An Update on the Jesus, I Trust in You Latest Diaconate 9 Formation Cohort � By SHELLY HOLT
Deacon John Hust
� e began the official formation of nine men with their wives in September of 2023. At the time you
read this, they will have had five weekends together. Topics covered to date are: Prayer, Theology of the Church, Diaconate Spirituality, Advent Reflection and the Sacraments. The Diaconate program is five years in length. For the first two years, participants are called Aspirants, and in the final three years they are Candidates for the Order of Deacons. We meet one weekend a month from September through June. This is the fourth class of men discerning the vocation to the Diaconate for the Winona-Rochester Diocese. Men were ordained in 2005, 2009 and 2020. Please keep these men and their families in your prayers. The Aspirants and their parishes are: Steve Breiter, St. Teresa in Mapleton Justin Carlin, St. Pius X in Rochester
Tim Clements, St. John Vianney in Fairmont Arlo Drees, Queen of Angels in Austin
Mark Engesser, Sacred Heart in Adams Tim Gossman, St. Mary in Chatfield
Julio Letona, St. Joseph in Owatonna Joe Mytych, Holy Spirit in Rochester
Brian Zogg, St. Theodore in Albert Lea
We are looking at beginning an inquiry phase for a new class for the Diaconate in the fall of 2025. Men who might be interested in the diaconate are encouraged to participate in the diocesan Institute of Lay Formation or a similar program to prepare for the Diaconate. If you have any questions, I would be happy to visit with you. May the Lord bless you this new year!
Thank You from the SPOF!
By FR. TIMOTHY BIREN
�
want to thank everyone in the Diocese of WinonaRochester for his or her continued generosity to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith (SPOF). These monies are put together with gifts from all the dioceses of the world and make up the General Fund. Pope Francis works in consultation with the national directors of the SPOF from around the world to divide and share with over 1,000 dioceses that need assistance. Each eligible diocese will receive about $40,000 to use for the spread of the Gospel through their missionary
work! In addition to the donations sent to the SPOF for the years of 2022-2023, $258,345 was sent to the various missionary groups who did appeals in our diocese the past two summers as part of the Missionary Cooperative Program! As a reminder, Bequests/Legacies for the Propagation of the Faith remain one of the main sources of income for the missionaries in the needy dioceses. Please continue to pray for the missions and to help the missions financially. I would especially ask you to remember “The Society for the Propagation of the Faith” in your wills and in estate planning. There is certainly peace of mind and heart knowing that we can leave a lasting legacy to support missionary activity throughout the world. Thank you for providing that blessing! On behalf of all the missionaries serving around the world – Thank you!
In the Diocese
Director of the Permanent Diaconate jhust@dowr.org
esus, I Trust in You is a simple prayer I say throughout my day-to-day life. I am sitting here writing this newsletter column with a sense of both disappointment and relief. On the one hand is disappointment that our first quarterly board and member meetings of the year were canceled due to the weather this weekend. Also, disappointment in not hearing the speakers or seeing my colleagues and friends for fellowship, and missing the spiritual enrichment I receive through saying the rosary and participating in Mass. On the other hand, it is a relief because no lives are in danger trying to get to a meeting. It is also a relief since it has been personally a busy, emotional week with family and work, and I can rest this weekend. It really is part of being human, isn’t it? We hold it all loosely with a “both/and” instead of an “either/or,” as my former spiritual director Lori used to say. Jesus I Trust in You to give me what I need each moment of each day. Jesus, I Trust in You. I trust in You to get the important information passed through the channels to whomever needs to see it. I trust in You to know You are always in control in ALL circumstances. Jesus, I trust in You to heal the broken-hearted, cure the sick, care for the dying, soothe the pain, and lift each of us up. It is through our interactions with each other that we can find You. Let us remember that we are the hands and feet of Jesus and Mary here on this earth. Each one of us as a woman of our individual parish, are also included in an area, which is in the WinonaRochester Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, which is an organization of the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW) which is part of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations (WUCWO). Our mission must be spreading the joy of both Jesus and Mary with everything we do on our faith journey. Each of us is a stone which makes a ripple in the pond! Even if your parish does not have an active Council of Catholic Women, you can belong. Go to the National Council of Catholic Women website (NCCW.org) to explore and join.
Some future events include our next Winona-Rochester Diocesan Council of Catholic Women general meeting on Saturday, April 13 at Sacred Heart Church in Brewster. The St. Paul and Minneapolis Province Conference is at St. Mary’s Church in Sleepy Eye on June 25. The National Council of Catholic Women Convention is in Oklahoma City, OK, August 13-17. If you desire to know more about our vital presence in the churches, areas, and diocese and would like to know how to get personally involved in the Council, you can receive the Connecting Catholic Women e-newsletter by sending your request to our editor at wdccw@dow.org. As always, you can connect with me by phone 507-381-2842 or email shellyholttotalwellness@ gmail.com with any questions or concerns. May your upcoming Lenten Journey be a time of fruitful introspection and growing closer to our Lord. Jesus I Trust in You. Shelly Holt is the president of the WinonaRochester Diocesan Council of Catholic Women.
For more information about the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, visit dowr.org/offices/spof/ index/html Fr. Timothy Biren is the director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in the Diocese of WinonaRochester.
2022/2023 Society for the Propagation of the Faith
Pitzl/Krost
Anna/Fred
Rochester
Estate
$45,015.87
Galles
Msgr. Francis
Preston
Masses
$5,000 February 2024 w The Courier w dowr.org
