56837-Order Forms.qxd - Missionaries of the Precious Blood

WINTER 2014
CPPS
T
O
It’s
Not
Enough
To
Light
The Fire
D
A
Y
MISSIONARIES OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
St. Gaspar trusted lay people to
carry on his message of redemption
In this issue of
C.PP.S. Today
Page 2: Measuring Our Progress of 200 Years
The Missionaries are celebrating and studying
their 200 years of history. Between the Lines by
Fr. Larry Hemmelgarn, C.PP.S., provincial
director of the Cincinnati Province.
St. Gaspar del
Bufalo, portrait by
Fr. Alex Chasnamote,
C.PP.S., of Peru.
Page 3: It’s Not Enough to Light the Fire
St. Gaspar del Bufalo, who founded the
C.PP.S., relied on lay people to spread
devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus. By Fr.
Jerry Stack, C.PP.S.
Page 10: Take a Minute to Say Hello
We help set the tone at our parishes with how
we enter and leave church. Call and Answer by
Fr. Vince Wirtner, C.PP.S., director of vocation
ministries.
Page 11: Staying with the Pain
When Br. Hugh Henderson, C.PP.S., ministers
to people who are hurting, he doesn’t just walk
in and walk out.
Page 15: Chapter and Verse
News about C.PP.S. people and places.
Page 17: The Happiness Watch
We all know that we have a life expectancy, but
would we want to wear it on our wrist? At Our
House by Jean Giesige, editor of C.PP.S. Today.
Br. Hugh Henderson,
C.PP.S., is in ministry
at the Church of the
Resurrection in
Cincinnati.
WINTER 2014
C.PP.S. Today is published by the MISSIONARIES OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD,
Cincinnati Province, 431 E. Second St., Dayton, OH 45402
937-228-9263 mission@cpps-preciousblood.org
Visit our website, www.cpps-preciousblood.org
On Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Missionaries-of-the-Precious-Blood-Cincinnati-Province
1
Measuring Our Progess of 200 Years
W
e are continuing to celebrate the bicentennial of our Congregation,
the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, with a cover story about our
founder, St. Gaspar, and the faith that he had in lay people to help him
carry out his mission. We were founded in 1815 in Italy and are now in the
midst of a three-year celebration of that special anniversary. It will
culminate in 2015 with plenty of events—we hope that you will be able to
join us at one or more of them. We’ll share our bicentennial news with you
as it develops.
How do you celebrate 200 years? I clearly remember when the U.S.
celebrated its bicentennial. People wore bicentennial socks and drank
Pepsi out of bicentennial cans, bought with bicentennial quarters.
We’re not planning anything like that. But we are using the occasion to
take a long, appreciative look at how far we’ve come in 200 years. From
our origins in Italy, when St. Gaspar started the Congregation with three
other priests, to today, when we are serving in over 20 countries around
the globe, we’ve relied on God to guide our steps. Sometimes you can’t
always see where you’re going until you get there; I think even St. Gaspar,
with his vivid imagination and incredible drive, would be surprised at
where and how some of his Missionaries have served and are serving the
people of God.
We owe a debt of gratitude to our Congregation’s historians, including
Fr. Jerry Stack, C.PP.S., whose research is the basis of our cover story.
Collecting pieces of the past and organizing them into a linear story can be
a thankless job. But these accounts of our origins are so valuable to those
who are paying attention. And you know what they say about people who
don’t pay attention to history!
While we’ve come a long way in 200 years, we still have a long way to
go, as a Congregation and as a Church. Our profile of Br. Hugh
Henderson, C.PP.S., points out that people of color have sometimes faced
barricades of prejudice in our Church. Roman Catholics
Between
who are African-Americans are a minority within a
the Lines
minority, and they often feel it, as Br. Hugh tells us. It’s
by Fr. Larry
our responsibility as Christians to make people feel
Hemmelgarn,
welcome in our churches. When they feel rejected,
C.PP.S.
undervalued, or left out of the circle, we all have failed.
We are never going to create a perfect world. No
history is unblemished. Few efforts achieve 100 percent
success. But we keep trying. We can’t ever give up. Jesus
told us, “The measure with which you measure will be
measured out to you” (Mark 4: 24). What measure
are we using to gauge our efforts to live the life
that Jesus meant for us, and how are we
measuring up?
2
rdained at the tender age of 22, St. Gaspar del Bufalo,
the founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood,
was an inspired preacher and the ultimate networker, forming
and encouraging groups of people who he believed could
nurture each other’s faith. Some of these were the priests and
brothers who joined his fledgling Society of the Most Precious
Blood, formed in Italy in 1815. But St. Gaspar also sought out lay
people who were attracted to his message about the power of the
Blood of Jesus to redeem the world and renew the Church.
St. Gaspar, who was born in Rome, survived years
of exile when Napoleon’s armies invaded Italy. Napoleon
expected Catholic clergymen to take an oath of loyalty to their
new emperor. Many did. But St. Gaspar, knowing that his true
loyalty was to God, refused. “I cannot, I must not, I will not,” he
said, and that brave stand led to imprisonment and exile.
During his exile, he met another priest, Francesco Albertini,
who ignited in Gaspar his great love for and devotion to the
Precious Blood. The humble and retiring Albertini knew that
Gaspar would be the one to fulfill his dream of a congregation
devoted to the Precious Blood of Jesus.
When Gaspar finally was free to return to Rome, he knew it
was time to follow his true calling, which was preaching about
the Precious Blood of Jesus to a new generation, and forming a
congregation that would help him spread the word.
And that’s what he did. St. Gaspar and those early preachers
traveled from village to village throughout the
countryside. No place was too remote or uncivilized. But
St. Gaspar knew that his message, no matter how inspired, was
not enough. Someone had to carry on the work. And that’s where
people like you and me come in.
O
3
It’s
Not
Enough
To
Light
The Fire
St. Gaspar trusted lay people to
carry on his message of redemption
(The following is drawn from a
presentation by Fr. Jerry Stack,
C.PP.S., to Companions, or lay
associates, of the Missionaries of the
Precious Blood.)
Italians and all of Europe.
St. Gaspar was born of
humble parents. His father was a
cook in a palace, and was also
something of a showman. He
was an entrepreneur whose
efforts at organizing
entertainment events were not
always successful. It is thought
that Gaspar may have gotten
some of his abilities to attract
crowds from his father. Gaspar’s
mother was a pious woman who
t. Gaspar del Bufalo was born
S
in 1786, between two
revolutions, the American
Revolution and the French
Revolution, which started in
1789. The French Revolution
would touch his life, the life of all
4
had a great influence on his life.
St. Gaspar was ordained in
1808, when he was only 22 years
old. Later that year, he preached
the inaugural sermon for the
Confraternity of the Precious
Blood.
St. Gaspar founded the
Congregation of the Most
Precious Blood in 1815, along
with three other priests. From
then on, Gaspar devoted himself
mainly to the work of preaching
missions and retreats.
Gaspar’s times were difficult
times. There was revolution in
the air, and a lot of crime and
violence in Rome. The murder
rate in Rome was something like
400 per year, which is roughly the
same murder rate as present-day
Chicago. Many of the clergy,
more interested in their careers in
the Church than in their ministry,
were indifferent to the people’s
problems.
The response of Pope Pius VII
was to call for a devotion to the
Precious Blood, and a reform of
the clergy. The pope also saw the
need to form local faith
communities.
Meanwhile, the country was
in turmoil because of the invasion
of Napoleon, who declared
himself emporer of Italy. The
pope, along with many of his
priests, including Gaspar, was
sent into exile by Napoleon’s
forces, and were held under
conditions that were increasingly
harsh. When they were finally
free to return to Rome, the need to
reform the Church and the world
was more pressing than ever.
He and his Missionaries
became well known for their
missions and retreats. They
traveled tirelessly throughout
central Italy. These missions were
all-out efforts that would last two
weeks. Each mission demanded
careful preparation. St. Gaspar
would send out his lay brothers
to help the village prepare for the
Missionaries’ arrival.
When they arrived, there
would be a procession. The
Missionaries would be greeted
by the local priests, maybe the
bishop. There would be activities
connected to the mission going
on every day, throughout the
day. They would celebrate early
Mass, then the men would go out
to work and there would be
activities for women and young
children, and then more activities
for everyone in the evening. The
whole town got involved.
One of the characteristics of
the mission was the
establishment of associations of
lay people, to keep the fruits of
the mission alive. What Gaspar
didn’t want was to get the whole
An All-Out Effort
Difficult Times
5
town excited for a week
or two, then lapse back
into indifference, the
mission forgotten. There
had to be people who
would carry on the
message. He would also
send his Missionaries
back to the town to visit
and preach sermons, just
to keep the message
alive.
These sodalities, or
lay associations, were
very important in St.
A courtyard in Rome, as it would have
Gaspar’s day. Parishes in
looked in the early 1800s.
those days were not
places of great spiritual
Often, parishes in
excitement or
nourishment. One author
St. Gaspar’s day were not
compared parishes in
places of great spiritual
Gaspar’s day to spiritual
registries. People went
excitement or nourishment.
there to get married,
baptized or buried. The
burning spiritual life of
Blood of Jesus all people could
the people was in these
find a common haven, a place of
associations of lay people. (If you
comfort and challenge.
visit Rome, you’ll see lots of
This was Gaspar's
churches with side altars that
spirituality. What is a
were built by these sodalities or
spirituality? It is a way of
confraternities.)
understanding our faith, a path
that speaks to us and leads us
The All-Powerful Message
closer to God. Another way to
put it is that spirituality is the
What was the all-powerful
way we live out our faith.
message that St. Gaspar wanted
Different leaders of the Church
so badly to instill in the hearts of
had differing spiritualities. We
the people? It was the belief that
sometimes use the word charism
Jesus had shed his Blood to save
when we are talking about a
the world, and faith that in the
founder or a person who has a
6
to continue to hear it, to absorb it
and to live it. And that took time,
more time than the Missionaries
could spend in any one town.
That’s why St. Gaspar relied on
the associations of lay people to
continue to pray together and
study, to keep focused on the
message and to learn from each
other and draw strength from
each other. Beyond that, these lay
associations often had a mission,
carrying out ministries such as
evangelization or caring for the
sick and imprisoned.
Since the Congregation’s
beginning, the Missionaries have
recognized and appreciated the
faith of lay people, and have
encouraged them to take an
active role in the Church. Lay
associates (called Companions in
the C.PP.S. provinces in the
United States) are a vital part of
the C.PP.S. family worldwide. St.
Gaspar, who learned his faith at
his mother’s knee, knew that the
very best preaching and teaching
goes on at home.
As the Precious Blood was
shared for all, all are welcome to
hear and embrace the message of
God’s healing love. St. Gaspar,
one of the most gifted preachers
of his day, would be the first to
say that is far more important
message than one man
can carry.
particular spiritual gift. A
charism is a gift given to that
person for the good of the people
of God. It’s a particular way of
focusing on an aspect of the life
of Jesus. The charism of St.
Francis, for instance, focuses on
the poverty of Jesus, the
humanity of Jesus. St. Francis’ is
a charism of service.
St. Gaspar’s charism was this
passionate belief in the
redemptive power of the Blood
of Jesus. Through it, all people
could claim what God was
holding out to them: a place in
God’s kingdom among all their
brothers and sisters. Through this
reverence for Christ’s sacrifice,
people could become their best
selves, redeemed in the Blood of
Christ. St. Gaspar’s spirituality
was not narrowly focused on his
own relationship with God and
Jesus; he embraced a vision of
mission and community,
bringing as many people as he
could into God’s embrace.
He preached constantly
because his great fear, his great
motivation, was that the Blood of
Jesus was not being appreciated,
and that people did not
recognize the great treasure of
God’s love, manifested in the
Blood of Christ.
But it was not enough that
they heard the message; they had
7
Studying
A Saint
Fr. Jerry Stack delves into
the stacks to trace the roots
of the Missionaries’ founder.
Fr. Jerry Stack, C.PP.S., spends some of his present days in the past,
as he explores the foundation of the C.PP.S. Fr. Stack was formerly the
archivist for the worldwide Congregation, and now serves as editor of the
C.PP.S. resource series. He has completed the translation of three volumes on
the life and times of St. Gaspar del Bufalo, the founder of the Missionaries of
the Precious Blood, including a new book that explores the profound effect that
Francesco Albertini, St. Gaspar’s mentor and guide, had on the life of the saint
and of the Congregation.
With the C.PP.S. exploring its history as it prepares to celebrate its
bicentennial in 2015, Fr. Stack’s work has received new attention. Fr. Stack, a
native of Whiting, Ind., now makes his home there and, in addition to his
research and editing duties, helps at his home parish, St. John the Baptist.
How did you evolve into a historian (in general), and
specifically a C.PP.S. historian?
I've been interested in history all of my life, probably because I
had some good history teachers and professors. During the novitiate
we had a course in C.PP.S. history from Fr. Andy Pollack, C.PP.S., who
had an encyclopedic knowledge and had translated a number of
important documents from Italian. Living at the novitiate at the time
was Fr. Paul Knapke, C.PP.S., who was working on the
second volume of the history of the Congregation in the
United States. We novices did a bit of research for him. In
college I ended up with a minor in history and had some
fine professors at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind.
(which is sponsored by the Missionaries of the Precious
Blood).
My interest in our history was sparked anew by
Fr. Stack
two fellow members of the Pacific Province, Fr. John
Klopke, C.PP.S., and Fr. Paul Link, C.PP.S. I spent six years in Rome on
the general council and there I was introduced to the tremendous
volume of historical work that has been done by the Italian Province.
8
What is the importance of exploring the history of a religious
congregation?
I suppose one could quote that chestnut attributed to the
philosopher Santayana: “The one who does not study history is condemned to repeat it.” Knowing history helps to understand the present
and possibly to avoid the mistakes and problems of the past. Since the
Second Vatican Council, religious congregations have been challenged
to return to their roots, as it were, to rediscover the charism of their
founders, and to adapt that charism to a different time and a different
culture. Knowing our history can help to sharpen the focus on our
unique mission in the Church.
The Missionaries are fortunate in that there is a wealth of
material available on St. Gaspar, including his letters, biographies
and other resources. Even with all that, are there still things about
him you wish you knew?
I wish that we had more information about the conversations
and correspondence between Gaspar and Albertini. I believe that we
have only a single letter of Gaspar to his dear spiritual director, and
that deals with some item of business. It would be interesting to know
more about Gaspar's father, who seems to have had a strong influence
on Gaspar. Antonio del Bufalo was something of a showman and
entrepreneur (not always successful) and seems to have been an energetic and optimistic person. Gaspar had some of those same qualities.
To learn more about St. Gaspar del Bufalo,
founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood,
visit cpps-preciousblood.org/founder.
To learn more about Companions, the lay
associates of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood,
visit kcprovince.org/companions.
9
M
Take a Minute to Say Hello
y fellow Missionaries know that they are seldom going to
find me in the same place every day. As director of vocation
ministry, a big part of my task is to get out and about,
meeting people and sharing the story of our Congregation. But when I
do get a chance to be with a faith family at a parish, I always enjoy it.
As long as I stay out of the way when Mass has ended!
It seems to be a part of parish culture in the United States to clear
out of church shortly after the end of Mass. The church parking lot can
be a dangerous place to be as people are trying to leave quickly! Like
most priests I know, when I preside at Mass, I like to position myself at
the door of the church to talk with people as they are walking out. I
really appreciate those who take the time to stop and say hello, offer a
word of welcome to a visiting priest, and share a little bit about their
own lives. We can never take too much time to make connections with
other people. I never go to bed thinking, “I wish I hadn’t spent so much
of my day talking with people.”
My job puts me in a unique position. People are always kind to me,
but they don’t always rush right up, especially if I am standing next to
a booth along with other vocation ministers. I often joke that it’s okay
to approach me, I’m not going to make anyone sign on the dotted line
to join our formation program today! We find it’s best to let young
people who are discerning a vocation to the consecrated life as a priest
or a brother take the lead in those conversations. We want to give them
plenty of time and space to think about their lives and their call.
That’s the way I want to be treated, anyway. When I’m facing a
major decision, the last thing I need is for someone to get right up into
my face and pressure me to say yes or no. The first
Call and Answer
thing I need is someone willing to listen and offer
by Fr. Vince
a few words of wisdom, if that seems appropriate.
Wirtner,
C.PP.S.
I think we all appreciate that.
And when I’m a visitor, I appreciate an
outstretched hand and a sincere welcome. I can tell
when a parish is a welcoming place, can’t you? Isn’t
it wonderful to come across a place like that? That’s
the kind of place where we all want to find
ourselves. What are we doing to create that
kind of a place in our own parish?
10
Staying with the Pain
Br. Hugh,
who is also
a talented
musician,
at the
keyboard
at the
Church of the
Resurrection.
When Br. Hugh Henderson ministers to
people who are hurting, he doesn’t
just walk in and walk out.
is car is as necessary to the
ministry of Br. Hugh Henderson,
C.PP.S., as is his voice, his big
heart and his listening ear.
Br. Hugh, who is a pastoral
associate at the Church of the
Resurrection in Cincinnati,
regularly makes the rounds of the
20 nursing homes that he
considers are part of the parish’s
territory, a territory that is
defined roughly as anywhere that
anyone from the parish decides to
settle. It’s an outreach effort with
an emphasis on out.
“I talk to the residents, bring
them communion, ask them about
their needs,” he said. “Sometimes,
people in nursing homes feel
lonely, rejected. I take the time to
listen to them. A big part of my
ministry is listening, even if I
can’t solve their problems. I try
not to walk in and walk out.
People tell me that I should go in,
give them communion and get
H
11
African Americans, then as now,
but it was a path that Br. Hugh’s
mother chose for him. She asked
that he be baptized into the
Catholic faith when he was five
years old.
“Had it not been for my
mother’s faith, I wouldn’t be a
brother today,” he said.
But his mother’s faith put him
squarely in a minority within a
minority. “People in our
neighborhood would say, ‘Why
are you in that white man’s
religion?’” he said. Br. Hugh was
an outsider trying to fit in from
that moment on, which could
explain why he can spend so
much of his time in communion
with people who feel lost and
alone.
He became a Missionary of
the Precious Blood because he
loved their spirit. He loved the
way they came into his
neighborhood and ministered to
all they met.
“They instilled in me the
importance of doing for others,”
he said. “The Missionaries of the
Precious Blood worked with us
when no one else wanted to work
with us in Cleveland. When no
one else wanted to be bothered,
the Precious Blood was there. So I
said, ‘I want to be like you one
day.’”
out, but I think they need to be
heard.”
His car tells the story of the
10-hour days he spends
ministering to the people of the
parish. In the front seat are papers
from whatever project is
uppermost on his mind. In the
back seat, golf umbrellas for those
rainy days when he is standing
by a graveside with a grieving
family.
From life to death and back
again he drives, to nursing homes
and hospitals and jails. He puts
himself in places where most
people do not want to go. He sees
pain and misery, often at its most
acute. He holds the hands of the
bleeding, hears the heartbeat of
the dying.
“People ask, ‘How can you do
that?’ I’ve been doing it for a
long, long time,” he said. “I’ve
been there when people are
suffering and dying. It’s hard on
me, but I’ve been doing it for a
long time.”
His Mother’s Faith
Br. Hugh was raised in
Cleveland, in an urban
neighborhood where the
Missionaries of the Precious
Blood had staked a claim.
Missionaries walked the streets,
looking for people who might
benefit from being a part of a
Roman Catholic parish.
It wasn’t a common path for
An Empathetic Ear
Now, he seeks out those who
12
are hurting or alone. A cancer
survivor who has also lived
through a stroke, heart attack,
shingles and “you name it,” he
said, he feels empathy for anyone
who is in any kind of pain.
“All the things that I have
lived through have made it easier
for me to listen, and to share my
experiences too,” he said. “It does
bother me on the inside, but you
have to be able to tell others that
things are going to be all right. I
try to be positive, and leave the
rest to God.”
It has not always been easy
for him. He has encountered
prejudice in his life the way
others might encounter rain. A
staff member at the mostly white
Catholic high school he attended
told him that she could accept
him because he was all right, not
like all the others of his race.
Once, when called to bring
communion to a sick and
suffering Catholic outside of his
parish boundary, the sick woman
screamed at him in front of her
family to get out of her house.
Another time, while
traveling, he stopped at a small
parish in Michigan to attend
Sunday Mass, only to have the
presiding priest ask him if he
knew how to take communion.
If I can’t let go of a hurt,
how do I expect other
people to let it go?
– Br. Hugh Henderson
keeps driving. He’s busy with
many things in the parish. In
January, he organized the 14th
annual Keep the Dream Alive
award ceremony, which he
founded. The awards recognize
local activists whose lives honor
the memory of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. He is helping to start a
Stephen Ministry at the Church
of the Resurrection, which will
help lay people take on more
leadership roles. He preaches at
liturgies, and also helps out with
music ministry, playing the
organ and singing.
The pastor of the Church of
the Resurrection, Fr. Dennis
He Keeps Driving
Yet he perseveres, moves on,
13
office at St. Edward, he found a
file of rejection letters. The
former pastor, Fr. Melchior
Lochtefeld, C.PP.S., had written
to various religious
congregations to recommend
sons and daughters of the parish,
and had gotten letter after letter
saying “’We’re not accepting
colored people,’ which is what
we were called back then,” Br.
Hugh said.
“I was so ashamed that I
burned them all, ashamed that
my Church had this kind of
response. I should have saved
them just to show what went on,
what prejudice was really like.
For history’s sake, I should have
saved them. Racism is still out
there—how can you say that you
love Jesus when you have never
met him, and not love your
neighbor whom you do see?”
Br. Hugh did not save the
letters. What he did save was the
memory, which he must
acknowledge and process. He
keeps processing, keeps learning,
and keeps on. “That kind of hurt,
if you don’t let it go, you will
never grow,” he said. “And if I
can’t let go of a hurt, how do I
expect other people to let it go?
So I smile. I say, ‘Here I am,
Lord, I come to do your will.’ But
you’ve still got to share
that pain.”
Chriszt, C.PP.S., sees the many
contributions that Br. Hugh
makes to parish life, to the
African-American community in
Cincinnati, and to any people
who happen to orbit into his
sphere.
“Before I accepted the
appointment as pastor, I wanted
to make sure that Br. Hugh was
planning to remain involved
here,” Fr. Chriszt said. “It was
clear to me each time I had
visited that Br. Hugh was well
respected and loved by the
African-American Catholic
community in Cincinnati. That
was my impression at the time.
After living and ministering
together for almost four years, it
is more than an impression. Br.
Hugh has not only shown his
compassion and concern for the
people of the parish, he has
shown it to me.”
Br. Hugh carries inside him
the sense that he is different;
different from many of the other
members of his religious
congregation because he is
African-American, and different
from his African-American
friends because he is Roman
Catholic and a religious brother.
It’s not just a feeling; he has seen
it in black and white. In 1975, he
helped merge his home parish,
St. Edward, with nearby Holy
Trinity. Cleaning out a parish
14
C•H•A•P•T•E•R and V•E•R•S•E
C.PP.S. at NCYC: Members
of the C.PP.S. vocation
ministry team traveled to
Indianapolis in November
to participate in the
National Catholic Youth
Conference (NCYC).
Over 25,000 young
people were on hand to
worship, learn more about
their faith, and have fun at
Br. Daryl Charron, Fr. Timothy
the conference.
Armbruster, Br. Juan Acuña and Fr.
Representing the C.PP.S.
Vince Wirtner, shown here with a
were Frs. Vince Wirtner,
computer-generated sea turtle, were
Timothy Armbruster, and
among those representing the C.PP.S.
Steve Dos Santos; Brs. Juan
at the NCYC in November.
Acuña and Daryl Charron;
and James Smith, a
candidate in advanced formation.
The event had several unique opportunities for members of
religious congregations to interact with young people. C.PP.S.
members helped out at a “spirit station,” an area that was alive with
many activities, and helped staff the “Inspiration Nook,” where young
people could talk one-on-one with a priest, religious brother or sister.
“Lest you think the weekend was nothing but profound
conversations, we also managed to have a great time,” said Fr. Wirtner.
“While the task of interacting with 25,000 teenagers, young adults, and
chaperones may seem daunting, we hope that it was the one-on-one
interactions and conversations with the participants that will be a
lasting memory for them.”
REST IN PEACE: Fr. Michael Winkowski, C.PP.S., died on November
8, 2013, in Heritage Manor Nursing Home, Minster, Ohio, where he
made his home. He had been in ill health in recent months.
He was born February 22, 1943, in South Bend, Ind., to Clem and
15
Ethel (Piech) Winkowski. He entered the Missionaries
of the Precious Blood in 1960 at St. Joseph’s College in
Rensselaer, Ind., and was ordained on June 13, 1970.
Fr. Winkowski was active in parish ministry and
education ministry throughout much of his life as a
priest. Parishes where he ministered in the 1970s
included St. Bernard, Presentation, and Our Lady of
Victory, all in Detroit. There he was active in ministry Fr. Winkowski
to African-American Catholics and oversaw a
neighborhood outreach program.
In 1981, he was appointed to Calumet College of St. Joseph in
Whiting, Ind., as an instructor. He later taught at St. Anthony of Padua
School in South Bend.
Most recently, Fr. Winkowski was in parish ministry at St. Patrick
Church in Walkerton, Ind. Since 2005, poor health kept him from fulltime ministry.
Fr. Winkowski was an amiable man who loved being a pastor and
a teacher. He had a good voice and loved to sing.
A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated on November 13, 2013,
at St. Charles Center, Carthagena, Ohio. Burial followed in the
Community cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the Missionaries of
the Precious Blood.
C.PP.S. Lenten Discernment Retreat
Considering the consecrated life as a priest or religious brother? Learn
more about the possibilities at a discernment retreat
sponsored by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. Missionaries
are known for their welcoming ways and willingness to work with
candidates from all walks of life. The retreat is March 21–23 at St.
Charles Center in Carthagena, Ohio. It begins with dinner on Friday
and ends at noon on Sunday. We welcome men who are graduating
from high school, of college age or older.
For more information, contact Fr. Vince Wirtner, C.PP.S.,
director of vocation ministry, at 937-228-9263
or vocation@cpps-preciousblood.org.
16
W
The Happiness Watch
e all know that we have a life expectancy, but now we can wear
it on our wrist. A Swedish inventor is selling the Tikker, a
wristwatch that counts down the seconds in your anticipated lifespan.
Program your Tikker with a few vital statistics, and it calculates how
much time you have left on earth.
The inventor, Fredrik Colting, calls the Tikker “a happiness
watch.” He hopes his invention will help people savor every moment
of their lives.
Reactions are mixed. In the radio interview I heard, a husband and
wife were asked to wear the Tikker for a few days. The husband went
into the experiment blithely, convinced the watch would not change
his outlook. The wife was very apprehensive. In a day or two, their
positions had switched. The husband found the watch oppressive and
could hardly stand to look at it. For the wife, the ticking away of the
seconds encouraged serenity, a sense of what was really important in
her life.
I’ve been think about the Tikker often, especially when I’m doing
mundane chores. The other day, I was shaking the dog food bag to get
the last few nuggets out. Dog food bags are engineered so that the last
.5 percent of the product gets wedged in the bottom crease. If I have a
finite amount of seconds left in my life, is this how I want to spend
them? Or scrubbing out the sink, or folding towels, or any of a
thousand other little chores that soak up so much of our time?
I’ve come to the conclusion that the small things add up to give our
lives meaning. I have no immediate plans to overthrow anyone in
power or orbit the moon, so my life is likely to be writ small. When I
go after those last pieces of kibble in the bag, I am honoring the efforts
of others like me: the person who mixed the food, the one who
fashioned the bag, the one who delivered it to the store, even the
animals who are butchered so that the rest of us can eat. Nothing is
wasted or taken for granted. The work of our hands, whether
mundane or glorious, contributes in some ways to
At Our House
the lives of our neighbors; stooping to pick up a
by Jean Giesige
piece of trash on the street, we give them a more
beautiful view when they gaze out their window.
Time ticks away. We cannot hold it or stop it. It
does little good even to measure it. We can only
become as one with it, absorbed in it as we
are put to use in the big marvelous universe
that God created for us, before time began.
17
A beautiful, peaceful, prayerful
HOME
SAINT CHARLES
SENIOR LIVING
COMMUNITY
• Airy, spacious one- and two-bedroom apartments
for seniors.
• Exercise room, library and walkways on the beautiful
grounds.
• Residents are invited to participate in St. Charles’
rich and devout prayer life, through daily Mass
and benediction in the Assumption Chapel.
For more information, call 419-925-4516, ext. 112
2860 US ROUTE 127, CARTHAGENA, OH 45822
Let
us
hear
from
you
Send address changes,
comments, suggestions
or requests for
more information to:
Jean Giesige, editor,
C.PP.S. Today, 431 E. Second St.,
Dayton, OH 45402-1764
mission@cpps-preciousblood.org
Please include your name and contact
information so that we can respond to
your correspondence.
18
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