The Catholic Spirit - March 28, 2013

Men’s Conference draws more than 1,600

4A March 28, 2013

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An angel appears at the empty tomb of Christ on Easter morning in “He Is Not Here,” a painting by contemporary Chinese Christian artist He Qi. Easter, the feast of the Resurrection, is March 31.

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MARCH 28, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Church has right, duty to offer witness in public square Earlier this month, I prepared the following remarks for 21 Catholic legislators at our State Capitol, engaging them in a dialogue of why the Catholic Church must have a place in the public forum on topics of political and moral consequence:

That They May All Be One Archbishop John C. Nienstedt

The Church must be free to fulfill its mission without sacrificing its fundamental teachings or moral principles

“My dear legislators, thank you for joining us here this afternoon. Our intention in hosting this forum is to provide both of us an opportunity to understand and, subsequently, to appreciate better the respective roles we share in the public forum.

“Last Wednesday, the StarTribune, which has not always had a favorable opinion of the Catholic Church, ran an article on me. It reported on how I had been called to jury duty here in Ramsey County. It also pointed out how I did not seek to be excused from this duty because of my duties or responsibilities. In fact, it even claimed that I embodied one of the seven heavenly virtues, that of patience, as I sat hour after hour waiting to be called to serve.

“Here, as elsewhere in the political process, there was no appeal on my part to the principle of the separation of church vs. state. As an active, involved citizen, informed by my faith, I chose to do my duty before God and country.

“As Americans, we are grateful to live in a nation that encourages us to engage in public discourse and

The Catholic Spirit

The Catholic Spirit’s mission is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

It seeks to inform, educate, evangelize and foster a spirit of community within the Catholic Church by disseminating news in a professional manner and serving as a forum for discussion of contemporary issues.

Archbishop’s schedule ■ Friday, March 29: 9 a.m., St. Paul, Planned Parenthood facility: Annual Good Friday vigil.

3 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Celebration of the Lord’s Passion.

■ Saturday, March 30: 8 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Easter Vigil.

■ Sunday, March 31: 9:30 a.m., Minneapolis, Basilica of St. Mary: Easter Liturgy.

■ Sunday, April 7: 10:30 a.m., St. Paul Park, Church of St. Thomas Aquinas: Sunday Liturgy.

■ Monday, April 8: noon, St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Lunch with the religious superior of the Guadalupan Sisters.

4 p.m., West St. Paul, NET Ministries: NET board of directors meeting.

■ Tuesday, April 9: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Scheduling meeting with staff.

9:30 a.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Archbishop’s Cabinet meeting.

1 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Presbyteral Council meeting.

3:30 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Meeting of College of Consultors.

4:30 p.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: CSA deanery representatives’ report meeting.

■ Wednesday, April 10: 9 a.m., New Brighton, Church of St. John the Baptist: Archdiocesan clergy study day.

6 p.m., St. Paul, Town and Country Club: Catholic Community Foundation dinner honoring retirement of president, Dr. Marilou Eldred.

■ Thursday, April 11: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Planning for “lectio divina” at the University of St. Thomas.

5:30 p.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Dinner with The St. Paul Seminary Theology III class.

contribute to policy decisions aimed at serving the common good.

Catholics specifically enjoy a unique heritage and a rich development of teaching with regard to human life, marriage and family, justice and peace, and good stewardship.

“Thus, as both faithful Catholics and faithful citizens, we enjoy the

same rights and duties as others in furthering our public efforts. Moreover, the Church and her institutions must be free to fulfill their mission and to collaborate with public authorities without pressure or sacrifice to her fundamental teachings or moral principles.

“Access to the basic necessities of

life, adequate health care, gun violence, economic injustice and the recent debate over religious freedom are conversations our sons and daughters are having around every kitchen table.

“Bound by the common destiny we share, obstacles to human flourishing are profoundly challenging to us precisely because they are fundamentally moral matters. Improving social conditions for the family depends upon a greater emphasis on the roles of charity, justice and faithful citizenship. We hope that today’s meeting with you, our elected officials, will help to explain our understanding of the Church’s role in civil affairs.

“The Church is not ours. She belongs to God. Christ, the Savior of mankind, tells us that the two greatest commandments are to love God with all our hearts, souls and minds, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

“Charity, the divine virtue of love, consists in loving God above all other things, even if, at times, our devotion to Him pits us against the public opinion of the society in which we live. In and out of season we love our neighbor because we love God, who first loved us. Aspiring to cultivate our neighbor’s happiness is manifest in following the will of God and PLEASE TURN TO FOR ON PAGE 22A

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Vol. 18 — No. 7 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT Publisher SARAH MEALEY Associate publisher JOE TOWALSKI Editor Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by Catholic Spirit Publishing Company.

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“Every Christian is called to be an evangelist.”

Archbishop John Nienstedt, in his pastoral letter, “I believed, therefore I spoke” on the new evangelization

Local News from around the archdiocese

MARCH 28, 2013

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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New evangelization efforts bring new life to Minneapolis parish

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Rogelio Aguilar, left, and Katy O’Brien of St. Stephen in Minneapolis greet Chris Fisher at a bus stop on Hennepin Avenue in the Uptown area of Minneapolis March 23 as part of the parish Easter Mission, in which missionaries go out on the streets to evangelize in the nearby neighborhoods.

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

It was Christmas Eve in 2008 and Father Joseph Williams, the new pastor of St. Stephen in Minneapolis, was getting ready to celebrate Mass.

Snow was gently falling outside, seeming to create the perfect mood for celebrating the birth of Jesus.

But there was a problem — no worshippers.

“We’re in the sacristy,” Father Williams recalled. “The

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deacon [Deacon Luis Rubi], as he was vesting, looks out and he says, ‘Father, would you like me to be the deacon or the congregation?’ There was nobody in the church, except for our administrator, who came out of retirement to play the piano.”

The church had fallen on hard times, and despite intensive efforts by its new shepherd, membership took a nosedive. Father Williams had been brought in by Archbishop Harry Flynn in the spring of 2008 to try and revitalize this inner-city parish.

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He had dialogue with a small but fervent group of parishioners, explaining that he was asked to take the parish in a new direction. After many conversations with them, most decided to leave.

Father Williams sought advice from Archbishop John Nienstedt, who had just succeeded Archbishop Flynn.

Father Williams was both comforted and inspired by what his new pastoral leader told him in a one-on-one PLEASE TURN TO MINNEAPOLIS ON PAGE 18A

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MARCH 28, 2013

Some 1,700 men gather for prayer, inspiration

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

As Archbishop John Nienstedt looked out over the audience at the annual Archdiocesan Men’s Conference March 16 at the University of St. Thomas, he was humbled by what he saw — all 1,600 chairs filled and about 100 more men standing.

He was the final speaker in an actionand faith-packed morning, which kicked off with Mass at 8 a.m. and was followed by three speakers — Raymond de Souza, director of evangelization and apologetics for the Diocese of Winona, Glenn Caruso, head football coach at the University of St. Thomas, and the archbishop.

“It’s an exciting time to be a Catholic,” said Jim Lodoen of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, who was there with his newly-married son, John, and noted that the conference came just days after the election of Pope Francis. “It’s a real important time for the Church.”

By the time the archbishop walked up to the podium to give his remarks and final blessing, it was almost lunch time. But, by then, the men had been fed spiritually, and the archbishop gave them a final offering of inspiration and encouragement. He zeroed in on fatherhood and laid out a vision for what that looks like for men of faith.

“Being made in the image and likeness of God, we learn what it means to be a good earthly father by mirroring those attributes that we find in Jesus’ description of the heavenly Father,” the archbishop said.

“These fatherly characteristics at their core are what anchors our masculinity, defining for us what it means to be a man. For whether we are biological fathers or not, we definitely become better men by striving to live those elements of fatherhood that we find in God. If God is Father, then it follows that fathers ought to be God-like.”

Archbishop John Nienstedt visits with Karl Skogan, right, and his sons Elliott, second from right, a student at UST, and Paul, 16, during the breakfast break at the annual Archdiocesan Men’s Conference March 16. The Skogans are members of St. Jude of the Lake in Mahtomedi.

Right, University of St. Thomas football coach Glenn Caruso speaks about the influence of the men in his life and the importance of family.

Below, Archbishop Nienstedt talks with a participant during the breakfast break.

Photos by Dianne Towalski

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Leo Avenido and his son Ryan, 14, members of St. Joseph in Rosemount, pray during the conference.

“The message today was to be bold. Father [Bill] Baer’s homily during Mass focused on how Christ was fighting the leaders every step of the way. And, why should we think that we as Christians should have an easier role?

There’s always going to be challenges to our faith, and the teachings of our faith, by our government and our other [civic] leaders.

We just have to continue to fight the good fight.

That’s what I see as the real importance of the men’s conference. It’s always a real inspiring conference.”

Jim Lodoen Holy Family, St. Louis Park

“Mass was fantastic, the speakers are excellent. It’s wonderful to have all the seminarians here, and certainly to have our archbishop here. I think the topics that are being discussed are very pertinent to what’s going on in our culture and in our lives. It’s very encouraging to see all these other men here at this conference together, sharing this experience, to become stronger in our faith and fire us back up again to try to be good Catholics.”

Pat Spencer St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park

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“I was just blown away to walk in and to see standingroom only. I understand 1,600 chairs were set up.

There must be at least 1,700 men here this morning. . . . One reason that I came here this morning is I want to be with other men to re-confirm my own vocation.”

Todd Flanders Headmaster, Providence Academy, Plymouth

“

“Father {Bill] Baer gave the homily about this is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s good for 1,700 guys to hear that message, to hear that they’re not going to be able to do this race alone by themselves, that they’re going to need the 1,699 other guys to help them in the race. Together, we can evangelize the world and really bring our faith to the world. It’s a very powerful message.”

Tom Miller St. Joseph, West St. Paul

“I really liked [University of St. Thomas football] Coach [Glenn] Caruso’s points about trying to change the culture of entitlement that we live in, and just embrace the struggles and the thorns of life because everybody’s going to have them at some point. You can’t just ignore them, you have to embrace it and learn from those thorns.”

John Lodoen (Jim’s son) Transfiguration, Oakdale

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MARCH 28, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Town hall meetings to address proposed capital campaign The Catholic Spirit The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has announced it is conducting a comprehensive feasibility study to determine support for an archdiocesan capital campaign that would ensure ongoing support for key ministry efforts in parishes, schools and throughout the archdiocese.

The study, which runs through June, includes a series of town hall meetings open to all Catholics of the archdiocese. Attendees will hear a brief presentation about the proposed campaign and have an opportunity to share opinions and ask questions. (See list of meeting times and locations at right.)

“I encourage parishioners to attend one of the town hall meetings taking place over the next few months to share their input and learn more about this historic opportunity for us to move forward as a local Church united in faith, hope and love,” Archbishop John Nienstedt said.

Supporting vital ministries The campaign proposes to raise $165 million to support six ministry areas: ■ Strengthening parishes: The campaign would help to revitalize and renew parish life as the center of our faith and community. Fifty percent of all funds raised up to the parish goal — and 100 percent of monies raised over the parish goal — would remain at the parish to fund current and future ministry efforts and provide potential financial resources to expand the ministries.

■ Preparing the next generation of Catholic leaders: The campaign would provide added support for the following areas: • Catholic school students and teachers: The archdiocese recently developed a comprehensive vision and plan that identified areas in which new investment is needed to strengthen local Catholic schools. The new Aim Higher marketing program and Aim Higher Foundation were established to address these areas of need. The campaign would help to build an endowment for the Aim Higher Foundation to increase the level of need-based financial support for families who desire a Catholic education for their children but cannot afford it. It would raise up new leaders and train current leaders to be visionary and skilled school managers, and make grants for new and innovative programs to enhance academic excellence.

• Youth and young adults: The archdiocese is committed to helping youth grow in a vibrant faith that will bear fruit in their personal lives and their leadership. In turn, this will have a powerful influence in the Church and society both today and in the culture of tomorrow. The campaign would increase the funds available to support youth and young adult initiatives at the archdiocesan, regional and deanery levels.

• College seminarian formation: The campaign would increase the amount of permanent scholarship assistance available to faithfully and fully prepare seminarians at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul.

• Lay and clergy formation; vocations: The campaign would make possible the establishment of a permanent

Mark your calendar: Town Hall meeting dates and locations set ■ April 2, 7-8:30 p.m., St. John the Baptist, 835 2nd Ave. NW, New Brighton ■ April 4, 7-8:30 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake, 4690 Bald Eagle Ave., White Bear Lake ■ April 10, 7-8:30 p.m., St. Wenceslaus, 215 Main St E., New Prague ■ April 11, 7-8:30 p.m., Holy Name of Jesus, 155 County Rd 24, Wayzata

■ Preserving our co-cathedrals: The campaign would help complete restoration and repair projects for the 100year-old Cathedral of St. Paul. It would provide a preservation fund for its future care and proper maintenance, so that it may continue to serve the people of the archdiocese for principal celebrations of the liturgical year as well as confirmations, ordinations and other major events.

The campaign would also help renovate and restore the Basilica of St. Mary, built more than 100 years ago.

This beautiful and historic landmark is a place where all are welcome, and it also serves as a center for the arts and a place of refuge for the poor.

The Basilica community continues its commitment to the growth and social well-being of the city of Minneapolis.

■ Caring for the elderly: The campaign would enhance the pension plan to care for retired priests of the archdiocese who have served the faithful during their active ministry, and it would guarantee future security for active priests. It would provide new funds to collaborate with parishes on providing solutions to chronic needs, like helping seniors pay for affordable housing, and provide for care coordinators to connect seniors to pastoral care and services so they can stay home longer and safer.

■ April 24, 7-8:30 p.m., Our Lady of Grace, 5071 Eden Ave., Edina ■ April 30, 7-8:30 p.m., Our Lady of Guadalupe, 401 Concord St., St. Paul ■ May 1, 7-8:30 p.m., St. John Neumann, 4030 Pilot Knob Rd., Eagan ■ May 8, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., St. Olaf, 215 South 8th St., Minneapolis ■ May 9, 5:30 -7 p.m., The Hayden Center, 328 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul Each town hall meeting will include a brief presentation, followed by questions and answers.

Attendees will be asked to complete a survey at the end of the evening. Those who would like to attend should RSVP to ensure there is proper space to accommodate everyone and the necessary materials on hand. Please call Colleen Thuente at (651) 291-4531, or RSVP via email to: THUENTEC@ARCHSPM.ORG.

fund in the Center for Formation at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity that will train lay catechists, provide continuing education for priests in their first six years of ministry, increase formation programs for permanent deacons, and increase the Office of Vocations’ ability to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

■ Supporting Catholic Charities: Catholic Charities cares for tens of thousands of people in need in the Twin Cities by providing safety and stability for children, food, housing and services for the homeless as well as support for immigrants, refugees and low-income seniors. The campaign would increase the level of archdiocesan support for these efforts, which would allow Catholic Charities to expand its reach and provide more opportunities for those most in need.

■ Fostering Latino ministries and programs: The campaign would increase the funds currently available to provide pastoral ministry and sacramental preparation (including new Latino biblical and catechetical institutes) to serve the spiritual and material needs of the growing Latino population.

Result of visioning process The proposed goals are the result of a four-year visioning process, the archdiocese said. In 2009, Archbishop Nienstedt began a conversation with pastors and parish leaders to assess the vitality and sustainability of parishes and schools in the local Church, with the goal of ensuring the archdiocese has the firm foundation it needs to fulfill its mission of Christian discipleship for generations to come.

To that end, in 2010, a comprehensive strategic plan was developed to meet the needs and priorities that surfaced from planning meetings held with Catholics throughout the archdiocese.

Since that time, significant progress has been made toward the desired outcomes of the strategic plan, the archdiocese said.

Over the last few years, conversations with clergy and lay leadership have provided guidance about how to ensure ongoing support for key initiatives that are being implemented in parishes, schools and throughout the archdiocese.

This has led the archdiocese to consider a partnership capital campaign as a way to further invest in the core ways the local Church fulfills its mission of loving and serving God and neighbor.

National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima to tour archdiocese

By Kristi Anderson For The Catholic Spirit

When Father Gregory Abbott, pastor of St. Bernard, Cologne, and Church of the Ascension, Norwood-Young America, found out that the National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima would be touring the archdiocese, he was one of the first priests to offer to host it.

“It is a good thing to do,” he said. “As a new pastor, I need all the help I can get and this gives us another way to be intentional about our prayer.”

The statue was blessed by Pope Paul VI and given to America by the Bishop of Fatima in 1967. It has been entrusted to the World Apostolate of Fatima to travel

throughout the United States and its territories as if on a pilgrimage, spreading the message of Fatima to the American people.

Father Abbott uses one word to explain what he hopes will come from the statue’s visit.

“Conversion,” he said, “Conversion to Jesus Christ. We are not a special case here, we all need to love the Lord more. Since she is the one that loved Jesus the most, she can teach us to love Jesus more.”

The tour The tour kicks off on April 6 at St. Joseph in West St. Paul during the World Apostolate of Fatima Marian Congress, “A Time for Faith-A Time for ‘Fiat,’” featuring

keynote speaker, Bishop Lee Piché. It will then travel to approximately 25 parishes and schools throughout the month of April.

The statue will arrive at St. Bernard on April 10 and spend the day there from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with eucharistic adoration all day.

Bill Sockey, the National Custodian of the Statue for the World Apostolate of Fatima USA, will accompany the statue to each parish. He will present informational talks throughout the day to both adult and youth faith formation groups.

“Blessed Pope John Paul II thought that the statue was so important to help us in creating a personal devotion to the Eu-

charist through the rosary and reconciliation,” Sockey said.

“During the tour, we ask people to prayerfully make a commitment to pray the angel prayer and make a morning offering as reparation for the sins of our country,” he said. More than 40,000 people have made this commitment in just three years.

While the statue is present, Father Abbot invites everyone to pray the rosary at noon and the divine chaplet at 3 p.m.

“There will also be much time for silent prayer in the company of Mary,” said Father Abbot. “We are blessed to have this PLEASE TURN TO KIDS ON PAGE 21A

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MARCH 28, 2013

Msgr. Boxleitner was ‘tireless advocate for the poor’

By Dianne Towalski The Catholic Spirit

Msgr. J. Jerome Boxleitner, former head of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, devoted his life to bringing hope to the hopeless. No matter who it was or what challenges they were facing, the man known simply as “Box” to his friends was a constant source of care and support.

“Whether it was kids at St. Joseph’s [Home for Children] who had lost hope, whether it was alcoholics who were dying or inmates at ‘the slammer,’ whom he visited on a weekly basis, on a one-on-one basis Box brought hope and love to as many of the hopeless as he could connect with,” said Brian Short, a former Catholic Charities board chair who worked closely with the priest.

Msgr. Boxleitner died March 14 at the age of 82.

“Box was a great guy who did wonderful things for countless people, both in his role as an agency head but also in his role as a chaplain, as a priest,” Short said. “I will miss him every day as will those who are on the margins of society.”

Making a difference

Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities

Msgr. Boxleitner was born in St. Paul in 1931, attended St. Paul Seminary and was ordained in 1956.

He served at Holy Name in Minneapolis for five years before leaving to pursue graduate studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Upon completing a master’s degree in social work in 1963, he became director

Msgr. Jerome Boxleitner with children at St. Joseph's Home for Children in Minneapolis.

of Catholic Welfare Services of Minneapolis.

“We know that [in 1977] Box took four struggling agencies here in the archdiocese and consolidated them, gave them a new vision and transformed the way services would be provided to the poor — with

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dignity, respect and in the most professional way possible. He succeeded in building an agency which locally commanded great credibility and which nationally is still seen as a leader, creative and cuttingedge,” Father Larry Snyder, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

and president of Catholic Charities USA, said in his homily during the funeral Mass.

Msgr. Boxleitner would go on to lead the agency for the next 21 years, retiring in 1998.

Under his leadership Catholic Charities grew to an organization of more than 600 employees and more than 12,000 volunteers.

“He was not a manager — although he was always prepared to make tough decisions. He was a leader,” Short said. “He articulated the mission of Catholic Charities clearly and forcefully — to serve the poor. Whether the program was designed to help them transition out of poverty or was simply designed to help those on the street find some comfort now, all were important.”

Msgr. Boxleitner lived on the campus of St. Joseph’s Home for Children during his tenure at Catholic Charities. He ate breakfast there and usually had a line of kids wanting to talk to him.

According to Short, he almost never got through the morning paper. “It was important to Box that throughout his life he dealt with individuals one-on-one,” he said.

Father Snyder, who succeeded Msgr Boxleitner as head of Catholic Charities in the archdiocese before moving to the national office said “it is Matthew 25 that perhaps best defines Box’s life and priorities. His faith, his ministry was totally focused on the corporal works of mercy.”

PLEASE TURN TO PRIEST ON PAGE 23A

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MARCH 28, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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MN Catholic Conference files friend-of-court brief in HHS case

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

Arguing that a U.S. District Court did not have the authority to determine Church teaching and that it misapplied a federal law protecting religious freedom, the Minnesota bishops have filed a friendof-the-court brief in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals supporting two local Catholic businessmen’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over its contraception mandate.

“The Catholic bishops of Minnesota filed this brief to stand in solidarity with apFor more pellants, who are bravely contesting the on the HHS legality of an unwise mandate, and unjust policy,” see page said Jason Adkins, executive director and 10A general counsel of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the Church’s public policy voice in Minnesota which supports the ministry of the state’s bishops.

In a suit filed in November, Stuart Lind and Tom Janas are seeking exemption from the HHS mandate, a part of the Affordable Care Act — which requires all for-profit businesses to provide and pay for health coverage for contraceptives, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs for their employees — because it violates their Catholic beliefs.

The District Court denied Lind’s motion for temporary relief from the mandate so he could continue offering health insurance to employees at his medical device company, Annex Medical, while the case was pending. Among its arguments, the court determined that the requirement did not represent a “substantial burden”

“We think these laws create what we call a

chilling effect on the exercise of religion and following the dictates of one’s conscience.

”

JASON ADKINS Minnesota Catholic Conference

on Lind’s beliefs.

The Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision in February and granted Lind the temporary exemption until the case is decided, probably this summer or fall, said attorney Erick Kaardal of the Minneapolis-based firm Mohrman & Kaardal, P.A., who with ActRight Legal Foundation of Indiana, is representing the two men in the case.

Protecting religious liberty The MCC brief, one of several efforts U.S. bishops are making nationwide to reverse the mandate, clarifies their role in determining Church teaching and seeks to proactively support the laity and protect freedom of religion, which may continue to be threatened in the future, Adkins said.

The federal courts do not have the “responsibility to play moral theologian and decide whether a particular tenet of Catholic belief is important or not,” he said.

The MCC argues that the court erred in applying the Religious Freedom Restoration Act’s substantial burden test in determining whether the mandate violated Lind’s and Janas’ free exercise of religion.

According to the RFRA test, the mandate does put substantial pressure on the Catholic businesses to violate their beliefs, the MCC said.

It also argues that the government has no compelling interest in requiring Lind’s and Janas’ compliance with the mandate.

According to the brief: “This subtle, yet radical, transformation of the substantial burden analysis . . . into a judicial exploration of moral theology runs contrary to black-letter law.”

The brief is helpful to Lind’s and Janas’ case because it reflects agreement on the Church’s social teaching — part of the reason they didn’t prevail in the lower court, Kaardal said. It also shows that the bishops are not separating from their flock even if the government has tried to separate them by offering only churches exemption from the mandate, he said.

The bishops’ brief shows the laity that the bishops support them and that they’re taking action, Adkins said.

“We think these laws create what we call a chilling effect on the exercise of religion and following the dictates of one’s conscience,” he said. “We hope to encourage folks that the bishops will in fact stand with them. The bishops aren’t just talking on a theoretical plain about religious freedom. They’re taking practical steps to do things about it.”

Friend-of-the-court briefs supporting plaintiffs and appellants in lawsuits against the HHS mandate have been filed on behalf of eight other dioceses around

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the country and the Indiana Catholic Conference by the Jones Day law firm, which filed the MCC’s brief.

CAT H O L I C C HAR I T I E S

of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Around the country Showing support for for-profit employers, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston wrote in an August letter to Congress, “In effect, if an organization is ‘for profit,’ it is not allowed to be ‘for’ anything else. The owners who have imbued their companies with faith-based commitments to employee well-being, community service and social responsibility strongly disagree.”

In another Minnesota HHS mandate case, the owner of a St. Joseph, Minn., manufacturing company is waiting to find out if a District Court will grant him relief from the mandate while he waits for an outcome in his case, Kaardal said.

Also, a federal judge in Michigan granted relief from enforcement of the mandate in a suit brought by Tom Monaghan, founder and former owner of Domino’s Pizza, and his property management company. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Missouri struck down part of a Missouri law protecting conscience rights of those who object to the mandate.

In addition, the U.S. bishops are supporting conscience protection legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senate voted down similar legislation last week.

Lind’s and Janas’ case is among many current threats to religious liberty, and Adkins said it could have a ripple effect on future cases.

“We need to be working in the courts and in the legislatures to proactively be protecting religious liberty or any new types of violations that may occur down the road,” he said.

“We’re brothers.”

Pope Francis, declining Pope Benedict’s invitation to take the front pew as they knelt side by side to pray March 23 at the papal summer villa

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Nation/World THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

News from around the U.S. and the globe

Pope says Christ’s passion leads to joy

By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service

Pope Francis celebrated his first Palm Sunday Mass as pope March 24, telling an overflow crowd in St. Peter’s Square that Christ’s death on the cross is a source of eternal consolation and joy.

Catholic News Service

As he has done with striking frequency since his election March 13, Pope Francis warned against the action of the devil, who he said comes to discourage believers in times of trouble, “often disguised as an angel who insidiously tells us his word.

Do not listen to him.”

“Jesus does not enter the Holy City to receive the honors reserved to earthly kings, to the powerful, to rulers; he enters to be scourged, insulted and abused,” Pope Francis said. “His royal throne is the wood of the cross.”

“Jesus takes upon himself the evil, the filth, the sin of the world, including our own sin,” the pope said, “and he cleanses it, he cleanses it with his blood, with the mercy and the love of God.” “Christ’s cross embraced with love does not lead to sadness, but to joy,” he said.

Pope Francis characteristically strayed from his prepared text in a personal aside when deploring the sin of greed, adding that money is something “no one can bring with him.

My grandmother would say to us children, ‘No shroud has pockets.’”

Rio trip confirmed Noting that “for 28 years Palm Sunday has been World Youth Day,” the pope told young people in the congregation that “you bring us the joy of faith, and you tell us that we must live the faith with a young heart, always, even at the age of 70 or 80.”

Pope Francis confirmed that he would attend the July 2013 World Youth Day celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, saying, “I will see you in that great city in Brazil.”

Though the announcement was widely expected, it drew applause from the crowd in the square and the avenue beyond.

Before the Mass, young people carrying woven palm fronds led a procession that included bishops, cardinals and Pope Francis in the popemobile.

Marriage law cases get hearing at Supreme Court

By Patricia Zapor

“A Christian can never be sad. Never give way to discouragement,” the pope said in his homily, assuring listeners that with Jesus, “We are never alone, even at difficult moments, even at difficult moments when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them.”

Recalling Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem, acclaimed as a king only days before his crucifixion, the pope stressed the otherworldly nature of Christ’s reign.

MARCH 28, 2013

CNS photo / L'Osservatore Romano via Reuters

Pope Francis embraces emeritus Pope Benedict XVI at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, March 23. Pope Francis travelled by helicopter from the Vatican to Castel Gandolfo for a private meeting with the retired pontiff before the beginning of Holy Week.

Francis to live in Vatican guesthouse Catholic News Service Pope Francis has decided not to move into the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, but to live in a suite in the Vatican guesthouse where he has been since the beginning of the conclave that elected him, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

“He is experimenting with this type of living arrangement, which is simple,” but allows him “to live in community with others,” both the permanent residents — priests and bishops who work at the Vatican — as well as guests coming to the Vatican for meetings and conferences, Father Lombardi said March 26.

The spokesman said Pope Francis has moved out of the room he drew by lot before the conclave and into Suite 201, a room that has slightly more elegant furnishings and a larger living room where he can receive guests.

The Domus Sanctae Marthae, the official name of the guesthouse, was built in 1996 specifically to house cardinals during a conclave.

Celebrating Mass March 26 with the residents and guests, Pope Francis told them he intended to stay, Father Lombardi said. The permanent residents, who had to move out during the conclave, had just returned to their old rooms.

Pope Francis has been there since his election March 13, taking his meals in the common dining room downstairs and celebrating a 7 a.m. Mass with Vatican employees in the main chapel of the residence.

He will be the first pope in 110 years not to live in the papal apartments on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace.

Pope to lead full slate of Holy Week, Easter liturgies The Vatican confirmed Pope Francis will lead a full slate of Holy Week and Easter liturgies in Rome and at the Vatican, keeping pace with a usually busy papal schedule.

The Vatican republished the pope’s program March 25. The only major change was the new pope’s recent decision to celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper in a Rome juvenile detention facility rather than in St. Peter’s Basilica.

He will wash the feet of some of the young detainees.

On Good Friday, he will celebrate the liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica in the late afternoon, and then will lead a nighttime Way of the Cross at Rome’s Colosseum.

On Holy Saturday, Pope Francis will preside over the Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica. On Easter, March 31, he will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Square and give his blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city of Rome and the world).

— Catholic News Service

The legal question of the constitutionality of California’s law banning same-sex marriage may take a back seat to consideration of whether the time is “ripe” for a national-level ruling, suggested the Supreme Court justices’ questioning in the first of two major marriage cases being heard the last week of March.

In oral arguments March 26 in Hollingsworth v. Perry, the justices first asked each of the three attorneys making presentations to weigh in about whether the group of people appealing a federal judge’s decision overturning Proposition 8 has the legal standing to do so.

Prop 8 is being defended in court not by the California governor or attorney general, who declined to appeal, but by those who put the amendment on the ballot.

Much of the questioning revolved around whether the country has had sufficient time to consider same-sex marriage and study how such marriages affect society and particularly how they affect children.

Same-sex marriage hasn’t even been a part of society as long as cellphones and the Internet, noted Justice Samuel Alito. It’s too soon to know whether the effect of same-sex marriage is good or not, he told Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr., who argued on behalf of the federal government that the voter-approved California law should be overturned. The U.S. government’s position is that because California extends domestic partnership benefits to same-sex couples, it is unconstitutional to prevent them from going the additional step and marrying.

Charles Cooper, the attorney for those who want Prop 8 reinstated, argued that the court should uphold the law because it represents the will of the majority of California voters. The national debate over same-sex marriage should be allowed to continue without the government stepping in to overrule a state’s voters.

The case was brought by two California couples who were denied marriage licenses after the state’s voters in 2008 approved a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. The law was passed after the state Supreme Court ruled earlier that year that statutes banning same-sex marriage were unconstitutional.

After a federal District Court judge found that Prop 8 served no legitimate purpose and violates due process and PLEASE TURN TO JUSTICES ON PAGE 9A

Nation/World

MARCH 28, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Justices also hearing arguments regarding Defense of Marriage Act

Rallying for marriage

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8A

CNS photo / Matthew Barrick

Robert Stone from Springfield, Mo., and his daughter, Miracle, attend the March for Marriage rally in Washington, D.C., March 26. Thousands of people who gathered in support of traditional marriage took their message to the U.S. Supreme Court as they walked and held aloft placards objecting to same-sex marriage.

equal protection rights of same-sex couples to marry, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 ruling upheld that conclusion, although on a narrower legal finding.

The Supreme Court is weighing two separate issues: whether the supporters who appealed have the legal standing to challenge it in court, and secondarily, whether the amendment violates the Constitution.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was among those who filed “amicus” or friend-of-the-court briefs.

It urged the court to uphold Prop 8, arguing that although the Supreme Court “has held that laws forbidding private, consensual, homosexual conduct between adults lack a rational basis, it does not follow that the government has a constitutional duty to encourage or endorse such conduct.

Thus, governments may legitimately decide to further the interests of opposite-sex unions only.”

The USCCB brief argues that because the union between a man and a woman is “the only union capable of creating new life,” therefore “given both the unique capacity for reproduction and unique value of homes with a mother and father, it is reasonable for a state to treat the union of one man and one woman as having a public value that is absent from other in-

timate interpersonal relationships.”

On March 27 (after this edition of The Catholic Spirit went to press), the court was to hear arguments in a second case raising different legal issues about same-sex marriage. The justices are considering the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage for U.S. government purposes as between one man and one woman.

Challenge from New York That case takes up the 1996 law known as DOMA that was passed by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton defining marriage as between one man and one woman for the federal government’s purposes, such as for Social Security benefits, federal programs, and federal estate and income taxes.

The law is being challenged by a New York woman who inherited her wife’s estate upon her death and had to pay $363,000 in federal estate taxes.

Had her spouse been male, she would have been exempted from that tax.

The USCCB also was among those who filed a friend of the court brief in the DOMA case. It said there is “no fundamental right to marry a person of the same sex. . . . Specifically, civil recognition of same-sex relationships is not deeply rooted in the nation’s history and tradition — quite the opposite is true.”

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

From the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

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This Catholic Life THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Opinion, feedback and points to ponder

MARCH 28, 2013

USCCB: Mandate still violates religious freedom Catholic News Service New proposed regulations governing the contraceptive mandate under the Affordable Care Act continue to violate basic principles of religious freedom, said the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In comments filed March 20 with the Department of Health and Human Services, the USCCB raised a series of concerns, among them being that the new proposals keep in place “an unjust and unlawful mandate” regarding the provision of contraceptive and other pregnancy services and that the rules provide no exemption, or accommodation, for “most stakeholders in the health insurance process, such as individual employees and for-profit employers,” who are morally opposed to such coverage.

Other objections raised in the comments include: ■ An “unreasonable and unlawfully narrow” exemption for some nonprofit religious organizations, primarily houses of worship.

■ Limited accommodation for religious employers that continues to require those employers falling outside of the government’s definition to “fund or facilitate objectionable coverage.”

Same concerns The comments state that the concerns being raised are the same as those addressed when the rules governing the Affordable Care Act were first proposed in 2011.

The 24-page statement was filed during the 60-day comment period established

by Health and Human Services after it introduced the new proposed rules Feb. 1.

The deadline for comments is April 8.

The comments were filed on behalf of the USCCB by Anthony Picarello, associate general secretary and general counsel, and Michael Moses, associate general counsel.

The rules are expected to be finalized this summer. Institutions are required to provide coverage by August.

The USCCB position is built around a series of legal arguments stemming largely from decisions in earlier court cases.

The document said that the contraceptive mandate remains unchanged and presented the USCCB position again that it should be rescinded.

“Contraceptives and sterilization procedures, unlike other mandated ‘preventive services,’ do not ‘prevent’ disease,” the document said. “Instead they disrupt the healthy functioning of the human reproductive system.”

The USCCB argued that the contraceptive mandate requires the coverage of abortifacient drugs and devices in violation of various aspects of the Affordable Care Act dealing with abortion coverage and the non-pre-emption of state law as well as other laws. Such concerns are separate from religious freedom issues, the

“The government’s proposed definition of religious employer still reduces religious freedom to freedom of worship by limiting the exemption almost exclusively to houses of worship.

”

U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS

comments said.

The document also contended the new proposed rules offer no exemption, or accommodation, for “the overwhelming majority” of individuals and institutions who object to contraceptive coverage on

religious or moral grounds.

“Those without exemption or accommodation include conscientiously-opposed individuals, for-profit employers (whether secular or religious), nonprofit employers that are not explicitly religious

organizations (even in cases where their objection is religious in nature), insurers and third-party administrators. Respect for their consciences demands some adequate legal protection, but under the current proposed regulation they have none,” the USCCB told the government.

The document acknowledged that the religious employer exemption in the new proposed rules was “improved slightly” in one area, but was “worsened” in another.

The first version of proposed rules exempted only religious organizations whose main purpose is the inculcation of faith and who employ and serve members of the faith. A later accommodation said the contraceptive mandate could be met by nonexempt organizations through third-party insurers.

Under the new proposed rules for exempt religious organizations, HHS eliminated standards governing inculcation of the faith and who the organization serves, which the USCCB welcomed.

The USCCB raised concerns, however, that the new proposed rules exclude from the definition of religious employer various organizations that “undeniably are ‘religious’ and undeniably ‘employ’ people, such as Catholic hospitals, charities and schools.

“The government’s proposed definition of religious employer still reduces religious freedom to freedom of worship by limiting the exemption almost exclusively to houses of worship,” the USCCB argued.

The document also questioned the accommodation to nonprofit religious organizations in the rules that fall outside the definition of religious employer, saying the accommodation is based on a number of “questionable factual assumptions.”

“Even if all of those assumptions were sound, the accommodation still requires the objecting religious organization to fund or otherwise facilitate the morally objectionable coverage. Such organizations and their employees remain deprived of their right to live and work under a health plan consonant with their explicit religious beliefs and commitments,” the document said.

Seeking resolution The USCCB also maintained that the contraceptive mandate “continues to represent an unprecedented (and now sustained) violation of religious liberty by the federal government.

“As applied to individuals and organizations with a religious objection to contraceptive coverage, the mandate violates the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.” The USCCB offered to work with the government to “reach a just and lawful resolution to these issues.”

This Catholic Life / Opinion-Commentary

MARCH 28, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Making ‘justice’ the measure of our criminal justice system

O

Faith in the Public Arena Jason Adkins

This year’s legislative session has seen the introduction of a number of bills aimed at helping to facilitate the productive re-entry of criminal offenders into society, as well as help reduce repeat offenses

n Holy Thursday, Pope Francis will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in an Italian youth prison, where he will wash and kiss the feet of 12 inmates.

Our new pope has made the mercy and forgiveness of God the Father — the divine “justice” that we must also show to one another — an early theme of his pontificate. Our system of civil justice, if it is to be humane, must incorporate mercy and forgiveness into its policies as well — never as an abrogation of justice, but as its fulfillment.

Fortunately, this year’s legislative session has seen the introduction of a number of bills aimed at helping to facilitate the productive re-entry of criminal offenders into society, as well as help reduce repeat offenses.

In particular, the Minnesota Catholic Conference is advocating for the passage of H.F. 690 (Mahoney)/S.F. 523 (Champion), known as “ban the box,” which would forbid private employers from seeking information about an applicant’s criminal history until he or she has been selected for an interview and has an opportunity to explain him or herself.

“Ban the box,” like other legislation, seeks to limit the “collateral consequences” associated with crime and punishment. If barriers to affordable housing, education and employment are placed in the path of ex-offenders, how can we expect that they will do anything other than turn again to a life of crime?

Such legislation seeks to help offenders re-enter society. It is the product of growing consensus across the political spectrum, and among what might be called “non-traditional allies,” that communities need to make “justice” a priority of the “criminal justice system.” Justice means rendering what is due to both victim and offender.

A Catholic approach In the year 2000, the Catholic bishops of the United States issued a statement entitled, “Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice” that called for a national dialogue on issues related to crime and punishment. After decades of rising crime between the 1960s and the 1980s, crime rates began to decrease in the 1990s. Much debate emerged as to why this was the case, and many concluded that the building of more prisons and tougher sentencing rules (“three strikes and you’re out”) was the cause.

Underscoring that not all methods of reducing crime are consistent with the teachings of the Church and the ideals of our nation (e.g. a “police state” that liberally exercises the death penalty), the bishops offered their own assessment of the nation’s criminal justice system.

“RRR” sought to: ■ Explore aspects of crime and punishment in our society; ■ Examine the implications of the Church’s teaching for crime and punishment; ■ Apply principles of Catholic so-

“The words of the bishops

and the example of the Holy Father are powerful reminders of the dignity of all persons, including those who have committed crimes, and that we must work to give those who have offended opportunities for a second chance and to rebuild their lives.

”

JJASON ASON A ADKINS DKINS

cial teaching to the criminal justice system and suggest some directions for policy on crime and punishment; and ■ Encourage action by Catholics to shape new alternatives.

The bishops note in “RRR” that a Catholic vision of crime and punishment seems to be a paradox: “We cannot and will not tolerate behavior that threatens lives and violates the rights of others. We believe in responsibility, accountability, and legitimate punishment. Those who harm others or damage property must be held accountable for the hurt they have caused. The community has a right to establish and enforce laws to protect people and to advance the common good.

“At the same time, a Catholic approach does not give up on those who violate these laws. We believe that both victims and offenders are children of God. Despite their very different claims on society, their lives and dignity should be protected and respected. We seek justice, not vengeance. We believe punishment must have clear purposes: protecting society and rehabilitating those who violate the law.”

Therefore, Catholic teaching in-

spired by Gospel values offers an alternative to the false dichotomy of “tough on crime” vs. “soft on crime.”

To be more specific, a Catholic approach to crime and justice “recognizes that root causes and personal choices can both be factors in crime by understanding the need for responsibility on the part of the offender and an opportunity for their rehabilitation. A Catholic approach leads us to encourage models of restorative justice that seek to address crime in terms of the harm done to victims and communities, not simply as a violation of law.”

A new dialogue “RRR” was a prophetic document and did in fact provide momentum for criminal justice reform on both the political left and right.

For example, in 2008, President Bush signed into law the Second Chance Act, which is federal legislation designed to ensure the safe and successful return of prisoners to the community. The Second Chance Act provides grants to local governments and organizations to help provide literacy classes, job training, education programs, and substance abuse and rehabilitation programs for offenders.

Its goal is to reduce recidivism, and decrease the billions of dollars spent annually on incarceration.

The Second Chance Act is a good step in the right direction, but more can be done here in Minnesota, which is why MCC is supporting “ban the box” and other legislation that seeks to help offenders re-enter society.

In “RRR,” the bishops stated: “Just as God never abandons us, so too we must be in covenant with one another. We are all sinners, and our response to sin and failure should not be abandonment and despair, but rather justice, contrition, reparation, and return or re-integration of all into the community.”

The words of the bishops and the example of the Holy Father are powerful reminders of the dignity of all persons, including those who have committed crimes, and that we must work to give those who have offended opportunities for a second chance and to rebuild their lives.

Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference. To view a list of the bills MCC is supporting and opposing, visit HTTPS://WWW. VOTERVOICE.NET/MNCC/BILLS.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MARCH 28, 2013

Commentary

/ This Catholic Life

Faith of our fathers: deep roots and online ancestry

Twenty Something Christina Capecchi

Somewhere in their midst — across the alley, around the river — two people met and married, forging the lineage that leads to you.

Last night, while many of my peers tuned into the finale of ABC’s “The Bachelor,” a three-hour event dubbed “historic” by the show’s ratingsminded host, I delved into some real history. I joined more than 2 million people and subscribed to the genealogy website Ancestry.com.

No, I don’t fit the target demographic of silver-haired bird watchers, but somewhere in my 20s, the curiosity sprang up. If the charge of early adulthood is to develop a better understanding of who you are and where you come from, then exploring my heritage seems a logical pursuit.

I began with the ancestor who has loomed largest: the great grandpa who emigrated from Florence, Italy to St. Paul, in 1906, a 17-year-old who didn’t speak English and broke his mother’s heart.

I entered all the information I had, working off research gathered by my dad’s cousin. In less than a second, 47 matches for my great grandpa appeared: census data, his death certificate, a passport application and his WWI draft card.

Suddenly I was studying his pointed cursive and reading his selfassessments: a brown-haired, grayeyed sculptor with no missing limbs and a dependent wife and child. I could almost see his fingerprints.

After three hours and one call to

“I felt connected,

rooted. These were my people.

I liked saying their names.

”

Mom, I had grafted six generations to my family tree. The work wasn’t loaded with flashy discoveries, but I found a rhythm. And I felt connected, rooted. These were my people. I liked saying their names. On the Italian side, a host of lyrical monikers: Pacifico, Gaspero, Angelo.

On the Irish side, sturdy single syllables: Frank, James, George.

The farthest back I traced was my great, great, great grandma Teresa Romagnoli, born in 1841, when Gregory XVI was pope. She married a fellow Florentine, Joseph Capecchi, who died three years later, giving her one child. Teresa outlived Joseph by 44 years.

Their son grew up and fell in love with the daughter of a charcoal sales-

CHRISTINA CAPECCHI

man. They hid a Jewish-Italian family in their attic during World War II and enjoyed a happier romantic fate, reaching their 70s together and dying three days apart of natural causes.

Another great, great grandpa, meanwhile, five years older, played the fiddle and studied in an Irish seminary, ultimately abandoning his vision of priesthood and setting sail to America.

Their stories amaze me: teenaged brides, parents burying multiple children, cross-Atlantic voyages, ancestors from both sides settling into the same St. Paul ward and attending Mass for the sounds and smells of home.

How improbable it is that we’re here, that each of was conceived and

survived, that all the pilgrims who could’ve met or missed each other crossed paths exactly as they did.

I love that my heritage and my faith are inextricably linked. For Catholics, family traditions were both religious and cultural: St. Patrick’s Day, St. Lucia’s Day. The same christening gowns and recipes were held dear and passed down. Ancestry.com understands this, archiving the funeral Mass cards that served as placeholders in missals and history.

“To be deep in history,” Blessed John Henry Newman once said, “is to cease to be Protestant.” Beyond 1517, when Martin Luther nailed down his 95 Thesis, it’s all Catholic – incense and sacrament, monks who preserved the Bible, nuns who taught children and ran hospitals, whose faith-filled pupils and patients produced the world’s great cathedrals.

Somewhere in their midst — across the alley, around the river — two people met and married, forging the lineage that leads to you.

Our job is to let their stories speak, anchoring us to a deeper faith and buoying us with a greater sense of adventure.

Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights, Minn. She can be reached at WWW.READ CHRISTINA.COM.

Indulgences? Yep. Remedies to bring us back to God I heard that there are opportunities for obtaining indulgences during the Year of Faith. I thought indulgences were a thing of the past. Are they still around?

Ask Father Mike Father Michael Schmitz

The church never sold indulgences; they are great gifts offered to the people of God by Jesus through his Church

Indulgences are alive and well and continually misunderstood. An indulgence is “the remission of temporal punishment due to sin.” Let’s break that down a little.

First, “temporal punishment” is used in contrast to “eternal punishment” (hell). This means a person is in a state of grace, having confessed all mortal sins. The punishment here is what we would have to go through in purgatory.

This is where it might be helpful for us to slightly rephrase things. I like to say indulgences are the “remission of temporal consequences due to sin.” When we think of punishment, it is common to turn to notions of unjust or arbitrary punishment. Who hasn’t been on the receiving end of unjust punishment or believed a punishment was simply at the whim of the punisher?

That is why I prefer the term “consequence” over “punishment.”

Consequences are the necessary result of an action. They are naturally proper to a choice. It’s like “spiritual physics.” In natural physics, certain laws govern behavior. In spiritual physics, the same is true. Every sin has a consequence inherent in it.

We all know this.

We all recognize that sin changes us.

Even after we have been forgiven and reconciled to God and the Church, there are real consequences. If you choose a serious sin for the first time, it probably took a lot to get to the point where you were able to choose it. Once you did, you may have felt a sharp pain of guilt.

But did you ever notice that, over time, as you continued to choose that sin, the choice became easier and the guilt became less and less? This is because of spiritual physics. One of the results of sin is that we become attached to sin.

Even when we are healed, the scar remains.

Mediating grace Now, the Church has been commissioned by Jesus Christ himself to mediate grace to the people of God. As the Second Vatican Council stated, the Church is the universal sacrament of salvation. God continues to dispense his grace through the Church. Further, Jesus declared that his apostles would be given the Spirit to “bind and loose” people from their sins.

This is where the doctrine on indulgences comes in.

There are four or five requirements for an indulgence.

First, one needs to pray for the pope.

Second, people must go to confession within seven days of performing the “thing.”

Third, they must receive holy Communion on that day.

Fourth, they must do the “thing.”

Fifth, for a plenary indulgence (full remission of all temporal punishment for sin) one must be free from all attachment to mortal or venial sin.

This “thing” is always connected to some kind of prayer, fasting or almsgiving, three remedies Jesus talks about for sin and slavery to evil in the Gospels.

Every indulgence incorporates an action involving one of these things, like making the Stations of the Cross in a church on a Friday during Lent, or making a pilgrimage to a holy site and praying there.

The point is, the indulgence is aimed at being a remedy. If my heart has grown far from God, then prayer, fasting and almsgiving are ways my heart can return to God by God’s grace.

This is why the first three requirements are so important. We pray for the pope because this indicates that we are aware of our being united in faith with our Holy Father. We go to confession to allow God to forgive our mortal sins. We receive the holy Eucharist both because it is the greatest sign of being united with the Church and because the Eucharist is the source of all grace. The thing that we do is then moved entirely by God’s grace and helps us to become more healed from the wounds of sin.

Indulgences are not superstition but immensely practical and gracefilled opportunities for Christians to

open themselves up to the healing power of God’s grace.

Last thing: People point to indulgences being “sold.” This never happened, though it might have looked like it.

Almsgiving is giving resources to those in need. This is a good thing.

The church is a noble institution to which a person might want to give alms.

During the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica (which has inspired millions, both rich and poor), the church allowed people to give a donation toward its construction as almsgiving.

You can see how this might look like an indulgence is being sold.

After all, you are giving money to the Church and are getting some spiritual benefit. But selling an indulgence would be the sin of simony. The church has always condemned this practice. But you could imagine how many people (including ordinary parish priests) might have understood that particular indulgence in that light.

Nonetheless, the church never sold indulgences; they are great gifts offered to the people of God by Jesus through his church.

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.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MARCH 28, 2013

Divine Mercy graces not only available to the sick and dying

By Susan Klemond

Divine Mercy celebration

For The Catholic Spirit

Thirteen years after Pope John Paul II established the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday, the image of Jesus with red and white rays coming from his side has become familiar in many parishes.

More Catholics know that praying the Divine Mercy chaplet is especially recommended for the sick and dying but not as many understand how far the graces from this devotion extend. Here are four stories that reveal how the Divine Mercy has helped transform lives.

There will be a special Mass and devotion to celebrate Divine Mercy April 7 at 3 p.m. at Divine Mercy Parish in Faribault. Priests will be available for confession from noon to 3 p.m.

The day will include praying the Divine Mercy chaplet, about 15 minutes long, followed by the Mass in Spanish and English.

Beginning at 5 p.m. the parish will have its first concert on its world-class organ. Brian Carson, a worldrenowned organist from St. Louis King of France in St. Paul, will join with a talented brass quintet for the performance.

‘He forgives’ ■ Laura Nelson felt convicted that she was one of the souls with hardness of heart that she read about in a pamphlet on the Divine Mercy she stumbled upon 19 years ago at Assumption in St. Paul.

But she kept reading and learned that God has mercy on souls like hers.

Although she wasn’t a practicing Catholic, she started praying the Divine Mercy chaplet because she was so happy she could receive God’s mercy. “He forgives, you know? I started crying.”

Nelson’s introduction to the Divine Mercy devotion represents a key moment in her walk with Christ which began when she was inspired by a late-night TV evangelist and later left her self-described party lifestyle and fully entered the Catholic Church.

After her initial encounter with the Divine Mercy she started formation to enter

For more Divine Mercy celebrations in the archdiocese, see page 20A.

the Church. When she made her first confession, the priest said, “OK, is that all?”

Surprised at his reaction she recalled thinking, “Is that all? Isn’t that horrible?”

every day from him. He puts me in places through the Holy Spirit and through me sometimes he brings others back.”

But, with time, God’s mercy has become more evident in her life, and now Nelson prays for it with others as part of the Cathedral of St. Paul’s Divine Mercy cenacle group.

■ Tom Kolodzinski first became curious about the Divine Mercy devotion 25 years ago when his father was handing out pamphlets about it to strangers. The message resonated with him. “I felt the Lord, as he always has been, has been calling his people to come closer to him and to change their ways.”

“If someone says God’s not mercy or love, I have to say something because I’m a witness to that,” she said. “That’s a gift

open the book. build the foundation. grow your faith.

‘Doors seemed to open’

He started praying the chaplet for the sick and dying in a Divine Mercy prayer group at his parish, Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville. He also prayed it for other intentions, such as problems at his job as a sales manager.

Eventually, like his father, he also began passing out Divine Mercy literature. “The doors seemed to open at different times, meeting or praying for people who were sick and dying as well as just because of that calling — passing out Divine Mercy leaflets at churches and other places so others could also pass the gift on to others.”

When his father was suffering with terminal cancer, Kolodzinski prayed the chaplet, focusing with each decade on a sorrowful episode Christ may have suffered and, at the same time, his father’s suffering.

From the Divine Mercy, he said he has learned better how to pray through the heart. The devotion is beautiful and powerful because God is calling his people in mercy before he comes in justice, he said.

Praying for son ■ Carol Torning and her family have experienced miracles as they’ve prayed the Divine Mercy chaplet for seriously ill and injured loved ones. When her son wasn’t expected to live after doctors had to remove half his skull following a 2010 motorcycle accident, Torning, a member of PLEASE TURN TO DEVOTION ON PAGE 21A

Theology Day. Find out.

A Special Presentation for the Business Sector The Moral Ecology of Markets: Assessing Claims about Markets and Justice Wednesday, April 17, The Minneapolis Club 11:30 a.m.: check-in and meal, 12:00-1:30 p.m.: presentation, 1:30 p.m.-?: Q & A Many books, articles, and opinion editorial pieces have been written to answer the question “Are markets just?” But this is the wrong question to ask.

Everyone with an answer to that question also takes a position on three other issues, what we might call the moral context or “moral ecology” of markets.

These are the provision of “essential” goods and services to those who cannot provide them for themselves, the morality of individuals and organizations, and the character of civil society. Every moral stance on the justice of markets – from left to right on the political spectrum – also takes a stand on these three.

Catholic social thought is of significant help in sorting out competing answers.

ARCHBISHOP HARRY J. FLYNN

CATECHETICAL INSTITUTE

Daniel Finn is Professor of Moral Theology and the William E. and Virginia Clemens Professor of Economics and the Liberal Arts for Saint John’s School of Theology· Seminary and the undergraduate departments of theology and economics at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. He is a past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the Society of Christian Ethics, and the Association for Social Economics. Dan has received several awards including the Monica Hellwig Award and is listed in multiple Who’s Who. He is the editor of The True Wealth of Nations (Oxford University Press), and, most recently, author of Christian Economic Ethics: History and Implications (forthcoming from Fortress Press).

Are you ready to take the next step in the Year of Faith?

Classes begin in September at The Church of the Epiphany in Coon Rapids.

Application deadline is June 1, 2013.

For more information and an application, call (651) 962-5028 or visit www.saintpaulseminary.org.

SOD061213

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1

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The Lesson Plan CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Reflections on faith and spirituality

MARCH 28, 2013

Easter celebrates hope of the Resurrection

D

Guided by the Church

epending on whether you attend the Easter Vigil or one of the Easter Sunday liturgies this year, the Gospel reading could be different because of the options given by the Church to mark this solemnity. These many testimonies to the resurrection of Jesus Christ within the four Gospels highlight the importance of this event in our Catholic faith.

Sunday Scriptures

As St. Paul says poignantly in his first letter to the Corinthians, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14), and the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the “crowning truth of our faith in Christ” (CCC 638).

These statements describe how the future of mankind, if fully incorporated in the Body of Christ, is linked to the Resurrected Christ. The pain of death, caused by original sin, has been broken through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we now live in hope that we can share fully in the new life won by Jesus Christ.

Deacon Jake Greiner

As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI suggests in his book “Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week,” the resurrection of Jesus Christ allows for a “new possibility of human existence” that “affects everyone and opens up the future, a new kind future, for mankind” (244).

What is this future? We, though sinners, hope that one day we too will be resurrected from the dead on the last day to be united with the risen Jesus Christ forever. The separation of our souls from our bodies upon our deaths will be undone, so the fullness of life offered to us by God may finally be fulfilled.

Readings Sunday, March 31 Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord ■ Acts 10:34a, 37-43 ■ Colossians 3:1-4 ■ John 20:1-9

The Church, through her ministry, is helping to shepherd mankind toward this future. Therefore, the message of the Church, especially in light of the Resurrection, is one of tremendous hope. Sin can be washed away. Death will not conquer. Jesus Christ has prepared the way for each of us to follow, and he ultimately accompanies us on every step of this journey through our reception of the Eucharist while we traverse through this “vale of tears.”

Hence, this is the reason that every Sunday Mass is supposed to call each of us to remember the hope and joy of the resurrection.

The Easter season, which begins with the celebration of Easter Sunday, is dedicated to reflecting upon the resurrection, a central mystery of our faith, in light of purification that we have undergone throughout the Lenten season.

We, through the gift of grace, have died to sin through our Lenten acts of prayer, fasting and almsgiving so we may deepen our faith, hope and love through a 50-day meditation on the hope that we now possess in Jesus Christ through his death and resurrection.

Let us pray that the good work that we have begun in Lent may continue and deepen during this Easter season.

Reflection

Deacon Jake Greiner is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary for the Diocese of Davenport. His home parish is Holy Trinity Parish in Keota, Iowa, and his teaching parish is Mary Queen of Peace in Rogers.

How has your Lenten season helped to prepare you for Easter?

At left, the Resurrection is depicted in a modern painting by Stephen B Whatley, an expressionist artist based in London.

The title is “The Glory of Christ.”

CNS photo / Stephen B Whatley

Open 365 / 24

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The Lesson Plan

MARCH 28, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Christ is risen! Indeed, he is risen!

T

he resurrection of Jesus is not only the keystone of our faith, the culmination of the liturgical year and the object of our belief, it is in the Catholic and, indeed, the entire Christian tradition an historical fact.

While faith involves a final leap into the unknown, on both the natural and supernatural levels, our Catholic teaching is that it is acceptable and even inspiring to look at the rational basis for the faith. It is not so much that proving a doctrine will automatically cause us to believe in it — knowing that the ability to believe is a grace — but rather that our faith presumes and is based on our rational capacity, which is also a gift from God. Father The data for Jesus’ resurrection Joseph Hurtuk comes first and foremost from the Scriptures. This revelation revolves around two key events: the discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene with the other women, and the appearances of the risen Lord to Peter and the apostles. Let us look first at the empty tomb story.

The oldest version of the discovery of Jesus’ open and empty grave in the Gospels is Mark 16: 1-8. That passage reads as follows: “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right

Reflection

PLEASE TURN TO MANY ON PAGE 16A

CNS / Erich Lessing, Art Resource, New York

Three women at Christ’s empty tomb and his appearance to Mary Magdalene is depicted in a 14th-century painting from Austria.

National N ational a Pilgrim P Virgin Statue of Our Lady of F Fatima ati atima a Archdiocesan esan T Tour our o - April A 2013 More than 20 host parishes and schools on More the tour invite yyou ou to come and honor urr Lady and hear the M essage of Fatima, Fatima, Our Message Paul II said is which ch B Blessed lessed Pope Pope John John Paul more impor tant than ever! ever! more important

Tour 2013 013 Maria Marian Congress Saturday, April 6 Church of St. Joseph 4FNJOPMF "WF West St. Paul 4FNJOPMF "WF West 8 AM to 2 PM .BTT BOE Leynote address .BTT BOE Leynote

by Bishop Lee PichĂŠ PichĂŠ talks by Father Thomas Dufner and Bill Sockey, statue custodian ( DPTU JOD CSFBLLGGBTU BOE MVODI) ( DPTU JOD CSFBLGBTU BOE MVODI)

To register for the Congress or to view the list of host parishes, parishes, visit www.fatimaonline.org. 2 2uestions, DBMM uestions, DBMM 763-502-0792 763-502-0792 Sponsore by Sponsored

W WORLD ORLD APOSTOLATE APOSTOL LATE T O OF FATIMA FATIMA T St. St. Paul Paul & M Minneapolis Archdiocesan Division inneapolis Ar chdiocesan D ivision A Public Association of the Faithful

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The Lesson Plan

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MARCH 28, 2013

Many ways to appreciate the Risen Jesus’ presence in our lives CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15A side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.

Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.’”

Even though this event was not put in written form until about 65-70 A.D., the story of the open and empty grave began to circulate almost immediately after the women’s discovery. Eventually, the women seemed to have overcome their initial fright at such an awesome occurrence, and related their finding to Peter and the apostles.

Having seen the empty grave, and heard the angel’s announcement, the only question remaining was, “Where is Jesus?” St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 gives us the answer: “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me.”

This story of Jesus’ appearances, though not in the Gospels but rather the Epistles, is the oldest written text we have for his resurrection. Again, as in the empty tomb passage, the story circulated orally among the early Christians, and was put in written form about 5055 A.D. by St. Paul.

“Whatever the weather

outside, in our hearts Easter is a time of freshness, new life, reconciliation and rising from our old selves into something newer and better.

”

FATHER JOSEPH HURTUK

What beautiful two passages for our meditation during this most sacred season! Major Catholic Scripture scholars and theologians agree that even though Mark and Paul use their own words and write in their own time, these two passages are historically accurate. Though our faith does not finally depend on rational data and proofs, how much better can we do?

Time to reflect What kind of Easter reflections for our personal meditation shall we take away from these two texts?

First, regarding the empty tomb, can we visualize the miraculousness of the women’s discovery? Can we share in their fear and trembling by seeing what the grace of God can accomplish? Can we overcome our own fears and inadequacies, as did the women, and witness to the Risen Lord by everything we say and do, both in season and out of season? Can we bring to prayer the reconciliation and grace that such fearless witness involves?

Second, in terms of Jesus’ appearances, can we now see more clearly his real presence in our lives? Can we

appreciate more deeply his real presence in the Holy Eucharist? Can we sense the burning motivation in our hearts, as Peter and the Twelve did, knowing that we are his 21st-century disciples? Can we see the Risen Lord walking with us and talking to us every day of our lives?

Whatever the weather outside, in our hearts Easter is a time of freshness, new life, reconciliation and rising from our old selves into something newer and better.

If the Risen One has been gracing us with success and growth, we offer thanks and always hope for more. If our lives have been tainted with difficulties or frustrations or illness, the Risen Jesus promises the strength to withstand and overcome these problems. If our country’s mood looks more negative than positive, the Risen Lord will assist us in changing those negatives to positives, albeit sometimes ever so slowly.

In an attempt to bring our Easter beliefs into actual practice, what is there that one may actually do to appreciate the Risen Jesus’ presence in our lives and the lives of our families?

Needless to say, as Catholics we have countless opportunities. We can be more attentive and less distracted during the reading and opening of the Word and celebration of the Eucharist at Sunday Mass.

Or, one might wish to attend a weekday Mass or two between Sundays to follow the liturgical cycle more closely.

Yet again, we may wish to practice meditation and reflection more proactively by spending time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and eventually even signing up for a scheduled hour.

Whatever we do, all will be well — for Christ is risen, indeed he is risen!

Father Hurtuk is a Marist priest in residence at the Marist parish of St. Louis King of France in St. Paul. He also is adjunct professor of theology in the Department of Theology at the University of St. Thomas.

Church of the Holy Spirit

Daily Scriptures

515 S. Albert Street, Saint Paul Holy Thursday – Mass at 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday – Stations of the Cross 3:00 p.m.; Celebration of the Lord’s Passion 7:00 p.m.

Holy Night of Easter – Easter Vigil at 8:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday – Mass at 8:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

Resurrexit Sicut Dixit – He has risen as he said!

Sunday, March 31 Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-9 Monday, April 1 Acts 2:14, 22-32 Matthew 28:8-15 Tuesday, April 2 Acts 2:36-41 John 20:11-18 Wednesday, April 3 Acts 3:1-10 Luke 24:13-35 Thursday, April 4 Acts 3:11-26 Luke 24: 35-48 Friday, April 5 Acts 4:1-12 John 21:1-14 Saturday, April 6 Acts 4:13-21 Mark 16:9-15 Sunday, April 7 Second Sunday of Easter; Sunday of Divine Mercy Acts 5:12-16

Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13,17-19 John 20:19-31 Monday, April 8 The Annunciation of the Lord Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10 Hebrews 10:4-10 Luke 1:26-38 Tuesday, April 9 Acts 4:32-37 John 3:7b-15 Wednesday, April 10 Acts 5:17-26 John 3:16-21 Thursday, April 11 St. Stanislaus, bishop, martyr Acts 5:27-33 John 3:31-36 Friday, April 12 Acts 5:34-42 John 6:1-15 Saturday, April 13 Acts 6:1-7 John 6:16-21 Sunday, April 14 Third Sunday of Easter Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41 Revelation 5:11-14 John 21:1-19

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Ideas for celebrating the Church’s ‘three holy days’

By Father Michael Van Sloun For The Catholic Spirit

Holy Week stands at the head of our calendar, the holiest week of the entire liturgical year. And, the Easter Triduum is the most solemn moment of the Church year.

It lasts three days — beginning on Holy Thursday evening with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, continuing with the celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, and reaching its culmination with the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. It ends with Evening Prayer late Easter Sunday afternoon.

Discipleship action item: These days are the “high holy days” of our Christian faith, and as Jews would stream to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover in the Temple, ideally Catholics would stream to their local churches to celebrate these sacred mysteries with their parish communities. Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil are not holy days of obligation, but if there ever was a time that we should want to go to church, it would be for these three holy days. The Triduum is the time to place other things on hold while our faith gets top priority.

■ The Triduum fast With the arrival of Holy Thursday, the 40 days of Lent and its discipline are over. Whatever a person’s special program was for Lent, whether it was to give something up, add extra prayers, do good deeds or share alms, the program is done, but one must not relax too quickly.

As soon as the 40-day Lenten fast ends, a new three-day fast begins — the Triduum fast, a period of even more intense self-denial in preparation for the greatest feast of all, Easter. It is customary to extend the Lenten discipline three additional days. Many decide to make one or more key additions such as a holy

“Good Friday . . . is an ideal

day to offer Jesus a prayer of thanks for all he suffered on our behalf.

”

FATHER MICHAEL VAN SLOUN

hour, a visit to church, an extended period of silence, no TV and fasting from physical food. It also involves a spiritual fast — Good Friday from the Mass, but with the reception of the Eucharist, and Holy Saturday, the deepest fast of all, when not only is there no Mass, but it is also the only day the Church foregoes reception of the Eucharist.

■ Holy Thursday The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The Mass recounts the establishment of the Jewish feast of Passover; and it commemorates the institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the priesthood and the footwashing.

John’s placement of the footwashing where the other evangelists place the Last Supper conveys his belief that the real presence of Christ is found not only in the Eucharist but in service. Jesus gave us his mandatum or mandate: “You ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you an example. As I have done, so you should also do” (John 13:14,15). Jesus is made present when disciples put aside their prideful aspirations, humble themselves, and serve one another, even by doing a menial task joyfully.

Discipleship action items: If your parish offers a holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament after Holy Thursday Mass, consider taking advantage of the

opportunity. Offer a prayer that your priest might be devoted to the Eucharist and a humble servant. Be on the lookout for someone who might need assistance, and gladly help without drawing attention to yourself.

■ Good Friday The celebration of the Lord’s Passion is a somber liturgy with three major parts: the proclamation of the Passion, the veneration of the cross, and the reception of Holy Communion. In addition, there is an extended set of General Intercessions with 10 petitions for some of the most important concerns for the Church and the world.

Discipleship action items: It is worthwhile to set aside some silent time, particularly between the hours of noon and 3 p.m. Be sure that at least one crucifix is prominently displayed in the home, because veneration of the cross is not just for Good Friday, but for every day. It is an ideal day to offer Jesus a prayer of thanks for all he suffered on our behalf, and to renew our pledge to avoid the sins that we have committed that put him on the cross.

■ The Easter Vigil Weeks of fasting and self-denial are directed toward the highest point of the Church year, the Easter Vigil, the feast of the resurrection. It ranks first because our entire faith hinges on it. As Paul said,

PAX CHRISTI

Catholic Community

“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:17). But the pillar of our faith is that “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20), and in this firm conviction the Church rejoices with all of the energy it can muster: Alleluia!

The Easter Vigil begins with the Service of Light, the lighting of the Easter candle and the singing of the Easter proclamation, the Exsultet. Then, after an extended Liturgy of the Word, the vigil continues with the Liturgy of Baptism during which the Litany of Saints is sung, the water of the font is blessed, baptismal promises are made, the newly initiated are baptized and/or confirmed. The vigil concludes with the Liturgy of the Eucharist and first Holy Communion for the newly initiated members.

■ Easter Sunday Easter Sunday is the daytime celebration of the resurrection of the Lord. The congregation is jubilant over the Risen Christ and the triumph of his most holy cross. The church is festively decorated. The vestments are white and gold. The Glory to God and the Alleluia are restored. The Creed is replaced with the renewal of baptismal promises, followed by a sprinkling rite. The church resounds with a joyful sound: Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia!

Discipleship action items. Great news cannot be contained: Share the Good News with someone! Jesus preached love, and he died out of love for us. On Easter Sunday, go out of your way to love someone with all your might, because where there is love, there is the risen Christ!

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Stephen in Anoka. The above article was adapted from an article at REDISCOVER-FAITH.ORG.

www.paxchristi.com Eden Prairie • Fr. Bill Murtaugh

Ea Easter ster Vigil: Viigil: 8: 8:00 00 p. p.m. m. oon n SSaturday, aturday, Ma March rch 30 Easter Masses: 8:00 8:00 a.m a.m.,., 10: 10:00 00 a.m a.m.,., 12 No Noon, on, an and d 5: 5:00 00 p.m. p.m.

Ea ster Sunday Sundaay Masses: Visit online more details about Holy Week Easter Vis it tthe nline ffor or mo re de tails ab out Ho ly We ek & Ea ster lliturgies iturgies he Cathedral Cathedral o

Holy Thursday – March 28 Holy Saturday – March 30 7:00pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper 12:00noon Blessing of Easter Food 8:00pm Easter Vigil Mass Good Friday – March 29 3:00pm & 5:00pm Living Stations Easter Sunday – March 31 7:00pm Celebration of the Lord’s Passion 7:00am, 9:00am, and 11:00am Easter Mass

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Holy Thursday, March 28

Good Friday, March 29

Easter Vigil, March 30

Easter Sunday, March 31

7:00 pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper Adoration after Mass until 10 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

Stations: 4:30 pm (children’s) Lord’s Passion: 7:00 pm 8:30, 10:30 a.m.

Holy Week Schedule

St. Casimir & St. Patrick Cluster Parishes of East St. Paul

Holy Thursday, March 28, St. Casimir and St. Patrick 7 p.m.

Good Friday, March 29, St. Casimir 3 p.m. / St. Patrick 7 p.m.

Holy Saturday, March 30, St. Patrick 7 p.m. / St. Casimir 7:30 pm Easter Sunday, March 31, St. Casimir 8 a.m., 10 a.m. / St. Patrick 10:30 a.m.

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MARCH 28, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Minneapolis parish immersed in work of evangelization CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3A meeting about St. Stephen.

“Archbishop Nienstedt very prophetically said, ‘Something will have to die for something else to be reborn,’” Father Williams said. “And, those words stuck with me. That’s what we lived in the fall of 2008. . . . We lost 90 percent of our plate income. . . . We lost most of our worshippers.”

That Christmas Eve Mass in 2008 could be considered a Good Friday of sorts. And, like the Gospel accounts, the resurrection was soon to follow. Instead of sitting around and waiting for people to come to church, Father Williams decided to go out and get them — literally.

Going door to door As a member of the Emmanuel Community, an international Catholic organization, Father Williams incorporated a model of evangelization used by the group. He opened an evangelization training program called the School of St. Paul.

People would attend weekly meetings, then take that training to the streets in the neighborhoods near the church.

While white, English-speaking people were leaving, Father Williams was busy making plans to draw in the Latinos now populating the area. His fluency in Spanish was part of the reason Archbishop Flynn asked him to be pastor, and part of the reason he was excited about the opportunity.

Another key piece to the new effort was hiring Katy O’Brien, also fluent in Spanish, who came in August 2008 as the coordinator of Hispanic ministry. A graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield, double majoring in Spanish and Hispanic studies, she was one of the first teachers in the School of St. Paul. And, she joins the “graduates” every year for the Easter Mission of evangelizing door-to-door and in other public places near the church.

“It’s scary. I had not done anything like that before,” she said. “And, every time I do it, I get nervous.”

But overriding the anxiety is the conviction that evangelization is central to living the Catholic faith. Father Williams remembers hearing that message while he was studying to become a priest.

“I remember very clearly Archbishop Flynn coming to the St. Paul Seminary on one of our days of formation, lamenting what he called the come-and-get-it attitude of many Catholic parishes, which says, ‘We have what you need, the sacraments, you know where to find us, come and get it.’” Father Williams said.

“Really, the Church needs to die to that way of being,” he said. “Maybe that was passable 50 years ago because of a stronger Christian culture. It’s not any longer. We have to die to that way of being Church, which says come and get it, to live to the perennial way of being Church, which is ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.’”

The “new” work of evangelization hit the ground on the day before Palm Sunday, when several dozen parishioners, speaking both Spanish and English, left the comfort of the church building to hit the streets.

Some walked in pairs near the church, knocking on doors and greeting their neighbors. To make sure they could converse with every resident, one person

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Father Joseph Williams, right, pastor of St. Stephen in Minneapolis, and Teresa Aguilar sing during a time of praise and worship as they and others prepare to go out on the streets for the parish Easter Mission March 23.

spoke English, the other Spanish.

Others walked to nearby stores and markets, while another group, led by O’Brien, targeted a large bus stop on Hennepin Avenue in the city’s Uptown area. About a dozen people gathered to sing and pray, then some people broke off in pairs to talk to individuals waiting for buses.

Though prepared for rejection, they found people willing to talk, including Minneapolis resident Chris Fisher, who talked with O’Brien and her evangelization partner, Rogelio Aguilar.

“It was good to see people out here spreading their faith and their beliefs and trying to help others find faith,” said Fisher, who smiled and shook hands with O’Brien and Aguilar at the end of the conversation. “It’s nice to see their dedication.”

The 40 or so members of St. Stephen were joined by about 20 parishioners from St. Henry in Monticello. Its pastor, Father Tony Vanderloop, heard about the program and invited his parishioners to enroll in the School of St. Paul. In fact, Father Williams decided to bring the school to St. Henry.

“We love to share this grace with those who are open to receive it,” said Father Williams, who also went to St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony to talk about the mission program. “The School of St. Paul in Monticello was born of the fact that Father Tony Vanderloop invited me to his parish just to see his new assignment. We had lunch together, we walked through his church.

“But then, we went through the neighborhoods, and there were Latino families and children everywhere. And I said, ‘How

many [Latinos] do you have at a Sunday Mass, Tony?’ He said about 60. I said, ‘Sixty? There’s hundreds of Latinos [in the area], most of whom identify as Catholics.

In that situation, it became clear that there’s a whole group of lost sheep, and that they’re not going to have their rediscovery unless we have a renewal in our own missionary calling as baptized Catholics.”

Growing membership These days, sparse attendance at St. Stephen Masses is a thing of the past, in terms of Latino participation. Come to the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass in Spanish, and you won’t find an empty spot in the whole church. Latinos squeeze into the pews and spill out to the gathering area and the choir loft. As more Latinos find their way to the church, there is slow growth in the English-speaking crowd as well.

“Today, in the English Mass, we have a Sunday attendance of about 100,” O’Brien said. “And then, [at] the Spanish Masses, probably about 800 within the two Masses. We have one at 9 [a.m.] and one at 6 [p.m.]. At the 9 o’clock Mass, it’s standing room only. . . . We’re packed, basically. We have people sitting in chairs in the trancepts and people sitting in the choir loft.”

It all begins with taking the initiative to walk the streets and talk with a stranger.

With four years of street evangelism under their belts, members of St. Stephen are learning that the people they meet on the streets today may be their evangelism partners tomorrow.

“Just last week when we had a missionary reunion, we had people who came to

the church and said, ‘Hey, you knocked on my door and that’s why I’m here now,’” O’Brien said. “These are the people that are being formed as the next missionaries, which is cool.”

At the Easter Vigil on Saturday, Father Williams will make the connection crystal clear. He will ask the congregation to divide into two parts — those who have come and are coming into the Church (whom he labels the order of catechumens), and those who do street evangelization (order of missionaries).

“What I asked for very intentionally was the order of catechumens to be on one side of the church and the order of missionaries to be on the other so that we could see a relationship between the two of them,” he said. “It’s very symbolically powerful.”

And, the missionary work is not finished yet. Though Father Williams is enjoying the present, he also has an eye fixed in the future.

“It feels like we’re just on the front end of our work, our evangelization work,” he said. “In other words, I don’t see an end to the flourishing, at this point. It’s just that rich. It’s not the numbers, it’s people coming to Christ, who is alive and changing their lives.”

“Marriages are being reconciled, children are coming back — parents and children being reconciled,” he said. “People are learning how to praise God joyfully.

And, it’s a beauty to behold. What I’m seeing and what’s developed here is not just a once-for-all missionary impulse; a new rhythm has been born at this parish.”

“We see in these swift and skillful travelers a symbol of our life, which seeks to be a pilgrimage and a passage on this earth for the way of heaven.”

Pope Paul VI

Arts & Culure MARCH 28, 2013

Exploring our church and our world

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Making God’s kingdom ‘visible’ in world

By Mark Zimmermann Catholic News Service

In his book “Faith That Transforms Us: Reflections on the Creed,” Cardinal Donald Wuerl encourages Catholics to pray, reflect and then act on the Nicene Creed that they recite at each Mass.

That prayer, reflection and action can help Catholics carry out the work of the new evangelization — to deepen their faith, grow in confidence of its truth, and share it with others, the cardinal writes in the new book, published recently

by The Word Among Us Press in Frederick, Md. “We begin, in a small way, with the faithful profession CARDINAL WUERL of the Creed. It is only the beginning,” the cardinal writes in the book’s’ conclusion.

The Washington archbishop’s related book, “New Evangelization: Passing on the Catholic Faith Today,” was published earlier this year by Our Sunday Visitor.

“I have been a priest for almost a half century and a bishop for about half that time. You could say that I have spent my life preparing this book, through my preaching and teaching,” the cardinal writes in his new book on the creed.

The book begins with the familiar words of the Nicene Creed, which starts: “I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. . . .”

During Mass, Catholics recite those words of faith together after the Gospel has been read and the homily has been preached.

In the book’s introduction, Cardinal Wuerl explains that, “for Christians, a

creed is a summary of who Jesus is and what he does. It is a compact statement of belief. It comes from the Latin word ‘credo,’ which means ‘I believe.’”

Noting that Jesus’ great commission to the apostles to bring the good news to the ends of the earth is now the calling of today’s disciples, the cardinal writes: “This book is all about increasing our faith. So we should begin by making the apostles’ prayer our own.”

Reflection and transformation Each chapter of the book includes the cardinal’s reflections on different sections of the Nicene Creed, and highlights the scriptural passage that presents the divine revelation about those words in the Creed, insight on the meaning of those words, how those truths can transform believers, how they can live out those words, and how they can share those words with others.

The chapters close with questions for individual or group reflection and for discussion, and related passages from Scripture and from references such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults; from the writings of Pope Benedict XVI; and from Cardinal Wuerl’s other book published by The Word Among Us Press, “The Gift of Blessed John Paul II.” In the book’s chapter on the Creed’s passage “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,” the cardinal notes: “What we believe about Jesus sets us apart, defines us. To be Catholic means something specific. It means to hold certain doctrines as true and to reject others as false, just as the

apostles did, just as Jesus did. It means to stand freely on the side of the martyrs, and not as a slave to the dominant culture, the reigning government or the latest fashions.”

In that chapter, Cardinal Wuerl explains the meaning of the word “consubstantial” in the Creed: “Father and Son are of the same substance.

They share a single divine nature.”

In reflecting on how the truth of that passage can transform the believer, the cardinal notes that through prayerful study of the faith and by seeking God’s grace in their lives, people can see Christ’s light, and “we will recognize his presence in ourselves, in others, and in the sacraments of the Church, especially in the Eucharist.”

The cardinal notes that studying the catechism can help Catholics deepen their friendship with and knowledge of Jesus, and in turn they can share their faith by helping others to encounter Christ’s truth, perhaps by teaching a parish religious education class or by writing letters to the editor when the Church’s teachings are misrepresented.

In the chapter on the creed’s passage about Jesus ascending into heaven, Cardinal Wuerl notes that when the apostles stood staring toward heaven after Jesus’s ascension, the angels in effect told them, “Don’t just stand there . . . do what you’ve been told to do.”

Likewise, Cardinal Wuerl said, today’s disciples cannot stand idle. “Each one of us can do something positive to manifest the kingdom of God — to make it visible and present in the world today.”

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Catholic pilgrimage is part of event promoting Ireland Catholic News Service An organization called WorldPriest is offering a pilgrimage for priests and their parishioners and friends from around the world to experience the cultural heritage and spirituality of the Emerald Isle as part of “Gathering Ireland 2013.”

The Gathering is a government initiative to encourage people from around the globe with Irish heritage or who are “honorary Irish” to come back to Ireland and celebrate their Irish roots.

Leaders of WorldPriest, founded in the early 2000s to support the Catholic priesthood, have planned the pilgrimage as a way for the world’s priests and others to celebrate their faith during this special year.

In footsteps of St. Patrick The “Tochar Phadraig” Pilgrimage Walk is planned for Aug. 12-15 in County Mayo. It will follow the ancient promenades of the early Irish Christians, most famous among them St. Patrick.

The pilgrimage will start with a Mass at the nearly 800-year-old Ballintubber Abbey and proceed through “the majestic lands of Irish cultural and spiritual history” to the small town of Aughagower, the half-way point along the pilgrimage trail. St. Patrick is said to have stopped there while on the pilgrimage.

The journey continues with a Mass at the Rock of Boheh, or St. Patrick’s Chair, on the eastern ascent of the 2,500-foothigh Croagh Patrick. On the final leg of the journey, attendees will have the opportunity to climb the mountain. The last day ends with a Mass in the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Knock.

General information about the Gathering can be found at WWW.THE GATHERINGIRELAND.COM. The site WWW.WORLDPRIEST.COM has details about the pilgrimage.

NOTICE Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from

CATHOLIC CHARITIES in all copies of this issue.

TheCatholicSpirit.com

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Calendar

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MARCH 28, 2013

Dining out Fish fry at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — Every Friday: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $10.95. Call (952) 888-1492 for reservations.

Chicken and rib dinner at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — Every Wednesday: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $12. Call (952) 8881492 for reservations.

KC Pancake breakfast at St. Raphael, Crystal — April 14: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 7301 Bass Lake Road. Cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children 10 and under.

KC Pancake breakfast at Blessed Sacrament, St. Paul — April 14: 8 a.m. to noon at 1801 LaCrosse Ave. Cost is $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 12.

Traditional Lebanese meal at Holy Family Maronite Church, Mendota Heights — April 14: 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1960 Lexington Ave. S. Cost for full dinner is $15, a half is $8. For information and the menu, visit WWW.HOLY FAMILYMARONITECHURCH.ORG.

Parish events Author Steve Ray to speak at St. John the Baptist, New Brighton — April 3: 7 p.m. at 835 Second Ave. N.W. He will present, “Peter: The Rock, the Keys and the Chair.” For information, visit WWW.STJOHNNB.COM. Men’s breakfast featuring speaker Msgr. James Patrick Shea at St. Helena, Minneapolis — April 6: 8 a.m.

Mass, 8:30 a.m. breakfast followed by speaker at 3201 E. 43rd St. Cost is $5.

Reservations must be made in advance by calling (612) 729-7321 or email JOHNSONDAG@SAINTHELENA.US. Spaghetti dinner/dancing fundraiser at St. Patrick, Oak Grove — April 6: Follows the 5 p.m. Mass at 19921 Nightingale St. N.W. Features a spaghetti dinner followed by family-style folk dancing. Proceeds benefit The Way of the Shepherd Montessori School.

Spring festival at Holy Rosary/ Santo Rosario, Minneapolis — April 7: 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 2424 18th Ave. S. Features chicken or Ecuadorian pork dinner and other foods, kids’ games, booths and more.

St. Mark’s Acoustic Café at St. Mark, St. Paul — April 12: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at 2001 Dayton Ave. Includes coffee, tea, cocoa and baked goods along with music from five local musicians.

Visit WWW.SAINTMARK-MN.ORG for information.

Euchre tournament at St. Patrick of Cedar Lake, Jordan — April 12: Registration at 6:30 p.m. Tournament begins at 7 p.m. at 24425 Old Hwy. 13 Blvd. Food and beverages available.

Cost is $20 per team.

Cana dinner at St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony — April 13: Follows the 5 p.m. Mass at 2739 Stinson Blvd. Father Joseph Johnson will speak on “Disciples Together: Spouses Deepening Faith Through Their Vocation of Marriage.” Also features a social and catered dinner. Tickets are $52 per couple and must be purchased be-

Don’t miss

Singles

Traditional Easter basket blessing Father Jerry Dvorak will bless baskets of Easter food at 1 p.m. on Holy Saturday (March 30) at St. Peter in Richfield.

After a long Lenten season of abstinence and fasting, favorite foods are brought in a basket to the church for a special blessing. The foods within each basket may be personalized according to family tastes and customs. Children are encouraged to bring their own basket filled with fruits, Easter candies, chocolate bunnies and jelly beans. Everyone is welcome to participate in this tradition.

St. Peter is located at 6730 Nicollet Ave. S. Call the parish office at (612) 866-5089 for more information. fore April 8. Visit WWW.STCHB.ORG/UPCOM ING_EVENTS.ASPX, or call (612) 781-6529.

Reduce, Reuse Rummage sale at St. John Vianney, South St. Paul — April 11 to 13: $2 entry fee from 4 to 7 p.m.

Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday ($2 bag day). Entrance at the corner of Bromley and 19th Avenue N.

Twin Cities Show Chorus at St. Patrick, St. Paul — April 14: 3 p.m. at 1095 Desoto St. Enjoy well-known songs performed in an a cappella, barbershop harmony style by this group of more than 40 talented women. Tickets are $10, $5 for seniors, students, area residents, and may be purchased at the door.

Spring treasure sale at Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Paul — April 11 to 14: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at 401 Concord St. Tacos will also be for sale.

Author Meg Corrigan to speak at St. John the Baptist, Savage — April 14: 6:30 p.m. at 4625 W. 125th St. Corrigan is the author of “Then I am Strong — Moving from My Mother’s Child to God’s Child.” No cost to attend.

“Turning Toward the Light” exhibit artist reception with Pat Duncan at Pax Christi, Eden Prairie — April 14: After the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses at 12100 Pioneer Trail. Exhibit celebrates life through art and explores the beauty of loss using pastel, oil, sculpture, mosaic and charcoal. Exhibit runs through April 28.

Prayer/ liturgies Sant’Egidio Community Evening Prayer at St. Richard, Richfield — every Thursday: 7 p.m. at 7540 Penn Ave. S. Legion of Mary prayers in front of Planned Parenthood, St. Paul — Every Friday: 3 p.m. at the corner of Vandalia and Charles. For information, call (651) 439-9098.

All night vigil with the Blessed Sacrament at Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Paul — April 5 and 6: 7 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday at 401 Concord St.

Divine Mercy Sunday services The following Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations take place April 7. For more information on a celebration, contact the individual parish.

Excelsior — St. John the Baptist: 3 p.m. with exposition, chaplet, Benediction, confessions and refreshments.

Clearwater — St. Luke: 3 p.m. with confessions starting at 2:30 p.m.

Waverly — St. Mary: Confession from 1 to 2 p.m., 2 to 3 p.m. adoration, Benediction, readings, meditiations, rosary and chaplet. Hospitality to follow.

Bloomington — St. Bonaventure: 2:30 to 3:35 p.m. includes homily, Divine Mercy chaplet, exposition and Benediction. Refreshments to follow.

Belle Plaine — Our Lady of the Prairie: Noon to 3:30 p.m. with exposition, adoration, confession and Divine Mercy chaplet in song. Refreshments and crafts to follow.

Hamel — St. Anne: 1:30 to 3 p.m. Includes exposition, veneration of the Divine Mercy image, praises, confession, adoration, readings, chaplet and Benediction.

Maple Lake — St. Timothy: 9 to 10 a.m. with confession.

St. Michael — St. Michael: 3 p.m. with adoration, sung chaplet, confession and a reception to follow.

Buffalo — St. Francis Xavier: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. with confessions from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Sunday Spirits walking group for 50plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. For information, call Judy at (763) 221-3040 or Al at (651) 482-0406.

Singles group at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6 :15 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. Gather for a potluck supper, conversation and games. For information, call (763) 425-0412.

School events Spring auction and dinner fundraiser for St. Timothy School, Maple Lake at the Maple Lake Legion Club — April 6: BBQ rib and chicken dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. at 220 First St. W. Silent auction from 5 to 8 p.m., live auction at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door.

Bingo fun day at St. John the Baptist School, Vermillion — April 7: 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 111 Main St. W. Features bingo, kids’ games, door prizes and food.

Lent events Living Stations of the Cross at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Maplewood — March 29: Noon at 1725 Kennard St. Presented by the Servants of the Cross. For information, visit WWW.SERVANTSOFTHECROSSMINISTRY.COM. Living Stations of the Cross at Transfiguration, Oakdale — March 29: 7 p.m. at 6133 15th St. N. Presented by the Servants of the Cross. For information, visit WWW.SERVANTSOFTHECROSSMINISTRY.COM.

Calendar Submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, seven days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication.

Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted

by Catholic parishes and institutions. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your press release.

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar: • Time and date of event.

• Full street address of event.

• Description of event.

• Contact information in case of questions.

E-MAIL:

Other events “A Time for Faith, A Time for Fiat” Marian conference on Our Lady of Fatima at St. Joseph, West St. Paul — April 6: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1154 Seminole Ave. Bishop Lee Piché will give the keynote address and Father Thomas Dufner and Bill Sockey from the World Apostolate of Fatima USA will speak. Tickets are $30. A light breakfast and full lunch will be provided. For information, visit WWW.FATIMAONLINE.ORG. Women’s Silent Weekend Retreat at Christ the King Retreat Center, Buffalo — April 12 to 14: “We Walk By Faith” presented by the King’s House preaching team. Cost is $140 per person. The center is located at 621 First Ave. S. For information, visit WWW.KINGS HOUSE.COM. “Creating a Culture of Love” 16th annual Prolife Across America banquet at St. John the Baptist, New Brighton — April 25: 6 p.m. at 835 Second Ave. N.W. Keynote speaker is John-Henry Westen, co-founder and editor-inchief of LifeSiteNews.com, a life and family issues news service. Cost is $60 per person. RSVP by April 15. For information, visit HTTP://PROLIFEACROSSAMER ICA.ORG/EVENTS/

SPIRITCALENDAR@ ARCHSPM.ORG. (No attachments, please.)

FAX: (651) 291-4460.

MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MARCH 28, 2013

North Dakota lawmakers approve ballot referendum on ‘right to life’ Catholic News Service The North Dakota Legislature voted March 22 to put a referendum on the 2014 ballot that would amend the state constitution to say that “the inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected.”

“It doesn’t ban abortion. It doesn’t ban anything,” said Christopher Dodson, executive director of the North Dakota Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state’s bishops.

“It does provide an expression of legislative intent that would make it clear, hopefully, that there is not a right to an

abortion in the state constitution, and give courts guidance for interpreting state laws regarding life,” he told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview March 25.

He compared the referendum to a Missouri statute ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court in its 1989 decision in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services.

The court upheld portions of the law that limit abortions in Missouri and says in part that “unborn children have protectable interests in life, health and wellbeing.”

Dodson told CNS it was incorrect to call the North Dakota referendum a “personhood amendment,” which he said would

grant all the legal rights of a person to every human life at any stage. “This doesn’t do that,” he explained.

Other measures Lawmakers voted 57-35 to approve the ballot resolution, a move that followed the passage of several other abortion-related bills that Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed March 26.

Those bills would require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital; would ban abortion for the purpose of sex selection or genetic abnormality; and would ban abortion after the detection of a fetal heart-

Devotion is beautiful and powerful CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13A the Divine Mercy cenacle at St. Francis of Assisi in Lake St. Croix Beach, prayed the chaplet with her family throughout his four-hour surgery.

Afterwards, the neurosurgeon told how one of her son’s arteries, shredded in the accident, had miraculously clotted. Torning and her family continued to pray the chaplet and rosary during the next year as their son recovered without setbacks.

Torning added that she’s seen even greater healing in conversions after praying the Divine Mercy. “People have gone to confession after many years and been reconciled through God’s mercy with this devotion.”

Interceding for others ■ Twenty years ago Dona Traynor’s enthusiasm for the “Polish pope” led her to discover St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy. She and her husband have felt especially compelled to pray for the souls in purgatory.

“My eye is on the 3 o’clock hour every day,” she said, referring to what’s known as the “Hour of Mercy,” commemorating the hour Christ died. “I frequently will wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning and have my rosary beads right there and I’ll pray for the souls in purgatory. It just becomes so much a part of the fabric of your life, the devotion.”

Since her first encounter with Di-

beat, which could be as early as six weeks.

Opponents of the abortion measures urged Dalrymple not to sign them into law and vowed a legal challenge to fight.

A measure to protect human embryos was defeated and one to ban abortion after 20 weeks was amended and has to go back to lawmakers for a final vote.

Dodson told CNS that Bishop David Kagan of Bismarck is “very pleased” with the lawmakers’ “hard decision” on the abortion bills and urged the governor to sign them. The Diocese of Fargo is vacant, so Bishop Kagan also was speaking in his capacity as apostolic administrator of that diocese, Dodson noted.

Kids to pray with statue

vine Mercy, Traynor has prayed the chaplet with the sick and dying as well as for vocations, seminarians and priests. This spring, she hopes to start a Divine Mercy prayer group at her parish, St. John Neumann in Eagan.

“We all wonder what we can do for others and I don’t think there’s anything more powerful that we can do than intercede for other people,” Traynor said. “I think it’s a special calling, a special ministry in the Church.”

For information on the Divine Mercy devotion and how to pray the chaplet and the Divine Mercy Novena that starts on Good Friday, see HTTP://THEDIVINE MERCY.ORG/MESSAGE.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5A opportunity during the Year of Faith. We will focus on the importance of prayer – that everything that is good begins with prayer, continues with prayer and reaches fulfillment with prayer.”

The children at St. Bernard School also will have the opportunity to pray with the statue during a school Mass that morning.

“The school kids have three Masses each week,” said Father Abbott. “At the end of each Mass, we pray the Angel Prayer three times, just as Our Lady of Fatima asked us to do.

“It is a wonderful connection for the school kids,” he continued. “We were praying this with the kids and in the parish before this opportunity arose..”

For more on the Marian conference or to see a full schedule of the tour, visit WWW.FATIMAONLINE.ORG.

Holy Land

Franciscan Pilgrimages Bringing pilgrims to the Holy Land for over 100 years

HOLY LAND & JORDAN June 4 - 15, 2013 ($3,740)

HOLY LAND, PETRA & MT. SINAI June 17 - 29, 2013 ($3,995)

SHRINES OF FRANCE

June 22 - July 4, 2013 ($4,298)

HOLY LAND & TURKEY August 13 - 22, 2013 ($3,730)

HOLY LAND & JORDAN

September 6 - 16, 2013 ($3,750)

SHRINES OF ITALY

September 9 - 19, 2013 ($3,349)

HOLY LAND

October 23 - November 1, 2013 ($3,498)

HOLY LAND

November 5 - 14, 2013 ($3,592)

HOLY LAND & JORDAN December 1 - 11, 2013 ($3,592)

Based on JFK New York departures

www.holylandpilgrimages.org 1-800-566-7499 | info@holylandpilgrimages.org

Archbishop Nienstedt’s Column, “That They May All Be One” Every issue – The Catholic Spirit

22A

MARCH 28, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

For Catholics, civic responsibility is a virtue, moral responsibility CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2A sanctifying our souls. “Christ’s self-giving in his sacrifice on the cross reminds us that man does not live ‘by bread alone.’ Material happiness is tempered by our call to care with fervor for the souls of others, to give due regard for the Creator of the Universe and to ‘seek first the kingdom of God and his justice,’ over all. “Recognizing the realities and dangers of sin, the weakness of human nature that is inextricably tied to the root cause of societal and economic imbalances, we as Catholics place our imperfections at the foot of the cross, surrendering our own lives to Christ in prayer, relying on regular access to the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. “We would be mistaken, however, to imply that the heart of our religious activity stops with our weekly dismissal from Sunday Mass. The Gospel compels us, as a people who hold fast to faith and reason, to bring the essential truths about human life to the public square and to practice charity for the benefit of those who have less. “God’s love for us is the engine driving Catholic moral and social teachings. Our love of God and neighbor is the motivation behind the Church’s natural obligation to care for society. Her advocacy on behalf of the sick, the marginalized and dispossessed embody the Beatitudes that Jesus so eloquently impressed upon the faithful in the Sermon on the Mount. The social expression of our faith guides the

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

“Although Church and state may serve different functions, faith and politics meet wherever moral law is applied to life.

�

ARCHBISHOP JOHN NIENSTEDT

moral character of our involvement in political life with a special responsibility to offer public witness to it. “It was God who provided his Church with a vision of life consistent with the sacredness of human life and the dignity of all. The modern social teachings of the Church, starting with Leo XIII’s encyclical ‘Rerum Novarum’ (On the Condition of Workers) to the recent work of Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI, ‘Caritas in Veritate’ (Charity in Truth), definitively testify that social action is part and parcel of the Catholic faith. “Scripture reminds us we are to ‘render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ The state exercises its authority in fulfilling the purpose of its existence, namely, to remedy the social disorder caused by sin and to secure moral order in temporal affairs. The Church cannot replace the state in its tasks, yet the state cannot absorb the Church’s competence either. “On the contrary, being careful never to infringe upon the conscience of its citizens, civil authority guarantees religious

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freedom for its followers and the religious institutions to which they belong. “Although Church and state may serve different functions, faith and politics meet wherever moral law is applied to life. Most political decisions are moral decisions shaped by our values and principles, our beliefs and outlooks. These determine what we believe policies ought to achieve. The Church recognizes that reasonable people may disagree on the application of moral principles. Prudence, however, requires us to judge principles correctly; this is ‘right reason applied to practice.’ “Therefore, moral decisions must be linked to truth. Our Founding Fathers envisioned the inclusion of moral reasoning and moral convictions in public discourse without disenfranchising the source of those convictions, which is truth. “Freedom, likewise, cannot be understood apart from truth. Ignoring who man is or his relationship to God or neighbor cannot be justified in light of the moral order or the teaching of Christian faith. The common good cannot be served by materialism or an extreme individualism that gives way to license. Freedom beyond the confines of the true moral order strikes at the dignity of the human person. “When human self-worth is disregarded in one area, it loses significance in every other, and recourse to freedom is then used to justify any behavior, whether it be social, economic or political. Hence, we cannot demand a greater support for the material needs of the family while closing our eyes to the social agenda that weakens marriage and family life. “In 2007, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a document on the political responsibility of Catholics. ‘Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship’ represents the teaching of our bishops’ conference and our guidance for Catholics in the exercise of their rights and duties as participants in the democratic process. This document shines a light on the importance of forming our consciences according to objective truths rather than following misguided appeals that seek to advance solely ideological interests. “For Catholics, civic responsibility is both a virtue and a moral obligation. We must oppose intrinsic evils, which can never be justified, as well as other concerns, which require action in the pursuit of justice and the promotion of the common good. These include the right and duty ‘to voice just criticisms of that which seems harmful to the dignity of persons and to the good of the community.’ “As bishops, our fidelity to the welfare of society prevents us from remaining on the sidelines. Our accountability to God requires that we, through rational discourse, lend our influence toward achieving the requirements of justice, reviving

the sacrificial demands from which justice can prevail and, therefore, the strengthening of human life. “We firmly remind our public officials that social injustices cannot be fought while ignoring, or worse, perpetrating, other kinds of human injustice. On matters that upset human ecology, our faith counters with a rational perspective that links our commitment to a just, humane and prosperous society based upon an inner logic of humanity’s existence and eternal purpose. “The holistic teachings of the Catholic faith challenge us to respect life, from the moment of conception until natural death. The Church serves the hungry and provides shelter to those in need while also condemning the destruction of human life in the name of research. “Our Catholic hospitals provide medical care regardless of a person’s ability to pay.

We ask the faithful to open the gate to their hearts, to welcome the stranger in our midst, and advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. We challenge private and public institutions to protect the environment for future generations, and encourage families and community groups to help solve the social justice issues of our times. “We counsel and care for the defenseless, the victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, but do not fail to point out how these tragedies are triggered by our social obsession with promiscuous sex as well as the evil of pornography. “We urge harmony between capital and labor, and encourage political decisions that pursue living wages, just working conditions and greater participation in the economy. “We recognize the reality of God’s revelation to us, the clarity of the nature of marriage between one man and one woman, the right that children have to a mother and a father, and we champion their rights above the interests and desires of adults. “We defend religious institutions, like Catholic colleges and hospitals, and we champion such Christian institutions against violating their consciences by being forced to cooperate with that which they believe to be immoral. “We need a conversation on how the good conforms to human reason and human dignity, so that our society will not continue to overlook the consequences of these principles or that our laws will perpetually lack substance or meaning. “There is no realm of worldly affairs that can be withdrawn from the Creator and his dominion. We believe we have an obligation to teach the morals that shape the lives of every man, woman and child as given to us by Jesus Christ. The witness of the Church, therefore, is found in her public nature, and her proposed rational arguments to shape policy decisions is a working model of the right of individual believers and religious bodies to participate and speak out without government interference, favoritism or discrimination. “We urge the public and their representatives to consider carefully that ideas have consequences for future generations.

What we do today impacts the world of tomorrow.�

God bless you!

23A

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MARCH 28, 2013

DeLaSalle boys and girls take state basketball championships

Priest worked to build stronger communities CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6A “This parable that addresses what in the end we will truly be judged on, is not just one of many poignant parables told

by Jesus,” he said. “Its placement in the Gospel of Matthew immediately before the passion and death of Jesus tells us that it holds a special place — it is the last teaching that Jesus gives us in Matthew’s Gospel. And it resonated greatly with Box’s spirit. Feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, freeing the oppressed — this became Box’s life’s work.”

“We have lost a legend,” he added.

Continuing the fight “Msgr. Boxleitner . . . was a tireless advocate for the poor and for children in need,” said Tim Marx, CEO of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“Msgr. Boxleitner was larger than life — a force for good in our community. He not only changed the lives of those most in need, but also of those who were blessed with the immeasurable gift of knowing and working alongside him.

“Our sadness at the loss of this great man is eclipsed only by our gratitude for

Deacon Feffer dies at age 81

DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis added two more trophies to its trophy case this month. The girls basketball team completed a three-peat by winning the State Class AAA tournament at the Target Center. The girls defeated Red Wing 65-50 in the championship game March 16.

Deacon Edward F. Feffer died March 22.

He was born June 9, 1931 and was ordained a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese Oct. 4, 1980. He served at St. Jude of the Lake in Mahtomedi until Oct. 1991 and was then appointed to St. Pius X, White Bear Lake.

Deacon Feffer retired from active ministry in 2000 for medical reasons.

The Mass of Christian burial was March 28 at St. Pius X. Memorials preferred to the Parkinson's Foundation.

News Notes

Exactly one week later, the boys followed suit, earning a repeat of their title, also in Class AAA. They downed Austin 50-33 in the title game, which took place March 23 at Target Center. Three players made the All-Tournament Team – senior Luke Scott, junior Reid Travis and sophomore Jarvis Johnson.

The Islanders ended the season with a record of 30-1.

The Catholic Spirit

the enduring legacy he leaves behind,” Marx said. “We can all honor Msgr.

Boxleitner today and in the years to come by continuing his fight to create a better life for those in need and a stronger community for us all.”

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated March 19 at Holy Name in Minneapolis.

Johnson’s older sister, Tyseanna Johnson, a senior, likewise made the All-Tournament Team, along with senior Allina Starr and sophomore Patience Griffin. The Islanders finished the season

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24A

Overheard THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Quotes from this week’s newsmakers

Blessing the holy oils

MARCH 28, 2013 “Francis of Assisi tells us we should work to build peace. But there is no peace without truth! There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights, without at the same time caring for the good of others, of everyone, on the basis of the nature that unites every human being on this earth.”

— Pope Francis, speaking March 22 to the Vatican diplomatic corps

“We must keep alive in the world the thirst for the Absolute. We must never allow a one-dimensional vision of the human person to prevail — a vision that reduces the person to what he produces and consumes. This is one of the most dangerous, insidious things of our age.”

Archbishop John Nienstedt prays during the blessing of the oil of catechumens and consecration of chrism near the end of the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul March 19.

Chrism is a fragranced oil that only a bishop can consecrate. It is used during baptisms, confirmations and the ordination of priests and bishops as well as during the dedication and consecration of churches and altars. The oil of catechumens is used for infant baptisms and in some of the preparatory rites for catechumens as they prepare for baptism and initiation into the Catholic Church.

Also blessed during the Mass is the oil of the sick, which is used in the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. Each parish in the archdiocese receive the holy oils to use in the coming year.

At right, Heidi Ruiz of Sacred Heart in St. Paul, holds oil of the sick that she carried in a procession during the Chrism Mass. Next to her is Elio Bueno, also of Sacred Heart.

Below right, Father Robert Pish of the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity joins with other priests in the Renewal of Commitment to Priestly Service during the Chrism Mass.

— Pope Francis, speaking March 20 during a meeting with representatives from other Christian churches and other religions

“I am a pastor, not a politician.

And to talk as a pastor, these are not statistics. These are souls.

Human beings. We’re talking about fathers and husbands who, with no warning, won’t be coming home for dinner tonight and who may not see their families again for a decade at least. We are talking about a government policy that punishes children for the crimes of their parents. We are a better people than this. America has always been a nation of justice and law. But we are also a people of compassion and common sense. What we’re doing right now betrays our values and makes our country weaker and more vulnerable.”

— Archbishop José Gomez, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration, during a March 19 address calling for immigration reform

Photos by Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

“I applaud the Maryland General Assembly for choosing to meet evil not with evil, but with a justice worthy of our best nature as human beings.”

— Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, after the Maryland House of Delegates passed legislation March 15 to repeal the state’s death penalty, a measure Gov. Martin O’Malley has promised to sign into law

Learn about housing options and other services for seniors 8 page pullout section

The Catholic Spirit March 28, 2013

2B

Senior Housing

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MARCH 28, 2013

To our readers The descriptions of senior housing and other services in this section were provided by the facilities and service agencies, which are responsible for the accuracy of the content.

— The Catholic Spirit

The Catholic Spirit News with a Catholic heart.

No matter what’s going on in this changing world, it’s nice to know you can always return to a place where inspiration lives. Where you’ll find in-depth stories about people making a difference in the world. And where you can reconnect with your faith as you learn about the Catholic Church’s viewpoint on some of the difficult issues we face.

News with a Catholic Heart.

651-291-4444 TheCatholicSpirit.com

The Catholic Spirit

Crest View Senior Communities celebrating 60 years serving older adults Crest View Senior Communities is a faith-based, not-for-profit organization that has been providing services to older adults since 1952. Crest View Senior Community in Columbia Heights offers a continuum of care and service, including senior housing, assisted living, home care, memory care, rehab care and skilled nursing care. Crest View is developing a new campus of service for older adults in the city of Blaine.

To receive information, please call (763) 782-1601 or visit us at WWW.CRESTVIEW CARES.ORG.

Trails of Orono Live Well at Trails of Orono, offering senior living nestled in woods, nature and serenity, just minutes from downtown Wayzata. Our assisted living philosophy considers the well-being of the whole person through beautiful apartments, delicious meals, personal care, innovative health care and wellness services — amid exceptional amenities. House calls eliminate stress through on-site physicians, nurse practitioners, specialists and wellness appointments. Professional care staff is on site 24 hours daily, plus enhanced assisted living and memory care are available if needs change. For more information, call (952) 473-6655, or visit WWW.TRAILSOFORONO.COM.

Benedictine Health Center at Innsbruck We are part of the Benedictine Health System and sponsored by the Sisters of St. Benedict of Duluth. Our campus includes a new mobility courtyard and labyrinth for outdoor therapy, a transitional care neighborhood, long-term care and secure memory care neighborhoods and a therapy center serving outpatients and inpatients.

We have more than 60 private rooms and baths, delicious food and outstanding, specialized rehabilitation. Weekly Mass is offered in the Holy Spirit Chapel. Spiritual support is woven throughout our programs. We take pride in living out our values of hospitality, respect, stewardship and justice! Stop by for a tour, or call (651) 633-1686 for more information.

Saint Therese Saint Therese is a nonprofit Catholic organization that has focused on the well-being of individuals since it opened in 1968.

We provide secure, stress-free living and the very best in senior care and housing with a commitment to each individual.

Saint Therese offers a full continuum of programs and services that are available in your own home or in one of our community settings.

Saint Therese serves the Twin Cities metro area with campuses located in New Hope, Brooklyn Park and Shoreview.

To learn more, visit STTHERESEMN.ORG or call (763) 531-5000.

Senior Housing Cerenity Senior Care — Marian of Saint Paul Cerenity Senior Care — Marian of Saint Paul is a Catholic continuum of care community offering all levels of senior care and housing, including independent and assisted living; transitional care; adult day services; skilled nursing; and enhanced and memory care assisted living.

Mass is held six days a week in the beautiful Chapel of St. Mary.

Our full-time chaplain assists residents and their families as spiritual needs arise. We’re located in the Mounds Park neighborhood, St. Paul. For tours or more information, please call (651) 7932100, or visit WWW.CERENITY SENIORCARE.ORG. Join us for an open house 1 to 3 p.m., Sunday, April 21.

Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapels Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapels is the oldest family-owned funeral business in Minnesota.

Established in 1857, before Minnesota became a state, Washburn-McReavy is a fourth generation business.

Quality, personal service, and funeral and cremation services are available at all of our chapels. Call (612) 377-2203 for a brochure or visit WWW.WASHBURN-MCREAVY.COM.

MARCH 28, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MJ Properties of Saint Paul, LLLP Walk to daily Mass when you live at 1440 Randolph Ave., in Saint Paul’s Highland Park! Newly remodeled and value-priced apartments perfect for today’s independent senior 55-plus.

Adjacent to Holy Spirit Catholic Church, we provide a quiet, simple, yet elegant, living atmosphere for independent seniors of 55 and better who wish to “stay in the neighborhood” or live in close proximity to a Catholic Church and the sacraments.

Other features include: new modernized elevator, underground heated parking and outside garages, state-of-the-art monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detection, new appliances, a friendly on-site management team, mini-health clinic, fitness center and resident lounge with wireless access and cable TV — great for anyone on a budget for good value!

For more information, or to schedule a showing, please call MJ Properties of Saint Paul at (651) 690-4961.

The Wellington Senior Living and The Alton Memory Care The Wellington Senior Living and The Alton Memory Care are located in the Shepard Park neighborhood of Highland Park, just blocks away from the Mississippi River.

The Wellington has been a part of this St. Paul community since 1985.

The Highland Park area offers nearby retail shopping, various community centers, places of worship, and beautifully landscaped park areas.

A free, scheduled transportation shuttle is provided during the week to locations in the area.

The Wellington Senior Living offers independent living, assisted living and 24-hour care suites. Our team is dedicated to providing an environment of comfort and dignity.

We offer a variety of services including restaurant-style dining, housekeeping and a full array of social activities.

Health care professionals, including licensed nursing staff and certified home health aides, are trained, dedicated and available to meet the needs of older adults.

The Alton Memory Care is committed to providing the “person-directed” care that meets the specific needs of each individual while helping families spend quality time with their loved one and giving them the peace of mind knowing their loved one is well cared for.

When a loved one encounters memory issues, unique challenges arise for the person affected and their family members. At The Alton we understand the emotions they experience and the importance that human kindness plays in helping.

We also believe that assuring personal dignity is the cornerstone of providing care.

Mark Your Calendars and Join Us for a FREE Event Series!

Sholom Sholom is a non-profit organization providing a continuum of residential, social service and health care services, primarily for older adults.

Sholom’s two campuses — Shaller Family Sholom East Campus in St. Paul and Ackerberg Family Sholom West Campus in St. Louis Park — offer housing and a host of services for seniors including senior apartment homes, assisted living, enhanced assisted living, memory care, HUD-supported senior apartments, short-term rehab, skilled nursing care, hospice care, vitality and aquatics center with warm water therapy pool, in-house and community-based home health-care services and adult day services.

For more information on the Shaller Sholom East Campus, call (651) 328-2000; for the Ackerberg Sholom West Campus, call (952) 935-6311.

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BENEDICTINE HEALTH CENTER AT INNSBRUCK 1101 Black Oak Drive | New Brighton 651.633.1686 | www.bhcinnsbruck.org BENEDICTINE HEALTH CENTER OF MINNEAPOLIS 618 E. 17th Street | Minneapolis 612.879.2800 | www.bhcminneapolis.org BENEDICTINE SENIOR LIVING AT STEEPLE POINTE 625 Central Avenue | Osseo 763-425-4440 | www.steeplepointe.org

CERENITY SENIOR CARE Serving the East Metro www.cerenityseniorcare.org ST. GERTRUDE’S HEALTH & REHABILITATION CENTER 1850 Sarazin Street | Shakopee 952.233.4400 www.stgertrudesshakopee.org

800-833-7208 www.bhshealth.org

4B

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MARCH 28, 2013

St. Therese Southwest St. Therese Southwest is a senior living community located in Hopkins on 14 breathtaking acres of weeping willows and walking paths. The campus provides the feeling of living in the country with the benefit of being close to the city. We provide a spiritual environment in which people of all faiths are welcome. Daily Catholic Mass is offered, as well as weekly Protestant services. Lifestyle options include: independent living, assisted living, memory care, our adult day program and a short-term living suite.

For more information, please call (952) 933-3333 or visit WWW.STTHERESESOUTHWEST. COM. Now open: The Glenn by St. Therese Southwest, a retirement community for adults 62-plus in Minnetonka’s Glen Lake neighborhood.

For more information and to schedule your personal tour, call (952) 352-1000 or visit WWW.THEGLENNSENIORHOUSING.COM.

TowerLight on Wooddale Avenue Inspired senior living in the heart of St. Louis Park, 3601 Wooddale Ave. Stay-by-theday memory care and care suites now available. Day-to-day or month-to-month stays give caregivers the breaks they deserve.

Call our sales and outreach director at (952) 881-6322 to discuss your needs.

Offering independent living, assisted living, memory care and care suites.

See WWW.TOWERLIGHTSENIOR.COM. Managed by Ebenezer Management Services, an experienced provider of residential and health care environments for seniors since 1917.

John E. Trojack Law Office, P.A. A three-step strategy is used with each client.

First, we emphasize counseling, taking time to understand each person’s needs. Second, we assist in keeping the plan current. Third, we show our clients how they can pass along their wisdom as well as their wealth.

John and Joseph Trojack will work hard to help you give “what you own, to whom you want, when you want, and the way you want.” To ensure an “estate plan that works,” they maintain a formal updating program.

And, the office assures you of fully-disclosed and controlled costs. For information, call (651) 451-9696.

Regina Medical Center in historic Hastings Located in scenic Hastings, Regina Medical Center offers a truly unique care experience. Along with an on-site hospital and clinics, Regina offers a modern assisted living facility, memory care communities, care suites, nursing home, transitional care and an adult day program, all on one campus.

Regina has been caring for seniors since 1965 and is proud to carry on its Christian tradition of caring for the whole person — mind, body and spirit.

To learn more about Regina Senior Living, give us a call at (651) 480-4333.

Senior Housing St. Benedict’s Senior Community — Monticello St. Benedict’s Senior Community’s mission is “Our actions are guided by the belief that ‘All Shall Be Treated as Christ.’”

With foundational values and beliefs rooted in the tradition of the Catholic faith, St. Benedict’s Senior Community welcomes people of all faiths.

Our campus features: ■ Retirement, assisted living and memory care apartments.

■ Amenities such as a chapel, theater, general store, fitness center, club room and enclosed outdoor courtyard.

Call (763) 295-4051 for a tour.

Benedictine Health System Benedictine Health System is a nationally recognized leader in Catholic long-term care in the upper Midwest, with 10 senior housing campuses in the metro area, including: Benedictine Health Center at Innsbruck, New Brighton; Benedictine Health Center of Minneapolis; Benedictine Senior Living at Steeple Pointe, Osseo; Cerenity Senior Care, five campuses in St. Paul and White Bear Lake; and St. Gertrude’s Health and Rehabilitation Center, Shakopee.

BHS also has more than a dozen campuses in greater Minnesota.

BHS communities provide services in skilled nursing, assisted and independent living, in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation and therapy, short-term stay (transitional care), memory care, home health and adult day. For information, visit WWW.BHSHEALTH.ORG.

Senior Housing

MARCH 28, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Episcopal Homes

Respect For The Human Person

Estate Planning From A Catholic Perspective

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Episcopal Homes has a variety of senior housing available in St. Paul.

The following is a brief description of senior living residences. For more information on any home, visit WWW.EPISCOPALHOMES.ORG. Episcopal Church Home Nursing and short-term rehab care in a faith-based, not-for-profit.

Medicare/Medicaid certified. Our mission is to support each individual’s physical, social and spiritual needs. Weekly Catholic communion and rosary, plus monthly Catholic Mass. Call (651) 6464061 for a tour.

Senior living. With the emphasis on Living.

t Private suites in a small “neighborhood” setting

t Spacious one and two bedroom apartments with full kitchens

t Staff trained specifically for memory care

t Independent living

t Individualized strength based care

t Assisted living

t Creative and meaningful activity program

t Care Suites with 24-hour care

Iris Park Commons “A Community of Heart” with 59 one/two bedroom and studio apartments and a flexible menu of assisted living services for age 62-plus. Catholic Communion every Sunday, plus weekly Communion. Call (651) 646-1026 for a tour.

Cornelia House Gracious living for independent adults age 62-plus. We offer 47 one- or two-

bedroom apartments, community spaces and a lively resident council that organizes social events. Call (651) 2883931 for a tour.

Seabury Affordable independent living, age 62plus. Recognized as one of the finest HUD-subsidized senior housing facilities in the nation. Forty-nine one-bedroom apartments with central air conditioning.

Call (651) 379-5102 for a tour.

Carty Heights Affordable independent living for age 62-plus at University and Lexington.

Forty-nine one-bedroom air-conditioned apartments. Call (651) 288-1142 for a tour.

Kings Crossing Affordable independent living for age 62-plus. They’re located above the shops of Frogtown Square at University and Dale. Residents enjoy the same priority access to our programs and services as residents of our home campus. Forty-nine one-bedroom air-conditioned apartments. Call (651) 493-4606 for a tour.

t Professional nursing staff on-site daily and on-call 24/7 t On-site salon, daily activities, transportation, dining

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Faith, Community, Compassion

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You choose how you live…You want the security and peace of mind that comes with being a part of a caring community with many services and amenities. Crest View Senior Communities offers all the services you’re ever likely to need. From senior housing to skilled care services, you’ll find that Crest View offers choices and options to fit your individual needs.

• Senior Housing • Memory Care • Skilled Nursing Care • Assisted Living • Short-term Rehab • Home Care • Crest View Senior Community at Blaine (under development and taking reservations)

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"The services at our chapel are so personal. You're with your friends and the priests know us."

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Cerenity Senior Care - Marian of Saint Paul 200 Earl St., St. Paul, MN 55106 www.CerenitySeniorCare.com

Sunday, April 21

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Senior Housing

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • MARCH 28, 2013

life is good

TheCatholicSpirit.com News with a Catholic Heart from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Stay well and eliminate the stress of transportation to appointments:

On-site physicians, nurse practitioners, specialists, and wellness appointments

Saint Therese announces plans to build campus in Woodbury The Catholic Spirit Saint Therese, a faith-based senior care and housing organization, has announced plans to build a new senior community in Woodbury that will serve the east metro area of the Twin Cities.

The Woodbury campus is scheduled to break ground on the first phase of the development in late fall, opening its doors in late 2014 or early 2015. The campus will include approximately 275 units when fully completed.

The Saint Therese project will be located on a site just south of Bailey Road and west of Radio Drive.

The site is in the new Urban Village area of Woodbury and adjacent to the Bielenberg Gardens shopping center on which construction is expected to begin in June, St. Therese noted in a March 19 news release.

“Saint Therese is delighted to be expanding in the east metro,” said President and CEO Barbara Rode. “Woodbury is a progressive city supported by innovative leaders seeking the best options for their aging population.

We look forward to serving all Woodbury and east metro area seniors and their families as they journey through the aging process.”

Continuum of care In making the announcement, Saint Therese said it believes in a continuum of

care model — that whenever possible, seniors should receive a comprehensive array of health services on a single campus.

The Woodbury community will include one and two-bedroom independent living apartments as well as assisted living and memory care apartments with a variety of amenities and services.

Private nursing care suites for long-term, memory and transitional care, including cardiac care, will also be available in which residents will live in small neighborhoods.

The living options will be connected by a town center with conveniences such as a chapel, movie theater, café, beauty/barber shop and wellness and rehabilitation center.

Planning partners of the project include: Essential Decisions, Inc. and Growth Resource Partners.

Saint Therese is a nonprofit, Catholic organization that offers a full continuum of programs and services that are available in an individual’s home or in one of its community settings.

St. Terese currently serves the Twin Cities metro area with campuses located in New Hope, Brooklyn Park and Shoreview.

To learn more visit STTHERESEMN.ORG. For more information about the Woodbury project, call John LeBlanc, executive director of marketing and development for St. Therese, at (763) 531-5459.

Imagine this is your parent’s view surrounded by woods, nature, wildlife, and serenity.

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Our assisted living philosophy considers the well-being of the whole person through beautiful apartments, delicious meals, personal care, innovative health care, and wellness services, all amid our exceptional amenities. You’ll be assured that our professional care staff is on site 24 hours daily, plus enhanced care and memory care are on site if needs change.

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Senior Housing

MARCH 28, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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A life lesson that was delivered by an aging pope

M

uch has been said of the historic nature of Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to resign, but I am struck by something much more personal, something that resonates with those of us who are aging.

When we approach a certain age, frailties begin to surface, and they interfere with the desire to keep carrying out our respective vocation. It brings up a variety of questions.

When is it time to Maureen Pratt stop working?

When do we let go?

When do we move from one career, one way of living, to another type of living?

This new way of living might seem less productive, active or prestigious.

How do we make the transition?

Do we go kicking and screaming?

Hastily? Gracefully?

Before these questions loom, what tools do we use to answer, to make our decisions? Do we rely on financial calculations or on careful assessment of our physical condition?

In my case, the transition from being a full-time employee to not working at all was abrupt and unplanned. I walked into a doctor’s office to find out that something was wrong with me. I was diagnosed with lupus. I had doctor’s orders to stop working and doing the leisure activities I had enjoyed. I was in my mid-30s and immediately began to struggle with the question: “What’s next?”

Some people have the luxury of planning for decades what they will do when the time comes to retire. But even then, economic and lifestyle factors might be easier to assess than those deeply human longings of belonging, of serving, of doing something of value.

Commentary

Reliance on prayer With retirement, life does not end. It changes, profoundly, in personal and professional ways. Adapting to these changes can be difficult, even when the moment is eagerly anticipated.

I have tremendous appreciation for Pope

“In retirement, the

closing of one door opens others. Along with our financial calculations and retirement planning, reliance upon prayer and discernment of God’s will can assist us in knowing when and through which door we shall go.

”

1101 Black Oak Drive, New Brighton, MN 55112

(651) 633-1686 • www.bhcinnsbruck.org

EVERY E VE ERY D DAY. AY. E EVERY VE ERY W WAY. AY.

MAUREEN PRATT

Benedict’s humility expressed in his explanation for his decision. I am encouraged and inspired by his acknowledgment that he will not sit idle but will continue his ministry, albeit different in form from that of his work as supreme pontiff. And, I am grateful that he communicated to us his reliance on prayer as central to the decision he ultimately made.

Perhaps at a certain age or stage in life our current occupation is no longer something to which we can do justice or for which we are no longer fit. Perhaps we are right in stepping away and allowing others to serve at work, at a volunteer position or at another activity. But this does not mean that God is finished with us yet.

In retirement, the closing of one door opens others. Along with our financial calculations and retirement planning, reliance upon prayer and discernment of God’s will can assist us in knowing when and through which door we shall go.

Pratt writes for Catholic News Service.

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Holy Week and Easter Learning more about our faith The Catholic Spirit’s 4-page Rediscover: pullout section in each issue of 2013 highlights a new Rediscover: theme for you to reflect on and discuss with others.

Coming up April 11: How do I grow closer to Jesus?

The paradox of mystery, not the parroting of history

“W HEART OF THE MATTER Father Tom MARGEVICIUS

hat’s so good about Good Friday?” It was an honest question. She was not a scoffer ridiculing the Church’s tradition; she struggled to celebrate the brutal murder of an innocent man who healed the sick and taught love of neighbor.

What’s more, people of faith know Jesus Christ is God Incarnate; how dare we call “good” the Creator letting his creatures kill his son?

To understand the Church’s liturgy — indeed all mysteries of the Christian faith — we must embrace the idea of paradox.

A paradox places together two seeminglycontrary concepts, so that the combination produces a new result. A paradox works because it does not evaluate things from only one perspective.

Jesus frequently preached using paradoxes: “Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matthew 5:10). In the world’s opinion, persecution is not a blessing, but God says otherwise, and what he thinks matters more.

“Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,” is another of Jesus’ paradoxes, “But whoever loses

The Catholic Spirit • March 28, 2013

his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).

What the world calls loss, God calls gain.

Entering into the Paschal Mystery The liturgies of Holy Week and Easter present numerous paradoxes. They embrace mystery, not mimic history. We do not try to dramatically recreate Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection, like a Passion Play at Oberammergau (in Bavaria, Germany). Those events happened once, from the perspective of history. Rather, we celebrate them as paradoxes because that’s how we enter into the Paschal Mystery of Jesus crucified and risen.

Passion (Palm) Sunday sets the stage of paradox: the same people who shout “Blessed is He (Jesus) who comes in the name of the Lord!” will five days later shout, “Crucify Him!” The liturgy invites us to shout these not because we’re pretending to go back in history, but so we can more fully enter the paradox ourselves.

On Holy Thursday, the priest washes the faithful’s feet not because he’s play-acting Jesus, Please turn to EASTER on back page of section

Rediscover-faith.org

“Good Friday and the events of Holy Week may look like failures to the world, but in the end God has the final word.”

Father Tom Margevicius

Laying down your life I once heard a story about Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. He had called for one of the men under his command who had an excellent reputation. Lincoln needed the soldier to deliver a message to another battalion that was dangerously positioned on the other side of the enemy. If both battalions could be coordinated to attack the opposition at the same time, their position would become a strategic advantage.

When the young man arrived, without disclosing the nature of the assignment, explained that he had a very CELEBRATING Lincoln dangerous mission and asked the soldier if he CATHOLICISM would be willing to take on such a commission.

Matthew The soldier said, “I am willing to die for our cause.”

KELLY Lincoln replied, “I have 25,000 men who are willing to die for the cause. What I need is one who is willing to live for it.”

What are you willing to live for?

Throughout the history of Christianity, men and women have died for their faith. Even today there are many parts of the world where members of our Catholic family are politically persecuted, physically tortured and sometimes executed just because they are Catholic. So it is important for us not to set martyrdom aside as something that took place only in early Christian times.

“During Holy But you and I here in America are not called to die for our faith. Instead, the Week, we modern Church desperately needs men and women who are willing to live for witness Jesus the faith. laying down his What are you willing to live for?

Just before her death, Joan of Arc life for us. In turn, wrote, “I know this now. Every man he calls us to lay gives his life for what he believes. Every gives her life for what she down our lives woman believes. Sometimes people believe in for others. Are little or nothing, and yet they give their lives to that little or nothing. One life is you willing?” all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it, and then it’s gone. But to Matthew Kelly surrender what you are and to live without belief is more terrible than dying — even more terrible than dying young.”

What are you willing to give your life for? Not in death or martyrdom, but in life? What great cause are you willing to support with the moments of your life?

In every age, on both sides of the fence of good and evil, the most powerful agents of change are those people willing to give all their time, effort and energy without reserve to the cause they deem worthy of their lives.

We saw this in the hijackers of 9/11, and we saw this in Hitler.

But we also see it in Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa, in mothers who selflessly raise their children, in fathers who work tirelessly each day to support their families, in the priests who serve in our parishes, and in countless other heroic men and women throughout history who have given their lives to the service of God, humanity and the Gospel.

The question again is: What are you willing to give your life for?

Perhaps a better place to start is with the question “What are you giving your life to today?”

When you examine the way you spend your days and weeks, to what are you contributing your time, efforts, energy and talents?

As a teenager, I used to play a lot of golf at a club not far from where we lived. I remember how some men would spend their whole lives at the golf club. There were one or two in particular whose lives seemed to revolve around the life of the club. They would play, but they were also on the board.

They would hang around in the clubhouse and, from time to Please turn to WE on back page of section

The Catholic Spirit • March 28, 2013

Mom follows seminarian son’s

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

Kim Haverstock is excited about the day her son Paul will be ordained a priest.

But, first things first. For the rest of this week, she will focus on the task at hand — becoming initiated into the Catholic Church herself. She is scheduled to receive the sacraments of confirmation and Eucharist Saturday at the Easter Vigil Mass at Holy Family in St. Louis Park.

Born and raised Lutheran, she was on track to be part of that denomination’s Missouri Synod for the rest of her life. Born in Hong Kong, she was raised by Lutheran parents, with her father serving as a missionary pastor during her childhood.

“I was sure that the Lutheran church had all the truth,” said Kim, 57, who lives in Eden Prairie with her husband Henry. “And, when I thought of the Catholic Church, I thought of them as Christians, definitely, but they were just a little weird.”

Life-changing decision

That belief changed when her son Paul, 29, was in college at the University of Kansas. According to Kim, a “well-catechized Catholic” roommate engaged in conversations with Paul about the Church.

He listened, then asked questions. Eventually, he decided to take the next step.

“Paul did the RCIA [Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults] just to find out more,” she said. “And, he told me part way through, ‘You know, Mom and Dad, I’m in this RCIA class and I’m thinking at the end of this, I can decide whether or not I want to become Catholic.

I’m thinking it’s a possibility.’

“I remember saying to him, ‘I’m sure they’ll understand if you decide that it’s not for you.’ And he said, ‘Mom, I hope In her own words you understand if I decide that I’m going to do it.’ It kind of brought me up short. Like, ‘Really?’ It made me a little Visit Rediscover-faith.org to watch uncomfortable. I think I had slightly hurt feelings that he a video of Kim Haverstock talk would say it like that.”

Yet, she and Henry went down to Kansas for the Easter about her journey of faith.

Vigil Mass at the campus Newman Center in 2006 to witness Paul’s reception into the Church. Kim and Henry were committed to supporting their son, and Kim was confident in knowing that Paul, despite changing denominations, was still holding fast to his Christian faith.

After graduating from Kansas, he decided to go to law school. But part way through the program, he started feeling the call to

By Dave Hrbacek priesthood. When he informed Kim of this, she simply said to finish The Catholic Spirit law school first. He did so, then enrolled at the St. Paul Seminary Paul Haverstock plans to return from School of Divinity. He now is studying in Rome at the Pontifical Kim, Saturday night at Holy Family in North American College. night, at the Easter Learning more received into the C This part of his education soon bore fruit in his own family. Kim It is only fitting, started to explore the Catholic Church, as he had done, and he took considered becomi the opportunity to teach her about the Catholic faith. at the University o “I had a bunch of questions,” she said. “How can Catholics Catholic roommat believe that Mary is sinless? That was one of my questions. joined at the Easter “Paul had a well-catechized answer and we would engage and 2006. talk. He got me CDs to listen to, two by Dr. Scott Hahn, which were “That day has st awesome. I listened to those over and over again in the car. One day, of my adult life,” s I realized as I listened to the CD on Mary, I think the Catholics got it sacraments of con right. It was like a light penetrating. . . . I became more and more Eucharist for the fi Haverstock interested [in the Catholic faith].” step into the world She found out about the video series on Catholicism by Father prepared to help us pilgrims here on E Robert Barron and wondered how she could watch it. Then, last fall, black-and-white tube TV to flat-screen Paul told her that Holy Family was going to show the entire series. once you get it, you wonder how you She and Henry both signed up.

Eventually, Paul entered the St. Paul After that, she and Henry both enrolled in RCIA classes. and now is studying at the Pontifical N “Each Tuesday night has been a wonderful experience,” she said.

“I’ve been learning so much and am thrilled with what I’m learning.

Before, I loved my Missouri Synod tradition. I loved that church, Catholic member of the family could be and I still have a deep love for that church. But, I feel like the thought, ‘It just has to be that he’s in Ro Catholic Church has all the graces, and I feel like I have a feast laid be back for two years. And, he got speci before me.”

I’m so thrilled he can be there supportin Here’s maybe the best part: Paul is coming back from Rome to be Henry will be by her side as well, alon there at the Easter Vigil. He was able to get permission to return for and Anne’s husband Michael. the celebration.

Henry went through RCIA with Kim, “I’m so excited,” she said. “I had no idea that he would be able to toward joining the Church, possibly ne come for this. I was thinking before it would be nice if the one through some questions he has.

Son plans return f

Ringing Easter bells, hoping against hope

s footsteps into Church

from Rome for Easter Vigil

m Rome to be with his mom, n St. Louis Park. On that r Vigil Mass, she will be Church (see main story). as Paul is the reason she even ing Catholic. While a student of Kansas, he talked with a te about the Church, then r Vigil Mass on campus in

tood out as the happiest day said Paul, 29. “Receiving the firmation, confession and irst time was a thrill, and a d of grace that God has Earth. It was like going from a n, 60-inch, Plasma 3-D — ever survived without it.” l Seminary School of Divinity North American College in

e there for me. But, I ome.’ Normally, he wouldn’t ial permission to come back. ng me.” ng with their daughter Anne

and she says he is leaning ext year. He is still working

Rome. He received permission to come back for the Easter Vigil from Archbishop John Nienstedt and Father Troy Przybilla, archdiocesan vocations director.

“I am delighted to be able to come back to spend the Easter Vigil with my family,” he said, “and to be present for what will be one of the most important days in my mom's life.”

It was Paul who first began talking about the Catholic Church with his mom. The conversations were a natural outgrowth of what had happened in his own journey to Catholicism.

“At one point, I gave my mom a copy of the Catechism, and she began reading it,” he said. “We also prayed the Liturgy of the Hours together, which my mom especially loved, since its structure was so similar to the prayers in the Lutheran book of worship, which she had grown up with. And it’s been a kind of gradual process since then.

“Within the last year, I gave Mom and Dad a couple CDs from Lighthouse Catholic Media, addressing topics like the pope, Mary and veneration of the saints.”

If Paul is accepted for the priesthood after completing his studies, he would be ordained in 2016.

At the moment, Kim is focusing on the upcoming Easter Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. As a Lutheran, she celebrated Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but the Holy Thursday and Easter Vigil liturgies will be new.

In this way, she is Rediscovering Holy Week as she anticipates joining the Church at Saturday’s Easter Vigil.

“It is the big high point I can hardly wait for, and I’m really excited, for the first time, to be able to have the Eucharist, the true body and blood of Jesus,” she said. “I can’t wait to be part of that.”

Alton Peterson was an adventurer, the kind of spirited Minnesotan who would rather climb atop a train than ride inside.

When the World War II soldier was assigned to Pisa, Italy, in 1945, he discovered a sad situation: Nazis had taken over and boarded up the famous leaning tower in order to have a watchtower. The bells at the top, which used to ring every day for the Angelus and beckon locals to Sunday Mass at Pisa’s cathedral, hadn’t been rung in years. For all the faithful Catholics in the village, the silence was deafening.

This was unacceptable to Alton, who enlisted a buddy during an afternoon break, removed the boards, undid the cords binding the bells and rang them with REFERENCE all his might.

POINTS The noise sent shockwaves through the small town.

Locals streamed out of their homes, crying, dancing and singing. It was an audible expression of their Christina cherished faith. It was the sound of hope.

CAPECCHI Fast forward 68 years and meet Alton’s grandson, James Peterson, a 27-year-old with light brown hair and a broad smile who belongs to St. Hubert parish in Chanhassen. James is in his final year at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul, a transitional deacon preparing for ordination to the priesthood this May. He and his classmates spent January in Rome to experience the center of the Catholic Church. During the last weekend available for travel, James took a train to Pisa, eager to see the tower his grandfather had unshackled.

He wasted no time and leapt up the tower. “My heart was racing,” he told me. “There were 300 steps, but it didn’t For reflection seem like anything.”

When James reached the top, What Easter moments have he saw no bells and his heart you experienced in your life? fell. Soon an attendant spotted How did they impact your him and asked what was faith? wrong. When James explained his pursuit, the attendant told him there was one more level, a secret staircase leading to the bells, and invited him up. And then the magic happened: James touched the ancient bells.

“I had tears in my eyes,” he said. “It was an amazing way to connect with my late grandfather.”

Bringing hope to others That, to me, is the heart of Easter: a young soldier bringing hope to an oppressed town, a young seminarian connecting with his late grandfather, the triumph of song over silence and life over death.

In walking us through Jesus’ final days of life, Holy Week unpacks the entire human drama. Life doesn’t unfold in steady intervals, and Jesus’ final week on Earth marks one of those incredible spurts: instituting the Eucharist at the Last Supper, washing his apostles’ feet, teaching them the Lord’s Prayer, tasting of sweet friendship and bitter abandonment.

So, too, in our own way, we endure hurts and wounds, uniting them to the cross and trusting in the One who rose from the tomb. In the homily at his installation Mass, Pope Francis quoted Romans 4:18, when St. Paul describes Abraham as “hoping against hope.”

“Today, too,” Pope Francis said, “amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others.”

That is the charge of Easter, and it requires some of Alton’s daring: to open our hearts to joy and to boldly share it, letting it ring out for all to hear.

When we live out the call of Easter, we look for the best in others and believe in our best selves — and we begin to realize it. We grow in patience and charity. A bad day doesn’t unhinge us; we breathe deeply and wait for tomorrow, relying on the new grace of a fresh start. The bells will sound again.

Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.

Rediscover-faith.org

We must nurture light within us Staying on ‘the way’ toward God time, I would even see them pulling weeds or trimming the plants that surrounded the first tee. Even as a child, I remember thinking that there must be something lacking in them to spend their lives this way. But I suppose we all need something to live for, something to get out of bed for each day — for them, it was the golf club.

the light of God. And, when it shines, it reflects not only the wonder of God but also the greatness of the human spirit.

We live in difficult times. I pray that we never become fearful, but rather we turn our focus to nurturing the light within us. I hope we allow that light within us to be nourished and to grow.

Darkness has one enemy that it can never defeat, and that is light. Let your light shine!

Don’t waste time

Responding to the culture

The memory prompts me to think more deeply about life and death: Whenever I am confronted with the reality and inevitability of death, it heightens my awareness of how brief and precious my time here on earth is.

Sometimes it is the death of a friend, at other times it is a news story, or perhaps it is just a bumpy ride on a plane.

These events help me to treasure my own life more and more with each passing day. But they also challenge me to reassess the way I am spending the time, effort and energies that are my life.

I am more intimately aware than ever before that we all waste life. We waste it one day at time — a day here and a day there — or an hour at a time. We waste time drowning in unforgiveness. We waste time immersed in frivolous or irresponsible activities. We waste time being lazy and procrastinating.

Life is wonderful but brief. Each day is filled with unimaginable potential. The life God invites us to allows us to live each moment with vibrant enthusiasm.

Within each of us there is a light. It is

Kelly is an international best-selling author, speaker and founder of The Dynamic Catholic Institute.

Continued from second page

As we reflect on our brief and precious lives, let us also remember that they are but a transition to a long and blissful eternity.

Teresa of Avila encourages us: “Remember you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life, which is short and has to be lived by you alone; and there is only one glory, which is eternal. If you do this, there will be a great many things about which you care nothing.”

During Holy Week, we witness Jesus laying down his life for us. In turn, he calls us to lay down our lives for others.

Are you willing?

Like Lincoln, we need a strategic response to the culture of our times. It seems that more people are willing to lay down their lives against the Christian cause than for it. Until that changes, this world will continue to go in a direction that concerns all men and women of good will.

The Catholic Spirit To be human is to be on a lifelong journey toward our ultimate destination: a return home to God. And, staying focused on Jesus Christ offers us the surest path to get there, said Deacon Joseph Michalak in the fourth and last talk of the 2013 Rediscover: Speakers Series.

“Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes Deacon Michalak to the Father except by me,’” he said during the talk March 21 at Our Lady of Grace in Edina. “Our mission is to remain connected to Jesus.”

Deacon Michalak’s multimedia presentation was titled “Rediscover: the way — Keeping God at the Center of My Life.”

He also spoke March 12 at St. John Neumann in Eagan. (A presentation scheduled for March 18 at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton was cancelled due to inclement weather.)

The first Christians were called followers of “The Way,” said Deacon Michalak, director of diaconate formation for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Their beliefs and way of living were noticeable to others. Likewise, there are concrete actions every person today can take to help keep them on “the way” toward God, he said.

■ Meet God daily in prayer and Scripture. Have a set time and place to pray every day, Deacon Michalak suggested.

Prayer can follow a simple structure he

called “ACTS” — adoration, contrition, thanksgiving and supplication. Read Scripture each day — even for 5 minutes as a start, he said. Begin with the Gospels, where we meet Jesus, and the psalms.

■ Meet God regularly in the sacraments. “The sacraments are strength for living, for being on ‘the way,’” Deacon Michalak said.

It is important to participate in Sunday Mass each week and offer one’s life with Jesus to the Father, he said. Reflect on the day’s Scripture readings beforehand, and after Mass kneel down and give thanks, he said. It is also important to participate in the sacrament of reconciliation at least once a month to receive forgiveness and God’s mercy.

■ Meet God regularly in service born of love. “Service means to give the gift of the riches of myself,” Deacon Michalak said. He encouraged others to practice the Church’s spiritual and corporal works of mercy. He also encouraged everyone to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give them an opportunity to serve each day.

■ Meet God whenever he would meet us in our suffering — accept the cross with Jesus. “Suffering is part of the human condition,” Deacon Michalak said. “It is the constant companion on the journey.”

We are called to live out the Beatitudes, which “show us the face of suffering love,” he said. We must offer up our suffering, he added. “As Jesus offered himself on the cross to the Father for us, so now we can offer ourselves. . . . And as the Father raised Jesus from the dead, so the Father will raise us.”

Easter Sunday shows God’s perspective wins, not the world’s Continued from first page but to make the paradox of Jesus’ own example visible: “If I, your master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow (John 13:1415).” What the priest does ritually, we’re all called to do: lead others by serving them.

Similarly, in the sacrifice of the Eucharist, the priest doesn’t re-enact the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, much less crucify Jesus again (which would be against Scripture: Romans 6:9-10). Rather, the Mass ritualizes the mystery of Jesus now offering his Body and Blood to us.

From the world’s perspective, killing the innocent Jesus on Friday was not good. But from God’s perspective, because Jesus died — and rose again — you and I have access to something even better than keeping Jesus alive on earth: life with him forever in heaven. God turns Jesus’ death into something good for us. It really is a Good Friday, which is why paradoxically we even kiss the symbol of his torture, the cross.

Celebrating Jesus’ victory During the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night, the beautiful Exsultet text contains the powerful line, “O truly necessary sin of Adam . . . O happy fault that

earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!”

Who would dare to call sin “happy?”

Well, Sts. Ambrose, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, for starters. They knew original sin, too, is a paradox: Because of Adam’s fault (and ours!) Jesus came to save us, and in the end we’re even happier than Adam was before the fall.

The doors through which we enter the mystery of Christ are the Easter sacraments. Those baptized, confirmed with the Spirit and brought into full communion show us afresh what it looks like to enter the paradox.

Easter Sunday proclaims that God’s perspective on paradox wins, not the

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The Catholic Spirit • March 28, 2013

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world’s: “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world. (John 16:33).”

That’s why the Easter season (50 days) lasts longer than Lent (40 days).

Good Friday and the events of Holy Week may look like failures to the world, but in the end God has the final word. “I am the first and the last,” Jesus says, “the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever (Revelation 1:17-18).”

Father Tom Margevicius is instructor of liturgical theology and homiletics at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul.

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