New Earth October 2016

New October 2016 | Vol. 37 | No .9

Earth

The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo

Saving lives, changing hearts 40 Days for Life observes 10 years standing for life in North Dakota

PLUS

From Bishop Folda: Voting with a Catholic conscience

Tony Melendez and his mission of hope

Jubilee Year of Mercy: Pope visits neonatal unit, hospice to highlight respect NEW EARTH OCTOBER 2016 for life 1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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October 2016 Vol. 37 | No. 9

ON THE COVER 16 Saving lives, changing hearts

Faithful pray and witness to the sanctity of life outside

the abortion center in Fargo on Sep. 14. This year 40 Days for Life observes the 10th year of hosting 40 days of vigils in North Dakota.

FROM BISHOP FOLDA

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Voting with a Catholic conscience

FOCUS ON FAITH

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Pope Francis’ October prayer intentions

6

Theology of the Body: Step away from the insanity into reality

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Ask a priest: What does it mean for Jesus to give us Mary as our spiritual mother?

AROUND THE DIOCESE

8

Our current seminarians, diaconate candidates and religious men and women

10 First Native American Deacon in North

Dakota enshrined in Hall of Honor 11 Tony Melendez and his mission of hope 12 Honoring a saint for our lifetime 14 Father Joseph A. Campbell, retired

priest of the diocese, dies age 81 14 Sister Marie Leona Dostaler of Mary

of the Presentation dies age 95 14 St. Michael’s school, Grand Forks,

celebrates 100 years

FAITH AND CULTURE

15 Tattered Pages: A review of

Catholic books and literature

A review of “The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion: A Book of Daily Reflections”

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NEXT GEN

21 “War Room” movie inspires youngsters

to pray at Home on the Range 22 University of Mary president named

to board of directors for FOCUS 22 University of Mary welcomes author and

Claremont Graduate University professor

for first-ever fall Prayer Day event

OUR CATHOLIC LIFE

23 Stories of Faith

This month Father Bert Miller explores the humor in parish life.

24 Catholic Action

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Christopher Dodson looks at what it means to vote with your faith at the upcoming elections.

ON THE COVER: Matt and Annie Retka of Holy Cross parish, West Fargo, await the arrival of their baby girl. (Dalayna McKnight Photography)

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(ISSN# 10676406) Our mission is to serve Catholic parishes in Eastern N.D. as the official monthly publication of the Diocese of Fargo.

Publisher

Most Rev. John T. Folda Bishop of Fargo

Editor

Paul Braun

Assistant editor Kristina Lahr

Designer

Stephanie Drietz - Drietz Designs

Subscriptions

Parish contributions make it possible for each registered Catholic household in the diocese to receive 11 issues per year. For those living outside the Diocese wanting a subscription, an annual $9/year rate is requested.

Postmaster

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25 Seminarian Life

31

Christopher Finneman tells the story of his growing relationship with Mary.

26 Stewardship

Steve Schons offers some tips about year-end giving.

27 Making Sense of Bioethics

Guest columnist, Father Tad Pacholczyk, examines what it means for institutions to have good morals.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

28 Events across the diocese 28 A glimpse of the past 29 Life’s milestones

SPECIAL SECTION: JUBILEE OF MERCY 31 Pope visits neonatal unit, hospice

to highlight respect for life

Send address changes or subscription requests to: New Earth 5201 Bishops Blvd S., Suite A Fargo, ND 58104

Contact Information

Use the following contact information to contact the New Earth staff: news@fargodiocese.org (701) 356-7900 Deadline to submit articles, story ideas, advertisements and announcements for the September issue is October 19, 2016.

All submissions are subject to editing and placement.

New Earth is published by the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, a nonprofit North Dakota corporation, 5201 Bishops Blvd. S, Suite A Fargo, ND 58104.

(701) 356-7900.

Periodical Postage Paid at Fargo, ND and at additional mailing offices.

Member of the Catholic Press Association NEW EARTH OCTOBER 2016

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FROM BISHOP FOLDA

Voting with a Catholic conscience

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ver the last months, I have heard numerous people, many of them Catholic, express frustration at the current state of our nation’s political life. We will make big decisions next month about the future leadership of the United States and of our state, and many are unhappy with the choices before us.

I could list a litany of flaws in each of our presidential candidates, but that is being done on a daily basis in the media. I won’t repeat what we have already heard or read many, many times over.

This should remind us, however, that there is no perfect candidate, and there is no perfect political party. No one candidate or party fully represents the Church’s thinking on issues of public life.

For this and many other reasons, the Church does not endorse or identify with any particular candidate or party. To do so would limit our freedom to address and engage all people of all political persuasions.

But the Church does raise its voice on issues of public policy because the Church has a responsibility to promote human dignity, the care of creation, and the common good. For that matter, every Catholic and every citizen shares in that responsibility.

This is why Catholics should be well informed and active in the public life of our community and our nation. Each of us has a contribution to make to the wellbeing of our fellow citizens and future generations.

As Catholics and as citizens, we also have a responsibility to exercise the right to vote and to do what we can to work for the common good. The realm of politics can be frustrating and disappointing, but it is that place where each of us can make a stand for what is right and good. As I have written before, there is a growing effort in our society to silence the public voice of believers and to thwart their involvement in the public life of the nation. All the more reason, then, to exercise our right to speak and act in accord with our most deeply held beliefs.

The issues in public life and in this year’s election are increasingly complex, but fortunately, there are good resources to help us as

we prepare to vote in November. The North Dakota Catholic Conference, which acts on behalf of the Catholic bishops of North Dakota in areas of public policy and social teaching, has issued “Your Faith, Your Vote.” This resource offers pertinent questions to ask candidates regarding their positions on key issues, like the right to life, religious freedom, family life and care for the poor. It also gives us principles to follow as we discern how to cast our vote. “Your Faith, Your Vote” can be found on the NDCC website at ndcatholic.org.

The Catholic Bishops of the United States have also reissued their document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” (available at usccb.org). It too contains important principles of Catholic teaching that we should consider when voting, including the dignity of the human person, the common good, solidarity, and the formation of conscience.

The role of conscience is especially important in carrying out our public responsibilities. Conscience is a judgment of reason that helps us to recognize and seek what is good, and reject what is evil. As Pope Francis states, “This does not mean following my own ego or doing what I am interested in or what I find convenient or what I like” (Angelus address, June 30, 2013). We have an obligation to form our consciences; it does not just happen.

Conscience formation requires openness to the truth as it is found in Sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church.

It may be easier to base our voting choices on political ads or party affiliations, but rather than vote as members of this or that party, we should vote as Catholics. That means we submit our lives in faith to Jesus Christ and actually believe and act on what the Catholic faith holds to be true. A well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote in favor of a program or law that contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals. But when voting for a person to hold office, one may morally choose even a candidate with imperfect behavior or principles, if there are no alternatives.

This can be done, positively, by seeking the greater good rather than the “lesser evil.” A faithful Catholic may also choose not to vote for a particular office if major candidates are unacceptable. This also can be an intentional act for the good in exceptional circumstances.

As responsible voters, we need to look at all the issues, but we must recognize that not all issues are equal in weight or priority.

The Church even tells us that some principles are non-negotiable.

The right to life is foundational to all other rights, and it cannot be counted simply as one issue among many. The integrity of marriage and family life are written in the law of God, and cannot be subject to political whim or expediency. The Second

“This election will determine the course of our nation’s life for the next decade or more. So, as people of faith, we should pray for our nation, and we should pray deeply before we vote.” – Bishop John Folda, Diocese of Fargo 4

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Prayer Intentions of Pope Francis - October Vatican Council tells us that religious liberty is a fundamental right of the human person, and must be protected.

There are other issues of grave importance, like care for the poor and the elderly, the proper treatment of visitors and immigrants, and the decision of whether to go to war. These too are rooted in our faith, for Jesus told us, “Whatever you did to these least ones, you did to me.” There are, of course, many legitimate ways to serve and to care for those in need, so there can be legitimate diversity of opinion among Catholics about how to address these and many other issues.

This election will determine the course of our nation’s life for the next decade or more. So, as people of faith, we should pray for our nation, and we should pray deeply before we vote.

Voting is serious business, and even when we are faced with imperfect choices, we cannot leave this responsibility to others, who might not share our faith in the divine law of God. We must ask God for the wisdom and courage to choose what is right and good, what will be best for the people of this great country. The right to vote and to have a say in our nation’s governance was hard-earned and should not be taken for granted.

Many people around the world would make great sacrifices to have such a right. Let us then be faithful citizens and do what we can to promote the Gospel of Christ and the common good for all our brothers and sisters.

Bishop Folda’s Calendar Oct. 15

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5 p.m.

Mass at St. Mary’s, Munich

Oct. 16

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8:30 a.m.

Mass at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Starkweather

11 a.m.

Mass for 100th Anniversary, St. Mary, Munich

Oct. 20

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8 a.m.

Mass for JPII Staff and Faculty, Shanley Chapel, Fargo

Oct. 22

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6 p.m.

NDSU Newman Fundraising Banquet and Special Announcement, Ramada, Fargo

Oct. 24

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6 p.m.

Catholic Man Night, Holy Cross, Fargo

Oct. 25

| |

Journalists. That journalists, in carrying out their work, may always be motivated by respect for truth and a strong sense of ethics.

Reflection: What resources

are available to help me understand from a Christian perspective what is going on in the world and the Church?

Scripture: 2 Peter 3: 14-18. “Be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled.”

Evangelization intention: World Mission Day. That World Mission Day may renew within all Christian communities the joy of the Gospel and the responsibility to announce it.

Reflection: How is evangelization an “immense work of mercy?”

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5: 14-21. “The love of Christ impels us.”

Oct. 27

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2 p.m.

Diocesan Pastoral Council Meeting, Pastoral Center, Fargo

6:30 p.m.

Catholic Medical Association White Mass, NDSU Newman Center, Fargo

Oct. 28-29

Thirst Conference, Bismarck

Nov. 1

|

12:10 p.m.

All Saints Day Mass, Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo

Nov. 2

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9:30 a.m.

JPII Memorial Mass, Shanley Chapel, Fargo

Nov. 3

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7 p.m.

Nov. 4

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5 p.m.

Nov. 5

|

5 p.m.

Mass for God’s Children, Holy Spirit, Fargo Fall Auction for St. Catherine School, Valley City

7 p.m.

Mass at Our Lady of the Scapular, Sheldon

3 p.m.

Mass at St. Patrick’s, Enderlin

Jail Chaplains Dessert Social, Holiday Inn, Fargo

Oct. 26

Universal intention:

JPII Schools Network Board of Directors Meeting, Pastoral Center, Fargo

Nov. 6

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8:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

Mass at Holy Trinity, Fingal NEW EARTH OCTOBER 2016

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FOCUS ON FAITH

Theology of the Body: Step away from the insanity into reality

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By Melanie Jean Juneau | Originally printed by Catholic Stand

fter interviewing Bill Donaghy from The Theology of the Body Institute about his upcoming Congress in September, I was filled with hope and joy for the Church. Bill lives out the core values of the gospel without pretention, probably because he is married with four children and is submerged in “the beautiful mess” of family life. One of his favorite quotes illustrates a profound grasp of what is essential: “We, the women and men of the Church, we are in the middle of a love story: each of us is a link in this chain of love. And if we do not understand this, we have understood nothing of what the Church is….” – Pope Francis Ever since Bill discovered the first talks on The Theology of the Body by Pope John Paul II at the age of 16, his life has been formed by this teaching. When he gathered in Rome with a few hundred other missionaries for the Jubilee in 2000, he was one of only 12 people picked to meet with Pope John Paul II. All he could do was beam in silence as the pope placed a cross around his neck with the powerful commission, “Go and bring Jesus back to your country.”

Theology of the Body is a complete vision for humanity – a people fully alive! It incorporates the beauty and purpose of the human person made male and female. Theology of the Body proposes that the body makes visible an invisible reality, and through it men and women find joy, hope, freedom and fulfillment.

When Bill speaks, he engages audiences by connecting personally with people right in the first few minutes. To snag his audience’s curiosity right at the beginning, Bill points out that our society is a mess, especially in regards to our sexuality. Then he asks, “What do we all really want?” His answer is universal; people want to be seen and to see others, to connect with others.

Instead, we end up using others, rather than connecting with them.

Theology of the Body answers the questions of every human life: Who am I? Why am I here? How can I be happy? Through the Bible and Catholic tradition, Theology of the Body explains that our bodies reveal the deepest mysteries of God and humanity.

Theology of the Body offers that God wants us to know Him through our humanity: our sexuality, our relationships, our joys and our struggles.

Bill models what he talks about by inviting people to look at sexuality with fresh eyes. He does not preach but simply offers

Bill Donaghy (Fiona Basile | Kairos Catholic Journal)

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Bill Donaghy, the International Speaker and Curriculum Specialist for the Theology of the Body Institute, will be speaking Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at Sts. Anne and Joachim church, Fargo, on Pope Francis and the Joy of the Gospel: How to Live Happy in a Broken World. Learn more at TOBinstitute.org

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an invitation of redemption for the abused, those addicted to porn, those who are searching or confused.

Theology of the Body was St. John Paul II’s first major teaching project as pope. Basically, it is 129 short talks that shocked the culture by addressing sex. Written between 1979-84, on the cusp of the sexual revolution, TOB is a counter sexual revolution.

Saint John Paul II shone the light of truth on human sexuality by using 1,000 scripture quotes, quotes from the saints and his own personal experiences to discuss what it means to be a man or woman.

Theology of the Body is a grand proposal to the world of the deepest meaning of life and love made visible in the body.

St. John Paul II talks about the history of sexuality and where mankind is headed using scripture, philosophy and social science.

Theology of the Body proposes a fresh view of God’s love that leads to deep awareness of human dignity, identity and purpose. This vision produces wonder, peace, joy and a sense of reverence for oneself and others. Theology of the Body instills confidence in one’s ability to live life as a gift to the world.

Join Bill Donaghy Nov. 17 at Sts. Anne and Jaochim church in Fargo as he speaks on Pope Francis and the Joy of the Gospel: How to Live Happy in a Broken World.

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FOCUS ON FAITH

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What does it mean for Jesus to give us Mary as our spiritual mother?

n September 15 we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows during which we heard Jesus give us a tremendous gift as he died on the cross for love of us.

Not only did he give us his life and its saving grace, he gave us his mother Mary to be our mother in our pilgrimage of faith!

While we are familiar with the truth that Mary is our spiritual mother, what exactly does that mean?

As Mary stood at the foot of the cross sorrowfully watching Jesus suffer, she experienced the fulfillment of the prophecy that Simeon had made to her many years before: “and you yourself a sword shall pierce” (Lk 2:35). St. Bernard of Clairvaux taught that her suffering was a true martyrdom since the compassion in her had “gone beyond the endurance of physical suffering.”

He preached that Jesus “died in body through a love greater than anyone had known. She died in spirit through a love unlike any other since his” (Sermon in the octave of the Assumption, 14-15). We commemorate this mystery in one of the verses of the hymn Stabat mater which we sing on that feast:

Through her heart His sorrow sharing All His bitter anguish bearing, Now at length the sword had passed.

It was at this moment of her greatest sorrow that Jesus chose to give her to us as our spiritual mother. Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved (whom the Church has understood to be symbolic of all the disciples of Jesus), he said to his mother “Behold your son” and to the disciple “Behold your mother” (Jn 19:26-27).

In the first place, by the power of God’s grace, Jesus wanted all of his followers to experience Mary’s tender maternal love as he experienced it throughout his life. Knowing our need for such a love, he extended the gift of her motherhood to all.

As wonderful as that gift is, the Lord raised it even further by appointing the Virgin Mary as our mother in the order of grace.

This means that because Mary “cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the Savior’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls” (Lumen Gentium, 61), she became

uniquely important in the salvation of souls.

As St. Irenaeus taught (Against Heresies, III, 22, 4), she loosened Ask a Priest the knot of Eve’s Monsignor Gregory disobedience thereby Schlesselmann becoming the mother of all the living. Therefore, every saving grace flowing from the Heart of Jesus passes through the tender Immaculate Heart of Mary, our mother, who rejoices to unite us to her beloved Son! It is especially important for us to realize that this gift of the Blessed Virgin Mary to us is intimately tied with the mystery of Jesus’ cross and her profound sharing in his suffering.

Because of her purity and tenderness, she tasted the bitterness of suffering. More than any other, she understands the pain that each of us endures in life and offers to us a wellspring of compassion and understanding. Moreover, she encourages us to bring those sufferings to Jesus Crucified and find in his wounds the transformative grace of his healing love. We should be in the habit of speaking with her in all the situations of our lives, so that we can experience her deep love. We sing in the Stabat mater:

Make me feel as you have felt Make my soul to glow and melt With the love of Christ, my Lord.

By standing with Mary at the foot of the cross and welcoming her maternal care in the midst of our suffering, we are lifted up and blessed by her gentle yet courageous fidelity to the Father’s will. In the midst of our darkness, Mary is a beacon of light and hope aiding us to keep the eyes of our hearts focused upon Jesus.

In this month of October, during which we particularly remember the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us ask her spouse, the Holy Spirit, to inspire us with his grace to deepen our friendship with her and to show us the way to be with her each and every day.

As her beloved children, she will lead us unfailingly to her Son. Monsignor Gregory Schlesselmann serves as the director of the permanent diaconate program and serves at the NDSU Newman Center. He can be reached at gregory.schlesselmann@fargodiocese.org.

Editor’s Note: If you have a question about the Catholic faith and would like to submit a question for consideration in a future column, please send to news@fargodiocese.org with “Ask a Priest” in the subject line or mail to New Earth, 5201 Bishops Blvd. S, Suite A, Fargo, ND 58104, Attn: Ask a Priest.

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OUR VOCATIONS

Seminarians

Deacon Scott Karnik

Deacon Paul Kuhn

Hometown: Harvey Year: Internship at St. Catherine’s parish, Valley City

Zachary Howick

Hometown: Grafton School: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md. Year: Theology IV

Chris Savageau

Hometown: Grand Forks School: St. John Vianney Seminary, Denver, Colo.

Year: Theology II

Jered Grossman

Hometown: Fargo School: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md. Year: Pastoral Year

Ethan Kaste

Hometown: Harvey School: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md Year: Theology I

Hometown: Lawton School: St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.

Year: Theology IV

Hometown: Wheatland School: St. Gregory the Great Seminary, Seward, Neb. Year: College III

Silvano Jeong

Hometown: Fargo School: St. John Vianney Seminary, Denver, Colo.

Year: Theology IV

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea School: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md. Year: Theology III

Robert Foertsch

Riley Durkin

Hometown: Fargo School: St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.

Year: Theology II

Hometown: Wyndmere School: St. John Vianney Seminary, Denver, Colo.

Year: Spiritual Year

Hometown: Inkster School: St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.

Year: Theology I

Kevin Lorsung

Corey Baumgartner

Joseph Littlefield Hometown: Hatton School: Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, Mich.

Year: College III

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JT Kennelly

Eric Seitz

Hometown: Grafton Hometown: Isanti, Minn.

School: St. Gregory the Great School: St. Gregory the Great Seminary, Seward, Neb. Seminary, Seward, Neb. Year: College IV Year: College IV

Matthew Kensok

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Deacon Jayson Miller

Hometown: Napoleon School: Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, Mich.

Year: College III

Christopher Finneman Hometown: Fargo School: Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, Mich.

Year: College II

Kyle Kaufman Hometown: Hillsboro School: Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, Mich.

Year: College III

Quinn Krebs Hometown: Jamestown School: St. Gregory the Great Seminary, Seward, Neb. Year: College II

OUR VOCATIONS

Religious

Sr. Mary Ruth Huhn, OSF

Hometown: Darwin, Minn.

Franciscan Sisters of Dillingen, Hankinson 1st Professed

Sr. Miryam (Cecelia) Vandal, PCC Hometown: Langdon Poor Clare Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Belleville, Ill. Novice

Pat Breen Sts. Anne & Joachim parish, Fargo

Sr. Mary Ruth (Jenna) Jones, CK

Sr. Mary Pieta (Michaela) Breen, SV

Hometown: Fargo Sisters of Christ the King, Lincoln, Neb. 1st Professed

Hometown: Fargo Sisters of Life, Suffern, N.Y. 1st Professed

Sr. Mary Angela (Kayla) Gross, ACJ

Sr. Grace (Mary) Beauclair, CSJ Hometown: Fargo Apostolic Sisters of Community of St. John, Princeville, Ill. Novice

Hometown: Napoleon Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus, New Ulm, Minn.

Novice

Sr. Mary Louise Bushy, VHM

Hometown: Fargo Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1st Professed

Br. Francis (Justin) Reineke FMI Hometown: Fargo Third Order of Franciscans of Mary, Minto Novice

Diaconate Candidates

Jonathan Brewer Sts. Peter & Paul parish, Karlsruhe

Bart Salazar St. John’s parish, New Rockford

Terry Fischer St. Michael’s parish, Grand Forks

Ben Seitz Sts. Anne & Joachim parish, Fargo

Curtis Kaufman St. Rose of Lima parish, Hillsboro

Sr. Mary Seraphin (Kimberly) Beck, OSF

Hometown: Rugby

Franciscan Sisters of Christ the Divine Teacher, Davenport, Iowa

1st Professed

Br. Michael (Matthew) Donahue OP Hometown: Moorhead, Minn.

Eastern Province of St. Joseph, Washington D.C. Novice

Kirk Ripplinger Basilica of St. James, Jamestown

Jeff Vaagen St. Joseph’s parish, Devils Lake

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AROUND THE DIOCESE

First Native American Deacon in North Dakota enshrined in Hall of Honor Deacon Tony McDonald recognized for contributions to Spirit Lake Nation

By Paul Braun

Deacon Tony McDonald’s display in the new Native American Hall of Honor in the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck. (Paul Braun | New Earth)

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Deacon Tony McDonald, Seven Dolars Church, Ft. Totten, with his award commemorating his induction into the North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor.

(Paul Braun | New Earth)

ne of Deacon Tony McDonald’s favorite sayings is, “If you do a job right the first time, you don’t have to go back and do it again.” Tony must have been doing things right the first time most of his adult life, because his efforts have made him one of seven inaugural inductees into the newly-created North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor.

Tony was inducted in the hall on Sep. 8.

Deacon Tony was nominated by his daughter, Molly McDonald*, and enshrined thanks largely to another first he achieved. In 1983 he became the first Native American to be ordained a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church in North Dakota for the Diocese of Fargo. Tony has been active in his ministry at Seven Dolars Church in Ft. Totten since.

Tony’s induction into the hall is based on his contributions to the Spirit Lake Nation through culture and the arts. He combines his Catholic faith with traditional healing services both for members of his nation and for others across the country. This ministry has helped countless families in need of spiritual direction and comfort.

Deacon Tony and his wife, Vina, share this ministry through their common faith, love for music, and their appreciation of the rich Dakota and Arikara tribal heritages. They raised ten children, losing two along the way, and continued on through Tony’s personal challenges through alcoholism, heart surgery, cancer, and losing both his legs to amputation. Tony speaks freely of his struggles, and has become a role model in the Spirit Lake Nation for youth and those seeking support in their own addictions.

The hall’s nominating committee was equally impressed with Deacon Tony’s cultural contributions to the young people 10

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at Spirit Lake. A fluent Dakota language speaker, Deacon Tony teaches Dakota language, singing, dancing and culture classes at the elementary school in Fort Totten.

When Deacon Tony saw a need for ways to combat alcoholism and addiction in the Spirit Lake community, he found funding and implemented the Family Development Center. The center serves as an alcohol treatment facility that focuses on family healing and unification, to help individuals and their families overcome addictions. He has also worked with Spirit Lake Tribal leaders to re-establish the tribe’s alcohol treatment program for individuals.

Though retired, Deacon Tony continues to serve the Lord and to help others as best he can. He and Vina work tirelessly by witnessing to marriages, providing grief counseling, and helping with family issues on the reservation. As he likes to say, “There is no success without God.” The North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor is open daily for tours at the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck. *Information in this article provided in part through nomination form submitted by Molly McDonald.

Coming soon DIOCESE OF FARGO

Women’s Conference Saturday, March 11, 2017 Holiday Inn, Fargo www.fargodiocese.org/redeemedwomen

Musician and inspirational speaker Tony Melendez performs the Communion meditation song on Sunday, September 11, at St. Catherine’s Church in Valley City. (Paul Braun | New Earth)

Pope John Paul II kisses the cheek of Tony Melendez after Tony’s performance in Los Angeles in 1987. The Pope in his comments “commissioned” Tony to continue to be an inspiration to all. (AP Photo | Bob Galbraith, File)

Tony Melendez and his mission of hope Armless guitar player brings an inspirational message to Valley City

By Paul Braun

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s he sat down at the microphone and started to play, a look of amazement came across some of the faces of those gathered for Mass at St. Catherine’s Church in Valley City.

Guitarist and vocalist Tony Melendez is used to the reaction he sometimes gets, now that he is approaching 30 years as an internationally acclaimed musician and speaker.

“Here’s an armless guy playing guitar with his feet…I still don’t understand it,” declared Melendez after Mass had ended.

“But the arm of God can use you the way you are and I’m living proof of that.”

Yes, Melendez plays the guitar with just his feet, because he was born without arms. Back in his native country of Nicaragua, Tony’s mother was prescribed the anti-morning sickness drug Thalidomide while pregnant with Melendez. The drug caused his disability. Now, Tony uses his talents to bring awareness to others that, through God, there is hope and inspiration for all of us.

“God used me to play the guitar and sing for him,” says Melendez. “What can I say, I’ve got to give it back to him.”

Melendez began teaching himself to play when he was 16. He had become such an accomplished musician in the Los Angeles area that in 1987 he was asked to perform for Pope John Paul II at an appearance in Los Angeles. The Pope was so moved that he descended the stage, kissed and embraced Melendez, and gave him a mission by saying, “My wish to you, is to continue giving this hope to all, all the people.”

“From that moment on, the word hope has been stamped on my forehead,” says Melendez. I understand it now, but back then I was thinking what does he want me to do?”

What the pope wanted was for Melendez to reach out to all people, and he has turned that into a 30-year career, playing and speaking before millions, most recently at the Valley City Hi-Liner Center to help raise money for St. Catherine’s Catholic School, which celebrates 100 years of educating children this school year.

“One hundred years, that’s amazing. Many schools don’t last that long,” Melendez exclaimed. “I’ll continue to talk about hope at the concert. In the school systems we need that hope, that light, that strength of Christ through the years, and to do that 100 years, that’s a blessing.”

Tony’s musical career has brought him world acclaim. He has appeared at 11 World Youth Day celebrations, including this past July in Krakow, Poland. Sometimes he appears with his band, Toe Jam, and other times he plays solo. He has recorded several albums in both English and Spanish and writes many of his own songs that he performs. All of his songs carry some sort of message of faith and hope.

“I’m still receiving calls from all over the world to play at a Mass, to talk to youth, to come to a conference and to share my message and music,” says Tony. “I’m grateful to this diocese and this beautiful St. Catherine’s Church and school. One hundred years and I get to be a part of this beautiful celebration, and that’s exciting.”

You can learn more about Tony Melendez by going to his website at www.tonymelendez.com.

Tony Melendez will be the keynote speaker at the St. Catherine Parish Mission on March 19-23, 2017. Tony will speak and sing each evening at 6:30 pm at the church.The theme of the mission is “Be the New Evangelist for Our Church.” All are welcome to attend.

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A capacity crowd gathers in St. Peter’s Square at Vatican City in Rome to witness the Canonization of Mother Teresa (Photo by Deacon Paul Kuhn)

Honoring a saint for our lifetime Deacon from Fargo Diocese witnesses Canonization of Mother Teresa

By Deacon Paul Kuhn

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arrived in Rome the morning of Sep. 1 and the first two days were overwhelming; new country, new city, new language, new food, new roads, new people, new methods of transportation.

The experience was quite strong, so strong that the first two nights my only thought was, “I am calling home, buying an airplane ticket, and flying back to America!” Of course, the thought that followed was, “You traveled to Rome for Mother Teresa’s canonization! You are not leaving!”

Friday, Sep. 2. The highlight of the day was, hands down, the Scavi Tour that finishes in the Crypt of Popes and where you make your way into St. Peter’s Basilica. Stepping into St. Peter’s for the first time my attention was drawn in every direction. It is one thing to see photos of St. Peter’s exterior and interior. It is a whole different experience standing in and walking through the basilica with hundreds of tourists.

Walking through St. Peter ’s I came across the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, and found it was an acceptable time to go and spend some time in prayer! Tired, overwhelmed, excited, it was simply time to just sit and be with Jesus! A priest walked into the chapel and knelt down not more than ten feet from me. As I am walking out of the chapel he turns and shoots me this great, joy-filled smile. He followed not far behind me. So, I figured what the heck, I’ll say hi to him. When he finds out why I am in Rome he shared with me, more or less, all of the details I needed to know for arriving at Vatican City and St. Peter’s the morning of Mother’s canonization.

Saturday, Sep. 3. Pope Francis’ catechesis was hands down the highlight of the day even though it was in Italian. Shortly before the catechesis began a few people shared their testimonies.

The first man shared his experience of having been in prison to restarting his life. Again in Italian. Then one of the Missionary of Charity Sisters from Yemen shared her testimony and encounter with ISIS. Perhaps, you may recall the four MC sisters killed

by ISIS in Yemen earlier this year? If not, I strongly encourage you to read the stories online. Well, Sister survived the attacks in Yemen. The most inspiring part of her testimony was when she shared how she was given the opportunity to move to a 12

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A large tapestry of Mother Teresa hangs from the outer walls of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Sunday, Sep. 4 at her Canonization Mass.

(Photo by Deacon Paul Kuhn)

new house of sisters in a new country. She decided to remain with the sisters in Yemen!

Sunday, Sep. 4. I rolled out of bed, dressed, cassock on, stole in hand and out the door. The night before I decided that taking Rome’s metro train for the first time would be the perfect timing for something new. So, the trip back over to St. Peter’s began with the metro stop at Vittorio Emanuele. Prior to boarding I asked one lady ‘Ottaviano’ (Metro stop)? She said ‘yes,’ in English! Numerous pilgrims filed out of Ottaviano metro station.

Turning the street corner, it hit me. I had roughly three or four blocks to walk with hundreds of pilgrims before me. Thankfully it was only about 7:30 a.m. Reaching the Bronze doors took some time and patience. As I neared St. Peter’s Square I met this priest from Mexico. Turned out we were both going in the same direction. So, we made our way past three Swiss guards and finally the fourth as we entered through the bronze doors and made our way into St. Peter’s Basilica. This time there were no tourists, but a couple-of-hundred clergy vesting for the canonization Mass.

You never know who you will run into halfway around the world. Once we were vested a group of five of us from America gathered from Texas, Iowa, Indiana, North Dakota and Illinois.

There were other priests and deacons from India, France, Italy and various other countries as well. Together we, along with numerous other pilgrims from around the world, had finally gathered together for the celebration of Mother Teresa’s canonization!

At 10 a.m., The Jubilee Year of Mercy Hymn ‘Merciful Like the Father’ began and our Holy Father Pope Francis, along with the servers, processed out. Roughly within the first 30 minutes or so into the Mass the Holy Father received the petition for Mother Teresa to be enrolled among the saints. We chanted the Litany of Supplication and prayed the formula of canonization. Finally the Holy Father decreed that an Apostolic Letter concerning the act of canonization be drawn up!

Mother Teresa is now and will be for all of the universal church, now and forever, St. Teresa of Kolkata!

Protect What Matters Most YOUR LIFE. YOUR FAMILY. YOUR FUTURE.

Pat Dolan, FICF General Agent Fargo 701-298-9922

LIFE INSURANCE

Ryan Brunner FICF Grand Forks 701-757-0523

Wayne Cherney FIC, LUTCF Devils Lake 701-662-4420/ 1-800-906-6780

DISABILITY INSURANCE

Joel Herman FIC Wahpeton 701-219-5847

Adam Jordan Grand Forks 701-367-4222

LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE

Rylee Nelson Fargo 701-660-0587

RETIREMENT ANNUITIES

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AROUND THE DIOCESE

Father Joseph A. Campbell, retired priest of the diocese, dies age 81

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everand Joseph Campbell, age 81, of Bella Vista, Arkansas died Sep. 9. Father Joe was born Dec. 10, 1934 to William and Amanda (LaBerge) Campbell, the youngest of seven children, and grew up on the Campbell homestead east of Grafton. Father Joe attended St. Aloysius Academy in Oakwood for the first eight years of school. He then went to Nazareth Hall in St. Paul, Minn. and took his philosophy and theology studies at the St. Paul Seminary. He was ordained a priest on May 26, 1960 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Oakwood.

His first assignment was in nearby Grafton as assistant to Father Joseph Hylden 1960. His first permanent assignment was in Sep. of 1960 as assistant at St. Catherine’s Church in Valley City. In 1963, Father Campbell was assigned as assistant at Little Flower Church in Rugby. In 1967, he moved to Fargo as assistant at St. Anthony’s Church.

Father Campbell became a pastor for the first time in 1969, serving the entire Kidder County and its three Catholic parishes: Steele, Tappen and Lake Williams. In 1978 he was assigned as pastor in Velva and Granville and also Karlsruhe in 1979.

He then served as pastor of Hope, Page and Finley, and then as pastor of Casselton. He served in Caruthersville, Mo., and retired in Bella Vista, Ark. Father Joe is survived by his sisters Jane Osowski and Alice Danielski, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Paul and Edmond; and sisters, Annette and Blanche.

St. Michael’s school, Grand Forks, celebrates 100 years Bishop Folda stands with Peter Dallum, a 4th grade student at St. Michael’s school in Grand Forks. The school celebrated 100 years of providing Catholic education on Sep. 24-25 with special events for alumni, a dinner, Mass and school tours.

(Amy Dallum)

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Sister Marie Leona Dostaler of Mary of the Presentation dies age 95

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ister Marie Leona Dostaler, 95, of Valley City, died at CHI Mercy Hospital, Valley City, Sept. 17. Her funeral Mass was held Sept. 23 at Maryvale Chapel, Valley City. Father Donald Leiphon was the celebrant.

Sister Marie Leona (Stella) Dostaler was born July 16, 1921 near Overly to Leo and Bernadette (Richard) Dostaler. She attended high school at Notre Dame Academy, Willow City, graduating in 1941.

She professed her vows as a Sister of Mary of the Presentation August 26, 1943.

She began teaching elementary school in Catholic schools in 1942 at Wild Rice. From 1943-1992 she taught in Harvey, Willow City, Walhalla, Washington, Ill. and Princeton, Ill. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Social Studies in 1967 at the College of Great Falls, Montana. She served in hospitality at Maryvale from 1988-92 where she continued to live in community life until her hospitalization in August 2016.

Sister Marie Leona was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Theodore, and sisters Jeanette Belcher, Lillian Houle and Evelyn Barsness. She is survived by her Religious Community, the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation, her brothers Iven and Newell and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

FAITH AND CULTURE

‘Prayer Companion’ to help mothers attain richness in prayer life

A review of “The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion: A Book of Daily Reflections”

By Roxane B. Salonen Editor Lisa Hendey, founder of the award-winning website CatholicMom.com, shared with me that the main goal of Prayer Companion is “to provide a beautiful, faithful, inspirational and practical daily devotional for Catholic moms of any age and situation.”

She calls the book “a perpetual prayer tool” that can be read and prayed with year after year, admitting that her own copy is already growing to be “well-loved,” meaning “highlighted, annotated and coffee-stained.”

A review of Catholic books and literature Hendey says she hopes moms will not just read the prayer y first peek at “The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion: companion, but “use it as a springboard to prayer and also as A Book of Daily Devotions,” happened at the outset a way to connect with other mothers,” remarking, “It is indeed of our family’s summer vacation to Wisconsin. Any this companionship in growing ever closer to Jesus Christ that mother who’s ever packed her brood into a vehicle for a journey we want to provide.” understands my mindset at that point.

During her travels, Hendey says, she’s been delighted to meet The stress was still pulsing through my body as I worked to mothers who have discovered the book, but also, fathers who arrange the cramped space and hush the kids. Finally, a moment have “sheepishly” admitted they are praying with it, too. “We of quiet came and I dared to open the thick, orange book that know that they read CatholicMom.com and we have several had been teasing me for days. talented dads who shared their writing in the book, so this is What I found within brought an unexpected response: quiet not a surprise but still makes me smile.” tears. I didn’t want to worry my family with an all-out gush. Hendey says contributions from so many Catholic authors only For the moment, they were peaceful and I wanted to keep it benefits what the book offers; from those more seasoned, like that way.

Danielle Bean, Catholic Digest editor-in-chief, and Donna-Marie As the rest do, the Aug. 18 entry had begun with a quote from Cooper O’Boyle, author of Mother Teresa and Me, to others in a saint or other notable; this one from Saint Paul of the Cross: the trenches of living out the vocation of Catholic parenting in “Listen to the sermon preached to you by the flower, the trees, today’s world. the shrubs, the sky…They invite you to glorify the sublimity Hendey, both contributor and beneficiary of this lovely book, of that sovereign Artist who has given them being.” as am I, notes that as she reads the Prayer Companion daily, I will disclose here that as one of the over 80 contributors to this she “lifts up all the moms out there who are so beautifully and work, I may have a slight bias, but only slight. My three entries lovingly serving their families.” comprise only a tiny portion of the 365 in this 544-page compilation.

Roxane B. Salonen is an award-winning children’s author and free The author of the Aug. 18 entry, Celeste Behe, tells the story lance writer who also enjoys Catholic radio hosting and speaking. Her of a summer night in 1965, when her older brother Joe was work can be found in The Forum newspaper, CatholicMom.com and standing on the fire escape outside the window of the family’s roxanesalonen.com. Roxane and her family are members of Sts. Anne Bronx apartment. “Head tilted back and with my dad’s binoculars & Joachim parish in Fargo. pressed to his face, he was looking intently at the sky.”

When Joe was called inside, the young Behe noticed his disappointment. Wanting to make her brother happy, she drew About the Book: her own version of the cosmos on a nearby blackboard, “an “The Catholic Mom’s Prayer array of lopsided stars and a sadly distorted crescent moon.”

Companion: A Book Of Daily But, she reveals, he later deemed the amateur substitute for Reflections” edited by Lisa M. his outdoor star-gazing lacking. “The greatest works of the Hendey and Sarah A. Reinhard. most skilled artist are little more than chalky images compared with the splendor of the night sky,” Behe writes, pointing to the Published by Ave Maria Press reality of God’s glory.

Hardcover 544 pages.

The book beautifully draws the contemporary mother, and Available via Barnes and Noble, others, into the heart of God with short reflections both relevant Amazon and other book resellers. and deep, inviting readers to learn about the saints, feast days and other gems – like the fact that July 24 is National Cousins Day.

TATTERED PAGES

M

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COVER STORY

Faithful pray and witness to the sanctity of life outside the abortion center in Fargo on Sep. 14. Throughout the year faithful from many area churches hold this vigil every Wednesday morning when the abortion procedures are scheduled. (Paul Braun | New Earth)

Saving lives, changing hearts

40 Days for Life observes 10 years standing for life in North Dakota

By Kristina Lahr

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hen just four people out of College Station, TX decided to take a greater stand against abortion in 2004, a new coalition was born. As 40 is an important number in the Bible, 40 Days for Life began as a way to pray, fast and bring a peaceful, public witness against the evil of abortion.

Just three years later, that effort made its way to North Dakota and has been growing, saving lives and changing hearts ever since.

“We saw that people wanted to do something [to promote life], but what could they do? How could they give a public witness?” said Rachelle Savageau, director of the Respect Life office for the Diocese of Fargo. “40 Days for Life has given us the ecumenical effort that allows people a way to voice and be a witness to the sanctity of human life. We needed that unity and comradery.”

The goal of 40 Days for Life is to have a constant prayer vigil outside abortion centers from Sep. 28 to Nov. 6. This year they hope to fill the hours from 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. each day in Fargo.

Jodie Clemens, one of four women on the committee for 40 Days for Life ND, has prayed and fasted for this cause well 16

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before 40 Days for Life was formed. Using the same techniques of 40 Days for Life, the abortion centers in Grand Forks and Jamestown closed in the 1980s.

“When I was asked to be on the committee, my first response was that we prayed and fasted for years, what’s different about 40 Days?” she said. “But after prayer I felt great conviction that this was something we needed to do to bring more people in.

It’s our desire that we see God close this last abortion facility so that we can truly be an abortion-free state. We won’t give up.”

“When people go out to pray, even if you’re the only person outside this abortion facility, you know there is someone praying in front of another place in another city. You’re never praying alone,” said Colleen Samson, also on the 40 Days for Life committee. “When we’re out there praying we have a spirit of repentance because we have all fallen short of the glory of God. We’re in this together.”

Since the start of 40 Days for Life, 71 babies have been saved in North Dakota.

“When you come, you know what you’ve been involved in…

Committee members of 40 Days for Life pose for a photo after their meeting Sep. 15. From left are Rachelle Savageau, Jodie Clemens, Mary Thoelke, Father Charles LaCroix and Colleen Samson. (submitted photo)

What you can do to promote the dignity of life Sister Alverna Goldade prays outside the abortion center during 40 Days for Life in 2012. (submitted photo)

“40 Days for Life is a time we can pray, act and defend against the constant attack on the fabric of our society, which is the family.”

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40 Days for Life events

~ 40 Days for Life

it’s a stand against this present darkness and it’s a standing in prayer and fasting for what is right, true and good,” said Mary Thoelke, committee member. “The Holy Spirit is with us, but it is grievous to be out there, to see that life is being taken before your eyes. Sometimes with grace and mercy, a woman will turn and walk away and a life will be saved. But 71 in 10 years… there are still 1,300 a year being lost. It seems like a small fruit for the work, but God knows.”

After 40 Days for Life, faithful from Christian churches throughout the area continue the vigil every Wednesday morning, which is when the abortion procedures are performed.

“Right now we’re walking in obedience and one day we’ll know the true fruits of our labor,” said Clemens.

Pray. Prayer is at the center of 40 Days for Life. Pray at church, at home, in the car, wherever you have a moment to ask Christ to bring an end to abortion.

Fast. Christ told us some demons can only be driven out by both prayer and fasting.

There is still time to sign up and volunteer to pray and be a witness outside the abortion center in Fargo. Go to www.40daysforlifend.com to sign up. Invite a friend.

•

•

Join the UNITED 40 Days for Life bus tour in Fargo Oct. 14 at the Civic Center Park, 165 4th St. No., from 6:30-7:30 p.m. See the article on page 19 to learn more.

Join us in reflecting upon the blessings received during 40 Days for Life as the campaign comes to a close Nov. 6. We will gather for a prayer service from 3-4p.m. in front of the abortion facility, 512 1st Ave. N. Fargo. Contact (701) 284-6601 or email phc@polarcomm.com for more information.

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Teens hold a 40 Days for Life sign outside the abortion center during a cold night in 2009. (submitted photo)

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Standing for life, an ecumenical effort

By Kristina Lahr

n its 10 years in North Dakota, 40 Days for Life has drawn together not just Catholics but Christians of many churches in the area.

“Our church has been involved since the beginning of 40 Days for Life in North Dakota,” said Dave Motta, pastor of Calvary United Methodist church in Fargo. “Every year we take some hours out here. It’s been a great way to join hands ecumenically.

It’s all something we agree on, presenting a united front. I like this way of doing it. We’re not yelling at anybody, we’re just trying to stand for life and say, this is a real person we’re killing.

Someone needs to say something.”

“Every year there are women who choose not to abort their baby,” said Dave Vandermullen, pastor at Community Baptist church. “And that one life is worth every hour of prayer. 40 Days for Life has raised the issue of what is happening in Fargo.

Thirty babies on average are killed every week, the size of a kindergarten class. I think more and more Christians are aware of that now.”

Mary Benton, president of Teens for Life in ND, is working to encourage teens to witness to their peers, who are especially vulnerable to consider an abortion. Teens for Life is the official youth outreach program of National Right to Life. The pro-life movement is the humanitarian movement of their time, and teenagers can play an important role in it.

“This year we’re trying to find where Teens for Life groups are in ND to get them back up and running,” she said. “We’re also in the process of putting up two pro-life signs on I-94.”

While the hours given to 40 Days for Life can sometimes seem unfruitful, the work of many hands is making a difference in communities here around the country.

Larry Gurtruck volunteered with 40 Days for Life for about eight years in Bremington, Wash. before moving to Fargo. There, the abortion facility was on a busy street with constant road traffic. Gurtruck remembers when a woman parked her car at the Planned Parenthood, and brought her baby to those praying on the street.

“She said her baby was alive just because someone was standing out here when she was thinking about doing the 18

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abortion,” said Gurtruck. “She said, ‘I didn’t realize then what I know now. My daughter is the love of my life.’”

Sometimes the fruit of their prayers comes in unexpected ways.

“We used to have an individual in Washington who would come up to us and literally attack us,” said Gurtruck. “It took seven years, but he’s now on our side. Some of those prayers we direct at the abortion facility bounce off and reach other people too. He came back to us and asked us for forgiveness, picked up a sign and joined us. It took seven years, but he’s now changed. Completely changed.”

While it is often difficult to be this public witness to life, the number of supporters for the 40 Days for Life continues to grow.

“40 Days for Life has pulled together about 60 churches and organizations in the state,” said Mary Thoelke. “It’s been an amazing walk in unity and in promoting life in a visible and tangible way. About 1,500 people individually are part of the effort now.”

“40 Days for Life is one of those things that grows on you,” Gurtruck said. “You begin to understand more and more why you’re out there. But the spiritual side of it was what surprised me. You can tell what is going on in the abortion mill by what the street is doing and what the reactions of people are. We’re in a spiritual battle. And that makes a big impact on people.”

40 Days for Life has opened the door to many opportunities for pro-life matters such as education for priests and pastors on how to approach women who’ve had an abortion, post-abortion healing ministries such as PALS, Project Rachel and the sidewalk advocacy program.

“Once or twice a year we have meetings to teach people how to respond to the women going into the abortion facility. We’ve had 60-80 people go through the program. And many of these people are faithfully standing out there to minister to these women,” said Thoelke.

There is still time to take an hour of prayer outside the abortion center in Fargo. If you are unable to do so, please pray and fast for the success of this coalition and that North Dakota will soon be an abortion-free state.

50 states in 40 days

40 Days for Life launches massive coast-to-coast UNITED bus tour

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ecognizing the urgency for ending America’s abortion crisis, 40 Days for Life set out on an unprecedented 40day bus tour to bring its message of hope to cities and towns across the United States that are united in prayer and fasting during this fall’s UNITED 40 Days for Life campaign.

A Washington D.C. rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on the evening of Sep. 27 set the stage for the 50-state tour.

“Poll after poll reveals that an overwhelming majority of Americans feel our nation is on the wrong track,” said 40 Days for Life CEO David Bereit, “and when pressed, many respondents cite growing disillusionment with politics and government, along with frustration over increasing attacks against faith, family, religious freedom and human life. It’s time for this to change.”

The UNITED tour is making stops in more than 125 cities to hold rallies and prayer vigils that will encourage Americans to stand together for the sanctity of life across the nation.

“Since 40 Days for Life started in 2007,” said 40 Days for Life president Shawn Carney, “we have recognized that although abortion is a national problem, it does not happen in the White House, in Congress, or in the Supreme Court. Abortion takes place in hometowns across America – and it will end, and is

By 40 Days for Life ending, in hometowns across America, one by one.”

40 Days for Life campaigns consist of 40 days of prayer and fasting, community outreach, and constant, peaceful vigil in the public right-of-way outside abortion facilities. The volunteers who pray at these vigils have witnessed answers to their prayers, including: 11,796 babies saved from abortion, 133 workers who have left the abortion industry, and 75 abortion centers which closed their doors following 40 Days for Life vigils.

“People of faith sometimes feel alone in their efforts to end abortion,” said 40 Days for Life North American campaign director Steve Karlen. “We can’t wait to hit the road with the UNITED tour to show that we are all in this together – and with God’s blessings, abortion in this country will come to an end. We encourage every pro-life American to learn more at 40daysunited.com and come out and join us!”

The UNITED 40 Days for Life bus tour will make its stop in Fargo October 14 at the Civic Center Park, 165 4th St. No., from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Come join the largest nationwide pro-life mobilization in history and stand for the sanctity of all human life as we hear from dynamic local and national speakers.

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YOU are invited!

It’s not too late to register! bi bisonCatholic C th li h has already l d reached h d outt tto countless tl students t d t since it was established on the campus in 1928.

The fruits from the ministry have been incredible.

Since 2004 we have witnessed: • 63 men and women answer the call to be a FOCUS Missionary • 40 men enter seminary • 4 women become professed religious sisters • countless men and women enter into holy marriages centered on Jesus Christ Because of the great fruit that has come from this ministry and the vibrant activity of young adults involved today, St. Paul’s Newman Center would like to invite YOU to attend the 2016 bisonCatholic Special Announcement Banquet!

• • • • •

The event will take place Saturday, October 22, 2016 At the Ramada Hotel in Fargo, 1635 42nd St S Social and Check in at 4:30pm Dinner and program to follow from 6:00-8:00pm Speakers include student and alumni testimonies and keynote Curtis Martin, Founder and CEO of FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students

Most importantly, we will take a look into the future of bisonCatholic with a spe special announcement by our Director, Rev. James Cheney.

“There is not a more effective Newman Center in the country than St. Paul’s Newman Center – Curtis Martin at NDSU.”

To reserve a seat, please contact Melissa at 701-235-0142 or melissa@bisonCatholic.org.

We hope to see you at this transformative event!

Find out more today: www.bisonCatholic.org 20

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NEXT GEN

“War Room” movie inspires youngsters to pray at Home On The Range

By Swenda Braden, Home On The Range Pastoral Assistant and Peggy Helvik, Home On The Range Youth Minister

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A young resident of Fahnlander Hall with her “War Room”-inspired prayer board. (Submitted photo)

here are always new challenges in the Home On The Range spiritual department, mostly good ones, and with the grace of God, we welcome each one and meet them head on. We realize that as spiritual advisors, part of our job is to pray for our children and staff, but also part of our job is to teach our kids the importance and purpose of prayer.

Home On The Range is a nonprofit organization operated under the auspices of the Catholic Diocese of Bismarck. Home On The Range is licensed to care for 46 boys and girls, ages 12–19, from North Dakota. Home On The Range is proud to receive support from the North Dakota Knights of Columbus.

Right now we are doing prayer boards with the girls at Fahnlander Hall. We base our boards on the movie “War Room,” where an older lady had a prayer room/closet where she said she did all her praying and God did the battling. She would

post prayers for family and friends on the walls, pray over them, add Scripture, and let God do the rest.

We watched the movie together and covered a tri-fold cardboard with contact paper, like the ones they use for science fairs, and then started to put our prayers and scripture readings together to put on our prayer boards. They embellished them with stickers, quotes, drawings and lots of love.

We do a short lesson first and then we work on our boards, listening to music and sharing stories. It is a great time of fellowship and sharing. It will be ongoing for a long while we hope; as long as there are prayer requests, we will put them on our boards!

Along with “War Room,” author Priscilla Shirer quotes from her book “Armor of God” her prayer strategies, which are: P – Praise. Gratitude to God for who He is and what He’s already done should thread throughout every prayer.

R – Repentance. Expect prayer to expose where you’re still resisting Him. A – Ask. Make your requests known.

Y – Yes. “All of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding ‘Yes’” (2 Cor. 1:20).

It is an awesome experience to watch the girls put their own prayers together and look up different scripture for every occasion in their lives and emotions to go with them. The boards are both beautiful and a great tool of spiritual growth.

We ask that you keep HOTR and all the residents and staff in your prayers. We are also always on the lookout for wholesome and Christian movies (preferably in DVD format) for the residents… just in case you are doing some house cleaning in that area!

Thank you in advance for all your prayers and support.

Give a Gift to Help Keep the TV Mass on the Air

The best gift for those you love who are nursing home residents, shut-ins, or non-practicing CatholicsWDAY, Channel 6, Fargo – WDAZ, Channel 8, Grand Forks 10:30 a.m. Sunday Name_________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________ City/State/Zip_________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________________ A GIFT FOR: Name_________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________ City/State/Zip_________________________________________

“I support the TV Mass because it was an important part of my mother’s life. My husband and I would sometimes watch it with her. I’m thankful that the TV Mass was there for her.” – Helen Bye, Fargo

Or, IN MEMORY OF: Name________________________________________________ I would like this listed at the end of the TV Mass on this date(s): ______________________________________________________ MAIL TO: TV Mass, Diocese of Fargo, 5201 Bishops Blvd., Suite A, Fargo, ND 58104-7605

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NEXT GEN

University of Mary president named to board of directors for FOCUS

By University of Mary

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niversity of Mary President Monsignor James Shea, known to be at the foreMonsignor front of the New Evangelization James Shea across America, is now at the head table of today’s fastest-growing national Catholic youth outreach— the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. FOCUS Founder and CEO Curtis Martin and fellow members selected Shea to its board of directors.

“FOCUS emboldens young men and women to share the hope and joy of the gospel to their peers, fellow college and university students, and enkindles in them the desire for a deep and meaningful encounter with Jesus Christ and his Church,” said Shea, completing his seventh year as president of the Catholic university in Bismarck, and the youngest university or college

president in America. “FOCUS missionaries serve so selflessly in this noble and good pursuit, and have already transformed the hearts of so many; I’m humbled to be asked and honored to help in any way I can.”

FOCUS, headquartered in Golden, Colo., is growing each day as a lay group working hand-in-hand with Catholic parishes and Newman Centers across the country with over 425 missionaries serving on more than 100 campuses.

In 1990, Pope John Paul II began the movement for a New Evangelization and later wrote in The Church of America, “The new evangelization calls for a clearly conceived, serious and well organized effort to evangelize culture in such a way that the Gospel is proclaimed in the language and in the culture of its hearers. It is more necessary than ever for all the faithful to move from a faith of habit, sustained perhaps by social context alone, to a faith which is conscious and personally lived.”

FOCUS and Shea are true servants of JP2 and witnesses to his vision of the New Evangelization across America.

University of Mary welcomes author and Claremont Graduate University professor for first-ever fall Prayer Day event

By University of Mary

W

hen Dr. Mary Poplin traveled to Calcutta, India, in the spring of 1996, her mission was to discover “why Mother Teresa said her work was not social work but religious work.” After two months of serving the poorest of the poor in the company of the recently named saint, Poplin discovered something much more radical. She Dr. Mary Poplin did not need to travel to Calcutta to serve those in need. As Mother Teresa once remarked, we “can find Calcutta all over the world.”

Speaking on the topic “Finding your Calcutta: What Mother Teresa teaches us about meaningful work and service,” Poplin will deliver the keynote address at the first-ever fall Prayer Day event at the University of Mary on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 10:30 a.m. in the McDowell Activity Center. The event is open to the public and free of charge.

According to Dr. Peter Huff, Director of the Saint John Paul II Center for University Ministry and Professor of Theology, Poplin’s visit to North Dakota could not come at better time.

“Today people are hungry to serve,” says Huff. “Too often, though, we look to faraway places for a sphere of meaningful service. Dr. Poplin’s experience reminds us that ‘Calcutta’ is all around us, including our own workplaces and neighborhoods.”

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NEW EARTH OCTOBER 2016

In addition to the timeliness of Poplin’s message following the canonization of Mother Teresa on Sep. 4, Huff also notes that the fall event will serve as the perfect lead-in to the university’s Vocations Jamboree scheduled for March 2017.

“We’re very excited Dr. Poplin is kicking off the new fall and spring rotation for our annual Prayer Day and Vocations Jamboree events,” states Huff. “Her insights into work and service, sparked by her transformative time with Mother Teresa, reveal the profound link between an active faith and a sense of calling.”

For more information about the Fall 2016 Prayer Day event, including free registration, visit www.umary.edu/prayerday.

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STORIES OF FAITH

Kids say the darndest things… humor in rural parish life

M

By Father Bert Miller

y favorite parish experiences during my 25 years of priesthood so far happened at a little parish on a gravel road. I served there for two years.

There were great families; farmers mostly, a few teachers and nurses, many households had two working parents.

The children were attentive and wanted to be active in the church’s ministries.

After the first round of parish closures, this small parish survived and grew. It now has more young great families. It is astonishing!

In August, I was there for a meeting. The flood of memories came as I stepped through the door into the worship space.

At a First Eucharist service one spring, there was a class of 6-8 students. I was talking about the Good Shepherd and the sheep. I asked how the sheep knew the shepherd and how the shepherd knew his sheep. (I was seeking this answer: “The sheep know the shepherd’s voice.”)

Little Amy raised her hand. I looked at her and nodded, and she said: “by their ear tags.” Everyone laughed. I stood there dumbfounded and asked Amy to repeat her answer. Yep, she had said “ear tags.” I did not have a clue what she was talking about and my face showed it.

After pictures and cake, an elder of the parish took me outside and explained ear tags to me. He suggested that maybe a city slicker (me) should not talk about animals when the pews are full of farmers and ranchers. I got the point, but on Holy Thursday I compared Jesus and the disciples walking through Jerusalem streets to farmers walking through the animal yard.

The elder just shook his head.

The sons of the elder were servers. The younger was too smart a couple of times.

When I arrived at the parish, he rushed to me and wanted to show me the “bowling alley confessional.” I did not want to hear confessions that day and I was not even intrigued by the adjectives “bowling alley.” But, off we went to see the “bowling alley confessional.” He was right; it looked like a lane of a bowling alley.

The confessional was located in a room where the trap door opened so people could go downstairs to check the furnace or have a meeting.

Confessors had to walk over the closed trap door to the cushioned kneeler and talk through a nearly solid wooden wall to the priest who was seated behind in a chair about 8-10 inches wide. It was cramped quarters.

The other time, the elder’s son got me was on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul (in my first year there). Peter and Paul are the patrons of the parish; the parish celebrates June 29 with great fanfare!

It was Saturday night. I prepped for a week. I read about Peter and Paul and I put my homily together like this was the first time any parishioners would be hearing anything about Sts. Peter and Paul. (Keep in mind, I was a young priest!)

At the end of the homily, I admitted that I had come out early that day to look over the two statues in the sanctuary. They were of Peter and Paul. But, I had to admit I did not know which was which. The elder’s son said “Father, Paul is the one with the sword.”

I turned around and looked. “I don’t see a sword,” I said. The little guy said, “It fell off a few years ago. It is in the sacristy!”

Everyone laughed and laughed. I laughed too. He got me again!

In 2016, the sword was reatached to the statue. All is well at the little parish on the gravel road. It even has a bathroom now!

Humor in parish life is the bedrock of memories. There was been a lot of it in my six parish assignments. Is there humor at your parish?

Father Bert Miller serves as pastor at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Park River and St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Veseleyville.

Editor’s Note: Stories of Faith is a recurring feature in New Earth. If you have a faith story to tell, contact Father Bert Miller at bert.miller@fargodiocese.org.

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If you missed our video, please visit us at CatholicCharitiesND.org

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OUR CATHOLIC LIFE

Your faith and your vote

E

ach election the bishops of North Dakota issue a Catholic guide to help Action Catholics through the voting Christoper Dodson process. It begins by summarizing the process a Catholic should follow when voting. In addition, the bishops identify important issues for this election year.

Below is this year’s guide with questions to ask the state candidates. To easily email these questions directly to your candidates, go to yourfaithyourvote.org. The website also has questions to ask about the candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the Presidency.

Faith

As people of faith and reason, Catholics are called to bring truth to political life. Faith helps us see more clearly the requirements of a good society, namely respect for the dignity of all human life and a commitment to the common good.

Conscience

A well-formed conscience equips us to address political questions.

“Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act.... [Every person] is obliged to follow faithfully what he [or she] knows to be just and right” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1778). We have a lifelong obligation to form our consciences in accord with human reason, enlightened by the teaching of Christ.

Issues

Some issues are more important than others. Some concern policies, like attacks on human life, that a Catholic can never support. Catholics can legitimately disagree about how to address some other issues. All the issues, however, deserve our attention.

Candidates

Find out the candidates’ positions on each of the issues. Look beyond party politics, analyze campaign rhetoric critically, consider the character and integrity of the candidate and examine political leaders according to the principles of your faith.

Choices

When all candidates hold a position that promotes an intrinsically evil act, the voter may take the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate or, after careful deliberation, vote for the candidate deemed less likely to advance such a morally flawed position and more likely to pursue other human goods.

Vote

Catholics have an obligation to participate in the democratic process. Remember to vote and become involved in the legislative process, no matter the outcome. One way to get involved is by joining the Legislative Action Network at ndcatholic.org.

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NEW EARTH OCTOBER 2016

Where does the candidate stand on:

Right to Life & Dignity of the Human Person • Protecting unborn human life and committing state resources to ending abortion?

• Preserving the state bans on assisted suicide, euthanasia, the death penalty and human embryo research?

• Preventing state funds from paying for abortion and abortion advocacy?

Religious Liberty • Allowing individuals and businesses to offer services to the public in accordance with their religious beliefs?

• Providing the highest level of legal protection for religious freedom without unduly infringing upon the legitimate and compelling interests of the state?

Family Life • Supporting pregnant women and the life-affirming centers that serve them?

• Respecting the freedom of parents to educate their children, especially in matters of moral development?

• Enabling parents to choose the best educational setting for their children?

• Opposing policies that force government agencies, businesses, charities and schools to accept false gender ideologies?

The Community • Ensuring access to health care while respecting human life, human dignity and religious freedom?

• Preserving and promoting programs that help the poor and most vulnerable members among us, including those with disabilities, mental illnesses and chemical addictions?

• Ensuring safe and affordable housing?

• Criminal justice reform that allows low-risk non-violent offenders an opportunity to receive services for mental illness and chemical addiction instead of incarceration?

• Providing safe havens for properly-vetted refugees, regard less of race, nationality or religious affiliation?

The Economy •The right of local communities to regulate for the common good?

• Policies that ensure a just wage, economic initiative and the right of workers to form associations to collectively represent their interests?

• Policies to protect and foster family farms, rural communities and good stewardship of natural resources?

• Economic development that respects families, the community, creation and the dignity of the human person?

Christopher Dodson is executive director of the North Dakota Catholic Conference. The NDCC acts on behalf of the Catholic bishops of North Dakota to respond to public policy issues of concern to the Catholic Church and to educate Catholics and the general public about Catholic social doctrine. The conference website is ndcatholic.org.

OUR CATHOLIC LIFE

T

Mary, humility and the Year of Mercy

he first day I arrived at Sacred Heart Seminary, I began to turn to Our Blessed Mother for grace and guidance.

My relationship with Mary began when I was just a child, no older than seven or eight. Since then, I remember seeing the moon from my window at night and saying simple prayers, not knowing who I was speaking to but simply experiencing a maternal peace. Those nights were my first experiences of prayer and my first encounters with the Blessed Virgin. There really was not any tangible growth, which I am aware of, in my devotion to Mary until I was in religion classes at Sullivan Middle School.

I remember Mrs. Kennelly teaching us that we could help souls get to heaven by praying rosaries for them; so I began to pray rosaries in the school chapel before class for any given soul in purgatory.

Towards the end of my senior year, I remember feeling the pressure I placed upon myself to go to a college or university just like everyone else. After searching far and wide, for the school farthest away from North Dakota, my high school-self decided to at least foster a little bit of prudence and stay close to home.

I remember the exact thought-process I had one night. “I like Mary…maybe I should go to the University of Mary?” I was determined to spiritually walk into the desert just like Jesus did after his baptism. “I mean I guess western North Dakota is as close as I can get to walking into a spiritual desert.” My naivety was in full swing at the time.

My first year at U-Mary was one of the best things to happen to me. I experienced a rich, vibrant and authentically Catholic community and received abundant and dynamic ways in which to live out the faith daily. Big shout out to the FOCUS missionaries and the campus ministries volunteers. My roommate at the time, now fellow seminarian, Ethan Kaste, encouraged me to do the Total Consecration to Mary and so I did.

From that point, my relationship with my Blessed Mother has been blossoming and manifesting in my interior and exterior life in various ways. One of my favorite memories is leading my cabin of boys in Marian prayer and meditation during my summer at Trinity Youth Camp. Not only because it brought silence and tranquility into the cabin but also because I believe that allowing Mary to bring us to Jesus is not only fruitful but crucial as we begin our walk with the Savior. Mary has truly been an ocean of grace to my interior life. She is a reservoir of God’s grace and loves to pour them out upon her children.

Ever since I arrived at seminary at the end of August, I have come up against all sorts of anxieties, worries and spiritual obstacles.

In these times, I have been receiving the graces to go directly the Mother that has been so good to me all of these years. In the years of formation to come and in the past weeks, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been my consolation, counsel and sure help.

She has taught me that humility in any state of life; seminarian, priest, lay, consecrated, whatever it may be, is simply this… to be honest and satisfied with how small you truly are while being fully confident and certain of how big the Father truly is and how he holds us in paternal love. Mary has taught me how precious and good it is to have a small and docile soul. She has taught me that when we are lesser in this life the Father can be more.

In the past months, I have felt in prayer as though I have not

been entering into the Year of Mercy as I ought to be. So it recently came to Seminarian me. Mary is the origLife inal door of mercy.

In her Immaculate Christopher womb, divinity and Finneman humanity first met.

Through her fiat, the Father’s mercy collided with human misery. Through her, I can further enter into what remains of the Year of Mercy.

I pray that through the Mother of Mercy, we begin to come to know and live mercy in a more sincere way and that through the graces she obtains for us through her Son’s passion death and resurrection we ourselves may become doors of mercy just like her. So when the year ends and the doors of mercy are gone, all members of the Church will be walking and talking doors of mercy.

Finneman is a College II student studying at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Mich.

Editor’s Note: Seminarian Life is a column written by Diocese of Fargo seminarians. Please continue to pray for them.

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25

OUR CATHOLIC LIFE

Five tips help sort through year-end giving considerations

M

ost people like to do their major giving towards the Stewardship end of the year.

Steve Schons The closing of the tax season encourages itemizers to obtain income tax deductions, a barrage of earnest appeals by nonprofits increases awareness of financial need and many are simply pre-disposed to end the year by making a charitable gift.

Here are five tips to help you with your year-end giving.

Talk to your advisor

Before making any significant gift to your church or to any nonprofit, have your accountant, attorney or advisor help you understand the impact of your gift on your income tax return and estate.

For more information about the year-end giving opportunities, please call me at (701) 356-7926 or email steve.schons@fargodiocese.org.

Steve Schons is director of stewardship and development for the Diocese of Fargo and president of the Catholic Development Foundation. He can be reached at steve.schons@fargodiocese.org or (701) 356-7926.

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Calculate your income

Try to get a handle on your tax liability for the year. Did your unearned income increase? Did you sell any appreciated assets?

Will you owe more taxes? This alone may motivate you to increase your giving before Dec. 31. In fact, you may even want to move some of your giving forward from next year to create a larger income tax deduction for yourself this year. Non-itemizers may especially find this “grouping of gifts” useful in order to take advantage of an itemized tax return every other year.

By the time you fill out your income tax return, it will be too late to make charitable gifts for the previous year. Take the time to plan while you still have time to make a year-end gift.

Review your stocks

Look at the stocks you have held for more than a year. Which ones have appreciated the most? It may be prudent for you to make your year-end gift using one or more of these stocks. If you sold the stock, you would incur capital gains tax on the appreciation. However, if you give the stock to your church or diocese, no one pays tax. And you get a charitable deduction for the full amount of the stock, just as you would if your gift was made with cash. And what’s more, if you can’t use all of the income tax charitable deduction resulting from the gift, you can carry it forward for up to an additional five years.

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Through the Catholic Development Foundation, you can make a gift now, obtain tax benefits and receive income for the rest of your life. Sound too good to be true? A few minutes of your time may convince you otherwise. We can provide personalized illustrations and printed material to assist you and your advisor(s).

Do your giving before the end of the year

This is especially true if you want to make a gift of noncash assets, such as stock, real estate, etc. It also applies to life-income gifts like gift annuities and trust arrangements. The sooner you can get your gift activity going, the better it will be for everyone concerned.

26

NEW EARTH OCTOBER 2016

Get Connected Find more stories and information about the diocese at:

www.fargodiocese.org

OUR CATHOLIC LIFE

I

Leaving our values at the door of the strip club

was recently talking to a Massachusetts family with a 21-yearold son on the autism spectrum. Because of the Asperger syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder that have affected him since childhood, he is only about 13 or 14 in his understanding and behaviors.

Jimmy (not his real name) has been in and out of mental institutions and recently had to be placed into a group home because his single mom could no longer manage him at home.

Jimmy came from a good family, conscientious and Catholic, raised in a clean environment by his mother and grandmother, who hoped to see him cared for in a protected and secure setting at the group home.

Soon they saw, however, that there were issues: the residents had unlimited TV access in their private rooms; there seemed to be high worker turnover; and some of the tattooed staff were not only heavy smokers but used foul language.

Things took an unexpected turn as Jimmy prepared to celebrate his 21st birthday. Others at the group home started pushing him to visit the strip club in a nearby town now that he was “going to be an adult.” Always guileless, and never hesitant to talk openly about whatever was going on around him, Jimmy blurted out to his grandmother that the group home staff were going to drive him the next weekend to the Foxy Lady Club.

A series of phone calls ensued. When the grandmother spoke with a staff member at the home, she was informed there was nothing she could do to prevent it, that the group home routinely offered transportation to the strip club not only for their residents, but for residents of the other group homes run by the same company in nearby towns. The staff member said that Jimmy was now 21 and the group home had to let him do what he wanted.

A second phone call to the staff supervisor resulted in the same song and dance: the group home had no choice but to cater to his wishes; he was within his legal rights now that he was 21; they would drive others at the home to the strip club, etc.

Finally, the grandmother called the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services, which had contracted with the company running the group home, and spoke to the woman in charge of Jimmy’s case. She noted that Jimmy was not only within his legal rights, but it was, she asserted, a matter of basic human rights to allow him go to the strip club. His grandmother replied it would be a failure to care for persons with mental disabilities if caretakers facilitated sexually-addictive practices, which such persons were prone to engage in anyway, often struggling with self-control and masturbatory behaviors, and this might set them up for a trip back to the mental hospital.

When she continued to protest that visiting such a club was not a good or moral activity, the official replied, “Well, if you’re concerned about ‘values,’ I leave my values at the door every time I go to work in order to get my job done.”

Cases like Jimmy’s serve as a disappointing reminder of how low the bar has come to be set in certain segments of our society. The misappropriation of public tax money by state agencies to subsidize damaging behaviors in a vulnerable patient

population is also regrettable and fundamentally unjust. The family’s struggles Making Sense further highlight an astonishing cultural of Bioethics misunderstanding around the idea of Father Tad Pacholczyk “human rights.” To suggest that the a c t i v i t y o f l e e ring lecherously at the bodies of naked women is a “basic human right” is itself a profound perversion, and represents a lamentable instance of outright moral bankruptcy.

Probably the most striking element of a case like Jimmy’s is the remarkably well-honed ability of some who serve in positions of authority and leadership — while professing to be “good” or even “religious” people — to jettison their values and beliefs the moment they are called upon to stand up and defend what is right.

Because individuals like Jimmy are consistently unable to make good decisions on their own behalf, it goes without saying that they require a guardian to attend to their interests and protect them. Yet legal guardians, like Jimmy’s grandmother, are finding themselves in the unenviable position of being ignored on certain issues by those entrusted with the care of institutionalized residents, apparently determined to bypass the guardian’s will whenever specific sexual agendas or views about “rights” need to be duly imposed.

Good parents never drive their children to strip clubs, and neither should any institution entrusted with a protective parental role; on the contrary, such institutions should erect appropriate boundaries and limits on harmful behaviors, so their residents can grow and flourish, contribute positively to society and perhaps one day become good and mature moral agents themselves.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, MA, and serves as the Director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org

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WHAT’S HAPPENING

Events across the diocese Day of Prayer and Healing for women suffering from a past abortion on Nov. 19

Do you know someone who is carrying the grief of a past abortion? The pain and sorrow of a past abortion need not endure for a lifetime. A Day of Prayer and Healing will be held on Nov. 19 and offers women an opportunity to experience the love and mercy of God and to heal the wound of a past abortion.

For location and confidential registration, call Rachelle at (844) 789-4829. For more information visit: www.projectrachelfargo.org.

Mass for God’s Children set for Nov. 3

Bishop Folda will celebrate a Mass for God’s Children on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, in Fargo. This Memorial Mass for children who have died before baptism is offered for families who have lost a child to miscarriage, stillbirth, infant or young child death. A memorial rose and name card will be provided for families who have lost a child. If you would like to reserve a rose and name card, please complete and return the registration form by Nov. 1 to the Respect Life Office. Contact Rachelle at (701) 356-7910 or rachelle.sauvageau@fargodiocese.org.

Life in the Spirit retreat coming toValley City

New Earth wants to know about your parish Christmas Pageants Does your parish or parish school put on a children’s Christmas Pageant every year? We at New Earth want to know about it. Please send any photos from past pageants and a brief history of your pageant tradition by Nov. 21, to paul.braun@fargodiocese.org. Your pageant and photo could end up as part of the cover story, for the December 2016 issue of New Earth!

Special collections at Mass

A special collection will be gathered at all Masses Oct. 23 for World Mission Sunday which supports clinics, orphanages, schools and more in 1,111 mission dioceses, mostly in Africa and Asia. A collection will also be gathered at all Masses on Nov. 6 for the Archdiocese for Military Services to support the chaplains and programs that serve Catholic service members in our nation’s armed forces worldwide. Please consider supporting these missions in need.

A Glimpse of the Past - October

These news items, compiled by Dorothy Duchschere, were found in New Earth and its predecessor, Catholic Action News.

Silent retreat in Valley City Nov. 11-13

An organizational meeting of the Pastoral and Apostolic Council of the Diocese of Fargo will be held at Cardinal Muench Seminary on October 8, Bishop Leo F. Dworschak has announced. On the agenda will be a discussion of articles of organization, determination of terms of office of Council members and election of officers. Priest representatives are: Msgr. Vincent Wiederholt, Langdon; Frs. George Mehok, George Lommel, C. Richard Rudd and Alvin Kartes.

St. Catherine’s Catholic Church, Valley City, is hosting a Life in the Spirit Seminar from Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. to Dec. 4. Come and experience an inner renewal through scripture, sacraments, listening to inspiring talks, discussions, prayer and song. Deepen your personal relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit and fellow members of the Body of Christ. All are welcome. Cost is a free-will offering. Contact Doran Chandler at (701) 840-1257.

Come experience a silent retreat Nov. 11-13 at Maryvale Convent in Valley City. This Ignatian retreat is steeped in the Gospels and is based in the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. This is a time to meet Jesus in the experiences of his own life. Conferences and individual direction are a part of the retreat. Register by Nov. 4 by calling Sr. Dorothy at (701) 845-2864. Suggested donation is $85.

March for Life adult pilgrimage Jan. 25-29

The Respect Life Office is hosting an adult pilgrimage to the March for Life Jan. 25-29 in Washington D.C. Pilgrims will visit the St. John Paul II National Shrine, attend the Vigil Mass for Life, participate in the March for Life and tour Washington D.C. Cost is $745–$1,370 depending on hotel occupancy and includes air fare, ground transportation, accommodation and tour fees. Registration and $500 deposit is due Oct. 24. Registration forms can be found at www.fargodiocese.org/respectlife or by calling Kathy Loney at (701) 235-7902 or e-mail kathy.loney@fargodiocese.org.

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NEW EARTH OCTOBER 2016

50 Years Ago....1966

20 Years Ago....1996

More than 200 out-of-town alumni, including almost a dozen Presentation Sisters, are expected to join members of St. Alphonsus in Langdon October 5 & 6 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the parish school. The school, which has 97 students, is the only kindergarten through eighth-grade elementary school left in the Fargo Diocese. (Fargo has a junior-high at St. Anthony’s). The original four-story building, begun in 1918 and completed in 1921 is still in use.

10 Years ago....2006

A granite monument of the Ten Commandments was dedicated October 2 on the grounds of Sts. Anne & Joachim Church in Fargo. Fr. Dennis Skonseng, Vicar General, presided over the dedication, assisted by priests of the parish and members of its Knights of Columbus Council. The parish is served by Fr. Brian Bachmeier, pastor and Frs. Joseph Christensen and Wenceslaus Katanga, parochial vicars.

Life’s milestones

Beauchamps celebrate birthdays and anniversaries

Leo and Lenore Beauchamps will celebrate their 63rd wedding anniversary Oct. 21. Leo will be 84 on Oct. 10, and Lenore will be 84 on Oct. 29. They are parishioners at St. Boniface church in Walhalla and have six children, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Oscar Beauchamp (pictured center) will celectrate his 92nd birthday on Oct. 24 and is a parishioner at St. Alphonus church in Langdon.

Kellers celebrate 72 years of marriage

Cornelius and Regina Keller will celebrate 72 years of marriage on Oct. 23. They were married at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Esmond in 1944. They have been blessed with eight children.

Steve and Linda Vetter celebrate 50th wedding anniversary

Steve and Linda Vetter celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Sep. 24. They were married in St. Anthony’s church in Selz and are still parishioners there. They live on the family farm and have been blessed with three children and nine grandchildren.

Dolores Hertl celebrates 97th birthday

Dolores Hertl was born near Egeland on June 9, 1919.

Her parents moved to the Calio area (near Munich) and joined St. Boniface church.

Later she married Frank who passed away in 1974. She is now a parishioner of St. Joseph’s church in Devils Lake.

Share Life’s Milestones As a way to celebrate life and love, we encourage parishioners throughout the Diocese of Fargo to send photos of anniversaries of 60 or more years, or birthdays of 80 or more years to: New Earth, Diocese of Fargo, 5201 Bishops Blvd. S., Suite A, Fargo, ND 58104-7605 or news@fargodiocese.org.

Anna Hoffarth celebrates 108th birthday

Father Phil Ackerman and Father Steven Wirth joined Anna Hoffarth of Langdon for the celebration of her 108th birthday on Aug. 17. At the passing of her husband in 1966, Anna moved from the farm to live in Langdon where she resided in her own home until she was 99. She now lives at Maple Manor Care Center in Langdon. The Hoffarths raised six children, three of whom are still living.

Kathryn Shablow celebrates 100th birthday

Kathryn Marcotte Shablow celebrated her 100th birthday on Sep. 18 with family and friends. She moved to Dresden as a child with her family and has lived in Cavalier County for most of her life. She is a parishioner at St. Alphonsus parish in Langdon.

Sr. Margaret Rose Pfiefer celebrates 90th birthday

Sister Margaret Rose Pfiefer, Vice President of Planning and Advocacy for the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation Health System, celebrated her 90th birthday on Sep 2.

Sister Margaret Rose has been in the VP position for 20 years. She made her first vows in 1945 and has had a career as a teacher, principal and as the Provincial Superior of her order in the US, along with serving on several boards.

Rose Weigel celebrates 98th birthday

Rose Weigel celebrated her 98th birthday Sep. 7. She was married to Emil J Weigel for 61 years before he passed away in 1999. She has five children, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

She is a former parishioner of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Orrin and is now a parishioner of Little Flower Catholic Church in Rugby.

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Connect with parishes at fall festivals

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all events are great opportunities to connect with parish communities. The following is a list of fall dinners and festivals submitted to New Earth.

annual Christmas Tea will be held on Nov. 5 from 1-4 p.m. Fresh baked pie, tea, coffee and cider will be served, bake sale with lefse and raffle. Contact parish (701) 746-1454.

Grand Forks: St. Anne’s Guest Home is sponsoring a soup and sandwich luncheon Oct. 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Three soups to choose from, a ham or turkey sandwich, dessert and a beverage for $8. Food and bake sale, crafts and variety sales. Contact St. Anne’s Guest Home at (701) 746-9401.

LaMoure: Holy Rosary Parish Center will be holding its 30th annual Buffalo Supper Nov. 6 from 4:30–7 p.m. Menu is buffalo, potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, corn, vegetable tray, assorted bars and beverages. Contact parish at (701) 883-5987.

Fargo: Holy Spirit church in Fargo will host its annual Fall Festival on Oct. 30 from 10:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Turkey dinner with all the trimmings, silent auction, baked goods and candy sale, bingo, kids’ games, cake walk and more. Adults $10, Kids ages 4-12 $4. Take out $10. Contact parish at (701) 232-5900.

West Fargo: Blessed Sacrament church is hosting its annual pork loin dinner and fall bazar Oct. 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Adults $10, ages 6-12 $5, preschool free. Silent auction, baskets, jewelry and country stores, carnival games, cake walk, bingo and raffle drawings. Contact parish at (701) 282-3321.

Minto: Sacred Heart church in Minto is hosting a fall dinner Nov. 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Minto Community Center. Menu includes ham, meatballs, potatoes and gravy, carrots, sauerkraut and pork. Bake sale, raffle and other prizes. Adults $11, ages 6-12 $5 and preschool free. Contact parish at (701) 248-3589.

Fargo: Nativity church is hosting its 55th annual fall festival Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Menu includes a pork roast dinner topped with apple bars for dessert. Adults $10, children age 4-11 $6 and ages 3 and under free. Bake sale, jewelry store, silent auction, games, cake walk and a turkey raffle. Contact parish at (701) 232-2414.

Casselton: St. Leo’s church is hosting a roast beef dinner Oct. Fargo: Sts. Anne and Joachim church will be holding their fall 30 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Adults $10, ages 4-12 $5, ages 3 and festival Nov. 13 from 4-7 p.m. Menu includes pork roast, mashed under free. Take out $10. Country store, bake sale, raffles and potatoes, green beans, stuffing, coleslaw, dinner roll and dessert. kids’ games. Contact parish at (701) 347-4609.

Adults $10, children $5. Country store, basket raffle, farmers market, children’s games, bingo and cake walk. Raffle to win Grand Forks: Holy Family Catholic Church Altar Society’s 56th a new car! Contact parish at (701) 235-5757.

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Caring for You!

Pope visits neonatal unit, hospice to highlight respect for life

By CNA/EWTN News

Pope Francis visited the neonatology ward of San Giovanni in Rome, Sept. 16. (L’Osservatore Romano)

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Diocesan policy: Reporting child abuse

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n Friday, Sept. 16, Pope Francis visited a neonatal hospital unit and a hospice for the terminally ill, stressing the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.

The visit was the latest in the Pope’s “Mercy Friday” initiatives, to spend time with various groups each month during the Jubilee of Mercy.

In previous trips, he has made surprise stops at places including an elderly home, a drug and alcohol rehab center and a facility for retired priests.

In this month’s visit, Pope first visited the San Giovanni hospital, stopping at both the emergency room and the neonatal unit.

Currently there are 12 babies with various conditions in the unit.

Five of them – including one set of twins – are in very serious condition in the ICU. A Vatican description of the event said that Pope Francis wore a hygienic mask and took other sanitary precautions, like all visitors to the unit, where the children’s immune systems are often weak.

He spoke to the babies in each incubator, and greeted their parents, offering words of comfort.

Pope Francis then visited the Villa Speranza Hospice, where 30 patients in the terminal stages of illness are housed. He greeted each patient one-by-one, as well as their families, in an emotional encounter.

Through the visit, “the Holy Father wanted to give a strong sign of the importance of life, from its first moment to its natural end,” the Vatican said in a statement.

“The acceptance of life and the guarantee of human dignity at all stages of development are lessons repeatedly stressed by Pope Francis,” the Vatican continued, adding that the Pope’s dual mercy visit is a “concrete and tangible sign” of how essential it is to give our attention “to those in the most vulnerable and precarious situations.”

The Diocese of Fargo is committed to the protection of youth. Please report any incidents or suspected incidents of child abuse, including sexual abuse, to civil authorities. If the situation involves a member of the clergy or a religious order, a seminarian or an employee of a Catholic school, parish, the diocesan offices or other Catholic entity within the diocese, we ask that you also report the incident or suspected incident to Monsignor Joseph P. Goering at (701) 356-7945 or Larry Bernhardt at (701) 356-7965 or VictimAssistance@fargodiocese.org.

For additional information about victim assistance, visit www.fargodiocese.org/victimassistance.

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Catholic Diocese of Fargo 5201 Bishops Blvd, Ste. A Fargo, ND 58104

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