The Courier - August 2022

The

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary August 15

August 2022

COURIER

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

The Most Rev. Robert E. Barron Installed

Courage, Bishop of Winona-Rochester Resilience: as

Trip Shows Tenacity of Canada's Indigenous and Pope

By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service

By PETER MARTIN, Photos by WORD ON FIRE MINISTRIES

ROCHESTER, JULY 29, 2022 – Today, the Most Rev. Robert E. Barron was installed as the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. The installation took place at a special Installation Mass at 10:30 a.m. at the Co-Cathedral of

St. John the Evangelist in Rochester. Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America, were present along with 27 other cardinals, archbishops and bishops and more than a hundred priests and deacons.

Bishop, cont'd on pg. 13

IQALUIT, Nunavut (CNS) -- At the end of his six-day visit to Canada, Pope Francis, sitting in a wheelchair, said goodbye to Chief Wilton Littlechild, also sitting in a wheelchair.

Littlechild, a 78-year-old lawyer, survivor of abuse in a residential school and former grand chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, had spent decades advocating for the rights of First Nation, Métis and Inuit people and had lobbied hard for Pope Francis to come to Canada to apologize in person for the Catholic Church's complicity in abusing children, breaking up families and suppressing Indigenous language and culture.

The chief had welcomed Pope Francis to his home -- Maskwacis -- July 25, the first full day of the trip, and created some controversy by giving the pope his late grandfather's headdress. He told Canada's Native News Online that the Ermineskin Cree Nation had decided as

Courage, cont'd on pg. 2

INSIDE this issue

Effective Catholic Evangelization

page 4

Building a Culture of Love and Life page 7

Seminarian Steps page 8

Articles of Interest

Effective Catholic Evangelization___________4

The Courier Insider

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Building a Culture of Love and Life______7 Seminarian Steps_________________________8 Biden's Order on Abortion_______________15 Pope Francis and Chief Wilton Littlechild say goodbye July 29, 2022 in Iqaluit, Nunavut Photo Credit: CNS

Courage, cont'd from pg. 1

a community that the headdress was an appropriate way to thank the pope for visiting their town and making his first apology on Canadian soil there.

"I am sorry," the pope said at the Muskwa, or Bear Park, Powwow Grounds.

"I ask forgiveness, in particular, for the ways in which many members of the church and of religious communities cooperated, not least through their indifference, in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of that time, which culminated in the system of residential schools," the pope said.

The Canadian government has estimated that at least 150,000 First Nation, Inuit and Métis children were taken from their families and communities and forced to attend the schools between 1870 and 1997. At least 4,120 children died at the schools, and several thousand others vanished without a trace.

The survivors tell stories of enduring hunger, brutality and emotional, physical and sexual abuse at the schools, about 60% of which were run by Catholic religious orders and other Catholic institutions.

An almost constant drumbeat accompanied Pope Francis on his trip -- to Edmonton, Maskwacis and Lac Ste. Anne in Alberta, to Quebec City and nearby Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and, finally, to Iqaluit in the Canadian Arctic.

The traditional drummers echoed heartbeats and heartache, a relentless reminder of how the trauma students experienced at the residential schools was passed down generation to generation in a lack of love and support and a lack of respect for individual dignity and community rights.

Archbishop Donald Bolen of Regina, Saskatchewan, a member of the Canadian bishops' working group on Indigenous relations, was present at every stop Pope Francis made.

And, at most events, including in Iqaluit, he traveled with residential school survivors from his province.

As the visit was ending July 29 on a graveled parking lot outside Nakasuk Elementary School, Archbishop Bolen told Catholic News Service he was moved by "the absolute determination, courage and resilience, on the one hand, of survivors embodied in a certain way

by Chief Wilton Littlechild, and the courage and determination to be engaged in healing work by the pope -- two old men who can barely stand up, who need help in all kinds of ways, but carry a common desire to bring healing and to take good steps forward."

The apology was a crucial first step.

And it was something survivors wanted and needed to hear in person. Pope Francis knew that.

"The overall effects of the policies linked to the residential schools were catastrophic," he said at Maskwacis. "What our Christian faith tells us is that this was a disastrous error, incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

At a prayer service July 26 with Indigenous representatives in Lac-Ste-Anne, on the shores of a lake known for its healing power, Pope Francis said: "All of us, as church, now need healing: healing from the temptation of closing in on ourselves, of defending the institution rather than seeking the truth, of preferring worldly power to serving the Gospel."

At a meeting in Quebec with government officials and Indigenous leaders July 27, he said: "I express my deep shame and sorrow, and, together with the bishops of this country, I renew my request for forgiveness for the wrong done by so many Christians to the Indigenous peoples."

The Courier is the official publication of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester 55 West Sanborn, P.O. Box 588, Winona, MN 55987 Vol 113 - 8

Most Reverend Robert E. Barron, 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 10th of the month prior.

(ISSN 0744-5490)

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Welcome Zachary Vix____________________16

Courage, cont'd on pg. 23

World Youth Day Information______________19 Diocesan Headlines______________________23

The Holy Father's Intention for

August 2022 Small Businesses We pray for small and medium sized businesses; in the midst of economic and social crisis, may they find ways to continue operating, and serving their communities.

Officials Pastor Rev. Edward McGrath: reappointed Pastor of St. Mary Parish in Chatfield, St. Patrick Parish in Lanesboro, and St. Columban Parish in Preston for a six-year term, effective July 1, 2022.

Rev. Marreddy Pothireddy: reappointed Pastor of St. Ignatius Parish in Spring Valley, St. Finbarr Parish in Grand Meadow, and St. Patrick Parish in LeRoy for a three-year term, effective July 1, 2022.

Rev. Peter Schuster: reappointed Pastor of Resurrection Parish in Rochester for a six-year term, effective July 1, 2022.

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 507-454-2270, 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.

Parochial Vicar Rev. Michael Churchill: appointed Parochial Vicar of Pax Christi Parish in Rochester and Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Mazeppa, effective July 1, 2022.

Chaplain Rev. Michael Churchill: appointed Priest Chaplain at Lourdes High School in Rochester, effective July 1, 2022.

Where to Find The Courier

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An online version may be viewed at www.dowr.org/offices/ courier/index.html

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To be added to the home delivery list free of charge, 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

Worship God, Serve the Poor, Evangelize!

Bishop Robert Barron

�

t is with tremendous joy and excitement that I take up the reins as Bishop of the lovely Winona-Rochester diocese!

What I look forward to the most is getting to know all of you over the next months and years. I actually have a number of connections with our diocese. My mother’s brother was a Christian Brother, who taught at what was then called St. Mary’s College in Winona in the 1950’s. And I am a good friend of your

former bishop, John Vlazny.

During the summer of 1980, when I was a twenty-year-old seminarian, I spent a summer under the tutelage of then Fr. Vlazny, who was pastor of St. Aloysius Parish in Chicago.

Further, I visited Winona a number of times when I was a professor at Mundelein Seminary in order to recruit students at IHM College Seminary. I vividly recall being struck by the beauty of the bluff country around Winona when I crossed, for the first time, over the Mississippi from Wisconsin. On one of those trips, I bought, in the seminary bookstore, what has turned out to be my favorite sweatshirt!

Though it’s a bit frayed at the sleeves, it still serves me well, almost thirty years later.

Finally, I taught a number of Winona seminarians during my years as a professor. If I’m counting correctly, eight of them serve now as priests in Winona-Rochester.

Many have been asking me what my plans and priorities are for the diocese. Well, in one sense, I don’t know. I need to be on the ground, to listen to all of you, to attend to the priests and religious, perhaps to see for myself what needs to be done. All of that, of course, will take time. But in a more

general sense, I do indeed know my plans and priorities, for I subscribe to something Pope Benedict XVI once said.

That great Pope maintained that the Church does three essential things: it worships God, it cares for the poor, and it evangelizes. All of the efforts and activities of the Church fit, Benedict felt, under one of those three headings.

So, under the rubric of worshipping God, we have the Mass, the Eucharist, Eucharistic adoration, the other sacraments, sacramentals, the Liturgy of the Hours, Benediction, private prayer, the intercessory prayer of the homebound, monks, nuns, contemplatives, etc. I want the Diocese of WinonaRochester to be a powerhouse of prayer. I want it to be a place where the worship of God is front and center. To make this more specific, I would mention two things: the Eucharistic revival and the fostering of vocations to the priesthood.

When I was chair of the USCCB committee on evangelization, I proposed the plan which eventually was adopted by the entire conference to launch a nationwide campaign to deepen our appreciation for the sacrament that Vatican II calls “the source and summit

of the Christian life.” According to a recent Pew Forum study, 70% of Catholics in our country do not believe in the Real Presence. This, friends, is a scandal. Accordingly, I want our diocese to enter into the national Eucharistic revival with enthusiasm. And secondly, I want us to focus as a diocese on vocations to the priesthood. St. John Paul II said ecclesia de eucharistia (the Church comes from the Eucharist). But the Eucharist comes from priests. Hence, no priests, no Church. I would like us, in the next five years, to double the number of seminarians we have. If we sense, deep down in our bones, that the worship of God is central to the Church, we can make this happen.

The second great task of the Church is to serve the poor. Under this heading, we include Catholic Charities, Catholic health care, all the various forms of outreach to the homeless and hungry, prison ministry, visits to the sick and homebound, etc. I’ve always savored a statement of Dorothy Day: "Everything a baptized person does every day should be directly or indirectly related to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy." The focus on these very particular

acts—feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, counselling the doubtful, praying for the living and the dead, etc.— prevents our commitment from becoming merely an abstraction.

I would like the people of our diocese to know the corporal and spiritual works of mercy—and then to put them concretely into practice.

Thirdly, the Church evangelizes; it proclaims the Lordship of Jesus. In this context, we would include preaching, teaching, the work of Catholic schools and universities, the use of the media to engage the culture, etc. A good deal of my priesthood—especially my years in the seminary and with Word on Fire—has been devoted to this third task. I feel so strongly about it, first, because Jesus told us to do it: “Go make disciples of all nations,” and secondly, because so many Catholics today— especially young Catholics— are disaffiliating from the faith.

Did you know that, for every one person who joins the Church today, approximately six are leaving? Did you know that the percentage of the disaffiliated among Catholics under thirty has risen to 40%? We must, therefore, all be focused on evangelizing— publicly and privately, in season and out, when it’s easy and when it’s hard. I would like the Winona-Rochester diocese to become a vibrant center of evangelization.

So there’s my program: worship God, serve the poor, declare the Lordship of Jesus. I so look forward to collaborating with all of you in these great works of the Church!

August 7, Sunday 10:30 a.m. - Mass at Resurrection Church, Rochester

August 8, Monday Mass & Dinner with DOW-R Seminarians - Resurrection Church, Rochester

August 14, Sunday 10:30 a.m. - Mass at St. Augustine Church, Austin

August 21, Sunday 10:30 a.m. - Centennial Mass at Sacred Heart Church, Heron Lake

Bishop's Calendar August 6, Saturday 5:15 p.m. - Mass at Pax Christi Church, Rochester

From the Bishop

Non Nisi Te Domine

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Effective Catholic Evangelization

Missionary Discipleship

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Twelve Tips for

Happy August to all! Parishes are setting up all kinds of plans for deeper invitation, welcome, and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Reach out and ask how you can be involved in this joyful work! One way to invite, welcome, and share is through running the Alpha course. If your parish or small group is at all interested in exploring Alpha - or what radical hospitality and conversations of meaning look like - I strongly recommend attending our Run Alpha inperson training to check it out. The date is August 27th, 10am-3pm, at St. John Vianney in Fairmont, and you should register by August 22 at www.dowr.org.

(Scroll down to “events.”) The $25 cost includes Alpha materials, professional training, and meal.

This short article from the DIOCESE OF PORTLAND, MAINE, can whet your whistle as to how we share the good news with others; with these 12 helpful and essential tips. The article is reprinted with their permission. Try these tips, and let me know how it goes!

– Susan Windley-Daoust 1. Witness of life.

Show signs of a faith that is alive, of a conviction that is real, of a love for God that is attractive.

Ensure that your behavior and choices bespeak a life lived in accord with the Gospel values and the newness of life of the God you profess to believe in.

2. Include God in your vocabulary.

Aware that it is not against the law to speak about God and His marvelous works in our daily lives, bring Him up in a casual way in your everyday conversations, acknowledging Him as the giver of all

good gifts, as the One who answers prayers, as the One who directs the course of our lives when we submit to His all-loving plan. Meaning it from the heart and avoiding “fabricated speech,” say things such as “Thank God,” “God willing,” “I pray that...,” letting those around you know that you believe in a God of love, mercy and care, a God they too can and should draw near to in times of trouble – indeed, at any time.

3. Become a person of welcome.

Practice becoming increasingly welcoming toward others, making every effort to avoid critical or judgmental thoughts, attitudes and words, a sure deterrent for anyone considering Christ and His Church.

Encourage such an attitude of welcome and acceptance in your community.

4. Develop relationships of care and trust.

Ask the Lord to instill within your heart His own sentiments and care for the people in your life with whom He would like you to share about His salvation and plan for their lives. Begin to develop or deepen a relationship of friendship and trust with the person or persons whom God and life’s circumstances place on your heart and in your life, and as the level of trust and care for one another develops be ready to share with them what Christ and His Church have come to mean in your life and to Christians across the globe down through the centuries.

5. Establish a common interest.

As an instrument in God’s hands, work patiently to establish mutual interests with others, beginning first where their interests lie, so as to prepare the ground for profitable discussion together on spiritual matters. Listen long enough to begin to know the individual and where he or she is coming from, in this manner also gaining their trust and their willingness to listen to your interests and thoughts.

Susan Windley-Daoust

Director of Missionary Discipleship swindley@dowr.org

6. Arouse their interest.

Praying that the Holy Spirit touch both the heart of your listener as well as your lips to speak His word, be alert for opportunities to share a spiritual experience and arouse some curiosity for the Faith. You may begin by asking a leading question regarding their own journey of faith, or by stimulating discussion on spiritual matters by using news headlines as openers.

7. Share your faith story.

Take some time to prayerfully put into writing what Christ has done for you and what He means to you, and how participation in the life of His Church has changed your life, highlighting significant moments of conversion and/or renewal of your faith and relationship with God. When the time is right, share this testimony or story of faith with the family member, friend, neighbor, co-worker or other person you have befriended - and take every opportunity to practice sharing key moments of this journey of faith with a stranger whom God might place in your path for the sake of a respectful and caring witness.

8. Present the “Christ-event” or kerygma without fear or hesitation, and with great love and humility.

Discern your listener’s openness to hearing the Good News of God’s plan of salvation for us, and respectfully present the core of the Gospel message or “kerygma” in a clear, concise and convincing manner, one that touches the heart and mind of your listener and disposes the person to want to know Jesus Christ personally. (“Kerygma” in Greek refers to the first proclamation of Jesus Christ as only Savior of the world to a people who have never heard, or who have not heard it in a way that has truly convicted them and led them to make a commitment to Christ and to life within His Body, the Church.)

Evangelization, cont'd on pg. 12

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Building a Culture of Love and Life

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you…. Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you."

�reetings of Peace!

-Matthew 5:43-44; 7:1-2

The other night I was taking a walk in my neighborhood, and I began listening to a new CD that I’d recently purchased. (And, yes, I do still use a CD player!) The artist was Kristene DiMarco, and the first song on the CD was titled, “What If Jesus.”

As I listened to it, tears quite unexpectedly began to fill my eyes.

It begins with questions: “What if Jesus is okay with letting parts of Him remain a mystery? What if Jesus is just smiling when I think down here, I must know everything?”

Other questions follow, with an invitation: “What if my views don’t reflect His fullness? And there’s still so much more of Heaven yet to see.

What if trusting Him is what He’s looking for?

Would that be good enough, good enough for me?”

Humility, openness, and trust. These seem so essential in the walk of faith. Can I accept that my views may not truly “reflect His fullness?” Can I be open to the movements of grace and conversion in my life that allow me to see “much more of Heaven” than I now perceive? And, can trusting Jesus to lead and guide me, more than I rely on my own ego and autonomy, “be good enough for me?”

But, the spiritual challenge deepens as the

sider to be “the liars and the thieves.”

She ends her song imagining what we may encounter at the wedding feast of heaven: “What if Jesus’ wedding table holds the people that have hurt and wounded me? What if I’m seated in the middle while at the head are some who’ve only just believed?” I love the holy test she offers to us – can I find joy from my “middle” seat in someone else’s being placed at the “head” of the table in the great heavenly banquet?

And, she ends with this beautiful reflection on our journey to eternal life: “Oh, what if after all I’ve been through everyone gets the same He promised me? What if Jesus alone is the reward? … He’d be more than good enough, good enough for me.”

The tears came into my eyes because I realized how far away we are today, as Catholics and as Christians, from this beautiful vision of our life of faith. It is a vision of humility, openness, trust, forgiveness, reconciliation, mercy, joy, and love.

Far, far too often we judge, we despise, we divide, we wound, we are resentful – and, in this, we forget who we are (“children of [a] heavenly Father [who] makes his sun [to] rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” [Matthew 5:45]) and who we are called to be (“the one who treated him with mercy” [Luke 10:37]).

And, we forget that our true and only “reward” is found on the path of self-sacrificial love which leads to life in the Crucified and Risen One, Jesus Christ.

These recent days have seen momentous events unfolding before us – the January 6th Congressional hearings, the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v.

Wade, the mass shooting of innocent people at a July 4th parade, the continuing horror of war in Ukraine, etc. At a time when our country urgently needs to come together and seek the common good – while not denying our differences – we seem to be more divided and angrier than ever.

Lay Formation & RCIA

Todd Graff

Director of Lay Formation & RCIA tgraff@dowr.org

song continues: “What if Jesus sees what I miss, and he does not share all my thoughts on politics? What if His body bridges these chasms that I have dug out in my own self-righteousness?” And, she then adds a powerful Scriptural reference: “And what if people I don’t agree with are the same ones pouring their perfume on His feet?”

The image of Jesus bridging the “chasms that I have dug out of my own self-righteousness” speaks so powerfully to me. It is the image of Jesus on the cross taking on all of my sinfulness, all of my pride, all of my need to be “righteous” in the midst of the perceived infidelity around me. Can I somehow see the person I despise, the person I look down upon ethically or spiritually, as being the one who stoops down to perfume the feet of Jesus – and who receives his mercy and his love?

The next part of the song is what brought the tears: “What if Jesus desires mercy while I’m busy judging others for their deeds? ‘Cause if I have his heart and friendship then I must know that He loves the liars and the thieves.”

I so deeply want to have Jesus’ “heart and friendship,” and so I must share and show his same desire for mercy. I have to let go of “judging” others and embrace his way of loving even those I con-

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Culture, cont'd on pg. 10

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Vocations

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�his past June 24, we

were blessed to celebrate the ordination of Father Michael Churchill! He is now celebrating the Sacraments and living life as a priest for the Diocese of WinonaRochester.

One question that I am frequently asked is, what are all the different steps toward ordination?

This chart, made by one of our seminarians, Ben Peters, tries to put it into a visual graphic.

As you can see, the seminary is now going to have a first-year program propaedeutic (meaning pre-formation). This entry-level year will be followed by the discipleship stage, also called college seminary. After this will be the configuration stage which we have typically called theology school. Once in a while, an extra year is added either for a guy to have pastoral experience in a parish (pastoral year) or for extra formation (formation year). I hope this helps give a little overview for the steps each man takes to get to the altar and celebrate the Sacraments and serve as a priest for our diocese!

-REV. JASON KERN

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Culture,

cont'd from pg. 7

And, most tragically, this spirit of animus and vindictiveness has taken firm root in our churches, including our Catholic Church. The relentless attacks on our Holy Father, from within the Catholic community, are as spiteful and malicious as one could imagine. This week, I read of a reference to him in a video produced by a Catholic publication as “a diabolically disoriented clown” (https://wherepeteris.com/bishop-praises-videocalling-pope-diabolically-disoriented-clown/).

Our American culture and society desperately need the witness of Christianity and of the Catholic Church to the truth, love, and mercy of Jesus Christ. Far too often, we are demonstrating the very opposite by our venomous words and actions. If the Church cannot give witness to a different way of relating to one another than that offered by the toxic forces at work in our culture, then where lies the hope for our broader society?

Pope St. John Paul II wrote and spoke eloquently of building a “culture of life,” and this is truly needed more than ever.

A lay Catholic wrote recently that we “cannot move even an inch closer to a culture of life without a culture of love.” Those words have stayed with me since I read them over a year and a half ago.

What if “Jesus alone” was the measure of our words and our actions – his love, his mercy, his witness to forgiveness in the face of insult and injury, his challenge to “love our enemies,” his “self-emptying” humility (see Philippians 2:5-11). As Kristene DiMarco asks in her song: “Would that be beautiful, beautiful to me?”

Deo Gratias!

Now the works of the flesh are obvious… hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions….

In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

-Galatians 5:19, 22-23)

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Evangelization,

12 cont'd from pg. 4 9. Extend an invitation.

Invite your listener to accept God’s salvation and new life offered in Christ, the only Savior of the world, by making an explicit commitment to Him, in a prayer you might lead them in - confessing their sins, and asking Christ to become the Lord of their life. Upon this initial commitment (or if the person or circumstances do not presently allow for this prayer), invite your listener to attend an appropriate Church event or service, such as a daily, Sunday or special Mass, a presentation aimed at adult formation in the faith, an RCIA class, or another suitable means of furthering the work of conversion that has begun.

10. Facilitate incorporation into the Body of Christ.

Inquire as to the person’s readiness to receive the Church’s Sacraments of Initiation and arrange accordingly, whenever appropriate and welcomed

CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME Bishop Robert E. Barron Ninth Bishop of Winona-Rochester

St. Mary's Catholic Church, Winona Rev. Michael Cronin, Pastor

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by the person being evangelized. Continue to serve as a “spiritual mentor” or “sponsor” to ensure that the initial proclamation of the Gospel and initial commitment take root in this person’s life.

11. Do not condemn.

Except for those whose hearts were hardened and closed to the message of salvation He came to bring all mankind, Jesus did not condemn those who, despite being open to hearing His message, had nonetheless honest and heartfelt objections or simply had questions. Nor did He condemn those who were far from God and His plan of salvation the “irreligious” or “sinners;” rather, He welcomed them with love and mercy, and drew them to His Kingdom by means of a compassionate proclamation of salvation and holiness of life – and prayer! Imitate our Lord’s own compassion and merciful love, and

associate with those whose lives may not be all that God desires of them and with those who may have questions and even objections about the faith; and pray that the Holy Spirit continues to work in their hearts as He has done in yours, while you humbly acknowledge that we ourselves have not merited the Faith we profess but have received it purely as a gift from our merciful Lord.

12. Know when to stop.

Oftentimes, as soon as we perceive even the slightest sign of interest from someone who needs further evangelization, many of us want to rush right in and rattle off the whole Gospel message without taking into account the person’s response, objections, questions - or even their readiness. Be careful to give the person only as much of the Message as he or she is ready to hear at this particular time, while you continue to pray for other opportunities to share the Good News with them. Do not be afraid that another opportunity for sharing will not present itself, but rather acknowledge that some sow, some water and God does the reaping in His own time: your poise and patience may very well be the thing God uses to bring this person to want more.

Bishop, cont'd from pg. 1

The Co-Cathedral was filled to capacity with friends and family of Bishop Barron and the faithful of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester who came to witness this joyous occasion. Thousands of others were able to participate through livestream, the Eternal Word Television Network, Real Presence Radio, and Bishop Barron’s own Word on Fire Ministries.

“My heart is overwhelmed with joy and with gratitude today,” Bishop Barron remarked.

On June 2, 2022, the Holy See announced that Pope Francis appointed Bishop Barron, formerly Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, as the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of WinonaRochester.

Bishop Barron, born on November 19, 1959, in Chicago, spent his childhood in Detroit and then in a suburb of Chicago. Bishop Barron studied at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago and at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., before being ordained a priest on May 24, 1986.

After serving as an associate pastor for three years, Bishop Barron was sent to study at the Institut Catholique de Paris where he completed his Doctorate of Sacred Theology. Bishop Barron served as professor of theology at Mundelein Seminary from 1992 to 2015 and also served as its presidentrector from 2012 to 2015.

Bishop Barron launched his Word on Fire Catholic Ministries in 2000 and has been broadcast extensively throughout the world. His 10-part documentary, Catholicism, aired on public television in the United States, and he is the first priest since Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen to have a regular national program on a commercial television network.

Bishop Barron, through his clear teaching and love of the Gospel, has been able to share the truth

of the Gospel to millions through the internet and, in particular, social media.

Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire website hosts daily blog posts, weekly articles and video commentaries, and Bishop Barron has more than 3.1 million Facebook followers, 527,000 YouTube subscribers, 351,000 Instagram followers, and more than 205,000 Twitter followers.

The Diocese of Winona-Rochester serves the 20 southernmost counties of Minnesota with 99 parishes/missions, 84 priests, 298 sisters, 15 brothers, 3 consecrated virgins, 36 deacons, and more than 136,000 Catholics. There are 23 Catholic schools, St. Mary’s University, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary.

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Peter Martin is the director of the Office of Life, Marriage & Family and the Office of Communications for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.

Photos courtesy of Word on Fire Ministries.

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Archbishop Calls Biden's Order on Abortion Peter Martin

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

By JULIE ASHER, Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops' pro-life chairman said it is "deeply disturbing and tragic" that President Joe Biden has chosen to use his power as the nation's chief executive "to promote and facilitate abortion in our country" than support resources for pregnant women in need.

Biden is "seeking every possible avenue to deny unborn children their most basic human and civil right, the right to life," said Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

"Rather than using the power of the executive branch to increase support and care to mothers and babies, the president's executive order seeks only to facilitate the destruction of defenseless, voiceless human beings," he said in a July 9 statement.

A day earlier, Biden signed an executive order to safeguard access to medication abortion and emergency contraception; protect patient privacy; launch

public education efforts; and strengthen "the security of and the legal options available to those seeking and providing abortion services."

Before signing his executive order, Biden condemned what he called the "extreme" Supreme Court majority for overturning Roe v. Wade.

The court's June 24 ruling came in Dobbs v.

Jackson Women's Health Organization, a challenge to a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks.

In affirming the law 6-3, the high court also voted 5-4 to overturn 1973's Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalized abortion nationwide, and 1992's Casey v.

Planned Parenthood ruling, which affirmed Roe. The ruling sends the issue of abortion back to the states.

"In response to the Dobbs decision," Archbishop Lori said in his statement, "I called for the healing of wounds and repairing of social divisions, for reasoned reflection and civil dialogue, and for coming together to build a society and economy that supports marriages and families, and where every woman has the support and resources she needs to bring her child into this world in love."

"And as religious leaders, we pledged ourselves to continue our service to God's great plan of love for the human person, and to work with our fellow citizens to fulfill America's promise to guarantee the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people," he added.

Life, Marriage & Family

'Deeply Disturbing, Tragic'

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"I implore the president to abandon this path that leads to death and destruction and to choose life," Archbishop Lori said. "As always, the Catholic Church stands ready to work with this administration and all elected officials to protect the right to life of every human being and to ensure that pregnant and parenting mothers are fully supported in the care of their children before and after birth."

Biden called the Dobbs decision an "exercise in raw political power," but in writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said: "The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision."

"It's outrageous. I don't care what your position is (on abortion), it's outrageous and it's dangerous," said Biden, a Catholic who supports legal abortion. He said his executive order was a necessary response to the ruling.

Biden urged Americans upset by the decision to "vote, vote, vote, vote" in November to elect lawmakers who will back a law codifying Roe. Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said Biden's executive order "confirmed the White House is working to appease the abortion lobby to the detriment of women and their unborn children."

"On no other issue, from inflation to high gas prices, have President Biden and pro-abortion Democrats put forward so much effort as they have on abortion," she said in a July 8 statement.

Biden "seems to think that Americans' problems can only be solved by killing (the nation's) children by abortion," she said.

"The Biden administration and congressional Democrats continue to promote abortion up until birth," said Tobias. "Despite the rhetoric, nothing this administration does is going to help women and their unborn children."

She also took issue with a scenario Biden laid out in remarks he made before signing the executive order. He said a woman facing "a life-threatening miscarriage" who goes to the emergency room will be denied care because doctors and hospital lawyers will fear they will be penalized for helping her now that Roe has been overturned.

"Misinformation and deceptive statements permeated the president's speech today," said Tobias, noting that pro-life legislation "explicitly makes clear that treatment for miscarriages does not fall under the legal meaning of abortion."

In addition, she said, no law exists that outlaws the treatment of ectopic pregnancies.

She added that "the pro-life movement is vehemently opposed to women being prosecuted for having or seeking an abortion. An open letter to state legislators stating the opposition of the movement to the prosecution of women was signed by over 70 prolife groups."

To underscore what he said was the need for his order, before signing it Biden repeated a news story first reported July 1 by The Indianapolis Star daily newspaper and carried by a number of news outlets, that a 10-year-old girl in Ohio who became pregnant as the result of a rape allegedly had to travel across state lines to Indiana get an abortion. Ohio has banned most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.

Tragic, cont'd on pg. 21

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Welcome Zachary Vix

Catholic Foundation

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�e would like to give a warm welcome to

our newest Marketing and Communications Associate, Zachary Vix. Zach grew up in Rushford, After graduating high school and beginning his collegiate life attending Winona State University, he began organizing and operating local community events such as basketball tournaments and movie theater nights. Zach graduated from college in the spring of 2020 and became a Special Education teacher.

He is a huge lover of the outdoors spending his time shooting on the local basketball courts and relaxing at the beach.

Monica Herman

Executive Director Catholic Foundation of Southern Minnesota mherman@catholicfsmn.org

Zach has said he is most excited about joining such a great culture and environment and bringing new ideas that can continue to shine a light on the incredible journey of our seminarians. Welcome to the IHMS Family!

Congratulations!

Since our kick-off, the following parishes have met their goals for the 2022 Catholic Ministries Appeal: All Saints New Richland Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

Winona

Christ the King Byron Holy Family Kasson Holy Spirit Rochester Immaculate Conception Kellogg Immaculate Conception St. Clair Sacred Heart Hayfield Sacred Heart Owatonna

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St. Adrian Adrian St. Ann Slayton St. Bernard Stewartville St. Bridget Simpson St. Casimir Winona St. Columba Iona St. Columban Preston St. Edward Austin St. Finbarr Grand Meadow St. Francis of Assisi Rochester

St. Ignatius Spring Valley St. Joseph Good Thunder St. Joseph Lakefield St. Luke Sherburn St. Mary Lake Wilson St. Mary Winona St. Patrick LeRoy St. Patrick West Albany St. Rose of Lima Lewiston

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19 Director of Young Adult Ministry alofy@dowr.org

n o r a A l i a m E n o ^ i t ^ a ^ r t s i g e R ! n o for i t a m r o Inf

Young Adult Ministry

Aaron Lofy

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Tragic, cont'd from pg. 15

"Imagine being that little girl," he said.

"I'm serious, just imagine being that little girl. Ten years old!"

But hours after his remarks, The Washington Post reported what others were already saying, that Biden's story was not completely factual.

On July 12, a Columbus, Ohio, man identified as Gerson Fuentes, 27, was charged with raping the girl. News reports confirmed she was not "forced to go" to Indiana for an abortion but was taken to the neighboring state for the procedure.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said the young girl could have gotten the abortion in Ohio because while the new state abortion ban allows exceptions if the abortion provider determines it's a medical emergency.

This exception would have covered the 10-year-old, Yost said.

In a July 8 statement, Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, quoted Biden from some years ago: "America is the promised land, because each generation bequeathed to its children a promise, a promise that they might not come to enjoy but which they fully expected their offspring to fulfill. So, the words 'all men are created equal' took a life of its own, ultimately destined to end slavery and enfranchise women."

"Today Joe Biden embraces the act of killing children by acts of abortion and apparently has forgotten the meaning of 'all men are created equal,'" Brown said.

"In the latest phase of his career, he has alienated women who appreciate their ability to give birth to children and he has focused on enslaving the culture to hedonism by his advocacy of contraception, homosexuality and abortion," she continued.

"No wonder folks are confused.

Which Joe Biden will we see next?"

During his years in the U.S. Senate, Biden was considered a moderate on abortion. In 2006, ahead of his 2008 run for the presidency, he described being an "odd man out" with Democrats on abortion.

In 2019, he confirmed his longtime support for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal tax dollars being used to pay for abortion except in cases of rape or incest and to save the life of the mother. But when he was criticized for this position, he reversed it.

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Obituaries

Courage, cont'd from pg. 2

At Mass July 28 at the National Shrine of Sainte-Annede-Beaupré, Pope Francis spoke of "the scandal of evil and the Body of Christ wounded in the flesh of our Indigenous brothers and sisters."

Praying vespers with Canadian bishops that evening, he said: "Thinking about the process of healing and reconciliation with our Indigenous brothers and sisters, never again can the Christian community allow itself to be infected by the idea that one culture is superior to others, or that it is legitimate to employ ways of coercing others."

He listened to survivors in Quebec the last morning of his visit and to other survivors in Iqaluit not long before flying back to Rome.

Pope Francis thanked the survivors "for having had the courage to tell your stories and to share your great suffering, which I could not have imagined."

"This only renewed in me the indignation and shame that I have felt for months," since delegations of First Nation, Métis and Inuit survivors visited the Vatican in March and April. Again, he said, in Iqaluit, "I want to tell you how very sorry I am and to ask for forgiveness for the evil perpetrated by not a few Catholics."

Sister Germaine was born in Mankato and grew up on the family farm near Janesville.

She attended Janesville Public School through grade 9 and then transferred to Good Counsel Academy in Mankato for her final three years of high school. She graduated in 1949 and entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame that same year.

Following profession of first vows in 1952, she began a 54-year teaching ministry in Catholic elementary schools.

Her focus was middle grades and she especially enjoyed teaching fifth graders. In the Diocese of Winona-Rochester she taught at Ss. Peter & Paul and St. Joseph the Worker, both in Mankato. She concluded her teaching ministry with a 21-year stay at St. Joseph, Rosemount.

After retiring to Good Counsel, she volunteered in the VINE Faith in Action Caring Connection program in Mankato, visiting regularly with a woman who lived alone (before COVID).

Sister Germaine’s Funeral Liturgy was held June 16, 2022, with Father Gene Stenzel as presider. She is survived by nieces and nephews; and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and was preceded in death by her parents, James and Alice (Jewison) Mulcahey; her sisters, Marie Maxwell and Margaret Miller; and her brothers, Robert, James, Gerald, Patrick and Bert.

Holy Trinity Church, Rollingstone September 11, Sunday Holy Trinity Festival, featuring half chicken dinner served 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. or until gone. $10.

Includes cole slaw, baked beans, cookie and milk. Event includes Big Ticket and fresh vegetables.

Come early! We sell out!

Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Currie September 11, Sunday Annual Fall Dinner served 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes & gravy, vegetable, salad and pie.

St. Adrian Church, Adrian September 18, Sunday St. Adrian Festival. 512 Maine Ave in Adrian. Food served 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Pork loin & cheesey potatoes, corn, cole slaw, buns, pies & desserts, beverages. Adults $10. Kids 9-12 $5. 8 & younger free. Kids menu (hot dog, chips, mac & cheese) also available. Event includes Big Ticket, raffles, country store, children's outdoor fair with free kids' menu, adult bean bag toss, and more. Homedelivered meals available within Adrian city limits; call 483-2317 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

St. John Baptist de la Salle Church, Dodge Center September 18, Sunday 29th Annual Turkey Dinner served 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Adults $12, kids 6-10 $5, preschool free. Take-outs available. $2 raffle tickets, bake sale and country store. Tickets at the door. 20 2nd St. NE in Dodge Center. We are handicap accessible.

Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Mazeppa September 18, Sunday Fall Bazaar. Ham & turkey dinner served 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. $13/person. Raffle and country store also.

Church of the Resurrection, Rochester September 24, Saturday 9th Annual Friends of the Poor Walk/Run and pancake breakfast (free-will donation) to benefit the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Run/Walk begins at 9 a.m. at the church (1600 11th Ave SE in Rochester) 8:30 registration.

100% of donations serve our friends in need. website: https://www. svdp-rochmn.org/fopwalk-2022 contact: Rick Fishbune (rfishbune@charter.net)

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In the Diocese

Sister Germaine (James Marie) Mulcahey, SSND, 91, professed in 1952, died June 12, 2022, at Our Lady of Good Counsel, Mankato, just a week before the celebration of her 70th Jubilee as a School Sister of Notre Dame.

Upcoming Events

St. Joseph Church, Owatonna September 24, Saturday Diocesan Social C o n c e r n s Committee’s Fall Social Concerns Day, Water: Protecting Our Source of Life. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., at St. Joseph’s and virtually, via Zoom.

Keynote speakers are Emily Zanon from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and Jeff Broburg from the Minnesota Well Owners Organization ( M N W O O ) .

Presentations to focus on the water cycle, groundwater contaminants, and preventing pollution and toxins from contaminating our most precious resource! $15/person, covers attendance and lunch. Info & registration: Isaac Landsteiner (507-848-8303, or ilandsteiner@ccsomn.org).

August: Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

By ELEANORE JONES

� y now we are harvesting items from our gardens and enjoying the fruits of our harvest. Let

us also plant in people around us the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and faith, hope and charity; in this way we will continue the work of Christ in His Church. As Catholic woman we do so many of these works and the Church of Christ gains from them.

August is the month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – the heart of Mary is a motherly heart, a heart full of love and mercy for her children. The heart of Mary is also the channel through which all the graces of God flow down to us. She is “our life, our sweetness, and our hope.”

I encourage women to attend “A Spiritual Day of Grace for Women,” on August 13 at 9 a.m. in Litomysl. You will receive information to continue the work that God has entrusted to us. Here you

will meet women from across our Diocese and from our Minneapolis St. Paul Province and make new friends.

On November 2–5 the National Council of Catholic Women Convention will be in Minneapolis, right on our doorstep. Women from across the United States will be attending, and the liturgies are so beautiful with bishops and priests and the singing is breathtaking. Enjoy this time where you will be receiving information on what is going on in the world and be able to make new friends and renew old ones. I will be attending and hope to meet all you wonderful women there.

The Winona-Rochester Diocesan Council of Catholic Women welcomes you, Bishop Robert Barron, to our diocese and looks forward to collaborating with you in doing the work of Christ in the Church.

Eleanore Jones is the president of the WinonaRochester Diocesan Council of Catholic Women.

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August 2022

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