Patience, cont'd from pg. 1 our imagination and our subconscious, during these months. When the moment is right, they will bear fruit." Father Rush told participants that as he listened to discussions over the previous three weeks, "I have had the impression that some of you are struggling with the notion of tradition, in the light of your love of truth." During the Second Vatican Council, when different approaches to the question of tradition were hotly debated, then-Father Joseph Ratzinger - later Pope Benedict XVI - explained the two approaches as being "a 'static' understanding of tradition and a 'dynamic' understanding," Father Rush said. The static version is "legalistic, propositional and ahistorical - relevant for all times and places," he said, while "the latter is personalist, sacramental and rooted in history, and therefore to be interpreted with an historical consciousness." Father Ratzinger wrote that "not everything that exists in the Church must for that reason be also a legitimate tradition," but that a practice must be judged by whether it is "a true celebration and keeping present of the mystery of Christ," Father Rush said. The Second Vatican Council "urged the church to be ever attentive to the movements of the revealing and saving God present and active in the flow of history, by attending to 'the signs of the times' in the light of the living Gospel," he said. As synod members continue their discernment, he said, they are urged "to determine what God is urging us to see - with the eyes of Jesus - in new times," while also being "attentive to the
The Courier Insider
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Officials
The Most Rev. Robert Barron, Bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, announces the following: Chancellor
Mrs. Michelle Gerlach: appointed Chancellor of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, effective October 2, 2023. Faculties
Rev. Joachim Anumba: a priest of the Diocese of Aba in Nigeria; granted priestly faculties in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, effective September 27, 2023.
traps - where we could be being drawn into ways of thinking that are not 'of God.'" "These traps," Father Rush said, "could lie in being anchored exclusively in the past, or exclusively in the present, or not being open to the future fullness of divine truth to which the Spirit of Truth is leading the church." To open the assembly's final section of work, Father Radcliffe and Mother Angelini chose the parable of the sower and the parable of the mustard seed from the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Mark. And Mother Angelini encouraged synod members to "narrate the parable" rather than "issue proclamations" as they continue working over the next year. "Today - in a culture of striving for supremacy, profit and followers, or evasion - the patient sowing of this synod is, in itself, like a profoundly subversive and revolutionary act. In the logic of the smallest of seeds sinking into the ground," she said. "Thus, the synod seems to me to find itself called to dare a synthesis-as-sowing, to open up a path toward reform - new form - which life requires." The synodal process, Father Radcliffe told members, "is more like planting a tree than winning a battle." And the only way to ensure they continue the sowing rather than join the fighting is to "keep our minds and hearts open to the people whom we have met here" and treasure the hopes and fears they shared. "Humanity's first vocation in paradise was to be gardeners," he said. "Adam tended creation, sharing in speaking God's creative words, naming the animals. In these 11 months, will we speak fertile, hope-filled words, or words that are destructive and cynical? Will our words nurture the crop or be poisonous? Shall we be gardeners of the future or trapped in old sterile conflicts? We each choose."
Parochial Administrator
Rev. Shawn Haremza: appointed Parochial Administrator of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in St. Charles and Holy Redeemer Parish in Eyota, effective October 16, 2023. Rev. John Sauer: appointed Parochial Administrator of St. Pius X Parish in Rochester, effective October 16 2023. Parochial Vicar
Rev. Joachim Anumba: appointed Parochial Vicar of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and St. Casimir Parish in Winona, effective September 30, 2023.
The Courier is the official publication of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester 55 West Sanborn, P.O. Box 588, Winona, MN 55987 Vol 114 - 11
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)
November 2023 w The Courier w dowr.org
Diaconal Ministry
Rev. Mr. Joshua Miller: appointed to Diaconal Ministry at St. Theodore Parish in Albert Lea, effective October 1, 2023, through the corning school year. Presbyteral Council
Rev. Timothy Biren: appointed to the Presbyteral Council, effective October 16, 2023, through December 31, 2024. Catholic Charities
Mr. Mike Ludvik: appointed to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities, effective October 1, 2023.
Articles of Interest
The Testimony of Gary Thomas____________4 'To Walk Together with the Gaze of Jesus'__5 About Christ the King______________________6 The Praying Family_______________________7 New MN Law to Impact Previous Adoptions__8 Meet the Rest of Our New Seminarians____10 Seminarian Education Fund________________11 Catholic Schools News__________________12-13 Come to the Feast________________________14 Diocesan Headlines____________________15-16
The Holy Father's Intention for
November 2023 For the Pope We pray for the Holy Father; as he fulfills his mission, may he continue to accompany the flock entrusted to him, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Mr. Mike McCarvel: appointed to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities, effective October 1, 2023.
Ms. Teresa Speck: appointed to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities, effective October 1, 2023. Dr. Douglas Wood: appointed to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities, effective October 1, 2023.
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.
Where to Find The Courier
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Hard copies are distributed at DOW-R parishes on the first weekend of each month.
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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
