JUNE 2021
the phi lipian
A P U B L I C AT I O N O F S T . P H I L I P N E R I C AT H O L I C C H U R C H
CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER
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Reaches the End of a Great School Year
ost of us with children likely faced the 2020-21 school year with some trepidation. The concerns and fears surrounding COVID-19 made sending children back to school a bit scary and uncertain. Most fortunately, however, the school year at the Child Development Center at St. Philip Neri went very well, with very few issues regarding the pandemic. “We had a wonderful year,” says Mrs. Audra Hesse, Director. “We couldn’t have asked for a better year.” Temperature checks and health assessments became a normal part of the day for students and teachers. Extra cleaning and frequent hand washing were the norm. Teachers and staff also wore masks and face shields. Mrs. Hesse believes all these precautions, along with parents keeping their children home when they were sick, helped to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. “The parents have been overly cautious, which has
Students participated in a December service project benefitting the Fort Mill Care Center. They collected 864 pounds of non-perishable food items.
been so helpful,” Mrs. Hesse says. Having served in her role as Director since the 201617 school year, Mrs. Hesse previously worked in the office and was a volunteer for the program before that. continued on page 5
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Vacation Bible School: All Aboard for This Year’s “Rocky Railway” Program
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t’s almost time to get on board for Vacation Bible School, where our youngsters will have days filled with fun as they learn all about God’s love for them. “Rocky Railway — Jesus’ Power Pulls Us Through” is the theme for this year’s Vacation Bible School program, set for the last two weeks in July, with sessions starting July 19 and July 26. Children who are rising Pre-K students and 4 years old by Sept. 1 up to rising fifth-graders are eligible to attend. Although in past years, children from other parishes have been allowed to attend, COVID-19 issues may not permit that this year. Children attending will have their temperatures taken each day and parents will be asked to sign off verifying their child has not been exposed to the virus. “It’s really my favorite week of the year!” says Mary Harden, Family Faith Formation Coordinator. “The kids have so much fun. We’re so laid back! They have 15 hours of good, Catholic-information fun. They do a lot of singing and dancing, we have skits, games, the Saint of the Day, and healthy snacks.” Not only do the activities follow the program’s theme, but the snacks served are prepared according to the lessons of each day, as well. “It’s pretty healthy stuff!” Mary says. Each of the different activity stations presents a lesson that is geared toward learning about God and our Catholic faith. Bible verses are cited throughout the day so the youngsters absorb the messages. “In the morning, I greet them and remind them what we did the day before,” Mary says. “At the end of each day, we go over what they learned. A lot of little hands go up!” Activities for the week also take place at home, when the youngsters perform chores and help their parents to earn M&Ms. At the end of the week, the candies are totaled and the child makes a corresponding donation to a particular charity.
Although the charity has not yet been chosen, past donations have gone to the Children’s Home in Rock Hill or the Fort Mill Care Center’s food pantry. Volunteers are needed and can be middle school students on up. High school students may also earn service hours for Confirmation. Safe Environment training is required. “We try to have three adults in each group, and then we fill in with high school and middle school kids,” Mary says. The middle school volunteers usually choose to work the snack stations. “The high school students come back to volunteer when they’re in college because they have so much fun,” Mary says.
Volunteer signups began in April. The fee to attend is $20 per child. If you would like more information about registering a child to attend, or to volunteer, please call the parish office at 803-548-7282.
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A Letter From Our Pastor
Redefining Love
Through the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
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ne of the great feasts of the Christian year will occur in June, but it is often overlooked. It doesn’t fall on a Sunday, and it isn’t a Holy Day of Obligation. I am referring to the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which will be on June 11 this year. This wonderful feast provides a great way to begin the summer. However, despite widespread devotion and many parish dedications to the Sacred Heart, many Catholics have only a vague idea of what it’s all about. So, let me try to briefly fill in the picture. Often, when we think of the heart, we think of it as the seat of our emotions and feelings. The heart is often contrasted with the mind, as though our God-given reason were somehow evil or, at best, second-rate. But feelings come and go — we can’t really depend on our emotions to be reliable, steady guides. However, when classical theology refers to the heart, it is considering an aspect of human life that goes beyond our feelings. It includes our will, where we make decisions. The heart can be considered the center of our personhood. In explaining Christian teaching about human nature, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The spiritual tradition of the Church also emphasizes the heart, in the biblical sense of the depths of one’s being, where the person decides for or against God” (368). It is common to mistakenly label love as an emotion. Love often includes feelings, but true love is more than that. Real love is a settled attitude that wants the best for the person being loved. That’s why the Church’s teaching usually uses the term “charity” — to distinguish the Christian virtue from the more superficial popular concept of love. The Catechism tells us, “Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love
of God. Jesus makes charity the new commandment. By loving his own ‘to the end,’ he makes manifest the Father’s love which he receives. By loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they themselves receive” (CCC, 1822-1823). This sort of love, this charity — demonstrated by Jesus Christ and commanded to His followers — is no lightweight passing emotion. Feelings alone do not bring one to offer oneself to an agonizing death for the sake of someone else. No, that sort of sacrifice can only come from a considered and deliberate decision. Although we sometimes forget that fact, Jesus is fully human as well as fully divine. So, His human heart was involved in His sacrifice on the Cross. Thus, simply put, devotion to the Sacred Heart reminds us of the basic fact that God loves us. It was a costly love, the ultimate act of charity, to give His life on our behalf. We know the kind of love Jesus has for us. What kind of loving response are you going to make? How will that affect your use of your time, talent and treasure? Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Fabio Refosco, C.O.
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MEET PARISHIONER
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Finding Peace and Sharing Tal O
St. Philip Neri’s Barb Maiolatesi
St. Philip Neri Prayer Garden
ne day this summer, if you have a moment, park in the back parking lot at St. Philip Neri, and then go up the tiny hill. You’ll find a quiet garden space maintained for our faith community. “I love being there in the Prayer Garden, and I want people in the parish to enjoy it the way I do,” Barb Maiolatesi says. “If you’re going through some turmoil or even a happy event, go there and be thankful to God.” Barb joined the parish only a few years ago when she moved to the area from Maryland, but she had been back and forth visiting her daughter. “Now I’m two minutes from my daughter and two minutes from the church,” Barb says. “When I first got involved at the parish, I worked on the Italian Festival. I was looking for something creative to do.” Then, during last year’s stewardship renewal, Barb said that she’d be interested in gardening. Before then, she hadn’t known about the Green Thumb Ministry. “Through this ministry, people beautify the grounds and take care of the Rose Garden,” Barb says. “I had visited the Prayer Garden a few times, and I went one day and started weeding.” Barb began familiarizing herself with the space and trying to understand what was already growing there and what could be added. It was also a meaningful outlet for her during the pandemic. “It was good for me as a COVID project, since I was outside, and an outlet for me considering my joy of gardening,” Barb says. “I was also going through a hard time when my mother began staying in an assisted living facility. She taught me to garden, and now I’m giving my talent back.” The St. Philip Neri Prayer Garden began as an Eagle Scout project years ago. There are a few picnic tables and a pergola. It seems somewhat forgotten now, and Barb hopes that more community members will spend time there. “It would be a good place for a Bible study,”
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Barb Maiolatesi
lents for Our Faith Community Barb says. “Once I saw a person quietly working on their laptop. It’s very nice just to sit and spend a few moments there.” Barb frequently attends daily Mass and also does many devotionals. A favorite quote for her comes from a devotional by Mother Teresa: “The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, and the fruit of service is peace.” “The garden has done this for me in that it has given me a little silence, a little peace,” Barb says. “I feel like I’m helping my parish by beautifying the gardens, and while doing so I’m also able to pray in this pretty place.”
St. Philip Neri Prayer Garden
Child Development Center She first became involved at the Child Development Center when her daughter, Gabriela, was 2. Her son, Cole, was also a student at the center. This program is for students from ages 2 to 5. Depending on age, students are there from two to five days per week, with classes running from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. There is space for 124 students each year. “This is an important ministry of our church,” Mrs. Hesse says. “Getting children involved at such a young age is important. It’s part of their first exposure to school.” Mrs. Hesse has enjoyed being a part of this program, which Debbie Strait helped start more than 20 years ago. In particular, Mrs. Hesse is thankful the children could have some normalcy in this abnormal year. In fact, a few of the parts of the school year that had changed ended up working better. For instance, the Open House night had time slots instead of a
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drop-in event. This allowed the teachers to have more one-to-one time with each family. There was also a carpool lane drop-off, instead of parents walking their children into the building. Also, instead of students being together in the lobby during pickup, they stayed in their classrooms. These new approaches will continue in the future. The Child Development Center religious curriculum is based on Child-friendly virtues. In October, they focus on kindness, while in March, the focus is on forgiveness and February is loving others, just to name a few. Mrs. Hesse feels blessed to be a part of this program. She appreciates not just helping guide the students through a curriculum but also being a part of their lives. “To see their smiles and hear their stories, that’s the best part for me,” she says. “I love seeing things through their eyes.”
Families need not be members of St. Philip Neri or Catholic to send their children to the Child Development Center. All are welcome! For more information on the Child Development Center at St. Philip Neri, please email or call Mrs. Audra Hesse at childdevelopmentdirector@saintphilipneri.org or 803-548-8789.
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Stewardship
Don’t Take a Vacation From Stewardship This Summer
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veryone deserves a vacation. After nine busy months of school, kids get to enjoy the summer to relax and regroup before beginning a new grade. Employees, after diligently working long hours and dealing with stressful situations, deserve time away from the office to enjoy their favorite getaway. No one would argue that we need to mentally refresh our minds and bodies from time to time so that we can come back rejuvenated and ready to do our best. Taking a break from some things, however, is not a possibility. Take stewardship, for example. Imagine saying to yourself, “Well, this month I think I will not pray, I won’t share any of my talents with anyone in need, and I will hoard my treasure.” What would doing this accomplish? You certainly wouldn’t feel refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to be at your best. Instead, feelings of greed, selfishness and spiritual unrest may occur. Stepping back from being a good steward just doesn’t make sense. So, now that summer has arrived in full force and our leisure time each day has increased, how can we remain good stewards? It is likely that the regimented opportunities available during the school year are no longer available. Youth ministry and parish religious education formation may also be on summer break. So, where do you turn? How can you keep your faith alive? First and foremost, don’t stop praying. The slow-paced days of summer are a perfect time to quiet ourselves for a few moments and try to reconnect with God. Why not take a moment of your free time each day to read the Gospel or a spiritual reflection while lounging in a hammock?
Next, try to participate in an outreach program over the summer. Think of the life of Christ — everything He did on Earth was an act of service. Now, think of the gifts God has bestowed on you. He wants you to share them with others like He did, and summer gives us the time to do just that. If you like working with kids, you can volunteer at the Vacation Bible School by helping to decorate, organize or being a team leader for the younger children. If you are handy with tools, you may call Habitat for Humanity to see how you can help build a home for a family in need. Or, if you are musically inclined, you might share your singing or instrumental gifts with a local nursing home. Maybe you are good in the kitchen — if so, you could offer your culinary skills to a local soup kitchen or food bank. If you are a strong student, you could offer tutoring services to neighborhood kids to help prepare them for the next school year. No matter what gift God has given you, there is a way to share it. Getting paid for volunteering sometimes happens. And, if you have a summer job while on break, you’ll get a paycheck for sure. Have you ever taken an opportunity to think about sharing the first fruits of your check? As a young adult, returning a portion of your paycheck to God is an important thing to consider. Giving a portion back to Him is a way to say “thanks.” Whatever you do this summer, don’t take a break from being a good steward. Remember that the time God gives you is a gift. What you do with it — whether on vacation or not — is meant to give Him glory.
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Youth Ministry
Offers Fun Summer Opportunities for Our Junior and Senior High Students
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or youth, summer can offer a much-needed reprieve from the busyness of the school year. But the fun continues for junior high and senior high students through the Youth Ministry’s summer program. Using the Lifeteen program, Tayler Culbertson facilitates the Youth Ministry activities catered to freshmen to senior students. In June and July, Tayler will host two miniseries for weekly Monday night meetings. One session will be on the issues facing Generation Z (6 to 24-yearolds) and another will be on the lies we often tell ourselves. The sessions will begin with a meal and discussion will follow. “Lifeteen and youth groups are about making friends and finding community with those who have the same foundation as you,” Tayler says. “It is really helpful to our faith to have a community that believes the same things as you.” In July, Tayler will lead a group of ninth through 12th-graders on a trip to the Steubenville Youth Conference in Atlanta. The conference was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so Tayler is especially looking forward to introducing youth to the universal church and experiencing the power of a large, Catholic conference. There will be virus mitigation procedures throughout the
Tayler Culbertson led a group to the Steubenville Youth Conference in 2019.
conference. “This allows teens to realize the Catholic Church is so much bigger than our church,” Tayler says. “There are amazing talks, great praise and worship, and a really powerful Eucharistic Adoration component. Steubenville allows us to praise Jesus in the Eucharist with people from all over the southeastern United States.” Throughout the summer, there will be additional opportunities for senior high youth to attend social activities, like going out for ice cream.
There are also various social events and service projects planned for the fall. Tayler also makes sure there are continuing opportunities for confession and Eucharistic Adoration. “We want the youth to be able to spend time together and see Christ in those we serve and spend time with,” Tayler says. Middle School Religion Coordinator Molly Andorfer will be leaving her position in midJune, so summer events will be on hold until a person is hired in her place. Molly has enjoyed being a part of this program with continued on back cover
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Youth Ministry the approximately 100 students who have been participating in the various events. She says that middle school is an important time to develop good friendships with others who practice the Catholic faith. Youth ministries can help by offering a time and place to explore the Catholic faith while also having fun. “Middle schoolers need the opportunity to be active at youth group, as well as take time to sit and talk to each
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other about the faith in their small groups,” Molly says. “Small groups are where the students are guided by a core leader and answer questions about what they have learned that night that help them dive more into the faith.” Molly will miss working with this program and is thankful for all the relationships she has made. “I really enjoy walking with each student, and seeing how
they grow in their faith lives,” she says. “It also makes me feel good knowing I’m playing a role in their faith lives and growth as people. I get great joy in teaching them and showing them through my own actions that there are adults who care about them and their faith lives.” Beyond the summer activities, Molly and Tayler invite all youth to stay tuned for events and join whenever they can!
If you would like to learn more about junior high events, please email Molly Andorfer (and her future replacement) at middleschoolcoordinator@saintphilipneri.org — for senior events, please email Tayler Culbertson at youthandyoungadultcooordinator@saintphilipneri.org.
