Death of a Pope: Next Steps

The Human Concerns Committee's Lenten and Easter collections were a great success, thanks to the generosity of our faith community. Through the Lenten collections we helped 5 organizations: The HOPE Center , Community Smiles Dental , Kathy's House , The Women’s Center and Street Angels . In addition to the items sent directly to the organizations through their Amazon wish lists, we donated 30-45 packed boxes/bags each week. The organizations themselves also thank you, with comments including the following: “Thank you for coordinating this effort! We are so thankful for everything. It will definitely be put to good use in the house,” (Kathy’s House). “We want to say how grateful (and still surprised) we are! So many children and families will benefit from this. It truly is an amazing thing your congregation does to help the community,” (Community Smiles Dental). Through the Easter Food Collection, we were able to provide a wonderful Easter meal and other necessities to 19 families. We are over-joyed to share that an anonymous parishioner also assembled and donated Easter baskets for all of the children in each family that benefitted from Easter Food Collection. Our elementary Christian Formation students who participated in an enrichment program on "The Plight Of the Working Poor" donated food items for and assembled shelf-stable meal kits to add to the Easter food being donated. The meal kits included a handmade card and recipe instructions for the meals. The assembled recipes were taco soup, chicken parmesan and an Italian spaghetti dinner. Thank you, parishioners, for your incredible generosity! Thank you to the Human Concerns Committee for coordinating these efforts to help us live our mission and carry out the Lenten pillar of almsgiving.

On behalf of the Auction Committee, thank you so much for your generosity and support for this year’s auction fundraiser, Luck of the Auction. Due to your support, we have raised more than we ever have before! We have raised over $58,000 for Home & School and the Church to use for our school students to improve their educational experience as well as purchase much-needed playground equipment! This amount is a 25% increase over our proceeds from last year’s auction! We also had our highest auction attendance in recent years with 196 attendees! This fundraiser could not be successful without the support of our school staff, church staff, parishioners, and community supporters! Thank you for your donations, support, and hard work! Make sure you are on the lookout for “The Good, the Bad, and the Lucky,” our Wild West/Country themed auction for 2027!

A youth participant shares their story.

Knights of Columbus Council #6448 and St. Leonard's Christian Formation program are pleased to announce that they donated $4,525 in gift cards and 95 gift bags to St. Francis de Sales Seminary through their collection in November 2025. This beats the previous record value of $3,344 in 2024. We express our heart-filled gratitude to our entire faith community, as this collection was made possible by the generosity of St. Leonard parishioners and all other individuals who donated. The annual Sentiments for Seminarians Collection seeks to help local seminarians supplement some of their basic needs with gift cards. Knights of Columbus Council #6448 explains, "Since seminarians don’t get paid, have no jobs or vacations, it’s often hard for them to obtain many simple, needed items and travel when and where they need to," ( read more on the Knights of Columbus webpage ).

October is the month dedicated to the rosary in the Catholic Church. It is a meditative prayer that helps us engage with the mysteries of Christ ( The Catechism of the Catholic Church #2708). The Church’s devotion to Mary does not replace or compete with adoration of God, rather, leads us to Christ through her inspiration and intercession ( CCC #971). Our school gathered for an outdoor rosary led by the sixth grade class, Fr. Pat, and parishioner Mary Dibb. Did you know that our older students pair up with younger class “buddies” for Mass and other prayers? What a great way to integrate faith, cooperation and leadership!

We had a great time at our annual parish picnic! Thank you to the Pastoral Council for hosting the event. Thank you also to parishioner Wes Niemcek and another anonymous parishioner for the photos. We can't wait to celebrate our faith community again next year!  Click the arrows to the left and right of the picture below to see our photo gallery.

We are pleased to report that our church building was not impacted by the flooding the weekend of August 9 and 10, 2025. We continue to pray for all those who were affected by the storms. In 2018 our church building flooded on Mother's Day. The Building & Grounds committee worked with an engineer to design and install mechanisms to prevent future flooding, including a gutter system to divert roof water to a retention pond on the Northeast corner of our property, a waterproof membrane along the West foundation wall and two new exterior sump pump crocks. We also excavated along the West wall to place gravel for a drainage trench. These improvements along with other repairs were made possible by many generous parishioners, including Pat Bartz, the Building & Grounds Committee– with special thanks to Bobby Schaefer, Len Roecker, Ray Jachimiec, Werner Holentunder, Bernie Cleppe, Phil Dibb and Charlie DuPont– and parishioners who contributed to the “Avoid The Ark” special collection.

We are pleased to report on the progress on our Summer construction projects. The new elementary library is complete:

Fr. Augustine Shwe is the Mission Coordinator representing the Diocese of Mawlamyine, Myanmar  The Catholic Church in Myanmar (also known as Burma) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. In 2020, there were approximately 700,000 Catholics in Burma- approximately 1.29% of the total population. The country is divided into sixteen dioceses including three archdioceses. Each of the archdioceses is also a metropolitan. There are over 1,000 priests and 2,000 nuns serving across 460 parishes. The Mawlamyin Diocese, established in 1993, covers the entire Taninthayi Region and southern Mon State, Myanmar with Bishop Raymond Saw Po Ray becoming its first residential bishop. Geographically, the diocese covers an area of 40,964 square kilometers and is home to a diverse population, including Burmese, Karen, Mon, Mawkin, Indians, Chinese, Siamese and Malays, practicing various religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and traditional beliefs. Between 1996 and 1998, military operations targeting insurgent groups affected much of the region, displacing many residents. This operation disrupted two-thirds of the villages, and resettlement efforts were slow, with some displaced people unable to return until 2011. After the diocese’s formation, several parishes were established and in 2008, the first diocesan synod was held during which the vision, mission, and planning for the future of the diocese were outlined. The synod focused on three main sectors: God, Social and Personal, emphasizing the importance of the three elements (3W)- the Word, Worship and Witness. The goal of our specific mission is re-strengthening the lives of our young people by providing integral education to promising students in the diocese. Since the military coup, Myanmar has been walking through darkness. So many lives have been broken, people have lost their homes, their work, their schools, their peace. Many now live as internally displaced persons (IDPs), without the security of a home or the comfort of stability. In this time of great pain, the Church is standing with the people not only praying for them but walking with them. One of the most urgent cries we hear is “Our children want to learn. But they have no way.” Many of our brightest and most gifted students can no longer study as their schools are closed and their families scattered. Their future, once full of promise, is now uncertain. It is heartbreaking to watch this happen. But we refuse to give up. That is why we are launching this important program. We want to bring education back into their hands and hope back into their hearts. We believe with all our hearts that youth are the hope of tomorrow. And we believe even more deeply that intelligent youth are the key to change. With the right education and formation, these young people can become leaders full of wisdom, courage and compassion, bringing peace where there is conflict, healing where there is pain, and faith where there is fear. They are the future of the Church, and they are the seeds of a new Myanmar. It is both a response to the urgent crisis and a strategic long-term plan to build a generation of strong, faithful and compassionate leaders. The goal of our program is to bring hope to displaced and conflict-affected youth by providing integral education and leadership formation, so they can rebuild their lives, serve their communities, and become the future leaders of the Church and nation. Our objectives To support the formal education of bright students affected by poverty, war, and displacement. To offer leadership and peacebuilding training to help them grow into responsible, wise, and confident leaders. To provide personal and spiritual formation, strengthening their values, faith, and compassion. To mentor and guide students with the help of Church leaders, teachers, and community members. To empower these youth as agents of change for peace, justice, and development in their own communities. Our main components of the program Educational Support: Tuition, school supplies, food, and basic needs for bright and struggling students. Leadership and Peacebuilding Formation: Training in leadership, peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and community organizing. Spiritual and Moral Growth: Retreats, formation days, and value-building sessions to nurture their faith and integrity. Mentoring and Community Engagement: Personal guidance from Church mentors and chances to serve their communities. Our expected impacts Displaced and poor students will have the chance to continue their education. A new generation of leaders with strong values will rise. These youth will become beacons of peace and development in broken communities. The Church will have faithful and capable leaders to serve with love and wisdom. Hope will return to the hearts of families and communities that now live in fear and loss. The current situation limits Diocesan pastoral works as the country remains in a state of political turmoil following a military coup in February, 2021, which ousted the democratically elected government. In the academic year 2024-2025, the diocese launched the “Good Shepherd” pre-Minor Seminary at the Diocesan Center, aiming to foster the development of local priests for the future of the church. The military regime continues to face widespread resistance from pro-democracy forces known as ethnic armed organizations (EAOs). Violent clashes persist across the country, with the military accused of severe human rights abuses, including mass killings and airstrikes on civilians. The economy is in crisis, and the humanitarian situation has worsened, with millions being displaced. Prospects for a peaceful transition to democracy remain bleak as the conflict escalates. We have great hope in these young people but know they cannot do this alone. This program is not only a response to today’s pain, but a vision for a better tomorrow. To support Fr. Augustine and his mission, envelopes are available in the kiosk in the Gathering Space or through their Giving Fuel website.