The Catholic Spirit - December 19, 2024

PAGETWO

Claudia Nava,

and Guadalupe

help

the

ADVENT CONCERT From left, Atongajua “Nadia” Khumbah, Mili Garcia, Clare Kracht and Rachel Seefeldt sing during Lessons and Carols for Advent at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul Dec. 14. The concert featured The St. Paul Seminary Choir and the Liturgical Choir of the University of St. Thomas, also in St. Paul, plus faculty and staff at the seminary and friends and relatives of seminarians. The violinist at bottom right is Gabriel Bauer. Khumbah, Garcia and Seefeldt are students at UST, Bauer is a graduate and Kracht is a member of St. Joseph in West St. Paul. Bauer’s sister, Caroline, who also is a UST graduate, is partially visible at bottom left.

PRACTICING Catholic

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Dec. 13 “Practicing Catholic” radio show featured a discussion with Zach Jansen, the digital content producer for the archdiocese, on how the movie “Elf” offers lessons about faith, love and the true meaning of Christmas. There was also an interview with Angie Burnes, a parishioner of St. Patrick in Oak Grove, who shared her experience at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. The program also included a rerun of a “Practicing Catholic” episode featuring Kendra Tierney on living liturgically during the Advent season. Listen to interviews after they have aired at archspm org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND

Look for the first 2025 issue of The Catholic Spirit Jan. 9.

ON THE COVER The stained glass window depicting the Holy Family can be found at Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Northeast Minneapolis. It is the image chosen for the bishops’ Christmas card this year. COURTESY ALEOR PHOTOGRAPHY | JESSIE ORTIZ

The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 29 — No. 24

Gratitude at Christmas

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

As we welcome Christ into our hearts and homes this Christmas, we are grateful for the many ways he has been present, glorified and adored in this local Church over the past year. The Source and Summit Eucharistic Procession from The St. Paul Seminary to our beautiful Cathedral still fills our hearts with such warmth and hope as we remember the 7,000 who joined us that Memorial Day afternoon and the many others who prayed for the success of that endeavor.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg in a year during which more than 5,100 children were baptized, over 5,600 young people joined us for their first Communion, more than 5,000 completed their sacramental initiation with the sacrament of confirmation, five men were ordained as transitional deacons, 13 men were ordained priests for our archdiocese and Bishop Kevin Kenney was ordained as a successor of the Apostles. When we stand before the crib this Christmas, and as the universal Church opens a Jubilee year, there is much for which we must be grateful.

Your bishops are humbled by the witness that you so faithfully give to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our Church, whether it be in your service of the poor and those on the peripheries of our society, your generous giving of yourselves in parish small groups, or your fervent prayer that the Lord will renew our Church and families. Please know that we will be praying for you and your loved ones at Mass this Christmas season and beyond. Please continue to pray for each of us and for all who make up the Body of Christ in this archdiocese this Christmas.

Sincerely in Christ,

Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda, Bishop Michael J. Izen and Bishop Kevin T. Kenney

NEWS notes

As Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 24 and Holy Doors in three major basilicas in Rome in the days that follow, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and other dioceses around the world will hold their own celebrations to mark the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Hope. In the archdiocese, Archbishop Bernard Hebda will celebrate a Jubilee Year of Hope Opening Mass, first at 5 p.m. Dec. 28 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, and then 10 a.m. Dec. 29 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. All the faithful are invited to celebrate in solidarity with dioceses around the globe as Holy Year 2025 begins with its theme “Pilgrims of Hope.”

A giving tree at St. Agnes in St. Paul is designed to help those in need at a maternity hospital in Bethlehem that is operated by the Order of Malta. Parishioners and others were invited to take an ornament to guide their donations and to learn more about Holy Family Hospital, which provides the only neonatal intensive care unit in Palestinian territory. The hospital also is a major employer for the Christian population of Bethlehem. The tree was set up in Schuler Hall on three Sundays of Advent: Dec. 8, 15 and 22. Learn more about the hospital at birthplaceofhope org

A group called Minnesota Satanists recently set up a display at the Minnesota State Capitol. Jason Adkins, executive director and general counsel of the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC), issued a statement, saying, “Regardless of the legal arguments about whether the state was required to allow a Satanic display under the guise of free exercise of religion or religious pluralism — arguments which strongly suggest the state was not required to do so — allowing an explicitly anti-Christian display during the Advent and Christmas season is deeply disrespectful. Satanism, by its nature, opposes Christianity. The state has the authority to impose reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on such displays, which could also be categorized as free speech. In any case, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. That’s why for the past two legislative session years, and for the foreseeable future, MCC staff have been offering Eucharistic adoration in the Capitol on First Fridays of the month from January through May. Bringing Christ’s presence into the Capitol is a powerful response to the attacks on human dignity we see in public life. His presence brings hope, casts out fear, and dispels darkness. It’s also an opportunity to pray for our state and elected leaders. We believe prayer is powerful and invite others to join us by visiting mncatholic org/firstfridayjan2025.”

COURTESY JUDY ROMANOWICH SMITH

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

left,

Salas

bear

image of the Virgin Mary after a Dec. 12 Mass at Ascension in Minneapolis celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Visible behind Salas is Patty Stromen, the parish administrator. The feast day commemorates Mary’s appearances to St. Juan Diego in December 1531 in what is now Mexico.

FROMTHEVICARGENERAL

ONLY JESUS | FATHER MICHAEL TIX

Emmanuel: God with us

Ilove Christmas and the many stories of this time that are shared, some over and over again. I vividly remember being 12 years old and helping my Uncle Bill and Aunt Maggie in setting up the Nativity scene at St. Mathias in Hampton. Bill and Maggie were older, so my job was bringing the large statues of Mary, Joseph and the other figures from the upstairs choir loft in the back to be arranged near the front of the church. I continued that tradition of setting up the manger scene for a good many years after high school and seeing it still today brings back memories of Bill, Maggie and many others.

Years after being ordained, I remember visiting a couple, who were parishioners at St. John in Savage, days before Christmas on a cold December night. I remember leaving St. Francis hospital in Shakopee that night and thinking that I had experienced a live Nativity. It wasn’t a perfect parallel with Josh and Carrie and their newborn twins, but that experience still reminds me of how Christ continues to be born in our own time and place if we have the eyes of faith to see it. In this live Nativity, I felt much like the shepherds on that first Christmas as they watched their sheep by night. Somehow called to the manger, for me by a telephone call rather than angels, but still going and experiencing the wonders of God’s love, and somehow forever changed by it all in a way that calls all of us to be like the shepherds and share a message of “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” We see this good news shared in many ways that can range from an invitation by an uncle and aunt, to the helping hand of a nephew, to the joyful excitement of new parents.

While there is much joy to be shared, we can lose sight of the fact that for some, these are difficult days. I think of the poor, the hungry and the homeless who are looking to experience the love of Christ in the care and compassion of others. I also think about those who have somehow experienced loss for whom Christmas can be a hard time as they miss a loved one. In recent weeks I celebrated at St. Joseph in Prescott

Emmanuel: Dios con nosotros

Me encanta la Navidad y las muchas historias de esta época que se comparten, algunas una y otra vez.

Recuerdo vívidamente cuando tenía 12 años y ayudaba a mi tío Bill y a mi tía Maggie a montar el pesebre en St. Mathias, en Hampton. Bill y Maggie eran mayores, así que mi trabajo consistía en traer las grandes estatuas de María, José y las otras figuras del coro del piso de arriba, en la parte de atrás, para colocarlas cerca del frente de la iglesia. Continué con esa tradición de montar el pesebre durante muchos años después de la escuela secundaria y verlo todavía hoy me trae recuerdos de Bill, Maggie y muchos otros. Años después de haber sido ordenado, recuerdo haber visitado a una pareja de feligreses de St. John en Savage, días antes de Navidad, en una fría noche de diciembre. Recuerdo que salí del hospital St. Francis en Shakopee esa noche y pensé que había presenciado un natividad en vivo. No fue un paralelo perfecto con Josh y Carrie y sus gemelos recién nacidos, pero esa experiencia todavía me recuerda cómo Cristo sigue naciendo en nuestro propio tiempo y lugar si tenemos los ojos de la fe para verlo.

En este pesebre viviente, me sentí como los pastores en esa primera Navidad mientras cuidaban sus ovejas por la noche. De alguna manera, fui llamado al pesebre, para mí por una llamada telefónica en lugar de ángeles, pero aun así fui y experimenté las maravillas del amor

Christmas calls us all to Bethlehem, not as plaster statues, but as living persons called to see and experience God’s love. That love surrounds us in the best of times and in the most challenging of times with the assurance of Emmanuel: God with us.

the funeral of a 46-year-old man who died from cancer. I worked with Mike for a time, and so was asked to celebrate the funeral, which I was glad to do for the family. Mike was married and the father of two sons who are ages 7 and 9. Both the visitation and the funeral were huge in terms of the number of people who attended, and I was quickly reminded of the number of lives that one person can touch in a lifetime. There were many tears shed between the two days, but there was also a great sense of God’s love present at a time of very real and tragic sadness that brought people together from near and far. The heartfelt care and concern for Mike’s wife, Jasmine, and sons was palpable and was its own light in a time of darkness that witnessed to God’s undying love in the journey of our lives, which includes times we might never fully understand. Most touching was Jasmine sharing the story of the only time she and Mike ever argued in their 12 years of marriage.

This argument began when one said to the other, “I love you more.” As Jasmine said at the funeral, these words were not spoken in a competitive sense, but rather words spoken in the profound love of a husband

de Dios, y de alguna manera cambiado para siempre por todo esto de una manera que nos llama a todos a ser como los pastores y compartir un mensaje de “buenas noticias de gran gozo que será para todo el pueblo”. Vemos que estas buenas noticias se comparten de muchas maneras que pueden ir desde una invitación de un tío y una tía, hasta la mano amiga de un sobrino, hasta la alegre emoción de los nuevos padres. Aunque hay mucha alegría para compartir, podemos perder de vista el hecho de que, para algunos, estos son días difíciles. Pienso en los pobres, los hambrientos y los sin techo que buscan experimentar el amor de Cristo en el cuidado y la compasión de los demás. También pienso en aquellos que de alguna manera han experimentado una pérdida y para quienes la Navidad puede ser un momento difícil porque extrañan a un ser querido.

En las últimas semanas celebré en St. Joseph, en Prescott, el funeral de un hombre de 46 años que murió de cáncer. Trabajé con Mike durante un tiempo, por lo que me pidieron que celebrara el funeral, lo que me alegró mucho poder hacer por la familia. Mike estaba casado y era padre de dos hijos de 7 y 9 años. Tanto la visita como el funeral fueron multitudinarios en cuanto a la cantidad de personas que asistieron, y rápidamente recordé la cantidad de vidas que una persona puede tocar a lo largo de su vida.

Hubo muchas lágrimas derramadas entre los dos días, pero también hubo un gran sentido del amor de Dios presente en un momento de tristeza muy real y trágica que unió a personas de cerca y de lejos. El sincero cuidado y preocupación por la esposa, Jasmine, y los hijos de Mike era palpable y fue su propia luz en un momento de oscuridad que dio testimonio del amor

and wife. Jasmine explained the meaning to be that the two would love one another more than any hurdle or challenge that life could ever set before them, even death itself.

As we celebrate Christmas, we remember that God loves us more, and so much that Jesus would be born into the world to show us God’s way of love. Christmas calls us all to Bethlehem, not as plaster statues, but as living persons called to see and experience God’s love. That love surrounds us in the best of times and in the most challenging of times with the assurance of Emmanuel: God with us. Christmas also calls us to be like the shepherds as messengers of God’s love to the world through our words and actions.

Finally, while we think about Christmas as something to be celebrated at this time of year, Christmas also calls us to look to the new year ahead and consider our resolutions. May our New Year’s resolution be to live the Christmas spirit and the theme chosen by Pope Francis for the Jubilee Year ahead: as Pilgrims of Hope who share something of God’s love in ways that bring light and goodness to those around us. Christmas blessings to all!

eterno de Dios en el camino de nuestras vidas, que incluye momentos que tal vez nunca comprendamos del todo. Lo más conmovedor fue Jasmine compartiendo compartió la historia de la única vez que ella y Mike discutieron en sus 12 años de matrimonio. Esta discusión comenzó cuando uno le dijo al otro: “Te amo más”. Como dijo Jasmine en el funeral, estas palabras no fueron dichas en un sentido competitivo, sino más bien palabras dichas con el profundo amor de un esposo y una esposa. Jasmine explicó que el significado era que los dos se amarían más que cualquier obstáculo o desafío que la vida pudiera ponerles por delante, incluso la muerte misma.

Al celebrar la Navidad, recordamos que Dios nos ama más, tanto que Jesús nació en el mundo para mostrarnos el camino del amor de Dios. La Navidad nos llama a todos a Belén, no como estatuas de yeso, sino como personas vivas llamadas a ver y experimentar el amor de Dios. Ese amor nos rodea en los mejores momentos y en los más difíciles con la seguridad de Emmanuel: Dios con nosotros. La Navidad también nos llama a ser como los pastores, mensajeros del amor de Dios al mundo a través de nuestras palabras y acciones. Por último, aunque pensamos en la Navidad como algo que se debe celebrar en esta época del año, la Navidad también nos llama a mirar hacia el nuevo año que se avecina y a considerar nuestros propósitos. Que nuestro propósito de Año Nuevo sea vivir el espíritu navideño y el tema elegido por el Papa Francisco para el Año Jubilar que se avecina: como peregrinos de la esperanza que comparten algo del amor de Dios de maneras que traen luz y bondad a quienes nos rodean. ¡Bendiciones navideñas para todos!

Cold Christmas caroling

Members of the Costumed Carolers from River Falls High School in Wisconsin sing in the courtyard of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul Dec. 12 during the Cathedral Christmas Market. The three-day event featured vendors selling food and crafts in the courtyard, with a concert by musician Steven C. Anderson each day. Jan Gangl came with her husband, who is a member of St. Peter in Mendota, for both the market and the concert. “I love craft marketplaces, and I wanted to listen to the music tonight,” she said. “And, I have never been in the Cathedral before in my life. This is my first time. ... I have wanted to go inside the Cathedral forever and I thought, ‘What a great opportunity to listen to the concert and come down to the market.’”

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Society of St. Vincent de Paul toy giveaway: A Christmas where ‘all feel valued and invited’

By Rebecca Omastiak

The Catholic Spirit

Hundreds of children throughout the Twin Cities were able to celebrate Christmas a little early at a local toy giveaway.

Leading up to the giveaway event on Dec. 14 at Banyan Community Center in Minneapolis, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul-Twin Cities — with St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights as a partner — collected over 600 new toys for children, primarily 12 years old and younger, who otherwise might not receive such gifts for Christmas.

Wayne Bugg, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul-Twin Cities, said the number of toys collected this year was among the highest so far in the drive and giveaway’s roughly 10-year history.

Bugg said the idea for the toy drive and giveaway formed years ago when society staff began hosting a Christmas photo opportunity for families. During those events, Bugg said, people talked about their Christmases and how some wanted to provide toys for their children but couldn’t do so. Bugg said society staff started asking, “How can we fill in the gaps?”

The toy drive was launched, with roughly 50 toys gathered for the first giveaway event, Bugg said. Contributions to the event have grown, with church groups and other community members now donating toys for the drive.

“It’s an example (of) when the body of Christ comes together and works together, they can do mighty exploits,” Bugg said.

St. Thomas Academy students and staff were among those who gathered toys for the giveaway this year. The school has participated for the past five years,

said Joel Loecken, department chair of theology at the school who has also helped with the school’s involvement in the toy drive and giveaway.

Loecken explained there is a $20 to $25 request for gifts and each grade level at the school is assigned an age group for their gifts. There is a goal of one gift for each of the children who attend the toy giveaway, Loecken said. This year, St. Thomas Academy set a goal of 500 toys; they exceeded that goal by 100.

Leighton Gates, a senior at St. Thomas Academy, has been involved in the toy drive and giveaway for the four years he’s attended the school. He explained that during the drive, students, who are divided into eight groups called companies, drop off their gifts at a Christmas tree at the school’s entrance.

“You get credit for it for your company and then whichever company brought in the most gifts wins a special prize,” Gates said.

Alongside the friendly competition among students participating is enthusiasm to bring Christmas joy to the children receiving the gifts.

“I think hearing the stories and seeing the faces of the kids (as they) pick up their gift is by far the most emotional, and that’s what really makes me passionate about having this as a part of our school each year,” Gates said. “Knowing that kids are given the opportunity to have a jolly Christmas is something that really warms our hearts here and I think that’s why we have such high participation in this, because we know the impact that it has on the community as a whole.”

Loecken said roughly a dozen students also planned to volunteer at the giveaway to set up toy tables, help with gift wrapping and hand out the gifts.

“It’s been awesome for us here (at St. Thomas

Academy) to know that we support such a great cause and working with St. Vincent de Paul is just incredible,” Gates said.

Also available at this year’s toy giveaway event were coats for both children and adults offered through a partnership with Burlington and the nonprofit Delivering Good, Bugg said. Additionally, people who attended the event were able to pick up pairs of new socks.

“To be able to provide people this warm clothing is just another element of the Christmas experience,” Bugg said.

Bugg said for him, the giveaway event called to mind a verse from the Gospel of Luke, as the angel tells the shepherds of Christ’s birth: “The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people’” (Lk 2:10).

“The part about ‘for all the people’ — this is an event where all the people are welcome,” Bugg said. “We’ve got community members, we’ve got church members, we even have people from government agencies (participating) … we’re operating on a level of peace and communion and fellowship for all, where all feel valued and invited.”

“I hope for it to be a catalyst for the upcoming year,” Bugg said, “for us to continue to work together.”

In addition to assisting those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, the society operates two thrift stores — one in St. Paul, one in Minneapolis — filled with donated clothing, furniture, kitchenware, books, toys and other items. Learn more about the nonprofit and its outreach online at svdpmpls org

Catholic Charities Twin Cities names Bloomington city manager as next president, CEO

By Rebecca Omastiak

The Catholic Spirit

Dec. 6, Catholic Charities Twin Cities named Jamie Verbrugge, Bloomington city manager, as its new president and CEO, effective Jan. 21.

As Bloomington city manager for the past nine years, Verbrugge has managed the city’s daily operations and has led initiatives such as the “Bloomington Tomorrow Together” strategic plan. Prior to his work in Bloomington, Verbrugge served as Brooklyn Park city manager for nearly seven years and as Rosemount city administrator for five years. He also held positions within the cities of Eagan and Richfield, according to Catholic Charities.

“I am honored to join Catholic Charities as its new president and CEO,” Verbrugge said in a statement.

Adopted as a child, Verbrugge’s placement was facilitated by Catholic Charities. “It is an incredibly meaningful opportunity to lead an organization with such a strong foundation,” he said. “Catholic Charities has a dedicated team that creates life-changing impact for those most in need in our community every day. I look forward to working alongside them to save lives and build brighter futures across the Twin Cities.”

Desirae Butler, chair of Catholic Charities’ board of directors, said in a statement that Verbrugge’s “deep personal connection to Catholic Charities

paired with his proven professional track record, commitment to public service, and strong leadership skills made him an ideal candidate.”

In June, Catholic Charities announced its previous president and CEO, Michael Goar, had accepted a leadership role with Sisters of Charity Health System, which provides faith-based care in Ohio and South Carolina. July 22, Goar stepped into the role of president and CEO of the system, which operates three health care ministries, six outreach organizations and

Peace of mind is one of the most precious gifts you can give to your loved ones—and yourself. Preplanning your funeral gives your family the freedom to celebrate your life the way you imagine it.

Start planning today.

three grantmaking foundations.

In August, Chief Financial Officer John Marston stepped into the role of Catholic Charities’ interim president and CEO while continuing to serve as CFO.

“John Marston is a trusted leader and advocate for our staff and the people we serve,” Butler said. “We’re deeply thankful for his stewardship of the organization during this time of transition.”

Catholic Charities Twin Cities serves children, families and adults who are in need, offering meals, shelter, employment and housing resources, social services, financial assistance programs, veterans services and medical care, among other services.

JAMIE VERBRUGGE

Pope calls for end to foreign debt, death penalty ahead of Jubilee Year

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

Pope Francis has called on all nations to eliminate the death penalty, to divert a fixed percentage of arms spending to a global fund to fight hunger and climate change, and to cancel the international debt of developing nations as concrete ways to usher in a new era of hope.

“Sporadic acts of philanthropy are not enough. Cultural and structural changes are necessary, so that enduring change may come about,” the pope said in his message for World Peace Day 2025.

The message, “Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace,” was released Dec. 12 at a Vatican news conference ahead of the Jan. 1 commemoration.

Offering his “cordial good wishes for the New Year to the heads of state and government, to the leaders of international organizations, to the leaders of the various religions and to every person of goodwill,” the pope made three proposals for bringing about “much-needed changes” during the Jubilee Year, which focuses on “Pilgrims of Hope.”

The proposals, he wrote, are “capable of restoring dignity to the lives of entire peoples and enabling them to set out anew on the journey of hope.”

The first proposal, he wrote, is renewing the appeal launched by St. John Paul II for the Holy Year 2000 to consider “reducing substantially, if not canceling outright, the international debt which seriously threatens the future of many nations.”

Foreign debt, Pope Francis wrote, “has become a means of control whereby certain governments and private financial institutions of the richer countries unscrupulously and indiscriminately exploit the human and natural resources of poorer countries, simply to satisfy the demands of their own markets.”

Pope Francis also said wealthier nations must recognize their own “ecological debt” to the global south due to the exploitation of resources, the destruction of ecosystems and the effects of climate change. “The more prosperous countries ought to feel called to do everything possible to forgive the debts of those countries that are in no condition to repay the amount they owe.”

“A new financial framework must be devised, leading to the creation of a global financial charter based on solidarity and harmony between peoples,” he wrote, so that debt forgiveness is not just “an isolated act of charity that simply reboots the vicious cycle of financing and indebtedness.”

The pope’s second proposal is for “a firm commitment” to respecting “the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, so that each person can cherish his or her own life and all may look with hope to a future of prosperity and happiness for themselves and for their children.”

“Without hope for the future, it becomes hard for the young to look forward to bringing new lives into the world,” he wrote. And a “concrete gesture that can help foster the culture of life” is the elimination of the death penalty in all nations.

The death penalty “not only compromises the inviolability of life but eliminates every human hope of forgiveness and rehabilitation,” he wrote.

The pope’s third appeal follows “in the footsteps of St. Paul VI and Benedict XVI,” he wrote. “In this time marked by wars, let us use at least a fixed percentage of the money earmarked for armaments to establish a global fund.”

The fund should finance initiatives “to eradicate hunger” and facilitate educational activities in poor countries to promote sustainable development and combat climate change, he wrote. “We need to work at eliminating every pretext that encourages young people to regard their future as hopeless or dominated by the thirst to avenge the blood of their dear ones.”

Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, told reporters at the Vatican Dec. 12 that Caritas Internationalis was launching a global campaign called “‘Turn debt into hope’ with a global petition aimed at raising awareness about the systemic change needed.”

The Jubilee Year and the Christian call for conversion are invitations, not “to a moralistic effort at selfimprovement, but to a radical change in how we look at reality,” he said.

“Conversion is a path traced by that love for Christ that inspires, transforms, orients, energizes us,” the cardinal said. Faith in the merciful and providential hands of God “frees our hearts from anguish, to respond and to serve.”

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, which promotes restorative justice and the end to capital punishment, said “the death penalty’s very existence epitomizes a throwaway culture.”

“Capital punishment is a ‘structural sin’ existing in at least 55 nations across the globe, where nearly

says there’s no religious justification

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

In a letter to his nuncio in Russia, Pope Francis called out those who would claim Russia’s war on Ukraine had any spiritual justification. Saying he wanted to speak on behalf of the war’s victims, Pope Francis said that “their cry rises to God, invoking peace instead of war, dialogue instead of the din of weapons, solidarity instead of partisan interests, because one cannot kill in the name of God.”

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow have both claimed God is on Russia’s side as they promoted the war

as, in part, a fight against the “evil” West.

Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill had had a 40-minute Zoom conversation a month after the war began in 2022.

The pope later told a reporter, “I listened to him” read a list of reasons justifying the war, “and I told him, ‘I don’t know anything about this. Brother, we are not clerics of the state, we cannot use the language of politics, but of Jesus. We are shepherds of the same holy people of God. That is why we must seek the path of peace, to cease the blast of weapons.’”

“The patriarch cannot turn himself into Putin’s altar boy,” Pope Francis said in the May 2022 interview with

28,000 people find themselves on death row,” she told reporters, adding that this number “does not include cases in countries where there are no official statistics reported.”

In the United States, in addition to the federal death penalty, “27 of the 50 states have the death penalty,” she said.

Also speaking at the news conference was Vito Alfieri Fontana, an engineer who worked at Italian companies producing grenades and anti-tank and anti-personnel mines.

He said he experienced a personal conversion and began working for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines after his children kept asking about what he did and why, and amid growing public opposition to the use of anti-personnel mines and the promptings of the late Father Tonino Bello to reflect on his life.

“What for me had been normal, became a burden,” he said. He was able to emerge from “a privileged bubble –– home to 1% of the population who produce, control and distribute arms” –– and enter into the world of the 99% –– those who do not want war and want to live in peace.

Pope Francis said in his message that the jubilee tradition is meant to remind all people, “rich and poor alike, that no one comes into this world doomed to oppression: all of us are brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of the same Father, born to live in freedom, in accordance with the Lord’s will.”

Christians “feel bound to cry out and denounce the many situations in which the earth is exploited and our neighbors oppressed,” he wrote.

Calling for and implementing concrete solutions to systemic injustice is part of the Christian desire to “break the bonds of injustice and to proclaim God’s justice,” he added.

the Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera.

The pope had written in November to his nuncio in Ukraine, sending assurances of his sorrow and his prayers on the 1,000th day since Russia began its large-scale invasion in February 2022.

His letter to the nuncio in Russia, Archbishop Giovanni d’Aniello, was dated Dec. 12 and printed on the front page of the Vatican newspaper Dec. 14.

As people prepare for Christmas, “the day on which the son of God, prince of peace, appeared on the earth,” Pope Francis said he wanted to share with his nuncio in Russia “my prayer and my heartfelt appeal that peace would

reign among people and would be reborn in the hearts of all men and women, who are loved by the Lord.”

The continued fighting, the pope said, “urgently challenges us, reminding us of the duty to reflect together on how to alleviate the suffering of those affected and rebuild peace.”

Pope Francis also said that he hoped people’s prayers and the humanitarian efforts to alleviate people’s suffering would “pave the way for renewed diplomatic efforts, which are necessary to halt the progression of the conflict and to achieve the long-awaited peace.”

CNS | CAROL GLATZ

From left, Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and Vito Alfieri Fontana, an engineer, pose for a photograph during a news conference presenting Pope Francis’ World Peace Day message at the Vatican Dec. 12.

With inaugural Mass, Notre Dame reveals ‘the Lord does not abandon his own’

Chilling rain and the “City of Lights” completely locked down due to high profile guests did not stop the crowds from arriving as close to Notre Dame Cathedral as possible for its inaugural Mass celebrated Dec. 8.

The beloved Paris icon also opened its doors to the public for the first time after the devastating fire in 2019, with the second Mass that same Sunday for Parisians and tourists.

The first solemn Mass witnessed the consecration of the cathedral’s new bronze altar by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris, who invited all attendees to “participate in the joy of the believers here who give glory to God for having found their mother church.”

A procession of 170 bishops entered the cathedral in the morning, followed by more than 100 banner bearers representing all of Paris’ parishes, and seven priest-representatives of the Eastern Catholic churches. The consecration of the new altar was a central part of the ceremony, with the placement of relics of five holy men and women inside the altar, whose history is linked to the church in Paris, including those of St. Marie Eugénie Milleret, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, St. Charles de Foucauld, Blessed Vladimir Ghika and St. Catherine Labouré.

“Generation after generation — believers experience it — the Lord does not abandon his own,” Archbishop Ulrich said. Even if “distress and violence do not cease throughout the history of men,” it is God and his disciples “who feed on his strength to show the way to the victory of life.”

OSV NEWS | CHRISTIAN HARTMANN, REUTERS

A view of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris during a light show Dec. 7 for its reopening service ceremony.

People attend a Mass open to the public at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris Dec. 8, five and a half years after a fire ravaged the Gothic masterpiece.

OSV NEWS | CHRISTIAN HARTMANN, REUTERS

u 3 dead, including teen suspect, in mass shooting at Wisconsin Christian school. Police in Madison, Wisconsin, said they are investigating a mass shooting at that city’s Abundant Life Christian School Dec. 16 that left at least two killed and six injured. The suspected gunman, identified as a 15-year-old female student, is also dead, they said. Abundant Life Christian School is a community Christian school with students from kindergarten through 12th grade. A spokesperson said President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident and senior White House officials are in touch with local counterparts in Madison “to provide support as needed.” The incident took place near the 12th anniversary of the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012, which is among the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Theologians and Church leaders previously told OSV News that preventing gun violence is a social justice issue, and that a public policy response to gun violence representing a Catholic perspective should start by prioritizing the common good. A Dec. 17 candlelight vigil was planned in Madison.

uJesus’ crown of thorns returns to Notre Dame Cathedral. On Dec. 13, the Crown of Thorns was returned to Notre Dame, marking a deeply moving moment for Parisians and pilgrims alike. The relic, which survived the devastating 2019 fire, had been stored at the Louvre since the blaze. The return procession, attended by over 400 members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, saw the crown — held by a knight in full regalia — walked from the Louvre to Notre Dame, drawing crowds of onlookers,

including Bénédicte de Villers, a Catholic who was granted entry to witness the ceremony. The crown, acquired by King Louis IX in 1239, was originally housed at Sainte-Chapelle before being moved to Notre Dame in 1806. Once inside the cathedral, it was placed on the new altar, designed by Sylvain Dubuisson. The reliquary, an altarpiece of marble and cedar wood, evokes the crown’s Byzantine history with its gilded bronze thorns and intricate design. Archbishop Laurent Ulrich led a prayer service, reflecting on the significance of the relic during Advent and the Passion. From Jan. 10, 2025, the crown will be displayed every Friday, offering visitors a chance to venerate it in its new, radiant setting — symbolizing Notre Dame’s rebirth as a cathedral of light.

uBanks driven by profit-at-all-costs hurt people and the economy, Pope Francis says. When the world of banking and finance crushes people instead of helping them, it betrays its very purpose and promotes an “uncivilized economy,” Pope Francis said. “Unfortunately, in the globalized world, finance is now faceless and has become distanced from people’s lives,” he told representatives of two Italian credit unions and an “ethical” bank dedicated to serving the community and to not investing in weapons manufacturing, fossil fuels, factory farming, gambling and other harmful activities. “When the only criterion is profit, we see negative consequences for the actual economy,” he told the representatives during an audience at the Vatican Dec. 16. The existence of poverty in a community is a sign of “a social sickness.” “When finance tramples on people, foments inequality and distances itself from the life of its territory, it betrays its

purpose,” the pope said. “It becomes, I would say, an uncivilized economy: it lacks civility.” “Finance is a bit like the ‘circulatory system,’ so to speak, of the economy: if it gets clogged in some places and does not circulate” throughout the entire “body” of the community, he said, there are “devastating heart attacks and ischemia” for the entire economy.

uTwo women join a Vatican council that implements the synod and prepares the next assembly. For the first time, women will serve on the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod, the committee that oversees implementation of the most recent synod and prepares the next assembly. The Vatican announced Dec. 13 Pope Francis’ nomination of four members to the 16th Ordinary Council of the Vatican synod office. Among his choices are: Consolata Missionary Sister Simona Brambilla, secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and María Lía Zervino, a member of the Dicastery for Bishops. The pope also appointed to the council Cardinals Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, relator general of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, and Roberto Repole of Turin, Italy. Previously, ordinary councils were comprised solely of bishops, therefore the appointment of two women — a religious sister and a consecrated virgin — signals a departure from that custom. In October, the synod assembly elected 12 members to the ordinary council from among its ranks, leaving four places for papal appointees. The Vatican has not said if the pope has chosen the topic for the next synod.

uU.S. Senate hearing examines the potential consequences of a mass deportation program. President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to launch a mass deportation program could crash the economy by increasing inflation and unemployment and undermine trust in the U.S. military, some witnesses at a Senate hearing said Dec. 10. The hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee examined the potential impact of mass deportations on the U.S., one of the hardline immigration policies Trump campaigned on. During the (at times) tense hearing, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee argued that Trump’s election to a second term shows that U.S. voters are concerned about border security. Democrats on the panel argued that broad deportations, rather than tailoring those efforts to those who have committed violent crimes, would result in a slew of negative economic and social outcomes. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan American Immigration Council, argued at the hearing that mass deportation would cost the U.S. $968 billion in total, and “a loss in total GDP of 4.2 to 6.8% at minimum, as much as the Great Recession.” Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel Morin was found raped and killed in 2023 in a case where the alleged perpetrator had previously been deported three times, argued a deportation program would increase public safety. While Trump has not yet offered specifics on how he would carry out such a program, mass deportations more broadly run contrary to the Second Vatican Council’s teaching in “Gaudium et Spes” condemning “deportation.”

— CNS and OSV News

Highlights of 2024

WHAT A YEAR

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis saw significant changes in 2024. In May, Bishop Joseph Williams was named the coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, and in July Father Kevin Kenney of St. Olaf and Sts. Cyril and Methodius, both in Minneapolis, was appointed a new auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese, ordained at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul on Oct. 28.

During the spring and summer, Catholics from the archdiocese processed in the Marian Route on its way to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. In May, 13 men were ordained as priests, the most since 2005. Major changes swept the archdiocese as the ministry to Hmong Catholics moved from St. Vincent de Paul in St. Paul to Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood, and the Little Sisters of the Poor announced they would conclude their 140 years of ministry in the archdiocese.

On the next two pages, take a look at the events that helped shape the year for the archdiocese.

PHOTOS BY DAVE HRBACEK THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

BISHOP KENNEY ORDAINED

On Oct. 28, Bishop Kevin Kenney was ordained in front of 3,000 people in the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. He said he was grateful for the love and support he received from so many over the years, and he urged all to return to “the heart of loving Jesus in our lives.” Bishop Kenney served and continues to serve at St. Olaf and Sts. Cyril and Methodius, both in Minneapolis. He has experience with Latino ministry, including being the vicar of Latino ministry from 2010 to 2018. During his ordination, Bishop Kenney explained that too often the heart is blinded to the love of Jesus. “We’re led astray by so many different things. But ... return to the heart, the heart of loving Jesus in our lives.”

BISHOP WILLIAMS TO CAMDEN

The archdiocese’s Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Williams was introduced May 21 as the coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey. During his ministry in the archdiocese, Bishop Williams was involved in Latino Ministry and was known for his love of young adult ministry. He was ordained a bishop in January 2022. At the time of his appointment, the Diocese of Camden was comprised of 1.3 million people, of which 311,489 were Catholic.

SOURCE AND SUMMIT PROCESSION

BOY’S REMARKABLE RECOVERY

Epiphany in Coon Rapids parishioner Jessica Dahlberg received news in May 2023 that her son, Joshua, had transverse myelitis after a fall while playing soccer had hospitalized him. The transverse myelitis caused paralysis from the waist down in Joshua, who was given a 10% chance of ever walking again. Father Paul Baker, at the time a parochial vicar at Epiphany, visited the hospital to give Joshua his first Communion. He also gave Joshua the anointing of the sick, generally done for people at the end of life. Hours later, Joshua started wiggling his toes. In 10 days, he was able to walk with some assistance. His rapid recovery befuddled the neurologist, Jessica said, and she noted the significance of the Eucharist and the many prayers said for her

son and their family. One year later, on May 5, Joshua ran in three events at a middle school track meet, another step in his recovery that left all doubts about his return to health in the dust.

HMONG PARISH MOVE

On May 27, about 7,000 pilgrims processed down Summit Avenue in St. Paul in the 4.5-mile Source and Summit Eucharistic Procession. They walked from The St. Paul Seminary to the Cathedral of St. Paul. The procession was part of the northern Marian Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (NEP), which began eight days earlier from Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, along with three other processions from the Eastern, Western and Southern United States. All four processions converged in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21. The Congress included clergy, religious and laypeople from across the United States who came to worship Jesus in the Eucharist. The procession in St. Paul was the largest such gathering in the country outside of the Congress itself.

ORDAINING 13 PRIESTS

Thirteen men were ordained as priests on May 25 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, the most since 15 were ordained in 2005. The newly ordained priests ranged in age from 26 to 48, all with different backgrounds and talents, Archbishop Bernard Hebda noted in his homily. “How God has prepared us is beyond our imagining,” Archbishop Hebda said. Friends and family gathered to support Fathers Francis “Frankie” Floeder, Hjalmar Gudjonsson, Michael Maloney, Sean Mulcare, Michael Panka, Alexander Rasset, Ryan Sustacek, Nicholas Vance, Joseph Wappes, Brent Bowman, Philip Conklin, Derek Gilde and Christopher Yanta.

The ministry to Hmong Catholics at St. Vincent de Paul in St. Paul ended after 29 years as the Hmong community there joined Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood on July 1. Father Toulee Peter Ly, who grew up in St. Vincent de Paul parish and speaks Hmong, is currently the pastor at Presentation of Mary. Father Ly said the transition was a beautiful experience. The move had many benefits, including a parish school at Presentation, lower maintenance costs and additional opportunities for adult faith formation and music ministry. “It was anticipated, moreover, that the move would provide Presentation Parish with both an influx of new parishioners and a greater ability to bring the Good News of Jesus to those who live within its parish boundaries, many of whom are Hmong,” Archbishop Bernard Hebda said in a letter about the move.

BYRNE RESIDENCE

Major renovations to the Leo C. Byrne Residence for retired priests were celebrated at a June 17 Mass in the complex’s newly renovated chapel. A fundraising campaign that featured several large donations and many smaller ones made the $6.5 million worth of renovations possible. The effort was enthusiastically endorsed by Archbishop Bernard Hebda and the fundraising was spearheaded by Bill Lentsch, chief operating officer of the archdiocese. Much of the work on the roof, windows, HVAC system and lighting was done in 2023 and 2024. And the Leo C. Byrne Residence Trust was created,

2024 Look-Back

By Josh McGovern,

Look-Back

with stewardship support from the Catholic Community Foundation in St. Paul, providing an ongoing, dedicated maintenance fund.

EXTREME FAITH CAMP

Tim and Helen Healy of Holy Name of Jesus in Medina found a permanent home for Extreme Faith Camp, which since 2001 had provided weeklong summer camps at various sites for youth in the archdiocese. That permanent home is on a 700-acre property in Trego, Wisconsin. The Healys named the property Trinity Woods Catholic Retreat Center. It is owned by the Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership, a nonprofit the Healys helped create. Last year, over four weeks, attendance for Extreme Faith Camp was about 900 campers. On the new property in 2024,

CROOKSTON PRIESTS

Effective July 1, three priests of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who are members of the priestly fraternity Companions of Christ were assigned to the Diocese of Crookston for three years to meet pastoral needs there. Nearly half of Crookston’s active priests will reach retirement age in the next 10 years, and while the diocese has plenty of seminarians, the next ordination will be in 2028, the archbishop announced. Father David Blume was named pastor of St. Philip and St. Charles. Recently, he also agreed to assist Bishop Andrew Cozzens as vicar general of the diocese, which is based in Crookston, an hour and a half from Bemidji. Father Josh Salonek and Father Tom Niehaus were both appointed parochial vicars of St. Philip and St. Charles parishes. Father Niehaus also serves as chaplain for campus outreach at nearby Bemidji State.

over seven weeks, the camp played host to a record 2,000 campers. More than 70 parishes sent kids to camp.

LITTLE SISTERS LEAVING

Little Sisters of the Poor’s Mother Julie Marie Horseman announced on Oct. 23 her congregation’s decision to seek a buyer for its St. Paul Holy Family Residence near downtown St. Paul, concluding the religious order’s more than 140 years of caring for the elderly poor in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The Little Sisters of the Poor are also withdrawing from several other homes in the United States and other countries as part of a strategic plan to strengthen their ministry, Mother Julie said. A search is underway for a new provider the sisters hope will be Catholic and based in the Twin Cities. The community will maintain a presence at the home through the transition, minimizing disruption for residents and employees, Mother Julie told an overflow crowd in the home’s auditorium. “We have to move … I just want to say thank you once again and we’re here with you and we appreciate your support.”

PREGNANCY RESOURCE FUNDING CUT

Pregnancy resource centers in the Twin Cities, and Minnesota as a whole, reeled from a legislative move signed off in August by Gov. Tim Walz to repeal the Positive Alternatives Grant. Since 2005, the grant had provided $3 million in funding every fiveyear grant cycle to pregnancy resource centers “to promote healthy pregnancy outcomes,” according to the grant’s original writing. In 2021, a total of 27 clinics and organizations were awarded funds from the grant, funds that were intended to continue annually until 2025.

FAITH AND FARMING

Catholic Rural Life (CRL) celebrated 100 years of ministering to Catholics like Jim Glisczinski, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Prairie in Belle Plaine, who live and work in rural settings. As part of his involvement, Glisczinski hosts seminarians at his farm every fall to learn about farm equipment. The St. Paul-based national organization receives support from 80 dioceses. Although it now has members in 45 states, CRL began with one man, Father Edwin O’Hara, who grew up on a farm near Lanesboro in southeast Minnesota. Father O’Hara attended The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul and was ordained in 1905 by Archbishop John Ireland. While serving as a chaplain in France during World War I, Father O’Hara met many young American soldiers from rural communities who did not know their faith. He resolved to help change that through CRL.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES 2024

In 2024, Minnesota state legislation, passed and rejected, impacted Catholics in the archdiocese. On May 15, Gov. Tim Walz signed into state law legislation that added a new religious exemption to the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA). The MHRA is designed to ensure all Minnesotans are treated equally and that no one is discriminated against based on personal traits including disability, race and sex. The new exemption counters an amendment to the MHRA passed in 2023 that included gender identity as a protected status. Also, regarding religious liberty, a proposed Equal Rights Amendment opposed by the Minnesota Catholic Conference because it lacked language protecting religious beliefs failed to pass both the Minnesota House and Senate. In another area of law, an End-of-Life Option Act was introduced and ultimately failed. The bill would have required physicians and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in Minnesota to inform people with a terminal diagnosis, and a prognosis of six months or less, of their option to receive a lethal drug prescription — called, in the proposal, “medical aid in dying medication.”

PHOTOS BY DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

The Catholic Spirit

Navy vet discovers Catholic social teaching ‘late in life’

By Christina Capecchi For The Catholic Spirit

Jim Anderson received four years of first-rate theology instruction at the University of Notre Dame, but it wasn’t until decades later, as a volunteer with Catholic Charities Twin Cities, that he discovered Catholic social teaching. It resonated deeply.

“I guess I wasn’t paying attention (as a college student),” said Anderson, 74, who attends Assumption in St. Paul, where he and his wife, Kathleen, serve as sacristans. “I came to those concepts late in life, and I’m so glad my service with Catholic Charities stimulated that kind of reflection.”

After serving for 26 years in the Navy and then working with 3M, Anderson joined the Catholic Charities Twin Cities’ board. Every Monday, he volunteers at the St. Paul Opportunity Center, a daytime shelter located on the Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Place campus in downtown St. Paul.

Q As a boy, your dad was deployed for ninemonth stints with the Navy.

A We’d write him letters, and he’d write back. That was our connection with him. Mom would read us his letters at dinner. Decades later, when I was married with an infant and on my second ship (with the Navy), I’d make a point of writing every day or every other day. Mail call, when a postal clerk would come up and put letters in the little slots and call out names, was an important thing. You’d be elated if there was something for you.

I haven’t kept up letter writing, and I think as a result my brain has changed. It’s become harder to concentrate. When you’re connected electronically, there are all these rabbit holes and you’re very easily distracted. I’m sorry I’ve lost that skill.

Q What has stayed with you from the Navy?

A Learning to be a leader and learning to be a follower. I always thought about loyalty as loyalty upward — loyal to your boss, your country. But one of the men I worked for taught me that, if you served well with him, he’d make sure he was loyal to you, and he’d always be there to help, advise and influence, if he could, your career. Loyalty upward and downward. That enabled me, at the age of 48, to jump into a senior management position at 3M and hit the ground running.

Q That job gave your family more stability, settling in the Twin Cities. Eventually you found your way to Assumption.

A A close friend told me about the friendly banter between (the late) Father Steve O’Gara and Father John Malone when Father O’Gara was the pastor and Father Malone was the pastor emeritus. My friend said, “And the other thing you’ll like is it’s within a block of the Dorothy Day Center, and people from there come over for Mass. It’s very inclusive and welcoming.” We were living in Oak Park Heights and decided to start going to Mass at Assumption, 16 miles away. Later when we became empty nesters we moved to St. Paul. If anything was ever heavensent, it was that: That I could come to St. Paul and be right next door to my church and where I focus my service.

Q How did getting involved with Catholic Charities Twin Cities open your eyes?

A They taught me about the parable at the end of (the Gospel of) Matthew, where the king returns and separates the good people from the bad people, like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he writes about the criteria: When I was hungry, you gave me food, when I was thirsty, you gave me a drink. My No. 1 goal is to be one of the sheep. I didn’t know I felt this way until I got involved with Catholic Charities when I was 57 years old. That parable really captured my imagination.

When I joined the board, they gave me a book by Father Larry Snyder, the former director of Catholic Charities Twin Cities, about Catholic social teaching

called “Think and Act Anew.” That was the title of the speech Abe Lincoln gave. It’s a very practical book.

We learned about the seven tenets of Catholic social teaching, and three are really important to me. First, the one about the dignity of each human person. If I pass someone who looks some way I might disapprove of, I have to remind myself: “But he’s a child of God.” Second is the preferential option for the poor. I always thought this was something Bill Gates said, but apparently, it’s in the Gospels: To those who are given much, much is expected. And the third concept is solidarity. We’re all in this together.

I think about all these concepts, coming to them later in life. I don’t have all the answers. I wish I knew more. But I do think about them.

Q Every Monday afternoon you arrive at the Opportunity Center with a cart full of games, and you usually play cribbage with a small group.

A It’s fun. We play games and have a little side conversation going on there. I’ve gotten to know names. I now have a list of over 175 people that I’ve met, one time or another. I keep it on a note on my phone. I try to remember people’s names. I’ve found they like that. They’re as different as any other group you’d meet, but they have some commonalities and things you recognize in yourself.

Q Do you fight the urge to offer advice or try to fix their problems?

A Yeah. That’s what I’ve done all my life. But I realize my limitations, and I don’t know how to fix it. I wish I was smart enough to understand the whole picture. I don’t. I just see my little piece of it. It’s beyond my knowledge. I wish we’d focus — as the city of St. Paul and the state of Minnesota — more attention and resources on homelessness. These are our brothers and sisters who lack what we take for granted, which is a roof.

You have to meet the people where they are — not

where you are. We volunteers are taught to assume that each person we encounter has dealt with trauma in their lives, so don’t be surprised if they don’t necessarily act the way you would. They might be defensive. They might be very introverted like James. We play three hours of cribbage every Monday. When he decides we’re going to quit, he just gets up and leaves. He doesn’t say goodbye or thank you. I’ve learned that’s not a reflection of what I’ve done. That’s just the way he is. Maybe the fact that he’ll look at me and make jokes and tease me the way I tease him is a breakthrough.

I always ask him: Is there anything you need? He has nobody else. It’s usually simple. Once he asked me to get him some Pepto-Bismol.

He shows an amazing equanimity in spite of the limitations placed on him.

Q How do you make Christmas meaningful?

A We try to turn the pace down. We always get our two sons home for Christmas. That’s a big deal. We like to take our time. We don’t want a hectic schedule.

At Assumption, Kathy and I are usually asked to be sacristans for one of the evening Masses on Christmas Eve, which we love. At the end of the service, the choir sings “Silent Night.” The last couple of years, I’ve been privileged to be back in the sacristy at that point, and when the pastor introduces the song, he gives me a sign and I turn the lights down. They sing it in German first, then in English. It’s pretty touching.

Q What do you know for sure?

A Very little except that salvation is achievable if we live good lives and give and serve. I’m just an average guy who wants to be — fittingly enough, near Lake Wobegone — above average. Time’s a-wasting — I’m 74. I don’t know how many more years I have left here, but I’ve got lots to do and still lots to give. That’s what I know for sure.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Jim Anderson, right, talks with James O’Brien at the St. Paul Opportunity Center, a daytime shelter located on the Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Place campus in downtown St. Paul.

FOCUSONFAITH

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES

FATHER JOHN PAUL ERICKSON

Christ invites us to join the dance

Love liberates. It gives the heart the strength to stand fast in moments of tremendous suffering. It buoys the mind when threatened by the darkness of disappointment and loss. It propels the stagnant and slow into the lives of others, bringing light and grace. It brings rebirth. And it makes one dance. On this final Sunday of Advent, Holy Mother Church puts before us the figure of John the Baptist. But it’s not the usual locust-eating, finger-pointing, wild-eyed John of the desert. This is the little child John, resting peacefully within the warm darkness of Elizabeth’s womb. But upon the herald of Mary’s greeting, an echo of the song she herself had learned from Gabriel only

days before, his eyes snap open and a smile conquers the face that will one day look so stern. And he dances, leaping with abandon in the presence of Love made flesh. In his joy, he teaches his elderly mother to sing, giving her youthful strength to sing of God’s goodness and the Lord’s delight in the littleness of his chosen ones.

I wonder if John remembered this moment later in life. As he grew older, did the fragrance of this memory stay with him, unclear but ever present? As he sat imprisoned in his cell, the avowed enemy of Herod’s madness, did he remember something of this day of grace, when Love enfleshed taught him how to dance? He had other memories, to be sure. Of baptizing the Christ when he knew the righteous one was sinless; of being filled by the Holy Spirit to point and to shout at the Lamb of God as he walked by, allowing his own disciples to finally find what he himself could not give them; of his confusion and wonder as he sent his few remaining followers to ask the Chosen One if he was indeed who John thought he was, and the response so full of confidence and power. But the memory of the dance … that was what had enthralled him and ultimately propelled him into the desert. The memory of love.

Amid the many dramas and disappointments of our lives, ashamed and afraid of the brood of vipers within

our own hearts, it can be so easy to forget the memory of God’s tender love, revealed in such a humble, simple and profound way in the little child of Mary’s womb. Infinity dwindled to infancy, the Little One will teach us how to dance again, if only we draw near to the manger, the altar and the poor, where he waits for us.

Within the womb of Elizabeth, John fell in love with the One who had leapt from the sky to love him. And this love made him dance, even unto glory. It was a love that gave him the strength to challenge the powerful and to comfort the afflicted, and to stand firm when all seemed to be lost. It gave him the strength to wait in the desert, waiting for the One who had visited him so many years ago. Of course he did come, and John danced again, forever young in the mansions of the Father. May Emmanuel teach us, too, in our brokenness and sadness, to dance and sing again. May we fall in love again with him who reaches out to us in the creche, longing to be held tight within the womb of our own hearts.

Get your shoes ready, my friends. Tomorrow shall be your dancing day.

Father Erickson is parochial vicar of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul.

The Christmas octave: Continuing the celebration

By D.D. Emmons OSV News

For most people, the significance of events like Easter and Christmas cannot be absorbed in one day. It’s like trying to comprehend the grandeur of the Grand Canyon in a brief visit or St. Peter’s Basilica in one walk-through. It’s not possible. We have to return.

So it is with the Nativity and the Passion of Christ. We need more time to comprehend that Resurrection morning, more time to understand the virgin birth and God coming down to earth as man. As a result, the Church gives us seven additional days to contemplate these divine mysteries. These extra days on the liturgical calendar, eight in total, are the octaves.

Octaves can be traced back to the Old Testament, when certain celebrations such as the feast of Booths (Lv 23:33ff.) and feast of the dedication of the temple (2 Chr 7:9) lasted eight days. At one time there were 15 feast days on the Church calendar that included octaves, but since 1969, only Christmas and Easter are extended with the additional days of celebration.

The Christmas octaves were introduced into the liturgical calendar soon after the date of Christmas was established in the late fourth century. This tradition continues today with octaves beginning on Christmas and ending seven days later on Jan. 1. The liturgies on these days honor individuals who loved Jesus without question. Some are martyrs, others holy men, women and even infants; all gave their lives to the one who, like us, was born as a babe. Every day of the Christmas octave is filled with meaning that reflects on the Nativity — not just the birth of Christ, but the impact of his birth.

DAILY Scriptures

Sunday, Dec. 22

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Mi 5:1-4a

Heb 10:5-10

Lk 1:39-45

Monday, Dec. 23

Mal 3:1-4, 23-24

Lk 1:57-66

Tuesday, Dec. 24

Mass in the Morning

2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 Lk 1:67-79

Wednesday, Dec. 25

The Nativity of the Lord Mass during the Day

Is 52:7-10

Heb 1:1-6 Jn 1:1-18

Dec. 26: The liturgy on the day after Christmas tells us of St. Stephen — how he was stoned to death for speaking the truth about Christ and thus became the first martyr and the first saint. He gave up his life believing in the divinity of the child born on Christmas.

Dec. 27: This day we celebrate St. John the Evangelist, the same John who was the only apostle at Calvary, who laid his head on Our Lord’s chest and through his Gospel shows us how to live in the manner of Christ.

Dec. 28: The liturgy calls us to reflect on the Holy Innocents: children under age 2 who were slaughtered by the tyrant Herod because he feared one of them might be the newborn rival king (Jesus). In our era, abortion continues to murder the innocents.

Dec. 29: It is St. Thomas Becket, the English archbishop, we commemorate on the fourth day of the octave. In 1170, he was murdered because he defended the Church from domination by King Henry II.

Dec. 30: The calendar proclaims the feast of the Holy Family — that Jesus, Mary and Joseph are the model family for the world to emulate. God came to earth to be part of a human family, born as an infant to be protected, educated and nurtured by Mary and Joseph. This small family stayed together, respecting and loving one another despite tragedies and pain. Their love and faith in God never wavered. Twenty-one centuries later, families are still influenced by their holiness.

Dec. 31: The life of Pope St. Sylvester I (d. 335) is celebrated this day. He was selected as pope immediately after Constantine ended the persecution of Christians and thus oversaw the first era of peace on earth. Pope Sylvester supported the Council of Nicea in 325, where

the Church proclaimed Jesus as both human and divine, consubstantial with the Father. He approved the Nicene Creed, still recited at every Sunday Mass.

Jan. 1: On this final and actual octave day, the Church celebrates the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. This is a holy day of obligation on which we honor the role of Mary in the salvation history of mankind. Her fiat to the angel, love of her Son and love of God have no equal among mortals. The Gospel reading this day (Lk 2:16-21) announces that the child carried by Mary was circumcised and given the name Jesus on the eighth day after his birth.

All these feasts have fixed dates on the Church calendar except for the feast of the Holy Family, which takes place on the first Sunday after Christmas. If another of the octave feast days falls on that Sunday, with one exception, it is preempted by the feast of the Holy Family and the other feast is not celebrated during the octaves. That is the case this year, with the feast of the Holy Family falling on Dec. 29. The one exception is the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. If that solemnity falls on the first Sunday after Christmas, then the Holy Family is moved to and celebrated on Dec. 30.

Each feast day within the octave continues the joys of Christmas Day and helps us understand the mystery of the Incarnation. In times past, the individuals described in each of the octave days were considered as “comites Christi,” companions of Christ, meaning each has a special relationship with Our Lord. Their placement on the Church calendar, near the birth of Christ, is not accidental.

Emmons writes from Pennsylvania.

Thursday, Dec. 26

St. Stephen, first martyr Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 Mt 10:17-22

Friday, Dec. 27

St. John, Apostle and evangelist 1 Jn 1:1-4 Jn 20:1a and 2-8

Saturday, Dec. 28

Holy Innocents, martyrs 1 Jn 1:5–2:2 Mt 2:13-18

Sunday, Dec. 29

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 or 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28

Col 3:12-21 or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24 Lk 2:41-52

Monday, Dec. 30 1 Jn 2:12-17 Lk 2:36-40

Tuesday, Dec. 31 1 Jn 2:18-21 Jn 1:1-18

Wednesday Jan. 1

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God Num 6:22-27 Gal 4:4-7 Lk 2:16-21

Thursday, Jan. 2 Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church

1 Jn 2:22-28 Jn 1:19-28

Friday, Jan. 3 1 Jn 2:29–3:6 Jn 1:29-34

Saturday, Jan. 4

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious 1 Jn 3:7-10 Jn 1:35-42

Sunday, Jan. 5 Epiphany of the Lord Is 60:1-6 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 Mt 2:1-12

Monday, Jan. 6 1 Jn 3:22–4:6 Mt 4:12-17, 23-25

Tuesday, Jan. 7 1 Jn 4:7-10 Mk 6:34-44

Wednesday, Jan. 8 1 Jn 4:11-18 Mk 6:45-52

Thursday, Jan. 9 1 Jn 4:19–5:4 Lk 4:14-22

Friday, Jan. 10 1 Jn 5:5-13 Lk 5:12-16

Saturday, Jan. 11 1 Jn 5:14-21 Jn 3:22-30

Sunday, Jan. 12

The Baptism of the Lord Is 42:1-4, 6-7 or Is 40:1-5, 9-11 Acts 10:34-38 or Ti 2:11-14; 3:4-7 Lk 3:15-16, 21-22

Our state faces real challenges. Catholics are

COMMENTARY

YOUR HEART, HIS HOME | LIZ KELLY STANCHINA

Serving the least of these

Jeff Tiner is a part-time caregiver for Howie, an elderly gentleman who lives in a very large group-housing situation. Howie has some serious limitations, including club feet and having had part of his heart and brain removed over the years. He suffers with psychiatric issues and it’s getting nearly impossible for him to walk. He won’t keep his humble job working in a laundry much longer. For Howie, simple tasks are far from simple, and Tiner is an answered prayer.

It helps that Howie is a faithful man, Tiner a passionate convert — they embrace their situation with extraordinary grace.

For example, where Howie lives, the chapel is located on the fourth floor and there’s no elevator. So, Tiner makes sure that holy Communion is brought to Howie. Shopping for necessities became more and more hazardous as Howie would often get mugged or robbed afterward, losing not only his hard-won purchases but having to withstand the

FAITH AT HOME | LAURA KELLY FANUCCI

Every dawn an Advent, every day a

New Year

Imagine two doors before you: one wide, one narrow.

You stand on the threshold. A moment of decision.

The wide door hints at busy brightness behind. You can hear music, laughter and many voices. You catch a hint of delicious smells and colorful lights. The pull is almost irresistible.

But you pause, hand on doorknob. The mere presence of another door is intriguing. It stands smaller and quieter. You cannot make out anything behind it, but you wonder where it goes. What difference will it make, which door you choose?

As Catholics, we stand before two doors: secular time and Church time. The ancient Greeks — and thus the early Church — had two words for these different senses of time. Chronos is chronological: earthly, ordinary, one day after the next. Kairos, on the other hand, is sacred: extraordinary, holy and perfect whenever it interrupts our daily lives.

God is always waiting to meet us in kairos, right in the midst of our chronos.

Each day we stand before the doors of chronos and kairos. We can enter into the frantic, fastpaced, nonstop rush of consumerist culture, with its endless urgent cries of “buy, buy, buy” and “more, more, more.” Or we can turn and open another door, the quieter way of faith. Here we learn to listen, to slow down and quiet our hearts, to learn more about the mystery of God and turn our lives toward Christ in response to his call.

The door we choose will change our lives — and the lives of those we love.

A delightful (and overlooked) aspect of the liturgical calendar is how it teaches us to live “off time” with the rest of the world. While secular society is swarming with Christmas sales and endof-year specials, we’ve already celebrated our new year with the start of Advent. And while Jan. 1 gets

pain, terror and injustice of assault. So, Tiner now does Howie’s shopping and let’s just say, Tiner is not the type of guy to get mugged. He’s keeping Howie in toothpaste and deodorant and the like.

LIFE & HUMAN DIGNITY

Howie also used to live in an area of their complex that was extremely unsettling. A neighbor who suffered grave mental illness and was not receiving the medication he needed would sometimes scream through the night battling imaginary foes who attacked him in his hallucinations. So, Tiner made arrangements for Howie to move.

sadly not an uncommon occurrence. Understandably, the idea of even entering the dining hall, for someone as frail as Howie is, filled Howie with dread. So now, Tiner brings food to Howie so he’s no longer exposed to the violence and mayhem.

Join Minnesota ’s bishops, dynamic Church leaders, and 1,000+ Catholics across the state for a day of inspiration and advocacy at our State Capitol.

 Kids and students 22 -and -under FREE!

Despite his limitations, Howie is a devoted evangelist. He loves to hand out prayer cards and will stop and pray on the spot for anyone who asks. He gives other residents directions to the chapel and tells them what time Mass is. Moved by this witness, Tiner says, “I am a man-servant to a saint.”

It’s easier to do now that Howie’s cell has been moved right next to Tiner’s. Tiner even rigged up a device, whereby he can hold a mirror outside of his cell and angle it in such a way that he can check on Howie visually, making sure he’s OK. Tiner visits, in the way he can, “the least of these” (Mt 25:40).

 Breakfast and lunch included with registration.

What makes this story more glorious is this: it takes place in prison. Tiner and Howie both have been incarcerated for decades for serious crimes. Like the good thief crucified alongside Jesus, they acknowledge their guilt, ask the Lord to remember them, and in the meantime do what they can to live repentant lives. And this is how aging in prison happens for some — other inmates are assigned as caregivers and watchdogs.

Even eating is wrought with anxiety for Howie. “Chow time” is a wild cacophony of screaming and fistfights initiated by frustrated and forgotten men with nothing to lose. A fight broke out recently and someone was stabbed,

heralded as the perfect time for “new year, new you,” the Church begins the calendar year with the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

 Learn the issues, hear dynamic speakers, and meet your legislators.

I am humbled that through a series of twists and turns, I have been able to get to know Tiner, a member of the Lay Canossians serving from Oregon State Penitentiary, and Howie, friendships I have come to treasure. I pray for the grace to be worthy of them. And to tell their story with integrity and care such that all our hearts are opened to share in so much suffering — and grace and glory — that goes unseen.

 See the newly renovated State Capitol!

Lord, I pray in a special way for all those incarcerated — guilty or innocent, rehabilitated or not — and ask for the courage to embrace their reality and to offer aid where and how I can. Jesus, teach us how to tend to the least of these such that your healing grace would flow freely throughout the world, even and especially, behind prison bars. Amen. Stanchina is the author of more than a dozen books and the community leader for Women’s Formation at the Word on Fire Institute. Visit her website at LizK.org

This is our moment. Let’s go!

At every turn, our Catholic faith invites us to follow Christ down the narrow way. What’s more, this choice is offered to us every day, as if each dawn brings another Advent or New Year’s Day. God’s mercies are fresh each morning (Lam 3:22-23).

INSIDE THE CAPITOL | MCC

Learn more and register at CatholicsAtTheCapito

HOSTS:

As a child I was charmed by Anne of Green Gables’ plucky words: “Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it.” But as adults, we learn it’s hard to scrub the slate clean. Grudges fester, resentment simmers, and even ordinary conflicts quickly cloud our relationships.

Forgiveness ranks among the hardest parts of the Christian life. This is why Jesus spoke of forgiveness often in the Our Father, why the Church celebrates reconciliation as a sacrament and why God pours out grace to help us. We cannot forgive alone, but it changes lives — for spouses, children, siblings, friends, relatives, co-workers and anyone whose path crosses ours.

A reflection on the 93rd session

SPONSORS:

Here is where the beauty of the Church year beckons us again.

If we are always living the spirit of Advent, then we are constantly anticipating the coming of Christ. If we strive to keep our hearts open like Mary, then we are forever turning our year toward God.

“Today a new day dawns, the day of our redemption, prepared by God from ages past, the beginning of our never ending gladness.” The Office of Readings includes this responsory for Christmas, but the wonder of God’s grace and the power of reconciliation mean that we could pray these words every morning.

What if we tried to live more like this? Trusting that each new day is part of God’s plan for salvation. Believing in the transformative practice of forgiveness. Trying to love one another, then waking up and doing it again.

To enter by the narrow door, we must bow our heads with humility. We may miss out on the fleeting fun, ego boosts, or selfish gains behind the wide door that leads to the wild world. But if we trust that Jesus is the way, we will find love waiting for us inside.

Family life brings endless possibilities to try again. Each morning when we wake up, which door will we choose?

Fanucci, a member of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, is an author, speaker and founder of Mothering Spirit, an online gathering place on parenting and spirituality at motheringspirit com

November and December are a time of looking back at the prior year and looking ahead to the new one — in the Church and at the Minnesota State Capitol. In the Church, we end the liturgical year (right after the general election) with the feast of Christ the King, remembering that no matter who is in public office, the Lord is on the throne. We then enter Advent, where we begin anew in anxious anticipation of his coming now in consolation to feed us; the Word of Life becomes the Bread of Life.

At the Capitol, the election is, in some ways, a referendum on the prior biennium and starts the process by which we look forward to a new Legislature and what may be accomplished.

Looking back

Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) staff and bishops reflected this fall on our public policy efforts in the previous biennium (2023-2024) and how they are rooted in the principles of Catholic social teaching and the enduring truth of God’s Word. To visualize the consistent ethic of life and preferential option for the poor and vulnerable that guides our advocacy, we published an Advocacy Report on the 93rd Legislative Session (mncatholic org/advocacy93) as a comprehensive review of the past biennium (2023-2024) at the Minnesota State Legislature. This report highlights the critical work of MCC staff and the Catholic bishops of Minnesota.

The report serves to educate Catholics about the wide array of policy issues MCC addresses, from protecting life and supporting families to upholding religious freedom and promoting environmental stewardship. Many Catholics are unaware of the breadth of MCC’s efforts or the extent to which legislative decisions impact our faith and values, the importance of these issues and how they connect to our civic responsibility. Among significant accomplishments detailed in the report:

uThe passage of a nation-leading Child Tax Credit, providing financial relief for growing low- and middleincome families;

BISHOP JAMES CONLEY Diocese of Lincoln, Neb.

GLORIA PURIVS Black Catholics United for Life

ARCHBISHOP BERNARD HEBDA

BISHOP ANDREW COZZ Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN | DEACON GORDON BIRD

Traditions echo through the most holy times

Christmas and Easter traditionally are the holiest times of the year. Or at least they should be in family life. And it’s a safe bet to say that with authentic Christian families, they are treated as the most sacred of celebratory times, rooted with rich, memorable traditions.

Fortunately, thanks to my parents, my Protestant upbringing paved the way for me to appreciate the breadth and depth of the key liturgical seasons when I became Catholic. And I embrace the fullness of preparing for and celebrating those holiest times in the deepest traditional sense.

Being raised in a faithful, church-going Methodist family in rural, small-town Iowa, the traditional candlelight services on Christmas Eve still echo in my memory. A solemn evening of prayer, Scripture and Christmas hymns, and of course, candles in every pew provided the ambiance for the sacred night. Before the gift exchanges and celebration of Christmas began, going to the candlelight service

CATHOLIC OR NOTHING COLIN MILLER

Treating ourselves like a factory

In the November column, I wrote about how, under the pressure of making every aspect of life as efficient as possible — what I’ve been calling Taylorism — our world becomes increasingly quantified and commodified.

Totalized Taylorism thus results in a totalized economy: There is little left in the world that is not for sale. And this fits hand in hand with the external systems I’ve been suggesting today radically monopolize the sources of production and make it very difficult to cultivate any true local community with strong internal social bonds. A world of commodified things is a world in which our lives can be managed for us by expert strangers. This state of affairs had already largely become a reality by the close of the 20th century. But, as it’s turned out, Taylorism wasn’t as total as it could be. In a factory 100 years ago, or working on a spreadsheet 25 years ago, there was still an outside — a part of life that wasn’t subjected to standardized measurement, a domain that was not commodified. Today that outside is dwindling fast, especially as digital technologies penetrate deeper into the corners of our lives, and as radical monopolies make use of these technologies, making us dependent

reminded us of the true light — Jesus as a babe — coming into the world as God with us. And as a young child this night was to keep me somewhat focused on the significance of the evening. It was a fond tradition that still resonates.

As it happened, I married a cradle Catholic — I am still happily married to her — and then joined the Church early in our marriage. When I became Catholic, the traditions of holy days like Christmas grew in number, meaning and fullness. Christmas, for example, I learned is a season of devotion and celebration — not just a day. I find this particularly true in its traditional, preparatory nature. One of the new experiences of being a convert to the faith was learning of the anticipatory and preparatory time for the body and the spirit. And then learning that all this praise, glory and worship goes on not only before but also after the celebratory day of Christmas.

Indeed, much goes on before and after the big day we are about to celebrate this month. The Advent season (i.e., prep time) and the Christmas octave (i.e., feast time) are examples of the significance of the holy season we’re in — reminding us that Christmas is not just a day. Advent (i.e., our miniLent) precedes the birth of our Lord by quietly settling and blessing us with the time to prepare to celebrate the joy of the coming of the babe, Jesus, whose name means “God saves.” Advent prepares us to celebrate that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14) on Christmas Day and during the octave that continues the celebration.

Perhaps you have been encountering Jesus while preparing for his glorious first coming in many of your own traditional ways: daily Mass, adoration

on an increasingly vast institutional apparatus.

At the time of the first factories 250 years ago, it was often pointed out that the newly emerging economy tended to make human labor into a commodity. That itself was bad enough, as the popes pointed out, because it meant that your life depended upon selling your God-given abilities. But again, at that point there was still an outside — plenty left of life that couldn’t yet be subsumed into the market.

Today we’re confronted with something else. Increasingly, our entire lives are bought and sold.

This happens in a variety of ways. Everything that we do online is, of course, tracked and subsequently sold as data. And to the extent that our lives are not only expressed, but actually take place online, ever more of what we do, think and feel — more of who we are — gets sold to the highest bidder. We even pay for the devices that will sell us most efficiently and totally — watches for our bodies and Alexa for our homes.

The so-called gig economy means that employment is increasingly broken up into odd jobs or one-time gigs: pick up someone’s dry cleaning or McDonald’s, do their laundry, babysit, create a website, mow the lawn. And this means that ever more of our actions become marketable: driving becomes Uber, thinking goes on social media or our Substack, we sell our apartment on Airbnb when we’re away. All of life is a potential commodity. And with most of this economy run through digital platforms, apps or websites, we become even more dependent upon these external systems and the web of institutions that supports them.

At the same time, the internetbased nature of this economy makes it increasingly hard to find work at all that does not require us to maintain a second digital self — our

of the Blessed Sacrament; daily Advent readings, meditations and rosaries; through weekly small group prayer fellowship; serving and visiting the poor, homebound or senior living centers; just to name a few works of mercy. Keep them alive! Especially those ways in which the reality of Jesus’ humanity and divinity becomes present. Traditions that augment the reason for the season matter. At this time, you may be at home in the evening chanting one of the seven “O Antiphons” that precede the vigil of Christmas (by that many days). Addressing and petitioning the coming of Christ via these “O Antiphons” devotionally and gracefully help close Advent. It is a blessing to do this holy traditional chant in communion with family or friends. All will remember being on watch together — waiting for the coming of the Christ child.

On Christmas Day, during the Christmas season and beyond, encounter Jesus in the sacraments and in your daily activities. All of this helps us remind each other as family that God came to save us, fully human and fully divine as Jesus. He who was sent for our salvation in the humblest of ways certainly is worthy of not only our deepest devotions, but simple and fun ones, too. Our family and parish life acts as a witness to our culture that needs to know all about the true Savior of the world. So go ahead and sing through the 12 days of Christmas as well — all the way to Epiphany.

Deacon Bird ministers at St. Joseph in Rosemount and All Saints in Lakeville and assists with the archdiocesan Catholic Watchmen movement. He can be reached at gordonbird@rocketmail com

online profile — which we have to be constantly curating and optimizing. This means making a living is to be always producing our very selves online. We make ourselves part of the totalized economy, an extension of the factory society has become. In social media, business profiles, or commercial platforms, I now optimize and Taylorize not machines or other people on an assembly line, but myself. I become the product that I produce and sell.

I often do this to make a living, but today there are even more compelling enticements to be constantly selling ourselves online than simply making money. We all desire friendship and community, and today these — or what currently passes for them — increasingly take place online. But this means that there’s no limit to the time and energy we spend selling ourselves to our online constituencies. Social life takes place digitally, and so if to be

human is to be social (as we humans instinctually know), this adds even more pressure to constantly manage our image. If we don’t do this, our socalled friends will just go on without us. Sell yourself or be alone. So, neverendingly self-optimizing simply is the fabric of life.

We treat ourselves like a factory just to have a social life. That’s Taylorism totalized.

Next month, we’ll draw some conclusions from all of this and take a look at the toll this way of life is taking on us.

Miller is the director of the Center for Catholic Social Thought at Assumption in St. Paul. He is the author of “We Are Only Saved Together: Living the Revolutionary Vision of Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement,” published by Ave Maria Press.

ARCHDIOCESAN CHANCERY CORPORATION ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT • 2024

FINANCIAL OFFICER REPORT

By Thomas Mertens Chief Financial Officer, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

INTRODUCTION

Fiscal year 2024 for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis began July 1, 2023, and ended June 30, 2024. We had budgeted a small deficit for the year due to anticipated spending on the important work described in Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s 2022 pastoral letter, “You will be My Witness: Gathered and Sent From the Upper Room.” Nevertheless, we in fact generated a surplus from operations during fiscal year 2024 driven by two significant items — Investment Income and Other Income. Investment Income exceeded our budgeted expectations on account of our long-standing and conservative practice to not budget Investment Income due to market volatility. Other Income received a significant boost from a $1.3 million contribution received from the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation (CSAF), which was dissolved in 2024. The income will be distributed to the ministries for which those funds were raised.

Leadership and staff at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center (ACC) closely monitor costs and manage expenses as we help meet the needs of pastors, parish staff, and principals and teachers in Catholic schools as they provide spiritual and temporal service to people across the archdiocese.

I am grateful for the support of the women and men of this local Church. I commit that we will continue to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us.

OPERATING RESULTS

For the year ending June 30, 2024, we generated a surplus from operations of $1.7 million as compared to $160,000 in 2023.

Total operating revenue in fiscal year 2024 was $30.6 million, up from $22.4 million in fiscal year 2023. The current year increase primarily resulted from an increase in Contributions of $5.7 million related to the Catholic Services Appeal (CSA) in 2024 becoming part of the ACC. The following revenue components also increased year-over-year: Other Income by $1.3 million as noted above, Assessment Revenue by $923,000, and Investment Income by $407,000.

Assessment Revenue, our primary source of revenue, is generated from the 185 parishes within the Archdiocese and is calculated and billed on a two-year lag, meaning that aggregate parish financial results for the years ending June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2021, formed the basis for the Assessment Revenue we received for the years ended June 30, 2024, and June 30, 2023, respectively. The $923,000 year-over-year increase resulted from a post-COVID-19 pandemic parish plate and envelope rebound. The increase in Investment Income was due to favorable market conditions experienced by the broader market in the second half of the fiscal year.

Our Program Services operating expenses increased by $5.9 million over the prior year primarily due to the 2024 dissolution of the CSAF and the CSA becoming a program within the ACC. The CSA ministry and operating expenses accounted for $5.6 million of the increase. In addition, Support Services increased by $728,000 over the prior year due to the development and expansion of the programs described in the pastoral letter, mainly the Office of Discipleship and Evangelization, and the offices of Mission Advancement and Mission Support.

NON-OPERATING ACTIVITY: DISPOSITION OF ASSETS

In October 2022, the Archdiocese entered into agreements with the Leo C. Byrne Residence Trust and

an assignment of ground lease with The Saint Paul Seminary, which transferred the Byrne Residence building, fixtures and personal property owned by the Archdiocese to a newly formed irrevocable tax-exempt trust. The seminary and the Archdiocese entered into a 99-year ground lease agreement in 1995, by which the seminary leased to the Archdiocese, rent free, exclusive use of the land upon which the Byrne Residence is located. The trust received all of the Archdiocese’s rights, title and interest in the ground lease as part of the agreement. This transfer of assets resulted in a noncash loss on disposition of $646,000 in fiscal year 2023. Comparatively for fiscal year 2024, there was a small loss on the disposition of operational assets.

The trust established a designated fund at the Catholic Community Foundation and, thus far, certain donors have contributed approximately $8 million for the initial renovations to the Byrne Residence and for ongoing capital expenditures, maintenance and operating expenses in perpetuity. The Archdiocese entered into a Byrne Residence Funding Agreement with the trust and funded, per the agreement, an initial contribution of $250,000 to the trust and $619,000 of operating costs and standard maintenance in fiscal year 2023. In fiscal year 2024, the Archdiocese funded $646,000 of operating costs and standard maintenance.

FINANCIAL POSITION

Net assets of the Archdiocese were $25.3 million as of June 30, 2024, as compared to $23.6 million on June 30, 2023. The $1.7 million increase was due mainly to the increase in both Other Income and Investment Income. The total cash balance as of June 30, 2024, was $7.5 million, an increase of $2.7 million from June 30, 2023. The increase was mainly due to contributions received as part of the CSA in 2024 and the Other Income from the CSAF.

Our existing cash balance as of June 30, 2024, consisted of $1.8 million of cash without donor restrictions, $5.1 million of board-designated cash, and $600,000 of cash with donor restrictions. The boarddesignated cash represents funds set aside for capital projects of $1.1 million, the remaining portion of the Joyful Catholic Leaders capital campaign pledge payable of $625,000, and $3.4 million of excess funds received over cash distributed for the CSA and the Other Income from the CSAF.

The other significant changes to the balance sheet as of June 30, 2024, include an increase in the Investments and Beneficial Interest in Perpetual Trusts of $1.7 million, and Accrued Catholic Service Appeal Liabilities representing the difference between contributions received from the eternal CSA and distributions to be paid to CSA ministries.

As of June 30, 2024, we were contingently liable as guarantor for approximately $2.3 million of principal on three loans with Catholic entities within the Archdiocese. This compared to a contingent liability in 2023 of $3.2 million. Our balance sheet remains strong.

CONCLUSION

There are three key initiatives at the ACC which are driving the future of the Archdiocese. The first is Archbishop Hebda’s pastoral letter and its call to be witnesses and evangelizers for Jesus Christ and his Church. The second is maintaining vibrant parishes and wise use of resources through an effort known as renewal of structures. The third is an Archdiocesan “Lord, Renew Your Church Campaign” to help parishes meet their needs and enrich initiatives that impact the faithful. Internally, the ACC is focused on organizational renewal. Together, these efforts are helping the Archdiocese identify needs and provide the infrastructure to assist pastors, staff, principals and teachers to better serve the faithful in our 185 parishes and 90 schools, as well as the people in our wider communities. I am confident that our financial position and resourcefulness will continue to help us grow and deepen our primary mission: making the name of Jesus Christ known and loved.

ONLY JESUS

ARCHBISHOP BERNARD HEBDA

When I was named a bishop 15 years ago and instructed that I would need to select a motto for my episcopacy, it never occurred to me that “Only Jesus” would one day be tied to a financial report, like the one you can read on these pages. Nonetheless, when I consider the people and faces behind the statistics in this year’s report, I am increasingly convinced that it was the Holy Spirit who led me to choose that motto.

We know that it was Jesus who sent his Church out to make disciples. The institutional structure of our Archdiocese, often referred to as the Archdiocesan Catholic Center, exists to respond to that great commission, primarily by serving the parishes and Catholic schools of our 12-county area. We know that is primarily through the concrete efforts of their parishioners, students and staffs that our collective mission of “making Jesus known and loved” will be fulfilled.

I am grateful that this year’s report reflects the emphases of my pastoral letter, “You Will Be My Witnesses.” You will note that we have increased the staff of the Office of Discipleship and Evangelization in an effort to deepen our cooperation with the Holy Spirit’s efforts to renew this local Church. I am happy to report that the augmented team is working effectively and tirelessly to instruct, inspire and support parish efforts to encourage the development of small group ministry. As you will be seeing in The Catholic Spirit, the promotion of a culture of small groups is already helping to grow the number of people who are encountering Christ and his Church in new ways.

You may also note that we are beginning to invest in preparations for another synod assembly, building on the work that we began at our Pentecost gathering in 2022. This coming June, some 500 of your sisters and brothers will be gathering with me at Cretin-Derham Hall high school in St. Paul to continue to discern the next areas of strategic focus for the Archdiocese, even as we continue our efforts to promote small groups, to understand more fully the Mass, and to help parents in their work as primary educators of the faith.

You will note that this year’s Financial Report reflects a significant change in the Catholic Services Appeal, which is now directly overseen by the Archdiocesan Office of Mission Advancement. I am grateful to be collaborating with Jean Houghton and her team as we strive to increase financial support for some 19 important ministries that enable so many to encounter Christ through the hearts and hands of others.

And finally, the report reflects that we are giving greater attention to our retired priests living at the Leo C. Byrne Residence in St. Paul. We have joined our resources to the generous donations of a caring group of community members with an eye to caring for a group of amazing priests who have given their entire lives to bringing Jesus to others through their priestly ministry. I am happy to report that the Catholic Community Foundation is serving as an effective new partner in that effort.

I encourage you to prayerfully read the Financial Report to become aware of the areas in which we are striving to support those doing the Lord’s work in our parishes and schools. I hope that you will join me in praying that our efforts will give glory to Only Jesus.

SUPPORTING THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis serves Catholics and the wider community in the greater 12-county Twin Cities community. The following narrative briefly explains the function of each department and the funding level for FY 2024. Total department expense below includes allocations of depreciation, occupancy and archbishop expenses.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION -

$1,917,774

The Office for the Mission of Catholic Education provides vision, support and direction to Catholic schools and parish catechetical programs so they can achieve their mission to proclaim Jesus Christ and form authentic disciples of Christ through an integrated Catholic education that develops the spirit, mind and body. The office is divided into a Department of Parish Catechesis, Department of Educational Quality and Excellence, and Department of Catholic Schools. Major responsibilities for Catholic schools and parishes are aligned with the Roadmap for Excellence in Catholic Education. Those responsibilities include strategically assisting pastors, principals and parish catechetical leaders;

FINANCIAL REPORT CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

THOMAS MERTENS

FINANCIAL REPORT CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

implementing a comprehensive talent management framework; encouraging and acknowledging quality and excellence in Catholic education; serving as a resource for those involved in the essential work of parish catechesis; maintaining policies that support the work of Catholic education; representing the interests of Catholic education to a diverse set of stakeholders; and working with community partners to ensure the sustainability of programs, including the Drexel Mission Schools, which serve those in most need.

CENTRAL SERVICES -

$6,014,529

Central Services provides support and services to the Chancery Corporation staff and the parishes. The department includes Parish Accounting Service Center, Parish Standards, Parish Payroll Services Center, Metropolitan Tribunal, Records and Archives, Chancellor’s Office, Computer Services, Human Resources and Benefits Administration, and Printing Services.

CLERGY

SERVICES - $4,348,840

Various offices and programs of the Archdiocesan Catholic Center work to provide personal and ministerial resources as well as formation and ongoing clergy education for priests and deacons to enhance the fruitfulness of their ministries. The Office of Clergy Services helps support clergy assignments at parishes and other institutions. The Office of Vocations encourages prayerful discernment of a call to ordained or religious life. The Chancery Corporation operates the Leo C. Byrne Residence, which serves as a residence for retired priests. The Office of Clergy Services also assists the Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment with victim advocacy, abuse prevention efforts and support of the work of the Ministerial Review Board to ensure that all priests and deacons uphold the standards expected of Catholic clergy, and are provided appropriate support for their spiritual, physical and mental well-being.

COMMUNICATIONS -

$2,200,815

The mission of the Office of Communications is to communicate the spiritual messages and theological teachings of the Church as articulated through the archbishop and his auxiliary bishops. The office is also charged with ensuring effective ongoing two-way

communications between the Chancery Corporation offices and the many audiences they serve, particularly parishes, Catholic schools and the general public through direct communication and the news media. Office of Communications staff produce 24 issues of The Catholic Spirit newspaper annually, produce the weekly “Practicing Catholic” radio show, along with the weekly Parish Leadership Update and Archdiocesan Update electronic newsletter to 1,500 parish and Catholic school leaders and staff. The team also provides parishes and schools with crisis and communications strategy consultation and manages nearly 20 websites, blogs and social media sites.

MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND YOUTH -

$886,524

The mission of the Office of Marriage, Family and Youth is to assist and encourage all Christians to fulfill their call to holiness. This office promotes a culture of life through programs that support the vocation of marriage, the single state and outreach to youth and young adults. Programs and advocacy efforts include marriage enrichment, marriage preparation, early Catholic family life and other family outreach, respect life and pro-life groups, bio-medical ethics and outreach and catechetical preparation for persons with disabilities. In addition, Archdiocesan Youth Day, World Youth Day, the Men’s Conference, National Catholic Youth Conference and other events are coordinated through the staffing and support of the department. In all, the office sponsors or collaborates with others on over 50 events and programs annually and coordinates with 125 pro-life parish liaisons and local organizations.

CATHOLIC SERVICES APPEAL -

$5,630,571

Effective January 1, 2014, an independent 501(c)(3) organization called the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation (CSAF) was established to solicit, collect, hold and distribute all Catholic Services Appeal (CSA) donations for the benefit of a prescribed group of Catholic organizations and Chancery Corporation ministries as outlined in the CSA by-laws. The Chancery Corporation received contributions from the CSAF through December 31, 2023, to provide for these ministries including but not limited to Latino Ministry, Evangelization and Catechesis, Youth Ministry, Venezuela Mission, seminarian education, and chaplain services at hospitals and prisons throughout the archdiocese. The CSAF dissolved in 2024 and the 2024 Catholic Services Appeal was

managed by the Office of Mission Advancement. The Archdiocesan Finance Council and Corporate Board recommended that effective January 2024 what is known as the Catholic Services Appeal program would be managed and operated by the Chancery Corporation, with a continued focus on serving the poor, making Catholic education affordable, supporting life at all stages and providing ministries to those in prison and hospitals as well as support to our deaf, American Indian and multicultural ministries.

MINISTRIES AND OUTREACH

- $2,691,146

Several offices and programs offer services to parishes within the archdiocese, including the Office of Parish Services. Ministries include the Deaf Ministry, Indian Ministry for members of the local Native American community, Hospital Chaplains, Prison Ministry, Latino Ministry and the Venezuelan Mission. Through the generosity of Catholics in the archdiocese, 65,000 people in Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela, are offered access to the sacraments, food and essential services at the Jesucristo Resucitado mission parish.

The Office of Worship supports the liturgical life of the local Church and serves as a resource on liturgical law and practice for pastors and parishes serving within the archdiocese. The office helps coordinate major archdiocesan liturgical celebrations and provides catechetical and practical support for the full, conscious and active participation of God’s holy people in the Church’s sacramental and liturgical life.

SUPPORT SERVICES

GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE - $4,517,335

The offices of the retired archbishops, auxiliary bishop, vicar general, chief operating officer, accounting, finance, and general administration are included in the General and Administrative category. Almost half of this category of expense supports salaries and benefits of staff.

MISSION ADVANCEMENT

- $708,807

The Office of Mission Advancement leads efforts to promote stewardship within all ministries of the archdiocese. The office engages in outreach to benefactors to solicit support for specific ministries or programs of the Archdiocesan Catholic Center identified by the archbishop.

I’m Catholic because of the Blessed Mother and her quiet, inner education of my heart.

I was born and raised Catholic by my wonderful parents. From kindergarten through eighth grade, I attended monthly Schoenstatt meetings where I learned about virtue and the Blessed Mother. Through that formation, I grew accustomed to the idea of striving for holiness, and I learned that Mary was to be my role model and my educator.

I was about 13 when I realized that I needed to choose my faith for myself, not because it’s what my parents raised me to do. During that time, I remember being struck in my religion classes by the fact that I needed to pray in order to go to heaven. I knew that that sort of praying wasn’t just about saying some rote prayers, so I started searching for the real meaning of prayer. I kept asking, “What is prayer?” I asked that question as I searched my textbooks and tried to figure it out from the definitions I read, but I was never satisfied with the answers I found. It was a deeply personal question, and my pride and sensitive heart wouldn’t let me ask it out loud.

In high school, I started going to youth group at my parish, and I was still silently asking that question. Those four years were a time of deep inner searching and radically turning over my life to God. I started to try different methods of prayer, trying to find the answer to that burning question. I’d regularly stay up late into the night with a flashlight reading the Bible and journaling. My oldest sister had an adoration hour right before youth group would meet, and so I’d go with her each week and spend an hour reading the Bible in front of the Blessed Sacrament, looking for the elusive answer to my question.

Maria Fink Why I am Catholic

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

A pivotal moment came when I was 16. I made a special consecration to the Blessed Mother called the Covenant of Love: I gave her my heart, and she gave me hers in return. I didn’t realize it then, but that began a journey of profound inner transformation. I gradually started to discover the answer to my burning question: Prayer is a conversation with God, who loves me. The styles and words are just there to facilitate communion with him.

On Aug. 15, 2020, I deepened my covenant by giving the Blessed Mother my blank check: My life is hers, and she can ask whatever she wants of me. In return, she promises to give me everything that I need to answer her requests.

And she has taken my offering very seriously. After I graduated college a year later, she called me to spend an entire year with the Schoenstatt Sisters in Waukesha, Wisconsin, as a year of mission. Then, when I moved home, my mission was to care for my sisters and their children as they adjusted to new additions to their families. And most recently, the Blessed Mother has placed me in the pro-life movement, at Human Life Alliance, to work for her most vulnerable children. Through all these adventures, she has been teaching me how to pray and draw ever closer to her Son.

Fink, 26, is the sixth of eight children and is a member of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony. She can usually be spotted with at least one of her 15 “niblings” (nieces and nephews). She enjoys reading, chatting with her small group, road trips to visit friends and experimenting with candle making. And tea!

“Why I am Catholic” is an ongoing series in The Catholic Spirit. Want to share why you are Catholic? Submit your story in 300-500 words to CatholiCSpirit@arChSpm org with subject line “Why I am Catholic.”

CALENDAR

HOLY YEAR 2025

Jubilee Year of Hope Opening Mass — Dec. 28 and Dec. 29: 5 p.m. Dec. 28 at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis, and 10 a.m. Dec. 29, at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. Join Archbishop Hebda in opening the Jubilee Year of Hope in the archdiocese. This celebration is done in solidarity with all the dioceses of the world on December 29. Come and participate in the universal Church during this historic jubilee year.

PARISH EVENTS

Advent Choral Concert: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence — Dec. 20: 7-9 p.m. at St. Peter, 2600 Margaret St. N., North St. Paul. Featuring Advent and sacred choral music, along with organ and piano pieces, interspersed with brief literary reflections. tinyurl Com/5a8xmSd3

Carols and Cocoa at the Cathedral — Dec. 28: 9-10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. Bring the family to celebrate the Christmas octave with sing-a-long carols, stories, child-friendly adoration and Benediction, and cocoa and cookies. Register at formS offiCe Com/r/xZpvdkp3mv

WORSHIP+RETREATS

Healing the Whole Person Retreat — Registration Starts Jan. 6: at NET Ministries, 110 Crusader Ave. W., West St Paul. Through three days of teaching, worship, prayer and testimony April 10-12, attendees will encounter God in a powerful way and experience deeper freedom as the Father speaks in the depths of the heart and through the sacraments. Led by the John Paul II Healing Center, the event is offered in-person or via livestream. Learn more and register starting Jan. 6 at jpiihealingcenter.org. Email jpiiretreatStpaulmn@gmail Com for more information.

“Pilgrims of Hope” Men’s Silent Retreat presented by King’s House — Jan. 10-12: From 8 p.m. Jan. 10 to 1 p.m. Jan. 12, at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. St. Paul proclaims, “Hope does not disappoint.” During this Jubilee Year and time of grace affirm the belief in the hope that is Jesus Christ. $50 deposit. kingShouSe Com/eventS

SPEAKERS+SEMINARS

Lumen Vero Catholic Men — Jan. 9: 6:30-8 p.m. at Concord Lanes, 365 Concord Exchange N., South St. Paul. Near death experience survivor Brian Hoyland, Catholic author of “From Sudden Death to Paradise,” tells his story and conversion from being clinically dead and experiencing the afterlife, to becoming a man on fire for Christ. lumenvero Com

SCHOOLS

Benilde-St. Margaret’s Open House — Jan. 9: 6-8 p.m. at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 2501 Highway 100, St. Louis Park. BSM is happy to welcome families to campus at our Open House event, which includes a tour of classrooms and learning settings, meeting with faculty, staff and current students, and an opportunity to ask questions of the BSM admissions team. tinyurl Com/y6e7v7r2

OTHER EVENTS

Day of Equipping — Registration Starts Jan. 6: at NET Ministries, 110 Crusader Ave. W., West St Paul. During this April 11 training, led by Bart Schuchts of the John Paul II Healing Center, attendees will learn the foundations of abiding in Christ, hearing his voice and becoming empowered to pray for others as Jesus did. The event is offered in-person or via livestream. Register online starting Jan. 6 at jpiihealingCenter org. Email jpiiretreatStpaulmn@gmail Com for more information.

ONGOING GROUPS

Calix Society — First and third Sundays: 9-10:30 a.m., hosted by the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. In Assembly Hall, Lower Level. Potluck breakfast. Calix is a group of men, women, family and friends supporting the spiritual needs of recovering Catholics with alcohol or other addictions. Questions? Call Jim at 612-383-8232 or Steve at 612-327-4370.

Career Transition Group — Third Thursdays:

7:30-8:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus, 155 County Road 24, Wayzata. The Career Transition Group hosts speakers on various topics to help people looking for a job or a change in career and to enhance job skills. The meetings also allow time for networking with others and opportunities for resume review. hnoj org/Career-tranSition-group

Gifted and Belonging — Fourth Sundays: 6:30–8 p.m. at St. Matthew, 510 Hall Ave., St. Paul., and Second Fridays, 6:30-8 p.m. at Maternity of Mary, 1414 Dale St. N., St. Paul. Providing Catholic fellowship for young adults with disabilities, seen and unseen. Gather to share a time of prayer zand reflection, followed by games and social activities. Invite friends, and bring a caregiver as needed. For more information on monthly activities and/or volunteer opportunities, call Megan at 612-456-1572 or email giftedandbelonging@gmail Com

Quilters for a Cause — First Fridays: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at St. Jerome, 380 Roselawn Ave. E., Maplewood. Join other women to make quilts to donate to local

3 flat stone lots; Value: $2250/ea. Price $1700/ea.; $4500 for all. 612-669-6548

Resurrection: Single Lot Sec 60. Market: $2250, Price: $1900. dnorsten@gmail.com DUPLEX UNIT FOR RENT

Available in Cathedral area: tinyurl.com/Albans55104

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Visual Content Creation and Digital Marketing Specialist

Location: Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake, MN

Hours: 4 hours per week, some weekend work

Submit resume, portfolio, or cover letter: marketing@franciscanretreats.net franciscanretreats.net/career-opportunities

charities. Quilting experience is not necessary but basic machine skills are helpful. For more information, call the parish office: 651-771-1209. faCebook Com/profile php?id=100087945155707

Restorative Support for Victims-Survivors — Monthly: 6:30-8 p.m. via Zoom. Open to all victimssurvivors. Victim-survivor support group for those abused by clergy as adults — first Mondays. Support group for relatives or friends of victims of clergy sexual abuse — second Mondays. Victim-survivor support group — third Mondays. Survivor Peace Circle — third Tuesdays: Support group for men who have been sexually abused by clergy/religious — fourth Wednesdays. Support group for present and former employees of faith-based institutions who have experienced abuse in any of its many forms — second Thursdays. Visit arChSpm org/healing or contact Paula Kaempffer, outreach coordinator for restorative justice and abuse prevention, at kaempfferp@arChSpm org or 651-291-4429

INSIDE THE CAPITOL

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

uRestoring religious freedom in the Minnesota Human Rights Act, ensuring, among other things, that faith-based employers can hire according to mission;

uThe passage of driver’s licenses for all, granting dignity and opportunity to immigrant communities;

uPreventing the legalization of online sports gambling, safeguarding vulnerable households from a predatory industry;

uStopping the legalization of physician-assisted suicide, protecting the elderly, vulnerable and those with disabilities.

Guided by Catholic social teaching, our efforts remain consistent regardless of shifting societal trends or political ideologies.

Looking ahead

The Advocacy Report is more than a review of legislative accomplishments; it is also an invitation to reflect and act. This Advent, consider how your faith intersects with your civic life. What policy issues resonate with you? What societal debates inspire you to act? By engaging with this report, you can

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Providence Academy, a premier private PK-12 Catholic school in Plymouth, is currently looking for a part-time custodian. MondayFriday, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Duties include but not limited to routine cleaning, emptying trash, vacuuming, setting up chairs, tables, etc. for events and other duties as requested by supervisor. Must be able to lift 20 pounds consistently and work in a reasonably fast paced environment as part of a team. Starting pay rate $17.00 per hour – flexible with time off. Please send resume to john.wagner@ providenceacademy.org.

Part-time Law Office Typist in West St. Paul, Minnesota: Produce legal documents including Wills, Trusts, Briefs, Pleadings, and Reports. Administrative support to attorneys and paralegals. In addition, a paralegal or legal assistant is also needed with similar duties but expanded to include research and composition of documents and other related duties. QuickBooks experience preferred. Contact John Trojack 651-451-9696 or complete

“Contact” on our website: TrojackLaw.com

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. Priority is given to events occurring before the issue date.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and organizations. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission. Included in our listings are local events submitted by public sources that could be of interest to the larger Catholic community.

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE:

uTime and date of event

uFull street address of event

uDescription of event

uContact information in case of questions

uThe Catholic Spirit prints calendar details as submitted.

TheCatholiCSpirit Com/CalendarSubmiSSionS

better understand the challenges and opportunities facing Minnesota and discern how to support the bishops’ work in the new year as a faithful citizen. To begin, consider two ways to get involved:

Participate in Adoration at the Capitol: Join us in prayer on the first Fridays of each month from January through May. Our first Adoration at the Capitol will take place Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Governor’s Historic Dining Room. RSVP online at mncatholic org/firstfridayjan2025

Sign up for the Catholic Advocacy Network (CAN) to receive regular updates from MCC, including opportunities to write to legislators, share your personal experiences, and access resources to deepen your knowledge of faith and public policy. Subscribe online at mncatholic org/join This Advent, let us reflect on the ways we can bring Christ’s light into the public square. By reading MCC’s Advocacy Report and committing to action, we can ensure that our faith continues to guide the policies that shape our state.

Inside the Capitol is a legislative update from Minnesota Catholic Conference staff.

Comfort Crafter Hardwood Floors Winter’s here! Enhance the comfort of your home this season with new or refurbished hardwood floors. Chris 612-442-7571

ITEM DISPOSAL

FISCHER JUNK REMOVAL

We remove anything from your home/business

Call/Text Catholic Tom (651) 282-0222

Visit our website: FischerJunkRemoval.com PAINTING

For painting & all related services. View our website: PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND.COM or call (651) 699-6140.

Michaels Painting. Texture and Repair. MichaelsPaintingllc coM. (763) 757-3187

NOTICE: Prayers must be submitted in advance. Payment of $8 per line must be received before publication. RELIGIOUS ITEMS FOR SALE www.Holyart.com Over 50k Religious Items & Church Goods. ROOFING/SIDING Roofing, Siding,

HARDWOOD FLOORS

Pope Francis’ 2024: Turning 88, praying for peace, presiding over synod

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

In late November, during a brief audience with people involved in the sport of motorcycle racing, Pope Francis asked for prayers, joking that “my work is very accelerated, and my bike has aged and doesn’t work properly!”

Pope Francis, who celebrated his 88th birthday Dec. 17, mostly uses a wheelchair instead of walking and presides over, rather than concelebrates, most public liturgies. Still, he had a 2024 full of important engagements, the longest trip of his papacy and major preparations for the Holy Year 2025, which he is set to open Dec. 24.

Health-wise, 2024 was a better year for the pope than 2023, when he ended up in the hospital twice: once for hernia surgery and once for a respiratory infection.

He did have a bout of bronchitis in February, canceled some meetings in September because of the flu and fell in December, hitting his chin on his bedside table and sporting a significant bruise on the right side of his face when he created 21 new cardinals Dec. 7.

For 12 days in early September, Pope Francis visited Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore — the longest trip of his papacy in terms of distance and time away from Rome. At his first general audience after his return, he publicly thanked God for allowing him “to do as an old pope what I would have liked to do as a young Jesuit,” which was to travel to Asia to preach the Gospel.

And two weeks later, he was boarding a plane again, flying to Luxembourg and then on to Belgium. He closed out his 2024 travels with a one-day visit to the French island of Corsica Dec. 15.

Excluding the opening of the Jubilee, his most anticipated event of 2024 was the final, fourweeklong assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, the culmination of a process of listening and prayer that he launched in the fall of 2021.

In his homily at the synod’s opening Mass, Pope Francis said it was not a “parliamentary assembly,” but an effort to understand the history, dreams and hopes of “our brothers and sisters scattered around the world inspired by our same faith, moved by the same desire for holiness.”

He opened the assembly’s first working session responding to criticism that it was no longer a synod “of bishops,” since he had made dozens of lay women and men, priests and women religious voting members of the body.

“It is certainly not a matter of replacing one with the other, rallying to the cry: ‘Now it is our turn!’” the pope said.

Instead, the composition of the assembly “expresses a way of exercising the episcopal ministry consistent with the living tradition of the Church and with the teaching of the Second Vatican Council,” which emphasized the responsibility of all the baptized for the mission of the Church.

The assembly ended with the members approving a final document, and the pope ordering its publication as his own.

A month later, Pope Francis published a note telling bishops the final document “participates in the ordinary magisterium of the successor of Peter, and as such, I ask that it be accepted” and implemented.

The final document outlined key priorities for the Church, including increased participation of the laity through new ministries and adjusted governing structures like pastoral councils, greater transparency and accountability among Church leadership and

creating space for previously marginalized groups.

But Pope Francis had taken off the table, at least temporarily, some of the more complex, sensitive issues raised in the listening sessions and at the first synod assembly in 2023.

In March he set up 10 study groups to look at issues such as ministry by women, seminary education, relations between bishops and religious communities and the role of nuncios; the groups were asked to work on proposals to give the pope by June 2025.

He told synod members those questions required more time, but he promised that “this is not the classical way of postponing decisions indefinitely.”

The year also saw the publication of Pope Francis’ fourth encyclical, “Dilexit nos” (“He loved us”), subtitled, “On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ.”

Prompted in part by the 350th-anniversary celebrations of the apparitions of the Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque at Paray-le-Monial, France, Pope Francis looked at how the traditional devotion to the Sacred Heart should help people recognize they are loved by God and called to love others.

Pope Francis said the document should be read with his previous encyclicals, “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home” and “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship” because Church teaching on social issues flows from “our encounter with the love of Jesus Christ.”

The horrors of the ongoing wars, particularly the fighting in Ukraine and the Middle East, were a daily concern of Pope Francis, but some of his comments led to controversy during the year.

In a televised interview in March, Pope Francis called for Russia and Ukraine to have the “courage of the white flag,” a term usually associated with surrender, and which therefore caused consternation among people who believe Ukraine has a right and duty to defend itself from Russian aggression.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press

office, told reporters that the image of the white flag — a term used by the interviewer in posing the question — was picked up by the pope “to indicate the cessation of hostilities, a truce reached with the courage of negotiation,” not a call to surrender.

In November, the pope joined many Western leaders in sadly marking the 1,000th day since Russia launched its large-scale attack on Ukraine.

“I know well that no human word can protect their lives from the daily shelling, nor console those who mourn the dead, nor heal the wounded, nor repatriate the children, nor free the prisoners, nor mitigate the harsh effects of winter, nor bring back justice and peace,” he wrote in a letter to his nuncio in Kyiv.

He promised Ukrainians that he would continue his prayers to God, “the only source of life, hope and wisdom, that he would convert hearts and enable them to start paths of dialogue, reconciliation and concord.”

Pope Francis also called constantly for peace in the Middle East, the release of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas in October 2023 and for humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

But the pope drew criticism from Israeli officials in mid-November after Vatican News published an excerpt from a new book in which Pope Francis said, “According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of genocide. It should be investigated carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.”

Yaron Sideman, the Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, posted on X a few hours later: “There was a genocidal massacre on 7 October 2023 of Israeli citizens, and since then, Israel has exercised its right of self-defense against attempts from seven different fronts to kill its citizens.”

As the year drew to a close, Pope Francis called for “a ceasefire on all war fronts” in time for Christmas and the start of the Holy Year.

CNS | VATICAN MEDIA

Pope Francis receives a display cake made of plastic ahead of his birthday from Vatican journalist Valentina Alazraki while on his return flight to Rome from Ajaccio, France. The pope turned 88 Dec. 17.