New Rediscover: Hour host 7 • Legislative preview 10-11 • Immigrant outreach 14 January 12, 2017 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Cathedral custodian: ‘I’d adopt him if I could’ Newborn safe after being abandoned at Cathedral Jan. 4 By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
Nathan Leonhardt, a custodian at the Cathedral of St. Paul who found a newborn there Jan. 4, crouches in the spot where he discovered the baby in a laundry basket. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit
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athedral of St. Paul custodian Nathan Leonhardt was doing his typical evening rounds following 5:15 Mass Jan. 4 when he pushed open a tall double door leading to the Dayton Avenue exit. The door bumped a round, green plastic laundry basket sitting on the foyer’s landing. Leonhardt thought it might be someone’s laundry; homeless men and women often visit the church. Maybe somebody felt embarrassed and left it there while they prayed, he thought. The 26-year-old walked down a short flight of steps to lock the exterior exit, and climbed the stairs again. He looked in the basket — a fleece-tied Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles blanket. He gingerly felt around the blanket to “make sure nothing was in there,” and still thought it was just clothes. He decided to finish locking up and check later to make sure the basket was gone. Then he heard a noise. A small cry. He paused, processing the sound. A puppy? he thought. The father of a 4-year-old, he was familiar with a newborn’s cry. But it couldn’t be ... . He pulled the blanket back. A baby. Leonhardt first saw his little face. He was naked with a little fuzz on his head, his umbilical cord cut short and clamped with a black binder clip. He was still covered with wet blood and mucus from birth. The baby was in an awkward position in the small basket, so Leonhardt picked him up. The baby was warm, but his hands and feet had a purple tinge. The temperature outside hovered just above zero, and the entryway wasn’t as warm as the Cathedral interior. Holy water has been known to freeze in its marble fonts. He called Father John Ubel, the Cathedral’s rector. “Get over here right away. There’s a baby here,” Father Ubel recalled him saying. Father Ubel, who had just sat down for dinner, bolted from the table, abandoning a bowl of chili. He dialed 911 before putting on his coat. It was 6:02 p.m. He met Leonhardt at the Sacred Heart Chapel near the Dayton entrance, and the pair quickly moved the
Watch Leonhardt describe finding the newborn at www.facebook.com/ TheCatholicSpirit
baby to the sacristy, locking the door behind them. They didn’t know exactly what to make of the situation, Father Ubel said. The priest’s first concern was the baby’s health. He told the 911 dispatcher that the baby looked fine, but he made it clear he was out of his wheelhouse. He wondered for a moment if he should baptize the baby, and then realized he must. With water from the cruet used at Mass, he baptized the infant, making Leonhardt the godfather. He named him Nathan John. Leonhardt wasn’t expecting that. “I was shocked. That melted my heart,” he said. Father Ubel held the baby while Leonhardt left the sacristy check to see if police had come to the Dayton entrance. Three times Father Ubel opened the heavy sacristy door to look for the police arriving on Selby Avenue, and each time the baby cried at the cold. “I’m like, ‘C’mon, this is Minnesota, you’ve got to get used to this,”’ he said with a laugh. When the police came, they noted his head was wet. “Well, I can explain that,” Father Ubel said he told
them. “It’s baptismal water.” By 6:30 p.m., the baby was in an ambulance bound for Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, where Father Ubel later visited. He didn’t expect to be able to see the newborn, and he didn’t, but wanted to show support and concern for the baby. He was able to connect with a social worker, who pointed him to Ramsey County Child Protective Services for information about the process of placing the baby with a family. Police later told him that the baby may have been born slightly premature and weighed around 5 pounds. He was doing well at the hospital.
Compassion for baby’s mother Nothing was left with the baby to indicate his origins, save the blanket, a thin gray women’s hooded sweatshirt and a couple of adult-size socks. Neither the Cathedral nor Dayton Avenue has cameras that would indicate the time the baby was left or the identity of the person who left him. Please turn to NEWBORN on page 5
ALSO inside
Class act
Language barrier
Hopeful presence
The University of St. Thomas’ first Spanish-speaking class to earn a lay ministry certificate in theology graduated in December. — Page 5
A priest from Thailand spent Christmas with the Twin Cities’ Hmong community, hearing the confessions of those who only speak their native language. — Page 6
An encounter with a woman who changed her mind about abortion continues to inspire a St. Kate’s student and sidewalk counselor. — Page 12
2 • The Catholic Spirit
PAGE TWO
January 12, 2017 NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit
OVERHEARD “Jesus wasn’t allergic to people. Touching lepers, the sick did not disgust him.”
Jan. 21-22 events mark Roe v. Wade anniversary A prayer service and Minnesota State Capitol march will commemorate the 44th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states. A Prayer Service for Hope, Healing and Mercy will be 7 p.m. Jan. 21 at St. Mary’s Chapel at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, 2260 Summit Ave., St. Paul. The prayer service is open to all, with a special invitation to people who have been hurt by abortion. The annual March for Life will be 2 p.m. Jan. 22 on the Capitol Mall grounds. Sponsored by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, the event includes prayer, a keynote address and an introduction of attending lawmakers. Because the march falls on a Sunday this year, a prayer service at the Cathedral of St. Paul will not precede it, as it has in past years. For more information, visit www.mccl.org.
Pope Francis, in a Jan.10 homily during a Mass in his residence chapel. The pope contrasted Jesus’ approach to people to that of the hypocritical Pharisees, explaining why that day’s Gospel reading from Mark said Jesus “astonished” people in Capernaum.
in PICTURES
Holocaust-researching priest to speak Jan. 26 Father Patrick Desbois will speak 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Beth El Synagogue, 5525 Barry St. W., St. Louis Park, about his work researching the Holocaust, fighting anti-Semitism and furthering relations between Catholics and Jews. The event, “A Voice of Conscience: Father Patrick Desbois,” commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day Jan. 27 and is sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas. The Basilica of St. Mary is among its cosponsors. Father Desbois is a professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and president of Yahad-In Unum, a humanitarian organization dedicated to commemorating the sites of mass executions in Eastern Europe during World War II. The event is free, but RSVP is required. For more information, visit www.minndakjcrc.org.
Sowers Assembly links incarceration, poverty
IN THE HOUSE Archbishop Bernard Hebda helped open the 90th session of the Minnesota State Legislature Jan. 3 at the Capitol in St. Paul, praying for legislators and the citizens they serve. Standing before members of the House of Representatives, Archbishop Hebda prayed that they be instruments of God’s providential care, especially to those most in need and on the “margins of society.” He also prayed that they might respect “differences of culture and experiences,” which have strengthened the state. The office of Republican Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt, who was re-elected as speaker during the day’s activities, invited the archbishop to say the opening prayer. Read the story and prayer at http://tinyurl.com/MNlegprayer. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
in REMEMBRANCE Deacon John “Jack” Herzog, 91, died Jan. 5. He was born Nov. 25, 1925, in St. Paul and ordained a permanent deacon in 1989 for the Diocese of Phoenix. He first served at St. Joachim and St. Anne in Sun City, Arizona, from 1989 to 1993. Deacon Herzog returned to Minnesota and served at St. Mary in Wilmar from 1993 to 1999 and St. Bonaventure in Bloomington from 1999 to 2004. His funeral Mass was Jan. 10 at St. Bonaventure. His wife, Carol, died in 1966. He is survived by their six children.
CORRECTION “News notes” in the Dec. 22 issue listed the cost incorrectly for the Feb. 4 Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women Leadership Day at Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale. The cost is $15. The Catholic Spirit apologizes for the error.
Catholic Charities’ Office for Social Justice’s 2017 Sowers Assembly “A Discussion about the Connection between Mass Incarceration and Intergenerational Poverty” will be 5:30-8:30 p.m. Jan. 31 at St. Olaf, 215 S. Eighth St., Minneapolis. The event includes keynote speaker Artika Tyner, associate vice president for diversity and inclusion at the University of St. Thomas, and a panel discussion. The free event includes dinner. Registration deadline is Jan. 13 at www.cctwincities.org/sowersassembly-2017.
Lectio divina workshop Jan. 31 in Golden Valley Father Jonathan Kelly will lead a workshop on praying with Scripture 6:30-8 p.m. Jan. 31 at Good Shepherd in Golden Valley. “Lectio divina” is Latin for “divine reading” in which a person reads, mediates, prays and contemplates Scripture. A free-will offering will be collected; suggested donation is $10. The event is sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Evangelization and Catechesis. Direct questions to Susanna Bolle at bolles@archspm.org.
Feb. 4 Lifeline to focus on vocation discernment Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Father David Blume, vocations director for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, will join other priests and religious brothers and sisters for “Here I Am, Send Me,” a Lifeline event 6 p.m. Feb. 4 at the NET Center, 110 Crusader Ave. W., West St. Paul. The evening aims to address Catholic teens’ questions about discerning priesthood or religious life. Sponsored by NET Ministries, Lifeline is a monthly event for eighth-12th grade students that includes Mass and a speaker. For more information, visit www.netusa.org/lifeline.
Bishop Cozzens to keynote Newly Married Retreat
WHAT’S NEW on social media Armchair travelers have two new destinations: sacred spaces in New York City and Istanbul. A short video montage of the recently finished restoration of the Neo-Gothic St. Patrick’s Cathedral takes viewers from its marble undercroft to its intricate vaulted ceiling. Meanwhile, Stanford scholars involved in the “Icons of Sound” project have digitally recreated what it sounded like to hear chant in the Hagia Sophia when it was a Christian church in the Middle Ages. In its vast space, echoes lasted 10 seconds, which “challenges our contemporary expectation of the intelligibility of language,” according to the Icons of Sound website.
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 22 — No. 1 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor
St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony is hosting the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Marriage, Family and Life’s annual retreat for couples married less than eight years 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Feb. 4. Bishop Andrew Cozzens will give keynote addresses on living a virtuous marriage and having a Catholic marriage in a non-Catholic culture. The day includes breakfast and lunch; the opportunity to renew wedding vows; and break-out sessions on caring for marriage in the early years of parenting, marriage and the love languages, and selfishness and selflessness in marriage. Cost is $40; registration deadline is Jan. 30 at www.archspm.org/nmr. Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year: Senior 1-year: $24.95: To subscribe: (651) 291-4444: Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444; Classified Advertising: (651) 290-1631. Published semi-monthly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102 • (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: tcssubscriptions@archspm.org • USPS #093-580
January 12, 2017
FROM THE MODERATOR OF THE CURIA
The Catholic Spirit • 3
A new year and a new chapter T hirty-six years ago, I walked up the steps to the chancery offices at 226 Summit Ave. for the first time. It was to begin my first step toward priesthood. I was met by a kind and holy priest who prayed with me and directed me to 2260 Summit Ave., all the way at the other end of this Victorian-lined street, to the Vocations Office at the St. Paul Seminary. Many years passed, and I found myself serving as pastor of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood as the parish celebrated its golden jubilee in 1996. The celebrant and homilist for the day of the Nov. 21 patronal feast was Msgr. Ambrose Hayden, then rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul, who had served the parish on weekends for 11 years while he was the chancellor of the archdiocese. As I listened to Msgr. Hayden’s beautiful homily, I caught something in the tone of his voice. It wasn’t until the Christmas season that it dawned on me — I had first heard that voice so long ago when I had walked up those Chancery steps. I immediately wrote a letter to Msgr. Hayden in which I told the story of a young man who went to the chancery with grease-covered hands from his broken-down car, had no appointment and had to be back in Washington State in 72 hours. I even mentioned in the letter that the priest had loaned me the bus fare to the Vocations Office. I closed the ONLY JESUS letter wondering if Ambrose was that priest. The good monsignor was in poor health, and I did not Father Charles Lachowitzer
know whether he would reply, but in a few days I received a letter from him. “YOU!” it began. “I’ve prayed for that young man for all these years and never knew what happened to him. And now I find out it was you, Charlie!” Msgr. Hayden died the following year, God rest his soul. The chancery office building on Kellogg Avenue was named that year in his memory. I reflect on this as part of the sale of our chancery buildings and the big move to 777 Forest St. in St. Paul, to be completed by the end of February. More than 150 years of records will move first, followed by all the staff. There is great sadness in our leaving. But there is consolation in the necessary service of justice owed to the survivors of far-too-many instances of clergy sexual abuse. It is the shadow we take with us, for there is still much work to do. Recently, chancery and Cathedral staff gathered in the Cathedral’s Hayden Hall to have lunch together and sing a few carols in preparation for the great feast of Christmas. Because we have come to know Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s wonderful sense of humor, directors and representatives from the archdiocesan offices read aloud a clever rewrite of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” In reference to Archbishop Hebda, the last stanza read: So he sprang from 226 and gave a wave to his staff, And away they all went to 777 in a flash. But I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight, “Merry Christmas to all and to all, with only Jesus, all will be right.” This new year begins a historic new chapter for the archdiocese. By the grace of God and your prayers, all will be right.
Un nuevo año y un nuevo capítulo
H
ace treinta y seis años, subí por primera vez los escalones a las oficinas de la cancillería de N° 226 de la avenida Summit. Fue mi primer paso hacia el sacerdocio. Me recibió un sacerdote bondadoso y santo que oró conmigo y me dirigió al N° 2260 de la avenida Summit, que queda en el otro extremo de esta calle de estilo victoriano, a la Oficina de Vocaciones del Seminario de St. Paul. Pasaron muchos años y me encontré sirviendo como pastor en la parroquia de la Presentación de la Santísima Virgen María en Maplewood cuando la parroquia celebró su jubileo de oro en 1996. El celebrante y homilista para el día de la fiesta patronal del 21 de noviembre fue Monseñor Ambrose Hayden, entonces rector de la Catedral de Saint Paul, que había servido a la parroquia los fines de semana durante 11 años mientras era canciller del arquidiócesis. Mientras escuchaba la hermosa homilía de Monseñor Hayden, reconocí algo en el tono de su voz. No fue hasta la temporada de Navidad que me di cuenta de cuando había escuchado esa voz por primera vez, fue cuando había caminado por la cancillería. Inmediatamente le escribí una carta a Monseñor
Hayden en la que le conté la historia de un joven que fue a la cancillería con las manos cubiertas de grasa de su automóvil averiado, no tenía cita y tenía que estar de vuelta en el estado de Washington en 72 horas. Incluso mencioné en la carta que el sacerdote me había prestado para el boleto del autobús hasta la Oficina de Vocaciones. Cerré la carta preguntándome si Ambrose era ese sacerdote. El buen Monseñor se encontraba mal de salud, y yo no sabía si iba a responder, pero en unos pocos días recibí una carta de él. “¡USTED!” Comenzó, “He orado por ese joven durante todos estos años y nunca supe lo que le sucedió. ¡Y ahora descubro que eras tú, Charlie! Monseñor Hayden murió en el año siguiente y en 1997, el edificio de oficinas de la cancillería en la avenida Kellogg fue nombrada en su memoria. Hago una reflexión sobre esto como parte de la venta de nuestros edificios de la cancillería y la gran mudanza al 777 Forest St. en St. Paul, que se completará a finales de febrero. Más de 150 años de archivos se moverán primero, seguido por todo el personal. Hay una gran tristeza en nuestra partida, pero hay consuelo en el servicio de justicia necesario
para los muchos sobrevivientes del abuso sexual del clero. Es la sombra que nos llevamos, ya que todavía hay mucho trabajo por hacer. Recientemente, el personal de la Cancillería y de la Catedral se reunieron en el Hayden Hall de la Catedral para almorzar juntos y cantar algunos villancicos en preparación para la gran fiesta de Navidad. Debido a que hemos llegado a conocer el maravilloso sentido del humor del arzobispo Bernard Hebda, directores y representantes de las oficinas de la Arquidiócesis leyeron en voz alta un ingenioso y modificado poema “La Noche antes de Navidad.” En referencia al arzobispo Hebda, la última estrofa decía: Así que saltó del 226 y dando una ola a su personal, todos se fueron al 777 en un instante. Pero lo oí exclamar mientras se alejaba de la vista, “Feliz Navidad a todos, sólo con Jesús, todo estará bien.” En este año nuevo comienza un nuevo capítulo histórico para la arquidiócesis. Por la gracia de Dios y sus oraciones, todo estará bien.
Pope: New year calls for courage, hope; no more hatred, selfishness By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Whether or not the new year will be good depends on us choosing to do good each day, Pope Francis said. “That is how one builds peace, saying ‘no’ to hatred and violence — with action — and ‘yes’ to fraternity and reconciliation,” he said Jan. 1, which the Church marks as the feast of Mary, Mother of God and as World Peace Day. Speaking to the some 50,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the first noon Angelus of 2017, the pope referred to his peace day message in which he asked people to adopt the “style” of nonviolence for building a politics for peace. Lamenting the brutal act of terrorism that struck during a night of “well-wishes and hope” in Istanbul, the pope offered his prayers for the entire nation of Turkey as well as those hurt and killed. A gunman opened fire during a New Year’s Eve celebration at a popular nightclub early Jan. 1, killing at least 39 people and wounding at least 70 more.
Earlier in the day, the pope spoke of how maternal tenderness, hope and self-sacrifice were the “strongest antidote” to the selfishness, indifference and “lack of openness” in the world today. Celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope said that a community without mothers would be cold and heartless with “room only for calculation and speculation.” “Where there is a mother, there is unity, there is belonging, belonging as children,” he said. Just like all mothers of the world, Mary, Mother of God, “protects us from the corrosive disease of being ‘spiritual orphans,’” that is, when the soul feels “motherless and lacking the tenderness of God, when the sense of belonging to a family, a people, a land, to our God, grows dim.” “This attitude of spiritual orphanhood is a cancer that silently eats away at and debases the soul,” which soon “forgets that life is a gift we have received — and owe to others — a gift we are called to share in this common home,” he said.
Pope Francis greets people in St. Peter’s Square after leading vespers on New Year’s Eve at the Vatican. CNS/Paul Haring
4 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
January 12, 2017
We three kings
SLICEof LIFE
Miguel Romero, owner of Panaderia San Miguel bakery in Minneapolis, pulls “Rosca de Reyes” bread out of the oven Jan. 6 in preparation for Epiphany, or the feast of “los Reyes Magos,” the Three Kings. Romero, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, runs the bakery with help from his wife, Beatrice Rubio, and daughters, Vanessa and Stacey, all of whom attend Risen Savior in Burnsville. Small plastic figurines of the Infant Jesus are rolled into the dough and baked into the bread. According to Mexican tradition, those who find Jesus in their slice of bread are asked to bring treats to a Feb. 2 party celebrating the feast of the Presentation. “Every year, I wait for that,” said Romero, of the two days spent baking 800-1,000 loaves of the bread. Said his daughter, Vanessa: “It’s fun to make it because, at the end of the day, we get to celebrate. We make one for all the employees and cut it up.” The tradition of “king cake” is also found in other Western cultures, and may be baked until Lent. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
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January 12, 2017
LOCAL
The Catholic Spirit • 5
First Spanish-language lay ministry cohort graduates from UST By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Andres Ramirez now has the theological background and formation to support his many volunteer endeavors at Incarnation/Sagrado Corazon de Jesus in Minneapolis. Ramirez, who doesn’t speak fluent English, recently graduated with the first all-Spanish speaking cohort to earn an undergraduate lay ministry certificate in theology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. The 45 students have attended lectures in Spanish on Tuesday nights since the spring of 2014. “It was really hard in the beginning because it had been 20 years since I had gone to class,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. Ramirez, who works full-time in construction, volunteers in RCIA and marriage preparation at Incarnation. He also serves as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion at Mass and hopes to pursue a vocation to the permanent diaconate. St. Thomas’ all-Spanish lay ministry certificate program, the first of its kind in the upper Midwest, began in order to bolster the formation of Hispanic volunteers and lay ecclesial ministers for service. The program, which already existed in English, includes six undergraduate courses such as Christology, moral theology, ecclesiology, sacred Scripture and sacramental theology. Adding a Spanish-speaking program caters to a major population in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis; the archdiocese has 23 parishes with outreach to Latino communities. Carmen Dean, 47, directs Latino ministry at Risen Savior in Burnsville. She has seen the need for Latino outreach grow since she began her work in 2004. Dean graduated from the St. Thomas program with Ramirez
NEWBORN continued from page 1 St. Paul Police are not pursuing the case as a criminal matter, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a public information officer. Under Minnesota’s Safe Place for Newborns law (see box at right), a baby up to a week old may be left at a hospital or urgent care facility by the mother or someone she authorizes, no questions asked. A mother could also call 911 to request an ambulance to receive her baby. While the Minnesota law doesn’t list a church as a safe haven, Ernster said this case seems to fall within “the spirit of the law.” He said he was not aware of any other situation in Minnesota where a newborn was left at a church. St. Paul Police are concerned for the mother’s wellbeing, as it appears she likely gave birth without medical help. Ernster said police are encouraging the mother to seek medical attention without fear of prosecution for abandonment. Father Ubel has been thinking a lot about little Nathan’s mother. “My thought was God bless this person, [who], for whatever reason or motivation, thought it was safe and that the baby would be cared for here,” he said. “If we are truly pro-life — which we are — that’s our duty.” He said he could never fully appreciate the struggles the mother must have been facing to feel she had to leave her child, and he commends her for finding a safe place. “I would want people to believe that the Church is a safe place and that we will care for people,” he said. “And to have this happen during the Christmas season in particular is incredible.” He wants the mother to know that her son will be cared for, and that he will do everything in his power to see that he is adopted soon by a welcoming and loving family. Father Ubel also hopes that family will be Catholic. “The fact that this child was left off at a Catholic church is not an insignificant detail to me,” Father Ubel said. “Absent any other information forthcoming, I think it’s important that this child be given up for adoption, and there would be many willing Catholic couples who would welcome this child into their home.”
Carmen Dean, director of Latino ministry at Risen Savior in Burnsville, hugs University of St. Thomas President Julie Sullivan following a ceremony at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity Dec. 20 in which 45 Latino students received undergraduate lay ministry certificates in theology from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit Dec. 20 at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul. Archbishop Bernard Hebda celebrated the commencement Mass for the students and their families. Her biggest challenge is that “the Latino community is growing too fast” for ministry resources to keep up, she said. There’s also not enough Latino lay leaders with formation to meet the need, she added. Dean and Ramirez had previously taken courses through the archdiocesan Office of Latino Ministry, but the college courses at St. Thomas took things to a new level for them. Dean said it gave her more “vision about the Church, about the faith in general” and a better understanding of other Christian churches and religions. Ramirez said it helped him “to get to know The baptism was a short rite, modified for emergency situations. Should Nathan John’s adoptive parents wish, Father Ubel would be honored to “supply the ceremony,” in which he would pray the other parts of the typical baptism rite that he omitted, including the anointing with oil. “I do entrust the child to the Lord,” he said. “We have no claim, nor should we; we are simply here at this time, at this moment.”
No child ‘unwanted’ Emily Johnson Piper, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, said at a Jan. 5 press conference at the Cathedral that the baby is in the care of Ramsey County Social Services, and will go through the same process as all children in abandonment situations. She noted that in 2015, 10 babies were given up under the state’s Safe Place for Newborns law. Asked whether people could inquire about adopting Nathan John specifically, she said “privacy concerns would play a part in any sort of pre-designation of this baby or any child that is available for adoption.” She added: “I would hope that people would keep an open mind. If they’re interested in adopting this baby, we have almost 500 other children out there waiting for a loving family to ask for them.” Leonhardt and Father Ubel spent less than 30 minutes with the baby, but they both said they feel a special connection to him. Father Ubel said he dreamed about the baby the night Nathan found him. When Leonhardt first held him, he was reminded of holding his daughter as a newborn, he said. As his godfather, he hopes he might be able to develop a relationship with the child as he grows, if possible. “I’d adopt him if I could,” he said. “I was the first person to hold him, and it was quite emotional watching him leave, actually. ... It was almost like it was my own child.” Leonhardt, a parishioner of St. Patrick in Inver Grove Heights who has worked at the Cathedral for three years, said he encounters “the weirdest scenarios” in his day-to-day work. “I run into a lot of different situations,” he said, “but this is by far the best.”
God more profoundly.” Luz Zagal, 47, the director of Latino ministry at St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center, said the St. Thomas program has already benefited her ministry at the parish, which has 800 Latino households. It has helped her approach people more pastorally, better recognize their needs and build a “more close knit community with our fellow Anglo and Spanish-speaking community,” she said. Social service ministry leader Ruth Evangelista, 47, of Assumption in Richfield, sees an urgent need to apply what she learned through the St. Thomas program. She spends her days helping immigrants acclimate to their new country. “The people don’t know the faith” when they first arrive, she said. Fellow Assumption Latino lay minister Patricio Pena, who also graduated from the St. Thomas program, sees the catechetical and formation challenges facing his evangelization work with Latino Catholics, too. “There’s deep needs,” Pena said through an interpreter. “First, we have to be brothers to them, accompany them, to walk with them in their journey.” Pena said the St. Thomas program allowed him to grow in his faith and understand the Church’s teachings better. He also realized it’s important “to be humble and obedient, because when we think we know a lot, we have to be careful because of our egos,” he said. It took sacrifices for the students to complete their Tuesday night courses and homework, as many had to give up time with family. “It has been a sacrifice, but it’s all been well worth it,” Zagal said, “because I have not only been able to reach out to my community, but also to my children, to teach them about the way that God wants us to live in a more better quality life as well as connectedness with our parish and our community.”
Safe Place for Newborns law A Minnesota law passed in 2000 and amended in 2012 allows someone to anonymously leave a newborn at a hospital or urgent care clinic, or request an ambulance to retrieve the baby, without fear of prosecution. The baby must be a week old or younger, unharmed and left by the mother or someone to whom the mother has given permission to leave her baby. If, before the final adoption, the baby’s mother presents herself seeking to have the child returned to her care, a local social services agency would conduct a child maltreatment assessment according to state law. A group of Catholics, including Bishop Andrew Cozzens, led advocacy for the law’s passage. They formed the nonprofit Safe Place for Newborns in 2000 to promote and educate the public about the program, which was adopted by Twin Cities metro counties before being enacted as law statewide. A pro-life group at the Cathedral of St. Paul launched the organization, and it was temporarily headquartered there before moving to Minneapolis. It disbanded in 2009, when its leadership determined that its objectives had been reached, as other pro-life organizations had become active in promoting the law. Minnesota was one of the first states to pass the law statewide, and the Safe Place for Newborns nonprofit aided other states in passing similar legislation. Between January 2013 and late December 2016, 22 babies were saved under the law. Father Ubel said Nathan John’s situation “reminds me of our need to let people know that there are people who are willing to help, that there are many couples who are awaiting adoption, that there are always alternatives to the tragic choice of abortion.” — Maria Wiering
6 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
January 12, 2017
Hmong priest’s visit a Christmas gift for local community By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit For 15 days in December, Father Berm Chakrit, a Hmong Redemptorist priest from Thailand, offered Masses, heard confessions, celebrated a baptism and anointed the sick for members of the Twin Cities’ Catholic Hmong community. The seemingly routine actions were anything but; Hmong-American Catholics rarely have the opportunity to receive the sacraments from a priest who speaks their language. For some local Hmong Catholics, conversing with a priest in Hmong is a pleasure, but for others — especially the community’s elders — it’s a necessity, as they do not know enough English to confess their sins and may go years without an opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation. “They have many things they want to share [with a priest], but cannot share” because of the language barrier, Father Chakrit said Dec. 29, hours before leaving St. Paul to spend the New Year holiday with Hmong Catholics in Milwaukee. In August, he began a sabbatical with other Redemptorists in Chicago and spent the weekends with Hmong Catholics in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Warsaw, Wisconsin, and Raleigh, North Carolina. He left the U.S. Jan. 8 to return to his parish in Thailand. Ordained 10 years ago, Father Chakrit, 42, said he is one of just two Hmong-speaking priests in the world who can travel to the United States. The other lives in France. Ten Hmong-speaking priests live in China and one lives in Laos, but they cannot easily leave their countries. A newly ordained Hmong priest lives in Thailand, but he only speaks Thai. Since his ordination in 2006, Father Chakrit has traveled to the U.S. every couple of years to minister to Hmong Catholics, typically timing trips with the biennial conference of the St. Paul-based Hmong
Father Berm Chakrit, a Redemptorist priest who visited the Twin Cities Hmong community in December, blesses the home of Chong Chue Vang and his son Allen, parishioners of St. Patrick in St. Paul Dec. 17. Courtesy Joua Ly American National Catholic Association, which sponsors his travel. He feels a responsibility to minister to Hmong Catholics in the United States, but its weight isn’t a burden, he said. Rather, he said, it brings him joy. “When I talk to them, they are very interested in what I [say],” he said. “They understand me because I am preaching and teaching in their language, in their culture. It seems to go deep for their spiritual[ity], in their heart. ... I’m really happy [that] I do that for them.” Hearing a priest preach and pray in their own language has a special impact even for the Hmong Catholics who speak English, he added. “They are like the sheep with no shepherds,” he said. “So I say, ‘Yes, I am here, and I’m ready to go to all of their houses if I can bring you close to God.’” In the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis,
in BRIEF MINNEAPOLIS
Creditors may be voting on two plans in archdiocese’s Reorganization A federal bankruptcy court judge approved Dec. 29 summaries of two competing plans that have been put forward for the resolution of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy, indicating that the archdiocese’s creditors may have an opportunity to vote on both. The archdiocese’s plan, filed in May and amended in November, would provide more than $155 million for compensation for abuse claimants, with most of those funds coming from insurance settlements. A plan filed in August by the Unsecured Creditors Committee, which represents more than 400 abuse claimants, seeks $80 million in victim compensation — almost half obtained via an archdiocesan loan secured by the Cathedral of St. Paul and several Catholic schools — without the insurance settlements, while reserving the right to pursue insurance settlements following the Reorganization.
PLYMOUTH
2016 Catholic Services Appeal exceeds $9.3 million goal The Catholic Services Appeal Foundation surpassed its 2016 goal, netting $9,311,346 in pledges. For the
first time in 10 years, the number of donors increased from the previous year’s, with nearly 40,300 total gifts, said CSAF Executive Director Jennifer Beaudry. The funds support 17 ministries in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, including parishes, which will receive about $1.8 million. “Many thanks for all of your hard work that made this result possible,” Beaudry said in a Jan. 6 statement to pastors and parish business administrators. “Together we were able to help fund the collective ministries of our archdiocese that no one parish can support on its own.”
ST. PAUL
SJV students serving in Kolkata with Pathways to Children Students from St. John Vianney College Seminary, spiritual director Father Steven Borello and others are volunteering in Kolkata, India, with Twin Cities-based Pathways to Children at its Jan Seva School and Clinics. The school was started to provide tuitionfree education to children of young mothers who cannot afford proper education for their children. The students also are working alongside the Missionaries of Charity and had the opportunity to attend Mass beside the tomb of Mother Teresa, who was canonized St. Teresa of Kolkata last September. Follow the seminarians’ blog at http://sjvkolkata2017.blogspot.ae.
Hmong Catholics can worship in their own language at St. Vincent de Paul and St. Patrick, both in St. Paul. St. Vincent de Paul — a former parish in Frogtown that merged with the Cathedral of St. Paul in 2011 — offers Mass in Hmong every Sunday, while St. Patrick — located in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood — offers a Hmong Mass once a month. About 150 Hmong people regularly attend Mass at St. Vincent de Paul, with another 35 at St. Patrick. A few local priests — including Father Jonathan Kelly, a formator at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul who assists at St. Vincent de Paul — have learned to celebrate Mass in the language, but they can’t speak it conversationally, meaning they also can’t understand it well enough to hear confessions. Father Michael Becker, SJV rector who also ministers at St. Vincent de Paul on weekends, says confession is the Hmong community’s greatest need. “They really can’t go to confession in Hmong to somebody who can understand them. That’s one of the most difficult things for the community here,” he said. Father Chakrit heard about 20 confessions during his first visit to Minneapolis and St. Paul in October, and about 25 confessions during his extended stay in December, he said. Most penitents didn’t speak English; the community’s leaders encouraged Englishspeakers to confess elsewhere in order to free Father Chakrit’s time for Hmong-only speakers. Canon law does make a provision for people in the Hmong elders’ situation, allowing a person who cannot find a confessor in his or her own language to confess via an interpretor. While visiting the Twin Cities, Father Chakrit visited and blessed many Hmong Catholics’ homes, including that of a family of 10 in Minneapolis who Please turn to HMONG on page 19
LOCAL
January 12, 2017
The Catholic Spirit • 7
Patrick Conley is the new host for Relevant Radio’s Rediscover: Hour on Friday mornings. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
New Rediscover: Hour host hopes show inspires listeners’ conversion By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit As an Anglican seminarian at England’s Oxford University during the mid 2000s, Patrick Conley regularly got together with a couple seminary classmates to talk about more traditional aspects of the church they served. Invariably, the topic of Catholicism came up. All three seminarians found many things about the traditions of the Catholic Church appealing. “We’d go down to the pub once a week, actually, and we’d talk smart. But inevitably, the conversation always rolled back to ‘What about the Catholic Church?’” said Conley, now a Catholic working as the director of faith formation at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. “If the Catholic Church really claims to be the Church that Jesus founded, the fullness of the expression of the Church Jesus intended, then why would we disbelieve that?” Conley, 45, and his two friends eventually joined the Catholic Church. The Wisconsin native hopes to bring that hunger for learning and growing in understanding of the Church to his new role as host of the Rediscover: Hour show for Relevant Radio 1330 AM, a Catholic radio station serving the Twin Cities. The weekly show on Friday mornings aims to engage Catholics with the faith and life in the local Church. Conley is stepping into the role long held by Jeff Cavins, who launched the radio show in 2014 while serving as director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. An author and speaker known for creating “The Great Adventure Bible Timeline,” Cavins left the archdiocese in March 2016 to dedicate more time to broader evangelization efforts, but continued hosting the Rediscover: Hour until September. Conley has served over the past months as the show’s interim host, a job that was made permanent in time for the Jan. 6 show. Local writer and speaker Alyssa Bormes is serving as a guest host for the Jan. 13 show. People have told Conley that he has “a good voice for radio” — to which he retorts, “I also have a good face for radio.” But he would add, “Well, I’m open to it [working in radio]; I’m just waiting for my big break.” Conley, who joined the Church in 2010, now hopes to plant the seeds for big breaks in people’s spiritual lives via the radio show. In his work at the Cathedral with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, he’s heard candidates list Relevant Radio as a significant reason they were looking at Catholicism, and he hopes the Rediscover: Hour contributes to that. In 2013, Conley began his job at the Cathedral administering the parish’s faith formation program for all ages and teaching. He said the new opportunity with Relevant Radio complements his Cathedral work, which also involves lining up speakers for events. “I see my role as really facilitating others being able to share about their field of expertise,” Conley said. “To be a good host, in my mind, is to help others share how the Lord has been working in their life and what they see the Lord doing here in the archdiocese.”
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8 • The Catholic Spirit
U.S. & WORLD
Catholic-Muslim dialogue opens to support Islamic American communities By James Martone Catholic News Service An emerging Catholic dialogue with Muslims aims to show public support for Islamic American communities. The dialogue stems from concerns expressed by U.S. bishops in the wake of “a serious uptick in violence against American Muslims ... to make sure that they are sensitive to what is going on in the [Muslim] communities,” said Anthony Cirelli, associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The dialogue, underway since last February, will build on three already existing regional Catholic-Muslim dialogues, also overseen by the secretariat. Those gatherings have involved Muslim and Christian scholars and religious leaders, and have focused largely on academic discussions and comparisons of their respective religious texts, Cirelli said. The regional dialogues — mid-Atlantic, Midwest and West Coast — have been effective in creating a better understanding among Muslim and Catholic leaders on a theological level, Cirelli explained. The national dialogue also will help Muslim leaders to better advocate for current concerns, “especially with the incoming [U.S.] administration,” said Cirelli, referring to calls by President-elect Donald Trump to monitor American Muslims and limit entry of Muslim visitors from abroad. “While our meetings will still have as a central component the all-important theological conversation, right now there is an urgency to engage more in a kind of advocacy and policy in support of the Muslim community,” Cirelli said. Cirelli cited statistics documenting a higher number of anti-Muslim activities nationwide as well as a recent study by The Bridge Initiative, a Georgetown University research project on Islamophobia, showing that Catholics who regularly obtained information from Catholic media were more likely to unfavorably view Muslims than those who did not. “The bishops’ priority at the moment is to listen to [Muslims’] concerns, their fears, their needs ... and so discern how we as Catholics can help them achieve their goals of full participation in their communities,” Cirelli said. He said Muslim counterparts to the dialogue were still being identified. The creation of the dialogue was motivated by the call of “Nostra Aetate,” the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on the relations with non-Christian religions. Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago was designated as the dialogue’s Catholic chairman and 1 12/16/16 assumedcatholic_spirit_ad_jan2017_v4.pdf the position Jan. 1, Cirelli said. The next 6:51 AM dialogue is set for March 7-9 in Chicago.
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January 12, 2017
in BRIEF VATICAN CITY
Doctrinal chief dismisses idea of ‘fraternal correction’ of pope The Catholic Church is “very far” from a situation in which the pope is in need of “fraternal correction” because he has not put the faith and Church teaching in danger, said Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Interviewed Jan. 9 on an Italian all-news channel, Cardinal Muller said Pope Francis’ document on the family, “Amoris Laetitia,” was “very clear” in its teaching. In the document, the cardinal said, Pope Francis asks priests “to discern the situation of these persons living in an irregular union — that is, not in accordance with the doctrine of the Church on marriage — and asks for help for these people to find a path for a new integration into the Church according to the condition of the sacraments [and] the Christian message on matrimony.” In the papal document, he said, “I do not see any opposition: On one side we have the clear doctrine on matrimony, and on the other the obligation of the Church to care for these people in difficulty.” The cardinal was interviewed about a formal request to Pope Francis for clarification about “Amoris Laetitia” and particularly its call for the pastoral accompaniment of people who are divorced and civilly remarried or who are living together without marriage. The request, called a “dubia,” was written in September by U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke and three other cardinals.
MEXICO CITY
Mexican Church calls for calm amid gas-price protests Mexican Catholic officials called for calm as angry protests over hikes in the government-set gasoline price consume the country. Senior clergy also called for federal officials to show sensitivity toward the plight of millions of poor and middle-class Mexicans struggling to make ends meet as the country’s sinking currency erodes their purchasing power, and higher prices for gasoline could increase costs for basics such as food and transportation. Outrage erupted after the government announced increases of more than 20 percent, implemented Jan. 1.
WASHINGTON
Catholics in Congress: one-third of House, one-quarter of Senate The religious makeup of the 115th Congress is significantly Christian — 91 percent — with Catholics comprising one-third of the House of Representatives
and about a quarter of the Senate. Overall, there are six fewer Christians in the new Congress, at 485 members. But there are four more Catholics, who now total 168. The high percentage of Christians in Congress is similar to the 87th Congress in 1961, when such information was first collected. At the time, 95 percent of Congress members were Christian.
AUSTIN, Texas
Federal judge blocks HHS transgender regulation A federal judge in Texas Dec. 31 blocked a regulation by the Department of Health and Human Services requiring Catholic hospitals and health care providers to perform or provide gender transition services, saying it would place “substantial pressure” on the plaintiffs — a coalition of religious medical organizations who said the ruling was contrary to their religious beliefs. “Plaintiffs will be forced to either violate their religious beliefs or maintain their current policies, which seem to be in direct conflict with the rule and risk the severe consequences of enforcement,” U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor wrote. The injunction comes four months after the same judge blocked a federal directive requiring public schools to let transgender students use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity. The regulation from the Department of Health and Human Services requires that Catholic hospitals and health care providers perform or provide gender transition services, hormonal treatments and counseling, as well as a host of surgeries that would remove or transform the sexual organs of men or women transitioning to the other gender. The HHS regulation requires group health plans to cover these procedures and services.
COCHIN, India
Church in Kerala state forms support group for transgender people The Church in India’s Kerala state has formed a group of priests, nuns and laypeople to respond to the pastoral needs of transgender people, reported Ucanews.com. Formed in Cochin under the aegis of Pro-Life Support, a global social service movement within the Church, the ministry is one of the few outreach programs for the transgender community by the institutional Church in India. “The whole Church has a big role to play,” said Father Paul Madassey, who is in charge of pro-life support for the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council. He noted Pope Francis had talked about the need to give “pastoral care to the LGBT community.” India has an estimated 500,000 transgender people. — Catholic News Service
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U.S. & WORLD
January 12, 2017
The Catholic Spirit • 9
Pope to bishops: Defend children from abuse, protect their dignity, joy By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Stand up and protect children from exploitation, slaughter and abuse, which includes committing to a policy of “zero tolerance” of sexual abuse by clergy, Pope Francis told the world’s bishops. Wake up to what is happening to so many of today’s innocents and be moved by their plight and the cries of their mothers to do everything to protect life, helping it “be born and grow,” he said in a letter sent to bishops commemorating the feast of the Holy Innocents Dec. 28. The Vatican press office published the letter and translations from the original Italian Jan. 2. Just as King Herod’s men slaughtered young children of Bethlehem in his “unbridled thirst for power,” there are plenty of new Herods today — gang members, criminal networks and “merchants of death” — “who devour the innocence of our children” through slave labor, prostitution and exploitation, he said. Wars and forced immigration also strip children of their innocence, joy and dignity, he added. The prophet Jeremiah was aware of this “sobbing and loud lamentation” and knew that Rachel was “weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled since they were no more.” “Today, too, we hear this heart-rending cry of pain, which we neither desire nor are able to ignore or to silence,” Pope Francis said.
“Let us find the courage needed to take all necessary measures and to protect in every way the lives of our children so that such crimes may never be repeated.” Pope Francis “Christmas is also accompanied, whether we like it or not, by tears,” and the Gospel writers “did not disguise reality to make it more credible or attractive.” Christmas and the birth of the Son of God aren’t about escaping reality, but are a way to help “contemplate this cry of pain, to open our eyes and ears to what is going on around us, and to let our hearts be attentive and open to the pain of our neighbors, especially where children are involved. It also means realizing that that sad chapter in history is still being written today.” Given such challenges, Pope Francis told the world’s bishops to look to St. Joseph as a role model. This obedient and loyal man was capable of recognizing and listening to God’s voice, which meant St. Joseph could let himself be guided by his will and be
Catholic nun organizes national pre-inauguration event to foster peace By Rhina Guidos Catholic News Service Sister Rita Petruziello said she could feel the “contention and nastiness” in the air during the presidential election campaign last year. Instead of getting better as the process went along, it kept getting worse. “It didn’t matter who won,” she said. “There would be a lot of unrest, division and hatred.” But she couldn’t just sit without doing anything about it and decided to find a way to counter all those bad feelings. Sister Petruziello, a member of the Sisters of the Congregation of St. Joseph in Cleveland, has since put together Circle the City with Love, an event that seeks to gather people across cities in the U.S. at 2 p.m. Jan. 15, and have them join hands in their respective cities and meditate together as a means to foster peace. The intention behind the event is to reduce the acrimony around the country during and after the presidential election. The title and format had been used before during an event in Cleveland tied to the opening of the Republican National Convention there in July 2016. And it must have worked, she said, because Cleveland didn’t experience the violence many had feared during the convention. “We had been expecting riots, and nothing happened,” she said. So, she wants to apply the concept nationally and has asked people around the country to organize local events that will result in harmony and not more rancor, prior to the inauguration of Donald Trump as the country’s 45th president Jan. 20. More than 40 groups in 17 cities, as well as a group in Australia, have agreed to participate. More continued signing up in early January at www.circlecitywithlove. com, Sister Petruziello said. Karen Clifton of Catholic Mobilizing
Network in Washington said her group will participate “to stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers across the country — and world — praying for peace, mercy and justice as we begin this new chapter in history.” “In the aftermath of a very divisive political season, it is vital that we move forward with mercy and compassion toward each other,” Clifton said in an email to CNS. “This event provides the perfect opportunity for each of us to stand united in the work to bring mercy and justice to our world.” While registering online, organizers asked participants to pledge to a nonviolent and nonpartisan half hour of silence “in the spirit of love around the inauguration of the president-elect and all the demonstrations being held throughout the week.” Groups, such as Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, known as ANSWER, are organizing protests and events on or around Inauguration Day in Washington to voice their opposition to the incoming president. ANSWER has said it is gathering people for a Protest at the Inauguration: Stand Against Trump, War, Racism and Inequality march on the day of the inauguration. On Jan. 21, the nation’s capital will host the Million Woman March, an event organized largely via Facebook.
moved by “what was going on around him and was able to interpret these events realistically.” “The same thing is asked of us pastors today: to be men attentive, and not deaf, to the voice of God, and hence more sensitive to what is happening all around us,” he said. Like St. Joseph, “we are asked not to let ourselves be robbed of joy. We are asked to protect this joy from the Herods of our own time. Like Joseph, we need the courage to respond to this reality, to arise and take it firmly in hand.” The Church weeps not only for children suffering the pain of poverty, malnutrition, lack of education, forced displacement, slavery and sexual exploitation, the pope said, but she also weeps “because she recognizes the sins of some of her members: the sufferings, the experiences and the pain of minors who were abused sexually by priests.” Deploring “the sin of what happened, the sin of failing to help, the sin of covering up and denial, the sin of the abuse of power,” the Church also begs for forgiveness, he said. “Today, as we commemorate the feast of the Holy Innocents, I would like us to renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst. Let us find the courage needed to take all necessary measures and to protect in every way the lives of our children so that such crimes may never be repeated.”
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10 • The Catholic Spirit
Pursuing the comm MCC expects health care, school choice, family poverty to be among big issues facing new State Legislature By Joe Towalski • The Visitor
A
fter a contentious U.S. presidential campaign that highlighted the nation’s deep political divisions, the Minnesota Catholic Conference is hoping that state Republicans and Democrats can rise above partisan differences to pass legislation consistent with the conference’s 2017 public policy priorities. “One thing that’s going to be a challenge with this legislative session — which we also saw in 2016 — is the challenge of divided government,” said Jason Adkins, executive director of MCC, the Church’s official public policy voice in the state. Republicans, who control both the House and Senate, will need to work with Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton during this year’s session, which began Jan. 3 and ends in May. Among the challenges they face is what to do with a projected $1.4 billion state budget surplus. “Not everyone is going to get what they want,” Adkins said in a Dec. 28 interview. “The question is: How willing are they to work together, and how willing are they to embrace compromise?” One issue sure to get attention from lawmakers is health care reform, including what to do about the rising cost of premiums for Minnesotans who purchase health insurance on their own — particularly those who aren’t eligible for federal tax credits made available by the Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010. “As Gov. Dayton has said, the Affordable Care Act is no longer affordable for many people,” Adkins noted. From MCC’s perspective, any federal reforms of the ACA or changes to the state insurance exchange should be based on three principles: 1) making certain that everyone in the state has access to basic health care that is indeed affordable; 2) ensuring that changes don’t impose immoral mandates similar to the ACA’s contraceptive mandate, which continues to face legal challenges; and 3) guaranteeing conscience protections
for health care providers. Additionally, MCC’s priorities for the 2017 session include several issues for which it has advocated during the last few years at the Legislature:
• Expanding educational choice MCC is encouraging legislators to add non-public school tuition as an eligible expense of the K-12 education tax credit, as well as create tax credits for individuals and businesses donating to scholarshipgranting organizations, such as the Aim Higher Foundation in Minnetonka. “Educational choice is a moral imperative, and it’s a civil rights imperative,” Adkins said. “There are too many kids in Minnesota of all races who are not getting access to a good education.” Growing achievement gaps continue to be a problem, he said, and families — particularly those with limited financial resources — need to be empowered so that they can select the best schools for their children, whether those schools are public or private. Last year, the Legislature came close to passing a school choice-related tax credit measure. Thanks to ongoing outreach efforts as well as support across political party lines, Adkins believes such proposals are gaining momentum and have a good chance of being enacted into law this year. “Gov. Dayton has been open to education tax credit proposals … and under the right circumstances [he has] indicated a willingness to not stand in the way of those,” Adkins said.
• Opposing physician-assisted suicide A bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide received a committee hearing last March, but it was pulled from consideration following several hours of emotional testimony from both supporters and opponents of the measure. With pro-life majorities now in control in both the House and Senate, the issue likely won’t advance this year. But physician-assisted suicide measures were recently approved in Colorado and Washington, D.C., and Minnesota is listed as a targeted state for legalization, highlighting the need for ongoing education about why such measures aren’t good public policy, Adkins said. MCC is part of the Minnesota Alliance for Ethical Healthcare, a diverse coalition of 35 organizations that includes faith-based groups, disability advocates and
health care providers. It promotes advocacy and education in favor of life-affirming options, such as improved palliative care. “Oftentimes people say [physician-assisted suicide] is an important choice for some people to have, but by enacting this so-called choice, which is neither compassionate nor serves personal autonomy, what you are going to get is a policy that endangers vulnerable people and creates incentives that undermine quality care,” Adkins said. “It’s much cheaper to give someone a bottle of pills and send them home to die than it is to provide them authentic care.” MCC hopes soon to update its end-of-life care resources, including the Minnesota Catholic Health Care Directive, which helps people state their wishes for end-of-life care in accordance with Catholic
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“Not everyone is going to get what they want. The question is: How willing are they to work together, and how willing are they to embrace compromise?” Jason Adkins, Minnesota Catholic Conference executive director
January 12, 2017 • 11
Catholics at the Capitol aims to inspire public policy participation By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
MCC is also pursuing other initiatives in 2017, including raising greater awareness about pornography as a public health issue. The U.S. bishops issued a statement in 2015 on the topic titled “Create in Me a Clean Heart,” and MCC wants to advance the conversation on the issue, which is “not just a private matter, but one that has very public consequences and is harmful to the common good,” Adkins said. MCC is supportive of potential bipartisan legislation that identifies pornography as a public health crisis and that looks at ways to evaluate pornography’s effects, particularly on minors, with an eye toward a broader initiative, such as a statewide public health campaign. Adkins said MCC also will promote care for creation, hoping to build on “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis’ encyclical on caring for the earth and its inhabitants. It is looking at proposals to incentivize beginning farmers and urban agriculture, as well as issues surrounding water quality and community infrastructure. “Water is something we take deeply for granted, and we need to make sure we continue to provide safe drinking water for our communities,” he said. “Water stewardship is a big issue.”
Minnesota’s Catholics have a new opportunity to join their bishops and learn how to approach key policy areas through the lens of faith. The Minnesota Catholic Conference is hosting the first Catholics at the Capitol event March 9 at the St. Paul RiverCentre and State Capitol Building in St. Paul. The event is intended to be more than an issue lobbying day, said Jason Adkins, MCC executive director. He hopes participants gain a deeper understanding of how Catholic teaching can shape their approach in the public square. “What we need to do is inspire, engage and equip Catholics as Catholics to participate in the public policy process, and that’s what this day is meant to do,” Adkins said. Scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the day will include speakers Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Gloria Purvis Scott, a commentator for the Eternal Word Television Network and chairwoman for Black Catholics United for Christ. The event will also include prayer, as well as issue and advocacy training on education, anti-poverty efforts and defense of life. All of the state’s active bishops plan to attend. The initiative is the first of its kind for MCC, the public policy arm of the state’s bishops. The organization has long participated in advocacy days including the March for Life and the annual Joint Religious Legislative Coalition Day on the Hill, but never before has it brought together people solely because of their shared Catholic faith. “A lot of our bread-and-butter issues were covered by other advocacy coalitions or advocacy partners that we could funnel Catholics into,” Adkins said. “What changed is that not only do we need a distinctly Catholic and faith voice at the Capitol, but we [also] need to equip Catholics to engage the political process.” After the morning program at the RiverCentre, participants will go to the State Capitol to meet in groups with their legislators. Adkins hopes that encounter is the basis for ongoing relationships between the lawmakers and constituents. “There are so many barriers to participation in the public policy process: ‘I don’t know what to say; I don’t know who to contact,’” Adkins said. “Most Catholics don’t know who their state legislators are, so what we’re really trying to do here is not just to go and tell legislators what the Church thinks about an issue, but really help Catholics — on whatever issue they’re concerned about — be better public servants and faithful citizens.” Adkins expects participants to be well-received by their lawmakers. “Legislators want to hear from their constituents because they want to know what their constituents are thinking,” he said. “Sometimes issues are not on their radar, and their constituents bring those issues to their attention. “This isn’t about pressuring legislators or imposing our will on them,” he added. “It’s actually a service to legislators ... [to offer] our perspective as Catholics, as a member of a particular parish, of a particular community, about what serves the common good. And it’s definitely important for Catholics like anyone else in society to offer that perspective.”
For more information about MCC’s 2017 legislative priorities and to stay informed about legislative activity, as well as other activities related to the Church’s social ministry and policy advocacy, visit www.mncatholic.org and sign up for the Catholic Advocacy Network.
Early bird registration is $20. Youth ages 22 and younger are free. Registration includes continental breakfast and a box lunch. Catholics interested in serving as district leaders are encouraged to contact MCC. For more information, visit www.catholicsatthecapitol.org.
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mon good teaching. (The directive and related resources can be accessed at www.mncatholic.org; click “Resources” and then “Catholic End-of-Life Care Decisions.”)
• Regulating commercial surrogacy In December, after hearing months of testimony, a state legislative commission recommended strict limits on commercial surrogacy. MCC supported legislation in 2016 creating the 15-member bipartisan commission to take an in-depth look at the practice, in which a woman contracts to become pregnant and give birth to a child to be raised by someone else. Among the commission’s recommendations were to adopt either a ban on commercial surrogacy or a cap on the compensation a surrogate mother could receive; allowing only U.S. citizens to participate in a Minnesota surrogacy contract; and allowing only single embryo transfers for surrogacy pregnancies, thus eliminating the possibility of aborting additional embryos, a process sometimes termed “selective reduction.” The commission’s recommendations also prohibit surrogacy contracts from having abortion clauses. “We’re still digesting the commission’s recommendations and talking to legislators about what the legislative climate is like for a piece of [regulatory] legislation consistent with some or many of those proposals,” Adkins said. “Certainly, raising awareness about the commercial surrogacy industry and its potential for creating a market in which Minnesota women would be available to people from all over the world to act as surrogates in exchange for compensation is something we’re deeply concerned about,” he added.
• Increasing the Minnesota Family Investment Program’s cash grant MCC continues to support an increase in the cash grant for the Minnesota Family Investment Program, which assists low-income families with children. The amount of the grant has not increased in 31 years. “This is an issue that has started to generate a bipartisan consensus that something needs to be done — that families participating in the program shouldn’t have to use 1986 dollars to overcome poverty in 2017,” Adkins said. “The challenge is to make that a legislative spending priority for both parties. Right now it’s not.” MCC wants to keep the issue in front of legislators.
The Catholic Church has “a preferential option for the poor and vulnerable,” he said. “Our budgets and policies are judged by how well they serve those most in need. This needs to be a priority issue for legislators when they consider funding their Health and Human Services budget for 2017.” MCC also is interested in working with its partners — including the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition — to reform some aspects of MFIP, such as removing barriers for people to marry. MFIP is based on household income, so if a person on the program marries, they may reach an income level for which they no longer qualify for the program but are still in need of assistance. “Right now the way the program is structured, it disincentivizes people to marry,” Adkins said. “But we know marriage is important in terms of fostering child well-being, family stability and economic well-being.”
Other issues
12 • The Catholic Spirit
FAITH & CULTURE
January 12, 2017
“Even though people will give me the middle finger, I just have to sit there and pray for them and pray for a change of heart.” Nicky Peters Nicky Peters stands outside Planned Parenthood in St. Paul twice a month to offer information and compassion to women arriving for abortions. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
Compassion starts here New sidewalk counselor says, ‘My heart goes out’ to women in crisis pregnancies By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
I
t didn’t take long for Nicky Peters to feel the drama of being a sidewalk counselor outside Planned Parenthood in St. Paul. The 19-year-old sophomore at St. Catherine University in St. Paul and member of St. Ambrose in Woodbury had decided last spring to take her pro-life passion to the streets. She signed up to volunteer with Pro-Life Action Ministries in St. Paul and paired with Ann Redding, the organization’s sidewalk counseling coordinator. This past June, the two showed up on Vandalia Street hoping to encounter women with unwanted pregnancies. It was Peters’ first time. “That day was amazing,” she said. “I met Ann there, and within the first hour, a woman came up to us and told her [Ann] that she had changed her mind about having an abortion, but she had already had part of the procedure done.” The woman told them that clinic workers had inserted laminaria sticks to help dilate her cervix to prepare for the abortion, but she had changed her mind. She jumped off the examination table and left the clinic without having them removed. When she encountered Redding and Peters on the Vandalia Street sidewalk in front of the clinic, Redding hustled into action, leading the pregnant woman to nearby Abria Pregnancy Resources. Two months later, a healthy baby boy was born. Peters, who is studying sign language interpreting at St. Kate’s, will never forget that day. In fact, it’s what gives her the strength to spend hours alone on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood, sometimes enduring insults and profanity hurled her way by vocal abortion supporters. “It all goes back to that first day; the passion that I have is about helping these women,” said Peters, who does sidewalk counseling twice a month for about two
and a half hours each time. “My heart goes out to them, honestly. A child is such a wonderful thing that I’d do anything to help [the pregnant women].”
Faith in action The seed of her current volunteer role was planted one year ago at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., which marks the Jan. 22 anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states. She made the trip out on a plane, but rode back on a bus chartered by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis when flights were canceled due to a powerful storm that dumped nearly 2 feet of snow in the Mid-Atlantic region. She rode back with other teens and young adults from the archdiocese, plus three women who belonged to Katies for Life on her campus. “All these women were talking about how involved they were in the pro-life movement,” Peters recalled. “One girl in my college group who does a little bit of sidewalk counseling and is a prayer supporter described what it was, and it really sounded like something that I was called to do. I loved being prolife and I really, really wanted to be more involved, so I looked into it, did some research and decided that this was for me and I wanted to do it.” After going through a seminar and training, she went to Planned Parenthood with Redding, who instantly recognized the value Peters brought to the ministry of helping women arriving for abortions receive love and information about carrying their pregnancies to term. “I’m just really glad she’s on board,” said Redding, who has been in her role at PLAM since 2000. “She’s out there to be compassionate with people. Whether it’s a ‘save’ or not, we’re recognizing the humanity of the child that’s [in danger of being] killed. Secondly, we are letting people know that we care about them.”
Redding noted that Peters is the perfect age for counseling because most of the women who come to Planned Parenthood for abortions are 20 to 24 years old. She estimates that 30 of the 200 regular sidewalk counselors who volunteer through PLAM are in that age group. Many of them are seminarians who come regularly on Friday afternoons. “This is the best age group to be out there on the sidewalk,” Redding said. “The college-aged have physical strength, idealism and beauty. Young people have that beauty that draws someone to talk to them.” However, the responses can be negative, even ugly, at times. Peters has discovered this, which initially surprised her. “I do take a lot of heat, especially on the sidewalk, and even from people on campus,” she said. “I get profanity, the middle finger. I get anywhere from, ‘Oh, you’re just totally wrong,’ to large profanity statements.” In between the encounters are long periods of silence, in which she sees no one and must figure out useful ways to spend her time. Her go-to practice on those occasions is prayer. She recites decades of the rosary and calls on the intercession of the saints and Mary. Her words to God and to the people she meets are steeped in a deep faith that believes she is making a difference, and a faith that keeps her coming back for more, even when the coldest days of the year may lay ahead. “I just love it, honestly,” she said. “It can get a little bit discouraging, but I always have to go back to that first day of helping that woman. I just have to go back to that day because I know that that truly was amazing, and I have to keep doing that so I can help more women. Even though people will give me the middle finger, I just have to sit there and pray for them and pray for a change of heart.”
January 12, 2017
FAITH & CULTURE
The Catholic Spirit • 13
Human life 101
Ultrasound technician Mark Hutchinson performs an ultrasound on Jacinta Pearson during ninth-grade health class at BenildeSt. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park. Teacher Alisa May includes the demonstration to teach her students about fetal development and to deliver a pro-life message. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit
BSM brings ultrasound to classroom to teach fetal development By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Benilde-St. Margaret’s School ninth-graders oohed and aahed at the sight of an unborn baby making a big, long kick across a large projector screen. “Basically they’re just moving their muscles,” said Mark Hutchinson, an ultrasound technician who volunteers at Robbinsdale Women’s Center, and who, with the help of a volunteer expectant mother, presented to the students in the BSM chapel Dec. 15. “They’re not spazzing in there. They’re practicing moving their muscles, getting them strength.” It surprised students at the St. Louis Park Catholic high school who attended the presentation as part of their freshman health class. Some anticipated a much more restful baby, even though this one measured at 16 and a half weeks gestation. “I thought it would sleep all day. It actually moves its legs a lot,” student Sophie Latourelle said. Health teacher Alisa May brought in the presenters from RWC to give students a closer look at the development of unborn babies. She explored the possibility of a live ultrasound for the class and found RWC, which does in-school presentations. “It’s just a lot more impactful than the video of an ultrasound,” she said. RWC’s first presentation at BSM in 2015 inspired some students to volunteer at the pro-life pregnancy center, May said. Students from this year’s class were also moved. “I [have] never seen an ultrasound before, and I thought it was so amazing,” student Phoebe Sellke wrote in a class journal entry after the event. “She [the mother] was four months pregnant, and if I saw her on the street, I would have never thought she was.”
Life-saving sound waves Hutchinson explained how the sound waves of the ultrasound produced the image of the avocado-sized unborn baby they saw. The transducer, the ultrasound’s probe that the technician puts on the mother’s abdomen, picks up the sound waves. Then, the
computer hooked up to the transducer tracks the sound waves to produce the image. “It does it about 15 to 30 times a second, and that’s why you can see motion,” Hutchinson said. “There are about ... 32 shades of gray [on the screen], but I’m told that the eye can really only pick up about 15 shades.” With those shades of gray, an ultrasound displays the many details of a baby’s development from the limbs to the inner organs. Hutchinson also showed the students how he can pick up the sound of the baby’s heartbeat. “Baby has all four chambers in the heart already — the atrium and ventricle left and right,” Hutchinson said. Such detail moved students to see the life inside a mother that’s hidden to the naked eye. “I was impacted by the ultrasound because I realized really how fast the baby develops,” said student Sarah Luong. “I was surprised by the fact that you could see such small details like toes and fingers.” Hutchinson told the students that the baby already yawns, gets hiccups and dispenses waste. He also explained how the baby receives nutrients through the umbilical cord. “They like to hold on to it because it pulsates and rocks them to sleep,” he said of the cord. Besides Hutchinson, several RWC staff members presented on the importance of ultrasounds in preventing abortions, as well as the importance of chastity in avoiding pregnancies. RWC provides free and confidential services for pregnant women. Services include pregnancy testing, ultrasound and mentoring.
The center has an intentional location on Broadway Avenue in Robbinsdale, across the street from the Robbinsdale Clinic, Minnesota’s third largest abortion provider. The Minnesota Department of Health reported that 1,039 abortions were performed at the clinic in 2015. “About 70 to 80 percent of the women who come through our doors are either determined to have an abortion, are considering abortion, or they’re being pressured by someone, a parent or a boyfriend or something,” Peggy Benicke, RWC executive director, told the students. Ultrasound provides a woman in that situation a chance to see her baby, which aids the counseling process. “It doesn’t take a whole lot of conversation when they hear their baby’s heart beating,” Benicke said. Hutchinson said that 80 percent of abortion-minded women who see their baby’s heart beating in ultrasound will choose to continue the pregnancy. Hutchinson, Benicke and the volunteer mother, Jacinta Pearson, took student questions at the end of the presentation. Benicke encouraged students to think about how they could help a woman in an unexpected pregnancy. She emphasized the importance of supporting and assuring the mother that resources exist, as well as sharing their experience of seeing an ultrasound to “let them know this is a baby” inside her womb. In addition to offering emotional and practical help, “our job is to reach out with the love of Christ,” Benicke said.
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14 • The Catholic Spirit
FAITH & CULTURE
January 12, 2017
Immigrants’ plight highlighted in local ministry, Church observance By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit Since 2011, a Twin Cities-based group of volunteers has met with detained immigrants awaiting deportation hearings at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center in St. Paul. Visiting with men — and, on occasion, women — in a large classroom, the volunteers are there to listen and be a friendly presence amid isolation, said volunteer Steve Kraemer. “You can’t even imagine that on a Sunday night, when we sit down in the classroom and are waiting for the guys to come in … 20 guys stream in with smiles, greeting the volunteers by name,” said Kraemer, 59, a retired financial analyst. “It’s one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen, representing people from all over the world.” Kraemer, a parishioner of St. Gabriel the Archangel in Hopkins, joined United Church of Christ Pastor John Guttermann shortly after he formed the interfaith group Conversations with Friends in 2011. In 2015, volunteers started visiting detained immigrants at the Freeborn County Adult Detention Center in Albert Lea. About four to five of CWF’s 25 volunteers spend two Sundays a month at both of the centers. The detainees come from Central America, Africa and Asia. Kraemer said his calling to visit with the detainees comes from the Bible. “We’re called to be with people who are suffering,” Kraemer said. “And that includes people imprisoned physically or psychologically. We are meant to be
National Migration Week Jan. 8-14: ‘Creating a Culture of Encounter’
A woman holds a child’s hand as they arrive for a rally in support of immigrants’ rights in New York City Dec. 18, 2016. CNS/Gregory A. Shemitz Christ to others.” Kraemer’s sentiments echo Pope Francis’ call to create a “‘culture of encounter,’ and in doing so to look beyond our own needs and wants to those of others around us,” as highlighted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for National Migration Week. From Jan. 8 to 14, the Catholic Church in the U.S. is observing the week, and on Jan. 8, the Church in Minnesota observed Immigration Sunday, started by the state’s bishops in 2009 to encourage Catholics to learn more about the Church’s teaching on immigration and to raise awareness about migration and immigration issues. Kraemer, who now directs Conversations with Friends, acknowledges that the visiting ministry is out of a lot of people’s comfort zones. The training includes presentations
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from a human rights advocacy director, chaplain and others who detail the nitty-gritty of the visits and explain how to process the stories volunteers are likely to hear. The training also highlights what the visits mean to both detainees and volunteers, and profiles some of the men’s situations, which vary widely. Some, he said, immigrated as children and never thought they had to apply for citizenship. Others overstayed a visa or had family in the U.S. and risked staying. Kraemer said one of the men he visits is 32 and arrived in the U.S. as a child 29 years ago. He points to the majority of detainees who became employed without proper documentation. He empathizes with them: when undocumented immigrants apply for a job and get it, “[they] think it’s a strange signal if they’re not
For nearly a half century, the Catholic Church in the United States has celebrated National Migration Week, which is an opportunity for the Church to reflect on the circumstances confronting migrants, including immigrants, refugees, children, and victims and survivors of human trafficking. For more information, visit www.usccb.org. supposed to be there,” he explained. “A job sets everything in motion: next comes housing, family, kids, school, church. Suddenly, they’re a member of the community, and they’re here for the long run.” “What we’re taught in the Catholic Church is that the family unit is the most critical and is a holy, sacred unit,” Kraemer continued. “Now, we’re talking about destroying that relationship, potentially forever.” Aside from visiting immigrant detainees, people may choose to write letters, be part of a prayer group or release support group, and donate. Volunteers don’t need to speak Spanish or other foreign languages. For more information about Conversations with Friends, visit www.conversationswithfriendsmn.org.
FOCUS ON FAITH
January 12, 2017
Sunday Scriptures Jean Denton
Accepting Christ’s gift of forgiveness I went to the sacrament of reconciliation for the first time at age 33 and, as a convert to Catholicism, I was surprised by a palpable sense of relief and gratitude for God’s forgiveness. Years later, I’m finally coming to the deeper understanding that reconciliation through Christ means he has paid the ransom to free me from my sinfulness. But how does that work exactly, I’ve wondered. In the Gospel for Jan. 15, John the Baptist calls us to take a hard look when he says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
The Catholic Spirit • 15
Jesus’ sacrifice was for all humanity. I can see how it plays out in real life, at least symbolically. Our sinful acts are wiped away by Christ living in innocent victims of violence, oppression or discrimination when they suffer quietly and, whether through purity or willful love, harbor no resentment or desire for retribution or reparation. But Jesus’ sacrifice is personal, too. In college, one of my journalism classmates had cerebral palsy. I admired Rich’s perseverance and abilities, particularly as a reporter for our campus newspaper. He was amazingly good at it despite his disability, and he never sought special accommodations. As a fellow staffer, I occasionally advocated for him, especially when he needed to interview people who were uncomfortable with his speech impediment. But sometimes when Rich wasn’t around, I would joke with other reporters about some of his behaviors and difficulties caused by his condition. He likely sensed it all around him, but Rich never let on that he was aware of our thoughtless, shameful attitude. To a fault, he was thoughtful and kind to me. He was an innocent, loving young man who chose to see only friendship.
Sunday, Jan. 15 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings • Is 49:3, 5-6 • 1 Cor 1:1-3 • Jn 1:29-34 In Rich, I now realize, I “behold” the Lamb of God, Christ suffering as a ransom for my sin. The person of Christ within him replaced the burden of my sin with his gifts of love and friendship. It’s futile to try to repay such a sacrifice. I have nothing to offer that is equal to Christ. Besides, according to Psalm 40, the Lord doesn’t desire “sinofferings.” Instead, John suggests, he wants me to accept his gift and live through the spirit of Jesus that I’ve received. This Catholic News Service column is offered in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Jan. 15 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 49:3, 5-6 1 Cor 1:1-3 Jn 1:29-34 Monday, Jan. 16 Heb 5:1-10 Mk 2:18-22 Tuesday, Jan. 17 St. Anthony, abbot Heb 6:10-20 Mk 2:23-28
Wednesday, Jan. 18 Heb 7:1-3, 15-17 Mk 3:1-6 Thursday, Jan. 19 Heb 7:25–8:6 Mk 3:7-12 Friday, Jan. 20 Heb 8:6-13 Mk 3:13-19 Saturday, Jan. 21 St. Agnes, virgin and martyr Heb 9:2-3, 11-14 Mk 3:20-21
SEEKING ANSWERS
Father Michael Schmitz
How should we think about our past? Q. How much weight should I give to my past? I’ve been told that I need to forget the past and move forward, but it seems like there ought to be something more to it. A. When it comes to the past, many of us are tempted to fall into one of two traps: Either we choose to ignore the past or we choose to live in the past. Yet, both of these choices will prevent us from accomplishing one of the principal ends in life — becoming wise. Becoming wise is one of the goals of a life well lived. More important than pleasure, more lasting than fitness and more attainable than wealth, wisdom is enduring, available to all and proper to the human person. Historically, however, wisdom has been seen as the result of acquiring two things: truth and experience. We ignore the past when we don’t stop to evaluate and appreciate what we have experienced. When we fail to recognize the way our decisions have impacted our lives and the lives of those around us, and when we fail to acknowledge the ways other people’s decisions have impacted our lives, we are shortcircuiting one of the essential ingredients for becoming wise. To ignore one’s past can be absolutely devastating
Sunday, Jan. 22 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 8:23–9:3 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17 Mt 4:12-23 Monday, Jan. 23 Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children Heb 9:15, 24-28 Mk 3:22-30
Tuesday, Jan. 24 St. Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church Heb 10:1-10 Mk 3:31-35 Wednesday, Jan. 25 Conversion of St. Paul, apostle Acts 22:3-16 Mk 16:15-18 Thursday, Jan. 26 Sts. Timothy and Titus, bishops 2 Tm 1:1-8 Mk 4:21-25
to a good life. We can see this in our own experience, or in the experience of the people around us. We all know the person who consistently dates one jerk after another. Rather than learning from their past, this person not only continues to date jerks, but also the same kind of jerk! To these people, I like to refer to the quote: “Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes that reason is you are foolish and make bad decisions.” That might be harsh (although of course it is merely meant as a lighthearted way of pointing out our tendency to make unwise choices), but it is also often true of those who refuse to acknowledge the past. If wisdom comes as a result of combining truth with experience, then in order to become wise, one must look at one’s past and assess it. This is one of the incredible benefits from the practice of regularly examining one’s conscience. Even more than an “examination of conscience,” I would recommend something called a “consciousness examen.” That might sound like the same thing, but they are significantly different. With a consciousness examen, we will, at least once a day, stop and review our day. Beginning by asking the Holy Spirit for guidance, we go over our day, looking for times God was present. Essentially, we are looking for the ways God had spoken to us through the day or blessed us during that day. After acknowledging God’s presence and action, we thank God. Then, we review our day again, being attentive to all of the times God was trying to speak to us or invite us to act, but we said no to God’s invitation. After looking at and assessing these times, we repent of them (we ask God to forgive us and resolve to turn to him more in the future). This process, repeated on a regular basis, will help a person grow in wisdom. Rather than simply “going through the motions” and drifting through life, we will begin to move through life with intentionality and purpose. Our choices (both good and bad) will have the ability to become the necessary fuel for wisdom and will help us chart a course for the future.
Friday, Jan. 27 Heb 10:32-39 Mk 4:26-34 Saturday, Jan. 28 St. Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 Mk 4:35-41 Sunday, Jan. 29 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Zep 2:3; 3:12-13 1 Cor 1:26-31 Mt 5:1-12a
We will avoid the incredibly silly trap of saying things like, “Don’t regret anything from your past. It has made you into the person you are today.” That saying is absurd for a number of reasons. The first is that it assumes you have learned from the bad and good choices and are actually a better person today. But all of us know that this is not necessarily the case. Often, our experiences can contribute to our becoming more evil and more foolish. It is only when we look at our past, assess our past, learn from our past and make corrections (aka repent) that we have the potential to become better and wiser. The other trap many people fall into is to live in the past. I am referring to those people who repeatedly beat themselves up over decisions long gone. There are those who, even after learning from the past and repenting, choose to continue to define themselves by their failures (or by their successes). It is impossible to become wise when one chooses not to learn from the past and then leave it alone. This is because wisdom has to be practical. And practical wisdom is the ability to apply what one has learned to the current situation in order to move forward in the best way possible. Last thing. There are people who just can’t seem to break free from the past. I have one piece of advice for them: laugh. Laugh at yourself. So many of us are stuck in the past because we take ourselves so seriously. Because of this, every time we remember something bad we have done in the past, we are crippled by it. Christians are the ones who do not need to take themselves so seriously. We take God seriously. We take other people seriously. We need to take sin seriously. But we do not need to take our “drama” so seriously. If you can take yourself less seriously, you will be free to learn from the past, but not live in the past. Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reach him at fathermikeschmitz@gmail.com.
16 • The Catholic Spirit
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
TWENTY SOMETHING
Christina Capecchi
The pursuit of happiness in the new year Don Currey was a 30-year-old graduate student when he cut down the world’s oldest tree. A brown-eyed, sun-tanned geography student at the University of North Carolina, Don was striking in his looks and his ambitions: to better understand Ice Age glaciology by examining bristlecone pine trees. And so he found himself in Nevada in the summer of 1964 amid a grove of bristlecones on Wheeler Peak Mountain when his tree corer got stuck in a tree. Since it would not come out, a park ranger helped him remove his instrument by cutting down the tree. Don began to count its rings and eventually realized, much to his dismay, that he had felled a tree that was 4,844 years old — what was then considered the oldest tree on the planet. The tragic mistake advanced geographers’ understanding of longevity, which had been correlated with size of tree, like the redwoods of California. Ice-burnished bristlecone pines, with their storybook swirls on gnarled limbs — trees that peak at
just 20 feet — are, it turns out, some of the oldest trees in the world. They’re able to live so long because, even if a large portion of a bristlecone is damaged by erosion or fire, small strips of living bark, which one researcher dubbed “life lines,” can function and keep the tree alive. A strip of bark that might be only 2 inches wide can support all of the tree’s foliage. Adversity begets longevity, analysis suggested: The severe conditions the bristlecone endured over time actually helped extend its lifespan. As I look ahead to 2017 and that which has never been, I’ve been thinking of all the history that has come before me — both as a Catholic and a member of my family. The communion of saints feels more alive to me than ever before — almost hauntingly so, yet comforting — the canonized ones and my ancestors, stories of resilience and grace and the life lines that have been sustained. I’m resolving to study them this year and glean their stories and songs. I want to capture oral histories of those still living — the kind where I get out of the way and let them talk — and to read up on those no longer here. Young adulthood may bring a sense of invincibility, throbbing with novelty and thrill, but lately, I’m feeling blessed and strengthened by my history. I want to dig deeper. To begin, I’m reading Robert Ellsberg’s book “The Saints’ Guide to Happiness,” which frames that secular pursuit, an inalienable American right, in spiritual terms, showing how the saints’ capacity for goodness and love, ultimately, made them happy. My biggest takeaway is the book’s message about learning to see and learning to love. “Our whole business in this life,” St. Augustine wrote, “is to restore to health the eyes of the heart, whereby God
January 12, 2017
A bristlecone pine. iStock/AvatarKnowmad may be seen.” That’s what happened to Thomas Merton, Ellsberg recounts, when he was on an errand in the shopping district of Louisville, Kentucky, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut. “I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs … ,” Merton wrote. “It was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts, where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God’s eyes.” I tear up when I read this passage. What more could we hope for in the new year than to share in that vision? Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights and the editor of www.sisterstory.org.
FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA
Jason Adkins
The vocation of the public servant The 90th session of the Minnesota Legislature began Jan. 3. Dozens of first-term lawmakers are included among its 201 members. Most come excited with some key priorities based on the issues they believe got them elected. But apart from those two or three main issues, much of the legislative terrain and the substance of many issues will be unfamiliar to new lawmakers, as it continues to be for some veterans. The breadth of legislation is as vast as it is complex. Legislators looking for a way forward can too easily get sidetracked by the “herd mentality” of partisanship and the pull of special interests. Catholics should not leave it to lobbyists and others to educate lawmakers about what is truly important. Instead, they should remind their elected officials about the nature of their calling as a public servant.
Option for the poor and vulnerable But what are the primary responsibilities of lawmakers? And what guiding lights can politicians look toward to know with confidence they are following a prudent course? Pope Francis provided one such indicator in an interview following the U.S. elections Nov. 8. The Holy Father said, “I do not judge [specific] people or politicians,” when asked about the election results. “I only want to understand what suffering their behavior causes to the poor and the excluded.” Consistent with long-standing Catholic teaching and Gospel values, Pope Francis highlights that a key
Stay informed: Follow the Catholic Advocacy Network’s Bill Tracker With a new legislative session, thousands of new bills will be introduced in the State Legislature. The Minnesota Catholic Conference’s Catholic Advocacy Network will be tracking the legislation that most clearly impacts life and human dignity in Minnesota. MCC’s Bill Tracker groups legislation by area of Catholic social teaching, provides a link to the text of the bill and includes the MCC’s position on the legislation with references to applicable Catholic doctrine. View the Bill Tracker online by visiting www.mncatholic.org/actioncenter and selecting “Bills.” Additionally, stay informed about important updates from the Capitol by joining the Catholic Advocacy Network: www.mncatholic.org/signup.
measure of one’s term in public office is how his or her policies and actions affect the poor and vulnerable. “Those who are oppressed by poverty are the object of a preferential love on the part of the Church ... .” (CCC, No. 2448). In their 1986 pastoral letter “Economic Justice for All,” the U.S. bishops fleshed out further this “preferential love,” stating: “The primary purpose of this special commitment to the poor is to enable them to become active participants in the life of society. It is to enable all persons to share in and contribute to the common good. The ‘option for the poor,’ therefore, is not an adversarial slogan that pits one group or class against another. Rather, it states that the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community” (No. 88). The preferential option for the poor and vulnerable does not operate to the exclusion of other people or concerns. Nor should the terms “poor” and “vulnerable” be too narrowly construed to exclude children (born and, especially, unborn), the disabled, the migrant and the elderly, as well as those suffering from food and economic insecurity. Rather, the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable requires that in legislative and budgetary priorities, the needs of the poor and vulnerable “have the single most urgent claim” on our conscience, before
other concerns and special interests (“Economic Justice for All,” No. 86).
Justice and charity Some Catholics are skeptical of Catholic social teaching, wrongly believing that the richness of the social tradition with its preferential option for the poor and vulnerable is driven by class-hatred, envy and egalitarianism. Fortunately, a new selection of writings from Bishop Fulton Sheen, back in print for the first time since their publication in 1940, offers a fresh reintroduction to the topic by one whose piety and orthodoxy (as well as staunch anti-communism) are unquestioned. Entitled “Justice and Charity” (ACS Books), Bishop Sheen explores how a capitalism that fails to submit to the demands of social and distributive justice can be corrected only by a revolution in the heart through the encounter with the person of Jesus Christ. As Catholics prepare to work with legislators to uphold the common good, Bishop Sheen’s book is a helpful volume to identify first principles and the demands of justice so that legislators may respond to their true calling as public servants. Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
January 12, 2017
THE LOCAL CHURCH Father Nick VanDenBroeke
The priest as an image of Christ There is great hope in the future of the priesthood! Last year, there were 548 men ordained priests in the U.S. Eight of these men were ordained for our own archdiocese. This number has been growing since the year 2000, when only 442 men were ordained priests, but it is still down dramatically from the year 1965, when 994 men were ordained priests. Please continue to pray for more priests. However, praying for them is not enough; we must also encourage young men — perhaps your own children or grandchildren— to consider discerning a call to the priesthood. A survey of priests said that, on average, four people encouraged each of this year’s ordination class to consider a vocation. In other words, it is important that young men be encouraged not just by one person, but by several people to consider the seminary. The most influential people who encouraged most men to join the seminary were parish priests, friends, parishioners and mothers. Sadly, almost half of the priests ordained last year said they were discouraged by at least two people from entering the seminary. We must be encouraging, not discouraging, of our young men considering a call to the priesthood, lest we steer them away from what for many is a great joy. A large-scale survey conducted a few years ago determined that priests are remarkably happy, are less likely to be depressed or to suffer “burn-out” than people in other careers, and are largely at peace with the demands of the priestly life, including the requirement of lifelong celibacy. Stephen Rossetti published the findings in his
2011 book “Why Priests are Happy” (Ave Maria Press). That priests are truly happy is really important to hear, because I think there can be conflicting thoughts in our minds saying, on the one hand, “We need priests if we are going to have the sacraments,” and on the other hand, “I wouldn’t want my own son/friend to become a priest because the priesthood is a sad, lonely and unsatisfying existence.” That might be what our culture would like everyone to think, but that simply isn’t true. Data show the opposite, that priests are truly happy and satisfied. And I can personally testify to the fact that I love being a priest, and I would encourage any young man who had thoughts of priesthood to look into it further. Journalist John Allen Jr. summed up the findings of the priest survey with these words: “It would all boil down to this. The priests of this country obviously love serving you and ministering to you, because otherwise there’s no way to explain why they’re basically happy, in the teeth of a culture which constantly tells them they’re not supposed to be.” As Archbishop Harry Flynn has said, “If I had 100 lives, I’d live every one of them as a priest.”
Bridegroom of the Church In talking about the priesthood, we might begin by talking about what a priest does. But before we do that, we need to talk about what a priest is. A priest is not defined primarily by what he does, but by who he is. The Letter to the Hebrews says that Jesus Christ is our “great high priest” (4:14). And the Church teaches that “the priest is a living and transparent image of Christ the priest” (“Pastores Dabo Vobis,” 12). The priesthood is a sacramental presence, that when the priest acts, Jesus Christ acts. This is why priests are men. In November, a journalist asked Pope Francis if women priests were a possibility. The pope said “the last word is clear,” pointing to St. John Paul II’s “Ordinatio Sacerdotalis” (1994), which states that only men can be admitted to the priesthood. A study of St. John Paul II’s theology of the body is very helpful in this regard to understand the importance of Jesus becoming incarnate as a man, not as a woman. Christ could only become incarnate as a man because of
The Catholic Spirit • 17
his being the “image of the Father,” his being the “Bridegroom of the Church” and the way he initiates the gift of life giving love in us, the Church. This teaching states that as the priest acts in the person of Christ, he does so specifically as the bridegroom of the Church. And only a man can assume the role of husband, thus only a male priest can stand in sacramental representation of Christ the bridegroom. As baptized Christians we are all equal, but equality does not mean we are identical. This underlines a fundamental difference between a Catholic understanding of priesthood and a Protestant understanding of a “minister,” where the person has a job of leading the people, but does not actually stand in the person of Jesus Christ himself. This is why it can’t be argued that Catholics should change our teaching on an all-male priesthood because some Protestant denominations have women as ministers. It is fundamentally different. When a man is ordained a Catholic priest, a mark, or a character, is put on his soul, which identifies him with Christ the priest. This is why the priest speaks in the name of Christ when celebrating the sacraments. He says, “I baptize you …,” “I absolve you …,” and “This is my body … .” The priest cannot say these words just because he’s really talented, or because he wants to claim the authority of God, for “who but God alone can forgive sins?” (Mk 2:7). No one could claim such authority simply as a human being, only through the power of Christ. The Second Vatican Council document “Lumen Gentium” says: Through priests “our Lord Jesus Christ, the supreme high priest, is present in the midst of those who believe” (21). So a priest does not act in his own name, but in the name of Christ, who is the source of our joy. Father VanDenBroeke is parochial vicar of Epiphany in Coon Rapids. This column was excerpted from his series on the priesthood that covered topics including the identity of a priest, priesthood in Scripture, priestly celibacy, the fatherhood of the priest, and women and the priesthood. The series is available at www.epiphanymn.org/bulletins-andhomilies.
LETTERS Open to open boarders Jason Adkins’ article, “Immigration debate needs constructive engagement” (Faith in the Public Arena, Dec. 22), has some good suggestions on how Catholics can better enter into solidarity with their immigrant brothers and sisters. However, he cites St. John XXIII’s encyclical “Pacem in Terris” as a document that supports the state’s right to control its borders “for the common good of their citizens.” As a matter of fact, “Pacem in Terris” in no place discusses this right. The encyclical actually moves in the other direction of Mr. Adkins’ article, and speaks of a “membership in the human family,” a “citizenship in a universal society” and a “common, world-wide fellowship of men.” It speaks of the right to emigrate and the duty of the state to accept immigrants seeking a better life. It is true that the Catechism upholds the right of states to manage these affairs, but the notion of strict borders (let alone walls) is a modern phenomenon. I am not calling for an end to these laws, but Mr. Adkins’ reference to “sloppy advocacy that sounds like the United States should become a cosmopolitan nation of open borders and global citizens” is perhaps more derogatory than necessary. These “sloppy” advocates may have their finger on the pulse of something good. Pope John repeatedly referred to the need to transcend nationalistic thinking, to place the dignity of the human person at the center of political decisions, and to work as if one belonged to a human family. Nicholas Zinos Holy Family, St. Louis Park Jason Adkins responds: The Dec. 22 column accurately describes Catholic teaching on migration found in “Pacem in Terris” and other places, the fullness of which cannot be contained in a 700-word piece. (See “Pacem in Terris” 106; Catechism of the Catholic Church 2241). The writer is correct that Catholics should not be overly nationalistic. My point
was that globalist rhetoric is not a winning strategy for defending undocumented persons already here. Rather, like Archbishop [José] Gomez, we should advocate for the well-being of immigrants in an American frame of reference consistent with Catholic social teaching.
Burying the dead In the Dec. 8 issue’s Seeking Answers (“Why are funeral homilies so much about Jesus and not the deceased?”), I thought the response by Father Michael Schmitz was disturbing and confusing. I recently lost my spouse and felt that the burial Mass was for her. I’m sure that God in all his mercy and kindness would not deny the deceased person a memorial Mass. Also, we shouldn’t speak of the deceased as a sinner or to create doubt whether the person went to heaven. I did agree with the last paragraph of the article, which stated “the funeral Mass is a chance to say goodbye and to celebrate the life of the person you’ve loved. But it is also the chance to worship God.” Jack Tschida St. Bernard, St. Paul Father Schmitz responds: Dear reader, please accept my sincere condolences for your loss. I can’t imagine the grief of having to say goodbye to your beloved spouse. The Mass is truly for those who are alive as a powerful way to say goodbye and to help us with inconsolable loss. You are correct in noting that the Mass was for your wife. We offer the sacrifice of the Mass for the person’s soul. It might be painful to remember that one’s spouse was a sinner, but that is the woman you loved: a wonderful person who was loved in the midst of her sin — as we are all called to be. I do not want to split hairs or to “pick at” the wound of loss that you’ve experienced, but we do not know the state of any person’s soul; we simply do not know if they are in heaven. The funeral Mass should not be the only place where we are aware of this; it should be our constant awareness about all of us. The belief that “all semi-decent people go to heaven” is not a Christian belief; we only go to
heaven because of the grace of God through Jesus and our cooperation with that grace. It is this cooperation that is greatly hidden, even from those closest to us. None of this is an invitation to despair or discouragement. Jesus invites us to hope, but hope in him, not in the goodness of any one of us.
Life in one’s own hands I read with great interest your article on physicianassisted suicide (“Coalition fights physician-assisted suicide,” Dec. 8). A coalition is going to help people change their minds? Is there going to be a lot of committees studying and making recommendations? I read the word “palliative” — ease, salve, excuse, soothe, relieve, alleviate — all pretty words. Are those the words you are going to use to try and talk someone out of committing suicide? If you have never been there and haven’t experienced the pain and frustration, all you will be offering is sympathy. How can you connect with the person? The terrible, stabbing, sharp pain that throbs with every beat of your heart. Can’t sleep. Anxiety, frustration, no hope. Your friends and family watching you suffer. Bills piling up. Then, the problem of drugs. When you have that miserable, debilitating pain, you will take anything that will alleviate some of it. Then, more and more of the drugs until you become addicted. Only God knows and understands what is in that man’s heart. At that point the person makes peace with his Creator and says, “I’m coming home.” I fully understand why that person wants to end it. The pain, frustration and anxiety will be gone. Jim Plekkenpol Sts. Joachim and Anne, Shakopee Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@ The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit. Letters may be edited for length or clarity. archspm.org.
18 • The Catholic Spirit
CALENDAR
Music
CALENDAR submissions
Martin Luther King Holiday concert — Jan. 15: 7–9 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc. 4537 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.stjoan.com.
DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.
Ongoing groups
LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your press release.
Faithful Spouses support group — Third Tuesday of each month: 7–8:30 p.m. in Smith Hall of the Hayden Building, 328 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul. For those who are living apart from their spouses because of separation or divorce. 651-291-4438 or faithfulspouses@archspm.org.
ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar:
Career Transition group meeting — Third Thursday of each month: 7:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus, 155 County Road 24, Medina. www.hnoj.org/career-transition-group.
• Time and date of event
Dementia Support Group — Second Tuesday of each month: 7–9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
• Full street address of event • Description of event • C ontact information in case of questions. (No attachments, please.)
CARITAS cancer support group — Wednesdays: 10:30 a.m.–noon at St. Joseph’s Hospital, second floor, maternity classroom 2500, 45 W. 10th St., St. Paul.
FAX: 651-291-4460 MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102
Parish events
A note to readers
Knights of Columbus bingo — Jan. 15: 1–3:30 p.m. at Mary Queen of Peace (St. Martin campus), 21201 Church Ave., Rogers.
The Catholic Spirit does not accept calendar submissions via email. Please submit events using the form at www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions.
St. Agnes vocations breakfast — Jan. 22: 8 a.m.–2 p.m. at 538 Thomas Ave., St. Paul.
More online
Prayer/worship Taize Prayer — Third Friday of each month: 7 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Retreats
Healing Mass with Father Jim Livingston — Jan. 17: 7 p.m. at St. Gabriel the Archangel – St. Joseph Campus, 1310 Mainstreet, Hopkins. rowheels@hotmail.com or www.stgabrielhopkins.org.
Women’s mid-week retreat — Jan. 17-19 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. www.franciscanretreats.net.
The Grace of Benedictine Spirituality — Jan. 19: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Men’s silent weekend retreat “Re-awakening Hope” — Jan. 13-15 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. www.kingshouse.com.
Pro-Life Memorial Mass — Jan. 27: 6 p.m. at St. Charles Borromeo, 2739 Stinson Blvd. NE, St. Anthony. Join Prolife Across America for a Memorial Mass commemorating the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. karidomeyer@gmail.com.
Men’s silent weekend retreat “Re-awakening Hope” — Jan. 20-22 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. www.kingshouse.com.
January 12, 2017
Men on Fire men’s retreat — Jan. 20-21: 6–9:30 p.m. Jan. 20 and 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Jan. 21 at St. Hubert, 8201 Main St., Chanhassen. www.jpiihealingcenter.org. St. Joseph men’s retreat — Jan. 27-28 at 1154 Seminole Ave., West St. Paul. www.churchofstjoseph.org/mens-ministry. Ad Altare Dei Retreat for scouts — Jan. 27-29 and March 3-5 at Stearns Scout Camp. 612-819-5942, aademblemretreat@gmail.com or 2016aademblemretreat. eventbrite.com. Encountering God in Everyday Life — Feb. 3-4, March 3-4, April 7-8 and May 5-6: 5–6 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Schools St. Jude of the Lake kindergarten information night — Jan. 12: 6–7 p.m. at 600 Mahtomedi Ave., Mahtomedi. www.stjudeofthelakeschool.org.
1–5 p.m. at the University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul. www.wellreadmom.com/events.
Other events Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life March for Life — Jan. 22: 2–3 p.m. at 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St Paul. www.mccl.org. Women with Spirit Bible Study — Through April 4: Tuesdays, 9:30–11:30 a.m. at Pax Christi, 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie. www.paxchristi.com/wws. Art exhibit: Seeing God — Jan. 25-March 3: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
St. Jerome all school open house and kindergarten information night — Jan. 17: 5:30–7:30 p.m. at 384 Roselawn Ave., Maplewood. www.facebook.com/stjeromemn or jcook@stjeromeschool.org. Tour Sunday at Notre Dame Academy — Jan. 29: 9 a.m.– noon at 13505 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka. 952-358-3500 or www.nda-mn.org.
Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. Kay at 651-426-3103 or Al at 651-482-0406. Singles group at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. Gather for a potluck supper, conversation and games. 763-425-0412.
Speakers Maternity of Mary pro-life Mass and dinner with speaker Jean Stolpestad — Jan. 21: 5:30 p.m. at 1414 N. Dale St., St. Paul. Pat at 651-489-0211. St. Agnes Day book signing — Jan. 22: 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m. at 538 Thomas Ave., St. Paul. Lectures and book signings with Virginia Schubert, John DeJak, Deacon Nathan Allen and Richard Aleman.
Your Church. Your stories. Your newspaper.
Conferences/seminars/ workshops Well-Read Mom gathering for women — Jan. 28:
Tyler’s research could unlock cancer’s secrets, or even lead to new therapies. “If we could engineer different tissues or organs, you could replace them completely,” he noted, “which would be a much more effective way of treating a disease.” Thanks to our dual degree program, Tyler recently graduated with both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biochemical engineering. His internships at a pharmaceutical company and the National Institutes of Health helped, too. “I like being able to use engineering and science concepts to make a meaningful impact on the world.”
Learn more at discover.cua.edu
A Catholic Mind for
RESEARCH
Catholic University admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, or disability.
19 • The Catholic Spirit
HMONG continued from page 6 are joining the Catholic Church. Because Hmong people traditionally practice animism, or a belief system that attaches spiritual qualities to objects, places and creatures, new converts’ homes in particular need to be purified and blessed, explained Kou Ly, a parishioner of St. Patrick who hosted Father Chakrit during his stay. The priest also ministered at St. Casimir in St. Paul to a small Catholic Karen community, whose origins are in Myanmar and Thailand. In Thailand, he serves a Karen parish. Ly said that having a Hmong-speaking priest, even for a brief time, brings him a sense of joy. “You feel closer to your prayer, because this is what you grew up with,” he said. He said the language barrier makes it hard for the Hmong elders in the U.S. to be Catholic. They don’t understand homilies given in English, and when attending Mass in English, they don’t chant, which is central to the Mass celebration in Hmong. It makes them feel like they can’t fully participate in the liturgy, Ly said. In the 1980s, Father Daniel Talliez, a French-born, Hmong-speaking Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate, served the local Hmong community, but he left in 2001 to minister in Thailand. Because of the language barrier that’s existed since, some Hmong Catholics have left the Church, with some joining local Protestant churches with Hmong pastors, Ly said. It’s a common misconception within the Hmong community that all Christian denominations are the same, he said, which underscores the need for a priest and Catholic formation. St. Vincent de Paul is served by a Hmong permanent deacon, Deacon Nao Kao Yang. Still, Ly, 48, sees a need for Hmong priests and is proud that his uncle, 33-year-old Peter Ly, will be ordained a transitional deacon for the archdiocese in May and hopes to be ordained a priest in 2018. The dearth of Hmong vocations doesn’t surprise Ly, however. For the Hmong people, “our faith is pretty new,” he said. A missionary priest brought the faith to the Hmong people in the 1950s. During Laos’ civil war and eventual governmental fall in 1975, many Hmong fled to Thailand and lived in refugee camps, where
Catholicism flourished with the help of Hmong catechists. Ly was born in Laos but lived for three years as a child in a refugee camp, where he learned the faith. Ly made his way to the U.S. via France and French Guiana, arriving in 1992. He lives in Lake Elmo and works as a database analyst for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. He and his wife, Joua, have five children, ages 5 to 23. Father Chakrit’s family is from Laos, but they didn’t encounter Catholicism until he was a boy. A Redemptorist missionary priest visited his village and ushered his family into the Church when he was 10, but young Berm didn’t understand the appeal of Christianity. “I just understood that Jesus was a foreigner for me,” he said. “My father tried to teach me to pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary, but I wasn’t interested.” He became fascinated with Buddha and he told his parents he wanted to become a Buddhist hermit monk. His father tried to convert him, but wasn’t successful until one night, when the two were outside looking at the stars, and his father taught him the “Holy, Holy, Holy.” With that prayer, Father Chakrit had a deep sense of God as creator of the universe, and that became his personal daily prayer. With the help of that Redemptorist missionary, he finished his education at a center for Hmong Catholic children, and he decided to pursue the priesthood. He studied philosophy in Thailand and theology in the Philippines. After ordination, he expected to be assigned to a Hmong community, but instead he was sent to minister in a Karen village. At first he celebrated the Mass in Thai, but then realized that it would be more effective for him to learn their language and adopt their cultural habits, which he did. He now oversees a Karen center for youth, which is similar to the Hmong center where he received an education. He said he was glad to be retuning to his parish in Thailand, but looked forward to returning to Minnesota in the future to further minister to Hmong Catholics. “I feel I’m always ready,” he said. Wherever the Hmong “need the good news, I will be there. ... I will try to do the best for them.”
January 12, 2017
Musically talented priest, Father Gorman, dies at 62 By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Father James David Gorman, a priest known for his music in ministry, died Jan. 4 at age 62. Father Gorman was born March 13, 1954, in Red Wing and ordained to the priesthood May 30, 1981, at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. After growing up in Goodhue and completing a degree in music, he studied for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul. Father Gorman first served at the Cathedral of St. Paul as an associate pastor from 1981 to 1984. He spent his final 16 years of active ministry at Risen Savior in Burnsville as the assistant pastor from 1995 until he retired in 2011 because of cancer. “The first thing really that comes into mind when I think of him is, he was a very spiritual, joyful, faithfilled person,” said Marianne Brass, who had known Father Gorman since 1995 as a Risen Savior parishioner. Brass, the parish’s communications and community Father James life coordinator, worked with Father Gorman when she joined the parish staff in 1999. She said Father GORMAN Gorman took time to connect with parishioners and excelled at ministering to the sick. “He would always be very compassionate when he went and visited the sick in the hospital or he went to anoint people,” Brass said. “I always heard that from the families — how compassionate he was and how nice he was when he came to visit.” People also knew Father Gorman for his passion for the arts, particularly music. He could play the trumpet, flute and piano in addition to singing well. He sometimes played the piano and sang for his homilies at Mass, sometimes with music he wrote. He also used icons and art in his homilies. “When he would give homilies with his music, it was just wonderful to hear because he would sing some of them,” said Angela Bitzenhofer, a Risen Savior parishioner who had known Father Gorman since 1995. Outside of the liturgy, Father Gorman would share his musical talents at various parish events. He also used icons when teaching the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, which Neil Bitzenhofer, Angela’s husband, witnessed while serving with the RCIA team. After his retirement, Father Gorman continued to assist at Risen Savior and other parishes despite his continued battle with cancer. The Bitzenhofers often drove Father Gorman to and from Rochester for his treatments. “He always kept his sense of humor,” Neil said. “He always had a good outlook even though things were bad.” Father Gorman kept up his musical endeavors in his final years, too. That included playing the piano at the funeral of his mother, Jeanette, in 2015. A funeral Mass for Father Gorman was Jan. 10 at Risen Savior. Interment will be set for a later date in St. Columbkill cemetery in Goodhue.
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20 • The Catholic Spirit
THE LAST WORD
January 12, 2017
After blessing chalk at the beginning of Mass Jan. 7, Father Michael Powell, pastor of St. Casimir in St. Paul, uses the chalk to write the millennium, century, the first letter of the names of the three Magi, and then the decade and year on the door frame of the church. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit
Chalk it up to tradition St. Paul parish marks Epiphany with doorway blessings By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit
C
indy Pasiuk’s home on St. Paul’s east side has seen many visitors in 64 years. And upon entering, they’ve all walked under a phrase written in chalk above the doorway that changes slightly each year. In 1953, when her parents built the home after her brother was born, the phrase read: “19 + C + M + B + 53.” This year, it will read “20 + C + M + B + 17” — the “20” signifying the millennium and century; the letters standing for the traditional names of the three Wise Men, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar; and the “17” standing for the decade and year. The initials also are believed to stand for “Christus mansionem benedicat,” Latin for “Christ bless this house.” The crosses in between signify Christ. Pasiuk, 67, is a lifelong parishioner of St. Casimir, just two blocks from her home. She said the parish has participated in the Epiphany tradition of chalking doorways since its founding 124 years ago. Originally written in people’s homes, and usually by a priest, the sequence of numbers and letters is meant to
remind them of the Magi’s journey to visit the Christ Child and also to extend a blessing to the home’s visitors. “The kids enjoy it, and the families enjoy it,” Pasiuk said of the tradition. “It’s a religious activity that means something, and they understand because it’s being done in the church.” Pasiuk is the parish’s volunteer liturgy coordinator. At St. Casimir’s Mass Jan. 7, Father Michael Powell marked the lintel of the main church door in the vestibule with “20 + C + M + B + 17.” During Mass Jan. 8, the feast of the Epiphany, he did the same to the church’s side doors. After the Masses, parishioners picked up bags containing the blessed chalk, incense, holy water and prayers to take home to perform the ritual. Growing up in the 1950s and early 1960s, Pasiuk remembers St. Casimir’s pastor visiting all the parishioners’ homes on Epiphany to take a census while also blessing the home and performing the chalk ritual. She said as the parish grew and no longer had Polish priests, the ceremony continued only at the church. Pasiuk, whose maternal and paternal grandparents emigrated from occupied Poland, said the Poles brought the tradition to the parish, but she is unsure of its origins. Some sources trace the practice to before the Middle
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Ages, when Catholics blessed their homes to symbolize their commitment to welcome Christ on a daily basis throughout the year. Today, other denominations perform the Epiphany chalk markings. Pasiuk is steeped in the tradition. “It’s a connection with, obviously, my faith. Secondly, to what I was taught, [that] you take in people, you help people,” Pasiuk said. “And it’s a connection to my Polish heritage.” Some sources say to keep the chalk phrase until Pentecost in June. But Pasiuk leaves it up all year. She believes it’s her responsibility to pass on the Epiphany tradition to the next generation. “As the world is running on its own crazy pace, I’m seeing more of this reaching back and pulling these types of things back,” she said. “You need time-honored traditions. We’re not here for Twitter. We’re here to appreciate those who have gone before us, who have taught us (and) ... who have worked hard to give us what we have today — the foundations to build our life and our faith on — and honor them by using what they taught us and continue bringing that forward, because those are the things you’re going to hold on to. Those are the things you’re going to remember.” She added: “It’s something that families can pass forward to enjoy.”
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