Formation helps form leaders to evangelize and disciple others
By Suzanne Weiss | For On Mission
TWO RIVERS – Three members of St. Peter the Fisherman Parish in Two Rivers were among the 29-member graduating class who became commissioned ministers during a ceremony at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay on May 2.
Kelly Scheuer
Kelly Scheuer, pastoral assistant at St. Peter the Fisherman Parish, grew up Catholic in Two Rivers and now lives in Mishicot with her husband of 30 years, Joe.
She completed the Lay Ecclesial Ministry training through the Missionary Leadership Institute offered by the Office of Lay Leadership Formation of the Diocese of Green Bay.
“My faith has been strong, but there was a point in time when I was in a rut. I knew something was missing in my life. It wasn’t work-related, it was something deeper,” she said. “I took Bible classes here and there in the last few years and my faith makes me hungry to learn more … I got more interested in the Real Presence of the Eucharist.”
Scheuer has been involved in church ever since she was in high school and began volunteering as a teacher’s aide in a preschool classroom.
“After that, I became a religious ed teacher for preschoolers. I did that for years. I then went to first grade, now I’m teaching second grade. I’ve taught religious ed for over 30 years,” she said.
Scheuer also enjoys being a church greeter, distributing communion, volunteering as a lector and usher, and working with audiovisual and livestreaming for weekend services, funerals and weddings.
She said she hopes to use her newfound knowledge to instill the importance of faith in her second-graders and inspire them to do more with their faith.
It also will enhance her service to homebound and nursing home individuals because she can relate to them better and help them better understand their faith, she said.
“We have an older population here in Two Rivers,” said Deacon Bob Summers, pastoral coordinator at St. Peter the Fisherman Parish. “(Kelly) really has a heart for this. The people she works with just love her.”
“I feel closer to God,” Scheuer said. “I want to pass it on spirituality and … to continue growing as a Christian and a human being.”
Jo and Bruce Yungerman
Jo and Bruce Yungerman of Two Rivers completed their Intensive Year training together through the Missionary Leadership Institute. “I was going to do it by myself, and he said he wanted to do it, too,” Jo said.
“They’re together constantly. They’re always here (at the church),” Deacon Summers said.
The Yungermans, who are retired and have been married for 47 years, moved to Two Rivers from Janesville in 2019. They have three grown children and 10 grandchildren. She grew up Catholic; he was Lutheran, but converted 20 years ago.
“We had been away from the (Catholic) church for 17 years,” Jo said. “I returned to church with a fire for Christ and dove into ministry.”
She became a catechist and attended a series of courses in Catholic evangelical studies. Jo also started a women’s Bible study group, helps out when the church secretary is away, and enjoys visiting the homebound and those in assisted living.
In addition, Jo said she volunteers in the community because she feels it is important to share the love of Jesus outside of the church.
Jo was recently named 2023 Volunteer of the Year by the Two Rivers Senior Center, where she has logged nearly 950 hours of community service.
Some days find her baking muffins or bread for her neighbors.
“My faith is life. I can’t live without it,” said Jo. “I just want to share with everybody who Jesus is because he is the reason I breathe every day.”
Jo said she was motivated to complete her commissioned ministry training by Bishop David Ricken’s pastoral letter and by the faith formation students she teaches.
“I love learning and then sharing what I learn with the kids,” Jo said. “We have to introduce them to Jesus and give them the hope that we’ve been given.”
She said she considers herself a lifelong learner.
“The more I learn, the more I apply it. The more I learn, the hungrier I get,” she said.
As part of her studies through the Missionary Discipleship Institute, where she took her training, Jo wrote a practicum on funeral follow-up ministry.
“When people … experience a tremendous loss, who do they turn to? They need people to walk beside them when they are grieving,” she said.
Bruce — her six-foot, five-inch-tall husband — is her “gentle giant,” Jo said. “He supports me in everything I do. We complement one another. He’s my encourager, my cheerleader.”
His faith is important to him, said Bruce, who likes spending time reading Scripture with his wife.
“The Eucharist means a lot to me, knowing Jesus is there and being there for us. I know Jesus is protecting me,” he said.
Bruce also enjoys keeping an eye on the children of the parish by serving as a hall monitor inside and outside church during faith formation classes.
“I’ve been a hall monitor for five years. Parents have come up and thanked me for protecting their kids,” Bruce said.
“He’s still exploring what he wants to do. He’s still very much in the discernment process,” Jo said.
“I really would like to get more involved in what’s happening in the church,” said Bruce, who wants to help bring more people into the church and reach more children with the Gospel.
“Quite a bit of what I learned is you have to be involved,” he said. “I would like to spend more time in the ministry … It would be nice to have a couples Bible study. There is a very big need for that.”
He said what he likes about the church is that there is more to it than just attending Mass on Sunday and going home; there are so many more ways people can become involved.
Lay Leadership Program
The Missionary Leadership Institute is designed to provide formation in discipleship and leadership to a wide variety of lay parish leaders, both staff and volunteers, who seek to:
· Discern their vocation, their particular call to holiness.
· Be formed as leaders who will evangelize and disciple others.
· Serve more effectively as lay ecclesial ministers (parish staff).
For more information on the Missionary Leadership Institute, see https://gbdiscipleship.org/mli.
Members of the 2024 graduating class are:
Missionary Disciples
Completion of the Intensive Year
Emily LeGreve
Jerilyn Owen
Holy Cross, Mishicot
Danielle Faust
Michelle Schneider
Holy Trinity, School Hill
Rob Buzaitis
Kaukauna Catholic Parishes, Kaukauna
Kristin Sorensen
Our Lady of Lourdes, De Pere
Brittany Marie Burant
Ss. Peter & Paul, Weyauwega
Paola Escalera
Juan Jacome
SS. Peter & Paul, Green Bay
Hugo Alavez
Yadira Ramirez
St. Philip the Apostle, Green Bay
Lisa Leick Kohlman
St. Clare, Askeaton/Greenleaf/Wrightstown
Hillary Adelman
Amanda L. Bergel
St. Francis of Assisi, Manitowoc
Courtney Foster
St. Jude the Apostle, Oshkosh
Jan Ramseth
St. Martin of Tours, Cecil
Kay Kraeger
St. Mary Magdalene, Waupaca
Tom Truckey
St. Mary of the Angels, Green Bay
Joel Powers
St. Nicholas, Freedom
Bruce T. Yungerman
Jo A. Yungerman
St. Peter the Fisherman, Two Rivers
Jodell Gagnow
St. Thomas More, Appleton
María Bustamantes
Adalberto Martinez
St. Thomas the Apostle, Newton
Lay Ministers
Completion of Missionary Leadership Institute,
Ministry Formation Year
Stephanie Weinfurter
St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Luxemburg
Kellie Zahn
St. Mary, Bear Creek; St. Rose, Clintonville
Kelly Scheuer
St. Peter the Fisherman, Two Rivers
Kathy Baehman
St. Raphael the Archangel, Oshkosh
Andy Pethan
St. Thérèse, Appleton