MARTYRS of Damascus —
Pages 6-7
Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun holds up an icon depicting three martyrs of Damascus, Syria, at the end of a Divine Liturgy at St. Maron in Northeast Minneapolis Jan. 25. The icon and a relic of the martyrs are on display at the church in the sanctuary in front of the altar. Other stops are planned at churches across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
PROCESSION FOR LIFE About 700 students from Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis marched in a Eucharistic procession from St. Agnes School in St. Paul to the Minnesota State Capitol on Jan. 22. It was part of a day-long series of pro-life activities called the Students for Life March and Rally, sponsored by the archdiocese and Students for Life of America. Father John Ubel, pastor of St. Agnes, was the first to process with the Eucharist. Several other priests took turns along the way.
AQUAPONICS From left to right, eighth graders Anna Marie O’Hearn, Violet Zipko, Ethan Charter and Gianna Lentz inspect lettuce grown through aquaponics at St. Jude of the Lake in Mahtomedi as eighth grade general science teacher Jill Ryan helps with the project. In partnership with MINNDEPENDENT, a nonprofit based in Edina that helps strengthen schools through resources and training, St. Jude of the Lake offers an aquaponics program called All Are Welcome to the Table that includes students learning how to raise fish and vegetables through sustainable farming. All Are Welcome to the Table began at the school Sept. 27, 2023, and has since welcomed 75 tilapia fingerlings to the school’s science lab. Students have also grown beans and strawberries through the aquaponics program.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Jan. 31 “Practicing Catholic” radio show featured a discussion with Bishop Kevin Kenney on how to live a Christian life in secular environments and an interview with Zach Jansen, digital content producer for the archdiocese, on the themes of faith and spirituality in the comedy film “Groundhog Day.” The program also included a talk with Laura Haraldson, project manager in the archdiocese’s Office of Project Management, and Father Ryan Glaser, parochial vicar of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, about the archdiocese’s Teaching Mass film series. Listen to interviews after they have aired at archspm org/faith-anddiscipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
Today we give thanks to God ... for the gift of this church that is being consecrated to him. Everything starts with the path that God became man and dwelt among us in this particular part of the world, this Holy Land. Here, we are at the lowest point of the Earth, but it is precisely here that God came to meet us, as if to gather into his embrace also those from afar.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, representing Pope Francis, at the inauguration and consecration of a new church on the banks of the Jordan River, the site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Cardinal Parolin celebrated the Mass at the Church of the Baptism of the Lord at Al-Maghtas, Jordan, on Jan. 10, alongside Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, marking the 25th anniversary of the Catholic Church’s annual pilgrimage to the site.
NEWS notes
Bishop Kevin Kenney gave the opening prayer for the Jan. 22 session of the Minnesota House in St. Paul. He prayed in part for respect and protection of the gift of life, promotion of human flourishing, care for creation and a dignified existence for all people of Minnesota. His full prayer: “Good and gracious God, creator of all that is good, we thank you for the gift of life. Each of us is called by you to steward this gift and help others to do so. Give those in this chamber the wisdom and grace to work collaboratively to respect the gift of life and protect it in its most vulnerable moments. May we work together to promote human flourishing, care for creation and a dignified existence for all people in our state. Help us to build a culture of peace and justice where people no longer turn to violence as an answer to problems but respectfully dialogue through differences so divisions can disappear, and growth will flourish. Finally, we remember that we are called to serve and not to be served. You challenge us to love and forgive our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Lord, this is sometimes hard. But with your divine assistance, we can model a better way of friendship and dialogue for the betterment of our society, culture and families. We ask this all in your holy name. Amen.”
Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Chief Operating Officer Bill Lentsch have announced an organizational change at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul. The Office of Marriage, Family and Youth is merging with the Office of Discipleship and Evangelization to better facilitate collaboration in areas such as the Parish Evangelization Cells System (PECS) of small groups and evangelization efforts. Staff members will be part of the single Office of Discipleship and Evangelization.
Health care professionals, caregivers, chaplains and those experiencing illness are particularly invited to a 10 a.m. Mass Feb. 8 at Our Lady of Grace in Edina honoring the 32nd annual World Day of the Sick and the Feb. 11 feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Bishop Michael Izen will celebrate the Mass and bestow a special blessing, and a reception will follow. The reception will include a reflection by Todd Flanders, headmaster of Providence Academy in Plymouth. Event sponsors include the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Order of Malta American Association Minnesota Area and its mission of nurturing the faith and serving the poor and the suffering, and Curatio Apostolate, an approved apostolate in the archdiocese for Catholic health care professionals.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda helped mark World Day for Consecrated Life at an afternoon of prayer, faith-filled entertainment and sharing of ministries Feb. 2 at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul. Religious sisters, brothers, priests and others in consecrated life participated in evening prayer and other activities as they celebrated God’s gift of their vocations. About 70 people attended the gathering, the first such event since February 2020 as many social gatherings were put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nicole Bettini, the archdiocese’s delegate for consecrated life, said representatives of several communities talked to the group for two minutes about their various apostolates. “It was a beautiful way of learning about each other,” Bettini said.
In a post to social media the morning of Feb. 2, representatives of Gichitwaa Kateri in Minneapolis said the community’s feather staff had been taken from the church. Though not used in Catholic liturgy, the feather staff has cultural significance to those who are part of the Gichitwaa Kateri community. According to the social media post, anyone with information on the feather staff’s whereabouts is asked to call the parish at 612-824-7606.
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
COURTESY ST. JUDE OF THE LAKE
FROMTHEVICARGENERAL
ONLY JESUS | FATHER CHARLES LACHOWITZER
Mining the ore
Above the main entrance to the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul are the words, “Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing.” This historic building, built in 1939, served for decades as the global headquarters for 3M. Unused for years, the building eventually became the temporary and now permanent home for the offices of the archbishop and his staff.
The archbishop graciously accepted my resignation as a vicar general, effective Dec. 31, 2024. I have been asked to write this column on the past 11 years of my ministry in this office, which included vicar general (2013-2024) and moderator of the curia (2013-2021). Oh, and in 700 words or less!
As my final reflection in this privileged column, it is for me a fitting metaphor that “mining the ore” is to discover in the past a deeper understanding of events that teach new lessons for the present and for the future. I could write a book, but I do not need to since The Catholic Spirit has maintained, throughout my diocesan service, the archdiocese’s commitment to transparency on the clergy sex abuse crisis, disclosures, open processes for resolution, options for restitution and reform. The coverage by The Catholic Spirit was extensive on pre-bankruptcy filings, the filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy itself and the way forward to rebuild with grace. We are part of a healing Church which still works to restore trust among the parishioners, pastors and clergy, and the broader community.
But there are ways to sort through my memories with a singular intent — to discover the marvelous ways that God’s providential grace along with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the
La extracción del mineral
Sobre la entrada principal del Centro Católico Arquidiocesano de St. Paul se puede leer el mensaje “Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing”. Este edificio histórico, construido en 1939, sirvió durante décadas como sede mundial de 3M. El edificio, que permaneció sin uso durante años, se convirtió en el hogar temporal y ahora permanente de las oficinas del arzobispo y su personal. El arzobispo aceptó amablemente mi renuncia como vicario general, con efecto a partir del 31 de diciembre de 2024. Me pidieron que escribiera esta columna sobre los últimos 11 años de mi ministerio en este cargo, que incluyó el de vicario general (20132024) y moderador de la curia (20132021). ¡Ah, y en 700 palabras o menos! Como reflexión final en esta columna privilegiada, para mí es una metáfora adecuada que “extraer el mineral” es descubrir en el pasado una comprensión más profunda de los acontecimientos que enseñan nuevas lecciones para el presente y el futuro. Podría escribir un libro, pero no lo necesito, ya que The Catholic Spirit ha mantenido, a lo largo de mi servicio diocesano, el compromiso de la archidiócesis con la transparencia en la crisis de abuso sexual del clero, las revelaciones, los procesos abiertos para la resolución, las opciones de
In the pile of memories are also the valuable gems not made merely by the forge of human efforts.
communion of saints, gave this archdiocese every gift to meet every need. God called and sent the right people with the right gifts at the right time to do the right thing. I have a hill of memories that when cut away, shows the strata of stories that were the heartfelt deposits of painful experiences. Stories that brought to the light that which was buried in darkness. No matter how tragic the troubles, faith is actually strengthened by perseverance.
A pile of ordinary-looking rocks, when heated by fire, produces molten metal. This is the value of an intentional reflection on the past. It is not simple nostalgia or a revisiting of upsetting events. Rather it is a way of looking again, not just looking back. This is the origin of the word, respect — to look again
restitución y reforma. La cobertura de The Catholic Spirit fue extensa sobre las presentaciones previas a la quiebra, la presentación de la quiebra del Capítulo 11 en sí y el camino a seguir para reconstruir con gracia. Somos parte de una Iglesia que sana y que todavía trabaja para restaurar la confianza entre los feligreses, los pastores y el clero, y la comunidad en general.
Pero hay maneras de ordenar mis recuerdos con una única intención: descubrir las maravillosas maneras en que la gracia providencial de Dios, junto con la intercesión de la Santísima Virgen María y la comunión de los santos, le dieron a esta archidiócesis todos los dones para satisfacer cada necesidad. Dios llamó y envió a las personas correctas con los dones correctos en el momento correcto para hacer lo correcto. Tengo una montaña de recuerdos que, cuando se cortan, muestran los estratos de historias que fueron los depósitos sinceros de experiencias dolorosas. Historias que sacaron a la luz lo que estaba enterrado en la oscuridad. No importa cuán trágicos sean los problemas, la fe en realidad se fortalece con la perseverancia. Un montón de rocas de aspecto corriente, al calentarlas con fuego, produce metal fundido. Éste es el valor de una reflexión intencionada sobre el pasado. No se trata de una simple nostalgia o de una revisión de acontecimientos perturbadores. Es más bien una forma de mirar de nuevo, no
with the eyes of faith. The Church calls us to make saints, not demons. A retrospective view is to see God anew, not a new enemy. There is an inviolable goodness in everyone. As a path for spiritual growth, the goal of looking at the past is for the good of the soul. This can be the forge from which the metals come for rebuilding. By this introspective work, even the slag of scandal has value. For it can be used as concrete to fortify safe environments for our children and youth. Slag can even be used to produce beautifully colored glass as a renewed vision.
In the pile of memories are also the valuable gems not made merely by the forge of human efforts. These are God’s gifts reflecting the treasures of heaven that are already here. These too must be mined before they are fully discovered. Rubies of self-sacrifice, sapphires of professional brilliance, emeralds of service reflecting the many ways ordinary people, by the grace of God, accomplish extraordinary things. Under the most extreme pressure, diamonds are made, even if they prefer to remain in the rough and would be mortified by my polishing words.
Most of all, I take to heart with humble gratitude the many prayers offered for me by people known and unknown. I have grown in my relationship with Jesus Christ, grown in my priesthood and grown in my profound belief in the goodness of people. I will always remember those with whom I worked: the courageous bishops, the dedicated staff and an array of lay leaders and clergy who gave their best for the good of the Church during the most difficult of times.
Whenever I look back over the last 11 years to mine the ore with that graced second look, the prayers of others have been, for me, veins of gold.
sólo hacia atrás. Éste es el origen de la palabra respeto: mirar de nuevo con los ojos de la fe. La Iglesia nos llama a hacer santos, no demonios. Una mirada retrospectiva es ver a Dios de nuevo, no a un nuevo enemigo. Hay una bondad inviolable en todos. Como camino de crecimiento espiritual, el objetivo de mirar al pasado es para el bien del alma. Ésta puede ser la fragua de la que salgan los metales para la reconstrucción. Mediante este trabajo introspectivo, incluso la escoria del escándalo tiene valor. Porque puede utilizarse como hormigón para fortificar entornos seguros para nuestros niños y jóvenes. La escoria puede incluso utilizarse para producir vidrio de hermosos colores como una visión renovada.
En el montón de recuerdos también están las valiosas gemas que no se han creado simplemente con la forja del esfuerzo humano. Son dones de Dios que reflejan los tesoros del cielo que ya están aquí. También hay que extraerlos antes de descubrirlos por completo. Rubíes de autosacrificio, zafiros de brillantez profesional, esmeraldas de servicio que reflejan las muchas maneras en que la gente común, por la gracia de Dios, logra cosas extraordinarias. Bajo la presión más extrema, se crean diamantes, aunque prefieran permanecer en bruto y se mortifiquen con mis palabras para pulirlos.
Sobre todo, agradezco humildemente las muchas oraciones que han ofrecido por mí personas
conocidas y desconocidas. He crecido en mi relación con Jesucristo, en mi sacerdocio y en mi profunda fe en la bondad de las personas. Siempre recordaré a aquellos con quienes trabajé: los valientes obispos, el personal dedicado y una serie de líderes laicos y clérigos que dieron lo mejor de sí por el bien de la Iglesia durante los tiempos más difíciles.
Cada vez que miro hacia atrás, a los últimos 11 años, para extraer el mineral con esa segunda mirada llena de gracia, las oraciones de los demás han sido, para mí, vetas de oro.
OFFICIALS
Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:
Effective January 1, 2025
Reverend Michael Monogue, assigned as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Stanislaus in Saint Paul. This is in addition to his current assignment as chaplain to United Hospital and Children’s Hospital in Saint Paul.
Effective February 1, 2025
Reverend Robert Wotypka, OFM Cap., assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Pax Christi in Eden Prairie. Father Wotypka is a priest of the Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order.
iSTOCK PHOTO | BYJENG
THE VINCENTIANS
Celebrating 400 Years in 2025
The Vincentians of the Congregation of the Mission Western Province brought St. Vincent de Paul’s 200-year-old mission and charism to America in 1818.
• Evangelizing the forgotten members of society with ministries to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, and much more
• Forming thousands of clergy members as teachers and administrators in seminaries
• Serving in over 100 parishes in the western U.S. as pastors and parish priests
• Educating the laity in elementary and secondary schools and colleges like DePaul University
• Bringing Christ’s loving message to the people with popular missions, prison ministry, and online ministries like The God Minute www.vincentian.org
Culture in the classroom
Sylvi Bryness, a kindergartner at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Columbia Heights, displays the flag of Norway on her face during class Jan. 29. In honor of Catholic Schools Week and the numerous ethnicities and cultures represented at the school, Immaculate Conception offered its students the opportunity to wear cultural attire and bring ethnic food to their classrooms, in a schoolwide Heritage Day. “I want to reach out to the diversity that’s in our school and make kids feel important about who they are,” said Principal Anne Hennessey, who noted the many cultures represented at the school and that 136 of the school’s 186 students in preschool through eighth grade are students of color. “It’s just a wonderful experience … watching children be so proud of who their parents are and where they came from and what their culture is.”
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Parish Evangelization Cells System
More than a program, it is ‘a way of being parish’
By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s invitation to form parish-based small groups for community and evangelization might be stated another way, said Gizella “Gizzy” Miko.
“It’s a way of being parish,” said Miko, facilitator of small groups through the archdiocese’s Office of Discipleship and Evangelization. “The parish is really the family of God.”
Implementing the archbishop’s 2022 pastoral letter, “You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent From the Upper Room” includes a fruitful way chosen by the archbishop for parishioners to share their lives, their faith and their service through small groups. Called the Parish Evangelization Cells System (PECS), there are seven moments beginning with praising God with songs and prayers; sharing recent experiences of God and participants’ responses to him; a teaching element; discussion, with content depending on a group’s focus; parish announcements; intercessory prayer for people in and outside the group; and prayers for one another’s petitions within the groups.
In the following conversation, Miko dives into some of the dynamics.
Q Archbishop Hebda and Deacon (Joseph) Michalak (pastoral letter and formation advisor in the Office of Discipleship and Evangelization) have tried to make clear this is not just a program; it’s a way of “being parish.” Can you get into that a little bit?
A The parish is really the family of God. We don’t interact with family like
a program, but through relationships, through authentic excitement and care. That’s really what we hope to see in small groups, that authentic care. It’s more than a signup or a program or an end goal of numbers of participants. It’s about relationships and growing in a relationship toward Christ together. And really, what we hope to see within a parish is the family of God, and we encounter our fellow parishioners as brothers and sisters in Christ. We don’t approach our family like a program. Why would we approach our family of God as a program?
Q Why is (it) that small groups are the way to that; and then, why PECS?
A One of the founding members of PECS encountered in his parish that it was too big and too anonymous. Small groups provided a vehicle by which there could be intimacy. Knowing each other was really a vehicle for healing, too.
I think we’re in an epidemic of loneliness, and small groups help prevent parishes from being places of isolation. They can become places of community, and not just community for the sake of community, but community for the sake of discipleship and evangelization. Because any group can have community. But is it a Christcentered community?
Small groups help make that space where I can be known, I can share my struggles, my joys, my walk with God, rather than being anonymous within the pews of the parish. I think that’s something our lay faithful realized because this (the need for small groups) was a number one topic from the 2022 Archdiocesan Synod. The people have shown the need. It wasn’t just the archbishop saying, “All right, let’s do small groups.”
Q What makes PECS different?
A I’ve been part of many groups that don’t really have an objective. Some groups are dumping sessions or a group therapy session, or strictly theological
study. I was always frustrated because I was never clear on what our purpose was and if I was in the right place or not.
But PECS has a direction. PECS is there to evangelize others, to help me grow as a missionary disciple, so much so that I’m bringing other people in. I haven’t encountered other small groups that have that concrete of a path.
I was talking with someone last week about an analogy I love to use (about) the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee has hundreds of species of fish. It’s thriving, it’s alive, it’s where trade happens. That same water is in the Dead Sea. It’s the same water, but the Dead Sea is dead because there is no outlet. The water just goes in and stays there, and all the salt is there, and nothing can thrive. If we have a small group that doesn’t have an outlet, it’s enclosed. Versus a small group that has an outlet, it has a way to be bigger than itself. That’s what gives it life.
Q What is the way to make that happen? What is that outlet? How does that work?
A First and foremost, it’s through prayer. The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelization. I’m not the evangelizer. It’s the Holy Spirit. He is leading me. Take time to listen. God, who are you calling me to walk with? Who in my life might need that? And pray for that person. And over the course of maybe years or maybe one year –– it’s not a math equation. It’s not just do X, Y and Z and you get whatever solution. You might be praying for one person for the next 20 years. And that might be how you are called to evangelize them, slowly, gently. With other people, it might be at a different pace; but it’s being attentive to God’s call. Who in my life is open right now to hearing the good news? And can I walk with them in such a way that that this small group would help expose them to the good things of God?
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ image identifying the Parish Evangelization Cells System.
INTERNATIONAL PECS
The Parish Evangelization Cells System (PECS) originated in 1987 in Italy, when the late Father Piergiorgio Perini, known as Father PiGi, called 40 men and women to share the commitment to transform the parish of Sant’Eustorgio in Milan into an ardent community of faith that was dedicated to evangelization.
The first cell, or PECS small group, was born. The movement grew, first throughout the parish of Sant’Eustorgio and then to many other parishes in Europe.
On May 29, 2008, the International Service Organization of the Parish Evangelization Cells System was established, which recognized Father Perini as founder and president. On April 2, 2009, the Pontifical Council, signed by Msgr. Josef Clemens, then-secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity at the Vatican, approved the purpose and statutes of the International Service Organization of the Parish System of Evangelization, as a structure that aims to enhance, develop and spread the parish cells system of evangelization.
In 2023, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis became the first diocese in the world to shape parish life diocesan-wide through small groups formed under the PECS model of relational evangelization.
Archdiocese’s Teaching Mass video series designed with PECS small groups in mind
By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has produced a seven-part video series that takes a deep dive into the beauty, form and meaning of the Mass. The series is designed in part to match up with the teaching moments of small groups that are formed in the Parish Evangelization Cells System (PECS) model.
“Each video is 10 to 20 minutes long, which makes it a perfect length for a teaching moment in a PECS meeting,” said Father Ryan Glaser, parochial vicar of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, who wrote the video series. The videos also can be viewed by individuals and as part of larger group meetings, he said in an email.
The episodes have been released for parish and small group leaders as the archdiocese encourages renewed efforts going into Lent to have every parishioner part of a PECS small group. The videos are titled Preparation for Mass, Introductory Rites, The Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, Eucharistic Prayer Part 1, Eucharistic Prayer Part 2 and Communion Rite.
The videos will be available to all groups and individuals before Lent begins March 5 at archspm org/teachingmass and via the archdiocese’s YouTube channel youtube.com/user/archdiocesespm.
In addition to English, a Spanish version of the series is being developed.
The series is one aspect of the faithful implementing year two of Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s 2022 pastoral letter, “You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent From the Upper Room,” with its emphasis on the Mass and the Eucharist. Year two began in July and runs through June, at which point year three will begin with its focus on parents as the primary teachers of the faith to their children. Additional opportunities to learn about the Mass in year two have included Father Glaser, several other priests and laypeople sharing important elements of the Mass in presentations around the archdiocese. One such presentation Father Glaser helped lead was “The New and Eternal Covenant,” which focused on salvation history and God’s continued invitation to enter a covenantal relationship with him through sacred liturgy, primarily the Mass.
Cassandra Schwetz, administrative assistant in the archdiocese’s Office of Worship, introduces each English episode of the Teaching Mass videos. Narration is provided by Father John Paul Erickson, parochial vicar of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul and interim chairman of the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission. Each episode features one of the pastors of the
archdiocese and an introduction to that pastor’s parish, highlighting some of the architectural and liturgical diversity of the local Church, Father Glaser said.
“I think the fact that this series is coming out right before Lent is also providential,” Father Glaser said. “Throughout the series, we will be constantly reminded of how the life, death and resurrection of Christ form the essence of his paschal mystery, the central reality of our faith, through which we are redeemed,” he said.
“Of course, at the end of Lent we celebrate the sacred paschal triduum, an ancient and beautiful set of liturgies that really emphasize the different moments of Christ’s passion,” Father Glaser said. “I pray that by coming to a deeper appreciation of the Mass celebrated weekly, the faithful may also be able to enter more deeply and consciously into the triduum,” which begins with Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening and ends with evening prayer on Easter.
Father Glaser has a licentiate in liturgical theology. “This Teaching Mass series was a fun project for me because it allowed me to share some of my training with the people of the archdiocese,” he said. “I pray this series will help everyone delve deeper into the Mass with hearts spiritually awake and attentive to the profound blessing of the Lord’s gift to us.”
GIZELLA “GIZZY” MIKO
Martyrs of Damascus relic, icon pilgrimage a chance to reflect on Christian hope
By Rebecca Omastiak
The Catholic Spirit
A local pilgrimage that kicked off in January in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis offers an opportunity to celebrate the newly canonized Martyrs of Damascus and to, in prayer, walk alongside members of the faithful facing uncertainty and persecution in Middle Eastern countries like Syria.
The roughly six-month Martyrs of Damascus relic and icon pilgrimage among local parishes includes the opportunity to pray with a first-class relic as well as an icon of three of the Martyrs of Damascus, a group of men who were canonized in Rome this past October. There also will be presentations about the Martyrs of Damascus and opportunities to pray a special novena during the pilgrimage, organized by the Center for Mission, which supports the archdiocese’s missionary outreach, and the Damascus Partnership Committee, which grew out of the shared connection between the archdiocese and the Maronite Archeparchy of Damascus and includes roughly 10 active members.
“It’s intended to be a prayer experience, but it’s also a way to be in solidarity with this Church,” Deacon Mickey Friesen, director of the Center for Mission, said of the Maronite Catholic Church.
Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun — pastor of St. Maron in Minneapolis, a Maronite Catholic church — agreed, suggesting to the faithful participating in the pilgrimage that “our main prayer and connection should go to the suffering Christians within the Middle East, especially in Syria.”
Having begun with a Jan. 25 Divine Liturgy (or Mass) at St. Maron, which included a special blessing of the icon, the pilgrimage will spend roughly 10 days at each participating parish. The length of time was determined so that each participating parish can also pray the pilgrimage novena, said Janine Ricker, global mission outreach coordinator with the Center for Mission who has helped coordinate the pilgrimage.
The pilgrimage is currently set to conclude just after June 29, the feast day of Sts. Peter and Paul, at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. During that time, Archbishop Samir Nassar, of the Maronite Archeparchy of Damascus, is expected to visit. However, the pilgrimage may be extended due to interest. “We’re filling up all the spaces from Jan. 25 to the end of June,” Deacon Friesen said. “But it’s conceivable it could go longer.”
‘A unique partnership’
When the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops requested U.S. dioceses come to the aid of suffering and persecuted Christians in war-torn parts of the Middle East, Archbishop Bernard Hebda conferred with Deacon Friesen. Deacon Friesen had some knowledge of the Maronite Archeparchy of Damascus through Chorbishop Maroun and suggested a partnership between the archdiocese
and the archeparchy. The Damascus Partnership was formalized on Jan. 25, 2017 — the feast of the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle on the road to Damascus and patron of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. To honor the partnership, Stillwater-based iconographer and Orthodox Christian Deb Korluka created an icon depicting St. Paul’s baptism into the Church by St. Ananias, which was completed in 2021.
Korluka, who is now part of the Damascus Partnership Committee, has written a reflection on how to pray with icons to be used during the Martyrs of Damascus relic and icon pilgrimage, Deacon Friesen said.
Deacon Friesen highlighted the Damascus Partnership’s ongoing main goals as building and
growing relationships, exchanging stories of faith, and sharing prayers for both archdioceses. “From day one, it’s been a unique partnership because this is a Church (in Damascus) that’s under civil war and has been in conflict,” Deacon Friesen said. “So, it’s been very difficult to get to know them ... we were very limited in what we could do.”
With difficulties at times in travel and aid logistics, Deacon Friesen said the Damascus Partnership has been “mostly a relationship of praying for them, sharing, learning about their life.”
This presents a unique opportunity for the faithful in this local archdiocese, Deacon Friesen suggested: “What does it mean to be in solidarity with the suffering Church?”
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DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Leyla Roukoss of St. Maron in Minneapolis venerates an icon and relic of the Martyrs of Damascus Jan. 25 after a Divine Liturgy at St. Maron.
MARTYRS OF DAMASCUS
MARTYRS OF DAMASCUS
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Martyrs of Damascus and standing for faith
The icon that’s part of the local pilgrimage was authored in Damascus and depicts the Massabki brothers — Abdel Moati, Francis and Raphael Massabki. The three Maronite laymen and eight Franciscan friars are known as the 11 Martyrs of Damascus. The first-class relic is a Massabki brother’s bone fragment, Chorbishop Maroun said.
Pope Francis canonized the martyrs during World Mission Sunday Oct. 20, 2024 — more than 160 years after their murders in Damascus for refusing to renounce their Christian faith, according to OSV News.
“To have these martyrs canonized was just a huge source of hope for the people in Damascus,” Ricker said. Deacon Friesen agreed, saying, “When that canonization happened for those martyrs, at that very moment, Israel was bombing Lebanon.” When Deacon Friesen asked Chorbishop Maroun what it was like to celebrate the canonization amid the bombing, “he (Chorbishop Maroun) said it was a blessing — when these martyrs were killed, it was in the middle of another war. ... So, there’s a connection, it gives us hope in the middle of this really terrible time.”
Another point of connection is the opportunity for members of the local archdiocese to pray with the icon — within the Maronite Catholic Church in Damascus, “(o)ne of the things that’s very deep in their tradition is icons,” Deacon Friesen said.
Chorbishop Maroun said that as the pilgrimage travels to parishes throughout the archdiocese, it provides an opportunity for the faithful “to learn about the Massabki brothers and to learn about martyrdom because each one of us is called to be a martyr.”
“We live in a culture nowadays where Christians, we want to take the easy way out, we want the easy faith, because we don’t know what persecution means,” Chorbishop Maroun said. “We need to stand for our faith. ... We need to be aware that we are also called to be martyrs and the question is: How are we witnessing to Christ? How am I witnessing, as a teacher, as a lawyer, as a citizen? ... If somebody put a knife to my neck or a gun, would I deny Christ?”
‘Eastern and Western traditions in the Church’
Chorbishop Maroun said the pilgrimage presents an opportunity for members of the faithful in this local archdiocese to reflect on the Church’s history.
“Jesus chose to be born in that part of the world and if we deny our roots, if we deny where we came from, we would be denying our identity. … We are one big tree with many branches,” he said.
Father Steve McMichael, with the Order of Friars Minor Conventual who is also an associate professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, will present on this ecumenical importance at participating parishes during the
UNCERTAINTY AMID SYRIAN REGIME CHANGE
recent regime change.
President Bashar Assad — who assumed power in 2000 after his father’s death and exerted an increasingly authoritarian rule — fled Syria as the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), along with a coalition of other Islamist groups, seized power on Dec. 8, OSV News reported. HTS has indicated that it will take up to four years before elections could be held and could take three years to draft a new constitution, according to OSV News.
Although Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa — who has had historic affiliation with extremist groups including al-Qaida — has promised that the rights of Christians and other Syrians will be respected, many fear his government could embrace strict Islamic law that marginalizes minority communities and excludes women from public life, OSV News reported.
While an estimated 1.5 million Christians were living in Syria in 2011, that number had fallen to about 300,000 by 2022, due to persecution and the effects of the Syrian Civil War, OSV News reported. Meanwhile, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the U.N. refugee agency, estimates that 16.7 million Syrians need humanitarian aid as of 2024, according to OSV News.
PILGRIMAGE SCHEDULE
Parishes so far participating in the Martyrs of Damascus relic and icon pilgrimage include:
St. Maron in Minneapolis
Jan. 25-Feb. 17
St. Nicholas in Elko New Market
Feb. 18-27
St. Raphael in Crystal Feb. 28-March 10
St. Francis of Assisi in Lake St. Croix Beach
March 12-21
Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis
March 22-31
St. George in Long Lake April 1-10
Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul
June 23-July 2
For more information, visit archspm org/martyrsicontour
pilgrimage. Father McMichael said Ali Chamseddine, an adjunct professor in the university’s theology department, knew of Father McMichael’s interest in presenting on the Martyrs of Damascus and connected him with the Center for Mission.
“The pilgrimage is not only important for the Franciscan tradition, but also for ecumenical relations in the archdiocese,” Father McMichael said. “The pilgrimage involves both Eastern and Western traditions in the Church and highlights our ecumenical
Today and tomorrow, year-in and year-out, know that you can trust our experienced professionals to partner with you, planning each step of your funeral or cremation service with exacting care.
partnership.”
This ecumenical partnership is especially important as the number of Christians in the Middle East declines, Chorbishop Maroun said. (See sidebar.)
“(W)e have a big responsibility, at least to save the remnants that are there. Because it doesn’t take many Christians to shine. ... We need people like them (the Martyrs of Damascus) to be able to witness to the Gospel and to shine with their faith,” Chorbishop Maroun said. “We need to act now while they (Middle Eastern Christians) are still there because they are the yeast, and they are the seeds that are planted there. We need to nourish them.”
Witnesses of hope
Chorbishop Maroun looks to the Martyrs of Damascus and the Massabki brothers as exemplifying the Jubilee Year’s theme of Pilgrims of Hope.
“They had that big hope,” he said. “Their hope is in Christ; it’s not in this world. So, there were pilgrims of hope even back then.”
With St. Maron’s designation as a Jubilee Year pilgrimage site, Chorbishop Maroun called it a “double pilgrimage” at his church. “2025 comes to begin this beautiful pilgrimage for all of us (and) so we are walking with them (the Martyrs of Damascus) and they are guiding us from up there (in heaven).”
Father McMichael suggested the Martyrs of Damascus extend a call to action for today’s faithful: “(T)hese 11 men gave up their lives for refusing to renounce their faith. During his homily at the canonization Mass ... Pope Francis noted, ‘These new saints lived Jesus’ way: service.’”
Deacon Friesen suggested all martyrs are witnesses of the hope of Jesus’ resurrection.
“Pope Francis, even in his letter on the year (‘Spes Non Confundit’ or ‘Hope Does Not Disappoint’) he mentions (to) pay attention to the martyrs, martyrs are witnesses of hope,” Deacon Friesen said. “And so that gives us an opportunity to reflect here — what do we mean when we talk about Christian hope? I think the martyrs are a good entrée into what that might look like.”
The Martyrs of Damascus relic and icon pilgrimage in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is happening as Christians face uncertainty amid Syria’s
NATION+WORLD
Audited financials show that claims the Church profits from refugee work are ‘just wrong’
By Kate Scanlon OSV News
Claims that the U.S. bishops’ conference profits from its partnership with the government to assist refugee populations that qualify for federal assistance, and that the Catholic Church facilitates illegal immigration, are “just wrong,” said William Canny, the U.S. bishops’ migration director.
Canny, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Migration and Refugee Services, made the comments in an interview Jan. 30 with OSV News in the wake of remarks by Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump’s press secretary.
In a Jan. 26 interview, Vance, who is Catholic, questioned the motives of the U.S. bishops’ criticism of Trump’s new immigration policies — including reducing restrictions on raids on churches and schools. He asked if the bishops actually are concerned about receiving federal resettlement funding and “their bottom line.”
The same week, in her debut press briefing as White House press secretary on Jan. 28, Karoline Leavitt, also a Catholic, suggested the Trump administration would seek to strip federal funds from nongovernmental organizations including Catholic Charities as part of its effort to enforce its immigration policies. In that exchange, Catholic Charities was accused of facilitating illegal immigration, claims the domestic charitable arm of the Catholic Church in the U.S. has long denied.
The USCCB website states that its Migration and Refugee Services “is the largest refugee resettlement agency in the world,” and that in partnership with its affiliates, it resettles approximately 18% of the refugees that arrive in the U.S. each year.
Audited financial statements by an outside firm show that the USCCB received about $122.6 million in 2022 and about $129.6 million in 2023 in funding from government agencies for refugee-related services. But the same statements show that the USCCB spent more on those services than the government gave them, meaning the conference did not profit from the grants, according to the conference’s auditors. In 2023, for example, the conference spent $134.2 million for such services.
“We have an obligation to the federal government, when we take these grants, to report back to them,
HEADLINES
uPope Francis will prepare a papal document to help the Church promote children’s rights. Wrapping up a Vatican summit on the rights of children, Pope Francis announced he was going to publish a papal document dedicated to children. He called the Feb. 3 summit venue in the frescoed halls of the Apostolic Palace, a kind of “open observatory” in which speakers explored “the reality of childhood throughout the world, a childhood that is unfortunately often hurt, exploited, denied.” Some 50 experts and leaders from around the world, who shared their experience and compassion, he said, also “elaborated proposals for the protection of children’s rights, considering them not as numbers, but as faces.” The pope said he planned to prepare a papal document “to give continuity to this commitment and promote it throughout the (C)hurch.” Those in attendance applauded the pope and his brief closing remarks and gave him a standing ovation. The one-day world leaders’ summit titled, “Love them and protect them,” discussed several topics of concern including a child’s right to food, health care, education, a family, free time and the right to live free from violence and exploitation. It was organized by the recently created Pontifical Committee for the World Day of Children, headed by Franciscan Father Enzo Fortunato.
to monitor the activities that these agencies carry out. We’re talking food, housing, clothes, medical attention, et cetera, so we have an obligation to monitor that,” Canny said. “The conference does not profit from this money. And in fact, we cannot, we do not run these programs without (also putting) in some private funds. So, there’s absolutely no profiting from these federal grants.”
The refugees eligible for the program, he added, “are highly vetted” by the U.S. government.
“When these refugees come in through this particular program, they are on a path to citizenship in this country,” Canny said. He added that the program assists them with basic needs like housing, medical care and job searching.
When it comes to immigration policy, Canny said, the U.S. bishops are supportive of policies that are just, yet humane.
“Let me be clear that we believe that our country has a right to control its border and a legitimate right to determine who can come in and who can’t into the country, within the bounds of justice and law,” Canny said.
He added, “The sanctity of every human life is important to the Catholic Church, the God-given dignity of each person, regardless of nationality or immigration status. So some of these executive orders that have a tendency to disregard the humanness of people” are cause for concern.
“Government authorities have the right and responsibility to promote public safety and security and to enforce just laws,” Canny said. But he pointed to denying those with “legitimate asylum claims” entry, and fewer restrictions on raids in sensitive locations like churches as particular causes for concern.
After Vance’s comments, the USCCB issued a statement defending its work with refugees.
Others weighed in more sharply, including Kim Daniels, the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, who wrote on X that arguments the U.S. bishops are “advocating for open borders” are false.
“It all comes down to an old strategy: politicians targeting Catholics for political gain,” she said.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, who gave prayers at both of Trump’s inaugurations, including his second with Vance just days earlier, called the new vice president’s comments “just scurrilous” on his
uArchbishop Pérez calls for prayer after a medical jet crash in Philadelphia. Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia is calling for prayer, saying his “heart sank” after learning of a fatal air crash in that city Jan. 31, just two days after a collision between a commercial jet and an Army helicopter in the nation’s capital killed 67. The archbishop issued a statement a few hours after a medical flight carrying a pediatric patient, her mother and crew crashed minutes after takeoff, killing all six aboard and one person on the ground, while injuring 19 others. The jet plunged into a densely populated, heavily traveled area of Philadelphia’s northeast section. Officials have not yet confirmed fatalities or injuries. “This shocking tragedy comes with great loss, pain, and anxiety for the families of the crew and passengers as well as neighborhood residents and business owners whose evening was shattered with sudden violence,” said Archbishop Pérez in his statement. He called for all people to unite in prayer and action in the days ahead. “We pray fervently that God will bring comfort and healing in this time of anguish,” he said. “May our Blessed Mother wrap her protective mantle around the first responders working tirelessly to assist the injured, extinguish fires, and safeguard the community.”
IMMIGRATION RESOURCES
Rooted in a desire to protect the inherent dignity of refugees and immigrants and respect the nation’s laws, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is providing individuals, families and Catholic parishes and schools with resources and information as new, federal immigration policies take effect, including broad efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.
Resources for individuals and families can be found at archspm org/immigration
Estela Villagrán Manancero, director of Latino Ministry, said in a Jan. 28 meeting with Latino ministers from parishes and schools that it is important to remind families to have essential documents and materials close at hand, such as passports, birth certificates, health history and medicines.
SiriusXM Catholic Channel show.
“I was really disappointed,” Cardinal Dolan said, calling the comments “not only harmful, this was inaccurate.”
“It’s very nasty,” Cardinal Dolan added, inviting Vance to “come look at our audits.”
“You think we make money caring for the immigrants? We’re losing it hand over fist,” Cardinal Dolan said.
Cardinal Dolan praised Vance on other issues, including comments he recently delivered to the March for Life, and said he hoped the comments against the Church were “uncharacteristic.”
Canny said the Catholic Church has long held its view on serving refugees, and the U.S. is a nation of immigrants. He pointed out the first American citizen to be canonized — Mother Frances Cabrini — was an immigrant.
Asked how they planned to engage with the Trump administration on immigration policy, Canny said, “Certainly as they organize and get people into place, we hope to be able to meet with them directly and discuss these matters as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has done with every administration.”
“So we hope that that will happen to avoid misunderstandings in the future,” he said.
uEucharistic revival event shares ways to “walk with” persons hurt by the Church. Speakers at a Jan. 21 webinar titled “Walking with Someone Who Has Been Hurt by the Church” focused on how to support individuals who have suffered physical and emotional trauma within the Church, including clergy sex abuse. The webinar was part of the National Eucharistic Revival’s Walk With One initiative, which embraces the idea that everyone can and must evangelize. The webinar emphasized the need for outreach especially toward those feeling alienated or isolated. Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Gina Barthel and Sara Larson led the discussion, stressing the importance of acknowledging the real pain of survivors. Bishop Cozzens, chair of the National Eucharistic Congress organization, highlighted the need to step out of one’s comfort zone to accompany those wounded by the Church. Barthel, a survivor of abuse, and Larson, executive director of Awake, a nonprofit for abuse survivors, reinforced the idea that healing begins with honesty and compassion. The session aimed to equip attendees with tools and constructive approaches to show Jesus Christ’s love and help rebuild trust within the faith community.
uVatican office clarifies rules for transferred holy days of obligation. When a holy day of obligation
falls on a Sunday and so is transferred to another day, the Catholic faithful are encouraged to attend Mass, but they are not obliged to do so, the Vatican said. The feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary Dec. 8 fell on the Second Sunday of Advent in 2024 and so, in most dioceses around the world, the feast was transferred to Monday, Dec. 9. Some bishops in the United States insisted the faithful still had a moral obligation to attend Mass on the feast day while others issued a formal dispensation from the obligation. The Dicastery for Legislative Texts, in a September letter to Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, had said, “the feast must be observed as a day of obligation on the day to which it is transferred.” But in a formal note dated Jan. 23, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said it had consulted with the legislative texts office and determined that “in the event of the occasional transfer of a holy day of obligation, the obligation to attend Mass is not transferred.” uCanon and civil law collide on the seal of confession, says an expert. Proposed legislation looking to repeal clergy-penitent protections in at least two states is in a head-on collision with the Church’s primary legal code, one expert HEADLINES CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
–– Joe Ruff, The Catholic Spirit
HEADLINES
HEADLINES
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
told OSV News. Montana and Washington are among the states seeking to compel clergy to disclose abuse revealed to them in the context of the sacrament of reconciliation or similar confidential pastoral settings in other faith traditions. In Montana, state Sen. Mary Dunwell told OSV News Jan. 27 she amended her bill to say that “a priest is not required to make a report under this section if the communication is required to be confidential by canon law or Church doctrine” — garnering the support of the Montana Catholic Conference with the change. Although that state’s bill was satisfactorily amended, legislative efforts to mandate abuse reporting by confessors are fundamentally at odds with the Catholic Church’s understanding of the sacrament of reconciliation, said Father John Paul Kimes, associate professor of the practice at Notre Dame Law School and the Raymond of Peñafort Fellow in canon law at Notre Dame’s de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. “In canon law, the seal (of confession) belongs to no one,” neither the priest nor the penitent, he said. “It belongs to the sacrament.”
uBishops across Europe remember Holocaust victims and urge the world to fight rising antisemitism. Church leaders across Europe marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau German death camp Jan. 27 by calling for remembrance of Nazi-inflicted suffering and for a united fight against rising antisemitism and extremism. Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, Germany, emphasized the need to uphold human dignity and international law, warning against the growing influence of political movements that challenge democratic principles. Pope Francis echoed this sentiment, urging the eradication of antisemitism and all forms of discrimination. At the commemoration, which included global leaders from over 50 countries, Polish President Andrzej Duda highlighted Poland’s role in guarding the memory of the Holocaust. However, Jewish theologian Stanislaw Krajewski warned that rising anti-Jewish sentiments in Europe, especially post-October 2023 attacks on Israel, were concerning, despite these remembrance efforts. A survey revealed widespread fear of another Holocaust, with many younger people lacking knowledge of its history, with 48% of Americans not being able to name a single concentration camp.
uCatholics will accept a common date for Easter in the East and West, Pope Francis says. Celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s willingness to accept a proposal for a common date for celebrating Easter in the West and the East. Noting that in 2025 the date coincides on the West’s Gregorian calendar and the East’s Julian calendar, Pope Francis said that “I renew my appeal that this coincidence may serve as an appeal to all Christians to take a decisive step forward toward unity around a common date for Easter. The Catholic Church is open to accepting the date that everyone wants: a date of unity,” he said Jan. 25 during an ecumenical evening prayer service at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
uPope names an Indian cardinal to lead the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. Pope Francis has named Indian Cardinal George Koovakad to be the new prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. The 51-year-old, who received his red hat from the pope in December, also will continue to be
responsible for organizing papal trips abroad, Vatican News reported Jan. 24, the day his appointment was announced. The dicastery is responsible for dialogue with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and members of other world religions. Cardinal Koovakad succeeds Spanish Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, who died in November after dedicating his priestly life and ministry to building bridges between Catholics and Muslims.
uThe USCCB president calls President Trump’s orders on migration and the death penalty “deeply troubling.” Executive orders signed by President Donald Trump on issues including migration, the environment and the death penalty are “deeply troubling,” Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a Jan. 22 statement, while praising another on gender policy. Among the first acts of his second term beginning Jan. 20, Trump signed a slew of executive orders to implement his hardline policies on immigration, including
Maximize
seeking to change the interpretation of birthright citizenship under the 14th amendment, an order that prompted a legal challenge. Others included withdrawing from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate and another sought to expand the use of the federal death penalty. Trump also signed an order directing the U.S. government to only recognize two sexes, male and female. Archbishop Broglio said many of the topics the first batch of executive orders concern “are matters on which the Church has much to offer.” Stressing that the Catholic Church “is not aligned with any political party, and neither is the bishops’ conference,” Archbishop Broglio said, “No matter who occupies the White House or holds the majority on Capitol Hill, the Church’s teachings remain unchanged.”
uPilgrimages are “safe,” Church leaders in Holy Land say, telling pilgrims: “We’re waiting for you.” Catholic leaders in the Holy Land are urging Christians to return on pilgrimage to the region now that a ceasefire has been
established between Israel and Hamas. In a video, the Latin patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the custos of the Holy Land, Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, walk through Jerusalem, talking to pilgrims and shopkeepers who have endured streets emptied of tourists since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent 15-month war. The area is safe, the Holy Land Church leaders stressed. Father Patton emphasized the spiritual importance of visiting holy sites. Cardinal Pizzaballa called the ceasefire a “turning point” for the Holy Land, thanking churches worldwide for their support during the challenging year. Father Gabriel Romanelli from Gaza City’s Holy Family Parish expressed hope for lasting peace, despite the ongoing challenges. He said his parishioners started to check on their houses and some discovered that they have been completely destroyed while others have not yet even been able to recognize where their old neighborhoods are located.
— CNS and OSV News
Impact, Minimize Taxes with Charitable Bunching
Understanding how to navigate itemized deductions has valuable benefits. With the federal standard deduction now at $29,200 as of 2024, most taxpayers no longer need to itemize — even for charitable contributions. But a strategic approach to charitable giving can make a big difference. It’s called “bunching.”
The Smart Giving Strategy
Bunching helps maximize tax benefits by concentrating 2–3 years’ worth of charitable contributions into a single tax year. This approach allows you to itemize and exceed the standard deduction, enjoying up-front tax savings. In the years you don’t give, you simply take the standard deduction, letting the tax savings add up over time. The strategy is even more effective with a donor advised fund.
Bunch Donations, Boost Your Giving
A donor advised fund (DAF) provides immediate tax deductions, tax-free growth, and a simple way to support multiple charities from one account. By making your bunched gift to a DAF, you can maximize your charitable
deductions right away and continue providing consistent support to your favorite charities. You grant from the fund on your own timeline — including during years without giving. Meanwhile, your fund grows through investments. With bunching, your tax savings and smart investments grow your gifts and help you make a bigger impact.
Contact the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota today to learn more about how to bunch your giving with a donor advised fund. Our friendly philanthropic advisors are ready to answer your questions.
By Josh McGovern The Catholic Spirit
OCatholic Services Appeal begins the 2025
n Jan. 14, the Catholic Services Appeal (CSA) hosted its annual kickoff at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul, with about two dozen parish business administrators and pastors among those attending.
In a testimony at the event, Elias Budke, a seminarian at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, said that appeal funds cover half of the tuition and room and board for men at the seminary.
“Thank you for all of your support and know that it really is meaningful to me and my discernment and continued formation at The St. Paul Seminary,” Budke said. “Obviously, we’re not priests yet, but we get to shadow a priest, and we get to have conversations with priests, and we get to encounter people in their struggles and joys. ... All of this is focused on helping people encounter Jesus. … I just am so grateful for the formation that I received at (The) St. Paul Seminary.”
Marci Franzen, associate director of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Mission Advancement, told the gathering that the appeal is meant to bring life to Catholic education and ministries that focus on social justice, evangelization, pro-life, marriage, family and youth. These ministries, she said, are close to Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s heart.
“These ministries are succeeding and growing because of the generous support in our archdiocese,” Franzen said. “These dollars support the immediate needs of these local ministries, and the needs are great. It isn’t something that any of us alone can handle, and that is why there is the Catholic Services Appeal, because together, bringing the money and collecting the donations from across our archdiocese, we can really make a difference in these ministries.”
From 2013 to 2024, the appeal was an independent entity separate from the archdiocese, known as the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation. Last year, the Catholic Services Appeal was reincorporated into the archdiocese and raised over $8.5 million. The goal for 2025 is $9 million. Franzen noted that donors can write checks to the Catholic Services Appeal, but not to the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation,
because the foundation no longer exists.
The official in-pew kickoff weekend for all Masses in the archdiocese was Feb. 1-2. The appeal has scheduled promotional materials in hopes of bringing in more donors this year to reach the increased goal of $9 million.
In 2025, the CSA hopes to show the impact donations have on ministries in the archdiocese through impact statements. During the kickoff on Jan. 14, Bridget Kramer, the principal of Community of Saints Regional Catholic School in West St. Paul, shared how CSA donations have helped Catholic schools.
maintenance. … The reality is, as you know, our hard work alone is simply not sustainable. Community of Saints Regional Catholic School is blessed to be a ministry supported by CSA.”
Kramer said funds from the appeal significantly impact Community of Saints’ ability to operate and continue its ministry and vision. As one of the nine Drexel Mission Schools, Community of Saints receives funding based on poverty level, demographics and enrollment.
These ministries are succeeding and growing because of the generous support in our archdiocese.
Marci Franzen
“We, as a school organization, work hard to raise money for tuition assistance so that every family, regardless of financial circumstances, has access to a highquality Catholic education,” Kramer said. “We continue to work to provide more livable wages for our staff, to address deferred, present and preventative building and ground
These schools aim to strengthen Catholic education in the archdiocese by making it more affordable for lowincome students and students of color. In addition to Community of Saints, the following schools have this designation: St. Peter Claver and St. Pascal Baylon Regional Catholic School, both in St. Paul; Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights; Risen Christ, Ascension and John Paul II, all in Minneapolis; Blessed Trinity in Richfield; and St. Jerome in Maplewood.
Franzen added that in addition to supporting Drexel Mission Schools, the Catholic Services Appeal provides all archdiocesan Catholic schools with funding for initiatives within the Roadmap for Catholic Education as well as scholarships administered through St. Paul-based Aim Higher Foundation. Nearly every school in the archdiocese has at least one Aim Higher Catholic Services Appeal scholar.
“Through our partnership with Aim Higher, we are able to reach out to all our archdiocesan schools and offer support to those who need it most,” she said.
After leading a prayer before the Jan. 14 kickoff event, Archbishop Hebda said, “I’m very hopeful, brothers and sisters, that we are able to look at success again in the 2025 appeal. … We also know that we’re always called to be the hands of Christ as well in our community. I’m delighted that the Catholic Services Appeal is once again focusing on helping those in need. We live in a world where people are moved when they are able to see a witness to Christian love. The way in which we’re able to have an impact on helping those in our community in need is particularly significant.”
Bridget Kramer, left, principal of Community of Saints Regional Catholic School in West St. Paul, talks with Janalee Flores, right, and her children Aliyana Rodriguez, front right, and Evian Rodriguez at the start of the school day Jan. 30. Aliyana is in kindergarten, Evian is in preschool.
ELIAS BUDKE
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
campaign with January kickoff event
MINISTRIES SUPPORTED BY THE APPEAL
EDUCATE IN FAITH
An essential component of the Church’s ministry is the education of the next generation of disciples, as well as the continuing formation of all its members.
uK-8 student scholarships and school support – The appeal does this through need-based student scholarships awarded through an archdiocesan partner, the Aim Higher Foundation in St. Paul. The appeal also offers direct support to Drexel Mission Schools. These are nine schools with a high number of students who qualify for free lunch and a large population of English as a second language students, among other factors.
uCollege outreach programs – The appeal supports St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis
uRoom and board for seminarians – The appeal supports students at The St. Paul Seminary and St. John Vianney College Seminary, both in St. Paul.
HELP THOSE IN NEED
The Church is called to make the love of Jesus tangible in the world today, especially to the poor, the vulnerable and those on the peripheries
uMeals and short-term housing support for the homeless and food and clothing for those in crisis – both at Catholic Charities Twin Cities.
uHospital ministry – Including financial support for chaplains.
uPrison chaplains – Underwriting the cost of this difficult but rewarding work that often sees high turnover.
uVenezuelan Mission – Supporting the work of Father Greg Schaffer in Cuidad Guayana, Venezuela. He manages a parish, a food bank and a home for abandoned elderly women.
FAITH FORMATION
At the heart of the Church’s ministry is facilitating encounters with the person of Jesus Christ. Central to what it means to be Catholic is the development of a friendship with Jesus through prayer and reflection.
uYouth and young adult parish leader training – Support West St. Paul-based NET Ministries in training young adults who go out to parishes and work with youth
uAdult small group ministry resources – Financial assistance to parishes as they create materials.
uMulti-cultural parish support. Latino Ministry, Indian Ministry and outreach to Korean, Hmong and other communities.
uAmerican Sign Language interpreters and pastoral outreach.
RESPECT FOR LIFE
Knowing that every human person has God-given dignity.
uRespect for life in all stages.
uUnexpected pregnancy support. Support centers that help women and families facing an unplanned pregnancy or are in need. This includes Guiding Star Wakota in West St. Paul and others through Elevate Life, which manages many centers.
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
COURTESY LATINO MINISTRY
AND THE BEAUTIFUL | MADELYN REICHERT
Themes of grief, grace in new short story collection
“The Blackbird and Other Stories” by Sally Thomas. Wiseblood Books (Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 2025). 280 pp., $16.50.
A short story collection is often among the most difficult works of fiction to review. Unlike in a novel, where the decisions of a cast of characters over time reveal a story’s underlying motifs and purpose, a short story collection requires careful consideration of each piece to understand how they fit into a unified whole.
In her excellent new collection, “The Blackbird and Other Stories,” Sally Thomas presents nine brief works of fiction which at first appear disparate, but which upon further consideration are seen to mutually reinforce and illuminate each other. This reflection is well worth the effort, as with slow digestion the reader comes to see how, like pearls on a string, common themes link the stories of Thomas’ collection together.
Grief is the first theme that runs through each of these tales. The stories of this collection feature grief for the dead, for broken relationships, for lost children or lost childhoods — and sometimes for things not yet lost, but which are slipping away. Thomas’ moving depictions of loss, frequently as
uneasy as they are sorrowful, gain their power from being rooted deeply in the tangible: Dance shoes, takeout containers, sunscreen and sand dunes are the instruments by which her characters experience, and are subjected to, heartache.
Accompanying grief in many of the stories, likewise, is a quiet thread of anger at injustices that cause unnecessary loss. Abusive or careless spouses rend their families apart; casual cruelty and indifference rubs salt in already painful wounds; negligent parents reject their responsibilities, to the detriment of their children. Not all losses, the collection stubbornly insists, are inevitable — though those left behind must suffer them all the same.
Four of the stories (“Doing Without,” “A Noise like a Freight Train,” “The Beach House” and “The Happy Place”) follow a series of losses at the heart of a small family. The first three are told from the perspective of Caroline Mallory, a North Carolina homemaker, processing the deaths of first her son, John, to suicide and then her husband, Cash, to illness. Her daughter, Amelia, remains semiestranged from her mother across a generational and philosophical rift. The final story, however, is from Amelia’s perspective following Caroline’s own death, now the mother of a teenage daughter herself. The family’s history is told through the lens of its fading away, each moment of the quartet a reflection on, and frame for, moments that have already passed and cannot be recovered except in memory. And yet grief is not the only common marker of
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the stories in this collection. Moments of sudden, unexpected grace pierce through the smoke and the gloom like fresh air, letting the characters catch their breath. These moments are rarely explicitly religious. Rather, religiously tinged scenes are followed, after a brief pause, by ostensibly ordinary moments of unexpected comfort or wild, rebellious joy: A rainstorm lulls a child to sleep, a spouse provides a comforting touch, a young girl dances in the face of impending death.
In the first of the stories featuring the Mallory family, the grieving Caroline notices a cardinal chirping outside in the winter snow and wonders if, “he (minded) that the spell he wove, of love, longing, and desire, would not so much be broken, there in the small of the year, as simply run down, peter out, give up its sweet red ghost(.)” The quartet ends, however, with her daughter Amelia hearing two mockingbirds chirping to each other at the old family beach house: “Back and forth (they) sang, call and response, desire answering desire.” If God is in these moments, as he surely must be, then it is as a still, small voice, letting natural happiness be the tabernacle of supernatural peace — even if only for a moment.
Reichert is publications administrative coordinator at The Catholic Spirit. She can be reached at reichertm@archspm org
“Your faith is truly living when it is shown through action, and the Catholic Services Appeal is an opportunity for each of
– Archbishop Bernard Hebda
Leading the family business, leaning on faith
By Christina Capecchi
For The Catholic Spirit
More than 30 members of the Warner family work for Warners’ Stellian, the St. Paul-based appliance business, including one from the fourth generation. Robert Warner, 56, the youngest son of founder Jim Warner, serves as president. He and his wife, Colette, have six children ––including T.J., who works as a senior sales associate at the Woodbury retail store –– and six grandchildren. They belong to St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony.
Q Robert, you grew up in Como Park –– not far from Warners’ Stellian’s headquarters –– the youngest of nine. You have deep roots here.
A This is neat for us to still be here, work here and be so connected to the area. Como Park is full of memories. To grow up in such a big family, there’s a lot of love and joy –– and a lot of chaos. You learn people skills in a larger family. You have to navigate all the different relationships.
I was an altar boy at St. Andrew’s through senior year of high school. That was a given.
We were a modest family. We had to find things that didn’t necessarily cost money, so we were at the park all day long, exploring. We’d pack some paper and matches and harvest some wood and make a Dutch oven and dig up some hot dogs and buns. If we saved up enough pennies to ride our bikes up to Como Zoo and get a cherry snow cone, that was the best. The bikes went everywhere. We were just kids hanging out. Wouldn’t change a thing.
Q What was it like growing up in the family business?
A It was a great environment for a young man, with opportunities to get challenging work done –– to make appliance deliveries and installations, to unload the trucks and work in the warehouse. I just wanted to make my father and my brothers proud. From the very beginning I had a yearning to work closely with my dad and brothers and never do anything else. I found myself in some of the roles that no one else wanted to do, and I reveled in it because I had additional independence and opportunity to kind of put my hands on the wheel and run a piece of the business in my own way. With sales and marketing, there were more voices, more opinions. I think of all the beautiful people who have been part of our team. We have an alumni happy hour every year. We try to stay in touch. Those relationships matter.
Q How does your faith guide you as president of the company?
A It impacts everything –– every single decision I make, in big ways, in small ways, in all ways. “Well, I’m tired, and I feel like resting, but I owe it to my team to shoulder up and serve together.”
We have foundational Catholic values –– family, loyalty, integrity, passion. And everything points to service. That’s the Christian model.
Q What makes a good leader?
A I admire fortitude. There are some tough days, there are ups and downs, but the great leaders hold on. They’re sturdy. You can build things around stability.
We talk about servant leadership a lot here at Warners’. We try to be sensitive (to) our customers. I tell our team: “Chances are somebody’s sick, there’s a financial hardship, there was a recent death. It’s probably not the washing machine. However, this one act of competent service makes a difference. I want you to serve really well and be proud.”
It’s OK to hustle for your customers. We see less hustle these days. When you’re installing an appliance, we like to say that, if it’s a five-minute request from our customer and it’s within our skill set –– maybe it’s not on the work order –– just do it.
Q How have you evolved as a leader?
A I’m a more patient leader now. I listen better. There’s more insight into how people work. I’ve learned there are many different styles of workers and leaders and to embrace those, to let that blossom. We use these assessment tools, and our leadership styles are posted on our office walls so you can take a quick glance: “Hey, this person is independent.” Or, “This coworker of mine is super collaborative. I’m going to have to slow down, provide more details, give them more time to come to a decision and circle back at the end of the week.”
Q It’s not easy to be in a family business.
A What I’ve learned makes it work is to appreciate everyone’s unique contributions and be grateful for their best, whatever it is. Look for it. Don’t compare. Their contributions will not be equal, and that’s OK. It’s not realistic.
Every now and then our Chief Mother Officer, my mom, will say: “The business is ruling the family. It’s been hard on us.” And I’ll say: “Mom, the business will keep us together. It’s allowed us to work and grow together, to sweat and laugh and fail and succeed together.”
The hardest part is right-sizing –– finding the right opportunities for the members of the family, of which there are about 30 now. Close to 20 are in the third generation. Most are cousins, and they have really tight friendships. They do it all –– they work in operations, repair, sales. They’re very skilled. We have a lot of bench strength. Many are in the 35 to 45 age range. They’re seeking opportunities to lead, and I take that very seriously.
The dean for the Family Business Center at (the University of) St. Thomas (Minneapolis campus) told us he wasn’t aware of a Minnesota family with more family members active in a family business than ours. That reflects back on our founder, my dad, and his graceful way. He drew people in –– whether in business or friendship or faithfulness. We were drawn in. Now the next generation is.
Q It’s been five years since your dad’s death.
A He retired at 70 and then lived 20 more years. He was at every (Warners’ Stellian) event, every time we
opened a store. My mom has carried on in his honor. She’s a rock.
Q It sounds like you are, too.
A I’m in an Exodus 90 (Catholic men’s faith) group, and it encourages discipline and sacrifice. The sacrifices are very modest compared to Christ on the cross. I can give up meat and take a cold shower for the day. I can cut back on spending. Just because we can afford something doesn’t necessarily mean we should have it.
I’m entering a season of my life where there’s this contentment. I don’t want more. I’m seeing with more clarity than ever what’s needed and what’s not. I’m desiring peace and the more meaningful things in life.
Q There’s a shift happening in your 50s.
A We’ve traveled to some really cool places, but I’ve come to peace with the fact that I’m not going to see every corner of the globe. I’m feeling like a little bit of routine is OK. That’s a surprise to me. I’m extremely spontaneous. But after 15 to 20 years of good intentions, I finally have a very consistent daily prayer ritual. It starts my day, every day.
Faith helps me remember what the goal is. It helps me not get lost in the daily grind. If we have a tough quarter –– yes, I acknowledge that –– but things are going to be OK. There’s more.
Q How do you remain a lifelong learner?
A My official education is very moderate, so I try to be proactive –– networking, attending Family Business Center events (at UST). I’ve always got at least one leadership book and one theology book going. I want to see a continued growing skill set for myself and for all of my team members. I want to see us hopefully be a little better tomorrow than we were today.
Q What do you know for sure?
A What I know for sure is: God is good all the time, and all the time God is good! The blessings are flowing like a river once you start to acknowledge them. We are beloved sons and daughters of God, our Father –– and as St. Paul says, nothing can separate us from his love.
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SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER TERRY BEESON
3 conversion experiences reveal the majesty of God
The longer I live, the more I find that life is filled with times of transformation that call us to conversion.
We can highlight events in our lives that were transformative, and maybe we can reflect on how God was working through those moments, and whether we answered God’s call at that point. We might find that many times, when we have not stepped up to the plate, it was because of our own feelings of inadequacy. We either felt lethargic in our spirituality or we felt that we were not gifted enough, or we felt that we were too morally bankrupt to think how God could possibly have called us. There might be times that God was calling us, but we were too oblivious to notice because we either didn’t care or we had an agenda that was contrary to God’s will.
My own life is an example of all of this. I was not known as an “older vocation” for nothing. I think of all the times God was there, all the great events in my life which helped define who I am today. In each of those events, God was calling. There were those times when I said, “Here I am, send me!” Then there were those times when I said, “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Even though I have been Catholic all my life, I come as a convert, because the conversion process is ongoing. God still is calling today, and there are days when I say, “Here I am, send me,” and other days when I say, “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
There are times when our spirit just drifts along for the ride. But God calls each of us to conversion, to have a spiritual awakening. This spiritual awakening can happen anywhere. It can happen in a place of worship. It can happen on the road. It can happen on the
FAITH FUNDAMENTALS | FATHER MICHAEL VAN SLOUN
Humans, not angels, as priests
The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, in his famous book “Your Life is Worth Living,” poses the question, “Why did God not choose angels to be priests?” (paraphrase, p. 293).
It would seem that angels would be better suited to be priests. They are totally loyal and obedient to God, pure and without sin, messengers who faithfully convey the word and will of God, protectors and companions in times of trouble, and singers with gorgeous voices, members of the heavenly chorus. With angels as priests, there would be no poor judgment, no mistakes, no crabbiness, no bad example and no scandal. Wouldn’t it be nice if priests were perfect?
Except, as Archbishop Sheen points out, angels have never been human and cannot relate to the human condition. An angel has never been hungry, angry, lonely or tired, nor dealt with sickness or suffering. Jesus, the great high priest (Heb 4:14), emptied himself and came in human form (Phil 2:7), and therefore he can sympathize with our weakness. He has been tested in every way that human beings are tested (Heb 4:15). Because Jesus knows what it is like to suffer, and because he has firsthand experience with the trials and tribulations that are part of life on Earth, he has compassion for us.
Jesus knows what it is like to have parents, relatives and friends; eat and drink; play with other children; have conversations; go to worship; have a job; attend weddings and funerals; go out for walks; go fishing; enjoy the sunrise, the sunset and a gentle breeze; and travel near and far. Jesus also knows what it is like to
God works miracles in our lives all the time, in the many different events that make us who we are today. Can we recognize it, or are we oblivious? If we do recognize it, do we see it as a call to conversion, a spiritual awakening? If we do recognize God calling us, what is our response? ‘Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinner.’ Or, ‘Here I am, send me.’
seashore. In fact, our readings this Sunday feature three moments of spiritual awakening in those very places.
Isaiah has a powerful vision of the holiness of God that will change his life. He realizes that not only the Temple but the whole world is filled with God’s glory. God is not just a God of the Temple but the God of history, of the rise and fall of kingdoms, of the ebb and flow of international politics. And St. Paul remembers the experience of God he had on the road to Damascus.
Jesus tells Peter to go out into the deep water for a catch. Peter was less than thrilled with the idea but did it anyway. Peter was overwhelmed by the miracle that happened there. He saw the greatness of Christ in the presence of a smelly, sinful fisherman, and he could not see his role in the glory of Christ. Whatever his limitations, in obeying Christ, Peter answered the call of Christ to further the kingdom of God.
The Temple, the road and the seashore — three different settings revealed the majesty of God. Three people converted, three people who experienced a spiritual awakening.
God works miracles in our lives all the time, in the many different events that make us who we are today. Can we recognize it, or are we oblivious? If we do recognize it, do we see it as a call to conversion, a spiritual awakening? If we do recognize God calling us, what is our response? “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinner.” Or, “Here I am, send me.”
Father Beeson is parochial vicar of St. Olaf in Minneapolis.
be hungry, lonely, misunderstood, rejected, abandoned, betrayed, denied, maligned, accused and mistreated, and very importantly, to experience the worst imaginable pain: scourging, crowning with thorns, laboring under the weight of the cross, nailing and crucifixion. Jesus can relate to us on our good days and bad days, and especially our worst days, and because he knows what it is like, he understands and has compassion for us.
And so, Jesus chooses men who are human beings to be his priests, not angels. Jesus wants shepherds who know firsthand what it is like to be a sheep. It would be nice if his priests were perfect, but it is good that they are not. A priest is a sinner, struggles to live a virtuous life, stumbles and falls, and can relate to his people as they face the same challenges. When a priest preaches about sin, he does so in humility, and with the call to holiness, he begins by directing the message to himself and then to his people. The contrite priest does not say “you,” as if he is holier, but “us,” because the priest and his people are on the journey to God together. As a priest pleads to God for gentleness, mercy and forgiveness for himself, he is gentle with the sinner and serves as an agent of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
The humanness of the priest helps him to love and serve his people. The priest knows the importance of family and friends and the pain of disagreements and misunderstandings, and with these experiences, is resolved to teach Jesus’ Gospel message of love, harmony and mutual respect. The priest has suffered misfortune and failure, which helps him to have compassion for those who have fallen on hard times. The priest has been sick and injured, which enables him to have a heightened awareness and concern for the ill and disabled. The priest has lost loved ones, which teaches him to have great sympathy for those who are grieving and sorrowful. Priests are in touch with human experience. Angels cannot relate. Jesus became human to serve us, and he uses priests who are human to serve his people.
Father Van Sloun is the director of clergy personnel for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This column is part of a series on the sacrament of holy orders.
DAILY Scriptures
Sunday, Feb. 9 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 6:1-2a, 3-8 1 Cor 15:1-11 Lk 5:1-11
Monday, Feb. 10 Memorial of St. Scholastica, virgin Gn 1:1-19 Mk 6:53-56
Tuesday, Feb. 11 Gn 1:20—2:4a Mk 7:1-13
Wednesday, Feb. 12 Gn 2:4b-9, 15-17 Mk 7:14-23
Thursday, Feb. 13 Gn 2:18-25 Mk 7:24-30
Friday, Feb. 14 Sts. Cyril, monk, and Methodius, bishop Gn 3:1-8 Mk 7:31-37
Saturday, Feb. 15 Gn 3:9-24 Mk 8:1-10
Sunday, Feb. 16 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jer 17:5-8 1 Cor 15:12, 16-20 Lk 6:17, 20-26
Monday, Feb. 17 Gn 4:1-15, 25 Mk 8:11-13
Tuesday, Feb. 18 Gn 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10 Mk 8:14-21
Wednesday, Feb. 19 Gn 8:6-13, 20-22 Mk 8:22-26
Thursday, Feb. 20 Gn 9:1-13 Mk 8:27-33
Friday, Feb. 21 Gn 11:1-9 Mk 8:34—9:1
Saturday, Feb. 22 Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle 1 Pt 5:1-4 Mt 16:13-19
Sunday, Feb. 23
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Sm 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23 1 Cor 15:45-49 Lk 6:27-38
KNOW the SAINTS
ST. SCHOLASTICA (480-542) St. Scholastica and her brother, St. Benedict, were born to a wealthy Christian family in Nursia, Italy. Details of their lives come from the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great. After Benedict established his monastery at Monte Cassino, she founded a convent at Plombariola, and was its abbess for many years. The siblings met once a year outside Monte Cassino. At their final meeting, Scholastica begged Benedict to stay the night and, when he wouldn’t, she asked God for help. A violent storm ensued, and Benedict had to stay. They spent the night discussing the joys of heaven, and she died three days later. Scholastica is the patron saint of Benedictine nuns and convulsive children. Her feast day is Feb. 10. — OSV News
COMMENTARY
BRIDGING FAITH
| DEACON MICKEY FRIESEN
Look for hope
Many of us have seen the dramatic changes taking place in Syria since the fall of the former regime on Dec. 6.
I have been watching with great interest, as our archdiocese has been in a special relationship with the Maronite Catholic Church in Damascus since 2017. I heard from the archbishop of Damascus that it’s too early to know how this regime change might affect the faithful.
At the same time, the Church in Damascus is celebrating the canonization of the Martyrs of Damascus. This group of 11, including Maronite laymen and Franciscan friars, give testament to being faithful during another era of war and persecution. Archbishop Samir Nassar said, “These saints are our ‘new hope’ for peace, forgiveness and reconstruction.” Like martyrs of the past, they put their hope in the truth of the Gospel and the resurrection of Christ. They put more faith in the love of Christ than in the fear of suffering and persecution. They point to a peace in Christ that is beyond understanding in our conflicted and distracted world.
We are beginning a new Jubilee Year with the theme Pilgrims of Hope. Pope Francis has invited the Church to reflect on the meaning of Christian hope in light of the current state of the world. He calls us
ALREADY/NOT YET | JONATHAN LIEDL
Slowing down the convert-toevangelist pipeline
These days, it seems like there is a high-profile conversion nearly every day. And praise the Lord for that. Celebrities have a lot of influence, so their embrace of Christianity can lead many others to think about their own relationship with God.
It’s also the case that, with the baptismal waters still wet on their forehead, many of these newly Christian celebrities immediately jump on their incredibly influential social media platforms to start telling the world what the good news is and what it isn’t.
That phenomenon deserves a bit more scrutiny. In fact, I’ll just say up front that I’m a little skeptical of it.
I imagine one retort to this incredulous attitude is that perhaps I’m doubting the power of God and the ability of his grace to transform a former sinner’s heart and mind, equipping him or her to speak convincingly and truthfully to the masses. Fair enough. So, let’s take the poster boy of “famous convert-turned-evangelist” himself as a case study: St. Paul, the patron of our lovely archdiocese. St. Paul, as we know, was converted on the road to Damascus, when he was blinded by a bright light and heard the Lord Jesus speak to him. As far as powerful conversions go, it doesn’t get more powerful than this. In fact, we even use the expression “road to Damascus moment” to refer to a time when someone “saw the light,” and had their life fundamentally altered.
And then, as we know, St. Paul went on to become the greatest missionary in Catholic history, establishing at least 14 churches across the
Like martyrs of the past, (these saints) put their hope in the truth of the Gospel and the resurrection of Christ. They put more faith in the love of Christ than in the fear of suffering and persecution. They point to a peace in Christ that is beyond understanding in our conflicted and distracted world.
to be on the lookout for signs of hope.
The first sign Pope Francis points to is the desire for peace in the world, which is again at war with itself in many corners of the world. Many vulnerable souls fall prey to the forces of violence and greed that seem to forget the least of these among us.
Second, the pope asks us to seek out the hope for a greater love of life in all its forms and to foster a greater desire to create life, protect life and delight in life.
Third, we are asked to seek out tangible signs of hope for those who live under hardship, especially those who live in prisons and situations that hold them bound, deprived of freedom and lacking ways to be restored to community life. The pope also has a deep hope for young people in our world to not lose heart, to live with passion for life and not give way to the voices of darkness, sadness and despair. Finally, we are called to look for hope among those who live on the margins of our societies, including migrants, the homeless and the disenfranchised. Now is the time to lift up those bowed down.
The most convincing testimony to this hope is provided by the martyrs. Steadfast in their faith in the risen Christ, they renounced life on Earth itself, rather
Mediterranean and strengthening many others.
Right?
Well, that’s all true. But something pretty big happened in between Paul’s conversion and his missionary journeys that’s easy to miss, given how brief the scriptural treatment of it is.
In short, Paul took some time out of the limelight.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul notes that he “went into Arabia,” referring to the desert region that includes modern day Syria and Jordan, before eventually returning to Damascus. The total period lasted three years, culminating with Paul eventually escaping the Syrian city in a basket and going to Jerusalem to meet with St. Peter and the Apostles.
Scholars debate about what exactly Paul did in Arabia, and how long he spent there. It’s likely that he engaged in ministry in some form or fashion, especially given that he had proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God in the synagogues of Damascus in the days immediately after post-conversion healing at the house of Ananias.
But Paul left Damascus for a reason. And his time in the desert almost assuredly included serious times of contemplative prayer, rereading the Torah in light of Christ, and unfolding the gift of the special revelations that he had and continued to receive.
And if Paul, who was singularly and uniquely chosen by God to be his instrument to carry his name “before Gentiles, kings and Israelites,” needed a bit of time off center stage, then our celebrity converts of today assuredly could use the same as well.
The reason why is simply due to how God made us, and how change happens within us. For want of a better visual, it’s best to soak in Christianity. This is because Christianity isn’t a list of facts to be memorized or set of acts to be performed, something external that can simply be “done.” It is fundamentally a way of being. And like any other habit of being, it takes time and repetition for it to transform our lives and get deep into our existential bones.
And while it’s true that God can infuse us with special virtues and insights in an instant, as he did with St. Paul, his grace typically works more gradually. Or rather, God’s grace transforms us completely (already), even while we often still must grow into that transformation (not yet).
As the adage goes, “grace perfects nature,”
than betray their Lord. Martyrs, as confessors of the life that knows no end, are present and numerous in every age, and perhaps even more so in our own day. We need to treasure their testimony, in order to confirm our hope and allow it to bear good fruit in us.
During the next six months, parishes in the archdiocese will be hosting a pilgrimage of the relic and icon of the Martyrs of Damascus. It gives us an opportunity to accompany the faith and hope of the martyrs to inspire our hope. It gives us a time to pray with the martyrs of our faith who give witness to the resurrection of Christ and the life that transcends suffering and death. We can also draw strength and hope from the faith and hope of the persecuted Church in our day. Their faith can surely inspire our faith to be steadfast during times of trial. Let us be on the lookout for hope. Let us be ready to give the reason for our hope in Christ.
Deacon Friesen is director of the Center for Mission, which supports missionary outreach for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He can be reached at friesenm@archspm org
Christianity ... . It is fundamentally a way of being. And like any other habit of being, it takes time and repetition for it to transform our lives and get deep into our existential bones.
building on our God-created status as time-bound creatures who change through developing habits, not bypassing or destroying this nature.
While we shouldn’t deny that God can radically transform someone’s life in an instant, we also shouldn’t be presumptuous about it happening, perhaps especially not when celebrity and influence are involved. There is a reason new converts to the faith are usually encouraged to wait a bit before entering seminary or pursuing religious life. And there’s also a reason men preparing for the priesthood go through several years of formation.
As the late Father Jeff Huard used to tell us in seminary, “good growth is slow growth.” If that’s true of St. Paul and our future priests, it’s also true for our celebrity converts. And while sharing one’s story about how they come to Christ can be edifying and inspiring, there’s a big difference between that kind of testimony and becoming a self-appointed authority on all things Christian seemingly overnight.
Rather than participating in the artificially accelerated, convert-to-evangelist pipeline, let’s give our celebrity convert brothers and sisters what they really need: the opportunity to soak in their newfound Christianity, without being expected to prematurely preach on it.
Liedl lives in South Bend, Indiana, and is senior editor for the National Catholic Register. He is a former longtime resident of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, alum of the University of St. Thomas’ Catholic Studies graduate program and a current student at The St. Paul Seminary and School of Divinity, both in St. Paul.
Apostolic messiness
Following my doctorate in educational leadership, I said, “Good leadership is messy.”
Prior to that, I believed good leadership was tidy, systematic and eloquent. We are often challenged by the reality of the messiness of life, and we attempt to clean it up anywhere we find disorder. And yet, the muddle is often a significant aspect of the process of growth. We know that God created order out of chaos, not once, but twice. The first two chapters of Genesis explain how God took the dishevelment he found on Earth and put it in right order.
We know families work better when there is good structure in the home and children and adolescents know what is expected of them and their compliance is part of this expectation. In their acquiescence, young people learn discipline, which then helps them manage their adult lives.
What do we do with the “apostolic messiness”
The McConnon sisters needed a trumpet player. The three young women performed in a liturgical ensemble at St. Luke in St. Paul (now St. Thomas More), and they were seeking a little brass to enhance the upcoming Christmas Eve Mass.
“Francis Roby!” a parishioner told them. “He’s a trumpet player, and he’s a member of the parish.”
The McConnon sisters enlisted Fran, who performed his musical duties with energy to spare, which he devoted to admiring the youngest McConnon sister, Maura.
“She was very cute!” thought Fran, who, like Maura, was a high-school senior at the time. “For a young man, that’s automatic appeal, and I could see she was a kind and friendly person.”
It took Fran weeks to summon the courage to call Maura and ask her on a date. Six years later they were married.
They raised two daughters, Katie and Bridget, in
described by Msgr. James Shea in his book “From Christendom to Apostolic Mission”? He writes, “when there is genuine conversion taking place, and especially when it touches the young, there is excitement, a sense of growth, and an immediacy of the power of the Gospel” (p. 59). He explains the Church must be prepared for this kind of “energetic messiness” if it wants to remain relevant and real in this culture.
Engaging in apostolic messiness is risky because we usually do not know what will be required of us. Especially if we prefer order to disorder, it may cause us to hesitate to engage. And yet, the Gospel is all about the engagement between Jesus and people who are hurting and in need of his gentle, healing touch. He did not back away but rather stepped into the complexity of the situation before him. His authentic, genuine, trustworthy demeanor drew thousands to him and frightened others into seclusion. His ministry entered into the messy.
Finding the enigmatic middle, between the messiness and the orderliness, is the key. Too much of one, at the expense of the other, leaves us either ungrounded and we have no focus, or so static that we crumble. We must be light on our feet if we are to be workers for Christ. We must be ready to act in the moment, as his hands and feet, engaging the culture with his love and compassion. This requires that our
St. Paul and built careers on their shared Catholic values — Fran, as a social worker for Catholic Charities and later as a guidance counselor at BenildeSt. Margaret’s; Maura, in elementary education, teaching children how to read. They sponsored students from various developing countries over the years.
Then came a conversation that ignited a passion. Fran spoke to Augustino Mayai, a friend they’d met through Bridget’s college who was living in South Sudan. Mayai said South Sudan was one of the poorest countries in the world and tens of thousands of young adults graduated from high school each year lacking the means to earn a college degree.
The wheels turned quickly in Fran’s heart and head. He and Maura decided that day to start a college scholarship program for South Sudan, beginning the following month — September 2021 — with a $20,000 donation from their capital gains. For years they’d lived paycheck to paycheck, but the house was finally paid off, and they were done paying for their kids’ college. They could spare the money.
It was enough to enroll 33 South Sudanese students in college. Come spring, they officially established a 501(c)(3) and enlisted other donors, enough to provide scholarships for 20 more students. The Padoc Area Scholars Society was born.
Today, 183 promising young South Sudanese are in college because of PASS. Most are Christian, and many are Catholic, pursuing in-demand fields such as medicine, business and agricultural science. On the website (southsudanpass org), people can click on the blue “Sponsor a Student” button to peruse the applicants and choose a specific student to sponsor.
lives are rightly ordered, and we have space to see and care about the needs of others. We cannot be distracted by sin if we hope to be used by Christ. All disciples of Christ are called to sacramental living. We must live true to our baptism and become messengers for Christ. We must engage in the sacrament of reconciliation and allow God to heal our souls. We must participate in the Eucharist and become who we are called to be –– as St. Teresa of Ávila described it –– the hands and feet of Christ on Earth. We must live out our confirmation as soldiers for Christ. If we are called to the priesthood or to marriage, we must live out that commitment faithfully each day. And we will be joyful to receive the sacrament of anointing of the sick at our death.
Good leadership is messy. There must also be order, but if there is no messiness, there is often no space for the authenticity of Jesus’ miraculous touch in our lives. We will miss his perfect presence as we are attempting to make our situation pristine. Practice messiness this month and see how God can use you to further his kingdom on the Earth! In this Jubilee Year, we are called to return to our Catholic Christian roots with fervor and enthusiasm, which will allow God to work through us in miraculous ways.
Soucheray is a licensed marriage and family therapist emeritus and a member of St. Ambrose in Woodbury.
For example, Anne is a 26-year-old orphan who wants to study social work “to help my community and my country at large.” Baba, 23, has toiled in manual labor — carrying stones for foundation, pouring cement — and now recognizes that “the only key to solving my situation is education.”
The Catholic Church’s social justice principles propelled Fran and Maura — with “compassion and generosity” at the center, Fran said.
“I want to challenge more people to know they can make a big difference,” said Fran, 67, now a grandfather of two.
As they helped the South Sudanese, Maura courageously battled breast cancer. She died last June. She left Fran her retirement savings, which he is now pouring into the construction of a dorm in Juba, the capital city of South Sudan. Most PASS scholars live on the streets.
Fran marvels at Maura’s lasting impact: faith in action. “She worked extremely hard, and she would be so happy knowing her sweat and tears will be assisting some of the poorest youth in the world for decades to come,” he said.
He’s praying other Catholics will donate to furnish the new dorm, sponsor students and support PASS at large.
It calls for a switch in thinking, Fran said — from trying to gain as much as possible to trying to help as much as possible.
Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.
www jericochristianjourneys com maureen@jericochristianjourneys.com maureen@jericochristianjourneys.com (877) 453-7426 (877) 453-7426
Governor’s budget puts nonpublic school students at risk
Unless parishes and schools can fundraise hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover this deficit, without state assistance, they may be forced to raise tuition, making education less accessible to middle- and lower-income families. Mental health support, standardized testing and guidance counseling could be significantly reduced or eliminated. Many families that rely on state-funded busing to get to school could be left scrambling for alternative — and often costly — options.
HOSTS: SPONSORS:
and counseling that support students regardless of their school choice.
Under Minnesota law (Statute 123B.40), the state has long made a commitment to providing these fundamental services to all students, irrespective of whether they attend public or nonpublic schools (or are homeschooled). The governor’s proposal abandons this commitment, disproportionately impacting families who rely on nonpublic education and access to critical resources.
What’s at stake?
If enacted, these cuts would eliminate approximately $540 per student per year in instructional, nursing and counseling aid, along with up to $540 per student in transportation aid. For families, this will likely mean increased tuition and financial strain, loss of essential services and loss of safe and reliable transportation.
These services are not extra perks — they are foundational. They help ensure that students in nonpublic schools receive equitable access to the resources they need to succeed. At a time when student mental health and educational support are more critical than ever, eliminating this funding is both short-sighted
A budget built on the wrong priorities
Minnesota’s nonpublic schools educate tens of thousands of students and save the state nearly $500 million annually by reducing the burden on public schools. Yet, this budget penalizes families who make the choice to send their children to nonpublic schools. This is not just an education issue — it’s an equity issue. All students deserve access to transportation, textbooks and counseling services, regardless of where they attend school.
As the legislative session continues, there will be a February budget forecast, which will inform final budget decisions. Now is the time to act. The Catholic community, alongside other nonpublic school stakeholders, must make their voices heard to ensure these harmful cuts are rejected by the Legislature.
Here’s what you can do
Let your state legislators know that eliminating nonpublic pupil aid is unacceptable and must be opposed.
Go to mncatholic org/action_23393 to contact your state legislators.
These services are not extra perks — they are foundational. They help ensure that students in nonpublic schools receive equitable access to the resources they need to succeed. At a time when student mental health and educational support are more critical than ever, eliminating this funding is both short-sighted and harmful.
Catholic school leaders, teachers and parents should be proactively communicating with elected officials to highlight the importance of these funds. The Minnesota Catholic Conference has developed a guide for school leaders on engaging with elected officials, which is a helpful tool to assist you in this process.
Go to tinyurl com/yutrumj8 to access and share our informational handout with family, friends and fellow parishioners.
We are confident that if the Catholic community and other nonpublic school advocates speak up now, reason will prevail. Minnesota’s commitment to educational equity must not be abandoned. Let’s ensure that all students — regardless of where they attend school — continue to receive the services they need to thrive.
Inside the Capitol is a legislative update from Minnesota Catholic Conference staff.
Depending on when this question (Why am I Catholic?) was asked through the different stages of my life, my answer would have varied. At times, I might have said I was born into it; at other times, I might have said I didn’t know. But now, I can say with certainty that I am Catholic because I am broken. Through my brokenness and the lowest points of my life, God has reached out and shown me the way.
I was born Catholic, but in my early years, I went through traumas and made some bad choices. I became pregnant at 17 and had a baby at 18. A few years later, I found myself living on the second floor of a subsidized housing apartment complex in St. Cloud. My son, about 3 years old at the time, and I were out of food and money. The food I had received from a local food shelf was moldy, except for the noodles in a box of mac ‘n’ cheese. I made the plain noodles for my son, and though he ate a little, I could tell he was still hungry. Afterward, we prayed together. Our prayer was simple: “God, please help us. We need food and we need gas. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately afterward, my son wanted to go outside to play at the park, so we grabbed our shoes and jackets and headed down the stairs. When we opened the door, a strong wind rushed in, and I noticed something fluttering in it. It floated down and landed at my feet –– a $20 bill! My son and I both gasped at the same time. He looked up at me, eyes wide, and said, “Mom, can we go back upstairs and pray for Hot Wheels?”
God had given us just enough money for $5 (worth) of gas and a little food to get us through the next week. It was a miracle just for us and helped us both pray just a little harder.
Our time in St. Cloud was difficult. I struggled with mononucleosis for two years, was later diagnosed with narcolepsy, and had a car accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. It took all of my energy just to get out of bed each day and try to be a mother, stay awake and keep food on the table. I fell away from attending church regularly due to exhaustion, but I kept praying. During this time, I became depressed, and our prayers turned into “please deliver me
Sarah Charlebois Why I am Catholic
from narcolepsy.” I was not delivered from narcolepsy but over time my health improved as the Lord led me back to the Church.
When my son was about 10, I bought a small house in the city, hoping he’d have a yard to play in. However, the house turned out to be demonically infested and at times violent. So, we returned to the Church. With the help of some amazing priests, spiritual warfare teams and spiritual directors, we spent nearly 10 years learning and growing and taking back that property for the Lord. We became serious about confession, Mass, creating a holy home, and spiritual warfare. Through this experience, we witnessed the undeniable reality of the Gospel and the absolute authority of Jesus and his Church over the enemy.
Today, my son is 30 years old and married. I, too, am married to a man who, while we were dating, had his own spiritual warfare struggles. I was able to find help for him in the Church, and he decided to convert to Catholicism. Given his background as a Protestant, he had many questions about Catholicism — many I couldn’t answer. He convinced me to take the Catechetical Institute class at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, and wouldn’t you know it? We graduated as part of the Class of St. Michael!
God is good; he clearly has a plan. And it seems that when I am down or going through hard times, that’s when it becomes most evident. He always brings me back to the Catholic Church. This is why I am Catholic.
Charlebois, 49, is a member of Good Shepherd in Golden Valley. She and her husband, Chris, have four adult children between them. She has a wide range of hobbies — including ceramics, painting in watercolors and acrylics, and crafting — and recently has focused on helping others with remodeling and decorating their homes. She added, “I also enjoy dating my husband!”
“Why I am Catholic” is an ongoing series in The Catholic Spirit. Want to share why you are Catholic? Submit your story in 300-500 words to CatholiCSpirit@arChSpm org with subject line “Why I am Catholic.”
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
PARISH EVENTS
The Masterplan of God: A Parish Mission with Tanner Kalina — Feb. 6, 7: 6:30 p.m. at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Road E., Burnsville. Join us for a Eucharistic tour through Scripture presented by Catholic evangelist and nationally known speaker, Tanner Kalina. This parish mission will be spread over two nights. mmotC org Magnificat Night with Deacon Joseph Michalak — Feb. 7: 6 p.m. at Our Lady of Peace, 5426 12th Ave. S., Minneapolis. Join us for an evening of contemporary praise and Eucharistic adoration. Deacon Joseph Michalak, pastoral letter and formation advisor in the archdiocese’s Office of Discipleship and Evangelization, will give the reflection. tinyurl Com/5327ruen
St. Maron Feast Hafli — Feb. 8: 5:30-11:30 p.m. at St. Maron, 600 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis. A cultural transport to Lebanon that the whole family will enjoy, featuring Lebanese music, dancing and a banquet. Divine Liturgy 4 p.m., featuring Eucharistic prayer in the chanted language which Jesus spoke. This is a fundraiser for the parish, so all support is appreciated. Adults: $85; kids under 18: $35. Stmaron Com
Mid-Winter Blues Bash — Feb. 15: 6-8 p.m. at St. John Vianney, 840 19th Ave. N., South St. Paul. Chase away the mid-winter blues with a meal of traditional chili or chicken chili, hotdogs and something sweet to eat while playing many rounds of bingo. SjvSSp org
Our Lady of Guadalupe Winter Fiesta — Feb. 15: 2-7:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe, 401 Concord St., St. Paul. Come to have fun, play and eat. Featuring a raffle, bingo and authentic Mexican food at Our Lady of Guadalupe Diocesan Shrine. For more information call the parish office at 651-228-0506 or visit olgCatholiC org
WORSHIP+RETREATS
Lectio Divina and Living with Illness: Reading the Sacred Text of Your Body — Feb. 5, Feb. 19: 10:30 a.m.-noon at The Benedictine Center of St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. What if we read our bodily conditions just as we do with holy Scripture and lectio divina and then lift our suffering and illnesses in prayer? This sequential online series invites healing that comes through deep listening and awareness of God. tinyurl Com/4pytv6vb
Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina — Feb. 7-9: 4 p.m. Feb. 7-3 p.m. Feb. 9, at The Benedictine Center of St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. In this weekend silent retreat, you will experience a time of profound silence and praying the Scriptures as you enter into a deeper relationship with God and self. tinyurl Com/4y4C5jpx
First Friday Adoration — Feb. 7, Mar. 7, April 4, May 2: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul. Join us the first Friday of April for any amount of time in the Governor’s Dining Room (B420) located on the basement level of the Minnesota State Capitol to pray for our elected officials at their place of work. mnCatholiC org/eventS
“Known by God” — Feb. 8: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Maternity of Mary, 1414 Dale St. N., St Paul. All mothers grieving the loss
of a stillborn or miscarried child are invited to this annual retreat, which is focused on healing in grief through the Catholic perspective. Online registration is $30. The retreat includes large group talks, small group sharing, prayer time, lunch and shared resources. Register at tinyurl Com/3btdS835
32nd Annual World Day of the Sick Mass and Reception — Feb. 8: 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Grace, 5071 Eden Ave., Edina. Celebrated by Bishop Michael Izen and concelebrated with hospital chaplain priests. A reception follows. tinyurl Com/yrkftukw
Women’s Midweek Silent Retreat: “Pilgrims of Hope” — Feb. 11-12: 3 p.m. Feb. 11-1 p.m. Feb. 12, at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. St. Paul proclaims, “Hope does not disappoint.” Join us during this Jubilee Year and time of grace to affirm your belief in the hope that is Jesus Christ. $50 deposit. kingShouSe Com/eventS
Cursillo Men’s Weekend — Feb. 13-16: at Sts. Peter and Paul, 150 Railway St. E., Loretto. This encounter with Christ is an opportunity to expand your prayer life, grow in your faith, and learn about a method to keep your faith journey vibrant. pre-CurSillo@tC-CurSillo org tinyurl Com/mr3u54v8
Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) — Feb. 14-16, May 16-18, Oct. 17-19: 7 p.m. at King’s House, Christ the King Retreat Center, at 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. WWME is a weekend encounter for married Christian couples who value their relationship and desire a richer, fuller life together. Registration: $75 plus a freewill offering. twinCitieSwwme org/
Cursillo Women’s Weekend — Feb. 20-23: at Sts. Peter and Paul, 150 Railway St. E., Loretto. This encounter with Christ is an opportunity to expand your prayer life, grow in your faith, and learn about a method to keep your faith journey vibrant.
pre-CurSillo@tC-CurSillo org, tinyurl Com/mr3u54v8
Chapter Two Marriage Prep Retreat — Feb. 22: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. at St. Paul, 1740 Bunker Lane Blvd. NE, Ham Lake. Chapter Two Marriage Prep Retreat, serving the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and surrounding dioceses, is for couples in which one or both are entering into a second marriage due to the death of a spouse or divorce (after annulment). tinyurl Com/2nndaf4v
CONFERENCES+WORKSHOPS
Investment Conference — Feb. 9: 7:15-10:30 a.m. at The Club at Golden Valley, 7001 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley. For people who want to better understand the world of Catholic investing and philanthropy. You’ll gain perspective on the 2025 economic outlook, including how the Catholic Community Foundation stewards charitable assets on behalf of donors to meet the needs of the local community. tinyurl Com/yC77C7bC
Empowered Catholic Leadership Weekend — Feb. 21-23: 7-9 p.m., Feb. 21; 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Feb. 22; 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Feb. 23. At SPO National Offices, 2520 Lexington Ave. S., Mendota Heights. The Empowered Catholic Leadership Weekend is for leaders in any area of life who want to lead with clearer vision, more interior freedom and greater influence. tinyurl Com/mu6yaxak
SPEAKERS+SEMINARS
Free Parish Mission with Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers — Feb. 16, 17, 18: 7:15 p.m. at St. Michael, 11300 Frankfort Parkway NE, St. Michael. Three talks by the “dynamic Deacon” Harold Burke-Sivers. Feb. 16: “Meeting Jesus in the Beauty and Truth of the Catholic Faith”; Feb. 17: “Catholic Families: The Model for a Culture of Love and Life”; Feb. 18: “Relationships, Intimacy and Holiness” (adults only). StmCatholiCChurCh org/pariSh-miSSion-1
The Japanese American WWII Experience — Feb. 18: 7-8 p.m. at Corpus Christi, 2131 Fairview Ave. N., Roseville. Join us on the eve of Japanese American Day of Remembrance as Corpus Christi parishioner Peggy Doi describes the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII, through the eyes of her parents. Sponsored by the parish Social Justice Committee.
Spring Speaker Series: “Land and Labor, City and Homestead: Working Towards a Local Economy” — Feb. 20, 27, Mar. 6, Mar. 13: 6:30 p.m. at Assumption, 51 Seventh St. W., St. Paul. How can small farms, urban homesteads, crafts, gardens, chickens, good work, and local economies help us build stronger communities and be better Christians? Come find out at our four-week Spring Speaker Series. tinyurl Com/mS55zm5n
SCHOOLS
Benilde-St. Margaret’s Open House — Feb. 11: 9-11 a.m. at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 2501 Highway 100, St. Louis Park. BSM is happy to welcome families to campus at our Open House events, which include a tour of classrooms and learning settings, meeting with faculty, staff and current students, and an opportunity to ask questions of the BSM admissions team. tinyurl Com/y6e7v7r2
OTHER EVENTS
Reiser Relief Winter Concert at Blainbrook Event Center — Feb. 15: 6-10:30 p.m. at Brookhall Event Center, 11930 Central Ave. NE, Blaine. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; Java Soul, premier variety band, 6-7:30. Corey Stevens, blues-based rock, 8:15-10:00. Tickets: $35. Proceeds from the concert will help build a school in Cite Soleil, honoring the legacy of Father Bernard Reiser, our beloved founder. tinyurl Com/4jd247z7
St. Joseph Business Guild Quarterly Dinner — Feb. 20: 5 p.m.- 8:45 p.m. at 5900 W. Lake St., Minneapolis. The public is invited to the SJBG quarterly dinner meeting, with Dale Ahlquist. RSVP at SjbuSineSSguild Com; for questions, contact info@SjbuSineSSguild Com
ONGOING GROUPS
Calix Society — First and third Sundays: 9-10:30 a.m., hosted by the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. In Assembly Hall, Lower Level. Potluck breakfast. Calix is a group of men, women, family and friends supporting the spiritual needs of recovering Catholics with alcohol or other addictions. Questions? Call Jim at 612-383-8232 or Steve at 612-327-4370.
Available in Cathedral area: tinyurl.com/Albans55104 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Part-time Law Office Typist in West St. Paul, Minnesota: Produce legal documents including Wills, Trusts, Briefs, Pleadings, and Reports. Administrative support to attorneys and paralegals. In addition, a paralegal or legal assistant is also needed with similar duties but expanded to include research and composition of documents and other related duties. QuickBooks experience preferred. Contact John Trojack 651-451-9696 or complete “Contact” on our website: TrojackLaw.com
Part-Time Registered Nurse – Options for Women East: We’re hiring a compassionate RN with experience in Obstetrics (a plus) to join our team. Paid position with flexible hours. Contact Jennifer Meyer at 651-776-2328 or edjm@optionsforwomeneast.com.
DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. Priority is given to events occurring before the issue date.
LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and organizations. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission. Included in our listings are local events submitted by public sources that could be of interest to the larger Catholic community.
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Career Transition Group — Third Thursdays: 7:308:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus, 155 County Road 24, Medina. The Career Transition Group hosts speakers on various topics to help people looking for a job or a change in career and to enhance job skills. The meetings also allow time for networking with others and opportunities for resume review. hnoj org/Career-tranSition-group
Fire on the Hill — Third Saturdays: 5:15 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul, followed by praise and worship until May 17.
Secular Franciscan Meeting of St. Leonard of Port Maurice Fraternity — Third Sundays: 2:153:45 p.m. at St. Olaf, 215 S. Eighth St., Minneapolis. General membership meeting of Secular Franciscans who belong to the Fraternity of St. Leonard of Port Maurice. Any who are interested in living the Gospel life in the manner of St. Francis and St. Clare are welcome.
Restorative Support for Victims-Survivors — Monthly: 6:30-8 p.m. via Zoom. Open to all victims-survivors. Victim-survivor support group for those abused by clergy as adults — first Mondays. Support group for relatives or friends of victims of clergy sexual abuse — second Mondays. Victim-survivor support group — third Mondays. Survivor Peace Circle — third Tuesdays. Support group for men who have been sexually abused by clergy/religious — fourth Wednesdays. Support group for present and former employees of faith-based institutions who have experienced abuse in any of its many forms — second Thursdays. Visit arChSpm org/healing or contact Paula Kaempffer, outreach coordinator for restorative justice and abuse prevention, at kaempfferp@arChSpm org or 651-291-4429.
HARDWOOD FLOORS
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HOPKINS ALTAR FINDS A NEW HOME
St. Therese of Corcoran continues a liturgical legacy
By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
When a new senior housing and care facility opened in Corcoran, its leaders wanted to make a concrete connection with the Catholic Church.
They settled for granite, as in a granite altar that had been in St. John the Evangelist church of St. Gabriel in Hopkins since the church was built in 1969. In 2023, 10 years after St. John merged with nearby St. Joseph, also in Hopkins, to form St. Gabriel, the parish closed the St. John campus and decided to sell off significant liturgical items, including the altar.
But options were limited for the altar, which, according to canon law, had to either be placed in a different church or other Catholic building to be used for the celebration of Mass, or destroyed.
The pastor of St. Gabriel, Father Paul Haverstock, contacted Father Tom Margevicius, director of the Office of Worship in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, to see if there were any places where the altar could go. Turns out Father Margevicius had been contacted by St. Therese of Corcoran, one of four St. Therese senior living and care facilities in the archdiocese. The facility was scheduled to open in fall 2024 and its leaders were looking for liturgical items to place in their newly built chapel.
It was a perfect fit. Once Father Haverstock talked
to staff at St. Therese, he quickly agreed to donate the altar, a tabernacle, plus other items like candles, holy water fonts and Stations of the Cross. A local company, RK Wolfgang Inc. in St. Paul, refurbished some of the items and installed everything in the St. Therese chapel, including the altar. The owner of the company, Jacob Brooks, noted that his grandfather, Ray Brooks, built the tabernacle, which is made of bronze and brass and has a cedar liner inside.
The altar and other items from St. Gabriel “are such an important piece of what we’re able to include in the chapel now, because of their historical significance,” said Jen Bettencourt, vice president of philanthropy at St. Therese, who estimated the value of all the items at more than $100,000. “You just imagine the number of Masses that were said at that altar, the number of parishioners (who) were able to worship in that space. Now, for generations to come, our residents, our greater community, (are) going to have those same items and that same presence here. So, (it’s) pretty special.”
places
Jenson, 65, who will be looking in the next few years for a place to retire and will consider St. Therese as an option. “I’m very hopeful that we can get a full, robust pastoral care program here” to go along with the chapel and the regular Masses that will be celebrated there.
One of the amenities at St. Therese, which has 99 independent living units plus assisted living and memory care units, is a small café that is open to the general public. Father Jenson said he eats there regularly and calls St. Therese, chapel included, “a glorious place.”
A number of different people have expressed to me their joy and gratitude to know that the altar will go to a place where Mass will continue to be offered.
Father Paul Haverstock
On Jan. 9, Father Glen Jenson, pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle in Corcoran, less than a mile from St. Therese, came to the chapel to place a relic of St. Felicity inside the altar before the top was installed. He said he hopes to celebrate Mass there once the altar is dedicated, which it will be Feb. 21, with Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Father Haverstock concelebrating.
“The chapel opening is a big deal,” said Father
Father Haverstock has had to navigate the transition of the liturgical items from St. John the Evangelist to St. Therese. He came on board as pastor in 2020 and saw that some parishioners were struggling with the decision to close the church in 2023. Most people were able to gracefully let go, he said, and the ones who had difficulty have been comforted in knowing that the altar and other meaningful items will continue being used and will always be a reminder of the church for which they were built.
“A number of different people have expressed to me their joy and gratitude to know that the altar will go to a place where Mass will continue to be offered,” he said.
Father Haverstock noted an important lesson that has come out of this whole process: “Change is hard, and God is faithful.”
Father Glen Jenson, left,
a relic of St. Felicity in an altar being installed at St. Therese of Corcoran Jan. 9. Previously, the altar was at St. John the Evangelist in Hopkins, which was part of St. Gabriel parish. With Father Jenson are, second from left, St. Therese staff members Jen Bettencourt, vice president of philanthropy; Josh Montgomery, development and project manager; and Dinah Martin Kmetz, executive director of project management.
INSET Jacob Brooks, owner of RK Wolfgang Inc. in St. Paul, works on the tabernacle built by his grandfather, Ray Brooks.
PHOTOS BY DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT