Protecting children 5 • Ethical health care 7 • Funding religious’ retirement 13 December 8, 2016 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Blessed feast of the Immaculate conception
Hungry for food, leaving with love Our Lady of the Lake rebuilds food shelf, thrift store By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit
M
ound resident Ken Trazes said he once cooked as a chef for an Au Bon Pain in downtown Minneapolis before a spinal disease curtailed his career.
Trazes, 47, depends on disability assistance, he said, but is still able to cook with top shelf ingredients with the help of Westonka Food Shelf. He makes a weekly trip to the pantry neighboring Our Lady of the Lake in Mound for not only the basic ingredients but also rare spices, he said. “It’s like the Beverly Hills of Minnesota; you get all stocked goods from the good stores like Lunds and Byerlys and Kowalski’s,” Trazes said about the food shelf, which uses a food rescue program to obtain food from local stores. Complementing its high quality food is a pristine new building, the Grace Family Center, a project OLL spearheaded. Opened in October, the center has a simple but store-like look with professional display cases. “We wanted it to be like they’re stepping into a real store,” said Father Tony O’Neill, OLL’s pastor. “Everything about the building — the fact that it’s a well-built and handsome building — it communicates to the person who walks in there that we think they’re worth that.”
ABOVE From left, volunteers Sheri Gahl and Cinda Dorholt assemble a food order at Westonka Food Shelf in Mound Nov. 22. The food shelf is housed in the newly constructed Grace Family Center next door to Our Lady of the Lake in Mound. Gahl is a parishioner. BELOW Father Tony O’Neill, pastor of Our Lady of the Lake in Mound, stands outside Grace Family Center. He was instrumental in the recent construction of the building. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
“Everything about the building — the fact that it’s a well-built and handsome building — it communicates to the person who walks in there that we think they’re worth that.” Father Tony O’Neill
Please turn to FOOD SHELF on page 6
ALSO inside
Pallium preparations
Oh little town of Bethlehem
Building a hospital and hope
The vestment Archbishop Hebda will receive at the Cathedral Dec. 18 shows archdiocese’s unity with pope. — Page 5
After violence marked last year’s holiday season, Bethlehem residents have high hopes for this Christmas. — Page 8
Retired St. Thomas president collaborates with Ugandan alumni to improve health care in African nation’s capital city. — Pages 10-11
2 • The Catholic Spirit
PAGE TWO
in PICTURES
December 8, 2016 OVERHEARD “We pledge to support these students — through our campus counseling and ministry support, through legal resources from those campuses with law schools and legal clinics, and through whatever other services we may have at our disposal.” A statement released Nov. 30 by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and signed by more than 70 school leaders stating support for immigrant students protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to target illegal immigration, causing concern that the policy will not stand. Among the signatories were Julie Sullivan, president of the University of St. Thomas, and ReBecca Roloff, president of St. Catherine University, both in St. Paul.
BASILICA GOES TO ROME The Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis, Schola Cantorum performs at the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome Nov. 16. It was one of several performances the Basilica musical group gave in Rome. The Schola Cantorum was invited to Rome to sing with the Sistine Chapel choir at the Closing Mass for the Year of Mercy. Once the Consistory for new Cardinals was announced, the Schola was also invited to sing at that liturgy. The Schola also held two public evening concerts during its week in Rome. Courtesy Hans van Parys
NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit
Immaculate Conception feast is holy day of obligation The feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec. 8 is a holy day of obligation in the United States, meaning Catholics have a responsibility to attend Mass. The solemnity commemorates traditional Church teaching that Mary was conceived without original sin, which Pope Pius IX defined and proclaimed as dogma in 1854. In an apparition to St. Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes, France, in 1858, Mary revealed herself as “the Immaculate Conception.” She is also venerated as patroness of the United States under this title.
Guadalupe feast a day of immigrant solidarity The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has named the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12 a day of prayer and solidarity with families of immigrants. According to a press release, “It will be a time to place before a merciful God the hopes, fears and needs of all those families who have come to the U.S. seeking a better life.” Catholics are encouraged to attend Mass or otherwise pray for immigrants, refugees and their families.
GIRLS HOOP IT UP Frannie Hottinger (22) of Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul looks to stop a pass by Totino-Grace High School in Fridley during the Thanksgiving Tip-Off Tournament Nov. 26 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. The two-day event drew an estimated 1,400 fans and was hosted by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Stewardship and Development. Twelve Catholic high school girls teams participated. Courtesy Mike Slawin
WINE book explores Christ’s passion Women in the New Evangelization (WINE) Founder and Director Kelly Wahlquist edited “Walk in Her Sandals: Experiencing Christ’s Passion through the Eyes of Women” (Ave Maria Press, 2016), which features reflections by female writers on Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, through his passion to his resurrection. Created especially for WINE small-groups, the book features contributions from Wahlquist and local authors Stephanie Landsem and Laura Sobiech. Learn more at www.womeninthenewevangelization.com.
CRL to present agriculture vocation doc to pope Jim Ennis, executive director of St. Paul-based Catholic Rural Life, is expected to present a new document on the relationship between faith and agriculture to Pope Francis Dec. 10. Titled “The Vocation of the Agricultural Leader: Integrating Faith with Agriculture and the Environment,” the document is a project of CRL, the International Catholic Rural Association, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and Farmers Union Enterprise. Learn more at www.faithfoodenvironment.org.
WHAT’S NEW on social media “Isaiah ‘twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind... .” Father Michael Van Sloun, pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata, outlines Isaiah’s Immanuel prophecies and his role in Advent’s liturgical readings at www.CatholicHotdish.com. After assembling 140 baskets of food, toiletries and diapers for families in need at Thanksgiving, students of Epiphany Catholic School in Coon Rapids plan to repeat the effort at Christmas. Contributing students wrote their names on a feather to post on a paper turkey in the school’s cafeteria.
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 21 — No. 24 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor
BSM, T-G capture Prep Bowl titles Two Catholic high schools were among those winning state football championships at US Bank Stadium Nov. 25, the first time the Prep Bowl was held at the Minnesota Vikings’ new stadium. Capitalizing on miscues, Totino-Grace High School in Fridley beat Eden Prairie 28-20 for the Class 6A title Nov. 25. Totino-Grace (13-0) scored twice in the fourth quarter off of Eden Prairie (11-2) fumbles. Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park lost star senior running back Ricky Floyd in the first quarter of the Class 4A championship, but the Red Knights (10-3) survived without Floyd in a 3128 comeback victory over Winona (11-2). 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 semi-monthly 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: tcssubscriptions@archspm.org • USPS #093-580
FROM THE ARCHBISHOP
December 8, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 3
Supporting retired religious a sign of affection, appreciation
I
always enjoy bringing guests from out of town to visit our Cathedral. As we step through the front doors, there’s always that “wow moment” when they have the first opportunity to take in the confident vision of Archbishop John Ireland, the brilliance of Emmanuel Louis Masqueray and the generosity of the faithful of this Archdiocese all at once. The Cathedral — strong, enduring, instructive and inviting — intentionally symbolizes and embodies this local Church. It’s in that context that the magnificent chapel of St. Joseph, immediately to the right as we enter the Cathedral, takes on special significance for me. A gift to the archdiocese from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the chapel serves as a daily reminder for me of the much broader contribution that has been made to this archdiocese through the ministry of successive generations of sisters, brothers and religious priests. It might sound a bit macabre, but I love walking through cemeteries. I have found Calvary in St. Paul and Resurrection in Mendota Heights to be places of great peace that not only help me to focus on our heavenly finish line, but also to recall how the Lord has concretely made his love known in this local Church. I find myself drawn in particular to the hundreds of simple monuments that mark the graves of the sisters, brothers and religious order priests who poured themselves out to make sure that the tenets of our faith would be shared, that our children would have an encounter with Christ in the sacraments, that our sick would have an experience of the healing presence of Christ, that our poor would be fed, that our weak would be defended, and that our immigrants would be welcomed and empowered.
Blessings and challenges
ONLY JESUS Archbishop Bernard Hebda
Here in the archdiocese, we continue to be blessed by the presence of so many religious. As is true throughout our country, however, many of those religious who continue to witness in our midst to the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience are in need of our help. Having selflessly served and sacrificed for the good of the Church, the senior members of our religious communities — having worked for years for small stipends — now find that they are unable to meet the rising costs associated with health care. (See
Having selflessly served and sacrificed for the good of the Church, the senior members of our religious communities ... now find that they are unable to meet the rising costs associated with health care. related story on page 13.) While our religious communities are committed to providing their senior members with the care and quality of life they need and deserve, most are finding it impossible to do so. By the year 2026, the number of religious over the age of 70 will outnumber those under the age of 70 by 400 percent. To help address this situation, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops instituted an annual collection for retired religious. The response has been phenomenal, particularly here in the Archdiocese. In 2015, the national office was able to distribute $25.6 million to 395 religious communities for the direct care of senior members. Additional funding was allocated for education, consultation and resources that enable religious communities to plan more effectively for retirement. Unfortunately, the need for additional help continues, and far too many religious communities are continuing to struggle to provide a modest, safe retirement for aging members. Eldercare costs continue to rise while the number of religious requiring care grows. By an overwhelming majority, the U.S. bishops just voted to extend the collection for another 10 years. When I counted my blessings this Thanksgiving, I was particularly mindful of the sisters, brothers and religious order priests who taught me in elementary school, high school and in my seminary years. They were not only superb educators, they were also lasting role models. While I would not attribute to them any of my faults or shortcomings, I know that they deserve credit for whatever I have been able to accomplish. As we prepare for the annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection in the parishes of this archdiocese, I invite you to engage in a similar reflection and to be as generous as possible in supporting these remarkable women and men who so obviously deserve our gratitude and support.
Apoyando a religiosos jubilados, una señal de afecto y aprecio
S
iempre me gusta llevar a los visitantes de fuera de la ciudad a conocer nuestra Catedral. A medida que pasamos por las puertas de la entrada, siempre hay ese momento de asombro cuando ellos tienen la primera oportunidad de asimilar la certera visión del Arzobispo John Ireland, la brillantez del Arquitecto Emmanuel Louis Masqueray y, a la vez, la generosidad de todos los fieles de esta Arquidiócesis. La catedral, fuerte, duradera, instructiva e invitadora, simboliza y encarna intencionalmente a esta Iglesia local. Es en ese contexto, que la magnífica capilla de Saint Joseph, inmediatamente a la derecha al entrar en la Catedral, adquiere un significado especial para mí. Un regalo para la arquidiócesis de las Hermanas de St. Joseph de Carondolet, la capilla me sirve como un recordatorio diario de la contribución mucho más amplia que se ha hecho a esta arquidiócesis a través del ministerio de sucesivas generaciones de hermanas, hermanos y sacerdotes religiosos. Esto puede sonar un poco macabro, pero me encanta caminar a través de los cementerios. He encontrado el cementerio del Calvario en St. Paul y el de la Resurrección en Mendota Heights como lugares de gran paz, que no sólo me ayudan a concentrarme en nuestra meta celestial, sino también que me ayudan a recordar cómo, de manera concreta, el Señor ha hecho su amor conocido en esta Iglesia local. Me encuentro particularmente atraído por los cientos de sencillos monumentos
que marcan las tumbas de las hermanas, hermanos y sacerdotes religiosos que se esforzaron para asegurarse de que los principios de nuestra fe serían compartidos, que nuestros hijos tendrían un encuentro con Cristo en los sacramentos, que nuestros enfermos tendrían una experiencia de la presencia sanadora de Cristo, que nuestros pobres serían alimentados, que nuestros débiles serían defendidos y que nuestros inmigrantes serían recibidos y formados para que descubran su protagonismo. Aquí en la arquidiócesis, continuamos siendo bendecidos por la presencia de tantos religiosos. Sin embargo, como es verdad en todo nuestro país, muchos de los religiosos que continúan siendo testigos entre nosotros de los votos evangélicos de pobreza, castidad y obediencia, necesitan nuestra ayuda. Al haber servido y haberse sacrificado desinteresadamente por el bien de la Iglesia, los miembros mayores de
nuestras comunidades religiosas, después de haber trabajado durante años por pequeños estipendios, ahora encuentran que no pueden hacer frente a los crecientes costos asociados con la atención médica. Si bien nuestras comunidades religiosas se han comprometido a proporcionar a sus miembros mayores el cuidado y la calidad de vida que necesitan y merecen, la mayoría están encontrando imposible el hacerlo. Para el año 2026, el número de religiosos mayores de 70 años superará en un 400% a los menores de 70 años. Para ayudar a resolver esta situación, la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos instituyó una colecta anual para Religiosos Jubilados. La respuesta ha sido fenomenal, particularmente aquí en la arquidiócesis. En el 2015, la oficina nacional pudo distribuir $ 25.6 millones a 395 comunidades religiosas para el
OFFICIAL Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: Effective November 21, 2016 Reverend Richard Banker, appointed parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Michael in West Saint Paul. Saint Michael suspended operations Nov. 30, but continues to exist as a canonical and civil entity. This is in addition to his current appointment as pastor of the Church of Saint Rita in Cottage Grove.
cuidado directo de los miembros mayores. Se asignaron fondos adicionales para la educación, consulta y recursos que permitan a las comunidades religiosas planificar más eficazmente la jubilación. Desafortunadamente, continúa la necesidad de ayuda adicional y, muchas comunidades religiosas, continúan luchando para proporcionar un retiro modesto y seguro para sus miembros de la tercera edad. Los gastos para el cuidado de los ancianos continúan aumentando, mientras que el número de religiosos que requieren cuidado crece. Los Obispos de los Estados Unidos acaban de votar, por una abrumadora mayoría, para extender la colecta por otros 10 años. Cuando contaba mis bendiciones este Día de Acción de Gracias, estaba particularmente agradecido a las hermanas y hermanos y sacerdotes religiosos que me enseñaron en la escuela primaria, la escuela secundaria y en mis años de seminario. Ellos fueron no sólo educadores magníficos, sino también modelos duraderos. Aunque no les atribuyo a ellos ningunas de mis faltas o deficiencias, sé que merecen crédito por todo lo que he podido lograr. A medida que nos preparamos para la colecta anual en las parroquias de esta arquidiócesis, los invito a participar en una reflexión similar y a ser tan generosos como les sea posible en el apoyo a estas extraordinarias mujeres y hombres que tan justamente merecen nuestra gratitud y apoyo.
4 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
SLICEof LIFE
December 8, 2016
Jolly Ol’ St. Nick Bob Mathewson portrays St. Nicholas for kindergartners at Epiphany Catholic School in Coon Rapids on the saint’s feast day Dec. 6. Mathewson made the rounds to every classroom in the school, which he has been doing for 16 years. A convert to the Catholic Church in 2000, he first grew a beard 13 years ago and has shaved it only once since. “If I had to, I would pay to do it, it’s that much fun,” he said about playing St. Nicholas at the school every year. “I went to a school for St. Nicholas so I could learn even more about him and how to do it. It brings a real joy to me.” In addition to Epiphany, Mathewson, who works in maintenance at both the parish and school, dresses as both St. Nicholas and Santa Claus and makes about three dozen visits a year, including to other Catholic schools and parishes such as St. Pius X in White Bear Lake. Mathewson belongs to Epiphany parish with his wife, Nancy. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
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December 8, 2016
LOCAL
The Catholic Spirit • 5
Archdiocese on track to meet settlement’s first-year requirements, but work remains
End of an era
By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
Archbishop Bernard Hebda offers Communion Nov. 27 at the final Mass at St. Michael in West St. Paul. Leaders of the 150-year-old parish and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis decided in October to suspend the parish’s operations due to financial constraints. In his homily, Archbishop Hebda praised St. Michael’s legacy and encouraged parishioners to be “forward-looking people” in the spirit of Advent, said Debra Burgy Hendrickson, 57, who grew up in the parish, attended its grade school and worshiped at its final Mass. She described her childhood parish as having a tight community that expected good behavior. “You knew right from wrong when you left that school and parish,” said Hendrickson, now a parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas in St. Paul Park. She said she, her classmates — some of whom also attended the Nov. 27 Mass — and other former parishioners aim to take “what we had at St. Mike’s with us.” Jim Bovin/For The Catholic Spirit
Pallium Mass a celebration of local link to pope By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Since July, Archbishop Bernard Hebda has kept a small brown box in his office with something Pope Francis gave him, but he hasn’t yet been able to use. It is his neatly folded pallium — a small vestment used only by archbishops that the pope blessed in Rome June 29, and which the apostolic nuncio will officially confer on him Dec. 18 at a 2:30 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul. The pallium is composed of a narrow band of white wool that drapes over an archbishop’s shoulders and black-tipped lappets that hang down the center of his chest and back. It is embroidered with six black crosses, three of which hold long pins. It signifies an archbishop’s special relationship with the pope and his authority over not only the archdiocese where he serves, but also a larger geographical area — in Archbishop Hebda’s case, all of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, known as the metropolitan province of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The role requires him, as head of what is known in the Church as the “metropolitan archdiocese,” to offer fraternal support to the bishops of the other “suffragan” dioceses and to promote their collaboration, Archbishop Hebda said. Archbishops only wear the vestment for liturgies within their own province, and they are traditionally buried in it. It is also a vestment particular to an archdiocese; if the pope appoints an archbishop who has already received a pallium to a new archdiocese, he receives a new one. Although Archbishop Hebda was already an archbishop when he was named to St. Paul and Minneapolis, he was never installed in Newark, New Jersey, as the sitting archbishop had yet to retire, so he has never received a pallium before. While the archbishop’s installation Mass May 13 turned the spotlight on him, the pallium conferral is a celebration of the archdiocese, Archbishop Hebda said. Attending the Mass will be delegations, including bishops, from the province’s other dioceses: Bismarck, Crookston, Duluth, Fargo, New Ulm, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, St. Cloud and Winona. Before 2015, the pope typically conferred the pallium
Pope Francis holds a tray of palliums during a Mass marking the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in this June 29, 2014, file photo. The pope blessed Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s pallium in June, but the apostolic nuncio will confer it on him Dec. 18. CNS on new archbishops in Rome on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. Last year, the pope asked that archbishops officially receive their palliums in their home archdioceses among the faithful they pastor. They are still invited to the Vatican to witness their blessing, and Archbishop Hebda and some family members attended the special Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica this year. Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., will confer the pallium on Archbishop Hebda on behalf of Pope Francis at the beginning of the Mass; the rest of the liturgy will follow the order for the fourth Sunday in Advent, said Father John Paul Erickson, the archdiocese’s director of worship. Archbishop Hebda hopes the afternoon Mass will be well attended by the region’s Catholics, as the pallium conferral is “an expression of the bond that we share with the successor of Peter in Rome,” he said. “I’m excited about that visible sign of that communion with Pope Francis.” Read more about the pallium at www.TheCatholicSpirit.com.
One year after the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis reached a significant settlement agreement with the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office pledging to continue to improve safe environment policies and granting the county oversight, it is preparing to report to the court on progress made. The archdiocese is scheduled to appear before a Ramsey County judge Dec. 20 in the second of eight sixmonth hearings on its progress to implement the settlement agreement. The Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment has been collaborating with other archdiocesan offices, parish and school staff, and other stakeholders to fulfill each of the agreement’s provisions. In December 2015, the Tim archdiocese settled a civil petition O’MALLEY Ramsey County had filed against it in June 2015 alleging that the archdiocese failed to keep children safe in 2008-2011 in the case of former priest Curtis Wehmeyer, who was convicted of sexually abusing three boys at Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul. The settlement included a 24-page agreement outlining child protection measures the archdiocese had already Janell implemented or promised to RASMUSSEN implement. In July, the archdiocese and county agreed to amend the settlement agreement as part of the county’s dismissal of criminal charges it had filed against the archdiocese, also related to Wehmeyer, along with the civil petition. Under the revised settlement, Ramsey County has oversight of the archdiocese’s child protection policies and procedures until 2020. At the same July court hearing where Ramsey County announced it was dropping the criminal charges, the judge commended the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and the archdiocese for their efforts to keep children safe. The archdiocese hired Janell Rasmussen as the deputy director of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment in February to oversee the archdiocese’s continued fulfillment of the agreement. She previously worked for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, where she coordinated the state’s AMBER Alert program, which helps to locate missing children. Tim O’Malley, director of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment, said Rasmussen was hired for her subject matter expertise and her ability to oversee important and complex projects. Rasmussen said that although she thought the archdiocese was on track to meet the settlement agreement’s first-year requirements, much work remains to ensure improvements across the archdiocese take hold for the long run. “We’ve put a lot of work into implementing the settlement agreement, not just checking off a list of things,” Rasmussen said. “We’ve thought things through and made sure that if we’re implementing a policy that we’ve taken the time to put a process in place where stakeholders were all able to provide feedback and help with the development of that. By taking the time on this end and really doing it right, it will impact our work going forward.” O’Malley said his team is grateful to priests, deacons, teachers, seminarians, safe environment coordinators and volunteers for the work that has been accomplished in the past year.
6 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
December 8, 2016
FOOD SHELF continued from page 1 Westonka Food Shelf and an adjoining store, Pennywise Thrift Shop, have a new beginning but a much longer history. Both apostolates have served the community for four decades with the help of OLL parishioners and volunteers from other churches. “We wanted to send a message to the community that we support the community,” Father O’Neill said. Westonka Food Shelf serves 250 families with more than 28,000 pounds of food per month. Patrons never have to pay for the food, which is weighed out according to household size. Sixty volunteers from around the community, including 15 OLL parishioners, keep the food shelf running six days per week. Pennywise, run by the OLL Council of Catholic Women, sells clothes and household goods for as low as $1 per item. The revenue supports the parish and charities throughout the community and beyond. A 5,400-square-foot building, the center has ample space for both apostolates along with a loading dock in the back for food and clothing donations. “We have such a mix of income levels in this community,” said CCW president Carol Shukle. “We range from the very wealthy to really people who are quite poor. The cool thing is that in this community, those who have, give.” Parishioners recognized the need to build a new facility as the original building, constructed in the 1930s, deteriorated. The parish had purchased the nextdoor building from Grace Baptist Church in 1978 and renamed it the Annex. “It was falling to pieces,” Father O’Neill said. The situation prompted OLL and its community partners to explore what to do with the food shelf and how to make it happen. OLL formed fundraising and building committees to replace the Annex, a projected $600,000 project. The parish moved the process forward six months early when a generous matching donor helped reach 75 percent of its fundraising goal in 2015. The old building was demolished in October 2015, and construction of the new center began last December. “When we presented it to the parish, it was overwhelmingly accepted and supported,” Father O’Neill said. The parish fully paid off the cost of the project
Judy Norling, right, a volunteer at Pennywise Thrift Store in Mound, rings up a purchase Nov. 22 for Leila Claudio, a local resident who also visited Westonka Food Shelf for groceries that day. Both are housed in the newly constructed Grace Family Center. Norling is a parishioner at Our Lady of the Lake in Mound. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit
“We have such a mix of income levels in this community. We range from the very wealthy to really people who are quite poor. The cool thing is that in this community, those who have, give.” Carol Shukle
through fundraising. Neither Westonka Food Shelf nor Pennywise pay rent. Pennywise closed during the construction while the food shelf continued operations in OLL’s former youth room. “A lot of people were really excited it was going to open again,” said Conshirel Maertz, 44, a low-income Mound resident who shops the thrift store and uses the food shelf regularly. Pennywise and Westonka Food Shelf hosted a grand opening Nov. 3 for the Grace Family Center, and Archbishop Bernard Hebda dedicated the building Dec. 3 following a Mass at OLL. “I feel like the Lord has really just blessed this community with this new building and the people that work in it and the people that donate here,” Maertz said.
Westonka Food Shelf volunteer director Shelly Sir, 50, said everything coming together after months of work and prayer confirms that “God wanted this.” Jesus’ words from Matthew 25, “for I was hungry and you gave me food ... I was naked and you clothed me” were kept front and center in getting the message out about the project. A local college student painted those words on the Grace Family Center’s front entrance as a constant reminder to patrons and volunteers. “We always used that,” said Sir, an OLL parishioner, of those verses. “People can relate to that as far as just a basic need. People need food, the kids need food, the elderly need food. It’s that little bitty piece that we can do for them.”
Your Community.
LOCAL
December 8, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 7
Coalition fights physician-assisted suicide By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Despite the withdrawal of a bill to legalize physicianassisted suicide earlier this year, state and national organizations including the Catholic Health Association of Minnesota and Minnesota Catholic Conference continue to have concerns about the issue’s status in Minnesota. With the aim of defending the ill and elderly against what they see as a misguided and harmful policy, they’ve joined forces to create the Minnesota Alliance for Ethical Healthcare. The 34 organizations partnering in the new coalition seek to further palliative care for the ill and elderly in addition to preventing physicianassisted suicide. Palliative care seeks to comfort the whole person in a time of serious illness. “A number of recent studies have shown patients who have their symptoms controlled and are able to communicate their emotional needs, have a better experience with their medical care,” said Toby Pearson, executive director of the Catholic Health Association of Minnesota. Palliative care supports a person’s psychological and spiritual needs in addition to his or her physical suffering. The care also helps patients’ families cope with their loved one’s suffering. “It’s starting to be covered more by most insurance plans, Medicare and Medicaid included,” Pearson said. “As the word starts to get out more and more, folks are starting to turn to it.” The Catholic Health Association supports Catholic health care providers in embracing tenants of Catholic social teaching, which rejects any form of suicide. In addition to the Minnesota Catholic Conference, which works to further the common good in the civic arena on behalf of the state’s bishops, Catholic coalition partners include Benedictine Health System, Curatio Apostolate of Catholic Healthcare Professionals,
Catholic Medical Association diocesan guilds, the Knights of Columbus Minnesota State Council and the University of St. Thomas Prolife Center. The coalition was formed in response to the Compassionate Care Act, introduced in the State Legislature this year to legalize physician-assisted suicide. The author withdrew the bill in March after a Senate hearing that included emotional testimony from the husband of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old with terminal brain cancer who gained national attention in 2014 when she ended her life with doctor-prescribed drugs. While a Republican-controlled Legislature may mean similar socalled “death with dignity” or Toby “right to die” legislation won’t advance in the near future, PEARSON coalition members are working to educate others about the dangers of physician-assisted suicide and the benefits of palliative care. “Hopefully this year, we’ll be introducing some legislation that tries to improve palliative care and how it’s done in Minnesota,” Pearson said. Nineteen years after Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize physician-assisted suicide, similar laws have been passed elsewhere in the United States. Colorado legalized the practice in the past election, and Washington, D.C., is also on track to approve it. It is also legal in California, Montana, Vermont and Washington. Pearson said changing the state’s culture will require “a longer-term conversation in the community about what is real care through life’s journey and how do we do end-of-life care better rather than simply turning to assisted suicide as the answer.” For more information, visit www.ethicalcaremn.org.
Retirement Fund for Religious Please give to those who have given a lifetime. www.retiredreligious.org
in BRIEF MINNEAPOLIS
Court denies archdiocese bankruptcy consolidation U.S. District Court Judge Ann Montgomery affirmed Dec. 6 an earlier U.S. Bankruptcy Court ruling that the assets of 187 parishes, three Catholic high schools and the Catholic Community Foundation are separate and cannot be consolidated into the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ bankruptcy. The committee representing more than 400 sexual abuse claimants filed the appeal after Judge Robert Kressel ruled July 28 that institutions “such as churches, schools and charitable organizations and foundations cannot be forced into bankruptcy.”
ST. PAUL
Catholic Charities honors longtime supporter at annual St. Nick Dinner Catholic Charities honored Tim Welsh, a former board member and longtime volunteer, Dec. 1 at its St. Nicholas Annual Dinner with its Life of Distinction Award. Welsh’s first connection to the agency was at birth, when he was adopted through Catholic Charities in Washington, D.C. Now a senior director at McKinsey & Company in Minneapolis, Welsh is working to build support for Catholic Charities’ new Higher Ground St. Paul, expanding the outreach of its downtown Dorothy Day Center. Catholic Charities also granted its 2016 Community Service Award to 3M Corporation for its longtime support. The annual fundraising dinner was held at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Anonymous donors are matching gifts to the charity up to $500,000 through the end of December.
“ Be faithful to your prayer life and have a sense of humor,” says Sister Rita Polchin (foreground), 87, a member of the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius. This philosophy has served her well during nearly 70 years of religious life, especially as a teacher and principal in Catholic schools. Like Sister Rita, the senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests shown here—and nearly 33,000 more across the nation— have offered their lives in service and prayer. Your gift to the Retirement Fund for Religious helps provide nursing care, medications, and other necessities. Please be generous.
Roughly 95 percent of donations aid senior religious.
To donate: National Religious Retirement Office/MSP 3211 Fourth Street NE Washington DC 20017-1194 Make your check payable to Retirement Fund for Religious.
Or give at your local parish December 10–11.
Photos: (foreground) Sister Rita Polchin, SSCM, 87; (background) visit retiredreligious.org/2016photos for a list of names. ©2016 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Photographer: Jim Judkis.
8 • The Catholic Spirit
U.S. & WORLD
December 8, 2016
Church officials acknowledge ‘powerful emotions’ in wake of Castro’s death Catholic News Service The ashes of longtime Cuban leader and Communist icon Fidel Castro were interred Dec. 4 in Santiago after a four-day tour across the island nation, ending nine days of national mourning. Over the years, he survived attempts to be toppled by others, including the United States. He gained fame throughout Latin America, where many saw him as a David-against-Goliath figure each time he denounced the commercial, “imperialist” interests of the U.S. as attempts to rob the region of its riches. But for others Castro, who died Nov. 25 at age 90, was a menace and a dictator, particularly to those whose properties were seized when his regime nationalized homes and businesses without compensation. Over the decades, he was accused of a range of wrongdoings, from unjust imprisonment to executions to religious persecution. Others lauded him and viewed Cuba as a model for other Latin American countries to emulate in the areas of education, medicine, and gender and racial equality. Many also blamed the U.S. embargo against Cuba, not Castro’s governance, for the island’s financial woes. Recognizing the complexity of the different feelings the Cuban leader evoked in life — and now in death — Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, where many Cuban exiles live, released a brief statement Nov. 26. “His death provokes many emotions — both in and outside the island. Nevertheless, beyond all possible emotions, the passing of this figure should lead us to invoke the patroness of Cuba, the Virgin of Charity, asking for peace for Cuba and its people,” Archbishop Wenski said. The Catholic bishops of Cuba, in a Nov. 28 statement, expressed condolences to Castro’s family and to government officials and said that as bishops “we entrust Dr. Fidel Castro to Jesus Christ, the face of the Father’s mercy, Lord of life and history. We also ask the
Local Catholics share hurt, hope
A military vehicle in Havana transports the ashes of the late Cuban President Fidel Castro Nov. 30. CNS Lord Jesus that nothing disturb the coexistence among us Cubans.” In a telegram in Spanish, Pope Francis extended his condolences to Cuban President Raul Castro on the “sad news” of “the death of your dear brother.” The pope, credited with the rapprochement between the U.S. and Cuba, also expressed condolences to the government and to the Cuban people, and said he was offering prayers. Catholics, like other religious groups in the country, witnessed the seizing of Church properties following the 1959 revolution. Priests and religious suspected of being against the revolution were jailed or expelled and practice of the Catholic faith dwindled on the island, particularly when the nation, under Soviet influence, was for a period an officially atheist country. In recent years, however, the government allowed physical reconstruction of church buildings and some properties were returned to the care of the Church. In 2015, the government granted permission for the construction of a new Catholic church on the island, something it hadn’t allowed in more than 50 years.
Pope recognizes martyrdom of U.S. priest killed in Guatemala Catholic News Service Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of Father Stanley Rother of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, making him the first martyr born in the United States. The Vatican made the announcement Dec. 2. The recognition of his martyrdom clears the way for his beatification. Father Rother, born March 27, 1935, on a farm near Okarche, Oklahoma, was murdered July 28, 1981, in a Guatemalan village Father Stanley where he ministered ROTHER to the poor. He was a friend of Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The two met while studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. “We became very, very good friends,” Archbishop Flynn told The Catholic Spirit Dec. 2. “I was once asked what I remember about him in seminary, and I answered that I envied the way he prayed, when he could come from recreation and go into the chapel and immediately seem to be centered in prayer.” Father Rother went to Santiago Atitlan in 1968 on assignment from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. He helped the people there build a small hospital, school and its first Catholic radio station. He was beloved by the locals, who called
In 1998, then Pope John Paul II paid a visit to the island that many credit with loosening religious limitations in Cuba. Since then, each pope who has Painful memories of Fidel Castro this visited the island also met with Fidel remain Castro,to even day Ernesto Piedra, theFrancis Spanish Mass him choir after hefor ceded power. Pope visited directorlast at Incarnation in Minneapolis, who left privately year. Cuba as an adult in 1994. “When I was 11 years old, the Fidel Castro people killed my dad in the civil war in Cuba,” said Piedra, whose family also suffered imprisonment there. He’s not celebrating Castro’s death, however. “I can’t be happy because somebody died,” he said. Deacon Luis Rubi, who ministers at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul, emigrated from Cuba with his family when he was 9 months old. He likened what he considers an appropriate response to Castro’s death to what he shared with a confirmation class when Osama bin Laden died in 2011: that Catholics should hope the deceased experienced a conversion and receive salvation. “I had been watching the cheering crowds and all the things going on in the country and elsewhere,” Deacon Rubi said. “I reminded the students it’s understandable that people would be cheering at the death of a butcher, a person who did so much harm, but that we should never, ever rejoice in the death of a sinner.” Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, is a member of the Engage Cuba Minnesota State Council and recently traveled to the country. He sees some hope for change in Cuba.“Fidel’s passing allows the Cuban government to make changes and acknowledge the failures of the revolution while not assaulting Fidel’s dignity and embarrassing him while he was still alive,” Adkins said. — Matthew Davis
him “Padre Francisco.” Many priests and religious in Guatemala became targets during the country’s 1960-1996 civil war as government forces cracked down on leftist rebels supported by the rural poor. The bodies of some of Father Rother’s deacons and parishioners were left in front of his church, and he received numerous death threats over his opposition to the presence of the Guatemalan military in the area. Though he returned to Oklahoma for a brief period, he returned to the Guatemalan village to remain with the people he had grown to love during the more than dozen years he lived there. He was gunned down at the age 46 in the rectory of his church in Santiago Atitlan. Government officials there put the blame on the Catholic Church for the unrest in the country that they said led to his death. On the day he died, troops also killed 13 townspeople and wounded 24 others in Santiago Atitlan, an isolated village 50 miles west of Guatemala City. While his body was returned to Oklahoma, his family gave permission for his heart and some of his blood to be enshrined in the church of the people he loved and served. A memorial plaque marks the place. Father Rother was considered a martyr by the Church in Guatemala and his name was included on a list of 78 martyrs for the faith killed during Guatemala’s 36-year-long civil war. The Catholic Spirit contributed to this story.
U.S. & WORLD
December 8, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 9
Paper’s 1941 war edition expressed faith, patriotism of island Catholics
’Tis the season, and Bethlehem businesses hope for a merry one
By Patrick Downes Catholic News Service
Even the Christmas decorations seem more cheerful this year in Bethlehem. A new display of Santa’s reindeer and sleigh were about to alight at the main traffic circle on Manger Street, and a big white Christmas tree made of lights perched merrily next to them. The official Christmas tree in Nativity Square was a focus of great commotion as pilgrims and locals struck poses for photos and selfies Dec. 5. A few days earlier, at the official tree lighting ceremony, the square was packed with hundreds of onlookers ready to welcome the Christmas season to the birthplace of Jesus. After two Christmas seasons in which the political reality had overtaken holiday cheer, people seemed primed to finally feel some merriment in Bethlehem. In 2014, the summer’s Gaza war was still keeping away tourists, and last year a spate of stabbings and shootings overshadowed any hope of holiday cheer. This year, the Israeli separation barrier construction continues to slowly creep around Bethlehem, creating an isolated enclave. There has been no real move toward a long-term peace agreement, nor any easing of travel restrictions or any significant improvement in the economic or political situations, but Palestinians are embracing what they can of the holiday spirit. Ashraf and Shahad Natsheh, who are Muslim, took the afternoon to come
“Our beloved country is at war. Our peaceful shores have been ruthlessly attacked, and all citizens are called upon to unite their efforts toward that peace for which we have all prayed, that peace which the world cannot give, and that peace which God will surely bring about when mankind has seen its folly and conforms its ways to his.” Those are the opening words of the front-page editorial of The Catholic Herald, the publication of the Diocese of Honolulu, published Dec. 11, 1941, four days after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Dec. 7 attack. The smallest of editions, a single tabloid sheet printed front and back, the newspaper was a somber reassurance of the faith, resolve and patriotism of Hawaii’s Catholics. “Our duty is clearly marked out,” the editorial continued, “and will be faithfully executed. The pages of history proclaim the love and loyalty of Catholics for their fatherland in time of war as well as in time of peace. Catholics have been in the front lines at every battle in the history of our nation. And every war-time president from Washington down to our own beloved President [Franklin] Roosevelt has sung their praises.” At the time of the attack, the diocese was only 3 months old. The newly installed Bishop James Sweeney was in California at the time, stranded with all commercial travel on hold, following his attendance of the annual U.S. bishops’ meeting in Washington. He was able to find a berth on the first troop transport ship to the islands and immediately took a role as chaplain, counselor and confessor for men headed to the battlefield. It may have been providence that Bishop Sweeney was away because the one news story in that post-attack edition reported that his home on the slopes of Punchbowl Crater in Honolulu, about 8 miles from Pearl Harbor, had been “bombed.” It also said that St. Stephen’s Seminary in upper Kalihi Valley suffered some damage. Oddly — or perhaps not, considering the large number of Hawaii residents of Japanese ancestry — the Catholic Herald never named the attacking country. The unsigned front-page editorial, framed by a drawing of a man and woman gazing upward at an American flag, pledged prayers and the resolute cooperation of the Church. “Already our Catholic institutions are bee hives of activity. Our hospital is equipped. Our schools and halls are at the disposition of those who need them. Our sisters are ready, as ever, to lend the helping hand, to suffering wherever it may be. Our priests are striving to assist their confreres the noble chaplains of our armed forces. Everyone is anxious to render as much assistance as is humanly possible. ... “God grant that the trying times through which we are passing may be shortened. May the Lord hear our prayers and hasten to our aid. And meanwhile, let us carry on courageously, united for God and country.”
By Judith Sudilovsky Catholic News Service
Muslim Palestinian Ashraf Natsheh holds his daughter Na’ara next to his wife, Shahad, in front of the Christmas tree in Manger Square Dec. 5 in Bethlehem, West Bank. They had been unable to get into Bethlehem last year. CNS from Hebron, West Bank, to take pictures of their 10-month-old daughter Na’ara in front of the official Bethlehem Christmas tree with its life-sized creche and gold-colored ornaments. “The atmosphere is definitely better than last year, the roads are open and there is more calm,” said Shahad, 26. “We come to see the tree because it is beautiful.” Ian Knowles, the British director of the Bethlehem Icon Centre on historic Star Street, which used to be the main thoroughfare into the city center, said although people are still a bit apprehensive about the situation, “Christmas hope still flickers.” Seeing the apparent defeat of Islamic State in several battles in Iraq and Syria
has also brought a sense of optimism to the Christian community, which had harbored fears that it might be next if the militants were not stopped, he said. “People here have family in Jordan and Lebanon, and they were feeling [that this] could happen to them,” said Knowles. “Now they are watching as Christians are slowly returning to their churches and celebrating Masses in the charred remains.” Catholic tattoo artist Walid Ayash, 39, and his staff stayed up almost half the night cleaning his tattoo studio and barber shop and hanging decorations. “Two days ago they lit up the Christmas tree in the city. Everybody is happy,” he said. “Last year it was very sad, the situation was bad, but we hope this year will be better than before. “I want to be happy with my family. I am very religious. I thank God I am in Bethlehem. ... You know, it’s Christmas,” he said. Cradling one of his white doves — “peace pigeons” as he has dubbed them — in his hands in their rooftop roost above Star Street, Anton Ayoub Mussalam, 75, who is Catholic, said everyone is waiting for Christmas. From 1987 until 2015, he and his wife, Mary, had not had permission to go to Jerusalem, where one of their daughters lives. “Maybe there will be a happy Christmas,” Mussalam said. “We hope everyone will be happy. We hope there will be a small piece of peace. We need peace like we need food and water.”
10 • The Catholic Spirit
Medical
MISSION Retired UST president, alumni partner to bring affordable health care to Uganda capital By Doug Hennes For The Catholic Spirit
S
hamim Najjuuko sat on a bed in a hospital room in May, finally healthy and anxious to return home to her 2-monthold baby. She was gravely ill a week earlier when a friend brought her to Ruth Gaylord Hospital in Maganjo on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda’s capital city. She had received initial care at a clinic, where she had been diagnosed with typhoid fever, but prescription drugs had not improved her condition. “She was not walking because she was in so much pain,” said Salam Nakiwala, her grandmother. Hospital physicians ran tests, decided surgery was necessary and discovered an intestinal perforation and a sepsis-like condition. A surgeon repaired the perforation and a week later Najjuuko was ready for discharge. “I’m feeling good now,” the 19-year-old said. “I am happy, and I feel loved. I want to go home.” “She was very sick because she was so septic,” said Dr. Lawrence Sserubiri, who treated Najjuuko. “If we had not operated, she would have died.” Najjuuko’s situation was similar to many others treated over the last three years in this hospital, a testament to the vision of a St. Paul priest who was troubled a decade ago by the scarcity of quality health care in Uganda and did something about it. Today, Father Dennis Dease looks back with pride on what Ruth Gaylord Hospital has accomplished, and he looks ahead with confidence that thousands of Ugandans will receive the best care at affordable prices. “This has been immensely gratifying,” said Father Dease, who was president of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul from 1991 to 2013. “It’s especially gratifying to see Tommies doing this work. It is the entrepreneurial spirit of [Archbishop] John Ireland still at work today. He was an enthusiastic leader who started parishes, colleges, hospitals and orphanages. He was a great builder, and to see one of his institutions continue that spirit on the other side of the world is amazing.”
Recognizing a need So just how — and why — did Father Dease and St. Thomas alumni get involved in building a hospital in an East African country eight time zones away?
The roots were planted in the early 2000s as Father Dease prepared to leave for Uganda to attend an international conference of Catholic university presidents. A donor called to say she would pay a Ugandan’s tuition at St. Thomas if Father Dease could find a student. He did, and many others followed, with more than 50 Ugandans matriculating at St. Thomas to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees over the course of 15 years. During occasional trips to Uganda, Father Dease became troubled by health care there. He worked with Charles Lugemwa, a native Ugandan and 2003 St. Thomas alumnus, to open two Hope Medical Clinics in Kampala, but they weren’t enough. After viewing the conditions for pregnant women at a large public hospital, Father Dease was determined to build a hospital. “For me, it was something like out of a horror movie,” he said. “Mothers were giving birth on the floors in rooms and in corridors. It was really a very disturbing picture. Charles captured what the mission of this hospital is when he said our motto should be, ‘Every mother goes home with a healthy baby, and every baby goes home with a healthy mother.’” Lugemwa found land owned by a Catholic parish and secured government approvals. Father Dease raised money — more than $500,000 to date — and received gifts in kind, including medical equipment from Matter, a Minnetonka-based nonprofit then known as Hope for the City, and floor and wall tile from RBC Tile & Stone in Plymouth. Ground was broken in 2010. Three buildings have opened since 2013 and construction soon will conclude on a three-story fourth building, with the top story housing apartments for University of Minnesota surgical residents scheduled to arrive in February 2017. The staff has grown to 40 under the leadership of Lugemwa, hospital board chair and construction supervisor, and Peter Kiggundu, a St. Thomas alumnus who returned home two years ago as chief executive officer. Dr. Godino Kalungi, another St. Thomas alumnus, will become medical chief of staff next year. Father Dease visited the hospital, named for longtime Twin Cities music educator Ruth Gaylord, in May. Hundreds of Ugandans turned out for a ceremony to dedicate a building and receive free checkups from doctors, midwives, nurses and dentists. Each month, they care for 1,200 people who suffer from malaria, typhoid fever, infections and other diseases. Sserubiri specializes in obstetrics and gynecology. Medicine is a family tradition — two brothers and an uncle also are doctors — and
he finds joy in treating patients like better,” he said. “It is amazing.” Juliet Nalwoga has worked as a mi December. She appreciates the carin hesitate to stay overnight to keep an taking care of children,” she said. And receptionist Molly Nattabi is flow. “It has been busy,” she said, po room. She already had checked in 16 48 patients the previous day. “So bu At the helm are Lugemwa and Kig “servant leaders” of the highest orde he said, in balancing his hospital eff Uganda Revenue Authority manage of five children, while Kiggundu “ha the hospital.” Lugemwa deflects the praise. “I do without God’s help,” he said. “The d by the Lord.” He initially was attracted to the pr died several years ago after she recei he became frustrated during his wor referred to hospitals couldn’t afford
December 8, 2016 • 11
1 Dancers celebrate at Ruth Gaylord Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, in May. Father Richard
Kakoma of Kampala, left, and Father Dennis Dease, retired president of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, walk with St. Thomas alumni Charles Lugemwa and Peter Kiggundu (both wearing blue shirts), who run the hospital.
2 The hospital includes a convent (upper left), outpatient (front center) and maternity (back center) buildings, and an inpatient building (right), which is under construction.
3 A young patient receives an inoculation. 4 The new inpatient building will include top-level apartments for surgical residents from the University of Minnesota. Courtesy Doug Hennes
2
1
4 3 Najjuuko “and seeing them get
midwife at the hosptial since last ng atmosphere, and she doesn’t n eye on a patient. “I really like
a gatekeeper who manages traffic ointing to the crowded waiting 16 outpatients by 11 a.m., on top of usy!” ggundu. Father Dease calls them er. Lugemwa is “a miracle worker,” forts with a full-time job as a er and responsibilities as the father as done a splendid job of running
on’t believe we could do all of this direction we took has been guided
roject because his baby daughter ived the wrong medication. Later, rk at the clinics when patients he to pay the fees.
“It felt like we were condemning them,” he said. “I discussed this with Father Dease and we said, ‘OK, maybe we need to look at starting our own hospital.’” An early donation from Msgr. James Habiger, the retired Minnesota Catholic Conference director, was critical. Msgr. Habiger, who died four years ago, had become aware of plans for the clinics and told Father Dease that he wanted to help. As the lead donor, Msgr. Habiger asked Father Dease if the hospital could be named for Gaylord, a lifelong friend who considered herself a “plain, ordinary woman.” When she questioned why her name should be on the hospital, Msgr. Habiger had the answer: “He told me, ‘Because I want women in Africa to know that a plain, ordinary woman in America cares for them,’” Gaylord recalled.
Words in action Dozens of other donors followed Msgr. Habiger’s lead. Tom Bisanz, a St. Paul native who lives in Dallas, is one. Father Dease taught Bisanz 45 years ago at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, and the two have stayed in touch. When the priest told Bisanz about the hospital, he knew what he had to do. A donation led to the naming of a building, the Helen Bisanz Outpatient Centre of Excellence, after his late mother. “It’s not my money,” he said. “I’m just a conduit. It is God’s money, and he tells me where to give. It’s fruitful giving — it’s not a leap of faith. I like that it is a hospital in a Third World country and is run by St. Thomas alumni. And I like its mission: saving lives, healing people.” The hospital opened in March 2013. Lugemwa and Father Dease knew they needed to hire a CEO to manage day-to-day operations.
They turned to Kiggundu, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business from St. Thomas. “Peter understood and valued the vision, and we knew he would make sacrifices,” Lugemwa said. “There was concern he was young (then 29) and had just graduated. But he believed in himself as much as we believed in him. If he didn’t have that belief and that confidence, it could not have worked.” As Lugemwa speaks, Kiggundu listens quietly. He jokes about his first months as “baptism by fire” with “challenges that you can’t imagine,” but he persevered. He has doubled the size of the staff, expanded labs, purchased an ambulance and opened an operating room, with the first surgery conducted a year ago. Outreach efforts include free immunization clinics in schools and villages, with free vaccinations provided by the government. “Charles has been a great mentor,” Kiggundu said. “He has helped me understand the big picture of where we want to go as a hospital.” Kiggundu covers expenses while tucking away small monthly surpluses that will be used to replace smaller equipment. Father Dease hopes to create an endowment to replace larger equipment, and there have been discussions about installing a water reservoir, pasteurizing water using solar energy and constructing affordable housing on adjacent land, with income supporting the hospital. One May evening, while sitting in his home, Lugemwa mentioned he had read about St. Thomas’ new brand, “All for the Common Good.” “Our hospital,” he said, “is a demonstration of how St. Thomas has moved from a billboard into a community.” As he spoke, Lugemwa cradled an infant who has become, in a sense, a poster child for the hospital. A premature newborn weighing less than 3 pounds, she was abandoned outside the hospital gates Dec. 9, 2015. A passerby heard a noise, discovered her and took her into the hospital. Before long, she was big enough to go home to her adoptive family — Lugemwa, his wife, Maria, and their children Conrad, Conley, Colleen and Cornelius. By Valentine’s Day, she weighed more than 7 pounds. Her name? Ruth. “In baby Ruth,” Lugemwa said, “we see the real fruits of our labor.” Hennes is vice president for government relations and special projects at the University of St. Thomas. Contributions to Ruth Gaylord Hospital are fully tax deductible and can be sent to: Friends of East Africa Foundation, 2130 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105.
12 • The Catholic Spirit
December 8, 2016
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given . . . and His name shall be called wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 CATHEDRAL OF ST. PAUL
Wednesday – Friday, December 21 – 23: Confessions from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday, December 24, Christmas Eve: Confessions from 10 to 11:30 a.m. 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass with the Cathedral Children’s Choristers 11:15 p.m. Readings and Carols, precedes Mass at Midnight Sunday, December 25, Christmas Day: Midnight Mass with Cathedral Choir 8 a.m., 10 a.m., Noon Mass with Organ and Cantor 9 a.m. Mass at the Saint Vincent de Paul Campus Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God Saturday, December 31 & Sunday, January 1, 2017: 5:15 p.m. Anticipatory Mass 8 a.m., 10 a.m., Noon, 5 p.m. Mass
THE BASILICA OF ST. MARY
Hennepin Ave. at North Sixteenth St. • Minneapolis www.mary.org • 612-333-1381 Christmas Eve: Vigil Eucharist 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. Choral Music for Christmas at 11 p.m. Vigil of Lights at 11:30 p.m. Midnight Solemn Eucharist Christmas Day: Eucharist at dawn 7:30 a.m. Solemn Eucharist 9:30 a.m., Noon Eucharist 4:30 p.m.
THE COMMUNITY OF THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS Minneapolis Saturday, December 24: Holy Cross: 4 p.m., Midnight St. Hedwig: 4 p.m. St. Clement: 8 p.m. Sunday, December 25, 2016: Holy Cross: 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. St. Hedwig: 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. St. Clement: 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 31: Holy Cross: 8:30 a.m., 5 p.m. with Holy Hour at 4 p.m. St. Hedwig: 4 p.m. St. Clement: 4:30 p.m. Sunday, January 1: Holy Cross: 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. St. Hedwig: 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. St. Clement: 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
Come celebrate Christmas with us!
CHURCH OF ST. THERESE OF DEEPHAVEN
18323 Minnetonka Blvd. • Deephaven Christmas Vigil: 4 p.m., Mass at Night: 9 p.m. Christmas Day: 8 a.m., 10 a.m., New Year’s Eve: 5 p.m. New Year’s Day: 8 a.m., 10 a.m. Epiphany: Saturday, Jan. 7, 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, 8 a.m., 10 a.m.
Blessings to you this Christmas Season and throughout the New Year!
ST. BARTHOLOMEW CATHOLIC FAITH COMMUNITY
630 E. Wayzata Blvd •Wayzata (952) 473-6601 • www.st-barts.org Christmas Eve: 4 p.m., 10 p.m. Christmas Day: 10:30 a.m.
Celebrating 100 Years!
ST. ALBERT THE GREAT CHURCH
E. 29th St. and 32nd Ave. S. • Minneapolis (612) 724-3643 • www.saintalbertthegreat.org Christmas Eve: 5 p.m. children’s Mass, 10 p.m. Candlelight Mass Christmas Day: 10 a.m., New Years Day: 9:30 a.m.
OUR LADY OF PEACE
54th St. and 12th Ave. • Minneapolis Christmas Eve: 5 p.m., 9:30 p.m., Carols start 9 p.m. Christmas Day: 9, 11 a.m. Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God December 31: 5 p.m., January 1: 9 , 11 a.m., followed by special hospitality
ST. STEPHEN’S CATHOLIC CHURCH 525 Jackson St. • Anoka (763) 421-2471 • www.ststephenchurch.org Christmas Eve: 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m., (7 p.m. Spanish), 10 p.m. Christmas Day: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. Spanish) Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: December 31: 5 p.m. (7 p.m. Spanish) January 1: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. Spanish)
May this Christmas season be a special time of grace and blessing!
OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH One Lourdes Place • Minneapolis ourladyoflourdesmn.com Christmas Eve: 4 p.m., 10 p.m. Christmas Day: 9 a.m., 11 a.m
The Little French Church with the Big Heart in vibrant Northeast Minneapolis. Celebrating 140 years in 2017.
NATIVITY OF OUR LORD 324 S. Prior Ave. • St. Paul Masses for Christmas Eve: 4 p.m. main church & school auditorium 6 p.m., midnight, 11:30 p.m., prelude Christmas Day: 7 a.m., 8:15 a.m., 11 a.m.
Please join us on our patronal feast!
CHURCH OF SAINT PAUL 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd. N.E. • Ham Lake Christmas Eve: 4:30 p.m., 11 p.m. Incense at both Masses Christmas Day: 9:30 a.m. New Year’s Eve: 5:30 p.m. New Year’s Day: 10 a.m.
May Jesus be born in your heart this Christmas filling the New Year with Peace!
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
9100 93rd Ave. N. • Brooklyn Park Christmas Eve: December 24 4 p.m. (two locations), 6 p.m., 10 p.m. Christmas Day: 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God December 31: Mass: 5 p.m. January 1: 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. Advent Confession (2 priests) Saturday, December 17: 2 – 4:15 p.m. Regular Confession: (1 priest) Weekdays – 7:30 a.m.
CHURCH OF ST. EDWARD 9401 Nesbitt Ave S. • Bloomington 952-835-7101 • www.StEdwardsChurch.org Christmas Eve: 4 p.m., 10:30 p.m. Come early for prelude music Christmas Day: 8:30 a.m.,10:30 a.m. New Year’s Eve: 5 p.m. New Year’s Day: Solemnity of Mary 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
Celebrate the Glory, the Wonder, the Miracle of Christmas with us!
CHURCH OF ST. JEROME 380 E. Roselawn Ave. • Maplewood www.stjerome-church.org Christmas Eve Masses: 4 p.m., 10 p.m. Christmas Day Mass: 9 a.m. New Year’s Eve Mass: 4:30 p.m. New Year’s Day Mass: 8 a.m., 10 a.m.
O Come Let Us Adore Him!
ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC CHURCH
19795 Holyoke Ave. • Lakeville Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord Holy Day of Obligation Christmas Eve: 4 p.m. (Church), 4:15 p.m. (Murphy Hall) 6 p.m. (ASL), Midnight Christmas Day: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., Solemnity of Mary: Holy Day of Obligation New Year’s Eve: 5 p.m., New Year’s Day: 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m, 5:30 p.m.
We welcome you home for Christmas!
ST. LOUIS KING OF FRANCE
506 Cedar St. • St. Paul Christmas Eve Saturday, December 24: Evening Masses: 5 p.m., Sung Mass 7 p.m., in French with French Carols After the French Mass, church will be closed until 10:45 p.m. 11:30 p.m., Carols and Music 12 a.m., Christmas Mass at Midnight No Scheduled Confessions Today Christmas Day Sunday, December 25: 7 a.m., Low Mass 9:15 a.m., Sung Mass 11 a.m., High Mass (with Choir) 12:30 p.m., Low Mass
ST. CASIMIR CHURCH ST. PATRICK CHURCH
December 24: St. Casimir: 4 p.m., 11 p.m., St. Patrick: 4 p.m. December 25: St. Casimir: 9 a.m., St. Patrick: 10:30 a.m.
The cluster parishes on the eastside of St. Paul invite you to join us for the Christmas celebration.
CHURCH OF ST. RITA
8694 80th St. S. • Cottage Grove www.saintritas.org Christmas Eve: 4 p.m., 6 p.m.,10 p.m. Music begins at 9:30 p.m. Christmas Day: 10 a.m. New Year’s Day: Mary, Mother of God: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
FAITH & CULTURE
December 8, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 13
Religious sisters stay in workforce to help fund order’s retirement needs Retirement Fund for Religious collection in parishes Dec. 10-11 By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit School Sister of Notre Dame Bernadette Welter arrives at George and Jane Joyner’s St. Paul home each Wednesday morning ready to clean. But during the almost nine years she has served the couple as part of her homemaker job for West 7th Keystone Community Services in St. Paul, the Joyners have invited Sister Bernadette to chat, exchange jokes and listen to George play country western music on his guitar. “When [Sister] came, I said, ‘Make yourself at home,’ and she’s been doing that ever since,” said George, 90. “It’s been a blessing.” Jane, 78, agreed: “We don’t know what we’d do without Sister. She’s like a member of the family.” Not many cleaning jobs involve socializing, but Sister Bernadette, 75, who works about 20 hours a week in the Homemaking Program, isn’t a typical house cleaner. “In some ways I do pastoral ministry, and I happen to be cleaning their homes,” she said. A former primary school teacher and founder of a Montessori school, she is one of many religious sisters in her order who prefer to continue working or start another career after turning 65. The income helps the order care for retired sisters and also save for their own retirement. Because of rising health care costs in particular, Sister Bernadette’s religious
School Sister of Notre Dame Bernadette Welter, center, visits with Jane and George Joyner in their St. Paul home Nov. 30. Sister Bernadette works as a homemaker for the couple with West 7th Keystone Community Services in St. Paul. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit community and others across the country need more than their own income to provide for the 33,000 retired sisters, brothers and religious order priests nationwide who need care. They also depend on funds from the national appeal for the Retirement Fund for Religious, collected in parishes across the country. The 28th annual appeal will take place Dec. 10-11. Actual collection dates may vary by parish. “We keep working so we can also help defray the expenses that are incurred by the retired sisters,” said School Sister Midge Breiter, 79, archdiocesan coordinator of the Retirement Fund for Religious and pastoral care director at Assumption in St. Paul. “This appeal is very much like a dance: two steps forward and one step back. Every year we
think we’re making headway, and then medicines go up and nursing care becomes more expensive. It’s a tough battle.” Last year’s appeal raised more than $30 million for financial, educational and consultative support, but by 2034, religious communities could face a retirement deficit of $9.8 billion, according to a report commissioned by the National Religious Retirement Office, which coordinates the national collection and distributes the proceeds to eligible religious communities. Last year, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis contributed about $500,000, Sister Midge said. Besides Sister Bernadette, two other School Sisters of Notre Dame and Sister Theresa Westrich of the Sisters of St.
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Francis of Dubuque, Iowa, are part of the team of six homemakers in the West 7th Homemaking Program, which serves 60 senior clients. Clients of Sister Gloria Degele, 74, call her “Sister Fix-it” because of her small black toolbox and repair skills. In her 54 years as a School Sister of Notre Dame, she has enjoyed serving the elderly while also doing upholstery work for her community. Sister Gloria has another part-time job as a nursing assistant. School Sister Kathleen Spencer, 78, has worked as a homemaker for seven years after teaching and founding and codirecting the MORE Multicultural School for Empowerment in St. Paul. The sisters say their order to retire will have to come from God because they plan to work as long as they’re able. “As far as I know, I would like to do this until I can’t do it,” Sister Gloria said. “I would fall apart if I said, ‘I’m retired now.’” Many of the 55 Twin Cities School Sisters of Notre Dame are over 65, and nearly all are working, Sister Midge said. In 2016, 68 percent of the religious communities providing data to the NRRO had a median age of 70 or older. At the School Sisters of Notre Dame health care facility in Mankato, 60 to 70 sisters receive complete nursing care, Sister Midge said. Health care needs for the local order’s province are 35 percent underfunded, she said. One reason is that many of the sisters were Catholic school teachers and received only small stipends, she said. Serving other elders as a homemaker while helping fellow sisters is “a beautiful, beautiful ministry,” Sister Kathleen said. “I’m happy I can really contribute to our community.”
St. Kate’s releases book about Our Lady of Victory Chapel The chapel at St. Catherine University is the focus of the recently published book “Our Lady of Victory Chapel: Monument – Mystery – Mission.” Author Mary Ann Brenden, social work professor in the St. Catherine University-University of St. Thomas School of Social Work and a consociate member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, researched the history of the chapel and Mother Antonia McHugh, the sister responsible for building it. The book grew from Brenden’s popular “Chapel Talk” that discussed the chapel’s history, architectural influences and details, and their meaning. An icon on the St. Kate’s St. Paul campus, Our Lady of Victory Chapel was dedicated Oct. 7, 1924, and since then has hosted academic celebrations, commencement hooding ceremonies, holiday liturgies, weddings and funerals. Brenden will sign the book following 10:30 a.m. Mass in the chapel Dec 18. It can be ordered online at www.stkate.edu/ chapelbook. Brenden’s story, illustrated by numerous photos, was published by St. Catherine University, and proceeds from the book will support preservation of the chapel. — Dave Hrbacek
14 • The Catholic Spirit
FAITH & CULTURE
Keyboard lifestyle
A podcast is available online at www.
fromthetop.org.
Emma and Jacob Taggart practice a duet in their Blaine home. For a video of them playing a portion of Franz Schubert’s Erlkönig, visit www.Facebook. com/TheCatholic Spirit. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit
To accommodate kids’ talent, Epiphany family has four pianos — and one on the way By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Take one step into the entryway of Teresa and Jared Taggart’s home in Blaine, and not one but two pianos can be spotted to the immediate left. Walk down the hallway into the dining room, and a third is on the right, a beautiful Steinway grand piano worth more than the vehicle they drive. A fourth piano sits on the second floor. Teresa and Jared, who belong to Epiphany in Coon Rapids, have as many pianos as they have children. And they’re not done buying them. Plans are in the works for a fifth one, which will reside in the basement. It’s all part of a lifestyle designed to keep busy the fingers and hands of their four children — Emma, 14, Jacob, 10, Cecilia, 3, and Sophie, 3 months. The two oldest have been playing since they were 4, Cecilia started in August and Sophie surely will take her turn someday, her mother confirmed.
December 8, 2016
“We collect pianos like some people collect bottles,” said Teresa, 38. “We started with mine. I grew up and I took piano lessons just like anybody else. So, we had one piano.” When Emma started lessons, she thought it would just be for fun, but “she got serious pretty fast,” her mother said. “Her teacher said, ‘You need a better instrument’ because we just had an old upright.” So they got piano No. 2. Jacob followed in his sister’s footsteps, so they got a third, and when Emma started teaching others to play, they got a fourth. That might have been enough, but Emma recently won a $10,000 music scholarship, with most of it earmarked
for a new piano. A Steinway grand runs around $20,000, but they hope to find a lower price. Based on the skill already shown by Emma and Jacob, who attend St. Agnes School in St. Paul, the investment in a premium piano is well worth it. Each has won the Minnesota State Fair talent competition in the preteen division — Jacob in 2014 and Emma in 2015 — and have played at international music festivals. They recently were selected to play a duet on the same piano during a onehour National Public Radio program, “From the Top,” recorded at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul in November. The show aired Dec. 4.
Their success is no fluke. Emma, a ninth-grader, is at the keyboard 15 minutes after coming home from school each day, practicing a total of four and a half hours a day. Jacob, a sixth-grader, is close behind at three hours a day. But it’s not all music all the time; the family eats dinner together every night and prays one decade of the rosary afterward, much to the children’s delight. “The family prayer, in general, is a really big part of my day,” Emma said. “The rosary is a time during the day when we can all relax and pray. It’s very nice.” An outgrowth of the family’s daily prayer is the way the kids connect the keyboard to their Catholic faith. “I’m very grateful to God for giving me the gift,” Emma said. “People clap and they like the music, but I think one thing that I really try to remember every time I perform is that I was given the gift and it’s really from God, so I should try to give it back to him.” Jacob agreed, adding, “It’s a Godgiven gift, so I have to help share it with others.” Emma hopes to become a music teacher if her dream of becoming a concert pianist falls short. In the meantime, classical piano music will continue to fill the Taggart home. The family’s keyboard lifestyle can be summarized in Teresa’s simple explanation of why Sophie will one day join her siblings in tickling the ivories: “Why not? This is just what we do.”
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FOCUS ON FAITH
December 8, 2016
becoming flesh in Jesus Christ.
SUNDAY SCRIPTURES Deacon Jeremy Bock
Be joyful that God is always in control As we prepare to celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, we are reminded of our joy in waiting for the coming of Christ. We have cause for rejoicing in the Lord and his never-failing fidelity to his people that he will come again to gather us to himself for all eternity. Our first reading comes from the prophet Isaiah. This prophecy reveals how God himself will come to save Israel. There are themes of new life and restoration in the image of a desert and parched land being renewed with the bloom of abundant flowers and songs of
The Catholic Spirit • 15
rejoicing. The imagery that the prophet paints for us is where the glory of God is seen in the sick and the weak being strengthened. Their health is not only restored, but increased. The lame leaping like a stag, not just being able to walk. The mute not merely speaking, but singing. In hearing Isaiah make this prophecy, we can imagine the great hope of the people as they waited for the day when they would witness God acting in such ways. In all their anticipation of this time of great healing, few expected that God would reach out to his people by
In the Gospel reading, it is again through John the Baptist that we are introduced to Jesus and how he fulfills his messianic mission. Both John the Baptist and Jesus have preached messages of repentance, but what is the difference between these two men? In the darkness of John the Baptist’s imprisonment, he still longs for the Messiah, who we know is Jesus. John sends his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus responds by reciting the actions of healing and strengthening that John the Baptist’s disciples have witnessed, saying, “The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” In these miracles, Jesus points to himself as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy from the first reading. God himself has healed the weak and infirm. The Messiah has come. If God can heal all of us, why doesn’t he? Why does God make us wait for the
Sunday, Dec. 11 Third Sunday of Advent Readings • Is 35:1-6a, 10 • Jas 5:7-10 • Mt 11:2-11 final coming of his kingdom where all sickness, sin and death are cast out? During this week of Advent, we celebrate with joy that we have a God who is always in control. Even though we may not like having to endure our sufferings, we trust that God has a plan for working our sufferings for the good of his kingdom. From the lives and deaths of John the Baptist and Jesus, tremendous good was brought out, and God will bring good out of our suffering. Deacon Bock is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity for the Diocese of Duluth. His teaching parish is Our Lady of the Lake in Mound, and his home parish is St. Andrew in Brainerd.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Dec. 11 Third Sunday of Advent Is 35:1-6a, 10 Jas 5:7-10 Mt 11:2-11
Wednesday, Dec. 14 St. John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the Church Is 45:6c-8, 18, 21c-25 Lk 7:18b-23
Monday, Dec. 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe Zec 2:14-17 Lk 1:26-38 Tuesday, Dec. 13 St. Lucy, virgin and martyr Zep 3:1-2, 9-13 Mt 21:28-32
Saturday, Dec. 17 Gn 49:2, 8-10 Mt 1:1-17
Tuesday, Dec. 20 Is 7:10-14 Lk 1:26-38
Friday, Dec. 23 Mal 3:1-4, 23-24 Lk 1:57-66
Thursday, Dec. 15 Is 54:1-10 Lk 7:24-30
Sunday, Dec. 18 Fourth Sunday of Advent Is 7:10-14 Rom 1:1-7 Mt 1:18-24
Wednesday, Dec. 21 Sg 2:8-14 Lk 1:39-45
Saturday, Dec. 24 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 Lk 1:67-79
Friday, Dec. 16 Is 56:1-3a, 6-8 Jn 5:33-36
Monday, Dec. 19 Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a Lk 1:5-25
Thursday, Dec. 22 1 Sm 1:24-28 Lk 1:46-5
Sunday, Dec. 25 Nativity of the Lord Is 52:7-10 Heb 1:1-6 Jn 1:1-18
SEEKING ANSWERS
Father Michael Schmitz
Why are funeral homilies so much about Jesus and not the deceased? Q. We recently had a funeral for a family member. I was a bit annoyed by how much the priest talked about Jesus and how little he talked about the person who died. Isn’t the funeral supposed to be more of a celebration of the person’s life? A. You bring up a phenomenal point. Most funerals are exactly what you were expecting. They are either crafted to be a “celebration of life” or as a way to “formalize” one’s goodbye. But this isn’t what a funeral is primarily about. Don’t get me wrong. A family that wants to celebrate the life of its deceased relative is doing something right in wanting to remember the one they love and to say their goodbyes. Those are good and significant things to do in the midst of pain, loss and sorrow. But they are not the only things. In fact, they are not even the most important reasons we celebrate Catholic funeral Masses. One might say there are four principle reasons for a funeral Mass.
Father Paul Scalia, at the funeral Mass for his father, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, stood up to give the homily, and after a few words of introduction and thanks, began by stating, “We are gathered here because of one man. A man known personally to many of us, known only by reputation to even more. A man loved by many, scorned by others. A man known for great controversy, and for great compassion. That man, of course, is Jesus of Nazareth.” Obviously, everyone in the church had originally thought that Father Scalia was talking about his own father. But Father Scalia knew who the real focus of the funeral Mass is: God. The first reason for a funeral Mass is the worship and praise of God. The funeral Mass is not where the priest or deacon gets to “canonize” the deceased, although the temptation is very strong to offer that kind of false consolation. All of us are tempted to say
things like, “So-and-so is in heaven now … .” But we can’t possibly know that. There might be a lot of good things to say about someone, but we are most often in the dark regarding the state of their soul. So, while we may reference the deceased, it is always in relation to Jesus. The funeral Mass, like everything we do as Catholics, is all about Jesus. I think that we might have a bit more clarity if we realized that this is the case for every celebration in the Church. Baptism isn’t about the person getting baptized; it’s about how Jesus is making that person a new creation. First holy Communion is not about the young people coming forward; it’s about how Jesus is nourishing them with his very self. Confirmation is not about the person “taking a step”; it’s about how Jesus is commissioning them and filling them with the Holy Spirit. The second purpose of the Catholic funeral Mass is to thank God for his endless mercy. Before he died, Justice Scalia wrote these words, “Even when the deceased was an admirable person, indeed especially when the deceased was an admirable person, praise for his virtues can cause us to forget that we are praying for and giving thanks for God’s inexplicable mercy to a sinner.” Consider that the next time you are invited to attend a funeral: You are there to thank God for the inexplicable mercy he has given to that sinner. Third, we are called to proclaim and
renew our own faith in Jesus Christ. Whenever we celebrate the eucharistic sacrifice, we “proclaim his death and resurrection until he comes again.” This is eminently true when it comes to the funeral liturgy. We profess that Jesus Christ has conquered death by his own death and resurrection, and we renew our own participation in that great mystery. Last, and above all, the primary reason we celebrate the Eucharist for the deceased at a funeral is to pray for them. The Mass is the most powerful and lifegiving prayer God has ever given to us. When someone has died, unless they have chosen hell, they are most likely in need of purification before entering heaven. This purification can be difficult and painful. The Mass aids the person for whom we are praying. We offer Masses for our deceased loved ones because we believe that this actually does something. When we pray for someone who has died, we are assisting them in their process of purification en route to heaven. In what way could you possibly love them more? The funeral Mass is a chance to say goodbye and to celebrate the life of the person you’ve loved. But it is also the chance to worship God. Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reach him at fathermikeschmitz@gmail.com.
16 • The Catholic Spirit
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
THE LOCAL CHURCH
Father Charles Lachowitzer
Finding unity in times of division Back in November, I had the privilege of representing Region VIII — the dioceses of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota — as an observer for the fall meeting of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore. In the convention hall itself, I was impressed with the scope and extent of the agenda. It included reports from numerous committees on their work throughout the year. There were various votes for leadership positions and statements of mission, purpose and direction. Agenda items included the life and dignity of the human person; laity, marriage, family life and youth; religious freedom and religious persecution; Catholic Relief Services; the promotion of peace in our communities; and immigration. Of course, there were also the administrative, governance and financial details necessary in every organization. An address to the bishops was given by the outgoing president, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, on
the shepherd’s care for the least of our sisters and brothers. Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio, addressed the assembly on the evangelization of youth in a changing society. And, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, surprised his brother bishops with a special video message of apostolic greetings and encouragement for the upcoming Fifth Encuentro for Latinos in the United States. One does not have to be an official observer to have noted that the gathering of the bishops came shortly after a dramatic and divisive presidential election. I would presume that the individual bishops spanned a similar diversity of viewpoints. I went from being impressed with the agenda and good work of the bishops’ committees to having a renewed awareness of the collegiality, fraternity and bonds of communion between the bishops themselves. In the hallways, elevators, dining rooms and local restaurants, there were lots of stories, lots of laughter and an obvious camaraderie. As first and
December 8, 2016
I observed that in living out the joy of the Gospel, we must first actually enjoy each other’s company, no matter how different we are.
istock foremost brothers in Christ, the bishops gave voice to their retired elders and remembered in prayer those who had died. They gave public witness to the exceptional lives of those being put forth into the process of naming saints in our time. During a time when many speak of how divided we are, the national conference of bishops gave me an example of how the Holy Spirit elevates us above and beyond our differences to be one body in Christ. As an observer, it seemed to me that the work of the assembly was secondary
to the primary expression of unity. I observed that in living out the joy of the Gospel, we must first actually enjoy each other’s company, no matter how different we are. It is often said that “birds of a feather flock together.” As a bird-watcher for cardinals in the city of orioles and ravens, I saw the bishops themselves demonstrate that birds of many different feathers can be one flock. Father Lachowitzer is vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
ADVENT
Liz Kelly
If your usual methods for prayer in this blessed season are failing — or feel that way — you might try sitting with your favorite image of the Lord and quietly, slowly repeating his holy name: Jesus, Emmanuel, Adonai, Lord.
Dryness amidst tidings of comfort and joy It is not an uncommon phenomenon: Just at the moment when we are trying the hardest to draw closer to the Lord, spending more time in Advent prayer and the devotions of the season, we are met with a spell of aridity. All of the spiritual masters write of such periods, whether it is John of the Cross’ “dark night of the senses,” or Teresa of Avila’s “second mansion,” or more simply, a loss of the desire to pray. If you’re experiencing this in the holidays, you are not alone. In a recent interview, I spoke with a young mother who is expecting twins. Not long after she was married, she entered what she called “a spiritual desert”: great dryness — in prayer, in her motherhood, in her life in general. Discouraged and disappointed, she persevered as best she could. One day, she recalled a sermon where the priest suggested that Advent was a time to form one’s heart into a home for the infant Jesus to dwell, an image that struck a deep chord with the expecting mother. “Forming a little inn in our hearts resonated with me,” she said. “With ultrasound, you can see so much more of
what is going on [in pregnancy], but the whole process is still very hidden from us. You are creating this space inside you for a child to grow, but you don’t actually meet the child until he is born. It requires real faith — that this child is growing and developing. You continue to nourish your body as best you can so that it remains a hospitable place for the child.” She began to liken her pregnancy to her “desert prayer.” “You can’t really ask,” she continued, “‘Are you there, Jesus? Do you like it in there [in my heart]?’ Just like the child in the womb, you can’t ask, ‘How are you guys doing in there? Will you just kick me so I know you’re in there?’ You don’t have a constant window there, so you seek to nourish them and trust that they are growing well. In a similar way, you are doing that with your faith and with prayer. ... We aren’t always going to know, or be given the feedback that everything is well. ... Giving Christ the room to grow in us is actually quiet and hidden, but it doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. ... Even when it’s quiet and seemingly empty, it is often in those
istock times that the Lord is most working and growing in you.”
Keeping it simple She has found that simplicity in her desert prayer has been the most helpful, a truth often conveyed by the masters of prayer. The Church tells us in the Cathechism, for example, that “The invocation of the holy name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying always. When the holy name is repeated often by a humbly attentive heart, the prayer is not lost by heaping up empty phrases, but holds fast to the word and ‘brings forth fruit with patience.’ This prayer is possible ‘at all times’ because it is not one occupation
among others, but the only occupation: that of loving God.” If your usual methods for prayer in this blessed season are failing — or feel that way — you might try sitting with your favorite image of the Lord and quietly, slowly repeating his holy name: Jesus, Emmanuel, Adonai, Lord. Give him space to simply dwell in you and trust that in time, “The desert shall rejoice and blossom” (Is 35:1). Kelly is a member of St. Michael in Stillwater. This article is excerpted in part from her forthcoming book “A Catholic Woman’s Worth: Finding, Healing, and Flourishing the Feminine Heart in Christ” (Loyola Press, 2017).
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
December 8, 2016
TWENTY SOMETHING Christina Capecchi
Prayer box taps into spiritual hunger The box went up on a Monday evening in August, a plain white box nestled inside a little wooden tent, mounted atop a fence and beneath the outermost reach of a maple. “Prayer requests,” reads the side of the tent in black, all-caps lettering. The box has a slot, like one awaiting valentines, and the message: “Please write down any prayer requests. We would love to be praying for you!” Keanu Krech didn’t know what to expect when he set up the prayer box, tucking in a pen and a rock to hold down scraps of paper. The college senior, 22, positioned the box at the edge of his childhood home, which is on a busy residential road between a highway and a gas station in South St. Paul. But Keanu knew he wanted to extend the power of prayer as broadly as he could, with a quiet anonymity. He was putting a twist on the Little Free Library concept that began just 20 miles east in Hudson, Wisconsin, and now exceeds 50,000 locations worldwide, knitting together neighborhoods with a warm
and fuzzy literary fiber. He planned to share the prayer requests, if they came, with his Monday night Bible study, a small group of college-aged students. The next day, Keanu peeked inside the box and discovered a handwritten note: “For those who are walking not knowing God, heal those with addictions, and for the men and women overseas fighting for our freedom.” It was a heavy start, covering so much in such little space. The prayer box was off and running. Keanu and his friends began to pray.
Hearts, hurts revealed In three months, the box has amassed about 100 prayer requests. Never a week has passed without someone slipping a note inside. “Please pray for my marriage,” someone wrote. “Please pray for us that we get a roof over our family’s heads before winter comes,” a note stated in round, puffy lettering.
Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
“Pray for me,” someone wrote with a left-handed slope. “I picked up a bad drug problem and I’ve lost my family and everyone I love and I don’t know what to do. ... Please pray that God will help me with my troubles.” “I’m here in town with the show Cabaret. I just ran my first half marathon and have lost 270 pounds. Continue to pray for me on my health journey,” a passerby wrote last month. “Pray for me,” someone wrote with a left-handed slope. “I picked up a bad drug problem and I’ve lost my family
The Catholic Spirit • 17
and everyone I love and I don’t know what to do. ... Please pray that God will help me with my troubles.” Others are shorter. “Arleen’s foot to heal.” “Amber’s eye surgery.” “For God to place good people in Kelly’s life.” Now Keanu and his friends are praying for Arleen and Amber and Kelly, for the faces they will never see but whose hearts have been revealed. “I’m surprised how deep the prayer requests are, how vulnerable they are,” he told me. “I’ve read some and just cried.” As a teen, Keanu felt the weight of depression and the tug of life’s big questions. He didn’t attend church, but he’d stay up late, laptop in bed, pouring over YouTube videos from Christians and responses from atheists in an endless loop. His head was spinning and his heart was aching. Finally, his mom called a youth minister at her parents’ Methodist church to field Keanu’s questions. They met at a coffee shop and struck up a friendship over hot chocolate. Soon Keanu was attending Sunday night worship services. Something changed in his heart: For the first time in a long time, he felt hope. As Keanu completes his bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry, he’s letting his faith guide the next chapter. The goal, he says, is plain and simple: to love God and love others. And as long as people keep submitting prayer requests, he’ll keep praying for them. Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights and the editor of www.sisterstory.org.
LETTERS
Priesthood, women and power My letter regarding women priests in the last issue (“Rethinking women priests,” Nov. 24) was followed by a long quote by John Paul II, stating that the Church has no authority to ordain women. This raises the question: From whence does the authority arise to DENY the priesthood to half of the human race simply on the basis of gender? It is always a weak argument to assert that we must continue to do things in a certain way because they have always been done that way. How much progress would the human race make if that were the case in other fields of endeavor? Carol Larsen St. Stephen, Anoka Jesus charged the Catholic Church with teaching the truth of his word, which the laity took with them back to their homes, into their communities and out into the world to make all mankind a reflection of the goodness of God himself. But he knew that man was very fallible, as warned in 2 Timothy 4:3, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.” Unfortunately, this has now become true, as a deteriorating world has now taken its partisan opinions and brought them into the Church, attempting to make it a reflection of the culture and tainting God’s original intentions. This is the reason some think there should be a discussion regarding women priests. They do not understand what the Church is. Priestesses were a mark of pagan religions, and the Judeo-Christian teaching is something distinctly different from paganism. Beginning with Genesis 1:1 and throughout the Bible, there never were women
priests; from the Old Testament with Judaism, through completion in the New Testament with the coming of Christ, this did not change. Remember, God’s judgment in all matters is perfect; he ought to know what he wants, after all, he is God! Another point of confusion is to think that entry into the priesthood is somehow a position of power, when, actually, the priesthood is a life of service and total sacrifice. This is not a job to be filled, but rather it is a calling from God. For that matter, most men are not called to be priests, either. And was not the most perfectly created human being a woman, our Blessed Mother? At her apparitions at Fatima, the Blessed Virgin told the children that a great challenge of our time would be people rebelling against their station in life, and is this not an example? Too many women have bought into the culture and do not understand why the Church cannot be made over to reflect what they see in society. The Catholic Church’s job is to preach the truth of Christ and tell us what is necessary to save our souls, not to tell us what we want to hear. Further, I do not see criticisms of Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Pope John Paul II, who are canonized saints, being accurate. They both spent their lives in total sacrifice, while few of us walking around in this life have haloes. I wish to thank our priests for the sacraments they dispense — and give thanks to God for his beautiful Church — which make it possible to have eternal life. Ann Hill St. Agnes, St. Paul A letter writer in the Nov. 24 issue of The Catholic Spirit states: “Christ and his apostles were products of their culture.” I don’t know which Christ she follows, but the Christ I follow was a product of God’s goodness, born in humble circumstances of a woman conceived without sin, and sent into the world to fulfill the words of the prophets, including suffering
the ignominious death on the cross for the sins of us all, which was foretold by the prophets. Perhaps it might better be said that Christ was a product for the culture he served, and for which he invited followers, as planned by his Father from the beginning. Gene Floersch Our Lady of Peace, Minneapolis
Where’s the charity? Of the millions of dollars given and spent in this archdiocese, I was so disheartened to learn that only about $46,000 was spent actually helping the needy in the community (Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Financial Report, Nov. 24). The piece of pie in the graph was barely big enough to see. Wasn’t that what Jesus told us to do over and over and over? All that money for religious education down the drain. Elizabeth Rosenwinkel St. Albert the Great, Minneapolis Thomas Mertens, the archdiocese’s chief financial officer, responds: The primary financial goals of the Archdiocese Chancery Corporation — as it moves forward in U.S. Bankruptcy Court — continue to be the fair and just resolution of more than 400 claims of sexual abuse of minors while supporting priests, parishes and schools. Thankfully, the faithful of the archdiocese continue their generous giving to organizations that help people in need, such as Sharing and Caring Hands, food shelves and the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation — which gives roughly $1.1 million to Catholic Charities each year. Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@ The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit. Letters may be edited for length or clarity. archspm.org.
18 • The Catholic Spirit
CALENDAR
Music Story and Song Tour Concert and morning retreat with Sarah Hart, Steve Angrisano and Jesse Manibusan — Dec. 10: 7:30 p.m. at St. Henry, 1001 E. Seventh St., Monticello. www.sthenrycatholic.info. Luke Spehar Christmas concert — Dec. 15: 7:30 p.m. at Heights Theater, 3951 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis. www.lukespehar.com. Carols and Chestnuts — Dec. 16: 7:30–8:30 p.m. at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. www.guardian-angels.org. A Night of Christmas Music featuring The Cassidy Brothers — Dec. 16: 7 p.m. at Shakopee Area Catholic School, 2700 17th Ave. E., Shakopee.
Ongoing groups Faithful Spouses support group — Third Tuesday of each month: 7–8:30 p.m. in Smith Hall of the Hayden Building, 328 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul. For those who are living apart from their spouses because of separation or divorce. 651-2914438 or faithfulspouses@archspm.org. Career Transition group meeting — Third Thursday of every month: 7:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Community, 155 County Road 24, Medina. www.hnoj.org/career-transition-group. Dementia support group — Second Tuesday of each month: 7–9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
CARITAS cancer support group — Wednesdays: 10:30 a.m.–noon at St. Joseph’s Hospital, second floor, maternity classroom 2500, 45 W. 10th St., St. Paul.
Parish events The Nativity of Our Lord live — Dec. 10: 6:30 p.m. at All Saints, 435 Fourth St. NE, Minneapolis. St. Mary Santa Breakfast — Dec. 18: 8 a.m.– 1 p.m. at 261 Eighth St. E., St. Paul. www.stmarystpaul.weconnect.com.
Prayer/worship Taize Prayer — Third Friday of each month: 7 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org. Advent evening prayer with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Consociates — Sundays of Advent: 4:30–5:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Provincial House, 1880 Randolph Ave., St. Paul. www.csjstpaul.org. Come, Light a Candle, Say a Prayer — Dec. 17: 3 p.m. at St. Nicholas, 51 Church St., Elko New Market. www.stncc.net.
Retreats Men’s weekend retreat — Dec. 9-11 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. franciscanretreats.net/mens_retreats.aspx. Retreat for families, led by Father Paul Shovelain — Dec. 17: 8 a.m.–2 p.m. at Immaculate Conception, 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights. www.iccsonline.org.
CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur. LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your press release. ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar: • Time and date of event • Full street address of event • Description of event • C ontact information in case of questions. (No attachments, please.) FAX: 651-291-4460 MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102
December 8, 2016 Schools St. Jude of the Lake Christmas boutique — Dec. 10: 2–7 p.m. at 600 Mahtomedi Ave., Mahtomedi. www.stjudeofthelakeschool.org.
Conferences/seminars/workshops Grief and the Holidays — Dec. 19: 9 –11 a.m. at St. Mary of the Lake, St. Joseph Room, 4741 Bald Eagle Ave., White Bear Lake. www.stmarys-wbl.org.
Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sunday afternoons: Kay at 651-426-3103 or Al at 651-482-0406. Singles group at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. 763-425-0412.
Speakers Misconceptions of Jewish-Catholic Relations: A Rabbi’s Wisdom — Dec. 11: 11:30 a.m. at St. Edward, 9401 Nesbitt Ave. S., Bloomington. www.stedwardschurch.org.
A note to readers
Other events
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.
Christmas at the Monastery — Dec. 10: 4–7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. tinyurl.com/christmasmonastery2016. Nativity Christmas Tree Lot — Through Dec. 23: 9 a.m.–9 p.m. at Nativity of Our Lord School parking lot, 1900 Stanford Ave., St. Paul. Women with Spirit Bible Study — Through April 4, 2017: Tuesdays, 9:30–11:30 a.m. at Pax Christi, 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie. www.paxchristi.com/wws.
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If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, your first call should be to law enforcement. The archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Program is also available to offer help and assist with healing. For confidential, compassionate assistance from an independent and professional local care provider, please call (651) 291-4497.
December 8, 2016 The Catholic Spirit • 19
Our Lady of Guadalupe’s message remains alive over centuries By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service
N
early 500 years after Mexican peasant Juan Diego was greeted by Mary and urged to share a message of hope and comfort as promised by God’s compassion, Our Lady of Guadalupe continues to inspire new generations of faithful believers in their daily routines and struggles. That assurance, rooted in prayer and common experiences, guides daily individual devotion and communal gatherings that build toward grand observances of the apparitions centered on the Dec. 12 feast day. And while Our Lady of Guadalupe is rooted in the Mexican culture, those who have studied the phenomenon and her message as it is lived today are finding that the patroness of the Americas, as she is known, can strengthen bonds of community in a disjointed world. “In the United States, she belongs to everyone. Even American Catholics have embraced her as a symbol of faith and devotion,” said Hosffman Ospino, assistant professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education at Boston College. Ospino, a native of Colombia, said Catholic Latinos outside of Mexico have come to embrace the Guadalupe story because of their shared faith. That Mary presented herself to the indigenous Juan Diego, who was canonized in 2002, indicates that God cares for struggling and marginalized people everywhere, Ospino said. “She appeared to someone who looked Latino, who was Mexican, and at a time
in history when the situation of Juan Diego and the people was difficult,” he said. Mexico in 1531, the year of the apparitions, was undergoing massive changes after the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs a decade earlier. Catholicism was taking root and indigenous religions were disappearing. Speaking in his indigenous language, Mary asked the future St. Juan Diego, an Aztec and Catholic convert, to convey to Church leaders her desire for a church to be built on Tepayac Hill in what today is Mexico City. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe near the site, completed in 1976, is the most visited Catholic church in the world outside of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It took three visits by the saint-to-be to convince the local bishop that he indeed had seen Mary. It was on the third visit that the miracle attributed to Our Lady of Guadalupe occurred when he unfurled his poncho, or tilma, to present to the bishop the Castilian roses in full bloom that had inexplicably appeared on the hill despite freezing temperatures. More impressively, the tilma bore an image of Mary exactly as Juan Diego had described her: olive skin, pregnant with Jesus, adorned in a turquoise mantle and surrounded by rays of light. Such an image of Mary adorns the homes of countless Mexican and Mexican-American families and serves as much as a cultural symbol as a religious one, said Oblate Father Bob Wright, professor of systematic theology at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. “You cannot separate the two of them,” he said.
A statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe stands behind the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit Such an attachment is apparent in the hundreds of celebrations of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which feature the singing of “Las Mananitas” (early morning song) and traditional dances along with a festive Mass, all followed, of course, by hearty food and drink. Father Wright described the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as “universal to everyone, a mother figure who looks after us, that you can turn to ... just as Jesus himself you can turn to.” A colleague, Oblate Father Fernando Velazquez, associate professor of missiology at the Oblate school, said devotion to Mary is carried out in daily life by many of Mexican heritage. It is customary, he said, for mothers or grandmothers to send children to school with a brief prayer that Mary and God’s mantle protect them throughout the day. Celebrations of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe this year in the U.S. may take on a more somber tone among Latinos who say they feel unwelcome because of
increasingly sour rhetoric and strident calls for the deportation of millions of immigrants in the country without legal permission. Because of the concerns arising from such talk, Renata Furst, associate professor of Scripture and spirituality at the Oblate school, finds that Mary’s message remains deeply relevant today. She said it helps people understand how important it is to be grounded in their culture and its values while seeing “the way God is recreating them” to respond in a changing world. “You might look at Our Lady of Guadalupe as the source of this integration,” Furst said. “It is as though God is bubbling from the bottom up as opposed [to] from the top down.” Our Lady of Guadalupe also has influenced what scholar Rebecca BerruDavis calls popular religion, or the faith practiced in the home. Berru-Davis, who recently concluded a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at St. John’s University in Collegeville, focused on trying to understand the importance of the devotion in the lives of women she knew in California and how it was transmitted throughout the family. She said the devotion transcended age and continues to be transmitted to children. “The women described it as ‘tela,’ a cloth that is placed over the community that brings them together, or ‘cadena,’ a chain, that brought the community together,” she continued. “The women were very clear about that, that the devotion was continuing because it is what the Virgin wanted.”
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20 • The Catholic Spirit
THE LAST WORD
December 8, 2016
ABOVE St. Mary’s altar from the eastern apse of Naumburg Cathedral. © Picture archives of the Combined Cathedral Chapters of Merseburg and Naumburg and the Diocese of Zeitz Organized in cooperation with the Minneapolis Institute of Art; Luther Memorials Foundation of Saxony-Anhalt, Wittenberg; Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin; Foundation Schloss Friedenstein Gotha; under the Leadership of the State Museum of Prehistory, Halle (Saale). Its realization has been made possible due to the support of the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany within the framework of the Luther Decade. Presented by Thrivent Financial Lead Sponsors John and Nancy Lindahl and The Hognander Foundation. ABOVE RIGHT Arm reliquary of St. James the Greater, first half of the 14th century. Foundation Cathedrals and Castles in Saxony-Anhalt, Halberstadt Cathedral Treasury © State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt
Worlds collide in Reformation exhibition Minneapolis Institute of Art showcases 16th-century pieces marking Martin Luther’s split from Church By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit
M
artin Luther is remembered for the 95 theses he nailed to a chapel door that spurred dissent from the Catholic Church across Europe in 1517. But an exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, aka Mia, explores Luther’s entire life, revealing to Catholics especially that the German priest was influenced by many of the great saints. (A plea to St. Anne to spare him from being struck by lightning spurred the young Luther to become a monk. He later rejected the Church’s practice of praying for saints’ intercessions, believing conduits to God weren’t necessary even though they were spiritual role models.) Gearing up for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017, Mia’s exhibition combines pieces from the 16th century and earlier that underscore the religious, political and cultural changes of that tumultuous time. Visitors to “Martin Luther: Art and the Reformation” — which runs through Jan. 15 — can view the papal bull excommunicating Martin Luther and some of the indulgences that were fodder for the former priest’s break from the Catholic Church. “Right now, for this region of the world, this is the finest place to see great objects of late medieval and renaissance Catholic piety,” said Tom Rassieur, the exhibition’s curator and Mia’s head of the prints and drawings department. The chasuble of Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg — Luther’s boss and ultimate nemesis — and other fine textiles are displayed in one of the first galleries of the exhibit. A green cloth to cover a statuette, likely one of Mary, features adornments from female clothing with amulets from Marian
“Damnation and Salvation” by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1529 © Foundation Schloss Friedenstein Gotha
“Right now, for this region of the world, this is the finest place to see great objects of late medieval and renaissance Catholic piety.” Tom Rassieur, curator of “Martin Luther: Art and the Reformation” and Mia’s head of the prints and drawings department shrines. “It’s a sweet thing, and it’s a real example of how things worked then,” Rassieur said. “It’s something throughout the show: People want to have a tangible connection to their faith, and they often want to leave their mark on their faith, so they give their own clothing — in this case, jewels, to adorn and venerate the statue of the Virgin.” During Luther’s time, elaborate altar pieces with
angels, saints, the apostles and Mary served as “bearers of the spirit” and personal connection for the faithful, Rassieur said. “These are largely recognizable figures, and they tell charming stories in a beautiful way,” he explained. “You can imagine how lucky you’d be to walk in [to a Catholic church] on a feast day. In these places, anybody could still walk through the door of a church, and as you walked through the door of a church, you left that grim, industrial place, and you came into a place of great beauty — a taste of heaven on earth.” The exhibition’s artifacts — numbering around 400 — and their connection to Luther’s Reformation convey the Church’s history in a transformative era. Further into the exhibit, visitors enter “serious Luther land,” Rassieur said, where Luther’s own theology takes shape in the art, including his German translation of Scripture, known as the Ortenburg Bible. Other pieces are vulgar, some incorporating defecation, meant to denounce the pope and his authority. In one illustrated broadsheet with text from Luther, a demon, with one foot in a tub of holy water, holds a crosier in one hand and a box for indulgence profits in the other. Also featured are a warming ball, which priests would hold during Mass to warm their hands in a cold church before elevating the Eucharist; an arm reliquary of St. James the Greater; and a doublesided Pieta, designed so that clergy in the sanctuary and the congregation could view it at once. All of these pieces, Rassieur said, are “intended to convey the beauty and the grandeur of the Catholic Church that Martin Luther grew up in and in which he believed fervently.” For more information about the exhibition, visit www.artsmia.org.