Many Graces from this One Small Effort

About 21 years ago, my life took a turn.

Not because of anything sudden or drastic -- but because I started going to weekday Masses at St. Columbkille.

Looking back now, I can see many graces from this one small effort.

Twenty-one years ago, my oldest two children were in preschool and kindergarten at St. Columbkille, and I had gone from full-time to part-time work to take care of them and two younger kids at home. One day when I was dropping off the older two at school, the thought occurred to me: I could drop into church for the 8:15 Mass. I was already up and about with a 3-year-old and baby in tow. Why not?

I fell in love with Jesus -- not just through one Mass, but by a steady stream of Masses, day after day.  I realized how much I needed to be nourished by Him every day. My Mass attendance wasn't perfect, but I found a way to get to church on most days. And I learned that my day just wasn't the same without the Mass, without Jesus.

The people at St. Columbkille were welcoming, mostly a mix of retired people and parents with young children, like me. During the school year, we joined in the school Masses and were touched by the joyful praise of children. During the summer and other nonschool days, we formed a smaller, more intimate faith community.

Over the months and years, I have been blessed by those regular Mass-goers. Sometimes we prayed or visited briefly after Mass, and occasionally we got together for coffee. They introduced me to new prayers, devotions and ways of thinking. I haven't known most of them well, but every day we shared a half hour or 45 minutes together before the Lord. And that's a strong bond.

Some of them have since passed away or moved away, but their influence lingers. They taught me each time they reverently bowed their heads during the Consecration, prayed the rosary after Mass, shared stories of everyday miracles, or asked for prayers for loved ones. What a blessing to have been surrounded by holy people -- years ago and still today as I meet even more people at the weekday Masses.

My life has changed over 21 years, but I've tried to keep daily Mass in my schedule. For a while, 5:30 p.m. Masses were much e

asier to get to. And Mass over the lunch hour at other parishes also has been an option.

I urge everyone to try to make Mass a part of each day. Schedules can be complicated, but try adding even one extra Mass each week. The 6:20 a.m. Mass on Fridays is helpful for people who have to rush off to work early.

Life can be crazy, and that's all the more reason to go to Mass. Let Jesus calm and strengthen you for the day.

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

Being Community

One of the hazards of being a cradle Catholic – and perhaps for newer Church members, too  – is that we can become so accustomed to aspects of our faith that we begin to take them for granted.

Our faith, it seems, is like a song. We can dance and sing along with it, or it can become background music as we go about our busy lives.

One aspect I tend to take for granted is our community of faith as a parish and also as a wider church. At times, even the word “community” has been a cliché for me, almost void of meaning.

I was in that state of mind when my oldest daughter was deciding on a college, and one school – a small Catholic one – boasted about its strong community on campus. “Blah, blah, blah” was what I began hearing.

But then my daughter, Elizabeth, and I met separately with a student. He told us about when he became sick and had to be hospitalized while he was at the college and away from home. The school provided his mother a place to stay when she arrived, and students, teachers and administrators visited him and brought food. Everyone was praying for him and offering Masses on his behalf. He wasn’t even Catholic, he said, but he appreciated the Masses and all the prayers and support.

Wow, I thought, what he described really was “community.” His testimony helped convince our family that this was the college for our daughter.

And suddenly the word “community” became alive for me again.

I was reminded about community once more this week, as I saw members of our parish gather at a prayer service for parishioner Jean Lahrs, who has a serious liver illness. I’m sure the people there had other important things to do, but they must have felt they needed to be there for Jean.

And even before walking in the church doors, I saw another example of community life, a volunteer mowing grass. It’s a humble chore, but a much-needed one for any family.

I’ll probably be thinking about community again this weekend – as I look around at Mass and see familiar faces, as we pray together and for each other, as we become united with God in the Eucharist.

I’ll also see my parish family as we cheer for our soccer teams and at the parish festival, where we’ll work and play together, all for the good of our church.

Sometimes when people talk about community I still hear “blah, blah, blah” . . . . But sometimes real examples of community resound  in my heart. My ears become attuned to that song of faith. And I feel the need to join the singing and dancing.

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

The Company We Keep

“You’re no better than the company you keep.”

My grandfather used to tell that to my father, and my father occasionally passed along that wisdom to me and my siblings.

As an adult, I’ve wondered whether those words are meant mostly for kids, to keep them away from bad influences in their formative years.

But certainly grown-ups need to be surrounded by good people, too. We need friends who are better than us to help us to continue to mature and grow.

Personally, I can think of several times when others made me a better person because of their influence.

In college, I was randomly assigned a multi-talented roommate. As a sophomore, she was advanced enough to be a teaching assistant in chemistry, her major. She also played the piano and minored in music. On a lark, she tried out for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln speech team, earned a spot at nationals, and was writing speeches for the governor the following summer. Also during summer break, she spent time in Spain, becoming fluent in Spanish.

My roommate’s talent didn’t rub off on me, but she motivated me. She was upbeat and happy, and I had my best grades when I roomed with her.

I never set out to surround myself with people of strong faith, but God seems to have taken care of that for me. He knows my needs – and weaknesses – and has given me good examples to follow, especially here at St. Columbkille, in priests and parishioners that I would call “scary holy,” with an astounding presence of God in them.

Sometimes those influences, those friends, come and go in our lives. We wish we could hang on to them because they showed us how to live and helped us grow, but we have to trust in God’s providence. He has greater plans for us and them.

One friend, the late Susan Koeppe, taught me the value of words. She chose hers carefully. She often paused before she spoke, and I could sense that she was looking for just the right words – the kindest, most effective way to get her point across.

When she was dying and after her death, I learned so much about Susan. I realized I never really knew her. I didn’t know her favorite color was green. It was apparent she was smart, but I never knew she graduated from college with distinction from college or received a Fulbright scholarship for a year of study in New Zealand.

Susan and I occasionally shared long conversations, and I relied on her advice, especially in spiritual matters – but she rarely talked about herself.

I would do well to follow her example.

And I can still turn to her for help.

God has placed many good people in my life, including His multitude of saints in heaven.

Thank You, Lord, for the “cloud of witnesses” you give us in heaven and on earth. May we learn from them, the company you would have us keep.

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

"Because we are members of His Body" (Eph. 5:30)

The busyness of spring is all around: weddings, graduations, May crowning, soccer, baseball, school field trips.

Something is going on every day.

At many destinations this week I've had the pleasure of visiting with people from St. Columbkille Parish. And after almost every encounter, I walk away feeling better, warmed by fellow parishioners -- not because of sweeping, heroic gestures, but little everyday conversations, hugs and smiles.

Here's how much of the week went:

Friday night was kindergarten soccer night. My son's team, the Huskers (because of their red T-shirts), gave one of their players to the opposing team because they were short a player. And of course, the kindergarteners happily obliged.

The coach's wife made sure she stopped by to ask how I was doing, one parent patted our family's dog while others relaxed and talked on the sidelines.

On Saturday I watched kindergarteners and first-graders hug and congratulate the teacher they knew as Miss Senger after she became Mrs. Olson. The church courtyard, filled with well-wishers, was a sunny, happy place.

In the pews at the noon Mass, my family was sandwiched in between several rows full of other St. Columbkille School families, who warmly greeted each other and wished the moms happy Mother's Day. It felt comfortable sitting among them.

Monday was May Crowning for my daughter at Mercy -- and several other Mercy students from St. Columbkille. The ceremony was beautiful and emotional, and afterward a few St. Columbkille mothers laughed about the tears they shed at the event.

Tuesday and Wednesday were baseball games at St. Columbkille fields, where younger siblings ran and played while parents, bundled in blankets on the bleachers, visited and occasionally shared a laugh with the coaches and umpire.

Thursday began with the all-school Mass, hugs and greetings from the regular Mass-goers and afterwards updates from friends -- which made me slightly late for the fourth-grade fishing trip.

Dedicated parents, relatives and school staff made sure the field trip went on after being canceled because of rain Monday. Families had to dig out hats, gloves and winter coats because it was cold and windy at the lake. But parents managed to laugh about it. One dad set up my son's fishing line on his pole and showed him how to cast. The fish weren't biting much, but the kids ate hot dogs, chips and watermelon and ran around. It was a good day.

Nothing really extraordinary happened this week. But maybe that's why it was special. Day in and day out, I encounter good, kind people -- kids and adults -- from St. Columbkille.

Our family's busy schedule puts me in regular contact with them. After 25 years at St. Columbkille, I have many old friends here. Yet because our parish is large and ever-changing, I constantly meet new people. Having nine children helps. I don't consider myself outgoing; typically other people reach out to me, often just to say hello or for small talk.

This week made me stop and think: Are other parishes like St. Columbkille? Do we have something special here?

What do you think?

"Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble."

-- 1 Peter 3:8

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.