MONONA — “I think that it was an incredible experience and one that no one is going to forget any time soon,” said Rebekah Scaperlanda about the parish mission held at Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Parish in Monona earlier this month.
Scaperlanda is the middle and high school catechesis coordinator at IHM and recently took the role of team lead for Go Make Disciples at the parish. She said that the mission was really designed for all east-side parishes and Catholics to attend. It just happened to take place at IHM.
“We really wanted to emphasize it being a full east-side parish mission,” she said.
The events of the mission
The three-day mission began with the Sacrament of Confirmation for both members of IHM Parish and St. Patrick Parish in Cottage Grove. After celebrating the sacrament, Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison had dinner with the east-side parish priests at the rectory.
“We had a Holy Hour at 6 p.m. with choir and organ music,” said Scaperlanda. “We wanted to not only highlight different types of Holy Hours but also to encourage different forms of prayer for those who came.”
After the Holy Hour, there was time to listen to the bishop speak and for questions to be asked of the bishop.
The following morning, the bishop prayed Lauds with the Sisters of Mary Morning Star who live in a renovated convent at the parish.
“He waved at students as they arrived at school,” said Scaperlanda. “And then there was an all-school Holy Mass” which the bishop celebrated.
After Mass, the bishop visited students in their classrooms and delivered donuts before hopping on a bus with the middle school students to attend 40 Days for Life with them.
The “bishop rode the bus with us out to Planned Parenthood, and we talked about the importance of being in solidarity with those around us and caring for both their spiritual and material needs,” said Scaperlanda.
Outside Planned Parenthood, the students and the bishop prayed the Rosary together, and then he went on to have lunch with high schoolers at the parish office. In the afternoon, he went out to visit the homebound.
“Then we had dinner with the evangelization team, and there was a Holy Hour with praise and worship music, and there was another talk,” said Scaperlanda. “On Tuesday, we provided a soup and bread dinner for everyone on the east side. Anyone who wanted to come join the bishop was present for that as well.”
This was followed by another Holy Hour with Scripture readings and reflections followed by one last closing talk by the bishop.
Reactions to the mission
“The general reaction to the parish mission was extremely positive,” said Scaperlanda. “It was very fruitful. I heard somebody say that it was refreshing to have everybody gathered to listen to the bishop.”
She said that she heard that one woman who had attended had forgotten her hearing aids. The woman still appreciated the event and said “she was just soaking in the peace that she felt from being there with the community and with the bishop and the amount of love that was in the church.”
Wendy Burch, a parishioner at IHM and a part of the parish’s evangelization team said a point that hit home from the parish mission was the importance of finding God in the present moment.
“It is when we look to our past or future that we feel feelings like anxiety, fear, and discouragement. Ninety-eight percent of the time, the present moment is perfect,” she said. “God is eternally in the present moment, and eternity is simply this present moment that goes on forever.”
“It was really nice to see all the surrounding parishes there as well,” said Scaperlanda. “People were able to talk to one another, and people were inviting their neighbors. It was very, very positive.”
She also complimented the bishop for being such a great witness.
“When Bishop Hying is calling all parishes to enter into Go Make Disciples and to evangelize, he is doing that himself by personally coming and being a witness,” she said. “It was truly powerful. I mean, he stood on a bus sharing stories of his middle school experience and that was just — I didn’t have that growing up. It was very cool. Very special and beautiful.”