“Do you believe?” “I do!”

Sunday dawned sunny, cloudless, and warm, a beautiful day for 29 children to receive the Holy Eucharist for the first time. We congratulate you all and welcome you into an ever deeper relationship with Jesus.

With families and guests, the church so full, it made sense to celebrate a special Mass in the afternoon. There was a lot of excitement and some nervousness in the air. This is not a time for the person seeking a quiet, contemplative experience.

After the Homily, it was time for the children to reconnect with their Baptism. It’s a special moment for a young child to hold a their baptismal candle, lit with the light of Christ. Six times, Father asked, “Do you…?” and the children responded with a robust “I do!” Then it was time to recall the moment of Baptism, when Father pours water while saying “I baptize you in the name…”. Father is always very generous when blessing the children with a sprinkling of holy water.

When each child came forward to receive the Body of Christ, many also received the Precious Blood. Parents, we will soon email to you a photo of your child receiving.

For their part in helping the children to prepare for this day, we have many people to thank. Let’s start with their first teachers, their parents. Christine Kainz heads sacramental prep, and Kristin Johnson directs our Family Faith Formation program. Thanks also to our Greeters and Sunday Choir. Fr. Konopa led the celebration masterfully and had a great message in his Homily.

As a parish family, we pledge to support these children in their faith journey with prayer and setting a good example. Again, congratulations to all!

Read Full Post »

2023 Iverson Frecking Awards

The following appears in today’s edition of the La Crosse Tribune. Copyright 2023 La Crosse Tribune. Story by Caden Perry, Photo by Saskia Hatvany.

Faithful Efforts Honored

Three people were honored with the Iverson Freking Ecumenical Recognition Award for their work in community service that crosses the bounds of faith and spirituality.

On Thursday, the Bethany St. Joseph Corp. awarded Mary Ann Gschwind, alongside Barbara and Joseph Kruse for their ecumenical work in the La Crosse area community. Barbara and Joseph Kruse are founding members of the Place of Grace Catholic Worker House focused on supporting children, community health care and social justice. They have lived in La Crosse for more than 40 years.

“When you volunteer and you do something that you believe in, it’s really life-giving. Good things came from it, and I know we helped other people along the way, but we were probably the biggest recipients of goodness and grace from all of that involvement,” Joseph Kruse said.

Joseph Kruse also has been on the board for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of La Crosse and the St. Clare Health Mission. Barbara has served on the Bethany Lutheran Homes board as well as the Downtown Rotary Club. Both are also affiliates of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.

“It’s really an honor to be here with Sister Mary Ann. Pretty much the whole 40 years we’ve been here, we’ve known her,” Joseph Kruse said. “We consider her a close family friend, so it’s really an honor for us to do this together.”

Among Gschwind’s contributions are positions on the Viterbo University board of directors, La Crosse City Symphony board and La Crosse City Vision Foundation board. Gschwind has also been the vice president of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration for the past eight years and makes a priority to help the incarcerated, the hungry and people with disabilities.

“My time here has usually been on that side of the room because I’ve helped nominate several people, some of whom have been graciously accepted, so it’s so good to be sitting on this side.” Gschwind said as she pointed to the audience. “I wanted to mention the same feeling that Joseph mentioned in that what we do is small in terms of what we receive.”

Gshwind said that people who want to begin volunteering or serving their community should start small and build motivation from the ground up. She said service groups in the city are always looking for day-of volunteers that only need to contribute a small amount of time here and there.

The Iverson Freking Ecumenical Recognition Award was established in 1987 to honor the service of CarlIverson, from the Luthern faith, and Bishop Frederick Freking, from the Catholic faith, and their work across lines of spirituality. Iverson and Freking established the Bethany St. Joseph Corporation and care center in 1976 with sponsorship from the Christian Communities of the Greater La Crosse Area.

Read Full Post »