The Catholic Spirit - July 19, 2012

Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

The Catholic Spirit

It’s festival time!

Fun, food and faith converge at numerous parish festivals around the archdiocese. Turn to pages 16 and 17 to find one near you.

News with a Catholic heart

July 19, 2012

TheCatholicSpirit.com

Taking ministry behind bars New corrections coordinator offers hope to inmates

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

eacon Tim Zinda recalls one of the first inmates he met at the Ramsey County Jail, where he has served as a correctional minister for the last four years.

“He was in there for murder,” Deacon Zinda, 64, said. “His first question to me was: Does God forgive me?’”

Deacon Zinda knew Works of the answer, which lies at the core of Catholic teaching — God will forgive anyone, no matter the sin.

But how do you get a murder suspect who’s not Catholic to believe you?

That’s the challenge. And, it’s what keeps Deacon Zinda coming to the jail every week. He meets with inmates in a small, highly secure room furnished only with a table and chairs.

He has to overcome both his claustrophobia and fear caused by hearing the heavy door slam shut after entering the pods where inmates reside.

Then, he has to deal with the chill of being left alone with guys like this one, who are accused of taking someone else’s life.

“It’s hard to explain [correctional ministry] to people because most people, when you tell them you’re a [correctional minister] at Ramsey County Jail, they say, ‘How can you do

D

MERCY

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Deacon Tim Zinda does hands-on ministry at the Ramsey County Jail (shown) and also serves as the new coordinator of correctional ministries for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

that? These people should be locked away,’” he said. “But, they don’t understand. You have to bring more light into it.”

Deacon Zinda plans to continue

bringing that light into the 32 correctional facilities in the sevencounty metro area by serving as the new coordinator of correctional ministry in the archdiocese.

Already, he is assembling an army of volunteers, including some of his fellow deacons, to make contact with PLEASE TURN TO DEACON ON PAPGE 4

IN THIS ISSUE

Drought, heat hurting farmers

Way of love, way of life

Many Midwest corn farmers are on the edge of disaster and praying for rain.

— Page 6

Catholics talk about the value of natural family planning in observance of NFP Awareness Week.

— page 12-13

Simon Says Give

Spider-Man and the God-Man

Eight-year-old’s vision leads to creation of company that’s making a difference for kids in need.

— Page 3

Father Robert Barron finds theological themes in popular superhero movies.

— Page 7

Olympic chaplains to take field Catholic chaplains will offer ministry of presence, hospitality at London games.

— page 15

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JULY 19, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Bishop Blair offers a reality check

That They May All Be One Archbishop John C. Nienstedt

Bishop who conducted initial doctrinal assessment of LCWR clarifies the reasons for it

The secular media appear to delight in every opportunity they have to make churches, and specifically the Catholic Church, look bad.

The recent doctrinal assessment called for by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious is a case in point. News coverage of what the real issues are behind the Holy See’s action has been severely misrepresented. Bishop Leonard Blair, who did the initial inquiry into the matter, shares his insights into what actually led up to the decision.

He writes the following article titled “Reality Check: The LCWR, CDF, and the Doctrinal Assessment”: When you are in a position of leadership or authority, it is a great cross sometimes to know firsthand the actual facts of a situation and then have to listen to all the distortions and misrepresentation of the facts that are made in the public domain.

Having conducted the doctrinal assessment of the entity known as the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), I can only marvel at what is now being said, both within and outside the Church, regarding the process and the recent steps taken by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to remedy significant and longstanding doctrinal problems connected with the activities and programs of the LCWR. The biggest distortion of all is the claim that the CDF and the bishops are attacking or criticizing the life and work of our Catholic sisters in the United States. One report on the CBS evening news showcased the work of a Mercy Sister who is a medical doctor in order to compare her to the attack that she and sisters like her are supposedly being subjected to by authoritarian bishops. The report concludes with a statement that the bishops impose the rules of the Church but the sisters carry on the work of the Church.

Unless the sister in question is espousing and/or promoting positions contrary to Catholic teaching — and there was no reason given to think that she is — then the Holy See’s doctrinal concerns are not directed at her or at the thousands of religious sisters in our country like her to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude for all that they do in witness to the Gospel.

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. 14 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT Publisher SARAH MEALEY Associate publisher

JOE TOWALSKI Editor

Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by Catholic Spirit Publishing Company.

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What the CDF is concerned about, as I indicated, is the particular organization known as the LCWR. Its function, responsibilities and statutes were all originally approved by the Holy See, to which it remains accountable. While it is true that the member communities of the LCWR represent most of the religious sisters in the United States, that does not mean that criticism of the LCWR is aimed at all the member religious communities, much less all sisters.

The word “investigation” is often used to describe the work that I carried out on behalf of the CDF. “Investigation” suggests an attempt to uncover things that might not be known. In reality, what the CDF commissioned was a doctrinal “assessment,” an appraisal of materials which are readily available to anyone who cares to read them on the LCWR website and in other LCWR published resources. The assessment was carried out in dialogue with the LCWR leadership, both in writing and face-to-face, over several months.

The fundamental question posed to the LCWR leadership as part of the assessment was simply this: What are the Church’s pastors to make of the fact that the LCWR constantly provides a one-sided platform — without challenge or any opposing view — to speakers who take a negative and critical position vis-a-vis Church doctrine and discipline and the Church’s teaching office?

Let me cite just a few of the causes for concern.

In her LCWR keynote address in 1997, Sister Sandra Schneiders, IHM proposed that the decisive issue for women religious is the issue of faith: “It can no longer be taken for granted that the members [of a given congregation] share the same faith.”

Ten years later, in an LCWR keynote speech, Sister Laurie Brink, O.P. spoke of “four different general ‘directions’ in which religious congregations seem to be moving.” She said that “not one of the four is better or worse than the others.” One of the directions described is “sojourning,” which she says “involves moving beyond the Church, even beyond Jesus. A sojourning congregation is no longer ecclesiastical. It has grown beyond the bounds of institutional religion.” This kind of congregation “in most respects is Post-Christian.” She conPLEASE TURN TO BISHOPS ON PAGE 19

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33 more parishes exceed Appeal goal An additional 33 parishes have exceeded their 2012 Catholic Services Appeal goal, bringing the total number of parishes over goal to 106.

The 2012 CSA has now reached more than $8.7 million in gifts and pledges towards the goal of $9.3 million.

The 33 new parishes are: St. Charles, Bayport St. Patrick, Faribault St. Mary, Bellechester St. Joseph, Miesville St. Dominic, Northfield Risen Savior, Burnsville Sacred Heart, Rush City St. Patrick, St. Paul Holy Spirit, St. Paul Corpus Christi, Roseville St. Pius X, White Bear Lake St. Michael, West St. Paul St. Ignatius, Annandale St. Hubert, Chanhassen St. Luke, Clearwater St. John the Evangelist, Hopkins St. John the Baptist, Jordan St. Timothy, Maple Lake Mary, Mother of the Church, Burnsville St. Bartholomew, Wayzata St. Joseph the Worker, Maple Grove St. Albert the Great, Minneapolis Ascension, Minneapolis St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bloomington Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights St. Margaret Mary, Golden Valley Our Lady of Grace, Edina St. Patrick, Edina Immaculate Conception, Madison Lake St. Andrew, Elysian Divine Mercy, Faribault Mary, Queen of Peace, Rogers Parishes that previously exceeded their goal 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 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 The Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul St. Francis De Sales, St. Paul PLEASE TURN TO MORE ON PAGE 4

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

Blessed Mother Teresa

Local JULY 19, 2012

News from around the archdiocese

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Girl with ‘giving heart’ makes a difference for kids in need Eight-year-old’s vision leads to creation of Simon Says Give charity

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit

The way Mandi Simon looks at it, every child should have a birthday party.

To put on birthday parties for kids whose families don’t have money for a celebration, Mandi wanted to start a company.

Mandi is 8 years old.

She’s going into the fourth grade at Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights.

Despite her age, Mandi’s company is a reality. Simon Says Give is a registered 501c3 nonprofit corporation with a board of directors, business cards and website.

Birthday parties already have been held for three children from families in need in the Twin Cities area.

“We have games and activities,” Mandi explained from her kitchen table in Eagan. “We do arts and crafts, and we have music. We have cake, play some more and give them a birthday gift.”

“We bring a lot of games — Bingo, Jenga, Twister — we play volleyball with balloons,” Mandi added, and she laughed, obviously remembering the fun.

Mandi’s mom, Dina Simon, said her daughter’s concern for others surely comes from the faith-infused education she’s receiving at Visitation, but not completely.

“It comes out of her heart,” Dina Simon said. “Mandi’s got a giving heart. She wants to make a difference in the world.”

Kids need stuff As an only child, Mandi has everything she could ever want, her mom said, and for years Mandi has asked for donations to others instead of birthday gifts.

She’s done some kind of fundraising project each of the past four years.

“A lot of kids don’t really get a lot of stuff,” Mandi said matter-of-factly, “and they don’t always have the stuff they need.”

Instead of toys, she’s collected items such as canned food and pajamas, asking for donations from family, friends, neighbors and people from school.

“Last year I asked for backpacks and school supplies,” Mandi said. “We ended up with six fully loaded back packs to give to children who needed them.”

The Visitation Sisters who live in a home-like monastery in an impoverished area of north Minneapolis have become the Simons’ helpers in finding needy families, both for receiving donations and the birthday parties.

Mandi, with her mom and dad Rich, has visited the

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Mandi Simon, left, and her mother Dina fill gift bags with goodies for a birthday party. Mandi has formed a nonprofit corporation called Simon Says Give to throw birthday parties for children whose families don’t have money for a party. Mandi will be a fourth-grader at Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights. The family belongs to St. Peter in Mendota.

monastery and met with families and children the sisters have invited over. To be respectful, the children’s parents or grandparents are asked if a birthday party for one of the children age 5 to 12 would be OK with them.

Parties are held at venues such as the Eagan Community Center, and teen volunteers have helped with games and crafts.

Vision to grow So far, a few donations have made the birthday parties successful, but Mandi’s vision — and why a company is needed — is to make birthday parties like this an experience for a lot more needy children.

Dina Simon explained: “We think there are a lot more Mandis out there. With the website up now, there’s the potential that a lot more young people who want to

make a difference in the world will want to help with a project like Simon Says Give.”

As a parent, she sees this as a great opportunity to teach the joy of giving, to help children who have much engage with those who have little, and to reinforce important values.

Both kids and adults are invited to fundraise and donate to support the new charity. A slick new website — WWW.SIMONSAYSGIVE.ORG — has all the details for how young and old can get involved.

The website includes stories and photos from past birthday parties, and information about how a person or a company can donate so even more children who have less than others can enjoy their birthday with a party courtesy of the company Simon Says Give, Mandi Simon, founder and chief charity officer.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 19, 2012

Deacon relishes visits to Ramsey County Jail CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Works of mercy

the men and women behind bars.

The Catholic Spirit’s story in this issue about corrections ministry is the first in an Visiting the imprisoned is one of the occasional series on the works of mercy. The church identifies seven corporal and corporal works of mercy. seven spiritual works of mercy. They are: Thus far, he has taken Bishop Lee Corporal Spiritual Piché to the jail and hopes to recruit To feed the hungry; To instruct the ignorant; priests to celebrate Masses and confer To give drink to the thirsty; To counsel the doubtful; sacraments at correctional facilities in To clothe the naked; To admonish sinners; the archdiocese (Mass is not allowed at To shelter the homeless; To bear wrongs patiently; Ramsey County Jail, but Deacon Zinda is To visit the sick; To forgive offenses willingly; able to schedule occasional To visit the imprisoned; To comfort the afflicted; visits by priests to To bury the dead.

To pray for the living and dead. administer the sacraments of baptism, Communion, confirmation and Works of Want to help? reconciliation).

For more information or to get Masses have happened involved in correctional ministry, off and on over the years we were making some progress. contact Deacon Tim Zinda, in the other correctional Everything is kind of tight-lipped, coordinator of correctional facilities, and he would like to make it but I did find out from one of the guards ministries for the Archdiocese of St. a regular occurrence. Several priests have that he tried to kill himself. So, he went Paul and Minneapolis, at (763) 757expressed interest, and he thinks retired to the hospital.

6175 or by email at ZINDAMMP@ priests are an excellent choice for this “It’s hard to give people hope in his PRODIGY.NET. ministry. case. Here’s a guy who’s 30-some years old, committed a triple murder while on Delicate work drugs, he’s just shot his whole physical So, how did Deacon Zinda respond to life to hell and he ended up getting like Using magic and humor the murder suspect’s question about 76 years [in prison] with no parole.”

Deacon Zinda already is at work using God’s forgiveness?

Therein lies the challenge. Veterans in that passion to recruit other ministers.

He began by doing one of the tough the corrections system have told Deacon He has gotten several on board for the — but crucial — tasks of correctional Zinda that inmates are quick to turn to Ramsey County Jail, including someone ministry. He listened, taking the time to Jesus when they’re arrested and sent to from the parish where he is assigned, St. find out more about the man sitting jail, but often are just as quick to reject Paul in Ham Lake. across from him. him when they either are handed prison Though the ministry could be “This guy was strung out on drugs and sentences or released. considered a tough sell, Deacon Zinda committed a violent crime,” Deacon That’s what makes Deacon Zinda’s has one qualification that might make Zinda said. “He didn’t tell me the whole work both delicate and volatile. He sees him the perfect man for the job — he’s a story, he just said he committed murder. them during the transition period, when magician.

Well, he committed three murders is they are awaiting trial or sentencing. what he did.

“My mother-in-law gave me a magic Sometimes, they’re there for a few days. trick [in the 1970s] and I kind of liked “So, I tried to answer his question of Other times, they are there for several it,” he said. “I got more and more whether God forgives him. I said, ‘Do months or even up to a year. involved and bought more equipment you seek forgiveness from God?’ I said, But no matter the circumstances or and I started doing shows publicly.

‘If you can honestly, earnestly say that, length of stay, there is one common I’m sure God forgives you. God is all “The most amazing trick I can do – I denominator that guides Deacon Zinda merciful.’” don’t know if I can do it anymore – is in every encounter with an inmate — my escape trunk, where I’m handcuffed With the man on the doorstep of they are human beings. inside a canvas bag, locked and chained conversion, Deacon Zinda zoomed in to “I try to teach each person and give in a trunk, and I have to escape.” seal the deal. He had high hopes of them the dignity that they deserve,” he saving a soul. But, things took a turn.

While inside the bag, his assistant said. “A lot of times, they’ll ask, ‘Do you jumps up on the trunk and holds up a “He visited with me for a few weeks,” get paid big bucks for this?’ I said, ‘I get curtain. Then she raises it until she is no the deacon said. “We prayed, and then paid nothing, and I drive 30-some miles longer in view, and drops it down he started turning me down. I thought to get here. And, I do it because I care.’”

MERCY

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More parishes exceed Appeal goal CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

IRELAND, SAINTS, SPRITES & SUDS

quickly. To the audience’s amazement, Deacon Zinda is standing in her place, while she is inside wearing the cuffs and chains.

No doubt, a few inmates would like to learn such a trick, and Deacon Zinda will make jokes about that with them once in a while. In fact, humor is one of his best tools. It works on the inmates, and he must remember to lighten his own mood, too. After all, many of the inmates he visits end up serving lengthy prison sentences.

But sometimes, finding out men are going to prison isn’t the worst thing. It’s hearing stories about some of their tragic upbringings.

Like the inmate who revealed that he was horribly mistreated by his mother and stepfather. She gave birth to him while single, then later got married and had several children with her husband.

Because the boy was viewed as illegitimate, he was treated differently than the other children.

“On the holidays, they would lock him in a closet,” Deacon Zinda said.

“The others enjoyed the holiday, and he couldn’t. This is so sad because, when he told me this story, he bawled the whole time. My heart just bled for him. And then, his uncle abused him in the closet, sexually.”

In the end, the boy became an adult and was incarcerated for a sexual crime.

As Deacon Zinda sadly notes, this is a familiar pattern in the criminal justice system.

And, it’s one he hopes to help inmates break. Yet, the sad truth is, he rarely will know whether anything he said or did helped an inmate. Once they leave the jail, he has little or no contact with them anymore.

For him, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is who they are and what God calls us to do for them.

“These people are human beings, they have a life and, someday, most of them will be released,” he said. “They’re all God’s children. . . . They’ve made wrong decisions in their lives. People are bound to. We’re human. We make mistakes, some bigger mistakes than other people.

And, God loves everybody.”

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 If you would like to make a pledge/gift to the Appeal, please visit WWW.ARCHSPM.ORG/APPEAL to donate online.

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“I wanted to be in the place where she lived, where she was baptized and where she is still honored.”

Eddie Ryder, who traveled July 14 to the National Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in Fonda, N.Y., for a feast day Mass honoring the woman who will be canonized a saint this fall

Nation/World 6

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

News from around the U.S. and the globe

Midwest corn farmers pray for rain

Proposal would remove mandate’s penalties for religious employers

Catholic News Service The desperation of drought-stricken farmers in the Midwest was evidenced by what topped Mary Margaret O’Connor’s “day’s best memory” list as the July 8 celebration of her parish church’s centennial came to a close in Seymour, Ill. “It looks like we’re going to get rain,” said O’Connor, eyeing dark clouds approaching the grounds of St. Boniface Church, a Catholic landmark rising above the fertile corn and bean fields of western Champaign County.

As in much of the Midwest, farmers in Seymour are on the edge of disaster from scorching heat and lack of rain.

The rain “would be a godsend,” said Bill Klein, a fourth-generation farmer whose great uncle willed the rural parish an 80acre tract of land upon his death in 1954.

The field north of the church is planted in soybeans this year.

As of early July, about 60 percent of U.S. corn acreage was experiencing moderate to extreme drought, up from 49 percent a week earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Associated Press reported that in some places in southern Illinois, farmers started mowing down their corn fields — the cobs had no kernels growing on them — and baling the dried and withered stalks to feed as hay to their animals. Rainfall had totaled less than one inch since late April in some parts of southern Illinois.

An organic farm in southwestern Pennsylvania notified its customers July 9 that it was sending its workers out to the fields at 3:30 a.m. to harvest corn by hand before the sun rose to sear both the corn and the pickers. The USDA said earlier that food prices around the nation would rise up to 3.5 percent this year, although it would not be known until harvest time how much of that increase could be attributed to drought-stricken corn crops.

JULY 19, 2012

Catholic News Service Saying that the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 28 decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act “leaves intact a grave assault to religious freedoms,” Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (RWis.) announced July 10 that he would introduce the Religious Freedom Tax Repeal Act. The bill, which has 57 co-sponsors, would allow employers who have religious or moral objections to covering certain preventive services mandated by the health reform law to decline to provide them through their health insurance plans without facing taxes, penalties or enforcement actions for their noncompliance.

The Supreme Court ruled June 28 that it was constitutional for Congress to require individuals to purchase health insurance under its authority to tax.

Prospect of penalties

Food aid cuts in farm bill called ‘unjustified and wrong’ A proposed $16 billion cut in the nation’s Supplemental Nutritional and Assistance Program is “unjustified and wrong,” said a joint letter from Catholic leaders.

The cuts in SNAP, once known as food stamps, “will hurt hungry children, poor families, vulnerable seniors and struggling workers,” said the July 10 letter, addressed to Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, and Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), the committee’s ranking Democrat.

The letter was signed by Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, Calif., chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, chair of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace; Carolyn Woo, president of Catholic Relief Services; and James Ennis, executive director of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference.

The Senate passed its version of the farm bill in late June; it contained $4 billion in SNAP cuts, which Senate Agriculture Committee members said could be achieved by rooting out waste, fraud and abuse.

— Catholic News Service

Sensenbrenner said the health reform law “gives the federal government the tools to tax religiously affiliated schools, hospitals, universities and soup kitchens right out of existence” by imposing penalties of up to $100 per employee per day on employers who fail to provide services mandated by the Department of Health and Human Services, which include sterilizations and contraceptives, including some abortion-causing drugs.

A religious institution with 50 employees, for example, could face penalties of up to $36,500 per employee per year, or more than $1.8 million per year, he said.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops hasn’t taken a stand on the tax repeal act, said Mercy Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations.

New profession of faith seen as ‘public way of witnessing’ to beliefs

By Gretchen R. Crowe Catholic News Service

In a move that will go into effect Sept. 16, Arlington Bishop Paul Loverde has directed that a “profession of faith” declaring assent to all church teachings be made by all teachers of the faith, including catechists, youth ministers and religion teachers in the diocese.

The policy, announced in a letter to pastors and parochial administrators from Bishop Loverde dated May 10, stressed “the pressing need to hand on our Faith in an integral, comprehensive and clear way” and “the need to assure sound teaching in our catechetical programs” so that Catholic youths “truly be formed as authentic disciples of the Lord Jesus.”

The profession contains the Nicene Creed; a declaration of belief in “everything contained in the word of God,” whether written or handed down in church tradition; an affirmation to “accept and hold” what the church definitively teaches on faith and morals; and an affirmation

to “adhere with religious submission of will and intellect” to the authoritative teachings of the pope and the bishops.

The last phrase, especially, sparked a response by a handful of local catechists in a story for The Washington Post July 11 who took umbrage with what they called the “fidelity oath.”

But Father Paul deLadurantaye, Arlington’s diocesan secretary for religious education and sacred liturgy, said the profession wasn’t an oath at all, but “simply the profession of our faith, which all Catholics are called to do in different circumstances in life.

“The hope is that all teachers of the faith see church teaching as true and try to shape their lives to it,” Father deLadurantaye said.

The church isn’t looking for perfect people to teach catechesis, but rather for all teachers to have the desire to strive for complete understanding of the Catholic Church’s teaching, he said, including issues such as contraception, reserving priestly ordination to men alone

and traditional marriage. He sees the profession of faith as an opportunity for each teacher of the faith to evangelize not only outwardly, but inwardly.

“If I’m going to go out and proclaim the faith to others then I have to look within to say, ‘Do I hold it? Do I believe it? Do I know what I believe? Am I ready to do this?” he said. “And if somebody does have a question, a concern, a difficulty, [the goal is] that they make a sincere and honest and sustained effort to try to overcome it.”

The idea for implementing a diocesan-wide profession of faith came in part from Pope Benedict XVI’s proclamation of the upcoming Year of Faith, beginning Oct. 11, and in part from a “grass-roots proposal” from a group of directors of religious education who already had implemented professions of faith at the parish level, Father deLadurantaye said.

There will be no diocesan level of enforcement regarding the signed professions, and the forms will be kept at the parishes.

“Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.”

Walt Disney

This Catholic Life JULY 19, 2012

Opinion, feedback and points to ponder

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Spider-Man, Iron Man, Superman and the God-Man

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his past decade has seen a plethora of movies dealing with superheroes: the “Batman” films, “The Green Lantern,” “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Thor,”

etc.

But the most popular — at least judging by box office receipts — has been the “Spider-Man” franchise. Since 2002, there have been four major movie adaptations of the Marvel Comics story of a kid who gets bitten by a spider, undergoes a stunning metamorphosis and then “catches thieves just like flies.”

What is it about these stories — and the Spider-Man tale in particular — that fascinate us? May I suggest that it has something to do with Christianity, more precisely, with the figure around which all of the ChrisFather tian religion revolves.

Robert Barron St. Athanasius’s most significant contribution to the Christological debates of the early centuries of the church’s life was an argument for the dual nature of Jesus. In the saint’s pithy formula, only a human being could save us, and only God could save us.

If Jesus were only divine — as the Monophysites argued — then his saving power wouldn’t be truly applied to us.

If he were only human — as the Arians and Nestorians argued — then he could not really lift us out of the morass of sin and guilt in which we find ourselves mired.

In a word, salvation was possible only through a Godman, someone in the world but not of it, someone like us in all things but sin, and at the same time utterly unlike us.

I can’t help but hear an echo of the ancient Christological doctrine in the latest crop of films featuring Batman and Superman and Spider-Man. All three of these superheroes are hybrid combinations of the extraordinary and the ordinary. In all three cases we have someone who, in his lowliness, is able completely to identify and sympathize with our suffering and, in his transcendence, is able to do something about it.

A particular charm of the recently released “The Amazing Spider-man” is that Andrew Garfield, the actor who plays Peter Parker, is quite obviously an ordinary, and even geeky, kid who at decisive moments gracefully demonstrates godlike powers.

Opinion

Mission and vocation Another obliquely Christological feature of the new “Spider-Man” film — and in some of the other superhero movies as well — is the motif of mission and vocation.

Once aware that he is in full possession of stunning physical capabilities, Peter mercilessly taunts an obnoxious classmate who had sometime before humiliated him. His Uncle Ben, skillfully underplayed by the always watchable Martin Sheen, quickly upbraids the young man for indulging a crude desire for revenge.

Precisely how he should use the gifts he has discovered emerges as perhaps the central theme of the movie.

Should he use them as the means to aggrandize his ego and settle old scores? Or should he make them ingredients in a program of protection and service — a program of love?

Both Matthew and Luke portray Jesus, at the beginning of his public career, wrestling with the meaning and implication of his Messiahship. He indeed knew himself to be the beloved son of his heavenly Father, but what did this identity entail?

The classical interpretation of these accounts of Jesus’ time in the desert is that the Lord confronted and finally resisted the temptation to use his Messianic authority

Andrew Garfield stars in a scene from the movie “The Amazing Spider-Man.” CNS photo / Columbia

What do you think?

Do you know of other popular movies with underlying Christian themes or messages? Which one is your favorite and why?

Tell us in 200 words or less and we’ll print a selection of answers in an upcoming issue of The Catholic Spirit.

■ Email CATHOLICSPIRIT@ARCHSPM.ORG. Please write “Movies” in the subject line.

■ Or mail your answer to The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul MN 55102.

Please include your name, city, parish and daytime telephone number.

for the acquisition of sensual pleasure, for the puffing up of his ego, and for power. It is the conviction of the church that every baptized and confirmed person has been equipped with gifts from the Holy Spirit that are participations in the identity of Christ Jesus.

The whole drama of an individual’s life hinges on the decision concerning the use of those gifts. As Peter Parker’s literature professor puts it toward the end of the film, “There is finally only one plot line to every story ever written, namely, who am I?”

Grasping at knowledge A third theological theme in “The Amazing SpiderMan” — and in the “Batman,” “Iron Man” and “The Avengers” movies as well — revolves around knowledge and the abuse of knowledge.

When the Spider-Man comics were written in the 1950s, during the Cold War, there was a great deal of concern in the general culture about the way science was

being used for less than constructive purposes. In the current film, Peter Parker’s father and his colleague, Dr. Connors, are endeavoring through biological research to perfect the technique of mixing species in order to address a variety of human ailments and deformities. Their motives might have been laudable but their hubris was unconstrained, and the results of their overreaching proved a disaster.

The biblical story of original sin centers on an act of grasping at knowledge. This is not tantamount to a disavowal of knowledge as such, but it is indeed a warning that the use of knowledge as a means of achieving godlike control over nature is nefarious.

The conceit that we can eliminate all suffering — physical, political, psychological — through the exercise of reason has invariably resulted in an increase in suffering, as the secularist ideologies of the last century amply prove.

Though Jesus certainly cured some, the heart of his salvific work was not the total eradication of human pain but precisely his own embrace of it. This indispensable Christ move, I would argue, is present in almost all of the superhero movies to which I’ve alluded.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” and its cinematic cousins might appear to be just summer popcorn movies, but upon closer examination it appears that they carry a considerable amount of theological weight.

Father Robert Barron is the founder of the global ministry Word on Fire and the rector/president of Mundelein Seminary in the Archdiocese of Chicago. He also is the creator of the documentary series “Catholicism.” Learn more about the series at WWW.WORDONFIRE.ORG.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 19, 2012

Opinion - Letters

/ This Catholic Life

Peacemaking begins at home lessed are the peacemakers” is the theme Pope Benedict XVI has chosen for next January’s World Day of Peace observance, the Vatican announced this week.

Peacemakers are certainly needed on the global level. Point to any region on the planet, and you’ll find a place where violence is capturing headlines — places like Syria and Afghanistan, where war and political instability continue to claim innocent lives; Nigeria, which saw another round of church bombings last month; and, closer to home, Mexico, where drug cartels and organized crime have claimed thousands of lives.

For sure, much needs to be done on the national and international scenes to secure the kind of peace the pope and others of good will envision for the world. Here in Minnesota, we support these efforts with petitions at Mass and our own prayer intentions.

■ when I forgive someone who has wronged me; ■ when I accept someone’s apology; ■ when I refuse to let bullies demean the dignity of classmates and seek help from a parent or trusted teacher; ■ when I volunteer for charitable activities that bring hope and healing to both people and neighborhoods in need; ■ when I stop judging others and realize we are all sinners in need of God’s grace and love.

“B

Editorial Joe Towalski

Peacemaking is not only about changing the world — it also requires changing ourselves

Closer to home But being a peacemaker involves more than only concern for distant challenges. As Pope Benedict and other church leaders have pointed out, peacemaking is not only about changing the world — it also requires changing ourselves, by more fully embracing Jesus as a real-life role model and working to bring the peace of Christ into our families,

Setting an example

schools, workplaces and local communities.

Peacemaking, in many ways, begins at home.

■ I am a peacemaker when I listen — patiently and without interrupting — to someone with whom I disagree and try to understand their viewpoint; ■ when I refuse to spread gossip, rumors and other mean-spirited remarks about co-workers and classmates; ■ when I wait until the next morning before replying to an email or voice mail that makes my blood boil, so that I can be more civil and charitable in my response;

By being a peacemaker in these ways, each of us makes a small contribution toward a world in which violence is rejected and every person is valued and respected as a child of God. It’s a way of building up relationships instead of tearing them down, of preaching the Good News by our actions and setting a good example for others.

If we can’t be peacemakers in our own day-to-day lives, how can we expect others to fill that role on a global scale?

“Blessed are the peacemakers” certainly holds for those in positions to broker peace between, and within, nations. But we, too, can contribute toward peace on earth if, as the popular hymn goes, we “let it begin with me.”

Redemptorist website offers video feed of icon It was good to see Archbishop Nienstedt’s endorsing the renewal of devotions to Our Mother of Perpetual Help in one of his recent columns.

Your readers might like to know that we Redemptorists have a website, WWW.MARYPRAYFORUS.ORG, that provides a direct link to a live video feed of the original icon in our Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome.

People can spend a quiet moment of prayer before the original icon via the Internet and then, of course, go to their parishes for the weekly devotions in honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

Letters

FATHER HARRY GRILE, C.SS.R. The writer is provincial superior of the Redemptorists of the Denver province.

Where to write ■ Email: CATHOLICSPIRIT@ARCHSPM.ORG ■ FAX: (651) 291-4460 ■ Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102

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

‘Hookup’ culture mentality creates social indifference he common attitude of many young adults — and many of their parents — today is that individuals should have absolute autonomy or “freedom” over their relationships. We’ve forgotten that “freedom” is not to do what you want but to do what you ought, and this has made us indifferent to the broader social consequences of our actions.

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Faith in the Public Arena

‘Toxic U’ Welcome to the halls of “Toxic U” — a term coined by author Mary Eberstadt in “Adam and Eve after the Pill” to describe the nocturnal realm of binge drinking and “hookup” culture on college campuses.

Many brush off the dominance of casual sex with, “it’s just part of growing up,” but in reality it leaves students disappointed, lonely and lacking in emotional connections. As a student, I have witnessed the emptiness this false reality has to offer.

This attitude taints our social and political views. Our campuses ring with selective compassion for issues regarding gross human rights violations from oppressive governments like China, genocide in Darfur, or wanton cruelty to animals; but as Eberstadt notes, we “forget just who that underdog is when the subject is the sexual revolution.” The victims are, in fact, the young adults of today and future generations.

In the name of free choice, many quickly ignore the social data and an honest analysis of the fallouts from family fragmentation, single parenthood and our “contracepting” culture. Juli Loesch Wiley, activist and ethicist, rightly asks: “May we break apart, rearrange, a man and a woman? . . . Are we free (because we are able to do so) to split sex up into its various ‘animal’ and ‘angel’ components — fondness here, fertility there . . . affection, desire, covenant, and conception considered separately and experienced separately — rearranging the pieces to suit whatever project we have in mind?”

Accepting partial imitations instead of authentic, healthy relationships has had toxic effects.

Angela Deeney

“Students need to get involved in movements that work at resisting the combined heft of moral relativism, social apathy and promiscuity on campuses.

”

ANGELA DEENEY

Paying the price Young people who don’t expect to “get serious” or marry until years later have no reason to invest emotionally, spiritually or economically in their romantic partners. The result is a lack of commitment and responsibility, which has led to more out-of-wedlock births and higher rates of divorce and infidelity — urgent social problems.

Research repeatedly brings to light how this negatively affects children and why an intact family structure is so beneficial for social well-being. A 2002 Child Trends report, which was recently affirmed by a study from Mark Regnerus published in Social Science Research, indicates that children flourish best when raised by both a father and a mother.

Similarly, contraceptives are seen as an opportunity to liberate women from the perceived “bondage” of fertility.

But as law professor Helen Alvaré recently noted, making contraception readily available in the U.S. has actually increased the number of unintended pregnancies to 50 percent since the 1960s.

Studies across numerous cultures have indicated that broader access to contraception actually increases the number of abortions. Furthermore, a 2008 study by U.S.

Health and Human Services found that non-marital childbearing has increased among every age and social class, now accounting for 41 percent of all births.

Responsibility to educate, act Honoring God’s intended design and our human dignity benefits society. The 2010 study, “The Sustainable Demographic Dividend,” found that strong families play a key role in “sustaining long-term economic growth, the viability of the welfare state, the size and quality of the workforce, and the profitability of large sectors of the modern economy.”

Additionally, children raised by their married mother and father receive numerous benefits: an increased likelihood of fostering healthy relationships, decreased likelihood of divorce, reduced poverty and higher educational attainment.

We need to match how we act and think with what upholds our human design, not with what tries to change it. We can start by becoming more politically involved in the issues that affect the family — the “cell of society” as it is referred to in Catholic social teaching.

First, parents need to be engaged and take an active role in helping their kids understand the public side of their “private” faith. ENDOW, an educational program on the Catholic teaching of the “feminine genius,” allows mothers and daughters to take classes together to discover their God-given dignity and understand their role in humanizing and transforming society.

Second, students need to get involved in movements that work at resisting the combined heft of moral relativism, social apathy and promiscuity on campuses. These include FOCUS, pro-life and vocational groups. Encourage the young adults in your life to be thoughtful and courageous and to do what is right, even if it goes against the tides of culture.

Angela Deeney is a communications intern for the Minnesota Catholic Conference and will enter her junior year at the University of St. Thomas this fall.

This Catholic Life / Commentary

JULY 19, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Conscience formation by the numbers The following is the third article in the series “Catholics Care - Catholics Vote.” The series, which will run until Election Day, Nov. 6, unpacks and explores the themes addressed by the U.S. bishops in “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” their document on political responsibility. For past articles in the series, visit THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM.

By Don Clemmer U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Numbers can be cold and impersonal. They lack the depth and nuance of words and ideas.

But numbers can also be uncompromising. They force us to confront realities that can be dizzying, unavoidable and downright unwelcome. Someone who’s seen the numbers no longer has plausible deniability.

In “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” the bishops similarly hold up six areas that often have unpleasant realities — and equally unpleasant numbers — associated with them. These are the issues, they say, that should carry special weight with the voting Catholic’s conscience: ■ Abortion and threats to the lives and dignity of the vulnerable, sick or unwanted.

■ Efforts to force Catholic health care, education and social services to violate their consciences or stop serving those in need.

■ Efforts to redefine the institution of marriage.

■ The economic crisis, unemployment, poverty, and addressing debt in ways that protect poor people.

■ A broken immigration system.

■ Moral questions raised by war, terror and violence, and the need for peace, particularly in the Middle East.

Each of these areas simultaneously meshes and clashes

with different political persuasions and cultural assumptions in the United States. And, each of these can be subsequently aggrandized or rationalized away to suit these political and cultural preferences. This is why the bishops call on Catholics to form their consciences — through prayer and reflecting on Scripture and Catholic teaching, but also by studying the issues.

On that last point, it’s amazing what a few numbers will do.

Shedding light on the issues On the direct taking of innocent human life, there’s the estimated 53 million abortions that have occurred since Roe v. Wade legalized it in 1973. There’s also the rather abrupt zero for the number of treatments for “incurable” diseases that have been developed with stem cells harvested from human embryos that were destroyed to obtain them. (Conversely, the number developed using adult stem cells, which cause no harm to the stem cell donor, is 73.)

On the question of giving Catholic institutions the choice between violating their consciences or going out of business, the number that most vividly illustrates the impact this would have on society is probably 1 in 6, the number of the total people hospitalized in the United States every year who are cared for in a Catholic hospital.

Looking at the care provided by Catholic charities, there’s housing services to 497,732 people, adoption services to 38,829, addiction services to 81,866, pregnancy services to 93,542, not to mention 110,268 home delivered meals and 1,420,492 fed in soup kitchens.

On the bishops’ promotion and defense of marriage, the most significant statistic is probably that children in single-parent families comprise 27 percent of all American children, yet they count for 62 percent of all poor children.

Bridging into poverty, there’s the fact that 16.2 million U.S. children live in homes that can’t provide enough food for all their members at some point during the year.

There’s the official U.S. poverty rate of 15.1 percent, the highest it’s been in 17 years. There’s the 10 months that the average unemployed or underemployed person spends looking for work.

Speaking of the economy, there’s also the estimated $7 billion that undocumented immigrants pay into Social Security annually since it’s believed that 50-75 percent of them pay federal, state and local taxes.

Finally, in international justice and peace, there’s the fact that 90 percent of people killed or maimed by landmines and cluster munitions are non-military civilians.

Additionally, 30-40 percent of landmine victims are children. There’s also the 1 percent of the federal budget that goes to international aid or the 0.5 percent that goes to poverty-focused assistance. There are the 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads, or 700 launchers, in the hands of both the United States and Russia seven years after the ratification of the New START Treaty. And there are the more than 10,000 people killed as a result of violence in Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain last year.

After a while, numbers start to run together, and so often they only tell part of the story (“There are lies, damned lies and statistics,” the saying goes). However, the issues raised by the bishops in their call to political responsibility have real human dimensions and statistical realities behind them that should prompt Catholics to do their homework and adjust their consciences accordingly.

Sources by paragraph following “Shedding light on the issues” heading: 1. Guttmacher Institute; USCCB Pro-Life Activities; www.stemcell research.org; 2. Catholic Health Association; 3. Catholic Charities USA report; 4. Marriage: Unique for a Reason; 5. USDA; USCCB Justice, Peace and Human Development; 6. USCCB Migration and Refugee Services; 7.

USCCB Justice Peace and Human Development; New York Times; The Economist; UNHCR; Iraq Body Count database.

Conscience and the ‘both-and’ of the marriage amendment A recent YouTube video titled “Why Catholics Can Vote No” on the proposed amendment defining marriage in the Minnesota Constitution has created a predictable stir. As an alternative attempt to influence thoughts and attitudes of Catholic voters, the video contains some incomplete and thus misleadFather Tom Knoblach ing statements.

I focus here on what the author himself presents as the key claim of the video: “this amendment violates an important principle of Catholic teaching … that seems to have been forgotten by some who are supporting the amendment. The issue I am talking about is ‘Freedom of Conscience.’ ” The author goes on to quote the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “1782. [The human person] has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. ‘He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters’ (“Dignitas Humanae” 3, n. 2).”

This quotation is accurate, but incomplete. Human conscience is far from an infallible guide; it must be informed and enlightened in its moral judgments so that it may adequately discern the voice of God’s truth from the many other voices that demand our allegiance.

Numbers 1783 to 1802 of the catechism describe this formation of conscience, including openness to Scripture, advice of others, and being “guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church” (n. 1785); these paragraphs are well worth reading to understand this nuanced teaching. It is indeed true that: “1790. A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. . . .”

This is simply to assert that humans do not have an immediate and always accurate intuition of what is right; we must rely on the discernment we make after reflection, open to revealed truth and human experience, and then act with integrity. However, this paragraph goes on: “. . . Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains

Commentary

“Good will and social acceptance of all persons does not logically require that the legal definition of marriage be changed for everyone.

”

FATHER TOM KNOBLACH

in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed.”

This more complete presentation of the catechism’s teaching on conscience does not in itself indicate how to vote on a social issue, but it does clarify an important point: Appealing to one’s individual conscience might make you certain, but it won’t thereby make you right.

Adding our voice The centrality of conscience is invoked by the author to oppose what he characterizes as the church’s attempt “to force its moral teaching on others outside our fold.

When the religious beliefs of any particular religious group become the law of the land, we run the risk of violating everyone’s freedom to believe and their freedom of conscience.”

This is a common misrepresentation of the Catholic Church’s role in matters of public interest. It bears repeating that the current question of the definition of marriage arose from legislative proposals and lawsuits challenging state law, and that the amendment arose from the legislative process. The Catholic Church did not create or ask for this difficult moment in our social life.

That said, it is not really surprising that the church would take a position in favor of the received definition

of marriage, rooted in the sexual difference of the spouses with the inherent natural capacity to bring forth new life.

Advocacy for marriage is no different from advocacy for economic justice, humane immigration policies, respect and protection for vulnerable human lives, access to health care and a host of other social issues. As members of the larger society, Catholics are concerned not only with their own internal denominational matters, but have an active interest in the good ordering of public life for both current and future generations.

False dichotomy We cannot demand that all agree with the positions we advocate — no worries there — but we have a legitimate right to add our voice to the debate on crucial social questions. People certainly “can” vote no on the amendment; we are simply asking that voters consider if this is the most prudent approach to public policy on the definition of marriage and its importance for the family, children, and the rest of society.

An unspoken premise in the video is that support for the amendment depends on surrender of one’s freedom to the authority of the church — that those who would vote for the amendment do so because they are not free to think or decide for themselves. However, it is a matter of record that people of many faiths, and those of no particular faith, reach the same conclusion as the Catholic bishops have articulated, but quite independently from them. Just as it may be an exercise of freedom to disagree with a position, it is also an exercise of freedom to affirm it.

We rightly need to consider how better to manifest loving respect and acceptance of persons with same-sex attraction, recognition of their basic goodness and their contributions to the human family, and sincere desire for their happiness. The tense and at times bitter exchanges around this issue show we have much to do in this regard; discussions that purport to be about love but which end up fostering fear and derision are clearly flawed.

I suspect that much of the tension around the issue has PLEASE TURN TO MARRIAGE ON PAGE 10

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 19, 2012

Commentary

/ This Catholic Life

We are called to be a presence that heals and restores he story is told of a little girl who woke up in the middle of the night startled and afraid. She ran out of her room to seek comfort from her parents. The mother held her daughter and reassured her everything was OK. They walked back to the girl’s room and turned on the lights to see that all was safe. The mother tucked the girl back into bed and kissed her. She said, “Honey, you don’t need to be afraid. God is here with you in this room.” The child replied, “I know God is with me, but I need someone here who has some skin.”

We humans are sensual beings who experience the world through our bodies. God created us this way and takes our nature seriously — so much so that our central Christian belief is that God became human flesh in Jesus.

The Christian Scriptures use the term “Body of Christ” to refer to three things: the historical body of Jesus, the body of believers known as the church and the Eucharist. All three are the real presence of Christ and each is an expression of God’s Word becoming flesh in our world.

nourish our bodies and our souls. It is said that the Eucharist makes the church. It is the Eucharist that can heal our divisions and bring us to communion with the Trinity and with the world.

The Eucharist sends us forth into mission to be the real presence of Christ in our world. It is a mission that heals bodies and restores spirits.

It is a mission that seeks forgiveness and upholds life at all stages.

T Sharing Faith Deacon Mickey Friesen

The corporal works of mercy extend from our homes to our local community to the ends of the earth

Ongoing struggles Despite this truth about the Body of Christ, we still have many struggles with our bodies. We live in a consumer society that constantly

Responding to Jesus’ call

CNS photo / Gregory A. Shemitz, Long Island Catholic

An extraordinary minister of holy Communion visits with a patient at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown, N.Y., in this photo from last February. Caring for the sick is one of the corporal works of mercy.

gives us messages that tell us we are not enough. There are attempts to divide the physical from the spiritual, and our souls can become alienated from our bodies. We can objectify our bodies and abuse them. We can neglect the truths and lessons our bodies try to teach us.

When Jesus came among us as a human person, he spent much of his time healing bodies. The Gospels are filled with stories of Jesus healing sick bodies, poor bodies, bleeding bodies, leprous bodies, possessed bodies, paralyzed bodies and dying bodies.

The healing of Jesus included the relief of symptoms, but it also meant the restoring of persons to themselves. It meant reconciling persons to the community. The healing of symptoms also meant the healing of persons. Faith in the real presence of Christ saved them in the deepest sense. The ministry of healing bodies was so important that Jesus’ description of the Last Judgment is based on how we offer real presence to the sick, the poor and the outcaste.

Before Jesus ascended, he left us his body and blood in the Eucharist to

Stadium offers chance for workforce development new Vikings stadium seems a given, although it doesn’t mean that the political controversy is over. Any number of issues will no doubt arise over the exact land use and other structural components of the building. However, I believe that there is also a bright spot on the horizon for job creation and workforce development.

The new stadium will not be built until 2014. This gives interested parties plenty of time to see how building it can reduce the racial gap in employment that is growing in Minnesota.

According to the Jobs Now Coalition, comprised of 100 workforce development groups, “Black workers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area continue to live with an unemployment rate more than three times higher than whites. The disparity is greater here than in any of the other 18 metro areas studied across the nation.”

A Faith and Justice Kathy Tomlin

Done right, constructing the Vikings’ new home could reduce the racial gap in employment that is growing in Minnesota

Multiple reasons In an article published by Minnesota Public Radio, the reasons for this disparity cannot just be put at the feet of the recent recession. Instead, those who have studied this gap point “to a combination of factors that almost always included four issues: the relatively small size of the state’s minority population, limited networks to help minorities find jobs, a lack of employment programs targeted at communities of color, and one of the worst educational achievement gaps in the country.”

“As of 2011, the latest data available, the black unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 3.3 times that of whites, compared to 3.1 in 2009.

”

KATHY TOMLIN

This disparity has persisted in recent years. As of 2011, the latest data available, the black unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 3.3 times that of whites, compared to 3.1 in 2009.

These glaring statistics should be a rallying cry for a public-private partnership that invests in workforce development and educational strategies that will begin to reduce this gap.

It seems like smart business sense to take intentional steps now to reduce disparities in terms of employment, education and housing that, if left unattended, will make the region unsustainable and uncompetitive in the long term.

As the city of Minneapolis and the Vikings begin to implement a plan for building the stadium and hiring staff to work on it once it is built, all interested parties have a chance to create opportunity and reduce poverty in the metro area.

This won’t happen by accident; it will have to be an intentional and sustained strategy guiding the contracts, outreach and training, and

investment in human capital.

Increasing participation There are many smart community groups, developers and training gurus in the Twin Cities that could be catalysts for change if there is both the private and public will to engage in this investment. Efforts that increase participation in the economy and broaden the base of stakeholders are being championed by the HIRE coalition in its workforce development strategies with the Minneapolis City Council.

Time is a wasting; before you know it, the new stadium will welcome its first fans. If we can use this opportunity to strengthen the economic base, not just for the owners and the players but for the whole community, especially those currently at a decided disadvantage, some of the naysayers might even believe that this project was worthy of public monies.

Kathy Tomlin is director of Catholic Charities’ Office for Social Justice.

Living in this world as members of the Body of Christ means being the real presence of Christ — a presence that heals.

There are so many opportunities for us to respond to Jesus’ call at the Last Judgment to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, care for the sick, visit prisoners and bury the dead. These corporal works of mercy extend from our homes to our local community to the ends of the earth.

In our world where so many bodies are harmed due to greed, envy, lust and disregard, let us be the Body of Christ, bringing real presence that heals bodies and restores persons. We are one body, one spirit in Christ.

Deacon Mickey Friesen is director of the archdiocesan Center for Mission.

Marriage debate falsely framed as either-or issue CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 to do with the sense that we are faced with a dichotomy, an “either-or” proposition: The terms of the debate often suggest that one must either support gay persons or value marriage, but that one cannot do both.

It is implied that these are mutually exclusive options, and so people can feel torn.

It is commendable that no one really wants to be guilty of benighted views that lead to hatred, discrimination, oppression and the denial of rights. If honest self-reflection reveals that one’s attitudes are formed by prejudice, disrespect, injustice and contempt, the voice of conscience rightly insists on repentance and conversion. But the question before voters is not about who persons with same-sex attraction are, or whether or not we affirm their worth and value as children of the same God. It is, rather, about how the state will legally define marriage.

Regardless of the outcome on Nov. 6, the deeper issues of the need to strengthen marriage and family, and to build a more respectful society for all, will both remain. I do not believe that one must choose between these two goods. Good will and social acceptance of all persons does not logically require that the legal definition of marriage be changed for everyone.

Father Tom Knoblach is consultant for health care ethics in the Diocese of St. Cloud.

“The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught.”

Mark 6:30

The Lesson Plan JULY 19, 2012

Reflections on faith and spirituality

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

11

Our priests help us to grow closer to Christ ave you ever seen or done something that you couldn’t wait to tell a friend about? You may have wished that your friend was right beside you. Or you pulled out your cell phone and called or texted that person immediately.

We all have the natural desire to share our lives with another person. Before we can share our life with another, however, we need to first meet and get to know that person. Before we can share our life with Jesus, we need to be brought into contact with him.

The priest is a person who brings us into contact with Jesus.

This Sunday’s Gospel opens with the disciples telling Jesus all that “they had done and taught,” referring to the Twelve’s proclamation of repentance, their casting out demons, and their curing the sick with oil. They did these things earlier in Mark, chapter 6.

Deacon The disciples probably couldn’t John Drees wait to tell Jesus the great things that they had done. I imagine them being filled with excitement. Casting out demons and curing the sick are quite amazing things. They did all of these things in the name of Jesus. There is no way on earth that the disciples could have accomplished these things all on their own. Jesus was the source of these signs and wonders among the people.

Word of the disciples’ ministry spread quickly. People

teaching is intended to draw them closer to him. It was through the Twelve that Jesus brought a multitude of people to himself.

H

Feeding the flock

Readings Sunday, July 22, 16th Sunday in ordinary time ■ Jeremiah 23:1-6 ■ Ephesians 2:13-18 ■ Mark 6:30-34

Sunday Scriptures

Reflection What priest in your life was instrumental in drawing you into a deeper relationship with Jesus and the church? Share your story with another person.

from all around desired these great things to happen in their lives and in the lives of others. Through his disciples, Jesus draws the crowds to himself. He desires to nourish them. Our Lord can’t wait to tell them how much he loves them. When they are before him, Jesus shows his love by feeding the people through his teaching. This

Daily Scriptures Sunday, July 22 16th Sunday in ordinary time Jeremiah 23:1-6 Ephesians 2:13-18 Mark 6:30-34 Monday, July 23 Bridget, religious Micah 6:1-4, 6-8 Matthew 12:38-42 Tuesday, July 24 Sharbel Makhluf, priest Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 Matthew 12:46-50 Wednesday, July 25 James, apostle 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 Matthew 20:20-28 Thursday, July 26 Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 Matthew 13:10-17 Friday, July 27 Jeremiah 3:14-17 Matthew 13:18-23 Saturday, July 28 Jeremiah 7:1-11 Matthew 13:24-30 Sunday, July 29 17th Sunday in ordinary time 2 Kings 4:42-44 Ephesians 4:1-6 John 6:1-15

Our Lord continues in our own day to draw massive amounts people to himself through his church. In a particular way, he does this through his priests. His priests are the shepherds whom God promised would shepherd his sheep (Jeremiah 23:4).

These spiritual shepherds are those who care for the spiritual needs of the flock and cultivate authentic unity among the flock. They feed the flock through their preaching of the word and through the celebration of the sacraments. They work wonders by bringing sinners back to the life of grace and fallen-away souls back into communion with the church.

I am very grateful for all the priests who have been in my life. I am thankful for their fidelity to the priesthood.

Without them I would not have experienced the Lord’s great mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation. Without them I would not have experienced the Lord’s loving embrace in the reception of holy Communion. Without them I would not have been open to the priesthood. It is through his priests that we move closer to Jesus Christ.

Deacon John Drees is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. His home parish is St. Mary in Shakopee, and his teaching parish is St. Pius X in White Bear Lake.

Mission work requires Gospel joy, pope says Monday, July 30 Peter Chrysologus, bishop and doctor of the church Jeremiah 13:1-11 Matthew 13:31-35 Tuesday, July 31 Ignatius of Loyola, priest Jeremiah 14:17-22 Matthew 13:36-43 Wednesday, Aug. 1 Alphonsus Liguori, bishop and doctor of the church Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21 Matthew 13:44-46 Thursday, Aug. 2 Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop; Peter Julian Eymard, priest Jeremiah 18:1-6 Matthew 13:47-53 Friday, Aug. 3 Jeremiah 26:1-9 Matthew 13:54-58 Saturday, Aug. 4 John Vianney, priest Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24 Matthew 14:1-12 Sunday, Aug. 5 18th Sunday in ordinary time Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 John 6:24-35

Catholic News Service Bringing God’s word to mission lands is successful only when missionaries live the Gospel with joy and share the love and goodness they receive from God, Pope Benedict XVI said.

“What is good has the inherent need to be conveyed, to give itself; it cannot stay closed up in itself [because] something good and goodness itself are essentially ‘communicatio,’” that is, sharing with others, he said during a brief visit to a center belonging to the missionaries of the Society of the Divine Word.

The pope, who began his vacation July 3 at the papal summer villa of Castel Gandolfo, took a short trip July 9 to the center in the nearby village of Nemi, in the Alban hills southeast of Rome. He used his cane when entering the center’s chapel and when walking the grounds.

The pope said he had fond memories of the center where he spent a week in the spring of 1965 working with three dozen other prelates to draft the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity (“Ad Gentes”).

Then-Father Joseph Ratzinger was a theological consultant during Vatican II

From the Vatican

and was appointed to an editorial commission, led by Verbite Father Johannes Schutte, to help prepare the draft document of the decree.

Father Schutte’s invitation to be part of the commission came as a surprise to 37-year-old Father Ratzinger, as “I was a very young theologian of no great importance,” the pope said during an informal talk to Verbite fathers attending their general chapter meeting.

Memorable time Being in the company of so many eminent theologians and charged with “such an important and beautiful task to prepare a decree on mission” represented “spiritual enrichment and a great gift for me,” the pope said, adding that it was “perhaps the most memorable” time he had during the whole council.

Though there was a slight debate going on at the time, “which I never really understood,” as to whether the goal of mission was to “implant the church” or proclaim the Gospel, all sides came together in “the need to bring the light of the Word of God, the light of God’s love to the world and to give new joy to this message,” he said.

The pope said it is part of a Christian’s duty “to give to others the good that we have received.”

He praised the flourishing of vocations in the Society of the Divine Word, which has more than 6,000 members in 70 countries.

12

The Lesson Plan

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 19, 2012

Celebrating NFP: A way of love, way of life “Faithfully Yours” is the theme of this year’s Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, a national educational campaign of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to celebrate God’s design for married love and the gift of life and to raise awareness of natural family planning methods. NFP, as the U.S. bishops have written, is supportive of Catholic beliefs about married love because it “respects the God-given power to love a new human life into being.”

NFP Awareness Week, July 22 to 28, includes the anniversary of the 1968 papal encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (July 25), which articulates Catholic beliefs about human sexuality, conjugal love and responsible parenthood.

For more information about NFP, visit the website of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at WWW.ARCHSPM.ORG. Click on “Office of Marriage, Family and Life” and then on “Natural Family Planning.” You can also pray the “Novena for a Rebirth of Chastity and Purity” by clicking on the link on the main website.

By Stacia Poeschl

Natural family planning fosters self-giving

By Father Mark Dosh Every child is unplanned — even in natural family planning. Why must this be? Because every person, every child, is fully known only

by God in his plan.

Only the Creator knows completely who and what this new image of God is.

To know someone perfectly as God does is to know that person in his origin and FATHER DOSH his destiny, the child’s place in the large scheme of reality.

Then why natural family planning?

Because by giving existence to creatures in his image, God has made known that the complementarity of man and woman in lifelong marriage reveals the beauty of true love and its fruitfulness —

What are you waiting for?

all within a supernatural family planning by the Creator.

God is in control This sounds odd to many modern ears because, in the words of Pope Paul VI: “Finally and above all, man has made stupendous progress in domination and rational organization of the forces of nature, such that he tends to extend this domination to his own total being: to the body, to psychical life, to social life and even to the laws which regulate the transmission of life” (“On the Regulation of Birth,” encyclical letter, 1968).

In other words, people want control — “It’s my body, my life and I’ll do what I want with it.” Or there’s the choice that many make to eliminate a child with a handicap because of the trouble they might have in rearing the little one. Or the preference some have for a male child (eliminating a female child before birth).

Yet, the one truth that confronts us as

creatures is that we are not in control of everything. A man or woman is certainly not in control of one’s spouse and the child God envisions.

To control is always to treat a person as an object, something I can handle and order according to my will. But marriage is learning to love by self-giving.

Natural family planning helps foster self-giving and self-forgetfulness; both spouses are invited to pay more attention to everything outside the conjugal act so that their whole life together is for service to one another and to their family.

And the ripple effect can be so happily surprising and rewarding, as when an NFP mother of several children relates that she was told by a chance acquaintance who had seen their family on a few occasions: “We’re having another because of you.”

Father Dosh is pastor of St. John the Baptist in Excelsior.

I had heard the term multiple times as we sat in the marriage prep weekend at the University of St. Thomas on a nice spring day in 2005. I thought it sounded good but convinced myself that it was not for us at the time — maybe in the future, but not now as we were already so busy planning for our upcoming wedding.

Who had time to learn this thing called NFP, and would it even work? As I slipped away (guiltily) to the bathroom to take my newly prescribed birth control pills, I thought, “Not now, it’s probably too hard.”

The saying goes that “hindsight is 20/20.” If POESCHL I knew then what I know now, I would’ve run, not walked, to the nearest NFP class. Natural family planning is so much more than just a way to achieve or delay pregnancy in your marriage. It opens up a whole new way for women to understand their bodies, their cycles, and can even signal that something is wrong long before it is “diagnosed” by a doctor.

Based on simple charting and observations you record each day, your NFP instructor, and a physician if they are trained in it, can diagnose and help couples who are struggling with infertility, miscarriage or other hormonal challenges.

I wish that I had never taken birth control and know that it took a toll on my body, not to mention the Christian aspect of interfering in my fertile cycles and potential children that could have been conceived. But that is not what this article is about; rather it is about celebrating the wonderful gift that God has given to us to reproduce life and the gift natural family planning has been in our lives.

If I only knew seven years ago, on that beautiful spring day sitting at St. Thomas, what I know now, I never would have waited so long. What are you waiting for?

Poeschl lives in St. Paul with 1-year-old daughter Grace and husband Brad. She practices the Creighton method of NFP through Twin Cities Fertility Care Center.

Doctor says priest instrumental in her choosing ‘to do the right thing’

By Dr. Melissa Schimnowski I am a family practice physician who stopped prescribing any form of birth control two years ago. What a relief that was! I was finally able to go to work each day without feelings of anxiety and guilt, which had been my constant companions for many months. Still, it took several trips to the confessional before I felt forgiven for the years that I had ordered contraceptive shots and written out prescriptions for “the pill.”

I have to admit I have also struggled with taking full responsibility for the decision to start prescribing contraceptives in the first place. While always believing that it would be wrong for me to personally use birth control, I never really thought prescribing it was an evil.

I was trained amid a culture that specifically instructs medical providers to keep one’s personal beliefs and opinions out of the patient encounter while offering all medically reasonable options; the abortifacient activity of these agents was downplayed; I didn’t encounter any physicians pointing out that contraceptive use was wrong; there was no Catholic Medical Society for stu-

dents; I don’t recall any homilies teaching about the Catholic position on birth control.

And so, I would like to place some of the blame elsewhere, but that too would be wrong. Ultimately it was my duty to educate my conscience. However, we are told in the catechism that this education is aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the church. We need that witness. We need that teaching.

I won’t tell you what to do — that is for you to decide.

But I will tell you this: You cannot materially cooperate with evil. These paraphrased words of my parish priest were instrumental in my finally choosing to do the right thing.

Prior to that discussion, I had not considered myself truly cooperating with evil, but I was. Immediate material cooperation is a positive action that is essential for the performance of the evil act, while not in agreement with it. Writing the prescription that enables the patient to obtain the contraceptive is immediate material cooperation.

While it is true that I never agreed with the sinful action, I was a key participant in it. I was not under duress (though that may come with the federal Health and Human Services mandate), and it would be wrong to justify my actions by arguing that if I didn’t write the prescription someone else would.

I am encouraged to see the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and our local archdiocese promoting natural family planning this week. I am happy to hear that The Catholic Medical Students’ Association of the Twin Cities was established last fall. I hope that more of our priests will be willing to tackle tough issues in their homilies.

Perhaps I would never have started prescribing if I had priests, teachers, medical faculty or other mentors speaking out about Catholic values and teachings. Then again, maybe I never would have stopped prescribing if it hadn’t been for one priest who was willing to tell me that it was wrong.

Schimnowski is with the Stillwater Medical Group.

The Lesson Plan

JULY 19, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

13

Natural family planning summer class schedule Natural family planning classes will take place at various sites in July, August and September. Call the provider listed to register or for more information. Costs vary, and many insurance companies cover family planning. NFP classes are offered monthly and are listed quarterly at HTTP://WWW.ARCHSPM.ORG/ DEPARTMENTS/FAMILY-PLANNING/CLASSES. PHP.

Aug. 23 — Holy Family, St. Louis Park: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 396-4019.

Sept. 17 — St. Mark, Shakopee: Family of the Americas — ovulation (952) 9340382.

Aug. 25 — University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

Sept. 20 — Holy Family, St. Louis Park: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 396-4019.

July 21 — University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

Aug. 27 — All Saints, Lakeville: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 2323088.

July 23 — Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (651) 726-4134.

Aug. 29 — St. Joseph’s Hospital, St. Paul: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

July 25 — St. Joseph’s Hospital, St. Paul: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

Sept. 6 — Holy Family, St. Louis Park: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 396-4019.

July 26 — Holy Family, St. Louis Park: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 396-4019.

Sept. 8 — Epiphany, Coon Rapids: Couple to Couple League — symptothermal (612) 721-3791.

Aug. 7 — St. Michael, St. Michael: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (763) 263-8297.

Sept. 10 — Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (651) 726-4134.

Aug. 9 — Mary, Queen of Peace, Rogers: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

Sept. 11 — St. Joseph’s Hospital, St. Paul: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

Aug. 9 — Holy Family, St. Louis Park: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 396-4019.

Sept. 11 — St. Michael, St. Michael: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (763) 263-8297.

Aug. 12 — All Saints, Lakeville: Couple to Couple League — sympto-thermal (612) 721-3791.

Sept. 13 — St. Albert, Albertville: Couple to Couple League — sympto-thermal (612) 721-3791.

Aug. 13 — Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (651) 726-4134.

Sept. 17 — St. Charles Borromeo, Minneapolis: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

Aug. 27 — Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (651) 726-4134.

Sept. 22 — University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

Sept. 24 — St. Francis Xavier, Buffalo: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

What is NFP? NFP is an umbrella term for certain methods used to achieve and avoid pregnancies. These methods are based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle. Couples using NFP to avoid pregnancy abstain from intercourse and genital contact during the fertile phase of the woman’s cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy.

NFP reflects the dignity of the human person within the context of marriage and family life, promotes openness to life, and recognizes the value of the child. By respecting the love-giving and life-giving natures of marriage, NFP can enrich the bond between husband and wife.

Celebrate

— From “Standards for Diocesan Natural Family Planning Ministry”

On-line resources Current NFP schedules and information on the various NFP methods are available online at: WWW.ARCHSPM.ORG /FAMILY under Natural Family Planning, or call the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis (651) 291-4489 Billings Ovulation Method website information: WWW.THEBILLINGSMETHOD.ORG or WWW.BOMA-USA.ORG Couple to Couple League (symptothermal) website information: HTTP://TWINCITIES.CCLI.ORG Family of the Americas (ovulation) website information: WWW.FAMILYPLANNING.NET Twin Cities FertilityCare Center (ovulation) website information: HTTP://WWW.TCNFP.ORG/ Marquette Model (ovulation) website information: HTTP://NFP.MARQUETTE.EDU

our Jubilarians

The School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province celebrate with our Jubilarians, women of hope, and are grateful to God for their faithful lives.

25

YEARS continued 60 YEARS continued 50

70 YEARS

75 YEARS

Julie Brandt Mary Essner Judy Fleisner

Susan (Lorene Marie) Hetebrueg Mary Andrea Ikeda M. Jovann Irrgang Barbara (James Helene) Janda Leonette Juengst Mary Petra Kato Kathleen Mary Kiemen Marian Kodama Vincella Lake Darlene Lenzmeier Martha (Joan Francis) Meyer Nadine Meyer Joy Marie Parolari Ann Christine Pendleton Mary Francine Perez Margaret Roozen M. Thomasin Sergot Janet Siebenman Loretta Marie Strobel Carolyn Sur Mary Germaine Tanahashi Karen Marie Thein

Mary Carol Weber Janet Wermerskirchen Leona Wieck Floretta Williams Karl Mary Winkelmann Mary Ann (Ann Michelle) Wutkowski

Antonice Backes Marian (John Dominic) Blong Odilo Brinker M. Therese Fletchinger Mayette Hughes Mary Bede Hurst Cecile Marie Lubniewska M. Eva Manney Mary Jean Raymond McBride Mary Joel Robin Gabriel Rooding Mary Francele Sherburne Esther (Francis Joseph) Smith Veronica Wald

Mary Anastasia Glanbin Elizabeth (Adamine) Gnabasik Mary John Lachowsky Pearl Mary (Romuald) Nedwecka Mary Louise Van Straten Regina Zolner

50 YEARS

50

Sculpture of Blessed Theresa Gerhardinger, our foundress,

by Marie Henderson, RSM.

Marianne Almon Judy Bakula Mary Helen Bender Marie Vianney Bilgrien Ann Jerome Bisek M. Rosae Brown Mary Ann Carey Genevieve Cassani Ruth Chausse Lucille (Rose Lucille) Coughlin Juliette Daigle Gloria Degele Deanna Donahue Kathleen Donovan Mary Lucy Egashira Carolyn Fasnacht Jeanette Feldott Terez Gonsoulin Gail Guelker

YEARS continued 50

70 75

25 YEARS

YEARS 60

60

Mary Lucita Allen Cerella Baumgartner Cynthia Borman Alice Borries Marguerite Churilla Joan Fink Beverly Ann Fries Jeannette Glinske Muriel (Corda) Glodosky Elizabeth Marie Hoell Rosemary Hufker Elizabeth Marie Ishida Edith Juergensmeyer Kenneth Marie Kozal Mary Gerold Mobley

Elizabeth Morgan Germaine Mulcahey Joseph Miriam Nemec Cathryn O‘Donnell Irene Marie Schmitz Mary Myles Schwahn Mary Blaise Sorenson Irene (Raynald) Stanczyk Sharon Rose Terbrock Mary Jo Trombley Mary Joseph Tsuzuki Rita von Holtum Bernita Wasinger Christyn Willems Florence Wesselmann M. Roselle Zollar

80

80 YEARS Melvina Pausina Alix Le Clerc Winkelmann

Visit our website to catch a glimpse of each jubilarian www.ssndcentralpacific.org • Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ssnd.centralpacific

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The Lesson Plan

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 19, 2012

Summer Gospel readings put spotlight on Eucharist more than enough to go around; and, in the end, there are plentiful leftovers. In performing this great miracle, Jesus is revealed as the Prophet (John 6:14).

By Father Michael Van Sloun For The Catholic Spirit

There will be a major shift in the Sunday Gospels beginning on the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time July 29. This is Year B of the Sunday Lectionary, the year that emphasizes the Gospel of Mark; but for a series of five weeks, from weeks 17 to 21, the Sunday Gospels will be taken from the Gospel of John — all excerpts from chapter six, the “Bread of Life discourse.”

This summer sequence provides an extended reflection on the importance and value of the Eucharist, the sacrament that is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (“Lumen Gentium,” No. 11).

■ Week 18 (Aug. 5; John 6:24-35) skips ahead to Jesus’ self-declaration, “I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35). Jesus explains that the food the Son of Man gives endures for eternal life. The Israelites were fed in the desert by God with manna, bread from heaven, but they eventually died. Jesus is the real bread that comes down from heaven. His bread gives life to the world. Whoever comes to Jesus will never be hungry.

■ Week 19 (Aug. 12; John 6:41-51) repeats that Jesus is the bread that has come down from heaven (John 6:41,50,51). Jesus states again, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48), and then to drive the point home more forcefully, he adds, “I am the living bread” (John 6:51).

Jesus then connects his dual self-gift, the Eucharist and the Cross: “The bread that I give is my flesh” (John 6:51).

Leading to service The author of the fourth Gospel approaches the Eucharist from a unique vantage point. There is no “institution narrative” at the Last Supper in which Jesus blesses bread and wine as in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Instead, there is foot washing. From John’s perspective the real presence of Christ is also found in service, and the Eucharist leads to service.

The Eucharist is such a pillar of the Christian faith that John’s Gospel dedicates an entire chapter to it.

Jesus is “the bread of life” (John 6:35,48), and the Eucharist is his parting gift to us. The Eucharist is the pathway to eternal salvation because “whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:58b). The five different Gospel passages from John 6 offer a rich array of opportunities to reflect on the manifold graces of this great sacrament.

■ Week 17 (July 29; John 6:1-15) begins with the feeding of the 5,000. It has unmistakable eucharistic overtones: Bread is the substance; there are three eucharistic actions — taking, blessing, and distribution; it is a great miracle; everyone present is fed; there is

■ Week 20 (Aug. 19; John 6:51-58) adds the second eucharistic element, Jesus’ blood (John 6:53). Jesus says, “My blood is true drink” (John 6:55). Whoever drinks his blood remains in Jesus and Jesus in that person. In fact, to receive his blood is to have eternal life and to be raised on the last day.

■ Week 21 (Aug. 26; John 6:60-69) is the final week of the Eucharist series. Jesus’ teaching on the Eucharist was so difficult to comprehend that some refused to accept it and left him (John 6:66), but not Peter and the other apostles. With the strength that the Eucharist provides, Peter was able to declare: “You have the words of eternal life.” Furthermore, “We have come to believe . . . that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68,69).

CNS photo / Gregory A. Shemitz, Long Island Catholic

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

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Vince Lombardi

Arts & Culture JULY 19, 2012

Exploring our church and our world

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

15

Deacons, nuns, even athlete-priests to be Olympic chaplains The Catholic chaplains have been selected from a range of backgrounds and include priests, deacons, sisters and laypeople, who will work eight-hour shifts beginning a week before the games open and up to a week after they close. They also will offer spiritual support to more than 50,000 unpaid volunteers and about 25,000 journalists.

The chaplains include Deacon Roger Stone, who will be chaplain to the sailing and water sports on the south coast, and Frankie Mulgrew, a former stand-up comedian who was ordained deacon in Birmingham, England, June 30 ahead of his priestly ordination next year.

The chaplains also include Servite Sister Petronia Williams, a nun based near the Olympic Park who usually works with Gypsies and Irish Travelers.

Sister Petronia said she volunteered because she thought work as an Olympic chaplain would offer a “golden opportunity” to fulfill St. Paul’s injunction to “welcome the stranger.”

“I am looking forward to the business of meeting people from other countries and being able to welcome them and being friendly,” she said. “That’s an important part of our Christian tradition, to show hospitality and welcome.”

By Simon Caldwell Catholic News Service

Some people are simply gifted at sport; they excel at any challenge involving a ball, a stick or a physical contest nearly as soon as they turn their hands to it.

One such person is Father Geoff Hilton, a priest from the Salford Diocese in the north of England, who will be serving as a chaplain to athletes competing in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

It was because of his sporting prowess that the former police officer from Manchester was hand-picked to become one of 16 official Catholic chaplains appointed by the Olympics organizing committee.

Over the years, Father Hilton has distinguished himself as a badminton player on a national level — losing in the men’s final in Madrid when he was a seminarian at the English College in Valladolid — as a soccer and a rugby league player, and later as a rugby league referee, working in two World Cups.

Now, at age of 55, he takes time from his duties as pastor of St. Osmund Church to compete as a professional crown green bowler, a sport usually played only in the north of England. For him, the chance to minister to athletes at the Olympic Village July 27-Aug. 12 was an opportunity too good to pass up.

“I’m very much looking forward to it,” Father Hilton said, adding that he would be available throughout the Olympics for “anyone who needs spiritual support,” to celebrate Mass, hear confessions and confer blessings.

Athletes under pressure

Range of backgrounds Overall, there will be 190 chaplains to serve followers of the world’s religions at the Olympics. The number of Catholic chaplains is expected to increase to 24 when the teams of such countries as Italy and Poland bring their own chaplains with them.

At the Olympic Village in London, five rooms will be set aside for Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist chaplaincies, while Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Baha’i and Jains will share a space.

CNS photo / Simon Caldwell

Father Geoff Hilton, a priest of the Salford Diocese in England, is pictured at the Red Lion Crown Green Bowling Green in Westhoughton in mid-June. Father Hilton will be serving as chaplain to athletes competing in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

CHECK OUT THE CLASSIFIED ADS ON THE WEB. thecatholicspirit.com

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James Parker, the Catholic Church’s executive coordinator for the 2012 Olympics, said he would be serving as “the first ever lay Catholic chaplain to the Paralympic Games.”

“The picture on our TV screens can move rapidly from one Olympic event to another,” he said. “The camera rarely covers the days and hours leading up to an athlete’s event and never fully covers how an athlete might respond to losing.

“This could mean coming last, fourth, or even winning a ‘mere silver or bronze medal’ in place of the gold,” Parker said. “The accumulation of literally years of training and the pressure of national expectations can come crashing down on thousands of people within a very short space of time. As chaplains, we need to be ready to respond.”

16

Parish Festivals

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 19, 2012 SPIRITFEST.

August 5 — Dayton: Festival at St. John the Baptist from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 18380 Columbus St. Features a chicken dinner, wine tasting, carriage rides and more.

August 5 — Lonsdale: Parish festival at Immaculate Conception, 116 Alabama St. S.E. Features a roast beef and ham dinner from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., live music, games, ice cream stand and more.

, July 15, 2012 zestochowa C f o ry a M .

St August 10 to 12 — Columbia Heights: FunFest Summer Jam at Immaculate July 21 — Burnsville: Summer Conception, 4030 Jackson St. N.E. Hours Celebration at Mary, Mother of the are Friday 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday 4:30 to Church following 4 p.m. Polka Mass, until 10:30 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4:30 8:30 p.m. 3333 Cliff Rd. Visit p.m. Outdoor Mass Sunday at 10 a.m.

WWW.MMOTC.ORG. Also features live bands, food, July 21and 22 — Brooklyn Center: Fun Fest inflatables and more. at St. Alphonsus, 7025 Halifax Ave. N., August 11 and 12 — Long Lake: Corn Days includes a classic car show, live music at St. George features a Mexican fiesta by the Dweebs, games, food and from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Mass refreshments. at 9:15 a.m. Sunday followed by a

July 22 — Cedar Lake Township, near Jordan: Outdoor Mass at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick, 24425 Old Hwy. 13 Blvd., Jordan.

Chicken dinner from 11a.m. to 2:30 p.m., antique tractor display, games and more.

July 28 and 29 — Shakopee: Julifest at St. Mark, 350 Atwood St. Polka Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday followed by a street dance from 7 to 11 p.m. Sunday features continuous entertainment from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

August 5 — Faribault: Spiritfest Family Festival at Divine Mercy. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 139 Mercy Drive. HTTP://DIVINEMERCY.CC/

CORN DAYS

pancake breakfast and parade. Festival continues until 5 p.m. Sunday at the corner of Brown and Watertown Roads.

Visit WWW.CORNDAYS.COM. August 11 and 12 — Brooklyn Park: Harvest Festival at St. Vincent de Paul, 9050 93rd Ave. N. Features live music food, rides and more. Faster than the Pastor 5K run Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Visit WWW.SVDPFASTERTHANTHEPASTOR5K.ORG. August 11 and 12 — New Prague: Festival at St. Wenceslaus features a polka Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday followed by Euchre tournament, bean bag tournament and video game competition. Continues

Experience All Things Polish...

Church of St. George Long Lake, MN

Aug. 11 & 12, 2012

August 12 — St. Paul: Ice Cream Social from 1 to 3 p.m. at St. Agnes, 548 Lafond Ave. Enjoy food, ice cream, music by Bandana and games.

August 17 and 18 — St. Louis Park: Festival at Holy Family, 5900 W. Lake St. Dinner and auction Friday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Continues Saturday from 2 to 10 p.m. with games, a chicken dinner, and live music. Visit WWW.HFCMN.ORG. August 18 and 19 — Minneapolis: Festival at Ss. Cyril and Methodius, 1325 Second St. N.E. Outdoor Mass at noon Saturday followed by soccer and volleyball tournaments, food, and games. Bilingual Mass Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Followed by championship soccer game, food and more.

August 19 — Hampton: FunFest at St. Mathias, 23315 Northfield Blvd. Begins with Mass at 11 a.m. followed by food from noon to 3:30 p.m. Also features games, live music and more.

August 19 — Marystown (Shakopee): Fall festival at St. Mary of the Purification begins with Mass at 10 a.m. at 15850 Marystown Road, Shakopee.

Smorgasbord/turkey dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Features wall of wine, train rides, country store and more. Live music at 4 p.m.

August 19 — St. Bonifacius: Countryfest, hog roast and social at St. Boniface begins with a polka Mass at 10:30 a.m. followed by a roast pork dinner at 4025 Main St. August 19 — Centerville: St. Genevieve parish picnic and chicken dinner from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 6995 Centerville Road.

August 24 to 26 — Buffalo: Glory Days at St. Francis Xavier, 223 19th St. N.W. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday. Features fireworks on Friday and Saturday evenings and a turkey dinner Sunday. VISIT WWW.STFXB.ORG. August 26 — Minneapolis: Heart of the North Side Festival at St. Bridget from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 3811 Emerson Ave. N. Features a pig roast, food, games and fun.

Sat. 1-11 p.m.; Sun. 12-5 p.m.

Enjoy a variety of fun family activities including kids & teen games, live music, food & beverages, bingo, silent auction, and much more!

Mexican Fiesta — 5:00-7:30 p.m. Saturday Pancake Breakfast — 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sunday Parade — 12:00 p.m. Sunday

September 7 and 8 — Bloomington: St. Bonaventure fall festival at 901 E. 90th St. Features a chicken dinner Friday and a

St. George is located 4 blocks south of Cty. Rd. 112 (Old Hwy. 12) on corner of Brown Rd. and Watertown Rd. in Long Lake

For more information call

parade Saturday with free entertainment all day.

September 8 — Mahtomedi: Corn Fest at St. Jude of the Lake from 3 to 10 p.m. at 700 Mahtomedi Ave. Features climbing wall, games, crafts and more. Chicken dinner at 5:30 p.m.

September 8 — Annandale: Fall festival at St. Ignatius, 35 Birch St. E. Begins with a polka Mass at 4 p.m. followed by a chicken dinner, meat raffle, cake walk and more.

September 8 and 9 — Shoreview: Fall festival at St. Odilia, 3495 Victoria St. N. Hours are Saturday noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Features live music, inflatables, food and more. Visit WWW.STODILIA.ORG. September 8 and 9 — White Bear Lake: Fall festival at St. Mary of the Lake begins Saturday at 3 p.m. with a 5K run/family walk at 4690 Bald Eagle Ave. Outdoor Mass at 5 p.m. followed by a spaghetti dinner. Sunday features a turkey dinner from noon to 2:30 p.m.

Event also features a jewelry sale, wine toss, inflatables and more. Visit WWW.STMARYS-WBL.ORG. September 9 — Stillwater: Wild rice festival at St. Mary features dinner from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 423 S. Fifth St. Games, quilts, bingo and more, visit WWW.STMARYSTILLWATER.ORG. September 9 — St. Paul: Fall festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sacred Heart, 840 Sixth St. E. Features Mexican and American foods, music and dancers.

September 14 to 16 — Oakdale: Fall festival at Transfiguration from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday features live country music, food, 5K walk/run and more at 6133 15th St. N. Continues Saturday from 3 to 11 p.m. with live music by The Dweebs at 8 p.m. Sunday outdoor Mass followed by a pork feast.

September 14 to 16 — Minneapolis: Autumn Daze at St. Helena, 3204 E. 43rd St. Hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Friday with fireworks at 10 p.m. Continues Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a parade at 10 a.m. and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Features live entertainment, games and more.

September 15 — St. Paul: Annual Tent Event features a craft fair from 9 a.m. to PLEASE TURN TO FESTIVALS ON PAGE 18

eslaus Church St. Wenc

(952) 473-1247 or visit www.CornDays.com

Saturday 10–10, Sunday 11–6 Along the Mississippi River Across from Riverplace & St. Anthony Main, Minneapolis www.tcpolishfestival.org

43rd ANNUAL WILD RICE FESTIVAL AND CHICKEN DINNER St. Mary’s Church Adults $10 Children 4-10 $5 3 & under FREE

Sunday with polka Masses at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. followed by a chicken dinner until 2:30 p.m. at 215 E. Main St. Also features games, raffles and music.

423 S. 5th St., Stillwater

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2012 Dinner served from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• Wild Rice • Chicken • Potatoes • Relishes • Rolls • Fruit Pie Kids and Teens Games, Crafts, Homemade Quilts, Bingo, Silent Auction

Festival 2012 Saturday, Aug. 11 Sunday, Aug. 12 Saturday, August 13

Sunday, August 14

POLKA MASS 5 P.M.

POLKA MASSES 8:30, 10:30 A.M.

Euchre Tournament, Video Game Competition, Music,Food & Beverages

Grilled Chicken dinner Served from 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Grilled Pork Burgers, Floats, Ice Cream, Crafts, Pull-Tabs, Bingo and Live Entertainment both Saturday and Sunday

Parish Festivals

JULY 19, 2012 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Join in a real, old-fashioned Country Church Picnic!

DON’T MISS St. Genevieve’s Annual Country Chicken Dinner & Picnic Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012 — Serving 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Adults $9, Children $4 (age 10 and under) Chicken, potatoes & gravy, dressing, slaw, garden tomatoes, corn on the cob, home-made pies & beverages. Crafts, Silent Auction, Amusements, Bingo, Cake Walk, Children’s Games, Raffle (cash prizes).

6995 Centerville Road, Centerville, MN

17

St. Boni s Fall Festival

FestivalFun for Everyone

First weekend after Labor Day

FRI., SEPT. 7

St. Bonaventure

Chicken Dinner

901 East 90th St., Bloomington (Between 10th and Chicago) Phone: 952-854-4733 Fax 952-851-9690 office@saintbonaventure.org www.saintbonaventure.org

4:30-7 p.m.

Adults: $10; Children 5-12: $5 4 and Under: Free

SAT., SEPT. 8 10 a.m.: Parade 6:30 p.m.: Raffle • 3 p.m.: Sherwin 7:15 p.m.: Mass Linton Band Free Entertainment all day 200+ Classic Cars • Rides • Games • Quality Foods Galore

Dinner and all other events held at Parish Community Center, 2 Blocks South of Church

(651) 429-7937

F “O Fu ashi ld wh n� on ole for ed fam the ily !

Church of the Immaculate Conception

FALL FESTIVAL Sunday, September 16, 2012

Home-Style Turkey Dinner

Lonsdale, MN

ANNUAL PARISH FESTIVAL Sunday, August 5, 2012

with all the fixins’ Serving from 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Raffle (cash prizes), Silent Auction, Country Store, Games of Skill, Pie and Cake Walk, and more!

ROAST BEEF AND HOT HAM DINNER

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC CHURCH 109 Angel Ave. NW, Watertown, MN

Including homemade rolls, kolackys, pies for dessert • Buffet style — Take out available Serving from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Air conditioned Civic Center open for eating take out dinners

Adults $10 — Children 0-10 $5

SNACK BAR opens at 12:30 p.m. Serving hamburgers and hot dogs Refreshments • Homemade bakery booth in Civic Center • Bingo • Games for kids • Ice cream stand • Chance booth • Country Market & Crafts • Raffle Wheel • Used-A-Bit • Split the Pot ENTERTAINMENT: Glen Wondra • Billy K Karaoke • New Prague Czech Singers

FALL FESTIVAL

KICK OFF SATURDAY September 15th

5 pm

6-10 pm Live Music By The Schleprocks

210 Broadway in Jordan

NEW! Bean Bag Tournament Saturday & Sunday

DRAWING AT 5 P.M. — $2,864 in prizes Masses — Saturday: 5:00 PM Sunday: 8 AM; 10:00 AM POLKA MASS (featuring The Immaculate Conception Church Choir)

SUNDAY September 16th

Festival Begins 9 am Mass 8 am & 10 am Home Cooked Chicken & Bone-In Ham Dinner 11 am - 2 pm

Quilt Auction 3 pm

PLUS Local Crafts

Bingo Fun Land for Kids & Much More!

t TUKPIOUIFCBQUJTUKPSEBO PSH

Festival Sing 2012!

Breathe Your Spirit Into Us! Saturday, August 4th • 7:30 PM Tickets: $ 15 at the door (no advance sales)

Touch of Lebanon Festival St. Maron Catholic Church 602 University Avenue, NE – Minneapolis

Saturday, September 22, 2012 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 23, 2012 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Authentic Lebanese Cuisine, Games, Raffle, Silent Auction, Gift Shop, And Live Music.

Dancing by The Cedars Dabke Group

St. Catherine University, O’Shaughessy Auditorium Come sing and celebrate with the young praying Church for around the country and beyond.

Come let your heart be filled and your spirit renewed!

18

Calendar

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 19, 2012

Dining out

formances, 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at 1723 Bryant Ave. N. The culmination of Basilica of St. Mary choir camp for children grades 3-8, with north side Minneapolis churches.

Calendar Submissions

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.

KC pancake breakfast at the Crystal Community Center, Crystal — July 29: 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 4800 N. Douglas Drive. Cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children 10 and under.

Prayer/ liturgies Healing Mass at St. Michael, St. Michael — July 19: Rosary at 7 p.m. followed by Mass at 7:30 p.m. at 11300 Frankfort Parkway N.E. Father Michael Becker will be the celebrant. Prayer Ministry teams will be available until midnight.

Knights of Columbus traveling rosary at St. Agnes, St. Paul — July 22: 2 p.m. at 548 Lafond Ave. Healing Mass at Holy Name of Jesus, Wayzata — July 26: 6:30 p.m. rosary, 7 p.m.

Mass at 155 County Road 24. Father Joseph Gillespie, pastor of St. Albert the Great in Minneapolis, is the celebrant.

Knights of Columbus traveling rosary at Bethany Convent, St. Paul — July 29: 2 p.m. at 1884 Randolph Ave. All night vigil with the Blessed Sacrament at Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Paul — August 3 and 4: 7 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday at 401 Concord St. World Apostolate of Fatima Vigil of Repa-

DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, seven days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.

Weekend retreat for men and women at Christ the King Retreat Center, Buffalo — July 27 to 29: Jesuit Father Matt Linn will be the presenter. Suggested offering is $160.

For information visit WWW.KINGSHOUSE.COM.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your press release.

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar: • Time and date of event. • Full street address of event. • Description of event. • Contact information in case of questions.

E-MAIL: SPIRITCALENDAR@ARCHSPM.ORG. (No attachments, please.) ration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary at St. Paul, Zumbrota — August 3 and 4: 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. at 749 Main St. For information, call (507) 7325324 or WWW.FATIMAONLINE.ORG. Celebration of the Feast of God the Father of All Mankind at St. Boniface, St. Bonifacius — August 5: Mass at 10:30 a.m. followed by consecration prayers at 4025 Main St. Father Thomas Balluff will be the celebrant.

For information and supplies needed, call (952) 938-5913.

Parish events “Thrift sale at Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights — July 19-21: Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. with bag sale from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

4030 Jackson St. N.E. For information call (763) 788-9062 or ICCSONLINE.ORG. Garage sale at St. Stephen, Anoka — August 3 and 4: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at 506 Jackson St. Cash only.

Basilica Day at the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis — August 12: 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 88 N. 17th St. Celebrate the 97th anniversary of the dedication of The Basilica. After morning Masses, gather outdoors for special Basilica ice cream by Sebastian Joe’s and fun outside including a visit to the Mary Garden, walking the labyrinth and children’s activities.

Other events ‘Becoming Who God Intends Us to Be’ at St. Edward, Bloomington —July 20: Presented

by Ministry of Mothers Sharing and St. Paul’s Monastery. Reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m., program from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Inspiring evening of food, music and conversation with Deena Burnett-Bailey, widow of 9/11 hero-victim Tom Burnett at 9401 Nesbitt Ave. S. Register at WWW.DEENASPEAKS2012 .COM, or for tickets call Roma at (651) 7778181.

Basilica Choir Camp performances at Ascension, Minneapolis — July 27: Two per-

‘Oliver!’ presented at Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul — July 27 to 29 and August 3 to 5: 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m.

Sundays at 550 Albert St. S. Cost is $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and $8 for children under 10.

Calix Society convention at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul — August 3 to 5: For information or to register visit WWW.CALIX SOCIETY.ORG. Registration cost is $135 and includes meals and a banquet Saturday evening.

Summer Charismatic Conference at Totino-Grace School, Fridley — August 10 to 11: Theme is “The Light Shines on in the Darkness.’ Begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday at 1350 Gardena Ave. Speakers include Peter Herbeck and Sister Nancy Kellar. Features a Spanish track and children’s program Saturday. Free will offering. To register, visit WWW.MNCRO.ORG. ‘A Family Matter: Financial Needs and Attitudes Across Generations’ presented at St. Catherine University, St. Paul —August 14: 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the Coeur de Catherine Rauenhorst Ballroom. Author Suzy Welch will speak. For information, visit WWW.STKATE.EDU. ‘Unveiled: Discovering the Great Mystery of Your Marriage’ at the Old Sacred Heart Church, Faribault — August 17 to 19: 6:30 p.m. Friday to noon Sunday at 524 4th Ave. Bob Schuchts, founder of the Theology of the Body Healing and Training Center will speak. Father Jim Livingston will preside at a Healing Mass. For information, visit HTTP://DIVINEMERCY.CC.

Festivals CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16

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3 p.m. at St. Pascal Baylon, 1757 Conway St. Live music from Uncle Chunk and more from 6 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $15.

September 15 — Minneapolis: St. Lawrence Church and Newman Center, 125th anniversary celebration and fall festival from noon to 4 p.m. at 1203 Fifth St. S.E. Visit WWW.UMNCATHOLIC.ORG. September 15 and 16 — Jordan: Fall festival at St. John the Baptist, 210 Broadway. Polka Mass at 5 p.m.

Saturday followed by live music. Fun continues Sunday at 9 a.m. with a chicken dinner, quilt auction, fun land for kids.

September 15 and 16 — Hastings: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish festival begins Saturday with Golf Fun Day at Hastings Country Club and Mass at 4:30 p.m. followed by movie night and entertainment. 11:30 a.m. Mass Sunday followed by activities for all ages, a chicken dinner and more at 2035 15th St. W. Visit WWW.SEASPARISH.ORG. September 16 — Kilkenny: Fall festival at St. Canice, 183 Maple St. W. Mass at 10 a.m. followed by a chicken and ham dinner served until 2 p.m. Activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. include crafts, country store and more.

September 21 and 22 — Minneapolis: Block Party at Our Lady of Peace, 5426 12th Ave. S. Features Fat Lorenzo’s spaghetti dinner Saturday, food, rides

and games all weekend. Visit WWW.OLPMN.ORG/BLOCKPARTY.

September 22 and 23 — Minneapolis: Touch of Lebanon Festival at St. Maron, 602 University Ave. N.E. Hours are 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday. Includes authentic Lebanese cuisine, games, raffles, gift shop and live music.

September 22 and 23 — Cottage Grove: Fall festival at St. Rita, 8694 80th St., begins at 4:30 p.m. Saturday with a chicken dinner, 5 p.m. polka Mass, country store and bingo. Teen night from 7:30 to 11 p.m. for those in grades 6 to 11. Continues Sunday after the 10:30 a.m. Mass with auctions, games, food, wine and more.

September 23 — Delano: Fall Harvest Festival at Delano Catholic Community, 204 S. River St. Polka Mass at 10:30 a.m. followed by a turkey dinner. For more information, visit WWW.DELANOCATHOLIC.COM. September 23 — St. Paul: Fall festival at St. Pascal Baylon from noon to 5 p.m. at 1757 Conway St. Features a home cooked spaghetti dinner, bingo, raffles and more.

October 6 and 7 — North St. Paul: Fall festival at St. Peter begins at 4 p.m.

Saturday with a Polka Mass followed by more live music. Continues Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 2600 N. Margaret St. Features “Father D’s Rockin’ Ribeye,� car show craft boutique and more. VISIT WWW. CHURCHOFSTPETERNSP.ORG.

19

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 19, 2012

Bishop clarifies facts surrounding doctrinal assessment of LCWR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

cludes by characterizing as “a choice of integrity, insight and courage” the decision to “step outside the Church” already made by one group of women religious.

Father Michael H. Crosby, OFMCap, a keynote speaker at the joint LCWR-CMSM assembly in 2004, lamented the fact that “we still have to worship a God that the Vatican says ‘wills that women not be ordained.’ That god is literally ‘unbelievable.’ It is a false god; it cannot be worshiped. And the prophet must speak truth to that power and be willing to accept the consequence of calling for justice, stopping the violence and bringing about the reign of God.” The LCWR’s Systems Thinking Handbook describes a hypothetical case in which sisters differ over whether the Eucharist should be at the center of a special community celebration. The problem is that some of the sisters object to “priest-led liturgies.”

The scenario, it seems, is not simply fictitious, for some LCWR speakers also mention the difficulty of finding ways to worship together as a faith community.

According to the Systems Thinking Handbook this difficulty is rooted in differences at the level of belief, but also different mental models — the “Western mind” and the “Organic mental model.” These, rather than Church doctrine, are offered as tools for the resolution of the case.

LCWR speakers also explore themes like global spirituality, the new cosmology, earth-justice and eco-feminism in ways that are frequently ambiguous, dubious or even erroneous with respect to Christian faith.

And while the LCWR upholds Catholic social teaching in some areas, it is notably silent when it comes to two of the major moral challenges of our time: the right to life of the unborn, and the God-given meaning of marriage between one man and one woman.

Are these examples indicative of the thinking of all religious sisters in the United States whose communities are members of the LCWR? Certainly not.

Serious questions of faith undoubtedly arise among some women religious, as the LCWR maintains. However, is it the role of a pontifically recognized leadership group to criticize and undermine faith in church teaching by what is said and unsaid, or rather to work to create greater understanding and acceptance of what the Church believes and teaches?

Those who do not hold the teachings of the Catholic Church, or Catholics who dissent from those teachings, are quick to attack the CDF and bishops for taking the LCWR to task. However, a person who holds the reasonable view that a Catholic is someone who subscribes to the teachings of the Catholic Church will recognize that the Catholic bishops have a legitimate cause for doctrinal concern about the activities of the LCWR, as evidenced by a number of its speakers and some of

its resource documents.

A key question posed by the doctrinal assessment had to do with moving forward in a positive way. Would the LCWR at least acknowledge the CDF’s doctrinal concerns and be willing to take steps to remedy the situation?

The response thus far is exemplified by the LCWR leadership’s choice of a New Age Futurist to address its 2012 assembly, and their decision to give an award this year to Sister Sandra Schneiders, who has expressed the view that the hierarchical structure of the church represents an institutionalized form of patriarchal domination that cannot be reconciled with the Gospel.

This situation is now a source of controversy and misunderstanding, as well as misrepresentation. I am confident, however, that if the serious concerns of the CDF are accurately represented and discussed among all the sisters of our country, there will indeed be an opening to a new and positive relationship between women religious and the Church’s pastors in doctrinal matters, as there already is in so many other areas where mutual respect and cooperation abound.

Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair Bishop of Toledo June 8, 2012 May God bless you!

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES LOOKING FOR FINANCIAL SECURITY? BE IN BUSINESS FOR YOURSELF BUT NOT BY YOURSELF! COMPANY IN 24TH YEAR • ON NASDAQ • DEBT FREE • INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS • PATENTED PRODUCTS • UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY 12905 CALL JENNIFER – (763) 923-3333 Order of Saint Benedict (Liturgical Press) Liturgical Press (located on the St. John’s campus) is accepting applications for the following position: Marketing Manager, Give Us This Day This position is responsible for subscription and single copy sales for Give Us This Day, a monthly periodical for personal prayer. In consultation with the Give Us This Day staff, this position will create the marketing and sales plan, sample programs, advertising, direct mail, email, and sales/mar-keting components of website.

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 Saint Benedict is 816 an EEO/AA employer.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

PARTY & EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT

Diocese of Winona, MN, is seeking a Director of Human Resources The Director will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Human Resources office in the Diocese of Winona and will direct the administration of human resources policies, procedures and programs. The Director will be a resource for parishes, schools and other institutions in all HR matters including: departmental development, HRIS, employee relations, training and development, benefits, compensation, organizational development, and employment law. The ideal candidate will be an effective communicator, collaborative, proactive, adapt to change and a practicing Roman Catholic. Candidates are encouraged to review the diocesan website at WWW.DOW.ORG.

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

Comedy Magic Adds Pizzazz to your Party!

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Wise Wood Floors. Lic/bonded. We do it all.

12902 Ad discount: (612) 940-5386.

Required: Bachelors degree in HR or related with 5-10 years of management experience in Human Resources.

Preferred: Masters Degree, demonstrated experience in employee benefit programs.

To Apply: Send cover letter, resume, references and salary requirements, by July 31, 2012, to the attention of Larry Dose, Chief Finance and Administrative Officer: LDOSE@DOW.ORG.

GREAT CATHOLIC SPEAKERS

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

HANDYMAN

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, 12068 (952) 946-0088.

HARDWOOD FLOORS

HEALTH INSURANCE

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

HOUSE CLEANING

Experienced, trustworthy cleaning for your home or office. Linda (651) 324-0246. 12299 Exp., dependable cleaning for W metro homes or offices. Margaret (952) 201-1288.

LANDSCAPING

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

ORGANIST / PIANIST

PAINTING

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

PRAYERS

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

Thank you Jesus, BVM and St. Jude for prayers answered. O.A. Thank you Jesus, Mother Mary, and St. Jude for prayers answered. S.E. Thank you St. Apollonia for prayers answered. C.B.

ROOMMATE WANTED

Female roommate needed to share 2 bed, 2 bath condo in Eagan (651) 428-0946. 11988

Funerals, Weddings, Accompanist — Rehearsals, Concerts, Recitals, Musical Theater, Recording: Mary Smisek BA, MFA (651) 12858 482-8627.

PLUMBING

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

VACATION/FAMILY GETAWAY

Giants Ridge Villa golf/ski resort on lake.

Disc. rates by owner (651) 484-7173.

1816 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.

(763) 543-0998 • Cell (612) 819-2438 12048 Michaels Painting. Texture and Repair.

MICHAELSPAINTINGLLC.COM. (763) 757-3187. 12327 Merriam Park Painting. Professional Int./ Ext. Painting. WP Hanging. Moderate Prices, Free Estimates. Call Ed (651) 224-3660. 11269 All Seasons Paint & Repair. Int./Ext. Wood/ Stucco 25 yrs. Experience. Insured. Free Esti1189 mates. (651) 699-2832.

WANTED TO BUY

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

3919 Downsizing Estates, I buy van loads of old stuff + bicycles. Steve (651) 778-0571. 6158

Check out the Classified Ads on the Web:

THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM

“Clearly missionary dynamism lives on, and it lives only if there is Gospel joy and if we experience the good that comes from God that must and wants to be communicated.”

Pope Benedict XVI, during a brief visit July 9 to a center in the Alban hills southeast of Rome belonging to the missionaries of the Society of the Divine Word

Overheard 20

Quotes from this week’s newsmakers

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

JULY 19, 2012

Packing for a purpose

BSM RoboRescue Squad competes in Mexico Ten 2012 graduates of Benilde-St. Margaret’s School who participated in the St. Louis Park school’s Advanced Competitive Science Program traveled to Mexico City June 18-24 to compete in RoboCup 2012, an international initiative fostering research and education in robotics and artificial intelligence. The students — the only high-school-level The team invited to Catholic Spirit compete and the only team representing the U.S. — placed eighth in the RoboCup Rescue division.

Students who made up the “RoboRescue Squad” were Teddy Brown, Levi Caffes, Sam Conley, Patrick Freese, Alex Herbst, Emily Herrmann, Carter McNew, Nicole Sauer, Paul Sonsalla and Brian Tobelmann.

News Notes

Sr. Melissa Schreifels professes final vows

Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit

Watch a video about the camp July 20 at TheCatholicSpirit.com

Brooke Lenneman, right, and Hannah Berscheid pack a bin with diapers and baby wipes to donate to Birthright of Monticello July 16 during Middle School Day Camp at St. Henry in Monticello.

Jenna Eiden, left, Betsy Peloquin and Ashley Goodwin work on decorating the bin. The theme of the week-long camp for students and volunteers is Solidarity as "One Body of Christ." Each day focuses on a different principle of Catholic social teaching, such as life and dignity of the human person.

A Spiritual Journey to

Slovenia & Croatia 11 Days: Oct 8 to 19, 2012

From $3,699* from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP)

Under the Spiritual Direction of

Fr. Geoffrey Fecht, OSB ce Spa ited. m is li gister Re AY! TOD

Including...

Bled, Lake Bohinj, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik and much more!

TWO WAYS TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE COLOR BROCHURE: Download an Online Version www.GoCatholicTravel.com/Croatia Contact Fr. Geoffrey Fecht, OSB gfecht@csbsju.edu or (320) 363-3818 *Plus airport taxes, security fees, fuel surcharges & tips.

Travel with Chaplain Fr. Gerres!

Sister Melissa Schreifels will profess perpetual vows as a School Sister of Notre Dame at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Mankato on July 28. Sister Melissa grew up in Sartell, Minn. She graduated from Creighton University with a degree in pharmacy in 1992. She is currently a middle school math teacher at St. Michael Catholic School in Prior Lake and is working on a master’s degree in education, while also continuing her part-time ministry as a pharmacist.

Hawaiian Kings Tour

The Best 2-Week, 4-Island Vacation Available At The Most Affordable Price!

15 Days

$2048*

Departing February 18, 2013 from “Carefree” best describes your vacation starting with your Polynesian tour director meeting you at the Honolulu airport. Spend 5 nights in Waikiki Beach (Honolulu) on Oahu; 3 nights on Kauai; 2 on Maui; 1 night in Hilo and 3 in Kona, on Hawaii (“the-big-island”). Escorted sightseeing includes a city tour of Honolulu, Punchbowl Crater and Pearl Harbor, the Wailua River Boat Cruise, The Old Whaling Capital of Lahaina, the Iao Valley, Hilo Orchid Gardens, Rainbow Falls, Black Sand Beaches, Volcanoes National Park and more. Includes: hotel accommodations, taxes, inter-island flights, baggage handling, escort, & sightseeing. YMT Specializes in Hawaii and has had its own office in Honolulu since 1967. Mass will be celebrated some days on tour. Your YMT chaplain is Fr. Gerres, he is Senior Priest at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Wilmington, DE. This will be his seventh trip as YMT’s chaplain. *Price per person, based on double occupancy. Airfare is extra.

For details, itinerary, reservations & letter from YMT’s chaplain with his phone number call 7 days a week:

1-800-736-7300