December 23, 2021 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
A weary world
rejoices
Pope Francis names Father Joseph Williams the archdiocese’s new auxiliary bishop — Pages 9-11 Jan. 25 ordination and installation planned at Cathedral of St. Paul INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOLS 5 | YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH CLOSES 6 | LATIN-RITE LIMITS 7 TORNADO RECOVERY 12 | A WRITER'S LIFE 13 | FINAL 'CUPPA JOE' 15
2 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
DECEMBER 23, 2021
PAGETWO
L
2021 THE YEAR IN REVIEW
et us ponder the simple, yet profound, words from John’s
Pope Francis appoints Father Joseph Williams, pastor of St. Stephen and Holy Rosary in Minneapolis, who is widely known for his service in Latino ministry and with young adults, as the next auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. As the appointment is announced Dec. 10, Bishop-elect Williams, 47, concelebrates a morning Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul with Archbishop Bernard Hebda and holds a morning press conference.
Gospel, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us” (Jn 1:14). May our celebrations this Christmas and our journeying together in the Year of the Archdiocesan Synod lead us
Bishop Andrew Cozzens, an auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese for eight years, is appointed bishop of the Diocese of Crookston and installed during a Dec. 6 Mass in Crookston that draws people from both dioceses and around the country. Bishop Cozzens was raised in Denver but was ordained a priest of the archdiocese in 1997.
always to the crib of Bethlehem. As we adore the Word made flesh, may we grow in our appreciation of the divine love manifested in the Incarnation, and be inspired through our listening to ever more
Encouraged by Archbishop Bernard Hebda to act in mercy for the glory of God, seven men are ordained to the permanent diaconate Dec. 4: Deacons Michael Braun of Presentation of the Virgin Mary, Maplewood; Michael Engel of St. Michael, St. Michael; Adelmo Gracia of Assumption, Richfield; Philip Grisez of Our Lady of Grace, Edina; Michael Lane of Holy Spirit, St. Paul; Jose Luis Rodriguez of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Minneapolis and Victor Susai, Pax Christi, Eden Prairie.
generous service of God and neighbor.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Look for your first 2022 issue of The Catholic Spirit Jan. 13.
Father Dennis Dempsey, a priest for 41 years of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who grew up in Minneapolis, served in multiple parishes and twice in the archdiocesan mission in Venezuela, is killed Oct. 25 while riding his bicycle in Rosemount. Father Dempsey, 73, had returned from Venezuela in June and was assigned in July as pastor of Risen Savior in Burnsville. Six small-group sessions are held in parishes across the archdiocese between mid-September and mid-November as another step in preparing for the Archdiocesan Synod Assembly in 2022. The sessions drew an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people to at least one session, each of which included video messages, time for reflection and discussion on the Synod’s three focus areas: Forming parishes that are in the service of evangelization; forming missionary disciples who know Jesus’ love and respond to his call; and forming youth and young adults in and for a Church that is always young. Archbishop Bernard Hebda issues a letter to priests Aug. 20 stating that a Catholic has a right to seek an exemption from a vaccine requirement, but that decision shouldn’t depend on a priest’s confirmation. The archbishop said several priests had asked him for guidance on requests for letters in support of a religious exemption from COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
FUN IN THE FLAKES As heavy snow fell in the Twin Cities Dec. 10, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, center, braved the blizzard to attend a Catholic Charities event called Warming House at the Mall of America in Bloomington, along with Michael Goar, right, president and CEO of Catholic Charities, and Will Renneberg, left, of Kendallville Farm near Glencoe. Taking place Dec. 10 and 11, the event featured festivities and fun, including a chance to see real reindeer, plus an opportunity for visitors to learn about Catholic Charities and how it helps the poor and vulnerable. Students from the University of St. Thomas and Cretin-Derham Hall came as volunteers, and people who attended the event had a chance to help assemble “sock and rolls” and laundry detergent packets. They made nearly 500 “sock and rolls” that are given to Catholic Charities clients. They contain wool socks, handwarmers, lip balm, lotion and Kleenex. Several hundred people came to Warming House over the two days, according to Catholic Charities. Archbishop Hebda was delighted when he found out the name of the reindeer at left: Bernard.
PRACTICING Catholic On the Dec. 17 “Practicing Catholic” show, host Patrick Conley interviews Bishop-elect Joseph Williams, who describes what he is looking forward to as the new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Also featured are Father Paul Hedman, who provides insight and tips for going to confession this Advent, and Alicia LaCroix, who describes the value of building relationships with people in need of help. Listen each week on Fridays at 9 p.m., Saturdays at 1 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. Listen to interviews after they have aired at practicingcatholicshow.com, soundcloud.com/practicingcatholic or tinyurl.com/ practicingcatholic.
CORRECTION “The making of St. Kate’s” in the Dec. 9 edition implied that Derham Hall was part of the thenCollege of St. Catherine’s campus until its merger with Cretin High School in 1987. However, the college preparatory school moved off the college campus to 540 S. Warwick St., St. Paul, in 1962. With the 1987 merger, Cretin-Derham Hall opened as one school on Cretin’s former campus.
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
United in Faith, Hope and Love
Vol. 26 — No. 24 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor-in-Chief JOE RUFF, News Editor
Seven men are ordained priests May 29 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, including five for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Two men were ordained for the religious order Pro Ecclesia Sancta. With Archbishop Bernard Hebda presiding, and four bishops and more than 100 priests from across the archdiocese concelebrating, Father Brian Fischer, Father James Bernard, Father William Duffert, Father Michael Reinhardt and Father Josh Salonek — all between the ages of 47 and 26 — were ordained for the archdiocese. The two priests ordained for the order, Father Joseph Barron, 28, and Father David Hottinger, 34, are Pro Ecclesia Sancta’s first U.S. vocations. The resignation of Bishop Michael Hoeppner of Crookston is announced April 13 after a Vatican investigation into allegations that he mishandled allegations of clergy sexual abuse. Archbishop Bernard Hebda was authorized to conduct the investigation under “Vos estis lux mondi” (You are the light of the world), a legislative document Pope Francis personally issued in May 2019. Father John Ubel, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, sells his baseball card collection at an auction March 14 for $51,039 to help fund $1,000 scholarships through the Aim Higher Foundation to low-income families with students attending Catholic schools in the archdiocese. Years earlier, Father Ubel had almost thrown away his mint condition collection. In anticipation of the new year, The Catholic Spirit asks, “What is your prayer for our country or world in 2022?” Send responses of 200 words or less to CatholicSpirit@archspm.org with “Readers Respond” in the subject line. Your reflection may be included in a future edition of The Catholic Spirit. ON THE COVER This depiction of the Nativity scene is from a stained glass window at St. Helena in Minneapolis by artist Conrad Pickel. It is one of 19 windows designed by Pickel that were installed in the church in 1946 and 1947. A window of the Last Supper at St. Helena appeared on the front cover of the March 25 issue of The Catholic Spirit. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year; Senior 1-year: $24.95. To subscribe: (651) 291-4444: Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444; Classified Advertising: (651) 290-1631. Published semi-monthly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857 • (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857. TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: tcssubscriptions@archspm.org • USPS #093-580
DECEMBER 23, 2021
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3
FROMTHEMODERATOROFTHECURIA ONLY JESUS | FATHER CHARLES LACHOWITZER
‘Dragging out Christmas’
I
have been called an “Advent Scrooge.” In my various assignments, big-hearted people have wanted to decorate the offices right after Thanksgiving with the style of the holiday season. Evergreen boughs and red bows. I’m fine with festive decorations — when it
is Christmas. Many a mortified receptionist has had to explain the lack of any decorations as an edict from the Advent Scrooge. I overheard one parish receptionist say to a visitor who wondered aloud why the lobby looked like Lent, “The pastor wants us to wait until Christmas to decorate.” The visitor replied, “By then Christmas will be over!” Over? The season begins in the darkness of Christmas Eve and continues until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, this year on Jan. 9. Try finding on the radio any Christmas music on Dec. 26. Most people will end the holidays with an exhausted, “Happy New Year.” With the holidays starting with Halloween, the last gasp of Advent-waiting is when people put up a manger
‘Arrastrando fuera la Navidad’
M
e han llamado un “Adviento Scrooge”. En mis diversas asignaciones, personas de gran corazón han querido decorar las oficinas justo después del Día de Acción de Gracias con el estilo de la temporada navideña. Ramas de hoja perenne y lazos rojos. Estoy bien con las decoraciones festivas, cuando es Navidad. Más de un recepcionista mortificado ha tenido que explicar la falta de decoraciones como un edicto del Advent Scrooge. Escuché a una recepcionista parroquial decirle a un visitante que se preguntaba en voz alta por qué el vestíbulo se parecía a la Cuaresma: “El pastor quiere que esperemos hasta Navidad para decorar”. El visitante respondió: “¡Para entonces la Navidad habrá terminado!” ¿Terminado? La temporada comienza en la oscuridad de la Nochebuena y continúa hasta la Fiesta del Bautismo del Señor, este año el 9 de enero de 2022.
It is spiritually very fruitful to start the Christmas season on the great feast of Christmas and stay with Christmas through the whole season. scene in November but put the baby Jesus in the crib on Christmas Eve. For decades, at Mass and out and about, I have said “Merry Christmas” right up to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Once a friend said to me, “It can be kind of annoying the way you drag out Christmas.” I was uncharacteristically brief in my non-defensive clarification about the entirety of the Christmas season, but the criticism has stuck with me. “Drag out Christmas”? I’m trying to understand why people play “Silent Night” to get into the mood for Thanksgiving. I get it when people fill labeled totes shortly after Christmas Day. I suppose it is necessary to dump the real tree before it is a fire hazard. But what is the hurry with the artificial trees? The malls of everything, which do want to drag out the holiday shopping season, give up their garlands on Jan. 2. It is spiritually very fruitful to start the Christmas season on the great feast of Christmas and stay with Christmas through the whole season. Otherwise, we
Intente encontrar en la radio cualquier música navideña el 26 de diciembre. La mayoría de la gente terminará las vacaciones con un exhausto “Feliz año nuevo”. Con las fiestas que comienzan con Halloween, el último suspiro de la espera de Adviento es cuando la gente coloca una escena del pesebre en noviembre, pero pone al niño Jesús en la cuna en Nochebuena. Durante décadas, en la Misa y fuera de casa, he dicho “Feliz Navidad” hasta la Fiesta del Bautismo del Señor. Una vez un amigo me dijo: “Puede ser un poco molesto la forma en que alargas la Navidad”. Fui inusualmente breve en mi aclaración no defensiva sobre la totalidad de la temporada navideña, pero las críticas se me han quedado grabadas. “¿Prolongar la Navidad?” Estoy tratando de entender por qué la gente juega “Noche de paz” para ponerse de humor para el Día de Acción de Gracias. Lo entiendo cuando la gente llena bolsas etiquetadas poco después del día de Navidad. Supongo que es necesario tirar el árbol real antes de que sea un
might as well just say, “Happy Holidays!” We do the holidays, but God does Christmas. God’s Christmas gifts are throughout the season and always what we need. We don’t need a storage bin for the treasures that are eternal. The gifts of the holidays are temporary. By next year, some will be too small; some will break or wear out; some will go into storage or be displayed at garage sales; others are only special because of the giver. The gifts of Christmas by contrast are the only ones we can take with us through the veil of death. As the children of God, let us not just open one day’s present and call it quits. What family would take down the Christmas tree before Santa’s appointed day? Explain that to the children. There is a significant difference between the holidays and the Christmas season. The Christmas season begins with the joyous celebration of the Nativity of Jesus. Then it continues with Mary, Mother of God, the Holy Family, Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord. Throughout these special events, the mystery of the Incarnation unfolds. Throughout these feasts the soul is fed. We are drawn closer to Jesus, his mother Mary, the Eucharist and the treasures of heaven. Each year we deepen our understanding that Christmas is the birth of Easter. We enter into the fullness of the Christmas season to spiritually renew ourselves as disciples of Jesus Christ. There is a reason for the whole season. The holidays may be over soon, but it is our Christian witness to drag out Christmas. So, until Jan. 9, keep saying, “Merry Christmas!”
peligro de incendio. Pero, ¿cuál es la prisa con los árboles artificiales? Los centros comerciales de todo, que quieren alargar la temporada de compras navideñas, renuncian a sus guirnaldas el 2 de enero. Es espiritualmente muy fructífero comenzar la temporada navideña en la gran fiesta de la Navidad y permanecer con la Navidad durante toda la temporada. De lo contrario, podríamos decir simplemente “¡Felices vacaciones!” Hacemos las vacaciones, pero Dios hace la Navidad. Los regalos de Navidad de Dios son durante toda la temporada y siempre son lo que necesitamos. No necesitamos un contenedor de almacenamiento para los tesoros que son eternos. Los regalos de las fiestas son temporales. Para el próximo año, algunos serán demasiado pequeños; algunos se romperán o desgastarán; algunos se almacenarán o se exhibirán en ventas de garaje; otros solo son especiales por el donante. Los regalos de Navidad, por el contrario, son los únicos que podemos llevar con nosotros a través del velo de la muerte. Como hijos de Dios, no abramos el
presente de un día y lo dejemos. ¿Qué familia derribaría el árbol de Navidad antes del día señalado por Papá Noel? Explíqueles eso a los niños. Hay una diferencia significativa entre las vacaciones y la temporada navideña. La temporada navideña comienza con la alegre celebración de la Natividad de Jesús. Luego continúa con María, Madre de Dios, la Sagrada Familia, la Epifanía y el Bautismo del Señor. A lo largo de estos eventos especiales, se desarrolla el misterio de la Encarnación. A lo largo de estas fiestas se alimenta el alma. Nos acercamos a Jesús, su madre María, la Eucaristía y los tesoros del cielo. Cada año profundizamos en nuestra comprensión de que la Navidad es el nacimiento de la Pascua. Entramos en la plenitud de la temporada navideña para renovarnos espiritualmente como discípulos de Jesucristo. Hay una razón para toda la temporada. Las vacaciones pueden terminar pronto, pero nuestro testimonio cristiano es prolongar la Navidad. Entonces, hasta el 9 de enero, digamos: “¡Feliz Navidad!”
Pope Francis: Eat, give gifts, be ‘merry’ this Christmas, but don’t forget Jesus By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Pope Francis asked people on the last Sunday of Advent to celebrate a “real Christmas” by recognizing Jesus in their lives and cultivating peace in their hearts. “What is Christmas? Is it a tree? A statue of a baby with a woman and a man nearby? POPE FRANCIS Yes, it is Jesus, the birth of Jesus,” he said, so “stop for a bit and think of Christmas as a message, a message of peace.”
The pope’s words were aired Dec. 19 on Italy’s Canale 5 in the special program, “Francis and the Invisible: The Pope Encounters the Least.” Recorded in the pope’s residence, the program featured a televised “dialogue” and interview with four people facing serious challenges in their lives: Giovanna, a mother of four who experienced domestic violence and lost her home and job during the COVID-19 pandemic; Maria, who lives in a shelter after sleeping on the streets; Pierdonato, who is serving two life sentences in prison; and Maristella, an 18-year-old student and Girl Scout who was representing all young people who felt isolated and abandoned because of the lockdown and restrictions in place
during the pandemic. Each gave the pope a brief account of the challenges they had been facing as well as their ongoing concerns, doubts and questions about what next steps to take. For example, Maria described the risks of having no shelter and how that leads to trying to be invisible for safety, but how sad and demeaning it is to feel invisible and hear criticism when people pass by. “Why is society so cruel toward the poor?” she asked the pope.
real problems, such as the lack of housing and employment.
It is cruelty, he said, “it is the harshest slap in the face for you for society to ignore the problems of others,” perpetuating the culture of indifference which seeks to push aside
It is OK to celebrate, exchange gifts, eat and be merry, he said, “but do not forget Jesus. Christmas is Jesus who comes, who comes to touch our hearts,” families, homes and lives.
“Indifference is cruel, but do not lose hope, keep walking, keep going, perhaps someone will listen to this and help will arrive, not just material help, but the help of someone who will (touch your) heart and begin to understand the problem,” he said. After speaking directly with each person, the pope concluded by wishing those with him and watching on TV “a real Christmas” with Jesus.
LOCAL
4 • The Catholic Spirit 4 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
LOCAL
DECEMBER 23, 2021
SLICEof LIFE Santa’s Stocking Party LOCAL
4 • The Catholic Spirit
‘Angel’ among us
SLICEof LIFE
SLICEof LIFE
Visitation Sister Brenda Lisenby, left, hands a homemade Christmas stocking to CeCelia LaCroix of north Minneapolis Dec. 15 during an annual event held by the Visitation Sisters of Minneapolis called March 9, 2017 Santa’s Stocking Party. The sisters have put on the event for children and families in the neighborhood every year since they first moved to the area in 1989, said Sister Suzanne Homeyer, one of the event’s principal organizers. This year marked of Carondelet Sister Avis the first time they held it St. in Joseph their new center, talks with Rose Carter, monastery, located nearAllmaras, their two previous left, and Irene Eiden at Peace House in homes. Students from Visitation SchoolFeb. in 27. Sister Avis south Minneapolis goes to the center weekly and visits Mendota Heights make stockings for each frequent guests like Carter. Eiden, of child bearing his or her name, and help St. William in Fridley, is a lay consociate distribute them. Dressingofas Claus theSanta Carondelet Sisters. Peace House is a day shelter for the is Cedric Williams, center, who works forpoor and homeless. “It’s a real privilege to know these people a local outreach to African and Americans hear their stories,” Sister Avis said. “I called Turning Point, withcould his not wife, Lisa, survive on the streets like they There are soThe many gifted people who played Mrs. Claus atdo.the party. here.” Said Carter of Sister Avis: “She’s event is an extension of an theangel. ministry theher wings under that She hides sisters do in the neighborhood year-round, sweatshirt. She truly is an angel.” Dave Hrbacek/The Sister Suzanne said, to the point whereCatholic they Spirit become “like extra grandparents for most of Celebrating sisters these kids.” Once the COVID-19 pandemic Catholic Sisters Week is ends, the sisters plan to National move the event March 8-14. An official component of back indoors where it traditionally has taken Women’s History Month and place. headquartered at St. Catherine University
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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5
Archdiocesan leaders trying to help Our Lady of Guadalupe navigate discord By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit It was 11:45 p.m. when the final speakers shared their views at a Dec. 9 listening session at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul. The session, which began at 8 p.m., drew a full house of about 300 parishioners and guests, with about 50 expressing their views on changes initiated by the parish’s pastor, Father Andrew Brinkman. Most who spoke expressed support for Father Brinkman and the parish’s direction, but others were concerned or even angered by changes related to liturgy, cultural traditions, parish life and outreach. Father Brinkman, 36, has served the parish for more than six years, first as parochial vicar, then parochial administrator and as pastor since 2018. Attending the listening session were Archbishop Bernard Hebda and archdiocesan officials Father Michael Tix, episcopal vicar for Clergy and Parish Services; Estela Villagrán Manancero, director of Latino Ministry; Deacon Steve Maier, director of Parish and Clergy Services, and Tom Halden, director of communications. Bill Lentsch, the archdiocese’s chief operating officer, moderated the session. The listening session was one way the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has responded to calls for attention to Our Lady of Guadalupe, especially after a Nov. 21 protest at the parish alleging cultural erasure. Some supporters of the parish’s recent changes say a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune about the protest contained misrepresentations that have exacerbated the situation. Father Tix said conflicts happen in parishes and, hopefully, they can resolve on their own. In this case, officials from the archdiocese, including he and Archbishop Hebda, have been working to help resolve them. The situation at Our Lady of Guadalupe is complicated, he said, combining people of multiple cultures, generations, perspectives and expectations. Founded in 1931, Our Lady of Guadalupe was Minnesota’s first “personal parish” for Mexicans and those of Mexican descent (where membership was determined not by territory but by national origin) and the first in the state to offer Masses in Spanish. In the
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul. decades since, it’s been known for robust expressions of Mexican culture and for being a haven for new immigrants from Latin America. In 2019, it was named the first and only diocesan shrine in the archdiocese, a request made by Father Brinkman and granted by Archbishop Hebda. Calling the listening event “a major step in the process moving forward” and an important opportunity for all to be heard, Father Tix said he continues to be grateful to the parishioners, staff and leadership — including Father Brinkman — for their caring, honesty and commitment to working together to unite the parish and renew it on its mission going forward. Conversations with concerned groups and parish and archdiocesan leadership have continued, he said. Deacon Luis Rubi, who ministers at the parish, estimates about 80 percent of the parish’s approximately 850 parishioners are predominantly Spanish speakers and newer immigrants who attend the two Sunday Masses in Spanish. Most arrived from Mexico, perhaps as many as 90 percent, he said, but others are from Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. The parish also serves descendants of immigrant families as well as Catholics without Latin American heritage. The demographics bring a challenge in bridging cultural and language differences, said Father Brinkman, who is bilingual. While he sees some of his changes as
steps toward unifying English and Spanish speakers, and established parishioners and new immigrants, some parishioners — including some who spoke at the listening session and others interviewed by The Catholic Spirit — said changes instituted by Father Brinkman, and a perceived lack of input from longtime parishioners, have divided the parish. Larry Lucio, 71, a lifelong parishioner whose father helped found the parish, has coordinated several community meetings over the past few months to discuss concerns about changes in the parish. Some but not most of the contested changes were related to pandemic precautions, parishioners say. Among changes unrelated to the pandemic is Father Brinkman’s adoption of an “ad orientem” posture at Mass, with the priest and faithful all facing the altar at the time of the eucharistic prayer, as well as introduction of some Mass responses in Latin, such as the “Lamb of God,” in what he saw as a step toward unity between the English and Spanish-language Masses. Some parishioners have also expressed concerns about funerals, noting that requests for eulogies during the funeral Mass and certain traditional songs have not been honored. Father Brinkman told The Catholic Spirit that he aimed to follow Church guidelines that discourage eulogies and secular music in the funeral Mass, but is looking again at how best to serve the community and mourners at funeral Masses. He has recently taken other steps to re-establish some of the cultural traditions he has been accused of sidelining. “We are two different language groups and it’s just so easy to feel like ‘I’m in my own little world,’ but we belong to a parish and these are our brothers and sisters,” Father Brinkman said, speaking to the addition of Latin in the Mass. “And one way of showing that is using a common language.” Only with eyes focused on Christ and nourished by the Eucharist can all parties respect differences and truly unite with the Lord, Father Tix said. “The archdiocese is committed to continuing this walk with the faithful and leadership at Our Lady of Guadalupe to find common ground and means of moving forward together.”
Bishops meet with tribal leaders to explore Church’s role in Indian boarding school history By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Representatives from four of Minnesota’s six dioceses, including three bishops, and Native American leaders from across the state met Dec. 9 in Onamia to discuss how the Church and tribes can work together to understand more fully the experience of indigenous children in Catholic Church-run boarding schools in Minnesota in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, said that the discovery this year of unmarked graves near Canadian residential schools for indigenous children has re-opened in Minnesota and elsewhere “old wounds in the Native American community about the trauma that many suffered due to a system that sometimes involuntarily removed children from their homes and tribes and sent them to far-away boarding schools.” Through the MCC, the bishops reached out to the state’s tribal leaders, Adkins said, “to invite collaboration about how we can work together and journey toward the truth of what happened, with a focus on archives and discerning whether there are any unmarked graves here in Minnesota.” Attending the three-hour meeting in person were Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston and Bishop Daniel Felton of Duluth, as well as Crosier Father Jerry Schik of the Diocese of St. Cloud. Leaders from all 11 of the state’s tribes were present in person or via Zoom. According to the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, Minnesota had 15 Indian boarding schools. At least eight of them were run by Catholic religious orders or dioceses. Adkins said the bishops invited the tribal leaders “to identify how they would like to proceed related to records and archive review.” “Their primary goals are identifying the students who
attended the schools and to discover if there are any unmarked graves, as well as to repatriate any bodies back to their places of origin on the reservation,” he said. In August, staff members of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis began reviewing documents in its archives related to the Clontarf Industrial School in west-central Minnesota. Archdiocesan officials founded the school near St. Paul in 1874 and moved it to Clontarf in 1877. From 1884 to 1892, the school contracted with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to educate 60 Indian boys per year, according to a 1956 article published in Minnesota History Magazine. A memorial in St. Malachy Cemetery in Clontarf lists the names of 14 Indian boys who died while attending the school. In a statement to The Catholic Spirit, tribal chairwoman Cathy Chavers of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa said she appreciates the willingness of Archbishop Hebda and the MCC to work with tribes “to further the process of healing concerning the Boarding School era.” “We cannot change the history of what our people endured, but because they endured — we are here. However, the stories of those who experienced this firsthand, and the records of what exactly happened, are being lost to history,” she said. “We look forward to working with the Church to find and preserve what documents exist and to make sure that the stories of our families are accurately told and recorded for posterity.” Chavers, who is also president of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, continued: “It is likely that during this process of discovery hard and hurtful truths will be revealed. We want all of the stories to be told and the truth to be known. None of this would be possible without the willingness of the Church to partner with us on this journey. “We hope that the willingness of the Catholic Church to work with Tribes is a model for others that engaged
in the Boarding School policies to follow and embrace,” she said. Archbishop Hebda expressed his “gratitude that the state’s tribal leaders were willing to host the meeting and share insights into both the impact that the boarding schools had on their families and the ripples that continue to be felt in their communities.” “In emphasizing the importance of family life and the dignity of the human person, the tribal leaders struck chords that deeply resonated with our Catholic social teaching,” he said. “I hope this first respectful step will lead to a collaboration that enables us to shine the light of truth on a difficult chapter in Minnesota history in a way that will both build trust and facilitate healing.” Bishop Cozzens, who had been installed bishop of Crookston only three days before the meeting, said he “was honored to sit and listen to tribal leaders from the state of Minnesota share some of the painful history of the boarding school experiences which are so much a part of their living memory.” “It was, in my experience, a very open and helpful dialogue, even though these are difficult topics to discuss,” he said in a statement to The Catholic Spirit. “Like other times when I have worked with those who have been hurt by actions of those in authority, often members of the Church, it is hard to hear those stories. Yet I know that telling those stories is very important. I hope that this will lead to a process that might bring some healing and reconciliation. We all committed ourselves to an open discovery of the history and to further dialogue in the future.” One of the Church leaders’ goals, Adkins said, “is to journey together to gain a deeper and mutual understanding regarding what happened at residential schools managed by the Church or Catholic religious orders — the good and the bad. It is a complicated history. But when we understand it better, we can identify constructive next steps.”
LOCAL
6 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
DECEMBER 23, 2021
Ringing trumpets and a chorus of voices help close Year of St. Joseph By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
POPE ENDS SPECIAL YEAR
A Year of St. Joseph dedicated to A Year of St. Joseph dedicated to increasing love for the foster father of Jesus, seeking his intercession, and trying to imitate his virtues and zeal drew to a close Dec. 8 with ringing trumpets, a chorus of voices and Archbishop Bernard Hebda presiding at an evening Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. The Mass was the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the Church celebrates that Mary was conceived without original sin. A year dedicated to the foster father of Jesus had been planned in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as part of preparations for an Archdiocesan Synod in 2022, even before Pope Francis proclaimed the same period for a celebration by the universal Church of the great saint. “It beautifully, providentially coincided with what we were planning to do here in the archdiocese,” Archbishop Hebda noted in his homily. “Pope Francis managed to take it up a notch.” With a special St. Joseph prayer book and a series of 10 talks at 10 locations entrusted to St. Joseph’s patronage that centered on the 10 “wonders” or virtues and strengths of the saint, as well as other opportunities for learning and reflection in the archdiocese, Archbishop Hebda said he hopes people saw how by God’s grace they are “better able to
JOE RUFF | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Archbishop Bernard Hebda offers the sign of peace to the congregation at the closing Mass of the Year of St. Joseph Dec. 8 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. imitate the virtues and zeal of St. Joseph.” St. Joseph took on, with great obedience, the task of protecting Mary and Jesus, the archbishop said. The Lord granted St. Joseph natural and supernatural gifts of discernment, strength, prudence, love and compassion. Music at the Mass included the Cathedral of St. Paul Festival Choir and Consort. The archbishop wore vestments graced with artwork showing St. Joseph with a pregnant Mary on the front and the Heart of St. Joseph on the back, commissioned by Father Joseph Bambenek, assistant director of the Synod, as part of his own journey to more fully appreciating his patron saint. Archbishop Hebda credited the work of Father Bambenek and others on the
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committee for the Year of St. Joseph, which was led by Anne Marie Hansen of the Cathedral of St. Paul and included Father Tom Margevicius, director of worship for the archdiocese, Viviana Sotro of Guardian Angels in Chaska and Sam Roble of St. Joseph in West St. Paul. The music, homily and opportunities throughout the Year of St. Joseph were appreciated by Katherine Weber of St. Gabriel in Hopkins, who attended the closing Mass. Weber said she wanted to help celebrate in part because it fell on the 33rd and final day of her consecration to St. Joseph, which she undertook with a son, Peter. “He’s (St. Joseph) real and he can take special care of us,” Weber said. “And he does.”
Pope Francis closed the Year of St. Joseph with a private visit to a community in Rome that helps people experiencing marginalization, crisis or substance abuse. “Do not be afraid of reality, of the truth, of our misery,” he told volunteers and the people they assist at the Good Samaritan home Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. “Don’t be afraid because Jesus likes reality as it is, undisguised; the Lord does not like people who cover their soul, their heart with makeup.” The Good Samaritan fraternity or home is part of the worldwide “Comunità Cenacolo,” which was founded in 1983 by Italian Sister Elvira Petrozzi to offer “God’s tenderness to the cry of desperation of so many young people who were lost, deceived and disappointed,” according to the community’s mission statement. Dozens of guests and members of the community welcomed the pope, who listened to the experiences several of them shared and watched a segment of a film on the life of St. Joseph, which was produced by young people living at two fraternities in Medjugorje. Among those welcoming the pope were the two children of Andrea and Antonia Giorgetti, who both recovered from drug dependencies and now run the Good Samaritan fraternity, reflecting the fact that a number of young people who find help at the fraternities go on to assist others. The pope encouraged all the residents to “have the courage to tell others, ‘there is a better way.’” — Catholic News Service
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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7
NATION+WORLD Vatican answers questions on limits regarding pre-Vatican II Mass By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Responding to 11 questions it said had been raised about Pope Francis’ document restricting celebrations of the pre-Vatican II Mass, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments offered a few concessions to bishops but insisted the entire Latin-rite Catholic Church must move toward celebrating only one form of the Mass and sacraments. “It is sad to see how the deepest bond of unity, the sharing in the one bread broken which is his body offered so that all may be one, becomes a cause for division,” wrote Archbishop Arthur Roche, prefect of the congregation, in a document published Dec. 18. In a formal “responsa ad dubia” — response to questions — Archbishop Roche said, “It is the duty of the bishops, cum Petro et sub Petro (with and under Peter, the pope), to safeguard communion, which, as the apostle Paul reminds us, is a necessary condition for being able to participate at the eucharistic table.” In July, Pope Francis promulgated his apostolic letter “Traditionis Custodes” (Guardians of the Tradition), declaring the liturgical books promulgated after the Second Vatican Council to be “the unique expression of the ‘lex orandi’ (law of worship) of the Roman Rite,” restoring the obligation of priests to have their bishops’ permission to celebrate according to the “extraordinary” or pre-Vatican II Mass and ordering bishops not to establish any new groups or parishes in their dioceses devoted to the old liturgy. The document overturned or severely restricted the permissions St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI had given to celebrate the so-called Tridentine-rite Mass as an outreach to followers of the late Archbishop Marcel
CNS | PAUL HARING
Cardinal Walter Brandmuller elevates the Eucharist during a Mass according to the Tridentine rite at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican May 15, 2011. Lefebvre and to minister to Catholics attached to the older ritual. In the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Bernard Hebda sent a letter July 16 to clergy announcing he had named a four-person task force to study “Traditionis Custodes” and offer recommendations on implementing the document’s guidelines. Archbishop Hebda did not publicly provide a deadline for the task force’s work and has not yet announced how “Traditionis Custodes” will be implemented in the archdiocese.
In his document, Pope Francis asked bishops to “designate one or more locations where the faithful adherents of these groups may gather for the Eucharistic celebration,” but he said those locations should not be parish churches and the bishops should not establish new “personal parishes” solely for celebrations in the old rite. Archbishop Roche said several bishops asked if it would be possible to request permission from the Vatican to allow the celebrations in parish churches when other suitable locations were not available. “The exclusion of the parish church is intended to affirm that the celebration of the Eucharist according to the previous rite, being a concession limited to these groups, is not part of the ordinary life of the parish community,” the archbishop wrote. However, he said, the Vatican would consider bishops’ requests for exceptions, but “such a celebration should not be included in the parish Mass schedule, since it is attended only by the faithful who are members of the said group. Finally, it should not be held at the same time as the pastoral activities of the parish community.” And, he said, “it is to be understood that when another venue becomes available, this permission will be withdrawn.” Among other questions addressed is the use of other pre-Vatican II rituals for the celebrations of other sacraments. Archbishop Roche said that baptisms, confession, marriages and the anointing of the sick could be celebrated according to the old rites, but not confirmation or ordination. And, he said, that permission is limited to “personal parishes” totally dedicated to the celebration of the older liturgy. — The Catholic Spirit contributed to this story.
Vatican releases text for installing catechists, explains ministry By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
months after Pope Francis instituted the “ministry of catechist” as a formal office and vocation in the Church. Bishops’ conferences will be Catholic men and women formally responsible for translating the rite installed in the new ministry of into their local languages and seeking catechists are not simply religious Vatican approval for local adaptations, education teachers but are engaged in which are expected given the variety of “the proclamation and transmission roles catechists play in different parts of of the faith, carrying out this role the world. In 2022, Archbishop Roche in collaboration with the ordained said, his office would release the revised ministers and under their guidance,” text for the Rite for the Institution of said a letter accompanying the Latin Lectors and Acolytes, a ministry Pope text of the Rite of Institution of Francis opened to women in January. Catechists. Archbishop Arthur Roche, prefect of “The term ‘catechist’ indicates the Congregation for Divine Worship different realities in relation to the and the Sacraments, released the ecclesial context in which it is used,” CathSpMM-July-Sept-2021.qxp_Layout 1 6/30/21 10:5 Latin text and a letter Dec. 13, seven Archbishop Roche wrote. “Catechists
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in mission territories differ from those working in churches of long-standing tradition. Moreover, individual ecclesial experiences also produce very different characteristics and patterns of action, so much so that it is difficult to give it a unitary and synthetic description.” In different parts of the world, he said, formally recognized catechists can be found “guiding community prayer, especially the Sunday liturgy in the absence of a priest or deacon; assisting the sick; leading funeral celebrations; training and guiding other catechists; coordinating pastoral initiatives; human promotion according to the church’s social doctrine; helping the poor; fostering the relationship between
the community and the ordained ministers.” Archbishop Roche said people should not be surprised by the “breadth and variety of functions” associated with catechists because “the exercise of this lay ministry fully expresses the consequences of being baptized and, in the particular situation of the lack of a stable presence of ordained ministers, it is a participation in their pastoral action.” “This is what the Code of Canon Law affirms when it provides for the possibility of entrusting to a nonordained person a share in the exercise of pastoral care in a parish, always under the moderation of a priest,” he wrote.
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HEADLINES u Cardinal Turkson says he offered to resign at end of his term. After a dozen years as a top Vatican cardinal, Cardinal Peter Turkson, 73, said Dec. 21 that he offered Pope Francis his resignation because he was at the end of his five-year appointment as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Cardinal Turkson, who was born in Nsuta-Wassaw, Ghana, is the only African currently heading a major Vatican office. Pope Francis had announced the creation of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in 2016, merging the former pontifical councils for Justice and Peace, Cor Unum, Migrants and Travelers, and Health Care Ministry. Cardinal Turkson had led the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace since 2009. u Ascension announces ‘Bible in a Year’ podcast in Spanish starts Jan. 1. On Dec. 31, nearly half a million people will complete a yearlong journey of reading the entire Catholic Bible with “The Bible in a Year” podcast, and on Jan. 1 Dominican Father Sergio Serrano and Father Dempsey Acosta will duplicate this journey with “The Bible in a Year” podcast in Spanish. Ascension, a multimedia Catholic publisher based in West Chester, Pennsylvania, is the producer of the podcast in English and is working with the Juan Diego Network on the production of “La Biblia en un Año.” The free reading plan for “La Biblia en un Año” will be available at ascensionpress.com/labiblia. u Philippine typhoon death toll passes 370; agencies respond in isolated areas. Catholic bishops in the Philippines have declared Christmas Day and Dec. 26 as national days of prayer and mourning for victims of Super Typhoon Rai that ravaged southern and central parts of the country. The bishops’ conference Dec. 20 called on all dioceses to dedicate both days to those affected by the storm, which weather observers said was the most powerful to make landfall in the island nation this year, ucanews.com reported. The Philippine
National Police said Dec. 21 that the death toll had risen to 375 while 56 people remained missing. Hundreds of people were injured and more than 400,000 people were displaced by the intense storm, which made landfall several times Dec. 16-17. u Archbishop Lori: FDA decision on medical abortion puts women’s lives, health at risk. By no longer requiring the abortion drug mifepristone to be picked up in person, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is “merely succumbing to the abortion industry’s pressure to loosen safety standards,” instead of protecting the lives and health of mothers and children as it should do, said Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, in a statement Dec. 16. Earlier in the day, the FDA announced it would permanently lift its requirement that a prescription for the abortion drug be picked up in person, which now allows clinics, medical offices and hospitals to prescribe the drug via telemedicine and send it directly to the patient by mail or through a mail-order pharmacy.
Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated.” The survey results also indicate the proportion of Christians in the U.S. population continues to slide. A decade ago, they constituted 75%, or three out of every four Americans. In the new survey, that percentage is down to 63%, or five out of every eight Americans.
u Catholic groups challenge federal mandate on gender transition procedures. Several Catholic hospitals, a Catholic university and Mercy sisters who run health clinics filed a challenge to a federal mandate for performing gender transition procedures with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit Dec. 15. The groups are continuing a fight they had previously won when two lower federal courts struck down what has been described as the Affordable Care Act’s “transgender mandate,” saying it was a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The Biden administration has appealed both decisions at the 8th Circuit.
u Vatican judge says case a ‘construction site’ as trial is postponed. A Vatican judge gave prosecutors more time to build their case against several defendants accused of financial malfeasance and corruption. At the fifth session of the Vatican trial Dec. 14, Giuseppe Pignatone, president of the Vatican City State criminal court, said the complicated case was “a construction site” and expressed his hope that by mid-February, the trial would begin to focus on the key accusations. Another hearing devoted to procedural matters will take place Jan. 25, he said. The Vatican court originally had brought to trial 10 individuals, including Cardinal Angelo Becciu, former prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, and four companies on charges involving financial malfeasance and corruption in relation to a multimillion-dollar property deal in London. But in October, the court ordered the prosecution to redo its investigations of four of the defendants and the four companies. Cardinal Becciu, who has attended every court session, was the only defendant present Dec. 14, while the remaining five were represented by their lawyers. In a statement released by the Vatican press office, the prosecution said its office is complying with the court’s order to reinvestigate the charges against the four defendants and will complete its work “by mid-January 2022.”
u Pew: Catholic numbers hold steady, ‘nones’ rise, Protestants decrease. The percentage of Catholics in the U.S. population in 2021 held steady at 21% in the latest Pew Research Center survey, issued Dec. 14. The percentage of Protestants, however, dropped, while the percentage of “nones” — those who profess no particular denominational attachment — continued to rise, said the report, “About
u Google pulling ads on abortion reversal and links to videos called ‘unjust.’ “Abortion pill reversal facts,” said the Google ad from the pro-life group Live Action. “We may be able to help you.” The ad, which had run since July 21 and on which Live Action had spent more than $56,000, was yanked by Google in September for “unreliable claims.” Another series of ads, targeted to Google users in Texas and costing
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DECEMBER 23, 2021
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The Garden of Eden and the Human Condition: Apples and Oranges? An Interreligious Approach Nostalgia or Anticipation? to Loving God and Neighbor
by Fr. Michael Patella, OSB
by Chris Conway, Ph.D.
Fr. Michael will explore the questions science raises for our Chris will discuss interreligious learning and explore the concept of sin as well as pose alternate framework for possibilities religious pluralism and comparative theology 21st century Christians to employ in their thinking about provide on: redemption on: -
Friday, January 14 - 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Emmaus Hall, Saint John’s University
Thursday, January 20 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis
January 2022
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POPE FRANCIS’ CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE Although Italy no longer has a 10 p.m. curfew in force as part of its measures to stem the spread of COVID-19, Pope Francis will celebrate the “Christmas Mass at Night” at 7:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. CST), as he did in 2020. Also on the pope’s calendar: u At noon (5 a.m. CST) Dec. 25, he will give his traditional Christmas blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world). u At 5 p.m. (10 a.m. CST) Dec. 31, Pope Francis will preside over an evening prayer service for the feast of Mary, Mother of God. Vespers will be followed by eucharistic adoration, benediction and the singing of the “Te Deum” to thank God for the year that is ending. u At 10 a.m. (3 a.m. CST) Jan. 1, the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and World Peace Day, the pope will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. u At 10 a.m. (3 a.m. CST) Jan. 6, the feast of the Epiphany, he will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. Although not mentioned in the notice published Dec. 13, the website of the Office of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies also lists a 9:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. CST) Mass and baptism of infants in the Sistine Chapel Jan. 9, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. — Catholic News Service Live Action more than $24,000, was launched in August and linked to a series of videos, one of which showed the development of a fetus in the mother’s womb. Google rejected these, too, in September. On Dec. 8, two dozen members of Congress from both the House and Senate submitted a letter, hand-delivered to Google CEO Sundar Pichai by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., demanding Google reverse its decision. Google did not respond to a CNS query for comment. — Catholic News Service
DECEMBER 23, 2021
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9
BISHOPELECTWILLIAMS
Bishop-elect Joseph Williams greets Imelda Alvarado, center, and her daughter, Elena Prado, after Mass at St. Stephen Dec. 10. DAVE HRBACEK THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Parishioner: ‘We’re not losing him; we are gaining a bishop’ By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit
A
t 10 p.m. Dec. 10, the same day he was announced as Bishop-elect Joseph Williams, the longtime pastor was still talking with and blessing parishioners at St. Stephen in Minneapolis after a vespers service and 8 p.m. Mass that were part of parish preparations for the Dec. 12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The feast, which commemorates the Virgin Mary’s appearance in 1531 to Mexican peasant St. Juan Diego, is a significant observance for the largely Hispanic parish. An image of Our Lady of Guadalupe faces parishioners from the wall to the left of the altar, amid large desert plants, flowers and a statue of Our Lady. At the Mass, the congregation, including many families with young and school-age children, sang along with the choir, often enthusiastically clapping with the music. The next morning, Bishop-elect Williams, 47, who also is vicar for Latino Ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, led a 5:30 a.m. prayer service at nearby Holy Rosary, where he was assigned last year as parochial administrator, in addition to his ministry at St. Stephen. The prayer service at Holy Rosary was followed by mariachi music, 7 a.m. Mass and 8 a.m. “convivio,” or time for fellowship. Engaging with parishioners isn’t new territory for the bishop-elect. But people also wanted to wish him well as he prepares to be installed Jan. 25 as an auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese. Archbishop Christophe Pierre, papal
nuncio to the United States, announced Pope Francis’ appointment of Bishop-elect Williams Dec. 10 at 5 a.m. Central time, which is noon in Rome. Micaela Mercado, a native of Mexico and member of St. Stephen for eight years, said when she and her husband joined the parish, they found the spirituality they were seeking. “The love that he gives to us, the kind of love ‘a real father’ will give you, always so gentle, but on the other side, strict and always telling us the truth,” she said. Mercado, 43, said her husband grew up thinking he could not talk to a priest, but Bishop-elect Williams loves the whole community. “He comes to us, talks to us, teaches us and gets close to us,” she said. “It changes our vision of what a priest is,” what a servant of God is, she said. Luz Cruz, 17, said Bishop-elect Williams is a great priest. She especially loves his homilies. “He is good with young people,” she said. “He has a lot of love toward us.” Despite serving two parishes, he works to be present for all parishioners, she said. Ten-year parishioner Joaquin Martinez, 42, said the bishop-elect is a wonderful priest with a heart for Spanish speakers. Martinez praised his ministry to families and young people in religious education, noting he goes beyond focusing on a sacrament and includes efforts to strengthen families. Martinez, who was born in Mexico, recalled how Mary gave her message through an indigenous person, St. Juan Diego. Bishopelect Williams beautifully describes all indigenous people as “the flowers of our heavenly mother,” Martinez said. Norberta Lopez, who also was at the Mass at St. Stephen, said that eight years ago, she and her now-husband, Freddy Torres, were approached by lay missionaries from St. Stephen as an evangelization outreach initiated by Bishop-elect Williams. After that encounter, the two began marriage
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Bishop-elect Williams gives the homily during Mass Dec. 10 at St. Stephen in Minneapolis. Earlier that morning, the Vatican announced that he was named an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. preparation, got married and became parishioners of St. Stephen. Bishop-elect Williams is a man full of the spirit of the Lord, Lopez said, and a good priest for his flock. “He is a man full of deep prayer and he truly cares for his community, especially Latinos,” she said. He gives a lot of time to his two parishes, Mercado said, and is quick to contact people he learns haven’t received the sacraments or have fallen ill. What she finds “amazing” is that, with hundreds of parishioners, Bishop-elect Williams remembers children’s names after hearing them once. “And whenever he says, ‘I will pray for you and your family,’ that’s what he does,” she said. “He prays for the children and the youth.” “We’re not losing him,” Mercado said. “We are gaining a bishop, our own shepherd that leads us to God.” Read more about Bishop-elect Williams on pages 10-11.
10 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
A ‘Pope Francis bishop’ New auxiliary’s ministry marked by love of Latino ministry, evangelization By Maria Wiering • The Catholic Spirit
TOP Bishop-elect Joseph Williams talks about his appointment as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis during a press conference Dec. 10 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. MIDDLE Bishop-elect Williams, right, receives applause from Archbishop Bernard Hebda, left, and the congregation during Mass Dec. 10 at the Cathedral. BOTTOM Bishop-elect Williams hugs his mother, Mary, after Mass. Earlier that morning, the Vatican announced his appointment as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. PHOTOS BY DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
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BISHOPELEC
he Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis didn’t have to wait long for a new auxiliary bishop. On Dec. 10, just four days following the installation in Crookston of its former auxiliary bishop, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Pope Francis named a new auxiliary bishop: Father Joseph Williams, pastor of St. Stephen and Holy Rosary in Minneapolis. Asked to describe himself, Father Williams said, “I love the Lord, I love the Church, and I want to see the Church grow. I guess that’s what it comes down to. When I received the call of priesthood, that sense of being a fisher of men was clear right from the beginning.” In his early 20s, Bishop-elect Williams had his heart set on becoming a doctor. His father, Dr. Gary Williams, practiced family medicine in Stillwater, and Bishopelect Williams studied biology and chemistry at the University of Minnesota Morris, planning to follow in his father’s footsteps. But, a deep encounter with the Lord through an informal Catholic Bible study led him to step away — briefly, he thought — to pursue philosophy and pre-theology studies at Franciscan University of Steubenville in eastern Ohio. A priest invited him to discern the priesthood, and he realized he wasn’t called to tend to bodies, but to hearts. Father Williams, 47, is expected to be ordained and installed as a bishop Jan. 25, 2022 — the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, patron of the archdiocese. As an auxiliary bishop, Bishop-elect Williams will assist Archbishop Bernard Hebda in leading the archdiocese. Since 2008, Bishop-elect Williams has served as pastor of St. Stephen in south Minneapolis, a predominantly Latino parish of 500 households. Last year, he also assumed responsibility for Holy Rosary, a nearby parish of 60 households, also mostly Latino, that had previously been in the longtime care of Dominican priests. Even as a seminarian, Bishop-elect Williams was interested in Latino ministry, and before ordination in 2002, he studied Spanish in Mexico to make it possible. While his first parish assignment as a parochial vicar of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul led to a focus on young adult ministry — he helped to launch its Theology on Tap program, which continues today — his second assignment, at Divine Mercy in Faribault in 2004, drew heavily on his language skills and aim for cultural understanding. In the year he was there, law enforcement conducted a drug and weapons raid that led to the arrests of 69 people, about half of whom were residents of a mobile home park where Latino immigrants lived. The incident prompted distrust between the newly arrived immigrants and police. Then-Father Williams and another parochial vicar, Father Jay Kythe, sought to heal the wounds in the community, in part by bringing Mass to the mobile home park and consecrating the land “so it becomes sacred again,” he told The Catholic Spirit in 2004. Monthly Masses continued there for a while, he said, and they visited people in their homes, intentionally inviting them to the parish and helping them return to practicing their faith. In 2005, he became pastor of St. Mathias in Hampton and St. Mary in New Trier, rural parishes four miles apart, 33 miles northeast of Faribault. His first Mass at St. Mathias was celebrated for Bill May, a parishioner diagnosed with cancer with just a month to live. At that Mass he met May’s wife, Anita, and asked if he could visit Bill that day in their home, she recalled in a 2009 essay in The Catholic Spirit. “Father did come to our home that evening and prayed and visited with us,” she wrote. “Over the next weeks, Father Joseph made many visits to our home and to Rochester — to visit and always to pray for Bill and for us. His very presence and prayers were a great comfort to Bill and to our entire family during those days.” Then-Father Williams celebrated Mass with the Mays at their home the day Bill died. “He is a very caring, prayerful, fun-loving, joy-filled and holy man,” Anita Mays wrote in 2009. “His prayerfulness, his concern and sacrifice for others, his love of the Eucharist and eucharistic adoration (which he started at Hampton), his love of children and so many other qualities endeared him to so many.” After just three years at St. Mathias and St. Mary, then-Father Williams was assigned to St. Stephen in Minneapolis, which was going through tumultuous times. His ministry over the past 13 years has
CTWILLIAMS
DECEMBER 23, 2021 • 11
focused on the neighborhood’s burgeoning Latino population. The parish’s website is primarily in Spanish. A hallmark of the parish is its street ministry, which takes an invitation to the Gospel door to door. His ministry to Latino Catholics has also deepened his sympathies to undocumented immigrants. (In 2012, he wrote a guest commentary in The Catholic Spirit titled, “Why I changed my mind about undocumented immigrants.”) He has become an advocate for federal immigration reform and the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. “It comes with the territory when you’re serving Latinos,” he recently told The Catholic Spirit. “They have come to this country in sometimes very challenging circumstances, sometimes even desperate ones. You learn right away that nobody wants to leave their homeland. If they’re here, it’s a sacrifice for them to be here.” Latino Catholics in difficult circumstances “sense the Church is with them,” he said. “That’s part of what draws them to the Church: They feel like it’s a safe place: ‘I’m loved.’” That’s why the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is celebrated Dec. 12, is so important, he said. “She looked on them. She looked on Juan Diego, and they’ve never forgotten that look. It’s a dignifying look,” he said. “It’s a look that has ennobled them. A big part of the Church is to see the immigrant, to see Latinos in particular, as Our Lady saw Juan Diego, with those loving eyes, with the hope that ‘I’ve got something planned for you.’” Bishop-elect Williams has served as the archdiocese’s vicar for Latino Ministry since 2018. And now, he’s been called to a much broader leadership role. “I wish I could say I was praying,” Bishop-elect Williams said, smiling, about the moment he got the phone call Nov. 22 from the U.S. papal nuncio, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, informing him of his appointment as a bishop. In reality, he was watching YouTube videos about mountain biking, he said, because he had plans to bike with another priest that afternoon. “The nuncio called and said he had great news — I’m still trying to believe that, to be honest,” Bishop-elect Williams said with a laugh. “He was very gentle, very joyful.” The way Archbishop Pierre phrased the announcement struck Bishop-elect Williams: “The Holy Father ‘has’ appointed you” — that the appointment
MILESTONES 1974 Born May 2, third of nine children 1992 Graduated from Stillwater High School, Stillwater 1996 University of Minnesota Morris, bachelor’s in biology 1998 Franciscan University of Steubenville, bachelor’s in philosophy
2002 The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, Master’s of Divinity
2002 Ordination to the priesthood, May 25 2002-2004 Parochial vicar, Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul 2003-2005 Coordinator of Archdiocesan Outreach to Persons with Disabilities
2004-2005 Parochial vicar, Divine Mercy in Faribault 2005-2008 Pastor, St. Mathias in Hampton and St. Mary in New Trier
2008 to present Pastor, St. Stephen in Minneapolis 2018 to present Vicar for Latino Ministry 2020 to present Parochial vicar, Holy Rosary in Minneapolis 2021 Named bishop-elect Dec. 10, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
had already happened, and it was his role to affirm the call. Bishop-elect Williams’ first response, he said, was, “Lord, have mercy!” He thanked the nuncio and told him he would pray about it. The nuncio, however, told him to first say yes, then pray. “That kind of turned it around from what I had expected,” he said with a laugh. “The sense that you do say ‘yes,’ you test that, you bring it to prayer and you see if there’s peace. And there was peace. “I think anytime there’s great news, even in the Scriptures with the shepherds — ‘good news of great joy’ — there’s a temptation to fear,” he continued. “Even for Our Lady, she was disturbed by the news of the angel. It’s precisely those words of ‘be not afraid’ that she heard, and I really felt, after the call — I was before a large image of Our Lady of Guadalupe — I really heard her say that, ‘Be not afraid.’” He then brought that to prayer in his chapel, where he reflected on Jesus’ words in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Not my will, but thy will be done.” And the peace remained. Then he called Archbishop Hebda, he said. “He’s so good, he’s so fatherly,” he said. “Maybe he sensed the trepidation a little bit. He just encouraged me, and he reminded me that if it got to this point, there’s a lot of people who can see this in you.” Bishop-elect Williams comes from a wonderful family, he said, noting his parents, Dr. Gary and Mary Williams, parents of nine, celebrated their 50th anniversary this year. “They’ve loved so well,” he said. His brother Father Peter Williams, ordained for the archdiocese two years after himself, just baptized Nos. 29 and 30 of their nieces and nephews. Of them, 28 live within a mile of his parents, he noted. “I feel incredibly blessed to have the family that I’ve had, and it’s a big part of my priesthood,” he said. “To be honest, preaching to the Latinos, I find myself preaching about my parents, their love and what the sacrament of matrimony can be. I think it’s a blessing for them. It’s been for me.” Archbishop Harry Flynn, who ordained Bishop-elect Williams in 2002, said something while he was in seminary that he said changed his prayer, even his life: The question isn’t, he said, “Lord, this is what I would love to do. Please bless me.” Rather, it’s “Lord, what would you have me do?” When he decided to become a priest, especially alongside his brother, “I felt like both of us … were like Peter and Andrew on the seashore,” he said, referring to the brother Apostles. “We kind of dropped the nets together, and we’ve been walking together in this vocation. It’s been a privilege.” Archbishop Hebda told The Catholic Spirit Dec. 10 that Bishop-elect Williams’ personal traits and pastoral abilities will serve him well as an auxiliary bishop. “There’s a balance in his life in the midst of really amazing responsibility at St. Stephen’s and Holy Rosary,” the archbishop said, noting he has good friendships with other priests. “He’s a joyful priest.” Archbishop Hebda also praised Bishop-elect Williams’ ministry at St. Stephen. “He really has rebuilt that parish and (initiated) such beautiful evangelization efforts,” he said. “He’s really led his parish to assume that role of being evangelizers and going door to door and helping to address the needs of people in a way that makes the Gospel message credible. He’s a standout in that.” That’s what made Bishop-elect Williams a natural choice for the vicar for Latino Ministry, he said. Archbishop Hebda also commended Bishop-elect Williams’ efforts to help parishioners who were affected by the unrest and riots following the May 2020 police-involved killing of George Floyd in south Minneapolis. Then-Father Williams secured temporary housing for some parishioners who were afraid for their safety, letting at least one family stay in his rectory before finding them room at a hotel, and helping another family whose apartment had been burned down in the protests. “When you try to think of a ‘Pope Francis bishop,’ it’s Bishop-elect Williams,” Archbishop Hebda said. “It’s that that gives him credibility in what else he does. People in his parish love them, and they’ve responded very well to him. In part, it’s because they see that authenticity in the way that he lives.”
RAISED IN ‘SCHOOL OF CHARITY’ With his parents and other family members in the front pew, Bishop-elect Joseph Williams concelebrated morning Mass Dec. 10 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul just hours after the 5 a.m. announcement of his appointment as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “My brothers and sisters, I am so delighted that you are here this morning on the feast of Our Lady of Loreto as we welcome your new auxiliary bishop, Bishop-elect Joseph Williams,” said Archbishop Bernard Hebda, who presided at the 7:30 a.m. Mass. “You are the very first to see him with a pectoral cross and a zuchetto,” the archbishop said. It also was the first time his parents, Dr. Gary and Mary Williams, had seen their son since receiving a call from him at 5:20 a.m. at their home in Stillwater, about 20 miles northeast of St. Paul. Several of his eight siblings, their spouses and children also attended the Mass. “Praise be to Jesus Christ,” said Mary Williams, when asked on her way into the Cathedral what her initial response was to her son’s appointment. “He’s a gift to the Church. I thought of that when he was ordained as a priest, and I still feel that today.” Gary Williams said he told his son on the telephone, “They selected a good man.” When his son was growing up, Williams said, “I told people he didn’t need parents. He was a good kid.” In his homily, Archbishop Hebda said he had visited the Williams family at their home. “I know it’s a graced place that has enabled, really, all of their children in that large family to say yes to our Lord.” Among his nieces and nephews at the Mass were sisters Elizabeth and Rose Droske and their cousin, Mari O’Malley, all parishioners of St. Michael in Stillwater, as are their grandparents. Surprised and excited at the news their mothers — both sisters of the bishop-elect — shared with them early that morning, the nieces said their uncle is good with people. Elizabeth, 14, said her uncle is “loving, gentle, patient.” Rose added that he’s someone who can “meet the needs of everyone and work with all different kinds of people.” “He’s very good with people,” confirmed Mari, 17, “definitely very easygoing and just easy to talk to.” The announcement came on the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, which commemorates a shrine in Italy that surrounds what tradition holds to be the childhood home of Mary and the home of the Holy Family. At the Mass, Archbishop Hebda drew comparisons between the holy, ordinary moments in that “holy house” and those in the Williams’ home in Stillwater. Bishop-elect Williams expounded on that theme during a 9 a.m. press conference at the Cathedral. Bishop-elect Williams credited his family as a “school of charity,” where his mother invited — and sometimes cajoled — her children to pray the rosary, with wooden children’s beads hung on the wall. His father, a doctor whose practice involved delivering babies at all times of the day and night, always brought his older children to daily Mass, Monday through Friday, Bishop-elect Williams said. “I’ve just seen constancy in my parents of God is first, and waking up and leading the flock to the green pastures of the holy Eucharist — what an example that is,” he said, “and then that devotion to Mary, especially to the rosary.” One of Bishop-elect Williams’ brothers, Father Peter Williams, 45, is pastor of St. Ambrose in Woodbury. Because of a commitment to 7:30 a.m. confessions and 8 a.m. Mass at his parish, he couldn’t attend the morning Mass with his brother and family members. “It’s a little hard to find coverage at 6 in the morning,” Father Williams said with humor several days later. “I was able to call my siblings and my parents later and see how they were doing.” When he received the early morning call from his brother, Father Williams said, he was excited “but also appreciative of the journey it will demand of him, in a really good way.” “You feel the honor of it all,” he said. “How the Church works, elevating him now to a pastoral responsibility he is eminently qualified for.” He recalls telling his brother, “all will be given,” and “you got this.” During the 40-minute press conference, Bishop-elect Williams spoke in both Spanish and English. “One of the greatest mysteries of God’s providence is how an Irish, German and a-little-bit-of-Dutch guy becomes vicar for Latino Ministry,” he said. “I’m still not sure how that happened, but I couldn’t thank God more that it did happen. One of the great gifts of my priesthood is the Latino people.” — Joe Ruff and Maria Wiering
12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
DECEMBER 23, 2021
FAITH+CULTURE While coping with losses, tornado victims also are hopeful about rebuilding By Robert Alan Glover Catholic News Service
EMERGENCY COLLECTION
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hey wait for more financial assistance. They wait for the grocers to stock more foodstuff essentials on their shelves. They wait for the insurance people to arrive — hopefully with a check. This is how it is for tornado victims right now and will be for a while since an outbreak of historic twisters late Dec. 10 and early Dec. 11 changed countless people’s lives forever in western Kentucky and several other states and sadly ended the lives of many others. As of Dec. 19, at least 78 people were confirmed dead in Kentucky. Elsewhere, Illinois has confirmed six fatalities, while at least four people were killed in Tennessee, two in Arkansas and two in Missouri. “As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, think of how different this Christmas will be for those who have lost so much,” said Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, in the eastern part of the state. “We have all been profoundly saddened by the tornadoes that swept through our commonwealth on Dec. 10, but especially the Diocese of Owensboro, which covers the western portion of Kentucky,” he said in a statement. Several residents of Bowling Green, Kentucky, spoke to Catholic News Service about their losses, blessings and hopes for rebuilding. The Warren County area saw over 500 homes and 100 businesses suffer either total or severe damage from the storms. Father Ryan Harpole, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bowling Green, which is in the Owensboro Diocese, said he was at a meeting of Church leaders and the faithful a week earlier, with Owensboro Bishop William Medley present. “He came (here) to see all of the pastors and parishioners; all of those who were in the path of the storm that I, too, am concerned about,” he said. According to the pastor, St. Joseph has 3,000 registered members, with a thousand of that number regularly active in their parish. The church was founded in 1859 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. “As a whole, we did not suffer a lot of damage and while those who did were in the
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To a combination of guided Ignatian spiritual enrichment and personal growth through serving others who are poor or vulnerable.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda has asked parishes to take an emergency collection to help those suffering from the devastation of tornados in the United States. Parish-collected donations will be forwarded to the USCCB Bishops Emergency Disaster Fund via the Center for Mission in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. — The Catholic Spirit
CHENEY ORR, REUTERS | CNS
Debris surrounds a destroyed building in Mayfield, Ky., Dec. 11 after a devastating tornado ripped through the town. More than 30 tornadoes were reported across six states late Dec. 10 and early Dec. 11, killing dozens of people and leaving a trail of devastation. minority, there are people we know who lost everything,” said Father Harpole. He also noted that while one woman had a tree fall on her house, “over here (at the parish) our electric power never even flickered, and we are very close to Western Kentucky University,” which did suffer damage and had to reschedule its Dec. 11 commencement ceremonies. Relief donations, said Father Harpole, “are coming in through the diocese, and we distribute the aid as people need it, and we will help anyone who needs the aid.” As far as how help from insurance companies figures in, the priest said, “I haven’t any knowledge of people getting a check yet, but then I am not in the business so naturally would not know anything.” “What I can say, however, is that some people are going to be out of money they don’t have; they will pay, for example, to replace missing roof tiles because their insurer will not replace a whole roof,” said Father Harpole. Just a couple of days after the tornadoes hit, State Farm Insurance Co. said it had already received more than 1,000 claims filed by its clients in Kentucky alone. One homeowner who believes she is somewhat fortunate is Anita (“Annie”) Adams, who lost, she
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said, “20 trees on my property, but I still see us (her mother lives next door) as being in pretty good shape.” Apparently some animals are OK, too — many were lost in the storm — but Adams told CNS “we have had some success with a cat that was missing but came back, and several dogs have also returned.” Her neighborhood, said Adams, “is an old, established one, about 1.6 miles from St. Joseph’s and centrally located in the middle of town.” Adams added that “by going online we have all been able to match up through the city government what our needs (requests) are with the volunteers that are available to do a certain task.” Where insurance coverage is an issue, she told CNS, “I have talked to a desk person and an adjustor has come out to see me but what they’ll pay for is a mixed bag.” “Mixed” meaning trees that did not hit the homeowner’s house, for example, are not covered for removal, and Adams must cover her $1,000 deductible, in addition to paying for any additional tree removal. More important to her recovery, said Adams, “is my need to refocus on Jesus in Christmas, despite all that is going on, to move him from the back of my mind
to the front.” “I am greatly blessed, highly favored and deeply loved,” said resident Chris Durbin. Before the tornadoes, Durbin’s property had two dozen trees and a privacy fence on it — but now just four trees remain standing and the fence is gone. “The insurance people will pay 90% to repair the damage my property suffered — I pay the remaining 10% — and I did hear from an adjustor three days after the storms first hit,” said Durbin. Like Adams, Durbin’s policy also carries a $1,000 deductible but, said Durbin, “I had to pay a guy $2,500 to remove the downed trees, while my son — who lives just 200 yards away — was totally fine.” “Every house around here was hit — some worse than others — but we had no deaths, and you can see by the photos how the downed tree roots tower 5 to 6 feet over our heads,” said Durbin. He singled out the different power companies for praise, noting that “although we don’t have any power back on yet — and have seven telephone poles down — they have been just great.” According to news reports, a total of 34 confirmed tornadoes swarmed across eight states Dec. 10-11. One tornado that hit the night of Dec. 10 had an approximate 227-mile-long path of destruction spanning four states, with 200 miles of destruction in Kentucky alone. On Dec. 11, President Joe Biden signed a federal emergency disaster declaration for Kentucky to provide $5 million in federal aid; a day later Biden declared a major federal disaster in the state, freeing up additional federal money. The total cost of the damage and economic loss the impacted states face has been estimated at $18 billion.
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FAITH+CULTURE
DECEMBER 23, 2021
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13
Early-morning writing: Criminal prosecutor guards his creativity By Christina Capecchi For The Catholic Spirit
forced me to ask: What would salvation look like for this particular person? This person might never find himself in a Catholic Church, and yet the Lord is going to give this child the opportunity for eternal salvation.
Jeffrey Wald sets his alarm for 4 a.m. and makes Cuban coffee so he can write before his kids rise. It’s a habit that allows him to exercise his creativity, and he does it the old-fashioned way: with paper and pen. “I’m a Catholic,” said Wald, 35, a criminal prosecutor and father of five who belongs to Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul. “There’s something sacramental about holding a pen and seeing what you create.”
Q Do you ever pluck a person and drop him into a story?
A No. I think that can become one-
dimensional. I may come across a simple story, and there’s an element of my willfulness in it, but if I’m at my best, there’s stuff that happens that I’m a little surprised by.
Q You’ve always wanted to write, and 10 years ago you finally started. What was the impetus?
Q Writing on paper first helps you get
A I had just come out of law school,
and I got a lot more consumed with my career and success than I expected to. I’d always prided myself in not caring about that, and here I was, landing this coveted clerkship with a judge and swimming in that tide of American success. I didn’t want to be that guy. It was remembering who I am and what I care about and what makes me feel alive. It was about finding the first things that inspire me and enrich my prayer life and imaginative life and my capacity to love.
Q How does fiction enrich your prayer life?
A The heart of prayer is the imaginative
life. It’s being able to read Scripture and have it come alive. A couple years ago, I went through the Ignatian prayer of imagination. You read these rich pieces of Scripture and place yourself there. Prayer is a life where you’re encountering the unseen God.
Q And how does it boost your capacity
it out.
A I don’t know if it’s because you can DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Catholic writers like Kirstin Valdez Quade, Randy Boyagoda, Phil Klay and Christopher Beha are writing for big presses and getting reviewed in big magazines, and they’re all young. There’s no shortage of good stuff out there.
Q What impact can great Catholic literature have?
A Catholics have always recognized the
importance of art — not as an end to itself, but as a means of expressing and approaching the mystery of our faith, the mystery of God’s love, our growing toward him in our imperfect ways. Catholic literature matters because it can be a spiritual work of mercy. And it’s at the heart of what it means to be human. We are storytellers.
to love?
Q What is it about stories?
A The capacity to love comes with being
A At the root of it is: There’s a mystery
the midst of a renaissance in Catholic literature.
to our existence. As a Catholic dad, I try to convey truth, teach the sacraments, teach the truths of the faith. But at a certain point, you realize the Catechism is important, proofs are important, rationality is important, but it just isn’t going to get you there. You realize there’s this huge mystery at the heart of our existence that you can’t approach that way, by philosophical proof, but you can in some way approach through stories. They convey something that a proof cannot.
A There’s been a real renewal, both
Q There are so many attacks on the
able to see other people with empathy. The curse of human nature is we’re stuck inside ourselves. It’s hard to empathize. But literature allows us to step inside another person and see what it’s like. Hopefully, that allows us to do the same thing off the page, with our neighbors, in all their foibles and sins. They’re worthy of love, too.
Q You’ve noted that the Church is in
individually and institutionally. Great
Merry Christmas
imagination. How can we guard it?
Free Rosary ... from Medjugorje
A Turn off the news. Cultivate a habit of
wonder, of curiosity, of seeing the world as the building of the Kingdom of God, not as something to be feared. Read a lot. Get outside. Have a garden, get in the dirt. Butcher a chicken. Take up backyard farming. We can be so removed from creation. We’re imitators to God, and nothing compares to God’s creation, of getting out and looking at a tree, getting your hands muddy, going on a hike.
Q Do you dream about having your writing published one day?
A There is that drive. But when I’m at
my best, I’m not worried if anyone’s ever going to read it. There’s something that’s needing to be written. This morning, right after my prayer, this story I’ve been thinking about for 18 months just kind of came together.
Q What made it click? A Who knows? I like to think it was
grace and a bit of the Holy Spirit. Maybe it was just a particularly good cup of coffee. I’ve never taken a class in creative writing, and I’m taking my first online class with a set of five other Catholic wannabe writers. That can fuel me, if I’m putting a little more intentionality into it.
Q How does your day job as a criminal prosecutor inspire your writing?
A It’s really stretched my faith. It’s
type too fast and not have to think about it. Or if it just feels too final for me. It takes some pressure off, that what I’m putting on paper is not the final product. I can go back and make notes on the side, scratch stuff out or draw a circle around one thing that I know will be the ending.
Q How does it feel to have this side gig?
A I would love more time to do it.
But I’m so fortunate that I really love the job I have right now. This was a breakthrough for me. I don’t have to live by myself in the woods, eating mushrooms, to do this. I can be a normal guy with a normal job, and I don’t have to write eight hours a day. I can write 10 minutes. And if I get an hour, fantastic! It’s rare to make a living off your writing, and I have no illusions that that’ll happen, and I don’t even know if that would be the best for me — my holiness, my life, my faith.
Q What do you know for sure? A I know that I am loved. I’ve always
had a deep sense of God’s knowledge of me, his plan for me, his love for me. I know his hand in my life. I know my parents’ love, my wife’s love, my children’s love. So maybe the power of love, how that’s the center of human existence. And secondly, I know that I’m way too serious. I know we need more laughter. Love and laughter — there’s something about those two things that are so vital to our faith and what it means to be human.
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14 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
DECEMBER 23, 2021
FOCUSONFAITH SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER TOM MARGEVICIUS
Baby talk in Bethlehem Have you ever noticed that many couples speak to each other using baby talk? “Who wuvs you? You’re my widdle cutie pie!” Talking that way is acceptable with newborns, but it embarrasses teenagers when parents do it in public. “Ewww! Mom and dad, please!” Researcher Ramesh Kaipa and his colleagues at Oklahoma State University studied baby talk between adults. They discovered that about two-thirds of couples do it, and it happens independent of language, race, country or religion. Spouses all over the world use baby talk with each other. The question is, why? Parents’ speaking to infants with baby talk — exaggerated emotions and facial expressions, repeating silly or nonsensical words or phrases — has been well studied. Infants’ brains are still developing, and before they are capable of understanding grammar and rational
ASK FATHER MIKE | FATHER MICHAEL SCHMITZ
How do I receive a gift well?
Q I’ve been thinking about what it is to receive a gift well. I find that I don’t like getting gifts, because I never know how to respond. I can sometimes even feel guilty that someone has gone to the trouble of getting me something. Is there a way I can receive gifts better?
A I really like this question. Thank you for asking it.
One of the things I like about it is that, on the surface, it seems like a simple issue (kind of like a “nonproblem problem”). But if we take a closer look, we are not merely talking about the proper etiquette for giving or receiving gifts. Truly, all of life is a gift. How we receive this gift will determine almost everything about the shape and tenor of our lives. So this question actually goes to the heart of how we live, not merely how we might politely accept a gift on our birthday or Christmas. But to get to the heart of this, let’s look at the best way to receive an actual present. I would offer that there are at least four essential parts of receiving a gift well. Two are “hidden” and two are outward expressions.
communication, they can process emotions. Infants respond more readily when adults use baby talk: It triggers neurotransmitters in their brains and enhances mental development. Parents instinctively understand that baby talk helps babies mature. So why do grown adult couples use it on each other? Ramesh observed that in addition to helping infant brains develop, baby talk’s exaggerated emotional tones reinforce emotional bonds between parents and children. It not only helps children learn how to communicate, it builds love. And that’s probably why couples in love often speak baby talk to each other: through it they express love. That’s not to say couples cannot be emotionally intimate without baby talk, nor that those who use baby talk will always be happily in love. But the data show that couples who use baby talk are more likely to report being happy in their relationships than those who do not. That Mary and Joseph probably used baby talk with the infant Jesus seems likely. But I wonder: Did Joseph and Mary speak that way to each other? The Church teaches that apart from never engaging in sexual relations, Mary and Joseph were otherwise every bit a married couple. True, Mary never sinned, and Joseph (as we learned in the Year of St. Joseph) may have been the most righteous person besides Mary to ever have lived, but they were just as human as our own
parents, and they were certainly very much in love. In “The World’s First Love,” Venerable Fulton Sheen wrote that Mary and Joseph brought to their marriage “two hearts with greater torrents of love than had ever before coursed through human breasts.” We may never know this side of heaven whether they spoke to each other in baby talk, but I have no doubt they regularly expressed their love openly in front of their holy Child. In his public ministry, Jesus often spoke to his own adult disciples in affectionate terms: “My little children,” and “Little flock, your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” Jesus had a fully developed emotional life. From whom did he learn this, if not from his own earthly parents? In a 2009 address he gave in Cameroon, Pope Benedict XVI said, “Saint Joseph was the spouse of Mary. In the same way, each father sees himself entrusted with the mystery of womanhood through his own wife. Dear fathers, like Saint Joseph, respect and love your spouse; and by your love and your wise presence, lead your children to God.” No matter how much teenagers may squirm, we all — infants, teens, adults — benefit from seeing couples truly in love. It shows us what God’s love looks like.
The first part of receiving any gift well is noticing. We have to notice that a gift has been given. This is easy to do when you’ve just opened a package with your name attached to it, but as noted above, all of life is a gift. Everything that you and I have in our lives is the result of the generosity of God or of the people around us. How many of us even notice that the lights come on when we flick the switch? How many of us pay attention to the fact that the “flush” function of the toilet takes away what it is supposed to take away? How many of us notice when we open our eyes in the morning and they actually work? A number of years ago, I was an associate priest in Hibbing, and the power went out for a couple of days. And when I say “the power went out,” I don’t mean that just the lights stopped working. I mean that everything that had been powered by the power station completely stopped operating. Essentially, it was a small taste of the day when “the grid” will go down. (I don’t mean to sound like a “prepper” here, but I got a glimpse into how much every one of us relies on so many other people to stay alive.) This happened in the middle of winter, and it was bitterly cold. But there was no way to keep homes warm. There were no street lights — anywhere. I’m not sure if the gas pumps even worked. If the power outage lasted long enough, I’m not sure they would have been able to plow the roads. Just think of how reliant we are on those snow plows every single time it snows. The point is, we are surrounded by gifts. Do we even notice? The first step in receiving a gift well is paying attention and noticing. The second part of receiving a gift well is appreciating the gift. What this means is to stop and weigh out
what this gift means. It involves becoming conscious of the value of the gift. To appreciate a thing is to know its value. Consider how important this is. How many of us could look back on our youth and discover (to our shame) how often we took the gifts given to us for granted? We can look back at the ways our parents sacrificed to keep us fed and clothed and housed (and in hockey skates or in braces for our teeth or paid for that flute that we never practiced). We can look back on all of the teachers or youth ministers who were so patient with us. Hopefully, now we have a new appreciation for those sacrifices, because now we know what they cost the people who made them for us. Receiving a gift well means noticing the gift and appreciating the value of the gift. Those happen on the inside, but there needs to be an outward expression as well. The third essential part of receiving a gift well is possibly the most obvious: expressing gratitude. This should be the most natural of all of these parts. If we have noticed and appreciated the value of the gift, one would think that the automatic response would be gratitude. How could we not look for the source of the gift and say “thank you”? I wonder if the biggest obstacle to this step for many people is that we know that we don’t deserve gifts of the kind we often receive. There can be a certain sheepishness when someone has truly sacrificed for us, and we are absolutely certain that we didn’t deserve such a sacrifice. In those cases, we might be tempted to dismiss the gratitude out of awkwardness or fail to know how to convey the gratitude we have in our hearts.
Sunday, Jan. 2 Epiphany of the Lord Is 60:1-6 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 Mt 2:1-12
Wednesday, Jan. 5 St. John Neumann, bishop 1 Jn 4:11-18 Mk 6:45-52
Sunday, Jan. 9 Baptism of the Lord Is 42:1-4, 6-7 Acts 10:34-38 Lk 3:15-16, 21-22
Monday, Jan. 3 1 Jn 3:22–4:6 Mt 4:12-17, 23-25
Thursday, Jan. 6 1 Jn 4:19–5:4 Lk 4:14-22
Monday, Jan. 10 1 Sm 1:1-8 Mk 1:14-20
Tuesday, Jan. 4 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious 1 Jn 4:7-10 Mk 6:34-44
Friday, Jan. 7 1 Jn 5:5-13 Lk 5:12-16
Tuesday, Jan. 11 1 Sm 1:9-20 Mk 1:21-28
Saturday, Jan. 8 1 Jn 5:14-21 Jn 3:22-30
Wednesday, Jan. 12 1 Sm 3:1-10, 19-20 Mk 1:29-39
Father Margevicius is director of worship for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
PLEASE TURN TO ASK FATHER MIKE ON PAGE 19
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Dec. 26 Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 Col 3:12-21 Lk 2:41-52 Monday, Dec. 27 St. John, apostle and evangelist 1 Jn 1:1-4 Jn 20:1a, 2-8 Tuesday, Dec. 28 Holy Innocents, martyrs 1 Jn 1:5–2:2 Mt 2:13-18
Wednesday, Dec. 29 1 Jn 2:3-11 Lk 2:22-35 Thursday, Dec. 30 1 Jn 2:12-17 Lk 2:36-40 Friday, Dec. 31 1 Jn 2:18-21 Jn 1:1-18 Saturday, Jan. 1 Octave Day of Christmas Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God Nm 6:22-27 Gal 4:4-7 Lk 2:16-21
Thursday, Jan. 13 1 Sm 4:1-11 Mk 1:40-45 Friday, Jan. 14 1 Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a Mk 2:1-12 Saturday, Jan. 15 1 Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1 Mk 2:13-17 Sunday, Jan. 16 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 62:1-5 1 Cor 12:4-11 Jn 2:1-11
FOCUSONFAITH
DECEMBER 23, 2021
CUPPA JOE | FATHER JON VANDER PLOEG
Terror of demons
As we end this year dedicated to St. Joseph, there is one title that is as strange as it is provocative: “St. Joseph, Terror of Demons.” Normally we think of demons causing terror instead of them experiencing terror. Demons are fallen angels. God created angels before he created the earth or human beings. At creation, the angels were given a specific mission. They were given the knowledge they need to do that mission. He revealed to them some of his plan. St. Irenaeus says one-third of the angels rejected God’s plan. Demons are fallen angels, angels who chose against God. They attempt to throw themselves in front of God’s plan. They do this by trying to prevent or delay our union with God. St. John Cassian — who was read regularly by St. Benedict, St. Dominic and St. Thomas Aquinas, among others — wrote a great work entitled the “Conferences.” In Conference Seven, he observes several things about the demonic that are important. St. John Cassian says that fallen angels (demons) work against the very mission they were given. They don’t have a bag of temptations from which they pull out one and throw it at someone, like used to be depicted
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15
in the cartoons. We have a guardian angel. We do not have a guardian demon. Demons have one temptation. A philosophical way of putting this is that their cause is their effect. Meaning if it is fear, lust, anger, etc., you will sense this fear, etc. That’s why if a person is praying for freedom in an area, he or she can renounce fear, lust, anger, etc. and it has a spiritual effect. This is not to say that all temptation comes from the demonic — it does not. Father Lorenzo Scupoli, a 16th-century Italian priest, says in “The Spiritual Combat” that of all the enemies each person faces, one’s own self is the worst. St. John Cassian also says that demons are not ordered. We often attribute to them virtues they do not have. They work through threat and force, not through goodwill, charity and virtue. Finally, St. John Cassian says that we have to remember that it is a spiritual battle. It’s not a one-sided affair. The enemy has much to fear and lose. Too often, we approach spiritual battle as a defeated victim. In truth, it can be an opportunity to grow in holiness when we resist, with God’s help. Even when we fail, when we humble ourselves and repent, there can be fruit. Remember the enemy is looking to prevent or delay union with God. St. Joseph lived a life obedient to God’s will and this brings about union with him. When we live even the simple, ordinary parts of our lives in cooperation and communion with the Lord, they have great power. Too often, we think that it is only in extraordinary circumstances that we can find holiness. We can see one another as competitors, and I have to be better than those around me to be good enough or at least not as fallen as those around me. Seeking this can
“Cuppa Joe” is a series of 10 talks by 10 theologians on the 10 wonders of St. Joseph that took place during the Year of St. Joseph at 10 locations in our archdiocese entrusted to the patronage of our spiritual father. For the past 10 months, these talks premiered the first Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m. — just in time for afternoon coffee. Watch the full “Cuppa Joe” series at archspm.org/cuppajoe. The Year of St. Joseph ended Dec. 8. often distract us from all the fruit God wants to bear in us and through us. Living a life of prayer, receiving the sacraments, growing in virtue, deepening our knowledge of the faith in simple ways, and good, holy relationships are all we need to be like St. Joseph and be united to the Lord’s will. Let’s choose one area to focus on to allow the Lord to draw us to deeper union with him. Father Vander Ploeg is the director of spiritual formation at The St. Paul Seminary. He has studied the area of angelology since 2007. This is a summary of the 10th and final presentation of the “Cuppa Joe” series. It was recorded at St. Joseph in Taylors Falls.
St. Joseph parish founded in heyday of Taylors Falls’ logging industry Editor’s note: This is the 10th and final story in a monthly series of 10 places in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis with connections to St. Joseph. By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit Catholics arriving for Sunday Mass at St. Joseph in Taylors Falls June 13, 1886, discovered that during the night, an unprecedented log jam had formed on the nearby St. Croix River. Undoubtedly parishioners were among the 400 men who worked for six weeks clearing up the 150 million feet of logs produced by the lumber industry, which were backed up for more than three miles. The scenic St. Croix Valley where the parish is located now offers recreation rather than logging. Members of St. Joseph’s 280 households travel from both sides of the river to their church, where a large white statue of their patron greets them at the entrance. In the 1850s, Irish immigrants Patrick and Elizabeth Fox gathered at their home for Mass with Catholics probably employed in the burgeoning lumber industry. Before the white wood frame church named for St. Joseph was completed in 1874, priests visited about twice a year, according to a history compiled by parishioner Clayton Rivard, now deceased. With the 1884 establishment of St. Francis Xavier parish about 10 miles downriver from St. Joseph, a connection formed that continues today. For more than 50 years, both were missions of different area parishes, and, for a time, part of the St. Cloud diocese, Rivard wrote. In 1948, St. Joseph became an independent parish with St. Francis as a mission parish. Now the two churches are a parish cluster in the Archdiocese of St. Paul
and Minneapolis. In addition to St. Francis, St. Joseph is bordered by St. Michael and St. Mary in Stillwater, St. Peter in Forest Lake, St. Bridget of Sweden in Lindstrom, St. Gregory in North Branch and St. Genevieve in Centerville, said Father John Drees, St. Joseph’s pastor for more than four years. While many priests have passed through in St. Joseph’s history, Father Oscar Winzerling is notable for moving the church in 1952. Using their own trucks and labor, parishioners moved the church about two miles down a hill to a more central downtown site. In 1969, St. Joseph and St. Francis parishes learned that due to a priest shortage, the archdiocese would no longer assign them a full-time pastor, Rivard wrote. To fill that gap, the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Sallette, whose U.S. base is in Hartford, Connecticut, sent Father Albert Shanley, who pastored both parishes for 26 years. Over time, St. Joseph parishioners built a basement, several additions and a tan stone façade on their church. When a heavy rainstorm hit in 1990 as the church’s roof was off for construction, members of a Lutheran church helped salvage items and offered use of their church, Rivard noted. Around that time, the parish reoriented the altar and pews from the church’s east side to the south side to accommodate more parishioners, Father Drees said. In addition to the statue outside, the foster father of Jesus appears in a stained-glass window in the church. Another statue of St. Joseph stands in a niche on the east wall. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, parishioners celebrated their patron’s March 19 feast day with a potluck. During ordinary time in the Year of
COURTESY ST. JOSEPH
Additions on both sides and interior renovation have expanded the church of St. Joseph since it came down the hill to its present location on Bench Street in Taylors Falls.
COURTESY ST. JOSEPH
In the early 1990s, St. Joseph parish moved the church’s altar from the east wall to the south wall to expand seating. St. Joseph, Father Drees celebrated St. Joseph votive Masses each Wednesday (traditionally the day he is honored). He plans to continue them monthly. Father Drees also posted monthly videos about St. Joseph on the parish’s website, stjosephtaylorsfalls.org. In his personal meditations, Father Drees said he connects St. Joseph’s
COURTESY ST. JOSEPH
In 1952, parishioners of St. Joseph in Taylors Falls moved their 1874 wood frame church two miles down from a hilltop to a more central site downtown. care for Jesus and Mary with the idea of providing for and protecting the parish. When talking to parish men, he said one of St. Joseph’s litany titles stands out: “mirror of patience.” “I tell men I come across, especially those who need encouragement, to go to Joseph and ask for his intercession to grow as a father or husband,” he said.
16 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
DECEMBER 23, 2021
COMMENTARY YOUR HEART, HIS HOME | LIZ KELLY
Giving the difficult, delightful gift of patience I’d just come home from teaching a night class, exhausted, when I got a text from my brother, the Father. He was in Rome, working. It was very early morning there. I wondered why he was awake. He told me he hadn’t been sleeping more than four hours a night and he had to deliver an Advent reflection to the priests of the archdiocese on his return. He hadn’t had the time or energy to work on it. “I’m so tired,” he wrote, and I believed him. His fatigue was palpable, even over text. He’d been planning a talk on spiritual fatherhood, but as I read his texts flying over the ocean and into my living room in Minnesota, I had an idea. “Why not speak on fatigue?” I replied. I was sure those priests had heard a thousand talks on spiritual
CATHOLIC WATCHMEN | DEACON GORDON BIRD
Be pro-life pilgrims Mary’s fiat was an essential starting point in fulfilling the new covenant promise, in the fullness of time when God was to become one of us, fulfilling the new covenant in faith, hope and love, all ingrained with mercy and forgiveness. The Word was to become flesh as a baby — a child making his dwelling among us, which we celebrate heartily and festively this time of year. Given a mission by the angel Gabriel, our Blessed Mother embraced her call to vocation. Mary and St. Joseph were blessed, unsurpassed pilgrims of pro-life. The prophet Jeremiah stated, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I dedicated you.” Gabriel addressed Mary as “Hail, full of grace.” The angel announced the title as her name, not something that is about to happen to her as a result of the angel’s message. Rather, it was an action completed in the past, with effects that continue in the present, to carry out God’s plan, his dynasty. As it was with Jeremiah, a prophet of old, it was with Mary and Joseph of the new covenant: God, in his omniscience, always knew. Which is why we must — until Jesus calls
LETTERS Understanding Gomez Words matter. Rosenwinkel’s letter in the Nov. 25 issue misses the point of Archbishop Gomez’s comments on secular movements. For example, social justice is one of many “justices” that secular organizations bandy about more as virtue signaling than helping anyone. Gomez is saying that these organizations are trying to make Christianity irrelevant to everyday life. The God-centered Catholic Church must be the main organization through which we all can make a difference in our society. It is guided by the teachings of Jesus that help us determine how we as individuals can help those who need it. As soon as justice is modified (racial, environmental,
fatherhood; why not give them permission to be exhausted? To give that exhaustion to the Lord? Suddenly, ideas came. It wasn’t long before my brother posted a document and we were fleshing out ideas, adding quotes and notes — me from my living room, he from Rome. I could feel his anxiety dissipating, and how, paradoxically, he suddenly had energy to write about “pastoral weariness,” the theme of what would later be a very well-received reflection. I went to bed sometime later, exhausted — and filled with joy. From the time I was young, I can remember a kind of tug toward my younger brother, something which told me that one day we would be shoulder-to-shoulder serving the Church. I was sure it was a desire given to me by God. Oh, but it would take a good long time to come to fruition. There were years — much earlier — when I thought, surely my desire would be fulfilled now! — only to realize it would be left on the shelf to grow and mature still longer. I confess I was impatient with God, even angry that this desire had been given to me only to remain unsatisfied. In my ignorance and hubris, I thought, how cruel to implant a noble desire and then refuse its fulfillment. But as I fell asleep that night, I launched my apologies heavenward. My impatience had been staggeringly out of proportion at times. How little I understood that God’s timing was superb, and that I would not
be needed until later in life — like now when I had so much to say about fatigue living with MS for a decade, when I knew personally the gifts that come with it, when I had ideas to offer my brother so readily when in his weariness, he needed them. As I grow older, I see patience is not a virtue practiced with clenched fists and gritted teeth. Rather, patience is a gift I wrap up and give away — a gift wrapped in trust, decorated with ribbons of gratitude and bows of hope. In this case, it was a gift I needed to give to God. In this holy season of waiting in darkness for the Light of the World, I am reminded to “Be patient ... until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near” (Jas 5:7-8). So near, and so faithful. Lord, this Advent, I long to give you more trust and patience as I await your glorious, truly satisfying plans for our flourishing.
us home — promote and protect life in our earthly pilgrimage. Prayers and prayer vigils for the unborn and for the safety of pilgrims to pro-life activities is our devotion of focus as Catholic Watchmen in Christmastide and the month of January. In reality, promoting and defending life from conception until natural death truly merits prayer and action all year round. Hence, this battle in the fight for life and for those brave souls who put themselves in harm’s way defending life must get our endless attention. As we celebrate Christmas and launch into a new year, we pray that the culture of death that surrounds us today be replaced with a culture of life, promoting the dignity of the human person in all stages of life. We can ensure this pilgrimage for life message is entrenched in our own homes where our loved ones preside. In a book I use for blessing a home, one prayer starts out with the beautiful mystery of the Incarnation: “When Christ took flesh through the blessed virgin Mary, he made his home with us. Let us now pray that he will enter this home and bless it with his presence. May he always be here among you; may he nurture your love for each other, sharing your joys, comfort you in your sorrows. Inspired by his teachings and example, seek to make your home before all else, a dwelling place of love, diffusing far and wide the goodness of Christ.” This blessing, as is the passage of the Annunciation (Mary’s “yes”), is about Jesus, who will be born, the awaited Messiah from David’s dynastic line. The
Messiah would reunite the house of God with the people of Israel. The angel Gabriel announces that Jesus is this anointed ruler who will re-gather the tribes of Israel, together with all nations, into his glorious kingdom. The Blessed Mother and St. Joseph answered their call to vocation, and they indeed are models of the epitome of pilgrims on a pro-life journey. Together, they brought our Lord and Savior into the world as a child, and represented the first, holy domestic Church as a household for the Son of God. In this Christmas season, bless your home if it’s been a while. And bless often the lives of those living in your home throughout all the seasons. Our home is the primary starting point from which our Christian pilgrimage in life starts out each day. Hence, our main base and our bodies in which we tread need regular spiritual blessings for holiness and strength! Sure, you can ask clergy to confer certain blessings, but you can also take initiative of your own three-fold anointing given at your baptism — priest, prophet and king. As brothers and sisters of Christ, use that priestly duty to bestow blessings on your family members regularly and fervently. Be blessed pilgrims for Christ, for the author of life wherever you tread.
etc.), it is no longer justice. Justice is a universal term that needs no modifier. Either we have justice, or we do not. We should all be working to make justice a reality for all. I suggest Rosenwinkel reread Gomez’s comments with a broader view of how our Catholicism can or cannot make improvements. Robert Lundquist St. Joseph, West St. Paul
Discerning women deacons Congratulations to the seven men who were ordained as deacons on Dec. 4 and to their life partners. The joy in their expressions in the Nov. 25 edition of The Catholic Spirit is plain to see. I look forward to the day that we
Kelly is the award-winning author of nine books, including “Love Like a Saint” and “Jesus Approaches.” She travels speaking and leading retreats throughout the country. A note to our readers: Kelly is taking a hiatus from writing “Your Heart, His Home” in early 2022. Look for the column to reappear later in the year.
Deacon Bird ministers at St. Joseph in Rosemount and All Saints in Lakeville, and assists with the archdiocese’s Catholic Watchmen movement. Learn more about the Catholic Watchmen at archspm.org/faith-communities/men.
will be congratulating and celebrating newly ordained women deacons in the Catholic Church. (Would that I also live long enough to see women ordained as priests!) Earlier this year, the Discerning Deacons organization led conversations in parishes and communities around the world about the possibility of women being ordained as deacons. The initiative was inspired following the 2020 “Synod of Bishops on the Amazon,” where a majority of bishops were in favor of ordaining women as deacons, and where the Synod formally requested to share their “experiences and reflections” with a papal commission. Pope Francis did establish a new commission that began meeting in October 2021 to consider the ordination of women as deacons. I join the Discerning Deacons organization in
supporting the ordination of women as deacons and praying that the Church will recognize the pastoral talents and treasures of women already acting in diaconal roles by officially ordaining them. I hope to see news about the Discerning Deacons organization and the papal commission in future issues of The Catholic Spirit. Kathleen Burke-Scheffler Ascension, Minneapolis
Immigration’s injustices In an Oct. 28 Letter to the Editor Elizabeth Rosenwinkel from Minneapolis criticized me as being naïve, uninformed or completely out of touch. She’s wrong LETTERS CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
COMMENTARY
DECEMBER 23, 2021
FAITH AT HOME | LAURA KELLY FANUCCI
‘Tis the season to wait
“Wait for me!” Our 4-year-old runs after his big brothers, coat flapping and boots thumping. As I watch the kids race through the yard, his words echo memories of Decembers past when I waited for a new baby. “Wait for me this time,” each one seemed to whisper as I prayed through pregnancy. “Wait for me.” Families begin with waiting. For those who have experienced infertility or miscarriage, waiting can be one of the most painful parts of life. But through pregnancy, adoption or foster parenting, whether babies were unexpected or long-hoped-for, every parent has waited for their child to arrive. What’s more, birth is only the beginning of our waiting. We wait for kids to reach milestones or to get ready each morning. We wait to see the doctor or to get test results. We wait to pick them up from school or sports
practice. We wait to hear if they made the team or got the job. We wait for kids to leave the nest, and then we wait for them to return. Families are waiting for each other all the time — and not just for toddlers to potty train, teenagers to come home by curfew, or adult children to call back and check in. We’re waiting for longer, slower movements of change to come, too. Waiting for healing. Or forgiveness. Or acceptance. This Advent, what if we tried to anticipate Christ’s coming like expectant parents? Eager with excitement. Preparing for joy to arrive. Imagining each day what the next might bring. Waiting trains our hearts, tempers our impatience and teaches us to savor what is good because it took longer to get there. Anything wonderful — most of all, the coming of our God among us in the Incarnation — is worth waiting for. So how can we wait this Advent, especially in a consumerist culture where anything can be bought with one click and Christmas has been on sale since September? The Letter of James speaks to waiting — the everyday and the ultimate — as preparation for what is to come: “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord
INSIDE THE CAPITOL | MCC
To spend or not to spend? That is not the question State legislators are debating what to do with a massive budgetary windfall — an approximately $7.7 billion surplus. The news of the surplus prompted the governor and legislative leaders from both parties to voice their spending and tax cut proposals. Democrat legislative leaders voiced support for investments in programs that improve the economic circumstances of all Minnesotans and emphasized a refusal to cut taxes for “big corporations and rich individuals.” Other Democrats noted that the surplus showed government was “underfunded.” Republicans expressed a different view, sounding a note of caution about the speculative nature of budget forecasts, while at the same time calling for a focus on statewide tax relief. Getting to the right solution is made more difficult when the issues are framed wrongly. Both sides are starting from a partisan stance that forces groups within the state into a zero-sum game over something we all
Pray for our lawmakers that they may be guided by the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity as they make decisions in this time of abundance. In addition to prayer, contact your legislator to discuss how we can make 2022 the year Minnesota begins making family economics the starting point for all decisions about distribution of our state’s financial resources.
helped to create. But the real question is, what is the purpose of economic success and abundance? For that answer we can turn to the Compendium of Social Teaching of the Church, which helps us place this extraordinary surplus in context. “Riches fulfill their function of service to man when they are destined to produce benefits for others in society” (CSDC No. 329). The Compendium goes on to say that spending is directed to the common good when there is precision and integrity in administering and distributing public resources. In the redistribution of resources, “public spending must pay greater attention to families, designating an adequate amount of resources for this purpose” (CSDC No. 355).
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17 is at hand” (Jas 5:7-8). In Advent we prepare for the coming of Christ, as solemn purples inside our parishes stand in contrast to Christmas colors already splashed across the stores. But our sacred practice of preparation also reminds us how waiting takes up a huge part of living — and how God meets us each time in our waiting. Amid this December’s supply chain delays, crowded checkout lines and calendars crunched with extra to-do’s, we have plenty of opportunities to practice waiting. If we grow impatient in this season of preparation, we can turn to the children among us to remember how to wait in hope. Our children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews for whom we once waited with great joy give us a taste of Advent in our own families. They count down to Christmas with eager anticipation, knowing the delights that await. They ask us to wait for them and their needs all year long. Waiting starts with slowing down, becoming mindful of God’s presence in each moment. Only if we prepare to receive the Christ Child will we notice each day’s opportunities to open our hearts to his love. Wait for me, he calls to us, now and always. Wait for me. A parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, Fanucci is a writer, speaker and author of several books including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting.” Her work can be found at laurakellyfanucci.com. The family is the cornerstone of society. When families are fragmented, children suffer, and we all face the long-term consequences of that suffering in the form of delinquency, crime, addiction, poverty and more broken families, for which the state often picks up the tab. So rather than indiscriminate tax cuts or more social programs that are never enough and speak more to symptoms of the problem than root causes, why not get to the heart of the matter: strengthening families. The root word of economy is the Greek word “oikos,” which means “household.” We need to start directing our resources toward families, making it easier to get married, stay married, have children and bear the cost of raising them. Concretely, that means things like a child allowance, paid leave programs, school choice, housing supports, addiction counseling and yes, tax cuts, too. The needs of families are endless and need creative solutions that don’t fit into binary partisan or ideological boxes. The leaders of our state’s divided government may not agree on the best way to make use of our wealth, but both Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders pointed to the surplus as an “opportunity.” It is upon this common ground that MCC will endeavor to help legislators ensure that fortifying families is at the center of their decisions. “Inside the Capitol” is an update from Minnesota Catholic Conference staff. For more MCC resources, join the Catholic Advocacy Network at mncatholic.org.
LETTERS CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE on all counts. She suggests that because I live in Edina, I couldn’t possibly be informed. I used to live in south Minneapolis where I had Black neighbors and only blocks from George Floyd Square. I have in-laws who are Black immigrants and I have relatives from Worthington. Does that give me credence? It is really hard to foresee how to avoid minds-are-made-up people from misinterpreting what one writes. “That harm” as found in “That harm was done in Somalia and Central America, not in Minnesota” refers to how existence in those countries forced people to come here without wealth, without a home, and without English capabilities resulting in the huge
disparities that were cited in an article accompanying the article in which Father Griffith was quoted. In short, the circumstances of immigration create huge disparities, not racial injustice. Mike Ebnet Our Lady of Grace, Edina
Eucharist and penance To the letter “Communion and Social Justice” (The Catholic Spirit, July 15), I respond: Mr. Hansel points out that there are many beliefs and practices that should preclude souls from holy Eucharist (abortion, supporting capital punishment and failure to espouse Catholic social justice teaching are but a few). He concludes that the Church
“should welcome everyone to the table” for various reasons. I disagree that it should. Nor can the Church even do so. Holy Eucharist, the “source and summit” of our faith, requires that all who approach must “be in a state of grace” to receive. Oh most thankfully so! Paul in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 11:26-30) says, “therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the blood unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself … and anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” Feeding the 5,000 on the mount, though certainly a prelude of most holy Eucharist, was a miracle that aided their temporal needs. He did share Eucharist (Last Supper) with those who
betrayed and denied him. However, in all his providence he also instituted the sacrament of reconciliation. Because of these two most blessed sacraments, our Church will always be able to receive in memory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and invite all those personally examined and properly disposed to approach our Lord and his sacraments of love, in love. Mike Daniels Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul Share your perspective by emailing TheCatholicSpirit@archspm.org. Please limit your letter to the editor to 150 words and include your parish and phone number. The Commentary pages do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit.
18 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
DECEMBER 23, 2021
Why I am Catholic By Gina Barthel
W
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
hy am I Catholic? I dare say nobody on the
planet has asked themselves this question more
than I have!
As a survivor of clergy abuse, I thought I’d never be
able to step foot into a Catholic church again. In addition
got a text from Bishop Andrew Cozzens, who has walked this journey of healing with me for nearly eight years now. He knew I was struggling and wanted to check in. I texted back, explaining my frustration with locked churches. Bishop Cozzens set up adoration in his chapel, and asked
to the trauma of my abuse, my situation was initially
me if I wanted to FaceTime with the Lord. He FaceTimed, and
handled poorly by leadership, and, since telling my story, I’ve
the camera was only on Jesus. I burst into tears. I was in so
experienced rejection from people who matter to me.
much pain, and I gave that pain to Jesus.
So why haven’t I run away? Am I a glutton for punishment? Am I crazy? The answer is the body of Christ — both the Eucharist and the people — the Mystical Body of Christ. While I’ve suffered much, I’ve also been loved by fellow Catholics who refused to give up on God’s love and on me, even in the messiness of my healing journey. Several years ago, one cold winter night Jesus woke me
That night was just what I needed to catch my breath and get back up. Bishop Cozzens says the idea was “an inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” That’s Jesus! He meets us where we are. He knows what we need. He loves us in ways that are unique to only us. Jesus is healing me through the Eucharist. Adoration is where Jesus has revealed my real identity —
up, and in my heart I heard him say, “Come to me.” I asked,
that I’m no better than anyone else and I’m not worse than
“What do you mean?” His words echoed in my heart over
anyone else. I belong to him and there is a place for me in his
and over: “Come to me.”
Church.
I knew what he meant: adoration. I grumbled. It was a cold Minnesota winter night! His gentle voice persisted. So, I went. Until then, going to adoration for more than five or 10 minutes would cause me so much anxiety that I would
I will never say I’m healed. I won’t be healed until I’m in heaven. Healing is ongoing. But one thing is certain, as long as we have the Eucharist, I’m not going anywhere. I echo the words of St. Peter, “To whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life” (Jn 6:68).
leave. But that night was different. I just sat with Jesus, and, without realizing it, I was there for over two hours. I went back, night after night, just hanging out with Jesus
Barthel, 45, is a registered nurse and hospice case manager who lives in the western metro. She enjoys crafting, writing and
in silence. Eucharistic adoration, once a source of anxiety,
spending time with loved ones. She serves as a volunteer and
became a place of security.
collaborator with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’
In adoration I could give my deepest pain to Jesus. Little by little, he was setting me free.
Office for Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment, and ministers to survivors of clergy abuse nationally and abroad.
All I had to do was show up. One night, when the chapels were locked because of the shutdown, I was in a dark place, and full of despair. I drove to the Cathedral and parked my car in the direction of the tabernacle; I wanted to be inside. While I sat there, I
“Why I am Catholic” is an ongoing series in The Catholic Spirit. Want to share why you are Catholic? Submit your story in 300-500 words to CatholicSpirit@archspm.org with “Why I am Catholic” in the subject line.
DECEMBER 23, 2021
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19
CALENDAR ORDINATION Episcopal Ordination of Bishop-elect Joseph Williams — Jan. 25 at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. The ordination of Bishop-elect Williams as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will take place on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. The ordination will be livestreamed on the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Facebook page. Details to follow. archspm. org/episcopal-ordination-of-joseph-williams
PRAYER+WORSHIP Secular Franciscan informational meeting — Jan. 16: 2–4 p.m. at St. Leonard of Port Maurice, 3949 Clinton Ave. S., Minneapolis. Those wondering if God is calling them to be a Secular Franciscan are invited to come to this informational meeting for more details. tauhouse70x7@hotmail.com
open house for prospective students and their families. Meet with teachers, administrators and students, learn about the curriculum and tour the Hopkins campus. chestertonacademy.org
RETREATS “No Ordinary Retreat” — Jan. 12-14: 6:30–7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph, 13900 Biscayne Ave. W., Rosemount. Join a three-night “No Ordinary Retreat” as the Church launches into Ordinary Time and looks at how to make the ordinary, day-to-day tasks God-filled. The retreat will be led by Catholic speaker Pat Millea. Freewill offering to support the parish’s summer programs. stjosephcommunity.org
OTHER EVENTS
Ignatian men's silent retreat — ThursdaySunday most weeks at Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House, 8243 Demontreville Trail N., Lake Elmo. The cost is freewill donation. demontrevilleretreat.com Taize prayer — Third Fridays: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul's Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Taize prayer is a worldwide phenomenon consisting of simple chants based on the Scriptures and periods of silence. It creates an environment that helps participants encounter the mystery of God. Refreshments follow. benedictinecenter.org Order Franciscans Secular (OFS) Third Sundays: 2–4 p.m. at St. Leonard of Port Maurice, 3949 Clinton Ave. S., Minneapolis. Lay Catholic men and women striving to observe the Gospel of Jesus Christ by following St. Francis’ example invites those interested to attend their monthly gathering. 651-724-1348
Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend — Feb. 11-13 at Christ The King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. A Marriage Encounter weekend offers the chance to rekindle the excitement and romance in marriage. The weekend helps a husband and wife focus on each other. Early registration is recommended. For more information, visit twincitieswwme.org or contact Brent and Tracy at applications@ twincitieswwme.org or 612-756-8720. Guiding Star Wakota Grow with Us 2022 Gala — Feb. 26: 5:45 p.m. at Omni Viking Lakes Hotel, 2611 Nordic Way, Eagan. Client testimonials, the premiere of a new video and former NFL player Matt Birk as emcee. guidingstarwakota.org/gala
ONGOING GROUPS
SCHOOLS
Natural Family Planning (NFP) — Classes teach couples the Church-approved methods of how to achieve or postpone pregnancy while embracing the beauty of God’s gift of sexuality. For a complete list of classes offered throughout the archdiocese, visit archspm.org/family or call 651-291-4489.
Chesterton Academy Open House — Jan. 18: 6:30–8 p.m. at 1320 Mainstreet, Hopkins. An
Restorative Justice Groups — Monthly: 6:30–8 p.m. via Zoom. These groups are open
CALENDAR submissions
to all victim-survivors. Victim-survivor support group for those abused by clergy as adults — First Mondays; Support group for relatives or friends of victims of clergy sexual abuse — Second Mondays; victim-survivor support group —Third Mondays; survivor peace circle —Third Tuesdays; support group for men who have been sexually abused by clergy/religious — Fourth Wednesdays. For more information and details for attending the virtual meetings, visit archspm. org/healing. Questions? Contact Paula Kaempffer, outreach coordinator for restorative justice and abuse prevention, 651-291-4429.
DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. Priority is given to events occurring before the next issue date. LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and organizations. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission. Included in our listings are local events submitted by public sources that could be of interest to the larger Catholic community.
YOUNG ADULTS
ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication:
Young Adult Winter Weekend — Jan. 7-9: Into the Deep Retreats is hosting a three-day winter getaway with options to downhill ski, snowboard, cross country ski, snowshoe or lounge at Cascade Lodge and Lutsen Mountains on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Casual talks about the Catholic faith and the theology of the body will be part of the evenings and travel time. idretreats@gmail.com. idretreats. org/2022idretreats/ya-winter-weekend
ASK FATHER MIKE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 Nonetheless, expressing gratitude is essential for receiving a gift well. We look for the source of the gift and attempt to convey our thanks. Even if we cannot capture our thanks, we simply make the attempt. The fourth part of receiving a gift well involves using the gift. It is one thing to notice the gift, to appreciate the value of the gift, and to offer thanks. It is another thing entirely to actually use the gift. This last piece is the single best way to receive a gift. All of life is a gift. I have to ask myself: Do I receive this gift well?
uTime and date of event uFull street address of event uDescription of event uContact information in case of questions ONLINE: TheCatholicSpirit.com/calendarsubmissions
Do I regularly notice, appreciate and thank God? Even more, do I use this incredible gift of life that God has entrusted to me? Do I use the incredible gift of being made into an adopted child of God? Do I use the gift of the Holy Spirit to approach the Father in prayer and praise? Do I use the gift of my body, resources or time to serve people near me in need? I would say that this is the best way to receive a gift well. Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
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ATTORNEYS Edward F. Gross • Wills, Trusts, Probate, Estate Planning, Real Estate. Office at 35E & Roselawn Ave., St. Paul (651) 631-0616 CATHOLIC SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE Holy Trinity School in Winsted, MN is hosting an Open House on Sunday, January 16th from 10:30 am-12:30 pm. Our school is just west of the Twin Cities and is Preschool thru 12th grade, offering daily mass four days a week, weekly confessions, and currently moving towards a liberal arts (also known as “classical”) model for education. “Come and see” John 1:39 & 46 CEILING TEXTURE Michaels Painting Popcorn Removal & Knock Down Texture: TextureCeilings.com (763) 757-3187
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Notre Dame de la Baie Academy (Green Bay, WI) is seeking candidates for the position of Principal to begin July 2022. Notre Dame Academy is a co-educational Catholic college preparatory secondary school that seeks to educate the whole person as our students grow spiritually, academically, physically, emotionally and socially. The principal oversees the educational and social programs of the school and is responsible for the daily operations. The principal works in partnership with the President to ensure the mission effectiveness of the school. Responsible for the details of the educational experience, the position requires academic leadership consistent with the philosophy, goals, and objectives of the mission of Notre Dame.
HANDYMAN EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES (CONT.) For more about Notre Dame Academy, please copy this link to: www.notre dameacademy.com/employment/principal. Qualified candidates should submit cover letter, personal statement of educational philosophy and resume by January 28, 2022 to Char Dunlap, Executive Assistant to the President, at employment@ notredameacademy.com. Part-time Law Office Typist in West St. Paul, Minnesota: Produce legal documents including Wills, Trusts, Briefs, Pleadings, and Reports. Administrative support to attorneys and paralegals. In addition, a paralegal or legal assistant is also needed with similar duties but expanded to include research and composition of documents and other related duties. Contact John Trojack 651-451-9696. TrojackLaw.com.
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20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
DECEMBER 23, 2021
THELASTWORD
Frontier priest’s wooden foot a prized archive possession By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
A
wooden foot. It’s one of Allison Spies’ favorite objects in the archives of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis — a handhewn prosthetic of a pioneer priest. That priest was Father Joseph Goiffon, one of the first priests to serve in what was then the newly established Diocese of St. Paul. Like many of those priests, he was from France, born in a small town in 1824, and, said Spies, the archdiocese’s archives program manager, “by his own admission, he was not particularly bright, so it took a long time for him to complete his education.” After his ordination, the 30-something priest left France for Minnesota, and in 1857 spent a few months in Mendota and then was asked to assist in the Red River Valley, which was then part of the diocese, just south of the Canadian border. “I think it’s easy for us to forget how different life was at that time,” said Spies, speaking in November to “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley about the archdiocese’s earliest years, even before Minnesota was a state. “Most of the priests serving in the Minnesota Territory were born and educated in France, and were really pretty unprepared for the conditions of the Western frontier.” Father Goiffon’s assignment in the villages of St. Joseph and Pembina, in what is now North Dakota, meant ministering to a blended community of French Canadian and Native American culture, where life centered around bison hunts and the fur trade, she said. “He loved his life there,” she said. “He was very attached to his parishioners and really flourished.” To trade their fur and procure supplies, his parishioners made regular trips to St. Paul, a 500-some mile trek that took about two-and-a-half months round trip — a month there, two weeks of trading and a month back. “There were no roads, just cart trails,” Spies said, “and even if you had a horse or an ox cart, those were for hauling your equipment — you were walking. So, it’s a 500-mile journey on foot, including regularly swimming across rivers and lakes and towing your animals and carts across those rivers and lakes. So, very difficult.” In 1860, Father Goiffon had already made the trek a couple times, but the archdiocese’s vicar general summoned him after the end-of-the-summer buffalo hunt. He left at the end of August with two Canadian brothers. The trip to St. Paul went fine. The trip back didn’t. When they left St. Paul, it was early October, and the weather was fair. They were traveling with a group from the then-Diocese of St. Boniface, centered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. But the group wanted to leave on Sunday, which “scandalized” the priest, Spies said, since at that time it was illegal in the United States to undertake labor on Sunday. Plus, he wanted to celebrate Mass. So, he and the two brothers sent the Manitoba
ABOVE TOP A portrait of Father Joseph Goiffon (top row, wearing a biretta) and his family, taken in St. Paul around 1880. RIGHT Father Goiffon’s hand-carved wooden foot, now in the care of the archives of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. FAR RIGHT Father Goiffon’s wooden leg is clearly visible in this detail from a 1871 photo of the clergy retreat for the Diocese of St. Paul. COURTESY THE ARCHDIOCESAN ARCHIVES
party ahead, with plans to meet later. With that party they sent their tent, thinking they’d be able to catch up to the travelers faster without it. After walking for three weeks, the priest and brothers hadn’t caught up with the St. Boniface group, and the brothers were concerned that they were going to keep their tent, so they sent Father Goiffon ahead of them on horseback to find the group and instruct them where to leave the tent. He caught up with them, just two days from their destination. But they were nearly out of food and exhausted from hauling the supplies they were bringing back with them. Even the horse was hungry, because prairie fire had burned away most of the grass, Spies said. Anxious to get back to his parishioners, Father Goiffon set out alone in a light rain. He made plans to meet the group at a river crossing 10 miles ahead if the weather got worse. The rain got heavier, so when he arrived at the river, he waited, but no one showed up. He made a fire and curled up in his buffalo robe. While there, a young Englishman heading the opposite direction looking for his uncle passed by. Father Goiffon implored him to stay so he wouldn’t get lost, but the young man pressed on. Father Goiffon spent the night alone. Overnight there was a blizzard and he woke up in 8 inches of snow. “There are so many interesting details” to the story, Spies said, “but the problem is he gets stuck in the snow. He attempts to travel a little further, but can’t. His horse is exhausted, and so he keeps having to stop and rest,
and eventually his horse dies, (from) exposure and starvation. And Father Goiffon is just sleeping, waiting for someone to show up, and he realizes that his legs have frozen and he attempts to cut into his horse to create a kind of shelter for himself.” The horse was frozen solid, so he couldn’t make a shelter, but he was able to eat some of its meat. He prayed fervently for his guardian angel to send help, promising to offer 68 Masses if he survived. After four days, he saw someone in the distance — the young Englishman and his uncle. They believed he was delusional and was going to die, and they gave him coffee and carried him to Pembina. As the priest’s legs began to thaw, the pain was excruciating, Spies said. In Pembina, it was discovered his legs had begun to rot, and he was sent via dog sled to the nearest doctor in Canada. The doctor amputated his right leg below the knee, but planned to give him time to recover before amputating his left foot. But 10 days after the amputation, a vein burst and he began to bleed to death. So certain of his impending funeral, the servants at the cathedral rectory where he was staying started to boil fat to make candles for it. And then the vat of fat boiled over and started the rectory on fire. “So they drag Father Goiffon out of the fire,” Spies said. “He’s screaming at them to save the records that they have in the cathedral. But in an hour the entire place is burned to the ground, and Father Goiffon is alive. They think perhaps the cold might have helped slow the bleeding. So, he survives.
He goes through with the other foot amputation. And by Ash Wednesday, he’s saying Mass every Sunday. He carves his own wooden foot and leg. And nine months after he left, he finally returns to his parish, and he not only survived, but lived another 50 years to establish parishes all over the Twin Cities, and died at the age of 86 of heart failure.” It’s that wooden foot that’s now a prized possession of the archdiocese’s archives. His wooden leg is in the care of St. Mary of the Lake in White Bear Lake. Within the whole remarkable story, Spies said she finds something particularly curious: that Father Goiffon carved his own leg, when with the milling, logging and railroad industries — and within a few years, the Civil War — artificial limbs were readily available for purchase. Two companies made them in Minneapolis alone, she said. “But he insisted on carving his own leg,” she said. “And there was, in fact, a joke about this in the newspaper in his hometown in France, about how he was now officially an American because he was a ‘self-made man.’” This story came from an interview on “Practicing Catholic,” a radio show collaboration between the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Relevant Radio 1330AM. Listen at PracticingCatholicShow.com.