Special Anniversary Edition October, 2014
Celebration Continues Video: "First 100 Years" For those who attended the session at 2 p.m. on Saturday of the 125th Celebration, they had the opportunity to see a moving video depicting the life of the Diocese of Winona in her first 100 years. The Courier staff caught up with Bryan Rodriguez, MultiMedia Communications and Technology Specialist for the Diocese, and creator of the video. Bryan shares his thoughts with us, "When I first looked over the notes and ideas our committee had for our "First 100 Years” video, I was overwhelmed by the task. It seemed impossible that anyone, no matter how creative, could take historical photos of our diocese from our archives, and turn those into a story in the form an engaging 10-minute video. Not only did the task at hand involve taking media created in one era and making it viable for our own, but also being engaging with that media in order to make the viewers feel a part of the experience that our early settlers had, something akin to time travel. However, the more I looked through photos of our beginnings, the more I realized that the story was writing itself, and had been for over 125 years. Our foundations as a diocese began with a desire to spread the gospel- the church provided the laborers, and southern Minnesota became the land on which the seeds were planted. "The importance of the “First 100 Years” video goes far beyond the various narratives it provides. When we listen to the stories of those who worked tirelessly to make our diocese what it is today, we begin to understand our mission in the present day- a mission rooted in faith which calls us to build up God’s kingdom in southern Minnesota, like those of our past, so that we can rejoice in hope, knowing we have done all we can to provide for the future generations of our church. Our history must never be overlooked, when it is, we risk losing our identity. When we forget who we are and where we came from, we cease to appreciate where we are today, what we are capable of through Christ, and how we can impact the future of our church. Our past 125 years as a diocese has been fruitful because of the work of others and it is only with your hands, your feet, and your voice, that our story will continue to be told." If you missed it or would like to view it again, the "First 100 Years" video is available for viewing on the Diocese of Winona's website: www.dow.org
The beautiful, historical scene below is just a snapshot from the many rich images in the "First 100 Years" video.
Don't forget to get your copy of the History of the Diocese of Winona from your parish!