Finance officer named
5 November 8, 2012
Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
The Catholic Spirit News with a Catholic heart
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Ascension School mourns loss of ‘shining star’ By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
Ascension School principal Dorwatha Woods took a few moments Nov. 2, the Feast of All Souls, to read from the religion class journal of one of her students, eighth-grader Peter Wilson. A collective gasp rose up from the students and teachers who filled Ascension church WILSON when she recited these words of Peter’s aloud: “I’m praying for my soul.” On this day, they were praying for his. Just four days earlier, at around 4:30 a.m., the 13-year-old died at the hands of an assailant who also killed his grandmother, Beatrice Wilson, 57. Police have arrested her 22-year-old son, Ishmael Roberts, who fled to Iowa in her car before rolling it over and trying to run from the scene, according to a report in the StarTribune. He has been charged with two counts of intentional second-degree murder. With very few details of the crime to ponder, Woods is left to think about the first time in her 26 years as principal that one of her students has died from vioPLEASE TURN TO SCHOOL ON PAGE 7
The Sober Truth
Tim Murray stands outside of Trinity Sober Homes’ St. Michael Home in St. Paul, which houses 12 men over 40 who struggle with alcoholism. Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit
Alcoholic opens home in St. Paul to help others like him The Catholic Spirit is running an occasional series focused on the works of mercy. This week, we highlight comforting the afflicted, a spiritual work of mercy.
What will it take?
Getting a ‘God shot’
The answer came on the morning of Aug. 6, 2009 when he landed in the Ramsey County detox center for the umpteenth The Catholic Spirit time. He opened his eyes in an unfamiliar place — an actual bed — and could reach out and touch someone on each side without On a hot July night in 2009, a sleek Audi A8 is parked at a bar getting up. on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. It’s well beyond last call, but He landed there by getting drunk at a bar and stumbling and the car will remain there until dawn. rolling down the steep and famous Grand Avenue hill just Happens all the time. Revelers have too much to off of Summit Avenue near the Cathedral of St Paul. drink, call a cab from the bar to take them home, Then, in a fortuitous turn of events he calls a “God then come the next day after they’re sober to reshot,” he stopped rolling down the hill right in trieve their vehicle. Works of front of a sober house. Two of the men living there This scene is different. The inebriated bar patron easily recognized his drunken state and hauled chooses to sleep off his drunkeness inside the car him to detox. overnight. He has the men — whom he was never able to find He has no other choice. The disease of alcoholism has later — to thank for where he is today. He left detox three claimed his house, his marriage and most of the relationships days later a changed man, and he now is dedicating the rest of with people who could take him home. his life to helping other men battle alcoholism. He founded The next morning, without showering or cleaning up, he drags Trinity Sober Homes in St. Paul on Jan. 1 of this year, and he is himself into work, hoping the employees won’t notice his condidirecting all of his boundless energy and ambition into helping tion. men overcome the drinking demon in their lives. But he realizes that’s not likely. His name is Tim Murray. And, he’s an alcoholic. He’s their CEO. Still, despite doing this night after night for almost two months, ‘I give up’ he has yet to hit rock bottom. Three failed marriages doesn’t do Though his past has hurt Murray and those around him, it it. Losing his house doesn’t do it. Nearly killing someone when does not define him. Thanks to some timely help along the way he rammed the person’s car doing 125 miles per hour doesn’t do PLEASE TURN TO PRIEST ON PAGE 4 it. By Dave Hrbacek
MERCY