Parish Ministries
Parish Council
The Parish Council was established sometime before 1980. The council acts as an advisory board to help the pastor gather information needed to make the decisions for the welfare of the parish. Officers served a two-year term. To maintain continuity, three members were replaced the odd years, and four members were replaced in the even years.
From council minutes of July 15, 1980:
There are ten members: Leon Amos, Bernie Coons, Vernon Hattemer, Bob Keefe, Mike Recktenwald, Carolyn Schraffenberger, Lorena Stemm, Steve Tarter, Fr. John Eckert, Fr. Kendrick Williams and Mary French as secretary. The council consists of co-chairmen, Leon Amos and Vernon Hattemer, who alternate as chairman at meetings. There are four committees: Service, headed by Steve Tarter; Worship, headed by Lorena Stemm; Formation (no leader yet); Administration, headed by Mike Recktenwald and assisted by Bernie Coons. Carolyn Schraffenberger is the youth representative.
Mary French continued to as secretary until the end of 1982, when Ann Recktenwald took the position until suffering a stroke in 1991. Sr. Mary Naomi Buniff, R.S.M., then took minutes until June of 2003.
With the arrival of Deacon William Klump in 1996, the Finance Committee was established as required by Canon Law. Its members included Deacon Klump, Cecilia Cassady, Mary French, James McIntyre, Jerry Popson and JoAnn Recktenwald. Its meetings were held monthly.
In September 2005 council members were Deacon Bill Klump, William Werst, Dennis Cassady, Charles Frick, Jerry Recktenwald, Linda Williamson, Regina Herron, Tom Knopf and Delores McBride. Finance committee members were Deacon Bill Klump, Judy Werst, Cecilia Cassady, Joann Recktenwald and Mary French. At that monthly meeting member shared their dreams for the future of Our Lady:
· Encourage its young people to return to Mass.
· Take advantage of its position as one of the oldest parishes in the Archdiocese, and develop a display of some of the church’s artifacts.
· Invite our neighbors to Our Lady, particularly African-Americans in the neighborhood.
· Work with local leaders in their efforts to revitalize Portland and ensure that Our Lady is a part of those efforts.
Booster Club
The Men’s Club was organized “to do everything possible to increase the spirit of fraternal charity and to promote recreation for members of the club and to cooperate with the pastor in all endeavors pertaining to the welfare of the parish.” Since 1964, membership slowly declined. In March, 1999, the club expanded to include women and changed its name to the Booster Club. Its meetings were held on the last Monday of the month.
For a parish to survive, it needs not only spiritual opportunities to grow in faith, but events to raise funds to support itself beyond the means of its parishioners. The Booster Club conducts a monthly drawing to pay utility bills. The original 50-50 drawing was changed from a $599 payoff at $1.00 per chance to a payoff of $1000 at $5 per chance with only 400 tickets allotted for sale.
Over the years, the creativity of parishioners led to several successful fund-raising events that are now held annually: Winterfest in February, Fish Frys during Lent, Spring Festival in May, Chicken Dinner in September, October Fest and even a chili cook-off followed by karaoke. These events not only provide additional funds for improvements and maintenance, but also serve to bring family and friends together.
Booster Club Chili Cook-Off - Portland Anchor March 2003
Our Lady’s Ladies Club
The Ladies Club met on the first Thursday of each month. They served the needs of the altar and sanctuary, just as members of the previous Altar Society. To fill those needs, the ladies hosted regular bake sales after weekend Masses. New ideas emerged over time, such as the selling of home-made patriotic pins and the raffling of a kitted throw designed by Vivian Saettel. Members participated in the 5pm Mass on their meeting night four times per year, and enjoy a light supper prepared by those who volunteered that month.
Ladies Club with Fr. Reilly, Sr. Mary Naomi & Sr. Mary Nicholas - May 1996
Ladies Club members - Spring Festival 2003
St. Vincent De Paul Society
Over the many years of its history in the parish, the St. Vincent de Paul Society endured sporadic life, but the organization remains true to its original intent: to assist the poor in need. Unfortunately, the Society must also employ prudence to ensure that those who call upon it for assistance are truly in need.
Bishop Henry J. Soenneker, former bishop of the Owensboro Diocese, once stated that he wished for every parish to have a Legion of Mary and a conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He knew that the spiritual and corporal works of mercy would be cared for in this way.
Faithful members of the organization over the past 25 years include Mike Recktenwald, Leon Amos and Jim Doolan. Once women were accepted into the Society, Betty Doolan, Sr. Teresa Anne Kelemen, C.D.P., Regenia Herron and Delores (Sug) McBride attended meetings with Deacon William Klump and Fr. Reilly.
In addition to direct gifts, the society is funded by donations to the Poor Boxes in the rear of the sanctuary. As noted in the bulletin:
Our Poor Boxes are still with us - and so are the needs. We are trying to put the Gospel into action. We are grateful to be of service to families this April 2005. We assisted 13 families with utilities, 10 families with boxes of food, and one person with obtaining medicine.
In 2007 the society assisted a total of 102 families with utilities, 25 families with food, 8 families with prescription medicine. It also referred 149 families to different agencies for furniture, appliances and housewares.
Legion of Mary
“The object of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through the holiness of its members developed by prayer and active cooperation, under ecclesiastical guidance, in Mary’s and the Church’s work of crushing the head of the serpent and advancing the reign of Christ.” (Legion of Mary handbook p11)
In 1978, Sr. Mary Naomi Buniff, R.S.M., was instrumental in starting a Legion in a parish in Owensboro. After arriving at Our Lady, she asked Fr. Reilly to start a group at the parish. With the assistance of Margot Starr and Agnes Greenwell from St. Francis of Assisi Church, the first meeting of Our Lady of the Rosary Praesidium took place at 2pm, October 9, 1991 at the home of Margaret Thompson. The meeting opened with prayers, a Rosary led by Mrs. Agnes Greenwell and a spiritual reading from the Legion’s handbook, ‘Object and Spirit of the Legion,’ was read by Sr. Buniff.
Its founding members were Samuel McKinsey, Evelyn Bondie, Irene Cowles and Margaret Thompson. Meetings were held on Wednesday afternoons at the home of Ms. Thompson until May 13, 1991 when they moved to Lehmann Hall. On July 8, the time for meeting was changed to Thursday evenings at 7pm except when the Ladies Club meets.
By the end of the first year, the Legion accomplished the following apostolic works:
1. Recruited new members, both active and auxiliary.
2. Visited and checking on the ill and homebound in the parish.
3. Visited the hospital, especially heart patients.
4. Assisted with instructions in the Catholic Faith.
5. Approached families about having an enthronement of the Sacred Heart in their home.
6. Reached out to invite non-Catholics to come to Mass.
7. Made contacts with those parishioners who have children in Community Catholic School to have the Our Lady of Fatima Statue visit their homes once a week.
8. Provided transportation to Sunday Mass for those who have none.
9. Transported Confirmation candidates to retreat and supervised them.
10. Took up the parish census.
11. Helped at the Little Sisters of the Poor retirement home.
12. Brought children to First Communion classes.
13. Approached parishioners about membership of their children in the Society of Our Lady’s Little Ones.
14. Invited grandmothers to belong to the Grandmothers’ Club.
Legionnaires represented the Legion of Mary at the ‘Rose Mass’ around January 22nd at St. Martin of Tours Church. They also joined other Legionnaires at the Living Rosary, which takes place in Knights Hall at Bellarmine University. The parish recognizes active members who have since passed from this life: Samuel McKinsey, Margaret Thompson, Helen Carpenter, Michael Axman, Bernie Coons, Alma Sink and C.J. O’Brien.
The youth were offered an opportunity to join the Legion of Mary as junior members through the religious education program. There was an advertisement in MARIA LEGIONIS from a priest in Africa who had a youth group in his country of Malawi that belonged to the Junior Legion of Mary. Since they were an English-speaking people, they wished to correspond with another English-speaking group. Although the correspondence with the youth did not happen, Sr. Buniff corresponded with Fr. Vincent Nzolima for several years.
One day she received a letter from Fr. Nzolima requesting $100 to purchase a push-bicycle for his catechist so he could circulate in the area assigned to his pastoral care. Some time passed, and Sister was able to send the money to him, thinking that surely by that time he already purchased a bicycle. His letter of thanks stated that they had not yet purchased the bicycle. From Fr. Nzolima dated September 19, 1998:
We are trained not to request help from different sources on the same project. However, we never ceased to pray. I have already met the Catechist in question and communicated to him the GOOD NEWS. You should have seen the big smile on his face. Within the next week we shall get the push-bike. It will facilitate his pastoral operations by a large measure.
The Legion of Mary adopted Fr. Nzolima’s parish as an extension and continued to support his Legion of Mary apostolate in Malawi until a letter from his bishop’s secretary arrived with the news that Fr. Vincent Nzolima had passed away on January 21, 2001 after a battle with Tuberculosis and after twenty-two years of service as a priest.
Altar Servers
In the late 1970s under the pastorate of Rev. John Eckert there was a renewed ministry of altar servers. Parishioner Dennis Thompson, who also served as an acolyte, enthusiastically led the development of an altar server training program that won many recruits from members of the parish and from students of Community Catholic School.
While serving the priest during Mass is its main purpose, Mr. Thompson sought a higher purpose for the ministry: learning discipline, understanding the faith, establishing friendships and encouraging those young men to pursue a priestly vocation. Typically Mass would be accompanied by two servers, but during feasts of Christmas Eve and Easter Vigil multiple servers would be paired to carry the crucifix, candles and the incense and censer. At Christmas During the 1980s servers would wear special red cinches and cloaks over their white cassock.
Traditionally a role for boys, girls began to assume the role of altar servers at Our Lady under the pastorate of Rev. Robert Reilly. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments - part of the Roman Curia - issued guidance in March 1994 to bishops who were permitted to establish policies on whether to allow female servers in their respective dioceses. In September 1995, on the eve of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, Pope John Paul II affirmed the decision.
Server guidelines (1990s) - Written by Dennis Thompson
