The Catholic Spirit - May 24, 2012

Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Local cemeteries host Memorial Day Masses

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The Catholic Spirit News with a Catholic heart

May 24, 2012

Singer considers blindness a gift

7 TheCatholicSpirit.com

Answering the call Read about the three men preparing for ordination and their vocation journey to priesthood — Pages 11-14

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

From left, Deacons Nick VanDenBroeke, Ben Little and Evan Koop are preparing for ordination to the priesthood May 26 at the Cathedral of St. Paul.

MN Catholic Conference launches ‘First Freedom Project’ ost people are familiar with the Scripture verse that we are to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

But what belongs to God, and what is properly within the jurisdiction of the state?

For much of our country’s history, American Catholics have not had to choose between living out their faith and being faithful citizens. The church does not begrudge our government its rule of law. “Caesar” has and can continue to legitimately claim loyalty from U.S. Catholics.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom.”

“Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the

M Faith in the Public Arena Jason Adkins

PLEASE TURN TO RELIGIOUS ON PAGE 19

Don’t miss What: Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally When: Noon-1 p.m., Friday, June 8, Where: Federal Building, Downtown Minneapolis, 212 3rd Ave. S. Bishop John LeVoir of New Ulm and other leaders will voice their support for public policies that protect religious liberty for all citizens.

Co-sponsored by Minnesota Catholic Conference and Pro-Life Action Ministries.

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MAY 24, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Mary: Given to us as model and guide

That They May All Be One Archbishop John C. Nienstedt

Mary’s faith-filled obedience stands in marked contrast to the devil’s rejection of God’s will

In my column of April 26, 2012, I shared with you an Easter homily delivered by a priest friend of mine in Detroit. I also spoke of a secular Catholicism that has slowly eroded a strong and enduring faith by taking a casual approach to the matters of religion, even in the passing on of our faith to our children and grandchildren.

This has given a great advantage to the ideology of atheism that seeks to educate children to despise the beliefs of their parents. Certainly this is the work of the Evil One, “prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

“In my family, we grew up with a regular practice of attending Our Mother of Perpetual Help devotions and praying the family rosary. I still believe that these are powerful means of growing in holiness.

Mary’s support Often, we think of the devil as the counterpoint to God. And yet, the devil is in fact one of God’s creatures, a fallen angel. In that regard, it is more theologically precise to view Satan’s rebellion against God as set over and against the obedient “fiat” of Mary. In other words, her faith-filled obedience stands in marked contrast to the devil’s rejection of God’s will.

True to God’s prediction in Genesis 3:15, Satan despises Mary for allowing herself to be used as the instrument through whom our Savior entered the world. His intent is to do whatever it takes to thwart God’s plan for salvation.

Yet, as we have just celebrated in Holy Week, Christ’s death and resurrection has defeated the devil’s grasp on us and removed death’s dark hold over us. The wood of the

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.

Vol. 17 — No. 10 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT Publisher BOB ZYSKOWSKI Associate publisher

”

CNS photo / CMIIcons

An icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Cross has become the sign of our salvation. And whenever we meet the Cross, Mary remains standing beneath it, offering her strong yet silent support.

As Pope Benedict XVI has observed: “In our day, Our Lady has been given to us as the best defense against the evils that afflict modern life; Marian devotion is the sure guarantee of her maternal protection and safeguard in the hour of temptation” (Aparecida, Brazil, May 2007).

In my family, we grew up with a

ARCHBISHOP JOHN NIENSTEDT

regular practice of attending Our Mother of Perpetual Help devotions and praying the family rosary. I still believe that these are powerful means of growing in holiness. I highly recommend them, especially in this month dedicated to the Mother of God. As Gerard Manly Hopkins wrote, Mary is “our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” She has been given to us as a model and a guide. How can we not but take advantage of so great a gift?

God bless you!

Hearing Tests Set for Senior Citizens Announcement — Free electronic hearing tests will be given all next week Monday thru Friday from 9 am to 4 pm.

The tests have been arranged for anyone who suspects they are not hearing clearly.

People who generally feel they can hear, but cannot understand words clearly are encouraged to come in for the test, which uses the latest electronic equipment.

Everyone, especially those over age 55 should have an electronic hearing test once

a year. Demonstrations of the latest devices to improve clarity of speech will be programmed using a computer to your particular needs — on the spot — after the tests.

See (and HEAR) for yourself if newlydeveloped methods of correction will help you understand words better.

Tests will be performed at one of 20 convenient Greater Twin Cities Avada Hearing Care locations.

Call 1-877-328-9161

www.avada.com ©2012 HHM, Inc. 304

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

Theology Day. Find out.

Responsibility, Leadership and Change:The Challenges of an Adult Church Friday, June 8, St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, Maple Grove 7:15 a.m. check-in, light meal ,7:30 a.m.-9 presentation Join Dr. William J. Cahoy as we discuss our personal and professional lives in which we seek to live as responsible adults. As business, community and home leaders, we exercise leadership in significant ways. Yet we read in the Gospel that faith involves becoming like children - a theme developed in particular ways in the Catholic Church. Must we cease being adults to be faithful?

With some history, theology and leadership theory we will explore the challenges of a church of adults.

Dr. William J. Cahoy is dean of Saint John’s School of Theology·Seminary.

FREE but registration is required. www.csbsju.edu/sot or 320-363-3570

Pope recognizes Hildegard as saint, advances causes of U.S. bishop, nun Catholic News Service Although she was never canonized, St. Hildegard of Bingen is to be added to the Catholic Church’s formal list of saints, and Catholics worldwide may celebrate her feast day with a Mass and special readings by order of Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican announced May 10 that the pope formalized the church’s recognition of the 12th-century German Benedictine mystic, “inscribing her in the catalogue of saints.” The same day, the pope advanced the sainthood causes of 19th-century U.S. Bishop Frederic Baraga of Marquette, Mich., and of Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, a member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, N.J., who died in 1927.

The decrees for both of the U.S. candidates for canonization recognize that they heroically lived the Christian virtues and are “venerable.” Before they can be beatified, the Vatican must recognize that a miracle has occurred through their intercession.

Father Baraga was ordained a priest in Slovenia in 1823 but left for America in the early 1830s to serve among the Ojibwa and Ottawa in Michigan. Beginning in 1835 he worked in the Upper Peninsula, where his constant travels to Indian villages even in the harsh winter months earned him the nickname “Snowshoe Priest.” He was named the first bishop of Upper Michigan in 1857.

Sister Demjanovich was born in Bayonne, N.J., in 1901. She wrote a series of spiritual conferences, which were collected and published after her death in 1927 as a book, “Greater Perfection.”

Obituary Oblate Father Deis served archdiocese Oblate Father Dennis Deis, 74, died May 4 in Sioux Falls, S.D. He was born on Aug. 22, 1937, in Onaka, S.D. He entered the Carthage, Mo., Oblates Mission seminary in high school and joined the O.M.I. in 1960 and made his first profession. He professed final vows in 1963 and was ordained Dec. 18, 1965.

In the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Father Deis served at Assumption parish in Richfield and Christ the King Retreat House in Buffalo.

Corrections ■ Information received for the obituary on Father Jerome Dittberner, a longtime professor at the St. Paul Seminary, did not include that he was ordained a priest with the Order of Friars Minor Conventual in 1964. He was incardinated into the archdiocese in 1985.

■ The date for the religious freedom rally, sponsored in part by the Minnesota Catholic Conference, is June 8. A headline in the May 10 issue was incorrect.

“Dear young people of every language and culture, a high and exhilarating task awaits you: that of becoming men and women capable of solidarity, peace and love of life, with respect for everyone.”

Blessed Pope John Paul II

Local News from around the archdiocese

MAY 24, 2012

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Teens urged to invite friends to Archdiocesan Youth Day

By Julie Carroll The Catholic Spirit

“One of the

Flyers and posters help get the word out, but the most effective way to get youth to attend a church event like Archdiocesan Youth Day this fall is through personal invitation, according to one youth minister.

“At the end of the day, it’s about personal invitation, and not from the youth minister . . . but from peers,” Chris Kostelc, coordinator of senior high youth ministry at Holy Name of Jesus in Medina and a scheduled speaker at Archdiocesan Youth Day, told The Catholic Spirit.

“It’s about one kid asking another kid, it’s about one parent talking to another parent. . . . It’s about that word to word, . . . [which] has always been the most effective way to spread the Gospel and the Good News — through relationships,” he said.

The Sept. 15 archdiocesan event for high school students will be held from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis. It will include time with Archbishop John Nienstedt, Mass, music by the band Sonar, food, testimonials, eucharistic adoration, Benediction and speakers, including keynote speaker Father Michael Schmitz, director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth.

The event is modeled after World Youth Day, an international gathering of young Catholics that Blessed Pope John Paul II started and Pope Benedict XVI has continued.

The idea came about when Archbishop Nienstedt, who has attended five World Youth Day gatherings, expressed a desire to organize a local version, said Bill Dill, archdiocesan youth ministry events coordinator.

The theme is “Reason for Hope,” based on 1 Peter 3:15.

Young people who attend Archdiocesan Youth Day will come to realize that there are many other young people in the archdiocese like them “who know, love and serve Christ and who are excited about their faith,” Dill said.

Encountering God Kostelc said he hopes teens who go to the event have “an encounter with the living God.” “One of the greatest things I’ve learned in youth min

greatest things I’ve learned in youth ministry is that sometimes you just put these young people in front of Jesus and then get out of the way. . . . I think this kind of event is going to be a great way to do that.

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CHRIS KOSTELC Coordinator of senior high youth ministry at Holy Name of Jesus in Medina

Pat Millea, a youth minister at St. Michael in Prior Lake who also is slated to speak at the event, said: “I think the value of an event like this is, especially for high-schoolers, to give them a sense of the beauty of Catholicism and the energy of the church.”

The gathering will help teens get a sense of the universal church they are a part of, he said. “There’s such great value in our high-schoolers being in an environment where they’re surrounded by other faithful Catholic teens, where they can feel like they’re not such an anomaly.”

Millea said he hopes the event energizes teens and gives them a sense of joy.

“It’s just such a great way to rekindle faith in young people at a time when it’s not necessarily easy to be Christian or Catholic,” he added. istry is that sometimes you just put these young people in front of Jesus and then get out of the way,” he said. “. . . I think this kind of event is going to be a great way to do that.”

Registration is by group, so youth should talk to their campus minister, parish youth minister or pastor to sign up. For more information, visit the archdiocese’s website at WWW. ARCHSPM.ORG.

SAVE THE DATE! 2012 Leading With Faith Luncheon Archbishop John Nienstedt presenting Tom Hauser, Emcee

Wednesday, August 15, 2012 Noon luncheon St. Catherine University Coeur de Catherine building • Rauenhorst Hall

SAVE THE DATE!

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Local

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 24, 2012

Relic from Rome sparks quiet conversations at Cathedral of St. Paul

By Pat Norby The Catholic Spirit

Parishioners and visitors to the Cathedral of St. Paul were pleased with the opportunity they had May 20 to venerate a recently obtained relic from the tomb of St. Paul at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.

The stone relic, about the size of a brick, was on view in a glass-topped box, situated near the lectern, on the steps behind the Communion rail. Between the Sunday Masses, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., people lined up to kneel and pray and get a close look at this piece of history. This was the only day it was to be displayed until a permanent place for viewing it is created.

Father Joseph Johnson, Cathedral rector, said, “This is a stone removed from the tomb of the Apostle Paul, after which our city and cathedral are named and who is the patron of our archdiocese.�

More important than the physical rock — “placed there by Pope Leo the Great or St. Gregory the Great a thousand years before Columbus set sail for the new world� — is the spiritual bond that it represents, said Father Johnson.

The designation by the Vatican of the new relic, along with the designation in 2009 of the Cathedral of St. Paul as a national shrine of the Apostle St. Paul, means that pilgrims who visit the Cathedral of St. Paul receive all the same graces as if they made a pilgrimage to Rome to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, he explained.

While Father Johnson was traveling back to St. Paul with the relic, literally in

Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit

People kneel at the Communion rail in the Cathedral of St. Paul to pray and view the stone relic from the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

his hands, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. “I remembered when the Minnesota Science Museum had their Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit — how they transferred the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was like what you see in a movie — a briefcase handcuffed to somebody, and police guards escorting it to the plane, and the briefcase had its own seat in first class,� he said. “I chuckle because it was just me with this relic and not at all like that.�

Having the opportunity to see and pray with a relic was an extra gift for several visitors, such as Michele and Dan Goodwin, who were visiting the area from Van-

couver, Canada, where they attend St. Anthony parish.

Another couple from California made a trip from Rochester’s Mayo Clinic to see the cathedral and were pleased with the one-day display of the relic.

Christine Ertl, who just graduated from the University of St. Thomas, brought her brother, Brad, to the 10 a.m. Mass and was happy to hear the announcement about the relic. “I studied abroad in Rome this past fall so I was at St. Paul Outside the Walls,�

Ertl said. “To have it in the archdiocese when so many beautiful things are happening and so many wonderful seminari-

ans are coming through and offering their life for the priesthood, it’s a beautiful model for what the Lord is doing in this archdiocese.�

Although impressed by the relic, Ertl’s brother was even more impressed to see the Cathedral of St. Paul, which he heard was modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica. “In the class, my teacher talked about St. Peter’s Basilica and how it is 400 feet tall and the altar was 100 feet tall,� he said. “After seeing pictures of that and how this is supposed to be modeled after that, it’s pretty cool.�

Cathedral parishioners Jean Lown and Barbara Dries stopped to pray by the new relic and talk about its significance. “It illustrates that we do have a close connection to St. Paul, and I think it’s a blessing that the Vatican has recognized the importance of this national shrine and given this gift to honor that,� Lown said. “We’ve talked about the fact that St. Paul doesn’t have a strong presence in this building,� she said. “There are chapels to many other saints, but no chapels set aside for St. Paul. So having this is special.�

Dries said that Father Johnson often speaks about the patron of the cathedral, although his name and the connection to Rome is sometimes forgotten. “Having this rock intensifies that unity in a magnificent way,� Dries said. “This is the beginning of a very intense connection with St. Paul Outside the Walls and Rome.�

Both women said they believe it is only a matter of time before this new relic has a special place of honor in the church.

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Local

MAY 24, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Students ‘sell’ Mass in ad campaign

By Julie Carroll The Catholic Spirit

When Julia Vogl, a sophomore at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park, asked her friends and classmates if they attended Mass, she learned that many of them either didn’t go or went only because their parents forced them.

So when her religion teacher assigned the class to design a multimedia advertising campaign to encourage teens to go to church, Vogl knew the challenge she was facing.

She wondered what image or message would appeal to her friends as she sat down to work on the assignment.

And then it occurred to her: “My generation is not only one that is heavily interested in entertainment, but it also seems to be one that truly wants to change the world [in] one way or another,” she wrote in an email to The Catholic Spirit explaining her thought process.

The idea of “changing the world” morphed into “saving the world,” which conjured images of superheroes in Vogl’s mind. So she designed a print ad featuring a Batman-like superhero with a cross projected in a night sky.

Her slogan: “Be a Hero. Join the Mission. Go to Mass.”

Vogl, a member of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata, also designed radio and TV ads with the same theme.

“What I gathered from this project was that going to Mass isn’t just a way to worship God,” Vogl said in her email. “It’s also a way for you to get connected with him and learn how you yourself can change the world.”

Creative minds Teacher Alison Frank said she and fellow teacher Joe Pedersen assigned the ad campaign as a way to get students thinking about evangelization.

Students worked alone and in small groups piecing together video, images, music and print to get their message across. Then they presented the campaigns to their classmates.

“We were impressed with the creativity that the students exhibited,” Frank said in an email. “They came up with a lot of different angles to sell the same

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Catholic university president to speak on mission-focused leadership The Catholic Spirit

Julia Vogl, a sophomore at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park, designed this ad as part of an assignment to create a campaign designed to draw fallen away teens back to church.

message.”

One student created a dazzling special effects explosion in his TV ad, she said.

Another group of students Photoshopped an image of Pope Benedict XVI holding up a smart phone with the Twitter logo glowing on the screen. Their slogan played on Twitter’s use of hashtags to designate keywords: “Follow #Christ to Church. He is guaranteed to follow back.”

A common theme that emerged is that the church fills teens’ needs for a sense of belonging, Frank said.

“They want to feel accepted, and they want a community to belong to.”

John Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., will be the next speaker in an ongoing series of talks at the University of St. Thomas addressing the challenges facing Catholic higher education today.

Garvey will speak from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 14 at the Anderson Student Center on the school’s St. Paul campus.

The free talk is titled “The Challenges of Mission-focused Leadership at a Catholic University.”

Economic and demographic pressures are among the challenges facing Catholic higher education today as well as living up to the charge of “Ex Corde Ecclesiae” to serve as an institutional witness to the convictions of the Catholic Church in an increasingly polarized climate, organizers said.

“Ex Corde Ecclesiae” is the apostolic constitution issued in 1990 by Pope John Paul II that identifies the mission of Catholic higher education.

The speaker series should be of interest to the general public as much as it is to the professional academic community, said Elizabeth Schiltz, professor of law and codirector of St. Thomas’ Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy, one of the sponsors of the series.

“A large part of the general community has attended Catholic universities or is thinking about sending their children to Catholic universities and is very much engaged in and concerned about these kinds of questions,” she said. “We would hope that they would want to continue to hear about what’s going on and be involved in that conversation as consumers and users of these Catholic universities.”

Speakers slated for the fall include: ■ Father James Burns, director of the Office of Faculty Outreach and Program Assessment at Boston College, speaking on “Creating a Dynamic Vision of Catholic Mission and Identity: A University Experience” on Sept. 3; ■ Patricia O’Hara of the Notre Dame School of Law who will address “The Catholic University in the 21st Century” on Oct.5.

For more information, or if you are interested in attending any of these programs, visit the website of the Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy at WWW.STTHOMAS.EDU/MURPHYINSTITUTE, or call Seanne Sullivan Harris at (651) 962-4842.

Students most inspired by moms, dad, in Center for Mission essay contest The Catholic Spirit Four students wrote winning essays and one teacher provided a creative approach for the Center for Mission’s 2012 Writing Contest.

Moms were the top response to the essay questions: Who inspires your Christian faith? How has this person inspired you through words and actions?

In Division I — grades one to three, Sadie Klassen from Faithful Shepherd Catholic School in Eagan wrote, “My faith has been inspired by my mom, because we always pray at night, she always reminds me to believe in myself, she always makes me feel better when I’m sad. . . .”

In Division II — grades four to six, Theresa Hausmann from St. Joseph School in Rosemount said that her dad most inspires her faith. “He was a missionary in Kenya. There, he taught others about God. This inspires to teach people about God and spread the good news of Him. “When my dad died I was sad. But when I found out how he died I felt better.

I felt better because he had died in [the I35W] bridge collapse trying to save a mom and her daughter.”

In Division III — grades seven to nine,

Hailey Anderson from Holy Spirit School in St. Paul said that her mom is an influential role model. “She isn’t someone who just talks about God and having faith in the higher power, she is also someone who acts. . . . We have elderly neighbors my mom makes meals and apple pies for, and we deliver to their door and pay them a visit because they don’t leave their house much. . . . Through the hard times, she continues believing that things happen exactly the way they are supposed to, and that everything happens for a reason.”

In Division IV — grades 10-12, Sophia Pham from St. Adalbert parish in St. Paul is also inspired by her mom. “My mom has told me many stories of her childhood, but one that particularly stood out to me was her journey to America. My mother was a refugee from Vietnam. She first escaped with her younger sister at the age of 17. . . . A question that I have asked myself many time was, ‘How did she have the hope to keep going? I asked her and she answered simply with ‘God guides me through everything. He is always there for me, no matter what the circumstances are.’”

Ann Christy, a religion teacher at St. Wenceslaus School in New Prague, won

Center for Mission

Ann Christy inspired students in her seventh- and eighth-grade religion classes by having them build a tree laden with “Gifts of the Spirit” in the St. Wenceslaus School classroom in New Prague.

for the most creative and innovative approach that encouraged her students to write for the contest.

She had the students construct a tree in the center of the classroom with the “Fruits of the Spirit” hanging on its branches. Those fruits were paragraphs

about the inspiritional individuals in their lives.

Each winner in Division I and II received $50, Division III and IV received $100. Read their complete essays online at WWW.CENTERFORMISSION.ORG.

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Local

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 24, 2012

St. Thomas president to stay busy after 2013 retirement The Catholic Spirit Father Dennis Dease is grateful for many things that have happened during the past 21 years he has served as president of the University of St. Thomas.

“Right near the top would be opening the doors here at St. Thomas to a number of international students, particularly from some African countries,” said Father Dease, who announced May 10 that he we will retire June 30, 2013.

“I feel very good that we have had 40some Ugandan students in the last 10 years or so [12 graduated this year],” he said.

The University of St. Thomas, he said, educates students to think critically, act wisely and work skillfully to advance the common good.

“It’s amazing how many of our students have developed projects to do just that,” he said. “One of our [African] students brought electricity to his whole village by installing solar cells. . . . Another student started a maternity pediatric hospital.”

It’s not just the African students that are inspired by Catholic social teaching, he said, but many UST students who are giving back to their communities.

Timing right Father Dease said “the timing for my retirement next year will be right for a number of reasons.”

“We will complete our $500 million Opening Doors capital campaign this October,” he said, “and our preparation for

“I am not ready to spend my days watching The Weather Channel. I look forward to pursuing something close to my heart.

”

FATHER DENNIS DEASE

our decennial accreditation visit by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association will conclude next year. Also, I will turn 70 next May, and I have other interests I would like to pursue.”

Father Dease said he plans to continue his work with health-care projects in Uganda, with projects related to Armenian culture and education, and work with the University of Havana in Cuba.

“I am not ready to spend my days watching The Weather Channel,” he said “I look forward to pursuing something close to my heart.” He will maintain an office on the St. Paul campus.

Trustee John Morrison will chair a search committee for a new president. The committee — comprised of nine trustees, three faculty members and one staff member — will be appointed by early next month.

Initial steps in the search included open forums May 14 and May 17, where faculty,

staff and students voiced opinions on the qualities they want in a new president.

The university’s bylaws allow only a Roman Catholic — priest, religious or layperson — to serve as president. All 14 presidents of St. Thomas have been priests.

Father Dease is the second-longesttenured president in St. Thomas’ 127-year history. He succeeded Msgr. Terrence Murphy, who held the office for 25 years.

During Father Dease’s tenure, St. Thomas continued to evolve into a regional, liberal arts Catholic university with increasing national recognition for its academic programs. His accomplishments include the following: ■ Three rounds of strategic planning — in 1994-95, 1999-2000 and 2005-2006 — guided St. Thomas and led to the development of the strategic directions of access, excellence and Catholic identity.

■ Degree programs were created in areas such as business (full-time MBA), Catholic studies, educational leadership, electrical

and mechanical engineering, entrepreneurship, health-care management, law and organizational development.

■ Two capital campaigns have raised more than $700 million. The Ever Press Forward campaign, which concluded in 2001, raised $250 million. The Opening Doors campaign, which will conclude in October, has raised $455 million toward its $500 million goal. Invested assets, including pledges, increased from $100 million in 1991 to $451 million in 2011.

Focused on mission Father Dease said the school’s “culture of service” is what drives him, and he sees the same interest among the school’s faculty and staff.

“They love to interact with students — to teach, to mentor, to advise and to coach,” he writes in his “Up Front” column in the spring issue of St. Thomas magazine. “They unselfishly share a common goal of providing the best possible education for each and every student.”

He said he always has viewed his job through the lens of how best to advance the university’s mission.

“I see the mission statement etched in bronze on the wall outside my office every day when I walk in,” he writes in the magazine. “It has been for me a constant reminder of what we’re about. At times it has even served as an examination of conscience — for me, and for the institution.”

The Catholic Spirit News Editor Pat Norby contributed to this article.

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MAY 24, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

7

Singer says: ‘Blindness is a gift’ Catechetical institute graduate deepens faith, finds meaning in her lack of eyesight

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

Braille, led to failure. In her words, she “flunked out.”

Undaunted, she decided to move to London, where some of her relatives lived, and try to make it as a singer. She got a job as a background and studio session singer, building on her success in high school when she performed as part of a group with her brother and sister called Simply Mystique. It finished second out of 10,000 groups on Arsenio Hall’s talent competition, she said.

For much of her adult life, Michele Denise Michaels despised canes. Specifically, those used by blind people to get around.

She first had need of one at age 9, when Taking a new direction She came back to New York for a visit a she mysteriously lost most of her sight week before 9/11, and had planned to go while at school.

“I was in class in the third grade,” said into the city that day. But, while she was Michaels, 43, who grew up Catholic in getting dressed at her parents’ house, she Brooklyn, N.Y. “In the morning, I could got a call from her cousin in London resee the board. I went to recess, came back, laying the news of the disaster.

She did not visit the city that day, and and I couldn’t see it.”

Her parents, Denis and Rita, originally she never went back to London. Instead, from Grenada, brought her to scores of she got a job at St. Vincent Ferrer as direcdoctors to try and diagnose the problem, tor of music. She was in charge of two but to no avail. She lost all of her center choirs and did music for weddings, funervision and the ability to see details, which als and other liturgies. One of the funerals has never returned. All that remained was was for a firefighter in the parish who died peripheral, abstract vision. So, her parents in the 9/11 tragedy.

Still, she would not accept her condigave up hope for a cure and turned their tion and would not focus to helping use a cane. her live with blindness.

“I fought it a lot,” she said. “My parShe was handed I started seeing that ents offered me rea cane, which she sources, but I just dutifully carried blindness is a gift — wasn’t open to it.” around, folded. my cross. It’s what She never used it.

Finally, her couTo her, the use of sin in London, God is using to this instrument sigJeanette Abraham, sanctify me. nified to others persuaded her to that she was blind. start doing some research on living “I didn’t mind MICHELE DENISE MICHAELS with blindness. She that I couldn’t see, suggested talking to but I didn’t want to look like I couldn’t see — I didn’t want to blind people and finding out how they look like I was blind,” she said. “I navigated through life. wouldn’t use my cane, I wouldn’t associThat led her to an organization in the ate with blind people.”

Twin Cities called Blind, Inc. It offers inOver the last 10 years, that attitude has tensive training to people who are blind changed. A big part of the transformation to help them learn how to live and work was the two years she spent at the Arch- independently. Michaels moved here in bishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Insti- 2003 and spent eight months in the protute at St. Paul Seminary. She graduated a gram. year ago and now speaks freely about her “What’s special about it is all the teachcondition and how God is using it in her ers are blind, so they’re role models and life. mentors,” she said. “I lived blindfolded with sleep shades for eight months beIndependent professional cause it’s not efficient to do things with She is a professional singer and voice my residual vision.” coach who lives independently in an That experience softened her attitude apartment in downtown Minneapolis and about using a cane. Finally, she relented belongs to St. Olaf. Currently, she is workand started learning how to use one. ing on a music CD she plans to release in July called “Altar Call,” and is writing a Bible study opens a door book about her life she plans to publish in She also made another important decithe fall. sion that ultimately brought her to the “I have accepted the blindness now,” catechetical institute: She started attendshe said. “I started seeing that blindness is ing Bible studies. a gift — my cross. It’s what God is using She heard about the ones offered by to sanctify me.” local Scripture scholar Jeff Cavins, and Her new outlook is on display in the en- started attending them regularly. She went tryway of her apartment. On the wall is a with one of her new friends, Laura Rothrow of nine canes. Nearby are six cruci- man, whom she calls her “Minnesota fixes. It’s hard to ignore the juxtaposition Mom.” They both found out about the of the two. catechetical institute, and eventually en“It’s my freedom corner,” she ex- rolled together. plained. “We know God said, ‘Pick up “I love everything about the faith, but I your cross and follow me.’ So, I have my thought there were holes in my catecanes.” chism, things I didn’t know,” Michaels Michaels said she was able to manage said. “So, that’s why I was attracted to the without a cane through grade school and catechetical institute. . . . It was just a nathigh school. But, when she went off to ural progression to do this, so we both college, her refusal to use one cost her signed up.” dearly. That, plus her decision not to learn A look inside her apartment reveals

“

”

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Michele Denise Michaels lost most of her sight at age 9 from a condition that has yet to be diagnosed. Over the last 10 years, she has come to accept her condition, and now views it as a gift, thanks in part to the two years she spent at the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute.

how the institute has transformed her.

There is a crucifix in every room, and she has turned a closet adjacent to her bathroom into what she calls a “prayer closet.”

She has a kneeler, and the walls are filled with religious items such as her first Communion dress and her favorite crucifix, which came from Kenya.

“After catechetical, I felt differently about my space,” said Michaels, who has a large image of Our Lady of Guadalupe hanging over her bed. “I felt more comfortable about having sacramentals around.”

She also is much more confident in her faith and her understanding of it. Even though she grew up in a devout Catholic household, she feels her two years at the institute were crucial in creating a lifelong foundation for living her faith, which now includes singing at local pro-life events.

“I think it’s the remedy for those of us who were poorly catechized,” she said. “I think, a lot of times, people leave the church because of what they think the church is and their misunderstanding of it. And now, after being steeped in the catechism and understanding the treasures of the church, I could never leave.”

Institute graduates 130 students this year The Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute at the St. Paul Seminary held its third graduation ceremony May 8, with Archbishop John Nienstedt presiding and presenting certificates to the 130 students.

Also participating in the presentation was institute director Jeff Cavins. This year’s graduates are called the Class of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

There now is a total of 357 alumni.

Applications are being accepted for the fall. The deadline for applying is July 15.

The institute can accept up to 150 new students for the fall.

For more information or to apply, call (651) 962-6890, or visit WWW.SAINTPAULSEMINARY.ORG.

8

Local

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 24, 2012

Kathy Laird: Retired, but still an award winner

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

Kathy Laird has something in common with a Catholic cardinal.

Laird, who recently retired as the director of the archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life, was honored earlier this week by Relevant Radio with its Christ Brings Hope Award.

The Catholic broadcasting company created the award last year and gave it to Cardinal Francis George of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

This year, the company decided to give an award in this archdiocese and chose Laird.

“She’s just done a marvelous job over the years on family and marriage, and that’s core to what we talk about on the radio on a daily basis,” said Father Francis Hoffman (“Father Rocky”), executive director of Relevant Radio, which has its headquarters in Milwaukee. “We really wanted to emphasize and promote this important work going on right now, which she has LAIRD

“The Lord knows my heart, and I think the people I’ve worked with do, too.”

KATHY LAIRD

done.”

Laird, who will turn 74 in June and celebrated 50 years of marriage to her husband, Stewart, last fall, will continue to serve as a consultant to the office and to her replacement, Jean Stolpestad, and will help out with other archdiocesan projects.

Family work a privilege “I have been privileged over the years that I have worked for the archdiocese to have done something that I loved, with a special emphasis on the family,” she said.

“I have met some wonderful people, people who are struggling with incredible things, everything from children with special needs to people who come from a great deal of brokenness. But, I have met Christ in each one, and it has only strengthened my faith.”

For one year, Laird served in the office

Parish Stewardship Toolkit an effective ‘consultant’ for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit

Faith Siebenaler is a champion of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Parish Stewardship Toolkit, and she encourages parish leaders to take advantage of workshops on the kit that are coming up in early June.

She’s able to recommend it to other parishes because she’s seen it work at her own, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings.

“Our income is up, and because we utilized the toolkit we didn’t have the expense of a consultant,” said Siebenaler, who is coordinator of stewardship and communication at her parish and a member of the Archdiocesan Stewardship Committee.

The toolkit’s timeline and sample letters can be adapted to meet any parish’s need, she added, and she called it “a sign of growth” that the archdiocesan Office of Stewardship and Development has updated and added to the toolkit.

An initiative that the director of stewardship and development, Michael Halloran, brought to the archdiocese in 2011, the toolkit is available both in three-ring binder form and online at WWW.ARCHSPM.ORG/DEPARTMENTS/ DEVELOPMENT-STEWARDSHIP.

Expanded content New sections on planned giving, Logos-based reports and shared ministry are now part of the toolkit, noted Mary Kennedy, chair of the Archdiocesan Stewardship Committee, and there are more examples from a variety of parishes to encourage sharing of time and talent.

“The toolkit is meant to be a living, breathing document based on the variety and the changing needs of parishes,” said Kennedy, who is director of stewardship at Pax Christi in Eden Prairie.

Another committee member, Mary Woida, administrator of St. Joseph in Red Wing, echoed that sentiment. “We keep building on what we learned,” Woida said. “Stewardship is not a one and done.”

Pastors, parish administrators, parish staff and volunteers involved in stewardship efforts are invited to attend one of five regional workshops to introduce updates to the Archdiocesan Parish Stewardship Toolkit.

The dates, sites and times are: ■ Monday, June 4: Lumen Christi, Cleveland and Bohland in St. Paul — 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

■ Tuesday, June 5: Pax Christi, Pioneer Trail and Homewood Hills in Eden Prairie — 6 to 7:30 p.m.

■ Wednesday, June 6: Holy Name of Jesus, 155 County Road 24 in Medina —11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

■ Thursday, June 7: St. Odilia, 3495 Victoria St. N. in Shoreview — 6 to 7:30 p.m.

■ Friday, June 8: St. Patrick, 72nd and Clayton in Inver Grove Heights — 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Information about registration is being sent to all parishes.

part time. Then, in 1997, she came on board full time, and went to work developing programs to help catechize people in their faith. She expressed satisfaction with office initiatives like marriage prep, a mentoring program for couples, family frums, natural family planning, and youth ministry. She was especially pleased to be able to offer a program for youth regarding sexuality called “All in God’s Plan.”

“Through the years, I ran into many people who knew that they should be talking to their children about this great gift, but didn’t know where to begin,” she said.

Always, she noted, the emphasis in any program in her office was on helping people learn and understand church teaching in a way that would improve their lives.

“Ultimately, the church puts down the guidelines she does and the rules that she

does because she wants us to thrive,” Laird said. “It’s not about changing other people, it’s about changing yourself. Love is always the answer, but love doesn’t give us free license.”

Laird jokes that people might look at someone her age and say “she should have been out of there a long time ago.” But, people like Father Rocky see many useful gifts at work that are not at all diminished by the fact that she worked past the normal retirement age.

“The first thing that strikes me about Kathy is she is a very upbeat person, very joyful,” he said. “Secondly, she’s very energetic. Third, she has great ideas.”

Yet, Laird is hesitant to take the credit.

She points to the support she has received both from Archbishop John Nienstedt and Archbishop Harry Flynn, who hired her in 1996.

“There are a large number of people who are more worthy [of the award],” she said.

“But, if this, in some way, can be used to make a difference, I’m all for it.

“It’s not about the award, it’s about the chance to reach out and do more for others.... The Lord knows my heart, and I think the people I’ve worked with do, too.”

Seven more parishes exceed Appeal goal An additional seven parishes have gone over their 2012 Catholic Services Appeal goal, bringing the total number of parishes over goal to 73.

The seven new parishes are: ■ St. Cecilia, St. Paul ■ Maternity of the Blessed Virgin, St. Paul ■ St. Catherine, Jordan ■ Our Lady of the Lake, Mound ■ Assumption, Richfield ■ St. Raphael, Crystal ■ St. Henry, Le Center Parishes that previously exceeded their goal are: St. Patrick, Oak Grove St. Mary, Hampton St. Mathias, Hampton St. Genevieve, Centerville St. Michael, Stillwater St. John the Baptist, Vermillion St. Nicholas, Elko New Market St. John, St. Paul St. Rose of Lima, Roseville St. Joseph, West St. Paul St. Peter, Mendota St. Mary of Czestochowa, Delano St. Thomas the Apostle, Corcoran St. John the Baptist, Savage Holy Rosary, Minneapolis Our Lady of Lourdes, Minneapolis St. Peter, Richfield Good Shepherd, Golden Valley St. Mary of the Lake, Plymouth St. Mary, Le Center St. Pius V, Cannon Falls St. Rita, Cottage Grove St. Francis of Assisi, Lakeland St. Joseph, Rosemount St. Francis Xavier, Taylors Falls Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul St. Francis De Sales, St. Paul St. Adalbert, St. Paul St. Jerome, Maplewood St. Nicholas, Carver All Saints, Minneapolis

St. Anthony of Padua, Minneapolis Holy Family, St. Louis Park St. Michael, Pine Island St. Paul, Zumbrota St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Hastings Ascension, Norwood Young America St. Anne/St. Joseph Hien, Minneapolis St. Casimir, St. Paul St. Katharine Drexel, Ramsey St. Louis, King of France, St. Paul St. John the Baptist, Hugo St. Boniface, St. Bonifacius St. Odilia, Shoreview St. Anne, Hamel St. Helena, Minneapolis Our Lady of Victory, Minneapolis Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Minneapolis St. Bridget of Sweden, Lindstrom St. Patrick, Jordan St. Mary of the Lake, White Bear Lake Sacred Heart, St. Paul St. Stephen, Anoka St. Albert, Albertville St. Michael, St. Michael St. Mary, Stillwater St. Agatha, Rosemount St. Joseph, Taylors Falls Holy Trinity, Waterville St. Michael, Kenyon St. John the Baptist, Dayton Lumen Christi, St. Paul St. Agnes, St. Paul St. John the Evangelist, Little Canada Nativity of Mary, Cleveland St. Stephen, Minneapolis The 2012 Catholic Services Appeal has now reached more than $7.7 million in gifts and pledges toward the goal of $9.3 million.

If you would like to make a pledge/gift to the Appeal, please go to WWW.ARCHSPM.ORG/APPEAL to donate online; or, if you have questions, contact the Development and Stewardship Office at (651) 290-1610.

Local

MAY 24, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

9

Definition of marriage gets renewed attention across country From staff and wire reports

SPM.ORG.)

The public debate over the definition of marriage received renewed attention this month as voters in North Carolina became the 31st state to approve a constitutional amendment upholding traditional marriage — an action followed a day later by President Barack Obama’s declaration during a nationally televised interview that he supports same-sex marriage.

North Carolina voters approved the constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman on May 8 by a margin of 61 percent to 39 percent.

Bishop Peter Jugis of Charlotte and Bishop Michael Burbidge of Raleigh had both championed the amendment, which they said would prevent any arbitrary redefinition of marriage.

Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of Oakland, Calif., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Subcommittee on the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, praised North Carolina voters, saying the amendment's passage “demonstrates people’s awareness of the essential role that marriage, as the union of a man and a woman, plays for the common good.”

The vote came as Minnesotans continue their own

“The word ‘marriage’ describes the exclusive and lifelong union of one man and one woman open to generating and nurturing children. Other unions exist, but they are not marriage.

Jason Adkins, executive director of the MCC, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, said the North Carolina vote demonstrates that “the American people still strongly support marriage.”

On the other hand, he added, “it’s terribly saddening when the president of the United States does not understand what marriage is and how it serves the common good.”

”

FROM A STATEMENT BY THE ARCHDIOCESE OF WASHINGTON

public debate over the definition of marriage in preparation for a Nov. 6 vote on a similar ballot measure.

Last week, local church officials responded to a group of former Minnesota Catholic priests and three retired priests who voiced public opposition to the proposed amendment. Both the Minnesota Catholic Conference and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis issued statements May 17 restating the church’s support for traditional marriage. (Read the statements at WWW.ARCH

Among critics of the president’s May 9 announcement was the Archdiocese of Washington, which said in a statement that it “opposes the redefinition of marriage based on the clear understanding that the complementarity of man and woman is intrinsic to the meaning of marriage. The word ‘marriage’ describes the exclusive and lifelong union of one man and one woman open to generating and nurturing children. Other unions exist, but they are not marriage.”

In its statement, the Washington archdiocese said it would “continue to strongly advocate for the federal government’s existing definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman,” adding it supports efforts undertaken by those who uphold the traditional meaning of marriage.

A closer look at marriage and the marriage amendment The Catholic Spirit The Minnesota Catholic Conference and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offer a variety of educational resources to explain the church’s teaching on marriage and answer questions in regard to Minnesota’s Nov. 6 ballot measure that would define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

The following is based on information from the USCCB and MCC, including a recent Catholic Spirit interview with MCC executive director Jason Adkins.

■ What is marriage?

Marriage, as instituted by God, is a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman joined in an intimate community of life and love. It is a natural and universal institution that unites a husband and wife and any children born from their union. It is not something that government creates or makes up.

Government and religious communities affirm, recognize and support the institution because of the importance of marriage and family to society. The marital union provides the best conditions for raising children: namely, the stable, loving relationship of a mother and father present only in marriage. The state recognizes marriage because the relationship between a man and a woman makes a unique and essential contribution to the common good.

■ Marriage in Minnesota is already limited to one man and one woman.

Why is the amendment needed?

The amendment prevents judges and politicians from changing existing law.

There is currently a lawsuit in Hennepin County seeking to have the state’s Defense of Marriage Act declared discriminatory, irrational, bigoted and unconstitutional, Adkins said. Multiple pieces of legislation have been introduced over the past few years to redefine marriage into a system of genderless domestic partnerships. Local politicians have promised to redefine marriage at the first opportunity. A

constitutional amendment allows the people to have authority over Minnesota’s marriage law.

■ Doesn’t the marriage amendment amount to discrimination against samesex couples?

No. It is not discrimination to treat different things differently. Men and women provide unique gifts to each other and to their children. Government has a compelling interest in supporting a relationship that is unlike any other in its capacity to produce new life and that provides benefits to the persons who are part of that unique community as well as all of society.

■ Doesn’t the church care about people with same-sex attraction?

Yes, it does. It rejects no one. The church teaches that all people are children of God. People with same-sex attraction are our co-workers, friends and neighbors who can and do contribute to society.

They have basic human rights that must be respected. The marriage amendment does not take away anyone’s rights. In addition, any two people can continue to create private legal contracts for a broad range of benefits and legal privileges relating, for example, to sharing or distributing property and making medical decisions.

■ What harm could possibly result from redefining marriage?

The consequences of redefining marriage would be felt on the social level on issues related to religious liberty, free speech rights, parental rights and economic liberties. The MCC’s Adkins said, “It would become discriminatory and illicit for the government to privilege male-female marriage above any other relationship.” For example, in Massachusetts, where marriage has been redefined to accommodate same-sex couples, children as young as second grade were taught about same-sex marriage in class and courts ruled that parents had no right to prior notice or to opt their children out of such instruction.

Marriage is a natural and universal institution that unites a husband and wife and any children born from their union. It is not something that government creates or makes up.

“We have tried negotiations with the administration and legislation with the Congress — and we’ll keep at it — but there’s still no fix."

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, whose archdiocese is among the Catholic plaintiffs in a lawsuit to stop the government from implementing a mandate requiring them to cover contraceptives and sterilization in their health plans

Nation/World 10

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

News from around the U.S. and the globe

Remembering those who served

Secular society needs Catholicism, Pope Benedict tells U.S. bishops n five speeches over a period of six months, Pope Benedict XVI warned visiting U.S. bishops of the threats that an increasingly secularized society poses to the Catholic Church in America, especially in the areas of religious liberty, sexual morality and the definition of marriage.

Yet the pope did not advise that American Catholics withFrancis X. draw from a largely Rocca hostile environment in order to preserve their values and faith. Instead, as part of his call for a new evangelization within the church and beyond, he urged believers to engage more closely with wider society for the benefit of all Americans.

Pope Benedict addressed five of the 15 regional groups of U.S. bishops — including the group from Minnesota — making their periodic “ad limina” visits to the Vatican, which began in late November and ended May 19. The speeches touched on themes applicable to dioceses across the country. One constant was the pope’s warning against the demoralizing effects of secular culture, which he said had led to a “quiet attrition” among the church’s members, who must therefore be the first targets of “re-evangelization.”

Yet, the pope argued that moral decay is also threatening the stability of secular society itself. He noted what he called an “increased sense of concern on the part of many men and women, whatever their religious or political views” that a “troubling breakdown in the intellectual, cultural and moral foundations of social life” has imperiled the “future of our democratic societies.”

Therefore, he said, “despite attempts to still the church’s voice in the public square,” Catholics should insist on providing “wisdom, insight and sound guidance” to “people of good will.” Using the non-religious “language” of natural law, he explained, the church should promote social justice by “proposing rational arguments in the public square.”

I

Analysis

CNS photo / Nancy Phelan Wiechec

Members of the U.S. military gather for the 18th annual National Memorial Mass of the Archdiocese for the Military Services at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington May 20. Special prayers and songs were dedicated to military members who died in service and those on active duty. The service is held each year near Memorial Day. Pictured from left are Rear Adm. Peg Klein and U.S. Naval Academy students Seth Montgomery and Rolland Al-Almar.

Federal lawsuits by Catholic dioceses, groups seek to stop HHS mandate Catholic News Service Forty-three Catholic dioceses, schools, hospitals, social service agencies and other institutions filed suit in federal court May 21 to stop three government agencies from implementing a mandate that would require them to cover contraceptives and sterilization in their health plans.

“Through this lawsuit, plaintiffs do not seek to impose their religious beliefs on others,” said one of the suits, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana by the Diocese of Fort WayneSouth Bend, diocesan Catholic Charities, St. Anne Home and Retirement Community, Franciscan Alliance, University of St. Francis and Our Sunday Visitor.

“They simply ask that the government not impose its values and policies on plaintiffs, in direct violation of their religious beliefs,” it added.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, whose archdiocese is among the plaintiffs, said the lawsuits were “a compelling display of the unity of the church in defense of religious liberty” and “a great show of the diversity of the church’s ministries that serve the common good and that are jeopardized by the mandate.”

Cardinal Dolan also is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,

which is not a party to the lawsuits.

Catholic organizations have objected to the contraceptive mandate since it was announced last Aug. 1 by Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Unless they are subject to a narrow religious exemption or have a grandfathered health plan, employers will be required to pay for sterilizations and contraceptives, including some abortion-inducing drugs, as part of their health coverage beginning as soon as Aug. 1, 2012.

In all, 12 lawsuits were filed simultaneously May 21 in various U.S. district courts around the country. Erin Shields, HHS director of communications for health care, told Catholic News Service May 21 that the department cannot comment on pending litigation.

In addition to the Archdiocese of New York and Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, the dioceses involved are the archdioceses of Washington and St. Louis and the dioceses of Rockville Centre, N.Y.; Erie, Pa.; Pittsburgh; Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas; Jackson, Miss.; Biloxi, Miss.; Springfield, Ill.; and Joliet, Ill. The Michigan Catholic Conference, which provides medical benefits to more than 1,100 Catholic institutions and approximately 10,000 employees in the state, also is a plaintiff.

MAY 24, 2012

Defending religious freedom This duty is incumbent not only on bishops, the pope said, but also on Catholic politicians, who have a “personal responsibility to offer public witness to their faith, especially with regard to the great moral issues of our time.” He identified the issues as “respect for God’s gift of life, the protection of human dignity and the promotion of authentic human rights.”

In particular, Pope Benedict called Catholics to the front lines in defense of “that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion,” which he said was especially threatened by “concerted efforts” against the “right of conscientious objection . . . to cooperation in

intrinsically evil practices.”

The pope’s presumed reference there was to an Obama administration plan, vociferously protested by U.S. bishops, which would require that the private health insurance plans of most Catholic institutions cover surgical sterilization procedures and birth control.

American society also is served by the church’s promotion of sexual morality, the pope said, since a “weakened appreciation of the indissolubility of the marriage covenant, and the widespread rejection of a responsible, mature sexual ethic grounded in the practice of chastity, have led to grave societal problems bearing an immense human and economic cost.”

The pope characterized the bishops’ defense of traditional marriage against proponents of same-sex unions as a matter of “justice, since it entails safeguarding the good of the entire human community and the rights of parents and children alike.”

Renewal and rebuilding Even in connection with the church’s most terrible scandal in living memory — the widespread sexual abuse of minors by priests — Pope Benedict noted benefits that the church can offer the nonCatholic world.

“It is my hope that the church’s conscientious efforts to confront this reality will help the broader community to recognize the causes, true extent and devastating consequences of sexual abuse, and to respond effectively to this scourge which affects every level of society,” he said.

Although designed to serve Catholics, the church’s educational institutions also enrich society at large, the pope said.

Catholic schools’ “significant contribution . . . to American society as a whole ought to be better appreciated and more generously supported,” he said. And Catholic universities, following in a tradition that professes the “essential unity of all knowledge,” can be a bulwark against a current trend toward academic overspecialization.

Unity among Catholics can also promote harmony across American society, the pope said.

Noting the “difficult and complex” legal, political, social and economic issues surrounding immigration in the U.S. today, the pope suggested that a closer “communion of cultures” among the ethnic groups that make up the church in America could reduce ethnic tensions.

“The immense promise and the vibrant energies of a new generation of Catholics are waiting to be tapped,” the pope said, “for the renewal of the church’s life and the rebuilding of the fabric of American society.”

Francis X. Rocca is Catholic News Service’s Rome bureau chief.

ORDINATIONS

2012

The Catholic Spirit • May 24, 2012 • Page 11

Meet our new priests Deacon Nick VANDENBROEKE Deacon Ben LITTLE Deacon Evan

Turn the following pages to read about the three men who will be ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis by Archbishop John C. Nienstedt at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 26, at the Cathedral of St. Paul.

The ordinands — Deacon Nick VanDenbroeke, 25; Deacon Ben Little, 28; and Deacon Evan Koop, 30 — all grew up in the archdiocese and have strong ties to their home parishes and their families, who continue to live in the area.

KOOP

Learn about their interests and their spiritual journeys to the priesthood. They may be assigned to your parish one day.

12

Ordinations

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 24, 2012

Deacon Evan Koop always wanted to belong to God

By Pat Norby

Deacon Evan Koop

The Catholic Spirit

Age: 30 Hometown: Woodbury Home parish: St. Rita, Cottage Grove Parents: Steven and Debra Koop Education: Bachelor’s degree in history from Washington University in St. Louis (2004), St. Paul Seminary Teaching parish: St. Michael, St. Michael Pastoral learning experiences: Hospital ministry (CPE) at Minneapolis VA Medical Center; Spanish immersion summer in Mexico; deacon summer at Jesucristo Resucitado, mission parish in Venezuela Hobbies: Playing basketball and golf; reading Favorite book: “Quo Vadis” by Henry Sienkiewicz Favorite movie: “Lord of the Rings” trilogy Person you most admire: St. Thérése of Lisieux Thanksgiving Masses: 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, May 27, St. Rita, Cottage Grove; 10:30 a.m. Sunday, June 3, St. Michael, St. Michael

Deacon Evan Koop doesn’t recall ever thinking, as a child, that he wanted to be a priest, but he does remember being intensely interested in God. “One of my earliest memories is my mom, who is a very faithful woman, taking me out onto the front porch of our house in Woodbury,” he said. “I was probably 5 or so. She told me all about Jesus and led me through the process of inviting Jesus into my heart, to have him live there, and make him my closest friend.”

Because the memory is so vivid, “it must have had a great impact on me,” he said.

“I did want to belong totally to God. As I look back, I can see that was my deepest desire. Now, I see in that the seeds of my vocation.”

Deacon Koop said he grew up leading a normal suburban Catholic life. He is the youngest of four siblings — all the others are married. His brother Brendan and sister Allison live in the Twin Cities area. Another brother, Colin, lives in New York.

As a child, Deacon Koop often spent time with his mother’s parents, Mike and Jeanie Weydert, who will be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary during the same week he will be ordained to the priesthood.

“Some of the older devotions, like the rosary, I picked up from them,” he said. “I know they are very happy to have a grandson becoming a priest.”

High school awakening The first time Deacon Koop seriously considered a vocation to the priesthood, he was a ninth-grader at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights.

“We had a vocations day, where priests and other people come in and talk about vocations,” he said. “A priest in my religion class said, ‘I’m sure at least one young man

“I did want to belong totally to God. As I look back, I can see that was my deepest desire.”

DEACON EVAN KOOP

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

in this room has a vocation to be a priest.’ I thought immediately, ‘Oh no, it’s me.’”

From that point on, the thought of priesthood never left and, in fact, began growing bigger, he said. Throughout high school, he found himself drawn to spending time with the Eucharist in the adoration chapel at Holy Trinity in South St. Paul.

After completing his bachelor’s degree, his love of history and academics prompted him to apply and be accepted for graduate school. However, he also encountered a group called the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

The college evangelization program, which is similar to St. Paul’s Outreach, focuses on student outreach on college campuses.

A friend encouraged Deacon Koop to apply to be a missionary with him.

“To my surprise, I was accepted,” he said.

“I tend to be a bit more reserved so I was unsure about [evangelizing others].”

During his two-year commitment with FOCUS, Deacon Koop said he “was getting a little taste of spiritual fatherhood, in terms of ministering to other people’s spiritual needs, seeing them grow in the spiritual life and the joy of that.”

But he also learned that a large part of evangelization is about listening to people and one-on-one relationships.

“By the end of two years I was at a point that I was sure God was calling me to semPLEASE TURN TO COMPANIONS ON PAGE 16

Congratulations

FR. EVAN KOOP On your ordination to the priesthood.

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

The Church of St. Rita, Cottage Grove Your Home Parish

Congratulations on your Ordination to the Priesthood

Father Benjamin Robert Little from your teaching parishes ~

Fr. Nick VanDenBroeke On your ordination to the priesthood.

Church of St. Anthony of Padua Church of St. Hedwig Church of the Holy Cross

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Congratulations to our parishioner

We’re very proud of you!

May God continue to bless your ministry.

John 1:17b

~ The Faculty, Staff and parish of Guardian Angels in Chaska, MN

Ordinations

MAY 24, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

13

VanDenBroeke trades computer career for priesthood

By Julie Carroll

Deacon Nick VanDenBroeke

The Catholic Spirit

Age: 25 Hometown: Chaska Home parish: Guardian Angels, Chaska Parents’: Bob and Julie VanDenBroeke Education: Bachelor’s degree in Catholic studies and philosophy from St. John Vianney College Seminary, St. Paul Teaching parish: St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony Pastoral learning experiences: Hospital ministry (CPE) at Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.; Spanish immersion summer in Mexico; deacon summer at Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul Hobbies: Playing basketball; building, fixing and learning about computers Favorite book: “A Severe Mercy”

by Sheldon Vanauken Favorite movie: “Gladiator” Person you most admire: Blessed John Paul II Thanksgiving Mass: 10 a.m.

Sunday, May 27, Guardian Angels, Chaska

As a teenager, Deacon Nick VanDenBroeke used to take computers apart and put them back together just for fun.

He was considering studying computer science at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona when a priest friend invited him to spend a weekend at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul.

Deacon VanDenBroeke agreed to it “to humor him,” he said. He had no intention of actually joining the seminary. But God had other plans for him, he said during an interview at the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul just days before he was to be ordained a priest of the archdiocese.

“I could feel the Holy Spirit tugging on me,” he said. “I just felt that this is what the Holy Spirit was asking me to do, to really, seriously look at St. John Vianney, and I felt very much at peace while I was there the whole time.

“By the time I left,” Deacon VanDenBroeke said, “I wanted to sign up for SJV, which is almost a 180 from before I visited.

It was very powerful.”

Deacon VanDenBroeke remembers being inspired by the spirituality and maturity of the seminarians at SJV. “Eighty guys would get up at 6:00 every morning, go and pray for an hour, go to Mass and pray from the breviary together, and then go to school. It was something I’d never seen before,” he said.

Deacon VanDenBroeke’s career in computers may have ended before it began, but his passion for technology remains. If any-

“I feel so at peace with the vocation that I have and the way God has led me that I feel very free. It just feels right. This is who I should be.”

DEACON NICK VANDENBROEKE

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

one at the seminary was having computer troubles, he was always on call to help. He guesses he’s worked on at least a tenth of the computers there.

Catholic upbringing Deacon VanDenBroeke (pronounced vanden-brookie), the second of four children, attended Guardian Angels School in Chaska through fifth grade, then was homeschooled through high school. Being home-

schooled gave him the opportunity to attend daily Mass with his family, something he usually looked forward to even as a child.

As a teenager, he attended retreats and events at NET Ministries in West St. Paul, which he says helped him grow in his faith because he saw other young people excited about being Catholic. Deacon VanDenBroeke also got to know several priests PLEASE TURN TO VANDENBROEKE ON PAGE 16

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Ordinations

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 24, 2012

Deacon Little sees himself as a ‘Catholic missionary’ Deacon Ben Little Age: 28 Hometown: Little Canada Home parish: St. John’s Church of Little Canada (formerly St. John the Evangelist) Parents’: Robert and Donna Marie Little Education: Bachelor’s degree in politics at the University of Dallas Teaching parish: St. Anthony of Padua, St. Hedwig and Holy Cross in Minneapolis Pastoral learning experiences: Hospice ministry (CPE) at Doherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, S.D.; Spanish immersion summer in Mexico and Venezuela; deacon summer at St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony Hobbies: Fishing, camping, cycling, cross country skiing Favorite books: “The Song of Bernadette” by Franz Werfel, and “This Side of Paradise” by F. Scott Fitzgerald Favorite movie: “Patton” Person you most admire: Mary Jo Copeland, founder of Sharing and Caring Hands in Minneapolis Thanksgiving Mass: 2 p.m.

Sunday, May 27, St. John’s Church of Little Canada

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

Two major events took place for Deacon Ben Little when he was 8 years old — his first Communion at St. John’s Church of Little Canada (formerly called St. John the Evangelist) and a diagnosis of juvenile diabetes.

Both are part of his journey to the priesthood, scheduled to take place with his ordination May 26 at the Cathedral of St. Paul.

He went to school at St. John’s from kindergarten through eighth grade, and had a particularly striking memory involving the pastor during that time, Father Robert Fitzpatrick.

“I remember receiving my first Communion and taking a picture with him in front of the church and just how joyful he was on that occasion,” Deacon Little said. “I had the realization that someday I could be like him. As time went on and he continued to be a presence in my life and a friend of our family, I just knew that I could be a priest someday.

“That thought was with me my whole time growing up, from second grade on. It was not a complicated thing. . . . I’m not sure at any point did he say directly, ‘You should be a priest.’ It was more of a lived witness that was a reality and possible for me.”

Making choices Shortly after his first Communion, Deacon Little was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. The following summer, he started going to a camp for diabetic children. He continued going every year, then became a camp counselor during his junior and senior years at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul. The experience of being a camp counselor, he said, played a role in the discernment of his vocation.

“In some ways, it prepared me for what came later — being attentive to the needs of these young people,” he said. “It taught me compassion and gave me a chance to

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“I found myself declaring, saying out loud, ‘I want to be a priest.’ To which she responded: ‘I know.

Come home.’ She knew, as a mother would, long before I was ever ready to admit it.

”

DEACON BEN LITTLE

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

practice it, knowing what somebody was struggling with and being able to walk with them through it.”

As he approached his high school graduation, he continued entertaining thoughts about the priesthood, to the point of meeting with Father William Baer, then rector of St. John Vianney College Seminary at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

He was all set to apply, then visited the University of Dallas and chose to enroll there instead. It’s a decision he felt was right for him and helped lead him to his vocation.

“UD was, in some ways, my minor seminary,” he said. “When I arrived at UD, I saw my fellow students going to Mass, praying the rosary, doing service projects and living the Catholic life in a way that was new to me. I found it really refreshing.”

Yet, when he graduated, he wanted to put

his degree to work in the professional world.

He accepted an internship at The Claremont Institute in California, a conservative think tank, and hoped to put his faith-based political views and philosophies to work in ways that would impact the culture.

After just a few months, he called home and talked to his mother, Donna Marie.

Things seemed to be going well, but some surprising words came out of his mouth during that conversation.

“I found myself declaring, saying out loud, ‘I want to be a priest,’” he said. “To which she responded: ‘I know. Come home.’ She knew, as a mother would, long before I was ever ready to admit it. I felt peace [when she said it]. I was ready to do what I needed to do to leave things behind there and take the next step.”

PLEASE TURN TO DEACON ON PAGE 16

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Ordinations

MAY 24, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Holy orders:

15

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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).

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

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of all nations. Baptize them. Teach them” (see 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).

Extraordinarily high calling The priest serves “in persona Christi,” Latin for “in the person of Christ.” The priest 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.

The beginnings of the ministerial priesthood are found in the Old Testament.

Melchizedek was a priest of God, the first to offer bread and wine (Genesis 14:18). Ministries of priestly office Then, beginning with Aaron, the Levites The foremost ministries of the priest are were especially chosen for priestly service to offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass and (Numbers 3:5-10), to preach the Gospel. and they were conseThe Eucharist is the crated for this sacred source and summit of duty in a carefully the Christian life, and The foremost prescribed ordination without priests, the ritual (Exodus 29; church would be ministries of the Leviticus 8). The without the EuLevites presided over priest are to offer charist. the affairs of the The priest is also a the holy sacrifice of Temple and served as preacher, and he mediators in the ofmust preach first the Mass and to fering of sacrifice on with his holiness of behalf of sinners. life, and then, and preach the The priesthood of only then, with his the First Covenant words. The priest is a Gospel. anticipates Jesus, the sanctifier, a vehicle of one and only eternal God’s grace to the high priest, “the one people, and the shepFATHER MICHAEL VAN SLOUN mediator between herd who leads the God and the human people to greater race” (1 Timothy 2:5), and ordained priests virtue and their conduit to a more intimate participate in his priesthood. bond with God.

“

”

Instituted by Christ

Window to God

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), and 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

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 on the surface that obscures a clear view. Therefore, each priest is called to exemplary holiness, to be a sparklingly clean window, so the people will not be distracted by the priest, but 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.

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Congratulations and God’s blessings upon your ordination

Fr. Evan Koop

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Heed the Call!

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16

MAY 24, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Campus ministry group to visit Twin Cities, share its mission with colleges, individuals Hap Durkin, development director for the Catholic Campus Ministry Association, participated in an email interview with The Catholic Spirit about CCMA, a national association based in Cincinnati, Ohio, for Catholic campus ministers who serve at Catholic and non-Catholic colleges and universities. Its mission is to be the voice of the church and empower campus ministers through formation, networking and resources.

CCMA will host a meet and greet reception from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, in the atrium of the University of St. Thomas Law School in Minneapolis. Campus ministers, Catholic business professionals, clergy and others may attend. RSVP to Durkin at DURKIN@CCMANET.ORG or (513) 842-0167.

What’s the purpose of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association’s visit to Minneapolis? Does the organization routinely make visits to cities around the country?

We will be visiting the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to attend our board meetings hosted by our board chair, Laurie Svatek, and St. Catherine University. We will also be hosting a meet and greet reception to share our impact.

CCMA’s executive board meets twice per year at sites across the country. CCMA events are also routinely held in different cities, at hotels or Catholic campus ministry sites at colleges and universities.

What’s the single greatest challenge to Catholic campus ministry today, and to the students it seeks to serve?

There are 11 million students on campuses today and 5 million are Catholic.

CCMA needs to have a stronger presence on these campuses to serve all 5 million.

How are Catholic campus ministers working to address this challenge?

1. Increasing membership in CCMA. 2. Increasing attendance at our Development and Director’s Institute.

3. Partnering with other groups that do the same thing we do.

4. Working closely with the bishops and adhering to their strategic plan.

As we look to the future, do you see different issues or topics coming to the forefront in the next 10 to 20 years that will be vital for Catholic campus ministry to address?

The “new evangelization,” the call for vocations, additional Catholic services for students [are among the issues.] Are students religious or spiritual? — we need to help them find that out.

How can parents and the general Catholic community help to promote the work of Catholic campus ministry?

Parents and the larger, general Catholic community may help promote the work of Catholic campus ministry by encouraging their students to participate in their university’s Catholic campus ministry programs and by supporting that ministry. Parents and parishioners could attend ministry events and volunteer their time and talent.

Companions capped Koop’s commitment CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 inary,” he said.

After briefly discerning a call to a religious order in Peoria, Ill., and the possibility of attending seminary in Denver with some friends from FOCUS, Deacon Koop was introduced to the Companions of Christ in St. Paul.

After spending spring break with the community at its house on Marshall Avenue in St. Paul, Deacon Koop applied and was accepted to the seminary.

It was sometime during Theology I that he knew he was on the right path. He was assigned to read and meditate on Luke 5:1-11, in which Jesus teaches from Peter’s boat and then tells the disciples

to let down their nets.

Peter questioned the command because the men had already fished all night without any success. When the nets came up overflowing, Peter asked Jesus to send him away because he was sinful.

Jesus told Peter and the rest of the fishermen: “Don’t be afraid. Follow me.”

“It was clear the Lord was speaking to me [through that Scripture],” Deacon Koop said. “I had an image of priesthood of — will I just be alone? That was a false image of diocesan priesthood.

“In the Scripture, it says Peter called to his companions. I do have my companions — the Companions of Christ and my other diocesan brothers.”

VanDenBroeke started tourney CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 through NET who served as role models for him, he said.

One of Deacon VanDenBroeke’s most interesting — and challenging — experiences during his seminary years was an eight-week Spanish immersion in Guadalajara, Mexico, he said. “They take you to a home that either doesn’t speak any English or they’re not allowed to speak English while you’re there, drop you off on their doorstep, and say, ‘Have a nice summer.’”

Deacon VanDenBroeke studied Spanish with a tutor for six hours a day, five days a week. “It was very intense,” he said. But the effort paid off. Before going to Mexico, he knew only a few words in Spanish.

Now he can carry on a conversation, say Mass and even do some preaching in his second language, he said.

During his time at the seminary, Deacon VanDenBroeke also ministered to pa-

tients at a hospital, led a parish Bible study and preached at Masses. He spent one semester in Rome.

At the seminary, Deacon VanDenBroeke is perhaps best known for starting an annual basketball tournament between priests and seminarians.

“I wanted people, teens in particular, to be able to see that seminarians are regular men who like to have fun and play sports,” he said. “It has turned out to be a very successful event, with about 200 people showing up the last two years, including many families with young children. We are hoping to continue to expand the tournament in the coming years.”

Deacon VanDenBroeke acknowledges that becoming a priest requires personal sacrifice, but it also brings great joy, he said. “I feel so at peace with the vocation that I have and the way God has led me that I feel very free. It just feels right. This is who I should be.”

Deacon Little’s calling happened over time CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 The following fall, in 2007, he enrolled at the St. Paul Seminary and has not looked back. Along the way, he joined the Companions of Christ and now lives at a Companions house just a few blocks from the seminary.

“I consider myself really blessed that I have not had any serious doubts about my vocation,” he said. “Thanks be to God that the seminary has confirmed me, and here we are, ready to be ordained.”

As Deacon Little moves forward into the priesthood, he is sure to carry with him an experience he had during his seminary formation. He took part in an evangelization initiative during the Easter season in which he and other seminarians visited the University of Minnesota campus and talked to students there about

their faith — not in a building, but randomly on the sidewalks that weave throughout the campus. And, they wore their collars while doing it.

“We called it the New Pentecost,” Deacon Little said. “It was modeled after a similar initiative that some seminarians out East had done.

“We went out on campus in pairs and basically just engaged people in conversation. We walked up to people and said, ‘We’re Catholic missionaries.’”

Though it made him uncomfortable, he realized that this is an important part of the Catholic faith. And, he felt the Holy Spirit nudging him to move forward and take some bold steps.

“It ended up being a really rewarding experience,” he said, “and it’s something I hope to bring to my parish, wherever that may be.”

Watch ordination live on cable TV and free DTV broadcast Time: 10 a.m.

Date: Saturday, May 26 Where: Comcast cable Cable channel 15 – ctv15.ord Cable channel 16 – townsquare.tv Cable channel 14 – spnn.org Cable channel 15 - eagan-tv.com Cable channel 14 - scctv.org Cable channel 15 – qctv.org

Live coverage available with a roof top antenna and the same TV equipment used to receive TV stations such as 4.1, 5.1, 9.1 and 11.1. Twin Cities wide — free over-the-air DTV Broadcast on channel 16.3 — stmichaelbroad casting.com.

Replay: 1 p.m. Sunday, May 27, Metro Cable Network/Cable Channel 6 DVD copies of the ordination will be available through CTV North Suburbs (651) 792-7515.

“The new evangelization must bring a fuller appreciation of the family as the primary and most vital foundation of society, the first school of social virtue and solidarity.”

Blessed Pope John Paul II

This Catholic Life MAY 24, 2012

Opinion, feedback and points to ponder

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

17

We are family Pope will give Catholic families hope in troubled times

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

P

ope Benedict XVI will meet with the world’s families at a time when the institution of the family is under threat and many are still struggling with a worldwide economic crisis and a lack of cultural and societal support.

As a sign of his deep concern for bolstering the family based on the lifelong union between a man and a woman, the pope will travel to Milan to meet with those attending the May 30-June 3 World Meeting of Families.

The pope will arrive June 1 and will close the event with an outdoor Mass. His three-day visit is an extraordinary sign of how much the pope wants to reaffirm the importance of families built on Christian values, Bishop Jean Laffitte, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, told Catholic News Service.

“It’s as if the pope wants to say ‘I am giving the maximum importance to what you families live out and I want to be near you; I believe in what you are experiencing and want to renew this hope,’” the bishop said.

Ongoing priority The Milan gathering will be the second world family meeting that Pope Benedict has attended in his pontificate. The meetings, held every three years, are hosted by different dioceses around the world and are sponsored by the Vatican’s council for the family as a way for families to meet, discuss critical issues and grow in the faith.

Even though the pope missed the sixth world meeting in Mexico City in 2009, he has always been a vocal advocate of families.

Almost all of his speeches to visiting diplomats, heads of state and the world’s bishops address the need for governments and the church to support this fundamental building block of society. It’s the family where future generations are formed to be members of a constructive, generous, hopeful and peaceful world, the pope has said.

The pope’s message “will certainly be a message of hope, that, yes, it is worthwhile to live the fullness of the meaning of the family” as God designed and intended, as an indissoluble union between a man and a woman, Bishop Laffitte said.

The pope will meet with young people at San Siro Stadium, attend an evening celebration where he will hear people’s testimonies of faith, lead a Sunday morning outdoor Mass and have lunch with event organizers and families. He will pray with priests and religious at Milan’s Duomo cathedral and venerate the relics of St. Charles Borromeo, patron saint of catechists, seminarians, learning and the

CNS photo / Nancy Wiechec

A family prays before eating a meal at home.

Bruderhof leader’s parenting book available for free Catholic News Service A Bruderhof leader’s new parenting book, “Why Children Matter,” is being offered free of charge to any reader who requests it.

In the first week after its release, Plough Publishing House went back to press four times to meet the demand for Johann Christoph Arnold’s new book, with more than 68,000 copies requested.

A copy of “Why Children Matter” also was sent to the bishop of every Catholic diocese in the U.S. offering them as many copies as they feel they can use. By mid-May more than 30 bishops had responded.

In a foreword, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said Arnold “provides a much-needed

arts, and co-patron saint of Milan.

The pope will have a chance to get his message out to the wider world when he meets with the people of Milan and civilian authorities. It may be an opportunity for him to weigh in on a major issue facing states in different parts of the world: the ongoing push to legalize or recognize same-sex unions and marriage.

Winning hearts and minds Pope Benedict has repeatedly called on governments to respect and defend the traditional definition of marriage and urged the church to promote the natural order in the institution of the family.

Marriage between a man and a woman

perspective on marriage and an approach to child rearing that is at once time-tested and completely upto-date, and solidly grounded in faith.”

“As the fabric of family, and society, is challenged, he offers up concrete steps to bolster and encourage those parents who want to pass on to their children the values their parents gave them,” the cardinal added.

Arnold is an elder of the Bruderhof, a U.S.-based international Anabaptist Christian group, whose grandfather founded the communities in 1920. He met with Blessed John Paul II in 2004 as part of a historic Bruderhof delegation to the Vatican.

To request a copy of “Why Children Matter,” visit www.WhyChildrenMatter.

com.

“is not a simple social convention,” the pope told the world’s ambassadors to the Vatican this year. The family is the basic unit of society and “policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself,” he said.

The pope’s approach has been to win over people’s hearts and minds, in part by having Catholics themselves serve as credible witnesses to the joy and love that come from living in accordance with natural law.

The church needs to help people discover that its teaching not only makes sense, but also protects human dignity and creates a stable society, he has said.

In fact, on his way to his first World Meeting of Families in Valencia, Spain, Pope Benedict told reporters he was more interested in highlighting what works and makes families thrive than in lambasting opponents.

He said that stressing what is positive about Christian living can help people see “why the church cannot accept certain things, but at the same time wants to respect people and help them.”

Bishop Laffitte agreed that the church always tries its best to explain its position and to reach out with pastoral concern to people of good will, even if they cannot or do not want to live a life founded on natural law.

However, he said, when it comes to people who are openly hostile to the church’s contribution and propose changing laws in regard to the traditional definition of marriage, then the church must “be very precise, firm and strong in reiterating the principles” of natural law.

The church must “also denounce the relativistic principles” that give rise to a near-infinite array of subjective preferences about what human love and marriage are, he said.

Recognizing the challenges This year’s theme for the gathering, “Work and Celebration,” comes at a critical time for many families struggling with the challenges of unemployment, low wages, long work hours for one or both parents, building a nest egg for a home or the children’s education and many other problems connected with working to support a family.

Pope Benedict is expected to address these real problems, as he did recently when he said work should not hurt the family, “but rather should support and unite it, help it to open itself to life” and take part more fully in the church and community.

Marking the U.N.’s International Day of Families May 15, the pope said employers should also respect Sundays as a day of rest and a time families can strengthen their relationships with each other and with God. This year’s World Meeting of Families’ lecture series will feature Catholic economists, entrepreneurs, church leaders and other experts sharing best practices for families seeking to sustain themselves both financially and spiritually.

Bishop Laffitte said that with so much attention being paid to resolving economic difficulties, people often forget about cultivating social and spiritual needs.

It’s important to also spend quality time with loved ones and “rediscover the source, inspiration, grace and spiritual strength in the Sunday Eucharist,” he said.

Commentary / Opinion-Letters

MAY 24, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Places to go, things to do and people to see ne thing about life as a Catholic, there’s always something cookin’. Reading through the dozen or so parish bulletins that are mailed to The Catholic Spirit, I never fail to be amazed at all the projects, programs, ministries and events that Catholic parishes have in the works.

There seems to be no limit to opportunities to feed one’s soul, to grow in faith, to volunteer to serve others, and, of course, to have fun as a member of a Catholic group of one sort or another.

Not to be outdone by parishes, The Catholic Spirit has a few irons in the fire as well.

One is coming up pretty quickly here, and its purpose is simple: Let’s give Catholics a chance to get together to have some fun.

O From the Associate Publisher Bob Zyskowski

Sunday, June 10, is The Catholic Spirit’s Day with the Saints — the St. Paul Saints, that is.

Out to the ballgame There seems to be no limit to feed one’s soul, to grow in faith, to volunteer to serve others, and, of course, to have fun

Sunday, June 10, is The Catholic Spirit’s Day with the Saints — the St. Paul Saints, that is. Mike Veeck’s marketing crew has brewed some Catholicrelated, in-between inning shenanigans on these days in the past, and we expect another fun-filled afternoon at Midway Stadium.

Tickets are going fast, so don’t delay. Call Jackie Daugherty at (651) 251-7705, or order online at WWW.SAINTSGROUPS.COM, using the password: Spirit2.

Come with us to Ireland There is still time, too, to save a place for yourself — or for a group of friends — on The Catholic Spirit’s 12-day pilgrimage to Ireland this fall.

Father Dennis Dempsey, who is pastor of St. Dominic in Northfield, is going to be the spiritual director for our trip, which was designed by the tour guide who plans tours to Ireland for New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

To reserve your spot, call Martie McMahon of The Catholic Spirit staff — yes, she’s Irish — at (651) 291-4441 or email her a MCMAHONM@ ARCHSPM.ORG. Don’t have a traveling companion? Martie will match you up with a roommate.

Details about the pilgrimage — where you’ll go and what you’ll see and do — is in a brochure Martie will be happy to send you, and also online at WWW.THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM/EXPLOREIRELAND.

Leading With Faith Once again this year The Catholic Spirit will honor those who bring their faith to the marketplace by bestowing our Leading With Faith Award on a number of individuals from our community.

Aug. 15 is the date for the annual awards luncheon, to be held again on the campus of St. Catherine University.

Once judges select the honorees from among those nominated, we’ll begin accepting reservations so you can show your support for those who live their Catholic faith in the workaday world.

Watch for the announcement mid-summer.

Special project for life Catholic Spirit readers — both print and web — are likely well aware of the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., that’s held on or near Jan. 22 each year.

The event is as much a show of support for the pro-life movement as a protest against the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legal-

ized abortion on that date in 1973.

This coming January will mark the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and The Catholic Spirit is partnering with the archdiocese to sponsor a “Pilgrimage for Life” so you can be there.

Take part in the 2013 March for Life in the nation’s capital by flying there with us on a five-day experience of prayer, education and show of prolife commitment.

Dates are Jan. 23 to Jan. 27 so that you’ll be able to attend the March for Life, which is planned for Jan. 25.

Archdiocesan Respect Life Coordinator Sharon Wilson has put together a preliminary itinerary that includes stops at the National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and the John Paul II Catholic Cultural Center, and Father Kevin Finnegan, pastor of Divine Mercy in Faribault, will be a spiritual guide.

Final details of the Pilgrimage for Life are being arranged, and you’ll soon be invited to reserve a place.

Good homilies are designed to help us ‘see’ Jesus ather Giles Conwill grew up in the same west Louisville neighborhood as Muhammad Ali, a part of the city so Back-of-Town that, for some reason, the municipal fathers decided that gravel roads provided a superior surface to cement until the late 1950s.

Peter Finney Jr. Father Conwill’s mom was a daily communicant at St. Louis Bertrand Church, and she showed her son at an early age the rare gifts of perseverance and long-suffering.

“We were in the pews closer to the sanctuary — probably in one of the first 10 pews,” Father Conwill recalled. “An usher came up and said, ‘We’ve got the last three pews in the back of church for colored folks.’ I saw my mom cry. That was my first experience with that.”

The family of six children shed more tears — Giles was 11 at the time — when their father died while scaling the outside of an apartment building to help a friend who had locked himself out of his thirdfloor apartment.

“My dad was holding on to the ledge to go into the apartment and he fell,” Father Conwill said.

Widowed, Giles’ mom continued to impress on her children the idea of education

F

Commentary

as the launching pad from a gravel road.

She advanced up the teaching ranks to become the first African-American principal of a Louisville Catholic school. Four of her children earned doctorates, including Father Conwill, who holds a Ph.D. in history and cultural anthropology and chaired the history department at Morehouse College in Atlanta until coming to Xavier University of Louisiana as campus minister in 2010.

time he invests in preparing his homilies to be sacred. For a Sunday homily, he will spend eight to 10 hours reading and reflecting on the Scriptures. He will not sell his people short. Otherwise, he said, there is “too much random wandering.”

Preaching honor to priest

“Preparation is the woof and warp of preaching; it is foundational to the Holy Spirit,” Father Conwill said. “Grace builds on nature. If you haven’t done any preparation work, you ought to not eat that week. If a priest or a preacher hasn’t done the most important thing of the week — preparing to preach the word of God — he doesn’t deserve to eat. It’s almost sacrilegious.”

And then on April 14 — nearly two years to the day since he buried his mother — Father Conwill, 67, was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. International Board of Preachers in Atlanta. Of the 36 preachers who were honored this year, Father Conwill was the only Catholic priest.

Father Conwill admits he might have been a little over the top back in the 1970s when he penned a critical essay on the slipshod preaching he had heard at Catholic liturgies. He wrote: “The pap that passes for preaching in our Catholic Church is pathetic.”

“We grew up poor, but my mother was very much sensitive to the value of education,” Father Conwill said.

As a university professor most of his priestly life since his 1973 ordination, Father Conwill always has viewed preaching as teaching.

“That was alliteration,” he said.

“One of the major titles that Jesus was addressed by was ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Rabboni,’” he said. “That meant teacher. They are two sides of the same coin.”

When speaking to a largely AfricanAmerican congregation, Father Conwill knows he is on the right track when the vocal affirmation of the people is evident.

A good sign when preaching to a white congregation, he said, is a silence so intense you can hear the flutter of a candle.

That’s why Father Conwill considers the

Father Conwill says every homily must

respond to the plea from the 20th chapter of John: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

“Every sermon, every homily, should fulfill this request of letting us see Jesus, whether it’s doing so directly in the New Testament or indirectly through the Old Testament,” he said.

In the Louisville airport one day just after his ordination, Father Conwill bumped into the man he considers an icon for helping Catholics truly see Jesus — Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

“I’m sorry I didn’t have the wherewithal to take a photo,” Father Conwill said. “He was a man who was sensitive to the power of the Word of God. I loved his mastery of the art of speaking. You could see it in his cadence and in the significant pause — it was like John Paul II, with his sensitivity to the actor’s craft. Then, of course, there was his physical attraction — those deep eyes. He knew how to pause and look directly into the camera. All of that is part of the meta language.”

And, it is sacred to Father Conwill, teacher and preacher.

“I cannot imagine myself not being a priest,” he said.

Peter Finney Jr. is executive editor and general manager of the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

19

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 24, 2012

Religious liberty issue is focus of ‘First Freedom Project’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 life of the political community” (Nos. 2238-39).

Let us be clear, though. Loyalty to governing authority can never supersede the obedience due to God alone.

In the statement “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty,” the American bishops remind us that “the human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that in matters religious no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own belief.”

Religious freedom applies to individuals both privately and publicly, and alone or in association with others.

Faced with challenges to our first freedom or any other important liberties, as we are today, it is the responsibility of Catholics and others to speak out and remind the public about what is and what is not properly Caesar’s.

First Freedom Project The Minnesota Catholic Conference is launching the “First Freedom Project,” a long-term educational initiative aimed helping Catholics and the public understand the importance of protecting religious liberty for this and future generations.

“Our First, Most Cherished Liberty: A Statement on Religious Liberty” was made public April 12.

Masses in Baltimore and D.C. to open, close ‘fortnight for freedom’ Catholic News Service Masses at well-known basilicas in Baltimore and Washington will open and close the “fortnight for freedom,” a special period of prayer, study, catechesis and public action proclaimed by the U.S. bishops for June 21 to July 4.

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore will celebrate the opening Mass at Baltimore’s historic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 7 p.m. June 21 to kick off the Catholic Church’s national education campaign on religious liberty.

The closing liturgy will be at 12:10 p.m. July 4 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington will celebrate the Mass, and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia will be the homilist.

The Eternal Word Television Network will carry the shrine Mass live.

Website launched Both national and local efforts will comprise the campaign that has been launched by the bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty.

In addition to the Baltimore and Washington liturgies, national efforts include establishment of a website at WWW.FORTNIGHT4FREEDOM.ORG. The site features resources such as frequently asked questions about religious liberty, including quotes from the Founding Fathers, the Second Vatican Council and Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Also available is a study guide on “Dignitatis Humanae,” the Second Vatican Council’s document on religious liberty.

In addition, the site provides several one-page sheets outlining current threats to religious freedom both in the United States and abroad.

The website also lists a sample of activities already planned in particular dioceses, as well as resources and recommendations for other local efforts, such as special liturgies and prayer services.

Bell ringing is planned for noon on July 4 to remind citizens nationwide of the primary place of religious freedom in the history, law and culture of the United States.

The First Freedom Project’s initial program will be to support our bishops’ call for a “fortnight for freedom,” a special period of prayer, study, catechesis and public action from June 21 to July 4 that will emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of religious liberty. (see U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty, “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty.”)

MCC has also launched an accompanying blog (FIRST FREEDOM.MNCC.ORG) that seeks to help Catholics and oth-

ers understand how emerging challenges to religious liberty have roots in deeper conflicts over constitutional law and political philosophy.

In other words, ideas do have consequences.

Urgent Catholic obligation Urging Catholic participation in the two-week Fortnight for Freedom (FORTNIGHT4FREEDOM.ORG), Archbishop John Nienstedt has said that he would like this time to be an opportunity for Catholics to “truly understand what is at stake.”

Our bishops continue to remind us that the clergy’s role is to bring the light of the Gospel to public life, while the work of establishing a just civil order is properly that of “committed and courageous” lay Catholics.

There is an urgent need for the lay faithful, in solidarity with people of other faiths, to remind our elected representatives of the importance of continued protection of religious liberty in a free society.

Working against the voice of the Catholic faithful and people of goodwill, however, are those who wish to reduce the realm of religion to a mere private opinion or preference with no public role to play in shaping our politics or culture.

They often invoke the phrase “separation of church and state” to argue religion should have no role in public life.

This fundamental misunderstanding of the role of religion in the public square will end up hurting the most vulnerable in our society: those cared for, educated and assisted by people of faith, whose ministries will be marginalized or shuttered altogether.

Holy Father calls for vigilance Pope Benedict XVI spoke earlier this year about his worry that religious liberty in the U.S. is being weakened.

“Many of you have pointed out that concerted efforts have been made to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil

Minnesota Catholic Conference religious liberty events ■ “Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally,” Friday, June 8, noon-1 p.m., Federal Building, Downtown Minneapolis, 212 3rd Avenue. S. Bishop John LeVoir of New Ulm and other leaders will voice their support for public policies that protect religious liberty for all citizens.

Co-sponsored by Pro-Life Action Ministries.

■ “Religious Liberty: Our Most Cherished Freedom,” Thursday, June 21, 7 to 9 p.m., Steiner Hall at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, 1900 Wellesley Avenue, St. Paul.

Speakers: Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference; Father Daniel Griffith, faculty fellow of law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law; and Teresa Collett, professor of law, University of St. Thomas.

Co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. PaulMinneapolis.

■ “Deceits and Conceits: The False Conflict of Religious Freedom with Women’s Liberty,” Wednesday, June 27, 7 to 9 p.m., University of St. Thomas, St. Paul.

Moderator: Jeanne Buckeye, professor of ethics and business law, University of St. Thomas. Speakers: Teresa Collett, professor of law, University of St. Thomas; R. Mary Lemmons, associate professor of philosophy, University of St. Thomas; Deborah Savage, clinical professor, St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity.

Co-sponsored by the Siena Symposium for Women, Family and Culture.

■ “Religious Liberty, Conscience Rights, and Participation of Faith Communities in the Public Square,” Thursday, June 28, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., University of St. Thomas School of Law, Minneapolis.

Speakers include: Eric Magnuson, retired chief justice, Minnesota Supreme Court; Andy Eisenzimmer, chancellor for civil affairs, Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis; Father Daniel Griffith, faculty fellow, University of St. Thomas School of Law. This Continuing Legal Education Seminar is open to the public; a $20 registration fee for non-lawyers includes lunch.

Co-sponsored by the University of St. Thomas ProLife Law Center.

practices,” he told the U.S. bishops on Jan. 19. “Others have spoken to me of a worrying tendency to reduce the religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.”

Pope Benedict called upon the Catholic laity to be an engaged, articulate and well-formed presence with the courage to counter “a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church’s participation in public debate about the issues which are determining the future of American society.”

Those seeking to discredit our calls for protection of religious liberty accuse us of wanting to establish a theocracy. Not so.

We do not seek a “sacred public square” with special privileges or benefits to religious citizens.

We cannot settle, however, for a “naked public square” stripped of well-reasoned religious arguments and religious believers.

Instead, we seek a civil public square where all citizens can make their contribution to the common good.

Let us use the upcoming Fortnight for Freedom to equip ourselves to promote and defend “our first, most cherished liberty.”

Jason Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

“Seek in reading and you will find in meditating; knock in mental prayer and it will be opened to you by contemplation.”

Guigo the Carthusian

The Lesson Plan 20 T

HE

CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Reflections on faith and spirituality

MAY 24, 2012

Holy Spirit provides the peace we need to produce good works n this weekend we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, which marks the last weekend in Easter.

We have spent this season meditating upon the life of the early church with the apostles Peter, Paul and John, as well as Mary, the Mother of God. What has characterized their life is that they were given the Holy Spirit, which changed everything.

They were given the boldness to proclaim the Good News, to Deacon teach, to heal and to Ben Kociemba admonish those around them that those who would accept their message would be incorporated into the body of Christ.

The power given to them is the same one that has empowered and led our church from the first century up until now. It continues to sustain the church in its essential mission to unite people from the ends of the earth into the body of Christ.

Through the sacraments of the church, the Holy Spirit effects in us that which Paul alludes to in his letter to the Gala-

O

Sunday Scriptures

tians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is the leaven that we are to be to the world, the salt of the earth, because we put on Christ.

Our world, — which is so filled with noise, busyness and distraction — is one in which the Holy Spirit calls us to be people of solitude. Solitude doesn’t imply that we can’t live in this world. But we live in it with a certain disposition.

For reflection

It is within this interior solitude that we receive what we so desperately need — that voice that affirms the truth of our identity as sons and daughters of God. It affirms that we are loved for who we are and we are called to share in the work of our creator.

Sometimes, this will call us to make sacrifices, even heroic ones, especially as we witness to the truth through the integrity of our faith lives. It also encourages us to pour out our lives entirely for the other, as Christ does on the cross, for as the Second Vatican Council teaches, Christ reveals man to himself. However, we always need to be mindful that it is God who seeks to lead us and it is upon him that we trust for our wisdom, guidance and strength.

It is with great joy that I announce how the Holy Spirit is at work within the arch-

What gifts has the Holy Spirit given you to share with others?

Romans 8:14-17 Matthew 28:16-20

Monday, May 28 1 Peter 1:3-9 Mark 10:17-27

Tuesday, June 5 Boniface, bishop and martyr 2 Peter 3:12-15a, 17-18 Mark 12:13-17

Thursday, May 31 Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Zephania 3:14-18a Luke 1:39-56 Friday, June 1 Justin, martyr 1 Peter 4:7-13 Mark 11:11-26 Saturday, June 2 Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs Jude 17, 20b-25 Mark 11:27-33 Sunday, June 3 Most Holy Trinity Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40

diocese, as my seminary classmates are being ordained to the priesthood this weekend. They are men who are filled with the love of our Lord and are willing to follow him wherever he goes. They seek to bring the peace and joy of Christ to all whom they encounter, to set this world on fire for Christ.

This feast of Pentecost calls us to renew our commitment to living a life in the Spirit, one filled with faith, hope and love.

We can do this within whatever vocation or state that we find ourselves in. The Lord says to us, “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you.” Today let us live a life in the Spirit.

Deacon Ben Kociemba is in formation for the priesthood at The St. Paul Seminary for the Diocese of St. Cloud. His home parish is St. Mary in Melrose and his teaching parish is St. Hedwig in Holdingford.

Pope: Work should help family life

Sunday, May 27 Pentecost Acts 2:1-11 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13: or Galatians 5:16-25 John 20:19-23

Wednesday, May 30 1 Peter 1:18-25 Mark 10:32-45

Sunday, May 27 Pentecost ■ Acts 2:1-11 ■ 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13: or Galatians 5:16-25 ■ John 20:19-23

We need solitude to hear God

Daily Scriptures

Tuesday, May 29 1 Peter 1:10-16 Mark 10:28-31

Readings

Monday, June 4 2 Peter 1:2-7 Mark 12:1-12

Wednesday, June 6 Norbert, bishop 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12 Mark 12:18-27 Thursday, June 7 2 Timothy 2:8-15 Mark 12:28-34 Friday, June 8 2 Timothy 3:10-17 Mark 12:35-37 Saturday, June 9 Ephrem, deacon and doctor of the church 2 Timothy 4:1-8 Mark 12:38-44 Sunday, June 10 Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Exodus 24:3-8 Hebrews 9:11-15 Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

Catholic News Service Work obligations should not harm a person’s family relationships but should provide support, giving couples the resources to have and raise children and spend time together, Pope Benedict XVI said.

At the end of his weekly general audience May 16, Pope Benedict noted how the United Nations chose “family and work” as the focus of the 2012 International Day of Families, which was celebrated May 15.

Work should not be an obstacle to the family, he said, “but rather should support and unite it, help it to open itself to life” and interact with society and the church.

Pope Benedict also expressed his hope that Sundays would be respected by employers as “a day of rest and an occasion to reinforce family ties.”

In his main audience talk, the pope looked at prayer in the biblical letters of St. Paul. The New Testament letters, he said, include prayers of thanksgiving, praise, petition and intercession, demonstrating how prayer is appropriate for every occasion in life.

“Prayer should not be seen simply as a good work we do for God — something we do — but as a gift, the fruit of the living spirit of the Father and of Jesus Christ within us,” the pope said.

From the Vatican

Develop desire for dialogue Pope Benedict said often “we do not know how to pray in the right way,” but simply opening oneself up and setting aside a bit of time for God, the Holy Spirit will take over. “The absence of words, but the desire to enter into dialogue with God, is a prayer that the Holy Spirit not only understands, but carries to and interprets for God.” Through regular prayer, he said, a believer’s relationship with God grows so deep that “nothing can destroy it.”

Of course, having a strong relationship with God does not mean nothing bad or painful will ever happen, the pope said. But it does mean that a believer will never feel abandoned by God. “There is no human cry that is not heard by God,” he said.

At the end of the audience, the pope personally greeted Avner Moriah, an Israeli artist, who gave the pope his illuminated Book of Genesis.

“In old age we are like a batch of letters that someone has sent. We are no longer in the past, we have arrived.”

Knut Hamsun

From Age to Age MAY 24, 2012

A Catholic Spirit Special Section

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

21

New senior living option in Glenn Lake area St. Therese Southwest partners with Catholic Senior Services to meet increasing demands for faith-based housing, health care

By Jennifer Janikula For The Catholic Spirit

What’s available

The baby boomers — 79 million of them — are moving into their mid-60s, and many organizations, public and private, are trying to anticipate the housing and health care needs of this generation as they shift into retirement.

Through Catholic Senior Services, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis supports faith-based senior housing and health care initiatives across the Twin Cities.

One recent project, The Glenn by St. Therese Southwest, provides a variety of housing options for seniors while caring for their physical, emotional and spiritual health.

The apartment-style senior community, which opened in November 2011 and hosted a dedication Mass May 3, is located in the Glenn Lake neighborhood in Minnetonka. The Glenn is the newest property in the St. Therese Southwest family — joining The Towers and The Terraces, situated a few miles away in Hopkins.

Like The Towers and The Terraces, The Glenn offers a continuum of care that includes independent living, assisted living and memory care. In addition to those services, The Glenn offers 12 care suites, where residents receive around-the-clock nursing care.

Though The Glenn is only six months old, the apartments are filling up quickly.

Mark Moilanen, campus administrator, credited the setting and the community.

“The Glenn sits in the middle of a great neighborhood with a coffee shop, grocery store and several restaurants within walking distance. The community has embraced us. The grocery store delivers to residents’ apartments, a volunteer takes book orders and delivers books from the library, and the local banker holds office

The Glenn offers services and amenities including:

NOTICE Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from

St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in all copies of this issue.

■ Pastoral care.

■ Bible study.

■ Catholic Mass and interfaith services.

■ Movie theater.

■ Library services.

■ Banking services.

■ Free Wi-Fi in common areas.

To learn more: Contact Karen Mandile at (952) 345-4405. Take a virtual tour at WWW.THEGLENNSENIORHOUSING.COM. Courtesy of The Glenn

hours in one of our private dining rooms,” he said.

No more moves Moilanen said residents take comfort in the idea that if their health needs change, they don’t need to make another move.

Residents Jim and Marlys Liska agree with that assessment.

“We are happy that we have made the decision,” said Marlys. “We wanted to make the move now,” added Jim. “Some people wait too long and then it’s harder to adjust to the change.”

RoseAnn Schoenbauer, resident and volunteer receptionist, said she appreciates the social benefits of The Glenn.

“There are always people around to talk to. We meet in the common areas to chat and enjoy a cup of coffee,” said Schoenbauer. “And I like the idea that there is always someone at the desk if I ever need help.”

Pastoral care continues to be an integral part of the resident experience at all of the St. Therese Southwest properties.

At The Glenn, Deacon Jim McDonald

FOOT CARE In the privacy of your home Services include • Foot Bath • Trim toenails, • Remove corns, callouses • Foot massage

Call Shelly at

651-501-0624 FOOTWORKS Licensed and Insured

Above, residents at The Glenn by St. Therese Southwest enjoy plenty of natural light in their apartments in Glenn Lake.

Right, the grand staircase in The Glenn by St. Therese Southwest welcomes residents and visitors to the faith-based senior living community.

serves residents five to six days per week.

He conducts a Bible study, distributes Communion and prays with residents.

Because many of the residents are not Catholic, the deacon also manages a rotation of local ministers to provide weekly interfaith services.

Though plans for additional facilities have not been announced, the 11-member board of directors for St. Therese

Southwest remains committed to their mission to care for seniors in their community.

“The facilities are popular,” said Mike Pagh, St. Therese Southwest CEO. “We know we are meeting a large need and the demographics predict that as the boomers get older there will be even greater demand for quality senior housing and health care.”

“What price would you pay for freedom?”

Quote from the film poster for “A Greater Glory”

Arts & Culture 22

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Exploring our church and our world

MAY 24, 2012

Film revisits the many sides of Mexico’s Cristero Rebellion

By David Agren Catholic News Service

CNS photo / ARC Entertainment

Santiago Cabrera portrays Father Vega in a scene from the movie “For Greater Glory.”

Movie review: ‘For Greater Glory’ Powerful historical drama recounting the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico during the 1920s under the presidency of Plutarco Calles (Ruben Blades) and the popular reactions — both peaceful (led by Eduardo Verastegui) and violent (led by Andy Garcia) — it provoked. As Garcia’s character, a religious skeptic, becomes the unlikely commander of an army of the devout, he gains inspiration from a saintly adolescent volunteer (impressive newcomer Mauricio Kuri). Director Dean Wright’s epic — which also features a brief turn from Peter O’Toole as a wise and venerable priest — gets off to a slow start. But once the initially varied

story lines laid out in Michael Love’s script converge, their outcome packs an emotional wallop. The fact-based, faith-quickening tale the movie tells is sufficiently valuable to warrant a younger viewership than would normally be advisable for fare of this kind. Probably acceptable for mature adolescents. Considerable action violence with some gore, the torture of a child and at least one mildly vulgar term.

The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

— Catholic News Service

Even as modern-day church-state relations improve, the impact of Mexico’s three-year Cristero Rebellion in the 1920s on the Catholic Church remains widely debated in Mexican society.

The rebellion saw Catholic clergy and laity taking up arms to oppose government efforts to harshly restrict the influence of the church and defend religious freedom. In the end, the rebellion of the Cristero — soldiers for Christ — was quelled in 1929, leaving the church sidelined for much of the last century and its role limited to pastoral concerns with no say in the public policy arena.

Ask Mexicans about the rebellion and the answers about what it means today depends on a person’s point of view.

Catholics leaders consider the government’s actions to limit church influence that led to the rebellion an attack on religious freedom. Self-described liberals and many in the Mexican political and intellectual classes consider the suppression of the revolt a triumph of the secular state.

Some academics and authors are less passionate, describing the uprising as an agrarian conflict with political and religious overtones.

Now the conflict comes to the big screen at a time with improved churchstate interaction — even if the interpretations of one of Mexico’s defining events remain controversial.

‘Risking it all’ “What price would you pay for freedom?” posed the synopsis for the movie, “For Greater Glory,” which stars Andy Garcia and Eva Longoria and opens in the United States June 1.

The synopsis continued, “An impassioned group of men and women each make the decision to risk it all for family, faith and the very future of their country.”

Gen. Enrique Gorostieta Velarde, the protagonist played by Garcia and leader of the Cristero forces, is a “retired military man who at first thinks he has nothing personal at stake. . . . Yet the man who hesitates in joining the cause will soon become the resistance’s most inspiring and self-sacrificing leader, as he begins to see the cost of religious persecution on his countrymen.”

Like various histories of the rebellion, Gorostieta’s actions remain open to interpretation. Some question his motives for leading the rebel cause despite being a nonbeliever; others wonder if he really did have a conversion late in life.

Victor Ramos Cortes, a professor at the University of Guadalajara, said any reading of history must consider the factors of religious intolerance, agrarian land issues in a country with numerous landless farm-

ers, and the threat posed by the church hierarchy to the liberal elites of the time.

The beatification and canonization of Cristero martyrs has been at the center of the church’s agenda.

The Archdiocese of Guadalajara is building a large sanctuary on a prominent hilltop to memorialize Mexico’s martyrs, and Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass during his visit in March for 640,000 people at the foot of the Cerro del Cubilete, site of a giant Christ statue built to remember those fighting the rebellion.

‘Worth fighting for’ Father Manuel Corral, Mexican bishops’ conference spokesman, has seen the film and speaks well of its message of “showing young people that there’s something worth fighting for.”

He also considers its release a sign of how much Mexico has changed in terms of religious tolerance and the more prominent role the church is taking in public life.

“Twenty-five years ago, it would have been impossible to release a movie like this,” he said.

How far Mexico has come is evident in the film’s subject matter, too.

“It was a violent era and there were a lot of ambitious generals. Gen. Gorostieta was one of them,” said Richard Grabman, author of “Gorostieta and the Cristiada, Mexico’s Catholic Insurgency 1926-1929.”

“The Cristeros attracted a lot of people that were not necessarily religious, but looking for a military solution to social problems,” he said.

Mexico had emerged from a violent revolution during the 1910s, which was fought mainly to end the enduring rule of then-President Jose de la Cruz Porfirio Diaz and give properties to the landless peasants being exploited by hacienda owners.

The revolutionary elite emerging from the conflict were anti-clerical and had approved a 1917 constitution forbidding the church to own property and operate schools, limiting worship to authorized churches and stripping priests of civil political rights. “Iniquis Afflictisque” (“On the Persecution of the Church in Mexico”), a 1926 encyclical by Pope Pius XI, said the constitution “placed [priests] in the same class with criminals and the insane.”

The Cristero Rebellion was suppressed in 1929, but many of the small landowners persisted, even if the church hierarchy was moving on.

“We have people who are children of Cristeros,” said Father Jorge Raul Villegas, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Leon.

“For us, it’s a historic reality since there were men who died defending the faith.

This isn’t forgotten.”

Calendar Dining out 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.

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.

MAY 24, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT fond Ave. Taizé prayer service at St. Richard, Richfield — June 1: 7:30 p.m. on the first Friday of each month at 7540 Penn Ave. S. Taizé is an ecumenical prayer service that focuses on simple meditative songs, Scripture and contemplative silence.

All-night vigil with the Blessed Sacrament at Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Paul — June 1 and 2: 7 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday at 401 Concord St. Knights of Columbus traveling rosary at St. Columba, St. Paul — June 3: 2 p.m. at 1327 Lafond Ave.

Parish events Parish 90th anniversary celebration at St. Joseph, Hopkins — May 27: 8:30 a.m. Mass with Archbishop Harry Flynn presiding at 1310 Mainstreet. A reception will follow at 9:30 a.m.

Fashion show and luncheon at St. Peter, Mendota — June 2: 11:30 a.m. at 1405 Highway 13. Tickets are $15. For information, call (651) 451-6690.

Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for age 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.

School events

Annual festival at St. Hedwig, Minneapolis — June 3: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 29th and Randolph Street N.E. Features food, games, raffles and more.

Rummage sale at St. George, Long Lake — June 7 and 8: 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.

Open house at Benilde-St. Margaret School, St. Louis Park — May 25: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at 2501 Hwy 100 S. For students entering grades 7 to 12. For information, visit WWW.BSMSCHOOL.ORG/ADMISSIONS.

Rummage sale at St. Richard, Richfield, — June 8 and 9: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday ($5 bag day) at 7540 Penn Ave. S. For information, visit WWW.STRICHARDS.COM.

Reception to celebrate Robert Terry on the occasion of his retirement at St. Alphonsus School, Brooklyn Center — June 3: Follows the 10:30 a.m. Mass at 7031 Halifax Ave. N.

Retirement party for Father Tom Fitzgerald at St. Genevieve, Centerville — June 10: 2 to 5 p.m. at 6995 Centerville Road. Potluck, dancing and a program at 2:30 p.m.

Garage sale at Holy Family Maronite Church, Mendota Heights — June 14 to 16: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 1960 Lexington Ave. S. For information, visit WWW.HOLYFAMILYMARONITECHURCH.ORG.

Prayer/ liturgies Sant’Egidio Community Evening Prayer at St. Richard, Richfield — every Thursday: 7 p.m. at 7540 Penn Ave. S. Legion of Mary prayers in front of Planned Parenthood, St. Paul — Every Friday: 3 p.m. at the corner of Vandalia and Charles. For information, call (651) 439-9098.

Rosary of the unborn at Pregnancy Choices LifeCare Center, Apple Valley — Every Thursday: 7:15 p.m. at 15026 Glazier Ave. For information, visit WWW.ROSARYOFTHE UNBORN.COM. Knights of Columbus traveling rosary at St. Agnes, St. Paul — May 27: 2 p.m. at 548 La-

23

Blazer summer basketball camp for girls in grades 8 to 12 at Visitation School, Mendota Heights — June 12 to 14 or June 24 to 26: Choose one or both sessions. Each session runs three days from noon to 5 p.m.

Cost is $75 for either session, $125 for both.

Email ZACHARY.HERNANDEZ@GMAIL.COM to sign up.

Don’t Miss Archdiocesan Marriage Day Celebration June 9 at the Cathedral of St. Paul Married couples are invited to join Bishop Lee Piché on June 9 at the Cathedral of St. Paul at 10 a.m. for Mass, renewal of vows, and a short reception. Couples married over 50 years will be honored in a special way and are invited to attend.

Families and friends of honored couples are welcome. Sponsored by the Archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life. For information, call (651) 291-4488 or visit WWW.ARCHSPM.ORG. Certificates signed by Archbishop John Nienstedt are available for all couples. To receive a certificate, contact the Office of Marriage, Family and Life at (651) 291-4488 or MFL@ARCHSPM.ORG. University LifeCare Centers at Como Park, St. Paul — June 9: 10 a.m. to noon. Register to walk at WWW.ULIFECARE.ORG/WALK. Benefit dinner for Prenatal Partners for Life at St. Raphael, Crystal — June 14: 6:30 p.m. at 7301 Bass Lake Road. Prenatal Partners for Life offers hope and support for families facing an adverse diagnosis of their unborn child. Visit WWW.PRENATALPARTNERS FORLIFE.ORG, or call (763) 772-3868, for ticket and raffle information.

Walk for life to benefit WomenSource pregnancy resource center at Elk Creek Park, Maple Grove — June 16: 9 to 11 a.m. at 12400 James Deane Parkway. For information about registration, visit WWW.WOMEN SOURCE.ORG. ‘Turning Our Gaze to Christ’ evangelization event at the Mayo Civic Center, Rochester — June 22 and 23: Features a concert and holy hour at St. John the

Evangelist Church, Rochester, on Friday evening at 8:30 p.m.; Mass with Bishop John Quinn Saturday at 8 a.m., followed by a eucharistic procession from the church to the Mayo Civic Center; and an outdoor concert on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., featuring Catholic singer and songwriter, Sarah Hart and the band Ceili Rain offering “music with a dash of Celtic/Irish flavor.” Sponsored by the Diocese of Winona. For information and to register, visit WWW.DOW.ORG. ‘The Many faces of Mary’ procession and celebration at Totino-Grace High School, Fridley — June 24: Start gathering at 1:30 p.m., procession begins at 2 p.m. at the school’s athletic field, 1350 Gardena Ave. N.E. Features images of Mary, banners and native clothing from the representative countries of origin. Also enjoy ethnic food and music.

Other events Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference and Curriculum Fair at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul — June 1 and 2: 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday. Registration fee is $25/person ($10 additional at the door). Complimentary continental breakfast is included on Saturday. Visit WWW.MNCONFERENCE.ORG for information.

Archdiocesan Marriage Day Celebration at the Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul — June 9: 10 a.m. at 239 Selby Ave. Includes Mass, renewal of vows and a short reception. Couples married over 50 years will be honored in a special way. For information, call (651) 291-4488 or visit WWW.ARCH SPM.ORG.

... whatever you d did for one of the least of o these brothers and siste sisters ers of mine, you did forr me.

— Matthew 25:40

PUT YOU YOUR UR FAITH INTO ACTION AC CTION p p helps p yyou and your family act on the Catholic Sponsorship Ca atholic Church’s Church’s social teachings by helping yo you u make the needs of the world’s world’s poor and vulnerable a priority in your lives. Pu ut your faith into action by sponsoring spon nsoring a child in need Put thr through ough Christian Found Foundation dation for Children Children and Aging (CFCA), the country’s country’s lar gest lay Catholic child d sponsorship organization! organization! largest

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LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. Items are published on a space available basis.

I’m I’m interested interested in spons sponsoring soring a:

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“If we have been pleased with life, we should not be displeased with death, since it comes from the hand of the same master.”

Michelangelo

Memorial Day 24

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

A Catholic Spirit special section

MAY 24, 2012

Need help planning a Catholic funeral?

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

When a church-going matriarch passed away this past year, her non-practicing family members presented pastoral associate Lisa Amos with some unconventional ideas for the funeral at St. Peter in Mendota.

Gently, Amos explained the Catholic Church’s funeral rite and convinced them that the contemporary music, non-scriptural readings and poems they had picked out wouldn’t be appropriate for the funeral Mass.

“The day of the funeral Mass came and all of them were very happy with what they’d experienced and really felt that it was exactly what their mother would have wanted, knowing how important faith had been to her,” said Amos, adding that one daughter decided in the process to return to the church.

Often bearing secular ideas or misconceptions about church funerals, burial or cremation, non-Catholic or non-practicing family members rely on pastors, pastoral ministers and funeral directors to help them make decisions for their loved one’s Catholic funeral. While it helps if their loved one expressed their preferences before death, learning about the church’s rites may affect whether family members return to the parish for something other than another funeral.

Funerals offer opportunities “Funerals are an opportunity to welcome people back to the church, or they serve as one more reason for them to turn their back and walk,” said Sister Fran Donnelly, BVM, director of LifeTransition Ministries at The Catholic Cemeteries. “It’s all how you do it.”

Sometimes it’s hard to convey parish expectations — especially to Baby Boomers who want everything their own way — while trying to listen empathetically, funeral experts say.

“The church’s teaching really does support what the families want,” said Amos, who helps plan about 15 funerals per year. “They just need to know that.”

The church teaches that funerals are to commend the

deceased person’s soul to God — not to celebrate their life, which is more appropriately done beforehand at a vigil service, said Dan Delmore, funeral director and owner of Gearty-Delmore Funeral Chapels. The church treats all the departed as children of God, which is why the funeral liturgy isn’t personalized, he said.

Amos said, “There’s a notion that it should be a celebration of life, which really misleads families about what it is they’re doing when they celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial, the funeral Mass for their loved one. . . . It’s a celebration really of Jesus’ sacrifice that allows us all to have eternal life.”

A proper time for eulogies Father Michael Reding said he sees the most confusion in funeral planning with family members’ desire to add eulogies to the funeral Mass. St. Bartholomew in Wayzata,

the site of about 24 funerals per year, no longer allows eulogies during funeral liturgies because of abuses to the practice, said Father Reding, pastor.

Instead, family members are encouraged to include them during the vigil or funeral lunch.

Unfortunately, he added, many families are choosing a reviewal before the funeral rather than a vigil the day before to avoid imposing on mourners, even though it can interfere with their grieving.

“Someone has died here, attention should be paid,” Father Reding said. “Life should be altered as we mourn this loss and as we commit this person to God.” As cremation has become more popular in the past 10 years, more families are delaying burial, said Delmore, PLEASE TURN TO BEAUTY ON PAGE 26

Give your loved ones comfort & peace of mind by pre-planning your cemetery arrangements. Minimize stress when you die to allow your loved ones time to grieve & celebrate your life.

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Memorial Day

MAY 24, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

25

Catholic cemeteries honor soldiers with 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. 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 Jesus in Minneapolis.

Resurrection Cemetery 2101 S. Lexington Ave., Mendota Heights

Rain or Shine at Resurrection with Archbishop Harry J. 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 Rain or shine at St. Mary’s with Dominican Father Joseph Gillespie, pastor of St. Albert the Great, Minneapolis Knights of Columbus Council No. 435 American Legion Post 345 1st & 2nd Minnesota Volunteers

St. Anthony’s Cemetery 2729 Central Ave. N.E., Minneapolis With Father Earl Simonson, pastor of St. Clement, Minneapolis.

Grave decorations During the days before and after Memorial Day, artificial flowers, potted plants, decorations or other ornaments are allowed. Those decorations can be placed on graves beginning at noon Thursday, May 24, and remain until Sunday, June 3. Cemetery staff will begin pickup on Monday, June 4. After that time, fresh-cut flowers are requested only during the growing season.

SOURCE: The Catholic Cemeteries, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

In case of rain, Mass will be held at St. Clement, 911 24th Ave. N.E. 4th Degree Knights of Columbus, Good Shepherd Assembly, Fridley

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

Purchase flowers at cemetery

Recognizing veterans

Over the Memorial Day weekend, a variety of floral bouquets are available for purchase at Resurrection, Gethsemane, St. Mary’s and Calvary cemeteries. Flower stands are located near the entrances of each cemetery.

If you are unable to visit a cemetery on Memorial Day weekend but would like to have flowers placed on a grave, please call the cemetery office to order.

Cemetery staff will place an arrangement at the gravesite of your loved one a few days before the beginning of the weekend.

A local Boy Scout troop has placed American flags on the gravesites of veterans at Resurrection Cemetery that are marked by a gravestone provided by the Veterans Administration. This also occurs at Gethsemane Cemetery. Only grave markers that clearly indicate military service receive a flag.

For families visiting the graves of veterans not marked with a VA-provided gravestone, flags can be purchased for a small charge at the outdoor flower stands. A limited supply will be available in the cemetery offices one week prior to Memorial Day.

26

Memorial Day

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 24, 2012

Beauty of Catholic funeral rites helps people to mourn, and rejoice CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 who added that about 35 percent of Catholics the Delmore chapels serve

choose cremation.

Families aren’t legally required to bury cremated remains so they sometimes

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schedule the funeral when it’s convenient, while the funeral home keeps the remains.

The church urges that the remains be buried as soon as possible for the sake of those grieving, he said.

“It’s important to stop and take the time to remember one, to mourn for a person, to bring their body to church for the purposes of commending their soul to God,” Delmore said. “It’s something that is very central to our faith for centuries.”

To maintain the deceased’s integrity and dignity, the church doesn’t permit scattering, dividing or co-mingling of ashes, Delmore said.

In order to make it easier for their children and ensure their wishes are understood, Delmore encourages elderly Catholics to pre-plan their funeral and burial as much as possible.

If non-Catholic mourners understand the church’s rites, they sometimes experience God’s presence at a Catholic funeral, Father Reding said.

“The church’s funeral rites are just sublime,” he said. “We’re given this language that if we will allow it, it gives us what we need at the time of death. If we can just get people to trust us, inevitably they’re always happy afterwards.”

Catholic funeral, burial information Visit the following two parish websites for Catholic funeral information online: ■ St. Timothy in Blaine posts information and suggestions on cremation, bereavement, words for a Catholic wake and medical directives. Some information is specific to the parish. HTTP://CHURCHOF STTIMOTHY.COM/INDEX.CFM /PAGEID/49 ■ Our Lady of Peace in Minneapolis provides information related to a Catholic funeral and burial. While some of it is specific to the parish, the site offers an explanation of the funeral liturgy. HTTP://WWW.OLPMN .ORG/INDEX.CFM ?LOAD=PAGE&PAGE=155 For specific information about funeral planning at your parish, call your pastor or pastoral minister.

27

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MAY 24, 2012

Catholic says nation in need of prayer, creates ‘Rosary for the USA’

By Joyce Coronel Catholic News Service

As Manny Yrique prayed before the Blessed Sacrament, his heart was burdened with concerns about the United States and the level of animosity in American discourse.

“I knelt down to pray and I was overwhelmed by the feeling that Our Lord wanted me to pray a rosary,” Yrique said. “I felt him telling me, ‘Take it to my mother.’”

He pulled out his rosary beads and as he began to pray, he was struck by the realization that each of the 50 Hail Mary prayers of the rosary could be offered for one of the 50 states.

Yrique said he’s always had a strong devotion to Mary. He remembers being 8 years old, kneeling with his 6-year-old sister to pray the rosary while their mother was undergoing surgery.

“We didn’t know if our mom was coming back home, so we took out our plastic rosaries, knelt down at the Virgin of Guadalupe statue that was over my mom’s bed and we prayed a rosary,” Yrique told The Catholic Sun, newspaper of the Phoenix Diocese. “It was like, ‘Nothing’s going to happen as long as Mary’s with you.’”

Yrique said he designed the Rosary for the

CNS photo / J.D. Long-Garcia, The Catholic Sun

United States of America through prayer, often waking in the middle of the night to compose the intentions.

He has already given away or sold 3,000 of the red, white and blue rosary beads and has ordered another 2,000. He has a webWWW.MAGNALITECATHOLIC.COM/USA_ site, ROSARY.HTML. Along with the rosary, people can order a prayer booklet or prayer card that lists all the intentions as well as the names of the 50 states.

Dedicated intentions Each of the five decades has a designated intention.

The first three decades are prayed for the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. The fourth decade is dedicated to state and local governments as well as police and firefighters. The fifth decade is devoted to U.S. military personnel.

Yrique’s conviction about the love of the mother of God is something that he said can partly be explained by his own mother’s unshakeable devotion to her children.

“I believe that a mother has tremendous impact on her family — I saw that in my mother,” Yrique said. “We knew that nothing would happen to us as children as long as Mom was there.

“I believe the Blessed Virgin Mary is the

same way — she’s always been my mother and I believe she has the ear of God at her command.”

The “Rosary for the USA” is not a political statement, Yrique said. He’s not praying for a particular candidate to win the upcoming election or for any political party’s success.

He’s simply praying for the United States — its leaders and populace.

“At the time I started praying for my country, I was really concerned with how divisive we became over the S.B. 1070 (immigration) issue,” Yrique said. “So when I saw things happening on the news — when I saw people being angry at one another, shouting at one another, I thought, ‘This is not the way I was brought up.’”

Yrique said it’s important for the 30 million Catholics in the United States to pray for their leaders, regardless of political persuasion.

“I really believe that it doesn’t matter who we elect if the power of God is not working through our elected officials,” he said. “I’d like people to get off their soapboxes and get on their knees and pray. God will bless America when Americans remember to bless God.” Joyce Coronel writes for The Catholic Sun in Phoenix.

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Applications accepted on-line only. For more information and to apply online, visit https://employment.csbsju.edu Click on “search postings”.

Women and people of diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Order of St. Benedict is an EEO/AA employer.

816 The School Sisters of Notre Dame are forming an interprovincial vocation ministry team of sisters and lay women to inspire and invite others to respond to God’s love as School Sisters. A successful candidate must be a member in good standing of the Catholic Church, have a Bachelor of Arts degree; a Masters degree is preferred in Ministry, Spirituality, Pastoral Counseling or Theology and have experience teaching and/or working with youth and young adults. Send resume and three references to vocationteam@ 12877 ssndcp.org by June 30, 2012.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES P/T Clean Vacant Apartments Mounds View, MN. Prepare Twin Homes for new tenants. Also help with general maintenance. Hours as needed. Call 763-7841666 or email resume to MIKE@KINYON PROPERTIES.COM. 11998

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Alegria Design is available for your personal and commercial design needs. Graphic design, electronic publishing, desktop publishing. 651-428-0946

PAINTING

CD of the Month Club Lighthouse Catholic Media Scott Hahn, Jeff Cavins and more! $5/month includes shipping Subscribe online at WWW.LIGHTHOUSECATHOLICMEDIA.COM Please Enter Code: 1195 11988

Merriam Park Painting. Professional Int./ Ext. Painting. WP Hanging. Moderate Prices, Free Estimates. Call Ed (651) 224-3660. 11269

PARTY & EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT

WE DO 1,162 THINGS AROUND THE HOME! Catholic Owned Handyman Business: We will fix/repair remodel almost anything around the home. Serving entire Metro. Call today.

Mention this ad and receive 10% off labor.

Handyman Matters (651) 784-3777, (952) 12068 946-0088.

Comedy Magic Adds Pizzazz to your Party!

MAGICNORM.COM 651-257-7116 12811

Liturgical Press (located on the St. John’s campus) is accepting applications for the following position: Associate Publisher, Marketing, Give Us This Day This position is responsible for subscription and single copy sales, fulfillment management and establishing relationships with key groups of potential subscribers for Give Us This Day, a monthly periodical for personal prayer.

GREAT CATHOLIC SPEAKERS

HANDYMAN

HARDWOOD FLOORS

HEALTH INSURANCE

PLUMBING

Justen Plumbing, Inc. (651) 605-5025 JUSTENPLUMBING@GMAIL.COM Call or email Mike for a free estimate. 12345

Sand, patch and install. Professional and great prices. Sweeney (651) 485-8187. 10435

All Seasons Paint & Repair. Int./Ext. Wood/ Stucco 25 yrs. Experience. Insured. Free Esti1189 mates. (651) 699-2832.

PRAYERS

NOTICE: Prayers must be submitted in advance. Payment of $8 per line must be received before publication.

Thank you Jesus,BVM, OLG & St. Anthony & 11165 St. Jude. R.J.B.

Dental, Health, Medicare Parts A, B and D, and Long Term Care Insurance. WWW. GENWORTH.COM/JERRYBIESE (612) 38212095 4363.

CRG — WWW.CRGCOMPANY.COM — ph: 12248 (507) 318-9735.

LANDSCAPING

Drainage problems? Retaining walls, paver 12558 patios, steps. Jeff (651) 436-6568.

PAINTING

For the finest job available. View our website: PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND.COM. Or call 699-6140.

ROOFING

VACATION/FAMILY GETAWAY

Knotty Pines Resort, Park Rapids, MN. 1, 2, & 3 bdrm cabins starting at $550/week.

WWW.KNOTTYPINESRESORT.COM 800-39212598 2410

7521

Dennis Heigl Painting Interior/Exterior Reasonable, Fair Pricing. Free Estimates.

12048 (763) 543-0998 • Cell (612) 819-2438

WANTED TO BUY

$$$ for OLD SEWING Machines, Patterns, Fabric, Hankies, Postcards, Jewelry, Old Photos, Silver + Gold, Pipes, Lighters, Collectibles. (612) 823-8616.

3919

Michaels Painting. Texture and Repair.

MICHAELSPAINTINGLLC.COM. (763) 757-3187. 12327

Downsizing Estates, I buy van loads of old stuff + bicycles. Steve (651) 778-0571. 6158

PAINTING

“Many people today have come to doubt that there is still holiness or honesty in the church and in the clergy. We must prove them wrong. We can be a true community of saints who shine as models of chastity and charity before a culture in great need of this witness.”

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri

Overheard 28

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Notes about this week’s newsmakers

Kudos to band members from Visitation, St. Thomas schools Five VISTA Band members have been selected to participate in the Minnesota Music Educators Association All-State Program. The VISTA Band is a combined offering of Convent of the Visitation School and St. Thomas Academy. Selected band members include: Brock Carlson, Walker Lee and Tom Kane, all of St. Thomas Academy, and Grace Hyland and Aisling OSullivan, both of Visitation.

More than 2,000 students audition for the All-State performing groups: bands, choir, The orchestra and jazz ensemble. The Catholic Spirit selection committee chooses more than 575 students to participate in the All-State summer camp experience, held at colleges and universities throughout Minnesota. Students also participate in Orchestra Hall concerts in conjunction with MMEA’s professional development conference.

MAY 24, 2012

Pontifical North American College wins Clericus Cup soccer tournament

News Notes

Messersmith wins Father Ward business administator award Jeanne Messersmith, business administrator at St. John’s Church of Little Canada, was this year’s winner of The Father Austin Ward Certificate of Appreciation.

The Association of Parish Business Administrators presented the award to her on May 10.

The award is given each year to one business administrator in honor of Father Ward, who served as an administrator for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and was awarded a recognition certificate by the association before his death from cancer in 2003.

Franciscans honor Father Joncas with international award Father Jan Michael Joncas, a professor at the University of St. Thomas, received the Franciscan International Award for his lifetime achievements on May 10. This was the 54th presentation of the award, which recognizes an individual or organization that demonstrates the ideals and values of St. Francis of Assisi. Past winners include the Rev. Billy Graham, Sister Helen Prejean, Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn, Habitat for Humanity and CaringBridge.

A talented musician and composer, Joncas’ “love for the liturgy and music are internationally known,” according to the Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center.

Hill-Murray School announces plans to build new space Hill-Murray School in Maplewood announced that a new $2 million space to be named The Nicholas Center will be constructed to provide expanded learning services to students. Fully funded by a generous donation, the center will provide new classroom space for programs offered to students who are struggling. It is scheduled to be completed in the fall.

CNS photo / Paul Haring

Pontifical North American College seminarian Nick Nelson of the Diocese of Duluth kicks the ball as his team competes against the Pontifical Gregorian University during the final of the Clericus Cup soccer tournament in Rome May 12. The Pontifical North American College won the game 3-0, achieving their first win in the 6year-old tournament.

Fans cheer as the Pontifical North American College competes against the Pontifical Gregorian University during the final of the Clericus Cup soccer tournament in Rome May 12.

CNS photo / Paul Haring

IRE L AND: the other Holy Land September 21 — October 2, 2012

Registration is only open until JUNE 21!

Contact: Martie McMahon • The Catholic Spirit Phone: 651-291-4441 mcmahonm@archspm.org Also go to: TheCatholicSpirit.com/ExploreIreland