Meet the new University of St. Thomas president
12B February 28, 2013
Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
The Catholic Spirit News with a Catholic heart
Archdiocesan Annual Report
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Tending the troops West St. Paul pastor to serve as National Guard chaplain By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit
Starting this March, when Father Michael Creagan isn’t dressed in his black priest’s clerics as pastor of St. Joseph in West St. Paul, he will be wearing camouflage. The busy pastor isn’t getting ready for the next hunting season; rather, he’s responding to what he believes is an additional call from the Lord to serve military personnel and their families as a chaplain with the Minnesota Army National Guard. After Father Creagan is commissioned as a National Guard captain on Feb. 28, he will serve 500 soldiers and their families in the Bloomington-based 1/34th Brigade Special Troops Battalion (part of the “Red Bulls”) while he continues as pastor of St. Joseph. He will be one of just two Catholic chaplains ministering to the 11,000 service men and women in Minnesota — the fifth largest Army National Guard in the United States.
Offering support Father Creagan joins noteworthy chaplains in the state’s history — including Archbishop John Ireland, who served in the Civil War — as he prepares to bring the sacraments to Catholics in the battalion and to assist military personnel of all backgrounds during one weekend a month and two weeks of summer training. Initially he was concerned about whether he could take on the position while continuing in his duties at the PLEASE TURN TO SKILLS ON PAGE 4B
Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit
Father Michael Creagan, pastor of St. Joseph in West St. Paul, has accepted a new role as a Minnesota Army National Guard chaplain. He was scheduled to be commissioned on Feb. 28, and will continue serving as pastor of St. Joseph.
Five ways to evangelize during Lent The following is an edited version of a column that first appeared on the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, WWW.USCCB.ORG. During Lent, when your friends or coworkers express curiosity about Catholic customs and symbolism, use those moments as opportunities to evangelize. Following are common questions Catholics hear during Lent and some evangelizing answers.
CNS photo / Gregory A. Shemitz
■ Abstinence: “So why aren’t you eating pepperoni pizza on Friday?” You love pepperoni pizza. You eat it all the time. Suddenly, you can’t have it on Fridays? What could possibly be going on? It must be that Catholic thing, again.
Absolutely! On Fridays during Lent, we particularly remember the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. In memory of this great sacrifice, we continue the tradition of penance and sacrifice — abstaining from meat on Fridays is an outward manifestation of an interior reality: the conversion of our hearts. As Pope John Paul II has said: “In fact, the external aspects of fasting, though important, do not convey the full measure of the practice. Joined to the practice should be a sincere desire for inner purification, readiness to obey the divine will and thoughtful solidarity with our PLEASE TURN TO PALM ON PAGE 23B