The Catholic Spirit - April 14, 2011

Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Bringing church’s views to state Capitol

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The Catholic Spirit

April 14, 2011

News with a Catholic heart

Faith, food mix at Joe’s Diner

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TheCatholicSpirit.com

Getting ready for

Easter ■ Archbishop Nienstedt offers Holy Week reflection — page 2 ■ Ideas for your Triduum to-do list — page 13 ■ Holy Thursday and keeping vigil with Jesus — page 16 ■ Good Friday and a light in the darkness — page 17 ■ Read more in our special section for Holy Week and Easter — pages 12-18

The morning of the Resurrection is depicted in “He Is Risen,” a painting by contemporary Chinese Christian artist He Qi. His artwork blends Chinese folk customs and traditional Chinese painting techniques with Western painting methods.

The Easter season begins April 24 with the celebration of the Resurrection.

(CNS photo / courtesy of He Qi)

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APRIL 14, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Death, Lent and Divine Mercy

That They May All Be One Archbishop John C. Nienstedt

Bishop Bullock’s death gives us an opportunity to reflect on our own relationship with God

Bishop Bill Bullock, bishop emeritus of Madison, died on Sunday, April 3, after a short illness.

The bishop was born here near Maple Lake, and was ordained a priest of this archdiocese in 1952.

He served as headmaster of St. Thomas Academy, then pastor of St. John the Baptist in Excelsior and later as pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Minneapolis. He was named an auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese in 1980, bishop of Des Moines in 1987 and bishop of Madison in 1993.

Wonderful man I have met Bishop Bullock on numerous occasions and he was always one of the most positive and affirming individuals I could imagine. He is an outstanding reflection of the vitality of the Catholic faith in this archdiocese. The significant contribution he made to the church by his life, he did as one of our native sons.

The passing of this great man of faith gives us a privileged opportunity to reflect upon the reality of death, not for its own sake, but rather, as a significant prompting to revisit the status of our relationship with God, since this is, in fact, the purpose underlying the whole season of Lent. Death has a way of focusing our attention in a manner PLEASE TURN TO IN ON PAGE 21

The Catholic Spirit

Archbishop’s schedule ■ Saturday, April 16: 6:30 p.m., St. Paul, Crowne Plaza: Minnesota Knights of Columbus 4th Degree Exemplification Dinner.

■ Sunday, April 17: 10 a.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of Saint Paul: Palm Sunday liturgy.

4 p.m., New Brighton, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church: Parish penance service and dinner with priests.

■ Monday, April 18: 10:30 a.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Interview on Catholic schools.

11:00 a.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Meeting with executive director of Minnesota Faith and Freedom Coalition.

Noon, St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Lunch with president of St. Catherine University.

■ Tuesday, April 19: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Scheduling meeting with staff.

9:30 a.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Archdiocesan Comprehensive Assignment Board meeting.

1:30 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Archbishop’s Council meeting.

5:30 p.m., Burnsville, Mary, Mother of the Church: Parish penance service.

■ Thursday, April 21: 7:30 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Holy Thursday — Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

■ Friday, April 22: 9 a.m., St. Paul: Pro-life prayer service.

3 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Solemn Celebration of the Lord’s Passion.

■ Saturday, April 23: 8:30 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Easter Vigil.

■ Sunday, April 24: 9:30 a.m., Minneapolis, Basilica of St. Mary: Easter Sunday liturgy.

■ Monday, April 25: 4:30 p.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Catholic Services Appeal deanery report meeting.

■ Tuesday, April 26: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Scheduling meeting with staff Noon, Mendota Heights, St. Thomas Academy: Lunch and review of cadets.

6 p.m., West St. Paul, NET Center: NET Ministries benefit banquet.

■ Wednesday-Monday, April 27 - May 2: Trip to Rome to attend the ceremonies surrounding the beatification of the Servant of God, Pope John Paul II.

The New Generation of Appliance Specialists

The Catholic Spirit’s mission is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

It seeks to inform, educate, evangelize and foster a spirit of community within the Catholic Church by disseminating news in a professional manner and serving as a forum for discussion of contemporary issues.

MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT Publisher JOE TOWALSKI Editor

Materials credited to CNS copyrighted

by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by Catholic Spirit Publishing Company.

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Catholic News Service Bishop William Bullock, the retired bishop of Madison, Wis., and a former auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, died peacefully at his residence in Madison April 3, 10 days before his 84th birthday.

The Maple Lake, Minn., native also had served as bishop of Des Moines, Iowa.

Bishop Bullock, who retired in 2003, BISHOP BULLOCK had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. His funeral Mass was April 7 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Madison.

‘Dedicated churchman’ Bishop Richard Pates, the current bishop of Des Moines who also is a former auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, recalled Bishop Bullock as a national leader in establishing a policy addressing sexual abuse in 1988.

Bishop Pates praised him for the creation of two outreach efforts of Catholic Charities — St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter and St. Mary Family Center — and for coordinating the purchase and establishment of the Catholic Pastoral Center in Des Moines.

“Both Bishop Bullock and I were from the Twin Cities and were blessed with a long-standing friendship,” Bishop Pates said. “The bishop was a dedicated churchman, capable of making difficult decisions all the while enjoying a tremendous sense of humor.”

Msgr. Frank Bognanno, who served as a chancellor for Bishop Bullock, said he would be remembered for his pastoral letters on the sacrament of reconciliation and end-of-life issues.

Maple Lake to Madison

Vol. 16 — No. 8

BOB ZYSKOWSKI Associate publisher

Former auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis dies of cancer

Angela Warner

Joe Warner

Third-Generation Appliance Specialists

William H. Bullock was born April 13, 1927, on a farm in Maple Lake, to Ann C. (Raiche) and Loren W. Bullock. He was one of six children. He attended Maple Lake Grade School in Maple Lake and Annandale High School in Annandale, Minn.

He attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, before joining the U.S. Navy in 1944 to serve in World War II. He finished his bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1948 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., and later returned for a master’s degree in liturgy and religious education in 1962.

He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis PLEASE TURN TO BISHOP ON PAGE 27

St. Paul s Edina s Woodbury Maple Grove s Apple Valley Rochester s Mpls. Outlet

Correction ww

.com w.Warn ersStellian

In the March 31 Catholic Spirit, a player from the winning DeLaSalle girls high school basketball championship team was misidentified. Mariah Adanene (25) was the girl in the photo, not Claire Thomas (20) on page 24A.

The church’s obligation to participate in shaping the moral character of society is a requirement of our faith.”

U.S. bishops, in “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship”

Local APRIL 14, 2011

News from around the archdiocese

The Catholic Spirit

Educate, communicate and mobilize

Forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions is not pro-choice; it’s no choice

New Minnesota Catholic Conference director says three-point focus will help church deliver its social teaching message

The following is a legislative update provided by the Minnesota Catholic Conference, which advocates on behalf of the state’s bishops for public policies and programs that support the life and dignity of every human person.

By Joe Towalski The Catholic Spirit

The Minnesota Catholic Conference works every day to build a culture of life and bring the church’s social teachings to bear on important public policy issues at the state Legislature and in other arenas.

The problem, however, is that too many Minnesotans — Catholics included — don’t even know the organization exists or are unfamiliar with its work, according to the conference’s new executive director.

Jason Adkins, who assumed the leadership post March 28, has a plan to change that.

“It starts with education,” he said during a recent interview at the MCC’s office on University Avenue in St. Paul, a short distance from the state Capitol. “We need to transcend the polarization in the church. We do that first of all by communicating effectively the church’s social teaching to our own people. We’re going to make that a priority — really reaching out to the folks in the pews and to legislators as an educational resource.”

Part of communicating effectively requires becoming more vocal in the public square and utilizing new media such as Facebook and Twitter to advance the church’s message, Adkins said.

“We’re going to be out there talking a

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On April 12, committees in both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature held hearings on companion bills (HF 201/SF 103) forbidding the use of taxpayer money to fund abortions. The law ends coverage for abortion in statesponsored health inJason Adkins surance programs.

The Minnesota Catholic Conference testified in support of this legislation.

The Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion and its defense of human life from conception to natural death are well known. All people are created in the image and likeness of God, and their rights and dignity must be respected in life and in law. “The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of civil society and its legislation.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2273).

Faith in the Public Arena

Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit

Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, stands on the steps of the Minnesota Capitol April 8.

lot more,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest change you will see. Catholic social teaching is a beautiful gift that we have, and we want to share that gift to help rebuild the culture — to build a culture of life and protect human dignity.”

And, he added, the MCC will be working to mobilize Catholics on important

Life begins at conception

“Catholics can’t just sit on their hands, because there are important issues on the table,” Adkins said. “The integrity of the church is threatened as well as religious

But the church’s position is not strictly theological. Indeed, on many political and moral issues, the church voices its concern in the public square in language accessible to all, regardless of faith or creed.

Abortion is no different. Science and the embryology textbooks are clear that

PLEASE TURN TO MCC ON PAGE 11

PLEASE TURN TO BILLS ON PAGE 11

policy discussions needing their input at the state Legislature and beyond.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

Dads, doughnuts and the NFL . . . Jerry Rice was a difference-maker. In big games, he had the ability to just take over.”

With that comment, he made the segue to a deeper message for the dads and children in the auditorium. “The Lord wants us to be difference-makers,” he said. “We all have the responsibility to be difference-makers.”

It was a challenge that inspired dads like Tom Walsh, who sat next to his son, Michael, a second-grader at the school.

“I thought it was tremendous, talking about the values, the goal setting and the value of Catholic education,” he said. “I think it’s always important to have someone like Rich Gannon reinforce what we’re trying to teach our kids — discipline, faith and prayer.”

Former Vikings quarterback pays visit to Savage school

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

Two thousand doughnuts is a very attractive draw, but that’s only part of the reason more than 100 dads joined their kids in the auditorium of St. John the Baptist School in Savage the morning of April 6.

While they were feasting on the pastries, they got to listen to a former NFL quarterback talk about playing 18 seasons with several teams, including the Minnesota Vikings.

The featured guest for the school’s “Dads and Donuts” event was Rich Gannon, who played for the Vikings from 1987 to 1993 and eventually landed with the Oakland Raiders, where he won the league MVP award and played in a Super Bowl.

Gannon came at the request of his friend, St. John interim principal Jim Hamburge, who has more than double the number of years in Catholic education as Gannon did in the NFL. Up until the end of last school year, Hamburge had served as president of Holy Family High School in Victoria. Gannon’s oldest child, daughter Alexis, is a sophomore at the school.

Gannon, his wife, Shelley, and their other daughter, Danielle, an eighth-grader at St. Hubert School in Chanhassen, all belong to St. Hubert.

Being a difference-maker Gannon handed off a message to his audience about the importance of Catholic education and the importance of passing down the Catholic faith to children. In between were stories about the big games he played and the great players with whom he played.

One, in particular, stood out for him — wide receiver Jerry Rice, a Hall-of-Famer who was a big reason why Gannon’s Raiders made it to the Super Bowl in 2002. Gannon remembers watching the

Involving more dads

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Joe Osterbauer greets former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Rich Gannon at St. John the Baptist School in Savage April 6 at an event called “Dads and Donuts.” With him are his children, from left, Joey (back to camera), Rachel and Emily. All three attend the school.

Rich Gannon offers tips for dads When it comes to raising kids in the Catholic faith, former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Rich Gannon offered these five tips for dads: ■ Pray with them. “No. 1 for me is to pray with the kids,” he said. “That’s really important.”

■ Discuss the faith. “I think it’s also important to talk to them about their faith. We try to do that [at home]. We talk about our faith life at the dinner table and at bed time.”

■ Take kids to Mass. “That was just instilled in me, the importance of going to Mass. It’s a priority in our house. We don’t make exceptions. If we travel out of the country, we find a way to get to church.”

■ Read the Bible. “We need to open up the Bible and read it. That’s a blueprint; that is our playbook. . . . Unfortunately, in a lot of homes, it sits on the shelf.”

■ Share the faith. “We are all called to be witnesses. I encourage parents and children to share their faith. Christ said to go and make disciples, and we’re called to do that.”

— Dave Hrbacek

All-Pro receiver during workouts.

“An hour before the afternoon practice, there was one guy out on the field, and it was Jerry Rice,” he said. “He was in

his 18th season, and he was having ball boys throw him balls.

“The bigger the game, the better he played,” Gannon added. “His eyes lit up.

The event was definitely a touchdown in the eyes of people like Father Michael Tix, pastor of St. John, and communications coordinator Carol Radosevich, who came up with the idea of “Dads and Donuts” at the start of the school year.

This was the second such event of this school year.

“The concept was to get the dads plugged in more,” she said. “There are dads who have never walked the halls [of the school].

“I thought [Gannon] was outstanding,” she added. “I thought his message was right on. It makes you so glad you give your kids a Catholic education. It does make a difference.”

Even though the event began at 8 a.m., there was no sign of sleepiness among the kids and dads in attendance.

“There was a lot of energy in the auditorium; it was neat to see,” Father Tix said. “It was jammed. It looked like all the chairs were full, and there were more people standing around the edge.”

The only downside has been the reaction of moms.

“The moms are jealous because they want to have their morning, too,” Radosevich said. “So, we’re playing around with the idea of having” a program for mothers and daughters.

New center offers accounting services to churches, schools

By Julie Carroll The Catholic Spirit

The newly opened Parish Accounting Service Center at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is helping to relieve some of the Strategic Planning burden on pastors and parish leaders while providing a level of financial expertise many parishes cannot afford on their own.

A result of the archdiocesan Strategic UPDATE Plan, the center offers participating parishes and schools comprehensive accounting and bookkeeping services, including bill paying, record keeping and financial

reports. Participation is voluntary.

“If you’ve got any questions about the accuracy, the usefulness or the timeliness of your reporting, or if you’ve got better things for your [staff] to do than to be bookkeepers, we can take that burden off,” said John Bierbaum, archdiocesan chief financial officer.

Applying best practices Bierbaum said the PASC applies best business practices to the church, a goal of the Strategic Plan.

“I was involved as the CFO of a multidivision public company, and that’s what we did there — create a centralized accounting system to accomplish exactly the same things: . . . drive some costs out of the system by essentially creating economies of scale,” Bierbaum said. “[The PASC] enables us to assure some

transparency in the numbers and some consistency between parishes as to how they report the numbers,” he added.

PASC employees all have accounting degrees and parish experience, said Mary Jo Jungwirth, PASC project manager. “I wanted to make sure [the employees] . . . really understand the environment in which they’re working,” she said.

After a parish contacts the PASC, whose offices are at the Chancery in St. Paul, employees visit the parish and work with key leadership to assess current operations, Jungwirth said.

“We do a lot of listening, then come back with a business plan based on how they operate and the funds that they’re bringing in,” she said. “Next, we talk through the business plan and come to an agreement. Then an accountant works

with them to transition the parish to the service center.”

PASC employees work with parish leadership on an ongoing basis, offering reports they think might be helpful.

However, the parish maintains full control of its financial decisions.

“Accounting is what we’re actually doing; that’s the product,” Jungwirth said. “But it’s about a systemized process of doing financial accounting and data collection and management. So it’s looking at the archdiocesan parish and the parish operations in a holistic way.”

Rates are determined based on parish size, and participating parishes are required to use the Logos Management Software System. The center will help PLEASE TURN TO PASC ON PAGE 26

Don’t miss: The Catholic Spirit’s immigration series continues April 28

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APRIL 14, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Lay ministers help the church accomplish its mission

By Melissa Kaelin For The Catholic Spirit

For Deborah Organ, lay ecclesial ministry is a matter of heart. While the current president of the Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics keeps her head about her as she goes about her work, she also seeks out communities that are deeply in need.

Organ has worked in a variety of parish settings and currently ministers to the immigrant community at Holy Rosary in south Minneapolis.

In celebration of the “Year of the Liberal Arts” at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Organ spoke April 6 on “Lay Ecclesial Ministry in the Church Today: A View from Inner-City Minneapolis.”

Drawn to one another Organ opened her talk with a story about a bat that had flown down upon her and her colleagues in church one morning. It interested her to learn that bats fly toward the vibration of the human voice, and she drew a parallel from the story to lay ministry.

“We hunger for God and we move in and within grace,” said Organ. “We do draw one another by the warmth and vibration of our voices, sometimes unexpectedly but generally unmistakably.”

Organ also recounted the story of a middle-aged woman who rushed into church just as Mass was about to start one day. The woman had led a life full of trauma and pain, Organ had recently learned during their discussions, and she was struggling to find her place in

the world.

“She came to the first pew, slid in — just in time for Mass,” said Organ, who was moved to tears by the action. “She was drawn to that first pew quite simply by the love of God. She was pulled to a place that she’d never been. She’d never been front-row anything, let me tell you.

And because she experienced the warmth of people in that place as she sat there, she started to carry herself differently.”

Organ said in her initial sessions with the woman, the woman had often complained, “I don’t understand. I’ll never understand.”

“Though she had very little opportunity for formal education, she found herORGAN self able to live right up against mystery and face it squarely,” Organ said. “Then the sense that she had nothing to offer and she couldn’t learn started to change. Recently, she opened a small business in the community.

Somebody who always thought she was more like a back-row or out-the-door person now knows herself to be front-row material.”

Organ said it’s important to acknowledge that lay ministers play an active role in the church.

“A lay ecclesial minister is someone who is and does that which is necessary for people to see themselves as front-pew material,” said Organ.

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“A lay ecclesial

minister . . . does that which is necessary for people to see themselves as frontpew material.

”

DEBORAH ORGAN

During her presentation, Organ invited the audience to quietly reflect on their own experiences several times. She also encouraged her audience to move past the obstacles standing in their way as lay ministers.

“Lay ecclesial ministry matters, and it has for a long time,” said Organ. “The ministry is essentially concerned with a communal and active living out of and into our fundamental reality — the life in, and with, God. Thirty years of professional ministry have drawn me into awareness that the kingdom that we want to build is already our most basic reality, evidenced by the resurrection.”

She encouraged those in the audience to be aware of that concept, to claim it, reflect it and live it. And she said, in part, that means that Christians must realize there is more to any situation than meets the eye, and live out of a larger context.

“Every single day that I’m at Holy Rosary, I’m reminded of that,” said

Organ. “Every day I get to spend time with people who have managed to survive horrific circumstances and who in some cases are still living in those circumstances, but somehow they get up in the morning and they walk around and they do what they need to do, and a lot of them, though not all, have found a way to flourish.”

Having trust Organ then gave her audience a recipe for flourishing in lay ministry today. A few of the ideas she brought forward included releasing personal grief, committing to the ministry even when it is unclear what lies ahead, and extending a feeling of family across family lines.

She said lay ministers must trust that what they are doing matters and that their ministry will help the mission of the church unfold in the world. She also stressed the importance of listening in order to build relationships and creating a sense of home.

“The church I was trained into as a professional has changed a great deal, and sometimes I wonder how to keep the promises I made then — until I realize that this church is that church,” said Organ. “It has been useful to me, at challenging times of life and ministry, to remember the larger context of communion.”

For more information on the “Year of the Liberal Arts” at St. Catherine University, visit WWW.STKATE.EDU.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

Advertisers continue to keep Catholics connected Each month during its centennial year celebration, The Catholic Spirit will look back at how the newspaper covered news and personalities significant to Catholics both locally and nationally. This month, the focus is on our advertisers. dvertisements for Warners’ Stellian in The Catholic Spirit here in 2011 echo back 100 years.

Local businesses have always tried to attract the attention of Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis through the pages of their diocesan newspaper.

Back in 1911, when the old Catholic Bulletin was first published, L. Eisenmenger Meat Co. was marketing its “PURE SAUSAGES — 34 DIFFERENT KINDS.” Walter Barrett was selling ROYAL OAK LOTS — “Best Lots in the City for the Money — Opposite Calvary Cemetery.” And Segerstrom Piano Mfg. Co. in Minneapolis was giving readers of the Catholic Bulletin a chance to win a $500 piano.

All were looking for cusBob Zyskowski tomers among the readers of the very first issue of the Catholic Bulletin on Jan. 7, 1911.

Battery Stables in Minneapolis, managed by E.F. Sexton, offered livery, saddle and boarding for horses.

Using the “target marketing” of the day, Battery’s ad noted, “Hearses and Carriages for Funerals a Specialty.”

And you could buy a five-passenger touring car for $1,400 from Ranger Auto in Minneapolis.

Among those early advertisers, readers of a certain age will remember long-time St. Paul firms like the Drake Marble & Tile Co., E.H. Lohmann (church and altar goods), and Rambler Motor Cars sold by the P.J. Downes Company on Sixth Street in St. Paul and Washington Avenue in Minneapolis.

By 1935, National Tea Co. was advertising four cakes

A

of Palmolive soap for 18 cents in the Catholic Bulletin, and The Golden Rule (“Phone: Cedar 2800”), hoped Catholics would buy “New Spring Silks, Cottons and Woolens, Lingerie and Bedding . . . .”

St. Paul optometrist Frank A. Ubel was still advertising regularly, just as he had in 1911. His slogan was, “If your eyes rebel, see Ubel,” recalled his grandson, the pastor of St. Agnes in St. Paul, Father John Ubel.

There was advertising for the Bell Telephone System, Ellerbe Architects, Powers department store, Holm & Olson florists, Philco Radios you could buy on time — $1.50 a week! — at Boutels. The Emporium, Donaldson’s and Powers were among the department stores that advertised regularly; Dayton’s came in at Christmas.

Some of those 1935 advertisers are still supporting the Bulletin’s successor, The Catholic Spirit, including McGough construction company and O’Halloran & Murphy funeral home.

Recognizable names In the 1960s, with 50 years of publishing under its belt, the Catholic Bulletin carried advertising from Tony Muska Electric, St. Paul Book & Stationary and Northwestern National Bank, which touted its “weatherball” at the corner of Fifth and Robert in St. Paul.

McQuillan Bros. Plumbing and Heating was already advertising — and still is, bless their hearts — and so were Dey Bros. florists, Donnelly Stucco and “the new” Billman-Hunt Funeral Chapel. The Prom Center had teeny ads, and so did Minneapolis’ Murray’s Restaurant.

During its 75th year in 1986 the Catholic Bulletin saw lots of restaurants angling for business from Catholic faithful: The Cherokee Sirloin Room, Awada’s, Mama D’s, Parker House, Tinucci’s, even the five-star The Blue Horse. They were joined by Palen Kimball, Heppner’s

Auto Body, Duggan’s Comfort Footwear and Merit Chev.

Local businesses that put their names on their company titles were the rule, including Jerry Wind Quality Painting, Ray N. Welter Heating Co., R.J. Peterson & Sons Remodeling, and Moudry Apothecary Shop.

Mutual benefits Although in 1996 the Catholic Bulletin became The Catholic Spirit, organizations like Catholic Aid Association (now Catholic United Financial), Catholic Near East Welfare Association and The Society for the Propagation of the Faith still advertised to share their stories with our readers.

Still wanting to keep the name of the business in front of the Catholic community were Catholic Eldercare, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Washburn-McReavy, Rose Burns Catering, Kessler and Maguire Funeral Home, Donald’s, Leo’s Chow Mein, and Hibernian Life.

Thankfully, many local business still value the opportunity The Catholic Spirit provides for a trusted way to connect with those they want as customers.

Today, as they put their company’s name in the topof-mind of Catholic readers, advertisers like the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, St. Catherine University, St. Patrick’s Guild, Buca di Beppo, the Catholic Community Foundation, accountants Baune Dosen & Co., GeartyDelmore, Cerenity Senior Care, Regina Medical Center, the St. Therese Homes, the Carondelet Foundation and so many more make it possible for The Catholic Spirit to keep readers in 85,000 homes across the Twin Cities area connected to their faith, connected to the archdiocese, and connected to the church around the world.

Bob Zyskowski is The Catholic Spirit’s associate publisher.

I feel like the degree itself is almost personalized to fit me and my interests. Professors are so willing to work with students and provide us the opportunity to seek God’s truth.

Andrea Prisby ’11 Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry Program Administrator Saint Paul’s Outreach

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“I am cured. It is the work of God, through the intercession of Pope John Paul II.” Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre

Nation/World APRIL 14, 2011

News from around the U.S. and the globe

The Catholic Spirit

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French nun cured of Parkinson’s to speak at John Paul II prayer vigil

Vatican announces Masses, Oct. 22 feast day for Blessed John Paul

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

Catholic News Service

The French nun whose healing was accepted as the miracle needed for Pope John Paul II’s beatification will share her story with pilgrims at a prayer vigil in Rome the night before the beatification Mass.

Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the papal vicar for Rome, said the vigil April 30 would include “the precious testimony” of Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the former papal spokesman; Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Poland, who was the pope’s personal secretary for almost 40 years; and Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, the member of the Little Sisters of the Catholic Motherhood who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and believes she was cured in 2005 through the intercession of Pope John Paul.

Cardinal Vallini, other officials from the Rome diocese and Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, held a news conference April 5 to discuss the details of Pope John Paul’s beatification May 1 and other events surrounding the ceremony.

Churches to stay open After the prayer vigil at Rome’s Circus Maximus, eight churches located between the vigil site and the Vatican will remain open all night for pilgrims to pray, the cardinal said.

Father Lombardi told reporters that the grotto under St. Peter’s Basilica would be closed to the public April 29 and 30 as Vatican workmen prepare to move Pope John Paul’s casket from its grotto burial site to the chapel of St. Sebastian on the main floor of the basilica.

The body of Blessed Innocent XI, who originally was buried in the chapel, will be transferred April 8 to the Altar of the Transfiguration, closer to the main altar, Father Lombardi said.

During the news conference, Msgr. Marco Frisina, director of the Rome diocesan liturgy office, released the text of a hymn he has composed for the beatification.

CNS photo / Reuters

Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre is pictured in Aix-en-Provence, France, March 30, 2007. The French nun, whose healing was accepted as the miracle needed for Pope John Paul II’s beatification, will share her story with pilgrims at a prayer vigil in Rome the night before the May 1 beatification Mass.

The diocesan communications office, working with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and assisted by young adult volunteers, announced the addition of a beatification page to the revamped website for young people, WWW.POPE2YOU.NET.

The feast day of Blessed John Paul II will be marked Oct. 22 each year in Rome and the dioceses of Poland.

When the Vatican made the announcement April 11, it also said Catholics throughout the world will have a year to celebrate a Mass in thanksgiving for his beatification.

While thanksgiving Masses for a beatification — like the observance of a feast day — usually are limited to places where the person lived or worked, “the exceptional character of the beatification of the Venerable John Paul II, recognized by the entire Catholic Church spread throughout the world,” led to a general permission for the thanksgiving Mass, said a decree from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.

The decree was published in the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, and included information about the thanksgiving Mass, Pope John Paul’s feast day, annual Masses in his honor and naming churches after him.

A local bishop or the superior general of a religious order is free to choose the day or dates as well as the place or places for the thanksgiving Mass, as long as the Masses are celebrated by May 1, 2012.

In the Diocese of Rome, where Pope John Paul served as bishop, and in his native Poland, his feast day is to be inserted automatically into the annual calendar, the decree said. Oct. 22 was chosen as the day to remember him because it is the anniversary of the liturgical inauguration of his papacy in 1978.

Outside Rome and Poland, bishops will have to file a formal request with the Vatican to receive permission to mark the feast day, the decree said. The localonly celebration of a blessed’s feast is one of the most noticeable differences between being beatified and being canonized, which makes universal public liturgical veneration possible.

Abuse audits find most dioceses in compliance Catholic News Service Most U.S. dioceses are in compliance with the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” but annual audits are uncovering problem areas and reports of boundary violations short of abuse, such as inappropriate hugging.

An audit report released April 11 and covering the period from July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010, showed that “management letters” had been issued to 55 of the 188 dioceses or eparchies participating in the annual compliance assessments by the Gavin Group.

Those letters “offered guidance for performance improvement or highlighted potential problem areas,” said William Gavin, president of the Gavin Group, in a letter to Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Diane Knight, who chairs the National Review Board.

The issues cited, “though not at a level to categorize the diocese/eparchy as noncompliant in a particular area, were identified as possibly doing so if not sufficiently addressed,” said an introduction to the audit summary, which was released in conjunction with a report by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate on abuse-related statistics and costs in 2010.

New sex abuse allegations down in 2010 Catholic News Service U.S. dioceses and religious orders received 505 new credible allegations of child sex abuse by clergy in 2010, a slight decrease from the previous year, according to a report released April 11 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The report was prepared for the USCCB Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University from survey responses submitted by all but one of the 195 U.S. dioceses and eparchies (Eastern Catholic dioceses) and 156 of the 218 religious orders that belong to the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. Seven of the new allegations involved children under the age of 18 in 2010, with two-thirds of the new allegations having occurred or begun between 1960 and 1984, the report said.

“The number of alleged offenders increased by one-fifth, from 286 alleged offenders reported in 2009 to 345 alleged offenders reported in 2010,” CARA said.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was found compliant with the charter and did not receive a “management letter,” according to Andy Eisenzimmer, archdiocesan chancellor for civil affairs.

Two dioceses and five Eastern-rite eparchies declined to participate in the audits. Those seven were the only church jurisdictions judged not in compliance with the charter.

During the 2010 audit period, 653 people who alleged that they had been abused in the past came forward for the first time and another 30 people who were currently minors made such allegations. Of the 30 cases involving current minors, “eight were considered credible by law enforcement, seven were determined to be false, 12 were determined to be boundary violations and three are still under investigation,” the report said.

The new allegations during the audit period involved 574 priests and eight deacons. Of these, 253 were deceased, 67 had already been laicized and 172 had already been removed from ministry. More than half — 275 — had been named in previous audits.

The report also found that more than 99 percent of clergy members and 98 percent of employees and volunteers had undergone safe environment training.

“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”

Abraham Lincoln, in his Gettysburg Address

This Catholic Life 8

The Catholic Spirit

Opinion, feedback and points to ponder

APRIL 14, 2011

Priests ministered to Civil War soldiers on both sides April 12 marked the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the U.S. Civil War, which started April 12, 1861, with shots fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

By James Breig Catholic News Service

In 1863, a joint committee of Congress held a hearing to assay how the Civil War was proceeding after two years of combat. A number of experts were summoned to testify, including General Benjamin F. Butler.

During his appearance, a lawmaker posed an unusual question: “What has been your experience in regard to chaplains?”

The military man replied: “The chaplains, as a rule, in the forces I commanded, were not worth their pay by any manner of means. . . . [But] I am bound to say that I have never seen a Roman Catholic chaplain that did not do his duty, because he was responsible to another power than that of the military. . . . They have always been faithful, so far as my experience goes. They are able men, appointed by the bishop, and are responsible to the bishop for the proper discharge of their duties.”

The Catholic chaplains he lauded served the armies of both the North and South during the War Between the States.

Many of the priests were born in Ireland or were of Irish descent, as were the soldiers to whom they ministered.

CNS photo / University of Notre Dame Archives / Library of Congress

Holy Cross Father William Corby, seated at right, poses with men from the Irish brigade in a photo from Harrison’s Landing, Va., dated 1862. In the picture are two other Holy Cross priests, Father Patrick Dillon, standing at left, and Father James Dillon, seated at center. The other men are unidentified. Father Patrick Dillon and Father Corby served as the second and third presidents of the University of Notre Dame in the years following the Civil War.

Doing what’s right A newspaper article in 1862 reckoned that there were only 22 priests out of 472 military chaplains. Nevertheless, their duties were fulfilled down to the most minute detail. An example was recorded in an 1864 issue of The New York Times, which shared letters exchanged between a chaplain and a general.

The former mailed $16 to the officer and informed him that it was “restitution for injury done to the U.S. government. . . . By no possible supposition can you ever know the name of the party making the restitution, nor can you ever know the circumstances of the case. The knowledge of the fact was obtained through the Catholic confessional, the secret of which is inviolable. The sum, though small, compensates the government, to the last fraction, for the injury done.”

The major general replied that the money was “just restitution, . . . the acknowledgment of the fault having been made in the confessional.”

Contrast that small detail by one chaplain with the large effort exerted by Father Peter McGrane, chaplain at the U.S. Army Hospital in Philadelphia. He joined 25 Sisters of Charity who were assigned by the military to care for injured and dying soldiers between 1862 and the end of the war three years later.

One of the nuns kept a diary of the

Lincoln sought priests as chaplains Catholic News Service On Oct. 21, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln penned a letter to Archbishop John Hughes of New York City. Lincoln began with an apology for his ignorance of the proper term of address for an archbishop. “Rt. Rev. Sir,” he wrote, “I am sure you will pardon me if, in my ignorance, I do not address [you] with technical correctness.”

LINCOLN He then proceeded to invite the prelate to name priests who could serve as hospital chaplains. By doing so, the president admitted, he was sidestepping the law.

“I find no law authorizing the

experience, noting that “on the 16th of August [1862] over fifteen hundred sick and wounded soldiers were brought to the hospital, most of them from the [second] battle of Bull Run. Many had died

appointment of Chaplains for our hospitals,” he wrote, “and yet the services of chaplains are more needed, perhaps, in the hospitals, than with the healthy soldiers in the field. With this view, I have given a sort of quasi appointment, (a copy of which I inclose) to each of three protestant ministers, who have accepted, and entered upon the duties.”

Lincoln continued, “If you perceive no objection, I will thank you to give me the name or names of one or more suitable persons of the Catholic Church, to whom I may with propriety, tender the same service.” He signed off “with the highest respect, Your Obt. Servt. A. LINCOLN.” ONLINE: Was Abraham Lincoln a Catholic at one time? Read what Archbishop John Ireland of St. Paul had to say about the rumor at THECATHOLIC SPIRIT.COM.

on the way [to the hospital] from exhaustion, others were in a dying state, so that the chaplain, Father McGrane, was sent to administer the sacraments.”

The priest continued to minister in the

hospital, baptizing converts, celebrating Mass, hearing confessions and anointing the dying. While he was stationary, most chaplains performed their ministry in mobile camps and on shifting battlefields for Union and Confederate forces.

Among the latter, one of the most famous was Father John Bannon.

A tribute to him, written at the end of the 19th century, said that Father Bannon “left a comfortable living and prosperous parish in this city [St. Louis] for the privations and discomforts of an army life. . . . His influence . . . was felt by all who associated with him, and his presence wherever he went repressed the rude manners of the camp.

“Not that he objected to gaiety and mirthful pleasure, for he had the most affable manners and genial nature, but he always frowned upon the soldiers’ unrestrained expressions and rude jests. . . . He became noted for his bravery in the field in attending the wounded and dying in very exposed places. He was both a pious and a practical man, and became a ministering angel wherever broken and bruised humanity needed help and consolation.”

Father Bannon became so renowned that Confederate President Jefferson Davis dispatched him to Ireland to appeal for support for the South. The priest remained there until his death in 1913.

For better, for worse On the other side of the front lines, Holy Cross Father William Corby, who would later become president of the University of Notre Dame, served Northern troops during the Battle of Gettysburg, Pa. He did so with such distinction that a statue of him now stands on that battleground.

The sculpture portrays him with his hand raised in blessing. A plaque informs visitors that the monument shows “Father Corby, a chaplain of the Irish brigade, giving general absolution and blessing before battle at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863.”

The priest really did don a stole, climb atop a rock and address hundreds of soldiers, offering them absolution if they were genuinely penitent and reminding them of the justice of their cause. The scene was witnessed by an officer who later wrote that “every man fell on his knees, his head bowed down. . . . The scene was more than impressive; it was awe-inspiring. . . . I do not think there was a man in the brigade who did not offer up a heartfelt prayer. For some, it was their last.”

In his memoirs, Father Corby, who vowed to stay “within gunshot” of his men, likened his fidelity to the Irish brigade to a marriage. Being a chaplain, he said, was “much like getting married . . . for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, till death do us part.”

This Catholic Life / Opinion

APRIL 14, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

9

Other options for backyard Jesus statue? esus became front-page news in the Twin Cities again. Well, at least his statue did.

You’ve likely read or heard about the 7-foot-tall statue of Jesus that Tuan Pham had erected in his backyard. The replica of the statue of Christ of Vung Tau in Pham’s native Vietnam became news when first the St. Paul City Council refused to allow a variance to zoning laws, then vandals tried to damage the statue by starting a fire around it.

Rules for the Mississippi River corridor state that a material change in the land use must be 40 feet back from the bluff; the statue, which was 10 feet from the bluff, was deemed to not comply. The St. Paul City Council refused to undo the ruling of the St. Paul Zoning Board of Appeals that the statue was too close to the edge of the bluff.

J Editorial Bob Zyskowski

Statue calls to mind strong faith of immigrant groups

So, here are some thoughts: First, don’t you have to admire the faith of Mr. Pham? What devotion he must have to our Savior to express that faith in what surely was an expensive endeavor.

The faith of this former refugee calls to mind efforts of earlier Catholic immigrant groups who have shared with us their devotion to, for example, Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico), Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Italy) and Our Lady of Czestochowa (Poland).

Second, it is too easy to paint the St. Paul City Council members the bad guys, and it would be unfair to judge their decision as anti-Catholic or anti-religious. Certainly a variance to the zoning law was possible.

Civil authorities make variances for all sorts of good reasons, and one can’t imagine the footprint of Mr.

Pham’s statue would damage the river corridor to any great extent.

But where do you stop once you allow a variance? One just wishes Mr. Pham had known about the setback rule.

Third, the vandalism the Phams experienced is yet another sign that prejudice lingers in our community.

And that leads to a final thought.

Mr. Pham may not want to move the statue, but wouldn’t it be interesting if more people could see it and be reminded of Jesus’ teachings — like love your neighbor?

If you were in charge of relocating the statue, where in the Twin Cities would you think would be a good site? E-mail us at CATHOLICSPIRIT @ARCHSPM.ORG, or send a note to us at 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit

A 7-foot-tall marble statue is the centerpiece of a prayer garden in the backyard of Tuan Phan’s home on the west side of St. Paul.

The last acceptable prejudice in America rides again nti-Catholicism has long been a feature of both the high and the low culture in America.

From the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, it was out in the open.

Many editorialists, cartoonists, politicians and other shapers of popular opinion in that era were crudely explicit in their opposition to the Catholic Church.

But then, in the latter half of the 20th century, anti-Catholicism went relatively underground. It still existed, to be sure, but it was considered bad form to be too obvious about it.

However, in the last 10 years or so, the Father old demon has reRobert Barron surfaced. There are many reasons for this, including the animosity to religion in general prompted by the events of Sept. 11 and, of course, the clerical sex-abuse scandal that has, legitimately enough, besmirched the reputation of the Catholic Church.

I’m not interested here so much in exploring the precipitating causes of this negative attitude as I am in showing the crudity and unintelligence of its latest manifestations. Permit me to share two examples.

I’m currently reading James Miller’s “Examined Lives,” a biographical study of 12 great philosophers, from Socrates to Nietzsche. I found Miller’s treatment of St. Augustine to be extraordinary, not because it shed any particularly new light on the saint’s work, but because it was so unapologetically anti-Catholic.

Miller comments approvingly on the young Augustine, the intellectual seeker who moved from Manichaeism to neoPlatonism in the open-minded quest for the always elusive truth. But on Miller’s reading, the seeker’s fall from grace was his embrace of the “closed system” of Christianity, which led Augustine to become a coldly oppressive sectarian.

Here is how Miller brings his analysis of Augustine to a close: “He lay the conceptual grounds for creating perhaps the most powerful community of closed belief in world history — the Catholic Church that ruled over medieval Western Europe as an all-encompassing, if not

A

Guest Column

quite totalitarian theocracy, unrivaled before or since by any other religious or secular one party state, be it Muslim or Communist.”

The not so subtle implication (despite that little “not quite” in front of “totalitarian”) is that the Catholic Church has proven more oppressive than the Taliban and the states fronted by Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot! But Miller’s excursions into antiCatholicism seem as nothing compared to the exertions of Mark Warren, the executive editor of Esquire magazine. In a piece on his blog last week, Warren drew attention to a recent exposé of the church of Scientology, which appeared in the pages of the New Yorker magazine.

He praised the author for revealing the ridiculous beliefs of Scientology, which are based upon the wild science-fictionesque musings of L. Ron Hubbard.

But then Warren commented that these claims are no wilder, no more irrational, than those of any other of the “great” religions, including, and especially, Christianity.

Childish ‘theology’ What follows is one of the most ludicrous “summaries” of Christian belief I’ve ever read. Here are some highlights: “I grew up believing that every breath I drew sent a god-made-man named Jesus Christ writhing on the cross to which he had been nailed — an execution for which he had been sent to earth by his heavenly father.” And “yet I was born not innocent but complicit in this lynching, incomprehensibly having to apologize and atone for this barbarism for all my days and feel terrible about myself and all mankind.” And “his [Jesus’] spirit had risen on a cloud into heaven to rejoin the same god in the sky who had sent him on this errand in the first place.”

One notices here something that is also on display in the anti-Christian polemics of Bill Maher and Christopher Hitchens, namely, a presentation of Christianity that is informed by a painfully childish “theology,” something out of a halfunderstood grade-school catechism.

For example, Maher, Hitchens, Warren and many other critics speak of the Christian belief in a “sky god,” betraying absolutely no sensitivity to the dynamics

“When this hoary old

prejudice shows itself, Catholics have to stand up to it, lest it be allowed to evolve into something even more dangerous.

”

FATHER ROBERT BARRON

of symbolic language in a religious context. The “heavenly” Father of whom biblically minded people speak is not a being who dwells in the clouds, but rather a reality that radically transcends the categories of ordinary experience.

And I can only smile at the sheer weirdness of Warren’s characterization of the purpose and meaning of Christ’s death on the cross. The correct doctrine is that God, in Christ, entered, out of love, into the depth of human misery, sin and failure in order to bring the divine light even to those darkest places. It is in this sense that he took away the sins of the world and brought us life from the Father. In John’s Gospel, Jesus said, simply, “I have come that you might have life and have it to the full”; and St. Irenaeus, the great second century theological master, said, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.”

Convinced that Christian teaching is as much “mumbo-jumbo” as L. Ron Hubbard’s silliness, Warren urges his fellow journalists to let small-fry Scientology off the hook and go after some bigger fish, especially the cult into which he was initiated as a child, the Catholic Church. He wants them (and here the anti-Catholicism is blatant) to target the pope in his “palace in the Vatican” who protects “criminals and child-molesters . . . with the ruthless demeanor of the CEO of a massive corporation lawyering up against the barrage of lawsuits to come.”

Well. The sex-abuse crisis is real and devastating, but in point of fact, no one

in the church has done more to address it over the past 20 years than Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. No one has taken more concrete steps to deal with abusive priests and dysfunctional institutional patterns than the present pope.

In 2001, John Paul II entrusted Cardinal Ratzinger’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with the responsibility of handling all of the clergy sexabuse cases from around the world.

Those who know Ratzinger well say that he was shocked and disgusted by what he read in these dossiers. In a number of his writings and sermons from the last 10 years, he has spoken of the “filth” that was allowed to invade the church.

When Justice Ann Burke, head of the American bishops’ review board, came to the Vatican to discuss the crisis, she was hugely impressed by Cardinal Ratzinger, who, she said, understood the problem, listened to the members of the board with attention, and took concrete action to address the problem. More to it, under his supervision, the American bishops hammered out extremely stringent regulations in regard to clerical contact with children and the reporting of cases — as well as a “one strike and you’re out” policy concerning priests credibly accused of abuse.

Changes made And the results of these changes, at least in this country, have been extraordinary.

Last year, in a church of 70 million Catholics and 45,000 priests, precisely six church affiliated personnel were credibly accused of sexual abuse. Therefore, to identify Joseph Ratzinger as one of the “creeps” (Warren’s word) that journalists should investigate is not only mean-spirited but counter-productive in the extreme.

Again, what is most remarkable in all of this is not the unintelligence of the explicit claims being made but rather the blatancy of the contempt for the church.

When this hoary old prejudice shows itself, Catholics have to stand up to it, lest it be allowed to evolve into something even more dangerous.

Father Robert Barron is the founder of the global ministry Word on Fire and the Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Ill.

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Commentary

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

/ This Catholic Life

Right to make moral decisions is a mark of free society r. Oscar Biscet ran afoul of Cuba’s communist regime in 1998 when he spoke out against the barbaric abortion practices at his hospital in Havana, which included even the killing of born-alive infants.

In retaliation, he was suspended from practicing medicine, he and his wife (a nurse) were both fired, and they were evicted from their family home. Biscet was subsequently and repeatedly harassed by the police and by mobs of Castro lackeys, arrested 27 times (some of them for protesting the regime that had ruined him personally), and given two substantial prison terms.

Last month, Biscet was finally released after serving nearly a decade of a 25-year sentence for counterrevolutionary activities. A devout Christian living in a country where an estimated six in 10 pregnancies end in abortion, he felt an obligation of conscience to do something.

He paid a huge price for having a conscience, because Cuba is not free in the important sense identified by another man who lived under Communism, Pope John Paul II: “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”

D Commentary John Garvey

Battle regarding religious status could lead to tough decisions for medical professionals

Doing the right thing One mark of a free society is that its government does not criminalize virtue or compel formal cooperation in evil. Our medical professionals in the United States are mercifully protected from most compulsion where abortion is concerned. Hospitals and clinics that receive federal money — and that is nearly all of them — cannot compel medical professionals to perform or participate in abortions, nor even to refer for them.

Unfortunately, the Obama administration recently overturned an attempt to strengthen these legal protections through a Department of Health and Human Services regulation, despite public comments

that ran two-to-one in favor of the regulation.

The clearest consequence is in the area of “informed consent,” the medical advice doctors can or must give patients. In 2008, the Bush administration had issued a rule that would have protected doctors and hospitals that counsel pregnant women from being sued for not presenting abortion as a medical alternative.

The Bush administration had seen a need to clarify these protections after the ethics committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued an opinion in late 2007, indicating its dim view of conscientious refusals — they “create or reinforce racial or socio-economic inequalities in society.”

The committee essentially demanded that, in any context where it might matter, doctors set their morals aside. With this opinion as the professional standard, and absent explicit regulatory conscience protections, professional bodies could destroy the livelihood of conscientious physicians by withholding or even revoking their board certification.

The opinion could also help build a legal malpractice case against any doctor who won’t suggest abortion as an alternative.

“In 2008, the Bush administration had issued a rule that would have protected doctors and hospitals that counsel pregnant women from being sued for not presenting abortion as a medical alternative.

”

JOHN GARVEY

Rules needed It would be nice if conscience protection rules were inspired by mere paranoia, but this is not so. Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union wrote two letters to the administrator of Medicaid, demanding that “religiously affiliated hospitals” be required to perform direct abortions in certain emergency situations — something the Catholic Church teaches is never justifiable.

The ACLU asserted that Catholic hospitals in particular “cannot invoke their religious status to jeopardize the health and lives of preg-

nant women seeking medical care.”

Of course, the church has no quarrel with any life-saving treatment for a pregnant woman, even if it regrettably causes the death of an unborn child as a foreseen but unintended consequence. But this is not good enough for the ACLU, whose logic strongly resembles that which justified the Cuban government’s persecution of Biscet.

Ironically, the pagan father of medicine would have objected to the ACLU’s active persecution of

those seeking to live according to their consciences, and even to the “ethics” standards of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The famous Hippocratic oath contains an explicit prohibition of abortion.

Some truths can be perceived without divine aid.

John Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., writes for Catholic News Service.

Archbishop Dolan blogs about stranger’s anger over abuse The following is a recent post by New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan on his blog, “The Gospel in the Digital Age.” It is reprinted with permission.

Commentary Archbishop Timothy Dolan

I had to confront again the horror this whole mess has been to victims, their families and priests

It was only the third time it had happened to me in my nearly 35 happy years as a priest, all three times over the last nine-and-a-half years.

Other priests tell me it has happened to them a lot more.

Three is enough. Each time has left me so shaken I was near nausea.

It happened last Friday. . .

Jarring response I had just arrived at the Denver Airport, there to speak at their popular annual “Living Our Catholic Faith” conference.

As I was waiting with the others for the electronic train to take me to the terminal, a man, maybe in his mid-40s, waiting as well, came closer to me.

“Are you a Catholic priest?” he

“I staggered with shame and anger from the damage of the wound he had inflicted with those stinging words.

”

ARCHBISHOP TIMOTHY DOLAN

kindly asked.

“Sure am. Nice to meet you,” says I, as I offered my hand.

He ignored it. “I was raised a Catholic,” he replied, almost always a hint of a cut to come, but I was not prepared for the razor sharpness of the stiletto, as he went on, “and now, as a father of two boys, I can’t look at you or any other priest without thinking of a sexual abuser.”

What to respond? Yell at him?

Cuss him out? Apologize? Deck him? Express understanding? I must admit all such reactions came to mind as I staggered with shame and

anger from the damage of the wound he had inflicted with those stinging words.

“Well,” I recovered enough to remark, “I’m sure sorry you feel that way. But, let me ask you, do you automatically presume a sexual abuser when you see a rabbi or Protestant minister?”

“Not at all,” he came back through gritted teeth as we both boarded the train.

“How about when you see a coach, or a Boy Scout leader, or a foster parent, or a counselor or physician?” I continued.

“Of course not!” he came back.

“What’s all that got to do with it?”

“A lot,” I stayed with him, “because each of those professions have as high a percentage of sexual abuse, if not even higher, than that of priests.”

“Well, that may be,” he retorted.

“But the church is the only group that knew it was going on, did nothing about it and kept transferring the perverts around.”

“You obviously never heard the stats on public school teachers,” I observed. “In my home town of New York City alone, experts say the rate of sexual abuse among public school teachers is 10 times higher than that of priests, and these abusers just get transferred around.”

(Had I known at that time the news in [a recent] New York Times about the high rate of abuse of the most helpless in state-supervised homes, PLEASE TURN TO DEBATE ON PAGE 11

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

MCC director brings varied experiences to job CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 freedom. There are threats to the sanctity of life, threats to civil society like the assaults on marriage. These issues are going to affect everybody, in addition to the things we’ve always been working for: advocacy for the poor, the rights of immigrants, and adequate and basic health care.”

Setting priorities During his first two weeks on the job, Adkins, a member of St. Agnes in St. Paul, said he has been busy meeting legislators, building relationships with them and beginning to lay the groundwork for bills on a variety of issues.

“Our main priority this year is getting a constitutional amendment to protect marriage between one man and one woman,” he said. “Marriage is the basic building block of civil society, and the social science data is overwhelming that kids need a mother and a father.

“Second, there are a number of cultureof-life-related bills,” he added, noting the MCC’s support of proposals that would end taxpayer-funding of abortion, ban human cloning and the public funding of state-sponsored research related to human cloning, and prohibit abortions after 20 weeks based on evidence that children in the womb can feel pain at that age.

The MCC is also supporting several choice-in-education bills. One would create a tuition tax credit for parents of children in non-public schools. Another is a school scholarship bill that would give financial assistance to families of lowincome children in underperforming public schools so they can more easily attend private schools.

The MCC also supports a proposal that

“I think there are really great opportunities to be an ambassador for the church.

”

JASON ADKINS Executive director, Minnesota Catholic Conference

allows businesses and individuals to donate money to non-profit organizations and receive a tax credit. Those organizations, in turn, would provide scholarships to students to attend private schools.

And, given Minnesota’s budget deficit, the MCC is also paying close attention to how budget-fixing proposals would affect the state’s poorest and most vulnerable residents.

“We are really trying to encourage legislators to ensure the budget is not being balanced on the backs of the poor,” Adkins said. “I like to tell people you have to treat a government budget like a family budget. You have to have priorities. You can’t have a flat-screen TV if your kids aren’t fed and clothed.

“The same thing applies to our state budget as well,” he said. “You can’t have some of the amenities if low-income folks don’t have basic needs being met.”

Diverse background Adkins said his academic background and work experience have helped prepare him for his new role at the MCC. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and theology from the University of St.

Thomas in St. Paul, where he also earned a master’s degree in Catholic Studies. He has a law degree from the University of Minnesota.

Adkins, who is married with four children, also spent time in Rome working as a journalist with his wife Annamarie for the Zenit news agency, where they covered social, political and economic topics.

He most recently served as a staff attorney for the Institute for Justice Minnesota Chapter, a public interest law practice.

His new job, he said, “is really the culmination in many ways of a lot of professional, spiritual and personal experiences that have shaped me along the way.”

As the public policy voice of the state’s bishops, the MCC is very focused on legislative initiatives. But Adkins is also aware that, in his role, he also serves as an ambassador for the church.

“A lobbyist is fundamentally an educator, and you have to meet people where they’re at,” he said. “A unique aspect of this particular lobbying job is that it’s not only a nuts-and-bolts policy position.

You’re also talking about spiritual things.”

That includes having conversations with legislators about their faith and how it relates to the positions of their political parties and their own policy positions.

Adkins says he welcomes the chance to have those conversations.

“I think there are really great opportunities to be an ambassador for the church,” he said. “That’s a great responsibility, and it’s very humbling. The Catholic Conference staff is going to need everyone’s prayers for both wisdom and charity and for speaking the right word when it needs to be spoken.”

Bills would end taxpayer-funding of abortions CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 human life begins at the moment of conception. Yet, despite this evidence, state and federal laws allow women access to abortion at every stage of pregnancy, even after the point at which a child can survive outside the womb. Ironically, a hospital may be aborting children on one floor, while employing cutting-edge technology to save babies of the same age on another.

Most egregiously, the Minnesota Supreme Court’s 1995 Doe v. Gomez decision made Minnesota one of the most radically pro-abortion states in the nation. It ruled that the right to privacy guaranteed by the Minnesota Constitution included the right of women to obtain a publicly funded abortion if they could not afford to terminate their pregnancy.

Gomez was a tremendously misguided decision on many levels. First, it has caused the death of more than 50,000 children in Minnesota, as well as sent more than $15 million in taxpayer money to the abortion industry.

Additionally, Gomez gives people further incentive to have sex before they are ready to raise a child because they will not have to incur even the cost of obtaining an abortion if they get pregnant.

Finally, Gomez’s declaration that abortion is a “fundamental right” in Minnesota is actually an assault on social jus-

“[Doe v. Gomez] was a tremendously misguided decision on many levels. First, it has caused the death of more than 50,000 children in Minnesota, as well as sent more than $15 million in taxpayer money to the abortion industry.

”

JASON ADKINS

tice by denying the weakest and most defenseless in our society — children in the womb — the one thing they need most: the right to life.

Coerced into paying The vigorous defense of Gomez by abortion proponents undermines the claim that abortion is a personal choice.

Gomez coerces the people of Minnesota into paying for what science tells us is the destruction of innocent human life. That is not pro-choice; it is no choice.

The companion bills being heard in the Legislature end the state’s coercion of citizens to pay for the destruction of innocent life.

But can the Legislature really overturn a decision of the Minnesota Supreme Court? Yes — there is no question that the Legislature can end the taxpayer funding of abortion.

If the new law faces a legal challenge, there is a provision in the law requiring the case to be heard immediately by the Minnesota Supreme Court. The court will then have the opportunity to revisit Gomez and ultimately decide that the decision was both a mistake and a miscarriage of justice.

In the meantime, Catholics should tell their lawmakers to pass HF 201 and SF 103 because they no longer want to subsidize the culture of death.

Jason Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota. To receive updates from the MCC about its work at the Legislature and to take action on taxpayer-funded abortions and other issues, visit WWW.MNCC.ORG and join the Minnesota Catholic Advocacy Network (MNCAN).

Debate raises questions on clergy scrutiny CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 with reported abusers simply transferred to another home, I would have mentioned that, too.)

To that he said nothing, so I went in for a further charge.

“Pardon me for being so blunt, but you sure were with me, so, let me ask: When you look at yourself in a mirror, do you see a sex abuser?”

Now he was as taken aback as I had been two minutes before. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Sadly,” I answered, “studies tell us that most children sexually abused are victims of their own fathers or other family members.”

Enough of the debate, I concluded, as I saw him dazed. So I tried to calm it down.

“So, I tell you what: When I look at you, I won’t see a sex abuser, and I would appreciate the same consideration from you.”

Why the focus on priests?

The train had arrived at baggage claim, and we both exited together.

“Well then, why do we only hear this garbage about you priests,” he inquired, as he got a bit more pensive.

“We priests wonder the same thing.

I’ve got a few reasons if you’re interested.”

He nodded his head as we slowly walked to the carousel.

“For one,” I continued, “we priests deserve the more intense scrutiny, because people trust us more as we dare claim to represent God, so, when one of us does it — even if only a tiny minority of us ever have — it is more disgusting.

“Two, I’m afraid there are many out there who have no love for the church and are itching to ruin us. This is the issue they love to endlessly scourge us with.

“And, three, I hate to say it,” as I wrapped it up, “there’s a lot of money to be made in suing the Catholic Church, while it’s hardly worth suing any of the other groups I mentioned before.”

We both by then had our luggage, and headed for the door. He then put his hand out, the hand he had not extended five minutes earlier when I had put mine out to him. We shook.

“Thanks. Glad I met you.”

He halted a minute. “You know, I think of the great priests I knew when I was a kid. And now, because I work in IT at Regis University, I know some devoted Jesuits. Shouldn’t judge all you guys because of the horrible sins of a few.”

“Thanks!” I smiled.

I guess things were patched-up, because, as he walked away, he added, “At least I owe you a joke: What happens when you can’t pay your exorcist?”

“Got me,” I answered.

“You get ‘re-possessed’!”

We both laughed and separated.

Notwithstanding the happy ending, I was still trembling and almost felt like I needed an exorcism to expel my shattered soul, as I had to confront again the horror this whole mess has been to victims and their families, our Catholic people like the man I had just met — and to us priests.

“Looking at that owl, thinking about its ability to see in the dark, I found what I hope is the right key for the meditations I am proposing.”

Augustine Mother Maria Rita Piccione speaking about writing the Way of the Cross meditations for Pope Benedict XVI

The Lesson Plan 12

The Catholic Spirit

Reflections on faith and spirituality

APRIL 14, 2011

Easter narrative strips veil between death and new life t seemed like the bad news would never end. Fairly recently, our parish community was staggered by several announcements in a single week of one untimely death after another — a motorcycle accident, a heart attack during the night and a suicide.

That same week a teenage relative of mine died of cancer.

Having departed Sharon Perkins this life in their prime, these persons left us, their survivors, acutely aware of how unexpectedly death can come, and how fragile is the veil that separates our busy, unreflective lives from the reality of an eternal existence that we can scarcely understand or imagine but which looms near — perhaps nearer than we think.

For a Christian, this realization is both very comforting and very scary.

Most of us live our lives in a selfimposed bubble that shields us from thinking about our own deaths (at least until we are forced to deal with the death of a loved one).

The Scriptures for this Easter feast get to the heart of the matter, “popping the bubble” and stripping away the veil.

Just as the apostle Peter acquaints the household of Cornelius with the facts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, the

I

Readings Sunday April 24 Easter Sunday ■ Acts 10:34a, 37-43

Sunday Scriptures

■ Colossians 3:1-4

■ John 20:1-9

For reflection When has the death of a friend or relative led you to consider your own death? How can you allow the risen Lord to transform your own fears from paralysis into joyful action?

church reacquaints us with that same narrative, reminding us that Jesus’ story

is now our story.

In fact, as St. Paul reminds us, we have

goodness of God in the face of human betrayal?

Mary Magdalene’s reaction to the empty tomb is both understandable and familiar to us. Often, it is only years later that we are able to recognize the new life that God brought forth out of something that appeared hopeless. When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, it was difficult to imagine any good coming out of her suffering, but in the closing days of her life, when she could do nothing but receive, she was able to experience God’s love as freely given, not earned.

already died to our old selves.

Our lives are hidden indeed, but not by a veil of our own making. They are surrounded by and absorbed into the very life of God.

Fear turns into joy In the Gospel, the guards at the tomb were so shaken with the fear of their resurrection encounter that they “became like dead men.”

The women at the tomb, also “fearful,” took to heart the words of the angel and also of Jesus, who proclaimed to them, “Do not be afraid!”

Fear paralyzed the guards — but that same fear, transformed into joy, propelled the women into action, as they rushed to share the good news with their brother disciples.

Death is inevitable, and fear is a natural human response to what we don’t know or understand.

But, as St. Paul reminds us, we have been “raised with Christ” — and in focusing on “what is above,” we truly have nothing to fear.

Sharon K. Perkins, religious education director at Emmaus Catholic Parish in Lakeway, Texas, writes a column for Catholic News Service.

Daily Scriptures Sunday, April 17 Palm Sunday Matthew 21:1-11 Isaiah 50:4-7 Philippians 2:6-11 Matthew 26:14 — 27:66 “He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”

— Philippians 2:8 If we are paying attention, we know that our life of faith is constantly asking us to let go of something or someone. It might be resentment, a destructive relationship, a self-defeating belief or a material possession. We are never asked to let go of something just for the sake of letting go; rather, it is always to gain something greater. Hope and trust are what give us the courage to make the sometimes terrifying leap of faith.

Monday, April 18 Monday of Holy Week Isaiah 42:1-7 John 12:1-11 Has the fear of criticism ever prevented you from being extravagant with your generosity and compassion?

Tuesday, April 19 Tuesday of Holy Week Isaiah 49:1-6 John 13:21-33, 36-38 We risk rejection and betrayal when we remain faithful to the values of compassion, mercy and justice.

Wednesday, April 20 Wednesday of Holy Week Isaiah 50:4-9a Matthew 26:14-25 What helps you maintain faith in the

Thursday, April 21 Holy Thursday Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-15 Notice if feelings of unworthiness have kept you from accepting unconditional love.

Friday, April 22 Good Friday Day of fast and abstinence Isaiah 52:13 — 53:12 Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 John 18:1 — 19:42 Reach out to someone who is suffering.

Saturday, April 23 Easter Vigil Genesis 1:1 — 2:2; 22:1-18 Exodus 14:15 — 15:1 Isaiah 54:5-14; 55:1-11 Baruch 3:9-15; 32 — 4:4 Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28 Romans 6:3-11 Matthew 28:1-10 In the midst of disappointment and grief, we forget that the loving power of God can transform all things.

Sunday, April 24 Easter Sunday Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-9 “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”

— John 20:2

Monday, April 25 Easter Monday Acts 2:14, 22-33 Matthew 28:8-15 Faith allows us to live with mystery.

Tuesday, April 26 Easter Tuesday Acts 2:36-41 John 20:11-18 When we live in the past, we miss the presence of God in this moment.

Wednesday, April 27 Easter Wednesday Acts 3:1-10 Luke 24:13-35 Our expectations are often the greatest obstacle to recognizing the Spirit at work in the present moment.

Thursday, April 28 Easter Thursday Acts 3:11-26 Luke 24:35-48 Notice the pattern of suffering, surrender and resurrection in your life.

Friday, April 29 Easter Friday Acts 4:1-12 John 21:1-14 When we are sensitive to the timing of the Spirit, our actions will be fruitful.

Saturday, April 30 Easter Saturday Acts 4:13-21 Mark 16:9-15 Has mistrust and cynicism drained you of hope?

Sunday, May 1 Divine Mercy Sunday Acts 2:42-47 1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31 “Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’”

— John 20:26 After years of being addicted to prescription drugs, my friend hit rock bottom. He lost his family, his job and finally his home. In desperation, he reached out for help with his problem and entered a treatment plan. During that time, after years of resisting, he opened his heart and called out to God. He told me that something beyond his understanding happened in that moment and that for the first time in decades he experienced a deep peace.

The daily reflections are written by Terri Mifek, a member of St. Edward in Bloomington and a certified spiritual director at the Franciscan Retreat House in Prior Lake.

The Lesson Plan / Holy Week-Easter

APRIL 14, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

T

riumph begins

By Father Michael Van Sloun For The Catholic Spirit

Palm-Passion Sunday This is a dual feast — Palm Sunday because palm branches are blessed and carried in procession to commemorate the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem, and Passion Sunday because the Passion narrative is proclaimed.

It is the only Sunday when two separate Gospels are read, and the Passion is the longest Sunday Gospel of the year.

The Mass has two jarringly different moods: jubilation at the outset, then lamentation. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was exuberant as the people joyfully cheered “Hosanna” to greet him. But moments later all is somber, first with the Suffering Servant who gave his back to those who beat him (Isaiah 50:6), then with Jesus who obediently accepted death on a cross (Philippians 2:8), and then with the Passion and his agony, scourging and crucifixion (Matthew 26:14-27:66).

To do: Take some palms home and use them to venerate a crucifix or decorate a statue, picture or sacred object. Go off by yourself to re-read some or all of the Passion and meditate on it. If there are others at home, discuss what it would have been like to have been part of the Palm Sunday procession or to have been standing along the Way of the Cross as Jesus passed by or at Calvary when Jesus was crucified.

The Easter Triduum The Triduum is the most solemn moment of the church year. It lasts three days, beginning on Holy Thursday evening with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, continuing with the celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, reaching its culmination with the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday, and ending with evening prayer late Easter Sunday afternoon.

To do: These days are the “high holy days” of our Christian faith, and as Jews would stream to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover in the Temple, ideally, Catholics would stream to their local churches to celebrate these sacred mysteries with their parish communities.

Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil are not holy days of obligation, but if there ever was a time that we should

Student grabs opportunity to join church

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

From praise to Passion to the glorious Resurrection Holy Week stands at the head of our calendar, the holiest week of the entire liturgical year. It begins on Palm Sunday and continues until Easter Sunday, and it celebrates the Paschal Mystery — the Passion and death of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and his victorious resurrection, his triumph over sin and death and his glorification by the Father.

13

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Father Thomas McCabe of Jesucristo Resucitado parish in San Felix, Venezuela, blesses palms following the Palm Sunday Mass at the parish in April 2009.

“The Triduum is the

most solemn moment of the church year..

”

FATHER MICHAEL VAN SLOUN

want to go to church, it would be for these three holy days. Triduum is the moment to place other things on hold while our faith gets top priority.

The Triduum fast With the arrival of Holy Thursday, the 40 days of Lent and its discipline are over.

Whatever a person’s special program was for Lent, whether it was to give something up, add extra prayers, do good deeds or share alms, the program is done. But one must not relax too quickly.

As soon as the 40-day Lenten fast ends, a new three-day fast begins — the Triduum fast, a period of even more intense selfdenial in immediate preparation for the greatest feast of all, Easter.

It is customary to extend the Lenten discipline three additional days. Many decide to make one or more key additions, such as a holy hour, a visit to church, an extended period of silence, no TV and three days of fasting from physical food.

It also involves a spiritual fast, Good Friday from the Mass, but with the reception of the Eucharist, and Holy Saturday, the deepest fast of all, when not only is there no Mass, it is the only day that the church forgoes reception of the Eucharist.

Holy Thursday The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The Mass recounts the establishment of the Jewish feast of Passover, and it commemorates the institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the priesthood and the footwashing.

John’s placement of the footwashing where the other evangelists place the Last Supper conveys his belief that the real presence of Christ is found not only in the Eucharist but also in service. Jesus gave us

his mandatum, or mandate: “You ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you an example. As I have done, so you should also do” (John 13:14-15). Jesus is made present when disciples put aside their prideful aspirations, humble themselves and serve one another, even to the point of doing a menial task joyfully.

To do: If your parish offers a holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament after Holy Thursday Mass, consider taking advantage of the opportunity. Offer a prayer that your priest might be devoted to the Eucharist and be a humble servant. Be on the lookout for someone who might need assistance, and gladly help without drawing attention to yourself.

Good Friday The celebration of the Lord’s Passion is a somber liturgy with three major parts: the proclamation of the Passion, the veneration of the Cross and the reception of Holy Communion. In addition, there is an extended set of general intercessions with 10 petitions for some of the most important concerns for the church and the world.

To do: It is worthwhile to set aside some silent time, particularly between the hours of noon and 3 p.m. Be sure that at least one crucifix is prominently displayed in the home because veneration of the cross is not just for Good Friday, but for every day.

It is an ideal day to offer Jesus a prayer of thanks for all he suffered on our behalf and to renew our pledge to avoid the sins that we have committed that put him on the cross.

The Easter Vigil Weeks of fasting and self-denial are directed toward the highest point of the church year, the Easter Vigil, the feast of the Resurrection. It ranks first because our entire faith hinges on it. As Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:17).

But the pillar of our faith is that “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20), and in this firm conviction the church rejoices with all of the PLEASE TURN TO TRIUMPH ON PAGE 18

Dylan Heiman was never offered the chance to be baptized. Now 18, he is seeking it on his own through the RCIA program at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings.

Heiman, a senior at Hastings High School, began his journey to the Catholic Church at a National Evangelization Teams retreat at the parish in November of 2009. He then started coming to more events sponsored by the parish NET team, and eventually decided to enroll in RCIA in the fall of 2010.

“This was the first faith involvement I’ve ever had in my life,” he said, of HEIMAN the retreat.

“My friends were going Read more and I went reflections with them. I found God.” about people And NET entering the team church at members like parish team THECATHOLIC co-leader Dan SPIRIT.COM Driver found a young man eager to grow in his faith and, possibly, help others do the same.

“He surprises me — his faith is so genuine,” said Driver, who has met with Heiman one-onone many times to help him understand the Catholic faith.

“He really grasps the intellectual foundation, as well as what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

“The things he’ll say are kind of like the child Christ in the temple — impressing the older, wiser people with his wisdom.”

As Heiman goes through the final steps of his journey, in which he will be baptized, plus receive the sacraments of confirmation and first Eucharist, his journey through the Triduum liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil will be documented by The Catholic Spirit and published in the April 28 issue. He joins more than 600 people in the archdiocese who will be fully initiated into the church at the Easter Vigil.

Heiman is looking ahead to what his life as a Catholic will look like. It could include serving on NET Ministries.

“Right now, I’m applying for a NET team next year,” he said.

“Hopefully, I’ll do that next year and pursue faith further.”

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

Holy Week-Easter /

This Catholic Life

Charities reap $1,280 from Pay it Forward for Lent The Catholic Spirit The three youth groups that took on Pay it Forward for Lent projects have turned $300 from The Catholic Spirit into $1,280 for charity.

Liz Townley’s fifth-grade religious education class at All Saints parish in Lakeville raised $520 through a hot dog supper and bake sale. A check will be sent from the parish to the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ disaster relief fund to help children affected by the 2010 oil spill, Townley said.

“I’m really proud of my kids,” she said. Some of them helped bake items at home and many other fifthgraders in the religious education program worked during the dinner and sale April 6.

Hoangsa Pham reported that the Knights of the Eucharist Level I high school group at St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien parish in Minneapolis has raised $360 for Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam.

Hung Dinh, a member of the group, said the youth have taken $100 of the profits from its sales of inspirational wrist bands to buy more bands to raise even more money for the charity.

Teresa Tran and Kathy Trinh, members of the Knights of the Eucharist Level II college-age group at St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien, said the members have raised $466 from pro-life

Fifth-grader Nadia Mouhib, left, gets help from a family member arranging baked goods during a hot dog supper and bake sale between religious education classes at All Saints in Lakeville April 6. The fifth-grade religious education class sponsored the event to raise money for the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ disaster relief fund.

Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit

T-shirt sales to help the Robbinsdale Women’s Clinic, which encourages pregnant women to choose life.

“The plan is to keep on selling them to see if we can make more,” said Trinh, 18. “We talked about do-

ing [a fundraiser] before, but have never been able to initiate anything.

After finding out about the Catholic Spirit [project], we thought this was a great opportunity to get involved and get the [pro-life] issue out.”

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Kathy Trinh, left, shows a pro-life T-shirt to Anthony Nguyen at a booth the youth set up at St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis March 19 to sell the shirts to support their Pay It Forward project.

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HE

CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

Holy Week-Easter

/ The Lesson Plan

Operation

Rice Bowl

By Carol Jessen-Klixbull The Catholic Spirit

The following is the fourth in a four-part series.

For more than 35 years, Operation Rice Bowl has called Catholics to pray with their families and faith communities, fast in solidarity with those who hunger, learn about the global community and the challenges of poverty around the world, and give sacrificial contributions to those in need.

This Catholic Relief Services program offers participants a concrete way to connect with their brothers and sisters around the world. The organization’s website, HTTP://CRS.ORG, provides more information about the program.

In Honduras, access to the most basic of human needs is a monumental struggle. According to the ORB website, HTTP://ORB.CRS.ORG, the national health care system is unable to meet the needs of most Hondurans. In addition to the threats of disease, malnutrition, and infant and maternal mortality, many poor households lack access to potable water, compounding the issues of sanitation and the spread of disease. Inadequate education intensifies this chronic situation.

The Cathollic Spirit shared CRS’ work each issue during Lent. Visit WWW.THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT.com to read previous features.

Honduras Sopa de Capirotadas (Cornmeal Cake Soup) 2 cups masa harina corn flour 11⁄2 cups queso blanco or mozzarella cheese, shredded 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup warm water 1 ⁄4 cup oil ⁄2 cup tomato, chopped ⁄2 cup white onion, chopped 1 ⁄4 cup green bell pepper, chopped 1 1

⁄4 cup oil

1

5 cups water 1 vegetable bouillon cube 1 ⁄2 tsp. cumin 11⁄2 tbsp. masa harina corn flour 1 ⁄4 cup chopped cilantro White rice, cooked Lime wedges Cornmeal cakes: Mix masa harina and cheese. Add eggs and 1 cup water. Mix until dough is moist and holds together. Add more water, if needed. Form dough into

Holy Week/Easter Mass Times Holy Thursday: 7 p.m.

Good Friday: Celebration of The Lord’s Passion 7 p.m.

Holy Saturday: Easter Vigil 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday: 8:30, 10:30 a.m.

The Church of Saint Paul 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd. NE, Ham Lake, MN

Invite a Honey Bunny home for Easter!

Our edible bunnies are warm, soft and sweet — made from our best selling Honey Whole Wheat Bread. They snuggle into Easter baskets and are adorable as centerpieces.

We also have Hot Cross Buns, Virginia Rolls, and Italian Easter Bread.

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small patties (about 3 inches in diameter). Heat oil. Fry patties until golden brown on each side (about 1 minute per side). Drain on paper towel.

Soup: Fry tomato, onion and pepper in oil until tender. Add water, bouillon cube and cumin. Slowly stir in masa harina to thicken soup. Bring to boil, then lower to medium heat. Add cilantro. Add cornmeal cakes carefully, so they do not break. Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over white rice, with lime wedges.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

CRS worker in Honduras responds to health care, education needs New Yorker Juan Sheenan has served as Catholic Relief Services’ country representative in Honduras for a year and a half. He worked as an investment manager in New York before joining the Peace Corps and serving in Namibia. In Honduras, he oversees relationships with government and Catholic Church organizations and implements a wide number of development projects.

Q. What has struck you the most about your experience in Honduras?

A. I am always struck by the resilience of the people in the community and their ability to cope with their situation.

Q. How do you see CRS making a difference?

A. CRS builds the local community and local health care workers by educating them on health care practices related to mother and child health. This has provided a sense of ownership that encourages a local community to maintain a healthy environment for their children, improve nutrition and hygiene practices, and educate the women on the importance of child care.

Pax Christi Catholic Community

12100 Pioneer Trail • Eden Prairie • Fr. Patrick Kennedy, Pastor • www.paxchristi.com

Holy Thursday – April 21

Holy Saturday – April 23

Good Friday – April 22

Easter Sunday – April 24

7:00PM

Mass of the Lord’s Supper

3:00PM & 5:00PM Living Stations 7:00PM Celebration of the Lord’s Passion

12:00NOON 8:00PM

Blessing of Easter Food Easter Vigil Mass

7:00AM, 9:00AM, and 11:00AM Easter Mass NOTE: No 5:00pm Mass on Easter Sunday

Come Celebrate Triduum at Pax Christi – All are Welcome!

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

Holy Week-Easter

/ The Lesson Plan

Praying with Jesus on Holy Thursday an ancient custom

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

When Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is moved on Holy Thursday to a tabernacle in a different location to represent his time in the tomb after his crucifixion, Catholics have an opportunity to follow and pray there as a way of entering into the Passion, liturgical ministry professionals say.

Transferring the Blessed Sacrament is primarily a way of safeguarding the consecrated hosts needed for the Good Friday liturgy when none can be consecrated, said Michael Silhavy, a member of the archdiocesan Parish Services Team.

But the practice, which dates back to the Middle Ages, also offers Catholics an opportunity to reflect in their parishes on the institution of the Eucharist, as well as the events commemorated during the Paschal Triduum, which continues through Good Friday, Holy Saturday and ends on the evening of Easter Sunday.

Being present

CNS photo

Praying with the reposed Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday is “an invitation to silent and prolonged adoration of the wondrous sacrament instituted by Jesus on this day,” according to the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Sacraments.

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The main purpose should not be confused, said Jesuit Father Joseph Weiss, pastor of St. Thomas More in St. Paul.

“The purpose of reserving the sacrament that night is not first of all adoration,” he said. “The purpose is for distribution at the Good Friday liturgy. Only secondarily is praying before the Blessed Sacrament part of this custom.”

The number of hosts needed for Good Friday makes the transfer a practical consideration, but it’s also spiritual, said Johan van Parys, liturgy director at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.

“How much more present can we be, especially at the institution of the Eucharist?”

Because the Eucharist is reserved, it’s appropriate to spend time in vigil, Silhavy said. “We’re not pretending we’re in the garden with Jesus, but in a way we are,” he said. “It’s not that we’re time traveling back. We’re taking the event and we’re bringing it into the future.”

Father Weiss said, “It’s one more opportunity to reflect on and deepen your appreciation and participation in the liturgies of Christ’s passion and resurrection.”

Some parishes maintain the time after the Holy Thursday liturgy for silent prayer, while others periodically read Scripture or lead prayer to help the faithful enter into the mysteries.

At a tabernacle in a side chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is reposed, St. Thomas More offers a vigil concluding with night prayer at 10 p.m., Father Weiss said. Gospel readings every half hour punctuate the period of silent prayer.

The Basilica of St. Mary views the entire Triduum as one continual prayer PLEASE TURN TO ENTER ON PAGE 18

The Lesson Plan / Holy Week-Easter

APRIL 14, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

17

Basilica Tenebrae service illuminates Good Friday darkness until one sole light remained.

“The practical theory behind this tradition is that as they were praying throughout the night, it would begin to become daylight so candlelight was no longer needed,” van Parys explained. “Theologically, it was thought that with each reading, the death of Jesus was drawing closer.”

By Julie Pfitzinger For The Catholic Spirit

The Good Friday Tenebrae service at the Basilica of St. Mary never ceases to be a moving experience for Johan van Parys, who has directed the devotion for the past 16 years.

During one section of the hourlong service, a large wooden cross is passed across the crowd, from hand to hand, modeled after the tradition in many European towns when Catholics would carry the cross through the streets on Good Friday.

“I’m always standing quite close to the cross as it is being passed and to see the emotions on people’s faces as they reach for the cross or to see children standing on pews to take their turn, it is quite something,” said van Parys, liturgy and sacred arts director at the basilica.

According to van Parys, the origins of Tenebrae — which is Latin for “shadows or darkness” — hail from the pre-Vatican II era when members of monastic communities would begin a series of 14 readings and songs as Holy Thursday ended at midnight and Good Friday began.

At the beginning of the service, 15 candles were lit and, one by one, the monks extinguished the candles

A light in the darkness

Photo courtesy Basilica of St. Mary

Worshippers help carry the cross during the 2009 Good Friday Tenebrae service at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.

In the early tradition, the remaining candle was hidden behind the altar, but at the Basilica, the candle is carried out to the narthex while the rest of the church remains dark.

The Tenebrae service also features a striking combination of sound and silence. There are songs and readings, but there is also the tradition of “strepitus,” meaning “to make a loud noise” in Latin, where people bang on the pews for a few moments in a symbolic show of grief over the death of Jesus.

And in silence, brilliant red rose petals, in simulation of the blood of Christ, are dropped from the dome of the Basilica; it is so quiet, said van Parys, that one can hear the petals hitting the ground.

PLEASE TURN TO RABBI ON PAGE 18

Tenebrae service ■ What: Tenebrae is a devotional service with songs and readings to help worshippers recall and identify with the suffering and death of Jesus.

■ When: 7 p.m. Good Friday, April 22 ■ Where: Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis For more information on this and other Holy Week services at the Basilica, visit WWW.MARY.ORG

Church of St. Joseph 1310 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN • 952-935-0111

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

Holy Thursday April 21 7 p.m.

Adoration until 11 p.m.

Good Friday April 22 2 p.m., 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil April 23 8 p.m.

Stations/Cross 12 p.m. www.stjoeshopkins.org

Easter Sunday April 24 8:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

Holy Thursday, April 21

Good Friday, April 22

7:00 pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper Adoration after Mass until Midnight

Stations: Noon & 4:30 pm Lord’s Passion: 7:00 pm

Easter Vigil, April 23

Easter Sunday, April 24

8:00 p.m.

7:00, 9:00 & 11 a.m.

Church of the Holy Spirit 515 S. Albert Street, Saint Paul Holy Thursday – Mass at 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday – Stations of the Cross at 3:00 p.m.; Mass at 7:00 p.m.

Holy Night of Easter – Easter Vigil at 8:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday – Mass at 8:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

Resurrexit Sicut Dixit – He has risen as he said!

Please join us in Prayer Holy Thursday, April 21, 7 pm — Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Church open for quiet prayer until 9 pm Good Friday, April 22, Day of Fast and Abstinence — 3 pm Stations of the Cross — 7 pm Good Friday Service with Communion Holy Saturday, April 23, 7 pm — Easter Vigil. Parish Office Closed. No 5:30 pm Mass Easter Sunday, April 24, 9 & 11am Masses. No 7 pm Mass or Sacrament of Reconciliation Easter Weekend

Our Lady of Lourdes Church www.ourladyoflourdesmn.com

Come celebrate the Easter season with us at

St. Casimir

Jessamine at Forest, St. Paul • 651-774-0365 Holy Thursday, April 21, Mass at 7 pm Good Friday, April 22, Communion Service at 3 pm Holy Saturday, April 23, Blessing of Food Baskets at 2 pm and Mass at 7:30 pm Easter Sunday, April 24, Masses at 8 am & 10 am

Holy Week Services at St. Anthony of Padua Palm Sunday — 9:00 am Mass Holy Thursday —7:00 pm Mass Good Friday — 3:00 pm Mass Holy Saturday — 7:00 pm Mass Easter Sunday — 9:00 am Mass

St. Anthony of Padua 813 Main St. NE, Mpls., Mn. 55413 612-379-2324 stanthonychrch@msn.com stanthonypaduampls.org

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

Holy Week-Easter

Rabbi pleased by invite to speak at service CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 In 2002, the Basilica added a particularly poignant segment to the Tenebrae devotional service as a result of the collaborative nature of the relationship between the church and Temple Israel in Minneapolis in areas of interfaith initiatives and social justice.

Need a reminder about sending in your pledge to the Catholic Services Appeal?

Now you have one.

Persecution to partnership “Prior to the Second Vatican Council, Good Friday was seen as a day when Catholics would traditionally persecute the Jewish people, blaming them for the death of Christ. Jews would literally hide from Catholics on that day,” said van Parys. “We thought it would be a jarring yet enlightening experience to invite a rabbi to speak to our congregation during Tenebrae.”

For the second year, it will be Rabbi Sim Glaser from Temple Israel speaking for a few minutes during the service.

“It is quite a statement that a rabbi would be invited to speak at a Catholic Church on Good Friday,” he said.

Rabbi Glaser agreed with van Parys about the emotional nature of the Tenebrae service, in light of not only history but also regarding the nature of the experience. “There is so much mediocrity in many religious celebrations. This service is very tactile, so visual and beautiful. It is high art and high drama,” Rabbi Glaser said. “I have half-jokingly said to people that if I were going to be a Catholic, I wouldn’t miss the Tenebrae service for the world.”

The fact that Tenebrae is a devotional service allows for the sentiments and emotions of those in attendance to come to the forefront, said van Parys.

“They can be present to the suffering and death of Jesus and identify with that pain in their own lives,” he said. “There is a sense of consolation, I think, where people can find strength in that suffering.”

/ The Lesson Plan

Enter Triduum more deeply with church visits, prayer with Eucharist CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 time, said van Parys, adding that the church remains open all night after the Holy Thursday liturgy. The faithful can pray compline (night prayer) every half hour or pray silently.

Worshippers, including sometimes groups of youth, pray throughout the night, van Parys said. “For young people, praying in the night has an appeal.”

The Latino community at Incarnation-Sagrado Corazon de Jesus in Minneapolis reads Isaiah 53, which focuses on Christ’s Passion, during the procession to transfer the Blessed Sacrament to a tabernacle in the sacristy, said Brad Capouch of Sagrado Corazon de Jesus.

In the community’s tradition, when participants leave the church they receive a small loaf of bread commemorating the Last Supper, said Deacon Carl Valdez, who serves the Sagrado Corazon de Jesus community.

Visiting and praying with the reposed

Blessed Sacrament at different parishes on Holy Thursday is another custom believed to have originated in the early church. Distance between parishes may be one reason the practice isn’t as common here as in some European countries, Father Weiss said.

Although there are practical reasons the Blessed Sacrament is transferred to a side altar on Holy Thursday, praying there offers a chance to enter more deeply into the Triduum. According to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, which handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the Latin Church, “It is an invitation to silent and prolonged adoration of the wondrous sacrament instituted by Jesus on this day.”

The Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska, offers a booklet of prayers and meditations for Holy Thursday online at WWW.ARCH DIOCESEOFANCHORAGE.ORG/DOCUMENTS/HOLY THUR06BKLT.PDF.

Triumph continues with the Risen Christ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 energy it can muster: Alleluia!

The Easter Vigil begins with the Service of Light, the lighting of the Easter candle and the singing of the Easter proclamation, the Exsultet. Then, after an extended Liturgy of the Word, the vigil continues with the Liturgy of Baptism during which the Litany of Saints is sung, the water of the font is blessed, baptismal promises are made, the catechumens are baptized, and for the adults, confirmation is received. The Vigil concludes with the Liturgy of the Eucharist and first Communion for the newly initiated members.

congregation is jubilant over the risen Christ and the triumph of his most holy Cross. The church is festively decorated.

The vestments are white and gold. The Glory to God and the Alleluia are restored. The Creed is replaced with the renewal of baptismal promises, followed by a sprinkling rite. The church resounds with a joyful sound: Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia!

To do: Great news cannot be contained: Share the Good News with someone! Jesus preached love, and he died out of love for us. On Easter Sunday, go out of your way to love someone with all your might, because where there is love, there is the risen Christ!

Easter Sunday Easter Sunday is the daytime celebration of the resurrection of the Lord. The

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Stephen in Anoka.

“Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord, my God, you are great indeed! . . .

You spread out the heavens like a tent; you raised your palace upon the waters. You make the clouds your chariot.”

Psalms 104:1-3

Arts & Culture The Catholic Spirit

Exploring our church and our world

April 14, 2011

Play portrays the ‘miracles’ in Father Casey’s life

By Julie Carroll The Catholic Spirit

A theater group from St. Michael and St. Mary in Stillwater is set to perform a play about a priest with Stillwater connections who is on the path to sainthood.

The cast of 20 will perform “Solanus,” about Venerable Father Solanus Casey, at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 29, and Saturday, April 30, at St. Mary.

The Capuchin priest was born on Nov. 25, 1870, the sixth of 16 children, on a farm in Wisconsin.

As a teenager, Father Casey left the family farm to live with his uncle, Father Maurice Murphy, at St. Michael’s rectory in Stillwater while he worked as a logger, a street car operator and a guard at Stillwater Prison before entering the seminary.

After joining the Capuchin order, Father Casey moved to New York, where he served the poor at soup kitchens. When he transferred to St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit, people would visit him daily to ask for his prayers.

Many miracles have been attributed to Father Casey and presented to the Vatican on behalf of his sainthood cause.

Father Casey died on July 31, 1957, at the age of 86. On July 11, 1995, Pope John Paul II declared him “venerable,” the first step toward becoming a saint.

A ‘fascinating’ life St. Michael parishioner Molly Delaney Druffner, director, said she wrote “Solanus” in 2000 for a church production in Hudson, Wis. What started as a short skit turned into a full-length play, she said, because “I got so fascinated by his life.”

Delaney Druffner described the play as a “docudrama.” “It’s scenes, kind of vignettes, from his life that are all strung together by the theme of him being present to people, being a good listener, being a counselor, and bringing the joy of Christ to people.”

She said one of her favorite scenes in the play recalls Jesus’ multiplication of loaves and fishes miracle.

During the Great Depression, hundreds of people would line up every day outside of the soup kitchen where Father Casey worked.

One day, a brother told Father Casey it was impossible to feed everyone because there wasn’t enough bread.

Soon after Father Casey said a prayer, a bakery truck pulled up to the door, and the whole crowd was fed, Delaney Druffner said. “There are hundreds and hundreds of stories like this about him.”

Delaney Druffner said she read six books and watched two documentaries about Father Casey before she wrote her play. She also met his niece and spoke with several people who knew him.

Dr. Don Wessel, a St. Michael parishioner who plays Father Casey, said one of the reasons he took on the role was to learn more about the priest’s life.

“Even if there were problems mounting up, he didn’t worry about any of that, but he was very much present for whoever came to see him,” Wessel said. “He inspires me to try to be a better listener.”

CNS photo

Capuchin Father Solanus Casey is pictured in an undated file photo.

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If you go ■ What: “Solanus” ■ When: April 29-30 ■ Where: St. Mary, 423 S. Fifth St. in Stillwater ■ Cost: $10 for adults, $6 for children in advance; $12 for adults, $8 for children at the door. All proceeds go to the St. Michael’s Catholic Worker Houses of Hospitality and Mission Doctors Association.

■ Tickets: Go to WWW.STMARY STILLWATER.ORG or call (651) 439-4400.

Richfield pastor mingles East with West in new book on prayer

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit

Adding gifts from the Christian East like mystery, contemplation and wisdom to one’s prayer life can bring a new richness and balance to those accustomed to the Western church’s focus on understanding, action and knowledge.

That’s the thinking of Father Thomas Krenik, pastor of St. Richard in Richfield, and what’s behind his new book, “Praying With Both Lungs: A Communion of East and West.”

The title is from the teaching of Pope John Paul II, who encouraged the Christian West to integrate some of the spirituality of the Eastern FATHER KRENIK churches into its life, said the former seminary faculty member.

Praying with icons, the prayer of recollection and praying with a Scripture verse ala St. Anthony of the Desert are among the less familiar approaches Father Krenik brings to readers’ attention. But those who pray the rosary or spend time before the Blessed Sacrament will find that the chapters on those familiar prayer forms will enhance their prayer life, too.

The easy-to-follow text takes one step-by-step through each prayer form, offering questions to ask one’s self and suggestions for reflection. What may be the book’s best feature: Father Krenik’s pastor’s aptitude shines as he shares his own experiences trying each form.

In the following edited email Q&A, Father Krenik answered questions from The Catholic Spirit: Q: I’ve read the book, and it’s very well done. I don’t know if I’ve seen anything like it. Have you?

A: There have been many books written about prayer.

Some of them are a collection of prayers. Some of them help to explore what it means to pray. Others go deep with a particular prayer form. Still others present various ways of praying. “Praying With Both Lungs” is fairly unique in that it describes and outlines 15 ways of praying that come from both the Eastern and Western experience of Christianity.

Pope John Paul II often spoke of the need to breathe with both lungs (East and West) in the church. One day I thought: Why not pray with both lungs? This book helps readers and prayers who want to keep growing in spiritual maturity “to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

Q: What prompted you to do this project? Did you see a need in the parish?

A: Over the years I have done numerous workshops on prayer, discernment and Scripture study in parishes and when I was on the seminary faculty. They were always well received. People have a deep hunger to grow in relationship with God and to discern God’s hand at work in their daily lives. The plea of the first disciples seems to be perennial: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).

About 500 of our parishioners already have a copy of this book that was printed in our parish office. I have been humbled by the number of people who have told me about how helpful it is for them to leisurely explore and experience each prayer form. They soon realize the

one or ones that most connect with where they are in their spiritual journey.

Q: Have you ever been published in book-length before?

A: In 1999, I published a book through the National Catholic Educational Association titled “Formation For Priestly Celibacy: A Resource Book.” It includes a foreword and article by Archbishop Harry Flynn. The book explores seven critical guiding elements in formation for priestly celibacy. It filled a niche at that time for a resource that takes an integrative approach to helping seminarians and seminary formators to consider the charism of celibacy within the context of diocesan priesthood. It is used in seminary programs throughout the world.

Q: A great feature is the personal experience you bring to so many of the prayer forms. Were you afraid at all of putting yourself out there, so to speak?

A: Throughout the book I offer reflections on my own personal experience of prayer. I did this purposefully to give a sense of what each prayer form can look like experientially. I didn’t want the book to be an academic text but one that speaks from the heart and points others to the heart of Christ. I see this book as a way to help people lean into Christ like the Beloved Disciple in John’s Gospel.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A: In addition to a description of each prayer form, the book contains reflection questions and biblical references to help persons go deeper into the gift of each way of praying.

Copies may be ordered via WWW.ITASCABOOKS.COM or (800) 901-3480.

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Calendar

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

Lenten dinners Soup supper at Holy Cross, Minneapolis — All Wednesdays of Lent: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 1621 University Ave. N.E. Soup supper at the Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul — All Wednesdays of Lent: 6 to 7 p.m. at 239 Selby Ave. Enchilada dinner at Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Paul — All Fridays of Lent: 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 401 Concord St. Take-out and enchiladas by the dozen also available.

Lebanese Lenten dinner at Holy Family Maronite Church, Mendota Heights — All Fridays of Lent: 5 to 7 p.m. at 1960 Lexington Ave. S. Fish fry at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — All Fridays of Lent: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Call (952) 888-1492 for reservations.

Fish fry at Epiphany, Coon Rapids — All Fridays of Lent: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 1900 111th Ave. N.W.

Holy week events St. Gerard, Brooklyn Park — April 15: 8 p.m. at 9600 Regent Ave. N. Passion play performed by confirmation students. Free will offering.

St. Mary’s Chapel at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul — April 15: 7 p.m. at 2260 Summit Ave. Living Stations of the Cross presented by Servants of the Cross.

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Maplewood — April 22: Noon at 1725 Kennard St. Living Stations of the Cross presented by Servants of the Cross.

St. Jude of the Lake, Mahtomedi — April 22: 3 p.m. at 700 Mahtomedi Ave. Living Stations of the Cross presented by Servants of the Cross.

Transfiguration, Oakdale — April 22: 7 p.m. at 6133 15th St. N. Living Stations of the Cross presented by Servants of the Cross.

Our Lady of Grace, Edina — April 22: 1:30 p.m. at 5071 Eden Ave. “Voices From the Passion,” A Sacred Cantata presented by the Our Lady of Grace Schola Cantorum choir.

St. Ambrose of Woodbury, Woodbury — April 15, 17 and 22: 5:30 p.m.

April 15, 1 p.m. April 17 and noon April 22 at 4125 Woodbury Drive.

Living Stations of the Cross presented by the parish community.

Fish dinner at St. Albert the Great, Minneapolis — All Fridays of Lent: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 2836 33rd Ave. S.

Fish fry at the Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul — April 15: Seatings at 6 and 7:30 p.m. at 239 Selby Ave.

Fish fry at St. Vianney, South St. Paul — All Fridays of Lent: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 789 17th Ave. N.

Fish fry at St. Jude of the Lake, Mahtomedi — April 15: 5 to 7:30 p.m. at 700 Mahtomedi Ave.

Fish fry at St. Bridget of Sweden, Lindstrom — All Fridays of Lent: 5 to 7 p.m. at 13060 Lake Blvd. Meatless spaghetti also available.

Fish fry at Guardian Angels School, Chaska — April 15: 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 215 W. Second St.

Fish fry at St. Charles, Bayport — All Fridays of Lent: 4 to 7:30 p.m. at 409 N. Third St. Fish fry at Sacred Heart, Robbinsdale — All Fridays of Lent: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 4780 W. Broadway.

Fish fry at Holy Cross, Minneapolis — All Fridays of Lent: 5 to 7 p.m. at 1621 University Ave. N.E. Fish fry at St. John the Baptist, Hugo — All Fridays of Lent: 5 to 8 p.m. at 14383 Forest Blvd. N. Fish fry at St. Peter, Forest Lake — All Fridays of Lent: 5 to 7 p.m. at 1250 South Shore Drive.

Fish Fry at St. John the Evangelist, Little Canada — April 15: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 380 Little Canada Road.

Fish fry at Knights of Columbus Hall, Shakopee — April 15: 5 to 7:30 p.m. at 1760 Fourth Ave. E. Fish dinner at St. Bonaventure, Bloomington — April 15: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 901 E. 90th St.

Dining out

Fish fry at St. Pascal Baylon, St. Paul — All Fridays of Lent: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 1757 Conway St.

Chicken and rib dinner at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — April 20 and 27: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $10.95. Call (952) 888-1492 for reservations.

Fish fry at St. Bernard, St. Paul — All Fridays of Lent: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the corner of Rice Street and Geranium Avenue.

KC Palm Sunday brunch at Epiphany, Coon Rapids — April 17: 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 1900 111th Ave. N.W. Free will offering.

Fish fry at St. Matthew, St. Paul — All Fridays of Lent: 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 510 Hall Ave.

Pancake breakfast at Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights — April 17: 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. at 4030 Jackson St. N.E. Free will offering.

Fish fry at St. Timothy, Blaine — All Fridays of Lent: 7 p.m. at 707 89th Ave. N.E. Fish fry at Holy Family, St. Louis Park — All Fridays of Lent: 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 5900 W. Lake St. Fish dinner at St. Stephen, Anoka — All Fridays of Lent: 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 525 Jackson St. Fish fry at St. Peter Catholic School, North St. Paul — April 15: 4 to 7 p.m. at 2620 N. Margaret St. Fish fry at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Maplewood — April 15: 4 to 7 p.m. at 1735 Kennard St. Fish fry at St. Jerome, Maplewood — April 15: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 384 E. Roselawn.

Fish fry at St. Timothy, Blaine — April 15: 5 to 7 p.m. 707 89th Ave. N.E. Fish fry at Knights of Columbus Hall, Shakopee — April 15: 5 to 8 p.m. at 1760 Fourth Ave. E.

Parish events Lenten talk with Bishop Lee Piché at St. Mary, St. Paul —April 15: 6:30 p.m. at 261 Eighth St. E. Begins with Stations of the Cross at 5:30 p.m. followed by a soup supper and the talk

by Bishop Piché. A free will offering will be accepted.

Men’s club euchre tournament at St. Patrick, Cedar Lake Township — April 15: Registration at 6:30 p.m., tournament begins at 7 p.m. at 24425 Old Hwy 13 Blvd., Jordan. Food and beverages will be available. Cost is $20 per team.

Spring luncheon, Festival of Tables VI, at All Saints, Minneapolis — April 16: Social hour/table viewing at 11 a.m. with lunch at 12:30 p.m. at 435 Fourth

St. N.E. Features food, silent auction, entertainment. Cost is $23. Get tickets in advance by calling (763) 5710811.

Easter boutique and bake sale at St. Boniface, Minneapolis — April 16: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 629 N.E. Second St. Easter gifts, white elephant sale and more.

‘Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Senior Care Resources, But are Afraid to Ask’ at St. Patrick, Inver Grove Heights — April 16: 9 to 10:30 a.m. at 3535 72nd St. For information, call (612) 272-9501.

Community clothing swap at Our Lady of the Prairie, Belle Plaine — April 16: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 215 N. Chestnut St. Shop for only $1 a bag.

For information about donating or volunteering, call (952) 873-3942.

Spring bake and craft sale at St. Odilia, Shoreview — April 16 and 17: 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday at 3945 N. Victoria St. St. Anthony of Padua women’s guild spring bake and craft sale at Catholic Eldercare, Minneapolis — April 16 and 17: 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at 817 N.E. Main St. ‘Faith Response to Homelessness in Washington County’ at Guardian Angels, Oakdale — April 26: 7 p.m. at 8260 Fourth St. N. Features a panel discussion. Refreshments will be served. For information, call (651) 7893181.

‘The Acts of the Apostles: Bringing it all together’ at Mary, Mother of the Church, Burnsville — April 28 and 29: 7 p.m. Thursday and 9:45 a.m. Friday at 3333 Cliff Road. School Sister of Notre Dame Paul Therese Saiko will speak.

‘Solanus: A Drama about the Life and Times of Venerable Solanus Casey’ at St. Mary, Stillwater — April 29 and 30: 7 p.m. at 423 S Fifth St. Presented by the Theater Arts Ministry of St. Michael and St. Mary Churches. For information and tickets visit WWW .STMARYSTILLWATER.ORG. Taste of St. Charles at St. Charles, Bayport — April 30: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 409 N. Third St. Hot dishes, salads and dessert items, 75 cents each.

There will also be a bake sale.

Ladies’ English Garden and High Tea

at St. Peter, Richfield — April 30: 11 a.m. at 6730 Nicollet Ave. S. A master gardener from Uncommon Gardens will be the keynote speaker. Cost is $10, $6 for under 13. Advance registration required at (612) 866-5089.

Retreats Triduum retreat at Benedictine Center, Maplewood — April 21 to 23: Experience the three most sacred days of the church year with the Benedictine Sisters. Cost is $160 and includes lodging and meals. To register online, visit WWW.STPAULSMONASTERY .ORG. Reflection day for single women with the School Sisters of Notre Dame, St. Paul — April 16: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 561 Hamline Ave. (sisters residence).

“Jesus and Social Justice.” Free will offering. To register, email JKOLBET@ SSNDMANKATO.ORG.

Prayer/ liturgies Legion of Mary prayers in front of Planned Parenthood, St. Paul — April 14 and 21: 3 p.m. at 1965 Ford Parkway. For information, call (651) 439-9098.

Taizé Prayer at St. Hubert, Chanhassen — April 14: 7 p.m. at 8201 Main St. Knights of Columbus traveling rosary at Marian Center, St. Paul — April 17: 2 p.m. at 200 Earl St. Lenten Vespers at St. Mary, St. Paul — April 17: 5 to 6 p.m. at 261 Eighth St. E. A light dinner follows.

Knights of Columbus traveling rosary at St. Bernard, St. Paul — April 24: 2 p.m. at 187 W. Geranium.

Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for 50plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. For information, call Judy at (763) 221-3040 or Al at (651) 482-0406.

50-plus singles ham dinner at St. Joseph, New Hope — April 17: 5 p.m. at 8701 36th Ave. N. Includes social hour, dinner and entertainment to follow. Call (763) 439-5940.

School events All school reunion for Minneapolis Regina High School at the Sofitel Hotel, Bloomington — April 16: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Includes lunch and guest speaker, Dr. Leonard Sax, internationally-known speaker and author, who will talk about the climate today for girls and education.

Advance registration is required. For information visit HTTP://TALKMN.ORG /REGINALIVES.HTML or call (612) 8255108.

Open house at Academy of Holy Angels, Richfield — April 27: 6 p.m. at 6600 Nicollet Ave. S. For students entering grades nine to 12. For information visit WWW.ACADEMYOFHOLYANGELS .ORG.

Calendar Submissions DEADLINE: The Catholic Spirit is biweekly.

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by Noon Thursday, seven 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

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

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

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

In confessing sins, we truly experience Jesus’ mercy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 that few other events can.

In the analysis of our relationship with the true and living God during Lent, it is critical to examine the question of mercy, both the mercy of God, as well as the mercy we have shown or not shown to others.

The soon-to-be beatified Pope John Paul II left us a strong legacy on the Divine Mercy of God. He told us: “For mercy is an indispensable dimension of love; it is as it were love’s second name and, at the same time, the specific manner in which love is revealed and effected vis-à-vis the reality of evil that is in the world, affecting and besieging man. . . .”

Our Lenten works of prayer, fasting and almsgiving (works of charity) are really meant to join our hearts to the urging of the psalmist, who advises, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.”

Our deeply held conviction about God’s mercy leads to the declaration we make each Sunday in the Creed when we profess, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins.”

What a comfort it is to know of God’s forgiveness made available in Christ Jesus. But notice that the Creed does not limit our belief to just God’s forgiveness; it also includes the forgiveness we extend to others as well as ask of others. Often it is easier to ask forgiveness of God than it is of the brother or sister whom we have hurt. Yet the two go hand in glove.

Guardian Angels hosts annual basketball tournament The Catholic Spirit Guardian Angels in Chaska will sponsor an invitational basketball tournament again this year, April 29 to May 1 — the fourth year for the three-day event.

The tournament kicks off Friday, April 29, with a barbecue at 5:30 p.m., and games following at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

There is no charge for food or admission to the tournament, but free-will donations will be accepted.

The games Friday evening are a minitournament between St. John Vianney Seminary, St. Paul Seminary and a team of priests from the archdiocese.

The parish tournament includes 12 teams and takes place on Saturday and Sunday. All games will be played at the Guardian Angels school gym, located at 215 W. 2nd St., Chaska.

For the full tournament schedule, visit WWW.GACHASKA.ORG/BASKETBALL.

Find us on Twitter at:

www.twitter.com/catholicspirit Become a fan of The Catholic Spirit Facebook page at

www.facebook.com/TheCatholicSpirit

“Often it is easier to ask forgiveness of God than it is of the brother or sister whom we have hurt. Yet the two go hand in glove.

”

ARCHBISHOP JOHN NIENSTEDT

Opportunity for penance And that is why, in this last column before Holy Week, I join Deacon Jordan Samson of Sioux Falls, S.D., (a fourth-year seminarian at The St. Paul Seminary), who in last week’s Catholic Spirit urged everyone who has not yet gone to the celebration of penance/reconciliation this Lent to do so.

As the deacon points out, confession is indeed difficult because our sins are embarrassing and shameful. But facing

up to the admission of our guilt allows us to experience the freedom that Jesus desires for us. As Deacon Samson writes, “Humbly admitting sin is not for the purpose of self-abasement, but for restoring our true identity and dignity in Christ.”

I cannot think of a better description of Easter than that last statement. In the confession of our sins to a priest, we truly experience the Divine Mercy that is Jesus Christ himself.

God love you! Have a blessed Holy Week!

Holy Land collection aids Christians Helping Christians in the Holy Land with concrete material and spiritual support is a fundamental part of bringing peace to the region, said Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches.

Unfortunately there is a “sorrowful tendency of Christian emigration which impoverishes the entire area, draining it of the most vital forces constituted by the young generations,” he said in a written appeal to bishops around the world.

The letter is sent every year to bishops to encourage parishes in their dioceses to support the Holy Land collection, which traditionally is taken up during Good Friday services.

Funds collected around the world help support university scholarships for Christian students in the region, craftmaking businesses, social and medical services for the poor, and financial assistance to struggling parishes and schools.

— Catholic News Service

A Red Hat for Newman Father Marvin O’Connell ’56 Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Notre Dame

The drama of John Henry Newman’s elevation to the College of Cardinals involved irony, vexation and triumph.

April 18, 2011 7:30 p.m.

O’Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium University of St. Thomas, St. Paul campus www.saintpaulseminary.org (651) 962-5050

Archbishop Ireland Memorial Lecture Series

22

Travel & Pilgrimages

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

Good planning makes for pleasant pilgrimage experience The Pontifical Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center offers pilgrims to the Holy Land a variety of services. The following are the center’s suggestions for preparing for a pilgrimage to the area. For more information, visit WWW.NOTREDAMECENTER .ORG.

JERICO

CHRISTIAN JOURNEYS

Guadalupe-Mexico City Sept. 19-26, 2011 Fr. Mark Willenbring, Spiritual Director Green Bay, Wisconsin Shrine of Our Lady of Good Hope 1st Marian apparition approved by the church in USA Motorcoaches from Twin City area May through October Please call for dates Pilgrimage to Fatima 8 days — July 7-14. Deadline to register Apr. 18 Fr. Randal Kasel, Spiritual Director Greece/Turkey — Walking the Lands of the New Testament Oct. 11-23, 2011 Fr. Robert Fitzpatrick St. Rose of Lima, Roseville, MN Rome and the Finest of Italy Sept. 12-21, 2011 Fr. Thomas Knoblach, Spiritual Director

For further information/brochures, call:

Toll-free 1-877-453-7426 colleen@jericochristianjourneys.com 19091 Island View Drive, Mora, MN 55051-7304 www.jericochristianjourneys.com

Sign up for a free eNewsletter @ TheCatholicSpirit.com Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Fr. Schneider Join Fr. Robert Schneider on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land!

October 31 - November 11, 2011 This Pilgrimage also includes visits to Brussels, Bruges, Leuven and Cologne Germany.

■ Good advanced planning For a good pilgrimage, it is indispensable that all practical elements are well organized and well foreseen, in order to avoid investing your energy on them as you arrive at the Holy Land. In this way you can pay full attention to enjoying the pilgrimage.

There are some facts that should be clarified from the beginning: number of people, precise dates (or as close as possible) and duration of the pilgrimage. In order to enjoy a pilgrimage that will give you the opportunity to get to know the main sites of the Holy Land without rushing, we would advise not to plan for a trip less than seven to eight days in length.

■ Visas Citizens of most western nations (including the United States) do not need a visa to enter as tourists to Israel. Upon their entrance into the country, they are usually given a tourist visa for 90 days. It is not possible to travel from Israel to Lebanon or Syria or vice versa.

■ Language The official languages in Israel are Hebrew and Arabic, but everyone involved in tourism speaks English reasonably well. In some cases they speak Italian and French.

In general, Spanish and German are the least spoken languages.

■ Weather and clothing It is advisable to consider carefully the time of the year in which your pilgrimage will take place.

The general climate can be described as follows: springtime (April-May), pleasant and moderate temperatures; summer (May-September), very hot; fall, moderate temperatures; winter: not excessively cold (it doesn’t reach below 26-28F on the coldest days of winter between December and February; it snows very rarely ) It is important also to consider the type of shoes that you will bring, as there is a lot of walking to do and they must be very comfortable.

When you are thinking about what clothing to bring, do not forget that the culture and customs at the Holy Places are rather traditional. It is a gesture of respect to dress properly and modestly. One must be respectful of the local mentality and customs.

■ Guides One book we would like to suggest has been translated into several languages and is titled, “Jerusalem and the Holy Land” (Eyewitness Travel Guides), Doring Kindersley Limited, London, 2000.

M AG I T R AV E L Over 25 Years of Service

For more information go to: www.as-ic.org and click on pilgrimage or call Fr. Schneider at 507-469-9979

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“In their work for the homeless of Philadelphia, Mercy Sister Mary Scullion and Joan McConnon (cofounders of Project HOME) have splendidly answered the Gospel summons to brotherly love.”

Holy Cross Father John Jenkins, president of Notre Dame, announcing the university’s 2011 Laetare Medal winners

Spirit of Giving APRIL 14, 2011

A Catholic Spirit special section

The Catholic Spirit

23

Faith and food are a good mix at Joe’s Diner

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

A mob of grade school children gathered around a table in the Great Hall at St. Joseph in Lino Lakes April 6.

They were hungry. More than likely, they could smell the chicken nuggets and french fries being prepared in the kitchen. After an hour of religious education, they were ready for a break and some food.

A group of nine volunteers was happy to oblige. After bringing out the food, parishioners Ann Gaines and Bob what WORKS Determan began dishing up the chicken nuggets. As the 100-plus kids made their way through two serving lines, they continued on to the fries station, where Shanna McLaughlin and Tia Pederson were waiting to complete the meals.

This routine has been followed nearly every Monday and Wednesday evening since September, with parents and children eating in the Great Hall at what is called Joe’s Diner. In a mere half hour, volunteers will feed up to 175 kids and parents.

Volunteers Shanna McLaughlin, left, and Tia Pederson serve french fries at Joe’s Diner.

Each has at least one other family member who volunteers.

.

Generous response The idea was conceived last year, when parish staff members tried to address the problem parents faced of having children

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

in religious education classes on two different times on Wednesday nights.

Classes for younger kids went from 5:30 to 6:30, while the teens had their turn at 7. Many families with kids in both sessions wondered how they could feed their children.

The light bulb went on when the staff realized that the children walked by the hall every time they went to their classes.

“We kept thinking, ‘Boy, wouldn’t it be

nice if we could have a meal for these kids in the Great Hall,’” said faith formation director Steve Robach. “It’s just sitting there empty and dark.”

But Robach and the other staff members who discussed the idea knew it wouldn’t be possible without volunteers.

So they started asking parishioners.

When Robach asked Kevin McLaughlin, he not only said yes, he went home and recruited his wife, Shanna.

Then, two of their daughters, Nicole and Rachel, joined in, making them the largest family group among the volunteers. They serve on Wednesdays, while a different, and smaller, group serves on Mondays, when there is only one session of religious ed and the meal comes afterward.

“We come as a family,” Shanna said. “I PLEASE TURN TO JOE’S ON PAGE 25

24

Spirit of Giving

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

Artist mixes spirituality into classes for seniors at Catholic Eldercare tured” when spending time with the elders.

By Julie Pfitzinger For The Catholic Spirit

Intertwining her work as an artist with her faith life has always come naturally to Chillon (pronounced sha-lon) Leach, and it is that perspective that she brings to her role as both art teacher and gentle encourager at Catholic Eldercare in northeast Minneapolis.

For the past six years, Leach has conducted art classes for senior residents and adult day program participants; many of those who participate in her classes have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

“In the class, I combine art and spirituality, but at a basic level. There is always a prayer component and then there is an opportunity to just play in art, which is really the way I approach my own religious art work,” said Leach, who is Lutheran and attends Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Paul, where she also has an artist’s studio.

She has discovered that “the elders are very open to trying new things,” which is why creating art has the potential to be such a positive experience for them.

“I always tell them that everything they do is good in God’s eyes and I think that takes the pressure off,” she said with a smile. “Creating art is always a leap of faith, no matter what the circumstances.”

Teaching to individuals There are typically about a dozen participants in one of Leach’s classes — an aide or other staff member is always present as well. Projects vary from week to week (the classes are grouped into fourweek sessions) and are always specifically adapted to the level of the participants.

“If we are drawing a stained glass window, for instance, there are some who don’t need me to help them, but for others, I will draw the outline of a window with a cross in the middle,” she said.

“The important thing is to just be with them in the present moment, and that is a beautiful place to be.”

Sparking memories

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Chillon Leach weaves her faith into her art, which includes painting on canvas and liturgical stoles and funeral palls.

“Part of my art ministry is in gratitude for the gift I’ve been given.”

CHILLON LEACH

Leach typically gives her students Crayola products to use (“I think it reminds them of their childhood,” she said) and never too many color choices, which can have a tendency to overwhelm those with dementia.

Leach recalled one particularly memorable class experience. The session started with a prayer, as all her classes do, and as the class was ending, Leach said they

would close with the same prayer. All at once, one of the participants — a patient with dementia — started to perfectly recite “The Lord’s Prayer” as the rest of the group, most also suffering from memory issues, joined in.

“The director and I just looked at one another. In that moment, something very grace-filled took place,” said Leach, adding that she always feels “very nur-

The classes themselves are often filled with conversation, laughter and the sharing of memories, many of which are unexpected.

“I’ve had people in class start singing a hymn and say they wonder where that’s coming from because they haven’t thought of it for years,” said Leach.

“There is always this extra layer that happens where they are suddenly struck by extra memories or extra ideas. I really think it is a sign of the Holy Spirit.”

Leach said she would welcome the opportunity to work with residents at other nursing homes or with senior groups at churches because she has observed first-hand “how happy the elders are when they go back to a happier place, but at the same time, they are going forward and creating something new.”

Bringing people together with art and spirituality has become a vocation for Leach, who also offers artist-in-residence series for Christian churches.

“Part of my art ministry is in gratitude for the gift I’ve been given, and the other part is the opportunity to give back with my art,” she said.

Leach recently had an acrylic on canvas series called “Journey with Saint Paul” (based on the life and writings of the saint) on display at St. Paul’s Monastery in Maplewood.

She also creates custom, hand painted funeral palls and liturgical stoles — a red stole honoring the Year of St. Paul was commissioned especially for Father Joseph Johnson, rector at the Cathedral of St. Paul.

To view Leach’s work online, visit She can be contacted by e-mail at CHILLON@ CHILLONLEACH.COM or by phone at (651) 649-1519.

WWW.MNARTISTS.ORG/CHILLON_LEACH.

Spirit of Giving

APRIL 14, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Joe’s Diner feeds their stomachs and souls CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 taught religion for 13 years and this is the first year I’m not doing it, so I just wanted to try a different ministry. . . . I love these Wednesday nights. I like hospitality.”

It’s a welcome weekly event for people like Paul and Kelly Siler, who bring their four boys to both religious education sessions and take advantage of the meal, which is free of charge, with donations accepted.

“It’s awesome for our schedule,” Kelly said. “It allows us to eat dinner as a family because of the two times we have to

go to religion. And, I don’t have to cook.”

Usually, the first volunteer to arrive is Sherri Dimke, who arrives between 2 and 2:30 each Wednesday. She begins preparing the food and organizes the volunteers.

“I absolutely love to cook, so this was a way to share what I love to do and give back to the church at the same time,” said Sherri, whose husband, Tom, also volunteers. “I love it — wish it would have been here four or five years ago when my kids were all in these classes.

“It truly helps a lot of those families that have kids coming for both classes,

25

Tell us ‘what works’

the 5:30 and the 7. You have a little window to put some food in them, talk to them about their day, and send them to class.”

April 13 marked the last Joe’s Diner event of the school year. There seems little doubt it will be back up and running in September, if the volunteers are any indication.

“It’s really fun,” Shanna McLaughlin said. “That’s the best part about it.”

Dimke said: “If Steve asks, I will do it [again] in a heartbeat. As long as they don’t have too many complaints about my cooking, I’m here.”

The Catholic Spirit is looking for story ideas for its “What Works” series. Tells us about your successful plan, project or program. Explain the purpose of the initiative and outline the steps for how it works.

■ Email your story idea to: WHATWORKS@ARCHSPM.ORG ■ Or mail your idea to: “What Works,” c/o The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

Please include your name, parish and daytime telephone number.

SQUARE MEALS ALL SUMMER LONG You can provide food for American Indian children, even when school’s out.

Your tax-deductible gift will help re-stock the Department of Indian Work food shelf.

Please include this ad with your check to the Saint Paul Area Council of Churches.

www.spacc.org | 651 646-8805 | 1671 Summit Avenue | Saint Paul 55105

Bundles of Love Charity Because EVERY baby deserves the basics Bundles of Love Charity is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing babies in need with the essential items that they would otherwise go home without. Each bundle contains 25-30 handcrafted items each made with love by our many volunteers. Bundles of Love Charity distributes the bundles to 60+ partnering agencies and helped over 6,000 Minnesota families in 2008.

We Need Your Help Bundles of Love Charity relies on the generosity of volunteers and donors to sustain this program. In this challenging economic time, we need your help more than ever. You can make a tax-deductible donation by sending a check, or baby related products to Bundles of Love Charity, or can make an electronic payment through a Pay Pal donation or Network for Good by visiting www.bundlesoflove.org/help Thank You!

Bundles of Love Charity P.O. Box 240301 Apple Valley, MN 55124-0301 (952) 953-7683

26

APRIL 14, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

PASC drives down costs for churches and schools CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 parishes convert to Logos if they are not already using the software.

A ‘cost-effective’ solution Business administrator Jon Jakoblich’s parish, Transfiguration in Oakdale, was one of the first to use the PASC’s services.

“It’s certainly reduced a labor burden,” he said. “Now they’re generating monthly reports, like a balance sheet, a statement of activities and also cash flow projections. That’s the big one, . . . those cash flow projections. . . .

“Another way that they’ve helped us,” he said, “is by thoroughly analyzing all of our business practices, our internal controls, making sure all those are in place and they’re sound, quality practices.”

Jakoblich said he would recommend

Lumen Christi presents monthly speaker series

the PASC’s services to any parish.

“I think it’s a very cost-effective solution for what they’re able to provide us, which is a lot more financial analysis than I, as a very busy business administrator, could do on my own,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity to partner with someone with some additional expertise and a lot more time on their hands to sit down and create these reports, analyze these things, and then hash things over with me. . . .

“It’s going to provide us with a much higher level of financial reporting and give us better information that’s going to enable us to make decisions — the right decisions — to keep our finances on track.”

For more information, contact Mary Jo Jungwirth at (651) 291-4439 or JUNG WIRTHM@ARCHSPM.ORG.

The Catholic Spirit The Pastoral Ministry Department at Lumen Christi in St. Paul is presenting a monthly speaker series through the end of the year, except for August.

Most presentations are geared toward seniors, but a few are geared toward their adult children.

All presentations are free, include a light lunch or refreshment, and are open to the public.

Upcoming presentations include: ■ Wednesday, May 18 — “Who gets Grandma’s yellow pie plate?” 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Everyone has personal belongings such as wedding photographs, a baseball glove or a yellow pie plate that have meaning for them and for other family members. Paring down and transferring such items is inevitable when a family member moves or dies.

This presentation by the University of Minnesota Extension Office will give you information you need to know.

■ Tuesday, June 14 — “Health care directives: A ‘must have’ for everyone.”

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attorney John Kantke will present the basics about health care directives and help participants get started on their own directives.

■ Tuesday, July 12 — “Be wise, be informed, be empowered: Senior fraud and scam alerts.” 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Gary Johnson, senior outreach manager for the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota, will give a presentation on ways to protect senior citizens from financial fraud and scams.

Lumen Christi is located at 2055 Bohland Ave. in St. Paul.

For information or to RSVP, call (651) 698-5581.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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Benilde-St. Margaret’s School, a co-educational Catholic school, grades 7-12 has an opening beginning in August 2011 for a full time high school theology teacher.

Qualifications: practicing Catholic with a degree in theology, religious studies or related field; enjoys working with high school aged students; archdiocesan religion certificate preferred; professional experience preferred. More information and downloadable application on school web site at WWW.BSMSCHOOL.ORG. Application deadline: April 29.

3543 The Archdiocese of Omaha is seeking an experienced individual to serve in an executive leadership role, the Director of the Stewardship and Development Office.

A cabinet-level position, the successful candidate will lead an office that identifies and develops financial resources to meet the present and future temporal needs of the central administrative offices of the Archdiocese, as well as assist its parishes, schools, and other key apostolates. Proven experience and skill in major gift solicitation and capital campaigns is a must, as well as a thorough understanding of Christian stewardship and the ability to teach and promote this form of spirituality. The position is open immediately. For a more complete job description and for application instructions, go to WWW.ARCHOMAHA.ORG/ ABOUTUS/CAREEROPS.HTML. 2320

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For a more complete job description and for application instructions, go to WWW. ARCHOMAHA.ORG/ABOUTUS/CAREEROPS.HTML. 2320 AWESOME JOB OPPORTUNITY FROM HOME Seeking outgoing person who enjoys helping people. Call now 612-716-1565. 12300

Position: Senior High Spanish Teacher Description: Benilde-St. Margaret's is seeking a Spanish teacher in the high school.

Native speakers are preferred.

Qualifications: A Minnesota teaching license is required. Experience with service learning is preferred.

Application Deadline: Open until filled.

Application Process: Interested candidates may obtain a downloadable application and further instructions from school web site at WWW.BSMSCHOOL.ORG. 3543 Benilde-St. Margaret’s, a Catholic coed junior/senior high school in St. Louis Park is seeking a full-time art teacher for the 20112012 school year, teaching high school Art & Design and Photography, and Junior High Art. Qualifications: knowledge of art foundations, art history, and Adobe Creative Suite required. Minnesota teaching license, and teaching experience preferred. Application deadline is May 6, 2011.

Interested candidates my obtain a downloadable application and further instruc3543 tions at WWW.BSMSCHOOL.ORG.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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Candidates will possess strong people management skills and have experience in P&L management, HR and fundraising.

Must be comfortable in public speaking/ writing role. Microsoft Office capabilities.

Located in Frontenac, MN. Compensation commensurate with experience. Send resume to: Marcy Underwood, 1715 Reichert Ave., Lake City, MN 55066 or email to MLUNDERWOOD@CHARTER.NET. 4110

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27

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • APRIL 14, 2011

Bishop Bullock was former St. Thomas Academy headmaster CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 on June 7, 1952, by Auxiliary Bishop James Byrne at the Cathedral of St. Paul.

He was associate pastor at three parishes before serving from 1957 to 1967 as dean of resident cadets, religious instructor and chairman of the religious education department at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights. He was headmaster from 1968 to 1971.

Pope John Paul II named him an auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese on June 3, 1980. He was ordained a bishop on Aug. 12, 1980, at the cathedral. He served for seven years under Archbishop John Roach.

On Feb. 10, 1987, Bishop Bullock was appointed the seventh bishop of Des Moines and was installed on April 2, 1987. In 1993, Bishop Bullock was appointed bishop of Madison and was installed on June 15 of that year.

He served the diocese for 10 years,

working past age 75, when bishops are required by canon law to turn in their resignation. Pope John Paul accepted his resignation on May 23, 2003. He continued to preside at confirmations, give talks and attend parish and diocesan events until the end of his life.

Bishop Bullock arranged to be buried in Madison at Resurrection Cemetery in a section of graves for the next 12 bishops of Madison.

“But when the new cathedral is built with a crypt, I am to be buried there,” he said in a 2010 interview with the Catholic Herald, Madison diocesan newspaper. “I always kid the priests that it will be easier for them to visit me when they come to the cathedral for chrism Mass, ordinations and other diocesan events. I wink at them and say, ‘I’ll leave the light on.’”

Bishop Bullock is survived by two sisters, Elizabeth Bullock and Adelaide Bullock.

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Catholic Spirit

“I would like to invite all of you to rediscover this great little treasure, this glowing commentary on the Gospel fully lived.”

Pope Benedict XVI, encouraging everyone to read St. Therese of Lisieux’s autobiography, “The Story of a Soul”

Overheard 28

The Catholic Spirit

Quotes from this week’s newsmakers

St. Nicholas renovation reaches the mountaintop Parishioners at St. Nicholas in Carver celebrated the completion of improvements to their historic church building during a Mass and blessing with Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn on April 9.

Father Thomas Joseph, St. Nicholas pastor, wrote in an article for The Catholic Spirit that the church is a house of prayer situated on the bluffs of Carver. “Being on a mountaintop gives you the sense that you are a step closer to God and heaven,” he wrote.

“Reaching the mountaintop is not just a concept or idea, it is real. Our The forefathers were Catholic Spirit willing to give up their best farmland on the bluffs of Carver so that God might be glorified from the top of the hill.”

Last year, when the parish learned that it needed a new roof, plans were also approved by Archbishop John Nienstedt to renovate the entire church, which was founded in 1868. The last interior renovation of the church took place in 1945.

A school was built in 1876, which has been renovated and is now used as a parish office and pastor’s residence. A cemetery was opened in 1936 and a parish center in 1973.

Father Jerome Keiser, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in Lake St. Croix Beach, will celebrate 40 years of priesthood beginning with the 10:30 a.m. Mass Sunday, May 22, at the parish. A parish picnic reception will follow from noon to 3 p.m. Father Keiser was ordained in 1971 at Visitation in Minneapolis. He has also served at St. Rose of Lima in Roseville, St. Mark in St. Paul, the archdiocesan mission in Venezuela and as a spiritual counselor at St. John Vianney Seminary.

“Our faith teaches us to do this.

Our brother Shahbaz was a Christian and the Christian faith tells us to forgive.”

— Paul Bhatti, brother of Shahbaz Bhatti, the former Pakistani minister for minorities who was murdered March 2 by Islamic extremists, explaining why he and his family forgave the assassins

Photo courtesy of Rita Vannett Photography in Chaska

At the end of Mass, Father Thomas Joseph acknowledges by name several people who were heavily involved in the renovation process of the church building.

Local Nobel nominee Stephanie Smith, athletic trainer for Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, has been nominated by leaders of the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota nations for a Nobel Peace Prize. Her nomination by the First Nation elders recognizes that she “has demonstrated the potential to bring hope and healing across all colors of skin by building innovative bridges between groups as they serve together.”

Smith has voluntarily “served as an unofficial neutral mediator between government officials and nonprofit leaders, First Nations Elders and young adults,” using the Rotary International

model to solve conflict. She has led a campaign to help prevent type 2 diabetes, organized the June 18-21 Great Dakota Homecoming and helped create Bdote Peace Park in Minnesota.

Visitation Robettes winners The robotics team from Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights, the Robettes, won the North Star Regional Tournament and will compete in St. Louis April 27-30 for the FIRST Robotics Championship. The competition, which started with 89 teams, currently has close to 20,000 teams of students from age 6 to 18 in the U.S. and more than 50 countries.

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“[I want] to give space in this prayer of the church to the voice of children and teens, who sometimes are offended, injured and exploited. Here I am referring not just to the cases of abuse that have been talked about so much, because the problem is much vaster and regards all humanity.”

— Mother Maria Rita Piccione, the cloistered Augustinian nun who has written the meditations for Pope Benedict XVI’s Way of the Cross service on Good Friday, April 22

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“For many, it represents the essence of the Christmas carol.

Church communities of various confessions have sung and played it, along with choirs and music groups, kindergartens and schools from one generation to the next, spreading worldwide the Christmas message of Christ’s birth.”

— Maria Walcher, director of the Austrian Commission of UNESCO, speaking about the carol “Silent Night,” which was recently added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in recognition of its role in fostering cultural diversity

“That such a desecration took place is reprehensible, but in itself it does not justify more reprehensible retaliatory acts of violence, most especially violence resulting in the loss of life.”

— Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, condemning the recent burning of a Quran by a Florida Protestant pastor and subsequent violence in the Middle East linked to the incident

“Hypocritical love is that which does good works without feeling, that shows off to the outside something that is not actually felt in the heart.”

— Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, papal preacher, in a Lenten meditation released by the Vatican April 8