ROGERS — It has nearly been a year since St. Vincent de Paul Church in Rogers adopted the program called Community and Discipleship, which is based on the four pillars of stewardship: hospitality, prayer, formation and service.
The church officially declared itself a “Stewardship as a Way of Life” parish on Saturday, May 13, 2006.
Building on this program, the parish held a three-day mission in October, both for English- and Spanish-speaking parishioners. The theme was “Yes, Lord … we can do it together.”
Father John Lanzreth of the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita, Kan., and Father David Nations, vocation director of the Midwest Province for the Vincentian order in St. Louis, were the guest speakers.
In explaining his role in coming to Rogers for this mission, Father Lanzreth said, “My first connection to the parish was through Wichita when some of the parishioners from here came to the Catholic stewardship consultant conference hosted in the Spiritual Life Center there. So for the last eight or nine months, I have been preparing for the visit here.”
During the three nights of the mission, Father Lanzreth demonstrated to the audience the real meaning of spiritual stewardship, starting with the importance of hospitality.
“Sometimes as Catholics we are not known as very welcoming to families, but what I have witnessed personally, St. Vincent de Paul Parish is a very welcoming community, and I pray that will be something that will be shown to all,” Father Lanzreth said, pointing out all the new construction and growth in northwest Arkansas.
As a priest who worked for several years with Mother Teresa in Rome, Father Lanzreth often quoted her during the services. He explained how she had influenced his own prayer life.
“She said we must see the face of Jesus in each person — whether it is a person here at St. Vincent’s or at Wal-Mart or at the gas station. The way I interact with that person is either seeing the face of Christ or failing to see the face of Christ.”
Father Lanzreth emphasized the role of the Catholic in the community. He said, “If we are just giving within our own boundaries, we are not living a Catholic life because Catholic means ’universal.’ The parish must also be for the wider community. Sometimes that is a stretch for people to see but the message of the Gospel tells us not to be insulated just within our own community.”
Father David Nations is associate pastor at St. Joseph Church in Manchester, Mo., where his primary ministry is to the Hispanic community. Six years ago, Father Nations had also worked in northwest Arkansas in the Siloam Springs area.
In his talks with the Hispanic audience, he wanted to get across to those present the importance of change for those new to this country.
“It was more about the culture and where they came from — Mexico or El Salvador — to help them see that they can’t stand on both sides of the border. You have to get on one side or the other. It doesn’t mean you throw away everything you are. You don’t throw away your heritage, your culture and all that,” Father Nations said.
A dynamic speaker, Father Nations, at one point, announced to those present, “Everybody, stand up. You can’t see your feet. Everybody’s gotten bigger because nobody walks anymore. Everybody drives. Everybody goes to Burger King, McDonald’s and all that stuff — that and all the clothes you buy, the music you listen to. You have changed since you have been here.”
This new change also applies to the Church here in this country. Father Nations said, “They want to know why the Church does this — why does the Church do that. Well, we’re not the Church over there. Things are different here. I want them to see that you need to open your mind and your heart.”
An estimated 1,400 people attended the mission.
