The Courier - April 2021

The

COURIER

St. Catherine of Siena April 29

April 2021

Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester, MN | dowr.org

Pope Francis:

'The Risen Lord Loves Us Without

By COURTNEY MARES

VATICAN CITY, April 3, 2021 (CNA) - At the Vatican's Easter Vigil Mass, Pope Francis said that Jesus’ love is without limits and always provides the grace to begin anew.

The pope said in his homily on April 3 that "it is always possible to begin anew because there is always a new life that God can awaken in us in spite of all our failures.”

He continued: “From the rubble of our hearts, God can create a work of art; from the ruined remnants of our humanity, God can prepare a new history. He never ceases to go ahead of us: in the cross of suffering, desolation and death, and in the glory of a life that rises again, a history that changes, a hope that is reborn.”

“Jesus, the Risen Lord, loves us without limits and is there at every moment of our lives,” Pope Francis said in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Easter Vigil, which takes place on Holy Saturday night, “is the greatest and most noble of all solemnities and it is to be unique in every single Church,” according to the Roman Missal.

Pope Francis offered the Vigil Mass at the basilica’s Altar of the Chair with about 200 people present.

St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world, is normally packed for the Easter Vigil. This year’s Easter Triduum liturgies were once again scaled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The preparation of the Paschal candle was omitted and no baptisms took place at the vigil, only a renewal of baptismal promises.

The liturgy began in darkness with the blessing of the new fire. The pope and concelebrating cardinals then processed through the dark church carrying lit

April Is Limits' Child Abuse Prevention Month Submitted by MARY HAMANN

�e will never stop working toward candles to signify the light of Christ coming to dispel the darkness.

“If on this night you are experiencing an hour of darkness, a day that has not yet dawned, a light dimmed, or a dream shattered, go open your heart with amazement to the message of Easter: ‘Do not be afraid, he has risen! He awaits you in Galilee,’” Pope Francis said in his homily.

“Your expectations will not remain unfulfilled, your tears will be dried, your fears will be replaced by hope.

For the Lord always goes ahead of you, he always walks before you. And, with him, life always begins anew.”

During the liturgy, a cantor sang the Exsultet Easter Proclamation, which tells the story of salvation from the creation, the testing and fall of Adam, the liberation of

Risen Lord, cont'd on pg. 2

the elimination of child abuse in our Diocese. We are always improving the education of our adults and children as well as being on top of running background checks on all our employees and volunteers who work with children and vulnerable adults.

What is happening in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester to protect the most vulnerable?

• We report all allegations of abuse directly to law enforcement and cooperate with civil authorities on all investigations.

• Our diocese has a designated Victim Assistance Coordinator whose primary role is to accompany survivors and provide resources for their healing journey. To contact her call 507454-2270 Ext. 255.

Prevention, cont'd on pg. 4

INSIDE this issue

'With a Father's Heart' page 5

Spiritual Friendship in an Age of Enemies page 6

Show Compassion.

Create Lasting Change. page 9

Pope Francis Watch

Articles of Interest

'With a Father's Heart'______________________5

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Spiritual Friendship in an Age of Enemies___6

The Courier Insider

Year of the Family_________________________7 Teresita__________________________________7 Catholic Schools Updates___________________8 Show Compassion. Create Lasting Change.___9 Minnesota Catholic Conference____________10 Diocesan Headlines______________________11

Risen Lord, cont'd from pg. 1

the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, and culminates in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and leads us to salvation.

The basilica was lit up gradually until it was fully illuminated at the Gloria, when the bells of St. Peter’s tolled.

In his homily, the pope asked people to reflect on the angel’s message to Mary Magdalene and the others who went to anoint Jesus’ body, but found an empty tomb, as described in the Gospel of Mark: “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.”

Pope Francis said: “Let us go to Galilee, where the Risen Lord has gone ahead of us.

Yet what does it mean ‘to go to Galilee?’”

The pope then explained that “going to Galilee” can mean setting out on new paths, beginning anew, and going out to the peripheries.

“Galilee was an outpost: the people living in that diverse and disparate region were those farthest from the ritual purity of Jerusalem.

Yet that is where Jesus began his mission.

There he brought his message to those struggling to live from day to day … the excluded, the vulnerable and the poor,” he said.

“There he brought the face and presence of God, who tirelessly seeks out those who are discouraged or lost, who goes to the very peripheries of existence, since in his eyes no

one is least, no one is excluded.”

Pope Francis said that he thinks many people today view the Catholic faith as a thing of the past or “lovely childhood memories” that no longer influence their daily lives.

“God cannot be filed away among our childhood memories, but is alive and filled with surprises. Risen from the dead, Jesus never ceases to amaze us,” he said.

Pope Francis continued: “Jesus is not outdated. He is alive here and now. He walks beside you each day, in every situation you are experiencing, in every trial you have to endure, in your deepest hopes and dreams. … Even if you feel that all is lost, please, let yourself be open to amazement at the newness Jesus brings: He will surely surprise you.”

The Holy Father's Intention for

April 2021

Fundamental Rights

Most Reverend John M. Quinn, Publisher Nick Reller, Associate Editor Telephone: 507-858-1257 Fax:507-454-8106 E-mail: nreller@dowr.org Publishing Schedule: Monthly - Deadline for advertising & articles is the (ISSN 0744-5490)

April 2021 w The Courier w dowr.org

The Consecrated Life graphic on the back page of the Courier's March issue contained the following errors: Brother Ryan Anderson's status was listed as "4th Year Profession of Vows." In fact, he has left formation with the De La Salle Christian Brothers.

Sr. Ann Immaculèe's status was listed as "Novitiate." In fact, she has professed her first vows with the Sisters of Life and will profess second vows this June.

Natalie Cook's status was listed as "Candidacy." In fact, she entered the Novitiate with the Community of the Franciscans of Renewal in August of 2020, taking the name Sister Mary Joseph.

Below is a picture of Sister Mary Joseph wearing her habit:

We pray for those who risk their lives while fighting for fundamental rights under dictatorships, authoritarian regimes and even in democracies in crisis.

The Courier is the official publication of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester 55 West Sanborn, P.O. Box 588, Winona, MN 55987 Vol 112 - 4

10th of the month prior.

Corrections

Child Abuse Policy Information The Diocese of Winona-Rochester will provide a prompt, appropriate and compassionate response to reporters of sexual abuse of a child by any diocesan agent (employees, volunteers, vendors, religious or clergy). Anyone wishing to make a report of an allegation of sexual abuse should call the Victim Assistance Coordinator at 507454-2270, Extension 255. A caller will be asked to provide his or her name and telephone number. Individuals are also encouraged to take their reports directly to civil authorities. The Diocese of Winona-Rochester is committed to protecting children, young people and other vulnerable people in our schools, parishes and ministries. The diocesan policy is available on the diocesan web site at www.dow. org under the Safe Environment Program. If you have any questions about the Diocese of Winona-Rochester’s implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, please contact Mary Hamann at 507-858-1244, or mhamann@dowr.org.

Officials

The Most Rev. John M. Quinn, Bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, announces the following appointments: Excardination Rev. Jon Moore, O. Carm.: excardinated from the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and incardinated into the Order of Carmelites, upon the occasion of his Solemn Profession of Vows with the Order of Carmelites, on August 29, 2020.

Where to Find the Courier

Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hard copies of the Courier are currently not available in our churches.

• Hard copies of the Courier are available in the churches of the Diocese of WinonaRochester at the first weekend Masses of each month.

• An online version may be viewed at www.dowr.org/offices/ courier/index.html • To be added to the home delivery list, readers should send their names and addresses to: Diocese of Winona-Rochester The Courier 55 W Sanborn St. Winona, MN 55987 or nreller@dowr.org

Christ Is Alive!

The Mass

Bishop John M. Quinn

�ear Friends in Christ, Easter

At Easter, Christians celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. This event is at the very core of our faith, for Christianity is based upon the belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and won for us the victory over sin and death.

We believe Christ is alive and reigns at the right hand of God the Father, and with the Holy Spirit guides the Church throughout all of history.

Christ rose from the dead, to give us a hope beyond all imagining. If we are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, then we become heirs of heaven along with Him. Our world offers many illusory hopes, whether for wealth, pleasure, fame, power, or success. Christ, however, offers a hope for something much more valuable and permanent, which is life with Him forever. While any pleasure we experience on earth will be temporary and leave us wanting for more, the joys of life with the Triune God in heaven will be greater than we can ever imagine, and will satisfy us for all eternity.

Bishops and Rector Dinner Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Seminary in Winona provides human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation to young men studying for the priesthood from 14 dioceses, including the Diocese of WinonaRochester. For over 60 years, the seminary has formed men to be priests of Jesus Christ, and, with your prayers, support, and generosity, it will continue to do so for years to come. The Diocese of WinonaRochester currently has 17 seminarians, eight of whom are at IHM Seminary while studying philosophy at St. Mary’s University.

The Bishops and Rector Dinner is an annual fundraiser that benefits seminarian formation at IHM Seminary.

Last year, it was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID. This year, we will be holding the event virtually so that a larger number of people can participate. Guests will be able to view the evening either on facebook.com/ ihmseminary or youtube.com/ DioceseofWinona, beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 16.

This year’s Immaculate Heart of Mary award will be bestowed upon Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the current apostolic nuncio of the United States.

In addition to Archbishop Pierre, participants will hear from seminary rector, Fr. Robert Horihan, and enjoy musical selections from our seminarians. I hope you will mark your calendars for the 2021 Bishops and Rector Virtual Event, and consider making a donation to support ongoing formation at IHM Seminary. Blessed are you!

Baccalaureate Mass

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Triune God for the many blessings He has poured out upon these young men and women.

It is also a fitting time to thank the many people in their lives who have helped them reach this milestone: parents, teachers, mentors, coaches, and the parish and school communities who have nurtured and supported these students for the last 18 years. We are also reminded of the tremendous blessing that Catholic schools are to our diocese, providing an environment where faith and morals can be taught and modeled.

This year’s Baccalaureate Mass will be held Wednesday, April 28, at 11 a.m., at St. Augustine Parish in Austin.

The graduating seniors from Pacelli will attend in person while those from Cotter, Loyola, and Lourdes will be able to watch the Mass virtually. We pray that our Catholic school graduates will use the faith and knowledge that they have gained through their education, to build up the Kingdom of God in the world.

Graduates, may you always stay rooted in Christ and bring your faith to everything you do.

From the Bishop

Rejoice in Hope

The Resurrection of Christ is so foundational to us as Catholics that we do not only celebrate it for one day on Easter, or 50 days of the Easter season. Rather, every Sunday is considered a “mini Easter,” when we remember Christ’s triumph over sin and death.

The first day of the week is when Jesus rose from the grave, and so on that day we gather as His Body to rejoice in the victory that He won for us.

Our lives are filled with trials, suffering, and sorrows, but by recalling the joy of Easter each Sunday, we are reminded that no matter what struggles we may experience in this world, they fade in comparison to the joy that awaits us in eternity.

In order to keep us focused on our life in Christ, the Church asks all of the faithful to keep holy the sabbath by going to Mass. Christ offered Himself as expiation for our sins once and for all on the cross on Calvary, but at every Mass, through the actions of the priest and the power of the Holy Spirit, He makes Himself present to us once again. By going to Mass we do not merely remember the fact that Christ died for our sins and rose triumphant over the grave; we are literally brought into the presence of Christ’s salvific act through the gift of the Eucharist. It is a great mystery, but it is one which Christ Himself instituted, so that He could be truly present to us in His Church until the end of time.

The Holy Eucharist In the sacraments, Christ acts through His Church and ordained ministers to bestow grace on us who are striving to follow Him. The sacraments, however, can only be celebrated and experienced in person, even if we may be able to view them virtually. While we can grow spiritually by praying at home or watching Mass on TV, this is not the same as celebrating the sacraments in person.

The graces available to us by being physically present at Mass are of such inestimable value and importance that the Church has made it obligatory for all Catholics to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days, unless for some serious reason they are unable to do so, such as in the case of illness. For the last year, Catholics in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester have been dispensed from this obligation, but as we gradually resume various activities of life, it is important for us to remember the supreme importance of the Mass and the Eucharist.

As we look forward to returning to our normal work, school, and social activities, are we also longing for the Bread of Life? Are we aware of our need not only for bodily food, but food for our souls as well? One day we will die, but our souls will live forever and so we must ask ourselves whether we are being as vigilant in caring for our souls as we are in caring for our bodies.

Those who may be more susceptible to COVID-19, such as those who are older or have underlying medical conditions, may still be very cautious about going out and may not yet feel comfortable with attending Mass in person.

However, for those who are in good health, are younger, and have already returned to normal practices of shopping, going to the gym, and social activities, I encourage you to come back to Mass. Christ gives Himself to us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. While TV Mass is a wonderful resource for those unable to come to church, it is only by attending Mass in person that we can truly experience the grace of the Eucharist that unites us to Christ and strengthens us for our journey. However, be sure to check with your local parish to see if the church building can accommodate more people at Mass given restrictions on occupancy.

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Rev. John M. Quinn Bishop of Winona-Rochester

Every spring it is a joy for me to celebrate the annual Baccalaureate Mass with the graduating seniors from the four Catholic high schools in the Diocese of WinonaRochester. This is a wonderful occasion to give thanks to our

The Bishop's Calendar is on Page 4.

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Prevention, cont'd from pg. 1

• We also have an independent review board, consisting primarily of lay members. The role of the review board is to review allegations and make a recommendation to the bishop regarding the suitability of clerics for ministry.

• We train adults on how to maintain a safe environment and how to report concerns. Training is through the VIRTUS Adult learning platform.

• We train minors in parish religious education programs and in Catholic schools to identify warning signs of abuse and inappropriate behavior, as well as how to report abuse. Training is through the Circle of Grace training program.

• By following all of our diocesan policies and procedures to create safe environments, we can maintain a culture of protection and healing.

What’s happening nationally to protect the most vulnerable?

• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has two bodies committed to the influence of policies regarding child and youth protection: The Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People where all members are bishops, and the National Review Board in which all members are lay people with expertise in the field of child and youth protection.

Bishop's Calendar

Holy Thursday, April 1 7 p.m. - Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper - Livestreamed from Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Winona Good Friday, April 2 12 p.m. - Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord - Livestreamed from Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Winona Holy Saturday, April 3 8 p.m. - Solemn Easter Vigil - Livestreamed from Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Winona Easter Sunday, April 4 10:30 a.m. - Solemn Easter Mass Livestreamed from Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Winona Monday, April 5 8 a.m. - Teach at St. Mary’s University 11 a.m. - Individual Seminarian Meetings IHM Seminary, Winona Sunday, April 11 11 a.m. - Confirmation/RCIA - Mankato Newman Center Parish, Mankato Monday, April 12 8 a.m. - Teach at St. Mary’s University

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• There is a Victim Assistance Coordinator and Safe Environment Coordinator in every diocese.

• The Annual Audit, currently conducted by StoneBridge Business Partners, evaluates the success of child and youth protection procedures, and trainings throughout the audit year.

• Diocesan Review Boards are in place in every diocese to review allegations of abuse and advise the bishop.

• All adult volunteers, clergy, and staff must receive safe environment training. All children must receive safe environment training.

If you suffered abuse, it was not your fault. If you are a victim of sexual abuse by a priest, deacon, or individual representing the Catholic Church, there are several things you can do: • Contact the appropriate law enforcement agency, which can help determine options for making a criminal complaint.

• Contact a local child protection agency, a private attorney, a support group, an abuse hotline, or a mental health professional.

• Contact a diocesan or eparchial victim assistance coordinator who is available to help victims/ survivors make a formal complaint of abuse to the diocese or eparchy. The Victim Assistance Coordinator is also available to

2 p.m. - Catholic Higher Education Working Group - Conference Call 3 p.m. - Sacred Heart Major Seminary Board Meeting - Virtual Tuesday, April 13 9:30 a.m. - Holy Hour and College of Consultors Meeting 6 p.m. - Confirmation at Holy Trinity, Litomysl, with St. Columbanus, Blooming Prairie, and Sacred Heart, Hayfield Wednesday, April 14 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - MCC Virtual Meetings with MN Legislators Thursday, April 15 Catholics at the Capitol Friday, April 16 1-3 p.m. - MCC Virtual Meetings with MN Legislators 5:30 p.m. - IHM Seminary Bishops and Rector Virtual Event Saturday, April 17 11 a.m. - Confirmation - St. Pius X, Rochester, with St. Francis of Assisi Parish Sunday, April 18 2 p.m. - Confirmation at the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Rochester

arrange a personal meeting with the bishop or his representative and to obtain support for the needs of the individual and families.

• If you believe someone is in imminent danger or there is a situation of current abuse involving a minor please call 911.

• To report an allegation of abuse or mishandling of allegations of Monday, April 19 8 a.m. - Teach at St. Mary’s University

Tuesday, April 20 9 a.m. - Mission Forward Zoom Event 11 a.m. - Clergy Personnel Board 3-7 p.m. - Individual Seminarian Meetings - IHM Seminary, Winona Wednesday, April 21 6:30 a.m. - Lauds & Mass, IHM Seminary 8:30 a.m. - Individual Seminarian Meetings - IHM Seminary, Winona 3 p.m. - Presbyteral Council - Zoom 7 p.m. - Confirmation - Resurrection, Rochester Thursday, April 22 10-11 a.m. - Individual Seminarian Meetings - IHM Seminary, Winona 1 p.m. - Holy Hour and Bishop’s Cabinet Meeting 7-8 p.m. - Individual Seminarian Meetings - IHM Seminary, Winona Friday, April 23 10 a.m. - Catholic Education/ACE Virtual Meeting

sexual abuse by a bishop please visit the Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting Service website: reportbishopabuse.org.

Check the Safe Environment webpage at https://www.dowr.org/offices/safe-environment/index.html for resources to learn more!

Mary Hamann manages the Diocese of Winona-Rochester's Safe Environment Program.

6 p.m. - Confirmation - Ss. Peter and Paul, Mankato; with St. Joseph the Worker, Holy Family, and Immaculate Conception parishes Sunday, April 25 10 a.m. - CCW 100th Anniversary Mass St. Mary Church, Caledonia 2 p.m. - Confirmation - St. Mary, Caledonia Monday, April 26 8 a.m. - Teach at St. Mary’s University Tuesday, April 27 2 p.m. - Catholic Higher Education Working Group - Conference Call Wednesday, April 28 11 a.m. - DOW-R Baccalaureate Mass - St. Augustine Church, Austin Friday, April 30 10:45 a.m. - Mass & Lunch - St. Mary of Carmel Hermitage, Houston Saturday, May 1 11 a.m. - Sacred Heart Major Seminary Virtual Commencement Ceremony 5 p.m. - Confirmation at St. Mary of the Lake, Lake City, with St. Patrick, West Albany

'With a Father's Heart' Todd Graff

Director of Lay Formation & RCIA tgraff@dowr.org

Now, one hundred and fifty years after [Saint Joseph’s] proclamation as Patron of the Catholic Church by Blessed Pius IX (8 December 1870), I would like to share some personal reflections on this extraordinary figure, so close to our own human experience...

-Pope Francis, Patris Corde ("With a Father's Heart")

�reetings of Peace, Friends in Christ!

On December 8, 2020, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis issued the Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde (“With the Heart of a Father”). The Letter marked the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of Saint Joseph as “Patron of the Universal Church.” To celebrate this special anniversary, Pope Francis proclaimed a special “Year of Saint Joseph,” to begin on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in 2020, and to conclude on the same feast in 2021.

In this column, I would like to begin a series of reflections on Pope Francis’ Letter as it speaks to our spiritual experience. My intention is not to provide a summary or overview of the text so much as to draw on the spiritual wisdom it offers us on our faith journey. As always, I find our Holy Father’s words to be spiritually wise, inspiring, and challenging!

With a Father’s Heart

Pope Francis begins his Letter with this simple but beautiful text: “With a Father’s Heart: that is how Joseph loved Jesus.” The letter is, then, an extended reflection on the kind of “father” that Saint Joseph was – i.e., “a beloved father,” “a tender and loving father,” “an obedient father,” “an accepting father,” “a creatively courageous father,” “a working father,” and “a father in the shadows.”

Being a father myself, his reflections speak to me in a very direct and personal way. But, the power and beauty of this letter is that it offers Saint Joseph and his role as a “father” to speak to our spiritual experience in a much broader fashion than that of its biological association. And, it’s this broader exploration of Saint Joseph’s fatherly example that I’ll be focusing on.

A Discreet and Hidden Presence

Also, in the introduction, Pope Francis describes how his experience of living in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic strengthened his desire to lift up the figure of Saint Joseph for our inspiration and guidance. Many of us remember vividly the image of our Holy Father holding up the Monstrance in the empty, rain-soaked St. Peter’s Square on March 27, 2020. His public presence, his words, and his prayer on that day were consoling to our Church, and to our world.

He recalls in his Letter the people he put forward

then for our attention and appreciation: “…ordinary people, people often overlooked. People who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our history.” It is these people who are so much like Saint Joseph, “the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence.”

It is these “hidden” workers, parents, and public servants who teach us that “our lives are woven together.” We need each other, especially in times of crisis. These “often overlooked” people have carried us through this pandemic by providing our food, health care, public safety, government services, etc.

And, truly, “a word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.”

In the same way, this often-hidden figure of Saint Joseph provided essential care and protection for his beloved son, Jesus, and in this way allowed for the story of our salvation to proceed. We learn, through Joseph, that “no one is saved alone.” As our Holy Father concludes so eloquently: “Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”

No One Is Saved Alone

I particularly appreciate two aspects of our Holy Father’s reflections here.

First, he places humility and service at the heart of our Christian life. Each of us, like St. Joseph, is called to faithfully do our part and to play our role in salvation history (which is brought about in our day to day world), and to do so quietly and dutifully without need for acclaim and recognition. I witnessed this firsthand in my life through my own father. He helped many people and accomplished many notable things in his role as father/grandfather, banker, farmer, neighbor, parishioner, and citizen. But, he always did so in his “hidden” and quiet way.

Second, he affirms our Catholic teaching that we are saved within a community of faith. While each of us is loved by God in a truly individual and personal way, and is also called to return this love in a genuinely personal and intimate fashion, we do not stand alone in our faith. We are formed into a communion of love which is the Body of Christ, and it is within this communion that we are redeemed and drawn into the life of our God. And, this truth of our salvation is also reflected in our understanding of the human person.

Our Catholic Faith gives witness to the belief that, as persons created in the image of God, we are truly who we are called to be only in relationship with others. This conviction has very real implications for how we live our lives in the world – attending to one another, and to the needs of one another, with care, compassion, and profound respect.

This witness is more important than ever in a world that too often “passes by” the weak, the wounded, and the vulnerable

who are suffering “along the side of the road”. Jesus calls us to be the “neighbor” who sees the need of the other on our path and who stops to help – i.e., to treat one another “with mercy” (cf. Luke 10:25-37).

To believe in our own “self-sufficiency” and to demand this of others, and to focus exclusively on our own needs and “rights” without regard and responsibility for one another, is simply not the Christian way. Pope Francis uses our experience of the pandemic, and the model of Saint Joseph’s life, to teach us anew that “our lives are woven together.” Deo gratias!

Lay Formation & RCIA

Reflections on Saint Joseph

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…My desire to do so increased during these months of pandemic, when we experienced, amid the crisis, how ‘our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked…. How many people daily exercise patience and offer hope, taking care to spread not panic, but shared responsibility. How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday ways, how to accept and deal with a crisis by adjusting their routines, looking ahead and encouraging the practice of prayer. How many are praying, making sacrifices and interceding for the good of all’ (Meditation in the Time of Pandemic / March 27, 2020). … A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.

-Pope Francis, Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”)

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Missionary Discipleship

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Spiritual Friendship in an Age of Enemies Susan Windley-Daoust

Director of Missionary Discipleship swindley@dowr.org

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends….No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

�

-John 15:13,15

his Easter season, this time of joy and reflection on the resurrection, could be an ideal time to reflect on the call and the gift of spiritual friendship. It is one of the most distinctive and needed witnesses that our faith lives out.

Perhaps the witness of friendship is especially needed now. I'm going to be blunt. I don't think very many people actually have friends anymore.

We have acquaintances, work partners, teammates, interest groupings, and of course followers on Twitter and Instagram. Most of our “friends” on Facebook are not genuine friends but social and family connections. There's no real harm in the relationships above… everything has its place. But there is a sad lack of authentic friendship in our contemporary world.

This may be part of the reason that there is pervasive and almost pathological loneliness, even in our most connected time in human history. The pandemic certainly didn't help, but in most ways it just tore the veil off of the lack of friendship in our Spiritual friendship: Being a friend of Christ and others in a hostile age is the theme for our summer adult retreats for all those who share the gospel.

All are welcome to come and deepen your life in Christ.

Save the dates: June 18-20 at IHM Seminary and August 6-8 at Shalom Hill Farm.

For more information, contact Susan Windley-Daoust, swindley@dowr.org.

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lives. When we suddenly weren't around people… who was left? Who called, or texted?

The UCLA Loneliness Scale, a sociological tool randomly surveying thousands of Americans, attempts to chart the level of loneliness in society and in generations. The 2018 index indicated that nearly half of our youngest generation, sometimes called Gen Z, reported being persistently lonely. Almost every other generation said the same at levels well over 40%. The least lonely generation, maybe unexpectedly, is our elders. It is true that loneliness can be defined differently, confused with depression, and more. But I think it's fair to look at those numbers and say where there is this much loneliness, there is a real lack of friendship in our contemporary world.

There is another disquieting revelation in our current world: while we may not have real friends, we certainly are hyper-aware of our enemies. The division in this nation has been heating up for years, and seems to have reached a boiling point. This split manifests in groups and subsets of groups that join together to denounce (can we say cancel?) the other. Sometimes, even often, there are serious moral issues at play. But in some areas of the social media, it feels less like debate and persuasion than like a virtual stoning - a need to decry the other in order to remain in good standing with your chosen side. And it's not just social media. I have seen this division and “casting out” breaking through in communities, schools, families, and yes, even parishes. I am in my 50s and I've never seen such widespread, open hatred in the United States. It's deeply disturbing.

Sometimes I wonder why so many of us have forgotten that Jesus directly told us to love our enemies.…and that we should be defined by who

we love rather than who we hate. And part of the genius of Jesus' command to love our enemies is that when we do, they become - at some level - our friends.

Look at this remarkable picture of Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng in Myanmar (also called Burma, currently in civil war), throwing herself in prayer before police officers who were ordered to use violent force against protestors, some of whom were children. Look at how a couple of the police officers responded. This is loving your enemies and imploring as friends. It is no Hallmark card sentimentality at play when Jesus calls us friends.

After all, he prefaces that radical statement by saying “what is love but to lay down one's life for a friend?" But as the living and dying and resurrection of Jesus Christ makes clear, we were made for receiving this friendship, and offering it to others.

This Easter season, let us rejoice in the gift of the friendship of the Lord.

The love of friendship is all the more remarkable when we recognize that he is the King of Kings. We don't earn a friendship like this, we simply accept it and live in it. And all he wants is for us to grow in that friendship.

But in the midst of our joy, let us remember that we are meant to live out that friendship with the rest of the world. If we take part in any hostility or hatred, we are rejecting God's call to love our enemies and make them our friends. Although we may never be called to be close pals to people who have done us wrong, we are called to forgive, to love, to pray for the best for them, and to pray for conversion of heart. These include our “enemies” at home, in town, at work, and at church.

This is absolutely key if we hope to be a people who share the good news that God is love. We cannot say that in the same breath as we hate anyone else. This hatred warps the sharing of the message, and it exposes the evangelist as a hypocrite. I know these are harsh words, but it's true. The only way we can share the Way, the Truth, and the Life is to live a life of humble love for others: to be a friend to all. In a world of hostility that uses others for what they can give us, we are called to spend time enjoying company, sharing life, and hoping for others.

Christians are called to look different. Christians are called to be friends in a world that thrives on championing enemies.

There is another disquieting revelation in our current world: while we may not have real friends, we certainly are hyper-aware of our enemies.

Pope Francis' Amoris Laetitia Peter Martin

Director of Faith Formation and Life, Marriage & Family pmartin@dowr.org

�s was reported in January’s Courier, Pope Francis

has called for a Year of the Family to mark the fifth anniversary of Amoris Laetitia, his apostolic exhortation on love in the Family. Starting March 19 and going until the World Meeting of Families in Rome in June 26, 2022, this “year” has five goals: 1. Share the content of the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia more widely, to let “people experience the Gospel of the family as a joy that fills hearts and lives” (AL 200). A family that discovers and experiences both the joy of having a gift, and of being a gift for the Church and society, “can become a light in the darkness of the world” (AL 66). And the world today certainly needs this light!

2. Proclaim that the sacrament of marriage is a gift and contains in itself a transforming power of human love. For this purpose, pastors and families must journey together with a sense of co-responsibility and pastoral complementarity between the different vocations in the Church (cf.

AL 203).

Aaron Lofy

Director of Youth & Young Adults, alofy@dowr.org

Teresita: the Spanish 10-Year-Old Who Became a Missionary

By ACI PRENSA

MADRID, March 9, 2021 (CNA) - A 10-year-old girl in Spain fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a Catholic missionary from her hospital bed shortly before dying from a brain tumor this week.

Teresita Castillo de Diego died March 7 in Madrid after three years of fighting a brain tumor.

Fr. Ángel Camino Lamela, an episcopal vicar of the Archdiocese of Madrid for La Paz Hospital, told the young missionary’s story in a letter he sent to all the faithful of the VIII Vicariate.

Camino had been offering Mass at La Paz Hospital February 11 when the chaplains there suggested he visit a seriously ill girl who had an operation scheduled the next day to remove a brain tumor.

“We arrived at the ICU properly equipped, I greeted the doctors and nurses, and then they took me to Teresita, whose mother Teresa was at her bedside,” he said. “A white bandage encircled her entire head, but

Life, Marriage & Family Youth & Young Adults

Year of the Family

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3. Enable families to become active agents of the family apostolate. To this end, “an effort at evangelization and catechesis inside the family” (AL 200) is required, since a family of disciples turns into a missionary family.

5. Broaden the vision and scope of the family apostolate to embrace a cross-cutting approach, including married couples, children, young people, the elderly and situations of family fragility.

her face was exposed enough to perceive a truly brilliant and exceptional face.”

The young girl told the priest she loved Jesus very much and wanted to be a missionary.

Deeply moved by her words, Camino replied, “Teresita, I am making you a missionary of the Church right now, and this afternoon I will bring you the document certifying it and the missionary cross.”

The priest then gave the young girl the Eucharist and administered the Anointing of the Sick.

“It was a moment of prayer, extremely simple, but deeply supernatural,” he reflected. “Some nurses joined us and spontaneously took some photos of us …which will remain as an indelible memory. We said goodbye while she and her mother prayed and gave thanks.”

Later that morning at the vicariate, Camino produced the official document installing Teresita as a missionary. He then took the missionary cross and returned to the hospital in the evening.

Teresita asked her mother to hang the cross by her hospital bed, where she could easily see it, saying, “[T]omorrow I'll take it to the operating room. I’m a missionary now.”

Her mother explained to Infomadrid that Teresita was adopted from Siberia and came to Spain when she was three years old. From a young age, she exhibited a strong spiritual life. She used to attend Mass daily at her school in Madrid run by of the Daughters of Holy Mary of the Heart of Jesus.

The tumor in Teresita's brain was first discovered in 2015. The initial treatment with surgery to remove the tumor and chemotherapy was successful. In 2018, however, the tumor began growing again, and the young girl had to undergo a new operation and new treatment in Switzerland.

In January 2021, she returned to the hospital with severe headaches. She entrusted herself to Blessed Carlo Acutis and Venerable Montse Grases.

An operation was initially scheduled for Jan. 11.

However, it could not be performed due to complications, including hydrocephalus, or fluid buildup in the brain. Then Teresita and her mother both tested positive for coronavirus, so they had to be put in isolation.

The drain placed in Teresita’s head to remove the excess fluid got clogged and began to fail several times, causing her severe pain. Meanwhile, the tumor continued to grow without the possibility of surgery.

Her mother said the young girl’s strong faith helped her through the situation. “As she had offered up her sufferings, the thought came to me that Jesus was making use of them to save more and more souls,” her mother said, recalling the young girl’s words: “I’m offering it up for the people; for instance, for someone who is ill, for the priests.”

During the last weeks of her life, Teresita reminded her mother of Christ on the cross, particularly when she could no longer drink water, and the nurses put gauze soaked in water in her mouth.

At 9 a.m. on March 7, Teresita died. She was buried the following day. Cardinal Carlos Osoro, archbishop of Madrid, traveled to her wake to support her family with his presence and to offer “some words full of hope that visibly consoled Teresita's parents, relatives and the girl’s young friends.”

Fr. Camino concluded his letter by asking people to “to pray for Teresita and, above all, to entrust yourself to her because I am convinced that she will protect in a special way the entire VIII Vicariate, in which she was constituted a missionary.”

4. Make young people aware of the importance of formation in the truth of love and in the gift of self, with initiatives dedicated to them.

The Diocese of Winona-Rochester is pleased to announce a 13-day pilgrimage to Italy starting in Rome for the World Meeting of Families. Please consider joining us!

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Virtual Spirit Groups

at St. Mary School, Owatonna

Catholic Schools

8

Submitted by JEN SWANSON

�ne of the things we pride ourselves on at St.

Mary’s School is our Spirit Groups. In a normal year, students from each grade level meet once a month to participate in events that allow students to build

Marsha Stenzel

Superintendent of Catholic Schools mstenzel@dowr.org

strong relationships while participating in activities that teach the virtues of our faith. The students meet with the same group all year and our Jr. High students take on a leadership role within the group.

With things looking different from the start this year, we were not able to mix grade levels in person

and did not meet with our Spirit Groups. However, starting in January, our Jr. High students got creative and figured out a way to lead Spirit Groups, by meeting virtually. Virtues we have focused on so far are Fortitude, Prudence, and Respect. It has been quite the site with all of our first-eighth grade students on google meets with other students throughout the school, all at the same time. We have faced many challenges this year with COVID but have worked hard to continue our traditions and keep our faith.

Learn more about our school offerings at www. stmarys-owatonna.org or follow us on Facebook.

Jen Swanson is the principal of St. Mary School in Owatonna.

Rochester Catholic Schools

Seeing Growth Through Strategic Planning and COVID Submitted by ROCHESTER CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

�

he departure of several key positions within the Rochester Catholic Schools offered opportunities for our mission driven school system to refocus our strategic planning and begin measures to align our work with Catholic Identity, Academic Excellence, and Operational Vitality. A planning process, led by RCS Board of Trustee member, Dr. John Wald, fleshed out concrete objectives, measures and accountability for progress. Benchmarks were developed and the initial plan was communicated with stakeholders prior to the COVID shut-down last spring. This plan continues to guide our work and allows for future direction and growth.

As work continued behind the scenes, school administration, with the help of many volunteer teachers, support staff and community members began planning how we could reopen our schools this fall in person. COVID plans were shared, masks donned and social distancing became the norm in our hallways, lunchrooms and classrooms. Although there have been some quarantines, our schools have remained open for in-person instruction and our community continues to grow.

At the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Middle School, the school days look very similar to years past (with the exception of the masks, distancing, and large amounts of cleaning supplies in each classroom). Teachers and students are thriving in a ChristCentered environment that safely meets the needs of all of its members. We have learned many things about ourselves, our faith, and our community during this school year. We have learned that we are able to be creative in how we celebrate the Lord within our school and church. We are only able to allow one grade level at a time into the church, to ensure proper spacing. The students that are unable to attend in person are able to livestream the Mass via Youtube in their classrooms.

We have partnered with Pax Christi Church, as well as April 2021 w The Courier w dowr.org

the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, to make this happen. We have needed to get creative with our community service projects and have learned that every challenge creates a new opportunity for growth.

Our students are excelling academically. The vast majority of our students are choosing to receive their education on our campus. However, some of our students have chosen to distance learn. Our teachers work very hard to provide quality lessons that meet the needs of the students in the classrooms, as well as the students that are attending live classes virtually on Zoom. Students at home remain connected to their classmates even though they are not physically present.

At Holy Spirit School we are blessed to have made it work for in-person teaching while also allowing families to utilize distance learning during this COVID19 school year! Teachers, students, families, and staff have all worked together to be safe while at school and we are so happy to be in-person! We have learned that the human connection is key for students in their learning. We keep God as our focus by having Religion class, praying together, and celebrating school Mass every week. We have continued our service to others even if in a safer, COVID way! During Catholic Schools Week- “Faith, Excellence, Service” we took donations for The Landing, a homeless shelter helping those in the Rochester area. It is amazing to see the kindness shown at school each and every day!

At Lourdes, we are building community in spite of the pandemic. Our distance learning last spring proves the old adage, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

Students are grateful now, more than ever, to be back with one another, to learn in person with one another, to celebrate Mass with one another, to share a meal with one another and to volunteer with one another to the benefit of the larger community. While we certainly had many challenges in the spring with the start of the pandemic, and tremendous planning was necessary to bring everyone back together, we believe it has brought

us closer together, and taught us that true learning, in every aspect of our humanity, can only take place in the presence of faith and those around us.

This year has taught all of us how resilient we are! St. Francis of Assisi students, staff and community have found many bright spots to celebrate during this pandemic and time of growth and change. Our faith grounds us in the day to day environment while helping us keep our sight on eternity. Academic growth continues, service projects have found new direction and we are offered opportunities to reimagine many of our activities and special celebrations. Things are different - but what remains the same is the love and respect that are foundational to our school. With Sts. Francis and Clare as our models, we see the Divine in all of creation, care for the world around us and try to be peacemakers in our everyday lives.

In times of change, there is tremendous opportunity for growth. At St. Pius X School, this has certainly been a year of change! However, rather than changing our mission, we are strengthening our commitment to become lifelong learners formed as disciples of Christ. All of the extra safety precautions that we have implemented this year to have in-person learning every

RCS, cont'd on pg. 11

Show Compassion.

Shanna Harris

Executive Director Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?

How do you read it?”

He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”

-Luke 10: 25-28

�o begins the parable of the Good Samaritan.

In speaking with the scholar of the law, Jesus shares the story of a traveler who is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half-dead by robbers on his way to Jerusalem. When a priest on the very same path from Jericho happens upon the traveler, he does not help the traveler. The priest crosses to the other side of the road, avoiding him. Later on, when a Levite comes upon the traveler, the Levite does the same.

It is only the Samaritan traveler that stops with care and compassion to help his fellow man in his time of need. He bandages the traveler’s wounds and places the traveler on his animal. He takes the traveler to an inn where he can rest, and he pays the innkeeper for the traveler’s care with the promise of more upon his return.

When prodded by Jesus on who acted as a neighbor to the robbed traveler, the scholar of the law acknowledges the Samaritan - “the one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus’ response? “Go and do likewise.”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan speaks directly to the mission and work of our organization.

Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota – both as an agency and as a part of the Diocese of WinonaRochester – reflects Gospel values. We strive each day to serve the poor and marginalized in our communities who are in need - regardless of age, faith tradition, ethnic background, or ability to pay. Our services consist of: •

•

Mental Health Programs that connect families, couples, and individuals with competent, caring, and licensed mental health and counseling services. In addition, persons who have been affected by an abortion experience can receive additional counseling and support through our Project Rachel program.

Active Aging Programs that provide meaningful volunteer opportunities for seniors in their communities; connect older adults with elementary school-aged children through pen pal, tutoring, and reading programs; offer eligible low-to-moderate income individuals and families with free assistance completing and submitting federal and state tax returns; provide classes in money management and budgeting that promote self-sufficiency and financial stability; and offer Health and Wellness Exercise Programs for older adults.

• Guardian/Conservatorship Program provides court-appointed guardians/conservators to assist those who are unable to make reasoned choices about their lives or their assets.

• Onward & Upward Program provides a pathway for single parents to move toward college graduation and employment in the healthcare field by receiving mentoring, monthly scholarships, and emergency financial assistance while they complete their education and join the workforce.

•

•

• •

• •

Pregnancy, Parenting, and Adoption Programs offer 24/7 accessibility to pregnancy counseling for expectant parents, education, baby items, financial assistance, and decision-making support to parents in need. Home studies for domestic and international adoption, child placement in adoptive homes, post-adoption intermediary, and search and reunion services are also offered.

Catholic Charities

Create Lasting Change.

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Refugee Resettlement Services provide refugees with pre-arrival, reception and placement, cultural and financial orientation, assisted adults in enrolling in ESL and children in school, employment services, and job placement, and other case management services.

Medication Application Service (MediAppS) assist low-income individuals lacking prescription drug insurance to enroll in programs to receive their prescriptions at reduced or no cost.

Emergency Shelter Programs offer shelter, food, technology access, and assistance to referrals for adults experiencing homelessness through our overnight Community Warming Centers in Rochester and Winona, and our Winona Community Day Shelter.

Disaster Recovery Services provide long-term recovery assistance to survivors of disasters occurring in the diocese.

Parish Social Ministry helps parishes apply the principles of Catholic social teaching in responding to the needs of poor and vulnerable people in their local communities and in advocating for justice.

As a community of believers, we can all participate in Christ’s mission. By supporting Catholic Charities’ programs with a generous gift TODAY, you can change someone’s TOMORROW. Will you be a neighbor to those in our communities who need your compassion and care? Will you also “go and do likewise?” By showing compassion today, you can create lasting change.

Make a difference now by visiting: https://www.ccsomn.org/donate-online/ or send your gift to:

Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota 111 Market Street, Suite 2 P.O. Box 379 Winona, MN 55987

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MN Catholic Conference

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MCC Stands with Hospitality Workers; Watches Issues Affecting Institutional Church Submitted by MINNESOTA CATHOLIC CONFERENCE Supporting “Right to Recall”

The employer/employee relationship is a reciprocal one that carries with it rights and duties on the part of both actors. Employees are responsible for fulfilling their commitments to an employer by providing honest labor that produces good goods and good services.

Employers are responsible for treating their employees justly and providing good work and fair pay that is consistent with each person’s dignity and family obligations (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church §§ 2427-36.)

The hospitality, travel, and entertainment industries will take time to recover and may never return to preCOVID levels. Helping to create pathways back into employment, especially for long-term employees, limits the impact of COVID19 restrictions on vulnerable communities. Further, many hospitality industry employees lack higher education credentials, which can make transitioning to a new job or different line of work difficult. That job scarcity underscores the importance of giving displaced workers the opportunity to get their jobs back.

It is not unreasonable to expect businesses re-opening after the pandemic interruption to recall the career employees whose labor helped them build a successful enterprise.

In light of this, the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) issued a letter of support for H.F. 39 (Carlson), also known as the “Right to Recall” bill. If passed, it would protect employees affected by COVID-19 restrictions by granting them the first right of refusal to reclaim their jobs when hospitality-related businesses rebound.

After two successful committee stops, the Right to Recall bill now awaits action from the House Ways and Means Committee.

Opposition to Street Improvement Districts

In what has become a biennial tradition, MCC and a coalition of 29 religious and business organizations, including the Jewish Community Relations Council, are opposing a bill that would authorize the creation of municipal street improvement districts. Similar bills have been introduced and rejected nine times in the last 11 legislative sessions. Like its predecessors, this year’s bill, H.F. 1565 (Elkins), would give broad authority to city councils to impose an additional property tax. Under the proposal, the city would not need to prove that an affected property would benefit to justify imposing a fee. The bill is problematic for religious organizations such as Catholic churches because its fails to exempt properties identified in the Minnesota Constitution, Article X, section 1, as prohibited by state and local government from being taxed.

Legislature Shifts Focus After Spring Break

After taking their annual “spring break," legislators are back to work on Tuesday, April 6. The break is a fixture in the legislative calendar and always coincides with the Easter/Passover holidays. While traditionally intended as a time to rest in God, this break is used by many legislators and staff as a respite from the tumult

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created by thousands of bills and the proponents/ opponents of bills who are vying for legislators’ attention.

Since the start of the session in January, legislators have introduced nearly 5,000 bills. Each bill introduced in this steady stream (nearly 100-200 bills per week) of requests for funding, proposals to change existing policies, or ideas for new policies has the potential to become law and impact some aspect of life in Minnesota. With so many bills, the return from recess marks a transition in which House and Senate committees shift their efforts from vetting new bills to working on final priorities.

Typically, bills that had stalled or not yet been heard by a committee would now be dead, but that may no longer be the case this session due to a rarely used loophole to keep bills alive. The day before recess, the House Rules Committee voted to waive the deadline required for four bills including H.F. 600, Representative Ryan Winkler’s recreational marijuana legalization bill. In his comments supporting the use of the waiver clause, Committee Chair Winkler noted that the committee would likely waive the deadline for other bills that DFL leadership wants to move despite not meeting the established deadline.

From an advocacy standpoint, the House’s willingness to waive the deadline rule for select bills means that proposals such as the comprehensive sex education bill H.F. 358 (Jordan) and the reproductive health rights bill H.F. 259 (Morrison), may remain viable for the duration of session. These bills, which attack the dignity of the human person, require ongoing vigilance to ensure this loophole does not enable them to slip into law.

Not only will MCC be keeping a careful watch over any attempt to attack life, dignity, and the common good, but in this “second-half” of session, MCC – like other advocacy groups – will examine how the legislature’s priorities align with our priorities and how to then engage in end-of-session negotiations.

Action Alert

As the Church’s agent at the Minnesota Capitol, the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) is actively engaged on around 50 of the thousands of bills introduced this session. Our level of engagement ranges from submitting letters of support/opposition to working with various coalition partners and stakeholders, to reaching out to Catholics across Minnesota – through our Catholic Advocacy Network (CAN) – urging them to contact their legislators about a given issue. If you have not been contacted by CAN, get registered today by going to www.mncatholic.org/ actioncenter/join-us. After registering, you can also explore our action center where you can track bills and contact your legislators on key issues.

Assisted-Suicide Proposal Will Harm Vulnerable People

The following is an op-ed by STEVE BERGESON, a physician and a member of the Minnesota Alliance for Ethical Healthcare. It is a response to an op-ed by Senator Chris Eaton (who authored the bill in question) which was published in the Star Tribune on February 23, 2021, under the title Now more than ever, Minnesotans need end-of-life aid.

The newest legislative proposal for doctor-assisted suicide will degrade the trusting relationship patients have with their provider and will harm

vulnerable people. Protecting the choices of a few by legalizing assisted suicide will endanger the healthcare choices of all.

In February 2020, I joined colleagues across the world by donning PPE and entering the room of the first patient with COVID-19 symptoms I treated. We knew it was a terrible illness; physicians from China to Italy were dying because of their decision to care for patients. What kept the nurses, doctors, paramedics, aides and myriad other roles coming to work? An orientation towards life, encoded in the DNA of medicine formed over many cultures and centuries: saving lives and doing one’s best for the patient, even at high personal risk.

So, it is ironic and deeply troubling that legalizing assisted suicide is being considered during a pandemic that has forced all of us, particularly front-line medical workers, to show solidarity with the most vulnerable. If the assisted suicide bill becomes law, it will require that providers who deal with terminal illnesses advise patients about the “treatment option” of ending their life. Assisted suicide is incompatible with a physician’s role as healer. It is a conflict in roles to have a single agent both working toward improving one’s condition and counseling death. The last thing we need to do is support legalization which undermines the foundation of medicine rather than advancing effective end-of-life care.

Instead, we should invest healthcare resources in ensuring greater access to hospice care, which is currently underused, especially among communities of color. Unfortunately, too many patients enter hospice late into their illness, often during the last week of life, and miss the benefits that such care affords to them and their families. Community-based palliative care access can be difficult to obtain in Minnesota and should be expanded. In addition, the legislature should renew funding for the state’s Palliative Care Commission (created by MN Statute 144.059).

Legalizing assisted suicide will only exacerbate and widen end-of-life healthcare disparities.

Senator Eaton overstates the supposed benefit of assisted suicide as a desire to relieve “unbearable suffering.” Data from states which have legalized assisted suicide clearly shows that most patients make this choice, not due to suffering, but instead out of fear of being a burden to others, and polls also indicate that the majority of Americans do not support assisted suicide to avoid being a burden. Minnesotans will also be concerned about the specifics of this bill, which include: no requirements for a witness to be present, family notification, or a mental health evaluation, and no meaningful safeguards against elder abuse or for people with disabilities.

Life-sustaining care is more costly than death.

Patients have been denied care by insurers but offered assisted suicide where it is legal. Arguments about equity are well intentioned but Senator Eaton could potentially expand eligibility. For example, if someone with six months to live can choose assisted suicide, why can’t someone with nine months to live choose this option? What about those who are not able to self-ingest the pills, or those with non-terminal diseases? It is easy to imagine where this can lead.

I agree with Senator Eaton, the day will come when you or your loved one will need care at the end of your life. I part ways with her on what that actual care looks like. Please ask your legislator to vote against this assisted suicide bill and to support expanded access to and clinical training for hospice and palliative care. Let’s create ethical care models that support the medical needs of all people at the end of life’s journey.

Obituaries

The Televised Mass Is Offered Every Sunday Sioux Falls - KTTW Channel 7 at 7 a.m.

Sioux City - KPTH Channel 44 at 8:30 a.m.

Mankato - KEYC Channel 12 at 7:30 a.m.

Digital Channel 12.2 or Charter Channel 19 NEYC at 9:30 a.m.

Digital Channel 7 (DirecTV) or Channel 11 (DISH) KMNF at 9 a.m.

Rochester/Austin/Mason City KIMT Channel 3 at 7:30 a.m.

MyTV 3.2 at 9 a.m.

NEW Twin Cities - WFTC Digital Channel 29 or Channel 9.2 at 11:30 a.m.

Southeastern MN - HBC Channel 20 at 3 p.m. (repeated Wed. at 3:30 p.m.)

Winona/La Crosse/Eau Claire - WLAX/WEUX Channel 25/48 at 7:30 a.m. and on our website, dowr.org (click "Weekly Mass")

Peyla Receives Coughlan Award

Submitted by BILL ALLAIRE

Long-time Wabasha resident, Dr. Tom Peyla, has been awarded the Thomas P. Coughlan Award for dedication and service to Serra USA, the North Central Region and District 7S. Serra is an organization within the Catholic Church named after St. Junipera Serra, who established numerous missions in California in the 18th and 19th centuries. This is a lay organization supporting bishops, priests, seminarians, and all religious, throughout the world.

Dr. Peyla had been a member of Serra in Rochester and led the chartering for a group in Wabasha County, becoming its first president. He and his late wife, Pat, have actively volunteered for many things within their parish, St. Agnes in Kellogg, and have gone on medical missions to Central America for 25 years. Dr. Tom has served as a trustee and board member for various organizations and is an advocate for persons with intellectual and physical disabilities. As a former pediatrician, husband, and father, he truly has walked the walk and is hereby commended for how he has represented himself, his family, and the Serra Club of Wabasha County.

Bill Allaire is a member of the Serra Club in Wabasha.

Sister Yvonne Elskamp, OSF, 86, a Franciscan Sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes, Rochester, died at Saint Marys Hospital, Mayo Campus, on March 17, 2021.

Yvonne Lorraine Elskamp was born December 9, 1934, in Fulda to Frederick J. and Agatha (Keitges) Elskamp. She entered the Sisters of St. Francis in 1952, received the name of Sister Mary de Ricci, and made perpetual vows in 1958. In 1962, she completed studies for a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at the College of Saint Teresa, Winona. In 1971, she completed a Master of Science degree in special education at Mankato State University. Further studies included specialist in early childhood education.

In 1955, Sister Yvonne began her elementary teaching career at Ss. Peter & Paul School, Glencoe; St. Peter School, North St. Paul; and St. Mary School, Owatonna. In 1968, she taught at Sacred Heart School in Norfolk, NE, for three years.

In 1971, Sister Yvonne returned to Winona and became an associate professor in education at the College of St. Teresa for 18 years. During this time, she was an advocate for children with mental and physical challenges and served as a member of the city, regional, and national Boards providing services for developmentally disabled persons.

As a member of the NAMR Board, she was significant in hosting a national convention in Winona.

For the next 16 years (19892005), Sister Yvonne continued her work as a caring and compassionate educator teaching in early childhood education in Winona and first grade at Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Fonda, IA, and Sacred Heart School in Adams. She also served as principal at Sacred Heart School in Adams (1995-1997). In 2005, Sister Yvonne moved to Wheeling, WV, and served as a pastoral associate in the Diocese of Wheeling. She retired to Assisi Heights in 2008.

Sister Yvonne is survived by her Franciscan Sisters, with whom she shared life for 68 years; her brothers, John (Kathy) Elskamp and Rev. Fred Elskamp; her sisters, Colette Hayward and Ann Kennedy; sister-inlaw, Lois Elskamp; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers, Robert, Phil, and David Elskamp; three sisters, Lozetta Denno, Agnes Malters, and Colleen Woznak; four brothers-in-law; two sisters-in-law; one nephew and one niece.

A private Funeral Liturgy was held at Assisi Heights on March 25, 2021. Burial was in Calvary Cemetery.

Information to view the funeral may be found at www. rochesterfranciscan.org.

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In the Diocese

Father Edward Mountain, 96, of Owatonna, died peacefully on Monday, March 8, 2021, at the Benedictine Living Community in Owatonna.

Edward Cyril Mountain was born on April 1, 1924, in Lyra Township, Blue Earth County, the son of Edward F. and Ada M. (Bowe) Mountain. He attended school in Good Thunder and graduated from high school in 1940.

He then studied the classics at St. Mary’s University in Winona.

He received his philosophy and theology degrees from the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity-University of St. Thomas. Father Mountain was ordained by Bishop Leo Binz on June 1, 1947, at St. John the Baptist Church in Mankato. It was there that he celebrated his first Solemn Mass on the following day.

Father Mountain’s appointments included: Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Blue Earth; superintendent and athletic director at St. Augustine Church and School in Austin; instructor at Cathedral High School and associate pastor at St. Thomas Pro-Cathedral in Winona; athletic director and instructor at Cotter High School and associate pastor at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Winona; pastor of parishes in Fountain and Wykoff; chaplain at St. Marys Hospital, Rochester; pastor of St. Mary’s Church and superintendent of St. Mary’s School in Ellsworth; pastor of St. Joseph Church in Lakefield; pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Owatonna; and pastor of Christ the King in Medford and Corpus Christi in Deerfield. Fr. Mountain resided in Owatonna since his

retirement in 1989 and was the longest-living ordained priest in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus for 78 years.

Honoring his lifelong commitment to the Knights, the Owatonna Council will now be renamed "Fr. Edward C. Mountain Council 945."

The main aspect of the life of Fr. Mountain was his desire to imitate Christ in His love for His Mother Mary.

At his ordination in 1947, his holy cards had the prayer, “Mary, Queen of Heaven pray for us.” And, on his tombstone the date of his birth, death, date of ordination and the prayer, ‘Mary, Queen of Heaven pray for us.’ Father was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Father Harold Mountain; his sister, Florence Mountain Wagner; two brothers-in-law and two nephews. There are no immediate survivors.

Father Mountain left his house to Sacred Heart Parish with the request that the income from it should be used to help some deserving students attending St. Mary’s School. Father and his brother, Fr. Harold Mountain, established a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame, in memory of their parents, for a student from the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Being born in 1924, the year of the most famous college backfield, the renowned "Four Horsemen" of Notre Dame, Father has been a loyal follower of the Fighting Irish. Every year, as long as he was able, meant a trip not just to South Bend but to many games on the road such as Ireland, Florida, California and Hawaii. Please pray for Father’s soul that Jesus and Mary will help him to be a winner in the final great game of life.

Mass of Christian Burial was Friday, March 12, 2021, at Sacred Heart Church, Owatonna, with Bishop John Quinn and Father James Berning presiding. Burial was at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Owatonna, a few feet from the altar and crucifixion scene which Father provided for the cemetery. Memorials of Mass offerings and the promise of prayers are appreciated as well as donations to Sacred Heart Music Ministry. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

RCS,

cont'd from pg. 8

day have been validated by the ability of our school community to worship, learn, and play together. Each week, a student or staff member is selected as a “Saint in the Making” from nominations that are submitted by their peers. This weekly nomination encourages our students to strive for sainthood, to recognize the good in others, and to learn the value of being empathetic, kind, and compassionate. Our ability to see Christ in others, and to be Christ for others, is what truly makes our Catholic schools the best model of education for our children.

The RCS Manifesto states: “We believe in change.

We welcome it. And we welcome you. Change means growth. And when that growth is rooted in truth and ignited by faith, there’s no limit to what it can do.” At RCS, we continue to grow and change and journey closer to who God intended us to be.

April 2021 w The Courier w dowr.org

April 2021

• The Courier