February 27, 2020 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Legislative priorities Minnesota Catholic Conference outlines expectations, priorities for legislative session.
thecatholicspirit.com
Got marriage?
‘I DO’
— Page 6A
142 years of ministry Domincian Friars plan summer departure from Minneapolis parish they have served for decades. — Page 7A
Homegrown bishop Wide-ranging coverage of Bishop Donald DeGrood, a native of rural Faribault ordained Feb. 13 as bishop of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. — Pages 1B–12B
Radio plays A special reading from radio plays about Christ’s life brings back memories as Dorothy L. Sayers’ work continues to inspire. — Page 9A
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Michelle and Patrick Borland join the recessional after Saturday evening Mass Feb. 22 at St. Joseph in Waconia, where they had their marriage convalidated by the pastor of St. Joseph, Father Stan Mader. The Borlands had a civil marriage in March 2000, and “always had planned to, at some point, get married in the Catholic Church,” said Patrick, 51, who became Catholic in 2011. The priest called forward the Borlands and six other couples who had accepted his recent invitation to celebrate their marriages according to the rites of the Church during the parish’s Mass. “When this opportunity came up, it seemed like a great opportunity to jump in with other couples and do it,” he said. Michelle, 46, a lifelong Catholic, said having their marriage recognized by the Church “brings God into our marriage more” and helps the two of them “feel a closer tie to each other.” For more on the event, which Father Mader labeled “My Big, Fat Catholic Wedding,” see story on page 10A.
Seminar: ‘Gender ideology’ spreads false idea of person By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
Water works Students at Mahtomedi school raise fish and grow vegetables in aquaponics lab. — Page 16A
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n a culture where public school policies are increasingly pushing parents out of important conversations about their child’s sexual identity and gender expression, Catholic educators need to take an opposite approach, speakers told two gatherings of pastors, Catholic school leaders and religious education directors Feb. 20-21. Sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office for the Mission of Catholic Education, the seminar sought to explain the recent document from the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education on the danger of gender theory, “Male and Female He Created Them.” Catholic families are not immune to the
influences of “gender theory,” or the ideology that a person’s identity as male or female is independent of his or her biological sex, said Mary Rice Hasson, one of the featured speakers at the four-hour seminar. But those Catholic families deserve parishes and schools that support them with a vision of the human person rooted in the Church’s teaching, she said, not one that simply affirms a child’s desire to be known as someone opposite their biological sex or living on a gender spectrum. An attorney and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as the director of the Catholic Women’s Forum, Hasson said that Church leaders need to take their cue about how to deal with this issue from Pope Francis. Pope Francis has emphasized the
importance of pastoral accompaniment that “starts with the person,” while speaking clearly about gender ideology, calling it “wicked” and “a global war” on the family, she said. He has spoken of the need to combat gender theory as an ideology, as it seeks to erase the idea of family and the complementarity of men and women, Hasson said. The theory has spread internationally and been embraced by influential governments, businesses and advocacy groups, and its promoters often use intimidation to squelch a traditional view of creation, calling it bigotry, she said. Meanwhile, the number of people who identify as transgender or “non-binary,” meaning they don’t identify as either male or female, is growing, Hasson said, and PLEASE TURN TO IDENTITY ON PAGE 5A
Embrace the challenge 2020 ARCHDIOCESAN MEN’S CONFERENCE
Saturday, March 28, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. • Saint Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights register at www.archspm.org/events