THELEAVEN.COM | VOL. 36, NO. 5 | SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 MISSION: DONNELLY New Donnelly president promotes ‘education that works, values that last’ By Joe Bollig [email protected] MSGR. STUART ANSAS SwETLAND CITY, Kan. — One wor- Vital statistics ry many parents • Born in Pittsburgh, Penn- have is that sylvania, on May 15, 1959. the child Family moved to northeast- ern Pennsylvania when he they send to college in August was three. willK return home a shiny, new • Baptized a Lutheran. atheist by Thanksgiving. • Graduated with an under- Time spent at a college or graduate degree in physics university is a critical time from the U.S. Naval Acad- for a young person, said Msgr. emy, Annapolis, Maryland. Stuart Swetland, new presi- Served as an officer on dent of Donnelly College in destroyers and frigates. Kansas City, Kansas. Highest rank achieved: lieu- “I always tell people that tenant. between age 18 and 25, most • Elected a Rhodes scholar young men and women have in 1981. to go from a faith they inherit- • Entered the Catholic ed to a faith they own as their Church in 1983 while study- own,” said Msgr. Swetland. ing at Oxford University, En- “They also discern, usual- gland. ly, the beginning of a vocation • Earned bachelor’s and — what God’s calling them master’s degrees in politics, to do,” he continued. “And, philosophy and economics of course, they often make from Oxford; a master’s of their most significant friend- divinity and master’s of arts ships and maybe [meet] their from Mount St. Mary’s Sem- inary in Emmitsburg, Mary- spouse.” land; an STL and STD from Msgr. Swetland knows what the Pontifical Lateran Uni- he’s talking about. He has ex- versity, Rome; attended at perienced it personally. the Pope John Paul II Insti- He left his devout Protes- tute for Studies on Marriage tant home in rural Pennsylva- on Family in Washington. nia as a fresh-faced 18-year-old • Ordained a priest for the and entered a very different Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, in world at the U.S. Naval Acad- 1991. emy in Annapolis, Maryland. • Served as vice presi- Getting the cold shoulder at dent for Catholic Identity a “peace church” in town led and Mission at Mount St. him to put religion in the deep Mary’s University from freeze during his academy 2006 to 2014. Also held days. the Archbishop Flynn Chair The big chill ended at Ox- of Christian Ethics, served ford University in England as the executive director in 1981, where he had gone to of the Center for the Ad- study on a Rhodes scholar- vancement of Catholic ship. The food there was not Higher Education, and was so great, so he and a group the executive secretary for of other students — most of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. them Catholic — formed a • Appointed president of supper club. Donnelly College in May “I was fortunate enough to 2014. run into some very good Cath- • Hosts the weekly televi- olic students who evangelized LEAVEN PHoto BY JOE Bollig sion show “Catholicism on me and set good witness for Msgr. Stuart Swetland has long been a proponent of inculcating strong Catholic identity both in students and the Campus” on EWTN and the me when I was searching for Catholic institutions of higher education. He says, “Being authentically Catholic should make our institutions better daily radio show “Go Ask answers to faith at Oxford,” universities.” Now, as the new president of Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, he plans to extend the college’s Your Father,” on Relevant >> See “KIND” on page 5 theological offerings. “We already have a very strong core, and we’re working to make sure that core is integrated so Radio, from noon to 1 p.m. every student can be exposed to the Catholic intellectual tradition,” he said. WAITING A LIFETIME CELEBRATING THE CARMELITES It was tradition in Laura Rzepczyk’s family for the children to In 1864, two adventurous German Carmelite men crossed the Atlan- make a pilgrimage to Czestochowa to view the icon called the tic, traversed a nation divided by war, and established the first male Black Madonna, but the Nazis thwarted that plan when they in- Carmelite foundation in North America, in the Kansas frontier town vaded Poland in 1939. It took a lifetime, but Rzepczyk finally got of Leavenworth. There will be a three-day Sesquicentennial Sympo- to visit the icon. Pages 8-9 sium, Oct. 23 to 25, to celebrate this historic event. Page 3 2 local news THELEAVEN.com | SEptEMBER 12, 2014 SEptEMBER 12, 2014 | THELEAVEN.com second front page 3 LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS fostering vocations is all of our jobs ne of the During the course of the time, the whole Catholic pilgrimage, each seminarian community supported and calendar highlights of is given the opportunity to encouraged young men to my summer share his assessment of his consider seriously a priestly ARCHBISHOP O progress over the past year vocation. A priestly voca- NAUMANN during recent years and to offer some insights tion was recognized as a has been the annual he has gained about him- great blessing to a family. Sept. 12 ARCHBISHOP self and the priesthood. He There were legitimate Vitae Foundation benefit pilgrimage with our also shares his experiences concerns that some young dinner — Kansas City JosEPH F. NAUMANN from the apostolic activities men, who did not have a Downtown Marriott seminarians. or formation programs he call to the priesthood, might participated in during the pursue ordination to please Sept. 13 Among my most import- summer months. The pil- a parent. Confirmation — St. Philippine these ministries or parishes ant responsibilities is the grimage affords an oppor- Today, we have a much Duchesne Latin Mass also provides an evaluation ordination of priests. If I tunity for the seminarians different climate. Our cul- Community on the suitability of each select well candidates for to get to know each other ture does not promote com- man. priestly ordination, then better. mitment in general, much Installation of Father Ray May Even with the benefit the church in northeast The pilgrimage also gives less a priestly vocation. The — Immaculate Conception, of all the evaluations and Kansas will benefit for the opportunity for our sem- culture encourages young St. Marys recommendations for our several generations. Poten- inarians to get to know me people to keep their options seminarians, in the end it tially, each priest will touch better. At the time of ordina- open for as long as possible. Sept. 14 is my responsibility to call thousands of lives. On the tion, the man being ordained More than a few seminari- 25th anniversary of perpet- a man to the priesthood or other hand, if I ordain men promises obedience to his ans find themselves discern- ual adoration — Holy Trinity, not. It is important for me who are not well-suited or diocesan bishop and his suc- ing a priestly vocation over Lenexa to know, as well as possible, well-equipped to serve as a cessors. During the liturgy, the objections of one or each man whom I ordain. priest, the whole church will the candidate for priestly both parents. Parental oppo- Sept. 15 It is also my responsibility suffer. sition is one “Shepherd’s Voice” recording to take a Fortunately, I am aided of the big- personal in my assessment of men’s gest hurdles CORE priests and seminarians hand in the suitability for the priesthood that many appreciation day — St. formation by our vocation director — young men Michael the Archangel, of our semi- Father Scott Wallisch; our encounter Leawood narians. co-directors for seminarians when con- I read — Msgr. Mike Mullen and templating Sept. 16 carefully Father Mitchel Zimmerman; entering Priests Personnel meeting all of the our vicar general with re- seminary evaluations LEAVEN PHoto BY JOE Bollig sponsibility for the clergy — formation. Administrative Team meeting and reports Father David McEvoy, O.Carm., pastor of Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph Parish in Leavenworth, explains how the current high altar at St. Joseph was patterned after the one at the Carmelite monas- Father Brian Schieber; the In this about each tery in Niagara Falls, Ontario, after the original Leavenworth altar was damaged by a tornado in 1945. The altar features a statue of Elisha the prophet on the left and of Brother Bertold, the first Carmelite, pastors of the home parish context, it is Sept. 17 seminarian. holding a copy of the first Rule of St. Albert on the right. of our seminarians; and the imperative, Presbyteral Council meeting I meet with o you “like” Archbishop Naumann? Be sure to faculty and formation team I believe, for the voca- “like” his Facebook page to see reflections, pho- at the seminaries. D a bishop to be personally St. Lawrence advisory board tion team at tos and content about Archbishop Naumann that Before being accepted as involved in promoting and meeting — St. Lawrence Cen- least once you won’t find anywhere else. a seminarian for the arch- cultivating priestly voca- ter, Lawrence a year to diocese, each young man: tions. However, it is not receive the 1) is interviewed by several enough for the bishop or “Trust One Greater” — JOURNEY TO THE FRONTIERS benefit of their analysis of members of our vocation ordination places his hands the vocation director or all St. Lawrence Center the progress of each man, as team; 2) submits a series of in the bishop’s hands, while of the priests to encourage well as to discuss any areas essays on why he desires making his promise of obedi- priestly vocations.