Upon This Rock

Jerry Anselmo’s life changed in September of 2008 when his son, Brian, suddenly died. He dedicates his remaining time on earth to advancing things his son did not have the chance to finish. Along with his wife, Mary Ellen, and their daughters, Julie and Lori, and a throng of friends, he honors Brian through the BMA Foundation that helps other kids, as well as their families and pets.

The support that BMA gives not-for-profit groups in Kansas City offers tremendous hope to children in difficult situations; and Jerry’s book, When the Doorbell Rang, presents a powerful perspective for how tragedy can bring triumph to our world.

Follow Father Don:
Farnan Spirituality Center
Father Don's Blog
St. Francis Xavier Parish
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More About Jerry Anselmo:
When The Doorbell Rang
BMA Foundation

Jeff Angold and Kevin Connell have been friends since their early school days. Though they had different experiences, family backgrounds, schools, groups of friends, jobs, and activities, they stayed connected at every stage of life.

After childhood, bachelorhood, fatherhood, and now enjoying the stage of being granddads, they offer commentary on what they learned from those who gave them life and taught them love and what they hope to give their offspring who follow them in a not-yet-revealed world. One of their common interests, hunting, unites them with ancestors who respected the land upon which we dwell and God’s imprint upon nature.

Follow Father Don:
Farnan Spirituality Center
Father Don's Blog
St. Francis Xavier
#farnanspiritualiltycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast 

Father Gerald Waris has been a priest for fifty-seven years. Growing up in Saint Joseph, Missouri, before the Second Vatican Council, he was nurtured by a loving family and parents who lived their faith both in praise of God and in outreach to the poor. His five parishes in the inner city, Northeast, Brookside neighborhood, KC Northland, and Cathedral in St Joseph broadened his sense of people and the church that was sharpening its mission after the Council.

His commitment to the poor in El Salvador and at home has helped Jerry share his heart with people of all ages and cultures in dynamic ways.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish
#farnanspiritualiltycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Father Greg Haskamp, pastor of Visitation Parish in Kansas City, reminisces about his upbringing, the priests who influenced him, his education, and his path to priesthood. He continues to grow and learn “on the job” through various assignments in culturally different parts of our local diocese.

Returning as pastor to the two parishes in which he served decades earlier as a young priest, he sees God’s unfolding grace that leaves him optimistic about the future of our church.  You will gain insights about your own faith-journey by listening to his.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish
#farnanspiritualiltycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Meet Father Haskamp:
Visitation Parish

Father Don reflects on the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and how the church defines marriage, which is different from the way societies describe it as a civil union. Pope Francis makes this distinction when he suggests that church officials can bless people in civil unions, including same-sex unions, just as we bless children, grandparents, homes, vehicles, crops, animals, and many other creatures and creations.

He reminds us that though some Catholics do not qualify for the sacraments of vocation (holy matrimony and holy orders), all people are created in the image and likeness of God and ought to be revered as such.

Follow Father Don: 
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish 
#farnanspiritualiltycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Tom Laughlin grew up in Omaha and was educated by Jesuits; after becoming a doctor, he and his wife moved to Kansas City to work and raise their children. Mike Kopp grew up in KC at Visitation Parish, where his father served as a deacon, and his mother nurtured her eleven children. These friends now straddle the generation before them when discipline, order, and respect reigned with the one which succeeds them that juggles social media and constant distractions with giving little ones a solid foundation in faith.

Connecting through basketball and, later, golf, Doc and Mike unite with other friends to socialize in ways that extend their religious faith and assist other struggling families in our city.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish 
#farnanspiritualiltycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Lane Lucas and Father Don discuss the church’s existence in our time, which is dominated by social media and online interactions. Lane served as a communications and marketing professional for the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese before doing the same for St. Charles Borromeo Parish in KC’s northland.

He now performs this service for the Bishop Sullivan Center, which offers emergency assistance and a helping hand to people in need. They discuss the challenges the church and nonprofits face in a society that interacts online more than in person.

Follow Father Don:
Web: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish
#farnanspiritualiltycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Learn More:
Bishop Sullivan Center

Father Don and his sister, Barbie, review the September 28 Angel Fund celebration at Southside Bar & Grille with co-sponsor Dominic Welsh. Raising over $150,000 to assist children, families, and people in need, at the “When September Ends” gathering of friends, they report back on how the fund, started by a small group of guys, now expands to include many Kansas Citians and others who join this team of angels to do good deeds. We thank all who contributed and rejoice in the opportunity to help the church’s social mission.


Follow Father Don:
farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish
#farnanspiritualiltycenter 
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

This podcast is a follow-up to Episode #22, in which Mary Ann (Rolf) Welsh and her older son, Eddie, speak about family life. In this follow-up feature, her husband, Danny, and younger son, Stephen, further develop the portrait of family dynamics and beliefs received and handed down in their homes.

Contemplating lineage, foundations, strong education, and other anchors in faith, father, and son pay tribute to a religious culture that has nourished them and communities that provide strong principles to live by. You will easily relate to their experiences and share their values.

Follow Father Don:
Web: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish 
#farnanspiritualiltycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Peter Clune sits down with Father Don as a follow-up to an earlier podcast with his buddies, Vince Hodes and Donnie Welsh. This time, Peter fills in some blanks about an upcoming celebration and fundraiser, When September Ends, for their group outreach to less fortunate citizens in the Kansas City area. It occurs on September 28 at the Southside Bar and Grille (1144 W 103rd St, Kansas City, MO, in the Watts Mill Plaza).

But first, Peter recounts the blessings he received as a child of Pete and Janice (Kopp) Clune while we recount stories about family, including his aunt, Sr. Patty Clune, Sister of Saint Joseph of Carondelet, and his grandfather, George Kopp II, a long-time deacon at Visitation Parish. The Angel Fund is a spiritual mechanism he utilizes to pass along the deep faith entrusted to him and the core message of Jesus to others.

Follow Father Don:
farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish
#farnanspiritualiltycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Learn More:
When September Ends
Peter Clune