The Catholic Spirit - May 26, 2011 by The Catholic Spirit Publishing Co.

Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Budget, marriage get attention at Legislature

The Catholic Spirit

May 26, 2011

Catholic cemeteries host Memorial Day Masses

11A TheCatholicSpirit.com

News with a Catholic heart

Meet our new priests Ordination Day 2011 10 a.m. • Saturday, May 28 Cathedral of St. Paul

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

From left, Deacons Cole Kracke, Nathan LaLiberte, Tony O’Neill, James Lannan and Jonathan Kelly are set to be ordained to the priesthood May 28. For stories about the men and the ordination, see the eight-page pull-out section in the center of this issue.

Catholic school welcomed into archdiocesan fold The Catholic Spirit It is official. Cedarcrest Academy in Maple Grove can proclaim its identity as a Roman Catholic school. “We’re ecstatic,” said Jason Slattery, Cedarcrest principal. “This has been something the school has desired for 15 years.” Martha Frauenheim, archdiocesan superintendent of Catholic schools, said a decree went out May 16 from Archbishop John Nienstedt declaring “that they were now recognized, not just as a school in the Catholic tradition, but they come into the fold as a private Catholic school in the archdiocese.” Slattery said Cedarcrest is grateful to Archbishop Nienstedt, Father Peter Laird, archdiocesan vicar general, and Frauenheim for all the work they did to help bring this process to fruition. PLEASE TURN TO SCHOOL ON PAGE 7A

MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Budgeting with the common good in mind

That They May All Be One Archbishop John C. Nienstedt

Catholic moral teaching should guide us in discussing difficult state and federal budgetary decisions

As I sit down to write this article, our state House and Senate stand ready to pass a budget for next year that the governor is sure to veto. The same kind of impasse is also being experienced in Washington, D.C., with no less willingness on the part of legislators to reach agreement on the fiscal year 2012 federal budget. Obviously, both sides of the aisle face very difficult choices about how to balance needs and resources as well as how to allocate burdens and sacrifices. It is absolutely necessary for our nation to address the long-term impact of deficits on the health and stability of the economy, but how we do that is equally important.

Principles to follow The “common good” would include such considerations as: fulfilling the demands of justice and moral obligations to future generations, controlling future debt and deficits, and protecting the lives and dignity of those who are poor and vulnerable. Catholic moral teachings inspire the following principles that should serve as a guide for our input in discussing difficult budgetary decisions: 1) Human life and dignity: Every budget decision should be assessed as to whether or not it protects or threatens human life and the dignity of persons; PLEASE TURN TO FAILURE ON PAGE 15A

The Catholic Spirit 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.

Archbishop’s schedule ■ Friday, May 27: 10 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Mass and blessing of chalices and lunch with ordinandi and their parents. 6:30 p.m., St. Paul, The St. Paul Seminary: Holy hour with seminarians. ■ Saturday, May 28: 10 a.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Priesthood ordination. ■ Monday, May 30: 10 a.m., Minneapolis, St. Mary’s Cemetery: Memorial Day Mass. ■ Tuesday, May 31: 2:15 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Meeting with Catholic Schools Commission co-chairs. 4 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: St. Thomas Academy board of trustees meeting. ■ Wednesday, June 1: 11 a.m., Duluth, Chancery: Minnesota Catholic Conference board meeting. 5:30 p.m., Chaska, Oak Ridge Conference Center: St. Catherine University board of trustees retreat. ■ Thursday, June 2: 7:30 a.m., Chaska, Oak Ridge Conference Center: St. Catherine University board of trustees retreat. 7:30 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: St. Thomas Academy commencement ceremony. ■ Saturday, June 4: Priesthood ordination in New Ulm, Minn. ■ Sunday, June 5: 2 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Confirmation. ■ Monday, June 6: 3 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: The Catholic Cemeteries board meeting. ■ Tuesday, June 7: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Scheduling meeting with staff. 1:30 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Archbishop’s cabinet meeting. 6 p.m., Minneapolis, Minikahda Club: Archbishop’s annual dinner with the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre. ■ Wednesday, June 8: 12 p.m., St. Paul, Private home: St. Paul’s Outreach’s Luncheon with the Archbishop. ■ Thursday, June 9: 11 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Priests’ jubilarian Mass and luncheon. 2 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Meeting with the liaison to Mission Network. 3:30 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Archdiocesan Finance Council meeting.

The New Generation of Appliance Specialists

Vol. 16 — No. 11 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT Publisher BOB ZYSKOWSKI Associate publisher

JOE TOWALSKI Editor

Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by Catholic Spirit Publishing Company. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year Senior 1-year: $24.95 To subscribe: (651) 291-4444 Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444 Classified advertising: (651) 290-1631 Published bi-weekly by the Catholic Spirit Publishing Company, a non-profit Minnesota Corporation, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102 (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. www.TheCatholicSpirit.com e-mail: catholicspirit@archspm.org USPS #093-580

Appointments Eleven priests get parish assignments Seven archdiocesan priests and four religious order priests have been given new assignments. St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis welcomed Father Hilary Nhuan Tran as associate priest on May 4 and will welcome Father Ignatius Nguyen Kinh as pastor, beginning June 5. Both priests are members of the Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix of Vietnam. The following assignments are all effective July 1. St. Mark and St. Mary in Shakopee and St. Mary of the Purification of Marystown will welcome associate priests Conventual Franciscan Father Thomas Merrill and Jesuit Father Thomas Boedy. Father Merrill’s assignment includes ministry to the Spanish-speaking community. He previously has served as pastor at Assumption in Richfield and at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul. Father Boedy has been in residence at St. Mark. Father Richard Banker, who has been serving at parishes in the Diocese of Duluth, will return to the archdiocese to serve as pastor of St. Rita in Cottage Grove. After his ordination in 1988, he served at St. Edward, in Bloomington, St. Michael in Prior Lake, St. Patrick in Oak Grove and St. Peter in Mendota. Father William Deziel, who has been serving as pastor of St. Rita in Cottage Grove since 2005, was named pastor of St. Peter in North St. Paul. He also has served at Pax Christi in Eden Prairie. Father Gerald Dvorak was appointed pastor of St. Peter in Richfield. He has been serving at St. Joseph in Hopkins. Since his ordination in 1979, he has served at the Cathedral of St. Paul; Holy Cross and Ss. Cyril and Methodius, both in Minneapolis, and St. Michael, West St. Paul. Father Daniel Griffith will serve as interim pastor of St. Edward in Bloomington. As pastor of St. Peter in North St. Paul, he oversaw the merger of Holy Redeemer with St. Peter. He also served at All Saints in Lakeville. Father Kevin Magner will become pastor of St. Jude of the Lake in Mahtomedi. He has been serving at Immaculate Conception in Lonsdale PLEASE TURN TO APPOINTMENTS ON PAGE 22A

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“Providing people with a place to live is not only the morally right thing to do, it makes good economic sense.” Tim Marx, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Local MAY 26, 2011

News from around the archdiocese

The Catholic Spirit

Hope for the homeless Catholic Charities to build new housing facility By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

As the City of Minneapolis picked up the pieces after a devastating tornado ravaged its northern portion May 22, Catholic Charities brought some much-needed good news to the area. On May 24, more than 100 supporters gathered to witness the groundbreaking of a new facility located about a mile from Target Field that will provide permanent housing and temporary shelter for low-income and vulnerable people. Called Higher Ground, the seven-story, $18 million housing facility will replace Catholic Charities Secure Waiting, an outdated shelter that opened 15 years ago as a temporary shelter for people who are homeless.

Bishop Lee Piché, right, joins Msgr. Jerome Boxleitner, director emeritus of Catholic Charities, seated, and others in a groundbreaking May 24 for Catholic Charities’ new housing facility and shelter, called Higher Ground, which is scheduled to be completed in summer 2012.

Innovative model The new facility is located on Glenwood Avenue in Minneapolis, and will be part of an existing Catholic Charities complex, which consists of the Glenwood and Evergreen complexes. Higher Ground will provide 336 units of shelter and housing, including 200 emergency and transitional beds. According to Tracy Berglund, Catholic Charities director of housing and emergency services, the facility will have 85 permanent housing units, with plans to move in people now using Secure Waiting. Construction is estimated to be completed in summer 2012. “It’s an innovative new model for moving folks out of shelter and into housing,” Berglund said. “We hope to move some very seriously mentally ill clients

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

from the [Secure Waiting] shelter into housing. They’re clients who have been with us for years and they have an opportunity to have a home of their own. “This building is a big deal. Clients will literally have the opportunity to move from the first floor shelter to the seventh floor efficiency units. . . . It’s just a higher quality of life. It’s the dignity that each person deserves.” Confirming that dignity was Bishop Lee Piché, who not only said a prayer at the start of the program, but quoted from a letter written to Catholic Charities by Archbishop John Nienstedt, who was invited to come but could not attend. “We applaud Catholic Charities for serving Christ in the least among us with this new housing and emergency shelter

program,” the archbishop said. “In addition to our prayers, the archdiocese is pleased to contribute $100,000 to support the construction of this project.”

Right thing to do The largest source of funding for the project was the State of Minnesota/Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, which provided $12.75 million. Hennepin County kicked in $2.145 million and Catholic Charities raised $2.346 million in private donations. “Providing people with a place to live is not only the morally right thing to do, it makes good economic sense,” said Tim Marx, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “This partnership between private

Do you like what you’re reading? Would you like to read more inspirational stories and stay in touch with what’s happening in the local Catholic community? You can — by becoming a regular subscriber to The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. For subscription information, please call 651-291-4444. And, don’t forget to visit us online at TheCatholicSpirit.com.

social services providers and government, private businesses and donors allows us to come together as a community, and demonstrates the good that comes when we focus on doing what’s right,” he said. Said Hennepin County commissioner Gail Dorfman: “Congratulations to Catholic Charities and the Community Housing Development Corporation for envisioning this innovative housing, shelter and supportive services model that will break the vicious and costly cycle of homelessness experienced by too many of our most vulnerable residents. “Higher Ground is about ending homelessness with compassion and expertise, creating a place where dignity is restored and hope renewed.”

Clarifications In appointments published May 12: ■ Father Rolf Tollefson’s assignment history should have included serving as spiritual director and formator at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul from 2004-present. He has also served as chaplain for the archdiocesan Outreach to Persons with Disabilities from 2008present. He was named pastor of St. Hubert in Chanhassen, effective July 1. ■ Father Kenneth O’Hotto’s assignment history should have included spast service at St. Dominic in Northfield and Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul. He was named pastor of St. Mary in Waverly, effective July 1. ■ Father Abraham George Kochupurackal’s assignment history mistakenly included St. Dominic in Northfield, Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul and St. Anne in Le Sueur. He was named pastor of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bloomington, effective July 1.

2010 WINNERS

Celebrating 100 years of publishing, The Catholic Spirit proudly announces the 10th annual Leading with Faith Awards

Nomination time! We are looking for folks like these, business owners, supervisors, anyone with management responsibilities who lives their faith in the work-a-day world. The Catholic Spirit kindly requests nominations for the 10th annual “Leading With Faith" Awards. Now is the time to nominate a Catholic manager, owner or business person for this prestigious award.

Presented by — PRESENTING SPONSOR — Available — PATRON SPONSOR — Available — SPONSOR — Available

AWARD CRITERIA REQUIREMENTS • Nominee must be employed currently in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. • Nominee must be an active member of his/her parish.

SUBMITTAL PROCESS:

Do it now: deadline is July 15 The 2011 awards will be presented to individuals who have influenced the workplace through business practices that reflect the teachings of Jesus Christ and his Church and who share of themselves in their parish and/or community. Business people will be honored in both large and small companies as well as leaders of nonprofit organizations.

Forms are also available online at TheCatholicSpirit.com. You will find a "Leading With Faith" nomination form with requirements and criteria the nominees must meet. Please duplicate blank forms and nominate individuals in any or all of the three categories: businesses with fewer than 50 employees; businesses with 50 or more employees; and nonprofit organizations. The more thorough the nomination, the better the chance of selection. If you have questions or to make reservations for the awards luncheon, contact Mary Gibbs at (651) 251-7709 or gibbsm@archspm.org.

WORKPLACE PRACTICES — USE ADDITIONAL PAPER (Note: This is the most important part of the nomination. If you do not work with the nominee, it may be helpful to talk with him/her or someone who works with him/her .) 1. List and describe examples that demonstrate the nominee's faith-based leadership. Examples might include treatment of employees and/or shareholders, value-based wages and benefits, role modeling, mentoring and others. 2. Describe an ethical dilemma the nominee has faced in his/her work environment and how he/she resolved the dilemma. 3. List major parish, archdiocesan and/or spiritually based non-church community organizations to which the nominee belongs. Identify leadership roles with each organization.

NOMINEE INFORMATION:

NOMINATOR INFORMATION:

Name: ________________________________________________

Mail or e-mail nominations to: Mary Gibbs The Catholic Spirit 244 Dayton Ave. St. Paul, MN 55102 or gibbsm@archspm.org

Parish: ________________________________________________

Title: __________________________________________________

Phone: ________________________________________________

Relationship to nominee: ________________________________

E-mail:_________________________________________________

Phone: ________________________________________________

Company name (note whether for-profit or nonprofit):

E-mail: ________________________________________________

Archbishop John Nienstedt will present the “Leading With Faith” Awards at a noon luncheon banquet on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011, in the Rauenhorst Hall Ballroom in the Coeur de Catherine building at St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul.

_______________________________________________________

Company contact information, if available:

Nominations must be submitted and postmarked by Friday, July 15, 2011.

_______________________________________________________

Number of employees: _____

_______________________________________________________

Job title: _______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

How long has nominee held that position?_________________

_____________________________________

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MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Concerns on state budget, gratitude for marriage bill Minnesota Catholic Conference continues work on priorities as special session looms The Catholic Spirit As state legislators appear headed to a special session to complete the unfinished business of passing a state budget, the Minnesota Catholic Conference is working to ensure that a final agreement meets the needs of the state’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens. In the meantime, it expressed gratitude to lawmakers who voted in favor of a marriage amendment bill that was among the MCC’s top legislative priorities.

Ready for dialogue “We are thankful to the Legislature for passing this amendment bill,” said Jason Adkins, executive director of the MCC, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota. “It is an opportunity to have a serious and respectful conversation about the future of marriage in our state, just as voters in 31 other states have been able to do. “I’m also grateful for the support of our bishops and the contributions of all Catholics who called their legislators and who showed up in a very tense environment at the Capitol to voice their prayerful and peaceful support of the marriage amendment,” he added. “Without their prayers and support, this may not have gotten done.” Following an emotional floor debate, the Minnesota House passed a measure May 21 by a vote of 70-62 that will put a state constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2012 to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The Senate has already passed the bill. The measure is not subject to a veto by the governor. Over the course of the next 18 months, the MCC and other amendment supporters will put together a plan to educate the

Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit

Above left: Maria Wallander of Hastings joined a crowd of hundreds that turned out to voice their opinions about the marriage amendment being debated in the Minnesota House May 19. Above right: Alison Rusche, 13, holds a sign during an event May 22 at the State Capitol where participants called for continued budget negotiations to preserve General Assistance and the Minnesota Family Investment Program.

public about the importance of the amendment and begin raising money to help get the message out, Adkins said.

Helping those in need On the topic of the state budget, lawmakers failed to reach agreement with Gov. Mark Dayton on a plan to fix a $5 billion shortfall before the end of the regular session last Monday. Now a special session looms to finish the job, but much remains uncertain. “No one knows when a special session is going to be called. No one knows how it is going to shake down. No one has guesses on what the final deal is going to be. Everything is very uncertain now,” said Katie Conlin, the MCC’s interim social concerns director. “At this point, what really needs to happen is that legislators need to hear from their constituents about what the

priorities should be and where the compromises should be made,” she said. The MCC is working to ensure that a final budget agreement protects the poor and disabled, Conlin said. More than 40,000 poor Minnesotans with disabilities and serious illnesses would be at risk of losing some or all of their assistance under a health and human services bill passed last week by the Legislature. The MCC is focusing its efforts on opposing cuts to General Assistance and the Minnesota Family Investment Program, Conlin said. The Legislature’s proposal would eliminate the GA program and cut support to those families on MFIP with disabled adult household members, according to the MCC. GA and its companion emergency programs would be replaced with an option for counties to set up adult assistance programs. This combined pro-

gram would be funded by a block grant totaling $20 million less than forecasted funding needs for the existing adult assistance programs. In order to qualify for GA, applicants must be unable to work. Individuals on GA receive $203 per month to cover housing and other basic needs. Some 19,000 Minnesotans on GA are unemployable adults with medically certified disabilities or illnesses, according to the MCC. GA demand has gone up in recent years due in part to the economic downturn. Many of the adults receiving GA are awaiting a decision on their application for federal disability benefits. The cut to MFIP families with disabled adults will result in a $50 reduction in monthly assistance for those families, the MCC said. MFIP grants already do not include funds for any family member receiving federal disability benefits. The MCC said other budget balancing options, such as ending corporate subsidies and unnecessary tax breaks, should be considered before programs that help provide basic needs for the poor and disabled are eliminated or cut.

Other issues ■ Education: The MCC is supporting a scholarship program for low-income families and a tuition tax credit proposal (see “Faith in the Public Arena” column, below). ■ Abortion: The MCC supported a bill that would prohibit abortion after 20 weeks gestation as well as a proposal to eliminate state taxpayer funding of abortion. The education and abortion proposals have passed through the Legislature and, as this edition of The Catholic Spirit went to press, were awaiting action by the governor. If vetoed, the measures could resurface during the special session. Adkins encourages Catholics to contact their legislators and the governor to voice their views on all of these issues, especially to thank those who voted for the marriage amendment. For updated information about any of these issues, visit the MCC website at WWW.MNCC.ORG, where you can also sign up for action alerts from the Minnesota Catholic Advocacy Network (MNCAN).

Families voice support for parental choice in education bills ast Monday was the final day of the 2011 regular session of the Minnesota Legislature with lawmakers and the governor at a virtual impasse regarding finance and revenue bills. While we are fortunate that two parental choice in education bills have survived to this point, their prospects for passage are nil because they are contained in omnibus bills that are certain to be vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton by the time this article goes to print.

Faith in the Public Arena Peter Noll

The enrollment-options program in the Omnibus Education Finance Bill is a limited scholarship program for families of modest means. To qualify, a low-income family must be enrolled in a persistently under-performing public school in a city of the first class (i.e., Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth). Under this program, a student is awarded a scholarship based on the average per pupil revenue or the cost of private school tuition, whichever is the lesser amount. The second measure in the Omnibus Tax Bill would add private-school tuition as an eligible credit to the Minnesota K-12 Education Tax Credit and Subtraction

program. Under this measure, low-income families would receive a 75 percent tax credit or refund of up to $1,000 per child for tuition paid to a private K-12 school.

Offering support The Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) testified in support of these measures and shepherded them through the legislative process. During a special session, we will continue to attempt to have these measures passed into law. In order to find out the true impact these measures would have on Minnesota families, we elicited comments from some Catholic school parents. A northeast Minneapolis parent wrote that he and his wife “strongly support the efforts to provide an enrollment-options scholarship program that would help to support immigrant, minority and low-income families in the inner-cities with the means to attain educational excellence for their children. Expanding the tuition tax credit to add nonpublic education would further increase access and availability to parents and children seeking an improvement in educational options and outcomes.”

A single parent from Ramsey County wrote: “When considering a school for my son, I did not like the choices of the public schools in my area. School choice means giving parents the power and opportunity to choose the school that best meets the needs of their child. School choice allows for better and more abundant educational opportunities for lower-income families, not just those who can afford them.” Another school parent endorsed these school choice bills by stating that “despite the hardship of paying for our children’s education, [enrolling in a Catholic school] was worth the sacrifice. I would highly support a voucher system if that system would afford our more socio-economically challenged families to benefit from a private education and all that comes with a small learning community.” Our Minnesota Catholic bishops’ support of these measures is rooted in the principle, grounded in Catholic social teaching, that the family is the central social institution, and that parents are primarily responsible for equipping their children with the knowledge PLEASE TURN TO PROPOSALS ON PAGE 7A

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 26, 2011

Institute grads set to share new understanding of faith By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

Previously, Linda Harmon and her family didn’t attend Mass regularly because they lacked a connection to the faith, a view she thinks many Catholics share. “If you have to get up and go to church and you don’t have a clue what it’s about, you don’t go to church,” she said. Two years ago, when she wanted to understand the Catholic faith, Harmon asked her pastor, Father Michael Skluzacek, if she could participate in the RCIA program at her parish, St. John the Baptist in New Brighton. Father Skluzacek instead pointed her toward the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute, a two-year program for Catholic adults in the archdiocese seeking deeper knowledge of their faith through study based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Harmon and the other 94 members of the institute’s second class, who graduated on May 15, are finding that they’ve gained an understanding of the faith that’s not only changing their lives but also their families, parishes and other relationships — and they want to share what they’ve learned.

A sense of mission “One of the most refreshing things about the [institute] is people are going out with a sense of mission and that they do have a responsibility to tell people about the message of Jesus Christ,” said Jeff Cavins, institute director With the graduation of the class of St. John Vianney, and the start of the new

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Linda Harmon, center, discusses parish finances with Father Michael Skluzacek, left, and parish administrator Alan Foley at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton.

class named for Blessed John Paul II this fall, institute leaders plan to better gauge how graduates’ new understanding of the faith is impacting their lives and continue offering formation, Cavins said. They are also adding instructors while maintaining the program’s curriculum, which “goes through our faith in an organic and systematic way,” he said. This year, 15 seminarians from St. Paul Seminary took the course as part of their seminary curriculum, and they and the lay students benefitted from the interaction, Cavins said. Getting to know Catholics at different points in their faith journey helps in learning how to minister to the laity, said Arthur Roraff, a pre-theology II seminarian studying for the Anchorage, Alaska,

archdiocese. “I learned where they are, why they’re in the program, what they’re learning, what seems to resonate with them.” The institute gave Bill McLeod a better picture of Catholicism, he said. “This class filled in all the holes, all the gray areas so solidly,” said the Holy Spirit parishioner who has applied for the diaconate program. “It just lit a fire. I couldn’t feed the fire enough.”

A family project McLeod took the course with his mother, Barb, and one of his brothers. Study sessions with her sons offered St. Francis de Sales-St. James parishioner Barb McLeod a chance to discuss faith with them and later with her grand-

children. “To be able to be with my grown children and have a dialogue and all three equally sharing ideas . . . in an adult conversation is extremely satisfying,” she said. Harmon’s family life also has benefitted. She said her husband and two children now attend Mass every weekend and she’s helped her children learn some of what she didn’t understand growing up. Bill McLeod found the program’s instruction on prayer rewarding, noting that his prayer, personally and with his family, has evolved. Barb McLeod added that her husband has begun praying the Liturgy of the Hours with her. Along with seeing her family get more involved, Harmon has become an active parish volunteer since starting at the institute, participating in eucharistic adoration, the parish finance council and leading programs. Institute students and graduates are impacting their parishes in many ways, Cavins said. “We’re getting a lot of students who are saying, ‘I was teaching RCIA in our parish. Now I really think I have a much better grasp of the content that I need to be passing on to people.’” Because of her passion for the program, Harmon isn’t hesitating to tell people about the faith and the institute. “I don’t want people to have the same experience I had,” she said. “I would like them to find their way home a lot sooner than I did.” To register for the institute’s fall session, visit WWW.STTHOMAS.EDU/SPSSOD and search for “catechetical institute.”

St. Andrew parishioners soon to meld into Maternity of the Blessed Virgin By Pat Norby The Catholic Spirit

For Kate Konkol, the most difficult aspect of St. Andrew in St. Paul closing is her concern for those who have been parishioners for 50 years and more. The last Mass at St. Andrew, which will Strategic Planning merge into Maternity of the Blessed Virgin in St. Paul, is set for 10 a.m. Sunday, June 12. “My husband and I bought our home just up the street from St. UPDATE Andrew just because of the parish,” said Konkol, who has served as co-chair with Dick Forliti of Maternity of the Blessed Virgin (also known as Maternity of Mary) on the parishes’ Transitional Leadership Coordinating Committee. The archdiocesan Strategic Plan calls for the formation of such committees at merging parishes. “We’re very attached to these folks. It’s a small parish and you get to know people really well,” Konkol said. “I understand these are difficult decisions and I appreciate that the archdiocese had to make these decisions . . . but I worry about what’s lost.” When the archdiocese announced its Strategic Plan Oct. 18, 2010, news of the merger of St. Andrew and its 250-plus families with Maternity of the Blessed Virgin and its 950-family parish was published in the secular media before the

pastors were able to talk with parishioners, Konkol said. “That just made our job with the TLCC harder,” she said. “I think everyone can, in their head, understand, but sometimes it’s a little hard on the heart.” Konkol said the merger announcement was made more difficult by the planned reassignments of both St. Andrew’s pastor, Father Mark Juettner, and Maternity of the Blessed Virgin’s pastor, Father Peter Williams. “We were fortunate that [the archdiocese] realized that [reassigning Father Williams] was not the best solution,” she said. “Father Williams is loved at Maternity and he has become loved by the St. Andrew’s parishioners. The man has worked tirelessly to bridge the two parishes,” which he now pastors. Father Williams praised the TLCC members for representing both parishes. The Maternity of the Blessed Virgin campus was the “natural choice” in terms of parking and seating capacity, Father Williams said. But he acknowledged the physical and emotional adjustments for St. Andrew parishioners, many of whom are elderly. So, over the past six months, he spent more time with the people at St. Andrew. “I felt it was hard for them to come into a new church that’s much bigger, has a different feel, the altar is farther back. Now they don’t know where to sit,” he said. “If there is a personal connection with the people and the pastor, that can go a long way.” The TLCC members — four from

Maternity of the Blessed Virgin and five from St. Andrew — planned a variety of events, such as a mission, soup suppers and senior breakfasts, at St. Andrew at the same time it gradually discontinued all except the 10 a.m. Mass at the site. “I think the gradual change was good,” said Forliti, who attended St. Andrew parish with his parents, who were members for 70 years, and his four brothers, including Father John Forliti, who will join Bishop Lee Piché and other former pastors for the last Mass. “I will be sad that it is closing,” he said. Forliti, a parishioner at Maternity for more than 35 years, credits Father Williams with keeping people in both parishes informed with bulletin inserts and included in decision-making.

Looking toward the future “I’ve tried to respect the people and do it in a way that is transparent and, hopefully, to keep as many people from St. Andrew’s on board into the future as we can,” said Father Williams. “I’ve had people come to me and say, ‘Father, I am coming to Maternity of Mary, but I’m going to keep going to St. Andrew until the last Mass.’” Yet to be determined after the church closes are what artifacts will be incorporated into Maternity of the Blessed Virgin. Certain things must be removed, such as the altar, tabernacle, sacred vessels and Stations of the Cross, Father Williams said. They also will take the St. Andrew statue and some stained-glass windows,

Last Masses St. Andrew finalé The final Mass at St. Andrew will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 12, at 1051 Como Ave., St. Paul, before the parish merges into Maternity of the Blessed Virgin in St. Paul. Immediately after the Mass, a reception will take place at Maternity of the Blessed Virgin, 1414 Dale St. All former and current parishioners are encouraged to attend the Mass and reception.

Welcoming St. Philip The final Mass at St. Philip in Minneapolis will be celebrated at noon Sunday, June 5, at 2507 Bryant Ave. N., before the parish merges with nearby Ascension parish. After the Mass, parishioners will process to Ascension Church, 1723 Bryant Ave. N., for a welcoming reception and celebration of the feast of the Ascension. All former and current parishioners are encouraged to attend the Mass and reception.

including the Last Supper, which appears on this year’s vocation poster. Father Williams was the archdiocesan vocation director when the poster was created. Although merging the two parishes has been challenging, Father Williams said he has grown through the process. “It’s also been a privilege,” he said. “I really see the Lord at work in all this.”

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MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Christian singers perform in Maple Grove Singer and songwriter Sarah Hart shares a laugh with fellow musicians Steve Angrisano and Jesse Manibusan during their concert at St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove May 20. The concert, sponsored by Relevant Radio and The Catholic Spirit, was followed by a youth rally May 21 at the parish. Jim Bovin / For The Catholic Spirit

Parish trustees called on to assist pastors By Julie Carroll The Catholic Spirit

Did you know that your parish is a corporation, legally speaking, and that it has a board of directors? Hundreds of parish trustees from throughout the archdiocese recently attended gatherings to learn about their role as parish board members. The archdiocese held the gatherings as many parishes begin proceedings to merge or cluster according to the archdiocese’s Strategic Plan, released last October. “Canon law specifies that the pastor is entrusted with both the spiritual and temporal affairs of a parish and the archbishop entrusts to him the pastoral care of that community. But in doing that, he needs to operate oftentimes in the secular world, and the way we do that is through a corporate structure,” Andy Eisenzimmer, archdiocesan chancellor for civil affairs, said at Our Lady of Grace in Edina May 13. It was the third of three gatherings held at different locations. At the Edina gathering, Father Peter Laird, archdiocesan vicar general, gave an overview of the Strategic Plan, Eisenzimmer spoke about the role of parish trustees, and John Bierbaum, archdiocesan chief financial officer, discussed parish finances and operations. “There are challenges that all of our pastors face,”

Eisenzimmer told The Catholic Spirit. “Financial challenges are obviously among them, but they face a variety of challenges in operating a viable parish. We believe that trustees can play a significant role in assisting pastors in meeting those challenges. “So what we really wanted to do was engage our trustees to step up and better communicate what our expectations are in terms of how they might help their pastors,” he added.

Role of the board In a “religious parish corporation,” five members comprise the board of directors. By virtue of their office, the archbishop, vicar general and pastor are automatic members of the corporation. The archbishop is the president of the corporation, and the pastor is the vice president. In addition, two lay members of the parish — called trustees — are appointed by the ex officio members to serve as treasurer and secretary. “The trustees are the members and officers of the civil corporation registered with the state. Their role fulfills civil statute requirements,” according to a handbook distributed at the gatherings. Trustees typically serve for two years or until their successors are appointed. “One of the things that we expect of trustees is that,

along with the other members of the board of directors, they’ll consult with the parish council on matters pertaining to the pastoral care of the parish,” Eisenzimmer said. “But the pastoral council itself has no legal vote in the transaction of business,” he added. “The business of the parish corporation is conducted by the members who make up the board of directors.” The board of directors provides financial reports at least once a year to the parish congregation. It is the treasurer’s job to work with the vice president (pastor) to “provide for the orderly receiving, accounting and dispersing of all funds belonging to the parish corporation,” according to the bylaws. The secretary’s responsibility is to notify the directors of meetings and keep the minutes of the meetings. The archdiocese also asks trustees to assist with ensuring that their parishes are in compliance with the U.S. bishops’ 2002 “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” Bierbaum said. “The main thrust of [a parish trustee’s responsibilities] is to watch over the finances of the parish, make sure the corporation is doing right for the overall parish, and report to the archdiocese that everything is well,” said Joe Tomas, who attended the Edina gathering. Tomas has served as a trustee at Holy Cross in Minneapolis for 25 years.

School to celebrate new status at upcoming Mass CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A “We had to spend some time demonstrating not only our institutional viability, but, perhaps even more so, our fidelity,” Slattery said. “The bishop is right in ensuring there is a process in place that clearly demonstrates how an institution has those qualities.” Frauenheim said school leaders were willing to do whatever was being asked to move toward the goal. Slattery said the process to obtain Catholic identity included: ■ Demonstrating that the school met the standards for Catholic identity. ■ Demonstrating that faculty and staff lived those standards in a clear and manifest way. ■ Making sure that the school’s policies and procedures were in line with the archdiocese.

■ Demonstrating how the school works with local parishes, pastors and faith communities in the northwest metro to serve a need. Frauenheim said she met with school representatives to talk about the criteria. “We’ve had a lot of meetings as some of those governance issues had to be put in place,” she said. A few things couldn’t be completed until the school was named Catholic, such as going through the Protection of Children and Youth Initiative training process, she added. However, Cedarcrest Academy was willing to do that as soon as it was available to them. Although Cedarcrest Academy currently leases space from two Protestant churches in Maple Grove for 175 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, Slattery expects that situation to change in the near future. “We have approximately 40 acres of

buildable land on Bass Lake Road, which we’ve owned since 2004, and our intention is to move forward with a prekindergarten through eighth-grade campus,” he said. “We’ve been holding off on construction until we could clarify this question of the Catholic title. I can’t give a definitive schedule, but I am hoping we will move forward with the public capital campaign in fall 2011.” Cedarcrest Academy will celebrate its new status during a Mass at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 27, at 6950 W. Fish Lake Road, Maple Grove. “We’ll have Mass here in the chapel and an outdoor procession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a crowning at the end,” he said. For more about Cedarcrest Academy, visit the website WWW.CEDARCREST.ORG or call Kristen Basgall at (763) 494-5387.

Proposals recognize parents’ education role CONTINIUED FROM PAGE 5A and skills necessary for success in life. Political institutions should craft just and fair legislation that provides access to basic necessities, such as a quality education of the parents’ choosing. While not a panacea, parental choice in education programs move in the direction of promoting social and economic justice. When a special session is called, we will work diligently to promote both these school choice measures because we believe parents and students will be the beneficiaries of enhanced access to the array of educational programs. Peter Noll is education director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota.

Local

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 26, 2011

Hastings parish benefiting from new stewardship tools

Twenty more parishes exceed their Appeal goal Twenty more parishes have gone over their 2011 Catholic Services Appeal goal for the year, bringing the total number of parishes within the archdiocese exceeding their 2011 CSA goal to 45.

New online resource will soon be available to all parishes in archdiocese

The 20 new parishes are:

By Dianne Towalski The Catholic Spirit

Members of the stewardship commission at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings have wanted to expand their efforts at the parish for a long time. But they didn’t want to “reinvent the wheel” when it came to stewardship resources and tools. They knew such resources were likely out there to draw from, they just didn’t know where to find them. Now they do. The archdiocesan Office of Development and Stewardship will launch a new website soon featuring a stewardship tool kit that will help all the parishes in the archdiocese enhance their efforts to nurture stewardship as a way of life. The website will include information for parishes about the role of the pastor in a stewardship plan, the role of a stewardship committee, how to form a committee and recruit members, and even a timeline for a commitment season. Some of the more concrete tools available on the site will be sample commitment cards, pastor letters, posters and thank you cards — all customizable to each particular parish. Ideas for promoting ministries in the parish and sponsoring a ministry fair are also included.

Adapting for use After meeting with Mike Halloran, director of the Office of Development and Stewardship, staff at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton have begun using some of the tools that will be included on the new website. “We met for coffee and I really started to become aware of all the resources he is making available to us at this time,” said Tony Mailhot, chair of the stewardship commission at the parish. Using some of the material, Mailhot created a new job description for the volunteer members of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s stewardship commission. The parish also is using the tool kit’s guidelines to recruit new members for its commission. “It adapts to each individual parish very well and would work for a smaller parish of about 200 families up to the size of our parish of 3,000,” said Faith Siebenaler, coordinator of stewardship and communications at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Upcoming workshops ■ Monday, June 6, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Lumen Christi, 2055 Bohland Ave., St. Paul. ■ Tuesday, June 7, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Pax Christi, 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie. ■ Wednesday, June 8, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Holy Name of Jesus, 155 County Road 24, Medina. ■ Thursday, June 9, 6 to 7:30 p.m., St. Odilia, 3495 Victoria St. N., Shoreview. ■ Monday, June 13, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Patrick, 3535 72nd St. E., Inver Grove Heights. A light meal will be included at all of the workshops.

Parishes that previously exceeded their goal are:

More online View a companion video to this story at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM.

“What’s really neat about [the kit] is you can go in, customize it, personalize it and it’s yours.

”

MIKE HALLORAN Office of Development and Stewardship

Siebenaler is also looking forward to workshops, organized by the archdiocesan stewardship office (see box), that are scheduled next month around the archdiocese to help familiarize parish staffs with the tools that will be available in the tool kit. “We’ll all be working together, getting ideas from one another and growing from there,” she said. Halloran added, “All the tools, from formative to practical, are included in the kit. So really everything from identifying and forming a stewardship committee to asking for a gift to your parish is all contained there. But what’s really neat about it is you can go in, customize it, personalize it and it’s yours.”

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St. Vincent de Paul, St. Paul St. Patrick, Jordan St. Thomas the Apostle, Corcoran Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Minneapolis St. Anne, Hamel St. Peter, Mendota St. Joseph, West St. Paul St. Francis of Assisi, Lakeland Holy Family, St. Louis Park St. Patrick, Faribault St. Margaret Mary, Golden Valley St. Patrick, Edina Our Lady of Grace, Edina St. Francis Xavier, Taylors Falls St. Pius V, Cannon Falls St. Paul, Zumbrota St. Nicholas, New Market St. Michael, Prior Lake St. Paul, Ham Lake Guardian Angels, Chaska St. Charles, Bayport St. John the Baptist, Hugo St. Bridget of Sweden, Lindstrom St. Joseph, Taylors Falls Lumen Christi, St. Paul St. Cecilia, St. Paul Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Paul St. Rose of Lima, Roseville St. Louis, King of France, St. Paul St. James, St. Paul St. Agnes, St. Paul Sacred Heart, St. Paul St. John of St. Paul, St. Paul St. Odilia, Shoreview St. John Vianney, South St. Paul St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Hastings St. Henry, LeSueur Nativity, Madison Lake St. John the Baptist, Savage Most Holy Trinity, St. Louis Park Good Shepherd, Golden Valley St. Nicholas, Carver St. Joseph, Waconia St. John the Baptist, Dayton St. Katharine Drexel, Ramsey The Catholic Services Appeal has now reached more than $7.9 million dollars in pledges for the 2011 campaign. If you would like to make a pledge/gift to the appeal, please go to WWW.ARCHSPM.ORG/APPEAL to donate online; if you have questions, contact the Development and Stewardship Office at (651) 290-1610.

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Local

MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Falling enrollment can’t sustain Loretto parish school The Catholic Spirit The Academy of Ss. Peter and Paul in Loretto will close at the end of this school year, the pastor and trustees of Ss. Peter and Paul parish announced in a May 13 letter to parishioners and school parents. “As you know, our school has experienced declining enrollment since 2002,” wrote Father John Gallas and trustees Doug Doboszenski and Shaun Irwin. “This winter we underwent the urgent review and established a concrete enrollment goal to ensure viability for the future. This spring it became evident that we were likely to miss that goal by a wide margin.” The preK-8th-grade academy was among those schools included in the archdiocese’s urgent review process announced last October. As a result of

this process, school leaders set a final deadline of May 6 to reach a minimum enrollment goal for the 2011-2012 school year of 96 students, according to a statement from the archdiocese. The school was not able to reach the goal, despite a marketing and recruiting campaign, the statement said. At the deadline, 68 preK-8th-grade students were enrolled for the next school year, according to the archdiocese. If the school entered the next academic year with its current numbers, it would not be able to pay its bills, the letter said, adding that the parish, which “carried the financial burden of the school for many years,” could not do so any more.

Recommendation accepted Consequently, the pastor and trustees recommended to Archbishop John Nienstedt that the school close, and he

accepted the recommendation. “This is a heavy loss,” the letter said. “The school means a great deal to so many. In recent years, innumerable efforts have been put forth to strengthen, enlarge and market the school. An endless stream of prayers has risen from our church at holy Mass, from our perpetual adoration chapel and from the homes in this community. But in this case, we did not receive what we were hoping for.” The academy began the urgent review process in October with the forming of a local school task force. The local task force engaged in an analysis and review of data related to financial management, academic quality, Catholic identity and advancement (marketing, development), as outlined in the archdiocesan strategic plan under the criteria for viable schools, the archdiocesan statement said. The

urgent review process included an open meeting with school families and other stakeholders at the school during which the local task force detailed the status of the school as it related to each of the viability criteria. Ss. Peter and Paul remains committed to the education of its children, the letter to parishioners and school parents said. The parish had a meeting for school parents May 19 to connect them with area Catholic schools, which had representatives in attendance. Representatives from the archdiocese were also present to answer questions. The parish will continue to designate a portion of its offertory for the education of its children by using it for tuition vouchers to support parishioners who choose to send their children to Catholic schools, the letter noted.

Nearby Catholic schools work to accommodate San Miguel students By Zachary Bartholomew

Next year and beyond

For The Catholic Spirit

Sometimes the smallest details are what highlight the largest changes. For the students of San Miguel Middle School of Minneapolis, which is closing at the end of this school year, one of those details is a simple handshake. “We’ve really tried to build and reinforce a culture here, a collection of best practices,” said San Miguel president and co-founder Benjamin Murray. “The kids shake hands with myself, [the principal], and their teachers each morning so that by the time they are sitting in their first class, they have already formally greeted adults three times. It’s the biggest thing they notice missing when they tour their new, prospective schools.” San Miguel announced in January that it would close after an extensive internal review. Two other Catholic schools — St. Joseph in Red Wing and St. Mathias in Hampton — also announced in January they would be closing (read the story at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM). The Academy of Sts. Peter and Paul in Loretto also recently announced it is closing at the end of this academic year (see story, above). San Miguel Middle School, which is independently administered by the DeLaSalle Christian Brothers, faces a large budget shortfall. “To continue beyond June 2011 would have required massive budget cuts and a loss of teachers, compromising our ability to meet our students’ needs. And we felt that would be unacceptable,” said Murray, who worked closely with the school’s board.

Celebrating progress San Miguel was founded in 2000 with a class of 11 students. At the time, the high school graduation rate for Latino youth in Minneapolis was 39 percent, Murray said. The school was founded with this in mind, and tailored its instruction to help the youth. Ninety to 95 percent of the school’s funding came from private philanthropy. In 2002, the school restructured and professionalized its staff, hired as principal Sister Mary Willette, a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and continued to refine curriculum based in the Lasallian tradition.

About half of the San Miguel sixthand seventh-graders will continue in Catholic schools and several eighthgraders will join other graduates at Catholic high schools. They are listed with the number of San Miguel students and graduates enrolled. ■ Risen Christ School, Minneapolis (20) ■ Blessed Trinity Catholic School, Richfield (2) ■ Ascension School, Minneapolis (1) ■ Pope John Paul II Catholic School, Minneapolis (1) ■ St. Alphonsus School, Brooklyn Center (1) ■ St. Helena Catholic School, Minneapolis (1) High schools ■ DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis (10) ■ Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Minneapolis (10) ■ Academy of Holy Angels, Richfield (2) ■ Totino-Grace High School, Fridley (1)

under the Legacy Grant would follow our students to other Catholic schools.”

Jim Bovin / For the Catholic Spirit

Teacher Andrew Brandt discusses the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” with his eighth-grade language arts class at San Miguel Middle School in Minneapolis.

Sister Mary said she came to San Miguel with a specific goal in mind. “I’ve been teaching since 1969, but when I came here I wanted to reach a population with significant need.” San Miguel subsequently raised its graduation rate to 90 percent. Students experienced extended school days, small class sizes, free or reduced price breakfast and lunches, and field trips to area colleges and universities. “Some of our students come from families where the highest education level is eighth grade,” Murray said. “We visit different campuses each year with every student so the idea of college becomes more and more real to them over their time here.”

Toward the future Since the closing announcement, Sister Mary and Marcela Rojas, the school secretary, have worked closely with each family to select new schools for next year. Murray said the support of other area Catholic schools and the archdiocese in this process has been critical. “Many of our families desire a Catholic education for their children yet are unable to afford the full cost of tuition,” he said. “Neighboring Catholic schools were proactive in contacting us and offering to do what they can to ensure that a Catholic education was accessible to our students. The archdiocese also committed that student aid previously received

The school’s administration has also hosted workshops for its staff on resume writing and interviewing. On May 12, San Miguel held its final Fiesta Para Los Niños, an event hosted at Chino Latino in Minneapolis and hosted by the restaurant’s owner, Pete Mihajlov. Mihajlov joined other alumni of Christian Brothers schools to issue a $10,000 challenge grant called “Bridge to the Future.” The grant helped secure a total of $20,000 to provide San Miguel students with summer school materials and tuition assistance for those continuing in Catholic schools for next fall. “Our mission has always been a partnership to transform lives through education,” Murray said. “Our work would simply not have been possible without the generous financial support and volunteer service of so many who shared in our vision of hope of educational achievement in the Lasallian tradition.”

“The purpose of all war is ultimately peace.” St. Augustine

Memorial Day 10A

The Catholic Spirit

A Catholic Spirit special section

MAY 26, 2011

Art Project depicts role of military in nation’s history By Nikki Rajala

Memorial Day program

For The Catholic Spirit

Gordon Gerling hoped to kindle a spark — to inspire the right person to paint a historic memorial for veterans. By contacting Charles Kapsner, a Little Falls native known for his frescoes, drawings and oil paintings, Gerling said, “More than a spark, I discovered I’d lit a blowtorch.” Gerling, a former state legislator from Little Falls and Air Force veteran, recognized a specific need at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery north of Little Falls. “I wanted something that portrayed how democracy has been preserved and protected,” he said, “something educational to help future generations understand our history and the role our military played in maintaining freedom and democracy.” With Kapsner’s artistry and the enthusiasm of local and state veterans’ leaders, Gerling’s vision is becoming reality. The Veterans Art Project — five original oil paintings, each 8 by 10 feet, depicting the histories of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard/Merchant Marine — will be permanently installed at the Committal Hall of the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery.

Faces of freedom The first painting tells the story of the Army from 1775 — the founding of the Continental Army — to the present, Kapsner said. A Vietnam-era solider kneels in the front center. Also among the 22 figures depicted in the painting are: Washington crossing

When: Sunday, May 29; 1:30 p.m. patriotic songs played by Richfield Symphonic Band; 2 p.m. program, with retired Major General Larry Shellito as main speaker. Where: Seven miles north of Little Falls on MN 371, then west on MN 115 (Camp Ripley junction). Follow brown signs to cemetery; traffic will be directed.

Bill Vossler for The Catholic Spirit

Charles Kapsner, Little Falls artist, describes the figures in his oil painting, which tell of the Army’s role in our nation’s history. It is part of the Veterans Art Project, the first of five original paintings depicting the histories of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard/Merchant Marine that will be permanently installed at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery.

the Delaware, a cannon team with Molly Pitcher, the first woman ever compensated by the U.S. government for military service; a World War I doughboy; soldiers from World War II, the Korean War and Desert Storm; and a homeless veteran, pointing to issues faced by some of those returning from war. Minnesota’s unique contributions are included, Kapsner said, in Fort Snelling, a black-and-red uniformed Minnesota militiaman carrying a historic Civil War flag, a Red Bulls symbol, and, discussing democracy with Thomas Paine, Gerling, wearing modern clothes.

“An eagle staff affirms Native Americans,” Kapsner said. Minnesota will be represented in each painting, as well as various ethnic groups and women. The details in the painting, down to the uniform buttons, are accurate. Kapsner, who loves history, has sought out top military sources, immersed himself in research, traveled to museums, consulted collectors, hired re-enactors and posed models in period uniforms. “This project takes in all aspects of my 35-year career,” said Kapsner, a member of St. Mary Parish in Little Falls. “The paintings tell a story with serious

implications for everyone — all of us know or have been touched by someone who’s been in the military,” he said. “The project pays homage to men and women who’ve served and the sacrifices they’ve endured.” Extensive research, initial sketches and drawing the whole composition consumed nearly one year, and Kapsner began the actual painting of the canvas only a few months ago. Most of the paintings will take eight to nine months each, start to finish, he said. The partially-completed first painting will be displayed at a May 29 Memorial Day program at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery north of Little Falls (see sidebar above), with small oil sketches of the complete series hanging on other walls of the Committal Building. After May 29, the painting will be moved to Kapsner’s studio, and his goal is to complete it by early fall. The project will cost about $495,000 and take four to five years. It has received more than $100,000 so far and all monies go directly to the project.

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Memorial Day

MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Catholic cemeteries host Memorial Day Masses The following Catholic cemeteries in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will have extended hours throughout the Memorial Day weekend: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 28; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 29; and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, May 30. Memorial Day Masses are scheduled for 10 a.m. May 30 at the following cemeteries, with refreshments served after the Masses (alternative rain sites noted):

Calvary Cemetery 753 Front Ave., St. Paul. Rain or shine at Calvary with Father Kevin McDonough, pastor of St. Peter Claver in St. Paul and Sagrado Corazón de Jesús in Minneapolis.

Resurrection Cemetery 2101 S. Lexington Ave., Mendota Heights. Rain or shine at Resurrection with Archbishop Harry Flynn, archbishop emeritus of St. Paul-Minneapolis. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 6690. American Legion, Hamline Post No. 418.

St. Mary’s Cemetery 4403 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis, with Archbishop John Nienstedt, archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis.

Knights of Columbus Council No. 435. American Legion Post 345. 1st & 2nd Minnesota Volunteers. In case of rain, the Mass will be celebrated at Holy Name, 3637 11th Ave. S., Minneapolis.

St. Anthony’s Cemetery 2729 Central Ave. N.E., Minneapolis, with Father Earl Simonson, pastor of St. Clement in Minneapolis. 4th Degree Knights of Columbus. Good Shepherd Assembly, Fridley. In case of rain, the Mass will be celebrated at St. Clement, 911 24th Ave. N.E.

Gethsemane Cemetery 8151 42nd Ave. N., New Hope. Rain or shine at Gethsemane with Bishop Lee A. Piché, auxiliary bishop of St. PaulMinneapolis. Honor Guard, 4th Degree Knights of Columbus. American Legion Post No. 251. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 494.

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12A

Memorial Day

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 26, 2011

Newark archdiocese to unveil 9/11 memorial monument Catholic Cemeteries in the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., will unveil an outdoor memorial monument, honoring the heroes of Sept. 11, 2001, immediately following a Memorial Day Mass on Monday, May 30. The representation of the twin towers, artistically depicted in steel, stone, stained glass and titanium, will honor those who lost their lives that day and also the many people who came to the aid of others during and after the tragedy. Although the memorial will reside in New Jersey, it was designed to serve as a national symbol of remembrance for a tragedy that brought together the country. “There were two kinds of sacrifice during the 9/11 tragedy, the sacrifice of the innocent and the sacrifice of oneself for others,” said Andrew Schafer, Catholic Cemeteries executive director. “The intent of this memorial is to offer peace and a place of prayer on sacred ground for everyone who was affected by this tragedy.” The site is situated in the cemetery’s “9/11” section, where victims of the terrorist attack are interred, along with police officers, firefighters and U.S. sol-

Four photo montages are located at the base of the memorial and contain more than 40 images depicting scenes from the 9/11 tragedy. The entire structure of the memorial is situated at the apex of a wide footpath that takes the shape of the Christian cross and was made with original pavers from the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.

diers. The memorial site is situated on a hill that offers a view of the lower Manhattan skyline, where the World Trade Center’s twin towers once stood.

Design reflects faith The 9/11 memorial, designed by New Jersey artist Bronna Butler, features two 20-foot-tall steel towers, three Bible verses and four titanium panels of photo montages. Fixed between the towers of the memorial is a Christian cross, which symbolizes the heroism and ongoing faith amidst the devastation of the 9/11 attacks.

The 9/11 memorial will first be shown at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, N.J., during a brief and simple unveiling at the cemetery’s annual Memorial Day Mass. On Sept. 11, a full Mass will be celebrated at Holy Cross Cemetery, where first responders, survivors, dignitaries, government officials and fellow parishioners will gather to remember and pray for the fallen victims. During that ceremony, Newark Archbishop John Myers will officially bless the memorial, marking the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. For more information, visit WWW.RCAN or call Holy Cross Cemetery at (201) 997-1900.

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“Our being Catholic should become a unique and original way of living the challenges that face every family.” Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan speaking on plans for the World Meeting of Families in Milan May 30-June 3, 2012

Nation/World MAY 26, 2011

News from around the U.S. and the globe

Causes, context report released on abuse of minors Catholic News Service

Studies view scope, cause The John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York conducted both studies. The nature and scope study appeared in February 2004. The causes and context study commenced in 2006. The new report addressed several misperceptions about the sexual abuse of minors by priests. It said: ■ Priestly celibacy does not explain this problem. ■ Despite “widespread speculation,” priests with a homosexual identity “were not significantly more likely to abuse minors” than heterosexual priests. A possible reason so many male minors were abused is that priests had greater access to them. ■ Less than 5 percent of priests with abuse allegations exhibited behavior consistent with pedophilia. Few victims were prepubescent children.

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Briefly Catholics in China need prayers, pope says at audience

By David Gibson Because potential sexual abusers of minors cannot be pinpointed through “identifiable psychological characteristics,” it is important to prevent abuse by limiting the “situational factors” associated with it, according to a long-awaited report on the causes and context of sexual abuse by priests in the United States. The report, released in Washington May 18, said there is “no single identifiable ‘cause’ of sexually abusive behavior toward minors.” It encouraged steps to deny abusers “the opportunity to abuse.” Titled “The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010,” it reports the findings of a study mandated in 2002 under the U.S. Catholic bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” The charter, adopted by the bishops during a historic meeting in Dallas, created a National Review Board and directed the lay consultative body to commission studies of the abuse problem’s “nature and scope” and its “causes and context.” A statement from Archbishop John Nienstedt said, “The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is proud of the pivotal role that our former archbishop, Harry J. Flynn, played in the 2002 creation of the charter . . . and in commissioning the John Jay Study.” The statement also noted that the archdiocese was a leader in addressing the problem of clergy abuse of minors through investigation, education and prevention policies that were implemented beginning in the late 1980s. “We have instituted a culture that supports the protection of all God’s children,” the statement said.

The Catholic Spirit

Seventy percent of priests referred for abusing a minor “had also had sexual behavior with adults,” the study found. The majority of priest-abusers did not “specialize” in abusing “particular types of victims.” The new study’s goal was to understand what factors “led to a sexual abuse ‘crisis’ in the Catholic Church” and “make recommendations to Catholic leadership” for reducing abuse, the John Jay College researchers explained. They said their report also “provides a framework” for understanding “sexual victimization of children in any institution” and how organizations respond.

Some vulnerabilities Priests who abused minors were not carbon copies of one another. The report said they constituted a “heterogeneous population.” The majority “appear to have had certain vulnerabilities,” such as “emotional congruence to adolescents” or difficulty interrelating with adults. Some priest-abusers were abused as youths. “Having been sexually abused by an adult while a minor increased the risk that priests would later abuse a child,” the report said. The stress priests may experience at transitional moments was cited as a factor that can increase “vulnerability to abuse.” The report indicated that “situational stressors” do not cause abuse, but may serve “as triggers.” High alcohol consumption during stressful times also can lower inhibitions. “The peak of the crisis has passed,” the report observed. It said the church “responded,” and abuse cases decreased substantially. A “system of change” has begun in the church, according to the report. However, it said, “organizational changes take years, and often decades, to fully implement.” The report called sexual abuse of minors “a long-term societal problem,” one “likely to persist, particularly in

organizations that nurture and mentor adolescents.” It said diocesan leaders “must continue to deal with abuse allegations appropriately.” Priest-abusers represented only a small percentage of all priests. The researchers judged it “neither possible nor desirable to implement extensive restrictions on the mentoring and nurturing relationships between minors and priests, given that most priests have not sexually abused minors and are not likely to do so.”

Numbers not whole story Because so many abuse cases first were reported to authorities in the early 2000s, some people suspect the abuse remains “at peak levels,” the report said. The reality is otherwise. Sexual abuse of minors by priests “increased steadily from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s, then declined in the 1980s and continues to remain low,” the report showed. “Most abuse incidents occurred decades ago.” “The majority of abusers (70 percent) were ordained prior to the 1970s,” the study noted; 44 percent of those accused entered the priesthood before 1960. Social factors influenced the increase of abuse incidents during the 1960s and 1970s, the report said. It found this increase consistent with “the rise of other types of ‘deviant’ behavior, such as drug use and crime,” and changes in social behavior such as the “increase in premarital sexual behavior and divorce.” The report accented the critical role of what today is called “human formation” in seminaries. Human formation addresses matters such as the future priest’s relationships and friendships, his self-knowledge, integrity and celibate chastity. The report recommended that human formation continue after ordination. The church has taken many steps “to reduce opportunities for abuse,” the report said. It recommended that these efforts “be maintained and continually evaluated.”

The persecuted Catholic Church in China needs and deserves the prayers of Catholics throughout the world, Pope Benedict XVI said. “There, as elsewhere, Christ is living his Passion” because of government restrictions and pressures on the church, the pope said May 18. He asked Catholics everywhere to observe May 24, the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, as a day of prayer for Catholics in mainland China. Pope Benedict established the annual day of prayer in 2007 when he wrote a letter to Catholics in China outlining ways to promote greater unity between those exercising their faith clandestinely and those participating in communities overseen by the government-backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Archbishop Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that if parishes were unable to organize such prayers in the Mass, retreats, prayer gatherings or eucharistic adoration, that prayer would be “welcome at any point in the coming days.”

Letters exchanged on House’s budget The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chief author of the recently passed House budget for 2012 have exchanged letters discussing the moral implications of the federal budget. Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, USCCB president, said in a May 18 letter to Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), a Catholic who chairs the House Budget committee, that he was pleased to know that consideration was given to the foundational principles of Catholic social teaching in drafting the budget plan. The archbishop’s letter came in response to an April 29 letter from Ryan, who explained that the needs of the poor, sick and elderly were not being ignored and that it was a moral imperative to address the growing federal deficit. The Senate has yet to take up the budget. The House budget has been criticized by some Catholics who have said that it deviates from the basic tenets of Catholic social teaching. Archbishop Dolan reminded Ryan that any budget must keep the needs of the poor as a priority. Ryan said the budget would reduce the country’s debt by $4.4 trillion and prevent Medicare from becoming insolvent. He also said it proposes that tax rates be “flattened and broadened” while closing loopholes that benefit upper income — Catholic News Service earners.

“Dear young people, the church depends on you! She needs your lively faith, your creative charity and the energy of your hope.” Pope Benedict XVI

This Catholic Life 14A

MAY 26, 2011

Opinion, feedback and points to ponder

The Catholic Spirit

Fiesta in Madrid: Preparing for World Youth Day By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

With fewer than 100 days to go, preparations for World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid are heating up and organizers are promising a “fiesta,” adding a Spanish flavor to the traditional opportunities for prayer, friendship, music and religious education. As of early May, organizers reported 347,965 youths had registered for the Aug. 16-21 event, which Pope Benedict XVI will attend. The figure included 22,488 young people from the United States and 5,439 from Canada. The Italians — always a big contingent at World Youth Day — were leading the pack with 65,196 registrants, outpacing even the Spaniards by more than 10,000. While registering has benefits — including priority seating at papal events — young people seem to know they won’t be turned away, and so an earlier estimate of 1.5 million participants seems to be right on track. Father Eric Jacquinet, the official in charge of the youth section at the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the official sponsor of World Youth Day, said, “We can’t predict how many will register at the last minute.” At WYD Paris in 1997, he said, 300,000 young people preregistered and there were 1.2 million people at the closing vigil and closing Mass with Pope John Paul II. The staff of WYD Madrid has rallied interest and is helping prepare all those young people with a major presence on the Internet, especially through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Photos of the preparation phase are posted on Flickr and videos produced by or about WYD 2011 are collected on a special YouTube channel. Organizers announced May 10 that the Madrid event will be the first World Youth Day with its own radio station and with a web-TV site.

20,000 volunteers Erika Rivera Palma, a spokeswoman for WYD ‘11, said the organization looked for 20,000 volunteers to help during the event. More than 30,000 people applied and the staff is still sifting through the applications to settle on 22,400 volunteers. As of May 12, she said, the World Youth Day staff was 500 strong, and 80 percent of those workers were volunteers. Some were already in Madrid, but many were working from home on the website and Facebook pages. That WYD Madrid has a strong presence in cyberspace — a very interactive universe where comments are posted with ease — may have something to do with the amount of criticism that has surrounded the official hymn for the Madrid gathering. The anthem, with words by Auxiliary

CNS photo / Don Blake, The Dialog

Bishop W. Francis Malooly walks with teens as they carry the replica of the World Youth Day cross from St. Paul Church to St. Elizabeth Church during the Catholic youth cross pilgrimage in Wilmington, Del., April 16. Youths around the globe are preparing for the international World Youth Day in August. It will take place in Madrid, Spain, with Pope Benedict XVI.

Bishop Cesar Franco of Madrid, was released in November. But when WYD organizers started feeling the burn of the online commentators, they opened a worldwide contest, soliciting songs — not to replace the bishop’s hymn, but to play alongside it.

Some 270 songs were submitted and just more than 130 were deemed eligible, said Rivera. The public was being asked to go to a website — WWW.MADRIDMEENCAN TA.ORG — and vote for their favorites by May 31. A WYD panel was to take the top 25 vote-getters and choose five of them

Pope’s 2012 World Peace Day theme focuses on young people By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

In building a world of peace and justice, the Catholic Church must listen to the ideas and hopes of young people and offer them educational opportunities that will strengthen their ability to work for the common good, the Vatican said. As part of the church’s efforts, Pope Benedict XVI has chosen “Educating young people in justice and peace” to be the theme for the church’s 2012 celebration of World Peace Day. World Peace Day is Jan. 1 each year. A papal message on the theme is sent in December to heads of state around the world. Announcing the theme May 19, the Vatican said the pope wanted to highlight “an urgent need in the world today: to listen to and enhance the important role of new generations in the realization of the common good, and in the affirmation of a just and peaceful social order where fundamental human rights can be fully expressed and realized.” The duty to prepare future generations also includes a government obligation to ensure that young people have appropriate opportunities for personal growth, particularly through education and employment, the Vatican statement said. “Young persons must labor for justice and peace in a complex and globalized world,” so preparing them for the future will require a real alliance among all those responsible for educating and forming the world’s future leaders, it said.

to feature in Madrid. Hundreds of bands, choirs and soloists applied for an official performance slot at World Youth Day — vying for an international stage, but no pay. Organizers chose 255 of them.

Cultural, educational events The first three afternoons, evenings and nights — “evening” in Madrid would be considered “night” in many other parts of the world — have been set aside for cultural activities, including the music and museum visits. The mornings will be dedicated to religious education sessions, which take place in hundreds of locations and in dozens of languages. The teachers of the sessions are 250 bishops, who almost always leave plenty of time to dialogue with the youths. Father Jacquinet said the pontifical council chooses the 250 bishops, usually based on those who have told the council they will attend WYD and are available. The final choice, he said, is based on language and country of origin — “for example, we want to make sure the German speakers come not only from Germany, but also from Austria and Switzerland.” The council, he said, also takes into account that some bishops “have a special charisma” in addition to their teaching charism.

This Catholic Life / Opinion-Letters

MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Priesthood not only surviving, it’s thriving wice in two days this week I’ve stumbled upon published claims that the Catholic Church and the Catholic priesthood as we know it are, if not doomed, on life support. One analyst offered that, due to the pedophilia scandals and the failure of leadership to be sufficiently accountable (in his estimation and in the estimation of others) in the aftermath, the Catholic laity’s disillusionment with the current church leadership model is “extensive and probably permanent.” And a news magazine’s self-proclaimed “Novel of the week” feature quoted reviews of a suspenseful work of fiction about a priest charged with molesting an 8-yearold boy. The alleged novel of the week is “at once a heartbreaking family story and a reminder of how a once sanctified calling may now be ‘broken beyond repair.’” Those are conclusions that ignore two things: history and this coming Saturday.

Editorial Bob Zyskowski

There’s no better evidence than the May 28 ordination of five men who will serve the people of the archdiocese

“I’m inspired by these men and their commitment to our faith, to their love of the church and the Mass, and their willingness to take on a unique and challenging lifestyle.

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BOB ZYSKOWSKI

Errors, even sin overcome When you look back on the history of the priesthood — the selling of the sacraments that Martin Luther protested, bishops siding with European royalty instead of standing with the poor against their oppressors, the amassing of wealth by monastic communities — even the most faithful of Catholics can realistically wonder how the priesthood survived to be a “sanctified calling.” Yet, is has. If our priests weren’t held to a higher standard, the relatively small percentage of priestly transgressors — as horrid as their crimes and misdeeds are — wouldn’t be deemed so newsworthy. When you learn about the scandalous Borgia popes, the horrors of the Inquisition, the papal approval of slavery in Latin America, it’s almost amazing that Catholic popes command the respect they do. Yet, they do. And the priesthood not only survives, it thrives. No better evidence than the May 28 ordination of five men to serve the people of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Amazing commitment How those to be ordained came to follow God’s call to serve as priests makes for interesting, inspiring reading year after year. The interviews with our new priests that you see in this issue of The Catholic Spirit [see center

pull-out section] have been a tradition for 30 years. When I read them now (after having written many myself over the years), I almost always come away with a renewed sense of hope for our church. I’m inspired by these men and their commitment to our faith, to their love of the church and the Mass, and their willingness to take on a unique and challenging lifestyle. My own “disillusionment,” to use the critic’s word, with how church leadership responded and is responding to the sexual abuse crisis is tempered by the last two episcopal appointments from our archdiocese. Just this Sunday I heard from a member of the Diocese of Duluth how impressed she was with Bishop Paul Sirba, a former pastor, spiritual director for seminarians and vicar general in St. Paul. Thanks to having seen then-Father Sirba in action in several ministries in our archdiocese and having worked with him when he served on The Catholic Spirit board of directors, my friend from Ely wasn’t saying anything I didn’t already know about her bishop. And the holiness and humility of Bishop Lee Piché, our auxiliary bishop, are attributes that were evident 27 years ago when I interviewed the then-Rev. Mr. Piché for the Catholic Bulletin’s ordination issue before he received holy orders in 1984. When our church calls men like these two to leadership, disillusionment tends to dissolve.

Failure to address basic needs costs more in long run CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2A 2) Priority for the poor: A central moral measure of any budget proposal is how it affects “the least of these” brothers and sisters (Matthew 25). The needs of the hungry, the homeless, the disabled and the unemployed should be primary in our considerations; 3) The common good: Government and other institutions have a shared responsibility to promote the common good of all members of our society, especially families who struggle to live with dignity during difficult economic times. Armed with these principles, we must seek to find a just framework for a budget that does not rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons. Those of us who are able must be willing to make shared sacrifices, including the raising of adequate revenues to pay our bills, eliminating unnecessary military expenses, and addressing in a fair, effective and realistic way the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs. On the other hand, those who receive benefits from the commonwealth must

“I pray that all parties can come together to make the right decisions to steer us on a course, as a state and as a nation, of which we can all be proud.

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ARCHBISHOP JOHN NIENSTEDT

not forget their responsibility to society in return.

Doing better I encourage our readers to study the present issues in light of the principles set forth by our Catholic faith, and then to contact their elected representatives on both the state and federal levels, encouraging them to craft budgets that are just and fair, especially to the most vulnerable among us. In a meeting this week with Tim Marx, our new archdiocesan CEO of Catholic Charities, I learned of another compelling reason for not fixing the budget on the backs of the poor — which is that habitual

and widespread poverty is bad fiscal policy and bad economic policy. A failure to address the basic needs in housing, food, health care as well as the need for children to begin life with a healthy start will, in the long-run, require more costs in services as well as result in reduced productivity. I know we can do better. I pray that all parties can come together to make the right decisions to steer us on a course, as a state and as a nation, of which we can all be proud. God love you!

Material printed on the Opinion and Letters page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the archdiocese or The Catholic Spirit.

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Student clarifies graduation section responses I am extremely honored at having been recognized in this year’s Salute to Graduates [May 12]. I understand space limitations often require students’ answers to be shortened. Due to the shortening of my answers, I believe that some of my key ideas have been misrepresented. At St. Agnes, I have been challenged to look at real-world and controversial issues from a faithfully Catholic viewpoint. I think this was lost in the editing, and I would like to clarify a couple of ideas.

Letter

First of all, I said that the person I would most like to have a conversation with was Che Guevara. My fascination with his ideas and his dedication to serving the least of the people was expressed in the published article. In my answer in its entirety I concluded, “I would ask him what he thought of Cuba and the world today, and also discuss with him the errors of Godlessness.” I admire Che’s focus on poverty, yet I also feel that he failed in his mission to remedy it. He is not a hero of mine, but rather someone I would like to question and debate, as the answer in its entirety reflects. When asked to name the accomplishment I was most proud of during high school, my answer was published simply as “Volunteering.” Volunteering was truly the most important part of my high school career, and in my complete answer I listed examples of my volunteer work. I included volunteering I did for the St. Mark’s parish children’s play during the last three summers and my volunteering for the last four years at the Highland Life Care Center, an organization I believe is critical in protecting innocent life and helping women. Finally, I listed the autobiography of Malcolm X as the book that most impacted me, which was part of extracurricular reading I did in high school. I explained that the book helped me to “realize the importance of closely examining the prejudices I may have towards others,” and in my full answer I went on to say: “. . . and to always choose truth and the good of humanity over these prejudices.” Malcolm X is commonly remembered as a symbol of racial hatred. However, at the end of his life, he chose truth and the good of humanity over his prejudice and hatred, for which he was assassinated. This great sacrifice for the sake of truth and humanity is truly one to be admired. VICTORIA BLACKSTONE St. Agnes, St. Paul

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 26, 2011

Commentary

/ This Catholic Life

Students understand mission through acts of compassion ach year the Center for Mission sponsors a writing contest for students across the archdiocese. This year students considered how they can follow the example of Jesus’ mission today. We received more than 600 entries of pictures, poems, prayers and essays highlighting how, like Jesus, they can reach out to those who feel like outsiders, the sad, sick, poor and vulnerable.

them forth into the world to be signs and witnesses of God’s loving forgiveness and healing. Jesus says: “As the Father has sent me, so I now send you. Live in my love.” This is the example of Jesus’ mission, which we are called to follow today.

E Mission Link Deacon Mickey Friesen

From the place of compassion, we can better understand and respect those who are strange or scary to us

Offering compassion

Gaining empathy The most unique drawings came from third-graders at St. Peter’s School in Forest Lake. They were especially creative and insightful, not because of what they drew, but how they drew. Each child drew a picture of Jesus’ mission today with a pencil in his or her mouth. Why? Because they had learned about the dignity of all God’s people, even those we don’t understand or who seem strange or different to us. In particular, they learned about people who suffer from physical and mental disabilities. For them, following Jesus’ mission today means showing compassion. Therefore, the children tried to imagine what it would be like to be unable to use their arms, and make a picture with their mouth. The children told me that when they tried to understand from the inside what it is like to be disabled, it helped lessen their fear and increase their understanding of people who look or act differently. During this season of Easter, we get to ponder the meaning of Resurrection faith. We get to hear again

Photo courtesy of St. Peter School

Christelle Mba, a third-grader at St. Peter School in Forest Lake, writes with a pencil in her mouth to experience what it is like to live with a physical disability.

about the first witnesses of the risen Christ as they struggle to believe their eyes that Jesus had been raised from the dead. In each case they have to face their fears and doubts and be willing to let go of their old life so that they can receive a new life in Christ.

Jesus meets them in their fears and offers them peace by showing his wounds. In that moment the disciples are moved to trust and joy. As Scripture says, “By his wounds, we are healed.” The risen Christ is the wounded healer who breathes his Spirit on the disciples and sends

Like the school children, can we accept that all persons are made in the image and likeness of God? How can this truth help us see with the eyes of Christ beneath the differences and wounds that can scare and separate us? How can we acknowledge our own wounds and seek healing? And how can our wounds and vulnerabilities be a teacher of compassion and understanding others? On Pentecost Sunday we celebrate the continuing mission of Christ being born in the church. We are the body of Christ sent forth to be signs and witnesses of God’s reign among us. We can continue Jesus’ ministry of compassion that suffers with those who are different, vulnerable, sick and sorrowful. From the place of compassion, we can better understand and respect those who are strange or scary to us. Bringing our fears and wounds before the Lord can transform them into a source of life for others. In Jesus’ name, we can be wounded healers. Deacon Mickey Friesen is director of the archdiocesan Center for Mission.

Protect life and the right to follow our conscience while on the job The following first appeared in the Des Moines Register. It is reprinted with permission from the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa. The Catholic Church’s position on abortion is no secret. Based on the natural law or what the framers of the Declaration of Independence identified as “self-evident truths,” Bishop it’s part of a defense Richard Pates of life that includes opposition to capital punishment and euthanasia, and limiting war. Simply, we believe that the right to life, including the life of a developing child, is basic, and that it trumps other rights — including the right to privacy. And we believe the state has an obligation to protect life. But the church’s position on the primacy of conscience may not be so well known. That position is deeply planted in our moral tradition and society’s as well. St. Thomas Aquinas, the 13th century philosopher and theologian, championed the primacy of conscience. He taught that one must not only follow one’s conscience, but form it correctly. One thinks of how important the primacy of conscience has been in history, from the stands of St. Thomas More and Martin Luther King through the teach-

Commentary

“Simply, we believe that the right to life, including the life of a developing child, is basic, and that it trumps other rights — including the right to privacy. And we believe the state has an obligation to protect life.

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BISHOP RICHARD PATES

ings of Mohandas Gandhi and the Nuremberg trials after World War II. There, many Nazis were accused of following an illegitimate and evil authority instead of their consciences.

Real threat Just as the state must protect life, it must also protect the right to follow one’s conscience to truly guarantee the freedom of religion promised in our Constitution. That means, for instance, that hospital personnel and health-care workers must not be coerced into violating their consciences by providing abortions. Is this a real issue? According to recent testimony before a congressional subcommittee by a spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, an ethics committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,

which supports “abortion rights,” wants “pro-life physicians to refer for abortions in a wide array of circumstances [and] to perform abortions themselves when referral is not possible.” And the State University of New York at Stony Brook recently suspended eight nurses for saying they would not assist in abortions. No matter our position on abortion, do any of us really want people — especially health-care providers — to violate their consciences? My fellow bishops and I support, and urge all supporters of religious freedom, to back H.R. 3, a “no taxpayer funding for abortion” passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and now before the U.S. Senate. Besides definitively forbidding the use of federal money for abortions, it ensures that federal agencies, and state and local

governments receiving federal money, don’t discriminate against health-care providers who don’t perform or participate in abortion because of conscience objection.

Consistent policy needed Some say current law is sufficient to prohibit abortion and protect conscience rights. But current law, including the Hyde Amendment, does so only in a piecemeal and inadequate manner. H.R. 3 would provide a permanent and consistent policy across federal government. Catholics have been particularly important in providing health care, in Iowa and the U.S. especially for the poor and indigent. Catholic hospitals care for one in six patients in the U.S. each year. But this bill is not just about Catholics. Without the bill, all like-minded healthcare providers will be at risk of having to decide between providing care and following their consciences. No one should be placed in that position. I urge Iowa’s Senate delegation to join the 251 members of the House of Representatives who have voted in support of H.R. 3 in protection of freedom of conscience. Bishop Richard Pates, a native of St. Paul and former auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, is bishop of Des Moines, Iowa.

This Catholic Life / Commentary

MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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True nature of priesthood is love for Christ and his people Father Michael Johnson, parochial vicar at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton, preached the following homily April 21 at the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper. o you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” With these words, along with his exhortation to “do this in Father Michael memory of me,” when he took the Johnson bread and wine into his sacred hands at the Last Supper, Jesus Read about instituted the sacrathe five men ment of holy orders who will be — the sacrament of the priesthood. ordained The institution of May 28 on this sacrament causes pages 1B-8B me to reflect on and ask the question, “What is a priest?” It is a question that many people answer by answering the similar, but very different, question, “What does a priest do?” What a priest does changes with times and seasons. What a priest is remains the same for all eternity. So, what is a priest? Out of curiosity, I Googled the words “Catholic priest” and the results made my heart sink. My heart sank because alongside a few authentic articles or web pages that could actually help people develop a deeper appreciation for this sacrament of the church, there appeared links to news articles of priests accused of sexual abuse, stories of priests maligning the very church that they promised to serve faithfully on their ordination day, and web

“I am proud to be a brother among priests who have given their lives to the service and care of the poor, following the examples of St. Damian of Molokai and St. Maximilian Kolbe, even in the face of their own hardships, sufferings and ultimately their own deaths.

“D

Reflection

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FATHER MICHAEL JOHNSON St. John the Baptist, New Brighton

pages written and dedicated to priests confused about celibacy and sexuality. My heart sank because I have given my life to what should be among the most noble callings a man could receive. Yet, a few of my brother priests have defaced the image of Christ that they received upon their ordination, an image that they should represent by their actions and ministry but do not. Because of the sinful actions of a few, many people in our culture have a very negative answer to the question of what a priest is. My heart sank further when I continued reading and saw how people, who I am ordained to serve, pitied me because they think celibacy is a silly requirement and a throwback to a dead tradition and thus of no importance to my ministry. My heart sank further when I read how people look at a priest and are only able to see in him an affront to women’s equality. These people seek to answer the question of “What is a priest?” not by learning what the church teaches or seeking to understand God’s workings in this world,

but rather by answering the question of what a priest is only according to the terms of this secular world. So we come to tonight, when we as a church celebrate the institution of the priesthood. It is a sacrament we should celebrate, even in the face of those who do not live up to its high calling or those who severely misunderstand it.

Proud of faithful priests I am proud of being a priest, and I am proud to serve with so many of my brother priests who have for 2,000 years faithfully handed on what they have received. I am proud to follow in the footsteps of priests, like Blessed Miguel Pro and St. Edmund Campion, who have suffered martyrdom at the hands of tyrants, in order to preserve the tradition of our church. I am proud of to be in the line of priests and serve among brother priests, who, like St. Francis Xavier and the North American Martyrs, have traveled to the farthest reaches of this world preaching Christ and carrying on his work even in

the face of torture and death. I am proud to serve alongside heroic priests, who have faithfully and lovingly ministered to their parishioners day after day, year after year, following the example of St. John Vianney and St. Philip Neri. I am proud to be a brother among priests who have given their lives to the service and care of the poor, following the examples of St. Damian of Molokai and St. Maximilian Kolbe, even in the face of their own hardships, sufferings and ultimately their own deaths.

Authentic face of Christ These men are the authentic face of Christ in the priesthood. They are priests of God molded into the image of Christ as both priest and victim. They are men who have been transformed into the person of Christ the Head — In Persona Christi capitis — not only through laying on of hands when the sacrament is celebrated by the bishop, but having allowed their very lives to be transformed into the image of Christ in what they say and what they do, carrying Jesus Christ to those people to whom they were sent in and through their very presence. They are men who understand that they were called by God to serve and not to be served. The highest expression of this is when the priest takes into his hands the bread and wine and speaks those words, which no one aside from God alone can claim the right to utter, saying, “This is my body that is for you.” They are both Christ’s words and the priest’s words. This is my body, given up for you. So, what is a priest? St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, says it best: “The priest continues the work of redemption on earth. . . . If we really understood the priest on earth, we would die, not of fright but of love. . . . The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.”

Close encounter with K-9 partners lights up eyes of many children into action by Mike to assist in catching the bad guys and bringing them to justice. We are proud of the St. Paul Police Department’s awardwinning K-9 unit as they assist our brave police officers in protecting us from harm and violence. In April, Mike and Buzz visited St. Pascal School. The children had a great time having Buzz in their classroom and Mike gave a brief demonstration and answered their questions. I personally met Buzz on St. Patrick’s Day, when Mike came to the school office to pick up his children, Adam and Sidney, to walk with him in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. When Buzz saw me enter the office, he immediately became very alert and serious. After a few sniffs, though, Buzz realized Father Tony was a good guy and became very friendly and allowed me to touch and massage his ears.

few months ago, I visited one of our young parishioners at St. Paul Children’s Hospital. After a brief conversation with the patient and her parents, we celebrated the sacrament of anointing of the sick. In looking around her room, I noticed it was decorated with lots of pictures and getwell cards made by her friends. I also spotted on the wall a picture of a police officer with his K-9 dog and signed by Mike Ernster. Father I was surprised because I know Tony Andrade Mike and his family very well. They are members of St. Pascal Baylon parish. Their two children attend our school, and they are involved in various parish and school activities. Officer Mike began this wonderful ministry of visiting Children’s Hospital with his companion dog, “Buzz,” long ago. They go once a month to bring a healing touch to the sick children. Children have a very special love for animals. Pets become an integral part of our families and build a special relationship with each member. When well-behaved and disciplined Buzz walks with his master into the children’s hospital rooms, their eyes light up and they get to touch and pet Buzz. Everyone looks forward to and enjoys those monthly visits, including the hospital nursing staff.

Guest Column

Buzz takes on dual duty What a great stress reliever this nice, friendly dog is to all. But Buzz is also very smart and quick when called

Well-deserved retirement

This card introduces Officer Mike Ernster and Buzz and includes information about the service of both police officers. It was created by Public Safety Printing Services in Corcoran.

Recently I was told by Mike and his daughter, Sidney, that Buzz will retire from the K-9 unit on Saturday, May 28. In the name of St. Pascal’s Parish and School Community, I want to thank Mike and his companion, Buzz, for their dedicated public service to our city and wish Buzz a happy retirement and many relaxed days in the Ernster family home. If you want to support the K-9 unit with your generous contribution, you may do so. Tax deductable donations are accepted by: St. Paul Police K-9 foundation, P.O. Box 17008, St. Paul, MN 55117. Father Tony Andrade is pastor of St. Pascal Baylon in St. Paul.

“Faith, as Paul saw it, was a living, flaming thing leading to surrender and obedience to the commandments of Christ.” A.W. Tozer, Protestant preacher and author (1897-1963)

The Lesson Plan 18A The Catholic Spirit Reflections on faith and spirituality M 26, 2011 Point your love toward God and you will be rewarded in heaven AY

esus promises his disciples that he will not leave them orphans but will send the Spirit of truth to them.

It is the Holy Spirit, another advocate, who is the presence of God in a new way. He will help them discern what is truly good and will inspire them to do things beyond their natural capacity.

Sunday Scriptures Deacon Jonathan Kelly

It is the Holy Spirit who will dwell within them and inflame their hearts to love the Triune God, and as a consequence of their love for him, the disciples will long to hear and heed his voice.

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” The disciple who is in love does not count the cost or ask how far he can go before he breaks a commandment but keeps them with joy. In the Scriptures, there are countless examples of delighting in the will of God.

Readings Sunday, May 29 Sixth Sunday of Easter ■ Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 ■ 1 Peter 3:15-18 ■ John 14:15-21

For reflection Have you ever found the commandments burdensome? What did you do to change your perspective?

St. John wrote, “for the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.” Jeremiah said, “When I found your words, O Lord, I devoured them, they became my joy and the happiness of my heart.” And the psalmist wrote, “Happy the man who fears the Lord, who takes delight in all his commands.”

God knows our every need It can be easy to forget that the commandments are for us. God made us and he knows what will fulfill us. Jesus says in this same dialogue from today’s passage, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” He reveals to us the way, the truth and the life. Living according to his way is what it means to be fully human, and allows the Holy Spirit to animate our lives and to

come to “full stature in Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). God first loved us (1 John 4:19). Keeping his commandments is simply the fruit of returning his love. The soul that loves God thirsts for truth, beauty and goodness like a “parched land that waits for rain” (Psalm 63:2). We are made to love. It is not a question of if we will love but rather, what we will love. The story of our life reveals what we have loved and sets a trajectory for our future and, ultimately, for eternity. May God be the object of our love. May the Holy Spirit inspire us to prove our love for him by keeping his commandments. May our lives reveal the delight of a disciple who spends himself for the Gospel, not counting the cost. May the trajectory of our life be set for heaven. Deacon Jonathan Kelly is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary. His home parish is St. Michael in St. Michael and his teaching parish is St. John the Baptist in New Brighton.

Daily Scriptures Sunday, May 29 Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 1 Peter 3:15-18 John 14:15-21 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of Truth.” — John 14:16 Most of us can recall a conversation that included a few well-chosen words that remain with us for life. I still recall the words of a young religious sister who was guiding me through a retreat several decades ago. She simply said, “God couldn’t be more on your side.” When we are discouraged and feel lost, we can begin to think of the Holy Spirit only as the one who convicts us of doing wrong, rather than one who encourages and supports us even when we fail. Monday, May 30 Acts 16:11-15 John 15:26 — 16:4a Have you ever suffered because you refused to withhold compassion and mercy from someone considered an outcast by society? Tuesday, May 31 Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Zephaniah 3:14-18a Luke 1:39-56 With whom do you share faith, hope and love? Wednesday, June 1 Justin, martyr Acts 17:15, 22 — 18:1 John 16:12-15

Humility opens us to the possibility that the Spirit is doing something new within and around us. Thursday, June 2 Acts 18:1-8 John 16:16-20 Pain doesn’t last forever, and what breaks our heart today may one day be transformed into joy. (Editor’s note: Ascension of the Lord, which was traditionally celebrated on Thursday, has been permanently transferred to the seventh Sunday of Easter in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to better allow parishioners to celebrate this special day together.) Friday, June 3 Charles Lwanga and his companions, martyrs Acts 18:9-18 John 16:20-23 When we wait in hope, we surrender our wishes and it is possible to trust something greater than our vision. Saturday, June 4 Acts 18:23-28 John 16:23b-28 What do you avoid asking for in prayer? Sunday, June 5 Ascension of the Lord Acts 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:17-23 Matthew 28:16-20 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” — Acts 1:8

If you would have told me 15 years ago that one day I would be doing work that involves public speaking, I would have accused you of being delusional. Yet, when I am doing retreat work I am perfectly comfortable and at peace. When people tell me they could never speak in public, I assure them that at one time I believed the same thing. We sometimes forget that the Holy Spirit doesn’t just inspire us to act but also empowers us. Monday, June 6 Norbert, bishop Acts 19:1-8 John 16:29-33 It is humbling to realize that moments of grace and clarity do not prevent us from confusion and doubts in the future. Tuesday, June 7 Acts 20:17-27 John 17:1-11a Pray for a deeper awareness of the generosity, beauty and compassion of God. Wednesday, June 8 Acts 20:28-38 John 17:11b-19 If you knew you were about to die, what would your final words be to those you love? Thursday, June 9 Ephrem, deacon and doctor of the church Acts 22:30; 23:6-11 John 17:20-26 Unity requires humility.

Friday, June 10 Acts 25:13b-21 John 21:15-19 When has love pushed you beyond fear into action? Saturday, June 11 Barnabas, apostle Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3 John 21:20-25 What distracts you from your deepest call? Sunday, June 12 Pentecost Acts 2:1-11 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23 “To each individual, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” — 1 Corinthians 12:7 It had been a particularly difficult day and I was running low on faith, hope and — most of all — love. Exercise helps me relieve stress. So, when one of my daughters called and asked if I would like to walk around a nearby lake, I jumped at the offer. As I shared my frustration with her, I was delighted by her ability to really listen and surprised at her wisdom. Sometimes, we forget that the Spirit is given to all the members, including the young and those closest to us. 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

MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

19A

New translation is a plus for Catholics The following, posted on the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is the next in a series of articles regarding the new Roman Missal, which will be used in the United States beginning Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent. The article was originally written in 2010, following approval of the new text. Microsoft Vista and “New Coke” have proven that not every change is for the better. Furthermore, when change comes to important elements of life, it is often resisted with the cry of “we never did it that way before.” However, experts who are enthusiastic about the changes to the Roman Missal — the book that contains the prayers for the Mass — think the alterations are improvements that will lead to a deeper spiritual experience. James Breig “Because a new edition of the Latin Roman Missal was issued in 2002, it is necessary for all the countries of the world to translate this missal into the vernacular,” said Msgr. Anthony Sherman, former executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship, in explaining why the changes are being made. But translation is not something easy to accomplish, conceded Msgr. Kevin Irwin, dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington. “We all bring our own prejudices and ideas to translation,” he said. “It is hoped that the new texts will be more accurate so that our faith and our statements of faith are reliable.” Msgr. Irwin said changes to the Roman Missal are rare. “The previous Roman Missal (in Latin) was published in 1570, with minor adjustments [being made] in editions through 1962,” he said. “After the Second Vatican Council, the new [Roman Missal] was published in 1970, followed by a 1975 edition with minor adjustments and then the third edition in 2002 with additional prayers for new saints’ feasts, etc.” Father Paul Turner of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri elaborated on the latter point, saying that the missal “includes additional saints’ days that are now on the calendar, as well as some Masses for other circumstances. In addition, the rubrics in Holy Week have many small emendations.”

Lift Up Your Hearts

Following new guidelines What makes the translation of the 2002 edition of the Roman Missal different is that this translation is carried out under the latest Vatican guidelines for translating the Mass into vernacular languages. This new guideline, “Liturgiam Authenticam,” published in 2001, urges a stronger adherence to Latin wording and structure than earlier directives. The results have led to some concern, voiced even by bishops, that the new English translations of the missal are not user-friendly. In the words of one critic, the language “tends to be elitist and remote from everyday speech and frequently not understandable. The vast majority of God’s people in the assembly

The series Upcoming articles ■ June 9: “New Kids on the Block.” In addition to new words, the new missal brings with it the memorials of new saints. ■ June 23: “The Lord be with you — and with your spirit.” Perhaps no other change has received more attention than this brief exchange. Why is it changing and what does the change mean? ■ July 7: “The Act of Penitence.” Why is it important to acknowledge our sins as Mass begins? What is changing about the wording of this rite? ■ July 21: “The Gloria.” It’s appropriate that our first liturgical exposure to this retranslated text will not be Nov. 27, but rather at the Vigil Mass of Christmas, when we will gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Why? Because the new words sound an awful lot like the hymn of the angels at Bethlehem. ■ Aug. 4: “The Creed, part 1.” Why does the Creed matter, and why is it changing from “We believe” to “I believe”? ■ Aug. 18: “The Creed, part 2.”

■ Sept. 1: “The Preface Dialogue.” It is right and just. ■ Sept. 15: “The Roman Canon, part 1.” As a way of examining the Mass itself, we’ll explore the first Eucharistic Prayer, often called the Roman Canon. Many rich symbols and references are found within this ancient prayer, and by paying attention to the scriptural and traditional imagery, we can learn much about just what it is we are doing through, with and in Christ at the Mass. ■ Sept. 29: “The Roman Canon, part 2.” ■ Oct. 13: “The Roman Canon, part 3.” ■ Oct. 27: “The Roman Canon, part 4.” ■ Nov. 10: “Q&A.” As the implementation of the new missal becomes imminent, we will try to answer any remaining questions about the new texts and their use. ■ Nov. 23: “Q&A, part 2.”

Past article ■ Why a new missal? Read it online at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM.

“The words in our liturgical prayers can afford celebrants the opportunity to reflect on the broader context of those words and so lead the faithful in a deeper understanding of the beliefs being explained.

”

MSGR. ANTHONY SHERMAN

are not familiar with the words ‘ineffable,’ ‘consubstantial’ and ‘inviolate.’” Msgr. Sherman counters that “in the United States today, people are almost daily learning new vocabulary, and sometimes it is quite technical. The words in our liturgical prayers can afford celebrants the opportunity to reflect on the broader context of those words and so lead the faithful in a deeper understanding of the beliefs being explained.” He grants that “the new translation is not perfect because, in a certain sense, no translation can be perfect. The differences of opinion on the translation will be wide. At some future date, the Holy See may substitute a different prayer for what we now have. On the other hand, some have already expressed the opinion that this translation sometimes captures with a greater eloquence the content of the particular prayers.” Msgr. Irwin said the church uses technical words in its vocabulary sometimes because those words capture concepts of the faith that would not be easy to understand without using a lot of other words. “For example,” he said, “since the 13th century, we have used the term ‘transubstantiation’ to describe the change that occurs in the bread and wine at Mass. Before the change, it is bread and wine. After the change, it looks like, smells like and tastes like bread and wine, but now it

is something totally different.”

Diverse vocabulary In Father Turner’s view, vocabulary is not a major problem. “People will readily understand the texts,” he said. “The reason the missal includes such words is that the vocabulary in the Latin originals is so broad. Latin uses a variety of synonyms for words like ‘sacrifice,’ ‘love,’ ‘mercy’ and ‘wonderful.’ In order to represent that diversity and to provide variety among the prayers in English, a broad vocabulary is being used in the translation.” In recognition of the disturbance change can bring, he added that bishops’ conferences around the world have repeatedly stressed that these translations should not be used without prior and significant explanation. “One of the things we did not do 40 years ago, when the liturgy was first put into the vernacular, was to explain the changes fully,” he said. “We need several layers of education and instruction about the translations, but even more importantly about the Mass itself.” James Breig, now retired, is a longtime diocesan newspaper editor and freelance writer who has written hundreds of articles for Catholic magazines.

Photo courtesy of Father Michael Van Sloun

Ascension adds to Resurrection glory By Father Michael Van Sloun For The Catholic Spirit

The Ascension — commemorated June 5 this year — took place 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (Acts 1:3). On that great and glorious day the Lord Jesus was “lifted up before their eyes in a cloud which took him from their sight” (Acts 1:9). For many years the Ascension was celebrated on Thursday of the sixth week of Easter because it was 40 days after Jesus rose from the dead and 10 days before Pentecost. But it was transferred to the seventh Sunday of Easter so Christians might participate more fully in the joy of this great event. The Ascension is so important in the events of the life of Jesus that it is the meditation for the Second Glorious Mystery of the rosary. The Ascension plays a key role in the glorification of Jesus, who emptied himself and was obedient to death on the cross. The Ascension adds to the glory of the Resurrection. It exalts Jesus Christ as Lord of heaven above and earth below. As the church comes to the end of the Easter season, it sets the stage for the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The Ascension makes a number of major points. Jesus is the King of Glory, the conqueror of sin and death, enthroned in heaven as Lord of all creation (Acts 1:32-33). Jesus has paved the way to heaven, and with the gates opened, all faith-filled believers can hope to follow him to their eternal reward. Jesus commissioned his disciples to carry the Gospel to all nations and to teach others about him (Matthew 28:1920; Luke 24:48-49), so we must carry the Gospel to others and teach them the Gospel with our Christian lifestyle and good example, as well as our personal testimony about how the risen Christ is alive in our lives and our words of explanation about who Jesus is and what Jesus taught.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.â&#x20AC;? St. Augustine

Arts & Culture 20A The Catholic Spirit

Exploring our church and our world

MAY 26, 2011

New app to link people, send prayers to Holy Land Catholic News Service A new iPad application developed by two priests will send users news, videos and photos from the Holy Land and let people send prayers via â&#x20AC;&#x153;virtual candles.â&#x20AC;? The new app, called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Terra Sancta,â&#x20AC;? was to be launched in English, Spanish, French and Italian at the Apple Store in mid-May, according to a May 18 press release by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. Hebrew and Arabic were to be made available at a later date. App users receive news from the CUSTODIA.ORG website as well as videos and high definition photographs produced by the Franciscan Media Center. The application lets users have â&#x20AC;&#x153;information on what is happening in

the holy places, news and videos on the life of the custody, and photos of celebrations, events and people,â&#x20AC;? the press release said.

Social networking The content can be shared on Facebook and Twitter, it said. Users can also â&#x20AC;&#x153;light a candle for the Holy Landâ&#x20AC;? by sending prayers and messages to the custody, it said. The idea for the new application was conceived by two priests. Father Paolo Padrini, a diocesan priest from Italy, also helped develop the iBreviary application for the iPhone He was assisted by Franciscan Father Silvio de la Fuente, secretary of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.

We Are Thankful!

The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Terra Sanctaâ&#x20AC;? iPad application allows users to â&#x20AC;&#x153;light a candle for the Holy Land.â&#x20AC;? Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are grateful to our business sponsors for their generous support to bring help and hope to our neighbors in need.

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Calendar

MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Dining out

Don’t miss Marriage Day celebration at the Cathedral of St. Paul

Fish fry at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — Every Friday: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $10.95. Call (952) 888-1492 for reservations.

The annual Archdiocesan Marriage Day celebration will be held June 11 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. The celebration, which begins at 10 a.m., honors couples celebrating silver and golden anniversaries in the 2011 calendar year. Those married more than 50 years also will be honored. Archbishop John Nienstedt will preside and a reception will follow. Sponsored by the Archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life. For information, call (651) 291-4488.

Chicken and rib dinner at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — Every Wednesday: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $10.95. Call (952) 888-1492 for reservations. KC shrimp and steak dinner at Knights Events Center, Shakopee — June 9: 5 to 8 p.m. at 1760 Fourth Ave E. Cost is $10 for shrimp or steak and $13 for both. Children’s meal available for $2.

Parish events Quilters for a cause quilting group at St. Jerome, Maplewood — June 3: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 380 E. Roselawn Ave. Come when you can and bring something to share for potluck lunch. Quilting experience not necessary, but machine sewing skills helpful. Bring basic sewing supplies. For information, call evenings (651) 489-4177. Carnival with rides, food and games at St. Richard, Richfield — June 3 to 5: Friday 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 12:30 to 4 p.m. For information, call (612) 8692426. 40th ordination anniversary celebration for Father George Grafsky at St. Anne, LeSueur — June 5: 10:30 a.m. Mass followed by an open house from noon until 3 p.m. at 211 N. Third St.

Singles

Blessing of bicycles at the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis — June 5: 12:30 to 2 p.m. at 88 N. 17th St. For more information, visit WWW.MARY.ORG. Rummage sale at St. George, Long Lake — June 9 and 10: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday ($3 bag day) at 133 N. Brown Road. Polka Mass and dinner at St. Stanislaus, St. Paul — June 11: Mass at 4 p.m. followed by a pork dinner at 398 Superior St. Cost is $9 for adults and $4 for children under 12. Senior Wellness Education series, ‘Healthcare Directives: A “Must Have” For Everyone’ at Lumen Christi, St. Paul — June 14: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2055 Bohland Ave. A light lunch will be served prior to the presentation. To RSVP, call (651) 698-5581. Rummage sale at Holy Name of Jesus, Medina — June 23 to 25: Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon (bag day) at 155 County Road 24. Proceeds go to pro-life groups. Visit WWW.HNOJ.ORG.

GET IN THE SPIRIT Get up to date and join the conversation at TheCatholicSpirit.com

new What’s y’s erybod that ev ? t a looking

Retreats ‘Centering Prayer: Look and Look Again’ at Villa Maria Retreat Center, Frontenac — June 4: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 29847 County 2 Blvd. Cost is $50 and includes lunch and snacks. For information visit WWW.VILLAMARIA RETREATS.ORG.

Prayer/ liturgies Legion of Mary prayers in front of Planned Parenthood, St. Paul — every Friday: 3 p.m. at 1965 Ford Parkway. For information, call (651) 439-9098. Knights of Columbus traveling rosary at St. Agnes, St. Paul — May 29: 2 p.m. at 548 Lafond Ave. Knights of Columbus traveling rosary at St. Columba, St. Paul — June 5: 2 p.m. at 1327 Lafond Ave.

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.

Other events Garage sale to benefit Holy Family Catholic Adoption Agency at the Anoka County fairgrounds, Anoka — May 25 and 26: Wednesday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 3112 St. Francis Blvd. For information, call (763) 421-8917. ‘The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe’ presented by Epiphany Studio, Minneapolis — May 26 to 29: 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday at The Open Window Theatre, 1313 Chestnut Ave. Advanced tickets encouraged. Cost is $12 for adults and $8 for students or children. Call (651) 336-3302 or email SSTANBARY@EPIPHANYSTUDIO.COM. Catholic Youth Camp open house at CYC, McGregor — June 4: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 19590 520th Lane. Mass at 11 a.m. and lunch at 12:45 p.m. with camp tours and activities from 2 to 4 p.m. $5 suggested donation. RSVP (651) 636-1645 or OFFICE@CYCAMP.ORG. Charismatic Pentecost Mass at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Maplewood — June 12: Praise and worship begins at 2:30 p.m. at 1725 Kennard St. The celebrant is Father Tim Nolan. Refreshments and fellowship follow the Mass. Sponsored by the Archdiocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal Office.

online at When you go irit.com Sp TheCatholic ething m you’ll find so y. d y new ever a

• Catch up on the latest church news from around the block and around the world. • Learn about and reflect on the issues of the day as seen through the Catholic, gospelbased lens. • Love the outdoors? Need a book recommendation? Follow our blogs on these and other topics. • Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out our expanded events calendar. • Browse print and online archives for information you want and inspiration you need!

TheCatholicSpirit.com

21A

Calendar Submissions DEADLINE: The Catholic Spirit is biweekly. Items should be submitted 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 by Catholic parishes and institutions. Items are published on a space available basis. E-MAIL: SPIRITCALENDAR@ ARCHSPM.ORG. (No attachments, please.)

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

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MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Appointments CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2A and as canonical administrator of Holy Cross Catholic School in Webster. Father Magner previously served at St. Anne in Hamel, St. John the Evangelist in Hopkins, St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony and Our Lady of Grace in Edina. Father Ralph Talbot was appointed pastor of St. Mary of the Lake in White Bear Lake. Most recently, he served at Sacred Heart in Rush City and has served at St. Jude in Mahtomedi and the Cathedral of St. Paul. Father Michael Tegeder, who has

served at St. Edward in Bloomington since 1998, was named pastor of St. Frances Cabrini and Gichitwaa Kateri and to the Office of Indian Ministry, all in Minneapolis. Since his ordination in 1978, Father Tegeder has served on the faculty of the St. Paul Seminary, at the Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Andrew in Elysian, St. Stephen in Minneapolis, St. John the Baptist in New Brighton and at Our Lady of the Lake in Mound. Official Archbishop John C. Nienstedt has made the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:

Effective May 4, 2011: Rev. Hilary M. Nhuan Tran, CMC, associate priest, Church of St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien, Minneapolis.

Rev. Gerald L. Dvorak, pastor, St. Peter, Richfield.

Effective June 5, 2011: Rev. Ignatius Nguyen Kinh, CMC, pastor, Church of St. Anne/St. Joseph Hien, Minneapolis.

Rev. Kevin P. Magner, pastor, St. Jude of the Lake, Mahtomedi.

Effective July 1, 2011: Rev. Richard A. Banker, pastor, St. Rita, Cottage Grove. Rev. Thomas Boedy, SJ, associate priest, St. Mark and St. Mary, Shakopee; St. Mary of the Purification, Marystown. Rev. William T. Deziel, pastor, St. Peter, North Saint Paul

Rev. Daniel Griffith, interim pastor, St. Edward, Bloomington.

Rev. Thomas Merrill, OFM Conv., associate priest, St. Mark and St. Mary, Shakopee; St. Mary of the Purification, Marystown. Rev. Ralph W. Talbot, pastor, St. Mary of the Lake, White Bear Lake Rev. Michael Tegeder, pastor, St. Frances Cabrini, Minneapolis and Gichitwaa Kateri and Office of Indian Ministry, Minneapolis.

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Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights Three lots each $950 or all Three for $2,500 (651) 653-1522 12451 Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights. Single lot near mausoleum; ideal location. Value $1465. Sell $1100: (612) 869-7403. 8373

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DECKS

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AWESOME JOB OPPORTUNITY FROM HOME Seeking outgoing person who enjoys helping people. Call now 612-716-1565. 12300 Catholic Latin tutor for 2011-2012 for 11749 ARCHES: (612) 701-2724.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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Sacred Heart Catholic School of East Grand Forks is seeking a full-time (9-10 months) school counselor for the 2011-12 school year. Sacred Heart is a Catholic preschool, elementary, and high school that is part of the faith formation ministry of Sacred Heart Church. The school website is WWW.SACRED HEARTEGF.NET. Applicants must have a master degree in school counseling and hold a Minnesota School Counselor Certificate (or can obtain). Send resume, references, and credentials to Search Committee, c/o David Andrys, Elementary School Principal, at Sacred Heart Catholic School, 117 Fourth Street NW, East Grand Forks, MN 56721. Fax (218) 773-0318. Email DANDRYS@SACREDHEART EGF.NET. A detailed job description and salary range will be sent to applicants. 23163 Full-time Principal Needed for St. Joseph’s Catholic School, Prescott, WI for the 2011/2012 school year. Require a Master’s degree with courses in school administration, at least three years of teaching, and be a practicing Catholic. For an application packet, call St. Joseph’s office at 715262-5310 or email STJOSEPHPRESCOTT@COMCAST. NET. Go to WWW.STJOSEPHPRESCOTT.COM for further job information. 2313 Essentia Health is seeking a fulltime CPE Supervisor to fill an anticipated vacancy due to retirement.

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For more information or to apply please go to our Duluth area employment site, WWW.ESSENTIAHEALTH.ORG (Req #6854BR) or contact: Mr. Esa Ojala Employment Specialist Essentia Health - Human Resources Department. 407 East Third Street. Duluth, MN 55805 218-786-4017/ 800-662-3455 ESA.OJALA@SMDC.ORG EEO/AA

4272

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Youth Minister — Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Minnetonka is seeking an experienced Youth Minister, 20 hours per week, to provide outreach and faith support to students in grades 7-12. Position will start upon selection of a suitable candidate. Send resume to Fr. David Ostrowski, 13505 Excelsior Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345; D.OSTROWSKI@IHMCS.ORG. 30907 Los Amigos del Padre Juan, a faith based nonprofit organization supporting the mission work of Fr. Jack Davis in Chimbote, Peru, has an exciting and challenging career opportunity available for a Director of Development who will lead the organization in its fundraising and development activities. This is a new position requiring a min. 3-5 yrs successful experience in fundraising, development, or outside sales along with outstanding relationship building skills. Requires a passion and commitment to advancing the mission and vision of Los Amigos and the ability to articulate them to donors. Experience with planned giving a plus. Office location Fargo, ND or St. Paul/Mpls. area. Travel required. Cover letter and resume preferred via email to Susan Trnka, Executive Director at STRNKA@LOSAMIGOS-CHIMBOTE.ORG or by mail to: Los Amigos; PO Box 717; West Fargo, ND 10626 58078. WWW.LOSAMIGOS-CHIMBOTE.ORG

■ This position coordinates and directs the Clinical Pastoral Education Program as a component of the Department of Chaplaincy Services in all its aspects, including administration, implementation, marketing, evaluation and financial responsibility. Our CPE program has been in existence since 1986 and is accredited by the United States Conference of Catholics Bishops Commission on Certification and Accreditation meeting the standards the USCCB/CCA and the NACC. A future goal is to be dually accredited by ACPE. Essentia Health - St. Mary’s Medical Center is a 325-bed acute care facility. We are the region’s largest hospital, nationally recognized for clinical excellence. Guided by Benedictine values, our healing environment combines advanced technology with caregivers devoted to putting patients and their families first. Successful Candidates must have a Masters in Theology and be credentialed as a Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) or the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). EEO/AA

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

ESTATE PACKING

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Deadwood/Lead/SD Condo. Rent weekly/daily/monthly. Sleeps 6. $500/week. (612) 709-2708. 12596 KNOTTY PINE RESORT, Park Rapids, MN. Northwoods Getaway. 800-392-2410. WWW.KNOTTYPINERESORT.COM. 12598

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From Age to Age

MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

23A

Catholics minister to veterans, serving with chaplains of many faiths Catholic News Service Catholics who minister to our nation’s military veterans help aging soldiers heal from past wars and support men and women trying to resume civilian life after multiple tours of duty in distant outposts. They work alongside chaplains of many faiths, in multidisciplinary teams that treat the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wounds of people whose relationship with God may have been severely challenged by the sights of war. Through it all, they strive to bring Christ into the world through their words, deeds and actions, “as imperfect as they are,” said Voluntas Dei Father Andrew Sioleti. He is the chief of the chaplain service and supervisor of chaplain training for the Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System. Father Sioleti is responsible for 15 full- and part-time chaplains who serve patients at two veterans’ hospitals in Manhattan and Brooklyn, a long-term care facility in Queens and three clinics in Staten Island, Brooklyn and Manhattan. They also visit homebound veterans. Among the more than 50,000 patients served each year by the New York Harbor Healthcare System, Father Sioleti said the largest group is Vietnam-era veterans. He said the fastest-growing and most diverse group is returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are seeking help with substance abuse and mental health issues, Father Sioleti said in an interview with Catholic

CNS photo / Gregory A. Shemitz

Nursing assistant Marie Celestin helps Voluntas Dei Father Andrew Sioleti, a Department of Veterans Affairs chaplain, prepare for Mass at the Veterans Affairs center in New York May 18.

News Service. “There are younger folks, in their 20s and early 30s, who served two and three tours and there are folks in their 40s who joined the Reserves and ended up on active duty. We see parents bringing in their adult children as patients and we have veterans coming in for treatment with little children in tow. The staff is getting

used to accommodating 5-year-olds,” he said. “There is a misperception that chaplains run around anointing patients and praying with them,” Father Sioleti said. “Even if they ever existed, those days are gone.” Father Sioleti supervises a multifaith clinical pastoral education training program that blends psychology and religion. Participants include Catholic seminarians in summer sessions and yearlong residents preparing for full-time healthcare chaplaincy. The program is one of 20 at VA facilities and is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Father Sioleti said its purpose is to train chaplains to minister to people of “all spiritualities and religious backgrounds.” Catholic chaplains in the military and at veterans’ facilities are required to be priests, according to the Archdiocese for the Military Services. The archdiocese is responsible for pastoral ministry and spiritual services to those in the U.S. Armed Forces in 29 countries and patients in 153 VA medical centers. According to John Schlager, archdiocesan general counsel, there are 232 active duty military chaplain priests and approximately 300 full- and part-time chaplain priests serving in veterans’ facilities. Father Sioleti said it is satisfying to “empower, educate and guide chaplains to minister more effectively and care for the spiritual needs of our veterans.” In an ideal world, he said, his duties would allow more time for visits with veterans.

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New Senior Home 55+ 1 month free rent Open House June 5th — Noon-3 p.m. Refreshments provided

NOTICE Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from

LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR in all copies of this issue.

“Every Friday is set aside by the church as a special day of penance, for it is the day of the death of Our Lord.” From a resolution adopted this month by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales calling on Catholics to abstain from meat every Friday as an “act of common witness”

Overheard 24A

The Catholic Spirit

Quotes from this week’s newsmakers

Tornadoes slam Missouri, Midwest A woman looks over debris May 23 after a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Mo. A monster tornado killed at least 116 people when it tore through the heart of the small Midwestern city, ripping the roof off a hospital and destroying thousands of homes and businesses. Tornadoes also left a path of destruction in North Minneapolis and several Twin Cities suburbs May 22.

MAY 26, 2011 “In any transition that seeks to bring new proposals to current problems in order to build a better future, care must be taken that those currently in need not be left to suffer.” — New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, in a May 18 letter to Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), a Catholic who chairs the U.S. House Budget committee, reminding him that any budget must keep the needs of the poor as a priority

“There is no room for fatigue or feeling that people have heard enough when it comes to efforts to protect children.” — Bishop Blase Cupich of Spokane, Wash., chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, speaking May 18 at a Washington, D.C., news conference following the release of a report on the causes and context of clergy sexual abuse of minors

CNS photo / Eric Thayer, Reuters

North Minneapolis tornado shatters church window At least one parish in North Minneapolis sustained damage as a result of the tornado that ripped through the area on May 22. St. Bridget, on Emerson Avenue, lost a stained-glass window that was blown out, according to Deacon Richard Heineman. “A tree on the west side . . . took out one The of the stained-glass Catholic Spirit windows, which was installed, I believe, in 1957,” he said, noting that the Mass location and schedule for the parish will not change for this weekend. “Then, the windows above the sanctuary above the altar came in and showered the altar and the sanctuary with glass, ruining the altar cloth.” More damage occurred next door at the school, which is being leased to Sojourner Truth Academy Elementary School. The roof blew off, and the school will be closed for the remainder of the year, Deacon Heineman said. The Catholic Spirit has attempted to gather information about other Catholic parishes and schools in the area. Deacon Heineman said St. Anne/St. Joseph Hien was also in the path of the tornado, but no one at the parish could be reached at press time for a damage report. Ascension parish and school went

News Notes

unharmed, though transportation has been an issue for students. According to a parish staff member, only 100 of the school’s 245 students were able to make it to school the day after the tornado hit. And, buses were not able to make it through to the school. Those wishing to volunteer in the area can visit HTTP://URBANHOMEWORKS.COM.

Forty-three years of service Mary Jo Groeller, administrator for admissions and public relations at Cretin-Derham Hall School in St. Paul, will be honored at a reception Thursday, June 9, as she retires after 43 years of service to the school. She began her career at Derham Hall School as a French teacher in 1968. The reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Town and Country Club, 300 N. Mississippi River Blvd. in St. Paul.

Teacher of the year Brigid Berger, a first-grade teacher at Carondelet Catholic School in Minneapolis, has been named 2011 K-8 teacher of the year by the Minnesota Independent School Forum. She received the award May 5 during the Minnesota Private and Independent Education Awards banquet at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. The annual awards celebration recognizes

excellence in Minnesota’s private and independent school community. Berger was instrumental in the introduction and implementation of a number of programs at the school, including a “guided reading program,” a new math curriculum and a school-wide composting program, said Principal Becky Farber. Berger is a member of Christ the King in Minneapolis.

Holy Angels honors couples The Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield awarded the St. Joseph Award to John and Nancy Bierbaum of Burnsville during a reception at the school May 5. The lifetime achievement award recognizes community members who are not AHA alumni but who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made outstanding contributions to the school, their professions and the community. John Bierbaum serves as the chief financial officer for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and has chaired the AHA board of trustees and the finance committee. He was also instrumental in the development and financing of the school’s Convocation Center construction project. Three couples also were honored at the reception with the school’s Possumus Award, which is given for

extraordinary volunteer efforts and positive energy that has enriched the AHA community. Those couples are: Jeff and Theresa Zech, Mark and Jean Knutson, and Craig and Barb Larson, all of Bloomington.

New leaders Mike Smalley has been appointed principal of St. John the Baptist School in Savage, effective July 1. He has served the school for 18 years as a teacher, a counselor and most recently in an administrative role. Smalley will be joined by new assistant principal Dawn Kincs. She is currently the principal at Our Lady of the Prairie School in Belle Plaine and starts her new post July 1.

‘Extraordinary’ confirmation Twenty-seven youth from 10 parishes received the Rite of Confirmation in the Extraordinary Form May 11 at St. Agnes in St. Paul. Their families wrote to Archbishop John Nienstedt to ask permission to celebrate the sacrament in this way, said Father John Ubel, St. Agnes pastor. Father Ubel was granted the faculty, in Archbishop Nienstedt’s absence, to celebrate the Rite of Confirmation, the first time it is believed to have been celebrated in the Extraordinary Form in more than 40 years, the priest said.

8pu sp page ll-o eci ut al sec tio n

Archbishop John Nienstedt will ordain five men to the priesthood on Saturday, May 28. The ordination Mass will begin at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul. All are invited. This year’s ordinands bring a range of experiences to their ministries. The men — Jonathan Kelly, Cole Kracke, Nathan LaLiberte, James Lannan and Tony O’Neill — will serve in parishes in the archdiocese. Archbishop Nienstedt will give them their assignments just days before their ordination. The following pages include interviews with these men, offering insights into their vocation stories, personal interests and hopes for ministry. — The Catholic Spirit

Watch ordination live Can’t make it to the cathedral? Live coverage of this year’s ordination is available from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 28, on Comcast cable in St. Paul and some Twin Cities suburbs. Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Mounds View, New Brighton, North Oaks, Roseville, St. Anthony and Shoreview will air on cable channel 15, CTV15.ORG or call (651) 792-7515. In Inver Grove Heights, Lilydale, Mendota, Mendota Heights, South St. Paul, Sunfish Lake, and West St. Paul coverage is on cable channel 16, TOWNSQUARE.TV or call (651) 451-7834. In St. Paul, see Cable channel 14, SPNN.ORG or call (651) 224-5153. Eagan and Burnsville will air the ordination on cable channel 15, EAGAN-TV.COM or call (651) 675-5044. Birchwood, Dellwood, Grant, Lake Elmo, Mahtomedi, Maplewood, North Saint Paul, Oakdale, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, White Bear Township and Willernie viewing is at cable channel 18, SCCTV.ORG or (651) 426-7338 ext. 1. In Andover, Anoka, Champlin and Ramsey, tune in to cable channel 15, QCTV.ORG or call (763) 427-1411. Live coverage is available in the Twin Cities area using a rooftop antenna and the same TV equipment used to receive TV stations such as 4.1, 5.1, 9.1 and 11.1. at free over-the-air DTV on channel 16.3, STMICHAELBROADCASTING.COM or call (612) 724-2265. Live coverage is provided by volunteers who work with CTV North Suburbs in Roseville and Town Square Television in Inver Grove Heights. DVD copies of the ordination will be available through CTV North Suburbs (651) 792-7515.

CNS photo

The Catholic Spirit May 26, 2011

Ordination

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 26, 2011

Deacon Jonathan Kelly Age: 37 Hometown: Springfield Home parish: St. Michael in St. Michael Parents’ names: Richard and Mary Kelly Education: B.S. in finance, University of Minnesota Former job: Investment banking and private equity Teaching parish: St. John the Baptist, New Brighton Pastoral internship experiences: St. Paul, Ham Lake; St. Mark, St. Paul; Jesucristo Resucitado, San Felix, Venezuela (archdiocesan mission) Hobbies: Working outside with my dad at our family farm Favorite book: “The Three Ages of the Interior Life” by Dominican Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange Favorite movie: “13th Day,” about the miracle of Fatima Favorite Scripture story: The priestly prayer of Jesus (John 17) Volunteer work: Bolder Options, Sharing and Caring Hands Person you most admire: Blessed Pope John Paul II Thanksgiving Masses: 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 29, St. Michael, St. Michael; 5 p.m. Saturday, June 11, Ascension, Norwood-Young America; 10:30 a.m. Sunday, June 12, St. John the Baptist, New Brighton

Just one door opens to a fulfilling life By Pat Norby The Catholic Spirit

Deacon Jonathan Kelly’s journey toward ordination was filled with invitations. “I think the Lord was gentle, in that he didn’t reveal things all at once,” he said. Although Deacon Kelly had fleeting thoughts of priesthood as a youth, he didn’t seriously consider a vocation until he was older. The youngest of seven children, Deacon Kelly said his dad, Richard, who was an attorney and judge, has had a great influence in his life and is supportive of his vocation. After graduating from Georgetown Prep Jesuit high school in Washington, D.C., where he spent weekends with his sisters who lived in the area, Deacon Kelly returned to the Twin Cities to get a degree in finance at the University of Minnesota. He worked four years at Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis, before spending two years with MidMark Capital in Morristown, N.J. “I liked what I did and had the great fortune of working with people of great integrity,” he said. “But I felt a sense of growing unfulfillment in the work. So I started asking deeper questions.”

Searching for fulfillment He was reading “The Seven Storey Mountain” by Trappist Father Thomas Merton and regularly attending Mass at Our Lady of Czestochowa in Jersey City, which was housed in a row-house-style building.

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Deacon Jonathan Kelly, center, stands with Bishop Mariano Parra, right, bishop of Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela, and altar server Guillermo Mego during a youth Mass at the church of Jesucristo Recusitado in San Felix, Venezuela, an archdiocesan mission parish where Deacon Kelly served last summer.

“There was only one exit,” Deacon Kelly said. “With this one exit, I was forced to go out and see the priest (Father Tom Iwanowski) every time. The second time I was there, he grabbed me . . . and began talking to me. Six weeks later, he got me registered in the parish and he got me on the finance council and involved in other activities. The seeds, you can see, were being planted.” About a year after beginning his search

for “some orientation” in his life, Deacon Kelly’s brother in Minnesota invited him to go on a five-day retreat in Croatia that was also attended by Father Michael Becker, then-pastor of St. Michael in St. Michael. Father Becker is now serving as rector of St. John Vianney College Seminary. “It was in the silence that the Lord PLEASE TURN TO INVITATION ON PAGE 8B

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Ordination

MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Wedding led the way to personal relationship with Christ Deacon James Lannan Age: 33 Hometown: Edina Home parish: Our Lady of Grace, Edina Parents: Bob and Maureen Lannan Education: Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Boston College, master’s of divinity from University of St. Thomas in St. Paul Teaching parish: St. John Neumann, Eagan Pastoral internship experience: Working with Missionaries of Charity Hobbies: Collecting and listening to live music recordings, studying philosophy and theology, spending time with family and friends Favorite books: “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien and “I Believe in Love” by Father Jean C.J. d’Elbée Favorite movie: “Forrest Gump” Person he admires: Father Patrick Lannan, his late uncle Thanksgiving Mass: 11:30 a.m. Sunday, May 29, at Our Lady of Grace in Edina

The Catholic Spirit Deacon James Lannan’s path to the priesthood began in an unlikely place: at a wedding. While serving as best man in 2003, Deacon Lannan said in an email interview: “I asked [God]: ‘Do you want me to get married and start a family? Is my current career and lifestyle what you desire for me? What is the benchmark of success and happiness in this life?’” An adviser and partner in the

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Deacon James Lannan baptizes Page Erickson at St. Stephen in Anoka Aug. 10, 2010. The infant is being held by her mother, Shelley Scofield. At right is Rick Erickson, the baby’s father.

Hamilton & Easom Retirement Planning Group at Citigroup Smith Barney, Deacon Lannan was part of a group that managed individual retirement investments. “By the age of only 27, I experienced great success by corporate standards,” he said. “Yet, the taste of that life did not provide any fulfillment. I desired something peacefully permanent.” Deacon Lannan realized that what was missing from his life was a personal rela-

CONGRATULATIONS

FATHER JIM LANNAN From your teaching parish St. John Neumann, Eagan

Congratulations to Our Pastor

Father George Welzbacher

tionship with God. “I believe the Lord used this moment to begin a slow and gradual series of major changes in both my lifestyle and relationship with Christ,” he said. “This experience [at the wedding] was the catalyst for my spiritual conversion and eventual discernment for the priesthood.”

The invitation For two years, Deacon Lannan met almost every Saturday for spiritual direction with a priest. During those meetings,

the two of them formed his spiritual history. For the first time in Deacon Lannan’s life, he considered if God was calling him to the priesthood. He then entered seminary to further discern his vocation. The more he prayed about it in seminary, the more his vocation came into focus. “Discerning Jesus hidden in the shadow of my desires helped me grow in self-knowledge and understanding divine providence in my life,” he said. Deacon Lannan said he had support along the way. “Whenever I experienced doubt, I spent time working alongside [the Missionaries of Charity in the Twin Cities] in their apostolic works of mercy, and my confidence grew,” he said. “Their witness of authentic Marian joy and chaste love was the model Christ chose for me to learn from as I discerned my vocation.” Christopher Thompson, academic dean at the St. Paul Seminary, and Father Peter Laird, archdiocesan vicar general and previous vice rector at the seminary, also positively influenced Deacon Lannan as he discerned his vocation, he said. Deacon Lannan said he looks forward to celebrating the sacraments when he is a priest. As a transitional deacon, he baptized 25 babies at St. Stephen in Anoka. “You really connect with the people during such an important time in the spiritual life of the child and the family,” he said of the experience. While he is open to wherever God leads him, Deacon Lannan said he would enjoy teaching if given the opportunity.

Congratulations Fr. Cole Kracke on your ordination to the priesthood. From your home parish St. Joseph West St. Paul

Father Cole Kracke

On the 60th Anniversary of his Ordination to the Holy Priesthood

May God s journey for you be abundantly blessed

And the 83rd Anniversary of his Birth

Congratulations on your ordination to priesthood from your teaching Parish

Join the people of the Church of St. John of St. Paul in celebration Sunday June 5 at the 11:00 a.m Mass with a reception to follow Saturday June 11 with a potluck supper after the 4:15 Mass St. John of St. Paul, 977 E. 5th St., St. Paul, Minnesota 55106 651-771-3690 www.stjstp.org Established 1886 - Our 125th Year

Ordination

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 26, 2011

Deacon Tony O’Neill Age: 47 Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland Home parish: Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul Parents’ names: Sean and Eilis O’Neill Education: Education degree at Queens University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland Former jobs: High school and middle school teacher, dean of students at Cornerstone Middle School in Detroit, Mich. Teaching parish: St. Paul, Ham Lake Pastoral internship experiences: Clinical Pastoral Education at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, summer diaconate ministry at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, Spanish tutoring at Divine Mercy in Faribault Hobbies: Sports, especially soccer, watching movies Favorite book: “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens Favorite movie: “Gladiator” Favorite Bible story: John 12, Jesus washes his disciples’ feet Volunteer work: Missionaries of Charities’ after school program for children Person you most admire: “My dad; he’s been a faithful Catholic all his life and handed the faith on to me. He’s a man of real integrity.” Thanksgiving Masses: 11 a.m., Sunday, May 29 at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul; 10:30 a.m., Sunday, June 12 at St. Paul in Ham Lake

Zacchaeus moment leads to deeper discernment By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

Deacon Tony O’Neill said it was a “Zacchaeus moment” nine years ago that led him to the St. Paul Seminary and will lead him to the priesthood when he is ordained May 28 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. He is referring, of course, to the Gospel passage in Luke 19 in which Jesus picks a tax collector named Zacchaeus out of the crowd, calls him down from a sycamore tree and tells him he wants to come over for dinner. “This past year, I did a homily on that Gospel passage,” Deacon O’Neill said. “Part of my point was that, in life, we all have Zacchaeus moments where Christ breaks through the crowd and says, ‘I want to be with you today.’ For me, the moment in the Cathedral [of St. Paul] in 2002 was a Zacchaeus moment.”

Hearing the call He is referring to the priest ordination Mass that year, to which he came to witness the ordination of his friend, Father Michael Keating. At the time, Deacon O’Neill, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, was living in Michigan in a lay, ecumenical brotherhood of men called Servants of the Word. He had joined the brotherhood in 1989 and was flourishing there. He spent 17 years in the group and was planning to spend the rest of his life in it. That is,

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Deacon Tony O’Neill, left, greets his brother, Sean, and Sean’s wife, Elizabeth, after Mass at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul. Elizabeth teaches at St. Agnes School in St. Paul and the couple belongs to St. Mark in St. Paul.

until his Zacchaeus moment happened during the ordination Mass. “In 2002, I was living in Detroit and I was working at Cornerstone Middle School [as dean of students],” said Deacon O’Neill, 47. “I was very happy. It was a very fulfilling time in my life. We had done a lot of real key, inner-city work with young people. I just felt like I was making a difference with what I was doing. “I came to St. Paul to attend an ordina-

tion of someone that I knew. In the middle of the ordination, I had an experience of God that was a very profound one. I felt pretty clearly that God was calling me to be a priest. It was one of those experiences in life that was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time because I realized the tremendous call, but also that it was about to turn my life upside down.” Deacon O’Neill didn’t immediately PLEAE TURN TO THOUGHTS ON PAGE 8B

Congratulations

FATHER JONATHAN KELLY From Your Teaching Parish St. John the Baptist, New Brighton “Go on your way. See I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves.” Luke 10:3

Congratulations, Deacon Ben Little!

We rejoice with you in your ordination to the transitional diaconate.We wish you many blessings as you continue your journey with Our Lord to your June 2012 ordination. The Parishioners, Staff and Faculty of Saint John’s Church and Saint John the Evangelist School of Little Canada, Minnesota

Ordination

MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Vocation to the priesthood prophesied at baptism

Deacon Nathan LaLiberte

By Pat Norby

Age: 26 Hometown: Lakeville Home parish: All Saints, Lakeville Parents’ names: Mark LaLiberte and Cathy LaLiberte Education: B.A. in philosophy and Catholic studies, University of St. Thomas Former job: Target, Dunn Brothers, Comfort Inn Suites, Minneapolis Gun Club and Fraser Teaching parish: Maternity of Mary, St. Paul Pastoral internship experiences: Divine Mercy, Faribault Hobbies: Running, reading, cooking Favorite book: “Summa Theologica” by St. Thomas Aquinas, and Proverbs Favorite movie: “Monsieur Vincent” Favorite Scripture quote: “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” — John 10:10b Volunteer work: Sharing and Caring Hands, St. Vincent de Paul Society Person you most admire: Blessed Charles de Foucauld Thanksgiving Masses: 11 a.m. Sunday, May 29, All Saints; 10 a.m. Sunday, June 12, Divine Mercy; Maternity of Mary to be announced

The Catholic Spirit

Deacon Nathan LaLiberte said that his grandmother saw his vocation long before he could speak. “I was baptized on the Easter Vigil and my grandma leaned over to my mom and said ‘that means he has to be a priest,’ which was never mentioned to me until I entered seminary,” Deacon LaLiberte said. “She would take me to church,” he said. But, he added, he would misbehave so badly that he had to be taken out of the church. “I think it was all the older ladies in the church that prayed for me to behave that led to my conversion.” Although he was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic faith, Deacon LaLiberte said he had a nominal Catholic upbringing. “I didn’t start thinking about the priesthood until my senior year of high school,” he said. “I started questioning who I was, what I was, what is truth. . . . I began to go through a conversion of just appreciating what Catholicism was,” said the deacon, now 26. “My generation grew up with the Internet, so if you have questions you

Congratulations

Fr. James Lannan

To our parishioner

Fr. Jim Lannan

On your Ordination

to the Priesthood! May your priestly service be pleasing to God and bring lasting good to Christ’s church.

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Deacon Nathan LaLiberte, right, helps Bill and Judy Lewis of Divine Mercy in Faribault stock food shelves at the St. Vincent de Paul Center for Charitable Services in Faribault. Bill is the president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Divine Mercy Conference.

Google them. I Googled a lot of things about the church,” he said. Although he found some things that were false, he also found information that was inspiring, along with being guided by God to a friend who was devout in his Catholic

faith.

Only one option “I decided my senior year that I wanted to go to a Catholic university because PLEASE TURN TO DEACON ON PAGE 8B

Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House Phone 651-777-1311 8243 Demontreville Trail N., Lake Elmo, MN 55042

On your ordination

to the priesthood. We’re very proud of you!

Church of St. Stephen, Anoka

May God continue to bless your ministry

Your Summer Deacon Parish

TheCatholicSpirit.com

— The Faculty, Staff and parish of Our Lady of Grace in Edina MN

Maternity of Mary Church

Congratulations and Blessings

JONATHAN KELLY From the parishioners at

Saint Michael Catholic Church 11300 Frankfort Pkwy. NE, St. Michael, MN www.stmcatholicchurch.org

Father Nate LaLiberte Congratulations on Your Ordination

Ordination

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 26, 2011

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Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Deacon Cole Kracke, center, talks with Risa Stalboerger, right, and Julie McNamara, left, at an event for moms at St. Joseph in West St. Paul. Stalboerger belongs to St. Joseph and McNamara belongs to St. Agnes in St. Paul.

Former Navy officer zeroes in on priesthood By Julie Carroll The Catholic Spirit

Deacon Cole Kracke’s life story could have been ripped from the pages of a spy thriller. A cryptologist for the U.S. Navy, he scanned communication frequencies for assassination plots and tracked drug runners in the Gulf of Mexico. He was a surface warfare officer on a guided missile destroyer. Oh, and he speaks Russian. But even he couldn’t have predicted the plot twist God was penning for his life. Deacon Kracke, from Burnsville, did not grow up Catholic. When he joined the Navy, he had to declare a religious preference, so he chose Catholicism because he had attended Catholic Masses when he was in high school. At his base chapel in Spain, Deacon Kracke spoke with the chaplain about becoming Catholic. “He put me on a real quick crash course so I could be baptized and enter in at the Easter Vigil that April,” Deacon Kracke said. Shortly after becoming Catholic, Deacon Kracke considered the priesthood. “I had all kinds of other goals and aspirations, so I didn’t pursue it,” he said, “but I continued to be active [in my faith].” While based in Spain, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with other members of the chapel community. “I’d done a lot of traveling with the Navy, but that Holy Land trip . . . probably will go down still to this day as my most exciting trip, and certainly it had some sort of impact,” he said. Five years later, Deacon Kracke considered the priesthood again as he was being transferred to Washington. “It kind of popped into my mind, I don’t know why, just out of the blue,” he said. “But I was not in a position where I could have acted on it because I had just reenlisted for another six years of military service.”

Leap of faith At the age of 29, Deacon Kracke was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, which cut short his Navy career.

Deacon Cole Kracke Age: 36 Hometown: Burnsville Home parish: St. Joseph, West St. Paul Parents: Tom and Linda Kracke Education: Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and political science from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., and master’s of divinity from University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Teaching parish: Annunciation in Minneapolis Summer diaconal assignment: St. Joseph, West St. Paul Pastoral internship experience: Working with a youth group and attending the Franciscan University of Steubenville Conference in Atlanta, clinical pastoral education at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee and Joseph Richey Hospice in Baltimore Hobbies: Technology, aviation Favorite book: “An American Life” by President Ronald Reagan Favorite movie: “A Man for All Seasons” Person he admires: Blessed Pope John Paul II Thanksgiving Mass: 11 a.m. Sunday, May 29, at St. Joseph in West St. Paul

With plans to attend law school, he worked in campus ministry at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., where he studied philosophy. Around that time, Pope John Paul II died. Inspired by the pope’s life, Deacon Kracke entered St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore. “I took that leap,” he said. On April 16, 2007, Deacon Kracke was a first-year seminarian when a gunman killed 32 people and wounded many others at nearby Virginia Tech. “I had just gotten back from my spring break seeing family in Hawaii,” he recalled. “Two days later, I was in Blacksburg, Va., the site of the worst mass PLEASE TURN TO CRASH ON PAGE 8B

The Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada has commissioned the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University to conduct a survey of readers of Catholic media. The Catholic Spirit is inviting you to be a part of this survey. The survey is being conducted online only. To respond online go to CARA’s website: cara.georgetown.edu

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You will see a button near the top of the page that reads “Online Research” that you will need to click on. This will take you to a page that lists CARA’s currently active “Online Surveys.” The survey you have been invited to take is entitled “Catholic Media Use.” Click on the link for this survey, then click on the line “Complete the Catholic Media Use survey here,” and you will be taken to the questions. If you need any assistance or have any questions while taking the survey please contact CARA researcher Mark Gray at 202-687-0885 or mmg34@georgetown.edu The survey will be available on CARA’s website until July 15, 2011.

CARA is a national, non-profit, Georgetown University affiliated research center that conducts social scientific studies about the Catholic Church. Founded in 1964, CARA has three major dimensions to its mission: • to increase the Church's self understanding • to serve the applied research needs of Church decision-makers • to advance scholarly research on religion, particularly Catholicism.

Ordination

MAY 26, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Sacrament of holy orders calls for commitment of service to others By Father Michael Van Sloun

DID YOU KNOW?

For The Catholic Spirit

Holy orders is one of the seven sacraments. It, along with the sacrament of marriage, belongs to a special group of sacraments known as the sacraments of commitment. These two sacraments are “sacraments at the service of communion,” “directed toward the salvation of others” and “serve to build up the people of God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1534).

More than $1.4 million from the 2010 Catholic Services Appeal went to support Clergy Services, which includes the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, St. John Vianney College Seminary, Byrne Residence and chaplains in both prisons and hospitals. and then, and only then, with his words. The priest is a sanctifier, a vehicle of God’s grace to the people, and the shepherd who leads the people to greater virtue and their conduit to a more intimate bond with God.

Three degrees While all of the baptized share in the universal priesthood, holy orders is the sacrament of the ordained ministry. Holy orders come in three degrees: deacon, priest or presbyter, and bishop. Only two degrees share the ministerial priesthood — bishops and priests. Priests are co-workers of the bishops, while deacons assist priests.

Ordered ministries Holy orders is “holy” because it has a sacred character and is “ordered” because it is structured —tiered with increasing levels of responsibility. For instance, a deacon can preach and baptize, but cannot offer Mass or hear confessions; a priest can offer Mass and hear confessions, but cannot ordain; a bishop can ordain; but not only can he ordain, a bishop can perform every priestly function because he possesses the fullness of holy orders. These ministries give “holy order” to the church.

Scriptural foundations The beginnings of the priesthood are found in the Old Testament. Melchizedek was a priest of God, the first to offer bread and wine (Genesis 14:18). Then, beginning with Aaron, the Levites were especially chosen for priestly service (Numbers 3:5-10), and they were consecrated for this sacred duty in a carefully prescribed ordination ritual (Exodus

SERRA CLUBS CALL FOR PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS BEFORE TRAVELING MONSTRANCE The traveling monstrance that was blessed and gifted to North America by Pope John Paul II to encourage prayers for vocations will be available in Minnesota from July 1 to July 10, sponsored by the Serra International Clubs in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Adoration with the Blessed Sacrament is planned for June 30 and July 1 at Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale and July 5 and 6 at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony. Steve Frank, with the archdiocesan Serra Clubs, said there are still openings for area parishes to host the monstrance, which will also be in the Duluth diocese July 9 and 10. For information about hosting the monstrance, call Frank at (651)6360600. For more about Serra Clubs, visit the website at HTTP://SERRAUS.ORG.

Window to God

29; Leviticus 8). The Levites presided over the affairs of the Temple and served as mediators in the offering of sacrifice on behalf of sinners. The priesthood of the first covenant anticipates Jesus, the one and only eternal high priest, “the one mediator between God and the human race” (1 Timothy 2:5), and ordained priests participate in his priesthood.

Instituted by Christ The ministerial priesthood was established by Jesus when he asked his apostles to continue the ministries that he began. On Holy Thursday night when Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he told his apostles, “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). When the risen Jesus appeared to the apostles in the Upper Room, Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). To equip them for their commissioning, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he instructed the apostles, “Go, make disciples of all nations. Baptize them. Teach them” (Matthew 28:19,20). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, asked Peter to continue his shepherding duties when he said, “Feed my lambs, tend my sheep” (John 21:15,16). Jesus’ final words of instruction to his apostles were, “You will be my witnesses . . . to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Divine call The call to a vocation to the priesthood begins with God, not the person. The letter to the Hebrews explains, “No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God” (Hebrews 5:4). The priest is “taken from among men and made their representative before God,” and it is the priest’s duty “to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Hebrews 5:1). The priest serves “in persona Christi,” Latin for “in the person of Christ.” He never serves on his own behalf. Rather, Christ takes over his very being, and in his humble, loving service, he is the visible presence of Christ in the community.

Ministries of priestly office The foremost ministries of the priest

are to offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass and preach the Gospel. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life; without priests, the church would have no Eucharist. The priest is also a preacher, and he must preach first with his holiness of life,

A priest must never draw attention to himself. He is to be transparent. When the people see the priest, they should be able to see through him to God. Sin is dirt that obscures a clear view. Each priest is called to exemplary holiness, to be a sparkling clean window so the people will be able to see past him to the true focus of their prayer and their heart’s desires, to God alone. Father Michael Van Sloun is pastor of St. Stephen in Anoka.

Ordination

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 26, 2011

Invitation to rectory sealed Deacon Kelly’s future as priest CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2B spoke to me. I was 30 years old at the time,” Deacon Kelly said. “I quit my job six weeks later,” he said, and moved back to the Twin Cities. “I continued to speak with Father Becker about what was happening to me and he invited me to live with him for the summer at the rectory, where there were three other priests and a deacon. I was drawn by the life immediately. So, I applied to the seminary for the fall.”

Acceptance brings graces After the first few months in the seminary, Deacon Kelly felt that his discernment was over, and he told his family and friends that he believed that God was calling

him to be a priest. “As soon as I gave myself completely to the formation program, the doors opened up and more graces came,” he said. There were times that he wanted to move along more quickly from studying philosophy to studying theology, but he said he’s grateful for the formation he received at the St. Paul Seminary. “We have various experiences of learning a new language, working in a hospital, and I had a chance to do a 30-day retreat and be in a parish, and we got to travel to places like Rome and Jerusalem. All those experiences have prepared us so well,” he said. “The formation program does work and I’m grateful for the enthusiasm of Msgr. [Aloysius] Callaghan [seminary rector].” While serving a summer at the archdiocesan mission

parish in Venezuela, Deacon Kelly learned about flexibility and the joy of Christ in the poor. While in his teaching parish in New Brighton, he enjoyed the lessons he learned by preparing to preach and the joy of bringing a new life into the church during a baptism. When people ask Deacon Kelly what they can do to encourage vocations, he tells them to attend an ordination. “Let the power and beauty and richness of the rite speak for itself,” he said. “That is my encouragement to all the readers of The Catholic Spirit: Come to the ordination for the enrichment of your own faith and bring those people who may have a vocation to the religious life.”

Thoughts of priesthood go back as far as Deacon O’Neill’s childhood CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4B leave the brotherhood and enter the seminary. Rather, he took several years to carefully discern God’s will. Then, in 2006 he entered the seminary and, at the same time, joined a group of priests and seminarians in the archdiocese called the Companions of Christ. He felt this group offered the same kind of spiritual life he had with Servants of the Word. “They were living a form of fraternity that really attracted me,” he said. “Ultimately, I felt a great conviction that God was calling me to come here.” While he said everything that has happened since he came here has strongly

confirmed his decision to join the Companions and the seminary, he also was emphatic in expressing “the great love and respect that I have for the brotherhood that I came from.” In fact, he gives credit to the brotherhood for a large chunk of his spiritual formation. He also credits his family, especially his parents, Sean and Eilis, who continue to live in Scotland. “I’m the youngest of five children, and at every step in my life, both my parents and my siblings have been 100 percent behind me,” he said. “They’ll all be at my ordination, and it’ll be the first time the family’s all been together for, I think, at least 15 or 20 years. That’s a long time.”

Deacon LaLiberte went from catechesis 101 to incredible transformation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5B I wanted to continue with my faith,” Deacon LaLiberte said. He applied only to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, despite his mother’s advice to be open to other options. “I said there are no other options.” While meeting with the campus minister before starting at UST, Father Jeff Huard, spiritual formation director at St. Paul Seminary, came by and asked if he had ever thought about the seminary. “I said, ‘Father, I don’t even know what a seminary is,’” Deacon LaLiberte said. When he went on an overnight visit at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, he thought it was not for him. “But the Lord has a mysterious way of working,” he said. “The archbishop at the time was Archbishop Harry Flynn and he invited me on a discernment retreat in December at Villa Maria, so I went down with him. . . . He is a great witness to the priesthood, but I did not feel a calling to the seminary.” Despite his initial hesitancy, Deacon LaLiberte applied to SJV. “My first years in seminary were like catechesis 101, learning basic prayers like how to pray the rosary, how to go to confession,” he said. “I wasn’t in the best shape going in. But I can tell you that after eight years of formation, it definitely works. My relationship with Christ has become incredibly important to me and has changed and transformed my life.”

Deacon LaLiberte said he finds the saints refreshing and inspiring.

Saints stand out Two men — St. Vincent de Paul and Blessed Charles de Foucauld — especially stand out because they share the same French heritage that he has, he said. Deeper then that, however, is how they lived as young men and then turned their lives over to God. “Blessed Charles de Foucauld lived a very pagan, hedonistic life growing up, very self-centered, which was my experience,” Deacon LaLiberte said. “Then he had a very profound encounter with God, through nature, in the desert of Morocco.” The deacon also learned from reading about St. Vincent de Paul that he became a priest because he wanted to make money from the vocation. But, after he was held in slavery, it changed how he ministered to the poor, Deacon LaLiberte said. As he looked back at his seminary experience, the deacon said each year of formation added something to help him become an integrated person and more available to the Spirit’s prompting. “That phrase that it takes a village to raise a child, I’d say it takes a presbyterate to raise a priest. There are so many priests in this archdiocese who have had an incredible role in forming me. And some of the lay parishioners have had a huge impact on how I enter ministry,” he said. “The things that the Lord has knit together are completely beyond me.”

Early stirrings Deacon O’Neill said he thought about being a priest as far back as his early childhood. In fact, he went to a high school seminary run by a religious order. After graduating, he entered the order as a postulant, but left three months later when he discerned that was not where God was calling him to be. “Pretty soon after leaving, I came in contact with the charismatic renewal in Scotland,” he said. “Both my brothers had been involved in that — Frank and Sean. . . . And, really, through the charismatic renewal, I experienced a real awakening in my faith. Things just really

changed, and I got involved in a community in Glasgow, a charismatic community called the Community of the Risen Christ.” In his ministry as a priest, he is hoping to help others deepen their faith like his has deepened over the last 20 years. He particularly looks forward to celebrating Mass, hearing confessions and anointing the sick. “Those are profound things that touch people deeply and bring Christ into the most important parts of their life,” he said. “I look forward to helping people take the next step toward God. If I can do that for the rest of my life, I’ll die a happy man.”

‘Crash course’ leads Deacon Kracke to Catholicism and seminary Continued from page 6B

apprehensions were completely eliminated.”

shooting in the nation’s history. . . . I was at the campus ministry house at Virginia Tech the week of the shooting talking with students who were telling me what was happening in the classrooms as the bullets were coming through the door.” Deacon Kracke slept at the Newman Center for a week to be present for students coming in at all hours. He also was an altar server at a slain student’s funeral. “That Virginia Tech event was a huge factor in my remaining in seminary,” he said. “I was getting ready to make a decision at that point that I was probably going to leave. Being able to minister to the community, the college kids, helped me in my discernment. . . . Any fears or

Eventually, Deacon Kracke, sensing a calling to return to Minnesota, transferred to the St. Paul Seminary, where he completed his studies. A member of the fraternity of priests and seminarians called Companions of Christ and an aviation buff, Deacon Kracke said what he most looks forward to as a priest is “walking with people on their journey, . . . just being present with them at weddings, funerals, baptisms. “I think it’s very humbling to be allowed into people’s lives like that,” he added, “and really there’s no person other than the priest who would ever be trusted with that. . . . It’s a very privileged role to have.”

The Catholic Spirit