Human trafficking 4A • St. John’s Bible 5A • Rose Ensemble 10A February 26, 2015 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
thecatholicspirit.com
THE
By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit
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ister Simone Campbell calls it “grocery store missionary work,” and it’s one way she suggests Catholics support immigration reform and other justice issues. Engaging others in conversation, she said, is a good first step toward bringing about social change. “Whenever you stand in line, talk to the person in front of you or behind you about something that matters,” Sister Simone told an audience Feb. 17. “Ask what they think about immigration reform. Everybody’s got an opinion.” A member of the Sisters of Social Service and the executive director of Network, a national Catholic social justice lobby known for its Nuns on the Bus campaigns, Sister Simone spoke at St. Catherine University in St. Paul at its annual Breaking The Impasse forum. The forum is the sixth hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet’s social justice ministry, and co-sponsored by Network and a dozen local advocacy groups. With a focus on immigration policy reform, this year’s forum proved timely, following the action of a federal district judge in Texas Feb. 16 to block President Barack Obama’s executive order to ease some immigration policies for people who are living in the country illegally. Judge Andrew Hanen granted the request of Texas and 25 other states to temporarily block a planned expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to certain people who were ineligible for the original 2012 program, according to a Catholic News Service report.
As immigration divides the political right and left, Catholics call for dialogue in Congress and communities
WORD Franciscan Brother of Peace leader, a national pro-life advocate, dies
By Maria Wiering and Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Franciscan Brother of Peace Paul O’Donnell, a nationally regarded pro-life advocate and speaker, died Feb. 20 at his community’s residence in St. Paul. He was 55. Brother Paul died in his sleep, and his death was unexpected, said
Political impact Sister Simone outlined a history of U.S. immigration policy, and said a “tolerable” immigration reform bill that had been passed by the U.S. Senate in 2013 would have provided needed reform to the broken immigration system. It was first discussed at Breaking The Impasse in 2010. She blamed the influence of the Tea Party in Speaker of the House Please turn to IMMIGRATION on page 7A fellow Brother John Mary Kaspari. A funeral Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. Feb. 27 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. A visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at St. Columba in St. Paul, with a 7 p.m. wake following. An early member of the St. Paul religious community, Brother Paul will be remembered for “his great
love, devotion and humility; his love for each of the brothers and their way of life; and his love and selfless outreach to the most vulnerable, especially in the rightto-life movement, the unborn, aged and disabled,” Brother John Mary said. Please turn to BROTHER on page 15A
ALSO inside
100 years since first Mass
Local pilgrimage
Cancer battle inspires
The Cathedral of St. Paul: a timeless monument to Catholics’ faith, dedication — B Section
Engage in family issues – and see Pope Francis – at the World Meeting of Families in September — Page 6A
Youth leader embraces God’s plan as disease weakens his body — Page 20A