The Catholic Spirit - July 2, 2015

Oldest parish marks 175 years 5 • Basilica Block Party 14 • Reading ‘Laudato Si’’ 16 July 2, 2015 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

thecatholicspirit.com

The future of

MARRIAGE?

Supreme Court decision enshrines same-sex marriage, creates possible threats to religious liberty • During Fortnight for Freedom, local experts weigh in — page 6 • What the U.S. bishops say — page 10 • National implications for religious liberty — page 15

Getting to know Archbishop Hebda

Moving forward

Ahead of Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s first local public Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul July 12, those who know the archdiocese’s new apostolic administrator describe him as humble and humorous, with a love for people and learning.

Pages 12-13

What’s next for the archdiocese in the wake of the resignations of Archbishop John Nienstedt and Bishop Lee Piché?

Page 4

ALSO inside

A new direction

Running in the rain

Itinerary unveiled

Ave Maria Academy principal to lead Office for the Mission of Catholic Education.

— Page 4

Archdiocesan chancellor, two priests cross the finish line at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth.

Pope Francis is coming to both U.S. and Cuba this fall, and hopes to reach out to the poor.

— Page 7

— Page 10

Page Two

2 in PICTURES “There’s nothing that God can’t do for us and nothing that God doesn’t want to do for us. He loves us so much. And the pope instills that kind of courage because he’s courageous, in my opinion, the way he loves and forgives so beautifully.”

Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, following a pallium Mass with Pope Francis and 45 other archbishops in St. Peter’s Basilica on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29. All were named to their archdioceses over the course of the last year.

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit

The Catholic Spirit wins Catholic Press awards The Catholic Spirit won two first place awards and a second place award in the annual newspaper competition of the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada. The awards were presented June 26 at the annual Catholic Media Conference, held this year in Buffalo, New York.

First-place honors went to Dave Hrbacek, staff writer and photographer, for best feature writing and best reporting on children and teens. Judges praised Hrbacek’s “excellently written” feature story about Justina Hausmann, whose father died trying to save someone in the Aug. 1, 2007, I-35 bridge collapse. Hrbacek’s story about Extreme Faith Camp on Big Sandy Lake near McGregor also won first place. “Faith in the Public Arena,” a column by members of the Minnesota Catholic Conference staff, earned second place for best regular general commentary column.

WHOOPING FOR THE WORLD Curtis Lee Mitchell of Orlando, Florida, holds a mock whooping crane in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican June 28. Some 1,500 people marched to the Vatican in support of Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on the environment. Mitchell said he flew from the U.S. to Rome just for the event.

CNS/Paul Haring • Read an analysis of “Laudato Si’” on page 16.

Vatican journalist to speak in Minneapolis John Thavis, a veteran Vatican journalist and author of “The Vatican Diaries” (Viking-Penguin, 2013), is speaking at St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis at 6:30 p.m. July 14. Retired from years as the Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service, Thavis, a Minnesota native and 1973 St. John’s University alumnus, now lives in St. Paul. According to the parish, “He brings to his work a unique insider’s perspective on how the Vatican works — including the process for naming bishops, a very important topic in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.”

Grief to Grace retreat offers healing from abuse

PRAYERFUL FAREWELL Missionaries of Charity sisters gather around the body of Sister Nirmala Joshi, 81, inside a church in Kolkata, India, June 23. Sister Nirmala, who died June 23, succeeded Blessed Mother Teresa, a Nobel laureate, as the head of the Missionaries of Charity and expanded the movement overseas.

CNS/Rupak De Chowdhuri, Reuters

WHAT’S NEW on social media

A note to Catholic Spirit subscribers

“From the Pew” launches at www.CatholicHotdish.com as a place for local Catholics to share commentary.

The next issue of The Catholic Spirit will publish July 16. Then, The Catholic Spirit will not have another issue until Aug. 13. Thank you for your support.

St. Michael in St. Michael, the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis and St. Thomas More in St. Paul are among the parishes featured @TheCatholicSpirit.

Read the latest news about the local and universal Church by following The Catholic Spirit on Twitter @CatholicSpirit.

The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 20 — No. 13 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher United in Faith, Hope and Love

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

MARIA WIERING, Editor

A retreat called Grief to Grace will be offered Aug. 23-28 at a location in the Twin Cities to be determined. Grief to Grace – Healing the Wounds of Abuse is a Catholic spiritual program for anyone who has suffered degradation or violation through physical, emotional, sexual or spiritual abuse. It is appropriate for anyone who has endured sexual abuse, rape, incest or other forms of traumatic violation in childhood or adolescence. It is also appropriate for anyone who has been abused by clergy.

Dr. Theresa Burke, founder of Rachel’s Vineyard, a post-abortion healing ministry, will be the facilitator at the Grief to Grace retreat.

For more information or to register, email info@grieftograce.org or call (610) 203-2002. Information also is available at www.grieftograce.org.

CORRECTION The Catholic Spirit misreported the origins of the title for “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis’ encyclical on creation released June 18. The title means “blessed be” in medieval Umbrian-dialect Italian. The Catholic Spirit apologizes for the error.

Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service.

All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper.

Subscriptions: $29.95 per year: Senior 1-year: $24.95: To subscribe: (651) 291-4444: Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444; Classified Advertising: (651) 290-1631.

Published bi-weekly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102 • (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460.

Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: catholicspirit@archspm.org • USPS #093-580

3 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, This past week we celebrated the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, the patronal feast of our archdiocese. It provided for me an opportunity to be grateful for the gift of our archdiocese. I thought of the many incredible priests who serve so faithfully and I am privileged to count as my brothers. I thought of the dedicated lay people and religious who inspire me by their holiness as they try to pursue a life of discipleship with Jesus.

We are all well aware of the profound challenges of these past two years, which have certainly intensified in the past month. Dealing with this crisis has been a high priority of the archdiocese and it will continue to be so going forward. Yet, in the midst of all this pain, I have found in my heart that there are reasons for gratitude.

Gratitude is perhaps the highest movement of the human heart. It is a sentiment that is right at the heart of Christianity. The first Christian prayer in the New Testament, Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), is a prayer of gratitude to God for his deliverance of his people through Jesus the messiah.

The heart of our prayer as Catholics is the Eucharist, a Greek word that means “thanksgiving” because, in the Eucharist, we give thanks to God the Father for the gift of new life we have received in Jesus, a gift that is given and renewed every time we celebrate holy Mass.

Gratitude is the recognition that what I have received comes to me from the overflowing goodness and love of God. It is also a recognition that I do not deserve to receive this love. It is an unmerited gift. To be a Christian is to live in profound gratitude for the unmerited overwhelming love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. As St. Paul says: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Within this passage of St. Paul is also a profound challenge for us as Christians.

How can we give thanks “in all circumstances?” Is it possible to give thanks FROM THE for difficulties or even for things that are BISHOP evil? Here we come to the very heart of our Christian faith and see the true power of what we believe, for the cross of Jesus Christ Bishop proclaims to us a great paradox.

Andrew Cozzens

The paradox is this: God is capable of bringing good out of evil. Of course, God never wills sin or evil to come into our world. But he has allowed us free will, even knowing that evil will come. Why would a good God allow evil? It can only be because he is able to bring good out of evil.

(See Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 311.)

In another very profound Scripture passage, St. Paul explains this foundational truth: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

When I read this passage, sometimes I want to say to St. Paul, “Really, St. Paul? All things? Even my own sin? Even the sins of priests or bishops in the Church?” And St. Paul, with his profound understanding of the cross of Christ, would answer me: “All things!” This is the power of the love of Jesus Christ: that he is capable of bringing good out of evil. Of course, this is not easy, nor is it automatic. We must surrender our lives to God if he is going to bring good out of evil. We must cooperate with him. But if we will cooperate with him, if we will repent of our own sinfulness and return to him, then God is capable of bringing good out of even the worst evils.

This is the truth of the cross of Christ. God took a profoundly evil thing, the death of his Son, and turned it into the source of life for all of us through the Resurrection. Thus we can even give thanks for the death of Jesus Christ and call the day on which he died Good Friday, for this evil has become a profound good.

The challenge for us as Christians is to learn to see every situation as God sees it. For in everything, God desires to bring good. If we can learn to surrender to him and to cooperate with his love, then even great difficulties in our life can become reasons for gratitude.

This does not happen automatically, and especially for deep wounds, it can take years of surrendering to God in prayer for us to see how God brought good through them. But this is the kind of God we have, one who always wants to bring good out of evil.

In faith we know that this is also true for our archdiocese. That this current crisis is not the end of our Church. Rather, even in this struggle there are reasons for great gratitude. God is bringing good. He is purifying and strengthening. He will use this struggle to make our Church stronger, safer and holier for years to come. So let us give thanks to God that in the midst of great evil he is bringing about great good.

Let us turn to our patron St. Paul, himself a man who had to learn that “power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Let us ask him to help us to repent from our sins and surrender to God so that, like him, we might say: “I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Let us be grateful that even in the midst of difficulty and struggle, God is bringing goodness.

From the Bishop

Gratitude for God’s goodness in trying times

Agradecimiento por la bondad de Dios durante tiempos dificiles La semana pasada celebramos la solemnidad de los Santos Pedro y Pablo, la fiesta patronal de nuestra arquidiócesis.

Me dio la oportunidad de estar agradecido por el regalo de nuestra arquidiócesis.

Pensé en los muchos sacerdotes increíbles que sirven tan fielmente y de tener el privilegio de contar como mis hermanos.

Pensé en los laicos dedicados y religiosos que me inspiran por su santidad en su intento de seguir una vida de discipulado con Jesús.

Todos estamos conscientes de los profundos desafíos de estos últimos dos años, lo que sin duda se han intensificado en el último mes. Hacer frente a esta crisis

ha sido una prioridad de la Arquidiócesis y seguirá siendo así en el futuro. Sin embargo, en medio de todo este dolor, he encontrado en mi corazón que hay motivos de gratitud.

La gratitud es tal vez el más alto movimiento del corazón humano. Es un sentimiento que está justo en el corazón del cristianismo. La primera oración cristiana en el Nuevo Testamento, el Magníficat de María (Lucas 1: 46-55), es una oración de agradecimiento a Dios por la liberación de su pueblo a través de Jesús, el Mesías. El corazón de nuestra oración como católicos es la Eucaristía, una palabra griega que significa “acción

de gracias”, porque, en la Eucaristía, damos gracias a Dios Padre por el don de la vida nueva, que hemos recibido en Jesús, un regalo que se da y renueva cada vez que celebramos la Santa Misa.

La gratitud es el reconocimiento de que todo lo que he recibido viene a mí por la bondad y el amor desbordante de Dios. Es también un reconocimiento de que no merezco recibir este amor. Es un don que no merecemos. Ser cristiano es vivir en profunda gratitud por el inmenso amor de Dios; que no merecemos, revelado en Jesucristo. Como dice San Pablo: “Estén siempre alegres, oren sin cesar y den gracias a Dios en toda ocasión; por

voluntad de Dios, su vocación de cristianos” (1 Tes. 5: 16-18).

Este pasaje de San Pablo es un profundo desafío para nosotros como cristianos. ¿Cómo podemos dar gracias “en todas las circunstancias?” ¿Es posible dar gracias por las dificultades o incluso por las cosas que son malas? Aquí llegamos al corazón mismo de nuestra fe cristiana y vemos el verdadero poder de lo que creemos, porque la cruz de Jesucristo nos proclama una gran paradoja. La paradoja es ésta: Dios es capaz de sacar el bien del mal. Por supuesto que Dios no quiere que el Por favor gire a la pagina 22

OFFICIAL His Excellency, the Most Reverend John Nienstedt, has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: (Editor’s note: Appointments were made before Archbishop Nienstedt resigned June 15.)

Effective July 1, 2015 • Reverend Allan Paul Eilen, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Patrick in

Oak Grove. This is a transfer from his current appointment as pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Marysburg and the Church of the Nativity in Cleveland.

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Bernard Hebda, has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:

Effective August 17, 2015

Effective June 29, 2015

• Reverend David Haschka, SJ, granted faculties of the Archdiocese and assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Olaf in Minneapolis.

• Reverend Robert Morin, OMI, granted faculties of the Archdiocese and assigned in residence at the Church of Saint Casimir and the Church of Saint Patrick in Saint Paul.

Effective July 1, 2015 • Reverend Erik Lundgren, appointed parochial administrator of the Parish of Saints Joachim and Anne in Shakopee.

Father Lundgren previously served as parochial vicar of the same parish.

Effective July 15, 2015 • Reverend Andrew Jaspers, appointed temporary parochial administrator of the Church of Saint John

the Baptist in New Brighton, until the current pastor, Reverend Michael Skluzacek, returns from sabbatical.

Retirements Effective July 1, 2015 • Reverend Peter Wittman, released from his assignment as pastor of the Parish of Saints Joachim and Anne in Shakopee and granted the status of a retired priest. Father Wittman has served the Archdiocese as a priest since his ordination in 1975.

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

4

After resignations, archdiocese moving forward

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Two days following his appointment as apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Bernard Hebda was in Rochester, meeting with the archdiocese’s priests gathered for an annual meeting.

He assured them of his support during the transition following the June 15 resignations of Archbishop John Nienstedt and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piché.

A week later, on his second trip to St. Paul since his appointment, the apostolic administrator met with archdiocesan staff members and answered questions.

“I am excited to be able to see how this local Church, which has been such a stronghold in this part of the country, has been responding to God’s call,” he told them, noting that the Church has faced a variety of challenges over the centuries. “I look forward to learning from you.”

He recalled that he had first met Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens in Rome when thenFather Cozzens gave a retreat to seminarians. The two are expected to collaborate closely to lead the local Church until a new archbishop is named.

Archbishop Hebda plans to celebrate his first public Mass in the archdiocese 10 a.m. July 12 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.

As coadjutor archbishop of Newark, Archbishop Hebda is positioned to succeed Archbishop John Myers upon his anticipated retirement next year.

He will balance responsibilities in New Jersey and Minnesota until the Holy See appoints an archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Experts say the appointment could take months.

In the meantime, the archdiocese stated that it

does not expect episcopal resignations to affect the archdiocese’s efforts to compensate alleged victims/survivors of abuse, which is part of its Reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code under way since January.

Neither is it anticipated that the resignations will affect the criminal and civil charges the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office filed against the archdiocese June 5, alleging it failed to protect three boys who were sexually abused in 20082010 by Curtis Wehmeyer, a priest of the archdiocese who was removed from the clerical state in March 2015. He remains incarcerated. A court hearing on the charges against the archdiocese is set for July 17.

“The Ramsey County Attorney stated they will not affect the case, and Bishop Cozzens has reaffirmed the archdiocese’s commitment to working with [Ramsey County Attorney] John Choi and investigators from the St. Paul Police Department,” the archdiocese stated in a June 18 note to parishes.

The day-to-day activities of the parishes and schools of the archdiocese are also not expected to be affected during this interim period, the archdiocese stated. It is to be expected, however, that major decisions that are not deemed urgent will be deferred to the new archbishop.

“It is hard to say what the future will bring, but we have committed priests and lay leaders to guide us through these times, and the Eucharist to strengthen us,” the archdiocese stated in its June 18 note to parishes. “We are confident God will be with us.”

The archdiocese is now looking to the next milestone in its Reorganization process: the Aug. 3 filing deadline for all claimants, including those alleging sexual abuse by members of its clergy.

Attorneys representing victims/survivors

Ave Maria principal to direct new education office The Catholic Spirit The principal of Ave Maria Academy in Maple Grove was appointed director for the new Office for the Mission of Catholic Education being formed in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Jason Slattery, who has worked 12 years at Ave Maria, is expected to begin the newly created position Aug. 5.

Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens, vicar for Catholic education, announced the appointment June 25.

The Office for the Mission of Catholic Education replaces the Office of Catholic Schools, which closed June 30. The new office is expected to open July 11.

Slattery worked at Ave Maria for two years before becoming its principal 10 years ago. Formerly known as Cedarcrest Academy, the 19-year-old, pre-kindergartento-grade-eight school received formal designation as a Catholic school in the archdiocese in 2011. Under Slattery’s leadership, the school completed a $7 million campus project along Bass Lake Road, grew the student body and retained its full staff for the past five years.

“Most importantly, [Slattery] has served as a strong advocate for the mission of Catholic education: the Catholic formation of the whole student, rooted in the dignity of the human person,” read a statement on the archdiocese’s intranet.

Slattery holds masters degrees from the University of Dayton, Ohio, and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, where he studied the question of Catholic school mission, viability and sustainability.

The announcement came a day after Bishop Cozzens celebrated a Mass of appreciation at the Cathedral of St. Paul marking the close of the archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools. The Mass honored six staff members and drew Catholic school leaders, faculty and archdiocesan staff members.

Office of Catholic Schools employees have been encouraged to apply for jobs with the new office.

The archdiocese has described the objective of the Office for the Mission of Catholic Education as helping

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

alleging claims against the archdiocese filed a motion June 29 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court asking the judge to request that the archdiocese’s 187 parishes show a video during the weekend of July 11-12 designed to encourage previously unidentified victims of abuse to come forward.

Charles Rogers, an attorney from St. Paul-based law firm Briggs and Morgan who represents the archdiocese, said the archdiocese is reviewing the motion, which will be heard in court July 9.

“The archdiocese has complied with every directive from the court concerning notice and will continue to do so to ensure claimants know how to file a claim by the Aug. 3 claim-filing deadline,” he said in a statement.

The archdiocese has also extensively published notices of the Aug. 3 date in a variety of local, regional and national publications and on the archdiocese’s website; as well as alerted all of Minnesota’s licensed alcohol and addiction treatment centers; a court-appointed committeecompiled group of licensed therapists working with sexual abuse claimants; every sheriff’s office, prosecuting attorney, county clerk and hospital/ medical director in the 12-county metro area; every Minnesota diocese; local representatives of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests; local attorneys representing sexual abuse victims; every parish in the archdiocese; every archdiocesan high school where an alleged abuser worked. It has also established a hotline dedicated to the notice of claims.

In the aftermath of their resignations, Archbishop Nienstedt and Bishop Piché are still discerning what their futures might hold, Archbishop Hebda told The Catholic Spirit. By virtue of their ordinations, they remain priests and bishops despite their resignations.

Minnesota Supreme Court reinstates priest’s sexual misconduct charge The Catholic Spirit

Jason Slattery, principal of Ave Maria Academy in Maple Grove, has been appointed director of the new Office for the Mission of Catholic Education. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit schools “strengthen their mission to bring the love of Jesus Christ to our youth.”

It is expected to have a renewed focus on strengthening local schools’ Catholic mission through promoting a Catholic philosophy of education while providing formation, training and resources in support of the formation of educators and other Catholic school leaders, according to archdiocesan officials.

Slattery is expected to work closely with the archdiocese’s community partners, including a new Catholic Schools Center of Excellence.

In a statement for The Catholic Spirit, Slattery said he is eager to take on the role and is grateful for Bishop Cozzens’ confidence in him.

“I have tried to live life responding generously to the call of the Lord and trusting in his grace,” he said. “The last decade of my life was quite literally measured by the ever increasing height and virtue of the students at Ave Maria Academy. Leaving the people and place that I love would be impossible without confidence in the Lord’s call.”

The Minnesota Supreme Court reinstated a criminal charge June 24 against Father Christopher Wenthe, convicted in Ramsey County Court in November 2011 for an inappropriate sexual relationship with a woman for whom he was providing spiritual counsel while he was an associate priest of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul in 2003.

It is a felony in Minnesota for counselors or members of the clergy to have a sexual relationship with someone whom they are spiritually advising.

The state Court of Appeals overturned the trial court verdict in April 2014, in part Father Christopher because it deemed the trial WENTHE judge had not offered clear instruction to the jury. The Supreme Court’s decision found that the trial judge’s omissions did not affect Father Wenthe’s right to a fair trial.

Father Wenthe, 50, was ordained in 2003 and was assigned to Nativity. Prior to 2010, he also ministered at St. Michael, Pine Island; St. Paul, Zumbrota; and St. Mary and St. Michael, both in Stillwater.

Tim O’Malley, archdiocesan director of ministerial standards and safe environment, said in a statement June 24 that Father Wenthe would remain on leave from active ministry pending an internal review. “In accordance with our normal protocols, the internal review process begins only after completion of any criminal investigation and judicial process so as to not interfere with either,” he said.

5

By Maria Becker For The Catholic Spirit What began in 1840 as a group of 185 Catholics with a log cabin and a strong desire to take part in the sacraments is now known as the oldest Catholic parish in Minnesota.

With a community of more than 1,100 families, St. Peter in Mendota will celebrate its 175th anniversary this summer.

“In my opinion, it’s a treasure for the whole state,” said Pauline Legendre, a St. Peter parishioner for more than 40 years, who called the history of the church a “living thing.”

St. Peter will commemorate its milestone July 12 with a prayer and a procession from the cemetery to the old church and into the new church where Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens will celebrate Mass.

“I think this anniversary will draw back people who have had some kind of experience here, as well as people who have an interest in their Catholic roots,” said Father Steven Hoffman, the parish’s pastor since October. “As a diocese, it is beautiful to be able to celebrate our roots and the founding of the church here.”

Significant history In the mid-19th century, Dakota

At 175, St. Peter, Mendota, is the oldest parish in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit file photo Native Americans largely occupied the current area of Mendota around Fort Snelling. The land was also part of the Diocese (now Archdiocese) of Dubuque, Iowa, established by the Vatican in 1837. In 1840, Bishop Mathias Loras sent a newly ordained priest, Father Lucien Galtier, to Fort Snelling to minister to a small but growing group of Catholics. He was the first Catholic priest assigned to serve in Minnesota, taking up residence in “St. Peter,” today known as Mendota.

Around 1858, Father Augustine Ravoux, Father Galtier’s successor,

commissioned the building of a limestone chapel, and besides a few renovations, that same stone chapel is now known as the “old” or “historic church.”

Father Hoffman loves not only St. Peter’s community, he said, but also the presence of God in the old church.

“I like the people here, all the families. For many of them, their history goes way back, and they’ve been here for several generations,” Father Hoffman said. “Many of them have records in their home of marriages, events and memories of

Local

In Mendota, archdiocese’s oldest parish turns 175

their lives at St. Peter’s.”

Ralph Wohler has been a parishioner at St. Peter for 66 years.

He and his wife, Marci, a parishioner at St. Peter for 91 years, attend daily Mass and have been involved in the parish and school community.

Marci used to teach religion at St. Peter, and both were on the parish board.

“We were there every day,” Ralph said, “and our family history is very attached to the parish. My wife’s great-grandparents were married in the historic church 153 years ago, along with her grandparents, parents, her and myself, five of our children, and three of our To acknowledge all grandchildren.” that St. Peter has According to Father done for the city of Hoffman, the main way Mendota, the mayor many parishioners stay and city council plan connected to the parish’s to declare July 12 legacy is through prayer “St. Peter’s Day.” and sacraments in the old church. It is open during the day for prayer, eucharistic adoration on Tuesdays, and smaller weddings and funerals.

“We draw people from all over to our daily Mass at 9 a.m. Monday through Friday,” Father Hoffman said, “[with] somewhere between 70 and 90 people.”

Civic honor

Congratulations, Father Michael O’Connell, on 48 years in the priesthood. Your care and commitment to providing hope, healing, and inspiration to individuals, families, and communities struggling with substance use has impacted the lives of so many, all across the country.

On behalf of the entire Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the many people you have helped through your spiritual care, we are eternally grateful.

Treatment works.

Reach out today. We’ll be there for you.

Call us toll-free, 24/7, at 800-257-7800 or visit us at HazeldenBettyFord.org 5333-1 (6/15) ©2015 Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

6

Religious liberty: What are the threats, and what can Catholics do?

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit In a country founded on Christian principles, more and more, secular culture is paving the way for a “de-Christianized” nation where religious liberty means people can practice their faith as long as it’s done behind closed doors.

Those are the sentiments of Father Theodore Campbell, former pastor of Good Shepherd Church in Golden Valley, and Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the state’s bishops.

In the midst of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fourth annual Fortnight for Freedom — celebrated June 21 to July 4 — Father Campbell and Adkins point to what’s leading to what they say is an erosion of religious liberty. It ranges from the subtle — youth sports tournaments scheduled on Sunday mornings — to the overt — business owners forced to pay for and subsidize goods and services that they don’t support from a moral or religious standpoint.

What’s at stake Adkins explained that there are three main types of threats to religious liberty in the U.S.: freedom of worship and belief; the ability of the laity to live their faith publicly in their daily lives, including operating their businesses in accordance with their principles; and freedom of the Church as an institution to live its mission in the world, including its affiliated ministries.

Generally, people aren’t facing pressures in a legal or formal sense that would prohibit them from worshiping freely, although CNS they might be stigmatized “The government is socially, Adkins said. saying we can’t be the But, “we’re seeing more Church.” laws that infringe on Father Theodore Campbell the ability of people to perform the works of mercy.” For example, municipal laws such as zoning ordinances are impacting churches trying to serve the poor and shelter undocumented immigrants.

“That’s fundamentally why we embrace religious liberty — the freedom to serve,” Adkins said. “It’s not simply believing what we want, but the ability to go forth, as Pope Francis has called us to do, out into

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

The first 20 words of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution are pictured etched into a wall outside the Newseum in Washington. The establishment clause prevents the formation of a national religion. The free exercise clause prohibits religious persecution and discrimination by the government. CNS the public and serve others. We’re not just to keep our faith inside the four walls of our church; we’re meant to go out. And if we can’t do that, it makes it difficult for the faith to survive and to evangelize.”

“The government is saying we can’t be the Church,” Father Campbell said.

Adkins said the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26 decision legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states “will have a significant ripple effect on the First Amendment right to religious liberty,” adding that it set the Church’s teaching about marriage in opposition to federal law.

“We have already seen conflicts between conscience and same-sex marriage at the state level because Minnesota has already redefined marriage,” Adkins said. “As Chief Justice [John] Roberts noted in his dissent, the creation of a new federal constitutional right of samesex couples to have their relationship declared a marriage by a state will likely create new layers of conflict.”

Adkins explained that one consequence of the new law could be the federal government revoking the tax-exempt status of churches and ministries that oppose same-sex marriage.

On the other hand, Adkins said that seemingly small impingements may grow into bigger issues.

“Although these threats might not seem significant now . . . as long as we keep letting that freedom of religion be eroded, the threats are going to get worse, and our free exercise will continue to diminish.”

In Father Campbell’s nearly 32 years as pastor of Good Shepherd (he retired July 1), he has seen instances of religious liberty diminish. At the start of his career, a public junior high school invited him and a variety of other religious leaders to speak about their faiths as part of a social studies class. But over time, school administrators feared that the learning experience wasn’t recognizing the separation of church and state, and discontinued the annual event.

“According to our Constitution and our Declaration, there’s a fundamental law before there’s a constitution,” said Father Campbell, who has served on the Archdiocesan Committee of Ecumenical Affairs and as the local point person for the Catholic-Orthodox Conversation.

“God has created us, and he’s given laws about it, and they are to norm all of our activities, including our civil government.”

While America’s founders said religious liberty is important, too many influential forces no longer consider it beneficial for the common good, and so it can be stepped on, Father Campbell explained.

“When we had a religious culture, politics were dirty,” he said, “but nobody would dare say that God didn’t exist. Or they would not have suppressed the Declaration of Independence or the Pledge of Allegiance.”

What to do Adkins said that if Catholics want to preserve religious liberty, they have to do two things: No. 1, live

the joy of the Gospel, showing that religious liberty is worth protecting, and, No. 2, demonstrate that religious liberty is important and valuable to society because it contributes to the common good.

“At the end of the day, the best thing the Church has to offer is the beauty of holiness and the holiness of beauty,” Adkins said. “We have to live the joy of the Gospel in its fullest and help people understand that our exercise of religion is not simply because we want to impose arbitrary limitations on people, but we want to help people live within God’s design, and we want to serve other people.

“We have to make rational arguments for why we believe what we do,” Adkins continued. “We need to continue to engage at the level of public policy and intellectual and academic sphere and continue to propose why our beliefs and values contribute to human flourishing. . . . When we suppress religion, we harm everybody. And that has to be not just spoken, but it has to be lived.”

Adkins and Father Campbell said religious liberty is not just for Christians and Catholics — it’s for anyone of faith. In the last legislative session, the Minnesota Catholic Conference supported a bill to provide religious accommodations for people — in particular, Native Americans — opposed to autopsy procedures. The bill passed.

“We need to stand together and recognize that because religious freedom is important, it’s important for everyone,” Adkins said.

7

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit It’s not often that a runner is suffering before the race even begins.

But, such was the case for Susan Mulheron before the start of the annual Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth June 20.

The race was scheduled to start at 7:45 a.m., and Mulheron, the chancellor for canonical affairs for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, arrived about an hour early. She was joined by two archdiocesan priests who also ran the race, Father Erik Lundgren of Sts. Anne and Joachim in Shakopee and Father Nate LaLiberte of St. Michael in St. Michael who becomes pastor of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Delano July 1.

“We stood in the pouring rain at 7 o’clock in the morning waiting for it to start,” Mulheron said.

“You had to be in the start corral by 7:15, and the rain was just pouring. My shoes were completely soaked. There was water running down my back; it was drenched.

And it didn’t let up for another two hours. I was shivering and wet, and I was just worried about having blisters on my feet because my shoes were totally soaked. My clothes were heavy because I was soaking wet. I kept thinking, ‘I want to start running so I can warm up.’”

But Mulheron and the two priests steeled themselves against the elements and successfully completed the 26.2-mile race from Two Harbors to Duluth on Highway 61. Father LaLiberte had the best time, finishing in 3 hours, 38 minutes. Lundgren was next at 4:16, and Mulheron had a time of 4:58.

“My time last year was better,” Mulheron said. “I was on track to beat that time, but I had to slow down. That’s OK. The most important thing is to start the race and finish the race.

“I was a little delirious at the

Susan Mulheron (white T-shirt), chancellor for canonical affairs for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, prepares to cross the finish line June 20 at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth. Courtesy Susan Mulheron finish line,” she continued. “It rained for the first 14 miles. So, when I got to the finish line, I was just trying to see straight.”

The three runners didn’t see each other at the starting line, but Father Lundgren passed Mulheron along the way. They exchanged a high five and Father Lundgren called them “the healthiest people in our archdiocese.”

But the race was about more than physical fitness. It was a chance to momentarily divert their attention from the big changes in the archdiocese, including the resignations of both Archbishop John Nienstedt and Bishop Lee Piché less than a week before the race.

“Part of the reason why I decided to train for a marathon was to keep my mind off of things,” Father Lundgren said. “Given the last

couple weeks in our local Church, I thought, ‘You know what would help me blow off some steam is running 26.2 miles.’ It was a healthy thing to divert the mind and body from less positive things.”

That’s precisely why Mulheron, who ran Grandma’s last year, was determined to push through the weather to complete this year’s race. Running has become an important part of her life, something that helps her deal with being at the center of all the struggles the archdiocese is going through.

“I signed up [for Grandma’s Marathon] because I realized that running had become a very spiritual thing for me,” she said. “It had become essential, not just for my physical wellness, but for my emotional, my mental and my

Local

Chancellor, two priests run in solidarity at Duluth marathon

spiritual wellness.

“It’s often very prayerful, and it gives me time to think. I clear my brain and I can bring my stress to that run, and it alleviates it. It’s really a sanctuary for me.”

Mulheron already has signed up to run the Twin Cities Marathon in October, and hopes to pull others along with her. She would like to form an archdiocesan team, with people like Fathers Lundgren and LaLiberte as her prized recruits.

Father Lundgren is open to the idea, but he has even bigger plans.

They involve what some consider the ultimate physical challenge — and a large chunk of money.

“The idea of doing an Ironman [triathlon] has long appealed to me,” he said of the annual event that involves running, swimming and biking. “That’s my crazy dream.”

What’s more, he would like to raise $33 million for archdiocesan Catholic schools in the process.

He turns 33 in October and wants to do the Ironman while he is 33. He once raised $50,000 for Divine Mercy Catholic School in Faribault when he ran the Twin Cities Marathon in 2012. So, he’s ready for an even bigger fundraiser.

“It’s astronomical and it’s ludicrous, but the idea’s been Father Erik Lundgren of Sts. Anne and on my heart for Joachim in Shakopee gives a fist pump about a year to onlookers June 20 during Grandma’s now,” he said.

Marathon in Duluth. Courtesy Father “I’m calling it Lundgren ‘Iron Priest.’”

Amid challenges, St. Joseph parishioners gather to write notes, pray

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit A basket sat in the gathering space at St. Joseph in West St. Paul. It contained cards, many addressed to Bishop Lee Piché, who had been the pastor there from 1999 to 2005.

Even though it has been nearly 10 years since he left, many parishioners still care deeply about him. Thus, they gathered to pray for him, victims of sexual abuse and Archbishop John Nienstedt’s successor June 24 in the wake of both bishops’ June 15 resignations as leaders of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“He has a very close tie, and his heart is with the parish,” said Father Leonard Andrie, associate priest at the parish who led the prayer service, of Bishop Piché.

“The people still think about him and pray for him regularly.”

At the prayer service, Father Andrie also encouraged the people to light candles and write notes to Bishop Piché, victims of clergy sexual abuse, or to their current pastor, who is serving as a military chaplain and asked

his name not be printed for security reasons.

Parish staff planned to deliver the notes to the people to whom they were addressed.

Father Andrie stressed the importance of all four prayer intentions, but recognized the heavy hearts of parishioners who care about their former pastor.

He also encouraged parishioners to pray for reconciliation and healing in the local Church, acknowledging their heavy hearts from clergy sex abuse cases that have risen in recent years. “There’s a tremendous amount of sadness over what’s happened,” Father Andrie said. “You can see it in their faces.”

In a statement released the day of his resignation, Bishop Piché wrote that “the people of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis need healing and hope. I was getting in the way of that, and so I had to resign.”

His resignation came 10 days after the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office filed criminal and civil charges against the archdiocese as a corporation alleging it failed to protect three boys who were sexually abused in 20082010 by Curtis Wehmeyer while he was pastor of

Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul. No individuals were charged June 5. Wehmeyer was dismissed from the clerical state in March 2015.

Bishop Piché, 57, was ordained a bishop for St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2009. From 2001-2005, he oversaw Wehmeyer, then an assistant priest at St. Joseph.

The hour-and-a-half prayer service included eucharistic adoration. The theme was: “Say a prayer.

Light a candle. Write a note.” Father Andrie began the evening by reading from Romans, where St. Paul wrote, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

While parishioners such as Mickey and Aggie Smith grieve for people who have been harmed by clergy sexual abuse, they also recall ways in which Bishop Piché ministered to them. For the Smiths, it was after the deaths of their children: Harry, who died in a car accident in 2002, and Carolyn, who died of a brain aneurysm in 2004.

“He was caring, he was concerned, he was comforting,” Aggie said. “He was just there.”

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

8

Holy Angels Africa trips inspire teacher’s heart for animal conservation

By Susan Budig For The Catholic Spirit The Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield begins each year with a theme to provide focus for their teachers as they design their lesson plans. In 2007, the theme was Care for God’s Creation. It was something that stayed with Dave Marshak, who was then a new social studies teacher and girls soccer coach. It was still in his mind five years later as he pointed and aimed at a tawny lioness in Tanzania. When he was sure of his shot, he pulled the shutter on his camera.

“She was probably less than 10 feet away,” Marshak, 37, recounted, calling taking the photo his “thunderbolt moment.” “That moment when she was looking at me, I was looking at her . . . these things are slipping away from us. I felt compelled.”

He went from a “conservationist at heart” to an activist, he said.

By the time he encountered the lioness in 2012 while in Tanzania’s Mikumi National Park, he had been to Africa several times after his introduction to the continent in 2008. It was the first trip, however, where he had included Holy Angels soccer players. He’s brought back student groups twice for two-week trips and hopes to do more. The

groups spend most of their time with children living in villages, and Holy Angels students have taught preschool, painted a church, and dug out and installed a well, among other projects. Marshak’s friend, Bethel University soccer coach Amanda Maxwell, has been leading trips to Africa for years and accompanies the Holy Angels groups.

Julia Zappa, a 2014 Holy Angels graduate and an incoming sophomore at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, credited her senior trip to Tanzania for helping her be less selfish and self-centered.

“As a teen looking at colleges, our world can be so small and focused on grades and tests and college applications. The trip showed me that there [are] other things in the world beside me,” she said.

Zappa, 19 and a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace in Edina, said Marshak came to life as the plane landed in Tanzania. “It was midnight when we arrived, and I could have been scared traveling through the city at night, but he set the tone. His enthusiasm was infectious,” she said. “I’d definitely go back. The trip was amazing.”

Marshak’s passion for animal conservation also comes out during the trip’s safari.

“The safari piece started as

.

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Dave Marshak, a social studies teacher and girls soccer coach at Holy Angels in Richfield and an avid conservationist, shows children video he took while visiting Tanzania in 2013. Courtesy Dave Marshak something fun to do at the end, but that’s the part that resonated with me, going into the East African bush,” said Marshak, who, in addition to Tanzania, has traveled to Kenya, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. His lioness photo now appears on a wildlife conservation poster for The Ruaha Carnivore Project based in Tanzania, and his other work has since benefited other wildlife trusts.

The politics of animal conservation and exploitation moved the issue from a service

project to Marshak’s personal mission. The World Wildlife Federation lists African elephant, black rhinoceros, and lion as endangered animals. Loss of habitat and poaching — which experts say is driven by poverty — inhibit their ability to thrive. Marshak said local and national government corruption contributes to the threat.

Although the majesty of a 6-ton elephant or a 1-ton black rhino impresses most people, it’s not enough to protect them from poachers, who seek to profit from the sale of their tusks or horns.

Contrary to popular notion, “there’s nothing easy about going into the bush and killing a rhino and elephant,” Marshak said.

Experts widely believe that the ivory trade has overtaken South African diamonds as the primary funding source for terrorists, who exchange the valuable materials for weapons. Ivory, they say, might have fueled deadly attacks such as the Westgate shopping mall mass murder in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2013.

In response, people can go on safari, Marshak said. Eco-tourism provides money for the community in a safe, legal way. “The No. 1 reason I do this is that I try to promote eco-tourism,” he said, “ . . . to be an advocate for Africa and try to get people to go there.”

9

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA In re: The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Case No. 15-30125 YOU MAY HAVE A CLAIM AGAINST THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAINT PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS On January 16, 2015, The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis filed for protection under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Code.

The last day to file a SEXUAL ABUSE CLAIM, GENERAL CLAIM, or GOVERNMENT CLAIM against the Debtor is August 3, 2015.

• If you were sexually abused by any person connected with the debtor, then you must file a claim by August 3, 2015. Sexual abuse, as used in this notice, includes molestation, rape, undue familiarity, sexually-related physical, psychological or emotional harm, or contacts or interactions of a sexual nature between a child and an adult, or a non-consenting adult and another adult.

• If you are a person, entity, or Governmental Unit (as defined by Bankruptcy Code § 101(27)), and claim any right to payment or to an equitable remedy for breach of performance if such breach gives rise to a right to payment, then you must file a claim by August 3, 2015.

YOU MUST ACT NOW TO PRESERVE YOUR RIGHTS For more information on how to obtain and file a proof of claim and associated documents please: (a) visit the debtor’s website at http://information. archspm.org/; (b) visit the website of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota at http://www.mnb.uscourts.gov; (c) call the Debtor’s toll-free hotline at 866-868-4808; or (d) call the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors appointed in this case at 612-335-1407.

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

U.S. & World

10

USCCB president calls SCOTUS marriage ruling ‘tragic error’ Catholic News Service

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called the Supreme Court’s June 26 marriage ruling “a tragic error” and he urged Catholics to move forward with faith “in the unchanging truth about marriage being between one man and one woman.”

“Regardless of what a narrow majority of the Supreme Court may declare at this moment in history, the nature of the human person and marriage remains unchanged and unchangeable,” said How does the Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Supreme Court Kentucky. ruling affect the “It is profoundly immoral and unjust for Church? Read the government to analysis on declare that two people of the same sex can page 15. constitute a marriage,” he said.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court June 26 said samesex marriage is constitutional nationwide.

“Just as Roe v. Wade did not settle the question of abortion over 40 years ago,” when it legalized abortion in the U.S. virtually on demand, Obergefell v. Hodges “does not settle the question of marriage today,” Archbishop Kurtz said.

“Neither decision is rooted in the truth, and as a result, both will eventually fail,” he added.

The court had several marriage

An opponent of same-sex marriage protests outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington June 18. The court’s opinion came down in favor of redefining marriage June 26. CNS cases to consider and bundled them under the title of the Ohio case, Obergefell v. Hodges. That case arose after the October 2013 death of John Arthur of Cincinnati. He and his longtime partner, James Obergefell, had married earlier that year in Maryland. When the local Ohio registrar agreed to list Obergefell as the surviving spouse on Arthur’s death certificate — which is key to a range of survivor’s benefits — the state attorney general challenged the status because Ohio law bars same-sex marriages.

The other cases included: Tanco v. Haslam, the Tennessee case, and Bourke v. Beshear, the Kentucky case, which similarly challenged those states’ refusal to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, and DeBoer v.

Snyder, the Michigan adoption case.

“The unique meaning of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is inscribed in our bodies as male and female,” Archbishop Kurtz said in his statement. “The protection of this meaning is a critical dimension of

the ‘integral ecology’ that Pope Francis has called us to promote.

“Mandating marriage redefinition across the country is a tragic error that harms the common good and most vulnerable among us, especially children. The law has a duty to support every child’s basic right to be raised, where possible, by his or her married mother and father in a stable home.”

The archbishop said the U.S. bishops will continue to teach as Jesus did. Christ taught “with great love” and “unambiguously that from the beginning marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman,” he added.

Archbishop Kurtz encouraged Catholics “to move forward with faith, hope and love: faith in the unchanging truth about marriage, rooted in the immutable nature of the human person and confirmed by divine revelation; hope that these truths will once again prevail in our society, not only by their logic, but also by their great beauty and manifest service to the common good; and love for all our neighbors, even those who hate us or would punish us for our faith and moral convictions.”

He urged all people of goodwill to join the Catholic Church “in proclaiming the goodness, truth and beauty of marriage as rightly understood for millennia, and I ask all in positions of power and authority to respect the God-given freedom to seek, live by and bear witness to the truth.”

Pope’s visits to Cuba, U.S. to highlight families, charity, tolerance

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service In word and deed, Pope Francis will take his vision of a Catholic’s approach to family life, parish life, charity, economics, immigration and good governance to Cuba and the United States during a Sept. 19-27 visit.

Visiting both Cuba and the United States on the same trip not only acknowledges his role in encouraging detente between them, but also will give Pope Francis an opportunity to demonstrate that while different political and cultural challenges face Catholics in both countries, the Gospel and its values are the same.

On June 30, the Vatican published the detailed schedule of Pope Francis’ Sept. 19-22 visit to Cuba and his Sept. 22-27 visit to the United States.

For Pope Francis, one of the key values Catholics in the U.S. and Cuba share is the obligation to “go out,” proclaiming the Gospel and bringing God’s mercy to the poorest and most disadvantaged people.

The standard of living in the United States may be exponentially higher than in Cuba, but in Pope Francis’ vision that only increases the responsibility of U.S. Catholics to reach out and to share. He will demonstrate what he means when he meets homeless people in Washington Sept. 24, children and immigrant families at a Catholic school in Harlem when he visits New York Sept. 25, and prisoners Sept.

27 in Philadelphia.

The closing Mass for the World Meeting of Families will follow the papal meeting with prisoners. The World Meeting of Families international congress

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

A man holds Cuba’s flag in the crowd as Pope Francis arrives to lead his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican May 27. The pope will visit Cuba Sept. 19-22 before his visit to the United States. CNS Sept. 22-25 and the celebration of families with the pope Sept. 26-27 were the initial reasons for the papal visit.

With the Catholic Church’s constant concern for promoting strong families and with the world Synod of Bishops on the family set to start one week after the papal visit, marriage and family life are expected to be topics throughout the pope’s visit to both Cuba and the United States.

Long before the Vatican released the full trip

itinerary, it had confirmed certain parts of it: U.S. President Barack Obama will welcome the pope to the White House Sept. 23; that afternoon, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and canonize Blessed Junipero Serra; the pope will address a joint meeting of Congress Sept. 24, becoming the first pope to do so; and Pope Francis will address the U.N. General Assembly Sept. 25. It is thought the pope may bring up some of the points he made in his recent environmental encyclical, “Laudato Si’,” given that world nations will come together just a few months later for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in the hopes of reaching global agreement on reducing greenhouse gases.

The pope also is expected to emphasize the contributions of U.S. Catholics to society, defend religious liberty and support the Church’s right to uphold its teaching, including in its employment practices. He will use his visit to ground zero in New York as an occasion for an interreligious gathering.

The pope will spend three days in Cuba visiting three different cities, including the popular Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.

He will hold the usual meetings with President Raul Castro, young people, families and religious as well as celebrate Mass and vespers all three days. But he also will bless the cities of Holguin and Santiago de Cuba — blessing Holguin from a panoramic hilltop and pilgrimage site called Cross Hill.

It will be his third visit to the Americas after Brazil in 2013 and Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay in July, and his 10th trip abroad since his election in 2013.

11 VATICAN CITY

The working document for this fall’s Synod of Bishops on the family called for expanded discussion and pastoral solutions to challenges such as how economic disparity and environmental degradation affect families, and the impact of infertility, aging and disability. The Church seeks to address the situation of today’s families, who are “all in need of mercy, beginning with those who a re suffering the most,” the document said. The Vatican released the 77-page document, called an “instrumentum laboris” June 23 in Italian. Translations into other languages are coming. Pope Francis convoked the Synod of Bishops on the family for Oct. 4-25; it is the conclusion of a process that included a discussion within the College of Cardinals and an extraordinary Synod of Bishops last October.

Pope creates new department to streamline Vatican communications In an effort to render the Vatican more effective in today’s digital

TOPEKA, Kansas

Block on Kansas law said to leave unborn ‘vulnerable to painful death’ A Kansas District Court judge granted a temporary injunction June 25 against Kansas’ Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, which was to take effect July 1. The law bans the dilation and evacuation abortion procedure — which pro-life advocates describe as “dismemberment” — that is

commonly used during the second trimester of pregnancy. “Today’s injunction leaves unborn children vulnerable to painful death by dismemberment,” said Mary Spaulding Balch, National Right to Life’s director of state legislation.

“The fact that the practice of dismembering an innocent, living unborn child is legally protected killing should outrage people everywhere,” she said.

“Dismembering living unborn children needs to be outlawed.”

Based on model legislation from National Right to Life, the measure was passed overwhelmingly by both houses of the Kansas Legislature earlier this year and was signed into law by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. The Center for Reproductive Rights filed suit against the law. The injunction blocking it will stay in place while the judge, Shawnee County District Court Judge Larry Hendricks, considers the lawsuit further.

WASHINGTON

5th Circuit says HHS accommodation on mandate not a burden on religion The religious rights of faithbased entities — including the dioceses of Fort Worth and Beaumont, Texas, and the University of Dallas — are not

substantially burdened by the process to receive an accommodation from the federal government to avoid participating in a health care mandate for contraceptive coverage, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled June 22. The ruling consolidated cases involving the two Catholic dioceses, the Catholic University of Dallas, Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas and Fort Worth, as well as East Texas Baptist University, Houston Baptist University and the Pennsylvaniabased Westminster Theological Seminary. The case is similar to that of the Little Sisters of the Poor, which is challenging the same regulation. That case is awaiting a ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where it was argued last December. In the latest ruling, the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit reversed Texas federal courts that had said the Religious Freedom Restoration Act protects the institutions from complying with the process by which they could avoid providing contraceptive coverage in health insurance. The lower courts had granted injunctions blocking the requirement for the organizations to file certain paperwork to qualify for an accommodation designed by the Department of Health and Human Services for faith-based entities that don’t qualify for an automatic exemption.

U.S. & World

Outline for synod on family calls for look at trials families face

world, Pope Francis established a new Secretariat for Communications, whose aim is to coordinate and streamline the Holy See’s multiple communications outlets. The development of digital media, with its converging technologies and interactive capabilities, “requires a rethinking of the information system of the Holy See,” the pope wrote. This “reorganization,” he wrote, “must proceed decisively toward integration and a unified management” so that “the communication system of the Holy See will respond in an ever more efficacious manner to the needs of the mission of the Church.” Pope Francis established the new secretariat with an apostolic letter given “motu proprio” (on his own initiative), dated June 27.

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

12

‘His hobby is people’

Archbishop Bernard Hebda greets a young girl when the cathedral in Gaylord, Michigan, was dedicated to St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel July 16, 2012.

Courtesy the Diocese of Gaylord

Archbishop Hebda and a priest pose for a photo Nov. 5, 2013, following a Mass of welcome fo Newark. Archbishop Hebda, recently named apostolic administrator for the Archdiocese of S appointed him coadjutor of Newark, where he automatically succeeds Archbishop John Mye

Archbishop Hebda, a shepherd living among the flock

By Christina Capecchi For The Catholic Spirit onths after newly elected Pope Francis moved into a modest Vatican guesthouse in lieu of the Apostolic Palace, Newark’s new coadjutor, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, made a similar choice, declining a comfortable seminary residence and settling into a one-bedroom dorm.

“It’s a dormitory,” said Peter DeMarais, who was also living at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, at the time and now serves as associate mission center director of St. Paul’s Outreach in Minnesota. “It’s not mahogany.

It has that white carpet that’s never really white but kind of brown-gray.”

Archbishop Hebda embraces Pope Francis’ exhortation that priests be “shepherds living with the smell of the sheep,” several people close to the archbishop told The Catholic Spirit. For the Pennsylvania native with blue-collar roots and a Harvard education, a man who became a lawyer before he entered seminary, dorm living was an attractive alternative.

It meant he got to rub elbows with students every morning while he waited in line for coffee at the campus Dunkin’ Donuts and hear about their days when he joined them for night prayer in Xavier Hall.

This is a bishop who loves to be among the people — slipping into a table in the back corner of a reception hall rather than the reserved seat up front, sliding into a shadowed pew at Mass rather than concelebrating on the altar, joining a

M

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

group of catechists at a picnic after completing his many duties.

“His hobby is people,” said Father Louis Vallone, who is pastor of two parishes in the Pittsburgh diocese and has known Archbishop Hebda since he was a seminarian in the mid-’80s.

“His ambition was always simply to be a pastor.

Everything that’s in his portfolio is not what he sought out but what, as a good son of the Church, he responded to when asked.”

New York Times article he had read on genetics.

As bishop of Gaylord, Michigan, he secured a grant to enroll his priests in the Catholic Leadership Institute’s “Good Leaders, Good Shepherds” training program and attended all but one of the 28 sessions with them. The night of his sole missed session, he asked an instructor to brief him on what was covered.

Perpetual student

Archbishop Hebda was ordained a priest in 1989 by then-Bishop of Pittsburgh Donald Wuerl, who is now a cardinal and head of the Archdiocese of Washington. Cardinal Wuerl tapped him to be the face of the diocese in 1990 by serving as master of ceremonies for liturgical events such as confirmations.

“He has the warmest sense of humor. He’s just nice to people,” Cardinal Wuerl said. “When the bishop comes to the parish for a confirmation or some parish celebration, people tend to be a little nervous because they want everything to work just perfectly, and [then] Father Hebda had a way of making them feel at ease and letting them know everything was fine.”

Cardinal Wuerl said he enjoyed the priest’s company as they drove around the diocese and his ability to sniff out a good frozen-custard joint on the way home. The fact that he was not legalistic or bookish but such a people person is why the cardinal encouraged him to study canon law in Rome, completing a licentiate at the

When you’re around him, lay Catholics say, you forget he’s an archbishop; his self-deprecating humor and warm demeanor melt your inhibitions. He jokes about his weight and banters about the New York Mets. “He’s so funny you feel like he’s been your friend for 20 years,” said Carla Repollet, executive director of Newark’s development and stewardship office. “You want to tease him back.”

But he doesn’t skate by on charm. He does his homework. In a meeting on his first day as Newark’s coadjutor, Archbishop Hebda shared statistics on archdiocesan seminarians, recalled Newark Auxiliary Bishop Manuel Cruz. “He’s a man who takes things very seriously and pays attention and learns,” he said, adding that Archbishop Hebda is sensitive to other cultures and reads Spanish in a superb Mexican accent.

The archbishop’s humility and curiosity make him a perpetual student. He once asked a biology major at Seton Hall University to weigh in on a

Putting others at ease

Pontifical Gregori “You precisely w the law as the end The Catholic Spir something that h saying, ‘Law with Those who hav up close praise his information. “He me from time to t on something,” C able to say, ‘You k that.’ I always wel found that very h Father Vallone thinks everything input from any di up to him becaus personality. But th sit down and use brainpower to org prioritize, then he responding to it. Y from him.”

Collaborative s

As an archdioce Repollet found hi adversary. “He’ll s but this is how I f she said. She desc thoughtful and th

13 Coming full circle with St. Paul’s Outreach

By Christina Capecchi For The Catholic Spirit

Archbishop Hebda mingles with parishioners, including this young boy, from throughout the Diocese of Gaylord. He traveled to Gaylord to be in the grand parade for Alpenfest in 2012.

Courtesy the Diocese of Gaylord

or Archbishop Hebda at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in St. Paul and Minneapolis, had been bishop of Gaylord before Pope Francis ers, upon his retirement or death. CNS

ian University in 1990. want someone who doesn’t see d in itself,” Cardinal Wuerl told rit, “but the law is supposed to be helps all of us. The pope keeps hout mercy really isn’t the law.’” ve watched Archbishop Hebda is ability to gather and process e had a nice way of reminding time that he had a different view Cardinal Wuerl said. “He’d be know, there’s another way to see elcomed that, because I always helpful.” echoes that observation: “He g through. He’s very open to any direction. And people will open se he has that inviting hen when he takes it in, he will his not inconsiderable ganize, to sort through, to e’ll use his pastoral heart in You get the complete package

style

esan employee in Newark, im a true collaborator, never an say, ‘These are just suggestions, feel about what was written,’” cribes him as a leader who is horough.

Archbishop Hebda blesses a baby in the Diocese of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, during a trip to the country while serving as bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord. Courtesy the Diocese of Gaylord

Career snapshot Born in 1959, Archbishop Bernard Hebda grew up in Pittsburgh, earned a political science degree from Harvard and then studied law at Columbia. After working as an attorney for a year, he entered seminary, receiving most of his formation at the North American College in Rome.

He was ordained in 1989 for Pittsburgh and soon returned to Rome to finish studies in canon law. By 1990 he was back in Pittsburgh, and in the following six years gained a range of experience, from parish and college ministry to a role in the diocesan tribunal.

He returned to Rome in 1996 to work at the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, which interprets the Church’s laws. He was named the council’s undersecretary in 2003. Six years later, he was installed as bishop of Gaylord, Michigan, and then in 2013 was named coadjutor archbishop of Newark, positioned to lead the diocese upon the retirement of 73-year-old Archbishop John Meyers.

“Sometimes he’ll just pop into my office and say, ‘You know what, I was thinking more about this or that, and why don’t we do it that way?’

He’ll bring a different perspective,” she said. “Our development work has many layers, and I think he understands all those layers.”

At one parish gathering, Repollet said Archbishop Hebda offered to field people’s questions about Catholicism and made the rounds, table by table, making them comfortable asking anything and offering explanations that were charitable and clear. “He’s willing to sit down and have those deep conversations and say, ‘Whether you agree or not. . . .”

In doing so, Repollet said, he transcends liberal or conservative labels and brings healing to an increasingly polarized Church. She recalled a press conference where a reporter seemed to bait him by asking how he differed from his predecessor, Archbishop John Myers. His response: “I like to eat more than Archbishop Myers.”

He diffuses tension with humor but never sugar coats, Repollet added. As a preacher, Father Vallone said, he’s not afraid to challenge.

“He understands that preaching the Gospel has to involve the heart and the soul and the mind of a person, so when he preaches, he’s aiming for response, not acceptance,” he said. “That’s the difference in teaching and preaching. When you teach, you’re aiming for acceptance in what you’re teaching. When you’re preaching you aim for response.”

All those talents equip him well to guide the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis through a difficult juncture, Cardinal Wuerl said.

“I think the people of St. Paul-Minneapolis, when they come to know Archbishop Hebda, are going to see in him a real shepherd whom they can love,” he said.

“He’ll bring the healing and the grace,” Father Vallone said. “He’ll set you up for it. He’s the perfect choice for what you need at this moment.”

When Peter DeMarais met Archbishop Bernard Hebda in 2013, the graduate student introduced himself as a missionary with a Catholic formation program called St. Paul’s Outreach.

Not only did the name ring a bell with the archbishop, but the face also did.

“Oh, I remember you,” Archbishop Hebda replied. “You were on that retreat!”

That retreat had taken place in 2007, “Fan into Flame,” a St. Paul’s Outreach service led by the SPO lay team — then 19-year-old DeMarais among them — for some 200 seminarians, transitional deacons and priests in Rome.

DeMarais, a lifelong parishioner of St. Louis, King of France in St. Paul and a 2011 graduate of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, was floored that the archbishop remembered him.

Newark’s new coadjutor archbishop had participated in two SPO retreats during his time in Rome and expressed his appreciation for a retreat led by lay people offered for clergy. Once installed in Newark, he proceeded to be an enthusiastic SPO supporter, attending two benefits and visiting the men’s house for a steak dinner.

“It was like talking to a friend,” DeMarais said of his visit. “It was easy for the guys to see a holy life in a very personal way. There never was the pomp that is associated with a bishop.”

Now that Archbishop Hebda is serving the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, he finds himself in the city where SPO was founded and remains headquartered.

“It’s one of those connections you never could’ve planned, but I guess the Spirit is moving,” said Edward Moccia, senior mission director for St. Paul’s Outreach New Jersey.

The archbishop has a heart for college students, Moccia said. “I think he knows it’s an important time in a young person’s life.”

When they last met, Archbishop Hebda asked Moccia if SPO did any post-college work, perceiving the need to guide Catholics in their mid- and late-20s as they discern their vocations and set out to fulfill them.

In his characteristic good humor, the archbishop also teased the young dad when he learned that his office is bare bones and utilitarian, without a single photo. Moccia recalled Archbishop Hebda’s response: “You don’t have a picture of your kids in your office? I have a picture of your kids! I have your Christmas card on my desk!”

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Faith & Culture

14

Block Party about rock — and in this case — a ring

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit Katie Hayes was pulled into working on the very first Basilica Block Party in 1995.

William Ruoff, her future husband, didn’t show up until the event’s second year, but without the block party, there might never have been a Hayes-Ruoff wedding.

Nor scores of others.

Hayes shared in an email interview with The Catholic Spirit the story of how the annual block party outside the historic Minneapolis church — July 10-11 this year — played a role in their marriage.

Katie’s mother, Sue Hayes, was working with then-Basilica rector Father Michael O’Connell on duplicating the concept of the block party that had proved successful at Old St. Patrick’s, a parish near Chicago’s Loop that had found new life with an influx of young adults.

Father Jack Wall, Old St. Pat’s pastor, was serving as a resource for the Basilica when he said, “Kate, get involved in this event. You will be engaged within 18 months.”

“As a grateful Basilica parishioner, a former attendee of Old St. Pat’s Block Party, and great fan of both of these great priests, I

agreed to help recruit 250 volunteers for the first event,” Hayes recalled. “Thankfully, Father O’Connell had asked an amazing woman, Lisa Shaughnessy, to be my partner. We hit it off right away.”

Instead of getting 250 volunteers however, the pair’s responsibility grew to recruiting more than 1,400.

“We worked day and night for months,” Hayes remembered. The experience proved rewarding, and the two joined the Basilica’s New Member Dinner Committee.

One of the people Shaughnessy invited to join the Basilica parish was William Ruoff, a friend from college who had moved from Arizona to the Twin Cities seven months after the first block party.

Ruoff attended a new member dinner in February, 1996, and that’s when Katie met William.

“William came in and I could see that Lisa knew him,” Hayes recalled. “I said: ‘You never told me about him!’ I smiled at my handsome husband-to-be as they took his photograph as a new parishioner. The photo was between the pictures of two popes.”

Was it love at first sight?

“For me, yes,” Hayes said. “For

Katie Hayes and William Ruoff met as Basilica Block Party volunteers in 1995. Courtesy Katie Hayes him, he says yes, too.”

The couple both worked on the second Basilica Block Party and this year celebrated the 17th anniversary of their wedding — at the Basilica, of course — May 30.

They both work in sales and management and have three children: Michael, 16, Mary, 14, and Monica, 12. They’re now members of St. Victoria parish in Victoria, and no longer volunteer at the block party.

Hayes offered that working at the Basilica Block Party or similar volunteer activity is the kind of environment that nurtures relationships.

“First of all, out of giving, we receive,” she explained.

“When one volunteers, one is doing it from the heart. One is oneself with no agenda. One is hoping to do a good thing for the community and to do the right thing in God’s eyes,” she said.

Full of Catholic culture, Basilica Block Party aims to entertain, build community

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit

Join Us for a Complimentary

Breakfast on the Patio

July 15, 2015 9:00 am – 11:00 am

Senior Apartments · Assisted Living Memory Care · DayBridge Adult Day Program The Towers · 1011 Feltl Court · Hopkins, MN 55343 To RSVP, please call: 952-960-5558 www.StThereseSouthwest.com

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

“Shattered (Turn the Car Around)” and “Peace” are hit songs the throngs will want to hear at this year’s Basilica Block Party, and seeing top-flight groups like O.A.R. live is the big draw at the annual fundraiser for the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.

Now in its 21st year, the two-day block party — coming up July 10-11 — is one of the entertainment mainstays of summer in the Twin Cities, last year attracting some 25,000 people.

Attracting them to Catholic organizations is part of the marketing plan, too.

At one of the vendor booths, attendees will be able to get a photo of themselves with Pope Francis, thanks to Catholic United Financial, the regional nonprofit fraternal association based in Arden Hills.

At another booth, music fans will be able to check out volunteer opportunities available through communities of women and men religious in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The first 20 block parties have raised $5.2 million to help repair, restore and preserve the landmark church where Hennepin and Lyndale Avenues and 17th Street North converge on the western edge of downtown Minneapolis.

“Each year for the past 20 we’ve focused on whatever capital projects were a priority,” noted Emily Hjelm, who is executive director of The Basilica Landmark, the 501(c)(3) charitable organization missioned to preserve the

church and its campus.

“This year we are working on restoring the fourth floor of the Reardon Rectory,” Hjelm said. That space that has been used solely for storage will be turned into meeting rooms and an area for housing the Basilica’s archives and art collection.

Each year, 5 percent of revenue from the block party is earmarked to fund the Basilica’s St. Vincent de Paul Outreach, which annually serves 50,000 people, distributing shoes, bus cards, gas cards and thrift store vouchers for clothing and household needs.

“It’s important to continue to attract young people,” she said, and the Basilica Block Party is one way to do that. She called it “a gentle, subtle invitation” to people to learn more about the Catholic Church. “I was one of those people,” Hjelm said. “I wasn’t even Catholic when I started volunteering at the block party.

I am now, and I’m a member of the Basilica.”

The community-building aspect of the event is another intangible benefit.

“There’s something magical about 1,600 volunteers coming together over a beautiful July weekend to work at the event,” Hjelm said. “It’s memorable in a way nothing else is.

“Plus, we’re able to share a bit about our mission and the landmark in a way that’s hard to put a dollar amount on.

We will accept the dollars, though,” she added.

15

By Julie Asher Catholic News Service Analyzing the ramifications of the June 26 same-sex marriage ruling for the Catholic Church at the national, state and local levels will take time, said Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore.

It has implications for “hundreds, if not thousands” of laws at all levels, and there is “a difficult road ahead for people of faith,” he said.

Archbishop Lori, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, made the comments in a teleconference for news media held about three hours after the Supreme Court issued its 5-4 decision that states must license same-sex marriage.

Joining him in the media briefing were two members of the bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military, and Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas; and Anthony Picarello, associate general secretary and general counsel at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“Tragically, the court was wrong,” said Archbishop Broglio, adding that this is “not the first time” a “false understanding of marriage” has been forced on the country, as by lower court rulings.

“Clearly the decision was not required by the Constitution [and] the narrowness of the decision reveals it is not settled,” he continued. “Marriage is unchangeable.”

Echoing an earlier statement by Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, USCCB president, Archbishop Broglio said the Church will continue to follow Christ, “in solidarity with the pope,” in adhering to the Church’s teaching on marriage being between one man and one woman.

Archbishop Lori acknowledged that the court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges “makes a nod in the direction of religious liberty.”

But that, he said, is too narrow.

The ruling “recognizes free speech, the right of religion to teach or advocate with regard to the true definition of marriage, but it does not acknowledge [that] the First Amendment also protects freedom of religion and the right to follow our teaching,” he said.

Ministry implications Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, recognized in several places the role of religious beliefs in the questions surrounding same-sex marriage, saying that “it must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned.”

Kennedy also said in part that “those who believe allowing samesex marriage is proper or indeed

Analysis

Analyzing ruling’s implications will take time, Church officials say

Supporters of traditional marriage between a man and a woman rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington June 26, shortly before the justices handed down a 5-4 ruling that states must license same-sex marriages and must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. CNS essential, whether as a matter of religious conviction or secular belief, may engage those who disagree with their view in an open and searching debate.”

But Archbishop Lori said free speech is not at issue. Under the ruling, “we retain the right to think what we want at home and within the confines of the church” but it does not address the First Amendment’s guarantee to free exercise of religion. The Church should be able to operate “our ministries . . . without fear of being silenced, penalized,” he said.

Through social services, “we serve millions of people every day. We do it well, and we do it lovingly,” he added.

He foresees many legal challenges and controversies as the Church seeks to protect itself from the fallout of the marriage ruling by advocating at the federal, state and local levels for protections for its faith-based practices.

Some areas where there will be legal disputes, Picarello said, were outlined by Chief Justice John Roberts, including tax exemptions, campus housing, academic accreditation, employment and employee benefits.

The U.S. Catholic Church will have to look at internal ways to protect itself against legal challenges, Picarello said, and “advocate externally for legislation, regulation and, if necessary, litigation.”

Picarello said free speech protections for opponents of samesex marriage were already under attack. Within a couple of hours of the decision being issued, he said, a newspaper in Pennsylvania announced it will no longer accept commentary pieces criticizing same-

The ruling “recognizes free speech, the right of religion to teach or advocate with regard to the true definition of marriage, but it does not acknowledge [that] the First Amendment also protects freedom of religion and the right to follow our teaching.”

Archbishop William Lori

sex marriage.

“Some things will happen immediately,” as seen by that newspaper’s announcement, he said, and some will take time to unfold,” like challenges to churches receiving tax exemptions.

Another area that will require study, Archbishop Broglio said, is the military chaplaincy, because the Catholic priest-chaplains whom his archdiocese oversees also come under civil authorities.

Clear teaching While polls show a majority of Catholics say they approve of samesex marriage, Catholic teaching is “never determined by numbers but by the truth,” Archbishop Broglio said. “We have to be faithful to the teaching of the Gospel.”

“In a pastoral context we respond to the individual in his or her need, and that’s quite different than what we teach concretely,” he added. The Church must make its “teaching on marriage very, very clear,” while at the same time be pastoral to individuals.

The Church teaches marriage is between a man and a woman and that sex outside marriage is a sin. At the same time the Church upholds

the human dignity of all people, Archbishop Lori said.

“It is evident we are living in an age of dramatic cultural shift,” said Bishop Flores, and the Church has to think about how to share its teaching and “announce the good news . . . as creatively as possible in current cultural context.”

But he added that the Church’s teaching on marriage “also has something to do with bringing children into the world” and about stable families. “We ought to have our eye not on ourselves or our own emotional needs . . . but the needs of the young.”

Bishop Flores said rhetoric such as calling opponents of same-sex marriage bigots is used at times “to avoid understanding the rationale” of what the Church teaches.

“For our part we have to be prepared for that kind of rhetoric and simply respond with charitable but persuasive” explanations of the Church’s rationale and what the word “marriage” means and the way it has been understood for millennia, he added.

Archbishop Broglio added that the Catholic Church survived the anti-Catholicism of the KnowNothing period, “so we will survive this.”

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Analysis

16 A sign greets visitors to the meditation garden at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, in this October 2014 photo. Pope Francis’ long-anticipated encyclical on the environment was released at the Vatican June 18. CNS

At the heart of ‘Laudato Si’’: Everything is connected

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service The earth, which was created to support life and give praise to God, is crying out with pain because human activity is destroying it, Pope Francis says in his longawaited encyclical, “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.”

All who believe in God and all people of good will have an obligation to take steps to mitigate climate change, clean the land and the seas, and start treating all of creation — including poor people — with respect and concern, he says in the document released at the Vatican June 18.

A lack of respect for creation is a lack of respect for God who created all that exists, the pope says.

In fact, he Local reaction continues, a person cannot Local experts, including Bishop claim to respect Donald Kettler of St. Cloud, nature while weighed in on the encyclical‘s supporting theological, political and abortion, nor personal implications hours after can one claim its June 18 release in a panel to be pro-life discussion hosted by the without a Minnesota Catholic Conference. commitment to Christopher Thompson, dean reversing of the St. Paul Seminary School damage to the of Divinity, described the environment. encyclical as “a moral and With spiritual document” that intends unusually blunt to convoke a “profound language for a conversion.” papal • Read the story at document, the http://bit.ly/1KkScjG. pope decries centuries of • Read “Laudato Si’” online at exploiting the http://bit.ly/1Gi1BTu. earth, exploiting other people and acting as if the point of human life is to buy and consume as much as possible.

“The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,” the pope writes in the document.

While acknowledging science is not the Catholic Church’s area of expertise, Pope Francis says “a very solid scientific consensus” points to global warming and indicates “human activity” has seriously

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

contributed to it, threatening the planet and all life on it.

Situating ecology firmly within Catholic social teaching, Pope Francis not only insists that wealthier nations — which have contributed more to despoiling the earth — must bear more of the costs of remedying the damage, but he also calls for their solidarity with the poorest of the earth. He urges generosity in transferring clean technology, protecting small farms, opening access to markets and protecting people’s jobs.

Quoting St. John Paul II and a constant theme of the Church’s social doctrine, Pope Francis says the Church recognizes the “legitimate right” to private property, but that right is never “absolute or inviolable,” since the goods of the earth were created to benefit all.

Regarding pollution and environmental destruction in general, he says it is important to acknowledge “the human origins of the ecological crisis,” and while ecology is not only a religious concern, those who believe in God should be especially passionate on the subject because they profess the divine origin of all creation.

Pope Francis singles out for special praise Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who has made environmental theology a key topic of his research and teaching since the early 1990s. Before the encyclical’s release, the pope told a group of priests that he had asked the patriarch to join him for the public presentation of the encyclical, but the patriarch had a scheduling conflict and so sent one of his top theologians, Metropolitan John of Pergamon.

People are fooling themselves, Pope Francis says in the document, if they think “things do not look that serious, and the planet could continue as it is for some time.”

Such people in all honesty are giving themselves permission to carry on with their current lifestyles and habits; their attitude is “self-destructive,” he says.

In large sections of the

encyclical, Pope Francis’ language is poetic, echoing the tone of St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Creatures,” which is the source of the “laudato si’” (praised be you) in the encyclical’s title. He quotes a large part of the hymn of praise in a section on the place of each creature in the harmony of creation. The canticle is most famous for its references to “Brother Sun,” “Sister Moon” and “our sister, Mother Earth.”

But, the pope says, “sister earth” is crying out, “pleading that we take another course” marked by healing and protecting the earth and all its inhabitants.

While Christians cannot “put all living beings on the same level nor . . . deprive human beings of their unique worth and the tremendous responsibility it entails,” St. Francis’ hymn expresses the truth that God is creator of all things, that every part of creation speaks of God’s love and power and that every created being is part of an interdependent whole, the pope writes.

“Everything is related,” the pope says, “and we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God has for each of his creatures and which also unites us in fond affection with brother sun, sister moon, brother river and mother earth.”

In the document, Pope Francis calls on national governments and the leaders of international institutions to be serious and courageous in adopting strict measures to slow and reverse global warming, protect the rain forests and ensure the availability of clean water for all. Courage will be needed, he says, to adopt policies that initially may slow the pace of economic growth, but which will be farsighted in ensuring a future for their voters, their voters’ grandchildren and all humanity.

“We know that technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels — especially coal, but also oil and, to a lesser degree, gas — needs to be progressively

replaced without delay,” he says.

But he also calls on every Catholic and all people of good will to do their part by, for example, using only non-polluting detergents, recycling paper, using public transportation and putting on a sweater instead of raising the heat in the winter.

And he urges Catholics to return to the practice of saying grace before meals, a habit that reminds them regularly that the food they are about to eat is a gift that comes from the earth and from God. At the end of the document, Pope Francis offers two prayers he composed himself: “A Prayer for Our Earth” and “A Christian Prayer in Union with Creation.”

In the encyclical, Pope Francis urges Catholics to cultivate simplicity; it is good for the soul and for the planet, he says. “A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment,” the pope writes.

The encyclical presents the vision of an “integral ecology” that highlights not only the interconnectedness of all created life, but also recognizes how political, economic, social and religious values and decisions are interrelated and impact the way people live with one another on the planet and use its resources.

“A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings,” Pope Francis insists.

For example, he says, “it is clearly inconsistent to combat trafficking in endangered species while remaining completely indifferent to human trafficking, unconcerned about the poor, or undertaking to destroy another human being deemed unwanted.”

“Everything is connected,” the pope writes. “Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.”

17

By Jim West Catholic News Service

NOTICE

Sister Maria Walburga Schortemeyer is at home wading through the mud and manure of a barnyard in boots, work pants, a fleece jacket, and her white veil.

Minutes later, in the blackand-white habit of a Benedictine nun, she is equally at home singing psalms and praying the Divine Office in a chapel with other nuns.

Sister Maria Walburga is the ranch manager at the Abbey of St. Walburga in Virginia Dale, Colorado. The town sits in the arid and isolated foothills of the Rocky Mountains, almost within shouting distance of the Wyoming border.

This community of 24 Benedictine nuns is a semicloistered contemplative order.

They view their main work as prayer, coming together in the chapel seven times a day. What makes them unusual is their ranch. They raise beef cattle on 250 acres that they own and another 1,500 acres where they have grazing rights.

The abbey was originally established in Boulder in 1935

by Benedictines from Eichstatt, Germany, who fled Adolf Hitler’s growing power. Benedictines have always been associated with agriculture, and the Boulder

community established a dairy farm and grew alfalfa, corn, oats and barley for the cows. When the abbey needed to expand and with Boulder growing into a crowded city, the sisters moved to Virginia Dale in 1997 on land donated by a Denver couple.

As they moved, the sisters transitioned from raising dairy cattle to beef. They keep 40 female cows and a few bulls and steers. Calves stay until they are ready for slaughter at 2 years old. The cows all have names, which Sister Maria Walburga maintains is not an issue when it’s time for slaughter. The processing is contracted out to a commercial operation.

St. Benedict said to treat everything “as vessels of the altar,” she explained in an interview for Catholic News Service. The nuns treat the animals with reverence, she said, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be consumed. “We feel God gave them for the use of man.”

Treating the animals with reverence, said Mother Maria Michael Newe, the abbess, means not “pumping in hormones and things of that nature to make them be more than they are supposed to be, and just for the pure purpose of using them for money.” The abbey’s beef is in such demand that it can only be purchased

when an existing client drops off the customer list.

Besides cattle and chickens, the sisters also keep bees, raise water buffalo and a few llamas, and have five cats. The llamas guard the cattle from mountain lions.

It is not a life for slackers. The sisters’ day is governed by the Benedictine philosophy of “ora et labora,” or “pray and work.”

“The majority of people in the world, including Third World countries, do some kind of agriculture to support themselves,” Sister Maria Walburga explained. “Our prayer (is) in sync with what so many people are doing just to survive.”

Consecrated Life

Benedictine nuns make their home on the range

From left, Sister Maria Walburga Schortemeyer, ranch manager, and Sister Maria Gertrude, try to convince a calf named Cracker Jack to drink milk from a bottle on the ranch at the Abbey of St. Walburga in Virginia Dale, Colorodo. CNS

Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from SECONG HARVEST HEARTLAND in some copies of this issue.

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

This Catholic Life • Commentary

18 TWENTY SOMETHING Christina Capecchi

Drinking with the saints, reclaiming Catholic merriment The mention of booze generates a look of horror among many of the non-drinkers living and working alongside Michael P. Foley in Waco, Texas, where the Catholic dad teaches at a dry Baptist college.

There’s a “skittishness,” he says.

So Michael was prepared to raise eyebrows with his new book, “Drinking with the Saints: The Sinner’s Guide to a Happy Holy Hour,” a first-of-its-kind Catholic bartender’s guide pairing feast days with related cocktails. The cover alone — an image of a cardinal raising a brandy — gives locals pause. Isn’t that offensive?

Shouldn’t I be offended?

There wasn’t much to lose then, Michael figured, given the chance to present his book to the famously conservative Cardinal Raymond Burke between sessions at a June conference on the sacred liturgy.

“I wasn’t sure how he’d react,”

Michael says, “but I thought, ‘What the heck!’ and gave him a copy, and he giggled with delight. There was such a boyish innocence to his reaction.”

The marriage of faith and drink dates back to the very beginning of Catholicism, from Jesus’ first miracle and the sacred offering of eucharistic wine to the medieval monasteries that gave birth to modern brewing. “The Catholic contribution to the spirits world,” Michael writes in the book’s foreword, “is almost as impressive as its contribution to the spirit world.”

He’s quick to point out that such drinking is meant to savor and celebrate, not blur or black out. It’s part of an integrated Catholic worldview. “Living sacramentally means participating in the sacraments of the Church,” Michael tells me, “but it also means seeing all realities as sacramental, including

“The Christian life is the life of joy. This book is not for partiers. It’s for people to be joyful.

We Catholics have a great deal to be joyful about.”

Michael P. Foley

what one eats and drinks.”

The art of Catholic merriment was on vibrant display as Michael grew up, gathering with his big French Canadian extended family for holidays, watching Uncle Claude grab his guitar and belt out “Okie from Muskogee.” This was the uncle who worked as a homicide detective for the LAPD and, in his spare time, mimeographed a campfire songbook for his kin, a street-smart Catholic who held fast to the healing power of family and fellowship.

Now 45 and juggling a demanding academic career while raising six kids, Michael makes it a priority to mix a martini, invoke a saint and reconnect with his wife

when he gets home from work.

“All it takes is one toast to make your amorphous get-together an event,” he writes in “Drinking with the Saints,” sharing a handful of tongue-tickling toasts, including Latin, Italian and Spanish phrases.

Here, he suggests, young Catholic foodies could take note. “While I’m impressed with the discerning palette of the upcoming generation, the one area where they could use some work is the toast.”

Besides creating 28 original drinks for his book, which contains nearly 350 cocktails, Michael was exhaustive in his research of the saints. He has great affection for St. Philip Neri, the zany 16thcentury priest who would shave half his beard for comedic effect. “He knew how to get his ego out of the way and let the Holy Spirit guide the situation,” Michael says. As a father of teenage girls, that means resisting the urge to be an expert in their complicated social dramas and instead offer support by simply listening and loving.

“The Christian life is the life of joy,” he says. “This book is not for partiers. It’s for people to be joyful.

We Catholics have a great deal to be joyful about.”

Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights and the editor of SisterStory.org.

The clergy and people of Plymouth Church extend love and best wishes to our friend the Rev. Michael O’Connell.

We are certain that though he may retire, he will continue to do God’s work.

Plymouth Congregational ChurCh Minneapolis

WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Commentary/idea/opinion? Call 651-291-4444 or email: catholicspirit@archspm.org

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

19

Michelle Neitzke

Finding hope amid upheaval I woke up the morning of June 10, and in typical morning fashion, I scrolled my newsfeed. The first story I came across was the news that both Archbishop John Nienstedt and Bishop Lee Piché had resigned. I then read the comments that followed. Some were of those who had been advocating (and hoping) for resignation, and others were from those who felt they were mourning the loss of their shepherds.

I then began to examine my own conscience. I asked myself: “What opinion do I have of this situation?

What opinion should I have? I work in the trenches of the Church daily.

My co-workers, our parishioners, the teens I serve — they will be talking, and Michelle, you need to be ready.

You need an opinion — and a good, well-articulated one! What will you say if someone asks you if it was right that they resigned?”

After some self-reflection, I

realized I didn’t have all the answers I wanted. I want to believe that truth will have its reign, that justice will be made known and that mercy will follow. I want to trust the decision of the bishops who resigned and that they were cooperating with their consciences.

I want to trust that the Holy Spirit will appoint the right bishop to serve our archdiocese.

As of yet, those were the only conclusions I could come to. I resolved that this situation was, in a way, beyond me. I want answers just as much as the next person, but as of now, I still remain a spectator.

The questions that became pertinent to me were: How do I minister to the faithful who may be confused or hurt? How do I as a faithful daughter of the Church, speak hope and truth to a local Church that is bruised and hurting?

How do I show them that I have trust and faith in the Church, the

“Hope demands that we trust not in ourselves, but in the power of God.” Michelle Neitzke

hierarchy, and the office of the episcopate, but yet at the same time realize the humanity and frailty of those who are appointed?

How do I show them that the Church is constant, strong and as history shows, capable of enduring a storm? How do I tell of a God who is full of mercy and who weeps with those who weep, a God whose heart beats with love and bleeds with compassion for his children?

In these times of turmoil, angst and scandal, it is easy to look to the outside for answers and consolation. The answers do not come from the outside, but from the inside, and not even within those who hold offices in the Church, but in the Church herself, and how she prevails against the cursory and transient epochs of her

time here on earth.

I believe that there is hope amidst upheaval and that the Church will endure.

The Church can withstand this, but not because of the actions of man, but by the power of Christ and what is promised to us. The Church is not merely an institution — who is certainly subject to the struggle and sins of her human members — but a body of believers, who groan and travail until our final sanctification.

Hope is not mere sentimentality but a virtue, which certainly requires humility and trust. Hope demands that we trust not in ourselves, but in the power of God. Hope is not weak, but rooted in an expectant faith. Hope believes God will deliver what he has promised.

We hope in the glory to come, but are also aware that this glory can be present here and now. Just as the sun peeks rays of its light, God will show his glory through cloudy and dim circumstances. He will make things new.

My prayers are with the Church, and those who are confused, suffering, hurt and lost.

This Catholic Life • Commentary

GUEST COMMENTARY

Neitzke is the director of senior high faith formation at All Saints in Lakeville.

Fr. Theodore Campbell Best wishes on your retirement and God Bless you as you continue the work of Christ!

Maxine, Megan, Patrick and Sue Hamilton and family

Council 13506 Knights of Columbus wishes to thank Rev. Theodore Campbell

for his 31 years of service to

Good Shepherd Parish Good Shepherd Church

The Interfaith Downtown Clergy of Minneapolis thank

Father Michael O’Connell

for his outstanding leadership in our city.

Well done, good and faithful servant!

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Focus on Faith

20 Sunday, July 5

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Deacon Kyle Kowalczyk

Readings

• Ezekiel 2:2-5 • 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 • Mark 6:1-6a

Have faith: God uses our lowliness for greatness Galileans apparently spoke with a really strong accent. It was probably an accent similar in Israel to a southern accent here in Minnesota: the type of accent at which one likes to poke fun.

Nathaniel was from Galilee (Cana, to be precise), but is found in John 1:46 making fun of Nazareth, also in Galilee, a little to the south: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathaniel is apparently stating a common claim that Nazareth is the lowest of the low.

Perhaps it was adding insult to injury when Pontius Pilot included the title “Nazarene” on the sign above Christ’s cross.

Perhaps this is what the Nazarenes were reacting to in the Gospel reading for July 5. They took offense at Jesus because they knew where he was from. They couldn’t grasp the fact that the messiah would come from such a laughable village.

Of course, one of the great mysteries of Christianity is that God raises up the lowly. The Bible is full of such episodes from Abraham to Gideon and from Mary to the apostles. It is comical to think of these fishermen from Galilee preaching the Gospel in their “southern” accents. Yet this is how God operates.

This requires faith on our part.

The problem with the Nazarenes was not their lowliness, but rather their lack of confidence in God’s ability to use their lowliness for his glory. The problem with the Nazarenes was they had no faith: “He was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mark 6:6). (If there’s anything you don’t want to hear the Lord say, it is how amazed he is at your lack of faith!)

St. Paul, on the other hand, gets it: “I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.” He understands that it is through his weakness, not through his strength, that God will exercise his power. It is unclear as to what this “thorn in the flesh” was for St. Paul. It could have been a

physical ailment, some sort of external persecution, or even an internal struggle with temptation toward a certain sin. Whatever the case, all of the above are possibilities for us, and all of the above are true for us. That is, whatever is making us lowly is something worth bragging about, because in all likelihood, God will do something amazing with it.

The Nazarenes missed their opportunity. They missed the opportunity to have God do something great for them and through them. If they had reveled in their lowliness instead of spurning it, who knows what Jesus would have done. For our part, we must avoid thinking the good we do is from us, but we must also avoid thinking God is unable to exercise his power through our lowliness.

Deacon Kowalczyk is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. His teaching parish is Annunciation in Minneapolis. His home parish is St. Joseph in West St. Paul.

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, July 5 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Ezekiel 2:2-5 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Mark 6:1-6a

Wednesday, July 8 Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a Matthew 10:1-7 Thursday, July 9 Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5 Matthew 10:7-15

Monday, July 6 Genesis 28:10-22a Matthew 9:18-26

Friday, July 10 Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30 Matthew 10:16-23

Tuesday, July 7 Genesis 32:23-33 Matthew 9:32-38

Saturday, July 11 St. Benedict, abbot Genesis 49:29-32; 50:15-26a Matthew 10:24-33

Sunday, July 12 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Amos 7:12-15 Ephesians 1:3-14 Mark 6:7-13

Wednesday, July 15 St. Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12 Matthew 11:25-27

Monday, July 13 Exodus 1:8-14, 22 Matthew 10:34 –11:1

Thursday, July 16 Exodus 3:13-20 Matthew 11:28-30

Tuesday, July 14 St. Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin Exodus 2:1-15a Matthew 11:20-24

Friday, July 17 Exodus 11:10—12:14 Matthew 12:1-8

SEEKING ANSWERS Father Michael Schmitz

Guiding principles for parents Q. You said that you had practical

advice for parents. What kind of advice?

A. Parenting lessons from a priest!

What next? Poetry lessons from a computer programmer?

I’m not a father of small children. But I get to work with a lot of parents and their children, and I am the spiritual father to a lot of junior high, high school and college students. Because of that, I get to see the consequences of different parenting styles. Here are a few things that I have observed and a few questions that are worth asking.

Why do you have the rules that you have? I once trained with an organization called the National Outdoor Leadership School. The primary goal of July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

this group was to train people to survive in the wilderness and to be able to teach others to do the same. The founder was a unique man named Paul Pezoldt. One of his sayings was “rules are for fools.”

For those of us in our late teens and early 20s participating in this school, the idea was quite appealing. But thinking back, they had plenty of rules. The National Outdoor Leadership School embraced the principles of “Leave No Trace” and minimal impact camping.

When it came to mountaineering, they were incredibly serious and disciplined regarding exactly how we climbed or rappelled mountain faces.

This school used rules, but they prided themselves on this fact: None of the rules were arbitrary. They were based on sound wilderness and climbing safety principles.

There were good reasons for their existence.

It is often easier to have arbitrary rules when it comes to families or companies or parishes. These can even be good rules.

Having a bedtime, getting homework done or completing chores before playtime are all good, but at some point those rules will come into conflict with some other good. At some point, young people will push back against these rules.

That is only natural.

Here is the issue: If you don’t know why a rule exists, you will find yourself trapped by it. First, as your children begin to think critically, they will want to know the “why” behind the rule. If you don’t know why, you can’t tell them why. Second, if there is no known “why,” when negotiation is necessary (and you have probably discovered that there are times when it is necessary) the negotiation is based off how much sleep you got the previous night, not necessarily on what is best or most fair.

Third, when your rules are arbitrary, it is really difficult to know why you are enforcing them at any given moment.

I’m sure that every parent has had those times when you just “let it slide this one time.” That’s probably fine, but wouldn’t

Saturday, July 18 Exodus 12:37-42 Matthew 12:14-21 Sunday, July 19 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 23:1-6 Ephesians 2:13-18 Mark 6:30-34

you rather have a reason why you enforce the rule this time and don’t enforce it another time? When rules grow out of intentional principles, they may still be challenged or broken, but you will not have any doubt about whether they should be there.

We want a personal life committed to excellence and holiness. I think that all parents learn (like all priests quickly learn), that giftedness is limited. All parents make mistakes. No parent is perfect. People cannot merely parent out of their giftedness, they have to parent out of character. Therefore, while there is something incredibly valuable about growing in your parenting gifts and knowledge, one’s personal character is indispensable.

All parents get it wrong. But God is not calling you to parent out of fear of getting it wrong; he is calling you to parent out of a place of humble confidence and love. God has entrusted his children to your temporary care. Love them like he loves them.

Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reach him at fathermikeschmitz @gmail.com.

21 Parish events

Speaker on elder abuse issues — July 19: 12:30 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc, 44537 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis. Iris Freeman, director of the Minnesota Elder Justice Center, specialist in area of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of elders and vulnerable adults. Free.

St. Jerome 75th anniversary — Aug. 9: 1-4 p.m., St. Jerome, 380 E. Roselawn, Maplewood. Music, food, beverages.

Parish festivals St. Mary of Czestochowa Country Festival — July 19: 10 a.m. Mass, dinner served 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. (air-conditioned dining), 1 p.m. cemetery prayer service; authentic Polish pancakes, prizes, games, music, country store and silent auction at St. Mary of Czestochowa Church, 1867 95th St. SE, Delano. Information: pastorboniface@mediacombb.net or (952) 446-1054 ext. 22.

Retreats Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend — July 17-19: At Christ the King Retreat House, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. Information: www. twincitieswwme.org or Kelly Griffin, grif0232@aol.com or (651) 306-3830.

Separated/divorced retreat — July 24-26: Sponsored by St. Michael Parish, St. Michael, at Christ the King Retreat House, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. $160. Information: Rene Blaeser (763) 497-8278 or rmblaeser@gmail.com or Deacon Greg Steele (763) 263-2450.

Schools St. Rose of Lima School 75th anniversary

A Summer Knight at Benilde-St. Margaret’s — July 7: 4-7 p.m., 2501 Hwy. 100, St. Louis Park. Food, games, fun for current, incoming and prospective students. Information: (952) 9154345 or email admissions@BSMschool.org.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s School open house — Aug. 4: 1:30-3:30 p.m., 2501 Hwy. 100, St. Louis Park. Information: (952) 915-4345 or email admissions@BSMschool.org.

Pizza with the Principal — Aug. 6: noon-1 p.m., St. Rose of Lima School, 2501 Hamline Ave., N., Roseville. To RSVP or to schedule a personal tour anytime, call (651) 646-3832.

Summer camp Little Flowers Girls Clubs — July 10-12: St. Michael, Pine Island. For girls age 5+ and their mothers. One of three national summer camps for Little Flowers Girls Clubs. $50 per person.

Information and registration: joan@beholdpublications.com or (866) 305-8362.

Young adults Outdoor sports night — every Friday evening through September: 6 p.m. to dark, Rahn Park, Eagan. Ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, soccer and other games. Ages 18 to 39 are welcome. Begin and end each night with prayer, continue fellowship at a nearby restaurant afterward.

Theology on Tap — Wednesday evenings June 17-July 22: 6:30 p.m. social hour, 7:30 p.m. speakers on faith and contemporary issues that directly affect young adults. Meet at O’Gara’s, 164 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul. Sponsored

by Cathedral Young Adults. Information: www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/cya.

CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication.

Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your press release.

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar: • Time and date of event.

• Full street address of event.

• Description of event.

• Contact information in case of questions: EMAIL: spiritcalendar@archspm.org. (No attachments, please.)

MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit • 244 Dayton Ave. • St. Paul, MN 55102.

Other events

Calendar

Nate Woodford benefit — July 11: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Road, Burnsville. Spaghetti and meatball dinner. Silent auction, music, games, entertainment and door prizes. $10 for 13 and older, $5 for 12 and younger. All proceeds go toward medical costs for Nate Woodford’s cancer treatment.

— Sept. 19-20: Reunion 4-9 p.m. Sept. 19, including rosary garden prayer service, Mass, dinner, music, children’s activities, 2072 Hamline Ave., N., Roseville. Annual Booster Club golf tournament 3 p.m. Sept. 20 at Cedarholm Golf Course. Information, RSVP at www.mysaintrose. net.

month of the Precious Blood of Jesus.

Art exhibit — July 3-Sept. 2: 9 a.m.6 p.m., Benedictine Center, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Art of Maggie Thompson, native American textile artist, part of “Art & Spirituality” series.

Prayer workshop — July 9: 7-9 p.m., St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood.

“Unceasing Prayer: An Introduction to Various Forms,” with Sister Meg Funk, OSB. Register online at www.stpaulsmonastery.org and click on Benedictine Center.

Information: (651) 777-7251 or email benedictinecenter@ stspaulsmonastery.org.

Cathedral Centennial Works of Mercy blood drive — July 10: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Cathedral of St. Paul parking lot, Summit and Selby Aves. Co-sponsored by students of St. Agnes Service Club during the

Dementia caregivers support group — July 14: 7-9 p.m. second Tuesday of the month, Benedictine Center, St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood.

Freewill offering. Information: (651) 77772251 or benedictinecenter@ stpaulsmonastery.org.

More events online The CatholicSpirit. com

Monastery open house — July 26: 2-4 p.m., St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Meet the Benedictine sisters, learn about their ministries and the monastery. Information: www.stpaulsmonastery.org or (651) 777-8181.

Marian Pilgrimage Tour to Fatima, Lourdes, Paris — Sept. 7-18: Led by Father Mark Pavlik. Information: Tony or Lisa Schmitz, (651) 245-9451 or LMS. totustuus@gmail.com.

MOVING?

Before you move, please let us know.

To be sure you don’t miss a single copy of your Catholic Spirit, please notify us at least four weeks before you move.

651.291.4444 or catholicspirit@archspm.org July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

22

Retiring CDH president proud of legacy he leaves for school

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit A 25-year-old photo sits in the office of Dick Engler, president of Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul.

It shows him standing in front of a CDH sign when he arrived in 1990.

The sign is long gone, but Engler stuck around — until the end of June. His last official day was June 30, but his entry into retirement was marked on the last day of school June 4.

He is leaving a large legacy for incoming president Frank Miley. One of the chief components of that legacy is a four-year endowment campaign that was set to end on Engler’s last day.

Called “Lord, the Work is Yours!”, it raised $57 million, and primarily will be used for tuition assistance.

The final amount was $25 million more than Dick the initial goal of $32 million.

“That was a dream of mine for many years,” ENGLER said Engler, 64 and a parishioner of St. John Neumann in Eagan. “It’s wonderful insurance for the future. While tuition continues to rise, so will financial aid . . . for the students.”

When asked what he will miss most about leading the school, Engler did not hesitate.

“No question, the people,” he said. “The people here have been special to me. I don’t care if it’s as a donor, I don’t care if it’s a parent, a student, faculty, staff. They’re really great people and I’m going to miss them. Every day, I get to interact with at least 1,500 people.

That’s a special thing that I’m going to miss.”

He plans to step back and let incoming president Frank Miley put his stamp of leadership on the school.

But, he did offer two tips.

“One thing is to listen to people, to really be open to listening to people,” he said. “And, No. 2, to involve people in decision making.

Those are two keys for any kind of leadership, as far as I’m concerned — listening and involvement.”

Viene de la pagina 3 pecado o el mal entre en el mundo.

Pero Él nos ha permitido el libre albedrío, aún sabiendo que el mal vendrá. ¿Por qué un Dios bueno permite el mal? Sólo puede ser porque Él es capaz de sacar el bien del mal (Ver Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica #311).

En otro muy profundo pasaje de la Escritura, San Pablo explica esta verdad fundamental. “Sabemos que Dios dispone todas las cosas para el bien de los que lo aman, a quienes Él ha escogido y llamado.” (Romanos 8:28).

Cuando leo este pasaje a veces quiero decirle a San Pablo, ¿”“En verdad San Pablo? ¿Todas las cosas? ¿Incluso mi propio pecado? ¿Incluso los pecados de los sacerdotes o los obispos en la Iglesia?” Y San Pablo, con su profunda comprensión de la Cruz de Cristo, podría responderme: ¡“Todas las cosas!” Este es el poder del amor de Jesucristo, que Él es capaz de sacar el bien del mal. Por supuesto, esto no es fácil, ni es automático. Debemos rendir nuestras vidas a Dios si Él va a sacar el bien del mal. Debemos cooperar con Él. Pero si vamos a cooperar con Él, si nos arrepentimos de nuestra propia pecaminosidad y volvemos a Él, entonces Dios es capaz de sacar el bien, incluso de los peores males.

Esta es la verdad de la cruz de Cristo.

Dios tomó una cosa profundamente mala, la muerte de su Hijo, y lo convirtió en la fuente de vida para todos nosotros a través de la Resurrección. De este modo incluso podemos dar gracias por la muerte de Jesucristo y llamar al día en el que murió el Viernes Santo, por este mal se

ha convertido en un profundo bien.

El desafío para nosotros como cristianos es aprender a ver cada situación como Dios lo ve. Porque en todo, Dios desea traer el bien. Si podemos aprender a rendirnos ante Él y cooperar con su amor, entonces incluso las grandes dificultades en nuestra vida pueden convertirse en motivos de gratitud. Esto no sucede de forma automática, y en especial con las heridas profundas, puede tomar años en entregarse a Dios en la oración para nosotros ver cómo Dios saca el bien a través de ellos. Esta es la clase de Dios que tenemos, que siempre quiere sacar el bien del mal.

En la fe sabemos que esto también es cierto para nuestra Arquidiócesis.

Que esta crisis actual no es el final de nuestra Iglesia. Más bien, en esta lucha, hay motivos de gran gratitud.

Dios está sacando el bien. Él está purificando y fortaleciendo. Él usará esta lucha para que nuestra Iglesia sea más fuerte, más segura y más Santa para los próximos años. Así que demos gracias a Dios que en medio de un gran mal Él está provocando un gran bien. Volvamos a nuestro patrón San Pablo, el mismo hombre que tuvo que aprender que “la fuerza se pone de manifiesto en la debilidad” (2 Cor. 12: 9). Pidámosle que nos ayude a arrepentirnos de nuestros pecados y la entrega a Dios, para que como él podamos decir: “seguiré enorgulleciéndome de mis debilidades, para que habite en mí corazón” (2 Cor. 12: 9).

Estemos agradecidos de que en medio de las dificultades y desafíos, Dios sigue haciendo el bien.

Classified Ads

Reach nearly 75,000 homes with Minnesota’s largest paid bi-weekly newspaper

Email: classifiedads@archspm.org • Phone: (651) 290-1631 • Fax: (651) 291-4457 Next issue: 7-16-15 • Deadline: 4 p.m. 7-10-15 • Rates: $8 per line (35-40 characters per line) • Add a photo for $25 ACCESSIBILITY SOLUTIONS STAIR LIFTS - ELEVATORS -WHEELCHAIR LIFTS FOR HOMES, CHURCHES & SCHOOLS Arrow Lift (763) 786-2780 10105

ANTIQUES TOP CASH PAID For Older Furniture Rugs • Pictures • Bookcases • Pottery Beer Items • Toys & Misc.

(651) 227-2469 C4185

ASSET PRESERVATION Jerry H. Biese, agent for life insurance, long term care insurance and medicare supplemental insurance (612) 382 4363 C12095

ATTORNEYS Edward F. Gross • Wills, Trusts, Probate, Estate Planning, Real Estate. Office at 35E & Roselawn Ave., St. Paul (651) 631-0616 C11270

CEILING TEXTURE Michaels Painting. Popcorn & Knock down Texture, Repairs. TextureCeilings.com (763) 757-3187.

C12327

Put your classified here! email classifiedads@archspm.org

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING

www.ShowcaseRenovation.com COUNTERTOPS AND SINKS

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Miele Concrete + Design: Specializing in artistic concrete overlays applied to your existing laminate or cultured marble countertops and vanities: WWW.FACEBOOK. COM/MIELE.CONCRETE.DESIGN (612) 386-2187 C1198

TLC Options for Women of St. Paul is looking for candidates for its Development Associate position. Responsibilities include annual development planning, major donor cultivation, helping with FR events, legacy gifts and assisting TLC affiliates with same.

Prefer 4 years development experience.

Send letter and resume to TLC, 525 Thomas Ave.; St. Paul, MN 55103.

C12357

DVD TRANSFER Preserve Your Slides & Film Transfer them to DVD Today!

For quality transfers at great prices call Astound Video Duplication and Transfer at (651) 644-2412.

C7811

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Household Manager: The Stillwater Catholic Worker Community is seeking a live-in house mother. Our home offers shelter and respite for women and children in crisis living situations. The house mothers’ role which is voluntary is to manage and maintain the home and enhance the dignity of our guests. If your heart is to serve and you feel called please contact Kim @ 651-270-1981 C7755

GREAT CATHOLIC SPEAKERS CD of the Month Club Lighthouse Catholic Media Scott Hahn, Jeff Cavins and more! $5/month includes shipping Subscribe online at www.LighthouseCatholicMedia .com/cdclub Please Enter Code: 1195

HANDYMAN

TUTORS NEEDED

WE DO 1,162 THINGS AROUND THE HOME! Catholic Owned Handyman Business: We will fix/repair remodel almost anything around the home. Serving entire Metro. Call today.

Mention this ad and receive 10% off labor.

Handyman Matters (651) 784-3777, (952) 946-0088.

C12068

AARP Experience Corps K-3 Reading Tutors Needed 2015-2016 School Year!

Stipend Available for those willing to make a commitment for the school year.

Please Contact: Erin Simon-AARP Experience Corps Volunteer Coordinator (612) 708-5933 erin.simon@voamn.org or apply online at: http://expcorpsmn.org/ apply-online/ C10446

PAINTING For painting & all related services. View our website: PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND.COM or call (651) 699-6140.

C7521 Merriam Park Painting. Professional Int./ Ext. Painting. WP Hanging. Moderate Prices, Free Estimates. Call Ed (651) 224-3660.

C11269 Michaels Painting. Texture and Repair.

MICHAELSPAINTINGLLC.COM. (763) 757-3187.

HARDWOOD FLOORS

Sweeney’s Hardwood Floors

Summer’s here! Spruce up your home with new or refurbished hardwood floors: 10% off labor. Sweeney (651) 485-8187.

C10435

C12327

PRAYERS Thank you St. Jude, Holy Spirit, all the angels and saints for prayers answered.

JH & JO C12135 NOTICE: Prayers must be submitted in advance. Payment of $8 per line must be received before publication.

Knotty Pines Resort, Park Rapids, MN. 1, 2 & 3 bdrm cabins starting at $565/week. WWW. KNOTTYPINESRESORT.COM (800) 392-2410.

Mention this ad for a discount!

C12598

WANTED TO BUY

Dennis Heigl Painting Interior/Exterior Serving Mpls. & suburbs. Free Estimates.

(763) 543-0998 • Cell (612) 819-2438. C12048 C1198

VACATION/FAMILY GETAWAY

$$$ for OLD SEWING Machines, Patterns, Fabric, Hankies, Postcards, Vintage Lamps, Old Photos, Jewelry, Oriental Rugs, Lighters + Collectibles (612) 823-8616. C3919 Estate & Downsizing: I buy Van Loads and Bicycles. Steve (651) 778-0571.

C6158

Put your classified here! email classifiedads@archspm.org

23

By Sam Patet For The Catholic Spirit Paula Dudgeon is convinced she made the right decision at age 29. After spending nine years with the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary of Waukesha, Wisconsin, she discerned that God wasn’t calling her to spend her life as a religious sister. Instead, she thought he wanted her to get married and have a family.

Things haven’t panned out the way she’d planned.

“When I left the community, I didn’t expect that 20 years later I would still be single,” she said.

“But I have to believe it was part of God’s plan.”

Dudgeon, 51, is a kindergarten teacher at Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Marshall, a position she’s held for 18 years. She also teaches the Creighton Model FertilityCare System of natural family planning to married couples.

Dudgeon admits that her life is different from her married friends and family members. Every day she has to cook her own meals, she can’t ask her husband to do the laundry if she doesn’t feel like it, and her apartment is empty when she arrives home after a long day at work.

But at its core, her life is exactly the same as theirs, she said.

“We all become part of God’s family at baptism,” she said. “We are children of God, and what greater joy can there be than that?”

Friends and family say Dudgeon’s life as a single woman is full of joy.

“She’s always in a joyful, upbeat mood,” said Nicole Dudgeon, 20, one of Paula’s nine nieces and nephews. “She’s always just been wonderful to all of us nieces and nephews.”

“She never runs out [of love],” said Connie Lanoue, Paula’s youngest sister. “I see her in a classroom of 25 kids, and she just never runs out.”

Although she does not have

World Meeting of Families

Kindergarten teacher spiritual mother to many children

?

Kindergarten teacher Paula Dudgeon in her classroom at Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Marshall. Although she is single and has no children, she still considers herself to have a motherly role. Sam Patet/The Prairie Catholic children, Dudgeon sees herself as a mother.

“A mother is recognized by her ability to give herself,” she said, quoting St. John Paul II. “Having an individual who cares about someone – whether it’s listening to their woes, or whether it’s being their friend in a difficult time, or whether helping an elderly person with some of their needs — I think those are important parts of mothering . . . and they come from a gift of self.”

Dudgeon does just that in a variety of ways, from helping a 5-year-old student tie his shoe to babysitting a niece or nephew when daycare isn’t available.

“For everyone that she comes into contact with . . . it’s instinctive for her to want to guide and help,” Lanoue said. “It’s just who she is to be in that role, whether it’s as a sister or as an aunt or as a teacher.”

The giving of one’s self to others is something God asks of everyone, whether a person is single, married, or a priest or consecrated religious

person, Dudgeon said.

“According to my state in life, I am able to give myself to [God], whether it’s in a marriage in an intimate, physical relationship, whether it’s as a priest through the vows . . . or whether it’s me, out there waiting around,” said Dudgeon, who acknowledges she is still open to the possibility of marriage.

The different vocations complement one another, she said. When she encounters a couple that’s been married for 50 years, she’s inspired to live out her vocation with continued devotion.

And when a couple she’s teaching is wondering whether they can remain abstinent while using NFP, all they have to do is look to her life for an answer. “I think that creates a common bond there, that creates a similarity in the choices that we’re asked to make and in our self-giving,” Dudgeon said.

Patet is a staff writer for The Prairie Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of New Ulm.

Armchair pilgrimage

Not going to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families?

Connect to resources for all Catholics ahead of time, and follow Minnesota reporters for stories, photos and video during the congress and papal events at www.Facebook.com/MNatWMOF, on Twitter @CatholicSpirit and on Instagram at @TheCatholicSpirit.

Seventh in a series: All love bears all fruit In partnership with the publications of all Minnesota dioceses, The Catholic Spirit is featuring an 11-part series on families based on the World Meeting of Families’ 10 themes.

Gift of self is foundational to married, celibate vocations

By Sister Candace Fier, ISSM God in his plan of love and wisdom has created man and woman for communion. As human beings we find our fulfillment in giving and receiving love.

Love is realized and shared in many forms throughout our stages of growth, from childhood to adulthood. All forms of love — childlike, parental and marital — are unique and interdependent.

An organic and healthy growth of love in one stage of life safeguards and perfects the future growth of love. Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of each of our lives.

Living out this message takes practical form through our vocation in life. Like Mary, we

want to live our life in active readiness to discern God’s will for our vocation. Within our vocation, whether married life or the state of virginity, God unfolds the fullness of love through a life formed in the virtue of chastity.

The virtue of chastity is a means and expression of our holiness, our relatedness to God, and our desire to be totally one with God in pure and eternal faithfulness. It is a fullness of goodness, a fullness that allows us to give ourselves to God with joy.

Chastity unfolds and sustains the God-willed interrelatedness of love and life within us. Every life by its very nature has the need and the capacity to nurture life, if not through giving birth and raising

children, then through other forms of self-giving, nurturing, and service.

It is the interior offering of self to the Lord that is the common core and source of strength for both vocations. The celibate vocation should be the sign and ransom for the faithfulness of married couples and vice-versa. The two vocations mutually enrich each other and both are needed to build up the family of God. Married couples contribute to this family of God by giving themselves to each other with a Christ-like love that joins them as one and makes their love fruitful in the bringing forth of new life. As parents they are to be witnesses to their children of Jesus’ love on the cross.

The contribution of the celibate

vocation brought by priests, vowed religious and all those who are living chastely outside of marriage is the love of spiritual motherhood or fatherhood as expressed by mercy, generosity and service.

It is characterized by a freedom for certain types of service, friendship and community. They have gifts of time, prayer and contemplation that parents often do not have. When a person loves chastely outside of marriage, the result is friendship.

Friendship is a good for all, for it leads to spiritual communion. This is the special contribution of the celibate vocation to the building up of the family of God. Sister Candace is the director of the Office of Family Life for the Diocese of New Ulm.

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

The Last Word

24

Steve Ray, right, of St. Rose of Lima in Roseville leads prayer before dinner at the start of the annual dads and kids camping trip June 26 at Eau Galle Recreation Area near Spring Valley, Wisconsin. Joining in them prayer are Danny Enge, left, Katie Ray, Matt Barrett and Sarah Bakko. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Dads, kids share faith and fun at yearly camping trip

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Every June, the doughnut supply in Spring Valley, Wisconsin, gets depleted. A rush of dads and their children from St. Rose of Lima church and school in Roseville descend on this small town during their annual summer camping trip, which they have been doing for the last 11 years.

Megan Ray, left, goes through the food line with other kids and dads on the first evening of the camping trip. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit The group of 56 pitches their tents at nearby Eau Galle Recreation Area on a Friday night, hangs out and plays games throughout the weekend, then heads to Sunday Mass at Sacred Heart Church before an hourlong trip back home.

Mostly, the 16 families have fun, and attending Mass together is a given. The members of the local parish have enjoyed this annual influx of outsiders to the point of now hosting a special “doughnut

July 2, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Sunday” for the group after Mass.

“We had gone there a couple of years, and they had recognized the group,” said trip organizer Steve Ray. “They have a doughnut Sunday the first Sunday of every month. It must have been that we hit July 1 one of the [earlier] years.

We got there for Mass and they were completely unprepared for this extra influx of people. So, they had to run out to the store and buy extra stuff so they’d have enough doughnuts for their doughnut Sunday.”

At least one of the kids calls the Mass at Sacred Heart a highlight of the trip. Some of those “kids” are now adults. On this year’s trip, which took place June 26-28, there were several 25-year-olds who have been going since the first trip. One of them is engaged to be married and asked to keep coming after the wedding.

No problem, said Ray, who came up with the idea after attending two similar camping trips with dads from St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony. His oldest child, Katie, 19, has made the trip every year and said she plans to keep coming.

And why not? Several of her friends came in from out of town this year to attend, one all the way from Michigan. They enjoyed swimming at a nearby beach and s’mores by a campfire that burns almost constantly throughout the weekend. But, they had a mission this year, as they do every year: Beat the boys in volleyball.

“We have a boys-against-girls volleyball game, and it’s mainly

high schoolers and college kids,” said Katie, who will be a sophomore at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul in the fall.

“And, basically every year the boys beat us. But we never really own up to it. So, whenever we talk about the games, we talk about how the girls just pummeled the boys. The smack talk is real. For a month, we’ve been like, ‘Boys, are you training for our game?’ We have group [text] messages about how they’re going to lose, even though they probably won’t.”

And, once again, the boys prevailed in the game. Amid the fun, campers took a break at lunchtime, which always begins with prayer.

“While everyone is gathered around the picnic table, we say grace as a group,” said Steve, who also brought his other daughter, Megan, 17, and son Jimmy, 14 (both attend Totino-Grace High School in Fridley). “Are we proclaiming the Gospel through that? I suppose so. Otherwise, it’s just showing the kids that it’s important, even down at the beach, to give thanks [to God].”

This year, like every year, the weather cooperated, with sunshine ruling the skies for the three days. In fact, no trip has ever been rained out.

But, that doesn’t mean threatening weather never shows up.

“Three or four years ago, there was a big storm that came through the Twin Cities. We are due east, so this storm was coming our way,” Steve said. “You could see this big

red blob on the weather radar coming our way. I’m not going to claim a miracle or anything, but it was interesting to watch that big red blob part around us. We still got a lot of rain. One tent ended up going down in the rain, but we were spared the worst of it, definitely. The worst of it went north and south of us.”

So, what do moms like Theresa Ray do while their husbands are camping with the kids? They get together at each other’s homes or go out to eat. Generally, they enjoy their time at home alone, another benefit of the trip, which always falls on the last weekend in June.

There’s a running joke that moms aren’t allowed to come. They also aren’t allowed to hear what goes on at camp — like how last year one dad loaded a deep fryer into his pickup truck so that the group could enjoy treats not usually associated with camping.

“We had a lot of fried foods last year, which was really neat,” Steve said. “Anything you could imagine being fried, we had — corn dogs and French fries and onion rings.”

And, on top of that, doughnuts on Sunday. But, the moms will overlook the nutritional slip for one weekend out of the year. There are different standards of conduct for the dads during the trip.

“The moms’ rule is they just have to come back with the right number of children,” Theresa joked. “It doesn’t have to be the right children, but at least bring the same number of children home so we know they’re all home.”