The Catholic Spirit - January 16, 2014

Safe environments 4 • Single parents retreat 6 • New cardinals 10 January 16, 2014 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

thecatholicspirit.com

Matt Birk:

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

NFL great, faithful Catholic and . . . author

Former Vikings, Ravens player teams with business leader to publish new book

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit It all started in a neighborhood in Mendota Heights. Rich Chapman was living at the end of a cul de sac with his wife Jayme and four children.

Eight years ago, a new neighbor moved in next door — NFL football player Matt Birk, who was playing center for the Minnesota Vikings at the

time.

Between the two of them, they eventually had 10 children, and the constant activity brought them out into the street. Soon, small talk about raising kids turned into deep conversations about the Catholic faith.

The fruit of those discussions is a book the two wrote that will be released on Feb. 1. It’s called All-Pro Wisdom: The 7 Choices That Lead To Greatness. It is

written for people of all ages, specifically targeting those who have drifted away from their faith or never had it.

“We want to get to the fringe, we want to get to those people who maybe haven’t thought about these questions . . . or made these choices,” said Birk, 37, who retired from the NFL right after winning Please turn to BIRK on pages 12-13

ALSO inside

Marching for life

Well-read moms

Talking with God

For young pro-lifers, pilgrimage to the nation’s capital is chance to be a witness for the faith.

Book clubs offer local moms opportunity to read classics and make new friends.

Coach’s death brings prayer to life for University of St. Thomas student.

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— Rediscover: Section

Page Two

2 OVERHEARD

in PICTURES

“Love with actions, not with words. The wind whisks words away; today they’re here, tomorrow they’re not.”

Pope Francis, in his homily Jan. 9 during his morning Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae at the Vatican

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit

Youth offered chance to make a video for the pope CIRCUS FUN Pope Francis passes circus performers on stilts as he arrives to lead his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Jan. 8. CNS photo/Paul Haring

IN REMEMBRANCE Deacon Robert Giesen, 74, of Ontonagon, Mich., died Dec. 23, 2013. Deacon Giesen was born Jan. 27, 1939, and ordained a permanent deacon for the archdiocese in 1980. The funeral was Dec. 28, 2013, in Michigan.

Deacon John Crowley, 73, of Roseville, died Dec. 31, 2013. He was born May 1, 1940, and ordained a permanent deacon for the archdiocese in 2002. He and his wife, Lynn, served as a deacon couple at St. Rose of Lima in Roseville, St. Anthony of Padua in Minneapolis, St. Odilia in Shoreview, and St. Lawrence in Minneapolis. A funeral Mass was Jan. 7 at St. Odilia. Interment is in Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights.

Deacon Bernard Pedersen, 67, of Woodbury, died Jan. 5. Deacon

Pedersen was born March 1, 1946, and ordained a permanent deacon for the archdiocese in 1992.

He served at St. Agnes and the Marian Center, both in St. Paul. A funeral Mass was Jan. 11 at St. Agnes. Interment is in Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights.

Sister Mary Heinen, 80, of St. Paul, died Jan. 1. Sister Heinen was born May 14, 1933, and joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province, in 1951. She helped advance the health care ministry of the Catholic Church and of the CSJ community through her work with Carondelet LifeCare Ministries (St. Mary’s Health Clinics) in St. Paul. A funeral Mass was Jan. 6 at Our Lady of the Presentation Chapel at St. Joseph’s Provincial House. Interment is in Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights.

WHAT’S NEW on social media A Catholic Spirit Facebook post this week asks: Who has had the biggest influence on your prayer life? How? Follow the latest news about the local and universal Church by following The Catholic Spirit on Twitter @CatholicSpirit.

In a video on the Rediscover: website, St. Thomas senior Andrea Dolsky talks about how different forms of prayer have helped her get through the rigors of college life and make important decisions about her future. See it at www.youtube.com/rediscoverfaith.

Spending time with the Lord in adoration can feel like hanging out at the library if we’re not focused on the fact that God is right in front of us. Blogger Susan Klemond writes about how we might be missing the awe and reverence we should feel before God. Read her reflection at CatholicHotdish.com.

The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 19 — No. 2 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT, Publisher SARAH MEALEY, Associate publisher JOE TOWALSKI, Editor

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

Catholic youth nationwide are encouraged to extend beyond themselves with a day of prayer, service or philanthropy and submit a short video documenting their efforts. Finalists will have the opportunity for their video to be viewed and recognized by Pope Francis. The competition is organized

by Catholic Extension, a national organization that has supported people, their ministries and their churches for more than 100 years.

Top videos will be determined by online social support and a panel of judges, including Chris O’Donnell, actor and devout Catholic, Father Dave Dwyer, director of Busted Halo, and Father Mark Mary, co-host of EWTNTV’s “Life on the Rock” program. Video entries, which should be no longer than two minutes, are being accepted through Feb. 3, in any language. To learn more, go to www.ExtensionDay.org.

Sister Karen Kennelly, CSJ, receives distinguished achievement award for Catholic history work Sister of St. Joseph Karen Kennelly received The American Catholic Historical Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Service to Catholic Studies at a Jan. 4 event in Washington, D.C. The awards recognize people who substantially assist the work of Catholic history through promotion, publication, instruction and dissemination. She was one of three recipients in the fields of scholarship, service, and teaching. Sister Karen, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet St. Paul Province, was a force behind a Smithsonian exhibit, “Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America” that has traveled throughout the U.S. She was featured on a related documentary about women religious that aired on KARE 11 TV on Christmas Day. For more information, visit www.womenandspirit.org.

Wayzata parish celebrates 150th anniversary Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Community in Wayzata will kick off a yearlong celebration of its 150th anniversary with a 10:30 a.m. Mass Jan. 19.

Abbott John Klassen of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, will preside at the Mass. A historical exhibit and reception with light appetizers will follow.

The anniversary Mass will commemorate the parish’s Benedictine heritage and those who helped establish, develop and sustain it since 1864. The event is free and open to the public. Additional special events planned during the year include a historical cemetery tour, fall festival, golf tournament, parish mission and historical displays.

New Rediscover: website and app 2.0 set to launch Soon, online users will find more to rediscover in the Catholic faith with the upcoming launch of the new Rediscover-faith.org and Rediscover: app 2.0.

The new Rediscover: website will introduce Rediscover Music and Movies section: a guide to the Christian artists you need to know, and values-based entertainment for the whole family. It will also offer easier navigation and access to more than 400 short articles and videos on everything from God to culture — in FAQ format — plus news, local Rediscover: events, audio and prayers. The soon-to-be released Rediscover: app 2.0 is filled with new and enhanced features such as flexible goal scheduling and tools for confession, bookmarking of favorite articles and videos through My Faith Life, and enhanced search technology for parishes, Mass times and more.

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Archbishop John Nienstedt has not yet returned to writing his column. Bishop Andrew Cozzens, auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, offers the following guest column for this issue.

Something we haven’t heard as much about lately is the Rediscover: initiative launched by the archdiocese last year. Some may wonder if it was a one-time effort, perhaps simply timed with the Year of Faith, which wrapped up with the big event at the St. Paul RiverCentre last October.

However, Rediscover: was created as an ongoing effort in this local Church to fulfill our call to the New Evangelization. The first evidence of our commitment to keeping this successful effort going is right here in our archdiocesan newspaper, The Catholic Spirit. You may have noticed that our Rediscover: section is continuing into the new year.

And, it will continue throughout the year, along with all of the many other elements of the initiative, including the 2014 “big event,” set for Oct. 3-4 at a much bigger venue, the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Other elements, such as the Rediscover: faith Speakers Series, “The Rediscover: Hour” weekly radio program on GUEST COLUMN 1330AM Relevant Radio, and more Bishop Andrew Cozzens than 500 Catholic book clubs at parishes all around our archdiocese are all continuing for Year 2.

And, I hear that we can even expect improvements to our website, Rediscover-faith. org, and our innovative mobile app to launch in another month or so.

So, Rediscover:, an effort that drew thousands of people to rediscover the depth and beauty of our Catholic faith last year is alive and well and fired up for Year 2.

The focus for this second year revolves around prayer: What is prayer? Why pray?

How to pray? There are excellent opportunities throughout 2014 to learn and engage in new and helpful ways and, of course and especially, to invite others to rediscover their Catholic faith and start with prayer.

Without this element of invitation, Rediscover: is just another faith enrichment program for those who are already engaged. We need to ensure we continue to grow well beyond that, and this requires us to live out our faith with joy and invite others to find out more about the source of that joy.

As we end our Christmas season and enter

Ordinary Time, this theme of prayer is being highlighted from the most important source of all. If you had the chance to go to daily Mass the last few weeks, you might have noticed a couple of times in the Gospels a very important little phrase that showed up.

On Wednesday, Jan. 8, the Gospel of Mark told us that after Jesus fed 5,000 people he took leave of those people and his disciples and “he went off to the mountain to pray” (Mark 6:47).

Then on Friday, Jan. 10, St. Luke told us that Jesus’ fame was growing in Galilee and daily large crowds were seeking him, but often “he would withdraw to deserted places to pray” (Luke 5:16).

If you read the Gospels, you find this is a consistent fact. Frequently, Jesus leaves the crowds which are seeking him, leaves the disciples who are following him and goes off early in the morning or late at night to find a deserted place where he can be alone with his Father.

We might ask ourselves why? Why does Jesus, the Son of God, the one who is always united perfectly with the Trinity, need to find deserted places for quiet in order to be with his Father? Why does he think this is so important that he does this so frequently it seems almost every day?

We might also ask, what happens when Jesus speaks with his Father in these moments? We could even ask, what is the Father saying to Jesus in these moments?

I’m quite sure that these moments are recorded in the Scriptures for us precisely because Jesus wants us to ask these questions, and because he wants us to apply them to ourselves. We might put it this way: If the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, needed to find quiet time away from all distractions to be with his Father, how can you and I, who claim to be his disciples, expect to live a Christian life in imitation of Jesus without regularly finding quiet, deserted places where we can be with God in our hearts?

Listening to God’s voice First let me clarify what I mean by prayer in this context, since as Catholics we have so many types of prayer. Here I’m talking about what the Catholic tradition has called “mental prayer.” One might call it relational prayer, or sometimes it is called prayer of the heart.

It is a conversation between persons that leads to a deeper relationship. It means learning to listen to the voice of God in my heart and responding to that voice in the way I live.

It is the life of prayer that leads to union with God, about which ALL the saints spoke. Saints often said different kinds of prayer and drew life from the prayer of the liturgy. But each of them also had a personal relationship with God in prayer where they surrendered their personal difficulties and struggles to him and where they learned to listen to the voice of his heart speaking to theirs.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, one of the great saints of our age, explained this prayer to her

sisters, the women religious in the community she founded called the Missionaries of Charity.

Notice she is writing to consecrated women, and she still expresses her concern that they need real relational prayer with Jesus: “Jesus wants me to tell you again, especially in this Holy Week, how much is the love He has for each one of you — beyond all you can imagine. I worry some of you still have not really met Jesus — one to one — you and Jesus alone. We may spend time in chapel — but have you seen with eyes of your soul how He looks at you with love? Do you really know the living Jesus — not from books but from being with Him in your heart? Have you heard the loving words He speaks to you? Ask for the grace, He is longing simply to give it. Until you can hear Jesus in the silence of your own heart, you will not be able to hear Him saying ‘I Thirst’ in the hearts of the poor. Never “We cannot give up this intimate contact with Jesus as a real livclaim to have a ing person — not just one idea. How can we last even real, living one day living our life withrelationship with out hearing Jesus say ‘I love you’? — impossible. Our Jesus if we do soul needs that as much as the body needs to breathe not have some the air. If not, prayer is dead time each day — meditation only thinking” (Mother Teresa, “Varawhen we nasi Letter,” in Joseph Langford, M.C., “Mother consciously set Teresa’s Secret Fire” [Hunaside everything tington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2008], and spend time 54-55).

From the Bishop

Rediscover the power and peace of prayer

3

in prayerful The point is this: We cannot claim to have a real, livconversation ing relationship with Jesus with Jesus and if we do not have some time each day when we the Trinity.” consciously set aside everyBishop Andrew Cozzens thing and spend time in prayerful conversation with Jesus and the Trinity.

If we do not have this, then Jesus is just an idea and the Church teachings just a list of rules to follow.

If, though, we begin even for a few minutes a day to imitate Jesus and find a quiet place, an adoration chapel, a corner of the house in morning or at night, and begin to place ourselves in God’s presence and speak to him, we will find it changes everything. This is the power of prayer; it begins to change us and our whole lives.

As I spend time reading the Bible or another spiritual book, as I begin to reflect on what Jesus is saying to me, then I begin to see myself and the world differently. I begin to see truly! I begin to see as Jesus sees and desire what Jesus desires. I begin to become more like Jesus.

Please turn to SPEND on page 24

OFFICIAL His Excellency, the Most Rev. John C. Nienstedt, has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Effective January 2, 2014 Most Reverend Andrew Cozzens, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Cecilia in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Bishop Cozzens succeeds the Rev.

Thomas O’Brien, who submitted his resignation as pastor. Father O’Brien will continue to serve in his position at St. Thomas Academy.

Very Reverend Charles Lachowitzer, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Peter in Mendota, Minnesota.

Father Lachowitzer will cover pastoral responsibilities while the current pastor, the Rev. Joseph Gallatin, is on a leave of absence.

Effective January 6, 2014 Reverend Benny Mekkatt Varghese, CFIC, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial administrator of the Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood, Minnesota.

Effective January 14, 2014 Most Reverend Andrew Cozzens, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Boniface in Minneapolis.

Bishop Cozzens will cover pastoral responsibilities while the current pastor, the Rev. Mark Wehmann, is on a leave of absence.

Effective February 1, 2014 Reverend Peter Williams, appointed vice rector of the Saint Paul Seminary in Saint Paul.

Father Williams will continue in his office of pastor of the Church of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin in Saint Paul.

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

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Youth protection office continues commitment to safety efforts VIRTUS program helps adults to prevent, respond to sexual abuse of minors The Catholic Spirit While the issue of clergy sexual abuse has garnered much local media attention in the last several months, people shouldn’t forget or discount the Church’s comprehensive and ongoing work to create and maintain safe environments for children and vulnerable adults, say two people involved in those efforts.

Recent stories reported in the media “really have caused us to redouble our commitment to protection,” said Lynette ForbesLynette Cardey, coordinator of the FORBESArchdiocese of St. Paul and CARDEY Minneapolis’ Office for the Protection of Children and Youth (OPCY).

“Sometimes you get discouraged when you’re in prevention and mass media focus on the sensational parts of the news,” said Sharon Tomlin, the office’s curriculum and leadership liaison. “Should all that come out? Absolutely. We can’t move forward if we Sharon don’t have everything out TOMLIN in public. On the other hand, nobody’s focused on all the positive things that are happening to prevent [abuse] now and into the future.”

Those efforts include a requirement in the archdiocese that all clergy, Church and Catholic school employees, and volunteers who have contact with minors do three things: sign a code of pastoral conduct, submit to a background check and attend an adult safe-environment training session called “VIRTUS: Protecting God’s Children.”

Raising awareness The archdiocese implemented VIRTUS in 2005 following the U.S. bishops’ 2002 adoption of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” which requires dioceses to maintain safe environment programs.

A service of the National Catholic Risk Retention Group, VIRTUS was selected by the archdiocese as the most comprehensive safe environment program available — one that would complement its already existing policies and procedures focused on the prevention of sexual abuse of minors, Tomlin said. As defined by the charter, “minors” also includes vulnerable adults.

In 2013, 6,700 people attended one of 358 VIRTUS sessions around the archdiocese, according to the OPCY. More than 60,000 local adults have participated in the sessions since the program began.

Participants attend a three-hour session guided by a trained facilitator that includes two videos and both large- and small-group discussions. The sessions aim to raise awareness about child sexual abuse and provide adults with the knowledge and tools they need to help prevent and, if necessary, respond appropriately to child sexual abuse.

Participants are given a packet to take home that includes a reference guide outlining five essential steps for protecting children.

They are: • Knowing the early warning signs of possible inappropriate adult behavior toward children (see sidebar).

• Controlling access: Adults should be careful about whom they allow to work with their children.

• Monitoring all programs to ensure safe practices.

• Being aware: Parents should know what is going on in the lives of their children and pay attention to subtle signs of a problem.

• Communicating concerns

Know the warning signs Knowing the warning signs of an inappropriate relationship between a child and an adult can help parents and others identify potential abuse before it happens.

The warning signs are: • Discourages other adults from participating or monitoring.

• Always wants to be alone with children.

• More excited to be with children than adults.

• Gives gifts to children, often without permission.

• Goes overboard touching.

• Always wants to wrestle or tickle.

• Thinks the rules do not apply to them.

• Allows children to engage in activities their parents would not allow.

• Uses bad language or tells dirty jokes to children.

• Shows children pornography.

Source: VIRTUS “Protecting God’s Children: Quick Reference Guide.” For more information, visit VIRTUSonline.org, or the archdiocesan Office for the Protection of Children and Youth at www.archspm.org/ departments/opcy.

when they arise.

Among the warning signs are personal boundary violations that involve behavior that makes an adult or child feel uncomfortable or that is inappropriate for the type of relationship that exists between two people.

“For example, appropriate boundaries between a husband and wife are not the same as appropriate boundaries between friends or

acquaintances,” according to “Protecting God’s Children: Teaching Touching Safety,” a resource published by VIRTUS. “And, appropriate boundaries between a parent and child are not the same as appropriate boundaries between the child and a priest, teacher or counselor.”

A boundary violation, even one that might be inadvertent, needs to be identified as such and corrected, Tomlin said.

Repeated boundary violations over time, however, often signal that a perpetrator is engaged in “grooming,” she said.

“It could be words,” she said. “It could be conversation, it could be physical touch, it could be any number of activities that are designed to desensitize the victim and gain the trust of the victim and the trust of the parents and, in many cases, the entire community.”

Grooming almost always precedes cases of sexual abuse, although the characteristics of grooming are changing as more predators attempt to build relationships with minors online, Tomlin said. That’s why it’s important to know the warning signs and best practices for protecting children.

In addition to the packets VIRTUS participants receive — which include specific instructions for Church and school personnel about how to report suspected child abuse to law enforcement — parents have access to free copies of “Protecting God’s Children: Teaching Touching Safety.”

VIRTUS, combined with the ageappropriate personal safety lessons used with students in Catholic schools, parish faith formation programs and youth ministry proPlease turn to SAFE on page 24

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C H A N H A S S E N D T. C O M January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

5 The Catholic Spirit

Essential ministries

The Catholic Services Appeal Foundation of the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Area (CSA) was recently established as an independent tax-exempt non-profit corporation to receive and distribute all CSA donor dollars.

Timothy Healy, president of the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation, was one of the officers who signed the paperwork filed with Minnesota’s secretary of state.

“Donors can be sure that through this foundation, which will have its own separate bank account, and through ongoing outside auditing of receipts, that every single dollar goes to the identified beneficiaries and only the identified beneficiaries,” said Healy, who with his wife Helen are serving as the 2014 CSA chair couple.

The foundation’s two other officers are Bill Mohrman and John Norris (see sidebar, at right).

All dollars collected by the CSA will be used only for the benefit of the designated ministries of the CSA. Timothy Healy said the recent media reports about clergy sexual abuse have been frustrating and disappointing. He stressed that these failures do not define what it means to be Catholic.

“There are so many people in need, and we can’t not help them,” he said. “We need to do what God has called us to do. We are the instruments to help these people.”

Many people throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and beyond benefit from the appeal: Funds are used for parish outreach, Catholic school tuition aid, the Rediscover: initiative, seminarian support and the work of Catholic Charities, and other essential Church ministries. The fundraising goal is $9.3 million.

Mohrman said the CSA gives people in the archdiocese the opportunity to pool their resources to help a number of ministries and charities, many of which don’t have the means and ability to do their own fundraising.

“Because of the CSA, these groups can focus on their mission and continue to do the good work they’re known for,” Mohrman said.

In upcoming issues, The Catholic Spirit will feature stories about how the Catholic Services Appeal has helped tens of thousands of people over the years. The 2014 CSA officially launches at parish Masses throughout the archdiocese on the weekend of Feb. 2223, with the theme “Seek First the Kingdom of God,” from Matthew 6:24-34.

The foundation’s website — csafspm.org — is scheduled to go live at the end of January. To learn more about the 2014 CSA, visit the website or call (651) 291-4448.

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CSAF board members Tim Healy is head of Team Spine Minnesota LLC, a surgical and medical instrument distributor in Minneapolis. He grew up in Edina attending Our Lady of Grace. After graduating from St. John’s University in Collegeville, he served with NET Ministries for a year, and then as St. Rose of Lima’s youth minister for three years. Tim and his wife, Helen, attend Holy Family parish in St. Louis Park with their seven children. The couple serves as representatives of the 2014 CSA.

Local

Independent foundation to operate Catholic Services Appeal

Bill Mohrman is a founding member of Mohrman & Kaardal, a law firm representing individuals and businesses. He grew up in northern New Jersey and graduated from Seton Hall Preparatory School. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in 1982 and a law degree from the University of Colorado Law School in 1985. He and his wife, Joanne, have two children and attend St. Anne in Hamel, where they serve as lectors.

John Norris is president and CEO of Atscott Manufacturing Inc. in Pine City, and an owner in Tower Solutions LLC in Bloomington. He is a member of the Twin Cities chapter of Legatus, an organization for Catholic business leaders.

He and his wife, Nancy, are members of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony, where he has chaired parish committees, a parish capital campaign, served as parish trustee, and has been active in most lay liturgical ministries. He previously served on the board for St. John Vianney College Seminary. John and Nancy have three grown children and 13 grandchildren.

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January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

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Single Parent Retreat to offer insights, fellowship

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit Many single parents get support from family members, friends and fellow parishioners. But meeting another parent in a similar situation is encouraging in a different way, according to Jody, a single mom who asked that her last name not be used. The chance to get to know others who are parenting alone, and talk about related issues and experiences, are reasons she often attends the annual Single Parent Retreat hosted by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“The people that are there you already have two things in common with: You have your faith as a Catholic, and you know you’re a single parent,” said Jody, a parishioner of St. Michael in St. Michael who has a 15-year-old son.

“Right there, that’s a huge part of everyone’s lives.”

The ninth annual Single Parent Retreat will be Saturday, Feb. 8, at Maternity of The Blessed Virgin in St. Paul. It’s open to all divorced, widowed and unmarried parents seeking spiritual and practical insights into single parenting, along with fellowship with other participants. Free childcare is available.

On average, 25 to 30 parents attend the morning retreat, which starts with Mass (if participants choose), continental breakfast and two talks, followed by questionand-answer periods, said Nancy Schulte Palacheck, family and laity outreach coordinator for the archdiocese’s Office of Marriage, Family and Life.

Father Timothy Cloutier, judicial vicar for the archdiocese, will speak on “Heavenly Help in Raising Your Children,” and licensed psychologist Catherine Mollner

WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN HELP YOU!

2014 SINGLE PARENT RETREAT will present “Instilling Resilience; Establishing a Firm Foundation of Healthy Self-Esteem and Boundaries.” Mollner practices at the Midwest Center for Personal and Family Development in St. Paul.

Single parents aren’t alone The retreat gives single parents — who are often overloaded with responsibilities — a chance to take time for themselves, said Schulte Palacheck, who was a single parent for 13 years.

“I think that’s the biggest challenge of a single parent is that you have zero time because everything you have is being given either to your children or to work,” she said. “You just neglect yourself.

This is an opportunity for them to really take the time for themselves, and come and be refreshed and renewed and know that they’re not going through it alone.”

Other issues for single parents include working with the other parent(s), how to talk with kids about certain topics, and

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January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

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Saturday, Feb. 8 Maternity of The Blessed Virgin 1414 Dale St. N., St. Paul Schedule 8 a.m. — Parish Mass in church (optional) 8:30 a.m. — Registration and continental breakfast 9 a.m. — Retreat 12 p.m. — Closing prayer For more information and to register Visit archspm.org or call (651) 291-4489

discipline, Jody said.

“Sometimes people just talk and it’s nice to vent and listen to people that understand you,” she said. “That can be healing in itself.

There are always people who tell what they do in their house.”

Spiritual, practical resources Whatever their struggles are, Father Cloutier emphasized that for both single parents and their children, God doesn’t give them a vocation or work to do without also giving them the grace to do it.

“The grace is also there to help the single parent understand the needs of the child, understand their vocation as a parent, and then the grace of God is also there to help that child,” he said.

A speaker at a previous retreat encouraged Jody to pray a decade of the rosary every day with her son, which she continues to do.

“That’s something I incorporated into my family, and I believe that it helped,” she said.

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“You never know in what ways prayer helps, but it’s established the precedent now for my son to think, ‘Well, this is just what families do.’ And hopefully, he can carry that forward into his life as well, as an adult.”

The retreat is one way for single parents to know that the Church — through parishes and the faith community — has resources to help them, Father Cloutier said, adding that parishes need to reach out more to single parents.

Jody said the retreat is a source of support for her.

“You always leave feeling really good about who you are as a parent,” she said. “You always have those people, even though they’re essentially strangers, that you can go to if you have a problem or need additional support, because they get it.”

For more information about the Single Parent Retreat and to register, visit archspm.org or call (651) 2914489. When registering, please indicate if you will need childcare.

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7 In statement, archdiocese reaffirms commitment to ‘prudent,’ ongoing disclosure The Catholic Spirit The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis filed a letter Jan. 10 with the Ramsey County District Court, complying with a request from Judge John Van de North to provide recommendations for handling accusations of clergy sexual abuse of minors made known to the archdiocese after 2004.

Separate from the order, however, the archdiocese remains committed to transparency as well as “prudent and ongoing disclosure,” it said in a Jan. 14 statement.

“This principle of disclosure is unwavering,” it said. “We have been doing this, and will continue to do so, even as we work through the details of that disclosure separately with the court.”

On Dec. 5, the archdiocese released the names of 33 priests who appeared on a list of clerics believed to be credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor when the list was compiled by the archdiocese in 2003. The list was generated to fulfill a request by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, which published a national

study of clergy sexual abuse between 1950 and 2002. The Dec. 5 disclosure also included Curtis Wehmeyer, a cleric who was criminally convicted of sexual abuse of a minor last year.

The archdiocese has hired Kinsale Management Consulting to conduct a third-party review of its clergy files. Two weeks ago, as a result of the file review, the archdiocese publicly disclosed the names of two priests, one of whom had a single boundary violation and another who had more than one boundary violation. Both agreed to take leaves of absence to allow for a complete review. They remain out of active ministry until the reviews are complete.

A clergy member who is found to have a substantiated claim of sexual abuse of a minor against him is never allowed to return to active ministry.

Ensuring fairness In its letter to the judge, the archdiocese also expressed concerns that the court order as written — which requires the disclosure of names of clergy “merely accused” of sexual abuse of minors after 2004 — could jeopardize the due process rights of clergy who have been falsely accused but whose names

nevertheless would be required on the disclosure list because they were the subject of an accusation, regardless of the merits. In these cases, the Church would be forced to publicize even frivolous, malicious and false accusations.

The archdiocese requested the court to stay further action on the order until there is an opportunity to fully brief the court about the archdiocese’s concerns.

“We want to ensure that all parties in this matter have a full and fair hearing,” said Joseph Kueppers, the archdiocese’s chancellor for civil affairs. “It doesn’t change any of the stated policies of the archdiocese. It actually reaffirms the policies of the archdiocese for full and fair disclosure.”

“Our letter is requesting further clarification of the court’s order,” he said.

The archdiocese’s Jan. 14 statement made clear its intention with regard to working with the court and its commitment to disclosure.

“As it relates to the court, the most important thing to know is this: we look forward to working with the court in establishing a reasonable and fair process that acknowledges victims and protects children, while also ensuring the rights of all are respected. We have set forth such a proposal in our letter for consider-

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ation by the court.”

In the letter, the archdiocese proposed how it would handle allegations under the terms of the court order as it now stands.

The letter specifies that the archdiocese would relay to local law enforcement any accusation of clergy abuse of a minor occurring in the archdiocese. If law enforcement refers the matter for criminal charges, the archdiocese would disclose the cleric’s name within 15 days.

If the matter is not referred for criminal charges, the archdiocese would conduct its own investigation and determine if the clergy member’s name should be disclosed.

If the determination is made to not disclose the name, the matter would be forwarded to an independent third party who would review it and decide if the allegation should be made public.

“We reiterate what we have stated for many years: we urge anyone who suspects abuse of a minor within Church ministry to first call civil authorities,” the archdiocese said in its Jan. 14 statement. It also encouraged anyone who has been a victim of sexual misconduct in Church ministry to call the archdiocesan director of advocacy and victim assistance at (651) 291-4497.

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Archdiocese files letter with court for handling disclosures

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January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

Respect Life

8

Local students march for life year after year

By Jennifer Janikula For The Catholic Spirit Nearly 200 local high school students and chaperones will board four buses on Jan. 18 for a 24-hour ride to Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual March for Life.

For a few days each January, the Capitol swells with more than 400,000 people committed to promoting the sanctity of life.

They gather in peaceful protest around the Jan. 22, 1973, anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis organizes an annual six-day pro-life pilgrimage for high school students. The students participate in the National Rally and March for Life, attend a Students for Life of America Conference and celebrate Mass at the National Basilica. There also are daily opportunities for confession, adoration, reflection and testimonies.

“This trip is a transformative experience for many of the students,” said Bill Dill, youth ministry events coordinator for the

Local events celebrate life Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States, was decided 41 years ago on Jan. 22, 1973. In response, many local churches and organizations will mark the anniversary by hosting events that celebrate life and promote healing.

Minnesota Youth for Life Conference 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday, Jan. 20 Sacred Heart, Robbinsdale www.mnyouthforlife.com

archdiocese. “They get fired up in a way that changes their lives and teaches them to stand up for others. They learn to live out their Catholic faith in a concrete and meaningful way.”

The March for Life experience is so inspiring that many students become repeat pilgrims. This year’s trip will be the fourth adventure for seniors Luke Gion, Max Puffer and Isaiah Schick. (Another fourtimer, Maddie Schulte, shares another pro-life experience on page 9.) These three young men appreciate how the March for Life has deepened their faith and brought them closer to God. For Luke Gion, a member of St. Pius X in White Bear Lake, March for Life is an annual retreat — it inspires him, expands his perspective and prompts action.

“The trips have altered my high school experience in a positive way,” said Gion, a student at White Bear Lake Area High School.

“I see past the drama of high school, with its superficiality and appearances, to realize there are bigger issues at hand in my life.”

Since his first March for Life experience, Gion has started

Did you know?

Nearly 80 percent of the pro-life activists who descend upon Washington, D.C., each year are young adults or high school students.

Source: marchforlife.org

All Night Prayer Vigil for Hope, Healing and Mercy 7 p.m. – 7 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 21, to Wednesday, Jan. 22 St. Mary’s Chapel at St. Paul Seminary www.archspm.org

Prayer Service for Life 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22 Cathedral of St. Paul www.archspm.org

Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) March for Life 12 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22 State Capitol grounds www.mccl.org

A group of students from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis attend the 2013 March for Life in Washington, D.C. This year, four busloads of students will attend the Jan. 22 event that protests legalized abortion on demand. Photo submitted sharing his pro-life beliefs with others and plans start a pro-life group at his high school. The goal of the group will be to educate and inform, but not alienate students.

He explained that students are uncomfortable talking about abortion because it’s so “prickly” and politically divisive. But Gion wants to “reach out and build up the innate worth of people in general, whether a one-celled person or an 86-year-old person.”

Like Gion, the March for Life helps Schick refocus for the

upcoming year.

Schick, who attends TotinoGrace High School in Fridley and Epiphany church in Coon Rapids, described the March for Life as “a way to witness the culture of life as a community of faith.” He goes back each year because the experience is a unique opportunity that he can’t get anywhere else.

“The trip provides a personal faith encounter with God. You meet him in the people — in their Please turn to D.C. TRIP on page 9

Abortion is the greatest human rights issue of our time.

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2014 MCCL MARCH FOR LIFE Wednesday, January 22 12 noon State Capitol, St. Paul Jan. 22nd marks the 40th annual MCCL March for Life after the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion on demand. Your presence at the Capitol will send a clear message to state lawmakers that the majority of Minnesotans believe in the ‘Right to Life’

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January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

9

Nine days of prayer part of Roe v. Wade anniversary Catholic News Service

By Maddie Schulte For The Catholic Spirit I will always remember Nov. 23, 2013. It was Mahtomedi High School’s prolife group’s first time praying for life at a place where abortions take place, the Planned Parenthood in St. Paul.

Since it was our first time doing this, we decided to stay back, watch, learn how it all works and, most important, pray as hard as we possibly could for the innocent lives and the ones taking them in there.

So, we prayed. We watched cars pull in and cars pull out.

We had an intense hope that they had not killed a baby. The praying continued, and we were joined by two young men.

After about a half hour we were joined by another man, someone I consider a true gift from God — an experienced sidewalk counselor. With eyes wide open we watched his demeanor in awe.

At one point we decided to stay just 15 more minutes — one last chance to pray with every bit of strength we had left.

With five minutes left, one more car pulled in with two Maddie young women. Once they parked and got out of the car, SCHULTE we told them they didn’t have to do this, that we were there for them. We could tell that the young pregnant woman knew what she was about to do was wrong, because as soon as she heard those words, she stopped walking in and looked at us.

As soon as she was on public property, we were right by her side, and the counselor gave her information on women’s shelters and crisis pregnancy clinics.

Our group and the other two young men gathered around our new friend who was counseling her. We stood there to support him but, more important, to support her.

After he spoke to her, she went straight back to her car. Before she sat down, I heard her yell out the most moving words: “I’m not having an abortion.”

The echo of those words still replays in my head. I know we changed her life that day, although little does she know she actually changed mine. This is the day three young men and six young women, through the grace of God, saved a baby.

Schulte is a senior at Mahtomedi High School, where she is a student ambassador, tutor, hockey manager, and president of the school’s pro-life group, Students for Life. She serves as a pro-life ambassador for her parish, St. Jude of the Lake in Mahtomedi.

For the second consecutive year, the U.S. Catholic bishops are sponsoring Nine Days for Life: Prayer, Penance and Pilgrimage, planned for Jan. 18-26, as part of several events marking the 41st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion virtually on demand in the U.S. “Since that tragic decision, more than 55 million children’s lives have been lost to abortion, and many suffer that loss — often in silence,” said a posting at 9daysforlife.com.

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said in a recent letter to fellow bishops that response to last year’s nine-day observance prompted this year’s event to again “pray for the healing and conversion of our nation and people impacted by the culture of death.”

Respect Life

Students’ prayers answered outside St. Paul abortion clinic

Resources online The Nine Days for Life website offers several ways to sign up to receive a simple daily novena with different intercessions, brief reflections and suggested acts of reparation via e-mail or text message, or by using an app for smartphones.

Several resources for prayer and activities — as well as the full reflections for each of the nine days — are available online in the “ProLife Activities” section of the U.S. bishops’ website, www.usccb.org.

On Jan. 22, the anniversary of the 1973 Roe decision, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., will again be the site of the annual March Sign up to receive a simple for Life. Thousands of pro-lifers are expected to daily novena with different descend on the Capitol for the rally and march intercessions, brief to the Supreme Court. reflections and suggested A pre-rally event with live music beginning at 11:30 a.m. will be followed by a noon rally. acts of reparation at The march begins immediately afterward, with 9daysforlife.com. participants walking from the Mall to Constitution Avenue and ending up at the U.S. Supreme Court.

“People, especially our young people, are more and more receptive to the message that abortion hurts women, men and families,” wrote San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, who will deliver the invocation for the Jan. 25 Walk for Life West Coast. “They understand that it is inherently unfair to generations of their peers who never had the opportunity to experience life. This is why turnout by our students and young people continues to rise.”

D.C. trip inspires student to write ‘Am I Human?’ poem Continued from page 8 joy, passion and enthusiasm,” Schick said. “Every year, I grow in my prayer life as I witness the desire that others have for a deep faith and a deep relationship with God.” Schick’s classmate Max Puffer describes himself as a huge supporter of life. After three trips to Washington, D.C., Puffer continues to be inspired by the march, from the National Mall to the steps of the Supreme Court building.

“The number of people in the march — it’s amazing — all those people willing to stand with you,” Puffer

said. “They believe the exact same thing you do and want the same thing. It’s so touching that they are all here for the unborn.”

The March for Life trip inspired Puffer to write a poem, “Am I Human?”, which describes the abortion experience in the voice of a baby talking to her mother. Puffer brought many of the students and chaperones to tears when he courageously shared this part of his poem last year: “Years pass till the day comes when I meet you. Jesus forgave you and brought me to the gates of Heaven. I ran to you, you ran to me. I said I love you, you said the same.

After that we walked with Jesus into paradise together. I

am human.”

Jack Dorcey, a member of St. Pius X in White Bear Lake, has chaperoned four March for Life trips. He values the opportunity for the kids to step away from their lives and reflect.

“Adoration and confession inspire kids to get active in their faith,” Dorcey said. “The March for Life — it will change you. You will be convicted, and you might save a life.”

Before they depart for Washington, D.C., students and chaperones will attend Mass together at 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 18 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. The Mass is open to the public. The pilgrims welcome your prayers.

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TheCatholicSpirit.com • www.archspm.org January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

U.S. & World

10

Brazilian Archbishop Orani Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro is among 19 new cardinals named by Pope Francis Jan. 12. He is pictured in early 2013 blessing land outside central Rio where a papal Mass was to be held for World Youth Day. CNS photo/Reuters

Pope Francis names 19 new cardinals The prelates, including six from Latin America, will be inducted into the College of Cardinals Feb. 22

By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service Stressing that their role would be one of service rather than honor, Pope Francis named 19 new cardinals, including six men from his home region of Latin America.

The pope announced the nominations Jan. 12 after praying the Angelus, and said he would formal-

Who are the new cardinals?

• Italian Archbishop Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, who will turn 59 Jan. 17.

• Italian Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, 73.

• German Archbishop Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 66.

• Italian Archbishop Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, 72.

• English Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, 68.

• Nicaraguan Archbishop Leopoldo Brenes Solorzano of Managua, 64.

• Canadian Archbishop Gerald Lacroix of Quebec, 56.

• Ivorian Archbishop Jean-Pierre Kutwa of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 68.

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

ly induct the men into the College of Cardinals Feb. 22.

Although cardinals are traditionally known as “princes of the church,” Pope Francis, who has pointedly refused many of the trappings of his office, characteristically dismissed any element of pomp in the distinction he had decided to bestow.

In a letter to the new cardinals, released by the Vatican Jan. 13, the pope wrote that a red hat “does not signify a promotion, an honor or a decoration; it is simply a form of service that requires expanding your vision and enlarging your heart.”

• Brazilian Archbishop Orani Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro, 63.

• Italian Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti of Perguia-Citta della Pieve, 71.

• Argentine Archbishop Mario Poli of Buenos Aires, 66.

• Korean Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soojung of Seoul, 70.

• Chilean Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello of Santiago, 72.

• Burkina Faso Archbishop Philippe Ouedraogo of Ouagadougou, 68.

• Philippine Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato, 74.

• Haitian Bishop Chibly Langlois of Les Cayes, 55.

• Italian Archbishop Loris Capovilla, 98.

• Spanish Archbishop Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, retired, of Pamplona, 84.

• Saint Lucian Archbishop Kelvin Felix, retired, of Castries, who will be 81 Feb. 11.

Pope Francis instructed the cardinals-designate to “receive this new designation with a simple and humble heart. And while you should do so with joy and happiness, do it in a way that this feeling may be far from any expression of worldliness, or any form of celebration alien to the evangelical spirit of austerity, sobriety and poverty.”

The consistory will bring the total number of cardinals to 218 and the number of cardinals under age 80 to 122. Until they reach their 80th birthdays, cardinals are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope.

Two current cardinal electors will turn 80 in March, bringing the number of electors back to the limit of 120 set by Pope Paul VI. (Other popes have occasionally exceeded that limit for short periods of time.)

Some observers had predicted that Pope Francis, the first pope from Latin America, would use his first selections to make major changes in the composition of the cardinal electors, perhaps by boosting the presence of residential bishops from the global South and reducing that of Vatican officials or prelates from rich Western countries.

Half of the new cardinal electors hail from statistically underrepresented regions in the southern hemisphere, including three of the world’s poorest countries: Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Haiti. Yet Pope Francis did not substantially reduce the representation of groups with a traditionally strong pres-

ence.

Five of the new electors are from Latin America, an increase by onethird of the current number from the region. Latin America, home to about 40 percent of the world’s Catholics, will account for about 16 percent of the group eligible to choose the next pope.

One from North America The archbishops of Westminster and Quebec are also on the list of those to receive red hats; the latter is the only cardinal-designate from North America.

Four of the new cardinal electors are from Italy, leaving that nation’s share practically unchanged at nearly a quarter. However, the pope passed over the archbishop of Venice and the archbishop of Turin, both dioceses that traditionally come with a red hat.

Four new cardinal electors are Vatican officials, three of them in offices that traditionally entail membership in the college. Such officials will continue to make up slightly more than a third of the cardinal electors.

Three of the new cardinals are already over the age of 80 and, therefore, ineligible to vote in a conclave.

The pope uses such nominations to honor churchmen for their scholarship or other service to the church.

Among the new so-called honorary cardinals is Cardinal-designate Loris Capovilla, who served as personal secretary to Blessed John XXIII.

11 AMMAN, Jordan

Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem welcomed the announcement of Pope Francis’ May visit to the Holy Land and said he hopes the pilgrimage will be a “cry for peace,” particularly for Palestinians, Israelis, Syrians and others beset by conflict.

Pope Francis Patriarch Fouad announced his TWAL first trip as pontiff to the Holy Land, May 24-26, during his weekly blessing in Vatican City Jan. 5. His visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories is planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic visit by Pope Paul VI to the Holy Land in 1964.

Pope Francis is expected to celebrate Masses in Jerusalem, the West Bank town of Bethlehem and the Jordanian capital, Amman, where he will begin his trip.

VATICAN CITY

VATICAN CITY

Limits placed on ‘monsignor’ title for diocesan priests

Pope Francis said world peace requires the defense of human dignity from violations such as world hunger, human trafficking and abortion.

The pope made his remarks Jan.

Pope Francis has decided to limit the honor of “monsignor” among diocesan priests and grant it from now on only to those at least 65 years of age.

The change, which is not retroactive and does not affect Vatican officials or members of religious orders, was announced in a letter from the Vatican Secretariat of State to nunciatures around the world,

Pope says abortion, hunger, environmental damage threaten peace

along with instructions to inform local bishops.

Of the three grades of monsignor — apostolic protonotary, honorary prelate of His Holiness and chaplain of His Holiness — only the last will be available to diocesan priests who meet the new age requirement.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, informed U.S. bishops of the new policy in a Dec. 30 letter. His letter did not give a reason for the change, but Pope Francis has often warned clergy against the temptations of careerism and personal ambition.

CHICAGO

Archdiocese to release documents on past child sex abuse cases Chicago Cardinal Francis George, in a letter published Jan. 12 in parish bulletins, said “any abuse of a young person is heartbreaking” and such cases have put “a heavy burden on all of us in the Church.”

His letter announced that in cooperation with the Chicago ArchdioCardinal Francis cese, lawyers representing GEORGE those who have brought claims of past abuse planned to release documents pertaining to 30 archdiocesan priests accused of abusing minors at various times in past years.

The release, expected around Jan. 15, is a result of a mediation agreement between claimants and the

archdiocese.

“We cannot change the past, but we can help those affected and work to ensure this does not happen again,” Cardinal George said in his letter.

Ninety-five percent of the incidents in the cases occurred prior to 1988, according to an archdiocesan press release issued Jan. 7 along with a copy of the cardinal’s letter. All cases were reported to civil authorities, the archdiocese said.

The files name 30 priests, almost all of whom have been laicized or are deceased; none is currently in ministry. The archdiocese said the names have been listed on its website for several years.

U.S. & World

Jerusalem’s Latin patriarch hopes pope’s visit is ‘cry for peace’

13 in his first annual address to the Vatican diplomatic corps, offering a survey of world conflicts and crises he said were caused by “envy, selfishness, rivalry and the thirst for power and money.”

Speaking in the Apostolic Palace’s Sala Regia, the vast “royal hall” where popes traditionally received Catholic monarchs, Pope Francis spoke of what he has frequently called a “throwaway culture” exemplified by widespread food waste that leaves children starving or malnourished.

“Unfortunately, what is thrown away is not only food or disposable objects, but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as if they were unnecessary,” the pope said. “It is horrifying just to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day; children being used as soldiers, abused and killed in armed conflicts; children turned into merchandise in that terrible form of modern slavery called human trafficking, which is a crime against humanity.”

WHEELING, W.Va.

Prayers urged for chemical spill victims Bishop Michael Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston asked the state’s Catholics to join him in praying for the 300,000 people affected by the Jan. 9 chemical spill in the southern region of the state.

He asked for the prayers during the televised Mass he celebrated Jan. 11 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling, noting the many people who were still suffering in Charleston and the surrounding area who had not had access to clean water for days. The disaster occurred when a chemical used in the coal preparation process leaked from a tank at a Freedom Industries facility into the Elk River, which flows into the Kanawha River through Charleston.

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January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

12

7

THE

CHOICES

The following are titles of chapters and excerpts from the book All-Pro Wisdom, a collaborative effort of former NFL center Matt Birk and local business consultant Rich Chapman.

1. Who are you?

Choose to understand your identity “If you know who you are deep inside, you will have a rooted sense of identity that carries you through all the changes you face, the rest of your life will be easier and happier, and you will have a more positive impact on the people you influence.”

2. What is your purpose?

Choose to discover your mission “I believe that as you choose to step out of your personal comfort zone and seek to serve others, you will find your purpose.”

3. What kind of person do you want to be?

Choose to develop your character “All of us have dreams, desires and hopes about the kinds of lives we want to lead and the kinds of people we want to be. Men and women of character develop the discipline to turn dreams into realities.”

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

Birk turns faith conversations with Catholic neighbor into effort to reach those on ‘the fringe’ Continued from page 1 the Super Bowl last year with the Baltimore Ravens and moved to Florida with his wife Adriana and kids in the fall. “Football is kind of a civic religion in our culture. So, it’s a great language to communicate [the faith].”

The 133-page book in the form of a question: 1. Who are you? 2. What is your purpose? 3. What kind of person do you want to be? 4. Where are you going? 5. Where can you fihas chapters dealing with each of the seven choices, which are listednd strength greater than yourself? 6. Who can give you guidance? and 7. How are you improving today?

The choices are real to Birk because he himself drifted away from his faith during his college years at Harvard. Eventually, he came back after getting married and starting a family. Then, he went much deeper during the time he lived next door to Chapman, who belongs to St. John Neumann in Eagan.

“Our fellowship was started in the cul de sac,” Birk said. “We just started talking, and I got to know Rich and really developed a quick admiration for him. He’s a mentor for me, a great influence. Rich is a deep thinker and we talked about a lot of things, some being these seven choices. I felt what he was saying in my soul. I knew it to be true.”

Eventually, the two started talking about co-writing a book. In the summer of 2012, they got serious about starting the project. Then came the day they took their first step.

“It was Sept. 30, 2012,” Birk said. “The reason I know the date was it was my parents’ [Bob and Pam] 40th wedding anniversary. We had a big party for Rich them.”

CHAPMAN Just after the goodbyes had been said, Birk and Chapman went to work sending out emails to people in the NFL asking for comments on the seven choices to include in the book.

The list of those who said yes was impressive, starting with commissioner Roger Goodell and also including Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and players Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers), Troy Polamalu (Pittsburgh Steelers), Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys), Anquan Boldin (San Francisco 49ers), Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen (both with the Minnesota Vikings).

“What’s cool is these guys in this book, they embody these choices,” said Birk, who came to Minnesota to speak to St. Paul’s Outreach Men on a Mission Jan. 10. “They believe in it. They live it. This is awesome. This is great stuff, and we’re so blessed to have those guys — to have them be who they are and want to help us with this project.”

Chapman conducted the interviews, deliberately trying to keep them to just 10 minutes out of respect for the busy lives of those who work in the NFL. But, he was shocked when, time after time, the interviews stretched longer — even after he told each respondent when the time limit had been reached.

“Jared Allen was 45 minutes,” said Chapman, an independent corporate management consultant. “These guys loved to talk about this because it was about depth and content, and living. It wasn’t about football.

“Aaron Rodgers was particularly articulate. I took Aaron through the seven choices, and I said, ‘Aaron, what’s your experience with articulating your identity? And, where did the character in your life come from? How did you learn it? What about a source of strength greater than self?’ And, it was like he had rehearsed for it. He’s a very bright guy, very deep in his faith, very happy to try and help our initiative.”

Already, the book has gained traction, even before it has been released.

Center Matt B Francisco 49 with friend an

Birk and Ch choices. On of his 30,00 Christian A who is a m Birk will b at two local lis and Feb. One imp can be a gre “It’s a gre open up co said. “We c er or the ba But, the g why the tw that calling “It’s all in workbooks, movement. message.

“This is a taken a lot cited. We’re We feel hon

Birk drops into pass protection during his final NFL game, the Super Bowl against the San 9ers last February. Birk retired after the game and turned his energy toward writing a book nd former neighbor Rich Chapman. Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Ravens

hapman have met with several corporate CEOs about the seven ne of them said he would like to give copies of the book to each 00 employees. On top of that, Chapman said the Fellowship of Athletes is considering giving copies to every high school athlete member — some 450,000. be back in Minnesota soon to promote the book and sign copies l venues — Feb. 5 at Barnes and Noble in downtown Minneapo. 7 at O’Gara’s in St. Paul. portant point that the two are making about the book is that it eat tool for evangelization. eat conversation starter. This is a very nonthreatening way to onversations with people about what really matters,” Chapman call it stealth evangelization. You don’t see anything on the covack or in the introduction of the book that refers to God.” goal is to lead people to a relationship with Jesus Christ. That is wo don’t consider the book so much a project as a calling. And, g could lead to things beyond the book. n God’s hands; he’s leading the way,” Birk said. “There could be , there could be a Catholic version of the book. It could be a . We’re doing it one day at a time and we’re just delivering the

13

4. Where are you going?

Choose to clarify your goals “Dreams are important. Our lives would be empty without them. But dreams don’t change the world unless they’re put into action. That’s where goals come in. Goals help us convert lofty dreams into doable acts.”

5. Where can you find strength greater than yourself?

Choose to connect with power “That brief phrase, ‘Let your will be done, Lord’ has been the prayer of my life for as long as I can remember. It’s a simple prayer, but it helps me connect with a power that’s much greater than myself.”

6. Who can give you guidance?

Choose to seek wise counsel “I believe it takes strength and courage to admit that I don’t have all the answers and to ask someone else who knows more than I do.”

7. How are you improving today?

Choose to commit to growth “No matter who you are or what you are trying to do in your life, if you want to be good at anything, you need to learn from your mistakes and try to do a better job the next time.”

a calling. We’re on a mission and this is what we’ve done. It’s to get to this point, but we couldn’t be more energized and exe serving a purpose greater than ourselves. That’s evident to us. nored to do it.”

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

Focus on Faith • Scripture Readings

14 SUNDAY SCRIPTURES Jean Denton

Generosity shows the light of Christ to others God told Isaiah, “You are my servant. . . . I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

In this week’s Scripture, the prophet, in turn, spoke the promise to all the Lord’s servants.

“The ends of the earth,” in some ways, describes the remote hamlet of St. Charles, Va., population 950, in the coal fields of the state. The

main road does actually dead end into a mountainside.

In nearby Jonesville is Holy Spirit parish, where about 25 people faithfully attend Mass every weekend. Last summer, a parishioner who teaches at St. Charles Elementary School explained to fellow church members that the children who live in St. Charles’ impoverished coal camps depend on a free

school lunch as their only full meal each day. When school wasn’t in session, she pointed out, they went hungry.

Holy Spirit parishioners responded as God’s servants, providing for those in need. Every week, they brought food, prepared hundreds of sack lunches and took them to the St. Charles Community Center.

A volunteer at the center explained, “People in those hollers don’t come out. Maybe they don’t have a car, or only have one car that’s not available because somebody has to take it to work during the day. So we deliver the lunches to the coal camps.

“The kids come running out to the road to meet us,” she said.

“You can hear them yelling, ‘Lunch is here!’ as you drive up.”

Sixty years ago, St. Charles was a thriving industrial town. Locals recall busy shops, movie theaters

and mansions of the executives of several large coal companies. But eventually, the big companies left.

So did the wealth gained by taking the region’s valuable resource away to drive economies elsewhere.

Only a few small mines — and a lot of poverty — remain.

Still, the families in the coal camps know their summer lunches come from the small Catholic community up the road. It has become a light of salvation to them.

Their excitement at the sight of the delivery car is like that of John the Baptist in the Gospel, when he pointed to the savior coming toward the people: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

This Catholic News Service column is offered in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.

Readings Sunday, Jan. 19 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time • Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 • 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 • John 1:29-34

Reflection Where do you see faithful servants of God made into a light of salvation?

How can you be such a light?

Note: The Sunday Scripture reflections written by seminarians of St. Paul Seminary will return in the Jan. 30 issue.

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Jan. 19 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 John 1:29-34 Monday, Jan. 20 St. Fabian, pope, martyr; St. Sebastian, martyr 1 Samuel 15:16-23 Mark 2:18-22 Tuesday, Jan. 21 St. Agnes, virgin, martyr

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

1 Samuel 16:1-13 Mark 2:23-28

1 Samuel 24:3-21 Mark 3:13-19

2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10 Mark 3:22-30

Wednesday, Jan. 22 1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51 Mark 3:1-6

Saturday, Jan. 25 The Conversion of St. Paul, the Apostle Acts 22:3-16 Mark 16:15-18

Tuesday, Jan. 28 St. Thomas Aquinas, priest, doctor of the Church 2 Samuel 6:12b-15, 17-19 Mark 3:31-35

Sunday, Jan. 26 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 8:23–9:3 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 Matthew 4:12-23

Wednesday, Jan. 29 2 Samuel 7:4-17 Mark 4:1-20

Thursday, Jan. 23 St. Vincent, deacon, martyr; St. Marianne Cope, virgin 1 Samuel 18:6-9, 19:1-7 Mark 3:7-12 Friday, Jan. 24 St. Francis de Sales, bishop, doctor of the Church

Monday, Jan. 27 St. Angela Merici, virgin

Thursday, Jan. 30 2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29 Mark 4:21-25

Friday, Jan. 31 St. John Bosco, priest 2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17 Mark 4:26-34 Saturday, Feb. 1 2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17 Mark 4:35-41 Sunday, Feb. 2 The Presentation of the Lord Malachi 3:1-4 Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40

We are here to offer you help and healing. We will also help you make a formal complaint of abuse to this Archdiocese or assist you in contacting another archdiocese/diocese/eparchy.

Please call me, Greta Sawyer on my confidential phone line, 651.291.4497, or email me at sawyerg@archspm.org.

. . . Forming Disciples of Jesus Christ

Join us for Round-Ups and an Open House: Preschool Round-Up: 6:30 p.m., Thurs., Jan. 16th Kindergarten Round-Up: 6:30 p.m., Thurs., Jan. 23rd Open House: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., Sun., Jan. 26th

For more information: Call (651) 633-1522 or visit www.stjohnnyb.org

15 SEEKING ANSWERS Father Kenneth Doyle

Is there a Catholic ‘rule’ for everything?

Q. I follow your column weekly and am fascinated by how often you quote a rule from our catechism, numbered into the thousands. Is everything Catholics do covered by a rule, and how is the ordinary person supposed to know every rule? Didn’t Jesus say there are two commandments: love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself?

A. The Catechism of the Catholic Church serves as a handy summary of the Church’s basic teachings. True, there are 2,865 “sections” (each of them normally a single paragraph).

The vast majority, though, are not “rules” but explanations of Scriptural passages and of Church teaching over the centuries.

(Most religions, by the way, have multiple “rules” as a helpful guide to life’s varied situations. The Jewish Talmudic law had 613 precepts.)

I do, as you state, frequently quote the catechism as a handy way of responding to readers’ queries. I have referenced the catechism in response to questions as diverse as the morality of artificial insemination and whether blessed articles can be resold.

To answer your question as to how ordinary Catholics can know “every rule” of the Church, the answer is that they can’t, which is the reason for a column like this. (Even easier than reading a column, though, is simply to ask a local priest or religious educator.)

Your appeal to Jesus’ quote on loving God and neighbor is “It would be far easier . . . important. To be fair, Christ did not say that these two if we could simply turn to a were the only commandments.

His answer (in Matthew 22:34page in a book for clear-cut 40) came in response to a answers to every challenge lawyer’s question as to which was “the greatest” of the of daily living.” commandments. Jesus said, “The whole law and the Father Kenneth Doyle prophets depend on these two commandments.”

He did not say that this was all you needed to know.

Finally, as to whether everything Catholics do is “covered by a rule,” the answer is absolutely not. It would be far easier if that were so, if we could simply turn to a page in a book for clear-cut answers to every challenge of daily living.

Most of our moral issues are complex: how to be a good parent, how to get along with people at work, how to use to the fullest the talents God has given us. On these things, a manual of behavior doesn’t always help, only daily reflection, guided by prayer.

Focus on Faith • Seeking Answers

If you have been abused or victimized by someone representing the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, we want to hear from you.

Q. Is a Catholic allowed to listen to and heed the advice of preachers from other religions?

A. The Second Vatican Council’s declaration “Nostra Aetate” addresses your question about reflecting on the insights offered by other religions. It states in No. 2 that “the Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions ... (and) regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all.”

So the answer to your question is a clear “yes.” It can be beneficial to listen to preachers of other faiths and to take value from what they say.

Father Doyle writes for Catholic News Service. A priest of the Diocese of Albany, N.Y., he previously served as director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

This Catholic Life • Commentary

16 GUEST EDITORIAL Archbishop Joseph Kurtz

A day to march for the unborn and a culture of life This Jan. 22 marks the 41st year since abortion became legal in the United States throughout the nine months of pregnancy. The 1973 Supreme Court decisions Roe v. Wade and its companion case, Doe v.

Bolton, created one of the most sweeping licenses for abortion in the world.

Since then, more than 55 million innocent children have lost their lives to abortion in the U.S. Countless mothers are left behind, often hurting physically, emotionally and spiritually in silence. Others suffer, too: the men who lost their fatherhood, the grandparents who are missing grandchildren, and children deprived of siblings.

A massive crowd will gather once again at the national March for Life on Jan. 22 to protest the injustice of Roe v. Wade, and similar demon-

strations will take place throughout the country.

I plan to join the gathering in Washington for several reasons. We march in memory of those lost to abortion. We march for the voiceless children to defend their right to life — especially for those like my brother Georgie, born with Down syndrome, whose lives all too often are deemed unworthy to see the light of day.

We march for the women considering abortion, that in our concern for their needs, they will find the strength to choose life. We march in solidarity with post-abortive mothers, working toward the day when no more women will endure what they have. And we march in thanksgiving for the courageous birth mothers who, despite many odds, have given their children the

FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA Jason Adkins

‘Blowing the dynamite’ of the Catholic Church In the 1930s, during a time of economic depression and geopolitical upheaval and uncertainty, Catholic Worker movement co-founder Peter Maurin wrote a collection of “Easy Essays” to help people understand and live Catholic teaching in the social and political sphere.

In 1936, he wrote one called “Blowing the Dynamite of the Church”: Writing about the Catholic Church, a radical writer says: “Rome will have to do more than to play a waiting game; she will have to use

Get involved How do you become a more dynamic Catholic and faithful citizen?

• Pray that you may “think with the Church.”

• Educate yourself.

• Take action on what you learn.

Go to www.mncc.org to find resources on Catholic social teaching and to join the MCC Catholic Advocacy Network.

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

some of the dynamite inherent in her message.”

To blow the dynamite of a message is the only way to make the message dynamic.

If the Catholic Church is not today the dominant social dynamic force, it is because Catholic scholars have failed to blow the dynamite of the Church.

Catholic scholars have taken the dynamite of the Church, have wrapped it up in nice phraseology, placed it in an hermetic container and sat on the lid.

It is about time to blow the lid off so the Catholic Church may again become the dominant social dynamic force.

Maurin’s critique implied that the vocabulary and density of Catholic social teaching can be a barrier to its understanding and application, particularly for those not

gift of life and an adoptive family to raise them.

On the eve of the march, thousands will join in an overnight national prayer vigil to pray for an end to abortion and commit all our pro-life activities to the Lord.

Whether or not you can participate in person, consider joining our “9 Days for Life” campaign in solidarity with the pilgrims. It runs from Saturday, Jan. 18, through Sunday the 26th. Your prayers matter and your sacrifices make a difference!

Year-round efforts Our pro-life activity doesn’t end with these annual events. The Church’s approach to building a culture of life is multifaceted: We educate, advocate, serve and pray year round.

We are fighting for the protection of religious ministries, medical personnel and business owners facing incredible pressure to violate their deeply-held beliefs. Visit www. usccb.org/conscience to watch our 3-minute video featuring three women whose rights are at risk — Cathy, Sister Jane Marie and Christine — and learn how you can speak up for conscience rights today.

Another vital measure is the No trained in a particular philosophical language used by the Church.

The ongoing problem is undoubtedly real. How often do people get stuck on terms such as “subsidiarity,” “common good,” “complementarity,” or “economy of communion”? And, how often do we fail to explain concepts and teachings in ways that are understandable? A lot.

To be sure, there is a “vocabulary gap” in some of the Church’s attempts to communicate its rich social teaching. But complex language is not the fundamental problem.

The main reason the fuse of Catholic social teaching has not been lit and the dynamite has not been blown is our failure as Catholics to know and live the Gospel publicly in our daily lives.

Pope Paul VI stated that to evangelize the modern world, we needed witnesses more than teachers.

Pope Francis has made this statement a key theme for his strategy to carry out the New Evangelization, and he himself is leading the way.

The world, even a media culture often hostile to the Church, sees in Pope Francis an authentic witness, someone who indisputably lives what he preaches. And, as a result, along with the pointed and simple way in which he expresses himself — in most cases without too much jargon — he is becoming the world’s parish priest, and people are paying attention.

Pope Francis seems to have lit the fuse in the dynamite of Catholic social teaching. But it is up to all of us as Catholics to blow the dynamite and make the Church a dynamic

Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which will close the loopholes allowing federal support of abortion in the Affordable Care Act. A prayerful way to promote life is the “Blessing of the Child in the Womb.” Given by a priest or deacon, the blessing honors each human life as a gift from conception onward. Having promoted this blessing several years ago, I am gratified by parishes’ efforts to offer it and to provide support, prayers, and love for their mothers and fathers.

Every year on this sad anniversary, I am encouraged by the witness of pilgrims who make the journey to march for life out in the cold, often at great expense and discomfort. I am thankful for all the compassionate Project Rachel priests and counselors who share God’s mercy with those hurt by abortion.

May they — and all who pray and sacrifice for the cause of life — know the protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn and of all the Americas.

Archbishop Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Information on the bishops’ pro-life efforts can be found at www.usccb.org/prolife. social force for good in society.

Living the Gospel Doing so does not mean ignoring or minimizing the “hard sayings” found in the Gospel and in Church teaching. Pope Francis has not done so, calling abortion and euthanasia evidence of a “throwaway culture,” referring to the redefinition of marriage as an “anthropological regression,” and denouncing the “economy of exclusion and inequality” so common around the world today, and increasingly in the United States.

It is not in minimizing or ignoring the challenging truths of Catholic social teaching, focusing only on those with mass appeal and the approval of the media, that we will blow the dynamite of the Church.

Rather, it will be in living strong marriages and building a healthy marriage culture; supporting the poor, the vulnerable, the immigrant, and the women in difficult pregnancies — not just through our tax dollars and donations, but in concrete works of mercy; and in fostering greater economic participation and promoting better care for creation in the daily business, professional and consumer choices we make.

When we do that, those “who have ears to hear” will multiply, the wisdom of Catholic social teaching will be more widely known, and the whole Church will become a dynamic force for building a civilization of love.

Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

17

Christina Capecchi

Cold hands, young heart: the wonder of winter Just when you think you’ve seen everything — every lion hugging human, every shark-eluding seal — the World Wide Web churns out a picture that makes you stare.

We process a barrage of images so glibly that it takes something special to keep us from skipping and scrolling right by. And yet here it was: a Twitter link that led to a Flickr page of super-magnified snowflakes dripping and fluttering in remarkable intricacy.

Despite their commonality as symmetrical, six-pointed crystals, their diversity is staggering, no two even close to alike: a boxy hexagon, a dainty doily, a set of arrows, a regal crown ready to enshrine emeralds.

Elizabeth Scalia, a Benedictine Oblate I follow on Twitter, had already responded to the snowflakes.

“When I first saw these pictures, all I could think was, ‘Look! Pictures of Christ!’” she had blogged. “The snowflakes are ordered. They are visibly, perfectly ordered, like Christ. And as with Christ, you can see the whole world in them. Butterflies and flowers, dragonflies and stingers and crescents, stars, arrows and feathers and leaves, sand dollars, beetles and tents and cathe-

Snowy magic

Social Concerns Deacon Mickey Friesen

God so loved the world Being Catholic means that I am part of a global reality and called to participate in God’s mission to the ends of the earth.

My earliest memory of this Catholic worldview happened in the lunchroom at St. Joseph Catholic School in Rosemount. Every day at lunch, one of the sisters would stand next to the garbage can and say to children wanting to waste food, “How can you waste food when so many people are going hungry in the world? Please don’t take more than you need.”

Long before the modern slogan of “reduce, recycle and reuse” entered current parlance, I knew somehow that I was bound to people all around the world and that my daily behaviors of using things and consuming affected them. I came to see that Jesus’ command to love my neighbor

“The snowflakes are ordered. They are visibly, perfectly ordered, like Christ.

And as with Christ, you can see the whole world in them.”

drals and even people.”

I emailed the link to my friend Sister Mary, a Dominican sister from San Francisco who recently moved to St. Paul and seemed alarmed by our recent cold snap.

Perhaps their beauty would soften their bite. “It is incredible that every snowflake and every grain of sand is unique,” she wrote back.

“What an awesome God we have!”

We are in the midst of a white winter here, Sister Mary can attest, and for me, the snowfall never gets old, filling me with childlike glee and recalling the magic of a snow day, one fell swoop that could wipe away 12 hours of well-set plans.

You were going to put on jeans and sit through social studies and then hustle through basketball practice?

Nah, let’s keep you in those nice, warm pajamas a few more hours and then send you outside to build a snow fort!

Each time I spot flurries, I step away from my desk and entertain the urge to grab my camera and photograph the old oak out back that somehow looks new again. The other day I discovered an Anne Sex-

extends beyond my local and national borders.

Building solidarity Living in the age of globalization has come to mean that we are connected in terms of economics and sharing the world’s resources. It also reveals the limits and vulnerabilities of our planet to sustain this economic activity.

One of the promises of globalization was that the standard of more people’s lives would improve. Sadly, the reality has been that relatively few people’s lives have improved except those at the top of the global ladder, and the gap between the haves and have-nots has only grown.

As the chain between producers and consumers of food and other products becomes so long and obscure, it becomes easier to waste and

ly live indoors, glued to tiny electronics and oversized TVs, stuck in a kind of second-hand existence.

This winter I am compelled to venture outside, to feel cold, alert and alive. Last week I almost succumbed to an impulse buy of snow-

Benedictine Oblate Elizabeth Scalia

Get out and enjoy Beauty leads to belief, and the footbridge is a youthful sense of wonder, inviting us to pause from the day’s demands and simply delight. As young adults distancing ourselves from college, we can be consumed by practicalities — rent, insurance, a 401k — and we barrel toward the future with our heads down and elbows pumping. We mistake growing more serious for growing wiser. We starve our imaginations. It’s all made worse by the fact that we, as a species, now largeexclude others. We even celebrate our excesses as a sign of success rather than a symptom of what Pope Francis calls a globalization of indifference.

The opposite of global indifference is global solidarity. The U.S. bishops said in their 1997 pastoral letter on solidarity that “a parish (or church) reaching beyond its borders is truly a ‘catholic’ church.”

It builds on the biblical ethic that I am my brother’s (or sister’s) keeper and that we are called to love the world as God’s neighborhood.

I think this is one of the messages of the Christmas season we have just celebrated. We recall John’s Gospel, “God so loved the world that he sent his only Son” (John 3:16).

Christmas celebrates God’s solidarity with the world by entering our human condition. Christ lived in solidarity with the poor, the sick, the lost and forgotten to restore them (and us) to our true dignity and reconcile whatever is divided.

Riding the wave The path to peace is paved by the solidarity of Christ. And it is the vocation of Christian disciples to participate in God’s plan of restoring the world to communion and peace.

This Catholic Life • Commentary

Twenty Something

ton quote that conveys it well: “I am younger each year at the first snow. When I see it, suddenly, in the air, all little and white and moving, then I am in love again and very young and I believe everything.”

shoes beckoning from a Sam’s Club endcap. And I’m framing the Dec. 30, 2013, New Yorker cover, an illustration of Pope Francis making a snow angel, as a symbol of levity in the great outdoors. My mom is celebrating her retirement on a dogsledding trip near the Canadian border. I’ll be content to stand below a full moon and let its cloudy light drip down.

Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights. She can be reached at www.ReadChristina.com.

Pope Francis recently initiated a global campaign against hunger. It began on Dec. 10 with a prophetic action called a global wave of prayer.

The global wave was modeled after “the wave” that happens in many stadiums during sporting events. The Holy Father called upon people in every time zone to stand and pray at noon for an end to hunger. The global wave of prayer opens up an opportunity for us to stand in solidarity with our neighbors in need. We can follow up this symbolic action with concrete steps and policies that foster global solidarity over global indifference, exclusion and inequality.

As a new year begins, we are asked to pray again for greater peace and unity in our world. Let us consider the wisdom of the sister who stands at the garbage can asking us about our habits of waste and indifference to our brothers and sisters — our neighbors in need.

How is God’s love for the world, celebrated at Christmas, being born in us? And, how can we participate in Christ’s plan to restore all things in himself? This is the peace that the world cannot give.

Deacon Friesen is director of the archdiocesan Center for Mission.

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

Faith & Culture

18

Finding leisure in

LITERATURE Women of all ages join The Well-Read Mom book clubs

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit Two years ago, Marcie Stokman started a book club in her living room as a way to build friendships and have fun with other moms all while reading traditional Western and Catholic literature. Never did

From left, Jeannine Backstrom of St. Albert in Albertville, her daughther-in-law Lexy Backstrom of St. Louis King of France in St. Paul, and Stephanie Stokman of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul check out a book at The Well-Read Mom conference Jan. 10 at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

she imagine that her club, The WellRead Mom, would inspire other women to start their own clubs — now totaling 74 in 26 states and one in Canada and France — and produce an annual conference.

“I know the Lord is doing this,” said Stokman, of Crosby, who homeschooled her seven children for more than 20 years. “I function with accountability. I realized that’s what women need — people to talk about the books with. You enjoy it more and grow in understanding.”

In Crosby, Stokman, who holds a master’s degree, would talk to women about why reading matters for them. When she asked what they were reading, many would tell her nothing at all, that they just didn’t have the time to read, they didn’t know where to start, or reading was not for them.

“Being a stay-at-home mom can be a hazard for your intellect, so it’s so important to get connected,” Stokman said. “We need to raise the bar. We’re raising children, forming minds and hearts. We need to get off our devices and think.”

That’s when she shared her idea

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

for a book club with her daughter, Beth Nelson, and daughter-in-law, Stephanie Stokman, both members of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul.

They wanted a way for women to accompany each other in reading the classics.

“The Holy Spirit took over,” Stephanie said. “I have no way to describe it other than that. Before we knew it, Marcie was having a pilot kick-off group in Crosby.”

Stephanie Stokman and Nelson, both stay-at-home moms with two young kids, started their own group in St. Paul and now help Marcie organize materials, create graphics and plan the conference — this year held Jan. 10 at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton.

“We created a website solely to fill the need for the one [club], and then the reading companion came along when we wanted a more concrete way to stay together in reading the books,” Stephanie said.

Any woman can join one of the book clubs at no expense. But the website — wellreadmom.com — provides audio introductions of books on The Well-Read Mom list, and presentations from the conference for registered members.

The Well-Read Mom book selections correspond with a theme.

This year’s “Year of the Mother” books include works from Flannery O’Connor, Pearl S. Buck, Bess Streeter Aldrich, Brother Lawrence, Homer, Charlotte Bronte, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Dorothy Day and Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

“The short stories make it easy to get started, and we save the heavier books for the winter months,” Marcie Stokman said. “The conference helps with those.”

The books also follow the liturgical calendar with spiritual classics during Advent and Lent.

“The format makes it very easy to run a meeting,” said Carrie Miller, who attended the Well-Read Mom conference with her 13-yearold, Theresia. “You don’t really need to be in charge or anything because you get everything from The Well-Read Mom website. So, you don’t have to feel like you’re the expert. You just have to read and enjoy the book. I get a lot out of the tips that Marcie sends out — just different things to look for

From left, Stephanie Stokman, Marcie Stokman and Beth Nelson operate The WellRead Mom, a book club that helps women develop habits of reading to further their spiritual and intellectual growth. The three hosted a conference Jan. 10 at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton. Nelson and Stephanie Stokman belong to Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul. Marcie, who lives in Crosby, is Nelson’s mother and Stephanie’s mother-in-law. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit in the books that I wouldn’t have noticed or know how to interpret.”

In choosing the books, many of which Marcie Stokman said are slipping off reading lists, she enlisted the help of University of St. Thomas professor Mary Reichardt, who has a Ph.D. in literature and authored eight books.

Three of Stokman’s children, including Nelson, attended St. Thomas. At the conference, Reichardt presented on Bronte’s “Jane Eyre,” the book club’s February read, to more than 100 women — some with a baby in tow.

Lexy Backstrom was one of those women. With her mother-in-law, she and 9-month-old daughter Cora attended the conference to see what it was about. The conference provides background, context and promotion for the year’s books, and explains why the books were chosen. It also gives women a chance to meet participants from other Well-Read Mom clubs.

“I’ve actually been thinking I wanted to get involved in something after having a new baby,” said Backstrom, who attends St. Louis King of France in St. Paul.

“Being a new mom, you kind of have to reconnect to different things, so I’m excited to learn about it and see if it’s something that would work for me.”

Marcie Stokman said the book clubs are for all women.

“In a sense, every woman is a mother,” she said. “Some people even follow [the clubs] on their own, but it’s meant to get together face to face. It’s a head start to grow in friendships. People have told me it has even helped their marriages.”

Miller, who attends Divine Mercy in Faribault and homeschools her six children, said finding the time to read is always an issue, but she cuts out distractions such as TV, and has found that nursing a baby is an opportune time to pick up a book.

“It’s a good time in my life to do it,” said Miller, who is pregnant with her seventh child. “Some of

my children are older now, so it’s not quite the same as when you have everybody 5 and under. My kids are at the stage where they do need to see me reading, and we talked about literature together, so that opens up a whole new world.”

Marcie Stokman has one rule for the clubs: Don’t apologize if you haven’t read the book — just come and enjoy the environment.

“It doesn’t matter if you just go back and read three chapters [after attending a meeting],” she said.

“Every woman finds some success.”

While the book list has a Catholic emphasis, Marcie said women with a different or absent faith life could benefit from being in a club. Three of the women in her group are Lutheran.

“It’s a veiled apostolate,” she said. “It’s wonderful to be with them, and them with us. The club exposes them to other books.”

Miller explained how her book club provides something more than the traditional Bible studies she has attended. “[Literature] teaches so many lessons and values, and also causes you to inspect your own life in a way that is a little different than a Bible study,” she said. “So, reading about experiences of other women, other things that are bigger or broader than your own life, or even parallel that can help guide you in the spiritual life. You might not think of that as a book club goal, but it’s definitely been something that I’ve noticed happening.”

According to Stephanie Stokman, The Well-Read Mom hopes to produce a printed quarterly publication, and might look into podcasts. But she reiterates that face-to-face groups are the most valuable.

“We really want to emphasize the togetherness and making a space for it in our lives,” she said.

In addition to the website, women can connect with The Well-Read Mom on Facebook: facebook.com/thewellreadmom.

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

Chicken and rib dinner at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — Every Wednesday: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $12. Call (952) 888-1492 for reservations.

KC Lumberjack Breakfast at Mary, Queen of Peace, Rogers — January 19: 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 21304 Church Ave. Free will offering. Proceeds benefit the church, school and community.

KC benefit breakfast at Knights of Columbus Hall, Stillwater — January 19: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1910 Greeley St. Cost is $8 for adults and $4.50 for children 12 and under.

This breakfast is in partnership with St. Croix Valley Lumberjacks: Special Olympics.

KC pancake and French toast breakfast at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — January 19: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Free will offering.

KC waffle breakfast at St. Vincent de Paul School, Brooklyn Park — January 25: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N.

Parish events Annual Parish Pro-Life Presentation and Italian Dinner at Maternity of Mary, St. Paul — January 18: 5:30 p.m. (Mass at 4:30 p.m.) at 1414 N. Dale St. Speaker is Bishop Lee Piché. Cost is $15 for adults, $5 for children ages 13-18 and $2 for 12 and under. Childcare will be available. For more information, call (651) 489-0211.

Spaghetti dinner for vocations at Epiphany School, Coon Rapids — January 18: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 11001 Hanson Blvd. Cost is $25 per family, $6 for adults and $5 for seniors and children 5 to 12.

150th anniversary kick-off Mass at Holy Name of Jesus, Wayzata — January 19: 10:30 a.m. at 155 County Road 24. The Mass is the first event in a year-long celebration of the parish anniversary. A historical exhibit and reception with light appetizers will follow the Mass.

Martin Luther King Holiday show, ‘Rondo ‘56’ at St. Joan of Arc, Minneapolis — January 19: 7 p.m. at 4537 Third Ave. S. Features memories of St. Paul’s historic AfricanAmerican main street with images, stories and songs. Tickets are $20 each and are available at the door or online at www.stjoan.com.

Parish family bingo at Immaculate Conception, Lonsdale — January 19: Lunch served beginning at 11 a.m. with bingo from noon to 4 p.m. at 202 Alabama St. S.E. Cost is $3 or $8 per family.

Jason Evert presentation for parents at St. Raphael, Crystal — January 19: 3 to 4:30 p.m. at 7301 Bass Lake Road. Evert will present “Parenting for Purity.” Cost is $5 per person. No registration required.

Jason Evert presentation for grades 7 to 12 at St. Raphael, Crystal — January 19: 6 to 8 p.m. at 7301 Bass Lake Road. Evert will present chastity talk, “Love or Lust.” Event also includes Eucharistic adoration and reconciliation. Cost is $5 per person. Registration required by calling (763) 537-8401, ext. 225.

Don’t miss: More events online Additional parish and school events in the archdiocese can be found in the Calendar section of TheCatholicSpirit. com/calendar.

Men’s breakfast at St. Helena, Minneapolis — January 25: 8:30 a.m. at 3204 E. 43rd St. David Deavel will speak on “Ancient Monastic Practices for Modern Men.” Cost is $5 for breakfast. Reservations must be made by noon January 24 by calling (612) 729-7321.

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage one-day seminar at St. Joseph, Rosemount — January 25: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 13900 Biscayne Ave. W. For information and to register, call (612) 501-9065 or visit www.lywrosemount.evenbrite.com.

Four day parish mission at Epiphany, Coon Rapids — January 27 to 30: 7 to 9 p.m. each night with fellowship to follow at 11001 Hanson Blvd. Fr. Larry Richards, a popular Conference Speaker and pastor from Erie, PA, will conduct the four day mission.

Childcare provided by requests. For information, visit www.epiphanymn.org.

Swing Dance at St. Joseph of the Lakes, Lino Lakes — February 1: Dance lessons at 7:15 and music from 8 to 11 p.m. at 171 Elm St. Features the “Saints of Swing” Big Band playing a variety of swing and Latin style music. Admission is $12 and the price includes 2 drinks.

Prayer/ liturgy Healing Mass at St. Mark, St. Paul — January 20: Rosary at 7 p.m., Mass at 7:30 p.m. at 2001 Dayton Ave. Father Jim Livingston will be the celebrant.

Healing Mass at St. Gabriel the Archangel, St. Joseph’s Church campus, Hopkins — January 21: Rosary is at 7 p.m. followed by Mass at 1310 Mainstreet. Father Jim Livingston will be the celebrant.

Prayer service for life at Lumen Christi, St. Paul — January 22: 7 p.m. at 2055 Bohland Ave. Fellowship and refreshments will follow.

Healing Mass at Holy Name of Jesus, Wayzata — January 28: Rosary at 6:30 p.m. and Mass at 7 p.m. at 155 County Road 24.

Father Jim Livingston will be the celebrant.

Retreats Archdiocesan newly married retreat at St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony — February 1: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 2739 Stinson Blvd. N.E. For all married couples who have not reached their 8th anniversary by Feb. 1, 2014. Father Thomas Loya will speak on “Theology of the Body for Newlyweds.”

Retreat also includes break out sessions on a

variety of topics, renewal of wedding vows and reconciliation. Cost is $40 per couple and includes continental breakfast and lunch. Register by January 27 by calling (651) 2914553 or online at https:// events.archspm.org/ newlymarriedretreat2014.

Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for 50plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. For information, call Judy at (763) 221-3040 or Al at (651) 482-0406.

Young adults

Open house at St. Peter School, North St. Paul — January 28: 5 to 8 p.m. at 2620 N. Margaret St. Features the ExploraDome, nine planetarium shows beginning at 5 p.m.

Other activities include seeing the debate team in action, a free throw contest, taste the three favorite lunches in the cafeteria and wrap up with a pizza dinner. For information, visit www. stpeternsp.org.

Calendar

Dining out

Other events Second annual Christian unity lecture at the University of St. Thomas, Owens Science Building, St.Paul — January 21: 7:30 p.m. at 2115 Summit Ave. Dr. Michael Root will present, “Catholic Ecumenism After the Ecumenical Movement Stops Moving.”

Co-sponsored by the Archdiocesan Commission for Ecumenical Interreligious Affairs and The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. This event is free and open to the public.

Theology on Tap speaker series at the Glockenspiel Restaurant, St. Paul — January 22: Social hour from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by a 60 minute speaker presentation at 605 Seventh St. W. Program focuses on topics of faith and contemporary issues that directly affect the lives of young adults ages 18-39. Dr. Robert Kennedy will present, “Pope Francis on Economics, is he right?” For information, email cya@ cathedralsaintpaul.org.

Open House Bingo Benefit for Sara Hosek, granddaughter of Del and Joan Eder, at Knights of Columbus Hall, Stillwater — January 25: 4 to 10 p.m. at 1910 S. Greeley St. Bingo from 4 to 5 p.m.; food and cheer from 5 to 7 p.m. and entertainment from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be a Raffle as well as a silent Auction. There will be a cash bar. Admission is $8 in advance, $10 at the door. $5 for kids 12 and under. Tickets available at the door. Sara was born with a rare disease called Alagilles Syndrome with Pulmonary Atrisa and VSD.

Theology on Tap speaker series at the Glockenspiel Restaurant, St. Paul — January 29: Social hour from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by a 60 minute speaker presentation at 605 Seventh St. W. Program focuses on topics of faith and contemporary issues that directly affect the lives of young adults ages 18-39. Dr. John Buri will present, “LOVE: what is it?” For information, email cya@cathedralsaintpaul.org.

Minneapolis Council of Catholic Women Deanery Day at St. Margaret Mary, Golden Valley — January 27: Registration begins at 9 a.m. at 2323 Zenith Ave. N. Speakers are Monica Gaffy, “A Tool Kit for Dads” and Tom Kuehn, “Lost Fatherhood.” Rosary before noon Mass followed by lunch. Cost is $13. Register

by Jan. 22 through your Parish CCW Deanery Rep. or call (763) 536-0553 or (763) 537-3370.

School events Open house for preschool through third grade at Blessed Trinity School, Richfield — January 16: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 7540 Penn Ave. S. For information, visit www.btcsmn.org.

CALENDAR submissions

Meeting of The Servant Leadership Network at Our Lady of Grace, Edina — January 22: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 5701 Eden Ave. The group is made up of Catholic school teachers, staff and administrators who work to promote Christ-centered servant leadership in Catholic schools.

For information, contact Zack Zeckser at St. Mark School in St. Paul at (651) 644-3380.

Open house for grades 4 to 8 at Blessed Trinity, Richfield — January 23: 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 6720 Nicollet Ave. S. RSVP at www.btcsmn.org or call (612) 866-6906.

Discovery Day open house at Faithful Shepherd School, Eagan — January 26: 1 to 3 p.m. at 3355 Columbia Drive. For students entering Kindergarten through 8th grade. For information, visit www.fscsmn.org.

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

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events of interest to a wide audience and hosted by Catholic institutions.

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, and contact information in case of questions.

E-MAIL: spiritcalendar@archspm.org. (No attachments, please.)

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

Holy Name Society 12th annual Apologetics Conference at St. Raphael, Crystal — February 8: First talk begins at 1 p.m. at 7301 Bass Lake Road. Featured speaker is author and radio personality Jim Burnham.

This Conference will arm you with the basic tools to effectively and confidently correct some of the misconceptions non-Catholics have about the Catholic Church and its teachings. Cost is $15 for adults and $10 for youth 18 and under. Clergy/religious are free.

For information and registration, visit www. nomensanctum.org.

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

From Age to Age

20

Still called to serve . . . at age 90

By Dianne Towalski The Catholic Spirit On a recent weekday morning, Len Lorence got up early, as he always does, and prayed the rosary with Lucille, his wife of 67 years.

Then, he bundled up and headed into the subzero temperatures, got into his dark green Dodge Caravan and drove the mile to St. John Vianney in South St. Paul to get the church ready for daily Mass.

Lorence, who just turned 90, has been a member of St. John Vianney since 1946, the year the parish was founded.

He and his wife have been active volunteers for all those years, but it wasn’t until about 14 years ago that Lorence found his calling as a sacristan and altar server.

The priest assigned there at the time, Father Thadeus Aravindathu, didn’t want to take students out of class to serve at funerals, so he asked for volunteers. Lorence, who retired from his career as a maintenance supervisor in 1987, was available and jumped at the chance, even though he had never been an altar server before, not even as a kid.

“The first thing Father did was hand me his suit jacket. He said, ‘Here, put this on.’ I didn’t realize that I should wear a suit, but I did

January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

Len Lorence lights a candle for daily Mass Jan. 8 at St. John Vianney in South St. Paul. Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit from then on,” Lorence said.

He has been helping ever since with funerals and daily Mass.

“He is one person that I can always count on,” said Father Terry

Beeson, pastor of St. John Vianney.

Lorence describes himself as a morning person. He grew up on a farm and always had chores to do before school, so helping at the

early Mass was a natural thing.

“I love it,” he said. “It gives me the feeling that I’m participating in the Mass more.”

Please turn to LEN on page 21

21

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Continued from page 20 Lorence has even been known to help kids learn the ropes. His own grandson asked him to serve alongside him because he was nervous the first time. He has helped a few others, too. “I don’t mind doing it if it encourages them to come up and do it,� Lorence said.

He enjoys doing all kinds of other things around the parish, too. His background as a maintenance supervisor has come in handy many times over the years. “If anything goes wrong, he can fix it, and he will,� said Liz Arend, a fellow parishioner for the past 44 years. “No matter what you ask of him, he does it.�

She described him as the backbone of the parish, someone everyone knows. “He has a really happy heart,� Arend said. “When he serves Mass and walks out, he

smiles at everybody in the pews.�

Arend nominated Lorence for the parish’s first Volunteer of the Year award, given in conjunction with the parish feast day celebration in 2010. “There was no question of who was going to get it,� she said.

And, sure enough, he did.

The award honors people who epitomize what it means to be a good volunteer, Father Beeson said. “Len is a great example of someone who answers the call day and night, no matter what,� he said.

Lorence expressed mixed emotions about the award because he believes there are others who also deserve recognition. But, he did say it was an honor. “He doesn’t do it for show, he doesn’t do it to be in the spotlight,� said Father Beeson. “He just does it because that’s what he’s called to do. He loves what he does, and it’s his way to serve.�

From Age to Age

Whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall‌ Every season we are here to serve you!

Len Lorence still going strong as altar server

Woodbury parish now offers adult day care service Cerenity Senior Care has opened an adult day program at St. Ambrose of Woodbury Catholic Community in Woodbury.

The new program, Cerenity DayAway, provides professional and compassionate day services for seniors in a safe, warm and hospitable setting. The hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and Mass is offered on each of those days.

Half- or full-day options are available. DayAway provides therapeutic and recreation activities, and continental breakfast and lunch are provided.

The program is managed by Cerenity Senior Care-Marian of Saint Paul. For information, visit www.CerenitySeniorCare.org or call (651) 768-3019.

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January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

22

From Age to Age

How can we ensure that seniors’ needs are met?

By 2030, 1 in 4 Minnesotans will be age 65 or older, double the current number

By Deacon Dan Gannon For The Catholic Spirit During his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI called seniors a “blessing for society” and extolled the care of seniors, noting their care should be more a “repayment of a debt of gratitude” than a mere “act of generosity.”

As Catholics, we are called to affirm human life from conception until our birth into eternal life.

Pope Francis has denounced euthanasia and assisted suicide, calling it a “culture of discarding” the elderly.

“In Argentina there is clandestine euthanasia,” he said.

“Social services pay up to a certain point; if you pass it, [they say] ‘die, you are very old’. Today, elderly people are discarded when, in reality, they are the seat of wisdom of the society.”

Pope Francis continued, strongly proclaiming the gospel of life in the tradition of Blessed John Paul II: “The right to life means allowing people to live and not killing, allowing them to grow, to eat, to be educated, to be healed,

and to be permitted to die with dignity.”

Did you know: • By 2030, one in four Minnesotans will be age 65 or older, double the current number?

• The number of individuals age 85 and over will triple?

• This year, 10,000 baby boomers a day will turn 65, and the trend will continue for the next 20 years?

• At least half of all Twin Cities senior households will not be able to afford the housing and/or services they require?

As Catholics, how are we ensuring that we provide for the needs of our elderly loved ones in body and soul? What trustworthy senior resources can we turn to for advice and direction?

Seniors make up the fastest growing demographic in our parishes and society, yet we so often overlook focusing on the needs of seniors in our midst.

Pope Francis recognized this as well when he noted on the first Sunday after Christmas: “Let us also think of those other exiles — I would call them ‘the hidden exiles’ who may be marginalized within their own families — the elderly, for example who sometimes are

l

Did you know there are six Catholic senior care organizations in the archdiocese — 22 facilities serving more than 2,000 seniors across the continuum of care: independent living, assisted living, memory care, nursing home care, adult day, respite services, home care, palliative care and hospice?

In many ways they are the “bestkept secret” of our Catholic mission to our largest and fastest growing population. They provide Catholic pastoral care, including daily Mass, reconciliation, anointing of the sick, spiritual direction and spiritual growth programs.

All provide some level of affordable housing or assistance and health care for those without adequate resources to cover all of the costs. They adhere to Catholic teaching and uphold the dignity of the human person.

They are a part of the archdiocesan Catholic family, striving to serve seniors amid an impending age wave and increasing challenges to the quality and scope of services, while public funding and resources become increasingly strained. They collaborate in union with the

archbishop via an organization called Catholic Senior Services.

Pope Benedict noted in his encyclical “Spe Salvi” that “the Christian message was not only ‘informative’ but ‘performative.’

That means: the Gospel is not merely a communication of things that can be known — it is one that makes things happen and is lifechanging.” Let us find practical ways in our parishes to better address the spiritual and physical needs of seniors, who have given so much to us.

Toward that end, CSS is presently beginning a pilot program for parishes called “Catholic Senior Connection” across five regions in the archdiocese.

Catholic Senior Connection provides a regional care coordinator for parish staff and parishioners to utilize as a senior resource for referral and programming.

For more information, or if you need advice regarding Catholic senior care or services, visit www. catholicseniorservices.org. Or call the CSS Help Line at 1-877-4206461.

Deacon Gannon is president and CEO of Catholic Senior Services in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

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23

‘Gimme Shelter’ an outcry to help young women

By Marc Balestrieri For The Catholic Spirit Based on a true pro-life story, “Gimme Shelter” is a daringly poignant and captivating depiction of a young woman named Apple Bailey who struggles to break free from those who would keep her from giving birth and raising her own baby.

The film, which opens in theaters Jan. 24, is the dramatic break-out role of a new and talented young actress, Vanessa Hudgens (“High School Musical”, “The Frozen Ground”). Oscar buzz is already in the air for the gripping and credible performance she gives in the movie.

Above all, the film is an impassioned outcry for society and individuals of all walks of life to do what they can to help young women traverse unexpected pregnancies, echoing the words of Pope Francis to help struggling youth find shelter.

Directed by Ron Krause with strong supporting roles given by James Earl Jones, Brendan Fraser (“Gods and Monsters”), Ann Dowd (“Compliance”), Rosario Dawson (“Seven Pounds”), Emily Meade (“Boardwalk Empire”) and Stephanie Szostak (“The Devil Wears Prada”), “Gimme Shelter” is engrossing from the opening to final shot.

Finding a home Sixteen-year-old Apple is a youth with a future denied her, born with the right to a silver spoon in her mouth just as rapidly vacated. Her Wall Street financier father, Tom Fitzpatrick

Vanessa Hudgens plays a pregnant teenager in “Gimme Shelter.” Roadside Attractions (portrayed by a Brendan Fraser exhibiting rare gravitas on screen), doesn’t exactly stroll into Apple’s newly burdened life: He walked away from it years ago when he decided that succeeding in college as a student was incompatible with assuming his responsibility for the life which he created with Apple’s mother, June (Rosario Dawson).

Apple, after discovering her unintended pregnancy, finally breaks free from her drugaddicted mother’s own inescapable vortices. She seeks out her father, finds him living in a posh mansion married to Joanna (Stephanie Szostak) and shatters their idyllic social construct by

demanding that he give her shelter. And that is where the film only continues to take off.

Apple providentially finds hope in a home for wayward pregnant girls set up by a woman named Kathy (portrayed by a compelling Ann Dowd), after having been offered the tender and wise hand of Catholic hospital chaplain Father Frank McCarthy (a wise and surprising James Earl Jones).

With the staunch support and love offered by Kathy and her peers, and the recognition by Tom and Joanna of their own responsibilities, Apple is not only given a new start in life, but she also decides on her own to initiate one.

The film reminds us all that she could be the daughter, sibling or cousin in the family of any member of the audience, if not the viewer herself. For this reason it is most important for the faithful aware of this film’s debut to consider the positive impact that the movie will have on those struggling with life issues.

Spread the word. It would behoove the parents of any child 15 and older to consider seeing this movie together as a family for the most important life teachings that are disseminated in this film.

The movie was inspired by the real-life story of Several Sources Shelters founder Kathy DiFiore, who worked with Blessed Mother Teresa. Read more about DiFiore and her work at www.severalsourcesfd.org.

“Gimme Shelter” is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Balestrieri is a guest reviewer from Eden Prairie.

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24

Spend time each day in prayerful conversation with Jesus Continued from page 3 As St. John Chrysostom said: “Nothing is equal to prayer; for what is impossible it makes possible, what is difficult, easy. . . . For it is impossible, utterly impossible, for the man who prays eagerly and invokes God ceaselessly ever to sin.” (Quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2725)

Get involved As the Gospels clearly tell us, Jesus himself experienced the fruit that came from quiet time with his Father. This was the silent strength of his mission in the world. It was the place that he went when he was

most distressed, as we see in the Garden of Gethsemane, and when he needed to be refreshed in his busy ministry.

He desires to have the same living relationship with you — a relationship that is deeper than any other relationship, if only you will take some time to be with him alone, to tell him what is on your heart, to listen to his words.

The Rediscover: initiative was founded on a simple idea, which the last four popes have all said is the goal of all evangelization: create the possibility of an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ.

So, as the Rediscover: program

moves into its second year and focuses on prayer as a means to this encounter, I invite you to get involved and take advantage of all of the resources that will assist you with practical teaching about how to pray and why to pray. And, invite others to join you!

When you are beginning, it can be intimidating to sit down to pray for 15 or 30 minutes of silence, much less a whole hour in the adoration chapel! Through the upcoming Speakers Series on prayer, we want to help you learn to pray in new ways and develop this encounter, this personal relationship with Jesus.

In addition, we are providing op-

portunities that also move beyond learning about prayer to engaging in prayer through the powerful and peaceful experience of “Cor Jesu.”

Details about “Cor Jesu,” and all of these opportunities, will continue to be found here in The Catholic Spirit and on all three of our websites at TheCatholicSpirit.com, www.archspm.org and Rediscoverfaith.org.

In the coming year, let’s come together as Christian disciples to rediscover the power and peace of prayer — and invite family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors to join us. And, may we look to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as our model for both.

Safe environment efforts are making a positive difference Continued from page 4 grams, offers a comprehensive approach to the prevention of sexual abuse that often exceeds the scope of safety measures used by other organizations serving youth, Tomlin said.

Most public schools, for example, have policies about background checks, Tomlin said. But fewer have additional adult training that accompanies the checks.

The value and impact of the safe environment training the archdiocese offers, therefore, has the potential to protect youth far beyond the doors of Catholic churches and

schools and into other areas of their lives, Forbes-Cardey said.

making a difference in protecting youth.

Recent news reports about clergy sexual abuse of minors might dispose some to believe the archdiocese’s safe environment programs aren’t working. But the cases in the media spotlight during the last several months, with a few exceptions, involve abuse or alleged abuse committed between the mid-1950s and 1980s — before many elements of the archdiocese’s prevention program were implemented.

“You can’t prove a negative. We don’t know how many victims we have saved by people who have taken the VIRTUS training, and have intercepted it,” Forbes-Cardey said.

But, she added, the OPCY has received information from parishes and schools that they have raised safety levels.

Forbes-Cardey said she believes VIRTUS and the archdiocese’s other safe environment initiatives are

ment training stay with youth while they wait for parents to pick them up from faith formation classes.

Others said they keep all their room doors locked during faith formation classes, except for those being used, to ensure there is no place where a perpetrator could take a child to groom them or actually offend.

The OPCY has also heard about reports of boundary violations that stopped after the incidents were recognized and reported to the proper officials.

“The fact is that everybody is more aware,” Tomlin said.

For example, some parishes and schools reported to her office that they now make sure that at least two adults who have undergone a background check, signed a code of conduct and participated in safe environ-

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www.aimhigher.org January 16, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

forms of prayer Learning more about our faith The Catholic Spirit’s 4-page Rediscover: pullout section in each issue highlights a new Rediscover: theme for you and discuss with others.

Coming up Jan 30: How did Jesus pray?

What forms of prayer can lead me closer to God?

S HEART OF THE MATTER Father Michael VAN SLOUN

t. Paul said that we should “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is conversation with God, and Paul was keenly aware that the more we pray, and the deeper our prayer, and the better the quality of our prayer, the stronger our relationship with God. St. Luke recounted how the early Christians “devoted themselves to . . . the prayers” (Acts 2:42). When it comes to an authentic Christian life, prayer is absolutely indispensable, and there are many ways to do so.

Prayer can be directed in a variety of ways, either to God the Father alone, or to Jesus, or to the Holy Spirit, or to two persons of the Trinity together, or to all three.

There are a number of ways to classify various forms of prayer. According to one system, there are four major categories: • prayers of praise — those that offer God honor, adoration and worship; • prayers of thanksgiving — those that express gratitude for graces, blessings and favors that have been received;

The Catholic Spirit • January 16, 2014

• prayers of reparation — those that express sorrow for sins and the desire to do better; and • prayers of petition — those that make requests for special needs and desires.

The two pillars of a complete prayer life are communal liturgical prayer and private personal prayer, and Jesus exemplified these with his own prayer. Communally, it was customary for Jesus to pray in the synagogue each Sabbath (see Luke 4:16), and he also prayed in the Temple. Personally, he regularly went off in solitude to pray in the desert, in a cave, on a mountainside, in a garden or along the lake.

Encounters with God For Catholic Christians, the single greatest form of communal liturgical prayer is the Mass, and the Mass brings us closer to God in a number of beautiful ways. The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are encounters with God. We meet God in

Rediscover-faith.org

Please turn to TWO on next page

“The two pillars of a complete prayer life are communal liturgical prayer and private personal prayer, and Jesus exemplified these with his own prayer.”

Father Michael Van Sloun

Prayers of Bible, rosary help us to know Christ In 2014, the Rediscover: section’s “Celebrating Catholicism” column will feature a variety of writers. The following is an excerpt from Matthew Kelly’s book “Rediscover Catholicism: A Spiritual Guide to Living with Passion & Purpose.” It is reprinted with permission.

Woven into these ageless stories and the great questions the Bible raises we also find some of the most beautiful prayers ever written.

The prayer of Jabez is just one example: “Oh, that you would truly bless me and enlarge my territory, that your hand might be with me, that you would keep me from evil, that I may cause no pain.” (1 Chronicles 4:10) But this is just one example of the hundreds of prayers that as we read the Bible.

CELEBRATING emerge When you are confused or troubled, weary or CATHOLICISM distracted, and finding it difficult to concentrate during prayer, use these prayers. I often use a Psalm as my last Matthew prayer of the day. I kneel beside my bed and just pray the words of the Psalm slowly. Sometimes I go through them KELLY one after another, day by day. At other times, at the end of a long day I just turn to one of my favorites in search of guidance or comfort.

The Bible is the richest treasury of prayers. Some of the prayers are obvious, like the Psalms, but others are treasures hidden among the stories, waiting to be discovered.

Amid the hustle and bustle of a busy day, I like to use what I call the First Christian Prayers to keep me in tune with my spiritual priorities. The First Christian Prayers is the name I have given to the words people spoke to Christ during his lifetime. When we pray, we speak and listen to God. These words were spoken directly to Jesus — true God and true man — so I believe they have a special power.

Simple prayers can help us When I sense that God is calling me to do something, but I’m not sure what, or when I have a decision to make and don’t know which option to favor, I pray the words of the blind man: “Lord, open my eyes so that I may see” (Matthew 20:33).

During times of doubt, questioning, or confusion, I use the prayer of the father of the possessed boy: “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).

At other times, I use the words of the “The Bible is the criminal next to Jesus on the cross: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your richest treasury of Kingdom” (Luke 23:42).

And, one of my very favorite prayers is prayers.” the words of Peter when Jesus asks him Matthew Kelly three times, “Do you love me?” and Peter replies, “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you” (John 21:17).

Sometimes I use this prayer when I have offended God with my words or actions. At other times I use it when I feel hopeless or inadequate in my attempts to express my love for God. When my sinfulness overwhelms me, I pray, “If you wish you can make me clean” (Matthew 8:2).

I pray these simple prayers over and over again throughout the day. They allow me to stay connected to God even among the many activities that can make my days very busy.

The rosary I began praying the rosary because it is a form of prayer that I find very soothing, both mentally and spiritually. Today, I pray the rosary because I believe it is the simplest way to reflect upon the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. To place this in the context of our spiritual journey, I believe that as Christians we are called to imitate Jesus. It is impossible to imitate someone you do not know. We come to know him in the Scriptures, in the sacraments, and through so many different people and places. The rosary is one other way. By praying the rosary, we can ponder many aspects of Jesus and his life in a relatively brief period of time. . . .

There is no more powerful story than that of Jesus Christ. This is the story that has formed and focused human history, and it is essential to our mission as Christians that we are intimately familiar with it. The rosary helps us to know his story and teaches us to integrate it into our own lives.

Kelly is an international best-selling author, speaker and founder of The Dynamic Catholic Institute.

The Catholic Spirit • January 16, 2014

Coach’s death brings prayer to l

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit If you want to know why faith matters to Andrea Dolsky, you’ll have to go back to a warm spring day in her junior year of high school in Milwaukee.

Dolsky, now a senior at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, was on the track team at Homestead High School and was going on a run with seven teammates and their coach, Andrew Edington, on April 25, 2009.

It was a warm, sunny morning and the girls were excited about what was happening later that day — prom.

Full of energy and zeal, Dolsky elected to run a full 3-mile loop rather than the halfloop their coach had suggested. She was the only one to go the distance.

During those days, faith “was very compartmentalized in my life and it wasn’t always a constant thing that I was pursuing,” she said. “It was on the back burner.”

Changing lives But, in a matter of seconds, everything changed.

“One of my close friends ran to me as I was coming through at the end of it,” said Dolsky, 22. “I saw everyone crowded around [the coach]. She said something like, ‘Mr. Edington fell; something’s wrong with Mr. Edington.’ So, I ran over there and all of the girls were standing around him. There was a woman doing mouth-to-mouth on him. He had really beautiful blue eyes and his eyes were still open. He was shaking a little. I went down to feel his pulse and his hands were really cold and I couldn’t feel any pulse.”

In her own words Visit Rediscover-faith.org to watch a video of Andrea Dolsky talking about prayer and her faith journey.

In those brief seconds, life was leaving the body of their committed Christian coach. An ambulance came and the emergency personnel arriving at the scene tried in vain to revive him. The girls piled into their cars and followed the ambulance to a nearby hospital.

As if to signify the traumatic ending to Edington’s life, rain poured from the

once-sunny sky as they pulled out of the school parking lot.

“We went up to the chapel in the hospital,” Dolsky said. “His wife [Sue] came, and she was just so supportive of us and she told us that he prayed for all of us by name daily — there were 56 girls on the team.

She told us that he wouldn’t have wanted to be with anyone else. We were all just praying together and it was very powerful.

The funeral was very powerful for everyone. I think it changed a lot of our lives.

And, I look back on that as a huge turning point in my faith. He was just an amazing witness.”

Dolsky became more deliberate about her faith and carried that devotion into her senior year, when she and her teammates dedicated their fall cross country season to their fallen coach (he also had coached them in that sport as well) and finished third in the state cross country meet that fall.

Talking to a friend After graduating, she walked onto the campus at UST determined to continue going deeper in her faith and prayer life.

Dolsky prays daily both in the morning and in the evening, and also participates in several prayer events on campus, including “Cor Jesu” at the St. Paul Seminary on the

“ ev life

firs eve ed tor “ is s fait me thi wak to pra cus enc O cha aw She cha olic

Two forms of personal private prayer ar Continued form first page of section Scripture and we receive Jesus in holy Communion. Moreover, God is present in the congregation, and Christ is present in the person of the priest.

There are other forms of communal liturgical prayer. Examples would be the celebration of the sacraments such as a baptism, a marriage or the sacrament of anointing.

The prayer of the Church is the Liturgy of the Hours or the Divine Office. It includes

morning prayer and evening prayer, as well as the Office of Readings, night prayer and other options for prayer throughout the day. It is communal liturgical prayer when offered with others, and it can be prayed alone.

Two important forms of personal private prayer are contemplation and meditation.

Contemplation is private time with God, alone and quiet, close and intimate, the reservation of time and space to attentively listen to what God has to say and to share with God from the depths of one’s heart.

Meditation is to reflect or think deeply

abo Res read O pray pray a Sc it, w reci a fr with P pray

Persistence is key to good prayer life

life for college student mit Avenue and Cleveland, across the street from the main campus in St. Paul.

“I feel like I have learned of Christ’s love and mercy for me a lot through adoration, which are things I struggled with in the past,” she said. “It’s just been very helpful.

If I don’t go, I can tell in my day that things are different.”

Prayer not only has helped her get through the daily grind of college life, it also has guided her in making big decisions.

A year ago, she switched majors from social work to Catholic Studies, and also turned down an opportunity to study in Africa for a semester.

“I can come to God and bring everything that’s going on in my life as a friend and just talk to him like I talk to a friend,” she said. “I just try to be genuine and go there and talk to him about frustrations or things I’m unhappy with or things I’m thankful for, and start with just presenting things to him like I’m talking to a friend.”

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

“I can come to God and bring verything that’s going on in my e as a friend and just talk to him like I talk to a friend.”

Andrea Dolsky

st Friday of every month, and at a new ent called “Charismata,” which was startlast spring by Father Michael Becker, recr of St. John Vianney Seminary at UST. “I think prayer in general and daily prayer super necessary to stay focused on your th and help you to be present in the moents of the day,” Dolsky said. “It’s the first ing I do when I wake up. I set my alarm to ke up and set another alarm when I need get up and start getting ready, and I’ll ay in between that time to get my day fosed on Christ and be present to people I counter that day.”

One of her favorite types of prayer is euaristic adoration. She likes to go four days week, and often visits St. Mark in St. Paul. e also goes on campus to one of several apels. A favorite is the chapel at the Cathc Studies building on the corner of Sum-

‘Always on fire’ Those conversations led to wondering whether social work was the right major.

Prayer, plus consultation with three women she was living with at the time, convinced her that Catholic Studies was a better fit.

“I’m so happy that I didn’t go abroad and I stayed with those women and changed my major to Catholic Studies,” she said.

“And, prayer was huge in that [decision] and adoration was huge in that. I felt peace and I felt that I was trying my best to do God’s will, and I felt like that’s where he was leading me.”

Along the way, she has accepted faith leadership roles, which are part of her calling to help other women grow in their faith. This past fall, she was one of six women to help start a new group on campus called Women’s Catholic Leadership. It features weekly meetings with speakers and small group discussions. She also is a small group leader in the monthly “lectio divina” prayer events on campus.

One of the main reasons she is active in so many prayer events is she relishes the communal aspect of prayer.

“I think that adoration in community is so awesome and so beautiful,” she said.

“When you are with all these people, it brings a fire in you that all these people are here praising God, going to confession, singing. It’s just the whole Church worshiping. Afterwards, I’m always on fire.”

re contemplation and meditation

out some aspect of the Christian life. sources for meditation include spiritual ding, religious art or sacred music.

One of the richest forms of personal yer is to pray with sacred Scripture. It is yer to listen to a Bible reading, or to read cripture passage, meditate upon it, study write reflections about it, memorize or ite it, or sing it. “Lectio divina” provides ramework and a series of steps for prayer h Scripture.

Personal prayer also includes traditional yers such as the Our Father, Hail Mary, or

Glory Be; the rosary; the Memorare; the Creed; the Chaplet of Divine Mercy; the Stations of the Cross; litanies, devotions, and novenas.

Other options include eucharistic adoration, the morning offering, night prayers, an examination of conscience, meal prayers, spiritual reading, listening to sacred music, singing sacred music, and intercessory prayers offered through the saints.

The following Rediscover: column, “Prayer Journal,“ will rotate among several local writers throughout the year.

“My phone!” my wife blurted out in a panic. My family had just sat down in row 17 of a Southwest flight to St. Louis when my wife realized she left her cell phone charging at our gate.

“Do something! Tell someone!” she pleaded with me. I stood up and pushed past the line of people waiting to be seated. The flight crew had already begun to make announcements, and I stood awkwardly waiting for the head flight attendant to finish.

Seeing the panicked look on my face, she asked, “Forget something?”

“Yes,” I uttered sheepishly. She motioned me to go get it. I ran up the jetway and pushed open the locked door at the gate. Going through, I considered that I wasn’t sure how I was going to get back in, but I did it anyway.

I jogged over to where my wife’s phone was plugged in, grabbed it and returned to the door I knew would be locked. No one at the PRAYER gate. No way back on the plane. I anxiously knocked on the door, JOURNAL hoping that the gate attendant who was at the bottom of the jetway would hear and come to my aid. Nothing.

Chris After finding a Southwest employee two gates away and having KOSTELC her radio the plane, I finally saw the gate attendant slowly make his way up the jetway toward me. He opened the door and ushered me in by saying, “There you go, young buck.”

When I arrived back at my seat, my wife continued to look concerned until I held up her phone and a wave of relief swept over her.

I know it was only a phone, a material possession, but our cell phones allow us to connect with others in a multitude of ways.

Losing the phone wouldn’t just mean hassle and money. It would mean losing the ability to For reflection talk, text, email, Facebook, tweet, pin and all How do you stay persistent in the other things we do to keep in contact with your prayer life? Are there other family and friends. forms of prayer you might try that Communicating in person is usually would help? preferable. But, when we can’t, having a variety of ways to connect helps to keep that connection consistent.

Many spiritual thinkers suggest the key to prayer — connecting with God — is persistence. Father Jacques Philippe, in his book “Time for God,” writes: “Perseverance in mental prayer, according to the unanimous testimony of all the saints, is the narrow gate that opens the Kingdom of Heaven to us. ” If we are going to persist in communicating with God, experiencing a variety of ways to connect can help.

Though I have tried many different prayer forms, the following five are most fruitful for me.

• “Lectio divina,” or praying with Scripture. It isn’t a Bible study, but a way to let the living Word of God speak to us by reading the same short piece of Scripture repeatedly and listening with the ear of our heart.

• Rosary. Praying to Jesus through Mary is a powerful tool. The rosary helps me to focus, let go of distractions and focus on the name of Jesus, which is at the center of the Hail Mary. Plus, hundreds of saints have prayed this prayer.

• Eucharistic adoration. Praying before our God in the Eucharist is in-person prayer. Any number of other prayer forms are amplified by praying in the presence of the Eucharist.

• Divine Office. The Office is the praying of Psalms multiple times a day. This is an ancient prayer of the Church and is prayed by all the ordained.

• Silence. In his book “Rediscover Catholicism,” Matthew Kelly suggests people begin prayer by sitting in silence for 10 minutes a day. Our silence gives God room to work.

When thinking about forms of prayer, the most important thing to remember is that persistence in prayer is more important than if we are doing it “right.”

Philosophy professor and author Peter Kreeft writes: “Less-than-perfect prayer is infinitely better than no prayer; more perfect prayer is only finitely better than less perfect prayer. ” If you are new to prayer or your prayer life has gone dry, give one of these forms a try. God may just surprise you.

Kostelc is coordinator of adult faith formation at Holy Name of Jesus in Wayzata. For more details and other prayer forms visit http://rediscover-faith.org/prayer.

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata.

Rediscover-faith.org

We want to hear your stories!

Do you have an inspiring faith story that connects to one of our upcoming Rediscover: prayer topics?

If you or someone you know has a story, email catholicspirit@archspm.org.

Please write “Rediscover” in the subject line. Or call (651) 291-4444.

January 30 How did Jesus pray? What does he say about prayer?

February 13 What are the Church’s most iconic prayers?

February 27 How can I deepen my prayer life during Lent?

March 13 How can I develop a prayer routine?

March 27 What is “lectio divina”? How is it done?

April 10 Praying the Easter triduum

May 22 What is the rosary and why would I pray it?

June 5 What does it mean to pray constantly?

June 19 How can silence help my prayer life?

July 3 How is the Mass our greatest prayer?

September 11 Overcoming obstacles to prayer: How do I get out of a prayer rut?

September 25 What are blessings, and how can I give them?

October 9 How has prayer healed or transformed lives?

October 23 Why do we ask saints to pray for us?

July 17 What is eucharistic adoration? How can it deepen my friendship with Christ?

November 6 How do we remain faithful when our prayers seemingly go unanswered?

July 31 How can I instill good prayer habits in my children and pray with them?

November 20 What are some popular Advent prayer traditions?

April 24 Why is it important to pray before meals, both at home and in public?

August 14 How can music be a vehicle and aid for prayer?

December 4 What are the psalms and how can they guide my prayer?

May 8 What does it mean to pray with Mary? What are some Marian prayers?

August 28 Who are models of prayer we can emulate in our own lives?

December 18 What prayer customs do you celebrate during the Christmas season?

The Catholic Spirit • January 16, 2014

Rediscover-faith.org