Holy Family Area Catholic Community Newsletter — June 2022

ST. JA M E S

ST. ANDRE W

ST. J OS E PH

Holy Family Area CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

CAROL BECK

MEET ST. ANDREW PARISHIONER Devoted to Living Life of Faithful Ser vice

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For Carol Beck, involvement at St. Andrew’s is such a joy.

ny of us who have lost a loved one knows there are so many details that require attention — from the reading choices and the funeral to the burial. As family and friends gather to mourn, it means so much for the bereaved to not have to worry about all the details.

For Carol Beck and the other women who make funeral meals at St. Andrew’s, it’s meaningful because often they know the deceased and maybe some of the family members.

“You feel a closeness to the family,” Carol says. “Making the funeral meal is a way to honor the parishioner who died and take care of their family.”

Carol has several women she can call on when there’s a need for a funeral meal. The group has developed a friendship. When making a meal, they also have time to reminisce about the person.

Making meals for funerals is just one example of how Carol helps at St. Andrew’s. She also coordinates the Money Counter Ministry and makes the bank deposits, both very important tasks for the operation of St. Andrew’s Parish.

For Carol, involvement at St. Andrew’s is such a joy.

“I enjoy working with other parishioners,” she says. “You get to know them. It’s beautiful to be in service to our church community.”

Raised Lutheran in several towns throughout Rock County, Minnesota, Carol became Catholic in 1973 after marrying Frank Beck — the couple was married until Frank’s passing in 1990. Carol retired in

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JULY 2022

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WHAT DOES “RED, WHITE, AND BLUE” MEAN TO YOU?

lthough our nation’s real independence began at the end of the Revolutionary War on Sept. 3, 1783, President John Adams originally thought that the anniversary would be marked on July 2, the day in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence from Great Britain. Ultimately, Americans chose to commemorate the birthday of the United States on July 4, the day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted and approved.

What does this mean for us as Roman Catholics? The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “The love and service of one’s country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity” (2239).

As a parish community, we are called by God to respond to this duty to the best of our ability. So, where do we start?

The Second Vatican Council document, Apostolicam Actuositatem, states that “In their patriotism and in their fidelity to their civic duties, Catholics will feel themselves bound to promote the true common good: they will make the weight of their convictions so influential that, as a result, civil authority will be justly exercised and laws will accord with moral precepts and the common good” (14).

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By living our lay vocation and permeating the secular world with Catholic values, we genuinely honor God and neighbor. As “lamps shining before men,” we need to let our moral convictions — no matter the courage it may take — shine forth to be a guiding light for the world, often left vulnerable in the darkness.

Our commitment to a rightly ordered Catholic patriotism begins with our commitment to the formation of our Christian conscience. We must enrich ourselves with the Church’s teachings on the value of human life, the sacred institution of family, Catholic social and moral teachings, Catholic civil duties, and anything that further pertains to the living out of our Catholic faith in our nation today.

Once we have done this, we will be able to act upon it. As St. Teresa of Calcutta once said, “Today, more than ever, we need to pray for the light to know the will of God, for the love to accept the will of God, for the way to do the will of God.” This year, let us give our hearts to carrying out this mission of an authentic Catholic patriotism under God. Our nation was founded under God. Let us not allow this precious heritage, this source of true life and liberty, to be lost. Its preservation relies on each one of us.

A Letter From Our Pastor

WE PROVIDE THE GIFTS, GOD PERFORMS THE MIRACLES My Dear Friends in Christ,

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t is human nature to try to neatly place things into categories. If we categorize the miracles performed by Christ, the two largest groupings might fall under the headings “Healing” and “Feeding.”

This is exactly what we are about here in our Holy Family Area Catholic Community. At the base of all our liturgies is the Eucharist, when we come together in communion with the Lord and with one another to be both fed and healed. Even one of Christ’s most famous miracles — the Feeding of the Multitude — involved both healing and feeding from a spiritual and a literal perspective.

The reason the large crowd gathered was because Jesus’ reputation as a healer had spread and grown. He felt compassion for that crowd, which is another way of saying He loved them and felt sorry that they were hungry due to their willingness to sit and be with Him for so long.

Recognizing it was late in the day and that many of them had not eaten, Jesus literally fed them — but that day, He didn’t stop with physical nourishment. He also fed them spiritually with His words, and simultaneously, healed their wounded hearts by preaching a message of hope and forgiveness in the midst of a dark and hardened world.

The narrative of Christ taking a small amount of food and using it to feed thousands is familiar to all of us. It is reported in all four Gospels. However, I would like to highlight one aspect of that miracle. It all started with one boy who was willing to share what little he had.

Because the boy made the gift of his fishes and loaves, the Lord took it and multiplied it many times over, nourishing so many more people than what that little bit initially could.

Isn’t that what we as a parish are called to do? We make gifts of our time, our talent, and our treasure as good stewards — but nevertheless, it is God who takes those gifts and performs miracles with them. Our goal is to give what we have so that Christ might use it, multiplying it to feed, to heal and draw a multitude of people closer to Him. The reality is that without the gifts, there can be no miracles, and without miracles, we are a hungry and broken people. Christ has come to renew, nourish, fulfill, and restore — and that, brothers and sisters, is what Christianity is all about.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Paul Timmerman, Pastor

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NATUR A L FA M I

Ensur ing Couples Ma ke H

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or parishioner Beth Gilb, Natural Family Planning (NFP) is more than just something that the church encourages its members to use — it is also a way to support others in their lives and a way to help support her own family as well. Beth is a FertilityCare Practitioner who teaches the Creighton Model of Natural Family Planning. NFP is a safe and beneficial way for couples to track a woman’s cycles and use this information to either achieve or avoid pregnancy.

“I first learned NFP when I was single,” Beth says.

“I was so excited about the knowledge that I gained.

It was so eye-opening. I wish that it was something I had learned as a teenager. I would love to someday set up a program for mothers and daughters so they can learn about their bodies!”

For Beth and her husband, Jeremy, NFP has impacted their life beyond it being a job that Beth utilizes to help others.

“I knew that I had some underlying issues,” she says. “We first used NFP to avoid pregnancy at the beginning of our marriage. After six months of trying to conceive, we worked with a NaPro doctor to treat endometriosis and low progesterone so we could get pregnant.”

A NaPro doctor is a doctor who has been trained and certified by the Saint Paul VI Institute to offer Natural Procreative Technologies to their patients.

They seek to diagnose and understand the underlying problems and treat them to restore health instead of masking or suppressing the symptoms of the problems.

“Oral contraceptives are frequently given to women experiencing problems with their cycles — but this just masks the problem,” Beth says. “When we use NFP methods to track the cycle, we can work

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Beth Gilb

to get to the root of the issue instead. There is this constant ‘fight’ with mainstream society and medical doctors because they so frequently jump to treat women’s health issues with drugs. We know so many people who were on the pill because a doctor told them that was what was best. Also, the world treats fertility as a problem and not as a beautiful gift that we have been given. So there is this uphill battle because medically, this is not the best. Then the other side of it is the moral and spiritual battle.”

The Catholic Church encourages the use of NFP

“I really try to surrender to the Holy Spirit about what I should say to couples in each session to guide them and teach them the truth of the beauty of NFP. This ministry allows me to help teach people the truth.” — BETH GILB

ILY PLANNI NG:

eal thy a nd Mo ral Choices to plan the timing and number of children that a couple has because we believe that love should be fruitful, faithful, total and free. Using contraceptives withholds a part of a person in the relationship — couples do not give totally of themselves. With the practice of Natural Family Planning, they do not withhold their fertility from each other.

“I think it is very interesting that couples who practice NFP have a divorce rate less than five percent,” Beth says. “Comparatively, couples who use contraceptives report an over 50-percent divorce rate.”

The Church, in Her wisdom, understands how important this total giving of oneself in the Sacrament of Marriage is.

“I really try to surrender to the Holy Spirit about what I should say to couples in each session to guide them and teach them the truth of the beauty of NFP,” Beth says. “This ministry allows me to help teach people the truth. NFP can be very challenging, but it is truly the healthy and moral choice.”

Beth Gilb with her husband, Jeremy, and daughters, Lillian and Abigail

MEET ST. ANDREW PARISHIONER CAROL BECK continued from front cover

2010, having worked in public health. She enjoys the time she has to be involved in ministries, golf, and read. She also loves being with people.

Carol is very thankful for her Catholic faith — it’s been a source of support for her for nearly 50 years.

She loves the community at St. Andrew’s. Carol would encourage everyone to get involved in a ministry to make the parish even stronger.

“Even if you don’t have a lot of time, start with something small like setting the tables for a funeral,

for example,” she says.

Every little bit helps when it comes to getting all the work done. Carol is proud to work alongside a great group for funeral meals. She’d love to see a few more people step forward, including men.

“We have a great group,” she says. “When I call people, they are often sad if they have other plans and can’t help.”

Carol also extends her gratitude to Cynthia Giese, parish custodian, for all she contributes to preparing for funerals.

“I enjoy working with other parishioners.

You get to know them. It’s beautiful to be in service to our church community.” — CAROL BECK

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Getting to Know the

“SUMMERTIME” SAINTS

S St. Christopher

St. Joseph of Cupertino

St. Brendan the Navigator

St. Adjutor of Vernon

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chool is out, and summer is now in full swing. The days are longer, warmer and filled with plenty of fun summertime activities.

This summer, as we take family vacations, gather with friends and loved ones for barbecues, spend time by the pool, and enjoy all of the usual summertime activities, we can also take the time to reflect on some of the saints who are associated with the summer.

Family vacations are perhaps the most iconic of all summertime activities. Although there is no patron saint of vacations, there are a number of saints associated with traveling. One of the most popular is St. Christopher. According to his story, St. Christopher was an extremely tall and strong man who served Christ by helping people cross an especially dangerous river. That is why many people wear St. Christopher medals while traveling — to ask for his blessing and protection.

For those of us who are taking road trips this summer, there is St. Frances of Rome, the patron saint of cars and drivers. While St. Frances died well before cars were invented, her story says that her guardian angel went ahead of her when she traveled at night and lit the road with a lantern to keep St. Frances safe.

There are also saints we can look to when traveling by plane. St. Joseph of Cupertino was a Franciscan friar who is said to have frequently and miraculously levitated off the ground during intense prayer sessions. Because of this levitation, he is recognized as the patron saint of air travelers. St. Therese of Lisieux is also associated with aviators and flying.

If you are going on a cruise this summer, you can ask for the intercession of St. Brendan the Navigator, an Irish monk who founded the Clonfert monastery and monastic school, and is the patron saint of mariners and sailors. He and his brothers sailed the Atlantic Ocean and evangelized on a number of islands, and may have even reached the Americas.

Another favorite summer activity is swimming. Whether you choose a pool, a lake or the ocean, seek the intercession of St. Adjutor of Vernon, a knight who was captured in the First Crusade. His captors tried to force him to give up his faith, but St. Adjutor escaped by swimming to his freedom. For this reason, he is the patron saint against drowning, and for drowning victims, sailors and swimmers.

The summer is also a time of amusement and enjoyment. One of the biggest national celebrations of the summer is the Fourth of July. For this type of summertime activity, we look to St. Barbara, the patron saint of fireworks.

There are also a number of saints with feast days during the summer. The feast day of St. Anne, the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus, is celebrated on July 26. July 31 is the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who is also associated with stewardship. These are just two of the many saints whose feasts we celebrate this summer.

No matter what kinds of activities we choose to enjoy during the summertime, let us remember to honor the saints who have gone before us, and give their intercession for us as we walk through our own journeys of faith.

MEET CATECHIST KRISTI KVAAL “You Feel as If You’re Making a Difference”

Kristi and Jon Kavaal in the center with their family. Kristi has served as a catechist for more than 25 years.

She has enjoyed seeing the children grow and learn in their faith journeys over the years.

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hile teaching religion, Kristi Kvaal found she was involved with her children’s formation in a special way.

“When they were young, we talked about Bible stories and watched videos together in class,” Kristi says. “As they grew, it gave me an avenue to discuss social issues with them and what the church teaches regarding those issues. It also gave them encouragement to be involved in the church in areas where they could volunteer such as serving Mass, helping with the preschool class, and getting involved with the Christmas programs.”

Kristi has been helping out as a catechist for about 25 years. She began serving when her eldest son was in elementary school.

“I got involved because I had older sisters who taught and there was a need for catechists,” she says.

“Being raised Catholic, I knew I wanted to raise my children within the teachings of the Church, and I felt I needed to take an active role in their Catholic upbringing. I wanted them to know that my faith was important to me.”

Teaching the children has also led to Kristi learning more about the curriculum and ultimately, her faith.

She has taught different grades throughout the years and enjoys talking with the kids about Catholicism, seeing them learn as they grow up.

“I think the most rewarding part of teaching has been when the students really take an interest in the topic, and you feel as if you’re making a difference,” Kristi says. “At the end of the class, you hope that whatever you’ve taught them will have a positive impact on their lives and that they’ll take with them what they’ve learned. Kids absorb so much, both good and bad, and continued on back cover

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512 Black Oak Ave. Montevideo, MN 56265

www.holyfamilyarea.org

MASS TIMES: Sunday 8:30 a.m. — St. James, Dawson 10:30 a.m. — St. Andrew, Granite Falls Tuesday 5 p.m. - St. Andrew, Granite Falls Wednesday 5 p.m. — St. James, Dawson

Thursday 5:30 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo Friday 10 a.m. — St. Andrew, Granite Falls

Saturday 6:30 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo with elements of Spanish

CONFESSION TIMES: 30 minutes before daily Mass Sunday 8 a.m. — St. James, Dawson

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Saturday 9:30 - 10 a.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo 5:45 - 6:20 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo

CATECHIST KRISTI KVAAL continued from page 7

in today’s world, they are exposed to so much. I think it’s important now more than ever that today’s youth have a good, strong, moral background to help them navigate adulthood.”

In addition to teaching catechesis and assisting with the St. James youth group, Kristi and her husband serve in many other ways around the parish.

“I took over as kitchen chairperson for our Fall Festival in 1996,” she says. “I do the worklist and help coordinate the food.

It’s always a great day in our parish where everyone comes together. Our parish began doing the dinner in 1957 to help fund our new church, and it’s still going strong. My husband and I are also currently serving as chairpersons for our work group.”

Anyone who is interested in serving as a catechist, whether full-time or as a substitute, may contact Ann Voller at Areaffcoordinator@holyfamilyarea. org. Ann also takes donations for Youth Group meals, which are greatly appreciated. Summer Vacation Bible School is coming up and offers another great way to get involved.

JULY 2022