by Catherine Halbmaier
Special to The Leaven
BASEHOR — It’s that time of year: Totus Tuus missionaries in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas are halfway through their summer programs. According to Father Daniel Stover, chaplain of the program, this summer holds several exciting firsts.
“Our last week is ReachKCK in Wyandotte County,” Father Stover said. “The fact that the Wyandotte County Deanery is collaborating is distinctive; it is our only collaboration of multiple parishes, which sets it apart.”
Father Stover, who served as a Totus Tuus missionary in 2009, is directing the program for the first time this year.
“My goal is to have the two teams function well and successfully present the program in the parishes that have signed up,” he said.
According to Father Stover, another standout aspect of this year’s program is one of the mission team itself — Emily Steinlage, a parishioner of Holy Angels in Basehor.
“We have a missionary who grew up going to Totus Tuus in the archdiocese,” said Father Stover. “She’s participating at her home parish, which hasn’t happened for several years — if ever — before.”
“All missionaries are great for various reasons,” he continued. “Several were encouraged by friends, but Emily knew that she wanted to participate. Short of having a returning missionary, it’s nice that she came in knowing what it’s supposed to look like and how it goes.”
Pam Riordan, a consultant for the archdiocesan office of children’s catechesis, grew up with Totus Tuus. For years now, she has helped with the archdiocesan Totus Tuus program, serving as coordinator this year.
She said that Steinlage made her interest clear years before she was eligible for missionary work.
“Two years ago, she told the team she was going to be a missionary. And then last summer, she was back to help,” Riordan said. “Emily was a volunteer during the day, and then she’d come back to participate in the evening program. She was very well aware of the schedule when she took the job.”
Having a local missionary who grew up attending the program is rare. However, Riordan reiterated the exceptional nature of all missionaries on this year’s team.
“We have eight really great missionaries that all could have taken the spotlight,” Riordan said. “We’re halfway through and there’s been positive feedback so far.”
“Our goals are always to help the participants grow in their faith and their love of the sacraments, but also [to enrich] the missionaries,” Riordan added. “We pour a lot into them during training and checking in throughout the summer.
“Past missionaries have said how vital Totus Tuus has been in their discernment, so we really try to encourage them to embrace the Totus Tuus way of life for the summer and be open to whatever God has in store for them.”
For Steinlage, her time as a Totus Tuus missionary has certainly aided in her discernment of her future.
“I’ll be a freshman at K-State in the fall, studying elementary education,” she said. “Now, I’m a lot more certain that I want to work with kids and be teaching them.”
While Steinlage does not remember how many years she attended the program as a student, she remembers the impact the missionaries left on her.
“I think, especially in high school, the thing was how joyful the missionaries were. I was so drawn to their relationship with God, and I would leave with a new sense of relationship with Jesus,” she said.
“I never fully understood how much work goes on behind the scenes,” she continued. “The most challenging was learning how to teach a class, how to hit the stuff on my lesson plans while also being present with the kids. As the weeks go on, I’ve gotten a lot better at that.”
As part of missionary work, Steinlage prepared a testimony to share with the students. She explained how her encounter with Totus Tuus missionaries in the past had inspired her testimony.
“The summer before junior year, I saw how joyful the missionaries were and how strong of a relationship they had with Jesus Christ,” Steinlage said. “I realized I wanted that joy. I would invite him into every single part of my day — be that school or sports — and it totally changed my perspective on everything.
According to Steinlage, her testimony has led to meaningful connections with students in the program. And she has forged friendships with volunteers and fellow missionaries as well.
“I didn’t realize how many volunteers I would meet, and hearing their stories has been super cool,” she said. “It’s been neat to get enveloped in their communities, staying with host families and having potlucks. That’s been really neat; I didn’t expect how wholesome that would be.”
Overall, Steinlage says she has been grateful for the experience of being a Totus Tuus missionary in her home archdiocese. In her words, “There’s nothing quite like it.”
