Fatherhood and Subsidiarity
Fr. Derek Sakowski
Pastor
Pastor
God is our Father. Jesus presents himself as God’s own Son. He speaks of God as his Father who is to become our Father. All fatherhood derives from God the Father and has its meaning from him (cf. Ephesians 3:14-21).
And what do we see in God’s Fatherhood? He is radically different than the counterfeit versions of fatherhood that are far too common today! In the Trinity, all three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are equal in dignity. Jesus is from the Father (not the other way around), yet they are totally equal in dignity and majesty. There is no “greater than” or “less than.” God’s Fatherhood is not about power or privilege. Fatherhood is about pouring blessing into others and lifting them up to be secure in their own identity.
Children look to their fathers to discover their identity, to become who they are. In the Old Testament (even amidst the dysfunction!) the concept of fatherly blessing is a recurring theme. Adam is given authority by God over the whole cosmos and gives names to all of the animals. Had he exercised his stewardship well, the entire cosmos would have flourished under God’s Fatherly blessing. In Genesis 27, Isaac bestows his blessing upon Jacob, and not upon Esau. Flooded with envy, Esau desperately aches for that fatherly blessing. In the next generation, Jacob names and blesses his sons in highly descriptive and specific ways (see Genesis 49).
In the New Testament, after calling many disciples to himself, Jesus opens his public preaching with the Sermon on the Mount – beginning with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-10). Each one promises Fatherly blessing – not because we strive for it or earn it, but because we allow ourselves to be open and receptive to a Father who is eager to bless us.
Ultimately, only God is fully a Father. Any earthly fathers (whether in our families or in our churches) are called to be icons of God’s Fatherhood. But too often we are distorted caricatures, in which his true Fatherhood is barely recognizable.
Perhaps that is why Jesus cautions us against calling anyone on earth our “father” (Matthew 23:9). Some evangelicals have used that verse as a stick to bash Catholics for calling priests “Father” – while protecting patriarchal structures that allow white males to be leaders in their families and churches who somehow have more power and privileges than the rest. The fact is, all Christian traditions (including Catholicism) are prone to an abuse of fatherly authority. Any time fatherhood claims power or privileges for its own sake, it becomes oppressive and harms those who are meant to be served.
In our Catholic Tradition, we have an important teaching called “subsidiarity.” Authority of any kind is called to assist, support, and empower those it serves, rather than to replace it. Typically, this teaching is applied to governmental structures – and rightly so. Those in office have a duty to be solicitous for the common good and to intervene when structures are failing (whether than be parents, local governments, or state governments). But in intervening they are called to support and empower rather than to usurp or replace.
Sadly, we don’t seem to apply subsidiarity to fatherly authority! Whether we are fathers in a marriage and family or father figures in a church family, our fatherhood is never meant to be about power or privilege! Remember – in the Trinity, Jesus and the Father are totally equal. There is no “greater than” or “less than.” Jesus is absolutely secure in his identity precisely because of his relationship with his Father. Any human form of fatherhood is meant to be a true icon of God’s Fatherhood – helping those who are fathered to become secure in God’s Fatherly blessing.
Fatherhood has been under fire for a long time. Some Christians see this trend as a liberal secular threat that needs to be fought and suppressed. But in that case, they are not listening well to the grievances! We need to name the many ways in which fatherhood has harmed rather than blessed. We need to empathize with the grief and anger of those who have been abused, oppressed, or left unprotected. We need to examine our structures and how they operate – asking whether the authority there is ever exploited for power and privilege rather than lifting others up into secure identity and delegating to them their own proper authority. We need to toil tirelessly to arrive at the day in which women and children don’t have to fear being used or harmed by the men in their families, communities, and churches!
Many males in authority have been resistant and reluctant to reform. Is it any surprise that many others rebel against any and all forms of patriarchy? Rather than seeking to reclaim authentic fatherhood, many today want to name it as evil.
As often happens with rebellion, this rejection of fatherly authority will only lead to greater problems. A void of authentic fatherhood is worse! As harmful as it is when fathers use or oppress, it is even more harmful when fathers abdicate their fatherly authority. Those under their care remain unblessed and insecure in their identity. They go unprotected. They live in chaos and disorder. There will only be more self-indulgence, using of others, and violence against others. All the while God’s Fatherhood, his fierce and tender embrace, remains a distant and forgotten dream. Is this not the story of Simba’s fatherhood in The Lion King? In his fear, shame, and woundedness, he flees his true calling and true authority, and many suffer disorder and oppression until he reclaims it.
As we approach another Father’s Day, we can remember that God has truly revealed himself as our Father, and that fatherhood is a gift from him. The greater the gift, the greater the devil’s envy and attacks as he attempts to distract or distort. We fathers can reject all distortions of fatherhood while challenging ourselves to bring blessing to others in a way that truly allows all God’s children to be secure in their identity.
Friday Double Feature
Xaverian Missionaries
Fr. Alejandro (Alex) Rodriguez, S.X. of the St. Francis Xavier Missionaries, will be preaching the Mission Appeal next weekend as part of the annual Missionary Cooperation Plan.
Fr. Alex, born in Mexico, is a graduate of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and was ordained in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has served as a missionary in The Philippines. He has worked as the Vocation Director, Vicar, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in a poverty-stricken area of metro Manila, Spiritual Director at the St. Faustina Catholic School, collaborator with the campus ministry of different universities in the Philippines, and Rector of the Philosophy Seminary of the Xaverians in the Philippines. Fr. Alex is presently working in the field of Vocations and the Hispanic Ministry in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, as well as being the Rector at our mission center in Franklin, WI. He is willing to share his mission experience with anyone interested.
Being exclusively a foreign mission society, the Xaverian Fathers and Brothers depend greatly on proceeds from this collection. They carry out their service in Bangladesh, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Columbia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), France, Great Britain, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mozambique, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Spain, Taiwan, and the United States. Thank you.
Fr. Alex, born in Mexico, is a graduate of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and was ordained in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has served as a missionary in The Philippines. He has worked as the Vocation Director, Vicar, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in a poverty-stricken area of metro Manila, Spiritual Director at the St. Faustina Catholic School, collaborator with the campus ministry of different universities in the Philippines, and Rector of the Philosophy Seminary of the Xaverians in the Philippines. Fr. Alex is presently working in the field of Vocations and the Hispanic Ministry in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, as well as being the Rector at our mission center in Franklin, WI. He is willing to share his mission experience with anyone interested.
Being exclusively a foreign mission society, the Xaverian Fathers and Brothers depend greatly on proceeds from this collection. They carry out their service in Bangladesh, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Columbia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), France, Great Britain, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mozambique, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Spain, Taiwan, and the United States. Thank you.
10th Anniversary Celebration
Father Alan Guanella, who previously served at our parish, will be celebrating his 10th Anniversary of ordination to the priesthood this summer. There will be a special Mass on Sunday, July 2nd at 10:00 AM, with a reception to follow, at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish, 750 10th Ave S., Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495. All are welcome to attend; no RSVP needed.
HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire Seeking Volunteer Catholic Eucharistic Ministers
Bring Communion to hospital patients. Volunteers normally spend one to two hours every week or every other week. Volunteers need to be authorized Eucharistic Ministers in their home parishes. Volunteers need to be trained for distribution of Communion at the hospital with COVID-19 safety protocols in place. We want to distribute Communion every day of the week, especially Sunday. If interested, please contact Eric Butters in the Spiritual Care Department at Sacred Heart Hospital. Email: Eric.Butters@hshs.org or call 715-717-6174.
Knights of Columbus 2023 Scholarships
The Trinity Council is proud to announce that we are now accepting applications for $500 scholarships that are for students who are members of St Raymond! We are allocating up to three scholarships to help our young parishioners in their pursuit of higher education. Applications are now available at StRaymond.us. The application deadline is noon on Sunday, August 13th.
If you have any questions or need more information, please contact: Daniel Gutierrez, Director of Evangelization and Faith Formation at dgutierrez@SMSRCatholic.com
St. Raymond Baby Bottle Fundraiser
Please take home a baby bottle, put your spare change in it, and bring it back on Father's Day weekend to help support the lifesaving efforts of the Eau Claire County Chapter of Wisconsin Right to Life. A portion of the donations will go to the APPLE Pregnancy Care Center, and another portion will remain with St. Raymond parish to purchase pro-life materials for our library.
St. Mary Fall Festival 2023
Save the Date! Oct 7-8th St. Mary's Fall Festival will be celebrating another fun community event for St. Mary's parishioners and neighbors. If you are interested in helping organize this event please contact Megan Glassbrenner at 715-577-6061 or email johnandmeg@live.com. We are in need of helpers with the children's carnival, chicken dinner, parish hall country store and more!
Upcoming Events:
June 9. Drinking with the Saints. 7pm. St. Mary
June 10 & 11. Anniversary Blessings at all Masses
June 11. Hospitality Sunday. 9:30am. St. Raymond
June 11. Social Sunday. Noon to 1pm. St. Mary
June 11. Young Couples Bible Study. 4pm. St. Mary
June 12. Knights of Columbus Meeting. 7pm. St. Raymond
June 12. Knights of Columbus Meeting. 7pm. St. Raymond
June 15. Coffee Community. 8:45am. St. Raymond
June 18. Young Couples Bible Study 4pm St. Mary
June 18-22. Totus Tuus. 7:30pm-10pm. (Grades 7-12th) St. Mary
June 18. Young Couples Bible Study 4pm St. Mary
June 18-22. Totus Tuus. 7:30pm-10pm. (Grades 7-12th) St. Mary
June 19-23. Totus Tuus. 9am-2:30pm. (Grades 1-6th) St. Mary
June 22. No 8am Mass or Confessions. St. Raymond
June 23. No 9am Daily Mass. St. Mary
June 24. No Confessions. St. Mary
June 22. No 8am Mass or Confessions. St. Raymond
June 23. No 9am Daily Mass. St. Mary
June 24. No Confessions. St. Mary
June 25. 20th Anniversary of Ordination and Farewell Reception for Fr. Derek Sakowski after each Mass.
June 25. Young Couples Bible Study. 4pm. St. Mary
Small Group Communities & Studies
For those of you looking to grow deeper in faith and community, consider one of our small groups offered through the Parish.
Employment Opportunities
Director of Music and Liturgy: St. Mary and St. Raymond Parishes are now hiring for a Full-Time (32h) position of Director of Music and Liturgy. Position Overview: To provide outstanding leadership and teambuilding in all areas of liturgical ministry, particularly sacred music – all with a view to leading disciples into deeper conversion and fellowship, while ensuring that the parishes’ liturgical celebrations are uplifting and deeply prayerful. To apply, send your resume and cover letter to Fr. Derek Sakowski: DSakowski@diolclergy.org
Click here for the full job description.
Click here for the full job description.
Help Needed
We need help for various tasks at the parish. Dusting, vacuuming, and washing are just some of the ways we keep our parish a beautiful and welcoming place to worship and gather. Our experience tells us that the best help comes from within the parish. Please contact Bonnie Firkus if interested in helping.
Online Giving
Weekly Stewardship Made Easy. Donate Online or at Mass!
Estate Planning
There are many ways to financially invest in our communities. Would you prayerfully consider treating one of the parishes as one of your children in your will or estate planning? For more information contact Bonnie Firkus.