Southwest Kansas Catholic Newspaper of the Catholic RegisterDiocese of Dodge City Vol. XLIX, No. 8 • Sunday, July 6, 2014 Administration ‘You are announces steps to handle surge of invited!’ kids at U.S. border + Most Rev. John B. By PATRICIA ZAPOR Brungardt Catholic News Service Bishop of the ASHINGTON (CNS) -- As Vice Catholic WPresident Joe Biden was confer- Diocese of ring with Central American presidents Dodge City about a surge of children arriving at the U.S. border without a parent, other ad- ministration offi cials were outlining steps to try to keep more people from attempt- hat thoughts come to mind at ing the dangerous, illegal trek. Wthose words? If the invitation is By June 20, 18 days after the Obama Monks from Conception Abbey in Conception, Mo., share entertaining and spiritual for a party, or some free event, we might administration announced fi rst steps to presentations with local boys at Companion Camp, June 20-22. respond: “Great!” At times the invita- address a “crisis” of unaccompanied tion is to assist with a family chore: minors swarming primarily into the Rio “Will you help me?” Or maybe the in- Grande Valley in Texas, the number of vite is from the parish: “Would you like such children apprehended had grown by to serve in this group/council?” 5,000. Companion Camp 2014 Jesus often invited: “Come, fol- Meanwhile, some spokesmen for hu- low me” (Matthew 19:21). Why are man services agencies and advocates for Father Terrance Klein we nervous, afraid, or resentful of an immigrants have begun talking about the blessed four high school invitation? As the inviter, we may not problem as a refugee situation, not an boys at the Cathedral want to take the risk, we might not know immigration issue. of Our Lady of Guadal- the person well enough, or we may fear Wendy Young, president of Kids upe in Dodge City, who rejection since he/she may say “No.” As in Need of Defense, said in a June 19 served as camp staff: the invitee, we may worry that the teleconference that the factors pushing Alex Ultreras, Em- ministry will take too much time, or that families in Guatemala, El Salvador and manuel Jimenez, Omar it doesn’t catch my interest, or that if I Honduras to send minors to the United Ruiz, and Alex Sosa. join this group, I will be “stuck” in it for States on their own have made the situa- years. Photo above by Becky tion “refugee-like, with a layer of child- Hessman; photo at right As we prepare for Stewardship protection issues.” by Manuel Ultreras Renewal 2014, we ask our Gentle Jesus The U.N. High Commissioner for Refu- for strength to discern the “ask” and gees describes refugees as those who “have More photos are the “yes” of an invitation. Pope Fran- to move if they are to save their lives or on Page 11 cis writes in The Joy of the Gospel about preserve their freedom.” Under U.S. and the invitations we receive from God international law, refugees are entitled to wenty boys in grades six through eight life is very boring, but then they realize it’s from a prayerful reading of Scripture: different sorts of protections and assistance Tlearned June 20-22 that while life in not at all. At camp, they get to interact with “He always invites us to take a step than other kinds of immigrants. seminary is not all fun and games, there is seminarians. I thought it was interesting for forward, but does not demand a full The Obama administration June 20 an- a good dose of both. the boys to see the preparation to become a response if we are not yet ready. He sim- nounced more than $250 million in new Besides the celebration of Mass, spiritual priest.” ply asks that we sincerely look at our life and ongoing funding for programs in the exercises, and one-on-one conversation time Goretti said that the most poignant part of and present ourselves honestly before “sending” countries, including assistance with the seminarians monks of Conception the event was “being with my child (Andy). I him, and that we be willing to continue with reintegrating deportees, combatting Abbey, participants enjoyed a spirited game want the best for him and want him to know to grow, asking from him what we our- crime and gang violence and providing of soccer, a good, old fashioned water fi ght, there are so many options in life. If this is his selves cannot as yet achieve” (153). job training and other incentives to stay and a don’t-break-the-egg drop. call, maybe he will consider it in the future.” God will give us the wisdom at home. Other measures announced The day before they set out on three buses It’s Andy’s second camp as well, and his and courage to ask someone to included: campaigns in Central America (from Dodge City, Garden City, and Great last, since he’ll be too old to attend next participate. God will bless us with the to counter “misinformation” fostered by Bend) for Conception Seminary in Concep- year. “It was a pretty nice camp,” said the 13- generosity and sacrifi ce to respond human smugglers about what happens to tion, MO, four high school “camp staff” be- year-old. “You get to meet the monks. The “yes” to an invitation to assist. To invite children who are detained, and shifting gan working “behind the scenes to help with big Sunday Mass was nice. They brought us and to accept an invitation is part of hos- immigration judges and other staff within setup, cleaning, and other tasks that come to the back and showed us some of the bones pitality: developing a deeper relationship the Department of Homeland Security to up during the weekend,” explained Becky of the saints where we prayed.” with someone. This in turn assists our help process the cases more quickly. Hessman, Coordinator of Vocations. Father Ted Stoeklein assistant vocation family, parish, and community. On June 2, the administration said 47,017 Goretti Sanchez attended her second director, said, “The monks and the staff at Pope Francis concludes with a plea to such children had been apprehended since camp in the very important role of “mom”. Companion Camp did a sensational job. For Mary: “We ask the Mother of the living the start of the fi scal year in October, and the Two mothers and a grandmother of partici- me, it was a good introduction to retreat. Gospel to intercede that this invitation Federal Emergency Management Agency pants took part, providing not only valued For the boys, it appeared to be a weekend to a new phase of evangelization will be would manage the “crisis.” On June 20, leadership, but offered a motherly presence full of action and prayer. I literally couldn’t accepted by the entire ecclesial com- Alejandro Mayorkas, deputy secretary of to all the boys. keep up with them. I’m grateful to Manuel munity” (287). Jesus will help us with the Department of Homeland Security, said “It’s a good opportunity for the boys to see Ultreras, Goretti Sanchez, Kelly Wright, invitations; He loves us more than we what the process is of becoming a priest,” Norma Alvarez and Olga Zuniga for driving can ask or imagine! Continued on Page 11 Goretti said. “They think that the seminary and supporting the boys on the journey.” Page 2 July 6, 2014 The Southwest Kansas Register ‘Another Way’ rom her earliest days, our Might we look for a time at one who are indifferent, those who are the watch for the ways this world FChurch has been keenly aware of these, at this world spoken of so hardened sinners, those who are works upon us. Its preferred way of three constant enemies: the often in our Spiritual Tradition? worldly to the core: John and all of winning us over is to seduce us, Flesh, the World, and the Devil. When St. John writes of the our Spiritual Tradition after him our ancestors thought, to distract us These have always been at her, World in his Gospel, he does not have these in mind. If the world with the velvet glove. When that to lead her away from the path of mean all the women and men of hates you, know that it has hated doesn’t work, it will take the soft Jesus Christ. the earth: the Lord takes delight in me before you (John 15: 18). glove off the hard fi st, to intimidate The fi rst is theEnemy-Within : them, he sent his Son to save them, This world worms its way into us, to terrorize us even. things coming from inside us, our and to make them into the new the hearts of all our families. All Look around, and you will see own scattered, and scattering, de- People of God. He means, rather, of us are touched by it. All of us both these tactics at work even in + Most Rev. Ronald sires. The second and the third are all those women and men who are blinded by it. All of us are friendly Kansas, as they are in the M. Gilmore the Enemy-Without: things coming oppose Jesus Christ, and who are broken by it. country as a whole. We shall take Bishop Emeritus from outside us that play on our thus unwitting slaves of fl esh, and Our 2000 years of struggling them apart one by one in the weeks of Dodge City own warring desires and weak- world, and devil.