The Catholic Spirit - December 17, 2015

Listening session overview 8 • Vatican II at 50 15 • Twin Cities Catholic Chorale 17 December 17, 2015 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

We’re taking a Christmas break Watch for our next issue Jan. 7

Peace on Earth A large stained glass window featuring a nativity scene overlooks the choir loft of Holy Family in St. Louis Park.

It was designed and manufactured by Reinarts Stained Glass Studios, Inc. in Winona between 1978 and 1980. The artist was Milton Frenzel.

Courtesy Reinarts Stained Glass Studio, Inc.

ALSO inside

Open wide the doors

New responsibilities

Peace and justice

Holy Doors at the Cathedral and Basilica opened for Year of Mercy pilgrims Dec. 13.

At their Dec. 5 ordination, new permanent deacons were reminded to live lives “as ransom for the Church.”

In north Minneapolis, Catholics say listening, understanding and prayer are are key to ending racism and building unity.

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2 • The Catholic Spirit

PAGE TWO

in PICTURES

December 17, 2015

“God does not love rigidity. He is father. He is gentle.

He does everything with fatherly tenderness.”

Pope Francis after opening the Holy Door for the Year of Mercy at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome Dec. 13. He said the Year of Mercy is meant to be a time for people to rediscover God’s real presence in the world and his tenderness.

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit

Catholic Spirit taking Christmas break The Catholic Spirit is changing its publication schedule to accommodate the New Year holiday. The next issue will be published Jan. 7 instead of Dec. 31. The archdiocese’s Office of Communications wishes all of our friends and readers a happy and holy Christmas and blessed New Year.

St. Thomas alumnus named bishop of Superior Pope Francis named Father James Powers, 62, bishop of Superior, Wisconsin, Dec. 15. Father Powers is a priest of the Diocese of Superior and serves as its diocesan administrator. Ordained in 1990, Bishop-elect Powers attended St. John Vianney College Seminary and the St. Paul Seminary at the University of St. Thomas. The see has been vacant since Bishop Peter Christensen, originally a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, was named to Boise City, Idaho, in November 2014.

PRIEST ON LOAN Father Robert Mutui, left, of the Diocese of Kitui, Kenya, greets Bishop Andrew Cozzens in the chancery of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Dec. 3, as Deacon Mickey Friesen observes. Father Mutui arrived in the Twin Cities Nov. 14 and will serve here for two years, beginning at St. John the Baptist in Dayton. “This is a new expression of the partnership [between the archdiocese and the Diocese of Kitui],” said Deacon Friesen, director of the archdiocesan Center for Mission, which developed and oversees the partnership. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Visitation names Gavic new head of school

in REMEMBRANCE

Deacon Thomas Semlak, 75, served three parishes Co-workers remember Deacon Thomas Semlak as a deeply faith-filled man with a gentle spirit, and his ministry surrounding the sacraments — preparing couples for marriage and to have their children baptized, both of which he did with his wife, Marge — was one he loved.

Deacon Semlak died Dec. 8. He was 75.

A native of St. Paul’s Eastside, he grew up attending St. Casimir and worked at Brown & Bigelow and 3M in St. Paul. The father of four was ordained a permanent deacon in 1994, serving St. Thomas the Apostle in St. Paul (now Blessed Sacrament), St. Casimir and St. Pius X in White Deacon Thomas Bear Lake.

SEMLAK “He and Marge were such a great pair,” recalled Shawn Gutowski, St. Pius X faith formation director.

“He loved his ministry,” added Jeannie Schommer, the longtime receptionist at St. Pius X who knew him well. “He was an awesome guy.”

He is survived by Marge, his wife of more than 51 years; daughters, Cori (Kevin) Schuyler, Terri (Mark) Meis; sons Jim (Lisa Beth) and Craig (Lisa Marie), and 11 grandchildren. A funeral Mass was offered Dec. 14 at St. Pius X, with interment in Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights.

WHAT’S NEW on social media Watch thousands at the Mall of America Dec. 11 sing “Clouds,” written and recorded by Zach Sobiech, a parishioner of St. Michael, Stillwater, who died May 20, 2013, at age 17 after battling a rare bone cancer. Zach’s parents, Rob and Laura, were at the mall to address the crowd and sing with the choir. It was the third year the “Clouds” Choir for a Cause sang at the mall as part of a fundraiser for children’s cancer research and care.

What’s at the heart of being a Catholic from Minneapolis’ “Eastside”? Find out in “Prayer of the Eastside Catholic” by St. Boniface parishioner Cain Pence.

View video of Year of Mercy pilgrims processing into the Cathedral of St. Paul Dec. 13 after Archbishop Bernard Hebda opened its Holy Doors.

The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 20 — No. 24 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher United in Faith, Hope and Love

MARIA C. WIERING, Editor

Bishop-elect POWERS

Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights has named Rene Gavic head of school effective July 1, 2016. She replaces Dawn Nichols, who will retire at the end of the school year after serving for 16 years as head of school. Gavic began her career at Visitation in 1987 as coach of the track and field teams, and joined the faculty as a math teacher in 1990. She became dean of students for the Upper School in 2002, and last year became director of the Upper School.

Rene GAVIC

Tommies to play for national title The University of St. Thomas reached the NCAA Division III national championship game by defeating Linfield 38-17 Dec. 12 in St. Paul. The Tommies will play in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Salem, Virginia, 6 p.m. Dec. 18. They will face Mount Union, which defeated St. Thomas in the 2012 championship game. The Tommies are led by junior running back Jordan Roberts, a seminarian at St. John Vianney College Seminary who recently broke a school rushing record.

Immigration Sunday is Jan. 3, Epiphany feast Minnesota’s bishops have designated the feast of the Epiphany as Immigration Sunday. The commemoration coincides with the U.S. bishops’ National Migration Week, Jan. 3-9. The day encourages parish and individuals to pray, act and advocate for people escaping violence and to learn more about the plight of immigrants and refugees in light of the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt.

Van Gogh’s ‘Pieta’ leaves MIA Jan. 10 Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 “Pieta” is among the artwork exhibited in “Delacroix’s Influence: The Rise of Modern Art from Cézanne to van Gogh,” which ends at the Minneapolis Institute of Art Jan. 10. The impressionist master is among painters who learned from Ferdinand Victor Eugene Delacroix’s imaginative use of color, and whose work is on loan to the institution. The exhibit includes several of Delacroix’s versions of the crucifixion.

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December 17, 2015

FROM THE APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR

The Catholic Spirit • 3

Holy Year a time to recommit to Christ’s mission of mercy

I

wasn’t very excited by the prospect of spending St. Patrick’s Day 2013 in Rome. But the executive board of Caritas Internationalis was meeting at that time and I was obligated to be there. My Irish mother had always made sure that we celebrated the patron of Ireland appropriately, and she surely would not have approved of corned beef and rigatoni.

As Providence would have it, however, Pope Francis was elected that same week and his first public appearance fell — you guessed it — on St. Patrick’s Day. I felt so blessed to be in Rome and squeezed into St. Peter’s Square with 100,000 of my closest friends to hear the message the new Holy Father would have for the Church and the world. He spoke colloquially that day about a book he’d been reading in the days before the conclave and indicated it was APOSTOLIC about mercy. He also shared a message about God’s mercy that ADMINISTRATOR he had once received from a wise grandmother in Buenos Archbishop Aires. And he uttered a truism that I will never forget: “We Bernard Hebda

El Año Santo, un tiempo para volver a comprometerse con la misión de misericordia de Cristo Realmente yo no estaba muy emocionado por la perspectiva de pasar el Día de San Patricio en el año del 2013 en Roma. Pero el Consejo Ejecutivo de Caritas Internationalis estaba reunido en ese momento y me sentí obligado a asistir. Mi madre, que es irlandesa, siempre se aseguró de que celebráramos apropiadamente al Patrono de Irlanda, y seguramente ella no hubiera aprobado la carne en conserva y pasta.

Como quiso la Providencia, sin embargo, el Papa Francisco fue elegido esa misma semana y su primera aparición pública fue, como lo han adivinado, el día de San Patricio. Me sentí muy afortunado de estar en Roma y apretujado en la Plaza de San Pedro con 100 mil de mis amigos más cercanos para escuchar el mensaje que el nuevo Santo Padre tendría para la Iglesia y el mundo. Ese día habló informalmente

have a God who never tires of offering mercy — we tire of asking for it, but our God never tires of offering mercy.” You didn’t have to be Sigmund Freud to know that God’s tender mercy was very much on the mind of this shepherd who had come to Rome already dreaming about retirement but found himself elected to be the successor of St. Peter.

I’m anxious to see how this extraordinary moment of grace will be lived out in this local Church in the days and months ahead, knowing that the Lord is calling us to both know God’s mercy and be instruments of God’s mercy in the concrete context of the rather unique challenges and opportunities that are facing this local Church.

We’ve heard that theme from him repeatedly over the last 1,000 days and have seen it lived out in the countless photos documenting his pontificate. Who will ever forget the photo of Pope Francis confessing his sins at the Vatican penance service? Or the repeated images of him reaching out with God’s mercy to the sick, the marginalized, the refugees and the homeless?

In many ways, the passage through the Holy Doors symbolizes our desire to pass from the life of sin to the new life of grace. It manifests our willingness to take those necessary steps to both know God’s mercy and to radiate it in our encounters with others. While we are surely called to do that as individuals, it seems to me that it’s going to be important for this local Church to make that journey as well.

While everyone was caught off guard last March when the Holy Father called for an extraordinary holy year, the Year of Mercy, in hindsight, none of us should have been even the least bit surprised.

Mercy has been at the core of his message since the very first days of his pontificate.

Just as I felt blessed to be in St. Peter’s Square on St. Patrick’s Day in 2013, I feel blessed to be walking with the faithful in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at the beginning of this Year of Mercy.

It was a great honor to be able to open the Holy Door at the Cathedral of St. Paul and to impart Pope Francis’ apostolic blessing to the faithful of this archdiocese who had gathered for the celebration.

As we pass through the Holy Doors (and I hope you will make the pilgrimage to the Basilica and Cathedral to do just that as often as possible!), let’s pray that this year of grace might be a time when we collectively come to recognize the possibilities that will be set before us in the months ahead as we intentionally re-center our lives on Christ — mercy incarnate — and joyfully recommit ourselves to his mission of mercy.

I take great comfort from Pope Francis’ prayer that we “might feel that we ourselves are part of this mystery of love, of tenderness” and pray that you will as well.

acerca de un libro que había estado leyendo en los días previos al Cónclave y señaló que se trataba de la misericordia. También compartió un mensaje acerca de la misericordia de Dios que una vez había recibido de una abuela sabia en Buenos Aires. Y él pronunció una expresión que nunca olvidaré: “Tenemos un Dios que no se cansa de ofrecer misericordia — que nosotros nos cansamos de pedir, pero nuestro Dios no se cansa de ofrecer misericordia.” Usted no tiene que ser Sigmund Freud para saber que la tierna misericordia de Dios estaba en gran medida en la mente de este Pastor que había venido a Roma soñando con la jubilación, pero se encontró elegido para ser el Sucesor de San Pedro.

Este tema lo hemos escuchado de él en repetidas ocasiones durante los últimos 1000 días y lo hemos visto vivo en las innumerables fotos que han documentado su pontificado. ¿Quién podrá olvidar la foto del Papa Francisco confesando sus pecados en el servicio de la reconciliación en el Vaticano? ¿O en las imágenes repetidas de él acercándose con la misericordia de Dios a los enfermos, los marginados, los refugiados y las personas sin hogar?

Aunque todo el mundo fue

sorprendido el pasado marzo cuando el Santo Padre pidió un año santo extraordinario, el Año de la Misericordia, la retrospectiva nos dice que ninguno de nosotros debería haber estado ni un poco sorprendidos. La Misericordia ha estado en el centro de su mensaje desde los primeros días de su pontificado.

Así como me sentí bendecido de estar en la Plaza de San Pedro en el Día de San Patricio en el año 2013, me siento bendecido de estar caminando con los fieles de la Arquidiócesis de Saint Paul y Minneapolis a principios de este año de la Misericordia. Fue un gran honor para mí poder abrir la Puerta Santa en la Catedral de Saint Paul y de impartir la bendición apostólica del Papa Francisco a los fieles de la Arquidiócesis que se habían reunido para la celebración.

Estoy ansioso por ver cómo este extraordinario momento de gracia será vivido en esta Iglesia local en los días y meses venideros, sabiendo que el Señor nos está llamando a conocer la misericordia de Dios y ser instrumentos de la misericordia de Dios en el contexto concreto de los retos y oportunidades únicas que enfrenta esta Iglesia local.

En muchos sentidos, el paso a través de las Puertas Santas simboliza nuestro

deseo de pasar de la vida de pecado a la nueva vida de la gracia. Se manifiesta nuestra voluntad de tomar los pasos necesarios para conocer la misericordia de Dios y para irradiarla en nuestros encuentros con los demás. Mientras es seguro que estamos llamados a hacer esto como individuos, me parece que para esta Iglesia local, va a ser importante comenzar esta jornada también. Al pasar a través de las Puertas Santas (¡y espero que ustedes hagan la peregrinación a la Basílica y a la Catedral para hacer precisamente eso tan a menudo como les sea posible!), vamos a orar para que este año de gracia pueda ser un momento en que todos juntos lleguemos a reconocer las posibilidades puestas delante de nosotros en los próximos meses a medida que intencionalmente volvamos a centrar nuestras vidas en Cristo, Misericordia Encarnada, y con alegría volvamos a comprometernos con su misión de misericordia.

Effective December 19, 2015

Deacon Timothy Hennessey, appointed to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of Saint Peter in Mendota and Washington County Corrections. Deacon Hennessey was ordained to the diaconate on December 5, 2015.

Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale. Deacon Kraemer was ordained to the diaconate on December 5, 2015.

Me da un gran consuelo la oración del Papa Francisco de que “podamos sentir que nosotros mismos somos parte de este misterio de amor, de ternura” y rezo para que ustedes también sientan lo mismo.

OFFICIAL His Excellency, the Most Reverend Bernard Hebda, has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: Effective December 15, 2015 Reverend Robert Mutui, granted faculties of the Archdiocese and appointed parochial vicar of the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Dayton. Father Mutui is a priest of the Diocese of Kitui, Kenya. He will be ministering in the Archdiocese for two years on behalf of the partnership between the Archdiocese and the Diocese of Kitui.

Deacon Paul Buck, appointed to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of Saint Francis in Buffalo and Buffalo Hospital in Buffalo. Deacon Buck was ordained to the diaconate on December 5, 2015.

Deacon Eric Gunderson, appointed to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Minneapolis and the Office of Marriage, Family and Life at the Archdiocese. Deacon Gunderson was ordained to the diaconate on December 5, 2015.

Deacon Kim Jensen, appointed to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of the Epiphany in Coon Rapids and the Office of Marriage, Family and Life at the Archdiocese.

Deacon Jensen was ordained to the diaconate on December 5, 2015.

Deacon Michael Kraemer, appointed to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Saint Louis Park and North

Deacon Martin Meyer, appointed to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of Saint John Neumann in Eagan and Dakota County Corrections. Deacon Meyer was ordained to the diaconate on December 5, 2015.

Deacon John Shearer, appointed to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bloomington and Ramsey County Corrections.

Deacon Shearer was ordained to the diaconate on December 5, 2015.

4 • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

December 17, 2015

SLICEof LIFE

Miraculous image

Princess Pacheco Priego, left, and her mother, Rigoberta Priego, of St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center sing “La Guadalupana” as they help carry a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12 during a feast-day procession at St. Alphonsus commemorating Mary’s apparitions to St. Juan Diego in 1531 and her image left on his tilma. Along with Redemptorist Father Tony Judge, parishioners processed from the school cafeteria to the church for Mass. Carried with the statue were traditional Mexican food dishes. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

So much more Catholic news on the web at TheCatholicSpirit.com

December 17, 2015

LOCAL

The Catholic Spirit • 5

BRIEFS ST. PAUL

Fasting encouraged on First Fridays After a Statewide Day of Fasting and Prayer Dec. 4, Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has encouraged Catholics to continue to fast and pray on First Fridays through May for an end to violence. Speaking to Jeff Cavins on Relevant Radio Dec. 4 during the Rediscover: Hour, Father John Paul Erickson said “all of us need to examine our conscience and [ask] ‘In what way can I do better?” The director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship, Father Erickson said that prayer and fasting allow people to acknowledge their sins, repent and begin again “to be messengers of mercy.” Although the Church considers all Fridays of the year days of penance, first Fridays of the month are traditionally tied to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The days of fasting are part of the Year of Mercy. Find more information at www.archspm.org/mercy.

MINNEAPOLIS

Jews, Catholics celebrate milestone An event commemorating “Nostra Aetate,” Vatican II’s Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, brought together about 300 Minnesota Jewish and Catholic leaders and supporters Dec. 2 at the Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel. The evening’s keynote speaker, Amy-Jill Levine, outlined successes as well as challenges in Jewish-Catholic dialogue. A professor of New Testament and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee, she called for Christians and Jews to better understand each other’s Scripture, traditions, similarities and differences, and she challenged bishops to arrange programs on preventing anti-Jewish teaching

within Catholic institutions and catechism programs.

She also asked Jewish leaders to do the same for Christian teaching in their institutions. The event was hosted by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis with the state’s other dioceses, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Minnesota Rabbinical Association and the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning.

Judge approves $3 million in fees A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge approved legal fees the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will pay to its attorneys and others involved in its Reorganization proceedings. Over $3 million in fees will be paid to six law firms representing the archdiocese, those who have filed abuse claims, parishes and others who are working with insurance companies. In a statement released after the Dec. 3 hearing, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, apostolic administrator of the archdiocese, said the Reorganization process takes time and money because of its complexity, and necessitates the involvement of “highly specialized legal experts.” “In the end, we hope the spirit of cooperation and good will among all parties — including the U.S. Bankruptcy Court — will help us reach the ultimate goal of a fair resolution of the claims as quickly as possible,” he said. “We believe that the legal expenses that have been incurred and approved by the Court are a necessary part of achieving that objective.”

DULUTH

Duluth diocese files for bankruptcy Following an $8.4 million judgment to a victim of sex abuse by a priest and the inability to negotiate a settlement that would assist all victims of clergy sexual abuse in its 10-county area, the Diocese of Duluth filed

Dec. 7 for protection in order to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Father James Bissonette, vicar general, in a statement on behalf of the diocese, said, “Given the magnitude of the verdict, the diocese was left with no choice but to file for reorganization. The decision to file today safeguards the limited assets of the diocese and will ensure that the resources of the diocese can be shared justly with all victims, while allowing the day-to-day operation of the work of the Church to continue.” The diocese said it will continue good-faith efforts to reach a resolution that would assist all abuse victims and protect the Church’s mission during the bankruptcy process.

WASHINGTON

High court rejects priest’s appeal The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Dec. 7 an appeal of a sexual misconduct conviction of Father Christopher Wenthe, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Father Wenthe was initially convicted in 2011 in Ramsey County Court of third-degree criminal sexual conduct for an inappropriate sexual relationship with a woman for whom he was providing spiritual counsel. The incident occurred in 2003 while he was an associate priest of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul. The state Court of Appeals overturned the trial court verdict in April 2014, in part because it deemed the trial judge had not offered clear instruction to the jury. The Minnesota Supreme Court reinstated the criminal charge in June. It is a felony in Minnesota for counselors or members of the clergy to have a sexual relationship with someone whom they are spiritually advising.

Father Wenthe was ordained in 2003 and was assigned to Nativity. Prior to 2010, he also ministered at St. Michael, Pine Island; St. Paul, Zumbrota; and St. Mary and St. Michael in Stillwater. Father Wenthe remains on leave from ministry.

wine: Catholic Women’s Conference

Mercy: Encountering Boundless Love Saturday, February 6, 2016 • 9:30 a.m. — 3:30 p.m Mary, Mother of the Church, Burnsville Doors open at 8:30 a.m. — for coffee, treats (most likely it will include chocolate) and SHOPPING!

Join women of all ages as we embrace Pope Francis’ invitation into an extraordinary jubilee, a Holy Year of Mercy, and learn what it means to encounter, receive, and share God’s merciful love.

Speakers are: Barbara Heil, Laura Sobiech, and Teresa Tomeo $55 per person (Early Bird); $65 per person after January 6. ($25 for Religious Sisters or Consecrated Women).

Questions & Registration: Visit www.archspm.org/WINE or call 651-291-4411

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6 • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

December 17, 2015

Year of Mercy Holy Doors open Dec. 13 at Cathedral, Basilica

By Jessica Trygstad and Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit The first Year of Mercy pilgrims from around the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis processed through the Holy Doors of the Cathedral of St. Paul and the Basilica of St. Mary Dec. 13 after the doors were ceremoniously opened at the co-cathedrals.

At the Cathedral of St. Paul, Archbishop Bernard Hebda led a rite for the door opening in the church’s narthex. He exited a side door and re-entered through the central doors the Cathedral designated last month as its Holy Doors. Hundreds of pilgrims followed, streaming through the doors and into pews for 10 a.m.

Mass.

In his homily, Archbishop Hebda noted how the Cathedral’s facade overlooks downtown St. Paul and the “beautiful crane” marking the construction of Catholic Charities’ new Dorothy Day Center.

Catholic Charities’ work, he said, is emblematic of the works of mercy Catholics are asked to perform during the Year of Mercy, and the building can remind Catholics daily of the need for mercy.

In Minneapolis, Father John Bauer, the Basilica’s pastor, led the congregation in prayer before processing to the Holy Doors with the Basilica choir in tow. Once pilgrims had gone through the Holy Doors and were re-situated in the pews, they renewed their baptismal promises.

Father Bauer told the congregation that preparing for Christ means changing present behaviors. He said that while sometimes it’s difficult to live as Catholics are called to live, “We’re not called to difficult and complex things.” He noted that Catholics are called to love their enemies, forgive, not judge, welcome the stranger and stand with the vulnerable.

Cathedrals around the world opened holy doors Dec. 13 on the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday. “Gaudete” is Latin for “rejoice.”

Archbishop Hebda, the archdiocese’s apostolic administrator, called Pope Francis “the great apostle of

​ rchbishop Bernard Hebda opens the Holy Doors at the A Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul Dec. 13 at the start of 10 a.m.

Mass to signify the opening of the Year of Mercy. A similar opening took place at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit mercy” and said he connects joy and mercy with his 2013 apostolic exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel” and the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which officially opened Dec. 8.

He said Catholics should rejoice in God’s inexhaustible mercy and go forth to “be instruments of mercy in our own world.” Like the open Holy Doors, Catholics should “open the doors of our hearts . . . to those gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit” indicating need for God’s mercy.

He urged Catholics to be “messengers of mercy” in their homes and workplaces, and to pray for the

strength to persevere in seeking opportunities to evangelize and be merciful.

Earlier in the homily, Archbishop Hebda said there was “deep joy” in his heart that he was celebrating the opening of the Year of Mercy in the beautiful Cathedral of St. Paul — something he never would have anticipated when Pope Francis announced the Year of Mercy in March. Coadjutor archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, Archbishop Hebda was named temporary leader of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in June following the resignations of Archbishop John Nienstedt and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piché.

“There is great joy in my heart, but I tell you there should be even more joy in your heart because someone greater is to come,” he said of the archdiocese’s next archbishop, whom Pope Francis has yet to name.

On the jubilee in general he added: “How wonderful it is to be Catholic. We appreciate the holiness of holy times, sacred time, sacred places” shown by the Church’s long tradition of jubilee years and holy doors.

At the end of Mass, Archbishop Hebda — with the permission of the Holy See — gave a papal blessing that included a plenary indulgence for those who met the usual conditions, including complete detachment from sin, the reception of sacramental confession and holy Communion, and the offering of prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions.

In the archdiocese, plenary indulgences are available throughout the Year of Mercy for pilgrims who enter the Holy Doors at the Cathedral of St. Paul or the Basilica of St. Mary. At the Cathedral, both the exterior and interior sets of center doors are considered Holy Doors.

St. Maron Maronite Church in Minneapolis, an Eastern-rite Catholic parish, is also designated as a pilgrimage site. Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun opened its Holy Doors Dec. 13.

Archbishop Hebda encouraged Catholics to frequently seek out “another door” during the Year of Mercy: the door of the confessional. “I hope you’ll take advantage of the full grace that comes from that great sacrament,” he said.

Big crowds at Christmas Masses an opportunity to evangelize

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit Masses at Christmas tend to draw more Catholics than Masses on typical weekends, making them prime opportunities for parish hospitality to be especially accommodating, for pastors to be inviting, and even to evangelize.

“We welcome the challenge of lessthan-regular Massgoers at Christmas,” said Father Daniel Bodin, pastor of St. Peter in Forest Lake.

To accommodate the larger than normal crowds, St. Peter offers two late afternoon Masses on Christmas Eve, one in the main worship space and the other in the parish social hall to allow seating for an additional 300 guests.

Rather than specifically address those who aren’t regularly at Mass at St. Peter, Father Bodin said, “I might say something like, ‘It’s great to see all of the college students home for Christmas. Some of the young people who got married here and have moved away are home again visiting family — some of them have their own little children now!’’’

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bloomington handles the crowd at its early Christmas Eve Mass by setting up a screen in its gathering space for a video feed of the Mass that’s celebrated in its main worship space, said its pastor, Father Dennis Zehren.

“I might welcome people who are in town or visiting for Christmas, but generally I don’t say too much,” Father

“[Christmas Mass] might be the only chance you have to invite some people to come back to the Church.”

Jeff Cavins Zehren said. “Some people might feel uncomfortable enough being there, and I don’t want to draw undue or unwelcome attention to them.”

Gentle video approach Holy Name of Jesus in Medina has gone high tech in the past few years, welcoming all at its Christmas Masses with a video that’s played before the start of the liturgy, said Nate Reinhardt, director of liturgy.

The four-minute video from 2012, for example, included several parishioners reading the first verse of John’s Gospel and a brief message from Father Stephen Ulrick, Holy Name’s pastor.

In the video Father Ulrick says, “I want to especially welcome those who are visiting and those who haven’t been able to be with us for awhile,” and he shares a bit of Catholic teaching about the gift of Jesus that is aimed at all in

the assembly — “the pious and the unpious” — noting, “Christmas is a great time to rediscover that gift.”

The following year, a three-minute video stressed the need to have a relationship with Jesus, most importantly through the Eucharist.

It closed by asking a number of questions, such as, what does Jesus mean for a person’s children, life, marriage, Christmas and dreams?

Open door to mercy Jeff Cavins, director of the archdiocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, suggested ways parishes might pastorally invite those who aren’t regular Massgoers to consider deepening their role in the Catholic community.

One ideas is to set up a day or evening after the New Year and invite a targeted audience to attend.

“The key is that it shouldn’t have the appearance of a program, but targeting the audience, saying something like ‘Christmas is a time when people come home, and if your life is out of sync, if you find yourself asking how did I end up this way, you’re not alone. We’d like to help you. We have a special night. . . .”

Christmas Mass is an opportunity to evangelize that should not be missed, Cavins said. “It might be the only chance you have to invite some people to come back to the Church.”

Cavins said that there is a reason

some people aren’t at Mass regularly. In inviting them to reconsider, he suggests zeroing in on their pain, anger, complacency or angst.

“You have to grab their attention at their point of pain,” he said.

Pastors might say something like, “We have a lot of people here today, a lot of visitors, visiting relatives, but maybe people who have been searching, who have experienced a loss in your life, illness, disappointment in family, financial problems. God wants to speak to you in the midst of that.”

People’s reason for coming to Mass only at Christmas may center on disappointment with the Church, Cavins said, and he said it is important to say, “We’re sorry, and we’re going to address that, and we hope that you’d consider attending the special Sunday afternoon event we’re planning in a few weeks.”

The Year of Mercy that opened earlier this month is something to take advantage of as well, Cavins said. He suggested that the image of the open door can be very meaningful to invite people to the Church.

“You might say, ‘We’re going to have a special evening where we’re going to soak in the mercy of God. The Church is going to open the door, and today we’re telling you we will be there to greet you with God’s mercy. If you think you aren’t worthy of God’s mercy, you’re wrong. The door remains open; don’t walk by.’”

December 17, 2015

LOCAL

The Catholic Spirit • 7

Seven ordained permanent deacons Dec. 5

By Jonathan Liedl For The Catholic Spirit With family and friends filling the pews of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul Dec. 5, seven men were ordained permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The Mass was one of joy and thanksgiving, but it also prompted sober reflection on the large responsibilities given to the newly ordained, who join about 175 other permanent deacons in the archdiocese.

“The purpose of this ordination is to allow you to give your life as a ransom for the Church, to allow your life to be taken by God and used as he desires,” said Bishop Andrew Cozzens, the archdiocese’s auxiliary bishop, during his homily.

Ordained were Paul Buck of St. Henry, Monticello; Eric Gunderson of Epiphany, Coon Rapids; Tim Hennessey of St. John the Evangelist, Little Canada; Kim Jensen of St. Stephen, Anoka; Michael Kraemer of St. Alphonsus, Brooklyn Center; Martin Meyer of Mary, Mother of the Church, Burnsville; and John Shearer of St. Agnes, St. Paul.

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit

ABOVE: From left, Michael Kraemer, Tim Hennessey, Paul Buck, John Shearer, Martin Meyer, Kim Jensen and Eric Gunderson listen to Bishop Andrew Cozzens talk about their ministry as deacons during the ordination Mass.

Ministry of service The permanent diaconate ordination was the archdiocese’s first since 2010, following a restructuring of the formation process.

Permanent deacons are ordained ministers who may be married prior to ordination and, unlike transitional deacons, are not preparing to enter the priesthood.

Bishop Cozzens explained that upon being ordained, deacons participate in a special way in Christ’s “diakonia,” or ministry of service.

This includes serving at the altar during Mass, which Bishop Cozzens encouraged the new deacons to do as often as possible.

“Only exceptional reasons should keep you from serving at the altar at daily Mass,” he said, reminding those gathered that the first seven men ordained in the Acts of the Apostles were selected to serve at the table.

The new deacons were also called upon to be “heralds of the Gospel” and to serve the poor and the sick on behalf of all the faithful, but also not to forget their responsibilities to their wives and

St. Rita delegation attends martyrs’ beatification in Peru

LEFT: Deacons Buck, left, Kraemer, Meyer and Hennessey smile at the end of the Mass. children.

“In fact, this should be the first place you fulfill your mission,” Bishop Cozzens said of the deacon’s home.

The bishop also reminded the ordained of their “grave responsibility” to live a life of virtue in accordance with Christ’s will. Doing so would allow them to be pliable instruments in the Lord’s hands, he said, inspiring others to sanctity. Failing in this regard, he added, could cause scandal and lead the flock astray.

Accepting a ‘high bar’ The bishop’s call for self-giving service took shape symbolically when the candidates lay prostrate on the floor before the altar during the litany of the saints.

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Soon after, they knelt before Bishop Cozzens, promised him obedience, and were ordained to the diaconate as the bishop laid hands upon them.

“I’m glad that he [Bishop Cozzens] is holding us to high standards,” said Deacon Jensen, who, along with the other new deacons, will continue with six more months of diaconate formation. “It sets the bar high for us, and I want it to be like that.”

But new deacons also acknowledged that the way forward won’t necessarily be easy, and they won’t be relying upon their strength alone.

“I know there will be sacrifices for Christ and his Church, so I need to pray a lot and stay close to Christ,” Deacon Buck said. “This is his Church and his diaconate, and I’m here to serve him in whatever capacity.”

Six parishioners of St. Rita in Cottage Grove traveled to Peru for the Dec. 5 beatification of three martyrs with ties to St. Rita’s sister parish.

In 1991, a guerrilla group killed missionary priests Friar Miguel Tomaszek and Friar Zbigniew Strzalkowski, both Conventual Franciscans, and Father Alessandro Dordi, who were serving the Diocese of Chimbote, Peru.

A fledgling Catholic community in Chimbote took the name Los Santos Martires — the Holy Martyrs — in their honor, and later developed a relationship with St. Rita’s parish.

Attending the beatification “was a very humbling experience,” said Amy Schroeder, St. Rita’s pastoral associate for youth faith formation.

“I am encouraged by their [the martyrs’] witness and their strength,” she told The Catholic Spirit in an email.

“They chose not to abandon the people God sent them to serve in that dangerous time, and, for me, it’s a beautiful encouragement to keep serving and trusting God in all situations.”

The pilgrimage for the beatification was Schroeder’s third trip to Los Santos Martires, where she said she has built many relationships. The parishes regularly communicate and pray for one another.

“We share our faith and our cultures,” Schroeder said. “The community there is very impoverished, and we also help to support them financially when we are able to help with projects.”

The delegation from St. Rita also included Ron and Bev Hatler, Barb Schultz, and Greg and Beatrice Vasterling. During their trip, the group visited the sites of the martyrs’ deaths, Schroeder said.

Los Santos Martires has several relics of the martyrs, including blood, rocks and dirt from the streets where they were killed.

“The beatification has brought much hope and a renewal of faith to the Diocese of Chimbote and the whole of Peru,” Schroeder said.

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8 • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

December 17, 2015

Listening sessions: Diversity tops strengths, trust a big challenge At archbishop’s request, more than 2,000 Catholics shared views on local Church

Words from listening session participants describing attributes desired in the next archbishop. The Catholic Spirit

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit More than 2,000 Catholics participated in one of 10 listening sessions held throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in October and November. Attendees included lay leaders, men and women in consecrated life, priests and deacons, as well as students, seminarians and people who have left formal parish affiliation. They represented at least 80 percent of the archdiocese’s parishes.

The observations and opinions expressed ranged broadly, but over the course of the sessions, several common themes emerged. Attendees were asked to identify the archdiocese’s greatest strengths and challenges, and to share the qualities they would like the next archbishop to possess.

Greatest strengths The archdiocese’s top two strengths presented at the listening sessions were diversity and Catholic education, followed closely by social justice outreach, prevalent lay leadership and evangelization initiatives.

• Diversity. When speaking of diversity, participants said they valued having different cultures, as well as varied expressions of Catholic faith, parish identities and sizes, liturgical styles and ideologies. Some also mentioned the archdiocese’s geographic diversity, with urban, suburban, small-town and rural parishes.

• Education. Participants expressed pride in the fact that the formal Catholic education system spans from prekindergarten to graduate school. The archdiocese is home to nearly 90 grade schools and high schools, two full universities with satellite campuses of two others, and two seminaries. The Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute — a non-degree program based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church — was also frequently noted, as were general ongoing faith formation opportunities.

• Social justice. Participants described the faithful of the archdiocese as particularly oriented toward acts of charity and the cause of justice for the poor and marginalized. Some attendees characterized this impulse as “a missionary spirit.” Noted was the important work of Catholic Charities and other outreaches to people in need.

• Lay leadership. Often cited in conjunction with strong Catholic education was the presence of a welleducated, involved and influential laity.

This was presented as an advantage and opportunity for parishes, and also a reason for priests and Church leadership to view lay Catholics as partners in ministry with valuable training and experience. One participant noted a “high level of theological literacy inside and outside the Church.” Participants also described the laity as “resilient,” “committed” and “loyal” in the face of the archdiocese’s current challenges.

Quotes from listening session participants’ comment cards:

“This is the first time I remember being asked by Church leaders for my thoughts.”

“We need to have more gatherings like this.”

“Listen especially to rural parishes and get input on elderly population.”

“There is a lack of unity through diversity — no sense of ‘home’ in archdiocese, but localized to parishes.”

• Evangelization initiatives. The archdiocese is home to several nationally reaching organizations and apostolates, including those focusing on young adults.

Mentioned in the listening sessions were the National Evangelization Teams, St. Paul’s Outreach and the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas.

• Other strengths. Also frequently mentioned were the archdiocese’s priests and men and women religious, the leadership of Bishop Andrew Cozzens, a history of being a progressive archdiocese, and widespread availability of adoration.

Many participants in the Spanishlanguage listening session included Latino ministry and its annual Latino Family Day among the archdiocese’s greatest strengths. They also frequently cited “unity” as a strength, but also included “unity between ‘Anglos’ and Latinos” among the archdiocese’s challenges.

Greatest challenges By far, the top challenge identified was restoration of trust between Church leaders and the faithful. Other challenges repeated at each session were the bankruptcy and concern for the archdiocese’s financial stability, the need for healing from clergy sex abuse scandals, and the difficulty of bringing Catholics who have left the Church — especially the young and disenfranchised — back to the community.

• Trust. Many perceived a lack of transparency and cited the local Church’s loss of credibility. Some participants said that lack of trust extended to the listening sessions, and they questioned whether their input would be shared or be shared with the aposotolic nuncio ahead of Pope Francis’ appointment of a new archbishop. The presence of a staff member from the nunciature at the last three listening sessions seems to have addressed this doubt for many.

• Finances. In January, the archdiocese entered Chapter 11 Reorganization to allow it to address all sexual abuse claims equitably. It continues to work in mediation with victims’ counsel and

insurance carriers. To date, legal fees have topped $5 million. Few participants, however, mentioned finances in their written comments.

• Healing. Most participants expressed the need for healing from clergy sexual abuse scandals, both for victims and the Church. Several times, healing was tied to transparency and trust. One listening session participant wrote, “Openness and forgiveness need to take place before healing can take place.”

• Need for increased evangelization.

Many pointed to the need for greater outreach to those who have drifted away from the Church as well as the “nones,” those indicating that they have no church affiliation. Many noted how challenging it is to reach out to Catholics who have divorced or remarried, or to those who are uncomfortable with individual confession — particularly if they had become accustomed to “communal penance” — or to individuals who are in in same-sex relationships or living contrary to the Church’s teaching on sexuality or procreation. Many noted that the local Church needs to do a better job of explaining its teachings. Participants frequently noted the need for better outreach to youth, young adults and young families. Several participants noted that the majority of those attending were over 50 and asked where the young people were. Noted also was the need for more Spanish-speaking priests and for greater outreach to new immigrant groups.

Other Concerns. Repeatedly mentioned was concern about women’s leadership roles and influence in the Church. “I feel you have no idea of how painful it is to be a woman in the Church,” one participant wrote.

Other oft-cited concerns focused on the formation of new priests, with several participants troubled that the more recently ordained seemed to have been trained to adopt a clerical attitude. A comment from a listening session of deacons and priests noted “growing Please turn to FEEDBACK on page 22

“Do not attempt to change Church teaching; rather be faithful, open, listening [and] compassionate to struggles of Church members.”

“There should be no such thing as liberal or conservative — just Catholic.”

“Church needs to focus on marketing to young people.”

“Please send us leadership which will continue listening to laity and encourage listening between a polarized laity.”

“Somebody who could speak Spanish would be great.”

“Please find someone who will teach the flock why the Church stands where it does on issues of the day.”

“I’m glad I didn’t give up on the Church — there is hope!”

December 17, 2015

U.S. & WORLD

The Catholic Spirit • 9

Syrian family arrives with ‘hope in their eyes’

By Natalie Hoefer Catholic News Service

A butterfly is seen in a light show on the facade and dome of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 8. The show was sponsored by a coalition of production companies and charitable foundations with the intent to raise awareness about climate change. CNS

Catholic activists, pope say more work needed after climate pact

By James Martone Catholic News Service German Msgr. Josef Sayer prayed over a crowd of environmental activists at Saint-Merry Catholic Church, where they had joined for Mass after two weeks of intense lobbying in and around the U.N. climate change conference near Paris. “We have to start and struggle again, and it is a harsh way in front of us,” Msgr. Sayer told Catholic News Service Dec. 13, the day after the climate conference produced its final agreement.

He and other Catholic groups varied as to which of their summit ambitions had been met and which had not, but all of them contended that their struggle to save the environment was just beginning, and they called for further mobilization. The same day, Pope Francis said the agreement required a “concerted commitment” to continue forward.

“In the hopes that it guarantees particular attention to the most vulnerable populations, I urge the entire international community to continue the path undertaken with care, in a sign of solidarity that becomes ever more constructive,” he said.

The conference ran one day longer than expected.

Catholic activists had lobbied for the inclusion of human rights protections and lowering the threshold for the earth’s temperatures to be more in line with scientific research. They also advocated for adequate financing for poor countries to adapt to cleaner energy, and the phasing out of fossil fuels.

The two small children and their parents were exhausted as their plane landed in Indianapolis at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7. This was a family of refugees, leaving behind all they owned in war-ravaged Syria, ready to finally settle in the United States after a three-year wait to be welcomed.

Flor Bickel, senior immigration consultant for the Indianapolis Archdiocese’s Refugee and Immigrant Services, assisted the family at the airport.

“They were so tired, and the children were sleeping in their arms,” she told The Criterion, the archdiocesan newspaper. “But there was so much hope in their eyes.”

Heidi Smith, director of the archdiocesan refugee services agency, said it was a “happy reunion” with the mother’s sister and the sister’s family, who live in Indianapolis.

The family’s journey has been a long one. Fleeing their home in Syria three years ago due to violence, they have been living in transitional housing in Amman, Jordan. After two years of extensive security checks and personal interviews by the U.S. government, the family was approved to come to America.

Because of the family’s relatives in Indianapolis, the archdiocese was asked to help resettle the Syrian family

through its regular participation in a program that is a public-private partnership between the federal government and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and its Migration and Refugee Services.

Then, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence Nov. 16 announced that he would suspend the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state.

On Dec. 2, Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin met with the governor to discuss the family’s plight, to reassure him that they had gone through an extensive background check, and to explain the archdiocese’s refugee resettlement process.

“I listened to the governor’s concerns regarding security and prayerfully considered his request that we defer from welcoming them until Congress had approved new legislation regarding immigrants and refugees,” the archbishop stated in a Dec. 8 press release.

“I informed the governor prior to the family’s arrival that I had asked the staff of Catholic Charities to receive this husband, wife and their two small children as planned,” he said.

Soon after the archdiocesan news release was distributed, the governor’s office issued a statement that, while the governor “holds Catholic Charities in the highest regard,” he “respectfully disagrees with their decision to place a Syrian refugee family in Indiana at this time.”

Pope’s border visit to highlight outreach to poor Catholic News Service With the poverty on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, Pope Francis’ visit to the region in February will be an important opportunity for the Catholic Church “to emphasize the mercy of God that is at the core of the Christian faith.”

That’s how Catholic Extension views the trip, which will take place during the Church’s newly launched Holy Year of Mercy.

“In building up the faith among the poor,” said Father Jack Wall, president of Chicago-based Catholic Extension, “we are answering the Gospel call to serve ‘the least of our brothers and sisters’ and the Gospel mandate of the ‘preferential option for the poor,’ which is a cornerstone of Catholic social teaching.

“During his visit to the border, Pope Francis will undoubtedly show us the way,” he said in a statement.

On Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Vatican announced details about the pope’s Feb. 12-17 visit to Mexico. He will visit some of the country’s

most marginalized communities.

Pope Francis will stop in six cities, including two in the state of Chiapas and — across from El Paso, Texas — Ciudad Juarez.

Following the Vatican’s announcement, Catholic Extension issued a news release saying it will work with the Diocese of El Paso to plan papal visit events on the U.S. side of the border. The Chicago-based papal society has a long history of providing support to El Paso and the other Catholic dioceses at the U.S.Mexico border.

The pope is scheduled to be in Ciudad Juarez Feb. 17. His visit will culminate with a 4 p.m. Mass (local time) at Benito Juarez Stadium right next to the border. According to the Diocese of El Paso, the Mass will include a cross-border component.

“We hope that in a special way Pope Francis’ visit to this region will give voice to these often voiceless people here on the border, especially children and families who are the most vulnerable,” said El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz.

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10 • The Catholic Spirit

U.S. & WORLD

December 17, 2015

Pope Francis’ 2015: Family, ecology, but mostly mercy

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

A

t the Vatican and on five continents in 2015, Pope Francis continued to encourage and demonstrate a style of evangelization that emphasizes walking with people, listening to them and showing them God’s mercy.

From the heart of the universal Church to the heart of Africa, the pope showed how Christians with a joyful, living faith take calculated risks, engage in discernment and even debate, and resist the natural temptation to stay safe and cozy at home, letting everything move along like it always has.

On the 1,000th day of his pontificate, which began March 13, 2013, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica and inaugurated the Year of Mercy to help Catholics “rediscover the infinite mercy of the Father, who welcomes everyone and goes out personally to encounter each of them,” he said at Mass Dec. 8.

Mercy, the family and the environment topped the list of topics repeatedly and insistently discussed by Pope Francis and Catholic leaders across the globe in 2015.

None of the topics was treated just on the level of theory. Discussing concrete situations, though, set off a seemingly endless series of debates, including: Are there situations where justice and truth prevent some expressions of mercy and forgiveness? How far can the Church go in acknowledging and welcoming families who do not fully live up to the Church’s ideal? Is climate change as real and as dangerous as most scientists say?

Debate signals living Church Pope Francis kept saying he welcomed the discussion and debate, that it was important and a sign that the Church is alive. However, there also were times, particularly at the Synod of Bishops on the family in October, when he indicated that some of the rhetoric had crossed the line. He cautioned synod members against reading their differences of opinion in a “hermeneutic of conspiracy” and against using Church teaching as “stones to hurl at others.”

The pope and synod affirmed repeatedly that God’s ideal for the family is based on the marriage of one man and one woman, united for life and open to having children. Without acting as if every form of modern family life was equally valid, but also without “demonizing others,” the pope said at the end of the

Pope Francis gives the homily as he celebrates Mass on the campus of the University of Nairobi in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 26.

CNS gathering, the synod wanted “to embrace fully and courageously the goodness and mercy of God, who surpasses our human calculations and wants nothing other than that ‘all would be saved.’”

Pope Francis, who was to celebrate his 79th birthday Dec. 17, visited Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January; Bosnia-Herzegovina in June; Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay in July; Cuba and the United States in September; and Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic in late November.

Each trip featured visits to prisons, hospitals and soup kitchens or other places where Christian charity and mercy take their most concrete forms. He spoke in the halls of power, including at the United Nations and at the U.S. Congress, where he was the first pope to address a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives.

Whether soaked repeatedly by rain like he was in the Philippines or baked by the sun like in Cuba, he called on governments to put the needs and rights of their people first, and he called on Catholics to bend down with love and care to help society’s most needy and defenseless members.

Promoting human ecology lens Among the year’s highlights was the June release of Pope Francis’ much-anticipated encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Si’.”

Although forcefully insisting on a need to mitigate

climate change and clean up polluted land, air and water, the encyclical took a broader view of ecology and called people to treat all of creation — including people who are poor — with respect and concern because a lack of respect for creation is a lack of respect for God who created all that exists.

“The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,” the pope wrote in the document.

At the United Nations in New York, at U.N. offices in Nairobi and in speeches at the Vatican, Pope Francis urged world leaders meeting at the Paris Climate Conference in December to put the needs of the earth and its inhabitants — both present and future — before desires for political or financial gain. The world is facing a clear choice, he said: “either to improve or to destroy the environment.”

Pope Francis also drew attention to internal Church matters, though he always said the priority was on a lean, limber and listening Church busy ministering to the world rather than preoccupied with shoring up its own structures. With his international Council of Cardinals, work continued toward reorganizing the Roman Curia and revamping spending and budgeting procedures to ensure responsibility and transparency.

But the process hit a major bump in the road with the leak of confidential documents on Vatican finances; the Vatican court ordered the arrest and trial of five people in the case, including the two Italian journalists who wrote books based on the leaked documents.

And if mercy must be at the heart of the Church’s message, “synodality” — walking together — must mark its internal relationships, he said. The themes of synodality and collegiality have been present since the beginning of Pope Francis’ pontificate and featured in his exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium,” published in November 2013. But he developed the notions further this year, particularly when marking the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops.

“The journey of synodality is the journey that God wants from his Church in the third millennium,” the pope said Oct. 17. “A synodal Church is a listening Church, aware that listening is more than hearing. It is a reciprocal listening in which each one has something to learn.”

In a synodal Church, he insisted, leadership is not about power, but about service. “We must never forget: for the disciples of Jesus — yesterday, today and forever — the only authority is the authority of service; the only power is the power of the cross,” he said.

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December 17, 2015

U.S. & WORLD

ROME

Proposals to restrict religion raise alarms, says Baltimore archbishop The threat of terrorism must be confronted sensibly and not by restrictions based on religion that ultimately threaten religious freedom and incite more violence, said Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty. “As citizens and as believers, Christians and Catholics in the United States cannot possibly countenance” denying people entry into the country due solely to religious affiliation, he told Catholic News Service Dec. 10. Archbishop Lori was in Rome for a Dec. 10-12 international conference on Christian persecution in the world, held at the Pontifical Urbanian University. While the continuing threat of terrorist acts in the West by the Islamic State has caused security concerns, restricting religious liberty in countries like the United States, he said, could lead to policies that make matters worse. The archbishop was asked about the increasing climate of fear in the wake of terrorist attacks, as reflected, for example, in recent remarks by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on” and better understand possible threats. Such proposals, the archbishop said, have raised “great religious freedom alarms.”

VATICAN CITY

Pope reaffirms new annulment reforms as they come into effect As reformed rules for marriage annulment cases

came into effect, Pope Francis said the new norms are to be adhered to in order to help bring healing to failed marriages. With the release of two papal documents in September, the pope rewrote a section of canon law with the aim of making the Catholic Church’s marriage annulment process quicker, cheaper and much more of a pastoral ministry. A juridical process is always necessary for making accurate judgments, and the new rules were not about promoting annulments, but rather about helping Catholic couples with the process so they would not be “oppressed by the shadow of doubt” for prolonged periods, he had said in the papal documents. The papal documents, “Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus” (“The Lord Jesus, the Gentle Judge”) for the Latin-rite Church and “Mitis et misericors Iesus” (“The Meek and Merciful Jesus”) for the Eastern Catholic churches, went into effect Dec. 8, the opening day of the Year of Mercy. The pope issued a papal order, officially known as a “rescript,” Dec. 7, as a reminder of observing and carrying out the new norms and to clarify the finer details. The Vatican released the text Dec. 11.

Vatican releases instruction on identity, mission of religious brothers To help appreciate and better promote the vocation of religious brothers, the Vatican released a 50-page reflection on the importance of their life and mission of evangelization, fraternity and sacrifice. The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life released “Identity and Mission of the Religious Brother in the Church” in five languages Dec. 14 as a guide for the whole Church. Pope Benedict XVI asked the congregation in 2008 to draft an instruction in order to underline the importance of the vocation of lay brothers, especially

The Catholic Spirit • 11 given “the challenges they must face” in today’s world, said Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, secretary of the congregation. He spoke at a Vatican news conference presenting the document Dec. 14.

Pope advances sainthood causes of Lutheran convert, U.S. missionary Pope Francis advanced the sainthood causes of a Lutheran convert who established a branch of the Bridgettine order in her country and a U.S. missionary who died while ministering to the wounded in Vietnam. During a Dec. 14 meeting with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, the pope signed a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Mary Elizabeth Hesselblad, who refounded the Order of the Most Holy Savior of St. Bridget, better known as the Bridgettines.

Born in Sweden in 1870 and baptized into the Reform Church, she immigrated to the United States in 1886.

After working as a nurse, she converted to Catholicism in 1902 before moving to Rome. The pope recognized the heroic virtues of four women and eight men, including New Hampshire native Brother William Grogan, who tended to the sick and wounded during the Vietnam War. The pope also signed decrees recognizing the miracles needed for the beatifications of: Father Ladislao Bukowinski, a Ukrainian priest who died in Kazakhstan in 1974; Sister Maria Celeste Crostarosa, an Italian nun who founded the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer in the 18th century; Sister Mary of Jesus Santocanale, an Italian nun born in 1852, who founded the Congregation of the Capuchin Sisters of the Immaculate of Lourdes; Itala Mela, an Italian laywoman and Benedictine Oblate who died in 1957.

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12 • The Catholic Spirit

PEACE

on Plymouth

In shooting’s aftermath, Catholics in north Minneapolis seek ways to bring Christ’s light to community

Learning from listening The Visitation Sisters have lived in north Minneapolis for 26 years. Their monastic community consisting of two residences — located about six blocks from the Fourth Precinct — and one community house serves as “a little spiritual hub for people who want to join us for prayer and for a little spiritual nourishment,” said Sister Karen Mohan. “People come here regularly for prayer, and hopefully they are strengthened to do what they need to do. When you meet in the context of prayer . . . everybody’s on equal ground.”

The sisters’ presence and ministry to “live Jesus” in the neighborhood came about through trust.

“When we came to the neighborhood, we experienced being trusted, so then we were trusting, and then that just builds,” said Sister Mary Margaret McKenzie. “Even though the reputation of the neighborhood wasn’t that great, we learned to live here prudently, but not fearfully. And that didn’t interfere with the trust. When you don’t know someone and you’re afraid, there’s no ground for trust.”

In the wake of the shooting and subsequent protests, the sisters have even more neighbors coming to their door who want to talk about race issues. Sister Mary Margaret said these encounters allow them to embrace visitors as authentic individuals.

“We are called to be one. If we don’t get that from the fact that God became one with us, then what more do we need?” she said.

Sister Mary Frances Reis added that the encounters shed

A Catholic response Bishop Andrew Cozzens of St. Paul and Minneapolis said amid violence and contention, Catholics are reminded that the Lord said there would be difficult times and that others have lived through similar struggles.

“As people of faith, it makes our hearts long more for the prince of peace because we know Jesus is the only one who can bring peace in our divided world,” he said. “We also know he wants us to work for peace.”

Bishop Cozzens cited Blessed Pope Paul VI: “If you want peace, work for justice,” and a specific line from St. Francis of

Balloons, flowers and signs mark the site where Jamar Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

W. Broadway Ave. Fremont Ave. N.

A

bout a month has passed since the Nov. 15 shooting death of Jamar Clark, a black man, by a white police officer. While protesters, led by the group Black Lives Matter, have moved on from their encampment on Plymouth Avenue at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Fourth Precinct, their questions and those of the larger community linger in north Minneapolis and beyond.

“It’s been tense. The demonstrations and protests at the Fourth Precinct have affected a lot of people,” said Father Dale Korogi, pastor of Ascension Church, located about a mile northwest of the Fourth Precinct and shooting site.

In the shadow of the shooting’s national spotlight, the community awaits answers from an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Clark’s death. Regardless of when the details come to light and what they show, residents say it’s time for change. That change, they say, is only possible if people first acknowledge racial disparities exist.

Father Korogi, who grew up in north Minneapolis, said during the weeks-long protests the neighborhood was filled with sounds of news helicopters, and residents were on edge from the uncertainty of the protests and counter protests. “But it was also a time of very important conversations,” he noted.

“Although it may have been just a news item to people living in different parts of the city, it was with us constantly. It came up in many conversations. What I appreciate about being at Ascension is that it’s a very safe place for conversations to take place.”

Many Catholics in north Minneapolis know the conversations about race and justice precipitated by Clark’s death have to continue. They say the path to peace starts with listening.

light on others’ experiences.

“We as a community know we need to zip our lips and listen to our brothers and sisters,” she said.

Bob Briscoe, a parishioner of Ascension, lives in northeast Minneapolis but still spends most of his time in the neighborhood where he first lived upon moving to Minnesota in 2006 — visiting with the sisters, other friends and his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.

He can attest to the sisters’ approach.

“Sometimes you have to get out of your environment mentally and listen to what someone else has gone through all of their life,” he said.

Sister Karen, who visited the demonstration site and called the communication there “inspiring,” said the Church’s social justice teachings — specifically the dignity of the human person — are summoned amid the recent violence and people’s concern for justice and peace in an area with prominent racial disparities.

“Something has to change, and we have to be the ones to demand it, so that’s another place where our faith comes into a fuller throttle,” she said. “There has to be a groundswell, and I think people of faith are in a very good position to be a special part of that groundswell. It’s not alright to have young black men shot down . . . even if they’re doing something wrong.”

Aimee Fritsch is a graduate student and lay community member with the Visitation Sisters. She said her Catholic faith allows mercy to play into the recent events in her neighborhood.

“One of the guiding things of our faith is that God doesn’t give up on us,” said Fritsch, an Ascension parishioner. “There is mercy no matter where you’re at, that your life is still valuable no matter what you’ve done. I think that’s such a core part of our faith that we can — and we must — bring forward in these discussions.”

Heidi Schleif, another lay community member and Ascension parishioner, acknowledges that it might be easy for people to dismiss the issues surrounding the shooting, but that Catholics should pray about them.

“As Christians, this should be important to all of us,” she said. “We have some really deep-set issues and racial disparities, and we need to look at that no matter how [we] feel about what happened with Jamar Clark or what [we] think about the protests.”

Sister Karen agreed.

“This isn’t a problem that belongs to the black community; it belongs to all of us,” she said. “The whole meaning of the incarnation is that Jesus comes to be with us in our mess. . . .

To move forward means to pray about it [and] to see what we’re led to by that prayer. But we’re not all going to do it the same way. God wants us to find ways to express our unity, not our division.”

Newton Ave. N.

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit

1

18th Av

3

Plymouth Ave. 2

• 1 – Mpls. Fourth Precinct — site of Black Lives Matter protest • 2 – 1611 Plymouth — site of shooting of Jamar Clark • 3 – 1527 Fremont — Visitation Sisters Monastery • 4 – Ascension Church & School

Assisi’s “Instrument of Peace” prayer: “Grant th much seek to be understood, as to understand.

“Until we actually try to understand each oth be difficult to bring peace,” Bishop Cozzens sai building a culture of understanding could mean to people and listening.

Revealing Christ’s love, he said, is especially a during the Year of Mercy.

“The Holy Father is calling us to show mercy actions, even if we don’t see the larger effects o In a 2003 pastoral letter, Archbishop Emeritu called racism a “serious moral evil” and a denia that God is a “God of love and justice, a God w us in his image.” Archbishop Flynn highlighted remains a “very real and powerful force” as sho economic and social gaps among white people color.

“We cannot be a Church that is true to the d Gospel if we do not act justly, if we do not act t racism in the structures of our society and our C wrote. “And we cannot achieve personal holine love tenderly, if we do not love and respect all regardless of their race, language or ethnic heri

December 17, 2015 • 13

Bob Briscoe, a parishioner of Ascension Church in Minneapolis and former police officer, shares his experiences in light of the shooting of Jamar Clark and subsequent protests. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

In sharing experiences, Ascension parishioner hopes to initiate change

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit

r Clark was shot by a police officer Nov. 15 in north Minneapolis. Clark died the following day.

Letting God in

Bryant Ave. N.

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y by our concrete of it,” he said. us Harry Flynn al of the fact who made all of d how racism own by and people of

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While Ascension hasn’t had formal responses to the violence and unrest, Father Korogi said many parishioners joined protesters at prayer vigils, and he has addressed the issues in homilies and in faith-sharing groups. But he’s concerned that the conversation is beginning to fade.

“Especially in a multicultural community that Ascension is . . . because we share Communion in a very real and a very profound way, we should also find the ways to be enriched by another’s experience — in this case, with our African-American brothers and sisters,” he said. “Our experiences are so vastly different, and we have to dare to listen to each other’s stories.”

Father Korogi believes Ascension can be a model of Christian community by providing a safe place for people to know they’re loved and respected as children of God. “People are afraid of people they don’t know,” he said. “And so anytime a parish can bring together people of different backgrounds, different races, different cultures [and] different experiences to have the conversations, [then] we can bring that understanding and insight into difficult times and difficult days.

It may seem small, [and] it may seem like we alone can do nothing. But if each of us is taking the responsibility of moving forward peacefully and not perpetuating the fear and not aggravating the violence, that’s progress.”

Father Korogi visited the Fourth Precinct once during the protests and drove by every day.

“There are a lot of angry people, and we need to be open to what that anger is and respond,” he said.

Ascension Catholic School also plays an important role in assisting families to have stable and peaceful homes. Father Korogi noted that north Minneapolis has the highest disparity in high school graduation rates between students of color and white students in the state. He also said the area is “ground zero” in regard to jobs and education.

“If the children are well, then we’re doing OK,” he said, adding that the kindergarten through eighth-grade parish school boasts high graduation rates.

In the Advent season, Father Korogi said Catholics have a profound sense of knowing the Lord is with them.

“We have a God who has lived this life and is with us and is helping to move us forward — to letting God in and letting God be part of the solution,” he said, “letting Jesus into north Minneapolis.”

It was 1961. Bob Briscoe was 19, and he remembers he wasn’t allowed Communion at the rail in a Missouri church because he was black; others wouldn’t have come up if he were there. The priest told him to go to the sacristy after Mass to receive the Eucharist.

Experiences like that shape a person, said the 73-year-old parishioner of Ascension in north Minneapolis, where racial tensions have run high since the Nov. 15 shooting death of Jamar Clark, a black man, by a white police officer.

Briscoe, who moved to Minneapolis from Chicago in 2006, said residents of north Minneapolis don’t want their community defined by violence. But eliminating the “us vs. them” mentality requires dialogue to correct misperceptions and stereotypes. He said parishioners at Ascension are already doing it.

“We talk about who we are and what we are,” said Briscoe, who’s retired. “We accept others as we want to be accepted. We work together for common causes. [North Minneapolis] is a very diverse community, and I have to say that the spirit is high, and people want to change.”

Briscoe has six children, 17 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; with his wife, he’s raising one of his grandchildren because his daughter died from an asthma attack. He grew up in Chicago and attended Catholic school through high school. He’s also a former police officer.

He said that in his 12 years on the job, he never took his gun out of the holster. He worked in an all-black neighborhood where he witnessed offenders treated differently by race. When white cops stopped a white youth with marijuana, for instance, they put it down the drain and notified parents, he said. But with a black youth, they “put it in their pocket and put a record on him.”

“It’s all that kind of stuff,” Briscoe said.

“You give these black kids a record before they’re even given a chance to get out in the world.”

He said the issue today is police officers not buying in to the community they patrol, adding that most of the police officers in

north Minneapolis don’t live in the community.

“I was from that era where you got out of your car and walked down the block,” said Briscoe, who serves on the police review board for Minneapolis. “You knew the Gibson boys and the little Jones kids. You knew the kids — the little kids. That’s where you get the idea that the police love you, that you can trust the police. That’s what black kids need to see, police that come in the neighborhood and are friendly [and] treat people like they’re human beings and not like they’re some kind of animals that they’re protecting the rest of the community from.”

Fighting the stereotypes that blacks are untrustworthy, thieves and lazy is a 24/7 job, Briscoe said, citing a “legacy of slavery” that has led to large systemic problems and racial disparities. He attributes the cause of violence to poverty, for instance, and the cause of poverty to a lack of education.

“Parents don’t buy into education because [they] didn’t get a decent education,” he said. “And as far as violence — black violence on black violence — that comes from a lack of mentoring and males in the household.”

Briscoe said the stability found in a family structure, especially marriage, is key to the solution. He acknowledges that a lot has to be done, but sees himself as a role model for initiating change. He believes he makes a difference every time he speaks, because he speaks the truth.

“I don’t have to lie about this. I’ve experienced this,” he said. “We’re only 150 years out of it [slavery]. Half of our people are still caught up in the ‘Willie Lynch syndrome.’ [White people have] pushed it into our DNA.” It’s through this lens that Briscoe wants others to step out of themselves and into his experiences, which he’s shared at Ascension and the Visitation Sisters’ monastery.

Despite the struggles, Briscoe said he finds solace in his parish, where he knows people want to be “good Christian Catholics.”

“A lot of times, we want to say we are Catholic Christians. But that’s not the right term,” he said. “We are Christian Catholics because we follow Christ. Christ [doesn’t] follow us.”

14 • The Catholic Spirit

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given . . . and His name shall be called wonderful

December 17, 2015

counselor,

the mighty God; the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 CATHEDRAL OF SAINT PAUL

239 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul www.cathedralsaintpaul.org Christmas Eve: 5 p.m. Christmas Vigil Mass with Choristers 11:15 p.m. Readings and Carols 12:00 Midnight Mass with Archbishop Hebda and Cathedral Choir Christmas Day: 8 a.m., 12 Noon Mass with Cantor, 10 a.m. Mass with Bishop Cozzens New Year’s Eve: 5 p.m. Vigil, Solemnity of Mary Mother of God New Year’s Day: 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 Noon, Solemnity of Mary Mother of God

THE COMMUNITY OF THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS in N.E. Minneapolis invites you to celebrate Christmas with us

HOLY CROSS Christmas Eve: 4 p.m., midnight, (Music begins at 11:30) Christmas Day: 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. (English), 11:30 a.m. (Polish) ST. CLEMENT Christmas Eve: 8 p.m., Christmas Day: 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

ST. HEDWIG Christmas Eve: 4 p.m., Christmas Day: 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m.

CHURCH OF ST. THERESE OF DEEPHAVEN

18323 Minnetonka Blvd., Deephaven Christmas Vigil: 4 p.m., Midnight Mass: 9 p.m., Christmas Day: 9 a.m., New Year’s Eve: 5 p.m., New Year’s Day: 9 a.m.

Blessings to you this Christmas Season and throughout the New Year!

HOLY SPIRIT

515 S. Albert Street South, St. Paul holy-spirit.org/Christmas Christmas Eve: Thursday, Dec. 24, 4:30 p.m., prelude at 4 p.m. and 10 p.m., prelude at 9:30 p.m.

Christmas Day: Friday, Dec. 25, 9 a.m.

Solemnity of Mary Vigil Thursday, Dec. 31, 5:30 p.m., Solemnity of Mary New Year’s Day: Jan. 1, 9 a.m.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace this Christmas season

CHURCH OF ST. RITA

8694 80th St. S., Cottage Grove www.saintritas.org Christmas Eve: 4, 6 p.m.,10 p.m.

Christmas Carols begin at 9:30 p.m.

Christmas Day: 10:00 a.m.

New Year’s Day: Mary, Mother of God: 10 a.m.

ST. ALBERT THE GREAT CHURCH

E. 29th St. and 32nd Ave. S., Minneapolis (612) 724-3643 • www.saintalbertthegreat.org Christmas Eve: 5 p.m. (children’s Mass), 10 p.m. (candlelight Mass) Christmas Day: 10 a.m., New Years Day: 10 a.m.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW CATHOLIC FAITH COMMUNITY 630 E. Wayzata Blvd, Wayzata (952) 473-6601 • www.st-barts.org Christmas Eve: 4, 10 p.m. Christmas Day: 10:30 a.m.

Please join us to celebrate this blessed and holy season!

ST. MARON MARONITE CATHOLIC CHURCH

602 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413 Office: 612-379-2758 • www.stmaron.com Children’s Christmas Liturgy: Thursday, December 24th at 5:30 p.m.

Christmas Liturgy: Friday, December 25th at 10:00 a.m.

Please join us for some refreshments after each Liturgy.

Also, please remember that we will have Novena at 6:00 p.m. starting Tuesday, December 15th until December 23rd.

We look forward to seeing you among us for these Divine celebrations.

OUR LADY OF PEACE

54th St. and 12th Ave. in south Minneapolis Christmas Eve: 5, 9:30 p.m.; Carols start 9 p.m.

Christmas Day: 10 a.m.

Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God Friday, January 1 Mass: 10 a.m. followed by brunch

ST. STEPHEN’S CATHOLIC CHURCH 525 Jackson St., Anoka (763) 421-2471 • www.ststephenchurch.org Christmas Eve: 4, 5:30 p.m., (7 p.m. Spanish), 10 p.m.

Christmas Day: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., (12:30 p.m. Spanish) Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God December 31 at 5 p.m. (7 p.m. Spanish) January 1; 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. Spanish)

May this Christmas season be a special time of grace and blessing!

OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH One Lourdes Place, Minneapolis Christmas Eve: 4, 10 p.m.

Carols begin at 3:30, 9:30 p.m.

Christmas Day: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Carols begin at 8:30,10:30 a.m.

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!

NATIVITY OF OUR LORD

CHURCH OF SAINT PAUL 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd. NE, Ham Lake Christmas Eve: 4:30, 11 p.m.

(Incense at both Masses) Christmas Day: 9:30 a.m.

New Year’s Eve: 5:30 p.m.

New Year’s Day: 10:00 a.m.

May Jesus be born in your heart this Christmas filling the New Year with Peace

THE BASILICA OF SAINT MARY Hennepin Ave. at North Sixteenth St. Minneapolis www.mary.org • 612-333-1381 Christmas Eve Vigil Eucharist 4, 6:30, 8:30 p.m.

Choral Music for Christmas at 11 p.m.

Vigil of Lights at 11:30 p.m.

Midnight Solemn Eucharist Christmas Day Eucharist at dawn 7:30 a.m.

Solemn Eucharist 9:30 a.m., Noon Eucharist 4:30 p.m.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

Christmas Mass Thursday, December 24 Mass Times: 4:00 (two locations – Church & Regan Hall), 6 p.m., 10 p.m.

Friday, December 25 Mass Times 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m.

The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Wednesday, January 1 Mass Times: 10 a.m.

ST. EDWARD

9401 Nesbitt Ave. S., Bloomington (952)835-7101 Christmas Eve: Mass of Christmas Vigil: 4 p.m.

Mass of Christmas at night: 11 p.m.

Christmas Day: 8:30, 10:30 a.m.

Holy Family: Saturday, Dec. 26, 5 p.m.

Sunday: Dec. 27, 8:30, 10:30 a.m.

New Year’s Eve: Thursday, Dec. 31, 5 p.m.

New Year’s Day: Friday, Jan 2, 10 a.m.

Epiphany of the Lord: Saturday, Jan. 2, 5 p.m., Sunday, Jan 3, 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.

The Baptism of the Lord: Saturday at Jan. 3, 5 p.m, 9 p.m.

Sunday, Jan 11, 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.

324 S. Prior Ave., St. Paul Christmas Eve Masses 4 p.m. main church and school auditorium, 6 p.m., midnight (choir begins 11:30 p.m.)

Christmas Day Masses: 7, 8:15, 11 a.m.

CHURCH OF ST. JEROME

GUARDIAN ANGELS CHURCH

O Come Let Us Adore Him

God’s Blessing on you this Christmas!

4th Street N, Oakdale www.guardian-angels.org Thursday, December 24 Christmas Eve Christmas Pageant and Carols at 3:30 p.m., Vigil of Christmas at 4 p.m. (ASL), 6 p.m.

Mass at Night, 10 p.m., Prelude at 9:30 p.m.

Friday, December 25 Christmas Day Masses at 9, 11 a.m.

Feast of the Holy Family Saturday, Dec. 26 Mass at 5 p.m. (ASL), Sunday, Dec. 27 Mass at 7:30, 9, 11 a.m.

Feast of Mary, Mother of God Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, Mass at 5 p.m. (ASL) Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, Mass at 10 a.m.

Epiphany Saturday, Jan. 2 Mass at 5 p.m. (ASL) Sunday, Jan. 3 Mass at 7:30, 9, 11 a.m., Evening Vespers 7 p.m.

Best Wishes for a Holy Holiday

380 E. Roselawn Ave., Maplewood www.stjerome-church.org Christmas Eve Masses: 4, 10 p.m.

Christmas Day Mass: 9 a.m.

New Year’s Eve Mass: 5:30 p.m.

New Year’s Day Mass: 9 a.m.

ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC CHURCH

19795 Holyoke Avenue, Lakeville Keeping Christ in Christmas Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Holy Day of Obligation) Christmas Eve: 4 p.m., 4:15 p.m. (Murphy Hall); 6 p.m. (ASL), 12 a.m. (­midnight) Christmas Day: 9, 11 a.m., (Holy Day of Obligation) New Year’s Eve: 5:30 p.m., New Year’s Day: 9 a.m., 11 a.m.

December 17, 2015

T

he Communion rail — a singular element of preVatican II church architecture — symbolizes both the hope and the hurt in the Church connected with the Second Vatican Council.

The removal of the Communion rail, where the faithful once knelt to receive the Eucharist, was to some a sign of progress; to others it meant the loss of beauty, sanctity and tradition.

Prior to St. Pope John XXIII’s “opening the windows” by launching Vatican II in 1963, a church’s sanctuary was the territory of priests and altar boys. The Communion rail divided the sanctuary from the nave, the part of the church for everyone else.

After the three-year council, lay lectors, cantors and extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist were present in the sanctuary on the other side of the Communion rail — if there was one. But its removal meant much more.

“When that Communion rail was taken down, there was a lot of social meaning,” said Father Michael O’Connell, now in his 49th year as a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “The Communion rail was emblematic of the tension points Vatican II surfaced. The differences between the clergy and laity were dissolving. In effect, Mass was a community in prayer, not just a priest.”

The act of removal itself was emblematic as well, and not always done tactfully. At St. Thomas the Apostle, for example, the Communion rail and other elements of popular piety were hastily extracted from the south Minneapolis church.

“We stripped it,” Father O’Connell said. “We were too abrupt. We didn’t respect the people enough to prepare them. It was very painful for people.”

Stripped from the Church, too, was the Latin, as well as Gregorian chant and polyphony that, as Father John Reidy noted, “got pushed aside” by newer forms of liturgical music. A retired University of St. Thomas English professor ordained in 1956, Father Reidy saw “a complete break with the past” being promoted. He felt “the mission of the Church changed from the salvation of souls to a social mission.”

‘Tumultuous, exciting, sad’ Although this month 50 years will have passed since the council ended in 1965, Vatican II continues to be a focal point, both positive and negative, for Catholics in the archdiocese. It was frequently evoked — with various connotations — during the listening session series in October and November for a new archbishop.

“At one time the Church had it right, and they screwed it up,” Timothy Huberty, a marketing executive active at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, told The Catholic Spirit. “Vatican II made us too much like everybody else. We’re not special anymore.”

Ed Sellner, a pioneer lay religious educator, shared a different perspective: “From the majority of people in parishes there was a sense of affirmation, rejuvenation.”

Patricia Gries, the first female member of an archbishop’s executive team in the archdiocese, noted the immense growth in lay activity following Vatican II. “This local Church was alive with many good people doing great things for the Church,” Gries said.

Father O’Connell called these times “tumultuous, exciting, tremendously aggravating and sad,” but said he wouldn’t trade living through it for any other period of human history.

Father Charles Lachowitzer, veteran pastor and the archdiocese’s moderator of the curia, said the council is often viewed as a litany of changes.

“People see Vatican II as an event, not as a document — an event that principally turned the priest around and put the Mass in English,” he said.

In reality, he said, “today’s Catholics live instinctively by the documents of Vatican II, and yet they couldn’t name them. For instance, people wouldn’t know what ‘Nostra Aetate’(Vatican II’s Declaration of the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions) was, but ask them if Jews are going to hell and they’d say no. That’s ‘Nostra Aetate.’”

Marilou Eldred’s life changed as a result of one of the very visible impacts of Vatican II. As a lay woman, she used her experience in education to chair the school board at St. Luke (now St. Thomas More) in St. Paul, and went on to become the director of the local Catholic Community Foundation.

Eldred values Vaticans II’s liturgical changes, especially the use of the vernacular — one’s own

FAITH & CULTURE

Vatican II at 50

The Catholic Spirit • 15 The 1,800-family parish had gone two years without a pastor after the death of Father Robert Wittman at age 59. During the interim, 18 sisters left the parish school.

Father Kittock, ordained in 1955, said he took his cue for pastoring from the documents of the council and “Ecclesiam Suam” (“On the Church”), Blessed Pope Paul VI’s 1964 encyclical that described how to interpret and implement council teachings.

Undergirding his philosophy was the freshly articulated universal call to holiness, the idea that everyone — not just clergy and religious — were called to be saints. Father Kittock said he saw that his job was to make people saints.

As he spoke, he took from his pocket a piece of paper no larger than 5 by 7 inches on which he had outlined that “job.” After he read some of the outline aloud, he said, “I realized I couldn’t do it by myself, I had to have people to help me make saints out of everybody else.”

He held in-service training for the school and parish staff, and hired a lay theologian. He thinks St. Charles was possibly the first parish in the country to do so.

Confusion, creativity

For Twin Cities Catholics, council continues to stir faith and heat emotions

By Bob Zyskowski • The Catholic Spirit language — as opposed to Latin.

“I think my prayer at Mass became more sincere,” Eldred said. “It was easier to concentrate on prayer — the meaning of the words you were saying — when it was in English.”

Vatican II challenged lay people to use their talents in the work of the Church, Eldred said. “Catholics like the idea of inclusion,” she said. “They like the idea of being included as partners with bishops and priests.”

At the time of the council, Eldred was in the convent, where she spent 10 years as a Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She wore the habit and was given a different name.

“With the changes that came with Vatican II, the order embraced the ability to be more modern, so it must have been in 1965 we stopped wearing the habit and resumed our baptismal names,” Eldred said.

“For me, I liked wearing the habit. I thought it set us apart; people were deferential toward us. I really liked living in community. I like the order of it, the regular prayer schedule.”

When many of the sisters her age began leaving the convent to live elsewhere, she was one of the few younger women who remained, living with much older sisters. She felt peer pressure to move out, too, and even now feels she may have done so to “go along with the crowd,” she admitted.

“I left the convent mainly for lack of community life.

I was 29 at the time, and it had become a more lonely life for me than I thought it would be when I entered,” said Eldred, who ultimately left religious life and married. In the decade following the council, thousands of women left religious life. Eldred called the exodus a setback.

“Nuns were immersed in the teachings of the Church, living the life of the Church,” Eldred said. “In the early years following the council the lay people rarely had the same experience as the sisters, who had been the majority of Catholic school teachers.”

Sisters had also often taught religion to public school children, and their leaving education for other ministries, or religious life altogether, left a gap.

Father Francis Kittock experienced that transition in 1973 when he was appointed pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, whose boundaries include the suburb of St. Anthony and northeast Minneapolis.

Mark Croteau is a 30-year lay minister and faith formation leader who has served at St. Olaf in Minneapolis, the Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Hubert in Chanhassen and now is director of mission at St. Joseph in West St. Paul. He admitted that he has only gradeschool memories of the time when Vatican II was underway. “I remember the excitement about what it means, but a lack of clarity of what it meant,” Croteau said. “There was a sense of hope, but caution. I think people wondered what was wrong that needed fixing.”

He called it a confusing time.

“There was a total rupture from what was before,” Croteau said.

The classics weren’t studied. Scholasticism was out.

There were new ways of doing theology — more experiential. What’s right and what’s wrong? Leading thinkers said we’re not sure we can know.

“People were either digging in their heels [to preserve traditions] or embracing Vatican II so hard that they squeezed the juice out of it,” Croteau said. “There was no real plan; folks were left to devise their own programs, and that caused confusion.”

An anecdote Father O’Connell shared made the point: Prior to 1963, professors would write their curriculum and teach it year after year, because nothing was changing. In 1963, Father O’Connell recalled, a St. Thomas theology professor came into the classroom and dropped his notes in the wastebasket. “He said, ‘We gotta start all over.’ ” Mary Kaye Medinger, one of the early lay ministers as a parish director of religious education, was a student at then-College of St. Catherine as the council was wrapping up. She recalled St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Rosalie Ryan in 1965-66 teaching theology using as her text the Beatitudes and Time magazine.

“We went from memorization to ongoing dialogue about what impact Scripture had on our lives,” Medinger said. Croteau, who was among the first to earn a master’s degree in theology offered at St. Thomas, made the point that it took the institutional Church “20 years or so after the council to give lay people the foundation they needed to work in a parish.”

Theological foundations Years before the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul became a university, its leaders recognized the need to enable “lay people to do what Vatican II called them to do,” Ed Sellner said.

Sellner was hired in 1981 to teach theology and start St. Kate’s Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies program (MAPS), “so the lay people being hired by parishes had the theology behind them,” he said. It was a logical step for the Catholic women’s college, Sellner said, because primarily women felt called to lay ministry.

Later St. Catherine began a master of theology program with a concentration on spirituality, again with mostly women in the program, although it was open to men.

Continued on next page

16 • The Catholic Spirit

FAITH & CULTURE

December 17, 2015

Priests: Local liturgy, social justice work eased Vatican II transition Continued from previous page Medinger was one of those women, and one involved in sharing the teachings of Vatican II not just to those who would be doing ministry, but to anyone — even non-Catholics.

After working at St. Luke (now St. Thomas More) in St. Paul and working for the archdiocese in faith formation, in 1994 she became the founding director of Wisdom Ways Spirituality Center, an initiative with its origins in the theology department at St. Catherine.

“The people there took seriously Vatican II’s directive to go out into the broader community to share the Gospel,” Medinger said. “They were aware of the hunger for spirituality, that there were thinking people in the community who were looking for something more.”

As what Medinger described as “a natural grandchild of MAPS,” the archdiocese launched the Institute for Christian Life and Ministry in 1997. The three-year certificate program offered practical theology training for volunteers, lay ministers and teachers.

Better off, but still learning Today the archdiocese offers a similar, two-year program through the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute.

“We couldn’t have established the catechetical institute without Vatican II,” Father Reidy said as he and Father Kittock discussed the council. Asked if the Church was better off that Vatican II occurred, both said yes.

“Oh, for sure,” Father Kittock said. “Half of Africa has turned Catholic as a result of Vatican II. Our ecumenical relationships are another positive result.”

Father Reidy saw a collapse of catechetical teaching in the aftermath of Vatican II, quoting then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger by describing it as “a catastrophic failure.” Sellner and Huberty observed that personally.

On the other hand, Father Reidy said the council documents are “marvelous” in the way they explain the Catholic faith, and the fact that the council led to the new Catechism of the Catholic Church, published in 1994, “is a wonderful thing.”

Vatican II was also responsible for the suppression of popular devotions, Father Reidy said. “They just took them away.”

Father Kittock interjected: “But they focused on the Mass instead, and that’s what was more important.”

With regard to liturgical music, Father Kittock described a concern similar to one pastors had with lay ministers: “We had no one trained.”

While he misses chant and polyphony, Father Reidy acknowledged that the council’s call for greater participation by the people in the pew — and in the vernacular — enabled new music to be written.

Before Minnesotans Father J. Michael Joncas, David Haas and Marty Haugen collaborated and made the archdiocese a leader in popular post-conciliar music for worship, the only liturgical music was often English translations of German Lutheran hymns, Father O’Connell recalled. That was worthwhile, he said, because Lutherans taught catechesis and rooted their hymns in basic Christian theology.

However, he said, “It’s really hard for me to hear some of the early stuff that we had right after Vatican II. “Latin was gorgeous. It was gorgeous because it was classic. We were reduced to ‘Michael, Row the Boat Ashore.’ The songs lacked musical integrity.

“It took a long time for us to get where we are today.

NOTICE

Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from

CATHOLIC CHARITIES in all copies of this issue.

More online Visit www.TheCatholicSpirit.com to see a one-sentence synopsis of each of the documents of Vatican II, plus additional coverage that recounts why the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was so well prepared to implement what Vatican II called for in liturgy and justice.

We had the St. Louis Jesuits, and then Michael and David (Father Michael Joncas and David Haas), they advanced it, and it’s still growing. We’ve finally got to the point where we have fairly elegant Church music in English that has real integrity.”

Two pre-conciliar legacies — the Liturgical Movement led by the Benedictines at St. John’s Abbey 100 miles northwest of the Twin Cities in Collegeville and the social justice pioneering of this archdiocese’s own Msgr.

John Ryan — eased the transition to the new liturgy here by supporting the council’s teaching that “worship and justice are married,” Father O’Connell said. That groundwork sprouted post-conciliar justice activity often headlined by the newly formed Urban Affairs Commission, which delved into race and housing issues, to name just a few.

“The legacy,” Father O’Connell said, “is that in order to have legitimate worship, you had to walk the walk, and you had to wash people’s feet like Christ did.”

Change in the 1960s To be understood, Catholic leaders said, Vatican II needs to be viewed in the context of its times.

Catholic culture — like other societal traditions — was what was dissolving in the years surrounding the council, Father Kittock said. “Vatican II came like a tsunami,” along with all other kinds of revolution. The sexual revolution was one of those, and Father Reidy said it affected the Church and the clergy.

“It was a letting down of the bar, a laxity,” Father Reidy said. “There was the impression that we [the Catholic Church] had over-emphasized [sex] in the past, and people were looking for freedom.”

Huberty — the marketing executive and Nativity parishioner — said Vatican II was when “the wheels started coming off” the Church’s cultural norms.

Coming from a Hastings family that prayed the rosary every evening, Huberty studied American church history with the legendary Lutheran scholar Martin Marty as a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago.

“All the rules and all the regulations, that’s what it was all about,” he said. Because it was part of Catholic culture at the time, one was expected to follow the Church’s rules. “The relaxation of the rules was a bad thing,” Huberty added. “People are comfortable with rules. Vatican II pulled the rug out from everybody.”

Moving forward, not apart The archdiocese’s moderator of the curia sees things differently.

“Catholics picture the Second Vatican Council as the middle aisle dividing the liberal and conservative sides of their Church,” and wrongly so, Father Lachowitzer said.

“Vatican II was about moving this Church forward to be able to cope with what was happening in the world,” he said.

“You can’t turn back the clock on the degree to which

Vatican II is influencing Catholic life today,” added Father Lachowitzer, who was ordained in 1990.

“Take how we look at Scripture. In the past, Scripture came to us only at Mass. The idea that you could sit and read the Bible would have been foreign to Catholics.

The Bible was something you put on your coffee table and entered the names of family members when they were born and when they died.”

“Verbum Dei” — the council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation — “gave us today’s emphasis on the role of the homily to pull us from the revelation of the word to the mystical level of the body of Christ,” he said.

“Gaudium et Spes,” Vatican II’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, is still a prophetic document, he said. “Fifty years ago, ‘Gaudium et Spes’ was laying the foundation for what [Pope] Francis said at the United Nations this fall,” Father Lachowitzer said.

Much of the lay involvement today, he added, came out of “Lumen Gentium,” the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.

“In the 1950s, to be a good Catholic you met your Sunday obligation and didn’t eat meat on Friday,” he said.

“Vatican II clarified our role, saying the shifts and changes weren’t just liturgical. The documents changed our ability to express our spiritual and deepest feelings,” he said, adding that involving laity in decision-making may have been the directive of the council that was done best in the archdiocese.

“In 1987, this archdiocese had 220 parishes, and 190 of those had parish councils,” Father Lachowitzer recalled. “I did a summer in south Boston as a seminarian, and the Archdiocese of Boston, with 500 parishes, had two parishes with parish councils.

“Lay ministry grew because pastors were dealing with increasingly complicated issues. ‘Father knows best’ became obsolete,” he said.

The reform that Vatican II brought about, he said, was building better structures between the people in the pews and the decision-makers.

A Church of unity Polarization in the Catholic Church can be exaggerated, Father Lachowitzer said. “Americans are polarized, and it’s reflected in the Church,” he said.

“Vatican II is reform, laying out what the Church needs to do to meet the needs of a changing society.” “[Popes] John Paul II and Benedict XVI embodied the necessary counter-reformation so that Francis could be the synthesis. We had reform, the counter-reformation and now we have renaissance.”

While some Catholics — and some priests — would side with the counter-reformation and others would see reforms as not yet finished, Father Lachowitzer makes the point that all continue to be part of the same Church.

“Is there room for both?” he asked rhetorically.

“We’re doing both. Society and our experience tell us we have to choose, and I say we don’t. We can have both Nancy Pelosi and Paul Ryan. Unity is our gift to the world.”

It is good to realize, too, that the Church is still in the Vatican II era, Father Lachowitzer said.

One of his predecessors in the moderator of the curia’s chair, Father O’Connell, recalled a reporter asking Pope Francis if he was going to call for Vatican III. Father O’Connell said, “Francis replied, ‘I’m going to complete Vatican II.’ ”

December 17, 2015

FROM AGE TO AGE

The Catholic Spirit • 17

Local author’s new book sings praises of sacred music Interview by Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit Virginia Schubert, a parishioner of St. Agnes Church and Nativity of Our Lord, both in St. Paul, recently published “To Sing with the Angels: A History of the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale.” In it, the longtime soprano member of the Chorale — in its 42nd year — highlights the musical contributions and reach of Chorale founder Msgr. Richard Schuler, and its significance as part of the sacred liturgy at St. Agnes Church. Schubert, a professor emerita of Macalester College in St. Paul and Lady Commander in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, answers questions about her new book.

Q. What does the book highlight and why?

A. The book is a history of the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale, founded in 1955 by the then-Father Richard Schuler. The Chorale is now in its 42nd season of singing the great Classical and Romantic Masses of composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert with professional orchestra as a part of the liturgy of the holy sacrifice of the Mass in Latin at the Church of St. Agnes in Virginia St. Paul.

SCHUBERT The book also recounts the important role that Msgr. Schuler played in the post-Vatican II Church. It was his heroic commitment, through word and deed, to the authentic implementation of “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” the document on music and liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, that helped keep the patrimony of Catholic sacred music

alive in the United States for a new renaissance. When Msgr.

Schuler was accused of living in the past, he often said that he was rather 40 years ahead of the times. And he is being proven correct.

Q. What prompted you to write this now?

A. I was inspired to write the book two years ago when the Chorale celebrated its 40th anniversary of singing for the Latin High Mass at St. Agnes. At our request, the Church Music Association of America (CMAA) (publisher of Sacred Music magazine), gave a three-day conference at St. Agnes and the Cathedral of St. Paul in honor of our 40th anniversary and Msgr.

Schuler’s significant contributions. All three keynote addresses dealt with Msgr. Schuler’s significant body of work.

Q. What is the Chorale’s significance and reach beyond St. Agnes?

A. Msgr. Schuler had a national and international reputation in the area of Catholic Church music. He was president of the CMAA and editor of Sacred Music magazine for over 20 years, from 1975 until 1998. He was also vice president of the Consociatio Internationalis Musicae Sacrae (CIMS), the papal church music association. The Twin Cities Catholic Chorale, along with the Dallas Catholic Choir,

represented the United States at two international Church music congresses, in Chicago and Milwaukee in 1966 and in Salzburg, Austria, in 1974. Those who attended the CMAA conference in St. Paul in October 2013 came in part because they wanted to attend the beautiful solemn liturgies at St. Agnes sung by the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale, and thus come to know Msgr. Schuler’s work firsthand, even after his death.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the Chorale?

A. The Twin Cities Catholic Chorale, a choir composed of about 65 singers of all ages and from the greater Twin Cities area, is not a concert choir. It sees as its purpose to lift its voices in the glorification of God in order to inspire the faithful in its worship of God. A prayerful participation in the holy sacrifice of the Mass for both the choir and the congregation is always at the center of the Chorale’s activity.

The Chorale participates in the sacred liturgy at the Church of St. Agnes and has a very close relationship with the pastor and the parish. However, it is independently incorporated as a nonprofit in the state of Minnesota and has always been self-financed.

For more information about “To Sing with the Angels: A History of the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale,” visit www.saintceciliapublications.com. The 260-page book is available at Amazon and Leaflet Missal. For more information about the Chorale, visit www.catholicchorale. org.

Mark Your Calendars and Join Us for a Holiday Tradition!

“A Cup of Christmas Tea” You’re invited to join us for our traditional reading of this timeless classic.

Enjoy Holiday Treats & Refreshments.

Bring a Friend!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 2:00 PM 1011 Feltl Court · Hopkins, MN 55343 RSVP to Chrysauna Buan at 952-960-5558 or cbuan@greatlakesmc.com

Merry Christmas

18 • The Catholic Spirit

THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY

GUEST COMMENTARY

Elizabeth Kelly

In silence’s emptiness, an openness to receive In the last issue, I encouraged you to practice some silent prayer this Advent.

You may have discovered by now that sometimes that’s a little tough. Maybe you miss the noise, some kind of stimulation. You miss your words, your routine, your rote prayer. When I remove myself from the whir of the world and am left with only myself and the Lord, all that silence can feel a little, well, empty.

But that may be the very gift God wants to give you.

The quirky English mystic Caryll Houselander writes in “The Reed of God” (1944) that we need to be careful of how we think about this emptiness.

“Emptiness is a very common complaint in our days,” she writes.

“Those who complain . . . of the emptiness of their lives are usually afraid to allow space or silence or pause . . . . They dread space, for they want material things crowded together, so that there will always be something to lean on for support.”

Instead, Houselander ties the emptiness of which I speak specifically to the “virginal emptiness” of the Blessed Mother: “[It] is not a formless emptiness, a void without meaning; on the contrary it has a shape, a form given to it by the purpose for which it is intended. It is

emptiness like the hollow in the reed . . . to receive the piper’s breath and to utter the song that is in the heart. It is emptiness like the hollow in the cup, shaped to receive water or wine. It is emptiness like that of the bird’s nest, built in a round warm ring to receive the little bird.”

God seeks to fill emptiness We could say the same about our attempts to sit in silence. Each attempt is not a void, a formless emptiness, but rather it has a shape and a form, a purpose for which it is intended. If we are willing to wait a while, God will reveal its shape and fill it with his purpose. This is the sort of emptiness that silence seeks.

Each of us possesses some manner of virginal emptiness like the Blessed Mother and it is the work of silence, of prayer without words, to discover it, to reveal it and to uncover what “sort of shape this emptiness in us is.”

Houselander writes, “From this we shall learn what sort of purpose God has for us. In what way are we to fulfill the work of giving Christ life in us? Are we reed pipes? Is he waiting to live

December 17, 2015

“If we are willing to wait a while, God will reveal [silence’s] shape and fill it with his purpose.” lyrically through us? Are we chalices?

Does he ask to be sacrificed in us? Are we nests? Does he desire of us a warm, sweet abiding in domestic life at home?

These are only some of the possible forms of virginity; each person may find some quite different form, his own secret.”

Your silence, your emptiness has a form. Sit, wait for it, receive your own silent secret.

Kelly is an award-winning speaker and the author of five books, including “Reasons I Love Being Catholic.” She is trained as a spiritual director in the Ignatian exercises and leads retreats with a particular focus on helping women to flourish in their faith.

FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA

Jason Adkins

Patriotism, American exceptionalism and the common good Today, “patriotism,” a proper love of country or home, is often castigated as narrow-minded, bigoted or reactionary by the cosmopolitan elites who police our public discourse.

Unfortunately, the talking heads have lots of ammunition for such claims when politicians use campaign themes such as “Make America Great Again,” while at the same time clamor for the exclusion of whole groups of people from our country.

Patriotism, however, is a noble sentiment that compels us to work for the common good. It is perfectly consistent with the universal values and call to solidarity our Catholic faith requires. Like any virtue, it is a mean between the extremes of jingoistic nationalism and a sterile, abstract universalism that loves “humanity” but tends to dislike actual human persons.

Proper patriotism is rooted in the right idea about what makes (and has made) a country great and beloved; in this way, it is also a corrective force when one’s community fails to live up to that patrimony.

One preserves, protects and perpetuates a patrimony only that one loves. As St. Paul’s first archbishop, John Ireland, declared: “The value of patriotism to a people is above gold and precious stones, above commerce and industry, above citadels and warships.

Patriotism is the vital spark of national

honor; it is the fount of the nation’s prosperity, the shield of the nation’s safety. Take patriotism away, the nation’s soul has fled, bloom and beauty have vanished from the nation’s countenance.”

What ‘greatness’ means People naturally have pride in their home. Americans are no different, and have always embraced the idea that this is a great and exceptional nation, guided by the hand of Providence.

But today, we continue to talk of greatness — and of the United States being the “greatest” nation now and of all time — untethered to any real, shared idea of what that means, and certainly without reference to the God in whom we no longer seem to trust.

For example, is greatness about having the preeminent military? Is it winning the most medals at the Olympics or having the largest economy?

True American patriotism is instead rooted in our country’s noblest ideals, and in the institutions and culture that promote those ideals. Unlike other nations that identify by ethnicity and a shared history, the United States is a nation founded on an idea — namely, the proposition that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.”

“Our history shows us that when we defend the rights of all persons, and extend the blessings of liberty to others outside the circle of exclusion, we truly live up to our expectations and responsibilities as an exceptional nation.”

Our nation is great when, as President Lincoln exhorted us, we prove this proposition true. Our history shows us that when we defend the rights of all persons, and extend the blessings of liberty to others outside the circle of exclusion, we truly live up to our expectations and responsibilities as an exceptional nation.

But when we, out of the (not illegitimate) fear of losing our country to forces out of our control, fall into narrow, ethnic, linguistic or racial categories about what it means to be an American, we undermine our greatness.

Promoting solidarity Sometimes, because of our failings as a nation, patriotism is attacked. In its place are calls to be “global citizens” and proclamations of “God bless everyone, no exceptions.” But our responsibility of global solidarity does not mean transcending the particular responsibilities we owe to our family and the local community to which we have primary responsibility. Indeed, proper concern and care for those

closest to us is actually the seedbed of national and global solidarity.

As the prophet G.K. Chesterton noted: “A man who loves humanity and ignores patriotism is ignoring humanity. . . . The fundamental spiritual advantage of patriotism and such sentiments is this: that by means of it all things are loved adequately, because all things are loved individually.”

As Catholics, we must model and cultivate a proper patriotism — a love for our communities and our nation rooted in its noblest patrimony of extending the blessings of liberty.

Likewise, we must remind our fellow citizens that, at a global level, our nation’s greatness will be found in humility and service, that is, becoming small — not in power and the imposition of our culture. Changing our world first means changing ourselves. In other words, our Catholic faith calls us to “think globally, and act locally.”

Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

December 17, 2015

THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY

EVERYDAY MERCIES

Alyssa Bormes

Can there be too much mercy?

Editor’s Note: “Everyday Mercies” is a new column series for the Year of Mercy.

There are times when it is all just too much. We are too busy, too overwhelmed, tired, lonely or a host of too many other things. But are there ever times when mercy is too much?

As the Year of Mercy opens, it makes me look back on my life. Only now do I understand the intention with which my parents took me to be baptized. Later, they led me to confession, Communion and confirmation. Once out of their home, however, I left the Church for 17 years.

Then, there was the collision with mercy. The sacraments were no longer

my idea of sentimentality; instead they became the way home to the Church — a definite and clear road map. The indelible mark left from baptism and confirmation drew me back to confession and the Eucharist. I was overwhelmed with mercy. Darkness yielded to brilliance.

Instrument of mercy The tears and prayers of my mother were, at least in part, a reason I came home to the Church. What an amazing mercy this was. Even in the midst of my rejecting the faith she had imparted to me, she still had an undying love for me.

Mercy is a gratuitous act of love bestowed on one who is undeserving. My

parents were merciful to lead me to the sacraments, as was God in allowing me to return to them. Yet, there may still come a day when the mercy is too much, which, for me, became a prelude to the Year of Mercy.

April 21, 2015, began a one-month journey that changed everything. It was to be the last month of my mother’s life — but none of us were aware of it. Along with my stepfather and stepsister, we traveled to Rome on pilgrimage. It was there that mother went to Mass for what would be the last time.

Upon returning home, my sister and I cared for our ailing mother until it was discovered that she had a broken back and congestive heart failure. Her final days were spent in the hospital.

During her last weeks, I was able to bring her the Eucharist, have her anointed and then call a priest to be with her at her death. Of course all of this was a mercy, but how was it too much?

My mother had led me to the sacraments, and in her last days, after my having rejected him as a young adult, God allowed me to be the instrument that brought his sacraments to her. The enormity of it is humbling; I will never

The Catholic Spirit • 19

“My mother had led me to the sacraments, and in her last days, after my having rejected him as a young adult, God allowed me to be the instrument that brought his sacraments to her.” merit this gratuitous gift of love. His mercy has become a balm for my broken heart, and in a wild, extravagant, breathtaking way, it has been the perfect prelude to the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

And, beautifully, it is too much.

Bormes, a member of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, is the author of the book “The Catechism of Hockey.”

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN

Matthew James Christoff

St. Joseph a much-needed model for Catholic men There is a Catholic “man-crisis.”

Many men have quit Catholicism and many fail to practice the faith. Many Catholic men have lost sight of the powerful attractiveness of heroic Catholic manhood.

During Christmas, Christ the King gives men the special blessing of remembering the heroic manhood of his earthly father, St. Joseph. St. Joseph shows Catholic men how to be better men, husbands and fathers by becoming sacrificial protectors, providers and leaders of their families in several key ways.

• St. Joseph knows and practices the faith. Large numbers of Catholic men do not know the faith and only one in four men profess to be “practicing” Catholics. Joseph, a devout Jew, rigorously practiced the faith by his diligent adherence to Jewish rituals such as the circumcision of Jesus, the presentation of Jesus at the Temple and traveling to Jerusalem for feasts.

Following St. Joseph’s lead, Catholic men can practice their faith diligently through deep engagement in the sacraments, prayer and the liturgical life of the Church.

• St. Joseph practices heroic chastity.

Two-thirds of Christian men are viewing pornography monthly, putting their souls in mortal jeopardy. The statistics approach 100 percent for young men.

Worse, four of five men have not been to confession in the past year and only 1 in 50 go to confession monthly.

“Following St. Joseph’s lead, Catholic men can practice their faith diligently through deep engagement in the sacraments, prayer and the liturgical life of the Church.”

God knows Satan uses sex to attack men and blesses men with the powerful example of the chastity of St. Joseph.

St. Joseph respects the virginity of Our Lady, and, through a deep devotion to God, is given the grace to live a life of perfect celibacy. God offers the same graces to today’s Catholic lay men who aspire to chastity.

• St. Joseph upholds the dignity of women. Many men fail to uphold the dignity of women, as they are influenced by a sexualized culture in which women are objectified. Many also reject sacramental marriages.

St. Joseph demonstrates a heroic willingness to uphold Mary’s dignity by marrying her despite the fact that she is with child, and, in that relationship, upholds her virginity. In St. Joseph’s heroic chivalry, Catholic men can learn to uphold the dignity of all women.

• St. Joseph protects Mary and Jesus.

Many Catholic men are failing to watch over their families and failing to protect their homes from an increasingly perverse culture. St. Joseph protects Mary and Jesus by securing a safe place for the nativity and by leading Mary and the newborn Jesus on the dangerous and arduous trip to Egypt to escape Herod’s murderous intent.

Joseph exemplifies the vigilance and determination men need to protect their wives and children today.

• St. Joseph teaches Jesus the faith.

Men are essential in passing on the Catholic faith, but half of Catholic men

don’t know the faith and are not convinced their children should remain Catholic. St. Joseph fulfills his role as passing on the Jewish faith to Jesus; while the Son of God learns directly from his Heavenly Father, St. Joseph oversees Jesus’ catechesis for at least 12 years, teaching him to pray the Psalms.

St. Joseph shows today’s men the importance of passing along the faith to their children by actively practicing the faith and being a model teacher.

In Christ’s earthly father, every Catholic man can find the inspiration

and confidence to be heroic Catholic men. Reflecting on the heroic manhood of St. Joseph can help every man be renewed in Christ, becoming the sacrificial protectors, providers and leaders needed in their families and parishes.

St. Joseph, patron of the Church, pray that all men might come back to the fullness of Catholic manhood.

Christoff is a parishioner of St. Anne in Hamel and founder of the New Emangelization Project.

20 • The Catholic Spirit

FOCUS ON FAITH

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES

Deacon Barry Reuwsaat

Mary teaches us to hope in her son, Jesus Christ When I was in third grade, I spent many days playing backyard football with my friends. On one particular occasion, I was tackled on the cement and fractured my left collarbone. I got up and walked home to see my mother for help.

During my recovery, my mom did everything she could to alleviate my pain. Thinking back on all the times I’ve been distressed in life, my mother is one

of the first people I confide in. There is something about a mother’s sweet touch and words of encouragement that bring ease to difficult situations.

Now that I’ve moved out of the house, I don’t have contact with my mother with the frequency I used to. But I know she is still there for me. And no matter where our mother is, we know, too, that we have a mother in heaven. Mary is always there for us in our difficult

December 17, 2015

moments, both in our daily struggles and in life’s major tragedies.

In times of difficulty, Mary is ever by our side teaching us to hope in our source of hope, Jesus Christ. Christian hope is not found in the goods of this life but in the treasures of heaven that cannot be corrupted: mainly, God himself. When we have our hope set on the “treasures” of heaven, then our outlook during difficult times takes on a new meaning. The co-worker who bothers us, the moments that spark our anger — these become insignificant when we think about heavenly things. Is it a coincidence that the most difficult times are when we don’t have Jesus or heaven in mind?

I still find it hard to look for hope and turn toward Jesus in the many bumps I encounter in life. But I think we have to start by letting our mother into our lives more regularly. When we do this, we will allow that peace and happiness to enter into our lives because our trust is in Jesus.

Sunday, Dec. 20

Fourth Sunday of Advent Readings • Micah 5:1-4a • Hebrews 10:5-10 • Luke 1:39-45 Soon, our reason for hope will be seen in a crib where God’s proof of his love and mercy becomes visible for us. During these days before Christmas, let Mary, who is the “consolation of the world, ransom of captives, joy of the sick,” teach us how to hope in her son Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Deacon Reuwsaat is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. His teaching parish is St. Mary and St. Henry in Le Center. His home parish is St. Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls.

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Dec. 20 Fourth Sunday of Advent Micah 5:1-4a Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-45 Monday, Dec. 21 Song of Songs 2:8-14 Luke 1:39-45 Tuesday, Dec. 22 1 Samuel 1:24-28 Luke 1:46-56

Matthew 1:1-25 Friday, Dec. 25 Nativity of the Lord Isaiah 52:7-10 Hebrews 1:1-6 John 1:1-18 Saturday, Dec. 26 St. Stephen, first martyr Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 Matthew 10:17-22

Wednesday, Dec. 23 St. John of Kanty, priest Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 Luke 1:57-66

Sunday, Dec. 27 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Colossians 3:12-21 Luke 2:41-52

Thursday, Dec. 24 Eve of the Nativity of the Lord Isaiah 62:1-5 Acts 13:16-17, 22-25

Monday, Dec. 28 The Holy Innocents, martyrs 1 John 1:5–2:2

Matthew 2:13-18 Tuesday, Dec. 29 1 John 2:3-11 Luke 2:22-35 Wednesday, Dec. 30 St. Sylvester I, Pope 1 John 2:12-17 Luke 2:36-40 Thursday, Dec. 31 1 John 2:18-21 John 1:1-18 Friday, Jan. 1 Octave Day of Christmas Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God Numbers 6:22-27 Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:16-21

SEEKING ANSWERS

Father Kenneth Doyle

Selling items in church; Maria Goretti’s remains Q. I am wondering about Church

law (and your own feelings) on people coming to Mass and being confronted every week with different parish clubs and organizations trying to sell something. I’ve always thought that we go to Mass to show our reverence for the Lord and not to walk into a flea market.

A. From time to time, I have heard people decry the practice of selling anything on church property with the claim that it violates the direct teaching of Jesus who is seen (in all four Gospels) evicting moneychangers from the temple.

A careful reading of those Gospel accounts, though, shows a more nuanced

lesson: What troubled Jesus was not the practice itself but the fact that the merchants were defrauding people — selling sacrificial animals at considerable personal profit or exchanging money at an extortionate rate.

To your question, I am not aware of any Church “laws” that relate to this, and there is certainly no absolute prohibition against selling things at church. Rather it is, I believe, a matter of balance and discretion. From time to time in our parish, I have approved the sale of merchandise as people exit Mass — handmade goods crafted by poor people from around the world; coffee to support efforts to raise people out of poverty; even, on occasion, Girl Scout cookies to support a local troop or tickets to an upcoming Christmas dinner for

Saturday, Jan. 2 Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church 1 John 2:22-28 John 1:19-28 Sunday, Jan. 3 Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12

parish seniors.

I do, however, have rules. It should only happen occasionally and there should never be multiple sales on the same day. Also, it should be done as people exit Mass, not as they arrive.

I have two other concerns. First, we often have visitors to the parish, including non-Catholics who have sometimes absorbed the myth that the Catholic Church cares most about raising money. I don’t want to foster that myth.

And I also have a philosophical concern: Rampant consumerism dominates America. Rather than promote it, I would prefer to create a space and a time on Sunday mornings for people to be free of the pressure to buy something.

Q. I understand that the Church does not want me to keep the cremated remains of my great-aunt on a shelf in my family room and that I should consign them instead to a grave or mausoleum niche. Why, then, are the skeletal remains of an acknowledged saint (in this case, Maria Goretti) being toted from diocese to diocese?

A. The Church’s guidelines on cremated remains are grounded in the Catholic belief in the resurrection of the

Thursday, Jan. 7 1 John 4:19–5:4 Luke 4:14-22 Friday, Jan. 8 1 John 5:5-13 Luke 5:12-16

Monday, Jan. 4 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious 1 John 3:22–4:6 Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25 Tuesday, Jan. 5 St. John Neumann, bishop 1 John 4:7-10 Mark 6:34-44

Wednesday, Jan. 6 1 John 4:11-18 Mark 6:45-52

Saturday, Jan. 9 1 John 5:14-21 John 3:22-30 Sunday, Jan. 10 Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 Acts 10:34-38 Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

dead and the dignity of the human body as created by God. Accordingly, the appendix to the Order of Christian Funerals (No. 417) provides that “the cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum.

Maria Goretti was an 11-year-old Italian girl who, in 1902, was attacked by a 19-year-old neighbor who made sexual advances on her. When she resisted, he stabbed her and she died the following day. On her deathbed she forgave her attacker and has since been heralded as the “patroness of mercy.”

Her body was buried at a basilica in Nettuno, Italy.

In the fall of 2015 Maria Goretti’s skeletal remains have been on display in various churches throughout the United States. The Vatican gave permission for this tour in light of the Holy Year of Mercy that [began] Dec. 8.

Maria Goretti’s story highlights the forgiveness that is at the center of the Holy Year of Mercy and the veneration of her remains is part of the Vatican’s effort to assist the faithful in preparing for that celebration.

Questions may be sent to Father Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, NY 12208.

December 17, 2015

CALENDAR

Dining out Knights of Columbus Vocations Brunch — Dec. 20: 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at Epiphany Church, 1900 111th Ave. NW, Coon Rapids. Voluntary contribution with proceeds benefiting men and women in formation. Information: Brian at 612-418-0105.

Music Holy Family Home Educators present “A Christmas Carol” — Dec. 18 and 19: 7 p.m. at Holy Family Academy, Kattar Hall, 5925 W. Lake St., St. Louis Park. Free-will offering.

Information: whitneyeanderson@comcast.net.

Light of the World: A Children’s Christmas Musical — Dec. 20: Following the 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Masses at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennipen Ave., Minneapolis. Information: www.mary.org.

Felix Hell organ recital — Dec. 20: 2 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 13505 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka. Information: www.ihm-cc.org.

5-8 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc Church, 4537 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis. Information: Karen at 952-884-5165 or www.saintjoanofarc.org.

CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief no­tices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. 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 ONLINE: www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102

A note to readers As of Jan. 1, 2016, The Catholic Spirit will no longer accept calendar submissions via email. Please submit events using the form at www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions

Parish events Pax Christi Church parishioners’ art exhibit — Through Dec. 20: 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie. Information: 952-941-3150.

Nativity Men’s Club Christmas tree lot — through Dec. 22: 5:30–8 p.m. Monday–Thursday; 3–8 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.–8 p.m. Saturday; and 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Sunday. Located at 1900 Stanford Ave., St. Paul. Information: Pat Bollom at 612-599-8096 or pat@sdata.us.

St. Timothy Church parish mission “Gracious, Grateful & Generous: Holiness in Everyday Life” presented by Sister Bridget Haase — Jan. 24-26, 2016: 7–8 p.m. at 707 89th Ave. NE, Blaine. Information: www.churchofsttimothy.com.

Prayer and worship Advent Vespers — Dec. 20: 3 p.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis.

Information: www.mary.org.

Advent evening prayer with the Sisters of St. Joseph and Consociates — Dec. 20: 4:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Presentation Chapel, 1880 Randolph Ave., St. Paul. Information:

www.csjstpaul.org.

Taize prayer — Dec. 18 and the third Friday of every month: 7 p.m. at The Benedictine Center, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Information: 651-777-7251 or benedictinecenter@ stpaulsmonastery.org, or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

Basilica of St. Mary “Eve of the Birth of the Lord” — Dec. 24: 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. vigil Eucharist, 10:30 p.m. prelude music for Christmas, 11 p.m. choral music for Christmas, 11:30 p.m. vigil of lights, midnight solemn Eucharist (ASL interpreted) at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. Information: www. mary.org/news-events/events-calendar/christmas.

Basilica of St. Mary “Birth of the Lord” — Dec. 25: 7:30 a.m. Eucharist at dawn, 9:30 a.m. solemn Eucharist (ASL interpreted), 12 p.m. solemn Eucharist, and 4:30 p.m. Eucharist at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis.

Information: www.mary.org/news-events/ events-calendar/christmas.

The Catholic Spirit • 21

Solemn Vespers for the feast of the Holy Family — Dec. 27: 3 p.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis. Information: www.mary.org.

Solemn Vespers for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord — Jan. 3, 2016: 3 p.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. Information: www.mary.org.

Retreats Advent morning of reflection with Father Michael Becker, rector of St. John Vianney College Seminary — Dec. 19: 9 a.m. at Good Shepherd Church, 145 Jersey Ave. S., Golden Valley.

RSVP to Renee Hamilton at reneehamilton@ goodshepherdgv.org or 763-544-0416, ext. 810.

Information: www.goodshepherdgv.org.

Men’s silent retreat weekend: “Sowing Seeds of Mercy” — Jan. 8-10, 2016, at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo.

Information: 763-682-1394 or www.kingshouse.com.

Singles

SJA Singles 50+ Sunday Supper — Dec. 20:

Speakers “The Medicine of Mercy: Pope Francis in Context” — Dec. 20: 11 a.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17 St., Minneapolis. Information: www.mary.org.

Conferences, seminars, groups “Seeing Through the Eyes of Luke” Scripture series — Wednesdays, Jan. 6-March 16: 6:30–8:30 p.m. in the Reardon Rectory at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17 St., Minneapolis.

Register by Dec. 21. Cost is $25/series; scholarships available. Information: www.mary.org.

Hunger, Poverty, Charity and Justice: Putting Faith into Action and Living Mercy led by Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, Ph.D. — Jan. 10, 17, 24, 2016: 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary Cowley Center, Wagner Room, 15 N. 16th St., Minneapolis. Register by Jan. 7. Cost is $20/series; scholarships available. Information: www.mary.org.

Dementia Support Group — Second Tuesday of every month: 7–9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Rd., Maplewood. Information: www.stpaulsmonastery.org or 651-777-7251 or benedictinecenter@stpaulsmonastery.org.

Faithful Spouses support group — Third Tuesday of each month: 7–8:30 p.m. in Smith Hall of the Hayden Center, 328 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul.

Information: 651-291-4438 or faithfulspouses@archspm.org.

Young adults Cathedral Young Adults Theology on Tap — Wednesday evenings Jan. 6–Feb. 3: 6:30 p.m. at O’Gara’s, 164 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul. Topics focus on faith and contemporary issues that directly affect the lives of young adults. All evenings are free of charge and open to all young adults ages 18-39.

Information: www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/ cya-theology-on-tap or www.facebook.com/ groups/19770161424

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22 • The Catholic Spirit

December 17, 2015

Feedback expected to help nuncio, next archbishop, parish leaders Conntinued from page 8 polarization among priests — young conservatives and old progressives — [that] can lead to conflicts in parishes.”

Meanwhile, as noted in the archdiocese’s strengths, other attendees praised the seminary formation and vibrant, young priests.

Other challenges included “growing secularism in the Church,” priest shortages, overworked pastors and church staff and “an improper understanding of Vatican II.”

Next archbishop’s qualities At most listening sessions, participants were asked to summarize in single words the qualities they’d like the next archbishop to possess. “Pastoral,” “humility,” “servant,” “compassionate” and “trustworthy” were popular. Many participants said the next archbishop should be a good communicator, collaborative and courageous. Several coined the phrase “Pope Francis-like” and many suggested Archbishop Hebda was welcome to take the role. At Pax Christi, one participant stood up and said that at the heart of it, people hoped the next archbishop would be like Jesus. [See word cloud on page 8 to see other commonly shared attributes.] Several participants quoted Pope Francis, saying a good archbishop would “smell like his

sheep.”

“We need an archbishop who embodies both the new liturgical movement and the charismatic renewal and can bridge the gaps between the two with a spirit of love, joy and selfsacrifice,” one participant wrote. “He cannot shrink from promulgating and defending the teachings of the Church [and] requires faithfulness from his priests and disciplines those who contradict our faith to uphold Church teaching,” wrote another. Said a third: “Need a pastor who exercises by walking the neighborhoods, riding the Green Line and sponsoring potluck suppers.”

Other observations • Strengths and challenges expressed were fairly consistent between urban, suburban and rural parishes, but Latino leaders generally see different strengths and challenges facing the archdiocese than non-Latino Catholics.

• Several things listed as “strengths” were also seen as weaknesses. As mentioned, “diversity” was nearly unanimously affirmed as a great strength, but several participants lamented not feeling at home when visiting other parishes and said Catholics across the archdiocese fail to share a unifying identity.

• The overall education of the laity is in dispute. When championing “well-

educated laity,” it is not clear whether participants meant professional education or theological formation.

Many did specifically argue that both were true, but other participants said that many lay adults — including themselves — were not well formed in their faith and needed more opportunities to learn.

• Several listening session participants said they felt like their small-group conversations were co-opted by people with agendas. “Group was not representative of local Catholics,” one wrote. “Heavily weighted toward old, white and ‘progressive.’ It was a vocal minority.”

• Archbishop Hebda intended for the listening sessions to address areas that affect specifically the local Church.

Nonetheless, at almost every listening session participants shared their sense that the universal Church needed to change its teaching on women’s ordination, a subject Pope Francis confirmed in September was not an option for the Church. “My heart continues to ache for the countless women who will no longer have anything to do with a Church that continues to participate in the exclusion of women from all ministry, leadership and even inclusion in the language we continue to use,” wrote one woman, who identified herself as a 63-year-old who has worked in ministry for 40 years.

Others expressed a desire that the universal Church change its teaching on same-sex attraction.

What’s next Most listening session participants returned their individual worksheets to the archdiocese in addition to notes from their table discussions. Many also added final thoughts on note cards left that night or mailed later. The result is a collection of thousands of documents that the archdiocese plans to make available to the public in some form.

Archbishop Hebda expects the information gathered from the listening sessions to play a role in the selection of the archdiocese’s next archbishop. As The Catholic Spirit previously reported, the archdiocese sent summaries from each session to Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the Holy See’s aposotolic nuncio to the United States. Msgr. Michael Morgan, the secretary to the nunciature, attended three listening sessions and met individually with about 30 Catholic leaders during his time in the archdiocese.

Archbishop Hebda also expects the information to be a helpful for the next archbishop as well as priests, deacons, and archdiocesan and parish staff and leaders. The Catholic Spirit plans to explore some of the topics prominently addressed.

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BEYOND THE BELTWAY

The Catholic Spirit • 23

In St. Michael, a waiting list for Catholic education

FIFTH IN A SEVEN-PART SERIES

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit A clue to how things are going at St. Michael School in the Wright County town of St. Michael is that there no longer is a bowling alley in the lower level.

That space was converted to make room for four classrooms plus Spanish and music rooms.

Having grown from an enrollment of 241 in 2001 to 467 today, St. Michael has a waiting list for three grades.

Part of the growth came from adding prekindergarten and seventh and eighth grade to the former first-through-sixth program. New housing development along the I-94 corridor north of Minneapolis also brought young families to the area that’s 40 miles from the State Capitol in St. Paul.

“We were growing before the grades were added, though,” said Jennifer Haller, St. Michael principal.

“Development played a hand, but this is a devout community, and people have a desire for that Catholic influence in the daily lives of their children.”

Latest teaching tools Haller also is quick to credit teachers at St. Michael, 70 percent of whom have master’s degrees. Their principal described them as “learners across all grades who are committed to the community and to living their faith in their daily lives and modeling that for the children.”

In a seventh-grade language arts class, student Mary Herbst is quick to demonstrate how she and her classmates are making slide shows on iPads using an app that’s new to them. After each presentation, classmates give feedback to the students whose work was played on the large screen.

It’s an exercise to help them become comfortable with the technology, which language arts teacher Anna Tangen plans to use for other language arts projects.

Reading and writing isn’t the only area in which the school has gotten a boost. St. Michael added a math teacher this year so that it could offer accelerated algebra and honors algebra — “and we have a group of kids who are ready for even more,” Haller said.

The Spanish program has been so strong that the local public high school, St. Michael-Albertville, had to create a Spanish 1.5 class because St. Michael’s graduates were testing out of Spanish 1, Haller said.

In another wing, first-graders are learning to count in Spanish while simultaneously practicing large motor skills through motion.

It’s an initiative called LEAP — Learning through Enrichment and Academic Preparation — that former fourth-grade teacher and current LEAP specialist Heidi Gallus explained, “incorporates the most recent brain and learning research,” which shows that many children learn best by connecting information with a certain movement.

This year St. Michael has LEAP class for kindergarten and first grade, and Gallus works across all grade levels and in the after-school program to support the faculty’s adoption of LEAP principles.

Needed: More room The school’s biggest need is space, Haller said.

An addition was built on the 1939 building in 1962, and now that the bowling alley has been taken over, there isn’t room to do much more.

Classmates give their attention to Maggie Kramer in their fourth-grade class at St. Michael School in St. Michael.

Bob Zyskowski/The Catholic Spirit She is also wary that the wage gap between what St. Michael pays teachers and what they can earn in a public school district — estimated to be 25 percent — will be one of her biggest challenges down the road. It isn’t at this point.

“When I get a potential new teacher in the door and they see what kind of support they get here, I’ve got them,” Haller said.

In her seventh year at St. Michael, second-grade teacher Eileen Nygard said she likes being able to integrate her faith into everything that happens at school.

“There’s something magical about teaching the sacraments of initiation,” she said. “It’s an amazing feeling to be part of the children’s receiving Jesus in the Eucharist.”

Next in the series:

St. Timothy Catholic School, Maple Lake

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24 • The Catholic Spirit

THE LAST WORD

December 17, 2015

TOP: Karen Anthony, right, of St. Joseph in Miesville works on a blanket Dec. 1 at an event put on by a group called Women Inspiring Women at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings. Women from SEAS and neighboring parishes made a total of 16 blankets, which will be given to the needy. Parishioner Jeanne Loesch collects these blankets and others for distribution through a program she started called Covered By His Love. Also working on the blanket are Amy Gapp, left, and her mother, Christina. LEFT: Chris Spinler, Dell Medcraft and Jean Bauer, all members of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, talk as they work on a blanket. RIGHT: Christina Gapp, left, and her daughter Amy work to finish a blanket corner. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

J

eanne Loesch was praying during her weekly eucharistic adoration hour last spring at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings when a burst of inspiration came to her.

She happened to read about a church in Florida that collected blankets for the needy, and she felt a voice inside give her a simple message: “Do this.”

Believing it was God speaking to her, she started pondering ways she could do this at her parish. Within a matter of days, she had a name for her new apostolate: Covered By His Love. Not long after that, she started collecting blankets at her parish one Sunday a month for charities including Sharing and Caring Hands in Minneapolis and Union Gospel Mission in St. Paul.

Her program was given a shot in the arm Dec. 1 when another parish group, Women Inspiring Women, devoted their monthly meeting to making blankets for the collection.

About two dozen women made 15 blankets, the number Loesch estimates she collects on a given Sunday.

The event drew people like Christina Gapp

Blankets of love

Women gather at Hastings parish to bring warmth to those in need and her 12-year-old daughter Amy. Christina attends Women Inspiring Women regularly, and she especially liked the idea of doing something for charity.

“Why we came tonight has a lot to do with charity and picking projects to do for giving purposes,” Christina said. “Every year, we try to do something as a family to give instead of just

thinking about receiving during the holiday season. . . . This year, when we heard about the blanket ministry, I thought, ‘Wow, this is a terrific opportunity to give of our time and talent.’”

The mother and daughter team assembled a blanket alongside St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishioner Dell Medcraft and Karen Anthony of St. Joseph in Miesville. Amy handled the scissors and all four assembled the fleece tie blankets under the patronage of Mary, Undoer of Knots, a devotion receiving new attention because it’s among Pope Francis’ favorites.

“This is a wonderful activity,” Medcraft said.

“It’s wonderful for us doing it and for the recipients.”

Christina Gapp thought the timing of the blanket-making event coincided beautifully with her consecration to Mary, which took place Nov. 21 at the parish.

“This ministry has so much to do with Mary and her sacred heart and her mercy toward us,” she said. “I just felt called to come here.”

For more information about Covered By His Love or to donate a blanket, contact Loesch at 651-4371591 or jeanneloesch@yahoo.com.