ddiioocceesseeTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2012 THE CATHOLIC GLOBE � 7

BISHOPHEELAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLPRESIDENT

www.bishopheelan.org/jobs.cfmBishop Heelan Catholic School System a PK-12 grade school systemwith 1,600 students is conducting a search for the position ofPresident for the 2013-2014 school year. The successful candidatemust lead the religious and academic mission of the Bishop HeelanCatholic School System. A demonstrated commitment to theCatholic schools and a regular witness to the faith in his/her parishcommunity are important. The individual must have passion foracademic excellence and proven ability to enhance strong academicand faith formation programs. The President is expected to developand sustain relationships with pastors as well as school and laycommunity members. In conjunction with the Board of Education,the President oversees the budgetary process and financialadvancement of the schools.

Qualifications:1. Practicing Catholic in good standing with the Catholic Church.2. At least five years of experience in teaching, administrative, andsupervisory experience at the PK-12 level or equivalent experiencein business or professional settings.3. Superintendent certificate from an accredited university preferred.4. Anticipated start date of July 1, 2013.

To apply send a cover letter, resumé, copy of college transcripts,copy of administrative licenses (if applicable) and three letters of

recommendation to:

Dan Ryan, Superintendent of Schools at staciat@scdiocese.orgThis position will remain open until filled and compensation is

commensurate with experience.Application Deadline: January 15, 2013

Under the big top, traditional valuesthrive, are shared, pope says

Pope recognizes work of chaplains who minister to those on the moveBByy RREENNEEEE WWEEBBBBGGlloobbee eeddiittoorr

For over 43 years, a priest of the Diocese of SiouxCity has ministered to carnival workers and othershow people.“All of us do this ministry because it’s God’s work,”

said Father John Vakulskas, pastor at St. Andrew Parishin Sibley and St. Mary Parish in Ashton. “These areGod’s children. They are people on the move and I feelcalled to serve them as well as my parishes.”The priest, who now serves as the

national director for the pastoral care of car-nival people, has been able to go to Rometwice for private audiences with the pope.The first time was when Father Vakulskasand other chaplains were recognized for thisministry by Pope John Paul II during theJubilee Year and just recently the Iowa priestmade a pilgrimage to Rome with travelingshow people on the occasion of the Year ofFaith.The invitation for the recent visit came

from Cardinal Antonia Veglio, president ofthe Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Careof Migrants and Itinerant People, on behalf of PopeBenedict.“The audience with the Holy Father offers the

church an opportunity to revive the commitment of theChristian community, including all ecclesial groups, tothe benefit of these people and, at the same time, givewitness to the church’s concern for them,” wrote the car-dinal in a letter to Father Vakulskas. The Iowa priest was one of 20 priest chaplains to take

part in the event. These chaplains serve “people on themove” and range from those who minister to or at carni-vals, airports, racetracks, truckstops and to migrantworkers. Priests came from Italy, Germany, France,Belgium, Portugal and Luxemburg among other areas.Father Phil DeRea from Auroa, Ill., who is an auto rac-ing chaplain, was among the attendees.

Mass at St. Peter’sA 5 p.m. Mass Nov. 30 at St. Peter’s Basilica, celebrat-

ed by Cardinal Veglio, opened the official visit to theVatican. Father Vakulskas was among the nearly 20 priestconcelebrants.“Cardinal Veglio gave a very inspiring message related

to the Feast of St. Andrew,” noted Father Vakulskas. “St.Andrew was an apostle that really went out to spread thegood news of the Gospel. He went and reached out toeveryone in need. Cardinal Veglio said we had to reachout to everybody and that includes people on the movebecause they are a generation of people who we tend to

overlook.”Given his work in the carnival ministry and as pastor

of St. Andrew, the Iowa priest found great meaning inthe message.Later that night, they enjoyed an evening on the

Piazza del Popolo where there was a festival with artisticperformances and music. As part of the trip to Rome, the priest was able to

invite others to take part in the pilgrimagewith him. His sister from Sioux City andseven parishioners made the trip. Two fromthe carnival business were slated to go onthe trip but medical problems prevented it.The Iowa contingency met with the

thousands of others on the morning of Dec.1 for a parade from Castel Sant’Angelo to St.Peter’s Square. They then went to Paul VIHall for an audience with the pope.Father Vakulskas noted that Dec. 1 also

happened to be his mother’s 90th birthday“so before I left I told her she was beingupstaged by the pope.”Among the Iowa contingency were Dick

and Connie Mataloni, parishioners atSibley St. Andrew’s, and their daughters.Dick pointed out that in the time the priest has been

his pastor they have become friends and about a year agoFather Vakulskas asked if he wanted to accompany himon a carnival ministry trip.“I got to see what Father does with the carnival min-

istry. I was very overwhelmed by it,” Dick noted. “Wehad daily Mass and I served for him. There would be 100to 200 people attending daily Mass. It was an awesomeexperience.”He witnessed first-hand how the ministry was so

appreciated and how they went out of their way tothank him for caring.

Audience with pope“Consequently, when Father received the invitation

to have this papal audience he asked if Connie, I and thegirls would like to go. We just couldn’t refuse,” said Dick,who noted that the audience with the pope was a high-light. “It was an awe-inspiring trip, very spirituallyrewarding and entertaining.”

Father Vakulskas said he and the other chaplainswere affirmed by the pope. “The pope thanked us for the good work we are

doing and told us to keep up the good work,” he noted.“He let us know that he appreciated that spiritual out-reach.”He noted that the Matalonis daughter, Angela, was

among those selected to greet the pope directly.Angela Mataloni, a former parishioner of St.

Andrew’s who now teaches in Des Moines, said partici-pating in the delegation with Father Vakulskas was aonce-in-a-lifetime opportunity that her family had totake. “I knew it would be a journey that would enhance

my faith tremendously. Little did I know, this journeywould literally put me hand in hand with Pope BenedictXVI. Being chosen from our group to individually greetthe pope was such a blessing,” she said. “For whateverreason, I had my students at Saint Francis of AssisiSchool in West Des Moines write personal prayers toPope Benedict XVI prior to my departure. The popeactually read the first one when I presented him with theprayers. He looked me in the eyes the entire time andhad the softest hands to hold.” When she returned to school and shared her faith

journey with her students, a few kids came up to herafter class to ask which day she gave the pope theirprayers and letters. When she told them Saturday, onestudent said, “My prayers were for my grandma who has

BByy CCIINNDDYY WWOOOODDEENNCCaatthhoolliicc NNeewwss SSeerrvviiccee

VATICAN CITY – Circuses, street musicians, clowns, magiciansand other itinerant performers not only bring people joy, but their tra-ditional lifestyle is an example of hard work, sacrifice, strong familiesand real respect between people of different generations, PopeBenedict XVI said.“You are called to give witness to the values that are part of your tra-

dition: love for the family, tenderness toward children, attention tothose with disabilities, care for the sick and the valuing of the aged withtheir wealth of experience,” the pope told an estimated 8,000 perform-ers and carnival workers.The Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers sponsored a

“people of the traveling show” pilgrimage to the Vatican as part of itsYear of Faith activities. The pilgrimage participants, who came from 15countries, met the pope Dec. 1 after parading down the main boulevardleading to St. Peter’s Square and watching a short performance by jug-glers, clowns and acrobats in the Vatican audience hall.The pope personally greeted several of the performers and fluffed

the furry coat of a lion cub. A clown gave him a Nativity scene set undera circus tent.“The happiness of your performances, the joy of playfulness, the

grace of your choreography (and) the rhythm of music are immediatemeans of communication for entering into dialogue with young andold, giving rise to feelings of serenity, joy and camaraderie,” the popesaid.Pope Benedict said the values and sacrifices that itinerant perform-

ers traditionally have embodied – including courage, generosity and afocus on the needs of the family – “are not always appreciated in mod-ern society,” but they have molded generations of circus workers.He urged the performers to hold tight to their values and to their

faith, sharing their hope and encouragement with new generations ofspectators and would-be performers.

Father Vakulskas

The delegation for this ministry received scarvesas a remembrance of the occasion. SSEEEE RROOMMEE ––-- PPAAGGEE 88

Angela Mataloni, a native of Sibley, hands Pope Benedict XVI let-ters from her students.

LEFT: Pope Benedict XVI watches circus artistsduring an audience with circus performers andbands in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Dec. 1. (CNSphoto/Paul Haring)

ABOVE: Pope Benedict XVI pets a lion cub dur-ing an audience with circus performers andmusic bands (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

8 � THE CATHOLIC GLOBE ddiioocceessee THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2012

Catholic radio expands to Storm Lake area BByy MMIICCHHEELLLLEE DDEELLAANNEEYYGGlloobbee ssttaaffff rreeppoorrtteerr

Years ago, John Fitzsimmons remembers listening toCatholic programming on Sirius radio and hearing people callin to share how their faith had been refreshed, renewed orreturned because of the station’s message.“I was thinking, when are these stories going to become

our stories,” said Fitzsimmons, president of the St. GabrielCommunications, Ltd., board.Fitzsimmons’ dream became a reality when

KFHC hit the airwaves in February of 2008. Fornearly five years, KFHC has been offering anuplifting and educational Catholic radio stationto the people of Siouxland. The station’s signalreaches approximately 60 miles around SiouxCity. When KFHC first went on air, Fitzsimmons

noted, Bishop Walker Nickless expressed hisdesire for the station to reach farther and coverthe entire diocese. St. Gabriel Communications is one-step closer to fulfilling

that goal by announcing the opening of a new station, KOIA.The new station is on the same frequency, 88.1 and it willcover Storm Lake and the surrounding areas.

Putting it together In early 2011 an opportunity arose that would allow St.

Gabriel Communications to expand their radio station and itjust happened to have the same frequency as KFHC, 88.1. “We just kind of took that as a sign that this is something

we need to pursue,” said Fitzsimmons. After looking into the opportunity, they learned they

would need to be on the air by early November to secure thelicense for the station. Knowing how much work is neededto start a new station and how it took just under 10 years toget KFHC on the air, the deadline seemed daunting. “It started off as a pipe dream,” he explained. “We didn’t

know if it was feasible but we kind of moved ahead with faithand, remarkably, it worked out.”One big problem they thought they were going to have to

face was having to build a tower. Luckily, their engineersfound a television tower that wasn’t being used anymore andwas already approved by the Federal CommunicationsCommission (FCC) and the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA). Because attaining the FCC and FAA’s approval takesso much time, finding the tower was a huge relief.After buying the tower, the next step in getting the station

up and running was to get a transmitter for it. The transmit-

ter, he explained, has to be built the right size for the area andthe antennas need to be built in order to fit the terrain. “All of those things take time, we had to have the equip-

ment done right, sent to us, installed and ready to go byNovember. Things just fell into place, pretty much with notime to spare,” said Fitzsimmons. In addition to all of the technical needs, support from the

Storm Lake community was necessary. Fitzsimmons notedthat Tim Brown from Central Bank and TomFitzpatrick from Fitzpatrick Auto-Truck Centerwere very significant in that aspect. KOIA’s airwaves stretch about a 30-mile

radius from Storm Lake. “You can drive east from Sioux City, not

touch the radio and not even notice that you’vemoved on from one tower (KFHC) to the next(KOIA),” said Fitzsimmons. He noted that, often, the signal can go farther

than they realize so they are asking people to letthem know how far it really reaches.

Up and runningKOIA hit the airwaves at noon on Nov. 19 and already

people have called in to give their feedback on the new sta-tion. “It’s already having its effect,” said Fitzsimmons. “It’s

been our dream to be able to provide this source of evange-lization for the diocese.”The mission of KFHC and KOIA is to broadcast a mes-

sage that adheres to the Gospels, Beatitudes, the tradition ofthe Roman Catholic Church and the pathways of theMagisterium every day. KOIA will continue with the mis-sion of providing a Catholic-centered broadcast, and it will beable to create a sense of local ownership to the Storm Lakearea. Fitzsimmons shared that in the near future, they hope to

add local shows, news, sports and weather to the Storm Lakestation. Martha Hawthorne, producer and outside promotions

manager for St. Gabriel Communications, shared how theexpansion in Storm Lake has allowed Catholic radio andmany different Catholic organizations to come together inthe community.“It‘s such a great gift and I pray that everyone in that area

who can receive our signal will take advantage of it. I hope itsparks everyone’s interest because it is such a great tool for ourCatholic faith,” said Hawthorne.

National Night of Prayer for LifeMary Lou and Terry O’Gorman lead the rosary during the National Night of Prayer inthe chapel at Trinity Heights in Sioux City on Dec. 8. St. Joseph Church in Wesleyalso held a prayer service that evening. They joined their prayers with othersthroughout the entire country. (Globe photo by Renee Webb)

Local widows draw on faith, each otherBByy MMIICCHHEELLLLEE DDEELLAANNEEYY GGlloobbee ssttaaffff rreeppoorrtteerr

It’s never easy to lose a loved one, espe-cially when that person is a husband. Several widows from Holy Trinity Parish

in Fort Dodge and parishes in Sioux Cityhave come together to support each otherthrough the grief and pain of losing theirpartner.

Widows Walking with JesusCarol Barber, a Holy Trinity Parish mem-

ber, recently went through the pain of losingher husband on March 17. Barber knew thehurt that she was going through and knew

there were a lot ofother widows who areexperiencing the samestruggle. When Barber’s

husband, Ray, passedaway unexpectedly,she knew that shecouldn’t stay at homeall the time becausethat would only leadto depression. She

knew she had to do something and thoughtthe other widows of the parish probably feltthe same way, too. “The Holy Spirit must have just let me

know what I was supposed to do,” remem-bered Barber. “I didn’t even think about it,I was talking to Sister Trudy on the phoneand it just poured out of me that I wanted tostart a widows group.”The group, called Widows Walking with

Jesus, had its first meeting in May and hasbeen going strong ever since. Each meeting,they average about 12 women in attendance. “There are ladies in this group who lost

their husband a month ago and there aresome that lost him 20 years ago. They’re stillexperiencing a lot of the same things. Noone should be alone in that,” said Barber. The group meets the first Tuesday of

every month at 5:30 p.m. in the dining roomat the Corpus Christy Center and they meetthe fourth Wednesday of every month for a

meal at Village Inn. In addition to the planned meetings, they

discuss upcoming events and activities theymight like to attend. They have beenknown to check out plays at the communitytheater, musicals at the college, concerts andeven exercise classes together. Barber said that not everyone can make it

to the events but they try to let everyoneknow of possible outings. In addition toplanning get-togethers during the week,they make sure that everyone has somethingto do for holidays so they are not alone. For New Years, they are already planning

a pizza and movie outing. In addition to going out together, the

Widows Walking with Jesus spend timepraying together and learning about wid-owed saints.“Learning from the widowed saints, we

see, after their husbands died, all of the workthey did for the church and how theyreached out to others. That’s what we arewanting to be doing,” said Barber. Barber went on to explain how her voca-

tion as a wife has ended and now, as she seesit, it is her vocation to reach out to othersand do what she can within the church. Thegroup has already come together to cook achili supper for the men’s homeless shelterin Fort Dodge. Another way this group supports each

other is by making sure the women aren’talone during emotionally tough days, liketheir anniversary date and the day their hus-bands died. “We’re a very caring, loving group,” said

Barber. “We know how difficult it is to gothrough all the grieving and tears. Keepingbusy and having the church there as a familyis really important.”

Walk with Me JesusIn Sioux City, a similar widows group

recently started. Walk with Me Jesus firstbegan when Beth Noel, a Sacred HeartChurch of Sioux City parishioner, was lis-tening to KFHC’s broadcast of “Women of

FFRROOMM PPAAGGEE 77

heart trouble. On Saturday she beganimproving and isn’t going to have surgeryanymore.” Another student said, “Myprayers were for my grandpa who was in theICU. On Saturday, his health started toimprove and he’s been improving ever since.”Her sister, Rebecca Mataloni, noted thatwhen she heard of the possibility of going toRome she knew she wanted to go because sherealized she would never have this opportuni-ty again. “Being able to see the leader of the Catholic

Church, Pope Benedict XVI, was such anhonor and it would have been my biggestregret to not take the trip,” she said. “It wasalso nice to support my priest in this way sincemany people do not realize the work thatFather Vakulskas does for carnival ministry.”Although she was envious at first of her sis-

ter being selected to greet the people, Rebeccasaid, it brought her to tears to see her sister onthe stage having a conversation with the pope.

“What an amazing experience! This tripwas also a faith pilgrimage for me, so I enjoyedstarting each day at the Vatican and St. Peter’s.My family also visited ‘The Holy Stairs,’which are the original stairs that Jesus walkedup to see Pontius Pilate. The only way youcan ascend the stairs is on your knees and I saidthe rosary while doing so, which was very spir-itually overwhelming,” she said. In all they spent about five days in Rome,

touring the various sites.Father Vakulskas said one of the main

focuses of the Year of Faith is evangelizationand ministering to those on the go can helpmeet this directive.He pointed out that he became involved in

the ministry on July 4, 1969, when he wascalled to the Plymouth County Fairgroundsto minister to the owner of the carnival thatwas in town. At the time, the priest was serv-ing as an assistant pastor at St. Joseph Churchin Le Mars. As a young priest it was clear how vital this

ministry was and thus his work in this area hascontinued.

Carol Barber Rome

Community responds toKFHC pledge driveBByy MMIICCHHEELLLLEE DDEELLAANNEEYYGGlloobbee ssttaaffff rreeppoorrtteerr

Siouxland’s Catholic radio station, KFHC, recentlywrapped up another pledge drive. The campaign’sintent was to raise funds to support the station in orderto keep things running smoothly. Money raised from the three-day drive accounts for

the single largest source of income for the radio station. “The community response has been amazing,” said

Martha Hawthorne, producer and outside promotionsmanager. “We’ve had people from places throughoutthe country who have responded to our pledge driveplea.”Each pledge drive hosted by KFHC requires a lot of

planning and coordinating. Extra hands are needed tokeep the drive running smoothly. Hawthorne wasastounded by the amount of volunteers willing tocome in to help answer phones, speak on air and greetguests.“It was quite amazing to see everyone come togeth-

er and help with the pledge drive not just from SiouxCity, but throughout Siouxland. We had some volun-teers drive all the way down from Le Mars,” she said. Hawthorne explained that the drive met and even

surpassed their goal. She noted that everyone whohelped with the campaign had a great time and theresponse from the community through volunteeringand donating money was remarkable. KFHC offers an evangelization tool that is unique,

she explained. People can hear the Catholic message athome, in the car and even online. Even if people arenot within reach of the station’s airwaves, they can hearthe stations programming online atwww.fhcradio.com.“It’s so easy to access us,” said Hawthorne. “We can

help open the door to faith for many and our program-ming helps light the faith candle. The impact this sta-tion has had is very humbling.”People still wishing to make a pledge to the station

can call (712) 224-5342, email angels@fhcradio.com, orvisit the website, www.fhcradio.com.

SSEEEE WWIIDDOOWWSS -- PPAAGGEE 2200