September New Earth 2012

Meet Bishop Kagan’s sidekick Page 2

New Earth CATHOLIC DIOCESE

OF

September 2012 Vol. 33

FARGO

No. 8

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth” — Rev. 21:1 www.FargoDiocese.org

From Thy Bounty . . .

The 56th annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Prairies

Monastery grounds fill with the faithful, fruits of the harvest

By Roxane B. Salonen

A

s a trio of ducks waddled nearby, pecking the ground in search of the grassy version of manna from heaven, 200 pilgrims watched from makeshift pews as fruits of the harvest were brought forth and blessed.

Among the offertory gifts presented during the Aug. 12 Mass on the grounds of Carmel of Mary Monastery in Wahpeton: baskets filled with golden wheat and plump corn cobs, fat jars of sweet honey and canned peaches, and clusters of zucchini and plums.

And, at the center of the 56th annual pilgrimage, Our Lady of the Prairies peered out at the visitors from her permanent perch, an array of flowers and plants at her feet.

It was the kind of day God himself may well have ordered. After earlymorning threats of a downpour and possible cancellation, the clouds had dissipated by the event’s beginning, with just enough puffs remaining to provide intermittent shade for afternoon Reconciliation lines.

Father Peter Anderl called his chance to preside over the celebration for the third time “a great joy.”

“I love coming out here for Mass; it’s a little piece of heaven,” he said, noting that the Carmelite Sisters who inhabit the monastery often com-

Marilyn Loegering, Fargo, presents Father Peter Anderl with a basket of wheat as part of the offertory during an outdoor Mass at the Carmel of Mary Monastery on Aug. 12.

Next in line, with baskets of corn and other harvest fruits are, left to right, Brian Halverson, Pekin, and Joshua Schwebach, Fargo.

“Everybody who is here is so full of faith.

”

I could feel so strongly Our Lady’s powerful presence.

Carmel of Mary Prioress Mother Joseph Marie

Please turn to FROM on page 10

ALSO IN THIS MONTH’S NEW EARTH Encouraging vocation ■ Hummingbird helps lead Kyle Metzger back into seminary 3

News from around the diocese

Year of Faith to launch

■ ‘Circle of Grace’ safe-environment curriculum explained

■ Initial plans set for year focused on faith

12

■ Student shares reflections from Rome trip

3

18

■ Also: See insert for related pastoral letter from Bishop Kagan

■ Recap of summer youth activities 19

Bishop’s Column

2

Appointments

4

Opinion

12

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Bishop Kagan writes: Let me introduce myself Dear Friends in Christ,

time in our diocesan tribunal. I served in various offices in the tribunal, includam delighted to be able to greet all ing as judicial vicar from 1985 to 2005. of you for the first time as the aposAt this same time, I taught religion at tolic administrator for the Diocese our Catholic high school for five years of Fargo. Since this is the first article I and assisted in various parishes on a will write for the New Earth, I would part-time basis. like to tell you a bit about myself as well Over the next 32 years, in addition to as what the Holy See working in the bishop’s intends when a bishop office as judicial vicar, I is appointed to be an also served as vicar genapostolic administrator eral and moderator of for a diocese. the diocesan curia, the My family life and chancellor, and was a early years were spent member of the College in a small town in of Consultors. I also was northeastern Illinois, pastor of three different Spring Grove, where parishes and the pamy father was the medrochial administrator ical doctor for 47 years for seven different and my mother kept parishes at various our home. times.

I am one of six chilOn Oct. 19, 2011, my dren, including five appointment by our boys and one girl, and Holy Father as the sevall of us were fortunate enth bishop of Bismarck enough to be able to atwas announced, and I Bishop David Kagan tend the parish school was ordained and inof St. Peter’s Parish, stalled on Nov. 30, 2011. And on June where we were taught by a group of 12, I received notice of my appointment wonderful religious sisters. as apostolic administrator for Fargo, After graduating from eighth grade, I which took effect the day of Archbishop went to the high school seminary in St. Aquila’s installation as archbishop of Nazianz, Wis., and from there, to the Denver, July 18. college seminary of St. Pius X at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. My bishop y principal duty is to see to it that then assigned me to study theology in the ordinary business of the CathRome at the Pontifical Gregorian Uniolic life of the diocese continues without versity and live at The Pontifical North interruption.

American College, which is the semiIf, in a special circumstance, I must nary for the United States bishops. take an action, I am authorized to do so I was ordained to the sacred priestsince I have the same rights and duties hood on June 14, 1975, at the Cathedral as a diocesan bishop, but it would have of St. Peter, Rockford, Ill., and then asto be a very exceptional case. I am not signed to be assistant pastor of St. Patrick to do anything which would impede or Parish, Dixon, Ill., for the next two prejudice the new bishop’s ability to years. govern the Diocese of Fargo as he sees fit. n June 1977, my bishop assigned me to study canon law at the Pontifical Let us all continue to pray that Gregorian University in Rome. I finished Almighty God will send us another chief my studies in June 1979 and returned shepherd for his people who is an icon to the Diocese of Rockford, working full of the Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd.

I

Apostolic Administrator

M

I

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.”

Revelation 21:1

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Photo by Roxane B. Salonen

Bishop David Kagan gives a tender stroke to Dash, a border collie that’s been his faithful friend and companion since his days serving the Diocese of Rockford, Ill.

Meet Dash, the bishop’s faithful companion When Bishop Kagan walks into the pastoral center at Fargo, he’s likely to arrive with his tried and true travel partner.

If you try talking to the shorter of the two, though, he won’t talk back, but he will respond if offered a treat. And with his tail wagging, he’ll find his way to you on his four legs.

“Dash” may not be the typical clergyman’s companion, but it’s a well-suited pairing. In fact, the two even match when Bishop Kagan comes dressed in his black suit with white collar.

A border collie, Dash has been the bishop’s faithful friend and companion since March 2005.

“I initially got him to remove a flood of Canada geese that had overrun the Rockford Diocese’s central offices,” Bishop Kagan explained.

The dog accomplished the desired task in the span of a year by chasing away the geese and not allowing them to nest.

“Dash quickly endeared himself to all who worked at the central diocesan offices and was known as the ‘diocesan border collie,’ since he not only chased geese but also was a very reliable watchdog for the offices,” according to Bishop Kagan. “He has become the very same for the Diocese of Bismarck and, if given a chance, will do the same for the Diocese of Fargo!”

Dash turned 8 on June 14.

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Year of Faith to launch with Mass and meal A special diocesan Mass to celebrate the opening of the Year of Faith will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Thurs., Oct. 11, at the Cathedral of St. Mary, 604 Broadway, Fargo, and be followed by a meal immediately afterward. All the faithful of the diocese are invited to attend.

During the Year of Faith, Pope Benedict invites us to take the opportunity to “shed clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ.” It is a moment of grace within the universal Church that wonderfully coincides with the anniversaries of two great events: the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council (Oct. 11, 1962) and the

20th anniversary of the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Oct. 11, 1992).

Bishop Kagan, apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Fargo, has prepared a document “in anticipation of our full and joyous entrance into and participation in the celebration of the Year of Faith.” The pastoral letter, “I Call You Friends,” is included as an insert in this edition of New Earth.

“I offer to you, my brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus, this pastoral letter on the mystery, the beauty and the joy of the divine friendship each of us has been given for the salvation of our souls,” Bishop Kagan says in the

letter’s introduction. “To begin to grasp the magnitude of the gift of divine friendship is to begin to understand the real love which this friendship expresses.

“No one is excluded from the divine friendship and thus none of us can ever not respond to it.”

More information on the Year of Faith can be found at www.fargodiocese.org/ yearoffaith, and at www.annusfidei.va/ content/novaevangelizatio/en.html.

For ideas on how you can participate in the Year of Faith, call Katie Dubas at (701) 356-7908 or email: katie.dubas@fargo diocese.org.

Writing children’s book led him back into seminary

By Roxane B. Salonen

I

n a certain way, it can be said that a tiny hummingbird named Flit led Kyle Metzger back into the seminary.

Not that he was aware of the small bird’s pull at the time he created and named him.

The whole thing started out purely as a project to help middle-school boys at the Catholic schools where he taught reading to learn about, and possibly become interested in, the priesthood.

“Both principals (I worked under) gave me quite a wide degree of latitude in choosing what I would read to my students,” Metzger said, “and being a faithful Catholic, I wanted to weave Catholicism into the curriculum.”

He saw story as the best tool for introducing the topic.

Having spent several years in seminary leading up to his pursuit of a teaching degree, Metzger had retained great respect for the priesthood despite his shift in direction. Recognizing the priest shortage combined with working in the midst of a potential, fresh crop, he felt called to more than just prayer.

“I sought out books with Catholic themes and had mixed success, and came up as a complete failure in the area of vocation fiction, especially for boys for the priesthood,” he said.

“Boys need high action and energy; they also need a little bit of humor. If you just give them a nonfiction book on what a priest does, they won’t read it.”

And that’s when Flit flew into his life.

Filling a need Reading, he admits unabashedly now, was his least favorite subject in school. All the more motivation to write a book that would appeal to that boy of his youth.

“I finally said, ‘Well, Lord, I guess I’ll have to do it myself.’”

Driving to Fargo from the Twin Cities for Christmas that year, a plot for a future children’s novel about a small and uncertain hummingbird began to emerge. By the time he reached the 25th Street exit near his childhood home, he was ready to start putting pen to paper.

“With hummingbirds, you’ve got a flock of birds and you’ve also got a shepherd and his flock. So the idea of

the avian-flock plot came together in that one drive.”

Though he hadn’t had a lot of experience with hummingbirds, Metzger said, “in God’s grand design,” he had his father’s longtime love of birds to draw upon.

“We have a lake cabin by (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) and he’s got feeders all over,” he said. “I ended up dedicating the book to my father, because as I started writing, he came to mind a lot — especially in how he was always talking about birds and watching them with binoculars.”

The small size of the hummingbird lent itself well to a main character that would be faced with many obstacles to overcome — an essential component for any good story.

“There’s the competition of having to beat out crows, eagles and other birds that are physically stronger and faster than him, and to make a good ending, he beats all the odds,” he said.

Unexpected outcome Metzger began heading to the library every Saturday to write and used most of his summer to push through to the end. Nine months from when he began, he had a solid draft and spent another couple months editing and refining.

But by the time the book was ready to be sent out, Metzger had begun to realize he hadn’t written the story for the benefit of others alone.

“By the end of writing it, I was seriously considering going back to seminary, so there was a part of it that had become the outlet for me to express my desires and hopes for the priesthood,” he said. “Flit is going through a discernment of sorts, too.”

Facing the likely about-turn, Metzger immediately saw the paradox. “I’d written it to bring it into the classroom, and knew that I’d now be leaving the classroom, but I still felt it was God’s plan.”

He purposefully geared the book toward the fifth-grade reading level.

“A vocations director once told me that when you’re working on vocations, focus on the 11s — 11 years old — when they’re still not jaded, and 11th grade, when they haven’t yet firmed up their future plans.”

Writing the book ended up being a prayerful experience for Metzger, too.

“Not just for me personally, but in terms of asking questions like, ‘What

By the end of writing his children’s novel, “Flit and the Avian Flock,” Kyle Metzger had pretty much decided he was going back into seminary, which he’d left to pursue a career in teaching. “. . . It had become the outlet for me to express my desires and hopes for the priesthood,” he said. If all goes as planned, Metzger will be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Fargo in the summer of 2015.

do seminarians go through? What are their struggles?” he said. “A big one is not feeling worthy. ‘I’m sinful. I’m not worthy of being a priest. All the priests I know, they’re so holy.’ Those were the sorts of things I was weighing in my own mind.”

Feeling needed A graduate of Shanley High School and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, and former student of St. John Please turn to BOOK on page 15

4 â– SEPTEMBER 2012

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Bishop Kagan’s Calendar

DIOCESE OF FARGO

Sept. 7 Administrative meetings, Pastoral Center, Fargo Sept. 10 - 21 New Bishops Convocation, Rome, Italy Oct. 3 Presbyteral Days, Gladstone Inn, Jamestown Most Rev. David D. Kagan, Apostolic Administrator of Fargo and Bishop of Bismarck, has made the following appointments, announcements, and/or decrees:

OFFICIAL

August 2012

APPOINTMENTS / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Rev. Danilo Abalon, SOLT, has returned to the Philippines as of August 6, 2012.

July 2012

Rev. Paul Dou, SOLT, has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Dunseith, North Dakota. This appointment is effective August 6, 2012, and continues ad nutum episcopi

Rev. Jeffrey S. Eppler, SOLT, has been appointed Administrator of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Dunseith, North Dakota. This appointment is effective August 3, 2012, and continues ad nutum episcopi.

Reverend B. Prasad Marneni has been appointed Parochial Vicar of St. Joseph's Parish in Devils Lake, North Dakota. This appointment is effective August 8, 2012, and continues ad nutum episcopi.

In July, Bishop Kagan made the following appointments, announcements, and/or decrees:

Rev. Msgr. Joseph P. Goering has been appointed, in accord with N.244 of Apostolorum Successores, Vicar General for the Diocese of Fargo in North Dakota, with delegated executive power, as of July 18, 2012.

Very Reverend James S. Goodwin has been granted delegated power to 1) determine/declare by an administrative process, the freedom to marry of an individual; 2) to dispense for all cases involving matrimonial impediments of either universal or particular law; 3) to grant the necessary permission for a mixed marriage; 4) to dispense from the requirements of particular law

things which must precede the celebration of marriage as of July 18, 2012.

Very Reverend Luke D. Meyer has been granted delegated power to 1) determine/declare by an administrative process, the freedom to marry of an individual; 2) to dispense for all cases involving matrimonial impediments of either universal or particular law; 3) to grant the necessary permission for a mixed marriage; 4) to dispense from the requirements of particular law things which must precede the celebration of marriage as of July 18, 2012.

On March 12, 2012, Roger Alan Haenke was dispensed from the obligations of the clerical state, including celibacy, by the Holy See. On March 12, 2012, Kim Duane Moen was dispensed from the obligations of the clerical state, including celibacy, by the Holy See. On March 12, 2012, Anthony Odozi was dispensed from the obligations of the clerical state, including celibacy, by the Holy See.

Oct. 12 12:15 p.m. Greeting members of the Religious Education Exchange, Radisson Hotel, Fargo Oct. 12 1:15 p.m. Opening prayer and greeting at Marian Eucharistic Congress, Civic Center, Fargo Oct. 12 5:30 p.m. Mass at Marian Eucharistic Congress, Civic Center, Fargo

Diocesan policy: Reporting child abuse 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 Msgr. Joseph P. Goering at (701) 3567945 or Larry Bernhardt, victim assistance coordinator, at (701) 356-7965 or VictimAssistance@fargodiocese.org. For additional information about victim assistance, visit www.fargodiocese.org.

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‘God puts us where we are supposed to be’ The remarkable life of one of Fargo’s diocesan priests, the late Father Darin Didier The following article was first printed in the July 25, 2012, issue of the Denver Catholic Register. Reprinted with permission.

By Jean Torkelson Denver Catholic Register

Of all the lives Archbishop Samuel Aquila has touched as spiritual shepherd, arguably the most unusual was the short life of a young Fargo priest, Father Darin Didier.

Father Didier died three months after then-Bishop Aquila of Fargo ordained him in June 2005. Six months before, Bishop Aquila had accompanied the young priest to Lourdes to pray for a healing from a rare and virulent cancer which was consuming the once vigorous, 6-foot-3-inch athlete and runner.

Father Didier died three weeks before his 33rd birthday.

“The depth of Darin’s desire to be a priest was great,” recalled Archbishop Aquila. “I assured him that even if his cancer did not go into remission that I would seek permission to ordain him early so that his desire to serve Jesus Christ and the Church would be fulfilled. I was convinced in my conversations with him that he was called to be a priest, even for a brief period of time.

On the day of his ordination he appeared very healthy, yet the Lord had other plans.”

Today, a growing number of people are saying that Father Didier has become a powerful source of intercession for healing. A former physical therapist, he had devoted his life to mending broken bodies. When he finally answered a persistent call to the priesthood — he had become a deeply devout Catholic in college — Father Didier saw his vocation as a way to continue, in a more profound way, the calling to heal.

Many who knew Father Didier believe that his calling continues from heaven.

“God puts us where we are supposed to be,” said Joan Schraufek, one of many residents of the Fargo Diocese who knew the young priest and who believes he is a powerful intercessor — and was, even before he died. She said that on his ordination day, her daughter and son-inlaw asked Father Didier to pray for healing of longstanding infertility problems.

The dying priest gladly agreed, and shortly afterward the couple learned they were expecting their first child.

Today, seven years after his death, more than 100 people have come forward with healing testimonies, said his parents, Leonard and Bonnie Didier of Alexandria, Minn. Father Didier’s story has had such a widespread impact that even the leading TV network affiliate in Minneapolis-St. Paul did a profile of his life.

During his life and ministry, Father Didier was especially passionate about sanctity of life issues. He participated each year in the annual March for Life with other Fargo seminarians.

His parents and supporters such as the Schraufek family said that Father Didier continues to be a special consolation and source of intercessory prayer in cases involving infertility, the unborn, and difficult pregnancies and adoptions.

The Didiers, who spoke recently to the Denver Catholic Register, are especially moved by one such testimony.

While attending seminary in Maryland, Father Didier had become family friends with a couple who had struggled

Father Darin Didier, left, pictured with then-Bishop Samuel Aquila, was ordained to the priesthood on June 4, 2005, at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Fargo and died Sept. 6, 2005. A Memorial Mass took place in his honor this past Sept. 3 at Fargo’s Holy Spirit Church, the parish where he said his final Mass.

Photo by Tanya Watterud

through exhaustive bureaucratic red tape to adopt a Korean boy. The couple yearned to adopt again, but found the process so heart-wrenching they wondered whether it was God’s will for them. They began to pray for an answer.

Six months after Father Didier’s death, their adopted son came down to breakfast one morning and announced excitedly, “Father Darin was here last night!”

His mother didn’t pay any attention until, for the third time, her son said, “Father Darin was here last night!”

“Well, what did he say?’’ she asked.

“He said he had something sweet for us,” the child replied.

The very next day, an adoption agency called to say that a boy from Africa was immediately available for adoption. The couple later told the Didiers that the adoption sailed through, “and nothing has ever gone so smoothly.”

A piece of the Cross Right up until his death, Father Didier was brimming with life, and an eagerness to spread the Catholic faith and devotion to the Virgin Mary. Even before he entered the seminary, “He gave out Miraculous Medals like candy at a parade,” said Leonard Didier.

He said that fellow seminarians sometimes got annoyed with his son because when they went out to dinner, Darin would often spot somebody across the restaurant he thought was hurting, and disappear from the table for the rest of the meal to talk to them.

In 2000, during his first year at seminary, Father Didier prayed for something for himself, although he didn’t know the cost of his request until later.

At his son’s wake, a fellow seminarian told Leonard Didier that Darin had confided to him, “I asked for a piece of the Cross. But I didn’t ask for cancer.”

But the cross he received was cancer — a rare form of lymphoma that attacked both his skin and lymph nodes.

Among his diary entries found after his death was one that said, “I am only 31 years old. All I want is to say Mass, hear confessions and help people. Is that too much to ask?”

A week after Christmas 2004, Bishop Aquila, and Reverend Mr. Didier, then a deacon, arrived in France at the famous shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. The special pilgrimage was a testament to the love and confidence the two men shared in the Blessed Virgin Mary.

But earthly healing was not to be.

According to his parents, Father Didier told a priest friend that he had received an interior answer to his prayer for healing. The message was, “You can be healed if you want, or you can have a bigger mission in heaven,” which he was given to understand would involve a role in helping to revitalize the priesthood.

Many people believe it is clear which choice he made.

“Although Father Darin served as a priest for only three months, his life and ministry was a tremendous blessing,” Archbishop Aquila said. “He radiated the love of the Good Shepherd and was a wonderful spiritual father among the people.

“He was a great witness to the gift of life and the dignity of the human person,” the archbishop continued.

“His love for Mary was tender, and he knew his true identity as a son of the Father and Mary. His priestly life touched the hearts of all who met him and he brought the compassion of Christ to them.”

Addendum: A Memorial Mass and reception in Father Didier’s honor took place on Labor Day at Fargo’s Holy Spirit Catholic Church — a parish his family says was very special to him and where he said his final Mass.

NOTICE Look for The New Earth advertising insert from the

Great Plains Foodbank in all copies of this issue.

NOTICE Look for The New Earth insert from the

Diocese of Fargo Communications Office in all copies of this issue.

1417 South University Drive, Fargo, ND 58103

6 ■ SEPTEMBER 2012

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Men take next step toward ordination Five Fargo seminarians were admitted into candidacy with a sixth receiving the ministry of lector on Aug. 10 at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Valley City, with Bishop David Kagan presiding at the ceremony.Those being admitted into candidacy include Robert Keller, John Klocke, Paul Kuhn, Patrick Parks and Steven Wirth. Kyle Metzger received the ministry of lector. Kuhn and Parks are first-year theology students at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., and Klocke and Wirth are firstyear theology students at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. Keller, a first-year theology student, is studying at St. John Vianney in Denver, and Metzger is a second-year theology student, also at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary. Pictured are, left to right, Paul Kuhn, Robert Keller, John Klocke, Bishop David Kagan, Patrick Parks and Steven Wirth. Kyle Metzger, not shown, is featured on p. 3.

A Glimpse of the Past These news items, compiled by Dorothy Duchschere, were found in issues of the Diocese of Fargo newspaper, New Earth, and its predecessor, Catholic Action News.

September 50 years ago — 1962 St. John’s Hospital of Fargo will remain open, according to a spokesman for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. It was announced in May of this year that the hospital would close as a general hospital. The hospital administrator met with Fargoans interested in keeping the hospital in operation. The decision to continue hospital operations means that the modernization and ex-

pansion program that had been cancelled will be undertaken as soon as possible. The chairman of the “Save St. John’s” committee said they were “tremendously happy that the re-evaluation has enabled the Sisters to make this decision.”

20 years ago — 1992 Two schools in the Fargo Diocese are celebrating major anniversaries this year.

St. John School at Wahpeton is marking 110 years and St. Therese of the Little Flower at Rugby, 50 years. St. John will have a birthday party in the City Park, Sept. 13. Little flower celebrated its 50th on July 4. Little Flower also just passed the 1,000 mark for students who gradu-

10 years ago — 2002 Bishop Samuel Aquila blessed and dedicated the new Shanley High School and Sullivan Middle School in Fargo.

Flanked by other dignitaries including Emeritus Bishop James Sullivan, Bishop Victor Balke, Crookston, and Superintendent of Catholic Schools Network, Gerry Bartholomay, Bishop Aquila thanked those who work hard to keep Catholic education an important part of their families’ lives. The new schools sit on 135,000 square feet of land. They are physically adjoined by the chapel.

Nativity Church, Fargo, rededicated its peace pole Aug. 6 as part of Hiroshima Remembrance Day. The ceremony recognized the 10th anniversary of the planting of the pole, a gift from the North Dakota Peace Coalition.

The peace pole initiative grew as a response to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Today there are over 200,000 peace poles planted in nearly every country of the world as a reminder of working for peace.

Each pole displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in different languages. Nativity’s pole, one of 10 in our area, has that message inscribed in English, Spanish, Arabic and Lakota.

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Obituary Father Richard J. Gross dies at 74 Father Richard J. Gross, 74, Catholic priest of the Fargo Diocese, passed away Aug. 23 in Valley Eldercare Center in Grand Forks.

Richard Gross was born June 17, 1938, the son of John M. and Magdalena (Vetter) Gross on the family farm in Logan County. He attended Mannheim School No. 4, a one-room rural school house near the family farm, and graduated from Strasburg High School.

He graduated from St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minn., with a bachelor’s of arts degree in philosophy. He attended St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, and graduated in 1963.

Father Gross was ordained a Roman Catholic priest for the Diocese of Fargo

by Bishop Leo Dworschak on June 8, 1963, at an outdoor Mass at St. Anthony’s Church near Napoleon.

Father Gross celebrated his first Mass at St. Anthony’s. He was assigned as an associate pastor at St. Alphonsus Parish and Chaplain to St. Mary’s Hospital in Langdon from July 1, 1963, to June 30, 1970; and St. Boniface, Walhalla, from July 1, 1970, to June 30, 1974. Father Gross served as pastor of Assumption, Pembina, from July 1, 1974 to June 23, 1976; Holy Family Parish, Grand Forks, from June 24, 1976, to Jan. 31, 1979; St. Helena, Ellendale, and St. Patrick, Fullerton, from Feb. 1, 1979, to March 19, 1984. He was appointed chaplain to Altru Health Systems from March 20, 1984, until his retirement on July 1, 2003.

He is survived by brothers Mathias (Barbara) Gross, John (Margaret) Gross and Isadore Gross, all of Napoleon; Deacon Benedict (Christina) Gross, Peachtree City, Ga.; Valentine (Gean) Gross, Bismarck; Brother Placid, O.S.B., Assumption Abby, Richardton; Pius (Madeline) Gross, Buckeye, Ariz.; Leo Gross, Aurora, Colo.; and sisters Elizabeth (Mrs. Anton) Schatz, Napoleon; Clara (Mrs. Adam) Braun and Anna Marie (Mrs. Reuben) Dammel, both of Bismarck; and sister-in-law Agnes Gross, Napoleon; along with many nieces and nephews.

Father Gross was preceded in death by his parents, brother Andrew Gross, sister-in-law Lorraine Gross, infant brothers Joseph and Anthony and infant sister, Cecelia.

The funeral Mass took place on Aug. 28 in St. Philip Neri, Napoleon, with the burial in the church cemetery.

Catholic Charities ND luncheon scheduled for Oct. 9 in Fargo The annual celebration luncheon of Catholic Charities North Dakota has been set for Tuesday, Oct. 9, at the Ramada Plaza, Fargo.

The event will celebrate the many accomplishments of Catholic Charities North Dakota through the past year throughout the state.

The services of Catholic Charities North Dakota includes pregnancy, parenting and adoption, Adults Adopting Special Kids (AASK), guardianship services for adults with developmental disabilities and counseling services.

Mark your calendars to attend and watch www.catholiccharitiesnd.org for more information. For questions, call Colleen Hardy at (701) 235-4457 or chardy@catholiccharitiesnd.org.

Walk with Christ for Life on Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 7

Marian Eucharistic Congress to feature Father Mitch Pacwa

The annual diocesan Walk with Christ for Life Eucharistic procession will take place on Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 7, at the Cathedral of St. Mary, 604 Broadway in downtown Fargo.

The day’s events will begin with Holy Mass at noon, followed by a prayerful, peaceful procession to the state’s only abortion facility. A short prayer service will commence outside the abortion facility, after which time participants will return to the cathedral for Benediction.

All are encouraged to invite fellow parishioners, family and friends and plan to join us to make a united stand to the sanctity of human life.

Father Mitch Pacwa, SJ, well-known by many for his frequent contributions to the Eternal World Television Network, will be keynote speaker at this year’s Marian Eucharistic Congress, set for Oct. 12 to 14 at the Civic Memorial Auditorium in Fargo.

The theme of this year’s event, “Do Not Abandon Me, Lord,” will resound throughout the gathering. The event, which takes place every other year in the Diocese of Fargo, traditionally draws together hundreds of people who are yearning to learn about and grow in their Catholic faith.

Other speakers for this year’s Congress include Bishop David Kagan; Father Joseph Christensen, FMI; Father Bill Halbing; Msgr. Gregory Schlesselmann; Al Barbarino; Dr. Kelly Bowring; Raymond DeSouza; Michael O’Brien; John Pridmore; and Dr. Margarett Schlientz.

Mass will be celebrated each day and opportunities for reconciliation and Eucharistic adoration will be available throughout the Congress. A sacred relic exhibit and children’s program will add to the weekend, along with the availability of books, tapes and religious articles.

Doors open at noon on Friday, Oct. 12. For vendor or individual registration forms, visit www.fargodiocese.org/marian. For more information, visit the site or call (701) 234-9019 or email StarryJMJ@aol.com.

In accordance with the Norms for Indulgences, a plenary indulgence is granted to Christian faithful who devoutly participate in the solemn Eucharistic rite which customarily closes a Eucharistic Congress.

Correction Please note that in the July/August issue of New Earth, an article about Sister Philip Zimmer’s 60th jubilee did not include the name of one of her sisters, Pauline Argenziano, Fargo.

Marian Eucharistic Congress “Do Not Abandon Me, Lord.”

Lk. 1:38

October 12, 13, 14, 2012 Fargo Civic Auditorium

SPEAKERS: Bishop David D. Kagan • Fr. Joseph Christensen, FMI • Fr. Bill Halbing Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ • Msgr. Gregory Schlesselmann • Al Barbarino • Dr. Kelly Bowring Raymond DeSouza • Michael O’Brien • John Pridmore • Dr. Margarett Schlientz

Holy Mass, Sacrament of Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, Speakers’ Forum, Sacred Relic Exhibit, Children’s Program,Vendor Area www.fargodiocese.org/marian Registration Duplicate this form as needed • Your pre-registration is greatly appreciated.

PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY YOUR COMPLETE NAME AS IT SHOULD APPEAR ON YOUR NAME BADGE. Name(s) __________________________________________________

• No Assigned Seating • ■ I require special needs seating Adult ___ @ $50 (pre-registered) ($55 after October 1)

$__________

Children (under 18 Yrs.) ___ @ $15

$__________

College Student ___ @ $20

$__________

Priests and Religious (Registration is Required)

$__________ N/C

________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Address __________________________________________________ City/State/Zip ____________________________________________ YOUR NAME BADGE WILL BE MAILED BEFORE OCTOBER 1st (U.S.); SEPTEMBER 15th (Canada) We strongly encourage that you register as early as possible. Seating is limited. If your registration is received after October 1st (U.S.), September 15th (Canada), your NAME BADGE must be picked up at the Registration Table the day you arrive.Your cancelled check is your receipt.

Please be advised that no food or beverages brought in from outside the Civic Memorial Auditorium will be allowed. Food concessions will be available for your lunches, snacks and beverages throughout the Congress weekend.

Total (Payable only in U.S. Funds): Make checks payable to:

MARIAN EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS Mail to:

Your NAME BADGE is the Only OFFICIAL CONGRESS ENTRY!

MARIAN EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS P.O. Box 1163, Fargo, ND 58107

$__________

8 ■ SEPTEMBER 2012

NEWEARTH

Presentation Sisters celebrate jubilees The Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fargo, commemorated anniversaries of vowed life July 31 with four celebrating jubilees of profession.

Those honored include Sister Mary Catherine Palmer, 80 years; Sister Felicitas Kahler, 75 years; Sister Geraldine Krom, 65 years; and Sister Anne O’Brien, 60 years.

The sisters’ memorable milestones in religious life were celebrated during the annual gathering of the Fargo Presentation Congregation. Most Reverend Victor Balke, retired bishop of Crookston, presider and homilist at the Eucharistic Liturgy, offered in thanksgiving for the blessings these religious sisters have been to the Presentation community and for the gifts they have brought to the Church.

Sister Mary Catherine Palmer was baptized Mary Adeline at Immaculate Conception Church in North Washington, Iowa. She entered the Presentation Order in Fargo in 1929 and was professed in August of 1932.

Sister Mary taught in all of the Fargo parochial schools as well as schools in Langdon, Grafton, and New Rockford for a total of 60 years. For 13 of those years she was also the coordinator of catechetical instruction in St. John’s Parish, Grafton. Her longest “stay” was 22 years at Holy Spirit. During her time in the classroom she received several awards for her superb teaching of primary grades. For three years she was housemother at Villa Nazareth. Since 1994, difficulty walking has increasingly confined her apostolate to Sacred Heart Convent but has not decreased her interest in and prayer for the global community.

Sister Felicitas Kahler received the waters of baptism and the name Josephine Ann

Among the four Presentation Sisters who celebrated jubilees of profession recently were, left to right, Sister Geraldine Krom, Sister Anne O’Brien, Sister Mary Palmer and Sister Felicitas Kahler.

Submitted photo

at St. Michael’s Church in Pingree, entered the convent in 1934, and professed her vows in March of 1937.

Sister Felicitas saw to the nourishment of sisters, staff, and students in schools in New Rockford, and Langdon and of sisters, staff, and patients in hospitals in New Rockford, Park River and Grafton. For nine years she was head cook at Sacred Heart Convent. At three different times for a total of 30 years, she managed domestic services at the Bishop’s House serving Bishops Muench, Dworshack, Driscoll, Sullivan, and Aquila. Since 2005 she has resided at Sacred Heart convent where her ministry of prayer and peaceful presence continues.

Sister Geraldine Krom began her faith journey as Violet Josephine with her baptism at St. Alphonsus Church in Langdon in 1927. She entered the Presentation Order in 1945 and professed vows in August of 1947.

Sister Geraldine ministered in dietary departments of schools and hospitals in Langdon, New Rockford and Grafton.

For many years she was housekeeper and chef for Bishops Dworshack and Driscoll. She also served at St. Michael’s

parish in Grand Forks. For 30 years she managed the dietary department at Cardinal Muench Seminary. Most recently, she served as a parish visitor in Portsmouth, Ohio, where she was also active as a vocation committee member and community volunteer. Since the summer of 2012, she has resided at Sacred Heart Convent.

Sister Anne O’Brien was baptized at St. Lazerian Church Leighlinbridge, Ireland, in 1933. She entered religious life in 1948 and professed vows in 1952. When received into the community Sister Anne received the name Delores and reverted to her baptismal name following Vatican II. Sister Ann taught in parochial schools in Fargo and served at St. John’s Orphanage and Villa Nazareth. She also worked with North Dakota Catholic Charities and diocesan offices in Fargo and Norwich, Conn. She has been a parish minister at St. Mary’s in Breckinridge and at St. Benedict’s in Wild Rice.

She ministered at Koinania, Grand Forks, and Presentation Prayer Center, Fargo. Most recently she was a chaplain at Prairie St. Johns in Fargo and now is a manager at River Square.

Happy 100th!

Sister Mary Palmer marks a century of life A crowd of relatives, friends, former co-workers, former pupils and parents of former pupils gathered at the Presentation Center in Fargo Aug. 5, to share birthday cake with Sister Mary Catherine Palmer as she celebrated her 100th birthday.

From across the state and several places in Minnesota, as well as Washington, Arizona, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Florida, folks converged to wish Sister Mary blessings and to reminisce with her and others about days long ago and days not-so-long ago.

Sister Mary taught at all of the Fargo parochial schools for a total of 38 years, as well as in Langdon, New Rockford and Grafton for 22 years.

During some of her years in Fargo she also worked at St. John’s Orphanage, and for two years she worked as a full-time house parent at Villa Nazareth.

In her 80th and 90th decades of life Sister Mary visited shut-ins and was a volunteer at Innovis Hospital and Birthright making baby clothing and blankets for clients of these organizations. An avid pinochle player, her club now meets monthly at the convent to facilitate her participation.

During her long career in K-3 education, Sister Mary received recognition and honors from parishes, the diocesan school system, civic organizations and individual students. She was the 1991 F-M YWCA Woman of the Year in Education and in 1989, was a nominee for the Ruth Meiers Service to Children Award.

Sister Mary is a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy and Valley City State Teachers College. Prompted by her grandmother, she entered the Sisters of the Presentation in 1929 and recently celebrated the 80th anniversary of her religious profession. For many years she was known as “Sister Laboure.”

The daughter of the late William and Mary (Leintz) Palmer, she was born in Iowa and moved with her family to North Dakota in 1916. Her three older and six younger siblings have all passed from this life.

Although confined by multiple sclerosis to a wheelchair in recent years, she continues her service of God and the people of God through hospitality and prayer. Perhaps that is why her fellow Sisters say that although beginning her 101st year, she remains young at heart.

Tribunal citation The Tribunal of the Diocese of Fargo is citing Janine M. Caballero, who was married to Andrew J. Caballero on Nov. 1, 2004, in Killeen, Tex. She is the Respondent in a matrimonial invalidity case brought before the Tribunal. If anyone knows her present address, we would like to notify her of her right to defend herself in this case. If you have any information, please call the Diocese of Fargo Tribunal at (701) 356-7940.

SEPTEMBER 2012 ■ 9

NEWEARTH

Members of the Community of St. John who taught classes during Ecclesia pose with three Dominican Sisters from Justice, Ill., who came as participants for the month-long course in intellectual formation for the New Evangelization at the University of Mary. Back row, left to right: Father Nathan Cromly, Sister Karine (France), Father Thomas Duntan (England) and Brother Francis Therese.

Front row left to right: Sister Rosaria, Sister Wenancja (originally from Poland) and Sister Maria Vianney. Front row, left to right: Maggie Weeks, Maggie Rochester, Mary Manssur, Maria McCarty, Katie Kleczek and Christine O’Brien. Below, back row, left to right, are Father Thomas Duntan, group leader, along with Isaiah Rochester and Andrew Kleczek.

Ecclesia Institute blossoms at the University of Mary

By Mary Eviger

Addressing the U.S. bishops on their “Ad Limina” visit, Pope Benedict said, “We see the need for an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-àvis the dominant culture and with the courage to counter a reductive secularism.”

Inspired by these words, Father Nathan Cromly, CSJ, and four other brothers and religious sisters from the Community of St. John, gathered to teach and form with unwavering zeal, both intellectually and at the heart, 35 young adults attending the 2012 Ecclesia Institute.

The month-long event, hosted by the University of Mary in Bismarck, took place July 3 to Aug. 5.

Father Cromly founded Ecclesia in response to Blessed John Paul II’s call to the New Evangelization. The program offers participants the solid foundation to be formed as the new leaders for the Church, being immersed into the very mystery and life of the Church through intense prayer, study, and communal charity.

Ecclesia generously provides the opportunity for participants to receive undergraduate, graduate and continuing education credits, three in philosophy and three in theology, from the University of Mary over the course of four weeks.

“The entire formation program is centered first on the encounter of the love of the living, Risen Person of Jesus Christ,” Father Nathan said. “By learning how to love with Divine love, incarnating Christ’s love into their daily relationships, participants thus may have the roots in which to effectively situate and assimilate the intellectual formation received to be the protagonists of the New Evangelization.”

T

he Ecclesia Institute began with a four-day camping/hiking trip in the “Badlands” of Theodore National Park.

This allowed participants the chance to experience God’s presence in nature, to live apart from the world, and be receptive to new wonderment of reality.

The program continued with four intense weeks of studying the philosophy of secularism and the inner life of the

Church in theology. In the philosophy classes taught by Father Nathan, the students were allowed to seek the truth of reality by allowing the deep and difficult questions of our modern-day culture arise within them without fear or pretension.

Besides studying the mystery of the Church in theology classes taught by Father Thomas Duntan, CSJ, the very life of the Church was manifested and experienced in the participation of the daily enriching liturgy of Mass, the chanting of the Divine Office with the Community of St. John, the Eucharistic Adoration holy hour, and the many opportunities for charity as united members in the Body of Christ the Church.

The schedule included daily study of Scripture through Lectio Divina, guest speakers, including Bishop David Kagan, State Sen. Margaret Sitte from Bismarck District 35, Father James Shea and Sister Faustine, CSJ, along with debate nights, bonfires and movie nights followed with discussion.

The Sisters of Annunciation Monastery joined Ecclesia one evening for an engaging movie, followed by evening prayer and dinner at their monastery.

Other events included taking a cultural outing to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation at Fort Yates and performing a service project for the mission, and walking and praying the Stations of the Cross from the capitol to St. Mary’s High School in Bismarck.

At mid-course, Ecclesia entered into a three-day silent retreat at Assumption Abbey in Richardton. Living the three baptismal offices of priest, prophet and king was the theme of the daily conferences. The retreat provided an opportunity to deepen roots in the natural vocation and permanent call for their lives.

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articipants were given the time to use, express, and develop their talents at Ecclesia. Some of the talents displayed included artistic gifts, providing voice for beautiful chant and harmonic pieces for liturgy, playing instruments, giving various presentations, and producing and performing a two-hour theatrical enactment on stage at the University.

Father James Shea, University of Mary president, commented, “It was wonderful to host the students of Ecclesia and the Community of St. John again on

our campus. Their presence and their spirit of intellectual engagement, love for the liturgy, and joy in Catholic life were a wonderful witness and encouragement. We see this program as yet another way the university can serve the Church as our founders, the Benedictine Sisters of the Annunciation, have always done.”

As the Ecclesia program came to its close, participants made and renewed their consecration to Jesus through Mary.

Please pray for all the attendants that in the areas they were allowed to grow and blossom at Ecclesia they may be able to continue their growth to bear “fruit that will last.” As the new evangelizers of the Church, pray also that they may always have “the courage to counter [the] reductive secularism” in answer to Pope Benedict’s vigilant call.

For more information and videos on the Ecclesia program, go to www.soaringforwisdom.com/Ecclesia and www. gotoecclesia.com.

Mary Evinger, a member of the Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo, attended the 2012 Ecclesia Institute.

10 ■ SEPTEMBER 2012

From Thy Bounty . . .

New Earth photo by Elizabeth Salonen

Continued from page 1 ment about the serenity of the place. “It is holy ground; it’s very special.”

Though the Sisters themselves stayed hidden during the festivities — an essential part of their life as contemplative, cloistered nuns — they participated in their own way, listening to the talks outside being piped through a microphone into the sound system of their chapel.

S

o as the people prayed, they did, too. And as squeals from children enjoying the newly-featured inflatable toys at start and end met their ears, they smiled from within their interior quarters.

“We think it was among the best yet,” said Prioress Mother Joseph Marie following the pilgrimage. “Everybody who is here is so full of faith. I could feel so strongly Our Lady’s powerful presence.”

Typically, a parish hosts the event, but this year, the World Apostolate of Fatima (WAF), Fargo division, did the honors.

The day included a Rosary with each decade being recited at a different tree, Confession at canopied stations, and several introductory presentations featuring the Fatima vision.

Father Anderl began by defining a pilgrimage simply as “a spiritual journey,” and offering a brief history of Carmel of Mary.

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Above, from top to bottom: Among those partaking in the outdoor Mass on Aug. 12 were Katie Dubas, Fargo; Sister Maria Veronica, Hankinson; and Anna Vanyo, a student in Moorhead, Minn., formerly of Grand Forks.

Offerings given at the pilgrimage to the Carmelite Sisters include wheat, corn and fruits and vegetables, along with an icecream bucket containing monetary gifts and bearing the verse from Psalm 116:17: “To you will I offer sacrifice and thanksgiving and I will call upon the name of the Lord.”

Father Peter Anderl blesses brown scapulars before distributing them to pilgrims gathered at the Carmel of Mary Monastery in Wahpeton.

he monastery, he said, was instituted in the late 1940s when Cardinal Aloysius Muench and Bishop Leo Dworschak “wisely saw the need for contemplative sisters to be our spiritual backbone to pray for the needs of our priests and people.”

During the 1950s, the idea emerged to pray for a good harvest as well, he noted, commenting later in the day that the area has not experienced a bad farming season in over 80 years — indicating the prayerful presence of the Sisters at work.

He then called to mind the day’s honored saint, Blessed Isidore Bakanja of the African Congo. Father Anderl noted how he’d been brought into the Church as a teenager and, like the Carmelites, was invested in the brown scapular.

“Blessed Isidore was persecuted by the atheist slave traders for his faith, and when he refused to remove his scapular and throw away his Rosary and never again speak about religion, they beat him to the point of death from his wounds,” he said. “He offered his life and his suffering, his martyrdom, for their conversion because he so believed in the power of the scapular.”

Father Anderl added that over 130 approved Marian apparitions have taken place throughout Church history — the most famous of which happened in Guadalupe, Mexico, and resulted in 8 million conversions.

The 56

The 1917 apparition in Fatima, Portugal, produced even more, affecting the hearts of 8 billion people and counting. “We’re here today to help bring forth Mary’s request at Fatima,” he said, noting her plea for an increase in prayer, fasting and penance, of “changing our way of life and conforming our hearts to Christ.”

O

ther presentations included those from WAF representatives Karen Splonskowski, who promoted the formation of prayer cells — weekly gatherings of the faithful focused on the Rosary and other prayer — and Deacon George Loegering, who shared personal stories of how the brown scapular has been a psychological and spiritual guard for him.

Then, Father Anderl blessed scapulars for distribution and disseminated brochures on the scapular designed by the Sisters especially for that day.

“Look at this pond and think of each drop of water as representing grace,” he said. “By uniting our morning offerings with Christ, we become the whole ocean of prayer, of grace living and breathing through us. That’s really what the message of Fatima is.”

He added that Mary is important to all of us because the strongest bond of earthly love is between mother and child.

“As we go further into her immaculate heart, whose heart do we encounter?” he asked. “Jesus’! And by a special grace of the Holy Spirit, as we draw closer to Mary she will reveal things about her son that only she knows.”

K

aren Weber, a Third Order Lay Carmelite, also spoke about the work her group does within the community as it “shares in the spiritual benefits of what God has given us.”

Participants were invited to join the Sisters for their solemn vespers in the chapel and present personal prayer requests to them. The day concluded with a meal and fellowship.

Weber later noted how pleased she was that the rain had passed so the event could take place, and how a sprinkling of rain in the morning had provided just enough moisture to keep the dust down.

“We’re here worshipping the Lord but honoring his mother, too, and it’s nice to see the people here, staying around and visiting,” she said. “It’s a great fellowship time.”

Along with having led several of the pilgrimage events and Masses, Father Anderl serves as regular confessor and spiritual director to the Sisters. “I know them from the inside-out and they really raise the bar,” he said, adding how much they inspire him, including in their humanness.

“This is one of holiest areas in our diocese.

We have the largest number of clerics and religious per capita in this county than any other,” he said. Twenty-one vocations, including seven priests and 14 nuns, have come out of the small, neighboring country towns through the years.

Text and Photos by Roxane B. Salonen

Top row: (L) Damien Splonskowski, 2, s aunt, Sister Maria Veronica, during the r 56th annual pilgrimage to the shrine Around 200 pilgrims attended the event stands in her glory, clutching a bundle o scapulars spill from her right fingers.

Middle row: (L) A trio of singers from S in Fargo, including Ben Seitz, right, an left, add melody to the monastery ground (R) Deacon Doug Campbell, Wahpeton, a Peter Anderl in preparing the Body and B

Bottom row: (L) Tiffany Goering, Glyndo monastery grounds near makeshift pew Mass proceedings and Joshua Dobrzyn wiggle in a nearby, umbrella-flanked themselves of pre-pilgrimage energy by new offering at this year’s event.

NEWEARTH â– 11

6th annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Prairies

studies the praying lips of his recitation of the Rosary at the of Our Lady of the Prairies. t. (R) Our Lady of the Prairies of wheat while blessed, brown

Sts. Anne and Joachim parish d his sons, Eric and Andrew, ds during the afternoon Mass. assists presiding priest Father Blood of Jesus.

n, Minn., sits in a spot on the ws, keeping watch on both the nski and Dante Goering, who d stroller. (R) Children rid y enjoying inflatable games, a

Among the treasures on hand at the 56th annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of our Lady of the Prairies were relics of the three children to whom Mary appeared at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.

Beth Neva, Jamestown, who keeps track of the relics for the World Apostolate of Fatima, said the two of Jacinta and Francisco are particularly rare. They comprise bits of the coffins that had encased the children’s bodies, which were exhumed and found incorrupt. The third relic is from a piece of clothing of Lucia, the last surviving Fatima visionary, who died in February 2005 at the age of 97. Neva said she wanted the relics to be displayed for veneration at the event honoring Mary.

Quotable “Words are like eggs dropped from great heights; you can no more call them back than ignore the mess they leave when they fall.”

Jodi Picoult

Editorial

12 ■ SEPTEMBER 2012

NEWEARTH

It began with the Word and continues with words

“I

n the beginning was the Word, professional Catholic communicators and the Word was with God, and lay faithful, with four suggestions and the Word was God,” John on how best to carry out our prophet writes at the beginning of his Gospel. role.

When hearing this passage recently, I irst, if we really want to emulate suddenly became aware of the signifiChrist, he said, we must be polite cance of the word Word, especially in even when attacked verlight of how often it is rebally. No angry emails peated and emphasized written in all caps;

by John and others in rather, sleep on it and Scripture. then respond, he said, God not only is the adding that taking the Word, but He is the chief high road always leads communicator who ofus to a higher place. ten chooses words as his Second, he encourprimary vehicle for aged us to stay on topic, reaching us, his beloved. and laid out what the The impact of this was topic should be: to remade greater by context. member that God so I was barely a week into loved the world that he my job as communicagave us his only begotten tions director for the dioson, that whoever becese, attending the 2012 lieves in Him might have Catholic Media ConferRoxane B. Salonen eternal life. ence in Indianapolis, Focusing on the imwhen I was struck by portant matters helps keep our actions how powerful words are to the faithful. and words directed towards God. During a weekday Mass with the InThirdly, when in the midst of any dianapolis archdiocese’s administrating task, he suggested we become mindful bishop, Bishop Christopher Coyne, we of whether we’re tearing down or buildCatholic communicators from around ing up, calling to mind St. Paul’s admothe country were reminded of our role nition in Ephesians to “say only the as prophets — prophet in its historical good things men need to hear, things sense as “the one who spoke to the truth that will really help them.” of things.”

Or, as I might relate it to my children, Bishop Coyne challenged us, both what Flower the Skunk says in the

F

Editorial

“We should avoid the ‘attack ad’ mentality so prevalent in public discourse today. We can do this by expressing what we are for rather than what we are against.

”

movie “Bambi:” “If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”

That’s not to say we shouldn’t speak truth to evil or sin, according to Bishop Coyne, but we should avoid the “attack ad” mentality so prevalent in public discourse today. We can do this by expressing what we are for rather than what we are against.

Finally, he suggested St. Therese of Lisieux with her “little ways” as a possible patron saint for social communicators. For it is through this approach that we can begin to see every little communication attempt — whether a tweet, email, blog comment or real-life conversation with stranger or neighbor — as an opportunity to manifest God’s love.

Circle of Care, Circle of Grace: New diocesan ‘safe environment’ programs are underway “You’re in my ‘circle of grace.’”

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his is a phrase you may soon hear because we have begun to implement a new Safe Environment curriculum across the diocese. There are two components to be aware of: Circle of Care and Circle of Grace. These new programs replaced the old Safe Environment Dr. Duckro video and Child Lures programs as of July 1.

The Circle of Care program is a 90-minute training for all employees plus any volunteers who have regular contact with children. The Circle of Care training is required; it is a refresher course for those already involved as well as a mandated course for all newcomers.

The training covers the basics of what is expected in providing a healthy environment in our Katie Dubas parishes and schools plus indicators of harm, abuse or neglect as well as the proper action steps for reporting any concerns.

The Circle of Grace program is a series of classroom lessons conducted each year in grades K–12. The lessons provide safe environment education from a Catholic viewpoint. They are founded on the premise that every life is sacred because every individual has been created in the image and likeness of God and thus is to be treated with dignity and respect.

Evangelization & Catechesis

Summary of the key concepts of ‘Circle of Grace’

God gives each of us a Circle of Grace (space around us) where He is always (present); He desires a relationship with us: ■ God is with us when we are happy and sad. God does not cause bad things to happen to us. He loves us very much.

■ He desires to help us when we are hurt, scared or confused (unsafe).

God helps us know what belongs in our Circle of Grace:

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rchbishop Claudio Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, also spoke at that event, encouraging the faithful to dialogue with the culture, and just as importantly, to do so without ambiguity.

And as the Holy Father often reminds us, he emphasized, in communicating we must focus always on our primary mission, “to help people dream, to hope.”

In my role as communications director and editor, my most ardent desire is to manifest hope through the words I choose, and the Word I follow. I also look forward to helping share stories of hope from you, the Catholic faithful of eastern North Dakota.

Prayer for Our New Bishop O God, eternal shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your Church of Eastern North Dakota who will please you by his holiness

■ Our feelings help us know about ourselves and the world around us.

and to us show watchful care.

■ God helps us know what belongs in our Circle of Grace through our experiencing peace, love or contentment when something or someone good comes into our Circle of Grace.

May the bishop given to us

God helps us know what does not belong in our Circle of Grace: ■ The Holy Spirit prompts (alerts) us that something does not belong in our Circle of Grace by giving us “a funny or uncomfortable feeling” that something is not safe. This feeling is there because God wants us to be safe. God helps us know when to ask for help from someone we trust.

■ God gives us people in our lives to help us.

■ God wants us to talk to trusted adults about our worries, concerns or “funny/uncomfortable feelings” so they can help us be safe.

Katie Dubas is evangelization and catechesis director for the Diocese of Fargo.

by your holy Church govern with justice, sanctify your people by his example of holiness and be an instrument of your divine mercy.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

The English translation of the Collect for the Election of a Pope or a Bishop (adapted) from The Roman Missal © 2010. International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

Commentary

NEWEARTH

SEPTEMBER 2012 ■ 13

North Dakotans can’t ignore moral issues of drone use

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ast month the highly respected legal, philosophy, and public policy scholar Robert George wrote a brief piece on First Things calling into question the nation’s policy for drone attacks.

George writes:

raises should not be ignored, especially

by North Dakotans.

North Dakota is fast becoming a center for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

As the Toronto Star recently put it: “While drone use in the rest of the United States has “The use of drones is not, been largely theoretical, in my opinion, inherently in eastern North Dakota immoral in otherwise justiit is becoming a way of fiable military operations; life.” but the risks of death and This activity results other grave harms to nonfrom a combination of combatants are substantial government and private and certainly complicate initiatives. The mission the picture for any policy of the Grand Forks Airmaker who is serious about base switched from the moral requirements for tankers to drones in the justified use of military 2005. The North Dakota force. Having a valid miliAir National Guard in tary target is in itself not a Christopher Dodson Fargo also operates sufficient justification for drones. The customs and the use of weapons such as border patrol have started using UAS for predator drones. Sometimes considerations operations along the North Dakota/ of justice to noncombatants forbid their use, Canada border. even if that means that grave risks must be Meanwhile, with the use of state taxendured by our own forces in the prosecution payer money, the University of North of a war.”

Dakota is seeking to become a leader in UAS research, education and training. eorge also called for Catholics to Piggy-backing this effort, the state is oppose the “wholesale and indisworking to attract UAS-related busicriminate use of drones.” nesses to the area.

The professor’s post is significant beor the last six years the University of cause George is no liberal peacenik. He North Dakota has co-sponsored a is considered a conservative intellectual “UAS summit,” featuring speakers and and is sometimes accused of being an presentations on various aspects of civil apologist for the Republican Party. and military use of UAS. It is true, of course, that the current I looked at the agenda for some of policy on drone attacks is the creation the past summits. Although they feaof President Obama and that the presitured a host of impressive speakers, it dent has ordered five times as many does not appear that any of them disdrone strikes as did President George W. cussed the ethical questions that accomBush. Moreover, the number of nonpany the use of UAS, especially combat combatants, teenagers, and American drones. citizens killed by drones under the president’s orders raises serious concerns.

Some involved in the development Whether or not George’s criticism is and use of UAS may contend that ethics ideological or partisan, the points he should not be their concern, that the

“North Dakotans can invest in UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) development and reap the benefits without raising ethical questions or they can invest in UAS development, reap the benefit, and also do their part to ensure that what North Dakota hosts and produces is used responsibly and ethically.

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morality of drone use is a question for policy makers, not the developers, pilots, and crews on the ground.

To some extent that is true. In the case of military drone strikes, legal authority ultimately rests with the president. In a democracy, however, moral authority is a shared responsibility. All of us bear responsibility.

As Robert George noted, the use of drones is not inherently immoral. Their use does, however, raise new moral questions.

North Dakotans can invest in UAS development and reap the benefits without raising ethical questions or they can

invest in UAS development, reap the benefit, and also do their part to ensure that what North Dakota hosts and produces is used responsibly and ethically.

The University of North Dakota, for example, could start by hosting symposiums on the moral use of drone technology.

It is not enough to become a leader in the technology of UAS. We should also become leaders in the morality of UAS. Christopher Dodson is executive director of the North Dakota Catholic Conference.

The Conference website is ndcatholic.org.

Consider crop product when you’re discerning ‘first fruits’ offerings

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reetings everyone! lance to keep machinery in order, keepDaylight is getting shorter, a ing watch on commodity prices, the touch of harvest haze hangs in weather, safety practices and harvest the air, and most kids are back in school. conditions. And, nobody says, “RubberThe season of fall — my Duckie — you got your favorite time of year — ears on?” on the two-way is descending quickly radio. upon us.

But, there are a lot of parallels between living a This calls to mind life as a farmer and pracsomething I experienced ticing stewardship. Being a few years ago around a good steward of the rethis time when a local sources our Creator has farmer asked for some bestowed upon us help with his harvest. I doesn’t happen overdrove truck from field to night. It takes time to inelevator and even did corporate that philososome field work. phy into our daily lives.

Previously, I’d had no There will be ups and farming experience. downs, but if we consisThe biggest vehicle I’d tently attempt to live our ever driven was a 14’ Ulives the way God has Steve Schons Haul truck back in ‘98. called us to, our rewards, After the first few days like the harvest, will be generous. of jamming gears, leaving my parking breaks engaged as I left the elevator and The gift of grain — having a near miss or two with a telephone pole in the field, I eventually got tax advantages the hang of it.

Some wonderful advantages can result I learned a lot of things while I was from giving grain, or other crop probehind the wheel of that big equipment. duction like corn, beans or beets to charFor one, it takes a lot of work to bring ity (i.e., your church, cemetery or dioin a good harvest, including preparing cese). the soil for planting, fertilizer, seed and weed control.

■ By contributing grain, the cash-baTwo, it’s a constant practice of vigisis farmer avoids having to include the

Stewardship

“Some wonderful advantages can result from giving grain, or other crop production like corn, beans or beets to charity.

”

proceeds from the sale of the donated grain as income, which results in a reduction in self-employment tax and federal income tax.

■ The cash-basis farmer can still deduct the cost of growing the crop.

■ Because you don’t take the income, gift of grain lowers your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), so you may lower income taxes on your social security benefits.

■ There may be additional tax benefits as you can bypass the IRS rules limiting deductions to a percentage of AGI and make a more generous contribution. Since donated grain is not reported as income, you can give more and save more taxes than those limits allow.

■ To complete the gift transaction,

the grain is simply delivered to the elevator like usual, but the elevator needs to be informed that the load or portion of it goes to a named charity. Most elevators have handled donations like this before. It is also helpful to give the charity a “heads-up” that the gift is being made.

This is a wonderful way to provide the first fruits of God’s service without bearing the burden of Caesar’s Tax. If you would like to know more information or would like to visit me about making this type of gift, please contact me at (701) 356-7926 or email at steve.schons@fargodiocese.org.

Steve Schons is stewardship and development director for the Diocese of Fargo.

14 ■ SEPTEMBER 2012

NEWEARTH

Catholic radio: a ‘Door of Faith’

By Steven Splonskowski

actions as men and women, parents and faithful Catholics. We do our best to n his apostolic letter, “Porta Fidei,” share the faith with those around us by declaring a Year of Faith beginning living out the beliefs that we claim to Oct. 11, Pope Benedict XVI reminds profess. us: Do I fail at times? Yes. Does my salt become We cannot accept that tasteless or do I hide the salt should become tastelight of faith that has less or the light be kept hidbeen given to me? Unforden (Mt. 5:13-16). The tunately, again, the anpeople of today can still exswer is yes, but that is perience the need to go to when, as Pope Benedict the well, like the Samaritan states, I go to the well and woman, in order to hear Jeam reinvigorated. I can sus, who invites us to bebe renewed and filled lieve in him and to draw through the sacraments upon the source of living with that living water water welling up within that then overflows and him (Jn 4:14). We must rehelps me again share the discover a taste for feeding faith with others. ourselves on the word of Since I am not a theGod, faithfully handed ologian I will not tread down by the Church, and Steven Splonskowski much further, but I could on the bread of life, offered not help but see a conas sustenance for his discinection between that Year of Faith and ples (Jn 6:51). evangelization, and specifically evangeAs we draw near to the front steps of lization through Catholic radio. this celebration, I am reminded of the or me and for many, Catholic radio many ways that we participate in a real has been that “porta fidei” (door of way in bringing this faith to our daily

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faith). Many have been drawn to the livings waters of the Church Christ founded listening in the privacy of their cars, homes and workplaces.

Others of us are reminded and given a renewed thirst for Jesus as we hear our faith proclaimed on Catholic radio and thus return daily/weekly/monthly to that true source he has given us in the Catholic Church.

If you have not yet tuned in, I invite you to “put your ear up to the door” and see what Catholic radio has to offer.

I especially invite you to tune in from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 19, 20 and 21 for our Fall Live Drive.

During these three days you will hear how others have been drawn to Christ and continue to grow in their faith with the help of Catholic radio!

Editor’s note: Real Presence Radio operates five Catholic radio stations: AM 1370 Grand Forks, AM 1280 FargoMoorhead, FM 91.3 Bismarck, FM 91.1 Minot and FM 89.1 Williston.

Steven Splonskowski, a husband and father of seven children, is executive director for Real Presence Radio.

New online format option for New Earth lets you scroll through the pages We are pleased to share a new option for reading New Earth online. Along with our PDF option, we now have a digitally published version for easier reading.

No need to download; just click on the New Earth cover image and scroll through the pages. Click anywhere within the text to enlarge and on the arrows to turn pages. Archives of past issues also will be available at www.fargodiocese.org/newearth.

We hope you enjoy this new feature.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION AND CONFIRMATION BOOKS AND GIFTS HOLY FAMILY BOOKSTORE To Know God . . .

To Love God . . .

To Serve God . . .

mon-fri 10 am - 6 pm sat 10 am to 4 pm (701) 241-7842 toll free (888) 682-8033

1336 25th Ave. S, Fargo 58103

(South of K-Mart)

NY Times columnist to speak in Bismarck on ‘Bad Religion’ The University of Mary, Bismarck, will host an event with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat as guest speaker on Wednesday, Sept.

12. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Douthat, the youngest-ever op-ed columnist for the newspaper and a writer fast becoming an influential voice for our time, will talk on his recent book, “Bad Religion: Douthat How We Became a Nation of Heretics.”

The talk will begin at 7 p.m. at Butler Hall at the university’s Gary Tharaldson School of Business.

Douthat recently told Daniel Burke of the Religion News Service that the idea for the book came to him late in the Bush presidency when the debate over religion in American was dominated by the clash between the New Atheists and conservative Christians.

“In many ways, the debate over the existence of God is the most important debate there is, but I thought it would be useful to step back and consider what kind of shape American religion is taking,” he told Burke.

The Christian Leadership Center and the Mary Convocation Committee are event co-sponsors.

Submit your photo for consideration to be featured on the diocesan website, www.FargoDiocese.org Do you have a photo taken somewhere within the diocese that you’d like to share with us?

We’d like your help in capturing and sharing visuals from throughout the diocese to be included on our rotating photo scroll. Horizontal photos work best, along with photos depicting a special event or part of God’s creation.

Your photo could be included in our featured “Photo of the Week!”

Please email submissions, along with a brief description, to: contact@fargodiocese.org.

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 Catholics WDAY, 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

SEPTEMBER 2012 ■ 15

NEWEARTH

Book writing led him back to the seminary

Former teacher, Mary Pat Jahner, set Kyle Metzger on priestly path

By Roxane B. Salonen

Continued from page 3 Vianney College Seminary, also St. Paul, Metzger currently studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Maryland and said it’s a good time to be involved in the priesthood.

“It really is true that in places of persecution or difficulty, vocations flourish, and in places of peace and abundance, vocations plummet, and we’re starting to see that more acutely here in the U.S.,” he said.

“If you’re a committed Catholic, you’re not just seen as religious but as a bigot, and I think many times people think that would cause future priests to shy away, but when there’s that persecution, it draws people to want to fight for the faith.”

Despite his current focus — Metzger is expected to be ordained if all goes as planned in the summer of 2015 — he remains committed to helping Flit fly into the hands of teachers and students whenever possible.

“Flit and the Avian Flock” can be purchased through the iPad iBookstore, as well as Amazon.com for Kindle or bn.com for the Nook. Paperback or hardcover versions also can be found through Lulu.com by searching for the book’s title or “Kyle Metzger.”

SUNDAY

New superintendent of Blessed JPII Schools assumes post

“She loved John Paul II and Mother Teresa, and the way she spoke about them, Often, a priest or pastor provides the we wanted to know them,” he said. “She inspiration for a young man’s journey into talked about the Church and how it was the seminary. But in Kyle Metzger’s case, there to help us and bring us closer to it was a female teacher who paved the Christ . . . and as teenagers, who way. generally would be rather prickly Mary Pat Jahner first crossed about this sort of stuff, we realMetzger’s path as his sixth-grade ized, maybe there’s something to teacher at St. Anthony’s Elemenit.” tary School in Fargo. “We abHe ended up asking her to be solutely hated her at first,” he his Confirmation sponsor. By said. “We would turn our assignthen, she’d already begun plantments in late just to irritate her.” ing seeds within him pointing toBut by the end of his eighthward the priesthood. grade year, he said, she’d changed Metzger said those who read everyone’s minds. Jahner ended his children’s book, “Flit and the Mary Pat Johner up moving with the class as they Avian Flock,” will recognize Jahprogressed through their grades, ner in the character of Flit’s menand by their 11th-grade year, Metzger said, tor, the owl, Thomas — named for he and his classmates were clamoring to Thomas Aquinas. take her electives.

“There’s one line where Flit asks him a He said her influence proved inspiraquestion and Thomas responds back with tional and instrumental for him in seeking a quote, kind of a pithy saying, and Flit the priesthood through two significant says, ‘You’re just quoting wise old birds gifts she willingly shared — knowledge smarter than both of us combined,’ beand faith. cause she would always quote the saints Drawing on her master’s degree in theinstead of giving her own opinion; that’s ology, he said, she possessed a deep where that knowledge base was. You can’t knowledge of the Catholic faith. “She just have good intentions.” didn’t just say, ‘Here’s the Transfiguration, Jahner, founder of the St. Gianna’s Manow make a collage.’ We had to memorize ternity Home in Warsaw, N.D., now works prayers, Bible verses and saints, and for as the home’s director. She was a finalist me, who was curious about the faith, that for the 2012 Lumen Christi Award given was so motivating.”

by Catholic Extension to honor an individual or group who shares the light of Her steadfast love for the faith was the Christ with their diocese and community. second compelling draw.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Michael P. Smith, the new superintendent of the Blessed John Paul II Catholic Schools, has assumed his post and said he is looking forward to being part of the local community and Catholic schools.

A native of Spring Lake Park, Minn., Smith brings a worldly experience to his work, having served most recently as principal of an elementary school in Saudi Arabia that included about 1,000 students from 40 different cultures. Prior to his six years there, he served as elementary principal for the John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, Germany.

“After being gone for eight years, I’m coming back with fresh eyes,” Smith said, noting that he’s committed to bringing back what he has learned working in diverse cultural and educational systems.

Smith earned his doctorate in education from St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis, where he also acquired his master’s degree. He received his bachelor’s degree in Spanish and elementary education at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.

He brings with him his wife, Katie Breen Smith, a native of Hillsboro, along with their three children, Connor, 14; Brigid, 12; and Fiona, 10.

Smith’s current assignment comes as a result of the April 2010 resignation of Kyle Edgerton, former superintendent, and interim assignment of Deacon David Haney, who had assumed the position until now.

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1

Fr. Gary Luiten

September 2012

Park River - Veseleyville St. Giles

2

Fr. Timothy Johnson

3

Msgr.

Gregory Schlesselmann

4

Faithful Catholic Singles

5

Fr. Jerald Finnestad

6

Fr. Jason Lefor

7

8

Fr. Michael Hickin

Fr. Dan Musgrave

Oriska - Hope - Sanborn

Fargo - St. Anthony

Lisbon - Gwinner

Lisbon - Gwinner

Grand Forks - Newman

Rome - Seminary Formation

Fargo - Cathedral

(Martyrs of September)

St. Gregory the Great

St. Rose of Viterbo

Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

Bl. Bertrand of Garrigues

Bl. Ignatius Klopotowski

Birth of Mary

9

10 Paul Kuhn

16

Fr. Jeffrey Eppler SOLT

11

Fr. KS Kopacz

12

Fr. Jude Okafor

13

Fr. Jerome Hunkler

14

15 Carmelites

Fr. Julian Kupisz

Seminarian - Theology I

Belcourt - Alcide - Dunseith

Hillsboro - Argusville

Walhalla - Neche

Steele - Medina - Tappen

Wahpeton

Retired

(St. Peter Claver)

St. Nicholas of Tolentino

Bl. Francesco Bonifacio

Most Holy Name of Mary

St. John Chrysostom

Exaltation of the Cross

Our Lady of Sorrows

Fr. Ross Laframboise

17

Fr. Joseph D’Aco

18

Fr. Eric Seitz

19

Fr. Paul Duchschere

20

Strong Marriages & Families

21

22 Patrick Parks

Fr. Vincent Tuchscherer

Napoleon

Cando - Leeds

Seminarian - College II

Fargo - Sts. Anne & Joachim

Dunseith

Seminarian - Theology I

Retired

(Sts. Cornelius & Cyprian)

St. Robert Bellarmine

St. Joseph of Cupertino

St. Januarius

Sts. Andrew Taegon & Comps.

St. Matthew

Martyrs of Valencia, Spain

23

Fr. James Lauerman

24

Fr. Jack Herron

25

Fr. Wenceslaus Katanga

26

Fr. Damien Schill

Oakwood - St. Thomas

Military Chaplain

Wishek - Ashley - Zeeland

VA Chaplain, MN

(St. Pio of Pietrelcina)

Our Lady of Ransom

Bl. Herman the Cripple

Sts. Cosmas & Damian

30

Fr. Fred Alexander SOLT

St. John - St. Benedict - Belcourt (St. Jerome)

27

Our Permanent Deacons

St. Vincent de Paul

28

29

Fr. James Meyer

Msgr.

Robert Laliberte

West Fargo - Holy Cross

Retired

St. Wenceslaus

Feast of Archangels

Pray for Vocations “The greatness of each soul is judged by the measure of love that it has: he who has great love is great, he who has little love is little, while he who has no love at all is nothing.”

— St. Bernard of Clairvaux

SEPTEMBER 2012 ■ 16

NEWEARTH

Events around the diocese For more fall dinners and other events throughout the diocese, visit www.fargo diocese.org/events.

Sept. 9 (Sunday): St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church, Towner, will celebrate its centennial celebration and fall supper. The meal will include roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, corn, coleslaw and dessert. There will also be a baked goods and garden sale. Cost is $8 for adults, $5 for ages 5-12, 4 and under free.

Sept. 9 (Sunday): St. Edward’s 41st annual fall dinner will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in St. Edward’s parish hall, Drayton. Meal will include meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy, glazed carrots, sauerkraut, polish sausage and pie. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12, and free for preschoolers.

For more information, contact stedward@polarcomm.com.

Sept. 10 (Monday): Beginning Experience, a non-denominational support group for separated, divorced and widowed persons, will be offering Level 1 beginning Sept. 10 at Liberty Lutheran Brethren Church, 1702 32nd Ave. S., Fargo. Registration for Level 1 is at 6:30 p.m. with sessions beginning at 7 p.m.

Level 1 lasts 10 weeks, with newcomers welcome all 10 weeks. For more information, call (701) 277-8784.

Sept. 16 (Sunday): St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Hillsboro, will have its fall dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Meal will include turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, carrots, cabbage salad and pumpkin and apple pie. For more information, contact Liz Kritzberger at efkritz@rrv.net.

Sept. 16 (Sunday): St. Benedict Church, 11743 38th St. S., Horace, will hold its annual fall dinner from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A ham dinner will be served. There also will be a silent auction, bake sale and kids activities. Cost is $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-11 and free for children 4 and under.

Sept. 19-21 (Wednesday-Friday): Real Presence Radio will host a 3-day fundraiser consisting of local interviews.

Sept. 23 (Sunday): St. Michael’s Bridge Builders Club, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 504 5th Ave. N., Grand Forks, will serve it annual breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon. Proceeds from the event go directly to St. Michael’s School for the tuition assistance program. Menu will include scrambled eggs with ham, hash browns, fresh cinnamon rolls, coffee and juice. Cost is a free-will offering.

Sept. 23 (Sunday): St. Mary’s Church in Medina will host a turkey and ham dinner from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the

Father Schill to bring pilgrims to canonization of Blessed Kateri Star quilt

Father Damien Schill will be leading a pilgrimage to the canonization ceremony of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in Rome, Italy, Oct. 16 to 24.

To join the pilgrims on this journey, visit www.206tours.com/canonization.

Watch for more on Blessed Kateri’s canonization in next month’s New Earth.

Anniversary Submitted photos

Mary Knutson fashions a star quilt at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Reynolds. Knutson and other women of the parish have been learning the fundamentals of the complicated star-quilt pattern, led by their priest, Father John Cavanaugh. The star quilt is a tradition of some North American Indian tribes and shows religious observance of the stars and a reverence for all the heavenly bodies. They are commonly given away in special honoring ceremonies to those who have shown kindness to a family member. Inset: The star pattern begins to take shape.

Medina school. Menu includes turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, coleslaw, homemade buns, pumpkin dessert and beverages. Cost is $8.50 for adults, $4 for children ages 6-12, 4 and under free. There also will be a country store with baked goods and craft items.

Sept. 23 (Sunday): Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Fingal will have its annual fall turkey dinner and bake sale from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Menu includes turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, coleslaw, cranberries, pickles, buns, dessert and beverage. Cost is $9 for adults, $4 for students and free for preschoolers.

Sept. 23 (Sunday): St. Cecilia’s Church of Velva will hold its annual fall supper from 4 to 7 p.m. Meal will include Swiss steak, homemade mashed potatoes and apple and pumpkin pie. The event will include a raffle and country store.

Catholic United Financial is providing a matching grant for this event.

Sept. 27-29 (Thursday-Saturday): Real Presence Radio will host a pilgrimage to three shrines: Trinity Heights, Sioux City, Iowa; Grotto of the Redemption, West Bend, Iowa; and Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wis. Sept. 30 (Sunday): St. Anthony of Padua Church, 710 10th St. So., Fargo, will host its annual fall bazaar from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A turkey dinner with all the trimmings will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost for the dinner is: $8.50 for adults, $5 for ages 5-12, free for 5 and under, or a family rate of $30. Other activities include a raffle, silent auction,

Coming up: Oct. 22 registration deadline for youth to attend 2013 March for Life in Washington, D.C. Students in grades 9 to 12 from across the diocese are invited to participate in the 40th annual March for Life in Washington D.C. on Jan. 25, 2013.

The pilgrimage will begin in Fargo on Jan. 22 and return Jan. 27. Father Kurt Gunwall, vocations director for the diocese, will be our spiritual director. In addition to participating in the March and the Vigil Mass for Life at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, participants will travel to Emmitsburg, Md., to visit the Mother Seton Shrine and see the sights of Washington, D.C. The cost for the 6-day pilgrimage is $825 and includes air and ground travel, lodging, meals and tour fees. The registration deadline is Oct. 22. Registration forms can be obtained at: www.fargodiocese.org/RespectLife or by calling Rachelle at (701) 356-7910, or emailing rachelle.sauvageau@fargodiocese.org.

bingo, plant and craft sale, baked goods, used book sale, homemade apple pies, costume jewelry, and games for the kids.

Sept. 30 (Sunday): Father Dale Lagodinski will celebrate his 40th year as a priest at 4 p.m., beginning with Sunday Eucharist followed by supper and entertainment at St. John’s in Wahpeton, 115 2nd Street North. RSVP at (701) 6426982 or simply show up to join in the celebration.

Oct. 14 (Sunday): St. William’s in Argusville will host a Turkey Dinner will all the trimmings from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Argusville Community Center.

Cost of the meal is: adults $9, ages 5-10 $4, under 4 eat free. Take out is available.

There will also be a raffle and bake sale.

For more information, call (701) 4845211.

Oct. 18 (Thursday): The Presentation Prayer Center in Fargo will host its 27th annual fundraiser lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fargo Holiday Inn. Rev. Tom Holtey, chaplain for Hospice of the Red River Valley, proposes the question: “How Comfortable Is Your Hat?” Tickets are $30. Call Sister Andrea at (701) 2374857, ext 211, for tickets.

Oct. 28 (Sunday): Blessed Sacrament, West Fargo, to hosts its annual fall dinner and bazaar from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., to include pork loin, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable, coleslaw, dinner rolls, dessert and beverage. Free-will offering of $10 per adult plate (less for children) suggested. Other offerings will include basket silent auction, raffle, carnival games, jewelry store, Bingo and more!

For more information call (701) 2823321.

Rachel’s Vineyard retreat Oct. 5-7 Rachel's Vineyard offers a safe, nonjudgmental, and confidential weekend retreat for anyone: women, men, grandparents, and siblings who struggle with the feelings of loss that can accompany an abortion experience.

The weekend begins on a Friday night and concludes on Sunday afternoon. A Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat is scheduled for Oct. 5-7 in Hankinson. For more information, or to register, please call Ruth Ruch at (701) 219-3941 or email her at ruch@i29.net. Calls are confidential.

Aloys and Angela Mastel celebrate 60 years On Sept. 29, 1952, Aloys and Angela Mastel married at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Zeeland. A celebration honoring their 60 years of marriage took place with family at Cozy Nook East, Brown County, S.D. The Mastels remained parishioners at St. Andrew’s until 1968, when they moved to Ellendale and joined St. Helena’s Catholic Church, where they have been members ever since.

The couple has eight children: Marilyn (Duane) Baer, Conifer, Colo.; Bernadette (Roger) McNeil, Fargo; Monica Brooks, Centennial, Colo.; Lloyd (deceased); JoAnn (Francis) Brager, St. Michael, Minn.; Annette (Peter) Groves, Devils Lake; Dr. Glenn (Dr. Marit Hordvik), Fargo; and Wayne (Felisa), Wahpeton.

Aloys and Angela have 19 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

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., Ste. A, Fargo, ND 58104-7605 or news@ fargodiocese.org.

To submit events for New Earth and the diocesan website, mail them to New Earth, 5201 Bishops Blvd., Suite A, Fargo, ND 58104-7605 or email news@fargodiocese.org. The deadline for October New Earth is Sept. 19.

NEWEARTH

Youth & Young Adults

SEPTEMBER 2012 â– 17

St. Paul’s Newman Center welcomes new FOCUS team members Three new Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) missionaries have joined the staff at St. Paul’s Newman Center at North Dakota State University to team up with outreach efforts and to share Jesus Christ with college students.

This semester, a team of four full-time missionaries and a student intern will be serving the campus. More than 350 students already have expressed interest in attending a FOCUS Bible study during fall outreach, building on 80 weekly Bible studies already in place across the campus.

Meet our new team Kelsey Kaufman, the only returner to the team this year, says she’s super excited to welcome her new teammates to Fargo. Kelsey is from Sauk City, Wis., and attended school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has a strong testament to drawing close to the Lord through a silent retreat she experienced this past summer.

Bryan Thiry will be serving as team director this year. Thiry grew up on a small farm near Butte, Mont., and went to school at the University of NebraskaLincoln, where he joined FOCUS after being profoundly impacted by another student in his fraternity his sophomore year. He is excited to lead the team and reach out to the fraternities on campus.

Cari Devlin is a first year missionary from Las Vegas. She attended the University of Northern Colorado and is excited to share her love of Christ to the students here, especially through her great smile and passion for dance.

Posing outside the St. Paul Newman Center at North Dakota State University are the 2012-13 FOCUS team members, left to right, Bryan Thiry, Cari Devlin, Kelsey Kaufman, Mikayla Koble and TJ Beyer.

Submitted photo

T.J. Beyer, joining us from Albuquerque, N.M., has quite the testimony. He served in the Army Reserves after high school and just came home from Afghanistan a year ago. He is passionate about apologetics because he found his Catholic faith by studying it through history and came to realize it is the one

CCC can help Catholic college students keep their faith Reports show that freshman or transfer students who are not connected with a Catholic facility in their first two weeks on campus are at risk for losing their faith.

Without this immediate connection, the students can become so involved in other matters that by the time they are juniors in college, attendance at Catholic services will no longer be a priority or practice for them.

Catholic freshman are likely to meet their closest friends during their first few weeks on campus, and most students will join the organizations they belong to for their college years and for many years beyond during those first weeks.

The studies, conducted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, concluded that this is a major problem for the Church. But there are ways to help Catholic college students from losing their faith.

First, they can be encouraged to join a Catholic campus ministry center, such as the Newman Center, a nearby parish,

true church.

Mikayla Koble, a Minot native, continues her studies at NDSU. She will graduate in December and then join the mission on another campus. Having been on campus the longest, she brings a great amount of joy and experience to the team.

We have a great year ahead of us and we constantly pray for God to guide and use us as his instruments on campus to bring people closer to his son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Please join us in praying for bisonCatholic and the students at NDSU: for details, bookmark us at www.bisonCatholic.org.

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or the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).

The national organization of Newman Centers has now joined with Serra in this effort to keep our college students practicing their Catholic faith.

Participating with a Catholic College Connection (CCC) can be a helpful first step.

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Upon receiving a student’s name and the college they will attend, a representative of the CCC will send the student a written greeting and invitation to attend various activities of the Catholic College Connection on their campus.

A parish youth director or other staff, family member or friend can initiate this by entering relevant information into the www.collegeconnectionforcatholics.org website, or by contacting the relevant CCC administrator.

To become part of the solution for your loved one, call Katie Dubas, CCC administrator for the Fargo Diocese, at (701) 356-7908 or email katie.dubas@ fargodiocese.org.

40 Days for Life North Dakota gearing up for fall; opening prayer service on Sept. 26 40 Days for Life North Dakota will kick off its sixth fall campaign with an opening prayer service at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the state’s only abortion facility, 512 1st Ave. N., Fargo.

The 40 Days for Life national campaign is a three-fold effort of prayer, fasting and peaceful vigil conducted in hundreds of cities across our nation.

For more information or to sign up for an hour of prayer at the abortion facility, visit: www.40daysforlifend.com. Or, in Fargo, call (701) 356-7979 or the Pregnancy Help Center, (701) 284-6601 or email phc@polarcomm.com.

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Youth & Young Adults

18 ■ SEPTEMBER 2012

NEWEARTH

Student pilgrims discover they are ‘home’ in Rome

By Colton Keller

When I signed up for the Rome Study Pilgrimage offered by the University of Mary, I thought it was going to be a great opportunity to see what the city of Rome had to offer. I was excited to see the pope, St. Peter’s Basilica, Ancient Rome, and everything else the Eternal City had to offer.

What I did not expect, however, was the sheer number of gifts God shared with us during visits to countless churches, long, exhausting days under the Roman sun, and the formation of new friendships.

After enduring more than ten hours of riding in a plane, our small-plane group went out into the city of Rome to fight off jet lag. As we approached St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time in most of our lives, our group leader, Father Ehli, told us that this place we’d just traveled more than 4,500 miles to get to was our “home.” His words did not quite make sense to me in my groggy state, but I knew that what he told me was significant.

As the pilgrimage continued and we visited more and more places, I came to realize that Father Ehli was not just talking about the physical place we were at, but the Church in its fullness, physically manifested through both St. Peter and the pope, Christ’s chosen successor. This point continued to be hammered into me just as truth and the beauty of God’s existence showed itself numerous times during our tours and the witnesses that were given by the leaders.

Submitted photo

High school students from throughout North Dakota had a chance to visit Rome, Italy, this summer, including attending the Mass where Archbishop Sam-

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uring the pilgrimage, we were able uel Aquila received the pallium from Pope Benedict XVI. Above, some of the students pause on top of the medieval walls in Orvieto. Pilgrims left to right to see Pope Benedict two times to- include Nick Emmel, chaperone; students Vincent Sweeney, Gunnar Bossart, Jennifer Friese, Angela Cowles, Tessa Hartl and Colton Keller; and Father gether: once during the papal audience, Charles Lacroix, chaperone. and once during the pallium Mass.

During the papal audience, Pope lible rock upon which the Church is daily Mass, our differences started to disence in our lives. Even though we were Benedict talked about St. Paul’s letter to built. Because of what he did, we can appear. getting ready to return to our daily lives the Philippians and blessed the items trust in the Church’s teachings and betWe began to realize that each and in North Dakota, each of us was already the audience brought for that purpose. ter understand God’s plan in our lives. every one of us has experienced chal“home” in our hearts.

During the pallium Mass, Benedict Throughout the trip, as the pilgrims lenges as a high school student, and we Colton Keller, a senior in high school along bestowed on Archbishop Samuel Aquila from the different schools got to know could trust each other and share in the with the other 95 students who took part in the pallium, showing the authority of each other better through prayer, laughgifts God was giving us. the pilgrimage, is a parishioner of Sts. Anne & an archbishop. ter, and sweat, a sense of wholeness beAs the trip came to a close, we also Joachim parish, Fargo. The pilgrimage now gan to develop. Somewhere in between realized that each of us had experienced, During these events, I was struck by involves students from all four Catholic high schools in North Dakota. the lack of sleep, scorching sun, and in different ways, the gift of God’s preshow good God is for giving us his infal-

God seems to have had different plans for me both during and after college

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hen I began college, I had a pretty simple plan, and for the most part it all worked out. I stuck with my first major — math education — was involved with several student organizations, and became a huge Bison football fan.

What I didn’t plan for was the priority God desired to be in my life and the plan He had for getting me to that point.

By the end of my college years, I was attending daily Mass and Adoration, was in two weekly Bible studies, had gone to several retreats and conKristen Vetter ferences, and was going to Confession more than just a few times a year; a big change from the original plan of just getting to Mass each week.

The change in my life was largely due to my involvement with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). A national college outreach pro-

FOCUS

gram, FOCUS was created in 1998 to bring the Catholic faith to college campuses in a dynamic way.

Through FOCUS, teams of missionaries — usually two men and two women — are sent to campus and use a variety of outreach activities to invite college students into a relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. They strive to inspire and equip students to be lifelong leaders in the faith.

This year, over 350 fulltime missionaries serve on 74 campuses across the United States.

FOCUS missionaries engage students in a variety of ways, but particularly through small group Bible studies and one-onone mentorship. Students can also take on leadership by leading their own Bible study and mentoring their peers. It’s an incredible opportunity to grow closer to Jesus through prayer, the sacraments,

derful work as a missionary at the Uniand Scripture. versity of Minnesota Duluth. I am so It was through these leadership opexcited to introduce the students here portunities that my faith truly became to Jesus Christ and help them undermy number-one priority. The women stand the gift of the who mentored me Catholic Church. were so faith-filled all God has and inspired me to After all God has done After done the past four reevaluate where years, I can’t wait to God stood in my the past four years, see what He has life. Through beI can’t wait to see what planned for my ginning a Bible first year as a misstudy of my own He has planned for my sionary! and mentoring Please pray for all others, I began to first year as a FOCUS missionarlearn how to let ies as we begin the God work through missionary! year, that God me to help others would give us on their path to courage and perseverance as we share holiness. our lives and faith with students across y plans after college originally were the country. to stay in Fargo and get a teaching Other missionaries from our diocese job. However, in February, I said yes to include: Jessica Bittner, Julie Bushaw, being a full-time FOCUS missionary for Kyler Hendrickson, Jayson Miller, Jackie the next two years. My personal college Mitzel and Rosalin Schlosser. Thanks for experience had shown me some of the your prayers! amazing things God desired to do

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through FOCUS and I wasn’t ready to be done with college outreach quite yet.

This year, I get to continue this won-

Kristen Vetter, a 2008 graduate of Shanley High School in Fargo, received her college education at North Dakota State University.

NEWEARTH

By Kathy Loney

When students spend time at camps, retreat weekends and day events in the Diocese of Fargo, the end result is plenty of smiles, giggles and joy coming from their faces.

This summer was no different with the three camps that took place.

Youth & Young Adults Summer youth camps:

Smiles, giggles & joy

SEPTEMBER 2012 ■ 19 this holy, spirited, fun-loving man is amazing, and it’s easy to see why campers like to return.

MI Youth Camp, or Militia of the Immaculata, is offered at the Franciscan Sisters of Dillingen Convent in Hankinson. Produced by the diocesan youth and young adult ministry office, this camp takes place twice in July in backTrinity Youth Camp, created and to-back weeks. Scripture was this year’s promoted by Annette Mears and focus.

Dorothy Gustafson, has been estabFather Scott Sautner, pastor of St. lished in this diocese for over 30 years.

Philip’s in Hankinson, was our spiritual For the last several years the camp has director, along with Sister Jean Louise offered four sessions a summer, and this Schafer and Sister Mary Ruth Huhn. Fayear’s attendance was at record levels. ther Sautner gave several talks on the “You Are the Way” was the camp’s Bible, its layout and the conflict and theme, and all activities led the students salvation story that is described in this straight to Jesus Christ. Directed by Kelmagnificent book of many books. lie Knodel, the camps took place at Red Speakers also come in to talk on difWillow Bible Camp near Binford, Camp ferent topics. The first week, Father Bud of the Cross near Garrison and Pelican Brooks, convent chaplain, talked about Lake near Bottineau.

St. Maximilian Kolbe’s life and the spirDuring the Good News sessions, great faith-sharing happened. Every day at With guitar in hand, Kellie Knodel, Trinity Youth Camp director, teaches praise and worship songs at itual strengths this great saint has left one of several camp sessions this past summer. for us to help us follow Christ better. least one new craft was introThe second week, Father Jim Tiu, duced. When the weather was chaplain at Carmel of Mary conducive, swimming instrucMonastery in Wahpeton, visited tions and free swim were enjoyed, to share the story of St. Maximilalong with field games, nightly ian Kolbe. campfire sing a-long, ReconciliaThe two priests, along with a tion and daily Mass.

Carmelite, Sister Therese, who is These are just a few of the acwheelchair bound and now lives tivities that led our many students at the nursing home in Hankinto a joyful way to live their lives, son, also shared their vocation which always includes Jesus. No stories. Tony and Barb Bach, havone ever leaves this camp without ing recently celebrated 25 years making friends with others, and of marriage with a trip to Alaska, especially with God. offered a talk on the vocation of J.M.I. Camp, or Juvenes marriage, comparing it to this fabMariae Immaculate — Youth for ulous Alaska trip with all its trials Mary Immaculate — was another and tribulations, demonstrating fantastic camp offered in early how the ups and downs that God August to boys and girls by Father At the conclusion of the “Jesus Game” at MI Youth Camp in Hankinson, students gather to pray for an angel (in sends each person can be overJoseph Christensen and his staff human form) to arrive so campers can give her the final answer to a question posed in the activity. whelming, and how we deal with of eager followers of Christ. them shows us how connected or not connected to God we really are.

The camp is set in rural Warsaw near The week also included fun outdoor the beautiful St. Stanislaus Church. As activities like volleyball, swimming and I drove into town, I saw signs of the a new Jesus Game that proved to be camp. Across the street from the church quite a challenge for the campers. and behind the rectory, a couple of A pilgrimage also takes place at this large, National Guard tents had been camp, and this year the groups traveled set up with a line of cots in them. Septo La Crosse, Wis., to visit the Shrine of arate white tents contained latrines and Our Lady of Guadalupe. The 13-hour shower facilities, and a ring of white round trip on very warm days proved chairs had been placed around a fire pit to be chllenging but very worthwhile. ready for the evening campfire.

Reconciliation, chapel time four Eager campers ready to be inspired times a day, including adoration and to learn, love and live the faith gathered daily Mass, are also offered. Campers in the church basement in small groups learned Lectio Divina by Sister Mary taught by their small group leaders.

Ruth Huhn and practiced it several Three sessions of catechesis each morntimes during each week, and also ing of camp helps them become informed and receive the gift of total con- Young ladies from the diocese earn their certificate of completion at J.M.I. Camp in Warsaw with Father prayed the Liturgy of the Hours.

To go along with our Scripture theme, secration to Jesus through Mary. They Joseph Christensen, FMI, as their gentle guide. each student was asked to search for a explore the Scriptures, learn how to Bible verse that fit them personally. At pray, talk about the Trinity and become the end of the week, they shared their better Catholic Christians. verse and why they chose it. This was The camp also has lots of fun time a very fruitful exercise and gave great scheduled for the campers to go swiminsight to each camper, small group ming, play sports, and go on advenleader and the adult support staff. tures. Toward the end of camp this year, Our week always ends with Mass and the group had traveled to a river thinkthe new campers dedicating themselves ing they were going to be floating on to the Blessed Virgin Mary with a coninner tubes. When they returned, they secration prayer recited, and each relooked pretty exhausted and some sunceiving a blue corded miraculous medal. burned.

Return campers renew their consecraWhen I asked why they were so tired, tion to Mary during this time. Camp one boy mentioned that the river didn’t ends with a potluck supper with family have much water, so they had to walk and a talent show by the campers. This their inner tubes down the river bed to year’s talent show demonstrated specific get to their bus. They looked at each gifts in areas of music, poetry and actother with grins on their faces and said ing. they really were having a great time and Please watch the youth pages on the couldn’t wait to come back next sumnew diocese website for the dates of mer. Later, at meal time, cups were carediocesan youth events for the coming fully placed on the white tables all with year: www.fargodiocese.org/youth. campers names on them and potatoes and corn on the cob were prepared.

Kathy Loney works as the youth and young Father Christensen runs a pretty tight Young men gather for an evening campfire experience that includes marshmallow roasting, songs, adult ministry director for the Diocese of Fargo. program, but the love that oozes from stories and prayer at J.M.I. Camp.

20 â– SEPTEMBER 2012

NEWEARTH

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This year’s FirstChoice Clinic Life Walk to have western theme; it’s coming up Oct. 20 Catholics with a prolife heart who lack time to make a regular commitment can still make a difference at FirstChoice Clinic’s annual Life Walk on Saturday, Oct. 20.

This year’s theme is “western,� so cowboy hats and boots are encouraged, though not mandatory, for participation.

The 2012 Life Walk will be hosted simultaneously at three North Dakota sites: Bonanzaville in West Fargo, Ruger Park in Devils Lake and Sertoma Park in Bismarck.

Ways to help include: ■Stopping by one of the FirstChoice Clinic sites to pick up a walk brochure. ■Visiting teamfirstchoiceclinic.com and setting up a walker’s page or sponsoring a walker online. ■Walking on Oct. 20 either with one of the groups or in your neighborhood. ■Encouraging youth groups or other associations to get involved. “When we get up in the morning we should choose to live and love better than we did the previous day,� said Mona Franck, outreach coordinator for FirstChoice Clinic. “This is growth in the spiritual life and only you have control over this.�

Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. at each site with refreshments available.

The walks will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and finish by 10 a.m.

Participants of the non-athletic events will walk at their own pace and

Former British rock star Sal Solo to present at youth celebration Former British rock star, now techno musician, Sal Solo will share his video presentation “We Cry Justice� and other talks at the 2012 Catholic Youth Advisory Council (CYAC) Senior High Youth Celebration.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 18, at St. Michael’s Church in Grand Forks. Students in grades 9 to 12 are invited to spend a day filled with speakers, workshops, games and activities to help them get to know other students from around the diocese.

CYAC organizers have chosen Matthew 17:20 for the event’s motivational verse: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed . . . nothing will be impossible for you.�

In addition to presenting to youth, Solo will offer a workshop for adults over the lunch hour.

Reconciliation, Adoration, Eucharistic Procession and Mass also will take place.

Cost for the event is $35 per student and $15 per chaperone.

Please contact your local Catholic parishes for registration information. Parish registration deadline is Oct. 3.

For information, visit the diocesan website at www.fargo diocese.org/youthcelebration.

are invited to bring their families for the short, two-mile walk through the park in the city closest to them, or in their own neighborhood.

Sponsored walkers will ask friends and family to pledge them, and money raised will offer individuals in a crisis-pregnancy situation tools and information to help them make life-affirming decisions.

Walkers raising a minimum of $250 in pledges will receive a free T-shirt. “Put your feet to your faith and join us today,� Franck said.

Interested individuals can register as a walker online at www.teamfirstchoice clinic.com or receive sponsor forms by emailing mona@firstchoiceclinic.com or calling (701) 237-6530 or toll-free: 1-888-237-6530.

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St. Michael, Grand Forks, wins Putt 4 a Purpose The sixth annual Putt 4 a Purpose event took place on Aug. 20 at the Maple River Golf Club in Mapleton. Seventy-nine golfers participated with proceeds from the event once again benefitting seminarian education and youth programs throughout the Diocese of Fargo. The programs include March for Life, Youth Camps, SEARCH and MI Youth Camp.

The day began with registration and a shotgun start followed by an afternoon of golfing. A dinner banquet and awards ceremony followed. Attendees also had the opportunity to hear both current seminarian John Norberg and Kathy Loney, youth and young adult director for the Diocese of Fargo.

First place gross and parish team was from St. Michael’s in Grand Forks. It included Father Neil Pfeifer, Scott Schreiner, Sheila Schreiner and Lowell Schweigert. Second place gross team winners were Aaron Alton, Gregg Sorensen, Mike Bruckbauer and Chuck Sjostrom. First place net team was Paul Jarvis, Scott Berg, Jeremy Magelky and Josh Magelky. Second place net team winners were Bob Wilmot, Jess Helvik, Jeff Elms and Mike Kaminski.

Winners of contest games include: closest to the pin, Gregg Sorensen; longest drive, Blake Johnson and longest putt, Jess Helvik.

We would like to thank all the individuals who participated in the golf classic as well as our sponsors for their generous contributions: Eagle sponsors ($1,000) — Holy Cross Catholic Church, SMP Health System, Napoleon Livestock and State Bank and Trust; Par sponsors ($400) — Obermiller Nelson Engineering, Mellon Capital, Villa Maria, Boulger Funeral Home, Cap Trust, Zerr Berg Architects/Gehrtz Construction Services, National Investment Services, Inc., Rosewood on Broadway, Sheyenne Care Center, St. Aloisius Medical Center, Maryhill Manor and Titan Machinery; Wish I could, but I can’t sponsors ($500) — Catholic Mutual Group, Lunseth Plumbing and Heating Co. and Eide Bailly; Hole sponsors ($100) — New Earth, Scheels (2), JLG Architects, Ave Maria Village, Bremer Bank, Catholic Spirit, Carol Widman’s Candy Company, Catholic United Financial, Expressway Suites of Fargo, Forum Communications, Korsmo Funeral Service, Hurley’s Religious Goods, IdeaOne Telecom, Laney’s, MBA, Moore Engineering, Norrell Law Office, Northern Improvement (2), Petro Serve USA, Real Presence Radio, Reardon Office Equipment, Seasons at Rose Creek, Subway of Moorhead, Schuck Charters and Tours and S&S Promotional Group.

Also, a special thank you to those individuals and businesses that donated items as door prizes for this event. Eagle sponsors ($1,000), Par sponsors ($400), Wish I could, but I can’t sponsors ($500) and Hole sponsors ($100).