News

Prayers help those left behind express faith

By Joanne Flemming
Compass Correspondent

	PRAYERS ASCEND: Autumn leaves frame participants in a prayer service offered for Teresa Halbach on Nov. 11 at St. John-Sacred Heart Parish in Sherwood. Fr. Dave Zimmerman, pastor, led the service, which was held at the same time as a press conference announcing the likelihood of Halbach's murder. (Dick Meyer photo)

Family and friends of Teresa Halbach, 25, of St. John, who was allegedly murdered on Oct. 31, have found consolation for their grief with several prayer services in her honor. These included a service held on the afternoon of Nov. 11 at St. John-Sacred Heart Parish in Sherwood. It was held at the same time that the conclusions of police investigations into Halbach's disappearance were announced.

Fr. David Zimmerman, pastor of St. John-Sacred, led a 1:30 p.m. prayer service. Students from St. John-Sacred Heart School, provided the prayers, music and song. Halbach had coached seventh grade girls volleyball at the school, where her youngest sister is a seventh grader.

Fr. Zimmerman spoke about the faith of the local community and the Halbach family during the unfolding of this tragedy. The Halbach family, through Mike Halbach, Teresa's younger brother, have often spoken of their Catholic faith and belief in God's presence to them and Teresa.

The network of prayer will continue with a visitation and prayer vigil for Halbach on Friday, Nov. 18, at the St. John-Sacred Heart School in Sherwood. The visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m., with a prayer vigil at 7 p.m. An 11 a.m. memorial Mass is scheduled Saturday, Nov. 19, at John Church, in St. John.

In both his homily on Friday and during a press conference after the prayer service, Fr. Zimmerman stressed the messages of hope found in the Old and New Testament readings and how prayer and talking with family and friends are the best ways to deal with a traumatic event like Teresa's alleged disappearance.

Kerry Sievert, St. John-Sacred Heart School principal, said that elementary and secondary counselors from nearby school districts had also met several times with students and will continue to be available.

Andrew Mahoney, guidance director at Xavier High School in Appleton, said the counselors were part of a local counselors' network called OASIS. All have attended national trainings in trauma and dealing with loss with school children.

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, counselors came from Kaukauna and Little Chute; on Friday, Nov. 11, they were on hand from Xavier, Little Chute public schools and St. John School in Little Chute.

Sievert said that he wanted his students to get "a Catholic perspective" on the Halbach case. Mahoney explained that the counselors helped third through eighth graders express and deal with their feelings about Halbach. They started by leading the children "through the traumatic events so they can deal with them," Mahoney said.

Mahoney said that working from that Catholic perspective mentioned by Sievert includes being present to students and stressing the importance of faith in dealing with the loss of a life. Expressing faith and reliance on God can be done visibly through prayer vigils and other types of liturgical practice.

He said that the students at the school are dealing with feelings that include fear and anger.

"They are disgusted that something like this could happen to someone they know," Mahoney said.

For Fr. Zimmerman, he has found that seeking to find a story or image that children are familiar with helps to convey a message that is not easy for anyone.