Manson parish adopts mission church
By TAVIA MALONE, Globe Staff Writer
Posted April 25, 2002

MANSON - Sharing, caring and giving are all a part of Catholic life today. Often parishioners will help those in their hometown and within the diocese. Parishioners at St. Thomas Church here don't just help the needy in Iowa, they assist Catholics in Mississippi as well.

In 1998, Father Jerome Degen, now retired, brought up the idea to St. Thomas parishioners of helping a parish in another state.

"I had thought of doing this for quite some time," said Father Degen. "I'd always had the idea that I'd like to have a parish, if possible, that could financially do some outreach work to another parish that needed it."

When Father Degen arrived at Manson, he knew that St. Thomas would be able to help. Originally when he proposed the idea to parishioners they did not seem interested, but later began helping a parish in North Dakota after the devastating floods and fires in 1997.

"After a year of that, when they were back on their feet in North Dakota again, I talked to the parish council about continuing what we'd been doing, but find some other place to send the money," he said. The parish agreed to continue helping a Catholic parish in the U.S.

Through the help of The Catholic Extension, Father Degen and his parish were given several parishes to pick from. "I knew that they worked at putting parishes together for this sort of thing," explained Father Degen.

In the end, St. Thomas Parish picked St. John Neumann Mission in Eupora, Miss. The mission parish was run by two lay ministers, Mary and Gene Grabbe. The Catholic community of Eupora holds church in a large house in downtown Eupora.

Eupora is located in northern Mississippi, and the mission parish currently serves about 40 families. In an area predominantly settled by Southern Baptists, the Eupora parish had a difficult time getting started, but now, with the help of the Grabbes and St. Thomas Parish, the mission has been able to grow.

Once a month, the people of St. Thomas take up a second collection during the weekend Masses. "The money that comes in from the second collection would be sent to the parish in Mississippi," said Father Degen.

"We have more than enough money in this parish and I think it is really important," said Father Dale J. George, the current pastor of St. Thomas Church. "I think it's really good to get us in the habit of looking beyond ourselves."

The parishioners in Manson felt so good about helping the Catholics in Eupora that when Father Degen would forget to announce the second collection at Mass, he would be reminded immediately.

St. John Neumann Mission occasionally sends pictures and letters to St. Thomas in Manson so that the two parishes are linked, and the people in Manson can know who they are helping. Father George also includes news of the St. John Neumann Church in the parish bulletin.

Although Father Degen retired in August of 2001, St. Thomas Parish still assists St. John Neumann Parish in Eupora. "I really think the parish becomes more aware of their mission responsibilities and their responsibility to evangelization," said Father Degen.

When Father George came to St. Thomas Parish after Father Degen's retirement, he had not heard about the Adopt-a-Parish program.

"When I first came here, I wasn't aware that this had gone on," explained Father George. "The parish council wanted to know if we would continue it and of course we did. In general, I think the people like to do this, give something where they don't get anything back."