Among the representatives of St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Rapid City, were Terry Usera, Veronica Valanda, Beulah Pfleger and Deacon LeRoy DeCory. (Photo by Greg Sass)
The Spirituality Initiative (SI) weekends held at Terra Sancta, Rapid City, continued January 8-10. Father Peter Kovarik, Hot Springs; Fathers David Matzko, SJ, Dan Juelfs, and Janusz Korban, all of Rapid City, brought representatives of their parishes to the meeting. The participants represented the following churches: St. Isaac Jogues, Rapid City; Blessed Sacrament, Rapid City; St. Rose of Lima, Hill City; St. Anthony of Padua, Hot Springs; St. John the Baptist, Custer; and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Keystone. The focus of the weekends continues to be improving the vibrancy of parish life in the Diocese of Rapid City.
Pete Stach from St. Rose Parish, Hill City, said, “I found the networking to be of most help to our parish. I also found out that we aren’t the only parish that has issues with the youth or fallen away Catholics and I had a general sense we aren’t out there by ourselves.”
Following the SI weekend the St. Rose Parish Council met to discuss some of the issues that came forth at the retreat. A facilitator went to Hill City to talk about the “Catholics Returning Home” program at the council meeting.
After a tour of the Terra Sancta buildings, Stach said, “Terra Sancta is an absolute gem and the idea of having a facility of this magnitude in our diocese is almost too good to be true. If you want to get away with a group and have some uninterrupted time to really look into yourself, this is the place, as it almost seems to naturally promote the ability to calm yourself from the everyday stream and gives you the chance to reflect. The facility is in great shape, but needs some updating, which is going to be formidable. The Benedictine Sisters were wise in what they did, and Bishop Blase Cupich saw the literally once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get this facility with the generosity of the sisters.”
Jena McNabb attended from St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Rapid City. She said, “The SI was a wonderful opportunity to get to know some of my fellow parishioners at a deeper level. It also gave us the opportunity to take a good look at our parish’s strengths and weaknesses. The weekend was well planned and allowed us to start a great base for new programs in our parish. We had a follow-up meeting about three weeks after the weekend at Terra Sancta. All three programs that we hoped to put in place are off and going. We will be holding our first Adult Education class on Feb. 21. The same day we will be holding our first Cultural Awareness class. The men’s group has had one meeting and plans to meet again. Terra Sancta is a beautiful facility — using it would be of benefit to anyone.”
Mary Eide came from St. John Parish, Custer, “I enjoyed all of the SI weekend. I think the most beneficial aspect of the weekend for all the parishes was our cluster working together to identify issues in the parishes that concerned them. I think it was important for us to realize that our concerns and needs are very similar.”
In Custer, the participants have been working with Father Kovarik and a Piedmont group that facilitates the “Catholics Returning Home” program to bring it to the Southern Hills. Eide said, “We have met with Hot Springs parishioners and soon will meet with Edgemont parishioners. Also, Hill City representatives expressed a desire to work with us on this program.
In the future, she would like to see priests and lay ministers spend a weekend annually at Terra Sancta to work on ways they can support each other. “We are so fortunate in Custer; we have full support from Father Kovarik. I think because Terra Sancta is such a peaceful, holy place, it should be used for retreats. It could also be a retreat center for those outside our diocese as well — similar to the Broom Tree center in the Diocese of Sioux Falls.”
Lonnie Arthur also attended from Custer. He said, “Meeting with other parishes and cluster parishes in the Southern Hills was a great opportunity to view the many ministries we are all doing and learn what is common among us. The SI provided the concept of sharing resources and looking at the greater aspects of common parish life.”
“Our number one priority was reaching out and inviting Catholics home after having been away from the church. With the assistance of Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of the Black Hills (Piedmont) parishes, we are auditing the “Catholics Returning Home” sessions to get first-hand information on the program. We plan on rolling this out shortly after Easter. Youth and adult formation are the other two priorities and we will be working to bring about greater awareness of our Catholic faith.
“Commissioned lay ministers in Custer have been meeting monthly for the last couple of years since commissioning by the bishop. The opportunity exists to work with commissioned lay ministers in Hill City and also the current class that includes candidates from St. John the Baptist in Custer, and St. Rose of Lima in Hill City. We are exploring expanded leadership roles to help both parishes in assisting the pastors.
“The Terra Sancta facility was very evocative when I first experienced it. It is indeed a ‘Holy Land’ and exudes its own spirituality. The educational opportunities are tremendous. For example, instead of people having to travel to weekly program sessions, a partial day, day-long, or multi-day sessions may be planned. Educational, spiritual, artistic, liturgical, theological, musical, and other camp opportunities may be able to utilize the facilities.”
Joe Vallette attended from Blessed Sacrament Church, Rapid City. He said, “There were so many positives that surfaced as a result of the SI weekend. What I came to realize is that there are a number of the faithful from our parishes who are ready to serve when called. This becomes important because we can draw out ideas and define plans of action.”
Regarding implementing ideas from the SI, he said, “Currently, we have scheduled a meeting with the other parishes that were part of our core group from Blessed Sacrament Church. Utilizing the resources of those participants, we hope to generate ideas and make plans to address formation. The emphasis is being placed on addressing the formation needs of our youth, as well as adults.
“I visualize Terra Sancta as a place where we can bring parishioners from within our diocese to have time to let God help them be faithful and heal, or nurture themselves. When we spent the weekend there for the SI, it brought such a sense of calm and peace to my spirit. It is a great place for all to come and enjoy.
“It could also serve as a meeting place for interdenominational gatherings. What better facility to serve the spiritual lives of all those in need? Certainly, there will be a number of financial challenges moving forward, yet what a great facility to meet the current and future needs of our diocese.”
