CDH play tackles race 7 • How to caucus 18 • Widowhood ministry 23 February 18, 2016 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Pope Francis in Mexico Pope shifts focus to family after hitting hard on country’s issues By David Agren Catholic News Service Pope Francis warned against moves to diminish the importance of the family, peppering his talk with anecdotes and off-the-cuff remarks that kept a packed soccer stadium cheering and laughing. Speaking outside as dozens were treated for heat stroke in San Cristobal de las Casas, the pope said family life is not always easy and often is a struggle, but he pleaded for perseverance, saying family life is one of the solutions to increasing isolation and uncertainty and its unintended consequences. “I prefer a wounded family that makes daily efforts to put love into play to a society that is sick from isolationism and is habitually afraid of love,” Pope Francis said Feb. 15 in front of a boisterous audience of families, who came from across southern Mexico and nearby Guatemala for a celebration in the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez. “I prefer a family that makes repeated efforts to begin again to a society that is narcissistic and obsessed with luxury and comfort. I prefer a family with tired faces from generous giving to faces with makeup that know nothing of tenderness and compassion.” The pope’s shift to families turned the focus of his six-day visit toward pastoral
issues after hitting hard on matters such as corruption, crime and the country’s often impoverished and exploited indigenous populations. He even went to President Enrique Pena Nieto’s home state to celebrate Mass, speaking of dignity and denouncing improperly obtained wealth. During his talk to families, a couple — one of whom was divorced — spoke of the stigma and sense of not belonging by not being able to receive Communion, but finding a home in the Catholic Church by serving others. “As we came close to our Church, we received love and compassion,” said Humberto and Claudia Gomez, who are married civilly but not in the Church. “It’s marvelous to have a marriage and family in which God is at the center.” Pope Francis focused most on overcoming isolation and uncertainty and its insidious effects. He cited the example of the Gomezes and their service to others as a solution. Another solution, he said, was with smart public policy, “which protects and guarantees the bare necessities of life so that every home and every person can develop through education and dignified employment.” “Laws and personal commitment,” the pope said, “are a good pairing to break the spiral of uncertainty.”
More on Pope Francis’ Feb. 12–17 visit to Mexico
Pope Francis embraces children during a visit to the Federico Gomez Children’s Hospital of Mexico in Mexico City Feb. 14. CNS/Paul Haring
• Local Hispanic Catholics weigh in — page 9 • Pope visits Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine — page 9 • www.thecatholicspirit.com
ALSO inside
24 Hours for the Lord
Fit for a king
Fifty years of retreats
Encouraged by Pope Francis, priests to hear confessions noon March 4 to noon March 5 at archdiocese’s co-cathedrals. — Page 5
Rose Ensemble’s concert series commemorates consecration of St. Louis IX’s Paris reliquary, Sainte-Chapelle. — Page 8
Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake celebrates helping people ‘find the missing peace.’ — Pages 14-16
2 • The Catholic Spirit
PAGE TWO
in PICTURES
February 18, 2016
“He can’t reduce the noise and tune into the greater consciousness, and a lot of us suffer from that. I think if there is any takeaway from this movie, that might be a big one.” British actor Joseph Fiennes, speaking of his character Clavius, a Roman tribune charged by Pontius Pilate to investigate the events following Christ’s death in the film “Risen,” which will be released in theaters Feb. 19.
NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit
Vocations series for young women starts Feb. 27 A young women’s discussion series on discernment will be held 8-10:30 a.m. Saturdays, Feb. 27-March 19, at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony. The free series for women ages 18-30 includes speakers who are living a consecrated life. RSVP is not required but helpful to organizers. To RSVP or for more information, contact the Office of Vocations at 651-962-6890. RITE OF ELECTION Katherine Anschutz, a catechumen at St. Olaf in downtown Minneapolis, greets Bishop Andrew Cozzens at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis during the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion Feb. 14. Catechumens (those not baptized) and candidates (those baptized) seeking to join the Catholic Church presented themselves for the rite to Bishop Cozzens at the Basilica or Archbishop Bernard Hebda at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. At right is Mike Pearson, who serves as a sponsor at St. Olaf. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
MCC legislative tour in Crystal, Ham Lake Representatives from the Minnesota Catholic Conference are presenting its 2016 public policy objectives in a series of free events held in parishes across the state. St. Raphael in Crystal is hosting the tour, titled “Life, Death and Everything In-Between,” 9 a.m. Feb. 20, and the Church of St. Paul in Ham Lake is hosting the tour at noon March 6. Previous sessions were held at St. Michael, Stillwater, and Annunciation, Minneapolis.
Cretin-Derham Hall adds another Super Bowl alum Cretin-Derham Hall High School alum Ryan Harris (’03) became the fifth graduate of the school to make it to the Super Bowl. He started at left tackle for the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50, with his team defeating the Carolina Panthers 24-10 Feb. 7. Other CDH alums to play for teams that reached the Super Bowl are Matt Birk (’94) for the Baltimore Ravens, Derek Engler (’92) and Marcus Freeman (’02) for the New York Giants, and Corbin Lacina (’89) for the Buffalo Bills.
Crashed Ice championship at Cathedral Feb. 26-27 The construction of an undulating ramp that will challenge professional ice cross downhill racers is underway on the steps of the Cathedral of St. Paul. The Cathedral is hosting the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship Feb. 26-27. It’s the fifth year Crashed Ice has been held in St. Paul, each time taking advantage of the Cathedral’s position at the top of Selby Hill. For more information, visit www.redbullcrashedice.com. LIGHTHOUSE REPLICAS Fourth-grader Grace Krawczyk of St. Rose of Lima School in Roseville shows off her lighthouse, a replica of Point Vicente Lighthouse in California on the Palos Verdes Peninsula near Los Angeles. Teacher Mary Greenstein started the annual project for her fourth-graders five years ago as part of the social studies curriculum. Though building the lighthouses is optional, Greenstein said most students choose to participate. “Their achievement, excitement and pride in their work is unparalleled in my five years of assigning this project,” Greenstein said. “They are truly excellent presentations.” Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
WHAT’S NEW on social media Tom Bengtson offers a suggestion for Lenten reading — Matthew Kelly’s book, ”Finding Jesus.” He said there is something for everyone in the book that contains 40 short chapters, with daily reflections for the 40 days of Lent. Read Bengtson’s reflections on the book at www.catholichotdish.com. Need some meatless meal ideas for Lenten Fridays? The Catholic Spirit has compiled a list of more than 100, and you can add your own for others to try. Visit www.pinterest.com/catholicspirit/lenten-meals.
The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 21 — No. 4 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor
LiveFamily! Expo seeks to help build strong families For the second year, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is co-sponsoring an event for strengthening families. The 2016 LiveFamily! Expo: A Mission of Mercy to the Family takes place April 8-9 at St. Raphael in Crystal, and is also sponsored by the Cana Family Institute and the Diocese of St. Cloud. It will feature workshops, guest speakers and Mass celebrated both days, by Bishop Andrew Cozzens April 8 and by St. Cloud Bishop Donald Kettler April 9. For information and to register, visit www.archspm.org/archspm_events/2016-livefamily-expo, or www.livefamilyexpo.com
CORRECTION Bishop Robert Barron’s “Word on Fire” column in the Feb. 4 issue incorrectly referred to the author as Father Robert Barron. Also in the Feb. 4 issue, an obituary for Sister Helen Weier, a Poor Clare sister, incorrectly referred to her order in one reference as the St. Clare Sisters. And a caption in the center spread mistakenly identified the water well as the work of the Tanzania Life Project. The Catholic Spirit apologizes for the errors.
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
February 18, 2016
FROM THE MODERATOR OF THE CURIA
The Catholic Spirit • 3
Prayer can’t change nature, but it can change our hearts
T
he word “lent” means spring. For all those who have been praying for spring, our prayers have been answered! Except, this is not exactly the spring we wanted. The ground is still frozen and covered with snow. There are no leaves on the trees, no flowers, no warmth, and the wind howls with a biting sting. The snow will melt, the grass will grow, the trees will bud into leaves and the flowers will bloom, regardless of our prayers to hurry it all up. When I’m asked to pray for a sunny day for someone’s parade, I reply, “If my prayers had that kind of power, there would be palm trees lining Summit Avenue.” As a child, when our class was getting ready for a field trip, we asked Sister Mary Timothy if we could pray for a sunny day. Sister told us that it was selfish to pray for sun when the farmers were praying for rain. Yes, some people have been praying for spring — and yes, we all know that as a season of nature it will arrive when it will, and there is nothing we can do to speed it up or FROM THE slow it down. The powers of nature MODERATOR are indifferent to our calendars. OF THE CURIA Meanwhile, Lent has arrived whether or not we wanted it to. It is the dual-nature of being human that Father we are part of the seasons of nature Charles Lachowitzer
and part of seasons of faith. Nonetheless, unlike the seasons of nature, prayers do work in our spiritual seasons. Prayer is a central part of the Lenten season and every day of the liturgical year. The powers of God are not indifferent to the seasons of our lives. The grace of God elevates us beyond the conditions of our physical nature so that we may know and experience our true spiritual nature — the truth of who God created us to be. We know all too well that the grace of God does not replace our human nature. Otherwise we would not age or get sick or die. Nor would those we love. Rather, grace builds upon our human nature. Grace moves us past the imperfections and mortality of the natural world so that we may see the perfect and eternal world of God. We remember that Moses led the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt, through the desert and into the Promised Land. And we remember and experience in every season how our Lord Jesus Christ moves us out of slavery to sin, through the desert of disciplined selfsacrifice and into the freedom of heaven. In a culture that so easily talks about the weather outside, are we willing to talk about our spiritual seasons inside? Are we willing to pray for a change in us rather than a change in the weather? We pray that we may melt the cold indifference to the suffering in our world. We pray that the icy winds of division may give way to a warm breeze of reconciliation and peace. We pray that we may weed out persistent
In a culture that so easily talks about the weather outside, are we willing to talk about our spiritual seasons inside? Are we willing to pray for a change in us rather than a change in the weather?
sin and prune away dead branches. We pray for growth in our spiritual lives. We pray that we may blossom and bear fruit in Christ Jesus wherever we have been planted. The Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the tools of the Master Gardener. The grace of the sacraments, especially going to confession and Mass, is Miracle-Gro for the soul. Our prayers might not make any difference in the seasons of nature, but in the seasons of the heart, prayer makes all the difference in the world. May we use God’s gifts of grace given to us in this season so that we may know anew the joy of Easter. Easter. It, too, is a spiritual season. It, too, means “spring.”
La oración no puede cambiar la naturaleza, pero puede cambiar nuestros corazones
L
a palabra “cuaresma” significa primavera. Para todos aquellos que han estado orando para que llegue la primavera, ¡nuestras oraciones han sido escuchadas! Excepto que esta no es exactamente la primavera que queríamos. La tierra sigue congelada y cubierta de nieve. No hay hojas en los árboles, ni flores, no hace calor y el viento sopla con un frio cortante. La nieve se derretirá, el pasto crecerá, los árboles echarán hojas y las flores florecerán, independientemente de nuestras oraciones para que todo se apresure. Cuando me piden que ore por un día soleado para el desfile de alguien, les contesto, “Si mis oraciones tuvieran ese tipo de poder, habrían palmeras a lo largo de la avenida Summit.” De niño, cuando nuestra clase se estaba preparando para una excursión, le preguntábamos a la hermana Mary Timothy si podíamos orar por un día soleado. La hermana nos decía que era egoísta orar por sol cuando los agricultores estaban orando por lluvia. Sí, algunas personas han estado orando para que llegue la primavera — y sí, todos sabemos que, como cualquier estación de la naturaleza, va a llegar cuando tenga llegar, no hay nada que podamos hacer para acelerarla o retrasarla. Los poderes de la naturaleza son indiferentes a nuestros calendarios.
Mientras tanto, la Cuaresma ya está aquí, queramos o no. Es la doble naturaleza del ser humano que somos parte de las estaciones de la naturaleza y parte de las estaciones de la fe. No obstante, a diferencia de las estaciones de la naturaleza, las oraciones funcionan en nuestras estaciones espirituales. La oración es una parte central de la Cuaresma y de cada día del año litúrgico. Los poderes de Dios no son indiferentes a las estaciones de nuestras vidas. La gracia de Dios nos eleva más allá de las condiciones de nuestra naturaleza física para que podamos conocer y experimentar nuestra verdadera naturaleza espiritual — la verdad de que Dios nos creó para ser. Sabemos muy bien que la gracia de Dios no reemplaza nuestra naturaleza humana. De lo contrario no envejeceríamos, ni enfermaríamos o moriríamos. Tampoco lo harían nuestros seres queridos. Más bien, la gracia se construye en nuestra naturaleza humana. La gracia nos mueve más allá de las imperfecciones y la mortalidad del mundo natural para que podamos ver el mundo perfecto y eterno de Dios. Recordemos que Moisés llevó al pueblo Hebreo de la esclavitud en Egipto, a través del desierto, hacia la Tierra Prometida. Y nosotros
En una cultura que tan fácilmente habla del clima de afuera, ¿estamos dispuestos a hablar de nuestras estaciones espirituales interiores? ¿Estamos dispuestos a orar por un cambio en nosotros en lugar de un cambio en el clima? recordamos y experimentamos en cada estación cómo nuestro Señor Jesucristo nos lleva de la esclavitud del pecado, a través del desierto del disciplinado sacrificio de sí mismo, hacia la libertad de los cielos. En una cultura que tan fácilmente habla del clima de afuera, ¿estamos dispuestos a hablar de nuestras estaciones espirituales interiores? ¿Estamos dispuestos a orar por un
cambio en nosotros en lugar de un cambio en el clima? Oremos para que podamos fundir la fría indiferencia hacia los que sufren en nuestro mundo. Oremos para que los vientos helados de la división puedan dar paso a una cálida brisa de reconciliación y de paz. Oremos para que podamos quitar las malas hierbas del pecado persistente y podar las ramas muertas. Oremos por el crecimiento espiritual en nuestras vidas. Oremos para que podamos florecer y dar fruto en Cristo Jesús dondequiera que hayamos sido plantados. Las prácticas cuaresmales de oración, ayuno y limosna, son las herramientas del Maestro Jardinero. La gracia de los sacramentos, especialmente el ir a la confesión y a la Misa, es abono para el alma. Puede ser que nuestras oraciones no hagan ninguna diferencia en las estaciones de la naturaleza, pero en las estaciones del corazón, la oración hace toda la diferencia en el mundo. Que nosotros podamos usar en esta temporada los dones de la gracia que Dios que nos da, para que podamos conocer de nuevo la alegría de la Pascua. Pascua también es una estación espiritual. También significa “primavera.”
4 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
February 18, 2016
SLICEof LIFE
Lenten flames
Father Thomas Kommers, pastor of St. Joseph in Red Wing, places palms in a bowl and burns them during an Ash Wednesday prayer service Feb. 10. After burning palms collected from parishioners, Father Kommers and others used the ashes to mark foreheads with the cross. Father Kommers has been carrying on this tradition since coming to the parish in 2003. “They watch it very intently,” he said of the congregation during the palm burning. “It’s primal. People love fire.” Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
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LOCAL
February 18, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 5
Full day of confessions an opportunity for mercy, priests say By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Midnight visitors to the Cathedral of St. Paul and the Basilica of St. Mary March 5 can expect to find a priest waiting to hear their confession. An extended opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation will begin at the St. Paul and Minneapolis co-cathedrals at noon March 4 and last until noon March 5 as part of 24 Hours for the Lord, a worldwide Year of Mercy event backed by Pope Francis. “Having this initiative that’s going to be going on in Hong Kong, Rome . . . and Abuja [Nigeria] is really emphasizing how central this is to our life as Church, and how it is that the Lord desires to reach out to every nation, every people and every individual with his mercy,” said Archbishop Bernard Hebda, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Archbishop Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens have asked all priests of the archdiocese to attend a noon penance service March 4 at either location. After priests hear each others’ confessions, they will begin hearing confessions generally at 1:30 p.m. Spanish-speaking priests will be available at both sites from 6-8 p.m. 24 Hours for the Lord links the Year of Mercy to confession, the Church’s sacrament of mercy, Archbishop Hebda said. “It’s in the sacrament of confession that we come face to face with God’s mercy, and when we have that opportunity to ask the Lord for his mercy, and he has the opportunity to extend it to us,” he said. The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization launched 24 Hours for the Lord in 2014, aiming, according to a statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to place “the sacrament of reconciliation once again at the center of the pastoral activity of the Church.” The second event was held in 2015. Last year, Pope Francis invited dioceses around the world to participate. The pope extended the invitation again for 2016 in “Misericordiae Vultus,” or “The Face of Mercy,” the papal bull promulgating the Jubilee Year of Mercy. In that letter, he wrote that the initiative “should be implemented in every diocese” on the Friday and Saturday before the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday. “Laetare” means “rejoice” in Latin, and the Sunday marks the midpoint of Lent. By connecting the
24 Hours for the Lord links the Year of Mercy to confession, the Church’s sacrament of mercy, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said. Photo illustration by Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit initiative to Laetare Sunday, Pope Francis is showing the relationship between mercy and joy, Archbishop Hebda said. Father Alex Carlson, pastor of St. John the Baptist in Excelsior, said he has been planning a 24 Hours for the Lord event at his parish since last June, after reading “Misericordiae Vultus.” He had heard of the event in Rome and similar events in other U.S. dioceses and wanted to make a push for confession. He and four other priests will hear confessions for 24 hours beginning at 5 p.m. March 4. Eucharistic adoration will also be available in the main church during those hours. “The more you offer [confession], the more people come,” said Father Carlson, who added that he preaches about the importance of confession. “The big thing is to let people know it’s not necessarily about how bad you are, but rather, that God wants to be that mercy that has not only forgiven you, but also that’s helping you.” He reminds his parishioners how free they felt the last time they went to confession. “Don’t you want that again?” he asks. “I never leave [confession] and go, ‘I wish I didn’t go.’” Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Cozzens requested that all pastors extend confession availability in their own parishes during the 24 Hours for the Lord. St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center, St. Francis of Assisi in St. Croix Beach and Holy Rosary in Minneapolis are among
parishes that have added an hour or two of confession. Our Lady of the Prairie in Belle Plaine added six hours of confession, timed to correspond with previously planned events such as Stations of the Cross, an evening Bible study and Saturday morning Mass. The parish typically offers confession before every Mass. Its pastor, Father Brian Lynch, said he is wary of hosting “special” times for confession, because he wants Catholics to see the sacrament as a part of the regular life of the Church. However, he thinks 24 Hours for the Lord is valuable because it may foster a more relaxed experience for Catholics who have been away from the sacrament and dread feeling rushed. “I think people will benefit more from [hearing about] our own need for the sacraments — not just theoretical needs for the sacraments, but our own personal need for the sacrament,” he said. “I think some of what Pope Francis does . . . is provide his own experiences.” Last year in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis confessed his sins at a Lenten penance service before hearing others’ confessions. He has since stated that he goes to confession every 15 or 20 days, and has frequently encouraged Catholics to use the sacrament. He urged priests to first be penitents before being confessors during 24 Hours for the Lord. In the archdiocese, priests will gather for confession before the event opens to all Catholics. Archbishop Hebda said he, too, will likely go to confession that day, “as long as I can find a priest who is willing to take me,” he joked. Father Nathaniel Meyers, pastor of St. Francis Xavier in Buffalo, is scheduling priests to hear confessions at the Cathedral and Basilica. He hopes four priests will be present at both sites during daytime hours, and two priests at both sites overnight. Priests are also expected to post the languages in which they are able to hear confessions. The pope’s emphasis on 24 Hours for the Lord this Year of Mercy provides an “opportunity to see how it is that the Church is that universal instrument for God’s forgiveness,” Archbishop Hebda said. “Every time that we receive the sacrament of reconciliation, we’re reconciled with the Lord, but also with that Church that extends all over the world. The whole Church rejoices every time that somebody is reconciled with the Lord.” For more information about 24 Hours for the Lord, visit Find “Misericordiae Vultus” at bit.ly/1FxtpZr. www.archspm.org/24hours.
in BRIEF FRONTENAC
Villa Maria retreat center closing The Ursuline Sisters announced Feb. 2 that Villa Maria Retreat and Conference Center will close June 30. Sister Rita Ann Bregenhorn, Ursuline provincial leader, attributed the closure to finances.“Like many retreat centers in the U.S., Villa Maria has been struggling financially, despite valiant efforts by the staff and board,” she said in a press release. “The Ursuline leadership has come to the difficult decision that we must close Villa Maria in order to remain good stewards of our resources.” The ecumenical retreat center was established in 1970 on a 124-acre property that was once home to a boarding school the sisters established in 1891.
BURNSVILLE
WINE conference focuses on redemptive suffering, mercy More than 1,000 women gathered at Mary, Mother of the Church Feb. 6 for the second annual WINE (Women in the New Evangelization) Catholic Women’s Conference. The theme, “Mercy: Encountering Boundless Love,” tied in with the Year of Mercy, and was central to presentations from three keynote speakers: Barbara Heil, a convert and founder of From His Heart Ministries; Laura Sobiech, a
parishioner of St. Michael in Stillwater and author of “Fly a Little Higher”; and Teresa Tomeo, an author and Catholic talk radio host. “WINE is about coming together to do the will of God” with “a charism of unity,” Kelly Wahlquist, WINE’s founder, said as she opened the conference. Mercy and redemptive suffering were also at the core of surprise presentations from Deb Hadley, a mother from Sleepy Eye whose two adult children died suddenly in separate instances nine months apart, and Rhonda Zweber, a parishioner of St. Michael, Prior Lake, who has a mission to connect with fellow cancer patients.
ST. PAUL
Black Lives Matter plans Crashed Ice protest at the Cathedral Black Lives Matter St. Paul said it will demonstrate at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul Feb. 27 and hold a “nonviolent shutdown action” of the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship scheduled in front of the Cathedral unless St. Paul police Sgt. Jeffrey Rothecker is fired for comments he made on social media. Rothecker is on paid administrative leave while the city goes through a progressive discipline process that city employees are entitled to pursuant to their labor agreement. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said in a statement that the event will go on as planned. The Red Bull Crashed Ice event typically draws 100,000 people.
HOPKINS
St. Therese Southwest changes name The nonprofit senior housing provider St. Therese Southwest Inc. changed its name to The Glenn Catholic Senior Communities Feb. 1. Its two senior housing sites also changed names: St. Therese Southwest Senior Living Community is now The Glenn Hopkins, and The Glenn by St. Therese Southwest in Minnetonka is now The Glenn Minnetonka. Its board of directors decided to make the changes in 2015 after working with consultant Griffin Archer. According to a press statement, the changes were largely made “to alleviate confusion with other unrelated ‘St. Therese’ organizations and parishes within the Twin Cities.”
LAKELAND
Zach Sobiech’s story may be a movie Warner Bros. purchased the rights to “Fly a Little Higher,” Laura Sobeich’s 2014 memoir of her family’s journey as her son Zach battled cancer and attracted international attention for his song “Clouds” and courageous attitude before his death in May 2013. Sobiech, a parishioner of St. Michael in Stillwater, said the movie’s director, Justin Baldoni, has been interested in making a major film of Zach’s story since filming two SoulPancake documentaries of Zach’s life. Sobiech said, “What we’ve seen is multiple levels of how Zach’s story has really changed people’s lives. That was unexpected.”
6 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
February 18, 2016
Archdiocese adds deputy director to child protection staff
UST students garner media attention during trip to Poland
By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit
A group of 26 students from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul went to Poland last month to study St. John Paul II at The St. John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. The pope, who died in 2005, taught there for 25 years before being elected pope in 1978. As they expected, students met some faculty members who had studied University of St. Thomas students Lynn Piché (left) and Rebekah under the late pontiff. Ridder greet Archbishop Stanislaw Budzik of Lublin, Poland, during Unexpected, however, was the students’ trip to Poland in January. Courtesy Paul Wojda the attention the UST students received from local and national media. Students on the trip enjoyed the media attention, although it was a surprise. “I was “We were basically minor celebrities in really taken aback in a fun way,” said Poland, it seems,” said theology professor Matthew Michels, a junior who is majoring Paul Wojda, who led the 19 women and in political science and minoring in seven men on the Jan. 2-29 trip along with Catholic studies and philosophy. “It was philosophy professor Kenneth Kemp. “We very exciting. I can’t deny that I was on a were constantly being interviewed. There were constantly camera crews in our classes high horse for a little bit, thinking that I was a celebrity in Poland.” and at our special events. It seemed like we were being followed by photographers and One of the highlights of the trip was journalists all the time.” leaving campus to visit Wadowice, the small town where St. John Paul II, born Wojda said there were several Karol Wojtyla in 1920, grew up. There is a contributing factors to the media blitz. museum located in his childhood home. First, there’s the fact that Poland is a predominantly Catholic country. Senior Emily DeVos, a Catholic studies major and philosophy minor, said the trip Then, there’s the surprise among Poles was among her favorite parts of the that people from the West would want to January-term class. come to their country for almost a month to study their culture and the life of “[By] going to Poland and taking this St. John Paul II. course, I was able to meet people he knew. It just made him a real person,” she said. Finally, there was the work of a staff member from the university, Anna “The knowledge and experience gained Tarnowski-Waszak, to alert the media and through this course, especially through grant them access to the UST group. Also John Paul’s saintly example, will prove paying attention was the Archdiocese of invaluable and applicable throughout the Lublin and Archbishop Stanislaw Budzik. rest of my life,” said sophomore Emily “We met with him personally in his Dalsky, who is double majoring in Catholic residence and were given a formal studies and communications, and reception,” Wojda said. minoring in philosophy.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has tapped another person from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to serve in its Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment. Janell Rasmussen began Feb. 17 to work as deputy director alongside the office’s director, Tim O’Malley, former BCA superintendent. “This position is our investment in both fulfilling the Ramsey County settlement agreement and setting the stage for longterm change, Janell and RASMUSSEN embedding the processes that we’re putting in place to make sure that they’re going to last, that they’ll withstand the test of time,” O’Malley said. In December, the archdiocese reached a settlement with the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office related to a civil petition it filed in June alleging the archdiocese failed to protect children in the case of former priest Curtis Wehmeyer, who pleaded guilty in 2013 to sexually abusing two boys at Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul in 2010. The 24-page agreement outlines child protection measures the archdiocese has already implemented or has promised to implement, and Ramsey County’s oversight of those measures for three years. Seeing this through will
be one of Rasmussen’s responsibilities. “Janell brings a skill set that we need now,” O’Malley said, citing Rasmussen’s extensive senior leadership working with legislators, attorneys, law enforcement and victim advocates. Rasmussen, 40, has worked in public safety for the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul — her alma mater — and the BCA, where she served as program administrator and coordinated the state’s AMBER Alert program. “The archdiocese couldn’t have found a better advocate for ministerial standards and safe environment,” said Patty Wetterling, mother of Jacob Wetterling, whose 1989 abduction remains unsolved. “She is brilliant at providing training, accurate communications and building a very successful program that has led the nation in expansion and creativity. Most of all, you won’t find a more caring individual who is committed to building community safety.” Robert Hoever, director of special programs for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, called Rasmussen a “passionate advocate” and “innovative in her effort to keep children safer.” Rasmussen said she is “excited to be a part of the change that’s coming and the work that’s currently being done in the area of child protection.” “Hearing about the work that everyone [in the archdiocese] is doing to move forward and to build the trust back up was very encouraging, and I think there are a lot of opportunities,” she said.
By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
Our Latino Ministry is just one of 17 collective ministries of the Archdiocese funded by CSAF that operate over 200 programs and serve tens of thousands every year.
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The Catholic Spirit • 7
CDH students take on timely issue of race in unique play By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit Voices of real people caught up in the racial conflict surrounding the riotcausing Rodney King verdict come alive in the voices of teenagers in a unique theatrical production whose dialogue appears to be echoed by recent racially charged events locally and across the United States. “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992,” underway at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul through Feb. 21, is documentary theater, a series of authentic monologues of people involved 24 years ago. Their words were captured verbatim by playwright Anna Deavere Smith. What led to the rioting at the time was the verdict of the initial trial, in which white police officers were acquitted of assault with a deadly weapon and use of excessive force despite video evidence that police repeatedly used batons to beat King, a black man, after a high-speed chase. The staging by the theater department of Cretin-Derham Hall features more than 25 students performing the roles from the transcripts; voices include jurors, witnesses, LA residents, the police chief, a congresswoman and others. Theater teacher and director Ann Frances Gregg said she chose the play because of its tie-ins to similar contemporary incidents. “I knew the message of the show, along with the diverse range of characters, would attract our students,” Gregg said. About 50 students are in the cast and crew. The play is being staged in the intimate setting of CDH’s Black Box Theater, which will hold only 121 seats for this production. Videotape of the actual beating, which at the time aired on TV news around the world, is projected on the floor of the darkened stage as the play opens.
‘It pulled at my heartstrings’ Katie Schearer was among a handful of students involved in the play who had never heard about Rodney King or the aftermath of the police trial. Nicholas Burns, on the other hand, said he had watched a documentary about the case and his family had discussed it. “I was exposed to it early on,” Burns said. The show touched students on an
From the director:
Rodney King: The facts
“The timing of Black History Month was actually coincidental,” CretinDerham Hall theater teacher and director Ann Frances Gregg wrote in an email reply to a question from The Catholic Spirit.
Captured after a high-speed chase, Rodney King was beaten by two Los Angeles police officers while two other police officers watched, videotape evidence shows.
“As an educator, I applaud the intent of particular months; however, I truly believe the representation of historic and current-day people of color and of women should be incorporated year-round in our programming.
Four officers were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and use of excessive force. Three were acquitted of all charges. The jury acquitted the fourth of assault with a deadly weapon but failed to reach a verdict on the use of excessive force. Six days of rioting and looting ensued in which 53 people were killed, more than 2,000 were injured and damage was estimated near $1 billion.
See the video at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=sb1WywIpUtY.
“I chose the play as the next step in a line of past shows our department has done (“The Bluest Eye,” “Hairspray,” “Check the Appropriate Box” and “Romeo & Juliet,” set in 1963 Verona, Mississippi), and to honor the voices of those represented by (Anna) Deavere Smith’s play, as well as to honor our own CDH students and their unheard voices.”
The acquittals led to the federal government obtaining grand jury indictments for violations of King’s civil rights, and in a 1993 federal district court trial, two of the officers were found guilty and imprisoned. The other two were acquitted again.
emotional level, something they expect their audience will experience as well. “You feel what these people have gone through,” Sara Gallaher said. “It pulled at my heart strings,” added Dorothy Register, who plays Rodney King’s aunt. “Playing Angela King breaks my heart. I kept thinking how [Rodney King’s beating] could be my baby nephew someday.” Max Pinkerton pointed out that the play offers a lot of different viewpoints. “There’s no one white, black or Latino viewpoint,” he said. “Everybody’s going to have their own perspective.”
he didn’t have to make. “There’s a line where he says, ‘Why do I have to pick a side?’” and Hallman found similarities with current expectations, feeling pressured to choose whether to support Black Lives Matter or to side with the police, and there being no middle ground. Register, too, lamented that history seemed to be repeating itself. “If we don’t change it, it’s never going to change,” she said. “What hurts is that this is the reality we live with.”
Parallels to today
Julia Diaz said being involved in “Twilight” opened her eyes to the need for conversations about race to happen more frequently. “People in the show actually talk about race, and I think our putting on this show is something that was meant to be,” Diaz said. Her comments triggered several students to offer their personal perceptions of how race is or is not openly discussed. Maia Fernandez said performing this documentary “is going to bring an opening of minds.” To that end, following each performance, a “debriefing” session will be held in which members of the play
Cast and crew readily connected the play to contemporary allegations of police abuse of minorities that have made headlines and spawned the Black Lives Matter movement. “History repeats itself,” Burns said. Grace Banks recalled a section toward the end of the play that struck a chord. “One of the characters said this type of stereotyping won’t be happening 20 years from now,” she said. “It’s 20 years plus later and it’s happening. We all got chills.” Jack Hallman plays a juror who is terribly conflicted by a decision he wishes
Sparking conversation
and the audience can explore the topic beyond the production, Gregg noted. Those debriefings will follow the Courageous Conversations Protocol, which invites discussions about dealing with race on the emotional, intellectual, moral and social levels using agreed upon methods and conditions. Kathryn Stafford saw it appropriate that a Catholic school like CDH present a controversial production like “Twilight.” “The Catholic Church and what it teaches about Jesus is all about justice — he’s on the side of the oppressed,” she said. “If there’s an organization that should advocate for justice, it should be the Catholic Church.” Mona Passman, Cretin-Derham Hall principal, took pride that the school took on the show. “Through theater, we have found yet another unique way to bring a complex issue like race relations into focus for our community,” Passman noted. “This is particularly valuable,” she said, “because it is based on factual, authentic voices from history — shared from many, many diverse perspectives. All have value. What a powerful and respectful way to challenge our collective thinking as it relates to our faith and our understanding of current events.”
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8 • The Catholic Spirit
FAITH & CULTURE
February 18, 2016
King’s reliquary inspires Rose Ensemble concert series Group to recreate music of Sainte-Chapelle this Lent By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit The 13th-century French king who would become a saint went to great lengths to acquire relics from Christ’s life and Passion, including the towel Jesus used to wash his disciples’ feet, pieces of the cross from his crucifixion and his crown of thorns. Jordan Sramek, artistic director of the Rose Ensemble, also went to great lengths to find period music for the group’s Feb. 18-20 concert series “Sainte-Chapelle de Paris: A King’s Quest for the True Cross.” The concerts commemorate the 1248 consecration of Sainte-Chapelle, the Gothic chapel King Louis IX built in Paris to house his collection of relics. “We’re talking about a building — a church — that now has specific liturgies, and this is where the story unfolds, so to speak,” said Sramek, who founded the Twin Cities-based Rose Ensemble in 1996. “[The concert] really sheds light on this man, and this building and this idea of . . . taking the scene of the Passion and the life of Christ in a very literal way and bringing it to Paris in this reliquary.” Sramek explained that at the time, King Louis IX essentially mortgaged France in order to buy Jesus’ crown of thorns from the cash-strapped emperor
“Sainte-Chapelle de Paris: A King’s Quest for the True Cross” • 8 p.m. Feb. 18 at Holy Cross Church, 1621 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis • 8 p.m. Feb. 19 at Incarnation Church, 3817 Pleasant Ave. S., Minneapolis • 8 p.m. Feb. 20 at the St. Paul Seminary’s St. Mary Chapel, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul Tickets $10 to $37; free for children 12 and under. Performances include a pre-concert talk at 7 p.m.
istock of Constantinople. Under heavy guard, a group of Dominicans brought the crown to Sens, France, where King Louis is said to have processed barefoot through the city with it before it was transported to Paris awaiting the completion of Sainte-Chapelle, its intended reliquary. For centuries, it remained there unseen by the general public. Among the other relics King Louis acquired are items said to be the rod of Moses, part of the head of St. John the Baptist, baby Jesus’
swaddling clothes, and the lance and reed from his crucifixion. “And there’s music for all of these,” Sramek said, referring to Gregorian chants associated with individual relics that the ensemble will sing.
Dedication to the Passion The concert is primarily vocal but will include string instruments for accompaniment: a copy of a 12thcentury harp, a vielle (medieval French
for “fiddle”) and a psaltery. “The idea is to demonstrate the musical heritage of Sainte-Chapelle as the building as well, so there’ll be music way into the 17th century,” Sramek said, adding that the chapel had a prolific musical life and housed numerous composers who remain virtually unknown. One lends his requiem to the Rose Ensemble’s concert series. “In our research, we learned that St. Louis heard the chanted requiem Mass every day at Sainte-Chapelle. This was how dedicated he was to the idea of the Passion,” Sramek said. “The audience is really going to get a sense of St. Louis not only as a human, but also as a very dedicated Christian. And then they’re going to hear almost 500 years of really beautiful music that’s very specific to this building.” Sramek said the performances are especially appropriate during Lent. “We knew this was a Passion story because of the significance of the relics,” he said. “But I think St. Louis’ . . . usage of the requiem Mass as a very personal, prayerful tool comes beautifully into play during the season of Lent. For all Christians, certainly, but this in a lot of ways is a very Catholic story. It sheds light on the Passion of Christ in a very literal way, in a very concrete way.” For more information about the Rose Ensemble and concert series, visit www.roseensemble.org.
Dear Members of Saint Paul’s Outreach
EXPERIENCE THE RESURRECTION THROUGH THE EYES OF A NON-BELIEVER
The prayers of the faithful of this local Church of Newark are with you as you celebrate the
CongratulateCongratulate Congratulate
Anniversary The Clergy, Religious and LaityThirtieth of the Archdiocese of Newark The Clergy, Religious and Laity Th of ethe Archdiocese of Newark Clergy, Religious and Laity of the Archdiocese of Newark of your ministry
on college campuses.
Our Lord, Good CounselMay Homes Good Counsel Homes Good Counsel Homes
on its 30th Anniversary of Advocating that Christ on its 30th Anniversary ofon Advocating that its 30th Anniversary of Jesus Advocating that Every Life is a Pearl of Great Price Every Life is a Pearl of Great Price Every Life is a Pearlcontinue of GreattoPrice bless you. May God bless you always
✠ Most Rev. John J. Myers Archbishop of Newark
May God bless you always May God bless you always
✠ Most Rev. John J. Myers ✠ Most Rev. Bernard A. Hebda The Most Reverend John J. Myers The Most Rev. Bernard A. Hebda ✠ Most Rev. Bernard A. Hebda ✠Archbishop Most Rev. John J. Myers ✠ Most Rev. Bernard A. Hebda of Newark Coadjutor Archbishop Archbishop of Newark Coadjutor Archbishop Coadjutor Archbishop Archbishop of Newark
Coadjutor Archbishop
February 18, 2016
U.S. & WORLD
Hispanic hearts in Twin Cities turn to Mexico for pope’s visit By Bridget Ryder For The Catholic Spirit With anticipation and joy, Hispanic Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis had their hearts in Mexico for the last week, amid Pope Francis’ visit to the country Feb. 12-17. “I think that the pope’s visit is going to bring peace, and that all the violence and kidnappings will stop,” said Ricarda Virruleta, 84, who attends Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul and has lived in the U.S. for 46 years. The pope visited Morelia in the state of Michoacán Feb. 16. The state is a hotbed of drug trafficking and kidnappings for ransom. One of Virruleta’s sons and three grandchildren live in Morelia, and though they haven’t experienced violence, there is always the threat, she said after Mass Feb. 14. Mexico needs the pope’s message of mercy, said fellow parishioner Mayra Mendez, 30. “We need God’s mercy in Mexico, like the psalm said today, because we are in these moments of tribulation,” she said. On the afternoon of Feb. 12, knowing Pope Francis was arriving in the homeland of her parents, Mendez’s thoughts turned to Mexico and Our Lady of Guadalupe. She feels especially close to Pope Francis because of his devotion to Mexico’s patron saint. “I was crying, singing to myself, ‘Madre, Mirame,’” she said. “I think as Hispanics, Mary has always looked on us with mercy. Mary looks at all of us, all of her children in America.” “Madre, Mirame” (Spanish for “Mother, Look at Me”) is a hymn to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Guillermo Maldona Perez and Leslie Gamez, young parents also at Mass Feb. 14, followed the pope’s visit on social media. Perez’s parents, who live in Ecatepec de Morelos, participated in the papal Mass Feb. 13 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. “I am happy to see that people are
happy to receive him even though social media has been negative,” Perez said. Gamez and Perez said social media around the pope’s visit included contradictory remarks, with commenters not only criticizing the Mexican government for reportedly trying to convince Pope Francis to change his itinerary and not to speak out about the 43 missing students from Gerrero, but also denouncing the financial outlay of the government for the pope’s visit. “It seemed more a criticism of religion,” she said. For Gamez, it seemed strange to criticize government spending for the pope considering how much public money is lost to corruption. In contrast, she noted, Pope Francis only wants to do good, and since Mexico is an overwhelmingly Catholic country, many citizens want to see him. “We never saw things like that with other popes,” said Perez, who was in Mexico for the apostolic visits of St. John Paul II. Antonia Alvarez, co-founder of Assamblea de Derechos Civiles, a group that works for the rights of immigrants, and a parishioner of Sagrado Corazón de Jesús in Minneapolis, hopes Pope Francis’ visit to Mexico will not only strengthen people’s faith, but also bring reform to the Church and the government. She is originally from Mexico City and has lived in the United States for 15 years. “It is very clear to me that these are the places the pope needs to go to,” she said, especially Chiapas and the border town of Ciudad Juarez. “In Chiapas, the large companies want to control all the natural resources and oppress the people. The problems of Chiapas are problems for everyone. Chiapas is one of the richest regions in Mexico, and it must be protected.” The region boasts mineral deposits and coffee plantations and is home to many of Mexico’s poorest citizens. It also has a large indigenous population
The Catholic Spirit • 9
Pope makes long-awaited visit to Guadalupe shrine By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service
Mayra Mendez, left, and Geraldine Lopez pose with a picture of Pope Francis in the vestibule of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul after Mass Feb. 14. Courtesy Juan Gutierrez that garnered international attention in the 1990s through the Zapatista rebellion, a movement for greater local and indigenous control of land and mineral rights. Pope Francis celebrated Mass Feb. 15 with the indigenous community in Chiapas’ capital, San Cristobal de Las Casas. Alvarez also hopes Pope Francis sends a strong message to Mexico’s priests to respect the people they serve, come closer to them and become involved in social justice issues. “When I came to Unites States, I was mad at the Church,” Alvarez said, mostly because of priests in Mexico who seemed to care little about the social injustices that plagued the country. Meeting American priests who embraced poverty helped her to recover her faith and see that “the Church is not just a business.” Alvarez’s co-founder, Pablo Tapía, also a parishioner of Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, knows the pope’s visit is only the beginning. “Wherever he goes, the effect is deep,” he said. “But the outcome of those effects, the inspiration he gives people, they have to turn them into faith in action.”
Pope Francis fulfilled his much-desired wish to pray before the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. After celebrating the first Mass of his papal trip to Mexico Feb. 13, the pope made his way to the “camarin” (“little room”) behind the main altar of the basilica dedicated to Mary. The miraculous mantle, which normally faces the congregation, can be turned around to allow a closer and more private moment of veneration. Laying a bouquet of yellow roses in front of the image, the pope sat with eyes closed and head bowed. After roughly 20 minutes, the pope stood up, laid his hand on the image and departed from the small room. About 12,000 people packed the Mexico City basilica for the papal Mass and another 30,000 were watching on screens in the outer courtyard. Built in 1976, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is located near Tepeyac hill, the site of Mary’s apparitions to St. Juan Diego in 1531. Each year, some 12 million people visit Catholicism’s most popular Marian shrine. In his homily, the pope reflected on the Gospel reading, which recalled Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Mary’s humility in saying “yes” to God’s will, he said, is a response “which prompted her to give the best of herself, going forth to meet others.” That very humility also led her to appear to a poor indigenous man, he said. “Just as she made herself present to little Juan, so, too, she continues to reveal herself to all of us, especially to those who feel — like him — ‘worthless,’” the pope said. Recalling the miraculous appearance of Mary’s image, Pope Francis noted that through such a miracle, “Juan experienced in his own life what hope is, what the mercy of God is.” Like St. Juan Diego, Christians are called to be Mary’s ambassadors and console those who are overwhelmed by trials and sufferings, he said.
10 • The Catholic Spirit
U.S. & WORLD
Catholic leaders remember Scalia’s faith, integrity Catholic News Service Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died of apparent natural causes Feb. 13 while in Texas on a hunting trip, once said in an interview that while he took his Catholic faith seriously, he never allowed it to influence his work on the high court. “I don’t think there’s any such thing as a Catholic judge,” Scalia told The Catholic Review, Baltimore’s archdiocesan newspaper, in 2010. “There are good judges and bad judges. The only article in faith that plays any part in my judging is the commandment ‘Thou Shalt Not Lie.’” Scalia said it wasn’t his job to make policy or law, but to “say only what the law provides.” On the issue of abortion, for example, he told the Review that “if I genuinely thought the Constitution guaranteed a woman’s right to abortion, I would be on the other [side].” “It would [have] nothing [to do] with my religion,” said Scalia, who long held that abortion is not guaranteed in the Constitution. “It has to do with my being a lawyer.” He was widely regarded as an “originalist,” who said the best method for judging cases was examining what the Founding Fathers meant when writing the Constitution. “My burden is not to show that originalism is perfect, but that it beats the other alternatives,” he said in a 2010 lecture. In October, speaking to students, faculty and staff at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, Scalia remarked on the importance of Catholic law schools, according to the university’s magazine. “A Catholic law school is a place where the here and now is not as important as the hereafter,” he said.
The school honored Scalia with its Dignitatis Humanae Award. Nominated to the high court in June 1986 by President Ronald Reagan and confirmed by the Senate that September, Scalia was the longestserving member of the current Supreme Court. He was 79. With his death, there are now five Catholics among the remaining eight justices. Scalia’s funeral will be held Antonin Feb. 20 at the SCALIA Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. “We are all deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia,” said Bishop Paul Loverde of Arlington, Virginia, the diocese Scalia and his wife of nearly 56 years, Maureen McCarthy Scalia, called home. “His presence among us encouraged us to be faithful to our own responsibilities whether familial, religious or vocational. His wisdom brought clarity to issues. His witness to truth enabled us to seek to do the same,” the bishop said in a statement. Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl said of Scalia: “I admired his strong and unwavering faith in the Lord and his dedication to serving our country by upholding the U.S. Constitution.” He noted that every year, Scalia attended the Red Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. The Mass is celebrated to invoke God’s blessings on those who work in the administration of justice. Besides his wife, Scalia is survived by
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the couple’s five sons and four daughters as well as 36 grandchildren. Their son, Father Paul Scalia, is a priest of the Arlington Diocese. In other reaction in Washington to Scalia’s death, The Catholic University of America in a Feb. 15 statement called him “a man who loved his family, his faith, his country and the Constitution that established it.” “He insisted that there is no such thing as a Catholic judge, only good and bad ones,” the university said. “But in his 30 years on the Supreme Court, he offered a model for American Catholics of how we might serve both God and country.” Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese of the Military Services said Feb. 15 that Scalia “was a brilliant jurist who contributed much to the country, and I mourn his passing. We are all poorer, because he no longer walks among us, but richer, because of the gifts he shared with us.” In 1992, Scalia told a group of high school students at Washington’s Georgetown Visitation High School that, as Catholics, they might feel out of step with the rest of the world, but they should learn to accept it and take pride in it. He said he was raised a Catholic when the religion wasn’t in the mainstream. “When I was the age of you young ladies, the Church provided obtrusive reminders that we were different,’’ he said, referring to meatless Fridays and Sunday morning fasts before receiving Communion. These practices “were not just to toughen us up’’ but to “require us to be out of step,’’ he said. Scalia noted the sense of “differentness’’ should have enabled Catholics “to be strong enough on bigger issues’’ such as abortion, contraception and divorce.
February 18, 2016 in BRIEF ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM HAVANA
Pope expresses joy after meeting Russian Orthodox patriarch
Though their differences are recognizable and real, Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow emphasized their obligation as Christians and as bishops to encourage collaboration among Christians and charity for all who suffer. “I felt an interior joy that truly came from the Lord,” the pope told reporters traveling with him Feb. 12 as he flew to Mexico from Havana, where he met the patriarch. “It was a conversation of brothers.” The conversation was marked by freedom and “complete frankness,” he said. They discussed concrete proposals for working together, “because unity is made by walking.”
SAO PAULO
Surge in Zika virus rekindles abortion debate in Brazil The president of the Brazilian bishops’ conference criticized a proposal by the U.N. Human Rights Commission that countries allow abortion in cases in which the mother was infected with the Zika virus. “Abortion is not the answer for the Zika virus,” Archbishop Sergio da Rocha of Brasilia told reporters during a Feb. 10 news conference to announce the bishops’ Lenten Fraternity Campaign. “We need to value life in any situation or condition. Less quality of life does not mean less rights to live or less human dignity.” — Catholic News Service
Bishop Peter F. Christensen and the Catholic Community of the Diocese of Boise Congratulates Saint Paul’s Outreach on 30 years of evangelizing college students and young professionals Thank you for your continued work in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ!
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February 18, 2016
Vatican: Monsignor’s talk doesn’t change guidelines on abuse By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service A talk given to new bishops during a Vatican-sponsored course does not represent new guidelines on the Church’s response to abuse against minors by religious, a Vatican spokesman said. A 44-page report authored by French Msgr. Tony Anatrella and just published by the Vatican publishing house “is not in any way — as someone erroneously interpreted — a new Vatican document or a new instruction or new guidelines for bishops,” Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi said in a written statement Feb. 11. The talk was part of a conference of experts given in September and was “published together with other [talks] on different subjects,” Father Lombardi wrote. Some media outlets reported that Msgr. Anatrella’s talk, written in French, said bishops are not obligated to report accusations of abuse to authorities. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith mandated in a 2011 letter that in every nation and region, bishops should have clear and coordinated procedures for protecting children, assisting victims of abuse,
The Catholic Spirit • 11
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dealing with accused priests, training clergy and cooperating with civil authorities. In an interview Feb. 12 with the French news agency iMedia, Msgr. Anatrella said: “For the Church, it is obvious that there must be cooperation between Church tribunals and police and judicial authorities” concerning the crime of abuse. He also clarified his remark about the obligation falling first to victims and families — not necessarily bishops — to report abuse in countries where reporting is mandatory. “I said in this paragraph that the bishop or his representative will first encourage the minor-victim and his or her family to file a complaint with the police. If they do not, then it is up to the Church authority to make a report,” he said. Given the new powers of the Vatican’s doctrinal office to investigate and penalize bishops for failing to protect minors, the monsignor added that bishops have to be able to prove they acted upon learning of alleged abuse, investigated allegations and sanctioned those found guilty according to Church laws.
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12 • The Catholic Spirit
T
he Minnesota Legislature reconvenes March 8 for its 2016 session, scheduled to end May 23. For the Minnesota Catholic Conference, a shorter session than last year’s means focusing on a few key priorities, said Jason Adkins, MCC executive director. In a Feb. 5 interview with The Catholic Spirit and The Visitor, newspaper of the Diocese of St. Cloud, Adkins outlined the MCC’s top three priorities for the legislative session:
1. Increasing the cash grant available through the Minnesota Family Investment Program.
MFIP is the state’s basic welfare program for low-income families with children. The cash assistance has not increased since 1986, including adjustments for inflation. “We think especially because of the major increase in the cost of living for essentials since then that that’s a prudent thing to do, especially in a time of budget surplus,” Adkins said. “We always have to prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable in our public policy choices, especially in our spending decisions, and that’s really a top priority — working with other groups to ensure that’s part of our supplemental budget or any spending that gets passed.” The state currently has $1.2 billion budget surplus. The MFIP awards assistance based on the number of family members in a household. A family of four is eligible for $1,207 per month, with $586 for food and $621 in a cash grant. The average monthly cash assistance awarded by the program is $348 per family. According to the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the program is intended to help families move to financial stability. Parents are expected to work to be eligible for the program, and most families have a lifetime limit on MFIP of 60 months. In 2014, 24,752 adults and 60,154 children received cash assistance.
2. Establishing a surrogacy commission. Adkins said public
awareness is growing around commercial surrogacy, the practice of women gestating a child implanted through in vitro fertilization for another party at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars. With that awareness is the question of whether Minnesota should recognize surrogacy contracts with law. A 2002 task force on the Uniform Parentage Act stated that “additional analysis and legislation are needed to address public policy concerns involving gestational agreements, including whether such agreements should be permitted by law.” But according to a coalition that includes the MCC, “no meaningful analysis has been done.” Minnesota law does not address surrogacy. Because neither the state nor the federal government regulate the fertility industry, the number of annual surrogacy births in the state and country
Welfare, sur school choice t legislative pr By Maria Wiering • The Catholic is unknown. Meanwhile, other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Germany, France and Switzerland, have banned or restricted commercial surrogacy, and the European Parliament recently described the practice as one that “undermines human dignity.” The Australian government recently launched a parliamentary inquiry into surrogacy, and Adkins said if they can study the issue “Down Under,” Minnesotans should be able to do it “Up North.” “We think this is a serious issue about which much more conversation and debate needs to happen,” Adkins said. “We’ve been proposing a legislative commission to really be an independent fact-finding body to study the many, many facets of surrogacy — market dynamics, the potential for commodifying women and children, and the many concerns being raised because of this industry all over the world.” A bill supporting the legislative commission has passed the Minnesota House of Representatives and must pass the Senate Judiciary committee before it goes to a floor vote.
3. Expanding educational choice. The Catholic Church in the U.S.
has long advocated for more parental choice in education, ensuring that the state does not monopolize the educational process and parents are recognized as a child’s “first educators,” Adkins said. The MCC wants parents to be able to enroll their child in the public or non-public school of their choice. “No child should have to suffer through a bad education simply because of his or her ZIP code,” he said. “We need to
Implementing ‘Laudato Si’’ The MCC has been key to local education on “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for creation released in June 2015, and the organization plans to continue its role as educator and advocate for related public policy. “We can’t simply take important ecclesiastical or Church initiatives or papal encyclicals and put them on the shelf after they’ve had their immediate spin cycle,” Adkins said. “‘Laudato Si’,’ in my view, is a powerful re-presentation of Catholic social teaching.” As the encyclical outlines, people need to be attentive to both human and natural ecology, he said. The Flint, Michigan, water crisis, has highlighted the fact that people have
empower parents to give them th opportunity and the tools they n find an environment where their their son or daughter, can really s The MCC is part of Opportunit Kids, or OAK, a coalition of non-p school entities formed in 2015 to advocate for school choice. Expanded school choice could close the achievement gap betwe income students and the general population, Adkins said. Wealthy have school choice, he said, beca can afford to send their kids to th they want. People with low incom however, often have fewer option despite open enrollment and cha schools. “We think this is a big civil righ issue,” he added, “because poor e and failing schools disproportion impact people of color in many in and so how do we help close that achievement gap? We think creat options is a better way of doing th Expanding school choice also i the common good by strengthen marketplace for education, Adkin When students can go to the sch their choice, “we’re going to have stronger and better-educated wor the coming years, and that boost Minnesota’s economy as well,” h He said the issue has the most t it’s had in 20 years. During now-d negotiations around a 2016 speci session, legislators discussed the i expanding education tax credits t the lens of racial inequality. Although Minnesota offers a K education tax credit and deductio tax credit doesn’t apply to tuition “What we’re trying to do is get existing tax credits to also include
taken water for granted, he said, MCC is looking at ways to protec natural resources, and water in particular. The Minnesota Depart Natural Resources considers man Minnesota lakes unswimmable o unfishable. Agricultural runoff is the contributors to poor water qu
The MCC is also interested in p that promote the use of renewab resources, especially through affordability. Cost was once a bar developing and using renewable but prices have plummeted in re years, Adkins said.
“We need to help people unde the importance of getting over th debate that so often shapes environmental questions betwee industry and activists, and foster
February 18, 2016 • 13
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Get involved The Minnesota Catholic Conference is growing its Catholic Advocacy Network, which includes thousands of Catholic and non-Catholic Minnesotans interested in learning more about policy issues and living their faith in the public square. Members receive periodic emails and monthly email updates with “simple, concrete ways to promote life and dignity for all right here in Minnesota,” according to the MCC. Joining is free. Sign up at www.mncc.org. raise the credit, and at the same time, raise eligibility,” Adkins said.
Policy in the Year of Mercy As the public policy voice of the state’s Catholic bishops, the MCC is also working on broader issues, including how, in the Year of Mercy, to apply mercy to public policy. When speaking about mercy, Adkins is quick to distinguish between “true mercy” and “false mercy.” “True mercy can be a powerful way to enrich justice,” Adkins said. “Not only can it make justice more than simply the application of impersonal commands, but it can [also] help heal and restore right relationships, and ultimately, that’s the true aim of justice and should be the true aim of our laws.” Adkins sees that understanding of mercy as particularly applicable to the criminal justice system. He said the MCC is working to build on some of its prior efforts — such as working to restore real commonsense and constructive dialogue around those issues,” he added. “Laudato Si’” explains the “interdependence of everything” and is a document that helps Catholics overcome political polarization, Adkins said, “because they understand the preservation of life is the very basis of the ecosystem. . . . Questions like abortion, physician-assisted suicide, these kinds of things, they stay fundamental.” However, “we don’t want just the preservation of life, we want life to flourish,” he added. “You have to have education, health care, jobs, the right to migrate — these things all matter. If we want life to flourish and not just exist, all of these policies fit together in a really consistent ethic of life.”
voting rights to people who have been convicted of felonies and “banning the box,” or eliminating the criminal record check box from job applications. The efforts are designed to help people leaving the criminal justice system have more opportunities to rebuild their lives and for community healing, Adkins said. Now the MCC is turning its attention to mass incarceration policies. “Are these policies just? Are they prudent? Or do they do more harm than good?” Adkins asked. “From the economic standpoint, it seems more and more the case that we simply can’t afford to be incarcerating people en masse. We have a population explosion [and] we have a bed shortage, so what are we going to do about it? Are we going to build more prisons, or find more productive ways to deal with [people who commit minor offenses]?” More research is showing that it may not be in the public interest to sentence to prison, for instance, people convicted of possessing or selling small amounts of illicit drugs, Adkins said. “It’s actually counter-productive; you’re putting people in a pipeline that puts them on a negative trajectory, particularly young males from minority populations,” he said. Adkins is interested in addressing underlying questions, such as how high incarceration rates in the black community affect families, how addiction can be addressed outside the criminal justice system, and how to stem addiction-related deaths. “Mercy helps us think concretely about justice as right relationships, but it also can help us think about policies more broadly by thinking about the ways we’ve received mercy, and then viewing public policy through that lens as well,” he said. While criminal justice should be viewed with “true mercy,” physician-assisted suicide is often presented with a false understanding of mercy, Adkins said. “Sometimes people look at physicianassisted suicide, or euthanasia, as ‘mercy killing,’ and it’s not merciful at all,” he said. “Compassion really means ‘to suffer with’ someone. Sending someone home with a vial of pills to die, and perhaps even die alone, is not compassion, it’s not humane.” Last year, State Sen. Chris Eaton (DFLBrooklyn Center) introduced the “Compassionate Care Act” to permit doctors to give dying patients drugs with which they could take their own lives. Backing the bill is the national organization Compassion and Choices, formerly known as the Hemlock Society. Adkins doesn’t expect the bill to pass this year, but he said the issue should be discussed. “We want to create a state where people don’t feel like the only choice they have is to end their life,” Adkins said. “Really, the debate comes down to two things: Do we want life to end sooner, or do we want life to end well? Proponents of physicianassisted suicide want life to end sooner, and we want life to end well.” Minnesota is “one of the best states for health care,” Adkins added. “There is no need to enact physician-assisted suicide.”
“To change the world, we must be good to those who cannot repay us.” Jose Angel Martinez 2015 Honoree Large Business
Anne Marie Hansen 2009 Honoree Nonprofit
Do Pope Francis’ words describe somebody you know? Someone who has the courage, humility and spirit of service to Lead with Faith at their workplace? The Catholic Spirit is celebrating the 15th year of our Leading with Faith Awards, which recognize women and men in the archdiocese whose Catholic values shape their work ethic and service to others. We have been honored to include among our past winners Jose Angel Martinez from U.S. Bank, Anne Marie Hansen from Gianna Homes and David Dinger from CLT Floor Coverings.
Tell us whom we should honor this year. Dave Dinger 2005 Honoree Small Business
Nominations are being accepted through May 2 at www.TheCatholicSpirit.com or by calling 651-291-4709 for more information.
14 • The Catholic Spirit
F
ollowing the signs to the end of a winding St. Francis Lane, I find Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center waiting in a white, wooded winterscape. For 50 years now, it’s been sitting on these 59 acres some 20 miles southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Prior Lake. Before I even get out of the car, Brother Bob Roddy has the retreat center door open. Clad in a gray Franciscan habit — colorful red Crocs on his feet — he signs me in then leads me to Room 11, talking all the way, pointing out the features of the place, explaining some of the policies and sharing a bit of the history of the center, where he is the director. My simple room — a suite really — with bed, bath, desk and comfy rocking chair, has the look of much of the rest of the center in the mid-century modern style of 1965, the year it was built. Early arrivals for this weekend Brother Bob men’s retreat introduce themselves to one another. A couple of guys RODDY swap fishing stories before Franciscan Father Xavier Goulet leads a prayerful, contemporary version of the Stations of the Cross. Prayer seems to come easy everywhere in the building, but it immediately strikes me as I snoop around the circular chapel that this is the core of the place, its beating heart. Icons of St. Francis and St. Clare flank the huge crucifix that dominates the space, reflecting its Franciscan roots. Statues, paintings and religious artifacts are reminders of the faith. And at all times spotlights shine on the stone altar and that beautiful, imposing crucifix. After a light dinner, the staff members for this retreat introduce themselves, and there’s a round of applause for first-timers like myself. Brother Bob tells us that the director of the retreat is the Holy Spirit. “Listen to the Spirit as it leads you,” he said. “Slow down into your soul space.”
FRANCISCAN RETREATS
February 18, 2016
What’s it like to go on retreat? Come with me to Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake, where, for 50 years, people have been going to ‘find the missing peace’ By Bob Zyskowski • The Catholic Spirit
“You’re here to hear God,” Franciscan Father Jim Van Dorn suggests. “Be. Listen. Listen and receive.” Chris Martin, the music minister, offers: “Maybe it’ll be the music that touches your heart this weekend, that takes you a little deeper.” She is so right. The 17 of us enter the chapel in silence for night prayer. Texts designed to bring us into an atmosphere very different from the everyday are read aloud, gently forcing out the busyness and encouraging quiet, listening and letting go to let God’s mercy bring peace. Lights are dimmed, candles slowly walked up the chapel aisles, and a moving refrain sung: “My soul is thirsting, my soul is thirsting, my soul is thirsting for you, O Lord, my God.” I pick up the hymnal and search for the composer of that psalm’s setting. I should have known: Music by Father J. Michael Joncas.
Opening to forgiveness
Retreatants pray in the quiet ambience of the chapel at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center at Prior Lake. Bob Zyskowski/The Catholic Spirit
“God’s tender mercy: Opening our hearts” is the theme of the retreat, a no-brainer, Brother Bob says, in this Holy Year of Mercy. At morning prayer on Saturday, he reads the Gospel story of the woman at the well, pointing to the passage as just one of the ways Scripture captures how Jesus taught us to be merciful. Brother Bob encourages us to join with Pope Francis during this holy year. “Be bearers of God’s mercy and reconciliation,” he said. Breakfast is in silence, and it helps me absorb the message and stay in the mood, still thirsting for what pushed me to go on retreat in the first place. In the morning’s first conference, or talk, Father Van Dorn gets real about how we are supposed to live out being “bearers of God’s mercy and reconciliation.” We need to ask ourselves when we are encountering Jesus in everyday life, he says. “In the last judgment,” he adds, “Jesus is only going to ask one question: ‘Did you recognize me?’ ” God comes to each of us “disguised as your life,” Father Van Dorn said. “Do you recognize Jesus in the Continued on the next page
50 years of helping retreatants find God’s peace in their lives Join us for these celebratory year events in 2016 Laudato Si - Evening series on the Pope’s Encyclical. 6:30 - 7:30 PM, Wednesdays March 2, 9 and 16. Labyrinth presentation - History of Labyrinths. 7:00 PM, Wednesday April 20. Labyrinth installation on the retreat center lawn. 9:00 AM, Saturday May 14. Homecoming Tent Event—Mass on the Grass. 11:00 AM, Sunday July 17th. Outdoor mass with family activities. Year of Mercy - Evening series on Pope Francis’ Year of Mercy. 6:30 - 7:30 PM, October 12, 19 and 26. Christmas Open House and Chili feed. 6:30 - 8:00 PM, Thursday December 15. Luminary walk, spiced cider, thousands of Christmas lights, chili and treats. View Seasons of the Spirit—50 years of Finding Peace on display throughout 2016
16385 Saint Francis Lane, Prior Lake MN 55372 Ph. 952-447-2182 www.FranciscanRetreats.net
“Each year my retreat is my ‘tool chest’ for another year - thank you for providing a place of quiet to seek God.”
FRANCISCAN RETREATS
February 18, 2016
Retreat a time to ‘listen to where the Lord is calling you and asking what the Lord sees in you’ Continued from previous page most obnoxious people in your life?” Because we humans often fail to provide mercy to one another and need forgiveness, because we, too, have been hurt and are in need of mercy, we need the grace and mercy of forgiveness that God freely gives, he adds. Later that morning, Brother Bob leads another conference that follows up on the theme that we all need mercy. “All of us have messed up, we’ve made mistakes and we need forgiveness,” he says. To heal us God offers the mercy of the sacrament of reconciliation. The schedule offers time for confession as well as for spiritual direction. In fact, throughout the weekend there’s plenty of time to, as Brother Bob suggests, “listen to where the Lord is calling you and asking what the Lord sees in you. The Lord sees something more in us than we can possibly see ourselves.” Mass Saturday includes the anointing of the sick. Saturday night we move to the Marian Lounge in the newer wing where Brother Bob shows a moving video. It’s part of the PBS series “Sacred Journeys,” a segment which follows America’s wounded warriors to the Shrine of Our Lady at Lourdes. They come in wheelchairs, with prosthetic legs and a variety of physical and mental injuries to take part in the International Military Pilgrimage held annually at the shrine since shortly after World War II. There’s a lump in my throat almost from the start that doesn’t leave until well after the video ends. Sunday morning, in the final conference, Brother Bob leans on the words of Pope Francis, challenging us to
“go back to the basics of sharing the good news and doing what Jesus did.” We’re urged to realize a merciful God loves us and that should give us joy and hope. Brother Bob quotes Quaker singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer about hope, noting that it isn’t a wishful thinking kind of hope she has in mind. “There’s like a hope that’s kind of gritty,” she wrote. “It’s like, the kind of hope that gets up every morning and chooses to try to make the world just a little kinder place in your own way. And the next morning gets up and does it again.”
Need for rest There’s Mass again, and brunch before we head home. The weekend — especially confession — has left me feeling cleansed of some lingering guilt, unburdened of some baggage, rested and wishing I’d taken advantage of retreats periodically through the years. I would have benefited from getting away from the busyness of life 15, 25 or 30 years ago, when I had young kids and wasn’t just months from retirement. One of the challenges the Franciscans face is one Brother Bob talks about frankly. “I lament we have a difficulty drawing younger retreatants,” he says. He knows the Catholic culture has changed and that many other activities vie for people’s time. “People work so hard today,” he says, “and what they so desperately need is something like this. “You don’t realize how tightly you are wound until you step out of that routine.”
The Catholic Spirit • 15
50th anniversary events The Catholic Spirit Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake has planned events large and small this year to mark the 50th anniversary of its first retreat, which began Jan. 4, 1966. • Evening Series on Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si’”: Wednesdays March 2, 9 and 16, 6:30-7:30 p.m. — On March 2, Brother Bob Roddy, Franciscan Retreats director, will look at how Pope Francis remains within the tradition of papal teaching and how he breaks new ground. On March 9 and 16, Sister Joan Mitchell will examine the text and ramifications of “Laudato Si’” and invite participants into a conversation about the encyclical. Sister Joan, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, is a founding editor of Good Ground Press. • Labyrinth presentation, April 20, 7 p.m., and installation, May 14, 9 a.m. — Labyrinth designer Lisa Moriarty from Stillwater will offer a photographic presentation on the history of labyrinths, a centuries-old aid for meditative prayer, how they differ from mazes and how they are used as a spiritual prayer practice. Installation is planned for a nine-circuit labyrinth on the retreat center grounds, for which volunteers are sought: 952-447-2182. • Homecoming Tent Event – Mass on the Grass – July 17, 11 a.m. — Outdoor Mass and open house with returning friars, directors, employees, retreatants and friends of the retreat center, plus chicken dinner, family activities, tours of the retreat center, live music, face painting, bounce house and more. • Evening Series on the Pope Francis’ Holy Year of Mercy: Wednesdays Oct. 12, 19 and 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m. • Christmas Open House: Dec 15, 6:30-8 p.m. — Luminaire-lit walk through the winter woods, bonfire, apple cider and treats from Edelweiss bakery of Prior Lake. More than 5,000 lights on buildings and trees.
Congratulations
on 50 years Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center!
We are grateful for your support of Loyola’s spiritual direction programs
Join us for Loyola’s 10th Annual Lenten Retreat
Mercy: The Face of God with Fr. Steve Adrian Saturday, March 5 • 9 a.m. — 3:30 p.m. Register at www.loyolaspiritualitycenter.org
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16 • The Catholic Spirit
FRANCISCAN RETREATS
February 18, 2016
Who goes on retreats? Father and son take time to reflect Don Kuplic was a 14-year-old ninth-grader when he first went on retreat, and he’s been going ever since. For more than 20 years, the parishioner of St. John the Baptist in Savage has been making retreats at the Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake. His preference is for silent retreats. “You’re there to concentrate on your Christian life, to improve what you do in your life,” said Kuplic, 80. “You examine your life and how it compares with what you should be doing. “A retreat gives you the advantage of reviewing your life, to see how you measure up,” he added. “There’s no finer way of doing it.” For the last three years Kuplic has invited his son, Doug, to the retreat center. “I like what they put on for us,” said Doug, 59, a bank examiner. “You really get a lot to think about.” A member of Holy Trinity in South St. Paul who lives in Inver Grove Heights, the younger Kuplic said he appreciates much of the retreat experience — the conferences and the opportunity to spend time talking with retreat staff member Franciscan Father James Van Dorn and other men on the retreat. “There’s a fair amount of quiet time built in, too,” Doug said, “and I think that’s important.” He said he’s a better Catholic for having attended the annual retreats. “I understand my faith better. I have more knowledge of it and its practicality,” he added. He finds himself questioning how to act in better ways, especially finding positive qualities in and
Doug Kuplic, left, and his father, Don, have attended retreats together at the Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake for the past three years. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit greater respect for other people. Don, retired from his job in corporate insurance sales, speaks with the forthrightness of age and experience. “Some retreats are better than others,” he said. “The last retreat we had, the retreat master spoke on the life we live and our daily routine, the very basics. “He talked about living a Catholic life and Catholic relationships that go on constantly,” he added. “That’s the type of retreat that brings you back.”
A spiritual homecoming Peggy Rodewald likes the person she is after attending retreats at Franciscan Retreats and
Spirituality Center. A legal assistant at a large Minneapolis law firm, Rodewald said co-workers have commented, “You’re different” after she’s been on retreat. “When I get back to work, I’m more laid back and willing to say, ‘Oh, I understand your side’ ” when discussing a different point of view. It’s just one of the reasons the parishioner at St. Peter, Mendota, will be making her 20th retreat this year at the Franciscans’ campus, a place she calls her spiritual home. “When I come up the driveway, I feel like I’m coming home,” Rodewald said. “It’s such a peaceful place. You disconnect from everything and connect to God and nature.” Rodewald was a young mother of twin daughters 19 years ago Peggy when she attended her first RODEWALD retreat. Through the years, retreats have helped her deal with divorce and the deaths of family and close relatives, she said. She likes the balance of activities Franciscan Retreats offers, including group conferences as well as alone time looking at the lake. “The people there are really supportive,” Rodewald said. “The Franciscans go out of their way, especially to women, because they realize women minister to everybody else.” She’s become a retreat captain, which involves inviting others to join her on retreat. Many attend a women’s retreat the same time each year, but Rodewald said five to 10 new women typically come, too. “I love meeting the different people,” she said. “People find themselves at peace,” she added. “It’s the simplicity of it; it takes all the trappings away. Peace within is there.”
— Bob Zyskowski
Congratulations to Franciscan Retreats & Spirituality Center
on 50 years of ministry fulfilling the hearts of so many family, neighbors and friends!
Thank you and may God continue to bless you! www.stgertrudesshakopee.org
Congratulations to our Franciscan Friars for sharing 50 years of Franciscan Spirituality Saint Bonaventure Catholic Community 901 East 90th St., Bloomington (952) 854-4733 SaintBonaventure.org
www.TheCatholicSpirit.com • www.archspm.org
FOCUS ON FAITH
February 18, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 17
SUNDAY SCRIPTURES Sharon Perkins
Sunday, Feb. 21
Second Sunday of Lent Readings • Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 • Philippians 3:17–4:1 • Luke 9:28b-36
A glimpse of citizenship I have a 2-year-old nephew who lives in Shanghai with his parents. He was born in China, but because my brother and his wife are U.S. citizens, their son received the full privileges and benefits of American citizenship even before his first glimpse of the U.S.; he only needed to obtain the necessary documentation. When his parents’ residence in China ends, little Mateo, already the proud owner of a U.S. passport, will be welcomed into his “new” homeland and bound by its laws and obligations. There’s a different kind of citizenship described in today’s readings, and we’re given a preview of it, beginning in Genesis. Abram, a sojourner and a
foreigner, is promised more descendants than he can count and the possession of a land that is not his birthright. Although no documents are signed, there is the solemn enactment of a covenant by which God binds himself to fulfill his promises. Before he even sees the land that God has given to him, Abram becomes its citizen. In the Gospel, Peter, James and John saw the two great figures of their past, Moses and Elijah, on the mount of the Transfiguration. But Jesus also showed them a glimpse of their future citizenship. It was as if a curtain was pulled back and they were able to see a realm so glorious that they were
overwhelmed, captivated, enthralled and frightened all at the same time. St. Paul reminds us that “our citizenship is in heaven” and that “he will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body.” Although we haven’t earned its rights and privileges, our citizenship has already been accomplished by Jesus’ “exodus” in Jerusalem — his suffering and death on a cross. We are invited to inhabit a promised realm we have yet to see, living under its obligations while we “wait for the
Big Stock photo Lord with courage.” Like the psalmist, we can assert, “I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.” It’s a land we don’t need documentation to enter — only trust that the God who fulfilled his promise to Abram, Moses, Elijah, Peter, James and John will fulfill his promises to you and me. This Catholic News Service column is offered in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Feb. 21 Second Sunday of Lent Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 Philippians 3:17–4:1 Luke 9:28b-36 Monday, Feb. 22 Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, apostle 1 Peter 5:1-4 Matthew 16:13-19 Tuesday, Feb. 23 Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 Matthew 23:1-12
Wednesday, Feb. 24 Jeremiah 18:18-20 Matthew 20:17-28
Saturday, Feb. 27 Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Tuesday, March 1 Daniel 3:25, 34-43 Matthew 18:21-35
Friday, March 4 Hosea 14:2-10 Mark 12:28-34
Thursday, Feb. 25 Jeremiah 17:5-10 Luke 16:19-31
Sunday, Feb. 28 Third Sunday of Lent Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12 Luke 13:1-9
Wednesday, March 2 Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9 Matthew 5:17-19
Saturday, March 5 Hosea 6:1-6 Luke 18:9-14
Thursday, March 3 Jeremiah 7:23-28 Luke 11:14-23
Sunday, March 6 Fourth Sunday of Lent Joshua 5:9a, 10-12 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Friday, Feb. 26 Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
Monday, Feb. 29 2 Kings 5:1-15ab Luke 4:24-30
SEEKING ANSWERS Father Kenneth Doyle
When to call a priest; saints in the Mass Q.
My husband is very ill with cancer, and it is probably terminal. He last went to confession several months ago. I would like him to go to confession once more and receive the anointing of the sick, but I am reluctant to suggest it because he is still ambulatory and is unaware of the gravity of his condition. (We decided not to tell him how sick he is, lest it cause him to despair.) What can I do? Should I just wait until the last minute?
A. No, you definitely should not wait until the last minute. (For one thing, how can you forecast when that minute will arrive?) The sacrament of the anointing of the sick, which some of us learned as kids to call the “last rites,” is meant to be far more than that. It asks first, if it be God’s will, that healing take place — and you surely
would not want to deprive your husband of that opportunity. If, however, the disease is terminal, the sacrament prays that your husband’s suffering will be eased and that he will feel the peace of God’s presence throughout his days. Why not look for a chance to say casually to your husband something like this: “I hate to see you not feeling well. How about if I ask (Father X) to stop by when he’s out visiting homes? He could say a couple prayers for you and give you a blessing.” You should clue the priest in private that your husband is unaware of the seriousness of his condition, and the priest will know to offer the chance for confession and anointing.
Q. In the Canon of the Mass, we honor the saints Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence, Chrysogonus, John and
Paul, Cosmas and Damian. The Church recognizes more than 8,000 saints, many of whom are much better known than that list in the Canon. Couldn’t we draw more inspiration from saints whom we know a bit about — perhaps St. Francis of Assisi, St. Patrick, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Joan of Arc, St. Clare, St. Augustine, St. Bernadette, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Benedict or St. Padre Pio?
Cletus, Clement, Sixtus and Cornelius, for example, were martyred popes.) My experience is that Eucharistic Prayer 1 is not used often and, when it is, the priest celebrant rarely opts to name the saints on the longer list. Only the third eucharistic prayer specifically gives to the priest the option of adding other saints — the saint whose feast is being celebrated, perhaps, or the patron saint of the parish — but my sense is that celebrants sometimes choose to do this regardless of which of the eucharistic prayers they have chosen. I agree with you that greater attention should be given to saints, particularly the more contemporary ones. In our parish, I typically give a 90-second talk at the beginning of weekday Mass about the particular saint whose feast we are marking. They are our heroes in the faith, and we ought to keep their example in front of us.
Q&A
A. The Canon of the Mass to which you refer is the first of four general eucharistic prayers in the Roman Missal from which the priest may select. More commonly called Eucharistic Prayer 1, it is also known by its former title, “the Roman Canon,” and it served as the only eucharistic prayer in the Roman rite for more than a thousand years. It mentions, first, several of our bestknown saints (Mary and Joseph, Peter, Paul and Andrew) before listing in parentheses a list of 21 saints that the priest may add if he so chooses. That longer list includes the saints you mention, who — naturally, given the prayer’s early origin — come from the Church’s first few centuries. (Linus,
Father Doyle writes for Catholic News Service. A priest of the Diocese of Albany, New York, he previously served as director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, NY 12208.
18 • The Catholic Spirit
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA Bishop Andrew Cozzens
Bringing Christ to the caucus Venturing into the political realm today can be an unappealing prospect. Sometimes it seems that American politics appeals to our base fears and prejudices, while advancing only the special interests of a powerful few. Often, sound bites, faux controversies and empty gestures take the place of true civil discourse and a deeper understanding of how to pursue the common good. As followers of Christ, we might wonder if participating in the political process is worth our time at all. Why muddy ourselves or the Church in such a seemingly dirty business? Shouldn’t we stay above this ugly fray? Not according to Pope Francis, who reminds us that “a good Catholic meddles in politics.” In fact, rather than lamenting the negative state of things, I believe we are called to do our small part to make a ripple of change. One of the keys is not getting fixated on national and presidential politics. Instead, we should remember the fundamental truth that political change starts in our local communities and in our state.
Duties of faithful citizenship Civic engagement is part of the vocation of all God’s faithful, who are called by Jesus to be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” Though contemporary politics may
Participating in your precinct caucus Minnesota has a proud history of civic engagement, and the caucus system is part of that legacy. As Catholics, caucusing provides us an opportunity not only to live out the call to faithful citizenship, but also to have a meaningful impact on the political process. Here is what you need to know in order to be an effective voice for the common good and human dignity at your local precinct caucus.
The basics of caucusing • Precinct caucuses will be held 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, 2016. • A precinct caucus is a local meeting organized by a political party. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the Republican Party of Minnesota and several other political parties hold them across the state. • The precinct caucus is the first in a series of meetings where political parties endorse candidates and set goals and values (called party platforms). The positions and candidates supported at the local level directly inform the positions and candidates that delegates support at each political party’s state convention. • Anyone can attend a precinct caucus,
indeed be distasteful at times and darkened by a flawed understanding of the human person, this is all the more reason for Christians to bring the good news into public life in whatever way we can. This is not a duty that any of us can delegate. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that it is every person’s responsibility, as far as possible, to promote the common good through participation in public life (CCC No. 2240). Yes, we are our brother’s keeper, and our social concern for others extends to the public arena, where the lawmaking process can have an important impact in affirming human dignity and fostering the common good. Though each of us is responsible for the care of our community, this does not mean we all have to run for office (thank God!). Nor does it mean that our civic responsibilities are fulfilled after casting our ballot. We all have different gifts and roles to play, and we must discern where we are called. For some, it might be issue advocacy; for others, it might be service in the community, such as volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center or providing meals for the hungry. At minimum, we can — and should — pray. We can pray for our nation, elected officials and all citizens. Of course, we are all busy with many but in order to participate you must be eligible to vote in the upcoming general election, live in the precinct and be inclined to support the principles of the party with which you are caucusing. • At your precinct caucus, you can vote for the candidate you want the party to support for president. The results will help determine how many delegates each candidate gets at their party’s national endorsing convention. • You can also introduce and support resolutions on statewide policy issues, such as abortion restrictions, education choice and public support for lowincome families. Anyone can introduce a resolution, and, if passed, a resolution can eventually become part of the official party platform. • Delegates to represent your precinct at future conventions and local party leaders will also be selected at the caucus. • The entire process usually lasts about two hours, but you are typically not required to stay for the whole duration in order for your votes or resolutions to count.
Join the conversation Are you a longtime caucus-goer or caucusing for the first time? Tell us about it! Share your story with The Catholic Spirit at stories@ archspm.org, Facebook or on Twitter @ CatholicSpirit.
February 18, 2016
responsibilities in our homes, schools caucuses, which will be held March 1 and workplaces. But exercising the duties (see the Action Alert for details). Though of faithful citizenship need not come at there are many ways to participate in the the expense of our more immediate political process, precinct caucuses are an responsibilities. In fact, given impactful — but often the growing number of overlooked — means of political and legal threats shaping our political posed to our religious liberty landscape. A unified and way of life, Catholic Catholic voice at the Rather than engagement in politics is caucus level can play a necessary to defend our large part in ending the lamenting the “political homelessness” families and consciences. many Catholics negative state that experience by urging all Be the change we seek political parties to adopt It’s fair to ask, “Where do of things, I positions that foster we begin?” Like in any work human flourishing from believe we of missionary discipleship, conception to natural the key is to start with prayer death. are called to so that we may see better
As you consider ways through the lens of faith. do our small in which you can Where am I needed? What exercise faithful are my gifts? How do I feel led part to make citizenship, I encourage by the Holy Spirit? you to look to the Though we can be focused a ripple of Minnesota Catholic on what we see filtered Conference — the public through national media, I change. policy voice of the six know from personal Catholic dioceses of experience that even simple Minnesota. They have a engagement at a local level wealth of resources to can have a noticeable impact. help faithful Catholics I was blessed to grow up in a family that believed in the importance of better participate in the political process, foster faithful citizenship and end political participation. As a high school political homelessness. student, I would join friends and family members and participate in local precinct By entering the public arena, meetings, especially when I turned 18 emboldened by the Gospel and the Holy and was able to vote. It was incredible to Spirit, we can, little by little, change see and experience how a few individuals American politics and be faithful to our who are well organized and of strong Church’s call to foster the common good conviction can affect the candidates a for all Minnesotans. political party endorses and the positions it adopts. Here in Minnesota, we have a fastBishop Cozzens is the auxiliary bishop of approaching opportunity to be faithful St. Paul and Minneapolis and a Minnesota citizens by participating in local precinct Catholic Conference board member. • You have the right to take time off work to participate in a precinct caucus. You must give your employer 10 days written notice. (See Minn. Stat. §§ 202A.19, subd.2 and 202A.135.)
Tips for being an effective caucus-goer • Go prepared. Form your conscience for faithful citizenship by learning the principles of Catholic social doctrine; be ready to apply them to the conversations that will take place. Also, be familiar with the candidates’ positions and how closely they reflect a consistent ethic of life. • Bring a buddy (or 10). If wellorganized and of strong conviction, even a small number of people can make a big difference at a local precinct caucus. Consider asking friends from your parish to join you. • Be winsome. There are several different ways to make a point or to advocate for a particular position. Finding ways that inspire and bring people together are typically most effective. • Build relationships. Politics is fundamentally about civic friendship. Whether you’ll be introducing resolutions or not, your precinct caucus is a good opportunity to get to know others who live and work in your community and join them in working for the common good. • Pray. Remember that you’re going to the caucus to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Ask him to supply you with
confidence, charisma and prudence, and pray that his will be done in all things.
Helpful resources • Conscience formation: Think about politics in the same way the Church does. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility” is a good place to start. • CaucusFinder: The Minnesota Secretary of State has set up an easy-touse online tool to locate the site of your precinct caucus. Or you can contact the state party offices directly. • Sample resolutions: The Minnesota Catholic Conference has prepared resolutions that can be introduced at either Democratic or Republican precinct caucuses, all with the aim of urging both parties to support the flourishing of human life from conception to natural death. • Candidate preference tools: Tools like Project Vote Smart and www.isidewith. com can help you determine the presidential candidate who most closely shares your views. • Precinct caucus workshop: Join representatives from the two major parties in St. Paul Feb. 25 to get an inside scoop on how to participate in each party’s precinct caucus process. Access to these resources and more can be found at www.mncc.org/caucus. – The Minnesota Catholic Conference
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
February 18, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 19
LENT
Elizabeth Kelly
To give — and receive — radical forgiveness If Lent is an invitation to contemplate the suffering Christ, then it is also a time to contemplate the forgiving Christ, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” And in this Year of Mercy, it would do us well to remember that on the list of spiritual works of mercy, “to forgive offenses willingly” is No. 5. Even the most egregious offenses are not beyond the reach of forgiveness rooted in eternity. This prayer, it is said, was found near the body of a dead child in the Ravensbrück death camp during World War II: “O Lord, remember not only men and women of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all the suffering they inflicted on us. Remember the fruits we have born thanks to this suffering: our comradeship, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart which has grown out of this; and when they come to judgment let all the fruits that we have born be their forgiveness.” How breathtaking, we think, how extraordinary. But we may be tempted
to imagine this kind of radical forgiveness is simply out of our reach. Yet, the Church in modern times has been blessed with numerous, highly public expressions of radical forgiveness. St. John Paul II sat with the man who attempted to murder him. Or consider the renowned story of Immaculée Ilibagiza, whose family was murdered during the Rwandan genocide, and her brother in particular by someone they both knew. She has stood in the company of this man — this man who stood in the company of her brother and murdered him eye-toeye with a machete — on more than one occasion offering forgiveness. These moments were not detached, intellectual operations worked out in abstraction. Instead, these moments of radical forgiveness entered into the very intimacy that was so violently betrayed and destroyed, and redeemed it in the name of love.
The struggle to receive I wonder at the possible connection between our inability to conceive of
CATHOLIC WATCHMEN Jeff Cavins
Getting to know Jesus: A personal relationship? Is there such a thing as a personal relationship with Christ? The answer is yes! When it comes to encountering Christ and continuing to mature in Christ, there are two aspects that are important: both a personal relationship and a corporate relationship. Both aspects of knowing Christ are necessary and should be embraced, fostered and celebrated. A strictly “personal” relationship with Jesus — that is, a relationship independent of the broader life of the Church as experienced in the sacraments, prayer and life within the liturgical calendar — is limited and lacks a number of key elements. These key elements, such as the “real presence” of Christ, accountability for sin, and the sharing of the common deposit of faith, contribute to a growing up in Christ that cannot be experienced alone. A strictly “corporate” relationship with Christ — that is, a relationship that is exteriorly orthodox and compliant with Church teaching, but lacks personal encounter and communion — lacks an interior intimacy and place of inner communion and conversion.
In looking at the process of coming to know Christ, it is fair to say that there are many ways God makes his entrance into a person’s life. Some are struck by the beauty of the liturgy, and their hearts are drawn closer to Christ. There is something there that draws them beyond the things they see, smell and hear. There is a mystery beyond the signs encountered, a mystery that draws the heart. Still others are drawn by the testimony of a friend who encountered Christ in daily prayer and Bible reading. The personal relationship their friends enjoy acts as an invitation to a life of intimacy and provides an example of a deeply personal relationship. The truth is, both a personal relationship and a corporate relationship are dependent upon one another and are not mutually exclusive.
God’s invitation There are many ways God gets our attention: creation, the human desire for him and reason. The beginning of this attraction started with God. All responses of the human heart began in the heart of the Trinity. St. Augustine said, “God
I wonder at the possible connection between our inability to conceive of such acts of radical forgiveness in ourselves and our willingness to receive the fullness of forgiveness we are offered and so desperately need. istock such acts of radical forgiveness in ourselves and our willingness to receive the fullness of forgiveness we are offered and so desperately need. Receiving forgiveness requires a kind of death on my part. It is a thorough acceptance of my sin and the damage it has wrought. It is the flattening of my pride, my vanity. It brings that sin I probably hate the most in myself into the light, where the delusion that says, “At least I’m not as bad as so and so” is smashed. It is Peter, the rock, denying Christ and then fleeing the scene. We must go through this gauntlet, acknowledging the fullness of our failing and the damage we have wrought before we can stand again and thirsts that we would thirst for him.” Our thirst is pure response to a thirst that is greater than ours and comes before we even reach out. We must start by understanding that we are responding to God’s invitation to all humanity: an invitation to covenant intimacy, an invitation to share in the life of the Trinity. This invitation is not just to the world, but to the individual. This invitation is nothing short of an invite to divinization, that is, to become like God and share in his inner life and mission. This transformation and reorientation of life is the result of both our participation in the body of Christ — the Church — and our private, intimate time with our savior. He speaks to “us” and he speaks to “me.” He nurtures “us” and he nurtures “me.” He died for the “world” and he died for “me.” In order to experience interior transformation, a place of personal encounter is necessary. This place of personal encounter remains in the context of the larger Church. The personal encounter is informed, nurtured and supported by the body of Christ, the Church. This means that a relationship with Christ also involves a relationship with his Church. What Christ requires in terms of ethics, morality, holiness and mission is common to us all. While we are unique in our creation, we walk in solidarity with our brothers and sisters within the body. If one wants to truly know Christ and his will, we must come into contact with his family, the Church, and submit to the process of initiation, catechesis and public witness.
say, like the apostle Jesus loved, “It is the Lord!” This week, spend time with Christ’s phrase uttered from the cross, “Father, forgive them,” and “No. 5.” Pray not only about offering forgiveness, but also ask the Lord to show you where you need to more fully receive his perfect, sweeping, breathtaking mercy. Next time, “Woman, there is your son.” Kelly is an award-winning speaker and the author of five books, including “Reasons I Love Being Catholic.” She is trained as a spiritual director in the Ignatian exercises and leads retreats with a particular focus on helping women to flourish in their faith.
The truth is, both a personal relationship and a corporate relationship are dependent upon one another and are not mutually exclusive. Personal and familial In short, for a disciple of Christ to experience the fullness of a personal relationship with him, living in the heart of the Church, submitting to the Church’s teaching, celebrating the liturgy and embracing the sacred tradition is paramount. Continue to pray, study, celebrate and work within God’s family, the Church, and at the same time, continue to pray, study, celebrate and work in your personal life. These two aspects were never meant to be separated, but are two aspects of a whole. Jesus said, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (Jn 14:23). Relationships within a home are always personal, yet within a home dwells a family. Cavins is director of evangelization and catechesis for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
20 • The Catholic Spirit
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
EVERYDAY MERCIES Alyssa Bormes
Finding mercy in friendship since 1988 There are very few things that I have consistently done since 1988. Some of this is a mercy. Blue eye shadow is no longer among my cosmetics; shoulder pads are absent from my closet. However, since January 1988, two great friends have been in place, and we have a wonderful story. It was our senior year of college, although my credits didn’t exactly reflect this. Melissa and I began to room together, letting the rental office know that we needed another roommate. Neither of us knew Jennifer, but it was easy to get along with her.
The three of us discovered a mutual love of Scrabble. There were countless games. When we moved apart, we kept meeting once a month to play. In 1997, we decided to record our scores in a journal. Our plan is to add them when we turn 90 to see who wins. We are half way through a second, much larger journal. If I had to guess, I would say that I am going to need a couple strong decades in order to take the title. The journal has become much more than a repository of numbers; it holds the goings on of our lives. There have been marriages, birth announcements,
Mercy is ecumenical. My Baptist and Jewish college roommates have poured out mercy on their Catholic friend since 1988. baptisms, bar mitzvahs, graduations and deaths written among the pages. There was even a day when we were sure that someone would want to make a movie of our Scrabble club, so we picked the actresses who would play our parts. Just by way of an alert, the rights to the script are still available. Dale Ahlquist once heard about our club; he was very interested in serious Scrabble play. OK, but we use the dictionary all the time. We make up our own rules; for example, if you are 10 weeks pregnant, haven’t had Scrabble at your house in a year, and have U, I, U, I, U, I, G in your tray, you may dump the
February 18, 2016
tiles without penalty. In addition, every decade or so we add a blank to the game. (Melissa has old tiles, which we have dubbed Bob, Raymond, and Charlotte; they are worth up to 25 points when used.) Oddly, Dale hasn’t been around to play yet. In the past three decades we have laughed hard enough to think the furnace might be leaking laugh-inducing noxious fumes. From time to time we have cried with every bit of our souls. For five months during my own dark years, Jennifer gave me a place to lay my head when there was nowhere else to go. Of the dark years, Melissa once said, “you were never a bad person; you were just in bad situations.” In just the past few weeks, the two of them have been to my house to help with a big project. Mercy is ecumenical. My Baptist and Jewish college roommates have poured out mercy on their Catholic friend since 1988. All I have to say is a very humble, “Thank you, I love you.” Bormes, a member of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, is the author of the book “The Catechism of Hockey.”
LETTER
COMMENTARY
Robert Zyskowski
‘Quick, lock the car door!’ They were black kids who lived in the northern most part of Minneapolis. As they waited for the Brooklyn Boulevard bus to take them to school, cars would pull up to the red light, and the kids would hear it. Click-click. Click-click. White people locking their car doors. “I remember hearing that clickclick more times Benito than I can count,” Benito Matias MATIAS recalled. “On the surface [at the time], I’m mad, and I’m thinking, ‘I’m not a threat. I’m not going to do anything.’ But those kinds of perceptions make up who you are.” Matias, the interim principal of Ascension Catholic School in north Minneapolis, said that when you think about how many times a black person experiences being stereotyped, one can understand why there are strained relationships between, as he put it, “folks who aren’t like you.” How do we overcome the racial tensions that continue to boil over, not just in Ferguson, Missouri, not just in Baltimore or Chicago, but right here in the Twin Cities? Matias, a 42-year-old married father of two, sees one of the facets of the complex issue coming “when we human beings lump folks in the same pot because of the color of their skin.” Minneapolis born, raised and educated, with degrees from both
Dunwoody College and Minnesota State University-Mankato, he spoke of needing to see every person as an individual. “At the end of the day, we all bleed red, regardless of color or ethnic background,” Matias said. “It’s the unknown that creates fear, misconceptions and stereotypes.” He wished that people would realize that “even in communities with poverty and violence, there are people who care about their communities, who love their children and want to bring them up the right way.” It’s hard to relate to those good people, however, he pointed out, when those of other income brackets and other skin color have limited exposure to those who are not like them, when so much of what the majority community sees of people of color is negative. So, how do we get past this? How is race being addressed at a Catholic kindergarten-through-eighthgrade school like Ascension, where 96 percent of the students are AfricanAmerican, African immigrants, Latino or Hmong, and two-thirds of the 281 students are not Catholic? “A huge part of what helps when we talk about something like this,” Matias said, “is that our Catholicity or Christianity allows us to focus on our common love for God and Jesus Christ, and utilize that in our daily conversations with students. “Some of the most powerful things we can say in those conversations with our scholars is, think about what God wants for me,” he said, “and that doesn’t hinge on color.” Matias, who is Baptist, is realistic
“At the end of the day, we all bleed red, regardless of color or ethnic background. . . . It’s the unknown that creates fear, misconceptions and stereotypes.” Benito Matias
about what it takes to get people to think differently about those who aren’t like them and to treat others with dignity and respect no matter their color. “It’s about instilling that type of thinking in our scholars,” he said. “It’s a life-long process, and it depends on the strength of love for Jesus Christ. It’s reminding them of the kind of people God made us to be and constantly holding that up as the model.” Both children and adults at times fail to live up to Jesus’ model of treating others with dignity and respect, and a term Matias used to describe those times is one to write down and remember. We — young and old — can fall back to our “default” position of stereotyping others, he said. That’s when all of us might try to recall what Ascension works at, a lesson outgoing Ascension principal Dorwatha Woods taught, “that we are God’s creatures, created to be wonderful people,” Matias said. The expectation to hold to, and not to default to fear and stereotype, is, Matias added, that “as a child of God, you are to do great things and uplift others.” Zyskowski is the former associate publisher and editor of The Catholic Spirit. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at zyskowskir@archspm.org.
Seeking our St. Martin Two things struck me from the Feb. 4 issue. The first, in regards to “Cardinal confirms some priests decline appointment as bishop,” I can’t help but think of Martin of Tours, who had to be tricked into town, and taken bodily by force by his parishioners into the cathedral to be made bishop. I think this is the kind of man we need for our next Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The man running away from the job is the man for us! We need a saint! Not a public relations guru or a suave diplomat. It is holiness that we crave in our leaders, and which will prove the best guidance through troubled waters. As for Archbishop Nienstedt (“After backlash, Archbishop Nienstedt leaves parish”), it is my hope that he will be welcomed to exercise his priestly ministry SOMEWHERE. At my grandma’s nursing home in White Bear Lake, they are constantly experiencing a shortage of priests able to come and celebrate Sunday Mass for the residents. I can understand that many are upset with the managerial experiences of the archbishop, but by heaven! How we need his priesthood! It seems to me he is undergoing undue privation in these reactions against his very presence in parishes that need a priest to celebrate the sacraments. To the archbishop, I would like to extend the perpetual invitation to come and say Mass in our small home chapel. It’s a small gesture, but the only start I am able to make as a mother and farm wife. Chiara Dowell St. Mary and St. Michael, Stillwater Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@archspm.org. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.
CALENDAR
February 18, 2016 Dining out Knights of Columbus benefit partnership breakfast — Feb. 21: 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at Stillwater Knights of Columbus Hall, 1910 S. Greeley St., Stillwater. 651-430-3274. Belgian waffle and ham breakfast, and bake sale — Feb. 28: 8:30 a.m.– noon at Our Lady of the Prairie Church, 200 E. Church St., Belle Plaine. Dad’s Belgian Waffle Breakfast — Feb. 28: 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 835 Second Ave. NW, New Brighton. Spaghetti dinner — March 12: 5–7:30 p.m. at St. Helena Church, 3201 E. 43rd St., Minneapolis.
Music Totino-Grace “Spectacular Show Choir Competition” — March 5: 9 a.m.–11 p.m. at 1350 Gardena Ave. NE, Fridley. www.totinograce.org.
Parish events Ham bingo — Feb. 20: 5:30–8:30 p.m. at St. Helena gym, 3200 E. 44th St., Minneapolis. 612-729-9301. Vatican International Exhibition–Eucharistic Miracles of the World — Feb. 20–21: 9 a.m.–8 p.m. at St. Peter Church, 1250 South Shore Drive, Forest Lake. www.stpeterfl.org. Sister Simone Campbell presentation — Feb. 21: 1:30 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc, 4537 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.saintjoanofarc.org. ALPHA: dinner, videos and discussion about life, faith and God — Mondays, Feb. 22–May 9: 6:30–8:30 p.m. at St. Michael Church, 611 Third St., Stillwater. www.stmichaelstillwater.org. “Annulments and the Church Today” — Feb. 27: 9 a.m. at St. Bartholomew, 630 E. Wayzata Blvd., Wayzata, 952-473-6601. www.st-barts.org. Lenten evening with Bishop Andrew Cozzens — March 3: 6–8 p.m. at Good Shepherd Church, 145 Jersey Ave. S., Golden Valley. www.goodshepherdgv.org. 16th anniversary of eucharistic adoration chapel celebration Mass and potluck — March 5: 4 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church, 2119 Stillwater Ave., St. Paul. Contact Marlene Wacker at 651-738-0677, ext. 13. Women’s morning of reflection — March 12: 9–11:30 a.m. at Good Shepherd Church, 145 Jersey Ave. S., Golden Valley. www.goodshepherdgv.org.
“April in Paris” gala fundraiser — April 30: 6 p.m. at 7025 Halifax Ave. N., Brooklyn Center. www.stalsgala2016.weebly.com.
1 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights. 763-788-1897 or www.iccsonline.org.
Prayer and worship
Hermitage retreat — April 1-3: 1 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-7777251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Mary, Mother of the Church Stations of the Cross — Feb. 19 and 26, March 4, 11 and 18: 7–8 p.m. at 3333 Cliff Road E., Burnsville. www.mmotc.org. Widows and widowers Agape Mass and dinner with Father Al Backmann — Feb. 20: 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at St. Peter Church, 1250 South Shore Drive, Forest Lake. RSVP to Lisa at 651-982-2229 by Feb. 12. www.stpeterfl. org. Mary, Mother of the Church sung morning prayer — Feb. 23, March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29: 9–9:30 a.m. at 3333 Cliff Road E., Burnsville. www.mmotc.org.
Retreat for pastoral ministers: “Befriending Your Limits” — March 4-5 at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Schools Immaculate Conception School “Leap Into Next Year” open house — Feb. 24: 5–7 p.m. at 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights. www.iccsonline.org.
Basilica of St. Mary First Fridays: Year of Mercy — Through March 4: 7 a.m.–1:30 p.m. at 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis. www.mary.org.
Conferences, seminars, workshops
Healing Mass with Father Jim Livingston — March 8: 7 p.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Church, 155 County Road 24, Medina.
Sacraments in the Light of Mercy (three-part series) — Feb. 18, 25, March 3: 6:30–7:30 p.m. at St. Peter Church, 1405 Highway 13, Mendota. 651-905-4304 or www.stpetersmendota.org.
Taize prayer — March 18: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-7777251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Retreats Women’s weekend mercy-themed retreat — Feb. 19–21 at 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. www.franciscanretreats.net. School of Lectio Divina: “How to Encounter God in a Deeper Way” — Feb. 19-24: 1 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-7777251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org. Women’s Lenten retreat: Mercy on Calvary — Feb. 20: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. at 630 E. Wayzata Blvd., Wayzata. www.st-barts.org. Consoling the Heart of Jesus Retreat — Feb. 21 and 28, March 6, 13, 20: 1:15–3 p.m. at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Road E., Burnsville. 952-8900045 or www.mmotc.org. The Beatitudes: Jesus’ Commandments of Mercy Lenten retreat — March 5: 8:30 a.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis. www.mary.org. Women’s Lenten retreat “The Little Way-Everyday” with Nancy Jo Sullivan — March 12: 8:15 a.m.–
Household Holiness morning conference with Kate Soucheray and Liz Jaeger — Feb. 20: 9 a.m.– noon at St. Rose of Lima Parish Center, 2048 Hamline Ave. N., Roseville. www.saintroseoflima.net. Morning of Reflection with Laura Sobiech: “How God Answered a Mom’s Small Prayer in a Big Way” — Feb. 20: 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at Guardian Angels Church, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. www.guardianangels.org. Praying with Jesus in the Gospels evening Lenten study — Feb. 23: 6:30–8:30 p.m. at 6820 St. Patrick’s Lane, Edina. www.stpatrick-edina.org.
The Catholic Spirit • 21 CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated date of publication. 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 ONLINE: www.thecatholicspirit.com/ calendarsubmissions
MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul MN 55102
A note to readers As of Jan. 1, 2016, The Catholic Spirit no longer accepts calendar submissions via email. Please submit events using the form at www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions
Other events Mental Health Film Festival: Mental Illness and the Arts — Feb. 18: 6 p.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis. www.mary.org. Mental Health Film Festival: Mental Illness and the Arts — Feb. 25: 6 p.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis. www.mary.org.
The Compassion of God: adult learning series — March 6-13: 11 a.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis. www.mary.org.
Abortion Law: What’s at Stake? — Feb. 25: 7–8:30 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 835 Second Ave. NW, New Brighton.
Life: What’s Death Got to Do with It — March 8: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Dementia support group — March 8 and second Tuesday of each month: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-7777251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Workshop on Thomas Merton: “Solitude, True Self and Compassion” — March 11: 7-9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Pro-Life Across America Culture of Life Banquet — April 13: 6–8:45 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 835 Second Ave. NW, New Brighton. www.prolifeacrossamerica.org.
FISH fries & LENTEN dinners Feb. 19 Epiphany Church — 4:30–6:30 p.m. at 1900 111th Ave. NW, Coon Rapids. Good Shepherd Church Knights of Columbus — 5–7 p.m. at 145 Jersey Ave. S., Golden Valley. www.goodshepherdgv.org. Guardian Angels Church (Chaska) — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at First Street and Cedar Ave., Chaska. Guardian Angels Church (Oakdale) — 4:30–7 p.m. at 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. www.guardian-angels.org. Holy Cross Church — 5–7 p.m. in the parish’s Kolbe Center, 1630 Fourth St. NE, Minneapolis. www.ourholycross.org. Holy Family Maronite Church Lebanese dinner — 4:30–7 p.m. at 1960 Lexington Ave. S., Mendota Heights. Mary, Mother of the Church — 5–7:30 p.m. at 3333 Cliff Road E., Burnsville. www.mmotc.org. Mary Queen of Peace Church–St. Martin campus Knights of Columbus — 5–7 p.m. at 21201 Church Ave., Rogers. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church enchilada dinner — 11:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. at 401 Concord St., St. Paul. 651-228-0506 or www.olgspchurch.com. Sacred Heart Church — 4:30–7 p.m. at 4087 W. Broadway Ave., Robbinsdale. www.sacredheartschoolrobbinsdale.org. St. Albert the Great Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 2836 33rd Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.saintalbertthegreat. org/fish-dinners.
St. Anne Church — 4:30–7 p.m. at 200 Hamel Road, Hamel. St. John the Baptist Church — 5–8 p.m. at 14383 Forest Blvd. N., Hugo. www.stgens.org. St. Matthew Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 507 Hall Ave., St. Paul. St. Odilia Men’s Club — 5–7 p.m. at St. Odilia Church, 3495 N. Victoria St., Shoreview. www.stodilia.org. St. Peter Church — 5–7 p.m. at 1250 S. Shore Drive, Forest Lake. www.stpeterfl.org. St. Pius X Church — 4:30–7 p.m. at 3878 Highland Ave., White Bear Lake. www.churchofstpiusx.org. St. Stephen Church — 5:30–7 p.m. at 525 Jackson St., Anoka. www.ststephenchurch.org. St. Timothy Church Knights of Columbus — 5–7 p.m. at 707 89th Ave. NE, Blaine. www.kc5141.org.
Feb. 26 Epiphany Church — 4:30–6:30 p.m. at 1900 111th Ave. NW, Coon Rapids. Holy Cross Church — 5–7 p.m. in the parish’s Kolbe Center, 1630 Fourth St. NE, Minneapolis. www.ourholycross.org. Holy Family Maronite Church Lebanese dinner — 4:30–7 p.m. at 1960 Lexington Ave. S., Mendota Heights. Knights of Columbus No. 4967 — 4–7 p.m. at St. Peter Catholic School cafeteria, 2620 N. Margaret St., North St. Paul. Mary, Mother of the Church — 5–7:30 p.m. at 3333 Cliff Road E., Burnsville. www.mmotc.org.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church enchilada dinner — 11:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. at 401 Concord St., St. Paul. 651-228-0506 or www.olgspchurch.com. Sacred Heart Church — 4:30–7 p.m. at 4087 W. Broadway Ave., Robbinsdale. www.sacredheartschoolrobbinsdale.org. St. Albert the Great Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 2836 33rd Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.saintalbertthegreat. org/fish-dinners St. John the Baptist Church — 5–8 p.m. at 14383 Forest Blvd. N., Hugo. www.stgens.org. St. Matthew Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 507 Hall Ave., St. Paul. St. Michael Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 16311 Duluth Ave. SE, Prior Lake, lower level, Archangels Hall. St. Peter Church — 5–7 p.m. at 1250 S. Shore Drive, Forest Lake. www.stpeterfl.org. St. Pius X Church — 4:30–7 p.m. at 3878 Highland Ave., White Bear Lake. www.churchofstpiusx.org. St. Stephen Church — 5:30–7 p.m. at 525 Jackson St., Anoka. www.ststephenchurch.org. St. Timothy Church Knights of Columbus — 5–7 p.m. at 707 89th Ave. NE, Blaine. www.kc5141.org.
March 4 Epiphany Church — 4:30–6:30 p.m. at 1900 111th Ave. NW, Coon Rapids. Guardian Angels Church (Oakdale) — 4:30–7 p.m. at 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. www.guardian-angels.org. Holy Cross Church — 5–7 p.m. in the parish’s Kolbe
Center, 1630 Fourth St. NE, Minneapolis. www.ourholycross.org. Holy Family Maronite Church Lebanese dinner — 4:30–7 p.m. at 1960 Lexington Ave. S., Mendota Heights. Mary, Mother of the Church — 5–7:30 p.m. at 3333 Cliff Road E., Burnsville. www.mmotc.org. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church enchilada dinner — 11:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. at 401 Concord St., St. Paul. 651-228-0506 or www.olgspchurch.com. Sacred Heart Church — 4:30–7 p.m. at 4087 W. Broadway Ave., Robbinsdale. www.sacredheartschoolrobbinsdale.org. St. Albert the Great Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 2836 33rd Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.saintalbertthegreat.org/fish-dinners. St. John the Baptist Church — 5–8 p.m. at 14383 Forest Blvd. N., Hugo. www.stgens.org. St. Matthew Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 507 Hall Ave., St. Paul. St. Michael Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 16311 Duluth Ave. SE, Prior Lake, lower level, Archangels Hall. St. Odilia Men’s Club — 5–7 p.m. at St. Odilia Church, 3495 N. Victoria St., Shoreview. www.stodilia.org. St. Peter Church — 5–7 p.m. at 1250 S. Shore Drive, Forest Lake. www.stpeterfl.org. St. Stephen Church — 5:30–7 p.m. at 525 Jackson St., Anoka. www.ststephenchurch.org. St. Timothy Church Knights of Columbus — 5–7 p.m. at 707 89th Ave. NE, Blaine. www.kc5141.org.
22 • The Catholic Spirit
Father Keller remembered for laughter By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Father Lawrence Keller loved to laugh. That’s one thing his niece and caretaker Mary Kehoe recalled about the priest, who died Feb. 12 at age 93. “If you talk to anyone, they’ll remark about his laugh,” said Kehoe, a parishioner of St. Joseph in Rosemount. “He had a real hearty, genuine laugh. And, he loved to laugh. He was kind of a jokester, kind of had a dry sense of humor. He’s my dad’s brother, and that’s the way my dad [Richard] was.” Father Keller was born in Hastings Aug. 12, 1922, the oldest of Lawrence and Frances Keller’s six children. He attended the St. Paul Seminary and was ordained a priest in 1947. He served for a year at St. Raphael in Springfield in what is now the Diocese of New Ulm before serving at Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul. He was named pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas in St. Paul Park in 1967, and served there until 1978, when he became pastor of St. Charles in Bayport. He served there until his retirement in 1987. He was 65 at the time and was granted a medical disability retirement. “He was very down-to-earth and approachable,” Kehoe said. “He was definitely a people person. He always
February 18, 2016
Deacon Bernard known for humility, woodworking
had himself surrounded by people.” People were so drawn to him that some of them switched parishes when he was reassigned, Kehoe noted. “He had a lot of people who would go to different parishes after he would move because they connected with him so well,” she said. “There’s one lady in particular. She called me almost weekly and absolutely loved him. . . . She just cannot say enough about him, how he counseled her through everything in her life.” Father Lawrence Father Keller is preceded in death KELLER by his parents, brothers Vernon and Richard, and sisters Clarice Gergen and Benedictine Sister Lucy Keller. He is survived by his brother, Raymond Keller; sisters-in-law Darlene Keller and Hedwig Keller; and nieces, nephews and cousins. Visitation is 1-4 p.m. Feb. 21 at St. Joseph in Rosemount. A funeral Mass will be offered 11 a.m. Feb. 22 at St. Joseph, with visitation one hour prior. Interment is in St. Joseph parish cemetery.
By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit The handiwork of Deacon Charles Bernard was prominently displayed at his funeral Mass Feb. 8 at Risen Savior in Burnsville. He died Feb. 3 at age 84. His legacy will live on at the parish where he served in active ministry from 1984 to 2001 and for more than a decade after that during his retirement. He made the wooden cross that is permanently installed behind the altar. He also made a podium used in the church, the ambry where sacred oils are stored, plus numerous prayer tables. “He was a wonderful woodworker,” said Marianne Brass, communications and community life coordinator who has worked at the parish since 1999. “He made so many pieces for Risen Savior. . . . He had a woodworking shop in his home. That was his major hobby.” Born in Lansing, Michigan, he was ordained a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1978, and retired from active ministry in 2001. After his ordination, he was assigned to All Saints in Lakeville. The pastor at the time, Father Greg Welch, later hired
him as the business administrator. “He was kind of a healing person,” said Father Welch, who presided and preached at Deacon Bernard’s funeral Mass. “He had a big, deep voice, a beautiful voice. He was very gentle with people, he was a good listener.” Brass said she was struck by Deacon Bernard’s humility. “Chuck Bernard was a humble servant; he was always very unassuming,” Deacon Charles she said. BERNARD “For a while when we were short staffed, he actually sat at the front desk and answered phones at night,” she added. “Sometimes, it got a little boring, so he would sit there waiting for the phone calls to come in, making rosaries. . . . He was just a wonderful, wonderful man.” Deacon Bernard is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marie; six children; 15 grandchildren and seven greatgrandchildren.
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FROM AGE TO AGE
February 18, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 23
Forest Lake ministry for widows, widowers forges friendships By Sam Patet For The Catholic Spirit
throughout the archdiocese. Having a meal together, Casey said, is a key part of the group’s gatherings. “A lot of widows and widowers On Aug. 12, 1994, Chuck and Cindy Casey promised don’t have anybody to eat dinner with anymore. So to love and honor one another all the days of their lives. that became something fairly important,” she said. It was their wedding day, and the two couldn’t have After supper they do an activity, which has ranged been happier. from playing cards and board games to making jewelry Little did they know how soon their promise would and painting. be fulfilled. On Aug. 12, 2010, Chuck died after a fiveThey’ve also done spiritual activities year battle with cancer. It was their together. Twice a year they offer a 16th wedding anniversary. morning of reflection, which includes “For me, being a widow has been one prayer, Mass, a presentation and lunch, of the most difficult things that I have and they’ve had speakers present on “You don’t think gone through,” Casey said. the spiritual life. They also made a Still, she has found hope and healing that you’ll ever be pilgrimage to the Cathedral of St. Paul thanks to a group she helped form at her parish, St. Peter in Forest Lake. It’s a able to live again, in January. Casey said there isn’t a set time when group for widows and widowers, and in laugh again, love participants share what they’re feeling; two years it already has made a that happens naturally during the significant impact. again, but you do. events. “There are a lot of hurting people,” All of this has helped create an It takes a while, said Deacon Terry Moravec, who atmosphere where friendships have ministers at St. Peter. A widower but you do, with formed. Some participants get together himself, he and Casey started the group outside of the monthly meetings, with the prompting of their pastor, the grace of God; Deacon Moravec said. Father Daniel Bodin. he’ll bring you “The biggest thing is the friendship, “Everything [at parishes] is for having people that are sharing the couples and families and young people. through.” same life,” Casey said. “They feel . . . But widows and widowers are kind Cindy Casey comfortable laughing, they feel of out there fending for themselves,” comfortable crying. And we can share, Deacon Moravec said. we can understand.” Lisa Engstrom, St. Peter’s director of Looking ahead, Casey and Deacon pastoral care and staff liaison to the Moravec want the group to do even group, said she’s surprised by the way the group helps widows and widowers feel connected to more spiritual activities. That’s because they know it’s through a relationship with Jesus Christ that lasting the parish community. healing will come. The group meets once a month for a potluck supper. “The real source of healing for both of us has been . . . While the majority of the participants are parishioners, deepening [our] relationship with Jesus Christ,” Deacon the group is open to Catholics and non-Catholics
Mass, Agape Dinner Feb. 20 St. Peter’s Widow and Widower Ministry is sponsoring a Mass and Agape Dinner for all widows and widowers of the archdiocese. Non-Catholics are welcome. Date: Feb. 20 Location: St. Peter Catholic Church, 1250 South Shore Drive, Forest Lake Schedule: 9 :30 a.m. registration, 10 a.m. Mass, presentation by Father Albert Backmann and Agape Dinner to follow. Cost: $5 To register: Deacon Terry Moravec, 651-295-4444 Father Backmann is a priest of the archdiocese. Before being ordained in 2000, he was married for 29 years. His wife, Nancy, died in 1989 from cancer. His presentation is titled, “What Does it Mean or How Does One Live as a Spouse of Jesus?”
Moravec said. “The suffering and the journey of being a widow has also drawn me closer to Jesus than I ever thought possible,” Casey said. “You don’t think that you’ll ever be able to live again, laugh again, love again, but you do,” Casey added. “It takes a while, but you do, with the grace of God; he’ll bring you through.” For information about upcoming events, visit
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24 • The Catholic Spirit
THE LAST WORD
February 18, 2016
St. Paul’s Outreach celebrates 30 years of college ministry By Jessica Weinberger For The Catholic Spirit
B
eyond choosing a field of study or deciding which dorm to call home, college students face deeper decisions: Who do they want to be? What do they believe in? For the first time, it’s up to them to decide, and many contemplate leaving their Catholic faith behind. “Colleges and universities are really a battle ground for the hearts and souls and lives of young people,” said Gordy DeMarais, founder and executive director of St. Paul’s Outreach (SPO) who attends St. Joseph in West St. Paul. Thirty years ago, DeMarais, alongside Christina Smith and Father Kevin Finnegan, founded SPO on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul as an evangelization initiative to bring college students back to Christ and the Catholic faith. Using DeMarais’ own experience of leaving the Catholic Church as a teen and being brought back to the faith through a friend, they built the program on the foundation of peer-to-peer relationships and community. Today, SPO has seven “mission centers” and more than 200 staff and student missionaries across the nation spearheading formation programs, retreats and more. Many missionaries lead SPO households, where they live alongside an average of six students, sharing meals, daily prayer and chores. Within Minnesota, SPO operates chapters at the University of St. Thomas, the University of Minnesota and St. Olaf College in Northfield. Guided by a model they call “reach, call, form and send,” SPO missionaries work to reach college students through social events and sports before calling students to embrace faith through Bible studies and prayer events. Later, missionaries work to form students in the Catholic faith through households and programs and then send them out as missionaries and leaders in SPO, the Church and the greater community. SPO co-founder Father Finnegan, pastor of Our Lady of Grace in Edina, sees SPO as a critical resource for college students who are searching for meaningful relationships and purpose outside of the support network of their home parishes. He remains an active supporter of SPO, fondly recalling his time leading an SPO household in the 1980s with residents including Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Father Michael Becker, rector of St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul. “We need to help young adults realize they have a calling and really reach out to one another to bring people deeper into the life of Christ,” Father Finnegan said. “SPO can do that and is doing that.”
Going ‘deeper in life’ Will Johnson, 22, a senior at the University of Minnesota, said he experienced true brotherhood for the first time through his involvement as an SPO student missionary. Johnson, a marketing and supply
ABOVE From left, Kaly Kohns, Lauren DeZelar and Jackie Meyer laugh as they prepare dinner in the kitchen of an SPO women’s household near the University of Minnesota. DeZelar and Meyer live in the house, while Kohns is a frequent guest. RIGHT Kayla Lynch, right, joins in prayer before dinner along with other members of an SPO women’s household near the University of Minnesota. Joining her are Ariel Garsow, left, and Alex Bosch. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit chain operations major from St. Paul, spoke at the nonprofit’s “30 Years on Mission” benefit banquet Feb. 9 about how SPO challenged him “to go deeper in life.” “They called me out in areas where I was hiding, but they always did this without judgment and from a place of love,” he said. “I am certain that I would not have the relationship I have with God today had it not been for the men of SPO.” Zachary and Lauren Froelich, both 29 and members of Maternity of Mary in St. Paul, also credit SPO for enriching their faith lives during their years as SPO student missionaries, but also for bringing them together.
SPO honors alumnus Bishop Cozzens Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens was among recipients of the Bishop Paul Dudley Servant Leadership Award at St. Paul Outreach’s annual banquet Feb. 9 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. Bishop Cozzens served as a full-time missionary for SPO before joining seminary. Today he is chairman of SPO’s board of directors. In remarks at the banquet, Bishop Cozzens recalled joining an SPO summer household in 1989, when he was 20 years old. Several of his housemates are also now priests and Catholic lay leaders in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “What I witnessed in these first men when I came to live in St. Paul . . . was a call to authentic discipleship. It was a call to really and truly put Jesus Christ and his Church in the center of my life, and to begin to make all my decisions based on that reality,” he said. He is grateful SPO was there when he needed it and continues to serve young adults today. “St. Paul’s Outreach helped me to come to meet the greatest treasure of my life and to understand what it meant to live in a daily relationship with Jesus Christ,” he said. SPO alumna Sister Gloria Therese Laven, a Carmelite Sister of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, also received the Bishop Paul Dudley Servant Leadership Award. — The Catholic Spirit
Now married for almost five years, Zachary, an attorney, and Lauren, a part-time office manager for a midwifery practice, said living in SPO households provided accountability and encouraged them to live with intention, paving the way for a faith-filled marriage. “It really helped when forming a family culture,” Zachary said about their shared formation. “We both understood the intentionality of living a household life where we fit family prayer in and make family meals a priority.” Now with their 21-month-old son, Daniel, they have a support network of SPO friends they can lean on just as they did during college. “We can’t do this walk alone, and we need others around us, encouraging us and providing great examples,” Lauren said. As SPO celebrates 30 years of Catholic ministry and evangelization to college students, they’re seeing the life-changing, long-lasting impact passed on to the next generation. Thousands of alumni and former students touched by SPO work throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and beyond are now in various areas of business, ministry and family life; four out of DeMarais’ six children are actively involved or employed by SPO. It’s this community of people guided by faith that DeMarais knows will carry the mission of SPO forward as the organization evolves and works to spread the Gospel to young people in the decades ahead. “We’ve only just begun,” he said.