Ramsey County settlement 6 • Berlin, Ankara attacks 9 • Surrogacy report 14 December 22, 2016 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Merry Christmas! Look for our next issue Jan. 12
‘Yoke of the
Gospel’
Pallium conferral signifies Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s metropolitan role, bond with pope Story on page 5 Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., invests Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis with a pallium at the beginning of Mass Dec. 18 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. Bishops from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota attended the Mass. The dioceses of the three states form a province, with Archbishop Hebda serving as the metropolitan archbishop. When blessing palliums in June, Pope Francis called them “the yoke of the Gospel,” praying that archbishops may “pick up the yoke of the Gospel on their shoulders, and may they find it so light and easy that as they guide others by example in fidelity to your commandments, they may merit a place in your eternal pastures.”Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
ALSO inside
‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’
Farming as vocation
Fond farewell
Father Alberto Curbelo’s crèche at St. Francis de Sales in St. Paul spurs reflection throughout Advent and Christmas. — Pages 12-13
Local Catholic rural life leaders write, present document “Vocation of the Agricultural Leader” to Pope Francis. — Page 15
As Catholic Charities’ Higher Ground St. Paul nears completion, Dorothy Day Center volunteer reflects on its mission. — Page 17
2 • The Catholic Spirit
PAGE TWO
December 22, 2016 OVERHEARD
in PICTURES
“The past few days, one word that seems a bit awful keeps coming to mind — old age. It’s scary, at any rate, scary. [But] ‘old age is where wisdom resides.’ Let’s hope this goes for me, too. Let’s hope this is the case!” Pope Francis at the end of Mass with cardinals Dec. 17 — his 80th birthday — in the Pauline Chapel of the apostolic palace. Earlier, he ate breakfast with eight homeless people and Skyped with prisoners.
NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit
New Year’s Day a holy day of obligation The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Jan. 1 is a holy day of obligation, which means that, like on Sundays, the faithful are obliged to attend Mass unless they have a serious reason not to, or they have received dispensation from their pastor.
Catholic Women’s Night is Jan. 13 Catholic Women’s Night will be 6-9 p.m. Jan. 13 at Sacred Heart, 840 E. Sixth St., St. Paul. The event is a ministry of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Latino Ministry. For information, contact Beatriz Lopez at 651-291-4496. GUADALUPE FEAST DAY Becky Moran Cusick of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul walks with her grandsons Boston Burgos Frias, left, and Benjamin Burgos Frias in a procession at the start of Mass Dec. 12 to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at her namesake parish. The boys are dressed as St. Juan Diego, a Mexican peasant to whom Mary appeared in 1531. See a video of the celebration at www.facebook.com/thecatholicspirit. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
St. Hubert hosting men’s retreat Jan. 20-21 The Tallahassee, Florida,-based John Paul II Healing Center is hosting a Men on Fire Retreat at St. Hubert in Chanhassen Jan. 20-21 to help men “explore the life God intended for them.” The retreat runs 6-9:30 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Cost is $50 online or $70 for walk-ins. Online registration is open until Jan. 10 at www.jpiihealingcenter.org. Direct questions to info@jpiihealingcenter.org.
ACCW Leadership Day is Feb. 4 The Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women is hosting Leadership Day: Martha and Mary Revisited, Going Beyond Hospitality to Discipleship 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale. The event aims to help women “discover your true beauty within.” Cost is $10. Register online or by mail through Jan. 30 at www.archspm.org.
Creighton model NFP training offered in March Twin Cities FertilityCare Center is hosting educational training beginning in March for people interested in becoming a Creighton model natural family planning practitioner. Held March 11-18 at St. Joseph Hospital in St. Paul, the training kicks off a 13-month course of study with two classroom instruction phases and two supervised teaching practicums. To learn more or apply, visit www.tcnfp.org/become-apractitioner.
Totus Tuus summer program seeking parishes
BLESSING BAMBINI Pope Francis blesses a sick child as he leads a special audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Dec. 15 for patients and workers of Rome’s Bambino Gesu children’s hospital. CNS/Max Rossi, Reuters
WHAT’S NEW on social media On the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Day of Prayer for Migrants and Refugees Dec. 12, Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens addressed people in Spanish via a video about concerns in the immigrant community. View it at www.facebook.com/thecatholicspirit.
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 21 — No. 25 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor
Totus Tuus, a weeklong children’s summer catechetical program, is seeking six parishes to host the program in summer 2017. Hosting the program costs $2,000. For information, contact the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Marriage, Family and Life at 651-291-4489.
MILESTONES St. Bartholomew in Wayzata will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Christmas Day. The first Mass was offered Dec. 25, 1916, with 12 families. Located on the north shore of Lake Minnetonka, St. Bartholomew’s establishment made it possible for more people in the area to get to Mass. Benedictines originally staffed the church, and a convent and school were added in 1955. The current church was built in 1961 and, with the school, underwent an expansive renovation in 2007. The parish will host a celebration after the 10:30 a.m. Mass Jan. 8, 2017. Other anniversary events are planned for August and September. www.st-barts.org.
Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year: Senior 1-year: $24.95: To subscribe: (651) 291-4444: Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444; Classified Advertising: (651) 290-1631. Published semi-monthly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102 • (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: tcssubscriptions@archspm.org • USPS #093-580
FROM THE BISHOP
December 22, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 3
The simple truth of Christmas
W
hen entering into the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, one has to duck because the door is smaller than a normal door. It was designed that way to keep people from bringing their camels into the church. This church has been continually in use for more than 1,700 years, and it looks like it. The stone floor is worn flat by the millions of tourists. The walls and mosaics are darkened by the years of burning candles. The church is often busy, dirty and loud with tourists; you might say a very human place, but isn’t that the point of Christmas? Beneath the main altar of the church is a stairway, which leads to a cave, a cave that one day, 2,000 years ago, served as a stable for animals. In that cave, there is a small altar, and underneath that altar is a circle that looks like a star. Written in that circle are the words “Hic Jesus Christus natus est” (Here Jesus Christ was born). What struck me when I saw that circle was not the fact that Jesus was born in that exact spot — the exact spot is rather accidental. What hit me was that the incarnation is so real, God’s love for us is so real, that you could draw a circle on the ground and say God was born here. Too often we relate to Christmas like we relate to a fairy ONLY JESUS tale. It is like time out from the rest of reality. We choose to put our gripes behind us for a few days and act nice, and we Bishop Andrew Cozzens
C
like the warm feeling we get. But Christmas is exactly the opposite of a fairy tale. God took on human flesh so that we might know he is real. This means that our God is not a far off God. Our God is not distant from our daily realities. Rather, our God loved us so much that he entered the dirty din of our daily reality. This is the fundamental difference between Christianity and all other religions. While all religions are an expression of the human heart’s natural desire for God, there is an essential point on which Christianity differs, a point that has almost always been a scandal to other religions. Christianity is the only religion where God longs for us enough to enter into our world and even to suffer its worst consequences in order to give us a share in his divine life. In Jesus Christ, God comes close to us. He comes to speak to us, to touch us, to heal us and in the end, to show us how much he loves us by dying in our place to save us. He doesn’t take away our humanity or our suffering; rather, he enters into our human life and transforms it through his divinity into a way of love that leads to eternal life. This is the simple truth of Christmas — a truth that pierces through all the complexities of our modern world. In the beginning and in the end and at every moment of our lives, God is with us, Emmanuel. There is no part of our humanity, especially the darkness of our hearts, that he does not want to enter into with the light of his grace. He can transform the dirty din of my daily life into something divine if I invite him to be born again today in my humble human heart.
La simple verdad de la Navidad
uando uno entra en la Iglesia de la Natividad en Belén, uno tiene que agacharse porque la puerta es más pequeña que una puerta normal. Fue diseñada de esa manera para evitar que la gente llevara sus camellos a la Iglesia. Esta Iglesia ha estado continuamente en uso durante más de 1,700 años y eso se nota. El suelo de piedra está desgastado, plano por los millones de turistas que la visitan. Las paredes y los mosaicos están oscurecidos por las velas que se han quemado en todos estos años. La Iglesia a menudo está ocupada, sucia y ruidosa por los turistas, se podría decir que es un lugar muy humano, pero ese no es el punto de la Navidad. Debajo del altar principal de la Iglesia, hay una escalera que conduce a una cueva. Una cueva que un día, hace 2000 años, sirvió como establo para los animales. En esa cueva hay un pequeño altar y, debajo de ese altar, hay un
círculo que parece una estrella. Escrito en ese círculo están las palabras “Hic Jesus Christus natus est” (Aquí nació Jesucristo). Lo que me impresionó cuando vi ese círculo, no fue el hecho de que Jesús nació en ese punto exacto. El lugar exacto es bastante accidental. Lo que me impresionó fue que la encarnación es tan real, el amor de Dios por nosotros es tan real, que usted podría dibujar un círculo en el suelo y decir: Dios nació aquí. Muy a menudo nos relacionamos con la Navidad como nos relacionamos con un cuento de hadas. Es como tomarse un tiempo fuera de la realidad. Elegimos dejar nuestros resentimientos detrás durante unos días y ser amables y nos gusta ese sentimiento cálido que experimentamos. Pero la Navidad es exactamente lo contrario a un cuento de hadas. Dios tomó forma humana para que pudiéramos saber que es real. Esto significa que nuestro Dios no es un Dios
lejano. Nuestro Dios no está lejos de nuestra realidad cotidianas. Más bien nuestro Dios nos amó tanto que entró en el obscuro alboroto de nuestra realidad cotidiana. Esta es la diferencia fundamental entre el cristianismo y las demás religiones. Todas las religiones son una expresión del deseo natural de los corazones humanos por Dios. Pero hay un punto esencial sobre el cual el cristianismo difiere de todas las demás religiones. Un punto que casi siempre ha sido un escándalo para otras religiones. Todas las religiones son expresiones de los seres humanos anhelando lo trascendente, lo mundano, pero el cristianismo es la única religión en la que Dios anhela por nosotros lo suficiente, como para entrar en nuestro mundo e incluso sufrir las peores consecuencias para darnos una participación en su vida divina. En Jesucristo, Dios se acerca a nosotros. Él viene a hablar con nosotros,
a tocarnos, a sanarnos y, finalmente, a mostrarnos lo mucho que nos ama al morir, en nuestro lugar, para salvarnos. Él no nos quita nuestra humanidad o nuestro sufrimiento, sino que entra en nuestra vida humana y la transforma a través de su divinidad en una forma de amor que conduce a la vida eterna. Esta es la simple verdad de la Navidad. Una verdad que penetra a través de todas las dificultades de nuestro mundo moderno. En el principio, en el fin y en cada momento de nuestras vidas, Dios está con nosotros, Emmanuel. No hay ninguna parte de nuestra humanidad, especialmente la oscuridad de nuestros corazones, que no quiere entrar en la luz de su gracia. Él puede transformar el obscuro alboroto de mi vida cotidiana en algo divino si yo lo invito a nacer de nuevo, hoy, en mi humilde corazón humano.
Back to bishops: Pope’s 2017 calendar filled with ‘ad limina’ visits By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service For Pope Francis, the Year of Mercy will be followed by the Year of the “ad limina” visits. Like St. John Paul II did during the Jubilee Year 2000, Pope Francis suspended for the Year of Mercy the formal visits bishops from around the world make “ad limina apostolorum” — to the threshold of the apostles, meaning Peter and Paul, who were martyred in Rome. And, the pope told reporters, skipping a year of meetings means that he will travel less in 2017 and spend more time at the Vatican welcoming his brother bishops and discussing with them the life of their local churches. But, the pope said he hopes to travel to Asia — specifically to India and Bangladesh — during the year and to Africa, although plans haven’t been set.
Before 2016 ended, though, more than 300 bishops from more than 20 countries already had dates set for their “ad limina” meetings with Pope Francis in 2017. The Irish bishops will kick off the series in January, followed by bishops from Serbia and other Balkan countries and then by the first group of Canadian bishops. According to the Code of Canon Law, every five years “a bishop is bound to make a report to the Supreme Pontiff on the state of the diocese entrusted to him” and the report should be made in conjunction with the “ad limina” visit. But it has been at least 20 years since the visits really were every five years. Most now occur every eight or nine years. With the growing number of dioceses — now more than 2,850 — a pope would have to meet more than 570 bishops each year to hit the fiveyear target. Brazilian Archbishop Ilson Montanari, secretary of the Congregation for
Pope Francis greets bishops during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Oct. 12. CNS/Paul Haring Bishops, said proposals to change canon law to reflect that reality are considered regularly. But once the law changes, it would set things in stone. Someday, he said, a pope might be able to get things back on schedule. St. John Paul II, who was elected at the age of 58, “was a volcano at the beginning” and,
even making long trips outside of Italy, “was able to do it.” He even celebrated morning Mass with the bishops, invited them in small groups to lunch, met with each bishop individually and then delivered a speech to each national or regional group. Retired Pope Benedict XVI began the practice of holding more informal meetings with groups of bishops on “ad limina” instead of individual meetings. Pope Francis has continued that practice, although like Pope Benedict, he also tries to grant the requests of individual bishops who feel a need for a private meeting. The goal of the “ad limina” visit, Archbishop Montanari said, always has been that it would be an experience of collegiality, “an exchange of faith and a witness,” he said. The world’s bishops have “never been ‘branch managers’” of the Church, and the meetings should reflect that.
4 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
December 22, 2016
SLICEof LIFE
In the clouds
Danny Valerius, front, of St. Michael in Stillwater, cheers with brothers Andy, left, and Charlie, and parents Paul and Jackie at the fourth annual KS95 “Clouds” Choir for a Cause, a sing-along fundraiser for kids with cancer Dec. 9 at the Mall of America. In September 2015, Danny, 12, was diagnosed with high-risk, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and became very sick. His health has improved, and he is back at St. Croix Catholic School in Stillwater as a seventh-grader. After he was diagnosed, fellow St. Michael parishioner Laura Sobiech — whose son Zach wrote “Clouds” before dying of cancer in 2013 at age 18 — reached out to the Valerius family. “Laura’s friendship with Danny gave him so much hope, so much to live fully for,” said Jackie, who teaches physical education at St. Croix Catholic School. “Laura was so genuinely interested in Danny’s story, what he thought and felt about his illness.” Dave Hrbacek/TheCatholic Spirit
“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15
From our Priests, Seminarians, Graduate Students, Faculty and Staff
www.vianney.net
www.saintpaulseminary.org
December 22, 2016
LOCAL
The Catholic Spirit • 5
Archbishop Hebda: Pallium a reminder to be a good shepherd By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
I
n front of hundreds of Catholics who braved frigid cold to witness the moment, Archbishop Bernard Hebda received his pallium at a special Mass Dec. 18 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. Among them were bishops from dioceses in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, as well as Archbishop Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States. After the opening prayer, Archbishop Hebda knelt before the altar as Archbishop Pierre conferred the pallium with a short prayer, placing the small white vestment over his shoulders. Once wearing the pallium, Archbishop Hebda stood and embraced Archbishop Pierre as the congregation applauded. The pallium signifies Archbishop Hebda’s jurisdiction as metropolitan archbishop of a province that includes the dioceses in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. As metropolitan archbishop, Archbishop Hebda offers fraternal support to the other bishops. The pallium also symbolizes an archbishop’s bond to the pope, who also wears a pallium. In June, Pope Francis blessed Archbishop Hebda’s pallium at a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. Archbishop Hebda received the vestment then, but could not wear it until its conferral. In remarks near the end of the afternoon Mass, Archbishop Hebda said he was honored to receive the pallium and to serve as metropolitan archbishop. His pallium’s six crosses and three “nails” — pins given to him by friends from his hometown of Pittsburgh — “will remind me that I am obligated to unite myself always to the cross as I follow Christ,” he said. “I am well aware that the pallium is by no means a sign of honor, but a reminder of the call to be a shepherd who is called to seek out and carry the lost sheep, and who serves in harmony with our universal shepherd, Pope Francis,” he said. “The Holy Father sets the bar high for all of us, but by his own example gives us the hope that we can indeed be those joyful instruments of mercy that our God desires us to be,” he said. “I am committed ... to leading this Church to be the field hospital that Pope Francis describes, going out to the peripheries to bring the salve of Christ’s love to those who feel abandoned, those who are alone, and sadly those who have been hurt in the past by some who have the privilege of ministering in the person of Christ, or in the name of the Church.”
Pallium’s symbolism Archbishop Pierre preached the homily. He spoke of the various roles of a bishop, including following Christ’s model as the Good Shepherd. “It is simple, yet [it] has great and important meaning,” he said of the pallium, which is made of wool. “It is a reminder to the metropolitan archbishop and all the faithful that the particular vocation and mission of every bishop is none other than to be a good shepherd — a shepherd who places his sheep, whether sick or weak, upon his shoulders and guides him, cares for him, and leads him to the source of the living water.” Tying a bishop’s role to symbols of Advent and Christmas, Archbishop Pierre noted that sheep and shepherds were among the first to see Jesus after his birth. He also tied the shepherd symbolism to Calvary. “In Jesus, God comes to save his people, and Jesus saves by giving his life for his sheep when, in obedience, he offered himself freely and fully as an acceptable sacrifice upon the cross,” he said. “This is what it means to be a good shepherd: to give life, to offer one’s life in sacrifice for everyone.” Among the concelebrating bishops were Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn, who led the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 1995 to 2008. He received his pallium from St. Pope John Paul II in 1996. Also in attendance were Bishop Michael Hoeppner of Crookston, Bishop Paul Sirba of Duluth, Bishop John Folda of Fargo, Bishop John LeVoir of New Ulm, Bishop Robert Gruss of Rapid City, Bishop Donald Kettler of
Archbishop Bernard Hebda prays during Mass Dec. 18. Holding the book is Timothy Vinh-Thinh Tran, a seminarian at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit St. Cloud and Bishop John Quinn of Winona. Bishop David Kagan of Bismarck and Bishop Paul Swain of Sioux Falls were unable to attend. Representatives from each of the province’s 10 dioceses participated in the procession at the beginning of Mass, accompanying 5-foot-tall silk banners with their diocese’s name and crest. More than 75 priests and 35 deacons also vested for the Mass.
Nuncio welcomed Before the final blessing, Archbishop Hebda thanked Archbishop Pierre for traveling to Minnesota for the Mass. “I hope that you have felt welcomed in the Province of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and have experienced the warmth of our faithful in spite of the chill outside these walls,” he said, referring to the weekend’s subzero temperatures. “In the seven months that I have been here as archbishop, I have been inspired by the resilience of the Catholic faithful in this part of the Lord’s vineyard and their great love for Christ’s Church,” he said. “It helps that they are served by the finest bishops in our nation, and I am grateful for their presence in such great number here today as well.” He said he wanted Archbishop Pierre to communicate to Pope Francis “gratitude for his leadership and most especially his ministry of unity and communion,” as well as an affection for the pope and appreciation for his closeness to the province, which Archbishop Pierre’s presence reflected. Archbishop Hebda also outlined the province’s history and contribution to the Church. In a nod to Archbishop Pierre’s French nationality, Archbishop Hebda noted the area’s first European explorers were French, as were the first priest and bishop to serve what would become the archdiocese, Father Lucien Galtier and Bishop Joseph Cretin. He pointed out that the geographical area covered by the province nearly equaled that of France. He noted the contributions of the province’s men and women religious in Catholic education, health care and charity. He also highlighted the province’s seminaries and asked the seminarians present to stand for the congregation to show their appreciation through applause. He praised the collaboration of permanent deacons and “highly educated, highly engaged and unquestionably committed” laity. Archbishop Hebda also thanked family members for flying from “85-degree Florida” for the Mass. “I was delighted that my nephew will be able to go
home and brag to my father that he sat outside sipping hot chocolate when it was minus 18 degrees this morning,” he said to laughter.
Attendees grateful Benjamin Hersey, a parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony, attended the Mass with his wife and young children. “I like the idea of the pallium and the symbolism of the unity with the Roman pontiff,” he said. “This is a new event, and we’re part of the local Church, so we all wanted to be here.” Sarah Ciccone, a parishioner of Epiphany in Coon Rapids, called the Mass “pretty amazing” and said it helped “cement” Archbishop Hebda as archbishop. She said she was nearly deterred by the cold, but was compelled to attend because of the Mass’ historic nature. Mary Gilbert, who attends both the Cathedral and Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, also said she wanted to witness a historic Mass and honor Archbishop Hebda. “He’s an amazing individual and I’m thanking God we have him,” she said. Archbishop Hebda was installed the ninth archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis May 13. As The Catholic Spirit previously reported, archbishops wear the pallium only for liturgies within their own province and are traditionally buried in it. It is a vestment particular to an archdiocese; if the pope appoints an archbishop who has already received a pallium to a new archdiocese, he receives a new one. The pope blesses the palliums annually June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, which is also the patronal feast day of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. When blessing the pallium, the pope prays that the pallium might be “the yoke of the Gospel,” saying of the archbishops, “may they pick up the yoke of the Gospel on their shoulders, and may they find it so light and easy that as they guide others by example in fidelity to your commandments they may merit a place in your eternal pastures.” In his homily to new archbishops this year, Pope Francis spoke of the importance of “opening doors.” “I am committed to doing just that — helping others discover that our faith is liberating, rather than imprisoning,” Archbishop Hebda said at the Dec. 18 Mass. “Given the magnitude of that task, I am grateful that I have so many collaborators as I seek how to figure out how to open doors, so we can stay mission oriented, so that we can ensure transparency, so that we be a welcoming presence that attracts rather than repels.”
6 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
December 22, 2016
Archdiocese compliant with settlement, pledges ongoing collaboration By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit A Ramsey County court judge commended the collaboration between the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office at a Dec. 20 hearing on the archdiocese’s efforts to fulfill a yearold settlement agreement to enhance policies to protect children from abuse. The hearing was the second time the archdiocese appeared in court to report on its progress after entering into the agreement with the county last December. “I hope the next six of the reviews go as well as the first two, because then we know that there’s been that change,” said Judge Teresa Warner, speaking about the archdiocese’s efforts and the positive working relationship it has with the county attorney. Joseph Dixon, an attorney of Fredrikson & Byron in Minneapolis who represents the archdiocese, presented the judge with the archdiocese’s 28-page report demonstrating substantial compliance with the settlement agreement. Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Thomas Ring concurred that the archdiocese was substantially compliant. Warner stated that she had reviewed an advance copy and agreed. She said that when the archdiocese and county entered into the agreement a year ago,
she thought its implementation timeline seemed aggressive, which spoke to both parties’ dedication to enhancing the archdiocese’s child protection policies. “We cannot undo what’s happened, but we certainly can go forward and do what you can to protect children so that no one associated with the archdiocese hurts a child again,” she said. As part of the agreement, Ramsey County has oversight of the archdiocese’s efforts until 2020. Work remains as the archdiocese continues to comply with the agreement, Warner said. “For the next several years it’s going to be the North Star, the guiding principle,” she said. “It’s there for the right reasons.” Archbishop Bernard Hebda attended the hearing with Dixon, Tim O’Malley and Janell Rasmussen, the archdiocese’s director and deputy director, respectively, of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment. O’Malley and Rasmussen provided an overview of the archdiocese’s policies and implementation to the judge. Archbishop Hebda thanked Warner and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office for “helping us set the right goals” and presenting them to the public. Following the hearing, Archbishop Hebda said the archdiocese was committed to continued collaboration with Ramsey County. Going forward, he said, the archdiocese needs to give the same energy to child protection efforts
that it has over the past months. “It’s an ongoing project, especially as we bring new people, new volunteers, new staff into our parishes, schools and seminaries,” he said. “We want to make sure they have that same commitment that we have.” He hoped Catholics see that the archdiocese is dedicated to the settlement agreement and is working to regain trust, he said. He also hoped victims/survivors of clergy sexual abuse receive “a level of reassurance that we are committed to doing everything we can to make sure that their experience is not repeated.” The archdiocese last reported on its progress in July, six months after settling a civil petition Ramsey County had filed against it in June 2015 related to the case of former priest Curtis Wehmeyer, who was convicted of sexually abusing three boys at Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul. The settlement included an agreement with child protection measures the archdiocese had already implemented or promised to implement. In July, Ramsey County also dropped related criminal charges it had filed against the archdiocese, and the parties extended the period of Ramsey County’s oversight. O’Malley, who oversees all of the archdiocese’s safe environment efforts, told The Catholic Spirit that the settlement agreement gave the archdiocese the opportunity “not only to do better in creating safe environments
throughout the archdiocese, but also the opportunity to prove ourselves.” “We want Ramsey County to hold us accountable,” he said. “We share their goals. Everybody wants children to be safe. By scrutinizing our actions and sharing their expertise, Ramsey County helps make us better, and in turn, keep children safe.” The archdiocese’s revised policies include those for visiting clergy, whistleblowers and evidence handling when there is an accusation of sexual abuse. Codes of conduct have also been updated. Policies are accessible at a website launched Dec. 20, www.safeenvironmentspm.org. All policies will continue to be reviewed and updated, Rasmussen said. The Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment ensures parish and school compliance with annual audits conducted by the Office for the Protection of Children and Youth, which O’Malley oversees, and requires clergy and adults who work with children and vulnerable adults to fulfill the “essential three”: completing a background check, attending VIRTUS safe environment training and signing a code of conduct. While first-year policy requirements were met by Dec. 20, other aspects of the settlement, including components of a restorative justice initiative, will be completed in 2017 or are ongoing.
Congratulations and Welcome
Archbishop Hebda!
The Parishioners of St. John Neumann pray for God’s blessing upon you, as you receive the Pallium, a sign of your unity with the Holy Father, in your role as shepherd of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. May the blessings of this gift and the sacredness of this moment remain with you throughout your days. St. John Neumann Catholic Church
The Knights Ladies The and Knights and Ladies of the Equestrian of the Order of the OrderEquestrian of the Holy Sepulchre Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, of Jerusalem, The Knights and Ladies of the Equestrian Northern LieutenancyLieutenancy Northern Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Northern Lieutenancy
Extend Warm Congratulations, Ongoing Prayers and BestExtend Wishes to Warm Congratulations,
Extend Warm Congratulations, Ongoing Prayers and Best Wishes to His Eminence
Ongoing Prayers and Best Wishes to
His Cupich Excellency Blase Cardinal
His Eminence
Blase Cardinal Archbishop Bernard HebdaCupich Please Join Us in Praying Daily
for Our Holy Father, the Leaders of Our Church and Peace in the Holy Land.
Please Join Us in Praying Daily
Our Holy Father, the Leaders Please Join Us in Praying Daily for Our HolyforFather, of Our Church and in the Holy Land. the Leaders of Our Church and Peace in the HolyPeace Land.
The Memorare The Memorare The Memorare Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known thatwas anyone whowho that never it known that anyone that never was it known that anyone who fled to yourwas protection, implored your help fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession left unaided. fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this was confidence, Inspiredmy by thisMother. confidence, I fly unto you, or sought your intercession left unaided. I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, O Virgin ofthe virgins, my Mother. To you do I To youInspired do I come, before you I stand, of Word Incarnate, by this confidence, I fly unto you, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Virgin of virgins,not my my Mother. To you do Ibut in your mercy, hear and answer despise petitions, . despise not O Motherme. of the Amen Word Incarnate, my petitions, but in your mercy, hear come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. and answer me. Amen. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.
LOCAL
December 22, 2016
Father Peterson a major figure in Goodhue for years, ‘would give the shirt off his back’ By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Father Bruce Peterson became a major spiritual and community leader in the Goodhue area during his many years serving there. Father Peterson, 86, died Dec. 18 after hearing confessions at St. Mary in Bellechester. The former pastor served the parishes of Holy Trinity in Goodhue and St. Columbkill in Belle Creek for 43 years from 1970 to 2013. He also served at St. Mary from 2000 until 2013, but he continued helping at all three following his retirement. “He would give the shirt Father Bruce off his back,” said Kay PETERSON Gadient, a longtime St. Columbkill parishioner. Father Peterson’s parishioners described him as a humble and caring man who would reach out to anyone in the community. He had a heart for young people in particular. “He was very involved with their school activities and their church [activities],” said Regina Poncelet, a St. Columbkill parishioner who worked with Father Peterson in religious education. Father Peterson spent much time in the community, whether volunteering with the Lions Club or coaching a local baseball team. He also served on the Goodhue and state school boards in addition to the rural education board. The Goodhue County Editorial Association honored Father Peterson as Citizen of the Year in 1983. Father Peterson also cared for his father in the rectory before his death in 1988. “He took very good care of him,” said
NOTICE
Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from
SHARING & CARING HANDS in all copies of this issue.
“He was very involved with their school activities and their church [activities].” Regina Poncelet
Poncelet, who was a high school student at the time. The community gave back to him, too. Parishioners bought him a car in 1982 on his 25th anniversary of ordination. It helped Father Peterson get around to his two and eventually three rural parishes. Father Peterson was ordained to the priesthood Feb. 17, 1957. Before he came to the Goodhue area, he served as an assistant pastor at several parishes from 1957 until 1970. Father Peterson first served at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony from 1957 to 1962, followed by Christ the King in Minneapolis from 1962 to 1963. He then served at Ascension in Minneapolis from 1963 to 1964 and then St. Joseph in Lino Lakes from 1964 to 1970. Born Nov. 2, 1930, in Minneapolis, Father Peterson attended Southwest High School and began seminary studies at Nazareth Hall in St. Paul, which closed in 1973. He then studied at St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul. A funeral Mass will be 10 a.m. Dec. 23 at St. Columbkill. Burial will be in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.
The Catholic Spirit • 7
Judge: Archdiocese not responsible for bankruptcy appeal fees The Catholic Spirit U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Kressel ruled Dec. 8 that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis wouldn’t be responsible for paying approximately $355,000 in legal fees incurred by the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee in seeking to consolidate parish, school and foundation assets into the archdiocese’s bankruptcy. Judge Kressel’s July 28 ruling that institutions “such as churches, schools and charitable organizations and foundations cannot be forced into bankruptcy” was upheld Dec. 6 by the Federal District Court after the Unsecured Creditors Committee, which represents more than 400 sexual abuse claimants, filed the appeal. The judge also ruled Dec. 8 that professional fees of about half a million dollars incurred by attorneys, accountants, appraisers and others could be paid immediately from the archdiocese’s regular operating account. The remaining $2 million for attorneys’ and professional fees for the archdiocese, the Unsecured Creditors Committee and the Parish Committee will be paid once the court confirms a plan of Reorganization. Going forward, all payments for professional fees will be paid once a plan is approved, the judge said. Judge Kressel also denied a motion to delay plan confirmation proceedings until after the Diocese of Duluth settles with insurance carriers in its bankruptcy case. The archdiocese announced Dec. 8 its intention to amend its plan to provide more than $155 million to sexual abuse claimants after settling with all 13 of its insurance carriers. At a Dec. 15 hearing, as part of their plans for Reorganization, both the archdiocese and the Unsecured Creditors Committee asked the court to accept their disclosure statements. Both parties urged the court to deny the opposing party’s motion. Although Judge Kressel didn’t make any rulings at the hearing, he requested that both parties submit revised disclosure statements by Dec. 19. Judge Kressel indicated he will rule on each party’s motion for approval of their revised disclosure statements before Jan. 12, when he scheduled a status conference. Creditors will vote on whichever plan(s) for Reorganization move forward and also indicate which plan they prefer.
8 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
Archbishop Hebda pledges solidarity with immigrants By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit The Catholic Church will not abandon immigrants and refugees, Archbishop Bernard Hebda and other leaders of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis wrote in a letter to immigrants Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The leaders acknowledged the concerns about immigration that have swelled since the Nov. 8 presidential election. During his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump spoke of tightening immigration regulations and deporting people living in the country illegally. The letter coincided with a National Day of Prayer for Migrants and Refugees, which the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops designated on the Marian feast day this year. The feast day, which celebrates 16th-century apparitions of the Virgin Mary to St. Juan Diego in Mexico, is especially important to Latino Catholics. She is honored as patroness of the Americas. The letter was signed by Archbishop Hebda, Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Father Kevin Kenney, vicar for Latino Ministries and pastor of Divine Mercy in Faribault and St. Michael in Kenyon. “We will seek to protect you, our brothers and sisters, and do what we can to prevent unjust deportation,” they wrote. “Jesus Christ clearly tells us in the Scriptures that we are to serve our neighbors and protect the most vulnerable among us. We will do our best to be faithful to his command to welcome the stranger in need.” They also noted that Christmas preparations remind Christians that “our Savior Jesus Christ was born in a manger away from his home, and that the Holy Family themselves experienced a time as refugees in Egypt.” In a separate letter to Catholics in the archdiocese dated Dec. 10, Archbishop Hebda encouraged prayers for people who live away from their home countries due to violence, famine, oppression and economic depression.
December 22, 2016
in BRIEF PLYMOUTH
Catholic Services Appeal nearing goal The Catholic Services Appeal is about $484,000 in pledges from its $9.3 million goal. It is closer to its goal than it was this time last year, said Jennifer Beaudry, CSAF executive director. Last year the CSAF raised $9 million to support 17 ministries in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, including seminarians, Catholic schools and Latino ministry. All new gifts to the 2016 campaign must be postmarked by Dec. 31. The CSAF will consider gifts received after Dec. 31 part of the 2017 appeal.
ROME
Maple Lake, Richfield natives ordained priests for Legionaries of Christ Fathers Aaron Loch of Maple Lake and Daniel Rolczynski of Richfield were ordained priests for the Legionaries of Christ Dec. 10 at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, ordained the men and 34 others from 11 countries. Father Loch, 31, attended St. Timothy parish and school in Maple Lake. He is serving as chaplain of Oaklawn Academy in Edgerton, Wisconsin. Father Rolczynski, 31, attended St. Peter parish and Blessed Trinity Catholic School, both in Richfield. He graduated from Trinity School at River Ridge in Eagan. He is serving in the Regnum Christi youth section in Mexico City.
ST. LOUIS PARK
BSM students win national Christian Brothers video contest Benilde-St. Margaret’s Knight Errant videographers, senior Joey Simpson and sophomore John Landry,
recently won first place and a $3,000 prize in the Christian Brothers of the Midwest’s national video contest. The video highlights how the BenildeSt. Margaret’s community upholds the LaSallian tradition of maintaining spirituality. The $3,000 prize will be divided between video journalism and campus ministry. Contributing to the video were senior Kate Janda, freshman Sophie Latourelle and senior Claudia Elsenbast.
ST. PAUL
St. Kate’s COO to head St. Norbert Longtime St. Catherine University administrator Brian Bruess will become the top official at St. Norbert College after this academic year, the college announced Dec. 12. Bruess, who serves as the executive vice president and chief operating officer at the St. Paulbased university, will take on his new post July 1, according to a statement released by the college. Bruess graduated in 1990 from St. Norbert with degrees in sociology and psychology. Bruess is the second alumnus to hold the position. The college is located in De Pere, Wisconsin, near Green Bay.
UST Liturgical Choir to sing at Christmas Eve papal Mass The University of St. Thomas Liturgical Choir will serve as music ministers at the Christmas Eve midnight Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica celebrated by Pope Francis. The undergraduate choir will lead congregational singing and be seated with the Sistine Chapel Choir. This marks the fourth time the choir has sung for the Christmas Eve midnight Mass at the Vatican; it also held the honor in 1987, 1997 and 2007. The Christmas Eve Mass with Pope Francis can be viewed on the Eternal Word Television Network at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 24.
December 22, 2016
U.S. & WORLD
The Catholic Spirit • 9
Pope denounces ‘homicidal madness’ after attacks By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service Expressing his condolences to victims and their families, Pope Francis called for an end to terrorism following a string of deadly attacks in Berlin and Ankara Dec. 19. Similar to an attack with a truck that took place in July in Nice, France, a tractor-trailer veered into the crowded Breitscheidplatz Christmas market in Berlin and plowed through bystanders, killing 12 people and wounding nearly 50. In a Dec. 20 telegram sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, to Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin, the pope prayed for the families of the dead and the wounded, “assuring his closeness in their pain.” “Pope Francis joins all people of good will who are working so that the homicidal madness of terrorism does not find any more room in our world,” Cardinal Parolin wrote. Cardinal Parolin said the pope received news of the attack with “profound emotion” and joined the families of the victims in their mourning and “entrusts the dead to the mercy of God.” Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Germany, president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, said news of the attack in Berlin had “deeply shocked me,” and he called on the people of Germany to “hold together and stand united as a society.” “The violence on the Christmas market is the opposite of what visitors were seeking. My compassion goes to the relatives of the dead and injured. For all of them, I will pray,” he said Dec. 20. Police detained an asylum-seeker from Pakistan who was near the attack. However, as of Dec. 20, authorities said they are unsure whether he was the driver of the truck. The attack in Berlin occurred not long after the assassination of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, by a lone gunman during the opening of an art exhibition in Ankara.
Pope writes to Syrian president, pleading for peace and aid corridors Catholic News Service
A mourner prays in front of a makeshift memorial Dec. 20 at the scene where a truck plowed into a crowded Christmas market the previous day in Berlin. CNS/Hannibal Hanschke, Reuters Mevlut Mert Altintas, an off-duty Turkish policeman, shot Karlov several times, shouting “Allahu akbar (God is great). Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria! Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria!” The gunman was later shot and killed by police. Several family members and the gunman’s roommate were detained by investigators seeking a possible connection with terrorist groups. Cardinal Parolin conveyed the pope’s condolences to President Vladimir Putin of Russia, saying he was “saddened to learn of the violent attack in Ankara.” “In commending his soul to almighty God, Pope Francis assures you and all the people of the Russian Federation of his prayers and spiritual solidarity at this time,” Cardinal Parolin wrote. The Vatican also told journalists that Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican secretary for relations with states, telephoned the Russian ambassador to the Holy See, Alexander Avdeev, to “express his condolences for the murder of the Russian ambassador to Turkey.”
Pope Francis urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to do everything possible to end the war in his country, to protect civilians and to ensure humanitarian agencies can deliver emergency aid to the people. Syria’s SANA news agency reported Assad met Dec. 12 with new Cardinal Mario Zenari, the papal nuncio to Syria, and that the cardinal delivered a letter from the pope. In a statement, the Vatican said that “in naming Archbishop Mario Zenari to the College of Cardinals, the Holy Father sought to show a particular sign of affection for the beloved Syrian people, so sorely tried in recent years. “In a letter sent through the new cardinal,” the Vatican statement continued, “Pope Francis expressed again his appeal to President Bashar al-Assad and to the international community for an end to the violence” and for a “peaceful resolution of hostilities, condemning all forms of extremism and terrorism from whatever quarter they may come.” The pope also asked Assad “to ensure that international humanitarian law is fully respected with regard to the protection of the civilians and access to humanitarian aid.”
Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda Congratulations Archbishop Hebda on receiving your pallium. Cross Catholic Outreach has been blessed by your service to our Board of Directors. May God continue to bless you as the Shepherd of the Archdiocese.
www.CrossCatholic.org
10 • The Catholic Spirit
U.S. & WORLD
December 22, 2016
Obama signs bipartisan bill on international religious freedom
Pope to visit Fatima in May 2017
Catholic News Service
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis will visit Portugal in 2017 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions of Fatima. The pope, who accepted the invitation made by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and the bishops of Portugal, “will go on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima from May 12 to 13,” the Vatican announced Dec. 17. The pilgrimage will mark the anniversary of the Marian apparitions, which first began on May 13, 1917, when three shepherd children reported seeing the Virgin Mary. The apparitions continued once a month until Oct. 13, 1917, and later were declared worthy of belief by the Catholic Church. Following the announcement, Father Carlos Cabecinhas, rector of the Fatima shrine, told Agencia Ecclesia, the news agency of the Portuguese bishops’ conference, that the visit was a “cause for joy” for the shrine. “For the shrine of Fatima, it is a great joy to receive this confirmation of Pope Francis’ visit,” he said. “We know that those days will be a
On Dec. 16, President Barack Obama signed the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, approved by the House Dec. 13. The new law gives the Obama administration and the U.S. State Department new tools, resources and training to counter extremism and combat a worldwide escalation of persecution of religious minorities. It will improve U.S. religious freedom diplomacy efforts globally; better train and equip diplomats to counter extremism; address anti-Semitism and religious persecution and mitigate sectarian conflict. The bipartisan bill was written by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, and co-sponsored by Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-California. Named for former Congressman Frank Wolf, “a tireless champion for the rights of the poor and the persecuted globally,” the bill will expand the International Religious Freedom Act Wolf sponsored in 1998. “From China and Vietnam to Syria and Nigeria, we are witnessing a tragic, global crisis in religious persecution,
violence and terrorism, with dire consequences for religious believers and for U.S. national security,” said Smith, chair of the Global Human Rights Subcommittee. “Ancient Christian communities in Iraq and Syria are on the verge of extinction, and other religious minorities in the Middle East face a constant assault from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,” he said in a Dec. 13 statement. He added: “The freedom to practice a religion without persecution is a precious right for everyone, of whatever race, sex or location on earth. This human right is enshrined in our own founding documents, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and has been a bedrock principle of open and democratic societies for centuries.” The bill, known as H.R. 1150, had more than 100 bipartisan co-sponsors. The Knights of Columbus is one of several religious organizations that has backed the measure, along with representatives of ethnic minority groups and nongovernmental organizations.
By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service
The traveling pilgrimage statue of Our Lady of Fatima is illumined Aug. 21 at St. Paul Church in Sellersburg, Indiana. CNS pilgrimage marked by this festivity that, on the one hand is for the centennial of the apparitions and, on the other hand, marks the presence of the pope in our midst and a pope as beloved as Pope Francis,” Father Cabecinhas said. While the Vatican confirmed the dates of the visit, the pope had already said that he intended to go. “Certainly, as things presently stand, I will go to Portugal, and only to Fatima,” he told journalists during his return flight to Rome from Azerbaijan Oct. 2. Pope Francis will be the fourth pontiff to visit the Marian shrine, following the footsteps of Blessed Paul VI, St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, who each paid homage different years to Mary on the anniversary of the first apparition May 13.
U.S. & WORLD
December 22, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 11
in BRIEF JERUSALEM
Priests, worshippers stop attack at Nazareth basilica Priests and worshippers thwarted an attack by a man armed with sticks in the lower grotto of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel, Dec. 18. The man, later identified by police as a non-Jewish American in his early 40s, attempted to break items in the grotto with the sticks during the daily noon Angelus prayer. He was overpowered by those present and held until the police arrived, said Wadie Abunassar, director of the Media Committee of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land. “Luckily, there were no injuries and little damage,” said Abunassar. Police later transferred the man to a hospital for psychological evaluation.
COLUMBUS, Ohio
Governor signs ban on abortion after 20 weeks, vetoes ‘heartbeat’ bill Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a bill that bans in the state abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but also vetoed a bill that would have made abortion illegal when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually at about the sixth week of pregnancy. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, or SB 127, becomes law 90 days after the Dec. 13 signing. It is the 18th anti-abortion measure Kasich has signed since becoming governor in 2011. Current Ohio law bans abortions after a fetus has begun its 20th week of gestation, unless a doctor determines that the fetus is not viable outside the
womb. The new law eliminates the viability test and simply bans abortions past 20 weeks. The current exception for the woman’s health still applies. “I agree with Ohio Right to Life and other leading pro-life advocates that SB 127 is the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life,” Kasich said in a statement. The governor also explained how he has worked to strengthen Ohio’s protections for the sanctity of human life during his two terms in office, but that he felt the provisions in the heartbeat bill “are clearly contrary to the Supreme Court of the United States’ current rulings on abortion.”
WASHINGTON
USCCB forms working group to monitor needs of migrants, refugees The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is establishing a working group charged with developing spiritual, pastoral and policy advocacy support for immigrants and refugees. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, USCCB president, has named members of the working group, with the mandate of closely following developments related to immigrants and refugees in the United States. The USCCB Public Affairs Office announced formation of the group Dec. 16. Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB vice president, will chair the group. The groundwork for the working group was set during the bishops’ annual fall general assembly in Baltimore when several bishops suggested the conference closely monitor actions by the federal government that affect immigrants and refugees.
CONGRATULATIONS TOTO CONGRATULATIONS BERNARD HEBDA ARCHBISHOP ARCHBISHOP BERNARD HEBDA MASS PALLIUM PALLIUM MASS
CATHOLIC MUTUAL GROUP CATHOLIC MUTUAL GROUP
VATICAN CITY
Pope calls Coptic pope to express condolences after Cairo attack Pope Francis phoned Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria Dec. 12, expressing his prayers and condolences for the previous day’s terrorist attack at the Cairo cathedral compound that left 25 people dead. “We are united in the blood of our martyrs,” the pope told the Orthodox patriarch, according to a Vatican statement. The patriarch thanked Pope Francis for his closeness at such a sad time and asked his continued prayers for the Copts and for peace in Egypt, the statement said. On a December weekend bloodied by terrorist attacks in Egypt and Turkey, Pope Francis condemned the violence and urged people to hold fast to their faith and renew their commitment to upholding basic human values. After reciting the Angelus Dec. 11, Pope Francis offered prayers for the “victims of savage terrorist attacks” in Egypt, which also wounded dozens, and Dec. 10 in Istanbul, which killed close to 40 people, mainly police. “The places are different, but the violence is the same,” Pope Francis said. In response to the “death and destruction,” there is only one response: “faith in God and unity in human and civil values.” The pope also told the crowd in St. Peter’s Square that each day in prayer he is close to the people of the besieged city of Aleppo, Syria. “We must not forget that Aleppo is a city and that there are people there: families, children, elderly, sick,” he said. — Catholic News Service
12 • The Catholic Spirit
C
A taste of Bethleh
“
By Dave Hrbacek • The Catholic Spirit
It’s not only a beautiful it look mysteries of our s Jesus our savio
hristmas in June? That’s the way it is for Father Alberto Curbelo when it comes to preparing for the birth of Jesus. While many people are busy planning summer vacations, he is assembling a Nativity scene that fills one wall in the rectory of St. Francis de Sales in St. Paul’s West Seventh neighborhood where he serves. It includes several hundred hand-made pieces and figurines. In addition to the classic manger scene, his display includes scenes depicting the Annunciation, Visitation, Mary and Joseph at the inn looking for a place to give birth to Jesus, and the flight to Egypt after Jesus’ birth. Music plays continually, and lighting mimics dawn, dusk, midday and night. “It wouldn’t be Christmas without Father’s crèche,” said parishioner Mary Jo Zarbo, who has seen it every year since Father Curbelo started creating it 10 years ago, when he arrived at the parish from his native Puerto Rico. “It always takes my breath away. Every year he outdoes himself. It’s just unreal what he can do, the
ideas that he has in his head that he puts out there.” Father Curbelo, 47, who belongs to the Servants of the Holy Eucharist and of the Blessed Virgin Mary and serves as St. Francis’ parochial vicar, started crafting Nativity scenes 23 years ago in Puerto Rico, right after being ordained a deacon. “From my childhood, I liked to prepare our Nativity scene at home with my family,” he said. “There were just five or six figurines. Then, when I entered the [religious]
community, I learned from another pries congregation how to make it.” Once at St. Francis de Sales, he started Nativity scene the first year, and kept exp the years. He later added a second Nativi church, which now is mostly assembled but still under his direction. “Our parishioners look forward to it,” Miguel Betancourt, pastor of St. Francis — with nearby St. James in 2011 — and als the Servants order. “People actually go aw not only about how beautiful this is or h looks. It’s about reminding them of the m salvation and how the word incarnate, Je has come into the reality of life.”
December 22, 2016 • 13
CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT The classic manger scene is lit by simulated moonlight in a display created by Father Alberto Curbelo at St. Francis de Sales in St. Paul. He has set up the display for the last 10 years since coming to the parish from his native Puerto Rico. An angel announcing the birth of Jesus to shepherds is included in the display. Father Curbelo admires one of the pieces in his display. He buys one or two a year, mostly from Spain. They range in price from $35 to more than $200. A townsman observes activity on a street in Bethlehem. The overall display tries to capture everyday life in the city where Jesus was born. People come and go on a busy street in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Herod. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
ehem
about how beautiful this is or how ks. It’s about reminding them of the salvation and how the word incarnate, or, has come into the reality of life.” Father Juan Miguel Betancourt
est in our
with a small panding it over ity scene in the by parishioners
said Father Juan — which merged so a member of away inspired. It’s how beautiful it mysteries of our Jesus our savior,
As Father Curbelo works on the display, he meditates and prays. That practice continues after it’s done, with short visits throughout the day to the room where it is located. Typically, he leaves the Nativity scene up until Feb. 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The display in the rectory is open to the public 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. It also will be open 3 to 7 p.m. Christmas Eve. The rectory is located next to St. Francis church at 650 Palace Ave. For parishioners like Zarbo, who has visited the Nativity scene in the rectory twice this Advent, it’s a way to help bring to mind the real meaning of Christmas. And, she has some advice for those who visit. “Stand back,” she said. “You don’t even have to talk. Just listen and let your eyes wander.”
14 • The Catholic Spirit
FAITH & CULTURE
December 22, 2016
Commission’s final report calls for restrictions on surrogacy Editor’s note: This is the fifth story in a series on surrogacy, which a Minnesota State Legislature commission recently studied in order to make public policy recommendations on the practice. By Bridget Ryder For The Catholic Spirit After four months of receiving testimony from surrogate mothers, lawyers, women’s rights advocates, doctors and children of surrogacy, a state legislative commission on surrogacy has recommended strict limits on commercial surrogacy. Proponents of surrogacy and the surrogacy industry had advocated that surrogacy contracts that allow current practices — such as large compensation for surrogate mothers, international surrogacy arrangements and minimal screening of intended parents — be recommended as public policy. However, the commission’s majority report recommendations would curtail some of those practices. The report is based on recommendations that the commission approved at a Dec. 8 meeting. At that meeting, Rep. John Lesch (DFL-St. Paul) brought forward another report written outside of the commission. Its recommendations would have permitted the surrogacy industry to operate with little restriction, but it was voted down 6 to 4. Kathryn Mollen, policy and outreach coordinator for the Minnesota Catholic Conference, attributed the outcome to the overall testimony to the commission members. “It was very eye-opening to see how much money is involved in some of these transactions, and how much certain organizations have to gain financially by loosening restrictions on the surrogacy industry,” Mollen said. “The commission saw the need to remove some of the financial interests from surrogacy.” The Minnesota Catholic Conference had backed the 2015 legislation that created the 15-member commission to take an in-depth look at surrogacy, in which a woman gestates a child for another parent or parents. Although several surrogacy agencies exist in
“We are satisfied the majority report attempted to protect the well-being of women and children through its recommendations.” Kathryn Mollen
the state, Minnesota law does not currently recognize surrogacy, leaving the arrangements to be carried out in a tenuous legal landscape and with little public oversight. Composed of state lawmakers and representatives from the state’s Department of Health, Department of Human Services and Supreme Court, the commission was tasked with developing public policy recommendations on surrogacy. It was led by co-chairs Rep. Peggy Scott (R-Andover) and Sen. Alice Johnson (DFL-Blaine). The report significantly recommends either a ban on commercial surrogacy or a cap on the gift a surrogate mother could receive. Surrogacy opponents advocated for such a measure to prevent children from being treated as products and women as “wombs for rent.” It also came through during testimony that without significant compensation, agencies would not be able to recruit enough surrogates to meet the numbers of intended parents coming to surrogacy brokers and fertility clinics. The majority report also recommends allowing only U.S. citizens to participate in a Minnesota surrogacy contract, thereby removing the state from the international surrogacy market. It also recommends only single embryo transfers for surrogacy pregnancies, prohibiting the pregnancies with multiple babies that generate large profits. The majority report also rejects legally recognizing traditional surrogacy, which is usually achieved
through artificial insemination so that the surrogate mother is also the genetic mother of the child. In the majority recommendations, traditional surrogacy would have to follow adoption laws. As in adoption, no compensation would be allowed for the surrogate mother, and there would be a required 72-hour waiting period before she could legally surrender her maternal rights. Mollen sees these provisions as protecting not only women who assume the risks of pregnancy as surrogates, but also children born through surrogacy. “Commission members were impacted by hearing how little regard surrogacy contracts currently have for the best interests of the child, whereas that’s the primary focus of adoption,” she said. “Surrogacy is really a practice primarily about fulfilling the desires of adults. I believe the commission saw that this was a flaw and took steps to shift the focus to where it rightly belongs: the well-being of the child.” The recommendations would also protect women from being forced to have abortions. Single embryo transfers would eliminate “selective reductions,” or abortions, sometimes performed when multiple embryos survive implantation. The recommendations also prohibit abortion clauses in surrogacy contracts so that intended parents could not use the contract to pressure a surrogate to have an abortion at their demand, as has happened, for example, in cases where the baby was found to have a birth defect. Controversy over surrogacy is far from settled in Minnesota, but the report is a step in the right direction, surrogacy opponents say. “The policy recommendations that resulted from the commission’s majority report seek to balance a host of competing interests, particularly the desire of many infertile couples to form families with legitimate public concerns about protecting the well-being of women and children,” Mollen said. “We are satisfied the majority report attempted to protect the well-being of women and children through its recommendations.” Although the commission’s work is done, as public record, the report likely will serve as a resource for considerations of any future surrogacy legislation.
Your Son. Our Mission. College Preparatory Catholic All-Male Military/Leadership Grades 6-12
Now enrolling grades 6-12!
We warmly salute
Archbishop Bernard Hebda Our Lady of Peace
Providing compassionate and comforting care at the end-of-life.
Open House January 8
Program @ 1:00 p.m.
January 25
Program @ 6:30 p.m.
Learn more at Cadets.com/OpenHouse
2076 St. Anthony Ave. St. Paul, MN 55104 651-789-5030 ourladyofpeacemn.org
FAITH & CULTURE
December 22, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 15
Global document with local ties extols farming vocation Authors present document to pope, aim to transform farmers’ vision
“The agricultural leader has the special mission to bear witness to the Creator.”
By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit “You’ve got to share this.” James Ennis has heard those words repeatedly in recent years while presenting across the U.S. on the relationship among faith, farming and the Catholic tradition. The executive director of Catholic Rural Life, Ennis said farmers, ranchers and even an agriculture student have told him that they had no idea the Church had something to say about agriculture, and they wanted to hear more. A document released earlier this month aims to fill that void by outlining the importance the Church places on agriculture and those engaged in it. The 32-page “Vocation of the Agricultural Leader: Integrating Faith with Agriculture and the Environment” affirms the dignity of farmers, agribusiness leaders, policy makers, nutrition advocates and others working with the land and food production, and encourages them in the context of faith and Catholic tradition. The document “is really retrieving the idea of vocation for all those involved in agriculture,” Ennis said. “There’s a special, unique role that farmers, ranchers and all those involved in agricultural production and bringing food to our tables play in how important it is, and the Church affirms it.” Ennis is president of the Rome-based International Catholic Rural Association, of which CRL is a member. He developed the document with Christopher Thompson, CRL board member and director of the Center for Theological Formation at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul. Global in nature, the document defines “agricultural leader” broadly, from people who work
Vocation of the Agricultural Leader
directly with the land to agribusiness executives. “An agricultural leader . . . is simply someone who recognizes and affirms the responsibilities he has toward others, to God, and creation itself,” it states. It roots the vocation in the Garden of Eden prior to the fall, when God told Adam to cultivate and keep the land. “This privileged way of life precedes the trauma of original sin and provides an insight into the place of the human person within the broader order of creation,” it states. “From the very beginning, whether through the cultivation of its fruits, the preservation of its lands or the contemplation of its beauty, man finds in his engagement with creation an encounter with the Creator himself.” The document outlines challenges farmers face, such as the decline of the family farm, and agricultural policies that result in human and resource degradation. However, it is not intended to be a litany of what’s wrong with food production, but rather something that affirms those involved, Ennis said.
We pray God’s blessings on you always, Archbishop Hebda.
Pope asks Catholic farmers to preserve, respect rhythms of nature Acknowledging the uncertainty faced by many farmers, Pope Francis encouraged members of the International Catholic Rural Association Dec. 10 to maintain as much as possible their traditional rhythms of work, family life and respect for the environment. Family farmers, he said, live the biblical ideal of working the land and making it produce sustenance while respecting creation and preserving it for future generations. Departing from his prepared text, Pope Francis told the group about a farmer he knew who cultivated olive trees. “When he told me how he worked, I tell you I could see tenderness. He had that relationship with nature. He pruned his trees like he was their father, with tenderness. May you never lose this relationship with nature and with the Creator. This gives us all dignity.” While agriculture is an essential activity and in many parts of the world remains the best response to poverty, it has become the victim of speculation and a focus on profits beyond all else, the pope said. Such an attitude, he said, comes at “the expense of sacrificing the rhythms of agricultural life with its times of work and leisure, its weekly rest and its concern for the family.” The purpose of the International Catholic Rural Association is to support people in “acting as Christians in the concrete circumstances of agricultural life, where the importance of the human person, the family and community, and a sense of solidarity represent essential values, even in situations of significant underdevelopment and poverty.” — Catholic News Service
See VOCATION on page 16
With gratitude and appreciation the Loyola Spirituality Center staff and board extend our prayers and best wishes to
Archbishop Bernard Hebda Church of The Most Holy Trinity on the occasion of the 4939 No. Washington Most Holy Trinity — Veseli Veseli, Minnesota 55046 Father John Lapensky, Pastor 507-744-2823
Congratulations on receiving your Pallium, Archbishop Hebda!
From your friends at
www.netusa.org
Pallium Mass celebrated in your honor. We wish you blessings and peace as you continue to bring healing, unity and trust to our community.
16 • The Catholic Spirit
FAITH & CULTURE
VOCATION continued from page 15 “You’re working with creation and you’re working in step with the Holy Spirit to do something really good in providing food for others,” Ennis said. “It just changes everything, I believe, when one sees what they do as not merely an occupation, but a vocation.”
Papal attention Ennis presented “Vocation of the Agricultural Leader” to Pope Francis at the Vatican Dec. 10 at an audience for Catholic rural leaders. Among them were Thompson and Doug Peterson, president of the Minnesota Farmers Union. Ennis called it an “incredible experience” and noted that Pope Francis seemed well briefed on the International Catholic Rural Association’s work. Peterson, a parishioner of St. Michael in Madison, said the document’s ecumenical application is key. Just as Pope Francis addressed his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home” to the whole world, “Vocation of the Agricultural Leader” has broad appeal, he said. Peterson especially appreciates the document’s support for family farms. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 90 percent of the world’s 570 million farms are run by an individual or family. “We want the peace and the justice and the fairness so those people can sustain themselves and sustain farmers as an economic unit, and a unit that can produce food,” he said. He quoted Pope Francis’ words to farmers at the audience: “Agriculture is no longer considered a primary sector of the economy, yet it clearly contributes to the importance of policies of
December 22, 2016
development for addressing disparities in food securities and issues in the life of rural communities.” Thompson said he hoped that the pope’s attention to the document helps it get into the hands of people around the globe. “My hope is that in reading it farmers feel affirmed in their dignity, and farmers begin to recognize the incredible importance of their work, in terms of not just care of the earth but really being protectors of culture more broadly. In their practices, the future of the human community rests,” he said. “Much of our health and well being depends upon prudent and wise practices of our farmers,” he added. “In some ways, they’re a much neglected part of the modern dialogue, but that’s only to the detriment of all.”
‘A noble vocation’ Ennis and Thompson were inspired to write the document after the 2012 release of “Vocation of the Business Leader,” a project of the University of St. Thomas’ Center for Catholic Studies in St. Paul and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. They told the council’s president, Cardinal Peter Turkson, that farmers could benefit from a similar document. Cardinal Turkson told them to spearhead it, they said. So they did. “Vocation of the Agricultural Leader” was already in the works in 2015 when Pope Francis promulgated “Laudato Si’: On the Care of our Common Home,” which outlined some of the same ideas and enhanced the new document. As part of the project that has yielded the document, CRL hosted a national symposium “Faith, Food and the Environment” at St. Thomas in St. Paul
in 2014 and an international symposium in Milan a year later. It also gathered input from farmers and other experts worldwide. Most of the document was written in the past year. CRL leaders are now engaged in a series of presentations across the U.S. on the topic. The International Catholic Rural Association published the document in collaboration with CRL. Partners included the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Farmers Union Enterprises, a collaboration of the Minnesota Farmers Union, Montana Farmers Union, North Dakota Farmers Union, South Dakota Farmers Union and Wisconsin Farmers Union. Ennis said he hopes “Vocation of the Agricultural Leader” brings about “conversion” and “transformation” for its readers, helping them to see “agriculture in a different light” as “more than just working with dirt.” “It is a noble vocation, but what’s happened is that we’ve reduced it to just an occupation,” he said. “We’ve taken the moral content out of it and instead leveled it. Now we want to ennoble it because it is so critical to life, especially when you’re working with creation in such a tangible way.” The document was published in English, Spanish, French and Italian, with a forthcoming translation in Tagalog. Ennis plans to gather feedback over the next year in preparation for a second edition, which he expects to be published by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Read the document online or order copies at
www.catholicrurallife.org.
Sincerest Congratulations to Christmas Eve Saturday December 24 4:00pm Vigil Eucharist 6:30pm Vigil Eucharist 8:30pm Vigil Eucharist 10:30pm Prelude Music 11:00pm Choral Music 11:30pm Vigil of Lights Midnight Solemn Eucharist
Honoring the Pallium Mass for A r c h b i s h o p B e r n a rd H e b d a
Christmas Day Sunday December 25 7:30am Eucharist at Dawn 9:30am Solemn Eucharist Noon Solemn Eucharist 4:30pm Eucharist mary.org
612.333.1381
Archbishop Bernard Hebda! John E. Trojack, Attorney at Law
We greatly welcome your servant leadership.
Ad Multos Annos
Trojack Law Office, P.A. Trojack Law Office, P.A. • 1549 Livingston Ave., Ste. 101 • W. St. Paul, MN 55118
Phone: 651.451.9696 • www.TrojackLaw.com
Wear Love Everywhere You Go. Colossians 3:14 In Faith and Celebration,
FROM AGE TO AGE
December 22, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 17
At Christmas, preparing to say goodbye to old Dorothy Day Center A longtime volunteer reflects on charity’s work ahead of transition to new space By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Retired 3M marketer Jim Erdman is ever the salesman while serving a lesser-known dish at Catholic Charities’ Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul. “Best shepherd’s pie,” Erdman tells one guest going through the lunch line Dec. 14. “Ever had shepherd’s pie before?” Erdman asks another. “You’re going to get a chance today.” A parishioner of St. Odilia in Shoreview, Erdman, 70, said he enjoys connecting with the Dorothy Day Center’s guests and fellow volunteers during his biweekly shifts. He has volunteered at its site on Old Sixth Street for nine years, and will be among those helping Dorothy Day transition its services to new facilities beginning next year. As many as 300 people eat at Dorothy Day each day. This year’s Christmas meal will be the last time its guests eat a holiday dinner at the longtime site, according to Catholic Charities’ timeline. Next year, meals are expected to be served in a transition space as Catholic Charities completes two new buildings designed to better meet guests’ needs. As lunch service begins, a lengthy line starts at the cafeteria door and meanders around Dorothy Day’s main entry as guests — mostly men, with a few women and children — wait to come through. Erdman and fellow volunteers greet them one by one and fill food trays ready for pick up. “When you see the client guests come through, you realize the difference [you’re making],” Erdman said. Erdman said he valued Dorothy Day’s work for years and decided to get involved after his retirement. He worked in food service while in college and still enjoys it, making his role at Dorothy Day a good fit. His tasks vary based on the type of food donations and meals planned by the professional chefs. The morning they served shepherd’s pie, he tore apart stalks of Brussels sprouts.
Enhancing services As Erdman has served meals over the years, he’s noted trends among the homeless men and women who come for food. He thinks changing family structures have led to increased homelessness, and he has been surprised to observe an age shift among guests. More young adults — he guesses ages 18-25 — are coming through the lunch line than when he started, he said. The Dorothy Day Center has offered meals to
Jim Erdman of St. Odilia in Shoreview greets people who come through the food line Dec. 14 at Catholic Charities’ Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit homeless men and women in St. Paul since 1981. Now, it also provides mental health services, medical care and showers. Its space includes a temporary women’s shelter, and at night, its cafeteria serves as an emergency shelter on a first-come, first-served basis. It was named to honor Dorothy Day, a Catholic activist and co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement who died in 1980 and whose cause for canonization is underway. The center’s growing needs warranted bigger facilities. With support of community leaders, Catholic Charities is nearing completion of the first phase of a twobuilding, $100 million project. It expects to soon open Higher Ground St. Paul on a lot adjacent to the Dorothy Day Center to provide improved housing for the men and women it serves. Its leaders initially hoped to open portions of the building before Christmas, but pushed back the movein date due to unfinished construction. The Dorothy Day Center’s brick building will be demolished in 2017 to make way for the project’s next phase, the Opportunity Center, which will be constructed on its lot. Scheduled to open in 2018, that facility will provide meals, medical care, mental health counseling, job search help and related services for guests.
Having faith Erdman can see how more space will benefit the guests, especially at Higher Ground, which will have bunk beds for 280 people and low-rent, singleoccupancy rooms for another 364 people. In Dorothy Day’s current space, an average of 250
Thanks to these Web Advertisers on TheCatholicSpirit.com! St. Agnes School St. Patrick’s Guild Saint Therese Homes Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity The Glenn Benedictine Health Center at Innsbruck St. Thomas Academy Our Lady of Peace Home Daughters of the Heart of Mary
The McReavy Family
Family owned and operated for 160 years, WashburnMcReavy is dedicated to serving families with caring and professional funeral services. Please contact us at any of our 17 metro area locations for more information about our services, or visit our website at www.washburn-mcreavy.com.
guests sleep on mats laid tightly together on the cafeteria and entry floors. “It looks like a page of postage stamps in the cafeteria,” Erdman said. “They put people down 1 foot away from the next person on a mat. That’s all going to change with the new St. Paul Higher Ground.” During the transition, meals will temporarily take place at nearby Mary Hall, a Catholic Charities-run affordable housing apartment building. “It’s much smaller, so we’re going to have to extend the hours of operation,” Erdman said. That increases the need for volunteers, too, which Dorothy Day Center’s kitchen supervisor Mike DeJong said usually number eight to 10 workers per shift. Inspired by Higher Ground Minneapolis, Higher Ground St. Paul will fulfill the first stage of a mission for Tim Marx since becoming Catholic Charities’ CEO in 2011. He led the cause for developing the new facilities and sees the robust community response as a sign of hope for the poor. “This is, I think, probably the biggest housewarming party in the history of the State of Minnesota, and we’re so proud that the community is responding the way that it has,” Marx said. With all the moving parts of the transition, Erdman said he and everyone involved with Dorothy Day need to trust “that the process will be faith-directed, God directed” and that they’ll arrive at “a workable solution” in the new space. He keeps in mind the big picture of this ministry as serving God. “That’s kind of faith in action to begin with,” he said.
Blaine Pre-Arrangement Center 763-231-0506 10450 Baltimore Street NE Bloomington 952-884-8145 2300 W. Old Shakopee Road Columbia Heights 763-789-4436 4101 Central Ave NE Coon Rapids 763-767-1000 1827 Coon Rapids Blvd Eden Prairie 952-975-0400 7625 Mitchell Road Edina 952-920-3996 5000 W. 50th & Hwy 100 Hopkins 952-938-9020 1400 Mainstreet New Brighton 651-636-9821 706 4th Ave. NW Nokomis Park 612-721-1651 1838 E. Minnehaha Pkwy
Northeast Minneapolis 612-781-6828 2901 Johnson Street NE North Minneapolis 612-529-9691 1600 Lowry Ave N. Robbinsdale 763-537-2333 4239 W. Broadway Uptown 612-377-2203 2301 Dupont Ave S. Crystal Lake Cemetery 612-521-3677 3816 Penn Ave N., Minneapolis Dawn Valley Memorial Park 952-941-7686 9940 Bush Lake Road, Bloomington Glen Haven Memorial Gardens 763-533-8643 5125 W. Broadway, Crystal Hillside Cemetery 612-781-1999 2610 19th Ave NE, Minneapolis
info@washburn-mcreavy.com
18 • The Catholic Spirit
FROM AGE TO AGE
December 22, 2016
Faith and diplomacy: Hackett reflects on role as U.S. envoy to Vatican By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Ken Hackett, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, is gearing up to try retirement for the second time. The retired president of Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ overseas aid agency, is leaving his ambassadorial post three years and three months after presenting his credentials to Pope Francis. For diplomats from around the world, the Vatican is known as a prime “listening post,” and what Hackett is listening to a lot these days are questions about what President-elect Donald Trump has in store. In an interview Dec. 15, Hackett said, “There is a general concern among everybody in the world — whether you were for Trump or against Trump — because it’s a surprise every day” with his announcements, appointments, meetings and even his Tweets as he assembles his cabinet and prepares for inauguration. Among other diplomats as well as within the Holy See, he said, “they just don’t know that to expect” as far as what President Trump’s positions, policies and actions will be on issues as varied as Palestine, human rights and immigration — just three of the issues of deep concern to the Vatican and the worldwide Catholic Church. The 69-year-old ambassador will leave Rome Jan. 20 — Inauguration Day. He has no idea when Trump will nominate a new ambassador, but even after Trump identifies someone, it will take several months for the security vetting and approval by the Senate. In the meantime, the United States will be represented at the Vatican by a charge d’affaires, Louis Bono. Looking back on his three years as ambassador, Hackett has no problem coming up with three highlights. First, without a doubt, the visit of Pope Francis to the United States in September 2015. The other top moments were the visit of President Barack Obama to the Vatican in March 2014 and the
Ken Hackett, U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, is pictured in his office at the embassy in Rome Dec. 15. Hackett’s last day as ambassador will be Jan. 20, when U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office. CNS canonization this year of St. Teresa of Kolkata, whom Hackett knew well. Before Pope Francis’ trip, he said, “there was a long, long lead-in where we had to prepare, work, encourage, offer insight, cautions — and you never really know if they are going to be heeded, accepted or inculcated into the visit.” The ambassador said he had been nervous about how Pope Francis would be received by Congress and how his speech would go over, but the pope “captured their hearts, and I think it had an impact across the nation and maybe across the world.” The pope’s personality, his rhetoric and his use of the four “icons” allowed everyone to grasp his call for “compassion and engagement” with each other across partisan lines and with the wider world to work for the common good, Hackett said. In almost 20 years as president of CRS, Hackett worked with Church leaders at every level — including
many at the Vatican — but he said as ambassador he was surprised by how little Curia offices share information with each other and by how hard people at the Vatican work. For example, he said, the monsignor who serves as the desk officer for U.S. affairs in the Vatican Secretariat of State, also has responsibility for Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. “That’s a big portfolio.” The Vatican staff is “very bright, very intelligent and very committed. They want to make a change for the good,” he said. “Pope Francis has inspired so many people in the Vatican,” and even if some people seem more interested in hearing about who is not on board, “the vast majority are saying, ‘This is great.’ His leadership offers them the opportunities to do what they joined to do.” The U.S. ambassador’s job is varied, as well, he said. War and peace, human rights, human trafficking, interstate relations, climate change and nuclear nonproliferation were all on the Vatican’s agenda. Hackett represented the Obama Administration, which meant collaborating with the Vatican on issues such as the defense of Christians in the Middle East and climate change, he said, but it also involved listening to top Vatican officials who echoed the U.S. bishops’ criticisms of the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act and Obama’s support for same-sex marriage. The Catholic Church is “a big tent,” Hackett said. “There are a lot of people with different viewpoints under that tent; there are scoundrels and saints.” Personally, serving as ambassador was a “time of growing faith,” he said, adding with a laugh that it was not just because he received three plenary indulgences after attending the ceremonies for the opening of three Holy Doors in Rome for the Year of Mercy. “You see some miraculous things” being the Vatican ambassador, he said. “You read about some horrible things. But the miraculous always overcomes the horrible.”
Number one regret of our residents: “Why didn’t we move hereone sooner?” Number Number one regret regret Number one regret ofof our ourresidents: residents: of our residents: “Why “Why didn’t didn’t wewe “Why didn’t we move movehere heresooner?” sooner?” Announcing Therese Southwest is now moveSt.here sooner?” The Glenn Catholic Senior Communities.
With age comes wisdom. And an opportunity to define your next chapter. At The Glenn Catholic Senior Living Communities, we’re Announcing Announcing St. Therese Therese Southwest Southwest now is now We’re a welcoming focused on St. inspiring a more activeislifestyle. The The Glenn Glenn Catholic Catholic Senior Senior Communities. Communities. Catholic community that provides daily spiritual support, a warm Announcing St. Therese Southwest is now sense of family, and the ability to modify your living arrangement The Glenn Catholic Senior Communities. With With age age comes comes wisdom. wisdom. And And an opportunity opportunity define your your next next from independent to assisted oranmemory care to toto suitdefine your needs. chapter. chapter. Atvisit At The The Glenn Glenn Catholic Catholic Senior Senior Living Living Communities, Communities, we’re we’re With age comes wisdom. And an opportunity to define your next Call or today! focused focused onon inspiring inspiring a more a Catholic more active active lifestyle. lifestyle. We’re We’re a welcoming a welcoming chapter. At The Glenn Senior Living Communities, we’re Catholic Catholic community community that that provides daily daily spiritual spiritual support, support, a warm a warm focused on inspiring a provides more active lifestyle. We’re a welcoming TheGlennHopkins.com | sense sense of of family, family, and and thethat the ability ability to 952-467-8498 to modify modify your living living arrangement arrangement Catholic community provides dailyyour spiritual support, a warm from from independent independent to to assisted assisted or or memory care care to living to suitsuit your your needs. needs. TheGlennMinnetonka.com | 952-479-8160 sense of family, and the ability tomemory modify your arrangement from to assisted or memory care to suit your needs. Call Call orindependent or visit visit today! today! Call or visit Call or visit today! today! TheGlennHopkins.com TheGlennHopkins.com || 952-467-8498 952-467-8498 Ask about our newly remodeled Senior Apartments at TheGlennHopkins.com | 952-467-8498 our Hopkins Location! TheGlennMinnetonka.com TheGlennMinnetonka.com || 952-479-8160 952-479-8160 TheGlennMinnetonka.com | 952-479-8160
EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY
Your newspaper. TheGlennHopkins.com 952-467-8498 TheGlennMinnetonka.com 952-479-8160
FOCUS ON FAITH
December 22, 2016
SUNDAY SCRIPTURES Deacon Beau Braun
Weakness, not strength, attracted God’s love, mercy Heaven has never been won by denying sin or weakness. Sometimes we forget this. Sometimes we can think that if we can accumulate more good deeds than bad, that is what will bring us into the kingdom. We think that the well intentioned people win heaven by not falling too far into sin. On Christmas we celebrate something different: the truth that Jesus came while we were still sinners. He is the light who
came to scatter our darkness and the life to bring us out of the death of sin. It is our weakness, not our strength, that attracted the love and mercy of God. Our faith demands that we look at our sin and brokenness in order to accept and receive the one who came to save and heal us. Our faith demands that we look at the bloodied hammer in our hands before we look up to the merciful face of Jesus on the cross. It is only in the face of
The Catholic Spirit • 19
our sin and weakness that we see just how much God has done for us, just how much he loves us. It is only through our weakness that we can fully appreciate the power of God and what he did for us in becoming man. In the Christian life, it is dangerous to ignore our sin and weakness. We walk this pilgrimage not to reach the end and shout, “Look at me, God! Look at how good I am!” Rather, the Christian proclaims, “Look at how good God is!” In our needs and flaws, we lean into and appreciate more the God who loves us and wants to shower us with his generosity. Can we consciously receive what we celebrate each Christmas? Can we see the true beauty of that small child in the manger? We were undeserving of God’s mercy, but he gave it to us. In showing his mercy, God didn’t just say, “I forgive you”; God demonstrated the unfathomable extent of his mercy and
Sunday, Dec. 25 Nativity of the Lord Readings • Is 52:7-10 • Heb 1:1-6 • Jn 1:1-18 love. God became man. The very reality we run away from or ignore — human weakness — God himself embraced for our sake and made the means of sanctification. It is only in recognizing both our devastating need and God’s gratuitous, unconditional love that we can shout with joy, as we see the child in the manger, “My Savior!” Deacon Braun is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity for the Diocese of Duluth. His teaching parish is Our Lady of Grace in Edina, and his home parish is St. Charles in Cass Lake.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Dec. 25 Nativity of the Lord Is 52:7-10 Heb 1:1-6 Jn 1:1-18 Monday, Dec. 26 St. Stephen, first martyr Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 Mt 10:17-22 Tuesday, Dec. 27 St. John, apostle and evangelist 1 Jn 1:1-4 Jn 20:1a and 2-8
Wednesday, Dec. 28 Holy Innocents, martyrs 1 Jn 1:5–2:2 Mt 2:13-18 Thursday, Dec. 29 1 Jn 2:3-11 Lk 2:22-35 Friday, Dec. 30 Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 Mt 2:13-15, 19-23 Saturday, Dec. 31 1 Jn 2:18-21 Jn 1:1-18
Sunday, Jan. 1 Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of God Nm 6:22-27 Gal 4:4-7 Lk 2:16-21 Monday, Jan. 2 Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church 1 Jn 2:22-28 Jn 1:19-28 Tuesday, Jan. 3 1 Jn 2:29–3:6 Jn 1:29-34
SEEKING ANSWERS Father Kenneth Doyle
Miracles for sainthood; God and masculine pronoun Q. I have read that miracles are
required before someone can be proclaimed a saint. Can you tell me more about the process and perhaps give some examples of miracles for saints recently canonized?
A. The process for canonization has been developed by the Church over time — with increasing rigor. The first Christian saints were martyred for their faith during persecutions in the Church’s earliest centuries. Later, Christians started to recognize as saints those who had lived virtuous lives even though they had not been put to death for their beliefs, and Church leaders realized the need for a more formal authentication. (In the 12th century, Pope Alexander III wrote to the King of Sweden castigating the Swedish people for venerating an imbibing monk who had been killed in a drunken brawl.)
The current steps toward canonization provide for one miracle to be documented for beatification and another one for canonization. Miracles obtained through someone’s intercession are regarded as proof that the person is in heaven and able to intervene with the Lord. The general procedures for canonization were outlined by St. John Paul II in an apostolic constitution issued in 1983. The pope, as the Church’s supreme legislator, can and occasionally does dispense from the requirement on miracles, especially when the deceased is universally recognized for holiness. (This was done for Pope John XXIII when he was canonized in 2014.) Reported cures are scrutinized thoroughly by a panel of medical experts who must conclude that there is no natural explanation for the recovery of health. When St. John Paul II was canonized (also in 2014), a guest at the ceremony
Wednesday, Jan. 4 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious 1 Jn 3:7-10 Jn 1:35-42 Thursday, Jan. 5 St. John Neumann, bishop 1 Jn 3:11-21 Jn 1:43-51 Friday, Jan. 6 1 Jn 5:5-13 Mk 1:7-11 Saturday, Jan. 7 1 Jn 5:14-21 Jn 2:1-11
Sunday, Jan. 8 Epiphany of the Lord Is 60:1-6 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 Mt 2:1-12 Monday, Jan. 9 Baptism of the Lord Is 42:1-4, 6-7 Mt 3:13-17 Tuesday, Jan. 10 Heb 2:5-12 Mk 1:21-28 Wednesday, Jan. 11 Heb 2:14-18 Mk 1:29-39
was a woman from Costa Rica who had recovered inexplicably from a brain aneurysm after praying to that deceased pontiff. In September, St. Teresa of Kolkata was canonized after a Brazilian man with multiple brain tumors was healed when loved ones pleaded to Mother Teresa on his behalf.
Thursday, Jan. 12 Heb 3:7-14 Mk 1:40-45 Friday, Jan. 13 Heb 4:1-5, 11 Mk 2:1-12 Saturday, Jan. 14 Heb 4:12-16 Mk 2:13-17 Sunday, Jan. 15 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 49:3, 5-6 1 Cor 1:1-3 Jn 1:29-34
Q. I would very much like to know the Church’s official position on whether God should be referred to as “Father” (that is, in masculine terms) or as a genderless being. I find it troubling when the words in traditional hymns are changed to remove any references to “his” or “him.” In a similar way, I often hear during the Liturgy of the Eucharist many people responding, “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of God’s name, for our good and the good of God’s holy Church.” And yet, when I look up that response in the Roman Missal itself, I find “his name” and “his holy Church.” I fear the day when some people will start the Lord’s Prayer with, “Our God who art in heaven.”
pure spirit in which there is no place for the difference between the sexes. But the respective ‘perfections’ of man and woman reflect something of the infinite perfection of God: those of a mother and those of a father” (No. 370). The traditional use, then, of the masculine pronoun does not equate to a belief in the masculinity of God. Having said that, I would make the argument that — for the sake of uniformity within a congregation and across the wider Church — it is best to stick with the responses given in the Roman Missal and hope that the liturgical translators eventually catch up with the Church’s theology. As for the Our Father, that of course has a special sacredness because it was the prayer taught directly by Jesus. In order to convey the ready accessibility to us of the Lord, Jesus called his Father by the Aramaic word “Abba” — which, some scholars say, really translates to our warm and familiar word, “Daddy.” Since Jesus used these very words, this prayer ought never to change. (Can you imagine if Jesus had invited us instead to pray to “Our divine and genderless being”?)
A. It is the clear teaching of the Church that God is neither male nor female. As the divine being, God transcends gender. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “In no way is God in man’s image. He is neither man nor woman. God is
Father Doyle writes for Catholic News Service. A priest of the Diocese of Albany, New York, he previously served as director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Questions may be sent to askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, NY 12208.
20 • The Catholic Spirit
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
December 22, 2016
ADVENT
Liz Kelly
Keeping watch in the little hours When the good folks who organize perpetual adoration are trying to recruit adorers — a formidable and honorable task to be sure, one I certainly couldn’t do — this is the verse they often use on the flier: “Can you not stay awake with me one hour?” And this, of course, recalls the Lord’s words to his sleepy disciples who kept nodding off while he was in prayerful agony anticipating his passion. An extraordinary moment is captured in that verse, and I understand why they choose it. It is a remarkable accounting of the Lord’s deep desire for our friendship, our company. It also recalls the natural entreaty of a man in need of support and the failure of human weakness. What it does not immediately recall is joy. In recent years, in addition to my usual holy hour commitments, I’ve started serving as a substitute adorer. Once every few months I am asked to take one of the “iron man hours” — those brutal hours between 2 and 5 a.m., in many ways the hidden lifeblood of perpetual adoration. When I was young and healthier, keeping a holy hour in the middle of the night was a common habit, and frankly, fairly easy for me. With more than half my life behind me and a slightly less healthy body, a holy hour in the middle of the night, though I cherish this intimate time with Jesus,
has taken on a new timbre of sacrifice, but far more importantly, joy. It is unfailingly moving to enter the chapel at 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning and find there an adorer, often on their knees, deep in prayer, keeping close company with the King of Kings. This being their regular habit, not something out of their ordinary routine. I marvel at their faithfulness with deep gratitude. We make our quiet exchange as I take the watch, and after a moment, their footsteps disappear into the darkness, and I am left alone with Jesus where the sweetest silence descends and envelopes me like a warm blanket. This is the Jesus who knows my name and is so delighted that I have come.
Mystery amid daily duty There is a unique quiet that visits the adoration chapel in the middle of the night, a stillness that cannot be recaptured easily in the daytime. In these, the little hours of the morning, I am more and more convinced that it is not only the hour of agony that the Lord wishes to share with us in this devotion — though sometimes it is that hour, too — but perhaps even more so, Jesus invites us to know him in those early hours of perfect joy, those shepherd hours, when those simple and faithful men of goodwill kept watch; those who, while quietly and humbly fulfilling their normal duty, also lived in anticipation of Emmanuel. It was in
CATHOLIC WATCHMEN Vincenzo Randazzo
The power of witness On a Tuesday morning some months ago, I woke up without my alarm. I looked at my clock, and it was exactly 5 a.m. Typically this is like finding a forgotten $5 in my pocket; I have a whole extra hour to sleep! But a new thought entered my mind that morning: “You should go to confession and Mass.” With that thought, a battle commenced. “Or, you could go back to sleep — you’re a young single man, enjoy it while it lasts! God doesn’t care if you stay happily asleep; in fact, he prefers it!” The battle continued, evoking a priest I admire, Father Michael Malain: “But Father Malain is also a young man. Not only will he celebrate Mass this morning, he is going to hear confessions before Mass because that’s how he serves. Father works hard, and
you should work hard, too.” That thought inspired me to get up and get moving.
Joyful service I owe that battle won to the hardworking priests at All Saints in Minneapolis. I began to regularly attend Mass there because it is near my apartment in Northeast, but after a while, my reasons for going there changed. The remarkable service and witness of its pastor, Father Peter Bauknecht, and parochial vicar, Father Malain, both members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, moved me to work harder at being a Catholic man and not settle for comfort or my selfish ways. Yes, they are priests and expected to live a life of service, but they go above and beyond as they minister to their parishioners. And they do it
It is unfailingly moving to enter the chapel at 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning and find there an adorer, often on their knees, deep in prayer, keeping close company with the King of Kings.
their normal routine that the sky erupted in music and glory and a mystery they could barely comprehend. These nameless few would race to that hidden cave and find the word made flesh in the unspoiled innocence of a holy infant — a Messiah who knew them by name and was so happy they had come. This hidden Jesus, this innocent child-Savior, this font of all joy, this answer to all anxiety, this conqueror of
every fear and tribulation, this Prince of Peace, Holy One, Comforter: He is there, too, desiring your friendship. May the Wonderful Counselor keep you in close company in the holy days ahead. Kelly is a member of St. Michael in Stillwater. Her next book, “A Catholic Woman’s Worth: Finding, Healing and Flourishing the Feminine Heart in Christ” (Loyola Press) will be released next year.
The diligence of priests in our lives who persevere in prayer and service to their flock is contagious, and it is causing men to recognize their desire for comfort and trade it in for a desire toward greatness in service. joyfully, without complaint. Some may dismiss their attitude as what’s simply expected from priests, but it is a powerful witness to a young man like me. Before I benefited from this example of service, I think my perspective was one of, “Sure, priests work hard, but don’t we all?” No, I realized, we don’t — at least I certainly did not until I witnessed true service. So I am doing what I can to emulate them. It’s remarkable: When one serves and serves well, it encourages others to do the same. But how do we as men serve? We are not priests, but we can serve as a model in our home, in prayer, in thankfulness, in humility. We can serve by joyfully carrying the burdens of the day or the troubles of a family member or friend without complaint. I have
learned to be more dutiful in my work and diligent in my daily prayers — both of which are forms of service. I shared these thoughts with a friend of mine who joined All Saints last year; he said the same thing is happening to him in response to witnessing service. I asked another man, same story; he is inspired because of the priests’ witness in acts of service. The diligence of priests in our lives who persevere in prayer and service to their flock is contagious, and it is causing men to recognize their desire for comfort and trade it in for a desire toward greatness in service. Randazzo is an evangelization manager in the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and director of development at St. Stephen in Minneapolis.
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
December 22, 2016
FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA Jason Adkins
Immigration debate needs constructive engagement The debate over immigration policy is inevitably heating up as we prepare for Donald Trump’s inauguration as president. Undoubtedly, an early priority of his presidency will be to increase border security and re-examine President Obama’s immigration enforcement policies. Unfortunately, because of the over-thetop way in which these matters were discussed during the campaign, including remarks by the president-elect and others, many undocumented people and their children (who might be citizens) live in fear that their families will be torn apart by what lies ahead. But instead of ratcheting up fearinducing rhetoric to oppose the pernicious elements of Trump’s pledges (which some pro-immigration advocates are doing in statements that seem more anti-Trump than pro-immigrant), advocates for immigrants, including the Church, should follow a path of constructive engagement. Recognizing that political dynamics are not favorable for comprehensive immigration reform, we should seek to build common ground rooted in first principles, and focus on the need both to keep families together and protect childhood arrivals, who have come to be called the “dreamers.”
First principles Donald Trump is not wrong that a nation without borders is no longer a nation. Nor is there anything wrong with deporting migrants who represent a threat to the safety and security of the American people. As Pope John XXIII noted in his 1963 encyclical “Pacem in Terris,” the Church recognizes the right of sovereign nations to control their borders for the common good of their citizens, which includes not only their
physical safety, but also their economic well-being. But the right of nations to control their borders is not absolute. Nations also have an obligation to the universal common good, and thus should seek to accommodate migrants to the greatest extent possible, particularly those escaping violence, persecution and extreme poverty. Similarly, upholding the right of migrants and refugees to come to the United States does not mean that they are without responsibilities to their new nation or residence. Building the common good requires a sense of
The Catholic Spirit • 21
The bottom line is that to protect our immigrant brothers and sisters in these times, we should sound less like open borders absolutists or alarmists, and more like Catholics. solidarity among citizens, and when newcomers behave as though they are entitled to the benefits of their new land but do not share in the responsibilities to ensure those blessings continue, it undermines civic friendship.
Lost opportunity As a reflection of these principles, in 2013 the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops supported a comprehensive reform that 1) created a 13-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented people, which includes the payment of thousands of dollars in fines and fees; 2) disqualified those with criminal records from citizenship; 3) mandated both English and civics education for prospective citizens; and 4) increased border security by billions of dollars. This was a good compromise bill that
Immigration Sunday: Jan. 8 ‘Creating communities of encounter’ Minnesota’s Catholic bishops are again calling for the observance of Immigration Sunday across the state on the Feast of Our Lord’s Epiphany. This annual event provides an opportunity to learn more about the Church’s teaching on immigration and raises awareness about migration issues in Minnesota and beyond. The theme of this year’s Immigration Sunday — which coincides with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Migration Week Jan. 8-14 — is “Creating communities of encounter.” It underscores the need to approach immigrants as people to be loved, not problems to be solved. To support the observance of Immigration Sunday, the Minnesota Catholic Conference has produced resources to use in parishes, schools or homes, including a Liturgy Planning Guide and an Activity and Resource Guide. These materials and more can be found at www.mncatholic.org/immigration-sunday.
should have been passed. Unfortunately, that opportunity was squandered, and now we are faced with an uncertain future regarding how the Trump administration will prioritize the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws against undocumented people.
Human rights test Will President-elect Trump leave in place “deferred action” programs for childhood arrivals and their parents and choose to focus instead on those who threaten public safety? Or will the government indiscriminately deport those caught in a new dragnet? If the latter, then Christians and all those of good will should raise their voice in protest — not by shouting, nor by engaging in sloppy advocacy that sounds like the United States should become a cosmopolitan nation of open borders and global citizens, embracing a relativistic ideal of cultural diversity. These approaches are not helpful or persuasive. Instead, we should follow the lead of Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles and view the immigration debate in specifically American terms. The immigration debate is a test of who we are as a nation — a human rights test. Does America welcome those who share its ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of their place of origin? Will America remain a beacon of hope for those who are poor and oppressed, and come out of this controversy stronger? Or will we cynically deport those lured here by a promise of a new life after we have extracted cheap labor from them? The bottom line is that to protect our immigrant brothers and sisters in these times, we should sound less like open borders absolutists or alarmists, and more like Catholics. Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.
LETTERS Male priesthood I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read some letters defending males-only priesthood. Comments about Jesus founding the Catholic Church and directing it to have men only as priests are ludicrous. Jesus was born a Jew, lived his life as a Jew and died a Jew. Some believers claim he performed miracles. If he founded the Catholic Church and directed it to ordain men only, he performed one of his greater miracles.
slaughter the lamb, take the lamb’s blood and apply it to the door post and lintel so that the Angel of Death would pass by those doors marked with the blood of the lamb. Unblemished, male lamb. Not female.
Donovan R. Johnson St. Edward, Bloomington
Now a couple of thousand years later, Jesus Christ is born unblemished, of a woman: Mary, the Immaculate Conception (Jn 1:29-36). As he was preaching to his followers, John the Baptist saw Jesus and said, “There goes the Lamb of God,” speaking, of course, about Jesus. Remember now, he is a male lamb, not female.
Regarding a letter by Carol Larsen (“Rethinking women priests,” Nov. 24), I’d like to clear things up for you. In Exodus chapter 12, it states each family was to procure a male lamb, without blemish. Remember: male lamb without blemish — not female. They were to
Then, on the evening of the Last Supper (the night they were to celebrate the Passover meal), Jesus and his apostles, as I understand it, did not have any lamb to celebrate the Passover meal. So, Christ took the unleavened bread and changed it into his body and blood. Remember
now, this is the unblemished lamb that they needed to celebrate the Passover meal. Christ said, “Take, eat, this is my body. This is the Lamb of God ... .” Saying THIS MALE LAMB, not female. Only a male priest can raise the host and say, “Take, eat, this is my body.” Every family was to procure a male lamb, not female. No female can say, “Take, drink, this is my blood.” Blood of the lamb was of the male lamb. Every priest represents Christ, the male lamb. In your letter you mentioned John Paul II not wanting to change. Agnus Dei goes back 2,000 years, way before Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II is relaying history, standing up to the truth, rather than misleading us into new lies or false history. I hope this clarifies it better for you. William Petermeier St. John the Baptist, Dayton
Obligation, not ‘responsibility’ I noted you used the word “responsibility” about how each person should respond to a holy day of obligation (“News Notes,” Dec. 8). One of the precepts of the Church is the “obligation” of all Catholics to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation. Unless they are dispensed by their pastor or are ill, caring for infants, etc., those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin (CCC 2177, 2180, 2192). L. Mitera Holy Family, St. Louis Park Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@archspm.org. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.
22 • The Catholic Spirit
CALENDAR
Music Martin Luther King Holiday concert — Jan. 15: 7–9 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc. 4537 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.stjoan.com.
Ongoing groups Faithful Spouses support group — Third Tuesday of each month: 7–8:30 p.m. in Smith Hall of the Hayden Building, 328 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul. For those who are living apart from their spouses because of separation or divorce. 651-291-4438 or faithfulspouses@archspm.org. Career Transition group meeting — Third Thursday of each month: 7:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus, 155 County Road 24, Medina. www.hnoj.org/career-transition-group. Dementia Support Group — Second Tuesday of each month: 7–9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org. CARITAS cancer support group — Wednesdays: 10:30 a.m.–noon at St. Joseph’s Hospital, second floor, maternity classroom 2500, 45 W. 10th St., St. Paul.
Prayer/worship Taize Prayer — Third Friday of each month: 7 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org. Healing Mass with Father Jim Livingston — Jan. 17: 7 p.m. at St. Gabriel the Archangel – St. Joseph Campus, 1310 Mainstreet, Hopkins. rowheels@hotmail.com or www.stgabrielhopkins.org.
The Grace of Benedictine Spirituality — Jan. 19: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. www.stpaulsmonastery.org. Pro-Life Memorial Mass — Jan. 27: 6 p.m. at St. Charles Borromeo, 2739 Stinson Blvd. NE, St. Anthony. Join Prolife Across America for a Memorial Mass commemorating the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. karidomeyer@gmail.com.
Retreats On the Crest of a New Year — Dec. 31: 10 a.m.–7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
December 22, 2016
CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.
Middle School Info Night at Notre Dame Academy — Jan. 10: 6:30 p.m. at 13505 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka. jmeyer@nda-mn.org or www.nda-mn.org.
LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your press release.
St. Jerome All School Open House and Kindergarten Information Night — Jan. 17: 5:30–7:30 p.m. at 384 Roselawn Ave., Maplewood. www.facebook.com/stjeromemn or jcook@ stjeromeschool.org.
ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar:
Singles
Encountering God in Everyday Life — Jan. 6-7, Feb. 3-4, March 3-4, April 7-8 and May 5-6: 5–6 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
• Time and date of event
Men’s Silent Weekend Retreat “Re-awakening Hope” — Jan. 13-15 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. www.kingshouse.com.
• C ontact information in case of questions. (No attachments, please.)
Men on Fire Men’s Retreat — Jan. 20-21: 6–9:30 p.m. Jan. 20 and 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Jan. 21 at St. Hubert, 8201 Main St., Chanhassen. www.jpiihealingcenter.org.
Schools Ave Maria Academy 20th Anniversary All Class Reunion — Dec. 29: 6–9 p.m. at 7000 Jewel Lane N., Maple Grove. Former students, alumni or past teachers are invited. bb.mcgrath@comcast.net or www.avemariaacademy.org. St. John the Baptist Catholic School open house — Jan. 10: 6–8:30 p.m. at 638 Mill St., Excelsior.
Child care for 3- to 12-year-olds is provided. www.stjohns-excelsior.org.
• Full street address of event • Description of event
FAX: 651-291-4460 MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102 A note to readers As of Jan. 1, 2016, The Catholic Spirit no longer accepts calendar submissions via email. Please submit events using the form at www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions.
More online
Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. Kay at 651-4263103 or Al at 651-482-0406. Singles group at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. Gather for a potluck supper, conversation and games. 763-425-0412.
Other events Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life March for Life — Jan. 22: 2–3 p.m. at 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St Paul. www.mccl.org. Women with Spirit Bible Study — Through April 4, 2017: Tuesdays, 9:30–11:30 a.m. at Pax Christi, 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie. www.paxchristi. com/wws. Nativity Christmas Tree Lot — Nov. 25-Dec. 23: 9 a.m.–9 p.m. at Nativity School parking lot, 1900 Stanford Ave., St. Paul.
Marriage advice: Make time for each other, especially at Christmas By Nick Bramhill Catholic News Service People who work with married couples have urged them to make time for each other, especially during the often-stressful Christmas season. Several groups said statistics show what seems innocent — spending less time together — increasingly is leading to breakups in relationships. Father Sean Healy, a Cork-born priest who is also co-founder of the think-tank Social Justice Ireland, urged couples to prioritize each other and their families over the Christmas holiday period. “The changing world of work has brought higher expectations of people’s time, and this is very different to what the situation was 30 or 40 years ago. Back then, people had jobs for life, and most households had someone working. Now all that is gone, and what we have are ... increased work pressures, with an expectation
in many cases that workers will be available 24/7. “All of this is putting huge pressure on the time couples have to spend with each other and their children. It’s very bad for both the family life and for the health of a relationship. So, I would urge couples to make an extra effort to spend time with each other over Christmas,” he said. Tony Moore, a counselor with Relationships Ireland, which offers counseling for those facing relationship breakdowns, said people have false perceptions about the holidays. “If things aren’t going well in your relationship, Christmas is an extremely difficult period,” Moore said. “There’s this perception that everyone else out there is having a wonderful time, which is rarely the case in most households. But for couples who are having problems, the sense that they are missing out can make the situation unbearable.”
A couple takes a selfie in 2015 in front of the Oxford Street Christmas Lights moments after they switched on in London. People who work with married couples have urged them to make time for each other, especially during the often-stressful Christmas season. CNS
Christmas Joy
Experience Catholic liturgy at its most glorious with the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale and orchestra this Christmas Eve. 11:15 p.m. Midnight
Join Us at the Open House • Monday, January 9, 6:30 p.m. Placement Test • Saturday, January 21, 8:30 a.m. $2500 Scholarship awarded to all testers who score a cumulative of 90% or higher Application Deadline • January 21-Available Online: c-dh.org/admissions • 651-696-3301
Carols and hymns Procession to the Manger Mass in Latin with Mozart’s Coronation Mass
Visitors are welcome!
The Church of Saint Agnes 548 Lafond Avenue, Saint Paul The Twin Cities Catholic Chorale | www.catholicchorale.org
December 22, 2016 The Catholic Spirit • 23
For book on Pope Francis, author retraces life in Argentina, Rome Catholic News Service When Pope Francis first stepped onto the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Mark Shriver, like millions of other people around the world, was captivated by this man who humbly bowed his head after asking the people there to pray for him, before he would offer his first blessing to them. Shriver wondered, who was this man from Argentina who joked that the cardinals had gone to the ends of the earth to choose a new pope? Who was this man who would move into a Vatican guesthouse rather than the papal apartments? Then a publisher invited Shriver to write a book about the new pope. So, over the next two and a half years, he extensively researched the pope’s life, his writings and speeches, interviewed close to 100 people who knew Jorge Mario Bergoglio before he became pope, and retraced the pope’s life, from his childhood in Argentina
to his papacy in Rome. The result is Shriver’s new Random House book, “Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis,” which went on sale Nov. 29. “Pope Francis seemed like the right messenger with the right message, a man of substance with an endearing style. His public humility, austerity, the smile, the joy all seemed to emanate from a deep reservoir of peace and self-knowledge. I wanted to dig in and learn more,” Shriver writes in the book. For Shriver, the pilgrimage also became a personal journey. He had grown up in a Catholic family, the son of Sargent Shriver, founder of the Peace Corps, and
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics. His parents’ faith shaped their lives and work. But the author, while inspired by his parent’s faith and by the witness of many priests and women religious, was disillusioned by the actions of some in the Church hierarchy on issues such as the sexual abuse crisis. Shriver went to Buenos Aires for a two-week visit. With the help of a driver and translator, Shriver navigated the city’s streets and alleyways and interviewed those who knew Jorge Bergoglio as a priest, bishop, cardinal and friend. He visited the humble home where the future pope grew up, and learned about how Pope Francis’ grandmother Rosa — who had emigrated with her husband and son from Italy — taught him to pray and respect people from other faiths. In his pilgrimage to find the real Pope Francis, Shriver said he found a man whose heart is connected to Jesus, and whose life is devoted to “doing what he thinks Jesus wants him to do.”
Your Church. Your community. Your stories. Your newspaper.
A Celebration of Unity and Trust
Prayerful best wishes and gratitude to the
Catholic Medical Association on the occasion of the 85th Annual Educational Conference.
Prayerful Best Wishes
Archbishop Bernard Hebda as you carry out the mission entrusted to you by Christ
Bishop John M. LeVoir and the faithful of the Diocese of New Ulm
Marketplace • Message Center Classified Ads Reach nearly 70,000 homes with Minnesota’s largest paid semi-monthly newspaper Email: classifiedads@archspm.org • Phone: 651-290-1631 • Fax: 651-291-4460 Next issue: 1-12-17 • Deadline: 4 p.m., 1-6-17 • Rates: $8 per line (35-40 characters per line) • Add a photo/logo for $25 ACCESSIBILITY SOLUTIONS
CEILING TEXTURE
STAIR LIFTS - ELEVATORS -WHEELCHAIR LIFTS FOR HOMES, CHURCHES & SCHOOLS Arrow Lift (763) 786-2780
Michaels Painting. Popcorn Removal & Knock Down Texture: TextureCeilings.com (763) 757-3187. C1232
C10105
COUNTERTOPS AND SINKS
ANTIQUES
Miele Concrete + Design:
TOP CASH PAID For Older Furniture Rugs • Pictures • Bookcases • Pottery Beer Items • Toys & Misc. (651) 227-2469
MERRY CHRISTMAS
C4185
ATTORNEYS
WWW.MIELECONCRETEANDDESIGN.COM C11988
DVD TRANSFER
Edward F. Gross • Wills, Trusts, Probate, Estate Planning, Real Estate. Office at 35E & Roselawn Ave., St. Paul (651) 631-0616
Preserve Your Slides & Film Transfer them to DVD Today! For quality transfers at great prices call Astound Video Duplication and Transfer at (651) 644-2412.
C1127O
C7811
GREAT CATHOLIC SPEAKERS
HOME / OFFICE CLEANING
PRAYERS
Experienced, conscientious cleaning for CD of the Month Club your home or office. Excellent references. Lighthouse Catholic Media, Scott Hahn, Susan (651) 239-5997. C12667 Jeff Cavins and more! “because know that the Lord suffragan sees $5/month includeswe shipping. Subscribe online things at can do great when we open PAINTING http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia. ourselves to his grace, when we org/cdclub For painting & all related services. View our place ourCode: hope in him and when Please Enter 1195 website: PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND.COM or we’reC11988 willing to embrace even the 699-6140. call (651) C7521
surprises that come our way and Park Painting. Professional Int./ Ext. obviously fear is somethingMerriam that can Painting. WP Hanging. Moderate Prices, Free Sweeney’s Floors keepHardwood us from doing that.” Estimates. Call Ed (651) 224-3660. C11269 HARDWOOD FLOORS
WINTER’S HERE! Spruce up your home with new or refurbished hardwood floors: 10% off labor. Sweeney (651) 485-8187. C10435
Classified ads get results! Check them out on the web, www.TheCatholicSpirit.com
Michaels Painting. Texture and Repair. MichaelsPaintingLLC.com. (763) 757-3187.
Ask a our 3 bout t speciaime l!
C12327
Dennis Heigl Painting Interior/Exterior Serving Mpls. & suburbs. Free Estimates. (763) 543-0998 • Cell (612) 819-2438. C12048
NOTICE: Prayers must be submitted in advance. Payment of $8 per line must be received before publication.
VACATION/FAMILY GETAWAY Knotty Pines Resort, Park Rapids, MN. 1, 2 & 3 bdrm cabins starting at $565/week. www. knottypinesresort.com (800) 392-2410. Mention this ad for a discount! C12598
WANTED TO BUY $$$ for OLD SEWING Machines, Patterns, Fabric, Feedsacks, Hankies, Postcards, Photos, Holy Cards, Lighters, Jewelry, Lamps +Misc. Household (612) 823-8616 C3919 Estate & Downsizing: I buy Van Loads and Bicycles. Steve (651) 778-0571. C6158
24 • The Catholic Spirit
THE LAST WORD
December 22, 2016
Making
spirits bright
From left, Kiki Sykes and Ellen Klahn-Grove wrap a Christmas gift at Jeremiah Program’s St. Paul campus. Klahn-Grove is the family services manager at Jeremiah Program, and Sykes volunteers there as a member of the St. Joseph Worker Program. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit
St. Joseph Workers help community while honing leadership skills By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit
S
t. Joseph Worker Program participant Kiki Sykes knows by name the children she serves at the nonprofit Jeremiah Program, and she also knows that the ones experiencing poverty might not receive what they’re wishing for this Christmas. When Sykes and the eight other young women serving locally in the St. Joseph Worker Program distribute toys to the children later this month, Sykes said she’s looking forward to helping some of them feel “the joy of knowing they’re someone.” “Around the holiday season, part of the culture is gift-giving, and not every family has the resources to participate in that,” said Sykes, 22, who since August has worked in pre-admissions at the Minneapolis-based Jeremiah Program, which provides support for single mothers and their children. “I’m excited to contribute.” The St. Joseph Workers participating in the 11-month immersive leadership program started in 2001 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet will organize and distribute about 150 new toys for children and teens at the local nonprofits where they work. The toys are left over from another nonprofit, Sponsor A Family MN, which matches families in need with sponsors who anonymously buy them gifts for the holidays. The St. Joseph Worker toy distribution, now in its fourth year, offers the women, ages 22-25, the chance to serve the community in a festive way. Usually, their full-time volunteering focuses on health care, direct service, community outreach and advocacy organizations. “They have a chance to do something outside the realm of their normal work, to just be joyful,” said Andrea Pearson Tande, program coordinator. Typically, the toys go to organizations including the Jeremiah Program, Project Pride for Living, Learning in Style, the Lift Garage, Catholic Charities New American
Services for refugee resettlement and Washburn Center for Children. Since the beginning of the St. Joseph Worker Program, up to 14 women ages 21 to 30 from across the United States learn each year from the sisters about spirituality, leadership, community and simplicity, and social justice. The program is Christian, though membership in a faith isn’t required. The women gain career experience and direction to serve the broader community while forming their own living community, said Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Suzanne Herder, who directs the program in St. Paul. St. Joseph Worker programs exist or are forming in several sites in California, Philadelphia and New York state. Some of the more than 150 St. Joseph Worker alumni continue to meet regularly. The CSJs started the St. Joseph Worker Program after students at St. Catherine University in St. Paul asked for more spirituality and connection with the sisters, Sister Suzanne said. The program gives young women “an awareness of their own spirituality, their own leadership skills,” she said. “It gives them a compassionate heart for those in need and for themselves, and we teach them to have a compassionate heart for themselves, so they can do the work with those who are in need.” Sykes, from Kansas City, Kansas, chose the St. Joseph Worker Program after graduating from St. Olaf College in Northfield last spring because it blends social justice and community living. “The Jeremiah and St. Joseph Worker programs are hopefully going to provide a platform for [Sykes] to do important work in the future,” said Ellen Klahn-Grove,
27, Jeremiah Program family services manager, Sykes’ site supervisor and a St. Joseph Worker alumna. Klahn-Grove served in the St. Joseph Worker Program from 2011 to 2012 and sees how it prepared her for her current position. “It’s taken a few years out [of the program] now to realize how important and powerful experiences were and how they’ve shaped the things ... I’m passionate about today,” she said. Both Klahn-Grove and another alumna, Alyssa Howells, have stayed involved in the program and meet monthly with other program graduates for spiritual sharing, support and socializing. Retreats, training and weekly spiritual meetings provide the women and sisters opportunities to bond, Sister Suzanne said, adding that the sisters have great hope for the women. “We really would like to see them be leaders in their community for peace and justice, to be aware of their spirituality and be present to themselves and to others,” she said. Whether it’s making a child smile with a holiday toy or completing challenging work at a bustling nonprofit, Sykes said she is gaining leadership experience. “Even if I can’t choose a specific career or vocational path, I’m learning the types of environments I work well in and I enjoy being in,” she said. “I think this is totally a year of discernment and discovery, and I’m very much immersed in the process of that.” For more information about the St. Joseph Worker Program, visit www.stjosephworkers.org.