Sauk Centre Catholic Parishes Newsletter — July 2021

S T. A L E X I U S - O U R L A D Y O F T H E A N G E L S - S T. PA U L ’S

The Paschal Challenge

Offers Powerful Opportunity for Young Men to Follow Jesus’ Path

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he Paschal Mystery encompasses Jesus’s dying and rising to new life. It is a core component of our Catholic faith, and we are asked to contemplate this mystery and pray about it. We can consider what all of this means, but we don’t ever get to experience it. On Saturday, July 31, a group of men from throughout the St. Cloud Diocese will walk through the Paschal Mystery in Sauk Centre, during an event called the Paschal Challenge.

The Paschal Challenge is an opportunity for men considering the priesthood to experience a small part of what Jesus went through at the Last Supper, betrayal, arrest, crucifixion, death and resurrection. They spend a day walking through these events, and even physically experiencing some parts.

As seminarian Kevin Soenneker says, becoming a Catholic priest is a beautiful sacrifice — so it’s important for those considering the priesthood to truly understand the Paschal Mystery.

“This is a way for the men to get out and be active,” Kevin says. “It’s also a way to foster fraternity, and get out and do something new and exciting that offers a spiritual aspect.”

The Paschal Challenge also offers a valuable chance to meet other men who are discerning the priesthood.

There’s not always an opportunity for this at school or even church events, so this event brings men from across the diocese together.

“We want to make sure the men can have fun,” Kevin says. “These guys are young and full of energy and we want them to experience something like this.”

J U LY

Students gather during the 2019 Paschal Challenge.

The morning begins with breakfast, Scripture reflection and washing of the feet in the upstairs of the rectory or the “upper room.” This mimics the Last Supper that Jesus experienced with the disciples. Next, they will act out when Jesus was arrested, using zip ties to bind their hands.

The men will experience a fraction of what Jesus experienced during the judgment and scourging. The group then works together to carry a large cross, made of railroad ties, from St. Paul’s Parish to the cemetery.

The men take turns getting on the cross to mimic Jesus’s death. They also work together to dig a shallow grave.

“The whole time, Fr. Greg will share Scripture with

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ST. ALEXIUS - OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS - ST. PAUL’S

H

Good

Giver

FOR THE

ere’s a simple riddle: Name something you can’t keep if you don’t give it away, but if you give it away, it will increase.

The best answer to this riddle, if you haven’t already guessed, is love. But the beauty of this paradox is that there can be a number of different answers. Another response might be artistic talent. Ask any artist, and they’ll tell you that their skill for drawing or painting diminishes after a few weeks or months of inactivity. But the more they paint, the more their talent grows.

We also see this truth illustrated in nature. The Sea of Galilee, teeming with fish and other wildlife, is one example. All of the water in this beautiful reservoir is constantly being drained through the Jordan River, which stretches for about 60 miles, providing the only fresh water for all of Israel. It finally drains into the Dead Sea, which has no outlet. It is consequently stagnant and totally lifeless, continually evaporating into thin air.

The point, in a nutshell, is that the good steward takes care of his or her gifts by giving them away. As a result, you won’t have less left over, but will instead have more!

There is a story about St. Teresa of Calcutta and her visit to one of the hundreds of convents she had

founded. The Superior of the convent told her, “Mother, we don’t have enough time to do our work with the poor; there’s just not enough hours in the day.”

St. Teresa responded, “Then you need to pray more.”

When the convent added another full hour of prayer each day, they somehow found that they had enough time to do even more for the poor in that city.

The difficulty with this idea – that by giving we receive – is that it is still a struggle to give. When we arrive at the moment of giving, it appears on the surface that we will have less left over. This is especially true regarding money. When writing a check to a charity or to the parish, you mathematically end up with less money to spend on other things. And yet, the immaterial value of our sacrifice is immeasurable. This is why Jesus speaks so frequently in the Gospels about the spiritual benefits of giving to others. We do have more after we give, but it is simply more of something else – and something better.

When we emphasize stewardship, it is not primarily to increase “volunteerism” or to swell our budget.

Indeed, our first aim is always the “good of the giver.”

It is not because the parish has needs, but because we have a need to give. We recognize that the model Steward is Jesus, who gave all, even His very life, so that we may have everything.

STEWARDSHIP IN NATURE The Sea of Galilee stays fresh and healthy because it “gives away” all its water through the Jordan River. When all that water is finally drained into the Dead Sea, it stays there, becoming stagnant and lifeless. Human beings are the same way. Giving of ourselves is one of the main ways we stay spiritually healthy.

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A Letter From Our Pastor

Stewardship Helps Us Endure the “Heat” My Dear Friends in Christ,

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t is natural to think of July as a time for recharging. After all, isn’t July the month most Americans would associate with the word “vacation”? Yes, Independence Day does provide a focus for the first part of the month, but then the rest of the month stretches ahead, seemingly empty of obligations for many of us.

The month of July also represents the relative sameness of a farmer’s growing season. Like a farmer raising crops — having a busy spring planting season and a hectic fall harvest, with a long summer growing season in between — so it is with our lives. In our professional lives, completing our education, starting our careers, getting married, and beginning a family correspond with the planting season. Then, retirement, with the changes in our lives that come with it, is comparable to the harvest. But between the two lies 40 years of labor — for some people, these are years of exciting and fulfilling work, but for others, these are years of drudgery that seem to have no end. And just as the noonday sun of July shines the hottest, the “heat” of our working years can become overwhelming.

The same is sometimes true of our spiritual life. Most of us don’t remember our Christian beginnings because we were baptized as infants. But all you have to do is see the joy and excitement in the faces of those to come into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. Their spirits have been planted in the rich soil of grace from God and begin to sprout. The harvest we have to look forward to is eternal life with God in heaven. But between our baptism and our arrival at heaven, there are years of Christian living. For most of us, there are peaks and valleys,

high points of joy and low points of sin, with long stretches of spiritual plateau in between. And that’s when the “heat” of the noonday sun seems to weaken our resolve to live for Christ.

The best way to deal with that difficulty in the spiritual life is through the practice of stewardship. The commitments we make to devote some portion of our time, our talent, and our treasure to God guarantee that we come into contact with Him in regular worship and service. By maintaining our relationship with Him, we can grow in our trust in His love for us, so we do not need to fear “the scourge that lays waste” (Psalm 91) in the noon of our life’s demands.

In summary, though July is vacation month, we should never take vacation from our faith. It is by praying at Mass that we avoid the eternal heat of Hell and truly get recharged with God. So even though there are ups and downs, twists and turns, scourges and plateaus in our lives and our spiritual lives, let's not lose our focus. Rather, let's be thankful for God’s many blessings and give it all back to Him. There, more than any other place, we take vacation from the world and thank God by returning ourselves to Him, by saying Amen, and by receiving Him in Holy Communion.

In our Father’s hands,

Fr. Greg Paffel Pastor

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ST. ALEXIUS - OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS - ST. PAUL’S

OUR PARISH ANNUAL RETREAT

Was Spiritually Enriching for All Who Attended!

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hank you to Fr. Greg, all our retreat participants and all who helped make this event a success on April 9 and 10!

Our parish retreat — Stewardship and the Family — was a time for fellowship, prayer and reflection as we explored how stewardship impacts our everyday lives. There were opportunities for Confession and small-group discussion.

Come join our parish community for our next retreat. Take the opportunity to spend a day with the Lord, learning about Him and listening to His voice. Whether you have attended many retreats or have never been to one before, we hope to see you at our next retreat in 2022! All are welcome!

UPCOMING EVENTS First Saturday Devotions at Our Lady of the Angels Saturday, July 3, 2021

7:45 a.m.

Confessions

8 a.m. Adoration and Benediction

8:30 a.m. Rosary

9 a.m. Mass

ATTENTION ALL SEARCHING SOULS! Are you seeking to find answers and wanting to grow in your Catholic faith? Join other searching souls every Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Angels Church in Sauk Centre for videos and smallgroup discussions with a different topic each week!

Parish Office Closed on Monday, July 5

Have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July weekend!

Text or call 320-298-6778 for more information or with questions! Find our “Searching Souls Ministries” Facebook page for more information!

Baptism Instructional Class offered on Monday, July 19, at 7:30 p.m.

Location: St. Paul’s Church Meeting Room.

If you are expecting your first child and/or it has been over three years since you have taken the class, please call the parish office at 352-2196 to sign up.

July Topics: July 5 — Adoration July 12 — Our Lady of Fatima July 19 — Scapular-Mount Caramel July 26 — St. Anne and St. Joachim (Our Blessed Mother’s parents)

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The Paschal Challenge

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the group to help think about what Jesus was going through,” Kevin says. “This is a very emotional time.”

After the events at the cemetery, the men gather at the Sauk River, near the cemetery, to canoe to a spot for Mass and a meal with their families. This is a time to be together and also mimic the resurrection and the meal that followed.

“This is an important time for fraternity and meeting one another’s families,” Kevin says. “This day is the highlight of my summer, as far as vocation events.”

Kevin, along with Fr. Greg Paffel and Fr. Doug Liebsch, Associate Director of Vocations for the St. Cloud Diocese, help coordinate and chaperone this event. There are seminarians who also assist, along with Fr. Rick Aubol and Fr. Jeremy Theis.

“This is more than just reading about it. As a human, we can experience it. Jesus was human, as well — you can relate to what He went through.” — KEVIN SOENNEKER This 2021 Paschal Challenge is the second such event — it was first held in 2019, but canceled in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Noting that this event takes place during the Stearns County Fair, Kevin hopes men will use this as a way to give something up — time at the fair — in order to serve the Lord. It can be considered a personal retreat. He also encourages any man considering the priesthood to join this challenge. This is really a way to be with Jesus during the events of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

“This is more than just reading about it,” Kevin says.

“As a human, we can experience it. Jesus was human, as well — you can relate to what He went through.”

In 2019, the cross was carried to the cemetery.

Mass was held after the event.

If you are considering the priesthood, you may register for the Paschal Challenge at https://stcdio.org/vocations/events-3/.

This event is designed for young men (grades 9-12).

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ST. ALEXIUS - OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS - ST. PAUL’S

GETTING TO KNOW

“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 St. Paul’s Parishioner

Steph Salto

“I Will Always Be Catholic”

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hough Steph Salto began playing piano in second grade and continued into college, she never played for the Church. She felt hesitant to do so, concerned that her playing had to be perfect.

“Then I realized that I wasn’t doing that for anyone else but for God and to bring glory to Him,” Steph says. “I was nervous, but when I realized it was for Him, that nervousness went away. He would take it as it was.”

Steph Salto and her husband, Tim Salto, have been St. Paul’s parishioners since 1998 when they moved to the area. As their son, Zach, was starting first grade, they chose the parish next to Holy Family School.

“We didn’t even know there was another Catholic church in town,” Steph says. “We loved the school, and the Pastor at that time, Fr. Tim Wenzel, really made an effort to get to know us.”

As Zach and then their daughter, Hannah, grew up, Steph and Tim met many people through the church and the school. Very soon after joining, Steph was asked by a friend of hers to become treasurer of the Christian Mothers/Catholic Women group.

“That was my first stewardship to the church,” Steph says.

“Then we became more familiar with the community, and I joined a choir. Over time, I served as a seventh-grade religious teacher and also directed a children’s choir, youth choir and adult choir. I still

The longer Steph and Tim Salto attended Mass together, the more their hearts opened up to Christ and His Word, and the closer they became to each other and to Christ.

accompany choirs and cantors.”

Taking that first step into stewardship can be as simple as finding out more about the many ministries in our faith community and reaching out to talk to someone.

“I never realized until years into my faith journey how many opportunities there are to serve the Church and serve God,” Steph says. “I’m amazed at how many ways exist, from prayer to using

the talent that you have to just give your time to God.” Since childhood, Steph went to Church because, like many others, that’s just “what her family did.”

“We went to church on Sunday, and then I didn’t do anything until I went to church again,” Steph says. “It wasn’t until I started doing Bible studies that I started to understand how everything fit with my life.” continued on back cover

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ST. ALEXIUS - OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS - ST. PAUL’S Parish Office: 304 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 (320) 352-2196 www.catholic-sc.org Mass Schedule

Saturday 4:00 p.m. - St. Paul’s Saturday 5:00 p.m. - Our Lady of the Angels Saturday 8:00 p.m. - St. Paul’s Sunday 8:00 a.m. - St. Paul’s Sunday 8:30 a.m. - St. Alexius Sunday 10:00 a.m. - St. Paul’s Sunday 10:30 a.m. - Our Lady of the Angels

Reconciliation Schedule

Thursday 4:00 p.m. - St. Paul’s Saturday 3:00 p.m. - St. Paul’s Saturday 4:00 p.m. - Our Lady of the Angels Sunday 8:00 a.m. - St. Alexius

Meet St. Paul’s Parishioner Steph Salto Even while at St. Paul’s, Steph and Tim looked at a few different churches, a few different denominations, just to see what they were like. They asked seriously, is the Catholic faith for us?

“Then we were at one church, and for Communion, I remember they passed a basket of oyster crackers,” Steph says. “I realized right then how important the Eucharist was to me and that I will always be Catholic.”

The longer Steph and Tim attended Mass together, the more their hearts opened up to Christ and His Word, and the closer they became to each other and to Christ.

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“We started having these conversations with one another about our faith and what it meant to us,” Steph says. “We felt that we had become rock solid.”

Since joining the parish, the Salto family has endured tragic loss and hardship. If it wasn’t for the faith community and their faith in God, Steph doesn’t believe their family would have made it through. In times of deep distress, faith sustains us.

“The devil would have won if we didn’t have our faith,” Steph says. “I’d like to thank the faith community for their support, their hugs, their words, and their prayers. The more you prayed, the more we healed.”

“I never realized until years into my faith journey how many opportunities there are to serve the Church and serve God. I’m amazed at how many ways exist, from prayer to using the talent that you have to just give your time to God.” — STEPH SALTO