: Spirit Night Auction
11/11: Pray. Know. Share Speaker,
6:30 PM
11/24 Youth Group Adoration, 7:30
PM
11/29 Advent Begins
RECURRING
Children's Family Adoration Sundays
4 PM
MSYM “2nd SATS” 6:30 PM
Toaster Talk, Sundays 10 AM
Rosary Group Tuesdays, 9:30 AM
and Thursdays, 7 PM
Discovering Christ Tuesdays 10/6 12/1
Check weekly bulletin for more.
Template Design: Michelle Pate
Typeset and Edited by: Andrea Ruder & Erika Higgins