2017 Leading with Faith Awards B Section August 10, 2017 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Sisters at work
New religious communities expanding to archdiocese
From left, postulant Meg Miller works with Sisters Mary Angela Gross and Mary Elizabeth Plante July 31 to paint walls at a former chancery building in St. Paul that the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus in New Ulm will use as a convent. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit
By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
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earing sneakers and smocks, five sisters of the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus painted ceilings and scraped floors July 31 in the building they’re renovating to become their St. Paul convent. In May, the New Ulm-based sisters announced they had accepted Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s invitation to establish a convent in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It’s a dream come true for the sisters, who have longtime ties to the archdiocese. The community’s foundress, Mother Mary Clare Roufs, attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and then worked in the archdiocese’s vocations office as she discerned a call to start a new community of sisters. In 2007, she and three other women founded a discernment house in St. Paul and started to live in common. In 2009, Bishop John LeVoir of New Ulm, a Minneapolis native, invited the sisters to formally establish themselves in his diocese. As their community has grown, many of the sisters have come from the Twin Cities. Because so many of the Handmaids are from the archdiocese, establishing a presence here makes sense for the community’s mission, Mother Mary Clare said. Recognizable by their habits — black tunics with white apron-like “scapulars” and veils — they’ll be based at the Cathedral of St. Paul and are working to transform a former chancery building on Dayton Avenue that served as the longtime offices of The Catholic Spirit, into a convent. They hope the work will be done within a year, but they don’t have a firm timeline, Mother Mary Clare said. In the meanwhile, they’ll live at a former convent at St. Michael in West St. Paul. “Our greatest desire is to be part of the family and to serve the family of the archdiocese in whatever way the Lord desires,” Mother Mary Clare said.
Teachers and models The Handmaids aren’t the only new community of sisters establishing themselves in the archdiocese. St. Agnes in St. Paul announced July 29 that the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist from Ann Arbor, Michigan, will begin teaching at St. Agnes
School and living on the parish campus next year. The number of sisters the teaching community will send has yet to be determined, but news of their anticipated presence was received warmly by the school and parish. The school has wanted a teaching order to join the faculty since the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, who had been teaching at the school, left a few years ago, said Headmaster Kevin Ferdinandt. He calls the Ann Arbor Dominicans “a perfect fit.” Not only are the sisters known as stellar educators, but they may also inspire students to consider religious life, he said. “We pray a lot for vocations to the priesthood and religious life,” Ferdinandt said. “Without a living presence here, it’s tough to foster those vocations in the same way as it is when there are teaching sisters who are ... attracting young people to their orders.” He said that when the sisters visited the school, students flocked to them, as if they had missed the presence of religious sisters.
“From my standpoint, the great gift is to the children,” he said of the order’s impending arrival. “In education, what are we about? We’re about forming souls to be soldiers in this life and to live eternally in the next with God in heaven, and what better way to do that than to have some teaching sisters who are living examples of that sincere and significant commitment to Christ, in living their whole lives for him.” In a July 29 statement, Mother Assumpta Long, the order’s foundress, said the community receives many invitations to teach in schools across the country, but felt “this was the divine prompting to send sisters into this wonderful parish and school.” Formerly a Dominican Sister of St. Cecilia, Mother Assumpta, along with three other Dominicans, left their order in Nashville to establish the Mary, Mother of the Eucharist community 20 years ago. The order is now present in Arizona, California, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Texas and Washington, D.C., as well as Rome. Please turn to SISTERS on page 6A
ALSO inside
Swahili speakers unite
Examining just wages
Parish plans 54-day novena
St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center welcomes African Catholics for a conference featuring archbishop from Kenya.
Local Catholics, leaders weigh in on minimum wage policies after Minneapolis voted to raise its wage to $15 an hour.
Year dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary set to begin Aug. 21 with rosary event at St. Pius X in White Bear Lake.
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2A • The Catholic Spirit
PAGE TWO
August 10, 2017 OVERHEARD
in PICTURES
“I’ve tried to lay out to parishioners to watch a solar eclipse from a scientific perspective. It’s beautiful. Don’t fear it and don’t fear the world is going to end by watching it.” Father James Kurzynski, an amateur astronomer and pastor of a parish in Menominee, Wisconsin, responding to speculation that the anticipated Aug. 21 total solar eclipse is a harbinger of the end of time. It’s the first to be seen from coast to coast since 1918. Father Kurzynski is using the event as an opportunity to connect biblical passages that metaphorically describe the darkening of the midday sun, the moon and the stars with a call to welcome God’s mercy into people’s lives. Read the story at www.TheCatholicSpirit.com.
NEWS notes NIGHT OUT Leyden Iraheta of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul greets Bishop Andrew Cozzens during a celebration of National Night Out Aug. 1 at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis chancery in St. Paul. Bishop Cozzens and Archbishop Bernard Hebda attended the event, which featured food, children‘s games and members of St. Paul’s police and fire departments. Archdiocesan employees and members of the Knights of Columbus served as volunteers. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
Assumption of Mary a holy day of obligation The Assumption of Mary Aug. 15 is a holy day of obligation, which means that the faithful have the same obligation to attend Mass as they do on Sundays. Check local parishes for Mass times.
Retired religious get $66K through local gifts The Retirement Fund for Religious’ 2017 national appeal received $66,892 from Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Since its start, the fund has raised more than $14 million in local contributions, which help support retired men and women religious.
Fatima inspires local web designer’s rosary site Desiring to promote the Fatima message of the rosary for peace, local web designer Craig Berry launched The Rosary Online July 24 to coincide with the centennial year of Mary’s apparitions in Fatima, Portugal. “Her message was ... very clear to these children [she appeared to]: ‘Pray the rosary every day for world peace,’” said Berry, 48, a parishioner of Holy Family in St. Louis Park. The website aims to help people learn how to pray the rosary and learn about the devotion’s benefits. The Rosary Online can be found at www.therosary.online.
Women’s Scripture study to run this fall POWERFUL PIPES Organist Russell Draeger plays “Veni Creator” by Nicolas de Grigny at St. Louis King of France in downtown St. Paul Aug. 6 as part of a weeklong performance series underway for the Organ Historical Society’s annual convention. The mini-concerts highlight organs in the region, including St. Louis’ 1998 Casavant Fréres organ, which was built in Canada with an ear to the 18th- and 19thcentury French Catholic music the parish, which historically served French Canadians, makes a point to include in its liturgies, said Draeger, who also sings in St. Louis’ professional choir and is an organ builder. The organ’s French Baroque or Rococo design is unique in the U.S., he added. For information about the Organ Historical Society convention’s daily concerts, which continue through Aug. 12, visit www.organsociety.org. Visit www.Facebook.com/TheCatholicSpirit to listen to Draeger’s lively rendition of “Carillon-Sortie” by Henri Mulet. Maria Wiering/The Catholic Spirit
Local author and teacher Elizabeth Kelly will lead an eight-week Bible study for women at two parishes Sept. 19-Nov. 14. Based on Kelly’s new book “Jesus Approaches: What Today’s Woman Can Learn about Healing, Freedom and Joy from the Women of the New Testament,” the series will explore how to pray with Scripture. “By immersing ourselves in the stories of Jesus and the New Testament women, we will grow in confidence and skill in praying with Scripture and in making the Gospel story our own,” promotional materials state. An initiative of the archdiocese’s Office of Evangelization, the study will run Tuesdays at St. Bartholomew in Wayzata from 10:30 a.m.–noon and at St. Peter in Mendota from 6:30–8 p.m. Cost is $60. Childcare is available at St. Bartholomew. For more information and to register, visit www.rediscoverfaith.org and click on “events.”
Come Together service in Minneapolis Aug. 13
ONLY ON THE WEB and social media “People are coming; they don’t know where to go. There’s other hospitals [the victims could be at], and they’re just frantic with fear,” said Deacon Robert Durham, describing the situation at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis 10 years ago, after the I-35W Bridge collapsed. Read the recollections of clergy who ministered at HCMC the night of the tragic event, which killed 13 and injured 145 people. Matt Reiswig, assistant program director for NET Ministries based in West St. Paul, said the organization has experienced more difficulty than usual attracting men to serve on this year’s teams. “Young men especially have a hard time with commitment,” Reiswig said. “When you come and serve on NET you are giving up your life for nine months and you’re giving it up in a really practical way.” Read the story at www.TheCatholicSpirit.com.
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 22 — No. 15 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor
St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis will host a Come Together event 4:30– 6:30 p.m. Aug. 13 with an ecumenical service from 4:30–5:30 p.m. followed by a prayer walk and hospitality. Come Together, an ecumenical movement, began last year as a peaceful, prayerful response to violence in Minneapolis. The parish is located at 4537 Third Ave. S. For more information, visit www.saintjoanofarc.org.
CORRECTION The story in the July 27 edition about Autumn Irlbeck misidentified her parish and her relationship to her brother. Her parish is St. Mark in St. Paul, and she is biologically unrelated to her brother, Danny. We apologize for the errors. Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year: Senior 1-year: $24.95: To subscribe: (651) 291-4444: Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444; Classified Advertising: (651) 290-1631. Published semi-monthly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857 • (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857. TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: tcssubscriptions@archspm.org • USPS #093-580
August 10, 2017
FROM THE BISHOP
The Catholic Spirit • 3A
Recognizing ourselves as sinners
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ast Friday, the archdiocese celebrated the feast day of our secondary patron, St. John Vianney, the famous Curé of Ars and the patron of all parish priests. He was designated secondary patron — after our primary patron, St. Paul — in 1962 at the request of our fifth archbishop, Archbishop Leo Binz. Because he was previously the archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa, Archbishop Binz knew of the strong connection we had to St. John Vianney. Before we became the diocese of St. Paul, we were part of the diocese of Dubuque, whose first bishop was Mathias Loras. Bishop Loras had been a seminary classmate and close friend of St. John Vianney, and before then-Msgr. Loras became a missionary in the United States, St. John Vianney invited him to his small church in Ars to bless the new confessional. That confessional in Ars became one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in France during St. John Vianney’s lifetime. In fact, so many people wanted to go to confession to the saintly priest that the government had to issue special train tickets for pilgrims from Paris to Ars, a small town about 275 miles southeast, near Lyon. Those pilgrims would arrive in Ars and take a number, hoping to get a chance to make their confession to St. John Vianney within the week. The priest found himself spending sometimes as many as 16 hours a day in the confessional. It may seem crazy to us today that people would make a week-long pilgrimage just to go to confession. Perhaps this is because we have lost a sense of how much we need God’s mercy and how much healing can come from acknowledging our sins in the sacrament of confession. It is important to remember that Jesus’ whole mission was summarized by his very first words in the Gospel of Mark: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Jesus invited everyone — sinners and religious people — to repentance. We often say today that Jesus welcomed everyone, and this is true. But he also invited everyone to repentance. He was especially welcoming to sinners like the woman caught in adultery (Jn 8) or Zacchaeus the tax collector (Lk 19:1-10), and he invited them to leave behind their sinful ways of life and offered them a new life in his love. It is very clear that Jesus never condoned sin; rather, he hated sin: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna” (Mt 5:28-29). Jesus came to free us from our sins through repentance, so that ONLY JESUS we might discover new life in his mercy. This is the great grace of the sacrament of confession. It Bishop Andrew Cozzens
Reconociendo a nosotros mismos como pecadores
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l viernes pasado, la archidiócesis celebró la fiesta de nuestro patrón secundario, San Juan Vianney, el famoso “Curé of Ars” el patrón de todos los párrocos. Fue designado patrón secundario - después de nuestro principal patrón, San Pablo — en 1962 a petición de nuestro quinto arzobispo, el arzobispo Leo Binz. Como antes era arzobispo de Dubuque, Iowa, el Arzobispo Binz conocía la fuerte conexión que teníamos con San Juan Vianney. Antes de ser diócesis de San Pablo, éramos parte de la diócesis de Dubuque, cuyo primer obispo fue Mathias Loras. El obispo Loras había sido un compañero de seminario y amigo cercano de San Juan Vianney, y antes de Mons. Loras se convirtió en un misionero en los Estados Unidos, St. John Vianney lo invitó a su pequeña iglesia en Ars para bendecir el nuevo confesionario. Ese confesionario en Ars se convirtió en uno de los lugares de peregrinación más famosos de Francia durante la vida de San Juan Vianney. De hecho, tantas personas querían confesarse al santo sacerdote que el gobierno tenía que emitir boletos de tren especiales para peregrinos de París a Ars, un pequeño pueblo a unos 275 kilómetros al sureste, cerca de Lyon. Esos peregrinos llegarían a Ars y tomarían un número, con
It may seem crazy to us today that people would make a week-long pilgrimage just to go to confession. Perhaps this is because we have lost a sense of how much we need God’s mercy and how much healing can come from acknowledging our sins in the sacrament of confession.
causes us to acknowledge the painful reality of our sins by speaking them to the priest. Then, through this sacramental encounter with Christ in the confessional, we get to receive the healing power of the mercy of Jesus Christ, which allows us to begin to live anew, free from sin. Pope Francis has been one of the biggest promoters of the importance of confession. In “The Name of God is Mercy” he said, “Confessing to a priest is a way of putting my life into the hands and heart of someone else, someone who in that moment acts in the name of Jesus. It’s a way to be real and authentic: We face facts by looking at another person, not by looking in the mirror.” The pope argues that we should pray for the grace of feeling like a sinner, because only when we truly experience that we are sinners will we experience truly the power of what the Lord did for us on the cross. “Recognizing oneself as a sinner is a grace. It is a grace that is granted to you,” Pope Francis said. “Without that grace, the most one can say is: I am limited, I have my limits, these are my mistakes. But recognizing oneself as a sinner is something else. It means standing in front of God, who is our everything, and presenting him with ourselves, which are our nothing. Our miseries, our sins. What we need to ask for is truly an act of grace.” St. John Vianney is a wonderful patron for our archdiocese, because he knew the power of the sacrament of confession to help people change their lives and live free from sin. Let us pray to him and ask him to renew within the Catholics of this archdiocese a greater awareness of our need for mercy and our need for repentance. Let us pray that many people, especially those who have been away from the sacrament for a long time, might find in confession new life in God’s mercy. St. John Vianney, pray for us!
la esperanza de tener la oportunidad de hacer su confesión a San Juan Vianney dentro de la semana. El sacerdote se encontraba pasando algunas veces hasta 16 horas al día en el confesionario. Puede parecer una locura para nosotros hoy que la gente haga una peregrinación de una semana sólo para confesarse. Tal vez esto es porque hemos perdido la sensación de cuánto necesitamos la misericordia de Dios y cuánto sanación puede venir de reconocer nuestros pecados en el sacramento de la confesión. Es importante recordar que toda la misión de Jesús fue resumida por sus primeras palabras en el Evangelio de Marcos: “Este es el tiempo de cumplimiento. El reino de Dios está cerca. Arrepiéntete y cree en el evangelio.“ Jesús invitó a todos — pecadores y personas religiosas — al arrepentimiento. A menudo decimos hoy que Jesús dio la bienvenida a todos, y esto es cierto. Pero también invitó a todos al arrepentimiento. Él fue especialmente acogedor para los pecadores como la mujer atrapada en adulterio (Jn 8) o Zaqueo el recaudador de impuestos (Lc 19,1-10), y los invitó a dejar atrás su modo de vida pecaminoso y les ofreció una nueva vida en su amor. Es muy claro que Jesús nunca toleró el pecado; Más bien, odiaba el pecado: “Si tu ojo derecho te hace pecar, arráncalo y échalo. Es mejor que pierdas a uno de tus miembros que tener todo tu cuerpo arrojado a Gehenna“ (Mt 5, 28-29). Jesús vino a liberarnos de nuestros pecados por medio del arrepentimiento, para que descubriéramos nueva vida en su misericordia. Esta es la gran gracia del sacramento de la confesión. Nos hace reconocer la dolorosa realidad de nuestros pecados hablando al sacerdote. Entonces, a través de este encuentro sacramental con Cristo en el confesionario, llegamos a recibir el poder sanador de la misericordia de Jesucristo, que nos permite comenzar a vivir nuevamente, libres del pecado.
El Papa Francisco ha sido uno de los mayores promotores de la importancia de la confesión. En “El Nombre de Dios es Misericordia,” él dijo: “Confesar a un sacerdote es una manera de poner mi vida en las manos y el corazón de otra persona, alguien que en ese momento actúa en el nombre de Jesús. Es una manera de ser real y auténtica: nos enfrentamos a los hechos mirando a otra persona, no mirándonos al espejo.” El Papa argumenta que si oramos por la gracia de sentirnos pecadores, porque sólo cuando verdaderamente experimentamos que somos pecadores experimentaremos verdaderamente el poder de lo que el Señor hizo por nosotros en la cruz. “Reconocerse a sí mismo como un pecador es una gracia. Es una gracia que se te concede,” dijo el Papa Francis. “Sin esa gracia, lo más que uno puede decir es: soy limitado, tengo mis límites, estos son mis errores. Pero reconocer a uno mismo como un pecador es otra cosa. Significa estar de pie delante de Dios, que es nuestro todo, y presentarlo con nosotros mismos, que son nuestra nada. Nuestras miserias, nuestros pecados. Lo que necesitamos pedir es verdaderamente un acto de gracia.” San Juan Vianney es un patrón maravilloso para nuestra archidiócesis, porque conocía el poder del sacramento de la confesión para ayudar a las personas a cambiar sus vidas y vivir libres del pecado. Oremos a él y le pedimos que renueve dentro de los católicos de esta archidiócesis una mayor conciencia de nuestra necesidad de misericordia y nuestra necesidad de arrepentimiento. Oremos para que mucha gente, especialmente aquellos que han estado lejos del sacramento por mucho tiempo, encuentren en la confesión nueva vida en la misericordia de Dios. San Juan Vianney, ruega por nosotros!
4A • The Catholic Spirit
4 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
August 10, 2017
LOCAL
March 9, 2017
Monastic ‘Angel’ kitchen among us
SLICEof LIFE SLICEof LIFE
Victoria FritzKapps, second from right, dietary manager at St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Avis St. Paul’s Monastery in Allmaras, center, talks with Rose Carter, Maplewood, demonstrates slicing left, and Irene Eiden at Peace House in technique to Paul Nyquist, left, south Minneapolis Feb. 27. Sister Avis Mary Grant and Natalie Grant goes to the center weekly and visits Aug. 5 during a weekend retreat frequent guests like Carter. Eiden, of at the monastery’s Benedictine St. William in Fridley, is a lay consociate Center called The Monastic of the Carondelet Sisters. Peace House is Kitchen: Making Food for the a day shelter for the poor and homeless. Body and Soul. FritzKapps, a “It’s a real privilege to know these people parishioner of St. Stanislaus in and hear their stories,” Sister Avis said. “I St. Paul, designed the retreat to could not survive on the streets like they connect faith and cooking. Mary do. There are so many gifted people and Natalie Grant attended the here.” Said Carter of Sister Avis: “She’s retreat with their mother, Lori, to an angel. She hides her wings under that spend time together before the sweatshirt. She truly is an angel.” sisters go to college later this Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit month. “I love cooking, and ... I like to put love in my cooking,” Natalie said. “In order to put love into cooking, you have to know Nationalwhat Catholic Week is part of loveSisters looks like. And, March 8-14. official of that An is your faith.component And so, growing Women’sinHistory Month and you with your faith will help headquartered at St. Catherine University your cooking as well.” Nine in St. Paul, the week celebrates women people attended the retreat. religiousDave and their contributions to the Hrbacek/ Church and Thesociety. CatholicView Spiritlocal events, including two art exhibitions, at www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org.
Celebrating sisters
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LOCAL
August 10, 2017
Swahili-speaking Catholics hope to draw Africans back to the Church By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Archbishop Peter Kairo has been retired for more than month, but he didn’t come to Minnesota for vacation. “I’m retired, but I’m not tired,” the archbishop told nearly 100 Swahili-speaking Catholics Aug. 5, drawing laughter and applause at St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center. He was the keynote speaker at an Aug. 5-6 Swahili convention at the parish, where he spoke of lay participation in the Church’s sacramental life. The archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Nyeri, Kenya, said, “Faith cannot grow without and deepen without receiving the seven sacraments.” To emphasize the purpose of the sacraments, the archbishop also repeated the words of Jesus from the Gospel of John: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Archbishop Kairo emphasized that Jesus commissioned the apostles to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations” and to baptize them. Jesus also asked for the apostles to spread his teaching, and he assured them of his continued presence for all time. Swahili-speaking Catholics from around the Midwest gathered at St. Alphonsus for the convention to better live out the faith. The convention had the theme “imani moja, tumaini, moja, upendo mmoja” or “one faith, one hope, one love.” The convention drew more than 150 people from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Wisconsin. Some participants came from as far as Seattle. Archbishop Peter Kairo’s opening address set the agenda for the convention. Breakout sessions on the sacraments followed. The first day also included Mass, adoration and confessions. On the second day, Archbishop Bernard Hebda joined Archbishop Kairo to concelebrate a bilingual Mass. “It’s food for thought for the
GHR Foundation and OpenIDO, a Web-based global innovation community with chapters worldwide, have selected five winners of the BridgeBuilder Challenge, an inaugural competition of social innovators. Winners will share a $1 million prize and will work with GHR Foundation to continue to advance their ideas, while hoping to fulfill Pope Francis’ “invitation to bridge complex, persistent issues in radically new ways,” according to GHR Foundation’s CEO, Amy Goldman.
in BRIEF NORTH BRANCH
Stained-glass medallion stolen from cemetery meditation garden A stained-glass medallion worth $2,000 and made by a St. Gregory the Great parishioner has been stolen from St. Joseph Cemetery, which is in the care of St. Gregory the Great parish. Father Mark Shane Wasinger, St. Gregory the Great’s pastor, discovered the 30 1/2-inch medallion missing July 24. Parish administrative assistant Barbara Schleicher filed a report with the North Branch Police Department. “Everyone’s shocked,” Father Wasinger said. An open hole remains in the wooden cemetery sign, which welcomes people to the parish’s meditation garden. The medallion in the sign showed a pair of open hands below a flying dove with ribbons going across a blue sky. It had been neatly removed by prying. Parishioner Loretta McBride, 77, created it about 12 years ago. “I cry when I think about it,” she said of the theft.
ST. PAUL From left, Esther Karanja and Mercy Munene of St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center dance during the offertory at St. Alphonsus Aug. 6. The Mass was part of the Swahili Convention at St. Alphonsus, with Archbishop Peter Kairo of Nyeri, Kenya, and Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis concelebrating the Mass. Visit The Catholic Spirit’s Facebook page to watch a video of a procession before Mass. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit spirit,” said Mercy Munene, 38, of the convention, a first-time event. Swahili hymns sung by a St. Alphonsus choir added a taste of their homelands to the liturgies and events of the weekend. Swahili is spoken in eastern and southeastern Africa, including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. “What unites us is the Swahili language,” said Munene, a St. Alphonsus parishioner. In recent years, St. Alphonsus has provided a home for Swahilispeaking Catholics to foster that unity. The St. Charles Luwanga community meets monthly at the parish to pray the rosary and attend Mass in Swahili. Redemptorist priest Father Donald Willard, pastor of St. Alphonsus, celebrates the Mass. “Father Don has learned some Swahili; he has some cultural acclimation, too,” Munene said. Munene said most Kenyans who come to the United States are Catholic, but some leave the
Church after failing to find a parish where they feel welcome. “The problem we had is people going to other churches,” she said. “We want them to come back to the Catholic faith.” Members of St. Charles Luwanga, which draws people from as far away as Rochester and Mankato, hope to rectify that. Besides Mass and the rosary, the community provides support for children’s education, baptisms, weddings and funerals. About 150 people attend the gatherings. In addition to drawing the Catholic community together, the convention intended to reach African Catholics who have drifted from the Church, Munene said. In his address, Archbishop Kairo encouraged Catholics to study Scripture and the Church’s teachings so that they could evangelize. He also reminded them of St. Teresa of Kolkata’s advice in the process: “The best preaching is our own witness — how we live, how we relate, how we work and how we pray.”
Inspired by pope, GHR supporting innovators By Josephine von Dohlen Catholic News Service
The Catholic Spirit • 5A
“Inspired by the universal call of Pope Francis, our first BridgeBuilder challenge called for ideas that ‘build bridges’ between the areas of peace, prosperity and planet,” Goldman wrote in an email to CNS. Announced July 31, winners include NaTakallam, a platform that assists refugees in becoming tutors for Arabic learners around the world via Skype; LIFT Chicago’s plan to make early childhood education and community more accessible to families on Chicago’s South Side; Local Youth Corner Cameroon’s initiative to work with young, violent offenders through rehabilitation facilities that offer
lessons in leadership, as well as vocational and entrepreneurial skills; Peace Direct’s efforts to offer peace and protection in Congo through ethical gold mining, which offers income to miners; and BioCarbon Engineering’s spread of drone technology to plant trees in Myanmar, where the environment threatens the forest. They were selected out of 662 ideas submitted from 185 different countries. GHR Foundation will continue the BridgeBuilder Challenge an additional two years. GHR Foundation was founded in 1965 by Gerald and Henrietta Rauenhorst, Catholics from the Twin Cities.
No damage at Cathedral after man starts fire, bomb squad investigates A 28-year-old homeless man was taken into police custody Aug. 5 after lighting a piece of paper on fire and trying to insert it into a floor vent of the Cathedral of St. Paul shortly before noon. According to a statement Cathedral Rector Father John Ubel read at Masses Aug. 6, Cathedral staff reacted quickly to the incident and called police immediately. Fire fighters also responded. Police later called bomb professionals to evaluate a bag the man left behind. Roads near the Cathedral were closed while the bag’s contents were investigated. The all-clear was given and the Cathedral reopened at 3 p.m. Confessions and Mass were held as scheduled. There was no damage to the building. “This unfortunate incident highlights the value of the advice, ‘See something, say something,’ for in this case, that sage advice was followed perfectly,” Father Ubel said during Masses. In an email to The Catholic Spirit, Father Ubel said that some news reports of the incident as a “bomb scare” were misleading, but taking the precautions to involve the police’s bomb squad “were called for” given the bomb that exploded at a Bloomington mosque earlier that day. Charges were filed against the perpetrator Aug. 7, and police have reported that the he will undergo a mental health evaluation.
Father Devorak removed from ministry in archdiocese Father James Devorak, a retired priest of the Diocese of New Ulm, cannot minister in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the archdiocese announced July 31. The New Ulm diocese rescinded a testimonial letter of good standing, a precondition to his permission to serve in the archdiocese, after it received a sexual abuse allegation against him from the 1990s, when he was assigned to St. Pius X in Glencoe. Father Devorak began serving parishes in the archdiocese in July 2015. Most recently, he was parochial vicar of Corpus Christi and St. Rose of Lima in Roseville. He previously served at St. Bernard in St. Paul and St. Gerard Majella in Brooklyn Park. Per the archdiocese’s policies, police have been notified of the allegation. According to the archdiocese, “Any allegation of sexual abuse that is ‘not manifestly false or frivolous’ requires that the archdiocese prohibit the accused priest from exercising priestly ministry pending the outcome of the investigation and pending a separate determination regarding his fitness for ministry in the archdiocese.” Father Devorak has provided a statement to law enforcement and denies the allegation. The Diocese of New Ulm said it is not aware of any other abuse allegations against Father Devorak.
6A • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
August 10, 2017
SISTERS continued from page 1A When Archbishop Hebda was bishop of Gaylord, Michigan, he “tried desperately to get them to come to one of our schools,” he said, adding that he feels blessed that they’re coming to St. Paul. “I knew that they were great educators and that the Lord was blessing them with vocations. I think that every bishop in the U.S. would love to have them come to his diocese.” Sister Carolyn Puccio, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet and the archdiocese’s delegate for consecrated life, said she welcomes the arrival of new communities to the local Church, which includes about 40 other religious orders. “The umbrella of consecrated life is wide enough, in that the groups of women religious, with their different charisms, their different gifts, their different ministries enrich the life of our archdiocese and the Church and society,” she said. “We welcome these new women to join those of us who have been here since the beginning of the archdiocese and through all the years of ministry and service.” In July, the archdiocese also welcomed a new religious community of men, the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo, to St. Peter in North St. Paul. Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens called the addition of the three new religious groups to the archdiocese a sign “that we’re a vibrant local Church.” He also said that religious orders see the archdiocese as a place that can foster vocations. “We’re very grateful for the historic communities who have served here over many years, and we’re also grateful for the new life that these newer communities bring and the witness that they will bring to the beauty that it is to live one’s life completely for Jesus,” Bishop Cozzens said.
Mothers in the Church Bishop Cozzens has a unique role in the life of the Handmaids. He and Mother Mary Clare became friends while she was at St. Thomas and he was a priest teaching at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. When she started discerning starting a religious community, she asked him to provide spiritual guidance. In addition to being a friend, he wrote his doctoral dissertation on the evangelical counsels, or means to holiness, to which religious men and women profess vows: poverty, chastity and obedience. Drawing on his experience knowing the Missionaries of Charity in Rome, then-Father Cozzens provided spiritual formation for the women as they discerned whether to start a new religious community. Even after the sisters moved to New Ulm and he was ordained a bishop, he has continued to provide formation and spiritual direction for some of the sisters and direct annual retreats. Mother Mary Clare said she and the sisters consider him their spiritual father. Archbishop Hebda said he anticipates “an exciting collaboration” between the sisters and Father John Ubel,
presence, and a place where local girls can join religious life in their home culture,” she said. That’s one reason she’s thrilled they’ll be establishing themselves in the archdiocese, where 10 of their members grew up or attended college. Living in St. Paul will be four sisters: Sister Agnes Horlocker, Sister Amata Crain, Sister Mary Elizabeth Plante and Sister Mary Joseph Evans, the local superior. The latter two grew up in the archdiocese. Sister Agnes is from Rochester but earned a master’s degree at St. Thomas, and Sister Amata is from Duluth.
Relying on providence From left, Sister Magdalena Marie Marschall and Mother Mary Clare Roufs scrape material from a hardwood floor to prepare it for refinishing. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit Cathedral rector. “Having seen the Handmaids in action at Cor Jesu at [St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity] and at NET Ministries’ Lifeline Mass, I already knew that they offered an enthusiastic and authentic witness to the Gospel,” he said. “Because so many of their members are young women from Minnesota, I think that they are going to be really helpful to the young women from our archdiocese [who] are discerning consecrated life.” The Handmaids now have 16 sisters, with seven postulants arriving this month. Of the sisters, six are novices, six have taken temporary vows and four have taken perpetual vows. Their charism, Mother Mary Clare said, “is to live in imitation of Mary as spiritual mothers in the diocesan life of the Church.” “We see ourselves as a complement to the diocesan priesthood,” she said. “As the diocesan priest is a father ... we complement that with the feminine genius of consecrated life. So, we care for the children in a different kind of way. We assist and support the priests and ... really help the family of faith be a family.” In 2010, Bishop LeVoir established the Handmaids as a public association of the lay faithful, and they received habits and began to live a more intense communal life. They hope to become a religious community of diocesan right, a canonical status for which they can apply when they have about 40 members with more than half in perpetual vows. In the Diocese of New Ulm, the sisters assist at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity with the liturgy and sacristy work, and teach religious education for the cathedral and five nearby parishes with which it shares resources. Three sisters teach religion and assist with campus ministry at Cathedral High School. They also assist in several diocesan offices. With so many new members, however, the Handmaids’ primary work is the formation of the younger sisters, Mother Mary Clare said. Postulants are primarily from the Midwest. Mother Mary Clare said she typically discourages women from outside the region who express interest in the community. “Our charism is to be diocesan, local and a stable
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The Handmaids aren’t called to keep growing larger and larger in New Ulm, said Mother Mary Clare, who grew up in Winsted, in the New Ulm diocese. “A lot of our sisters aren’t from New Ulm. They’re from the archdiocese,” she said. “We want to send them home so that they can actually live and establish a consecrated life in their home archdiocese and stay there.” They’re also reaching capacity at their home in New Ulm, a former middle school building they renovated — with community help — into a convent with a chapel and 20 bedrooms. They’ve since added six more bedrooms to accommodate their growth. As they did in New Ulm, the Handmaids are relying on the community to help them with material needs. They’ve never done a fundraiser or capital campaign; they don’t even grocery shop, relying instead on daily donations for food and other items. Living off of divine providence “has been a beautiful part of our life,” Mother Mary Clare said. “We just trust that what we need God is going to provide. It’s a way in which we are able to witness to the world God’s love and providence.” As the Handmaids make their home in St. Paul, they’re asking people to help with the renovation work with a series of work days. “We do the work, and whoever shows up, we put them to work with us,” Mother Mary Clare said. The sisters have learned how to frame rooms, hang drywall, and mud and tape. They’ve laid 14,000 square feet of wood flooring. When necessary, they call in experts. After they began exploring expansion to the archdiocese last year, the Handmaids visited several parishes where they could make a home, but none felt like the right fit. Archbishop Hebda suggested the Cathedral, and it clicked. They hadn’t considered it because there’s no convent on its property, but once the idea was planted, Mother Mary Clare said, it “began to sing.” Because they serve at the New Ulm cathedral, they’re familiar with the responsibilities of a diocese’s mother church, and it also symbolizes their diocesan character, she added. Although things have been coming together for their move to St. Paul, there are still many unknowns. “We’re always going to be growing and entering new seasons, so there’s always going to be fear and trepidation,” Mother Mary Clare said, “but we knew that we have to keep stepping forward.”
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August 10, 2017
U.S. & WORLD
The Catholic Spirit • 7A
Dutch cardinal: Bishops warned of euthanasia’s slippery slope By Jonathan Luxmoore Catholic News Service Recent increases in euthanasia and assisted suicide deaths among psychiatric and dementia patients reflect the concerns Church officials expressed years ago, said a Dutch cardinal. Cardinal Willem Eijk of Utrecht, Netherlands, said psychiatrist Boudewijn Chabot was right to complain that doctors were now ignoring legal requirements that a patient requesting death should be “suffering unbearably and without prospect.” Writing in the NRC Handelsblad daily, Chabot, a pioneer of the Dutch euthanasia law, said he fully favored “self-determination” and was unconcerned about the increase in euthanasia deaths. However, he added that he was alarmed by euthanasia’s extension in the Netherlands to psychiatric patients, as well as to dementia sufferers, 141 of whom were killed in 2016, compared to just 12 in 2009. In an Aug. 1 statement to Catholic News Service, Cardinal Eijk, who heads the Dutch bishops’ medical ethics commission, said, “Chabot is now complaining about a development he himself initiated.” “Of course, it’s good to read that an initiator and early advocate of euthanasia and assisted suicide is now concerned,” the cardinal said. “But the Dutch bishops’ conference has warned from the beginning against violating the intrinsic dignity of human life through euthanasia or assisted suicide, because it is never, ever allowable to violate intrinsic values, and because in doing so you put yourself on a slippery slope. “But was it not naive, when he started this in the 1990s, to suppose that ending life for psychiatric disorders would remain limited to a few cases only?” the cardinal asked. The Netherlands became the world’s first country to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2002 and has since witnessed a rapid increase in related deaths, with 20 now occurring daily, according to a May report by the Regional Euthanasia Commission. The report said 6,672 euthanasia deaths had been registered in 2015, compared to just 150 from assisted suicide, while 431 patients had been killed without explicit consent. Cardinal Eijk said euthanasia had originally been permitted only “at the explicit request of a patient in the terminal stage of an incurable somatic disease,” but had been steadily extended and was now accepted “before the terminal stage of life.” “When one breaks the principle that human life is an essential value, one steps on the slippery slope,” the cardinal added. “Dutch experiences teach that we will be confronted time and again with the question whether the ending of life shouldn’t also be possible with less serious forms of suffering.” In a landmark case in the early 1990s, Chabot was found criminally guilty, but spared punishment, for assisting the suicide of a 50-yearold healthy woman suffering “existential distress.” However, in a January 2017 petition, he and 200 other Dutch doctors warned that legal protections were “slowly breaking down,” with many dementia and psychiatric patients being killed “without actual oral consent.” In his NRC Handelsblad article, Chabot accused the official Euthanasia Commission of concealing that “incapacitated people were surreptitiously killed,” and said “executions” were now occurring. In his statement, Cardinal Eijk said “ending life without consent” had been made possible by the 2004 Groningen Protocol, which allows handicapped newborns with conditions such as spina bifida to be killed because of “their perceived future suffering, or that of their parents.” He said a new assisted suicide bill, introduced in
Pope tells Belgian Brothers of Charity to end euthanasia practice Pope Francis has given a Belgian religious order until the end of August to stop offering euthanasia to psychiatric patients. Brother Rene Stockman, superior general of the order, said the pope gave his personal approval to a Vatican demand that the Brothers of Charity, which runs 15 centers for psychiatric patients across Belgium, must reverse its policy by the end of August. Brothers who serve on the board of the Brothers of Charity Group, the organization that runs the centers, also must each sign a joint letter to their superior general declaring that they “fully support the vision of the magisterium of the Catholic Church, which has always confirmed that human life must be respected and protected in absolute terms, from the moment of conception till its natural end.” Brothers who refuse to sign will face sanctions under canon law, while the group can expect to face legal action and even expulsion from the Church if it fails to change its policy. The order, issued at the beginning of August, follows repeated requests for the group to drop its new policy of permitting doctors to perform the euthanasia of “nonterminal” mentally ill patients on its premises. It also follows a joint investigation by the Vatican’s congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith and for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Brother Stockman, a psychiatric care specialist who opposed the group’s euthanasia policy, said the ultimatum was devised by the two congregations and has the support of the pope. He turned to the Vatican in the spring after the Brothers of Charity group rejected a formal request from him to reverse the new policy. The Brothers of Charity group is considered the most important provider of mental health care services in the Flanders region of Belgium, where they serve 5,000 patients a year. About 12 psychiatric patients in the care of the Brothers of Charity are believed to have asked for euthanasia over the past year, with two transferred elsewhere to receive the injections to end their lives. — Catholic News Service 2016, would allow healthy people suffering nonmedical conditions such as “loneliness, bereavement, limited mobility and decline from old age” to be helped to die by a nonprofessional “assistant-in-suicide.” “Our answer to suffering should not be to offer euthanasia or assisted suicide, but adequate, professional and loving palliative care — of which, from a Christian perspective, pastoral care is an indispensable part,” Cardinal Eijk said. “When people suffer unbearably and without prospect from loneliness, a frequent problem in today’s present hyper-individualist culture, we should try to change that culture instead of offering suicide to healthy people,” he said. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are also legal in neighboring Belgium and Luxembourg and are deemed “nonpunishable” in Switzerland. Polls suggest most Europeans favor euthanasia laws with safeguards.
PADDLING PILGRIMS Canoe pilgrims — Jesuit and indigenous — are seen in Canada in mid-July. Participants in the Jesuit project are paddling 540 miles, following a route used by 17th-century missionaries, in an effort to reconcile 400-year-old rifts between Canadians and First Nations people. The goal is to have the diverse core group of 30 indigenous and Jesuit paddlers become immersed in each others’ customs and traditions for an entire month. CNS
in BRIEF ROME
Vatican: Constituent Assembly will ‘mortgage’ Venezuela’s future In a strongly worded statement, the Vatican called on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to respect the will of the people and respect the nation’s current constitution. Elections for seats on the assembly were held around the country July 30 amid massive protests and international outcry. Maduro’s push for the assembly, comprised mainly of his supporters and designed to rewrite the nation’s constitution, has led to violent demonstrations in which more than 100 people have died. The Vatican’s statement echoed a declaration made by members of the presiding council of the Venezuelan bishops’ conference who condemned the elections as “unconstitutional as well as unnecessary, inconvenient and damaging to the Venezuelan people.” The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has a mission parish in San Felix.
ST. LOUIS
Knights of Columbus planning to replace traditional uniform The traditional regalia worn by fourth-degree Knights of Columbus will be replaced, announced Supreme Knight Carl Anderson Aug. 1 during the international fraternal organization’s annual Supreme Convention in St. Louis. In place of a tuxedo with a black bow tie, members will be wearing a blue blazer, an official Knights of Columbus tie and a beret, all with the fourth-degree emblem on them, along with a white shirt and dark gray slacks. There was no mention if swords would remain part of the uniform.
WASHINGTON
Military archbishop backs transgender ban, says the issue’s essence is dignity Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services offered support for President Donald Trump’s reinstatement of a ban on transgender people serving in any branch of the military. In a July 28 statement, the archbishop said that “sexual orientation and gender identity issues reflect a rapidly increasing and incorrect societal attitude that individual behaviors in life should pursue immediate and personal choices rather than eternal truth.” While supporting the ban, Archbishop Broglio said that Trump’s emphasis on military readiness and the cost associated with gender reassignment surgeries and therapies as reasons for the ban failed “to address the essence of the issue — the dignity of the human person.” The statement came two days after Trump announced the ban in three postings on Twitter July 26. It represented a major shift in military policy, reversing a 2016 decision by the Obama administration to lift the ban. — Catholic News Service
8A • The Catholic Spirit
U.S. & WORLD
August 10, 2017
Ethical questions surface as scientists advance gene-editing work By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service Catholic observers and others are raising ethical questions about the work of an international team of scientists who report that they were able to edit the DNA in human embryos to correct a health disorder. The questions focus on two concerns: the creation of human embryos for scientific experimentation and then destruction, and the still-unknown effect that changing DNA will have on future generations because the changes could become a permanent part of a family’s genetic line. The success reported by the scientists in work funded by the Oregon Health and Science University worries observers, who said that it could lead to the development of “designer babies” with traits that make them seem superior. “Now we’re specifically manufacturing human embryos solely for the purpose of doing lethal experiments on them. I think the public needs to be well aware of that and hopefully horrified by that reality,” said Gregory Schleppenbach, associate director of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington. “Certainly there should be concerns about genetically modifying human beings in a way that we don’t really know what effect that will have to subsequent generations,” he said. The focus of such concerns is a report that appeared online Aug. 2 in the
journal Nature. Scientists said they were able to edit the DNA in human embryos without introducing other harmful mutations which have plagued other efforts. The particular experiment involved gene editing to correct a genetic defect that causes a heart disorder known as cardiomyopathy, which affects the heart’s ability to pump blood. Shoukhrat Mitalipov, director of the Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy at the Oregon Health and Science University, is a leader of the team. He said the effort may lead to the ability to edit genes to correct other debilitating diseases. Supporters of the research hailed the breakthrough, saying it could lead to similar efforts to prevent cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, an inherited form of Alzheimer’s disease, and perhaps breast and ovarian cancer caused by mutation in BRCA genes, which produce tumorsuppressor proteins. “BRCA” stands for “breast cancer gene.” In their work, the scientists obtained sperm from a donor carrying the heart disorder mutation and used the sperm to fertilize dozens of eggs from healthy women. At fertilization, the researchers also injected a gene-editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9. The scientists reported that of the 58 embryos used in the work, 42 showed the gene correction, a rate of more than 70 percent. Mainstream scientists were buoyed by the high rate. The fact that none of the embryos
were used to create a baby is problematic, however, for Catholic ethicists, who say the destruction of human life violates the basic premise of Church teaching that all life is sacred. Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, director of education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, told CNS he is concerned that human embryos have been created in vitro and “treated not as ends but as mere means to achieve particular investigative goals.” “The value as human beings is denigrated every time they are created, experimented upon, treated as research fodder and then killed,” he wrote in an email Aug. 3. “Moreover, if such embryos were to grow up, as will doubtless occur in the future, there are likely to be unintended effects from modifying their genes, even using very selective and precise tools like CRISPR-Cas9.” He said that should the procedure eventually become practice, it is possible parents may opt for gene editing and then select the one embryo that had incorporated the desired genetic modifications, leaving the rest to be destroyed. “The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services” of the USCCB prohibit nontherapeutic experiments on a living embryo or fetus even with the consent of the parents. Father Pacholczyk said the team’s experiments “were clearly nontherapeutic, as the goal was ultimately to destroy the embryos.” Only if gene editing were carried out to
reduce the likelihood of a specific disease in a specific individual, whether in the womb, after birth or as an adolescent or adult, could the practice become acceptable, Schleppenbach said. “You’re only changing that particular individual. You’re not transferring this on to future generations,” he said. Marcy Darnovsky, executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society in Berkeley, California, described the procedure outlined in the report as “extremely disturbing.” She called for a broad discussion of the implications of the work, encouraging “meaningful public participation ... democratic participation” rather than letting the decision on how far such research can advance be left to a few scientists. She pointed to laws in more than 40 countries and the Council of Europe’s Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine that prohibit such experimentation. “Most countries that have gotten to the point of thinking this through have adopted laws to prohibit this kind of gene editing,” she said. In the U.S., scientists who want to eventually see the work advance to clinical trials face strict regulatory requirements. The National Institutes of Health does not fund any research involving human embryos. Also, Congress has prohibited the Food and Drug Administration from considering experiments involving genetically modified human embryos.
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August 10, 2017
FAITH & CULTURE
The Catholic Spirit • 9A
ANALYSIS
C
armela Palacios, 38, has been making hamburgers at Burger King for 16 years. She likes her job. She likes to work. “Wherever there’s work, I’ll work,” said Palacios, a parishioner of Holy Rosary in Minneapolis, a wife and mother of two. After years of working, participating in six strikes and leading labor advocacy with Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha, which has received local funding from the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development, she is just now seeing that her full-time position may pay off in terms of a meaningful salary. That’s thanks to the Minneapolis City Council’s June decision to create a municipal minimum wage of $15 an hour, although the implementation will take place incrementally over five to seven years. The Church’s continual advocacy for a just wage, which has included support for a minimum wage, has had people like Palacios in mind. “A just wage in the industrialized West was formulated precisely to fit factory workers, men [and women] who went to the factory and did the same thing for 50 years,” said William Junker, assistant professor of Catholic Studies and co-director of the Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy at the University of St. Thomas. Tim Marx, president and CEO of Catholic Charities, explains the reasoning. Work gives a person the means to sustain a decent life, and as someone made in the image of God, each person who works should receive the means to live in accordance with that dignity. Since modern workers sustain themselves by wages received from employers, just sustenance means a just wage. “Everyone who works a full-time job for a number of years should earn a living wage,” said Robert Kennedy, professor of Catholic Studies who has long worked in the area of business ethics. “We absolutely insist that people need a fair share of the resources of the earth to live a minimally decent life.” The issue is at the heart of Christianity, starting with admonitions in the Old Testament not to withhold the wages of workers and extending to the parables of Jesus allegorizing the worker’s worth. The Church has continued to bring this tradition to bear on the changing circumstances of every generation. The implementation, however, has been complicated.
Modern circumstances Just wages were one of the concerns Pope Leo XIII had in mind when he wrote “Rerum Novarum,” published in 1891 and considered the first of the Church’s great social encyclicals. “Within the context of global industrial and postindustrial capitalism, the notion of a worker’s right to income and quality of life in relation to the overall wealth of the economy does start with ‘Rerum Novarum,’” Junker said. By the time Pope Leo XIII published the encyclical, known in English as “On the Conditions of Labor,” the industrial revolution had turned farmers and cottage industry craftsmen into low-skill, wage slaves who performed repetitive tasks for long hours in factories. The pope hoped that “the fruits of production will accrue equitably to those who are rich and will be distributed in ample sufficiency among the workers.” One sign of the ample distribution, he said, would be a wage that allowed a worker to provide for his family in “frugal comfort,” put aside savings and have some time for leisure. Forty years later in “On the Reconstruction of Social Order,” Pope Pius XI outlined a list of interconnected considerations for a just wage, including the responsibility of owners to run their businesses well, the financial standing of a business, the contribution of each person and the common good of society at large. The compensation of workers could not be decided solely by “the laws of the marketplace, nor ... the will of the more powerful,” he wrote. Pope Pius XI’s teachings coincided with the start of the minimum wage movement in the United States. Minnesota became one of the first states to establish a minimum wage in 1913, due in large part to the work
Minimum wage and justice: a complicated relationship By Bridget Ryder • For The Catholic Spirit
Minneapolis ordinance violates the Catholic principal of subsidiarity, the idea that decisions should be made at the lowest competent level. “Particularly in today’s economy, there’s no Minneapolis economy. At best there’s a regional economy,” he said. Kennedy called the law “a blunt instrument” unsuited for the “porousness” of a system that allows businesses to relocate to less restrictive jurisdictions, the actual capacity of small businesses competing with corporate giants to be able to pay the required wage, and the diversity of workers looking for employment, such as teenagers or others seeking part-time employment. These concerns also came out in the listening sessions the city held before passing the ordinance.
Beyond the minimum wage
Dave Barnier, left, prepares food with Elmer Calle, lead breakfast cook at Dave’s Downtown restaurant in downtown Minneapolis July 31. Barnier, of Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis, tries to treat his workers well by paying more than minimum wage, with all but two of his 16 workers earning at least $15 an hour. He also pays for their parking and offers paid time off and holiday pay. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit of Msgr. John Ryan, a priest of the archdiocese and a prominent national figure in Catholic social thought. The federal minimum wage was later established in 1931. Today the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. In Minnesota, the minimum wage is $9.50 an hour. The highest minimum wages are $11 an hour in Massachusetts and Washington state, but Washington is on track to be at $13.50 an hour by 2020. Debate about a minimum wage’s effectiveness in realizing a just wage is a part of the ongoing legacy of this piece of public policy. Catholics shouldn’t be afraid to jump into the fray, experts say. “This,” Marx said, “is the beauty of the Catholic social thought: It’s not Republican or Democrat, it’s pragmatic — are people better off?”
The practical side There have been competing studies for years on whether raising the minimum wage is actually beneficial. Some studies claim that a mandated raise in the minimum wage results in an overall reduction of work opportunity and, ultimately, salary for low-skill workers. This follows from the logic of market economics — if something costs more, people purchase less of it. When regulation forces the cost of labor up, businesses will hire fewer workers or replace them with technology. Other studies suggest that the market logic simply doesn’t play out at this level, and raising the minimum wage has been overall beneficial. Marx is a little skeptical of city government jumping into wage policy. He also questions whether the
According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, a living hourly wage for a family of three children and two adults, with one adult working, is $31.34. Even successful, well-intentioned business owners can find it hard to provide a living wage that truly allows family life to flourish. At Dave’s Downtown, a fast-casual restaurant in the downtown Minneapolis skyway, owner Dave Barnier, 61, a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis and a father of nine, is already paying all but two of his 16 employees at least $15 an hour. He also pays for their parking and offers paid time off, holiday pay and other bonuses. He admits he can pay so well because his restaurant is busy, but he’s also found it’s good business to crosstrain his workers and treat them well. His customers expect restaurant workers to be able to take a vacation, too, and don’t mind paying a little more to make that happen, he said. Still, half of his employees — who are all over 21 and half of whom are married — work two jobs. Barnier said he would also like to offer health insurance, but hasn’t found a plan worth offering that he can afford. The question of establishing a just work system has to go deeper than wage, experts said. Marx looks to other factors that influence a person’s ability to live a decent life, such as education opportunities, affordable housing and other kinds of subsidies. “We live in a complicated economic system. No one gets there on their own. We’re all subsidized,” he said, pointing to the example of tax deductions for homeowners with mortgages. Junker highlighted the need to confront the power of large corporations to “negotiate all kinds of things advantageous to themselves” and the difficulty of small businesses to compete with them. With both collective purchasing power and public policies, communities can find ways to allow local business and local labor to thrive, he said. Economics always has a political aspect, he added. Kennedy said public policy cannot be the only means to bring about justice. The individual effort of consumers and employers is necessary to correct flaws in the present system. “We have prioritized capital and efficiency so that it is almost guaranteed that a portion of the population will not be able to find suitable work,” he said. “We have made work a means to an end. We tend to treat people like machines.” Instead, cultural, Church and business leaders should encourage a “culture of employment” that prioritizes providing good jobs over economic efficiency, he said. To make this work, employers could design more jobs that will also be worth a living wage from a business perspective. The Church should also encourage charitable giving and volunteering as ways to create economic balance, experts said. Understood in this context, Minneapolis’ new minimum wage law is just the beginning of another installment in the ongoing conversation about a just wage, a conversation that will hopefully become deeper and broader.
10A • The Catholic Spirit
FAITH & CULTURE
August 10, 2017
Parish seeks conversion through Marian prayer By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit
P
atty Bradway asked for Mary’s intercession when she was a child, but only recently, when she began praying a daily rosary for two of her adult children who aren’t practicing the faith, has the St. Pius X parishioner begun to understand the connection between Mary’s Immaculate Heart and Jesus’ Sacred Heart. “As a mother I should know, [that] starting when Jesus was in Mary’s womb, their hearts beat as one,” said Bradway, 54. Later this month Bradway will unite her intentions with those of her fellow parishioners as they pray a 54-day parish rosary novena during the 100th anniversary year of the Fatima apparitions for conversion, parish growth and healing following a challenging period in St. Pius X’s history. When parishioners and staff at the White Bear Lake parish start the novena and a year dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Aug. 21 feast day of their patron, St. Pius X, they will ask the Holy Spirit to change their hearts as they seek a 21 percent increase in weekend Mass attendance. With the novena, which involves both prayers of petition and thanksgiving, the parish hopes prayer will be the main catalyst for healing and for evangelizing those whom they know and don’t know. “We’re really encouraging every parishioner to join in prayer,” said Barb York, 64, a St. Pius X parishioner who helped develop the prayer initiative. “It’s not for a 21 percent increase in bodies, it’s for conversion of heart, that more people can come to know and love Jesus, which is the heart of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
Response to parish challenges The dedicated year and novena are part of a renewal the parish of 1,200 families is experiencing after a difficult four years when it lost parishioners. In 2013, allegations of sexual abuse surfaced against a former pastor, and the parish saw four pastors in 18 months. Also during that time its grade school merged with St. Mary of the Lake’s parish school to form Frassati Catholic Academy, located on St. Mary’s campus. “It is my hope that Mary’s tender love can bring healing and comfort to those who have made substantiated allegations against our founding pastor and all the other people that are impacted when someone in their life has been abused, including our parish community as a whole,” said Father Joe Bambenek, St. Pius X’s pastor since July 2013. He added that prayer can do more in an instant than humans can do in 10 years of work. “Our purpose is to bring the healing love of Jesus into every encounter we have in our daily lives,” he said. The novena start date coincidentally coincides with a total solar eclipse that will be visible in areas of the country. It ends Oct. 13, the centennial of the Miracle of the Sun — when thousands saw the sun move and change color
Jo Fleming of St. Pius X in White Bear Lake prays the rosary with other parishioners after Mass Aug. 2 at St. Pius X. The parish begins a 54-day rosary novena Aug.21. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit after Mary’s final apparition in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. The 54-day rosary novena consists of praying a daily rosary for 27 days in petition for an intention followed by 27 days of thanksgiving. The parish will post daily novena prayers in its bulletin and a variety of electronic media, as well as in its perpetual adoration chapel. Parishioners can participate by praying the rosary or in other ways, such as fasting. The word “novena,” from the Latin word for “nine,” usually involves nine days of prayer and meditation for an intention. The tradition dates to the apostles praying with Mary for nine days in anticipation of Pentecost. During an 1884 apparition in Italy, Mary asked that the faithful pray a 54-day — or six week — rosary novena.
‘We’re relying on Jesus’ Parish leaders say that St. Pius X’s renewal has come through refocusing leadership, parishioner support and involvement, and the relationship with a private, non-denominational Christian school that moved into its school building. “We believe parishioners are invested in the parish, and we’re relying on Jesus to carry this forward,” said Bryan Zimmerman, 59, St. Pius X’s executive business administrator. In response to the crisis, Father Bambenek consecrated the parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 2014. At that time, parish leaders met with the heads of Liberty Classical Academy, which leases its school building. Academy leaders prayed regularly for the parish, and eventually they and parish leaders started praying together monthly, Zimmerman said. The following year, after parish staff and parishioners returned from a conference with ideas for parish leadership, renewal and evangelization, they were convinced that the keys to growth were prayer and letting Christ lead, he said. “If we try to tackle this on our own,
we forget the power of Jesus, who points us in the direction of our goal,” he said. The novena and dedication to Mary’s Immaculate Heart have fostered Marian devotion among parishioners, York said. “I imagine her as a mother with her arms open, calling her children to come to Jesus,” she said. “We’re agreeing with her and praying for that as well, and we go out and we are her arms and legs. She’s calling us and we come under her maternal protection and inspiration.” As part of that devotion, Bradway organized five first Saturday devotions with talks about the Fatima apparitions. At Fatima, Mary requested that on five consecutive first Saturdays, reparation be made for offenses against her Immaculate Heart through confession, Communion, rosary and meditation. The final devotion in the series is Sept. 2. The parish’s prayer is also inspiring outreach to the community, and before the novena starts it will host a social event to attract neighbors, Bradway said. Other Marian prayer events the parish is offering during the Fatima anniversary year include a World Apostolate of Fatima organized-prayer, Mass and talk led by Bishop Andrew Cozzens 6 p.m. Sept. 13, another apparition anniversary. When the 54-day novena ends, the parish will continue its prayer focus through its Year of the Immaculate Heart, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, York said. “When you look back four years, you realize by every human account St. Pius X should not be doing as well as it is,” York said. “By the blessings of God, we are not just open, but we believe we are thriving. We’re looking forward to what God will do.” For information about St. Pius X’s Marian devotions and novena, visit www.churchofstpiusx.org. For details about Bishop Cozzens’ Sept. 13 presentation, visit www.fatimaonline.org.
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FAITH & CULTURE
August 10, 2017
The Catholic Spirit • 11A
Sacred ballet Dancers connect movement, faith By Melenie Soucheray For The Catholic Spirit
“B
allet is another way to express the action of God in his creation.” So says Marius Andaházy, a Catholic and a member of the famed Andaházy ballet family. He shared his vision during a workshop, Exploring Ballet as a Sacred Art, Aug. 5 at Christ the King in Minneapolis. The event was sponsored by Rivers Ballet, a Twin Cities organization that promotes dance as a sacred art form. A handful of dancers came together for an interactive presentation from Andaházy. Dancers also participated in a ballet class and a processional workshop led by instructors Jennifer Murry and Sonja Hinderlie. “The thing with sacred dance is you really need to have someone who knows what they’re doing,” said Moya McGinn Mathews, the music and liturgy director at Christ the King for 28 years. She is sensitive to the ways in which all of the arts contribute to an environment that enhances a spiritual experience, and she is also aware of the Church’s teachings about the fine line between popular piety and liturgy. Sacred art, including dance, must create and maintain a spiritual experience, she said. It should have an attitude of reverence. The artist must be willing to be a vessel of the Holy Spirit, she said. Georgia Finnegan-Saulitis, Rivers Ballet co-founder, conducted a session on the protocols for sacred movement, which covered proper costuming, make-up and accessories. A member of Christ the King, Finnegan-Saulitis said sacred dance is not part of the liturgy, but it can be a partner. Dancers must be properly clothed, and the sanctuary and other worship spaces must be respected.
Grace Blando, right, of Holy Trinity in South St. Paul works on dance technique during a sacred ballet workshop Aug. 5 at Christ the King in Minneapolis. Watch a video of the dancers at The Catholic Spirit’s Facebook page. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit A dancer’s movement should be graceful, poignant and appropriate, she said. Workshop participant Grace Blando, 18, has studied ballet with Andaházy. She said she had a little experience in sacred dance and wanted to learn more. “It’s important to combine dance and religion. It’s a wonderful gift to have the ability to use talent and ability to honor God and give back to the community,” said Blando, a parishioner of Holy Trinity in South St. Paul. “It’s an opportunity to connect with God and help the congregation connect with God.” Her sister, Lily Blando, 15, added, “Dance is about the message, not about the dancer.” Andaházy heads the ballet department at Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights. He is also the former ballet master in-residence at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. As the youngest son of Lóránt and Anna Adrianova Andaházy, American members of the Russian ballet who settled in St. Paul, and heir
apparent of the Andaházy ballet legacy, he has dedicated his life to classical ballet as a dancer, teacher and advocate for sacred dance. Along with several secular ballets, the Andaházy parents and son created seven religious ballets between 1951 and 1984. In 1965, the Andaházys’ “Los Seises: A Meditation in Dance on the Passion of Christ” was commissioned for television. It has been preformed locally in several churches, including the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul and St. Olaf in Minneapolis. Although the workshop explored the possibility of dance in a liturgical procession, it did not take a stance on the place of dance in the Mass, an oft-debated topic. U.S. liturgical norms generally discourage dance in the Mass, but make allowances for certain cultural expressions, such as those of some African Catholics. “As a classical dancer, a person’s technique is very important. There’s something about the classical arts, of tone if it’s music, beautiful notes, beautiful trained voice, the choir,” Andaházy said. “Look at Handel’s Messiah, a major work of art. [With ‘Los Seises’ and other sacred ballets] the technique is used to express a higher meaning. If someone wants to do this, I would want them to get training, not just do it because it would be fun, but because it maintains the sacredness of the church, whether it’s Catholic or not. You’re going onto holy ground where people really honor the Lord in whatever way they see him.” Although sacred dance can be controversial, Andaházy pointed to affirmation “Los Seises” received from Cardinal Raymond Burke, patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and former archbishop of St. Louis, who said in a promotional video for the Andaházy Ballet Company that “ballet expresses without words and through the beauty of the movement of the human body using certain key symbols. ... In this case, the beauty of the ballet attracts many souls to the mystery of God’s love for us in our Lord Jesus Christ, and most of all, in his passion and death.” The cardinal said that “sacred ballet” “could be an effective form of the new evangelization.”
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12A • The Catholic Spirit
SUNDAY SCRIPTURES Deacon Michael Nevin
When God gives more than you can handle “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Most of us have heard this phrase, or with the best of intentions, offered it as a consoling word to a loved one who is suffering a severe trial in life. The phrase might derive from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, where he states, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” St. Paul is telling us, in the context of the larger Scripture passage, that God will provide the necessary
FOCUS ON FAITH grace to overcome the temptation to sin, but he doesn’t seem to be speaking about physical or moral suffering that has become essential to the nature of man after the fall of our first parents. This is why a recipient of the phrase “God won’t give you more than you can handle” may in fact be repelled by the expression because they are perhaps suffering more than they humanly can take. When my wife was diagnosed with cancer many years ago (she has recovered, thanks be to God!), I really believed that this trial God had allowed was too much for me to handle. Likewise, in our Gospel passage from Matthew, the disciples of Jesus, and Peter in particular, are faced with a crisis of physical and moral suffering that was more than they could handle. Jesus knew the disciples still lacked faith, so he sent them out to sea by themselves to encounter a storm that was brewing while he went to pray alone on the mountain. The disciples were in the storm all night long, experiencing not only the physical terror of the storm, but also the moral suffering that comes with facing death. While it was still dark and the storm still lashing the boat, they saw the Lord coming to them walking on the water, and their fear grew because they believed he was a ghost. Our blessed Lord, speaking to the disciples and any of us who have faced great suffering in life says, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” St. Peter learned that the answer to enduring suffering
August 10, 2017
Sunday, August 13 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings
• 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a • Rom 9:1-5 • Mt 14: 22-33
and trials is a total reliance on the Lord’s providential care. Peter walked on water when his faith was focused on Jesus, but sank when the weight of his troubles was too much for him. God can handle our problems when we trust him. Mindful of this lesson, perhaps we can turn the phrase “God won’t give you more than you can handle” into “God won’t give you more than he can handle.” Deacon Nevin was ordained for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2010 and serves the parishes of St. Thomas the Apostle in Corcoran and Sts. Peter and Paul in Loretto. He also works with the Institute of Diaconate Formation at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity and serves at the chancery in the Office of Worship.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Aug. 13 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a Rom 9:1-5 Mt 14: 22-33 Monday, Aug. 14 St. Maximilian Kolbe, priest and martyr Dt 10:12-22 Mt 17:22-27
Tuesday, Aug. 15 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab 1 Cor 15:20-27 Lk 1:39-56 Wednesday, Aug. 16 Dt 34:1-12 Mt 18:15-20
SEEKING ANSWERS
Father Michael Schmitz
Integrity needed more than ‘authenticity’ Q: I value authenticity and loathe hypocrisy, and I want to simply be true to myself. How can I do that if I constantly am told what to believe and how to behave by the Church? A: This is a very good question. The fact that you are asking it already puts you ahead of most people in our culture. For many, the very worst thing they could be accused of is “being fake.” But I would like to make a distinction between being authentic and having integrity. Why is this distinction important? It could seem like I am just splitting hairs or ax-grinding by focusing on what might seem like an insignificant definition. But I maintain that a great deal depends on understanding the difference between being authentic and having integrity. It wasn’t always this way. The original use of the term “authenticity” was more complete. It referred to something that did not deviate from the original. Because of this, one could speak of a dollar bill as “authentic” (versus a counterfeit) when it matched up
Thursday, Aug. 17 Jos 3:7-10a, 11, 13-17 Mt 18:21–19:1 Friday, Aug. 18 Jos 24:1-13 Mt 19:3-12 Saturday, Aug. 19 Jos 24:14-29 Mt 19:13-15
Sunday, Aug. 20 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 56:1, 6-7 Rom 11:13-15, 29-32 Mt 15:21-28
Tuesday, Aug. 22 Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary Jgs 6:11-24a Mt 19:23-30
Monday, Aug. 21 St. Pius X, pope Jgs 2:11-19 Mt 19:16-22
Wednesday, Aug. 23 Jgs 9:6-15 Mt 20:1-16
with a standard outside of itself. But the term has suffered a certain corruption in our day. Now, when someone claims that they just “need to be authentic,” this often implies a reference to nothing more than an interior and subjective assessment of self. If a person tried to live like this, then their actions would be informed or guided by nothing greater than the terrible advice given to Laertes by his father, Polonius: “To thine own self be true.” If being an excellent human merely means that I am someone who is “true to myself,” then the self has become the reference point and the measure of what is or is not true. That is a recipe for disaster, not greatness. Please don’t get me wrong. There is something amiss when our actions do not match up with our convictions or beliefs. This is rightly called hypocrisy (or “being fake”). But there is nothing inherently wrong when our actions do not always match up with our feelings or desires. This is a critical distinction. Until relatively recently (somewhere around the rise of Romanticism), desires and emotions were given their proper place, at least by those we consider to be great men and women. The people who have attained an incredible level of excellence and wisdom in life all have this in common: They are not compelled to be “authentic” to their feelings or desires. Personal greatness (as well as human flourishing and the common good) can only be attained by individuals and cultures that advocate something more than mere authenticity. We need integrity. Authenticity is not bad! It is simply not enough. While there is great benefit from being “true to self” at times, the self is not and cannot be the measure of all things. There must also be an external standard that guides a person and which judges a person. The term “integrity” refers to a certain wholeness. Authenticity can refer to this as well, but integrity
Thursday, Aug. 24 St. Bartholomew, apostle Rv 21:9b-14 Jn 1:45-51
Friday, Aug. 25 Ru 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22 Mt 22:34-40 Saturday, Aug. 26 Ru 2:1-3, 8-11, 4:13-17 Mt 23:1-12 Sunday, Aug. 27 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 22:19-23 Rom 11:33-36 Mt 16:13-20
includes an additional element: an external and objective standard. One could consider it in this way: There is a difference between being candid and being rude. Both candor and rudeness can be oriented around honesty. But there are different ways to express honesty or to live honestly. Both the candid person and the rude person could claim, “But I’m only being honest!” And they might both be right. But candor is not about simply saying whatever thought comes to mind or expressing whatever emotion one might be experiencing. The candid person is completely honest with others based on a high regard for truth. Dr. Montague Brown notes, “Where truth is expected and at issue, we should always give our frank opinion.” Rudeness, on the other hand, “may or may not be an expression of what is true, but it always offends others unnecessarily.” Dr. Brown further clarifies the distinction by noting, “[Candor] is an open exchange for the good of both parties; rudeness is bluntness designed to satisfy one party by offending the other.” I find this distinction to be profoundly helpful when thinking about authenticity and integrity as well. Rudeness is only concerned with the self and involves no consideration for something or someone outside the self. Authenticity, as it is currently understood, is also primarily concerned with self-expression and self-fulfillment with no reference to a higher standard than the self. While no one wants to be “fake,” there is an ever greater call for each human person: for one’s life to conform to the true, the good and the beautiful found outside oneself. Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reach him at fathermikeschmitz@gmail.com.
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
August 10, 2017
TWENTY SOMETHING
Christina Capecchi
Priest holes and history lessons: embracing our ancient faith Nicholas Owen was canonized 364 years after his death. Such is often the case with the Catholic Church, charged with curating a 2,000-year treasure trove of saints and stories, rovers and relics. Owen’s tale is unlike any other. Born in Oxford, England in the mid-16th century, his devout family prepared him well for his remarkable life’s work. His father was a carpenter who taught him the trade. Two older brothers became priests, bringing the sacraments to a hungry community. There was much to be done in Elizabethan England, a dark and frightening time when Catholics were persecuted and priests were incarcerated or hanged. A “papist” caught converting an Anglican could be charged with high treason. Owen was determined to do his part to defend his beloved faith despite considerable physical limitations: He was slightly taller than a dwarf, suffered from a hernia and had a crippled leg. Still, he
FAITH AT HOME Laura Kelly Fanucci
Finding out: Is it even possible? I catch her eye across the pew and smile. Her stomach is starting to swell, slightly. After Mass she rushes over, excited and chatty. “How are you?” I ask. She glows, bursting with good news. “Everything is great. Eighteen weeks now! We have the big ultrasound on Friday.” I think of all their losses, their years of yearning. The prayers I offered for them as I’ve pleaded for so many couples struggling with infertility: “Please God, grant them this desire of their heart. Please God, let this be.” I grin back at her. “I’m so happy for you! So are you finding out?” The question everyone asks expectant parents. Are you finding out if the baby is a boy or a girl? She shakes her head happily. “No, we’re keeping it a
No one knows just how many priest holes Owen made. Some may still be undiscovered. MarinaMariya embarked on the most dangerous of missions, building priest holes into Catholic homes across the country. For 18 years, he constructed these hiding places to conceal priests from “pursuivants,” as they were called — priest hunters who collected tips and searched exhaustively for men in Roman collars. Owen built priest holes in walls, under floors and behind wainscoting. He hid them in fireplaces, attics and staircases. Some took the form of an apartment or chapel in a secluded part of the house or in the roof space, where Mass could be celebrated, vestments could be stored and a priest could retreat in case of emergency. The work demanded everything of Owen — the strength of his mind, his muscles and his convictions. He broke through massive structures and thick stones. He climbed through underground passages and discovered impenetrable recesses, enmeshing the priest holes in labyrinths. He worked by night to reduce the chances of being surprise.” I think back to our first two babies, the ones we kept surprises. The delirious delight after delivery to hear my husband declare, “It’s a boy!” as I pulled a screaming, slippery warm baby to my chest. I imagine the child we lost to miscarriage. The one we never got to know. I picture our third son, the first one we found out before birth. The boy I fell in love with as soon as I saw him on the ultrasound screen (though everyone thought we hoped for a girl). I remember our twins who were born prematurely, our daughters who lived only a few days, who took their last breaths in our arms as we let them go back to God. The girls we got to find out so little about. I place my hand on my own rounded belly, the new baby who kicks and pushes within me. The one we can’t wait to meet. And I marvel at the fact that all of our children remain mysteries. Even as parents care for every inch of children’s bodies while they are young, even though we share each day while they live under our roof — we are always finding out who they are. Our children are not ours. They are God’s: the work of the creator’s hands. God knit them together in darkness. God breathed life into their lungs. God knew all their days before they were numbered. God is the only one who knows them fully. We have only begun to find out.
caught, always alone. He used the alias “Little John” and accepted only staples of food or clothing as payment. He kept each place a secret, never disclosing to one the location of another. Eventually, in 1606, Owen was captured and tortured to death. Father John Gerard, a Jesuit priest whose escape from the Tower of London was masterminded by Owen, wrote fondly of the martyr: “I verily think no man can be said to have done more good of all those who labored in the English vineyard. He was the immediate occasion of saving the lives of many hundreds of persons, both ecclesiastical and secular.” No one knows just how many priest holes Owen made. Some may still be undiscovered. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970. Today his name pops up randomly online, trending on places like Reddit’s “Today I Learned” tab. We can honor him simply by attending Mass, especially by taking advantage of the availability of daily Mass. To learn Owen’s story is to appreciate Catholicism anew, to crack open its rich history and astounding breadth. My friend Eileen made a concerted effort to do this by enrolling in the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute here in St. Paul. For two years, she and some 200 classmates met every Monday night to unpack the Catechism, absorb guest lectures and engage in small-group discussion. “I’m more sure that the Catholic faith is true,” she told me. “I’m Catholic because I really believe it, not just because I grew up in the Church.” What a journey: teachings that underpin tales like Owen’s, faith and reason together, stirring the soul while igniting the intellect, prodding us toward our better, braver selves. Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights. According to a study from Harvard Medical Center, 58 percent of expectant parents plan to find out their baby’s sex. But no medical test or magical formula can reveal who our children are becoming. The calling to parenthood is an invitation to keep finding out. To honor our children as gifts from God, mysteries that keep unfolding before our eyes each day. One of the best parts of life is mystery. I missed this in my youth, when I thought adulthood would bring certainty, clarity and control. Instead I find that God invites me into deeper mystery, the sacred surrender of unknowing. This is part of the adventure of family life. Even my husband whom I have known for nearly two decades remains a discovery to me. Our children are the same. Delightfully enigmatic, we are finding out. “At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,” writes St. Paul. “But then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known” (1 Cor 13:12). What joy to be fully known. But what joy, too, to discover all along who God is calling us to be. Fanucci, a parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, is a mother, writer and director of a project on vocations at the Collegeville Institute in Collegeville. She is the author of several books, including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting,” and blogs at www.motheringspirit.com.
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The Catholic Spirit • 13A
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14A • The Catholic Spirit
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
WORD ON FIRE
Bishop Robert Barron
Musing on saint’s teeth I write these words from Milan, Italy, where I am with my Word on Fire team filming new episodes for our Pivotal Players series. I’ve seen lots of marvelous things on this trip, including the ruins of the ancient baptistery under the Milan Cathedral where, in the spring of 387, St. Augustine was baptized by St. Ambrose. But the most fascinating sight I’ve taken in is the vested and mitered skeleton of that same Ambrose, which rests in the basilica that bears his name, not far from the Cathedral. Behind a grille, just under the main altar, lie the skeletal remains of Ambrose and two martyr saints, Gervasius and Protasius, whose bodies were recovered during his lifetime. With the aid of some pretty highpowered camera lenses, I was able to see the skull of the great bishop of Milan in extraordinary detail. What struck me especially was the size and solidity of his teeth, still formidable after 1,600 years. I’ll confess that when I examined those ancient teeth, I couldn’t help but think of the lips that once covered them, for Augustine, in his Confessions, famously reported his amazement at seeing Ambrose read without moving his lips — something quite unusual at the time. However, after I posted detailed photos of Ambrose’s skull on our Facebook page, the reaction has been rather
August 10, 2017
... interesting. Many, many people expressed their pleasure and excitement at seeing the pictures, but many others, I must say, were a bit put off. From a number of strongly Protestant and evangelical commentators came the charge that I was encouraging the worship of dead bodies! Well, that’s just silly. This has, of course, nothing to do with worshipping Ambrose but rather honoring him. But most of those who had objections to the pictures said something along these lines: “Well, it’s just kind of creepy, isn’t it?” and “Why don’t they just bury the poor man?” or “Isn’t this frightening to children?” Regarding that last question, I can testify that, when I was visiting Ambrose’s sarcophagus, a gaggle of little kids was looking through the grille with rapt attention. They seemed far more fascinated than frightened. But I want to respond to these more serious concerns, for they allow me to throw light on some pretty basic issues in Catholic theology and spirituality. I might begin with John Henry Newman. When Newman was a young man and Anglican, he made a pilgrimage to Italy. He took in many elements of Catholic life that deeply appealed to him, for they were redolent of the ancient Church that Newman loved. However, other practices, which seemed more superstitious and redolent of folk religion, repelled him. Among these were what he took to be the worship of Mary and the saints and, particularly, the devotion to relics. A purified and Biblical Christianity, he felt, must be rid of such things. However, some years later, when Newman had made the transition to Catholicism, he saw these practices in an entirely new light. He had come to appreciate, first, that the veneration of relics and the bodies of the saints was an ancient custom in the Christian community.
How often, he said, we hear stories of believers placing cloths at the feet of martyrs to catch their blood, or of the reverence paid to the bones of the heroic dead in the catacombs, or saints’ relics working miracles. Secondly, and more importantly, he had come to understand such pious gestures as a logical development of the doctrine of the Incarnation. In Jesus Christ, the word of God truly became flesh. The second person of the blessed trinity took to himself a human mind and will and imagination, but also feet, hands, internal organs, muscles, veins and bones. He lived, died and rose in a real human body. Subsequently, in the mystical body of the Church, the incarnation is extended through space and time, the Spirit of Jesus coming to dwell in the humanity of all the baptized, and in a privileged way, in the saints. Paul acknowledged this truth when he cried exultantly, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” How wonderful, too, that this Christ-life is placed in the bodies of the faithful through the materiality of the sacraments: water, oil, imposed hands, transfigured bread and wine, etc. And this, Newman realized, is why the Church has, from the beginning, reverenced the bodies of the saints and treasured their relics. She has known that our bodies become temples of the Holy Spirit, dwelling places of Christ. And thus we clothe the skeleton of St. Ambrose in stately liturgical robes and we crown his skull with a bishop’s miter, not to be macabre or “creepy,” but because we reverence his body as a place where Christ had come to dwell.
man and woman and set the parameters. For a person to challenge that is to challenge the way, the truth — and eventually, the life. Today’s “culture” challenges rules. But the rules are given to help us guide our way. These rules were given by God, and it’s not our place to decide that God will forgive and forget that we choose not to obey. God does show mercy — when one turns from sin and sins no more. But he does not have a place in heaven for those who decide his rules are outdated and don’t fit the current whims of individuals.
who embrace those beliefs would do themselves and orthodox Catholics a favor if they would simply join the denomination that expresses their faith. But if they want to be Catholic, they do not get to make the Church over to their particular preferences. The Scriptures (e.g. Gen 1:27 and Mt 19:4-6 for starters) and sacred tradition clearly state the law of God — and the Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ — cannot and will not change that law any more than it will change the law of gravity. Those who claim they are loving others by allowing forbidden practices may just be loving them into hell.
Bishop Barron is an auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.
LETTERS
Thoughtful perspectives Kudos to the “Commentary” writers in the July 13 edition. All articles of Ramon Garcia, Father Schmitz, Christina Capecchi and Laura Fanucci were well written and thought provoking. I was pleased to read these and share the columnists’ viewpoints. As a very longtime subscriber of The Catholic Spirit, I appreciate your efforts to keep our often challenged community informed and inspired. It may seem like an often thankless job. Know that we are out there who appreciate your service. Mary Trisko St. John the Baptist, New Brighton
Denying grace for better life Re: “[Illinois] Bishop prohibits Catholics in same-sex unions from receiving Communion,” July 31. A placebo is commonly known as a sham medication, having no true benefit, but only an imagined benefit to those who believe in it strongly enough. A truly efficacious medication, such as penicillin, renders a cure whether or not one understands it or believes in it. I have been taught that our Catholic sacraments, such as the Eucharist, are truly efficacious, not just placebos. They are a conduit of the grace to live a better life. If this is the case, why would the Eucharist ever be denied to anyone? It seems to me that to deny sinners the Eucharist is like a physician denying penicillin to someone dying of syphilis. Is this what our Church is about? An explanation please. G. J. Mayer St. Peter, Forest Lake
God’s law is not a democracy Re: “Don’t withhold sacraments” (Letters, July 27). This is a common approach today, saying that God loves “unconditionally,” therefore we shouldn’t “condemn” and “embrace ... the other.” First of all, if you are in a same-sex union, you are not a practicing Catholic. Second, Jesus came to fulfill God’s laws, underscore “laws.” Jesus demands loyalty to God the Father; he came to fulfill the law — this isn’t a democracy. Note “king” is in his title. Third, Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life.” The truth is, God made
Sharon Peterson St. Joseph, Rosemount
Christians serve, not judge I was enjoying reading the July 13 edition of “The Catholic Spirit,” hearing how we as Catholics spread the word of God and live to love all. As a disciple of God and a practicing Catholic, turning others away from the Church is not what God instructed us to do. The Church is the people, all people, accepting all sinners as Jesus did and taught. To see the article “Bishop prohibits Catholics in same-sex unions from receiving Communion” explicitly condemning and turning away God’s children is upsetting. To intentionally turn someone away from the right to have anointing of the sick or a Catholic funeral is not following Jesus. We are not here to be the judge, no matter what your title may be; we are to love and serve all. As a Catholic, it broke my heart to read this article. I will pray for The Catholic Spirit to better choose what they are printing and what message they want to convey to the world. We serve, not judge. I will pray for the Catholic Church.
Anne Callopy St. Augustine, South St. Paul
Catholic identity questions
Heidi Blanchette St. Stephen, Anoka
Re: “Nothing less than Catholic,” July 27. Archbishop Hebda speaks of Catholic institutions being responsible for the “deposit of faith” given to us through the “magisterium.” What is meant by “deposit of faith”? What is meant by “magisterium”? I think the problem we have in our archdiocesan culture at present is that we have had too much emphasis on defining “Catholic identity” and contention over the “deposit.” For some, it is a set of criteria by which those who pass can exclude those whom they judge to be deficient. They substitute “catechetics” for “faith” and silence questioning. Perhaps if faith-filled Catholics run a blueribbon hospital or school or food shelf, the identity will be evident. The key is faith-filled people. I welcome Archbishop Hebda’s continued teaching on this subject. Would Archbishop Hebda consider allowing comments and questions after his column [online]?
Church’s teachings will not change
Paula Ruddy St. Albert the Great, Minneapolis
I understand that there is, always has been and always will be dissent within the Catholic Church. I do not expect an archdiocesan newspaper whose mission is surely to promote the clearly defined, unchanging doctrines of Christ’s Church to lend a microphone to those who sow that dissent (Letters, July 27). There are many churches which accept same-sex marriage, contraception, women’s ordination and other practices which the Catholic Church opposes. People
Editor’s note: Going forward, The Catholic Spirit will allow online comments on the “Only Jesus” column. Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@ Please include your parish and phone number. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit. Letters may be edited for length or clarity. archspm.org.
CALENDAR
August 10, 2017
Music and Masqueray: The Basilica Muse — Aug. 13: 2 p.m. at 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. Christopher Stroh will present a recital honoring the 100th anniversary of Basilica architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray’s death.
CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar.
Inflatables, carnival games, sports alley, kiddie train, bingo, basket auction, grand raffle, pull tabs, live entertainment, food booths, beer. Outdoor Mass 5 p.m. Aug. 12. 9600 Regent Ave. N.
Strollin’ Through the 50s — Aug. 18-20: 7 p.m. Aug. 18-19, 2 p.m. Aug. 20 at St. Bonaventure Activities Building-Ambrose Hall, 901 E. 90th St., Bloomington. www.saintbonaventure.org.
LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission.
Basilica Summer Organ Recital Series: David Jonies — Aug. 23: 7 p.m. at 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. www.mary.org/news-events/events.
ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication: • Time and date of event • Full street address of event • Description of event • C ontact information in case of questions
Ongoing groups Career Transition group meeting — Third Thursday of each month: 7:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus, 155 County Road 24, Medina. www.hnoj.org/career-transition-group. Dementia Support Group — Second Tuesday of each month: 7–9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
ONLINE: www.thecatholicspirit.com/ calendarsubmissions
FAX: 651-291-4460
CARITAS cancer support group — Wednesdays: 10:30 a.m.–noon at St. Joseph’s Hospital, second floor, maternity classroom, 2500 45 W. 10th St., St. Paul.
MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106
More online:
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Music Organ Historical Society National Convention Concert — Aug. 10: 7:30 p.m. at 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. Organ concert featuring Paul Rosalind Mohnson. www.stmarystpaul.weconnect.com.
The Catholic Spirit • 15A
Our Lady of Guadalupe summer garage sale — Aug. 18-20: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. at 401 Concord St., St. Paul. www.olgspchurch.com.
Prayer/worship Taize Prayer — Third Friday of each month: 7 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org. Taize Prayer — First Friday of each month: 7:30 p.m. at St. Richard, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield. www.strichards.com/first-fridays. Come Together: Praying for healing in a divided community burdened by violence, grief — Aug. 13: 4–6:30 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc, 4537 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.saintjoanofarc.org. Taize Day of Reflection — Aug. 18: 10 a.m.–8 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Retreats
Friday Night at the Friary — Third Friday of each month: 7–9 p.m. at Franciscan Brothers of Peace, 1289 Lafond Ave., St. Paul. Men ages 18-35 are invited for prayer and fellowship. www.facebook.com/queenofpeacefriary.
Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina — Aug. 11-16: 7 p.m. Aug. 11–1 p.m. Aug. 16 at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Parish events
St. Anne Summer Retreat — Aug. 18-20: 6–8:30 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Saturday; 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m. Sunday at 200 Hamel Road, Hamel. RSVP: Louisa Sungeetha Nelson at 763-291-8407.
All Saints garage sale — Aug. 9-12: 1–8 p.m. Aug. 9; 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Aug. 10; 1–6 p.m. Aug. 11; 8 a.m.–noon Aug. 12 at 19795 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville. www.allsaintschurch.com/garagesale. St. Gerard Majella, Brooklyn Park — Corn Fest: Aug. 11-12: 6–11 p.m. Aug. 11; 6–11 p.m. Aug. 12.
Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. Kay at 651-426-3103 or Al at 651-482-0406. Singles group at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. Gather for a potluck supper, conversation and games. 763-425-0412.
Schools Family Fun Night at Holy Cross — Aug. 10: 4–7 p.m. at 6100 37th St. W., Webster. www.holycrossschool.net/activitiesevents.
Other events Knights of Columbus bingo — Wednesdays: 6–9 p.m. at the Solanus Casey Council Hall, 1920 S. Greeley St., Stillwater. Saint Therese Golf Open — Aug. 17: Noon at 526 Inwood Ave. N., Oakdale. Registration: 952-283-2219 or chrish@sttheresemn.org. www. sttheresemn.org/give/fundraising-events/golf-open. Art and Spirituality Art Exhibit — Aug. 20Nov. 1: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Singles
Find fall festivals in the
2017 Parish Festival Guide thecatholicspirit.com/festivals
Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED We have an urgent and ongoing need for volunteers to help serve evening meals for LOAVES AND FISHES at 2 south Mpls. parishes: St. Stephen’s School - 2123 Clinton Ave. S, and Holy Rosary - 2424 18th Ave. S. Looking for groups or individuals. Contact Rachel (816) 206-4505 or rfriesen@loavesandfishesmn.org.
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16A • The Catholic Spirit
THE LAST WORD
August 10, 2017
Vikings offensive coach Shurmur keeps spiritual playbook ready By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit
E
ach morning Pat Shurmur pulls out a laminated card with his priorities for the day. “We as coaches laminate everything. You never know when you’re going to get caught in the rain,” said Shurmur, 52, the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. The card has prayers and reminders of how he wants to live out his Catholic faith. His card includes petitions to St. Patrick and St. Joseph, a coach’s prayer and one his father, Joe, used during a terminal illness. The card also lists his family members’ birthdays and includes a “be list,” characteristics he wants to live by. “It’s just a reminder to be a good husband, a good father and good son, good friend [and a] good teacher,” said Shurmur, a father of four who has been married to his wife, Jennifer, for 27 years. Shurmur takes those reminders into his work with the Vikings as he begins his 16th season coaching in the NFL. “My Catholic faith influences really every facet of my life,” Shurmur said. “I’ve always believed it’s a terrific guideline for living and certainly has carried over to coaching.” Coaching is something in which he’s seen his share of success. He’s coached in Philadelphia twice, St. Louis, Cleveland and now Minnesota. He developed longtime Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and helped other quarterbacks such as Nick Foles, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford produce careerbest seasons. Shurmur came to the Vikings as the tight ends coach in 2016 and later became offensive coordinator when Norv Turner departed in November.
Guided by faith Shurmur’s success and rise to offensive coordinator with the Vikings doesn’t surprise the team’s Catholic chaplain, Father Michael Van Sloun. He said Shurmur has earned the trust of fellow coaches in the organization. “I think that his faith helps guide his leadership and inspires his leadership,” said Father Van Sloun, pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata. When Shurmur came to Minnesota, he got in contact with Archbishop Bernard Hebda about finding a parish and school for his youngest daughter, Claire. Shurmur also attended the archbishop’s installation Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul in 2016. Shurmur and Archbishop Hebda became friends through a mutual friend, Bishop James Checchio, who was the Philadelphia Eagles’ Catholic chaplain in 2002-2003. Bishop Checchio then left to serve as vice rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome. “All along, we’ve maintained a really close friendship,” said Shurmur of Bishop Checchio. “We’re fortunate enough to get to see each other a few times a year.” Bishop Checchio, now the ordinary of the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, said Shurmur is a “man who appreciates the Church and the Eucharist.” Shurmur visited Bishop Checchio in Rome, where he met Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, archbishop of the U.S. military archdiocese at the time. Cardinal O’Brien
Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, right, talks with offensive linemen T.J. Clemmings, left, Austin Shepherd and Alex Boone during practice Aug. 3 at Minnesota State Mankato. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit gave Shurmur a prayer booklet for soldiers, where he keeps his laminated prayer card. Shurmur’s family makes Sunday Mass a top priority each week. He also attends Masses that Father Van Sloun celebrates for the team on Saturday evenings before games. Shurmur prioritizes passing on the faith to his children, too. He noted that his adult children have kept the faith while excelling athletically. His son, Kyle, plays quarterback for Vanderbilt University, and his daughters, Allyson and Erica, swam at Boston College and Michigan State, respectively. “Fortunately, they make good choices,” Shurmur said. “Going to Mass and being involved in the sacraments, trying to live a good life and make the world a better place — those are all things that we tried to live as parents.” His last daughter at home, Claire, will swim at Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights this fall as a ninthgrader. She attended Our Lady of Grace School in Edina for middle school last year.
real background in theology,” Shurmur said. “To able to share the podium with Archbishop Hebda was a great thrill.” Shurmur said he sees a parallel between stepping away for a retreat to grow spiritually and football players going to training camp to develop their skills. “I think it’s important as we get busy — and sometimes too busy — that we step back and reflect on how things are going,” Shurmur said of the retreat. “That’s a little bit of what happens when you go away to training camp,” he added. “You have a chance as a team to build.” This year’s Vikings training camp marked the final one in Mankato after 52 years. It will be held in Eagan next year. For now, Shurmur and fellow offensive position coaches will look to get the Vikings offense back on track this year. Last season, the Vikings ranked 28th out of 32 teams in total offensive yards, and mustered 20.4 points per game, 23rd in the league.
Inspiring others
Among the position coaches, quarterback coach Kevin Stefanski, also a Catholic, has a similar vision to Shurmur. Stefanski also attends Our Lady of Grace and has children at the parish’s school. “He’s got a beautiful young family,” Shurmur said of Stefanski. “There’s been some events at the school that we’ve been able to enjoy together.” Stefanski, who coached running backs last year, has the benefit of working with a starting quarterback in Sam Bradford, who knows Shurmur well. Shurmur previously coached Bradford in St. Louis when he won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010, followed by a year together with the Eagles in 2015. Bradford came to the Vikings in a September trade last year after the previous starting quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, suffered a serious knee injury in practice. “Since our first year together in
Shurmur takes time to share his faith beyond his family, particularly through Catholic Athletes for Christ, a nationwide ministry that encourages Catholic athletes. He also spoke at a retreat for 110 men at Our Lady of Grace in Edina, his parish, in January. “It was funny, insightful and encouraging,” said Dan Moran, a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace who attended the retreat. “He inspired us to live out our Catholic faith in the workplace and at home.” Shurmur spoke about the laminated prayer card he uses to stay on track spiritually. Archbishop Hebda also spoke at the retreat. “It was humbling [and] a little bit intimidating. Here I’m trying to speak as somebody that really doesn’t have any
Overcoming adversity
St. Louis, we’ve both faced adversity,” Shurmur said of Bradford. “We can sit back now after being in three different places together and look back and say [that in] each experience we both have faced, whether it was together or separate, we’ve learned something about ourselves, and we found a way to grow.”
Core beliefs Shurmur said it takes sticking to “core beliefs” and not worrying about external circumstances to navigate the challenges of life in the NFL. That can include working with players who have off-field issues. Wide receiver Michael Floyd, a 2008 graduate of Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, signed with the Vikings May 10. He had a DUI conviction last year, but Shurmur hopes to help him succeed on and off the field. “I think it’s the same thing if you were a father,” said Shurmur about working with Floyd. “You live your life, and you make choices based on what’s best. My interaction with him [is to] just be consistent and solid.” Shurmur said he likes how Floyd has performed in training camp. In addition, Floyd could fit into the kind of offense Shurmur plans to run. “I want us to develop an offense that’s efficient, explosive and can score points and be able to support what around here has been an outstanding defensive effort,” Shurmur said. Shurmur will call plays on a laminated card to set his team up to do that on Sundays, hours after using his laminated prayer card to set his day up in service of Christ. “I think you’ve got to pray every day, so I try to find time in the morning to pray,” he said. Pat Shurmur talks faith, family and football in a video at www.facebook.com/ TheCatholicSpirit.
The Catholic Spirit • August 10, 2017 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
For these Catholic business leaders, faith is the key.
R
egular prayer. People over profits. The Golden Rule. These are some of the ways the eight professionals featured in the following pages share their Catholic faith in their workplaces. They’re also why The Catholic Spirit is honoring them with our 2017 Leading with Faith Awards. Nominated by colleagues, pastors and friends, these women and men demonstrate what it means to integrate faith and work. They’re much-needed models in a culture where Catholics often feel pressured to leave their beliefs at home, feel stuck in ethical dilemmas, or struggle to understand what role the Holy Spirit could have in guiding their business decisions or professional paths. Our winners — in ways ranging from subtle to overt — approach the people they encounter through their work as Christ, striving for wisdom and virtue and putting others ahead of themselves. The Catholic Spirit launched these annual awards 16 years ago in the aftermath of scandals at Enron, Qwest and World-Com, and we think the awards are just as relevant today. Winners were honored Aug. 10 with a luncheon at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul with Archbishop Bernard Hebda. Read Q&As with them in this special section, as well as other stories related to Catholic business leadership.
Know a Catholic who deserves recognition for leading with faith? Nominate them for next year’s awards at www.TheCatholicSpirit.com/LeadingWithFaith. Editor’s note: The Q&As have been edited for length and clarity. Read longer versions at Our winners’ portraits are by Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit’s staff photographer, with the exception of Kieran McNulty, who submitted photos. www.TheCatholicSpirit.com.
Illustration by akindo/iStock and Caron Olhoft/The Catholic Spirit
2B • LEADING WITH FAITH
August 10, 2017 • The Catholic Spirit
As Catholics, we take a different view of work By Archbishop Bernard Hebda
I
n my travels around the archdiocese, I’m regularly reminded that I need to do a better job of making sure we are telling the positive stories of the people and programs in our parishes and schools. It is with gratitude that I remind them to read The Catholic Spirit twice a month (and go online to www.thecatholicspirit.com daily) for an accurate view of the good things going on in our local Church, and the many members of our Church — guided by the Holy Spirit and true to their calling — who are going to great lengths to help others encounter Jesus. It is an honor and privilege for me to once again introduce our 2017 Leading With Faith special section here in The Catholic Spirit. Since arriving in the Twin Cities in June 2015, these awards have been a favorite of mine as a way to recognize and thank local men and women for keeping their faith in the forefront — allowing it to make a difference in their everyday lives and in the lives of others. In the following pages, you will read about how this year’s awardees are embracing the Archbishop challenge of Pope Francis to encounter others where they are Bernard and journey with them. HEBDA As I review the list of this year’s recipients, I am struck by the diversity of their occupations, missions and areas where they serve. The common thread is that all of the honorees see Jesus in those whom they serve and, as a result, they treat them with dignity, respect and reverence. While we live in a society that often values work and the accumulation of wealth over the human person, we as Catholics need to see work from a somewhat different perspective. As Pope Francis reminded us on the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 2013, “Work is fundamental to the dignity of a person. Work, to use a metaphor, ‘anoints’ us with dignity, fills us with dignity, makes us similar to God, who has worked and still works, who always acts (cf. Jn 5:17); it gives one the ability to maintain oneself, one’s family, to contribute to the growth of one’s own nation.” I would like to thank this year’s honorees — Julie and Tom Hurley, Dr. Kieran McNulty, John Norris, Rosemarie Reger-Rumsey, Matt Saxe, Robert Stefani and David Tucci — for giving witness to that Catholic perspective on work. I am particularly grateful to each of them for their generosity in sharing their time, talent and treasure with so many and especially for their commitment to living out our Catholic faith.
Read and share the 2017 LWF winner profiles at www.TheCatholicSpirit.com
FAITH
A VITAL SOURCE FOR GOOD THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP Congratulations John Norris & All Leading With Faith Honorees
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LEADING WITH FAITH • 3B
The Catholic Spirit • August 10, 2017
Husband and wife team treat management staff, tenants with grace Although these tragedies are never fully understood, knowing that this child is now in God’s hands allows us to continue down the path of life. Their ability to deal with this situation was an inspiration for everyone in our organization.
Thomas and Julie Hurley Owner and president, Preferred Management Services, Inc. Ages: 62 Parish: St. Joseph, West St. Paul Volunteer activities (Julie): Board treasurer of the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota; member and former Minnesota Councillor of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem; former board member of the Catholic Finance Corporation; ad hoc committee member for various committees for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis; and former finance committee member, school board chairperson and chairperson of two capital campaigns at St. Joseph Volunteer activities (Tom): Member of the board of trustees at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity and St. John Vianney College Seminary, and St. Joseph parish trustee Education: Luther College, 1977 (Julie); College of St. Thomas, 1977 (Tom)
Q: What does leading with faith mean to you? A: JH: I believe that the cardinal virtues provide a great
template for how we should conduct ourselves in business. Prudence, justice, perseverance and balance are the standards by which we can judge our daily performance and the basis upon which we can make our future goals. Leading with faith should be demonstrated in our efforts to live those virtues. TH: I believe we should allow the teachings of Christ to be present in the decisions we make during our everyday business lives. Everyone with whom we are in contact each day needs to be treated with basic human kindness, whether it be our employees, our vendors or our tenants.
Q: How do you concretely apply your faith and Catholic values at work?
A: JH: This is difficult, in that I don’t believe that we
are unique in this area. I suspect that every Catholic man and woman in our archdiocese strives to do the same. As employers, we are constantly working to improve work conditions, offer benefits and provide a just wage. For new and existing residents, we hope to be a welcoming face and to offer a kind word. For those experiencing hardship, we listen and offer the help we
are able. In all cases, it is our mission to provide affordable, safe and quality housing. TH: Our business is to provide quality housing to low- to moderate-income families. Our standard for quality and cleanliness is the same as that which we expect in our personal lives. If we wouldn’t be comfortable with our children living in these communities, then the units are not ready for lease to the community at large.
Q: Describe a time when applying your faith at work really made a difference.
A: JH: There are times when you hope your faith may
impact someone else, as was the case for me as it related to one of our community managers. He discovered very late in his disease that he had stage 4 lung cancer. He had no family in the Twin Cities and very few friends who knew how to deal with his anguish. I had the privilege to sit with him during a couple of his chemo treatments. He shared with me that he believed it was a vengeful God who had given him cancer as punishment for his sins. While I may never know if it made a difference, my faith made it easy for me to share with him the incredible love I knew God had for him. TH: We recently had a couple employed by us lose their 4-month-old child to a complicated disease.
The Church of St. Charles Borromeo is proud to congratulate our parishioner
John Norris
on being a recipient of the 2017 Leading With Faith award
May God Continue to Bless and Inspire You! www.TheCatholicSpirit.com
Q: Who or what has been most inspirational to you in bringing your faith to the marketplace?
A: JH: Tom and I are graduates of the Harry J. Flynn
Catechetical Institute inaugural class of St. Paul. These classes were pivotal in my Catholic faith. There were many “aha” moments during those two years. Not only did I gain a greater understanding of our faith, but I was given the language I needed to better articulate why my faith is so important to me. The students and professors we met during those studies inspired me to grow spiritually.
Q: What achievement at work are you most proud of? A: JH: Each of the apartment communities that we
have acquired have had some sort of challenge attached to them. One challenge stands out. We were asked by a Minnesota agency to consider an acquisition of a troubled 90-unit property in St. Paul. There was significant crime activity at this property, and the physical condition of the buildings was so poor that the residents were living in squalid conditions. Our work at this property involved physical threats to our staff and quick-to-judge press coverage labeling us as slumlords. With the help of the agency and St. Paul law enforcement, we were able to do a significant renovation of the property and offer the kind of apartment living that befits the dignity of our residents. Today we, along with the city and state agency, point to this property with great pride. TH: We provide safe, affordable multi-family housing in the Ramsey County market. I truly believe the entrylevel apartment market is better served as a result of our ownership and management of these communities.
Q: In what specific ways have you experienced God’s presence in your workplace?
A: TH: In some ways our business is much like
volunteering — one always receives more from those experiences than they give. We have an extremely diverse tenant and employment base. Most of these individuals have worked very hard to be where they are at. Every interaction with them reminds me of God’s desire for us to love one another.
4B • LEADING WITH FAITH
August 10, 2017 • The Catholic Spirit
Recognizing God’s control lifted burden for company owner Q: What does leading with faith mean to you? A: Leading with faith is about example and witness of
our Catholic precepts in word and action each day and in every moment. It is about the way we treat people as individuals and the values they bring to a team. [It’s] to see Jesus Christ in every person we meet [and] his will in every decision we make and in every action we take. Projecting Christ’s love for others and joy in all personal interactions is leading with faith.
Q: How do you concretely apply your faith and Catholic values at work?
A: Most of my coworkers know my faith and its
importance in my life. In my office hangs a copy of Rembrandt’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son,” which I installed after reading [Father] Henri Nouwen’s book of the same name. Nouwen describes the father, sons and onlookers in the painting in detail and makes the case that everyone at one time or another is each character represented in the painting. But it is the father’s character offering unconditional love and forgiveness that is the most desirable to emulate. Atscott Mfg. is a contract manufacturer in an extremely competitive and challenging business field. In this environment, things go constantly awry with pressure to quickly respond and correct problems. I have come to acknowledge that all want to do their best, I trust in others’ judgment to make good decisions, and I work to project joy and interject fun into stressful situations. These actions help me apply my faith at work.
Q: Describe a time when applying your faith at work really made a difference.
A: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I cannot
recall the day or even the events that changed my approach to managing my business. For most of my work life, the weight of success or failure rested squarely on my shoulders alone. At some point, I recognized this dependency was a form of pride that permeated my every action. When I acknowledged that both positive and negative events were gifts from God, my outlook and management style changed. It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I began to share responsibility and control with others. My management concentrated on supporting others’ effort in their jobs. The released burdens opened up more joy and gratitude for God’s gifts into everyone’s workday.
John Norris Owner, Atscott Mfg, Inc. Age: 67 Parish: St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony Spouse: Nancy Volunteer activities: Pine Technical College Foundation Board, Knight of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Catholic Services Appeal executive board, Twin Cities Legatus, parish finance council, parish lector Education: University of Minnesota, 1973
Q: Who or what has been most inspirational to you in bringing your faith to the marketplace?
A: Managing a business is a balancing act that I have
not always balanced very well. My No. 1 inspiration is my wife of 47 years. Nancy covered for me in my absences during late nights and weekend work, kept me grounded in faith and humble in life. Her sacrifice and love for me has been unwavering and an inspiration. Business associates who have impacted my life include my good friends I see each month at Legatus of the Twin Cities. Many have been recognized with past Leading With Faith awards. Fred Zimmerman, professor emeritus at St. Thomas, is a mentor and a master at diffusing tense situations with a kind sentence that is to the point, well crafted and a joyful statement of fact. Lane Freshwater, a retired 3M Black Belt who has battled a rare kidney disease for 20 years, maintains his positive attitude through his adversity with the phrase, “Let go, let God.”
Q: What achievement at work are you most proud of?
A: First, through 37 years of economic ups and downs,
Atscott has maintained a positive bottom line thanks to the hard work of many. Second, Atscott has provided stability for employees with 13 current employees with over 30 years of service, and retiring 15 people with more than 40 years of service. Third, while medical insurance cost has skyrocketed, Atscott has continued to cover 75 percent of both single and family medical coverage costs for over 20 years. Fourth, Atscott has
returned 25 percent or more of its profits over many years through employee bonuses. I am grateful to God for these gifts and the people in my life who are key to these successes.
Q: In what specific ways have you experienced God’s presence in your workplace?
A: The events that are most touching to me are
retirement parties. Atscott was started in 1963, and we have witnessed the retirement of many wonderful, capable and hardworking employees during this time.
Q: What advice do you have for others who want to lead with faith?
A: I have a long way to go, but I have come from a long
way back. I can only offer the activities that have improved my Catholic leadership: 1) Read and study Catholic literature regularly about our faith, our saints, our history and our Scripture to better understand and appreciate the gift Christ gave us in his Church. 2) Make an effort to start and end each day in a prayer of thanksgiving and reflection. 3) Use the sacrament of confession to be aware of our own weaknesses and better understand and forgive the weaknesses of others. 4) Attend Mass as frequently as possible. 5) Spend an hour a week with the blessed sacrament to seek God’s will in our leadership. 6) Attend an annual retreat for a few days of quiet reflection on life’s directions. I believe it was Socrates who said, “A life without reflection is a life not worth living.”
LEADING WITH FAITH • 5B
The Catholic Spirit • August 10, 2017
Anthropologist aims to transform lives in Kenya, classroom Q: What does leading with faith mean to you? A: To me, leading with faith means trusting that the
teachings of Jesus Christ are the best guide for every aspect of my life. In the context of my job, it means that doing good work and doing right by my colleagues, collaborators and students is more important than getting ahead or making a name for myself. It means putting others’ needs in front of my own and making sacrifices in my own life when it will better the lives of others.
Q: How do you concretely apply your faith and Catholic values at work?
A: St. John Paul II said that faith and reason are like two
wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of the truth. This principle, plus hundreds of years of Catholic scholarship, fundamentally shape the way I approach and teach anthropology and the origin of humans. As a university professor, I regularly interact with students who struggle to reconcile their beliefs with the vast body of knowledge they encounter in college. Often such students are told that they can believe whatever they want, so long as they learn the material presented in the course. This attitude is not only dismissive, but it denies students the opportunity to explore the rich interaction between faith and reason. My approach to teaching presents students with the most rigorous, up-to-date scientific knowledge without forcing on them the false dichotomy of belief vs. science. I invite students to explore what modern science can teach us about the universe in a way that can deepen their faith in God rather than contest it.
Q: Describe a time when applying your faith at work really made a difference.
A: I recall students who have really struggled with
anthropology because they have been taught that evolution is wrong, and that a literal interpretation of the Bible is the only explanation for the human condition. By explaining to them that I am not only a scientist but also a practicing Christian, by outlining the Catholic Church’s stance on evolution and creation, by retelling St. Augustine’s account of the seeds of God’s creation unfolding over time, I have shown to these students how science can work hand-in-hand with faith to enrich our understanding of God’s creation.
Q: Who or what has been most inspirational to you in bringing your faith to the marketplace?
Kieran McNulty Professor, University of Minnesota Age: 44 Parish: St. Michael, Stillwater Spouse: Kathleen Volunteer activities: Cubmaster, Pack No. 9132 (St. Michael’s parish); St. Michael’s adult choir; regular ad hoc volunteer and consultant, St. Croix Catholic School; classroom demonstrations and lectures for K-12 students; co-director, CAITHS Community-based organization, Rusinga Island, Kenya; associate editor, American Journal of Physical Anthropology; associate editor, Palaeontologia Africana Education: Dartmouth College, 1995; Hunter College, 1998; City University of New York, 2000, 2003
A: By far, my wife, Katie, has been most inspirational in
presence in your workplace?
Q: What achievement at work are you most proud of? A: I am most proud of the work I have done to help the
my career: Should I not find a more impactful job that betters the lives of God’s people? At the same time, my friend and collaborator in Kenya was explaining to me the many hardships facing the people of western Kenya, and he outlined a vision for how he could enact change in his community to help the suffering population. Much like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, I realized suddenly that Christ had always been walking beside me in my career but I had not recognized him. It was not a new job that I needed, but rather I was called to use the position I had to help further God’s work on earth. Through my work, I have been given a unique opportunity to aid and transform the lives of the poor and suffering in western Kenya.
helping me to bring my faith to the workplace. Katie practices faith the way the rest of us practice breathing: It is woven, consciously and subconsciously, into every aspect of her life. Working in an environment that is often not welcoming of personal beliefs, I have struggled to integrate my faith completely in my work. Katie’s example has given me the strength and courage to do so.
people of western Kenya. My research depends on the support and assistance of the local Kenyan communities in which I work. That I can use my research trips to also give back to those communities has brought me closer to the Kenyan people and closer to God. Most of the time this involves raising extra money for projects in the communities (building a medical clinic, opening a primary school for orphans), but in one case my work and charity aligned. A small village important to my research could only be accessed from an old, treacherous rope bridge. Because I was planning an excavation in that village, I was able to raise funds from the university to build a new, safe pedestrian bridge — both advancing my work but also providing an important link between that village and the closest local markets.
Q: In what specific ways have you experienced God’s
A: Several years ago, I had a crisis of conscience about
Q: What advice do you have for others who want to lead with faith?
A: My advice to others is to follow where God is leading
you in your life, and from there discover how you can best serve him. I see many young people who spend years trying to find exactly the right career path to follow, rather than following their hearts. I believe that God puts desires in our hearts to help lead us toward our calling. Only when we prayerfully follow where he leads us can we discover our role in his plan.
6B • LEADING WITH FAITH
August 10, 2017 • The Catholic Spirit
Student workers Cristo Rey Jesuit builds leaders through work and study By Michael P. Kassner For The Catholic Spirit
O
n a sultry July afternoon, most schools are quiet. That’s not the case at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis. Summer Bridge — where students in the new ninth-grade class spend three weeks learning their role in the school’s Corporate Work Study Program — is in full swing. The importance of CWSP cannot be overstated. The success of each student and the school depends on it. And if community accolades for CWSP are an indication, Cristo Rey Jesuit’s recent honor as Non-Profit of the Year at the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 Best in Business Award ceremony is telling. The award committee’s 12 members were “impressed by the success of the CWSP, the number of participating companies, the depth of the student academic experience, the communities served and the extended support system,” said Christine Levens, vice president of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, in an email. “They were also interested in how this job-experience program provides Cristo Rey Jesuit with an additional revenue stream that can be leveraged for future growth.” Referring to the school’s mission to serve “under-resourced” students, who in the Twin Brandon Williams Cities are disproportionately black and Latino, Levens added: “We’re challenged by education gaps in our communities of color. Cristo Rey Jesuit is helping bridge those gaps. Companies choosing to invest in the school are investing in the future.” Cristo Rey Jesuit President Jeb Myers said he was honored to accept the school’s award in March. “We are pleased to be recognized for our growing enrollment and high rate of student retention,” said Myers, who has worked in multiple roles at the school since its founding, assuming its presidency in 2015.
“Much of my life was outside my reach. God, through Cristo Rey, changed all that.”
All ‘the best and brightest’ The south Minneapolis Catholic college-preparatory school opened in 2007, intent on serving families and educating students in the Jesuit tradition. Its students help pay for their education through CWSP. Myers likes to introduce himself as the school braggart, adding it’s a title he’s proud to hold. To illustrate, Myers recalled a meeting two years ago between the school board and students in the graduating class. One board member chided him for stacking the deck with the best and the brightest of the class. Smiling in his recollection, Myers said he told the board member, “In this school, we consider every student to be the best and the brightest. In fact, half of our seniors are taking the AP calculus exam today.” The concept behind CWSP was conceived in 1995. Members of the Society of Jesus in Chicago were tasked with finding a way to provide Catholic secondary education for impoverished immigrant populations. Realizing that families could not afford private schooling, the Jesuits decided a workstudy program — CWSP — would be the best solution. CWSP contains both a student component and a corporate one. Students work one day per week from mid-August to mid-June. They either share a job or work in different departments, learn professional etiquette, develop technical skills and earn more than 50 percent of their education costs. In return for putting the students to work, companies pay Cristo Rey Jesuit and provide students access to supervisors
and mentors. The importance of the supervisor-student relationship cannot be overstressed, school leaders said. For one thing, supervisors provide needed guidance on how to act in an office environment. Over the past four years, 97 percent of the senior class has graduated and 100 percent of graduates were accepted to college. Meanwhile, the retention rate of ninth-grade students has been above 90 percent. By comparison, in Minneapolis Public Schools, 82 percent of students graduated in four years in 2016, although the number is lower for black and Hispanic students at 65 percent. Administrators at Cristo Rey Jesuit continue to track students through college and note that 80 percent are enrolled in or have graduated from college. Last year, the school enrolled 445 students and anticipates to increase that by 30 this academic year. Of them, 99 percent identify as racial minorities, with 84 percent Hispanic, 11 percent African or African-American, and 5 percent Native American or other ethnicity. Ninety percent of students are eligible for free or reduced cost lunch. Brandon Williams is among the alumni who help with Summer Bridge. He graduated in 2015 and attends Augsburg College in Minneapolis on a full scholarship, with an eye towards becoming an attorney. In addition to working with Summer Bridge, he volunteers to help kids with math and offers advice on what it’s like to work for major corporations. It’s advice Williams received, since his story is not unlike the students he tutors. Like them, he grew up in tough neighborhoods under less-than-ideal conditions. Williams also admits the learning curve at Cristo Rey Jesuit is steep and expectations are high. Still, he believes it’s worth it. “Much of my life was outside my reach,” explained Williams, who as a student worked for Dorsey & Whitney law firm in Minneapolis. “God, through Cristo Rey, changed all that.”
High expectations
Dorsey & Whitney is among 110 Others include General Mills, US Ba Company, and United Health Grou In a promotional video for CWSP Steve Lucke, a Dorsey & Whitney pa Jesuit students who have worked at they’re a lot of fun, they’re hard wo important — they really appreciate program gives them to get ahead.” H the firm relies on the students’ work student building relationships in th “When I talk to people in other b how the other law firms and busine they’re going to succeed in the 21st opportunity and our chance to part Lucke said in the video. “The Corpo Rey is, in my view, the best deal in t firms like ours.” One of the soft skills students gain experience is “code switching,” wha Jesuit marketing and communicatio the ability to converse with differen one minute, friends the next — in a “Code switching is not limited to “Teachers and staff learn to speak bo Among the unique challenges som students face is being first-generatio obligated to succeed for their parent said. “We have high expectations for o also hold them accountable, but wit Joshua Crespo-Arreola, a 2016 gra University of St. Thomas in St. Paul,
CWSP business partners. ank, Medtronic, Ryan up. P on the school’s website, artner, said that Cristo Rey the law firm, “are bright, orkers, and — I think most the opportunity that this His colleague added that k, and she sees their CWSP he firm. businesses about this, [it] is esses need these kids if t century. And this is our ticipate in our future,” orate Work Study at Cristo town for businesses and law
n through their CWSP at Jessica Cass, Cristo Rey ons manager, describes as nt groups — fellow workers an appropriate manner. o students,” added Cass. oth ‘kid’ and ‘corporate.’” me Cristo Rey Jesuit on Americans. They feel ts and the school staff, Cass
our students,” she said. “We th lots of support.” aduate who attends the , agrees with Cass. When
LEADING WITH FAITH • 7B
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Congratulations to our President John Norris on receiving a
2017
Leading With Faith Award We are grateful for your Servant Leadership
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School President Jeb Myers has worked for the school since it opened in 2007. The school received an award from the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce earlier this year. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
he first applied to Cristo Rey Jesuit, he was turned down. That did not mean support went away. School administration encouraged Crespo-Arreola to improve his grades and when the time came, apply again. That’s all he needed. He improved academically, mentally and spiritually, which led to his acceptance at Cristo Rey Jesuit the next year. Besides support, both students and staff emphasize the importance of religion and Ignatian spirituality in shaping their lives — something the school is proud of, Myers said. “The kids first sit with other kids who look like them on the outside,” he said. “It doesn’t take long before they are sitting with kids who look like them on the inside.” That attitude is reinforced, Myers adds, at the end of each school assembly. Everyone recites in one voice, “As we go out in the world, we are guided by faith, prepared for life and always serving others.” Speaking to her faith, Cassandra Cantos-Figueroa, a 2016 graduate, is grateful for how her teachers interpret sacred Scripture and Christian traditions. “The old stories do not make sense,” she said. “The teachers here explain them in a way I can apply to my life.” Cantos-Figueroa said her better understanding has strengthened her faith, allowing her to minister to fellow students and her family. She will attend Hamline University in St. Paul this fall to study law enforcement after transferring from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. Like Williams, she and Crespo-Arreola are employed by Cristo Rey Jesuit to work with Summer Bridge and also volunteer time mentoring. Teaching a group of under-resourced, high-energy, highschool kids is very hands-on, Myers said, and the students aren’t the only ones gaining knowledge and perspective. “But we are learning, learning every day what it takes to bring diverse groups together and form a united community,” he said.
Our Lady of the Prairie
in Belle Plaine is blessed to be the home parish of Matthew & Melissa Saxe, owners of Saxe Chevrolet Buick.
Congratulations
on winning a 2017 Leading With Faith Award! May God abundantly bless you, your family, and your business!
Congratulations to our parishioner
Dave Tucci
Consolidated Sales Network 2017 Leading With Faith Award
We are proud of you!
8B • LEADING WITH FAITH
909 Enterprise Drive • Belle Plaine, MN 56011 952-873-2234 www.saxechevybuick.com Hours: Monday and Thursday 8:00 am – 8:00pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00 am – 6:00pm Saturday 8:00 am – 5:00pm
August 10, 2017 • The Catholic Spirit
Listening House director puts work in perspective via reflection Rosemarie Reger-Rumsey Executive director, Listening House of St. Paul Age: 66 Parish: Assumption, St. Paul Spouse: Tim Volunteer activities: Lector and eucharistic minister at Assumption, Homeless Advisory Board, elected member of District 17 Council (recently retired); RUSH, a committee focused on long-term unsheltered adults Education: Anoka Ramsey Community College, 1972; University of Minnesota, 1980
Q: What does leading with faith mean to you?
A: To lead with faith is to honor the
simple, profound command: “Love one another as I loved you.” It is recognizing I am a “worker,” not a “master builder,” as Archbishop Oscar Romero reminded us. It is being willing to ask the divine for a sense of direction during stress or when disappointed. It is forgiving others and myself.
Q: How do you concretely apply your faith and Catholic values at work?
A: Recognize the dignity of colleagues,
volunteers and the guests we serve by believing in and honestly living the words of Thomas Merton: “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy if anything can.”
Q: Describe a time when applying your faith at work really made a difference.
A: Mary, a Listening House guest I’d
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known for many years, was diagnosed with advanced cancer that could not be treated. She asked me to attend a “family conference” with hospital staff where she retreated into herself and accused staff of wanting her to die. I quietly asked Mary how much of her story I could tell the medical team, and she remarked, “Whatever you think.” Staff and I moved to a private room and they listened carefully about Mary’s journey. On my walk back to work, I remembered and called her old case manager to help reunite her with the children she had placed for adoption 11 years earlier. The Spiritual Care Center at St. Joseph’s Hospital transferred her to Pillars Hospice on a grant, and with her permission I called her own adoptive family after their near two-decade estrangement. The next day her family arrived with roses, her favorite foods and a great deal of love. Days later she passed peacefully. Her father and I stood next to one another at Mary’s graveside when he remarked, “We never stopped loving Mary; we just wanted her to change.” Prayers and reflection helped me to not
only remember a case manager of 25 years past, but aided my decision-making each step of the way. Thirteen years later, I continue to pray the right decisions were made — not just for Mary, but for her children, father and siblings.
Q: Who or what has been most
inspirational to you in bringing your faith to the marketplace?
A: As a young nurse, I sat complaining
to my father about the mother of a patient who seemed ungrateful. He listened silently and then asked, “Is that why you do this work; for the thanks? If that’s the case, maybe you need to find another line of work.” I understood what he said to me and to this day I challenge myself and my motives in every relationship by asking myself, “Why are you doing this?”A favorite line in Archbishop Romero’s reflection is: “[Our work] may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.” There have been many lessons learned through parenting and through my work which have proven to me there comes a point when it’s necessary to stop talking, stop doing, get out of the way and let grace enter. I have witnessed some beautiful moments and triumphs when I heed these words.
Q: In what specific ways have you
experienced God’s presence in your workplace?
A: A natural tension in social service,
especially in one’s early career, is to understand we are not change makers. Change comes from within and the work is always on the person making changes. Years ago, a guest approached me before entering a chemical treatment program; it was his seventh time trying to get sober. I photocopied a poem about courage for him, suggested he post it in his room and repeat it each day. Three years later, he visited me. He was 20 months into recovery, having relapsed for a short time. As we spoke, he pulled a wrinkled paper with fading print out of his pocket and remarked, “I still say this every morning; it’s a prayer for me.” The image of the Good Shepherd, tucking a lamb under his chin, came to my mind. My belief is that I was given direction to share the poem, and he stands shoulder to shoulder with this man as he lives day by day.
The Catholic Spirit • August 10, 2017
Trust, perseverance mark car dealer’s model of faith Matt Saxe
A: We have so much noise in this world. People live their lives reacting to every text, social media post or video so that we’ve forgotten how to integrate the teachings of the Church into our everyday lives. Keeping the teachings of the faith and the sacraments visible in what I do on a daily basis is a better path than reacting to the whims of the world, and I strive to set that example in my organization.
Q: How do you concretely apply your faith and Catholic values at work?
A: We strive to bear witness to our Lord,
whether that is through visible signs like having a crucifix on the wall in our showroom or putting up the “Keep Christ in Christmas” sign in December, and through the organizations that we support in a public manner. In a world, especially Minnesota, where so much attention is focused on alternative social agendas, we simply like to be a symbol that it’s OK to identify with Christ.
Q: Describe a time when applying your faith at work really made a difference.
A: Seeing the hand of God in what we do is much more clear when we actually live by our faith. I often remember during the 18-month process of trying to purchase a car dealership that I was at one point having little success despite having worked many opportunities. It was right about then that a group of old friends from college wanted me to join them for a few days in Las Vegas. I knew at that point that I was getting frustrated by my lack of progress on purchasing a business and needed a break, but I decided to stay back, keep going to Mass every day and continue searching for opportunities. Of course the phone is ringing the day my friends arrive telling me there is still time to get on a plane, but then another call came and it was news that the seller of a dealership in Minnesota which I had previously offered on wanted to re-negotiate. I spent the next few days intensely working out a deal on a car
Rosemarie Reger-Rumsey
on receiving the 2017 Leading with Faith award.
Best wishes in retirement!
Age: 44 Parish: Our Lady of the Prairie, Belle Plaine Spouse: Melissa Volunteer activities: Knights of Columbus Council No. 1503, Our Lady of the Prairie finance council, parish council, Parish Life Center capital campaign member Education: Northwood University, 1995
to you?
Congratulations We thank you for 25 years of service and leadership.
Owner, Matt Saxe Chevrolet Buick Inc.
Q: What does leading with faith mean
LEADING WITH FAITH • 9B
Listening House of St. Paul, Inc. • 464 Maria Ave. • Saint Paul, MN 55106 Please note our address has changed! • Donations gratefully accepted.
dealership that now has my name on it.
Q: Who or what has been most
inspirational to you in bringing your faith to the marketplace?
A: Several years ago in Wisconsin, while
driving home after another late night in the car business, I stumbled across Relevant Radio. After listening for a few months I decided that advertising there would be a great opportunity to spread the word and promote the dealership that I worked at. I’ll never forget that first meeting I had with the two Relevant Radio representatives; they were very cautious as to why a car dealership wanted to advertise on Catholic radio and had more than a few questions!
Q: In what specific ways have you
experienced God’s presence in your workplace?
We are grateful for lead with with faith faith. forthose those who who lead
A: To me this is one of those things that
follows the old saying of “you’ll know it when you see it.” In our industry, the number of possible negative outcomes to any given situation seem limitless since we deal with individuals using their own resources to make what is one of the larger purchases in life for most of them. This creates a lot of emotion. I often see people who end up in our building who need help that I know no one else is going to give them, which is the first reminder that it’s probably our Lord who put them in my path.
www.saintpaulseminary.org
www.vianney.net
NEXT YEAR, IT COULD BE YOU!
Q: What advice do you have for others who want to lead with faith?
A: To simply realize that it will require
not always taking the easy route or doing what might be best for you personally. Often times this means doing things for customers or employees who may never appreciate or even realize what you’ve done for them, but you do it because it’s much easier to see the big picture when you try to look at things through the eyes of Christ. It’s also much easier to apologize and move forward with people when I’ve made mistakes because I know forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation is there for me, too.
2018
nominations open now! visit thecatholicspirit.com/leadingwithfaith to nominate someone today or call 651-251-7709
10B • LEADING WITH FAITH
August 10, 2017 • The Catholic Spirit
Monday morning adoration helps financial advisor focus week Q: What does leading with faith mean to you? A: Leading with faith is acting with a servant mindset,
putting the needs of others ahead of your own. Christ was the greatest example of this, to give of one’s self for others. When we can use the gifts and talents the Lord has provided us to enhance someone else’s situation through our work, we are emulating that same Christlike servant outreach that our faith is rooted in. My experience has been that those who approach things this way are better leaders and make a greater impact on society and those around them.
Q: How do you concretely apply your faith and Catholic values at work?
A: Staying grounded in my daily prayer and close to the
sacraments regularly help to ensure that I am approaching all that I do, including work, from a faith and Catholic-value focus. When we center ourselves around what is most important first, that being our faith and the Lord, I believe it is a natural overflow that your faith and Catholic values will shine through in all activities we partake in, specifically our work endeavors. It is very easy for us as a new week begins to get consumed by our work and easily misplace the most important thing in our life, which is our faith and Lord. Several years back, I began spending time with our Lord in adoration first thing on Monday morning. This has been very helpful for me to reset my focus every week to lead with my faith first in all that I do.
Robert Stefani Wealth management advisor, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Age: 36 Parish: Holy Trinity, South St. Paul Spouse: Marisa Volunteer activities: The Laboure Society, Junior Achievement, Archdiocesan Marriage Preparation Retreat, Theology on Tap Education: University of St. Thomas, 2004; Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, 2012
A: My inspiration in bringing my faith to the work
really made a difference.
place is twofold with my Catholic Studies degree from the University of St. Thomas and witnessing my father’s faith-based and servant approach to his work through my upbringing. Catholic Studies was a great foundation builder in showing me that living your Catholic faith and pursuing a career are not mutually exclusive, and when married together with faith leading the way, is a perfect union. My father definitely epitomized what a perfect union this could be, always giving of himself first, approaching his work with a humble, servant heart. Thank you, Dad!
A: A few years back my parent company decided to
Q: What achievement at work are you most proud
Q: Describe a time when applying your faith at work stop giving the invocation prayer at the beginning of our annual meeting. This was very disappointing, and that was a time when you either sit back and stay silent or you do as Christ showed us and lead with faith. Thankfully I was not alone in speaking out about how this was not the right decision to remove our Lord from our work gathering. While unfortunately the outcome was not changed, it was a witness for me and many others that leading with faith, while not always easy, is what we are called to do as sons and daughters of our Lord.
Q: Who or what has been most inspirational to you in bringing your faith to the marketplace?
of?
A: When I think about achievements at work I am most proud of, it’s not the individual awards or recognition I’ve received over the years, but the gratitude I receive from my clients when I have provided them with clarity and peace of mind that they are going to be OK financially. Easing someone’s fears and worries is the most awarding achievement I could ask for.
Q: In what specific ways have you experienced God’s presence in your workplace?
A: I have been fortunate to experience God’s presence in many ways throughout my work over the years. I
knew the Lord was very much a presence on two specific occasions. One, when a former seminarian who was called to marriage was exploring a financial career and was about to take a position with a firm/group that was not faith filled, the Lord interjected and led him to me to ask about the career and ultimately a better place to begin his vocational career. The other was providentially introducing me to a senior wealth management advisor at a different firm during a time when I was questioning how best to lead with faith going forward as I was growing in the business. The timing was perfect, all done by God’s design, showing me that humility and servitude no matter how big you get are always at the core of how to lead with faith in our profession. I am forever grateful for the Lord introducing me to one of my Catholic heroes in a such a time of need. God is good.
Q: What advice do you have for others who want to lead with faith?
A: Leading with faith starts with keeping God in the
center of your life. If God is in the center of your life, you will without question be in a tremendous position of strength to lead with faith. This will help you approach your work with an others-focused mindset that gives you the ability to act and make decisions with others’ best interests in mind.
Lending our support to Leading With Faith
Congratulations to the 2017 Leading With Faith honorees Julie & Tom Hurley Kieran McNulty, PhD John M. Norris Rosemarie Reger–Rumsey Matt Saxe Robert Stefani David Tucci
LEADING WITH FAITH • 11B
The Catholic Spirit • August 10, 2017
Coffee shop owner calls himself ‘living example of God’s mercy’ Q: What does leading with faith mean to you? A: I look at it as being pretty basic. My goal each day
is to attempt to have everything I do be done in light of my faith. I miss numerous times each day, so thankfully, God’s mercy and direction is always helping me try again.
Q: How do you concretely apply your faith and Catholic values at work?
A: The way I treat people, the way I approach
interactions and the decisions we make for our businesses need to be a reflection of faith. I tell all new people that they can’t mess up bad enough that we can’t fix it. Thankfully, that is the way God treats me.
Q: Describe a time when applying your faith at work really made a difference.
David Tucci Executive director, Consolidated Sales Network Franchisee/Owner, Dunn Brothers Age: 63 Parish: St. John the Baptist, New Brighton Spouse: Marilyn Volunteer activities: Knights of Columbus, St. John the Baptist’s Men’s Fellowship, St. John the Baptist’s Parish Groups and Activities Commission, St. John the Baptist Watchmen, Shoreview Baseball coach Education: Winona State University, 1975
A: We have had several young people work with us in our coffee shop that have had difficult, sometimes unbelievable, experiences happen to them that will affect their entire lives. We try to give them some influence that reinforces trust and a positive experience with people in leadership roles. And we’ve seen them grow and mature in ways that will help them later in life.
Q: What achievement at work are you most proud of?
A: There really isn’t one or two things. Persevering
where I should have done things differently. But he has given me many second chances, and when I listen to his direction, I see success in my workplace.
in bringing your faith to the marketplace?
always amazes me. Pushing through adversity and trying to do the right thing always make accomplishment of goals really worthwhile.
Q: What advice do you have for others who want
A: I have to recognize my wife, Marilyn. Whenever I
Q: In what specific ways have you experienced
A: As St. Francis is often quoted: “Preach the Gospel
Q: Who or what has been most inspirational to you have faced really difficult times or have been overwhelmed with the unsolvable, she centers me, slows me down and focuses me on putting the situation in God’s hands. And it always works. The unsolvable always becomes easier.
The Catholic Spirit
congratulates our 2017 Leading with Faith winners!
May God bless you as you continue to serve him and others through your work.
God’s presence in your workplace?
A: I am a living example of God’s mercy. My business life hasn’t always been centered on my faith and my relationship with God. There were numerous times
to lead with faith?
at all times; when necessary, use words.” You have to get to know the people you work with. How you interact with them and act around them is the best avenue to bring the values of our faith to their everyday life.
12B • LEADING WITH FAITH
August 10, 2017 • The Catholic Spirit
Church’s teaching undergirds a ‘spirituality of work’ By Julie Burkey Catholic News Service
“S
pirituality of work” is a phrase that sometimes elicits a bemused reaction. After all, putting together words with such divergent meanings might seem nonsensical, unless we take a closer look: “Work” — an activity, mental or physical, paid or unpaid, and done in any number of locales, including a formal workplace or at home. “Spirituality” — in a Christian sense refers to our relationship with God and the ways that we seek to deepen that connection. Put the two meanings together for a definition of spirituality of work — an understanding that all human activity presents us with an opportunity to grow in our relationship with God. St. John Paul II expressed it similarly in his encyclical “Laborem Exercens” (“On Human Work”): “It follows that the whole person, body and spirit, participates in [work].” An understanding of the spiritual aspects of work “will help all people to come closer, through work, to God” and “deepen their friendship with Christ in their lives.” We find the entirety of St. John Paul II’s theology of work in this 1981 encyclical. It was written to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical “Rerum Novarum” (“On Capital and Labor”), considered to be the first of the Catholic Church’s social teaching documents.
St. John Paul II wrote “Laborem Exercens” at a time he expressed to be “the eve of new developments in technological, economic and political conditions [that] ... will influence the world of work and production no less than the Industrial Revolution of the last century.” We can only stand in awe at the truth of his prediction. In this document, St. John Paul II addressed many issues that have come to the forefront in our present day: increasing technological advances; the rights and dignity of workers; issues of work, society and family; and conflict between labor and capital. To help us find the right path through this minefield of modern work, he offered us wisdom from the Church’s teaching. St. John Paul II’s discourse on work begins at the beginning, in the Garden of Eden: “The Church finds in the very first pages of the Book of Genesis the source of her conviction that work is a fundamental dimension of human existence on earth.” Created in God’s image and likeness, man receives a “mandate” to “subdue, to dominate, the earth” and shares by his work in the activity of the Creator. This “awareness that man’s work is a participation in God’s activity ought to permeate ... even ‘the most ordinary everyday activities,’” said the pope. We know that we are created in God’s image, but have we thought, really deeply, of the consequences and responsibilities of that truth? It is a truth
that implies a partnership with God. This partnership is not just a “Sunday thing.” We are to live out our faith everywhere we find ourselves, and that includes the workplace. The Second Vatican Council’s pastoral constitution “Gaudium et Spes” decried the “split between the faith which many profess and their daily lives [that] deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age.” This strong statement should make us pause to consider if we live with such a “split” in our own lives. St. John Paul II’s theology elsewhere presented work as a blessing, not a
hardship: “Work corresponds to God’s design and will. ... Work is a primordial blessing from the Creator, an activity permitting people to realize themselves and to offer service to society.” Again, in “Laborem Exercens,” he helped us realize that work has both an intrinsic and extrinsic value: “Through work man must earn his daily bread and contribute to the continual advance of science and technology and, above all, to elevating unceasingly the cultural and moral level of the society.” Burkey is adjunct professor of pastoral theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.
Congratulates
Julie and Tom Hurley of Preferred Management Solutions Nominated and Honored in 2017 for Leading With Faith by fellow members of their local Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Congratulations
to Matt Saxe 2017 Leading with Faith Award winner!
Congratulations Warmly and Fraternally, Belle Plaine Knights of Columbus #1503
to our colleague and friend,
John Norris,
for being honored with the Leading With Faith award. The staff of Tower Solutions, LLC