Where is this mystery steeple? PlantPage seeds 4 to foster call
New Earth
Vocations
CATHOLIC DIOCESE Page 13
OF
FARGO
September 2011 January 2014 Vol. 35 No. 32 No. 18 Vol.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth” — Rev. 21:1
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A ‘distinguished pastor’ Prestigious award goes to Fargo’s Monsignor Wald By Aliceyn Magelky
An ardent supporter of Catholic education, Monsignor Jeffrey Wald, pastor at Holy Spirit Church, would say “he’s just doing his job” in response to the accolades he recently received from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). On Dec. 13, 2013, Monsignor Wald received notice he was one of six recipients of the NCEA’s Distinguished Pastor award. From a potential pool of 5,000, he along with an elite few were chosen to receive this recognition because of their “outstanding support of Catholic elementary education.” Each year principals of Catholic schools collaborate with superintendents and local diocesan officials to submit nominations for pastors they would like considered for this award. Often the nomination is submitted anonymously. That was the case for Monsignor Wald. “I knew if I had gone to him first before nominating him, he would have told me not to do it,” said Holy Spirit Elementary principal and nominator, Jason Kotrba. “And, I know I wouldn’t be able to go behind his back and do it anyway. For something like this, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.” Kotrba wanted to use this opportunity as a way to honor and thank a man who has had significant impact on his life and the school. “Priest assignments don’t last forever,” commented Kotrba. “I wanted to be able
Photo submitted
Monsignor Jeffrey Wald, pastor of Holy Spirit Church in Fargo, answered questions from Pre-K students during one of his weekly classroom visits to Holy Cross Elementary. His dedication to Catholic schools placed him among one of six to receive the prestigious Distinguished Pastors award from the National Catholic Educational Association. Monsignor will officially receive his award during a commemorative dinner at the NCEA Annual Convention and Expo April 22-23 in Pittsburgh.
Please turn to LOCAL PRIEST on page 9
Looking ahead: What to watch for in 2014 from Pope Francis By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service
After a year that included the historic resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and a series of celebrated innovations by Pope Francis, it is hard to imagine 2014 at the Vatican could be nearly as eventful. Of course, the biggest stories are likely to be those that come by surprise, but in the meantime, here are developments bound to loom large in Vatican news over the coming year: n New cardinals: Pope Francis is scheduled to create new cardinals Feb. 22. By that time, no more than 106 members of the College of Cardinals will be under the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new
pope. Under rules established by Pope Paul VI, the college should not have more than 120 such members, though subsequent popes have occasionally exceeded that number. So Pope Francis can be expected to name at least 14 new cardinal electors. The election of the first Latin American pope has raised expectations of greater geographical diversity among cardinal electors, so the new slate might prove relatively heavy on names from statistically underrepresented regions, especially Latin America and Africa. n Vatican reform: The eight-member Council of Cardinals that Pope Francis formed to advise him on governance of the universal church and reform of the Vatican bureaucracy has already joined him for two rounds of
meetings at the Vatican and will do so again in February. The body is working on the first major overhaul of the Roman Curia, the church’s central administration at the Vatican, since 1988. Although the council has not announced a timeline for its work, Pope Francis has established a record of acting fast; in December, he approved an idea for an international commission on the sexual abuse of children just one day after the council proposed it. So, few will be surprised if the council gives him a draft of an apostolic constitution reorganizing the curia before the end of 2014. n Canonization of two popes: The double canonization ceremony of Please turn to LOOKING AHEAD on page 8