From the Pastor

HE IS RISEN INDEED! Often, it seems, religious people are unhappy with the treatment of religious topics in the movies and televi-sion. One exception is the movie “Risen” currently in theaters. It is partially historical with some added scenes not in Scripture, but they are all done well. It’s an excellent movie for mature teens and adults. One of the characters in the movie is the blood-soaked Roman tribune who supervised the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus. With the body of Jesus missing from the tomb and the fear by religious and civil authorities that His disciples would find wide-spread acceptance of the resurrection among the peo-ple, the tribune is commanded by Pilate to find the body. He even visits cemeteries and lime pits where the Romans disposed of bodies nobody claimed. Then he goes after the disciples. In one scene, the tribune barges in on the disciples to question them and maybe arrest them. I won’t tell you what follows. Go see the movie! One of my favorite Scriptural accounts of the resur-rection is the story of the two disciples walking back to Emmaus. It’s in the Gospel of Luke, starting at 24:13. The two disciples have not heard that Jesus is risen. They are disheartened and discouraged. They loved Jesus and wanted to serve Him and spend their lives teaching about Him. Now it’s all over; Jesus died the death of a criminal. He died as one convicted of terri-ble deeds, not one to be admired. They are headed back home to take up their former way of life again. Jesus joins them as they walk along, but their eyes do not recognize Him on the road.

The conversation involves Jesus asking questions about recent events and teaching them about the meaning of Old Testament Scriptures that apply to Him. Luke says their hearts were burning within them as Jesus taught them. Still they don’t recognize Him. The two disciples told Jesus how much He meant to them. Finally, they arrive at Emmaus, their hometown. It’s getting late so the two disciples invite their companion on the road to stay with them for the night. At table, Jesus takes the lead. He breaks bread and gives it to the two disciples. From the last supper they recognize the risen Jesus. He disappears, and the two hurry back to Jerusalem to share the wonderful news. The other disciples tell them, “He has been here too.” The two recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Along the road, they reflected on the Scrip-tures with Jesus teaching them, and their hearts were ready to find the risen One right at their table. Each time we come together for Mass, Jesus will help us reflect on the Scriptures and then reveal Himself in the breaking of the bread. With faith, we know He is with us in our church. After the nourishment of the Scriptures and the Eucharist, we hear the deacon tell us, “Go.” Go to the city and share the good news! He is risen! He is with us! Join us! ~Fr. Perron Joseph Auve

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Marjie’s Corner By Marjie Sloon

Page 2 PARISH OF THE HOLY S PIRIT

How do we love our neighbor?

Let us count the ways.

As Christians, we're constantly being told to love our neighbor. “Who is my neighbor?” the people questioned Jesus, and 2000 years later we continue asking. And how do we really “love” our neighbor? To help out I've listed a few practical ways below. These ideas do not come from theology school, but from the school of life accord-ing to someone just trying to pay attention.

Take only your share.

Recently my daughter was in the car with my littlest prin-cess granddaughter (who so far can do nothing wrong in my eyes because she's only 2) and had a cookie for each of them. “Do you want your cookie now, Dakota?” Mom-my asked. “No,” said Dakota, “I want Mommy's cookie.” So my daughter handed the tot a cookie and proceeded to eat the other one herself. In a few moments a de-manding little voice came from the backseat. “Now I want Dakota's cookie.” When told that Mommy had eat-en the other cookie, Dakota was inconsolable. “I want Dakota's cookie!” she sobbed. What do you do? As in real life, if we all take our share and someone else's share as well, we run out. Take only your share. And if you want to be really good, take less than your share.

Close your drapes.

If your neighbor has done something totally uncool or even downright weird and you can't help but think un-kind thoughts (to put it kindly) when you pass the win-dows facing their house, stop looking. Sometimes loving your neighbor means not thinking about them until the bad feelings go away. Close your drapes. And if you want to be really good, pray for those neighbors.

Thank your priest.

When my mom received Anointing of the Sick when she was seriously ill (dying, actually, as it turned out), she was so grateful, blessed by the words the priest spoke to her. Later, when I was in her town again I went to see the priest to thank him and tell him how much his words had meant to my mother, helping her on her journey. He said I really made his day, that most people come in to com-plain. Isn't that sad? A man devotes his life to serving God by serving us and he mostly gets complaints? That's

just not right. So go thank your priest.

Realize what really matters.

Years ago I chaperoned a bunch of school kids on a field trip to the historic Roslyn cemetery. The teachers gave the kids a list of facts to find on the ancient tombstones. While they worked on their “scavenger hunt” I roamed the cemetery reading headstones. What struck me was that at the end of our lives no one writes “Best Business-man,” “She Had An Impressive Stock Portfolio,” “She Had the Biggest House,” or “He Owned the Fastest Car.” No. All the last words written for posterity about these peo-ple were “Loving Father,” “Devoted Mother,” “Dearest Daughter,” and “Beloved Son.” It's the relationships we foster during our short time on earth that matter most. What will your people write one day on your headstone? Realize what really matters.

And along those lines, take care of your old people.

Caring for your aging loved ones, I'm finding out, takes weird twists. They go from being independent and capa-ble one day to (suddenly, it seems) not being able to drive but refusing to take a taxi, eating TV dinners and donuts everyday (which, okay, that could be me) and needing the toilet cleaned every time you visit but they don't know it. It takes nearly constant vigilance to assess their living conditions and current needs to find the right help within what they can afford, or to do it yourself. It takes balance to not do for them what they can still do for themselves. It takes remembering that he is my dad, I am his daughter, just like always. What helps me in this emerging landscape is to ask myself how I would want my children to help me when I'm older. The answer is: As the loved and loving mom they want to spend time with. Care for your aging loved ones.

So, that's it. Practical ways to love thy neighbor.

God gives us commands – rules – not as obstacle courses for us to conquer, but for our ultimate happiness. Loving our neighbors, the people God places in our lives, makes us happier. After all, Father knows best.

By George Mackie Unsung Heroes

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Gerry McHenry making a difference

in lives of Special Olympians

Parishioner and Holy Spirit

Knights of Columbus

member Gerry McHenry

has been head coach of

two Tri-Cities Special

Olympics teams for more

than two decades. He has

led the cycling team for 22

years, and the ski team for

20 years. This is both a

challenging and rewarding

experience. The teams usu-

ally train two days a week for four months each during the

year. Each sport culminates with a three-day summer and winter

Games held against other teams throughout Washington. Last

year his teams had approximately 42 athletes each ranging in

age from under 10 up to some in their 50s. Holy Spirit parishion-

ers Mark O’Brien and Evan Young are on both teams. The late

Joe Ritari was on the cycling team.

Special Olympics provide year-round training and competition for

700 Tri-Cities athletes with intellectual disabilities (the term intel-

lectual disabilities is a recent change from developmental disa-

bilities). There are about 6,000 athletes in Eastern Washington

and 14,500 statewide who compete in 15 sports at local, region-

al and statewide competitions. People with intellectual disabili-

ties are encouraged to join Special Olympics for the physical

activity, which helps lower the rate of cardiovascular disease and

obesity, among other health benefits. They also gain many

emotional and psychological benefits, including self-confidence,

social competence, and higher self-esteem.

Getting started

Gerry joined Holy Spirit’s Knights of Columbus Council in 1994

and took to heart the four principles of the Order - Charity, Unity,

Fraternity and Patriotism - and actively participated in many

council activities. Soon afterwards, while he was attending a

Parish Appreciation Dinner, he sat at the same table as the

O’Brien family: Roseanne, Nelson and Mark. Gerry heard that

Mark was a Special Olympian in skiing and cycling, two sports

Gerry had been very involved in years earlier.

Gerry was hesitant about working with Mark and frankly a little

uncomfortable with Special Needs people, but he still felt a

strong push to get involved. He ended up training Mark in cy-

cling for a couple of months before that year’s Summer Games.

Mark was entered into the longest races and did very well. With

a little prodding from Mark's parents, Gerry took over the team

the following season. However, Gerry soon found out no one

had told the previous coach she was being replaced. After dis-

cussing the situation, they agreed she would work with the be-

ginners and Gerry with the advanced athletes riding longer dis-

tances.

Building Life Skills

The state Special Olympics motto is: “Training for Life,” and Ger-

ry’s personal motto is TEAM (Together Each Achieves More).

Special Olympics is not just about competing; it is about life

skills. That is why Gerry donates his time and talents to an or-

ganization working with people with developmental disabilities.

He has witnessed the pos-

itive effects on the athletes

who compete on a more

level playing field.

Special Olympics also

provides another path to

independence for both the

individual and their fami-

lies. Participation helps

each individual decide how

independent they want to

be. Independence in-

cludes things like good

decision-making skills and

learning about all of the

areas in your life where

the individual can take

charge: transportation,

safety, finances, hygiene,

and finding the right type of friends to associate with.

Gerry has had many discussions with family members of the

athletes about independence. We all need some support from

friends and family to get to where we are going and to reach our

goals. A support system is one thing that makes being independ-(Continued on page 7)

Gerry McHenry on the left.

Parishioner and Special Olympian, Mark O’Brien receives a medal.

Preparing for World Youth Day—Kraków, Poland

Page 4 PARISH OF THE HOLY S PIRIT

Holy Spirit group prepares for World Youth Day adventure in Poland

On July 19, five teens from Holy Spirit will embark on a two-week trip of a lifetime to attend World Youth Day in Kraków, Po-land. The participants include Kimberlee Moon, Justin Moon, Alex Barany, Krista O'Neill and Celine Garcia. They will be chaperoned by Celine's mom, Anne Garcia. Recently, Kimberlee, Alex and Krista took the time to answer some questions about their summer plans.

Q: How long have you been planning for the trip?

Kimberlee: Our group has been planning for this trip for about a year since Father Lalo came and spoke to a group of us about World Youth Day. A couple of us had our hearts set on it the moment World Youth Day 2016 was announced back in 2013.

Q: What are you most looking forward to?

Kimberlee is looking forward to going to Mass with Pope Francis. "He is such an inspiration and it will be quite exciting to see him in person."

Alex is looking forward to working for the diocese in Poland during the first few days

that we will be there and to be able to see another country. Krista says, “I am most looking forward to seeing so many Catholic youth in one place, to join as a huge community in deep-ening our faith together!”

Q: What events or activities do you have planned while you're there?

Kimberlee: For the first few days we will be working for the diocese by doing mis-sion work, particularly labor in the commu-nity. This will a very eye-opening experi-ence considering none of us speak that language. Then we will begin World Youth Day (July 25-31) and be celebrating Mass with the Pope and sleeping under the stars. After World Youth Day we have the op-portunity to travel around Poland to famous sites and relics.

Q: Will you be sharing information dur-ing your trip that people back home can follow?

Krista: I am notorious for blogging about everything I do! I'm not sure how much internet access or free time I'll have, but I want to share my experience online, wheth-er it be when I come back or while I'm there.

Q: What kind of fund-raising efforts have you had to do so far?

Kimberlee: Our fundraising has been quite a success thanks to the participation of the whole parish. We did a fundraiser at the

beginning called “Wall ’o Money”, partici-pated in See’s Candy sales, and finished off with great support from the dinner and auction held (March 12). We would like to thank everyone who has helped us reach our goal. We are very appreciative and hope we can continue to give our talents and experiences back to the parish in our gratitude.

Q: What do you still need to do to pre-pare for the trip?

Kimberlee: We just have basic stuff like packing and plane tickets to Seattle and small things like that but otherwise our travel company has everything planned for us. We just have to not get lost.

Q: Is there anything that parishioners might be able to help your group with?

Kimberlee: Our group would really appre-ciate prayers for our safe travel and safety for the whole World Youth Day while we are there. And thank you again for all you have helped us with already.

Photos courtesy Carol Moon

From left, Alex Barany, Kimberlee Moon, Justin Moon and Krista O'Neill, will spend more than two weeks in Poland this summer doing mission work and attending World Youth Day.

Anne Garcia, left, is chaperoning the Holy Spirit group at World Youth Day. Her daughter Celine, right, will be one of the five teens on the trip.

Voice of the Spirit Volunteer Editors: Dieter Bohrmann, Marjie Sloon, and Erica Hohl. Special thanks to contributing writers Jake Haffner, George Mackie, Theresa Barnaby and Fr. Auve. The Voice of the Spirit is published twice a year and mailed to parishioners. Volunteers are wanted to contribute articles, photos, and ideas. If you would like to help, please contact Dieter at 734-8093 or dgbohrmann@aol.com

By Jake Haffner Youth Voices

APRIL Page 5

Confirmation candidates ready to take next step in

their faith journey

Every year a new group of high school juniors from Holy Spirit goes through a series of Confirmation classes to prepare for the sacrament of Confir-mation in May. This year's candidates are Hannah Ashby, Wyatt Beaton, Joel Erickson, Forrest Hanson, Ashton Jen-nings, Isaiah Lemmon, Marc Long, Patrick Ly, Danielle Masteler, Jason Nava, Natalie Przbylski, and Josh Wini-arski.

I had an opportunity recently to dis-cuss the Confirmation journey with some of them. One thing they agreed on was how much closer to God they have grown. They spoke not only of learning about the doctrine that forms the basis of our Catholic faith, but they also spoke of the impact the past months have had on them personally. It seems that each individual has learned a lot about themselves as their relationships with God have de-veloped and matured.

When asked what their favorite part of Confirmation preparation has been so

far, most responded that they liked the retreat the best. Discussion about the retreat is pretty limited, and even somewhat secretive, as everyone wants each new class of candidates to experience it for themselves. But it is clear that the candidates learned a lot about their character and God’s love for them on this life-changing spiritual getaway.

In regards to what they have been learning on their Super Sundays (the monthly daylong classes for Confirma-tion students), the participants replied that they have recently spent time discussing the saints, the sacraments, and the gifts of the spirit. And when I put them on the spot asking them what the seven gifts actually were, they almost answered 100 percent correct with an impressive six out of seven. (Can you name them all? An-swer below.)

This year’s candidates are almost ready for the sacrament of Confirma-tion this May. And with such a strong group of kids on the verge of taking this huge step forward in our faith and in our church, we must all thank God

and pray that he would continue to guide them through each step.

Mike and Carol Gaulke, along with the whole Confirmation crew, deserve a ton of credit for the work they put in each year. They are the ones who make it all happen and who truly im-pact and change young people’s lives.

By the way, the seven gifts of the spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. But we are cer-tain you already knew that.

You have no doubt seen Ed at Mass or any of a number of other church activities over the past few months. But how well do you know him? Here are a few conversation

starters for the next time you see him.

Eduardo Esquivel (you can call him Ed), 27, is a seminarian assigned to the Yakima Diocese. He is attending semi-nary at Mundelein near Chicago.

Ed was born and raised in Colima, on the west coast of Mexico, more than 2,500 miles from the Tri-Cities. Ed has one younger sister, Carolina, who is

back in Mexico studying medicine.

In school, Ed's favorite subjects were history and math. With a nod to home, Ed says his favorite food is enchiladas, but he also really likes sushi and ham-burgers.

In his free time, Ed enjoys spending time with family and friends. Other hobbies include reading, drawing and playing video games, especially Pokemon.

Ed's musical likes includes Adele, Flor-ence + The Machine, and Maroon 5, among others. Ed says he does not have a favorite sport, "but since I came to America I've been watching football and I really like the Seahawks." (Voice of the Spirit supports this develop-ment.)

As a teenager, Ed's first job was at a mechanical workshop, where he learned how to fix cars.

It was at age 15 when Ed felt that God might be calling him to the priesthood. Asked if he had advice for anyone con-sidering the priesthood, Ed said: "I would advise him to think about it seri-ously, because the priesthood is some-thing very important. Also - and most important - is to pray a lot, and to have a special place for the Virgin Mary in his heart."

Thank you, Ed, for sharing a little about

yourself! The Diocese encourages prayers

for all its Seminarians. More information

can be found online at yakimadiocese.org/

articles/49-uncategorised/761-seminarians.

Getting to know our seminarian—By Dieter Bohrmann

Page 6 PARISH OF THE HOLY S PIRIT

Local Charities & St. Joseph’s School

St. Joseph School 9,000.00 Catholic Family & Child Services (Maternity & Parenting) 1,250.00 Safe Harbor Nursery 750.00 Holy Spirit Conference of St. Vincent de Paul 2,770.56 Tri-Cities Food Bank 1,250.00 World Youth Day 19, 564.00 Fellowship of Catholic University Students 500.00

SIGN Fracture Care International 500.00

Catholic Charities Christmas Collection 12,033.00

Out of Our Area Charities

Catholic Relief Services 2,536.00

Reach Youth Ministry 1,000.00

Grand Total $51,153.56

Disbursements from Holy Spirit Conference of St. Vincent de Paul

Total number of calls to the hotline : 210 Total number of households helped: 48 Total disbursement to help people in need: $6,703.88

Additional expenditures for food, water, and toiletries for the homeless : $924.55

Plus the Special Collections:

Yakima Retired Priests 680.00 Peter’s Pence 500.00 Catholic Communication Campaign 1,175.00 Holy Land Collection (Good Friday) 1,896.76 Operation Rice Bowl 565.16 Total $4,816.92

Holy Spirit Charitable Donations

Tithing Program November 1, 205 to March 27, 2016

Parishioners can be proud of their help and concern for the

less fortunate.

Book Review By Theresa Barnaby

Name of God is Mercy by Pope Francis

'Mercy' a compelling conversation with

the Pope.

At the end of February, I was lucky

enough to get a chance to attend the Los

Angeles Religious Education Congress.

The theme of this year’s conference was

Boundless Mercy, to correspond with the

Holy Year of Mercy Pope Francis de-

clared for this year. So I decided that the

plane trip was the perfect chance to check out Pope Francis’

new book, The Name of God is Mercy.

The book is actually comprised of a series of conversations

between Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli and Pope Francis.

The main theme of the book is mercy and the reasons Pope

Francis had to proclaim the Holy Year of Mercy. Pope Francis

speaks eloquently on the need for mercy in our society today.

The centrality of mercy, Pope Francis says, is "Jesus’ most

important message,” and it’s especially needed today when

humanity seems to be suffering from so many ills.

There is much to ponder and reflect upon in this slim volume.

Pope Francis speaks quite openly on some matters. Other

matters are touched on with a bit more care, but he never wa-

vers from his belief that the church should spend more time

focusing on the needs of the marginalized and disenfranchised

- emphasizing the need for merciful shepherds, not scholars of

the law. In fact, Pope Francis saves his harshest criticism for

those resisting change by hiding behind declarations of doc-

trine. He says “we must avoid the attitude of someone who

judges and condemns from the lofty heights of his own cer-

tainty, looking for the splinter in his brother’s eye while re-

maining unaware of the beam in his own.”

Perhaps one of the passages I most appreciated is the passage

on whether there can be opposition between truth and mercy,

or between doctrine and mercy. Pope Francis says: “… Mercy

is real; it is the first attribute of God. Theological reflections

on doctrine or mercy may then follow, but let us not forget that

mercy is doctrine. Even so, I love saying: mercy is true.” So

much power, and so much to reflect upon in that statement!

I think what I appreciated most about this book is how close it

made me feel to Pope Francis. It doesn’t read like, and in fact

is not, a lecturing or punishing book. Instead, it feels like a

conversation with a friend. I really loved this book and recom-

mend it for anyone who wants to understand more about the

Holy Year of Mercy, more about the church’s need to move

toward a more ministering church, or even more about where

Pope Francis is coming from.

√ Check this out...

Deaths November 1, 2015 through March 27, 2016

Please pray for the souls of our deceased parishioners. May they rest in peace.

APRIL Page 7

Sacraments Sacred, visible signs of God’s loving grace and presence to humanity.

Sacraments manifest the faith of the Christian community on Earth.

Baptisms

We welcome the following who were baptized into the Holy Spirit Parish Catholic Community from November 1, 2015.through March 27, 2016

Lincoln Gray Reddinger Scarlett May Reddinger Raanan Kai Reddinger Elizabeth Mickell Pang Biana Joy Leistritz Leilana Faith Weiss

Annie Marie Nelson Ronald James Rourk Ronald Joseph Bliss Robert Louis Martin Edmund Arthur Harrington Nada Mowitza LaVoie Stephen Gene Richards Frank A. Osterwyk Beulah Fain McCulley

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults Easter Vigil, March 26, 2016

Baptized, Confirmed and received First Communion Receiving Confirmation and their First Communion

Paul Walkup Michael Thompson Kathy Nuckolls

ent a lot easier. You can be independent and still ask for help.

You can be independent and still have someone support you to

make decisions. You can be independent and still rely on others

to see you through a tough time.

Strong Support System

Special Olympics programs are available to athletes free of

charge. There is no “required” cost to an athlete or their families.

Special Olympics receives no public money, just donations. Holy

Spirit Knights of Columbus Council involvement in Special Olym-

pics consists of the following:

Knights and their families have volunteered over the years at

many Special Olympics events, an average of 700 hours an-

nually.

The Knights have financially supported Gerry and his teams

since he started coaching in 1995. The council has chosen to

earmark money to be used by Gerry’s and other local Tri-

Cities Special Olympics teams, providing new shoes and uni-

forms for the local track and field teams, jackets for the ski-

snowboarding teams, and jerseys for the cycling team.

Special Olympics has changed Gerry’s life in many ways. He

knows the Lord nudged him in this direction, taking a very anxious

and impatient person and changing him into a patient and a more

understanding person. When others compliment him on his pa-

tience, he sometimes laughs.

Gerry is grateful that he’s had the support and help of his wife and

family at many Special Olympics activities and training sessions.

Thank God and the O’Brien family for introducing the Special

Olympics organization to Gerry.

(Continued from page 3)

Gerry McHenry & Special Olympics

4/15-16/16 Women’s Group Rummage Sale 4/19/16 XLT, 7:00 pm. 4/30/16 Movie Night 5/07/16 Catholic Daughters Candlelight Rosary, 9:00 a.m. 5/08/16 Confirmation 5/08/16 Mother’s Day Breakfast – 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon 5/12/16 Blood Drive 5/22/16 Graduates Luncheon (3:30), Graduates Honored (5:00 p.m. Mass) 5/24/16 Anointing of the Sick Mass, 11:00 a.m. – Luncheon afterwards 12:00 5/30/16 MEMORIAL DAY 6/19/16 Father’s Day Breakfast, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon 6/20 - 24/16 Vacation Bible School 7/31/16 Parish Picnic

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