Batesville, Indiana

Spring 2016

St. Louis Newsletter

A Publication for Parishioners

Parents and Alumni

While the Parish is currently operating at a deficit, various

committees have been established to review all aspects of Parish

operations to uncover opportunities for growth and future sav-

ings.

Those in attendance appreciated the “State of the Parish”

presentation, and several insightful questions were asked and

answered during the program.

Scott Weekley, Business Manager

Approximately 100 parishioners attended the Finance Com-

mittee’s “State of the Parish” presentation in the Church on

Monday February 29th. Erik Tuveson led the discussion with

additional comments and information provided by Father Stan,

Scott Weekley, and Shawn Storms.

Items of discussion included the current financial status of the

Parish, school enrollment and its effects on revenues and ex-

penses, the financial benefits of fundraising (i.e. bingo, festival),

and past and future capital projects.

State of the Parish Meeting Held

Parish News

From The Faith Formation Office

2

Each spring, in our parish, an

average of 60 young people receive

the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The first preparations for this sacra-

ment begin at home by parents de-

ciding to baptize their child and

raise him or her in the Catholic

faith. Preparations continue as the

child enters school age and begins

attending St. Louis Catholic School,

St. Louis Parish Religious Educa-

tion program, or participating in a

homeschool program.

Currently, most of our students

receive Confirmation at the end of their 8th grade year. Formal

preparations begin at the end of their 7th grade year when they are

given information on choosing a sponsor. They have the entire

summer to put some thought into who they would like to choose as

their Confirmation sponsor. Sponsors must be at least 16 years

old, must be a Catholic who has received all of the Sacraments of

Initiation (Baptism, Holy Eucharist and Confirmation), must be

leading a life in harmony with the Catholic Faith, attending mass

every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, must be unbound by any

penalty of the Church, and must be someone other than the candi-

date’s parent.

Our early candidates are also given information on service

hours. Each candidate is required to complete 25 hours of unpaid

work within the parish, school, community, and home. We ask that

each candidate perform some of these service hours with his or her

sponsor. Most of our candidates take advantage of the many ser-

vice opportunities available over the summer.

Sunday mass attendance is a requirement for all Catholics. We

put a great deal of emphasis on this for our candidates preparing to

receive Confirmation. You will notice students signing a sheet on

the organ after mass from September until April each year.

Our Confirmation candidates are asked to attend Sacrament Day

in January. They are paired with a First Communion candidate and

serve as excellent role models, helping the second graders complete

activities to learn about both sacraments.

Candidates must also choose the name of a saint for their Con-

firmation name. They are required to research several saints dur-

ing the year before settling on their saint name.

After years of learning about our faith, most students are

able to pass the Faith Test. This test is usually administered in

the spring, and explores and evaluates each candidate’s knowl-

edge of Catholicism.

Father Stan also individually interviews the students. This

gives Father the opportunity to see where they are with their

faith and make sure they understand what Confirmation is all

about, as well as verify that each candidate is prepared to be

Confirmed.

Attending a retreat is another requirement. This year, we are

combining efforts with St. Theresa Benedicta, St. Mary’s in

Aurora, St. Lawrence and St. Michael’s to reach over 173 teens.

The staff at Camp Rancho Framasa will be facilitating the retreat

at St. Louis Parish on April 2nd. Our dean, Fr. Danda will cele-

brate Mass at the retreat.

Finally, each candidate is required to write a Letter of Intent

to the Archbishop. The letter expresses why they wish to be Con-

firmed, what they have learned about our faith, what their Con-

firmation name is and why they picked that Saint, who their

sponsor is and why they chose that person, and finally how they

are going to continue to practice the faith.

At the Confirmation ceremony, the parish priest must stand in

front of the Archbishop and state that each of his candidates is

prepared. Over the years, each priest has instituted a method to

insure that he can state this with confidence. Father Dennis cre-

ated the Faith Test. Father Randy wanted to see the children at

mass, thus the Mass Attendance Policy. Father Stan added the

interviews. Together, they have created a sound program for our

youth to ensure that they are ready.

What can you do to help? Please pray. Pray for our candi-

dates, that they may continue to practice their faith, viewing

Confirmation as a new beginning, not a graduation from the

Catholic Faith. Encourage them to continue to attend Sunday

mass. This is our biggest challenge. Several quit attending mass

after Confirmation. Please pray for their teachers and catechists,

that the Holy Spirit may continue to work through them as they

teach the faith, instilling the importance of attending mass. Pray

for the administration, that they may strive to keep the program

vibrant, making changes as needed to keep our teens alive in

their faith! Our youth is the future of our parish. We provide the

preparation, however, it is up to them to make it meaningful.

Prayer is the key: the key to our teens and the key to our future.

Amy Tonges

Parish News

Fr. Stan’s Book Club

Father Stan has implemented “Father Stan’s Book Club”,

which gives parishioners the opportunity to join Father in reading

and discussing selected writings. The first volume was A Severe

Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken, which was a personal account of

Vanauken’s and his wife’s journey from atheist to Catholicism.

Books were available at the office for pick-up and a timeframe

was established for finishing the book. Father led a discussion of

the book, receiving a variety of opinions and perceptions of its

story. The same discussion was held two different times during

the week to accommodate everyone’s schedule.

Several parishioners participated in the book club and are

looking forward to future selections. The next volume, planned

for April, is Quo Vadis.

Jason Evert Offers Encouragement Regarding Purity to Teens

Nationally renowned speaker and author Jason Evert arrived to an overflowing St. Louis Catholic Church in Batesville on Monday, September 14, 2015 to speak to local teens and their parents about issues they often struggle with most. Entitled “Love or Lust?” this free community event was sponsored by our parish to bring a mes-sage of hope to teens who are struggling with issues such as sexual pressure, pornography, modesty, and starting over. “This talk was appropriate for sixth through 12th graders, young adults, and parents of teens or those who are preparing for the teen years,” said coordinator Lissa Ritter. “We encouraged other nearby parishes to bring their youth groups, as well, and many of them did.” Evert has spoken to more than one million students on five con-tinents, bringing his message of hope to teens as they make deci-sions that will impact their future. He and his wife, Crystalina, are the authors of more than 10 books. “A small group of parents at St. Louis worked on this project for more than a year,” said Wende Lambert, a member of the group that planned the event. “What started out as a dream blossomed into bringing a nationally known speaker to Batesville to share his message with our entire community.” Seed money to sponsor this event came from the memorial fund for Gemma Ritter, the infant daughter of coordinator Lissa and husband Jade Ritter. Gemma passed away in 2011 from complica-tions from Trisomy 13. At that time, the Ritters committed them-selves to using that money to bring a message of hope to others regarding the sanctity of life and sexual purity. “So many people never hear about the benefits of resisting to-day’s sex-saturated culture,” Ritter said. “Through our commitment to the teachings of our church, we were able to accept the cross of our daughter’s passing with the realization of how precious the gift of life is. We wanted to be able to share the positive message of sexual purity with others.” Ritter joined with other women from the community who meet bi-weekly to read faith-inspired books. One of Evert’s books, “Raising Pure Teens,” was used to spur discussion. “After we read this book, it was clear to us that we had to do more,” said Natalie Wanstrath, who organized the women’s group and leads it, along with Lambert. “We wanted to find a way to share this message with others.” “We saw how teens in our community are struggling to deal with all of the peer pressure, and how parents are concerned about how best to guide them, “ added Denise Hillenbrand, another mem-ber of the group. “Beginning in August of 2014, we started to re-search the idea of bringing a speaker to the Batesville area.” The group contacted Evert’s representatives to schedule a talk but were told that, due to his popularity, he was booking several years in advance. So they started to explore other options. How-ever, in the spring of 2015, they got a call telling them that Evert

had a last-minute opening and could come to Batesville. The date he was available? September 14 — just one day after the birthday of young Gemma Ritter, whose passing had inspired the whole event. The amount of money that the group would have to supply to bring Evert to speak? Almost exactly the amount in the memo-rial fund. “It was uncanny, “said Ritter. “We simply believe that this was the Holy Spirit working, so Natalie started calling us ‘Team Holy Spirit.’ We were just following the Spirit’s lead.” Evert’s talk inspired teens to consider their choices and to start over if they felt they’d made bad decisions in the past. As the title of the talk suggested, “Love or Lust?” helped teens learn how to differentiate between positive and negative relationship motiva-tors. Following the talk, a Eucharistic Procession led by Fr. Jonathan Meyer from All Saints Parish was featured, as well as Exposition and Adoration, with Evert leading those in attendance in prayer. Praise and worship music was provided by Angie Myers and her group from St. Nicholas Parish, and many teens took advantage of the opportunity to go to Reconciliation.

Anne Wilson

Save the Dates!

St. Louis Parish Picnic

July 17, 2016 at the Park

St. Louis Church Festival September 18, 2016

Parish News

4

The month of Decem-

ber is a time marked with

seasonal ceremo-

nies. Regardless of cul-

ture or tradition, the

passing from one year to

the next brings with it

rituals and self-

reflection. For many in

Hispanic culture, there is

no greater tradition than the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe. On

Sunday, December 13th, 2015 parishioners of Saint Louis, Saint

Anthony, and Saint Nicholas church participated in a ceremony to

honor the Virgin.

According to Catholic tradition, the Feast day dates to the year

1525. After Mexico had been conquered by the Spanish, an Aztec

Indian who had converted to Catholicism was visited by the Virgin

Mary. She asked him to build a shrine in her name on Tepeyac Hill

in present day Mexico City. Mary commanded Juan Diego to col-

lect nearby roses and present to the bishop who did not believe

Mary appeared to him. When he presented the roses to the bishop

collected in his cloak, the flowers spilled out onto the floor and

revealed an image of Mary imprinted on the fabric of his gar-

ment. In 1999, Pope John Paul II named the Virgin of Guadalupe

the “Mother of the Americas” and later canonized Juan Diego in

2002, making him the first indigenous American saint.

The celebration began with a procession of the faithful around

the Saint Louis Church at 4:00pm singing songs in Spanish accom-

panied by guitars. A rosary was held at 4:30pm where each mys-

tery described the history of the Virgin and Juan Diego and were

recited by a parishioner from a different country. Following the

rosary, a joint Spanish-English mass was celebrated at 5:00pm. At

the beginning of the mass the Virgin as crowned and dozens of

children carried roses in their hands to bring them to the foot of

the Virgin to beautify her. The celebration concluded with a mag-

nificent Hispanic dinner and desserts. Music was played and songs

were sung in honor of La Virjen Morena.

Mayra Adams

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Celebration

Families Helping Families

I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. –

Mother Teresa

This Christmas, our Parish family along with nine other out-

side organizations were able to bless 105 families in the Bates-

ville area with Christmas gifts for 300 of their children. As I

looked through the gift requests this year, I was struck by

some of the requests parents made on behalf of their children.

Of course there were opportunities to provide toys and we all

love to imagine the smile we might bring to a child’s face as

they open a gift of a long awaited toy. I was humbled however,

at the thought this year of the many requests for shoes, socks,

and clothes from several of our families for their children.

These simple requests reminded me just how much these gifts

are truly needed. But whether they were requesting a much-

anticipated toy, or a modest piece of clothing, the families we

helped, were each given what they needed most. I am in awe

of how our parish community comes together every year, ris-

ing up to meet whatever the need. This year we partnered with

nine churches and outside organizations, who took care of the

needs of 44 families with 139 children. With this added sup-

port, we were able to not only take care of the needs of the

children in each family, providing 2 gifts per child, we were

also able to bless each family with a local gift card to Kroger or

Shopko. By taking care of each other, I truly believe we can

create the ripples of kindness that will continue to work for

good in the world. In fact, this year, a family that was helped

the previous Christmas by the Families Helping Families pro-

gram, came back not for help this time, but to “pay forward”

what had been a tremendous blessing to them during a hard

time the previous year. This family that had been blessed by

our church community, reached out to ask how they could help

someone like them, who had fallen on hard times. This one

story reminds me that we may never know how one kind act

towards another, works to inspire the good of the whole world.

May we continue to be good stewards of our blessings and be

the ripples of kindness in the world.

Amy Watson

We Could Use Your Help! If you have suggestions, or would like to assist with

this newsletter, please contact Margie Walke at

812-934-3418 or e-mail marwalke@etczone.com.

We welcome your input, and would love to have

additional staff members!

Parish News

5

Other ways to help include volunteering for a Haiti trip if

you feel called to go, supporting our St. Louis Haiti fundrais-

ers, supporting the St. Anthony soup supper/silent auction in

October, donating directly in the collection basket or to the

parish office at 13 St. Louis Place. Checks should be made to

St. Louis Haiti Ministry. 100% of the donation will go to the

people of Haiti. We also greatly need your prayers for the

wonderful people of Gandou.

For more information go to www.gandouministry.com

(watch the brief video) or contact Susan Roell at

d4bears@etczone.com.

The St. Louis Haiti Ministry

A very special “thank you”

to Rose Eckstein and Ruth

Billman for sewing the new

covers for our statues and

images in church. They

spent many hours giving

their time and talent to our

parish. Traditionally, veils

are placed on all crosses and

images before the Fifth Sun-

day of Lent to help remind

us to focus on the passion

and death of Christ. Thank

you for helping to enhance

our Lenten observance.

Haiti Ministry

A few months ago, with the support of Fr. Stan and the parish

council, St. Louis parish joined forces with St. Anthony parish to

adopt a sister parish in Gandou, Haiti—St. Francis Xavier.

For ten years, St. Anthony has been assisting the 10,000 peo-

ple in this remote area by sending medical/dental teams twice a

year, as well as initiating several other programs there. The ef-

fort is well established and extremely well organized and effec-

tive. Visiting teams have identified needs which can’t yet be ade-

quately addressed because of lack of funding however.

A St. Louis Haiti Ministry team was formed to enlist the sup-

port of our own parish in this effort and we have been working

closely with the St. Anthony group. St. Louis had previously sup-

ported a twin parish in Jamaica, but our contacts there had to

leave the area. We are hoping parishioners will again show their

generosity to the poor by helping the people of Gandou.

The twice-yearly medical mission provides care for many ill-

nesses, but also identifies problems that can’t be treated yet

without more funding. These include dense cataracts, large her-

nias, tumors, clubfoot and many others. Recently the team re-

turned with a Haitian child to undergo surgery for burns at

Shriner’s Hospital in Cincinnati, but most of the surgeries can be

done in Haiti.

Other projects in Gandou include a poor families project to

provide funds for families in desparate need, a clean water pro-

ject, a school sponsorship program which covers expenses of

attending school and receiving lunch there, a home building pro-

gram, a malnutrition program and a hypertension program run

by health care workers in our absence (workers paid by the Haiti

mission), as well as a home building program and a goat project.

At St. Louis we plan to direct much of our effort to support of

the school there, since education will be so important to improv-

ing conditions on the long term. Parishioners have already spon-

sored many students at a cost of $135 to pay expenses and pro-

vide lunch for a school year. We are hoping that each grade at St.

Louis will support one student and will be able to learn about

and possibly even Skype with him or her. We also hope to sup-

port the poor families program and the huge needs of the medi-

cal and other programs.

St. Louis parishioners have already contributed peanut butter,

toothbrushes and toothpaste. Many parishioners chose to have

donations made to the Haiti ministry in place of a Christmas gift

this year, and we received $7700 through their generosity.

Parishioners in the Spotlight

Congratulations!

Our Pastor, Fr. Stan; school secretary, Kathy Forbeck;

and our weekly Bingo were voted the “Best in Ripley and

Franklin Counties,” by the Herald Tribune Best of the Best

Reader’s Choice for 2015! Thank you to all who voted!

Announcements Parish News

6

BAPTISMS

Aunalee Rose , daughter of Kimberly Williams

Ella Elizabeth, daughter of James & Jeannine (Bosse) Harrah

Alexander Carl, grandson of Randall & Marian Roth

Corissa Eden, granddaughter of Randall & Marian Roth

Olivia Kathleen, daughter of Marcus & Ann (Schwering) Bedel

Makynze Marie, daughter of Donald & Cheryl (Ryker) Borgman

Henry Charles, son of Jacob & Kayla (Richter) Eckstein

Piper Elliott, daughter of Daniel & Dorothy (Legler) Fasbinder

Quinn Emaline, daughter of Christopher Heil & Brittany Parmer

Grace Therese, daughter of Benjamin & Joan (Lipps) Huber

Harper DeLeon, son of Keith & Erica (Bayoneto) Armstrong

Harlan Ernest, son of Keith & Erica (Bayoneto) Armstrong

Magdalena Francoise, daughter of Romain & Trisha (Kurtz) Candelot

Levi Walker, son of Dustin & Stephanie (Beetz) Blanken

In Memoriam

Mary H. Hillenbrand 8/11/15 James L. Nobbe 8/17/15

Timothy W. Fullenkamp 9/7/15 Lawrence M. Bedel 9/7/15

Harry C. Volz 9/28/15 Sylvia M. Fuentes 9/29/15

Margaret C. Kidwell 10/10/15 Leona M. Moeller 10/16/15 James E. Decker 9/30/15

Ethel M. Seevers 10/20/15 Alyssa M. Heppner 10/24/15 William H. Stein, Sr. 11/8/15

Joellen Dietz 11/17/15 Dennis A. Prickel 12/17/15

Timothy J. Wolljung 8/22/15 Kathleen A. Kurtz 12/24/15

John E. Doll 1/7/16 Gilbert F. Fluegeman 1/25/16 Martha J. Hammerle 2/1/16 Beverly G. Schebler 2/1/16

Allen W. Irrgang 2/2/16 Jo Goldsmith 3/3/16

St. Louis Parish &

School Calendar

Apr. 17—Confirmation

May 1—First Communion

May 25—8th Grade Graduation

May 26—Last Day of School

Jun. 3-5—St. Louis Rummage Sale

Jun. 13-17—Camp Invention

Jun. 20-24—Vacation Bible Camp

July 17—Parish Picnic at Park

Sept. 18—St. Louis Parish Festival

Check Websites for more

information.

Saturday, October 3, went

to the dogs, and cats, and

whatever other family pet

was brought to receive the

blessing of St. Francis. With

assistance from Mayra Ad-

ams, and under the watchful

eye of faithful friend, Oliver,

Father Stan blessed all in

attendance.

Feast of St. Francis Pet Blessing

40 Days for Life

On Saturday October 17, about 30 parishioners from St. Louis Parish prayed at the

Planned Parenthood Clinic in Cincinnati as part of the 40 Days for Life Fall Cam-

paign. 40 Days for Life is a peaceful, prayerful protest at abortion clinics throughout

the world. There are 3 components to the 40 Days for Life campaign-prayer and fast-

ing, community outreach and peaceful vigil. For several years, St. Louis has adopted

a day in the spring and fall campaigns to be part of the peaceful vigil.

This particular Planned Parenthood Clinic was under siege at the time and had been

cited for illegal practices. Also, videos had recently been released from the Center for

Medical Progress about Planned Parenthood's many questionable practices. Prayer

and fasting are what is needed to help close abortion clinics in Cincinnati and

throughout the country.

Maureen Harpring

School News From the Desk of the Principal

Top Ranking 10

Straight Years

In 2015, the State of Indiana rated

St. Louis School an “A” school for

tenth straight year. SLS is the only

school in Southeastern Indiana to

earn this designation every year.

Office Gets a Makeover

This summer, thanks to the rum-

mage sale proceeds, the school office is getting a make-

over. Please stop by in August to see the changes.

SLS Alumni Make Us Proud

Three local students received a Commendable Honor on the Na-

tion Merit Scholar program. 1.5 million students take the test --

15,000 get this honor --top 5% in the nation. All three were stu-

dents who graduated from St. Louis! Congratulation Sarah Meer

(BHS), Molly Weigel (BHS), and Matt Moorman (OA).

Three of the five Moody Mega Math Challenge students selected

to represent OA this year are SLS alumni: Decker Horninger,

Elizabeth Miller, Josie Wesseler. This is a two day long math

challenge where the students have 12 hours on a Saturday and

Sunday to complete the competition. Each team has the chance

to win up to $150,000 in scholarships to be split between the

students. We will let you know how they do.

At least three of the five Lily Foundation finalists for Ripley and

Franklin County are SLS alumni. This is a great testament to our

school because they look for bright well-rounded servants of the

community when they select finalists. Names are not released

for publicity until after a winner is chosen.

Speech Team Results

Our 5th and 6th grade Speech Team won the Deanery Competi-

tion for the 9th time in 10 years. We were the only school with

every participant earning a blue ribbon. Congratulations to

Alyssa Wanstrath for receiving the serious category trophy. Our

team participants by category: Humorous: Olivia Freeland,

Sophie Hirt, and Cayden Pohlman Serious: Olivia Raab, Evelyn

Storms, and Alyssa Wanstrath Duets: Spencer Mack and Benja-

min Moster, Mary Hunter and Madeline

Schrand Congratulations to the team on a successful year!

Nicki Retires

Nicki Wuestefeld announced that she will be retiring in

April. Nicki has been the executive assistant at SLS or 14

years. We would like to thank her for her dedication to our stu-

dents, staff, and parents. She will be missed. We hope she en-

joys some well-deserved time off.

Chad Moeller The PTO has and a very successful first semester! We kicked

off the year with our annual Trash Bag fundraiser. It is through

this and other fundraisers that we are able to provide so many

additional benefits for our students and teachers at St. Louis.

We began the school year by giving pencil bags and some basic

school supplies to our classes. We held a fun Halloween party

for K-3 in October. December brought Christmas ornaments for

all teachers and students. The PTO also sponsored field trips

for many of the grades this semester.

Finally, we would like to say "Thank you" to all the volunteers

who have made our fundraisers and events a huge success -

we couldn't do it without them!

7

PTO Update

Called 2 Serve

A group from The Youth Ministry spent much of October 31

assisting parishioners with various tasks, including yard work.

Here they spent a few hours raking leaves. But they also enjoyed

jumping in the pile that resulted!

8

St. Louis Catholic Church 13 St. Louis Place

Batesville, IN 47006 812-934-3204

Address Service Requested

Mass Schedule Weekend: Saturday 5:00 pm;

Sunday 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 am

Weekday: Tuesday 6:00pm; Wednesday-Friday 8:10 am

Prayer & Devotion Rosary & Holy Hour: First Sunday at 7:00 pm.

St. Louis Church and School Websites

Check the St. Louis Church website at www.stlouis-

batesville.org for weekly bulletins, mass schedules, parish

calendar and school links. At the School website,

www.st.louisschool.org, there is information on the PTO,

school calendar, staff and staff web pages for homework and

other school related information.

Adoration Chapel Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

A weekend celebration was

held October 23-25 to gratefully

acknowledge the 10th anniver-

sary of our Perpetual Eucharis-

tic Adoration Chapel. The

weekend activities were planned

by a committee consisting of

Janice Werner, Sunny Calvert,

and Christy Moenter. They in-

cluded expressions of solemn

devotion, and also fellowship.

The weekend began with a

Friday night presentation on

Eucharistic Miracles. After a 9:00 a.m. Mass on Saturday

morning, there was solemn exposition of the Holy Eucharist.

In the afternoon, the Blessed Sacrament was repositioned from

the Adoration Chapel to the main church. Exposition and ado-

ration of the Eucharist continued on Sunday from noon until

4:00 p.m. The Eucharist was then processed around the

grounds of the church and returned to the Adoration Chapel

where Father Stan placed it on the altar.

After the closing celebration rite was complete, a potluck

dinner was served in the school cafeteria, organized by the

Parish Life Committee. The cafeteria was beautifully deco-

rated for the occasion by Amy Lesneski.

There are a few hours for adoration that need to be filled;

they are being filled temporarily by volunteers. The hour is a

peaceful, contemplative time that “…restoreth my soul.” For

more information, call Christy Moenter at 932-1789.