Extension Magazine - Fall 2021

catholicextension.org
STORIES OF FAITH FROM CATHOLIC EXTENSION
FALL 2021
LET’S OPEN WIDE
THE DOORS OF THE CHURCH
AND OUR HEARTS
Meet the 2021-2022 Lumen Christi Award finalists 12

S T O R I E S O F F A I T H F R O M C A T H O L I C E X T E N S I O N
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magazine since 1906 to share with our donors
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to work in solidarity with people in America’s
poorest regions to build up vibrant and
transformative Catholic faith communities.
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CHANCELLOR
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich
Archbishop of Chicago
VICE CHANCELLOR
Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas
Bishop Emeritus of Tucson
PRESIDENT
Reverend John J. Wall
VICE CHAIR OF COMMITTEES and SECRETARY
Elizabeth Hartigan Connelly
BOARD MEMBERS
Most Reverend Gerald R. Barnes
Bishop Emeritus of San Bernardino
Most Reverend Steven Biegler
Bishop of Cheyenne
Arturo Chávez, Ph.D.
John W. Croghan
Most Reverend Daniel E. Flores, STD
Bishop Emeritus of Brownsville
Most Reverend Curtis J. Guillory, SVD
Bishop Emeritus of Beaumont
The Honorable James C. Kenny
Most Reverend Robert N. Lynch
Bishop Emeritus of St. Petersburg
Peter J. McCanna
Andrew J. McKenna
Michael G. O’Grady
Christopher Perry
Andrew Reyes
Karen Sauder
Pamela Scholl
Most Reverend Anthony B. Taylor
Bishop of Little Rock
Most Reverend George L. Thomas, Ph.D.
Bishop of Las Vegas
Most Reverend William A. Wack, CSC
Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee
Edward Wehmer
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LUMEN CHRISTI AWARD
The Church is
always open 12
In 1978, St. Pope John Paul II
said, “Do not be afraid. Open
wide the doors for Christ!” His
words echo in our ears today as
churches across the country have
literally reopened their doors after
many months of restrictions. The
Catholic Church’s mission to serve,
to heal and to reach people’s
hearts in Christ’s name has never
shut down, as is revealed in the
accomplishments of our 2021
Lumen Christi Award finalists—
such as Racheal Jacoby, who
recently restored St. Francis
Xavier Mission in Melvin, Texas,
(above and front cover).
COVER PHOTO JUAN GUAJARDO

Extension | Fall 2021 3
BUILD
NEWS BRIEFS | Initiative reached goal of giving 1,000
Catholic sisters $1,000 each to help families in pandemic
INSPIRE
Meet the 2021 Lumen Christi Award
finalists 12
Sisters on the Frontlines goal is met 10
COVER | Seven finalists who radiate and reveal the light of
Christ present in the communities where they serve
Highlighting ongoing ministry of
previous finalists 30
LUMEN CHRISTI PAST FINALIST | Three previous Lumen Christi
Award finalists continue to make transformative impact
Is there faith to be found on college
campuses? 36
FEATURE | Campus ministry support is an investment in the
Church’s future
IGNITE
Our sacred spaces 42
WORLD CAMPAIGN | Catholic Extension supports global call
for safe and peaceful worship
One Church across the nation 44
PARISH PARTNERSHIPS | Catholic kinship movement enables
ordinary parishes to help struggling faith communities
Letter from Father Wall 4
Mission needs 8
Donor feature 40
Connect 46

4
Letter from Father Wall
E
A thousand
points of light
very year you—our generous
donors—enable us to provide
over 1,000 grants to build up
vibrant and transformative
Catholic faith communities
in America’s poorest regions.
Each beneficiary is a light
that shines brightly in our
country, because with the
funds you invest in their
communities, they develop
new leaders to serve future
generations, build and
improve church facilities to
welcome more of God’s people,
and create ministries that
extend the Church’s presence
to those on the margins.
That is why since 1978
Catholic Extension has
bestowed its Lumen Christi
Award to people who have
demonstrated in extraordinary
ways how the light
of Christ is shining brightly
through their ministry and in
their communities.
I am so honored to introduce
to you in this edition
of Extension magazine the
2021 finalists for the Lumen
Christi Award, now in its
44th year.
These humble heroes of
our Church are sources of
hope for us and our country.
They remind us that faith is
still a relevant force in our
society and culture. They
remind us that there is so
much energy and generosity
in our Church. They remind
us that there are people willing
to sacrifice for the good of
others.
For me it is a pure gift to
read the stories of our Lumen
Christi Award finalists, to see
how they both radiate and
reveal Christ’s light in the
communities they serve. I
am delighted to pass this gift
on to you for your enjoyment
and fulfillment.
Their amazing stories
convincingly demonstrate
Catholic Extension’s core
conviction about the good
that can occur when we build
up vibrant and transformative
Catholic faith communities
in the poorest places and
regions of the country.
Catholic Extension’s
founder, Father Francis
Clement Kelley, frequently
spoke about his dream that
Catholic Extension would be
a catalyst to “awaken the missionary
spirit in America” by
accompanying the amazing
people who animate the
existing seeds of Catholic
faith in the most challenging
places and realities, from sea
to shining sea.
In 1918 Catholic Extension
and our founder experienced
a pandemic that temporarily
shut down churches—a
difficult moment that seemed
to stifle the missionary spirit
of the Church. Even the
famous Extension-sponsored
“chapel cars” that traveled
the U.S. railway system to
offer sacraments to far-flung
communities were halted. It
undoubtedly looked bleak

Extension | Fall 2021 5
for a time. But, following that
pandemic a century ago, the
Church came roaring back,
and Catholic Extension went
on to build more churches in
the ensuing decade than any
other time in the history of
our organization.
Today the pandemic has
hopefully abated, but we are
still unsure of what lies ahead
of us. Will our Church be as
strong as it was prior to the
pandemic?
In the face of this important
question, Catholic
Extension will follow Father
Kelley’s vision once more
to “awaken the missionary
spirit in America” so that the
Church in our country can
emerge from this difficult
year and a half as a more
vibrant, relevant and stronger
Church. We begin this journey
of recovery by locating
the light of Christ already in
our midst.
This year’s Lumen Christi
Award finalists are all, in
unique ways and diverse
places, radiating Christ’s
light and inspiring others to
become bearers of Christ’s
light as well.
Through your support of
Catholic Extension, I hope
you discover that you too are
part of this vast constellation
Father Jack Wall visits the Diocese of Caguas,
Puerto Rico, as Catholic Extension continues to
help rebuild Catholic churches and schools on
the island after Hurricane Maria.
of light across the country,
which is bringing warmth
and hope to our Church and
society in Christ’s name.
May God bless you and all
whom you love,
Rev. John J. Wall
PRESIDENT, CATHOLIC EXTENSION

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Extension | Fall 2021 7
BUILD
MISSION NEEDS 8 | NEWS BRIEFS 10
Good news from
around the country
PHOTO HEIMERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Father Brian
McCaffrey
shares a special
moment with his
mother on the day
of his ordination
to the priesthood
in the Diocese of
Salina, Kansas.
Catholic Extension
supported his
seminarian
education.
See news briefs,
page 10.

8 BUILD Mission Needs
Alaska
PLEASE SUPPORT FAITH LEADERS
SHINING THE LIGHT OF CHRIST
IN POOR REGIONS
Chalan Kanoa
Guam
STOCKTON CALIFORNIA
José and Digna
López, recipients
of the 2013 Lumen
Christi Award, will
once again lead
the annual Our
Lady of Guadalupe
procession, which
draws over 12,000
people. The celebration involves parishes
from across the Diocese of Stockton. More
than just an event, it is a yearlong process
of preparation Marshall Islands that draws participating
young people closer to their Catholic faith.
Your donation supports Jose and Digna’s
efforts in leading the joyous celebration of
tradition and profound devotion to Mary.
TOHONO O’ODHAM NATION
ARIZONA
San Solano Missions
are in need of funding
to support two priests
serving its 40 mission
chapels in villages
spread across the
Tohono O’odham
Nation, which is the size
of the state of Connecticut and located
within the Diocese of Tucson. Catholic
Extension has long supported Father
Ponchie Vásquez, OFM, a 2017 Lumen
Christi Award finalist and 2021 nominee,
who faithfully carries out his missionary
vocation to serve the 11,000 Catholics of
this Native American community.
Samoa-Pago Pago
Hawaii
ISSION NEEDS

Extension | Fall 2021 9
Your donation will help our past Lumen Christi Award recipients and finalists as they
continue to shine the light of Christ in the faith communities they serve. To contribute to
one of these projects, please visit catholicextension.org/missionmap. Thank you.
Your donation will be applied to a similar need should your specified project be fully funded
before we receive your support. Thank you for your compassion toward those we serve.
SAN BENITO TEXAS
La Posada Providencia in the Diocese of
Brownsville is a shelter
for families fleeing lifethreatening
conditions
in their native countries
and seeking asylum
in the United States.
Sister Zita Telkamp,
CDP, a finalist for the
Lumen Christi Award
in 2013, served as La Posada’s director for
over 12 years until her retirement in 2020.
Your support of La Posada will carry on its
mission to provide asylum-seekers shelter,
food, medical assistance, English classes
and employment preparation as they pursue
asylum through the U.S. immigration system.
CATHOLIC EXTENSION
MISSION AREAS
PROJECTS IN MISSION AREAS
THAT NEED YOUR SUPPORT
GWINN MICHIGAN
St. Francis Connection
Center provides
outreach to 1,500
families in Gwinn and
the surrounding area.
The center, operated
by lay Catholics and
recognized as a 2015
Lumen Christi Award finalist, is located
near a closed Air Force base in one of the
most underserved areas of the Diocese of
Marquette. Your donation will help the center
continue to distribute food to families in need
and share the Catholic faith through religious
education programs, prayer and community
gatherings.
ALLENDALE LOUISIANA
Community Renewal
International, founded
by 2019 Lumen Christi
Award recipient Mack
McCarter, restores the
foundation of safe and
caring communities in
low-income, high-crime
areas by connecting
neighbors through friendship and faith. The
program has drastically reduced crime in
many neighborhoods. Your donation will
support two “Friendship Houses,” spaces
that offer education programs for children
and adults, in partnership with Our Lady of
the Blessed Sacrament Church, Shreveport’s
oldest African American parish, established in
1923 by St. Katharine Drexel.
NON-MISSION AREAS
Puerto Rico
St. Thomas-
Virgin Islands

10
BUILD
News Briefs
HIGHLIGHTS
Radio appearances
At 6:45 a.m. Central
Time on the third
Wednesday of each
month, Catholic
Extension is honored to
join Relevant Radio, a
Catholic radio network
with an audience of
220 million, to discuss
current events and
our mission. Find your
station and listen live at
relevantradio.com, and
listen to past interviews
at catholicextension.
org/relevant-radio.
Magazine anniversary
Extension magazine is
celebrating its 115thyear
anniversary.
Included
here is an
image of the
first cover,
published
in April
1906. Our
publication
continues
to share
stories of
faith from the inspiring
and vibrant faith communities
supported by
Catholic Extension. To
read Extension’s first
issue, visit catholicextension.org/1906.
Sisters on the Frontlines goal is met
In May 2021 the Sisters on the Frontlines initiative, administered
by Catholic Extension, reached its year-long goal. The initiative
was formed to respond to the immediate needs of communities
impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its goal was to give 1,000
Catholic sisters $1,000 each to help an individual or family suffering
the adverse effects of the pandemic.
The funding alliance, which was created in June 2020, comprised
the GHR Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters,
FADICA, The Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, Congregation
of St. Joseph, Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland,
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and Catholic Extension. The
alliance members recognize the vital role of Catholic sisters in
communities with the greatest needs and sought to aid them in
their work by providing direct funding.
Overall, the funds reached 100 dioceses in 41 states, as well as
the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands and Washington, D.C.

Extension | Fall 2021 11
TRINITY MISSIONS
CENTENNIAL
WORLDWIDE
LUMEN CHRISTI
AWARD JUDGES
NATIONWIDE
IMMERSION TRIPS
NATIONWIDE
FAITH AND BEAUTY
LEXINGTON,
KENTUCKY
The Missionary Servants
of the Most Holy Trinity,
a religious congregation
of men founded in the
United States, are celebrating
their 100-year anniversary.
Catholic Extension
supports the Missionary
Servants’ ministry in
many dioceses. The current
leader (General Custodian),
Father Mike Barth,
S.T., serves on Catholic Extension’s
Mission Committee,
and Father Bob Goodyear,
S.T., is among our Lumen
Christi Award finalists
(see page 18).
A selective group of
individuals committed
to Catholic Extension’s
mission participated as
judges to identify this
year’s Lumen Christi
Award finalists. Turn to
page 46 to read a few of
their valued insights about
this year’s finalists, which
beautifully express how
each radiates and reveals
the light of Christ. Judges
are members of Two by
Two, Catholic Extension’s
premier leadership annual
giving society. See how to
get involved on page 24.
For 10 consecutive months
during the pandemic, hundreds
of pastors, Catholic
leaders and Extension
supporters attended virtual
immersion experiences
hosted by Catholic Extension
to learn about the
vital work of the Church in
Extension dioceses. Participants
joined us from dozens
of dioceses to discuss
diverse topics such as the
Church’s presence among
Native Americans, migrant
farmworker ministry and
the ongoing disaster recovery
efforts in Puerto Rico.
Centro de San Juan Diego,
a new faith and outreach
center built by
last year’s Lumen Christi
Award finalists Deacon
Jim and Dot Bennett,
was dedicated in the fall of
2020. It has already served
many Hispanic families by
supporting their spiritual
and physical needs. The
center offers faith formation,
Bible study and sacramental
celebrations as
well as educational, medical
and counseling services.
CELEBRATING PRIESTLY ORDINATIONS
Approximately
100 seminarians
from
Extension
dioceses were ordained
to the priesthood this
year. These men are the
future pastors of their
communities and have
answered God’s call to serve where they
PHOTO DEACON JOE KRUPINSKY
are needed most. “I
look forward to laying
down my life in service
of the people of the
Diocese of Bismarck,”
said newly ordained
Father Greg Hilzendeger
(left). See how
a generous partner is
supporting seminarians on page 40.
NEWS BRIEFS

INSPIRE
Features of faith
2021 u 2022
Lumen
Christi
AWARD
FATHER BOB GOODYEAR, S.T.
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
FATHER BRIAN OESTREICH
NEW ULM, MINNESOTA
MEET THE 2021
LUMEN CHRISTI
AWARD FINALISTS
JENNY AND BEN BLACK BEAR
RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA
THE LUMEN CHRISTI AWARD
IS CATHOLIC EXTENSION’S
HIGHEST HONOR GIVEN
TO PEOPLE WHO RADIATE
AND REVEAL THE LIGHT OF
CHRIST PRESENT IN THE
COMMUNITIES WHERE
THEY SERVE.

Extension | Fall 2021 13
LUMEN CHRISTI FINALISTS 14 | LUMEN CRISTI STORIES 30 | CAMPUS MINISTRY 36
RACHEAL JACOBY
SAN ANGELO, TEXAS
FATHER STAN JASZEK
FAIRBANKS, ALASKA
THIS YEAR, 35 DIOCESES SUBMITTED NOMINATIONS for the award, each of which celebrates
the humble heroes who are having a powerful impact on others through their actions, leadership
and faithfulness.
Seven of the 35 nominees have been chosen as award finalists and will receive $10,000 to
support and enhance their ministries.
From among these finalists the 2021-22 Lumen Christi Award recipient will ultimately be
selected and given a $25,000 grant, along with an additional $25,000 grant for the nominating
diocese. The award recipient will be revealed in the next edition of Extension magazine.
During this past year in which many of our schools, church buildings and places of business
“went dark,” we were reminded that the light of Christ never went out in our midst. The stories
of these Lumen Christi Award finalists show us the many places and ways that the light of
Christ has been shining brightly all along.
SISTER JULIA HUISKAMP, DC, MSW
BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS
SISTERS MARÍA IMELDA QUECHOL AND
ELOÍSA TORRALBA AQUINO, M.A.G
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE

14 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Finalist
When the
Holy Spirit
drove the
Apostles
to bring
Christ’s
message to the ends of the Earth,
they did not know that the place
known today as Alaska even
existed.
But thanks to many
successive generations of
Christians following the
missionary impulse of the
Spirit, Christ’s presence is
known and felt along the
Bering Sea on the far western
edge of the state. One
modern-day missionary
who has taken Christ
to the northerly part of
the world, where the West
meets the East, is Father
Stan Jaszek.
Alaska is quite literally a world
away from Father Jaszek’s birthplace.
He grew up in Poland
during communist rule. He witnessed
how St. Pope John Paul
II inspired his home country to
draw strength and enlightenment
from Catholic ideals to peacefully
secure freedom and democracy.
“That experience had perhaps
the greatest influence on my worldview
and understanding of faith.
Seeing Polish Catholics overcome
communism—mostly through
prayer—taught me that God works
gently, and change takes time, but
grace always brings forth positive
results,” he said.
Father Jaszek felt his own call
from God to transform communities
through faith and concrete
action.
FATHER STAN JASZEK |
DIOCESE OF FAIRBANKS, ALASKA
Christ’s light
present at the ends
of the Earth
MISSIONARY LIFE ON THE EDGES
OF THE WORLD
Father Jaszek was ordained a
diocesan priest in Poland in 1988
and soon began his first missionary
experience in the mountains
of Peru with the permission of
his bishop. Within a few years he
went to South Africa, arriving just
after the end of apartheid. He provided
pastoral care in more than a
dozen impoverished communities.
Like the first Apostles, the Spirit
continued to push him to new
missionary frontiers. After eight
years he felt called in a completely
different environment: Alaska.
He spent the first several years
in Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim
Delta region learning how to survive.
“We live in isolated areas
where there are no roads connecting
us to the rest of civilization.
Everything is weather depending,”
he said. Most of the Yup’ik people
live subsistence lifestyles—fishing,
hunting and gathering for food. By
learning from them, he strengthened
his bonds within the community.
He develops relationships
founded in trust and respect, inviting
people into a further relationship
with God and building off
their existing spirituality. “There is
that conviction that everything is
permeated with spirit,” he said.
The transformation can take
place in the simplest of gestures.
One day, he saw a man struggling
to chop wood, so Father Jaszek
joined him in the chore and conversed
with him. The man was not
Catholic, but soon he began to go
to church.
Today, Father Jaszek rotates between
four villages and their parishes,
spending about two weeks at

Extension | Fall 2021 15
Father Stan Jaszek
joins the community
in living a subsistence
lifestyle—hunting,
fishing and gathering
for food—in the
remote villages of
Alaska’s Yukon-
Kuskokwim Delta
region.
each; they include Sacred Heart in
Emmonak, St. Joseph in Kotlik, St.
Ignatius in Alakanuk and St. Peter
in Nunam Iqua. Catholic Extension
has helped strengthen each
parish by constructing their
buildings or supporting
ministry training, religious
education and other essential
programs—even funding
the fuel that carries Father
Jaszek from place to
place. During a typical
year, he will make 60 to
80 trips. His transportation
changes depending on the
season. In winter he rides a snowmobile.
When the snow begins to
melt, he takes a plane. In summer
he drives a boat.
THE SPIRIT OF THE YUP’IK
Father Jaszek entered into the
lifestyle and cultural rhythm of the
2021 u 2022
Lumen
Christi
AWARD
FINALIST
As a missionary
priest, Father Jaszek
strengthens Catholic
faith among Yup’ik
communities in
Diocese of Fairbanks,
Alaska, respecting
their cultural
traditions and unique
spirituality.
native people, which means he
too lives a largely subsistence lifestyle.
He often has to forage for
his food. By living like the people,
he has developed a ministry
that integrates their spirituality
with the Catholic faith. He introduces
saints, devotions and liturgical
practices that resonate with the
native community, incorporating
Yup’ik hymns and drumming into
Mass. He invites them to celebrate
feast days and shares their traditional
foods such as bear, whale
and caribou.
“He immerses himself in indigenous
people’s way of life to
demonstrate his love for
them and invite them into
a closer relationship with
God. Alaska Natives, both
Catholic and non-Catholic,
universally hold Father
Stan in high regard
because they see this and
know he affirms their human
dignity,” said Bishop
Chad Zielinski of the Diocese
of Fairbanks.
Now in his 19th year in the Diocese
of Fairbanks, Father Jaszek is
one of the longest serving priests
in the diocese. This past year was
perhaps one of the most difficult.
During the pandemic lockdown,
he spent hours on the phone every
day counseling people.
When Holy Week arrived in
2020 and services were canceled
due to COVID-19, Father Jaszek
walked 22 miles round trip in the
snow to deliver palms to the parishioners
of St. Ignatius in Alakanuk.
In this community, the palms
are especially meaningful, imbued
with God and spirit.
“I knew it was going to be hard
for them not to have any services
for Holy Week or Easter, so
I wanted them to have something
tangible to carry them through,”
he said.
As a result of the pandemic
canceling the fishing season, the
area has experienced great economic
repercussions. It will take
years to recover. Father Jaszek said
he will continue his mission as
long as he is needed and as long as
he can.
“I see the need for God among
the people,” he said. “Responding
to that need is my strongest motivation.”
Father Jaszek will not be alone
in his work. Each supporter of
Catholic Extension is present in his
ministry, as a companion walking
two by two with him and the
faith-filled Alaskan communities
he serves.
Catholic Extension has
strengthened faith communities
in Alaska since its founding.
We continue to work in solidarity
with Father Jaszek and other missionary
priests like him by supporting
salaries, travel costs and
basic expenses of the missionaries
on this edge of the world—where
the ground is often frozen, but the
people’s hearts remain warm with
the light of Christ.

16 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Finalist
RACHEAL JACOBY |
DIOCESE OF SAN ANGELO, TEXAS
Restoring a church
for future generations
On Sept. 18, 1913,
Catholic Extension’s
president
and founder, Father
Francis
Clement Kelley,
issued a check of $500 to build a
mission church in Melvin, Texas.
Catholic Extension had confidence
that this small community
located near the geographic center
of Texas had a bright future. Today,
108 years later, there are still people
who see great potential in this
mission and the community it
serves.
Several years ago, Racheal
Jacoby, a young mother who had
just moved to the area, was holding
her newborn daughter while
attending Mass. Although her
spirit was warm, she noticed she
was physically cold. The propane
company had not come to refill
the church’s tank. Frigid drafts
were coming in through cracks in
the uninsulated walls.
Other parishioners looked at
the baby, sharing a common concern:
Is it safe for her to be in
here?
There was nothing more that
Jacoby wanted than to have her
daughter in that church. St. Francis
Xavier Mission is a beloved
and sacred place for the Catholics
of Melvin. It is especially important
to her husband’s family.
His parents, grandparents
and great-grandparents
had all grown up going to
the church, celebrating the
sacraments and life’s most
important milestones. She
wanted her daughter to be
able to do the same.
But there was no doubt
that the church was in desperate
need of repair. The
roof was collapsing. There
were holes in the walls.
Even insects and raccoons
had found their way inside.
Only one question remained: Who
would—or even could—take the
lead on such a daunting task?
Jacoby knew that this was
something she needed to do for her
community and growing family.
“I can’t sit idle when I know
that something needs to be done,”
she said.
FINDING HER WAY HOME
Jacoby grew up attending an
Episcopalian church in nearby
Brady. She developed a strong
Christian faith especially through
church camp every summer. She
went to Texas Tech University for
her undergraduate degree and
then pursued an accounting career
in Dallas.
Within a few short years, her
high school sweetheart reentered
her life, and they married. He convinced
her to move back to their
childhood hometown of Melvin.
“It was the best decision of my
life. It’s been the best place to raise
our family and be close to both
sets of our parents,” she said.
Upon settling in Melvin, she
made another life-altering deci-

Extension | Fall 2021 17
sion to convert to Catholicism.
She joined the parish council
of St. Francis Xavier Mission and
eventually was invited to serve
on the Diocese of San Angelo’s finance
council.
REPAIRING HER CHURCH
While juggling a job and new
baby, Jacoby dove into the massive
undertaking to repair drafty
old St. Francis. She used her hourlong
daily work commute
to make phone calls
and push the project forward,
collaborating with
the church’s pastor, Father
Terry Brenon. She worked
within her parish finance
council to raise funds and
consulted with Catholics
from the surrounding area
who had completed their
own renovation projects.
It was challenging to find a
qualified contractor able to renovate
a historic church and willing
to work in the remote location. The
town is far from any major city and
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Christi
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FINALIST
LEFT Racheal
Jacoby spearheaded
the restoration
of St. Francis
Xavier Mission
in the Diocese of
San Angelo, Texas,
ensuring the beloved
church can serve
future generations.
BELOW LEFT Racheal
Jacoby and her
daughter, Heidi
does not have much more than a
gas station, small café, feed elevator,
post office and city hall building.
But Jacoby’s patience was rewarded.
“We ended up finding really
amazing contractors,” she said.
“Waiting that long was providential
because we had someone who
took the project as seriously as we
did.”
When the project began, she
ensured that the pews,
floors and stained-glass
windows—cherished historical
elements of the
church—were carefully and
tastefully renovated. New
ceiling lights and a metal
roof were installed, and
the foundation and walls
were fixed.
Parishioners celebrated
the first Mass in the newly
renovated church in September
2020. Since then, Jacoby has
seen an increase in families from
the surrounding area who have
made special trips to worship in
the church. As word spread about
the big project, she has also seen
new faces—curious travelers from
nearby Highway 87 who stop in
to see the lovely space and attend
Mass.
“The results of Racheal’s work
are beautiful and will benefit the
Catholic community of Melvin for
generations,” said Bishop Michael
J. Sis of San Angelo. “The church
has a brighter and more welcoming
feeling for guests and, more
importantly, it is safer for families
to attend.”
Jacoby’s experience is a reminder
of why Catholic Extension
continues to invest in church
building and renovation in dioceses
across the country. Sacred
spaces are places of welcome,
where the Church can do her essential
work caring for souls, passing
on faith and values and transforming
society from generation to
generation.
Not long after St. Francis’ reopening,
Jacoby and her husband
welcomed a son into the world,
and baptized him in the church.
Her daughter, now 4 years old,
asks eagerly every week: When do
they get to go to Mass?
“We want to do better for our
own children and do everything
we can to ensure they remain in
the faith,” said Jacoby. “For me,
that started with making sure they
would always have a church to call
home.”
One hundred and eight years
after Catholic Extension’s original
investment in this mission in Melvin,
the future continues to hold
great potential for the Church deep
in the heart of Texas.

18 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Finalist
In 1830 the Choctaw Native
Americans signed the
Treaty of Dancing Rabbit
Creek, which commenced
their removal from Mississippi
and the treacherous
journey to Oklahoma on the infamous
Trail of Tears.
Many Choctaw, however,
refused to leave their ancestral
land. Those who chose to stay
had to become invisible to survive,
hiding in swamps and working
as sharecroppers. In 1884 a
Catholic priest was sent to see
what could be done to minister
to the Choctaw, and Holy Rosary
Indian Mission was established.
Catholic Extension has supported
Holy Rosary Indian Mission
since 1926. This includes
helping build and repair two of
its three mission churches: Holy
Rosary in Tucker in 1969 and St.
Therese in Philadelphia in 1972.
Between Holy Rosary, St. Therese
and St. Catherine in Conehatta,
this faith community in the Diocese
of Jackson spans 87 miles.
For a combined 31 years, a
missionary priest has been helping
the Choctaw grow closer to
God in a place where He is ever
so present. Father Bob Goodyear,
who was attracted as a high
school freshman to the Missionary
Servants of the Most Holy
Trinity, has truly answered the religious
congregation’s charism to
work for the “preservation of the
faith among the poor and abandoned”
in his ministry.
“Father Bob Goodyear is so
successful in his ministry because
he walks with the people
every step of the way,” said Diocese
of Jackson Bishop Joseph R.
Holy Rosary Catholic Church is one of three mission churches Father Bob Goodyear, S.T., has
humbly served for a combined 31 years. Catholic Extension has supported Holy Rosary Indian
Mission’s ministry to the Choctaw since 1926.
FATHER BOB GOODYEAR, S.T. |
DIOCESE OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
Walking with
the Choctaw people
Kopacz. “Father Bob has
remained stalwart in his
love for the people and in
his commitment to foster
their Catholic faith in our
loving God.”
LANGUAGE IS THE
DOORWAY TO THE SOUL
In his seminary formation,
Father Goodyear
never imagined serving a Native
American community. After
arriving at Holy Rosary Indian
Mission in 1975, he spent his
first years learning everything he
could about Choctaw culture. This
included the Choctaw language—
despite being told not to bother
because non-natives had never
been successful doing so.
“That’s the wrong thing to say
to me,” said Father Goodyear.
“Because now I’m going to try.”
With the help of three Choctaw,
he was able to learn the language.
After eight years of study,
2021 u 2022
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FINALIST
his education reached its
culmination: translating
the Catholic Mass into
the Choctaw language.
On May 1, 1983, Father
Goodyear celebrated his
first Mass in Choctaw at
St. Catherine, with a Vatican-approved
text. During
the homily, he delivered
this inspiring message:
“Language is more than words
and how you put them together,”
Father Goodyear explained. “Language
tells you your history. It tells
you your dreams.”
Along with learning the Choctaw
language, Father Goodyear
has had his hands in several of
what he calls “non-traditional”
ministries. He established the
Choctaw Suicide Council and its
corresponding “Suicide Counseling
Manual.” Additionally, he
opened a youth recreation center.
Father Goodyear served Holy
Rosary Indian Mission from 1975

Extension | Fall 2021 19
to 1990. After two assignments
away from the reservation, he
returned in 2006. Upon returning
to the Mississippi Choctaw, the
tribal chief told him, “I am very
worried about the spiritual life of
my people.”
FORMING CATHOLIC LEADERS
FOR THE FUTURE
In Father Goodyear’s time
away, the Catholic Church lost
some of its footing among the
Father Bob
Goodyear, S.T.,
celebrates a
first Communion
Mass among
the Mississippi
Band of Choctaw
Indians.
Choctaw. His focus in his last
15 years of ministry and counting
has been on developing lay
leadership at the three mission
churches. These lay leaders will
help teach and pass on the faith
to future generations.
“My most exciting moment is
confirmation,” Father Goodyear
said. “I’m the catechist for confirmation
because I want them
to get everything they need. Kids
that have been confirmed have
gone on to be eucharistic ministers.”
Father Goodyear, 72, has
eucharistic ministers playing a
vital role at Holy Rosary Indian
Mission. He developed a training
manual that teaches eucharistic
ministers not only how to
serve during Mass, but also how
to lead Communion services in
the absence of a priest and how
to deliver the Eucharist to the
sick and shut-ins. The manual is
used throughout the Diocese of
Jackson and at parishes in other
states.
Father Goodyear had been
pleased with the progress made
in developing lay leaders. That
progress, however, was halted by
the COVID-19 pandemic. Having
performed three to four funerals
a week at the height of the
pandemic—the average number
for a single month in previous
years—he has shifted his ministry
in these unprecedented times toward
helping the Choctaw grieve.
“Their beliefs about death are
very special,” Father Goodyear
said. “They have a close relationship
with the spirits who have
died.”
Now, as the Choctaw hopefully
emerge from the pandemic,
Father Goodyear aims to renew
the Church on the reservation by
continuing to develop lay leaders
and by helping the Choctaw believe
in themselves.
“I preach that you can’t really
believe in God if you don’t believe
in yourself, because you’re
made in His image,” Father Goodyear
said. “God not only created
you, He believes in you.”

20 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Finalist
Immediately following his
election to the papacy, Pope
Francis spoke of the saint
whose name he had chosen.
St. Francis of Assisi, he said,
“gives us this spirit of peace,
the poor man who wanted a poor
church.” He added, “How I would
love a church that is poor and for
the poor.”
As he spoke these words in
2013, some 5,000 miles away the
embodiment of his vision could
already be found.
For many years, Catholic Extension
has supported the ministry of
remarkable sisters who bring the
peace of God to the poor and forgotten
of East Tennessee. They are
Missionary Sisters of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus Ad Gentes. The
ministry of Sisters María Imelda
Quechol and Eloísa Torralba
Aquino, M.A.G., spans eight different
counties, impacting the lives of
over 10,000 people.
Serving a largely immigrant
population, the sisters form new
faith communities, visit camps of
migrants who pick crops, develop
leaders among the people, support
marriages, provide counseling,
feed the hungry and even help
people find work.
With the help of the Diocese
of Knoxville, they established two
Casas de Oración, which translates
to “houses of prayer,” in Chattanooga,
Tennessee. These humble
sanctuaries are strategically located
in areas that will help them reach
more people.
The Santa Cruz house of prayer
serves around 500 people It was
formerly a recreational gym before
it was transformed into a hub of
church life and activity. The second
Sister María Imelda Quechol, M.A.G., brought food and medicine to
this grateful family while the father was battling COVID-19. He has since
recovered and is even stronger in his devotion to God.
SISTERS MARÍA IMELDA QUECHOL AND
ELOÍSA TORRALBA AQUINO, M.A.G. |
DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
Channels of peace
among the poor
house, Immaculate Conception,
was originally a mechanic garage.
It regularly hosts 350 people for
various activities and services.
These include prayer
and rosary groups, Mass,
food distribution, marriage
classes and medical
assistance.
This range of spiritual
and human support
offered in these houses
of prayer is needed in a
community that faces so
many challenges.
RISING OUT OF THE DARKNESS
Immigrant communities in East
Tennessee face adversities every
day. With immigrants from Guatemala,
Mexico and Honduras, there
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are language barriers, family separations,
long work hours, discrimination
and most recently a global
pandemic. But unlike in other
parts of the U.S., the Catholic
Church is one of the few
institutions present where
they can find support.
The sisters’ compassion
shined during the darkest
days of the pandemic. Sister
Imelda even helped save
the life of one man battling
COVID-19. After receiving
word that a single parent
of a 5-year-old girl had
become very ill from the virus, Sister
Imelda acted immediately. She
secured donations, then ran to the
store to buy food, water and basic
medications.

Extension | Fall 2021 21
While he was incapacitated
and immobilized, his poor daughter
was starving and had not eaten
for days.
When Sister Imelda arrived, the
daughter could not get the door
open. Her father, summoning all
his strength, flung himself from the
bed and crawled to open the door.
Sister still weeps when she thinks
about what could have happened
had she not been able to help.
Sister Imelda recalled, “The girl
said ‘Papi, Papi, we have food!’”
Thanks to the grace of God and
Sister Imelda’s efforts, the man has
made a full recovery and returned
to his landscaping job. Throughout
this hardship, his faith has grown
stronger than ever.
ABOVE Sisters María Imelda Quechol and
Eloísa Torralba Aquino, M.A.G., serve over
800 Hispanic immigrants between Casa
de Oración Santa Cruz (pictured here) and
Immaculate Conception in Chattanooga,
Tennessee.
LEFT Sister Eloísa joyfully sings a song of
praise along with a band at Casa de Oración
Immaculate Conception.
“My daughter said she saw an
angel at the edge of the bed when I
was sick,” he said. “This angel was
taking care of us.”
FILLING HEARTS WITH JOY
The man’s reinforced relationship
with God serves as a
testament to what the sisters are
trying to accomplish through their
ministry: help immigrants tackle
hardships and bring them closer
to God, who will be their ultimate
strength to overcome any challenge.
“When they arrive here, there
is a need to get closer to the faith,”
Sister Imelda said. “We tell them,
‘We are here for you.’” The sisters
are constantly on the lookout for
those falling through the cracks in
the eight counties they cover.
“If they can’t come to our
churches to be before Christ in the
Blessed Sacrament, then we will
bring Jesus to them!” exclaimed
Sister Eloísa.
Diocese of Knoxville Bishop
Richard F. Stika refers to the sisters’
works of mercy, especially
throughout the pandemic, as a
“herculean effort.” The Hispanic
community is thankful for the sisters’
profound dedication.
“The energy that Mother Eloísa
puts into all of her work is contagious
and encourages others to
continue working hard on everything
we set out to do,” said one
community member.
“Mother Imelda has taught us
not to give up in the face of adversity,”
said another inspired person.
“She sees our capabilities that we
ourselves cannot see and invites us
to grow more in our community.”
On a Wednesday night in June,
the faithful pack into Chattanooga’s
most recently established
house of prayer as they do each
week. From the outside, one could
mistake it as a warehouse or workshop
if it were not for the pulsating
music and the rhythmic clapping
pouring out of the doorway. This is
what a “poor church for the poor”
looks like. What it lacks in exterior
flash it makes up for in the faith
burning powerfully in the hearts
of its people.
The sisters take to the stage to
lead the community in song, with
the catchy Spanish lyrics: “I have
a telephone to call up God. That
telephone doesn’t require a number
to dial, just my prayer.” The
message is clear: God is in this
place and with each of you.

22 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Finalist
Father Brian Oestreich makes a delivery from the Works of Mercy Center, a ministry
offering clothing, food, furniture and basic living essentials to anyone in need.
Pope Francis called
mercy the “beating
heart of the Gospel.”
For centuries,
the corporal works
of mercy have provided
people of faith with a road
map for living out the virtue of
mercy, such as feeding the hungry,
giving drink to the thirsty and
clothing the naked.
Catholic Extension has always
maintained that vibrant Catholic
faith communities can transform
hearts, lives and even society.
Father Brian Oestreich and
the communities he shepherds
in the far northwestern corner of
the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota,
are an excellent example of
what it means to be a transformative
presence, using the corporal
works of mercy as their guide.
He is pastor of the Spirit of Life
Area Faith Community, which
FATHER BRIAN
OESTREICH |
DIOCESE OF NEW ULM,
MINNESOTA
Mercy
without
borders
encompasses four merged parishes
on the western border of
Minnesota and spans 50 miles
from one end to the other. Yet
under Father Oestreich’s leadership,
the parishes are united by
their passion to live out their faith
in the form of mercy.
Their works of mercy have
grown each successive year, to the
point that now they distribute tens
of thousands of pounds of donated
food to the hungry and provide
clothing and basic living supplies to
those living in poverty across four
surrounding dioceses.
Mercy is not confined to just
canonical boundaries. According
to Father Oestreich, “Christ is
there, and we are called to do the
corporal works of mercy no matter
where, how or when. God gives
us the ability, and hopefully we can
respond to it.”
The poverty in rural Minnesota
comes as a shock to many, including
Father Oestreich. For more than
20 years he led service pilgrimages
to Guatemala, but he says the living
conditions in the counties he
serves are oftentimes the same or
worse. When he first arrived, he
was appalled to see children on
their way to school in wintertime

Extension | Fall 2021 23
Theresa Bly, a parishioner of the Spirit of Life Area Faith Community, joins Father Oestreich in
carrying out the corporal works of mercy within and beyond the borders of the Diocese of New Ulm,
Minnesota.
without coats, mittens or hats.
Father Oestreich also described
how humbling it was to distribute
a mattress to a pregnant woman
on bed rest who had been sleeping
on the floor.
SOURCES OF INSPIRATION
None of this work began with
an elaborate plan. Rather, it has
slowly evolved with the help of the
Holy Spirit.
Father Oestreich is the son of
hard-working Minnesota farmers.
He was ordained a priest for the
Diocese of New Ulm in 1993. Prior
to entering the seminary, he had
discerned a vocation with the Missionary
Oblates of Mary Immaculate,
a missionary religious congregation.
During those formative
years he ministered to people living
with AIDS and drug addictions.
He learned that the poor, sick
and outcast were not people he
should fear, but rather people he
was being called to embrace, like
Christ taught.
Years later, as a young priest he
encountered Mary Ann Larsen, a
grandmother also from the Diocese
of New Ulm who operated
a food bank out of her garage.
She received Catholic Extension’s
Lumen Christi Award in 2003.
Inspired by her work, Father Oestreich
decided to launch his first
coat drive, and has since distributed
more than 5,000 coats.
The food distribution
program he leads today
also began with a simple
encounter: a phone call
from a parishioner, Theresa
Bly, asking what she
should do with the extra
baked goods she acquired
through a friend at the
grocery store. Another
parishioner, Clark Wangler,
had access to large
amounts turkey products from the
overstock at the processing plant
where he works. Now he and his
growing team of volunteers distribute
thousands of pounds of
fresh, healthy food every month to
anyone in need.
In 2019 the ministry expanded
further. Parishioner Katie Jensen, a
nurse making home visits, discovered
that it is not uncommon to
find people living without essential
household items.
She went to Father Oestreich
seeking a way to help. Within
a few months they opened the
Works of Mercy Center in Graceville,
Minnesota, where all are welcome
to pick up clothing, baby
supplies, hygiene products, furniture
and more.
2021 u 2022
Lumen
Christi
AWARD
FINALIST
UPHOLDING THE DIGNITY OF
EVERY PERSON
These works of mercy have
revitalized the parish.
The people of the Spirit of Life
Area Faith community see the face
of Christ in all whom they meet:
the elderly person living on a fixed
income; the woman with no mattress;
the Latino migrant farm
worker arriving to the area with
nothing more than the clothes
on his back; and Native American
families living on the nearby
reservation, where generational
poverty and substance
addictions are all
too common. No person is
“beyond the pale” when it
comes to mercy.
Father Oestreich’s role
models are as diverse
as the communities he
serves. He keeps four portraits
in his office: Dorothy
Day, Gandhi, St. Pope
John XXIII, and Óscar Romero.
Their works offer him a universal
perspective: “We don’t judge, we
don’t ask questions,” he said. “If
people are hungry we feed them,
if they are naked we clothe them.
Everything is a gift from God.”
He ensures that everyone
involved—ranging from middle
school students in religious education
classes to retired volunteers—
knows that they were not simply
donating and volunteering.
“I’ve instilled in them their call
through their baptism to do the
good works of Christ and the corporal
works of mercy,” he said.
“I think that’s the best thing of
all: to teach by example and bring
the Church to where the people
are.”

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26 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Finalist
JENNY AND BEN BLACK BEAR | DIOCESE OF RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA
Home-grown leaders
Twenty years
ago, Catholic
Extension funded
a comprehensive
study regarding
Lakota spiritual life
and practice of religion in western
South Dakota. The goal was to
begin a process to help Catholic
communities located on the
Diocese of Rapid City’s five Native
American reservations better
“reflect the community in which
the Church resides.” During that
process of intense listening, Native
American Catholics of the diocese
voiced their desire for a Church
that reflected their heritage and
values, reinforced by the Church
playing a more active role in the
community. That vision for a
stronger, more relevant Church
has been fulfilled in part by a
dynamic couple, Jenny and Ben
Black Bear III, who are members
of the Sicangu Lakota community
on the Rosebud Reservation in
South Dakota.
Jenny and Ben Black Bear grew
up in the same Catholic community
they now serve: St. Francis
Mission. Catholic Extension has
worked in solidarity with the
mission since 1910, supporting
priests and lay leaders, church
building projects, religious education,
health and social outreach
and health programs.
Blessed with three children of
their own, the Black Bears work
with Lakota families, resulting
Jenny and Ben Black Bear welcome Bishop Robert Gruss, former bishop of the Diocese of Rapid
City, to St. Francis Mission. When he departed to lead the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, he said,
“I love the people here. I love the land. I’ve really enjoyed being with and working with the Native
American population.”
in a steady increase
in practicing Lakota
Catholics.
They shared their
motivation: “We love
our ministry because
it gives not only us,
but the people we
work with hope. It is
meaningful to teach
so many families
the Catholic faith, to
inspire and encourage
them to continue on
their faith journey.”
BECOMING LEADERS
The Black Bears grew up with
family who instilled in them the
Ben Black Bear III was deployed
to Iraq from 2006 to 2007.
importance of their
faith. Ben’s father is
Deacon Ben Black
Bear, an influential
leader and teacher
of the Lakota
language within St.
Francis Mission.
He was previously
nominated for
the Lumen Christi
Award.
Jenny and Ben
were high school
sweethearts, and married in
2000. They left the reservation
when they began their careers.
Ben joined the military and was
deployed to Iraq from 2006 to 2007.

Extension | Fall 2021 27
The active St. Francis Mission youth group, started by Jenny and Ben Black Bear, provides
teenagers a healthy, faith-filled environment.
“I really depended on our
Catholic faith during this time.
We both did,” Jenny said. “I
prayed the rosary every Sunday
evening with our families until
he returned. I believe, with our
Blessed Virgin Mary’s intercession,
he was brought home safe
2021 u 2022
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FINALIST
to us.”
When Ben returned,
they became more
involved in St. Francis Mission
and began working
in tribal programs. They
volunteered at the tribe’s
radio station, engaging the
community and sharing
announcements from
the parish in a segment
commonly referred to as the “Ben
and Jen Show.”
Their efforts and commitment
were noticed. In 2013 Jenny was
hired as director of religious education
for the mission. Two years
later, Ben began his role as parish
administrator of the parish’s three
other missions spread across a
reservation the size of Delaware,
and home to 12,000 people.
Catholic Extension invited the
couple to attend the Parish Health
and Pastoral Care Certification
scholarship program from Loyola
University Chicago’s Institute
of Pastoral Studies. They gained
pastoral practical skills to help
respond to physical and psychological
health needs in their
community. The training offered
the couple especially helpful
insight because they serve an area
that struggles with addictions and
mental health.
“My every effort is directed
toward helping the
residents of the Rosebud
and our Catholic brothers
and sisters experience the
healing power of the faith,
lifting them out of cycles
of despair,” said Ben. “The
sessions inspired me and
showed me a path that
will hopefully lead some
of our residents to return
to the faith.”
INSPIRING PASSION FOR GOD
The Black Bears help youth and
families on the reservation experience
the joy of their Catholic faith
and Lakota values, which include
Woc’ekiya (praying), Wa o’hola
(respect), Wa on’sila (caring and
compassion), Wowijke (honesty
and truth), Wawokiye (generosity
and caring), Wah’wala (humility)
and Woksape (wisdom).
Since 2015 they have helped
hundreds in their community
prepare for baptism, first Communion,
reconciliation, confirmation
and RCIA. Their work continued
even amid the difficult conditions
related to the pandemic.
“Although the pandemic shut
down the schools and classes,
they went to heroic efforts to
continue to reach out to families
and youth in innovative ways
so that people could continue
to grow in the knowledge of the
faith during this difficult time,”
said Bishop Peter Muhich of the
Diocese of Rapid City.
One of their most successful
programs has been their youth
group, which began in 2013.
Together they provide a safe and
nurturing environment for young
people surrounded by the harsh
realities of life on the reservation.
Todd County, where St. Francis
Mission is located, has one of the
highest suicide rates in the U.S.
The reservation lost 53 people to
suicide between 2010 and 2019.
Youth group activities include
participating in suicide awareness
and prevention efforts, among
many other service activities.
“Our main goal is to bring
youth together to teach them
about God, to do community
service, to enjoy fellowship and to
meet new people,” said Jenny.
The young people love the
program and its energetic leaders.
Roni, 14, said, “I think Jen and
Ben are a big part of my life right
now. They are so full of light and
help me build my relationship
with Jesus.”
Catholic Extension is honored
to support Jenny and Ben’s
development as church leaders.
They are using their deep faith
and beautiful Lakota values to
create lasting, positive change in a
community that is no stranger to
struggle.

28 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Finalist
Every day thousands
of children go to bed
in East St. Louis, Illinois,
with dreams of
a brighter future. But
those dreams need
some real-life guardian angels to
help nurture them to fruition.
For decades, East St. Louis has
been plagued by systemic poverty.
Street violence and shootings are
realities that rob too many children
of their innocence. The city’s local
schools lack essential funding and
support, leaving children with few
pathways to a brighter future.
But, thankfully, these children
have not been abandoned in their
struggle thanks to a tireless religious
sister.
Leading a powerful ministry for
the children of East St. Louis in the
Diocese of Belleville is Sister Julia
Huiskamp, DC, MSW. She founded
Griffin Center in 1986 and has been
a light of hope to generations of
children and families in East St.
Louis ever since.
Griffin Center is a community
center that offers summer camps
and after-school programs for kids.
Griffin Center, founded in 1986 by Sister Julia
Huiskamp, DC, MSW, provides children a safe,
nurturing environment.
SISTER JULIA HUISKAMP, DC, MSW |
DIOCESE OF BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS
The guardian angel
of East St. Louis
The center helps children develop
their social and learning skills,
deepen their character and ignite
their faith.
“We made it our policy early on
… to give these kids wings so they
can fly out of here and set out to be
their best selves,” said Sister Julia.
STARTING A LIFE OF SERVICE
Before entering religious life 61
years ago, Sister Julia was an aspiring
journalist for the Daily Gate
City newspaper in her hometown
of Keokuk, Iowa. She entered the
Daughters of Charity knowing
their great commitment to serving
the poor. Her aim from the start of
Sister Julia Huiskamp, DC, MSW, helps
children develop social and academic
skills at Griffin Center in East St. Louis.
her consecrated life was to bring
comfort to God’s children. For six
decades she has done just that.
“It’s very important for children
to know that they have a friend
and a mentor and people who care
about them,” she said.
In efforts to best serve children
in underprivileged communities,
Sister Julia earned a master’s
degree in social work from Saint
Louis University. She went on to
serve children on Chicago’s west
side for 18 years beginning in 1967.
In 1985 the Daughters of Charity
informed her that she would be
moving to a new mission in East
St. Louis.

Extension | Fall 2021 29
Soon after arriving, Sister
Julia knew she wanted
to start something for the
kids in the community.
“I think God looked at
these kids in the projects,
wanted something better
for them and sent me,” Sister
Julia said.
The East St. Louis Housing
Authority had recently
been taken over by the federal
government. Seeing this as a time
to capitalize, Sister Julia asked
the new regime if she could have
a 100-unit building at the Griffin
homes.
They gave her the building.
After some renovations, Griffin
Center was born.
AFFIRMING EMBATTLED
CHILDREN
Initially looking to meet families
in the new community she
was called to serve, Sister Julia
launched a summer day camp for
2021 u 2022
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Christi
AWARD
FINALIST
kids as her first program
at Griffin Center.
“These people didn’t
know me at all and it
was going to be hard to
break in, but people love
to get rid of their kids in
the summertime,” she
quipped.
The summer camp allowed
Sister Julia to build
relationships with the parents of
the children enrolled. Momentum
from the camp’s success paved
the way for Sister Julia to launch
an after-school program. Gradually,
more funding funneled in, including
support from Catholic Extension.
It allowed Griffin Center
to hire additional staff, add trips
to museums, launch educational
programs and expand to new locations
in East St. Louis.
Today Griffin Center offers its
after-school and summer programs
at five East St. Louis public
housing locations, serving approximately
350 children each
year. The programs started by Sister
Julia are influential in helping
children develop essential life
skills and go on to lead successful,
impactful lives.
“We’ve had many, many students
who have begun now to not
only finish high school but go to
college,” she said. “They come
back and have good jobs and are
raising families in a very positive
way with their own children.”
Sister Julia, now 86, no longer
serves as director of Griffin Center
but continues as its business
manager and a dedicated fundraiser.
Her heart remains forever
entrenched in East St. Louis,
with the families and children she
serves.
The inspiring story of Sister Julia
and her life-altering ministry
is a continuation of the Catholic
Church’s long history of innovative
models of education
that serve the most disadvantaged
children in the country. With
Griffin Center as a shining example
of impact, Catholic Extension
is working to help expand summer
learning, family literacy and
after-school programs in the most
underserved communities and regions
of the United States, especially
where traditional Catholic
schools may be financially unfeasible
or are no longer present.
“The Diocese of Belleville is
proud of Sister Julia; her tireless
work has made a world of difference
in the lives of so many impoverished
children,” said Bishop
of Belleville Michael McGovern. “I,
along with many other people, see
the light of Christ shine brightly in
Sister Julia’s life.”

30 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Past Finalist
IN ADDITION TO introducing
our 2021 finalists, Extension
is highlighting the ongoing
ministry of three Lumen Christi
finalists from previous years:
2020’s Father Ken Schmidt
and Sharon Froom from the
Diocese of Kalamazoo (current
page), 2016’s Father Edward
Brienz from the Diocese of
Youngstown (page 32) and
2015’s Sister Kathleen Atkinson,
OSB, from the Diocese of
Bismarck (page 34).
These humble servants
continue to radiate and reveal
the light of Christ present in the
communities where they serve
long after they are honored.
Sisters use technology
in service of their mission
A PHONE-BASED APP HELPS BRING MORE SUPPORT
TO THOSE SUFFERING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
In 2020 Father Ken Schmidt
and Sharon Froom from
the Diocese of Kalamazoo,
Michigan, were honored as
Lumen Christi Award finalists
for their groundbreaking
work in founding Trauma Recovery
Associates (TRA), an organization
designed to assist adults in
overcoming the effects of trauma.
Since its founding in 2002, they
have trained 7,200 people in their
model across the U.S. and in seven
countries.
Among those trained this past
year was a group of more than 70
Latina sisters who minister in Extension-supported
dioceses.
These sisters were invited by
Catholic Extension to participate
in this training due to high rates of
mental health issues they were reporting
among the communities
they serve. This connection was
made possible by a phone app.
In March 2020 Catholic Extension
developed a special app to
help monitor the impact of a particular
group of sisters ministering
in nine different Extension-supported
dioceses. Then the pandemic
struck, drastically altering
the economic and psychological
stability of the people the sisters
serve.
The sisters immediately began
using this technology. Over the
course of a year, they collectively
logged 20,000 “human development
services” that
they provided across the
country through Zoom,
Father Ken Schmidt, MA,
LPC, NCC, and Sharon
Froom, MA, LLP,
created the Trauma
Recovery Associates
to train professionals
who serve people
suffering from trauma.
over the phone or through in-person
interactions.
Upon reviewing the anonymous,
aggregate data, Catholic Extension
could see that the sisters
were encountering high levels of
mental health issues among Latino
immigrants during the pandemic.
The sisters were reporting frequent
instances of anxiety and depression.
“You can see in the numbers
how much mental health was just
a real concern,” said Joe Boland,
Catholic Extension’s vice president
of Mission.
Although the
sisters are not
psychologists,
they are trusted
by the
people
in their
communities.

Extension | Fall 2021 31
ABOVE LEFT Catholic sisters use an app developed by Catholic Extension as a helpful tool for their
ministries in communities struggling with mental health issues across the country.
ABOVE RIGHT Sisters Antonia Sánchez Núñez, Zuly Cárdenas Carreón, and Ana Luisa Vázquez
López—Eucharistic Missionaries of the Infant Jesus and Our Lady of Fatima—log interactions on
their phones while they minister in the Diocese of Sacramento, California.
The sisters are in a unique
position to help these suffering
people, which is
why Catholic Extension
turned to its partners at
Trauma Recovery Associates
for assistance.
TRA offers programs
that equip community
leaders who do not hold
degrees in psychology to
identify signs of trauma and offer
“healthy living skills.”
More than 70 sisters from across
the country accepted Catholic Extension’s
offer to participate in the
training from March 2021 to May
2021.
They jumped at this opportunity,
knowing all too well how
Latinos frequently have difficulty
accessing mental health care for a
variety of reasons, including language
barriers, stigma or a general
lack of understanding about the
dynamics of trauma.
With the impact of the pandemic
still lingering, the sisters
are a critical bridge to this underserved
population. Upon complet-
2020 u 2021
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ing their training, many sisters
reported having new
perspectives and techniques
in their ministries.
“I have more tools to
help people give a name to
what they are living,” said
Sister Constanza Fernández
Cano Salgado, F.Sp.S., who
serves in San Antonio.
According to TRA, what
the sisters have learned is to help
people they minister to “identify
conflicts, unlearn specific distortions,
develop self-awareness, and
regulate feelings related to trauma.”
TRACKING TRAUMA
All of this support to suffering
people began with a simple phone
app developed by Catholic Extension,
which was originally created
to help measure the sisters’ impact.
However,the app also ended
up being, according to Boland, a
“diagnostic tool about how can we
support the sisters’ work in their
communities.”
This is one recent example of
how technology and innovation
Partnership for mental health
A majority of the sisters participating
in this mental health training
are part of Catholic Extension’s
U.S.-Latin American Sisters
Exchange Program. The
program provides education
and leadership training for sisters
from Latin American religious
congregations ministering
in Extension dioceses,
enables these sisters to create
new services among disadvantaged
peoples in the U.S., and
fosters inter-congregational networks
of religious women. It is
made possible through Catholic
Extension’s partnership with the
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
can be put to good use to further
the Church’s centuries-old mission,
handed on to us by Christ.
According to the data, which
the sisters continue to log, most
people receiving help are women
in their 30s and 40s. The sisters
build their self-esteem, ease their
depression and anxiety and are
present to in moments of grief.
The training has empowered
the sisters with new tools to use in
their interactions. “I like hearing
how people can overcome bad experiences
and decisions in life to
help heal the pain and regain psycho-emotional
balance,” said Sister
Delia Aurora Ibarra Rodríguez,
HSDR, who serves in the Diocese
of Kalamazoo.
“Having these materials in hand
helps us better understand,” she
said. “May God bless Catholic Extension
for responding to the reality
that our people live.”

32 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Past Finalist
Inner-city ministry
transforms lives one
young person at a time
CAFÉ OFFERS CAREER AND LIFE GUIDANCE
FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUNG PEOPLE
SEEKING A BRIGHTER FUTURE
St. John Bosco famously
spent much
of his priesthood
in the streets of
Turin, Italy, helping
young men who
were abused, living on their own,
or seeking shelter and a means to
earn an honest living.
Father Edward Brienz, a
priest of the Diocese of
Youngstown, Ohio, has
spent much of his time
in the same way, looking
out for young people in
the beleaguered neighborhoods
of his city and
helping them move into
a productive and hopefilled
future.
Inside an ordinary-looking
café in a public
St. John Bosco
library in Youngstown, an extraordinary
change is taking place
within the hearts and minds of its
young employees.
Café Augustine is an outreach
ministry that offers a brighter
future for teenagers and young
adults in a neighborhood that has
some of the highest rates of crime,
drug use and poverty in the country.
The community has been hit
especially hard by the opioid crisis
in recent years, leading to an
increase in addictions, unemployment
and overdoses. Lacking family
direction, help or hope, young
people in the area are at risk of
repeating the cycle.
Father Brienz established Café
Augustine to give them the opportunity
for a safe and healthy
life. Extension magazine
first covered this incredible
ministry when Father
Brienz was named a
finalist for the Lumen
Christi Award in 2016,
soon after the café
opened its doors with
Catholic Extension support.
Now in its sixth
year, the ministry has
helped hundreds of at-risk youth.
“The harsh realities of inner-city
poverty make our presence very
much needed,” said Father Brienz.
“We have a 19-year-old boy whose
child and the child’s mother were
gunned down in cold blood by
gang members.”
From these appalling circumstances,
youth are welcomed into a
community of respect, safety and
accountability.
WHERE FAITH AND DREAMS
ARE BORN
With little to no family support,
money, job history or credit,
it is extraordinarily difficult to find
a first job or apartment, leaving
so many young people stuck with
no way out. These financial difficulties
are only the tip of the iceberg
regarding the real pain in their
lives. So many have been indoctrinated
to believe that hopes and
dreams are for other people.
“I have learned to detect fear in
the eyes and souls of our people.
Some fear being alive,” said Father
Brienz. “The only way they can be
free of fear is to be confident that
Jesus overcame the worst the world
could do. Jesus loves them. Jesus
will always love and inspire them.”
The ministry works to replace
fear with love, confidence, independence
and faith. In addition
to the benefits of working in the
café, the youth are given daily lessons,
including ethical treatment of
others, decision making, goal setting,
conflict resolution and Catholic
scriptural values. These lessons
help the youth to pursue new
employment opportunities. They
also instill kindness, respect, personal
finance and community
responsibility.
The ministry provides more than
a first job. Those in need of sup-
PHOTO ST. JOHN BOSCO ZVONIMIR ATLETIC|SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Extension | Fall 2021 33
Father Edward
Brienz founded
Café Augustine to
help at-risk youth
in Youngstown,
Ohio, realize
their God-given
potential.
The teenagers and young adults working at Café Augustine learn practical skills and values to help
them achieve their dreams.
portive homes are able to
rent quarters at the Augustine
House, where they
can live in a safe and clean
environment. Tenants are
responsible for household
chores and rent payments,
which gives them rental
history and good references
when they move on to a
new living space.
So far the ministry has assisted
more than 300 young people with
employment and countless others
with valuable life lessons. It
has developed a trustworthy reputation
in the community. The café
does not recruit youth—they arrive
through recommendations from
friends and family or through the
courts to accompany the young
people through the process of
rehabilitation.
“The highest compliment we get
2016 u 2017
Lumen
Christi
AWARD
FINALIST
is when a new face walks
in and says it was due to
a past student’s referral,”
said Father Brienz.
The young people are
also able to form connections
with the café’s
patrons. Many returning
customers and community
leaders are eager to
support the ministry and
encourage the young workers.
While young people of all religious
or no religious backgrounds
are served through this program,
spirituality is a pillar of the process
of growth. A weekly young
men’s spiritual discussion group
gives added depth and camaraderie
to the program. A few participants
each year decide to enter
the Catholic Church through the
Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults (RCIA).
EXTENSION SUPPORT
IS A LIFELINE
Forced to shut down for
months during the pandemic, the
very survival of the café was at
stake—the futures of the young
people it serves in jeopardy.
Catholic Extension provided
emergency funding to help the
café reopen in accordance with
COVID-19 precautions.
“This grant is our lifeline,” said
Father Brienz.
Café Augustine is needed now
more than ever to change the lives
of the young people who have
so much potential. This includes
a young man named Elliot, who
was raised in a home without
sober guidance. When he was
18, he entered the program and
moved in to the Augustine House.
He launched into his high school
studies three years behind his
peers. At one of the RCIA events,
he was given a crucifix necklace.
When the pandemic turned his
life upside down, he disappeared.
After the café reopened, he
returned, still wearing his crucifix.
The staff thought he would have
sold it on the street.
He responded, “No, it’s too
important, especially since where
it came from.”
Café Augustine is more than a
school, more than a shelter and
more than a job training site. It is a
place where young people can be
steeped in the most enduring and
valuable life lesson—that we are all
created by God’s love and meant
to serve a purpose. As St. John
Bosco said, “Without confidence
and love, there can be no true
education.”

34 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Past Finalist
A
former finalist
for the Lumen
Christi
Award used her
life-changing experience
in a
Catholic Extension prison ministry
program to help her advocate for
a powerful new restorative justice
law in North Dakota.
Sister Kathleen Atkinson, a finalist
for the award in 2015, is a
Benedictine Sister from Annunciation
Monastery in the Diocese of
Bismarck. She is the founder and
director of Ministry on the Margins,
a volunteer-based organization that
provides recently incarcerated people
with compassionate guidance
and the tools to reenter society.
Along with a food pantry, street
outreach, and emergency sheltering,
the ministry is involved with
spiritual groups in state penitentiaries
and support groups.
But it was another experience
that cemented Sister Kathleen’s
staunch belief in the power of restorative
justice. She had recently
participated in Catholic Extension’s
Restorative Justice Ministry Certification
program. What she learned
helped her expand her own ministry
in the Diocese of Bismarck. It
also served as the foundation for
her testimony in favor of a new restorative
justice law.
Advocating for
restorative justice
EXTENSION PROGRAM HELPS CATHOLIC SISTER
TESTIFY IN FAVOR OF NORTH DAKOTA LAW
WHAT IS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE?
Restorative justice is an approach
to the justice system
founded in Christian values. It
views crime as an action that
causes harm to people, relationships
and the community. This
method seeks to repair that damage
through reconciliation. Restorative
justice professionals help
criminal offenders make amends
with the people they have hurt.
In 2018 Sister Kathleen was invited
to participate in the Restorative
Justice Ministry Certification
program at Loyola University Chicago’s
Institute of Pastoral Studies,
funded by Catholic Extension.
This immersive program teaches
participants how to expand or create
restorative justice prison ministries.
Sister Kathleen received theological
and legal training. She
learned from mental health professionals
and on-the-ground organizations
that work to lift up the
mind, body and spirit of incarcerated
individuals, their families
and victims of crimes.
Upon returning to North Dakota,
she used her new training
and experiences to bolster the impact
of Ministry on the Margins.
She added support groups for people
reentering society after prison
and partnered with Free Through
Recovery, a state-sponsored community
health program that helps
people on probation or parole with
behavioral health problems.
She also encouraged Catholic
parishes and schools to volunteer
and engage in service projects with
the ministry.
TRAINING INFORMS RESTORATIVE
JUSTICE TESTIMONY
North Dakota House Bill 1393
was introduced in 2021 by a bipartisan
team of sponsors. The bill

Extension | Fall 2021 35
Governor Doug Burgum of North
Dakota signs into law a bill that Sister
Kathleen Atkinson, OSB, (lower right)
supported through her testimony.
sought to amend a section
of the state law that lists the
different sentencing options
for individuals convicted of
crimes.
Previously, the possibilities
only included payment,
probation, imprisonment
or addiction treatment programs.
House Bill 1393 proposed
adding restorative justice
as a sentencing option for
criminal offenders.
Well known for her prison ministry
in North Dakota, Sister Kathleen
was invited to testify before
the North Dakota House and Senate
judiciary committees in favor
of the bill.
She shared how she spent time
at a county jail listening to staff
and inmates describe how restorative
justice changed the mission
of the justice system from punishment
to healing.
She also recounted her time
spent in court observing a judge
and defendants participating in restorative
justice “sentencing circles.”
In this process, the offender,
victim and related family or community
members meet to share
their perspectives and feelings
about the crime.
“They spoke about crime as a
violation of people and relationships
rather than breaking a law.
They focused on putting things
right—restoration—rather than
blame and punishment,” she said.
She also spoke about meeting a
member of a family who had lost
a loved one in a brutal drug-induced
murder by their neighbor—
boys who had grown up
together. The family did
not want to lose a close
friendship in the midst
of the devastating loss of
their sons: one to murder
and one to prison.
“All of these people
were participating in restorative
justice as part
of their criminal justice
system, and this is what
House Bill 1393 asks you to do—
to give those involved in the sentencing
of an individual one more
tool to incorporate into the corrections
and rehabilitation process:
a tool that seeks to bring
people back into relationship with
one another and with the broader
community; a tool that seeks to
bring healing to the victim by including
him or her in the sentencing
process, not arbitrarily but
face to face and eye to eye.”
She closed with this statement:
“It is about changing lives rather
Sister Kathleen Atkinson, OSB, drew upon
her training in Catholic Extension’s Restorative
Justice Ministry Certification program in her
testimony before the North Dakota House and
Senate judiciary committees.
2015 u 2016
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than doing time, and that’s hard
work. I ask you to support House
Bill 1393 with restorative justice as
an addition to the sentencing alternatives
available. Because people
are worth it.”
The bill passed unanimously.
She was invited to attend Governor
Doug Burgum’s signing of the bill.
Sister Kathleen continues her
transformative work with Ministry
on the Margins. The impact of
this ministry, especially combined
with North Dakota’s new law, will
help countless families in
the state for years to come.
More Catholic leaders
like Sister Kathleen will
be attending the Restorative
Justice Ministry Certification
program this year
through the support of donors.
Since the program
began in 2018, 55 faith
leaders from 28 dioceses
have attended this transformative
learning experience at
Loyola University Chicago’s Institute
of Pastoral Studies. The expertise
and skills they learned help
them advocate for and build up restorative
justice programs across
the country.
This program is only one of the
many ways that Catholic Extension
helps incarcerated men and
women, their families and the
community.
Through the generosity of
our donors, Catholic Extension
currently supports prison
ministries in 13 dioceses. These
ministries enable Catholic leaders
such as Sister Kathleen to bring
the healing message of Christ to
incarcerated people and those
impacted by crime.

36
INSPIRE
Feature Story
Campus ministry
support is an
investment in the
Church’s future
In the past 10 years alone,
Catholic Extension has
supported 130 college
campus ministries in 68
dioceses. There is a reason
for this.
Catholic Extension
and the dioceses we
partner with have been adamantly
committed to campus ministry as
an investment in the future.
In an era when we often
decry the aging of church-going
Catholics, and mourn the rise in
young people leaving the Church,
Catholic campus ministries are a
refreshing source of hope.
Most people associate college
towns with images of enthusiastic
crowds of young people in football
or basketball stadiums, standing
and cheering on their favorite
team. However, thanks to the
creativity of Catholic leaders on
many college campuses, one can
often find throngs of young people
also congregating at Catholic
Mass in large numbers in secular
universities across the country.
Such is the case at the University
of Louisiana at Lafayette, where
students pack the pews of Our
Lady of Wisdom Church during
weekend Masses—kneeling,
praying, singing and rejoicing
together in a popular and energetic
campus parish.
Students here are as devout and
passionate as any team’s number
one fan. Called the “Ragin’ Cajun
Catholics,” they are a vibrant,
IN
Is thereFAITH
COLLEGE
friendly and deeply faithful
presence on the UL Lafayette
campus.
At this southern Louisiana
university, Catholic students do not
have to look far in their dormitories,
classrooms or clubs to find
ABOVE Father Bryce Sibley leads a Mass
packed with University of Louisiana at
Lafayette students.
LEFT During homecoming, Father Bryce
Sibley welcomes back three Servidoras—
Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará.
someone who shares their faith.
Catholic Extension’s support of
this campus ministry occurred in
the early-to-mid-1990s. During
this time, Extension helped repair
and restore Our Lady of Wisdom
Church and Catholic Student
Center and provided funding to
support the operations of the
ministry to students on campus.

Extension | Fall 2021 37
to be found on
CAMPUSES?
A generation later, the investment
has clearly paid off. The
number of students engaged in
Mass, mission trips and prayer
groups has increased eight times
as much compared to the ‘90s. The
number of highly involved student
leaders has shot up from about 15
to 250. The ministry, like so many
others supported by Catholic
Extension, has become an exceptionally
strong Catholic campus
community.
A PLACE OF ENGAGEMENT
New students find a welcoming,
joyful and deeply faithful community
on campus. “If a college student
wants to maintain their faith,
you need to have a good community,”
said Father Bryce Sibley, who
served as pastor of Our Lady of
Wisdom for 11 years. They become
involved in discipleship, retreats,
Bible study and mission trips.
Word-of-mouth endorsements
from fellow students are key to
the ministry’s success. Students
welcome their friends and
classmates to Mass or their many
community events.
Beyond the faith-filled social
life, students are encouraged to
pray, reflect on themselves and
their relationship with God, and
celebrate the sacraments. Father
Sibley said he spent a great amount
of time hearing confessions and is
always finding students praying in
the church.
“It’s a place where they can find
refuge, where they can find peace
and quiet,” Father Sibley said.
“They can embrace the love of the
Lord.”
In an age of constant notifications,
social media and increased
time spent online, it is easy for
today’s students to become distracted
from their relationship with
God, and to feel stressed out and
alone. The pandemic surely did not
help this situation last year, as it
temporarily shut down the church
and student center. The center has
thankfully reopened.
“Being online creates a lot of isolation,”
said Father Sibley. “There is
a desire for real connectivity.” The
church and student center provides
these young people
with a safe, intimate space to
focus on their Catholic faith.
They can join youth and Bible
study groups and discuss among
their peers their convictions, values
and the important decisions they
are making at this pivotal time in
their lives.
TODAY’S STUDENTS ARE
TOMORROW’S CLERGY
The campus ministry produces
more than a new class of devoted
Catholics each year. In the past 10
years, more than 80 young men
and women have discerned their
vocations while enveloped in the
faith-filled, enthusiastically Catholic
life at Our Lady of Wisdom.
In the 2020-21 academic year, an
astounding 29 seminarians are on

38 INSPIRE
Feature Story
their way to the priesthood in the
Diocese of Lafayette—the highest
number in any Extension diocese.
Catholic Extension supports their
education.
“We create an environment that
is conducive to discernment,” said
Father Sibley, who will see some
familiar student faces in his new
role as professor of moral theology
and spiritual director at Notre
Dame Seminary in New Orleans.
“It’s about learning to pray. They
begin to encounter Christ through
a deeper prayer life. Here, the Lord
moves their hearts and helps them
hear their calling.”
One young man, Nick Ware, is
a seminarian in the Diocese of
Lafayette. Although he was raised
Catholic, he rebelled when he left
home. But it wasn’t long before
he returned through the campus
ministry. “I came back to the faith
while at UL Lafayette through Our
Lady of Wisdom and some great
friendships,” he said.
Another seminarian, John
Dugas, also became immersed in
the campus ministry at Our Lady
of Wisdom. “It was there, being in
a community of men and women
who were serious about living out
their faith in a sacred world, that
really inspired me to ask God for
my vocation, to follow it.”
Both young men are expected
to be ordained to the priesthood
in 2022.
Graduating “Ragin’
Cajun Catholics”
celebrate in front of
Our Lady of Wisdom
Church and Catholic
Student Center in the
Diocese of Lafayette,
Louisiana.
PHOTO ANNIE DUCOTE
Through the generosity of our
donors, Catholic Extension helps
more than 50,000 Catholic students
embrace their faith through
campus ministry support at colleges
in poor regions across the
country. Just like the students at
Our Lady of Wisdom, these enthusiastic
young adults are passionately
sharing the love of God on
campus and building the foundation
for the future of the Church.
The seeds of faith sown today in
college campuses sprout into the
future Catholic leaders, parents,
clergy and vowed religious of
tomorrow.
SUPPORT SEMINARIANS
A NEW
GENERATION
The Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana,
has the highest number of seminarians
in all Extension dioceses. Please help
fund their education.
PLEASE GIVE TODAY
catholicextension.org/fall21 or
call 1-800-842-7804

Extension | Spring 2020 31
IGNITE Making a difference
DONOR PROFILE 40 | PARISH PARTNERS 44 | CONNECT 46
In the Diocese
of Ponce, Puerto
Rico, Father
Omar Soto
Torres serves as
pastor of Sacred
Heart Church. The
parish, hurt by the
pandemic, received
help through the
Catholic Kinship
Initiative.
See Parish
Partnerships,
page 44.

40 IGNITE
Donor Profile
Tech company funds
seminarians and priests
Supports Church evangelization in the digital age
Long before the pandemic
spurred an
uptick in online activities,
leaders of a Texas-based
organization
saw an opportunity to
serve the Church by using digital
technology to not only open new
paths toward proclaiming the Gospel
but to support seminarian education
in Extension dioceses in the
process.
eCatholic is a leading-edge
software platform
built “by Catholics”
to specifically serve
the technological
needs of the Catholic
Church. Founded
in 2005, the
company began by
making it easy for
parishes, dioceses,
schools and ministries
to create beautiful
websites. It
expanded to include the development
of applications that support
accepting online donations and
payments as well as live-streaming
Mass and other events.
Founder and CEO Josh Simmons
explained, “Our mission is simple:
to help the Church fulfill her mission
of evangelization by providing
amazing software and phenomenal
service. Our goal is to help the
Church more effectively communicate,
evangelize and engage people
Josh Simmons, founder and CEO of
eCatholic, shares Catholic Extension’s
mission to build up and transform faith
communities.
through beautiful, simple tools
that foster relational ministry.”
A “Peter” moment
For Simmons, the road to creating
what is now the largest provider
of websites to the Church came
by way of what he describes as a
“Peter” moment. He was working
in many roles for his parish—supporting
youth and music ministry,
along with faith formation. To
help support his growing family,
he ran a burgeoning
website business
on the side.
The 70-hour work
weeks were taking
a toll.
He said, “I had
an idea. What if I
could continue to
serve the Church
without working
for the Church?
What if I could take
my love for web design and use
it to help solve a dire need in the
Church? And what if I could make
enough money doing it to support
my family?”
But fear of failing gnawed at
him. “What if I quit a secure job
that I loved to chase a big idea,
only to sink in the waters of
the unknown?” Like St. Peter,
Simmons heard God’s call and
assurance to “be not afraid.” He
took that leap of faith and eCatholic
was born.
“e-Vangelizing”
In 2013 Joe Garcia was having a
similar “Peter” moment. He was
a one-man team, leading information
technology (IT) endeavors
in the Extension-supported Diocese
of Amarillo, Texas. In fact, his
diocese was one of the very first
eCatholic clients. “I saw firsthand
the benefits of the platform, especially
in a diocese where resources
were scarce,” said Garcia. “I could
get the parishes on a good platform
and be confident that if they
needed support, eCatholic was
there for them.”
Given his prominent work in
the diocese at a young age, Garcia
was among those from 20 dioceses
whom Catholic Extension
gathered in 2010 for a young adult
leadership summit.
But after seven years in diocesan
IT, Garcia was looking to a take
break. Friends encouraged him to
meet Simmons, yet he resisted the
idea.

Extension | Fall 2021 41
eCatholic enables Catholic churches and organizations to create beautiful websites, and has
partnered with Catholic Extension since 2016 to support priests and seminarians.
Joe Garcia, chief revenue officer of
eCatholic, uses the platform’s innovative
technology to help the Church
communicate her mission and evangelize.
“I was engaged to my now-wife
at the time,” he said. “I felt like
God was calling to me to meet Josh,
so I told her, ‘I’m just going to go,
and then I’ll come back and do my
own thing.’”
Both technology experts steeped
in their Catholic faith, Garcia and
Simmons clicked. Garcia came on
board to lead sales and marketing
for eCatholic.
By 2015 new products—including
tools that support easy online
giving—were added to the eCatholic
portfolio of services. Garcia’s experience
in an Extension diocese
helps him hone in on the needs
and struggles of parishes, schools
and dioceses and work with the
eCatholic team to fill the technological
gaps.
Today the company employs
more than 30 people, including
“happiness engineers” who
strive to deliver outstanding customer
service. Over 6,500 Catholic
dioceses, parishes, schools and
ministries in the U.S. and 19 other
countries work with eCatholic.
Supporting Catholic Extension
From its beginnings, eCatholic
sought to make a transformational
impact on the Church by tithing 10
percent of its revenues. To fulfill
this extraordinary commitment,
the company has partnered with
Catholic Extension since 2016 to
support priests and seminarians.
“In our search for a Catholic
philanthropy, we wanted to partner
with an organization that shared
our heart for transformative ministry
through innovative excellence.
Catholic Extension was a natural
fit,” said Simmons.
Each year Catholic Extension
supports hundreds of priests and
seminarians serving or preparing to
serve in the poorest regions of the
country.
“We are inspired daily by the
priests that we work with from
around the world as we witness
their constant love, sacrifices and
struggles in leading their flocks.
One of the ways that we can give
back to our priests is by paying it
forward through seminarian education,”
said Simmons.
With the pandemic, the company’s
offerings played a significant
role in helping the Church stay
connected. But, as Garcia is quick
to point out, “Pandemic or not,
technology is instrumental in helping
the Church get her mission out
there—get her voice heard. People
are searching for God, and a
digital presence is an opportunity
for the Church to get her foot in
the door. And once they enter, our
faith communities can take it from
there.”
Simmons added, “We believe
that technology will continue to
play a critical role in helping the
Church to grow and flourish into
the future. By utilizing simple,
streamlined technology, the Church
can communicate and engage more
effectively, which opens doors for
evangelization and ultimately the
salvation of souls!”

42
IGNITE
World Campaign
HOLY SPIRIT AND ST. PATRICK
PARISH | DIOCESE OF FAJARDO-
HUMACAO, PUERTO RICO
H
oly Spirit and St. Patrick
Parish is one of the oldest
churches in Puerto Rico.
The drumming tradition of “La
Bomba” is incredibly important to
this Afro-Caribbean faith community.
Father Rocendo Herrera
shared how the intersection of
faith and culture has enriched the
lives of the people in Loíza:
“We celebrate faith and Mass
every week but especially on
Sundays. We’ve tried to create
a dialogue between the Catholic
ritual and the experience of
the sounds of the drums, most
widely known in the world as ‘La
Bomba.’”
Catholic Extension continues
to support this community
through its Hurricane Maria
recovery program.
f
OUR
SACRED SPACES
CATHOLIC EXTENSION SUPPORTS GLOBAL CALL
FOR SAFE AND PEACEFUL WORSHIP
or 115 years, Catholic Extension has helped build,
preserve and protect Catholic sacred spaces
throughout the United States. These religious sites
are symbols of our faith, history, traditions and
humanity in every community across the country.
Catholic Extension accepted the invitation of the
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) to
showcase the beautiful sacred sites of our Extension
dioceses in a campaign called #forSafeWorship. This
campaign is a call to action for the protection of religious
sites and worshippers around the world. Read
below to learn about the sacred spaces across the
country featured in this campaign.
CORONADO CROSS | DIOCESE OF DODGE CITY, KANSAS
T
he Coronado Cross in the Diocese of Dodge City commemorates
the region’s first Catholic Mass, celebrated in
1541 by Father Juan de Padilla during an early European
expedition of the territory.
For Gentry Heimerman, left, the sacred site
serves as a reminder of the area’s Catholic
roots. It inspires him to continue the work of
the Church: “It’s a place that fills me with gratitude
knowing that someone was willing to
travel here and bring with them the good
news of Jesus Christ.”
He serves as director of young adult
ministry for the Extension-supported
diocese. Through the generosity of
our donors, he earned his graduate
degree in theology from the University
of Notre Dame in 2018.

Extension | Fall 2021 43
PHOTO RIMA OSTROM
ST. PATRICK’S PARISH |
ARCHDIOCESE OF ANCHORAGE-JUNEAU, ALASKA
T
his faith community first began celebrating
Mass in the gymnasium of an
elementary school in 1971. Catholic
Extension helped the parish build a church and
start its religious education program. Today St.
Patrick’s Parish serves over 1,300 families.
One devoted parishioner, Anna Schulten,
is a participant in Catholic Extension’s Young
Adult Leadership Initiative. In this cold region,
she finds warmth and comfort at the beautiful
sacred space: “This is a space where I’m welcome,
I’m home and I feel like I have that space
to be vulnerable.”
The church grounds are surrounded by
snow-capped mountains, reminding worshippers
of God’s majesty at every turn.
PHOTO AARON WILLIAMS
BASILICA OF OUR LADY OF
SAN JUAN DEL VALLE |
DIOCESE OF BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS
L
ocated in the heart of
the Diocese of Brownsville,
the original shrine
was destroyed in 1970 when an
airplane pilot deliberately crashed
into the building. It was a miracle
that there were no fatalities other
than the pilot, considering that the
church was filled with priests celebrating
Mass and school children
eating in the adjacent cafeteria
when the plane made impact.
The new shrine was built
and dedicated 10 years later. It
now attracts more than 20,000
pilgrims, local and international,
each week—making it one of
the most visited Catholic sites in
America! Lydia Pesina, director
of the Diocese of Brownsville’s
Family Life Office, shared what
this magnificent basilica means
to her: “It’s a place that speaks to
my heart, speaks to my soul and
reminds me that all of this together
is God’s great creation.”
Including this basilica, Catholic
Extension has supported close to
200 church building and renovation
projects in the Diocese of
Brownsville.

44
IGNITE
Parish Partnerships
A
movement
of Catholic
kinship is
sweeping
across the
country.
Catholic parishes in all corners
of the U.S. are stepping up to
support the dire needs of the
financially poorest Catholic
faith communities. These
communities have been
devastated by the economic
impact of the pandemic, but
their presence is vital.
During this unprecedented
year and a half, many of these
parishes are struggling just to
keep the lights on. Having to
go so many months without
collections, they cannot pay
basic expenses such as utility
bills or salaries for pastors and
parish staff. They can be found
all over the United States, in
places such as Appalachia,
Catholic kinship:
How you can help
We are asking individuals,
parishes, Catholic schools,
religious education classes,
and other community groups
to join us in a national
expression of “Catholic kinship”
with the poorest parishes
in America.
What difference could just
$1,000 make? For the parishes
we support, $1,000 is a
major gift! It could represent
10 Sunday collections!
To get involved, reach out
to Natalie Donatello at 312-
795-6057 or ndonatello@
catholicextension.org.
St. Francis Chapel is a remodeled house supported by Catholic Extension in the island
town of Tenakee Springs, Alaska. Funding from the Catholic Kinship Initiative ensures
this community can continue its mission.
One church
across the nation
New Catholic kinship movement enables
ordinary parishes to help poor faith
communities hurt by pandemic
Puerto Rico, Alaska, Native
American reservations and so
many more.
Catholic Extension sent out
a call to parishes that were in
a position to help. We asked
if they could unite with their
Catholic brothers and sisters in
some of the nation’s poorest
churches by raising a gift of
$1,000 to help them.
A gift of this size can go
a long way. For example,
in many Native American
parishes, pre-pandemic
collections might have only
averaged $50 a week. Or, in
churches in Puerto Rico, the
pandemic resulted in 60 to
90 percent declines in parish
collections among communities
already devastated by
multiple natural disasters.
At the beginning of his
papacy, Pope Francis reminded
us that the worst discrimination
the poor face is a
lack of spiritual care, meaning
that the Church must always
be present on the margins and
among those who can least
afford basic needs.
Extension dioceses have a
greater percentage of people
living in poverty and a greater
percentage of racial/ethnic
minorities. They are located
in areas with the least amount
of medical and charitable resources
and are the very communities
that have suffered the
most this year.
Last year Catholic Extension
conducted a survey that
gathered data from over 80 Extension
dioceses. That survey
shows the financial impact of
the pandemic taking its toll.
The reality in many of our dioceses
is frightening. We

Extension | Fall 2021 45
Many priests serving in impoverished communities, such as Father Omar Soto Torres
in the Diocese of Ponce, Puerto Rico, (photographed in front of his parish hall) have
lost most of their income due to a hurricane, earthquake and the pandemic. The Catholic
Kinship Initiative has supported their salaries.
learned through our survey
that 1,000 poor parishes (or 20
percent of all parishes in Extension
dioceses) are in serious
financial distress.
Why is this so concerning?
Because these are the parishes
that provide support and
spiritual care to the poorest
among us.
Our Lady of
Guadalupe
Mission,
a Catholic
church built
from a trailer,
serves an
engaged
community
in Sandhill,
Georgia.
Parishes
across the U.S.
supported this
church during
the pandemic.
They are places like El Buen
Pastor mission, which is located
in one of the poorest
communities in the Diocese
of El Paso, Texas. In a town of
4,000 residents, 40 percent
live below the poverty line.
Yet this poor parish, which at
one point was raising as little
as $45 on a Sunday during
the pandemic, remained very
active in the community.
It reached out to help its
neighbors in greatest need.
This is why the Catholic
Kinship Initiative is so important.
It is helping to ensure
that the Church can continue
to fully extend her care
to all people of this country’s
poorest regions.
The response to this initiative
has already been extraordinary.
Hundreds of parishes
are answering this
urgent call for help, bringing
immense relief to those struggling
to keep their church
doors open.
One parish that supported
this effort to help struggling
parishes said it best:
“In the Year of St. Joseph,
the patron of the universal
Church, we all ought to honor
the unity of the Church as best
we can. Catholic Extension
is one of the best means we
have as the Church in America
to care for one another across
the nation.”
“We are so humbled and
grateful for the parishes that
have joined us in our Catholic
Kinship Initiative so far, but
the need remains great,” said
Natalie Donatello, director of
Parish Partnerships.
Many low-income parishes
are still praying for help to
arrive.
You and your parish, school
or other community organization
can join this national
movement of Catholic kinship!

46
IGNITE
Connect
Excerpts from letters written by
These comments are from individuals who participated as
judges in the selection of our Lumen Christi Award finalists.
Their insights about this year’s finalists express how
the finalists radiate and reveal the light of Christ in their
communities. The judges are members of Two by Two, our
premier leadership annual giving society (see page 24 ).
I WAS VERY INSPIRED by
AS A NATIVE OF ST. LOUIS,
how a busy wife, mother
I am very familiar with the situation
in East St. Louis and
and CPA would endeavor
to take up the challenge of
the struggles the children
renovating a 100-year-old
there have had to face.
church. I know that the time
The work that Sister Julia
involved must have
has been doing for the
been extensive and
past 30 years, and
all-consuming, particularly
considering
restrictions of the
especially during the
the amount of renovation
required.
truly God’s work. The devel-
COVID pandemic, is
For her to devote all the
opment and expansion of
time and attention to detail
Griffin Center has enabled
that is required shows me
countless children to see a
how dedicated she is to
way out of poverty and racism
and have a brighter
her Catholic faith and to the
parishioners of the mission.
future.
› Anonymous judge
› Anonymous judge
On Racheal Jacoby |
On Sister Julia Huiskamp,
Diocese of San Angelo,
DC, MSW | Diocese of
Texas (page 16)
Belleville, Illinois (page 28)
FATHER STAN’S MINISTRY
to the Yup’ik Eskimo
culture in Alaska leaves me
speechless and in awe.
This man wanted so to
understand his people, that
in one sense, he became
one of them. He came to
understand, both in mind
and in heart, what it takes
to be a Yup’ik. He became a
student of their culture, their
history and their very lives.
Now he could begin to bring
who he was and his mission
into their lives. He brought
into their religious services
those saints who were loved
and admired by them.
The Yup’ik people
became his teacher in the
ways of living and surviving.
Father Stan became their
teacher in the ways of heart
and spirit.
› Anonymous judge
On Father Stan Jaszek
| Diocese of Fairbanks,
Alaska (page 14)
WHAT WE ARE HEARING
ONNECT
VISIT OUR WEBSITE
catholicextension.org
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
twitter.com/CathExtension

Extension | Fall 2021 47
Lumen Christi Award judges
THESE TWO SISTERS maintain
an amazing ministry, the
diversity and scope of which
is outstanding. The sheer
number of people they
respond to and the variety of
ways they successfully meet
the needs of those they
encounter are profoundly
edifying. Their emboldened
ministry amid the scourge
of COVID-19 is testimony to
their adaptability in meeting
human need however it
emerges.
By their own witness and
work, the sisters challenge,
inspire and engage others
to embrace their cause.
These two religious women
are indeed the face of Jesus
and of the Church to His
most vulnerable sisters and
brothers and those most
deserving of compassion
and care.
› Anonymous judge
On Sisters María Imelda
Quechol & Eloísa Torralba
Aquino, M.A.G. | Diocese
of Knoxville, Tennessee
(page 20)
WE BELIEVE THAT Father
Oestreich has gone far
beyond the bounds of what
might be expected of a parish
priest or any lay individual
for that matter. When he
sees the lack of basic necessities
in the lives of his fellow
man, he seeks the means to
alleviate that need. Through
his efforts and example,
he inspires those around
him to join in the effort to
uplift the poor. And his outreach
apparently knows no
boundaries such as race,
gender or belief.
Like Christ, he sees only
the need of his fellow human
beings, and does what he
can to relieve it. He truly
is living the command of
Jesus, who said: “Love one
another as I love you.”
› Anonymous judge
On Father Brian Oestreich
| Diocese of New Ulm,
Minnesota (page 22)
I STAND HUMBLED by
Jenny and Ben’s dedication
and commitment to their
community and its interconnection
with their faith.
Clearly, for them, community
and faith go hand in hand.
In reading about their military
career background, they
were certainly exposed to a
multitude of different social
and cultural environments.
Without a doubt, they had
the opportunity to choose
any one of many places to
settle down and raise a family.
Yet they chose to return
home. They came back not
just to grow with their family
but to develop their personal
childhood faith: one that
benefits the entire community.
They could have stayed
away, but they answered
the call of the Holy Spirit to
go home, to both give and
receive.
› Anonymous judge
On Jenny and Ben Black
Bear | Diocese of Rapid
City, South Dakota
(page 26)
FATHER BOB HAS brought
hope and respect and
new life to a Native American
population by his work
with the Mississippi Band
of Choctaw Indians. He has
brought the light of Christ
into the world through total
acceptance of the residents
as children of God formed in
His image.
Because Father Bob
learned the Choctaw language
and respected the
culture, he was able to unify
disjointed services and gain
trust. His work for so many,
many years has transformed
countless people’s lives in
remarkable ways. Father
Bob has truly worked in a
vivid way at being Christ’s
hands and feet in the world.
› Anonymous judge
On Father Bob Goodyear,
S.T. | Diocese of Jackson,
Mississippi (page 18)
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