Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Collection to target poverty November 11, 2011
3
The Catholic Spirit News with a Catholic heart
GETTING A BEAD ON INDIANAPOLIS
College students strive to be ‘strong men of God’
19 TheCatholicSpirit.com
Sacred Liturgy is subject of archbishop’s first pastoral letter By Joe Towalski The Catholic Spirit
From left, Thang Chu, Andrew Nguyen, Andy Do (standing), Joseph Nguyen, Tony Pham and Tommy Pham of St. Anne/St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis work on making rosaries during a fundraising event Oct. 29 at Epiphany in Coon Rapids for their trip to the National Catholic Youth Conference Nov. 17 to 19 in Indianapolis. Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit
Vietnamese youth pray ‘rosary marathon’ to attend National Catholic Youth Conference
By Kathryn Elliott The Catholic Spirit
During an eight-hour “rosary marathon” at the Epiphany Church rosary garden in Coon Rapids, youth from St. Anne/St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis prayed 1,000 Hail Marys. Splitting into groups, they traded off walking the garden, praying and hand-making rosaries on couches inside. The event was the final fundraiser for the group’s upcoming trip to Indianapolis for the National Catholic Youth Conference, which occurs every two years. This year, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will send 134 youth from 12 parishes. On the day of the fundraiser, the youth inside
chatted with one another while those outside asked Mary to intercede for one another’s intentions. The young people sought prayers for families going through difficult times and for help in knowing God’s will, among other requests. Friends, family and church members sponsored the day of prayer with pledges and donations that have so far amounted to $1,400. The conference draws 20,000 youth from around the country, and registration for it costs nearly $500 per person. A grant from Catholic Youth Foundation USA offset the expense for St. Anne/St. Joseph Hien youth. “There’s a great enthusiasm about life and
Since his childhood days growing up in suburban Detroit, Archbishop John Nienstedt said he has had a “love affair” with the Mass, and he hopes his first pastoral letter as head of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Read the will help Catholics renew their own love letter inside for Christ in and this issue of through the liturgy. The Catholic The Mass is “a way of sitting down and Spirit telling the Lord once again, ‘Not only I but everybody in this church loves you — and you love me and you love us,’” the archbishop said during an interview Nov. 4 about his letter, “Do This In Memory of Me: The Sacred Liturgy as the Splendor of God’s Eternal Glory,” which is printed as an eight-page insert in this issue of The Catholic Spirit. The letter is divided into sections focused on answering four questions: ■ Why is the liturgy so essential to the well-being of the church? ■ How can our unity in worship build up our unity as church? ■ Why is it so important that we participate in the weekly celebration of the Sunday liturgy? ■ Why must all we do in this great archdiocese, individually and collectively, be informed by the liturgy?
Seizing an opportunity The letter comes as the U.S. church is preparing for the debut of the new
PLEASE TURN TO YOUTH ON PAGE 7 PLEASE TURN TO SACRED ON PAGE 7
Catholics urged to make voices heard in public square By Joe Towalski The Catholic Spirit
If you’re a Catholic who is hesitant about getting involved in the political process on behalf of the church and advocating for public policies consistent with church teaching, Anthony Picarello Jr. has some advice for you: “Don’t be afraid.” Parishes, church organizations and their representatives generally are not allowed to support or oppose political candidates or parties. But they can share the principles of Catholic social teaching, talk about issues and support specific ballot measures. Opponents of the church’s public policy involvement may claim it is overstepping its bounds, but “don’t believe it,” said Picarello, general counsel for the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops who spoke recently at Our Lady of Grace in Edina. It amounts to a way of trying to intimidate the church “in order to deter the effective preaching on the issues,” he said as part of a Nov. 5 panel on “Catholics in the Public Square.” “For the other side to win, they just need to scare you to self censor. Don’t be deterred from what you can do within the limits of the law.” The event, sponsored by the archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life and attended by about 225 people, came as Americans are preparing for elections next fall, when they also will vote on an amendment to the state constitution that would prePLEASE TURN TO RELIGIOUS ON PAGE 4
Anthony Picarello Jr., general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke Nov. 5 as part of a panel on “Catholics in the Public Square” at Our Lady of Grace in Edina. CNS photo / Paul Haring