On Sunday, February 24, Sharla Thill and Jenny Kasselman were honored at the 10 am mass for 30+ years of service in the writing and editing the parish newsletter. Father Klein presented both women with a plaque featuring St. Joseph Church and the verse: "Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant" (Matthew 25:23). 

Also at this mass, Sharla shared the following perspective on being a lifelong Catholic and follower of Christ:

When Father asked if I would share something of my faith with you, my first thought as "no," and "no." I imagine most of us here today have a hard time getting up in front of others and sharing, but when I got home from Mass that morning, my daily reflection for the day was, "God wants to use you in amazing ways. Are you ready?" Well, you don't say no to God. So here I am.

I love being a Catholic. I grew up on a farm near Spearville, KS. Spearville in the 40's and 50's was 97% Catholic. When the church bells rang, we went to church. I never knew anything different.

I was the oldest of six children. Our lives centered around St. John's Church and School. One of my earliest memories was seeing my mom, pregnant out to here, kneeling by a chair leading the rosary for the rest of us. When I was 12, we got electricity, and she became a Mom who put little notes above the light switches. My favorite was always, "Lord if I forget you this day, do not thou forget me."

I went to Mass every day during my grade school and high school years. Yes, high school students went to Mass every day in Spearville. I might mention that the School Board was also Catholic, so classes started later. And after fasting from midnight, we would eat our breakfast on the way to school.

The Mass was and is an integral part of my life. I firmly believe it is the most powerful prayer we have. Who would ever want to leave the real body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist?

I guess I have never wavered from that. I grew up, went to the Dominican School of Nursing, joined Catholic adult groups and activities at St. Rose in Great Bend and looked for a nice Catholic boy to marry. We brought up our six children with the same good values we were brought up with. We believe you never get enough Religious Education, that no matter how old you are, you are still on the journey, and you have to keep learning every day. I know the more you learn about Christ, the closer you become to him.

Someone once said to me at a retreat in Wichita, "You should not become complacent. The best thing you have is only a detriment to the next best thing God has planned for you." So my Catholic faith is my anchor in this often crazy world.

God didn't say it was going to be easy, and it hasn't. But, I believe and trust that if you persevere until the end, God will take care of you. I also think that God will not ask how many times you did this or that. He might just say, "Did you Love anybody?"