October 5, 2020
Perfect for printing: Download this newsletter in PDF format
- Ministry of the Message
- House of Mission and Studies to get Virtual Start
- Newman Relic
- Getting to know the “5 Questions” Man
- Looking for Newsletter Input
- Proposed Program for October: John Henry Newman
- Renewing Promises and Updating Lists of Associates
- Paulist Associate News
- Prayer for the Intercession of Father Isaac T. Hecker
- Contacts
- Promise
An e-mail interview with Paul Snatchko
AW: You’ve been the Paulist Director of Marketing and Communications for almost five years now? What does a marketing and communications director for an order of priests do … and how is it different from a similar job in a secular environment?
Paul Snatchko: In my work for the Paulist Fathers, I lead all of our efforts with external communications and marketing, especially in regard to the work of the President, the Office of Mission Advancement and the Vocations Office. A large part of my day is spent managing the society’s social media (about 20 channels) and all of the content on paulist.org. I serve as an executive producer for our videos and audio content. I also create “The Voice,” the quarterly mailing from the Office of Mission Advancement, and other fundraising materials.
My work is very similar to what I would do in a secular environment except that I’m blessed to have the tools of faith in my marketing tool box. Unlike a secular marketer, I am able to speak about prayer, God, the movement of the Holy Spirit and so much more.
AW: What’s your background in communications and marketing and how did you end up with the Paulists? What kinds of jobs did you have before joining the Paulist organization?
Paul Snatchko: I began my career as a newspaper reporter. I was a general assignment reporter for the daily, county-seat newspaper near my hometown in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and then a freelance writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I covered everything from murders to school board elections to the county fair. Early in my career, I also spent three years as a case investigator at the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, the foundation that awards the Carnegie Medal to those who risk their lives to save the lives of others (most often from house fires, car accidents and drownings).
I then spent five years in politics. I was a borough councilman in my hometown, the executive director of a county political party, and the manager of two county judge races. I also ran myself for state representative in 2002, 2004 and 2006, each time receiving about 46 percent of the vote.
AW: Did you make a conscious effort to find something where you could use the “tools of faith” in your work? Had you known about the Paulists before?
Paul Snatchko: Following my last defeat for the Pennsylvania State House, I saw that Magnificat magazine (the monthly Catholic periodical with the daily Mass readings) was looking for a marketing manager. After a gripping presentation on how I would market their Rosary Note Cards, I was hired as Magnificat’s marketing manager. I was there for more than six years, during which I learned a great deal about Catholic publishing and the amazing people that animate the Catholic Church in the United States.
The job at Magnificat’s office in Yonkers, NY, brought me back to New York City. (I earned a degree in journalism from NYU in 1998.) Soon after I moved back to Manhattan, the Holy Spirit drew me to the 5:15 p.m. Mass at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, mother church of the Paulist Fathers. I was a parishioner at St. Paul’s for some nine years before the call came from Fr. Eric that the Paulists were looking for a new communications director to work out of the NYC Motherhouse. “Did I know anyone who would be good for the role?” Fr. Eric asked.
Nearly five years later, it’s the best job I’ve ever had.
AW: Okay, you were a newspaperman – and a politician — long enough to know that you won’t get away without explaining that last sentence. Please give us some details about what makes working for the Paulists the “best job” you’ve ever had.
Paul Snatchko: The job is wonderful because of the Paulists themselves. Almost across the board, they are joyful, kind, compassionate and open-minded.
It’s also a great job because the Paulists provide ample space and resources to try new things. For instance, in 2019, I executive produced a short film for the Paulists called “The Laundromat” about two faith-filled mothers (one Catholic, one Muslim) who interact at a laundromat in Harlem. (It received a second-place recognition at the Gabriel Awards for “Best Internet Video.”)
AW: Do you consider your job to be a “ministry,” and, if so, why?
Yes, it is a ministry. I am very blessed that I get to make a living by promoting vocations, prayer, liturgy and all the aspects of our Catholic faith. Unlike a job, I never begrudge working on evenings and weekends because I genuinely want to share the Paulists’ content in the most timely way possible.
AW: COVID seems to have added lots of new aspects to your work, including the daily tasks of putting Masses and other events online. Give us some “Inside Baseball” about how all that works.
PS: COVID has had a huge impact on how I spend my days due to the many online Masses celebrated by the Paulists. I try to share each online Mass celebrated at a Paulist parish or center onto the national Paulist Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. I also put the Masses broadcast on YouTube into a playlist that is featured at the top of paulist.org/WatchMass.
The biggest change has been to my Saturday evenings and Sundays when the Paulists celebrate 15 to 18 online Masses. I begin with Rome, go all the way to Berkeley and then come back to New York City for the 5 p.m. from St. Paul’s.
The 10 a.m. hour is the most challenging when there are five or six Masses happening at the same time. It’s a bit of a dance to space them out so there isn’t too much in the pipes at once.
Needless to say, I hear lots of homilies! One day, I’ll do a summary column on all the homilies I’ve heard in one given Sunday..
The Paulist Fathers will host “Hope Coast-to-Coast: A Virtual Groundbreaking with the Paulists” on Saturday, October 17, 2020.
The online event will be a first step in the building of the new Paulist House of Mission and Studies in Washington, D.C.
The program will begin online at 8:30 p.m. Eastern / 7:30 p.m. Central / 5:30 p.m. Pacific at paulist.org/Hope as well as on the Paulist’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. It will include music from the Isaactones, “Paulist Funniest Moments,” presentations of the “Spirit of Hecker” Award, and more.
The Paulist House of Mission and Studies will be a new, right-sized home for our seminarians, novices and formation team, as well as for Paulists who work in evangelization and ecumenical relations. It also will house the Paulist Fr. Ellwood Kieser Media Center; Paulist Evangelization Ministries; and Landings International.
During the program, attendees will be able to make a gift or pledge toward the construction of the House of Mission and Studies. Donors who make a gift of $1,000 or more will receive a Paulist umbrella and a named patio brick at the House of Mission and Studies.
Details about sponsorships are available at paulist.org/Hope or at (212) 586 2074 or [email protected].
Those who would like to attend should register for the event at paulist.org/Hope. A $10 registration will enter you into the evening’s raffle.
By Sandy Murray a Columbus Associate
One of the best blessings I have received from my association with the Paulists is an awareness and appreciation of the Holy Spirit in my life.
Recently, while waiting to talk with the receptionist at the Newman Center I noticed the accompanying picture on a bookcase. “Perfect for the newsletter,” I thought, “but we would need someone to photograph it.”
Just then David Stichweh came into the office. David is the husband of Paulist Associate, Marge Stichweh, and is a professional photographer and had taught photography at Otterbein University for 30 years.
This time the Holy Spirit was even anticipating my prayer!
Fr. Paul Robichaud, Historian for the Paulists, remembers the picture hanging on the second floor of the seminary outside of the old chapel sacristy.
He writes, “The relationship between Cardinal Newman and the Paulists goes back to the first person to enter the Paulists after the original five: Hecker, Hewit, Deshon and, Baker and then Walworth who left. That would be Robert Beverly Tillotson, who came from a very wealthy and connected family from Rhinebeck NY. He grew up as an Episcopalian and followed the career of John Henry Newman closely. For many converts in this period, Newman’s conversion moved them to do the same thing. Tillotson went to Great Britain and was received by Newman himself into the Catholic Church. He then went home to Rhinebeck and stayed on his father’s estate on the Hudson for the next three years. He then went back to Newman’s Oratory and applied for membership in 1851. He was ordained a priest of the Oratory in 1856.
“Tillitson took a leave of absence from the Oratorians in 1859 to visit his father in NewYork. He met Isaac Hecker and the Paulists and that was it.
“The correspondents are an Orartorian named Eaton who is providing the relic and Paulist, Joseph McSorely, who is receiving the relic. So it was originally in the possession of Father McSorely: it came to the seminary after his death, and then to Columbus.”
This next picture is the Redual North Birmingham
The Cardinal’s grave is the 2nd from the right of the picture. The 1st grave is that of Fr. John Joseph Gordon. The 3rd is that of Fr. David Caswell. The Cardinal and Fr. Ambrose St. John are buried in the same grave.
By Mike Hayes
Associates World co-editor, Denis Hurley, a man of impeccable good taste invited me to do a small profile for all of you and wanted me to answer the question:
Who is Mike Hayes and why is he asking all those questions?”
Here it goes:
My mother would remind me that if, “One can show me who their friends are, I will tell you who they are.” So, with the invitation of Paulist Communications Director, Paul Snatchko, I have set out to do just that via the “5 Questions” format
As I moved into more virtual space in the early pandemic moments, Paul Snatchko thought that I would be a good person to be the host of a video series called “5 Questions with the Paulists.”
We started out interviewing some of the Paulists about life in quarantine during the pandemic and then extended the interviews to Associates and employees of the Paulists.
playlist tool in the video player.Why me?
I suppose Paul got the feeling that I was someone who knew and admired the community for a long time. I think the truth is that the Paulists have been close to my heart for close to four decades now. It turns out that I served my very first Mass as an altar server, at age 9 with Fr. Joe Troy, CSP. Fr. Joe’s brother was my pastor in Yonkers, New York, where I grew up, and he’d fill in during summer vacations for him. So, from the very beginning of ministry, the Paulists have been there.
As a proud Fordham Graduate, after finishing college, I began attending the 8PM Sunday Mass at St Paul the Apostle. I was working in radio at WFAN in New York and often worked on NFL games on Sundays, so this was literally the last Mass in town I could attend. Eventually, I no longer had to work Sundays and so I moved from the 8PM to the 10AM or the 5:15PM Sunday Mass and really loved the community I had found. The community there really made me discern my career path.
My radio colleagues noticed that I loved planning retreats for young adults at St Paul’s more than my actual job.
When I thought about leaving radio for ministry, Fr. Chuck Kullmann, CSP reached out to many people to try to find the right fit for me. That got me an invitation to a focus group on the possibility of a national effort the Paulists wanted to undertake to reach out to young adults. Fr. Frank DeSiano, CSP and I discussed a proposal that led to me coming to work for the Paulists and this eventually became BustedHalo.com.
I co-founded BustedHalo.com with the then-Paulist Fr. Brett Hoover in 2001 after doing nearly a year’s worth of research on people in their 20s and 30s. Fr. Dave Dwyer, CSP came along about four years into the ministry and we started podcasting as well. This led us to an invitation by the Archdiocese of New York to produce the BustedHalo Show on Sirius XM Radio.
I was so blessed to be able to work at BustedHalo.com for nearly 10 years. Thanks to the Paulists I completed a Master’s Degree at Fordham and they published my thesis as a book: “Googling God” (Paulist, 2007). My career had skyrocketed and I traveled to a bunch of conferences as the keynote speaker on Young Adults, Technology and Evangelization.
But the Paulists have been more than colleagues, they have been with me in the best and worst times of my life.
I met my wife at St. Paul the Apostle, and Brett Hoover and current President Fr. Eric Andrews, CSP concelebrated at my wedding (with Fr. Eric singing “Young at Heart” to us). Fr. Tim Sullivan, CSP travelled with us to Nicaragua to serve the needs of orphans with Mustard Seed Communities.
Fr Jack Collins, CSP has encouraged me to become a pretty good lay preacher and he continues to “coach” me on FaceTime whenever I get an opportunity as the miles separate us.
I continue to help Fr. Tom Ryan, CSP put together his “Koinonia Ecumenical and Interfaith Newsletter” four times a year, even though we haven’t been “work neighbors” in years.
Fr. Tom Gibbons, CSP and Fr. Rich Andre, CSP encouraged my discernment to the diaconate and have been great friends.
Fr. Ed Nowak, CSP, Fr. Joe Ciccone, CSP and Fr. Charlie Donahue, CSP have always been great sources of comfort for me in Campus Ministry conversations.
And Fr. Steven Bell, CSP literally carried my mother in his arms into a wheelchair so that she could attend my dad’s wake and funeral.
These are but a few personal meanderings. I’m sure there are more.
Without the Paulists, I wouldn’t be married, employed, or so richly blessed. In the midst of this pandemic, I found myself out of work and it was the Paulists, who invited me to host this show on “5 Questions.” Hearing their joys and their sorrows during this pandemic has deepened my own prayer and led
I have just recently accepted a position as Director of Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Cleveland. I’ve been in formation for the diaconate in Buffalo and I will be finding out soon what the process will be to resume formation in the new Diocese of Cleveland.
The Newsletter is published monthly, except January and July. The January monthly Program appears in the December issue, the July Program in the June issue. Articles should be submitted at least a week before the end of the month to appear in the new month.
Material for Associates World is always welcome. We would love to hear what is going on with your local organization. If you have material for the newsletter please contact Denis Hurley <[email protected]>.
Asking again for responses:
At the end of an article I wrote for the September Issue of Associates World about my understanding of the Paulist Charism and why I have found it attractive, I asked for women Associates to provide their particular perspective on why association with an order of male priests was something they had chosen. We – the editors of Associates World – would still like to hear from women on this subject and to publish your thoughts in the November issue of the newsletter. Please think about it and consider providing some insight for all of us. Thanks.
Denis Hurley, Co-editor.
Submitted by JoAnn Grillo and Sandy Murray Columbus Associates.
Opening Prayer:
God knows me and calls me by my name…God has created me to do some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission – I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. Somehow I am necessary for His purposes…I have a part in the great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling. Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away…Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see-I ask not to know-I ask simply to be used.
(John Henry Newman, Meditations on Christian Doctrine, March 7, 1848)
Read in advance of meeting:
John Henry Newman was born in London, England on February 21, 1801
Newman was an academic at Oxford and an Anglican priest in the Church of England from the age of 25. He also was Vicar at St. Mary the Virgin Church and tutor at Oriel College.
Newman had made an intensive study of the early church and was convinced that the faith of the church fathers was the same as the Roman Catholic faith. He became a leader in the Oxford Movement, an influential and controversial group who wished to return some of the Catholic rites and beliefs before the Reformation. Through his studies Newman came to the conclusion that the Roman Catholic Church was the “one fold under God”.
Pope Francis recently referred to Newman’s Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. Newman wrote “Here below to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” Pope Francis said of Newman “Naturally, he is not speaking about change for change’s sake…but rather about the conviction that development and growth are a normal part of human life. For Newman change was conversion….interior transformation.”
In 1845 Newman left Oxford and the Church of England, losing friends and family members and was welcomed into the Catholic Church. He was soon ordained at age 45 and continued his influential leadership. In 1879 he was named a Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in recognition of his service to the Catholic Church. He was also influential in the founding of the Catholic University of Ireland.
Newman wrote “religious truth is not only a portion, but a condition of general knowledge.” The “Newman Movement” started in 1883 in the US at the University of Wisconsin to help Catholics live their faith on campus. Newman insisted that higher education without God was an incomplete education. Because of this he worked hard to establish houses/centers for Catholic students in universities in England and Ireland. The first Newman Club in the US was established in 1892 at the University of Pennsylvania.
Newman encouraged students to ask questions, not to accept teaching without thought, but to really question within their discipline. As a pastor and educator Newman wanted to touch minds, but never without touching the heart. His motto was “heart speaks unto heart”. His book The Idea of a University is still read by educators as an ideal for higher education After the Second Vatican Council the Church began to support campus ministry. Newman Centers are now seen as places for ecumenical support for social justice efforts.
He was canonized in October 2019 by Pope Francis. His feast day is October 9.
Newman & Hecker
St. John Henry Newman and Servant of God Isaac Hecker were converts to the Catholic faith. Each had formative religious experiences as young persons which gave direction to their lives. Both were progressive thinkers and writers.
Early in his life, influenced by the writings of Newman, Hecker briefly considered becoming Episcopalian.
Both Hecker and Newman had serious illnesses which led them close to death. Newman reflected “I will not die…God has a mission for me”. Hecker “…I shall not die now; God has a work for me do in the world, and I shall live to do it.”
In 1865 Hecker began publishing his magazine The Catholic World. One of his early articles was Newman’s poem Dream of Gerontinus, concerning death and the afterlife.
Hecker visited Newman at Birmingham in the fall of 1867 while enroute to a European Catholic Congress. Newman found Hecker “fluent, clever, just the man to propagate Catholic truth among the Yankees.”
At the time of Hecker’s death Newman wrote to Fr. Hewit
My dear Farther Hewit: I was very sorrowful at hearing of Fr. Hecker’s death. I have ever felt that there was this sort of unity in our lives – that we had both begun a work of the same kind, he in America and I in England, and I know how zealous he was in promoting it. It is not many months since I received a vigorous and striking proof of it the in book he sent me [The Church and the Age]. Now I am left with one friend less, and it remains with me to convey through you my best condolement to the members of your society.
Hoping that you do not forget me in your prayers, I am, dear Fr Hewit, most truly yours.
John H. Card. Newman
Selected quotes from John Henry Newman. Read, then reflect and share your thoughts on the one that touches you the most.
- A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault.
- If we are intended for great ends, we are called to great hazards.
- Fear not that life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never have a beginning.
- Let us act on what we have, since we have not what we wish.
- Let us take things as we find them: let us not attempt to distort them into what they are not…We cannot make facts. We must use them.
News/Announcements/Prayers for Others:
Closing prayer:
Stay with me, and then I shall begin to shine as Thou shinest: so to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from Thee. None of it will be mine. No merit to me. It will be Thou who shinest through me upon others. O let me thus praise Thee, in the way which Thou dost love best, by shining on all those around me. Give light to them as well as to me; light them with me, through me. Teach me to show forth Thy praise, Thy truth, Thy will. Make me preach Thee without preaching—not by words, but by my example and by the catching force, the sympathetic influence, of what I do—by my visible resemblance to Thy saints, and the evident fullness of the love which my heart bears to Thee.
(John Henry Newman, Meditations and Devotions, VII, III, III)
We are always happy to hear about new Associates taking promises as well as current Paulists renewing theirs. Please post notices and photos on Facebook and let us know so we can add the information in this newsletter.
When these renewals take place, it would be helpful to all if the local coordinator would send an updated list of Associates to Kathleen Lossau so she can keep our contact list current. Please email contact information for those taking first promises and those renewing promises as well as a list of those who have opted not to renewing promises to Kathleen Lossau <[email protected]>.
By Mike Kallock, CSP
Regional/National Virtual Retreat REBOOT
The pandemic and its consequences continue to scramble what originally began as our plans for this year’s regional retreat. We started off with our Horseshoe Bay and Austin associates gracious volunteering to host the retreat in Texas. We then shifted to plans for a National Virtual Retreat and set the date for November 20-21.
After a thoughtful discussion at the Board’s recent September meeting, we thought it best to step back and explore with you how best we can connect and serve you during these difficult times. The Board will be soon meeting with all your liaisons to see how we can best be of service. We feel the pandemic forces us to find with much better and creative ways of strengthening, nourishing, and supporting each other on a local and national level then a virtual retreat.
New Associates Group
Congratulations to Bill and Nancy Curtis, Carol Mahony, Martin Feely, and Rae DelVecchio who were recently approved for membership.
A big THANK YOU to Paulist Paul Huesing who helped lead them through their formation.
We look forward to hearing of their Rite of Commitment as our newest Paulist Associate Group – The Vero Beach Paulist Associates!
Monthly Patron Programs
The remaining Monthly Program of Paulist Patrons is as follows:
- November: John XXIII – West Michigan
- December: Isaac Jogues – Tucson
- January: The Blessed Immaculate Virgin Mary – Los Angeles
- February: Alphonsus Liguori – Mike Kallock, CSP
- March: Patrick – Rome
Heavenly Father, you called your servant Isaac Thomas Hecker to preach the Gospel to the people of North America and through his teaching, to know the peace and the power of your indwelling Spirit. He walked in the footsteps of Saint Paul the Apostle, and like Paul spoke your Word with a zeal for souls and a burning love for all who came to him in need.
Look upon us this day, with compassion and hope. Hear our prayer. We ask that through the intercession of Father Hecker your servant, you might grant us (state the request).
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. One God, forever and ever. Amen.
When you pray this prayer, and if you believe that you have received any favors through Hecker’s intercession, please contact the Office of the Cause for Canonization of Servant of God, Isaac Hecker at [email protected]. Visit the web site: isaachecker.org to learn more about his life and the cause for his canonization.
Paulist Associates National Director
Mike Kallock, CSP
Paulist General Office
New York, NY 10023
Board Members
Carol Wagner Williams
Tuscon, AZ
Frank Desiderio, C.S.P.
Katherine Murphy Mertzlufft
Columbus, OH
Joe Scott, CSP
David Rooney
Chicago, IL
Mary Sullivan
Boston, MA
I believe that I am drawn by the Holy Spirit to the spirituality and qualities of the Paulist Community. I have discerned both by prayer and study that God calls me to become associated with the Paulists. I promise that I will pray for the works of the Paulist Society, meet with others, who are also members of the Paulist Associates, for spiritual sharing and formation; and I seek to embody the apostolic qualities of the Paulists in my daily life.
Attentive to the Holy Spirit and faithful to the example of St. Paul and the charism of Father Isaac Hecker, I commit myself for one year of membership in the Paulist Associates.