FEATURE: Professed, Associates, and Youth Serving the Holy Altar Together

The Venerable Louis Querbes founded the Viatorians in part to “serve the holy altar,” and Fr. Querbes envisioned priests and lay collaborators working together to sustain strong liturgy for parishes.

At St. Viator Catholic Community in Las Vegas, which Viatorians have led since founding it in 1954, many Viatorian religious and associates collaborate to prepare and lead rich liturgy and nourish a strong parish community, especially for young people.

A Culture of Committed Service

Earlier this month, St. Viator had First Communion. Associates Deborah and Romeo Perez are not on parish staff, and their children did First Communion many years ago. Nonetheless, it was on their family calendar. “No special reason – it’s just an important event at the parish,” Deborah said. “I’m not even sure what role I might have, but we keep it on the calendar to keep us engaged in all that our parish is doing.”

Different families have different motivations. The Perez family commits out of community. “Sometimes, parents just help while their kids are in a program. Viatorians at St. Viator are largely community-driven,” Deborah explained. “We take part in lots of things year after year, across the parish and school, because the community life is important to us. That’s what we do at St. Viator.”

Associate Rosy Hartz, Coordinator of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry, has the same mindset with the calendar she gives teens’ families. “Holy Week was on our youth calendar,” Rosy said, not because of any program requirements but simply because it is an essential time in the liturgical year. “We had special roles for youth at the liturgies, and including youth in liturgy shows them how they’re central to our community.”

Our Viatorian priests try to help churches around the Archdiocese of Las Vegas, but they of course have a particular affinity for assisting at our namesake parish (as was the case in our former ministries, St. Thomas More Catholic Community and Guardian Angel Cathedral). Interim Pastor Fr. Tom von Behren, CSV, has lived a few stints in Las Vegas, including the past nine years since concluding his third term as Provincial in 2017. He affirms this long-running culture among his brothers. “These are Viatorians who are willing to help and are gifted preachers and Sunday presiders,” Fr. Tom said. “What a gift for the parish – and pastors as well!”

Parochial Vicar Fr. Dan Belanger, CSV, who will succeed Fr. Tom as permanent pastor on July 1, welcomes and values this tradition, which extends also to his retired housemate in the rectory, Fr. Bill Haesaert, CSV. “Fr. Bill might not say Mass on his own, but he loves to be invited to join us. He comes to the school Masses on Wednesdays like clockwork, and he loves to take part in the 10am Sunday Mass to be around the children’s liturgy,” Fr. Dan said. “St. Viator lives out parish community, and this teamwork by our priests lives out our religious community.”

Longtime parishioner Marty Flynn assists with liturgy, sacramental preparation, adult faith formation, and more, and he appreciates the Viatorians’ consistent example. “The gift given to me by so many Viatorians over the years is to look at the next person that comes to us as Christ knocking on our door,” Marty said. “Whether they need a sacrament for themselves or a family member, support in a crisis, or just someone to see them and listen, we’re inspired to see not a customer, an interruption, or a burden, but instead see Christ.”

Pre-Associate Jen Jones first came to St. Viator during college and continued belonging as she got married, had children, and joined the school faculty because she witnessed this strength. “The priests really want to be here and involved. The children and the parents really want to be involved. There’s a genuine place for everyone,” Jen said. “I can see how crucial youth group is, and how so many Viatorians have been a huge part of that here. Rosy is so integral to that, and she includes so many other Viatorians such as Deborah in animating and leading it.”

Serving the Holy Altar in Holy Week

During Holy Week, the robust liturgical culture at St. Viator fires on all cylinders.

Palm Sunday kicks off a big week of liturgy with a Mass that incorporates an additional opening Gospel, blessing of palms, and lengthy narrative Gospel. Rather than depend on one person or small group for this intensive day, it is a collaborative ministry: Fr. Tom, Pastor Emeritus Fr. Richard Rinn, CSV, and Fr. Mick Egan, CSV, each celebrated a Mass, and Associate Deacon Michael Underwood assisted with two of them.

On Tuesday of Holy Week, Lenten Taizé Prayer gathered the parish for contemplative reflection, and a ton of Viatorians participated, helped lead music, and prepared the service.

For Holy Thursday, a bevy of Viatorians served the holy altar: Associate Paul Mertzman donned white gloves to play with the youth handbell choir; Fr. Tom, Fr. Dan, Fr. Richard, Fr. Mick, and Fr. Bill concelebrated Mass, and Deacon Mike assisted; Fr. Dan washed the feet of parishioners, including Jen, youth group members, and a student from the school’s inclusive Micah Program; and Fr. Dan led the Eucharistic procession to the altar of repose with young people as altar servers and candle bearers.

“Amid a lot of parish transition and change, our Holy Week traditions were a burst of energy and familiarity,” Rosy said. “Fr. Dan particularly does a great job of keeping young people at the center of liturgy.”

On Good Friday, Fr. Dan led a veneration of the cross alongside a portrayal of the Stations of the Cross.

Then, after Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil brought the evening Paschal fire to herald the joyful celebration of salvation history as well as the initiation of those becoming Catholics. Fr. Tom blessed the fire, and Fr. Dan processed the newly lit Easter Candle into the church. Deacon Mike proudly presented catechumens and candidates from the Becoming Catholic program he directs, with Associate Kathy Underwood, his wife, on the core team. Kathy, Romeo, and Pre-Associate Cathy Flynn all sponsored Order of Catholic Initiation for Adults (OCIA) participants.

Fr. Tom baptized and confirmed several people, including a dad who Romeo sponsored who had special inspiration. “The son really steered the ship on that. He said to his parents, ‘I’m getting confirmed this spring, and I want you guys to do this, too,’” Deborah said. “‘Young Church’ is my favorite Church identity. Our young people speak up and say they want to be part of Viatorian Youth Congress, want to serve at church, and want to take leadership roles.”

Fr. Dan will strive to sustain this as pastor. “I want to engage the whole congregation, from young to old. I want to connect people to the liturgy and give them a place to be participative and involved – with art and environment, processions and candles, and many liturgical ministries,” Fr. Dan said. “I want to find how I can incorporate people’s ideas and gifts and bring them into this ministry together.”

The Strength of the Community-Wide Effort

“The Viatorian Community is well represented in a myriad of ministries in educational leadership, catechesis, service to the young, leadership in youth ministry, and more. And we are blessed to have many young people who lead in so many ways,” Fr. Tom said.

Deborah appreciates how Viatorian associates have set the course by understated example. “We have a parish mindset of giving our time, talent, and treasure. Everyone can contribute in their own way, whether a little from each of those three buckets or by focusing on one. People like Associate Sonja Brouwers, who lectors and ushers and helps out so much, set a simple and beautiful example of being around and involved in parish life. She has never told me anything particular; she just sets the tone,” Deborah said. “Over time, Viatorian associates have imparted our presence and identity more and more along with our Viatorian priests here.”

Fundamentally, in our Catholic Church, we need our priests to be ministers of the Sacraments. Many parishes have a mix of lay people helping in liturgical life, and at St. Viator, the liturgical ministry of both professed and associates reflects our charism and community life. Our religious brothers and lay associates – who similarly desire to serve the holy altar – team up with our priests to animate dynamic, participative, collaborative liturgical life.

“At St. Viator, serving at the holy altar means much more than just the ordained celebrating the Eucharist and proclaiming the Word. It means we all embrace the entire the liturgical service – welcoming at the front door, helping with the collection, serving as music ministers, proclaiming the Word as lectors, and serving as Eucharistic Ministers at Mass and for the homebound,” Fr. Tom explained.

And this is not just a catch phrase or a sign on a wall – it’s something people can witness in the life of the community. “We are a Viatorian parish embracing our charism of service to the holy altar, serving the youth and inviting the youth to serve with us, taking the call to be catechists seriously through our youth and adult education programs, and reaching out to those accounted of little importance,” Fr. Tom said. “I believe people see the difference. People know that we are a Viatorian parish not only by what we say but by what we do.”

Special thanks to St. Viator parishioner Jan Bellinghausen for sharing her outstanding Holy Week photos!

.