Author: Vernon Dobelmann

St. Joseph’s Mission Church in Albin, Wyoming is like many other rural locations throughout Wyoming.  It is a small church attended to by one of the larger parishes in the area.  The church in Albin is served by the pastor from Pine Bluffs, Wyoming.  The small church sits at the intersection of State Highways 215 and 216.  As I drove by the church on my way to a funeral vigil in Nebraska, I had to stop to have a look.  The small building just captured my attention.  (Yes, those are grain bins in the background of the photo.)

I have traveled much of Wyoming in my ministry as the Director of Pastoral Ministries and have been to almost every parish.  However, there are still quite a number of the parish missions located in very isolated areas that I have not yet seen.  These small faith communities demonstrate the commitment of Catholics to keep the faith alive in the most rural of settings.  It also confirms the generosity of so many Catholics who contribute to Catholic Extension Society which helps small mission churches like this one to keep going financially.  The congregations are frequently too small at these mission churches to stay financially afloat without help from the larger parish which attends to their needs as well as the Catholic Extension Society.  (The larger parish attending the small mission church may not be all that large either.)

There are many people who work behind the scenes to keep our parishes and missions going.  The generosity of parishioners never ceases to amaze me. The sacrifices made by dedicated individuals to build up the Kingdom of God by giving generously of their time, talent, and treasure is a true blessing.

On this Third Sunday of Lent take some time to reflect upon how you are actively involved in building up the Kingdom of God.

I spent my day with fifty women on fire with love for God!
  It was a wonderful day
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I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to lead this retreat and enjoy such beautiful fellowship with women striving to be in union with our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Ladies, thank you for your faithful witness to Jesus Christ and His Church.  You are blessing to the people around you.  May you continue to grow in wisdom, grace, and holiness!

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We are just over two weeks away from the beginning of the parish mission at Holy Spirit Catholic Community in Rock Springs, Wyoming.  These days will give us an excellent opportunity to focus our attention on God’s Extravagant Mercy

 and prepare us to enter into Holy Week.  I look forward to seeing many of you from the Rock Springs and Green River areas.

Please note that the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available in the SCM Church on Monday and Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:45 P.M.  

I had an article published this afternoon on Catholic 365.  Please go to their site to see to my blog post for today.  Click on the link below.

http://www.catholic365.com/article/3661/the-prophetic-voice-of-humanae-vitae.html

These last days of February have me thinking about warmer weather, green grass, and less wind.  My heart is filled with anticipation as we experience some nice days while realizing that there still could be a lot of snow between now and summer.  It has snowed the last two years on Mother’s Day.  I am okay with it if we discontinue that tradition this year.

As we approach the Third Sunday of Lent, we can look more and more intently at our journey toward the Paschal Triduum.  Will we experience the abundance of new life promised by the Savior?  Will the power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ transform our lives?  The days of Lent are quickly passing by.  Are you making the most of these days?  Are you closer to God now than you were on Ash Wednesday?

Our lives can be very busy.  We can fill up our days with a lot of activity.  How much quiet time have you spent with the Lord since Lent began?  Please don’t miss the opportunity to grow in holiness.  Embrace the disciplines of Lent. Look forward with eager anticipation to the Light of Christ which we will celebrate profoundly at the Easter Vigil.

“I have never heard anything about the resolutions of the apostles, but a good deal about their acts.”

This is a wonderful group of people that I have the privilege to work with on a daily basis at the Diocese of Cheyenne Chancery Office.  Leading a retreat for my co-workers was a bit intimidating, but I am hopeful that I did not mess them up too much in the process.  This photo was taken at the end of the day and everyone looks unscathed from the experience.

Having the opportunity to go off-site for a day of reflection and renewal is good for the soul.  Stepping back from the daily grind and focusing attention on our spiritual journey can help us keep our priorities in line.  I am praying that my presentations yesterday helped our group to do just that.​

It is now time to complete my preparations for the women’s retreat being held this Saturday at St. Joseph’s Parish in Cheyenne.  I was notified yesterday that 50 women from the parish have signed up to attend the all-day retreat.  The beautiful season of Lent continues to draw people closer to the Lord.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is retreat day.  Each year during Lent the staff of the chancery office attends a one-day retreat at the Abbey of St. Walburga in Virginia Dale, Colorado.  Although we cross the Wyoming border into Colorado the abbey is only an hour drive from Cheyenne.  It is the closest and most convenient retreat facility we have. Praying mid-day prayer with the sisters is a blessing in and of itself and makes the journey well worth it.  

The retreat will be different for me this year.  Instead of being present as a participant I will be facilitating the retreat.  I am grateful for the privilege of leading this time together with our group, but a little apprehensive as well. The Scriptures reference my trepidation.  Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”  (Mark 6:4)  Since we are leaving town and these people aren’t my relatives, I am hoping this verse of Scripture does not apply.

Spending as much time at work as we do, my co-workers sometimes feel like part of my extended family.  We work together; we pray together each day before leaving for lunch; we share many of the joys and struggles of life with one another.  My co-workers know my good points; they also know my weaknesses. Leading this retreat will be in the context of simply being a pilgrim with them on the journey.  We are all in need of God’s grace and mercy, and I will share the joy of experiencing that compassion from God on a daily basis.

Someone asked me today if the bishop attends the retreat.  I said he usually does as long as his schedule permits.  The person continued, “You work for the bishop, right?”  I answered in the affirmative.  He continued.  “The bishop will be attending the retreat as a participant and you are the speaker leading the retreat.  Do I have that right?”  Once again, I answered yes.  That led to a final question from him.  “Won’t that make you nervous knowing the bishop is sitting there evaluating you as you give your talks?”  Well, it didn’t until now that you brought it up.  Thanks!

Congratulations to the the four young people who received the Sacrament of Confirmation this past Wednesday at F. E. Warren Air Force Base.  Archbishop Timothy Broglio, J.C.D.
of the Archdiocese of the Military Services presided.

It was a privilege and blessing for me to serve with Archbishop Broglio for this celebration.

Author Harper Lee has died at the age of 89.  The Pulitzer Prize-winning author published To Kill A Mockingbird in July of 1960. Although I learned of this script my freshman year in high school in the spring of 1975, I had very little comprehension of the dynamics which surrounded this literary masterpiece.  That would take years of life experience to more fully comprehend.

In an attempt to fulfill the fine arts requirements to attain high school graduation, I ventured into the world of speech and drama my freshman year to get that particular requirement “out of the way.”  I had no idea what such an adventure would eventually bring.  At the age of 14, I qualified for state competition in the arena of speech and debate.  Unfortunately, while my school district considered freshman as part of high school, the state viewed freshman as part of junior high.  Thus, my invitation was rescinded.

In addition to a variety of speech endeavors, I also attained roles in several school plays during my freshman year.  The last of these roles was in the final production of the year, “To Kill A Mockingbird.”  I was selected to play the part of Atticus Finch.  I don’t believe there has ever been a time since then that I have attempted to memorize such an immense amount of material.

Learning lines, knowing where to move on stage, picking up cues, conveying the right body language, striking a convincing tone when delivering closing arguments to the jury, are all things that still stick in my mind although this play took place in my life over 40 years ago.  I definitely learned some things about acting in this process.  More importantly, I learned some things about life.  

Reflecting back makes me appreciate the opportunities for learning that have come my way through the years.  Mr. Ed Schieffer, thank you for all that you taught me in my first year of high school in speech and drama class.  You provided a foundation of public speaking skills that I have been building upon ever since.  A class that I took to simply fulfill requirements has brought immense benefit to me in a multitude of ways.  Your coaching during my formative years was a true blessing. 

Harper Lee, thank you for a script that impacted my life at an early age.  May you rest in peace! 

Vernon Dobelmann as Atticus Finch in “To Kill A Mockingbird” in the Spring of 1975.Lincoln County R IV High School in Winfield, Missouri
 
Mr. Ed Schieffer, Director

I had the privilege of being one of the speakers yesterday afternoon at an event for National School Choice Week held at the Laramie County Library in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  As Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Cheyenne it is a pleasure to highlight the benefits of Catholic education.

This morning I switched hats and spoke briefly at a deacon information meeting.  We are preparing to begin another formation class and today was the first information session offered in the diocese.  It was exciting to see a good number of men and their wives seeking more information.  Will they go down this road?  I don’t know.  That is what discernment is all about.  Those who are admitted to the aspirancy year will begin a possible five-year journey toward ordination.  As a member of the formation board I will be walking with this group of men and their wives during those years of education and formation.  

Wearing multiple hats in my role at the chancery office reminds me of one very important thing.  I need to stay rooted in prayer.  It is with the grace of God that these good works will be brought to fulfillment.