The Catholic Spirit - December 6, 2018

December 6, 2018 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

thecatholicspirit.com

Visitation Monastery in Mendota Heights to close The Nicholas Center Hill-Murray School dedicates space for students to ask for — and get — what they need to learn well.

— Pages 10-11

Women-focused care North Minneapolis pro-life clinic merges with Abria Pregnancy Resources to improve quality of outreach.

— Page 5

Catholic Studies at 25 Nation’s first Catholic Studies program begins offering master’s degree online.

— Page 12

Ethics outrage Bioethicist criticizes Chinese scientist’s modification of human embryo genes.

— Page 14

Scoot over, Scrooge!

Columnist Laura Kelly Fanucci writes on preparing hearts for Christmas — and packed-to-thebrim churches.

— Page 18

Sisters’ influence to remain central to mission of Visitation School

By Christina Capecchi For The Catholic Spirit

J

ust when Sister Mary Paula McCarthy thinks she’s making headway on packing, she discovers another full cupboard or closet.

“It’s going more slowly than one would imagine,” she said.

She has condensed 50 years’ worth of liturgical files down to three boxes. She’s designated seasonal decorations for Goodwill, donations for the poor, contributions to a parish fundraiser, materials to archive, resources for the school, offerings for the Minnesota History Center and personal belongings to hand down to family members.

After six years of active committee planning, the Visitation sisters are closing their Mendota Heights monastery, the 40,570-square-foot building attached to Visitation School that has housed their community since 1966. Upon move-in, the sisters numbered 45, a count that has steadily dwindled to three remaining occupants: Sister Mary Paula McCarthy, 88; Sister Mary Denise Villaume, 80; and Sister Brigid Marie Keefe, 76.

They will move out by mid-January, remaining affiliated with Visitation at a local health care facility or other Visitation monastery. But thanks to meticulous planning, their influence will endure, guiding a school that is as strong as ever, according to Rene Gavic, Visitation’s head of school.

The monastery has a remarkable history, beginning in 1873 when six intrepid Visitation Sisters journeyed up the Mississippi River from St. Louis to settle in St. Paul. The school was run entirely by the sisters, who taught virtually every course. What began as a finishing school for girls evolved into a rigorous academic program, and the sisters pioneered courses such as an ahead-of-its-time physics course taught

by Sister Mary Christine Martens in the 1960s. She had been part of Harvard’s physics program and received grants from the university to enhance her curriculum.

With an all-girls enrollment from grades six to 12, Visitation is the only all-girls Catholic secondary school in Minnesota, although it also has a coeducational elementary school. James J. Hill’s daughters attended Visitation School, as did F. Scott Fitzgerald’s mother.

The histories of the sisters and of St. Paul were deeply intertwined. In 1966, the monastery and school relocated from St. Paul to a wooded 80-acre property in nearby Mendota Heights, where they continued to flourish. Over the decades St. Teresa of Kolkata stayed at the monastery four times.

“Of course there’s a sadness in leaving,” said Sister Mary Paula, who frequently lectures in classrooms and is fondly

FROM TOP In this archive photo, Visitation Sister Mary Paula McCarthy talks to a ninth-grade religion class at Visitation School in Mendota Heights about the history of her order. She is holding a picture of one of the co-founders, St. Jane Frances de Chantal.

The remaining sisters of the Visitation Monastery in Mendota Heights: From left, Sisters Mary Denise Villaume, Brigid Marie Keefe and Mary Paula McCarthy.

Sister Péronne Marie Thibert gives etiquette tips to Marie Villaume, left, and Jeanne Mullaney, both 1965 graduates, in the student refectory.

Sister Brigid Marie Keefe mows the lawn outside the cloister porch at Fairmount Avenue in St. Paul in 1962.

PHOTOS COURTESY VISITATION SCHOOL

known for making popcorn for the Lower School students twice a week. “But we have spent years preparing for this, and the school is thriving. The band plays on.”

That sentiment is echoed by the community’s administrative superior, Sister Mary Frances Reis, who lives with six other Visitation sisters at their north Minneapolis monastery, where they will continue to serve the northside community. “The sisters are peaceful about leaving because they are secure in the belief that the school is in great hands, both human and divine,” Sister Mary Frances said.

For their part, school administrators say they are grateful for the thoughtful planning the sisters poured into this transition — and for their vote of confidence.

“We know that they believe in us, which makes us believe as well,” Gavic said.

The sisters’ Salesian spirituality, named after the order’s co-founder, St. Francis de Sales, will continue to permeate the school, Gavic said. “We are all committed to carrying forward the mission of excellent Catholic education in the Salesian tradition. None of us will let them down.”

That charge is not a burden or a barrier

to progress, she added. “Our Catholic Salesian legacy is our sail, not our anchor.

It propels us to continue to move forward, just as the sisters have done for 145 years.”

When confronted with big decisions, Gavic said she tries to draw on the PLEASE TURN TO VISITATION ON PAGE 6

2 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

DECEMBER 6, 2018

PAGETWO

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ENCOUNTERING THE SAINTS Eighth-grader Raeanne Geis, left, of Shakopee Area Catholic School portrays St. Rita of Cascia and talks about the saint’s life to her first-grade “buddy,” Mia Listrude, during an event Nov. 30 called Wax Museum — Come Meet the Saints. Organized by middle school teacher Joan Fering, the eighth-graders dressed as their confirmation patron saints and gave individual presentations of their saints to first-graders in the school’s cafeteria.

It shows that it is possible to be an Englishman and holy.

Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth, England, commenting Nov. 29 on news that a second miracle has been attributed to Blessed John Henry Newman, a British cardinal who died in 1890. Before becoming a Catholic, Blessed Newman was an Anglican theologian who founded the Oxford Movement to try to return the Church of England to its Catholic roots. Vatican medics recently said an inexplicable healing of a U.S. mother was a miracle attributable to his intercession. A young law graduate from the Archdiocese of Chicago who faced life-threatening complications during her pregnancy suddenly recovered when she prayed to Blessed Newman for help. The cardinal was beatified in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI in Birmingham, England, after the miraculous healing of Boston Deacon Jack Sullivan. Two miracles attributed to a person’s intercession after his or her death are ordinarily required for canonization.

NEWS notes

15

The number of men and women discerning a call to the priesthood or religious life around the country who were relieved from student loan debt in 2018 and able to pursue their callings with the fundraising expertise and assistance of the Laboure Society, based in Eagan. That kind of success led recently to its being named a “2018 Top-Rated Nonprofit” by Californiabased Great Nonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews of charities and nonprofits.

“Laboure is a prime example of a Catholic nonprofit having a huge impact in an area of vital importance to the Church,” said Perla Ni, CEO of Great Nonprofits.

1,400

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BIRTHDAY MASS LeRoy Brown, right, of St. Peter in Mendota greets Archbishop Bernard Hebda after Mass Nov. 26 at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul. Brown attended the Mass in honor of his 105th birthday Sept. 7.

He was joined by his daughter, Mary LeClair, center, and her husband, Ed. Brown converted to the Catholic faith in 1937, the same year he got married. Archbishop Hebda gave him a blessing after Mass.

in REMEMBRANCE

Deacon Neumann served 16 years in Minneapolis parish A permanent deacon who served 16 years in a Minneapolis parish before moving to Florida died Nov. 26 in Punta Gorda, Florida. Deacon Dennis Neumann was 83. A memorial Mass was scheduled for Dec. 7 at Sacred Heart Church in Punta Gorda. Burial will be sometime in the spring at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.

Ordained in 1981, Deacon Neumann served at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony until 1997, when he and his wife of 61 years, Deanna, moved from New Brighton to Florida. His ministry included weddings, funerals, DEACON NEUMANN catechism instruction, and visiting the sick and people confined to their homes.

Born in Columbia Heights, Deacon Neumann was a graduate of DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis and an Army veteran who worked as a pipe coverer and insulator. Known for his love of water and boating, he and his family spent summers at their cabin on Wilkins Lake in McGregor for more than 45 years.

In addition to his wife, Deacon Neumann’s survivors include three daughters.

The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 23 — No. 23 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher United in Faith, Hope and Love

MARIA C. WIERING, Editor

The number of women anticipated to attend the 2019 WINE: Catholic Women’s Conference, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. March 2 at St. Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn Park. With the theme “Beautifully United in Spirit,” conference speakers include Kathleen Beckman, ValLimar Jansen, Liz Kelly and Kelly Wahlquist, with emcee Alyssa Bormes. The conference includes an optional “Gathering in the Vineyard” social event March 1.

Before Feb. 2, early-bird registration costs $100 for the Friday social gathering and Saturday WINE conference, or $55 for the Saturday conference only. WINE, or Women in the New Evangelization, is a Plymouth-based women’s ministry. For more information, visit wineconference.org.

ALYSSA BORMES

18-39

The ages bracketing the young adult audience Archbishop Bernard Hebda hopes to draw to two listening sessions 7-9 p.m. Dec. 10 and Dec. 19. At the sessions, he will respond to ideas in a Sept. 10 open letter from local Catholic young adults to the archbishop. The six-page letter outlined concerns about clerical sexual abuse and offered eight recommendations, including listening sessions. In a minute-long video inviting young adults to the sessions, Archbishop Hebda said, “Please consider attending one of the two nights to share your ideas for creating and maintaining safe environments, healing the Church and moving forward together.” The Dec. 10 event will be held at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center, 777 Forest St., St. Paul. The Dec. 19 event will be held at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. For more information, visit archspm.org.

85

The number of points scored by the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul in the first-ever basketball game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis Nov. 30. The Tommies defeated the University of Wisconsin-River Falls 85-70. St. Thomas senior Connor Blair scored the first-ever basket at the stadium and finished with 23 points. The game was the first of four contests Nov. 30-Dec. 1 for the stadium’s basketball test run in preparation for the 2019 NCAA Final Four April 6-8.

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DECEMBER 6, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3

FROMTHEARCHBISHOP ONLY JESUS | ARCHBISHOP BERNARD HEBDA

Honoring legacy of retired religious

O

n the evening of Nov. 17, I had the privilege of celebrating Mass for the 45th Huether Lasallian Conference, a gathering of Christian Brothers and other educators involved in the global mission of Lasallian education. As a former “brothers’ boy,” I felt right at home. It was wonderful to get updates on Christian Brothers who had taught me (yes, they are indeed really up in years) at South Hills Catholic High School in my hometown of Pittsburgh, and to recall the role that they had played in my education and formation.

I was subsequently blessed to study at some of the most fabled institutions of higher learning in the world, but I remain convinced that it was the education that I received from the Christian Brothers — and from the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill who ran my elementary school — that has made all the difference in my life. While I would not attribute any of my faults or shortcomings to the religious who taught me in grade school, high school and seminary, I know that they deserve credit for whatever good I have succeeded in accomplishing.

Not surprisingly, I was sure to remember the sisters, brothers and religious-order priests who taught me as I counted my blessings this Thanksgiving.

Not only were they impressive scholars and educators, they were great role models for me in striving to respond to the Lord’s call, and in imparting to me an authentically Catholic worldview. For that I will be forever grateful.

I realize that my experience was by no

means unique. So many of the schools, hospitals and institutions of social outreach in this archdiocese are the product of the apostolic zeal of our brothers and sisters in consecrated life.

These women and men poured themselves completely into their service of the Church and her mission.

Who wouldn’t be inspired by the story of the martyr Brother James Miller — better known as “Brother Fix-it” when he taught at Cretin High School — who has just recently been slated for beatification

by Pope Francis?

I’ve mentioned before that I love visiting Calvary and Resurrection cemeteries, wandering among the headstones of the hundreds of sisters, brothers and priests who gave their lives in the service of this local Church, and imagining what their lives and ministries must have been. We are surely enriched by the presence of so many religious who continue to live and work in this archdiocese, giving us such vivid testimony of the joy that can be experienced by imitating Christ in his poverty, obedience and celibacy.

The Little Sisters of the Poor recently offered an afternoon of recollection for those in consecrated life, ably preached

by Bishop Andrew Cozzens, and I was amazed to see the diversity among the individuals and groups who participated.

What a blessing to have such spiritual and apostolic superstars in our midst.

Sadly, there’s a great weight on the shoulders of many of those religious.

After having generously served the Church, when it was common to work for little to no pay and when there were no 401(k) plans or pensions, many of the senior members of our religious

Honrando el legado de religiosos retirados

Como era de esperar, recordé a las hermanas y hermanos y a los sacerdotes religiosos que me enseñaron mientras contaba mis bendiciones este Día de Acción de Gracias. No solo fueron impresionantes eruditos y educadores, sino que fueron excelentes modelos para mí en mi esfuerzo por responder al llamado del Señor y por impartirme una visión del mundo auténticamente católica. Por eso estaré siempre agradecido.

Me doy cuenta de que mi experiencia no fue de ninguna manera única. Muchas de las escuelas, hospitales e instituciones de alcance social en esta Arquidiócesis fueron producto del celo apostólico de nuestros hermanos en hermanas en la vida consagrada. Se sirvieron completamente al servicio de la Iglesia y de su misión. ¿Quién no se inspiraría en la historia del Hermano James Miller, más conocido como Brother Fix-it cuando enseñaba en la Escuela Secundaria Cretin, quien recientemente fue reclutado para ser beatificado por el Papa Francisco?

He mencionado anteriormente que me encanta visitar los cementerios del Calvario y la Resurrección, vagar entre las lápidas de los cientos de Hermanas, Hermanos y Sacerdotes que dieron sus vidas al servicio de esta Iglesia local e imaginar lo que sus vidas y ministerios deben haber sido.Seguramente nos

E

n la tarde del 17 de noviembre, tuve el privilegio de celebrar una misa para la 45ª Conferencia Huether LaSallian, una reunión de los Hermanos Cristianos y otros educadores involucrados en la misión global de la educación LaSallian. Como un antiguo “hijo de hermanos”, me sentía como en casa. Fue maravilloso recibir actualizaciones sobre los Hermanos Cristianos que me enseñaron (sí, en realidad están en años) en South Hills Catholic High School en mi ciudad natal de Pittsburgh y recordar el papel que habían desempeñado en mi educación y formación.

Posteriormente, tuve la suerte de estudiar en algunas de las instituciones de educación superior más legendarias del mundo, pero sigo convencido de que fue la educación que recibí de los Hermanos Cristianos y de las Hermanas de la Caridad de Seton Hill la que dirigió mi escuela primaria, que ha hecho toda la diferencia en mi vida. Aunque no me atribuiría a los religiosos que me enseñaron en la escuela primaria, secundaria y Seminario cualquiera de mis defectos o deficiencias, sé que merecen crédito por cualquier bien que he tenido éxito en lograr.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Archbishop Bernard Hebda talks with Benedictine Sisters Andriette, left, Rosella and Andrine Schommer June 22 after celebrating Mass to mark the 70th anniversary of St. Paul’s Monastery in Maplewood. communities, like their sisters and brothers throughout the United States, are anxious as a result of the rising costs associated with health care. While their communities are committed to providing those senior members with the care and quality of life they need and deserve, most are finding it impossible to do so on their own. Within a decade, religious over the age of 70 are projected to outnumber religious under age 70 by more than three to one.

To help address this situation, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops instituted an annual collection for retired religious. The response has been phenomenal, particularly here in the archdiocese. Since 1989, almost $709 million has been distributed to support the day-to-day care of elderly sisters, brothers and religious-order priests. An

additional $94 million has been allocated toward self-help projects initiated by religious communities, including collaborative health care facilities.

Greater assistance, however, is both merited and needed. A gift this year to the Retirement Fund for Religious would provide vital funding for medications, nursing care and more. It also would help religious congregations implement longrange retirement strategies, even as they continue to serve the people of God. I recognize this is but one of numerous worthy causes in need of assistance; I ask simply that you give what you can. In thanksgiving for their faithful service, please join me in supporting the Retirement Fund for Religious and in praying for God’s continued blessing on our nation’s elderly religious.

enriquecemos con la presencia de tantos religiosos que continúan viviendo y trabajando en esta Arquidiócesis, brindándonos un testimonio tan vivo del gozo que se puede experimentar al imitar a Cristo en su pobreza, obediencia y celibato. Las Hermanitas de los Pobres recientemente ofrecieron una tarde de recuerdo para aquellos en Vida Consagrada, hábilmente predicada por el Obispo Cozzens, y me sorprendió ver la diversidad entre las personas y los grupos que participaron. Qué bendición tener tales superestrellas espirituales y apostólicas entre nosotros.

los religiosos menores de 70 años en más de tres a uno.

Para ayudar a abordar esta situación, la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos instituyó una colección anual para los Retirados Religiosos. La respuesta ha sido fenomenal, particularmente aquí en la Arquidiócesis.

Desde 1989, se han distribuido casi $ 709 millones para apoyar el cuidado diario de hermanas, hermanos y sacerdotes religiosos mayores. Se han asignado $ 94 millones adicionales para proyectos de autoayuda iniciados por comunidades religiosas, incluidas instalaciones colaborativas de atención médica.

Una mayor asistencia, sin embargo, es molesta merecida y necesaria. Un regalo este año al Fondo de Retiro para los Religiosos proporcionaría fondos vitales para medicamentos, atención de enfermería y más. También ayudaría a las congregaciones religiosas a implementar estrategias de retiro a largo plazo, mientras continúan sirviendo al pueblo de Dios.

Reconozco que esto es solo una de las numerosas y valiosas causas que necesitan asistencia; Te pido simplemente que les des lo que puedas. En acción de gracias por su fiel servicio, únanse a mí para apoyar el Fondo de Retiro para los Religiosos y para orar por la bendición continua de Dios sobre los religiosos ancianos de nuestra nación.

Lamentablemente, hay un gran peso sobre los hombros de muchos de esos religiosos. Después de haber servido generosamente a la Iglesia, cuando era común trabajar poco o nada, y cuando no había planes o pensiones 401(k), muchos de los miembros principales de nuestras comunidades religiosas, como sus hermanas y hermanos en todos los Estados Unidos , están ansiosos como resultado del aumento de los costos asociados con la atención médica. Si bien sus comunidades están comprometidas a brindarles a esos miembros de la tercera edad el cuidado y la calidad de vida que necesitan y merecen, a la mayoría les resulta imposible hacerlo por su cuenta.

Dentro de una década, se proyecta que los religiosos mayores de 70 años superen a

‘Angel’ among us

SLICEof LIFE

4 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

DECEMBER 6, 2018

LOCAL

St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Avis Allmaras, center, talks with Rose Carter, left, and Irene Eiden at Peace House in south Minneapolis Feb. 27. Sister Avis goes to the center weekly and visits frequent guests like Carter. Eiden, of St. William in Fridley, is a lay consociate of the Carondelet Sisters. Peace House is a day shelter for the poor and homeless.

“It’s a real privilege to know these people and hear their stories,” Sister Avis said. “I could not survive on the streets like they Patrick Skinner paints frames of the do.

There are so many gifted people Stations of the Cross at St. Francis Xavier in here.” Said Sister Avis: “She’s Buffalo Nov. Carter 27 nearofthe end of a church an angel. She hides her wings under restoration project that began June 8. that sweatshirt.

She truly is an angel.”

The project was completed in time for the Catholicthe Spirit 5Dave p.m. Hrbacek/The Mass Dec. 1 marking first Sunday of Advent. The $400,000 restoration of the church, built in 1917, includes painting of the entire nave and sanctuary, new carpeting National Catholic Sisters Week is and lighting, installation of ceiling murals of March 8-14.

An official of the Twelve Apostles andcomponent the Holy Spirit, Women’s History Month andrepair. Father refurbished pews and plaster headquartered at St. University Nathaniel Meyers, theCatherine parish’s pastor, said in St. Paul, the week celebrates women parishioners were excited to return to the religious their contributions to the church forand Mass after six months of Church andliturgies society.inView local celebrating Trinity Hallevents, at including artCatholic exhibitions, at He is St. Francistwo Xavier School. www.nationalcatholicsistersweek grateful their financial support for.org the. project, noting that the restoration cost is paid in full. “Each generation has to step up and do its part to keep the church going, to keep the church beautiful,” he said. “And we do this physically with a restoration of a church. But ultimately, it’s meant to then lead to the restoration of the soul.” The work was done by Church Interiors Inc. of North Carolina.

SLICEof LIFE

Restoration wrap-up

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LOCAL

DECEMBER 6, 2018

Abria-North Side merger bolsters help for women in north Minneapolis

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit When executive director Naomi Terlouw of North Side Pregnancy Options in north Minneapolis attended a presentation by Abria Pregnancy Resources in 2016, she was inspired by what the new pro-life pregnancy clinic had to offer and the research that went into its development.

“In my mind, I’m like, ‘Why are we doing this separate?” said Terlouw, now the associate director of Abria. “Let’s bring these two strengths that we have together and make it better.”

It led to North Side and Abria combining resources in 2017. In November, Abria opened a clinic, Abria Northside, at 2232 West Broadway Ave. in north Minneapolis, replacing North Side’s old site on Thomas Avenue.

Together, the Abria clinics are situated near the four largest abortion providers in the state, in addition to being in an area with high abortion rates.

“The ZIP Code that we’re sitting in now has the highest percentage of abortions — women who have abortions — in Hennepin County,” said Nancy Utoft, retiring Abria executive director. “There are a lot of women in this area who choose abortion, and many don’t know they have other choices.”

Utoft has worked with Abria from the beginning at its University Avenue clinic in St. Paul, to expanding the organization to a pair of clinics in the heart of the metro. Cindy Koeppl will become the new executive director March 1.

“We need to meet women where they are [and] reach them when they are faced with a decision and before they may even recognize themselves as a mother,” said Koeppl, who will be working with Utoft in the leadership transition process.

Abria offers women-centered support services for women facing unexpected pregnancies. With the merger of two LifeCare centers, Abria’s first clinic opened on University Avenue in St. Paul in 2015. Utoft and founding leaders created a rigorous strategic plan, which included research on how to best reach women with unexpected pregnancies. Abria shared its findings with other pregnancy resource centers around the Twin Cities.

“Walking into their center and just how beautiful it was, that stood out to me just immediately,” Terlouw said of Abria’s University Avenue location.

She envisioned how North Side, which had been serving women in north Minneapolis since 1978, could improve its services by collaborating or merging with Abria. Finding a new site for North Side’s clinic had been on

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

From left, Naomi Terlouw, Cindy Koeppl and Nancy Utoft stand outside of the Abria Northside Clinic in Minneapolis Nov. 26, which recently opened to serve women in the area who are facing unexpected pregnancies. Utoft is the outgoing executive director, Koeppl will take on the role March 1, and Terlouw is the associate director. the radar, too.

“They knew there was a greater need in reaching as many women who might be contemplating abortion,” Utoft said. “They had already started looking around at another area.”

A task force formed to explore past trends in clients, finances and services of the two centers.

That task force brought forward recommendations to both boards, including a merger.

“We looked at everything, so that we could understand who they are, and they had the opportunity to look at Abria, too, so it really was the process of us sharing information with them and them sharing information with us,” Utoft said. “And actually, what was really wonderful in the merger is that we both brought some unique things to the table.”

North Side had a prenatal health care program through a partnership with Fairview Riverside Midwives, something Abria didn’t have. Abria has counseling and life coaching services for women, something North Side didn’t have.

Leadership later identified a new office development on Broadway Avenue for the new clinic.

“In this work, it’s really important to be visible,” Utoft said. “Of course, on University Avenue, we’re visible, and we’re visible because ... a lot of women who are considering abortion come into that area. And the same thing in north Minneapolis.

To find a really visible location in the heart of this neighborhood was really important.”

The center consists of an ultrasound room, nurses’ offices, counseling rooms, a lab, rooms for social services, and a boutique where patients can buy baby items at low cost. The boutique is about the only place anything baby-related is seen at the clinic, as Abria markets itself toward the woman, recognizing the emotions and fears many women face in unexpected pregnancies.

“For us to meet a woman at a moment of decision is really the core to who we are,” Utoft said.

Abria’s St. Paul location is within a block of the state’s largest Planned Parenthood center, which is also Minnesota’s largest abortion provider. The Northside location is 2 miles from Robbinsdale Clinic, the state’s third-largest abortion provider.

The other two largest abortion providers in the state are in Minneapolis, according to Minnesota Department of Health data.

With the merger, Utoft said that both clinics follow “the Abria model” for services, and each serves a diverse clientele. The University Avenue location is near a majority of the Twin Cities’ universities, but it is also situated in an area with a variety of ethnicities and economic levels.

“You get to north Minneapolis, and there’s very much concentrated poverty here,” Utoft said.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, “economic reasons” was the second-most common reason women chose abortion in 2017. The most common reason given was “does not want children at this time.”

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5

in BRIEF Attorneys recognized for work in archdiocesan bankruptcy case MINNEAPOLIS — Attorneys involved in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ bankruptcy case are being honored by their colleagues as 2018 Attorneys of the Year for their work in the large and complex case. A $210 million settlement for victim/ survivor remuneration and other aspects of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy involved multiple parties and took the work of seven law firms, all of which were recognized together by an independent panel of legal experts for their diligence and service: Briggs and Morgan; Maslon; Manty & Associates; Buckley & Jensen; DeWitt Ross & Stevens; Stinson Leonard Street and Anderson & Associates. The firms were among 31 honorees in the annual tribute by the Minnesota Lawyer newspaper.

They were chosen for such attributes as leadership, involvement in major cases, excellence in corporate or transactional services, and public service. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in January 2015 amid mounting clergy sexual abuse claims after passage of the Minnesota Child Victims Act, which lifted for three years the statute of limitations on historic claims of sexual abuse. Competing plans for reorganization — one by the archdiocese, another by a committee representing victims/survivors — were filed in 2016 and rejected by a judge in late 2017 who ordered the parties to return to mediation. A consensual plan was announced May 31 this year and accepted by the judge Sept. 25. The archdiocese is expected to come out of bankruptcy late this year or early in 2019. Honorees will be recognized at a Feb. 13 banquet at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis.

Former Wisconsin priest arrested on 30-year-old abuse accusations MINNEAPOLIS ­— A former Wisconsin priest was arrested Nov. 16 in Minneapolis and charged with sexual abuse of minors in accusations of behavior that date back to when he was serving in the priesthood in Wisconsin more than 30 years ago. Thomas Ericksen, 71, was charged by the Sawyer County District Attorney’s Office in Hayward, Wisconsin, with firstdegree sexual assault of a child, second-degree sexual assault against a child and second-degree sexual assault of an unconscious victim. Formerly of Winter, Wisconsin, Ericksen was ordained in 1973. He was suspended from priestly ministry in 1983 by the late Bishop Raphael Fliss for alleged sexual misconduct with minors, when Ericksen was pastor of St. Peter in Winter, said Dan Blank, director of administrative services for the Diocese of Superior. Ericksen was laicized by the Vatican in 1988 and left Wisconsin, reportedly traveling as far away as Indonesia, Blank said. Television station KSTP in Minneapolis reported Nov. 19 that Ericksen recently was reported to police by volunteers at a Lutheran church’s soup kitchen in Minneapolis who were concerned about his behavior around young people. That led to his arrest on warrants issued in Wisconsin. Bishop James Powers of Superior said in a statement that Ericksen had been appropriately suspended from priestly ministry and laicized. The bishop said he shares the sentiments of sadness, anger and pain of abuse victims, and he is committed to a “no cover-up” policy regarding Church abuse complaints.

Catholic Eldercare opens Wyndris, a 69-unit apartment building MINNEAPOLIS — Catholic Eldercare was scheduled to celebrate the grand opening Dec. 5 of its newest apartment building, Wyndris. The 69-unit building in northeast Minneapolis will offer seniors independent living and close access to downtown amenities. Wyndris includes a café, indoor doge exercise area and wellness center. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Catholic Eldercare CEO and president Dan Johnson were to attend the ribbon cutting. “It’s part of our continuum of choices for seniors who want the availability of other living- and health-related options should they need them,” Johnson said in a Nov. 20 press release.

LOCAL

6 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Fall Formation Day explored ‘durable hope’ for ‘broken Church’

By Joe Ruff and Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Nearly 400 lay people, clergy, and religious men and women witnessed some of the grace that can come with telling their stories, sharing hurt, comfort and healing.

The mini “healing circle” experience was part of a day of faith formation at Guardian Angels in Oakdale Nov. 29 during a morning session led by Janine Geske, a retired law professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee and former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice.

“It was very practical,” Alma QualyGodinez said of the healing circles. She coordinates confirmation and leads youth ministry at St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center, and she is interested in bringing the concept to her parish.

Like the other participants, she held a stone while speaking so others knew simply to listen; and she listened quietly when it was someone else’s turn to hold that same stone.

“A lot of times I get nervous when I talk, but there was a calming influence” in the stone, she said.

Like its counterpart in the spring, the annual Fall Formation Day is organized by Catholic leaders across the archdiocese and supported by several Catholic organizations.

Organizers realized the need for people who work in parishes, the Archdiocesan Catholic Center and other areas of ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to address the way they’ve experienced hurt and healing amid the Church’s sexual abuse crisis.

Organizers turned to Geske, a restorative justice expert whose work has addressed clergy sexual abuse, and who has worked with three parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis — the Basilica of St. Mary and Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis and St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove — that are

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske talks about restorative justice at Fall Formation Day Nov. 29 at Guardian Angels in Oakdale. spearheading local restorative justice efforts.

The ripple effects of abuse and need for healing extend beyond immediate victims into the families, friends, fellow parishioners and neighbors of both victims and perpetrators, Geske said.

The harm from abuse is deep and lasting, said Geske, who described the good that can come from healing circles. Bruises heal, but sexual and other violations impact trust, security and the soul. “Harm is to the soul, who they are, who they can be with in relationship and trust,” she said.

The international sexual abuse crisis also has impacted the world’s view of the Church, said Geske, who is Catholic. “We’re going to be with this for a long time, emotionally, psychologically,” she said.

But there is hope and healing in honest sharing and acceptance, Geske said. “The truth has to be allowed to shine,” she said. “We need to have an opportunity to share in a safe environment.”

At the Fall Formation Day, titled “A Durable Hope: Sustaining Faith in a Time of Darkness,” Archbishop Bernard Hebda encouraged parish and ministry leaders to incorporate the

healing circle concept in their work as they seek ways to promote healing.

The pain and suffering wrought by clergy sexual abuse must be faced, the archbishop said, and walking together is the only way through it — with Christ as the guide.

“We can encounter the suffering Christ in a way that begins to serve healing,” Archbishop Hebda said at the daylong gathering. “We can begin to reflect on moving the next inch, yard and mile as we go forward.”

During the afternoon session, University of St. Thomas theology professor Catherine Cory explained the importance of Christ’s promise that his light will conquer darkness, as described in the Gospel of St. John, and as highlighted by the Church during the Advent season.

The first chapter of St. John’s Gospel introduces Jesus as the light “in the beginning,” through his earthly life and beyond.

“The darkness cannot grasp it,” Cory said of the light of Christ described in that chapter. “It [the darkness] is done.

It’s not that it’s just in the past, but it is done.”

The key to being a light to others lies in faithfulness to Christ, she said.

She connected the themes of darkness and light to the morning session, noting that people face darkness in their lives in many ways besides the clergy sex abuse scandals, even within their own families. She shared her story of finding refuge in the Church during difficult times.

Since people often hide their troubles, others can make a big difference with just small acts of kindness, she added.

“This is the durable hope, that we have the Church,” Cory said. “We are a broken Church. We are a wounded Church because we’re all human beings who make up this Church. But we are a Church of healing and hope, too, in the things that we do and say for one another.”

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DECEMBER 6, 2018

VISITATION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 wisdom the sisters shared as her mentors over the past 30 years, starting as a middle-school math teacher and including a post as dean of students. “That really does guide us. And it has stopped us: ‘Wait, is this the right decision?’

Sometimes I think they tap us on the shoulder: ‘Have you thought about this?’”

Empowering lay people to run the school and sustain the sisters’ charism has been a gradual process. In 2004, the school established a Salesian Center to weave the spirituality into every dimension. To do so now, without the sisters around the corner, is a charge they take seriously, said the center’s director, Anne Williams, an alumna and a member of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul. It takes myriad forms, including integration across curriculum and special training for members of student government.

Each school year is dedicated to a Salesian virtue, which becomes a touch point for the students. School-wide prayer services and sacramental life draw heavily from the spirituality, and throughout the school, artwork depicts its founders, who are remembered in fun ways on their feast days.

Meanwhile, school leaders meet once a month to discuss Salesian spirituality, and every year they read and review a book on the topic. Key Salesian tenets are integrated into professional development for all faculty and staff, and new hires receive special mentoring in them.

The school also collaborates with a national Salesian network, which is led by Williams.

“I feel deep gratitude for the ways Salesian spirituality has been a guide post in both my personal and professional life over the years,” she said.

At the heart of this transition, Sister Mary Paula pointed out, is the joyful mystery that inspired her order: when Mary visits Elizabeth, both are pregnant, and Elizabeth’s baby leaps in her womb.

“The very mystery of the Visitation is the mystery of the Incarnation, the meeting, and the mystery of relationships,” she said. “That is the central concept that has built our school and will continue to make it a place of love, fostering beauty, truth and goodness.”

DECEMBER 6, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7

NATION+WORLD

Court ruling ends EWTN fight over HHS mandate Catholic News Service

RICK WILKING | CNS

U.S. President George H.W. Bush applauds St. John Paul II after a welcoming ceremony prior to their audience at the Vatican in 1991. Bush, the 41st president of the United States and the father of the 43rd, died Nov. 30 at his home in Houston. He was 94. Catholic leaders, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined in “grieving the loss of one of our nation’s leaders.”

Pope: Advent is time of vigilance and prayer

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Christians can turn Christmas into a “pagan” or “mundane” holiday by focusing on the gifts and tree rather than on the birth of Jesus and his promise to return, Pope Francis said.

Celebrating the beginning of Advent Dec. 2 with recitation of the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square with an estimated 20,000 people, the pope focused on the attitudes of vigilance and prayer that should characterize the Advent season and preparations for Christmas.

In the day’s Gospel reading from the 21st chapter of Luke, Jesus tells his disciples to be careful that their hearts “not become drowsy,” but to “be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man” at the end of time.

The drowsy heart described in the

Gospel, he said, is a condition that comes from focusing exclusively on oneself, “one’s problems, joys and pains.”

“This is tiring, boring and closes off hope,” he said. “Advent calls us to make a commitment to watchfulness, looking outside ourselves, expanding our minds and hearts to open them to the needs of people, of our brothers and sisters.”

After the Angelus, Pope Francis lit a candle in remembrance of the people of Syria, launching a Christmas campaign sponsored by Aid to the Church in Need to draw attention to the needs in Syria, especially those “in grave danger of becoming a relic of the past.”

Before the war, the organization said on its website, Christians accounted for about 10 percent of the population in Syria, or about 2.5 million people. As of today, about 700,000 remain, or about 3 percent of the population.

The organization said it plans to finance emergency assistance programs in Syria valued at $17 million.

The chairman and CEO of the Eternal Word Television Network said the global Catholic media organization is “grateful that finally” it no longer “has to worry about being forced to choose between massive fines and following our faith.”

“It shouldn’t take years to prove the obvious: You can’t tell a religious media network to say one thing and do another,” said Michael Warsaw in a statement issued from EWTN’s headquarters in Irondale, Alabama.

Warsaw’s remarks came Nov. 30 about a ruling issued a day earlier by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit that vacated a lower court’s ruling that EWTN had to comply with the Obama administration-era mandate to cover contraceptives and abortifacients for employees or pay huge fines.

The Washington-based Becket nonprofit law firm that represented EWTN in the case — Eternal Word

Television Network v. Azar — said the circuit court’s ruling “comes on the heels of a settlement with the federal government” and “ends EWTN’s sevenyear legal battle.” “Azar” is Alex Azar, the current U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary.

It also follows an HHS rule put in place Nov. 7 finalizing interim rules issued by the Trump administration in October 2017 to expand the religious exemption to the mandate to religious employers; the new rules maintain the existing federal contraceptive mandate for most employers.

“This moment has been a long time coming,” Warsaw said. “The government and the courts have now realized what EWTN has been saying all along, that the HHS Mandate was an unconstitutional attempt to coerce us into violating our strongly held beliefs.

This is the right outcome for EWTN and for all those who value religious liberty in America.”

Pope asserts gay priests must be celibate or leave Catholic News Service The Catholic Church has been slow to recognize the presence of homosexual men in the priesthood, which is why superiors must exercise care in helping gay candidates prepare for a life of celibacy or leave the seminary, Pope Francis said.

“Homosexuality is a very serious matter, which must be discerned adequately from the beginning with candidates, if it is the case. We must be demanding,” the pope told Claretian Father Fernando Prado in the new book-interview, “The Strength of Vocation: Consecrated Life Today.”

Excerpts of the pope’s interview with Father Prado, which was conducted in August, were printed in newspapers Dec. 1 ahead of the book’s release. In 2013, Pope Francis had told reporters, “If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has goodwill, then who am I to judge him?”

Some media outlets contrasted that remark with what Pope Francis told Father Prado, even though Pope Francis made it clear in the new interview that he was talking about homosexual activity among priests and religious who make vows of chastity and celibacy.

“In consecrated life or that of the priesthood, there is no place for this type of affection,” the pope said. “For that reason, the Church recommends that persons with this deep-seated tendency not be accepted for ministry or consecrated life.”

“Homosexual priests, religious men and women should be urged to live celibacy wholly and, especially, to be perfectly responsible, trying to never create scandal in their communities or for the holy people of God by living a double life,” he said. “It would be better if they left the ministry or consecrated life rather than live a double life.”

8 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

NATION+WORLD

DECEMBER 6, 2018

In response to global warming, the idea of personal sacrifice

By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service A major scientific report by 13 federal agencies concluding that climate change poses dire economic consequences to the United States and already is affecting people’s well-being serves as a warning and demands action, Catholics working on environmental concerns said.

Personal response can encompass the simple or the complex, but some action is required of everyone if the consequences foreseen in the 1,656page report are to be avoided, they told Catholic News Service.

“We really have to wake up and get serious about tackling this issue, particularly reducing our energy consumption and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dan Misleh, executive director of the Catholic Climate Covenant.

The congressionally mandated Fourth National Climate Assessment, released Nov. 23 by the White House, projects that climate change will cost the country hundreds of billions of dollars a year by 2090. It points to worsening health, reduced farm production, stressed natural areas, lost work and classroom hours, and widespread destruction of coastal and inland property if carbon emissions are not reined in.

Elderly and poor people, children and minority communities are the most vulnerable, said the report, which was developed by more than 200 scientists and environmental experts from the U.S., Canadian and Mexican governments,

national laboratories, universities, research institutions and the private sector.

President Donald Trump dismissed the assessment, saying simply, “No, no, I don’t believe it,” in response to a reporter’s question about the projected economic impact of global warming.

He claimed Nov. 26, without citing evidence, that U.S. air and water are “the cleanest we’ve ever been and that’s very important to me.”

Trump’s response falls in line with a series of policy changes during his administration. New regulations and laws in at least 49 areas related to the environment — from vehicle mileage standards to emissions from coal-fired power plants — have been enacted or proposed since 2017, according to Harvard Law School’s Environmental Regulation Rollback Tracker.

The massive federal report is a scientific assessment built on the findings of years of research and therefore does not offer policy solutions.

“Earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primarily as a result of human activities,” the report said.

“The impacts of global climate change are already being felt in the United States and are projected to intensify in the future — but the severity of future impacts will depend largely on actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the changes that will occur.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops acknowledged the challenges

BOB ROLLER | CNS

Vegetation covers rocks along a body of water in late June outside Bar Harbor, Maine. posed by climate change in a 2001 statement, “Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence and the Common Good.”

The statement noted that climate change “is not about economic theory or political platforms, nor about partisan advantage or interest group pressures,” but rather “about the future of God’s creation and the one human family ... about the human stewardship of God’s creation and our responsibility to those who come after us.”

Some solutions are already known, said Marianist Sister Leanne Jablonski, a biologist who directs the Marianist Environmental Education Center in Dayton, Ohio. They include reducing waste and helping others, she said.

“We have a long tradition as Catholics

of responding in active mercy,” she explained, citing multitudes of soup kitchens, the work of charitable agencies and the millions of dollars raised to aid people harmed by natural disasters. The climate requires a similar response, she said, because things will only get worse if personal responsibility is ignored as global temperatures continue to rise.

After reviewing the report, Sister Jablonski and others contacted by CNS found themselves returning to Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.” They said the encyclical offers guidelines for Catholic action and reflection.

The encyclical — as well as the government’s report — serves to remind the human family that the focus is not what’s best for an individual or one country, but what’s best for the entire planet, said Father Michael Lasky, a Conventual Franciscan who serves as director of Justice, Peace and Care for Creation Ministry for the order’s Our Lady of Angels Province based in Ellicott City, Maryland.

The report was released ahead of a major, two-week international climate conference that began Dec. 2 in Katowice, Poland. CIDSE, a network of 17 Catholic development agencies from Europe and North America based in Brussels, joined other Catholic aid organizations for the 24th U.N. Climate Change Conference, which was expected to propose measures for restricting temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

DECEMBER 6, 2018

Vatican official: Prohibit ‘killer robots’ now before they become reality

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Fully automated and autonomous lethal weapons systems must be banned now before they become a reality in tomorrow’s wars, a Vatican representative said.

The development of robotic weapons or “killer robots” will provide “the capacity of altering irreversibly the nature of warfare, becoming more detached from human agency, putting in question the humanity of our societies,” Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic told a group of experts at the United Nations in Geneva.

The archbishop, who is the Vatican observer to U.N. agencies in Geneva, spoke Nov. 22 at a meeting of the high contracting parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. The meeting was held in Geneva Nov. 21-23. The Vatican mission in Geneva released the archbishop’s remarks Nov. 27.

The legal and ethical implications of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) have been discussed and on the convention’s agenda for the past five years, the archbishop said in his speech.

The first autonomous weapon was the land mine, but advances in artificial intelligence have broadened the potential for weapons with extensive autonomy from human decision-making.

“Various proposals for possible concrete outcomes have been put forward; what these proposals have in common is the underlying need for a multilateral approach and the need to retain the human person at the heart of decisions exerting injurious or lethal force,” the archbishops said.

The Vatican advocates the attitudes of precaution and prevention as being “the only options that will ensure a sound and lasting outcome.”

NATION+WORLD

HEADLINES uOhio House passes heartbeat bill. For the second time in two years, the Ohio House has passed a ban on abortion after the fetal heartbeat is detected, which could occur within the first six weeks of pregnancy.

The House reportedly has enough votes to override a veto by outgoing Gov. John Kasich, who vetoed the first bill. The state Senate is expected to consider the measure over the next several weeks. uArchdiocese of Santa Fe to file for bankruptcy protection. Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, said the archdiocese plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following the recommendation of several consultative groups. Announcing the plan Nov. 29 at a news conference at the Catholic Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he said the archdiocese faces up to 40 active claims from alleged victims of clergy sex abuse.

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9

uBishop Robert Morlino, the fourth bishop of Madison, Wisconsin, died Nov. 24. He suffered a cardiac event while undergoing planned medical tests at St. Mary Hospital in Madison and never recovered. He was 71. Archbishop Bernard Hebda said in a written statement that Bishop Morlino was a “selfless shepherd” and ardent promoter of vocations who had a gift for communicating truths of the faith to young people.

and representatives of religious orders Feb. 21-24 at the Vatican to address the abuse and protection of minors. The committee also will include Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India; Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta; and Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, president of the Centre for the Protection of Minors at the Pontifical Gregorian University and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

uThe national abortion rate and abortions overall have declined each year for a decade.

According to a report issued Nov. 21 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the abortion rate in 2015 — the last year for which statistics are available — was at 11.8 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15-44, down or steady each year from 2006’s rate of 15.9. The overall number of abortions also dropped, from 852,385 in 2006 to 638,169 in 2015.

uHuman rights office pushes courts to prosecute saint’s killer. The human rights office for the Archdiocese of San Salvador is calling for an end to “creative” excuses for failures to promptly prosecute those responsible in the assassination of St. Oscar Arnulfo Romero. A Nov. 28 statement from the office said excuses and barriers have been used for more than 38 years since St. Romero’s assassination for “not carrying out justice,” not just in his killing but in the killing of thousands of Salvadorans during the country’s 1980-92 conflict.

uPope Francis names U.S. Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago to organizing committee for abuse conference. Cardinal Cupich will help plan a meeting of the world’s bishops’ conference

How to Stress Less Over Year-End Giving ‘Tis the season for giving. Whether you surprise your “Advent Angel” or deliver a bag of groceries to a neighbor in need, it feels good to give. That means charitable giving too. But sending gifts to your favorite nonprofits before year-end can create stress when you’ve already got a long to-do list.

– Catholic News Service

Read the stories at TheCatholicSpirit.com.

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10 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

‘Lean your EAR this With its Nicholas Center — named for Jolly Ol’ St. Nick — Hill-Murray helps

By Dave Hrbacek • The Catholic Spirit

S

tudents at Hill-Murray School in Maplewood won’t be commemorating St. Nicholas Day Dec. 6 with shoefilled candy, a Catholic tradition.

Instead, they’ll be diving deeper into who St. Nicholas was as a person — in particular, his care for children — with the blessing of a new mural in the school’s Nicholas Center.

A mural created by local artist Ed Caldie is stationed high on the south wall of The Nicholas Center, which was named for the third-century saint. Archbishop Bernard Hebda was expected to bless the mural on the feast day.

St. Nicholas likely would be pleased with the way a staff of 15 at the center works with students throughout the school day to offer assistance tailored to their individual needs. It can be as simple as helping students work through test anxiety and difficult homework assignments, or as involved as diagnosing what they call “learning differences” such as dyslexia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and helping students learn how to manage these conditions and successfully complete their education.

The Nicholas Center launched six years ago when a couple with three children who had graduated from the school felt a need to provide more for students who were struggling in the classroom. A donation from the couple funded the creation of the center, which launched in fall 2013. The center helps students with math and reading skills, and provides support services such as counseling, peer listeners and tutors, plus strategic study and reading labs.

Originally staffed by existing teachers, the center took a big step forward three years ago with the hiring of a director, Brent Johnson, who knows firsthand what it’s like to struggle with a learning difference. Since then, other specialists have been added, including a fulltime, licensed clinical psychologist, Julie Robinson, who can diagnose conditions such as dyslexia and ADHD, as well as anxiety and depression.

“I was diagnosed with a learning difference in second grade,” Johnson said. “It was affecting me in regards to my reading at that time. I actually, before that, had been held back in kindergarten because people didn’t really know what was going on.”

The issue, he said, was difficulty in writing.

He could speak well, but he struggled to write his thoughts. It got so bad that, in 10th grade, “I really told my teachers that I don’t want to go to classes anymore.”

What helped him turn the corner, he said, was being able to convince them that he needed help. He got the help, and went on to earn a college degree in sociology and anthropology plus a master’s degree in social studies. He now is working on his doctorate in educational leadership.

At Hill-Murray, he wants to help students find learning styles that work for them so that they can reach their potential, as he did. And, he knows it begins with self-awareness and selfadvocacy.

“Our No. 1 outcome, hopefully, for students,” he said, “is for them to be able to understand their learning difference and be able to advocate that to others, so that as they move on in their life, they can lead a successful life knowing that they’re centered with strengths, but that they can work around their weaknesses.”

One of the key parts of the program, and the

first step, is to try to identify specific conditions and areas where students need extra help. This year, 150 out of 850 students in the grades-sixto-12 school get help at The Nicholas Center.

But, Johnson and other staff members emphasize that the center is for all students, not just those with learning differences or special needs. As a college preparatory school, HillMurray’s aim is to help students at all levels, carrying out what Johnson and other staff members call “inclusive learning.”

He will talk to parents before their children ever walk into the building, and have discussions about what they need. School is a continuation of that conversation, with the establishment of plans to help address learning differences of all kinds. The regular school day also features WIN time, which stands for “What I Need.” The Nicholas Center is there for students to come and go freely during WIN time, either to get the help they need or figure out what they need. Some start as early as sixth grade, others as late as their senior year when they are thinking ahead to college and wondering if they are prepared.

“I know without a strategic study lab and peer tutoring, I probably would have been held back

a year,” said senior Adam Bennett, who has been using The Nicholas Center for the last four years, mainly for help in math and Spanish. “This [program] has really helped me just focus and get to work. The environment in this space is just a really great place if you struggle [with learning differences]. It really helps you, as a student, to do your best.”

Senior Garrett Lindholm struggles with recalling information during tests. He has been getting help at The Nicholas Center since seventh grade. His GPA is better than it would be otherwise, he said, and he hopes to go into teaching. Another classmate, Monica Zink, said she plans to study nursing at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, and that spending time in The Nicholas Center has helped her feel prepared to move on to college.

The education landscape has been changing in recent years, with schools, both public and private, learning how to identify and address learning differences. Resources are channeled into this area, with specialists being hired both at individual schools and in school districts. For example, DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis has had a learning specialist for the last five

years. Currently in that position Buerger, who came on board in f worked for 17 years in St. Paul pu before that. She has two Lasallian working with her to provide assi students who have learning need

Visitation School in Mendota a co-educational pre-kindergarte fifth-grade enrollment and all-gi from grades six to 12 — also wor students to identify, diagnose an learning differences. That, in tur broader, holistic learning style th

DECEMBER 6, 2018 • 11

s way’ students overcome challenges to learning

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Heights — with en-throughirls enrollment rks with nd manage rn, fits into a hat also pays

LEFT From left, senior Monica Zink, junior Daniel Garhofer and seniors Garrett Lindholm and Adam Bennett talk in The Nicholas Center at Hill-Murray School in Maplewood Nov. 28. All four spend time there regularly to get help with their schoolwork.

LOWER LEFT Educational assistant Shannon Hejny works with seventh-grader Garret Fischbach in one of the classrooms in The Nicholas Center.

LOWER MIDDLE From left, seventh-grader Emmett O’Keefe gets help from junior Andrew Kreimer during a peer tutoring session.

LOWER RIGHT Ninth-grader Michelle McGrath studies underneath a mural of St. Nicholas on display in the center. social-emotional learning, and I see that it’s an emphasis across all schools right now,” she said, noting that she has talked to staff members at other Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and learned of their efforts in this area. “I think a part of that is in response to increased rates of anxiety and depression in our young people. ... Research out there shows that since 2008, there’s been a pretty significant increase in anxiety and depression in our young people.”

The philosophy at Visitation is to know students well enough to be able to detect these and other conditions, and provide both diagnosis and help at school.

Carver said emotional health is connected to learning, and keeping students healthy emotionally will pay dividends in the classroom.

Hill-Murray recognized this as well, which is why it brought Robinson, the clinical psychologist, on board full time in August.

And, Johnson said he is willing to share Robinson’s time and expertise with other schools, along with his own knowledge about learning differences. He has been talking with Catholic elementary schools and hopes they will take advantage of what The Nicholas Center can offer.

attention to what the school calls the emotional-social component, said Beth Carver, the school’s counseling coordinator. Visitation has five counselors on staff to address conditions such as anxiety and depression, and those efforts are managed by school administrators, who work closely with Carver, a 2000 Visitation graduate who is a licensed school and clinical social worker.

“I spent a lot of time researching trends in

“We’re more than happy to show them what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re here to support them and encourage their school to be the strongest place possible. Our goal is not to take their students. Our goal is to make their school better, because when they [Catholic elementary school graduates] get to us, maybe when they’re in ninth grade, their learning difference has been addressed.”

Johnson said the feast day of St. Nicholas is a good time to draw attention to how a center bearing his name can help children.

“It’s a celebration of him as a protector of students, and that’s what we’re working to do,” Johnson said. “We’re trying to protect families and students by taking care of any educational needs that are possible [to address].”

Christmas greetings Cathedral of St. Paul

239 Selby Ave. • St. Paul cathedralsaintpaul.org Pre-Christmas confessions Saturday, Dec. 22: 10–11:30 a.m. and 3:30–5 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 24: 10–11:30 a.m.

Fourth Sunday of Advent: Regular weekend Mass and confession schedule Christmas Eve: 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass with the Children’s Choristers Christmas Day: Midnight Mass — Most Rev. Bernard A. Hebda, celebrant with Cathedral Choir (preceded by carols at 11:15 p.m.)

8 a.m. 10 a.m. and noon — Mass with organ and cantor (9 a.m. Mass at the St. Vincent de Paul campus)

St. Bartholomew Catholic Faith Community 630 E. Wayzata Blvd. • Wayzata 952-473-6601 • st-barts.org Christmas Eve: 3 p.m., 5 p.m. & 10 p.m. Christmas Day: 10:30 a.m.

New Year’s Day Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God — 10:30 a.m.

Please join us to celebrate this blessed and holy season!

Nativity of Our Lord

1938 Stanford Ave. • St. Paul Christmas Eve: 3 p.m. (church & school audit orium), 4:30 p.m.

6 p.m., midnight (with 11:30 p.m. prelude) Christmas Day: 7 a.m., 8:15 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Please join us on our patronal feast!

Church of St. Rita

8694 80th St. S. • Cottage Grove saintritas.org Christmas Eve: 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m. & 10 p.m. (music begins at 9:30 p.m.)

Christmas Day: 9 a.m. New Year’s Eve: 5:30 p.m. (anticipatory) New Year’s Day: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God — 9 a.m.

All are welcome to celebrate the miracle of Christmas with us!

Basilica of St. Mary

88 N. 17th St. • Minneapolis 612-333-1381 • mary.org Christmas Eve: 3 p.m. vigil Eucharist with organ, cantor, children’s choirs 5:30 p.m. vigil Eucharist with Mundus & Juventus, contemporary and youth choirs 8 p.m. vigil Eucharist with piano, cantor, guitar 11 p.m. choral music for Christmas, Cathedral Choir with organ, harp, flute 11:30 p.m. Vigil of Lights with organ, Cathedral Choir Midnight solemn Eucharist with organ, Cathedral Choir, brass, harp Christmas Day: 7:30 a.m. Eucharist at dawn with organ, cantor, violin, soprano soloist 9:30 a.m. Solemn Eucharist with organ, Cathedral Choir, brass, strings Noon Solemn Eucharist with organ, Cathedral Choir, brass, strings 4:30 p.m. Eucharist with music from around the world

All Saints Catholic Church

19795 Holyoke Ave. • Lakeville Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord Holy day of obligation Christmas Eve Masses: 4 p.m. (Church) & 4:15 p.m. (Murphy Hall) 6 p.m. (ASL) and midnight (incense) Christmas Day: 9 & 11 a.m. (incense) Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (holy day of obligation) Dec. 31 — 5 p.m. (vigil Mass), Jan. 1 — 9 & 11 a.m.

Please join us to celebrate this blessed and holy season!

St. Casimir Church

934 Geranium Ave. E. • St. Paul Christmas Eve: 4 p.m. & 11 p.m. Christmas Day: 9 a.m.

St. Patrick Church

1095 DeSoto St. • St. Paul Christmas Eve: 4 p.m. Christmas Day: 10:45 a.m.

The cluster parishes on the east side of St. Paul invite you to join us for the Christmas celebration.

Church of St. Edward

9401 Nesbitt Ave S. • Bloomington 952-835-7101 • StEdwardsChurch.org Christmas Eve: 4 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. Come early for prelude music at 10 p.m.

Christmas Day — 8:30 & 10:30 a.m.

New Year’s Day: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God — 9 a.m.

Celebrate the Glory, the Wonder, the Miracle of Christmas with us!

Information provided by parish advertisers.

12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

DECEMBER 6, 2018

FAITH+CULTURE For Catholic Studies, 25th anniversary means looking ahead

By Sam Patet For The Catholic Spirit

O

n Dec. 8, more than 600 guests will gather in St. Paul to celebrate a significant milestone: the 25th anniversary of the Catholic Studies program at the University of St. Thomas.

Among the attendees will be Michael Naughton, director of the Center for Catholic Studies and one of the project’s earliest participants.

“We felt it was the Holy Spirit working,” Naughton said about the early days of Catholic Studies. “But there was no game plan. ... We didn’t know what the form would look like.”

John Boyle, chair of the Department of Catholic Studies, couldn’t agree more.

“It’s grown organically in beautiful ways and in directions that we might not have anticipated,” he said.

Catholic Studies began in 1993, when Don Briel, then a professor of theology at St. Thomas, successfully petitioned the university to launch an interdisciplinary program in Catholic studies. He and a handful of faculty — including Naughton and Boyle — taught the program’s first courses.

Three years later, the Center for Catholic Studies was formally established. Briel, who died Feb. 15, was tapped to be the center’s first director, a position he held until Naughton took the helm in 2015.

Today, the center boasts more than 1,200 alumni, as well as a robust set of offerings for students and scholars, including undergraduate and graduatelevel degrees; a study-abroad semester in Rome; three institutes that examine the intersection between Catholicism and the worlds of business, law and leadership; and the academic journal “Logos.”

St. Thomas President Julie Sullivan is proud of what Catholic Studies has accomplished. “The fact that the University of St. Thomas’ Catholic Studies program is the first and largest in the nation exemplifies our visionary

both written and video recorded — to students, and they make themselves available during online office hours through a video-communication tool similar to Skype, Kidd explained.

This fall, Catholic Studies offered two courses online, and it’s set to offer two more in the spring. Thirty-three students from as close as the Twin Cities and Milwaukee to as far away as Ecuador and South Africa participated.

Boyle has been teaching one of the courses. He admitted many of his colleagues “were surprised” when they learned he would be. But as his class nears completion, he’s glad he did it.

“It’s an entirely different way of thinking about pedagogy,” he said. “In some ways, you get things out of students in this way because they have to respond” through assignments.

Naughton has been teaching the DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT other online course as part of a new John Boyle, chair of the Department of Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, delivers a lecture Nov. 28 in his office at the Center for Catholic Studies while Gerriet Suiter shoots video initiative designed for Catholic school teachers: the Mission and Culture twofor the department’s online master’s degree program. course study. Launched this fall, its purpose is to help teachers see how they The move to online learning is leadership in advancing Catholic fit into Catholicism’s 2,000-year-old especially exciting for Erika Kidd, an intellectual tradition,” she said in an educational tradition, he said. assistant professor of Catholic Studies email. “We are very proud of our 1,200 and director of the master’s degree The program consists of two graduateSt. Thomas Catholic Studies alumni and program. “There’s no one … offering level courses, which participants can the impact they are having on their graduate Catholic Studies courses apply toward Minnesota state communities and the world.” online,” she said. “Because what we requirements for teaching licensure At its core, Catholic Studies’ mission renewal. They also can apply the courses has been to help students see “the impact offer is unique and because people love it so much, we just want to be able to toward an expanded six-course of the Incarnation on human thought get it out there to more people.” certificate on mission and culture from and culture,” Boyle said. That’s why the Catholic Studies, as well as toward its program has always explored how this Kidd emphasized that the online master’s degree.

Catholic vision of reality impacts and program is not a separate master’s connects all areas of human life, degree from the one offered on campus, With these and other new projects in including the humanities, business, law but rather an option to allow students the works, Naughton and Boyle feel a and the sciences, Naughton explained. to take some or all of their courses little bit like they did in the early 1990s, online. “I think all our students — our While Naughton and Boyle are in that they don’t know exactly what online students and our ‘on-ground’ Catholic Studies will look like 25 years pleased with Catholic Studies’ success students — come to us seeking to from now. But as long as it remains true thus far, they’re just as excited about to its mission, they’re confident it will encounter Christ in the great Catholic where it’s headed. continue forming the next generation of tradition,” she said.

One new initiative that’s already faith-filled disciples. expanded Catholic Studies’ global The online courses include several impact is its online master’s degree components. Students watch pre“Catholic Studies helps our students program. Launched this fall, the recorded video lectures from professors, — [and] helps remind the faculty — that program was made possible with complete weekly assignments and there’s a great joy of the faith,” Boyle support from the St. Thomas E-Learning said. “That’s part of why it’s attractive participate in online discussions. and Research (STELAR) center.

— it’s joyful, it’s fun.”

Professors provide regular feedback —

DECEMBER 6, 2018

FAITH+CULTURE

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13

Thirteen years after devastating fire, Shakopee church marks 150th anniversary

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit

S

t. Mark church in Shakopee underwent renovations in the 2000s — twice. In 2005, a fire broke out in the church during a renovation project, decimating the inside of the sanctuary. The damage was repaired, and the church continues to serve Catholics in the Shakopee area as it marks its 150th anniversary.

“The people rallied to campaign to fund the renovations that were happening, and then, the fire took place four weeks before we were going to be back into the church,” said Diane Marek, who served as the church’s business administrator at the time. “But the people rallied around and supported the church and couldn’t wait to get back in.”

St. Mark’s anniversary will be celebrated Dec. 8 with Archbishop Bernard Hebda celebrating the 9:30 a.m.

Mass. The German Gothic-style church is one of three church sites comprising the parish Sts. Joachim and Anne in Shakopee.

“The [church’s] history is very rich,” said Father Erik Lundgren, parochial administrator of Sts. Joachim and Anne.

Founded by German settlers and long known for serving that community, St. Mark in the early 2000s also became home to a vibrant Latino community.

Parishioners continue to celebrate the church’s heritage with JuliFest in the summer and Winter Fest in the winter, both with German music and food. The church also hosts an annual Passion play,

“The Passion of Jesus in Music, Word and Light,” which is based on the “The Passion Play” in Oberammergau, Germany.

German settlers came to the Shakopee area in the mid-1800s. The first known Mass in Shakopee was celebrated at Anton Entrup’s home in 1856 by Father George Keller, pastor of Assumption in St. Paul. The priest encouraged the people to work with the then-Diocese of St. Paul to establish a parish.

Construction for the first St. Mark church began in 1856. Father John Mehlmann became the first pastor of St. Mark that year, but Benedictine priests arrived the following year to run the parish.

That Benedictine connection led to Shakopee becoming a temporary site of what is now St. John’s University in Collegeville, due to a legal dispute over a land grant in Collegeville, and the Benedictines began construction on an abbey church nearby. When the order won the Collegeville land in court, the abbot abandoned the abbey church project in Shakopee.

“After the church was built up that high [six feet], the walls and foundations remained physically in a stagnant place,” said Father Bill Stolzman, who served as pastor of St. Mark from 1994 to 2008 and who has studied the parish’s history.

That foundation became a refuge for settlers to hide during the Sioux Outbreak of the Dakota War in 1862.

They placed a cannon, their only artillery, where the high altar would have

Blogs and commentary: CatholicHotdish.com

COURTESY STS. JOACHIM AND ANNE

St. Mark in Shakopee pictured in 1956. The German Gothic church celebrates its 150th anniversary Dec. 8 with Archbishop Bernard Hebda celebrating Mass. St. Mark is part of Sts. Joachim and Anne parish in Shakopee. been, Father Stolzman said. They never used the weapon, however, as the conflict never progressed closer to Shakopee than Belle Plaine.

When the parish needed a bigger church than the original built in 1856, the parish used that abbey foundation to build the present church in 1868. In 1901, it became the first building in Shakopee to have electricity.

Father Mathias Savs, who served as

pastor from 1917 to 1944, brought St. Mark’s large stained-glass windows from Austria in 1922. A native Austrian, he had connections with Emperor FranzJosef and learned of the windows from plans the emperor had in mind for a family chapel. Father Savs negotiated with Josef to obtain the windows, which are still in the church.

Three years later, a tornado struck St. Mark, dislodging its cross and parts of the roof. Insurance covered the damages.

St. Mark parishioners added a Germanspeaking school in the 1930s. It later became an English-speaking school. In 1971, it merged with other Shakopee-area Catholic schools. St. Mark later began moving toward becoming one parish with St. Mary in Shakopee and St. Mary of the Purification in nearby Marystown.

Father Stolzman said it took a lot of communication to bring three different parishes together before merging to become Sts. Joachim and Anne in 2013.

It also took community cooperation to repair damage at St. Mark after the 2005 fire. Firefighters from 13 different departments put out the blaze, which was caused by chemical combustion.

Parishioners helped with repairs. Among them was Mike Menke, who rebuilt a side altar. Menke’s work was an “incredible labor of love,” Father Lundgren said.

The post-fire renovations also revealed some of the church’s rich history. “The fire actually became the opportunity for peeling back all of these layers of paint that were in the church to go back to its original mosaics and statues,” Father Stolzman said.

14 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

FAITH+CULTURE

DECEMBER 6, 2018

Ethicist: Gene-editing human embryos ‘a train wreck of a thing to do’

By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service

A

Chinese researcher’s editing of genes in human embryos and implanting them in a woman — a development revealed by the researcher in late November — was “a train wreck of a thing to do,” said an ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

“Normally, clinical research proceeds in phases. First, you verify it works in animals, etc. Second, you verify that it’s safe. In small things, you verify it’s effective,” said John Brehany, the center’s director of institutional relations. “He skipped all that stuff.”

“He says, ‘I practiced in animals and human embryos.’ Even the Chinese officials are saying he violated their standards,” Brehany told Catholic News Service in a Nov. 30 telephone interview from Philadelphia. “He said he didn’t want to be first, he wanted to set an example, but he’s toying with human health. He said he practiced on human embryos, so that means he probably destroyed them. He practiced in the context of experimentation.”

Brehany was referring to He (pronounced “hay”) Jiankui, who first revealed his efforts Nov. 26 during an international gene-editing conference in Hong Kong. He learned the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR while doing advanced research at Rice University in Texas. His partner from Rice may face sanctions from the U.S.-based National Institutes of Health depending on the depth of his involvement in the scheme.

“CRISPR” stands for “clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.” This is a specialized region of DNA having two distinct characteristics: the presence of nucleotide repeats and spacers.

Newsweek reported Dec. 3 that He has not been seen since participating at the International Summit on Human Genome Editing and may be under house arrest by Chinese authorities. He said his experiment

CNS PHOTO | REUTERS

Scientist He Jiankui shows “The Human Genome,” a book he edited, at his company, Direct Genomics, in Shenzhen, China, Aug. 4, 2016. An ethicist calls He’s recent gene editing on a human embryo “a train wreck of a thing to do.”

produced twin girls born in November.

“The couples were offered free fertility treatment if they participated in this, and that’s an unethical inducement,” Brehany told CNS. “They might have been told it was a vaccine for AIDS,” as the babies’ father was HIV-positive, he added; He had said he sought to remove the gene that triggers HIV infection.

“In other words, there are multiple, multiple ways this was a hash. It really was a hash.”

Gene editing is nothing new, Brehany said. “There’s a lot of gene editing that goes on in agriculture and in animals, and there have been some experiments and attempts that have gone on in humans, very carefully done, that have gone on since the 1990s,” he added. “A lot of this has not been successful, in part because the human immune system tends to think that new genes

that are introduced are foreign bodies.”

Tomatoes and animals are one thing. Humans, though, are another.

“If you introduce changes into a woman’s eggs, or a man’s sperm, or a human embryo within a very short period after conception, then those genes not only introduce genes into cells but into future generations, and that is an opportunity in some respects, but it’s also controversial for a couple of reasons. He set out to do just that. And again ... in a couple of countries they’ve approved this for a few things,” Brehany said.

One country where some human gene editing is legal is the United Kingdom. It is illegal in the United States. And after the furor erupted at the Hong Kong conference, Chinese officials said what He had done was illegal in China.

The Catholic Church’s position is spelled out in the 2008 Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith document “Instruction ‘Dignitas Personae’ (‘The Dignity of a Person’): On Certain Bioethical Questions.”

The dignity of a person, the document says, “must be recognized in every human being from conception to natural death. This fundamental principle expresses a great ‘yes’ to human life and must be at the center of ethical reflection on biomedical research.”

“On a normal day, in vitro fertilization already separates procreation from conjugal love,” Brehany said. “It also introduces the option, and the temptation, of eugenics — checking out embryos by sight or sophisticated analysis to learn which exhibit optimal health or traits. Those that don’t measure up are routinely discarded.”

Other faults Brehany found with He’s work included: practicing gene editing on other human embryos first; implanting twin embryos even though one of the twins did not carry the new trait, and may be “a patchwork of cells with various changes”; giving notice of his research only after he started; and having no experience running human research trials.

DECEMBER 6, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15

FOCUSONFAITH SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER DAVID HENNEN

Does our life point to Christ?

“A voice of one crying out in the desert.”

What a wonderful description of John the Baptist. He is no more than that — the voice.

He is the voice that announces Jesus. The one thing that is very clear about John the Baptist is that he knew his purpose. He was steadfast in fulfilling the mission given to him by God. His whole purpose was to prepare for Jesus.

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” His whole being is defined by Jesus. In all that the Gospels tell us about John the Baptist, never did he make it about himself.

Today, John gives us the path that we should follow. In our lives, Christ must be announced, known and loved. Do we bring the people around us closer to God? Is there any evidence in our lives that people have been led to God through our witness?

Have we been a John the Baptist for someone? Our lives, like John, should be a “voice crying out in the desert.”

When we are asked whether we are bringing people closer to Christ, we assume that it must be done by intellectual arguments. We assume that we need to know everything and be able to convince them to follow Christ. Yet, in many cases, we don’t even get to that point. Probably one of the easiest ways to be a John the Baptist to someone is to be a joyful, generous and merciful person.

There is no way we will even get to the point of trying to

ASK FATHER MIKE | FATHER MICHAEL SCHMITZ

What does it mean for something to be blessed?

Q. I recently became Catholic and keep

hearing about all of the stuff you have that is “blessed.” Someone even gave me a holy card that they said had been blessed. I like the idea; I just don’t know what it means for something to be blessed.

A. I am glad that you are asking this question.

Even though you haven’t been Catholic for very long, you know that it is good for Catholics to ask questions. In this case, your question is one that not a lot of Catholics even know about.

Hopefully this response will not only help you, but them as well.

You are correct in noting that almost anything can be blessed.

For a thing to be blessed means that it becomes holy. In fact, we often use those two words interchangeably. They convey the same sense of being “set apart.” In the Old Testament, God calls his people to be holy, or he tells them that the Sabbath day will be “holy unto the Lord.” This particular sense of holiness highlights the “otherness” of someone who or something which is blessed. It is no longer ordinary but has been “set apart.”

If we stop for a moment and consider what it meant for Israel to be holy in practical terms, we quickly see that it means that they had to be different. For God’s Chosen People to be “blessed” or “holy,” it would mean that they couldn’t just live like everyone else, and they couldn’t just look like everyone else.

They would have to conduct themselves differently. This is one of the reasons the People of Israel had so many unusual laws governing what they ate and what they wore. They were set apart, and this meant that they had to live the blessing — they had to live differently.

Now, to be “blessed” did not merely mean to be “set apart.” It meant to be set apart for something. There is no virtue in simply being different. Israel was holy because it was set apart for the Lord. To be blessed (or to have an object blessed) is to be set apart for a purpose.

Another way to word it: To be blessed is to be set apart for God’s purposes. It is not simply to be “removed from use,” but to be “elevated to a higher purpose and use.” You could also think of the term “consecrated.” In this sense, you could see how certain people or things were “consecrated” for a purpose: how Samson and John the Baptist were both consecrated from the

“

Probably one of the easiest ways to be a John the Baptist to someone is to be a joyful, generous and merciful person.

convince someone with our words if we are a sad example of a Christian. Don’t you find that there is nothing more pathetic than a Christian who is grumpy and complains, and who can never see the good in things? This can be what turns people away from Christ.

We know this can easily happen in parish life, with our family or coworkers. If a person we know has been away from the Church, their interactions with us might determine whether they come back. Kindness, generosity and joy can go a long way.

Most people aren’t going to be convinced initially of Jesus or the Catholic Church by intellectual arguments.

But they will more likely be convinced by how we lead our lives and how Christ has impacted us. Where do we need to “make straight his paths”? Advent calls us to make some changes in the routine of our daily lives.

One change in routine for us might be the sacrament of reconciliation. In order for us to be kind, generous and merciful, we must experience the great mercy and kindness of God in this sacrament. This Advent season, may we be like John the Baptist in pointing others to Christ. May it never be about us, but always about the Lord. May our witness allow others to know and experience Christ in this season of the Lord.

Father Hennen, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings, was ordained for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2005.

He has served at Epiphany in Coon Rapids and St. Francis Xavier in Buffalo.

womb, or how the altar in the Temple was consecrated for the worship of God. When we bring forth an object or a person to be blessed, we are presenting that person or thing to God so that (by the power of the Holy Spirit and the invocation of the name of Jesus), they would be set apart for God’s purposes. For example, many people will ask me if I can bless their cross on a chain or a bracelet.

When they bring it to me, it is merely jewelry. But after it is blessed, it ceases to be jewelry that is nothing more than an accessory to one’s outfit: That object has been set apart for a purpose.

It will still be worn like jewelry, but the purpose for which it is worn has been changed because the object has been consecrated for a higher purpose. In the case of the cross around one’s neck, the higher use is that it will, from then on, only point to Christ and his saving death and resurrection.

Why do we do this, though? Why bless all of these ordinary objects around us? We do this for the simple reason that we are very much like ancient Israel. Our tendency is also to want to be just like everyone else. Having all of these reminders around us that have been consecrated to the Lord assists us and reminds us that we too have been consecrated to God. Think of part of the Mass on the feast day of St. Blaise, Feb. 3.

On that day, faithful people show up and have their throats blessed. The prayer reads like this: “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” It is a prayer for protection and healing. But consider this: for a thing to be blessed is for that thing to be consecrated for a purpose. All of those who present themselves (and their throats) to be blessed are essentially offering their throats to be set apart for God’s purposes.

I like reflecting on this and being reminded that I must use my throat — my voice — for God’s purposes only. If my throat has been blessed, then it is no longer merely “my throat,” and I cannot use it however I want; I have to use it to point to Jesus and his saving death and resurrection.

But wait — you’ve been baptized! Which means that you have been blessed. You have been made holy, consecrated for the Lord at your baptism. To be holy does not mean being perfect, but it does mean being set apart for God and his purposes. Because of that fact, all of us who have been baptized have received a very high call: to always be people who, by our lives, point to Christ and his saving death and resurrection.

Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reach him at fathermikeschmitz@gmail.com.

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Dec. 9 Second Sunday of Advent Bar 5:1-9 Phil 1:4-6, 8-11 Lk 3:1-6 Monday, Dec. 10 Is 35:1-10 Lk 5:17-26 Tuesday, Dec. 11 Is 40:1-11 Mt 18:12-14 Wednesday, Dec. 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe Zec 2:14-17 Lk 1:26-38 Thursday, Dec. 13 St. Lucy, virgin and martyr Is 41:13-20 Mt 11:11-15 Friday, Dec. 14 St. John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the Church Is 48:17-19 Mt 11:16-19 Saturday, Dec. 15 Sir 48:1-4, 9-11 Mt 17:9a, 10-13 Sunday, Dec. 16 Third Sunday of Advent Zep 3:14-18a Phil 4:4-7 Lk 3:10-18 Monday, Dec. 17 Gn 49:2, 8-10 Mt 1:1-17 Tuesday, Dec. 18 Jer 23:5-8 Mt 1:18-25 Wednesday, Dec. 19 Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a Lk 1:5-25 Thursday, Dec. 20 Is 7:10-14 Lk 1:26-38 Friday, Dec. 21 Sg 2:8-14 Lk 1:39-45 Saturday, Dec. 22 1 Sm 1:24-28 Lk 1:46-56 Sunday, Dec. 23 Fourth Sunday of Advent Mi 5:1-4a Heb 10:5-10 Lk 1:39-45

FOCUSONFAITH

16 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

DECEMBER 6, 2018

SPECIAL FOCUS: ADVENT

A new beginning

By Father Herb Weber Catholic News Service When the verses from Chapter 33 of the Book of Jeremiah were read as the first reading on the First Sunday of Advent this year, I heard them anew.

The prophet’s words, “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made,” resonated with meaning for me and the entire parish at St. John XXIII in Perrysburg, Ohio.

For us a promise fulfilled is a reality. A new beginning has come upon us.

This Advent our parish is celebrating Mass in a brand-new church that has been the dream of the parish for many years. Founded in 2005, our parish used a public high school, several Lutheran churches and a parish life center for Mass and all other liturgical celebrations like weddings, funerals, first Communions and baptisms until this fall.

After years of planning and fundraising, we completed the building in time for St. John XXIII’s feast day Oct. 11. That day, which marks the anniversary of the opening of the first session of the Second Vatican Council, offered both promises fulfilled and promises of new beginnings.

In our case, the promise fulfilled is not merely about a needed building.

In fact, it is much closer to the promise proclaimed by Jeremiah. For us, we have the realization that we are truly and formally established as a church community with a mission.

Our new building with tall, clear glass

windows on all sides, but especially in the tower, allows our people to reflect on the image of a lighthouse.

More significantly, we find ourselves reflecting on Matthew 5:14, that we as a community have to be light to the world.

Reaching this point is the fulfillment of what we long for. Yet, as we enter Advent, we discover that this is a beginning, not an end.

Advent, with its theme of promises, also is the beginning of a liturgical cycle. It is a time when the Church starts all over again. And although the time for all promises to be fulfilled may only come with the final return of the Lord, we start over with anticipation, expectation and strong commitment.

Beginnings are both exciting and challenging. The Catholic Church often introduces new liturgical practices with the First Sunday of Advent.

Seven years ago, with the First Sunday of Advent, the English-speaking Church introduced a new translation of Mass prayers. Many will remember the challenge of helping people adjust to new phrases right before Christmas.

With much less public awareness, we used Advent two years ago as the time to introduce a new rite for the sacrament of marriage. In that case, it was during “low wedding season,” and there was time to help couples prepare. And every year our Church begins a new year of the three-year cycle of readings from the Bible, this year with emphasis on Luke.

Advent should not be seen simply as a time for changes of rites or Gospel

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readings. It truly is a time for the Church to declare a new beginning for ourselves as we trace the story of our salvation.

Such beginnings are future-oriented even as they connect with the past.

The First Sunday of Advent provides the big picture with a look to the second coming of Jesus as Luke (chapter 21) declares signs that the Son of Man will come with redemption. The following three Sundays look back at the first coming of Jesus in human form.

For us, in the middle, we build off the past to address the future. As we start over again, we realize we are not the same people who started over last year or the previous year. Each new beginning is like the inward spiral that brings people closer to the center.

Meanwhile, however, St. John XXIII parish has its own challenge. Advent

calls us to see beyond the building and look at the bigger picture, namely that Jesus is among us, bringing salvation.

A couple of weeks before completion of the church construction, the large sculpture of Jesus, ready to be mounted on the wooden cross, was delivered. As it lay there waiting for the workers to position it, some members of our parish approached and looked at the image of the crucified Lord.

There was complete silence as they stared. This was followed by spontaneous sobbing from each person.

Later one of the women said her heart was overwhelmed and she was moved by this reminder of redemption.

Salvation truly is at hand; promises are being fulfilled. With Advent we move closer to the reality of this mystery.

Four ways to be more attentive this Advent

By Father Geoffrey A. Brooke Jr. Catholic News Service “Be watchful!” and “Be alert!” are two traditional spiritual commands often heard by Catholics during the Advent season in preparation for the birth of Christ at Christmas. To the contemporary Catholic, they can also present somewhat of a conundrum.

Being watchful and alert both imply a void, an emptiness, something lacking, an expectation to be fulfilled. On the other hand, the Advent season in today’s society seems to be an overflow of noise and images, these days all about Christmas.

It doesn’t take much to “be watchful” and notice that Christmas is all around. Christmas songs on the radio, commercials on TV, posts abound on the internet — it’s everywhere. It’s seemingly impossible to miss the fact that Christmas is coming. In a world such as this, being watchful seems at best redundant, and at worst, a distraction hiding one from Christ.

Depending on what part of the country a person is from, it used to be that alerts were exclusively for seriously inclement weather, such as tornados and other storms. Now alerts are a constant part of our life.

Between texts, emails, social media messaging, likes, comments, shares and sports scores, phones constantly ping

with alerts. We’re so accustomed to hearing these alerts that now if a phone goes off in a room filled with a bunch of people, everyone must get their phone out to check and see if it’s their phone.

The constant flow of alerts only fuels our addiction to our phones. How are we supposed to “be alert” for the coming of Christ when we are constantly inundated with alerts? Does Christ not become, at best, just another ping, another alert, or, at worst, the wolf in the story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” completely missed due to so many other useless and superfluous alerts?

For some, the temptation this season to run and hide in a quiet, dark cave until Christmas to avoid all of the chaos and noise might not seem like such a bad idea. The more gregarious thrive on all the extra opportunities to socialize and enjoy the pandemonium of the season.

Yet all are still called to “be watchful” and “be alert” for the coming of Christ.

These spiritual commands have not been excused by the current culture, though they have perhaps become more difficult. Consider these practical tips as ideas to jump-start our watchfulness and attentiveness during these days of preparation for the coming of Christ.

Be watchful! uGo to confession. When we speak of being watchful, the natural inclination is

to look outward, searching for Christ. But before we can begin to look out, we must first look inward.

By making a good examination of conscience and confession, we can be watchful of our sins, failings, shortcomings, burdens and struggles.

These things all create an extra barrier, a sort of blindness that prevents us from looking outward for Christ.

It’s like trying to see through dirty glasses or a dirty windshield; sometimes we need a good cleaning or car wash before we can begin to see clearly. uTurn down the volume. As fun as it may be to blast Christmas music on the radio every time we get into the car right after Thanksgiving, to be more watchful we ought to consider turning down the sound.

What if on the way to and from work or school there was no music in the car until Christmas? How would that help to build up a kind of holy anticipation for the coming of Christ at Christmas?

This might not mean a total ban on music, but at least some intentional silence each day as a reminder to be watchful for the coming of Christ and not just overwhelmed with tunes.

Be alert! uChange the notification settings.

Almost every time an app is downloaded onto a phone, a pop-up will appear

asking about notification settings.

Most users just click through. The next thing they know their phone is blowing up every couple of minutes with some supposedly valuable piece of information.

To be more attuned to the coming of Christ and less focused on our phones, an Advent practice could be to go into our phone settings and turn off the notifications and alerts. Is it really that necessary to know every time someone has liked a comment or tweet? By reducing notifications on the phone, Advent can be spent increasing alertness for Christ. uProvide a phone bowl. When hosting a party for your family and friends, consider putting out a large box or bowl where everyone can store their phones during the party.

This way, if one of the guests hasn’t followed the advice above and his or her phone starts pinging with alerts, others won’t be interrupted or stop their conversations to look down at their phones too. It allows everyone to be more present to one another at the party, to enjoy each other’s company and, in turn, to be more alert to Christ’s coming at Christmas.

Father Brooke is a priest of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri. His website is frgeoffrey.com and his social media handle is @PadreGeoffrey.

DECEMBER 6, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17

COMMENTARY TWENTY SOMETHING | CHRISTINA CAPECCHI

Embracing divine revelations, accepting the unknown

It all started with a lost birth certificate. The Holy Spirit was at work that day and hasn’t slowed down since.

My aunt Jan has always known she was adopted, and the many mysteries surrounding that reality had never haunted her. She raised her daughters near St. Paul, her husband’s hometown, and cherished her Catholic faith. Now 56, she is an empty nester who volunteers often and paints religious icons.

Last summer Jan was applying for her enhanced driver’s license and couldn’t find her birth certificate.

Finally, she resolved to send for another one from Pennsylvania, where she was born and raised. The state website noted that it would soon be issuing original birth certificates.

Eventually she applied, and the following month a copy of her original birth certificate arrived, bearing two revelations: her birth name, Theresa Anne, and her birth mother’s name, Judy. The unusual maiden name prompted an online search, and within minutes, White Pages churned up a 1940 census showing that Judy had grown up — of all places — in St. Paul! She is 80 and still alive, living in Florida.

Within a week Jan was mining Ancestry.com. An obituary of her birth mom’s brother listed his children, including one distinct name: a member of Jan’s parish, St. Odilia in Shoreview.

Jan has known — and worshipped alongside — her first cousin for years!

The two have since forged a warm new friendship,

SIMPLE HOLINESS | KATE SOUCHERAY

Preparing for Christ

Advent is one of the least understood and least acknowledged liturgical seasons of the Church year. Many of us are quick to think about Christmas, rather than Advent, at this time of year. In fact, we found holiday decorations in the stores before Halloween so we could get a jump on our shopping. But here we are in the beginning of December and we likely have not even engaged in the season of Advent.

Advent is a lovely, little season of the liturgical year, which means it occupies a specific time in the Church’s calendar that helps us understand and celebrate Christ’s presence in our lives. As Maxwell Johnson, an Evangelical Lutheran pastor who teaches at Notre Dame, states, the liturgical year helps us “through feast and fast, festival and preparation, to celebrate the presence of the already crucified and risen Christ among us ‘now!’”

Initially, Christianity, instituted by Christ through his love and compassion for all humanity, was an illegal religion in the Roman empire, until Constantine used it as the means through which he would unify his empire. Constantine initially had a vision of the cross of Christ in the clouds before a battle, even though he was not Christian. He then had a dream that he was to place the Greek symbol for Christ — chi-rho — on the uniforms of his soldiers, ensuring that God would be with them, assisting them in vanquishing their enemy.

“

Reconnecting with her birth mom was never her goal, but suddenly it seemed prudent to reach out before someone else mentioned Jan to Judy. And so, on a Friday night in August, Jan sat at her kitchen table and wrote a letter to her birth mom.

The words and tears poured out.

iSTOCK | HAKINMHAN

meeting and texting regularly. Though her birth father’s identity remains unclear, Jan has determined that she has five half-siblings, including one in Duluth. Many cousins live nearby, and Jan recently met an uncle in another St. Paul suburb.

Jan’s spiritual life has proved just as active as her adoption research. In the past year, she took three icon classes and began the lay formation process for the Third Order Carmelites.

Reconnecting with her birth mom was never her goal, but suddenly it seemed prudent to reach out before someone else mentioned Jan to Judy.

And so, on a Friday night in August, Jan sat at her kitchen table and wrote a letter to her birth mom. The words and tears poured out.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the gift of life and the gift of adoption,” she wrote.

“Thank you for having me baptized Catholic. I know God has been with me from the very beginning.”

She expressed a willingness to meet, but left it up to Judy.

“I have prayed in thanksgiving for you and my siblings and birth father for years,” Jan wrote in closing. “I will continue to do so.”

The letter was written in one sitting and in the mail

the following morning.

Initially, Jan hoped for an immediate reply.

None has come, but she’s OK with that.

“God is so amazing to allow me to see these connections this side of heaven,” she said. “He is working through me more and more!”

It’s evident in her art: She has completed seven icons this year. Normally, she’d finish one or two. It’s also evident in her abundant prayer life, including a daily rosary and many Masses offered for her birth parents and siblings.

“You have to be in motion for God to act,” she said.

“Prayer is action.”

As the year draws to a close, Jan has a peaceful acceptance of the many remaining unknowns — and a joyful optimism for the future.

She’d love to write icons full time to give to churches in need. She plans to learn the violin after retiring and eventually walk El Camino. She’s dreaming big and believing, like never before, that anything is possible in God. “I am living it!”

Constantine’s troops did as they were instructed, and they did, indeed, win the battle.

At that point, Christianity became the official religion, and the Nicene Creed was written, following the Council of Nicaea in 325, so that all Roman citizens could profess their allegiance to this new way of living and worship. However, some Roman citizens had been Christians before imperial Christianity, and they knew the faith required something of them beyond mere words. To be a Christian meant to have a thorough understanding of the importance of living authentically and being alive and present in Christ, through the daily expression of their faith. They understood Christianity through rising each day and living out their commitment to be Christ’s presence in the world through right-ordered relationships.

“St. Martin’s Lent” was created in France in the fifth century to commemorate the life and work of St. Martin of Tours, a third-century bishop of what is now Tours, France. This “Lent” began on St. Martin’s feast day, Nov. 11, and initially lasted for 40 days, providing a time of preparation for the birth of Jesus in their lives at Christmas. Similar to Lent preceding Easter, St. Martin’s Lent was to prepare Christians for Christ’s manifestation into a broken world.

Pope Gregory I instituted what we now know as Advent in the sixth and seventh centuries, offering themes, ideas and prayers to celebrate this liturgical season and to help Christians prepare for the coming of Christ. Advent now begins on the Sunday following the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, and is considered the beginning of the liturgical year.

In light of this, Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ in our lives and our hearts, in order that the celebration of Christmas will bring a new awareness of our love for others, often expressed

ACTION CHALLENGE

Capecchi is a freelance writer in Inver Grove Heights.

What have you done during this season of Advent to dedicate yourself to becoming more Christ-like? How have you demonstrated to your family members your renewed commitment to the goals you set for yourself in January 2018?

Has this year been a year of spiritual growth for you?

through gift-giving. We are to be transformed throughout the season of Advent to become more loving, more patient, more trustworthy and dedicated to being the presence of Christ to those in our lives.

This is the essence of the season of Advent.

Begin today to gain a new understanding of the season of Advent. Even if you think you have missed half of this lovely season, take out your Advent wreath and candles and offer a prayer when you sit down to dinner with your family. Focus again on your Advent calendar and remind yourselves that each day of Advent, whether it holds the surprise of a little piece of chocolate or a reminder of the various aspects of the season, puts a focus on the true meaning of Advent and all it is intended to mean for us.

As Johnson reminds us, “Christmas is not about the baby Jesus in the manger ‘back there and then.’ It is about our baptismal birth in the adult Christ as he is born anew in us through the Spirit who brings ‘glad tidings’ of salvation — the one salvation — to us now.”

Soucheray is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a member of Guardian Angels in Oakdale. She holds a master’s degree in theology from the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul.

COMMENTARY

18 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

DECEMBER 6, 2018

FAITH AT HOME | LAURA KELLY FANUCCI

Crowded church?

That’s good news Quick reminder for those of us who attend Mass regularly.

Many people are going to join us on Dec. 24 and 25 who don’t normally come to church. They will take our parking spots, our usual pews, our hymnals and our coat hooks.

What fantastic news!

More people crowding in the doors? Not enough chairs to drag up from the basement? Standing room only?

If only we had this problem every week.

I’ve stood through jampacked Christmas Masses, sweating in winter coats, kids whining at my knees.

I’ve heard the annoyance, the grumbling and the muttering about “Christmas-Easter Catholics.”

But if our churches were this crowded every Sunday, it would be a dream come true. God’s dream come true.

The Incarnation celebrates when God became one of us. God’s love for humanity is not limited to the prompt and patient, the properly dressed, the everySunday faithful or the ones who know the prayers.

Ours is the God who leaves the 99 to seek one lost sheep — and heaven delights. Ours is the God who sweeps the whole house to find one lost coin — and calls friends and neighbors to rejoice.

So when we celebrate Christmas, whether in church or at home, how can we model our welcome on the abundant, joyful, lavish love of God? “Make room for Christ in the inn of your heart,” we often hear this time of year. Can we also make room for Christ in our parish pew and parking lot, our

“

Christmas is not about our comfort or control — quite the opposite. Christmas celebrates God’s love born among us in the most unlikely circumstances. iSTOCK | GINOSPHOTOS

Christmas party or kitchen table?

Welcoming the stranger is a divine command (Lv 19:34). It defines how we will be judged by God (Mt 25:35). It’s also a basic building block for strong families, healthy communities and faithful churches.

Lucky for those of us who will show up at church for the four Sundays before Christmas, we have the entire season of Advent to prepare for our guests.

So let us teach our kids and grandkids that this is how we celebrate Christmas. By welcoming the stranger. By sliding over to make room for one more.

By choosing compassion over comfort. By celebrating humanity, even when people are unpredictable and messy.

Let’s not make the mistake of every other innkeeper in Bethlehem, turning away a family no one believed could be holy, seeing only scarcity and inconvenience, unwilling and unable to welcome.

Think of someone you know with a gift for hospitality: the host who can always squeeze in one more, the relative who knows how to stretch the soup or the friend who makes strangers feel like guests of honor.

If our homes can be places of warm welcome, so can our parishes.

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Listening House of St. Paul 464 Maria Avenue, St. Paul MN 55106

Listening House was the dream of a small Catholic faith group to minister to people experiencing homelessness and isolation in St. Paul.

“We believe our listening ministry should be based on our life of prayer.

Mary’s example of listening and responding with an unconditional “yes” to the Lord has inspired us to place this dream in her care.”

On December 8, 1983, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Listening House opened its doors for the very first time.

We thank the many individuals and faith communities who have assisted this ministry with financial support and prayer.

Donations welcome! www.listeninghouse.org

651-227-5911

Christmas is not about our comfort or control — quite the opposite. Christmas celebrates God’s love born among us in the most unlikely circumstances.

So let’s smile and welcome new faces. Let’s park in the back so our guests can take the front. Let’s not grumble if people don’t know the words to the prayers.

Let’s offer them our hymnal if we can sing the songs by heart. Let’s smile at their tired toddlers. Let’s share the sign of peace with strangers, not just our own families.

Maybe our guests will show up again next Sunday if we show them how glad we are to welcome them.

Maybe next year they’ll be regulars along with us.

Even if they never darken the doors of our church again, if we welcome the stranger as Christ and show them a share of the love we’ve found in our parish home, then we will have celebrated Christmas well.

Fanucci, a parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, is a mother, writer and director of a project on vocations at the Collegeville Institute in Collegeville.

She is the author of several books, including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting,” and blogs at motheringspirit.com.

If you suspect abuse of a minor, your first call should be to law enforcement.

You are also encouraged to contact the archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Program at (651) 291-4475.

For confidential, compassionate assistance from an independent and professional local care provider, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, contact Canvas Health at (651) 291-4497.

DECEMBER 6, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19

CALENDAR FEATURED EVENTS Afternoon for the Arts — Dec. 9: 2:30–5 p.m. at St. Michael in Stillwater. The event is hosted by St. Croix Catholic School and will feature music and art in the church and atrium in honor of St. Cecilia, patroness of the arts. School alumni will be part of the vocal and instrumental celebration, along with members of Stillwater Area High School’s Vagabands. There also will be an event choir, children’s choir, small ensembles and soloists. The event is free, and a freewill offering will be taken for the Zach Sobiech Music and Arts Fund, which provides support for performing arts at St. Croix Catholic School. For more information, call 651-4295581, email ckiolbasa@stccs.com or visit stcroixcatholic.org.

Men’s Bible Boot Camp with Jeff Cavins — Dec. 15: 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at St. Maximilian Kolbe in Delano. Cavins, author of the “Great Adventure Bible Series,” will explain the structure of the Bible and the story of salvation history. He will talk about the heroic men of the Bible, and provide tips for making Scripture a part of daily life. Cost is $40, and includes workbook and lunch. For more information, contact Enzo Randazzo at randazzov@archspm.org or 651-429-5581, or visit archspm.org/rediscover_events.

Archbishop’s Discernment Retreat — Dec. 28-30: 6 p.m. Dec. 28 to 1 p.m. Dec. 30 at Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda will lead the retreat for men ages 18-50 who are discerning whether God may be calling them to the priesthood. Register at www.10000vocations.org. For more information, contact the archdiocesan Office of Vocations at 651-962-6890 or stpaulpriest@10000vocations.org.

partnership with Boy Scout Troop No. 132. kc1632.mnknights.org.

Dec. 9: 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at 380 E. Roselawn Ave. Maplewood. st.jerome-church.org.

Senior Christmas lunch — Dec. 18: Noon–1 p.m. at St. Richard, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield. Entertainment

by Blessed Trinity students. RSVP 612-869-2426 by Dec.12. strichards.com.

Santa breakfast — Dec. 16: 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. at St. Mary, 261 E. Eighth St., St. Paul. stmarystpaul.org.

Music Advent concert with the choirs of Chesterton Academy — Dec. 6: 7–9 p.m. at Annunciation, 509 W. 54th St., Minneapolis. Directed by Nicholas Chalmers and Caroline Metzinger with a performance by the St. Cecilia String Academy, led by virtuoso violinist Michael Sobieski. chestertonacademy.org.

Sing Christmas! A Christmas cantata — Dec. 9: 2:30–4 p.m. at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Road, Burnsville. Performances by the parish combined choirs, full orchestration and narrations. mmotc.org.

A Season of Joy ecumenical concert — Dec. 10: 7:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart, 840 Sixth St. E., St. Paul.

Featuring the Sacred Heart English and Latino choirs, the Cantibile choir, the Roseville Community Band and members of the American Orthodox, Mt. Zion Temple and St. Patrick’s Hmong and St. Casimir’s Karen choirs.

Concert is free. Collection will be taken for the Rohinga people of Myanmar, with funds sent to Catholic Relief Services. Prayer and remarks by Archbishop Bernard Hebda, with St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter also scheduled to speak. 651-271-6405.

Festival of Lessons and Carols — Dec. 14: 7–8:30 p.m. at St. Bartholomew, 630 E. Wayzata Blvd., Wayzata. Featuring the parish choir and instrumental ensemble. st-barts.org.

Lessons and Carols for Advent — Dec. 16: 4:30 p.m. at St. Agnes, 535 Thomas Ave. W., St. Paul. Performed by the St. Agnes High School Choral. churchofsaintagnes.org.

Parish events Dining out Knights of Columbus Lumberjack Breakfast — Dec. 9: 8:30 a.m.–noon at Mary Queen of Peace, St. Martin campus, 21304 Church Ave., Rogers. Benefits the church, school and community. mqpcatholic.org.

Knights of Columbus benefit breakfast — Dec. 9: 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at 1910 S. Greeley St., Stillwater. Benefit

Christ Child Luncheon — Dec. 7: 10:45 a.m.–1 p.m. at St. Ignatius, 35 Birch St. E., Annandale. All proceeds go to Birthline, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life and Cornerstone. stignatiusmn.com.

World Youth Day fundraiser — Dec. 8: 11 a.m.– 3 p.m. at St. Bernard’s Parish Center, 187 Geranium Ave. W., St. Paul. stbernardstpaul.org.

St. Jerome pancake breakfast and bake sale —

Prayer/worship Advent Adoration — Dec. 8, 15, 22: 6–8 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist, 20088 Hub Drive, New Prague.

Mass at 8:15 p.m. npcatholic.org/st-john-the-evangelist.

Advent Vespers — Dec. 9: 7 p.m. at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. guardian-angels.org.

Advent reconciliation service — Dec. 15: 10 a.m. at St. Richard, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield. strichards.com/reconciliation.

Taize prayer — Third Thursday each month: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. benedictinecenter.org.

Taize prayer — First Friday each month: 7:30 p.m. at St. Richard, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield. strichards.com.

Taize prayer — Third Friday each month: 7 p.m. at The Benedictine Center, St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road. stpaulsmonastery.org.

Retreats Advent silent retreat — Dec. 7-9 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. “The Holy Darkness, Joyful Hope” retreat is presented by Susan Stabile. kingshouse.com.

Serenity Retreat — Dec. 7-9 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake.

“The Forgotten Heart: Steps 6 and 7” presented by Father Dennis Mason is for those in recovery from addictions. franciscanretreats.net.

December men’s retreat — Dec. 14-16 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Talks on joy by Father Ron Mrozinski. franciscanretreats.net.

Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. Kay at 651-426-3103 or Al at 651-439-1203.

Singles group — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul, 9100 93rd Ave. N., Brooklyn Park. 763-425-0412.

CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. Priority is given to events occurring before the 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.

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication: uTime and date of event uFull street address of event uDescription of event u Contact information in case of questions ONLINE: thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106

Schools “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” directed

by Tracy and Karen Sattler — Dec. 7, 8, 14 and 15: 7–9:30 p.m. at Holy Family Academy, Kattar Hall, 5925 W. Lake St., St. Louis Park. Presented by Spotlight Family Theater. spotlightft.wixsite.com/shows.

All Saints Catholic School holiday craft fair — Dec. 9: 10 a.m.–3 p.m. at 19795 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville. school.allsaintschurch.com.

Speakers A poetry reading — Dec. 17: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. benedictinecenter.org.

Young adults Cathedral of St. Paul Young Adults Advent adoration and fellowship — Dec. 8, 15, 22: 10 a.m.–noon. Details at facebook.com/groups/joincya.

Other events Christmas at the Monastery — Dec. 8: 3–7 p.m. at 2675 Benet Road, St. Paul. Supports ministries of the Sisters of St. Benedict of St. Paul’s Monastery. tinyurl.com/christmasmonastery2018.

Marketplace • Message Center Classified Ads

Email: classifiedads@archspm.org • Phone: 651-290-1631 • Fax: 651-291-4460 Next issue: 12-20-18 • Deadline: 3 p.m. 12-13-18 • Rates: $8 per line (35-40 characters per line) • Add a photo/logo for $25 ACCESSIBILITY SOLUTIONS

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Strong written and oral communication skills are required. Seeking a candidate who will work independently and in coordination with the Executive Director in a full-time, work-from-home position at a competitive salary. Applicants should have a strong understanding of the Catholic faith and the needs of the poor. Please send resume and cover letter to info.gfoffice@yahoo.com.

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PRAYERS

NOTICE: Prayers must be submitted in advance. Payment of $8 per line must be received before publication.

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RELIGIOUS ITEMS Pax Enterprises Faithful Servants shirts, religious items. Call for brochure: Kaye (651) 330-9744.

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20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

DECEMBER 6, 2018

THELASTWORD

From beach to basilica

‘Sand Nativity’ brings unique style to Vatican

F

LEFT A worker sculpts an angel on a Nativity scene made entirely of sand in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Nov. 26. The 52-foot-wide sculpture is made of sand from Jesolo, an Italian seaside town near Venice.

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service rom the beach town of New Smyrna, Florida, just a stone’s throw away from Daytona Beach, Rich Varano never imagined his unique talent of sculpting sand would take him to the heart of Christianity.

Varano is the artistic director of the “Sand Nativity,” a massive 52-footwide sculpture made of sand imported from Jesolo, an Italian seaside resort town roughly 40 miles north of Venice. It will be the centerpiece of the Vatican’s annual Nativity scene on display in St. Peter’s Square.

“What does it mean for me to be here? I think, quite understandably, it’s the greatest honor there is” and certainly the biggest client he’s ever had, Varano told Catholic News Service Nov. 21.

The American artist and three other sculptors were charged with creating the intricate sculpture, which, along with a 42-foot-tall red spruce tree donated by the Diocese of ConcordiaPordenone in the northern Italian region of Veneto, is expected to be unveiled at the Vatican’s annual tree lighting ceremony Dec. 7.

Bas-relief sand sculptures, like the one to be featured in St. Peter’s Square, are a tradition in Jesolo, which, since 1998, has been the home of an annual sand sculpture festival. Varano is an accomplished sand sculptor with over 40 years’ experience, and he has organized various international sand sculpture festivals, including the Jesolo event.

His artistic journey in sand sculpting began many years before his artistry hit the sands of the Venetian resort town and, subsequently, the cobblestone square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.

“I’ve been sculpting sand since I was 6 years old,” Varano said. “My father was an amateur, and the beach where I grew up had good sand.”

Varano began as an amateur, too, “until I discovered that people would pay for it in my late 20s. And within a year, sand sculpting was the only thing I’ve been doing professionally ever since.”

The process of creating the

PHOTOS BY PAUL HARING | CNS

sculptures, however, is more than just molding and shaping sand. Unlike the sand castles vacationers often see disintegrate from a single touch or a passing wave, sand sculptures are made durable enough to even withstand light rain through a process of compression.

The sand, which was delivered from Jesolo to St. Peter’s Square in massive trucks, is mixed with water and compressed into layers of blocks stacked on top of one another.

Varano said that this process allows for the sculpture to last “indefinitely as long as it wants to be left on display.”

The “Sand Nativity” scene will remain in St. Peter’s Square until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord Jan. 13.

“It’s like a tiered cake going upward, and when you get to the top, you’re finished,” Varano said. “Then it can be sculpted immediately; it’s suitable to carve right away.”

Unlike sculpting harder materials like marble, which artists can work on at any given part, sand sculpting begins from the top. The artists must ensure their artwork is finished before continuing downward.

“You don’t carve something below first because if you try to go above, it affects what’s below. So, it’s a process, like a scanning, from the top down.”

Another important aspect, he added, is the composition of the sand, which needs to hold enough moisture to

allow it to be sculpted and, subsequently, “stay in its shape and dry like a mud pie in the sun.”

“Really, the only difference that separates us as professionals and people that play on the beach doing it is that we understand the basics of why sand sticks or, more importantly, why it doesn’t stick,” Varano explained.

Of the 20 artists he works with creating sand sculptures at the annual Jesolo Sand Festival, Varano selected three of his top sculptors not just for their talent, but also “for their ability to work well together, [which] is kind of critical.”

“This piece is over 700 tons but, with 15 days, it still needs to be done in a way that everyone can work productively and stay out of each other’s way and help each other,” he said. “So, this team is very well versed in that; they’re used to working with each other, not just here in Italy, but around the world. So, it’s a good fit.”

Varano and his team have created sand Nativity scenes for the past 17 years in Jesolo, which allowed them to flesh out more elaborate pieces that told various stories, such as “a day in the life in Bethlehem,” ending with the “crescendo piece” of Christ’s birth.

However, the sand art piece in St. Peter’s Square will feature the “basic, iconic and traditional scene” complete with “the angel with Jesus,

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BELOW Sand sculptor Rich Varano is pictured as early work progresses on the sand sculpture Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Nov. 21.

Joseph and Mary, and then the three kings on one side, the [shepherd] and the sheep on the other side and, of course, the donkey and the ox,” he said.

Nevertheless, for Varano, the intricate planning and subsequent labor that goes into creating one of the most unique art pieces to be featured in St. Peter’s Square is worth the effort.

“A lot of expense goes [into] it to bring joy to people. To be able to do the kind of work that we do that is joyful for us and brings joy to others, it can’t be beat,” Varano said. “And to do it in a place like this, there really aren’t words to convey how special it is.”

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