Partnerships between laity, religious in the diocese bear fruit
By Reagan Scott
for the Register
With an apostolate to beautify the church and work for the kingdom, Wayne Ringer, a member of St. Mary Parish in Denton, has seen firsthand the fruits that stem from partnership between the laity and religious in the diocese.
Ringer has been working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist, an active comtemplative Franciscan community founded by Mother Angelica in 1998, since their arrival in the Lincoln Diocese in 2016. Working together to use their gifts, the projects Ringer and the Knights have completed have had benefits reaching across the diocese, and beyond.
Brother Michael Mary, the vicar for the Knights of the Holy Eucharist, said as soon as the Knights arrived in the Lincoln Diocese, they were able to get involved in projects, and have since been able to go wherever they were needed.
He said, “Immediately, the founder of Leadership Camp, Mr. Herb Reese, got ahold of us and said, ‘Brothers, we want you guys at camp.’”
Leadership Camp, a week-long boys’ camp for altar servers entering sixth through ninth grade, will take place next month at Camp Kateri Tekakwitha in McCool Junction.
Brother Michael said having Knights of the Holy Eucharist assist with Leadership Camp fits in with the order’s charism to foster reference and devotion to the Eucharistic King.
Throughout the week, the boys in attendance participate in daily Mass, Bible studies, adoration and altar server training, and enjoy activities such as dodgeball, archery and swimming.
Ringer said they work hard to make camp fun for the boys, while also fostering prayer and faith life.
Brother Michael said, “It’s a ton of Bible and scripture study, being able to really dive deep into the word of God, and then outdoor things….
There’s a lot of great times for these guys to really bond together as brothers and to be able to take this bond back to their parishes, and to assist their pastor and to take this pulchritude, this beauty, of how things are celebrated there and to be able to influence their own parishes.”
It takes about 120 people to run the camp every summer, which hosts about 70 campers. Ringer said volunteers include Knights of the Holy Eucharist, members of Regnum Christi, including Legionaries of Christ, seminarians, dads and counselors in high school and college.
Because of the wide range of volunteers involved in running the camp, the boys who attend see many different vocations and states of life modeled for them. A number of religious vocations in the diocese can be traced back to the camp, including Ringer’s own son, who is a Legionary of Christ and credits his vocation as a direct result of Leadership Camp.
In addition to their involvement with Leadership Camp, Ringer and Brother Michael have also worked on a number of projects together, including stations of the cross for St. Mary Church in David City.
For Eucharistic processions, Brother Michael and Ringer collaborated to build a canopy, which has been used in multiple processions, including those around Planned Parenthood in Lincoln and the State Capitol. For that canopy project, Brother Michael did most of the woodwork, while Ringer did most of the sewing.
In 2017, for the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima, they arranged six different processions at parishes in the diocese and built a bier, a stand on which a statue of the Blessed Mother was carried, for those processions.
Some of their more far-reaching efforts included a series of videos that Ringer and the Knights filmed in a studio in Ringer’s workshop, covering such topics as the Beatitudes, consecration to Mary and 52 videos, about three to four minutes each, explaining the Marian titles used in the “Litany of Loretto,” the most popular of which has amassed more than 55,000 views.
For each of the projects they’ve worked on, Ringer said there is usually a need that arises, then he and Brother Michael come up with a creative idea and a plan to meet that need.
“We know each other’s abilities, and we know how we can collaborate together,” Ringer said.
Brother Michael said he enjoys the friendship he and Ringer have developed over the years; the fact that they can call one another for help when needed and combine their talents to create masterpieces that give devotion to our Lord.
Ringer learned to sew in his home economics class in eighth grade, and gained an interest in woodworking from his dad’s work as a carpenter. Brother Michael grew up as a carpenter and a member of his home parish, named for Saint Joseph, and has always seen Joseph as a significant figure in his work, and incorporates prayer into the his projects.
Brother Michael said, “In moments of adoration, I often pray for guidance on projects I’m stuck on. Suddenly, inspirations come from the Holy Spirit or different saints, and everything becomes clear.”
The Knights of the Holy Eucharist have also collaborated with Regnum Christi on a number of projects, including putting together playground equipment for the Eaglet Pre-School Program at Cathedral of the Risen Christ School in Lincoln, and re-doing the chairs for the adoration chapel in the Cathedral of the Risen Christ.
Right now, Regnum Christi and the Knights of the Holy Eucharist are collaborating to host guided holy hours for vocations for men in the diocese. eld every other month, the time allows for the laity and religious brothers in attendance to pray for all vocations, followed by a meal and fellowship.
The next holy hour will be held Thursday, Aug. 22, at Sacred Heart Church in Lincoln at 5:30 p.m., with a meal to follow at 6:30 in the school gym.
Ringer encouraged those who feel that they have gifts to share with the Church to get involved, and step up if they see a need they feel that they can fill.
“A parish has a lot of needs, and there are a lot of different skills that we have,” Ringer said. “I guarantee the parish is appreciative, the parish priest is appreciative, when someone steps forward. We can serve Christ through the parish, it’s all for God’s greater glory.”
Brother Michael agreed, saying many parish priests rely on the laity to come together and use their God-given talents to get involved and bring about great things.
He said, “To be able to initiate these projects or volunteer your own time, that’s a way of tithing; time, talent and treasure.”
