MISSIONARIES OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD

CPPS Today - Feature Story

Holy Meal, then Happy Meal

Parked outside St. Augustine Church in Minster, Ohio, on Wednesday mornings last summer were the usual cars—and an unusual number of bicycles. Those belonged to the children of the parish, who came to morning Mass each Wednesday then were invited to breakfast with their pastor afterward.

After the final “go in peace,” the children
gathered outside the church, where they
were joined by Fr. Rick Nieberding, C.PP.S.,
and adult volunteers, also on bicycles. First
Fr. Rick would do a quick check of his flock;
those wearing helmets were rewarded with
a $1 premium that he peeled off of a wad of
bills from his own pocket. Then, with a “ready,
set, go,” from Fr. Rick, the group began its
half-mile journey from the church to the
McDonald’s in the small town of approximately
3,000 people.

“Mass and McDonald’s Wednesdays,” it was
called by Fr. Rick, who came up with the idea
to encourage the children to look at their
church as part of their everyday life, not just
a Sunday destination. “We started out with a
low attendance, but the word quickly spread
and the numbers increased,” he said.
“Depending on the weather, we had anywhere
from 30 to 50 youngsters attend.”

A Minster police officer usually was on hand
to help Fr. Rick and the adult volunteers
guide the children, in grades four through
eight, across the busy intersection of
Seventh Street and Ohio 66. Once at the
restaurant, the children lined up in an orderly
fashion, with Fr. Rick at the head of the line.
They were able to order anything they
wanted—including a breakfast ice cream
treat—and Fr. Rick picked up the bill.

“I approve of an ice cream cone at 8:45 in the morning,” he told the children.

The children then gathered with their meals on picnic benches outside the restaurant, where Fr. Rick and Jane Boeke, director of the parish’s religious education program, would lead them in discussions about their faith and their world view. Fr. Rick asked questions about Church teaching, the topic of his homily, and many other subjects. The children were quick to respond, as correct answers merited a candy bar or tennis ball as a prize.

“Our goal is to have these youngsters see God in every aspect of their lives. They learn that God is with them all the time, not just in church or in religion class. He is always there to help them with their everyday stuff, and their challenges and difficulties,” Fr. Rick said. “We hope that this is just the beginning of their active life in the Church throughout their lives.”












Some weeks, there were other invited guests. A clown might make an appearance. Sometimes, parish council president Nancy Niekamp came along with her accordian to lead the group in a sing-along. Sometimes the group would drift into a neighbor’s yard to play tag.

“Sometimes we were having so much fun that the time just slipped away and we went past our 9:30 quitting time,” Fr. Rick said. “One week it was 10 a.m. and I had to announce, ‘The fun stops in five minutes!’”

His intention, of course, is that the fun does not stop—and that the children associate their faith with a warm, comfortable (and yes, sweet) feeling.

The weather is sharply colder now, of course, and school is in session, putting an end to the Wednesday morning breakfasts with Fr. Rick. But the pastor is already thinking ahead to next summer, when he’d like to round up his young parishioners once again and take them to the Golden Arches after Mass. Truth be told, he said, he had just as much fun on those mornings as they did. “Maybe more,” he said. 

(St. Augustine parishioner Robert Lammers and C.PP.S. Companion Tess Mescher, director of the St. Marys, Ohio, deanery training center, contributed to this story.)