Bishop Paul J. Bradley of Kalamazoo prays during a  Friday, Feb. 3 Mass concelebrated with bishops from Michigan and Ohio on their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican at the tomb of Blessed John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica.
CNS photo/Paul Haring

By Katherine Doud
The Catholic Weekly

KALAMAZOO — In his 11 years as pastor of St. Monica Church and School, Fr. Larry Farrell has become a beloved figure.
Some of his parishioners have even compared him to Fr. Flanagan, the big-hearted priest played by Spencer Tracy in the 1938 Academy Award-winning film “Boys Town.”
On a recent afternoon, Fr. Farrell visited the St. Monica School cafeteria and a group of second graders flew from their tables, knocking over plastic trays and milk cartons to give him a group hug.
“It doesn’t get better than this,” Fr. Farrell grinned, as he greeted his pint-sized well-wishers.
Second graders won’t be the only ones applauding Fr. Farrell, this month. On Friday, Feb. 3, he will become the first priest ever to receive the Bishops’ Award for dedicated service in a ceremony at 9:15 a.m. in the auditorium of Msgr. John Hackett Catholic Central High School, 1000 W. Kilgore Road.
The Bishops’ Award is given annually by Hackett. It recognizes an outstanding individual who embodies the spirit of service that Hackett espouses. The award is given in the name of all the bishops of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, past and present.
With typical modesty, Fr. Farrell said he will accept the award “on behalf of all the wonderful volunteers I have had the opportunity to work with over the course of the last 30 years.”

Fr. Larry Farrell teaches a class in First Communion preparation with second graders (from left) Claudia Stachura, Paige Mick and Carson Coffman.

One of those volunteers includes his late wife, Jane, “who put so much dedication and effort into the Catholic schools,” Fr. Farrell said.
Jane Farrell died in a car accident in 1995 and Fr. Farrell entered the seminary two years later. He was ordained a priest in 2001. He has three grown children — Maura, Larry Jr. and Andrew — and three grandchildren, two of whom are old enough to attend local Catholic schools.
Tim Eastman, principal of Hackett and a member of the selection committee for this year’s Bishops’ Award, said Fr. Farrell was chosen for his tireless commitment to Catholic education.
“Fr. Farrell often works behind the scenes. He has a subtle way of leading the charge,” said Eastman. “But his commitment to Hackett and to Catholic education has never wavered. I don’t think we could ever repay him for the commitment he has made to our Catholic schools.”
Fr. Farrell’s dedication to Catholic education began in childhood. A native of St. Louis, Mo, he attended Most Holy Name of Jesus Grade School, St. Louis University High School and St. Louis University — all Catholic institutions.
It was in parochial schools, he said, that he gained the discipline and vision he needed to “become the person I was meant to be.”
Fr. Farrell moved to Kalamazoo in 1971 and worked as a pension actuary while raising three children with his wife, Jane. When his wife died, he found himself “looking for a purpose in life. I felt I no longer had a vocation and I needed to find what God wanted me to do.”
After a great deal of prayer and soul-searching, he entered Detroit’s Sacred Heart Seminary in 1997 and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Kalamazoo in 2001.
Fr. Farrell now prepares second graders for First Holy Communion and eighth graders for Confirmation at St. Monica School. He also gives enrichment classes for the adults of St. Monica Parish.
In addition to his service at St. Monica, Fr. Farrell works tirelessly on projects throughout the Diocese of Kalamazoo. He is active in pro-life activities and he serves as pastoral liaison for the local advisory council at Hackett.
The Bishops’ Award ceremony will be part of Catholic Schools Week, a national observance that will be celebrated by nearly 7,000 Catholic schools nationwide Sunday through Saturday, Jan. 29-Feb. 4.
Fr. Farrell said he is grateful for the Catholic education he received and he is quick to endorse parochial schools in advance of the upcoming Catholic Schools Week observance.
All three of Fr. Farrell’s children attended Catholic schools and he calls this “the best investment I ever made. At this stage of my life, I can rest assured knowing I gave my kids the best education available.
“Catholic schools assist students in being all they can be, and all they were created to be. Our Catholic school students are taught to be go-getters, but even more importantly they are taught to be go-givers.”†

Westphalia music minister offers CD of original, uniquely Catholic music

By Mark Haney
The Catholic Times

PEWAMO — Some musicians seek fame and fortune in a headlong pursuit of platinum-selling albums and viral videos.

Brian Flynn just wants to get into a hymnal.

The music minister at St. Mary Parish in Westphalia recently released his third CD, “Born Again,” through Chicago’s World Library Publications. While he wouldn’t mind selling lot of the discs, the main purpose is to get people to want one or more of the 12 tunes in their hymnal. (more…)

By Mark Haney
The Catholic Weekly

GRAND RAPIDS — For 13 years the Grand Rapids Dominicans and a small army of dedicated volunteers have helped recent émigrés to this city battle the English language into submission.
Using part of the convent at St. Adalbert Basilica, WORD (Writing Opportunities Reading Discoveries) Project ESL (English as a Second Language) has helped 700 people through one of the few five-day-a-week programs around. Classes are offered four days a week, but each day — Monday morning, Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, Thursday night — represents a different group of people. Fridays are open days, when people can come in and practice on the program’s 10 computers.
The project began when one of the Grand Rapids Dominicans was doing home visitations with the large Hispanic population on the northwest corner of the city. She discovered the people needed more ESL classes. At the time, Grand Rapids Public Schools was offering classes, but participants had to commit to attending three out of the four days it was offered each week.
“Our people just couldn’t do that,” said Sr. Carmen Rostar, the program’s director and only paid employee, “so we established the program at the old convent at the Basilica of St. Adalbert.”
“It started being for the west side but it really is open to anyone in the city. They get put on a list and so when we get an opening we just call the next person on the list.”
The program takes on about 50 people each semester — September-December, January-May and six weeks in the summer.
While 18 is the youngest age allowed into the program, the clientele tends to be older — 18 are age 30-39, 12 are 40-49, five are 50-59 and only three are age 20-29.
“We did have a woman from Russia who was in her 80s,” Sr. Rostar said, “but now our oldest student is 60.
“They are mostly Hispanic (The largest (29) client group is from Mexico, followed by Vietnam (7), Guatemala (4) and Colombia and Spain with one each), though we do have some Vietnamese. Through the years we have had people from Africa and Russia. Right after the Bosnian War we had more Bosnians in the program.”
The sessions are one-on-one — one client to one volunteer. While the clients may not be fluent in English, the teachers do not have to know the client’s native tongue. (more…)

CONKLIN — Take three country parishes that are within a 15-mile radius with approximately 500 families. Add two grade schools with approximately 90 students, two youth ministry programs that cover five different school districts, three parish councils and two school boards. Try to run that with five Masses being said between the three parishes on the weekends as well as weekday Masses and working some time at the diocesan chancery office.
Two of the parishes had shared one priest and the other had one of its own. Due to the untimely death of one and the retirement of another it left the three parishes with temporary pastors and substitutes to fill in the for the weekend Masses and other sacramental needs
This was the challenge given to Fr. Fred Brucker when he accepted the first parish cluster in the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
The three parishes are St Francis Xavier in Conklin, St Catherine in Ravenna and St Joseph in Wright. It is forming one of the first parish clusters since the start of the diocesan program “Our Faith, Our Future.”
As Fr. Brucker once said, “Since we are the first to try this, there are no wrong ways of doing it.  If something doesn’t work we can change it.”
This is the open spirit this priest brings to the cluster of parishes as their pastor. While each parish still holds its own facilities and identity, we are learning to share now more than ever with a reduced number of Masses on weekends. (four instead of five) and the help of another substitute priest for one Mass occasionally on weekends.
Fr. Brucker has the warmth to make all feel welcome and that we are on this journey together. He has brought together three parishes to fill  the needs of the worshiping community.
You could ask him if he enjoys his new assignment and we are sure he will tell you the joys he has experienced in being pastor of three unique parishes in the short time he has been their pastor.
For the three country parishes he serves, he is our hero.
Signed “The Cluster”†

Like spring tulips, sea of colorful pinwheels covered the lawn at St. Monica School on Wednesday, Sept. 21, after students planted them with prayers for world peace. Kathy Doud/St. Monica School

KALAMAZOO — Drivers who passed St. Monica Catholic School on Wednesday, Sept. 21, were greeted by hundreds of colorful, spinning pinwheels. This art was part of a “Pinwheels for Peace” project, which was designed to celebrate the International Day of Peace, which fell this year on Sept. 21.
Each student in the school created a paper pinwheel and included on it a message of peace, along with their name.
The “Pinwheels for Peace” event began with a short prayer service, led by Principal Becky Reits. Afterwards, students fanned out on the school lawn to plant the pinwheels, in the hope they would remind passers-by to pray for peace in their hearts, homes, community and world.
“The Pinwheels for Peace” project had its beginnings in 2005 in Coconut Creek, Fla. The project has grown by leaps and bounds and this year it was expected that over 3.5 million pinwheels would be sent spinning across the globe.†

By Sr. Mary Alvesteffer
Special to The Catholic Weekly

GRAND RAPIDS — In 1921, Vanderbilt was as much forestland as furrowed fields. Its population reflected the ethnic and religious character of its neighboring city of Gaylord, predominantly Polish and Catholic. Its scenic beauty had not yet defined its commercial future as resort and sport country and the settlers were devoted to wresting a livelihood from their cleared fields.

Both Anthony and Lottie (Kujawa) Cherwinski were born, grew up and married in Vanderbilt. Like most of their neighbors, they belonged to St. Mary Parish in Gaylord and it was there that they brought their 4-day-old firstborn, Martha Anne, to be baptized on June 26, 1921.

When the future Sr. Jane Anthony Cherwinski was barely 4 years old, her parents decided to move to Saginaw County. The Cherwinskis lived in Saginaw for two years before buying a farm in nearby Maple Grove Township. Here, Martha would be joined by four brothers and one sister.  Martha was only 10 when their mother died. The little brood of six sorely missed their mother, but none so much as their father, whose own personal loss was deepened by his concern for his children. In due time, he remarried. (more…)

GRAND RAPIDS— Grand Rapids Bishop Walter A. Hurley recently made the following pastoral changes:
Fr. Edward A. Hankiewicz is appointed pastor of St. Mary Parish in Lowell while continuing as judicial vicar at the diocesan tribunal, effective Wednesday, Sept. 14. In addition to these responsibilities, it is anticipated that St. Anthony Parish in Saranac will also become Fr. Hankiewicz’s responsibility as the “Our Faith, Our Future” recommendations move towards implementation.
Fr. Aaron R. Ferris is appointed canonical administrator of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Grand Rapids, effective Sept. 14.
Fr. Eugene Okoli’s letter of resignation from his responsibilities as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Lowell was accepted by Bishop Hurley effective Thursday, June 30. Fr. Okoli has reported to the bishop of his home diocese, Bishop Paulinus E. Ezeokafor, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Awka, Nigeria.†

BATTLE CREEK — John W. Wagner, a 1987 graduate of St. Philip Catholic Central High School, recently was promoted to colonel in the U.S Air Force. His promotion ceremony was Thursday, Sept. 1, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.. His current position is with the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a politico-military planner in the Iran Branch of Middle East Politico-Military Affairs, Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5), in Washington D.C.
Wagner graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1991. His various assignments included military launch vehicle and spacecraft test, checkout and launch of spacecraft mission operations, military warning, war games and exercises and higher headquarters staffs. He commanded the 45th Launch Support Squadron at Cape Canaveral, Fla., through 12 successful launches of upgraded intelligence, navigation, communications and warning spacecraft. He also served as the deputy commander of the 45th Launch Group.
He was first to report multiple Chinese missile launches toward Taiwan in 1996. He also served as speechwriter for AFSPC commander.
The son John and Sarah Wagner of Fair Lake is married to the former Jennifer Schmidt of Piqua, Ohio. They have two sons, Jeffrey and Jacob.
Wagner will be recognized as a distinguished alumni at St. Philip Catholic Central High School’s homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 8.