Re�ections by Parishioners, Je� & Maria Kucharski

Continued on page 2

Family Experiences

Maria Kucharski: I have come to know Christ

through my family experiences. Our family

always participated in weekly Mass, prayed the

family rosary in the car and a decade after our

nightly meal, attended Schoenstatt and

St. Joseph Parish events, and volunteered often.

In re!ection, two events occurred in my family

that really showed the impact of knowing Christ

in my life. My brother Brian had kidney failure.

Growing up, he needed a special diet and

dialysis on a regular basis to live. He was often

crabby and was not fun to be around. He had his

own room, and I often felt that our house ran

around his needs. After years of living with

kidney disease, my mother donated a kidney to

my brother. In the 1980s, this was not an easy

surgery for the donor. My mother had several

ribs removed and a long recuperation. With

medication, the kidney transplant was very

successful. My brother was able to attend college

and became a nurse. A few short years later, my

brother was killed in a motorcycle accident. A

college student did not see him and hit him

coming out of a UWM parking lot. At the time, I

recall the police asking my parents if they would

like to press criminal charges. They said, “No, we

would not,” because that college student will live

with killing someone for the rest of their life and

that was quite enough. In a letter, they forgave

her. As a mother myself, I honestly don’t know if I

would be able to give that same forgiveness, if

something happened to our daughter, Olivia or

son, Zachary.

The second event was my father becoming a

deacon. Being the youngest, I was the only child

living at home when in his retirement, my father

discerned and studied for the diaconate. I saw

such a conversion in my father. He was a great

man already, but was becoming exceptional. I

was very close to my father. I wish my siblings

could have known the man of Christ that he

became. Unfortunately for us, my father died just

2 years after being ordained. My memories of our

father are so much richer and deeper for

witnessing his transformation.

SAINT DOMINIC CATHOLIC PARISH

An Inspiring View of Parish Life May 2018 Volume 11

stdo

min

ic.ne

t

Kucharski Family: Je:, Maria, Olivia and Zak

2

Miracles in My Life

While my father

was in the

diaconate

formation program,

several men in his

class and their

family members

visited Israel. I was

blessed to go along.

During the trip, one

of my father’s

classmates, John

Hochaus,

unexpectedly

passed away in

Bethlehem from a

heart attack. We were close to John’s

family as they were also members of

St. Joseph Parish. It was not an easy time,

because the Palestinians that controlled

Bethlehem and the Israel government

did not (and still do not) get along. Out

of nowhere, a man named Roger

appeared at the hospital. He helped with

translations between languages. He

stayed until things were settled as best

as they could. At the police station the

next day, they were also having trouble

communicating. Again, Roger showed

up to help. Since then, we have called

Roger, an angel.

Later in the tour, a group of my father’s

classmates decided to visit the tomb of

Lazarus . Since the tomb was oAcially

“closed” and did not have any electricity,

they brought vigil lights. At this point,

they were a bit upset with the Lord for

John’s death, and for the death of

another classmate, Jim. As they were

praying, they heard…”John come out,

Jim come out, Lazarus come out.” They

immediately came up and were

surprised to Cnd that an hour had

passed, but their candles appeared to be

just lit. They all had heard the same

voice and message.

In December 2015, St. Nick brought Je:

and me a “Happy and Faithful Marriage”

novena, by St. Josemaria Escriva. Je: and

I began the novena in order to have the

last day land on the feast of the

Epiphany. That year, our family was

celebrating New Year’s Eve at my

brother-in-law’s house. The children

enjoyed snow sledding for several hours.

When they came in, they went to take

o: their wet clothes in the basement

where a wood stove was located. The

stove was used to heat the home.

Zachary slipped while taking o: his

snow pants and caught himself on the

cooktop of the stove as we watched

helpless to stop him. He screamed in

pain. We immediately ran it under cold

water, put it in an ice bath, and called

the pediatrician. Big blisters formed, and

he was in complete agony. The

pediatrician said there was really not

much to do for burns, but control the

pain, stay with burn cream and an ice

pack, and call back in the morning. I was

just sick!

We planted Zachary between us that

evening to stop his tossing and turning.

Anytime he touched his Cngers, he

would cry out. We did not sleep much,

changing the ice packs in socks over his

hands all evening, as well as giving him

the pain medicine. During that night,

Je: and I continued our novena, with

Zachary in bed with us. When morning

came and Zachary woke up, his burns

and blisters were gone. He spent New

Year’s Day playing football outside.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit brings us seven gifts:

wisdom,

understanding,

counsel, fortitude,

knowledge, piety

and the fear of the

Lord. The work of

the Holy Spirit in

my life has often

guided my decision

making.

When I began

teaching, I was

holding three jobs

to make ends meet:

teaching, working

at a dry cleaners,

and serving at Applebee’s. Due to my

busy schedule, I did not see my parents

often. One Saturday, my manager at the

drycleaners asked me how my parents

were doing. I told her I had not been

home for a while. She suggested that I

stop home after my shift, before work at

Applebee’s began. I thought I could

perhaps make a visit. Just my father was

home when I arrived. As usual, my

deacon dad wanted to discuss some of

my decisions that he was not in

agreement with; primarily my boyfriend

at the time. Within this discussion, he

asked me why I was not dating Je:. I

explained that we had been friends for

years and that “he does not like me that

way.” My dad assured me that I was

incorrect. The next day, my father

unexpectedly died from a brain

aneurysm during church. Je: appeared

at the funeral where our friendship

bloomed. The gifts from the Holy Spirit

of wisdom and counsel were more than

evident.

Je: and I are Dynamic Catholic

Ambassadors. We get several books

delivered to us at our home. Since I am a

Matthew Kelly nerd, I have read

everything he has written. I often Cnd

that these “deliveries” are guided by the

Holy Spirit. I had an awful experience at

work one week. One that required a

follow-up meeting. I spent time

gathering all the information needed to

“prove I was right” and the person at

stdo

min

ic.ne

t

3

work was “wrong.” I wrote notes,

printed emails, and reviewed previous

communications. I was preparing to

show righteousness and justiCcation.

The evening before the follow-up

meeting, a book arrived from Dynamic

Catholic, Everybody Needs to Forgive

Somebody. I sat there looking at the Crst

few pages. Wow! I needed the Holy

Spirit's gifts of fortitude and

understanding. Right then, I decided to

show forgiveness, assume positive

intention, and to be as matter of fact as

I could. The meeting went well, much

better than I could have ever

anticipated.

Being a Lifelong Learner

Before I read Matthew Kelly’s book,

Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic, I

thought I was a dynamic Catholic. I am

active in my parish, serving on the

Festival Committee and a member of

the church choir, and Je: and I are part

of the Marriage Preparation Program. I

attend Mass, give stewardship and

pray. What I realized was that I have not

actively studied my faith beyond the 12

years of Catholic school education I

received. Sure, I read the Dynamic

Catholic books sent, but I was

struggling with a few cultural issues

and the Catholic Church’s teachings on

these issues. Why? Because I didn’t

really know the teachings. I had to get

back to being a learner around the

genius of Catholicism. I purchased the

Catholic Catechism (that I most likely

gave away after conCrmation), a big

print bible (I am getting older), and

other Catholic books to help with some

of the counter-cultural issues. I am

understanding better, in hopes to also

better educate my children.

The Rich Young Man

Je!: Maria and I had our whole life

planned out exactly the way “we”

wanted it. One of the non-negotiables

for us was to have one of us always at

home with our children. She was a

teacher with summers o:. I had my

design build Crm, where I could do my

design work during the school year,

along with taking care of the kids, and

then use the summers to complete my

construction work. In a short time, the

Lord revealed His plans. Maria moved

into another role, which became a full-

time, year-round position. For a very

long time, the thought of closing my

company was very unsettling. I had

built my company up for over twenty

years. I always felt that I was using the

gifts and skills the Lord had given me;

the carpentry skills that had been

taught to me by my father since I was

young, and the years of education

working for my degrees in architecture.

Being a father full-time was not easy,

and I struggled. Why would the Lord

want this for me? It wasn’t until I read

Matthew’s gospel story of the rich

young man that I understood what the

Lord was asking of me. The message

was loud and clear. If I were to follow

Him, I would need to leave my worldly

desires behind, and become the father

He wanted me to be, not the one I

wanted to be. That one passage

changed my entire outlook on why the

Lord has me here on earth. I Cnally

knew with certainty that I am here to

get Maria, Olivia, Zachary, and myself to

heaven.

Family Prayer Life

Maria and I wanted to create a balance

for our family prayer life, which would

allow our children to develop a prayer

life of their own. From very little on, I

would take Olivia and Zak to pray at a

nursing home where Maria’s mom

would lead the rosary each week. I had

thought our visits were a great gift to

the residents, when in truth, I received

the greatest gift; growing to love Mary

and the rosary. As a family, we began to

pray the rosary on car trips, in the

Prayer Gardens, and of course, in our

home. Olivia has always loved the

rosary. A couple years ago, she told

Maria and me that Jesus had told her

that He would like her to pray the

rosary each day. She has not missed a

day since. As for Zachary, he prefers the

Chaplet of Divine Mercy. It is such a gift

to hear our children’s prayer intentions

and to see the growth in their personal

prayer life.

Another important part of our family

prayer life is frequenting the

sacraments. When Olivia began school

here, I started to go to the all school

Mass each Wednesday morning. Taking

the time to worship God was a real

game changer. Once both kids were in

school, I found myself wanting to go to

Mass on a daily basis, as my schedule

allowed. Our summer schedule now

includes going to Mass a couple of

times each week. I remember a priest

once saying that the surest way to

heaven is to receive Jesus in the

Eucharist each day. We also try to go to

confession once a month. And before

each of the kid’s Crst Communions, we

went to confession together as a family.

Seeing Jesus in the Poor

Serving the Lord through the poor has

also become a very important ministry

in our family. We started delivering and

working at St. Ben’s when Olivia and

Zachary were old enough to help. One

Friday, Olivia began to cry and said she

didn’t want to go. Before I lost my

patience with her, I thought to ask why.

She began to tell us that it was too hard

for her to see people in need. It was a

great learning opportunity, teaching

her to see Jesus in everyone!

About four years ago, Maria asked me if

I ever thought about discerning for the

Diaconate. At the time, I came up with

every excuse to say no. As I took this

idea to the Lord in prayer, He shot

down all of my excuses, one after the

other. Then one night while I put Olivia

to bed, she told me that she prays for

me each night to become a deacon.

Boy, I could have just fallen over! Could

this be the Lord talking to me through

my family? I took this again to prayer

and asked the Lord to make His path

perfectly clear. Over the following

months, in many separate settings,

di:erent friends and parishioners

would ask me the same question. I am

still not 100% sure if Lord is calling me

to become a deacon or not, but if he

wants me, I will be available to Him.

4

By Parishioner, Katie Mleziva

The Amiot family joined St. Dominic

Catholic Parish in 2016. Erin and Rob

have three boys – Luca, age 9, in 3rd

grade at St. Dominic Catholic School,

Joseph, age 7, in 1st grade, and Alex, age

2. Their journey to our parish was a bit of

a winding road.

Erin and Rob were both raised in the

Catholic faith. Erin attended St. Catherine

School in Milwaukee, and Rob grew up in

Grafton, North Dakota. There was not a

Catholic school in Rob’s small town, but

his family belonged to St. John Catholic

Parish.

Erin and Rob met at St. Joseph

Outpatient Center when Rob was in his

last year of residency and Erin was

working there. They were married at

St. Hedwig Catholic Church on the east

side of Milwaukee. Rob shared that,

“Fr. Tim revitalized our faith and our

desire to regularly attend Mass. We left

Mass feeling better than when we

walked in the door, and left Mass

wanting to live out our faith on a daily

basis.” They were happy that Fr. Tim

baptized both Luca and Joseph, but it

became harder and harder to get to

St. Hedwig with two little ones after they

moved to BrookCeld, so they felt the

need to Cnd a new parish.

At Crst, they found it diAcult to Cnd a

connection to another Catholic parish.

Admittedly, there were big shoes to Cll,

but they needed to Cnd a place that felt

right for their growing family. While

Mass is not always easy for parents with

young kids in general, it represented

unique challenges for the Amiots. In

2012, Luca was diagnosed with autism at

the age of 3 ½. Although many people

brushed o: their concerns, calling them

“typical boy behaviors,” and reassuring

them that “he would talk when he was

ready,” as parents, they knew there was

something more.

While Luca looks like most

other kids, one of the most

challenging parts of utism is

that it is an invisible

disability. Among many other

challenges, Mass can be

especially diAcult to

navigate due to Luca’s sound

sensitivities, social delays,

and other sensory processing

diAculties. When Luca’s

behavior did not “match his

age,” people would stare. As

they searched for a parish,

there were diAcult

experiences that left them

wondering if the Catholic

Church was still the right

place for them.

At just the right time, God intervened.

One of Luca’s trusted therapists

suggested looking at St. Dominic

Catholic Parish. From the Crst

conversation with the school principal,

Jill Fischer, Erin and Rob’s faith was

renewed. There was a place for them,

not only in the parish, but also in the

school.

Now, after two years at St. Dominic, Erin

says, “Every day when I drop o: the kids

at school, I am so thankful that we have

found our place here. One of the

greatest joys is watching how other

children at our school have accepted

Luca for who he is, include him, and

watch over him.” When they started at

the school, they explained to the

students that there are some things Luca

is really good at - like reading,

remembering facts, and anything you

could want to know about trains. They

also shared that on the !ip side, there

are some things that can be a challenge

for Luca, including joining a group of

kids to play and eating or smelling

certain foods. Also, not allowing Luca to

move around is like not allowing

someone with vision impairment to wear

glasses. It was presented in a way that

the kids could relate to, along with the

message that God created everyone

unique and special. Erin says that she

could not be happier with the way the

kids in Luca’s class have embraced him.

She says “It is a real testament to the kids

and families at this school. He knows he

is di:erent, but he truly is more like the

other kids than unlike them, and they

understand that. ”

While Erin and Rob try to keep things as

“normal” as possible in their daily

routine, the fact is that autism has

a:ected their family in a major way, and

they are always working to help Luca

thrive. Raising a child with autism leads

to a fundamental shift in family

dynamics. “We arrange our family life

around Luca, providing therapies,

attending meetings, working on skills,

and working to educate others. This

often means less time with our other

children. The silver lining is that our

middle son, Joseph, has incredible

empathy and understanding when it

comes to Luca and others. We are able to

use our situation as a teaching tool, to

help remind him to be slow to judge.”

5

While a challenge, they are always

working to make sure Joseph and Alex

get the special attention they need, as

well.

“We are still learning how to balance all

the competing demands. We work extra

hard to keep our marriage strong and to

grow together, not apart, to use it to

anchor us to the Lord and to each other.

Luca has taught us patience and

!exibility, that prior to our parenting

journey with Luca, we never thought we

had inside us. He is an extraordinary

child. The way he loves reminds me of

the way God loves us; unconditionally,

fully, and deeply.”

One of their proudest moments was

watching Luca receive his First Eucharist

last year. They were especially grateful to

his second grade teacher, Mrs. Herzog

and Stacey Irvine, director of children’s

ministry, for helping to prepare him. “As

parents, we experience a special joy

when we see Luca at Mass participating,

folding his hands in prayer, reaching out

during the sign of peace, as we know

how diAcult these small things can be

for him,” said Erin.

Recently, at Easter Mass, a parishioner

extended a kindness that was more

impactful than she may have

known. Erin recalled “It was

very crowded, so it was more

diAcult than usual for Luca to

sit still and he was Cdgeting

quite a bit, moving around and

making some noises. These

situations can be very stressful

for our family. The woman in

front of us had never met us, or

Luca. At the end of Mass, she

turned around. I was afraid of

what she would say. She

leaned over to Luca, gave him

a Cst bump and said “You did a

great job!” This kind woman

took a weight o: our shoulders

and literally made our day.

Erin shares that “having a child

with special needs can be

extremely isolating. We have

met people in the St. Dominic

community whose children don’t have

autism, but are struggling in some way.

We can compare notes and ideas. We

have also had countless people reach

out to us and welcome us. These simple

connections make a world of di:erence.”

“Everyone deals with a diagnosis

di:erently. In our experience, we have

found that being upfront and open has

led to understanding and acceptance.

We are an open book. While other

families may be more private about it,

we are motivated to help people

understand autism and sensory

processing. April was Autism Awareness

month. During this month, I always pray

for continued strength to be the mom

that Luca needs, and for acceptance of

all children with invisible disabilities.”

In terms of how autism has impacted

their faith, Rob said, “I remember wise

words a chaplain at the hospital once

shared, “God didn’t give this to you, but

God will help you through this.” I truly

believe this, and I repeat this to myself

during times of doubt. I would not say

that having a child with autism is an easy

road, but it is deCnitely an adventure,

and how blessed we are to have been

chosen to be his parents!”

In terms of how it has shaped her faith,

Erin said, “ I have learned that the life I

imagined was not exactly the life God

had in store for me. As time goes on, I

have begun to trust that this is exactly

what God intended. I have become more

humble and grateful for God’s gifts, to

trust Him completely, and to not be

afraid. I think of the scripture: For I know

the plans I have for you, says the Lord.

Plans for good and not for evil, to give

you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11.

A favorite Psalm of Erin’s over the past 9

years has been: As for me, I will always

have hope. Psalm 71:14. She says it

reminds her that even during our most

challenging times, God is by our side. It

was Ctting when Joseph brought home a

piece of artwork he had done in school

with this Psalm on it recently, yet

another reminder of why St. Dominic

makes them feel right at home. This

piece of Joseph’s art hangs in a

prominent place in their home.

The Amiot’s story is a good reminder to

share a smile, or Cst bump, with the

person or family next to you at Mass. You

may never know how much it means to

them.

stdo

min

ic.ne

t

The Amiot Family: Rob, Erin, Luca, Joseph and Alex

6

Led by A Re�ection by Parishioner, Scherrie Moris

Example I recently re!ected on the people who

have shaped my life and realized that so

many things in my life are the result of

the examples of others. The Crst person

that came to mind was my mother. My

mom was a very religious person. I

“grew up” in parochial school. I think

daily Mass was mandatory at that time,

so I didn’t appreciate it much back then!

When they asked me to speak at my

mom’s funeral, I looked out at all of her

friends and thought to myself, “In all the

years I knew my mother, I never heard

her say a bad thing about anyone.” If my

mom did not have something good to

say, she said nothing at all. She never

gossiped. It is something that I have

tried so hard to do in my own life,

wanting to be led by her example.

The second person who came to mind,

is my son. As I mentioned, I took my

religion for granted. When I got married,

and started having children, I worked

every other weekend. On work

weekends, I would go to chapel at the

hospital, but on o: weekends, I

wouldn’t attend Mass. It was my son

who said, “Mom, come to church with

me.” That simple invitation brought me

back to church, and ever since, it has

become a very important part of my life.

The third person was my brother. It

wasn’t until my brother Jack passed

away at the age of 57 that we learned

from all the townspeople how much he

had done for everyone. He was there for

them Cnancially or just to listen. He died

about two years after I retired. I hadn’t

been doing anything with the talents

God had given me, but my brother’s

death would set me on a new path.

The Filipino doctors where I used to

work would go on surgical mission trips

every two years. I never gave it much

thought until some of our nurses went

along. Then one day, one of the nurses I

used to work with got in touch with me

and asked, “Scherrie, would you

consider going, now that you are

retired?” I asked, “Boy, how much does

it cost?” because you pay your own way,

and that year, extra expenses had come

up for me. Miraculously, the week

before she asked me, my brother’s

estate was settled. I found out that

there would be money for me to go. In

my heart, I knew that this is what my

brother would want me to do. He ended

up not only paying for my Crst surgical

mission, but for my Crst two trips.

So, I went on my Crst surgical mission.

Oh my goodness! I had seen poverty in

Mexico, but leaving the airport after

landing in Manila, the traAc and the

mass of humanity was overwhelming. It

was nighttime, and there were people

laying out towels or a piece of a

cardboard box on the streets to lie on;

whole families sleeping on the streets. I

thought, this is terrible! I couldn’t

believe how these people lived; under

the highway overpasses were rows of

cardboard boxes and no electricity or

clean water. How did they survive?

Then, we headed to our mission site in

Taclobin. As bad as Manila was, Tacoblin

was even worse. Again, a lot of people

did not have electricity or water. In the

evening, on the main streets they would

set up their little kiosks and trade. That

is how they ate; by bartering with one

another for food and other needs. Some

would go down to the river to wash

clothes. It was almost like a self-

suAcient society. What was more

astonishing is that these people were all

basically happy. They were so pleasant

at their little kiosks on the street. These

people were really very hard working. It

made me think about how poverty in

the United States is more like their

middle class.

On Sunday, I went to attend Mass. There

were so many people there that I

wondered if the Pope was coming! One

of the doctors on our team had grown

up in the Philippines, so I asked her,

“Who is coming to the Mass?” She said,

“Oh, this is just the people from around

here, and it’s just one of Cve Masses that

will be held. Again, the mass of

humanity was astonishing.

Our mission was for people without

insurance. The only way to have major

surgeries was through the mission

unless you were dying. The wonderful

people who plan these missions put an

amazing amount of work into it. Many

doctors and nurses gather up and save

supplies that are outdated, or supplies

that they don’t use during a surgery

here that would be thrown away. These

are the supplies we bring with us,

because they are still perfectly good.

They have a storehouse in Milwaukee

where they keep all of these supplies.

We box up and Cll one of our two

allowed suitcases with the supplies.

Lots of our patients come from the

mountains. I saw illnesses and

conditions that we treated I had never

seen before. Walking into the recovery

room where I was assigned to work the

Crst thing I found out was that we didn’t

have running water. I wondered how I

was going to take care of a patient

without washing my hands in between.

Thank God, we had alcohol sponges. It

7

was the only thing we had, so when

you changed gloves, you rubbed your

hands with the alcohol and re-gloved

again.

Believe it or not, it was the most

wonderful experience of my entire life.

These people were so appreciative.

They never complained about

anything. We were doing major

surgeries and we had limited pain

medication; the hospital only provided

a medication equal to Ibuprofen.

Thank God for spinal anesthesia, which

many of the patients received, so at

least there was a pain-free period even

after they came back from surgery.

That Crst year, we had collected left-

over pain medication for post-

operative pain, and some of the other

anesthesiologist brought some

Toradol with them, but there was

never that much to give them.

Consequently, these people were in

pain. Did they complain? No. When

you said, “I’m sorry, the only thing we

have is what we’ve given you,” you

never heard anything else from them.

When I came back for my post-op

rounds the next day, I felt like Mother

Teresa, saintly, or Godly, because they

could not thank you enough. They

would hug you. They made you feel

like you had really done something

that mattered.

It was seeing and experiencing what

these wonderful doctors and nurses

had done that led me to decide to

continue to do missions until the time

came that I felt I needed to stop. That

time came this year. I decided that this

year was going to be my last mission

trip. God had given me a beautiful

talent, but if you don’t use your gifts

for a long period of time (2 years

between mission trips), you lose a lot.

Though, I was surprised that I did not

lose as much as I had thought! The

little town we went back to this year

was the same town as my Crst mission,

Taclobin. We landed in Manila on

February 1, 2018, but our mission work

did not begin until February 5. We

Cnished the surgeries scheduled for us

in just 4 days. The last day we handled

local cases. The total number of cases

was less than 75. On my earlier mission

to Taclobin, we did around 50 major

surgeries alone in a 5 day period and

75 locals. They really wanted to open a

surgery in the hospital and they didn’t

have trained recovery room nurses.

They asked if we would teach and let

their nurses do the work.

The change was in part the result of a

horrible disaster. The year after my Crst

mission, the typhoon Yolanda hit

Taclobin. Almost the whole city was

wiped out. The water came up and

dragged people away. OAcially,

10,000 people were lost, but the locals

knew it was more. There were big

freighters up on land. The little area of

Taclobin was where General

MacArthur came and asked the

Filipino people to help stave o: the

Japanese during WWII. There was a

marvelous statue of General

MacArthur coming up the beach. The

whole area where I had sat and looked

at that statue was gone. Out of

tragedy, God looks out for his people.

He works in strange ways. The hospital

we worked in the Crst time was very

primitive. They didn't’ even do

surgeries there. The owners of a mall

there, rebuilt the hospital in Taclobin

after the typhoon. It was much

improved. There was running water in

the recovery room, though we were

still doing 2-3 surgeries at a time in

one room. What made me smile was

that the Philippines are very Catholic

and in this new hospital, there was a

separate recovery room for men and

women. Thank goodness we had a

nurse for each room. On the Crst

mission trip, all patients were in one

recovery room, because that was all

we had!

Even in the city, things were much

improved. I didn’t see people living in

cardboard boxes or on the street. The

economy was picking up and there

was a sense of hope. Often, when

something really bad happens,

something good comes out of it. I am

so glad that after returning home this

time, I had a sense of peace in

knowing it would be my last surgical

mission trip. Some of the local doctors

are doing surgeries pro-bono. The

local nurses basically volunteer their

time and skills, except for meals during

these missions. When you see the

people of a country do so much for

each other, it makes it worthwhile to

help them.

What I also loved about going on

these missions was seeing the doctors

bringing their children with them.

These doctors were giving their

children an example to follow—serve

others and “Love without Limits”.

I was very blessed. God led me into a

vocation in which I hardly remember a

day that I didn’t look forward to going

to work. I loved what I was doing!

When I retired, I had thought, “Now I

am putting aside all these years of

education and acquired knowledge.”

God had other plans for me still. He

gave me an opportunity to continue to

use my gifts for others. I just realized

recently, that to me, this was how I

became Christ for others. And in doing

so, I got so much more out of the

experience than I gave. That is why, I

am glad St. Dominic helps our youth

to go on mission trips, because they

too will remember their experience

and will carry it with them throughout

their life.

stdo

min

ic.ne

t

8

At the same time my marriage began

thirty-three years ago, newly ordained

Timothy Dolan wanted to be the best

priest he could possibly be. He turned to

his priestly mentor, who told him,

“Timothy, it is okay if your head is in the

clouds, as long as your feet are Crmly on

the ground, and your heart is on the cross

with Christ.” I thought that these were

wise words, but lacked the daily “meat”

to serve earthly needs. How wrong I was.

My story begins long ago. Following the

priestly line of Aaron, my last name,

Zinda, is Yiddish, which translates to

“sinner.” My great grandfather embarked

with his Catholic wife and Cve children

from Poland to the land of “milk and

honey.” In New York, they disembarked

with only three children, and moved to

Little Rock, Arkansas, then to Oklahoma,

and Cnally to Wisconsin, taking

advantage of various land grants,

generally following the Jewish populace.

Their grandson became a product of a

smorgasbord Christian community

(whoever showed up - preached) and

uncomfortably converted to Catholicism.

In those days, some Catholics were told

by others that they were not educated

and lacked scriptural preparation for a

Catholic marriage.

A young woman left her parent’s farm

outside Mauston, WI and, prior to

completing high school, entered a

Milwaukee convent. She eventually takes

Cnal vows, taking the name of Sister Mary

Roberts and began to teach local Catholic

children.

How do these stories connect? The

grandson in the Crst story is my father,

and the nun, my wife Mary’s mother. Very

disparate journeys, but at the end of the

day, are they that di:erent? Those who

took us to the altar of God as children and

welcomed us as the newest members of

the Catholic faith were our parents and

our godparents. Since Christ walked the

earth, they followed billions of others,

who have come from di:erent heritages

and life experiences, to embrace this

common belief in search for the truth

found in Jesus – to be alive in Him.

Like my very Crst babysitter. A young

woman who later become Sister

Margaret Mary (after our home parish)

who was one of two nuns who were

martyred in El Salvador. They died for the

faith and have been declared Blessed by

the Church.

Another example is Mary’s godfather,

who was a trustee at St. Margaret Mary

Parish in Milwaukee for thirty-seven

years, and celebrated the marriage of

every one of his daughters, along with

Mary and me, in that church. His example

spoke strongly of the truth in Christ he

had found.

Mary and I were not blessed with children

of our own, but we have been truly

blessed in other ways, e.g. with two

nieces, four nephews, one grandnephew,

and one grandniece. Although we are

both cradle Catholics, our own faith

development was not a straight line for

either of us.

Mary’s faith journey really began through

the eyes of children, when she worked as

an aide to teacher, Danita Stich. One day,

Mrs. Stich was reading to the children.

Mary witnessed their young minds

striving to grasp who Jesus was and is to

them; searching for truth.

At Mary’s insistence, the two of us

became involved as a sponsor couple in

the St. Dominic Marriage Preparation

Program for couples planning to be

married in the Catholic Church. We have

assisted numerous couples in our home

over the past Cfteen years to help them

better understand the sacrament; and to

gain insights into themselves as

individuals and as a couple. This ministry

has been a true blessing for both the

couples and us. One of the key questions

we always ask is why they love the other.

While intently listening to their

responses, we have heard some of the

greatest vows of marriage right in our

home, even before the eventual formal

exchange of vows at the altar. Hearing

those stories speaks volumes about how

God calls each of us to live His love

through the grace of our baptism.

Years ago, my Sunday mornings were

spent playing basketball or football

(dependent on the season) close to

St. John Vianney Parish (SJV). One of the

men asked me to attend an early

Saturday morning informal men’s faith

sharing group at St. Dominic, and I

accepted. Around 7:15 am every Saturday

in the Marcy Center, we open the

Scripture readings for the next day and

discuss questions raised in a Catholic

study bible. This group has helped me go

deeper into the truth in Scripture.

Mary and I began to attend St. Dominic

Catholic Parish on a regular basis after I

experienced a heart attack at SJV. Two

stents later, I had returned to SJV, but we

then joined St. Dominic. I was soon

involved in the Adult Ministry Team,

Parish Council, Finance Committee, and

Budget Committee and later served as

President of the Archdiocesan Pastoral

Council. Volunteer responsibilities also

included being the lead usher for the Crst

Cve years of the Men of Christ

Conferences and the Crst two Women of

Christ movements.

Early in 2006, our pastor at the time, Fr.

Curt Frederick, asked me to accept key

responsibilities for the arrangements to

celebrate a Golden Jubilee marking the

50th Anniversary of our parish. In

preparation for my commemoration

remarks, I sat in front of the open

Searching for By Parishioner, John Zinda

9

stdo

min

ic.ne

t

tabernacle on Holy Saturday. During my

meditation, I came to fully realize and

comprehend what that priestly mentor’s

advice to newly ordained Timothy Dolan

meant in reality. Looking at the cross, I

began to understand what rejection (and

eventually His triumph) truly meant to

and for all of us. How to die to yourself

and be alive in Christ.

As I prepared my Jubilee re!ection, one

theme became loud and clear – “Why

would you honor me? All I ever did

was…” Hand-in-hand, members

sacriCcially built our church because they

shared a common

goal: to build a

parish, a school,

and related

ministries to serve

the spiritual needs

of this growing

community. In

simpler terms, our

church was built on

the dreams and

backs of our past

parishioners, who

wanted to seek

Christ, know Christ

and become Christ,

each one for the

sake of all. I wonder

what they would

say about our faith

community today.

I learned another

truth from Deacon

Larry LaFond

regarding our

Catholic faith.

During the Cnal

four and a half years

of my father’s life,

he could not

consume food and

was tube fed. One

Sunday morning,

my father and

mother attended

Mass at the

Franciscans Woods

nursing facility and

my mother, out of deep respect and love

for my father, declined to receive

Communion. Confronted with this and

other “end of life” decisions, I tried to

contact our priests, but unfortunately,

they were unavailable. Therefore, I

approached Deacon Larry LaFond, a

trusted friend whose father was a co-

usher with my father. He looked at me

and wisely said, “Give it up to God.” All

my fears, expectations, and tribulations

were wiped away in that moment.

That experience motivated me to

become an Extraordinary Minister of Holy

Communion, to serve the needs of the

parish. It is an on-going reminder of

magniCcent gift of the Eucharist and to

keep in prayer all those who no longer

can safely receive the consecrated bread

and wine, which is the source and

summit of our faith.

Our past and our personal experiences all

make our stories unique, but each one of

us is on a journey searching for truth.

Keep your eyes on Christ.

When faced with rejection or challenges,

or when situations seem insurmountable,

take Deacon Larry’s

sage advice and let

God guide your life

and your decisions.

Lastly, keep in mind

the wisdom

imparted to the

young Father

Timothy Dolan 33

years ago: So, I ask

you this, where is

your heart?

“When you look

for me, you will

)nd me. Yes,

when you seek me

with all your

heart.” Jeremiah

29:13

In the box are: Bull rushes where Moses was rescued, a coin minted from the Maine (my great

grandfather fought with Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish American war), a hand carved

rosary purchased in Jerusalem during a merchant trip by my grandfather, a package of seeds

from the middle east bearing a Jewish name, a miniature new Testament Bible.

All are at least 150 years old.

10

Defining

My grandpa Joe passed away on

November 5, 2016, and as I look back on

both my life and his, I realize that his

leadership and character had a

tremendous in!uence on mine. My

grandpa Joe was a pretty incredible

human being. He was a skier, a mechanic,

a war veteran, a husband, a father, and

even a grandfather, but most

importantly, he was blind. Now,

most people would view being

blind as a tremendous disability,

and it was, but it was how he

handled it that made the

di:erence. The love that this guy

had for his family, and for anyone

he met, was indescribable. He

went blind at the age of 32,

which meant that he was blind

for most of my father’s life and all

of mine. But this did not stop him

from charging on and taking life

by the horns, so to speak.

My grandfather was a mechanic

for Frontier airlines before he

went into the military. He worked

on commercial airplane engines;

Cxing them, repairing them,

buildings brand new ones,

whatever had to be done, he did

it. He was then drafted into the

Korean war against his will and

sent overseas to defend our

country. He had to leave his job,

all his possessions, and most

importantly, his family behind. It

took a lot of courage to go on

this journey, and he knew that he

was going to be in great danger where he

was headed, but he also knew that it was

important that he go and do what

needed to be done.

After he returned from the war, he began

to contract a disease, which he had

picked up from being bitten by a bug

overseas. At that time, they did not have

a cure for the disease. It ended up

infecting his retinas and this is when he

began to lose his sight. At this point, he

found himself with no source of income

and disabled. Now most people would

have thrown their hands up at the sky,

curse God, and give up, but that wasn’t

my grandpa. That just wasn’t how he did

business. Instead, he went right back to

Frontier airlines and begged for his job

back. He knew that there were huge risks

in doing this, and he could very well fail

miserably, but he was determined to give

it a shot either way.

At Crst they immediately turned him

away saying that there is no way that he

could possibly do the work that he used

to, but after several meetings, they Cnally

agreed to give him a test run against the

new candidates from college. If he could

do work as eAciently as them, they

would hire him back. Not only did my

grandfather guarantee them that he

would meet the task, he was even faster

and more eAcient than some of the new

rookies. If that isn’t a perfect example of

persistence and determination, I

don’t know what is.

Fast forward to my grandfather’s

next greatest venture: skiing. He

picked up skiing at the age of 40

and skied until the age of 82.

Now keep in mind that he had

gone blind 8 years before this, so

he learned the sport of skiing—

blind. This took a ton of patience

and persistence on his part to

stick with such a diAcult sport,

but I know that just the

experience of getting out there

and doing something where he

was totally in control, gave him a

sense of freedom he hadn’t

experienced in a long time.

Fast forward again to his late

seventies and early eighties. At

this point, his health was

seriously beginning to

deteriorate. He had signiCcant

hearing damage, which had

caught up with him from

working around airplane jet

engines for so long. I remember

one time, my dad and I were

driving back down to Denver with my

grandpa and grandma after a long

weekend of skiing up at Winter Park. I

was in the front passenger seat, my dad

was driving. My dad and I were discussing

the dividing lines between counties in

the area. I can’t remember the reason

why. My dad forgot where a particular

line was or something like that and he

stdo

min

ic.ne

t

A reflection by Parishioner, John Pasqua

Michael Pasqua

11

decided to ask my grandpa, who had

grown up in Colorado all his life, if he

knew where the line was. Now, my

grandpa was only sitting in the backseat

of a four door sedan, so he wasn’t that far

away, and my dad asks, “Hey dad, do you

remember where the dividing line is?” to

which my grandpa responded, “Huh,

what’s my favorite kind of wine?” You

might think this is a funny response, but

it was actually pretty scary for the other

three of us in the car, because he was

dead serious. This was a clear sign of an

issue that we had been fearing for some

time. He was already vision impaired, so

what would happen if he were to

become hearing impaired as well? How

were we supposed to communicate with

him? Thankfully, he never went fully deaf.

But from this point on, things just got

worse and worse.

Several years later, it was discovered that

!uid had been developing in his lungs

and upon x-ray they discovered that it he

had lung cancer. At this point, my

grandpa was already on dialysis because

he didn’t have fully functioning kidneys,

and they couldn’t treat the lung cancer

without taking him o: dialysis, so it

pretty much became a waiting game —

how long was it going to take the lung

cancer to do its thing, so to speak. This

was undoubtedly a very intense and

scary time for our whole family. My

grandpa essentially had only a few

months to live, and there was really

nothing we could do, but wait.

For my grandpa, this was a deCning

moment. It is one of those moments in

your life that pushes you so far that it

forces you to see your real character. He

was faced with a pretty big wall of a

challenge. He could have easily just

decided that all hope was lost, given up,

and just laid in bed all day. But that’s not

what he did, not by a long shot. He took

this challenge and pretty much said, “Ok,

if I only have about three months, let’s

make it the best damn three months that

I’ve ever had.” This sounds like a really

goofy response, but it was actually really

comforting. To see him attacking such an

intense situation with actions of such

strength really gave our family strength

and comfort.

My grandpa deCnitely did not know he

was having this e:ect on our family by

his actions. He was just acting this way

because that is how he genuinely was.

See, my grandpa was always a hard-

working, middle to lower class man his

whole life. He was raised from a very

humble, railroad working family. He was

taught right from wrong from the

beginning and that there is no such word

as “I can’t”. This was just my grandpa’s

natural attitude, whether he was aware of

it or not, and this attitude is what inspired

me to adopt a similar outlook in my own

life.

12

stdo

min

ic.ne

t

1. The annual #shorthairwecare assembly provided 1,174 inches of

hair for children su:ering with hair loss.

2. & 3. Children received their First Communion.

4. A pilgrimage was taken to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Green

Bay.

5. St. Dominic hosted a local Special Olympics team in the Parish

Athletic Facility for practice before their tournament.

6. Things got a little whacky as the students in grades K3-5

performed, “The Sometimes Wacky World of Music.”

7. The St. Dominic SMART team presented their project at the

Milwaukee School of Engineering. They had been studying

the peptide amyloid beta and its relation to Alzheimer’s

Disease and Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy.

2

3

4

5

7

Share your faith story in our next issue!

Contact Meg Picciolo at 262.781.3480 or

meg.picciolo@stdominic.net.

Newsletter Group: Julia Hansch, Peter

Murray, Meg Picciolo, , Claire Swinarski,

Angela Zuniga-Meyer

Seek Christ is published by

St. Dominic Catholic Parish

18255 W. Capitol Dr., BrookCeld WI 53045

Phone: 262.781.3480

info@stdominic.net

1

6