It does not surprise me that this is happening in Wichita. This diocese is one of the most remarkable in the USA. Every parish must adopt the stewardship model of spirituality and charity, that of time, talent and treasure. Every Catholic school in the diocese is supported through tithing and thus there is no tuition! And what the bishop collects to run the pastoral center, which also has a marvelous retreat center is funding though parishioner's tithing on the parish level, no additional Bishop's Annual Appeal or chancery taxes.
The Catholics in Wichita are bread and butter, salt of the earth kinds of people and Catholics!
Wichita men pray before Eucharist overnight for 33 years
Wichita — It’s peaceful in the chapel at 3 in the morning, with only the
sound of a softly ticking clock or the occasional rustling from the two
men kneeling, one clasping a rosary. Two candles flicker at the sides
of the Eucharist; the consecrated bread that the Catechism of the
Catholic Church teaches has become the actual body, blood and soul of
Jesus. The Eucharist is contained in a monstrance, a container that
looks like a circle of gold flame. Steve Freach, one of the two men,
remembers the story of a peasant who spent hours in front of the
Eucharist. When asked why he did so, the peasant said, “I look at him
and he looks at me.” For 33 years, Freach and Bob Knoff believe they
have looked ...
3 comments:
Thank you Fr. for sharing some really really great news-- and challenging news as well. I hope some pastors from the Los Angeles Archdiocese where I live have read this. Again, my thanks, and keep stories like this coming!
"It does not surprise me that this is happening in Wichita. This diocese is one of the most remarkable in the USA."
What should be surprising is that a diocese where the people and parishes manifest Catholic identity. If one had been Rip van Winkle the past 40 or 50 years. Before the disintegration of Catholic identity began after Vatican II, I'd been a member of 7 different parishes in 4 dioceses in 3 different regions of the country--south, upper midwest, and northeast--and would've assumed the things you say about Wichita to be true of all dioceses.
Below is a link to the Weekly bulletin of Blessed Sacrament Church.
Scroll down to page 2 and notice the amount of the weekly and yearly collections.
This is from a parish of just 1100 families. They also have every hour of Eucharistic Adoration where someone is there with the Lord.
Blessed Sacrament Wichita
Post a Comment